A Quick Life Update: Pregnancy, Secret Projects, Conferences and More

Fall is here and I can already tell it is going to FLY by! Here’s a brief recap of our crazy life these past two weeks.

Pregnancy: This week marks 24 weeks in my pregnancy. Baby boy is BUSY in my belly. I am feeling lots of kicks and movement every day. Matthew felt him kick for the first time last Wednesday. The kids haven’t felt him yet, but they talk to my belly every day.

I am already dealing with sciatica, which is something I get with each of my pregnancies, but this seems to be the earliest I have had it. I am doing stretches and considering booking an acupuncture visit. I am also having quite a few migraines, which was also true for my pregnancies with Elias. (The testosterone messes with me.)

It has been fun shopping for new baby clothes and other necessities and just generally starting to “nest.” I didn’t keep anything because we thought we were done after Adeline… but then I couldn’t shake that *one more* feeling. We are excited for the baby to arrive in just a few short months.

Bedrooms: With the baby coming, we are majorly transitioning every bedroom in our house. Because of our crazy schedule, is taking longer than I expected (we started the transition two weeks ago!) We got a new bedroom set, with a king bed, Elias got our bedroom set (so that we have a queen bed available for when guests come since we don’t have a guest room) and Adeline got Elias’s twin bed (she will be transitioning to it tonight!), so that the baby can have her crib.

Elias’s room is a Star Wars theme and I hope to paint an accent wall this weekend (a dark, dark navy called Starless Night), then start to decorate beyond the bedding and the space ceiling fan. I am also working with Land of Nod’s complimentary Design Services to figure out what to do with Adeline and the baby’s room. All I know is that wallpaper stripping needs to happen!

Soccer: We decided to sign Elias up for the fall soccer season and he is loving it. He has several friends from his old day care on the team, and I think it has been a really nice transition for him with kindergarten because he still sees old friends every week. I am thankful that Nashville is finally cooling down a bit making late morning/early afternoon games bearable.

Conference/Speaking season: This past weekend I did four break-out sessions at dotMOM – two on blogging and two on The Fringe Hours. It was the first time I had the opportunity to present some of the book’s content and it was such a joy. The sessions were packed and women really seemed to resonate with the message. When it was over, I cried.

I am also preparing for two conferences next month – Allume, where I will be speaking and SocialMedia.org’s Brands Only Summit, for my day job (at Disney World!). These conferences are back-to-back, and Matthew is going out of town while I’m at Disney, but thankfully my Mom is going to come and take care of the kiddos. Then no more travel for this pregnant mama!

Time with friends: This past week I had lots of friend time. On Sunday, five girlfriends came over to do some Christmas crafts. After all, who has time to craft at Christmas?! We made ornament wreaths using ornaments I bought 90% off after Christmas last year, and adorable burlap tree canvases (planning a tutorial for these). It was so fun to be together and my dining room is still covered in glitter!

I also had two nights out for dinner with friends. So thankful for a writers dinner with Lysa, Annie, Rebekah, Angie and Crystal last week, as well as with Jennie this past weekend during dotMOM. I was so encouraged by their stories and loved, and so thankful that Matthew values and supports me having time out. It is so needed!

Projects: I can’t go into specifics, but Matthew and I have been working on a special project together that is going to hopefully bless many of your families. We are a few weeks from launch and couldn’t be more excited about it.

Also, I have been working on the finishing touches of The Fringe Hours product line with DaySpring. It is all really beautiful.

While it is an incredibly busy season, I am doing my best to take it all in. Our life is such a gift. Craziness can be a distraction from the beauty that is all around us. I am working hard to cultivate gratitude each day, enjoy simple moments of silliness, bedtime stories and kisses.

Whew! What is going on in your home these days?