surviving pregnancy.

this right here is a list of my top 10 favorite things that have helped me this far in my pregnancy. i like top ten lists. actually i just like lists. in fact, making lists might be number 11. so there's a bonus for you. i have made more lists in the last 8 months than probably ever in my life. and i love it. lists are the best. okay. here we go.


10.

i should probably mention here and now, this list is not in order of importance. it's in my random brain order. if you get pregnant, get this book. this is basically everything you need/want/didn't want to know about pregnancy. i know, it's an obvious one but i have looked to this book countless times to help me through stuff. and there is so much random stuff that happens to your body that nobody bothered to mention, so whenever you freak out it's nice to open the book and read that you're not dying and your random crazy pain symptoms are normal. helpful. get it.

9.

 yah. this is a baby boppy pillow. we found one (the exact one on our registry, actually) for $10. they sell for like, $40 or some crazy thing. but even at full price, totally worth it. do yourself a favor and get this pillow before baby comes and test it out. i have been sleeping with this pillow on and off for the last 15 weeks or so and it helps so much. and is cheaper than a full body pillow. and you'll use it for baby. and it won't make your husband feel like he is on the other side of the great wall of china. i love it.

8.

these old navy shorts. i love them. one of the best purchases i made this pregnancy. i seriously wear them almost every day. they are so comfortable and the band covers my whole belly and pretty much stays put, so i'm not always pulling my shorts up. plus they don't cost you your first born child. and old navy has sales all the time, which is when i got these for about $20. i tell you what, i am excited for pregnancy to be almost over, but i will be sad to see these shorts go. i might shed a little tear when i pack them away... so comfy... sigh

7.

this water bottle is awesome. i use it every. day. i take it everywhere. we sort of have a love/hate relationship now that i am constantly having to pee, so it makes me want to punch water in the face, but it is still awesome. apparently i was not drinking enough water before pregnancy. they say you should drink 8 glasses or some crazy stuff, i don't know. my doctor told me 2 liters a day while pregnant. this seemed impossible and nuts to me at first. i could only picture those big bottles of soda and thinking i would explode if i had that much liquid in me. then i found out the water helps keep you from swelling up like mad, keeps you and baby healthy, and it cleans out and replenishes the baby's fluid that she lives in. i mean, if i would keep a fish bowl clean and i find it super gross when one is dirty then.... well, you get it. this bottle has markings along the side of how much fluid is in it. it takes out all guess work and math, which is awesome because i hate math. i just refill it a couple times a day and keep it close by and magically it helps me stay hydrated.

oh which i have to say, i had to go to the hospital a couple times so far because of my gallstones. when i first got there, the nurses were determined to tell me it was because i was dehydrated (we didn't know about the stones then) and i was like, "nuh uh. my awesome water bottle wouldn't let that happen!" and they were like, "oh everyone gets dehydrated..." and i was like, "well not me! not with the way i've been drinking!" and guess what. they were shocked to find i was NOT dehydrated. so me and my water bottle showed them. i'm telling you. i love this water bottle.

6.

this swimsuit is awesome. i found it at motherhood maternity. it's so cute, it was about $28 on sale, and it is comfortable. it covers and supports everything. i was wondering if i needed a suit at all because i thought i might not feel like going to a public pool all giant and pregnant. um the answer is yes. i love being in the pool. the water carries the baby for awhile and gives my back and every other sore joints a break. it's awesome. get a bathing suit if you're pregnant. don't worry about what you might look like. who cares? you're growing a human. that is a free pass.

5.

i never had heartburn in my life. never ever. when i read in the pregnant girl book that i will most likely have it i was like, nah not me. i never have. i wouldn't even know what it was if i did get it. um. no. yesterday i got heartburn from eating yogurt. not cool. everything is all jammed together in your body so there is basically no room for your digestive system. or anything else. just baby. so most likely most women will get it. and it's terrible. but you can take these magic pills (i try not to take them often.. only if i am having a lot of trouble or it keeps me from sleeping) and then heartburn goes away. and then you can feel like you have a little control over what happens in your body. even though you really don't.

4.

slow cookers. even during the summer. during this pregnancy this little guy has helped me feel like i am still an okay wife. i have a lot more energy in the morning than i do in the evenings. by evening all i want to do is sit with my feet up and drink tea. and talk to my husband. and not cook. or do dishes. so this little baby helps me do that and not make my husband make dinner every night. and not spend a fortune going out because i can't possibly gather the energy to make it myself. i love it. there are so many awesome recipes where you basically just throw a bunch of stuff in during the morning and by evening it's magically dinner. and then phil thinks i'm awesome. and i feel awesome for being 34 weeks pregnant and still making him dinner every night. well okay, not every night. but.. quite a few anyway...

3.

this is apparently the part where i talk about food. which is important to a pregnant girl. i love tortillas. i would eat milk and cereal in a tortilla if i could. it makes anything a meal. i could chop a bunch of vegetables, throw them in a tortilla with some dressing or cream cheese and bam, dinner. i could brown some beef, throw in some taco seasoning, then throw it in a tortilla. we have them on hand all the time. seriously. at all times. come over and look in my fridge. you will see tortillas. and i just realized they probably don't need to be in the fridge.... but that's just where we always keep them... anyway, they have made dinners during this pregnancy way easier. and lunch. and the occasional breakfast burrito.

2.









for some unknown reason i crave these like nuts. i really try to limit myself. i certainly don't have one every day or even every week. but when i'm out grocery shopping with phil i pick one up as a treat. or sometimes phil will just stop and get one and bring it home to surprise me. i know that doesn't sound like that great of a surprise, but it is. when there is one thing in life you crave and a person surprises you with it, it is like winning the lottery. i love these things. probably too much. like, as in it makes me sad when i take the last bite. pregnancy does weird things to a person. i have never been so sad about candy being gone in my life haha.

1.

granny smith apples. whoa. i loved these before i was pregnant. now i want to live in an apple house with apple pets. which would actually be sad because i would want to eat them... so maybe i just want to have them in my fridge. all the time. this is another thing we always have. they are crisp, juicy, sour, a little sweet, and so yummy. and they are everything i want in a food since probably the day we conceived. i love them. these would have been number 2 and the candy would be number 1 if i'm being honest, but i wanted to seem like i care about being healthy. well, maybe they are tied. i don't know. don't ask me to choose.



so these are my favorite things that helped me be pregnant with so much success. actually i am not sure how to measure success during pregnancy, but it probably has to do with still being able to feel good and be happy most of the time. and if i'm going to be completely honest, i couldn't make it through any of it without this guy

not only because i couldn't have made the baby without him since these things take 2, but because he helps me in so many ways every single day. he supports me, listens to me, buys me 3 musketeers, he stays up with me when i have terrible gallstone pain and can't sleep, he rushed me to the hospital twice without ever complaining or even thinking about it, he helped me make a nursery for our baby, he went to three baby showers with me so i wouldn't have to be there as the center of attention by myself (since i hate that!), he reads the what to expect book so he knows and understands what's going on with me, and most importantly he prays for me all the time. he has done countless other things to help me get through this pregnancy, and i love him so much more for it because i see him being an amazing husband and becoming a great dad. this is what i hope everyone has when they go through a pregnancy. i don't know how i'd do it any other way.

so i guess that's actually 12 things, if you count lists and phil as things. so i maybe should have said this is my top 12 list, but 10 sounds better. and shorter. top 10 it is. : )









34 weeks.

hey guys! it's been awhile. about 15 weeks actually... but i thought a little update on life would be good.

i've been gone from the blog for awhile mainly because i haven't been doing many projects. the only project i've been working on (besides growing this little girl!) is the nursery. it has been slooowwww going. we started it when i was about 16 weeks and we still aren't finished! it's mostly because money. blech. stupid money. i had a small budget each month to work with, so once i spent my allowance i had to wait until the next month to do more projects. it has been so hard to wait all this time!

i originally wanted to be done with everything by the time i was 30 weeks... well that has clearly come and gone! so the new goal is 35 weeks. and.... in case you didn't notice... that's next week. right now all we are waiting on is stuff to get shipped here. we are waiting for the crib and bedding both to ship here. then i can finish up 2 little projects i have left... then WE'RE DONE! i can't wait! i will definitely take some pics and show you guys.

besides the nursery going slower than Slow Slowerson, pregnancy has been pretty good to me. even though it's been pretty great and i love carrying our daughter, it is not without its bad points. i have discovered an organ that i pretty much forgot even existed call mister gallbladder. apparently he was mad that i haven't thanked him for all his hard work of storing bile over the years because he came after me with a vengeance. seriously. i have had 7+ gallstone attacks since right about the 24th week. they are pretty horrible and basically feel like the worst stabbing back pain that ever existed, followed by the feeling that i swallowed rocks that are being thrown around by my organs. for real. call me crazy, but i didn't realize that when people have stones it literally feels like rocks moving around in your body. worst. feeling. ever.

this crazy gallbladder guy has caused 2 late night trips to the hospital with back pain which, in case you didn't know, "back pain" is one of those pregnant girl terms that basically means get to the hospital right away because it could be labor. scary. thank God it wasn't labor, but we finally did an ultrasound and found out i have stones. i met with a nice surgeon who politely told me i was "too big" to operate on now (haha) and that i would have to schedule the surgery about a month after i give birth. so in case having a newborn baby isn't enough, i get to have surgery too. apparently the surgery is "no big deal". that's what i keep being told.... all i know is that either way, i'm kicking this gallbladder out. he has become ornery and isn't doing his job. so he's fired.

and no i'm not sure why my gallbladder is male.

another small complication in recent times has been my blood pressure. i had pretty good bp up until last week. suddenly it went up and the doctors got a little worried. blood was drawn and they set up another appointment for this week to keep an eye on me. my body just can't seem to figure this stuff out. my organs and blood are all rebelling. it's chaos in here. sheesh.

despite all that and the super hot weather we've been having, i'm doing pretty good i'd say. so good in fact, i finally took a picture of my pregnant self for you. i know, you've all been waiting and hoping and praying i would. well, fear not. here it is

even though i felt like a fool taking pictures of myself in the bathroom mirror (in stripes no less..) i promised some people a picture like, weeks ago. also i figure some day i might want at least a few pictures to document this pregnancy. so here is the proof.

and just because it was so exciting to me that i changed the number to "6" today, i took a picture to document that too : )



this countdown started at 18 weeks. now we're down to 6!!! well, until my due date at least. and also you guys get a bonus announcement in there too. our baby girl's name is Lydia. Lydia Jane. she's totally a pride and prejudice themed baby. thankfully i don't know any female who doesn't love that book, so i don't think she'll be too upset about it.

i can't wait to meet her!!!!!

now if only her crib would get here.....

sugar and spice, or snips, snails, and puppy dog tails?

hey all!! here's a little update about us and the baby!

last sunday, april 1st was our baby shower in indianapolis! phil's family lives in that area, so we joined them for an extended weekend for a shower and fun family times : ). it was such a good time and the shower was lovely. i am so grateful that we have so many people in our lives who love us and our little baby!

speaking of loving our baby, i love HER so much more now! i loved the baby, even when she was an "it", but on thursday, march 29th our ultrasound confirmed that we are expecting a little girl in late august! I'M SO EXCITED!!!! she is beautiful and they said everything looks perfect. her little spine, brain, stomach, bladder, heart... everything! everything looks so good! we are just so happy about it! she's getting big and strong too, i feel her movements all the time now! i can't wait to meet her! just look at this face!

i also made one with labels since some people have had a hard time knowing exactly what they see:

she's so cute!!

i mean, okay. i know i'm her mother. so i know i am a teeny tiny bit biased... but look at that face! her beautiful little lips and big eyes and little nose!!! i could cry i love her little face so much!

okay. enough of gushing about her. even though i could carry on forever. but onto serious matters. like paint, ; )

which is what phil and i have been doing a LOT of. we painted the nursery a lovely light blue-green color. it's sherwin williams' aloe here on their website. i will certainly show pictures when i get a few more things done.

we are also in the process of converting this desk into a dresser/changing table/storage area for the baby

we already painted it sherwin williams overt green and we're going to install some shelving on the right side for more storage. we are also adding a little purple to the room in just a few accents. here is my color scheme

i want it to feel kind of like being outside.. i want it to be light and reflect the colors out her window. i am even thinking of adding some natural elements to add to the feeling... we'll see ; )

and here is a little sneak peek ; )

i am thinking i might spray paint the knobs white instead of silver... i love the shine of silver but bright white knobs on that green would be so cute. i am terribly undecided : )

so those are some fun updates for you! right now the living room is taken over by baby things that have yet to be washed and/or put away, but i wanted to finish the dresser first. lots of things have changed around here, so once i have the place a little more straightened up i'll let you in on everything. until then i'm just gonna keep wishing time would move faster so i can meet my little girl!





rearranging is my game.

well i'm at it again. and by "it" i mean rearranging my furniture. well, sort of. basically we are trying to fit about 8 rooms into 1. we have to fit a living room, family room, office, dining room, cat furniture and soon lots of baby things all into our living space. our apartment basically has 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms and the kitchen/living room/sunroom/dining room are all one big space.

so it has become my mission to fit all those rooms into one space and still make it look pretty. and make it functional because i have 3 cats who use their big scratching post and cat tree every day. plus i will soon have baby furniture, like a swing, pack n play, jumperoo, bouncer and all sorts of things that will also need space. so that is what i have been up to lately. every weekend phil and i sort through just STUFF. i cannot believe after a move only 2 years ago and going through our clothing every year we still have so. much. stuff.

we really donate boxes full of stuff every year and end up throwing away bags of stuff that nobody in this world has need of.. and yet we are still going through our closets and taking loads of trash to the dumpster and boxes upon boxes to donation centers. it's pretty outrageous. in fact, our latest project was trying to get at least one side of the closet in the office emptied so once it becomes the nursery, that can be the baby's side of the closet. we succeeded, but now all my christmas boxes are sitting in my living room until we figure something out...... i don't love it.

soon i will show you guys some of my solutions. once i figure out what they are.. but for now i have something a little more fun.

after christmas i decided i really liked having a bright color with all the neutral and cool tones in my living room.. however, i didn't want red. so i went pink:

all this really cost me was the price of the pillow covers i found on etsy for around $30 for both and purchased with christmas money, a can of spray paint, and then my mom found that picture at garden ridge which happened to be so perfect for my apartment. i think it was also about $30.. it just so happened to have blue, green, pink and obviously i loved the bird. it ties all the colors together in here and i love it. you will have to forgive the cardboard on the corners. i was trying to decide if i was going to keep it.. you know how that goes : ).

so besides my abdomen and the growing baby, those are the major changes happening around here lately. and in case you were wondering, i am 18 weeks along and the baby is now apparently the size of a sweet potato. we find out next week (a week from today!! eek!!!) whether we will be welcoming a girl or boy into our crazy little family, and of course we will be thrilled with either (come on girl!!). okay, yes. i want a girl.. but i'll be happy as long as our little baby is healthy like a good little mommy : ).



come on girl!! ; )

Evelyn's Shoppe.

recently my good friend megan opened up a shop on etsy. it's called Evelyn's Shoppe and here is what she says about it:

"Welcome to Evelyn's Shoppe! I am a newly stay at home mom who wants to spend as much time with her daughter as humanly possible. I just recently left my job and I'm now trying new things to bring in a little income. I have always had a love for fashion and hope that I can share some of my inspirations with you! I would love your business so please check things out!"

i love her shop! she has the cutest scarves that she hand makes! and for being good quality, lovely and handmade scarves, the prices are pretty reasonable. of course i am a scarf addict. i love them! i mean, you can change any outfit just by adding a scarf. come on. what a great way to save money! just buy different scarves to change up your outfits instead of buying new outfits all the time! it works wonders.

my favorite thing to do is just throw on a cardigan over a tee or plain shirt, then add a scarf. there you have it! cute outfit! and her scarves are lovely! plus there is the added benefit of knowing you're helping a woman be able to spend more time with her little baby! i mean, basically a win-win : ).

here is one of her adorable scarves that works way into the spring and cool summer nights.

here is another adorable pattern. she has such good taste.

and this is the one i ordered from her.

i ordered the two tone eternity scarf, but i wanted different colors. well, megan can custom make them to order so you can really get any color you want!

this is me, hobbes and the baby showing off my scarf that i ordered. : )

i wanted white and tan to be able to go with lots of different outfits. actually i wanted something neutral, and megan suggested the colors. and i love my scarf! it is sooo soft and cozy. it has the feeling of a really soft tee that you wear around your neck. i have never had a cozier scarf, and i have been looking for something like this for so long!

i obviously love this scarf.

seriously. order a scarf from megan's shop. you won't regret it.

so. much. fun.

okay. i love color. i mean, even neutrals are colors. i love picking out color schemes and seeing new palettes put together. in fact, my idea of a fun afternoon is to browse the paint chips at home depot, lowes or wherever and think about what colors i might put together. since a lot of you guys who read this are into decorating and design, i think you know what i'm talking about.

i am unsure if i am just late to the game or something, but holy cow i found the most fun thing in the world for a person who loves color schemes. do not laugh at me if i'm just out-of-my-mind late to the show here, but i found this incredible website on this woman's awesome blog. it's called design-seeds.com and when i saw it my mouth dropped open and i thought, "where has this been all my life?".

okay. what they do, if you were unaware like me until now, they take beautiful inspiration photos and pull colors from them to create gorgeous color schemes. like. for real. beautiful. i went there to see if i could find inspiration for our nursery. i realize this has become baby central any time i blog lately, but what can i say? when a baby hijacks your body, it kind of takes over your brain also. but this doesn't have to be about babies for you guys! you can use this website for anything you want!

the point is, i was having real trouble focusing on what i want. i love everything. all different styles and color schemes... my focus is nonexistent right now. but this website helped SO. MUCH. just looks at these gorgeous works of art.

design-seeds.com

design-seeds.com

design-seeds.com

design-seeds.com

i am in love. for real. i am already so inspired. and the good news is i am inspired with a girl's color scheme and a boy's color scheme. i really love the spring brights for a girl's room. i don't think i would do any purple textiles, but i would bring it in with some art and accessories. for a boy i really like the springtime hues. it's interesting to me because both images have a lot of the same colors and cool green and blue tones. i wouldn't have figured that out or realized my focus so easily if it hadn't been for this amazing website. seriously go there if you haven't. but make sure you've got some time. it's so fun and addicting. and the pictures are dreamy. do it. : )

get ready. i'm going to be an annoying expecting mom who brags about her fetus.

i warned you. : )


i just got back from my 12 week appointment.. baby is doing so perfect! we couldn't hear a heartbeat because apparently a certain organ of mine where my baby lives is tilted back towards my back instead of tilting forward.. sheesh. so they did an ultrasound again to check on the baby and make sure it's still doing okay.

well it's doing great! i had an itty bitty scare not being able to hear it in there, but the doctor said its little heart is beating at 170 beats per minute. i think that's probably the best heart beating any baby has ever done ; ). so they gave me a picture and at first i was like, uhhhh.. my baby has gone from a little embryo to a blob.. but then they showed me that the baby is facing forward with its little baby hands by its face. so i saw those cute adorable little hands!! they are seriously the cutest hands any fetus has ever had. trust me. the picture is so fuzzy that i think if i put it up here you would all be like, "huh, a black and white blurry blob..." and i wouldn't blame you. but it's the cutest black and white blurry blob ever.

everything else is on track too! i'm growing at a good rate, but not exactly showing yet. and the good news is, i haven't gained any weight yet. so i'm almost in the second trimester with no weight gain, so i was pretty excited about that! most people need to gain at least a few pounds in the first trimester, but i am in need of no such thing. so hopefully this is a pattern i can keep up and the only weight i gain will be all baby related... haha not the most likely but here's hoping : ).

i feel so incredibly happy and full every time i see my baby.. it's such a miracle. i can't even imagine how i'll feel when i actually hold the baby and hold its perfect little hands with my own.. i'm so excited!! i can't wait!