Week 16

*How far along? 16 weeks
*Total weight gain? 6 pounds (thanks a lot carnival cruise!)
*How big is the baby? turnip...well haven't been able to find this in the grocery to take a picture
*Maternity clothes? none yet suprisingly work clothes still fit when I got back from vacation but looking forward to buying some comfy pants soon
*Sleep? sleep was better than ever this past week...thanks to the half of a phenergan I took eacch night just to make sure I wouldn't get sick from the rocking of the boat..I slept great minus the usual bathroom breaks (2-3/night)
*Best moment this week? being on vacation...waking up working out, eating, tanning, eating some more and enjoying entertainment with the Redds
*Movement? none yet but looking forward to it soon!
*Food cravings? celery/salad with oil/vinegar (the way my mom made salads every night growing up but leads to ridiculous heartburn..oops!)...always can eat a homemade waffle or pancake definitely something new to my appetite
*Belly Button? no changes yet
*What I miss? being able to eat healthy all the time if I choose to..sometimes I eat the worst things all day because I think it's the only thing I can eat..can't wait to have my old appetite back
*What I am looking forward to? hopefully feeling the baby move soon..and of course 4th of July weekend at the lake with Britt and Alexis
*Milestone? made it 10.5 hours to New Orleans and on a cruise for 5 days without getting sick..so thankful for how well I felt the whole vacation...it makes me think that some of this nausea must come from waking up and going to walmart for work on a daily basis

Thanks to Alexis she has asked a couple more questions that I thought would be fun to add to the mix!

*Is working out harder? haven't noticed that anything has gotten harder...I avoid harder workouts like boot camp because I know that it pushes me to a level that where I can hardly breathe and am not good at taking it easy so I have avoided that class for the most part..but I attend all my other classes regularly just noticed that it's harder getting up to go the the gym than it was before!

*What has been unexpected in pregnancy? first, I thought I would be hugging the toilet a lot more than I have (haven't thrown up once)...didn't realize how pregnancy affected your bowels and how painful and miserable a pregnant girl's life can be sometimes...and third I guess I thought I would be thinking about being pregnant 24/7 but sometimes when I am feeling great I completely forget that I am even pregnant and then I remember and smile : )

*Have you thought of any names? Ohhh the name saga..well it was fun at first until Brad and I decided to not like the same names and now I like to refer to the baby by the names I like and he doesn't get a kick out of that at all..so hopefully we can put our heads together and come up with some good names

Nursery updates? Well I think I have envisioned exactly how the nursery will look for boy or girl so I just can't wait to find out so I can go to work!...We did get out first baby gift this past week which was from my godfather (Uncle Terry) and Aunt Marion and it's a beautiful fleur-di-lis embroidered bib that I just love! We also bought out first 2 books for the baby which we can't wait to read!

Well we will be updating pictures of our trip soon and we leave for the Lake on Friday to go visit the Dixons at their new home and get to visit with Alexis and Michael as well...can't wait!

End of week 14

Well this was a long but pretty good week...I worked 6 10 hour days in a row had Tuesday off and then worked 2 more..so needless to say I can't wait for vacation to start!
We got to babysit Carter (21/2) and Blair (almost 6 months) while parents Chris and Camille were out shopping for their new home..the kids were soo precious! I got to feed Blair and Carter ate her lunchable and yogurt...Blair sat in her bumbo seat like a little angel and Carter watched the Backyardigans and Yo Gabba Gabba and loved running around the house with Brad...fun evening....
Wednesday it was back to work for me and just wasn't feeling quite right all day...I decided no subway for lunch and was craving some cool ranch doritos (side note..I normally would eat some form of baked lays every day with my lunch but since being prego the thought of chips (other than tostitos used for dips) has disgusted me..I hate the smell the thought of the crunch oh I just have not even wanted to look at them..soo needless to say I ordered a turkey sub and got some doritos and my break at 4ish went fine...well around 6:15 I got sooo sick I had to run to the bathroom and this wave of sickness swept over me...I ended up taking off my button up in the pharmacy bathroom and had broken out in a rash and was overheated..returned to work and just never felt quite right..then I got home and poor Brad had to deal with me..I decided I wanted a homemade waffle..Brad informed me we didn't have eggs..I thought homemade pancakes would do..oh wait pancake mix gone..so I said fruity pebbles would do...crumbs left...so how about a eggo ? only one left ....at this point none of these things even sound good I am just thinking of wanting to put something on my upset stomach..so I ask brad if he would go to Huddle House to get me a homemade waffle..(of course being as nice as Brad is and trying to get me to feel better he says he will but I feel bad and change my mind) I choose an eggo and pack of cheese grits...oh the joys of pregnancy when nothing sounds good!

I woke up Thursday still feeling terrible..I got the the gym at 6 before work and think that will do the trick but of course it doesn't...Corinne recommends I get some Tums so I start chewing up tums like candy...nothing...so I am at work counting down the hours till vacation with a sour stomach...I survived and finally made it home around 7:30 pm...woke up Friday and sour stomach seems to have subsided (thank goodness because I think I had convinced myself that I had listeria from the subway meat)

Friday was a great day started with body combat at the gym and searched around for some goodies at Target and finally bought a non two piece bathing suit and am interested to see if I wear it on the cruise and how I feel about it...got my hair and nails done went to see Janet's kitchen after being demolished as she is in the midst of a remodel and finished the day off by begging Brad to go to Chilis since it was the ONLY thing that I could eat (poor Brad never an easy meal with me!) but as luck has it Lauren and Tyler decided to go there too so we got to enjoy a great dinner catching up with them before we both leave for our vacations tomorrow!

I noticed recently that I have the linea nigra (a dark line that runs up your stomach..how crazy)..I also have the mask of pregnancy I think is what they call it where my whole complexion is just a nightmare...I have dark patches on my face in weird places and especially above my upper lip and it's driving me crazy...Lauren has suggested a Mary Kay complexion blender and I am currently trying it out!

Well can't wait to be in New Orleans tomorrow...be back soon!

Week 14

• How far along? 14 weeks
• Total weight gain? 1 pound
• How big is the baby? the size of a navel orange
• Maternity clothes? No clothes yet...leaving for a cruise Saturday so may try to find some cotton dresses in case the combo of all you can eat and heat put me in a predicament
• Sleep? still having trouble trying to sleep on my side..trying all sorts of different pillows with little luck. Also have been waking up 1-3 times a night to use the restroom
• Best moment this week? eating blueberry muffin batter (no kidding but it did hit a high note)
• Movement? Not yet
• Food craving? Well this was a week of some weird eating for me Had my first steak of the pregnancy..red meat has not appealed to me at all up until now..so thank you texas roadhouse..also had a weak moment in the fast food department and stopped one evening at wendys for a junior cheeseburger and pulled right into to McDonalds for french fries (since I don't like Wendy's fries)...enjoying mixing healthy fruits and vegetables with my occasional fast food splurge.
• Belly button? In
• What I miss? Kicking my shoes off at the end of the week and having a good time with friends...hearing about all of my girls weekends made me realize that I wouldn't be partaking in any partying for quite awhile! --all worth it of course ;)
• What am I looking forward to? A week away from Walmart Pharmacy to really enjoy my pregnancy (oh and getting a tan and all of the food on the cruise that I will indulge in)
• Milestones? Putting our first deposit down on a waiting list at a church child care center (talk about the most stressful issue I have had to deal with..these childcare centers act like I should have known last summer that I would need childcare in Feb 2011...I feel so clueless and everyone has treated me as though I am so ignorant for not having put my name on a waiting list. It is a very emotional subject for me right now!)
  

Looking forward to our very last vacation before welcoming Baby Redd into the family! We couldn't be more excited! I hope that we have a safe and fun trip! We will be departing in Janet's new Town and Country luxury edition with 3 tvs and leather heated seats..should get to see some good movies in on our long drive to New Orleans. Can't wait to see family in New Orleans and enjoy some our our favorite food before leaving on our cruise. I sure pray that me and the baby don't experience any motion sickness on the boat!

13 Weeks

I am going to attempt to follow along with the fun quizzes to see how many things change as the pregnancy goes along..Hopefully I will start taking pictures and documenting the journey. Here goes....

*How far along? 13 weeks
*Total weight gain? about a pound
*How big is the baby? size of a lemon
*Maternity clothes? Not yet so far all of my regular work clothes are still holding out for me
*Sleep? falling asleep is miserable because I am nauseous at nighttime and cannot get comfortable. once I fall asleep I awake every couple of hours either because I have to use the bathroom or because I am on my stomach and I wake up feeling sick.
*Best moment this week? Hearing the baby's heartbeat!
*Movement? Not that I am able to feel yet
*Food cravings? no food ever sounds good to me. I have a great appetite but trying to decide what I want to eat or can stomach to eat is a nightmare. I am still waiting for a 10 pm run to the store to get that perfect food to fit a craving. Although I can usually always eat mexican (surprise surprise)
*belly button ? In
*What I miss? Feeling energized every minute of the day. I am not used to feeling exhausted all of the time.
*What I am looking forward to? The big ultrasound numero dos. I can't waaaaait to find out if we are expecting a little boy or girl
*Milestone? Finally making it to the second trimester and sharing the news with all of our family and friends!
*

Doctors Appt #3

Well, I have officially made it to the second trimester!! I had my third Dr. appointment and met my second Dr. his name is Dr. Bradley. Unfortunately Brad was at work and wasn't able to come to this Dr. appointment but I got the best treat ever because Brittany drove from Charlotte to have a fun filled baby shopping and Dr. appointment day with me. We had lunch at Mimi's cafe (one of my favorites) then spent time at a baby furniture store, Babies R Us, Baby depot, and my favorite boutique Nest (where I hope to purchase the bedding for my future son/daughter). We then headed to the appointment and I got to see what a standard visit would be like. (It took all of about 20 minutes). They check your weight and blood pressure send you to an exam room where a nurse comes in to find the heart beat and then the Dr. comes in to answer any new questions or concerns. My favorite part was obviously hearing the baby's heartbeat. It was amazing! I couldn't believe how low the baby still is in my stomach. It had a strong heartbeat of 157 and I just couldn't get enough. It was a special day to share with my best friend and I feel so lucky to have had her there with me. A great day and another advancement in the pregnancy!

Ultrasound Day

May 10 was our first ultrasound. It was an amazing experience for both of us. At this visit, Christen was 9 weeks. You could see the heartbeat beating at a rate of 189 bpm. We could see the lil nugget moving around. At one point, it looked like our baby was doing sit-ups. (Is there an athlete in our future?) Seeing an ultrasound for the first time is amazing beyond words. I was speechless when I saw the baby for the first time. Seeing the ultrasound made it REAL! We are so excited. Without further adieu, I present to you....Baby Redd!

2010 G'Vegas Invitational

Brad plans and hosts a golf tournament annually. This was the 5th year of the G'vegas. It was held May 8th at Furman Golf Club. He had 24 guys play in it this year. Friday night at our house, Brad had the Pairings Party where all the participants draw for teams and food and drink are provided. They also auction off each team. Brad loves hosting this tournament because friends that he doesn't get to see that often come into town for the tournament. They ended up having a pretty good time Friday night after the party because he only got 2 hours of sleep. Brad woke up to play 2 rounds of golf. His team ended up in 3rd place out of 8 teams. He got home around 8:30 Sat night and immediately went to bed and slept 12 hours. Much needed sleep!!!!!

First Meeting w/ the Doctor

So our first meeting with the doctor was April 20. We met with one of Brad's friends wife, Hope, who is the nurse educator for pregnant women. It was nice meeting with her and she is very good at what she does. She told us not to worry, that she wouldn't go home and tell Dustin :) We asked her if they do a pregnancy test to confirm and she told us home pregnancy tests are so accurate that they don't bother testing themselves. At the time of this meeting, Christen was 5 weeks. Christen's baby tracker app on her iPhone said the baby is the size of a blueberry at 5 weeks so....

Brad and Christen's life takes a wild turn when...

...they found out they are PREGNANT! Here's the story: Every night after her girls weekend in Charlotte, Christen complained about being extremely tired early in the night. She just thought it was from the lack of sleep the girls got in CLT. So on April 17, the following Saturday, Christen asked Brad to go get her a pregnancy test. She took it first thing that morning and it immediately showed up positive. YAAAAAY, we're having a baby! After the initial shock, both Brad and Christen are so excited about bringing a new life into this world. Please check back often as we plan to blog about the progress of Christen's pregnancy. Stay tuned...

Girls Weekend

So Brittany and David bought a house up at Lake Norman outside of Charlotte and she rounded up the girls for a much needed girl's weekend! We spent Friday night checking out her beautiful new home while enjoying a delicious cookout compliments of her hubby, then drank wine and enjoyed good conversations in the hot tub...We woke up Saturday and checked out Britt's new neighborhood and then headed to Charlotte for a day of shopping and lunch at South Park. We got a room at Aloft in the new Epicenter and spent a fun evening bar hopping. We started with dinner and drinks and headed to the Charlotte version of a great dueling piano bar..followed by an attempt to fit into the "club" of the epicenter and finished out the evening talking until 4 am and almost getting kicked out of the lobby ...great successful girls weekends and I cherish every single one with my greatest college friends!

Brittany Dixon, Alexis Fallon, Kristin Hewatt and Christen

The Masters

After spending 4 days in Breckenridge and flying into Atlanta late Sunday night on April 4, we went to The Masters at Augusta National on Monday. This was Brad's 4th time going but Christen had never been before. She was in for something special. Right when they got there, they found Tiger Woods who was playing a practice round with Freddie Couples. They followed that pairing for a few holes but there were so many people following them that it was hard to see. The best thing about The Masters are the prices at the concession stands: $1.50 for pimento cheese, ham & cheese, turkey, $2.50 for BBQ (so good, I had 3 of them) and$1.50 for drinks or $2.75 for beers. We took two buddies of mine from Greenville, Joe Mathias and Joe Mikhail. Mathias had been before but Mikhail was a Masters rookie. We had the best time! We even saw a golfer we went to high school with, Bill Haas. I spoke to his dad, Jay, who was there with his wife watching Bill. Here is just a small sample of pics we took...

Brad and Christen


Joe Mikhail, Joe Mathias, and Brad

#16 Par 3, Brad's favorite hole on the course

Christen's new golf crush, Paul Casey

Vijay Singh

Tiger Woods