Farewell 2012...

This past year has been filled with every emotion I think one could possibly have. But here I am at the end- and my life could not be better.

I'm beyond humbled and grateful for all the wonderful things happening and I will truly cherish this year for as long as I live.

My "Thanks" to 2012:

• February: Nashville Trip with my wonderful family- Mom, Janet, Angie, Caty & Julie. A weekend full of memories and the weekend that truly saved my life
• April: Reconnecting with Mr. Tyler Small- Little did we know what would be in store for us ;)
• May:  My 1st Indy 500 trip with Caty Daniels! I finally got to see why my Grandpa loved the races so much. Great weekend!
• June: Biggest news of my life- I'm going to be a Mama!
• July: Seeing my baby for the 1st time
• August: Month of "Goodbyes"- Left the Bank, moved from Cincinnati and left my friends...all to start my new Chapter of my life in Millersburg with my new family
• September: Began my new job at Promotion Therapy Services and finding out that we are having a baby BOY!
• October: Feeling Christian's 1st kicks! 1st baby shower for the little man
• November: Getting engaged to the Man of my Dreams-I can't wait to be "Mrs. Natalie Small"
• December: Baby Shower #2, Christians 1st hiccups (that I felt) My final holidays before I'm officially a new MOMMY! oh yea- and the world didn't end! (wahoo!)

As the New Year is here and I being to think of all the "firsts" I'm going to experience. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, for being a part of this journey. For all the love and support from family and friends over the past year, I am so blessed to have each and everyone of you in my life.

 

Cheers to a Healthy, Happy & Blessed
2013!

32 Weeks



Christian almost weighs 4lbs!



How many weeks? 32

Total weight gain: 35...(I'm tempted to remove this section! Its out of control!)

Maternity clothes?  Yep. But I am still squeezing into regular tops...literally, SQUEEZING.

Stretch marks? Nada

Sleep: Sleeping pretty solid. It may be because I run myself all day and I'm so worn out by the time I hit the bed. Christian has been waking me up with his movements.

Best moment this week: Nursery is moving along! New paint, carpet and Tyler surprised me with setting the crib up! I have all the clothes washed and put away, now just need to decorate and organize the rest. SO EXCITED!

Miss Anything? Moving around like I use to. I told Tyler I use to be able to "go-go-go" and now I'm "going" but much slower. Hurts my pride ;)
Movement: Oh YES! Since Christian is really growing, I feel ALL movements! It's pretty amazing! Although, I still have not felt hiccups! I've been waiting for them!
Food cravings: Steak, Fish, Milk...and my more "pregnant" craving....Egg Nog. LOVE IT.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, seriously so grateful for this.
Gender: Little Prince :)
Symptoms: Dizziness, shortness of breath, BIG ol' BELLY! Santa has competition!
Belly Button in or out? in
Mood?: So HAPPY! Christmas is next week, along with NYE the following, THEN Christian will be here!!!
Looking forward to: Christmas! And hopefully surviving the "End of the World" this Friday the 21st. I really want to meet my baby! But, seriously just taking in my final holidays before I'm an official Mama. Hard to think this time next year Christian will be running around like a mad man...I'm going to do my best to soak it up.  

Oh Christmas Tree...

Tyler and I purchased our 1st Christmas last Saturday, December 8th at a local place near Shreve where his parents get their tree every year. Our original plan was to get a tree that you can plant so we can see each year and the years after all the Christmas's we have shared together, but before we do that I wanted to do something different this year.


Picking out our tree

We decided to go with a regular pre-cut tree so we can make our 1st ornament. Next year when we have our little guy we will start the tradition on planting the trees. Here is what I have in mind for this year...

Thanks to Pinterest for the fun idea!


We found our tree and set it up as soon as we got home. Finding a place for it in our home was a bit challenging as the tree was pretty big. We chose the corner of our living room and it worked perfectly. 

It smelled so good and made the house extra cozy! But then the unimaginable happened...

 

 

Seriously it wasn't even 20 minutes and I heard a loud boom! Merry freaking Christmas to us.

 

Tyler smiled and I was irate! I was the one who put (almost) everything on the tree -yes, I did not make it to the back of the tree -but in my defense when you have a belly like this things just don't get done the same. And you would never know it if the stupid tree didn't fall! Anyway, Thank God for Tyler and his patience, he quickly set the tree back up.  So with that said... Cheers to a fun 1st Christmas tree memory!

 

From our house to yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 



 



 

Boy am I lucky! My wonderful friends threw Christian and I an amazing baby shower, Saturday, December 1. I want to thank Sarah Packer, Tessa Dillon and Megan Miller for making my shower so fun and perfect! From the invitations, food, and décor everything really came together and I had a great time!

It was so nice seeing everyone and visiting the city again. I really miss Cincinnati more than I could ever imagine and this weekend was a reminder of how fortunate I am to have such a loving and supportive group of friends.

From friendships that developed early on- to my old co-family at the bank, THANK YOU ALL for being there for me as I begin this new chapter. It certainly wouldn't be as enjoyable and special without all of you in my life.

The shower was held at Tess's beautiful house! She did a fantastic job decorating and hosting! Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Tessa and Megan who hosted the shower!
 Poor Sarah couldn't make it b/c she was sick,
but you were there in spirit Sarah Annie! :)
Thanks again girls! I love you!

Kimber and Tara! Friends from OPT :) Miss you girls!

Mel, Emily, Judy, Kathryn, Mary & Denise hanging out :)

Bank friends! Melissa, Judy, Me, Kathryn, Jodi,
Samantha, Mary and Mel

Tara & Kimber  plus little Aiden made a special appearance!
Makes me so excited for little Christian :)

Tessa's AMAZING onesie's she made for Christian :)

 

A few of the delicious cake pops made by

Caty's Cake Pops! (best cake pops EVER)  

Sarah made Christian a beautiful blanket,

Cousin Caty got him his 1st pair of Sperry's

OSU onesie from Tara- He will be a buckeye

Tessa's dumbbell onesie

Christian's 1st Monogram Ornament from Mel

Emily's sweet outfit for Christians yacht

and Nana and Papa got him the Willard tradition

The Night Before Christmas book for Christmas next year.

 

We are SO LUCKY!

Thanks again everyone!

We love you!

 

29 Weeks!

Christian is close to 3 lbs!
Measuring about 17 inches!

How many weeks? 29

Total weight gain: 31 (....not feeling good about this #!!)

Maternity clothes?  With this belly?...DUH! ;)

Stretch marks? Nope- Lathering up everyday!

Sleep: I'm doing better!

Best moment this week: My Mom got me a prenatal massage and pedicure! I'm a lucky gal!

Miss Anything? Tailgating- went to the OSU vs. Michigan game...it just wasn't the same
Movement: He likes to kick my ribs on the right side. Makes me giggle b/c it tickles!
Food cravings: Meat- (what's new?)  Fruity snacks. I bought a Kit Kat and didn't like it anymore!!!....What the heck!?
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Baby Boy!
Symptoms: Minor back pain, and starting to visit the bathroom again frequently
Belly Button in or out? in
Mood?: Happy :)
Looking forward to: My friends baby shower in Cincinnati this weekend. Hosted by my amazing gals: Sarah, Tessa and Megan. Can't wait to visit my old stomping grounds :)

Thought I'd some fun pics from the Ohio State vs. Michigan tailgate 









 

 

So happy!

Saturday, November 17, 2012- A day I will remember forever!

Tyler and I were traveling south to spend the weekend celebrating my cousin Julie's 30th birthday and my Dad's birthday. We had just arrived in London and pulled up to my parents house to be greeted by my sweet niece Ella Jean and my Mom.

I was getting out of the car and Tyler came around the front ( to, what I thought) help me with the bags, but he asked me to put the bags down. So as I'm trying to set the bags down, he starts taking them out of my hand not knowing they are caught on the ring on my right hand. I'm like " OMG Tyler, what are you doing?!" He gets my bags out of my hand and it looking at me shaking...
I'm thinking "oh geez, what is he doing!?" As he grabs both hands smiling he says to me,
"Natalie, 4 years ago when I met you, I let you slip out of my life...I never want that to happen again.I love you." And I'm like "What? I love you too!? What are you doing?!" so then he reaches in his pocket and drops down on his knee and asked me to marry him!!!

Meanwhile, Mom and Ella are still in the yard, Mom is trying to sneak away and Ella has run off at this point. I hug and kiss Tyler after I told him I suppose I would marry him (I'm only kidding ;) he he)... I told him "Yes!" And then I smacked him for being such a sneak. I look up at Mom and asked her if she knew about this and she said she didn't know it was going to be then, but thought it was going to happen that weekend. Tyler grinned and told me he called Dad that morning to ask him.

Not only was the day extra special for the obvious reason, but when I asked him why he chose that day and not the following weekend (which I later found out was his original plan) he told me that when I told him the night before that it was Grandpa's birthday the next day (the 17th) he wanted it to be on that day.

Tyler never got a chance to meet my Grandpa. I am always telling him how he reminds me of him with his passion to fish and his kind heart. My Grandpa never got mad at my Grandma- In fact, he would giggle at her when she would get fired up-which is exactly what Tyler does to me. I see a lot of Grandpa in Tyler and I feel in my heart that my Grandpa had a lot to do with Tyler and I meeting and now starting a family together. Makes my heart smile...

Another special part of this day was the ring. The ring I am wearing means so much to me because it's not just any ring- it was the ring my Grandmother "Ee" wore. My Dad had given his mother's ring to Tyler a couple months ago and wanted Tyler to have it. It is simply beautiful and the fact that it was in my family makes it so special. Ee was a remarkable woman who without her, I would not be the lady I am today. Ee instilled in me the importance of acting like a lady and the value of cherishing family tradition. I am so honored and proud to wear this ring. My Dad left me a note in the box telling me that this ring was worn with a lot of "love". I promise to carry on that tradition with love and honor to Tyler for the rest of my life- just as Ee did with my Grandfather Jimmy.  

Saying I'm lucky would be an understatement. I have been blessed beyond belief with all the wonderful things in my life. One being that I have an amazing family and now have found the man of my dreams, who is not only a perfect match for me but will be an amazing father to our son. I am truly the luckiest gal around and can't wait for this upcoming year! I get to start my family and marry my Best Friend.

 

 

Lucky in Love <3

 

 

My BEAUTIFUL ring!

 

Third Trimester...Hollaaa



Christian is weighing over 2 lbs and is 14 inches long!



How many weeks? 27! aka Home Stretch!

Total weight gain: 25

Maternity clothes? Yep, although I am still "trying" to wear my regular tops as long as I can

Stretch marks? Zero, I pray it stays this way...

Sleep: Not fun! I know it will only get worse but I cannot get comfortable

Best moment this week: Mama got Christian his 1st Buck! I will share pics & story  below

Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back and booze ;)  
Movement: I have a little Monkey in my belly!! He is an active boy!
Food cravings: Meat and hearty foods, although for the 1st time I had a "had to have moment", when I saw Egg Nog milkshakes advertised for McDonalds. It was better than I had hoped! YUM! Love holiday drinks!
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm a lucky gal-nothing has bothered me!
Gender: Little Boy :)
Symptoms: BIG Ol' BELLY! WOW!
Belly Button in or out? in
Mood?: Happy! Everything has fallen into place! I have a wonderful Man by my side, a little mini- Tyler on the way and all the love and support from my family and friends. I certainly am BLESSED!
Looking forward to: Taking little Christian deer hunting next season...

Deer vs. Car

This past Saturday the Beathard gals came up to Holmes County for a fun getaway weekend with my Mom. Friday night they shopped and we met for dinner then Saturday we made our rounds to all the local country stores. Later that evening Mom, Ann and Jessica were going to a play in Sugar Creek so Chelsea and I were just going to head back to my house and hang out after a long day of shopping.

After Jessica dropped us off at my car around 6:15 as we were our way back to Millersburg we came up over a hill and there taking his good ol' time crossing was a buck! I was going about 45-50 mph and tried to slow down as much as I could, knowing I was going to hit the deer. I braced for impact using my right arm to cover Christian, left hand to stay straight and closed my eyes as we hit him. Luckily for us my airbags did not deploy and my car (which I just purchased in September) took the hit like a champ.

I immediately pulled over and looked at Chelsea and asked if she was ok then asked her what we do now since she is/was a paramedic.  She said call Tyler and he told me to go ahead and call 911. We call in and the dispatcher sends out a trooper right away. I was a little shaken up and my breathing got a little crazy after the hit, but I was happy I didn't completely freak out!

Chels and I move my car down the road as my bumper lay smashed into my front left tire. Due to the traffic and it being so dark  it was important that we get off  St. Rt. 39. The trooper arrived within 10 minutes or so and asked if we were ok,  THEN  wanted to know how many "points" the deer was. I'm like "Points? ...Uh it was a male buck? Is that what you're asking?"

OK- Let's get this straight. For all you ladies out there who aren't into hunting (which would be me) Tip #1  if someone questions you about "points" on a deer they are referring to their antlers. Tip #2  NEVER combine the words "Male Buck" in the same sentence, you sound like a complete idiot! (kudos to me! I blame it on the pregnancy). Tip # 3 When you're about to CRASH into a deer and it happens to be a "BUCK" you MUST count the antlers on him, this is vital information that I failed to collect.

Next post lesson: "Coon Hunting 101 with Natalie" ;)

To top if off as we are waiting for the tow truck to come get my car and Amish man pulls over and asked "Uh, I just wanted to see if anyone was going to take that deer?" I look at Tyler and I'm like "OH. MY. GOSH! He is serious!?" Tyler just grinned and told the man to take it. But I said that I wanted it because we were going to mount it's head in Christian's nursery!

At any rate- the trooper had the man bring it back so he could write him a tag. Within 10 minutes or so he brings the buck back (all in one piece to my surprise!) so instead of a wall mounting I guess a picture will have to do. Either way Mama Bear got Christian his 1st Buck! How about that!?

Maybe it's time to go back to the city...? just teasing Tyler ;)



You can even see the antler marks on my hood!

Pretty messy eh?



Tyler and I went to check on her in daylight...wasn't any better :(

And here he is... Happy Holidays ;)

Needless to say, someone was certainly looking over us that night! God is GOOD! <3

Our 1st Shower!

This past Sunday, October 28th, was Christian's 1st baby shower in London, Ohio at the train depot. I want to send a HUGE THANKS to all those who helped: My Mom, Aunt Nanette, Sister-in-law Angie, and Diane.

The shower was simply perfect! It was decorated in beautiful shades of blue with a huge spread of food-including Mom's adorable signature sugar cookies! The centerpieces were made by Angie- she did an amazing job adding my favorite flower (baby's breath)  in vintage mason jars along with sweet little frames with quotes on Motherhood. All the little details really made it extra special and everything came together so nice. I cannot thank you all enough, especially my Mom for all your hard work...I love you.

And Christian.....WOW! He made out! He got his baby monitor,crib, crib set, high chair, baby gym, swing, rock n'play, stroller, jumper and SO many sweet outfits, blankets and toys. He will be the cutest little boy in Holmes County!

Tyler and I are beyond grateful and feel so blessed to have so many of you show your love and support. I had a wonderful time with family and friends and truly enjoyed seeing each and everyone of you. Each get together gets me more and more excited for my little man's arrival. February will be here soon!

A few pics from the shower. My camera battery life was low so these pics don't show all the awesome details I wanted to share with you. I'll be sure to do a re-cap later :)


 

Aunt Nanette's sweet sheet cake!

 

One of the beautiful center pieces made by Angie!

 






















  





My beautiful Mom <3



Diane and I- Christian is a lucky guy!





   

 

Aunt Nanette & Cousin Debbie

 

My Grandma <3

 

Angie, Caty and Julie- Love these girls :)







  

Best Friends 4- Life- Sarah Annie :)

Thank you all again! What a great day!
Love,
Tyler, Natalie & Christian



WOW!

My gorgeous 6 month roses from the sweetest guy on earth!
Thank you Tyler for always being so thoughtful!
I love you sweetie

I'm officially 6 months pregnant! I cannot believe it! I am feeling a mix of emotions, but definitely getting excited for the fun stuff ahead these upcoming months.

My first baby shower is this Sunday, October 28th in my hometown hosted by my wonderful Mom. Registering was a bit challenging at first, since I could only register for items online.Tyler and I made a trip to Babies R' Us and Target to see how the items I chose looked in person...and thank goodness we did because the original "Travel System" I registered for online was purple in person! In my defense- it definitely looked black and grey on the computer screen! Stellar job on my end eh?
It can be very overwhelming once you realize how many items these little ones need and how costly all the "have to have" items are. I mean would it really hurt if Tyler just put a rope on a tree out back with mini swing attached and a mini trampoline underneath -instead of buying a actual "jumper"?  That should do the same thing plus it's a lot more cost efficient! I'm kidding.( I'm starting to sound like a little country bumpkin!)
I do know that many of the items  that we "need" will come in handy and I'll be thankful we have them but being new to all of this it's hard to really "get" ;)

Other than growing daily, I feel really great! I went for a walk last week and ended up running a half a mile! *Please note: My run now vs. my run pre-pregnancy have totally different meanings. Because we live in the country and I am on the back roads, I'm able to attempt this without completely losing all my pride. Heck, I was just happy to finish without peeing my pants! (seriously)

We still have our hands full on our "to do" list, and I'm getting a bit nervous thinking about the time left and the holidays quickly sneaking up. I have no doubt that everything will work itself out but I guess it's time to really start moving! Little Christian Douglas will be here before we know it :)

23 Weeks!

Baby is the size of a Barbie Doll! Weighing 1lb!

How many weeks? 23

Total weight gain: 20

Maternity clothes? I have officially gone shopping. Broke down to buy some new work clothes.

Stretch marks? No, praying that it stays like this...

Sleep: Becoming more challenging. I'm suppose to focus on sleeping on my side-pretty tough when I'm a belly/back sleeper. But it's not too bad.

Best moment this week: I felt little C-Dog move!! It was Friday night in the car and I felt this little tickle in my belly. Tyler was talking and I literally stopped in my tracks and was thinking "was that gas?... no. am I hungry?....no. Oh my goodness...It's Christian!" Since then I haven't felt it much so I'm hoping he starts moving more. ( I'm sure I'll regret that one later haha) Then I was on my couch with my iPad and out of nowhere it moves! I was like "OMG! Christian!" so I yelled for Tyler and of course he stopped moving. So then Tyler wakes me this morning telling me as I was asleep he felt Christian moving for 10 minutes. Best moment so far! Makes it all SO REAL! ....(zip it, I know some of you are thinking, the test, the heartbeat, the gender reveal haven't made it real?)....Well, yea of course -but this REALLY makes it SUPER REAL!

Miss Anything? Um, I still miss participating in tailgating. I also miss working out hard- But really and truly I feel pretty darn good.
Movement: Tickle in my belly!! Sooo weird and crazy/cool!!
Food cravings: Meat, Carbs and Fruit this week. Apples and Bananas  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still clear- nothing!
Gender: it's a BOY! I knew it!!! Little Stinker can't fool his Mama! ;)
Symptoms: Um, my belly grew overnight! Is that a symptom? haha! Just heavier by the day. Minor discomfort in my back.
Belly Button in or out? in
Mood?: Feeling happy! We can start planning for our baby boy now!
Looking forward to: Holding little Christian for the 1st time. I know I'm a little over 1/2way so there is a lot of time-but I just can't wait to see him. I'm constantly asking Tyler,
"I wonder if he will be calm like you or crazy like me?"
"I wonder who he will look like?"
"I wonder if he will be a hot head like his mama or be a happy guy like his Daddy?"

So much to wonder...and SO exciting!

Baby Small is a...

 My doctor appointment was scheduled Friday morning. Tyler and I were so anxious the night before we could barely sleep! My Mom, Diane (Tyler's Mom) and my Aunt Nanette were meeting us in the morning at the clinic for the ultrasound.

They recommend you drink 32 ounces of clear liquid prior to your appointment to make it easier to see the baby, so by the time we arrived to Wooster (30-35 min drive from us) I had about 42 ounces (just to be safe) of water and was ready to get the appointment going! We walked into the clinic with the ladies greeting us with smiles.  As I go to check in the woman working looks at me and says " Natalie, your appointment was at 8:00 not 8:30". I immediately turn red and feel like I'm going to cry because Caty was throwing us our "Gender Reveal" party that night so all I could think was having to call everyone because I AM A SPACE CADET and messed up my appointment times. I turn around to Tyler and the girls with this worried look on my face saying "OMG, Mom was right....my appointment was at 8:00!! I don't know what is wrong with me!"

After a minor freak out, the lady called back to Roger - the gentleman that performs the ultrasound to see if we could at least have a short visit. Lucky for us we DID!  As Roger was pressing on my belly he mumbles "It's a Boy..." I'm like " WHAT!? A BOY!?" I started to cry and so did Mom and Diane. Tyler looked at me so proud and so excited! It was truly a moment we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

So for the rest of the afternoon and early evening we had to keep it a secret because our party was at 7:00. It was SO hard not to share it with anyone, especially those who were trying to find out early ;)

All-and-all it was a PERFECT party! Caty and Carol out did themselves and made the night so special. The Cake Pops were a huge hit and all the little details from the pink and blue table cloths, centerpieces, Sweet Table and "Small Diaper Fund" made it perfect. Everyone enjoyed sweet snacks along with punch and some adult beverages ;)

We had a great turn out of family and friends and want to thank everyone again for making it. I know it was hard with it being on a Friday and short notice-but I can't tell you enough how much it meant to both Tyler and I having you there.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect day!

Tyler and I are excited to announce we are having a....

I tried to be "tricky" with all my pink-but everyone still thought it was a Boy! We choose the name Christian Douglas Small after both of our fathers. Family is so important to us and little Christian is so lucky to already have so much love.

Here are a few pics from the party. Enjoy!

 

The Cake Pop Diva and Hostess-
My cousin Caty

My wonderful girlfriends!
Emily, Mel, Caty, Sarah, Baby Scarlett and Megan

My cousin Julie, Sister-in-law Angie, Cousin Caty and Me



Janet, Mom, Me & Ann





Me and my Dad after announcing.
So excited for his 1st Grandson!