Let’s Have a Coffee Date: Vacation Plans, Pregnancy, and Residency (Vol. 7)

Hello, friends! I have several little things I want to share with y’all, so I thought we’re due for another coffee date. I’ve mentioned before that May and June have been super busy for us this year (in a good way), so I’m excited to have the chance to sit down and write about life.

I would start off and share the news that we found out we’re having a baby boy! Other than the reveal on this blog, I haven’t really shared on social media since I figured it would spread through word of mouth. Plus, it’s been more fun to tell people in person! I’d also probably joke around and ask if you had any name ideas. Funny enough, when I say “we” can’t decide on a boy name or “we” can’t come up with anything, what I really mean is Chris. I have a list of about ten boys names I love, but he hasn’t liked any of them. I also went through a list of 600 names with him a few days ago, and he wasn’t impressed. He hasn’t told me any names he actually does like, though, so I’m going to just give him some time before I start pressuring him for an actual opinion.

Speaking of Chris, he was finally able to feel the baby move on Monday, and he was so excited! Our little one has been super active lately, so I knew it was a matter of time before I could time it correctly. I finally did, and I was so glad Chris was able to join in on the fun!

Also, now that we know we are having a boy, we went to Babies R’ Us for the first time, and I must say it was both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I had done quite a bit of research before we went, but the magnitude of the options available is just crazy to see. We’ve asked several friends for their opinions as well, but everyone has a different opinion on everything, and who knows what will actually work for baby once you’re in the thick of things! I’m glad we went, though, because the sales people are super knowledgeable and were able to answer questions we didn’t know we had until we looked!

We finally decided on a destination for our birthday/anniversary/babymoon trip! I know I’ve said a few times we were having trouble making a decision, and I think it’s because I was feeling a lot of pressure because it’s our last trip before baby! (We obviously canceled our Yellowstone trip because we were worried about me being far from a hospital at 35 weeks pregnant!). Chris also had a really short window of when he could take vacation time, so we were a bit limited on flights and destinations. We finally decided on flying into Boston and taking a road trip to Maine! We loved our short time in Maine on our fall color cruise a few years ago, so I am excited to see more of such a gorgeous state. We’re thinking of stopping in a few places in Massachusetts and New Hampshire before exploring a bunch of small towns in Maine. I haven’t nailed down an itinerary because there are so many places I want to see in the area. All I know is there will be plenty of lobster (a return to the Clam Shack is a must!) and fresh blueberries.

Speaking of road trips, Blogging for Books sent me a copy of Road Food (10th Edition) by Jane and Michael Stern, and I am pretty much obsessed with it. One of our favorite parts of a vacation is deciding where to eat, so you better believe I quickly flipped over to the Maine section to see if any of the spots were on the way for us. I was excited to see that Clam Shack was on their list because it’s just so good! I love that the reviews are short and to the point, and the book showcases a great variety of food. We will definitely be using it for our latest road trip and others in the future.

On Friday, Chris and I are headed to a residency graduation dinner. It’s obviously not for him, but it’s crazy to me that this year has flown by so quickly. In just a few days, it will be a year since we moved from Chicago. I’m a little bummed this year is almost over because Chris’s call is going to be insane next year, but it’s also exciting to be closer to the end! I know these next three years are just going to fly by, and soon we will be going to his graduation dinner!

I promise I wouldn’t just talk about myself if we met for coffee, so tell me about you! What has been going on in your life lately?

Gender Reveal: It's a...

What a happy, full weekend! The day of our gender ultrasound was slightly dampened by one borderline measurement, but after doing our research and talking to others, we aren't worried about it. I just wish it was explained a little more at the clinic, so we didn't have to calm ourselves down with our own research. Still, it was so fun to see our little one and get such an amazing, detailed look at everything! Baby was moving a ton, and it was hard for the tech to figure out the gender at first because it didn't like the probe and kept showing its butt to the camera! Haha. I felt the strongest kicks I've had so far after that ultrasound, so Baby wasn't too happy about it! I'll share some more details later, but today is all about the gender. We had our reveal on Saturday and had so much fun sharing the news. We decided to go with a Nothing Bundt Cakes bundt cake when I realized they had a gender reveal option because I could seriously eat it every day.

IT'S A BOY!

Like I mentioned on Friday, I didn't have much mother's intuition about it, but I have been thinking it's a boy forever since we had a girl name figured out and had no idea about a boy name. We are so thrilled about welcoming a baby boy into our family in October. I can't wait to go on adventures with our little man and see the world through his eyes. God is so good!

Gender Prediction Fun + 20 Week Update

Where did the time go? Sometimes it’s absolutely crazy to me that I’m halfway there. Other times I feel like I have been pregnant forever, and I’m surprised I’m only 20 weeks! I really thought I would do a better job of documenting all things baby on the blog, but I also didn’t expect to feel quite as bad as I did. I have written a letter to the baby every day since we found out, though, so I’m hoping to share some of the details of the last few months with y’all soon. Today, I wanted to share some of the things I’ve experienced lately before I share some gender predictions.

I am feeling much better now. I am almost hesitant to write that because every time I do, I get a major migraine and get super sick for a day, but I also have great days, so overall I’m feeling quite a bit better.

I am really feeling the baby move now! I started feeling flutters at about the 18-week mark, but now he/she is moving all the time, and I’m feeling more pronounced kicks. Most of the time, I can place my hand on my belly and feel the movement from the outside too, but the baby always stops when I try to get Chris to do it! He is always a little sad when he hears me laugh from the movement, so I’m hoping he gets to experience it soon too. It’s one of the coolest feelings ever and makes it that much more real.

I’m definitely wanting to nest all the time these days, so I’m eager to find out what we’re having so I can really start planning the nursery. I have a vague idea of what I want it to look like, but certain things will definitely change depending on whether it’s a boy or a girl.

I’m so excited for our big ultrasound today! We are having a gender reveal party on Saturday, so I will hopefully have a post ready for y’all on Monday! I wanted to go through some of the old wives’ tales before we find out, though, and give y’all an idea of what we think, too!

Old Wives' Tales

Heart Rate Above 140 (Girl) or Below (Boy): At our first ultrasound at 10 weeks, the heart rate was 173. At our next appointment at 16 weeks, the heart rate was 156. That’s a GIRL prediction.

Beauty Glowing (Boy) or Stolen (Girl): I have never really had acne, but all of a sudden, I do! It was actually one of the first things that made me think I was pregnant. That’s another GIRL prediction.

Craving Sour & Salty (Boy) or Sweet (Girl): Give me all the berries! I also finally got to eat a peach, and it was just as wonderful as I imagined it to be! Ha! My strangest craving so far has been eating bread on its own (I’m not much of a bread eater), but that doesn’t really fit in either category. My biggest craving has definitely been fruits, so that’s one for GIRL.

Morning Sickness (Girl) or Feeling Great (Boy): Morning sickness is an understatement. Until recently, I was best buds with the toilet. Definitely one for GIRL.

Chinese Gender Prediction: I’m not super sure how this one works, but I plugged in my birthday and the baby’s due date on a website, and it predicted GIRL.

Sleep Position Left (Boy) or Right (Girl): I’ve always slept on my left side, so that’s a prediction for BOY.

Headaches (Boy) or No Headaches (Girl): I’ve had a ton of migraines, so that’s another one for BOY.

Mood Swings (Girl) or Calm (Boy): I’ve mentioned before that I have been way more emotional than usual, so that’s one for GIRL.

As far as old wives’ tales go, that’s six for GIRL and two for BOY. Here are a few other notes:

Mother’s Intuition: I haven’t really felt strongly in one way or the other. The only reason I think it could be a boy is Chris and I are really set on a girl name and can’t think of anything for a boy. Funny enough, there is an old wives’ tale that says if you can only think of names for one gender, it’s that gender, but it seems to me it would be the opposite. Obviously, it doesn’t mean anything, but it’s fun to consider!

My Side of the Family: My mom and my brother both think it’s a boy. My brother actually had a dream that it’s a boy. My mom is way more intuitive than I am, though she didn’t find out what I was until she had me and was super convinced I would be a boy! Haha.

Chris’s Side of the Family: Most of his side of the family thinks it’s a girl! One of his cousins “requested” for us to have a girl because he and his wife are having a girl at the end of June.

It’s been fun to guess over these last few months, but Chris and I are both ready to know! I can’t wait to share what we’re having with y’all soon!

Anyone want to throw out a guess? Do you think we’re having a boy or a girl?

A Gorgeous Day at the Dallas Arboretum

I can’t even begin to tell y’all how much I’ve missed doing travel posts on my blog. Between a crazy May (and June isn’t looking any slower. What’s with this summer?) and taking it easy during the first half of pregnancy, I haven’t been able to put together a travel post since early April! I have about a million ideas and thoughts I want to share, though, so I’m hoping to get back into the swing of things! We also just finally booked our trip for the end of July (details on that next week), so there is a lot of content coming up, and I’m so excited to get started!

I’ve shared a lot about all of our adventures throughout the years, but I rarely mention what we do here in Dallas. I absolutely love visiting the Dallas Arboretum, especially in the spring. This year I really wanted to make it to the Dallas Blooms event to see the tulips. Unfortunately, a few days before we went, there was a huge hailstorm in Dallas that killed all the tulips. The arboretum was really quick about replanting those spots, though, so we didn’t see any empty flower beds.

The day we picked to go to the arboretum was the very best day. Chris took the day off to go to my first OB appointment with me, and we were both over the moon after seeing our little one on an ultrasound for the first time. We also got to share the news with both of our brothers, so it was a day full of joy.

So much joy!

One of the best parts of the Dallas Arboretum is it’s right by White Rock Lake, so the scenery is so beautiful. It was one of the hotter days we had so far this year, but being by the water made it tolerable. I really loved seeing all the beautiful, colorful spring flowers and enjoying a fun date with my love.

Have you been to the arboretum in your city?

Six Books I Read in May

Hi, friends! I took an unintentional break from blogging last week, but it was so necessary. Now that I’m further into the second trimester and my migraines aren’t daily, I’m hoping to get back into my normal Monday, Wednesday, and Friday blogging schedule! I decided to do my book post a week before the linkup this week because I’m hoping to have a gender reveal post next Monday! Fingers crossed our little one cooperates. Towards the middle of the month, I was worried I would only have one or two books before the linkup, but thankfully, now that I’m feeling a little better, I have been able to get into reading again! I’ve read some really good books this month, so I’m super excited to share them with y’all.

I'll Eat When I'm Dead by Barbara Bourland
(c/o NetGalley)
I have mixed feelings about this book. The description made me think it was a mystery or a thriller, but it's really not. It's more a drama about life at a competitive magazine in New York. It was a bit slow in parts, but I did still like it overall. I would have liked it more if I knew what it was going in, though.

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan
(c/o NetGalley)
I didn't expect this book to be so dark, but it also had a quirky side that made it interesting. The author did a fantastic job of tying all the character's together as Lydia tried to figure out the reason behind Joey's suicide. If you like thrillers, this is a good read.

Perennials: A Novel by Mandy Berman
(c/o NetGalley)
This book had so much potential. I really liked the camp, but I feel like there were way too many characters, and the book really lost its focus on Rachel and Fiona. It claimed it was about their relationship, but a lot of the narrations barely focused on them. Plus, the tragic event mentioned doesn't occur until nearly 90 percent into the book, and there just wasn't enough time to show how it changed Rachel and Fiona.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
(c/o NetGalley)
Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. Honestly, after reading this description, I didn't think this book would be as good as others she has written, but she really made Evelyn Hugo come alive. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking story that's different from anything else I have read. If you love women's fiction, read it ASAP!

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith
(c/o Blogging for Books)
I was surprised by how much I liked this book! Honestly, the plot sounded cheesy-a teenage boy suddenly wins millions in the lottery, and his whole life changes. Jennifer E. Smith is an amazing writer, though, and the emotions in this are so raw and real. I found myself wanting to keep reading to see how it ends. If you like YA, this book is definitely worth a read!

Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber
(c/o NetGalley)
This was a good thriller. It was an interesting plot and kept me interested. The characters really made this a good story. I wasn't in love with the ending, but I also didn't hate it. Overall, if you like thrillers, this one should be on your list!

Favorite reads in May: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Windfall, and Are You Sleeping

Linking up with Steph & Jana.

I love book suggestions. What have you read lately?