23 week Pregnancy Reflection!

How far along?:  Twenty-three weeks & two days along in my first pregnancy!  (About 17 weeks to go)

Me & Tony dressing up for Halloween as characters from the movie Juno!  Me @ 23 weeks!

Size of baby:  Baby Duggan is the size of an EAR OF CORN! :)

8.5 inches & 1.5 pounds!  (making me hungry!)

Gender:  She's a GIRL and we've decided on her name:  Presley Rose! 
Presley - because it's a beautiful name we both love and mostly got the idea from Elvis Presley -- my dad was a huge fan and since he's no longer with us I've often wanted to name one of my kids in honor of him... perfect!
Rose - it's my Gramma Elinor's middle name... she is such a wonderful, incredibly strong, intelligent, passionate, and peaceful person that I think the world of.  I'm going to make sure Presley knows who she was named after and why.  Not to mention, she has a BEAUTIFUL middle name that I am going to be happy to carry on.

Movement:  Presley has been consistently kicking for the past few weeks now.  They're getting a lot stronger and to the point where they make me laugh!  Tony FINALLY felt a big, strong kick this past week after so many weeks of thinking he might have felt a kick.  I was so happy and so was he!  He definitely thinks this journey is a really cool one.

Cravings/Aversions:  Oh my word, have I ever had a severe craving this week:  CARROTS and ranch!  Of course, milk nog, like always.  And I've also been eating a lot of peanut butter crackers!  Not very many aversions at this point, though.


I am feeling:  I've been feeling so ready for this baby to get here!  I can't wait to see her and meet her and hold her and get to dress her up.  I know we've got so so so many things to do in the time before she arrives, but just hearing about fellow-blogger, Sharon's, BEAUTIFUL baby girl getting here... it definitely makes me anxious to meet our little one. 

What I miss most:  The usual -- being able to lay flat on my back.  I miss not having to worry about what I am doing, what I'm capable of, what I put in my mouth, etc.  I miss being able to do all things and definitely dislike when people tell me I "can't" do something.... HUMPH!

Best moment of the week:  I had a blast hanging out with everybody at the Halloween party last night.  The best costume was BY FAR Elisabeth & Jeff who dressed up as Chaz Bono & Lacey Schwimmer from DWTS!  It was fun to see what everyone decided to dress up and neat to see the effort everyone put into their costumes.

Here I am with "Chaz" :)  So hilarious and awesome

What I'm looking forward to this week:  I help coach a middle school cheer-leading squad and their first game is this week - so that will be a fun time!  Tony and I are also going to get our Christmas pictures taken this Thursday and I am really looking forward to that.  Also, looking forward to NOVEMBER being upon us;  Thanksgiving, my birthday, Breaking Dawn, beautiful weather, one month closer to the holidays & visiting family, etc.  I'm also looking forward to revisiting our baby registries and adding things to them in preparation for our first shower in December down south with Tony's family!  


Alright... everybody have a great week!  Just five more days until the weekend, right?

Bits & pieces!

I am still shocked at how fast time has flown by.... it really seems like only yesterday that we found out we were expecting when in reality, we are now over halfway through our first pregnancy!  Equally shocking?  Seeing pictures of myself these days (especially in comparison to my pre-bump self)....

Today we took the first step (of many...) into transforming our guest bedroom into a nursery and it honestly felt great to get the ball rolling.  This involved moving our full bed into storage and trading that in for a daybed with a trundle bed underneath and adding a little white baby dresser!  My aunt and uncle were great enough to help us out with the bed and dresser that weren't getting use in their house.  Next step?  Adding the perfect crib to the ensemble!  So far, out of all the cribs we've looked at in all the various stores, this crib from Target.com is our favorite:

It was $10 off last week, so I'm hoping it goes on sale again sometime soon.  I think that it'll go well with the white dresser we now have - plus it is beautiful and simple.  I thought we would offset the white with black in the room but then we got this bed that is a pretty brown wood and the drapes in the room are a light brown... so it's looking like we'll stick with tan and pull that into the room as well.  This will work out nicely because last year I found a brown comforter at Target on sale for just under $7 that will fit on the bed and will hopefully go well with everything else.

Brown comforter to the right of the picture!

And then, of course, we're gonna throw some pink in the mix for the nursery as well.  I'm starting to get pretty excited now that things are just kinda falling into place and even more excited to really turn it into a nursery!

In other pregnancy-related news, I tried out a prenatal Pilates DVD and I really liked it!  It's called "10 Minute Solution:  Prenatal Pilates" and I started out with the standing Pilates routine and I felt like it had great balance in it -- challenging yet not too difficult for not having worked out for a LONG time.  Now, the REAL challenge will be getting myself to do it for a second time.... I am so lazy these days.  I'm definitely looking for motivation... even though all I have to do is look down at my ever-growing thighs to make me want to get up and be active!  :)

Alright, that's enough for now bloggies!!!  Hope you have a great weekend & FUN Halloweekend!

22 week Pregnancy Reflection!

How far along?:  22 weeks and 2 days along in my first pregnancy! 
(About 18 weeks to go!!)

First picture bare-belly!

Size of the baby:  Baby Duggan is the size of a papaya this week!

About 8in. & 1.2 lbs!

Total weight +/-:  So far, I'm +15 pounds.


Gender:  It's a girl!  Hopefully by the next update we will have picked a name... we're getting close!

Movement:  She likes to kick me repeatedly -- especially if I'm sitting at the computer for any length of time!  Last night Tony & I went to a friend's and someone was telling a hilarious story about Eddie Murphy and the entire time the baby was nonstop kicking me!!!

Cravings:  Anderson-Erickson's Milk Nog (which is part milk, part egg nog)!  We have gone through a LOT of egg nog so far... and the season just began!  Other than that, still craving meat -- burgers, steak, ribs, etc!  Making up for lost time as my major aversion during the first trimester was meat!!!

I am feeling:  Pretty great, especially today!  I love weekends at home with Tony... they really seem to re-energize me for the week and I hope the weekends have the same affect on him.  The Cowboys won today and I won in fantasy football plus we spent the game watching NFL games... so it was a perfect Sunday!

What I miss most:  Still, being able to sleep on my back.  I also (still) miss Zumba.  I miss being able to do things with no restrictions and am getting tired of people being overprotective because I'm pregnant.  I understand everyone is just looking out for the best, but it starts to get old.  I miss having more energy.

Best moment of the week:  Probably the best moment of the week was getting 6 bags of baby girl clothing from one of my favorite mom's from work!  Sarah is the one who gave me the maternity jacket for the winter and she is so gracious.  She's had three girls of her own and I am beyond blessed to know and love this family.  All of the outfits are SO PRECIOUS and I am so excited to see them on our little girl.  Another pretty great moment this week was getting a rocking chair at a yard sale for $30!  I've been wanting a rocker/glider and have been worried about the prices of new ones.  A friend told me about the yard sale going on so we stopped by and I'm so glad we did.  It's a really nice chair -- wooden & worn but it's wonderful.

What I'm looking forward to this week:  I'm looking forward to dressing up for Halloween this weekend -- first time Tony and I are dressing up in a couples costume!  (Checking that off my bucket list will be sweet!)  Also looking forward to having dinner this week with some friends from high school!

Hoping for a fun and exciting week -- wishing the same for everyone as well!!!  Later, bloggies!

Encouragement in all the right places.

 You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

                                            ---Christopher Robin

Last night while talking to Tony before he fell asleep, I started to feel very anxious for the first time in a long time.  Just thinking about how much the guest bedroom will need to transform in the next few months was making me a little uneasy.  On top of that, just thinking about bringing a baby -- OUR BABY -- home and into the room that we were currently laying in was enough to make my heart beat out of my chest.  Then I started to get nervous about parenting... and soon... I worked myself into a ball of worries.  Thank goodness Tony is so logical and even tempered.  (Note to self:  Next time I start to see these traits as something negative, remember this!!!)  He really calmed me down by not just listening to me, but thinking things out with me and reminding me that neither one of us are in this alone.  We've got lots of support around us up here with our friends and family and ALL of our support system is just a phone call away.  It made me feel especially secure when he pointed out that we're a team and if either one of us is feeling frazzled then the other person can always take over for a bit.  It's a great feeling to realize my partner is confident in himself and in me, too.  I have been nothing but excited lately and I suppose I was overdue for a healthy dose of "oh-my-gosh-what-are-we-doing!"  :)


In other news, baby Duggan (we have got to get this girl a name!) has been kicking me ALL DAY!!!  It's great to know she's there and active... but it's also getting on my nerves a bit, too - in a good way!  You know when your muscle or eyelid (or any random part of your body) will repetitively twitch throughout the day and it's so annoying??  That's kinda how it's been today - same kick over and over in the same spot all day long.  I will take it though since that is my main way of knowing if she's doing well in there.

Not much else to really say tonight... just really grateful for Tony being there for me.  I'm hoping to be able to talk him into writing an entry in here one of these days about his thoughts on everything!  I would love to hear things from his perspective and just take a peak inside his thoughts... I think it'd be fun.  We'll see if I can talk him into it... in the meantime, you'll just have to put up with me!  Night bloggies.

Praising Christ's Love...

Today's point of praise:  "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 8: 38-39)  Day #3

Sometimes that doesn't necessarily feel true for me.  There are so many times when I don't feel close to Christ and I know it isn't because he has moved away from me - but the other way around.  It's difficult to live a Christ-centered life when the biggest influences in my current life aren't focused on him and don't lead me closer to Him.  Again, not His fault, but mine.  I realize that the point of praise here is that no matter how far I stray or how weak my relationship with God is, He's gonna love me and be there for me anyways.  Instead of just blaming myself and feeling guilty over my lack of daily dedication to Christ, I've decided to come up with a list of ways to strengthen that relationship.  The list may seem like I move in a round-a-bout way... but hopefully that is good enough to lead me in the direction I'd like to head...

1. Start eating dinner at the dinner table.  Seems pretty silly, but for those of you who know Tony & I, we are the type of people who have a million movies and a bunch of favorite TV shows.  We also have a very nice set of TV trays from Granny that get TOO much use these days.  As a result, I honestly don't remember the last time we ate a meal at the dinner table together.  (I honestly think it was at least an entire year ago at a date night in at our old apartment.)  Once we start eating at the dinner table together, the goal is to start praying before meals together.  Also, for some reason, I just think the more structure we get in our home life, the better, and for some reason I think it'll make things better around here.  (Just bought some fancy new chair covers that will hopefully motivate us to use our table & chairs!  Something happened to the upholstery on these old chairs and they're very sticky, so we either had to get covers or new chairs.  I'll take before and after pictures once they come in!!!)
2. Make weekly mass a priority.  We've started to get better about this, but I don't feel like it's as much of a priority as I'd like it to be.  We're very much Saturday afternoon mass-goers or else we don't make it to mass for the weekend and that is one thing that needs to change.  I'd still like to shoot for Saturday mass because we do enjoy it so much - but if for some reason we don't make it I need to keep an open mind and make it to church Sunday.  There are so many churches in the area that offer a wide variety of mass times so there is really not much of an excuse in that department.
3. Find a way to take part at church.  This really scares me because I don't really like making commitments all the time - the really make me feel claustrophobic.  Not to mention, most of the ways to help out at church involve getting up in front of people which paralyzes me in fear!!!  I'm not sure where our church needs involvement and in what ways I can help but I've been wanting to take part somehow and now is a good time to change that.  I would love to find a way for Tony and I to both get involved together, as well.
4. Speaking of getting involved in a Christ-centered relationship as a couple, I'd like to start reading a couples devotional with Tony, as well.  Since we don't wake up together, I figure it's something we can take turns reading at night and talk about how we can apply it to our lives the next day?  Another way of getting the ball rolling between Tony and I is by going over the order of the mass with him and helping him learn the prayers that we say every week.  He reads them out of the book at mass when we go, but there's just something about praying from your memory that ignites your heart and head into it as well (or at least it is that way for me).

And that's the ideas I have for now.   I don't want to limit myself to this list, however, so I'm open and looking for any and all suggestions.  Any ideas out there you'd care to share with me?  Like I said before, my relationship with Christ is something I need to start taking ownership of myself and it's not a fad or a phase I'm looking forward to "going through" - it's a change of lifestyle that I'm looking to maintain forever.  I think a lot about bringing someone new into our family and into this world and God is something that I want to be present for my baby.  I want to give her the opportunities I had growing up and I want to go to church as a family as well as educate her along the way so that when she gets old enough, she can make an educated decision on whether or not Catholicism is for her.  I already think about getting her baptized and what that will mean for Tony and I as well as for our little girl and I can't help but get giddy about envisioning the moment with family and friends around. 

I still remember what it was like when I got to witness Tony getting baptized.  It was such a wonderful experience & a beautiful mass; it brought tears to my eyes and really caused me to think about the implications of his decision and made me so proud of him.  It was equally wonderful to be his sponsor through it all and sit with him along his entire journey.  If we could do R.C.I.A. (aka, the Right of Christian Initiation of Adults) all over again, I would love that.  I learned so much and I feel like meeting weekly and focusing on Christ in discussion with others every week not only strengthened my faith but Tony & I's relationship as well.  I really am so lucky to have gone through that with him.

Anyways, I am totally babbling and have so many things I need to get accomplished rather than reflecting on all these wonderful things.  Thanks for reading (if you made it this far!) and I'd love to hear your ideas on how to live a more Christ-centered life, bloggies.

There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.  

       Corrie ten Boom

21 week Pregnancy Reflection

Don't forget to take my poll to the right of the page on your favorite pregnancy movie!!! :)

How far along?:  I am currently 21 weeks & 2 days along in my first pregnancy!  (About 19 weeks to go!)

Belly is finally getting big!

Size of the baby:  The baby is the size of a SPAGHETTI SQUASH this week!!!

1 lb. & 8 inches!

Gender:  It's a baby girl!  Still not settled on any particular name... and not sure we will be until we see her face but who knows! :)

I am feeling:  REALLY feeling my ligaments stretching this weekend.  It's not hurting but just very uncomfortable.  Even when we sat on the couch last night to watch a movie, I was even uncomfortable then!  I am thinking about getting some kind of tummy support band but going to ask around first to see how many pregnant ladies have used them & see how they did or didn't like them.  Other than that, just really happy. :)  And starting to get anxious when it comes to getting the nursery together!!!


Movement:  I don't feel the baby move a whole lot throughout the day - just at specific times she'll kick me over and over again and usually down low.

What I miss most:  Feeling good enough to work out whenever I'd like; not being sore for no specific reason; being able to sleep on my back; having a spare bedroom.... just random, small stuff like that.

What I'm excited about:  I'm currently excited for my birthday in a few weeks!  I'm excited to see family during the holidays... even though that's still pretty far off.  Also excited about starting the prenatal fitness videos I recently got from the library.

Cravings/Aversions:  Umm... not craving anything in particular lately?  Loving that our favorite egg nog is finally out for the season!!!  Not many aversions either, just the smell of very greasy fried foods really turns me off.

Best egg nog, EVER! :)

Sleep:  I sleep whenever I'm tired... I swear, I can't stay awake these days if I am tired in the least bit!  And as soon as I decide to lay down at night, I'm out.  But it's just getting myself to fall asleep at a decent time...

Best moment of the week:  Pretty excited when I got my new items that I ordered from my favorite etsy seller, Owl Eyes!!!  Also, it was a great week for graciousness from friends -- still loving the coat, pack & play, & high chair I got earlier in the week!  It was a fun weekend celebrating my cousin Drew's 17th birthday and my mom's 49th birthday!

Our gorgeous pack & play from Brianna!  Can't wait to set a baby in there! :)

Our SUPER cute high chair from Brianna!

My aweeeesome maternity jacket from Sarah!!!!  (And it's pink -- SO fun!)

Still feeling like a very lucky duck.  Not looking forward to the week starting all over again, but you have to go through Monday in order to get to Friday... so I guess it's time to get Monday over with!  Hope your week is productive and a happy one, bloggies!!!

Praising abundance...

Today's point of praise:  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;  I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."  (John 10:10)  Day #2

When I read this I really had to think hard about what that verse meant to me and for me.  I know I've felt so abundantly blessed recently - but I am especially feeling that so much today.  As most of you already know, I work with kids everyday in a daycare-type setting.  I work at the YMCA in the Kids Gym, so I get to hang out with kiddos while their parents work out... pretty much a fabulous opportunity to get to know some amazing kids and their fabulous parents.  I have been abundantly blessed by these people;  my life very much enriched by knowing them.  Today was just another great day because a family that I feel particularly close to came in after not seeing them for a while and it put me in the best mood.  On top of it, their mom brought me the winter jacket she wore when she was pregnant in the winter time.  It's beautiful and warm and big enough and is in such good condition.  That means one less thing for me to worry about purchasing before the weather starts changing.  And it means a lot to me that she thought of me for something so wonderful! 

In addition to that, a friend of a friend contacted me a little while ago and asked if I could use a pack & play as well as a high chair - both in great condition and practically brand new!  I was over the moon that she was so thoughtful and even thought of me and of course I said I'd love them!  It just so happens that I picked those items up today in addition to some other baby items.  I'm always worried about having enough money, enough room, enough support, etc. to bring a baby into this world and it seems that God and the kindness of others are slowly putting my worries up on a shelf!  I've also been learning that it's no accident that a baby has come into our lives at this time;  time and time again God's totally causing me to step back and realize that it's all gonna work out even if it's not perfect and that it's OKAY if things aren't perfect!  I just stopped today mid-afternoon and thought, "Dang... I am so blessed."  So to be asked to praise God for his abundance seems like it's no coincidence.  (I'll post pictures of my new stuff soon!)

In other news, I went to Target to look at their maternity clothes the other night (um... expensive!) and after I decided that I was not getting anything, I wandered over to the food department to get some late snacks.  I'd been hearing from a friend who's been trying to watch what she eats that pickles were a good snack to have and as a result I've really been wanting some pickles!  So I picked up a jar of those and walked past the ice cream section.  Without immediately realizing the "pickles and ice cream" pregnancy cliche, I picked out some cookie dough ice cream and headed to check out.  On the way up front I thought how funny it must look for me to be carrying these two things together.  I ended up bumping into a friend in the check out lane and she was like, "Really? Pickles and ice cream?!"  :)  Hilarious!  I love having an excuse to eat ridiculous things!  I promise, I did not eat them in the same bowl... but I did eat them right after the other and it was delicious.

Other than those few things, it's been business as usual in the Duggan household.  Everybody keeps telling me my belly is getting bigger and that is for sure!  It seems like overnight my stomach has really started popping out.  I took a picture at twenty weeks but I can't find the camera cord... so here is a picture from the other night before we headed out to dinner ...

20 weeks & 3 days!

Hopefully I'll get a better picture Friday and potentially have more interesting things to write about!  Until then, have a great week, bloggies! :)