Monday, April 30, 2012

Monday Musings

I officially only have 4 more Mondays to make it through at work…WOO!  Anyways, here are a few Mommy-themed musings I have pinned lately:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Source: pixdaus.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

And P.S. – I was featured today!  Head over to Double the Fun and check out her Monday’s Mama post.  I love following this blog since it’s led me to find so many other preggo’s who are expecting around my due date. 

 

BlogSignature

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Weekly Menu

I’m going to try really hard to do these until Baby C is here…I think me and Hubby are both sick of saying each night “what’s for dinner?”

BlogWeeklyMenu

Monday - Southwestern Pizza w/Black Beans & Corn

Tuesday - Sloppy Joes

Wednesday - Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas

Thursday - Tortellini with Veggies

Friday – Pasta & Turkey Meatballs

Saturday – Orange Chicken (from Trader Joe’s) & Brown Rice

Sunday – Chicken Pot Pie

BlogSignature

Saturday, April 28, 2012

April Crafts

A few pics of what I’ve been up to lately with DIY goodness:

winecards

A co-worker asked me to make some wine poem cards (find the original post here) for her niece’s bridal shower, so I was able to use some leftover scraps and stickers to whip these ones up.  And yes, the picture was taken at work but I didn’t actually make these at work…well, I did use the hole puncher to poke the ribbons through.

And then another co-worker’s last day was yesterday so I decided to make strawberry lemonade cake for the lunch pizza party.  Omg this cake is just amazing, I really need to make it more often.  Luckily we have so many people in our office now that it went very quickly and there were no leftovers :)  You can find my recipe here.  Though, I did more of a glaze this time for the frosting – light cream cheese instead of regular and less powdered sugar so it was a lot thinner.

strawberrylemonadecake

And then last week I finished an order of bridal shower invitations for one of my sister’s friends.  If you’re a fan of the subway art design, you can find a digital copy in my Etsy shop that I can personalize for you.

invitations

I’m hoping that with ending work in a month (eeek!) that I’ll have a little time to finish some projects before Baby C arrives, but we’ll see.  I have a feeling I’ll be doing last minute baby clothes laundry and other chores I always put off!

BlogSignature

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

32 Weeks

I’m still feeling pretty good, though, I have noticed a few little things.  Like how I almost burnt my belly on a pot of hot water when I was draining pasta tonight.  Or how every time I bend over, I feel like I need to push off the ground with my hands to get back up.  I'm still amazed I haven’t had any swelling and I really hope it stays that way until after our maternity pics in a few weeks.  I can tell exactly where I’ve gained weight (despite everyone’s nice comments, I know for a fact I’m not all belly) and I don’t want my face to be any puffier.  Or I may end up with a third chin by the end of this.

I had another doctor’s appointment yesterday – this going every 2 weeks thing is annoying.  I know it’s good for a check-up but the fact that I waited over an hour to talk to my doctor for a good 5 minutes is not fun.  I was ready to lay down and take a nap on the patient’s table at one point.  Also, trying to pee in a cup when you can’t see over your belly is just ridiculous.  Anyways, he asked me again about the epidural thing since I saw a different doctor last time and wanted to know my feelings about everything.  I was pretty straight forward about how I’m trying to deliver naturally and only want a c-section if necessary, and he seemed very surprised by that.  Though he did say he was not recommending it per say, he asked my thoughts about an elective c-section.  I just have this weird feeling that a spinal won’t work for me if I choose to have a c-section and I don’t want to think about it unless it absolutely comes down to that.  Anyways, I left the appointment feeling a little apprehensive about what’s to come.  On a different note, he measured my bump and told me Baby C is measuring to be a “healthy sized baby”.  I think that was code for “you have a large kid cooking in there”. 

  • How far along?: 32 weeks
  • Baby is the size of a:  squash
  • Total weight gain/loss:  +21-23
  • The Bump:  Feeling huge.
  • Symptoms: Heartburn is getting more persistent, usually happening at night and in the early AM when I wake up.  I bought a HUGE bottle of Tums today as I have a feeling I’ll be eating them like candy these next few weeks.
  • Food Cravings:  Nothing in particular.
  • Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope.
  • Sleep: I think my body is definitely preparing me for early AM feedings.  I wake up anywhere between 2-4AM and cannot fall back asleep for at least an hour.  It’s not even Baby C who’s keeping me up – I guess it’s subconscious anxiety at this point? 
  • What I miss: Not going to the doctor all the freaking time.
  • Weddings Rings On or Off: On
  • Any Names Picked Out Yet:  I think we have picked THE one :)  It’s a secret until he’s born, though.
  • Movement: Pretty active, but I have noticed his awake and sleep patterns are more defined now, which is normal.
  • Maternity Clothes: Just about all maternity.  Only non-maternity stuff I fit into are low-rise yoga pants, roll-over skirts from Old Navy, a few dresses, and a few tanks.  
  • Labor Signs: Nothing.
  • Best Moment of the Week: The sales associates at Lush treated me like a princess last week when I stopped in to grab some stuff for Sista’s thank-you gift.  They wanted to give me a foot scrub but I was on lunch break so I had limited time.  They told me to come back in a few weeks when I really need one! 
  • What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Getting the items crossed off my two lists – I have one list of what to pack in the hospital bag and then the other list is stuff we still need to buy.  Breast bump is on sale this week, so that should be in the mail soon (wooo exciting!)
  • 32 Week pic…let’s just say I can’t believe I still have another 8 or so weeks to go and I’m already this huge…oh my…

    32Weeks

    And what I wore to work…have I shown this dress before?  I can’t remember but I have a feeling I’ll be repeating outfits soon if I haven’t already.  Maternity dress from Target, shrug from JCPenney, belt from NY&Co.

    32Weeks2

     

    BlogSignature

    Monday, April 23, 2012

    “Ahoy, it’s a boy!” Nautical-Themed Baby Shower

    Even though the invitations, venue, and food were BBQ themed, my sister and college roomie put a nautical spin on the cake, favors, and décor because Baby C’s nursery is full of boat decorations and beachy stuff and lots of navy blue.  I won’t do a lot of writing in this post and just let the pictures speak for themselves…everything came out so freakin’ cute, they did such a good job!

    When the guests walked into the room reserved for us at the restaurant, they first saw the nautical clock I had registered for on Amazon.com, and then they were asked to decorate a sand dollar for Baby C’s nursery:

    showerdecor2

    showerpails2

    Next are the favors – they made chocolate lollipops in sailboat and whale molds and stuck them all in pails full of shells and decorated with anchor ribbon:

    showerpails

    showerpails3

    Some of the décor…lots of clothes and presents!

    showerdecor

    showerpresents

    And now the best part…the cakes!  College roomie made these with some assistance from my sister:

    showercake

    showercake2

    Love them!  The one in the middle was covered with fondant and came out perfect – everyone thought a bakery made it.  And I’m still pretty impressed sista decorated one of the sailboats as she doesn’t have a lot of crafty skills ;)

    So those were all the details and now here are some other pics:

    showercake3

    Parents-to-be :)

    showerclothes

    Opening up a very long clothes line full of clothes – it ended up being twice as long as what’s shown!

    showercollegefriends

    Me and the college girls

    showerfamily

    Me and my fam

    showermehil

    Auntie and Mommy-to-be

    We were pretty lucky to receive just about everything we registered for with the exception of a few things.  While it was a little crazy having a lot of people at the shower and I felt guilty not being able to spend more time with everyone, we were very thankful that our friends and family were so good to Baby C.  And everyone kept telling me last week how much fun they had and they liked how it was co-ed.  I think it made everyone feel more comfortable since they could talk and mingle at the tables, and I felt better being up in the front opening presents with hubby since we all know I’m such a big fan of attention…notttttt :)  Everyone is really excited for Baby C to get here…less than 2 months to go!

    BlogSignature

    Saturday, April 21, 2012

    Baby Shower–BaByQ Theme & Invitations

    When we started planning the baby shower, I knew I wanted to make it coed, as we have lots of “couple” friends and I didn’t want to exclude the guys.  Plus, I wanted more of a party atmosphere rather than a traditional shower.  One of our friends had a “BaByQ” last fall for her shower and it was great, because the guys felt comfortable being there since it was very low-key, and it was easy for the hosts to throw together the typical BBQ menu and foods.  When I was searching for locations that would fit our crowd, one of the first places that came to mind was a local BBQ restaurant that’s on the other side of our town.  Luckily their buffet prices were very reasonable per person, and the best part was they didn’t charge a room or any kind of service fees.  Basically you just show up and pay for the food!

    I love designing invitations and digital art pieces, so I begged my sister to let me create the invitations.  I told her that she could do whatever she wanted for the actual shower with games, favors, cake, decorations, etc. as long as I could work on the paper goods.  Here’s what I came up with for the invite:

    BabyShowerInvitationblurred

    Obviously I blurred out some personal info, but hopefully you get the idea.  Apparently it came out cute, because when I listed a similar version at my Etsy shop, it started selling like crazy!  Instead of printing at home and cutting them all, I printed them at Vistaprint.com – highly recommend them.  I think with a coupon code and sale, I received 70 invitations with envelopes (they were similar to a 5x7 size) for less than $30.

    Other than the invitations and the place/date/time, I was kept completely out of the loop for all the other details of the shower.  Another post to come with actual pictures from the day of :)

    BlogSignature

    Tuesday, April 17, 2012

    31 Weeks

    I was going to write today how I’ve been feeling pretty good again until I got home from work today and promptly napped for 2 hours.  Ugh who knows how I’m going to fall asleep tonight.

    I mentioned already that our baby shower was this past weekend – I’ll do a separate post on it with some pictures.  Let’s just say everything came out so cute.  And Baby C was SO spoiled.  We are really lucky to have such good friends and family who are excited for us.

  • How far along?: 31 weeks
  • Baby is the size of a:  Pineapple
  • Total weight gain/loss:  +21-23
  • The Bump:  Must be getting bigger since I have a nice, long stretch mark by my belly button now.  I really thought I might get away without getting any new ones since they haven’t popped up until now!
  • Symptoms: Have heartburn once in a while, luckily not every day.  Tired.  And I think my feet have gotten a little swollen with the heat wave the past couple days.  They don’t look much bigger but they feel a little tender.  I’ve been propping them up on a cardboard box under my desk at work.
  • Food Cravings:  Nothing in particular.
  • Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope.
  • Sleep: Ugh off and on…there were two nights in a row that I woke up at 4AM and could not fall back asleep at all.  I was stuck watching music videos on VH1 because that was seriously the only thing on that early in the AM.
  • What I miss: My bermuda shorts…I saw a girl wearing some today and it really made me want to wear mine.  I doubt I’ll be able to fit into them before the summer is over unless the preggo weight drops off fast haha.
  • Weddings Rings On or Off: On
  • Any Names Picked Out Yet:  I think we have picked THE one :)  It’s a secret until he’s born, though.
  • Movement: Pretty active, though there was a day last week where he wasn’t moving so much and it made me nervous.   
  • Maternity Clothes: Almost all maternity.
  • Labor Signs: Nothing.
  • Best Moment of the Week: Baby shower this past Sunday!  And today at Target, a European couple that couldn’t speak English very well made me pass them in line.  They were clearly wanting me to go first because I’m pregnant.  Makes me want to wear a fake bump after Baby C is here to keep getting special treatment :)  Oh, and the washcloths I bought today…the cashier didn’t scan them and I didn’t notice until I checked the balance on my gift card later.  Normally I would feel a little guilty, but I’ve spent so much money at Target these past few months that I’m sure not being charged for $5 washcloths isn’t hurting them.
  • What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Time to really finish up the nursery!  It was a little overwhelming just seeing all the STUFF after we brought everything home from the shower.  The baskets that were once empty in his changing station are full of lotions and body wash and creams and wipes.  It’s getting real…. :)
  • 31 Week Pic:

    31Weeks

    And what I wore to work…a NON-maternity maxi dress and shrug from Old Navy.  I was amazed when I tried this on yesterday and it fit in my normal size.  I’m wondering how it’ll fit once the bump is gone!

    31Weeksdress

    SignatureBlog

    Monday, April 16, 2012

    Monday Musings

     

    Old Navy has some seriously cute clothes lately…and even though he received so many onesies and rompers at the shower, I may still do a little more shopping :)  For instance, this will be the story of me and Baby C’s life this summer…well he may have it a little easier than me, though…

    image source

    And I’m tempted to get this one, too, since he’ll be a little traveler.  We’re already planning a vacation to Maine when he’ll be about 2 months old:

    image source

    This one just make me LOL:

    image source

    Of course, no outfit would be complete without some flip-flops:

    image source

    Who said baby boy stuff wasn’t cute?  Haha I could go nuts with buying so many things for him :)  Luckily he was beyond spoiled at the shower – promise to post some recap pics this week!

    SignatureBlog

    Tuesday, April 10, 2012

    30 Weeks

    Only 10 more weeks to go (hopefully)!  Maybe 9 if I’m lucky?  :)  Today I had a quick doctor’s appointment – my blood pressure, weight, and Baby C’s heartbeat are all good.  The bump is measuring at 31 weeks but the doctor said that’s still on target and fine.  He also is pretty sure that baby is in the right position with his head down, so I’m praying he stays that way from here on out!  I think he’s already running out of room in there based on some of the crazy kicks I’ve received in the past week.  I go back in 2 weeks for another check-up. 

    Last night we went to the hospital for the breastfeeding class as part of the childbirth education package I signed up for.  There were probably 15 other couples there.  It was kind of funny because I felt like they were all so much older than us!  I really think just us and maybe 2 other couples were in our 2o’s.  Guess it’s true that more and more people are having babies later on in life.  I know I’m a judger, but I was a little disappointed with some of the other outfits the moms-to-be were wearing.  I guess my idea of comfy yet stylish is much different :)  Anyways, the class was very informative and well worth going.  It got preachy about not involving formula  unless there’s a medical reason to, but the way she explained how breastfeeding should ideally work and some of the common myths about pain made sense.  At the end we watched a video of some examples of mothers breastfeeding with the baby “bobbing” up and down on her chest until he/she found the nipple and latched on with practically no help.  It proved how they have instincts and pretty much know what to do as soon as they arrive!  Overall the class made me feel much more confident, so hopefully everything will go well.

    And today my co-workers threw us a surprise baby shower!  By “us”, I mean me and my other co-worker, who is due in late May.  We both had NO idea it was coming, and it was such a sweet gesture.  So much food and they gave us each a cute basket full of stuffed animals and books.  Baby C has plenty now to start off his library, which I’m very happy about.  I’ve always loved reading and plan on reading to him very early on.  Afterwards, I was a little sad thinking about how I’ll be leaving in just a couple months.  Last week I told my boss that I would be resigning officially on June 1st and would not be returning.  It will be weird being at home instead of working full-time like I’m used to, but I know it’s the best decision for our family and we’re very lucky I can do this.  It’s still bittersweet to leave everyone after 4 years, though. 

    BabyCbooks

    BabyCcupcake

  • How far along?: 30 weeks
  • Baby is the size of a:  Cucumber???  Seriously, that doesn’t even make sense, unless it’s according to length.  Going by BabyCenter, they say a good comparison is a cabbage.  And baby should be weighing about 3 pounds at this point.
  • Total weight gain/loss:  +18-20.  I have a feeling the goodies today pushed me over 20, though. 
  • The Bump:  Receiving more and more comments from strangers, so it’s pretty noticeable.  Luckily I haven’t heard anything weird or negative, though.  And the bellybutton is still technically an innie, though it can change depending on how Baby C is moving – so creepy :)
  • Symptoms: I tend to wake up around 4 or 5 in the AM to pee and have had heartburn a few times.  Luckily some Tums get rid of it, but it’s not pleasant to wake up to.   And the pressure on my bladder has gotten pretty intense this past week.  We went to see American Reunion this past weekend and Baby C was kicking my bladder the ENTIRE time.  I don’t know how I made it through the whole movie without getting up to run to the bathroom.
  • Food Cravings:  Hmmm nothing really.
  • Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: No, unless you count tomatoes or spicy stuff that has been giving me heartburn. 
  • Sleep: Not too bad this past week.  Caught up on sleep with a lot of naps over the weekend. 
  • What I miss: No local brewfest this year :(  Of course it has to be scheduled before Baby C is due to arrive.
  • Weddings Rings On or Off: On
  • Any Names Picked Out Yet:  I think we have picked THE one :)  It’s a secret until he’s born, though.
  • Movement: Very active still – I’ve been trying to keep up with counting kicks but there’s really no point because he always moves a ton within a few minutes. 
  • Maternity Clothes: Basically all maternity.  Pretty proud of myself for not buying anything new for the past few weeks – I’m trying really hard at this point to just work with what I have. 
  • Labor Signs: Nothing.
  • Best Moment of the Week: Baby shower today at work!
  • What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Our shower is this Sunday – can’t wait to see our friends and family!  And to also see what Auntie has come up with for ideas…I’ve been banned from her bedroom and all the details are very secretive :)
  • 30 Week Pic – love how my bump is kinda pointed and not totally round haha:

    30Weeks

    And what I wore to work – maternity tunic from Old Navy, maternity pants from Target:

    Week30 003

    BlogSignature

    Saturday, April 7, 2012

    Babymoon in San Diego – Part 4

    I was looking at my pictures from San Diego yesterday and I can’t believe it’s already been 2 months since we were there.  Need to finish these recaps :)  Catch up with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

    On Saturday of our vacation, we started off early to head up to the neighborhood of La Jolla, which was about a 20 minute drive from our hotel.  I had read in one of the tourist attraction books in our hotel room that La Jolla is a must-see and to definitely wake up early to grab a parking spot to see the seals and sea lions on the nearby beaches.  It’s a good thing we left when we did, since by the time we got there it was only 9AM, and there were very few spots left.  La Jolla is gorgeous – huge cliffs overlooking the ocean, amazing views, cute little neighborhoods, very nice parks (people were even doing yoga outside), and it was so clean.  Seriously, the sidewalks and parks are spotless.

    SanDiego2012 202 

    SanDiego2012 166

    SanDiego2012 195

     SanDiego2012 199

    We walked down to the famous “shared” beach where the seals hang out, also known as La Jolla Cove.  You’re allowed to go right down to the beach to see them, but there is a yellow rope hung up suggesting where you should stop.  It was so fun seeing them in their natural habitat – I could have spent all day there but I think we were only there for like a half hour.

    SanDiego2012 170

    SanDiego2012 172

    SanDiego2012 183

    SanDiego2012 190

    SanDiego2012 177

    After watching the seals take naps on the beach, we drove to the Birch Aquarium.  Their exhibits showcase local animals you can find in the ocean around San Diego.  Definitely no big creatures, but it was pretty neat to see how many different fishes and other marine life are living in the Pacific.  Tickets were $14 a piece and I had a $4 off coupon, so it was worth it to spend a couple hours there.  I can see how this would be a big hit with younger kids.

    SanDiego2012 214

    SanDiego2012 207

    And the best part were the outside patios that let you see the amazing views of La Jolla Beach and the pier.  By this point, it wasn’t so cloudy and it was starting to get warmer outside:

    SanDiego2012 224

    We did drive down to La Jolla Beach, but didn’t actually end up getting out of the car.  It’s definitely a surfer’s spot, though – so many of them were there.  We decided to drive back to the hotel to make some lunch and then in the afternoon we headed to Point Loma, another neighborhood that was only about 10 minutes away.  Point Loma is the most southern part of San Diego.  We went to the Cabrillo National Monument, which is part of a national park that also includes the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and a visitor’s center.  There’s a ton of trails you can explore for hiking, but I was pretty tired by this point so we only checked out the lighthouse and the visitor’s center.  It’s $5 per car to enter the park, which is well worth the price – I would say the best views of San Diego and Coronado can be found here. 

    SanDiego2012 225  SanDiego2012 230  SanDiego2012 241

    SanDiego2012 235

    SanDiego2012 246

    After a full day of walking around, we went back to the hotel to hang out for awhile.  We then decided to walk to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner called Pomodoro, since it got really good reviews on Yelp.  It was absolutely packed when we arrived, and when I asked if we could put our names on the list, the hostess was pretty rude and suggested we consider going next door to their sister restaurant, the Lighthouse Bar and Grill.  She claimed the menu was practically the same and they had tons of open tables.  I was REALLY in the mood for Italian and pretty skeptical about checking out the other place since I was a little put off after dealing with this girl, but we were starving by that point.  We decided to see what the other restaurant had to offer.  They sat us right away and the service was great, so it was a good move.  We had amazing meatball skewers and very tasty pasta dishes – overall the experience was pretty good. 

    BlogSignature