CM Assignment: The way I view SWEETNESS & LOVE

It's time for another Clickin Mom assignment. This month is 'The way I view.... SWEETNESS & LOVE'. February has been chalk full of sweetness & love. We have had so much to celebrate in February: Todd's birthday, finding out we're having a baby GIRL, Valentine's day and then our 2nd year wedding anniversary.

Sweetness & Love is finding out that you're having a GIRL & going shopping with your mom the next day to buy your daughter/grand daughter her first pair of SHOES! If she's anything like her mother OR grandmother, this will be the first of hundreds & hundreds of pair of shoes she will own in her lifetime.

From CM The Way I View

Sweetness & Love is comparing your baby's shoes to her daddy's and realizing just how little she's going to be.

From CM The Way I View

Sweetness & Love is your husband going above & beyond on Valentine's day. Like sending roses to your office.

From CM The Way I View

And cooking for you for the FIRST time in 2.5 years that you've known him! And not only does he cook for you, but he also cooks your favorite meal: Pork chops, mashed potatoes, cream style corn, rolls & sweet tea.

From CM The Way I View

And listening to you complain for weeks about how you lost the 2nd earring to the favorite pair you own and going not only to a mall but TWO malls to find something that was close to a replacement.

From CM The Way I View

Sweetness & Love is ending your Valentine's day with all the stuff above PLUS going to a chick flick "The Vow". I had a pretty good Valentine's day if I say so myself.

And finally sweetness & Love is finishing the month in Asheville to celebrate your 2nd wedding anniversary at the Grove Park Inn. Salt water pools, hot tubs, massages and outstanding food finish up your celebration. Wish I had a picture of the spa area at the Grove Park but they don't allow that so you'll just have to go see it for yourself.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

February has been a great month with lots of SWEETNESS & LOVE.

If you would like to see what Philippa experienced in February, go check it out here
Til next time,
Candice

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20 Weeks

I am 20 weeks pregnant which means I am exactly half way through this pregnancy. It seems like yesterday when we told my mom at Christmas and now I'm half way through. But there are definitely days when I feel like I have been pregnant for 5 months and can only imagine how things are going to change from here.

Since our last baby post 2 weeks ago, things have definitely changed. She has grown a lot because I have grown a lot. Two weeks ago, I couldn't feel her and now I feel her all the time. It still feels like an upset stomach to me but now I know it's not gas, it's her! She seems to be a very active little girl. She has what I like to call "Jazzerise" class every day at 10am, 12p, 3pm, 7pm and 9pm. I swear it feels like she is going crazy and since we saw her stretching herself on the last ultrasound, I know she's busy doing all her stretches. Maybe this means that she's going to be like Todd because her movements seem to be routine and she's exercising (didn't get any of that from me). We are registering on Sunday after church. Our sweet friend & neighbor, Chessie, is going with us to help us out. I'm bringing the Baby Bible (a.k.a Baby Bargains) and my list with all the things we need and all my notes. So hopefully we'll be prepared & it won't take too long.

From Baby Bump

From Baby Bump

From Baby Bump

From Baby Bump

From Baby Bump

How far along? 20 weeks (5 months)
Total weight gain? 7 lbs (even though my body looks like I've gained more. Luckily it's gone all to the belly)
Maternity Clothes? Of course. Just ordered a few things online at Old Navy. Seem to really be having luck there.
Sleep? I have finally gotten use to the body pillow and I'm sleeping much better.
Best Moment of the Week? Spending time in Asheville with my sweet husband and getting pampered at the Grove Park Inn
Miss Anything? My small boobs. Never thought I'd ever say that but these things make me feel poofy and I can only imagine how much bigger they are gonna get.
Movement? Yep, all the time. Todd can even feel her sometimes now
Food Cravings? Still glasses of milk + now chocolate milk
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope. I'm staying off the sweets & not getting an upset stomach anymore
Gender? Sweet baby GIRL
Labor Signs? No
Symptoms? Vomiting gone. Headaches gone. Now I'm having SEVERE PELVIC PAIN and terrible hemorrhoids (sorry but gotta tell you how it is). It feels like the baby is really low and pushing on my BOTH of my lower "areas". I'm scared that she's going to come out when I pee, she feels that low. So I went to the doctor about it last week and they said my cervix was closed shut & tight, uterus is where it needs to be and she looks fine. Have done a lot of goggling and I don't think its round ligament pain. I really think she's pushing down on my bladder & that what might be causing the pain. Not sure but it hurts to walk and I'm even more thankful for my desk job lately.
Wedding rings on or off? Still off. It's been 3 weeks of no rings & medicine so I thought I'd try to wear my wedding band this week but my hand was tore up the next day. I'm pretty sure this is the first time my body has rejected anything expensive let alone diamonds!
Happy or Moody? Happy but in some pain
Looking forward to? My Baby Party!!! My fabulous friends are planning a Baby Party (not to be confused with a Baby Shower) in April. We'll have a lot of out of towners and the party will be so cute, so fun and it will be awesome to have them all here.

Til next time,
Candice

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Asheville

We took an anniversary & babymoon trip to Asheville this weekend. We had a WONDERFUL, relaxing time. I always love going to Asheville and love doing new things while we are there.

Saturday was all about hiking. The weather was absolutely gorgeous (and warm). We started at the Mountains to Sea trail just north of Asheville.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

This was the baby's first hiking trip (lets face it, this was her first experience at exercise).

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

I've been having some pains in my lower abdomen lately so I took it slow and stopped often.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

A little view from my eyes- getting big!

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

The trail was kind of a dud & there wasn't much to "sea" (pun intended). Todd was a little bored so he thought it was a good idea to practice his sasquatch call.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

I freakin hate that show Finding Bigfoot. I would have NEVER thought that I would prefer to watch Deadliest Catch instead of that dumb bigfoot show. But he loves it!

I think I'm suppose to tell you that we spotted a bigfoot in the woods.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

But I'm pretty sure that sasquatch looks a whole lot like this fool.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

We blew off that trial and headed south towards Brevard to hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Saw Looking Glass waterfall.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

We then went on search for Sliding Rock. I've seen a TON of pictures of this thing where kids & adults slide down the rock and I've always wanted to go.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

But it isn't as exciting in the winter with nobody on it.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

We then drove to the very top of the mountain.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

And I discovered why they are called the Blue Ridge mountains because they really are BLUE.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

Saturday night we drove about an hour southwest of Asheville to the little town of Sylva, NC to meet our friends Rance & Jenni Shuler for dinner.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

We literally talked non-stop for 3.5 hours and had the best time.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

Jenni got married over a year ago & moved to the mountains of NC so we don't see each other much anymore. But I SO cherished our few hours together. Love this girl!!! (and her hubby)

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

Sunday morning we packed up our bags and moved from the Hilton to the Grove Park Inn. Last year I went to the Grove Park Inn with my sister-in-law for a day at the spa but we didn't stay there. Since it was a Sunday, we got a little discount & splurged by staying the night. And I'm SO glad we did. We spent the entire day swimming in the pools, taking a nap (that would be me) and then a massage! It was heaven.

We stayed in the Main Inn & our room was little, quaint & rustic.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

When Todd checked in he told the front desk that we were celebrating our anniversary so they had flowers delivered to the room.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

The view from our room

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

The service at the Grove Park Inn is impeccable. They cater to your every need & usually suggest and give it to you before you even ask. We had a great dinner there that night at Sunset Terrace that literally put us into a coma and we slept for 12 hours.

The next day was bright & sunny and Grove Park Inn begged to be photographed.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

We had such a great anniversary weekend! It was the perfect getaway.

From Asheville_2nd Anniversary

If you've never been to the Grove Park Inn- I highly recommend it!

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2 years

Has it really been 2 years? Yes, it has! This Monday Todd & I will be celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary. We are headed to Asheville for the weekend for a little babymoon (our last trip together before the baby gets here). We'll be hanging out, seeing some of our favorite people (Rance & Jenni Shuler) and on Sunday we'll be spending the entire day at Grove Park Inn for some swimming & a massage. We've even got a room there for the night & reservations at Sunset Terrace inside the hotel. I'm so excited. Can't wait to get away, head to the mountains and spend some time together.

It's been a busy & fun 2 years. Seems just like yesterday we were planning the wedding. Now we're busy planning a nursery for a baby! God has been SO good to us and has poured out His love & His blessings for the last 2 years. We're excited to see what this next chapter will hold.

Until then, we remember that great day - February 20, 2010. Selling my mother's kidney to pay for it was SO worth it (just kidding!) Thanks MOM!!!

From COLOR

From COLOR

From COLOR

From COLOR

From COLOR

And the video I watched everyday for 6 months. http://www.robinlin.com/candicetodd/

Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Candice

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Happy Valentine's Day

I have never been a big Valentine's day person (that's a way to start off a Valentine's blog isn't it?). When I was single, this day reminded me that I was single. Now it's great to have a Valentine but it's still kind of a silly holiday. I mean aren't ya suppose to tell your spouse that you love them EVERY DAY?

I do however enjoy the extra love. My husband always goes above & beyond for Vday so that's nice. 2 years ago we were a week away from getting married and he wrote me a poem. I had never had a poem written about me. Last year's "Fond Remembrances" themed Valentine's date led us to Meredith Chapel where we said "I do" and then we spent the night at the Renaissance Hotel where we spent our first night as husband and wife. This year I told him to do NOTHING! We celebrated his birthday last week, bought a crib & are going away to the mountains this weekend so he didn't need to do a thing. We agreed that going out to eat would be crazy so the only thing I wanted was to see a chick flick- The Vow (Love Nicholas Sparks).

So when I opened up the door this morning to find a balloon & a dinner invitation to "TC's Country Kitchen", I was surprised. I guess TC is bringing dinner to me. Since the only thing the man can cook is eggs, he'll either bring home a box of KFC chicken, actually try to cook something new or we'll have eggs for Valentine's day. Either way, it should be entertaining.

Anyhoo, because no blog is complete without pictures. I wanted to show you something. I got a little crafty for Valentine's and made my girls a little treat. Got this idea from Pinterest (I mean what did we do before Pinterest?). It was SO cute, that I had to take pictures of it and share it with you.

From CM The Way I View

I dig you (shovel). Get it??? Then you're better than the 9 year olds I gave it to. It took them a second.

From CM The Way I View

From CM The Way I View

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's day. I hope you have someone special to share it with. If not, that's okay- this is a silly holiday anyways. But know this- YOU ARE LOVED cause I love ya & appreciate you stopping by the blog. Even if nobody else does, "I DIG YOU!"

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18 Weeks- It's a GIRL!!!!!

We had our 18 week ultrasound appointment last Thursday to find out that we're having a baby GIRL!!!

My mom flew up for the appointment because she just couldn't stand not to be there for the big reveal. It was her 1st time to see an actual ultrasound (apparently they didn't do ultrasounds in east TX 32 years ago). All 3 of us were in the room- me, Todd & mom. Our appointment was at 4:20pm so we had to wait all day long to find out. I didn't sleep a wink the night before. We get to the dr's office & they were running 25 minutes behind. So needless to say I was starting to get a little antsy when it was 4:45 and we still weren't in! urgh! Finally our time came and the tech revealed the sex within 60 seconds. I didn't believe her at first, I just kept saying "Are you sure?". The nurse assured me it was a girl and then had to give a little sex education because we don't have that in Texas & I didn't know some of the body parts she was referring to (oops). I made her take another picture and confirm it was a girl once again and then I think I squealed like a pig!!!! I was certain this was a boy (even though I have always wanted a little girl).

From Baby Bump

I won't go into how excited I am that she's a girl - I'll save that for another blog. But I think she'll look like me. You could really see her large cheek bones (like her mama) and at one point she was making the same posture with her hands behind her head that I was making while on the table. It was so cute. I looked at Todd (with tears in his eyes) and he said "I'm done". I couldn't tell if he meant his heart or his wallet. I'm pretty sure it will be both. Then he talked about buying a shot gun.

Here are some pictures with the board this week.

From Baby Bump

From Baby Bump

From Baby Bump

How far along? 18 weeks (4.5 months)
Total weight gain? 5 lbs (all happened within the last 7 days)
Maternity Clothes? Yes please. My favorite thing now is cotton dresses with strechy leggings and boots. That's what I'm wearing to work everyday. Can't get enough dresses. They aren't tight on my tummy & they're cute.
Sleep? Can no longer sleep on my tummy and read that I can't lay on my back so I'm forced to my sides. Never slept on my sides before so haven't been sleeping well lately.
Best Moment of the Week? Having my two favorite people- Todd & my mom- in the room when we found out God was fulfilling a lifetime dream and giving me my own sweet little girl
Miss Anything? My waistline
Movement? Not yet. Thought I felt some "fluttering" last week while in a staff meeting but it was just gas. Oops!
Food Cravings? MILK!! Cups & cups of 2% milk. I haven't drank a glass of milk since I was in elementary school. I must be calcium deficient because I cannot get enough milk. And lucky, unlike the last 15 years, it doesn't hurt my tummy anymore
Anything making you quesy or sick? SWEETS. I had 2 Krispy Kreme doughnuts on Friday afternoon and then I had stomach pains for 3 hours afterwards. I had a cupcake earlier this week & the same thing- stomach pains. It's starting to be obvious that me & this kid don't have the same taste in foods.
Gender? It's a GIRL, It's a GIRL, It's a GIRL!!! Labor Signs? NO
Symptoms? Headaches are less frequent (Thank you Jesus) and I'm feeling good. Still going to bed wicked early
Weddings rings on or off? Still off
Happy or Moody? Happy
Looking forward to? Finally starting the nursery! Mom & I went shopping on Friday and she went home with all the fabric to begin making the curtains, crib skirt & pillow. We ordered the crib today (hallejuah!) and now I've got to work on fun stuff like finding a cute idea to put her name or initials above the crib.

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