One Hot Momma

Whew!  The heat over the past few days has really been hard to handle, but I have to say it hasn't slowed me down this week.  Eric and I finished the remodel of this childhood dresser for Aubrey.  Here's how it turned out:

BEFORE

AFTER

At first I was really nervous that it would stick out like a sore thumb and not be the right color, but I have to say it blends right in.  I especially love the little porcelain rose handles.

There are a few other little accomplishments for the week:

• We had a great time at the Braves game on Tuesday.  Gotta love it when your team wins 8-1!

• I gave our dog Sadie a haircut for the first time and she survived (and looks pretty cute if I do say so myself).

• I made a little something for my desk in my classroom.  My inspiration came from Pinterest a while back.  The only materials you need are a piece of cute scrapbooking paper, a cheap wooden frame, some paint for the frame, hot glue, your inital printed to the desired size, pencils, and a good sharpener.  All I had in the house was a tiny sharpener that you have to twist the pencils in by hand, so my thumb was a little sore after.

• I hosted a Premier Jewelry party on Friday night.  Although a few people were not able to make it, some neighbors came over to compensate.  It's crazy to think we have been in this house for over a year and I still haven't met some of my neighbors.  I have to share the recipe I found for these unbelievable chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.  They are to die for...and I'm not just saying that because I'm pregnant.  Just click on the picture below.

• We also picked up a new bookcase for our home office.  Not to sound like a walking advertisement, I really love Hobby Lobby.

Here's what's new in the baby department:

• How far along? 23 weeks
• Total weight gain: 12 lbs.
• Maternity clothes?  All bottoms and some dresses and tops.
• Stretch marks? No.  I'm trying to slow my weight gain down so they don't start creeping up.
• Sleep: I still toss and turn a lot at night.  I'm not really having to get up in the middle of the night for bathroom breaks yet though.
• Best moment of the week: Just tonight I got news that a good friend of mine will be having a little one in March (she'd due on Eric's birthday actually).  I'm so excited for Aubrey to have another playmate.  I have to say that hearing my best friend will officially be living a mile away from me on Friday was also really cool.  Now I get to help her decorate!  :-)  Seeing Magic Mike yesterday wasn't so bad either.  Although I have to say Matthew McConaughey was a little creepy in this movie.  Channing Tatum made up for it though.  In short...it's been a good week.

• Miss anything?  Lately I really have been missing sushi...California rolls just don't cut it.
• Movement: Aubrey is a little tease.  Most of the time when I grab Daddy's hand to try to let him feel her move, she stops.  I constantly feel her moving around though.
• Food cravings: Ice Cream
• Food aversions:
• Gender: Girl
• Labor signs: None.
• Symptoms: My feet are killing me...constantly.
• Belly button in or out? In
• Wedding rings on or off? On
• Looking forward to: Lunch with my coworkers tomorrow, dinner with friends on Thursday, our friend's birthday celebration on Friday, and seeing Joy's house come together.  Oh...and fireworks on the 4th!

Daddy's Growing Girl

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day.  I think I helped to make Eric's first a good one.  He woke up to breakfast in bed... cinnamon rolls, peppercorn bacon, scrambled eggs, and coffee.  Here was his gift:

4 Braves game tickets for this Tuesday (2 for us and 2 for our friends), a new Braves t-shirt, and Aubrey's first Braves outfit to be worn at her first game next season.  Hopefully he had a good day.


I think I mentioned that I wanted to make a growth chart for Aubrey.  Well, it's FINISHED and I love it.  I started by getting ideas from Etsy.  Here was my inspiration:

I liked that the canvas one would be easier to transport and store and I liked the simple design of the wooden one.  So I came up with my own compromise.


My Materials:
1 5/8 yards of canvas material
5-6 1/2 yard squares of printed fabric for cutouts
clipart prints for cutout patterns
measuring tape
4 flower buttons
4 beady black buttons (for bird eyes)
1 spool (2 yards) of pom pom edging
paint (brown and white), stencil brush or sponge, small paint brush, and branch stencil
plastic bags
needle, thread, Fray Check, and scissors
ribbon, dowel, and screw (for hanging)
pencil
small wooden fence cutout


To start, I printed my cutouts and traced them onto my printed fabric.  My cutouts for this project were little birds, the wings for the birds, the letter A (for Aubrey's monogram), and numbers 2-5.  I decided not to stick to the colors currently in her nursery so that the growth chart can match her room in the future as well.  It is important to seal the cutouts with Fray Check so that they stay together after you cut them out.

 
Next I measured and cut out the chart itself.  I wanted my finished product to be 12 inches wide, so I cut my fabric 13 inches wide to allow for a 1/2 inch seam.  Since my project is for a little girl (and the women in my family are not really known for their height), I made my chart 4 feet long.  It starts at 1 1/2 feet and goes to 5 1/2 feet.  The plan is to measure Aubrey's height each year.  More later on how I plan to mark her height.

Then I marked the chart in inches with a pencil and went back over my pencil marks with brown paint.  After I had all of the inches marked, I attached numbers 2-5 with contrasting pink thread for the feet markers.

I left room at the top and bottom for a boarder and placed my bird cutouts where I wanted them.  Once I knew how I wanted everything spaced, it was a matter of sewing on the cutouts, decorations, and stenciling on the branches.  It is important to remember to place something underneath the canvas when you paint it, because it is not a tight knit fabric.  I suggest recycled grocery bags.  Once the chart is finised, attach a dowel and decorative ribbon to the top.  Be sure that you hang it so that all of your measurements are still accurate.  :-)  Here is how mine turned out:

Once little Aubrey is here, we can mark her height.  Instead of just writing or painting her height on the chart each year, I think I am going to make little tags and pin them to it.  A friend of mine suggested making the tags from her favorite outfits as she outgrows them.  We will see...


Here is my weekly update:

• How far along? 22 weeks


• Total weight gain:  11 lbs.  At least I know this little one is growing.


• Maternity clothes? For all shorts and some tops, but still some regular dresses. 


• Stretch marks? No, just veiny.


• Sleep:  Body pillow = friend


• Best moment this week: On Thursday I went to the gym, and as I was walking around the track for my cool down, an older gentleman approached me and asked me if this was my first baby.  We went on to have a half hour conversation about family, education, literature (To Kill a Mockingbird specifically), his heart condition, and technology.  It was so comforting to meet a kind stranger.  It gives me hope for the world we are bringing this little girl into.  I also got to see What to Expect When You're Expecting with my cousin and best friend.  I definitely recommend it.  Though I will warn you, it had its tear-jerking moments.

• Miss Anything? Feeling like I look decent in my clothes.  I know I am supposed to have a belly right now, but it is really killing my self-confidence.  I have resorted to 50 Shades of Grey to restore my libido.  I swear reading that book is like watching a train wreck...it's so shocking.  Before you know it, its 10 o'clock in the morning and you still haven't showered or left the house (because who wants to be seen reading that in public...especially when you're pregnant).  Although it has helped to set the mood, we are sticking to the "vanilla" approach.  If you don't know what I mean, you will just have to read to find out.  ;-)


• Movement: Still squirming around a lot.


• Food cravings: Ice Cream


• Food aversions: Still Mexican food.  Eric and I think we may have found a compromise...Taco Mac.  He still gets his chips and dip and I can eat something that won't keep me glued to the toilet for 3 days. 


• Gender: Girl!


• Labor Signs: No.


• Symptoms: Back pain and leg cramps.  My gym class is partially to blame for the cramps.


• Belly Button in or out? In.  I am beginning to think my bellybutton may not "pop."  I know there are a lot of people who have innies throughout their pregnancy.  Any of you experience that?


• Wedding rings on or off? On.


• Looking forward to: The Braves game with Eric and friends on Tuesday.  Gooo Braves!

Ooohhh...We're Halfway There...

I can hardly believe I am now over halfway through this pregnancy!  In the past couple of weeks, Aubrey's nursery has come a long way.  Here are some pictures of the room so far:

In my last post, I shared with you all the bedding I was dying to get for the nursery.  My only objection to it was its price tag.  I happened across this beautiful patchwork and lace bedding set on Craigslist (believe it or not) and got an amazing deal on it.  Only $100 for the quilt, bumper, crib skirt, valence, 2 sheers, 2 pillows, diaper stacker, and lampshade!  I love the detail and how feminine the material is.  Here are some close-ups:

The letters above her crib are from Hobby Lobby.  I got them for 50% off!  All I did was paint them and attach ribbon to dress them up.  On the right-hand side of the first picture, there is an oval-shaped pink mirror.  Below the mirror will be Aubrey's dresser/changing table.  We will be giving Eric's dresser/changing table a face lift by staining it darker to match the rest of the furniture and attaching white porcelain rose knobs that I also found at Hobby Lobby.

Here is the glider that matches Aubrey's crib and the new nursery drapery.  The diaper stacker will be moved to the changing table once it is finished.

I think this may be my favorite part of her room so far.  I picked up this little shabby chic window frame at Home Goods and bought a basket to fill with little flowers below it so it looks like a window basket.  The lamp is close to the glider so that I will have plenty light for bedtime stories.  This little storage unit will be for holding books and toys.

Once I have had a baby shower, I will be able to organize her closet.  I still also would like to make a little growth chart for the room.  I love the idea of tracking her growth on something we could take with us if we ever moved.

Here is my update:

• How far along? 21 weeks
• Total weight gain:  9 lbs. Ahh!!  I can't believe I have put on 4 lbs. in 2 weeks.  My body is really making up for not putting much on to begin with.
• Maternity clothes?  For all shorts and some tops, but still some regular dresses.  Good news... I found a bathing suit that I feel comfortable in at Old Navy.  Now that I have purchased it, it has also gone one sale (lucky me).  Here it is if you are also a mommy in the market:

• Stretch marks? No, but I am certainly veiny.
• Sleep:  I am relying on my body pillow to make sleep more comfortable now, and boy are my dreams odd and vivid.
• Best moment this week:  Finding such a great deal on Aubrey's crib bedding!  I am so happy with it and I saved a ton of money.  AND hearing the wonderful news yesterday that my good friend safely delivered her second child.  After a 4 hour all natural delivery, she now has a beautiful 7 lb. 3 oz., 20 3/4 in. baby BOY.  I have been considering switching to the practice she used so that I could have a water birth.  I will definitely be talking to her about her experience more soon.
• Miss Anything? Being able to sleep on my back.
• Movement: LOTS!  :-)  My little one is a frequent mover.  Even daddy gets to feel a kick occasionally.
• Food cravings: Vanilla ice cream (especially from Chik-fil-a) with a little chocolate.  Yum!  Guess that's where those 4 lbs. came from.  I've had to really increase my protein intake because my sugar has been crashing and I've come close to passing out a few times.  That feeling is definitely scary since I have never experienced it before.
• Food aversions: Still Mexican food. 
• Gender: Girl!
• Labor Signs: No.
• Symptoms: Back pain and itchy boobs (they must be growing like the rest of me).
• Belly Button in or out? In.
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: Eric's first Father's Day this Sunday!

Gender Reveal

From the beginning of this pregnancy I have been saying that I think I'm carrying a little boy.  Now I know for sure.  Here's how we told our parents and my best friend:

We went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Tuscany.  Everyone knew that I had my ultrasound earlier that day.  I convinced everyone that the reveal moment would be coming during desert.  We arrived early and slipped our waiter a "Specials" insert for the menus that looked like this:

 

When everyone went to open their menus, they were completely surprised.

To be fair, I was pretty surprised when I found out too.  Here is a clip of our ultrasound when they told me it was a GIRL.

Now I am ready to start decorating the nursery!  Our little girl's name will be Aubrey Leeann.  The middle name is both of our mother's middle names put together.  Here is the bedding that I love:

The only thing that I do not love about it is its price tag.  I may be learning to make my own baby bedding soon.


In other news, my best friend got married this weekend!  The weather was perfect for her garden ceremony and we all had a great time at the reception.  Hopefully, I will have some pictures of that to post soon.


Here's my update:

• How far along?  19 weeks 
• Total weight gain:  5 lbs. 
• Maternity clothes?  Yes for shorts.  Still in my regular tops and dresses for the most part.  I have started trying to find a swim suit that I feel more comfortable in and that is proving really difficult.  I feel like so many of the maternity swimsuits look very old and matronly but normal swimsuits just don't quite fit right.
• Stretch marks? No  
• Sleep: Still tossing and turning, but I am starting to enjoy having my body pillow. 
• Best moment this week: Dancing with my hubby at my best friend's wedding while he held my belly.  I can't believe we have been married for almost 2 and a half years.  I am so glad to bring a baby into a home with so much love.  Seeing my little girl and hearing the ultrsound technition describe her as "perfect" was also amazing.
• Miss Anything? It would have been nice to have a real toast of champagne at the wedding instead of drinking the non-alcoholic stuff.
• Movement: YES!!!  FINALLY I can feel her move.  This past Sunday, Eric and I were volunteering in our church's nursery.  As I was rocking a little girl to sleep, Aubrey started kicking me.  She must have been jealous.
• Food cravings: Bagles and Cream Cheese
• Food aversions: Mexican food just doesn't do it for me right now.
• Gender: Girl!
• Labor Signs: No
• Symptoms: My stomach has been especially gassy.
• Belly Button in or out? In
• Wedding rings on or off? On
• Looking forward to: Starting to decorate the nursery!

   

Going to the Chapel

It feels like FOREVER since I have had a chance to blog.  The past few weeks have been very busy.  I finished my first year of teaching!  Immediately after school ended, I went into wedding mode to help my best friend Joy.  We have been doing lots of wedding crafts and errands for her upcoming wedding on June 2nd.  Her bachelorette party was this weekend!  I decided that I was going to make garters for all of the guests.  I am no expert sewer, but I think they turned out to be pretty cute:

If you want to make a garter of your own, you will need the following materials:

• 3/4 in. elastic cut to the circumference of the wearer's leg
• your choice of fabric cut into a strip (should be 4 1/2 in. wide and about 5 in. longer then the elastic so that it will gather)
• 1/2 in. ribbon of your choice cut to the same length as the fabric strip (you will need additional ribbon to make the bow on the front)

To get started, you will need to lay out your fabric and hem up the short side to keep the material from fraying.

Then you should fold the fabric in half lengthwise (wrong-side out) and pin the top and bottom together.  Sew along those pins.  Once the seem is secured, push the fabric right-side out.  It will look like a tube.

Next, you will press the fabric tub flat with the new seem in the middle.  Pin the center of the ribbon down the middle of the seem (it should go through both sides of the fabric).  Sew a straight stitch along the pins.  Start the stitch a quarter of an inch from the edge so that one end can be tucked into the other later.  You may need to cut off some excess ribbon after this step.

Now the fabric tube should have ribbon attached and be divided into two sections with the center stitch.  Push the elastic through the top section of the tube.  Your work will be made easier here if you attach a safety pin to one end and pull that through.  Once the elastic is through, you will need to stitch the two ends of the elastic together with a zigzag stitch.  Be sure the elastic is going to be easily pulled apart when worn.

You're almost there!  Spread the gathering evenly around the garter.  It's time to tuck one end of the fabric into the other and secure it with a stitch so that the elastic will not be visible.  All that is left is to tie a bow and hand stitch it where the two ends of the tube come together.  Here we are enjoying them...

In case some of you are planning a bachelorette party of your own, here are some other little things I did for the party.

Messages on the bride-to-be's car for the ride down.

Gotta have a naughty cake.  I chose to stick to a boxed cake mix (Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Decadent Cake Mix) with whipped chocolate icing and some Hershey's chocolate bar shavings for effect.  ;)

I wanted the bride to have a guest book to keep that she might actually use.  So I found a sexy magazine for all the girls to look through, find their favorite page, and leave the bride some LOVE advice.  I decided to make Joy's garter a little different from the rest as well.

We played a few games throughout the night starting with telling some embarrassing stories.  We had a special way to indicate whose turn it was.  The "winner" (with the best story) got to keep it.

We also did a "cherry dive" as one of our games.  The girls had 10 seconds to eat as many cherries as they could from their bowls using only their mouths.

Here's our luck winner.  Her prize: a pair of edible cherry panties and pasties.

I personalized plastic champagne glasses with everyone's names so that we could tell them apart.  I wanted to make sure I was having my non-alcoholic champagne and not someone else's.

With my extra garter fabric, I made a little banner that said "Joy's Last Fling" using iron-on letters.

There was a lot more fun that night that I will keep secret.  Here is my update:

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain: I have definitely made up for not gaining initially.  I am up 4 pounds now.

Maternity clothes? I'm in maternity shorts and my regular dresses.

Stretch marks? No.

Sleep: Still tossing and turning most nights.

Best moment this week: There have been so many amazing moments since my last post.  My husband's first Mother's Day gift to me was a pair of opal earrings (our baby's birthstone).  My last day of school in my first year of teaching was great.  My in-laws purchased the glider for the nursery!  We have also enjoyed some relaxation at the lake.  Here's a picture of us there on Memorial Day.

Miss Anything? Being able to lay on my stomach.  Especially when I am trying to get a little sun for this upcoming wedding.

Movement: I keep thinking that I feel little flutters, but I'm not sure if it's the baby or just gas.

Food cravings: Frozen fruit and Popsicles.

Food aversions: Beans...they do not like me.

Gender: ????  I can't wait to be able to answer this question.  We have an ultrasound scheduled for this Thursday.  Hopefully the baby will not be shy and will show us the goods.

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Some lower back pain.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Our ultrasound on Thursday and sharing the news with our family at dinner that night.  AND...Joy's Wedding!  I can't believe it's finally here.  I know it's going to be so beautiful and lots of fun.

Hopefully I will be able to update more regularly now that things are starting to slow down.  Have a great week everyone!

Three Weddings and a Fundraiser

Last week, people really came out of the woodwork to help with Relay for Life and we ended up MAKING OUR GOAL!  I was so pleasantly surprised.  Although Relay started with a huge thunderstorm right as we were assembling our tent, it really ended up being a wonderful night devoted to cancer fighters, survivors, and victims. 

After a night of fundraising, we began a weekend of weddings.  On Saturday, we had a wedding at 4:30 and another at 6:00.  Then, we attended a third wedding on Sunday at 11:30.  It was truly a weekend of love.  With so many people around me getting ready to head down the aisle, I really took in all of the little nuances at the weddings.  A few touches that I thought were really quirky and cute were: a cheese cake (blocks of cheese stacked to look like a cake) and bridesmaids that carried books selected to go into the couple's library and topped with hand-made paper flowers instead of bouquets.  Here's the happy couple "cutting the cheese:"

And now for an update on my lovely baby bump!  Check it out:

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain: My last doctor's appointment confirmed that I haven't gained weight yet.  My midwife says I shouldn't worry and "it will come."  I just hope the baby is getting what it needs.

Maternity clothes? If I wear pants, they're maternity, but usually I'm in comfy dresses.

Stretch marks? No.

Sleep: Every night as I go to bed, my stomach starts to hurt and it doesn't ease off until the next morning when I use the bathroom.  I really wish that would stop.  It's so uncomfortable.

Best moment this week: Dancing with my hubby at our friend's wedding and remembering our own wedding day.  The past 2 years together have been so wonderful.  I know with this little one on the way, it will only get better.

Miss Anything? Having a sex drive.  I thought that was supposed to get better in the second trimester, but with my stomach hurting all the time, it's kind of difficult to feel romantic.

Movement: Not yet.  I hope I know what it is when I feel it.  I know that is going to be an amazing moment.

Food cravings: Cereal...of all kinds.  And I've been drinking lots of ginger ale.

Food aversions: Leftovers.  Smelling meat heat up for the second time really turns my stomach.

Gender: Everyone at school was guessing the baby's gender today.  Almost everyone thinks I'm having a boy except for my principal and a few others.  We will know for sure after our ultrasound on the 31st!

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: My doctor confirmed that the soreness I was feeling was normal.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Having a nice and sunny (hopefully) weekend at the lake with my honey, our dogs, his family, and our friends.  Not looking forward to: Being in a bathing suit.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mommies out there.  Have an amazing week!