Bump Report: 36 Weeks

Hello! Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! We sure did! We started our holiday off with a Christmas dinner at Hollis' house with Ashby's family. Best steak ever. My family got into town last Saturday and we hung out, watched Christmas movies, baked cookies and other Christmas type food! We headed over to Bambi's on Christmas Eve for a little chili dinner. We also did an ornament exchange while Bambi read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.  Everyone brought an ornament and passed to the left or to the right while she was reading the poem based on her que.  It was really fun and new ornaments, that's what I'm talking about! Christmas morning came early for Ashby and I since we both have been battling a cold.  We threw in the towel at 4:30 and went down to man cave to watch a movie until everyone else woke up.  I managed to walk past the santa presents without peaking! Once everyone was up, we ate our first round of monkey bread, opened presents and then headed over to Hollis' for more breakfast and present opening.  It was sad to see my parents leave and not be able to spend Christmas in Pittsburgh with my family but we made the best of it! We just hung out at home for the rest of the day, and I made a small Christmas dinner for us that night.

The rest of the week I've been working at my alternate work location (my kitchen) sporadically and have mixed in at least one shopping adventure to the Williamsburg outlets already.

Today I've got a doctors appointment and then I'm heading to short pump before the craziness of the weekend ensues.  My plan is to bunker down this weekend and stay home, maybe work on this t-shirt quilt.  I heard we might get light snow flurries, I wouldn't mind it, as long as they were light!


Bump picture:

How far along? 36 Weeks

Total weight gain: 24lbs thus far.

Maternity clothes?  Yes. Except for the pants I'm wearing today which are stretchy!

Stretch marks? None. 

Sleep:  Haven't been getting much sleep due to the cold and just plain discomfort.  

Best moment this week: Christmas and spending time with family

Miss Anything?  No.

Food cravings: I'm on the sweet train, these cookies have to get out of my house asap, or else I'm going to turn into a cookie

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just coffee

Labor Signs: No. As of last week there were no signs of progress!

Symptoms:  I'm not really sure if this qualifies as a symptom but sometimes Bailey will move around and I will get this shooting pain in my right hip flexor.  Maybe she hits a nerve, I'm not really sure, but the pain brings me to my knees.  Maybe I've reported this already, I don't really remember!

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? on. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and excited that we have less than a month to go!

Looking forward to: The nursery glider being delivered and finishing up the final touches in the nursery

The baby is the size of:   A crenshaw melon (I don't even know what this is), weighing about 6 lbs and about 18.5 inches long.  All of her organs are pretty much set to go, her lungs are still growing.  

Happy Weekend!

Bump Report: 35 Weeks

So today is my last day in the office until little Bailey is here! I sucked up by bringing in oreo rice krispie treats. I think it worked because I got taken out to Panera for lunch. Sweet! I can't believe how fast it has gone.

Last night Ashby and I went to an infant CPR class.  I'd never taken a CPR class before, he has on many occasions. I'm so glad we went, I feel prepared if heaven forbid we ever have to use our new skills.  I also whacked the baby doll's head against the table and everyone stared at me. It was awkward.

Tomorrow I've got a doctors appointments, they are now weekly. Lucky me. I only have five more scheduled though until the due date. How crazy is that : )

My family comes in on Saturday, so I just have a few things to do to prepare and some last minute gifts to purchase.  I'm so excited to have Christmas at our house this year!

I have a major cough going on.  I'm fine during the day and then get cough attacks at night.  Wednesday night, Ashby got out of bed to bring me cough syrup and a cough drop so that I would stop coughing, so that he could sleep : (

Here is a bump picture. I'd just like to point out the fact that the pants I'm wearing in the picture below are non maternity.  I found them hiding in my closet, they were always too big for me, and decided to try them on this am when getting ready.

"oh hey girl, where did that bump come from?"

How far along? 35 Weeks

Total weight gain: 24lbs thus far.

Maternity clothes?  Yes. Except for the pants I'm wearing today.

Stretch marks? None. 

Sleep:  My standard bedtime is 8-8:30. 

Best moment this week: Last day of commuting into work!

Miss Anything?  No.

Food cravings: Christmas sweet treats. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: No more coffee. Coffee= Acid reflux

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms:  No, she is just moving around a ton.

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? on. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Christmas and spending time with our families

The baby is the size of:   A honeydew melon, weighing about 5 lbs and about 18 inches long.  

Enjoy your days leading up to Christmas and Merry Christmas!

Bump Report: 34 Weeks

Heeellloo! Well today has been about the longest day ever, at least that's what it feels like to me! It's pretty bad when you feel like you've reached the end of the internet and have nothing else to look at.  You can also do only so much online shopping before your card is hot to the touch! I'm also feeling like I'm coming down with a cold : (

So this past Saturday was the baby shower, and it was a blast! It was so fun to see friends and family who had traveled to be there. Awesome food. Awesome people. Awesome decorations. It was a definite success. Thank you to Hollis and my mom!

Here are just a few pics off of my phone and stolen from facebook!

Truly, thank you to everyone who came, and for all of the sweet presents you showered Bailey with.  She is one lucky little girl to have all you amazing people in her life!

When I got home from the shower, we all watched Home Alone and then Elf while my Aunt Marfi and I went through all of the presents and sorted everything out.  Bailey also received some hand me down clothes from Brooklyn (a friend she hasn't met yet!) and Lloyd freaked out on the clothes. He was rubbing his head against everything, especially this one pair of orange bloomers. It was hysterical, and therefore I had to capture the moment...

Everything is all put away in Bailey's room for the most part now.  Perhaps when I have more energy this weekend, I'll take some pics of her new wardrobe and other items now in her room! Seeing her room starting to fill with the essentials (diapers, wipes, baby wash) really made things real for me. Only six more weeks and this little girl will be here : )


Here is a bump picture.  Sidenote: I'm pretty sure my nose has changed shapes throughout this pregnancy. Apparently that happens to some people, lucky me.

How far along? 34 Weeks

Total weight gain: On track.  

Maternity clothes?  Yes. 

Stretch marks? No. My belly button is getting bigger though. It will never be an outtie but it's strange how big it's gotten. I hope it shrinks back to normal or else I'm going to have a permanent large belly button that is out of proportion with my short torso. 

Sleep:  So tired. All. The. Time.

Best moment this week: Putting Bailey's clothes in her closet. I also have another appointment tomorrow. Hearing her heartbeat is always awesome. 

Miss Anything?  Having energy. 

Food cravings: Nope. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee has been sort of an issue this week. I think it gives me bad acid reflux, so I've laid off of it this week.

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms:  Some braxton hicks this week.  Yesterday she was quite the mover and managed to make her way, or some part of her, up into my rib cage. I was walking around/driving with my hands in the air just trying to make as much possible room in there for her. 

Belly Button in or out? In but again it's huge! Gross, I know.

Wedding rings on or off? on. They are starting to swell at night though. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Hanging out all weekend and doing nothing. Won't have many more of those weekends pretty soon, so we've got to live them up while we can!

The baby is the size of:   A cantaloupe, weighing about 4.5 lbs and about 18 inches long.  She is just working on getting fat right now!    

Have a great weekend!

Bump Report: 33 Weeks

Happy Thursday! This is really my Friday so I'm pretty pumped for the day to be over with! Tomorrow my sister and Aunt Marfi fly in and on Saturday my parents will be in RVA, along with friends from NOVA for the baby shower! Ahhhh I'm so excited to see everyone.

This past week Ashby and I went on a tour of the hospital where I'll be delivering.  It was nice to know where exactly I'd go and what everything looks like.  They had just renovated the labor and delivery wing and everything was super nice.  Once we got up to the third floor to see everything, I felt a little freaked out. I can't believe that I'm due next month. It has flown by!

Over the weekend we added a dresser into BK's room. Here is a picture update...

I'm still debating on some artwork for over the crib. Haven't decided what exactly I want to do yet. Something with elephants or a monogram? I came across a few watercolor paintings on Etsy, but I'm thinking maybe BK's talented Bebe can hook her up with some artwork?!? Ashby spray painted a mirror to hang over the dresser, just waiting for it to dry.


The house is fully decked out and we are ready for Christmas....

Notice the stars. I found a place for them ; )

Here is bump picture. It is pure coincidence I am wearing the same shirt as last week's post, clearly it's my favorite pregnant shirt! Check out my DIY scarf though. It turned out nice and I love it....

How far along? 33 Weeks

Total weight gain: On track.  

Maternity clothes?  Yes. 

Stretch marks? No. I picked up new tummy butter. I went the palmers route this time and now I'm regretting not just using this from the beginning. 

Sleep:  Tiredness is back full swing. Passing out on the couch at 7:30-8:00 is uncontrollable.  

Best moment this week: Getting to see family and friends!

Miss Anything?  Having energy and being able to walk up and down the stairs without feeling winded.  

Food cravings: None this week. However, white chocolate covered oreos are money.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms:  Some braxton hicks this week.  She is continuing to move around a TON.  If you see me with my arms over my head, don't be alarmed, I wear deodorant, and it's just so that I can get a little more room in my abdomen so she'll get out of my ribs.  

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? on. They are starting to swell at night though. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Baby Shower on Saturday!

The baby is the size of:   A pineapple and she weights about 4lbs.    

I'm back to some more online browsing/shopping.  Enjoy your thirsty Thursday!

Bump Report: 32 Weeks

Happy Friday ya'll! This post-holiday week has gone by rather quickly for me, not sure why but I'm not complaining!

Confession, last night I had a three hour nap on the couch before going to bed.  I could not keep my eyes open past 7:30 : (

Prior to my nap, I had a doctors appointment.  Pretty routine, BK's heartbeat is fine, I'm measuring fine and my weight is fine.  I did have to see a different doctor because mine was an hour and a half behind schedule. In the end I'm happy I did see someone different, because the odds of her being on call the day I deliver are probably slim.  While I was there I went ahead and scheduled all my appointments from now until January 24.  I have one at 9:00 on January 24th, but I told the receptionist "she better be out before then". I learned my lesson and scheduled all morning appointments from here on out. It was so crazy, there aren't too many weeks left. Before I knew it, I was confirming appointment times in January and then we reached the 24th, ahhhhh!!!!

When I got home I got crafty for a little while.  I wrapped the rest of the presents I had laying around and then painted some stars (I've had these for over a year...slacker) and I actually started my DIY polka dot scarf. Love it so far!

Stars. Not sure what I'm doing with them yet. 

DIY Polka Dot scarf

Bump picture....

How far along? 32 Weeks

Total weight gain: On track.  

Maternity clothes?  Yes. 

Stretch marks? No, but I do have the black line going for me. Awesome.

Sleep:  Becoming more tired again.  My hips hurt all the time.

Best moment this week: Getting some crafts done. Hearing BK's heartbeat.

Miss Anything? Working out without feeling the need to pee my pants.

Food cravings: None this week. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms:  We have a kicker on our hands.  She usually kicks like crazy mid-morning and at night while we are watching tv.  Ashby actually saw her move earlier this week which was cool.  Peanut butter also seems to make her move around a ton. 

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Christmas get togethers and my baby shower next weekend! My parents, sister and aunt are all coming into town next week/weekend : )

The baby is the size of:   A squash.  She is about 17 inches long and weights between 2.5-3.8 lbs.  She has fingernails, toenails and maybe some peach fuzz for hair.  

If your'e a Dave Matthews Band fan check out Phillip Phillips new cd. I swear they sound exactly the same.

Have a fabulous weekend!

10 Things for December

I've been doing lots of nesting in anticipation of Bailey's arrival. Tons of crap has gone to Goodwill, and whenever I think I'm done I spy another project.  I also have a tendency to start projects and then don't finish them, craft projects specifically.  Pinterest only makes this worse.  I see all these cool crafts I could be doing, I'll even go and buy the supplies, then things just sit there untouched for months.  I feel like a slacker and my husband hates on me for the junk that piles up in the basement.

I read a ton of blogs on a daily basis, Young House Love specifically had a "Dude, Get on That Already" challenge that has sort of inspired me to get my shiz together.  Since I'll be home starting December 21st, (not trying to have this baby in a car 60 miles from my house) I figured if I made myself a cute little list of things that I'd like to get done, that maybe I'd get more things done? It's either that or I'm just super bored at work and came across pic monkey, a website that let's you edit photos and make cool things fo' free.

So here is my list of things I'd like to get done in December.  Some is necessary (packing a hospital bag), some are fun holiday things (hot chocolate and elf), crafts (the tshirt quilt that was supposed to be our 2 year anniversary present) and so on.  I'm feeling inspired already, how about you?

Happy Hump Day!

"oh, hey there fancy signature at the bottom of this post" : )

Thanksgiving Recap

Happy Tuesday ya'll! Hope everyone is fully recovered from turkey day.  It was a nice break for me, I was home from Wednesday-Sunday and got lots accomplished during the time.  I had a few things that were on my "to do" list, and because I love to see a list with lines through it here we go...


-Dresser for BK's room
-Cross some more peeps off the Christmas shopping list
-Put Christmas decorations up
-Make a recipe off of pinterest (I'm an overachiever and made two!)
-Wrap presents to put under the tree
-Go to Michael's and stock up on craft supplies
-Organize under the kitchen sink
-Purchase those cool black hangers that I've been seeing on pinterest
-Make a yarn wreath

We also spent lots of quality time with Ashby's family from California, who were here for Thanksgiving. We had dinner together several times, went to see Lincoln (excellent movie btw!), brunch at Marty's, shopping with the boys on Black Friday.  Yes, I convinced not only Ashby, but his cousins Taylor and Michael to go Black Friday shopping with me (at the reasonable hour of 11:30am).  We hit up Best Buy, Bass Pro Shops (they wanted to go there), Ulta (they kept following me around like puppy dogs, I tried to loose them but it didn't work) and Target.  All in all it was a quick shopping trip but there were no lines and we got everything we needed! It's always so much fun when they are in town : )

Back to these recipes. Like every Thanksgiving I made Broccoli and Cheese Rice (recipe from my Grandmutti) but this year I also came across this amazing Roasted Butternut Squash salad recipe.  Of course I didn't take a picture of it because my food pics never come out good and sometimes it's weird to take pictures of your food.  Anyway, make this. You'll love it. I promise.

Also, I've come to the realization that the casseroles are where it's at for me on Thanksgiving. I don't even need the turkey or the ham. Who's with me?

I also decided that I needed something sweet, because I hadn't had nearly enough carbs for the weekend so I made these peanut butter cookies.  I used white chocolate chips. These are way too easy. I may be making another batch tonight.  Again, I didn't take a picture. Fun fact, I think these cookies make Bailey move around even more. I slammed a few down yesterday and she was moving ALL DAY LONG!

Here are some pictures from the weekend....

Consider this a 31 Week Bump pic.

Cute couple. Cute nephew. Cousins (photo bombed by two outsiders)

Abby spreading Christmas cheer.

Later taters...

Bump Report: 30 Weeks

Happy Friday! Hooray for another weekend.  This week was a short week for me, with Veteran's Day being a holiday and a doctors appointment on Thursday.  I only had to go into work 3 times this week. Score!

Last weekend was fun filled for sure.  My parents got into town on Thursday around dinner time. Since I'm super organized (not) we had white chili in the crockpot and cornbread for dinner.  I'm only mentioning this because I ended up combining two recipes and was praying it would turn out ok, it did, thank god! We mapped out our weekend plans and then passed out. The guys were able to golf twice, we were lucky to have really nice weather. Mom and I got our shopping on, by that, I think we hit up every store in the Richmond area! We did get our nails done on Friday, and can I just say I'm super impressed that for the most part the color has stayed on and not chipped for an entire week now.

Some other highlights from the weekend:
-CineBistro at Stony Point is the best way to see a movie, better yet Skyfall. Ashby was super impressed, which means there may be more movie dates in my future. Hey a girl can dream right?!? Also, the movie was good but I still like Casino Royale the best.

- My mom can be friends with anyone. While shopping in Destination Maternity, she sat in front of the tv and be-friended a guy who is from Louisiana but went to UVA and is an Alabama fan.  Picture this scene: She is talking to this guy in front of the tv watching the football game, with her feet up on the coffee table, meanwhile here I am trying on clothes. Who is the pregnant one? Oh yeah, that's right, me! Love her though : )

- I'm loving the OPI color, You Don't Know Jaques.  It's the best greige out there. Also, the nail salon by my house is awesome.

- My dad is a very busy man.  He setup a home office on the dinning room table all weekend. He didn't work all weekend but I found him there several times.

- My mom and I make a pretty good coffee cake together.

- Bailey is going to be one spoiled little girl! Instead of getting a car at age 18, she will be receiving a new washer and dryer courtesy of my mom and dad.  The back story here is, my dad needed to do laundry and I told him to maybe wait to run the washer when we all left because it's so loud. He was appalled we had lived with the sound for 3 years. I kindly reminded him of a time when he and my mom were young, fabulous and broke! In the end a new washer and dryer were delivered to the house yesterday.  Thank you parents! You are way to generous.

- Ashby is getting really good and putting together furniture for Bailey's room.  We added a bookcase to the room over the weekend. Also, mom and I organized some of the items BK has accumulated so far and tried to make her room look a little prettier.

-The Retail Me Not app, saved my mom and I tons of money while we were shopping. Download it now.

Here are some pics that correspond with some of the items mentioned above:

New washer and dyer. Aren't they pretty!

BK's room. 

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Yesterday I had another doctors appointment.  Pretty standard. BK's heartrate was 169 bpm and I'm measuring right on track.  All good things! Side note: While the nurse was using the doppler to get her heartbeat, Bailey kicked. It was a crazy sound!


Now for the standard bump picture....

Can I just point out two things I'm not proud of here: The "Bourbon Bar" sign has been up since Ashby's birthday.  I like it there, so maybe I'll just change the words..."Give Thanks" or hey maybe just "Merry Christmas" at this point.  The orange towel under the beverage tub has also been there since the party.  Why, because I'm lazy. There is no ice or water in the tub, just koozies.  I need to get on those two things stat.

How far along? 30 Weeks

Total weight gain:  Let's see, I'll say anywhere between 15-20 lbs.  I think they should automatically subtract 5 lbs when they weigh you because of clothing and shoes. Seems like a no brainer to me.  Overall, I'm still doing really well with the weight gain. Nobody has harassed me about.  

Maternity clothes?  Absolutely. Mom treated me to some new shirts which I'm pretty excited about. I'm also loving cords. They are so warm. 

Stretch marks? No, but I think I may be getting the linea negra aka the black line.  The nurse told me she thought she could see a little of it forming. I promptly kicked her out of the room. Just kidding, I really wanted to though. 

Sleep:  I sleep but it's not comfortable because of side sleeping.  I wake up with my hips killing me. 

Best moment this week: New washer and dryer. This doesn't have to baby related does it? 

Miss Anything? Being able to bend over and not having to squat down. 

Food cravings: None this week. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms:  BK is a mover. She has begun getting more aggressive with her kicks. I can't sit down for long periods of time because she will start to move around like crazy. In general this has been a hard week for me pregnancy wise.  I'm feeling the weight of her, and all of her movements. My back and hips hurt. I pee all the time. I burp all the time. Although I've had it pretty easy, I'm getting to the "I'm over it" point.  

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Ben and Cara staying with us for the night.  A small Phi Sig reunion is taking place in Richmond tonight. Who knows what shenanigans I will witness tonight, but I am excited to see everyone.  Also, excited to see Ashby's family from California, who will be here on Saturday night for the week. We get to celebrate Thanksgiving with them! Oh yeah, I'm also looking forward to eating my face off at Thanksgiving! 

The baby is the size of:   A  head of cabbage.  She is about 15 to 16 inches long and weights between 2.5-3.8 lbs.  Her eyesight and brain are still continuing to develop. She is also strong enough to grasp a finger. 

That's all I've got for today.  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Bump Report: 29 Weeks

Happy Thursday! What's this? Two posts in two weeks, I'm outta control. We've had a pretty busy/productive week getting BK's nursery put together.   I've been super productive since Hurricane Sandy gave me an opportunity to purge and give half of my belonging to Good Will.

Over the weekend I took a breastfeeding class offered through our hospital.  I went in knowing not too much, just that breastfeeding is good for the baby, good for you, and cost effective.  The teacher was great and went over lots of different aspects of breastfeeding. I saw tons of boobs on the videos she showed us, I'm boobed out.  I also called our insurance company and they will cover the cost of a breast pump for us which is amazing news and quite the cost saver.  Basically, I learned a lot and feel more confident about breastfeeding and selecting the right bottles, nipples and pacifiers for our baby.  We are scheduled to take two more classes Baby 101 and Infant CPR.  Ashby is super thrilled about spending an entire Saturday learning about babies but it must be done!

We also went to the movies and saw Flight on Saturday. It was pretty good. Much more drug related than I had anticipated but still a great movie.  We bought popcorn, duh, because movie theater popcorn is the bomb, I also brought along some raisinetes.  I'm a rebel.

Oh we also took stuff out of BK's room to the dump and then went to the Courthouse to get our early voting on.  There are perks to being pregnant and apparently it's a legit reason for needing to vote early.  I forced Ashby to vote also, he had never ever voted before. WHHHAATTT!! He also ended up stealing directions on how to vote as we left, it was unintentional but sorta funny.  In case you're wondering, here is how it's done in Hanover County....

All week long Ashby and I have been working to put together Bailey's nursery. We (I mean mostly Ashby) moved all the furniture out, painted, put the crib together, put the lamp together, hung the curtains. Here is a little sneak preview...

I love the way it's turning out so far. All we have left to do decoration wise is paint a dresser that we plan to use as the changing table and decide on some wall decorations.

My parents are spending the weekend with us and should get here sometime today. I'm so excited! I haven't seen them since August : ( The boys have tee times lined up and the girls have plenty of shopping errands to get done.  This is how legit our list is...

-Get nails done
-Go to DSW and any other store in the Short Pump area.
-Go to Trader Joe's to get PB for my Dad. (They don't have TJ's in Kentucky)
-Find a "going home" outfit for BK
-See Skyfall. Tickets bought. Holler.
-Eat white chili

There are one million other things but I can't find the email my Mom sent me that listed it all.


Now for the standard bump picture....

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain:  I hate this question.

Maternity clothes?  Absolutely. 

Stretch marks? I don't think so.

Sleep:  I made a new slip cover for a body pillow that we had already. Mama's hips don't hurt anymore!

Best moment this week: Getting Bailey's room put together. Getting the curtain my Grandmutti made for the nursery. Receiving the cutest Baby shower invitation in the mail. 

Miss Anything? Beer. I don't need the fancy stuff, Coors Light would be perfect. 

Food cravings: None this week. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms:  Burps.

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: The weekend with my parents. 

The baby is the size of:   A butternut squash or an acorn squash. She is about 2.5-3.8 lbs and between 15-16 inches long. 

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and I'll be back next with a recap of ours!