Surprise Y'all!

Sorry y'all, this post is long...and includes videos that are really just on here so that I have a record of where I have put them. :)

Surprise, Y'all!!!

We wanted to tell our families about Baby MO when we are all together.  I found out on a Wednesday, went to the Dr. on a Thursday, the Moore brothers came into town on Friday (no clue on their end that anything was different...oh boys of only brothers), and then I flew home with Ryan Monday afternoon.  Like I said in my Lies I've Told My Friends post, I spent nearly a whole week with my Momma without telling her!  Yes, it was hard but Kyle, a man of few requests, asked that I wait until he could be with me.  So...that meant waiting.

Luckily, about a week after we found out, we were all (minus Bryson and Ryan at the last minute) at the beach together for about 5 hours.  My brothers were already on to my games but our parents were clueless. Daddy and the boys were getting ready to go when we finally got everyone into the condo from the beach.  It was like rounding up cats.  Didn't they know we had important news to share!

Thank you, Timmy, for recording from the corner!

And now for a breakdown of all the funnies and thoughts that were later shared...

Both Momma's knew that I had bought them a little happy.  My Momma thought that it was a plastic monogrammed cup so she pulled out the onsie and discarded it.  She later told me that she thought that I had forgotten to give her the gift.

Mrs. Jeana pulled her onsie out and thought, "Oh this is a cute hand towel." In the same moment, Mr. Jim was thinking, "That shirt isn't going to fit her..."

FINALLY, Mrs. Jeane realized what the onsie said and started yelling.  My Momma knew that she was missing out on something exciting but just couldn't seem to find the gift since she had already thrown it out.

We should have known that we would have needed to tell our Momma's to put on their glasses and that we might as well have had a neon light and fireworks going off to notify our Daddys.  Bless his heart, in the exact same fashion as my engagement, my "selective hearing" Daddy saw the excitement going on and smiled big the whole time, but had absolutely no clue what was going on until my Momma took him the onsie and read it to him.

Momma's are speechless!

Now the Daddys get it!  We're having a BABY! 

Look at sweet Baby Duff grinning in the background.

Momma Ray/SuSu could not get over the fact that she didn't catch on for a whole week!  

And Rob went ahead and took the opportunity to share his announcement...TWINS!

Two of the four Uncles arguing over who we will name the baby after and, I am sure, making fun of me for something. 

Baby Moore "Soccer Star" and Baby Moore "Future Ole Miss Royalty" Onsies!

Can't you tell that we are a family divided!  Baby MO will dress according to Egg Bowl home team. Thank goodness we play in Oxford next year! Hotty Toddy! ;)

We celebrated and I had a nice healthy and hydrating glass of grape juice!

The day that I found out about Baby Mo, I called MA and began planning how I wanted to tell Kyle.  I decided on a few funny books and the cake, of course, but while I was at the bookstore I just couldn't help but buy a few other titles too.  I decided to find books that Kyle and I thought reminded us of the person who would receive it.  Our plan is that our families will write the baby a special note on the inside of the book and that it will be one of the first gifts that they give Baby MO once s/he is born.  What keepsakes, right?!

On the day that we shared the news, each of the Grandparents, Aunt, and Uncles received a book, this poem, and a special note:

This book was chosen especially for you.

It reminds us of all the unique and special things that you do.

A message to the baby is what we hope you’ll do.

Be silly or serious or a mix of the two.

When Baby Moore arrives at the beginning of spring,

We hope this gift is what you will bring.

Please help us to keep this a secret for now,

For when we hear that sweet heart beat, celebrate we shall!

To My Momma: 

No Matter What

Your love is unconditional. I love how Small has turned over a chair, slanted a picture, and has a bucket over his head and cannot imagine that she is still loved by Large. I many times think the same about you, no matter what, you always love us. You are so patient and always have been (even when there were four of us all calling your name at once to show off our "talent".) Just like you tell us all the time, as we look out at the same moon in the Madison or Chicago night sky we think of each other. You are going to be the BEST "Suuuu", because you are already the best Momma.

To Kyle's Momma:

I CAN Be ANYTHING!

I Can Be Anything reminded us of you because of how you have encouraged us and given us the confidence to be anything we wanted to be. Raising three little boys surely included many aspiration changes then and NOW. We are all where we are today because of you. You are the best Mom and will be the best Grandmom!

To My Daddy:

Little Blue Truck

The Little Blue Truck reminded us of you for many reasons. First, the most obvious, is because of your little blue truck. A truck that you have driven for years and years with no air or heat at times. That truck has been the birthplace to kittens, the transportation to more track meets and high school functions than I care to remember, and so much more.  Just like the character in this book, you show us the definition of selflessness. You put your family first in everything that you do and find happiness in the simple pleasure of life. You are always the first one to offer help whether it's moving me to college or to Chicago, building the finest piece of custom furniture the Midwest has ever seen, or offering unconditional support and encouragement no matter where our dreams have taken us. We love you Daddy.

To Kyle's Daddy:

The Little Engine That Could

The Little Engine That Could seemed very appropriate for you, as your words of wisdom have traveled through us to our friends and are repeated over and over. You told Kyle to follow his heart to the BIG city of Chicago, have encouraged us both to move forward in our careers, and have told us over and over that we can do anything that we set our minds to.  

Timmy and MA:

How Do I Love You?

Sweet Maggie Agnes,

This book actually reminds me a lot of you.

How Do I Love You?

I love the way that you are just as excited as we are about Baby Moore.

I love the way you helped pull this surprise together and kept the secret for a week and a half. (I could not have done this without you.)

I love the fact that we are sisters and friends and can only pray that my children have relationships like we do with our siblings.

Timmy, I love the way you don't mind answering my tax questions over a 7 hour period to end with an answer that simply includes, "don't just spend money to spend it."

I love the way that, from the very beginning, you have seamlessly become a part of our family.

I love the way you love that silly MA.

To Rob:

Mustache Baby

For a while there we never knew what hairstyle you'd have, whether it be on your head or face.  We love how you are ever evolving in all aspects of your life.  We hope that the baby has your talents of creativity and stand up comedy (The Rob Ray Comedy Hour) and only receives a tiny bit of your love for guns and ADHD...oh wait did you see my seashell....I like dogs.

And this is yet another reason that we love this little brother. Kyle will take you up on this offer in approximately 40 years when she goes on her first date. We will probably have Rob Skype in with creepy facial hair to put a little fear in the young buck as well.

Duff:

Once Upon A Cool Motorcycle Dude

Once upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude is a book that is first told from the perspective of a little girl (fairy princess and charming prince,etc) and then from that of a little boy. The little boy changes the stereotypical fairy tale to include the Cool Motorcycle Dude as the hero. This book is so much like you, not only because of your love for bikes, but also because of how you seem to write your own story.  You are not afraid to take the road less traveled or do something in a way that hasn't been done before.  We love you.


Since Bryson and Ryan couldn't make it to the beach, we mailed their books and asked them to Skype with us when they received it.  Bryson says that he didn't think anything of it until he'd had to unopened book for about 2 days and I asked him not to open it for just one more so that we could talk to him while he did it.  He and Ryan had "I bet GA is pregnant..." text going from that point on. ;)

Ryan wanted to know what exactly we were trying to say about him with a rainbow colored chameleon on the cover of his book...

I personally love a good children's picture book and try to give them as baby gifts often.  They all have such sweet messages and lessons to be learned.  I cannot wait to rock Baby MO and read to him/her.  I know that this mini-library will be a treasure that s/he will cherish forever, this Momma-to-Be already cries just thinking about it.

Of course, I spent a small fortune on books for the baby that I thought were too sweet to pass up.

I mean...my heart literally melts when I read this...

Precious Child of God,

"I wanted you (and prayed for you) more than you ever will know, so I sent love to follow wherever you go..."

17 Week Update

Sorry, no "bump update" picture today.  I'll try to have Kyle take one tonight or early next week.  No doubt there will be BUMP overload next weekend after our trip to Mexico :)

How Far Along? 17 weeks and 2 days

Size? Baby is:

As my Momma says, "I just love sweet potatoes!"

Maternity Clothes? Same ole, same ole.  I told Kyle on Wednesday that I wasn't feeling well around lunch time...then I realized that my pants were too tight and were cutting off circulation.  Nothing that an unbuttoning couldn't fix.  I still have not had a chance to tell my Principal or students' families (I am not waiting on anything...it just hasn't come up) yet so I have been wearing lots of scarves, vests, and flow-y shirts to work...come to think of it though...those things are really staples in my outfits anyways so I guess not much has changed. 

Weight Gain? I went to the DR on Monday and, fully clothed with my boots on, I have gained 6 pounds since finding out that I was pregnant.  She said that was a good thing and that I was right on track.  Steady weight gain means Baby Mo is healthy! 

Stretch Marks? Nope, thank goodness.  I hear that this is mostly genetic too. Momma?? 

Gender? We just have no idea... Kyle and I will go for our sonogram on Friday, Nov. 1 and then we are celebrating with friends and family on the 2nd.  

I am beyond thrilled to see Baby Mo again---s/he, according to my app and other friends' sonograms, looks so much different than our sour patch kid sonogram at 8 weeks.  It is hard to believe that when we see him/her again s/he will LOOK like a baby!  I know it's going to be super emotional and I cannot wait!  We decided last night that Kyle and Geoff will be the only ones to know the gender...WAIT....Yeah, I know..."and Geoff"?!?!  

Kyle agreed to let me set up an iPad so that I can see his reaction to finding out but he said that he wants me to find out at the party (or else, he says, there is no point in having a party...)  Our sweet friends Geoff and Ashlee cannot join us for the  party so Geoff, not Ashlee (just yet), will know too.  I know that sounds ridiculous but this Baby has so many Chicago Aunts and Uncles that love him/her already that I am willing to let ole Geoff have a chance to celebrate with Kyle.  Uncle JohnJohn (Carlstedt) requested that he be the one to do the actual gender reveal (more on how we are doing this later...)
I decided to do evites instead of paper invites so that I could put my budget towards hiring a photographer and am really excited that a cute little up and coming photographer agreed to shoot this fun night!  You can check out some of her work here: http://jovanairene.com/ 

Sleep? I fall asleep easily and sleep through the night...may get up once some nights.  On the weekends I am up by 6:30 because my mind is RUNNING, RUNNING, RUNNING, about Baby Mo! AHH!!

Movement? Not yet.  My app says that it could start any day now or hold off until week 20 or after.  I have been really conscious of any and all tummy feelings in anticipation of Baby Mo's little jabs.

Food Cravings? Not really.  As I am typing this though I would really like some donuts from Glazed and Infused...but that's pretty normal for a weekend craving. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? No, thank goodness. 

Labor signs? No!  Still a LLLOOONNNGGG way to go. Well...about 23 weeks anyways.

Belly button in or out? Still in but, like I mentioned last week, different.

Wedding rings, on or off? On and fitting the same.  My right hand ring even seems a bit more loose. 

What I Miss? Deli meat?  I don't really miss it but sometimes when I walk by a cute little deli I just wish I could have cold deli meat.  (That sounds weird.)

Symptoms? Nothing new really.  It seems like my answers to these questions are about the same from last week.  It will be strange when they start to change.

Happy or Moody? SUPER happy!  I dream about this sweet child every single night and wake up in the morning thinking of the rest of our lives with this (and hopefully many more) little Moores!

Best Moment of the Week? On Monday, MA got to go with me to the Doctor.  I met a third doctor in the practice, Dr. Darrell, and fell more in love with my hospital!  She walked in with a huge smile, mirrored MA's and my excitement and noise level, and just had the sweetest spirit.  She poked on my tummy for a second and then found the heartbeat right away. MA was able to record our 140-147/minute heartbeat and the sound was even more glorious than the other times what we have heard it.  Baby Mo's heartbeat at 16 weeks 3 days:

After I sent the baby stats to our families on Monday, Mrs. Jeane went searching through Kyle's baby stuff and found Baby Kyle's heartbeat at around 6 months!  How wild! 

I actually think that Kyle's sound from 20 some-odd years ago is more clear than the one that MA did on the iPhone of Baby Mo...thanks Apple.

My Momma says that she has Baby B (MA),C (Rob), and D (Duff) but cannot seem to find Baby A (me).

This seems to have become the longest section but we had a lot going on this week...

Another favorite was this "pink vote" that came in from our dear New York friends, Will and Samantha. 

Kyle and Will played soccer together at NU and has been a precious friend to both of us for 10 years.  He was even in our wedding.  Samantha is my unofficial Australian cousin and also a SUPER talented jewelry designer.  Check out her beautiful collections here: Samantha Wills  

Senior Year Halloween.  Left to Right, Will, Justin (Stewy), MA, Pat, Me, Kyle, Uncle JohnJohn.

Needless to say, 6 years has done us well!   While I am pretty positive that both Will and Kyle had on those spandex shorts under their wedding suits, I think it's safe to say that they both "out punted their coverage."

Also this week, I got to have a fun night out on the town with my good ole Sumner teacher friends.  

Many of us have gone our separate ways from Sumner but I am glad that we have remained close.  Baby, baby, baby was the hot topic of the night as we were able to meet Josy's little guy, Luke, for the first time and we celebrated Susan's and my recent baby news!  Sweet Susan has recently been notified that she and her husband will become the proud parents of a PRECIOUS little guy from Korea in the next few months...maybe even around the same time that Baby Mo arrives!  Play dates?!  Yes, please!  We talked at length about how amazing GOD's plans are for our lives.  HE led us both away from our old school and into places that we LOVE because HE knew that we needed that stability and additional happiness in our lives before we expanded our families.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, GOD IS GOOD! 

My heart is SO full, y'all!   

Looking forward to..NOV. 2 and finding out if this sweet baby is a "red headed soccer player or a blue eyed queen"!  Thank heavens my mother has finished a boy, girl, and gender neutral smocked outfit for the celebration.  It would be a Southern tragedy to not have some piece of smocked clothing ready upon the announcement  of the gender. Goodness.  Kyle is super worried about HIS boy being raised by "women who would put their sons in dresses."  By the way, they are day gowns and I believe I recall hearing a story about one Tyler Rosamond who asked that his newborn boy be put back in the dress during one very late night/early morning diaper changing session.  You'll see Kyle...

Little Brother Rob told MA that he has been smocking for weeks now too..

Bless him.

We are also heading to Mexico for the Napper wedding on Thursday and we cannot wait!!!  5 days of fun in the sun with sweet friends!  Hooray!!

Well, this has turned into a short story.  Sorry!  

Thanks for your prayers for our family and this sweet child.  We feel them everyday!

16 Week Update

That's not Kyle in the mirror this time.  It's an NU football player.  Kyle is worried about the type of boy I will raise (lace and such mostly) and since the baby can now hear he thinks that he should be surrounded by all things sports and tough.  Plus, we watched "The Book of Manning" and are hoping that this baby will somehow come out ready to be an NFL QB.  Archie, Olivia, call me ;)

I learned this week that showing off/being able to see any bump at all comes down the hand placement.  For some reason the two handed hold really makes it pop!  That, coupled with and a little bit of a back arch.

How Far Along? 16 weeks and 1 day

Size? The baby's or Mine?  Baby is:

This app just amazes me!  I cannot get over how much the baby grows each week.  S/he looks like a BABY now!  The last time we saw him/her she looked more like a sour patch kid than anything else and now s/he can suck her thumb, move, and hear me!  Y'all, GOD is good.
Mine: By the end of the day, I look a little pregnant.  Some day are different than others and some clothes show it off more than others too.  Right now, I am wearing my same clothes. :)  When I walked into Toes' house last weekend for the NU Homecoming game all of our boys gave me the once over before Pat exclaimed, "Well you don't look pregnant..." I'm not sure how one goes about accepting this statement.  Do you say, "Why thank you..." or "Oh, it's still early..." or "I hope that you continue with the kind words for the next 6 months (wink, wink)..."

Maternity Clothes? The black dress that I am wearing in the picture is actually maternity but I only bought it because I wanted a black maxi dress--this one was on sale and the regular one wasn't.  Saving up for that Bugaboo stroller, right?!  Right now, I am just wearing my regular clothes and maybe unbuttoning my jeans after dinner...

Weight Gain? We will find out about weight gain on Monday at my DR appointment. I am guessing a few pounds, which I am very happy about because it means Baby Mo is healthy!  We do not have a scale at our house and I am not planning on really keeping up with this.  Just going off of how I feel. :)
Stretch Marks? No, but my sweet friends Michelle and Sarah have both compiled a "Being pregnant with, birthing, and raising a city baby Guide" for me and I am planning on getting some of the anti-stretch mark cream they recommended this weekend. 

Gender? We just have no idea... I will schedule the gender sonogram once I go on Monday.  We are planning a gender reveal for our friends and family on Nov. 2 so we are getting close!  As I have said before, I want a mini-me (well two actually because she'll need a sister) but I will be overwhelmed with joy to find out that we are having a boy or a girl.  Kyle is positive that it's a boy and is planning on finding out before the actual gender reveal party.  Our dear friend Geoff asked if he could find out with Kyle before the gender reveal out of fear that he might SIGH loudly if it's not a boy. Clarkie pointed out that they are all just scared of how a baby girl will steal their hearts...very true.  (As MA observed at our friends supper club on Friday, our guy friends really talk about the baby so much and it makes my heart so happy.)

Sleep? Varies.  Kyle says that if being tired is a sign of pregnancy then I have been pregnant since he has known me. ;)  I get super tired in the afternoon and then usually fall asleep by 9:30 or so...this isn't too unusual though.  I also cat napped during our card game Friday at supper club.  Honestly, I probably would have done that pregnant or not, but because I am, no one judges me.  Thanks y'all. 

Movement? Not yet, but my friend Kate Templin who is about a month ahead of me said last weekend that she thought that she felt something.  I am anxiously awaiting the day!  Maybe another month or so?

Food Cravings? Not really.  I have tried to cut out caffeine during the week but need a coke icee by Saturday.  I also had to stop cleaning out the 2nd bedroom yesterday to make some sweet iced tea.  Nothing crazy though.  Again, my love for candy is not a pregnancy thing unless, as Kyle says, I have been pregnant my whole life.  

Anything making you queasy or sick? No, thank goodness. 

Labor signs? No!  Still a LLLOOONNNGGG way to go.  

Belly button in or out? This is funny.  My belly button is still IN but it has changed. No one could possibly understand or even see the change but it looks different to me. 

Wedding rings, on or off? On and fitting the same.  Went to look at and try on "push present" 3rd bands this weekend (hint, hint...)

What I Miss? Nothing really.  I do not even crave a sip of wine or beer (now...) and have actually been telling our friends how productive, healthy, and clear minded I feel now that I am not drinking and am eating, somewhat, more consciously.

Symptoms? I have NEVER had heartburn before but have been getting it a little over the past week or so.  Pregnancy....

Happy or Moody? SUPER happy!  I dream about this sweet child every single night and wake up in the morning thinking of the rest of our lives with this (and hopefully many more) little Moores!

Best Moment of the Week? Mary Agnes came into town on Thursday and we have been on the move since I picked her up from the airport!  I'll post more on her visit later but the best moment has been cleaning out the second bedroom and making room for a new daybed, crib, and glider!  AHH!  This is getting real!!
Looking forward to..Oh so much!  We go to Mexico for the Napper wedding in two weekends and then when we get back we have our gender reveal party!  At this point, each day has it's own exciting event.  Really looking forward to ordering the crib and glider too! 

Funny Things Men Say About Pregnancy and Babies

Boys/Men, bless them.  Pregnancy is so foreign to them and for many dads-to-be it is hard for them to understand what the new momma is going through.  Goodness, I sometimes don't even know what I am going through.  I have laughed over and over at the things that Kyle, our dads, and even our friends have had to say throughout this pregnancy...and its only been 3 months. I am sure that there will be many more updates to this list.

1. Kyle: 

• Upon sharing the big news, "So is it a boy or a girl?"  My response was that all I knew was that the rabbit had died...http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the%20rabbit%20died (This has surprisingly been the first question that every boy/man has asked...)

Sweet MBA student and Daddy-to-Be, Kyle squeezing in every second to study. ..even at the DR office before our first sonogram.

• Look at a blurring first sonogram, I asked the tech what all of the blurry lines were.  Kyle, in a you're dumb/matter of fact way, announced "that's the umbilical cord..." The tech then proceeded to wipe off the partial of dust/"umbilical cord" from the screen.  Apparently that early on there isn't even an umbilical cord. Thank you Dr. Kyle.  To his defense, as you can see below...Baby Mo really just looked like a nice size engagement ring at this point so I can see how he might have been confused. 

• At our first Supper Club of the year, Kyle got cocky and decided that he too could handle pregnancy.  I told him that in a few months we'd replace that down pillow with a watermelon and a few 5 lb. weights. 

•  I need a little mini-me at some point...this won't be our one and only go around so I am willing to wait but Kyle says that he NEEDS a boy for fear that will have no clue what to do.  I'm not sure that he'll really know what to do with a boy either but at least they will have a  few things in common.  I have been trying to get used to the fact that I may be a mother of boys...and have been doing some researching and daydreaming.  That Kyle...he's funny.  

                           ^^^^^This makes me laugh out loud every single time!

2. Timmy, while checking out all of the precious smocked outfits that my momma has already washed, pressed, and has hanging in my bedroom at home,

 "Will the baby have any casual clothes?"  

                                              The answer...yes, and he/she will sleep in them. 

3.  Our sweet friend Keith (Renee's husband):

"We're having a CPS golden baby!" Keith hears, "We're getting a golden retriever!" I'm not sure which he was more excited about.

4. Our guy friends picked up on me being pregnant from nearly the first day that I found out.  I say all the time that our "family" up here is so very special and close, so I am not surprised by this at all.  The week before we started telling everyone, Kyle was in the burbs with the NU soccer boys for a golf weekend and I guess me being pregnant was the talk of the town.  Of course when I ask Kyle he saids that they talked about nothing substantial, yet I later found out that all of the boys were texting their wives asking what I was doing...and sweet Geoff was even investigating by calling one of my best friends Amanda Fallon.  Bless them. We love them all so much. What wonderful Chicago Aunts and Uncles Baby Mo will have!

5. My Daddy (aka Daddy B):

• After our second sonogram when we got to hear the heartbeat I sent a mass text to our parents and siblings with Baby MO's stats:

                                          
My sweet daddy, at the time, still had a flip phone with a screen of approximately 1.5 inches.  First of all he could not receive picture texts and then once the group texts started coming back his phone started blowing up.  He said that it buzzed and rang and buzzed and rang and by the time everyone had replied the phone had lost all of its battery life and died.  He had no idea what was going on and called my mom to tell her to call the phone company.  He was certain that someone had signed him up for unwanted texts and that his phone had been compromised.  Needless to say, we got him an iPhone a few days later.

6. Big Jim

• "Is is a boy or girl?" has been the question that every male that I know has asked nearly immediately after finding out that I was expecting.  Even those males who have had multiple babies throughout their lives.  I had to start being very careful with my early gender references after our first sonogram:

as Big Jim immediately called Mrs. Jeane (Sissy) to ask if we were really able to tell that the embryo was going to be a girl.

Well folks, that's it for today.  I am certain that I have left a few of our "funnies" out but will go ahead and start a new entry that I will add to over the course of the next few months.  I love all of these men dearly and it makes my heart so full to know how excited they are for us.  None of these "call outs" are meant to be ugly, rather they are to help me remember all of the love that was shown to Baby Moore during his OR her first few weeks.

Much Love,