22 weeks + great baby finds!

Hey there everyone! I can't believe how quickly short work weeks fly by. This weekend I am going to be SUPER busy with a surprise birthday party & two showers (one I'm hosting) to attend. It'll be insane, but should be fun! Anywho, I'm 22 weeks 4 days today, so just a few days shy of 23 weeks. I can't believe how quickly the weeks are passing by now & I feel like there is still a lot to do to get ready for her arrival. 

My baby-buying obsession is still in full effect & I got Baby J lots of cute stuff over the last week or so. I got a little bonus at work for a project I worked on, so I spent a lot spoiling her as usual. I am currently on a self-imposed baby-buying hiatus {until next pay period ::wink::} because my obsession is getting out of hand, lol. Seriously though. I.can't.stop. She's so spoiled already. :) I honestly need to limit my purchases to like maybe 2-3 items per 2-week pay period. I know that I will likely gets a good amount of stuff at my baby showers (the hubbs family lives about 4 hours away so they are throwing a separate one), so I really, really try to not buy too much, but sometimes it's so hard when you find the CUTEST things at great prices! Sigh. Here are a few things I bought this cute little bugger kicking away in my belly over the last week or so:

The first two are from Zulily (again, full disclosure - if you sign up for a Zulily account through this link & if/when you buy something, I get a $10 credit to buy Baby J even more cute stuff!).

 

 This set of three Haba Toys fabric balls - they looked fun!

 This sweet Pink Guitar beanie from Pink Axle - I couldn't resist b/c her daddy lurves all things music!

 These sweet owl bookends from Etsy seller aprilfoss

This cute little owl piggy bank from Etsy seller Posh Polka Dots 

It is probably obvious based on my purchases, but I've decided to do owl accents in her room. Not an owl "theme" per say because her bedding & curtains, etc. have nothing to do with owls, but I heart owls {much like birdies} so I wanted to add in a few cute owl decorations here & there. It's also probably obvious that I love both Zulily & Etsy, I always find great stuff for her on both of those sites!

So, from weeks 21-24 (month 5), The Bump says baby is about the size of a Papaya! She is between 10.5-11.8 inches in length & between 12.7-20.8 ounces. At 19 weeks 6 days, Baby J was a little more than 11 ounces, so she's probably close to a pound or so now! She can most definitely hear us now & we talk to her lots & lots every day! She especially likes the hubbs & she always starts kicking when she hears his voice. :) He even felt her kick for the first time on Sunday...I was so happy! He has not been able to feel her since, but it's still exciting! Her kicks are still really light to him, although they seem to be getting harder to me. Nothing painful at all, just noticeably harder. Her movement definitely happens all day, every day & I sometimes try to count her kicks. I read that you should be able to count about 10 kicks/movements in a 2-hour period. Usually I count from the first time I feel her & go from there & that seems about right. She should also be settling into sleep cycles & sleeping anywhere from 12-14 hours throughout the day & I am starting to realize when she's napping. I love this little bean so much & can't wait to meet her in November!!

Yesterday while I was walking into the kitchen I had this electric shock-type sensation in my belly. It was pretty alarming, but it only lasted for 1 second & then disappeared. I think maybe the baby kicked me in my cervix or something, at least that's all I could gather from a Google search, hee hee. It scared me, but the baby has been moving & kicking normally today, so I'm trying not to worry too much. I tend to do that sometimes...but I am going to mention it to my doctor next week at my appointment just to see what they think. And this morning, I was woken up by this CRUCIAL lower leg cramp - ouch, but I bent my foot towards me like I read to do & it worked! Overall though, I'm feeling good. A little achy at the end of the days, but doing great overall!

Although it's finally sunk into my brain that I am pregnant, I still find it hard to believe that we are gonna have a baby in just a few short months. It's an awesome feeling & although we prayed so hard for her (& can't wait until she's in our arms), it definitely makes you think a little about just how much your life will change! Are we ready for the change? Of course we are, but it's a huge life-changing thing that's happening & it just makes you a think about a lot. I wonder about so many things, like if we will be good parents & know what we are doing, if she will take to breastfeeding, how will the first couple of weeks be with her home, how will our fat dog, Dizzle, react to his new little sis...and lots & lots more! And of course, I still worry about her all the time & hope she's doing well in there. Knowing me, that'll never end - even when she does get here! But, she's continuing to wiggle around & kick & every time I feel her, it makes me calm down a little & smile big time.

Here are my 22 week bump pics - I feel like I definitely look pregnant now & am in maternity clothes full time at this point (although a few of my longer pre-pregnancy shirts still fit me). No belly stretch marks (or any others that I didn't already have) yet!

Clothed Belly

 Bare Belly

That's all I got for this week - hopefully this weekend will come & go quickly. Feels weird saying that since I always want weekends to go by slowly, but this one will be soooo busy, so I am actually looking forward to it getting here & being done with all the parties/showers until the next few roll around, lol. 'Till next time!

Project Nursery - All put together!

I'm happy to report that Baby J's Nursery is coming along nicely! The hubbs has gotten all of the major furniture put together & we even got her mattress, so I thought I'd do an update everyone, showing you guys where we are now!

Before the room began it's transformation, it was our office/guest/misc. storage room, so needless to say it was pretty much {ahem} a hot mess not together or cohesive at all. It mainly consisted of my old full bed, my old computer desk from college, some storage drawers, an old bookshelf & a TV/Fios box. Here is a quick reminder of what the room looked before:

The room, although not the best looking in the house, was actually pretty cozy! Those blue shades on the windows were installed by the previous owners & they blocked out virtually any & all sunlight. It was amazing! If I was ever particularly exhausted, I could just go in the guest room, close those shades & pass out on the bed. It was nice! But now that our little girl is on the way, I have to find a way to do that in my own room, which can get pretty dark from the drapes we have, but still not quite as dark as the former guest room. So, when I was about 13 weeks pregnant, we started making plans for this room. I Freecycled almost all of the furniture, packed up everything we want to hang on to for the attic & everything we want to get rid of for donation. My wedding dress & a few other formal gowns (from friend's weddings, that I'll never wear again) were in the closet in this room & all of those items are being donated as well. I was thinking about selling my bridal gown to a consignment shop, but it cost over $200 to dry clean & press the dress & I doubt I'd even get that much for the gown from the consignment shop, so I opted to donate it instead & get the {small} tax write off.

Anywho, I digress...so here's what the room looks like today:

*~From the doorway~*

*~dresser/changer combo + glider wall~*

*~crib wall~*

*~bookshelf/closet wall & closeup of stuff on shelves (for now anyways)~*

Coming along nicely, don't cha think?! Clearly I have lots more to do in here & I plan to go wall by wall detailing my plans/thoughts for each wall, but I wanted to give everyone an idea of how the room looks now that we have all the furniture up & ready to go. We are taking all the boxes & what not we packed up from this & our room to Salvation Army this afternoon. And I'll be sooo happy when all of the boxes are outta here! We'll re-visit the nursery early next week to discuss wall 1 of 4 - glider/dresser wall - just wait till you see my plans for this wall! I can't wait till her room comes together completely, I hope she loves it {although I doubt she'll notice until she's older}!! I think it'll either be tied for or be my #1 favorite room in the house - it's so bright & airy in there already. :)

Wanna see our nursery progress from the beginning? Check out my master plan for the room & the first set of DIY goodies I made for our little one! 'Till next time!

5QF + weekly recap 7.2.10

Good morning! Let me tell you, I'm sooooooo happy today has finally come! Since I'm saving up all my annual & sick leave at work for maternity leave, I have not really taken off since finding out I was pregnant - or since February. Granted, between teleworking & getting every other Friday off (I work 9 hour days to make this happen), I only go into the office 3 days a week, but still...I needed a LOOOONG break & this weekend, I'm getting one!! Today is my Friday off and we are off Tuesday for the 4th of July holiday, so I'm really excited! I have lots planned for my to do list this weekend & I'll probably only get a small fraction of it done. But today is all for me - I am going to go shopping for some maternity jeans (mine are getting a bit snug) & maybe a shirt or two & I also hear that NY & Co. is having a really good sale right now, so I may stop by there & check that out. I want to also run by the nail salon & get a mani/pedi, which is always nice. :)

This week has been pretty uneventful, I have been running around at work trying to get lots & lots done because all of the project managers that I support are in & out of the office due to vacations, which is why I am so relieved to have this long weekend! I continued to feed my baby-buying obsession this week, but I'll save that for my weekly pregnancy & Project Nursery post. Since this week has been mostly blah, I'll stop boring you now & move on to 5QF!

If you want to participate, head on over to My Little Life & link up (and let me know if you do, I'd love to read my reader's answers)!

1. What is one thing you miss the most about childhood?

I just enjoyed being carefree & not having any bills or worries, lol. I mean, I love being a grown up & I'm excited to be a mama, but yeah no bills & no job would sometimes be awesome. Sigh. I envy the dog sometimes, hahaha, I feel like he has it good - spoiled, lots of food, belly rubs, just lounging around all day!

2. Are you still friends with your friends from high school?

Ummm, not really. I have a few that I speak to/see every once in a while, but we have mostly all gone our separate ways.  Of course, when Faecbook came along, it changed a lot of that & I am "friends" with several of my old classmates thru that, but we don't regularly hang out or anything. I actually need to get on there soon & start networking because our 10 year reunion is coming up next year {eek} & I'd definitely like to help with the planning. We have this alumni archive website that info is supposed to be posted on, but I have been looking & still haven't seen anything.

3. Is there a catch phrase, cliche, or word that just drives you bonkers every time you hear it?

Hmmm, that's a tough one. Not that I can think of right now. Sorry!

4. What is one thing that you think symbolizes America...besides "Old Glory"?

When I think America - I think bald eagle, our flag & the military.  Hahaha, see what came up on my Google image search of "America" --->

5. What are your 4th of July weekend plans? 

Well I'd like to get rid of all the boxes sitting upstairs waiting to be donated & I'd also like to finish up my friend's ribbon mobile for her nursery & maybe get started on another Baby J DIY project. On the 4th itself, we are going to a couple of BBQs & may even buy some fireworks to set off. My aunt said something about a fish fry over by my dad's house too, so we may swing by there, but we haven't completely decided. 

That's all I got this week - I hope everyone has a safe & wonderful 4th of July & a great weekend! I have lots more exciting stuff coming up in the next several days/next week - Baby J's name reveal, some Project Nursery updates, some updates to our summer/getting-ready-for-Baby J to do list. 'Till next time!

PS - I'm also linking up to the Trendy Treehouse link party - New Friend Friday. Hope any of you new to my blog & joining me today enjoy!

 

Shoebox + pretty paper = ribbon storage!

So in the course of my growing crafting obsession, I managed to collect a lot of ribbon. I mean A LOT. And I just realized when I sat down to write this post that it probably would have been a good idea to take a before photo of my previous "storage solution," which consisted of a plastic Target bag inside of a small basket inside of a plastic storage tote in the crawl space under our stairs in the basement. Classy right?! Ha! You gotta do what you gotta do I guess, but the time has come for a change since I keep accumulating ribbon & I may even be getting even more if I start up an Etsy shop for my ribbon mobiles like I am seriously considering doing.

While beginning this quest to make a very crafty ribbon holder, I realized there were very few tutorials out there for the type of holder I had in mind, so I decided to write my own!

First, I collected up all my supplies:

• A shoe box (my hubby had plenty to choose from - he must have know I would need them for a project one day :o)
• Wrapping paper in your color/pattern choice (got mine from Target for a different project & then decided I didn't like it for that project, but that it would be perfect for this one!)
• Scissors
• Something to punch holes in your box (Note - I found that my normal hole punch was too short & the holes would be under the lid of the box, so I improvised (with the help of my hubby) & used an old wine bottle opener & a mechanical pencil - with the lead pushed in - to make the holes a little bigger. Hey, I was trying to do this project w/o spending any money!)
• Tape (I originally started out with Modge Podge on box #1, but quickly switched to tape - it's easier to correct mistakes like that).

Next, I got to taping - all sides & the top, but I left the bottom mostly uncovered since it won't be seen. :oD

So much prettier covered in wrapping paper, isn't she?!

After that, the hubbs helped me devise a plan to get the holes where I needed them, which is below where the cover hits on the front face of the box. He came up with the cheapo genius idea to use an old wine opener that we don't use much any more & then we used a pencil to make the holes a little bit bigger.

That's him poking the holes - he's my favorite tool. :)

Once we got the holes in the box, I arranged my ribbon by color & started threading it through the holes my hubby poked in the box for me. I had to make bigger holes for some of the ribbon as I went along.

I put some extra spools of duplicate ribbon in the back section of the box, along with some spare tissue paper I had laying around to stop the threaded ribbon from rolling around in the box whenever I move it.

In my second box, I put my oversize spools of wide ribbon & ribbon that was almost gone. I didn't see a real point in threading it through my box if it was almost gone.

And ta-da - a DIY ribbon storage solution & I have plenty of extra wrapping paper & an extra shoe box if my ribbon-collecting addiction continues & I need to make another. 

And the best part about it...it was my favorite price - FREE because I already had all of the supplies on hand! What do you think?! I love it & it's perfect for me & it'll go perfectly on the bookcase I plan to put down in my little corner of the basement since the babe's stuff is in my former office/crafting storage area. So what about you - do you have lots of ribbon or other crafting materials that you have organized in a thrifty & clever way? I'd love to see it - comment with a link to your blog post if you have one! If you have lots of ribbon & are looking for a way to organize it, then you should definitely try this solution out - it's quick, easy & pretty inexpensive (possibly free if you have everything on-hand, like I did). If you try it out, please let me know, I'd love to see how yours turns out. And now this pregnant mama is off to bed - 'till next time!

21 Weeks - going bananas!

So now I'm over the halfway mark in this pregnancy & overall I'm feeling pretty good. By the end of most days I am sore & tired, but nothing I can't handle. When I first got pregnant, I was sooo nervous all the time that I just wanted time to to fly by & for November to get here so we could meet our little one. Now, I still want November to get here, but I am starting to appreciate just how soon she actually will be apart of our lives - changing them forever. I am excited, nervous, scared, hopeful, in love & anything else you can think of at this point. I love her so much - I almost started crying in the car on my way to work this morning thinking about how I'd feel this year when the holidays roll around & we have our precious baby girl here with us! I laughed at myself & my crazy hormones for that one, but in reality, it's truly how happy I feel about this little bugger inside of me! Such a blessing & a miracle. ;o)

On my never-ending quest to spoil her (with daddy's approval of course), I bought some CUTE stuff from Baby Gap during their Summer Sale going on right now - I only wanted to get a few things since I hear sometimes their stuff runs a bit small, but I'm sure I'll be shopping there or at their outlet a lot more for her clothes in the future. I bought her two onesies & a cute little reversible cardigan (all in different sizes to see how they will fit her)...

A special one for her sure-to-be-BFF, Dizzle, our dog (hahaha she just kicked me when I typed that..she loves him already!):

On sale for $9.99

This one just 'cause she's our lil peanut:

On sale for $9.99

And b/c I love love love cardis on baby girls & b/c she'll be born just when it's starting to get chilly around here:

On sale for $12.99

I heart Gap - it is so classic & their stuff never really goes out of style IMO. I also plan to buy here some cute baby legs I saw on Land of Nod when we buy her wall shelf (it's also coming from there), probably in the next couple weeks or so.

I like both the ones on the left & center!

And these pink polka dot BLs! Ahhh, chunky baby legs in these things = cuteness overload!

They will go perfectly with her little onesies I bought from Gap & I'm sure lots of other stuff she'll get. They will also protect her little legs from our hardwoods when she starts crawling around & added bonus - she'll be so cute just lounging around the house with her mama, daddy & doggie brother!

So according to the Bump, baby girl is about the size of a large banana this week, so she's about 10.5 inches long & weighs about 12.7 ounces. She is busy in there flipping around, kicking her mama & gulping down amniotic fluid. Babies start doing this in the womb for both hydration, nutrition & to start practicing swallowing & digesting.  I definitely still feel her lots throughout the day, but still nothing extremely regular, although I do notice that she moves a lot more right after or while I'm eating. She also moves a little bit more in the evening. One semi-alarming thing I noticed the other day was a swollen looking & sore area underneath my right underarm. That area has been sore since I was about 6 weeks along. I told my OB (well, the nurse practitioner anyways) during one of my very first OB appointments, so she did a breast/under arm exam & said she felt nothing. At the time, she guessed it was just a swollen lymph node & it probably is. But, now it's a bit more noticeable & swollen & still sore. My hubby told me to call the doctor yesterday & I forgot - work has been busy & I hate making calls like that from my office. So, I plan to call tomorrow when I'm teleworking to see what they suggest I do. At the very least, it'll be good to have the piece of mind knowing that I have informed my doctor of the situation. As long as it's fine & will go down after my hormones calm down & doesn't get any bigger, I am going to try & not stress about it. The hubbs has been especially wonderful lately - he helps clean the house a lot more & last night I was sooo achy in my thighs, hips, lower back, shoulders, neck, etc. that he massaged me to sleep - it was like a little slice of heaven! Hahahaha. Speaking of, I finally got my bonus form work (BIG let down, but I am still thankful for anything extra), so I think I'll schedule a relaxing prenatal massage & maybe enroll in a prenatal yoga class. I'm sorta bummed my gym (that we pay $60/month per membership for) does not have prenatal yoga...I bet if they did, they'd get some sign ups. Hmmm, maybe I should put that in the suggestion box - not exactly sure if they have one, but if not, I'll speak to one of the member counselors to offer that suggestion. It would be great if they could get that up & running in the next several weeks, LOL.

Anywho, here are this week's bump pics...I think I'm growing more & more every week & I love it! I'm pretty much in full time maternity clothes, but can still fit some of my pre-pregnancy stretchy-type pants (like my gauchos below) & my longer pre-pregnancy shirts - hopefully my growing girls aren't stretching them out too much at the top!

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

And this weekend brings one of my favorite summer holidays - the 4th of July, woot! I love all the BBQs & fireworks! I am gonna be in heaven this weekend with the 3 events we plan to attend on the 4th (2 BBQs, 1 fish fry - yummy)! I'll be drinking lots of water as well to stay hydrated, but I hear we are supposed to be getting a small brake from this insane heat this weekend - thank goodness! Right now, I'm working on a new ribbon mobile for a friend's baby gift, then I'll be starting up another exciting DIY project for my baby girl's nursery! And of course, many many more project nursery posts coming up soon. 'Till next time!

5QF + weekly recap - 6.25.10

Another Friday here & almost gone. This week has been busy busy, but we're truckin' right along. Highlights form this week include my baby sister's graduation dinner on Monday & then graduation ceremony on Tuesday evening. I am so excited for her, but it's bittersweet to me that she has reached this important milestone in her life. First, I can't believe she's gonna be 18 in just 5 days & is done with grade school! Where did all the time and years go? I remember when my mom first told me she was pregnant with my little sister. I was 9 years old & devastated. I.was.not.happy. I was sitting pretty - the baby to both of my parents - who were divorced by then (my little sister has a different father than my older sister & I). I rather enjoyed being the baby of the family, thank you very much. So I did what any self -respecting 9-year-old would do in the face of such news - I CRIED my eyes out, wished it away & told my mom just how upset I was with her, hahaha. Sounds ridiculous now thinking back on it because as much as she annoyed me when we were growing up, I love the kid now adult & can't wait to see what she will do with her life! This was seriously the longest graduation ceremony ever, but I'm so happy we could be there to share in this special moment in her life:

 The Class of 2010 - makes me feel OLD!

Yours truly, my little sis Kim (she decided to wear a wig, lol b/c she "didn't have time to get her hair done") & the hubbs!

Family - from left: my mama (yes, I'm mixed w/ black & white ;), my God-brother Mike, m'wah, the grad, my little brother Rasheed & God-sister Natiya

Back in September, I sold her my old (but still in GREAT condition) 2000 Honda Civic when we bought Stella. She bought is for $2,000 & I let her pay us $200 a month to pay off the vehicle - I think it was good for her, taught her responsibility & to be accountable (she's spoiled). So our gift to her was to forgive her last loan payment, which she greatly appreciated! Congrats lil sister - love ya & you still owe me $40! Hahaha.

The rest of the week was sort of a blur, but I did manage to get a Baby J to do marked off my list - buying her crib mattress. After doing lots of research, reading reviews & comparing mattresses in-store we decided to buy the Sealy Baby Ultra Rest Crib & Toddler Bed Mattress from walmart.com. Baby Bargains said it was one of the best brands for coil crib mattresses & the hubbs and I stopped by our local Walmart to check it out in person before buying it sight unseen online - it has so many positives, like a wet-proof cover, it's 204 interwoven heavy guage steel coils, and hospital-grade Staph-Gard protection to help prevent bacteria growth - just to name a few. On top of all that it felt firm enough, but also still quite comfy for our little girl add to that the awesome price & free shipping & we were sold. So happy to get that crossed off our Baby J to do list this week!

Today we went to Happy Hour (I had water, dinner & a divine dessert) with some friends & then went to buy Mario Kart for the Wii & played for a couple hours. Tomorrow we are doing a major entire house cleaning & then heading next door to our neighbor's birthday party. On Sunday, we are heading over to my older sister's house to celebrate my nephew's 2nd birthday - he's getting so old! Hoping for a pretty chill weekend over all & a clean house at the end of it. Next weekend is a long weekend - 4th of July, woot! Gotta love long weekends!

And now, on to 5QF! If you want to participate, head on over to My Little Life & link up (and let me know if you do, I'd love to read my reader's answers)!

1. Do you know how to play a musical instrument?

Nope, not at all. I acted like I could play the piano when I was a little kid, but all I really could play was "Mary Had a Little Lamb" & not very well at all! The hubbs and I have vowed  to get our child(ren) into playing at least one musical instrument so that they can become proficient in something, unlike both of their parents.

2. What is your pet peeve while driving?

People riding their brakes & driving SOOO incredibly slow that they hold up the flow of traffic. Living in a high traffic area, like the DC Metro area, this can get extremely annoying. Oh, it also annoys me when I'm following the traffic rules & driving in the correct lanes during rush hour & I see people breaking the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) laws - ugh! This is so bad, but I always secretly hope the cops catch them - it's simply not fair for them to do that when everyone else is obeying the law! Parts of highways here are completely HOV only during rush hour & sometimes the cops set up road blocks on entrance ramps to catch violators & for just a moment, I think, "serves you right" when they have someone pulled over (I can see them while riding on the Metro) because I hate it when people are so cavalier that they think they are above the law!

3. Would you rather have a housekeeper or unlimited spa services?

Hands down a housekeeper! It's hard for me to keep up with all the housework now & I can only imagine that it'll be even harder once the little one arrives! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE spa days, but if I had to choose - housekeepers would be it.

4. Is there a song that you hear that will take you back to the moment, like a junior high or high school dance?

Yep, Cupid by 112. I loved that song the summer before my freshman year of high school - it was even my first real boyfriend (Jason) & I's song! His last name then happens to be my last name now, so if we'd have gotten married, then I'd still have my current last name, hahaha. I thought I was sooo cool dating someone a year ahead of me in high school, but our little relationship was short lived b/c I met my (long term) jerk of an ex-boyfriend that same summer & the rest is history as they say. FWIW, I have come to terms with all the crap he put me through in high school & have obviously forgiven him & gotten over it, but it doesn't prevent me from remembering it all. Despite all that, I still love the song & turn it up every time it comes on. :)

5. What song best represents your life right now?

Hmm, that's a tough one. I actually have no clue, haha. But whatever song that says I'm happy & content & right where I wanna be in life right now - that would be the song! 

And that's all I got this week. I plan on sleeping in as long as this little girl lets me tomorrow morning & then getting up ready to clean all morning. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 'Till next time!

20 Weeks - halway there baby!

Well now that I'm almost 21 weeks pregnant, I thought I'd post my 20 week update! I have been in major buying mode lately. Lets see, recently I purchased this awesome Bumble Collection Diaper Bag for 50% off the retail value, which normally is valued around $110!!

I got in on Baby Steals for $55 & they ship sooo quick, I got my bag in like 2 days & it's so roomy & adorable! If you are a mama or soon-to-be-mama or even if you are in the market for a friend or relative's baby shower gift, then you MUST check out this website daily. I am obsessed with it now - I even set up an alarm on my phone to alert me 5 minutes prior to the daily steal posting!

I also recently purchased a cute little MiYim all natural pure cotton puppy dog toy for the baby & a sweet chocolate & pink Luxe Baby stroller blanket on Zulily, which an awesome discount website that has daily discounts on designer stuff for moms, babies & kids {full disclosure: if you sign up on the website using that link, I get a $10 credit to my account the first time you buy something...being the thrifty person I am, I'd love for you to use that link to register & if you see something you like can't live w/o, go ahead and buy something & I'd REALLY appreciate the $10 credit! I am not given your information & vice versa for you signing up thru that link}.

And, the great news is - I got them all for majorly cheaper than I would have paid had I bought them at their retail prices. In fact, I probably wouldn't have bought them at their retails prices - you know, being the thrifty mama I am. :o)

Other items I am currently lusting over on Zulily, that I will likely buy after running it by the hubbs:

This adorable Jen Jen little dress that retails for $44-$52 - on Zulily for $24!

This cute little Empress Arts organic froggy toy that retails at $20 for $11.50

I love buying stuff for her! And she kicks me every time I second guess a potential purchase, so I know she wants it, hehehehe. She's already getting everything she wants!

Anywho, enough already about my baby-buying obsession, on to the actual baby update! This week marks the halfway point in my pregnancy, woot! Soooo extremely excited to get here! We had our 20 week anatomy scan this past Friday & it was amazing. I was literally in heaven sitting there watching our little girl rolling around in there up on the screen for a little over an hour. I had to change positions & go pee like 4 times during the ultrasound so that the tech could get all the correct measurements. They looked at her brain, heart, hands, feet & several other major organs. According to the Bump, the baby is the size of a cantaloupe or about 10.6 oz! At our ultrasound, the tech estimated based on her head & tummy that she is about 11 oz., so she's just a wee bit ahead, which is all good with her mama. Here are the best of the best of the shots we got from this past Friday's ultrasound:

Profile

Top view of her face with her hands right next to her face

Cute shot of her leg, ankle, foot, thigh & little booty!

I had an OB appointment immediately following & her heart was beating at about 150 bpm (the ultrasound tech said 153 bpm, which I believe is a bit more accurate than the Doppler my OB uses). I met another one of the doctors at my practice, Dr. G - now I have met all three - and I LOVE her. She's so energetic & very very nice! She told me that I should probably get registered for breastfeeding & childbirth classes + any others I wanted to take soon because they fill up quickly in my area. The hubbs and I have also decided to do an infant CPR class - you know, just in case....you never know when those skills will come in handy, even if not with your own child. She also told me that I was doing awesome on my weight gain, which is about 11 lbs. (since 8 weeks when they first saw me at their office), but I think there's another 3 lbs. that I gained before 8 weeks. So my grand total is about 14 lbs., which according to my books, is completely healthy & normal & my doctor confirmed that on Friday. Did I mention I love her?! She also told me a new OB (woman) is joining the practice next month & will be delivering by the time I go into labor, so that I'll need to meet her at some point soon too. Next month is the last of my monthly appointments, then I move to twice monthly, which is just another milestone that brings us closer to meeting our precious baby girl in November!

One interesting & somewhat shocking (to me anyways) development - my left ankle was pretty swollen yesterday. I noticed it while working out at the gym - I had capri workout pants on & I looked down to see a left cankle. I was pretty concerned, so I went home and left a message for the triage nurse at my OB's office. She called back pretty quick - asked if I had any headaches or blurred vision, both of which I did not, so she said it's probably due to the hot/humid summer we are having here in the DC Area. She said it happens to a lot of women in their practice because of the heat & humidity in this area & that I should stay off my feet as much as possible & rest with my ankle elevated to relieve the swelling. By this morning, it looked much better - just a little swollen still.

So yeah, I'm trucking right along & baby girl is starting to move a little bit more everyday, which I absolutely live for. It even startles me sometimes how hard she kicks or punches or whatever she's doing in there to her mama. I can't wait till its even more regular & something I can count every couple of hours. Here are my 20 week bump shots (taken actually at 20w1d b/c I forgot to take them on Saturday):

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

No mistaking the bump nowadays, which of course I LOVE, but I am thinking will be a bit rough this hot & humid summer. :o/ you know what that means right? Stock up on cute maternity clothes, lol. That's all I got for this week on Baby J - sorry this was so long! 'Till next time!