Thanksgiving Weekend Recap!

{36 weeks} 

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving has come and gone and I am now 36 weeks! I wanted to be sure to get a Thanksgiving post in so I wouldn't forget this special weekend in my pregnancy. 

Although I am thankful everyday, I was especially thankful this Thanksgiving for a healthy pregnancy and our growing little family. I feel like my heart could explode when I think about the love I have for my husband and the little girl we will be welcoming into the world in just 4 short weeks! I could not be more thankful for this life God has given me.

Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving in New York with David's brother. It was the first time I had ever had Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant, which was a fun experience! We had a blast celebrating Thanksgiving in the Big Apple, but it was nice to be home this year with the entire family. Unfortunately, David's brother was unable to be at this year's Thanksgiving due to his busy school schedule. However, he will be home for Christmas and the arrival of his little niece, which we are all excited about! 

Thanksgiving this year was spent with both sides of our families. The topic of conversation this year revolved around little miss Leah and her upcoming arrival ;) Leah is the first grandchild on both sides, so to say there is excitement for her arrival would be an understatement. David's mom even went out to the baby stores at midnight on Thanksgiving to go Black Friday shopping for little miss Leah after all the cooking and festivities from the day/night...I wish I had that kind of energy again! 

My mama-in-law and all the yummy food from Thanksgiving! These are the only photos I got from Thanksgiving and they were on my point and shoot. I have been too exhausted lately to lug around my professional equipment.

Friday, we spent the entire day/night next to the fire putting up our ginormous tree, decorating the house, watching Christmas movies, and eating large amounts of Thanksgiving leftovers. What is more perfect than that? I am much more exhausted this trimester, so for me this was the perfect day spent with my hubby. I will be posting a Christmas decor home tour later this week!

Saturday, my hubby took me on a fancy date night to the Skyline Club where he wined water and dined me! We started off the evening by going to monument circle to see the tree (little did I know we would have an even better view once we actually got to dinner). After walking around the circle we headed to dinner and had a great evening laughing, talking, and eating entirely too much. 

View from our table!

Unfortunately, what was an amazing weekend turned pretty crummy around 3:00 am when I woke up feeling very sick. I spent all of Sunday sicker than a dog with what looked to be food poisoning. I'm so thankful for my husband who took such great care of me {and Leah}. He is the best caretaker. He made sure to take my temperature every 30 minutes to make sure my fever didn't spike and bought me all the gatorade and popsicles a girl could ask for ;) After a rough two days I was finally back to myself on Tuesday. {thank goodness!}

Despite the food poisoning from the restaurant, we had a great Thanksgiving weekend. It was filled with family, food, and great memories :)   

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend as well!

{We also celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends at our Annual Friendsgiving Dinner! If you missed that post you can check it out here}

Wine & Onesie!

This past weekend my girls and I had a Wine & Onesie Party! We took the same concept as Wine & Canvas but decided to decorate onesies for baby Leah :) We spent the night next to the fire drinking wine (and sparkling grape juice), decorating onesies, and having girl talk...what's better than that?! We had the best time and are already planning our next one! Thank you girls for making Leah some of the most adorable onesies! She is going to be one stylish little girl! 

I'm so lucky to have these ladies in my life and Leah is lucky to have such amazing aunts :)

Our wine markers :)

I decorated a onesie for baby Max! We thought these would be the perfect onesies to put them in for their first date ;)

The onesie I made for Leah! Just like her Mama :)

How amazing did these turn out? I have such creative friends!

 I love having these great memories of my pregnancy.
I say it all the time but I have the best friends a girl could ask for.
Love you girls :) 

Gender Reveal Video!!!

One of the Happiest Days

7.20.12

The day we found out Baby Wood's gender :)

Baby Wood's Gender Reveal!!! from Rachel Wood on Vimeo.

I'm so grateful to have these short videos that perfectly capture our special and intimate moments of being pregnant with our first child. I'm so fortunate to have a creative husband that cherishes memories as much as I do. He is the one behind the magic of all our videos :)

Friday, July 20th 2012. This is a day I will never forget. I've started to notice that I've said this a lot lately. Being pregnant has been the most amazing experience and there are so many days that I never will forget. I hold days like these close to my heart. 

The day started off with us being excited, nervous, and anxious! You see we originally went in on Tuesday, July 17th, 2012 to find out the gender, however, our little one did not want to cooperate. She had her legs crossed the entire time and the ultrasound technician was unable to determine the gender, so we had to reschedule for Friday (3 days later). We were so bummed. We thought we were going to leave that ultrasound room knowing if we were going to be having a son or daughter. We also had a gender reveal party scheduled for that Sunday so I was worried we wouldn't know in time for the party. Come Friday we were so excited but also nervous that we would have the same experience we did on Tuesday. When we started the ultrasound the technician said to us that her legs were still crossed but he promised we wouldn't leave without knowing, so that put us more at ease :) About ten minutes later he was really quiet and focused. I knew he had seen something...and then he typed the most beautiful words on the screen:

IT'S A GIRL!!!

I immediately started crying! David looked at me like "wait, what did I miss?" He couldn't read the small print on the screen across the room, so he wasn't sure what the technician had typed. As soon as I pointed and said "IT'S A GIRL!!!!" he immediately gave me a kiss and hug with excitement. It was the most exciting and overwhelming experience. We spent the rest of the day having lunch together and shopping for our little girl's first outfits! It couldn't have been a happier day :)

We had to keep the exciting news from our family and friends until our Gender Reveal Party that Sunday. It was torture, especially when your closest girlfriends are calling you every hour trying to get it out of you ;) It was definitely worth the wait though! If you happened to miss the post of our Gender Reveal Party just click the link below!

Gender Reveal Party!!!

Leah, 

The love we already have for you is indescribable. We are enjoying every moment of watching you grow and can't wait to meet and hold you :)

24 & 25 Week Update :)

Post written back on 9.10.12

How far along?  24 & 25 week update!
Total weight gain/loss: 16 pounds!
Maternity clothes? Yep
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Sleeping through the night (except for the occasional bathroom breaks)
Best moments: Feeling her movements get stronger! There is nothing I love more than laying on the couch or bed and just feeling her move. I still smile at every movement she makes. To me it's such an amazing experience.
Miss Anything? Laying on my stomach but that's pretty much it!
Movement: Yep, lots :)
Food cravings: No strong food cravings. I do enjoy apples more than I ever have in the past.  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Overeating and the dreaded heartburn I always here about from my mama friends is starting to come late at night :/
Have you started to show yet: Yep!
Gender: GIRL :) 
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!!
Looking forward to:  I'm looking forward to so much!!! Meeting her and feeling her movements get stronger! Celebrating Christmas with family and our new bundle of joy!  Cuddling next to the fire with her! 

There are also big things happening in my best friend's lives that I'm so looking forward to:
Standing next to my best friend, Jenny, at her wedding! Finding out the gender of Andria's baby! (My best friend, Andria, is also pregnant (about 6 weeks behind me) and I'm so looking forward to finding out if Leah's BFF will be a boy or a girl! It has been amazing sharing this experience with my best friend and I can't wait to see our children interact together :) Post on Andria's gender reveal party coming soon!

Leah's BFF is a...

BOY!!!!!
Maxwell Parker Kimberly

{Written September 17th - Forgot to post}

Yes, our daughter isn't even born yet and she already has a best friend! Our best friends, Bryan and Andria, had their gender reveal party to reveal the gender of their second child! It was an asian themed party where they revealed the gender in fortune cookies! Super cute, right?! It was such a great night with great friends! 

Being pregnant with a best friend is always a girl's dream and it has definitely been amazing to share this experience with someone that means so much to me. We are only 6 weeks apart so we know our little ones will be the best of friends, which we are so excited for! I'm so excited for all our mommy play dates :)

Andria - 20 weeks

Me- 26 weeks

Bryan and Andria (and Xander),

Congratulations!!! We love you guys and are so lucky to have you in our lives! We can't wait to meet baby Max!!! 

Over Half Way!

Today I am 22 weeks and feeling great! The best moment up to now is feeling her move! I'm starting to feel lots of movement and every time I feel something I just smile :) There really is no better feeling. I first felt her move on August 2nd, 2012. It was early in the morning and all the sudden I just felt these little movements that felt like nothing I had felt before. In that movement I knew it was her and I just couldn't stop smiling. The next day, August 3rd, David felt her move for the first time. It was so sweet to see his little face light up when he could feel her little movements. Being pregnant is the most amazing experience and I'm enjoying every minute of it with my hubby. We are both so excited to meet her but are soaking up every minute of watching her grow and preparing for her :)

How far along?  22 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: At my 20 week appointment I had gained 9 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yep
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Sleeping through the night
Best moments: Feeling her move all around, sharing this experience with our family and friends each week, and seeing all the love everyone already has for our little Leah (pics below of the sweet little packages from my sweet grandma and sweet friends) 
Miss Anything? Nope, not that I can think of!
Movement: Yep, lots :)
Food cravings: No food cravings just an increased appetite 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Overeating 
Have you started to show yet: Yep, since about week 16!
Gender: GIRL :) 
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to:  Feeling her movements get stronger! Meeting her! Standing next to my best friend, Jenny, at her wedding! Finding out the gender of Andria's baby! (My best friend, Andria, is also pregnant (about 6 weeks behind me) and I'm so looking forward to finding out if Leah's BFF will be a boy or a girl! It has been awesome sharing this experience with my best friend and I can't wait to see our children interact together :)

I love how my grandma addressed the package to Little Miss Wood...she is the cutest! :)

The adorable gown on the left was from my sweet friend, Aly! The gown is from the super cute shop SheShe Made (www.sheshemade.com).  
The adorable headband on the right was from my best friend, Andria's, mom :)   

Thank you so much sweet friends!!!

Nursery & Baby Girl's Name!

A sneak peek into our nursery!
Can you spot our baby girl’s name? :)

If you spotted Leah you are right ;)

Leah Kimberly Wood

We have actually had this exact name picked out for years!
We love it :)

I have to give my husband credit for the hard work he put into his little girl's nursery. He spent 2 weekends turning the bottom part of the chair rail into a tufted fabric wall. He took my crazy vision and made it happen! :) A lot of people on Facebook were asking about the wallpaper. The wallpaper is a Candice Olsen design that can be found on her website. It's a textured sand particle wallpaper that shimmers!
  We are having so much fun designing and decorating our baby girl's nursery! We still have a lot more to do but I was too excited to not share our progress! The dresser and changing table will be delivered next week and we are still on the hunt for the perfect chair. We also hand painted a little piggy bank at a local pottery place for the nursery that will be done next week!  We had so much fun making a little something custom and for her and I can't wait to put it on her dresser!
I will post a full blog post once all the finishing touches are done :)


In other news, I'm so excited for a weekend full of celebrating great friends!
Saturday I'm attending a baby shower for a fellow dental school wife and friend, Lacey!
Sunday I'm attending my best friend, Jenny's, bridal shower :)
Can't wait to celebrate these girls!

Gender Reveal Party!

The Sunday after we found out we were having a baby girl, we hosted a Gender Reveal Party for our close family and friends! I got the idea from one of my best friends who had a gender reveal party with her son! I loved the idea and knew I would do the same once becoming pregnant! We had to keep the secret from everyone for two days, which was just torture, but well worth the wait! This was one of the most special days so far in my pregnancy! As if I wasn't excited enough for this day, my grandma flew in from Florida to surprise me and be at the gender reveal party! My grandma and I are extremely close so having her there meant the world to me. Talk about the most wonderful surprise :) The day was so full of love and excitement! We have the most amazing family and friends. Thank you to our family and friends for making this day so special for us :) 

Final Votes

Boy: 17

Girl: 18

 Pregnancy Cravings Table 

 We had cupcakes filled with pink icing and then had all our guests bite into them at the same time to reveal we were having a baby girl :)

We are so incredibly blessed with such an amazing family and friends!

Special thanks to my mother-in-law who helped put the party on!

Gender Reveal Video!
The day we found out the gender of Baby WoodI'm so grateful to have these short videos that perfectly capture our special and intimate moments of being pregnant with our first child. I'm so fortunate to have a creative husband that cherishes memories as much as I do. He is the one behind the magic of all our videos :)

Baby Wood's Gender Reveal!!! from Rachel Wood on Vimeo.

IT'S A....

GIRL!!!!!!

We could not be more excited!!!! :)

The hubby and I are spending the rest of the day celebrating together and purchasing our first outfits for our little GIRL :)

Gender Reveal Video Coming Soon!

Announcement Video!!!

Once finding out the exciting news that we were pregnant, I decided to hide a camera and video tape my husband, David's, reaction! We then decided to secretly film telling our family and close friends! This is the sweet video David put together of all the footage :)

Pregnancy Announcement! from Rachel Wood on Vimeo.

Our video was also featured on my favorite blog, Analyze This. Aly is a friend of mine and I was so flattered to be featured on her blog! If you are looking for an awesome blog to follow this is the one! She is hilarious! Here is the link:

Announcing a Pregnancy - Cutest Idea Ever!

Our Facebook Announcement Photo :)

Announcing Baby Wood to all my close girlfriends :)

We are so thrilled! Words cannot express how overjoyed and blessed we feel for our little miracle! 

Pure happiness!
We are loving every minute of this journey and are excited for everything that is to come!

1st Trimester!

The first trimester has definitely been rough! I've been battling a lot of nausea, headaches, and indigestion. My hubby, however, has been so amazing during this time. He runs to the grocery store for me daily, cooks all meals (cooking makes me extremely nauseous), and has been doing all the housework!  All while going to school full-time and he has not complained once! I'm so thankful and grateful for him!  As I hit 12 weeks the morning/all day sickness starting to slowly subside! I hope to start feeling normal again very soon! Even though I feel terrible most of the time I still can't help but smile! I'm just so excited to be pregnant and am soaking up every minute with my husband, family, and friends.  It has been such a special time in our lives and I know it's only going to get sweeter :) 

How far along? 12 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: None, yet! I'm still patiently waiting for my baby bump!
Maternity clothes? Nope
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Sleeping through the night
Best moment this week: Seeing Baby Wood kick and move all around at our 12 week ultrasound and announcing to everyone our exciting news!
Miss Anything? Being able to eat!
Movement: Not yet
Food cravings: Food cravings? I'm lucky if I get anything down
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Pretty much everything! Food, Smells, Car Rides, etc!
Have you started to show yet: Nope, but I can't wait until I do :)
Gender prediction: At first I thought boy but my entire family thinks girl, so I think it is starting to rub off on me :) (I honestly just want a healthy baby but I'm secretly hoping for a girl ;))
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!
Looking forward to:  Finding out the gender of Baby Wood!