What I'm Loving

Happy Wednesday! Here's what I'm loving on this overcast day :)

{1} I'm LOVING another great doctors appointment! Baby was measuring right on schedule, all my symptoms are normal, and we had a good heartbeat in the 140s ... still the middle ground! I got a chance to talk to the doctor a little more about my wishes to have a non-induced, medicine-free birth, and she was totally on board! Although some of the nurses have said they typically don't let women go over 40 weeks in the office, Dr. assured me that she realizes most babies come within three to five days of their due date and so long as everything is looking OK for Baby and I, she totally respects that time limit. Typically, the mothers are begging for the induction, she said.

Glucose test wasn't near as bad as I thought, so now I'm just waiting for those results. And I'm on to appointments every two weeks now.

{2} I'm LOVING that we might finally get some rain today. After the flooding in April-May, it's been so dry and I miss the precipitation.

{3} I'm LOVING that this is a three-day weekend. Yay :)

{4} I'm LOVING that hubby and I have agreed on a fabric to use for accent pieces in the nursery :) I like stuff a little different but subtle and was really wanting gray chevrons or some sort of large pattern, while he wanted something more basic. After going to two fabric stores last night, I think we've compromised. I wanna buy the fabric before we paint so we can color match the shades.

I never knew the nursery would involve so much bickering, discussion. Geez!

{5} I'm LOVING that I'm surrounded by people who want to make sure Tuffy and I stay safe :)

{6} I'm LOVING Sonic's sausage breakfast burritos. I can't get the ones I make at home to taste half as good.

{7} I'm LOVING all y'all. Between your comments, emails and such, you know how to put a big smile on my face!

What are you loving today? Link up with Jamie to share!

Bumpdate - 28 weeks

I am seven months pregnant people! And officially in the third trimester!

During week 27, Baby weighed about 2 lbs (a head of cauliflower) and measured out at about 14.5 lbs. with his legs extended.

He is now sleeping and waking up at regular intervals. And when mommy feels kicks when she is trying to fall asleep, she prays you will go to bed a little earlier than now! Tuff can also open his eyes and with more brain tissue developing, has a very active brain. Of course, he is a genius!

Lungs are still developing, but would be capable of functioning - with a lot of medical help - if born now.

Hiccups are common, but I haven't felt any yet. Then again, I have been so busy that sometimes I have to stop for about five minutes and make sure he/she is still moving around in there.

As for me, I am getting HUGE and definitely feel like a seven-month pregnant woman. I go to a monthly lunch and this time was when everyone noticed my bump. I wear lots of dresses to work, but feel the urge to spray tan since my legs are so ghostly white. At home, I pretty much live in hubby's boxer shorts and either a sports bra or a cami. And I'm about to freeze my husband out already. Over the weekend I, the queen of frugal, turned down the air a few degrees. I sleep with maybe one cover, while J snuggles up with three, including the comforter!

Hanky poo has noticed something is going on as well. For fun, we'll ask where his brother/sister is. Sometimes he responds to one and not the other, and sometimes he doesn't respond at all. But Hank is very protective of his mama these days and doesn't even try to jump on me anymore. Poor thing, his world is going to change big time in a few months.

Today I have a doctors appointment. I not only need to get signed up for some of those childbirth classes, I've had a few pains (like a pulling at the top of my uterus) that I need to ask her about. It's also my gestational diabetes test day.

AND I'm hoping we get a heartbeat that's either below 140 or above 150 so I can keep guessing if this little one is a boy or girl :)

Afterwards, we plan to buy Tuff a dresser, and look for fabric for the curtains, a small pillow and perhaps the crib skirt, to change things up a bit. We don't like themes and all the patterns seem to be boy, girl or have brown in them (we are doing black furniture) so we'll probably end up with a plain bedding but fun crib skirt. Unfortunately J and I seem to have totally opposite tastes in fabric patterns, so it will be interesting.

I'm feeling pretty good, but definitely getting tired a lot more easily. I don't swell often, but when I spend a lot of time on my feet - like working in the tiled basement - I have to take breaks and prop up my feet. I also sleep with two pillows under my feet every night, so I think that helps a lot.

Weight gain was about one pound this week, so around 14 total. And I think it's all in my midsection, with a little extra on my thighs.

One of these weeks, I'll have to try and look put together and not like I just rolled out of bed for my photo. Ha!

Here we are at 27 weeks, 6 days:

I feel like I'm carrying low again. And huge.

But looking back at 18 weeks, I can only imagine how much I'll be growing in the next 10-12.

miscellany monday

Happy Monday, friends! I can't believe it's already almost 3 p.m.

I hope you all had a good weekend! Ours had a good mix of work and play :)

{ready for work}

ever have one of those weekends that's so busy you're ready to go back to work? that's how i felt last night! i don't even think it's that we were busy pretty much every waking minute as much as that we were doing hard work. stuff that would wear me out no matter what, but especially at practically seven months pregnant.

{nesting?}

we finished building our shelves under the stairway on thursday. we're trying to make the best possible use of our space and organize all the storage. plus shelves mean we don't have things all over the floor, so if the water table gets so high water seeps in again, we're prepared :)

anyhow, we spent friday night putting the storage items back in the closet and getting the hallway and bathroom cleaned - meaning wiping down the walls, shop vac-ing where the floor and wall meets, wiping down the walls, then mopping - twice!

i think it was about 10 p.m. by the time we headed upstairs?

tired as i was, i COULD NOT sleep in on saturday morning. so i let my hubby sleep in while i started cleaning the kitchen. that morning i got the kitchen/dining room, living room and main bath all cleaned! thank goodness i just did them a week ago - cleaning really does go so much better when it's done on a regular basis.

anyhow after i did all that i needed a break so i laid down "for 10 minutes." which turned into a 1.5 hour nap. whoops. oh well, i guess Tuffy and i needed it :) we had a couple of birthday parties that night, so i spent the rest of the day getting ready for that and running into town for cards. and yes, i danced the night away, pregnant and all. with high school kids there. ha!

yesterday after doing some more cleaning around the house, i convinced hubs to help me carry some of the larger baby items down to the basement for storage. i'm clumsy and didn't want to fall :) apparently that was all the encouragement he needed to get started down there and we ended up getting things back in order in most of the space! we got the hallway lined out, cleared off our pool table, shop vac-ed around the entire area, got our workout room in order and more! considering our basement has been a disaster and embarrassment since April, i was so glad we got all of that done! we only lack 1-2 hours down there and feel like we can enjoy our basement again. it does still need the trim and we plan to install doors, but that can be done in the winter when there is no yard work and the nursery is ready :)

{annoyed}

can anyone say that wedding planning isn't expensive and stressful? a friend (who is really more of an acquaintance these days) is getting married this weekend. it's her second marriage. but today she's just been posting about how stressful and expensive her wedding is. well, duh! and we don't want to hear about it. i planned my wedding in about eight weeks but those are the choices we make. do i hate how much some of it cost? yup! but i didn't have to do all of that either, and i didn't go practically begging for help. i could have just gone to the courthouse and it would have been a lot cheaper and less expensive. i don't need to read five posts from you in one day.

{weather}

i am so grateful that my east coast friends are all safe after the earthquake and hurricane. it definitely has been a rough year for disasters. not sure how much truth there is to it, but apparently FEMA is suspending payments to some of the tornado victims in Joplin to help with relief from Irene. i'm all about helping the hurricane victims, but i just don't think this is the right way to go about it. silly federal government.

{maternity pictures}

my maternity pictures are approaching very soon and i am just clueless. i have no idea what to wear (what i like on me changes from day to day.) and since we don't know the gender, i am trying to think of unique things.

{reveal}

i LOVE gender reveals. i'd like to do something cute at the hospital for those who come up (although i'd love to not let anyone know i've even been admitted until we have a babe in our arms.) all i can come up with right now are cupcakes. suggestions?

ok, I think that's enough randomness for this monday. have a great week!

It's OK

... to crack open a Coke at 8:30 a.m. Somedays, you need that extra jolt.

... when your husband laughs when he sees what you are wearing to work. Then you get defensive and ask if the dress looks too hoochie mama, and he just says that it's way shorter in front than in the back ... a problem he never envisioned you having!

... when the police chief in town asks if you've been stealing basketballs. Nope, just growing a human being!

... to stay in bed until almost 7 a.m. and then wonder why you are late to work. 

... to laugh uncontrollably when Zingbot referred to Shelly on BB13 as a dude - when you've thought she might be a man the entire tim!

... to have frozen pizza for dinner at least one night a week. 

... to accuse your dog of stinking up the basement after he's been inside for less than 10 minutes, only to discover the smell is about $10 of pork that you accidentally left sitting out by the deep freeze. 

... to love said dog and treat him like he's one of your children. And then wonder how he'll react when a baby does come home in three short months. Yes, Hanky Poo loves kids, but those are visitors, and he doesn't like sharing mommy and daddy. When we had sweet BG dog, we could be petting both of them at the same time but he still got jealous!

... to wake up on Wednesday thinking it's Friday. And then be pretty disappointed by it.

... to tell your husband you are driving his truck to work until he fixes the air in your car or it cools down. And refuse to refill the gas tank :)

Head on over to Neely's blog to link up! 

What I'm Loving

{1} I'm LOVING that it's Wednesday! This has been such a slooooooooow week. But I'm thinking the next few days should go by pretty quickly.

{2} I'm LOVING that my office is really beginning to come together. But no pictures until I am satisfied and can do a full reveal :)

{3} I'm LOVING that my wedding band is currently being made! We planned the wedding so quickly and I wanted a custom band, and there just wasn't enough time, as the jewelry industry kind of shuts down for two weeks in July. So I've been using a "loaner" band (it helps when you are friends with the jeweler) and dropped off my engagement ring last week. I *should* have the whole set in a couple of weeks, and I.Can't.Wait!!! Custom bands are quite expensive, but I love my engagement ring so much and want something just as beautiful that really complements that mount/stone. Here's my last picture with the old ring set.

{4} I've been meaning to include these for a few weeks now, but I'm LOVING both of these songs:

http://youtu.be/7qzhngp7jh8

http://youtu.be/VL7JY5UYNSk

{5} I'm LOVING that my stress levels about Baby R have gone way down. I'm still a little concerned, but a lot better. Unfortunately, I stressed so much I gave myself a patch of the shingles :(

{6} I'm LOVING that we started building some shelves under our staircase in the basement. This is where a lot of water seeped in during the flooding, so we're building them not only to lift things up so they won't get wet should this ever happen again, but also to help organize. We're halfway done and should finish tomorrow! Then all we have to do is put everything away, wipe down the walls again and mop. We had to push the basement to the top of the priority list, because a lot of the stuff in the baby's room will be relocated to the basement, so it didn't make sense to move it down there before it's cleaned up.

{7} I'm LOVING my sweet hubby and baby. They're the ones who have really had to deal with all my stress/drama/hormonal rollercoasters. 

Bumpdate - 27 weeks

Holy smokes! 27 weeks? I feel like I start every weekly post that way, but that's how I've been feeling.

Somewhere - I think it's The Bump - refers to this as the beginning of the third trimester. But according to my BabyCenter app and What to Expect book, I have another week in the second, so I'll stick with that. Positive thinking, as most women say the third trimester gets a bit rough.

During Week 26, the network of nerves in Baby's ears is better developed and even more sensitive than before. He/she can likely hear voices. Note to self: censor. Ha!

In developing the lungs, Tuff is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, with these so-called breathing movements being essential for lung development, and good practice for his first gulp when born.

He's continuing to pile on the fat (woohoo! I love chubby babies) and during Week 26, weighed about 1 2/3 and measured around 14 inches - the size of an English hothouse cucumber - from head to heel. Crazy! How is there a 14 inch baby in my belly?

Mama is feeling pretty good (knock on wood!) The back pain isn't so bad, which I'm not sure if it's a result of things progressing or me just learning when to get up and move around. A couple days last week, Tuff camped out in my rib cage, which wasn't very pleasant. I am having some pains at the top of my uterus when I move too quickly, but I think it's just stretching.

I did discover a stretch mark on Monday. EEEK! Needless to say, I'm using Tummy Butter two or three times a day now. I've also heard good things about Bio Oil and am considering alternating it and the butter.

Right now, I'm excited to be finalizing decisions and get started in the nursery over the next couple of weeks :)

I also had my first catty run-in over the weekend. I ran into Walgreens and J stayed in the truck a couple minutes before he joined me. Well, while in the toothpaste aisle, a woman said to me "Oh honey, I saw you getting out of your husband's truck and I just felt so sorry for you as hot as it is."

I smiled and said thank you, but it's been a lot hotter and at least I'm not nine months pregnant. Then she asked how long I had to go and I replied November.

After seeing the look on her face, you'd think I was about to pop! She makes some remark like "well, I guess it's good to have a big baby!"

Luckily J came walking into the aisle about then. If not, I'm not sure what I would have said/done.

So, you be the judge. Do I look like I'm about to have this baby in a month?

Sorry, no belly shot this week :( I snapped these before work this morning, because we were building shelves last night and I declared I was too dirty for a picture!

92 days ...

Until my due date!

I am due three months from today. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

That has me both excited (I can't wait to meet you Tuff!) and also very anxious. I am such a Type A personality who likes to have all my ducks in a row. And I feel so disorganized when it comes to all this baby stuff, probably due to my wait-until-the-last-minute husband.

For example: I'm the girl who would rather be 15 minutes early than one minute late. He doesn't mind being a few minutes behind.

J keeps reassuring me that the baby doesn't NEED a nursery so long as he/she has a place to sleep. True, but it's very important for mama's nesting.

Not to mention the fact that Baby can come at any time, although I hope he/she stays in as long as possible. But it's totally normal (and typical in my family) to have the baby early. So in my mind, we have more like 70 days to prepare. And that's just downright scary.

Here's what I know we need to do in the meantime:

• Figure out daycare
• Find a pediatrician/family doctor
• Write out a birth plan
• Take the classes
• Clear out room
• Have carpets cleaned
• Paint room
• Install new trim
• Find/buy dresser
• Order glider
• Pick fabric/have curtains made
• Decorate the room (who likes plan walls?)
• Purchase any necessities we aren't given
• Come up with more name ideas
• Have maternity photos taken
• Clean up all baby gear that's been purchased at yard sales
• Deep clean living room and kitchen
• Prepare freezer meals
• Shop ahead for Christmas, November/December birthdays

Any tips you all have for executing any of these tasks specifically? Like what we should look for in a daycare/doctor, and what classes to take?

Or how to handle my stress ... since Xanax is out of the question right now :)

Five on Friday

{1} For the first weekend in I don't know how long (at least three months I'd say) we have NO PLANS. And don't intend to make any. Instead, we're going to be doing some pre-baby home repairs as well as clean out the nursery. Finally! It's supposed to rain all weekend too, so that should keep us inside instead of finding stuff to do outdoors.

{2} I haven't been much of a cook the past four months. First it was the nausea, then the wedding planning or just feeling like cooking itself grossed me out. (Raw meat = nasty). Well, I got back on board this week, cooking a real dinner two nights in a row. Sorry, I dont' think hamburgers, barbecue, frozen pizza and hamburger helper qualify as real meals.

I tried a new recipe for a pork chop and potato casserole and we LOVED it. Here it is:

Ingredients:
vegetable oil
6 boneless pork chops (I used the bone-in and trimmed, since it was what i had on hand)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 c. milk
4 potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 c. chopped onion (I omitted as we don't care for onions)
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Direction:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place pork chops in oil and sear.
- In a medium bowl, combine the soup and milk. Arrange the potatoes and onions in bottom of a 9X13 dish. Place browned chopes over potatoes, then pour the soup mixture over all.
- Bake 30 minutes. Top with cheese, then bake an additional 20 minutes.

This was seriously a meal all in itself! Plus delicious - we liked the potatoes best, I think.

{3} I got kinda bored with Big Brother this season, but now I'm getting excited again. I think when evictees begin going to jury, it ramps up for some reason. Can't wait to see what happens this week. I'm not too sure who I want to win. I love Dani's game play but really dislike her as a person. LOVE Jeff, but don't feel he's really bringing his game. I just want to see Porsche, Shelly, Adam and Kalia out of there soon!

{4} After a visit from my college president yesterday, in which he saw my office for the first time (I'm at a satellite location) I should be getting a new computer and some office furniture *very* soon. Yay!

{5} After work today, J and I have to go get some horse feed (we buy in bulk because it's about a 45 minute drive one way.) On the way home, we plan to stop at a car dealership to do a little test driving if we have time. Yay!

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday (aka pictures from my iPhone)

Happy Wednesday! I can't believe we're already at the midway point for the week, but I sure am glad!

Since I was so busy and didn't have time to link up last week, I have lots of loves to share with you.

{1} I'm LOVING that J and I marked our first month of marriage yesterday. Marriage is treating us well so far - ha! Even more, I'm loving this text convo we had:

He cracks me up so much!

{2} I'm LOVING the new outdoor furniture we got. Our house has gray vinyl siding and maroon shutters, which we plan to paint charcoal. So we've been looking for black/gray furniture for the front porch, without much luck. Well, we went to Lowes and found some - that they haven't even had all summer! Plus it was 25 percent off AND we had a wedding gift card, so we paid very little out of pocket for this set :)

{3} I'm LOVING our new ceiling fan! Ha, I know I'm a dork, but the one in our room went out last fall and we've had NOTHING since. We actually bought this one for our living room when we moved, but never could figure out if we really liked it, because the center of the actual room is different than the center of the sitting area. So, J just put it in our bedroom to help cool me off at night :) We went a step further and also installed the remote, so we can change it without getting up. GENIUS! Love it! He also set it up so we can dim the lights.

{4} I'm LOVING how beautiful it has been the past few mornings. I kinda wish I liked coffee, so I could sit out front, on the new furniture, and just enjoy.

{5} I'm LOVING my new job! Not only are my coworkers amazing (not at all clique-y like at my previous job) I'm really loving what I'm doing. Plus .... we figured out how to work my maternity leave! Let's say I don't have to worry about saving up two months of expenses (although J told me I seriously shouldn't) or going on COBRA for my insurance and get to stay at home the entire time. Plus, we have eight paid days off for Christmas, so it's guaranteed I don't have to go back to work until January :) Thank goodness! Now I just need my doctor to be on board.

{6} I'm LOVING my Erin Condren life planner! I purchased it after reading great things from several bloggers and totally agree, it's amazing. Plus, I got it half price, due to a plum district voucher.

{7} I'm LOVING that I ordered tons of wedding photos for our small album thanks to Snapfish's deal this week. 100 print for $1 and free shipping? Yes, please!

{8} I'm LOVING this sweet Mizzou hooded sweatshirt I found at Walmart last night! They were marked down to $3 from $16, so I bought one for Baby R and another for my niece :)

{9} I'm LOVING that we are almost done registering for Baby R. There are just a few items that weren't in stores that I'm going to add from the stores' websites, then we are good to go. I hope, haha. But I'm very glad I've been shopping at yard sales - baby stuff is insanely expensive!

{10} I'm LOVING that this weekend is the first in some time we have *no* plans. So we intend to work around the house so operation nursery can begin very soon. Have I mentioned this is the last week of my second trimester?

{11} I'm LOVING Pinterest. It is *so addicting*. But I'm finding a lot of great ideas for the nursery and so much more there. I know a lot of it isn't reasonable, and some ideas have been vetoed, but a girl can dream, right?

Bumpdate - 26 weeks

Every week, I feel like I need to double check what week it is.

I can't believe I'm now 26 weeks pregnant, and about to enter my third trimester...

During Week 25, Baby R was the size of an eggplant, measuring between 13.6 and 14.8 inches, and weighing somewhere between 1.5 and 2.2 pounds. His or her sense of equilibrium began kicking in, and Tuff was learning to distinguish right side up from upside down.

I read somewhere that Baby's most active time is typically between 24 and 28 weeks, as he or she will then be too large to do a lot of the summersaults and such. So I'm trying to enjoy every little jab - even when he/she is still kicking at 1 a.m.!

No linea negra yet, thank goodness. But I have a feeling my belly button will pop any day now, and I'm really not OK with that.

I'm just going to be honest and admit that this past week hasn't been the greatest for my self esteem. First of all, I've outgrown ALL of my regular pants and have to wear the band with them, and they're still kinda tight in the hips and thighs. I bought a pair of mat jeans at a yard sale around 10 weeks and they are actually kinda tight in the legs now :(
I gained 2 lbs this past week, which combined with the three from the previous week, puts me at 5 lbs. in two weeks. My face has been breaking out again. My back hurts on the daily. I'm not saying that all this won't be worth it come November, but I'm not trying to sugar coat it either. I just feel like a big whale, and I know I'm going to get even bigger.

Told you guys that feeling of being "cute and pregnant" wouldn't last long.

Luckily, J's boss' wife just had a baby and sent me a few pairs of pants that will definitely help tide me over. And we're gong shopping tonight, so I hope to find a pair of jeans that I like and fits me well. I figure since I have three months left, it will be money well spent.

Tuff had a couple of late nights last week with the rodeo. He/she LOVED the nachos though. On the night that Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich performed, Baby cracked me up. During Gretchen's song, he would kick up a storm, then quit when the guys started singing. But once Gretchen was singing again, he was kicking again. This has a few people convinced the baby is a boy :)

We're hoping to get the nursery all cleaned out and painted soon. It's just difficult to figure out what to keep/get rid of/alter and where to put it all. I think that just doing that and putting the crib together will make me feel a million times better, even if the nursery isn't perfect yet.

I think that's it for the week. So, here's my pictures:

Never thought my butt would actually look small!

PS --- Tuff just kicked me. I think he wants to tell you all hi :)

Miscellany Monday

It's been awhile since I've participated in miscellany monday but all I've got is randomocities today, so here goes.

{weekend}

is it just me, or do the weekends just keep getting shorter and shorter? i cannot believe that it's already monday. What's more, I can't believe that I'm beginning the fourth week at my job. time really does fly.

as the rodeo was still in town, that consumed a lot of our time. friday afternoon, i went home and napped and we planned to go to the rodeo for a bit that night (we had passes, not tickets, so it makes no impact on our wallet whether we go). well, by the time J got out of the shower, it was rumbling and the sky opened up about a half hour later! so we stayed home and had a movie night instead :)

that night, the president of the college informed me he was planning to be in the rodeo parade saturday morning and he wanted me to take pictures. we weren't planning to go, but headed out. hey, i'm trying to get a bit of a paid maternity leave, ha! it was actually BEAUTIFUL weather so we also went to the little festival afterwards. we had amazing barbecue and kettle corn. yes, i am addicting Baby R to kettle corn while in utero. don't judge.

saturday afternoon, i napped to get rested up for the rodeo that night. rodney atkins was the featured performer and i didn't want to miss it! we got to stand right behind the stage, in the chutes, to watch the concert.

we have such a great group of friends back there and every time i turned someone was making sure i didn't need a water, help getting down, or anything like that. in fact, i rode in on the tractor pulling the stage, and my friend in there promised that next year Baby Tuff and I can ride with him again. so sweet! we stayed out until about 2 a.m. pretty late for this mama! yesterday, we did a lot of work around the house and outside. have to get ready for baby!

{cooking}

i'm seriously in the dumps when it comes to cooking. poor jimmy, i barely cook a "real" meal anymore ... mostly because it sorta nauseates me to cook and i just don't have the energy. i've realized i probably need to start menu planning again but don't feel inspired. so will you all share a favorite recipe with me? keep it easy, please, but i just need to shake things up. oh, and we don't like onions, peppers or mushrooms, so make sure it doesn't have those ingredients or they can be omitted.

i'm also trying to clean out the deep freeze in the next couple of months, so i can do a big batch of freezer cooking in october to prepare for the baby.

{life}

i realized how crazy i am for getting married and starting a job while pregnant. there are not enough hours in the day. our wedding list is pretty much wrapped up, but we haven't made a dent on baby. first off we need to finish registering. then i need to get the list and addresses for everyone i want to invite to my two showers compiled. considering i am compiling lists for work right now in a major way, that's just not something i want to do when i get home!

{big brother + fall tv}

so what are my fellow BB fans thinking about this season? i'm actually kinda bored with it. i'd want dani to win if i didn't hate her. i love jeff and jordan but don't think they've had to really play the game so far. i have no idea where anything is going this season ...

any 2.5 men fans out there? are you watching with ashton? i can't decide if i want to. i really do want to see how they write out charlie and introduce the new character though, so i guess i'll watch a few and see where it leads.

i'm also excited about rules of engagement, hawaii five-O, criminal minds, himym and the mentalist. i just love the beginning of the season.

{baby names}

J and i are still coming up with possible baby names. one of our criteria is that we want it to be a "normal" name that's not used a lot. for instance, my niece's name is natalie. not super popular, but a traditional name she can grow into. plus, it's appropriate for a child and an adult. we also want to make sure our kid doesn't have to go by a last initial. well, one of our boy names was reid. (yes, after spencer reed on criminal minds!) anyhow, last week we learned a couple that's due later this month, whose son will go to the same school as our kid, is using that name. rats! we haven't really been sharing our names for that reason. so either it's total coincidence, or j's loud-mouth sister-in-law told. either way, my baby names are really under lock and key now. luckily, we've been leaning toward using reid as a middle name here lately anyhow, so it wasn't total torture. our other two boy names begin with a c :)

i think that's it for today. hope you all had a great weekend!

Tidbits

I think I've worked harder this week than I did the first two weeks of the job combined! Of course, having four hours of driving time didn't help matters any. Since I haven't had much time to blog, I figured I would roll it all into one post.

• Our annual rodeo is in town and I love it! We had tickets for Wednesday's opening night (entertainment was Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy) and we LOVED IT! Even though I was so behind on my sleep and my back had been hurting since noon, it was totally worth not getting to bed until 1.
• That being said, with all the extra hours I'd worked earlier in the week, I left a couple hours early yesterday and took a nap. We contemplated going to rodeo last week, but my body told me no. We'll probably head out for a bit tonight and definitely on Saturday.
• Rodeo week is usually the hottest week of the year in Southeast Missouri. But we've been having great temperatures, with temps in the 70s at night. It's nice!
• I used to be quite the coupon clipper, but REALLY got out of it around Christmas last year when life got pretty busy. I've been picking them up recently but not really clipping. Well, last night I clipped four of the inserts I have. Only 16 to go ... yikes. Oh well, it saves a TON of money, and I definitely need to do that and stock up the next few months.
• I've also been hitting up a lot of yard sales. I think people are crazy to pay full price for baby stuff when you can get it (practically brand-new) for a FRACTION of the price at a garage sale. Today I got two crib mattress pads for $4 each - paying less for two than I would have for one at the store. And it great condition!
• J has been on vacation since Wednesday and I am very, very jealous. He did have lunch with me and hang a few things on my office wall on Wednesday though. And had a great surprise for me when I got home yesterday! Plus I've been getting egg sandwiches for breakfast - yummy, healthy and filling. I don't even need a morning snack!
• I'm REALLY hoping I get to leave work early today. But I have so many errands to run it will probably still be 5 by the time I get home!
• I cannot get myself motivated to clean out the nursery. I think it's because we have so many other home projects? And the fact that my kitchen seems to be unable to stay clean more than a few hours keeps me pretty busy.
• We're sort of looking at new vehicles for me. Which is definitely a need. But not knowing what my income will be like for six to eight weeks unfortunately has this on the back burner :/ I HATE looking and knowing we can't buy right now.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Bumpdate - 25 weeks

It has been a crazy week! I spent Monday and Tuesday at our main campus (an hour drive) and work is definitely picking up. But all is well.

As of Tuesday, I am 25 weeks pregnant with the bambino. During his/her 24th week, Baby R remained the size of a papaya, but was packing on pounds. Also, the previously translucent skin is becoming more opaque, with a rosy glow, thanks to lots of small capillaries forming.

Week 24 was a very important milestone, as it marks the week of viability. If born today (although I certainly want to keep Baby in until November) Tuff would have a 50 to 70 percent chance of survival, compared to the 20-35 percent chance at 23 weeks. At 26 weeks, it will be more than 90 percent!

In mommy's world, I'm still not craving anything special, just cantaloupe. Yum-o. And nachos. But rodeo time in Southeast Missouri will do that to you - ha! I had nachos at BWWs on Saturday and nachos at home (J's request) on Sunday. I guess as long as you pile on veggies and aren't too gracious with the cheese they aren't that bad, right?

Ice cream must be though. On Tuesday, I was up THREE POUNDS in one week. AHHHHHH! I'm about to bust another 10-pound mark on the scale and that terrifies me. So as of now, I'm up about 10 pounds total. I was hoping to only gain about 20 lbs. the entire pregnancy, but we'll see. Now, I should average 3/4 to 1 lb. per week, but come week 36, women typically don't see any gain because their bellies are so full it's tough to eat a lot. So it's still attainable.

This was also the week I really popped! I went through about five outfits on Tuesday before finding something that fit/didn't make me look like a boat (dresses!) Seriously - pants that I could wear last week no longer fit. Some even with the Bella band! I didn't realize how much my hips and theighs would gain - although I'm sure those three pounds have something to do with it.

I'm still thinking (and most people are guessing) it's a boy based on my belly shape. We'll see in November :) We're still coming up with fun names for boys AND girls.

And although I feel huge, it's nice to finally be out of that rocking the beer gut stage. People can definitely tell, without a doubt, that I am a pregnant woman, not just a fatso.

So, here we are at 25 weeks (forgot to take a photo Monday, as I put in more than 12 hours at work)

Those are normal jeans, but I was wearing the Bella Band with them. And they were still tight!!!

Now for fun, let's compare it to the first bump picture I posted on here --- I was about 18 weeks 2 days, I believe ...

No big changes, right?

In other news, we ordered Tuff's bedding last week and it came in today! SOON we need to get the room cleaned out and pick the paint so J can tackle that and I can start putting the nursery together. I've been pinning lots of ideas on Pinterest.

We also registered at Target, but still need to do so at Walmart and maybe Babies R Us.

It's OK

Today I'm participating in a brand-new blog hop over here.

In the words of Neely, it's all about a place "where you can justify the weird, normal and awesome things you do cause ITS OK!"




It's OK if I closed my office door for five minutes and laid on the flood yesterday because my back was hurting that bad!

It's OK if people want to punch me in the face just because I say I'd still rather have all these 100 degree temperatures than ice and snow.

It's OK if I go to the bathroom once an hour because I gulp my water in the morning. Then drink practically nothing all afternoon because I think the water here is nasty.

It's OK that I sometimes throw the pretzels out of the Chex Mix. I mean, they're actually kind of gross. I don't know whose idea it was to include the nasty things anyhow!

It's OK if supper last night was a double serving of Special K with berries. Better than nothing.

It's OK that my fridge is full, but would be half empty if I got rid of all of the leftovers that have gone to waste.

It's OK to be a little scared when I buy newborn outfits. I mean, have you seen how tiny those things are? This is why I want to birth a 9 lb. baby.

It's OK to consider Pop Tarts a fruit serving since I've been too lazy to go to the store and get some actual fruit.

It's OK that I got about a third of the way through thank you cards the other night before quitting and then just looked at them while lounging on the couch watching TV last night. There's always the weekend.

It's OK that I want to smack some people in the face when they start clucking and telling me what a pregnant woman should/shouldn't do. Because it's my baby and as long as I'm not smoking, drinking, or doing anything the doctors warned me not to do, everything will be fine. And when he/she gets here, if I decide to cut the hair into a mohawk and dye it blue, oh well. Because it's my kid!!!

This was really fun! You guys should all join in :)

What I'm Loving

It's definitely the baby edition this week :) Seems to be all I have on the brain right now.

{1} I'm LOVING that we had another great checkup with Baby R yesterday. He/she seems to be intent on keeping the gender a secret, as the heartbeat was a solid 146. Typically 150 and up later in the pregnancy indicates girl, while 120s to 130s indicates boy. We also talked about some old wives tales and indicators that J and I plan to test soon.

{2} I'm LOVING that we finally got the crib bedding ordered. After a lot of debate, I decided to just order something rather than go through the hassle of getting something made. This way once it comes in it's taken care of and I only will need coordinating fabric for curtains, some wall coverings I plan to do and to embellish burp rags.

{3} I'm LOVING how much the baby is moving. He even kicked the doctor yesterday.

{4} I'm LOVING comments about how I've "only gained in my belly." Hopefully that's true and it will remain that way :)

{5} I'm LOVING that we got to chow down on some Olive Garden last night (thanks to a gift card we received as a wedding present). I think Tuff likes the salad as much as I do.

What are you loving on this beautiful (and hot!) Wednesday?

Bumpdate - 24 weeks

Now is what I consider my halfway point! It's right in the middle of when we found out and our due date.

During Week 23, Baby R is still papaya-sized. However, he gained weight and is somewhere between 12.7 and 20.8 ounces. As I mentioned three weeks ago, he was about a pound, so definitely on the high end of that. We go to the doctor today :)

During week 23, Tuff sprouted his two tiny nipples.

No real cravings this week. In fact, I think I've developed a bit of an aversion to a lot of meats. My cravings are mostly my drinks and dairy, but I eat plenty of other food to make sure Baby R gets all he needs.

I'm up about 6 pounds from my beginning weight. I figure if I gain about a pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy, that puts me around 20 lbs, which is what is recommended for me.

I think I may be developing carpal tunnel in my left arm. I plan to talk to my dr. about this today and probably get a brace.

I don't think I've ever discussed in-depth my "birth plan" but I absolutely DO NOT want a C-section unless it's totally necessary. That goes even more now, since I learned that I won't be eligible for short-term disability at my new job, as I had previously thought. Six weeks off is hard enough, eight would be really tough! We are already starting to put money back for this period, however.

I wore this black dress to work last week (with a cardi, totally didn't show off those puffy arms!) and really liked my preggo shape in it. So I had J take a picture (it was on July 28, so I was 23 weeks, 2 days)

Still feeling LOTS of movements. As I type this, Baby R is kicking up a storm. I tell J that I think we have a very smart baby, because I SWEAR whenever I put my hand where the baby is, the kicks get a lot harder and frequent. And I love it.

We plan to start registering today. As far as I know, two showers are being planned. One by a couple of my aunts for family/people who live in my hometown (a big 20 minutes away!) and then my friends are doing one down here. It will be a surprise shower, and I'm super excited!

And here I am last night - 23 weeks, 6 days. Belly is definitely rounding out, I think.

And, just for fun (very picture-heavy this week, I know!) I'm throwing in a picture I snapped before leaving for work Monday morning. I walked by the mirror and thought "whoa, I look like a cute pregnant woman!" 

Please don't think that's egotistical of me, it's not supposed to be. I just always feared that when I was pregnant I would be sloppy the entire tim, and I loved what I saw! I finally look pregnant but still professional and pulled together. I hope I keep feeling that way for at least 10-12 more weeks :)

Our weekend :)

Mostly consisted of this ...

And this ...

And a bunch of this ...

*All images via Google

Seriously. After more or less neglecting house work the past eight weeks, but especially since we got back from Gulf Shores, I had a ton to do!


Last week was kind of slow at work, since my supervisor was at a conference in Florida. I basically wrapped up everything she asked me to do by Wednesday and had some small things to do on Thursday, so she told me to just take the day off on Friday :) After sleeping in, I hit the grocery store (no milk for this mama wasn't a good thing!) and got caught up on my soaps. That afternoon, I hit up a couple of yard sales and got several items for Baby R.


That night, we received our marriage certificate and CD of wedding photos in the mail :)  So we spent over an hour looking through those photos and ones a family friend took at the reception. I have a code for 200 free prints at Snapfish, so I'm trying to sort through as quickly as possible.


There were a few yard sales (with mat clothes) I wanted to hit up on Saturday morning so when I was wide awake by 6:30, I figured why not. I found several shirts --- but what I really need are PANTS! Today, I did wear some regular pants with the Bella Band and that still seems to be working, so maybe I'll be OK.


After I got home, I started cleaning up around the house and working on the mountain of laundry. J also did some of the little home repairs, like fixing the towel bar and working in the landscaping. When my feet got sore, I went through all my wedding stuff and some other items and priced it for garage sale. I'm getting rid of my things MEGA CHEAP because I don't want to store them.


That night, we watched Secretariat. SUCH a good movie. I stayed awake through the whole thing --- which meant not going to bed until after 11:30. That's good for me!



Yesterday, we tackled more house cleaning, some household shopping and laundry. Now I only lack one more load to be caught up on the laundry. J installed an access panel in our laundry room, so we ended up tidying it up as well - I joked that his projects lead to more projects for me.


We planned to write out some thank yous, but I was exhausted and felt like kicking my feet up. So I did, while catching up on "What to Expect" (I read Months 1-2 ... that's how far behind I am!!!) while J watched a movie.


How was your weekend?

XOXO --- Michelle