Monday, August 30, 2010

I'm Now A Human Sausage

It seems as though over the weekend I have turned into a real pregnant woman. I mean I've had the belly for quite some time now and sleep has been an issue, but other than that I have to say I've had a pretty easy ride.

Now...I'm a human sausage. My fingers and toes became unrecognizable and my appetite went way up and let's just say sugar is back in my life (hello major Waffle House and candy cravings). I'm tired all the time. I think I could lay in bed all day if it didn't hurt so much.

As of today I have semi remedied the swelling problem for the time being. I've been sucking down lots of water and trying my best to stay off my feet as much as possible. After a couple of days, I think my appendages are looking somewhat more normal...it's hard to remember what normal looks like these days though.

I know I'm probably going to receive recommendations to go to the doctor because swelling can be signs of other issues. Never fear though. We have a doctor coming to our house tomorrow. To our house? Yes! We are trying to up our life insurance in order to prepare for our new little addition and they will be testing blood pressure, weight, and all that other lovely stuff that's really not so normal for me right now. Note to self and others....you should really do this BEFORE you are 36 weeks pregnant....not smart on our part, not smart.

So anyways I'll be having all my vitals tested tomorrow and if they don't look normal I will take my swollen sausage self to the doctor. The good news is I can be easily tested again for better insurance rates once I'm back to normal.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

A Lola Update

I thought you all might want an update on our little dog (and first baby) Lola, even though I'm pretty sure the picture below tells you all you need to know!

I'm frustrated!!!
This has not been an easy process for our little pup and I have to tell you it's absolutely heartbreaking not being able to effectively communicate to her what is going on.

She hates the nursery. In fact, even though she's housebroken, she finds a way to poop and pee in there just to let us know that she's not happy about whatever is going on in there.

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that there has been a constant mess in there and that she knows it's been taking up a lot of my time. Time that she feels should be spent with her instead.


She's been in the middle of every project I have done and has done her best to distract me and prohibit me from finishing them.

To be honest, I'm pretty sure she is feeling some insecurity about her place in the household. She knows change is coming, but she's just not sure what that means. I think all of our moving around over the past year has been extremely tough on her and now when she sees all the mess and changes going on in the house, she assumes that means we are leaving here and I think that depresses her a little bit.


We are doing our best to give her extra attention and to be extra patient with her. She's been getting a lot more cuddles, walks, rides, and trips to Dairy Queen where she always gets an ice cream treat. I've been sure to load her up with kisses during the day and try to make her feel welcomed in the new nursery.


She's scared of a lot of these new contraptions that are laying around the house these day and I understand that it's going to take some getting used to. She hides under the crib, she barks at the stroller, and doesn't understand why the car seat is now blocking one side of the car window or why the ottoman in the nursery throws her off when she jumps on it due to it's fancy gliding mechanism.

We put her in these new contraptions and let her sniff them out to become more comfortable. I try to share the glider with her, but have found that I probably should have gotten an over sized one to really make it work. We practice walking around with the stroller, but she's still petrified when it comes toward her.


I think the most heartbreaking thing for me is watching her want all the pretty little things that we are getting for the baby. She loves gift bags and always assumes that whatever is in them is for her. I try to be patient and let her sniff and lick at things, but it's sad when she wants to run away and play with them and I have to tell her no.

In her defense all these baby toys look like doggie toys and I can completely understand her frustration. We have bought several toys and treats to give out to her when we feel like she might be getting a little down about it. See the bone to the left?


I just hope this makes more sense to her in the end once the baby gets here. I hope she knows that we will always love her and that she is our first child. We have her to thank for many lessons already learned.


Love you beanies!!!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

So Blessed!

Sunday was the baby shower for our little boy to be. We actually decided to do one big one with everyone and it couldn't have been better. I simply cannot describe how blessed we feel to have so many people share the joy, love and excitement with us.

Michael's mom and one of her friends put it together for us and did an awesome job! Everything was in our colors from the invitations, to the thank you notes they made for me, to the flowers, and the delicious cake!

How beautiful are these? They purchased them from the same place that made my wedding arrangements.

I still have half this cake sitting in my kitchen. I probably should freeze it before I demolish the whole thing and believe me....I think I could!


We received so many wonderful things and I just have to share a few with you!

First of all.....how freaking cute are these diapers? I know that I'm cloth diapering, but I seriously can't wait to get these on my little guy. They are the Huggies jean diapers. Check out the cute commercial here if you haven't seen it already!


We also got lots of registry items!


Including some of the not so fun stuff from my best friend like breast pads and all the essentials no one tells you that you are going to need because it's no fun.


And several sentimental gifts...


Little booties and hats that my grandmother knitted for me before I was born...



...a quilt that my mom needle pointed and quilted when she was pregnant with me with help from my dad's mom whose now passed away.


...and the sweetest blanket that one of my mother-in-laws friends made for us. I had to stare at this basket of goodies the whole night before the shower. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!

We also received some questionable items and I say questionable because I really doubt my husband will ever let our son wear these. But in all seriousness...I love them and think they are the sweetest things and will make sure we get pictures of him in them when daddy's not around.



A monogrammed sleeper that my husband says is a dress...



...and our son's second dress that my mom smocked for me when I was little. It will make a cute picture and be good for potential blackmail when needed. Now I just need to find some ruffled bloomers.

After I got home I propped my feet up on my new comfy glider and watched my husband re-open everything.


Even he said he got exhausted half way through. You just couldn't believe all the stuff. We are so, so, so blessed and thankful. We never could have bought all this stuff ourselves. We have one lucky little boy. It still feels like Christmas morning everytime I go look at it.


Now I'm off to go organize it all......hopefully!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Living Room Curtains - Before and After

One of the things that was a "must do" when we moved in was updating the curtains that the previous homeowner left us. A little too old looking for us.


So off to the fabric shop I went.....about 5 months ago lol. I finally settled on a fabric choice and decided in order to save money I would use it as a pop of color in the form of a cornice board since it was about $15 a yard. Next I went on the search for cheap panel curtains which I finally found for $12 a panel. How totally awesome is that???

With a lot of help from my mom we finally transformed my windows into this!


We also made pillow covers as well to spread more color around the room.


The room is far from done, but this is definitely helping in the meantime. I've got a few other rooms to tackle before I get back to this one. I'm so ready to branch out of my brown color theme it's not even funny. What do you think?


Where to Find: Fabric  - Manufacturer: Richloom, Pattern: Campione, Color: Fiesta (The Fabric House) and Panels (Old Time Pottery)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Me Lately

This has been me lately. I've been wondering what's left to do. What needs finishing? What needs starting? And what needs to be forgotten?


Thankfully - I've gotten a lot done. There's a lot more updates to be shared when I find a minute to do so. One exciting thing is that the chair....my new love...is in!


One step closer to a finished room. Obviously some artwork is needed and is on the "To-Do" list at some point. I might also be looking to change the lampshade on the lamp to make it a little more fun. It looks a little ho-hum in my opinion. Another new piece of furniture is my $25 side table. How awesome is that price???

I'm so excited about this chair. It's very comfortable and can be used in other rooms in the future which is a good thing considering how much money has to be shelled out on one of these things! I'm also glad to get a chunk of chocolate brown in the room finally. All these bright colors needed a little grounding and this has definitely helped out.

This has also been me lately....


I feel huge - and sloppy. These are my everyday yoga pants (non maternity) that tend to show my belly now that it's continuously getting larger and lower. My husband's shirt is the most comfortable and I must say I get a little stressed at the thought of actually having to put on clothes to go out in public because honestly nothing is comfy anymore and the last thing I want to do is spend money on maternity clothes with so little time to go.

Speaking of time to go - I only have 6 weeks left. Less than 2 months - can you believe it? We have a doctors appointment on Friday and then after that we will be seeing him every 2 weeks. I've gained somewhere between 25 and 30 pounds. It seriously fluctuates.

Some days I feel more pregnant than others. Well, physically I feel pregnant all the time now. The belly is huge. Some days though I'm more hungry and tired than others. I've been mostly good humored, but I've had a couple of hormonal days thrown in there as well.

Our baby shower is this Saturday and I can't believe it's already here. Since I'm no good at photo shopping - here's the invitation in partial clips and a sneak peak at baby boy's initials just because I'm having a weak moment and can't resist.



I think I have honestly stopped thinking about how much time isn't left before this baby gets here....hence the lack of belly shots. I'm excited about him, it's just the thought of actually birthing him and not knowing what the heck to do with him tends to stress me out a little bit. He's safe and sound where he is and I like it that way for the time being. When he gets here, he gets here and I'll deal with all of that then. For now - I'm concentrating on the exciting anticipation of his arrival somewhere in the future.

Where to Find: Jory Chair in chocolate brown (USA Babies), Side table (Marshalls), Invitation (The Write Impression), Bird Mobile Tutorial (here), Tweet Tweet Pillow Tutorial (here)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Checking Off Big To-Do's!

Yesterday was a big day for our little guy. All the diapers I ordered on Monday came in yesterday. How freaking fast was that? And I have to admit I totally love how they feel. My mother can't believe how excited I am about diapers lol. It's a little crazy I suppose.

My mother-in-law who is has an incredibly hard time keeping a secret let it slip that she was giving us the car seat for our upcoming baby shower.

And my dad called to ask if he could get us our stroller. Heck yeah! Now we can officially bring the baby home from the hospital legally. Both of these gifts let us take a huge sigh of relief since they were two of our most pricey things we needed.
We can now officially bring our baby home from the hospital! And the last bit of exciting news is that our glider and ottoman are ready to be picked up. I really thought it wasn't going to come in until the last minute. That means the nursery is probably about 90% complete which is very exciting.

Today I am concentrating on tying up lose ends. Email must be dealt with. Craft supplies must be put up. Recipe book needs updating. Receipts need to be filed. In all this nursery craziness I have gotten behind on the everyday life things. Time to catch up and knock some more stuff off my To-Do Before Baby list.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Cloth Diapering Decisions

One thing that I have had my mind made up on from the beginning is the fact that I want to do cloth diapering. I can't tell you how many negative reactions I have received from this little adventure, but it doesn't bother me one bit. I feel lucky to be able to stay at home with my baby and this is one way I can help make that happen. I just hope I love it as much as I think I'm going to! 

The last few days I have been completely immersed in the world of Cloth Diapering. There is so much information out there and so many options. It truly is overwhelming. Obviously I have no baby to try them out of just yet, but I'll go ahead and "preview" the selections I have made as testers. 

One site that I have found extremely helpful in sorting out this cloth diapering situation is Jillian's Drawers. If you click on the New to Cloth tab you will find an answer to probably just about every question you could think of when it comes to cloth diapering. The most intriguing information to me was the fact that you save somewhere between $1300 - $1900 per child with these babies. That's no small chunk of change!

There are so many different options now and I have to say it totally baffled me! One thing that I was kinda disappointed to find out is that you really need 2 systems. One for newborns and one for the rest of the time they are in diapers simply because newborns are so small at first.

At first I thought it might be best just to use disposables for the newborn stage, but after crunching the numbers I found that even with the two different systems I will be purchasing that it's still more economical to do the cloth diapering. 

Once my child is out of the newborn stage I will most likely be switching to the one size fits all variety of cloth diapers, but for now I will be doing the "perfect sizes" since they cater a little bit more to the small newborn body. I have ordered 4 types of cloth diapers to test out on my little guy and see what works best.

The first type is the contour which actually just wraps around the body of the baby and then topped off with a waterproof cover. It's a step above pre-folds which are even less expensive, but require folding. The brand I've selected is Imse Vimse in Organic Cotton Terry.

I have to say that I bought this one mostly out of curiosity. I was honest with myself and pretty much knew I wouldn't be able to handle the prefolds, but thought this would be my little way of giving them a shot. I'll be interested to see how well it stops leaks since it does not have elastic around the legs.

The next type I have picked out to try is the fitted diaper which also requires a cover. Again this wasn't my first pick when I began looking and doubt I will continue to use this type once he's a little bigger, but I have read in so many places that they are the best fit when it comes to newborns so I thought I better give it a shot. The brand I selected on this one is the Kissaluv brand in size 0 which is supposedly the best when it comes to newborn diapering. It looks like it has great potential, I'm just not sure I'm going to like having to buy and put on covers as well.

Speaking of diaper covers....I've chosen two to test out. The first is the Imse Vimse Organic Cotton Diaper Cover which has easy to use velcro. I do worry about the velcro because I have heard that it doesn't hold up as well over time but thought I'd give this a shot for ease of use.

The second is the Thirsties Snap Duo Wrap which has more durable snaps as opposed to velcro.
  
Don't you just love how cute they are? One upside to the waterproof covers is the fact that you will probably only need to purchase about the half the amount since you can wipe them clean instead of throwing them into the wash every single time.

The final two types of diapers I decided to test out are the Pocket Diaper and the All in One. I have read multiple rave reviews on other blogging sites about both of these and can't wait to try them out. I will most likely be purchasing these two types when my little guy gets big enough to wear the one size diaper.

The pocket diaper brand I chose was Fuzzibunz. The advantage to these is first off the durable snaps as well as the fact that you are able to put extra inserts in as needed for naps or long car rides. I see these being very handy for overnight!


The All in One I chose was Bumgenius. These are the most easy diaper to use because you don't have to "stuff" them if you don't want to. Although the newborn set does have that option if needed. One downside is that the Ex-Small size only comes with velcro. I'll be buying the snap version of the one size down the road.

Now I just need the baby to try them out on! I'll be sure to post a follow up once I have the actual results.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

A Tweet, Tweet Pillow for the Nursery

This super sweet pillow will be residing in my chocolate brown glider if it ever gets here! I decided that I wanted to do a bird theme for the nursery and knew I needed a few more birdy friends for the nursery besides the ones on the mobile to make it a truly comfortable nest.


Supply List
  • Scrap fabric for birds
  • Fabric marker
  • Rotary cutter
  • Wonder-Under transfer web
  • Iron
  • Pillow form and enough fabric to cover it
  • Buttons for eyes
  • Embroidery thread and needle
  • Sewing machine
Directions

Step 1 - Cut Your Fabric Down to Size

First things first, cut your pillow covering fabric to size depending on the pillow form you purchased. I followed these directions to make my pillow cover removable for easy washing.

Then I drew out the bird shapes I wanted on just a plain sheet of computer paper and cut it out with and exacto knife. It was nice to be able to play with the sizes on the top of the pillow form to make sure I had the correct sizes.

After that I traced the pattern onto the fabric with the fabric marker and cut out the shapes with the rotary cutter.









Step 2 - Heat up the Iron

Next I traced out the shapes on the smooth side of the Wonder-Under transfer web and cut those out with the exacto knife.

Match up your wing pieces only to the wonder-under shapes, rough side down and iron on setting 4 (no steam) and let cool. After they have cooled peel off the paper and they are ready to be placed on the bird body shape. Iron again and cool.



Next match up the wonder-under bird body shapes to the fabric shapes and iron again. Peel and place where desired on the top piece of your pillow cover.
Step 3 - Add the details

Now it's time to really make them look like birds. Draw out your beaks and legs with the fabric pin.

Use the embroidery thread to sew the buttons in place for the eyes and to make your beak and legs. After those are complete use a wet wash cloth to remove the fabric pin marks
Step 4 - Turn on the sewing machine

Now you are ready to put your pillow together and this project actually requires sewing. I had to borrow my mom's sewing machine, but it was really simple to put together following the link I gave you above. I pondered on doing it with the no-sew stuff I used to make the curtains, but just wasn't sure if it would hold up for this one.


Ta-Da! Birdy goodness!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

What's to Eat? Wednesday - A Taste of Fall

Is it sad that I was actually happy to see it a little gloomy outside the other day? I'm really over all the heat and it was nice to have a break from the sun. One step closer to fall!

One of my favorite side dishes that reminds me of fall is Spiced Apples. They are so homey and yummy and they are perfect for breakfast, lunch AND dinner!

Spiced Apples

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, and sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and remaining ingredients. Saute 15 to 20 minutes or until apples are tender.


So simple, yet so good!

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