Kevin and I are over the moon excited to have this sweet babe joining our family – it still feels surreal typing these words. We’re currently 17 weeks and feeling pretty great, which has been a huge blessing. The last couple months have been filled with sleep, telling close family and friends, more sleep, pup snuggles, and lots of sour gummy worms. Did I mention sleep? There’s been a lot of that.
But in all seriousness, this space has been pretty empty. It’s difficult to write about goals and life without talking about this news, which we wanted to keep private until we were ready and had told family first. In preparation, to preserve memories for myself in this space, I’ve been writing posts and plan to “back date” them in the coming weeks. There’s plenty to say, and lots I want to remember because I know that time is fleeting – heck we’re already almost halfway.
This post was originally written at the beginning of March when we first learned of baby’ Reape’s gender, however, it wasn’t posted until after we made the announcement.
Kevin and I went back and forth trying to decide if we’d look at the gender results up until the moment we found out. We knew we’d have the opportunity to find out earlier than our anatomy scan, due to the genetic screening that our doctor recommended. We have friends and family who have both found out and who have waited until the birth day and both seemed to have pros and cons. We loved the idea of a surprise (there are so few in life!) but we also loved the idea of calling baby by their name and bonding in that way before they are born. So, we decided to find out! Before I share, let’s see if the old wives tales can accurately determine the results.
Heart Rate
Boy = below 140, Girl = above 140
Our baby’s heart rate has been between 160-165.
Conclusion: girl
Chinese Calendar
Based on conception month (December) and my age (29)
Conclusion: girl
Complexion
They say that girls steal their mother’s beauty.
I have had terrible acne since finding out I am pregnant.
Conclusion: girl
How You’re Carrying
It’s still too early to tell
Cravings
Salty = boy, Sweet = girl
I have been craving all the sweets (cake, fruit, gummies, etc) and normally I love salty snacks.
Conclusion: girl
Severity of Morning Sickness
Mild = boy, severe = girl
I’ve had very little morning sickness.
Conclusion: boy
Mood
Moody, irritable = girl, Stable, mellow = boy
So far, Kevin says he hasn’t noticed any difference to my fairly stable mood.
Conclusion: boy
Mom’s prediction: boy
Dad’s prediction: girl
Totals: BOY = 3, GIRL = 5
No surprise that it’s a close one, and with a few tests left out or inconclusive because it’s still so early maybe we didn’t get the most accurate results. But without further ado….
Restaurants we loved: CC’s City Broiler (always), Pancheros, 44 Canteen, Barred Owl
Meals we made: Korean Beef, Barred Owl Burgers, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Salads, Sausage and Roasted Veggies, Smoothie Bowls
Shows we watched: Veep, Better Call Saul, You, Dr. Disrespect and Kitboga on Twitch
Movies We Saw: Fantastic Beasts, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Isle of Dogs, Wont You Be My Neighbor
Places we went together: La Jolla/San Diego, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Lake Geneva, WI, Kansas City, MO
Things We Did: celebrated a huge and exciting job change for Kevin, invited two of our favorite people to live with us for extended periods of time, went to multiple gaming events and expos, joined Twitch, played (and won!) at trivia, celebrated 9 years together, watched some of our best friends get married, remodeled our bathroom, and tailgated for almost every Mizzou football game.
Restaurants we loved: CC’s City Broiler, Coley’s, Adison’s, Chick-fil-a
Meals we made: Chili, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Chicken and Swiss Bake, Chicken Salads, Spaghetti Squash, lots of yummy BBQ on the flat top grill
Shows we watched: House of Cards, Fixer Upper, This is Us, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Movies We Saw: Ingrid Goes West, Get Out
Places we went together: Kansas City, Omaha, NE, and lots of trips to St. Louis
Things We Did: joined a small group, celebrated a promotion, cheered on Mizzou football and basketball, celebrated a couple PUBG chicken dinners, went on our first photo date (now that we have two cameras in the house), celebrated 8 years together, dressed up as PB&J for Halloween, celebrated Kevin’s mom’s wedding, drank lots of diet coke, hosted game nights, dinners, and overnight stays
I wrote this around Thanksgiving but never got around to posting it. With today being our second anniversary, I figured that there is no better time. Two whole years of marriage seems to have flown by, but has simultaneously felt like forever – I hope it always feels that way.
Kevin – I have a million reasons to be thankful for you, but for the sake of brevity and the front page of my blog, here are 50.
I’m thankful for the way you love me.
I am thankful for your social knowledge and the way you lead in conversations.
I’m thankful for the ways that you invest in our marriage.
I am thankful for your surprises.
I am thankful for your patience with me.
I am thankful for your silliness – making up dances, songs, and measuring the floor at Michael’s.
I am thankful for your leadership.
I am thankful for your love of hosting friends and making sure we always have snacks/drinks/dessert for everyone.
I’m thankful you will try anything I cook – even vegan tacos full of beans.
I am thankful for the way you love on and take care of Chloe.
I am thankful that you make me feel beautiful.
I am thankful for your hardworking attitude and the way you provides for us.
I am thankful for the way you serve me and your friends.
I am thankful for your pursuit of God.
I am thankful that you hold me accountable and challenge me.
I am thankful for your knowledge about computers, blogs, and marketing.
I am thankful for your humor and the way you smile.
I am thankful that you expect and allow me to take tons of photos.
I am thankful for the way you make me laugh.
I am thankful for your dreams.
I am thankful for your optimistic spirit
I am thankful that you encourage me not to let things ruin my day.
I am thankful for the way you pray for me.
I am thankful for your love of fountain Diet Coke (especially before a road trip).
I am thankful for your strength and protection.
I am thankful that you supports my dreams and will do anything to help me achieve them.
I am thankful for weekends and sticking together.
I am thankful for inside jokes.
I’m thankful that you are my best friend.
I am thankful that family is so important to you.
I am thankful for your family and how they love on both me and my family.
I am thankful that you are a learner and are always interested in exploring bookstores and libraries with me.
I am thankful that you enjoy seeing movies by yourself.
I am thankful that you are self-motivated and creative.
I am thankful for your ability to design beautiful websites.
I am thankful that my memory-keeping is important to you and that you are always interested in seeing my latest project.
I am thankful that you take out the trash and do the chores I don’t care for.
I am thankful that you choose me everyday and always show me that I’m important.
I am thankful for your friendships.
I am thankful that you are our financial guru and budget master.
I am thankful that you converted me into a wrist watch person.
I am thankful that you always see the best in people
I am thankful that you encourage me to be a better person and wife.
I am thankful that you set your clock five minutes fast and believe in the phrase “if you’re on time, you’re late”.
I am thankful for your ability to plan and be prepared. One of my favorite pictures from college was your cereal and spoon on the desk that you set out the night before.
I am thankful that God intertwined our stories and uses it to encourage others for His Glory.
I am thankful that we’ve been friends since fifth grade.
I’m thankful to get to do life with you.
I’m thankful that this list could be much, much longer.
I am thankful that you are my husband.
Our Second Year:
Restaurants we loved: CC’s City Broiler, Medici, Addisons, Flat Branch, Chick-fil-a
Meals we made: Tacos with corn tortillas, Hamburger Casserole, Blackened Tilapia Bowls, Meatloaf, Breakfast, and Salisbury Steak
Shows we watched: House of Cards, The Young Pope, This is Us, Veep, Fixer Upper
Movies We Saw: The Nice Guys, Finding Dory, Neighbors 2, Sausage Party (I can’t believe I’m admitting to this…), It Had to Be You
Places we went: Sikeston, MO, The Lake, and lots of trips to St. Louis.
Things We Did: bought a house, celebrated a promotion, hosted plenty of dinners, changed churches, made friendships and deepened others, hosted overnight guests, purchased a computer, spent lots of Saturday mornings at the dog park.
