things i love- post #7

SLEEP!

i know.  i better enjoy it while i can, right?  remember, i worked night shift for 6 years straight.  goodness knows i've already lost countless hours of sleep.  having a sweet baby girl of my own will make up for the lack of sleep i am already experiencing and what will come.  surely. 

as soon as i get up in the morning, on most days, i am planning when i might catch a nap (not on workdays, of course) or thinking about what time i will be heading back into my bed.  sometimes there are way too many hours in between those times.  but i have to admit- i do love my sleep. 

i do not plan to co-sleep with my baby.  maybe a nap or two here and there, but as convenient as it sounds, babies have beds made for them for a reason.  we all need our own space.  babies need cool air and a harder sleep surface.  and i'd say it's much easier to get them to sleep in their own bed if they start out there to begin with.  and, it's true, i just love my own quality of sleep so much that i prefer to not be worrying about my baby being in the bed with me and jay.  i'd be too worried about suffocation risks with all the pillows i've become accustomed to being nested in for sleep. 

but back to my sleep.  i cherish it.  i don't always sleep well, especially now that my sleep is often interrupted at least once a night with a trip to the bathroom.  and soon enough it will be interrupted with middle-of-the-night feedings (the baby's and mine!).  but all those moments of shut eye will still be cherished.  i used to be able to sleep really late- like noonish.  now waking up late is sometime between 8-9am.  and if i sleep past 9:30am- i feel like i've wasted an entire morning.  but it's worth it!

things i love- post #6

i love my sweet Cotton.  today she is 6 years old! the picture above is from the night we picked her out.  she had just eaten her dinner and had quite a full belly.

Cotton is our alpha female.  this means she doesn't really listen to me either unless she knows for certain jay is not anywhere around.  she is a faithful and loving dog who follows me around the house most days.  she is very smart- often too smart for her own good.  she's stubborn and tends to have storm anxiety.  she hates thunderstorms (and fireworks, guns, etc) and we bought a thundershirt and it works amazingly for her.  she doesn't mind the vacuum or the hairdryer, though. she and barley are opposites on those loud noises.

we have been very blessed with both of our sweet dogs.  we'll have a houseful of girls soon enough!  

22 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 22 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Girl is around 15 1/4 ounces and 11 inches from head to heel... About the length of a spaghetti squash.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 9 pounds- I am currently right on target with the 1 lb/week weight gain.

Maternity Clothes:  I am in a little bit of both.  Maternity pants are definitely more comfortable. I got some clothes from a friend of mine from high school so I finally have some khaki pants and a few items for spring/summer.  

Gender:  It's a Girl!

Movement: She has become a mover and a shaker!  I regularly feel her moving from the inside and outside, although you can't see her moving on the outside yet.  

Sleep: I am more used to sleeping on my side now.  I still get up at least once a night.

What I miss: Sleeping on my back.  

Cravings:  Nothing really.

Symptoms: Just some heartburn but it responds well to medicine.  I have had a few issues with low blood pressure but that seems to be easy enough to manage.  I have been feeling pretty good lately and am enjoying this stage before I start feeling uncomfortable on a daily basis.

21 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 21 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Girl is around 12 3/4 and 10 1/2 inches from head to heel... About the size of a carrot.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 9 pounds- I am currently right on target with the 1 lb/week weight gain.

Maternity Clothes:  I am in a little bit of both.  Maternity pants are definitely more comfortable.  I am in a desperate search for maternity khaki pants.

Gender:  It's a Girl!

Movement:  I feel her more regularly every day and I've read she will begin to settle into her own circadian rhythms so her movements should start being more around the same times of day.  I feel lots of movement on the inside and a few on the outside.  I'm in trouble- she's already got a strong kick (and I think some big feet!).  

Sleep: I am more used to sleeping on my side now.  I'm hoping the leg cramps I had last night don't become a normal routine.

What I miss: Ibuprofen!  And sleeping on my back.

Cravings:  Nothing really.

Symptoms: Just some heartburn but it responds well to medicine.  Allergies are much better after a week struggle.  I have had a few issues with low blood pressure but that seems to be easy to manage.  My belly isn't changing too much so I may do pictures once a month... I'll post pics of baby girl for you instead this week!

things i love- post #5

i love my cute baby girl!  

things i love- post #4

 surely you didn't think i'd forget to post about my valentine on valentine's day?  of course not.  i just happen to be working.  sshhh...

 this is my favorite picture from our honeymoon.  we had a sudden change of plans and ended up in the mountains instead of at the beach.  but it didn't matter.  we were together.

if i love my husband then i also have to love his love for land cruisers.  we were dating when he bought his first one in 2004 and we have not lacked one since.  

i love that he doesn't always take things seriously.  sometimes i forget to have fun and he helps me with this.  this year marks our 8th valentine's day together.  although, today, i worked all day and he had classes part of the day.  but he cleaned up a mess the dogs made and vacuumed and that's gift enough for me!  last year we received some devastating news on valentine's day that forever changed our lives- jay's dad was not expected to live and we would have to wait 2 more days beyond the 14th after some testing to assure he had no more brain function.  he and i were just getting over a terrible stomach virus and were not able to travel until february 16th.  so now valentine's day will always mark the years since his dad passed away.  tomorrow we will get to see our baby on ultrasound and learn who is in there- a boy or a girl.  it is a bittersweet week for us and i love that we have each other for all of life's ups and downs.

20 weeks. halfway!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks

Size of baby: Little one is around 10 1/2 ounces and 10 inches from head to heel... About the size of a banana.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 9 pounds- I am currently right on target with the 1 lb/week weight gain.

Maternity Clothes:  Maternity pants are still a bit big but are definitely more comfortable at this point.  I can still wear some/most of my sweaters and shirts but the maternity ones are more comfortable, too.

Gender:  Don't know- we'll hopefully find out February 15th.

Movement: I feel flutters every day and can feel little one rolling and moving.  Every now and then I'll get a hard kick or poke.  I'm sure they will become more frequent as little one grows.  Today I felt them "on the outside" for the first time when I was waking up this morning!  So sweet!

Sleep: I am more used to sleeping on my side now.

What I miss: Ibuprofen!  And sleeping on my back.

Cravings:  Fresh oranges- I'm glad it's citrus season!

Symptoms: Nothing major right now- yay! My allergies have been acting up the last few days but seem to already be getting better.  That's why there's no picture this week so far- not feeling super great.  But never fear, I'll post one Wednesday to let you know if we're team pink or blue!

things i love- post #3

i love my iPhone4.  we're trying to hold out on the 4S and just wait for the 5 to come out... we're also hoping we're eligible for our upgrade around the same time, too.  anyway, i digress.  we are a mac/apple family.  our desktop is a mac.  laptops are macs.  we have iPhones and iPods- although now that the phone is so fancy it really doesn't make sense to have the iPod and the phone.  oh well. 

i have lots of apps on my phone but one of my favorites, by far, is the Cuptakes app.  "it's a wallpaper app for girly girls."  it's 0.99 cents and it updates monthly!  there are so many wallpapers to choose from.  i love it! 

they already make and sell matching iPhone cases and soon will have iPad wallpapers and desktop wallpapers.  everything can match!  i'm sure jay would love a girly wallpaper on his desktop instead of his motorcycle pic that's on it now.  haha!  maybe for april fool's day! 

seriously, if you have an iPhone and you don't have this app- spend the 0.99 cents and get it!  you'll love it!

19 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 Weeks

Size of baby: Little one is around 8 1/2 ounces and 6 inches crown to rump... About the size of a large mango.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 9 pounds- I am currently right on target with the 1 lb/week weight gain.

Maternity Clothes:  Maternity pants are still a bit big but are definitely more comfortable at this point.  I can still wear some/most of my sweaters and shirts but the maternity ones are more comfortable, too.

Gender:  Don't know- we'll hopefully find out February 15th.

Movement: I feel flutters every day and can feel little one rolling and moving.  Every now and then I'll get a hard kick or poke.  I'm sure they will become more frequent as little one grows.  I still can't feel them on the outside yet either.

Sleep: I am more used to sleeping on my side now and can sometimes make it through the night without needing a potty break.  

What I miss: Ibuprofen!  And sleeping on my back.

Cravings: Nothing in particular right now.  Early on it was Cherry Icees but that has passed.  I love iced water with lemon and orange juice.

Symptoms: Nothing major right now- yay!  I still have the stuffy/runny nose but it seems a little bit better.  I am still having some heartburn but not on a regular basis.  I really cannot complain after hearing what some women go through.  I am very blessed!

things i love- post #2

i love my sweet dog barley.  she just celebrated her 5th birthday in january.  she does tend to get into trouble and has a new bad habit of surfing the counter for bread (really?) but she's still a great dog.  she's lazy to a fault.  she can't fetch reliably to save her life.  she is smarter than she lets on.  she loves a good belly rub.  and she's a great companion for an afternoon nap.  she loves stuffed animals that squeak and is always ready for her next meal.  she hates the hair dryer and the vacuum but could care less about fireworks and thunderstorms.  she loves the water- especially if it's out of the hose- and every time she swims she seems to forget how- it's quite ungraceful!  but she's my barley and even when i'm mad at her, it never lasts for long.

things i love- post #1

hello friends!

i am still trying to get back into blogging mode and posting at least once a week has been a good start.  let's face it- i was in a serious blogging slump and it may take a little while to get back into it again.  so this month, being february and valentine's day coming along, i thought i would blog about things i love- i am sure i won't post something every day but i have plenty of things i love and can post about so hopefully that will get the creative juices flowing again!  i plan to post about all things- people, pets, products, foods, tv shows, etc.  yay!  i am actually getting excited just thinking about it.

so the first in my series will be a website i love:  Pinterest.  whoever thought this concept up is just genius in my book.  if you don't know what Pinterest is, you can click here to check it out.  essentially, it's a website for you to bookmark ideas about anything and everything but instead of a list of website names, it is posted as a picture with a link to the site.  confused?  check out the link.  if you want an invite, put your email address in the comments and i will invite you to Pinterest and you can check it out for yourself.  you can also find friends from facebook and other social media sites on there as well.  i have things posted from recipes to photography ideas to craft projects to, well, you name it- it is probably on there somewhere.  and if it's not, you can certainly find it!  you can find your own awesome ideas and "pin" them or "repin" someone else's find.  i repeat again- genius.  check it out!  i dare you to not love it.

if you love pinterest, what are some of your favorite finds?  have you tried any recipes and fallen in love?  share!  if you are on there and we aren't following each other- find me!  happy pinning!