24w4d

As promised, Happy Belated Bump Day!

Sometimes I like to dress my baby girl bump up, and sometimes she looks best in a classic black.

She's a great baby, and March can't come soon enough.

<3

Joy in My Heart

Life, lately, has thrown me a few curve balls that I've been so keen to hit out of the park, but continually strike out. Time and time again I stand ready to face whatever the world is willing to throw my way: Chinese Throwing Stars, Lemons and if I'm lucky, Cookie Dough. Chinese Throwing Stars have started to fill my wall up, and I swear I smell a little more citrus everywhere I go.

Sometimes all I need, like any other person, is a little human intimacy. Not what you're probably thinking though. Maybe intimacy isn't the right word to use...compassion. There, that's it. I crave human compassion, but I do not throw my feelings to the wolves hoping for someone to save me. My silent cries for interaction are apparent, but most times overlooked. Attention seeking, verbally, has never been my way of working, unless it's toward Miguel. He needs all the hints he can get. ;)

Yesterday, I made up my mind to put my life back on track. On track with my happiness. True happiness has been locked up and rarely seeks me out. A whole new mind wardrobe is what I needed, craved. Time to put my clunky sweaters and baggy jeans away and pull out those summer dresses, scarves, cute shoes and accessories.

A wise friend of mine told me "It's just as easy to put on an cute outfit as it is to put on an ugly on. You always feel better when you look your best." I'm trying to apply this not only to my outward appearance, but to my outlook on life. (Thank you, Sara Blue Star).

With that said, fellow bloggers who may have happened to glance this far down the post, if you see someone who is in desperate need of human intimacy/compassion, don't hesitate to fill their glass with hope. I'm sure not only will they appreciate, you will as well. We all need a little support system everywhere we go. You never know, you could help change an outlook on life.

My affirmation for when my heart is heavy: "I choose love, joy and freedom, open my heart and allow wonderful things to flow into my life."
If you don't know how these work, wake up every morning and say this, confidently, until you believe every single word. Continue to do so, everyday, until your heart is not heavy and your mind wardrobe is full of clothes that make you feel your best.

The Weather Was Just Right

It really was today. I was quite pleased that I could wear my pink pants and short sleeve shirt outside with no qualms about the slight breeze blowing the leaves that had fallen to the ground around. 

So, I had this Acupressure session yesterday balancing out my "Fire" element. 

We worked the heart and the small intestines chakras, and I feel more at peace with the world around me. 

Acupressure is my first real energy class, and I am so in love with it. It's been a blessing in disguise. 

I feel balanced, and I understand more about me with each class. 

Bam. More energy classes, please?

 :)

And, the moment you've all be waiting for... 

(Don't make fun of the face. It was early this morning. Notice that I'm still in pre preggo pants. Yesss!)

Happy Bump Day! 

23w4days. 

16w3days left. 

Where did the time go??

March 2nd is going to be here faster than I can even imagine. 

My doctor appointment went fabulous today! 

Great blood pressure, gained 8lbs (not a whole lot since I didn't gain anything for 2 months...) and I'm healthy. 

Brielle's home for the time being is measuring 24w, which means she has a little bit more room to move around. I do feel huge sometimes though. But, nothing to complain about...yet. 

She kept kicking the Doppler today when the RN was searching for her strong little heartbeat! 151 bmp. 

She's a character of a baby, and I sure do love her, a lot. 

Until next time... 

<3

It Might Just be the Weather

Ups, Downs and All Arounds. That's how I've felt the last little while. Sometimes I can't even go a day without breaking down in tears. Granted, they might be good tears. Depends on the day. 

I will have to say that it really hit me today about how much I love this little girl of mine. Whenever my day feels cruddy, I have a little companion to give me a kick to keep me going. Those kicks are the best part of my day. Ever since my placenta has repositioned Brielle has been kicking up a storm, or so what I think is a storm for this stage. 

Honestly, I'm a bit of a bawl baby when it comes to my pea pod. She really is, besides Miguel, the best thing that has come into my life. Even though I won't be able to hold her in my arms until March, I don't know what I would do without her. She's my wake up buddy, my "let's drink Dr. Pepper because I want to feel you kick" buddy, my walking buddy and my work buddy. I never thought I would like to have someone with me at all times, especially someone who responds to the sound of my voice when I talk to her. 

21w6d. 

I love her more than I ever thought I could imagine. The greatest part about it though, is I get to love her more each and every day. 

I wouldn't change this for anything.

I love you, Brielle Avery Ryann Beal. 

<3

Also, I missed bump day!

21w5d, yesterday.

I can't see my toes, and I still look hot! 

Even with that ridiculous facial expression...

:)

Milestones

Lately I've been thinking about all of the things that I've accomplished in my life. 

From the important, but in no particular order:

Graduating High School

Going to College

Participating in Musicals

Holding down a full time job while going to school

Pursing A dream job

Marrying the man of my dreams

Finally being a soon-to-be mommy

To the what seems less important:

Getting 7 hours of sleep each night

Keeping long lasting friendships

Maintaining a healthy weight

Overcoming emotional issues

Eating that Pumpkin Shake from Arctic Circle

Travel to more places outside of Utah

etc. 

All of these things are so important to me, even the small mundane accomplishments. 

Granted, there are more, but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment. 

Now, I can't help but think that with being 20 weeks pregnant with my sweet little girl, I'll have more milestones that I'm going to go experience in the next 4 months; more moments to share with the people closest to me.

Some of them scare me, a lot. Others, not quite so much. Some of these milestones I've been waiting for and can't imagine them not happening. 

So, here's to a grand new adventure: My last 20 weeks of school, clinic and pregnancy. 

<3

Oh Oh We're Half Way There!

Thank you, Bon Jovi (who is actually on Pandora but an entirely different song), for giving our family an inside joke. 

Yes, ladies and gents, I'm half way there! 19w5d. Alright, not quite 20 weeks, but close enough.

Friday will be the mark for week 20, which is super exciting. 

Brielle Avery is looking great! We had her 20 week anatomy scan today. It was so much fun. 

The Ultra Sound Tech loved her beautiful little heart and her cute little bum. :) 

Everything else looks perfect on her as well! She is measuring a day later than our original date (ED would now be 3/3/12), but that's no big deal. 

I'm doing great too! Thanks for worrying about me... 

I actually haven't gained any weight from my last appointment (Upchucking queued), but Dr. L doesn't really mind since Brielle is looking healthy and happy!

I'm so in love with this little girl. She really is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, minus Miguel of course. 

I really can't wait to see how the rest of this pregnancy goes. It's been a great one (knock on wood), and I have little to nothing to complain about! 

Okay, since you've seen enough bumpage, especially if you follow me on Instagram, I thought I'd share a few pictures of Brielle's 20w photo shoot! 

Enjoy! 

<3

Slacking

Bloggers, I apologize for my lack of posting. I've been overly stressed, emotional and quite tired.

Alas, that is no excuse for not finding sometime to blog, or something to blog about.

While this shouldn't be considered a post, it will have to do until this weekend...after clinic. Yep, we have a lot to catch up on, don't we?

For now, enjoy this photo. I know I needed it, and will use it until this week is over with.