23 Week Update

On Sunday I will officially be 23 weeks! I am still trying to wrap my brain around that one. This pregnancy has been sailing by.

Luckily, I have been dealt easy cards these last few months. I am feeling great and my body has gratefully accepted the massive watermelon protruding from my middle! Did I say massive??? Well I forgot to mention, since my last photo-up my entirely too bloated belly decided (after eating waaaay too much food) to just not go back down one night. I'm not sure if this growth spurt was self inflicted OR if my little guy was just filling up more space!?!

Take a peek at one of my recent turn of events...
I give you mommy-to-be just shy of 6 months in. Surprisingly, the picture doesn't do justice to what my pants are screaming to me. (which is "streeeeeetch") My initial confidence in struttin' around in a bathing suit this summer is kind of coming to a halt! I might just be wrapped head to toe in an over sized beach towel sitting pool side..... oh joy!

Friends, if you see me laying out next to you, please don't judge ;)

So I thought I'd give an update on what my little man's been up to in that womb of mine and fill you in on what all he has accomplished. He's sure making me smile :D

*He can now hear the sounds going on outside of his little home. The loud noises such as me vacuuming and his big bro Cooper barking are becoming familiar to him. Hopefully he will be used to them when he arrives. I guess you could say the boys (Cooper and baby) have kind of met! awwww.

*My little man is now feeling the beat! He now has a sense of movement and can feel me dance around. With all my Kindergarten dancing going on, he will be coming out of the womb doing "The Body Rock".

*He should be a little over a 1lb and over 11 inches long, about the length of an ear of corn.

* Apparently, this week he should start "chubbing" up! That means momma will too.... Oh dear! He will officially be looking like a little baby.

As you can see, he has been pretty busy in there. I figured! With all the twists, turns and jolts going on, I knew he was up to something! Miracles are happening every day in there and it totally melts my heart.

Before I come to a close, I must show you a pic of my recent purchase from the always incredible Target! These navy blue canvas shoes were to die for..... I could NOT resist! (Can you seriously picture him with his little polo and khakis on paired with these kicks!! A-dorable:D)

Birthday Love

Today is a special day..... IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! My 27th to be exact. I'm pretty sure in the years ahead I will probably leave out the whole number thingy and just say birthday. But until then, I will say it loud and proud :D

My day has been a special one, exploding with birthday wishes. I think every child in our town under the age of 9 years old gave me a "happy birthday". I guess that is one of the perks of teaching in an elementary school. It was all so sweet, even though I did feel just a teensy bit bad for causing all the random shouts in the hallway. What kid doesn't love to celebrate!

At lunch I did get a special surprise as I walked into the teacher's lounge and placed my eyes on these beauties..."sigh". I love purty flowers :D These are from my Chaddy!

Tonight will be a yummy dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. mmmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Pregnant girl + favorite food = bliss :D I might have to go all out tonight and throw in a cocktail... sans the alcohol of course!

Another absolutely adorable gift I received today (as in 15 seconds ago) is from my little niece. Talk about precious.... Take a peek!



I must note that the vocals are from momma Calli and movement by daddy Seth :D Thanks Alberts family!!! Soooooo sweet!

Now this year I have been given the best of the BEST birthday gifts! Unfortunately I have to be tempted until September! Can you guess what it is????

It is soft and sweet.
Likes to play in the middle of the night ;)
Covered in all things blue.
and is about the size of a cabbage.

Ha! I know, easy. My little man of course. I can't wait to get my hands on that little guy in just a few short months. This will be a gift of a lifetime. Until then, I will have to just love him through my belly.

Thanks for such a fabulous birthday! I feel like one special girl :)

Boy oh Boy...the Shopping Has Begun!

Stake your eyes on exhibit A:

....and on to exhibit B:So who ever said you can't find cute clothes for boys!?! Well, they are wrong because Look-What-I-Found!! I give you the start of the most adorable wardrobe for my little man (mostly thanks to h&m). He will be one handsomly precious child.

After finding out the baby was a he, the world's most beloved shoppers (my sister, mom & I) just happened to fall upon some stores that had irresistible clothes. Well one onesie led to another and before we knew it, we had ourselves quite the collection. I must say, we did a dang good job! Let's just hope my little man is in deed little and doesn't pop out a 10 pounder. I don't think H & M's return policy is that good!

I am sure there will be much more of this cute stuff in the near future. I haven't even hit up Gap Kids yet! Oh how I love that store :D

*On another note, I am officially a little over 22 weeks pregnant and feeling fantastic! I will be sure to post a pic with some new stats very soon. I promise I won't have another week long hiatus from my blog. This pregnancy laziness is really kickin' in! Ugh!

All Boy

If I could scream through cyberspace with the excitement that is bubbling inside of me, I totally would because IT'S A BOY!!! Like 99.9999999% sure! Can you feel the permanent smile plastered to my face? It's not going anywhere:D

When I heard the ultrasound tech say those magical words, they were immediately imprinted onto my heart and mind. I felt such a wave of emotion and pure happiness--- a happiness you don't usually experience. It-was-amazing! I was surrounded by family and we now have shared such an incredible moment that we can put into our memory box.

To recap this (what feels like a) dream, it kind of went like this....

The entire day my heart was running a marathon. I felt like a 5 year old impatiently waiting for Christmas morning... so really Really excited. 3:30 finally came and we all went back to the ultrasound room. After plopping my growing body on the table... see evidence below!
A giant cold glob of jelly was squeezed onto my belly. My eyes immediately went to the screen to watch the show! The tech went from the babies head to toe explaining all the miraculous intricate workings of my little man. My eyes were mesmerized in pure amazement as I could see all that has developed, grown, changed. I saw a baby. Even better, I saw a healthy baby with everything working. As soon as he captured his tiny hands, the strings of my heart were tugged and all I wanted was to reach through the screen and hold them. Every millimeter of him was perfect. He was resting oh so comfortably against me. Every once in a while he would give a little kick or move his arms. (Probably saying, "Could you guys stop poking at me and let me sleep!" ) It was absolutely surreal to see him move and to know this was inside of me. I felt and feel so lucky to be given the opportunity to experience such an incredible gift. After going over all of the ins and outs of my sweet one, the tech got down to that golden spot. He checked with me one more time to make sure I wanted to find out and without hesitation I said OH YES! And those magical words were spoken. I saw with my own eyes.... he is all boy :) Mommies little boy. I love it.

Here is a picture of this beautiful little guy.


Luckily he turned long enough for us to take a picture. As soon as his sweet face was captured, he quickly turned back and nestled in again.

He is already irrisistable. I look at him every day and each time I fall in love with him all over again. What a sweet pea.

Mommy Fever

This weekend was definitely a much needed weekend. It was 2 days of relaxing that of course included Mothers Day- one of my new favorite holidays ;), a beautiful walk at Valley Forge park and a little shopping. To top it all off, I was with some of my favorites!




The adorable puppies, mom, camera man Joepa (aka dad) and Ben. Pic above is in mid-walk on Mother's Day. Our poor little babies were pooped!

This year, Mother's Day was extra EXTRA special because it was filled with so many firsts.

*my mom's first Mother's Day as a Nana

* my sisters first Mother's Day as a mommy


* AND my first Mother's Day as a mommy-to-be


So basically all the Schrei girls now share a special day. Does it get any cooler than that!?! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G with a giant capital A!

On Sunday, my mom and I were sipping on some Joe (half-calf of course), talking about how incredibly blessed we feel. The gifts that God has given us this year are greater than I ever could have imagined. Next year when I hold my little miracle as I celebrate Mother's Day, everything will feel full circle.

Now here I sit, anxiously waiting for my big day tomorrow. I finally get to see my baby! I can't wait to see how much this peanut has grown, how he/she likes to lay in my belly.... I can't wait to hear a strong heartbeat and I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR "BOY" or "GIRL"!!!!! This day has been on my mind every second since I wrote it on the calendar. (all 3 of them) Tomorrow will be a day that will become a lifelong memory. One of my first memories I will forever cherish of my miracle. I will be sure to share the BIG news ASAP!

So, to my little one.... mommy can't wait to see your precious face tomorrow! We are one gigantic step closer to seeing each other. I love you more than you will ever know and every time I feel you in my belly, that love just grows. You are amazing my sweet baby. xoxoxo (p.s. if I could just ask you 1 tiny little favor..... please decide to have another dance-a-thon around 3:30 tomorrow and postpone your napping :D ) Muah!

Dancing at Midnight

I finally experienced one of the most amazing perks of carrying a baby---- MOVEMENT! It wasn't just a little flutter either. It was a full blown dance-a-thon for about an hour. 12:00 AM -1:00AM to be exact. I am not sure what got into this little guy (or girl), but holy cow there wasn't a break. Based on last night and what I have been feeling, this love bug really likes the right side of my belly. Wonder what is so comfy over there!?!

It was so fun to try and figure out what made the baby move more or less depending on how I laid there. So there I was, rolling back and forth from side to side, pausing to see what stirred the little one up. Oh to be a fly on the wall! I was laughing, talking and rolling around like a ball for a good 1/2 hour. Don't worry I was very gentle through the whole process ;)

Who would have thought I would ever be so ecstatic to be kept up from a sound sleep. I think there was a smile super glued to my face for the rest of the night. To feel my miracle move has been the most incredible experience so far. I can't wait for more!

Oh! on another note.... T-9 days before the big day!!!!