Thursday, August 30, 2012

24 Weeks!


How Far Along: 24 Weeks!

Size of Baby: an eggplant {9 in, 1.7 lbs} according to What To Expect.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time!  Looking forward to the cold a little so I can layer more and change things up a little.

Gender: a sweet baby GIRL!

Movement: Frequent kicks/punches that let me know she's in there :)

Sleep: Good.

What I miss: Feeling comfortable... I know I'm only going to get bigger, but sometimes I wonder how that is possible.

Cravings: Just food, my usual favorites.

Other crazy symptoms: None that I can think of.

Best Moment this week: I have been the only one to feel the movement, so sometimes I feel like it's all in my head, but it's topping my "best" list this week because it's reassuring to me.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

#photoadayaug Week 4






With all of this week's pictures either taking place at our house or in the surrounding areas, I would say that last week was kind of a "home" week for me.  We didn't have any big evening plans or people over for dinner this week, so besides work, the rest of our time was spent resting & relaxing.

How was your week?


+ Day 20 - today {is a Drumstick kind of day}
+ Day 21 - cool {morning with some frost on the grass}
+ Day 22 - home {sweet home}
+ Day 23 - pair {of Cheerios left after breakfast}

+ Day 24 - path {on our evening walk}
+ Day 25 - fresh {fruit}
+ Day 26 - dream {I wonder what Lily is thinking about...}


If you'd like to follow along daily on Instagram, check out my feed here!

Friday, August 24, 2012

23 Weeks!


How Far Along: 23 Weeks!

Size of Baby: an ear of corn {8.5 in, 1.5 lbs} according to What To Expect.

Maternity Clothes: Thanks to a blog friend (Rhi), my maternity wardrobe has doubled with the addition of some adorable dresses & skirts.  Can't wait to rotate them in with what I already have!

Gender: a sweet baby GIRL!

Movement: Lots of flutters, but just yesterday I felt my first kick/punch with my hand and that was one of the most surreal feelings.

Sleep: Been sleeping good, thanks to my body pillow.

What I miss: Not having to go to the bathroom all the time.

Cravings: I can't really think of anything I am craving...

Other crazy symptoms: While not really a symptom, the baby movement is the craziest thing!

Best Moment this week: Getting to see our baby girl again.  Still praying for God to heal her little body & make her strong!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

New Style Confidence


When I saw this week's Life Well Lived question about styling my look so I feel confident & ready for my first day, I was a little stumped because I am not in a stage of life where I have a "first day" (i.e. school, work, etc.) coming up.  However, I am in a new-to-me stage where I am needing to alter my outfits for my growing bump, but still feeling confident & ready to face every day.

It hasn't been easy to find things that are 1. fit and 2. are comfortable and stylish.  But while most of my pre-pregnancy clothes no longer fit, two areas of my closet have been my life-savers - jewelry + shoes.

I've written on my love of accessories before and I'm a firm believer that a statement necklace can easily turn a plain tee + jeans into a stylish outfit in an instant.  I've also been trying to work in earrings and bracelets into the rotation to change things up a little.  It always amazes me how different I feel when I am wearing jewelry vs. not.

Another one of my favorite pieces of my closet are my shoes.  Luckily I haven't hit the stage where none of my shoes fit anymore, so the shoes I have invested in over the years are still adding something to my often-basic outfits.  Some of my favorites include my ever growing collection of Toms and enjoying my sandal collection in the beautiful weather we are having.

How do you style your look to feel confident & ready for a first day?  If you're looking for ideas, head over to BlogHer's Life Well Lived page and while you're there, enter to win an iPod Touch!




Monday, August 20, 2012

#photoadayaug Week 3


Last week was just flew by!  I think majority of that was because I had a conference + lots of meetings last week at work.  But looking back, our time at home never felt long enough either.  It's easy to let the days pass us by, but I'm also remembering to count my blessings and pray for our little girl!  {Thank you to those who are still praying}

How was your week?


+ Day 13 - simple {times wondering about the little girl in my tummy}
+ Day 14 - arrow {my next Stella & Dot purchase (finally!)}
+ Day 15 - ready {to go home after a full day of conference sessions}
+ Day 16 - food {a pantry full}

+ Day 17 - face {on Sam's hand}
+ Day 18 - inside {a thumbs up from our girl!}
+ Day 19 - hole

If you'd like to follow along daily on Instagram, check out my feed here!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

22 Weeks!


How Far Along: 22 Weeks!

Size of Baby: a papaya {8 in, 1.2 lbs} according to What To Expect.

Maternity Clothes: We're having some of our hottest days right now and I'm trying to be comfortable, yet still work-appropriate, which is a little more difficult than expected.  I guess I'd say I'm looking forward to layering this Fall...

Gender: a sweet baby GIRL!  And we've decided on a first name: Charlotte! (the middle name is still in the works)

Movement: Still flutters, which I hope are her, but I told someone this week that although I'll regret it, I am looking forward to a kick soon :)

Sleep: No problems to speak of... yet.

What I miss: My pre-pregnancy closet.  I've tried wearing some non-maternity clothes, but everything feels tight or too short.

Cravings: This week I couldn't get enough of hot spinach dip + bread.

Other crazy symptoms: The hot weather has brought on a little swelling in my feet, which isn't comfortable at all!

Best Moment this week: Getting our crib & having it set up in the nursery!



Thank you again for all your prayers & thoughts for us!  We feel incredibly blessed & comfortable in letting God take the lead.

Monday, August 13, 2012

#photoadayaug Week 2


I know it's only the second week in August, but because of a busy next few months, it already feels like it's almost over due to how often I'm looking ahead for planning purposes.  And that is a little sad because I love summer!  However, we have been enjoying the warm weather with family {especially our adorable niece!} and I'm trying to remember to be thankful for the moment, since that's all I know right now :)


+ Day 6 - writing {notes from work}
+ Day 7 - 8 o'clock {watching the Olympics}
+ Day 8 - glasses {so many to choose from}


+ Day 9 - messy {notes/handouts from a busy week}
+ Day 10 - ring(s) {the only ones I wear}
+ Day 11 - purple {beauty}
+ Day 12 - spoon {my niece's}

If you'd like to follow along daily on Instagram, check out my feed here!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

21 Weeks!


Sorry for the absence of our weekly baby posts over the last couple weeks.  Please see below for more details.


How Far Along: 21 Weeks!

Size of Baby: a spaghetti squash this week {8 in, 1 lbs} according to What To Expect.

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much just rotating between the maternity pieces I own.  Thankfully, my MIL picked up a few more items for me from garage sales & I am looking forward to a little more variety.

Gender: a sweet baby GIRL!

Movement: I'm feeling a few flutters and it's an amazing feeling.

Sleep: Still sleeping through the night thanks to the addition of the body pillow.

What I miss: Thinking I was having a normal pregnancy...

Cravings: I had someone ask if I was having any crazy cravings yet {i.e. pickles & ice cream} and fortunately, I'm not.  I feel like I'm pretty much just craving my normal, pre-pregnancy favorites.

Other crazy symptoms: Some back pain, but that could also be because I'm not getting up and walking around as much as I should be when I'm sitting at a desk all day.

Best Moment this week: Feeling at peace with our situation and trusting in God.



BABY HEALTH UPDATE: 
Since this blog serves as a place to keep family & friends updated, as well as an journal to keep track of life's happenings, I thought it best to record & inform readers a little bit about what's been going on over the last two weeks.

On Monday, July 23rd, we went to our gender ultrasound excited to see our baby for the first time.  While we got what we went there for {the gender}, we didn't even suspect what the next 48 hours would hold.  Fast forward to Wednesday, July 25th - we had received a call from our midwife asking for an immediate appointment and after meeting with her, were sent over to the hospital to meet with the perinatologist {essentially a high-risk doctor} and our lives were immediately changed with the news that our precious baby was diagnosed with a fatal form of skeletal dysplasia.

Without going into a lot of detail, we spent the next week crying and praying and researching what we could.  The perinatologist requested we have a second opinion appointment performed, which took place on Thursday, August 2nd.  In hind site, that was one of the best pieces of advice we could have taken because we had another ultrasound done {#4 in two weeks}and while the doctor could tell that our baby has a form of skeletal dysplasia, she couldn't tell us that it would certainly be fatal, which was the hope we had been praying for.

There are still some concerns regarding the baby's bones that will be monitored over the remainder of this pregnancy, but we continue to pray for our little baby girl, that God will continue to improve her body over the next few months.

Thank you to all of you who saw my pleas for prayers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and thought about us during one of the hardest times in our lives.  They were certainly felt!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Cleaning with Swiffer



Remember how we installed new flooring earlier this year?  In short, we are loving it!  However, going from a house that was 90% carpeted {10% linoleum} to 90% laminate floors {& still 10% linoleum} was a big difference in many ways, the main one being the way we cleaned.

Before, we could simply drag out the vacuum once ever week or two and do a clean sweep of the whole house.  I chalk this up to the fact that we practiced the "out of site, out of mind" mindset when it came to dirt, dust & dog hair.  But now, not only do we vacuum once a week, but we also find ourselves reaching for our Swiffer Sweeper Mop for a quick mid-week clean most weeks because we no longer have the carpet to hide aforementioned.

So since our change in flooring, I have been scouring the internet for reviews & advice on the easiest & quickest cleaning products and time & time again I am brought back to the Swiffer brand.  And one of the favorites for speedy clean ups is the Swiffer Wet Jet Starter Kit.

Not only does it clean up quickly, but it is also much easier than pulling out a mop & bucket.  And now, through August 31st, you too can purchase a Swiffer Wet Jet Starter Kit {or any one of the many products} from the new P&G eStore for 10% off, plus free shipping over $25!  P&G currently have their eStore stocked with lots Olympic-themed bundles and deals right now as one of the big Olympic sponsors.

Do you have hardwood or laminate floors?  If so, what do you use to keep them clean?


While I will earn a commission on any sales (both from the Swiffer Wet Jet and any others on the P&G eStore) from readers who purchase product through the link above, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Monday, August 6, 2012

#photoadayaug Week 1


Well, July didn't end on such a good note for us, but August is looking up as of right now {at least that's what we're choosing to believe}.  In other news, we had record breaking weather this weekend and I'm looking forward to more of that before summer comes to an end.


+ Day1 - outside {beautiful nature}
+ Day 2 - one {chair, waiting...}
+ Day 3 - coins {hoping these are lucky pennies}


+ Day 4 - somewhere I sat {under the fan because it's over 100* outside}
+ Day 5 - logo {Trader Joe's lunch}

If you'd like to follow along daily on Instagram, check out my feed here!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

#photoadayjuly Week 4


The last 9+ days of July have been full of every emotion in the book - happiness, excitement, joy to angry, frustrated, sadness.  If you follow my Twitter feed or are a friend on Facebook, you might know we received some devastating news for our precious baby last week.  If you're of the praying kind, please say a prayer for our little one & us through this hardship we are facing.


+ Day 23 - mirror
+ Day 24 - a stranger {our unborn baby}
+ Day 25 - heart {mine is broken due to some horrible news we received about our sweet baby}
+ Day 26 - sunshine {the only way I'm seeing it today}


+ Day 27 - on the road {with my in-laws}
+ Day 28 - cup {of half lemonade, half tea}


+ Day 29 - last thing I bought {a day at family camp}


+ Day 30 - calm
+ Day 31 - toothbrush(es) {matching}


If you'd like to follow along daily on Instagram, check out my feed here!