Tuesday, February 12, 2013

17 Weeks


How Far Along: 17w6d
Total Weight Gain: +4 pounds, still shocked that it's not more by now.
Maternity Clothes: Just bought another pair of jeans, a pair of jeggings, and a super cute casual summer dress!
Stretch Marks: Same
Sleep: The amazingness of the Snoogle has decreased a bit. It's still helping but I'm having some serious back aches throughout the night and am constantly flipping from side to side.
Best Moment This Week: Getting the cute grey chevron curtains I ordered from Etsy for the nursery in the mail :)
Miss Anything: Being able to brag that I was a fabulous sleeper
Movement: No!! It seems like all the July Mamas I know are feeling their little ones by now and I have yet to feel Emma. I just want to feel that little flutter :(
Food Cravings: Ehhh, nothing I can think of.
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: Nope.
Gender: Sweet baby girl!
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Extreme fatigue by the end of the day, back pain, starting to really feel some round ligament pain as well. In general my belly feels pretty full.
Belly Button In or Out: In, where I'm determined it will stay!
Wedding Rings On or Off: On
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Happy but I did have one day this week that I broke down and sobbed to Mike about all my fears and worries. I think it's just the usual concerns for first time moms.
Looking Forward To: My next OB appointment; Can't wait to hear baby girl's heart beat!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Crafty Mama!

It has now been 5 months since I lost my job and I have to say that usually I really enjoy not working and just being able to focus on baby Emma. BUT occasionally negative thoughts slip into my mind about how I'm not contributing to the family etc... This especially happens when I get asked what I do for a living (which seems to be happening more now that I'm not working then it ever did when I was, go figure) and I say I'm a housewife (so 1950's, I know. But Mike and I agreed that we like the sound of that better then just saying I'm not working). I feel like it would be one thing if I had kids and could say I was a stay at home mom, but I don't have kids (yet) so I feel like people are thinking housewife = lazy person who doesn't want to work.  I guess it's just taking time to adjust to the idea that my value doesn't have to be tied to my profession and that I do contribute to the household, just not in a financial way. Anyways, I have decided to put those thoughts to rest as best I can, and truly embrace the idea of being this fabulous stay at home mom!

A fellow July 2013 expectant mom posted a link from Pinterest on making home made burp cloths and I decided this was going to be my first "mom" craft. Now, I must say that I am immensely proud of myself with this because I have NEVER, repeat NEVER, used a sewing machine in my life! And the fact that fabric is sold in yards confuses the crap outta me!! So I asked my mom for help and she was more then happy to oblige! My mom recently gave her sewing machine away so we had to borrow my sister's but then my mom actually ended up buying a new sewing machine (that's a whole different story).

First we went to Joann Fabrics to get the material. I decided to use cute flannel prints on one side and a basic (but still soft) cotton solid on the back. I have read that some people use Chenille, but I chose to go with flannel/cotton. We picked out 4 different flannel prints and 3 different cottons (1 of them went well with 2 of the flannel prints).


Once we got home my mom helped me figure out how to cut the fabric since the instructions used inches and the fabric was in yards. I seriously believe I missed school during the week they discussed conversions because I suck big time in that topic! Anyways, the instructions said to use slightly different measurements but my mom thought they needed to be bigger so we ended up cutting the fabric to be 10in wide and 18in long. This would give us 4 burp cloths for 3 of the prints, and 8 burp cloths for the other print (that fabric was on sale so we got more of it). Once all the fabric was cut I pinned the flannel and coordinating cotton fabrics together, right side facing each other. For those of you out there who are not sewers, like me, this just means that it looks inside out when pinned together.


Then came the hard part, it was time to sew! I did quite a bit of practicing on scrap pieces of fabric to make sure I could feed the fabric in straight etc. Once I finally felt comfortable I started sewing. I did a straight stitch allowing about a 1/4in seam. I also made sure to leave an open pocket along one of the long sides. Then I took out the pins and pulled the fabric through the open pocket so that it was right side out. Then I finished them by sewing a zigzag stitch around the edges which closed  the pocket and reinforced the seams.


I think they turned out fabulously and I now have 20 burp cloths for only $30!! In all honestly, it was pretty easy to get the hang of basic sewing. By the end of this project I was able to turn the fabric as I rounded corners. I could even fix and re thread the bobbin when jams occurred! I am so glad I decided to give this project a shot because now I have the confidence to do so much more. Next up, I'm thinking receiving blankets!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

We're Having A......

GIRL!

Alright, I know it's been more then just a day or two like I promised but we have been so crazy busy this week and I feel like I have so much to tell you!!

First and foremost we are both over the moon to know that this little person that has been growing inside me is going to be a girl, Emma Mae Mitchell. It's such a surreal thing to think about. I mean, I finally just wrapped my head around the fact that I am actually pregnant and there is a human inside me (which still blows my mind) and I was just getting used to thinking about the baby as "it". Now I have to start thinking "she" or "her". It's crazy! 

Before the ultrasound I made Mike stop at a donut shop and I got a large glass of OJ and 2 sugar donuts. One of the best ultrasounds I have had (and I think it was around 7weeks) I happened to have grabbed a sugar donut on the way out the door and the doctor commented that the baby was moving well and totally cooperating. So I wanted to make sure that she was doing the same this time. Can you imagine how much of a bummer it would have been to not get an answer at that ultrasound?? Anyways, I guess I over did it with the sugar in take because baby girl was break dancing or something in there. All I can say is her legs were flying all over the place in ways I'm pretty sure your legs are not meant to bend, lol! It took a little while but we finally got the confirmation shot. I was squeezing Mike's hand so hard because I really wanted it to be a girl. Guess I got my wish!

So now the shopping has begun! I am finding it physically impossible to not pick up an outfit or two every time I go to Babies R Us or Target or basically anywhere that sells baby clothes! Up until last night they have all just been sitting in bags on the floor but I finally took all the tags off and put them away. Seeing all her clothes folded and piled up made me realize that maybe I need to relax a bit and wait until after my baby shower to buy anymore clothes.

My favorite but least practical piece so far. I can't wait to see little Emma's chunky leg rolls in this!

Pretty sure this little girl is going to have a bigger/better wardrobe then me! 

Lastly, my Mother-In-Law offered to buy the crib and crib mattress for us. Mike and I were so thankful since cribs are not cheap! After looking at MANY cribs we finally agreed on Babi Italia's Mayfair crib in Oyster Shell (it's like an antique white color). Picking out the perfect crib was hard for so many reasons. First and foremost I wanted it to be white for a girl, so that ruled out quite a few cribs in itself. My second requirement was that it be a lifetime crib that could convert into a toddler bed and then a full sized bed as they grow up. If I'm spending all this money on the crib why would I want to turn around and buy a new bed in a couple years?!?! I also had to "test" them all because I am pretty short (5'3" on a good day) and an awful lot of cribs are hard for me to reach down into since it is now illegal to sell drop down side cribs. I literally would toss my purse into all the cribs and see if I could easily bend down and pick it up. This sounds ridiculous but you'd be amazed at how many cribs I had to stretch on my tip toes to pick up my purse! My last requirement and honestly the least important on my wish list is that the crib skirt would be clearly visible. Remember the pink and grey chevron bedding I posted about? I'm still obsessed with it and finally convinced Mike to let me get it. The skirt is one of my favorite parts so I want to make sure I'll actually be able to see it on the crib. So many cribs that I found had huge, solid bottoms that effectively made the crib skirt invisible! Anyways, I'm happy to say this crib passed all my requirements. And to make things even better, Babie's R Us is having what they call The Great Trade In Event now through February 10th. In an effort to educate the public on the hazards of using OLD hand-me-downs and sometimes even expired items (who knew car seats expire every several years?!?!) that may have recalls or features that are no longer deemed safe, they are giving you 25% off a major baby item (crib, car seat, stroller etc...) when you bring in a used item. Luckily for me I have two sisters shoe have recently had babies and had a bunch of hand-me-downs to share. So I took in an old car seat that both my sister's had used so I'm pretty sure it's expired plus it was blue for my nephew and I want a more gender neutral color. Because of that I was able to save my Mother-In-Law $112 on the crib! 

We aren't using that bedding, but it's the only pic I could find of the crib...
So now I'm anxiously waiting the arrival of the crib (which they estimated to be this coming Thursday) so I can put it together!! I'll be sure to post pics :)

And without further ado, here is my gender reveal chalkboard!!


How Far Along: 16w6d
Total Weight Gain: +4.5 pounds and expecting it to go up any day now :)
Maternity Clothes: Heck yes!
Stretch Marks: Same
Sleep: I busted out the Snoogle pillow and am finally getting a good night's rest again!
Best Moment This Week: Finding out we're having a girl!!!!!!
Miss Anything: All the energy I used to have
Movement: Not yet but I'm hoping to feel her very soon
Food Cravings: Still obsessed with Orange soda and gummy candies. Also craving fruit salad.
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: Not anymore :)
Gender: It's a girl!
Labor Signs: Thankfully no
Symptoms: Generally just tired. I've solved the gagging when brushing my teeth problem (baking soda toothpaste). As of this week my carpal tunnel has flared up.
Belly Button In or Out: In
Wedding Rings On or Off: On
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Over the moon :)
Looking Forward To: Feeling baby girl move!