Friday Favs

Was it me or did this week fly by? At any rate, TGIF! I'm definitely working for the weekends from here on out. 

1. Hospital Tour

We took a tour of the hospital we'll be delivering at and it is pretty awesome! The main thing for me was that it didn't have a hospital feel and the rooms were really comfortable. They allow Chris to stay and feed him too (I know we pay for that but it's nice not to have to worry about feeding him). They also offer "free" childbirth and child care classes which we will definitely be attending come March. I highly recommend touring your hospital before delivery, if possible. It really helped alleviate any anxiety we had about that part of this whole experience.

2. Nursery Rocker

As with most of our furniture purchases, this was quite a challenge! We went to our local Buy Buy Baby and their selection had decreased significantly since we'd been in last and we weren't impressed with what was left. We then went to Pottery Barn Kids and sat in the most amazing chair ever...oops. It was $1,100 and definitely not in our price range. Although the PBK chair was a mistake to sit in, it did help us make the decision that we wanted an upholstered chair instead a wooden one. With that in mind, we went to the mecca Buy Buy Baby down south and found a much wider selection. We found the most perfect upholstered rocking chair and were able to custom order it in the fabric we wanted. It should be here by the end of March! I can't wait!

3. Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper

I can have caffeine but I just really don't have the nerve to drink it. Luckily, Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper tastes exactly like the real thing and satisfies my craving. It took me a while to find it and I was beginning to think they no longer carried it...obviously this made my day when I saw it on the end cap at Kroger this week.

4. Perfect Score

I received a perfect score on my PPR exam!! The PPR was the last component to completing my alternate certification and obtaining my full teaching license. I'm pretty proud of the fact that I didn't miss a single question but more excited that I don't have to pay $120 to take another one of these things in the near future.

5. Stroller AND Swing

Our stroller arrived on Tuesday along with the baby swing from our registry!! My mom and step-dad ordered the swing for our sweet Zoey and we know she is going to love it as much as her cousins do. More "some assembly required" stuff to put together! Luckily that's my favorite past time. I just love that our house is filling up with baby stuff!!

                  Linking up with a few of my favs - April, Christina, Darcy & Natasha!

Wishing you the happiest of Fridays!!

Pregnancy Journal - 23 Weeks

Pregnancy Journal - 23 Weeks

How Far Along? 23 Weeks - The start of my SIXTH month.

Size of Baby: Papaya - approx 1.3 oz and 11.5 inches

Gender: Sweet baby girl!

Maternity Clothes: I'm proud to say that I have not purchased any maternity clothes this week. I enlisted the help of Chris to photograph some of my favorites for a post next week! I'm loving dressing the bump. 

Best Moment This Week: We made a lot of progress on Zoey's nursery and I'm so looking forward to making more progress this weekend! I also passed my PPR (last teaching certification exam) with a perfect score! OH...and we toured our hospital and absolutely love it. We can't wait to start taking our classes in a few months.

Nursery: Painted but needing touch ups...next up, furniture assembly and curtains :) It seems like everything baby has "some assembly required"! We did order the most beautiful rocker for her nursery last weekend and are pretty sure that it does not require assembly.

Movement: She's starting to get into a routine of moving - late, late at night and early in the morning while I'm teaching. I just love her little kicks and punches so much. She's amazing.

Cravings: Fruit, Fruit, Fruit! I'm eating raspberries, apples, cuties, and dried cranberries almost daily. Also Girl Scout Cookies and still working on those strawberry cupcakes from weekend before last. Oh and I finally found Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper...I've missed you my old friend!

Symptoms: I feel like my belly is double the size it was last week! It is all of the sudden very difficult to get up off the couch. Other than a stuffy nose, thanks to the bipolar weather we're having, I feel amazing!

Sleep: Sleeping great!

What I Miss: Can't think of a thing...

Looking Forward to: Date w/ my handsome man and more nursery progress!

Friday Favs

Happy Friday, Friends! I'm happy to report that another weekend is already upon us. :) May it feel as long or longer than this week felt.

1. Zoey's Stroller

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We bought Zoey's stroller last night! Totally not the first baby item we intended to purchase but this stroller is exactly what we want and normally SUPER expensive. We found it for a steal (read: only slightly expensive) online w/ free shipping so we pounced. Excited for it to arrive! It looks like the "new models" are coming out this spring and stores are clearing out old models...I hope this trend continues for everything else we need! 

2. Family

My two favorite Whovians visited this weekend! We really enjoyed hanging out before they jetted off to a Doctor Who themed party. :)

3. Coffee

Something unfortunate happened to my Kuerig Coffee filter and this bag of Decaf White Christmas coffee has been taunting me for weeks. My step-dad took pity on me and picked up a four pack of filters for me this weekend. He gets me.

4. Friends

This weekend we attended our friends's son's first birthday party. The theme was carnival and she had everything decorated so cute - complete with a backdrop and props for photos! We really enjoyed seeing their sweet boy and spending time catching up with friends.

5. DIY Spring Wreath

I'm slightly obsessed with the wreath I made this week. I just love the bright colors! It's a reminder that things aren't always this dull, grey, and cold...spring is coming!!

                    Linking up with a few of my favs - April, Christina, Darcy & Natasha!

Happy Friday!!

Pregnancy Journal - 22 Weeks

Pregnancy Journal - 22 Weeks

How Far Along? 22 Weeks

Size of Baby: Spaghetti Squash - 1 lb!! and 11ish inches? The app I'm using decides to be less specific at this point, which annoys me.

Gender: GIRL!!!

Maternity Clothes: Received my first ebay purchase and I love it! I may have accidentally bought a few more things from Old Navy today too. Seriously, I'm done buying maternity clothes. I am going to blog about them soon though!

Best Moment This Week: Spending time with my dad and sis!! And bless their hearts, they helped us purchase the nursery furniture and carry it up the stairs. They are the best!! Zoey now has a bookshelf, dresser, crib and a mattress! 

Nursery: Still waiting on the paint but she has furniture!! Thanks to Chris for getting the crib that was not in-stock when we went to pick it up this weekend. I may have had a small meltdown.

Movement: Lots of kicking! She loves to kick Chris in the hand, just to say "hi". She also discovered my bladder this weekend - such a funny feeling! Luckily, she was kind enough to stay off of it during the 5 hours I was locked in a room with students during state testing this week. :)

Cravings: Fruit and I did make a batch of Strawberry Cupcakes this weekend...strongly regretting that decision. They're SO good though!!

Symptoms: Growing belly and a few aches and pains here and there. I think we've hit another growth spurt.

Sleep: Sleeping awesome!

What I Miss: Can't think of a thing...

Looking Forward to: Spending some down time with Chris and picking out our glider for the nursery!

Spring Wreath

Just stopping by to share my new spring wreath!

As I've mentioned before, I am already over winter and very ready for warm weather! 

In honor of yesterday's beautiful spring-like weather, I gathered supplies to make a spring wreath for our front door.

1 large grapevine wreath

15 tulip stems in various bright colors (50% off at Michaels)

1 spool of burlap ribbon - It was a tough choice between stripes and polka dots!

1 wooden "P"

I already had floral wire, a hot glue gun, wire cutters and paint for my "P"

I cut my tulips in varying lengths, some with leaves, some without and rearranged them on my wreath until I was happy with the look. I used a combination of floral wire and hot glue to secure the tulips. To finish the wreath off, I created a bow out of my burlap ribbon and wrapped the remainder of the ribbon around the wreath - securing with hot glue and adding my "P". 

This was an easy 30 minute project that I think happens to look fab on our door! 

Friday Favs

Happy FRIDAY!!! I'm SO relieved today is Friday...this week has been filled with meeting after meeting and lots of early mornings. I still have a lot to accomplish before I can enjoy my weekend BUT a 3 day weekend is in my future! Aside from all of the meetings, we had a great prenatal appointment yesterday and all looks great with our little Zoey! All-in-all it's been a great week. :)

1. Girl Scout Cookies

I just got my yearly fix of Girl Scout Cookies from my favorite Girl Scout!! I bought our two favs, Samoas and Thin Mints AND a new one to try, Thank U Berry Munch (White Chocolate and Berries). These will not last long...

2. Scrambled Eggs and Grilled Cheese

My dinner of choice one night this week...yep, I'm totally pregnant. It was delicious and I would've eaten it again tonight if Chris hadn't been sweet enough to make Salmon.

3. Zoey's First Dress

We were out shopping for a friend's one year old and we found this ADORABLE and trendy little sundress for our girl. It makes me feel good to have something girly in her closet.

4. Happy Hour

Our Frozen Yogurt shop has a happy hour so after the world's quickest prenatal appointment today, Chris took me to get some froyo :) So yummy! I'll take it instead of the margarita for now ;)

5. Zoey's Christmas Stocking

Last Christmas, I made felt stockings for us and now I get to make one for our daughter! I ordered this one and I can't wait to work on it a little every night! I hope to have it done before she gets here.

Linking up with a few of my favs - April, Christina, Darcy & Natasha!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Pregnancy Journal - 21 Weeks

Pregnancy Journal - 21 Weeks

How Far Along? 21 Weeks

Size of Baby: Banana - 10.51 inches and 12.70 oz 

Gender: GIRL!!!

Maternity Clothes: Holding strong with what I've got but on the hunt for a pretty baby shower dress. Any suggestions? Oh and my mom helped me discover maternity clothes on ebay...oops.

Best Moment This Week: Zoey had a little dance party one evening this weekend and Chris felt her kick for the first time!! It was more exciting than when I felt her move for the first time! Plus, it meant I wasn't imagining it after all... We also registered at Buy Buy Baby! It was a lot of fun but EXHAUSTING! We still have lots to add but we did make some major and important decisions.

Nursery: Her room is still awaiting paint but we have big plans to purchase her furniture this weekend. :) Look for a post about my thoughts on baby furniture and what we decided.

Movement: She's still kicking pretty frequently but I can never predict when she'll be most active! This morning she was somersaulting (very unique feeling) while I was teaching my 1st period class and this evening she's been fairly quiet. She does like to start up her dance parties at about 2 AM...sleep has been interesting but I'm just so happy to know she's in there that I don't care! She stuck her foot out at my doctor's appointment and made my stomach go lopsided...she's already so entertaining!

Cravings: Hard boiled eggs and breakfast foods...I'm also eating lots of salads and fruit.

Symptoms: Growing belly!! I must have reached the point where people are noticing because several adorable students have very timidly asked me if I'm pregnant. No stretch marks yet!

Sleep: Sleep has been good despite my sweet daughter's night owl tendencies. 

What I Miss: Can't think of a thing...

Looking Forward to: Buying Zoey's furniture and spending some time with some family and friends!

Pregnancy Journal - 20 Weeks

Pregnancy Journal - 20 Weeks

How Far Along? 20 Weeks - Halfway!!!

Size of Baby: Large Melon - 10.08 inches and 10.58 oz ( she weighs 12 oz according to the sonogram :) )

Gender: GIRL!! Zoey Grace - See my reveal post here! I'm the aunt of some very beautiful baby boys and I love, love, love shopping for sweet boy clothes but I do always walk wistfully past the sweet dresses and bows. It's going to feel surreal having a purpose when shopping in that section of the store!

Maternity Clothes: I bought a few more ruched tanks and a very comfy black maxi skirt from Old Navy. A sweet co-worker of mine also lent me some of her maternity clothes. Now if it would just warm up so I can wear more of my new clothes! 

Best Moment This Week: Finding out we are going to be the proud parents of a sweet baby GIRL!! I had a very strong feeling but it was still a shock to hear the sonographer say it.

Nursery: Now we can get this party started!! We bought our paint sample of Lavender Mist from Benjamin Moore on the way home from our appointment and we LOVE the color. Can't wait to start designing her room!

Movement: Lots of kicks and jabs!! I feel her a little less when I'm at work, up and moving but I always feel her several times a day. I think she's a night owl as I'm starting to feel her more in the evenings and even while sleeping. I pressed lightly on my left side the other night and she pushed back!! It was such a weird feeling! 

Cravings: Nothing really! Still trying to eat healthier and more frequent, smaller meals are a must.

Symptoms: I'm happy to report that the horrible constipation has subsided...for now. Other than that unpleasant experience, I have been feeling great!!!

Sleep: Sleep has been either really good or really bad. I'm definitely exhausted after the first week back to school and all of the gender reveal excitement! I'm hoping for a great weekend of sleep.

What I Miss: I can't think of a thing this week...just loving this time in our lives!

Looking Forward to: Getting started on the nursery and our regular monthly appointment where we'll hear what our doctor thinks of Zoey's growth and progress. We also plan to get started on her registry!

It's a.....

First off, I'm thrilled to report that our baby looks to be growing and healthy. We will get the full report from our doctor in a week but our sonographer was pleased with everything she saw. I'm still, of course, a little nervous until we get the all clear from the doctor.

Now, for the fun part!! Our little one did decide to cooperate and we now know if we are having a boy or girl! 

In true fashion, we left the doctor and went to purchase a sample of the paint we chose for the nursery - in the gender appropriate color, of course. We decided to reveal via paint choice as we've been relentlessly painting our house since we moved back in 2012. Baby P's room will be the 2nd to last room that is to be painted!

It's a GIRL!!!!!! I felt like I knew that already but it was still a great shock and very exciting! I'd been having my doubts about my gut feelings but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Luckily, We have a blank canvas for the nursery!

Instead of painting a swatch, Chris had the brilliant idea to paint HER name!!

We are pretty much in love with her name and even more in love with her!!

Thanks for sharing in our gender reveal fun!

Today is the day!!

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I have to apologize for the lack of posts this week. I do promise I have lots to post soon about baby and non-baby related things but this has been the soul thing on my mind for the past week or so! AND today is finally the day! Just 4 periods of class to teach, a few hours to pass and we will be finding out who our baby is and most importantly, that everything is developing normally!

Take the poll to the right (in the side bar) to make your guess and find my gender prediction post here! I'll have a 20 week (YES! We're halfway!!) bumpdate and our gender reveal tomorrow!

I even painted my nails for the occasion!