Baby Girl - Week 25

One more week til my next baby check up. After that I go every two weeks -- how are we there already?!?  But I'm so excited, I love my baby appointments and it means things are starting to ramp up to get us in gear for Baby Girl to arrive!  And holy smokes, isn't August absolutely flying by?  After this month it's just 2 1/2 months until we're holding our little darling in our arms!

How far along: 25w4d

Maternity clothes: Last night I had a meeting so I put on some maternity skinny jeans and finally felt a little cute.  Today, same thing, skinny jeans. Again, felt a little cute.  So, BRING ON FALL!!!  I need cooler temps so I can wear jeans all the time.  The shorts aren't cutting it for me anymore. Neither are baggy shirts.

Sleep: Sleep has been so good lately.  Not that it's helping me feel rested.  I swear, I have never gotten that 2nd trimester energy boost.  I just drag all day every day. Some days are worse than others.  And to think, my 3rd trimester starts in a couple weeks.  Yikes!

Best moment of this week: Going to a friend's house to swap baby clothes.  Her daughter is 2 weeks older than Tate (and about a whole head shorter than him, ha!). She just had a baby boy about a month ago, so we decided to get together and swap clothes.  It was fun!  Her little daughter was pretty true to size so I didn't get much in the way of clothes because I don't think season-wise they'll work for my chunker. But I did get a bunch of jammies, which I was needing. I also got 2 sleep bags, a pink swaddler, some socks and the cutest little gray sweater boots.  Ok, so they probably aren't called that, and I just made myself sounds like my mother, but that's what they look like.  Someone help a girl out!

Miss anything: Friday we are going to the State Fair and I already know I have to sit out The Big Slide.  I'm going to miss that. But Princess Grace is so worth missing out on that!

Movement: Yes!  She sort of quivers in there, or at least that's what it feels like.  I feel that quite a bit.  Along with the big Royal Horse kicks. :)  

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!    

Labor signs: A few Braxton Hicks contractions.  Nothing much, nothing major.  

Happy or moody most of the time:  Whoa, did the moodiness/hormones hit yesterday!  Out of nowhere I just felt like the whole world was against me and couldn't help but go on a crying jag. Luckily Andy was here to bring me back to earth.  He's such a good guy. :) 

Looking forward to: getting the boys moved to their rooms so I can start working on the little lady's room.  It's going to take me awhile to get everything painted and decorated, and the decorations made, so the sooner I can get started the better.  All the trim, the doors and the window need primed and painted white, then I'll paint the walls a pale pink/blush color. After that's done, the crib can be put together.  I also need to paint the dresser, it's needing touched up.  I saw on Pinterest someone used some lace as a sort of stencil for the drawer fronts, I'm thinking of trying it.  

Symptoms/Side effects:  My belly feels super heavy these days, is very tight and hard, and trying to do dishes is getting to be quite the ordeal because my belly is out there far enough I have to lean over a bit, which then makes my lower back ache terribly.  When looking at my friend's clothes I found my belly kept running into the piles and knocking them over.  It's getting out there!  But I love rubbing it and talking to her (in my head).  Grow, Baby, grow!

Name:  Still no name.  We throw 2 or 3 around but I wouldn't say it's down to those three.  If something better came up I'd totally throw those all out and go with that one.  

That's week 25!  

The Sisterhood (of Bloggers)

I was lucky enough to be nominated by the beautiful Des for an award.  She blogs over at Macke Monologues.  Des and I had a connection from the minute we discovered we are both Iowans.  No, she doesn't live here anymore but we have plenty to chat about anyway!  Of course, that connection could have been totally ruined when we discovered she's an Iowa State Fan and I am an Iowa Hawkeye through and through.  Luckily we didn't let that one little (BIG) thing get in our way!  I want you to go over to her blog and get to know her as soon as you're done reading my post because she is one of those people everyone will want to be friends with.  I'm not going to tell too much about her because I want you to 'meet' her yourself!  Go on over and say 'hi'.  And thanks, Des, for thinking me worthy of this award!

The rules are pretty easy:
1. Provide a link and thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Answer a few questions about yourself.
3. Nominate 5-10 bloggers that you love.
4. Include questions to be answered for the bloggers you nominate.
5. Include the award logo within your blog post.

The questions:
1. What do you hope to accomplish from blogging? I honestly cannot say what it is I hoped to accomplish when I started this blog.  I remember thinking it seemed kind of cool to have a blog so I started one up. Then I went into true Erin panic mode that maybe some scary person out there would find me in real life and hunt me down after finding me out in the blogosphere.  Yikes!  Luckily that's never happened (so far).  :)  Today, what I hope to accomplish with this blog is getting my memories and thoughts down somewhere for my kids and me to look back on someday.  I have always loved the idea of a diary but I get so frustrated with how terrible my handwriting is and how my hand can't keep up with my mind, typing goes so much faster and is prettier.  So, that's #1.  #2 would be to make friends, connect with others.  I have made some very good and REAL friends through this blog and I love them dearly. Sad part is so many of them have stopped blogging themselves so I hear from them very little.  With that means less comments, and I really crave those comments because it gives me someone to chat with over the age of 10 every day. So be sure to leave me comments from now on, I promise to reply if you aren't set up as a no-reply blogger!

2. What have you learned since you began blogging?  I have learned that I will not be making money from this blog.  I'm not that type of blogger and in real life I'm not that cool, and to get paid for blogging you need to be cool in real life and have something great and amazing to blog about every day.  Or be fashionable, which again, I am not.  :)

4. Please provide a link to one blog you follow/read daily, and briefly tell why you enjoy that particular blog/blogger so much.  Normally  I wouldn't choose a 'big' blogger because I figure they have plenty of readers already so why give them a shout out.  But, today I am choosing a 'big' blogger.  Shay over at Mix and Match Family is just so great, you guys!  I love love how positive she is, every single day!  I love that she blogs about her faith, but not in a "shove it in your face" kind of way.  Her kids are adorable and I love following along with their daily shenanigans.  She has a food blog, also, with yummy, easy and kid friendly recipes on it.  She's just a really neat gal (and has no idea I exist in the world) so I think you should go check her out.

5. What is something you enjoy doing just for you? Just for me, hmmm.  Well, I like to read sometimes.  I like to watch junk reality TV and The Young and The Restless.  I love spending a couple of hours with my friends, just hanging out and eating something yummy.  If I could, I'd spend a few hours laying in bed chatting with Andy every week.  It's so relaxing and comfy!  I guess if you count how long we lay in bed chatting before bed every night it'd probably be close to a few hours, but I'm talking middle of the day, no kids interrupting, just laying there vegging out.  Awww. :)

6. Do you have a favorite quote or Bible verse? If so, please share, and explain why it's a favorite.  I have never been a quote type of person, and I believe in God and go to church but couldn't recite a Bible verse if my life depended on it. (Ok, 2 just popped in my head but they aren't what I'd call 'my favorite') 

7. What is your favorite holiday?  It's hard not to pick Christmas, because of the cheer and the magic in the air.  I also love Thanksgiving because it's similar to that same Christmas-y feeling but without the stress of the gifts.  And who doesn't love all that yummy food and carbs??  

8. What is one book you think should be on every ones "must read" list?  I've said it before and I'll say it again -- GO GET SUMMER SISTERS BY JUDY BLUME!!!  I'm not messing around here, folks!  It's by far my favorite book of all time!  If you're looking for something 'newer' go check out any of Liane Moriarty's books - they are fabulous!

9. What is your go-to meal for dinner? How about this - what's my go-to lazy meal for supper.  Hands down, pancakes!  If I can't think of anything else, or nothing else sounds good I'll make pancakes.  For awhile there I was on a cheeseburger kick, made those quite a bit in the winter on my grill pan on the stove.  Those were so good!  Now I've got a hankering for those, ha ha!  Next on the list - Casey's pizza.  Casey's is a convenience store you'll find in the Midwest.  If there's a town on a state highway it has a Casey's in it.  Their pizza is super yummy, especially their Taco!

10. What is one piece of advice you would give to fellow bloggers?  I'd say don't worry about number of followers, worry about your content.  If you aren't in to it anymore then take a break -- you can always come back and start it up again, revamp it.  Sometimes a blogging break is good for the soul.  :)

Now to send some love on.
I nominate:
Shelli, Beauty and the Baseball Coach
Chrissy, Mama Chrissy's Chaos
Christi, A Full Time Keller
Tia, Hands On, Pants Off

Questions for those lovelies to answer in their post:
1. How long have you been blogging?
2. What made you start your blog?
3. Why did you name it what you did?
4. If you could change one thing about your blog what would it be?
5. What mistakes have you made as a blogger that you can share so others don't make the same mistakes?
6. What did you have for supper last  night?
7. What was your first job in high school?
8. If you could live in a foreign country 100% free for one year which country would it be and why?

Thanks to Des for the sweet nomination.  As you read this she is probably enjoying the sweetest little new baby cuddles with her sweet little angel.  Be sure to stop by her page and start following her!

Weekend Rewind

Happy Monday!  I hope you link up with us today!

Let's dive right in.  Starting off with Friday -- Baby Girl's crib arrived!!!  I can't tell you how darn excited I am to have it!  I walked out to the garage and there it was -- darn people didn't even ring my bell to let me know they'd dropped anything off!

That's what it looks like now.  Here's what it'll look like when it's all put together!

Eeee!!!! So girly and so perfect!  I love it and can't wait to get it put together and in her sweet little room. :)

I was checking Facebook Friday morning when my back door neighbor started posting a ton of pictures of her daughter's outgrown clothes, all size 2T.  I started commenting right and left on the ones I wanted, then just texted her and told her I'd run over quick and just go through her pile and grab what I liked.  Made the process so much easier and fun!  I came back home with this big stack - all for $40!  2 jackets, 5 dresses, 4 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of Under Armor comfy pants, 1 pair of leggings and a ton of shirts.  I also snagged 2 shorts and t-shirt outfits that were Under Armor - one still had the tags on it!  Score!

Friday night we started priming the walls in the basement -- the mudders came last Monday and finished with the texture coat on Thursday.  Andy got started as soon as he came home from work Friday.  I went down and helped as much as I could, got supper around, then we went back down to prime. Andy's folks arrived around 6:30 and they both grabbed rollers and dug in.  While they finished priming the bathroom Andy and I started painting the bedroom ceilings. We had just enough ceiling paint from a prior job to get one coat on both boys' bedrooms.  We finished up just before 10:00, then all came upstairs to sit and relax and gab for a bit.  I was exhausted and my feet were screaming at me!  But, it got done and wow did that change the looks of things down there!  So exciting!

Saturday morning started with an early run to town to get more paint at Wal-Mart.  What should have been a quick 20 minute stop turned into a 45 minute one.  But FINALLY, I got out of there and hurried home with a package of donuts for breakfast and 3 cans of paint.  As soon as the donuts were down the hatch we headed back to the basement for a day of painting.

We have some of the best kids around -- the big boys each grabbed a roller and helped paint all day long.  And Tate, he kept himself busy pushing tractors around and staying out of the way.

Andy and I started with the hallway ceiling, then putting a second coat on all the ceilings.  I painted a coat of super awful, stinky paint in the closets, then had Andy do the second coat because that paint was so darn strong smelling!  Finally we were ready for the walls, which is when the kids came into things.  We stopped for a quick 15 minute lunch and to put Tate down for his nap before heading back downstairs to finish up painting the first coat.  Whew, we were all glad that was done for the day!

We finished up about 2:00, then I hustled to get a batch of Ree's Chocolate Sheet Cake made for Andy's family reunion that night.  Quickly jumped into the shower, had the boys take theirs and then we were off to town and the supper.

We were at the supper for about 2 hours before my battery totally wore out.  I must have looked like a zombie sitting there, ha ha!  We ended up leaving there just before 8:00.  Tate barely made it 3 blocks before he was zonked out -- I wished I could have been sleeping then, too!

Sunday, same thing/different day.  We ate breakfast then headed down to paint.  Andy and I did the second coat ourselves, just to be sure it was covered really well and there weren't any streaks or runs.  We got it all done in about 2 1/2 hours -- the second coat always goes faster.  During one of the quick water breaks Andy drew this:

Sweet and disgusting, all at the same time - lol!

We ran to town quick, grabbed some lunch, then headed back home to get started hanging the bedroom doors.  Of course the first one didn't go as smooth as we'd hoped, but the second one went much quicker and easier.  Amazing how much more like a finished product those doors made it look! Now to get them sanded and painted.

While Andy was slaving away in the basement (ha!) our neighbor and her daughter, who is the mom of our summer friends, came over with gifts.  So so sweet of them!  Our first gifts for the baby!  Just look how sweet these are!

We finally stopped working in the basement with just enough time to get showers before the NFL Hall of Fame game started.  FOOTBALL!!!  It's finally here!!! Yay yay yay!!!  Da'Bears play Thursday night, can't wait!

Tonight we'll start working on the closet door jambs, then it'll be the casing around the doors, then finally the base trim.  We are focusing solely on getting the bedrooms all trimmed out so the carpet layers can come either end of this week or beginning of next. The hallway won't have carpet until next year when we do the big living area so that it's exactly the same thing/matches.  So, we have time to dilly with that trim and the doors to the storage room and bathroom.  The bathroom we will focus on as soon as the boy's rooms are down, which should be middle of next week.  They just can't wait to get moved down there!

That's my weekend recap - link up yours so I can read all about what you did!

An InLinkz Link-up

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  How was your first week of August?  I have been syncing my wall calendar and purse calendar and can tsk off what's going on every week for the rest of the month, which always makes the month feel shorter.  For instance, next Friday we are going to the State Fair. That following Monday the boys and I are going to visit my cousin's new baby with my aunt, cousin and mom.  The next week school starts on Wednesday, then that Friday I am finally going to go to one of those huge consignment sales. And so on and so forth.  August will be over before I even knew it was here!

Now for my Friday Favorites.

First up, Pinterest.  I created a 'Back to School' board this week to pin lunch ideas and tips on.  I have the hardest time coming up with good, healthy, FILLING lunch ideas for the boys.  Our daily hot lunches at school cost $3 here.  That's $30 per week to feed both boys at school.  That seems like a lot to me, even if they are healthy, good meals.  So I send the boys to school with their lunches 4 times a week and they get to choose one day to eat the school lunch.  The boys' favorite lunch last year consisted up tortilla roll ups, but you need to make those the night before so they kind of set up and hold together once you've cut them, so I rarely made them.  This year I want to be better and try to prepare as much of their lunches as I can on Sunday's so during the week they can just pull out what they need that day and hopefully that will make mornings go smoother.  Check out my board for some ideas for your own kids' lunches!

Next up, I'm am totally craving Fall these days and this picture made me that much more anxious.  All those leaves on the ground, the gray skies and the cooler temps - ahhh, heavenly!

Favorite #3, Missouri Peaches!  Folks, they are in the stores here and they are dee-LICIOUS!  They are by far my favorite peach. So big, so juicy, so flavorful.  I cut one up and had it for lunch this week.  Mmm mmm mmm!

My most favorite of all favorites this week is my dear friend, Jenny.  Recently she hosted a Younique make up party online and I was too cheap to buy anything, even though I really really wanted to.  Out of nowhere she sent me my very own 3D Fiberlashes mascara!  She took pity on me and didn't want me to miss out on the awesomeness that is this mascara.  How sweet is she??  She moved last Thanksgiving and we don't see each other nearly often enough now - she was my go-to girl date and we always had such a great time gabbing with each other.  I have missed her so much.  She is so sweet to share.

What are your Friday Favorites this week?

Don't forget to come back Monday and link up with me and 3 other fab bloggers for the Weekend Rewind!

Baby Girl - Week 24

This week is picture week!  I had planned from the beginning to take a picture in the same fitted tank each month so comparing my progress would be easier. Well, I quickly realized my gray tank blended in with the wall color so I threw that idea out the window.  Here we are at 24 week.

I thought it'd be fun to compare Baby Girl's 24 week picture with Tate's.  Here they are.

Too bad they aren't the same closeness.  But, I think they actually look pretty close in size.  And in the same place, as far as carrying high or low goes.

How far along: 24 weeks 4 days

Maternity clothes: Ready to move on to the cuter fall stuff and jeans.

Sleep: Hasn't been too bad this week but the dreams! They are so crazy and so real, very detailed.  

Best moment of this week: When I stopped at the pharmacy to get med's for Tate's ear infection two of the gals there made a special point to stop by the drive up window and wish me congrats on the baby and that she's a girl.  That excitement is so sweet of everyone, makes me feel so special!  

Miss anything: Not really.  I can still get up and go so haven't had any 'bug stuck on it's back' moments yet.  I can still get on the floor and play with Tate. 

Movement: Yes, she's very active.  We tease that she does the Royal Horses kick thing in my belly, which is when the horses jump up in the air and kick their back feet out at the same time. Saw it on some PBS special one time - the first time she kicked really hard I had just seen a commercial for those horses that were to be in the States touring and doing a show. Part of that commercial showed their famous kick, so it's what I've envisioned ever since. Andy asked me the other night if the Princess had been doing her Royal Horse kicks that day.  Made me laugh. :)  Baby Girl is a very strong little lady and in the past week I have been able to watch her kick as well as feel it.  It's fun to see my belly pop and jump. These movements are one of the best parts of pregnancy, hands down!

Food cravings: None, although I prefer sweet to salty hands down.

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!    

Labor signs: No Braxton Hicks this week.

Looking forward to: Getting her crib!  I ordered it last week on Amazon and can't wait for it to come!  I also ordered that baby bonnet I told you about Monday, it has shipped so should arrive in the next week or so -- can't wait to see it!  I'm also looking forward to going to a friend's house next week to go through her baby girl clothes. She's going to go through my baby boy clothes as a swap - her sweet little guy was born 3 weeks ago.  

Symptoms/Side effects:  I've started having a little bit of RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome).  It's not too bothersome ... yet ... and I notice it at night when relaxing and laying in bed.  Just mild little twitches but if it's anything like my previous pregnancies they'll get worse.  With Tate I took Magnesium pills and that helped a ton!  I've also been experiencing the feeling of all that weight out front.  Sometimes it just feels so heavy that the only relief I can get is to lay on my left side and relax.  Laying on my right doesn't help for some odd reason. Probably all in my head but I do have a left side that is just as easy to get to as my right (ha!) so I get the relief I am looking for.  
I have mentioned that I feel like a cow sometimes, really big and huge.  I've come to discover that I feel like this in certain outfits. So guess what - those shirts have been buried at the bottom of my dresser and I hope to never see them on me again!  Problem solved!

Name:    You guys!!!  Still no name!  Andy is totally sold on one in particular.  I, however, am not convinced.  I keep saying it's not a real name, it's made up.  I don't know what we'll do about it.  I did hear back from my friend in Ireland and here are the names she suggested based on family names - Erin, Lili, Realtin, Sinead, Roisin, Lara and Fiona.  All pretty, but none jump out at me as 'the one'. Thank goodness the middle name is settled, that's half the battle.  And maybe Andy's name will suit me better after she's born - that's what happened with Brennan's name.  

That's where things stand this week.  16 weeks - 4 MONTHS! - to go!  Two more weeks until my next check up.  I wish those things came quicker, I always love mine.  It helps that I love my doctor, too. :)