Thanksgiving and More

I have been slacking on my blog these last couple weeks. A lack of pictures, news, and motivation all play a part. I am ready now, though!

I love the holiday season. I love getting together with family knowing that next year it will be us +1. It’s fun to think of all the “lasts” we are having. Our last Halloween admiring how cute everyone else’s children look. Our last flight to AZ for Thanksgiving before we are “those people” who brought their baby on board. Our last Christmas without a visit from Santa. I often daydream about my life a year from now. I will lie quietly on my bed and try with all my might to feel my baby move. Of course, it’s much too soon for that but sometimes I think maybe, just maybe, I have a Hulk baby that will sock me so hard I actually feel it this soon! I try to remember not to rush through this process, as it is a beautiful one in itself. I am just so ready to meet this bambino. I am sure once the baby is here, my life will be different than anything I have conjured up in my imagination.


Matt and I have been so busy lately. We celebrated Thanksgiving early with his family. It was wonderful and we had a great time. Thanks to the Hutchinson’s for having us!!

We flew to Arizona the day before Thanksgiving to spend the long weekend there. I always love going home. It’s the little differences that make it feel like home still. The traffic lights are all vertical. There are mountains in every direction. Seeing old places where I have memories attached. Driving on roads that all run north/south or east/west. Most of all though, is the people I love there. It’s so nice to catch up with family and friends. With the wedding, I was extra spoiled this year and got to see everyone 4 or 5 times! It’s so nice that Matt loves going back with me. For some reason I don’t understand, he likes the desert. I think it’s the geologist in him. I, however, think it is ugly as sin. If I never saw another Saguaro Cactus, I would be just fine. We did go on a nice little hike in Payson to see the Tonto Natural Bridge which we all enjoyed. Once we got under the bridge, we had a Subway picnic. How fun!

Sunday we tagged along to the Cardinals game with my dad and brother’s usual crew. Tailgating with them is always a hoot. My dad and a friend bought a short bus that they are making into a Cardinal’s Tailgating bus. Needless to say, tailgating with them is no little fiesta. My brother had gone dove hunting the day before so Matt cooked up some Dove Poppers. I chose mine without the jalapeno and ate 6 or 7 of them! Stay tuned for pictures of the bus!

We flew back to Texas on Monday. We set up our Christmas tree and a few decorations we bought. I’ve never had a fake tree so I am trying to warm up to the idea. Being the paranoid safety freak that I am, I like that it is safer than a real tree. I do miss the smell of pine in my house though, but once I find some pine candles that should do the trick! I’ve decided that when the baby comes things are going to need to be way more festive. For now though, I am happy with our understated Christmas décor.

Things don’t slow down for the Grosses in the coming weeks. This weekend we are hosting our kickball team’s Christmas party. Next week is my work party. Then Matt leaves for work for a week (so sad) and I have yet another doctor’s appointment. When Matt gets back we have his work party. Then an early Christmas with the entire Gross clan. And finally, Christmas in Arlington! Whew!

Before our early Thanksgiving 

On a rock. 

At the natural bridge.

Dad and Julie

On a big ol' rock.

In front of a huge fountain in AZ.

Matt and I in front of the bus.

The entire tailgating crew.

Matt cooking dove.

Sonograms and Date Nights

We got our first peek at our little bambino this week! The sonogram wasn't quite what I was expecting but a wonderful experience nontheless. Matt was right there, holding my hand, as we looked at the screen and saw a peanut shaped blob (the baby) in a sea of black (my uterus)! I must admit, I think our blob belongs on the cover of a magazine. In all seriousness though, it was truly an eye opening experience. I often wonder "Is there really a baby inside of me?" Logically, I know there is... but I don't look pregnant, I don't feel pregnant, and I am not sick. I read about all these changes going on inside me and sometimes I wish I could just see in there to verify everything is on track! It was nice to see our baby so clearly and know that I really DO have a baby growing inside me!

I wasn't super crazy about the nurse who did our sonogram. Matt and I were so excited to see our baby that we were just babbling on about how perfect he/she is when the nurse flipped on the sound for the heart beat and then flipped it off again. Looking at the sonogram, she only let it go long enough for seven beats. At 165bpm (our baby's heart rate), that's about 2.5 seconds worth of sound. It was over before we really knew what was going on. I was a little bummed we didn't get to soak in the sound of our baby's heart, but in the end I am just thankful that everything is on track and our baby seems healthy. 
 

After the sonogram, we went "fully public" with our pregnancy. Originally, we had thoughts about waiting until we finished our first trimester but word was spreading pretty rapidly anyway. It's been a blessing to receive so much support from everyone. While most of the reactions have been very joyous and right on track with what the "normal" reaction would be some have been quite interesting. I work with about 70 men; some of whom haven't mastered the art of filtering their thoughts. Here are just a few comments: "So that's why you had to get married!", "Oh, I didn't know you were polluted!", and my personal favorite, "It's a good thing you got married because nobody is going to want you after you've popped out a couple babies!" I know the guys mean well so I just take it with a grain of salt and a chuckle.

Other than the sudden increase in phone calls and text messages asking how the baby is doing, everything is business as usual at the Gross house. Matt and I are trying to make sure we go on plenty of date nights since date nights will soon consists of watching Dora the Explorer and scrubbing spaghetti sauce off the floor. Last Friday, we went to Dave and Buster's for dinner and some fun. One of the highlights was drinking my first Dr. Pepper since being pregnant. Oh. my. God. It was so good. Once we hit the games I let Matt win more tickets than me, just to be a good wife. We walked away with a beer mug that we'll never use and a night of smiles. I'd say that's pretty darn successful.

The following day (last Saturday), we went to the Dallas Mavericks home opener. Although it was fun, I was reminded that basketball is certainly not my sport. My exhaustion kicked in at halftime, but I managed to make it through the 3rd quarter before we left.

This weekend we had wanted to go visit my sister-in-law and her husband but my boss was out of town and I felt like I needed to hang around town in case all hell broke loose in Mansfield. So instead of heading to Oklahoma, we went to Olive Garden on Friday and came home and watched Shark Tank. Saturday we had dinner with my mom and Doug and I dominated in Yahtzee. Now it is Sunday, and Matt and I are making lunch and waiting for the Cowboys game to start. It's the only time I enjoy watching my husband's excitement get crushed. Sorry, honey!

We also finally started taking pictures and measurements each week! We take them on Wednesday since that is the first day of a new week! This week Wednesday marked the beginning of week 8. My belly was 27.5 inches around at the belly button. Since I don't have a baby bump quite yet, I just feel awkward in my pictures, especially when I think about posting them on this blog. I think it will be fun though to look back on where I started once I am about to pop!

Oh, and one more quick note- I did finally notice a change in my body. My belly button isn't as "innie" as it normally is. When I noticed I called Matt into our bedroom and we both sat looking in the mirror, oogling at my new belly button. I am infatuated with this first physical sign of Baby Gross.  I took pictures (which I will not post). It's the little things.

At the Mavs game

8 weeks

Model Baby.

Cute bib we got from future Uncle Nick!

From my mom and Doug and their trip to Disneyworld.

The back- so cute!

Happy Halloween!

Matt and I love Halloween but not because we like to get dressed up. Instead, we look forward to cute little ones coming to our door in costumes they are so proud of. Matt bought enough candy to feed our entire neighborhood, adults included.  It was our first Halloween in our house so we weren't quite sure what volume of spider-men and princesses to prepare for. Our neighborhood is what some call a "mature" neighborhood. Most of our neighbors are older couples with grown children and sometimes grandchildren. It's pretty quiet and I don't often see many little ones running around. We did have a boy who came by one day asking me to buy something from his fund raiser catalogue. He wasn't exactly the salesman but I figured I would help him out and bought $10 worth of stuff from him. The next day, Matt saw the boy and his family loading up a U-Haul- they were moving! I'm pretty confident I got hustled by a child.

Anyway, we did get a few trick or treaters by the house. By the middle of the night, I realized we had drastically overestimated our child to candy ratio so I was giving it out by the handfuls. We still managed to have quite a bit leftover so I took it to work today. Food never lasts long at a police station.

Last weekend Mr. G and I went to a costume party celebrating the engagement of a wonderful couple that is friends of the Gross family. Matt insisted we go as a beer drinking German couple which was great, until we found I am preggo. So he was a beer drinking German, and I was just a German (or a "germ" as our neice called us). All the excitement had me worn out by about 9:30- this little bambino inside me is taking every ounce of energy I have!

Pregnancy Update:
I am now approximately 7 weeks along and our little guy/girl is the size of a blueberry! This week he is starting to grow hands! So far I have managed to escape any vomitting. Occasionally something I eat will just "sit funny" and make me feel a little queesy but if I just give it 15 minutes or so, it will feel a lot better. The hardest thing has been dealing with the exhaustion. I always feel like I have been awake for days. Most days, I need at least one nap (two or even three if I am lucky!) to make it through the day. Beginning this Sunday, Matt and I are going to try to take measurements  and pictures of my belly each week. I can't wait for the baby bump! 4 days until we get to hear the heartbeat!

Things I have learned (continued):

Pregnant women can sleep anywhere, under any conditions- they can sleep in a car, they can sleep at a bar, they can sleep in chairs, they can sleep on stairs, they can sleep in the nude, they can sleep off a bad mood! The fact that a woman's breasts get larger during pregnancy may seem cool. It's not. They hurt. Stories about sweet babies will make a pregnant woman cry (thanks for the books Leslie!). Being pregnant may not entitle you to back massages whenever you'd like them, but it does earn you one every other day (thanks honey!).

My in-laws. It's been great seeing them so much lately!



My husband, his sexy legs, and our nephew, Austin the skeleton.



Allie the witch and Austin the skeleton!

A pregnant woman's breakfast and lunch.