about my birthday

Happy Halloween! 

Halloween means that my birthday has come to a close for another year. I feel like it keeps coming sooner and sooner, so I don't think it will be long before it comes around again. I guess that's part of growing up.

I had a wonderful 26th birthday thanks to all of my awesome family and friends. 

It all started last week with a family celebration of the three October birthdays we have (Aaron, me, and my almost sister-in-law).

Presents for everyone! (Mine were wrapped in Cinderella paper, of course.)

My mom made us a blackberry cobbler and my dad made homemade vanilla ice cream. YUM.


My birthday celebration continued the evening before my birthday when some of my favorite people stopped by for a visit. I didn't get any pictures with Bensen and Keyen, but I took pictures of all of the wonderful birthday gifts they brought me.

With all of this Disney princess stuff, you might think I'm only six. Don't judge though. I love it. Flowers, homemade cupcakes, and the two biggest birthday cards I've ever received!

I love those boys. They even brought something for Graeme.

I love it. (I was told it was going to be a onesie with owls on it, but Bensen insisted I didn't like owls. I'm not sure where he got that from!) I'm glad he was excited to pick out something all by himself. Graeme will look adorable in this one day.

On my actual birthday, Aaron started my day off with a sweet card that brought on some tears. He also bought me new cutting boards (mine were broken/falling apart) because I had been asking for new ones for a couple of months. And he got me a movie that I like. I hadn't expected either of those things because I had told him I just wanted him to take me shopping later that day. He's the best.

We went to work in the morning, and then we had our weekly lunch with my mom-in-law. I got to pick where we ate since it was my birthday, and they got me the perfume I love that I had run out of a few months ago.

Aaron left work a little early and we shopped around and had dinner together. I wouldn't want to spend my birthday with anyone but him. 

We skipped birthday dessert at the restaurant per my request because I knew I had this magical-ness waiting for me at home:

Our friend Julie made me a homemade ice cream cake. She makes AMAZING cakes!

Aaron and I both fell right to sleep that night. We even forgot to set an alarm! I guess that means it was definitely a great birthday.

Twenty six, here I am.

in the middle

Today is pretty exciting because we are halfway to meeting our sweet baby boy! 

Hello, 20 weeks. Nice to finally meet you.

I'm a little annoyed because my cute little ticker on the side of the blog over there says Graeme Grayson is the the size of a cantaloupe this week. That, however, is false. [That would have been a huge growth spurt from my mango baby last week!] He is actually the size of a banana this week. I tried to fix it, but there's still something wrong with it. Don't be deceived. He is not the size of a cantaloupe yet. 

Anyway.

This past week has been another great week. Obviously we've enjoyed knowing that Baby Bauer is Baby Graeme. It's been fun to start planning and doing a little bit of shopping.

I have felt good again this week. No complaints! As long as I don't give in and take a nap (which is usually only on the weekend anyway), I sleep great all night. I've slowly incorporated some food items that were making me sick back into the mix. I still can't stomach an egg though.

I am loving this stage of pregnancy, and I hope it lasts for quite awhile.

We have an appointment on Monday to check up on me and Graeme. I believe I am due for a finger prick and having blood drawn to check my thyroid hormones. I will try not to think about the needles and instead focus on the exciting part of hearing Graeme's little heartbeat...

now that it's sinking in more

I've had a few days to let it sink in that we are having a boy. Don't get me wrong, it's still a little bit dreamlike. The first time Aaron put it in the terms of "our son," I definitely did a double take. It's a strange, wonderful feeling.

We are definitely excited. We would have been thrilled either way, but here are a few reasons I'm happy we're having a boy:

1. I never had a big brother, but I always thought it would have been nice. Not that I would trade in my little brother at all! If we have more kids (which is the plan for now!), I am glad they will have an older brother to look out for them.
2. Like I just said, I grew up with a little brother. I had a lot of younger boy cousins. I mostly babysat boys growing up. I nannied full-time for two boys for two years. Aaron is a boy. Aaron had brothers. I think we will be pretty comfortable with a little boy! (But Penny and I will definitely be sticking together around here when all the boys gang up on us...Jonah is a boy too, you know. The girls are outnumbered now.)
3. There's just something about baby boys that makes them so snuggly. People always say boys love to cuddle. And so do I. (If Graeme doesn't like to cuddle, I'm going to be a little upset.)
4. I think Graeme has the best dad in the whole world. I can't wait to see him with Aaron and I know they will have so much fun playing together as Graeme grows up. I think Aaron and I will make a good team on this parenting adventure. It's going to be fun. And exhausting. And fun.

I can't believe I'll be 20 weeks along in a couple days. I think I'm more excited about that than my birthday tomorrow! We're halfway there to meeting our son (that's still weird to say!).

at 19 weeks...and having a...

Well, if you haven't been on Facebook or Instagram and haven't heard the news, our sweet little 19-week-old mango is an adorable, healthy, wiggly BOY!

I am still up in the clouds with excitement. We had our appointment bright and early at 8am this morning. The immense uncomfortableness of a full bladder was soon pushed out of my mind by the sight of our baby on the screen. We hadn't had an ultrasound for six weeks, and that one was literally 10 seconds long since they were only listening for the heartbeat. A lot has changed since then!

After checking on all of the other little body parts and showing us where everything was (which was totally amazing) she told us that our little wiggle worm (he moved A LOT) was a little boy!

Neither of us had a "feeling" of what we were having, and we would have been thrilled either way. After we left and sat down at Starbucks, we let it sink in. A BOY. A little boy. We were beyond excited.

So, in just a few months, we will welcome Graeme Grayson Bauer into our little family.

Graeme:   We are pronouncing it GRAY-em. We didn't really pick it because it meant something or because it's a family name. We just liked it. Graeme. Two syllables. 

Grayson:   Grayson, if I'm being honest, took us a long time to decide on. When it comes down to it, again, we didn't choose it for meaning or family. It's from Batman. Yes. Dick Grayson. It's the only Batman name I could get behind. And we think it's adorable paired with Graeme.



We have already been to Target and Babies R Us today for fun. Graeme will definitely have a lot of Batman, superhero, and Disney things. We also like robots and monsters and animals. Not so many sports things. Actually none on account of us. Please don't buy us "Daddy's Little Quarterback" things. We don't even know what that means hardly. Graeme will have to get educated on sports elsewhere. I'm sure his grandparents will take care of that.

Speaking of grandparents, we were able to meet them for brunch after our appointment and tell them in person. 

"Baby Boy or Baby Girl...WHOOO will I be?"

This past week has been great. This is actually the first week of pregnancy where I can't think of any negatives. I've felt great. I've had a lot of energy. I've been sleeping well. I'm totally nesting like crazy. I have organized almost every closet, cabinet, and drawer in this house.

It's hard to believe that Graeme and I will be at the halfway point next week.

I am praising God continuously for this sweet little boy. I am so thankful that he is growing and healthy. Seeing his heart beating, his lungs, his brain, his kidneys and so many other little working body parts today reminded me just how much of a miracle life from God is. Graeme is definitely fearfully and wonderfully made!



We can't tell you how much we appreciate all of the love we continue to receive from friends and family during this pregnancy. We love all of you.


We love our "little hero" too!

Aaron has proclaimed it "nesting" phase...

This past weekend we had an upheaval around here. Our upstairs (minus our bedroom and the bathrooms) is totally switched around.

It's wonderful to have wonderful friends, and when their wives are out of town and they have a free night, it's convenient all around. We offer food and fun (at least we think we are fun). He offers manpower. So, our very wonderful friend Patrick came over last Thursday night to move what he thought was a couple things (Aaron was a little misleading). He really helped us move like 10 things.

By the time the guest rooms were cleared out and semi in order, our loft looked like this:

Penny was VERY concerned about the whole situation.

It didn't all fit in the loft, so our room was also a holding area.

We probably owe Patrick more than free dinner...

The next day, Aaron and I set to work trying to get everything else in order. To get the general idea of what things are like now:

Baby's room

Guest room

Loft (We moved the TV into the big cabinet sine this picture and cleared out all of that other stuff.)

Saturday afternoon, more wonderful friends (Rodney and Bensen) came to set up Baby Bauer's crib (it used to belong to Keyen, so Rodney offered to set it up for us long ago).

When that was finished, Aaron and I did not want to leave the Baby's room. It's so cute already and we haven't even begun to decorate it.

Blurry :(

Don't worry, we did leave Baby's room and we didn't work hard all weekend. We took a break on Friday to head to the NC State Fair.

Hard to see, but there is a giant motored shopping cart facing off with that wheel pedaled by a man. Oh, the fair.

Saturday night, we babysat Bensen and Keyen. They made Aaron birthday cupcakes. So sweet (the boys and the cupcakes).

And last night Aaron took me to see Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio as an early birthday present. 

So, if this is "nesting," as Aaron says, it's pretty fun. 

while we're just kicking along at 18 weeks...

Our little "sweet potato" is 18 weeks today. This is the first week where I'm like, "Oh. A sweet potato? Those are pretty big. Baby Bauer is that big already?!"

I can't believe I am almost halfway through this pregnancy. Since my nausea went away, time has gone by much faster. And here come the holidays...

The negative this past week has been the return of awful heartburn. But I really hate to complain about it because I will take heartburn all the day long over nausea and throwing up. It doesn't really kick in until the afternoon/evening, and I just pop some Tums before I go to sleep. By morning, it's gone. Repeat again the next evening.

Now for the way more important positives. Ready?

I FELT THE BABY KICK THIS PAST WEEK.

Holy, exciting moment, Batman!

I had been anticipating it happening anytime, and one night we were lying on the couch and I felt a little flutter/tiny thump. I deduced it was not gas or hunger. It must have been Baby Bauer. 

Aaron was excited too but said he was a little jealous that he couldn't feel it yet. I told him I get to have some perks since I've been going through all the not fun stuff too. He concurred.

I've felt it again a few times each day. It's usually when I'm lying down or sitting still and paying attention. Although if it happens when I'm not expecting it, it's a tiny bit weird for a second. What was that?! Oh yeah, there's a person inside me...

So, all that to say, it's very, very cool to be able to feel the baby every once in awhile. I'm glad it's making itself at home in there. We still have quite a few weeks to go.


In just one week, Lord willing, we will know if Baby Bauer is a baby boy or a baby girl. A week still seems so far away. We can't wait to know and share it with everyone. I am praying that our little one will not be hiding anything from us. I am also a little wary of the "Please come with a full bladder," part of the appointment. I'm sure once I'm distracted with the computer screen it won't be too uncomfortable...right?!

Oh well. Every second of the good and not-so-pleasant parts of pregnancy is totally worth it. Happy 18 weeks, sweet Baby Bauer! We thank God for you constantly!

a catch up post

It's time for a catch up post because I am waaay behind in pictures and things that have been going on. Here we go:




So, MISSION:FX happened on Friday, October 4th. That basically consumed the week leading up to it. A lot of our time was spent organizing prizes, candy, super hero masks, and food.

This picture does not begin to show the madness.

All of the hard work payed off, and MISSION:FX was SO awesome.

It was hard to say exactly, but we estimate that around 1,000 people showed up. We couldn't have pulled it off without our fearless lead team and the 200 amazing volunteers that showed up.

The weekend wasn't over after that, and my sweet husband was exhausted on Sunday night when he got home. I did my best to cheer him up with some Minnie loves Mickey pancakes. Yes, sometimes I can be clever. 

Thankfully, this past week was much calmer. We weren't even sure what to talk about at work.

This past week also brought the wonderful, cool, fall weather. It was time to pull out my Batman pajama pants.

The big negative this past week was the result of one of my arch nemesis:  bees. You may remember a certain post alluding to my hatred of bees here.

Anyway.

I was indoors at church in rainy weather minding my own business. There was a little kids' jean jacket that had been left in one of the classrooms. I innocently reached to grab it from where it was hanging when what should occur but a horrible stinging pain. 

I shook my hand and down fell a yellow jacket. As the bee venom spread in my hand and became quite unpleasant, I called Aaron in to kill the stupid bee that was somehow in the building (?!). I only cried for a minute (hey, I'm pregnant...and it really hurt!)

I have been stung many, many times in my life for some strange reason (hence my terror and utter avoidance of buzzing things). But this guy came out of nowhere. What were the chances?!

I wouldn't normally panic much, but of course I immediately freaked out for the baby. After typing in "stung by a bee while pregnant" on Google proved more fear-inducing than helpful, I put in a call to my OB.

She didn't answer so I left a message along the lines of "Hi, I'm Whitney Bauer. I'm pregnant and was just stung by a bee. Is this bad?"

I missed her call back, but she assured me that unless I was typically allergic to bee stings, all was well. 

That was good to know, and I just dealt with my hand hurting for the remainder of the day. Thankfully the next day it felt better.



The rest of last week was spent celebrating Aaron's birthday with presents, friends, and too much food. He had a great birthday, and now begins the 16ish days that he is five years older than I am. I like to rub that in a lot while I can.




Oh, one more thing. This:

is happening right outside our door every. day.

I will not be sad when these houses are built and we no longer live in a construction zone.



The end.

30 things for Aaron's birthday

Today, my very best friend turns another year older. Actually, another decade older, although he's not so thrilled about that part.

Happy, happy birthday, Aaron. I love you so very much. And I am so thankful God put you on this earth 30 years ago.

Here are 30 fun memories with you. Let's keep making more, okay?

1.  After two months of dating, we spent New Year's Eve of 2008/2009 together. I still wasn't technically your "girlfriend," but I was so, so smitten with you.

2.  We have always loved to hang out downtown. And sometimes match.

3.  On February 13, 2009 you took me to the beach for the day. You told me you loved me. And that was that. We were in. No looking back.

4.  In June of 2009, you went with me on a family vacation. You were brave. And it was fun sneaking away to Universal Studios for the day.

5.  I thought you might propose in Florida, but you didn't. You pretended like you couldn't afford to. Actually, you already had the ring...

6.  You did propose on August 8, 2009. On this bridge. And the random joggers took this picture and emailed it to us.

7.  I loved being engaged to you and planning our wedding that would take place in front of this lake.

8.  What's to say? I just love this picture.

9.  Taking our engagement pictures was a fun day. After planning out all our outfits we just stayed in the same ones the whole time. Oh well.

10.  This was our first and only holiday season as an engaged couple. The year before, we were barely dating. The next year, we were married. That was a strange, wonderful thing.

11.  Less than a month before we got married, I graduated from college. Thanks for making it a big deal amidst all of the other stress around that time.

12.  The day before our wedding is kind of a blur. I just couldn't wait for the next day. What did we even eat at our rehearsal dinner? I honestly have no recollection of eating food.

13.  I will never get tired of looking at our wedding pictures. They capture our joy on that day so well.

14.  Off we went to start the real adventure:  marriage. And what an adventure it has been. 

15.  Our honeymoon was SO much fun. I'm glad it didn't end when we got off the ship. I'm also glad you always call our anniversary trips honeymoons. They are.

16.  Our first year of marriage was wonderful. Living in an apartment, figuring out how to cook, budgeting money, and so many other firsts with you make me smile when I think about them.

17.  We spent our first anniversary at Disney World, of course. Remember that nice old couple that talked to us at dinner that night? They had been married for over 50 years. There's so much to still look forward to!

18.  One day, we came home with this little fur ball. It's been fun learning how to take care of another living thing with you. I love our Penny girl.

19.  Sometimes we still try to be handy. We really should stop. But it's always funny, at least.

20.  I love, love, love doing ministry with you. Sometimes it sucks. But it's always worth it at the end of the day. God never ceases to show off and show us up.

21.  And sometimes in ministry, we do things where we don't feel like we know what we're doing. But it's an honor to do it with you, and it's fun along the way.

22.  You make sure we never have a dull moment. Thank you for putting a smile on my face every day.

23.  One day, let's win the lottery and build a mountain house. I love all of our trips to the mountains. 

24.  Every once in awhile, we can pretend to care about sports. But we really don't. And I'm glad I married someone that doesn't make me care about sports. This baseball game was still fun though.

25.  I'm glad we decided to take another cruise this past year. That was the most relaxing trip we had had since our honeymoon.

26.  And thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long to pay a visit to our favorite place (where relaxing is not a thing).

27.  Let's take our kids here as much as we can. And buy them Minnie/Mickey ears.

28.  The day we found out we were pregnant with this baby was one of the best days of my life. I'm so glad I got to share it with you.

29.  You are already such a wonderful dad and I love to see you love our baby. I can't wait to see you grow as a father, and I know you'll be amazing.

30.  Aaron, I've had so much fun celebrating this birthday with you. I'm so proud of you, and I'm blessed to be your wife. Happy 30th Birthday.