::Baby G:: Week 35!

Can you believe it, only 35 days to go! They say the average length of pregnancy for first time mom's is 41 weeks and 1 day. I'm mentally prepared to go overdue but I am really hoping not to! Need to start researching some old wives' tales ;-)

How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 29 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes---absolutely. When I initially purchased maternity jeans, I bought two pair that were demi-panel and one pair that had the full panel. Initially I hated the full panel and stuck with only the demi. Now that the belly is so big, the full panel feels so amazing in comparison since the demi-panel rolls when I sit. My suggestion is at least one pair of each for the different phases of belly!

Stretch marks? Same, same---no new ones. I thought I spotted one on my belly button but it turns out I'm just so pale and my skin is stretched so thin now that my skin is practically see through! ;-)

Symptoms: Actually had a pretty good week. Heartburn of course but nothing a few Tums and a little Zantac doesn't cure. I have been having more pressure down there but I think that's just part of the process, it's nothing unbearable.

Sleep: Sleep has been pretty good. There have been a few nights where I wake up in pain and Henley is literally protruding from one side of my stomach. It's so weird and it's pretty painful, I even woke Teddy up at 5am to make him feel it. Both times I just turn over and she adjusted to the other side so all is a-ok.

Best moment this week: With the 4.5 day weekend, we ended up getting so much done! All of the baby clothes are washed and organized, all of the blankets and sheets are washed and put away, and all of the cloth diapers are cleaned and prepped ready for a cute little butt to wear.

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Miss anything? What I actually miss most is my hubs' great big hugs! It's so weird to bend at the waist just to get close enough for a hug. I cannot wait to be able to snuggle up to him in bed and hug him without a huge lump in between us.

Movement: Ok---so the movement of this child is crazy. I feel like I already know her based on that alone---feisty. If she is really high and I put my hand on her, she kicks me back. If I sit up at all, she starts rolling and moving around. Already she is dictating what I do and she's not even here or speaking. Teddy laughs every time I sit up and she starts moving. He always tells me "she doesn't like that". :-)

Food cravings: With all of the yummy Thanksgiving food there was no time for cravings---although McD's fries and an Oreo McFlurry sounded divine today. I resisted though, mainly just because it was 4pm and I didn't want to leave work.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, I've definitely been blessed in this area.

Have you started to show yet: Yep and people are starting to say I dropped----who knows!

Gender: Girl, Henley Nicole!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? So the belly button is totally flat and I think we may be out of the woods on the outtie. It looks like there is nothing left to come out. Time will tell but I'm leaning towards flat.

Wedding rings on or off? On----No issues with swelling thankfully!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy for the most part. I am getting a little more a irritable and less patient with people at work though. I just don't care about the piddly crap and I feel like I have to bite my tongue often. I'm sure my co-workers are praying I don't go overdue just so they don't have to deal with me.

Exercise: Walking with the hubs a couple of times a week. I love it---we talk and enjoy the great weather and all of the pretty Holiday decorations downtown.

Looking forward to: Packing my hospital bag and more crafting! I made a few Christmas presents this weekend and I have a few more to make. It's so fun. I would show you but some people on here will be the lucky recipients. :-) Don't want to ruin the surprise!

Wednesday is over and tomorrow is Thursday which means the weekend is right around the corner! Yay!

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Pregnancy Must-Have's

Now that I am about to enter my last month of pregnancy, there are some things that I seriously could not have lived without during this pregnancy. Even if this list helps one person, I'll be happy! I know everyone is different and these won't work for everyone but I hope they help someone out.

Bio-Oil is the main thing I use for the prevention/treatment of stretch marks. I have read so many different, conflicting theories as to whether any of these creams or oils actually work but I'd rather do it just in case. I like the way this product feels and it actually says to use it after pregnancy to minimize the appearance of stretch marks. I have gotten a few stretch marks and I intend to keep using it afterwards to help with that.

My next product is related to the first. My only complaint with the Bio-Oil is that if I use it right before getting dressed, the oil will show up on my shirt and it has stained a few shirts. If I am using it before heading out for the day, I will use this product instead. This has a nice light fragrance and absorbs into my skin therefore there is no residue left on my clothing.

In the beginning especially, my skin was horrendous. Major breakouts everywhere and nothing was working. I have never had acne or serious breakouts before so I was really at a loss with how to fix this. Before I got pregnant, I was using Philosophy Purity but that wasn't even coming close to working. After a few trips to Ulta and some googling, I learned about Philosophy's Clear Days Ahead. I used this soap along with the medicated pads and it was seriously a miracle cure. My skin got a little better in the second trimester but I haven't strayed from this regimen since it's worked so well.

Next up is Carmex. I have always been an avid Carmex user but lately it seems my lips get drier than normal. Also when I do feel like I need some lip balm, I need it pronto! I have this in every corner of my life---car, bedside, desk at work, etc. It's super cheap and it works great!

Gap Maternity Leggings are probably one of my favorite pieces of maternity wear. They are so comfy and seriously make getting dressed and looking presentable a piece of cake. They are made out of a really soft cotton also. I bought Old Navy leggings as well but they aren't as long and have started to pill on the legs. The Gap ones are still in great shape and work best for my 5'9" frame.

So I probably should have led the list with this item as it is my favorite---the Snoogle! At about 15-16 weeks, I started feeling uncomfortable when I slept. I had read some good reviews about this pillow so I thought I'd give it a try, especially since I had a 20% off coupon to Babies R' Us. This pillow has been a lifesaver! I really haven't had that hard of a time sleeping (other than the frequent urge to pee). This pillow is great no matter which way I am facing, sometimes I like it against my back and other times I like to face it and hug it. Every way it is comfortable and I truly love it! I would recommend it without a doubt!

Next up are these Old Navy tank tops. These are only $8 right now and work for many purposes. I use them to work out it or even for around the house. I also wear these at work under cardigans or blazers. For $8, you can't beat it. I have quite a few of these in a couple different colors and they work for so many different situations. They are also really long and are still working great to cover my bump, some of my maternity clothes aren't quite long enough now that my bump is a little bigger. I love these tanks!

This one may not be so uncommon among us pregnant folks ---- Tums! Tums have been a lifesaver and the Tums Smoothies just taste better. I use the Tums regularly and they provide fast relief. There have been moments where the heartburn is so bad I feel like I may throw up. These are definitely all over my house and work and I have gone through quite a lot of these. The old wives' tales says heartburn means the baby has hair, I hope it's right! 

Relating to Tums above is Zantac75. I have learned certain foods cause me excruciating heartburn (tomatoes and chocolate to name a few) and even my beloved Tums can't keep the heartburn from these foods at bay long. I was finding that with these foods, I couldn't even lay flat to sleep. I bought the lowest dose and it works great. I take it prior to eating these foods and it prevents the crazy heartburn. It doesn't work as fast as Tums but it lasts a lot longer.

Another one that isn't as fun to discuss but totally necessary is fiber! I never heard about this from anyone prior to being pregnant but it has become something I do every morning that is just making life a lot easier----no need for further details ;-)

With pregnancy comes extreme thirst and that's where my "M" Tervis has been the perfect accessory. I use this mainly at work, having a huge thing of water around helps me to remember to keep drinking. I use mine with a lid and straw filled to the brim with ice and water. (I have been craving ice lately too). I highly recommend having something to carry around with water, helps with the dehydration.

Lastly an awesome partner! My husband has been so awesome to me and I really couldn't have made it without him. He has been my rock through this whole process. He has been so patient and kind and caring---giving my back rubs, cooking me dinner, taking care of the house when I was too tired, helping with the nursery, and just being totally awesome! Thanks babe---I'd be lost without you!

What items could you not live without during pregnancy?

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Nursery Organization

For those that don't know me personally, you should know that I am extremely anal. I like things a certain way and it really gets to me if things aren't ideal, it can be a little overwhelming. Speaking of...overwhelming is the perfect way to describe how I felt once everything from the showers and our shopping was completely unloaded in the nursery.

We took everything out of the gift bags and put it on the floor in piles where it stayed for a week or so until I could bring myself around to putting it away. I couldn't really come up with a good solution for the organization so my solution was avoidance.

Eventually I figured out the best way to organize everything and I can proudly show you all what it looks like now!

First thing I did was purchase under bed storage for anything that she won't be able to use in the first three months. I have three bins and I separated everything in groups: 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and anything over 9 months. In these bins, I put mostly clothing but I also put in toys and cloth diapers. The bins I bought look like this.

I also bought a purple fabric bin from Target to store extra blankets in. This fits under the guest bed along with the above bins but they are much easier to access to get blankets out of there.

Then I organized the changing table, the dresser, and the bathroom area. The nursery has a sink and bathroom cabinet in it (weird set-up in this condo) but it actually may work out nicely because we can use it for her baths in the beginning without crowding the bathrooms. I put all of her bath towel & wash clothes, a water thermometer, and soaps in a basket I received a shower gift in and stored it under the cabinet. Also under the sink but not pictured are bath toys she can use later and also a diaper sprayer for the cloth diapers that we won't use that for a few months so it's still in the box.

Next on to the changing table. We are planning to use cloth diapers so we don't really need much room to store actual diapers but we still have cloth diapers, cloth wipes, and all of the accessories.

In the drawer of the changing table we have random things that don't really "go" anywhere else. We put pacifiers, wipes, medicine, breast feeding accessories, and anything else that doesn't have a place here. 

Next to the changing table is where we put this little stand we bought at Home Goods. We didn't really have anywhere to put the wipe warmer since the dresser is on the other side of the nursery. 

Under the changing table are two shelves that we organized as follows:

Newborn and small cloth diapers

 

Cloth wipes, the purple ones are the ones I made here.

Receiving blankets.

Swaddle blankets and disposable gdiaper liners.

Burp cloths

Crib sheets and changing pad covers

All of this organization just makes me ecstatic (yes I realize I have issues)! Next we have the dresser:

Top drawer is organized using these bins from Ikea.

Second drawer has all of the sleepers and onesies by size: newborn and 0-3 months.

Third drawer is mostly 0-3 outfits and dresses with two stacks of newborn outfits on the right. 

All of the cloths got washed yesterday and it feels so good for everything to be washed and organized. I am planning to finish washing everything else tomorrow. I need to wash all of the swaddle blankets and receiving blankets along with prepping the cloth diapers. Once that is done, there will seriously be very little left to do----it's so exciting that everything is coming together nicely!

Mere :-)

::Craftie:: DIY Painted Lamp

Hello and happy long weekend to all!! I hope your Thanksgivings were all WONDERFUL! Mine was great although tiring---this mama gets pooped way easier than I used to. Typically, the hubs and I host Thanksgiving and we do all of the cooking. This year my brother volunteered to spearhead all cooking organization and took care of the bird, everyone else (myself included) contributed sides and desserts. Even though I didn't do near as much as I typically do, I was so tired!

While the nursery has been "done" for a few weeks, there have been some things that I have wanted to change or tweak now that we have been receiving shower gifts and organizing all of Henley's things. One thing we changed was the lamp. We came across one at World Market that we loved and just had to have. 

Originally we had this lamp in the nursery from Ikea. The main problem with this was the socket for the bulb was so tiny that the lamp didn't put out near enough light for that room.

Once we saw the lamp from World Market, I knew we had to have it. Only problem was that the lamp was off-white and the shade was white. I didn't want to purchase a new shade so to fix this, I decided to paint a diagonal stripe on the white lamp shade. Here are some pictures of the process:

Taped at a diagonal using blue painters tape. I didn't do any crazy calculations or measurements and just eyeballed these stripes. By the time I got to the end, I was out of room and the stripes on the back don't quite line up. This is also where the seam is and it's in the back so I really didn't mind the weird way the sides came together. 

Used Americana acrylic paint

I painted the gray first. In hindsight, the gray without the purple actually looked a little better than the gray w/purple. I could have sprayed the entire white lampshade with an off-white spray paint and then taped off and painted it gray. I think this would have looked a little better and would have helped with all over coverage but live and learn.

Added the purple and used a smaller brush to get close to the gray. Initially where the colors met there was little dots of light showing through here and there so I had to do some pretty tedious touch-ups to ensure every spot was covered. Like I said before, it might make more sense to paint the whole thing one color then tape off the stripes to avoid this.

After all of the painting and touch-ups, I love the end result. Here is the finished project with my lamp based that I LOVE! I think the quirkiness of the owl adds the perfect touch to her room.

I hope you all enjoy the remainder of the weekend! Enjoy it! :-)

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Happy Thanksgiving!

The board is the doings of my totally awesome, artistic brother! He came over tonight and drew this for Henley and I! :-) Thanks brother!!!

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 29 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes---can't imagine not wearing maternity clothes at this point, everything else is uncomfy!

Stretch marks? Same, same

Symptoms: Tons of heartburn still and back pain like always. My crazy prego sense of smell is back in full force.

Sleep: Some days are good and some are not so much. I am up about 3-4 times per night to pee. I no longer can get out of bed easily, it's more like rolling out of bed, pretty funny actually.

Best moment this week: Finally got the nursery all organized and baby clothes and cloth diapers are grouped by size. After everything gets washed we will be pretty much ready to go!

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Miss anything? Missing sushi again this week----I'd love some tuna sushi right about now!

Movement: She's no longer kicking or making abrupt movements like she was in the beginning, now it's more like rolls and jabs, sometimes I just feel like she is stabbing me with bony elbows and knees.

Food cravings: Banana split---probably explains the additional wait gain :-\

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes!

Gender: Girl, Henley Nicole!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? Still in, I'm starting to think it may not pop.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy for the most part but the emotions have been coming back strong.

Exercise: Walked downtown a couple times with hubs.

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving! I can't wait to eat all of the yummy food. I am also planning to work on some Christmas crafts and to start washing clothes for Henley.

I wish everyone the best Thanksgiving ever! I hope you eat the best food! I'm grateful for my family and friends---they make me crazy and keep me sane, all at the same time! :-)

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Week 33!

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 25 at my appointment last week

Maternity clothes? Yes, loving my maternity leggings

Stretch marks? Same, same

Symptoms: Feeling more uncomfortable but really not too bad considering. The Zantac has really helped with the heartburn. I am getting tired a little easier than in the second tri but not near as bad as in the first tri.

Sleep: Pretty good overall, some days I am up 10 times to pee and others only twice. I haven't really found a pattern or rhyme or reason for that.

Best moment this week: There were tons. My mother-in-law came into town on Friday and on Saturday we went with her and my dad and saw Henley on the 3D/4D screen (see below for the video) My placenta is on the front so that's why there isn't a super clear view of her face but you can still see her chubby cheeks and pouty lips . My Shower was also Saturday and it went really great, I'll post pics soon. Overall, a really great weekend.

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Miss anything? Nothing in particular this week.

Movement: This child is crazy! I feel her moving constantly! Sometimes little hiccups, other times is like she is break dancing in there.

Food cravings: Mashed potatoes--yummy!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope but my sense of smell is back to super strength and therefore strong smells get to me pretty quickly.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes!

Gender: Girl, Henley Nicole!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? It's still in for the most part, hanging on. I feel any day now I am going to sneeze or laugh and it will just pop out and stay there. I did hear recently that it can take a few months to go back in----that was news to me and a little freaky! Yikes!

Wedding rings on or off? Still on but pretty snug.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy for the most part but the emotions have been coming back strong.

Exercise: Busy weekend and all day shopping on Sunday is totally counting for exercise this weekend. Teddy and I had two really great walks downtown on Monday and Tuesday. It's actually been so relaxing---we walk from our house to downtown (a little over a mile) then go to Starbucks and hang out and talk for a bit outside and head back home. It's great to have that time to just be with him. Can't wait for Henley to join us on our walks but for now, I love spending time with just us.

Looking forward to: Babies r' Us tomorrow with my mom. After tomorrow, I will have everything I need for Henley's arrival. I placed my last two orders for things for her that I can't buy in stores. This weekend will consist of a lot of organizing and I am hoping to get started on some washing and prepping. 

Tonight was our breastfeeding class and it was so great. I learned a tons of to do's and not to do's that I pray I will remember when the time comes. One interesting fact I learned was that less than 1% of women aren't able to breastfeed due to milk supply issues, which means that with proper technique and education of the process, 99% of women should be able to. This news was exciting. With the correct knowledge and support system, I'll be able to do this perfect and great thing for Henley!

We also got a new camera for me! My husband has a pretty elaborate camera that I cannot use. It's heavy and cumbersome and I just don't know enough about settings and cameras to get the great pictures he gets. I told him months ago that I wanted a nice camera that I can carry with me and get great snapshots of Henley without having to change a lot of settings or worry I may kill her if I drop a 10 lb camera on her. We ordered the Olympus E-PM1 and it was delivered tonight. So far it's awesome. It takes pictures immediately without delay and they come out well. We took the chalkboard picture with it (see above). My husband's camera is a better camera overall, so in comparison the picture isn't as great but for me for everyday snapshots, it should be perfect! Here it is----

Have a great rest of the week!!!

Mere :-)

::Baby G:: Week 32

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 25 at my appointment today

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Same, same

Symptoms: A little more uncomfortable and a little harder to get around. Getting harder to put shoes on and impossible to paint my toes. 

Sleep: Some days are great and some are horrible, can't really find a pattern to it though.

Best moment this week: My anniversary dinner with my husband and watching the sunset

Have you told family and friends: Yep

Miss anything? Sushi and getting around with ease, also miss how easy shaving used to be.

Movement: All.Day.LONG! :-)

Food cravings: Nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes!

Gender: Girl, Henley Nicole!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? The top is the only thing out but it looks like the whole thing is out through my shirts.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on but pretty snug.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy for the most part.

Exercise: Super busy week at work so no walking. Hopefully do better this week

Looking forward to: My shower hosted by my mom, sister, and sister in law.

Not too much to say as I am totally exhausted. It's 10:30 and we just got home from our baby care class and finished dinner. The class was great and so informative. I really enjoyed learning so many tips and tricks that I otherwise would have had to learn on my own. We have Breastfeeding class next week and I am really looking forward to that one too!

Have a great week!

Mere :-)

::Family:: Six Year Anniversary

Today is our six year wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we went to a little restaurant on Sanibel Island called Il Tesoro. On the way there we stopped to take a few pictures of the sunset and ended up getting a few shots of Teddy and I with the bump so I thought we'd share.

Sunset

We had a really great dinner enjoying each other's company and reminiscing about the past 15 years. I can't wait to see what the next 15 years has in store for us. I love you Teddy more than life itself. Thanks for being my best friend, my rock, my own personal comedian, my counselor, my shoulder to lean on, and so much more than I could ever express.

Mere :-)