the great bumper debate...

 question:  moms, do we do bumpers or not?  i'm lost and confused.  

and i need your help.

 

22 weeks and a 27th bday.

so...22 weeks!  and it also happens to be jake's 27th birthday today.  so this post includes a brief birthday recap too.

 

feeling like that is more than a 22 week belly??

 

inanimate comparison:  a spaghetti squash.

maternity clothes?:  pretty much everything.  and i got all kinds of cute stuff this weekend, thanks to my m.i.l.  my fav thing is this cute denim dress from the gap maternity!  and i found black, full panel skinny jeans...which i've been searching for.  i was totally spoiled.

cravings:  still very much stuck on rice krispy treats.  and, again, if i get something in my head...i have to have it.  then, i'm over it.

aversions:  changes daily.  definitely more cravings than aversions.

emotions:  pretty darn happy.  although, an incident at work had me pretty frazzled this week.  there were tears.

fatigue:  not too bad.

symptoms: pretty much constantly have the feeling of a full bladder, when it isn't necessarily full.  i toss and turn a bit in my sleep.  but the sciatic pain has really improved!

weight gain:  i will know wednesday.  eh, maybe i won't look. 

what i miss:  still missing sushi.

fears/concerns: just anxious for another ultra-sound wednesday; although i'm sure all is fine.    

highlight of the week:  finally feeling like we have a grip on the nursery [just have to get it started].  i did, however, order my glider this weekend!!!  ahhhh, i'm so excited.  i have my mom to thank for this generous gift.  i will think of her every time i'm gliding m&m to sleep :)

 

purchased from diapers.com - best deal i found.

{and, finally.........happy 27th bday 

to one really great guy.  

i can't wait to see him be a daddy.}

 

his bday dinner.  salad, shrimp (not me), steak with provel and yummy pasta

blurry.  blah.  can't wait or my iphone in april.

 ***i wish you could see that cheesecake.  holy cow.  it's from cheesecake factory.  

one piece of red velvet and one piece of hershey bar.  we couldn't eat it all.

 

not your average in.laws

i just have to brag for a second.

first...let me preface this.  jake has planned an entire boys weekend at his family's property.  about 8 boys doing boy things.  he's been so excited about it that he pretty much did cartwheels out the door this evening when he left.  that leaves me.  here.  am i complaining?...not entirely.  i love my down time.

today- after work, tara (my s.i.l.), called me to invite me to dinner since she knew i was on my own.  i had tentitively planned something with a friend but told tara i'd get back to her.  then, i put my pjs on...and that all went out the window and i got sucked into the abyss that is my couch.  so, i passed on both.  the doorbell rang a few hours later and there was my b.i.l. with some coldstone creamery in hand.  and the best part, they even called jake to figure out what i'd want.  and what's awesome is, jake got it right.  brownie points for him.  isn't that just too sweet?  they know i have a sweet tooth!

chocolate with peanut butter and peanuts.  ya, that's right.

going.......going........gone.

on top of that...

my m.i.l. and i have a shopping/lunch date planned for tomorrow.  she wants to take me out and get me a few new maternity items to add to my closet.  this, i am so thankful for, because i'm starting to become limited in the clothing department.  and what a fun girls day while the boys are off being boys!

one more thing...

my other s.i.l., sarah. who is off having the experience of a lifetime in australia for a few months with a really great guy, is coming back home for my shower in april.  is this the only reason she's coming home, well...not entirely.  but she's spending part of her time home planning and throwing a shower for little ol' me and her niece or nephew.  i'm lucky.

it's nice to have such sweet family so close; especially since my mom and sister live miles and miles away, which has been much more difficult lately.

 see...they're not your average in.laws...they're {w a y} better.

[stay tuned for a 22 week belly pic this week]

 

nursery soul-mate

after major amounts of internet surfing today, i came across this...my nursery soul-mate.  here' s why i love it:

1.  they mixed dark wood with white...and while i was thinking white crib with dark dresser, i think i've changed my mind!!
2.  the paint!  restoration hardware's silver sage.  remember when i said i emailed a mommy from project nursery?  well, i did...and silver sage was the color.  the same color i fell in love with on pinterest.  i think that's our color.  it's the perfect blend of just enough color + nursery tranquility that i am looking for.
3.  it's clean.  it's airy.  it's fun.

p.s.  so bummed because the glider i fell in love with after much searching is available no where!!!  not online, not in stores...yet not discontinued.  so bummed.  i'm on the hunt for a gray, fully upholstered glider.

p.p.s  my current dilemma:  no matter what, i'm going to have handmade bedding ordered through etsy.  should i settle for the gender neutral bedding that i like a lot, or wait...because if it's a girl, there are fabrics that i l o v e. ???  will i be crazy to wait for bedding until baby comes?  keeping in mind that this bedding will take some time to be made.  like, weeks?!

...

pregnancy brain.

i've neglected the blog lately in an effort to spend some time focusing on all things baby.  yet...i can't say that we've finalized any decisions.

this post might reflect my current thought process [pregnancy brain].  i'm going to attempt to sort out some things and answer a few questions that have been asked.

a.  the nursery...what have you done? - nothing.  we checked out furniture this weekend and fell in love with something that is probably too pricey.  we need to research more online [my plan today on my day off].  i've got a pretty good idea of what i want, but i go back and forth between 1) dark wood, 2) white/off white wood or 3) a mix of the two.  i need to spend some time on project nursery today for more inspiration.

THE perfect paint color.  i emailed the mommy to find out the name!

pretty sure this is the glider we're going for.  going to be a gift from my mom!

 2.  have you registered - yes.  we braved babies r us on saturday.  we got excellent advice from my good pal to head up there early and we were glad we did.  that place becomes a m a d h o u s e around 11.  how exhausting, yet fun.  if you don't have back pain...you will after that.  even jake was complaining [really?...yes].  thankfully, i read baby bargains and had a pretty good idea of what i wanted as far as brands [especially the big stuff] and i also registered for many of the same things that my s.i.l. just registered for.  i came home and looked at the registry online...began reading reviews of some of the products...second guessed myself...changed some things...got overwhelmed.  and stopped.  my mission today is to just pick a travel system [i know i want graco].

c.  you're really not finding out what you're having? - no.  really.  only the sonographer knows.  it's surprising how many opinions you get about this.  for the most part, i hear good things from mommies who didn't find out; but some people down right can't believe that we'd wait when it's just that easy to find out.  we have another ultrasound next week and we still will not be finding out.  and we won't at my 37 weeks ultrasound either.  this baby will be a surprise.  i get so excited thinking about jake shouting, "it's a ____!"  i can't wait for that moment.

which leads me to...

d.   what do you hope you're having? - this one is a tough subject for me.  i probably can't explain exactly what goes on in my head enough to make sense of it, but i get super emotional when someone asks what we "want".  i definitely didn't feel this way prior to my miscarriage and i'm sure i've probably asked people that question myself but after experiencing a miscarriage, it's completely different.  all i want is a healthy, 40ish week pregnancy and a perfect baby at the end of it.  boy...girl...i couldn't care less.  i want healthy.  and that seems like such a smug thing to say because people literally dig for this information, but i can't drive that point home enough.  we want healthy.

4.  have you decided on names? - sure haven't.  we decided to take some time off from wracking our brains and just see if any more come to us or if one continues to stand out in our minds.  for the most part, our list is the same as it was here.  but, boy...[talking about opinions again]...you sure open the floodgates with this one.  you're better off either 1) not sharing and leaving it that way until baby is here or 2) not sharing any names on your list until you have the final decision and people can't share their opinions.  ultimately, it's your choice right?  it's what you love and what you feel fits your family and little one.

i think i'm realizing how sensitive i am to the opinions of others...

5.  how are you feeling? - really.  i can't complain.  when i first found out we were expecting, i think i actually said that to myself....i can never allow myself to complain.  partly because i hated hearing complaints of pregnant women while i was going through my grief and partly because i was so thankful that i never ever wanted to tarnish that with complaints.  stepping away from that mind set, sure, there are times when i just have to get things off my chest.  dealing with a changing body and the aches and pains that go along with it can be taxing.  throw some raging hormones in there and you have kind of a mess.  but, really...i feel great.  no, getting dressed isn't easy these days and i could certainly go without 72 trips to the bathroom on a daily basis, but so far, we're all healthy.  and that's all i can ask for.

6.  not sure if anyone caught bethenny frankel on the today show this morning, but she explained today that she had a miscarriage recently...after having one healthy baby girl.  not sure if this is the first time she's made it public, but i'm glad she did.  i'm so thankful for those who decide to share [yet, i respect those who do not].  every story i hear helps me a little bit more.  and it's interesting because i know the media has been bombarding bethenny with questions about a 2nd baby.  now, they can be more sensitive to the fact that it isn't so easy for some.  i'm excited for her show to start back up tonight on bravo!

okay, i think that's all for now.  21 weeks yesterday!!  yay!!

...

20 weeks.

 half way.  hard to believe.  i have to say...after suffering the loss of a miscarriage, many times i thought i would never get to this point.  i can't believe we're here. 

looking rather sleepy.

inanimate comparison:  a banana.

maternity clothes?:  pretty much everything.  i've been rocking the long tanks paired with a cardigan most days at work.  thankfully, i've found some more maternity pants that fit length-wise at both old navy and motherhood (petites).  motherhood had a bathroom...hallelujah!

cravings:  i must complete a meal with some kind of sweet, so i usually make a dessert that lasts a week.  last week, it was coco rice krispie treats.  this week, stawberry rice krispie treats.  uh...yum.  other than that, i don't necessarily crave one certain thing, so much as get something on my mind...have to have it...then i'm over it.

aversions:  not much.

emotions:  just happy.  nesting.  and in the words of kristen bell, "if i'm not between a 3 and a 7  on the emotional scale, i'm crying".  even if it's from laughter.  i can't stop.

fatigue:  a little more tired lately.  if i don't get a solid 8 hours, there is a nap involved in my day.

symptoms:  getting fuller quicker.  get the sensation that i have to pee terribly and then it isn't much.  must be careful when bending over...i lose balance easily.  and the belly button is definitely on its way out.

weight gain:  i don't keep track, unless they tell me at an appointment. 

what i miss:  i've had sushi on the brain, lately.  nothing i can have, either.  i'm talking...fresh, raw salmon and raw tuna on a rainbow roll.  mouth watering.

fears/concerns:  a little anxious about room decor, now.  if i knew i was having a girl i would have the nursery all figured out and i would do this color palate.  but...we don't.  so i can't.  i know i will love our neutral theme...and i can add some touches later.  i'm also still stressing about the name.  how come we don't have that one name that we just know is it?  is that weird? 

highlight of the week:  jake feeling tons of movement now too!  also, just getting to the 20 week point!  looking forward to my next ultrasound in a couple weeks.

nursery inspiration

i've sort of set the 20 week (or halfway) mark for our ready-set-go date.  since babies come when they're ready, and you never really know what might happen...i planned to begin registering and starting the nursery at that point.  and it is quickly approaching.

so i thought i'd share some pinterest inspiration and our vision of what m&m's lil abode should look like.

i hate the current color of the room.  i went with very bold paint colors throughout the house and now i'm itching to lighten it up.  so when we have the nursery painted, i'm having the guy redo our guest bath as well.  so not only do i have to pick a nursery color i love, but also the perfect color to compliment it in the bathroom.

we've decided to use [what i would consider] the 3rd bedroom for the nursery.  the room in front, which has a large window covering one wall, is nearly the same size and i don't necessarily want to mess with that paint or decor.  plus, with the large window...sometimes temperature control is difficult.

how about some visuals...

everyone has that "officey" type room that doesn't get used.  the room that things just get thrown in.  ya, this is ours.

oh and it also doubles as remy's room.  and that duck's too...hate it.

who needs a mobile when you have this?  jake insisted his banded duck should be on display.  now, i think we can find a cozy spot for it in the garage. 

itsy bitsy clothes in the closet!

how did we manage life without pinterest?  who hasn't found the most adorable things and the greatest inspirations while rummaging pin boards?  and then...to be able to pin everything in one place?  genius!

here are some pics of our inspiration.

benjamin moore | salisbury green

similar color on a wall.

tree wall decals from etsy.

crib from treasure rooms.

two tone or maybe an all espresso dresser.

book wall.  seen here.

chevron bedding, from etsy.

my glider dream.

that's all for now.  

you can follow my pin board by going here.  

and if you need nursery inspiration, i seriously suggest that you visit project nursery...which i found via pinterest. 

question:  moms, any nursery must-haves or tips that you'd like to share?

 

18 weeks [more like, pretty much 19]

18 weeks 3 days.  yes, i was sleepy.

the close ups always seem to make it look like it really feels.

inanimate comparison:  the size of a deli pickle or bell pepper.

maternity clothes?:  pants and leggings, yes...thanks to old navy.  i do have one pair of khakis and one pair of jeans that i can do the rubber band trick with.  tops are hit and miss.  i love the long maternity tops.

cravings:  i get dinner cravings.  for example, i saw baked beans and then had to have them.  i saw someone eating boiled cabbage [wtf?] and had to have that.  but the other day i noticed that, in my lunch, i had packed a piece of my strawberry cake, a strawberry poptart and a strawberry cereal bar.  i'm seeing a trend.

aversions: not many.

emotions:  over the moon.  easily teary.

fatigue:  up and down.  i'm pretty sleepy after work, but i try to move some how.  nighttime is touch and go because when i wake up to go potty, sometimes i stay up :(

symptoms: large ta-tas.  some lower back pain and, what i just learned is, sciatic nerve pain [i thought i had kidney stones....ya, nope].

weight gain:  7-9 lbs.  things have fluctuated. 

what i miss:  lately...nothing.  :)

fears/concerns:  that we will be those parents naming our child as we sign the birth certificate.  and maybe i'm nuts but i think my belly button has begun a slow progression outward.  very slow.  but it appears shallower?  a little concerned about that belly ring scar.  yoikes! 

highlight of the week:  by far, yesterday's ultrasound and sharing it with family.  excited for another in 4 weeks!!!  another highlight...jake feeling tiny movements too [if and when he's patient].

...

there really are no words.  no introduction for this.

seeing m&m on the big screen was surreal.  

and it was amazing to see the movement i was feeling.

so without further adeau........

baby menz.  ahhh!

this brings a whole new meaning to the term "profile pic".  how amazing!  it's interesting, because my niece has a similar profile...a more pronounced upper lip than lower lip.

 

 

 

profile with leg in pic.  what a precious little femur bone.

well, if it's a girl...she's a lady.  m&m had its legs crossed at the ankle the whole time.  feet!

pretty sure this is a pic of the face.  maybe?

head on the right..then chest (see the chambers of the heart) and elbow to hand up by the head.

head on right.  arm up again by head.  see fingers in fist?

ok.  this one looks oddly alien-like.  like that's some sort of "greetings" hand sign.  adorable, still.

spinal cord up top and then the head is scrunched down on the right.  sort of a forward roll position.

other info of note:

i am technically 18 weeks, 3 days.

today, i measured 19 weeks, 2 days.

little one is measuring long.

and is spunky on screen.

all looks healthy!!!

10 fingers, 10 toes.

9 oz.

i'm swiftly gaining weight.  :)

i do, in fact, have a posterior placenta.

this allows me to feel every little movement!

and, no, we didn't sneak a peak.

at one point...i asked the sonographer if she knew.

she said "uh huh!"

i looked at jake, like....."ehh?"

and he said, "no way".

that was tricky.

but, now, i'm over it and excited for the s u r p r i s e.

nothing can ruin today.

...