Three month favorites

SwaddleMe wrap. After trying to transition Lucy to the crib from her Rock N' Play, she would squirm herself awake every 10 minutes or so. After about 2 days of putting her back to sleep, oh, about a hundred times, I decided to try swaddling her arms down. (She hated this from day one.) She loves her little SwaddleMe wrap and it puts her to sleep beautifully! She feels snug and cozy and her arms don't flail about since they are gently swaddled down with velcro. Now I just have to transition her out of the swaddle...

Sling. My sister has 4 children and has always sworn by "baby wearing." She got me a couple to try, in hopes that I too, could wear my baby. Finally, by month 3 Lucy was big enough to fit in this cute ruffle pink sling. She loves being toted around in it. Anytime I go shopping or even to lunch, if she gets fussy, I put her in the kangaroo pose and she cuddles right in and falls asleep. It's a lifesaver for going out and about with a baby!! Plus this sling has ruffles and so you look adorable while wearing it!

Bumbo. Lucy is now holding her head up! So now she loves sitting in her bumbo like a little grown up. She has actually started to pull herself up to sitting with help, so the Bumbo is excellent for strengthening those little baby tummy muscles. 

Handsfree Pumping Bra. This thing is a lifesaver at work! I zip it on top of my clothes and set up my pump and have both hands free to check work email, make a phone call, etc. This is a must if you are going to pump at work or on any regular basis. Because, lets be serious, who can hold a pump in each hand, and turn the pump on, and push the "Let Down" button and just sit there idly for 20-30 minutes while pumping. Maybe... if you're an octopus. Otherwise, get the bra! Use your pumping time wisely.

Tummy Time Mirror. Lucy is spending more and more time on her tummy, so for Christmas, we got her this Taggies mirror. She loves to look at herself and drool/talk/smile and bite the little green whale on the tail while doing tummy time. She may or may not have opened this mirror early so she could play with it all December long.

Winter hat. I found this great little reindeer hat on Etsy by AngelinasCrafts4U. It's so soft and adorable and put her in the Christmas spirit and it keeps her little baby head super warm. We have gotten lots of compliments on it--most being "did you make that hat?" I wish I could be so talented! 

Books. Part of our bedtime routine is to rock in our glider while reading a book. She loves to look at the pictures while I read. I am amazed that she pays attention this early on! Our favorite books right now are Little Pea, Little Hoot, and Little Owl.

Tommee Tipee Bottles. I will honestly admit I picked these bottles out on our registry because they are marketed to be "Closer to Nature" and in the shape of mom's breast. Made sense to me. So I registered for them.  And they have worked great for us so far! I have read that a lot of moms have to try a bunch of different bottles before their baby will take them, but we have had success since day one. We introduced a bottle at 3 weeks so the hubby could have a chance to feed her, and we gave her about 1 bottle every week after that and didn't seem to have too much nipple confusion, except for maybe a some stand-up nursing sessions that I have had to do more recently. We love these bottles--and they are in pink!

What can't you and your little ones live without at 3 months?

40 weeks...baby Lucy is here!

If you have been anxiously awaiting a 40 week belly shot, I have something even better for you.

The baby has made her debut!

Lucy Mae arrived on her due date 9/25/12 (how very punctual of her) at 2:51pm at 7lbs 15 oz and 20.5'' long.

We are madly in love and over the moon with our late night party animal.

Thanks dad for the awesome collage!

thirty nine. {according to my iPhone}

How far along? 39 weeks--only 3 days till baby's Due!!

Sleep: My sleep is very unproductive. And I had a dream last night I had the baby but was so drugged up I didn't remember anything and kept asking the husband "how big was she" "when was she born", etc. Can we say anxious much?

Best moment this week: Hanging out with my sister from Texas and all her babies!!! (See my photo obsessions above.)

Miss Anything? A glass of spiced cider Sangria would be real good right about now!

Movement: Yes! Baby is running out of room and her movements have a lot more force behind them now. I can't wait to hold her in my arms and see those little hands and feet that have been poking me all along, but treasure the feeling and know I will miss it!

Food cravings: Crunchy ice and chocolate. And chicken pot pie. Tried She Wears many Hats' recipe this week and it was unbelievable. 

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Still having regular Braxton Hicks...and according to doc I'm 1 cm. Yippie. But that's all the progress we've made so far. 

Belly Button: Pokin out.

Symptoms:  Braxton Hicks, a big ol' 9 month (almost 10 month) prego belly, packed hospital bag, and carseat in the car. Lets get this show on the road!

Wedding Rings: No. Soon my little sparkly friends, soon. 

Looking forward to: Baby!! We have been patient and we have watched you grow in my belly. Now pelase get the memo and start moving things along. Thank you and we love you.

 ^"Whenever a woman is in labor she has ^[a]pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a ^[b]child has been born into the world." John 16:21

thirty eight.

How far along? 38 weeks-11 days till Due Date...but who's counting?

Sleep: Sleeping sometimes. And waking at 3am sometimes... STARVING and needing an english muffin and peanut butter. And then taking some leisure time to read. Yep, at 3am. 

Best moment this week: The beautiful fall weather that has blown in to NC. Just in time to make this 9 mo pregnant lady much more comfortable! And my first cup of coffee with Pumpkin creamer this year!

Miss Anything? Sangria.

Movement: Yes, little swishes and a foot swirling about on the side of my belly all day long. I will miss feeling this sweet thing move around in my belly and taking her with me everywhere I go.

Food cravings: Crunchy ice, bananas and peanut butter or peanut butter on an English Muffin (sometimes at 3am).

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Some Braxton Hicks that are coming in regular spurts. Which have started to hurt a teeny bit. And then they disappear....

Belly Button: Opposite of innie.

Symptoms:  Braxton Hicks and Heartburn!

Wedding Rings: Nooope.

Looking forward to: My sister coming up this weekend from Texas! Yeeeeehaw. With all of her adorable babies [who are not really babies at 8, 6, 3, and almost 2.]

"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise." James 5:13

37 weeks according to my iphone

How far along? 37.67777 weeks [our chalkboard wall got hijacked so I had to improvise this week...just in time for 38 weeks.]

Sleep: We had a fun weekend full of wedding festivities for our two dear friends which equaled lots of sleep after! 

Best moment this week: Wedding festivities for Mr. and Mrs. Gabbard!! And our friends from NY Boston who have been visiting all weekend, along with my little sis!

Miss Anything? My ankles.

Movement: Yes! Although its a lot more subtle than when she had lots of room to move around, I feel her scrunching up and feet and hands swirling about all day long.

Food cravings: chocolate and crunchy ice.

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Some Braxton Hicks that are becoming more regular! As in about 10 minutes apart, as in freaking me and my husband out this weekend. Now that we've made it to the wedding, she is welcome to come whenever her little heart desires! (Unless of course she wants to wait until my sisters can be here.)

Belly Button: The turkey timer is out!

Symptoms: Swollen feet, achy pelvis, Braxton Hicks

Wedding Rings: No, and I miss them dearly.

Looking forward to: My sister coming up in one week from Texas!! And of course, baby making her big debut!

“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4 NIV

DIY Bookshelf Ledge [Pinsday]

Happy "pins"day!

I'm so excited to show you our latest DIY Pins-piration.

Why am I excited?

Because you also get a sneak peak to the bean's nursery.

But just a peek. We are still moving things around and adding more ruffles and pizzaz, so the final product will have to wait.

At our first baby shower, each guest brought a book for the baby to help start off her library. This was a fantastic idea--we went from zero books to tons of books for us to read to baby.

We debated back and forth on where to put & how to display all of these books in her room.

Until we stumbled upon ClassyClutter's blog on how to DIY your own bookshelf ledge (via Pinterest).

It was amazingly easy (especially if you let your sweet husband do all the work), and very, very  inexpensive.

We used leftover trim paint to paint the shelves, and only had to buy the wood (2x4's and 1x4's) and anchors to anchor the shelves into the wall. (Roughly a $10 project).

Check out ClassyClutter's blog on how to assemble your own DIY Bookshelf Ledge. I bet it would also be a super fabulous way to display picture frames and knick knacks too!

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

thirty six.

How far along? 36.5 weeks-Holy cow we are having a baby this month!

Sleep: Hmmm. I think me and the baby have different definitions of sleep. She thinks night time is dance party time. I, on the other hand, would like to sleeeep.

Best moment this week: I had a scare with the baby's movements slowing down, and got to take  a "non-stress test" which involves laying in a recliner while hooked up to a fetal monitor and contraction monitor while clicking a clicker every time the baby moves. Baby bean decided to prove me and the doctors wrong by moving a hundred times in the 20 minutes I sat there. and it was fun watching the fetal monitor bounce up and down and a big huge relief to this momma.

Miss Anything? Ahi tuna. mmmm. That will be my first post-pregnancy meal I think.

Movement: See aforementioned "best moment of the week."

Food cravings: coffee? Crunchy ice. And no, I'm not anemic. It's so cold and so crunchy!!! 

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Just a few Braxton Hicks here and there. And she's moving down in my pelvis slowly but surely. 

Belly Button: Out out out.

Symptoms: Achy pelvis and hips makes this lady move verrry slowly this week. 

Wedding Rings: Sigh. One day I will get to wear my favorite sparkly diamond rings again.

Looking forward to: My sister coming up in two weeks from Texas!! And seeing a friend from NY next weekend and two of our dearest friends getting married! Let's hope baby holds off till then, and after that all bets are off!

 ^"He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." James 1:18

thirty four.

How far along? 34 weeks

Sleep: Still tossing and turning...

Best moment this week: Having the OB doctor tell me we had reached a milestone at 34 weeks! If the baby was born anytime after now, they would not do anything to stop the delivery. Craziness.

Miss Anything? Bending down to pick up something/put on my shoes. Hard to do with a basketball in the way!

Movement: Lots of movement every day with elbows and knees and feet in my ribs. The best feelings in the world! (except for the ribs part). 

Food cravings: Coffee cake. 

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Some serious Braxton Hicks this week!

Belly Button: Outtie

Symptoms: Heartburn, heartburn, heartburn! Hoping this means she is born with full, flowing locks of hair!!

Wedding Rings: Mostly no. The heat + swelling has put them aside for now. I'm hoping with cooler weather the rings can make a comeback. For now I wear my fav cocktail ring. 

Looking forward to: Baby! And fall! And all things pumpkin on the way. 

"every good and perfect gift is from above.." James 1:17

thirty three.

How far along? 33 weeks

Sleep: Sleeping and tossing and turning. And apparently snoring like a trucker-haha-poor hubby! I woke up at 4am the other morning and found him on the couch downstairs and the dog in the other room because I was being too loud. Oops. 

Best moment this week: Our second baby shower today! With dear friends who traveled near and far to make the day very fun and special for me. I am beyond blessed.

Miss Anything? Being able to squeeze past someone to go do something. Um. yeah now its more like pardon me as I try to sneak by and wack you with my pumpkin belly. 

Movement: Yes! I love her little feet and knees and hands that poke out all day long. I especially love trying to guess what is what.

Food cravings: More chocolate. And french fries. 

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Still haven't "popped" yet. (; 

Belly Button: Outtie

Symptoms: Backache, swollen feet, reflux, and snoring, but who'se counting! I really can't complain because its been a fairly easy pregnancy and I truly just feel--absolutely lucky.

Wedding Rings: These guys are hanging on for dear life. And by hanging on I mean I have to pry them off at night. Here's to hoping we can squeeze a few more weeks in them!

Looking forward to: The coming weeks as we finish preparing for our little bean to enter our world. I especially can't wait to see what she looks like!

"love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." Mark 12:30

thirty two.

How far along? 32 weeks

Sleep: Napping and sleeping decently... 

Best moment this week: Putting the changing table together with the hubby tonight-its so precious I can't wait to share!

Miss Anything? Having a variety in my wardrobe!! Please ignore this repeat dress from week 30.

Movement: Yes--I truly love feeling her move around in my belly and trying to guess which body part is which. She also loves to dig her feet up into my ribs on my right and try to push them out. Yeowch.

Food cravings: Chocolate and pastry cravings this week. These are weird to me because I normally craved salty and savory food pre-pregnancy, and this pregnancy has been full of sweet cravings!

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks are increasing, but according to the doc that is completely normal!

Belly Button: Outtie

Symptoms: I definitely feel myself moving more slowly than usual. 7.5 more weeks-we can do it!

Wedding Rings: Mostly on for work and going out and about, otherwise they stay off.

Looking forward to: Picking out a glider. our last big item for the nursery.

"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body." Proverbs 16:24

thirty one.

Baby is as big as: A head of lettuce (belly photobombed the words!) 

How far along? 31 weeks

Sleep: Sleeping much better lately! 

Best moment this week: Coming home Tuesday night to find the hubby put the crib together! So sweet. We have spent the past week organizing and beginning the process of putting the nursery together. Pictures to come when its ready!

Miss Anything? Some of my clothes that no longer fit...

Movement: This baby flips and twirls and swims around all.the.time. And, I love it.

Food cravings: More cheese and chocolate this week. 

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Nada

Belly Button: Outtie

Symptoms: Back ache here and there and puffy feet thanks to this 100+ degree weather!

Wedding Rings: Mostly on, but they're getting REAL tight.

Looking forward to: Seeing the nursery set up!!

"every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

thirty.

How far along? 30 weeks

Sleep: Yes...I managed to catch a cold this week and have been sleeping like a snoring baby. Too bad for my hubby and cousin who had to sleep in my bed at the beach!

Best moment this week: Getting the crib in the mail! Ready to put it together any day now.

Miss Anything? Sushi. With raw fish. And wine.

Movement: Yes, elbow jabs all day long and flips and twirls.

Food cravings: Chocolate and cheese. And a random cracker+Cheese+peach slice at the beach. 

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Nada

Belly Button: Outtie

Stretch Marks: Maaaybe. Unconfirmed-but I just bought Bio-Oil just in case.

Symptoms: Back ache and puffy feet 

Wedding Rings: Mostly on. 

Looking forward to: Putting the nursery together, and seeing body parts move across my belly (as I have been told by many women is in our future). 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Col 3:23

a baby shower in pictures...

 cute little baby toes...favors

 babies!

 guess the belly game

skyping with the sis

twenty nine.

Baby is as big as a: Cabbage

How far along? 29 weeks

Sleep: Still tossing, turning and sleeping. When possible.

Best moment this week: First baby shower! 

Miss Anything? When a party doesn't wear you out. You would have thought I ran a marathon and all I did was attend our baby shower. Sheesh.

Movement: Squirmy little wormy.

Food cravings: Chocolate!

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: Nada

Belly Button: Outtie

Stretch Marks: No

Wedding Rings: Mostly on when my fingers stay indoors in the AC.

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery together now that we have all of this fabulous loot from our baby shower! Feeling very blessed!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Col 3:23

pregnancy survival kit

So 9 months ends up being a whole lot longer than it looks upfront.

Not in a bad way. In a God's giving you plenty of time to be thankful and prepare for this little babe's arrival kind of way.

And along the way, you come up with things you can't, under any circumstances, live without.

I saw this on LittleBabyGarvin's blog before I got pregnant, and decided I would come up with my own list one day.

And so I have.  And I'm sharing it with you. Preggers and non-preggers alike.

This would make a stellar pregnancy survival kit to gift to any new momma's out there.

IZZIE Sparkling Fruit Juice: This is the perfect thing to bring along to the beach, lake, friends houses, etc. when you miss drinking a glass of wine. Its bubbly and fun and you may or may not get very sick of having water all the time. Clementine and Blackberry are my favorites! You can find them at Target in the drink aisle. [Oceanspray also makes a sparkling cranberry version that's my 2nd fav.]

Water Tumbler: You are supposed to drink about 2 quarts of water during pregnancy (holy moly!) I carry my tumbler with crushed ice in it everywhere [and I mean everywhere] I go. I have been known to stop by Panera's soda station to fill it up with water, even when I have not purchased a thing.  Or a friends house. Or a random office water cooler.Thankyouforthefreewater.

Cetaphil Facial Cleanser: My first iota of a clue that I was pregnant was that my Proactiv face wash BURNED my face. Like through several layers, my face was on fire (figuratively) and no amount of cold water would stop it. Turns out pregnancy and Proactiv, nor salicylic acid, play in the sandbox nicely together. However, remove wonderful face cleansing products and add hormones, what do you get.....pimples. So all pregnancy long, I have been on the hunt for something to CALM MY FACE  down. A Pharmacist friend suggested Cetaphil. And I love it. Gentle, but tough, and does the trick on mostly calming down the new pimples.

Sparkling water: Again, you may get very sick of water.  So I have tried many tricks. Sparkling water + fruit. Sparkling water+ Strawberry lemonade + fruit. Sparkling water + IZZE sparkling fruit juice. All of them make me happy and mix it up enough for me not to go gaga.

When the Belly Button Pops, The Baby's Done: This is beautiful, God-loving, month-by-month pregnancy guide written by a mother of two. She is no doctor, but she will make you laugh and turn your pregnancy worries, fears and concerns over to God instead of going neurotic. Read it along side What To Expect When you're expecting. It won't disappoint!

Witch Hazel: For those zits that pop up that just.wont.go.away. Witch Hazel is a natural astringent that acts as an anti-inflammatory and feels nice and cool on your skin. I got this okay'ed by my OB, make sure you do too! It shrinks the zits and dries them up a tad so you can wake up and feel refreshed {instead of afraid }to look in the mirror.

Tums Freshers Mints: For anyone out there who has EVER had heartburn, you know how awful TUMS taste. Mostly like flavored chalk disintegrating in your mouth. So, if you, too happen to suffer from 7+ months of heartburn thanks to baby-on-board (or maybe its just a part of your life), these little mints are awesome. They are literally the size of mints, less chalky, and take you about 1/3 of the time to chew and get rid of the evidence.  I carry them everywhere with me, and may have made hubby do a late night run for more tums.

Greek Yogurt: Protein is your new friend. You, my pregnant friend, are supposed to have 60-70 grams of protein a day. Yowzers. Greek Yogurt has 14g of Protein. For comparison sakes, 1 egg has about 6g of protein. So unless you want this baby to starve you into hysteria all day long, I highly encourage finding snacks packed with protein. Enter in Greek Yogurt. There are TONS of flavors and its delicious and good for you too!

Have a happy and joyful pregnancy! 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..." James 1:17

twenty eight.

How far along? 28 weeks

Sleep: Yes. If tossing and turning and waking at random hours for no particular reason counts as sleep, sure, lots of "sleep".

Best moment this week: Going out on the lake with all of our friends to celebrate the 4th! 

Miss Anything? My feet not swelling in this CRAZY heat. What the what?!?

Movement: Splishin and a splashin, movin and a groovin...all the time. Namethatsong.

Food cravings: Peach cobbler. 

Gender: Girl

Labor signs: None really this week! Labor dreams though, or rather, my baby was born and I'm-trying-to-figure-out-what-day-she-was-born dreams. Hopefully that won't be a problem in real life.

Belly Button: Outtie

Stretch Marks: No

Wedding Rings: Mostly on when I'm not subjected to this heat wave. 

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery together and our upcoming baby shower. Woo Hoo!

"Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor." Proverbs 21:21