Getting Christmas Crafty and Thrifty!

Christmas Decor Crafts

Since this is our first year in the new house and money is tight, I decided to do a lot of craft projects to help decorate for Christmas!  I had seen a few regular decor idea's using dollar store items on Pinterest and decided I would give it a shot myself.  I went off to the Dollar Store in hopes of getting a large frame to put over our mantle and cover with Christmas Balls along with my first homemade bow on top.  What I did not realize was I would be walking out with items for not just that project but another one as well :)

Mantel Frame:

~this was my original idea and the reason I went to the store.  As of right now we have nothing above our mantle so this seemed like an easy cheap way to take up some space!  I was lucky in that I had some leftover ribbon from my wreath so I decided to watch a YouTube tutorial and make my own bow!  Here are some quick and easy tips on how to create your own piece!

Things You will Need:
1. Dollar Store Mirrors or Frames (I picked out the only mirrors they had 4 of)
2. Glue Gun & Sticks
3. Ornaments in varying sizes
4. Bow or Ribbon to Make a Bow

How to Make:
1. Place 4 frames how you want mirror side facing down
2. Hot glue bottom two together in the middle making sure to fill in all crevices & then top 2
3. Hot glue top piece to bottom piece, again making sure all crevices are filled
4. Once completely dry flip over and decide how and where you want to place your ornaments.  In my case I placed the large ones first then went in and "filled in" the empty spaces with smaller ones.
5. Hot glue ribbon to top of the frame (be sure not to place any ornaments where your bow will be going)
6. Hang and Enjoy!

Holiday Candle Holders:

These were my wild card idea that came to my while looking at mirrors.  I happened to turn around and see all of these awesome candle holders for only $1 and decided they would be great additions to the end of the mantle, they were super easy to make and to me look like something you would spend $10 a piece on, when I made them for only $2! (not including the candles of course which were $3 a piece at Walmart).

Here is how I did it.

Things You will Need:

1. 2 Glass Candle Holders (any size or shape you would like)

2. Glue Gun & Sticks

3. Ornaments (your choice as long as they have a flat spot to place onto the Candle Holder)

How to Make:

1. Place candle holder on floor

2. Remove hanger string from ornament

3. Hot glue ornament on flat spot to adhere to candle holder

4. Place ornament on candle holder and hold for 10-15 seconds until glue has time to cure

5. Insert Candle and Enjoy!

and for the last one...my first attempt at a Home Made Wreath!

Wreath:

This one I came up with just walking around Michael's.  I went in with a bunch of coupons so I was ready to go and get what I needed.  I got the wreath (fake pine) for $3.99.  While I was outside I also found a beautiful red poinsettia bundle that I used for the bottom part.  I came across the pine cones and thought they would be a nice touch and something to break up the red.  The last thing I added was my ribbon and another piece to the bundle that I cut off another red glittered bundle :).  Overall I think for my first wreath I did a good job and I am proud to have it displayed on our front door!

Thanks for reading and happy Crafting!

~Nicole~

Getting Behind!

Wow, I just realized today I missed Austins 4mo post so here it is!!  I also have a few Christmas Craft projects I completed over the past few weeks that I will put in a different post.  I will post pics and tutorials below for anyone who would like to re-create them so be on the lookout for it!


Austin = 4mo!

So first things first.  Time is flying, we are already in December and my little guy turned 4 months old on the 21st of November!  The day of his 4mo Birthday we also left to head up to Boone for our annual trip for our Christmas Tree, yes the same trip we took last year when Kyle proposed!! It is crazy to think it has been an entire year, but time flies when you are having fun right? :).

So we left on Wednesday and got up to Boone around 10pm (after stopping for dinner).  As usual Austin did great with the ride up there and slept the entire way, only waking up to eat when we stopped.  Once we got there, we got settled, I put him to bed and passed out myself, in my clothes at that. I was just so immensely tired after a long day at work then a 3.5hr drive.

Here is a picture from our 4mo old shoot!

We had his 4mo pediatrician visit the following week on the 25th which included 3 more vaccines, 2 injections and 1 oral.  He did great, although he had no desire to lay down on the table and was not happy until I could pick him up.  Luckily he only cried for about 10 seconds before he was good and ready to go!  His stats were as follows....

      Weight: 14lbs 3oz

      Height: 24 1/4 inches

Both of those were the same as his 2mo appointment in that he is still in the 25th percentile but his head went from the 25th percentile up to the 40th percentile so my little guy has a big ole noggin. Just means his brain is extra big and full of knowledge :) Besides that it was a simple appointment.  We were given the green light to start Solid foods which we had already had our first taste of Oatmeal.  Excited to get him on one serving per day of that then moving on to vegetables soon after.

4 mo Survey!

Age: 4 months and 2 weeks

Height/Weight : 14lbs, 3oz and 24 & 1/4 inches


Dr Appts : he did great at his 4mo appt and does not have to go back until his one in January!


Changes : he is getting so much bigger, my little newborn baby that looks like every other newborn is long gone and my handsome big boy is here to stay! He is sitting up assisted and we are working on letting him stand (while we hold his hands of course) as he loves to push up and try! He is also now my little tummy guy as anytime he is on his back he almost immediately rolls over to his tummy! He also tries his hardest to push up, so we might have a crawler here soon (lord help us and the kitty!) He is also teething which means more drool than I can care to handle.  The Dr felt his bottom gums and says we might have a nub popping through here soon!


Sleeping: since DST he goes to bed at 6:30pm and gets up around 6:30-7am! It is great as Kyle and I get our time together at night and he is up and ready to go when we need to leave for work.  Not so fun on weekends when we want to sleep later though but he is totally worth it.


Accomplishments : grabs his feet, can sit unassisted for a few seconds, can stand with the help of hands, attempts to hold his own bottle and knows its where his food is, grabs and holds on to toys and can also put them in his mouth, rolls over both ways great.

Eyes : blue and grey, I love his eyes they are so pretty! He is going to be a heart breaker lol

That is it for Austin! Be on the lookout for my next post with some homemade Dollar Store Christmas Crafts!

~Nicole~

Ignore the Mess!

I am working on moving a few things around and changing up my blog...I am new at all this so it may take some time (plus I have a 3mo old at home so really I have no time lol). If anyone can offer advice on how to move my previous posts to seperate pages I would greatly appreciate it!! I am having a heck of a time understand all this HTML jibberish :)

Ok so while I am working on that, I will go ahead and add my post for Austin!!

Austin = 3mo old!

not the "best" pic but the funniest!

Life in General:

Life is finally getting to a new normal.  I have been back to work for about a month and a half and things are going well, besides the whole productivity thing.  Really how can they expect complete concentration when the only time you have to get anything done is at work? I find my mind seemlessly wondering about every 10-15 minutes, even more when our system is slow, and by the end of the day I am husseling to get my work done before I leave. I think over time and really once wedding planning is over with, I will regain some of my productivity but for now it is what it is!

On top of the work fun, things at home are going pretty well.  He is sleeping 10-12hrs every night and besides the whole switching formula's to figure out which kind works for him, he is a fairly good and happy baby!  He loves his playmat and is really starting to grab at things hanging (especially his hippo!).  He also lights up everytime I put him down and turn his kitty on. He could seriously lay there content for a good 30 min, which is awesome for my home productivity as I can use that time for cleaning, laundry, the occasional shower (haha just kidding I do shower people I promise) & other things around the house. The neighbors at this point probably assume I am nuts as I literally RUN around the house doing 5 million things anytime I can put him down and keep him content for any period of time!

I will say the past month has been and will continue to be crazy.  Austin went on his first plane ride to Pittsburgh and got to meet his crazy family!  He also picked up a few "Steelers" items while there hehe (daddy wasnt too happy about that) but overall he did great on the plane and going through Security was not nearly as bad as I had expected.  In fact people were extra nice to me and I even got a fabulous piece of advise from a TSA agent that got me through the line much faster!  On top of that we did the Pumpkin Farm, we have 2 ECU games coming up (Austin will not be joining he will be at Nana's), Wedding Dress shopping, Engagement Pictures, Boone, Christmas/Christmas Shopping aahhh soo much to do and so little time!

So Handsome : All Dressed up for the wedding!



Wedding Planning:

Speaking of wedding planning, things are going, I am getting ideas for our planner on to pinterest and we are off to go dress shopping on Thursday!  I am excited in some ways but not so much in others, in other words I haven't lost nearly as much weight as I had planned by now, so I am not sure how much I am going to like myself in the dresses, but have concluded that I will imagine myself skinnier!  In the way of weight loss and working out I am doing fairly well.  I have changed my diet to not include fast food (although well its real life people and I occasionally cheat) and I have also put myself on a strict water diet.  Every morning I have a bowl of yummy plain oatmeal with a sprinkling of natural dark brown sugar, for snacks I do fruit and a cliff bar and then for dinner we have been doing a lot of chicken and vegetables! I am lucky in that Kyle gets inspired to cook healthy and all natural working at Whole Foods, it helps keep me in check even if I fall off the wagon at work.

Craft Projects:

Seeing as its now October and almost Halloween I have started a couple craft projects, one being of course carving pumpkins! I will be sure to upload the pics when I am done but I have a great idea for the 3 we got yesterday at the pumpkin patch (see photo's below of our trip).  My other project involves some chinet cut glass cups, spraypaint & black acrylic paint.  I have so far gotten the cups spraypainted white and will soon be adding eyes and a mouth for my "ghost cups" to line our walkway for the trick or treaters! I got the idea from Chinets website and everything total only cost me under $6 to make 6. Three more would only cost me $1 more (for the led tea lights) so overall not a bad project and they can be reused next year!

Final product (from the Chinet website)..I will be sure to post how mine turn out once I am done!

Survey Says:

Age: 3 months & 1 day



Height/Weight : at his 2 mo appt he was up to 22.5 inches & 11lbs 7oz.  I measure him a few days ago and he was 23 inches and I would say about 12.5-13lbs (I need to weigh him)




Dr Appts : no more appts till 4mo! he did great with his 2mo shots so I hope for the same outcome with these as well




Changes : he loves to grab for objects now and really tries hard to keep a hold of them. more independent play aka I can leave him on his mat and he keeps himself entertained.  he laughs and smiles. can almost hold his head up with no bobbling




Sleeping: goes down between 7&8pm and sleeps until about 7am! (except the days I have to wake him up to take him to grandma's)




Accomplishments : laughings, smiling at faces he knows, turns head towards voices he knows, startles at loud sounds, grabs for objects, found his thumb! lol

Eyes : still lighter, looks like they'll be blue/grey like his daddy

Hope you enjoyed, like I said hopefully here soon this will be a bit more organized!

~Nicole~



2 Months Old! Time is flying by...

Wow, I have a 2 month old!

Its amazing, all your life you hear how you have grown up so fast and how things fly by and you just dont realize it until you have a little one of your own to watch grow every day.  I cannot believe my little man is already 2 months old, where has the time gone?  It seems like just yesterday I was pushing him out!

The past month has been a whirlwind, we are out of that newborn stage and really into the infant stage of learning new things, new facial expressions, smiles & giggles and new developments almost daily.  Sleep is getting much better as he almost always sleeps through the night (5+ hours).  He is more awake and alert during the day and is responding to bright colors, lights, and funny faces!  He coo's and babbles and tries to talk and if you talk about poop, will almost always immediately give you a big grin! (such a boy!)

On top of watching him grow daily, I am back at work & also in full speed wedding planning mode! We hired a wedding planner who will help us through everything and make sure the day of we wont have to lift a finger, he is worth every single penny!  Things are crazy right now in the Bahn/Brown household, but its a new experience everyday and I am learning to just go with the flow!

I would also like to mention that I celebrated a milestone Birthday this past Tuesday, hitting a quarter century old and Kyle will be hitting his tomorrow.  It really is amazing how quickly time flies by, when you are in the moment it seems so slow but looking back I wonder where the last 25 years have gone and also look forward to what the next 25 has in store for me, as long as they slow down a bit!

2 months old and super smiley!

Well thats life so far now here is the survey!

Survey Says:

Age: 2 months

Height/Weight : at his 1 mo appt he was 9lbs, 12 oz and 23 inches, so we will see!  I think he is up to at least 12lbs and probably 24-25 inches, but I have no clue


Dr Appts : Oct 1st, his 2 mo Dr visit...I am dreading this one as he has to get 2 shots, excited to see how much he has grown though


Changes : gaining weight like crazy, he is also getting taller by the minute I swear.  He is in 3mo clothing and will probably be moving up to 6months within the month or next months!


Sleeping: we have a great bedtime routine in place now, he goes to sleep anywhere between 7:30-10 depending on his nightfeeding, if we have a bath ect.  His initial stretch ranges anywhere from 5-8 hours and then we do a feeding and he goes back down for another 3-4 hours before he's up for the day.  Naps are shorter and harder to accomplish but he still takes a few during the day, most days.


Accomplishments : his head is getting more steady by the day, he only flops every now and then if he isn't paying attention, he is grabbing and batting at things on his activity mat and he still tries to push up and stand on his own. He is also smiling and making faces and sometimes will even laugh!


Eyes : turning lighter and looking like they are going to be grey/blue!

He is still doing wonderful on trips out and as long as he is fed and changed he will mostly sleep while we run errands or grab a bite to eat. 

Life is good!

~Nicole~

1 Month Old & Wedding Update

Austin is 1 month!

My oh my how time flies.  2 days ago my precious little man turned 1 month old and it hit me that I only have 2 more weeks until I have to leave him and go to work *sniff*

(loves looking out the window!)



It is absolutely amazing to watch him learn and grow and change on a daily basis.  He is a champ at eating but unfortunately mommy doesnt make enough to satisfy him all the time so we have had to supplement (mostly at night).  I am getting my stock ready though and should be able to continue to pump when I head back to work so my mom can feed him during the day.

So my new monthy survey to keep up with Austins changes and accomplishments is below, enjoy!

Survey Says....

Age: 1 mo, 2 days

Height/Weight : not sure his appt is next week but he is up to 0-3 mo clothes and size 1 diapers so he has grown!

Dr Appts : next thursday 8/30

Changes : he now has little rolls and his hair has grown a bit since birth, he now has chubby cheeks and a double chin!

Sleeping: during the day he sleeps for about 2hours then wakes up, diaper change, eats and if he wants to stay awake he'll do tummy time, at night he is sleeping around 3-4 hours for his initial stretch then back to 2-3 as he does during the day

(one of his fav places to sleep)



Accomplishments : he has been able to really steady his head since birth but is almost to the point of doing it all on his own!  He also already rolled over from tummy to back and is smiling and making new noises

Eyes : getting lighter and bluer by the day! I think he's going to have my eyes as I can already see a ring of a different color forming around his pupil :)

So Austin is doing fabulous and like I said changing daily.  We have gone on several outing since his birth and I am so excited to say that he does fabulously out and about, we even nursed in public a couple times (with a cover) and he did great (as did mommy)!  Overall I have a pretty good baby, once he starts sleeping through the night and his gas is completely gone I think he'll be even more perfect than he already is!

Wedding Update:

So now lets move on to the Wedding!! If you haven't seen on Facebook we had to change the date yet again due to a large Marlin Tournament taking place the weekend we had initially booked.  Sadly because of the tournament and all the people coming to town for it the hotels we wanted to book would not let us block rooms and we didn't want to worry about any guests not being able to stay nearby. 

Our new date is May 4th, 2013 and will absolutely not be changing.  We have the venue ready to go, the hotel blocked, wedding planner and photographer all set for that date so there is no changing lol :).

Within the next month or so I will be doing my dress shopping and finally doing our engagement pics!  Be on the lookout soon for our Save the Dates and then invitations to follow with information to our wedding website! (can you tell I am excited)

 

Life in General

Overall things are going well in the Bahn/Brown household and we are adjusting to life with our new man.  Wedding planning with a newborn is stressful and I have to use any extra minutes I have while he is sleeping during the day to clean, do laundry, pay bills, and plan the wedding on top of making sure he doesnt wake up and maybe get a chance to shower/eat! 

Life as a mommy is wonderful and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Welcome Austin Joseph Brown!

Sooo sorry this is over a week late...aggh life with a newborn is never dull!  Ok so this post will strictly be Little Mans arrival to the world and a few pics, hope you enjoy :)

The Birth of Austin Brown:

So like a timely little guy my contractions started on my due date July 20th around 9pm.  They kept getting stronger and after timing for about 1.5hrs I decided to call the Dr on call to see what my plan of action should be.  I wanted to stay home as long as possible, but wanted to be prepared.  Surprise the Dr on call was the one I had seen just the day before! She told me to wait it out until I couldn't stand the pain any longer then come in, so to bed we went.  Around 2am I woke up to pee and realized that I was no longer peeing but was still leaking fluid, holy crap! my water broke!.  I was so excited because I never in a million years thought it would happen that way.  I woke up Kyle and we got packed up and headed to the hospital.  I called the Dr back and she had them waiting for me at the hospital.  Got to Rex around 2:30am and checked into triage.  My contractions were getting stronger but nothing I couldnt handle.  The worst part was having fluid leaking constantly and even more every time a contraction hit. 

Once out of triage I got my room and got set up with my heplock/iv and blood pressure. I was put on monitoring for 15 min each hour and let me tell you that 15 min in bed was excruciating.  I had every intention of going natural and was doing great standing up, rocking my hips and concentrating on my breathing while Kyle rubbed my back (I had front and back labor).  Well the pain got intense fast and my contractions were coming on top of each other and also peaking 2-3 times before going down.  I was convinced I was at transition (7cm) so when I had the nurse check and she said 4cm I gave up on my plan of a natural childbirth and got the epidural.  Let me tell you, best decision of my life.  They kept it on a low dose so I could fee the contractions but it was just intense pressure & a lot less pain.  Quickly I realized I was feeling a lot of pressure down low and after finally getting my current nurse to check around 11:30am (I think lol) she said I was 10cm (my fear of the epi prolonging labor was the opposite, it actually sped it up!) and ready to push!

She looked at me and immediately said ok this can take 2-3 pushes or 2-3 hours, I was jokingly saying well lets hope its the first!  Um no.  I pushed for 2.5 hours before Austin made his arrival.  Once the Dr came in and the pushing got real I pulled every ounce of energy left in my body to get him out (this was after the threat of vacuum extraction or worse a c-sec, which I was not going to let happen!).  At 3:15pm on Saturday July 21st, 2012 he made his arrival at a whopping 6lbs, 6oz and 21.5 inches long, perfect except a large bruise on his head where he was stuck in my birth canal.

He was immediately placed on my chest and we had skin to skin, we also attempted breastfeeding but that didn't go well.  Needless to say we are still working on it, but its getting better since my milk came in.

A week has gone by and Kyle is back at work, but every day I see the changes in him and the love I have for him grows.  I still cannot believe I am a mommy and still getting adjusted but excited for the next 5 weeks at home with my little man!

Presenting, Mr Austin Joseph Brown :

After birth : about to get his first bath!

1 week old :)

Thanks for reading, hopefully as time goes on and we get this schedule thing down I can get back to crafts/cupcakes!

~Nicole~



Due Date = Today

And.....I am still pregnant!! Come on little man its time to come meet everyone!  I am completely over being pregnant, and after all the false labor I have had the past few weeks I never in a million years expected to make it to my due date or at the rate we are going past it! 

Now I know there are "methods" to naturally induce labor, I have tried them....spicy foods : check, lots of walking : check, squats : check...other methods  :check check & uh check!  I appreciate opinions but at this point I am done.  I am hoping I dont make it to my next appt Monday (just went  yesterday and only 2cm...blah) but if I do we are talking induction!

Well now that my frustration is out I will go ahead and do the norm and then head out to do some more walking, because frankly I am NOT a homebody & am going stir crazy sitting at home all the time!

Dear Little Man,

GET OUT OF MY BELLY!!!

 If you dont have a watch/calendar in there, I will let you know its 7/20 and time for you to make your grand entrance.  We are all very anxious/excited to meet you and I know LOTS of people who are dying to know what your name is, and mommy is extremely excited to tell them!  You keep making me think you are coming pounding down on my lady bits like you do then nothing!  It's quite frustrating to say the least. 

To be honest I have never been so excited for pain in my life!  Its crazy to think that way, but I am just so ready to have you here and in my arms and see you and snuggle that every hour/day/minute that passes I am praying for a contraction, and ones that stick around/intensify, not those crazy last for a couple hours then dissapate ones you've been giving me!

At this point I am hoping this is my last update, as I have no plans to make it to 41 weeks, see mommy has to go back to work in 5 short weeks and every week you dont come is a week less we get to spend together before then!  So please come soon ok?

Thanks!

Love Always,

Mommy

Survey Says!

How Far Along : 40 weeks!


Produce Size Comparison : Watermelon/Small Pumpkin



Symptoms : still having insane heartburn, even on the Zantac 150 I bought :( *sigh*, pressure/pain in lower abdomen, pain in pelvic bone, pain in upper thighs, waddling (yup got the waddle) - (all the same, nothing has changed) - + add lots of discharge! ick


Cravings/Aversions : no real cravings, really wanted a soda yesterday but mainly b/c I have been drinking water like its going out of style (and I hate water!) / aversion to anything that will cause heartburn!


Weight Gain/Loss : well as of last Friday I was +35lbs, but that was my last week of work & apparently due to swelling b/c as of yesterday I was down 3lbs so +32 seems it will be my final #


Next Appt : Monday 7/23

Sex : Little Man!


Stretch Marks/Linea Nigra : below the belly stretch marks & lots of them, some more on top of boobs (sniff sniff) & linea nigra is very prominent the whole way up the belly.


Maternity Clothes : still working with my 3 dresses that fit, even my pants are tight in the stomach area now & my shirts are essentially too short : same



Baby Related Purchases? : none / after doing some "walking" today though that may change!



Movement? : pushing out, kicking his foot out my right side and slamming his head into my lady bits...all so much fun! (not)


Bellybutton? : stretched but still in (and piercing hole is still open! woo)


Whats Baby Doing this Week?: 40 weeks

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.



"Is this it?...."

I say this to myself on a daily basis now.  Yup we are at that point now where I have pain constantly, daily and sporadicly at different times.  Its crazy how you get to a point where you want to feel the pain get worse and more consistent.  Its also crazy how I went from being a complete nutcase about how I am going to "attempt" this naturally to now wanting to feel pain and thinking heck yes I can do this, just get him out! (we'll see how this goes later)

So this week besides constant pain, still being at work and having to listen to the stupid comments, and doing absolutely nothing when I get home, has been pretty uneventful.  Everything is ready to go and we are pretty much just waiting for that time to head to the hospital and get this show on the road!

So with that, this will be a short post this week.  If anything comes about before next week I will be sure to post and update you guys as best I can.  Luckily they have free wi-fi at the hospital! :)

Dear Little Man,

So essentially we are at 39 weeks...the end, the point of making me wait daily to see if the pain I am having is a real contraction or just false labor (its been the latter so far).  You are really pushing me to the last leg of the race, which is ok in reality because its good for you to cook as long as possible, but mommy is done.  I am in constant pain, tired of having to sit at work and just wanting to see you and hold you instead of feeling your little foot sticking out my side! I want to kiss those little toes and face and hands and show your adorable (yes I am going to be biased) self off to the world.  Its surreal that anyday you could be here but also I am pushing for the day to be soon.  I have 9 days left until your official Dr prescribed "due date" but feel free to come before then.  My last day at work is Friday and we are ready to go anytime after that! 

Also your daddy is quite excited to meet you, as is everyone else.  You have already had him tell you its ok to come out, and on top of that, remember that crazy lady talking to you on Sunday? that was your Aunt Sheila and she is wanting you to come soon as well.   I will say your daddy is anxious to meet you but also nervous, he claims he wont know what to do, but no worries between the hospital staff, me and family + his daddy instincts I think you & him will both be ok.

Well thats it for this week, you are welcome to make an appearance anytime soon (just not tomorrow as that is your Uncles birthday and well I dont want you to have to share!)

Love Always,

Mommy



Survey Says!

How Far Along : 38 weeks, 5 days


Produce Size Comparison : Watermelon till the end!



Symptoms : still having insane heartburn, even on the Zantac 150 I bought :( *sigh*, pressure/pain in lower abdomen, pain in pelvic bone, pain in upper thighs, waddling (yup got the waddle)


Cravings/Aversions : nothing craving, aversion to everything, it all gives me heartburn (even water!)...still the same, really dont want anything lately


Weight Gain/Loss : as of last week I was the exact same down to the decimal so hopefully it'll read the same tomorrow but as of then +32lbs


Next Appt : tomorrow!! 7/12/12

Sex : Little Man!


Stretch Marks/Linea Nigra : below the belly stretch marks, some more on top of boobs (sniff sniff) & linea nigra is very prominent the whole way up the belly1


Maternity Clothes : still working with my 3 dresses that fit, even my pants are tight in the stomach area now & my shirts are essentially too short



Baby Related Purchases? : none



Movement? : still pushing out and around, not as much movement this week as before but it is painful!


Bellybutton? : in, getting flat but no signs of popping



Whats Baby Doing this Week?:  (we'll just do 39 weeks since I am close enough)

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Happy Belated Independence Day!

Happy 4th Everyone (1 day late)! 

I completely meant to do this yesterday but well things got crazy and it didnt happen so today, while the boss is away I will blog! :)

Well, no firecracker baby for me (thank god), not like I dont want him here, because I so desperately do, but to be honest sharing your Birthday with a holiday just never sounds very pleasant to me.  Yes he would have fireworks on his Birthday every year and have off of work and all that but well the one person I know whose Birthdy is July 4th told me he always hated it, so I was really hoping he would wait.

Now that we are past the fun of a holiday he can come anyday.  I am completely miserable.  Yup you heard it, I am OVER being pregnant. I am tired of being sore, tired, swollen, not being able to sleep/get comfy enough to sleep, peeing 5x/night & nothing fitting! I am tired of people constantly asking me, "how are you doing", "oh you're still working/here", "you look ready to pop, are you ready" ugggh to answer these for you....I am miserable & 9 months pregnant, nothing fits anymore (even maternity clothes & dont even talk to me about bra's, talk about a death grip vice on your boobs), yes I am still working, unlike most countries we dont get paid maternity leave from the government and I only get 6 weeks, of those I would like to spend most with my newborn son so we can bond, yes I am a balloon and am going to "pop" when the baby comes out...seriously?  Maybe its the hormones talking but I am so over hearing that phrase!  I much prefer you look ready to unload, which my parents friend Joel so kindly said yesterday, it makes much more sense to me than popping!

So lets get down to business, or lack thereof I should say.  Nothing is going on besides cooking this child and relaxing at any point that I can, oh yea and weekly appointments!  Who doesn't love going to the Dr weekly and getting hit up for more $$ each time? (yea total sarcasm there).  I am praying they give me some good news progress wise tomorrow as the past 2 haven't really been much besides a slight cervix softening....I am hoping for some dialation at least tomorrow considering the pains I have been having! So yea keep your fingers crossed for me!

Alright on to the weekly letter!

Dear Little Man,

So we hit the milestone 37 weeks this past Friday woo Full Term!  You are now very large and in charge and mommy is exhausted, sore, tired, swollen and ready for your to make your grand entrance.  According to the bump (my bible) you are now the size of a Wintermelon and as of tomorrow (38 weeks) will be a Watermelon...yup the famous July fruit, which by the way is quite large consdering my tiny frame!  In other news you are still moving and grooving but glad to say as of my last appointment you have cooperated and are now head down and have your butt to my front which means ready to go for delivery! Now just dont flip or rotate and we'll both be happy campers when you decide to come. 

In regards to that crazy kid that keeps telling yout come out and play, thats your cousin Collin.  He is quite ready for your to come out, though since he's only 3 doesn't quite realize you wont be "playing" for a little while.  I am excited for you two to meet and know you will be close cousins.

Well at this point thats all I got for you this week kid, just ready to meet you and see your sweet face!  So anytime you are ready, mommy and daddy and the rest of the world are ready as well.  You have so many people that love you and will be there for you and I cannot wait for you to meet them...I apologize in advance for the crazy amount of people that are going to be visiting you after birth, it may get a little nuts, but know its ok to sleep through all of it ;).

Love you always,

Mommy

Survey Says!

How Far Along : 37 weeks, 6 days


Produce Size Comparison : Wintermelon (Watermelon as of tomorrow)


Symptoms : killer heartburn (so ready to get that done with), pain when I walk, spreading pelvic bone, swelling in my feet & sometimes my hands, BH's are getting painful and stronger, sciatic pain in my left side


Cravings/Aversions : nothing craving, aversion to everything, it all gives me heartburn (even water!)



Weight Gain/Loss : around 30-32lbs



Next Appt : Friday 7/6 : hoping for some progress this week!


Sex : Little Man!


Stretch Marks/Linea Nigra : seems like the stretch marks are multiplying...luckily they are where I cannot see them (below the belly button) and I only check em out in the mirror.  Linea Nigra is still there and the whole way up the belly


Maternity Clothes : done! still done, not buying anymore (now if someone could tell my coworker that who doesnt seem to remember my 3 piece wardrobe and asks me daily if what I am wearing is new, that would be great...)



Baby Related Purchases? : Did some shopping Sunday with my mom, who so graciously got us an extra crib sheet, changing pad cover, baby book and some prefold cloth diapers for burp cloth purposes :)

Movement? : lots of bumping and pushing and moving around


Bellybutton? : in, getting flat but no signs of popping



Whats Baby Doing this Week?:  We'll do 37 & 38 weeks (next week may be a repeat but since I am closer to 38 this week I'll throw that in there too)

      37 Weeks : Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)


Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.


   38 Weeks : Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.


Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after he's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Can you tell I am getting lazy?

Yup so now its Wednesday, which means I am officially 2 weeks behind on pics and 1.5 weeks behind on my blog, sorry world!  I get home these days and want to do nothing but sleep!  If my butt touches that couch or my head hits that pillow I am out like a light, heck the thought of going to Cold Stone last night barely got me off the couch once I started dozing off!

So I want to throw in some gripes this week so that once this baby is out and I think I miss being pregnant I can come back and remember all the fun stuff I am dealing with and be thankful I am not! So for this week I am going to do a lit of things I am NOT thankful for!

1. People giving their unsolicited advice on pregnancy/newborns

2. Swollen Feet & Ankles

3. Swollen Hands & Face

4. Lack of sleep do to not being able to get comfy

5. Heartburn (you can go and die!)

6. Feeling like a giant whale

7. My closet being filled with about 3 whole outfits I can still manage to fit my whaleself into

8. People staring at me anytime I go somewhere (yes I look 16, no I am not!)

9. The phrase "get your sleep now!" (um really b/c I can store it up and save it for later? oh no thats right b/c I am sleeping so wonderfully now & have been for the past 2 months!)

10. Getting asked EVERYWHERE I GO, "when are you due" "what are you having" "what is his name"....seriously cashier at sheetz do I know you? do you really need to know my personal history, you want my medical records too?

11. Being able to only comfortably wear 1 pair of shoes to work & 1 other pair any other time

12. Having the only question people ask me anymore is "how are you feeling" (like a fat cow with an alien in my stomach running on 2 hours of sleep, you?)

13. The feeling like my pelvic bone is about to rip into 2 along with my thighs

14. 2 Words : "Lightening Crotch"

Ok I will stop there :) Yes I am quite moody today and ready to be off of work for 6 weeks.  I have decided that at around 6 mo you should be qualified for disability and be able to not work!  The government pays people who are far less incapable to do nothing all day so why not help out a hard working tax paying citizen who is seriously disabled?

What really blows my mind is looking at other countires, with the exception of Australia we are the ONLY country that does not provide some sort of paid maternity leave, some countries even pay for the fathers to stay home!  It's sad that as such a strong country & world power that we cannot even do that.  I am grateful to have the 6 weeks off that I do, then I read online about moms in Canada and their 50 weeks paid! Makes me sick!

On another note lets get into the baby stuff as I am at work and no time to waste! (no this will not get done if I wait to do it at home lol)

Dear Little Man,

We are just 1.5 days shy of 37 weeks, you know what that means? Full term baby!! Woo! That means I am serving you eviction papers, in other words, I will be doing everything in my power to get you out! I am praying at my appointment Friday you have at least made some sort of progress from last week where I was a big ole nothing dialted!  Hopefully this week we have some sort of dialition, effacement, thinning.... something! 

I know there has got to be something going on because it feels like you are sitting right there ready to burst out at any moment, especially when I stand up!  You for some reason though are still attempting to escape out of my stomach, word to the wise, you are more than welcome to try the other way, like down the birth canal, the way god intended ;).  You can stop hurting me by trying to force your way out my stomach, belly button and sides, they are not buding buddy!

On another note if this makes things any better, we are ready for you to come.  We got the last few items we need (besides your cloth diapers which are soon to come next, but not needed for your immediate use) at my work baby shower last Thursday thanks to my generous coworkers, I have washed all your items (except some clothes, just in case) and your carseat base is in the Jeep and ready for you to ride! So again feel free to make your descent at any point now, we are SO ready to meet you!

My last 2 pics (the one above is from today!)

Is it weird that I look bigger in the one from last week? lol maybe its just me!

Survey Says!

How Far Along : 36 weeks, 5 days

Produce Size Comparison : Honeydew

Symptoms : *sigh* Heartburn (almost out of my meds!), Lightening Crotch, Swelling, General Uncomfiness,  Lots of Discharge (TMI yes I know)



Cravings/Aversions : The cookie skillet still sounds good, went to Coldstone last night and they had a hot cookie thing with ice cream but alas it had uncooked cookie dough on top (which of course I cant have) so I had a banana royale sundae mmmm.  No strict aversions, but not all that hungry anymore



Weight Gain/Loss : according to last Fridays appt +32lbs, according to my scale this morning +27lbs....who knows!



Next Appt : Friday (on weekly appts now) 6/29/12, hopefully this one goes better than the last!


Sex : BOY!!


Stretch Marks/Linea Nigra : yes to both :( luckily they are clear variety and will hopefully dissapear after the weight is gone!) good news is they are below the belly button so they arent as noticable



Maternity Clothes : done!



Baby Related Purchases? : I personally didnt purchase anything, but got some clothes, a Puj tub and a K'tan carrier from my wonderful coworkers, along with some books, a teether and some booties!


Movement? : painful pushing, turning, moving, whatever he's doing in there, plus head is down and it moves now too!



Bellybutton? : still in, dont think its going to change



Whats Baby Doing this Week : Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. (yumm right?) haha




At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position (YUP!). But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying he'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly. (lets just say if he is not head down on Friday, you may hear me from 10,000 miles away!)

This is becomming a Tuesday blog ;)

So I am at the point where Fridays are just too busy/tiring and well now we are on a Tuesday blog post sort of deal lol.

Well in the past week not much is going on, we are down to the home stretch in the pregnancy and as of tomorrow down to 30 days left!  Sadly no work shower last week, guessing something came up and maybe it'll be this week? It doesn't really matter, anything they do for me will be amazing and greatly appreciated but not necessary :).

Alrighty well since I have been hounded about Little Mans nursery here it is, pics of his future room!

So thats it, hope you enjoy!! :) I am still looking for a small side table for next to the glider and I have my eye on a rug for in front of the crib but past that, its all done!

 

Home Front

So went on a cleaning spree this past weekend, must be nesting, and cleaned every last nook and cranny!  Thank god my vaccuum worked (I was worried it was broken as last time I wanted to use it, its sucking abilities well sucked! lol) so the house is squeeky clean.  Sunday I did a bit of shopping and ended up with a whole new bathroom set for the spare bathroom including, shower curtain, rugs, hand towel and bath towel..love the way it looks now!

We finally got the spare room cleaned out, and got a free sofa bed from a coworker of kyles,although its floral and very 80yo looking, it looks as if it was barely ever sat on and a cover can make it look modern so no worries! Glad we finally have somewhere for people to sleep when they come over!

Wedding Update

Nothing new to report here, been working on cooking the baby and finishing up the house!

Little Man!

As usual this is going to be the most updated.  Alright so really no new updates, still pregnant, but as an update we are def getting close as I have had a few early labor signs (I will spare you the gory details), but let me tell you I think he is not going to stay until the 20th, but I guess we will see.

My pics are going to be almost a week behind as I do them on Wednesday but here we go!

Dear Little Man,

So we are almost at 36 weeks, 1 week shy of 37 (full term!). Space is getting tight and BOY can I tell. You are pushing out and elbowing me in the side/front. I am completely dying to know what you look like and jelous of everyone that has gotten to see their baby. I am glad that you are growing properly and I haven't had the need for an U/S but man its weird knowing you are in there and not knowing what you look like. I am hoping you stay small and dont go past 8lbs, mommys tiny body can't handle it if you get any bigger! I guess since I dont get anymore ultrasounds your weight will be a guess as well. Luckily you (from what I can tell) are head down so stay that way until you decide you are ready!

Funny story, daddy was talking to you in bed the other day and we watched as you moved right towards his voice! It was amazing knowing you know his voice and wanted to be near it. Now whenever you are ready to make an appearance feel free, I am ready to have my body back to myself! Also your room is all ready to go and your temporary bed next to mommy in our room is waiting to be filled by your sweet self, so yea no need hesitate :)!

Love Always,

Mommy!

34 weeks, 5 days (last wed)

Survey Says!

How Far Along : 35 weeks 4 days


Produce Size Comparison : Coconut! perfect for the summer


Symptoms : Finally got my heartburn under control (thank you prilosec!), exhausted 24/7, cant sleep long stretches due to being uncomfy, pain from baby trying to escape



Cravings/Aversions : I am DYING for a cookie skillet or a hot brownie sundae! / no aversions, most things dont appeal to me anymore



Weight Gain/Loss : well since I havent had an appt I am going by my scale so +27lbs (I am ok with that, as long as the Drs doesnt show some crazy # friday!)


Next Appt : June 22nd - Friday, starting internal exams! also getting my Tdap vaccine


Sex : Still a Boy! (hopefully no surprises at birth lol)


Stretch Marks/Linea Nigra : up to 2 stretch marks (could be worse as they are clear and not purple), linea nigra all the way up the belly


Maternity Clothes : nothing nada


Baby Related Purchases? : nothing, no shower last week

Movement? : still pushing out, moving around, hurts like hell sometimes!


Bellybutton? : still an innie


Whats Baby Doing this Week : Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.





Any Day Now!

Scary to think that any day now our little man could come.  Its actually freaking me out sometimes, I will get a weird sensation "down there" and wonder if its something going on with labor! It doesnt help either that other women on my online groups have had their babies!! So yea from here on out I will be worried about every little twitch and twinge (although most FTM's go late so we'll see!)

So this past week..hmm not much really has gone on but we'll go with the usual list and update from there!

House:

Things are coming along nicely, the nursery is almost done (yes I know I keep saying that but I just FINALLY found a curtain rod and will be putting that up tonight once I get curtain rings to hang the drop cloth curtains with) & pictures will be up soon, since I keep hearing people want to see :) I just need to get the curtains up, find a rug to put in front of the crib & find a small side table to put next to the glider/ottoman & a lamp to put on that, not too bad.

We finally after much stressing from KB got the spare room cleaned up/organized and its ready to be his man cave (complete with "man cave" signs we found at BB&B on clearance!).  Its nice to see it put away but man that room looks empty now and I have no where to put my craft stuff (its stuffed in the closet *sniff*) that he calls junk!

Well with that room ready to go we now need a TV stand in there for the tv.  The original plan was to put the one in the living room in there and buy a nice new one for the living room, as of last night thats still the plan, yay, so hopefully we'll pick that up or at least order one tonight from Walmart!

Oh! I almost forgot, while picking up the curtain rod from Lowes last night I also went ahead and got some blinds for our kitchen window as well, and was quite pleased with the $7 pricetag vs the $40 the other 2 rooms cost us! Not to mention the $60 the living room ones cost us all together + $40 for the curtains + another $10 for the curtain rod (luckily Ikea is cheap! b/c we had to get 4 curtain panels and for $40 you can't beat that price!).  While at Lowes I also scored a good deal on Laundry Detergent to wash all the baby stuff in, yes yes I know I am behind, but they had the small bottles of Method Free and Clear on clearence for $4/pop and each bottle does about 25 loads so I picked up 2 for $8 which will do about 50 loads, give or take, and the big bottle they had below was 50 loads for $14! I think it was a pretty good steal if I do say so myself :)

Wedding:

Ok so nothing new here, we have the venue, we have our date and we have our colors picked + I have my bridal party all picked and all but 1 informed/asked! For now I am set with what we have done.  I plan on getting started with the rest of it probably mid September/October when I start dress shopping, aka when I have my body back to start dress shopping (hopefully!)

For those of you that are interested and dont want to wait until my Save the Dates are out (they will probably be sent this fall after we get Engagement Pics done (finally). Here are some details for now!

Date : June 8th, 2013

Location : Beaufort, NC

Ceremony & Reception Site : The Boathouse @ Front Street Village (ceremony will be held outside & reception inside in their Marlin Club (includes outside patio as well)

Colors : Navy Blue and Yellow



So there is that, I am very excited to get planning and already have a LOT of ideas in my head about how I want to do things.  Next is just putting them in place!

Baby/Little Man:

This week he has been extremely active and I think he dropped!  At my last appt I was told he was head down (finally got a Dr to check!) and since then I have felt a decent amount of movement down low coupled with having to pee a lot more.  Now the problem, I am so shortwaisted that although he "dropped" as I am speculating he is still up in my ribs and I still have horrible heartburn, ugggh! So needless to say at this point I am severly uncomfy and ready to have him out!  I don't sleep well, I cannot get comfy at work, at home, sitting upright, laying down, nothing..I have officially given up on trying.  The only thing that does help..my AMAZING bathtub...ahh its like heaven laying in there!  Lately its been my safehaven of laying in there with a good book (right now its 50 Shades Darker) and relaxing for about an hour.  The water helps to take some pressure off my ever growing bowling ball on my front side and is really the only way I relax (I almost fell asleep in there the other night lol). 

I also want to say Thank You to Michelle for coming over and showing me some yoga positions to help with now and labor and delivery & some yoga breathing that have helped with sleeping a bit and will help with contractions when he decides to make an appearance. 

Dear Little Man,

We have made it to 34 weeks (well technically since I am late this week 34 weeks and 4 days) and you are now big enough to make any movement known.  You are constantly getting hiccups, which is funny for th first 5 min and then is just plain annoying, I am sure you dont care for them either.  You tend to go NUTS when you get them and move all over the place trying to escape.  Speaking of escape, stop trying to plan yours.  No matter what daddy tells you, you are not cooked enough to come out and visit yet!  I would love to have you out and hold you and be able to be comfy again but I would rather you come out healthy, happy and not have to spend any extra time in the hospital, for health and financial aspects! 

I cannot believe we are down to the last 5.5 weeks until your arrival. So many people are excited to meet you, especially your daddy and your grandpa (my daddy).  Grandpa showed me that enthusiasm this past weekend when we went and saw Nathan and Mackenzies recital (which you loved the music btw and apparently didn't mind her sitting on my lap as you didn't kick once while she was there!) and he tried to talk to you to get you to move and accidentally blurted your name out for 3 new people to hear! As frustrated as I was at this, its ok and I know he's just excited! You'll one day learn about this type of love and learn to forgive Daddy and I when we do stupid things too :).

Love always,

Mommy

TORPEDO BELLY! haha

Survey Says:

How Far Along : 34 weeks 4 days


Produce Size Comparison : Butternut Squash


Symptoms : Heartburn, peeing a LOT, swelling (feet and hands, only when in the heat or standing/sitting for long periods), cannot get comfy to sleep anymore (same as last week), + peeing a lot and pelvic pressure when I stand up



Cravings/Aversions : Smoothies, Fruit, Milk, Chocolate / No Aversions



Weight Gain/Loss : I havent weighed myself since last week (im scared too lol) so we'll guestimate and say +25lbs for now :)


Next Appt : June 22nd, I start internal exams and weekly appts after that!


Sex : Still a Boy! (hopefully no surprises at birth lol)


Stretch Marks/Linea Nigra : ugggh found my first one *sniff* its low and its light, not nasty purple or anything but its there, Linea Nigra is up past the belly button and darker down below


Maternity Clothes : I caved and bought some post partum items at the Destination Maternity store (cant really call it an outlet as the prices were the same as the reg store) at the Outlet Mall. Got some comfy capri pants, a nursing bra and nursing tank (KB likes the easy access lol, he has been warned its easy access for baby only ;) haha! )


Baby Related Purchases? : nothing, expecting a shower at work this week (so we'll see what comes with that and anything left I am waiting on my completion coupons to get!)

Movement? : god he pushes and sticks his butt out and elbows the crap outta me now


Bellybutton? : about the same still an innie


Whats Baby Doing this Week : Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.