Last Minute Christmas Gift: Homemade Stuffed Animals!

I was eight years old when my mom became pregnant with my sister.  We had a craft project at school and we all learned how to make teddy bears.  It was perfect!  I could make my sister a teddy bear for when she arrived!  And I did.  It was pink, it was clearly made by a third-grader, but it was special.  And if you have a last-minute-gift that needs given and you want a project that is easy enough that an 8-year-old can do it...well saddle-up!  Here's the perfect little gift to make!  This past weekend I made a little stuffed teddy bear out of an old sweater:

We named him Franklin.  It took only a few hours and is a great little project to keep your hands busy as you watch that Christmas movie you've already seen a hundred times.

You'll need:

• Fabric.  It can be a yard of store-bought fabric OR an old t-shirt or sweater. As long as it's snuggly, it'll work!
• Scissors
• Needle and thread
• Stuffing.  I used this kind for making a pillow and this bear. Still have over half a bag left.
• Straight pins
• Pattern that you sketch
• White chalk

Here's how to make it:

1.  Sketch out a pattern of the animal you want to make.  I did a teddy bear because it's simple and sweet.  Thinking about doing an elephant for my next stuffed animal though!  Feel free to get creative.

2.  After you sketch the pattern, fold piece of paper in half.  This way you know you're going to be cutting evenly.  Don't cut on the lines of the actual sketch though.  Make sure to leave room around where you sketch so that you can have room to pin the fabric.

3.  Pin the pattern to the fabric you're using and cut around the pattern.  If you're using a sweater or shirt, make sure that you've pinned through to the other side so you'll have two pieces of fabric to sew together.  If you're using a piece of fabric that you bought a yard of, just fold it in half as if it's shirt and pin the same way.

4.  Once you have both pieces of fabric cut from the pattern, turn the fabric inside out.  Make sure the side you want facing out when you are done is not the side you see when you sew!

5.  Pin the two pieces of fabrics together all around the edges.  You'll be sewing inside where you pin.  Remember that there is excess fabric beyond your intended pattern.

6.  Take your needle and thread and start stitching!  Here's a video to help if you don't have much sewing experience.  Trust me, I don't have much sewing experience either!

*For this project, I started at the inside of the left leg and moved around the edges until I got to the right leg.  I left the right leg open for stuffing.  We'll get there in a second, but just wanted you to know where I started!

7.  The arms and legs are pretty easy to follow but when I got to the head, I wanted more distinct lines  to follow on the fabric.  I sketched the neck, cheeks and ears on the fabric with the chalk.  Then I got sketch happy and kept going all around the right side too.

8.  Once your stitches get to the right leg, knot off your thread and turn your fabric inside out!

9.  Now here's the part that was trickier for me than it had to be.  When I stitched on the face, I had to keep putting my hand into the small hole that I left for the stuffing.  A better idea?  Stitch the face FIRST onto the fabric before the two pieces are joined together.  Turn the fabric inside out and then stitch together as listed above.  

*For the face:  First I sketched it on with the chalk.  Then I did small "x"s, like cross-stitching, for the nose. I did the nose first so that I could use it as the center of the face.  Then I used a simple running stitch for the eyes and mouth.  

10.  Once your face is complete, stuff that animal!  Just keep adding stuffing in small batches, making sure it's evenly spread and not too lumpy...and not too full!  You'll know when it's right.

11.  Sew up the hole you used for stuffing!  Make sure to start the stitch on the inside of the fabric so that the knot is inside the stuffed animal.  Use a straight pin to join the two fabrics.  This makes it easier to finish sewing - you won't have to keep putting the stuffing back in and juggle holding the fabric together while you stitch.

And you're done!

Already part of our stuffed family

It's quick, simple and the perfect little handmade treat for someone that you love!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful rest of the holiday season!

End of the World

According to some, the Mayans predicted the end of the world would be tomorrow.  I think they were one Friday too late.

The world ended for so many last week.  For the lives of the 27 people killed in Newtown.  For the families and friends that have to figure out how to cope with their losses.  For the nation who sits, dumbfounded, wondering how this could happen.  Even though, since Columbine, there have been 31 school shootings, we are still shocked that this could of happened.  I'm ashamed to admit that when I first saw the headline that there was a school shooting last Friday, my first thought was, "Another one?"  I didn't feel shock and outrage.  But instead felt a surrendering of inevitability.  Like school shootings had become commonplace...because they had.  And with the mall shooting the week before and the Aurora shooting this summer, another school shooting didn't seem like such a surprise.  What a terrible thing to have become inured to. The age of the majority of the victims is what woke us up out of our stupor.  And it hurts even more that this is what it took.  People are angry.  People are devastated.  People are calling for change.  And I hope that change happens.  The world ended last week.  And now it's time to rebuild it.

I've been avoiding most of the coverage.  I can't handle the sadness that starts when I read or watch anything about the shooting.  But it's everywhere - Yahoo front page, Facebook posts, Twitter, every news broadcast...everyone is talking about it and it's nearly unavoidable.  And my attempts to avoid coverage means I'm thinking about it all the time.  A Hallmark commercial with a young child reading their list to Santa makes me cry.  Seeing parents with their kids while out shopping makes me cry.  Hearing "Grown-up Christmas List" while listening to carols makes me cry.  I don't know how those directly affected are making it through.  It's unimaginable and it should be.  No one should have to imagine coping with this.  This shouldn't have happened.

But it did.  So here we sit.

Even though I've been avoiding general media coverage, I have read/watched various things in the periphery of the tragedy.  Here are links to a few that you may have already seen but that I found hopeful or interesting:

• President Obama speaking in Newtown.

• Ann Curry's Twitter movement for #20acts #26acts of kindness to honor the victims.

• The "I am Adam Lanza's Mother" piece.

• Girl's Gone Child's links of where to donate and sign petitions.

• 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith in Humanity

If you have any other hopeful or interesting pieces that you would like to share, please leave a link in the comments.  

Tomorrow the NRA is holding a press conference.  Yesterday President Obama appointed VP Biden to lead the task force to reduce gun violence.  These are steps in what is sure to be a complicated recovery.  There will be much more that we learn in the coming weeks and much more controversy and discussion along the way.  One thing is certain:  It should never have come to this. 

Handmade Treasures: Blanket Complete!

(Disclaimer: It's another knitting post...  Apologies to all you non-knitters out there!  If you ever wanted to learn how to knit though, read on!)

Stripes, stripes everywhere.

I finished my baby blanket!  Well, it's not mine anymore, technically.  Now it belongs to my baby.  But he's not here yet so I guess it's still habit to say "my."  I'll transfer over the possessive once he arrives.  Sure, there were some hiccups along the way and one point when I cried from frustration but that just makes it better, right?  I started this project at the end of September and worked on it mostly in the evenings watching Survivor or on the weekends while watching football.  Here are a few things I learned that are most definitely common sense to experienced knitters...but were not so much to me:

- Gauge is important.  I wasn't entirely sure what gauge was.  And I'm still not totally clear on it.  From what I gather from this article, it basically means how many stitches are needed to get the desired amount of inches in your pattern. All yarns are not created equal.  This is what I do know:  I do know that I knitted a blanket out of seven different yarns.  These yarns varied in color, brand name and...gauge.  So when I casted on the 130 stitches that the pattern called for with the first color, I continued to knit that many stitches for all of the colors.  As a result, the white and the light blue portions of the blanket look smaller than the rest of the blanket...as you can see.  Like I suddenly decided to nip things in a bit.  My blanket isn't so much a rectangle as it is a rippling wave or hourglass-shaped.  Had I known how important gauge is I would have chosen all seven yarns accordingly.  Instead I chose them based on their color and how they felt.  And the blanket is, ahem, clearly homemade as a result.

- Don't knit while watching Florida vs Florida State games.  The two times I made significant boo-boos happened as a result of knitting while being emotionally invested in what I was watching on TV.  Here's the thing:  I had been taking advantage of this football-season-time of year by knitting.  I got the most done on Saturdays and Sundays when football dominated the airwaves in our house.  And I had done plenty of knitting during plenty of Gator games.  It was great!  I'm not the biggest of football fans but I enjoy it enough to half-watch while knitting!  However, none of the games seem as important as the UF/FSU game because we are state rivals.  Like major rivals.  To give you an example, FSU has a "Florida Hate Week" leading up to our game.  Keep it classy, FSU.  I was watching and suddenly the stitches slipped off my needle and I couldn't figure out how to get them all back into place!  I panicked.  After crying from frustration and practicing my lamaze breathing, I got back on track somehow and now there is just a little area that looks a little gnarled.  And the Gators won, so it was all good.  Then I was watching a UF/FSU basketball game and the same thing happened again.  This time I laughed instead of crying but still... Wider lesson for everyone?  Don't knit when you know you might be emotionally distracted.  Knit when the knitting has a little more of your focus. 

- Circular Knitting Needles are awesome.  I was intimidated by them when I first got them.  I was frustrated by them when I couldn't figure out how to cast on and had to redo 130 stitches four times when I first started the project.  But once I got the hang of it, I loved them.  The needles hang out together, you don't have to worry about one falling in between the couch cushions as you switch sides, and now that I'm finishing up a scarf that I started on regular straight needles, I realize that the circular ones are just...better. 

- It's ok if you mess up.  This is probably my biggest take-away.  Knitting a blanket is the biggest knitting project I've taken on yet.  And, as discussed, I messed up along the way.  But am I proud of this blanket?  Heck yes!  Do I think it will keep my baby warm as he's all snuggled up in his stroller for walks around the neighborhood?  Absolutely.  Will my baby care that the blanket is a little 'wavy' and not exactly perfect?  He might make fun of me when he's older but, for now, no way!  He's going to have a misshapen blanket that his mama made for him with love.  And it's something that I hope he can use one day for his own children.  

In fact, true story: My husband's mom crocheted him a blanket when he was born.  She shipped it to us so we can use it for our first baby.  It's lasted thirty-plus years and is such an incredible gift to pass on.  Handmade treasures are unique and perfect in their own way...no matter how many hiccups happen along the way.

If you want to knit your own baby blanket, here is my original post about doing so.  It has links to the pattern, tips from one beginner to another and other knitting resources online that can help!

Hold On To Each Other

I met a friend for coffee this morning.  We caught up on how each other are doing, shared stories and talked about raising kids.  She babysits for a family that uses parenting methods that I don't know much about and so it's always interesting to learn more.  Before we knew it, an hour had gone by and I needed to move my car so I wouldn't get a ticket.  I moved to another spot and then we walked around the neighborhood a bit.  There is this street art covering the side of a building that I've seen before when driving on Sunset Blvd but never have been able to take a picture because, well, I was driving.  Since we were walking, I took a moment and snapped a shot.  The quote says,

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.

I don't know if Audrey Hepburn said this and that's why it's the quote next to a depiction of her or if the artist just liked the saying.  But I just thought the entire thing is "pretty" so I couldn't resist.

When I got home, my phone alerted me that I had a text.  It was from my sister and it said, "Love you, sister. In disbelief of the horrifying news right now."  I thought, "What horrifying news?"  And then I wondered if it had anything to do with the headline I saw before I left the house about a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut.  At the time all that was being reported was that there was a shooting and that the gunman was dead.  And in my optimistic heart, since no other deaths were reported, I thought perhaps there were people injured but he was the only one that died.

We all know now that wasn't the case.

I pulled up Yahoo news and started bawling.  I can't even type this without weeping.  The thought of those children, the thought of their families, the thought of those who survived and had their innocence ripped away from them...it's all too much for me to handle.  I can't understand it.  I don't know if an act like this - or the one in Oregon or Aurora or Columbine or Virginia Tech...the list goes on - I don't know if we can ever fully comprehend what would drive a person to take innocent lives like this.  The tragedy today is especially gut-wrenching because of all of the children killed.  But young or old, you should be able to go to school and feel safe.  You should be able to go to a movie theatre or a shopping mall and not worry if a crazed gunman is going to open fire.

I don't know much about gun laws or the Second Amendment.  I'm woefully ignorant on the facts.  But that is going to change.  I have to know more because I know that this can't keep happening and continue to be brushed aside.  We can't, as a nation, as a community, as a society, continue to say that "crazy people will find a way to kill and taking away guns won't change that."  Because I don't believe it.  The magnitude of these tragedies will only increase and become more unbearable unless action is taken.  And I can't continue to just theorize on it.

Today we have a doctor's appointment.  We'll listen to our son's heartbeat.  And I'll be thinking of the parents in Newtown who wish they could hear their children's heartbeats just one more time.

The best thing in life to hold onto is each other.

Hold the ones you love close tonight.

Story Time!

Cartoon by Dave Knott

So, where I live, we don't have washer and dryers in our units.  We have a community laundry room.  This is part of why I will not be cloth diapering.  It would take a whole nother level of dedication to go back and forth to the laundry room because of diapers and I don't think it will be worth it in the end.  But that isn't the point of this story.  This story is one that happened yesterday...

I have a pretty regular schedule of when I launder and, as such, I've become friendly with a woman who is a housekeeper for one of my neighbors, who also has a pretty regular schedule of laundering.   We say hello, how have you been, that type of thing.  Yesterday I went to go get our sheets from the dryer (Tuesday is sheets day) and there was my friend.  To paint a picture, she is a very pleasant woman, in her sixties and Hispanic.  Her ethnicity is worth mentioning because English is her second language and while she speaks English very well (better than I speak Spanish!), sometimes she has to search for a word.  This will become important to the story...

So I say hello and how are you and she responds with a sigh, "Not so great."  I say, "Oh no. Are you feeling sick?"  And she says, "No, it's not that.  My mother passed away last weekend."  "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!" I responded.  It's never easy to lose a parent, no matter when it happens.  She went on to tell me about her mother's last days and how she was coping with it all.  Her mom died on her 98th birthday, so she had a nice long run.  But again, it's never easy, and she is having a tough time with it.  She told me a bit more and when she was ready to change the subject she asked, "How's the baby??"  And I smiled, "He's doing good! Getting big!"  And she smiled knowingly, "It's a boy?"  "It is," I said.  She says, "I can tell.  Because of your face."  And then it was my turn to smile knowingly.  I've heard the wives tales of how your face doesn't change much when you have a boy and I've been told a few times how my face "doesn't look pregnant."  So I thought I knew where this was going.

She went on, "With a girl, your face gets round..."  I nodded because I had heard this before too.  Then she continued, "With a boy, your face..." and she couldn't come up with the word.  She started pointing to under her eyes, indicating the bags.  So I tried to help. "You look tired?" I offered.  She sort of nodded, "Yes, yes, hmm, my mom always used to say it was like you had diarrhea face. Like you have diarrhea.  Your face is long and tired.  But with a girl, your face fills out and is happy."  I had to laugh.  I'm still laughing!  I was told I have a "diarrhea face"!  Not what I was expecting to hear!  And I had to agree...I DO have bags under my eyes right now.  But I'm pretty sure it's because I haven't been sleeping well this week.  Also, I never thought about someone looking tired as being related to stomach issues!  I think something may have gotten lost in translation but still...too funny.  And now I have a new nickname at my house.  Which sounds really disturbing to anyone that doesn't know the context...

All I can say is, thank goodness for makeup!

Postpartum Workouts: Thinking Ahead

I've talked about how I've been using Sara Haley's workout DVD "Expecting More" to help stay in shape throughout my pregnancy.  This week over at SheKnows, they are running an interview series with Sara on The Daily Dish - a new clip each day - and since yesterday was Monday, they did a little intro.  I was excited to learn that she has a new DVD coming out soon that helps you get back in shape postpartum!  While that goal is what inspired the series, it's not just for women.  Or just for women who recently had children.  It sounds like it's for anyone that struggles to find time to fit in a workout into their day.  She has options for 5 minute, 15 minute, 30 minute and 45 minute workouts.  Well, she explains it better, so check out yesterday's clip below!

And if you're interested in more, head over to The Daily Dish every day this week to watch more of Sara's interviews.  Today she talks about the importance of kegels...for everyone.  It gets a little naughty - a fair warning to the shy!

Speaking of workouts, mine have become less frequent since I hurt my back last month.  I'm slowly getting back into a routine but it hasn't been easy.  I find that I get tired more easily and sore in places I haven't been sore before.  Particularly on my walks.  Something has shifted in my hips because if I try to walk "normally", it's a real pain in the groin.  It feels like I'm straining my ligaments.  I'm no doctor...can you even strain ligaments?  It just feels like everything connecting my lower body is saying, "Nope. Sorry. We don't work like that anymore."  So instead of walking with my feet pointed straight, I have to turn my toes out, like second position in ballet, to walk more comfortably.  Next stop: The Inevitable Waddle!

Grape Juice: Miracle Flu Preventer?

I'm a little in love with Pinterest.  I love that I can just tuck away recipes and decorating ideas and articles from wherever I'm at online and I especially love seeing what other people pin.  Secret confession:  I tend to scroll through new pin posts on my phone every morning...before I get out of bed.  Hey, I'm pregnant.  I'm taking advantage of the little "lay-around-me-time" I have left!  A pin from someone I follow really caught my eye the other day.  They pinned a link with the descriptor: "Tummy Bug Prevention - Every Mom Should Know This".  Well, having chosen not to get the flu vaccine, this immediately peaked my interest.  I thought, it's worth a read at least.  I'm sure it will just give me the normal specs: wash your hands, eat healthy, exercise, use hand sanitizer, bring your own pen for signing receipts, get enough rest.  All those goodies.  But instead, I was surprised.

The pin linked to a blog post over at I Should Be Mopping The Floor where Kristi, the blog's owner, had written about her secret flu prevention weapon:

Grape juice.

Yep.  She first heard of it's preventative magic from a local high school coach who was never sick and credited Welch's for his good fortune.  Then she saw someone post about it on Facebook.  Then she read someone else's blog that swore by grape juice's flu-prevention-voodoo.  She writes, "It's the acidity in the juice that's supposed to help the bug from settling in your digestive tract."  You could - and should - read all about it at her original post HERE.  There is also a link to an updated post that includes readers' tips and tricks, which is worth a gander.  

It got me to thinking...can this be true?  Could grape juice help prevent the norovirus (the most common strain of the flu)?  And if it's true, why haven't I heard about it before??  Why hadn't more people heard about it before?  Or had they heard of it and was it just something they assumed every else already knew so they didn't talk about it?   Because I certainly never heard of this!

So I did a quick google search and came up with conflicting reports.  Here's two examples:

• Stopthestomachflu.com:  

"...there have been studies done recently that suggest that cranberry juice and grape juice may have antiviral potential. In these studies, exposure to cranberry juice or grape juice decreased the infectivity of viruses similar to norovirus."   

"Dr. Azlin Mustapha, a food scientist the the University of Missouri, has done many experiments in petri dishes that showed that red wine and Welches grape juice kill salmonella, e. coli, listeria, shigella, and H. Pylori."

• Livestrong.com:

"While there's no effective treatment for a stomach virus, certain lifestyle and dietary changes might reduce your risk of developing this type of infection.  Eating grapes and drinking grape juice have certain health benefits, but they're not an effective way to prevent a stomach virus."

Basically, it seems that there have been a few tests about the antiviral and antibacterial qualities of grapes and grape juice.  In petri dishes, grape juice seems to have some affect on viruses.  But the data seems far from conclusive.  In fact, some research would say that grape juice has no affect at all on viruses already in the body.  That would make this whole grape-juice-preventative an internet  rumor that is spreading like a virus of it's own.

But...

I like it.  I like the idea of drinking a glass a day.  Or a glass when I get home from being around coughing people (which I did that last night after the girl next to me at our childbirth class kept coughing).  If some studies show that grapes have antibacterial properties, why not give it a shot?  It's a yummy shot.  And an 8-ounce glass of Welch's has two servings of fruit.  Empty calories, yes, but yummy calories.  And there is something to be said about natural preventatives.  Maybe it is just the vitamin C that's helping to combat any bugs trying to attach themselves inside of me.  But I also up my OJ intake this time of year.  Or drink some Emergen-C before and after flying.  And wash my hands.  And try to use my own pen when signing receipts.  And all of those other run-of-the-mill tips.  Maybe this is a brilliant marketing strategy by Welch's - "Start internet rumor : Drink our juice to prevent the flu!" - and if so, kudos to them.

...It's working...

Kickin' It (or my trouble with Kick Counts)

Ten years after I moved to NYC, my sister did the same.  Of course, I've been long gone from the Big Apple, but it's still neat that she is experiencing her own relationship with the city a decade later.  (If you've been reading, you'll remember that I was in a bit of an emotional tailspin when Hurricane Sandy blew through, hoping she'd be ok.  And she was, thank goodness.)  I bring this up because last night she went to see The Rockettes for the first time.  It's the show's 85th anniversary and I've been a few times, in my time.  In fact, the first time I met Dan's parents was when they came up for the show and we went with them.  My mother-in-law says she knew upon that meeting that we were going to be in this for the long haul.  She was right.

Thinking about those kick lines got me to thinking about my own little tiny dancer that keeps Christmas-Spectacular-ing in my belly everyday.  His kicks are getting stronger and more dependable.  By that I mean that he has his patterns and I can pretty much plan my day around when he'll be the most active.  And he doesn't seem to be much of a morning person!  Sure, he'll move around and adjust as I wake up but he rarely goes on a full-out dancing spree.  If I may indulge in wishful thinking for a moment, perhaps this lazy morning routine will continue post-womb.  Ok, fine.  I doubt it too.  I said it was wishful thinking!

So what's with all this kick talk?  I've already talked about kicking on here before.  Yawn.  But! I haven't talked about "kick counts."  And that's what I'm really thinking about today.  At my 24 week appointment my doctor gave me a little kick-count journal and said I should start keeping track.  I thanked her and decided not to worry about it much.  I mentioned it to my mom and she was like, "Kick count? What is that? We didn't have to do that."  I explained that if your baby hasn't been too active, you should count kicks and if you don't get to ten within an hour, you're supposed to call the doctor.  It's supposed to lower the risk of complications within the womb, especially the risk of still-borns.  For a more medically-sound explanation, you can read all about it here. I also explained that the idea of kick-counts makes me feel crazy.  It just seemed like too much!  Am I supposed to panic if I don't feel him moving around for awhile?  Doesn't he sleep in there?  If he has an especially active few days, doesn't it make sense that he's a little less active in the following days?

At our last appointment, the doctor mentioned the kick-count journal again.  And then today I became officially 29 weeks along, which means all my pregnancy apps updated with new info.  And my daily tip from my What to Expect app was this:

"Counting Baby's Kicks
Have you counted your baby's kicks today?  Once you've passed week 28, you should be counting them everyday."

Then it went on to explain to count twice-a-day and how to do so.  And on my BabyCenter app there's actually a Kick Counter tool where you start the timer and click the "kick" button.  It'll count up to ten kicks then you're done and it records the date and the amount of time it took to reach the ten-kick-goal.

So...I guess I should start counting kicks?  The few times I've used the tool on BabyCenter it hasn't taken more than three minutes to reach the goal.  And the entire time I've been writing this post, Baby Boy has been having a dance party near my ribs.  Of course, I am at Starbucks and just finished a decaf Peppermint Mocha which may have something to do with his dance moves...

Anyone else feel crazy when asked to do kick-counts?  Or am I just being a sensitive pregnant lady?  I feel with all there is to worry about, this just seems like piling on.  I agree that it makes sense to be aware of your baby's movement...but counting every day?  Twice-a-day?  Are we too overloaded with information?

Kate Middleton should read this blog...

By now you've heard that Kate Middleton is having a baby next year too.  2013 will certainly be the year of the baby!  Both in my life and in the tabloids!

Just was having a twitter conversation with Red about how the poor thing had morning sickness so her pregnancy had to be announced. Can't imagine! Feeling miserable, being hospitalized because the morning sickness is so bad, and then telling the whole world, "By the way, it's because I have the future heir to the throne in my womb."  No pressure for the little one.  I wonder what that must be like.  We sit here and like to speculate about what our son might want to be when he grows up or what interests he might take.  Will he take after his mom and like to write, sing, dance?  Will he take after his dad and be good at math, art, athletics? I mean, sure, Wills and Kate get to wonder those things as well but as far as occupation goes, their baby's course is set.  Which begs the question: do you wish you knew exactly what you were supposed to do with your life from the time you were born?  Is there freedom or restriction in that kind of certainty?

****

Mr. John Braxton Hicks.
The obstetrician with contractions
named after him.

Wasn't expecting to hear the royal gossip this morning though and actually wanted to talk a minute about Braxton-Hicks.  I haven't experienced any yet...that I know of. When we went to our childbirth class this past Thursday, our instructor asked, "How many of you have been experiencing Braxton-Hicks?  Raise your hand."  We all looked around at each other with our hands in our laps.  "No one? No one here has had Braxton-Hicks?" she asked again.  Again, we all just shrugged our shoulders.  Then she said, "Well, I find that highly unlikely at this point in your pregnancies.  You're all having them.  You just don't realize it yet."  And the way she said it, it was like she was not only surprised but a little disappointed.  Like we were doing something wrong if we hadn't been having Braxton-Hicks.  She said, "Has anyone felt like their belly was hard all around, with pressure that takes your breath away?  They don't necessarily hurt but they are uncomfortable." So one girl said, "Oh, I think I have then!  I feel this like lightning feeling on the bottom of my tummy."  And the instructor was like, "I'm pretty sure that was round ligament pain," and she went on to explain that a bit more.  But of the nine women in the class, all of us in our seventh month, none of us have been having noticeable Braxton-Hicks contractions.  Apparently this is a rare phenomenon.  The instructor said that she expects that some, if not all, of us will experience them by the time the course is over.  And now every little twinge has me wondering...was that a Braxton-Hicks?

For example, there were a few times that I got up to use the bathroom yesterday and I felt like my tummy was hard.  And I read that having a full bladder can trigger a Braxton-Hicks contraction.  So I wondered, "Is this it?"  Because it wasn't that uncomfortable.  And I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't have a class on Thursday where the teacher seemed appalled that none of us are having this happen on the regular.  And then I read that staying hydrated can help ward off Braxton-Hicks so I thought, "Well, I do drink a lot of water. Maybe that's why I'm not having any."  And then I went to use the bathroom again.  It's a vicious cycle, isn't it?  Gotta stay hydrated during pregnancy but your bladder is squished by the human occupying the same space. I buy a lot of toilet paper these days.

The point of all this is to ask, if you're reading this and are/have been pregnant or know someone that is/has been pregnant, how often do/did Braxton-Hicks strike for you/them? (That was a lot of slashes.)  Or when did they start?  This might sound really ignorant, but I'm wondering if because I have a long torso I'll experience it later in pregnancy than "normal"?  Or is that just wishful thinking?  Third trimester, man.  Lots of woes it seems.   Would love to hear about your experiences!

A Smorgasbord: Adorableness, Squished Bladders & Massages

The life of an actor is just getting cuter.  So I've been auditioning for a commercial this week.  Well, the first call was two weeks ago and callbacks were this week.  I was pretty excited to get a callback and then even more excited when I got a second callback for the spot today.  Why was I so excited?  Well, yes, because it would be great to book a job.  But also because I would play the mom of a toddler in the spot and today was the day when they were bringing in all the kids.  Oh. My. Gosh. Guys.  The kids were so cute!!  And they were all little boys, which just made me even more excited to meet my little boy in a few months.  Seriously, there was a cute-spolsion occurring in this casting office today and I was happy to be a part of it.

So my morning was spent with adorable toddlers and now I'm home, already in my sweats, because it's raining out and getting cozy felt like the right thing to do.  Sure, I have some errands to run but they might just have to wait.  I've got rain tap-tap-tapping on the window, Christmas songs playing, the Christmas tree lighting up the grey day and I'm contemplating making some chocolate chip cookies.  'Tis the season for cookies!

We started our childbirth classes last night.  We are doing a four-week series, where each class meets for 2 1/2 hours.  There are nine couples and we're all expecting in either late January or February, so it was interesting meeting everyone and seeing how different we all seem to be even though we are expecting around the same time.  One woman is due in late January and she is ready to be done.  Uncomfortable and big and swearing this is the first and last child.  Another woman, who is also expecting in late January, looks smaller than me.  And I get, "You're seven months?? No way!" all the time. That same woman said that she was bedridden for the first two months of her pregnancy.  Just miserably sick.  I am so glad I was spared sickness in the beginning!

The class focuses on preparing you for childbirth and yesterday we went over the different stages of labor and what physically is happening to both the mother's body and with the baby.  It was really fascinating.  I think I was most surprised by how squished the bladder becomes once the baby drops down a few weeks before delivery.  Dear goodness.  The only thing positive about a bladder that squished is that the baby will be arriving soon!  That's what I'll be repeating to myself when I basically have to move into the bathroom later in this pregnancy.  And I thought I pretty much lived there now! We also watched a video that covered the different stages of labor. It followed four different couples as they labored and then they were interviewed post-partum.  I'm surprised - really surprised - that the graphic videos of the actual birth process aren't freaking me out more.  I could hear quite a few squeals of discomfort from some of our classmates as we watched but I felt oddly calm watching the babies be born.  I always figured I'd be pretty squeamish when I saw videos like this so I've pretty much avoided them.  But...it's not as bad as I've made it out in my head.

This class is also a lamaze class so we learned a few different breathing techniques last night but my favorite part was when our support partners (aka, for me, my husband) were taught how to properly massage our legs and feet while we're laboring to help us relax.  When I'm in that much pain, I'm not sure if I'm going to want anyone touching me, but last night?  It was quite a lovely treat!  I am treating myself to a prenatal massage for Christmas and if I was excited before, I'm leaping with anticipation now.  I don't realize how sore and in need of a massage I am until one happens. I noticed this the other night too when my back was hurting and my husband rubbed it to help ease the pain.  I think I need to make my appointment asap.  Any LA mamas have a recommendation on where to go?  I usually go to Ole Henriksen for spa treatments and they offer a prenatal massage so I was thinking of going there.  But I'm very open to suggestions!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!  Can you believe tomorrow is December??

The Commercial that Made Me Cry

So this commercial made me stop in my tracks on the way to the bathroom last night.  And for some reason I can't find the 30 second version of the spot online, which is what I saw, and that had the tagline at the end that really got me crying.  Since I can't find it online, I'll write it here.  In fact, I can't repeat the line aloud without tearing up:

"Because Carter's knows, when a child is born...so is a mom."

I mean...right???  That made me boohoo!!  Even without the teary tagline, this is such a sweet spot.  Those ad execs know what they are doing.

Stroller, Shipping & Facebook

Walmart delivers!  Both literally and figuratively.  I mentioned that I ordered our stroller on Black Friday because it was marked down and had cheap shipping.  Well, right after I posted that, there was a knock at the door.  Our stroller was here!  If you're playing along at home, that basically took one business day.  Having ordered a lot of different things online at this point, I can safely say that was the fastest delivery yet.  And really the fastest delivery possible.  And you know what?  It came via FedEx.  Everything else has been shipped UPS and takes at least 7-10 days.  FedEx is the winner!

I ended up ordering the stroller that I was contemplating last month, the Baby Trend Jogger Travel System, and so far, I like it.  I mean, what do I know really?  I haven't exactly gone for a spin around the block yet since I'd feel strange strapping in a teddy bear, in place of a baby, but it looks nice and sturdy and like it will do the trick.  The one thing is...it's large.  Maybe too large?  Definitely not something you can take casually to travel.  I wanted a jogger stroller that was rugged and sturdy so that I could go on long walks around my neighborhood, eventually jog with it when I'm feeling up to it and, eventually-eventually, take it on hikes at Runyon, my local hiking spot.  I think it's going to be the perfect stroller for that.  But for shopping?  Or flying?  I think I'm going to have to look into lighter-weight options.  Any suggestions??

Bonus about this stroller so far is that it folds easily for storage purposes, which is great for our space.  I still have some more playing around to do with it to figure out all of it's little quirks but I also love that it came with the infant car seat.  I nearly teared up (thanks, hormones!) when I saw the little infant head support that comes in the seat.  It's so tiny and sweet!  Just like my little man is going to be!  My-oh-my!  I'm 28 weeks along as of today, so needless to say, this is all getting very real.  I've been in surreal land for most of my pregnancy so far but things are finally sinking in!

Also!  If you're on Facebook, please "like" the new Project: Baby/Project: Mom page so that you can be alerted when a new post is up.  And if you came to this post because you already liked the page??  YOU ROCK!  Thank you so much for liking and following along.  It means a lot!  And it's nice to know that I'm not just talking to myself anymore...!

Winding down and Winding up

I'm hungry again.

Thanksgiving!  It was delicious and abundant and fun and another one for the books.  We had a great time with our friends, who are also expecting.  We sipped sparkling cider and toasted to this being our last Thanksgiving without kids.  Hard to believe that next year we'll each have a new mouth to feed that is way cuter than any mouths we've seen before.  Sitting around and talking pregnancy-shop with Emily was particularly fun.  Comparing symptoms, talking registries, which products are best for each of us and just having someone to relate to in general was great.  I have the What To Expect app on my phone and am part of the "February board" on the forums, so I read through what different women around the world who are due around the same time as me are saying but I've never participated on the boards.  I'm a lurker.  So it was fun to actually have a dialogue!

I love the pace of Thanksgiving weekend too.  I know a lot of people enjoy going shopping on Black Friday but dealing with crowds and getting up early are two of the things I like least so we skip those shenanigans.  The next day we slept in, hung out, had leftovers, went for a long walk on a foggy beach and played board games before heading back home.  I also was showing Emily the stroller I had picked out online and noticed it was marked down by twenty dollars and shipping was only 97 cents, so I went ahead and ordered it.  So I guess I did get a little Black Friday shopping done after all!

The winding down from Thanksgiving lasts about a day though because then it's on to winding up and decorating for Christmas!  I love getting a tree and we had this bad boy donned licketysplit.

Sipped some decaf peppermint mocha while making this
happen. It was divine.

When we were picking out the tree, the guy helping us asked if wanted a few of the lower branches trimmed off.  I said, "Nah, we aren't actually putting gifts under it.  Next year though!"  Then I patted my belly.  Christmases are just going to be fun times a thousand from here on out.

Other key developments from this past holiday weekend:

• I think I gained about two pounds.  I blame the sweet potato casserole.  And pie.  And turkey. And stuffing.  And the human growing inside of me.
• We got a rocker/recliner! Spent most of my day in it yesterday...both rocking and reclining.  I think it'll do the trick.
• We picked up the crib mattress.  Last trip to Babies R Us for awhile...I hope!
• Baby got his first pair of shoes! Two pairs, actually.  Steve and Emily had a generous gift bag waiting for us when we arrived on Thanksgiving full of lots of fun goodies for the baby.
• Baby has been very active.  Especially yesterday and this morning.  His new favorite place to kick me is right under my right ribs.  I feel you, Baby.  I'm glad you're there.

Lots going on this week!  A few more deliveries for the nursery are expected to arrive today, we have our 28 week check up with the doctor, we start our four-week childbirth class at the hospital and I'm sure other fun things will pop up along the way.  It's that time of year when everything seems to be in fast-forward!

Third Trimester!

Today marks the first day of my third trimester!  I can't believe it's here already.  It seems like just yesterday that we were looking at the results on a stick and seeing two lines.  Then it seemed like time crawled before we could tell people we were expecting.  When we finally did, time sped up. And now everything is going too fast!  I feel like I went to sleep on Monday and woke up a size larger on Tuesday.  And it's not even Thanksgiving yet!  I plan on growing at least another size after feasting tomorrow.  Of course, that growth might not take place just in my belly.  Those sweet potatoes are bound to take up residence at the back of my house...if you know what I mean.

Planning on getting the potato dishes done today and then making the apple pie tomorrow while the rest of dinner is being prepared.  I like how I conveniently volunteered to make all the sweet stuff for tomorrow's dinner. Yummm.  To balance things out, I also volunteered to make the green beans.  So there will be at least one healthy thing on the table!  My husband wanted cream corn and I said, sure, I can do that.  I started looking up recipes, trying to determine what would be the yummiest way to do this and when we to the store he said, "Oh no, I just want the corn out of the can."  "Are you sure?"  "Oh yeah."  "Well...ok then."  The man knows what he wants!  I picked up two cans and that is what he is bringing to dinner.  May not be the "best" way but it sure as heck is the easiest way!

I hope wherever you are and however you're celebrating, you have a wonderful, plentiful Thanksgiving holiday!  See you on Monday, when the house will be decorated for Christmas and we'll all be a few pounds...fuller!

Project Nursery: Assembly Required

I am strange in that I love putting together furniture.  "Assembly required" is not a phrase that I mind.  It's like a puzzle when you unpack all of the pieces and screws and allen wrench and when it's all done, there is a sense of, "I did that!" that I love.  So when the changing table I picked out arrived on Friday, I was super excited to start assembling on Saturday morning!  Hubby and I unpacked and dug in.  After about an hour, we had the changing table all ready to go.  Space is limited in Baby Boy's room and as much as I would have liked to get a low dresser that I could have just plopped a changing pad on for now and continued to use later, the dimensions of the room didn't allow it.  So, thanks to Pinterest, I found a corner changing table that fits perfectly in the space.  It has shelves that I can store wipes, diapers, creams and such on.  And it has a hamper, which was a big selling feature for me.  I didn't know where I'd be able to keep a hamper in his room so this works perfectly.  Plus, with the handle on the hamper, I can easily transport it to the laundry room without having to re-bag it.

Ta-da!

I really love the changing table.  The changing pad that came with it?  Not so much.  It's thin and the washable cover smells terrible.  The problem is, the space for the pad is 30 inches instead of the standard 32 inches for a changing pad.  No big deal, I thought.  I can just order the slightly smaller size online.  But see how the back of the table becomes a triangle to fit into a corner?  That's how the changing pad that came with it is shaped.  And I can't find a changing pad online that has that same shape.  They are all rectangles, which means that I'd have to push the table out from the wall quite a bit to accomodate it.  When I put the pad that came with it actually on the table, it doesn't feel too thin.  It actually feels firm and well-supported.   So I think I'm going keep it.  Now I just need to figure out the cover for it.  My mother-in-law can sew well so I may ask her help me make a few over Christmas.  And I'm going to soak the cover that came with it in some Woolite and hope that helps remove some of the packaging smell.  It really is an awful smell.  

What else did we tackle in the nursery this weekend?  We bought a crib mattress from Babies R Us.  Is it just my local store or are all Babies R Us's terribly staffed, run and kind of dirty?  I hate going there but it is the most convenient one to where I live.  What should have taken fifteen minutes to order took about an hour because the woman helping us didn't know about the crib promotion that they've been running in-store for at least a month.  I don't want to get into it all but every time I have gone there I have had some sort of problem.  At this point, I'd rather drive forty-five minutes to Santa Clarita so I can shop peacefully and with people who know what they are doing at BuyBuy Baby.  I know this paragraph has sounded snotty but if I had one bad experience at this store, fine, these things happen.  But something has gone awry on all four or five trips I've taken there in the past few months.  Shame on me for continuing to shop there!  This past time will be the last time though.  I've learned my lesson.

And last, but not least, we got a rocker!  There is no room in Baby's room for any sort of rocking chair, so we made space downstairs for one.  It's stuffed and oversized and we got it on sale, so that was a bonus.  It gets delivered tomorrow and I'm excited to start using it.  I'm also a little nervous that it will fit in the space we cleared for it...there might have to be some major rearranging happening tomorrow!  We'll see!

Thanksgiving Week!

From my first time hosting Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It trumps Christmas, New Years and even my birthday.  Which, ok, fine, isn't an official holiday unless you're in my world...then it is.  Why do I love Thanksgiving so much?  I love that it is a holiday with no expectations beyond being thankful for what you have, where you are and what the year has brought.  The gift is the gratitude.  And I am a big fan of the food.  I was so excited when I found out I was pregnant - for the obvious reasons - but I was also excited that I'd be in the prime of my pregnancy during the holidays.  Would I like an extra serving of sweet potato casserole?  Well, I am eating for two...  Pass the yummy, there's a baby in my tummy!

This is where having our families on the east coast gets especially hard.  We have been alternating holidays with each side of the family for years now.  One year it's a Baltimore Thanksgiving and a Florida Christmas.  The next it's a Florida Thanksgiving and a Baltimore Christmas.  It's a lot of travel within a few weeks but it was worth it.  However, a few years back, we decided that while the traveling isn't so bad, the paying to travel is a bit ridiculous.  I think it should be illegal for the airlines to hike their prices for the holidays but no such legislation has been passed (yet!  I should get on top of writing a proposal) so we decided to start staying home for Thanksgiving and saving at least a thousand dollars in the process.  It's been difficult being away from our families on my favorite holiday but we've made adjustments that make up for it.  First, since we miss Thanksgiving with the fam, we started a new tradition called "Febsgiving."  It's where we travel in February, when airfare is MUCH more reasonable, to see the family we should have seen at Thanksgiving.  We make it a long weekend, everyone gets together without other holiday obligations thwarting plans, and we have a feast!  This year we're having everyone come to us for Febsgiving though...since we'll have a brand new baby boy!  We also found out that a lot of dear friends here in Los Angeles didn't travel for both holidays either because of the piracy of the skies, so we started celebrating Thanksgiving together with big potluck gatherings.

Most of our friends that we've celebrated with in years past though got the opportunity to go home for Thanksgiving this year so, instead of a big friends-gathering, we are going low key with our dear friends Steve and Emily...who are also expecting their first baby!  Emily is due about four weeks after me, which has been so much fun.  Steve and my husband have been friends since high school and Steve was even in our wedding.  We love that they live out here in California now (Emily is originally from here!) and we get to hang out and spend time together.  And I can't wait to have a pregnant feast with them!  We've had an email chain going about what goodies we all want to bring to the table and I have a feeling we'll have enough food to last a week.  Although, with two pregnant women in the house, guessing how far food quantity will go is a risky gamble.  Thankful, indeed!

More tomorrow on baby-specific things.  We got some more work done on the nursery and made some more big ticket furniture purchases (ouch) over the weekend.  Lots to share...and be thankful for!

Baby Kick Wives' Tales: True or False?

Close up of his feet at 20 week ultrasound.
They look huge to us but the doctor said
that they are normal-sized. Mmhmm.

Little one was having a party in my belly last night.  He always seems to get a little more active after I eat strawberries - one of my favorite night time snacks - but it's weird to me because I eat them and like ten minutes later, kick-kick-kickety-kick.  I would think if he's responding to the sugar in the fruit, then it would take a little longer for that to get to him.  But I'm no doctor (just hopin' to play one on TV).  Last night I could feel him roll, kick, punch and doing jumping jacks, it seemed.  After awhile I pulled up my shirt and started to watch the show.  It is definitely a weird sensation to see my belly jump as I feel him moving from the inside.

I'm 26 weeks along now but have been feeling him kick since very early on.  I mentioned to my doctor at my 16 week check up that I thought I could feel him moving.  And she said, "It's a little early but you should start feeling him in the next few weeks or so."  And then I explained, "Well, it feels like little flicks from the inside every once in awhile."  And she said, "Hmm, that sounds about right."  The week before we were in Big Sur and had just finished a two-mile hike when I felt a flick-flick-flick, all in a row along the left side of my belly.  I had felt a little flick or two before that that I had wondered if it could be the baby but I couldn't be sure.  The movement after the hike was distinct though and I was pretty certain that was the baby moving and not any other internal happenings.  Having my doctor say the following week that that sounded right confirmed it for me.

I bring this up because I'm curious about other mothers' experiences.  My mother-in-law says that her two boys were very different in the womb and that their level of activity was really reflected in their personalities once they were born.  Has anyone else noticed that with their kids?  Like, did you have a super active kicker that ended up being a little active baby?  Or did you have a super active kicker that ended up being a laid back and docile child?  Or the opposite!  Did you have a baby in the belly that was chill who ended up being a little spitfire once they debuted?  If level of activity in utero indicates the child's personality, then I've got my hands full once this baby comes into the world!

I want to hear all about it!  Leave a comment and let me know:  Is this an old wives' tale that holds up?  Or should I kick it to the curb? 

(sorry. I couldn't resist. hashtag: funwithpuns)

Bits and Pieces

This has been a strange week for me.  I mentioned that my back has been hurting and I also mentioned that I seemed to have aggravated it on my hike last Wednesday.  So I've been taking it easy since then. Thought I'd just take a few days off from my exercise plan and then be ready to get back into the swing of things.  Well, it's been six days and my back still is tweaked.  It definitely seems to be on the mend and I might even attempt a walk today.  But there is still some residual pain. I tweaked it good, y'all.  Things are definitely different when you're pregnant!  They aren't kidding when they say that joints and flexibility and balance all start to shift when there's a baby in your belly.

I feel like there are some bits and pieces to wrap up that we've talked about recently so here they are:

1.  Glucose Test:  I think I passed!  I drank that orange concoction, had my blood drawn on Nov. 2 and I haven't heard anything from my doctor yet so...I think I'm in the clear.  She said "no news is good news" and I love that my phone hasn't rang.  

2.  Flu Shot:  I've decided NOT to get it.  After doing more research and hearing more about my husband's family history with flu shot complications, I decided it'd be a risk.  At this point, there is a risk either way - whether I get it or not - so I've chosen "not."  I'm being very diligent about hygiene, eating right, taking my vitamins and getting plenty of rest.  I'm also being very vocal with my friends and people I spend time with.  If you're not feeling well, we can hang out another time.

3.  Business of Being Born: I was nervous about watching this documentary because I know I'm having a hospital birth, no matter what.  I was worried that I'd doubt my decision and be frightened by the statistics offered in the film.  I expressed my fears here.  I expressed them to my husband.  So when he came downstairs about halfway through the doc and sees me sobbing big tears, he got a stricken look on his face.  "Oh no," he said. "What happened??"  And I sobbed back, "It's...just...so...beautiful. I'm...so...lucky..."  Needless to say, he was a little relieved. The birth scenes had me all verklempt, guys.  And the film itself didn't scare me.  I thought it gave a really interesting overview of the history of birth in America and interesting insight into those who choose to have an at-home birth.  I highly recommend watching it if you are considering having an all-natural birth or just want to understand a little bit more about why someone would choose to do that.

4.  Nursery:  Is coming along!  Two big things happened on Saturday.  Dan got the room painted AND the crib arrived so he assembled it!  We love both.  We still need to get a mattress for the crib.  Any suggestions out there?  I also ordered the changing table and a rug.  Still on the hunt for a dresser but once I find that, all the key pieces will be in place.  Then it will be time to decorate the walls and find the right window treatments.  Hope to have it all done before the end of the year and can't wait to show it to you!

A Day of Rest (ok, maybe two days)

Snuggling with Winston the Teddy
Bear yesterday. A friend gave us him
as a gift for the baby. Just keeping him
company until Baby arrives.

I mentioned in my last post that my back pain is acting up again.  I think I may have aggravated something on my hike Wednesday.  It's basically on the left side of my lower back and if I turn the wrong way (like to dry my hands after washing dishes) or bend the wrong way (like to get something out of the fridge) or lift my leg up (like to go up the stairs) or turn over (while sleeping), there is a seizing, sharp pain.  To summarize, it's not fun.

Yesterday I decided to take the day off from my exercise routine and basically everything else so that I could rest my back.  This meant no cleaning, no errand running, no laundry and I ended up not leaving my house.  I caught up on some writing, reading and knitting and it was a good day to do it.  We had a rare gray and rainy day yesterday in LA.  I swanned around in my maternity support brace and thought I'd be good as new today.

Nope. Still hurts.

It doesn't seem to be as severe today, which is encouraging, so I'm going to try to get a few things done instead of mandating a day of rest.  I know that a day of rest sounds wonderful - and I am beyond lucky that I could take one - but just doing nothing can get really boring.  And make you feel like you're an unproductive human being.  I'm sure this a deeply ingrained character flaw but I always feel like I should be embarrassed for having a lazy day.  I feel a sense of guilt.  But then I remind myself that I'M GROWING A HUMAN* and I should give myself a break.

After I take care of a few errands today, I'm going to spend the afternoon resting.  I saw that The Business of Being Born is available for free on-demand and I think I'm going to finally force myself to watch it.  I've heard nothing but great things about this documentary but I've been very hesitant to sit down with it.  First of all because I know I'm going to have a hospital birth and I know that they give a lot of scary statistics about doing that.  So I didn't want to flood my head with negative thoughts.  But I also know that the hospital I'm going to is one of the best in the country so that eases my mind a bit.  I've decided to watch it because I am toying with the idea of having a natural birth and since I've educated myself on the pain management options at my hospital, it's time I educate myself on the flip-side of the equation.  A very big part of me wants to just go into labor and delivery in an "ignorance is bliss" bubble but I know that, in the end, being educated is going to help me understand and feel more in control of all my options once the time comes.  And knowledge will help lower my stress levels.  And hopefully that will help me have a smoother delivery.

These are the things I tell myself.

(* = did you see Modern Family this week? Gloria is like, "Aye, I'm so tired." And Manny is like, "How can you be tired? You just woke up." And she shouts back, "I don't know...maybe because I'm TURNING FOOD INTO A HUMAN!"  My husband gave the side-eye because I am always saying this to him.  "I'm tired. It's a lot of work making a baby!")

Fun Way to Track Pregnancy

As soon as we found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to take weekly pictures to track the pregnancy.  I had seen so many cute ways other people had done this but I just wasn't sure what would be the best way for us.  Some of my favorites are when people photoshop the week onto the picture.  But I don't have photoshop so that was out.  I thought about just holding a number that we had made out of construction paper or something but that didn't seem fun enough.  So I did a quick google search and that is how I found the Little Baby Garvin blog.  Jessica Garvin is a new momma to Baby Harper and a chalkboard artist who tracked her pregnancy with her weekly chalkboard designs.  Her typography and design skills far surpass my abilities but playing with chalk looked so fun and I knew I had found the best way to track my pregnancy.  I looked back through her posts to check out her chalkboards and now I officially follow her blog.  It's been fun following along because her daughter was due February 22 of this year and I'm due February 20th of next.  It's like a little glimpse into the future when I read her posts.  I get to think, "Fun! Baby S. will be four months old in July!  That'll be good time to travel." or "Oh my goodness, Halloween is going to be so fun next year.  Look how adorable her baby is!"

Jessica has a great tutorial on how to make your own chalkboard which is a fantastic option for you crafty mavens out there.  I always fancied myself as crafty so I thought I'd make one myself too.  I went out and got chalkboard paint and was about to go thrifting to find a good-sized picture to paint (see her tutorial) but then I read the instructions on the paint.  You had to let it dry and set for 72 hours and I didn't have the time.  You see, I wanted to be accurate when tracking our weeks and take a picture on the same day every week which means I was in a time crunch to get a chalkboard up and running.  I basically needed it the day I found I was pregnant.  I'm a bit of a stickler for these things.  So instead of getting crafty I ran to Office Depot.  They basically laughed at me when I asked if they had any chalkboards.  They were like, "We have dry erase boards....you archaic animal."  Ok, that last part was added by me. But that was what their eyes were saying!  So then I went to Staples and sheepishly asked - afraid of being ridiculed - if they had chalkboards and they were like, "Sure, over here by the children's supplies."  Victory!  They only had one size and it wasn't as big as I would have liked but it was going to have to do.  And it has!  Here's a little sample:

Look at that flat belly. And that long hair!

Long hair gone. 

Something's starting to happen.

This is how I usually looked after a big meal, pre-pregnancy,
so I still couldn't believe a baby was in there. 

Whoa! Growth spurt! Baby's popping out now.

My shirt has a pumpkin face on it.
A mom trick-or-treating with her kids saw me and shouted,
"Someone has a pumpkin in her belly!"

Every week we have our chalkboard ritual.  I write out which week we are at and what size fruit or vegetable the baby is as big as - according to my What To Expect app - and then my husband draws the weekly produce.  Then we head upstairs, hang it on the wall in our bedroom and take a picture.  It has been fun and exciting every week.  And it still is - don't get me wrong - but last night I found myself dragging my feet.  My back pain was really acting up and I just wanted to finish dinner and curl up on the couch and possibly fall asleep while watching Survivor (which, if you saw Survivor last night, then you know that was impossible!  Best tribal council ever.  Ahem, anyway...).  I snapped out of it though when I thought about how lucky I am to be tracking this pregnancy, with this little boy kicking and moving and growing in my belly.  And I wasn't going to let a little back pain steal away that joy.  So we took our latest picture:

Time to cut my hair again. It really does grow faster when you're pregnant!

Big thanks to Jessica Garvin for inspiring our chalkboard ritual! We also loved how they dubbed their daughter "Little Baby" before she was born and we incorporated it into the header on our board.  That header is getting really chalk-dusty.  We should probably re-draw it.  Or maybe we'll just see how dusty it can get...add a little character to our Staples-one-size-only-rushed-buy board.

Do you have a fun way to track your pregnancy?  I'd love to hear about it!  

Rockin' the Vote!

This mama rocked the vote this morning, first thing when the polls opened! Thought my new cobalt blue shirt from Motherhood would be the perfect choice to wear on election day.  I got surprisingly excited while standing in line to cast my ballot.  I felt an overwhelming amount of pride and honor to live in a country where I can vote.  I was much more involved this election season than in years past.  Watching all of the debates, reading articles, watching the news and learning as much as I could about the candidates and their stances.  I feel like I made an informed choice that I can be proud of.  I hope you feel the same way and exercise one of your most important rights as an American today!