Miscellaneous Monday

It was a busy, productive and great weekend.  I've got a bunch of miscellaneous stuff to share today so I thought I'd link up.

1. I must confess I may be one of the few people who did not watch the Oscar's last night.  We started watching but hubs wasn't that interested and after all the work he did this weekend I thought I'd give him TV control.
2. Thank you Macy's for carrying Motherhood Maternity.  I was able to use a credit from Christmas and get some new shirts (and I still have some left!) this weekend.

3. Thanks to my mom who sent me a surprise package with some new clothes on Friday.  Plus she said there's another pkg on the way - yeah! (One which I put on for the 25 week update)

4. We successfully installed 2 ceiling fans, painted the base white trim and painted the closet this weekend (in baby boy's room), except cashmere white is not the same as white and I need to learn to read better!  Oh well, it's just a closet right?
5. We slept with the window open last night, it was great!  I am so happy that it is finally getting warmer here.  
6. Friday we will be down to double digit days before baby boy arrives.  When you put it that way, I need to get moving! 
7. I'd like a new pair of Sperry's.  I would like a pair of the Angelfish, but not sure how I feel about them being 'colored' too, instead of just brown.

Have a great week!

25 Week Update!

This week's update is early since my mom sent me this fabulous new shirt and I wore it last night, I thought I'd take my picture last night.
 

How far along? 25 weeks.

How big is baby?  1.5 pounds/13.5 inches!  About an average rutabega.

Weight gain? 20lbs  - Only 1lb this week, sweet!

Symptoms? Not many!  My belly button is kind of shallow and it feels weird.  Linea Negra has been showing up the last few weeks.

Sleep? I can't stand sleeping on my side.  I want to sleep on my stomach already.

Food cravings? Milk and fruit.  In full force now!

Movement? Yup!  Lots more now.  Hiccups almost daily.


Gender?  It's a boy! 

Clothes?  Maternity Pants and some maternity tops and some regular tops.  Thanks to my mom who sent me some new clothes to wear when the weather gets warmer.

What I am looking forward to? Painting and putting together the furniture that cam this week.



What am I missing?  Sleeping on my stomach!  Maybe a random glass of wine!  Other than that everything is great.

Milestones? He's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Other?  Don't forget to put your guesses into the online baby pool!



Excited to have found some prints to order to put-up in his room!

Pink Or Blue Designs Shop on Etsy

And a place that does his name to match the bedding set as well!

Whimsical Rooms on Etsy

Baby Room Decor

 So, I don't have much but baby on the brain right now, so sorry if the next few posts are all baby related.

We just found out that our furniture is in and we're going to pick it up tonight.  I'm so excited, though we won't set it up for a few weeks.

 

 JCPenny

Thanks to a friend's sister who works there and a sale they had going on, we got a great deal on it!

So far here's our plans for baby room decor.

 

Babies R Us

Turtles and frogs! (The little turtle on the ground is my favorite, too bad he's on back-order, I must have him! :-) )  I think we'll do the room in two colors, (once we put in chair molding) but can't decide which colors to use.  I'm thinking blue and green.  We do everything in neutral in our house so I need to try to stay away from the brown and make this nice and vibrant for baby boy!

I haven't been able to find fabric storage bins that I like, but I think that I am going to make my own with the fabric from the crib sheets, thanks to one of these tutorials posted by Skip to my Lou.

Right now, I'm in search of 2 things, wall art and knobs for the dresser.  I'm thinking I'd like to get some different knobs, but I'm not 100% sure what I want.  I'm all over the place with wall art too.  As I was putting this post together I just saw this on Etsy and now we have to pick a name because I have to have this, it's perfect!  Ha ha.  I'm off to search etsy for some knobs too!

Whimsical Rooms on Etsy

I also want to do a birth announcement print like I posted here.

I have to tell you it was much easier because baby c is a boy.  If he was a girl instead, I'm pretty sure I would have struggled to find something that I like at the store and would have to go the custom route. 

Where did you find your baby inspiration?  Did you find it hard or easy based on babies gender?  Any more suggestions?

24 Weeks Update!

Yeah, sweat pants is about as far as I made it today.  Lazy Sunday!  This top definitely makes me look big I think.

 

How far along? 24 weeks.

How big is baby?  Just over 1 pound/12 inches!  Length of an ear of corn.

Weight gain? 19lbs  (I think)  (This 2lb/wk rate is getting out of control)

Symptoms? Not many!  My belly button is kind of shallow and it feels weird.  Linea Negra has been showing up the last few weeks.

Sleep? I can't stand sleeping on my side.  I want to sleep on my stomach already.

Food cravings? Milk and fruit.

Movement? Yup!  Lots more now.  Hiccups 2x/day for the last 3 days.



Gender?  It's a boy! 

Clothes?  Maternity Pants and some maternity tops and some regular tops.  I felt victorious this week when I found 2 regular tops I could wear without stretching them out.

What I am looking forward to? Painting.


What am I missing?  Sleeping on my stomach!  Maybe a random glass of wine!  Other than that everything is great.

Milestones? His body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Other? We've been tracing my belly each week (except last week) and I thought I'd take a picture after 7 weeks of tracing.  Here's the results:

As you can see one week we had a 'malfunction' (i.e. the paper fell off the wall).  My belly seems to be getting higher according to the traces, weird.

Thoughts for Thursday

Can't believe it's Thursday already!  The weather here is looking great.  Lot of things floatin' around to share!

1. Today I felt victorious as I found another non-maternity shirt that I could wear comfortably without feeling like I was stretching it out!  I'm so sick of my maternity wardrobe!
2. I've had my iPhone for 1yr and 3mo and I finally figured out how to take a screen shot on the actual phone.  Not sure how I didn't figure that one out sooner.
3. Tonight I'll be helping my sister make invitations for my baby shower.  Is that weird?  I saw an idea where instead of bringing cards people bring their favorite children's books.  I like the idea but I've read mixed reviews on it.  What do you think?  I have a poem that someone used but it's super long, need to find something shorter if we go that route.

   I want to be a bright child

   As smart as I can be.

   That is why I am hoping

   My mom will read to me.

   If you plan to bring a card

   Please take another look,

   I would like to learn My ABC's

   From your favorite storybook!

   Please sign your name

   As your personal touch.

   Baby Chapman thanks you

   Beary beary much!

4. I ordered 4 dresses as possible options to wear to my showers, weddings/receptions and all the other things I have to go to soon.  Any other suggestions where to shop for maternity clothes, so far, my go to's are Old Navy, Gap, Motherhood Maternity, and Target.  I'm trying to spend as little as possible but it's heard wearing the same thing over and over again.
 
Old Navy & Motherhood
5. I just found out that our neighbor is pregnant and due 6 days before me with a little girl. We don't get outside much in the cold weather so we hadn't really seen our neighbors and we don't really talk to them too much just polite conversation. Now I'm kind of excited. She'll be off while I am, maybe we can have some playdates when the kids are old enough!
6. I got an invitation to my 10-year high school class reunion.  Holy cow, it's been 10 years?!?!?!  I don't think I can go (not sure if I even want to go), but can't believe it's been that long.
7. I just realized that today is my 1-year blogging anniversary.  Yeah!  I guess I took a short break, but I can't believe I stayed with it as long as I did.
8. I am trying to decide what to do with my blog design, I've tried to do it myself and keep it simple, but I can't get it right.  Do you have any suggestions for places you've used or maybe a place that sells 'pre-mades' (gasp) for a good price.
9. Remember when I posted about a great deal on a photo shoot?  Well we finally scheduled it for April, kind of a couples/maternity type shoot I think.  So excited!
10. A friend sent me a link to a site that I thought was funny.  Maybe you've seen it but I thought I'd share.

Hope you all are having a great Thursday!

23 Week Update!

A little late with this weeks update since Kurt was out of town for the weekend.
 

How far along? 23 weeks.

How big is baby?  Just over 1 pound/11 inches!  A large mango

Weight gain? 17lbs  (I think)

Symptoms? Not many!  My belly button is kind of shallow and it feels weird.  Linea Negra has been showing up the last few weeks.

Sleep? It's ok. 

Food cravings? Nothing specific, drinking lots of Milk, SoBE Lifewater, and Iced Tea.

Movement? Yup!  Lots more now. 


Gender?  It's a boy! 

Clothes?  Maternity Pants and some maternity tops and some regular tops.

What I am looking forward to? Started to plan my baby showers!  I finished my thank you cards over the weekend.  Here's a glimpse of mine:

Plus some that I made to give as a gift at a baby shower:

What am I missing?  Sleeping on my stomach!  Maybe a random glass of wine!  Other than that everything is great.

Milestones? Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that his increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world.

Other? Maya wanted to get in on this weeks picture again!  :-)  See, she's excited about a baby brother, ha ha!

(Baby) Etsy Finds!

There are so many things to register for baby boy it's ridiculous.  Meanwhile, I've found some super cute things on Etsy that are not necessary but on my list of things that I want for sure!

Bumbo Cover - I posted this last week, but I love them!

image via boutiquesweetcheeks.etsy.com

Milestone Onsie Decals - I would love to make some onsies for baby boys' monthly updates!  There are so many options out there!

Holiday Decals - I've never seen the holiday decals before - how adorable!

images via babyfables.etsy.com  So many cute options!

Hooded Towels - This frog and duck adorable.  So many cute options!

image via rubadubbuddies.etsy.com

Seat Belt Strap Covers - They're reversible too!

images via apricotsandlollipops.etsy.com

Birth Announcement - I would love to get one of these after he is born!

image via sweetpeakidprints.etsy.com

Are you a big Etsy shopper?  Do you have any shops that you'd recommend?  (not necessarily baby!)

Lake Tahoe Recap!

Back in July we started planning a trip to Lake Tahoe, CA.  M lives out in Sacramento so we decided that we'd go out there and pick her up and head to Tahoe for a week.  We'd get some skiing/snowboarding in and have a good time.  Well baby boy put a bit of a damper on those plans and I could no longer go skiing (though we'd already made flights so plans must go-on!).  The boys could still go snowboarding so after some planning (on the part of M and I) we headed out to Sacramento.

We left early Wednesday morning and flew into Sacramento.  At the airport while we waited for our luggage we enjoyed the cool luggage sculpture.

 I have to say that most of the vacation for me was sitting around and relaxing.  I didn't have Internet access often, a few hours a day so I didn't do as much blogging as I had hoped (ok, I did none).  When I did have Internet I worked for a few hours.

The boys snowboarded in Squaw Valley on Wednesday night, Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

Friday we visited NorthStar Resort.  M and I stayed inside at the Ritz for the day and enjoyed some time by the fireplace (with hot cocoa of course!) while the boys did some snowboarding. 

 

 

 

The views were gorgeous regardless of where we were.  One night we went up the gondola to the Olympic Village in Squaw Village and took some great pictures.  That's were I took my 21 weeks picture too!  We got there at the perfect time for the sunset right behind us!

 

 
We spent Saturday walking around Tahoe City where I got my the awesome onsie for baby boy!  I also made some cute Thank You cards for my baby showers, but I'll post those when I'm done with them all!

Overall it was just so much fun and I was so thankful for the time to relax.  There was no 'structure' to our vacation, no timeline to get places and do things.  We lucked out and our flight home on Tuesday was through Denver, Co. instead of Chicago or Austin in which case we would not have made it home so successfully without a few day delay.