Everybody Has Opinions

14 weeks of pregnancy down... 26 to go! I'm so glad that first trimester is far behind me. I'm still dealing with constant sickness, but I've learned that I'm a lot stronger than I give myself credit for! Due to losing 10 pounds since my last appointment, my doctor decided that it would be best if for a short while I try a combo of unisom and b6 to keep food in my stomach and out of the lovely porcelain bowl my face has become ever so familiar with. Today was the first time in months that I woke up without running to the bathroom. What a relief! Baby is growing and doing great! I heard the heartbeat yesterday for the first time. Such a beautiful, miraculous little sound! It's incredible to know that is happening inside my tummy.

The baby (bloat) bump is pretty much gone now. I'm guessing that's due to the crazy weight loss. Even odder was looking in the mirror the other day and feeling skinny! Not a feeling I expected to get while 14 weeks pregnant! :)

I saw this onesie a while ago on pinterest and originally thought "oh hey... that's kinda harsh." Now I can officially say, I agree! Oh my GOODNESS. Pregnancy brings out the crazy in people. Everyone has an opinion and a strict view on how things should be done. People can be downright mean. It doesn't help that my emotions are a bit out of my control right now. :) Today I sat at my little office cube crying because of others pushing their thoughts and desires for my child on me. Was crying an overreaction? Probably, but I so wish people knew when to mind their own. Chances are if i'm not actively asking for your opinion, I don't want it at this time. I know there will be moments when I come to others needing advice, and will gladly accept any forms of it then. I'm sure everyone has great intentions, but let us learn to make our own decisions for this baby. We want to learn through our own mistakes and successes. My sweet husband gave me the best advice ever, "we'll be ok, just don't let it get to you." I like him. I like him a lot. He's a lot more rational during times like that. Unfortunately things right now DO get to me. I'm already a bundle of nerves being a first time momma, and want to do everything right. 

On a more positive note, seeing ultrasound pictures of our little peanut makes me so incredibly excited! I cannot wait to snuggle this little baby. Only a few more weeks until we find out if it's a he or a she! 

Have a wonderful afternoon. :) 

The Pregnancy Announcement- Getting Creative

It took an obnoxiously long time for me to come up with the perfect pregnancy announcement for our friends and family. Every time I finally had a decent idea, I would find something I didn't like about it. I ended up being so pleased with how ours came together.

The announcement photo: 

We took a family camping trip with Joe's family to Lake Michigan. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we had some incredible views of the sunset! On our last evening there, I asked Joe's sisters to take a few "bump" shots of us in front of the lake. I loved how they turned out so much that it ended up inspiring the entire announcement! I decided to use a "movie poster" theme, and put the whole thing together on my iPhone. It turned out great! We had so many comments on how original it was and how great it turned out.

Baby Williams: The Movie

I had already recorded the reactions of our friends and family as they were told the news. I had planned on putting the videos together just as a keepsake, but with our movie poster announcement, I decided to go the extra mile and make a "movie" to go with it! It turned out so much better than I could have hoped! We had so much great feedback on the creativity of our annoucement!

The Facebook cover photo:

I knew I had to incorporate my extreme love of Disney somewhere into our big news... so I came up with this! I was pleased with the results! :)


 I would love to hear how you announced your pregnancy, or other great ones you have seen. I'm sure there are a lot more people out there much more creative than myself! :)

First Bump Date!

Oh goodness... I look like a BALLOON in this picture! It's definitely taking time for me to get used to these weird things happening to my body. 


How Far Along?  12 Weeks (In this picture) I will be 13 tomorrow!
Size of the Baby?  Plum
Maternity Clothes?  I am wearing a maternity dress in this picture. It is so much more comfortable then fitting my bloated self in regular clothes. 
Stretch Marks?  No. Thank goodness! Praying that they will stay away from this tummy!
Gender?  Only a few more weeks! I'm hoping for a little girl! :) 
Name?  Not yet, but my hubby brought home a book of 700 baby names to read last night. He's excited!
Sleep? I am exhausted all the time and love sleeping. It's hard to get comfortable, because I wake up all the time to go to the bathroom. 
Cravings?  Blueberries and popsicles! Also had a cider mill donut today... YUM.
What I Miss?  Going through a whole day without throwing up.    
Symptoms?  Morning Sickness (aka all day long sickness) to the max; bloated; migraines; sleepy
Movement?  Not yet! I thought I felt a flutter the other day, but I'm still not sure.   
Belly Button?  In.
Morning Sickness? Ugh. The worst. I threw up 10 times within 15 minutes the other day! 
Weight Gain? I actually lost 8 pounds the first trimester! 
Best Moment?  Seeing peanut move around and squirm at the 11 week ultrasound. Also, we announced to our families and friends this week!

I Am Back... And It's Time To Spill The Beans

I've been avoiding this blog for a while. It's been months since I've consistently posted... and there's a reason for that; A big reason actually. I'm good at keeping everyone's secrets but my own. It takes some pretty drastic measures for me to not talk about what I'm feeling or going through. I'm so excited to finally be back as this blog is taking a drastic change... are you ready for this?

I'm pregnant! I'm still in shock. I'm still in awe every single time we go to an appointment and they tell us little peanut is doing well and growing. I can't believe that I'll be 13 weeks on Friday. I feel so incredibly blessed! I can't wait to share all of the details on here and try to remember every little thing I'm experiencing through these next few months. I appreciate your prayers, well wishes, and kind words as I start this new journey.

Join me tomorrow for my first "bump" update! I am so thrilled!

Life Lately

I got a little off track with my NYC updates, wouldn't you say? :) My life has been too busy to record. There are many exciting things happening! Joe and I have begun the big house search... it's so terrifying! I'm so nervous about committing to a place, but excited to finally be out of this apartment. It will be awesome to have a space to make my own... and PAINT! I can't wait to have something other than boring white walls. ;)

Last month Joe and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. It has flown by so fast! I have fallen in love with him all over again these last few months. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for that man! He's everything I needed that I didn't know I wanted. We have definitely come a long way in our marriage and relationship. He makes me want to be a better person in every way. Plus... he's kinda handsome, so that doesn't hurt his case either. ;) I'm so excited for my future with this man! Here's a little video clip to look back on our special day.

For the fourth of July I went up with my Mom on a mini-vacation to visit my sister at the camp she works at. We had such a good time! My sister is such a motivated person. It was awesome watching her in action! 

I also had my dance recital with my old company. I cannot say enough good about this place. If you live in Michigan and need a company for your kids, I definitely recommend MGM Dance. It's a studio with the perfect mix of professionalism and family. I am so proud to be part of it! 

Have a fantastic rest of the week! Here's to staying in better touch with everyone! :) 

xoxo

New York City Trip- Day 2 in Pictures

Day two of our trip began with Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. That place was amazing! My favorite was Taylor Lautner. So funny to take pictures with him!

After the wax museum we headed to the NBC Studios to get a tour. As I walked up the stairs I noticed someone very familiar being interviewed in the cafe area. It took me a minute to process that Trace Adkins was sitting right in front of me! It took even longer to process that this was an actual celebrity and not another wax one. Ha! There was hardly anyone up there, so I asked for a picture after. So cool! Penn Jillette and Trace gave us their ice cream after. So good!

It was awesome to see the SNL studios in person. No pictures were allowed, but I wish I could have captured how small that room is in person. They even told us that the celebrities are actually in a 4x6 wooden box behind that famous door they run out of at the beginning. I literally was shocked that so much can happen in such a small stage. 

After the NBC building we headed over to take a speed boat ride to see Lady Liberty. The statue and island are closed right now for repairs, but we were able to get pretty close. 

Another cool tidbit from the day, we found a DC Cupcakes location! It was the best cupcake I've ever had! Coincidentally, we decided to go just after touring the Body Museum (so, so gross.) It was well worth it though! 

To finish off our day, we had dinner at Planet Hollywood, and went to see the views from the Top of the Rock! The views were yet again, breathtaking. 

I hope you all have a fantastic memorial day weekend! So thankful for those that have served our country! 

NYC! Trip Recap Part 1

Guys- I'm in love with a city. NYC is probably one of the most colorful, exciting, fascinating places I've ever been. Last time I was in the city was after winning singing contest. I didn't get the chance to explore much, because I was so busy prepping to perform in front of some big time casting directors. Although it was a fabulous experience, I'm so glad I finally got the chance to see the city.

First things first- If you go to the city, buy one of the New York Passes. I cannot say enough good about this. It easily paid for itself after the first day, and it got us into EVERYTHING. Another tip: Buy a week long subway pass. You get unlimited rides for a little over $30. For a girl not from the city, this seemed a little steep at first, but it was well worth it.

We started our day off with a trip the the Empire State Building! We enjoyed the Skyride (all of this was covered by our pass!) and after started to take the extraordinarily fast elevators to the tip top of the building. Here's a little tidbit for you- My husband is absolutely terrified of heights. I tried to make him hold my hand when a worker, fondly known as Renita, shooed away my hand thinking I was part of the high school group. "Leave Joe ALONE!" She exclaimed. She then proceeded to whisk my husband away with a hand around his waste and another holding his hand tightly. The cougar. ;) She ushered him through the crowds and gave him a personal tour of the building. It was hilarious! Naturally, I stalked them the whole time snapping pictures. The view was breathtaking. It was a great start to our trip because it allowed us to see how the city was laid out.

After stealing my husband back from the warm embrace of Renita, we left the ESB to use our passes for a bike rental. We biked around that city like you wouldn't believe. It was terrifying. At one point, I was far behind the group. I was in the middle of an extremely busy intersection when I realized I was peddling and going no where. My. Chain. Fell. Off. Awesome. Finally, my husband came back for me and realized what happened and laughed like crazy. The bikes definitely were a great way to explore. We saw so many different places!

We ended our day at Times Square. I asked a police officer: "Where's Times Square?" He gave me the funniest look and said "...You're right in the middle of it." HA! We took lots of pictures, then walked around Manhattan for the night. It was a great start to the exciting trip.

Up tomorrow, I will talk all about my first celebrity encounter! You won't want to miss it! :)