The Bubble Necklace

I have been seeing bubble necklaces everywhere and have wanted one since I laid my eyes on one!  Thankfully, my awesome sister sent me one for my birthday.  I paired it with a couple of outfits today to see how I can wear this statement necklace. 
(Ignore my hair and lack of makeup in these pics)

I'm not really sure what is going on with the off centered pic but, you get the idea.  I love when non-maternity clothes still fit!  I also love the turquoise with this blue maxi dress.  I think I will be sporting this well into this pregnancy :)  (Note to self....get some maternity underwear-I can totally see the line across my belly! HA!)

and an almost 23 week old belly shot :)....this little girl is soooo low!

I think this is my favorite!  This dress is not maternity but, it was far too big before I was pregnant.  I love the turquoise and red together!  I also like how the gold belt compliments the gold chain of the necklace.  I thought I would soon retire this dress but I can see myself wearing it through spring now.  Who knew a necklace could add so much!?

I bought two more of these pretties today :) In gray and blue!  I think they take a plain, boring outfit and make it special!

Baby #2

Halfway There!

How far along?  20 weeks

How big is baby? according to baby center the baby weighs about 10.5 ounces and is 6.5 inches from head to bottom-about the size of a banana

Total weight gain/loss: +3 (9 lbs. total)

Maternity clothes? Maternity Jeans...a couple of maternity shirts

Stretch marks: old ones

Sleep: pretty good!

Best moment this week:  Thom got to feel the baby move last weekend :)

Movement: Yes! Lots of it!

Food cravings:  Cheese, Blackberries and Strawberries

Food Aversions: Spaghetti.

Gender: we find out Feb. 28th

Labor Signs: None.

Symptoms:  Some round ligament pain.  I had some back pain but workouts tend to really help with that.  I'm feeling pretty good :)

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach, some of my clothes

What I am looking forward to: finding out if the baby is a boy or girl and getting to see the ultrasound!

Upcoming appointments/events: My next appointment is on Tuesday February 26th and ultrasound is the 28th


The first picture is me at 18.5 weeks
The second is at 20 weeks

Do you like how Lucy has caught on to these photos? :)

A peek into our week and a mini makeover

Our week revolved mostly around our Lucy being sick.  She was super sick on Monday, I thought she was feeling better on Tuesday but she still wouldn't eat.  When she woke up on Tuesday morning, she asked if she could paint.  We tried out a little pinterest project and she enjoyed making some valentines!

 

 

We thought she was feeling better but, a few hours later she threw up :/ bummer.  She felt awful and hadn't really ate since lunch on Saturday.  We spent the rest of the week letting her rest up and trying to get her to eat something.  I'm happy to report she is feeling much, much better today! 

 

I hadn't been out since I took her to the doctor on Monday.  Last night, Thom offered to watch Lucy while I had a mommy night.  I went out to Target and Hobby Lobby.  I got some pretty fabric to cover my living room pillows with and today, I got to work.  I conquered my fear of sewing a zipper by using this tutorial!  It really wasn't too hard at all! So quit yer whinin' and go make some pillow covers!

 

Here are a few pics of the living room.  I was washing my curtains so that is why the window is so bare!  Our neighborhood has gotten quite the show today, I am sure!

 



There is the pic of my awesome zipper!  And yes, I used green thread because I ran out of the cream colored and I needed to get this done.  :) You can also see the stains on the pillows we used before and why we needed new covers!

Our living room is now ready for spring!

I workout....

I haven't included this in the "what I miss" section of my pregnancy updates but, the thing I miss most since being pregnancy is a difficult workout.  I still workout about 4x a week using these videos

and                

I enjoy them but I do feel limited.  I miss going out and getting all sweaty during a jog.  I miss doing 30 day shred or any difficult workout for that matter.  I miss a good sweat.

I'm excited for spring when we will be able to get out and go for some really long walks!  I could go to the gym and workout but, after babysitting all day I feel like it is important for me to be home with Thom and Lucy.  Lucy actually enjoys doing these workouts with me! :)

I've been dreaming of how I will get back in shape once the baby is born!  I'm looking forward to all those extra calories I burn during breastfeeding ;)  Once I am approved for exercise after my post partum checkup, I plan on starting Couch 2 5k again!  I also plan on doing a 5k in September although I doubt I will be ready to run the entire time.
Once I've done C25K for about a month I plan on adding in a couple of rounds of 30 Day Shred.  I find that doing some type of interval/weight workout helps my running.

I'm so thankful that I actually miss working out.  I'm thankful that I actually enjoy some type of exercise!  I guess for now I should just enjoy taking it easier :)

Black Beans and Rice Recipe

I found this recipe in a Bible Study that a group of ladies are doing at my church (No Other Gods by Kelly Minter)  We had it for supper this week and it is soooo yummy! If you like rice and beans at Chipotle, then you will like this!

Black Beans and Brown Rice
from the No Other Gods Bible Study
4 standard-sized cans of black beans, drain two cans and keep the liquid from the other two
1/2 yellow onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of cilantro
8 oz of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups of whole grain brown rice
optional toppings/sides:
2 avocados
1 can salsa
1 cup sour cream
1 bag of tortilla chipsHeat black beans (including liquid from two cans) in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Chop onion and cilantro, mince garlic, and place all in a saucepan and sauté.
After beans have heated for 20 minutes, add sautéed ingredients and stir into black beans.
Pour black bean concoction into a 13×9 inch pan and add shredded cheese on top, covering extensively. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.
Prepare rice according to package directions. Serve black bean entrée over the brown rice, having a nice spread of chips, slices of avocado, salsa, extra shredded cheese, and sour cream as toppings.

We left out the avacodo and I added some lime to the top.  Thom and I both thought the lime added a lot to it!  Yummy!

Supergirl, Snow and the Sickies

Lucy absolutely LOVES to play dress up.  I dress her every morning and it never fails that every night when we sit down to eat supper she is either wearing a costume or nothing at all.  She is usually dressed up like some sort of princess or fairy but, lately she has been watching the Spiderman cartoon on Netflix with Daddy.  So, on Saturday, we had a Supergirl running around our house.  Supergirl should probably comb her hair but it was a Saturday so mommy let it slide ;)

If you have ever wondered how I have the cleanest house ever, it is obviously due to my "helper"!

She had a great time destroying cleaning the kitchen floors with me.  You can sort of see just how much water she got on the floors.  The floor got so wet, it almost stayed clean for a whole day!  No kidding, by the time we went to bed there was spilled kool-aid under the table. 

Saturday  night, Lucy went to bed super early and when she woke up Sunday morning I quickly realized she wasn't herself and was running a fever.  She didn't eat that whole day and Monday warranted a trip to the Doctor where she was diagnosed with a bladder and double ear infection.  Fun times.  She has been one sick little girl!  She still keeps us laughing though.  Today, she made a sign and hung it on our bedroom door that (according to her) said "Carl stop trying to eat my donut".

It started snowing again after we got back from the doctor yesterday.  There were some of the biggest flakes I've ever seen!

I didn't even know we were expecting more snow that day.  It was so pretty but Thom said the roads were horrible!  I love the snow and am glad we have actually gotten some this year.  I'm getting anxious for spring, though.  I'm ready to be able to get out and not freeze while buckling Lucy into her carseat and I'm definitely ready for all the sickness to go away!

17 Weeks

How far along?  17 weeks

How big is baby? according to baby center the baby weighs about 5 ounces and is around 5 inches long.  Baby is about the size of a turnip

Total weight gain/loss: none since I last blogged.  +6 total

Maternity clothes?  Maternity Jeans...a couple of maternity shirts

Stretch marks: just some old ones....blah

Sleep: pretty good but I've had a cold this week

Best moment this week:  Feeling lots and lots of movement :)

Movement:  Yes! I can tell baby is getting stronger!

Food cravings:  Subway...not much else. 

Food Aversions: Spaghetti.

Gender: we find out Feb. 28th

Labor Signs: None.

Symptoms:  I had a crazy appetite earlier this week!

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach, some of my clothes

What I am looking forward to: finding out if the baby is a boy or girl and getting to see the ultrasound!

Upcoming appointments/events: My next appointment is February 26th and ultrasound is the 28th

 

 

And here is the photo of the week.  Trying to squeeze into non maternity shirts and wearing glasses because Lucy has had pink eye.  Tons of fun :)

We are so ready for warmer  weather around here.  Having a three year old cooped up in the house is very difficult.  Add in the two other babies I babysit and most days my goal is to not become unglued.  Lucy seems to love having the other babies around and I think it will really help her with the adjustment of her own sibling this summer but, I do worry that she isn't getting the attention she is used to.  I try to have something special for her to do most days.  It may be as simple as writing a letter, or painting or a trip to the library.  I just want to be intentional.
We decided to do a little project we've seen on pinterest one day this week.

I put baking soda in a pan and put food coloring in vinegar. I gave Lucy a dropper and let her hear the fizz and see the bubbles.  We used the cut up straws and made baby volcanoes.  She thought it was pretty cool!  She then noticed she got a bigger reaction when she dumped some baking soda into the whole cup of vinegar ;) and the messes began!

Lucy is so good at entertaining herself and we love hearing her imagination at work.  Today she is dressed like SuperGirl and has been playing with lotion bottles (who were getting married again) and some pencils with erasers on them.  They were having some BIG adventures!  3 is a fun age!

Menu Plan

I learned early on that grocery shopping is much easier when I have a plan for what I'm shopping for.  I have done some sort of weekly menu plan since we have been married.  I used to plan out the meals for specific days but, with my weird pregnancy appetite I've recently just switched to planning what meals we will eat that week and just cook whatever I feel like that day.

Here is our menu plan for this week

Monday- Roast Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus
just deli sliced roast beef cooked in Au Jus (you can buy the packet at Kroger)  on a french loaf and provolone cheese.  everyone enjoyed this meal

Tuesday- Frozen Pizza and Salad

Wednesday - Skyline Chili with Spaghetti
It smelled so yummy while it was simmering that I had to sneak some for lunch, too!  ssshhhh!

Thursday - leftover skyline Chili on hot dogs and fries

Friday - homemade buffalo chicken pizza

Saturday - Out

So there it is.  Some days are super easy and some require a little more work.  Even if it is just a frozen pizza, I put it on the menu so I'm not scrambing for ideas.  Having a plan really helps us not eat out, focus our grocery list and in the end, saves us $!
Also, I know these are not the healthiest suppers!  Just so you know, we do eat pretty healthy for breakfast and lunch.  Breakfast is almost always Oatmeal and Fruit and lunch is usually a sandwich of some sort with some veggies and dip or soup.

Dance Class

Lucy's big gift for her 3rd birthday was dance class.  We like to get her an "experience gift" as her main present because her birthday and Christmas are so close together she can get toy overload.  We knew Lucy would love Dance Class!

 

She looks forward to class every week and loves her teacher, Ms. Mia.  Here she is doing her 'Grande jete'.  Look at that sweet pointed toe in the first picture!  Lucy does really well in her class but I think her favorite part is wearing dance clothes ;)

 

 

 

The first is a video of her grande jete and the second is their warm up dance to the "Hot Chocolate" song from the Polar Express movie.
Hope you enjoy watching our tiny dancer as much as we do!

 



15 weeks

15 Weeks

 

 

 



How far along?  15 weeks 1 day (I'm blogging this a week late)

How big is baby?   according to baby center, about 4 inches long and the size of an apple.  I measured 17.5 cm on Thursday...so that's about a week and 1/2 ahead

Total weight gain/loss: +3 lbs this month.  +6 total

Maternity clothes?  finally moved into maternity pants...ahhh

Stretch marks:   just some old ones....blah

Sleep: finally sleeping better!

Best moment this week:  Lucy and Thom finally getting to hear the heartbeat!  The baby's heart rate was around 145 this time :)  Lucy said it sounded like snow

Movement:  I'm feeling those little flutters quite often :)

Food cravings:  A-1 sauce and chinese...

Food Aversions: Spaghetti.

Gender:   we find out Feb. 28th

Labor Signs: None.

Symptoms:  just some round ligament pain

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach, some of my clothes

What I am looking forward to: finding out if the baby is a boy or girl and getting to see the ultrasound!

Upcoming appointments/events:  My next appointment is February 24th and ultrasound is the 28th

 

Here is my bump picture taken before our date on Saturday :)

A little princess

Lucy has been really into princesses for a while now.  She had a princess themed 3rd birthday party and we constantly have a Disney Princess CD playing in the car. She even saw a girl who had won a pageant at the Christmas Walk and asked to go over and "hug the princess".



She'll often go over to look at our wedding pictures and talk about how Mommy was a princess at the wedding.  A few nights ago, I thought it would be sweet to let her see my wedding dress and she decided to hop on in.  She sure thought she was something special!

Her first set of wheels

We had snow on the ground for almost two weeks and then yesterday we hit 61 degrees!  We were excited when Daddy came home from work so we could take Lucy out for her first ride on her new bicycle that she got for Christmas!
I had to push her to get her started in the beginning but, as you can see, she quickly got the hang of it!  I couldn't believe how big she looked riding a bicycle!  Her only issue is that she would get distracted by other kids or cars driving by and would stop looking where she was going.  Hey, it's a lot to ask of a 3 year old!  We are still working on the pedaling backwards so she can stop but, I think we have lots of fun bike rides in our future!