Happy 25 Weeks!

Oh Hey, Belly! Less than 105 days to go...

What is in a name, anyways?

The hubs and I decided on our babes names pretty easily. 

I had names in mind, he didn't want to think about them until after we found out the sex of the babes, but on the car ride home from the doctor, he just turned to me and said the two names I was thinking of. 

We have gotten a lot of slack for our boys name, and everyone praises the name we chose for our girl..And frankly, after being told I was ballsy for naming our boy Nixon I started thinking what is in a name? 

Lets start with our girl, Josephine McKay

Josephine was a name my husbands grandmother chose for herself in her early twenties, and McKay is my fathers middle name. 

Here is what NameBerry says... 

Gender: F

Origin of Josephine: Feminine variation of Joseph, "Jehovah increases"

Josephine's Popularity in 2010: #186

Josephine is one of those old lady names that sounds fresh again, and is a nameberry favorite. Increasing numbers of parents think that, though not conventionally pretty, Josephine does have class and character and a gently offbeat quality -- which adds up to style. Josephine also boasts more than its share of lively nicknames, including Jo, Josie, Fifi and Posy. Josephine first came into fashion with Empress Josephine, Napoleon's first wife.

Nicknames & Variations for Josephine

Feeney, Fifi, Fifine, Fina, Finetta, Finette, Jo, Joette, Joey, Jojo, Joline, Josana, Josanna, Josanne, Josebe, Josee, Josefa, Josefena, Josefene, Josepha, Josephe, Josephene, Josephina, Josephyna, Josephyne, Josetta, Josette, Josey, Josiane, Josianna, Josianne, Josie, Josy, Jozsa, Posey, Yosebe, Yosepha, Yosephina

Josephine's International Variations

Josefine (German) Seosaimhín (Irish Gaelic) Giuseppina (Italian) Józefina (Polish)Josefana, Hosefina, Josefina (Spanish)

People who liked Josephine also like:

Abigail, Ada, Helen, Cecily, Cora, Edith, Mae, Imogen, Louisa, Ruth, Asher, August,William, Julian, Leo

Famous People Named Josephine Josephine Baker, actress and dancer

Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon

Pop Culture References for the Name Josephine

Josephine "Jo" March, character in Little Women
Josephine "Josie" Jones/James/McCoy - main character from Josie and the Pussycats comics, TV show and movie

Josephine hit its peak in about 1910, and well, it looks like it is making a comeback. Now for our boy. 

Nixon Neil. 

Nixon was a name the hubs and I just loved. No, we didn't think about President Nixon or all of those connotations, {we honestly got it from the hubs favorite brand} and Neil is the hubs fathers name. 

So, lets what NameBerry says about this name...

Gender: M

Origin of Nixon: English, "son of Nicholas"

Even die-hard Republicans would be unlikely to foist this on a child.

Nicknames & Variations for Nixon

Nixan, Nixson

Haha, thanks Nameberry. 

All in all, we love the names we have chosen.. and are sticking with them {I have even met one other woman naming her son Nixon James} 

Don't call it a comeback!!

Morning Check-Up

This week has been kind of lame with no photos, sorry about that. 

I promise I will get better at taking them!

But I thought I would add some flare and add color to the words. 

We had our weekly doctor visit this morning. I went solo, because lets face it.. the hubs does have a job and cannot attend every appointment with me, but oh man, it would have been nice if he was there!

Nixon has been head down for about two weeks now, something that I always thought was great, however I did not know that while performing a regular check up the technicians are instructed to try to move the baby so that they can get better measurements. After a few jabs, I had to politely tell the tech {not our regular girl, she was sick today} that he is very comfortable and is NOT moving. About a minute after that I remember saying that I maybe wasn't feeling great, and what do you know.. we had a little black out episode. 

I will spare you the details of what happens next {I am sure you really enjoyed your lunch and would like to keep it} but needless to say, my ego is a little bruised and it would have been nice to have someone on my side. 

On a good note, this morning was the last of "those" check-ups and I can now lay on my side or sit slightly up during ultrasounds from now on, so hopefully this will not be a re-occurring problem. 

I need to remember that for a twin pregnancy I have had it pretty easy, aside from the occasional back ache and nausea, I will take some embarrassing moments if that means these babes are healthy and shacking up for a while.

One Year Older.

The hubs turned one year older this weekend! We didn't celebrate like we had the year before, when he turned 30 and his entire family flew in and surprised him ON TOP of his best friends also coming into town WITH a surprise 80's party {I know hard to beat!}, but we did enjoy a really relaxing weekend at home with the pups. We ate some great food, found some amazing new restaurants, and worked on the house a little bit. 

One of the requests by the hubs this weekend was to stay out until midnight on Saturday, since his technical birthday wasn't until Sunday. I was excited that we were going out with great friends for Dinner & Mocktails {on my part } but was a little hesitant about being out so late. I have turned into such an old lady during this pregnancy! But, I wanted the hubs to have a wonderful birthday, so after dinner we headed to our favorite little speak easy and everyone enjoyed a couple more cocktails. We ended the night at a friends with the boys playing beer pong and the hubs singing karaoke to a Jay-Z pandora station. 

I am kicking myself that no photos were taken. Ughhh, stupid me.. 

I actually looked cute and wore heels .. such a bummer.  

But, in light of the hubs birthday, I wanted to post some fun/random facts about him and us.

1. We met at his work when I was 18 & I had to make the first move. He likes to call it stalking, I like to call it leaving my number on his car. 

2. He hates belly buttons. It has been even more fun now that I am preggo to freak him out about them. 

3. He was born in London, but really grew up in California. He only gets his accent back when he spends time with family. 

4. He wanted to be a dad a long time before I knew I wanted to be a mom. Knowing the type of dad he is going to be, pretty much sealed the deal for me. 

5. He hates mayonnaise & pickles - two of my staples. He is also allergic to eggs, every once in a while I like to keep him on his toes and feed him egg tacos. 

6. His free time is spent on trucks. Aside from his 1970 Jimmy, he is always looking for the next project. If we ever win the lotto - I will be the old woman living in her car, not her shoes. 

7. Our age gap is pretty funny sometimes. I can hear a song on the radio and think, "Oh man, I remember in 8th grade jamming to that!" and he just says, "I was in college." 

8. I have one of his onesies from when he was a babe. He was born prematurely and had to wear doll clothes, he is now 6'1. 

9. He has a lot of faith and loyalty in things. We have matching tattoos - his has CJ on it {before I was even engaged to be CJ} because he knew it was coming. 

10. The babes and I could not have been happier that you were born. 

Some babe inspiration

Warning: Do not go to Pinterest. It is such an addicting website! 

I can spend so much time searching for inspiration.. from maternity photos, to nurseries, and to fashion - I adore this site.

I have made a special little board for the babes and I thought I would share some photos that made me smile!

{I cannot wait to recreate this photo}

{Nixon's first Halloween}

{Boy/ Girl Twins}

{Hi cutie, Josie will look adorable}

{hmm, may have to wait a few years on this one, but I think it is coming}

{birth announcements, HA}

Vertigo.

I think my pups are sharing in my pain today. I am so dizzy, I apparently cannot walk to my kitchen without hitting my door or some furniture. It would be pretty funny if this was happening to someone else, or maybe this is just karma for making fun of the hubs speech yesterday when he left the dentist and  his mouth was completely numb. 

Either way, it looks like I will really be keeping it low key today. 

24 Weeks.

24 weeks today!

Another little milestone down, and some more growing... and a lot more kicks and punches.

This was the sonogram from Monday, two healthy babes! 

I am really starting to feel like I am carrying twins,  not that I know a difference, but this pregnancy is starting to get tough! Shortness of breath, heartburn, back pain, and just exhaustion... 

With only one big event left in this pregnancy, I am looking forward to relaxing.

PS - Please don't mind Josie's freaky stare in the ultrasound pic. She was looking straight at us! 

Chicken.

Of course, right after I post about ALL this amazing food we have been eating...

I make the WORST dinner ever. 

Literally. 

I have been trying to make more and more meals at home because, well, that's what my mom always did - we always had home cooked meals - and I want my kids to have the same. 

So, without a recipe, I thought I would make a chicken dish with pasta shells. Maybe some Velveeta and pasta sauce if I was feeling crazy. 

Let me back up for a moment, I don't have a good history with chicken, and if you ever hear my husband speak about my cooking skills, this one story continues being brought up. Long of the short of it is I put frozen chicken in the oven and covered it with Bar B Que sauce {{this was years ago}} It was literally still frozen when the then fiance came home from work, we opted for mac and cheese I think that night. 

Fast forward to last night, I put the chicken in the crock pot a little early {I wanted to make sure this chicken was COOKED} It slow cooked for about 7 hours. Then I put pasta shells, tomatoes, sauce, and Velveeta in the pan and served it up pasta style. 

I am seriously trying to hold back my laughter right now. 

This was the only photo I got, and it is blurry because I was still laughing. The hubs ate it, and didn't complain, but did suggest I move back to the amazing roasts I make. 

I think me and chicken are through. 

Foodie.

 

 

This weekend was delish!

 As you can see from the photos, we spent some time eating, and the hubs drinking :) 

First, we met L+D at Freetail Brewery, a microbrewery close to home and had pizza, sandwiches, queso, salads.. you name it, I ate it. It was hot out, but still nice to sit outside and enjoy great company. 

Saturday, we planned a bar-b-que, which meant a trip to our favorite meat market downtown, Bolner's. Bolner's has been around since I think 1904, and provides most of the restaurants round town with their meat. Along with their line of spices you can find veggies, cheeses, and a restaurant for lunch. YUM! Great Texan bar-b-que! 

We grilled their fajitas and L made stuffed peppers. Per the photo, I made the cupcakes... although they didn't last long around me. 

The babes and I really enjoyed all the food, and food talk :) L + D are making a lot of the baby shower food, so there were also a lot of discussions about that as well! 

A Little Laziness

I am not sure why, but this week has just kicked my butt. 

I have been so exhausted.

We got home from vacation late Sunday night, so I knew Monday would be a lounge-around-the-house-all day kind of day, but what is my excuse for the rest of the week?

Ok, I am kidding, I mean I did leave the house every once in a while...

We had a great surprise on Tuesday when the hubs best friend flew in for a night. It was work related and only stayed one night, but I know how much the hubs misses his friends, and any chance he can hang out with them, he jumps at it. We enjoyed some sushi & some good Texan margs, and just good conversation all around. 

YUMM...

My parents also came into town this week because they were awesome and watched our pups, while the hubs and I were on the east coast. I was so happy to see the babes again, but our little girl Lula had major swelling under her eye, not sure of what it was, I just went ahead and made a vet appointment. Both pups needed shots, so I just hauled them both in. 

They were so excited to go on a trip - until they found out we were at the vet. Four shots each - Lula's eye flushing - AND an ear infection on poor Lula - needless to say, when we got home they were lazy with me too. 

All in all though...

The hubs has been great and made dinner twice this week, and has tried to calm the babes down at night. For some reason, they think its fiesta time at 10:00 pm! Last night, the hubs was talking to them, telling them to cool their jets, when Josie seriously kicked him in the face. Not kidding. I have a feeling this little girl has my attitude. YIKES!

Lastly, we got out first baby present in the mail! I was so excited! After yesterday and this week, it was awesome! 

(not the best photo of me)

These little guys hang out on the babes cribs and each play four different nature sounds. I adore them and tried to convince the hubs we should try out the ocean setting. 

The babes also got these adorable socks from A + K! The hubs best friend was also born in London, and well Josie's are just too cute. 

These babes are already getting so spoiled! 

Happy 23 Weeks

Is this a joke?

This morning was yet again... another ultrasound. I really don't know how singleton moms do it with only two or three ultrasounds throughout their pregnancy, I AM SO SPOILED!

But, everything went great {again} and both babes weigh 1 pound 2 ounces, and Josie is actually bigger than Nixon, and is now demanding more room. It was really neat because she was doing flips during the ultrasound, I think mostly because she was trying to get away from the tech!

She was over the whole thing, and wouldn't let us get a good photo of her, but here is Nixon!

{{{SO BIG}}}

Here is the joke part...

While we were talking to the Dr. he suggested we go get a maternity support belt. I have been told this over and over again, and thought, why not? Lets go and get this over with. 

Well, I had no idea they looked like this...

I literally turned into a twelve year old that could not contain her laughter. The nurse that was helping us was so great and suggested I try it on.. So I did. I almost wet myself, sorry! Between the hubs trying to snap photos of this thing on me and me just about to fall over in laughter, the nurse just suggested we buy it.

So, now I am home and just staring at it in its box. Yup. It may stay there. 

Home Made Videos

Untitled from carly johnston on Vimeo.

A Seaside Wedding.

I am blogging from bed this morning, and to be honest.. I plan on staying here for a while!

We attended the my sister-in-laws wedding this weekend is Portland, Maine and the setting could not have been more beautiful!

We got to visit with a lot of the hubs english side of the family that we don't get to see very often, so between taking in Portland (and the seafood) and visiting with great family and friends, I am exhausted. 

I just want to share the photos from this weekend, and let you see the fun we had :) 

Oh hey, dinner

popcorn store - seriously tried "Dill Pickle" hoping it would ease my pickle craving. 

The hubs had to check out the water. 

On the way to the rehearsal dinner, I was about to eat one of his friends

DiMillo's floating restaurant

told you. He was delish. 

now I am just having fun. 

the sweet Hubs surprised me with a virgin Daiquiri, whip cream and all 

Wedding Day! Bride to be at our Johnston Breakfast

 Lookin' good

The stylish wedding party 

The hubs walking his Mum down the aisle

These were the flags I made! Woo hoo! I thought they looked great on the boat!

The remaining Johnston ladies

view from the reception 

And, to end the night we had some fun in the photo booth! The hubs tried to get the kids in ;)