Pulling At The Heart Strings

I have no idea what overcame me, but there was no-way, no-how I was leaving the store without this slightly smudgy, no tag, clearanced out teddy-bear. I couldn't put it down. I had this insane tug at the heart strings about it...like I was going to actually cry just looking at it.

Maybe it's the hormones, but pretty sure my husband now thinks I am crazy.

P.S. I sneak upstairs to the nursery just to touch it's soft ears...maybe it will be our little girl's favorite teddy, I don't know, but this little bear won't let go of my heart.

The cute little pink booties match it wonderfully - they are from Babies R Us.

Pouting Pups & Paparrazi

The dogs' latest favorite spot in the house has been the very top step going up to the second story. They can look down and see what is going on in the living room - which is normally just one of us sitting and typing away on the laptop but still be near enough the upstairs window to peek out and keep an eye on the neighborhood. Such pouty faces - but always the happy wagging tail! :)

Baby Preparations Are Underway!

My husband has been exhibiting signs of pregnancy sympathy symptoms. And I am not talking about a sympathy belly. Nope - he has to pee when I get up and go in the wee hours of the morning, he has insomnia and is even nesting! :)

Usually I have to bribe this man to help me put together anything. If he had it his way it would sit in the box for ages. I am always a much too excited let's put it together right this second kind of person. But he did this all on his own - and the stroller, carseat and bouncy seat too! I think he's getting excited - we're down to 37 days to go!

All the extra help with these things has taken so much worry off my shoulders - it is amazing how much just seeing the swing set up in the living room and the carseat installed in our car puts me at ease knowing things are ready!

Etsy Find Friday

Loving this Large Amy Butler Weekend Bag from Itsch's Etsy shop - definitely on my wish list! :) That and a weekend getaway of course!

34 Week Bump Update

A little late in posting this - almost 35 weeks now! But the photo is from last Sunday when I did turn 34 weeks.

Recipe Round Up

I go back in forth from being the mood to cook and then not. Thankfully my hubby fills in when I am not in the mood. Lucky for him my energy has spiked back up a little after the baby shower and I have enough oomph to get dinner going. I am really getting into the idea of crock pot dinners, too. So that it is done by the time we get home from work - sounds so lovely!

Anyways we had some pork chops in the freezer and I ended up making some in the stove but thought I would save these ideas for later!

Crockpot Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce

Maple Orange-Glazed Pork Chops

Crock Pot Pork Chop Dinner

Paula's Easy Watermelon Dessert

Web Finds Wednesday

This To That - Glue Advice

Pineapple Whip Ice Cream - further proof (to my husband) that we need an ice cream maker


Marshmallow Fluff Icing - my new favorite icing! pipes beautifully and is easy to make!


Slouched Beanie Knit Pattern

Coconut Cake with a Twist

Strawberry Cake

Adding to the Pregnancy Survival Kit: The 3rd Trimester

I have been in the third trimester for a few weeks now  I am slowly beginning to catch on to a few new things that I haven't quite experience before.

Leg Cramps
Yup, waking up in the middle of the night gasping in pain with charlie horses. No fun! I can never remember what move helps - pulling your toes back or pointing them forward. One makes it worse and the other relieves the pain. But at 4AM when you're in the very grip of that excruciating pain you can't remember for the life of you which it is!

Bloody Noses
I've had them off and on - but now they are pretty frequent.

Insomnia
I have had this for a few weeks now - if I wake up near 4AM or 6AM to use the restroom I can almost never fall back to sleep. Thus resulting in very productive mornings, me arriving at work early and then getting exhausted around 8:30 or 9:00pm.

Sore Feet
And the newest addition to the treasure trove of third trimester symptoms - sore feet! Not swollen feet, thank goodness, not yet anyways. But my poor tootsies hurt! I can barely stand up barefoot on the kitchen floor to do dishes or cook very long my soles start aching so bad. Feels like I have been standing on my feet all day when in reality it's only for 30-40 minutes. I have resorted to wearing my tennis shoes if I am going to be in the kitchen - the arch support helps - but in this 95+ weather we've been having I'd much rather be keeping my tootsies cool in a pair of flip flops or no shoes at all! I've started wearing shoes with good support to the store to - long shopping trips are exhausting enough without having your feet hurt.

I've had a pretty easy going pregnancy so far - so if this is the most I have to complain about - I'll take it! :)

Without further ado - here's my updated pregnancy survival list - third trimester edition!

- Ocean Saline Nasal Spray
- Kleenexes with Lotion
- Bananas
- Peppermint foot soak
- Peppermint foot & leg mist/spray
- Shoes w/ good arch support
- More pillows! To put between your legs as you sleep on your side, to prop your feet up when they hurt AND to elevate your head a little to help keep you from getting too stuffy at night.
- Air Conditioning/Lots of Ice Water and cold drinks

Forgot to mention that I am finally getting hot. I have heard of pregnant ladies getting insanely hot but had always just finally been comfortable. Normally I am always cold so this was a nice change, but now the comfortable warmness has been replaced with burning hotness. I am sitting under the AC vent now - which I never do. I hate the cold air blowing straight on me normally - but here I sit happy as a clam with my feet soaking in my peppermint water. :) And I now sleep with no covers at all - was down to just the sheet but now I kick that off too!

33 Week Bump Update

How far along? 33 Weeks

How big is baby? 4.2-5lbs and gaining! The size of a honey dew!

Image from The Bump.com

Food cravings: Still loving my cold cereal - moving on from cheerios and on to frosted-mini wheats minis! Love buttered bagels with scrabbled egg too! And apples - I think part of me is wishing for the cooler weather of fall - the thought of crisp apples and frozen apple slushies sound sooo good! Making a roast this week also in boycott of the hot weather! Still working on our bag of charms blow-pops. Matt likes the green ones only - I like all the flavors - but especially the grape of which there are only a few of course! 

Milestones: Could feel our little one's bony little foot or elbow - could actually push back on it she was pushing it out so far against my side. Was so amazing! Loud sounds make her jump now too - it is the weirdest thing to have something inside you jump like that at sound. :)

Oh, and this: Nosebleeds, hip pain, charlie horses, tingly feet and hands and achy feet - oh my! :) I've had such a great pregnancy so far that these mild discomforts are really taking me by surprise. And goodness I am getting hot! Coming from someone who is ALWAYS cold that means a lot! Finally stocked up on the needed third trimester goodies I didn't know I needed.

 

Random Tidbits: (from the emails I get)

 Baby's now the size of a honeydew!
Things are heating up inside as well: Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, his bones are hardening, and he's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.

You are one hot mama -- literally. A 20 percent metabolic rate increase throughout pregnancy can leave you begging for a cool breeze no matter what the weather is like. Distract yourself with an exercise in blind identification. Try to distinguish between baby's feet, fists, knees, and elbows -- all doing some major pushing and nudging inside of you.

[ tip ] Wash just a few of those adorable infant outfits before baby comes and keep the tags on the rest. Baby will probably outgrow most before she gets to wear them, and you'll be able to return or exchange for a bigger size.

Reader Help Needed! Diaper Bag Poll

Ok, ladies - especially my mommy-blogger pals - which diaper bag should I get??

A. Optic Bloom Bag...

Here is an inside view of what it would look like with stuff in it....(not the same bag but interior layout will be the same)

Pros: big bag, water bottle and bottle holders, diaper section, two hooks - one for pacifer one for keys...other handy pockets.
Cons: Will it slouch over and annoy me if I am in a hurry, trying to change baby etc - no flat bottom. I have no idea - so mom, you gotta help me decide!


B. Strappy Diaper Bag

Pros: Heather bailey fabric, stands up on its own, lots of pockets, etc.
Cons: most expensive option


C. Birdie Sling

View of pockets inside...

Pros: big, lots of room, cheapest options, made from my fav fabric...
Cons: not as many pockets, might be too slouchy?

Ok, cast your vote for either A, B or C and help me decide! :)

Our Baby Shower!

We had our baby shower last weekend and it was so great! Many thanks to the family and friends who came out to celebrate this time with us - and a huge thank you to my hostesses and helpers - Krista, Laura, Mom, Jess, Dad & Cindy!

It was so much fun visiting with everyone, giving tours of the nursery and playing silly baby shower games!

Here's a few photos from the day - many more posted on Facebook and I did a special post about the shower design and decoration over on my other blog - The Birds and the Bees.

To see the full album click here!

Child Birth Prep Class Week One

We started our child birth prep classes this week!

Everything seems to be happening so fast - first the shower, then the classes starting up - I had myself worked up into a wee-bit of a panic here in the last day or so. And of course, we show up to the class a half an hour late - and me with puffy, red rimmed eyes from crying (nothing bad happened - just hormone induced panic/crazy preggo lady tears about generally not being quite ready/prepared/etc and the thought that we have almost under 50 days to get ready - OMG).

I am sure I looked like death having cried my makeup off and with the dark circles from being tired and the swollen eyes from crying. And with a pretty pissed off expression I am sure. Lovely way to make a first impression on our fellow classmates who we will be spending 2 hours with once a day until the end of August. :\ Pretty sure they all refer to me as that pissed off grouchy lady. Sigh.

Also, so far, me and the doors to the maternity wing are not BFF. In fact we pretty much hate each other. I apparently cannot read signs and just want to make in to the damn class without further delay - the doors on the other hand have a little sign on it with too many words for a puffy-eyed, pregnant lady in a hurry - and all these things on the wall - which one is the dang button for the door? Why have a "push" guard if you can't touch the door without the alarm going off. Yeah, fun.

I should have taken the darn complimentary cookie I was eyeballing by the front desk - would have at least made me feel better. Will do next time...believe me no second thoughts about the cookie next time.

P.S. I really like the class as whole. Our instructor is a RN who is also a doula - she is quirky and entertaining. The class is broken up between mini-lectures/demos/insights from the teacher and little snippets of a dvd. Thankfully, I've exposed my hubby to plenty of birthing videos before this point - so he wasn't the one nervous guy in the room who kept nervously laughing out loud every time he saw a lady's parts or heard the instructor say something about a lady's parts. LOL. In fact, my man was pretty cool as a cucumber compared to other guys in the room who were all the fidgety, whispery and in general uncomfortable.

Web Finds Wednesday

Basic Pie Dough - Tips and Tricks


Raspberry Sweet Tea

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Bicycle Bucket Tutorial

Deep-Dish Sour Cream–Apple Pie with Cardamom Streusel 

How to Install A Zipper

Simple Knitted Sheep

Pipe Cleaner Ephiphany

My husband and I have those nifty, double-walled Starbucks tumblers that we use ALL the time. They have been one of our best purchases in the whole water-bottle, reusuable cup department. But, anywho...with all that use comes a build-up of grime in the hard plastic straw.

I have been mentally whinning to myself for weeks about the bad taste coming from the straw and how looking down it causes me slight distress at the sight.

On the way to church this past Sunday I was rambling to my hubby about my dirty straw dilema - and how there should be a way to clean it out. I mean, SURELY there is a product out there that can clean it? A teeny, tiny bottle brush perhaps?

Then he asks why I don't use a pipe cleaner.

A pipe cleaner? My mouth just hangs open for a second because the first thing that enters my mind and starts coming out of my mouth is how a pipe cleaner is for crafts.

Then it hits me, um yeah, the name "pipe cleaner" pretty much denotes its intended use - to clean pipes or, in this case, straws. Oh boy....considering I have been trying to figure out how to clean this straw for weeks it is pretty embarrassing - I have a boatload of pipe cleaners upstairs in my craft area...wow. Just wow. :)

But alas, I have a clean straw now - and a whole new outlook on pipe cleaners! :)

32 Week Bump Update

How far along? 32 Weeks

How big is baby? Still the size of a squash - maybe 4.5 lbs or so. Big enough to pack quite a wallop to my poor bladder and ribs. Oy!

 

Food cravings: Orange juice, salt water taffy, strawberry twizzlers, lemonade, those suckers with the gum in the middle - charms I think...nothing really crazy - just things that sound particularly good. It isn't like I am sending out my hubby in the middle of the night for these things - but they sound good. :) Fruit - like always - still loving my blueberries, watermelon and cantaloupe.

Milestones:  Had our baby shower this weekend! Celebrating with friends and family was the best ever!

Oh, and this: Hip pain is getting a little unpleasant, I think it's from missing my prenatal yoga classes - I think they helped a lot. Will have to put them off in the next couple of weeks though for our Child Birth Prep classes. I've waken up with hips hurting - almost cramping. And lots of painful, pops and cracks just walking sometimes. Also starting to have random sciatic pain - fun.

Web Finds Wednesday

Glazed Donut Muffins

Refreshing Summer Recipe: Aguas Frescas

7,000-square-foot Titanic exhibit coming to Indy later this year
Watermelon Lemonade

How to Make a Pie Crust

Sewing Tutorial: Casserole Carrier

Strawberry Freezer Jam

101 Fast Recipes for Grilling

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Baby Quasebarth Kicking & Moving at 31 Weeks

31 Week Bump Update

How far along? 31 Weeks

How big is baby? Should be around the average of 17 inches and about 4lbs. She's the size of a squash...though a different timeline thing shows a watermelon at this stage.

 

Food cravings: Cookies, apricots, peaches, cookies, sweet corn, cookies, cheerios....cookies. :)

Milestones: Random people at stores and check out lines now notice I am pregnant. I've gone so long without anyone ever saying anything that now when they do it throws me all off guard and I just stare at them for a second before I realize what is happening.

Say what?!: So, those people I mentioned at stores noticing I am pregnant. Yeah, they are a hoot. One lady told me I would have my baby September 27 - after asking when my due date was. She said to mark her words - she was right with all her babies. She also asked if it was a boy first - so if she was wrong there then how is she predicting my due date? Oy veh.  But if she's right...holy cow. 

 

I have had a lot of, "Are you having a boy?" questions - kinda throws me off. Lady at Walmart said it was because she saw some blue stuff in my cart of decorations - it was a percentage of like 90% pink and 10% light blue  - but ok. :)

Oh, and this: Random 4AM insomnia is interesting. My eyes just pop open and my mind starts going and I am ready to start the day! LOL.