July Goals

Holy Crap, Ya'll... It's July. I can't even with how fast this summer is going by! 

So, while I feel like I was pretty productive for a third trimester preggo this past month, I hate to admit that I did NOT complete all of my June goals. I did however travel to Maine for a wedding, find a house to rent, buy a whole bunch of baby necessities, ...and get knocked off my feet for a week by a nasty stomach bug. Instead of beating myself up, I'm just going to review and move on. New month, new opportunity to set and reach goals! 

But first... let's recap: 

JUNE GOALS

1. Read two new books

SO I had two books to read... I just didn't. I'm over halfway through with the first book I started though, which is Where We Belong by Emily Giffin. The book is good and I definitely plan on finishing it...maybe by the pool this weekend?! 

2. Exercise for at least thirty minutes every day

Other than the week I could barely move due to illness...I'm pretty sure I completed some form of exercise for at least 30 minutes every day, even if it was just walking around the neighborhood...which is getting way harder, let me tell you. Check! 

3. Find a new church to attend 

We did not find a new church to attend, but we did find a new house to move in to. And we have been recommended a church nearby that is just great and features Andy Stanley sermons, so we will definitely be checking it out in July! 

4. Research and put together my "hospital bag."

Check! Lots of research has been done. A new hospital bag has been purchased (as an early birthday gift from Susan- THANK YOU!!) and things have been put inside it. We spent some time after the shower last weekend shopping around for a "going home" outfit for itty bitty, which has been washed and packed! There are a couple little odds and ends that I'm not going to pack just yet, but this task is pretty much complete! 

Now, onto my new goals for July!! 

July Goals 

1. Settle on a moving date and officially move into the new house. 

While we know we're going to be moving into the house at SOME point this month, we have something planned for every Saturday in July. Whether it be 4th of July celebrations, a wedding, or labor classes at the hospital, we're getting pretty booked up. So we really need to sit down, decide on a moving date, figure out the logistics with the moving truck and storage unit, and get into this house so mama can start getting unpacked and organized finally! 

2. Find a new church to attend. 

This will be a monthly goal of mine until we actually do find a church. I have high hopes for a couple of churches in our new area though. 

3. Complete a Nursery DIY. 

Now that I can actually picture the room where itty bitty's nursery is going to be set up, my mind is moving a mile a minute with ideas on ways to personalize the space even though it's a temporary living arrangement. I have a couple of DIY activities I've been wanting to complete and am hoping to get them done in July! 

4. Hire a newborn photographer. 

These last few days, I've been researching newborn photographers like crazy while simultaneously trying to convince Ryan that this is TOTALLY necessary. While I'm pretty sure I've convinced him AND found a great photographer in the area already, I really want to go ahead and nail that down this month to make sure she is available at the end of August. 

5. Read a new book. 

Always. After I finish the Emily Giffin book, my plan is to read another Liane Moriarty book since she is the bomb and I love everything I've read by her. We shall see where the month takes us though. 

Happy July and Happy Independence Day, ya'll! 

A Baby Name and A Baby Shower

Hello! 

My less than stellar week last week was really turned around over the weekend! I got to spend some time with some of my favorite people showering Itty Bitty Smitty! 

...now, that reminds me... I've mentioned before on the ole blog that Ryan and I have decided on a name for itty bitty, but I was going to wait until the timing was right before announcing it on social media. Well, I think we have waited long enough! Our closest friends and family know and call her by her name, so why not let the world know?! Plus... It's plastered on a lot of the beautiful decorations from our shower, which I would like to display on here! 

So, without further ado, I present to you the name of our first born child!

Peyton Eve Smith

The naming process was not an easy one for me and Ryan. We had a hard time agreeing on names, especially boy names. When we found out we were having a girl, we had a little list of maybe four names on it that we would consider. We tossed ideas around for a long time, but somehow just kept coming back to Peyton. It's not too common to go with Smith, but it's also not too out there. I had never met any other Peyton's through my years in the school system, so the name had never been tainted for me. It just seemed to work! The middle name was tricky for us also. Going into the process, I was convinced I wanted a "PJ" so at first, I spent a lot of time brainstorming J middle names: Jane, Joy, etc... Eventually, we kind of shifted gears, deciding that some sort of family name might be more meaningful. That led us to Eve. My grandmother on my dad's side, whom I never really got to meet, was named Evelyn. We wanted to modernize the name just a little bit and also pay small homage to my dad, who was born on Christmas Eve. 

Well, there you have it! I'll still probably be referring to her as itty bitty Smitty on the blog until she arrives, but I wanted to get the name out there before spoiling it with pictures from my beautiful baby shower this past Saturday! 

Now onto the baby shower. Saturday afternoon, friends and family from all over the state (and even from out of state) made their way to Marietta to shower baby Peyton with gifts and love. 

My mom, Aunt Carol, and I arrived thirty minutes before the party started in order to check everything out and get some pictures! I was seriously blown away by the decorations, set up, and the overall cuteness of EVERYTHING! Rachel, Susan, Jane, Beth, and Becca...ya'll did an unbelievable job and I seriously can't thank you enough for everything! 

See.... SO SO cute!!!

Ryan and Brad stopped by also before heading over to the house to do guy stuff (rotating tires, wahoo!)

Once everyone arrived, the hostesses opened up the food for everyone to eat and we played two games. Before the shower, Rachel asked Ryan a series of baby-related questions (such as "What do new parents miss most about their pre-parent lives?" and "Name an object, other than diapers, that is always in a diaper bag.") Ryan gave three answers to each question. At the shower, I was asked the same questions. If I answered with Ryan's answers, I received points. His top answer was worth 3 points and went down a point each answer for a total of 78 points. Everyone at the shower got a chance to guess how many possible points I would earn and the closest person without going over won a prize!

We also played a guessing game where the guests tried to cut a piece of string that would be closest to the size of my belly right now! Cute and fun games!!

After the games, I opened gifts...lots of gifts. My friends and family seriously spoiled Ryan, Peyton, and myself!! Everyone was so generous and thoughtful. And we got some ADORABLE clothes for the baby!!

At the end of the shower, we took some more pictures as people started to head home for the day.

Thank you again to the wonderful hostesses and all of the amazing people that took the time out of their day to shower Peyton and myself last Saturday! The day was perfect! Now, I'm just so excited to bring this baby girl into the world with all of this love that surrounds her! 

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks 

Gender: Girl

Baby is the size of a(n)...: Pineapple! 

Maternity clothes? Yes...although so far this week, I have not been out of my lounge clothes which are still a mix between maternity and larger regular sizes. 

Best moment this week: I'm really starting to feel like things are coming together for us down in Georgia and that we may actually be ready for itty bitty Smitty when she decides to join us! We found a great house to rent temporarily and we got a crib, changing table, glider, car seat, and stroller all over the weekend! Nesting is no joke and I'm more than excited to finally know that our baby girl will have a nursery to come home to! 

Worst Moment this week: Unfortunately this week, my mom and I came down with a pretty nasty stomach bug. I've lost 7 pounds, haven't eaten anything more than a little applesauce in three days, and had to reschedule my doctor's appointment for later this week. Hopefully this thing is on it's way out so I can get healthy again for myself and for itty bitty. 

Miss Anything?: my appetite, I guess. Although I definitely don't have any desire to eat anything right now. 

Cravings: uhhhh.....no. Not at the moment anyways. 

Symptoms: No real symptoms this week. I've had very little heartburn, which I attribute to my lack of eating this week. There hasn't been any swelling. Baby girl is moving around like crazy, which is reassuring during this illness. 

Looking forward to:  My baby shower is on Saturday! I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of our friends and family and celebrating the upcoming birth of itty bitty! 

  

#Bergpot Wedding Weekend

Last weekend was a whirlwind. Two of our best friends FINALLY got married in one of the most beautiful and fun ceremonies I've ever witnessed! Let's start from the beginning, shall we? 

Ryan and I packed our bags and left for the Smith's house on Wednesday evening. One little buddy was just not happy about us leaving for the weekend and decided to try to hitch a ride. 

Ryan and I decided a few months back that we wanted to give Eliot and Lauren a wedding gift that was more unique to our friendship, a hand-build customized corn hole set. When we set out to make the boards (right after we moved back to GA), we had NO idea how much effort it was going to take. Thank God for the help from Brad and Brandon to get these guys done in time! Flash forward three weeks (to the day before we left for the wedding) and the last coat of protectant on top of the paint had finally dried! Before manufacturing boxes to put these monsters in to bring through the airport the next morning, of course we had to give them a try!

The boards are MLB themed, with one board housing the Braves logo and the other the Red Sox logo. We played a couple rounds of corn hole before boxing them up, loading them into the car with the rest of our luggage, and heading to the airport the next morning. Unfortunately, we hit a snag at the airport the next morning and almost had to leave the boards behind. Without going into too much detail, we bit the bullet, sent our "oversized luggage" through, and made it to our gate with about 3 minutes left before boarding.

On the plane... a baby belly, neck pillow, and good book. 

 The rest of our trip up to Portland went by smoothly. We arrived, collected our checked luggage, loaded it into the rental van, and drove into Portland for some fresh seafood!

We ate lunch at a place called The Porthole (I think), where clam chowder, lobster rolls, and crab cake sandwiches were eaten. If you read my last pregnancy update, I bet you can guess which meal I ate! After lunch, we made our way back to the car and drove to Hampden to spend the night with the Potvins and the rest of the wedding party. We hung out at the house and the Sea Dog for the rest of the night, officially kicking off the wedding weekend!

The whole group at Sea Dog. 

 The next morning, everyone made their way to the venue in Lincolnville, Maine. The wedding was held at the Inn at Ocean's Edge, which is where we stayed for the rest of the weekend. Susan and I drove to the venue, while Brad and Ryan opted to take the boat ride there with the rest of the men.

The first thing we noticed after checking in to the Inn were our corn hole boards out on the lawn getting some of their first use by some wedding guests! So glad they made the trek to Maine in one piece!

We checked in to our room, got unpacked, and got ready for the welcome reception and rehearsal dinner. The reception was held at the Cellardoor Winery down the street, which was beautiful, and the dinner took place back at the Inn.

Adorable Maine-themed welcome bags! 

View from our balcony.  

At the Welcome Reception

Men's Tennis Reunion! (minus Miguel) 

On the morning of the wedding, Ryan and I went for a little walk and made our way down to the "beach" on the property. Wasn't this venue just GORGEOUS!! 

We helped set up for the ceremony and reception a little bit before getting ourselves ready for the main event! The ceremony started around 4 p.m. and was absolutely perfect. Everyone looked stunning, especially bride Lauren!

After the ceremony, the guests hung out in the pool area for the cocktail hour while the wedding party took pictures.

The rest of the night we spent eating, dancing, and celebrating the new Mr. and Mrs. Potvin! Although, they will always be bergpot to me! 

I know I've already said it...but seriously...what a beautiful and perfect wedding for Lauren and Eliot. Thank you for letting us be a part of it!

The next day we said goodbye to the newlyweds, checked out at the Inn, and drove back to Portland, stopping in Wiscasset (not sure if I spelled that correctly) and Freeport along the way. We ate lunch at Sarah's Cafe....because how could we not? And the food there was DELICIOUS!! Anyone want to venture a guess as to what I had for lunch? (I'll give you a hint..it's initials are CC.)

In Freeport, we stopped in at the overwhelming LL Bean store for a little bit to kill some time before heading the airport in Portland.

Shortly after we got to the airport, we received a notification that our flight had been delayed two hours. Delta made up for the delay as best they could by bringing out drinks, snacks, and ordering a whole mess of pizzas for everyone. Kevin had cards on him so we passed the time by playing President.

 While we had an absolute blast with friends and family celebrating Bergpot, I am definitely relieved that that is the last time I will be flying during this pregnancy. My ankles can't handle any more air travel!