Prgenancy Update - 20 Weeks, Day 6

Hello Friends!

Sorry for being so MIA, but lately I have just been feeling very unmotivated to do anything! I have been slacking on my housework and well...obviously my blog. Hopefully now I can jump back on the horse and keep up with my tasks.

So as you can see, I have reached my halfway point!!!
It's so crazy to think how time is just flying by and it's like I can't keep up with it! LOL

On this post I am going to be revealing what our baby's gender is and the new updates on both Steven and myself.
So without further ado.....:D

Baby Update :::

Baby should be weighing about 10.5 ounces and should be around 6.5 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel, about the length of a large banana. On my BabyCenter app, baby is swallowing a lot more these days which is said to be good practice for the digestive system. Baby is also producing meconium which is a black, sticky by-product of digestion and will accumulate in the bowels. Apparently this stuff will come out in babies first messy diaper, in the womb or during delivery!
Yummy! LOL (Not really!)

Mommy's Update :::

I have been suffering with a horrible congested nose! My OB/GYN actually has to prescribe me some Mucinex because I sounded so bad at my last appointment!

Other than that, I have been great! I love feeling my little bundle kick and move around inside my belly! I will admit, it does freak me out sometimes, but everytime my baby moves, I feel so much joy and just dream of the day I get to finally hug and kiss my little one.

 Nursery Update :::

We finally were able to put the crib together, and so this is what it looks like!

That purple thing draped over the crib is going to hang above it, that wasn't even my idea...my husband actually asked if we could do that!
Bless his heart! Hehe
We also got a cute little Pack-N-Play because for the first month, baby will be sleeping in our room with us so it will make it easier for me to watch, feed, and change!

All that I am needing now is a crib set and just a little bit of some decor to make it that little bit more cute!

Cravings :::

Chocolate is my craving at the moment and has been for about a month now. Chocolate EVERYTHING...literally! I have a variety of chocolate cereal in my pantry, I ate 3 boxes of chocolates my husband gave me for our anniversary and I even finished 4 cups of chocolate pudding!
I'm disgusting...I know and believe me when I say I am not much of a chocolate person...well....I never used to be anyway. My baby must love that stuff and is making me believe that I love it too! LOL
Is that even possible!?

 Next Doctor's Appointment :::

Next appointment is on March 21st, the day before Steven's birthday!
I'm not sure what this appointment is all about, I think it's just a check up to make sure baby's heart rate is where it should be and also if I'm doing okay.
I do have an Ultrasound appointment on February 27th, and that is to make sure that baby has 10 fingers, 10 toes, just that baby is growing normally!

 Gender Reveal :::

And now...the moment you have all been waiting for!!!

Steven and I are very excited to announce that we are having a beautiful baby....

GIRL!!!

I'm pretty sure I gave it away with the purple font and the purple thing we're going to hang above her crib...like a little princess! Hehe
The theme for her nursery are cute little purple butterflies...

 

Her name is also going to be Evangeline Odete.
Her middle name is actually my Great Grandmothers name and I just wanted her to be a part of my daughters life because she means the absolute world to me and it kills me that she won't be here to see my daughter!
If you have followed me for a while and read my previous posts, you will know that that woman is the most important woman in my life!


So that was my 20 week update, I will be back in a couple weeks with a new update....if anything has changed! LOL

I hope you all have a Blessed weekend and God Bless! 

Pregnancy Update - 17 Weeks

Hi Everyone

So since I am starting to feel a lot more in my pregnancy as well as showing a little bump, I have decided to take my Tia's suggestion to doing an update every week or 2 weeks as my baby grows. I think it is an amazing idea especially when I want to look back at this experience and hopefully show my little one one day how grateful and excited I am to be carrying such a Blessing!

Baby Update:::

As you can see, I am 17 weeks pregnant and baby is about the size of a turnip.
(I just want to apologize for the bad quality of the picture, unfortunately these pictures do have to be taken on my phone. Hopefully one day I can get an awesome camera to capture all the gorgeous memories I am going to be making.)

According to the pregnancy app that I am using, BabyCenter, Baby James' umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. Baby James' sense of hearing is developing which I am extremely excited about because I do love to talk to my baby and I love that now when Steven talks to the baby, it will be able to hear and recognize not only my voice, but dads' voice too.
The baby's skeleton is also starting to to turn from rubbery cartilage into actual bone...gotta keep on that milk!! Lol

Mommy's Update:::

Lately I have been experiencing some nausea in the mornings which hasn't happened for a while. I thought I had passed that stage when I was able to eat what I wanted and not feel sick by the mere thought of food, but lately the nausea seems to come back every other day or so. It isn't as bad as it was before, I am still able to eat well and keep anything down and smells don't bother me anymore either which is AMAZING!!

I have also started to feel baby move a lot more now! It's the most incredible feeling and I cannot wait to feel how much stronger my baby will get in the next few months.
I also kind of feel bad because I will get so excited to feel the flutters and my poor husband just kind of sits there with a sad look on his face, patiently waiting to be able to feel his baby move! Hehe

 Nursery Update:::

We finally have a crib!
It's not as fancy and it's actually really plain, but I love it! We still need to put it together, unfortunately the people that gave us the crib did not give us all the parts, so we will need to go and buy a few things, but I will make sure to post a picture up on my next update because it should be put together by then! Lol

We are still trying to decide on themes for the nursery. Right now we are thinking of some gender neutral ideas because we still do not know what we are having.
I am thinking of doing either a cute little Disney theme because of the huge Disney fans my husband and I are or I was also thinking of a cute little African/Safari theme because of my background...
(If you are wondering, I did ask Steven if he was okay with that, and his exact words were, "It's your baby and you're in charge of decorating the nursery, you do whatever you want, I'm just here to pay for it all!"...needless to say, I have one amazing husband!)

If any of you have any cute or unique ideas about what to do for the theme, please leave a comment down below! :)

 Cravings:::

Right now, my cravings have been all over the place, it's like I can't have just one simple craving!
I want a lot of sweet things, like chocolate cake, twizzlers, cereal, cookies, and any type of candy really! Lol
I have also been wanting scrambled eggs with spinach and Tabasco sauce....I know....weird!  

Next Doctors' Appointment:::

My next appointment is my 20 week follow up appointment and Steven and I are both extremely excited for this one because we will be finding out the gender of our baby!!

I am going to be finding out first and since I kind of didn't surprise Steven with the pregnancy like I wanted to, I decided that he will be the first person I am going to surprise after this appointment!

Please, if anyone has a cute idea on how I can surprise him, leave a comment below because I have NO idea on how to do it! Lol

So that is it for my 17 weeks update. I will be back in about a week or 2 to talk about any new changes and also to announce the baby's GENDER!!

I hope you all have a Blessed and amazing week further! :)

 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Good evening friends!

I know I am doing this a little later than I planned, but today has been all over the place!

Actually.....we've been all over the place this whole month!
We finally moved into our new home and we only finished packing everything yesterday! I tell you...this momma is so sore and so exhausted!

Okay...enough of my yapping, let me get this post up as soon as possible now! :)

I am linking up with my Aunt Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom so be sure to head over to her amazing blog to read some of her amazing stories and to find some other awesome bloggers! 

As I Look Outside My Window:
I love my new neighborhood. We live in base housing and so there are people constantly walking their dogs and kids playing in the streets. Right now it just got dark and everyone's porch light is on.

Right Now I Am:
Sitting on the couch in the living room watching hubby throw the ball around for Tater. My nerves are a little shot right now because the last thing I need is for the ball or the dog to knock something over and break it!

Thinking and Pondering:
Whether I should look into getting a part time job now. I constantly feel so guilty for my husband having to bring in all the finances and provide for, not only himself, but for me too. I feel I should be contributing a little bit at least so he doesn't feel like he has the weight of everything on his shoulders.

On My Bedside Table:
My Bible, some journals, and my new favorite read - Drums of Autumn by Diana Gobaldon

On My TV Tonight:
I don't really have anything to watch as I finished watching Outlander. The only thing I really watch with hubby is WWE and Total Divas, but other than that I have just been enjoying my book rather than watching TV.

Listening To:
Hubby is watching a Batman movie on Netflix. I am not really into these types of movies, but I love spending time with him, so I thought I would do my computer stuffs and tolerate the loud TV for a couple hours! LOL

On The Menu for this Week:

Monday - Salsa Chicken in the Crockpot
Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognese
Wednesday - Tilapia with steamed veggies
Thursday - Creamy ranch chicken in the crockpot
Friday - Possibly a date night, so not really sure
Saturday -
Sunday -

On My To-Do List: 
I still have a ton of laundry to do from the move, so need to tackle that tomorrow morning,
Sweep and mop the floors because Tater keeps tracking mud into the house!

My Simple Pleasures:
Lately it's been opening the blinds and windows around the house. I know that sounds weird, but now that I have a house with so many windows, I just love opening all the windows and having fresh air flow through. In the apartment, we only had one window which was in our bedroom and a glass sliding door that led to the balcony, but I couldn't open that because that's where Tater would go and do his business and also because the apartment was right next to a mountain, there would be so many bugs that flew in. So right now, I am loving the amount of light that shines through and the air that flows.

Lesson Learned the Past Week: 
I need to let go and let God. Lately I have been finding it very hard to just let things be and to trust that everything will be alright. I have a very hard time trusting people, and that is kind of taking a toll on my marriage, and so I've learned that if I don't figure out a way to let things go, I am going to lose a lot more than my mind.

From The Camera: 
My very first belly pic!
I know I don't really have much of a belly, but I promise it's there! LOL

Prayer List:
For my marriage. It's not in any kind of danger, but still could use some prayers.
My little niece who is back in the NICU after another surgery.
My family, that they are kept safe here in the States and in South Africa.

~ Happy Homemaker Monday ~

Good afternoon everyone!

Today I am going to jump onto my Aunt Sandra's HHM bandwagon and do it with her every Monday!
I am super excited to be doing this because now I actually have a reason to do it. I am a wife, soon-to-be- stay-at-home-mom, and I am officially a homemaker so I am ready to join in!

I'm sure most of you, if not all of you, that read my blog know that my Aunt is Sandra Bourland from Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and I have always admired her beautiful blog.
When we first got here to the States and I found out she had a blog, I just thought "I have to go and see what a blog looks like", (coming from South Africa and not really spending much time on the web, I had no idea what a blog actually was. I've heard of it, but didn't know what it was exactly)

When I first saw her blog and how she expressed herself through a "Digital Diary", I just remember asking her immediately how how I could also start my own blog. She sat with me and helped me set it up, showed me how to make it look like my own little personal getaway and that is something I will treasure for the rest of my life!

Okay...now that I've let you in on how I became a blogger, let's get started on my very first Happy Homemaker Monday - By Sandra Bourland

Breakfast Time....What is on the plate this morning:

Sat down with  bowl of Cocoa Puffs. For some reason this baby loves chocolate flavored cereal and this morning, it just sounded amazing!

Right now I am: 

Just lit up some candles around the house and sitting on my couch typing up this post with Tater-Tot sitting right by my feet.

The weather outside: 

Sunny with clear skies. The temperature is at 70 degrees which is normal for California weather! ;)

Looking around the house:

Needs a little attention after the weekend, nothing major, just the usual tidying up to do...dishes, laundry, vacuum, and maybe a dust here and there.

On today's to-do list: 

Cleaning - Load the dishwasher with last nights dishes. Hubby had already unloaded the clean dishes yesterday morning, so now it's ready for some more dirty dishes. Need to throw a load of laundry in and get that done so I can finish packing for our trip to Idaho on Thursday and then I also just want to do a quick vacuum and dust and I also need to take the trash out.
Physical Therapy - I have my last session of physical therapy today for my jaw. I have been going since August for my TMJ and I feel so much better, so I am pretty excited that this is my last session.

Currently Reading:

I haven't been reading as much as I need to, but I have picked my book up now and then before going to sleep at night. I am currently reading Fifty Shades Freed. Now the only reason I am reading this book is because I haven't read  any of the others, I've only seen the movies and this time before the new one comes out, I wanted to read the book and see if it is better than the movie.
(I'm crazy...I know)

On the TV today:

My Aunt has been telling me to watch The Outlander and last night, I watched the first episode....let's just say I'm already hooked!! LOL
I am going to be watching that while I do my duties around the apartment.
If only I could watch it while at Physical Therapy...LOL

On the menu this week:

I am not looking to make anything fancy this week, especially because hubby and I have used up everything we have in our freezer just in time before leaving for Idaho, so on the menu this week will be whatever hubby feels like.

If I have a few minutes to myself, I will:

Sit with Tater and watch whatever it is I am binge watching at that time.

Looking forward to this week: 

Heading to Idaho with Hubby. He is so excited to go back home and when I see him this happy and excited, it makes my heart grow 10x bigger.
Also we get to see our little Niece and Nephew, so we're pretty excited about that.

Favorite photo from the camera: 

I do love taking pictures, especially of the things I am proud of or that make me happy. Now I do use my phone, I don't have a camera to capture these moments, but that's what this blog is here for as well, so remind me of those special moments in my life...

I took this picture with my mom while in Texas visiting last month. It is my absolute favorite picture and just shows how close my mom and I really are.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses: 

My baby niece has been in the hospital pretty much since she came into this world. She has had a rough journey during the beginning stages of her life and we have been asking God for His healing hands over her and those Prayers have finally been answered.

Willow has undergone a total of 2 surgeries, one for malrotation (her intestines were all tangled up around her bowels) and another was because her little veins couldn't handle the IV's so they had to go in and get that all fixed up and she has been in the NICU since, but thanks to our Almighty God, she was able to go home with her mom yesterday and will be spending Christmas with us all!

God truly is amazing!

~ One and Only Christmas Decoration ~

Good evening everyone!

It is Sunday night and I know most of us are dreading the dreadful "Monday" but we just have to take it one step at a time and before you know it, the week will be over again!

Today was not very interesting day, just sat at home with hubby and watched football, took a trip to Albertsons and then came home and started watching WWE Clash of Champions (I still watch WWE, don't judge!)

I have been feeling a whole lot better these past few days. I have had some very bad morning sickness since I found out I was pregnant, and now that my third trimester is nearing the end, I am finally starting to feel a lot better, I have a lot more energy and it is so good to think of something and it actually sound appetizing! LOL

My amazing husband helped me clean the apartment yesterday because my energy is just not all there anymore and we were able to clean the entire apartment and move the furniture around! I honestly don't know what I would do without my husband, he has been so amazing!

This right here is our first Christmas decoration!
When my husband walked out of the store with this in his hand, I actually started crying! We weren't able to get a tree or decorate in any way because we just won't be here, we will be spending Christmas in Idaho with Steven's family and we won't have a house next year to decorate because we would have just left the Marine Corp and will either be staying with my parents in Texas or Steven's parents in Idaho, so when I saw this, it meant the absolute world to me!

 I hope you all have an amazing Sunday night and a Blessed week ahead!
Will be back to chat again tomorrow! :)

~ Finally Back, Big Changes, Still Loving Life ~

So...I'M BACK!!!!

It's been a while, but my laptop broke and I couldn't handle writing up blog posts on my phone. There's just something about typing up a blog post on a laptop...it's kind of therapeutic in m opinion. So now my amazing husband bought me a new laptop as an early Christmas present and I absolutely love it and can't wait to get back to blogging! There is so much happening and I can't wait to take you all on this amazing journey with me!

So I have a surprise for you all....

Meet little Baby James! Deputing July 1st 2018!

It's so crazy! I have wanted to be a mom for so long, but I never thought it would happen so soon.
When I found out I was pregnant, it was a Wednesday morning right after hubby left for work. I don't know what drove me to take a pregnancy test, but I just had this feeling in my gut that something was different, and the fact that my body had started undergoing the changes, but ladies we all know that those changes could mean that time of the month is coming....to put it bluntly.
Anyway, after I took the test, I didn't even look at it because I was finishing up what I was doing. When I finally looked down at the test and saw the positive sign, I can't tell you how happy I was! It took me a while to catch my breath and take in the fact that I was going to be a mom!

After I collected myself, I just thought "I have to tell Steven!" ....now I know what you're thinking, "Why didn't you surprise him?!", well the truth is I couldn't wait, I was just way too excited!
So I called Steven while he was on his way to work and I said the words "you're going to be a dad!"
He thought I was messing with him (like 6:30 am is the time to call him and mess with him! LOL)
From what I heard, my sweet husband started crying and that to me made my heart melt even more!

So we are pretty excited to welcome our beautiful baby into the world!

Another amazing thing that is happening for us, is we are finally moving into base housing and will be able to have more space for us and additional space for the little one :) Also I'm pretty excited that Tater will have a backyard to run around in instead of being hung up in a tiny apartment.

Anyway...it feels good to be back :) I hope all of you have been doing well and are ready for Christmas!

Have a good night everyone! :)

°Bored Out of my Mind°

Hello Beautiful People ❤

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying this gorgeous spring weather! Here in sunny California its almost as if we've jumped to Summer....Spring is non-existent in this State haha

I love being in California, but I tell you I am so bored and tired of sitting in my apartment doing nothing but clean and cook. I am 20 years old cannot! I wanna go out and do things...exciting things and enjoy my life before starting a family! I know I'm married, but my husband is more than willing to be adventurous with me ❤

I would also like to find a hobby. I have always wanted to do Scrapbooking, but its so expensive and unfortunately that has never been an option. I would also love to enter the world of Photography, but again, its way too expensive! 😒
I'm lost here people!! And I wanna start doing something fun and exciting!!
If any of you know anything exciting and think I would love to do, please drop down your thoughts below! 😊

°So Much Has Happened°

Hi everyone!

Wow! Its been a while and I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the gorgeous Spring weather that is working its way through the country 😊

I, on the other hand, have moved to California to be with my husband 💜 he was supposed to be getting deployed again in July after our wedding, but he is having surgery on his neck and isn't going anymore so I am here to be with him during this scary and hard time.

Steven has 2 herniated discs and is in excruciating pain, has been for a couple months now and I tell you its not only frustrating for him, but it is for me too. As a wife, I get emotional because I cant help him 😞 he sleeps a lot, or sometimes cant sleep at all and to get his mind off the pain or to at least try and get his mind off the pain, he plays video games or plays on his phone and I feel alone more than I did in Texas, but its not like I'm mad at him, just wish he would talk to me a little more about it.

Anyway...I'm loving living here in California with my love 💙 its been hard, but I'm loving being a wife 😍

Meet our baby boy...Tater 💜😍
Steven got him for me to keep my company while he's at work and to help with my anxiety. He is my whole heart and I love him to absolute death hehe
He is almost 3 months old and weighs 20.5 lbs! 😳 big boy right?!

This is my gorgeous little family! 💙💜

So happy and so looking forward to the future!

I hope you are all well and I would love to know what you're all up to! 😊

{...Starting To Feel Great...}

Good Afternoon Sweeties

Today has started off great!! I woke up at 6 AM this morning which never happens because I am usually one who sleeps until non or 1 PM ( by the way...not really proud for admitting that on my blog for all to see ) anyway...I feel amazing!

I really don't mean to sleep in till late hours of the morning, but seeing as I don't have much to do during the day except for clean and keep the house form burning down, I figure why do I need to up so early? I know it's bad and I'm starting to get out of that habit! I have to!

This morning I have been typing up and writing down things I need to get done while I am still at home as well as things I still need to do for my wedding in June. Sometimes I think I have everything done, but then something else always pops up x_x so today I have been typing up daily planners and am starting on a checklist for my wedding planning and plans on how to get those things done!

As you can see...I have a few things overdue. Okay...a lot of things overdue! Haha but that is why I am starting to write things down and I need to start remembering that I have this list on my phone!
If any of you are planning a wedding or a friend is having a wedding soon you can get this app on your phone or tablet called WeddingWire.

{...Being a Brand New Military Wife...}

Good Afternoon Blog Family

I hope you are all doing well and keeping warm this winter. It has been insane here in Texas which is a shocker...I don't know if it's because we're here, maybe that's just our luck lol I know in Idaho where my in-laws live it has been snowing like crazy! I'm talking about 3 Ft of snow if not more, the State has actually gone into a state of emergency due to the heavy snow. So where ever you all may be, stay warm and stay safe on the roads out there.

So today's post is going to be about becoming a brand new military wife and what to expect and what not to expect. I know I haven't been married for a month yet, but in the 4 weeks I've been married I have learnt so much and had to deal with a lot so far... some of you might agree with me and some of you might not, but I do know that if there are any military wives that read my blog there might be a few things we can agree on.

::: Getting Over Any Fear or Anxiety :::

I suffer from anxiety/depression, something I have been meaning to sort out and start becoming my old self again. I am also a very shy and quiet person, not one to get out of my box or comfort zone which is not very good, but also not my fault especially being born and raised in South Africa. I have been sheltered my whole life there and I never really got the chance to get out into the world because of the dangers that lurk in my home country. One thing about being a brand new military wife is to suck up the fear and just get things done!! I do not like making phone calls and talking to people because of the fear of sounding stupid, but lately I have had to just get out of my shell and do what needs to be done. It hasn't been easy and it's not looking to get easy anytime soon so might as well just get used to it!

::: No Time for Drama :::

Steven and I are amazing together, but we are also the worst at getting along haha we fight about everything and anything no matter how big or small. Now in the beginning of it all with him trying to figure out our lives there and me trying to figure our lives out here, there has been some tension and fighting due to the frustration and willingness to get things done. I hate fighting with him and especially when we're apart because it just makes the distance that much harder to deal with, so we try to cut back on the drama and just try to go about doing things in a calm, loveable fashion LOL if that makes any sense at all.

::: Learning That it's Not About You Anymore :::

It's been so hard to remember that I am not alone anymore and that what I do does effect my husband. It's a very weird feeling, but at the same time I love it. It's also hard knowing that if I do something wrong or stupid, it will show up on his name too.


These are just a few things, and I'm pretty sure it will add on as the years go by and I will make sure to keep you all updated on the new things I've learned and had to overcome being a military wife.

Well that it for this post, I hope you all have an amazing day further <3

God Bless you all!

{...Extremely Hard Day...}

Good evening friends

So nothing interesting has been going on since the last time I was on here until today. Lets just say I haven't even been married for one month and Steven and I are already going through some issues. Please tell me this is normal with newly weds, or newly wed military couples because I am trying to hold on and I don't know if I can. I love Steven to death, but the disrespect we give each other and the constant tit-for-tat thing is hurtful and tiring, not to mention the name calling sometimes 😢 Some of you might be reading this and saying that we got married too soon, or you're thinking that this is a sign that we are just not meant for each other....I don't know, but I am holding on as long as I can. I keep telling myself its because of the distance and we're both frustrated because we can't be together... whatever the reason, I Pray God pulls us through this dark patch and I ask for you to all Pray for us too. 💑💍

I knew being a wife wasn't going to be easy, especially to a man like Steven. He is stubborn and hard headed and goes through moods like no one I have ever seen before. One minute he is a total sweetheart... loveable, kissing, hugging, etc... then the next minute, its like a switch and he becomes this person who doesn't care about how he makes you feel or if he broke your heart, but like I said I love him and he is a sweetheart most of the time just when he goes into to monster-mode, you know you better get the tissues out. I hope I am not the only one that goes through this with my husband.... if anyone has any advice on how we can resolve this and stop arguing and fighting.....I would love some advice!

Anyway.... besides Steven and I going for each others throats ..... I spent the whole day trying to figure out medical business and making appointments for me to finally go and see doctors about all the things that have been going on with me. If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I have so many medical issues with me at the moment, its not even funny. I have kidney issues, ovary issues, other feminine issues that I feel I don't need to mention, my feet have problems, and I have TMJ (Lockjaw) so today has been a day to try and figure all of that nonsense out so I can finally start feeling better.
Also Steven has been trying to get an apartment for us and needs all of the necessary documents in order to get it and not only copies..... notarized copies and apparently no one in my little town or in the city do. They dont do notaries at the banks for non members..... usually they would give a fee for non members to get documents notarized, but no one I spoke to today did. Thankfully the bank that my parents are with notarize documents for non members and so I will get all of that done and dusted on Monday and send it off to Steve so that we can get our apartment.

I have to admit, I am pretty excited to finally start my life and live by my own rules. I have been going through some doubt and worry because I don't know how I'm gonna be able to function not being able to see my parents and brother everyday, but I guess that's the harshness of growing up.... mommy and daddy can't be there to hold your hand anymore.