Week 24 and Counting!

65 seconds.  Doesn't seem like a very long time, huh?  Just a blink of an eye.

Except when your uterus is contracting during this cute little thing called Braxton Hicks.

And they can leave me alone!!

This week brings the joys of runs of Braxton Hicks contractions.  Sometimes at work, sometimes in the middle of the night.

But really, that is the only bad symptom (besides occasional vomiting and continual acid reflux) that I seem to be having now!

This is a super duper major improvement on all of my previous weeks of pregnancy! Go team.

Here is a picture of cute little baby boy!  He is growing, moving, and grooving!!

Excuse the face.  This is what it looks like when you only sleep for two hours.  I hate Sunday nights/Monday mornings and cant sleep knowing Tim is going to be leaving.  But he is in his 5th week.  Including this one, we only have 8 weeks left before he is home full time!  Can't wait to have my handsome firefighter home! We've got a baby to prepare for :)

Speaking of preparing, the nursery is making lots of progress!!

Last week my parents were awesome enough to come over and help me paint.  Even though I got low odor/low VOC paint, it was still really strong smelling in there and I had to take a LOT of breaks.  But it is all painted and looking great!!

I also got the crib all put together to surprise Tim when he got home this past weekend.  I wanted him to get an idea of what it will look like all finished!

Look who else thinks the crib is awesome...

Macy!  She loves being in the nursery!  Since we moved in to the house over a year ago, she has never been in the room (it has been used as a catch all for things we didn't unpack...).  Cruz also spent some time in the nursery and did great!  We are trying to get them used to all of the new baby items and teaching them they aren't toys.

Another thing that happened was on Sunday we got the new recliner for the nursery!!  I debated a long time about what kind of chair to get.  Do we get a rocker? glider? etc.  We decided to go with a brand new recliner.  Since we plan to have baby sleep in his own room from day one, I knew we were going to need a nice place to sit during late night feedings.  This one ended up being perfect!

This is called the Wyatt Glider/Recliner, and we got it from Haverty's in Little Rock.  It is so comfy, both Tim and I love it!!

See those little pillows?  Yupp, I stitched those up the other night!  I loved the fabric, and only having 1/2 yard of it ended up being the perfect amount to make these two.  A long time ago I picked up some pillows from Good Will that happened to be on sale for $1 each.  They had old retro ruffled pink covers on them, but I knew the forms inside had to be in great shape.  Totally worth it!

Today I had lunch with my In-laws, and after headed over to Hobby Lobby to get a little bit of Minky fabric.  Have you ever tried to cut/measure/sew with minky??  Man, let me tell you, I won't be doing it again.  But, I did take about an hour to make this cute cotton and minky blanket for baby!

So, remember the inspiration picture I shared last week?  See the colors starting to come together?  See the yellow and the navy blue?  It is such a fun color combination!!  The navy really helps make the yellow on the walls pop.

This afternoon I worked on making all of the ties to go in the corners of the bumpers.  So those are done and ready to be sewn on!  I've got to measure and cut all of the fabric for the bumpers and I will get sewing.  I'm trying to get those done, because the fabric for the curtains should be delivered to my house tomorrow.

I will keep posting pictures as things get checked off my to-do list!  Stay tuned!

Adventures in Pinterest

So, you know I must be feeling better for a few reasons.

1.  I am working on my nursery.

2.  I am posting on my blog.

3.  I am getting around to trying all of the awesome Pinterest ideas I've been pinning over the past 5.5 months.

Well, last night I wanted to get going on some laundry.  It seems never ending.  (Isn't that such a silly statement.  Obviously it is never ending. Even if you are doing laundry, you are [probably] wearing clothes that will need to be washed too!!)  I have a couple of blankets that have been sitting on the floor of my laundry room waiting to be washed and put away since....oh....the beginning of the summer.  Lets face it, who needs blankets in this crazy Arkansas summer heat!  So last night was the night.  Until I went to get started and had barely enough detergent for one wash.

Poop.

We have one of those awesome new HE front load washers, and I absolutely love it and wouldn't change it. But man, is that detergent expensive.  A while ago, a trend started of making your own detergent, both powdered and liquid.  Everyone was claiming that just a little bit of extra work and mixing, and you would have detergent for a year for a fraction of the price of buying pre-made detergent.

All of the recipes I have seen use pretty much the same ingredients:
1.  Borax
2.  Baking Soda
3.  Washing Soda
4.  Fels Naptha soap

Some people add a fabric softener, others add oxyclean or other products.

I had pinned a recipe that I thought would work best for me, and have just been waiting for the time to make it.  You can find the recipe I used  here. 

So, off I headed to Walmart to pick up everything I needed.  Here is the price breakdown for what I bought:
1.  5 gallon pail 2.58
2.  4 lb box of Borax 3.38
3.  4 lb box Baking Soda 2.12
4.  3 lb box Super Washing Soda 3.24
5.  [4] 5.5 oz bars Fels Naptha soap $0.97/each
6.  Oxyclean $7.52
7.  [2] 55 oz Purex Crystals Fabric Softener $8.96/each

That adds up to $31.68 (including the five gallon pail which will not need to be purchased next time I need to make a batch, and this number is pre-tax of course.  That will obviously vary depending on where you live).

Okay, the cool part? You only need 1-2 TABLESPOONS per load, depending on load size and amount of soil.  So, if you did approximately 6 loads of laundry every week, this recipe will last you for an entire year!  I mean, come on, does it get better than paying only $31.68 for a WHOLE YEAR of laundry?  If you have an HE washer like me, you were probably used to paying between $10-15 every few months depending on the type of detergent and size of the bottle you were buying.

So, does it work? Does it dissolve? Does it leave spots?

YES, YES, and NO!!

My front load washer has a tray that you pull out where you put the detergent in.  There is a cup in there that says it is for liquid detergent, and in that cup it says "remove for powdered detergent."  So if you are curious if you can put powder in your HE front loader, just look!  I've done two loads, and haven't had any issues with the soap not dissolving, and I don't use hot water.  No spots are leftover either!!  I added two bottles of the Purex crystals, and it seems to be enough scent for me.  I'm a sucker for lavender scent!  However you can add less or none if you prefer or have allergies to scents.

The awesome person who posted the recipe that I followed used the empty Purex Crystals bottle to store smaller amounts of the soap in her laundry room so she wouldn't have to work out of the big 5 gal pail.  I thought that was absolutely brilliant, so I tried it out!

Photo Credit

Pretty cute way to store it, huh?

Okay well I had a few issues with that.  When I grated my Fels Naptha soap, I used my food processor.  My soap was more the thickness of shredded cheddar cheese instead of the consistency of say..... parmigiana regiana (is that how you even spell it??).   The point is my soap cheese was thicker. It doesn't seem to affect the dissolving ability, but it doesn't want to come out of the top of that cute little bottle!!  Luckily I had saved the carton that the Oxyclean came in and am using that instead.

Next time I make the detergent I will do one of two things:
1.  Find already powdered Fels Naptha soap (or zote soap if I can find it)
2.  Microwave the bar of soap so that it will crumble and become much finer when put in the food processor

But, I won't have to make it until next year hopefully!!  Granted, with the baby coming soon I think laundry loads might go up for a bit.  Apparently they drool and puke and poop a lot.  Who would have thunk it.


Anyways, I highly suggest that you go and try this out!! I mean, who doesn't like saving money where you can!!  If you do, let me know how it goes for you!

Another Nursery Tease

Here are some pillows I made last night for the nursery.  Do you see that pretty paint on the wall in the background?  That is Yellow Coneflower by Olympic Paints.  It is so wonderful and cheery :)  The pillows are Navy and White.

The fabric for the bedding is washed, dried, ironed, and ready to be cut!  You'll be seeing it soon, I'm sure!

Nursery Inspiration

Today my parents came over and helped paint the nursery!  One step closer!  Now I can start on the bedding and accessories! Instead of showing you exactly what I am doing yet, I decided to share with you the picture that is my inspiration for the nursery.  Enjoy!!

Photo Credit

Week 23!

Another week has come and gone.  I really do wish that I could say they are going by quickly.  SO many women talk about how quickly their pregnancies go and how much they wish they could be pregnant again.  I'm not sure I'll ever get to that point, but I suppose we will see.  This past week was okay, with just a few sick days.  And I got to spend Sunday with Tim which is always amazing.  We went to lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant (which seems to be starting as a ritual for us while he is home) and took a nap.  We did have a good friend over for dinner and some football that night as well.  

Now, over the past 23 weeks I have basically stayed out of the kitchen.  I suppose when you have an aversion to food in general that is what happens.  So Sunday night I decided that I was going all Suzie Homemaker and was going to make this awesome great dinner for Tim and our friend.  On the menu (besides the chicken Tim was going to grill) was mashed potatoes with gravy, mac n cheese, bread, and some cookies!!

Well let me tell you something.  Cooking isn't like just getting back on a bike after you haven't done it in a while.  I almost had a nervous break down right there in front of my stove.  I cooked the mac n cheese in a too small pot so all the noodles were sticking together.  The mashed potatoes were too lumpy.  The gravy, also being cooked in a too small pot, exploded all over my stove top.  The bread didn't go into the oven until after everything else was cooked, so it wasn't ready to eat until the meal was halfway over.  Tim and friend were so nice and ate what they could handle (I'm pretty sure just to make me feel better).

Now.  The COOKIESSSS.  Okay. These turned out SO AWESOME!!!!!! I mean, just take a look at these babies!!

These wonderful gifts to the universe are from a wonderful blogger over at The Bru Crew.  I came upon this recipe by chance on pinterest (because so many wonderful things come from pinterest!!) while I was browsing around one night.  I pinned a long time ago, but haven't made them because I've been so sick!  Well, let me tell you.  If you want a super simple cookie recipe that will THRILL everyone, this is totally it.  Go check out these Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies and I promise you will not be disappointed.  

Well, so Monday morning came way to quickly and before I knew it I was taking Tim back to the fire station so he could carpool down to rookie school.  This is week four, and he is almost done with the EMT portion.  I am SO ready for October to be here so that he can be home for good.  I'm really proud of him though with how hard he is working.  I dropped him off and came back and boohoo'd in bed until about 11.

I got up and played with the pups for a while and then decided that I was going to head to Little Rock to my favorite place, The Yarn Mart, to pick up some new yarn for a fun fall sweater.  As I was leaving I checked my mail, and I had the BEST surprise waiting for me!!!!!

Okay, if you are every as lucky as I am, and you get a package in the mail that has the label Leslie's Art and Sew on it, you will be in for a seriously awesome treat!  I met Leslie through the blog world and craftster.org and actually got to meet her twice at a blogger meet up in Little Rock (even though she lives far away!!).  Well, she had read my last (complaining) blog post and decided to send Baby G a gift!!!  With great anticipation I opened the pretty red packaging with the red heart on it which I have come to associate with something great.  Here is what I found!

Leslie got Baby G his FIRST book, which is a taggie book, and made the softest cutest taggie blanket to go with it!!!  I absolutely love it and I can't wait to let him play with it!!  One thing I want to get a lot of is books for baby, and this is the perfect one to start my collection.  

Thank you SOOOO much Leslie, this is the best gift ever and it made me feel so wonderful!!

After I got some new yarn and hung out with the pups for a while, I headed to my parents house for some dinner.  There is just something about eating one of your favorite childhood meals with your parents that just makes you feel better as a person.  

I am going to skip my actual journal questions this week, because I'm just not feeling it.  No baby bump picture either.  Just know that Baby G is doing great and is very active.  He is also closer and closer to having a name, we just have to narrow it down further!  I'm so very glad that baby is still healthy even though I have been so sick this whole time.  Working at the children's hospital, especially in the neonatal ICU, really gets me freaked out sometimes.  I just know everything is going to happen they way it has always been planned, and I will handle it as it comes.  It is weird to know, though, that if I delivered Baby G this week he would be able to live outside the womb.  Granted it would not be an easy journey and he and a lot of people would have to work very hard.  But lets not think about that.  I vote he stays in a while longer!

Mom is coming over on Wednesday to help me work on the nursery, so hopefully this week I can show you what I have planned! I'm very excited about it, and I know you will all love it!

Week 22 (complaining)

I am just in a bad mood this week.  Saturday was my birthday.  Woo.  Happy birthday to me.  I was stuck at home on the couch with my leg propped up in a heating pad because my leg was so cramped up I couldn't walk.  And Tim was gone.  And my round ligament pain gets so bad at work sometimes that I can hardly stand it.  Anyways, woohoo, I'm 23 years old, another year older.  Last week I felt great, this week I have thrown up a ton, its like I'm heading backwards.  Very frustrating.  I stopped reading the weekly baby updates online because it is so irritating reading things like "you probably feel great right now" and "enjoy this time, it is the best time during the whole pregnancy!!".  Well.  If that is the case, I'm not excited because that means its going to get worse again as I keep getting further along!

Well, here are my journal questions.  No picture this week.  Just not feeling it.

How far along? 22 weeks and two days

Baby Size: Big, and getting bigger.

Total weight gain/loss: Still 151.  No gain! Doc says I need to step up the eating.

Maternity clothes? Yupp

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Sleep: Glad I have a 50 pound dog to cuddle with at night because while Tim is gone, the bed is just to empty. Same answer as last week, and still as true.

Best moment this week: Having my mom feel the baby move!

Miss Anything? Tim.  That will probably be the answer for the next 9 weeks.

Movement: He moves all the time!

Food cravings: Peaches.  And caffeine, but doc said no more caffeine.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Hasn’t been a very good week :(

Have you started to show yet: Definitely got a bump!

Gender: My Sweet Baby BOY!!!

Labor Signs: Still with the RLP.  And I get bad cramps, Braxton Hicks I believe.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off?  On.

Mood? Emotional.  And I’ve just been in a generally bad mood this week.

Looking forward to: Tim gets home tomorrow night. Thank goodness.  I really wish that someone would just come finish painting the nursery for me.  I am way too tired and worn out to do it myself.  But the bedding fabrics did come in so I should get started soon!!

Good Morning To Me!

Good morning, mom!! Look how sweet and loving we are!

Cruz: Here Macy, lay down I'll rub your back.

Cruz: Actually, I'm a little bit sleepy still, I think I'll just lay my head down.

Macy: Wait! I thought you were going to rub my back!!

Cruz: I'd rather not. I'm soooooo sleepy!

Cruz: Wait! Where'd you go?? Macy?!

Cruz: *sighhh* I guess it's just you and me now, momma!

Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend!

Sometimes you just need your furry best friend to get you though a few hard months.

My sweet pup Macy has been there for me every second of not feeling well during this pregnancy!!  She even slept with me on the couch for the month that I couldn't sleep in bed!

Unknown to me, my husband has been taking pictures of us cuddling.  I wanted to share!  Enjoy!

So thankful that she has been there to comfort me and cuddle me over the past five months!!  I hope she and baby boy are best friends too!!

Week 20/Week 1, both gone!

Tim's first week of rookie school is coming to a close.  He has worked really hard and studied tons, and was pretty exhausted when he got home on Friday!  I was so unbelievably lucky that I got overstaffed at work on Saturday, because that meant that Tim and I got to spend the whole day together!  We had an absolutely great time and I wouldn't have traded that time together for anything.  We got to spend lots of time together today too, and I am just so grateful.  It is wonderful being married to my best friend, someone who really understands me and loves me unconditionally.  He has 11 more weeks of training to go, and I will be very sad to drop him off in the morning.

In other news, I will be 21 weeks pregnant on Tuesday!

How far along? 20 Weeks (almost) 6 days

Baby Size: Depends on which website you look at…some say 10-11 inches, some say the size of a banana…not sure I’ve ever seen any 10 inch bananas…does that sound inappropriate to anyone else??

Total weight gain/loss: Still 151.  No change from last week

Maternity clothes? I got a gift card to Gap from work the other day, so I went shopping today!  Got some super cute maternity skinny jeans that look great.  Can’t wait to wear them!

Stretch marks? None on the belly so far.  But I should probably start putting lotion on.

Sleep: Glad I have a 50 pound dog to cuddle with at night because while Tim is gone, the bed is just to empty.

Best moment this week: Being with Tim this weekend.  Everything about it was perfect.

Miss Anything? Tim.  That will probably be the answer for the next 11 weeks. 

Movement: Lots! Baby wakes up when I get home from work and get in bed.

Food cravings: Really trying hard not to drink caffeine.  But I really want Mt Dew and Cherry Dr Pepper.  But my main foods this week are Chicken Cantina bowls from Taco bell, Cheese It’s, Peanut M&M’s, and Lucky Charms.  And for those mean people telling me I am not eating healthy enough, boo on you I eat what I want.  When you puke for 4 months and can finally keep food down, you will want to eat whatever you want too.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just depends on the day.  Didn’t puke all week, but yesterday threw up four times.  Eh, could be worse.  I could be back in my first trimester.

Have you started to show yet: Definitely got a bump!

Gender: My Sweet Baby BOY!!!

Labor Signs: Still with the RLP.  It is not fun at all. 

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off?  On. 

Mood? Emotional.  I cry.  A lot.

Looking forward to: Tim getting home next weekend.  And I’ve started on the nursery.  Can’t wait to get the fabrics in that I’ve ordered so that I can start with the bedding! So excited to show you what I’m up to!