6 months: baby girl Mascia!

A lot has happened in the last few months - 6, specifically.  Ant and I found out that we are expecting our first child next January!  We have since learned that "it" is a she, and have named her Tilly Elizabeth :)  Her due date is January 23rd, but regardless of when she actually arrives, we know that 2017 is going to be an exciting year for our family!

I had meant to post a few updates before now, but we're officially at 6 months this week and I thought I'd go back through the last 6 months with a few photo updates.  Going back through these pictures was quite a trip - it's crazy to think about all of the things that have changed (most noticeably, my body!) over these months.  

May 18:  This picture of the three of us was taken celebrating my birthday at Chaffinch....we had no idea then that we were actually 4.5 weeks pregnant.

May 21:  I took a LOT of other pictures that morning - but most of them are more personal for Ant and I.  This was the morning I took the positive pregnancy test(s)!!  What a crazy, sweet morning.

May 22: Because of my terrible timing - and not wanting to tell Ant the news via text message...I had to wait an entire 36 hours to let him know he was going to be a father!  Photo quality is terrible...and I don't care one bit.  That was the best night.  We just sat and talked for hours about our new future.

May 25 & June 8 (5 and 7 weeks): Looking back, these photos crack me up, but I am so so glad I took them!  Obviously, I am not showing yet...but it's fun to go back and see.  June 8 was our first Drs appointment and ultrasound, at 7.5 weeks.  There is hardly anything big enough to see on that ultra sound - but the doctor was able to show us the heart beat!

June 12, 18, & 26:  We wanted to tell our families in person, and got lucky enough that we had plans to see all of them over the course of three weekends right after our first ultrasound: first my parents, then his parents, then my sisters.  We told our parents using the sign on the new wall/door we were installing for what is now the nursery, and I had these bracelets made on ETSY for my sisters.  The bracelets spell "aunt" in morse code, so they could wear them even before they were allowed to talk about it with the general public :)  We had SO MUCH FUN sharing the news!!  Everyone was so surprised and thrilled, and reacted in such special ways.

July 9:  I spent weeks 11/12 in Canada exploring Banff National Park with Katie! I was lucky to have a very healthy first trimester...baby M was a total trooper on all of our crazy adventures!

  

July 13 (12 weeks):  The day after I got back from Canada, Ant and I had our first trimester screening.  Baby M did so much moving around we got to spend more than 45 minutes watching, waiting for the tech to get the right image.  After that appointment confirmed that we had a healthy happy (waving!) baby, we started to share the news with more of our close friends and family!

July 29 (14 weeks):  Again - looking back I laugh at this picture because I see no "bump"...but that day at work I distinctly remember people commenting that I was starting to show.

August 6 & 7 (16 weeks):  We spent our anniversary weekend in Ogunquit Maine, and made baby M "Facebook official".  It was the most relaxing couple of days in the MOST perfect bed & breakfast.  

August 17 & 20 (17 weeks):  This is where I felt like there was a definite "pop".  I posted my first bump picture on social media before heading to the gym one day....and the other picture was taken on cape cod visiting Ant's Aunt and Uncle.

August 23 (18 weeks):  We had our anatomy scan and found out that baby M was a GIRL!  We had already chosen both a girl and boy name, so at that moment she became Tilly Elizabeth Mascia.  I still can't believe how lucky we are.  Look at her cuddled up in there!

August 28 & 31 (19 weeks):  I can't deal with the cuteness of my two bebs together...

 

September 6 and 13 (20 & 21 weeks):  I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I could feel her moving, but I had my first undeniable "flutter" the Sunday of week 20.  She still wasn't very active though - and any small flutters or movement were few and far between.

September 14 (21 weeks):  I have continued to be VERY lucky throughout this pregnancy, and have felt very healthy.  My biggest side effect has been exhaustion...pretty sure I slept most of June away.  To fight that, and maintain control of my back pain, I have been doing my kick boxing workout twice a week.

September 26 & 27 (23 weeks):  Ant and I flew to Iceland for a week - a vacation we had planned long before we knew it would end up being our baby moon :)  We had the best week hiking and exploring this beautiful country.  I could talk for days about Iceland - and just might at some point in the future here!  On our flight over, I felt her first stronger kick.  However, she continued to be very sporadic, and I could never get Ant to feel it.  Tuesday of that week - after a longgggg day of bumpy gravel roads, she got especially active and Ant felt her kick for the first time!  It was so special having  her with us on that trip.

I have no pictures of week 24 - but we are officially at 6 months.  Since Iceland, Tilly has gotten even more active, and Ant has gotten to experience a bit of the amount of moving and shaking she's doing in there!

In between all of this, we have done a TON more work around the house to get ready for her.  Since I work retail - we know the holiday season will come and go with very little free time...and I want to be able to enjoy that free time as much as possible.  That has meant making the nursery a priority, and I am so so thrilled with the progress.  More on that later...

We can not wait to meet our Tilly bug in four short months!

xoxo