Thursday, July 26, 2012

23 Weeks!



How far along: 23 weeks 4 days
Size of Baby: Ear of corn
Total Weight Gain: up 11lbs so far this pregnancy
Maternity Clothes: Yeah pretty much everything now, unless it's yoga pants or something.
Gender: We're having a baby BOY!!!
Movement: Moving a TON.  I can totally SEE his kicks on the outside now.
Best thing this week: Love feeling him move all the time.  Def. best part so far of this pregnancy
Sleep: Usually good.  I can't make it past 6 without having to pee, and occasionally I've had trouble getting comfortable to start with.
What I miss: to be blunt-- stretch mark free boobs.  LOL  I'm liking the new size but I've got some wicked stretch marks on em.  Maybe it's wishful thinking but I hope that's the only place I have them!
Cravings: Meh, nothing really... well one day I REALLY craved Outback's cheesy fries...went and got some too!!!
Symptoms: pretty much the same as in the past few weeks...
What I’m looking forward to: Actually school starting.  I'll be going back to work (which now I babysit in the summer but it's barely enough to pay bills let alone have any extra) and I'm looking forward to having a little extra money to spend on Jackson :).  Our babymoon whenever we decide to go, and also my cousin Stefani & her family are visiting in Sept.  Looking forward to that a TON!




This weeks vlog:



And some goodies I got at a yard sale last weekend...

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

NESTING!!!!

Yep I've officially started nesting.  Like big time.  I've started this whole new thing now to get my house organized and hopefully STAY organized.  So before I give you my regular pregnancy update I thought I'd share with you the method to my nesting madness ;)  I'm hoping that after some tweaking I can continue to keep up with it after Baby Jackson is born too!

So to start I came up with a short list of things that need to be done DAILY.  I then grouped them into two groups-- one "morning routine" and one "evening routine".  I've made a huge effort in the last week or so to get myself up early enough to do those few extra things before I leave to babysit or whatever and I just spread out my evening routine from the time I get home to the time I go to bed.

Here's my "morning routine": wake up, let dogs out, shower, get dressed & ready for the day, feed dogs (if Brew hasn’t already), eat breakfast, make bed, unload dishwasher (if needed), put one load of laundry in washer.

Usually my hubby does take care of feeding the dogs in the morning so I don't always have to worry about that one :)   Then I go about my day until evening-ish then I will start...

My evening routine:  switch laundry to dryer, feed dogs (take them for a walk and/or play with them outside if nice weather), cook dinner, finish loading & start dishwasher, straighten up kitchen, pick up anything in main living areas & put in its place, fold & put away laundry.

Just adding those few extra things really doesn't take much more time, and I have it saved as a note on my iPhone so I can make sure I get it all done.  In addition to that I have one little thing I do each day.  If I keep up with everything it's really not a huge job.  So here's my list of things I do each day.  I made this specifically so the evenings I have something to do (like Thursday night clogging practice) I made my job a smaller job than say a day I don't do anything like Mondays.  I do these things in addition to the morning/evening routines.


Sunday- Change bed sheets, Deep clean kitchen, Vacuum floors
Monday- Deep clean main bathroom, Empty trash & take to road (Brew does this)
Tuesday- Clean/straighten bedrooms
Wednesday-  vacuum floors
Thursday-  Deep clean half bathroom
Friday- Pick up & dust living room & family room, vacuum floors
Saturday- Outside chores (Brew) catch up from anything missed during week, do any special projects, relax


So there you have it-- my little system.  I started it last week so I've been keeping up with it since then.  I'm pretty proud of myself for doing so!  lol.  So hopefully I can stick with it until the baby comes then after he comes just do a bit of tweaking to accommodate my new routine ;)  I highly suggest this if you want to get your house cleaned and organized and keep it that way.  It's an easy way to spread it out so it's not too overwhelming.  (Before I was the type that let everything go and then spent and entire day- or two- doing nothing but cleaning!)  Let me know if you have a similar "system" to keep organized! :)




In addition to getting the house cleaned and organized I've also been starting on baby Jackson's nursery!!!  Here are two videos showing my progress so far!!!

Monday, July 16, 2012

22 weeks!

Trying to get back into the swing of doing weekly pregnancy posts.  Most of what I'm going through though I talk about in my vlogs, which is on my Youtube channel, but I'm still trying to record some things here!

So here I am at 22 weeks!

I feel bigger and bigger by the day!  lol.


How far along: 22 Weeks, 1 day
Size of Baby: Papaya  (about 8in & 1.2lbs)
Total Weight Gain: Just hit the 10lb mark this week.
Maternity Clothes: Yeah pretty much everything now, unless it's yoga pants or something.
Gender: We're having a baby BOY!!!
Movement: Still feeling him LOTS!  Brew got to feel him move for the first time this past week <3
Best thing this week: Feeling him move on the outside more, and Brew getting to feel him
Sleep: Usually good.  I can't make it past 6 without having to pee, and occasionally I've had trouble getting comfortable to start with.
What I miss: Sometimes, usually when I'm trying to get dressed nice or something, I miss my old regular clothes.  But I wouldn't trade being pregnant for anything, and I'm so thankful to be carrying a healthy baby! <3
Cravings: Subway subs.  And I've also gotten back to craving sweets.  I really wanted brownies last night...
Symptoms: pretty much the same as in the past few weeks...
What I’m looking forward to: Brew & I are planning a little weekend getaway/babymoon sometime in August or September :)  Also, we've started working on the nursery so I'm looking forward to seeing it get put together!!!



Here's my vlog, and also a video of my recent baby buys!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Job update

So Brew got a phone call back today. Apparently he didn't pass the physical strength test which is crap because he can more than fulfill the physical requirements of the job but I won't get into that. Sigh. I know that there is a reason for this and God will work it out for good. But it still sucks. Brew is sooo disappointed and I am for him. Not to mention I'm bummed that we won't have the financial blessing that this job would have given us.

He can't apply for any more jobs with that company for a year. So we are back to square one. Please continue to pray for us as we try to work out our budget for when baby Jackson comes. Looks like I will have to work almost full time now after maternity leave so pray that we find a childcare solution as well.

Hopefully I'll have a happier update next time!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Prayer Request...

So I have a prayer request for everyone out there...

I haven't talked about this any online- and I still can't get into details- but Brew has (had?) a new job opportunity that he was given.  He had to do a couple things first- one of which was to have a physical Drs. exam.  Well we just got a call this evening from the medical office this evening saying that his appointment had been cancelled and they had no information as to why. 

So it's probably not a good sign... Trying not to let disappointment take over until we know exactly what is going on.  It's a big deal though.  Pretty much my husband's dream job (or well at least dream company) and it was going to make our lives soooo much easier in that I was going to be able to work when I wanted and was able and otherwise be momma to our baby boy at home most of the time.  Also, we have had a hard time being able to save enough for my maternity leave (since I'm a sub- I don't get paid time off), so we were hoping this would be the financial blessing we were in need of.  And it still may be-- there could be a million different reasons as to why the appointment was cancelled-- it's just driving us both crazy not knowing why.

Brew emailed the HR lady and asked why and basically what was going on.  Hopefully we will hear back from her soon.  In the meantime if everyone could please pray for us and this whole job/financial situation I would sooooo appreciate it.  I know that God has a plan for us, and if it doesn't work out then it probably wasn't meant to be.  But any and all prayers for the whole situation will be very much appreciated!!! Thanks everyone, and I'll update again when we know something more...

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

~ Matthew 6:25-34

Sunday, July 8, 2012

21 Weeks Exactly!

Wow two posts in one day-- and a pregnancy update on time!  Crazy I know!  I haven't recorded my vlog yet, I will add it to the bottom of this post once I get the chance to record/upload it.  I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow at 1:00, however I have to reschedule it because my great aunt passed away Friday and the funeral is at the same time.  I'm going to see if they can fit me in any earlier tomorrow, but we'll just have to wait and see!  At any rate if I can get in later this week then I'll just wait till after my appointment to do the vlog.

Here's my weekly (er, not-so-weekly) pregnancy update!
How far along: 21 weeks
Size of Baby: Banana
Total Weight Gain: 9lbs
Maternity Clothes: About 95% of my wardrobe!  Only a couple dresses still work, though they are starting to get a little short in front, and yoga pants/shorts.  Everything else is maternity!
Gender: We're having a baby BOY!!!
Movement: Lots.  I have a little ninja baby!  He usually is breech so I feel most of the kicks right square on my bladder  (that part isn't so comfortable).  I have felt them a couple times elsewhere so I'm hoping that means he's still turning and flipping a lot.  I have also felt him once or twice on the outside, but Brew hasn't been able to!
Best thing this week: Feeling stronger, more frequent kicks/movement, getting my registries made (at least so far).
Sleep: Usually good.  I can't make it past 6 without having to pee, and occasionally I've had trouble getting comfortable to start with.
What I miss: Haven't really been missing anything lately :)
Cravings: honestly nothing specific as of late, and nothing consistant.  I do get hungry frequently though!
Symptoms: Ugh the new thing the past couple days has been TAILBONE pain.  I feel like it's majorly bruised.  I've also had a little bit of swelling due to the record-breaking ridiculous heat we've had lately.  Nothing too bad, cause I can still get my rings on/off-- just they are way tighter sometimes.
What I’m looking forward to: My next appointment, and I should also get another ultrasound next week :)



4th of July

We had a pretty fun 4th of July this year! First we headed to my husband's Aunt Laura's house for some food and homemade ice cream :) After spending a few hours there, we then headed to my brother's house for the rest of the evening. He lives literally two blocks from our city park, where they put on a fireworks display every year. Granted a pretty pathetic one, but it's about it as far as 4th of July fireworks around here! Anyway, here are some pics from the evening...

My sister-in-law's brother roasting Marshmallows!

Making Smores

My hubby <3

Setting off some of our own fireworks

Baby Jackson's first 4th of July ;)

My BFF Nicole & I :)

My brother and our friend Nicole being silly

Fireworks!

One of those cone-sparkler thingys!

Grand finale of the fireworks display

Saturday, July 7, 2012

New blog design AND halfway done!

Whoo!

 Ok so I spent a while this afternoon working on a new look for this blog! The background and banner came from thecutestblogontheblock.com (link in the upper left corner!) We had a crazy weekend last weekend. We had a really bad storm come through with high straight line winds (called a Derecho) Anyway, we didn't have power from 6:30pm Friday till 12:40am Monday! Some people in our area STILL don't have power over a week later (my inlaws being one of them) So yeah it's been pretty wild in my town (well, state for that matter) this past week.

 Things are going awesomely well with everything baby-related! I'm enjoying feeling my little boy move allll the time! I'm 20 weeks and 6 days today, which means 21 weeks tomorrow! It's going by so fast! I'll do a better job for my 21 week update- but here's the vlog to catch you up.



I will update again soon!