Pregnancy | Week 27

This little space of mine is slowly turning into a pregnancy blog. I'm okay with it and I hope y'all are too. I always thought of this as a space to express my passions and musings. Right now, it is all about baby!  I am looking forward to mixing it up a bit and sharing some favorite holiday recipes and holiday decor these next few weeks. 

Size of Baby: Baby M is the size of a bunch of bananas. She weighs over 2 pounds and is 15 inches long! Honestly, I can't believe that little one is that large when I look down at my belly.  

Gender: Baby girl. 

Weight Gain: Up to a total of 19 pounds. I am right on track to gain a little over 30 pounds. 

Maternity Clothes: My wardrobe selection is dedicated to maternity pants and mainly maternity tops. My leggings for Pure Barre still fit but have started rolling down over the bump during class. 

Nursery: Did a lot of shopping at Hobby Lobby over the weekend to get decor for her room. Also, we are set to have her nursery painted this week.

Movement: It is still strange to see her kick and roll from the outside. Her kicks and punches are becoming stronger each day. Some jabs really do hurt depending on her position.   

Symptoms: I had my first experience with car sickness headed to work. I have never gotten car sick before so that was a new feeling! I find that I get overheated easily and constantly want a fan nearby. The heartburn has gone down a little bit thanks to my daily chugs of milk. I am now winded when I walk up one flight of stairs. Getting off the sofa is not as easy as it used to be thanks to my growing belly. 

Sleep: Overall, I am still sleeping pretty great. I average getting up 1-2 times a night to use the bathroom. 

Cravings: The delicious Thanksgiving food kept my cravings subdued this week. Loving Peppermint Joe Joe's which are Trader Joe's version of Peppermint Oreos. They are a holiday treat every year. I don't feel as guilty indulging in a few extra this year.   

What I Miss: Being able to order drinks without thinking at a restaurant. I can never think of a non alcoholic mixed drink so I always order water. 

Exercise: I was able to get in 4 Pure Barre classes this week along with several long walks!! I have the holiday break to thank for getting in that extra class. Hoping to keep it up.  

Best Moments: Spending Thanksgiving with both our families. I loved spending time with my mom shopping for baby girl. 

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Pregnancy | Week 26

Size of Baby: Baby M is the size of a head of butternut squash. She weighs over 2 pounds and is 13 inches long. I feel like I am carrying her wide aka all in my hips. According to wives' tales it is typical to carry girls low. 

Gender: Little girl!

Weight Gain: Holding steady at 16 pounds. We will see what the Thanksgiving treats this week brings.

Maternity Clothes: Rocking maternity clothes the majority of the time. I brought out my winter jackets this weekend and they are not even close to buttoning at the waist. The tops in the photos are both non-maternity Lilly. I wore this for church Sunday and after we got home was ready to rip off the pants. The pants were way too tight around the waist. 

Nursery: Slowly working toward the goal of having everything completed by Christmas break. I am hoping to snag some good sales this weekend. 

Movement: Loving all the movement I feel during the day. I was able to see her move from the outside this week which was so amazing but yet weird at the same time.

Symptoms: I have been developing a light case of heartburn daily. Thankfully, a tall glass of milk has helped. I am still struggling with calf cramps through out the day. I have been stretching and foam rolling to help work my muscles out. My lower back is starting to ache at the end of the long day. I am dreaming of a pregnancy massage in the very near future. 

Sleep: Sleeping pretty great. I wake up 1-2 times a night to use the bathroom. 

Cravings: Enjoying oatmeal with raisins for breakfast. I am also loving a glass of milk before bed at night. I have noticed that my cravings come and go within an hour. I was really craving some fries one night but by the time Joe got home I had canceled my order. 

What I Miss: Hard cider. Apple cider is not the same. 

Exercise: I was able to get in 3 Pure Barre classes this week along with several long walks. 

Best Moments: Taking Christmas card/ maternity photos this weekend with the amazing Jordan Maunder. 

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Painting Our Home

One way to make a new house feel more like home is a fresh coat of paint. When we bought our new home in June, I knew that I wanted new colors in the master bedroom as well as several of the upstairs rooms.  Five months later, I have finally decided on paint colors and have a painter scheduled!  I am extremely indecisive and am have a huge fear of messing up our beautiful new home. In out last home, I took two years to hang pictures and curtains because I was not confident in my decisions.  

Today, I want to share my final paint color decision. I’ll be sharing before and after photos when everything gets painted next month!

I decided on Behr premium paints based on Consumer Report’s review. They rated Behr the highest out of all major paint brands based on coverage, application, durability and ability to clean. 

Downstairs Living Area- Shale Grey: Our downstairs living room, kitchen, hall bath and dining room are painted the same shade of light blue/grey. It is a pretty neutral which coordinates with almost anything. 

Upstairs Den- Stone Fence: The upstairs den is an open area which currently features textured paint and cow hide curtains. Between the beige carpet, beige sofa and brown walls it all blends together. This deep grey will go on the stairwell and in the open den.

Master Bedroom- Green Meets Blue: The master bedroom is currently a deep shade of hunter green with a light green accent wall. I am looking forward to brightening it up with this light shade of teal.

Bathrooms- Celadon: The upstairs bath is connected to little one’s nursery. To make it more bright I decided on this green tinted shade of grey. The color sample does not do it justice it. It truly looks more green and spa like in person.

Nursery- Radiant Rose: For the nursery, I decided on this beautiful shade of pink which coordinates with her bedding. It is the perfect dupe for Sherwin Williams White Dogwood which I love.

What are your go-to paint colors? Is anyone else just as indecisive as I am?

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Pregnancy | Week 25

Size of Baby: Baby M is the size of a head of nappa cabbage. She weighs almost 2 pounds.  

Gender: Little girl!!

Weight Gain: Up 16 pounds. Slowly weaning myself off my nightly brownie and candy raid. 

Maternity Clothes: Rocking maternity clothes the majority of the time. My normal pajamas are starting to get a bit snug. Hoping to find a pair of long button up PJs like these beauties from Target. 

{via}

Nursery: Decided on a paint color and are setting up a painter. Looking forward to everything coming together. My goal is to have all of the major parts of the nursery ordered and se up by Christmas break. 

Sherwin Williams White Dogwood

Movement: Loving that I can feel movement through out the day. She is most active around 9:30- 10pm when I am settling in for bed. 

Symptoms: I continue to be grossed out my most meat. I try my best to tolerate protein at dinner although it does not aways happen. 

Sleep: Thank goodness for the pregnancy pillow. I have it to thank for my long stretches of sleep at night. 

Cravings: Roasted Carrots, Cracker Barrel Pancakes and peach gummi rings. I enjoyed all three this week. Just not together, promise!

What I Miss: This weather really makes me miss running. But I am sticking to walking until after little girl gets here. 

Exercise: I was able to get in 3 Pure Barre classes this week along with several long walks. 

Best Moments: Still being able to touch my toes in barre class. Also, the fact that my Lululemon leggings are very forgiving and still fit. It is the little things :) 

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Friday Fives

Happy Friday loves. I am thankful to be spending a weekend at home with plans to lazily lay around the house and complete a few needed house project. The last couple of weekends I have been on the go. We enjoyed the State Fair with friends then Halloween weekend was spent shopping at IKEA and last weekend was spent at a board retreat for the NC School Psychologist Association. This weekend is going to be much needed down time. To celebrate, here are five things that I just can't wait to share with each of you!

 One. Address Stencil. This is for all my Type A friends like me who might be addressing tons of Christmas cards in a few weeks. I just bought one and I'm probably more excited than I should be. Looking forward to sending out holiday cards from our new home!

{via}

Two. Winter Cardigans + a sale! Target is featuring a great sale today. 40% off sweaters and cardigans. These two are currently in my shopping bag and I can't wait to wear both of them this winter. They are going to be perfect maternity staples. Check them out here & here.  

Three. Chili Cook-off. Tonight Joe and I are headed to a dinner party with some friends from church. I'm mixing things up by fixing white chili. This southern living recipe is a family favorite and I know it will be a hit. Already ready to enjoy a cup! Recipe here. 

Four. Favorite Calm-down Trick. These calm down jars are a go-to at work with hard to re-direct toddlers and work all the way up to upset 1st graders. 

Five. Keep in Mind. I hope you have a wonderful Friday and take the chance to be a blessing to someone else. 

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Pregnancy | Weeks 23 & 24

Well, hello there!  I have been falling behind on these little updates and absolutely hate it. I'm fixing that today with a quick highlight of the last two weeks. I'll be back tomorrow again to share a highlight of what has been going on these past two weeks.

Size of Baby: Baby M is the size of an eggplant. At 24 weeks, she weighs 1.5 pounds. 

Gender: A bubbly, bouncy baby girl.

Weight Gain: My scale died last week and I *purposely* haven't gotten around to replacing the batteries.  I am telling myself that any weight gain will be so worth it for a healthy newborn. 

Maternity Clothes: Still fitting into all of my typical workout leggings and flow tops. I am still wearing non maternity pants to work with a hair tie to expand the waist. Loving maternity pants though- especially on the weekend. 

Nursery: Little one's wonderful grandma to be picked up an adorable crib skirt. Searching amazon for a well priced, perfectly matching crib sheet and changing pad cover. 

{Bedding & Crib Skirt}

Movement: Feeling movement through out the day now. I am always startled when I feel a random kick during the day. 

Symptoms: Still battling stomach aches now with added heartburn. I have never experienced heartburn before so it is quite a strange feeling. 

Sleep: Waking up a few times during the night to change position and use the bathroom. Not feeling too uncomfortable though. 

Cravings: Carbs, carbs and more carbs. Thanks to my stomaches I am enjoying lots go bread, crackers and rice. 

What I Miss: My pre-pregnancy size. I realize that little one and I will continue to grow until February. So, I am trying to be gentle on myself. I am so blessed to be carrying our first child and I am trying to keep that in mind. 

Exercise: I was able to get in 3 Pure Barre classes both weeks. I also enjoyed a long walk yesterday and enjoyed this beautiful fall weather. 

Best Moments: Love feeling all these little baby kicks and rolls.

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Pregnancy | Week 22

Size of Baby: Baby M is the size of an ear of corn. She weighs right around a pound. 

Gender: Adorable baby girl.

Weight Gain: Holding strong at 12 pounds. It will all be worth it for a healthy little girl.  

Maternity Clothes: Only maternity pants these days as they are amazingly comfortable. I am still wearing a lot of non-maternity tops to help expand my wardrobe. 

Nursery: Crib has been assembled and we picked up the Hemes dresser from IKEA this weekend to use as a changing table. Now to assemble it! 

Movement: Lots of kicks every morning and when I am headed to bed. 

Symptoms: Stomach aches. No matter what I eat, I wake up with a horrible stomach ache every morning. Feeling extra tired these days as well. 

Sleep: I have been sleeping pretty well these days. I really appreciated getting an extra hour of sleep this weekend.

Cravings: Still enjoying a banana for breakfast each morning. Nothing else really sits well in the mornings. 

What I Miss: Fall fashion. I would love to rock some little sweater dresses but that is just not happening anymore.

Exercise: I was able to get in 3 Pure Barre classes this week. A huge improvement over 1 the past week. 

Best Moments: Getting more furniture ready for little one's nursery. 

 

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