Bumpdate 25 weeks and her name

The photos have got to improve, right? This is after work and pre-gym. Let’s just say it’s best that you got this photo than the one after I was on the elliptical. It’s hot out there.

How Far Along: 25 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: She is definitely getting bigger. I wore a dress today that I knew when I put it on this morning that I wouldn’t be able to wear again while pregnant and throughout the day it got tighter and tighter. So I am obviously growing by the minute.

Gender: It’s a girl!

I know I have been hinting about a name. I have my new stamp ordered, but I do want to put the disclaimer out there…I am 99% on the name, but I won’t be 100% until it is on her birth certificate. :)

So without further ado, the name we have been calling her is:

A lot of our friends/family know the name and they have asked if there is any significance to it…and there isn’t a great story. We both just really like the name!

Movement: She is moving up a little, I think. I seem to feel her closer to my ribs.

Sleep: This week was fine.

Maternity Clothes: Still mostly dresses. My sister let me borrow some of her maternity clothes and I need to go through them and see what works. (She’s taller than me by 2 inches, which is a lot when you are 5’0”.)  Did I ever mention that Emmy has the exact same due date as Finley (she was 13 days early)? Isn’t that weird?

Symptoms: Nothing too new. I feel like an old lady sometimes when I get up out of bed, but I don’t really think this is a symptom. Just I have a new appreciation for aging.

Aversions: Fried food still.

Cravings: Tart things. I shared a lemon square with my sister, Tommy and Allison at lunch the other day and it hit the spot. Every time I see someone pin something with limes or lemons, I think I must have one. I have a feeling ice cream cravings will be on the list soon!

Best Moment this week: I started (and finished) registering! I am very grateful to my sister who went with us and told us what to get. You guys should hire her as a registry consultant. I would have been so lost and overwhelmed. Thanks, Allison! Love you!

We also had my dad’s family visit for the weekend, so it was fun to visit with them! I wish we saw them more often!

On a Carter note, we got him to go on a walk by himself five times last week! You have no idea how much we have worked with him. It is nothing short of a miracle. And that is not an exaggeration!

Bumpdate 24 weeks

I’d say baby is growing, don’t you think? I think she is laying horizontal, rather than perpendicular.

How Far Along: 24 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 6-7 pounds as of last week, but I think we have had a growth spurt! There were some days this week where I was STARVING and felt like I was constantly eating.

Gender: It’s a girl!

Movement: As I mentioned earlier, I think she is laying horizontally today (she seemed diagonal last week), so I feel her kicks and punches in my left and right side. Also, we went to the LMFAO concert last week and I swear she was loving it. That or she thought it was way too loud. She was tired (so I assume) the next day. So was momma! 

Sleep: I have had a couple of 6-7 hours of straight sleep. It was GLORIOUS.

Maternity Clothes: I have been trying to wear dresses lately. I had to take one off the other day because it was kind of empire waist and was not flattering AT ALL. I have had to break out the Bella band for my pants and shorts.

Symptoms: This week I had my hand go numb and one finger. Super weird, especially the one finger. I called the doctor and they said to expect this throughout the pregnancy, but by noon she had moved and everything felt back to normal.

Also, still veiny, especially in my hands. Pretty.

Aversions: Fried food still.

Cravings: Sushi. I haven’t had any and probably won’t. My doctor said it was fine, but let’s be honest, I would just spend the entire night/day worrying about if I was going to get sick. And the roll I like isn’t even raw. Ha!

Best Moment this week: Planning for her room, looking for registry items and I won a custom stamp in a contest and ordered it with her name on it. I don’t think I had ever written down what her full name was, so that was fun --- and more official! (Name coming soon – I think!)

Also, my sister-in-law made an awesome homemade Key Lime Pie and you know how I have felt about Key Lime Pie this pregnancy. That was a definite highlight.

Weekly Faves

My weekly faves kind of fell of the face of the earth due to my computer issues. I have figured out how to get my computer to work…basically, never leave it and not have more than one window open. Once I do, it freezes and it is pretty much over from there.

So anyway, here is what I have been loving and not sharing!

Key Moments posted this tutorial on how to make colored baker’s twine for parties. She got the idea from my friend Sarah at Life Sweet Life, but somehow I forgot about that post. I thought I would share because it is such a great idea!

For my Dr. Pepper lovers, I thought these cupcakes featured at A Blissful Nest were adorable!

Speaking of cupcakes, these might be the most beautiful cupcakes I have ever seen. Featured at Chickabug.

I have been craving sweets. Imagine that. Pioneer Woman posted all of her favorite summer desserts this week and the list is amazing. Maybe I will have to add making each of these to my summer bucket list ;).

My friend Leah has a great little cooking blog – Easy as Pie – and this week she made pesto with pistachios instead of pine nuts. For some reason I HATE pine nuts, so this seems like a great alternative!

I have some VERY talented friends. Especially my friend Anne from a.party style. You must check out her daughter’s adorable 7th birthday party. Not only was it styled amazingly, if you read about her details, they are so, so creative!

This post doesn’t have a photo to go with it, but I love reading the Hollywood Housewife’s blog. She did a great post about childhood memories the other day and I thought it was a great post for all moms. Basically, the memories that parents try to create are not what resides in our subconscious forever. It is the simple things…like eating nutter butters.

While I haven’t tried this bottle of red wine, I love the creativity of the name. Ha!

And at only $25, you are really getting a deal!

Also featured on Chickabug, look how CUTE this bowling party is!

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend and Father’s Day! Ours has been pretty low-key, which I LOVE. We are celebrating with my father-in-law tonight. I have been looking forward to this celebration since last night when my sister-in-law told me she would be making homemade blueberry pie AND key lime pie! It’s like she knew!

Furniture Buys

My computer is currently cooperating with me. I had high hopes that I could fix it myself, since I am the IT Director of my house and all. Not so sure that worked, but we are in business right now, so I thought I would show you what furniture I have purchased so far for the baby’s room.

I got the crib at Pottery Barn Kids and let me tell you, this was no easy task, but worth sharing because at the end of the day, I was pleased with the customer service.

I had a $200 credit card rewards credit that expired….well, almost a year ago. I am nothing if not tenacious, though, so that credit was not going to go to waste. 

I first called the catalog (this is a catalog/internet only item) and they told me to call the number on the back of the card. The number on the back of the card told me to call another number, then that person told me to call back the catalog. This is after the course of multiple other calls in the meantime. I finally got a sales rep who agreed to honor my credit and I am now the proud owner of a backordered crib. 

My color scheme for the room is gray, turquoise and pink (I promise to show you in another post when I get the bedding nailed down). So I (and when I say “I” I really mean my mom), want to paint the dresser a turquoisey color. I was going to buy this one from Mathis Brothers:

Only it was about $1200 and I would be having to match the bedding to the color of the dresser. So instead I decided to order this:

It is completely unfinished and now we (mom) can paint it the perfect color to match the room. It also was about $750 less than the one from Mathis, so a win all around. I opened it the other day and the drawers are sturdy, but the top and sides are a little thin. I think it will all come together, though, once it is all put together.  (I will be painting the knobs to match.)

My mom picked this bookcase up for me when she was in Kansas City at the HomeGoods there.

It looks really cute in the room and I am excited to have some storage space.

My last big purchase (other than the bedding) is a glider! I plan to get a plain one and have a slip cover made for it by the upholsterer we use. I will keep you posted on what I buy.

Bumpdate Week 23

I have lots to blog about (baby’s room, a contest, sweet gifts we’ve gotten and maybe even her name), but I am having computer difficulties and so to post even this is a feat. We may be in the market for a new laptop this weekend. Fun times. But for now this will have to work.

How Far Along: 23 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 6-7 pounds. I took this picture yesterday and today I swear the bump is so much bigger. Amazing how it fluctuates.

Gender: It’s a girl!

Movement: She is still moving a lot, which I love!

Sleep: Some nights are better than others

Maternity Clothes: Things are definitely getting tighter. I had to break out the Bella Band over the weekend and yesterday I wore a pair of pants with the top button unbuttoned, which was kind of weird.

Symptoms: I am having lots of charlie horses and my veins in my hands will start to look huge every once in a while.

Aversions: Fried food still. I couldn’t even steal any fries off of Tommy’s plate the other day they were that yuck sounding to me.

Cravings: I am craving milk by way of ice cream :) or milk in my cereal.

Best Moment this week: We heard her heart beat at the doctor, went to scope out potential registry items and we welcomed a new niece…who we won’t meet until August, but we are excited to have a new baby in the family!

Summer Fun!

We have had lots of fun already this summer with our nieces and nephews! It is fun to do activities with them, so I thought I would share some things that we have been up to.

For my Tulsa friends, if you are looking for a fun park and splash pad for your kids, Bentley Park in Bixby is really great!

Here is an image from their website of their splash pad:

And here’s a pic of the park:

And here is Finley having a blast. She LOVES Max and Drew and they met her out here a few Sundays ago. Can you tell she is having fun?

Today I ventured out on a little field trip with the nieces and nephews again and we visited the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory in Broken Arrow. You can’t take photos during the tour, but you do get to view the ice cream being made, packaged and box. It is a really short tour – maybe only 30 minutes.

But you do get some good treats at the end! It is definitely fun for a cool summer treat with the little ones in your life!

I have had my eye on this Krazy Kookie Dough ice cream for some time now at the grocery store:

Luckily, they had it as one of the options. It was much like the brownie batter blast – delicious at first, but super rich. This is definitely not an ice cream you could eat in one sitting, which in my case would be a good thing. I am on my third day of ice cream/yogurt in a row, but I usually get it with fruit, so it is basically a diet food then, right? :)

Bumpdate Week 22

First, home girl has got to take a better picture. Or get a tan. Either way. Oh well, it’s about the bump, right?

How Far Along: 22 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I will update next time I go to the doctor.

Gender: It’s a girl!

Movement: She is a mover! Tommy got to feel her move lots this week!

Sleep: I was sleeping well until last night. That was a thunderstorm of epic proportions. I was up for several hours with my other baby, Carter. He was not pleased.

Maternity Clothes: While this isn’t maternity, I did buy a tankini this weekend. I think the world will thank me.

Symptoms: Nothing new!

Aversions: Fried food still.

Cravings: I am still craving sweets, but try to fill that space with fruit. I did have key lime pie this week on our anniversary and it was delicious!

I also have this weird thing for Kashi Organic Strawberry Fields Cereal. That stuff is amazing.

Best Moment this week: I actually bought lots of stuff for the nursery! I LOVE buying things for her. I must be stopped. We got a crib, a bookcase and dresser. I will have to do another post on her nursery soon! I am still waiting on swatches to decide what I want to do for the bedding.