buy one get one free

pure bliss.

spent the morning with my husband- a walk to our fav coffee shop, ugly mugs, with our very own ugly mugs, georgia and annie :) we then drove to franklin to get the remaining pieces of our nursery, the glider, mattress and changing table pad. i think we might have gone overboard a bit with the glider, but we figure it will last us forever...fingers crossed :)

finished our date with a yummy lunch at one of our favorite franklin destinations- pucketts. got to sit outside in the crisp fall weather, leaves changing and falling all around. stunning. and the cherry on top was my company :) oh! and the fact that i learned sweet cece's has a buy one get one free deal for preggo's- i was pretty much in heaven. pumpkin yogurt- yum yum yum!

to top off my amazing morning and early afternoon, i spent the rest of the day at my new store, with my amazing team. they are the most amazing women and i am so ecstatic to be opening our doors tomorrow morning together!

my mantra these days is- i have the choice. no matter what happens, i have the choice. i create the result. so, i choose to be happy. blissful.

xo

week 23

here is wee watson at week 23 :)

starting to grow, more and more each day! he/she is also getting more and more active, turning and kicking all the time. since i am so busy (physically) each day, i look forward to the evening when i finally put my feet up and lay down on the couch because wee goes crazy! he/she starts doing gymnastics in my belly and it just makes me smile from ear to ear.

i really do love being pregnant :)

oh, and hank and his brother denny painted the nursery this weekend! it is amazing, the crib is put together...ahh, it is getting so real! i almost cried when hank sent me a photo of the room with the crib (he put it together while i was at work). if i wasn't surrounded by a bunch of people, i know i would have cried. pure happiness.

been reading an amazing book called beautiful, bountiful, blissful that i can't recommend enough to anyone who is pregnant or hoping to be. here is an excerpt that has really resonated with me...

"the teaching of kundalini yoga is that a woman comes to know and love herself, radiance shines through to the outside, and we call her beautiful. as she grows to be more compassionate not only of others but of herself, we call her bountiful. finally, as she comes to experience the vastness of who she is and of what she is capable, we call her blissful."

some days, all three exist. others, its struggle to connect with any. but there is nothing more important then being present with each moment to recognize where you are and honor it.

xo

22 weeks

i have been thinking a lot lately about new beginnings. i have recently discovered numerous new feelings on my mat and not from new poses, but from a new awareness in each pose. sometimes, it is a literal feeling- a kick, a somersault or fleeting hand. other times, a spiritual feeling of gratefulness, joy, love, vulnerability, strength...

in the moments i am most present with myself, those are the moments of spontaneous smiles and sometimes tears. emotions that come from a place of really digging into the pure joy that is growing and moving inside of me each day. the emotions that remind me, i am a mother. :)

loving this ride called pregnancy :)

xo

bring on the zantac...

wee watson blessed me with heartburn the past few weeks. thank goodness for zantac and babycenter.com to help me figure out what to do to make it go away! it comes and goes, and i read it was a common side effect, but i also had no idea what heartburn actually felt like! ouch! i can't complain, overall still feeling great, starting to grow a little bit, feeling more and more like a momma each day :)

here i am, 21 1/2 weeks! starting to get a few more when are you due questions...so much fun to start to feel a bit more like i am pregnant rather then just bloated! still have some room to grow as does the little wee-ster. he/she is kicking like crazy, they get stronger every day- now we can actually see them! it is so amazing, such a feeling of pride i have when i feel them knowing that i am sustaining a new life inside of my body- i am the sole caregiver! that is when i feel like a mom already, and it feels AMAZING. gives me the chills!

also so excited because hank and i planned our "babymoon"- if you are unfamiliar with this term, it is all the rage these days...haha, just kidding. but i have had a few friends tell me that this is an important time for me and hank to spend time alone. so, we have booked a vacation, just the two of us, to san francisco in november for 4 days! i am going to take a full week off work and soak it all in :) and of course, use some time to set up the nursery! we have all the necessities, now just time to pick a paint color and put hank to work! :)

well, it is only 945pm but i am exhausted. the spin and yoga class wear me out a bit more then they used to! i am just happy i am still going and feeling great when i am there!

xo

fantastic family filled weekend

my sisters went above and beyond making this the most special day for me and wee watson! the tables were draped in green and yellow fabrics, there were beautiful fresh flowers, childrens books and blocks on the tables for decoration. it was amazing. i was so blown away i almost cried! could be the hormones, but i was so filled with love.

on top of that seven of my aunts came from all over, my grandmother on hank's side and my in-laws as well as many of my mom's closest friends and some of mine! 30 people in total gathered to celebrate wee watson coming into the family. wee, we all can't wait to meet you! are are going to be smothered in love and snugly blankets :) thank you to every who came and showed your love and support. SO amazing.

and it didn't hurt that they served my favorite foods. a make your own salad bar that trumps whole foods :) including my most dreamed about tofu salad and tahini dressing from the lime restaurant in norwalk. yum, yum, yum!

so excited to start putting together wee watson's room!!!!

after the baby shower in connecticut we drove to new jersey to celebrate the newest addition to the family- Quinn Peter Brittain! i am honored to be the Godmother and was so proud to celebrate his baptism.

we made it home last night, with lots of love in our hearts for all the new beginnings coming up! hank and i just can't wait to add another little one to the family... :)

xo

ultrasound day!

today we got to see the ultrasound tech and the midwife...good news all around!

19 week ultrasound today :)

phew, didn't find out the sex! they were so sweet and understanding, we just had to look away when they told us to :) wee watson is 12 ounces, 6 inches long & healthy as a horse! they said everything looks great. this was our last ultrasound, but we will go back in 5 weeks (at 24 weeks) to our midwife.

also got to use the 3-D ultrasound machine. here the picture...wee watson looks a bit weird, but SO cute. i guess i am bias....

side lying photo...you can see the eyes, nose and mouth as well as the right arm and hand :)

so happy and grateful for today. took the day off so hank and i got to celebrate by driving out to pucketts in leipers fork, yum-o!

xo

19 weeks and oh so grateful..

19 weeks! almost half way through this amazing journey, i can't believe it. :) so, i have to pause and be really cheesy for a moment. maybe it is the hormones, maybe i am just a mush of a girl, but either way, i am so in love.

i am in love with the husband i have who wakes up every morning telling me i am the most beautiful pregnant woman in the world (such a confidence booster when i tend to think about my ever growing butt and thighs...).

i am in love with my body and its ability to adapt and grow and nourish our child. i am in love with my family and the love and support i feel from them daily, even if things are hard here and there, they always amaze and inspire me.

i am re-falling in love with yoga. it is such a nourishing and comforting place to be. i am so alive and light when i am on my mat. i am so blessed to be surrounded with amazing teachers and students here in nashville. i am not saying i ever fell out of love with yoga, but as my body is changing and bootcamp, running, kickboxing, zumba...etc. aren't feeling the way they used to- i find so much power and grace on my yoga mat that my whole demeanor changes and i realize what is most important right now. i am a mom! i can slow down, i can take a nap, i need to do that both for me and for my child. i need to start thinking for two, not just for one. this is a huge step, but one i am so excited to make. both hank and i are just so overjoyed to meet our little one. and think wee watson is excited to meet us, if his/her kicks and somersaults have anything to say!

here is an updated picture of the belly...getting there! i am excited to see the growth over the next few weeks as every talks about this being the time you "pop"!

we have our next appointment tomorrow. i can't wait to see wee watson again :) i can't believe we could already know the sex, i have talked to so many people who were dying to know at this point and hank and i are so NOT ready! haha! we are looking forward to finding out when the little one comes out and we can say hello luke! or hello lillian! (those our favorite names as of now :)

leave on friday for our baby shower in connecticut hosted by my amazing sisters, meghan and emily...SO EXCITED!

(meghan, emily, me!)

aren't they stunning? i know, i am the luckiest!

more to come tomorrow when we have our ultrasound pictures...i just hope and pray they don't leak the sex to us! yikes! that would be so sad...

xo