27 Weeks

How far along? 27 Weeks

Total weight gain: 17 lbs+
Maternity clothes? maternity leggings, sweatpants & the hair tie trick still allows me to wear my old jeans.. but got a few gap maternity shirts that fit so awesome!
Stretch marks? no, knock on wood!
Sleep: still sleeping great, sometimes I sleep so deep that I don't even wake up to pee! woohoo!!
Best moment this week: Thanksgiving dinner + leftovers! Was so excited to eat cold turkey on bread the next day!
Miss Anything? our Thanksgiving hosts had such an amazing collection of delicious cocktails, wine, beer & champagne which made my mouth water... BUT instead I drank an entire bottle of sparkling cider which was amazing since I crave apple flavored everything all the time! 
Movement: all the time, still trying to figure out what big lumps are her head or her bum! :)
Food cravings: still everything sweet! This week's lineup consisted of more french toast, key lime pie & dipped pretzels...which are dangerously addicting! Also bought a donut cutter yesterday & found an awesome healthier recipe for baked donuts... I'm sure they will be the shit!
Anything making you queasy or sick: still feeling grossed out by red meat.. and hot coffee is getting to me again. bummer!
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn all day every day... tums helps & so does milk. Other than that, I still get pain in my lower ribs, but as long as I sit up very straight, it goes away pretty quickly.
Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: the Holidays!! I love this time of year so much, picking out (and cutting down)our tree next week at a tree farm here in GA (Griswold style!!), then some Christmas parties (dress shopping!) & going home to spend almost two weeks with our family in Iowa. Pretty nervous about the 12 hour road trip, but if I feel as good as I do now, it should be a piece of cake.

26 Weeks

I know I am one week behind on posting - I have been so busy with work & holiday party invitations that I haven't had time to blog at all! 27 Week mark was on Wednesday, plan to upload the pic & post while stuffing my face with Thanksgiving leftovers this weekend :)

Maternity Leggings from The Gap, Tank & Sweater From Express

How far along? 26 Weeks

Total weight gain: 17 lbs+
Maternity clothes? wearing leggings most of the time - also looking extra sexy by flipping up my yoga pants fold-over-flap up over my belly
Stretch marks? not yet
Sleep: sleeping great, I do wake up with sore hips & shoulders from sleeping on my side, but I really have to say that buying a tempur-pedic earlier this year might be a life saver right now
Best moment this week: making major progress on the nursery (crib finally came!) & having Thanksgiving dinner a week early
Miss Anything? drooling over the seasonal beers at the grocery store these days.. also starting to miss going for a good solid run or a sweaty workout.. I don't have the energy to do much these days in terms of working out, not to mention the dr. recommends not doing anything too strenuous. Looking forward to getting in shape in the spring :)
Movement: all the time, we are so entertained feeling her move around when we lay in bed at night. She is definitely a night owl.. mostly moving late at night, when I wake up in the middle of the night I feel her & also she is a wiggle worm early in the morning. I'm sure that's a little preview of my soon-to-be sleep schedule in a few months.
Food cravings: french toast!! Smelled like maple syrup outside, therefore I immediately had to make it for dinner - turns out my glucose test was the next morning so before I went to bed I read the instructions for the next day ...apparently you're supposed to "eat a very balanced dinner the night before your test, with lots of fruits, veggies & protein." Well... fucked that up.
Anything making you queasy or sick: tacos - still pissed about the gross tacos & horse fly incident.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Rib pain is getting pretty uncomfortable these days.. assuming that is only going to get way worse. Heartburn lingers ALL day long no matter what I eat... cereal & milk for breakfast? Boom! Heartburn. Fantastic.
Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake
Wedding rings on or off? on - so surprised I don't have swollen fingers/toes yet. Although I have some real sausages to begin with, so I'm not sure how much worse they can get.
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY! Sometimes I feel like I might burst with happiness...sounds cheesy... but so true.
Looking forward to: more turkey, black Friday shopping, starting our classes at the hospital...and going to Iowa for the Holidays! :)

Side note about the Glucose Test for Gestational Diabetes - It was not that bad!! I heard sooo many horror stories about how awful the stuff tastes & how torturous it is to sit there with only that on an empty stomach. Honestly, it tasted like I woke up & slammed a flat Orange Sunkist soda. I didn't mind it at all. The only thing that sucked was that I couldn't eat breakfast...  I wanted a jelly donut so bad. And for the record, I did eat apples & egg whites with my french toast the night before.. so doc said it should not skew my results one bit. Hoping I pass with flying colors so I can safely indulge in sweets for the rest of my pregnancy.

Tis the Season..

 ..to be pregnant! I feel so lucky right now that I get to fulfill all of my sweet cravings with amazing seasonal beverages from Starbucks! I stopped in today to get a peppermint hot chocolate & discovered my new favorite festive item... red, sparkly, reusable coffee sleeves! Yes. I spent $5 on that... even though come January it will probably be at the bottom of my purse with gum stuck to it.... but I think it is SO pretty & I swear it made my drink taste even better! And what an awesome stocking stuffer for the coffee drinkers in your life! :)

 While that tasty little beverage got me in the holiday spirit, I started thinking about how much fun it would be to decorate a baby's nursery for Christmas!!
Here are a few of my favorite items (mostly from etsy) that I think would be the cutest additions to any nursery or children's room! Wouldn't it be so fun to sneak in when you're little one is sleeping & fill their room with these awesome Christmas accessories? I guess they'd have to be old enough to notice, but I think it's a sweet idea! Ahhh all this stuff makes me want to watch Elf right meow! :)

Felt Garland - Red & White Polka Dot Blanket - Felt Tabletop Trees

Tissue Box Cover - Tissue Poms -  Fabric Organizer

 Do you deck your little one's halls?!

Updated Chalkboard Tutorial

Hi Everyone! I have still gotten multiple questions & comments regarding how I made the chalkboard so I wanted to post an updated, simple tutorial as to how I made it.

Went to local Goodwill looking for an old picture.You'll want something that has a solid wood frame AND a wood backing (some are cardboard). Make sure that you can easily remove the backing/picture from the frame itself & make sure that the entire thing seems sturdy.

You can see in the before picture, I found this picture of the ocean. The painting was held together by bendable staples, so we opened them all up and took apart the three pieces - the frame, which we painted white, the wood backing, which we painted with chalkboard paint & the painting paper itself, which got tossed in the trash. 

I used spray chalkboard paint when I initially did this - but have since repainted it with this much better Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint from a can. It goes on thicker & is much more durable. Then we just put the chalkboard backing back into the frame, tightened up all of the staples and BOOM... you have yourself a chalkboard :)

25 Weeks

Note to self - pack away the horizontal striped shirts until next year.

How far along? 25 Weeks
Total weight gain: 17 lbs+
Maternity clothes? still wearing most of my old clothes - using the ol' hair tie trick to hold my jeans closed.
Stretch marks? not yet
Sleep: still sleeping great
Best moment this week: just feeling overly excited/happy about everything right now & the reality that babygirl will be here in less than 100 days (unless I deliver way late..) Just trying to soak it all in!
Miss Anything? would certainly have loved a frosty cold beer during this fun football weekend :) also hit up dunkin' donuts this weekend to fulfill my jelly filled donut craving & was drooling over the turkey flatbread.. definitely need to put that on my "after-baby" menu
Movement: all the time, it's fun to see her moving from the outside, or when her head is right in the middle of my stomach & we can see a big lump there
Food cravings: still sweets & fruit - I eat a bag of sliced apples a day....sometimes dipped in cream cheese frosting..BUT it's the healthy thought that counts, right? :)
Anything making you queasy or sick: tacos - really any sort of ground beef sort of turns me off lately.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: the round ligament pain has subsided, but the rib pain is still around. worst of all - HEARTBURN. I get it a few times a day from anything I eat. If the old wives tales are true, little G will be born with as much hair as I currently have right now.
Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY! Although I did have a bit of a moody-pregnancy-meltdown the other night when there was a horsefly in the house buzzing all around our heads when we were trying to watch tv. Topped with me gagging trying to eat a taco that I wasn't aware would gross me out - it ended with me chucking a bag of tortilla chips across the room & going upstairs to cry. WTF? Talk about an overreaction.
Looking forward to: the crib got held up at the warehouse - so still looking forward to it's arrival. But most of all, excited that this is my husband's LAST week of traveling before the baby comes & my parents are coming for some pre-Thanksgiving festivities this weekend! Can't wait to cook lots of good food, shop til my ankles can't take it anymore & spend time with my family :)

Nursery Inspiration

 Just a few more of my favorite nurseries out there!

 I love the stuffed animals (especially the dark pink corduroy cat!)  & the alphabet cutout in this pic. I spent a few hours trying to track it down & bookhou is where I eventually found it. I think I saw something similar on Land of Nod at one point, but can't seem to find it now.

{ image via pinterest }

 

This picture caught my eye because of the stars, but I am also a big fan of the fairy lights. I ordered some last week to string on one of the shelves that we are painting. Hopefully the other shelf in the room will be lit up with the Gnome Alone night light that I still want so badly! :)

{ image via pinterest }

Love the white trees painted on the grey walls below, have debated doing something similar  since I've always been such a huge fan of trees/branches as decor... not sure if our grey is dark enough for the white to pop. Also, tissue poms are my FAVORITE, I have been hard at work making a bunch to hang from the ceiling! :)

 { image via pinterest }

Also love the accordion style lanterns in the below nursery! That wall color is gorgeous with the pastel pinks & of course the name on the wall is awesome! Once we do decide on a name (and thank you for all of your suggestions!!), I can't wait to put it up on the wall behind the crib. Still trying to decide what type of letters to use, I love the galvanized ones from anthropologie, but yikes they are pricey!!

{ image via pinterest }

Do you keep an ipod dock or some sort of music in the nursery? The picture above reminded me that we should probably find something to play music & download some good lullabies.

Earlier this year, I decided that I wanted to learn how to play the ukulele. I bought one & learned to (roughly) play some Jack Johnson songs. I have been so busy with work & my etsy shop on the side that I haven't had much time to play. I hope to pick it up again soon & practice so maybe I can play some fun jams for little G one day :)

Some Goodies to Share

I realized that one of my favorite things about all of the blogs I read is that I always find so many goodies, whether it be recipes, places to shop, new products or a good laugh! So today, I just have to share a few things with you.

First of all, am I the only person who has never heard of The Elf on the Shelf? Where have I been my whole life? I am not a resident expert, but I think the concept is simple (and GENIUS), you read this book to your kids about the Elf who watches over them to report back to Santa each night on their behavior.. enticing them to be good :) You get a little Elf doll (obviously to put on your shelf..) & each morning when he returns from the North Pole, he is in a different place in the house doing silly things. The kids have to go find him each morning! There are tons of fun ideas out there, like filling your kids stockings, placing the Elf on your countertop making snow angels in flour or staging him to be having hot cocoa with barbie.. HILARIOUS!!

Also, I am making all of my own artwork for the little G's nursery & I needed a filler for one of my 5x7 frames to match one of the quotes I framed. I threw together this fun little dots design. I thought I would share the high resolution JPG file in case anyone wanted something similar to use in your baby girl's room. Fun & modern... clearly very simple! :) Feel free to save it & print as you wish.

I know it's not much, BUT could be just what somebody out there is looking for! I love polka dots SO much... wanted to polka dot the walls but thought that might be going a little overboard. 

I know there are a lot of readers who are also expecting & after reading many of your blogs, I see that we have something in common... we all crave sweets! I recently discovered RED VELVET CAKE Yoplait yogurt. Anyone else ever had this? Yogurt is supposed to be very good for you while pregnant, especially for the calcium. I normally can't find many flavors that don't give me the super-sticky-sour-yogurt-mouth. But this one is a real winner... I eat it in place of ice cream when I'm craving it. And it's red... and now it's the holidays... how FESTIVE!? 

 Image via bakerella.com

Also for the other expectant mama's... I got a copy of "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" the other day & it is officially one of my new favorite pregnancy books. It's not the most informative book but I was laughing out loud like a fool. So if you're still looking for a great, light-hearted book to read while breaking in the new nursrey glider... better scoop this one up!

Last but not least, I came across a blog the other day with such an amazing birth story that I just had to share! I laughed...then I cried. So good. Literally makes my heart skip a beat out of excitement for my little one's arrival. Read here & enjoy :)

Nursery Update & Answered Questions

Happy Hump Day!

Again, thank you to everyone for all of the sweet comments.. I love all of your feedback & advice so much! I had a few comments about how crappy the dresser from Ikea was that I had my eye on (thank you for your honesty!!) so I kept searching on craigslist. So happy I did!! I found a dirt cheap armoire that we scooped up to refinish instead! 

The picture of the listing was small & blurry but I had a good feeling about it. So we drove clear out to BFE to pick it up (where it was totally dark & we couldn't see), paid & put it in the car. Once we brought it in the house & turned the lights on.....

Buzz.. your girlfriend... WOOF!!! I was not impressed. 

It was dirty, rickety, off-balance, white-washed (not painted white) & the main door had some sort of ugly, discolored beadboard texture. After pouting about it over night & telling my husband I wanted to drive all the way back there and throw it back in their yard... we took it up into the nursery & started giving it a makeover. After lots of cleaning, sanding, painting, SAWING 1/2 INCH OFF EACH OF THE BACK TWO LEGS & some new glass hardware... I'm pretty darn happy with the finished product :)

 

 Of course, I could only find 8 of the knobs that I needed, go figure. I'm sure I'll be hunting down that last knob until the day I'm due.

 Annnnnd moving on.......... some questions answered! :)

In terms of exercising, pre-pregnancy, I was obsessed with Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred & Ripped Up Abs DVDs. I was doing them every other day, plus cardio. Now, I totally suck. I shoot for 30 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week, whether it be jogging or brisk walking around the neighborhood. I also have a small circuit of lunges, squats & half-assed push ups that I do a few days a week. I literally don't the energy to do much more.

 I also wanted to address the comments (did not publish them) insinuating that I'm irresponsible because I reference alcohol a lot. Before I was pregnant, yes, I enjoyed lots of tasty cocktails & beers on the weekends. I didn't mean to offend, I am only being honest in my posts. Since becoming pregnant, I have cut alcohol COMPLETELY & do not plan on drinking again until after the baby is born (and breastfed). I understand it is controversial & probably goes without saying, but I am well aware the effects that alcohol can have on an unborn baby.

And for the record, I also do not plan on eating raw hot dogs, smoking cigarettes or jumping on a trampoline any time soon. No hard feelings though.. I appreciate the concern for the human inside of me  :)

And for anyone who has asked - my maternity leggings are all from the Gap (and they are soooo comfortable & worth the money).

And last but not least - we still do not have a baby name! I'm not 100% sure that we will share it with the world once we do decide... we have thought about saving it until little G makes her appearance into the world. Unfortunately that might not work out since I want to order/make lots of personalized name decor for her room. However, we are DEFINITELY taking suggestions!

24 Weeks

How far along? 24 Weeks
Total weight gain: almost 17 lbs! WHOA MAMA. Yes, that  means I gained almost 6 lbs. this month... thank you Halloween.
Maternity clothes? as you can see in this pic I am still trying to squeeze into my old favorite UnderAmour shirt for the IOWA Game. Clearly it is not working out.
Stretch marks? Not yet, but I have a baaaaaad feeling that strange brown line is about to make it's debut below my belly button. Should probably host a contest for someone to help me name it (keep in mind.. husband is very scared of it)
Sleep: still sleeping great
Best moment this week:  Hearing at my 24 week appointment that everything is still looking good & going smoothly! I just feel so lucky & blessed that my pregnancy has been so great so far.. let's hope we can say the same about the labor! :)
Miss Anything? the clear winner... cocktails! already thinking about a mimosa-less thanksgiving morning
Movement: more & more each day!
Food cravings: still sweets & fruit - should probably work on fulfilling my fruit craving more than my sweets craving if I don't want to gain 50 lbs.
Anything making you queasy or sick: apparently eating an entire bag of grapes wasn't the best idea..but otherwise, no
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: I thought it would be good to add in a "symptoms" line item - this way I can document that I started having round ligament pain, rib pain & a hefty case of "swollen ankles" right around this time.
Belly Button in or out? In-ish
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY
Looking forward to: the crib will be arriving this week! So excited to see it in the room! We also ordered a new leather ottoman/coffee table to replace our hardwood one that we currently have - that will be here this week as well! I will need to take some pics & share a little house tour soon! :)

Baby Girl's Wardrobe

Little G needs more clothes hangers already. I can't stop shopping for little girl outfits! I wish I could wear half this stuff... I feel like wearing a onesie & legwarmers would ROCK.

Here are a few of my favorites hanging in her closet... all of these are from Baby Gap.  A little ruffle-butt one piece pajama, adorable black & white ruffle dress to wear to a wedding we will be attending when she is approximately 2 months old, a denim jumper that I had my eye on forever, a white & grey star sleeper night gown & a denim overall skirt from grandma Bonnie! Seriously, I drool over this stuff. I can't wait to play dress up :)

Two of my other favorites (yep, you do see color here!) are these little one pieces from Old Navy. I love love love babies in stripes!

Don't worry, there very few "newborn" sized things in there. Sizes range from 3-6 months all the way up to 18 months. Also just found out that jcrew has baby clothes! Unfortunately they are a bit out of my price range... but so darn cute!

Where are your favorite places to shop for adorable baby clothes & accessories?! I have a feeling I may need more :)

Halloween

Yes, I painted my pregnant belly to look like a jack-o-lantern. I am that girl. For those who know me personally, they would not be surprised, considering I will literally do anything that is festive.I will also be putting reindeer antlers & a red nose on my SUV very soon.

Halloween is one of my FAVORITE holidays (probably second favorite - hubby & I had an in depth conversation the other morning listing our top five in order). I love making our Halloween costumes each year... and this year we went as....

THE WET BANDITS!

Harry & Marv from Home Alone

 I got roped into volunteered to be the DD & drive our friends out so we could go to a bar in our costumes. So not only did I look like a fat man.. but I was also drinking water in a loud, crowded bar surrounded by girls in lingerie wearing animal ear headbands. Fuck that. I'll never do it again.

On Halloween night, we had our first Trick-or-Treaters EVER! This is the first year we live in a house rather than an apartment, so I was beyond excited to hand out candy!

We turned on the fireplace & watched Hocus Pocus. I made pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for us to snack on (on top of all the candy). Recipe found here... along with lots of other things that will make you gain more than a pound a week during your pregnancy.

All in all, Halloween was a blast but I am soooooooooo excited that it's over..because that means it is officially THE HOLIDAYS! So excited for two Thanksgiving Dinners (may paint my belly to look like a stuffed turkey), Black Friday Shopping & spending Christmas with our families!!