I'm Thankful For

I've been feeling sorry for myself for the past few weeks because of my pregnancy nausea. I decided that this is absolutely ridiculous because while this nausea is really annoying, it is literally the worst thing I have going on in my life. So many other people out there have a lot of terrible things going on in their lives which are 1,000 times worse than my silly nausea. Therefore, I decided to tell myself to shut up and quit complaining about the nausea and instead put my energy into making a list of all the wonderful things that I am so blessed to have and be thankful for.

On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for...

- Having a house, which we own, to celebrate the holidays in and come home to every night.

- Our families, near and far, who have been so supportive this year with all that we have been going through.

- Our immediate family living in close proximity to us so that we get to see them often.

- Our fur babies, Sadie and Lola. Even though they (mostly Sadie) drive me insane sometimes, they always snuggle close to me when I need it the most.

- Good health insurance which enabled us to be able to afford all the fertility treatments that we needed.

- Blogging because it has really helped me get through some tough emotional and mental times.

- Traditions because they make this time of year so special. They help us to honor and memorialize an important person or time in our life, which is what I love most about the holidays.

- My husband's job because it is enabling me to have my ultimate dream job, being a stay at home mom for our baby.

- Fertility doctors who make it possible for people like me to actually get pregnant.

- My church small group for being like a second family to us.

- Our friends who have been there for us every step of the way.

- The amazing moms that Jared and I are both so lucky to have. They are always there for me and I know that I will need them more than ever once this baby comes, since I have no idea what I'm doing.

- All of my girlfriends who are currently pregnant. I am so excited for all of us to embark on this journey of motherhood together.

- The fact that my husband enjoys deep-frying our turkey for Thanksgiving every year so that I never have to learn how to cook one. I would surely screw that up.

- My Seminoles having an amazing football season, being undefeated currently and possibly going to the National Championship.

- Chilly weather this year on Thanksgiving! Even though we live in Florida, I still like for the weather to kind of feel seasonal outside on the actual holidays. Nothing annoys me more than 80 degrees on Christmas.

- Facebook for allowing me to keep in touch with and share my life with my friends living all over the world who I might not see often.

- My strong marriage. In today's world, good marriages are becoming less and less common. Marriage seems to be something that people just don't take seriously anymore which really bothers me. I take my marriage very seriously, I work hard at it, it is sacred to me and I am proud of that.

- My husband, for always taking care of me and putting up with my shenanigans. Working in the finance industry and studying for his MBA is often stressful for him, but he always finds time for me as well. He also got up at 6am this morning to go run a 6k in the 30 degree weather. I'm always so proud of him.

- The power of prayer and our Lord because without them I would be much worse off and absolutely would not be pregnant right now. I have experienced true miracles this year.

- The little miracle that is growing inside my belly right now. After struggling for 18 months with infertility issues, enduring the hardship of IVF and now the discomfort of constant nausea for the past 6 weeks, I would go through it all over again for this baby. Needless to say, the thing I am most thankful for this year and the best thing that happened to us in 2013 (and probably ever) is being pregnant with our first child.

- The fact that 2013 is almost over. Let's be honest, this has been a rough year and I can't wait to see all the joy that 2014 is going to bring!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday weekend. 
Happy Thanksgiving and Go Noles!

Bumpdate {12 Weeks}

I apologize for not blogging over the past week since my last bumpdate. Unfortunately, my nausea took a turn for the worse and I couldn't think about anything else night or day, except nausea. Let's be honest, no one wants to read an entire blog post about nausea. Here's to hoping that my nausea goes away soon!

Week 12: November 20 - November 26 

Week 12 Milestones:

- Baby is the size of a plum this week! We had our first trimester screening with the doctor this week so we got to see baby on the ultrasound again. It is finally starting to look like an actual baby, yay! The ultrasound tech kept poking around trying to get the baby positioned correctly for the measurements and it was so cool to get to watch the baby react to her poking. It even shook it's tiny little fist at us!

- I read online that by week 12 the nausea is supposed to subside and that headaches might start to take the place of the nausea. Well, the headaches came, but the nausea stayed as well...and got worse. I used to feel nauseated until I ate, and then I would feel better. Now, I feel nauseated, eat, and then feel even more nauseated. It's a never-ending cycle. This week my nausea also added a new element, that "I feel like I'm literally about to throw-up" feeling. A few days ago was the absolute worse. Everything I tried to swallow felt like it was coming right back up and everything I ate just tasted like vomit. It was horrible. At least things have slightly improved from that for the time being. However, I will say that seeing our baby (which actually looks like a baby now) on the ultrasound screen yesterday suddenly made me forget all about my nausea and not care about how crappy I was feeling, I was elated.

- Food preferences: This week has been all about eating whatever I can that won't make me feel like I have to throw-up! I have been sticking to the BRAT diet, you know all the stuff you eat when you have the flu. Therefore, my daily food intake has consisted of plain toast, plain bagels, plain cereal, bananas, crackers, chicken and rice soup (minus the chicken because that makes me gag, so it's really just rice and broth), and popsicles.

- I have actually lost 1.4 pounds this week, probably because I can't eat all the food I was eating before on account of the increasing nausea. However, I have a feeling that I will gain it all back and then some during this upcoming week. Move over nausea, I will be eating Thanksgiving dinner come hell or high water.

- I bought my first maternity clothes this week! It was an overwhelming and terrifying experience at first. Thank goodness I went in there with only one item of clothing in mind or I would have become super overwhelmed. I will say that shopping in the maternity store is a very pleasant experience. They are very helpful, give you free samples of products and offer to bring you cold beverages while you shop. Being pregnant has so many wonderful perks. I am now the proud owner of some maternity jeans. I've been avoiding pants like the plague for the past few weeks, but the weather forecast says that it is going to be really cold here on Thanksgiving Day so I figured it was time for some maternity jeans. I was actually surprised by how cute they are. When my shirt is pulled down you can't even tell that they aren't regular jeans. Plus, they are like 1,000 times more comfortable than real jeans. I feel like I should have invested in these for the big food holidays years ago.

Here is our little one as of yesterday...  

Bumpdate {11 Weeks}

The final week of the first trimester is almost upon us. Week 12 starts tomorrow! The belly is really bumpin' now and I am loving every minute. I never thought I would enjoy getting fat this much. I am still constantly nauseous, but hopefully that will come to an end here soon.

Week 11: November 13 - November 19 

Baby got this adorable FSU bib in the mail this week from my Phi Mu little sister! Thanks auntie Elisa :) 

Week 11 Milestones: 

- Baby is the size of a lime this week! However, I've got at least 200 more days before I can enjoy a little margarita with that lime. Don't worry, margaritas are the last thing on my mind right now with all this nausea. Just the thought of alcohol makes me want to hurl. I don't miss it at all.

- The girls are really starting to grow y'all. Sorry for the over-share, but this is a new experience for me. I've been wearing the same bra size since I was like 13 and now I am just busting out of all my bras. It's so unfamiliar. I don't even know what to do with myself.

- One of these days I will feel like a normal person again. Until then, I suppose I will just feel nauseous and exhausted every waking hour. The fun continues.

- I have only gained 3.6 pounds since becoming pregnant! I was literally shocked by this. Considering how much my belly and boobs have grown, plus how much food I have to eat all the time to calm down my nausea. I really expected to have gained more already, but I guess my body is just redistributing weight from other places in my body into my belly and boobs. Score.

- Food preferences: I have really strong feelings towards my food right now. I despise eggs, chicken, fish, and absolutely anything sweet. Just smelling or thinking about any of those foods makes me want to puke. Salty and sour foods are my favorite right now. I am obsessed with eating pickles and pickled beets numerous times throughout the day. Carbs are like my best friend and saving grace. Nothing else saves me from this stupid nausea like carbohydrates do. I am also loving popsicles so much, no sweet flavors though, sour ones like lime are the best. Yum.  

My Phi Mu family got to meet the bump at FSU Homecoming!

FSU Homecoming

We went to Tallahassee this past weekend for FSU Homecoming. While I was excited about going to the football game, I was most excited about getting to see my Phi Mu sisters! FSU beat Syracuse 59-3 on Saturday, they are still undefeated, and still ranked #2 in the country. Go Noles!

Reunited with my Phi Mu family!

Only 4/9 of our Phi Mu family actually. One of these days we will all be together at the same time. 

Everyone had fun meeting the bump! Prom posing with my great-great-great-grand-little Kate!

With my grand-little Chelsea! The bump is very popular at tailgates :) 

Our final football season as Roche, party of 2!

Bumpdate {10 Weeks}

We are finally all caught up y'all! Today is the last day of week 10 so the bumpdate is officially up to date. I can't believe that the first trimester is almost over. All those people who keep telling me that this nausea will go away once the first trimester is over better be right because this is getting real old. At least I finally have something to show for it...hello belly!

Week 10: November 6 - November 12

The bump is officially here to stay y'all. At the beginning of week 10, I thought it might just be bloating or the fact that I have to eat every 20 minutes to keep my nausea at bay. However, I soon discovered that this little gut of mine was not going away and could not be sucked in. Cue baby bump. At first, I was shocked and a little uncomfortable about starting to show so early. I felt like it isn't "normal" to start this early and that I shouldn't be showing yet. I had to remind myself that I shouldn't compare my pregnancy to others because no two women or pregnancies are the same. I also discovered that many traits of pregnancy are apparently genetic so I had to consult my mom on what I should expect here. Come to find out, she showed really early with both of her pregnancies (hence my early show as well) and her belly was really big throughout her pregnancies because my brother and I were both big babies. Guess I have a lot of fun to look forward to!

Week 10 Milestones:

- Baby is the size of a prune this week! Why a prune? I have no idea. I feel like there is a better fruit or veggie alternative to compare my baby to, but alas TheBump says a prune.

- Baby Roche has a sweet new ride! See photo above. We have been eyeing this BOB stroller knowing that this was the stroller we wanted, but we needed to shop around for a good deal because it is really expensive. Over the weekend, Toys R Us ran an unbelievable deal on these strollers so we jumped at the opportunity. We also got the exact infant car seat we wanted for FREE with the deal! I'm super excited.  

- I feel like my dogs have figured out that I am pregnant. All of a sudden, they refuse to leave me alone. They follow me all around the house and sit at my feet constantly no matter what I'm doing. It's like they are guarding me. When I'm laying on the couch, they come and put their heads on my tummy. It's adorable. Do they really know that I'm pregnant? Is that something that dogs can sense?

- I am still exhausted and nauseated. All. The. Time. I can't tell if the nausea is getting worse or if I'm just losing my patience with it. However, I do have a love/hate relationship with my nausea. Yes, I hate it because it is so uncomfortable and annoying especially because it never stops. On the other hand, I love it because it serves as a constant reminder that everything is going ok with my pregnancy. The only reason I have this nausea is because my hormones are raging and baby is in there partying. Every time I start feeling really crappy, I try to remind myself that this nausea means I'm having a healthy pregnancy and I should be grateful for that.  

- I hate pants. I can still fit in all my pants but I hate them. I think it has to do with the fact that when I wear pants, they now put pressure on my stomach which makes me feel even more nauseated than I already am. So my wardrobe currently consists of dresses and Nike running shorts.

- I started feeling my abdomen muscles stretching this week (hence the premiere of the bump) which is a super weird but kinda cool feeling. I guess my uterus is really growing in there and making room for baby. Luckily, it hasn't been uncomfortable or painful at all for me unlike what some other people told me they experienced. I am thankful for that, my tummy does not need any more discomfort.

- Food preferences: I definitely prefer sour and salty to sweet right now. I am still enjoying pasta and grains more than anything. I still have an aversion to eggs and a more recent aversion to chicken. I am also not very into fruits and veggies right now which I know is probably not great for me, but I have to eat what makes me feel better. I'll worry about eating "what I am supposed to" once I kick this nausea.

Bumpdate {9 Weeks}

I am really excited because today my best friend announced that she is pregnant! Of course, I have already known in secret for weeks but it's exciting to finally be able to share it with the world. We are only 7 weeks apart so we will be going through all of the ups and downs of pregnancy and new-mommy-hood together! Although it took Jared and I much longer than I would have originally preferred to get pregnant, I'm so happy that everything ended up working out this way because now I get to enjoy this special time with quite a few of my friends! God's timing really is perfect.

Week 9: October 30 - November 5

Each week I use these fancy chalkboard paint pens (not real chalk) to write on my chalkboard. The only downfall to these pens is that they come in a limited color palate. I wanted to make this week's board Halloween themed, but they don't make an orange chalkboard pen. So instead of giving up on my holiday theme idea, I decided to make my own orange paint. Since these are paint pens, I couldn't mix a bunch of color all at once. I literally had to color a small section with the red pen, then color next to it with the yellow pen, and then take a q-tip and swirl the colors together to make orange. Repeat the entire process until the whole pumpkin was colored in. Oh, why am I so obsessive about my crafts? Lord help me.  

We took a road trip down to Fort Lauderdale to celebrate a very special 1st birthday. (Side note: riding in the car makes me super nauseous right now so the 4 hour drive to South Florida was nothing short of miserable). Towards the end of week 9, you can kind of see what might be a tiny bump starting to emerge. See photo above. I'm really not sure if the bulge in this picture is a pregnancy bump or the excessive amount of honey baked ham that I ate at the birthday party, but let's just say that from that day forward it became more difficult to suck in my tummy.

Week 9 Milestones: 

- Baby is the size of a green olive and almost 1 inch long! Baby has lost it's tail and the webbing between the fingers and toes, and is beginning to look more human. 

- We started with my regular OB and said goodbye to the fertility clinic. We got to see baby (who still looks more like a gummy bear than an actual baby) on the ultrasound at this appointment and hear the heartbeat, 178 beats per minute. 

- I've learned that many traits of pregnancy are genetic, such as stretch marks. Luckily, my mom said that she did not have any stretch marks with either pregnancy so I hope I get that lucky too. Still, as a precaution, I decided to start using cocoa butter to prevent stretch marks. Why did no one tell me that cocoa butter smells like chocolate?! I mean, I guess it is called cocoa butter after all but I never expected it to have such an overwhelmingly strong chocolate smell. Which may not sound like a bad thing, unless you are me and you don't like chocolate. I hate all dessert, including chocolate and I especially hate the smell of all things sweet and dessert-like. I'm kind of starting to get used to the smell now, but the first time I put the cocoa butter on I thought I was going to hurl. Needless to say, I will not be applying the cocoa butter 3x per day as directed on the bottle. I'll be lucky if I can stand doing it once a day. I can't believe that I now walk around smelling like chocolate all day. Pregnancy is funny. 

- I experienced my first allergy attack since being pregnant this week. Luckily, I've been unable to take antihistamine since we started doing fertility treatments back in January so I've become a pro at managing my allergies without a bit of medicine. This makes me feel accomplished. 

- I am still exhausted and nauseated 24/7. I've managed to survive 3 full weeks of constant nausea without defaulting to the anti-nausea medication and I'm oddly proud of myself for exercising such will power. I have no idea why I am so determined to defeat this nausea without using the medication, but I feel really passionate about it for some reason. Still going strong!...but also nauseated. 

- Food preferences: I'm really into pasta and grains all of a sudden. Earlier in my pregnancy, I was eating tons of fruits and eggs everyday. Now, the thought of eggs makes me want to hurl and anything sweet isn't really appetizing either. I still like to have bananas and pears everyday, but sweet fruits like strawberries just aren't doing it for me anymore. It's so weird how quickly my appetite for certain foods can change. 

Bumpdate {8 Weeks}

This marked my final week with my fertility doctor and his staff. I was a little sad about this. That fertility clinic has been my second home for the past 10 months and I have been through a lot with the support of the amazing staff there. However, it was finally time to transition to my regular OB for the remainder of my pregnancy.

Week 8: October 23 - October 29

 My first bump photo with my other soon-to-be mommy friends!

Week 8 Milestones: 

- Baby is the size of a raspberry this week! For being so tiny, this little thing sure is wreaking havoc inside my body.

- I am still "hungover on the cruise ship". This first trimester nausea and exhaustion continues to haunt me all day, everyday. My doctor gave me a prescription for the magical anti-nausea medication, Zofran, but I don't want to take it. I hate taking medication and I never take it unless it is absolutely necessary. Plus, I don't want to take any meds while I'm pregnant unless I'm literally dying. The nausea isn't that bad and I am determined to deal with it using the right foods on my own.

- I still haven't gained any weight even though I've been grazing like a cow. I have to eat constantly to keep the nausea under control. Thankfully, there hasn't been any unnecessary weight gain yet, despite all my eating. Let's hope it stays that way.

- We had another ultrasound at 8 weeks and 1 day. We were able to see baby's newly forming arm and leg buds which made it look like a gummy bear. Yes, those were the words of my fertility doctor. He compared my baby to a gummy bear and he was right, it did look like a gummy bear swimming around on the screen.

Thoughts for Thursday

Yes, I am still trying to get caught up on my bumpdate posts, but I just felt like we all needed a break from the inside of my uterus for today. Alas, I am focusing on my opinions of some of the happenings in this crazy world around us instead.

- Did y'all watch the CMAs last night? Oh, how I love that award show. Isn't it awesome when a group of artists can actually get together and be nice and respectful of each other's craft, sing music they actually wrote that has some real meaning, not take their clothes off and act like they are on drugs? How refreshing. This is why I love country music and pretty much dislike all other genres of "music" if you can even honestly call some of that junk actual music. Additionally, I just love Taylor Swift and I'm so glad that she was honored with the Pinnacle Award last night. She is so talented and always classy. I'm glad that she is a constant reminder that just because you are young and famous doesn't mean that you have to act stupid.

- Charlie Crist is running for Governor of Florida. Again. Wait, wasn't he already the Governor of Florida? Yes, yes he was. He seems to be under the impression that if he changes political parties and gets a darker spray tan, that the voters of Florida won't remember that he already served a term as Governor in the last decade. Good news Florida voters, in the upcoming 2014 Governor race we now have to choose between...The Oompa Loompa and Lord Voldemort.  

This will be an interesting election for me considering I voted to elect both of these guys into office the first time around, whatever will I do now? Sorry Charlie, but it will be a cold day in hell before I'll be voting Democrat.  

- Blockbuster has closed it's doors forever. An era has ended and I am really upset about this y'all. I can't tell you how many times in the last couple years I really could have benefited from a Blockbuster store, but alas all the locations in my area were closed. All this digital movie technology is great, but what happens when I want to watch a movie from the 80s or 90s? I can't just run up to the local Blockbuster and check it out any more. Exhibit A: about two years ago, my students read "The Outsiders" and I wanted to show them the 1983 movie version of the book. I was unable to find a download or instant version of the movie anywhere online that I could stream directly through my laptop to show them. So my only options were to buy a copy of the movie online and wait for it to ship or try to rent a copy of it through Netflix and wait around for that to ship as well. You know what could have solved this entire problem? The local Blockbuster store. Exhibit B: over the summer while my mother-in-law was staying with us recovering from her knee surgery, we discovered that she had never seen "Father of the Bride" which is a movie that I love and I knew she would love too. The search began. It was not available through Red Box, On Demand or any of the other online instant download sites. I didn't want to rent it through the regular Netflix and wait for it to arrive in the mail, I wanted to watch it right then! Once again, a local Blockbuster store would have solved all my problems. I finally decided that I was totally ok with actually buying the movie, but I couldn't find it at Target, Walmart or even Best Buy. I ended up having to go to one of those music/movie stores in the mall to buy it. So while new technology has made access to new releases much more convenient, it is exceedingly difficult to get our hands on a copy of our old favorites. I know that the demand for Blockbuster isn't what it used to be, but some of us still need it in our lives. Plus, my children will never know what it's like to go to the video store and pick out a movie together. That makes me sad. 

- I have been receiving Pottery Barn catalogs in the mail for at least the last 5 years. However, I have never received a Pottery Barn Kids catalog, ever. Since becoming pregnant, I haven't even began to think about nursery or decorating or furniture or any of that. I haven't signed up for anything online that was kid or baby related, and I haven't done any shopping online for anything kid or baby related. All of a sudden in the last month, I have started receiving Pottery Barn Kids catalogs in the mail. How does Pottery Barn know that I am pregnant? Are they spying on me? Before, I hadn't even thought about the nursery, but now I want everything in this darn catalog. Oh sneaky Pottery Barn, you are good. Touche. 

- Is it too early for me to decorate for Christmas? We are having Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house this year, so there's really no point in me keeping up my fall decorations for much longer, right? No one is even going to be here to see them. Plus, I always feel like as soon as I put my Christmas decorations up (which is a lot of time and work might I add) that it's already time to take them down. I want to be able to enjoy them for much longer this year. I think I'm going to be a rebel :) 

Too bad I live in Florida and not in the Pottery Barn catalog, so this won't be happening. I am ready for some holiday spirit y'all...let's see how long I can hold out before the tree goes up. 

Bumpdate {7 Weeks}

This has probably been my least favorite week of my pregnancy thus far. Up until this point, I had felt pretty good and not really had any "pregnancy-like" symptoms. During week 6, I was talking to my neighbor about pregnancy stuff and she mentioned that once she hit week 7 of her last pregnancy she suddenly felt nauseous and terrible all the time. Needless to say, I was anxiously awaiting week 7 to see if I would suffer the same fate as she did. As soon as I hit week 7, I unfortunately discovered exactly what she was describing to be my new reality.  

Week 7: October 16 - October 22

Week 7 Milestones:

- Hungover on a cruise ship. That is the best way I can describe this queasy feeling. It's not full blown gut-wrenching nausea, and there's no vomiting (thank goodness), just queasy all the time. I have that headache/queasy feeling of a hangover + the off balance sea sick feeling of being on a cruise ship, and it never goes away. More than being really painful or unbearable, it's mostly just annoying. The only thing I have found that helps ease the nausea is a full stomach. So I am literally eating all the time. I don't want to eat or feel like eating, but it's the only thing that makes me feel better.

- Exhaustion. I feel so tired and sleepy all the time. Between all this constant exhaustion and nausea, my couch is my new best friend.

- Hot flashes and dizziness. Two things that I was completely unaware were pregnancy symptoms. I thought I was getting the flu (even though I had a flu shot during week 6). Apparently, your body is acting like a oven during this stage of pregnancy trying to create a warm cozy environment for the growing little fetus which makes mommy feel like she is on fire. In addition, all the new hormones that are surging in your body can cause dizziness.

- I was completely unaware that I was even experiencing all these symptoms until one morning when I was driving to work. I was feeling my normal nausea + exhaustion as soon as I woke up that morning. As I was getting ready for work, I started feeling really hot. I took my temperature and saw that I did not have a fever so I decided to go to work. Once I got in the car and started driving, the dizziness started to set in. All of a sudden the nausea, heat and dizziness combined to make me feel as though I was going to pass out. While I was driving. About to get on I-95. I had to pull over because I was so afraid that I was going to become unconscious. Luckily, my mom came and picked me up to take me back home.

- The hot flashes and dizziness only lasted a day or so, but the nausea and exhaustion continued throughout week 7.   

* I hate that all of the milestones for this week sound so whiny and depressing. Despite this mild discomfort and inconvenience, I am loving being pregnant. I simply want to document and remember my entire pregnancy, good and bad. I don't mean to complain about being pregnant because I could not be more grateful for my pregnancy no matter how difficult it might get. The first trimester is a tough one!

Bumpdate {6 Weeks}

Week 6 was a huge one for milestones in our pregnancy. I think this was the first week that I truly "felt" pregnant. Getting to see and hear baby's heartbeat for the first time was an amazing and surreal experience; something that I think made this pregnancy actually start to feel real.

Week 6: October 9 - October 15

Still no bump yet!

My mom took our pregnancy announcement photos for us in her backyard. 

Baby and I participated in his/her very first 5k! We walked of course. This 5k was the Out of the Darkness community walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We walked in memory of my dad.

Week 6 Milestones: 

- We had our second ultrasound at 6 weeks and 2 days. We were able to see a little something (that looked like a bean) that was our baby! We also got to see and hear the heartbeat! I was shocked that we were able to actually hear the heartbeat so early, it was very exciting. Heartbeat was 108 beats per minute.

- At this point, I was starting to eat every 1.5 to 2 hours. I was getting hungry all the time and eating constantly. I didn't gain a single pound, but if I didn't eat at least every 2 hours I would feel like I was starving. I had to start carrying snacks with me everywhere I went. My main craving...cheese.

-  I was starting to feel exhausted all the time. By 3:00 in the afternoon, I was so tired and ready for a nap. That serious 1st trimester exhaustion was definitely setting it by this week. I constantly felt like I was in a daze. Even when I woke up in the morning or woke up from a nap, I would still feel tired.

- We announced our pregnancy to our grandparents. We were unable to tell Jared grandmothers in person because they live far away, but we told them over the phone. We were able to tell my grandparents face to face at family dinner which was very entertaining. They were so excited and overwhelmed, telling everyone in the entire restaurant. It was adorable.

Ava's 1st Birthday

We spent this past weekend in Ft. Lauderdale celebrating our friends, The McGuires, and their daughter Ava! Her birthday was on Saturday, November 2nd which also happened to be the day of the FSU vs. Miami football game, so of course we had to celebrate with a gameday brunch in her honor.

Before the party started, I was given the last minute task of "sprucing up" the bar stool that was going to be used as Ava's birthday chair. A little tulle and about 10 minutes later...Ava was ready to party from her birthday throne.

We had so much fun celebrating Miss Ava's first birthday with her!

After the birthday brunch, we geared up for an exciting afternoon of college football. We watched the FSU vs. Miami game that night at a local FSU sports bar free from Miami fans (which is hard to come by in South Florida). The game was fantastic! A great victory (41-14) for the Seminoles over one of our most hated rivals. FSU is now currently ranked #2 in the county and continuing on their undefeated winning streak for the season!  

Go Noles!