26 Weeks: Learning about Sweet Caroline

This is the last week until THRID TRIMESTER. Wait, what?!?! That seems almost impossible. Sometimes I feel like just yesterday I was taking that little "tinkle stick" pregnancy test to Bennett for what would be the surprise of his life.... and now we are just one trimester away from meeting this sweet little baby girl! If these next 14 weeks go by as fast as the first 26, she will be here in no time! Things have gotten super exciting around the Smith home over the past week. Caroline's room now has more in it than just an entire closet of clothes.... FURNITURE!!! We currently have a dresser/changing table and her precious little crib in there. (Side note, I ended up totally surprising myself. Since the moment I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted this beautiful white iron crib and nothing would change my mind. But last week, oh boy we found one that I just fell in love with even more!) Let me tell you what, talk about this getting real. Last night we went to buy a mattress for the crib, and when Bennett was putting it in the crib when we got home I got all teary eyed. I just still cannot believe we are going to be parents! Once the nursery is complete, I'll post some pics. Don't want to put any up until you can really get the full effect. (see sneak peak pic at bottom) On that note though- does anyone have any suggestions of where to get a great glider? I'm really loving the upholstered once from Pottery Barn Kids, but not really loving the $1,000+ price tag. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Even though she is still growing inside of me, I feel like we are already learning quite a few things about Miss Caroline Anne Smith.

• She is an early bird like her momma. For the past couple weeks, no less than one minute after I would open my eyes, she would start her little morning time womb play sessions (when previously I wouldn't feel her until later in the morning). Kicking and wiggling all around! This week though, like clockwork about 10 minutes before my alarm goes off, I am awaken by some pretty powerful punches in there. What an absolutely wonderful happy way to start my day! Bennett is especially excited about the fact that pretty soon, he'll have two "up and at em" chipper as can be morning bird girls on his hands.
• She really really REALLY likes music. At first I though this was just coincidental. I would be in the car driving (which is what I do 75% of the time it seems) and she'd start moving occasionally when I turned up music. But now, I am convinced that she just really really does like it. No joke it's become quite the pattern. She seems most drawn to: Taylor Swift (like mother like daughter haha), Madonna (no clue where that came from), the Praise & Worship leaders at church (good girl!), and her Daddy (no surprise here I am sure that Bennett likes to make up songs and sing them to Caroline. Sweetest thing ever. I just hope she comes out with a voice like his and not mine)
• She is a good luck charm. Ok seriously on this one. Our little family has received some awesome blessings recently and we could not be more thankful! Bennett was able to secure a position with a company that quite frankly was way out of reach for someone with his experience (not that he doesn't have experience or isn't cut out for the job, I think he's the smartest guy around, but we've only been out of college going on a few years). This was something that he obviously pursued and really really wanted, but quite frankly just kind of fell in our laps. Then, just last week, I received a promotion that much like Bennett's new position, seemed to sort of fall in my lap. I definitely had worked my tushy off for it over the past 2.5 years, but did not at all see it coming. Again here like the music thing, call in coincidence, but I like to think that sweet Caroline is Mommy and Daddy's little good luck charm. :)

{Don't you just LOVE the canopy?!?!?!}