23-24 Weeks...and more cute stuff!

Hey there everyone! We are back from South Carolina! My cousin's wedding was fun & it was great seeing my family...but I'm glad to be out of the car (it's an 8'ish hour drive) & back home!!

I have found a new baby company to add to my list of faves: the buti-bag company. If you haven't ever seen their stuff, go check it out!! They have sooo much cute stuff in the most ADORABLE designs! The owner of the buti-bag company, Nicole, is also super nice! She contacted me about a link I posted on another blog I frequent where I was talking about my favorite baby stuff & she got a lot of traffic from that link, so offered me a free gift! So sweet & I'm absolutely not one to turn down cute stuff for Baby J, so I selected the oh-so-cute pink & chocolate bi-o-pad, which can be used as a grocery shopping cart, a restaurant high chair cover or even a public restroom cover. And I'm sort of a germ-o-phobe - like I only go to grocery stores that offer those sanitizing wipes so that you can wipe off the shopping cart/basket before you touch it & I always carry hand sanitizer around with me - LOL, so this was the PERFECT product for me! I also really liked her pod packs for baby wipes when you're on the go - also seems like an awesome product that I know will come in handy when Baby J gets here! So I asked her to throw that in too & I offered to pay for that, but she said she'd just throw that in too. :) Well on Friday, I got a ring on my door from the mailman & was elated to find a package from Nicole!

 The tube is an exciting something else for Baby J's nursery...more on that in another post soon!

And inside the package from the the buti-bag company:

Woo hoo! The bi-o-pad, the pod pack & she even threw in some of her CUTE binkmeister binkie clips!!

And now I'm officially in love with her company! The bi-o-pad is so soft & cute & I love all the adorable prints all of her stuff comes in! I even went back on her site & bought Baby J one of her adorable baby blankets too!

::swoon::

If you're in the market for some adorable, yet practical & high quality baby stuff or you are just obsessed with buying stuff for your little one like me {wink}, then head on over & check out all of the buti-bag company's awesome stuff!! Make sure to sign up for her email list to get word on buti-bag company exclusive sales & to be alerted when new products & patterns are added. I'll definitely be a repeat customer. :)

So today I'm 24 weeks & 1 day pregnant, which means our precious little girl has reached the point of viability!!! That means that she would have a chance of surviving outside of the womb if she were born today. Of course, we absolutely DO NOT want her to come any time soon - November or late October sounds best to her mama & daddy, so she just needs to stay in there & keep growing big & strong! The baby is pretty much fully developed at this point, her taste buds are developing & her lungs are continuing to mature. She's now putting on weight more rapidly & should be about 1.5 lbs. this week & 12.5 inches long! She also kicks away more & more every day. This past week, I registered for breastfeeding & childbirth classes, as well as our hospital tour! The BF class is in mid-August & I'm actually really excited to go to the class! Every milestone that gets me closer to my baby girl is a good thing. :) I have been feeling pretty good overall - just sore here & there by the end of the day. And I've also noticed that I am starting to get a little stuffy, which I hear is common during pregnancy.

I had a OB appointment this past Friday & I gained like 6 lbs since my 20 week appointment! The Nurse Practitioner, who I saw this time, said that I should try to just keep an eye on my weight & stay active, but that she's not extremely worried about such a fast jump over the 4-week period...she said it happens sometimes, but that I should only be gaining about 1 lb. per week during this part of my pregnancy. Eh well. I'm still well within the normal weight range, so I'm trying not to worry too much about it. But I am gonna get strict about walking on the treadmill @ the gym a couple times a week & about finding a pre-natal yoga class. We got to hear Baby J's heartbeat at the appt., which was right around the 150 beats per minute range - very normal & I got a lab slip to do my 1 hour glucose tolerance test. It's supposed to be done during week 26, so I'll handle that in a couple weeks - wish me luck! Oh the NP also checked out the swollen area under my right arm & she says it's just a swollen lymph node & warned that it may even get more swollen as my milk comes in. I asked when I would need to start counting the baby's kicks & she said not until around 30-32 weeks, but as long as she's moving daily then it's normal for now. And she definitely does that, hahaha! Oh & I now know the two dates for my baby showers - the hubby's family is hosting the first one (they live about 4 hours away, so they decided to do one down there for us) on September 18th & the one with all my friends & family is on October 2nd! I am SO excited & am constantly updating & adding/removing stuff from our baby registry because I'm so freakin indecisive! I also contacted my "life photographer", who shot our engagement & wedding photos & am working now with her to schedule a maternity photo shoot & also a newborn photo shoot when the babe arrives. the tentative plan is to do the maternity shots in mid-September, so I'll be a little over 30 weeks. And that's about it for the past two weeks of my pregnancy - just truckin' right along & waiting to meet our little girl in a little under 16 weeks!

And I definitely feel like I look pregnant nowadays - here are my week 23 & 24 bump shots. I'm always either in maternity clothes or stretchy pants & fewer & fewer of my pre-pregnancy shirts fit now.

23 weeks - clothed & bare belly:

And 24 weeks - clothed & bare belly:

Next week I think I'll post a comparison from earlier on in my pregnancy. I can't believe I am just a couple weeks shy of the third trimester! According to some of the things I have read, this week actually marks the last week of the second tri. Doesn't matter to me either way as long as this baby keeps growing big, strong & healthy in there!  And this also makes me realize just how close we are to meeting her - and just how much we need to get on the ball with her room & everything else we wanna get done before she gets here. 'Till next time!

New Friend + 5QF - 07.16.10

Woo hoo, another Friday here!!! ::waves hi to all my new & long-time followers:: && welcome to anyone visiting for the first time from New Friend Fridays!!

Sorry I have been a little MIA this week, I had a huge thing I have been working on for months now to get out this week at work, so I have been a blog slacker. I'm going out of town this weekend for a family wedding too, so I won't be around much again until Sunday. But, stay tuned because I have another ribbon mobile I made for a good friend to share & of course my weekly pregnancy posts (I'm going to combine 23-24 weeks since I'm going to be 24 weeks tomorrow & no point in posting pretty much the same info back to back)!

Anywho, 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 collect anything?

Hehehehe...yup. This sounds sorta collegey, but I collect shot glasses! I try & pick one up every new place we go. :)

2. Name 3 celebrities that you find good looking.

 

This one is not tough at all! Will Smith, Denzel Washington & oddly enough, John Travolta. I think he's sexiest as a bad guy!

3. Do you have any scars? If so, what's the story behind it (them?)?

Yep - who doesn't? I have a bunch, I was kind of a rough little kid, but the biggest one I have is from when I was like 3 years old or so & it's on my left knee. I feel like this story deserves a disclaimer: my parents were SUPER young & inexperienced with kids when I was little...I bet this taught "incident" them a huge lesson on what not to do, lol. Okay so, I have an older sister - she's about 2.5 years older than me & she was "watching me" while my dad was on the phone in the back room talking to my mom. Well, back in the day we had one of those stoves with the knobs on top of the range (it was an electric stove), so I somehow got up there & started messing with the knobs. Welp, you guessed it - I turned on a burner & burned the h3ll out of my knee. I assume I screamed bloody murder & my dad rushed me to the emergency room. The hospital called Child Protective services & everything...my mom (who was not at home when it happened) was P!SSED at my dad, but it all turned out fine & my knee healed up eventually. I still have a very light scar, but absolutely no memory of anything that happened. I only know the story because my parents told me, lol.

4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?

Hmmm, IDK. I'm a pretty normal eater. I honestly can't think of anything I eat that people would think is weird.

5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?

Nope, just in the movies....although there have been a few in or near my area over the last several years. I have just never saw them. When that movie Twister came out, I was like 13 & I thought it would be pretty cool to chase tornadoes like they did. Now that I'm older & understand how dangerous they can be, I'd like to stay as far away as possible!

That's all I got this week. I have lots more coming next week - including updates on my Summer/Getting-Ready-For-Baby J to do list, more Project Nursery updates & a cute DIY project! Wish me luck in the hot South Carolina heat this weekend. 'Till next time!

So umm, about that "owl" bean bag...

So, the more & more I looked at the 'lil guy I got for a steal @ $7.48 on clearance at Target for Baby J's room this past Friday, the more I was thinking that he wasn't an owl at all. After all, he doesn't have any wings or the pointy ears like owls normally have (and I know owls ever since I decided to loosely theme the babe's room around them!). Exhibits A-D:

So to confirm my theory that what I had was, in fact, not an owl....I headed over to Target's website & guess what I saw?! I wish I knew how to screen shot, but I don't, so here's a link! What the &*%$#@!! He's a freakin' hedgehog! A Hedgehog in my little girl's owl themed room, hahaha. But also notice the price online?? I got a MAJOR discount - $23 off! Because I got such an awesome deal & because he's a cutie, I think I'll keep him...and maybe even tell people he's an owl!! Hmph. My husband says, "That's what you get for buying stuff so spur of the moment like that!" Thanks Babe. Appreciate that. So let this be a lesson to you - sales people will tell you it is whatever you want it to be as long as you buy it, hahaha!

Anywho, just thought I'd update you guys...lol. I'll be abck tomorrow'ish with my 23 week update + more Project Nursery talk & some updates to my Spring Cleaning, which turned into Summer/Getting-ready-for-Baby J To Do List. 'Till next time!

New Friend & 5Q Friday - 7.9.10

Woo hoo, another Friday here!!! ::waves hi to all my new & long-time followers:: && welcome to anyone visiting for the first time from New Friend Fridays!

I am sooo happy this weekend is here! This week went by quick since it was a 4-day work week, woot! And it's gonna be a busy weekend - I now have one shower (that I'm co-hosting) & a surprise birthday party this weekend (one of the showers got postponed). I have been running around this week & today getting everything I need for the shower (I'm in charge of decor & games/prizes) & a gift for my friend's big 3-0 birthday party! The hubbs is getting on my nerves right now b/c I told him about this party a while ago & he said he had something to do, so he couldn't come...but now that something got canceled, but he's being a butt & is refusing to come. He's not doing anything else either - he says he "just wants to chill"...booo. Ugh, men are so difficult sometimes!

It's been HOT here in my area & I have been trying to stay my pregnant butt cool. Yesterday on my way home on the Metro (public transit - my job pays for it) there was no effing air conditioner on the train. I thought I was gonna die! I almost got off, but I was anxious to get home, so I just drank lots of water & fanned myself during the ride home.

Nothing else really important happened this week, but today I found the absolute cutest bean bag at Target on clearance for $7.48!! Can you believe that price?! I was not going to buy it, then I saw that price tag & couldn't resist, look at 'em:

He's sitting in the backseat on my car. Please excuse the crappy camera phone pic!

A freakin' owl bean bag - how perfect is that for Baby J's nursery?! Gotta love Target clearance racks!! Anywho, 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. What is one food you could eat everyday?

 

OMG, this may sound weird, but Won Ton soup from Chinese restuarants. I freakin' love that stuff! I have always liked it, but ever since I got pregnant, I can't get enough...so I guess Baby J likes it too, huh?!  I actually don't eat the pork inside the wontons, just the noodles & broth - yummy. :)

2. Are you working in the career you thought you would be when you were 18?

 

Ummm, heck no. LOL. Don't get me wrong, I love my job (I work in Acquisitions for the Government), but I think I wanted to be a lawyer when I was 18 & that's not happeneing. Grad school was enough for me, I don't think I could handle law school!

3. What is something that you wish you would have done when you were younger and you didn't?

 

Joined the Girl Scouts - I think my mom tried to get me in a few times, but apparently that was an in demand activity & there was a waiting list everytime she tried. OR maybe she just told me there was a waiting list so I'd stop bothering her, LMAO.

4. What color are your kitchen walls?

 

A light sherbert-looking orange...I believe it's Duron's orange burst. We still have lots we wanna do with our kitchen, like change out the countertops, re-do the cabinets (as you can see from the pic, they are sun damaged in some areas), add in a backsplash, replace the fridge (it's ancient) & change out the light fixtures. I think once we do all that, the kitchen color will look even better than I think it does now!

5. Do you remember what your very first favorite song was?

 

Nope, no clue - it may have been Luther Vandross' "Stop to Love" (click link for the music video)! My mom had the actual vinyl record when I was little & I used to listen to that song all the time & dance around. ;)

Now I have to run to get ready for my friend's surprise party before I'm late & ruin the surprise! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

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!