Gatlinburg

Chad surprised me with a birthday trip to Gatlinburg this year for my 30th. What a great time we had. We got a small cabin (in the middle of nowhere) and had a great time around the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area. 

We decided to go to Ripley's Believe It or not Aquarium; we are so glad we did! What an awesome place! I just love aquariums and that place definitely made it to the top of my favorites list! 

If you know Chad, you know that we FOR SURE stopped to get a Philly Cheese Steak on the GBurg strip. That sandwich followed by a soft-serve swirl

Ice cream cone was my favorite!! 

We also stopped by all the little shops and outlet malls and spent way too much money on our little Eisley girl! 

What a great trip with great "just the two of us" memories! :-) 

Chad being impaled by an inflatable unicorn. Yep, they sell those (and anything else you can imagine) in GBurg! 

Ripley's Aquarium! 

Kicking, punching, and nudging...Oh My!!

I can finally feel Eisley move! I haven't felt anything for so long. Around week 18-19, I felt a little "popping" sensation in my lower belly, but haven't felt anything since then. This past week, Eisley has made her presence known! She is kicking, punching, and moving around like a pro! I think the craziest thing is when she rolls from the back of my belly to the front. It's really the most unique feeling! Lately, I feel her the most when I lay down for bed at night or when I'm sitting down. Chad has been able to feel her a little bit, but last night he felt his first good kick! Eisley must have been trying out for the Olympic soccer team because she was going crazy to the sound of his voice (precious!!)

I'm really curious (and kind of nervous) to find out how in the world our little mover and shaker is going to fit "comfortably" in my belly with me having such a short torso! I can already feel myself not able to take as deep of breaths as I normally can. This could get really interesting!

20 Weeks!

Eisley:
Our 20 week ultrasound went great! Eisley is growing right on schedule, is strong, and was moving around the ENTIRE time! It was amazing to see her bigger and stronger than the last time we saw her. We were able to see so many detailed angles. We looked at her heart, her brain, all of her limbs, her belly, her palette, the umbilical cord, and even up her nostrils! Very cool!

Me:
It was amazing to see her move that much in our ultrasound but still not be able to feel her move! I know it will come soon...I can "feel" it! haha.

I've still been feeling great! Food don't seem to be a bother to me anymore, with the exception of fish. It doesn't make me sick, but the smell tends to remove my appetite.  I'm getting tired about the same time each day (usually when I get home from summer school) and I usually take a short nap to help get me through the rest of the day. I love naps!

I held my first yard sale EVER this past weekend. What an experience! We sold a lot of stuff and made a little over $200!! WooHoo for adding to our nursery fund!

Chad:
I think his "nesting" mode has already started to kick in! He wanted to complete all the landscaping (we did it in a weekend!) and has now decided to rip out the closet organization shelves in the nursery's closet and build nice, new wooden shelves. Eisley is going to have a nicer closet than her mom and dad when she's born! He has shampooed all the downstairs carpets and has painted the nursery with the base coat; we love the color! (more before/after pics of the nursery to come). He has been amazing with getting things done around the house. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband!

 Her fingers by her face

 Her left foot (I can't get these pictures to rotate!)

Her cute little face!

19 Weeks

Welcome 19 weeks! As you can see, my belly has popped! I'm starting to wear maternity clothes; I am loving some of the fashion choices of maternity! I also ordered my swimsuit for the summer to go with this big ol' growing belly! 

Chad and I have our 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday. We're looking forward to seeing Eisley girl! I haven't felt her kick yet (I don't think...); I'm "patiently" waiting to feel her kick and move! :)

Mother's Day

Chad made my Pre-Mother's Day so very special! He got up extra early to get my favorite breakfast (I cheated and ate a very delicious Boston Creme doughnut) and flowers from the store to surprise me with. He also had an amazing card (yep...made me cry!) and a gorgeous new necklace. Chad surprised me with lunch at our favorite little joint called Mt. Adams Bar and Grill and then told me he would be up for going wherever I wanted to go! I picked the Zoo and, when we got there, it looked as if it were the idea of every other family in Cincinnati! The Zoo was so packed they closed all of their parking lots! Needless to say, we decided to go to Rookwood Commons in Cincy to do a little shopping. The weather was perfect and the time with Chad was just want I wanted! We are definitely enjoying the time we have with just the two of us!

This is my Pea Pod necklace from Chad. It has Eisley's October birthstone (Opal) in it. I love it! We laughed to think about Eisley being stubborn and not coming until November to make the birthstone wrong. If she's anything like us...she'll wait! haha

IT'S A GIRL!!!

It's been a few days since I've posted from the waiting room of the ultrasound clinic! I've been out buying clothes and making plans for the nursery! We found out a week ago today that Baby Harrison is a GIRL!!! Chad called it! He has said it was a girl ever since I told him I was pregnant! :-) We are both THRILLED and can't wait to meet our precious little girl. We also have her name picked out!! Her name will be Miss Eisley Grace Harrison (Eisley is pronoucned "eyes-lee").

Here are some pictures of our little sweetheart at 16 weeks 2 days old!

 Eisley moved around A LOT during our ultrasound time. The ultrasound technician had a difficult time getting good pictures because she kept moving, kicking, sprinting, performing gymnastics moves, and everything in between! It was crazy for me to see her move THAT much and NOT be able to feel her!

 Thank goodness for the ultrasound technician! I had no idea what I was looking at! :-)

After I asked what they look for to determine gender, she smiled and replied, "We look for a hamburger or a turtle. Hamburger for a girl and turtle for a boy." HAHA! I'd never heard of that- so funny!

This is where Eisley is performing some sort of high kick! haha! You can see her leg is up by her head.

 Some of my friends decorated my classroom as a surprise! It was such a shock and a great moment. Yep, I totally cried!

NOW....for the shopping to begin.....oh...who am I kidding...let the shopping CONTINUE!!! :-)

Is Baby Harrison a boy or girl?

While sitting in the cutest waiting room around town, the flood of emotions I feel are almost indescribable! Tonight is the night we find out the gender of our precious baby. I am SUPER full of any one or all of the following emotions: excitement, anxiety, nausea (Jen, you were right...I could puke at any moment!), happiness, and, again, excitement! Most of all, I feel blessed! God has blessed us with this little miracle and we're about to find out if a little boy or little girl will change our lives for the AWESOME!!

Chad is as calm as can be as he sits next to me but I'm sure he's just as anxious as I am. While I pace and fidget with excited energy, Chad is like a duck. He looks calm on the surface but he's churning a mile a minute under the surface!

They are calling our names so it's time to wrap this up. Hopefully Baby Harrison is a flasher and is ready to give us a peep show! Ha!

Until next time......... :-D