June 25

Hi little one,
I know it's not June 25th, but I got really caught up in wedding details and forgot to post last week's bump picutre! Daddy reminded me this morning and asked that I post it when I had a minute, so here it is:

Honeymoon: We are actually on our honeymoon right now, so I'll say goodbye for now. In case we have any readers this week while we're gone, I'll also post this picture in the hopes that people will understand why you're not getting a longer entry with more details. This is the view from our resort balcony:



That's all for now. Your mommy and daddy have to go take advantage of the gorgeous weather, the salt water pool, and the breathtaking beach!

I love you, baby girl.

Mommy

June 18

Hi little one,
Here's our weekly chalkboard! Happy birthday to your daddy in two days :) the big 3-0...I've been in my 30s for a few years, but your daddy has no idea what he's in for. A wife and a daughter, all in the same year! Whew.

A day for daddies: Father's Day was Sunday. Even though daddy is still technically a "daddy-to-be" right now, we still celebrated with cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, our go-to celebratory dessert place. Here's daddy, before he devoured his piece of Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake. I don't think I've ever seen him look happier :)

Ouch: On Monday night I was sitting on the couch, just minding my own business, when my tummy got really hard and tight very suddenly. It was like I had been clenching my stomach muscles for a long time. Being the *doctor* that I am, I Googled it, and it turns out I might have experienced something called Braxton Hicks contractions. Nothing to worry about, and it hasn't happened since, but man. That almost knocked your mama out! I'm definitely going to have to mentally prepare for labor is 17-ish weeks.

Wedding: We have gotten A LOT done for the wedding this past week. I made the cake topper, a hanging banner for our sweetheart table, and the tags for the wedding favors. Those had to be cut and hand-stamped so they took forever but they're perfect now. I also had to do the cake topper twice because I messed up and bought the wrong color of green glitter. But it's whatever...I just want things to look nice! We've been working diligently on the mason jars for the flowers. Daddy is a much better wire cutter than I am, so he's been working hard on doing that for me while he watches reruns of The Office. We have 24 jars done, and only 12 more to go! There is still a ton of stuff to do, but I think as long as we stay focused we'll get it all done on time. Next week I'll be done with work, so I will have a lot more free time to devote to all things Whalen-Groesbeck. Only 9 more days!

That's all for now. I'm off to eat dinner and deal with the cats. Meagram is being MEAN to Disco...she's trapped her on the stairs and it's not exactly a fair fight since Meegs outweighs Disco by at least five pounds.

I love you, baby girl!
Mommy

June 11

Hi little one,
Here's the weekly chalkboard! Your mama feels HUGE.

Up and down: I feel so all over the place lately! I was sick (like, bent over the trashcan in my classroom, puking my brains out style) on Monday and Tuesday. You probably know by now that I never dealt with morning sickness for the first few months, so getting pukey by 8:30am really threw me for a loop this week. I have A LOT more compassion for women who suffer from it throughout the first trimester. I'm not sure how they manage!! But, I made it through today so I'm hoping it was a random, two-time thing. Either way, you're worth it, though :)

Wedding: The countdown to the day I marry your daddy is on! Only 16 more days! I feel like everything is coming together (finally), and I'm starting to get even more excited. Last Sunday we dropped off my engagement ring so it could get fitted for a band. It's soooo weird not wearing it! I do want everything to be perfect and if that means not wearing my beautiful ring for a few weeks, then so be it. We got a lot done last weekend, but there's still quite a bit we have to check off before I'll sleep at night (I've been having horrible dreams that things suddenly go wrong and it rains, or it's melting hot outside during the ceremony, or the music gets lost, or the caterer doesn't show up, or my dress doesn't fit. Blah!!!!). But everything will be fine, because it has to be! I just need to remember to breathe in the meantime.

Acrobatics: You're quite the little acrobat! I can feel you moving around in there, doing little baby kicks, all throughout the day and night. It's absolutely the sweetest thing, and I really wish your daddy could feel them. I think you're just too small still (or my belly is padded with one too many Chipotle burrito's worth of fat) for him to feel much when he puts his hand on my tummy to feel you moving. I know you'll start gaining weight a lot more quickly now, and it'll be a matter of time before we can see you moving just by watching my tummy! I'm so excited for that day!!

Drink me: I'm sooooo sooooo incredibly thirsty lately! Especially for a mix of cherry limeade and orange juice. Weird! And water with lime and lemon has never tasted so amazing before. Daddy keeps telling me to wait until it gets hot outside in the middle of summer, and then we'll see how much more I drink. He doesn't realize that my favorite part of summer is going to Sonic and getting a huge ass cup of ice and just crunching on it, so I say bring it on!! I bet you'll grow up with a weird love for ice, like me :)

That's all for now, little spaghetti squash! I love you, I love you.
Mommy

June 4

Hi little one,
It's been a long, long week. This might be the shortest weekly entry I've written in awhile, but I swear I have good a good reason! First, though...here's our weekly chalkboard tracker!

You're definitely a kicker!! It's the sweetest thing I've ever experienced. You seem to like kicking and punching on two occasions: when I eat Twizzlers, or when I'm sitting uncomfortably in the car with my seat belt on. I'm excited for the day when we can watch my tummy and see you moving around! I wish your daddy could experience all of those little baby reminders I get throughout the day :)

You're a baby, I'm a baby: I'm the biggest baby when I'm sick. It only happens once or twice a year, but when it does...watch out! I'm whiny and complainey and generally not someone you want to be around. Daddy now knows this. He has been pretty great as I battle a sore throat, stuffy nose, and chest congestion. It's definitely getting much better than it was a week ago, however I'm ready for this cold to be over! We have sooooo much going on that as hard as it is to be sick on a normal day, being sick when we're trying to get stuff done is way worse.

Home repairs: This past week was a whirlwind of home repairs. Daddy started painting the laundry room and he's going to hang cabinets above the washer and dryer this weekend. It'll look great whenever it gets finished! We also got a new fancy storm door installed, and got the house measured for new carpet. Lastly, we got the master bathroom shower grout and tile all sealed up and fixed! It's so nice to be able to shower in there again!

Your nursery: We finally started working on your nursery, too! (See, I told you it was a big week!) We got the colors picked out, as well as a few pieces of furniture. The room is slowly being painted, and we couldn't be more excited to see how it'll turn out! Here is what we've been up to in there :) I'm in love with the new glider and ottoman, and I think your dresser is just perfect!

Coming soon: Our baby announcements came in the mail a few days ago, so I've been working hard to get them mailed out. Aren't they the cutest thing?? We are proud parents, in case you couldn't tell :)

That's all for now. I'm going to go to bed and try to rest up for this weekend. Gigi and Papa G are coming in from Topeka to help us landscape. Keep your sweet little fingers crossed that it doesn't rain, and hopefully I can post some new front yard pictures next week!

I love you, small cantaloupe.
Mommy