Well, it's week 25 now! Hard to believe! We had a pretty busy weekend with the starting plans for our baby's room. Jeff began the process of taping and painting the room a taupe color ( I think we are going to like it). While he was busy doing that I was reorganizing our spare bedrooms and closets to make room for the baby. Needless to say our nursery closet was stock full of Christmas decor and needed a new home. I can't explain how much stress was relieved just from getting everything organized and together. Once I had that section of the house done I moved onto the kitchen. We now have enough cabinet room for everything baby will require in there too! Here is a picture of the beginning stages of Jeff's painting job!

As you can see from the name on the wall our little Boy Moye officially has a name........Jude Everett!! I didn't think we would ever come to this decision and hopefully we stick with it. We both wanted something a little different but not too out there. Being a teacher there are plenty of names that do not make the cut as there are too many of them in the school. I have been praying daily for our little Jude and found myself in church a couple of weeks ago using his name instead of just "our baby". I knew then that we had made the best choice and it was definitely a name in my heart. 

We are now officially registered at Target too. I am so glad to have the stress of registering put to the side for a while. I am spending Saturday with my sister shopping and we will begin the planning stages of my baby shower. Definitely something I am looking forward to! In other exciting news, our baby furniture has officially arrived. We just need to go and pick it up. Pictures will come soon once we have it all ready!

People are continuing to ask two questions:

1. How are you feeling?

2. Are you ready???

To answer the first one I surprisingly feel better than what I imagined I would. My biggest complaints would have to be how hot I am all the time and how difficult it is to sometimes sleep. Even with my body pillow I can never seem to be comfortable. It seems I am destined to also wake up every morning at about 4:30. Instead of fighting for too long I just go ahead get up and begin my work out routine. The best feeling I have right now is Jude's movements. I feel much more throughout the day, and man does he wiggle and squirm! 

The second question is much more difficult to answer. Are we ready? Sure, we cannot wait to have Jude here with us, however we both completely understand the work ahead of us and I know now we cannot even begin to imagine what it will be like. Lucky for us we have been able to spend time with friends who have very small ones and it definitely helps to give us a better picture of what awaits us. As excited as I am, there are so many things I am unsure of. I do know that it will take time for all of our questions to be answered and for my anxiety to level off. 

Here is a 25 week picture! I must say that I was excited to take this picture because I am still wearing the same pants I wore in my 13 week picture! I am truly all belly here!

Stretch marks? None that I can tell yet!

Sleep: I wake up off an on. I am always awake too early though.

Best moment this week: Getting up this morning to see that Jeff painted our little guy's name on the wall! :)

Miss Anything? Hmm nothing too terrible!

Movement: I feel him a lot in the afternoons and before bed. He also tends to move a lot when there is a lot of noise like music at church.

Food cravings: Nope!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Symptoms: Dry skin, forgetfulness, leg cramps, not being able to sleep well......Don't ask Jeff about my forgetfulness! He tends to find it hilarious!

Belly Button in or out? Still in! I don't know how much longer it will stay that way!

 

Wedding rings on or off?  On...although it is starting to irritate my skin a bit.

 

Looking forward to:Getting Jude's furniture put together and the craft show with my sister. We also have maternity pics October 5th!

Week 23 (almost 24)

We have had a super busy 4 weeks! School is in full swing now for me, so I am definitely finding it harder to spend time doing things I enjoy such as keeping this blog updated! In addition to me being back to work, Jeff has also had some big changes. He has become lieutenant of his station for the Williamson County Fire Department and he will be starting a new job next week at Copper B Line in Pinckneyville. I am so proud of him!

Since my last post we went shopping for baby furniture for our little man. We ended up with a collection we love from the Kids Room in Evansville. It is called Country Wheat and it has the rustic look I was wanting. On top of that we also bought the bedding with matching mobile, rug, curtain, and lamp. This wasn't in the plans, but it was the last bedding set they had and it was on the model with our furniture collection and I of course just had have it! Our furniture should hopefully be in sometime in October. Needless to say that is one stress off of my checklist! That afternoon we decided to register at Baby's R Us. I had always been told how overwhelming this process was, and people were not kidding! After four hours of registering my brain was fried, and I couldn't even tell you half of what we did register for! Thankfully we ran into a girl who worked there who helped us make some big decisions that we are comfortable with. We even went back to Baby's R Us this past Labor Day in Belleville just to take a second look. While in the process of deciding on the best stroller a wonderful lady hands us a 25% off coupon that had to be used that day. So of course....we had to use it and we bought our highchair! I love how everything is starting to come together. 

Our appointment was yesterday where we had a second ultrasound to check the weight and size of the baby. Turns out our baby is the perfect size for a Decemeber 28th due date! Looks like we may have an after Christmas baby! Everything so far looks great. I couldn't believe how much he has changed in just a month's time. Through the whole thing he was moving like crazy! By the time I went to bed last night, he was all I could feel. I definitely will not complain though! Our next appointment is October 3rd where I will have my glucose test. Please pray that all will go well! Our plans for the next month are to begin the painting process, look for new flooring, and registering at Target.

I have added some new pictures below for our little Boy Moye! God has truly blessed us!

Bristol Weekend!!! I know that I am already a true mommy as all I wanted to do that weekend was buy stuff for my little guy! We were able to get him a Kasey Kahne outfit, Dale Jr. bibs, and a Bristol bear.  We are starting him early as a NASCAR fan! :)

 Definitely not a baby bump any longer! I am much larger at 23 weeks!

Here are our new pictures of our little guy!

 Just look at his little face!!!!

 This will be our baby room. A definite "before" pic! We have a ton of work to do!

First baby gift from my mom and Allen. Love the little socks!

 My mamaw and papaw bought us their first gift too!

I fell in love with this elephant bank at Kids Rooms and had to have it. My dad bought it for us. Our next step is to get our little man's name engraved on it!

How far along? 23 weeks (and 5 days)

Total weight gain: 14 pounds! I can't believe it!

Maternity clothes? I haven't actually bought maternity clothes yet. I pants do not button around my belly but they fit everywhere else. Belly bands work wonders! However, I have noticed in the past week that I may need to start getting a few more shirts that will fit over me!

Stretch marks? Not that I can tell. I use the belly cream twice a day!

Sleep: I am sleeping so much better than I was. Just get a little warm every now and then!

Best moment this week: Watching him on the ultrasound again.......and of course all of his movement last night!

Miss Anything? Some of my really cute clothes maybe...but this is totally worth it!

Movement: More than I have noticed before. It is especially at night when I am first laying down.

Food cravings:Not really!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Symptoms: I have definitely been having lower back pain and round ligament pains on occasion. Especially since school has started I have noticed that I don't have as much energy and I get sore much quicker. I am still getting up in the mornings though to use my elliptical for 15 minutes and the do some stretching. Hopefully this will all help!

Belly Button in or out? Still in but I think that could change soon!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time! There have been times I have been stressed out about work. I would just love to stay at home and look at baby stuff! :)

Looking forward to: Many things! Continued baby movement....working on the baby's room.....dinner with friends this weekend.......the Evansville craft show at the end of the month!

We're Having a Boy!!

Jeff and I are excited to announce that our little one is a boy! We had our appointment August 3rd and we are happy to say that everything looks great so far. I cannot begin to explain the emotions I felt seeing our baby while getting our ultrasound. It took everything I had to not giggle the whole time! We were happy to see the heart (all 4 chambers-amazing!), the brain, the nose, eyes, mouth, the kidneys, the spinal cord, his little legs and arms, and we could even see his fingers! The best part of all was seeing Jeff's face when she showed us the boy parts! :)

We did find out at this appointment that our little guy is smaller than to be expected. The doctors were thinking I was 20 (well a day away from 21) weeks and due around December 16th. The ultrasound however, shows that I am just now 19 weeks and the baby is actually due December 28th. We will not know for sure though until my second ultrasound in September. At this point they will measure the baby again and hopefully have a better idea of when I am due.

After our appointment we went straight to the mall and made our first baby purchase. We bought a little outfit that we used for our baby announcement. It took us a while to find the perfect outfit, but once we did I didn't want to let it go! From there we called our families letting them know that everything was fine and they would soon find out what we were having. Needless to say it was another secret that was difficult to keep. That night Jeff and I took pictures with our new baby boy clothes and even Kasey joined in on a few pictures. She is quite a trooper!

Right now we are focusing on baby names and getting started on the nursery. I must say that boy names are really difficult! I do think we are getting close to deciding......

Jeff and I plan to register here in a couple of weekends. I cannot wait for this new experience (I already know how overwhelming it will be)! I have enclosed our second purchase for the baby below.

 

New baby bag with matching large zipper pouch and small zipper pouch.

The new thermal lunch bag for keeping things cool if needed.

How far along? 19 weeks and 6 days...we think...could be 21 weeks and 3 days

Total weight gain: As of my appointment on Friday I have gained 7 pounds! I think it's all in the belly! :)

Maternity clothes? Yes! Some of my pants still fit. I bought the belly bands so hopefully that will help some.

Stretch marks? Nope not yet! I have using a belly lotion twice a day.

Sleep: I am not as tired during the days, but I do struggle to sleep at night due to being uncomfortable! That seems to be when my allergies act up the most as do my round ligament pains!

Best moment this week: The doctor's appointment by far! Buying our first baby outfit was exciting too!

Miss Anything? All the energy I used to have to run.

Food cravings: No cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. 

Gender: Boy Moye!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I would say happy 98% of the time.

Looking forward to: Registry shopping!

17 Weeks!!

Well, I can't believe that we are already at 17 weeks! I went to the doctor last Friday and everything looked great. Baby M's heartbeat was about 150 so that is perfect! The myth tells us that our little one would be a girl.....:)

Our next appointment is set for Friday, August 3rd and this is where we should hopefully find out (fingers crossed) if we have a little guy or a little princess.

As of right now I am starting to get into my classroom and get it ready. I figured I would need more time than normal to work on it since I don't last as long as I used too! However, my energy is getting much better and I feel great for the most part. I told Jeff that by the end of this month we had to clear out one of our spare rooms and sell the furniture. Our next plan would be to put down new flooring and paint. I would like to do some of this before school starts but I know we will be pushing it to do that. People have been asking I have been overly emotional here lately and honestly I haven't been too bad. I just found out this week that I will have to take another state test for my literacy specialist license! Just when I thought it was all over.....

I was alright for the most part with this until I saw the math portion that would be on it. I haven't done this kind of math since I was a freshman in college so needless to say I started to panic. If only they would put fourth grade math on it I would be good to go! So I shed a few tears and got upset over that. Other than that, right now things are pretty normal. My obsession with Mexican food has passed and I am really into pizza right now. Too bad I can't want food that might actually be healthy for me!

Here is a picture from week 17!!

How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain: about 6 pounds

Maternity clothes? I have invested in a few skirts and shorts that are definitely more comfortable!

Stretch marks? nope

Sleep: I am sleeping better but I tend to wake up a lot! My new body pillow seems to help!

Best moment this week: Working all day in my classroom and still feeling great!

Miss Anything? My smaller clothes....

Movement: Oh, I can't tell!

Food cravings: Kind of pizza now.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Gender: Our scan is August 3rd!!!

Symptoms: Right now I have major headaches!

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy unless you are told you have to pay money for another test!

Looking forward to: Finding out if we have a girl or a boy and movements.

And Baby Makes Three!!

Jeff and I are currently experiencing one of the most exciting times in our lives, and it is already flying by so fast that I feel like I could miss it all! I am hoping that by keeping a journal though this blog of our experiences, I can always cherish and remember these days. The fact that our families do not live close to us is another reason I wish to keep this blog. It is a way to share with all of you the weekly pictures and events. So here is quick recap so far!

April 21, 2012
Jeff and I made a trip to Belleville to visit the farm and do a little mushroom hunting and shopping. By this point I had a sneaking suspicion that I might be pregnant due to the fact that I seemed to always be hungry and constantly wanting a snack. I was ready for lunch by 10 a.m. and that is definitely not something I was used to!

April 26, 2012
We found out we were expecting our first child and were thrilled. A little nervous and shocked too....but that was expected! 

May 2, 2012
I had my first doctor's appointment. At this point we discovered that we were approximately 7 weeks pregnant and the baby is due December 16th. As most know my birthday is December 18th. Growing up I despised having a December birthday so close to Christmas. It was hard to have birthday parties, my presents were often wrapped in Christmas paper, and it just got lost in the fuss of Christmas! I had always promised myself that I would never have a child in December, but of course the best laid plans never work. The more I thought about it I realized that December is by far my favorite time of the year so of course it only makes sense that it would be the perfect time to bring our little blessing into the world. God always knows what he is doing!

May 13, 2012
We celebrated Mother's Day by finally sharing with our families that we were expecting. It was so hard to keep quiet for so long! Needless to say there was a ton of screaming and jumping up and down. Definitely one of the best days of my life!

May 31, 2012
By this time school had finally been out for a week and thank goodness! I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world as I had no morning sickness up until this point. I had felt great! Unfortunately, this didn't last. Since this week I have been battling a nauseous stomach, heartburn, lack of energy....you name it! Jeff was able to go to this appointment with me and I was thankful for that. Needless to say I was terrified about this appointment for a few reasons (blood work and hearing the baby's heartbeat). I had blood work done a few weeks back at school and I had results come back showing that I had high iron levels. Of course, this made me more nervous than I probably should have been. Luckily, the blood work from this appointment came back just fine! On top of this, I was so scared that the doctor would not be able to find the baby's heartbeat ( I worry about everything). In the end,the look on Jeff's face was priceless when the heartbeat was found. It was completely amazing to hear our little one!

Today I am 14 weeks pregnant and starting to feel like it! My baby bump is definitely there, and my clothes are a bit more snug! I do not feel as bad as I had the past few weeks, but my energy level is lacking. Wow! How pregnancy was a wake up call for all the energy I took for granted. I am used to being up at 5 a.m., at school by 7, home by 4, and then spending the evening running, grading papers, cooking, etc. I had all the energy in the world and I loved it! I now feel like I have to force myself to be out of bed by 9 and I am lucky to make it 15 minutes running now! Everyone tells me this is how it is supposed to be and it's all for the baby, so no complaining! We have another appointment tomorrow and I am looking forward to that. Here are a few pictures!

 8 Weeks

 

10 Weeks

 

 13 Weeks

 Fabrics for the baby quilts my Mamaw is making!

Our 1 year anniversary! 

 

How far along? 14 weeks

Total weight gain: At my last appointment I had actually lost one pound. I know I have gained that back plus some!

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but clothes are tighter!

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: I am sleeping pretty well until about 4 or 5 a.m. At this point I wake up starving and have to get up for breakfast!

Miss Anything? My energy!!!!!

Movement: I have no idea! Not that I notice.

Food cravings: Not really. Most of the time food just does NOT sound appetizing. I can't stand looking at recipes or going grocery shopping. Aside from this I still have to eat in order to feel well. I seem to have a thing for tacos right now...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Driving!!

Gender: Hoping to find out in July!!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am great most of the time. The only time I catch myself moody is when I am feeling really sick but this is normal even when I'm not pregnant! If I haven't had food for a while you better watch out then too! I am not pleasant when I am hungry right now!! :)

Christmas 2011

The Moye Family Christmas Picture!

Our first Christmas tree in the living room!

An Incredible Year in Review

I have decided that I wanted to slow down and take the time to reflect upon how lucky we are and what a great year and life we have been given. I want to share and look back upon all the things in life Jeff and I share together as a family. Plus, since we live away from our own family this could be a way to quickly share what is going on in our lives. 

Here is a review of the past year!

September 11, 2010-Jeff proposed to me when he was visiting me in Marion. It was the most beautiful and perfect ring ever! We set a date for June 11, 2011. The rest of the year went quickly as he was living and working in Belleville and I was teaching 4th grade at a new school in Carterville.

March 2011-Jeff was able to move to Marion with me when he accepted a job as Aisin. It finally started to feel like things were coming together and just in time! We were getting married in less than 3 months!

June 11, 2011-Jeff and I were married at his dad's house back home. It was the perfect wedding for him and I and we were lucky to share the day with friends and family. We spent the next week honeymooning in the Riviera Maya, Mexico!

June 20, 2011-Jeff and I closed on our first home. We had been looking at homes for about a month and none of them gave us that "feeling". I had noticed on the Century 21 website that a cute home had come up for sale in Herrin but was part of the Carterville school district. We were the first people to look at the home and we knew right away it was the one for us! We put in an offer that day and set to close on it when we returned from our honeymoon. We spent the summer painting, decorating, and getting our new home ready!