::Baby G:: Week 26!...not 27 ;-)

How far along? 26 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 19.8 lbs (I'm starting to get worried about staying in my "optimal range") 

Maternity clothes? Yes of course. 

Stretch marks? Same---sticking with Bio-Oil and Mama Bee's Belly Butter

Symptoms: Same as usual: heartburn and back pain with a little pregnancy brain mixed in there. Today at lunch I discovered I have been carrying around a purse all week with no wallet in there. This doesn't seem like such a big deal if I had a huge purse with tons of things in it but I have a pretty small purse and the only thing in there all week has been a makeup bag and I didn't even notice. 

I also had this slip up tonight---wrong week! CRAP! I had it all edited and cropped and pretty ready to post when I noticed!

Sleep: Getting less and less sleep and having to get up to pee pretty often. In the beginning I felt like I had to pee often but it subsided after the first trimester---now it's back in full swing. I think I got up 5 or 6 times last night.

Best moment this week: Putting more finishing touches on the nursery, we are almost done! My sister feeling her kick hard was pretty cool too.

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Miss Anything?  This week I have missed sushi again---soon I keep telling myself.

Movement: Yes---tons!

Food cravings: Nothing really specifically, just something sweet after every meal (which probably explains my weight concerns)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope (yay!)

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes!

Gender: Girl, Henley Nicole!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? Is flat an option?

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Exercise: I've done much better this week, 2 runs on the treadmill and one long walk with my sister.

Looking forward to: My Pinterest Party. This weekend I am having a party at my house with a few friends to just enjoy some fun craft time!

Only 14 weeks left---insane! I can't believe it's moving along so quickly!

Have a great week!

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Owl Floor Mat

The nursery is almost done and I have been a crafting fool lately! The latest craft I made was an owl floor mat for the baby to play on. I found this one on Pinterest and I loved it but not only was it sold out but the color scheme didn't really match our theme either. After much consideration, I decided that making this was totally doable but I had some trouble getting started, I had no measurements and no pattern. Luckily I have a husband that works in construction and he helped me out big time.

First I printed the image offline and my husband went to work measuring out the full size and all of the individual parts (check out all of those measurements!)

We then taped two large pieces of freezer paper together to create a pattern. Once we had the measurements that we came up with plus the overall shape of the owl, we were ready to start cutting and constructing.

Here are some pictures of the process: 

All of the main pieces cut and waiting to be put together.

Fitz swears I am making this for him...

I did not use minky for the eyes since I didn't have white or black, I ended up using felt and I think it worked great.

Front and back put together

All Finished! I used batting for a bed comforter, doubled up, to make the inside padding and it seems to be just enough, we have tons left over.

When initially selecting a fabric, I didn't realize that minky would be any different to work with than other fabrics I have worked with in the past. I quickly learned that is not the case. I made a blanket first and then a pillow, which I'll blog later, and I realized these fabrics slip and slide like crazy. My biggest problem was seeing that my fabric which lined up perfectly when I started would be shorter by 5" or so on the top than on the bottom by the time I got to the end. To say the least, I got very comfortable with my seam ripper. 

After a few google searches, I found I am not the only person to encounter these problems and the easiest solution seemed to pin, pin, pin. I used so many pins that there was not a blank space on the edge that wasn't pinned and I waited until the last possible moment to remove the pin before it went under the sewing needle. Once I realized this, all sewing was perfect!

One warning on the minky though, it fuzzes like crazy when cut. My craft room is covered in "minky dust". Every time I looked down, my whole belly was covered in fuzz, I eventually kept a lint roller right next to me for my shirt, the desk, or even Fitz. Check out this picture where he fell asleep under the desk...

Overall I am extremely proud of this and so excited how it turned out. This is the first time I have really sewed something with a pattern I created and it actually worked. I used the same process as the pillow I made which did have a pattern so I think that helped. I'll be sure to post the pillow and blankets soon.

Tomorrow I begin my last week in the second trimester---insane! This pregnancy is flying by! Happy Tuesday all!

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Week 25

And another week has come and gone...

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 17 lbs 

Maternity clothes? Yes of course. I am learning that I look a little more "pregnant" in jeans and tops versus dresses. I wore a few dresses this week and I feel I just look chunky :-)

Stretch marks? Same---sticking with Bio-Oil and Mama Bee's Belly Butter

Symptoms: Same as usual. Heartburn and back pain. 

Sleep: I think I am starting to sleep a little worse in general. The last few nights I have had to get up more often to pee and I feel like I am tossing and turning more. Hopefully I can catch up on sleep this weekend, feeling pretty tired.

Best moment this week: Feeling her kick like crazy. There have been a few times where she is kicking constantly!

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Miss Anything?  I'm starting to miss normal clothes shopping. This is the time of year where I usually start loading up on cute sweaters and Fall outfits, at least I'm saving money right?

Movement: Yes---tons!

Food cravings: The last few days I have been craving apples. I got one from the Farmer's Market this morning and it was delish. Oh and my mom made us Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday night and it was amazing---I had been craving turkey so it was absolutely perfect!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope (yay!)

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes!

Gender: Girl and she has a name, Henley Nicole!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? I think my days of having an innie are numbered. The other day she was kicking at the belly button and I kept thinking---she's going to kick it inside out right here!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Exercise: A few long walks here and there but I am planning on doing a little more this week.

Looking forward to: Holidays! We finally put all of our Fall decorations out and the house smells so yummy. We have Fall candles lit whenever we are home, it's just perfect!

Happy (almost) Fall!!

Mere :-)

::Foodie:: Best Pie Ever!

When I was in high school I worked at a local bar-b-que restaurant that in addition to all of the delicious bar-b-que that they served, they also served the best coconut cream pie. The restaurant closed about ten years ago and since then I haven't tasted any other pie that comes close to that one...until now!

I was browsing ideas to bake last weekend when I came across a recipe for Coconut Marshmallow Cream Pie on allrecipes.com. I decided to give it a shot and the results were phenomenal (this is the pie I mentioned in my pregnancy post this week). It's actually pretty easy, here are some pictures of the steps as I went.

First step is to bake an empty pie shell, I line mine with foil and raw beans to keep the crust from collapsing in on itself.

I actually keep these beans just for this purpuse, these have probably been cooked 10 times. 

 

Melt butter and bring light cream to a boil, I used half and half

Sugar mixed with eggs, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla.

This gets combined with the cream and butter and starts to thicken quickly. 

Then add marshmallows and coconut. Stir until melted.

Add to your pie crust and chill for two hours.

Take egg whites, cream of tarter, and sugar and whip until its shiny and stiff peaks form.

Add to the pie, I like to make mine spiky by patting my spatula all over the pie, sprinkle with coconut and bake for 15 minutes...and....waa-llaaa!

Delicious Coconut Cream Pie!

If any of you remotely like coconut, you have to try this! I highly recommend! Happy Saturday...enjoy your weekend!

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Week 24!

These last few weeks have been a little weird on the "Baby is the size of a _____". They have been a little backwards at times so therefore, this week I decided to blog what the Baby and I have been craving since the beginning.

How far along? 24 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 14 lbs 

Maternity clothes? Yep! I just got two new shirts, one is actually pretty cute and is a little dressier than all of my cotton tanks so maybe a nice night out soon  ;-)

Stretch marks? Just a few but I have been religiously applying Bio-Oil and Mama Bees Belly Butter. I feel they are still there but no new ones have appeared and the ones I recently found are not any darker so I am happy.

Symptoms: Same, same, same...I am so tired of heartburn. It's so weird the things that cause heartburn too. I would imagine it would come from foods that are super spicy or flavorful, not goldfish crackers?!?

Sleep: Excellent! I have noticed I am getting a little warm at night but the hubs was so kind and got up to turn the a/c down for me. I'll be excited when we can open the windows and feel the cool air while we sleep.

Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat at the doctor's office. She also has been moving a ton and I love it!!

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Miss Anything?  Missing sushi a little bit but I know soon enough I can eat yummy raw tuna sushi!

Movement: Yes---I love it. This is a picture from a few weeks ago. Hubs was feeling the belly and Fitz wanted in on the action. I absolutely love this picture.

Food cravings: This week I was just craving yummy, homecooked food (and our grocery bill suffered from it). This weekend I made THE BEST coconut cream pie. Hubs and I made some great dinners too.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope (yay!)

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes!

Gender: Girl! 

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? It's getting more and more shallow every day!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Exercise: None, I need to start walking asap!

Looking forward to: My first shower is only a month away. It's coming so quickly. Looking forward to Fall weather/food/holidays too!

Have a great week guys!

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Week 23 and 1 lb!

How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 13.6 lbs 

Maternity clothes? Yep! I finally got shorts that are pretty comfy (see pic above)

Stretch marks? Bad news folks, first stretch mark was spotted on Friday morning. I was getting out of the shower and I spotted it in the mirror. To be honest, I was pretty upset and actually got a little choked up. I researched and found a lot of recommendations for Bio-Oil. I picked some up this week so hopefully it will help!

Symptoms: Heartburn and lower back ache --- same as the last few weeks. My back aches constantly.

Sleep: Pretty good. We went on vacation this weekend to the Keys and I didn't take my Snoogle with me so I woke up a few times with back and neck aches but first night back home in the Snoogle was heaven! Fitz loves the Snoogle too, I always find him snuggled up in the bottom curl of the pillow.

Best moment this week: The baby movement is still my favorite part. I actually got my belly moving on video this week. It was pretty awesome seeing on the outside what I've been feeling on the inside.

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Miss Anything?  Nothing really specific this week.

Movement: Yes---my favorite thing. I love feeling so connected to her.

Food cravings: Tijuana Flats tonight and my hubs was totally awesome and drove 30 minutes with me to get some. Their chips are the best, especially the ones loaded with salt and pepper. Yummmm.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Like I mentioned above, we went to the Keys this weekend with in-laws and some friends. I went on the boat a few times and most of the time I felt great but there was one time I felt a little queasy---no biggie though, hubs dropped me off at the room and I instantly felt better.

Have you started to show yet: Absolutely---you should have seen me in a bathing suit this weekend---pretty hilarious!

Gender: Girl! 

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? It's getting more and more shallow every day!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Exercise: None, I need to start walking asap!

Looking forward to: The next six day----I'm off until next Wednesday. I have vacation time that expires in December that I need to use so I figured I would take some time off and relax. Hubs and I are getting massages at Sanibel Harbour Resort and I have my next OB appointment on Monday. Pretty awesome week ahead.

Hope your Labor Day was awesome and enjoy the short week!

Mere :-)