Gender Reveal!

We got the exciting news yesterday at our ultrasound appointment that we're having a baby girl. She was very wiggly and refused to show us her face for most of the time, but it was very obvious that she was a girl! Most of all, she is healthy and we're so thankful.

Now there's so much to do between picking a name and decorating the nursery, and it's all very exciting. It's much more real now that we know what we're having and can imagine her being here. Hopefully the next 5 months will go by quickly (as long as I get everything done!). I'll leave you with a sneak peek of her profile:

Weinachten in Wien (Christmas in Vienna)

Last week, Levi and I traveled to Vienna to see Jake and Becca and help them get settled in their new German-speaking country. It was a too-short trip (we were only there about 12 hours longer than we were traveling), but we had a lot of fun catching up with the two of them and enjoying a city that's special to all of us.

It was nice that we have all been to Vienna together before since we had such a short time there and wanted to spend it hanging out with Jake and Becca instead of feeling obligated to cram in all the sight-seeing of a new place. We did visit some of the sights, though, including the spot where Levi proposed to me in 2008 (the Hofburg Palace) and several coffee shop haunts from Levi's time studying abroad there in 2007.

Something that was new to all of us (and a perk of visiting in December) were the weihnachtsmärkte, or Christmas markets. They were full of garland, lights, warm drinks, handmade gifts and more. The warmth and coziness of them was very welcome in the 20-degree weather. Also, there were beautiful Christmas lights hanging in the main shopping streets.

firetruck

where we got engaged (though we were in a carriage going through this archway at the time)

It was sad to leave Jake and Becca, but we're looking forward to seeing them again when they visit in March. Overall, it was a great but bittersweet trip, both because we had to say goodbye to Jake and Becca again and also because we realized it would probably be awhile until we get to travel abroad again. We plan to continue to make traveling a priority when we have kids, but I know it will be more difficult, and I imagine we won't be traveling too far with a tiny baby. I guess for now we should just look forward to the coming chapter of life as a new "adventure".

Belated Anniversary

Though Levi and I "celebrated" on the actual day, I forgot to mention on the blog that Nov. 18 was our 9-year dating anniversary! I can't believe we've been together for nine years now. The time has at times crept by and at other times flown. We have done so much in these nine years: finished high school, attended college, Levi studied abroad, I interned in another state, we graduated from college, Levi moved back to Oklahoma, we got married, got jobs, bought a house, got a dog, Levi got his dream job as a firefighter, we bought a car and now we're having a baby!

Just for fun, here are pictures of us from then and now.

Then:

2004

2005:

2006

2007:

2008:

2009:

2010:

2011:

Now:

2012

It's funny that I chose this picture because after seeing it on Facebook from my friend Casey's wedding I told Levi that "we had really aged". I know we don't look ancient by any means, but for some reason this picture just made me realize how much we really have matured over the years. I still don't feel like an adult! 

Here's to finishing up this decade as Mrs. Wilkins (at least officially for the last few years)!

1st Trimester Woes

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm very excited to be having a baby. But man, this being pregnant thing is HARD. Here's my list of first trimester pregnancy woes - some of which should wane now that I've started my second trimester and some that I know will only get worse.

1. Nausea - This can hit when you least expect it, not to mention the gag reflex that can strike at any time. I've been thankful for prescription medications and motion sickness bracelets, but sometimes not even all that is enough. I think I've finally gotten past the worst weeks of it. 
2. Difficulty sleeping - I know this won't improve for oh, 18 years or so depending on how many more children we have. 
3. Not being able to do anything quickly - Everything requires about twice as much time to do thanks to the nausea and overall weakness. For example, getting ready in the morning takes about two hours with many sitting/laying breaks. My friend told me that taller pregnant women (me) are especially prone to lightheadedness because of changes in the priority of blood circulation.
4. Having to eat all the time - This may sound like a good thing, but when you're nauseous, not a big eater in the first place and nothing ever sounds good it's really difficult to eat enough. To make matters worse, there is a vicious cycle where if you don't eat because you feel bad, you will actually start to feel worse. It's awful. I'm hoping the second trimester will bring more of an appetite! I'm currently living on yogurt, ice cream, baked potatoes, toast, Boost protein shakes, grilled cheese, Jamba Juice and saltines. Of course, I eat other things too, but those are on my go-to list since I know I can usually get them down easily! Also, I've had great luck eating at Outback the two times we've been there lately. 
5. Not feeling like doing anything - Poor Levi has done everything for the last couple months. He cooks, cleans, does laundry, runs errands, gets groceries, makes sure I'm feeling alright and usually all with a smile on his face. I don't know how single women do this or women who already have other children to take care of! I've also missed out on many of my favorite fall activities - baking banana and pumpkin bread, decorating the front of our house with pumpkins, hay bales, etc., our annual pumpkin painting party with my nephews, going to the corn maze and seemingly countless other things I love. I keep reminding myself that it's only for a season and I'll get to enjoy all those things again next year.  

While I could think of others, I'll leave it at that for now. It's ironic that I'm posting this on Thanksgiving. I am, in fact, very thankful for the many ways God has blessed us (with wonderful family, friends, a home, jobs, a dog, a baby, the list goes on), and I am especially thankful that these pregnancy symptoms won't last forever.  

Happy Birthday to Me

Last Friday was my 25th birthday and, despite continuing to not feel well, I had a great day (that is, until I got sick in the restaurant bathroom after my birthday dinner with extended family, oh the joys of pregnancy). I enjoyed getting to see lots of family and I got great gifts, one of which was the duvet cover I've been pining for (thanks, Levi!).

I've had my eye out for a new duvet cover for our room for about two years now. I loved the duvet cover we got for our wedding, but that was before I really developed my "style" of decorating, so by the time we moved into our new house (now over two years ago) I needed to find a new one that would better fit our decor.

Before (in our old house because I didn't take a recent before picture - surprise!):

The problem with my search was that I didn't want a floral that would go out of date, I didn't want stripes again and I didn't want a solid one that would be too "blah". That really nixes most all of them, right? In fact, I had no idea what I wanted, but I thought I'd know it when I saw it. And that's just how it happened. After "window" shopping for a duvet cover online for about the millionth time, I found it.

After (forgive the poor cell phone picture!):

I'm also going to add the pillow below to the ensemble in the front middle. But, because I'm sick, tired and pregnant I didn't want to make the bed again so you'll just have to use your imagination. :)

I will probably also get a bed skirt that matches the above pillow. I think the darker chocolate brown ticking stripe will help ground the soft linen and blue/gray colors going on. 

That's all for now! I'm sure I'll have many more decorating posts in the near future. I have not one but two rooms to decorate before the baby comes since we'll be combining our current office with our guest room, which isn't finished being decorated to begin with, plus I'll have to decorate a complete nursery, too! I know it will be fine if it doesn't all get done, but I keep hearing that my energy level will pick up here in the second trimester (which I started today!) and that the sickness should wane, so hopefully I'll be back on the decorating wagon soon! 

I guess this makes it official

Several of you have been waiting for this post and others didn't know what they were waiting for.

We're having a baby! 

You may have noticed my blog has been pretty quiet lately, primarily because I wanted to wait on the pregnancy announcement and I didn't have much else to say. I've been pretty sick lately and even took off work yesterday to rest and recover. Everyone keeps telling me it's all worth it and, at this point, there's really no turning back so it better be! ;)

For those who are wondering, I'll be 12 weeks along on Monday, and the baby is due May 27. We'll get to find out the gender around Christmas/New Years and Levi can hardly stand to wait that long (of course, I'm excited to know, too!).

This will be quite a journey with our world being turned completely upside-down, but we're looking forward to it. I'll be working through April and then staying home with the baby and continuing the freelance work I do now. That will be very different, but it will be good for our family, especially since Levi will be home with us 2/3 of the time. We are very blessed by God's perfect timing that everything is falling into place. Here's to a new adventure!

Trip to the Desert

Last weekend, Levi and I took a trip to New Mexico to enjoy Santa Fe and the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We had planned to go with our friends the Fenricks, but they weren't able to go at the last minute. While we were disappointed they couldn't go with us, we decided to go anyway and enjoy our weekend escape.

First we drove to Santa Fe where we got a great discount on a nice inn and spa. We enjoyed our hotel, tried new restaurants (the food there is not designed for a picky eater like me!), walked around the outdoor "markets" and visited a chapel and a cathedral. Levi's dad even "stopped by" for lunch on his way to Pagosa Springs from Guymon.

Next, we drove an hour south to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta. It's the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, and it was more impressive than I had even imagined. There were several balloons that were unusual shapes, and it was so much fun to watch them go up (despite the cold and early morning!). One bucket list item down!