Another dose of Engagement Photos

It's about to storm here, and I think more engagement photos are just what I need to give me the warm and fuzzies I need to appreciate my day. Hope you are enjoying! (Seriously, because there are about 3 more posts worth of pictures ;)) 

Happy Thursday!

*all photos via the amazing and very talented Jenica, who at the time was with Knight Studio.

Patty

20 Weeks

I know you guys wanted to see some grainy iphone bathroom pics. you're soooo welcome!

I've seen these floating around the webosphere and thought it might be fun to jump in. Though, I have to admit, before I was pregnant I hated reading them. Now I search to read every one I can find.

How far along are you? 20 weeks and 4 days. 

Cravings: No real cravings here. Drinking tons of water though.

Weight Gain: 6 pounds. I know it's baby, but gaining weight still stinks though!

Stretch Marks: No, not yet. Fingers crossed!

Favorite moment this week: When all my pets want to curl up with me or on my stomach. They know something is up.  I think they're trying to get in all the attention while they can!

Fears: That she isn't healthy, that I did something wrong during pregnancy (or before conception) that would hurt her. Not being able to lose weight after she's born. Being able to afford to give her the life I want to give her. What middle school will be like for her. Oh and labor is terrifying to think about. 

General mood: Exhausted, anxious, excited to meet her. 

Sleep: I'm in bed by 930 and sleep like the dead - until I have to wake up to pee which happens 2-3x a night - but then right back to dead sleeping. 

Things I was surprised by: How much my lifestyle has already changed due to pregnancy symptoms and mentally and physically preparing for the baby. It's all happening very quickly!

 Also, my eyes have changed. They do not like contacts at all anymore. Not so keen about that!

Things I am most looking forward to: Feeling her move, meeting her. Not being pregnant anymore :-) Sleeping on my stomach, soft cheeses, wine, and sushi!

What I think is really cool and crazy: I still can't believe there is a living person in me. It's surreal. Seriously still blows my mind. It odd to have my belly so big and hard. So bananas! (Which is about how big she is, see what a I did there ;))

Wedding Ring on or off:  On. This is so weird, my fingers have gotten smaller. My feet went down a half /full size too.

Food Aversions: I can't take spicy food anymore. I eat it, but it comes back up. (sorry for TMI!) My body just doesn't like it as much. Black coffee, which used to be my favoriteeee, has too made the cut list. It's very odd to have things not taste the same as they have my whole life. It is like being in someone else's body.

Maternity Clothes: I broke down and bought a pair of h&m maternity pants on clearance. They're alright. Honestly I'm not in love with them. Dresses have been my friends. My sweet cousin, Nicole, gave me tonsss of maternity clothes (and baby clothes) when I saw her last weekend. Probably about to bust those out :-) 

Gender: A girl! Lou and I have been saying her name around the house and to each other. I love it and cannot wait to reveal it. I like that we found out the gender because I have a better vision of our family now, and I think it helps build our bond. That's just me though :-) 

Nursery:  I finished the paintings, Lou spray painted frames and we put together a bunch of pictures for a gallery wall. We have a glider, crib, changing table, that we inherited from Lou's Aunt & Uncle (Thank you Cina & Dave!!). We also have a bookcase and nightstand that I need to paint cream. We still need to paint the room, get a carpet, put on the molding, and install closet doors. The rest is just finishing touches. The real hard part about the room was laying the flooring and re-doing the plumbing. (The baby is sharing a room with the washer/dryer, unfortunately). I felt like we didn't have much left to do until I typed that all out though. Yikes! lol.

Anyways, halfway there. Kind of feeling real now! Holy cow!

Patty

Engagement photos, part deux

Journeying back to Tift's Nature Preserve today to share more photos from our engagement shoot. I love reliving that day through these photographs. Being engaged is such a special and magical time. We spent much of ours discussing our future, and making sure we were on the same page about important things. Looking back, taking pre-cana was actually a great decision. It forced us to discuss things that we may not have been comfortable talking about otherwise, or would not necessarily have come up organically. 

Another great thing about these photographs was the motivation it gave me to get my butt in shape for the wedding. I am really proud that I was able to lose about 15-20 pounds between these pictures and the wedding. Having PCOS I struggle with my weight, and it has taken me a long time to figure out what works and what doesn't for me (75g or less carbs a day). I finally realized it isn't just about losing weight, it's about changing and maintaining a completely new lifestyle. I used myfitnesspal for much of my journey, you can feel free to friend me there. 

Patty

Engagement Photographs

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Not to get too into it on the interwebs, but I was really dreading coming into work today. I had this conversation that needed to happen with my boss, that was not going to be comfortable. Being a grown up sucks sometimes, you know?  But it actually went alright. I stood my ground, and told him what I needed from him. All while being assertive, and not emotional. This is something I think that is difficult for everyone, but unfortunately sexism is still alive and well and as a woman, actions and behaviors are perceived differently from men. Lucky us! Some things I found that helped in the conversation were 1) sticking to the facts 2) having paper trails 3) following up verbal agreements with confirmation emails - very important to not only do the right thing, but also to cover your behind! 4) I set up and ran the meeting, this helped me with feeling like I was in control of the conversation 5) being prepared and organized with emails and documentation - aka I did my homework.  I'm not great at confronting people, and confronting my boss about his behavior was, well, not fun. But I am so glad I did it, and did it professionally. 

Anyway, I'm feeling very much like Erin Brokovich (minus her attire, I can't pull that off haha) and ready to rock this week. In a completely unrelated note, it has been almost a year to the day since we took our engagement photos. Other than marrying Louis, the only thing I was confident that I wanted at our wedding was our photographer. I had stalked this lady's work for years, and had watched a few of my friends use her in their own weddings. Jenica was everything I could have hoped for.  Talented, funny, she put us right at ease. I never thought I would be that into having my photo taken, but by the end I wanted to keep going. There are going to be a bunch of these posts, so make yourself comfortable!

We took our photos at Tifts Nature Preserve in Buffalo, NY. Neither of us are from Buffalo, but that is where Knight Photography is based out of. I looked at their work before hand to scope out sites we might like to use in our photographs, and this place offered both water views and scenic hills, along with a smidge of urban. 

Anyway, take a see for yourself. Jenica is a true artist! 

 

*all photos via Knight Studio and are not to be used for commercial purposes without contacting them. Additionally Jenica now has her own photography studio, at Jenica Knight Photography.

Also, Congrats to Kate and William! I want to send that girl some ginger chews. Poor thing :-( 

Patty

Meryl

Today was a rough day at work. 

Meryl made it slightly more bearable (:

But hey, at least it's Friday. Cheers to that! Hope all your Friday's were all better than mine, and that everyone has great weekend!

“I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.” _ Meryl Streep

photo and quote via

Peace!

Patty

Wear Sunscreen

This Labor Day we spent in Philadelphia with my family and friends. A wedding for my high school friend, Sarina, was the main reason for our trip, but we ended up seeing and doing many things. 

We caught up with my cousin, Nicole, and got to spend time with her husband, Shawn, and two daughters Claire & Hailey. I hadn't seen them since our wedding when Claire was just two weeks old and she's already 6 1/2 months! Time flies, and it's even more apparent when you see a child's growth. 

 Hailey reading with me (:

Sarina's wedding was absolutely beautiful. She's smart and fun and beautiful and I was so happy she has found such happiness. 

Lou and I with my high school friends. I love having friends that no matter how much we change, or how long it's been, we can come together and it is like not a second has passed. I've really missed these people. 

 The wedding was exquisite and had all of the elements of a traditional Jewish wedding. The dancing and merriment could not be contained.

The wedding was held at the Michener Museum , in Doylestown, PA. Which was modern and lovely.

I will say I was a bit nervous (something I almost always am) of seeing my high school friends while pregnant. I am feeling a bit self conscious lately (does any girl really like gaining weight?) and at 20 weeks I am definitely feeling every bit of pregnancy. 

Luckily I've got this guy. He was such a trooper all weekend, even though it was way busier than he would have liked. We also cleaned our my parents attic and garage for baby girl items (!) and saw my longtime friend, Aislin. I hardly have any pictures with Aislin, and yet she is one of my closest friends. She is back briefly from her stay in Armenia with the Peace Corps, and it honestly was so refreshing to my soul to see her. I think often of the line from the Sunscreen Song, " Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. " 

And as the gaps get larger, it only becomes more important to construct better bridges. 

This life, it is a crazy one, and it can be hard to remember what is important. I spent this past weekend remembering that, and thinking of the life I hope to give to my daughter. I hope, above all else, that she values and appreciates what is truly important; relationships and people.

Patty

It's a....

Girl!

And we couldn't be happier. The 20 week scan showed everything was good (as far as they could tell), though it will still be a relief if she is born and is healthy. 

We had fun telling our family; Lou made cupcakes with pink filling (thanks pinterest!) and they were super tasty too. Everyone was surprised. Most of all me.

Looking at my mothers intuition thus far...well.... let's hope it gets better. You guys. I knew I wasn't pregnant. Knew. I was just going to the doctor, doing a blood test, and going to get a shot so I would get period again after the test came back negative.

Nope... I am definitely pregnant!

And you guys. I knew it was a boy. Don't get me wrong, I didn't care either way. But I knew it was a boy.

Nope...We're definitely having a little girl.

I am floored, in shock. And Louis is over the moon. He is going to be a wonderful father. He is ethical (almost to a fault), intelligent (I'm in trouble, our kid is going to be so much smarter than me), and, most importantly, his heart and compassion are endless. I've never known such a love, and cannot describe the feeling of euphoria I have at this moment. Our love, it has created what I am sure will be our greatest love; our daughter.

Back when we first started to date, Louis and I ran out of words to describe our feelings of how we felt about finding one another. We exhausted the adjectives for happy. And in this moment, we none of those words feel sufficient. Blessed and unbelievably lucky. Each day we get closer to meeting our daughter, and I don't know how it is possible, but I get happier and happier.

Though, I'd be lying if I didn't get a bit anxious.  I'm already scared for her middle school experience. How do I raise a girl? I want to protect her, but I know that some of her struggles will be necessary and unpreventable, and, hopefully, only make her stronger. I've heard children are a reflection of their parents, and I will see, more clearly than in a mirror, my true self, in my child. This makes me want to really step up, to be the person I know I can be, and give her a role model that she can love, trust, depend on, and look up to.

I may not have gotten the mothers intuition right so far, and I can't promise I will get anything right in the future, but I already love this daughter of mine and I can promise that I always will. And that is something I don't need mother's intuition to know :)

Any mothers out there have tips on raising daughters? Or kids in general? You know I'd love to hear about them!

Patty