21 Weeks

I'm going to apologize now for the picture you are about to see!  I woke up with pretty bad back pain.  I didn't want to do anything that required me to stand or walk for a long time.  I wanted to sit in a chair that would semi support my back.  I did shower for you guys, but that's about as far as I got.  So here it is.... keeping it real! :)

How far along: 21 weeks!

Size of baby: baby is the size of a banana  

(I hope they are just talking about length.  How can you go from a cantaloupe to a banana?)

Total weight gain/loss: +12.6

Maternity clothes: mostly maternity... some regular.  I tried a few regular shirts this week that I thought would be good for a day that was suppose to be in the high 70's.  Unfortunately, they were too short.  Some of the short sleeve maternity shirts I have are still a little big in the belly, since mine isn't huge yet. I'm just mixing and matching and making it work! :)

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Movement: I think we've moved from flutters to kicks, although they aren't exactly what I thought they'd be.  I think it's because they aren't very strong yet.  Also, if they were kicks (which I'm pretty sure they were), then I think Miss Olivia is still breech.  The kicks were very low.

Sleep: Going to bed at night is my least favorite thing about being pregnant right now.  I have a hard time getting comfortable, and I get up about 4 or 5 times a night to pee.  Luckily though, even with all that, I'm still sleeping pretty good.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach

Cravings: fruit, chocolate, anything I don't have to prepare myself! :)

Note: last week I said I was craving desserts.  I would just like to point out that just because I am "craving" these things, does not mean I am eating them all the time.  In fact, I've only had one (very disappointing) cupcake.  I did want chocolate the other night and there was none in the house.  I am, however, eating the fruit and salad!  I did make a trip to Kroger and got Dove Ice Cream bars and funfetti cake!  I think I'll be making it soon!

Symptoms: HEARTBURN AND ACID REFLUX!  These two are overtaking my life.  This baby better come out with a head full of hair like they say!!!!!! ;)  Also, my back pretty much hurts daily.  It's still low and to my right.  I woke up yesterday feeling like I unloaded a whole moving truck by myself and then it ran into me!  I don't know why, but my back pretty much ached all day.  I'm guessing this is going to be around for the next 19 weeks.  I think a pregnancy message is in the works for me!  (I've already been pricing them!)

Surprises: Even though I don't feel huge, I am already having troubles with my ever growing belly--getting out of breath faster, having trouble bending over, taking much longer to get off the couch, etc.  I thought I had some time before these things started!

Best Moment of the week: feeling a kick instead of a tickle

Fun purchases: I was all prepared to say we didn't make any baby purchases, but we ended up going to the outlet mall on Saturday.  There is a really nice indoor one that is about 20 minutes from us.  We went when friends were in town, but we didn't know if it was a boy or a girl.  I had a gift card to a maternity clothing store, so I got a few summer items.  Then we got a few baby clothes that were on sale.  Most of them were 12 months and one was even 18 months.  Who can pass up $3 fuzzy feet pajamas?  I also bought a diaper bag.  More on that later.

Milestones: I am officially counting "down"!  I've passed the half way mark and am going down hill now.  It's actually going a lot faster than I had thought.  132 days left if she's on time!

He Loves Us

Jesus Culture has been around for a while, but I think it has been recently that they are becoming more of a household name.  I've sang some of their songs in church and not even known who they were.  Over the past few months I have been hearing more and more people talking about them.  I thought it was time to check it out!  Here is a song that I love.  (Kim Walker is one of the main singers, so you can also look for clips under her name.)



I'm so glad that I know the love of the Father.

Little Man and Baby

I keep getting asked what Little Man thinks of the baby.  First of all, he LOVES babies.  He has enjoyed playing with his friends baby siblings on play dates.  He likes to be helpful--giving them toys or pacifiers, making sure they don't crawl or walk where they aren't suppose to, wanting to feed them, etc.  He will also walk up to almost anyone with a baby and say, "That's such a cute baby".  If he sees a baby on TV he'll even turn to me and say how cute it is.  He just really loves babies.

I don't think he quite understands that Olivia will be coming to his house every day once she arrives. However, I think he's excited to see her.  He thought it was a girl from the very beginning.  He is use to babies being girls (his cousin and a friend that we went on a bunch of play dates with).  I think people would assume he wanted a little boy to play with, but I think he's actually happier that it's a girl.

Funny things he has said or done so far:

*He keeps asking when my baby is going to "hatch". LOL!  I keep telling him I am not laying an egg, but for whatever reason, he can't get it hatching out of his head.

*He says things like, "are you suppose to be drinking that?" and "babies like chocolate".  He thinks he's a baby expert.

*He can't wait to go swimming with her in his pool (too bad he doesn't realize it will be a long time before that happens!).

*He is already planning on teaching her how to play Star Wars.

*He asked me if the babies arm was in my arm. :)  I told him no, that her arm was with the rest of her body--in my belly.  I told him to tell her hi.  He leaned down and said hi, but then decided that would not work.  Then he told me to open my mouth and got really close and screamed in my open mouth, "HI BABY, MY NAME IS (LITTLE MAN)".  His voice cracked a little though, so he decided she didn't really hear him.  Then he did it again.  Cracked me up!

*Also, he had asked me (before we knew it was a girl) what it would look like.  I said I didn't know yet.  Then I asked him what he thought it would look like.  He said he thinks it's going to look like him.  I told K, he's in for the shock of his life when she comes out bald and pale. :)

We're Registered!

We were itching to register and pick out all the fun baby stuff.  We were waiting to find out if it was a boy or a girl.  We found out on Friday that it was a girl and went about registering that Saturday and Sunday!  I know that Target just redid their baby section, and I'm hoping that it stays around for a while.  I registered exactly two months before my shower.  Hopefully there will be no problems with items being unavailable!  We headed to Target on Saturday.

I came prepared.  Oh yes I did bring a clipboard with a list! :)  And yes, those are colored pens and highlighters! ha ha!  I wanted to make sure I got the items that I had researched.  I also wanted to make sure I noted any changes.  I didn't write everything on the list.  Some things I just saw as I walked down the aisle and knew I needed.  (Who researches things like washcloths and towels?  I'm not that OCD!)

I also came prepared in other ways.  I had heard nightmares about how long registering lasted and how "overwhelming" it could be.  I made sure to bring water, a pepcid AC (in the baggie by the water), and snacks.

I highlighted and checked my list and Michael was in charge of the gun!

I think we were rather effective.  It took us almost exactly 2 hours.  We weren't overwhelmed or confused at all.  I call it a success! :)

On Sunday we did the same exact thing at Babies R Us.  It took us two hours as well, but we got everything on the list that we can think of.

I also did a very small registry online at One Step Ahead.  I did it mostly for my mother-in-law, because she is excited about her very first grandchild and is ready to spoil her! :)  But also because there are things on there that we love.

Michael really wants this

It changes colors to tell you if the nursery temperature is good for a baby.

I think this is genius!

It's a clock that tells toddlers (who don't know how to tell time) if they are allowed to get up, or if they have to stay in bed a little longer! LOVE!

I also want/need the containers for the baby food I plan to make.  I could use ice trays, but I've heard great things about these containers.

Ahh... and so much more!  This having a baby business is a lot of fun! :)

Spinach-Pork Stuffed Shells

Before I share this recipe, let me explain how cooking came to be for me.  To make a very long story short, when I was growing up I had to do A LOT around my house.  Let's be honest, almost all of the cleaning.  I had to clean the bathroom weekly, do the laundry, and clean the kitchen including scrub the floor by hand.  I also had to dust the family room in the basement.  Of course, I had to clean my own room too.  Not only that, but I had to iron the clothes for the whole family.  Seeing as both of my parents wore dress clothes, and my brother and I went to private school and had to wear dress clothes, that was a ton.  I would spend at least 4 hours ironing on a Saturday.  Not only that, but I worked between 20 to 30 hours a week.  Oh, and went to school.  I would come home from work (on a school night) at 9:30 and dishes would be waiting for me.  Yep, dishes to a meal I didn't even eat.  THIS is why cooking was the LAST thing on my mind.  I knew that if learned how to cook or even showed the slightest interest in it, it would be added to my never ending chore list.  That was the last thing I wanted to do.  So I pretended I had no interest.  I never learned to cook.  My mom tried every once in a while (not because she wanted to teach me, but because she wanted me to brown the hamburger while she watched TV).  I can't even tell you how many times I said the phrase "I don't know how to cook".  I stood by it too.

After college I moved to Ohio and lived by myself in a one bedroom apartment.  I had no clue how to cook or what to cook.  My dear sister, who loved to cook, took me under her wing.  She was constantly sending me emails for recipes that she liked or ones she thought I should try.  She also ordered me a subscription to Cooking for Two.  By following the recipes she sent me, and calling with questions when I had one, I basically taught myself to cook.  I don't think I'm an amazing cook by any means.  I think I can follow a recipe! :)  But thanks to her, I have a few good ones to choose from.

The following is a recipe that came from one of the Cooking for Two magazines I got.

Here's what you need:

6 uncooked jumbo pasta shells 

(I always cook more.  Some rip and aren't great to use.  Plus, I can always fill more than 6.)

1/4 pound ground pork (I used ground turkey this time because that's what I had)

4 cups water

3 cups torn fresh spinach

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 T parmesan cheese, divided

2 T heavy whipping cream

1 garlic clove, minced

 1/4 t salt

1/8 t ground nutmeg

1/8 t ground pepper

1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 400*

Cook pasta according to directions

In a skillet cook pork over medium heat

In a saucepan, bring water to boil; add spinach; boil for 1 to 2 minutes or until wilted

Drain and squeeze dry; chop the spinach

In a bowl, combine the pork, spinach, egg, 1 T parmesan cheese, cream, garlic, salt, nutmeg and pepper

Because I love cheese, I also add some shredded cheese to the mix--just a little

Spread 1/4 cup sauce in an ungreased 1 qt baking dish

Drain the shells and stuff with mixture, then lay on top of sauce in the pan

Drizzle with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese (I won't lie--I didn't measure these.  I just drizzled and sprinkled until I felt good! :)

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.

Uncover (and I also sprinkle some shredded cheese on at this point) and bake 10 to 15 more minutes

Serve

I made 8 shells and we ate two each.  That left us with one leftover meal.

The recipe says it makes 6 and a serving should be 3.  It's up to you.

Also, I have doubled this meal before and it works out just fine.

Enjoy!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

My baby shoes

Olivia's shoes (so far)

I just keep picturing Beyonce in a short gold dress, shaking what her mama gave her, singing "UPGRADE, UPGRADE" :)

Tuesday's Ten...

Remember that?  I almost forgot myself!  One day a few weeks ago I was searching for an old blog I wrote.  I was scrolling through the list of titles and saw a Tuesday's Ten.  I had completely forgotten that I wanted to do that more.  So.... here's my list of things I am thankful for today!

1.  I'm thankful for my pregnancy!  I know that I am blessed, and I am so thankful that I can be pregnant.  Not only that, but that it is going so well.  I hope it continues!

2. I'm thankful for a husband who loves me and who is OVER THE MOON excited about having a baby.  I'm glad that he is a part of all of this with me.  I know that some guys aren't like that.  I love how giddy he is at the thought of a little girl.  He's so cute, and he's going to make a great daddy!

3. I'm thankful that God provides.  Right now it is by giving us two great jobs, but even when we were down to one job there was always money when we needed it.  I'm thankful that He has provided insurance and that Michael has found a place to work that he really enjoys.

4. I'm thankful for the opportunity to take naps!

5. I'm thankful for friends and family who will go above and beyond to help, listen, share, and give.

6. I'm thankful that I finally know what my maternity leave will be.  I'm also thankful that it will be one month!  That's great news since I'm a nanny.  It's a little different than having an office job where someone could easily step in, or a teaching job where they hire a long term sub.  I'm thankful for amazing bosses!

7. I'm thankful for the time and opportunity to be able to read two books just for fun.  I know those days are quickly coming to an end (for a season anyway).

8. I'm thankful for "fast food" salad places!  Yep, they have those down here.  It's great!  It's like a subway, but for salad.  It's awesome for those salad cravings!

9. I'm thankful for Pepcid AC and the fact that I can take it while pregnant.  It has been a lifesaver.

10.I'm thankful for sunshine and flip flop weather and the ability to be out and enjoy it.

What are you thankful for today?

20 Weeks

How far along: 20 weeks!

Size of baby: She is the size of a cantaloupe

Total weight gain/loss: +11.8
I'm actually very happy about this.  To be half way and to only have gained 12 pounds is great.  I thought it would be much more at this point.  I do realize that you gain the most in the second half of the pregnancy.  I think I heard that at some point you should be gaining a pound a week?!  Of course, that's probably if you started the pregnancy at your target weight.  Either way, if I gain a pound a week from here on out, I'd still be happy.  We'll see what happens. :)

Maternity clothes: Mostly maternity-- I might as well wear it when I can

Gender: IT'S A GIRL!

Movement:  Yep, off and on.  It's still not "kicks", but getting a little stronger.  Now we are waiting for the time when Michael can actually feel her move.

Sleep: It actually wasn't  too bad this week.  Thank goodness!  I got about 8 hours each night.  I did still have to get up to pee in the night, but I was always able to fall back asleep.  I still took a few naps.  The meds for the thyroid said it could take a few weeks to get into my system.

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach

Cravings: salad, fruit, and dessert--any kind!!... even stuff I don't normally like, like cake and chocolate

Symptoms: My symptoms from last week actually went away.  I guess it was a one week thing, although I know they could reappear at any moment.  This week was business as usual.  I still have nasty acne.  I'm pretty sure that will be here for the entire pregnancy.  I also had a few days of mild acid reflux, but not too bad.  I've had a little heartburn, which I could do without.  Oh, and one night of weird dreams.

Surprises: It's a girl!  I'm also surprised that my bump isn't bigger.  I thought it would be by now.  I'm sure at one point I'll be wishing I wasn't so huge though, so I won't complain.

Best moment of the week: Finally finding out the sex of the baby and being able to call her by name.

Fun purchases: On Saturday we went to Little Man's soccer game.  On our way home we stumbled upon a kids consignment shop.  We decided to go in and take a peek.  It was super cute.  They had a whole rack of "red line" things for $1.  We picked up a few pieces.  I know people will be bringing clothes to the baby shower.  Who doesn't love little girl clothing?!?  But, who can pass up a dollar?  We did get some that were 6 months, 9 months and 12 months.  (Knowing that most people bring 3 month old stuff.)  We also found one of those alphabet pal toys by leap frog.  It teaches the alphabet and colors and stuff like that.  It was purple!  I've only ever seen green.  It was $5 so we got that too.

Milestones: I'm half way! Yay! 

Bedding Update

Thanks for your help and opinions when it came to the baby bedding.  You pretty much confirmed what I was already thinking.  (I also talked it through with a few of you, so not all opinions were in the comment section.)  I decided to go with my original plan, which was the cherry blossoms.

It really is me.  I love it!  Like some of you mentioned, I had already been thinking of crafty ways to decorate it.  I'm pretty confident that I can come up with something.  Plus, there won't really be a "nursery" until she is about 6 months--God willing we get a house--so everything room related would just have to be stored anyway.  I'm going to keep watching out for the mobile and put it on my target registry if it comes back in stock.

Other ideas I have are:

Just finding a rug and lamp somewhere like Home Goods.  I'm fine with everything NOT being matchy matchy.  I'm sure there are plenty of cute lamps out there.  Also, who knows what her room will actually look like.  It's hard to know what accessories you will need for a room you don't even have yet.

I have been wanting to paint some sort of design on a wall for a while now.  I found some appliques on etsy that are suppose to match the bedding, but I didn't love them.  I plan on painting some sort of branch with flowers and birds to match.  I think it will be super cute!

Something like these (in the appropriate colors) are on my list!

I also think a collection of white bird cages would be adorable.  Bird houses and bird cages are so popular these days.  I'm not sure what I would put in them, but I think they would go.

(not quite as fru fru as these, but the best picture I could find)

I also would like to do something like this, but maybe with birds and cherry blossoms.  

I'm pretty sure I could do it myself. :)

Of course, I'll do something with her name or initials.  I don't think I'll do the painted letters above the bed.  It's cute, but "so last year". ;)  I'm thinking of decorating an O all fancy.  Or I might do some sort of framed art with her name.  We'll see.  I saw a blogger do a whole wall of E's for her son (different sizes, colors and textures).  It was cute.  Not sure how a whole wall of O's would look though. :)

Now... just waiting for the room to decorate and the little girl to fill it.

Cran-Orange Croissant Pinwheels

Well, I have another recipe for you out of the Pampered Chef cookbook.  It's one I use to make years ago.  I made it for a baby shower, to take in to teachers on a work day, and for when company came.  I haven't made it since before we were married, but Michael remembered it and had asked for it a few times.  I finally got around to making it one Saturday morning.

Again, it's from this cookbook

Ingredients

Croissants:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (put in microwave for 30 seconds if necessary)

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 teaspoons orange juice

1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

(this time around I could NOT find frozen cranberries--I looked at 2 stores! So I went with strawberries)

2 packages (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls

(I went shopping the day before the super bowl.  Mistake. There were hardly ANY left. I had to get the big ones.  I ended up only using one package... packed full...instead of the two shown.)

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon orange zest

2-3 teaspoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 375*

For croissants, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange zest, and juice in bowl; mix until well blended.

Chop cranberries (errr...strawberries).  Michael did it for me! :)

Stir into cream cheese mix

Unroll crescent dough, separate into 16 triangles (8 in my case)

Using a small scoop, place a rounded scoop of cream cheese on shortest side of each triangle.  Starting at shortest side, roll up triangle loosely to opposite point.  Arrange rolls, pinwheel fashion and point side down onto baking stone.  (Yeah, I just rolled them... or folded them like diapers. ha!)

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool slightly.

For glaze, combine powdered sugar, orange zest and juice in bowl.  Mix until well blended.  

Drizzle over warm croissants.

Since  I only used 8 large crescent rolls instead of 16 regular sized, they were a little overstuffed.  They were still good though.  They were a little sweeter since I used strawberries instead of cranberries.  Yum!

Five for Friday

 ONE

 Michael started his job at T Mobile on Monday.  He loves it!  He called me on his first break that day and said he couldn't believe how nice it was.  It is a night and day difference from working for AT&T.  First, he's starting out at top pay (which is the same as what he left AT&T making--good pay for no degree).  They have a free gym there open to use whenever.  They have relaxation rooms and game rooms for breaks.  He said all the employees look genuinely happy to be at work.  They have all sorts of incentive programs and job perks.  One thing that we are happy about is the phone discounts.  AT&T barely gave a discount.  It was something like 19% off, but not off the whole bill--just off your minutes usage or something like that.  It ended up saving only about $15 a month.  At T Mobile, it will cost $10 a line!!!  So we were paying something like $135 (that is WITH AT&T's discount) for 700 monthly minutes, unlimited text and unlimited data.  Now, we will be paying $20 a month for 2000 minutes, unlimited text and unlimited data on better phones!  Um, yes, I will take it.  Thank you Lord!  The list goes on and on, but each day this week Michael has said something like, "Yep, I still like it" or "I'm so glad I got a job here".  There is plenty of room to grow and they try to promote at least 80% from within.  They also offer tuition assistance, so that is something Michael can look into a little later down the road.  It is a huge answer to prayer.

TWO

Another answer to prayer is that insurance will start on April 1st!  For AT&T, we had to wait 6 months for insurance.  We weren't sure what was going to happen with insurance down here.  If Michael got a job that made us wait 6 months, it would be essentially no good for the rest of the pregnancy.  The insurance is suppose to be really good, and what we will have to pay each check for family insurance is minimal.  We were also worried that since I had to get to the doctor before Michael got a job--I might pick a doctor that would later not be in our network.  I really didn't want to have to switch doctors for a third time in one pregnancy.  Luckily, the doctor and hospital I chose are both in network!  Another answered prayer!

THREE

Plans are in motion for my baby shower!  Originally, we were planning on driving back to Ohio.  Unfortunately, it isn't going to work for Michael to take off of work from his new job to go.  He doesn't really want me driving that whole way by myself and I don't really want to either.  So... I will be flying to Columbus.  I just bought my plane ticket!  For those of you in town, I will be getting in on Thursday, April 14th at 12:05!  I will be in town until Monday morning.  At that point, I am going to rent a car (hopefully an SUV) and load up all my stuff.  My friend Laurie has offered to drive down to Texas with me!  Isn't she the best?! :)  We will make the road trip all day Monday and some of Tuesday.  Then she is going to fly back Tuesday night.  It will be fun to see family and friends.  I'm looking forward to it!

FOUR

The weather here has been great this week.  We went from 20's and 30's last week and 3 inch thick ice on the sidewalks to in the 70's all week this week.  I hope it stays like this.  I love wearing flip flops in February! :)  Little Man keeps asking if it's nice enough to get in the pool yet.  Ha!

FIVE

We actually have friends that are moving here!  How exciting is that?  One of the guys that Michael went to high school with just got a job down here.  I don't know if you know, but almost all of Michael's best friends are friends he made in High School.  They have remained close all these years later.  Isn't that neat?  You never see that anymore.  So this is a couple that have been in our circle of friends for the past few years.  We get along great with them.  They have two little daughters as well.  We are excited to have friends that will be so close!  Another little God thing! 

Happy Friday!

Baby Bedding

Well, since you ladies were such good help with the registry, I thought I'd throw another question your way.  My mother has offered to purchase the crib bedding and I am trying to figure out what I want.

Before I show you my choices, let me explain my thought process so you can understand and use my rules.

Like I told you back in my crib post, I never had a kids room.  Therefore, I am insistent on my kids having rooms that actually reflect that they are children.  Let me tell you... this is much easier to do with boys than with girls!  The following are my opinions for my babies room.  Please don't get offended if I don't like what you did with your kids.  That's why they make 500 choices--because we all are different! :)

• Characters are out.  Even though they are "kid" friendly, I cannot bring myself to do a Winnie the Pooh room.  Sorry.
• While the fru fru silk, satin and velvet bedding is beautiful, it is not for me (us).  First, we are not raising a princess--and yes, I believe princesses are made, not born.  Second, I am not that fru fru.  My wedding wasn't even that fru fru, so my girl's room isn't going to have chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.  (Again, gorgeous, but not us.)
• While I really do love all the modern prints, geometric shapes, and toile, it doesn't scream "baby" to me.  I really do like a lot of the selection, but some of it is too plain or boring.

That being said, it leaves me with butterflies, flowers, birds and dragonflies.  See?  I said boys were easier.  If we were having a boy, the bedding would have most likely been some sort of transportation (hello, little boys love trains and trucks), or animals like monkeys or something.  Boys are to transportation as girls are to   ??  

Well, anyway, I love this bedding

Here are my reservations:

It cannot be found in stores.  In some pictures it looks really pale pink and in others it looks pretty pink.  I have no way of knowing what I am getting.  Also, it really is just a four piece set.  Other than that, you can buy a blanket (no thanks) or a valance.  The mobile is out of stock at every site I've looked at.  (Before you tell me that I don't need a mobile--Michael has asked 4 times if I am registering for a mobile.  So YES, I do need a mobile!)  I LOVE cherry blossoms and little birdies.  I'm just not sure.  I would like the option of a rug or a lamp or something!  Thoughts?

I also like this

It can be purchased in a store and has a lamp and wall art that goes along with it.  Plus, it's a six piece set instead of 4 (comes with valance and diaper stacker).  The crib we have is dark wood though.  Will it still look alright?

Which would you choose?

It's A...............

GIRL!

Yes, I was shocked just as I said I would be.

I have a little secret though... we actually found out on Friday.

Remember how I said that Michael couldn't make it to yesterday's appointment because of his new job?  Well it was really important to him to be there.  So we called one of those places that does 3D/4D elective ultrasounds.  Not only do they do the 3D ones, but they also do (cheaper) 2D ones for "gender reveals".  We would have gone a little earlier, but Friday was the first appointment they had that we could make.  Yes, we paid for an ultra sound 4 days before we would normally find out.  It was worth it to Michael, so neither of us minded spending the $65.

At Friday's appointment she was NOT cooperating... AGAIN!  I kept having to turn on my side, then back to my back... jiggle my stomach...turn to other side, then back to my back.  Finally the lady said she was 90% sure, but needed to confirm it.  When she said that, I was pretty sure it was a girl.  Then she asked me what I thought it was.  The baby was sitting spread eagle.  I said, "Well, this whole time I thought it was a boy, but I am certainly not seeing anything to indicate that it's a boy".  She said, "No, this is most likely a baby girl".  She then explained that you don't determine it's a girl just by looking for the absence of a penis.  You actually have to see two white lines--the clitoris and libia.  I never knew!  Finally she said she saw the two white lines and was positive it was a girl.

 We chose to keep it a secret because A) everyone was expecting to hear Tuesday anyway, and B) we wanted confirmation.  I'm actually really glad we found out Friday and I'm also really glad we chose to wait.  I think I needed those few days to adjust to the idea.  It's not that I didn't want a girl.  In fact, for the first 28 years of my life I said I only wanted girls.  Somewhere over the coarse of the last two years God changed my heart.  I guess that, coupled with having no morning sickness, is sort of why I thought it was a boy.  We are both perfectly happy with a girl.  Michael is actually thrilled.  I just had to take a day to wrap my mind around it.  I have only been looking at boy bedding... only been looking at boy clothes... I even went on etsy looking for a boy hat.  I figured if the girls got all the cute bows and headbands that my boy needed a cute hat. (I found an owl one I loved!)  It did sink in though and we are already collecting girl clothes, shoes and bows! :)

Yesterday's appointment went good.  It did start out a little painful though!  They told me to drink 24 oz of water before arriving.  I did.  I probably had more than that, plus the milk from my cereal.  I peed before I left the house, but by the time I got to the Dr. I had to go SO BAD.  I asked if I could go an the lady told me no, I needed a full bladder.  Another lady and I were both complaining about needing to go.  Finally I said it hurt too bad and I was just going to go.  As I was walking back the lady that does the sonogram was coming to get me.  She said she'd check and see.  She took one look and said, "Oh yes, you can pee.  It's plenty full."  Whew!  

The sonogram went good.  She said everything was measuring correctly and that the baby weighed 11 oz.  "exactly what it should weigh".  Perfect!  She confirmed that it was a girl.  She also mentioned the two white lines.  She said she has been doing this for 25 years and taught it at the college level for 16 years.  If this baby is not a girl, I will never believe another sonogram again! :)  As of right now she is breech.  (She was not breech on Friday.  On Friday she was facing the right direction and practically had her feet in her face!)  She said that my placenta is also a little low--about an inch maybe.  She said it is not covering the cervix and is nothing to worry  about at this point.  Because the baby is breech she could just be pushing the placenta down a little.  All could move back as it should without a problem.  She said it just mean that I have to have another sonogram at 28 weeks to see what's going on.  Sure, I'll take another peek! :)

Then I saw the nurse practitioner.  She was super nice.  She said everything looks good.  She said my weight gain was good and my blood pressure was good.  I had gotten blood drawn last time to check out my thyroid.  I had never heard back, which you assume means it's good, but since I have a family history of thyroid problems and pregnancy can cause such issues, I asked.  It turns out my levels are slightly elevated and they are putting me on a very low dose of medicine.  This could be the reason I am lacking energy.

Sorry for the book, but I know inquiring minds want to know! :)

Oh, and we are naming her

OLIVIA GRACE

List o' fun--Take a Tour!

There are lots of great places to take free tours in Columbus.  (I'm sure in your city too!)

I don't have picture from our actual tours, and we didn't get to all of these, but here are some ideas for those of you looking for something fun to do.  You don't have to have kids to check these places out! :)

GRAETER'S

(It's an ice cream place for those of you who don't know!)

The Graeter's on Bethel Rd gives tours.  They have a minimum of 10 people (play date?) for guided tours, or you can take a self guided tour if you don't have a group.  The tours last 20 minutes.  They also have an inside play place for the kiddos.

VELVET ICE CREAM FACTORY

If you want to drive to Utica, Ohio, you can take a tour of the Velvet Ice Cream factory.  Tours run May to October from 11 to 3.  Tours last 30 minutes and start on the hour every hour.

ANTHONY THOMAS CHOCOLATE FACTORY

The factory is located in west Columbus.  Free tours are given on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 2:30.  If you have a large group, call for reservations.  You get to walk up on a "cat walk" and look down at the factory.  You get a free piece of candy too! :)  Then you can shop the store.

AL'S POPCORN FACTORY

We never made it to this one, but it was on our list.  It is also located on Bethel Rd.  They are open Monday through Saturday from 11 to 7.  It doesn't list specific times for tours, so it seems they are available all the time!?  It says you will watch a video and then get to taste some of the fun flavors such as cookies and cream, pizza, bubble gum, and jelly bean.

THE WHISTLE FACTORY

  The American Whistle Factory, located in Worthington, is the ONLY manufacturer of metal whistles in the United States.  If I remember correctly, this tour cost a little--maybe $5?  Also, you have to be part of a group.  If you are not part of a group, they will schedule you with another group.  (You can't just show up for a tour.)  My friend Laurie and I took our boys and joined a Kindergarten field trip.  The tour lasts about 45 minutes and you get a whistle at the end of it.  You get to pick your color lanyard and can buy a plastic cover if you want.  I got red! :)

THE OHIO RAILWAY MUSEUM

Back when Little Man was really into trains, I found out that there was a train museum in Worthington.  They are only open on Sundays from 1 to 6, so I didn't get to take him.  However, I passed the information on to K and they took him.  Since I didn't go, I can't tell you too much about it, but I do know that he enjoyed it.

19 Weeks

Well, baby decided to show up to the party this week!  I take back anything I ever said about wanting to feel pregnant and missing out on symptoms!  Keep reading and you'll see why...

How far along: 19 weeks

Size of baby: baby is the size of a mango

Total weight gain/loss: +11

Honestly, I am shocked I didn't gain 5 to 10 pounds this week.  Symptom number one that decided to show up--feeling the need to shove my face with food every 20 minutes.  I have gone for a while now with just eating normal.  I eat when I'm hungry, but it's been nothing more than I would normally eat. This week I seriously felt hungry ALL. THE. TIME.  There were times I was starving and didn't even want to eat because it just seemed like too much work since I had just eaten.  I'm not sure I've ever wished to NOT eat.  I don't mind eating more to feed the baby, but this is getting ridiculous! :)

Maternity clothes: pretty much all maternity with a few regular shirts/sweatshirts/sweaters thrown in here and there.

Gender: I still think it's a boy.  We'll find out tomorrow.  (For those of you who are not friends with me on facebook... you'll find out on here Wednesday).  I will be fine with either gender, but will seriously be SHOCKED if they say girl.

Movement: I'm feeling it much more now.  It's still a tickle and not a kick.  I feel it in the mornings (after I drink orange juice!), in the afternoons, and in the evenings.

Sleep: Terrible!  Symptom number 2 that showed up this week--insomnia.  I couldn't sleep no matter how tired I was and I also couldn't get  comfortable.  I think I had maybe two nights where I actually got about 8 hours of sleep.  One day I didn't even nap!  I was exhausted by bedtime and then just laid there for hours. :(  I have a feeling this is only going to get worse.

What I miss: normal sleep, hot dogs! Every time I go to Sonic I am reminded that I am missing out!

Cravings: FOOD!  Just give me food!!!!!

Symptoms: insomnia, feeling starved every twenty minutes (even if I just ate a big meal), acid reflux (symptom #3 in full affect this week!), having to blow my nose constantly and it being bloody (symptom #4--my nose is basically raw inside.  It's awful.  It's just one big sore.  Darn mucous membranes!), crazy dreams (#5), some snoring (#6), aching back (symptom #7 that decided to join in the fun this week)...no matter what chair I sit in or what position I try to contort myself to, my lower back aches-mostly my right side. Also, more round ligament pain (#8).  Oh--and morning sickness!  What?  I know!  Symptom #9 that came out of no where!  Four mornings this week I woke up feeling sick.  I felt nauseous and the need to puke.  I never did though.  This generally went away by 10 in the morning.

Surprises: Morning sickness!  I was told by two different doctors that if I didn't have it in the first 12 weeks that I was pretty much in the clear.  Crazy, crazy pregnancy.  Pretty much everything I've been told or read has been a lie! :)

Oh how I love thee... (17)

... let me count the ways!

I love that Michael has faith in me.  He thinks I can do anything.  Seriously!  He believes in me more than any other person I know.  I appreciate that.  It may sound simple, or that every husband should do that, but that's not always the case.  He's always telling me "you could do that".  Once, he even told me I could make a pair of shoes. :)  Ha!  I had a pair of shoes that were sort of made out of cloth on top.  He tried on a similar pair, but they didn't fit.  Later that day I said I wished they had fit him because I liked them.  He said, "Well, I'm sure you could make me a pair".  Um... no.  No I cannot make a pair of shoes.  He believes in all my crazy crafting ideas.  He thinks I could be some sort of decorator or designer.  Other examples are that he thinks I could start a business selling my crafts (they aren't that good!).  He thinks I can write a book.  He thinks I could teach classes to parents on how to discipline their children.  The list goes on.  He trusts my judgment and opinions.  He was willing to move all the way to Texas for me to keep my job.  A nanny job at that!  He has always believed that I am good at what I do, whether it was teaching or being a nanny.  I love that he supports me and encourages me and stands behind me.  He's a good confidence builder. :)  I love that he's my biggest cheerleader, because I'm his!

Happy Valentine's Day love!  You are the best!

Love Tree

We had another snow day this week!  Oh, and a late start another day.  I have been assured many, many times that this is not normal Texas weather.  I've also been told I won't experience this again for another ten to fifteen years.  I am hoping they are correct!

Anyway, it was time to break out the workbooks and another Valentine's Day craft for Little Man!  I can't take credit for this craft.  I saw variations of it on a few different blogs.  I just used what we had and  went with it.

First, I traced Little Man's hand and arm

Then he cut it out and glued it to a white piece of construction paper

I cut out a bunch of different size hearts from tissue paper.

Then Little Man glued them on however he wanted.

We were almost out of glue, so I just dribbled it all over the top instead of using dots for each heart.  It was hard to get any out, so this was our best option.

The end product

Simple. Cute. Festive!

Happy Valentine's Day weekend!

Let's Talk Registry...

Finding out the sex of the baby soon + having a baby shower date set (April 16th) = time to register!

Hopefully we'll be registering in the next few weeks.  I'm actually looking forward to it.  I know some people find it overwhelming, but I think it will be enjoyable.  I already told you that I've done a lot of research.  I spent an entire Saturday afternoon researching some items and making a list of what I wanted to register for at Target and what I wanted to register for at Babies R Us. 

Some things I absolutely know I want.  I have a pretty good knowledge on kids things.  I've done a lot of reading and research.  I pay attention to what people say. On the other hand, there are some things I'm not sure of.  That's where you come in! :)  Consumer Reports: The Best Baby Products was also pretty helpful.

For example, Consumer Reports recommends a bath tub with a sling.  It says it holds newborns better.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone use a baby bath tub with a sling.  I've never seen anyone receive one at a shower either (at least that I can remember).  I never would have thought it was important. We've pretty much decided that bath time will be Michael's deal (unless his work schedule prevents it).  Therefore, anything that can make him feel more comfortable is worth it to me.

On the other hand, CR said those cart covers are not a good idea.  They are cute and all, I'll give you that.  The main purpose is for baby comfort and to protect from germs.  Most people use them to protect from germs.  CR reported that they are actually worse than just sticking your baby in the cart!

They collect all the germs of the cart and can keep them in the cloth even after washing.  So if you wanted to use one, you'd have to wash it after every use.  That seems like a lot of work.  I've also heard a lot of moms say it was just one more thing to have to carry around and worry about and it was a hassle.  Normally, I probably would have put one of these on the registry.  Now I won't.  CR said it's much better just to wipe the cart off with a wipe that most stores provide.  Michael already does that, so I think we'll be OK.

I'll be registering for a boppy for sure.  Although I haven't been thrilled with the selection of boppy covers recently.  I'm hoping they break out something cute soon! :)

I've bought boppy covers for others before, and I know they were cute!

Other things I've heard are a must have: a bumbo, a bouncer, a gym/activity mat and a miracle blanket.

Of course there are a ton more items we are registering for.  

Here are my questions for all of you...

*What is something you registered for and didn't really use?

*What is something you wish you would have registered for, but didn't?

*What is/was your favorite baby item?

*I've heard not to register for blankets because you end up getting 50 anyway. True?

*I know they say babies are all different and opinionated--some love the swing, while others hate it... some love the bouncer, while others hate it... I've heard the same is true about bottles and nipples.  CR recommends using silicone nipples only.  Babies (and adults for that matter) can develop an allergy to latex.  So here is my question--register for one type of bottle and hope it works, or register for a few starter kits just to be covered?  I will be breastfeeding, so ones I'm thinking of are Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature and The First Years Breastflow.  These are suppose to be closest to a breast nipple.  CR recommends Playtex VentAire Advanced, BornFree and Nuby Non-Drip.  Anyone have a preference? 

*Also, thoughts on a carrier/sling?  I really can't picture myself (or Michael, for that matter) wearing one.  I mean a Moby sounds like it might be convenient, but I'm just not sure I'll use it.  Do you have a carrier or sling?  Do you love it? Should I get one? And if so, which one?

Thanks for your help! :)

Ladies and Gentlemen--We've got a crib!

I'll be honest... the whole crib thing was throwing me for a huge loop!  I had lots of thoughts and lots of options, and maybe a few worries.  I searched for weeks and was literally at a loss.  Before I share with you what we got, I'll let you know where my thoughts were.

First, I'm a little sad that we don't have a nursery.  Isn't that one of THE biggest sources of fun and enjoyment when you are pregnant?  What woman doesn't love decorating a nursery?  I've been looking at nursery ideas and bedding long before I was even pregnant.  I see people blog about their cute nursery ideas and get just a little bit jealous.  My sensible brain reminds me that I need to be happy just to be having a baby.  Trust me, I don't take that for granted.  I know entirely too many that struggle.  I know I'm lucky.  Also, my sensible brain tells me that renting for a year while our condo sells is the best move.  I also know that having a guest room really is important.  I have had many people tell me they will be coming to visit, and if someone is willing to spend money to come see us and our baby, then the least I can offer is a bed.  Unfortunately, sometimes my emotional dreamy woman brain gets a little sad.  I'll only have one first baby.  Sure, it will have a nursery eventually... but it's just not the same.

Second, where would I put this said crib.  We still aren't sure.  My thoughts are that babies sleep in their parents room from 3 to 6 months anyway.  We are crossing our fingers and hoping we are out of here when our one year lease is up.  That will be before baby turns 6 months.  I was just planning on having the crib in our room.  After getting a king sized bed in there, we aren't sure we'll have room.  Do I get a bassinet for the first few months (when most of the visitors will be coming), and then move the baby to the crib in the guest room?  Any moms out there have any thoughts on this?  When we actually put the crib together we'll see how it fits in our room.  That may make up our minds for us.

Third, convertible cribs are all the rage.  I get why they are so popular, but I wasn't sure I was sold.  Here's why---I never, and I do mean never, had a kids room.  I was either sharing a room with an older sister, sleeping under a plain red bedspread, or in a room that my parents thought should be decorated for guests.  That makes sense right?  Put a ten year old girl in a fru fru room decorated for guests, all so adults could sleep in my room the 3 or 4 times we got guests each year. (Ugh!)  So, I have vowed that my kids will actually have kids rooms.  If that means that I am spending a couple of hundred dollars every couple of years to redecorate, then it is worth it to me.  I'd love my little boy to have one of those car beds, or a little girl to have a princess bed (if that's what they are in to).  All that to say, turning a convertible crib into a toddler bed didn't thrill me.  PLUS, I don't even like how they convert into adult beds.  Almost all of them look like mission style headboards and that's not really my thing.  Unfortunately, some of the non-convertible cribs that I liked were just as much money as a convertible crib.  That didn't really make sense to me.

Sooo..... all that was juggling around in my head.  I'd find a crib I liked, but the matching changing table or dresser would have horrible reviews.  Or, I'd find one I liked, but it was $400. That's insane.  I kept flip flopping in my head what I wanted.  It was actually one of the main things I was stressing about.  Then one day I went on the Target website to look (for the thousandth time!!) at cribs.  I stumbled across one that looked pretty good, was reasonably priced and had 4 1/2 stars out of 5.  Then I checked out the matching dresser and changing table and they BOTH had 4 1/2 stars!  Honestly, I hadn't seen that anywhere else I looked or for any other set.  So this is what we got.

We got it in black cherry (color shown).  It's called the Delta Eclipse and is a 4 in 1 convertible crib.  I figured that around the time my first will be in a toddler bed, it may be time for a second.  Therefore, we'd just use it as a crib again instead of a toddler bed.  If down the road we need a headboard for a guest room or something, then we have one.  If not, then I'll just sell it used for cheap.

We also got the changing table

I plan on registering for some baskets to put on the shelves.

I didn't originally plan on getting a dresser.  Mostly because we have NO room for one.  But, after we talked it over, we decided we should probably get one.  That way, when we do have a nursery we will have matching furniture.  We have to order it from online.  We haven't yet, but plan to soon!

So, there you have it.  Mystery solved.  Crib bought.  We've yet to put it together yet.  Hopefully soon.  Then we can maybe figure out where it's going to go and if we need a smaller alternative for our room.