Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I’d like to take some time ahead of the holiday to reflect on the things in my life for which I am the most thankful. Thankful Thursday is a weekly series for the month of November.

We had our pictures taken this past weekend for our annual Christmas cards. I get really excited about designing our cards every year because they always turn out so awesome, which leads to me giddily but impatiently waiting to receive everyone else’s holiday cards, photos, and letters. December is one of the best months because there’s a treat in the mailbox just about every day, and we just don’t get that anymore. So this Thursday, I’m thankful for any and all of the handwritten mail I receive all year long.

Photo source

When I was in undergrad, which was ages ago at this point, my aunt and uncle sent me a card in the mail every month. They would include family updates, news about my high school’s sports teams, and other little tidbits of information they thought I might like. I looked forward to those cards every month — and not just because they also included some cash in there 😉 Knowing that someone is thinking of me and taking time out of their busy lives to write me a letter, card, etc. is truly one of the greatest feelings in the world.

The other day I was reading an article about hobbies you could take up if you don’t have any hobbies and it listed “sending physical letters to people.” Um, why didn’t I already think of that? I love writing letters, I love getting letters, and I had several pen pals when I was kid so why not make someone else’s day by writing them a letter? I’ve been thinking about turning this into a hobby in the new year. We’ll see how I do.

Photo source

It seems like email, texting, and social media have made letters essentially obsolete, so the gift of real mail is one that I treasure and one for which I am truly thankful.

Sweet baby boy!

That’s right! We are thrilled to announce that Baby NCsquared is a boy and I can’t wait to be a boy mommy! I’m really impatient so there’s no way I could wait to find out at a party or even at birth. In fact, here’s a confession: We’ve known for about a month now! I paid for an elective ultrasound in my 16th week to find out the baby’s sex as soon as possible because I couldn’t wait an extra month to find out at my 20-week scan today. But JUST IN CASE the sonographer was wrong, I wanted to wait until it was confirmed at our 20-week scan before making the big announcement. And you may be thinking how likely is it that the sonographer is wrong? Well, probably not very likely BUT I did have a friend from high school who went her entire first pregnancy thinking she was having a boy because that’s what the sonographer told her only to give birth to a beautiful baby girl! Oh, and then there’s this woman whose surprise at giving birth to a boy after being told she was having a girl was captured for the world to see! We have double confirmation (and some pretty good sonograms for proof) so we’re now confident we’re having a boy 🙂

Another confession: there’s something I need to get off my chest, a soapbox that I need to address. I *hate* when these things are called “gender reveals” because there’s a big difference between gender and biological sex. This was a biological sex reveal because all we’re telling you is that my baby will be born with male reproductive anatomy: penis, scrotum, testes, etc. Gender is a socially constructed role that describes certain characteristics of being male or female, but it isn’t always determined by reproductive anatomy. But that’s a post for another day.

Anyway, now that we know we’re having a boy, we’ve picked out a name (to be revealed later) and have started decorating the nursery. We’re doing a cute woodland animals theme with the fox as the main character. It’s also given me a chance to start bonding with him because I can call him by his name and better picture our future with him. I really can’t wait to meet him and see what his personality is like and all those other cool things that come along with bring life into the world.

20-week baby bump!

Sweater: Banana Republic | Skirt: Modcloth | Shoes: Fioni via Payless | Necklace: Francesca’s 

I was not camera shy as a kid. If there was a camera around, I was jumping in front of it with my cute little poses and my big smile. Like, there are a lot of photos of me as a kid and teen at birthday parties, holiday celebrations, etc. Needless to say, I always looked forward to picture day at school and getting to pick out my cutest outfit to wear. This outfit is the adult version of choosing an outfit for picture day because I wore it for our annual family photos for this year’s Christmas card.

I bought this skirt because I love the tulle look without the fluffy tutu/ballerina vibe. It feels too fancy to wear in my every day life — I mean, not many people successfully get away with wearing tulle to the office — so I put it away for a special occasion. But it’s perfect for photo opps, so it was my first choice for photos this year. I would love to wear it for Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Eve. Right now it fits over the bump but I’m not so sure it will in a few weeks. I guess we’ll see.

I must admit, I’m delighted that this is the first outfit I’m posting since returning to blogging because I really do love this skirt so much! And this outfit feels very much like me, so I know I’m doing something right.

20-week baby bump!

Linkups: Hello Monday | Weekend Wear | Linkup on the Edge | Thursday Moda | Thursday Fashion Files | Spotlight Weekly Linkup | WIWW Linkup | What I Wore to Work 

20 weeks!

I’m 20 weeks along now and super excited that I’m finally halfway there. In the early days, it felt like this moment would never get here and even now, it feels like the baby itself will never get here. Hurry up March! My pregnancy has been very calm so far. I was expecting to experience all of the horrible symptoms of pregnancy like bad morning sickness, food aversions, and out-of-control emotions. However, I was extremely lucky and only experienced a little bit of morning sickness and some fatigue; it was very manageable! The only food aversions I had were coffee, which went away as I entered my second trimester, and onions, which actually got stronger as I entered my second trimester. And I’m finally starting to get that little baby bump!

But enough about that. On to my current stats!

baby size: According to my Glow Nurture app, the baby weighs about 10.5 ounces and is 10 inches long – about the length of a small banana.

cravings: Smoothies. As with most of my cravings (even pre-pregnancy), if I saw someone consuming something that looked delicious I’d want it. About two weeks ago, I saw someone drinking a smoothie and I’ve wanted one ever since. While I haven’t made to a smoothie king, I’ve made do with Bolthouse Farms and other smoothie drinks from the grocery store. But you have to be careful with those; they can have a ton of sugar!

feelings: I haven’t been nearly as emotional as I thought I would be but I’m noticing the tears come much easier these days. It wasn’t unusual to find me crying during a movie or at a sweet video or commercial but now I can just see someone crying and it’ll bring tears. I’ve also noticed that I get irritated a little quicker than I did before, but luckily it doesn’t last long. Otherwise, I still have my sunny disposition 🙂

best moment of the month: By far, the most amazing moment of my entire pregnancy so far was the first time I felt the baby move. At 16 weeks, I read that I could start feeling movements at any moment (it’s called “quickening”) and I kept researching what women said it felt like, hoping I had felt it/would feel it soon. They described the feeling as flutters or gas bubbles. It wasn’t until I was about 18 weeks that I finally felt it! I was lying on the couch in the evening, watching TV and playing on my phone, when I felt the little muscle spasms-flutters in my stomach. It took me a second to realize what it was, but when it clicked, I was so excited. I feel them pretty much once a day now, usually in the evening before bed when I’m relaxing on the couch, and I absolutely love it.

movement: See above.

miss anything?: The only thing I think I really miss right now is roller coaster rides. Not that I’m an avid amusement park attendee, but seeing signs for Carowind’s or Busch Garden’s Halloween attractions made me realize I couldn’t go right now even if I wanted to. Just the thought of not being able to do something as fun as that makes me miss it, even when I had no plans to do it in the first place!

looking forward to: The anatomy scan next week. I’m anxious to find out whether the baby is healthy and growing as expected, and to confirm the sex. Also, Thanksgiving with our families. Many of our family members haven’t seen the bump yet so it’s going to be a lot of fun. Plus, FOOD!

how we’re prepping: Slow and steady at the moment. We started our Centering Pregnancy class but we haven’t gotten very far with the nursery. That’s pretty common, right? We’ve put up new curtains, bought a few cute decorations, and measured the closet for an upgrade. My mother is giving us the crib she used when she babysat my nephews. I love scoring free baby gear!  I think once the crib set up, everything else in the nursery will fall into place.

Linkups: Let it Shine 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so I’d like to take some time ahead of the holiday to reflect on the things in my life for which I am the most thankful. Thankful Thursday is a weekly series for the month of November.

Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend and, even though the days are already starting to get shorter, for the next month and a half we’re going to lose even more daylight, at least until the Winter Solstice. That’s why this week I’m thankful for – and looking forward to – those sunny winter days.

The worst thing about the fall and winter seasons is waking up when it’s dark out and leaving work when it’s dark out. If you don’t sit next to a window, don’t have the opportunity to go outside during the day, or if the sun is captured behind clouds and gray, life can start to feel pretty dreary. For this reason, many people get the “winter blues” during the seasonal shift, making the blissfully sunny days in the middle of the season a precious gift. However, when you do venture out in the crisp air or snow on a sunny winter day, you get to bundle up in cute hats and scarves and coats. You can drink hot cocoa in your mittens while searching for the perfect frasier fir tree to decorate your home. And then there are the days when the bright, winter sun glitters in the snow and everything is quiet and calm. These are the days I look forward to all summer long.

And all of it is made even better by the bright sunshine cutting through the chill in the air.

I’m thankful for sunny winter days that bring light and beauty to the world when it otherwise feels bleak and gloomy.

What are you thankful for today?