24 Weeks... 6 Months DOWN!

HOLE-LEE-MOLE-LEE.

 

6 months... GONE. Hello, 7th month of pregnancy!

 

I'm officially 25 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Andddd I have yet to publish my 24 week post. YIKES! As tired as I am right now and even though I'd much rather be napping, I know I need to stay on top of these weekly updates. Only 14 more to go, IF my little guy holds out the entire 40 weeks. Craziness. Am I beginning to panic? Absolutely.

 

 

 

 

How Far Along? 25 Weeks, 1 Day... but this post is all about last week... my 24th week of pregnancy.

 

Size of Baby: About as big as an eggplant.

 

 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Down half a pound from last week. In total, I'm approximately 5 lbs below my starting weight at the beginning of my pregnancy. Had a doctor's appointment this week and didn't show any gain on their scales either. Doctor is not worried at all, baby is growing just fine and measuring perfectly so everyone is happy... including me :-)

 

Maternity Clothes: Just ordered a few new pieces from Craving Style... needed some casual, comfy t-shirts that cover the belly appropriately... LOL. Also picked up a black maternity pencil skirt from Target yesterday - it was on the clearance rack for $12. AWESOME!

 

Gender: Baby BOY!  

Movement: Little Man's kicks have been shaking my belly this week! He's kicking so hard, and it's sooo cool to watch and feel. Hubby is still waiting for his chance to feel the baby move. I feel the baby a lot on the right side of my belly, so I asked the doctor if she could tell me what position he is in. It AMAZES me how she can just feel around my tummy and know exactly where my little boy is :-)  Baby boy is laying sideways across the top of my belly. Doctor says he is high up there, head on the left hand side, butt up near the top of my uterus, and legs down on the right side of my belly.

 

What I miss: Going more than two hours at a time without having to scope out a bathroom... HA!

 

Cravings: Been craving sweets lately. Specifically, a half a glass of milk with a chocolate (or two) from a Russel Stover's gift box that we got for Christmas. Mmmmmhmmm, that happened at about 2am this morning, LOL. Woke up and had to have a chocolate and some milk.

 

Symptoms: SUPER EMOTIONAL this week. Every other song on the radio is making me cry, no joke.

 

Best Moment This Week: Going shopping for nursery fabrics on Monday night was a blast! So excited to get the next nursery project started.

 

Looking Forward To: Spending some time with my friend, Amy, on Thursday night! Dinner date and then heading to Target to go over registry must-haves. So thankful for these experienced Mommas in my life who are willing to help me navigate the waters of first-time-motherhood!

 

24 Weeks Pregnant:

 

 

See you next week later this week! ...Hopefully on time, this time!

 

 



Fabric Frenzy!

Well, my mother-in-law and I ventured out to find fabric for my baby boy's nursery on Monday evening. To see the post where I shared the nursery colors and inspiration, click {{here}}.

 

We started out at a locally owned fabric shop. While they had a nice selection of baby fabrics, they were lacking in the blue-brown department. They had one fabric that I loved - a blue fabric with a large brown damask swirl design... and of course, I needed 6 yards and they only had 2.

 

It was slightly frustrating because I thought this shop was going to be THE place to go - if they didn't have what I wanted, I doubted anyone would, because they are said to have the best selection in town.

 

When we walked out of the shop with just a swatch of the fabric I liked in hand (just in case I could find something similar), Connie (world's best mother-in-law!) asked if there was a Joann's Fabrics close by. I told her there was one across town... so we loaded up in my car and headed to Joann's.

 

As soon as we walked ino the quilting fabric department, I spotted an entire section of blue/brown fabrics. Out loud, I said "Be still, my heart!" I found a brown fabric with a chunky blue swirl design and fell in love. We picked out coordinating fabrics, everything was coming together nicely.

 

...And then.

 

And then I got to thinking. The fabric that I picked out as my base fabric as the main fabric for my quilt and window treatment was beautiful... but, did it say "Baby Boy?" There were some flowers mixed in with those swirls... but, the more I looked at it, the fabrics just seemed to look older. It was definitely a beautiful set of fabrics that I would love to have for a quilt in my bedroom... but could I imagine my baby boy walking around with this quilt as his "blankie"? Nope. Just couldn't do it.

 

I think my mother-in-law was ready to shoot me.

 

So we scoured the store looking for another fabric that was appease me.

 

And then I found it. I found this cute puppy fabric that matched some of the other complimentary fabrics that I had already picked out! So, a quick look for another complimentary fabric or two... and this is what we came up with :-)
...2 and a half hours later, LOL

I am so excited for the bedding, pillows, and window treatments now that I have the fabric picked out! I couldn't have done it without Connie's help... and her patience :-)

 

What do you think?!

 



Nursery Notes

Okay. The nesting instinct is starting to kick in.

 

I find myself daydreaming about my little boy's nursery more and more these days.

 

The day that I found out I was having a little boy, I headed straight to Hobby Lobby to pick up some cute blue/boy decorations for our gender reveal party. I came across this framed print and I had to buy it. I love the colors and the country feel to it.

 

 

 

The more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea of using that framed print as my nursery inspiration. I've never been a big fan of the commercialized "bagged" nursery themes, and when a friend of mine was expecting her first baby, her aunt custom-made bedding for her, a window treatment, and diaper bags that fit her color scheme. I love the idea of using a color scheme as a theme rather than a bagged theme. My little man's nursery will be one-of-a-kind! Now I realize that other nurseries may have similar color schemes, but our baby's bedding will be extra special (as the quilt and pillows will be monogramed with his name or initials and birthdate).

 

Here is the color scheme that I derived from the framed picture using Sherwin Williams's paint chip generator:

 

 

Now... I'm not crazy about all of SW's suggestions. I would subtract the plum and peacock colors.

 

For paint, I'm thinking I would like to do the rose beige color from the floor to chair rail, and then the sand color from the chair rail to the ceiling. Maybe use the snowbound color on the chair rail and ceiling.

 

Here are some fabrics from the Joann's Fabrics website that I like:

 

My favorites are probably the blue bird fabric in the upper right, the zig-zag chevron print in the upper left, and the teddy bear print in the lower left. The fabric store we are going to tomorrow may/may not have these prints... but these are the colors/styles that I like. :-)

 

A few other room accessories that I have my eye on:

 

{{This Rug}} on Amazon:

 

 

{{This Bedding Set}} for the twin bed that will be in the nursery - also on Amazon

 

 

I'd like to make this wreath to hang on the door of the nursery:

 

 

{{This Sign}}

 

 

or

 

{{This Sign}}

 

 

 

Love the simplicity of this alphabet plaque, but it's no longer available through Pottery Barn Kids :-(

Might just have to make my own. Canvas + Letter Stencils + Brown Paint?

 

 

 In terms of furniture for the nursery, we are going to use two dressers that were Jason's when he was growing up that are already in the room that will be our nursery. They need a little bit of sprucing up (maybe a coat of paint and some new hardware), but there's no reason to buy brand new when we have something that can already work. One dresser is tall and thin, and the other dresser is wide and comes up to my waist - perfect size for the changing table! 

 

We also have a twin size bed in that room already. At first, I had found a beautiful 4-in-1 crib that was a little bit over my budget for the crib. The more I thought about it, though... the convertible crib converts to a full-size bed eventually. At the present time, we have one twin size bed and two queen size beds in our house that aren't even being used... so why register for a crib that is going to convert to a full-size bed - which will make us have to buy yet another mattress to add to our collection? ... No, thank you. Just not practical. And honestly, I've heard mixed reviews about the convertible cribs.

 

So, I found {{this}} reasonably priced and well-reviewed crib at Target that matches the furniture already in the soon-to-be nursery.

It will work just fine for our needs :-)

I like the idea of having the twin size bed in the nursery. Since I'm going to be home with the baby for his first four months, I don't expect my Hubby to help much at night. He has to get up for work super early in the morning, and I think that it will just work out better if the baby and I sleep in the nursery in the twin bed with the co-sleeper until I start putting him to bed in his crib a few weeks before I go back to work. Plus... if anyone happens to spend the night to give me a good night of sleep *hint hint*, there will be a comfy bed right in the nursery to accommodate our guest. Hey, gotta think of everything ;-)

 

Last night, I spent a good hour measuring furniture and walls in the nursery.

 Our other spare room is actually much bigger and would be more ideal for all the extra furniture, but we want to save that room for the baby when he gets bigger... that way our next little one can go right into the nursery that's already set up. (Plus - the nursery walls will be completely neutral, so if we ever have a girl, it will just be a matter of customizing new bedding in some girly colors.)

 

I came up with this tentative plan for the nursery:

 

 

...And then I found an online app that let me make it prettier for you:

 

 

 

Ahhhhh... much better :-)

 

So there you have it! My current notes on the nursery. All of this is still in my head... but time is ticking away and I can't wait to get started on making it all a reality!

 

I'll be back with an update on nursery fabrics later in the week.

 

Till then... xoxox

  

 

Life Lately... Randoms :-)



Life Lately... Random photos brought to you by Instagram  

My students love using my iPad!

 

New season of the bachelor! ...And lots of blog-post planning lately ;)

 

...Random.

 

Took our second graders to see a Chinese dance group all the way from Hong Kong!

It was awesome... until the dancers started changing outfits on sidestage, and were CLEARLY in the view of our students. Ugh :-/

 

Started buying diapers this week! Also picked up some lanolin cream for some dryness.

 

gulp, gulp, gulp... drinking lots of water!

 

Cute belly, cute outfit, cute shoes... :-)

 

Still rockin' my 3-inch heels while I can!

...But I admit, I switched to flats by the end of the day ;-)

 

Why, hellooooo kitty!

 

Made fried green beans as a side dish to crab cakes and baked salmon Friday night!

They were DE-LISH.

Just like TGIFridays :-)

Going to try to oven fry them next time to cut some fat out ;-)

 

The rest of the aforementioned dinner :-)  

Got my Christmas decorations taken down and put away yesterday Watched some Tia & Tamera while doing so. LOVE learning about pregnancy and motherhood through their show!  

Kitty was mad that I took down the tree. In fact, she sat UNDER the tree as I undecorated it in protest. When the tree was all gone, she hid behind the curtain. Not a happy kitty.  

Behind the curtain. Kitty is saying, "Go away. I'm not talking to you."  

Dessert last night :-)   Anyone else use Instagram? Follow me: kmcaudill    

23 Weeks!

How Far Along? 23 weeks and 6 days... Hello 24 weeks tomorrow ;-)

Size of Baby: About as long as an ear of corn! Little over a pound and a half.

 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: No gain or loss this week. ***TMI ALERT*** I actually weigh myself every day and was noticing about mid-week that the scale was starting to creep up a little each day showing almost a 2 pound gain! I was thinking, "What in the world is going on?! Is baby boy going through a growth spurt? Or am I snacking too much?" ...And then it hit me. I haven't been having... {{ahem}}... regular bowel movements (sorry for TMI!) this week.

 

I thought about it, and I haven't been drinking as much water as I used to. But yesterday morning, I woke up and was craving a cup of my favorite Amaretto flavored coffee. Since I'm allowed to have 150mg of caffeine per day (which is the equivalent of approx. 4 cans of Mountain Dew), I thought 8oz of coffee would be fine if I didn't have any more caffeine for the day. So I brewed a delicious cup of coffee... and I kid you not, I ended up in the bathroom FIVE times over the course of the day. Needless to say, when I got back on the scale this morning, my weight was exactly what it was last weekend. :) Goal for the week... drink more water!!!

Maternity Clothes: Yep! My favorite places to get maternity clothes are (in order of price - cheapest to most expensive): friends -thank you Abigail & Beth for letting me borrow some of yours!!!, Craving Style - an online consignment shop with really reasonable prices and great customer service, Ross Stores - just super affordable, Old Navy - classic style without breaking the wallet, and Gap Stores. What I need more of, at the moment, are some maternity yoga/comfy pants. Mine don't stay up on my hips. On a positive note, I tried on a pair of my favorite pre-preggo jeans yesterday (just for curiousity) and they still fit in the butt/legs! ...Just need about 4 inches to get them zippered ;) LOL

Gender: A mini-me of my Hubby!

Movement: Lots! I used to feel him really low - like down around my pelvic bone - but now I'm feeling him just below my belly button and on the right side of my tummy. I put my iPhone on my belly with some music yesterday and he went crazy. Not sure if he liked the music or if he was telling me to turn it off, hehe :-)

What I miss: Being healthy... I came down with a touch of the flu and a cold the day after Christmas... I'm recovering {{finally}} after two and half weeks. My husband, on the other hand, just came down with it last week and he's still struggling to feel better. We are home from church today, actually, and I just ran to the store to get ingredients for some quick (but tasty) Chicken Noodle Soup.  

 

Cravings:  Been craving citrus this week! Oranges, grapefruit, OJ... just some of my favs.

Symptoms: Well... kinda already spoke about some constipation earlier in my post. If you missed it, that's probably a good thing... LOL.

Best Moment This Week: On Thursday night, our second graders put on a Performance of Peace at the PTO meeting at my school. I was so proud of my kiddos and their work. You can see some of their work in an upcoming post! Stay tuned ;-)

Looking Forward To: Going shopping with my mother-in-law tomorrow after school for fabric for the nursery! I spoke with the lady who is going to be making my crib bedding and pillows (don't worry, the pillows are just decoration and won't be in the crib with my lil guy), window treatment, and my bags (diaper bag, tote bag, duffel bag). She told me how much fabric I need to get... so now it's time to get busy! I'm taking along a framed print that I found at Hobby Lobby that has become the inspiration for the nursery. My mother-in-law has a great eye for decorating and color coordination, so her input will be invaluable. So glad she is free to come and help me!

23 Weeks Pregnant:

Excuse the lack of make-up and the air-dried, slept on hair.

Hey, we're still trying to get over sickness in my house!

 

 

And... I can't believe I'm even going to post this, and it may be the only one I post all pregnancy...

but here is a BELLY pic.

 

 

I have a dark spot on the side of my belly - which you can see in this picture. It has gotten darker throughout my pregnancy. It's weird how hormones can cause so many changes in your body. Stretch marks? I know you're wondering. And yes, I have some. Mostly on the front of my belly below my belly button. Yes, I lather up with organic cocoa butter after every shower and before bed, but honestly I'm not devastated over the stretch marks. Found this poem (and slightly adapted it) because it is very true about how I feel about these stretch marks:

 

If I put on a bikini

I would get all kinds of stares.

Others don't know how I can act

like they're not even there.

They were once red as fire,

and although they'll slowly fade

They'll always remind me

of the precious life we made.

 

I've got a mark for every worry

and trust me, there were more than a few

One for each and every time

you kicked me while you grew.

A stripe for each chubby cheek

10 fingers and 10 toes

Another for the times I'll hold you tight

and kiss your little nose.

 

I'm watching my body swell large

while you grow big inside

and I couldn't care much less about them,

because I'm blinded by my pride.

They remind me of your smiles to come

and the hairs growing on your head

and someday they'll remind me

of the funny things you said.

 

They're my zebra stripes, my stretch marks

my war and battle scars

and I'll never be too bothered

because I know that you are ours.

They may not be too flattering

to my midsection, it's true

But I'd get them over and over again

if it meant that I'd get you.

 

Originally written by Caitlyn Blake 2011

Slightly adapted by me

  

See you next week!

 

22 Weeks

Hi, Ya'll!

 

 

 

How Far Along? Today I'm actually 23 weeks exactly... I'm a little late on my 22 week post! Sorry!

Size of Baby: 10 inches long, a little over a pound
 

 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained half a pound this week... so I am now -4.5 lbs from the beginning of pregnancy.

Maternity Clothes: Of course... wearing them proudly! Maternity clothes are so comfy... I may never go back to 'normal' clothes - LOL!
Gender: A sweet bundle of baby boy joy :-)
Movement: Baby boy has been very active lately! I feel him early in the morning (he's usually busy moving around when my alarm clock goes off at 5am), and in the afternoon/evening, he loves to practice kicking, punching, and rolling around.
What I miss: This week, I'm missing sushi! I could totally eat an entire Hagerstown Roll from House of Kobe... Mmmmm, mouth watering! Maybe someone will bring me some sushi in the hospital when the time comes ;-)

Cravings:  Still wanting sweet tea all the time! Trying to limit myself to one or two servings per day, though. Watching the sugar and caffeine intake!
Symptoms: I have had some tingly hands this week, especially when I wake up in the mornings. Weird!
Best Moment This Week: Toasting with my belly on New Year's Eve! My Hubby couldn't stay awake to ring in the new year, so I had a glass (or THREE!) of sparkling grape juice, and when the clocked counted down to midnight, I cheers-ed my belly! 2012 was a great year, but I can't wait for all that 2013 holds for my family. Truth be told, I had quite the emotional moment at midnight... thinking of all that is to come in 2013! We are very blessed.

 

Another awesome part of this week has been receiving lots of hand-me-downs! So far, I've had the following items given to me: diaper genie, changing pad for dresser top, Eddie Bauer swing, Fisher Place Rock 'N Play Sleeper, and lots of clothes... I'm talking 4 garbage bags FULL of baby boy clothes! (Clothes not pictured below - they are in my laundry room waiting to be washed!)

 

 

Looking Forward To: Feeling more and more movement from my little guy, and can't wait for my hubby to feel the baby kick! Each time Jason puts his hand on my belly for a while, the baby usually kicks as soon as he moves his hand - LOL. Little guy is playing games with us already.

22 Weeks Pregnant: