new address

Happy Saturday Everyone! Just a quick post to let you know that you can now access our site with the address: reisfelt.com. If you have the old blogspot address saved, it should still redirect you to the blog. Enjoy your weekend! 

21

So we're having a baby boy... and I couldn't be more excited. Back before I got pregnant, I always envisioned myself with a baby girl, but as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I realized I didn't care in the slightest whether this baby turned out to be a boy or a girl. When we found out we were officially having a baby boy, my mind went straight to my husband and how I would be so lucky to raise a "mini-Nick."  I  pray that our son inherits many of his daddy's amazing qualities... Like his sense of humor, his attention to detail, his loyalty and work ethic, his love of knowledge and learning, his optimism, his complete devotion to making our lives the happiest they can be, and his kindness. I read a quote once on Pinterest that said, "Don't marry a man unless you would be proud to have a son exactly like him." I  just can't wait to meet our baby boy!

it's a...

20

20 weeks! That means we've made it to the halfway point! Smooth sailing from here on out, right?! Just kidding! We had our 20 week appointment last Friday and we now have official results about Teeny-Tiny's gender... which we'll reveal before the week is over. In other news, the little one is moving and shaking inside my tum, which is a pretty awesome feeling- I can't wait for Nicholas to feel the kicks too. 

mini french toast

 This weekend, I felt the urge to whip up something sweet in the kitchen. So, while my husband snoozed away in bed, I prepared a sweet breakfast of french toast. French toast is one of my all time favorite breakfasts. I used a french baguette, both because it was the only bread I had on hand, and also because I liked the idea of smaller pieces of french toast. I used this simple recipe for french toast. Since the bread was so small, it cooked quickly, and I had my french toast in a matter of minutes (always a good thing for a hungry pregnant lady!). 

yay for...

not having to go to work on this fifth rainy day in a row,

feeling baby move a lot for the first time this week (!!),

getting to see baby again at our 20 week appointment today,

restaurants that let me order food not on the menu to fulfill my cravings (this week: baked potatoes and banana milkshakes),

my new waterproof boots that Nicholas got me- they've certainly been necessary this week,

my parents; they are in Hawaii right now, lucky ducks!

lots of fun plans this weekend with good friends,

finishing report cards and progress reports with time to spare this week,

black $8 leggings from Target, you are saving my life,

my little brother, who is finishing finals and coming home soon soon soon!

my friend Kristen, who sent us the most adorable homemade panda bear hat for Teeny-Tiny,

almost not cheating at all on my lenten sacrifice of no candy, 

a midweek manicure that is still almost perfect (a record!),

Adele, my most favorite driving in the rain music,

Whole Foods and their 2 for $5 bunches of daffodils, 

not tearing up at any point in the last 5 days (another record, these days!)

long dog walks around the neighborhood (although we only got one in this week), they're the best time for talking,

instagram, for making my ordinary photos far more artsy than they actually are. 

say yes to the dress

I'll admit, one of my guilty pleasures is TLC's show, Say Yes to the Dress. I'm a sucker for pretty wedding dresses and emotional brides... Usually, this show airs on Friday afternoons and Lucy and I curl up on the couch to watch it and wait for Nick to come home from work. Last Friday, I told him that instead of staying late, I wanted him to come home and hang out with his little family. I threatened that if he wasn't home by 5:00 pm, we were watching a Say Yes to the Dress marathon, and dressing up for the occasion- not his ideal way to spend a Friday night.

So, Mr. Nicholas hurried home, but not before I had time to dress up the animals for his arrival. Lucy (who actually loves wearing clothes) is sporting a rhinestone bride tank top that was given to me when I was wedding planning. Henry went with a simple black necktie. Luckily, Nicholas came home in the nick of time and was not forced to endure a wedding-dress marathon! 

19

 I told my students last week that I was going to have a baby. Their reactions were quite varied, but all adorable. One student told me, "I remember when I was a baby and my mom ate me and I was in her tummy for soooo long."
Another student agreed with this one, "I remember being in my mommy's tummy too. It was so smelly in there."
" Mrs. Reisfelt, your tummy is going to get sooooo big!"
" Can you bring the baby to our classroom tomorrow?"
One little girl went home and told her mom that I was having a baby girl and that the baby girl wanted some vanilla ice cream.
All my students wanted to know who else was having a baby and named their various other teachers in the school. 

it's not easy being green

Once we started to see more sunshine and 70 degree temps, back in February, I decided I was ready for spring. I took down any decor that was deemed to wintery and made a $12 trip to Home Depot to pick up some house plants. I mixed in the new plants with some faux friends from last year. Unfortunately, I'm usually a bad plant owner and have trouble keeping my plants alive. But I'm really trying this time! It's been 3 weeks and no one's croaked yet- progress! I love the look of greenery in the home and even Mr. Nicholas had to admit that everything feels much more springy with all our plants. 

 Ready for spring? I think yes. 

baby room

I can't wait to get started on creating a fabulous room for Teeny-Tiny Reisfelt! We're waiting until after our big 20 week appointment to start the real planning and buying but that hasn't stopped me from spending a significant amount of time pinning pretty nurseries baby's rooms. (For some reason Nick hates that word, so we aren't allowed to call Teeny-Tiny's room a n-----sery...) We've already decided a few things about the room. We don't really want to have a "theme" or do anything overly cutesy. We also know that we want a more neutral space, so that it doesn't need to change in 3 years when Teeny-Tiny is ready for a big boy/girl room.  We want to be able to reuse some furniture, accessories, things from around our current house so that the room feels incorporated. Other than that, we don't have a clear direction yet... However, here are a few inspiring images that I love: 

 {click on each image to view original sources}

18

 The more pregnant I become, the more emotional I have been getting. I picture my husband reading this and nodding his head vigorously right now... I've always been a bit more sensitive than your average bear, but now with pregnancy hormones in the mix, I can't seem to stop the water works. Here are some of the more "interesting" things that have brought on the tears in the last month:

1. The winter finale episode of Glee. Yes it was sad, but hysterical crying, freaking out my husband sad? Umm, probably not.
2.  A Chipotle commercial where cartoon cows had to be raised in barns, instead of grass fed. (They were moved back to the fields in the end.) Picture Nick rubbing my back and telling me, "the cows are happy, love."
3. Several country songs... primarily when the subject is little kids or raising a child.
4. Reading the "birth story" of someone else online, on a blog I've never read before... One that was completely normal with no complications or craziness.
5. Nothing at all.... Nick: "What's the matter, bub? Why are you crying?" Me: "Iiiiii dooonnn't knnnoooww!"
I hear that the emotions are here to stay and tend to get worse after baby is born... Nick is ecstatic.