Week 25 Spent in Mexico

How far along? 25 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? +20 pounds- refusing to check until next check up!
Maternity clothes? Yes!!
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Pretty great, feeling more like the first trimester when I was tired all the time
Best moment this week? Spending the entire week relaxing on the beach and not worrying about errands, groceries, cooking, or schedules
Miss Anything? Spending the week in Mexico at an all inclusive resort makes this question seem pretty weighted...let's just skip it and I'll sum it up with, YOU KNOW!
Movement? Yes! So sweet!
Food Cravings? This particular week, ICE CREAM! Maybe it's the constant access to make your own ice cream cones all day every day. I was also introduced to real Mexican coconut ice cream. So so yummy! I don't even care how piggish it makes me sound, judge all you want, I didn't hold back ; )
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not at all, except over eating!
Have you started to show yet?  That's affirmative
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? In-just barely
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!
Looking forward to? Getting started on little girl's nursery
 Well as I mentioned before we spent week 25 in Mexico on our baby moon! What an awesome trip we had. I think there were so many people who did not understand why we were choosing to travel and take a vacation at this point. We got several funny looks when we said we were going to Mexico on vacation mid way through the second trimester of pregnancy. Maybe people thought we would be too limited and unable to enjoy ourselves. Maybe it seemed like bad timing or just plain unusual. I too had my reservations right before we were set to leave but I have to say that I quickly put all those reservations aside and realized that this was an EXCELLENT idea after all. Yes, we were limited in a sense. Yes, I was super bummed that there would be no zip lining or River climbing, and I would be required to watch for extra sunscreen and extra swelling in the warm Mexican temperatures. And of course, I was definitely not allowed to let loose and relax as much as one might hope for on vacation : ) BUT....I had one wonderful week away from work and daily schedules where I ate yummy 3 course meals 3 times a day (ok, ok, I know I'm gonna pay for that one, I'm ready!), laid in a beach chair with a few good books a nice breeze and the sound of the ocean, I napped intermittently throughout the day, got to see the beautiful island of Isla Mujeres which was a treasure all it's own, and the hardest thing I had to do every day was shower, put on makeup, and get dressed up at night to go to dinner and see some pretty great entertainment shows as far as resort entertainment goes. Basically, what I'm saying is, this vacation was all about total pampering, and what, I ask you, is better for pregnancy than pampering?? Pretty much nothing! SOOO, if you get a chance to take a pre baby, do nothing, vacation...by all means, take it!! We definitely enjoyed it. 


This vacation was certainly significant for us for one more pretty big reason. While in Mexico, we took a nice big look around and realized that this was The. Very. Last. carefree vaca for us as a married couple. This would make the last time we would pick up and go without either A. a baby(s) in tow or B. the worry of a baby(s) at home waiting on us. That's kinda big in my opinion. We are so used to dreaming up whatever vacation or simple weekend plan we want and just making it happen, asking no ones permission or role in what we want to do. Not anymore sister!! I think that's a huge reason why we booked this vacation. We knew this. So maybe this was a last stab at living the selfish life. The life where it's all about us. One things for sure, it won't ever be that way again. And we're ok with that! We've had our time and now it's time to dedicate that time and our focus to raising little baby Otwells and teaching them all of life's most important lessons. And for the hard times, as I'm sure there may be at least one or two : ) I hope we'll have these selfish times to look back on to bring us down to earth and make us realize what's really important and in the present.

So naturally I took a bajillion photos but I have limited myself to listing 2-3...or maybe 4-5 from each day for the blog. There are just too many to post and I could go on and on about Cancun but honestly there isn't too much to tell as to what we did to keep our time busy. If you want to know what kept us busy, read the Hunger Games Series! Because both of us were all kinds of sucked in all week! We had mini book reviews at dinner every night, mostly for Jason to answer my questions because he reads faster than me and read ahead. And after you get started on it, you'll wish you had one whole week to dedicate to it..it's THAT addicting!

So here's Sunday, April 22nd, the day we left

Our Room

Our View

Heading out to dinner on our first night

First of many desserts!

Day 2 Monday April 23

Beach morning

Pool afternoon

Following Katniss through District 12

Headed to dinner

Dinner at Krystal Fusion Gourmet

 Day 3 Tuesday April 24- This was the day we went to Isla-so I broke my picture rule, there are a few more than 2-3! I tried to summarize!

Breakfast done RIGHT!! YEEEAUUH!!

Waiting on the ferry

Following the nice Mexican man to get our golf cart, I was a little nervous!

Stopped at a turtle farm

Stopped and had lunch at a beautiful beach club restaurant

The yummiest non alcoholic frozen drink I had the whole time!

Pics on the pier

Super cool in our Mexican wheels

Beautiful Isla-breathtaking waters

Rest stop at another beach club

Headed back to catch the ferry. Streets of old Mexico

Ready for dinner time!

And "Grease" for entertainment that night!!! Really great show!

Day 4 Wednesday April 25

The water was exceptionally beautiful on this particular morning!

We took a quick cab to town to go to the Aquarium and shop a little

Got to pet the Sting rays! Slimy!! 

Feeding the sting rays, no teeth, no worries

Watched a swim with the dolphin session! Really cool!

Back at the resort for the afternoon for some sunshine!

Dinner at the Asian restaurant that night!

Day 5, Thursday April 26
Last day : (

Day 6, Friday April 27

My last resort breakfast : (

Adios Mexico! It was wonderful and we all three enjoyed it!

So there ya have it! That's how we spent week 25! I couldn't close this post up without adding the photos from the mini beach maternity session we did at the resort! I was really happy with these photos and they turned out a lot better than I was expecting. I'm glad some of Pres' first photos were taken in a setting that I love so much. In my opinion, there's nothing like warm weather and a beach...any beach...any where!!

So now we're back to the real world and back to everyday life! Thanks again to my sweet hubby for an amazing vacation. It was just what the doctor ordered! Going full speed on Presley's nursery when we return so hopefully pictures of that soon!

Cheers,
Kelly

24 Weeks! Baby moon here we come!!

How far along? 24 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? +20 pounds- refusing to check until next check up!
Maternity clothes? Yes!!
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? GREAT! Loving the pregnancy pillow! THANKS LAUREN!!!
Best moment this week? Did a quick 3D ultrasound and took a look at her one day this week at work. Her little cheeks were so full already and she was smiling and puckering her lips. Cute cute cute!!!
Miss Anything? I miss exercise so much! And when I say that, I mean hard, swift run. Nothing better to get those endorphins screaming "Hello, remember me??!!" I also was alerted this week that I need to limit my use of flavor packets for drinking water due to the aspartame....So I will very soon be missing flavored strawberry water!
Movement? Yes! So sweet!
Food Cravings? Dessert! I'm worried about this summer and how much ice cream I may let myself eat. Not to mention the handiness of Orange Leaf being in town. Little girl will have a sweet tooth like her mama no doubt!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Oh gosh. I had one extremely sick feeling day this week, Thursday I believe, and that was pretty miserable but still no clue why and I woke up feeling great on Friday so it's a mystery!
Have you started to show yet?  That's affirmative
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? In-just barely
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!!! We leave for vacation soon!!! I'm downright giddy!!
Looking forward to? Baby Moon Mexico Style!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week we leave for the big baby moon and will be spending our 25th week in Cancun! We are very excited!!! This will be my 3rd time to Mexico but my first time to stay in Cancun. We flew into the airport there when we went to Playa for our first anniversary but this year we chose to check out Cancun and see what it had to offer. We are staying at the Riu Palace Las Americas. Please pray that this trip goes as smoothly and safely as our previous travels have. I usually don't worry at all about traveling but I'm guessing motherly instinct has kicked in and I'm a little more nervous about having an extra passenger on board. Trying to view it as breaking her in early on the joys of travel but I have to admit, I am a little nervous...very unlike me. I happen to love flying and will jump on a plane anytime I'm given the opportunity. Maybe somewhat naive I guess to the possibilities??

Anyhow, I'm pretty excited about this vacation. I have never traveled this time of year and can't wait to see what the temperatures are like. Jason and I both decided this will definitely be our most laid back vacation. Typically when we travel we have a detailed itenerary for each day planned months in advance of our specified trip. We fill our days up full of activities and pretty much stay active taking in all the sights and such. Each night is also typically carefully planned for time to dress for dinner, sit down dinner (making sure to try a new restaurant each night of course until we have tasted them all), and then checking out the local entertainment for the late after dinner hours. All to go to sleep and wake up the next day and do it all over again. All I can say is, not this time!! We are basically going into this with absolutely no concrete plans, with the exception of one day which we had planned to take a ferry to the small island of Isla Mujeres. It's not that far from Cancun and we plan to spend a day there checking out the little island. I can't wait to see it. We have heard that it's so beautiful, once you visit, you won't want to stay anywhere else. I anticipate a lot of local flavor and culture and very little commercialized touristy attractions. We love soaking up the culture in a new place. It's the best way to get a feel for what life is like somewhere else. The last time we were in Mexico, our absolute best day was the day we rented a car and drove around Cozumel. Stopping at local beach bars, historic sites, and public beaches just makes you feel like you are getting the full experience. So other than that, we literally have nothing planned. Lots of relaxing on the beach...no time schedule...maybe some shopping. Just plain ol' taking it easy! I may never come back : ) after all, once I come back it's time to kick into overdrive on all things baby. Nursery, registering, making decisions, and picking things out....it all seems so overwhelming!

I don't know what it is about this week....it seems to have me doing some soul searching just a bit. Maybe it's the planning of the trip and feeling nervous. Or maybe it's that with this week, 24 weeks. I realized that that means 6 months pregnant. Most women gauge a pregnancy in weeks and we all but forget about the months. When I started to think about 6 months pregnant, I immediately thought about how much time left. 3 months roughly....3 MONTHS.....seriously? Just so hard to believe. Hard to believe that in just 3 months life won't ever be the same anymore. Our normal will be long and forgotten and traded in for a new normal.  This got me to thinking about all the roles we play in life. Seems like when I was a child, the only role I had to fill was to be a daughter/granddaughter/sister. I tried to be the best at those roles that I could possibly be. I'll be the first one to say that I wasn't always successful. Actually probably more times I wasn't than I was. When my sister had Brady, suddenly, the most important job was to be an aunt. The best aunt that he could ever have. I took it so seriously, and still do : ) Then I got married...time to be a wife. What? I don't know how to be a wife. But I learned, I learned how to be a wife, a partner, and a best friend. I learned that marriage really IS hard. But has more rewards than you could possibly put a price on. I learned that God knew exactly what he was doing when he led Jason and I together. I see it in little clues all the time. How did he know just exactly what I needed? It's amazing to me how we are each led to the perfect person  So now at 24 weeks pregnant, and still 3 months to go, I'm suddenly starting to realize that it won't be much longer until I am a mother. A mother, how wild is that???!!! What frightens me even more is that the decisions in her life will be left up to me and Jason. Gosh... I just THOUGHT Auggie was a job in his self! There are so many times when I know we are making wrong decisions when it comes to Auggie as to how we let him pretty much get away with anything and everything. But I just chalk that up to the fact that he's an animal and  no big deal right?! Clearly, not the attitude to take when dealing with a mini human. Oh me oh my, do we have a big job in store for us. Just a peek into what's on my mind this week. Why? I have absolutely no clue! But I promised to be open and honest in this blog and I always keep my promises!!!

Week 25 post coming one week late as it will hopefully include all things Mexican! Please pray for our safe travels and NO SUNBURNS! Dr. B says pregnant women sunburn easier, and Lord knows I can do that JUST fine all on my own!  I also plan to have whatever I want to eat in the 25th week so the bump may be out of control on the next post. Sorry little girl, mama is taking FULL advantage and cashing in on her unlimited access pass.  Happy week to everyone!!

Cheers and Mexico sun-and all the desserts I can eat hehe,
Kelly

23 Weeks!

How far along? 23 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? 18+ pounds
Maternity clothes? Yes!!
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Not the greatest
Best moment this week? Calling her by name, sharing with friends/family/patients. Our little girl finally has an identity. Getting the room completely clutter free and having a blank canvas sure does top the list also....just don't ask me where I stashed all the "junk" that I don't know what to do with!
Miss Anything? Same ol' thing! But feeling her move like crazy constantly and dreaming of her makes ya forget all the small things!
Movement? Yes! So sweet!
Food Cravings? Sweets, fruits, and Mexican!! I've GOT to stop making desserts, it's not working in my favor!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really other than all the junk I had over Easter weekend, I think that's what caused me to have a very nauseous day on Wednesday. 
Have you started to show yet?  That's affirmative
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? In-hanging in there
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy but moodiness kicks in every once in a while, I can't lie...and Jason won't : )
Looking forward to? Baby Moon!!!


We had a super busy week it seemed this week. Of course, the normal busy work week is a given. In addition to that I also worked an extra half day on my day off at the hospital for a little extra money. Still building upon my baby stash. For the weekend, Jason had made plans to work on the boat and that consumed most of his time. I got a fair amount of house cleaning done but no cooking : ( what can I say, sometimes you gotta choose! I've pretty much accepted the fact that my new work hours allow me little to no chance to cook. Which makes me sad. And if I don't cook on the weekends, and who wants to do that anyhow, it kinda leaves me just not cooking at all. If anyone has any helpful hints I'm all ears. I just pretty much refuse to start a complicated meal at 6pm at night when I get home. Sorry, not how I wanna spend the few hours I get at home in the evening. Granted, cooking brings upon a certain level of satisfaction for me but sometimes it's just too much to take on at such a late hour. Not to mention the fact that by the time I make it home at night I'm generally just short of dying of starvation, no I'm serious, STARVING!!! Thank goodness Jason gets home a little earlier and is willing to help out some. Anyway, enough on that rant. Maybe I'll figure out a solution one of these days.....

Back on task...oh yeah, weekend! We also went to our annual crawfish boil with our friends. We do it every year as a joint birthday event for Brandon and Justin's birthdays which happen to fall within a few weeks of each other in April. Always such a fun time and really gets the spring nice and kicked off for me! We usually get together at Brandon's and do it all outside at the pool house which is so nice for everyone to have space to do their own thing. And let's be honest, crawfish can get messy! I have to say this one of the best batches they have cooked in the many years they have been doing it. The mudbugs must have sure been in season because they were a nice size and the boys seasoned them really well.  Here are some of the pics of our night.

Nothing like a big ol' crawfish boil and some baggo! Jason's birthday gift has already paid for itself in use, I see lots of baggo in our future this summer, well....everyone else's future, I've already proven time and time again that I'm definitely made to be a spectator for any sporting activity no matter how simple. It's seriously embarrassing how bad I am, but that's ok!

Speaking of sports, this weekend,  I also got to watch my favorite big boy play some T ball for the first time this year!

Really great weekend for the Otwells, busy, but great! I can't even imagine how much busier we will be next year but I guess things always have a way of working themselves out!

Cheers and beach dreams,
Kelly

22 Weeks....The Easter bunny brought us a name!!

How far along? 22 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? 17 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yes!!
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Not the greatest
Best moment this week? My checkup with Dr. B was this week and while Jason was there we snuck in a quick ultrasound and got to see how big she has gotten! For fun we threw on some 3D and got some great images of her. It really brightened both of our days to see her so active and looking like a real baby!......and making a BIG decision, read below for details!
Miss Anything? Nothing too new here. This week what tops my lists are my clothes, exercising, and bathing suit shopping (as I prepare for our upcoming trip)
Movement? Yes! So sweet!
Food Cravings? Sweets and fruits. And lots of them! Oh and peanut butter sandwiches. That's a new one
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really.
Have you started to show yet?  YES!
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! This Arkansas weather couldn't be more beautiful or enjoyable!!!
Looking forward to? Baby Moon!!! Definitely focused on that one but the big crawfish boil is next week so that's my short term looking forward! 


Well 22 weeks and this week was Easter! We had a wonderful holiday and spent the weekend enjoying beautiful weather, visiting a great new patio locale in town, working in the yard, and spending time with family. In other BIG BIG news....the Easter bunny delivered us a name this weekend. SOOOOO...without further adieu, we are pleased to reveal Little Baby O's official identity.......

So there ya have it! Can I just go on and say that this was the hardest thing I have ever had to do it. As well as the task I have seriously dreaded even pre-pregnancy! I really think I was subconsciously putting it off because it's SUCH a HUGE decision. Obviously, I hate making decisions and am completely indecisive...whenever possible when making a choice, I like to find option C where I can have both : ) Not the way it works in naming, as a matter of fact I even tried this method in giving her two first names and I lost the battle : ( I knew it would be too much in the long run but when you can't decide, just go with both, Jason didn't agree!! Oh well! I do absolutely LOVE her name and actually it's one I mentioned to Jason the day we found out she was a girl. I said it in the car and he repeated it twice and said, yeah, Presley May, I really like that. I immediately stopped him and said NOO it can't be that simple, that's not it, we have to talk about other names. And even after we did, for several weeks, we both admitted that in our heads we had already been calling her Presley. So after we finalized the spelling it was a done deal! I have to also add that the middle name has been determined WELL before we even got pregnant. I always knew that if we ever had  a girl I wanted her middle name to be May, which is my mom's maiden name. Also for reference to my wonderful Grandfather May who passed away one month before I got married. He was an outstanding man and I am thankful every single day that he taught my mother and her siblings the value of being a hard worker and always taking care of yourself. They of course passed that on to their children and I feel like if I have even a quarter of the work ethic and good will of my grandfather then I am pretty dang blessed. So that's our girl's name! It's official! And I'm gonna try my hardest not to change it : ) JK.....but I am a known flip flopper and never seem to surprise myself.  Just as a disclaimer! I hope everyone loves it as much as we do, and if you don't, don't tell me, you may change my mind! HAHA Kidding, seriously!

Here are also a few pictures from our Easter weekend.

Me and Jason with Presley's Easter basket!

Our family pic after church on Easter!

Whoah Baby!

Dyeing Easter eggs with B

Making resurrection rolls with B

In Aiden's nursery before church...can't you feel the brotherly love

Wild boys loving on mama after Easter lunch

Hunting eggs at Nettie's

A and B opening their Easter gift from me and Jason

Egg hunting with all the kids at Jason's grandpa's

Role reversal, kids hide the eggs and adults go find!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter weekend with their families! We sure did!!! Next up is the crawfish boil which I'm super pumped for and then BABYMOON!!!! We are definitely ready! Now I must tend to the forever daunting task of clearing out the extra room. SO much to do, SO little time slipping faster and faster away!!

Cheers,

Kelly

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 Weeks
Weight loss/gain? 14 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yep! Replacing wardrobe items daily it seems!
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Not the greatest BUUUT... a good friend of mine is going to loan me her pregnancy pillow! YAY!!! I can't wait!
Best moment this week? Feeling her move like crazy, and matching what I see to what I feel when I scan myself
Miss Anything? You know the drill.  My clothes : ( It's pretty depressing to plan an outfit in your head, go to your closet to get it and it all falls apart...reformulate, head back to the maternity section. This weeks breakdown was over a pair of capris. Ridiculous I tell ya! 
Movement? All the time
Food Cravings? Sweets and fruits. 
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really.
Have you started to show yet?  YES!
Gender? Girl!
Labor signs? No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! 
Looking forward to? Baby Moon, Yearly crawfish boil, and Lake time! In that order exactly.

I'm not one for countdowns, they can definitely be annoying when they are like one hundred plus days out but, I couldn't resist. So, here goes, since it's April 1st.......21 days until the baby moon (woo hoo!!!), 53 days until lake season officially begins (the BEST time of year), and approximately 126 days until we meet Lil' O! Those are definitely the highlights on my list and I plan on spending most of my days preparing for each of those events individually. After the big due date we will start looking forward to the return of Razorback Football!! I am personally already ready to start counting down to that. Partly because, it's one of the BEST times of year, and mostly because by the time we get to that point we will be holding our little hog cheerleader in our arms! I'm already pumped about decorating her in hog gear!

We had a BIG week this week. We really got down and dirty with cleaning, organizing, clutter chunking, and getting little missy's room cleared out. I made the decision to sell my single girl bedroom furniture and in turn sacrifice my girly guest bedroom to the little one. I had actually made a transformation on this room that I had planned on posting but that's obviously a rather irrelevant post seeing as though this room doesn't exist anymore. I still have the pics though so I thought I would share. This is what the room looked like in my single girl apartment as well and I pretty much re-created it when I moved it into our house.






I then changed the bedding and snazzied it up like this




So now the bedding set has gone to another home and is going to be a fresh start for a sweet little couple who are to be married in September. So this room will be the nursery and our other room AKA as Jason's man room becomes the new guest bedroom. I am SOO loving what is going on in there, I can't wait to post the finished product but I've got a little more work to do in there.
As for now, here's the start to our "clean slate"

Hardly clean and we have a lot more spring clean out to do in that corner there but the treadmill and mattresses have already moved to their new home next door...soon comes the next task, sacrificing the closet for her. Yes of course, I use this closet as well as the one in my master bathroom....maybe we can share for a while?!!?! We'll see!

Cheers,
Kelly