Equal Trade

JP goes to Vegas for a Bachelor party = Brittany goes shopping

Sounds fair, right?

A few things for Eliana..

a couple pairs of shoes for Mama...

a Christmas present for Daddy...

 and a diaper bag for Mama Eliana!

Wam, bam, thank you mam! Today was a successful day of shopping. :)

 

I'm really over the signature print on Coach bags. Don't get me wrong, I have several purses and wallets with the signature print that I've accumulated over the last 5 years. However, with the overwhelming amount of people that have them now, I have found that they lost their appeal. I still love the quality and since my husband wouldn't be fond of me buying a $1,500 Louis Vuitton diaper bag, Coach was my second choice. I absolutely love it and the fact that it doesn't scream Coach!

 

 

I am in love, my friends!

 

Thoughts

For Our Future Visitors

As an expecting (and quite obviously first time) mother there are many things that have crossed my mind about having visitors once Eliana is here. While I cannot wait to introduce her to the world and for all of our loved ones to meet our sweet girl, there are (way too many) things I'm constantly thinking and worrying about. Call me uptight, ridiculous, overprotective, whatever you want, I'll take it.

While I won't get into all of those details on here, I recently came across this post. I of course cannot take credit, but it is very well said. A job well done if I do say so myself. :)

The one tiny (okay, who am I kidding? BIG) thing I've worried about with visitors is the smoking. Not only is this a SUPER big deal for visitors that come to the hospital, but even when we're home. I very much intend on being a super germaphobe in general and will ask that anyone holding Eliana wash their hands first. Furthermore, while it's common sense to not smoke around a baby, there are other smoking dangers that are important to note as well.  Third-hand smoke can be incredibly dangerous, particularly for a newborn/baby, so we will avoid this at all costs. If you're coming to visit Eliana, please do not smoke on your way or take a "smoke break" while spending time with her.

I really do mean this in the nicest way possible and we most certainly respect your choices, however, this is really important to us so we hope that you can respect ours as well. We are so, SO excited for visitors, so please do not let this stop you. It's just something we'd like our guests to consider when coming to visit.

Thank you for understanding! :)

Love, your favorite first-time-parents

twenty-three :)

Baby Girl is 23 weeks! 

One of the biggest changes this week is that she can hear everything going on around her. While she's been able to hear sounds for quite some time, her ears are more developed. This means many things. She can truly hear everyone's voices. :) I need to get a better grasp at controlling my road rage. She's already accustomed to daddy's extreme happiness (and/or anger) on football Sundays and Mondays. Her tiny ears are sensitive to sudden and loud noises, meaning I can no longer yell at the dogs. Which leads me to my next big point, the dog barking. I've been a little worried about how Lily and Lola's barking will affect Baby Girl's sleeping schedule. However, since she's getting so used to it in utero, it likely won't even phase her after birth. HUGE relief!

She's also developing more and more blood vessels in her lungs, which are preparing her for breathing in the outside world. This is a really big deal because technically, in a worst case scenario type situation, if a baby is born as early as 24 weeks, with a lot of medical support, it is possible for them to survive. Those developing lungs are a big piece to this. I'm definitely not a pessimist, but I will certainly feel a sense of relief when we reach that 24 week mark!

How far along? 23 weeks

Baby's size? a grapefruit

Total weight gain: 12 pounds
Maternity clothes? While I still wear a lot of my non-maternity clothing, I find my maternity clothing sneaking into my wardrobe more and more.
Sleep: Some nights are better than others, but overall, it's not so great. I definitely just ordered the Boppy pillow. While I was tempted to get the full body pillow, I was worried it would take over our entire Cali King bed. So, I opted for this one instead.
Best moment this past week: This weekend in general was so wonderful. I had a lot of time to do absolutely nothing, which was very much needed. I've been super stressed out this past week or so and I really needed some time to mentally and physically relax.

Miss Anything? SUSHI! I'd seriously give my left big toe (especially because it's giving me SO many problems lately) to have a yummy raw salmon roll loaded with all kinds of goodness - avocado, mango, cream cheese, cucumber, tempura bits, and tons of Sriracha obviously. So, JP and I went to dinner on Friday and we originally planned on going to a sushi restaurant. I'd get a salad, he'd get a couple rolls. I planned on making him believe he needed a roll with (cooked) crab, hence, getting at least a small bit of my craving taken care of. Anyhow, the wait was too long and we would have missed our movie. Perhaps that was my sign to stay far away from sushi? I've already decided, it WILL be my first meal post delivery.
Movement: Baby Girl is still crazy, folks! I had a mini panic attack last week because I thought I hadn't felt her in over 24 hours (perhaps I was just too busy and stressed to notice?). She is constantly on the go, so I really freaked out. Once I realized this and began doing everything in my power to make her move, she started kicking away as if to say, "You're a complete nutcase, relax, I'm perfectly fine mom." Alright Baby Girl, that's all Mama needed to know. :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: chicken!
Labor Signs:  nope

Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: The neck aches and headaches seem to be less frequent, hallelujah! I've still slacked on making an appointment with a chiropractor. That, along with making an appointment with a podiatrist are my priorities during my prep period tomorrow.

Belly Button in or out? Still just very shallow, wide, and kind of poking out on the inside.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm still constantly happy, but this week was really, really rough. I let stress get the best of me and became really overwhelmed. Hopefully the time I spent relaxing this weekend was enough to help me recooperate and make it through two more weeks of work until fall break!
Looking forward to: Our checkup with Dr. Reuss on Tuesday. I never know whether or not he'll do an ultrasound, but it seems like more often than not he does. We don't always get pictures, but he likes to check in on our little girl and hear the heartbeat. That's fine with me! :)

23 weeks

That's right, friends. We have officially decided on a name for our sweet little girl. 
Eliana Grace.
We absolutely love it!
Her nickname will be Ellie.

22 weeks

Breaking News!

Baby Girl officially weighs one pound. Well technically, our baby probably weighs more than a pound, but by 22 weeks a fetus weighs at least a pound and is almost a foot in length!! All the websites tell me she looks like a mini newborn now.

Insert a hormonal pregnant mama's teary eyes here. What's wrong with me?! I can't wait to hold by sweet girl, yet I'm getting teary eyed about how quickly she's growing and she's not even out of my belly! I'm constantly talking about how I can't wait for her to be here, but at the same time, I just want her to remain MY baby forever. I want to keep her for myself, hidden away in my belly, away from everyone forever. Selfish, much?

In other news, Baby Girl is super wrinkly these days. She'll remain this way until she gains enough weight to fill out all the extra skin. Her pancreas is developing (hopefully without too many crazy teenager hormones!). While her eyes are formed, they still lack color and they're also fused shut. I believe they should open within the next month or so? She has started to develop a sense of balance and enjoys exploring her surroundings. Hence, all the jabs at her mama's belly!

How far along? 22 weeks

Baby's size? a papaya (or spaghetti squash)

Total weight gain: 11 pounds - I think I just have to accept the fact that I'm going to gain a pound a week from here on out. I was told to gain anywhere from 25-35. I'm hoping to stay under 30 and if I continue with the trend, this is possible.
Maternity clothes? Yeah, but I still wear more non-maternity than maternity clothing.
Sleep: Eh, it's slowly but surely becoming more difficult. Baby Girl is also most active at night, so it's hard to fall asleep.
Best moment this past week: Seeing my kids' excitement when they won the NFL door decorating contest at school, getting yellow tulips (my favorite!) delivered to work for no reason, and date night with my favorite top the list. I also got my hair done (halleluiah, thanks Alicia!) and ordered a beautiful bridesmaid dress for my friend Katie's wedding. Here's to hoping I lose all the baby weight within 3 months of Baby Girl gracing us with her presence!

Miss Anything? sushi and bruschetta (those that are piled high with soft cheeses and deli meat!)
Movement: Baby Girl continues to rock my (read: her) world. There is no doubt in my mind that this little womb hijacker is none other than the next Gabby Douglas. I've started listening to a lot of classical music to encourage and enlighten our little prodigy child, and she seems to be enjoying it. It keeps me company on my way to work! :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just chicken and the smell of BBQ sauce is actually starting to gross me out. Let's talk about cravings for a minute though, they've been weird! I still LOVE lemonade, but I've had a thing for pickles and Doritos lately. I need to come up with something new though, something with less sodium and garbage calories!
Labor Signs:  nope

Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: Unfortunately, the headaches have resurfaced. On a scale of 1 to 10, they're about a 4, as opposed to a 10 during 1st trimester. They start with pain in my lower neck and then creep up the back of my scull. I've had them almost daily for the past week. I plan on making an appointment with a chiropractor this week.

Belly Button in or out? Still just very shallow, wide, and kind of poking out on the inside.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Super happy! Last weekend was rough and this weekend made up for it tenfold.
Looking forward to: Fall Break!! There are only 3 more weeks of school until I get a week off! We originally planned on going on a Babymoon during that time. I'm not sure we'll be doing that anymore with all this saving for a house business, but I think we plan to go on at least a long weekend trip.

22 weeks

Feeling blessed!

I don't know if any other person or profession understands the excitement of a Friday afternoon more than a teacher, specifically, one that is pregnant. This Friday afternoon hasn't let me down.

Not only did I have a wonderful day to begin with, but it just keeps getting better!

My school is trying to win an NFL scholarship in which we earn money for things like a playground. We've been doing all sorts of fun things, including an assembly, jersey day, and a door decorating contest. Each teacher was assigned an NFL team and we were asked to decorate our door with our class.

Now, those of you that know me....know that I am NOT a fan of football. I love the social aspect of tailgating, going to the games, and Superbowl parties, but that's where my love ends (much to my husband's dismay). 

Anyhow, we were assigned the New York Giants. I honestly didn't know a thing about them other than their NY symbol. I asked the number 1 NFL fan for some advice. . . My Husband. He told me they won the Superbowl last year - who knew?! From there we came up with a champion theme of some sort and I knew I wanted to use lots of glitter. The rest of the ideas and all the work was done by my kiddos, other than the NY part (I will admit, I did that part myself).

So...WE WON!

The kids were screaming and cheering when they made the announcement. There were so many creative and doors well done, I truly wasn't expecting us to win. However, my kiddos collaborated and worked so well together on thinking of ideas and taking charge of each aspect of the door, so they totally deserved it.

Super proud - even if I'm not a fan of the NFL.

 Then, not 5 minutes later, in came this beautiful delivery!

Back up real quick....

So this delivery came in a long box (first time). It didn't say who it was from on the outside. I was beyond confused. Back in the day JP use to send or bring home flowers at least once a month. I'll admit it, I was spoiled! He still brings home flowers and sends them to work, but only occasionally. However, he usually only sends them to work if it's a special day or he's in trouble.

So, in walks the lady with the flowers.

In a box.

No name on the outside.

Overnight delivery.

It's not my birthday.

Today isn't a major holiday.

It's not the first day of school.

There is nothing special about today in particular.

I'm not mad at my husband.

"Oh my gosh. How am I going to explain this to JP?! Who in the world sent me flowers?!" 

I kid you not, these were the exact thoughts that went through my head.

I open the box..and they ARE from my sweet husband.

My next thought, "Uh oh, what did he do? What am I in for tonight?" 

Just kidding (kind of).

So, that was my afternoon. It was fabulous and I'm feeling so blessed right now.

I love my husband.

I adore my class.

My sweet Baby Girl is a kicking machine and I love every second 

(even when it's 11 pm and I'm trying to sleep).

I made it out of work by 4:00 on a Friday.

My house is clean.

I'm getting my hair done tomorrow.

I have a date planned tonight with my sexy man.

Happy Friday, Lovelies. Make this weekend a good one!

21 weeks

Baby Girl is keeping busy in there! She's about to go through a growth spurt, packing on all sorts of ounces (not pounds!), meaning I'll continue to expand every .025 seconds. Most babies are about 10.5 inches now, although our little overachiever is probably bigger. She's definitely showing off her moves, although I'm still debating whether or not she's practicing her high kicks or for her black belt in karate. One of the two.

She is now capable of dreaming (probably about her wonderful mommy!). Her eyebrows and lids are fully developed as well. Baby Girl can now taste what I'm eating since she's now swallowing amniotic fluid. I guess this means I should start eating more veggies! She spends her days sucking on her thumb and jabbing mama's precious vital organs. I am of course that mom that loves every. single. second. (for now).

How far along? 21 weeks

Baby's size? pomegranate (side note, last week she was not the size of a cantaloupe - The Bump was playing mind games! She was actually the size (length) of a banana).

Total weight gain: 10 pounds (insert major freakout moment here)
Maternity clothes? Yeah, but I still wear more non-maternity than maternity clothing.
Sleep: I'm getting really sick of sleeping on my sides, so it's definitely getting harder. I usually fall asleep on my back, but I go back and forth between each side throughout the rest of the night. The 129 trips to the bathroom don't help either.
Best moment this past week: JP and I both feeling Baby Girl from the outside definitely tops the list. We're also able to see her move now. I've spent an embarrassing amount of time staring at my belly the past 3 or 4 days.

Miss Anything? sushi!!! :(
Movement: Baby Girl is crazy, folks! She moves all. the. time. (definitely MY child). This past week we were able to feel her from the outside for the first time. I was laying in bed, on my back when I first felt it. JP was able to feel her right away as well. We're even able to see little mini jabs on the outside of my belly. It truly is amazing. While I feel her moving all throughout the tday, we're only able to feel and see the movement from the outside when I'm laying down. JP is already teasing me about how often I lay down with my hands on my stomach! lol

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, unless you count eating too many pieces of candy corn. I had one too many on Saturday and I don't think Baby Girl was happy. That's what I get. I shouldn't be eating that much sugar. No mas, I promise.
Labor Signs:  nope

Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: Just a whole lot of baby girl movement!

Belly Button in or out? It hasn't changed since last week. It's definitely more flat and wide than anything. The inner part is still slightly popping out inside. Weird, I know.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Usually very happy, but I'll be honest, this weekend was not great and I'm not happy about it.
Looking forward to: Working on Baby Girl's nursery. As many of you know, we're in the process of buying a new house. Since we can't be sure when we'll actually be in the house and we are sure of when Baby Girl will be here (4 months!), we've decided to work on her temporary nursery. It's really important to me for us to have a nursery to bring her home to. So, we've decided to start cleaning out the guest bedroom and make that her room. We'll basically do everything we'd do in the new house, minus the paint. We don't want our renters to have to deal with pink and/or grey walls. So, we'll add the paint when we move into the new house, which will likely happen within the first couple of months of her being here anyway. The nursery, by the way, is going to be so freaking adorable. I can't wait. Think light pink/blush, grey, and ivory and vintage Paris. It's going to be girly and elegant. I'm excited!

21 weeks

 Please ignore the awful hair; I'm getting it done on Saturday!
I also hate this picture, so please, no judging.

..and for your viewing pleasure. :)

SMILE! :)

Rough week? Need a little pick-me-up?

Long rainy day schedule on a Friday with 27 3rd graders in your classroom and a glass of wine isn't good for Baby?

Don't worry. I've got the answer. It can be found HERE. 

25 Ways to Instantly Make Your Day Better

My favorites are 9, 10, 14, and 23.
In fact, I think I may attempt to recreate number 23 tomorrow.

Happy Friday, Friends! :)   

6 Months of Bliss

Just in case you forgot to add mine and JP's 6 month wedding anniversary to your calendars or perhaps you forgot to slip the card in the mail on time, I have another reminder. Lucky you! :)

I made a guest post on Whitney's blog, The Married Me, reflecting on the past 6 months of marriage. Whitney and I met while planning our weddings and have continued to stay in touch through facebook. We've spent the past 6 months chatting about our (most of the time) amazing husbands and our marriages. Since I'm so awesome, she asked me to make a guest post reflecting on the past 6 months. If you happen to make it through my post (which I highly recommend you do!), you can browse through various topics on her blog which include recipes, product reviews, marriage, and a variety of other topics. Definitely head on over to check it out! :)

Half Baked!

20 weeks. Four and a half months. Halfway there. 139 days to go. While 3 digits may appear as if I still have a long time to share my body (and everything that goes into it!) with Baby Girl, I really don't. This time is flying bye, which is 100% bittersweet.

It feels like just yesterday that we found out we were expecting a baby and now here we are, half way done. While I've been so excited this entire time, this past week something sort of changed. I want this little girl here. Now. I'm not sick of being pregnant, in fact, I LOVE being pregnant now that the headaches are gone and I look pregnant instead of looking like I ate one too many donuts. Although I ironically have had 5 or 6 donuts since being pregnant, which is more than I think I've had in my entire life.

So, it's not that I want the pregnancy to be over. I'm truly loving it. I'm just so unbelievably eager to hold our little girl in my arms! I'm one of those instant gratification type people and this trait is definitely coming out in full force. I find myself admiring women with little babies while I'm out. I watch (or obsessively stare at) them and I just can't help myself. I tear up thinking about how God has blessed and trusted me enough to grant ME (and my sweet husband) with a baby. I too will get to have a baby in my arms in 20 short weeks (possibly less since she's measuring a week ahead). I freaking tear up watching a mother and baby. Pregnancy hormones, much?!

Alright, how about some more on Baby Girl. Which by the way, we have decided on a name. We're 99.9% sure. While we have been telling family and friends, I want to hold on to it a bit longer before I share on the blog or facebook. Anyhow, back to Baby Girl! (sorry the pregnancy lack of attention span is also in FULL force). Baby Girl weighs at least 10.5 ounces and is about 10-10.5 inches from head to heel, which is about the length of a banana (I'm not even kidding when I say that I just went to check out some of the bananas in our kitchen!). She's officially producing meconium (think black, sticky poop) that she'll so graciously share with us upon her first diaper change or two. Her little finger prints are here to stay. Her teeth buds are also beginning to form under her gums. Finally, she's beginning to form little eyelashes and eyebrows. Yesss! Baby Girl is looking less and less like an alien every day! :)

How far along? 20 weeks

Baby's size? cantaloupe!

Total weight gain: 8 pounds (normal by week 20 is 10 pounds)
Maternity clothes? Sometimes!
Sleep: Still just okay, not wonderful, but not bad. I haven't had a GOOD night's sleep in a while though. I'm highly contemplating ordering THIS. JP's Pillowina (long story) will have to move on over! There may not be enough room in our bed for all four of us. I've also been having nightmares about stretch marks. This can't be good.
Best moment this past week: The 3-day weekend, hands down, has been the best part about this week. After teaching for four straight weeks after a long restful summer, this weekend is by far one of the best of the school year. I was able to relax, take naps, go shopping, spend quality time with my love and best friends, swim, and clean my house from top to bottom!

Miss Anything? sushi!!! I'm dying here, folks. I neeeeeed some sushi.
Movement: Baby Girl is still moving away! She didn't move as often this week, but I do still feel her moving at least once or twice a day. However, she did seem a little extra active this weekend. I absolutely love it, but I can't wait for JP to be able to share in this with me. Come on, Baby Girl, move a little bit more..Daddy is dying to feel you!

Anything making you queasy or sick: In general, I'm still struggling with all meat other than fish. I was able to eat chicken enchiladas on Saturday and even a few bites of chicken mixed with rice and way too much sriracha during our  Teppanyaki dinner Friday night. Baby steps! :)
Labor Signs:  nope

Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: Just a whole lot of baby girl movement!

Belly Button in or out? Guys! My belly button is officially ca-razy! It's wider, a bit flatter, and definitely still in, but the inner part is sort of popping out inside (if that makes ANY sense at all). I'm not going to lie, I'm struggling a tiny bit with this change. I'm only 20 weeks! I wasn't prepared for it to change this much so soon!
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Very, very happy all the time. Like almost too happy. I'd probably be annoyed by me if I were my friends. ;)
Looking forward to: Anyone and everyone that knows me, knows that saying I love fall is actually an understatement. I'm obsessed with everything fall and it's always my favorite time of year. I'm very happy to see that it is quickly approaching! The Pumpkin Spice Latte (sans the whip) from Starbucks is officially back, which I fully enjoyed yesterday morning. Oh, and I'm well aware that it's still 100 degrees outside. Get excited!

The Half Baked Baby Bump :)

*Please note that there is definitely a bit of a shadow enhancing this bump!

Happy Labor Day, my lovelies!

My Love

Happy 6 months, Pumpkin!!

 

I love you like a fat kid (or pregnant woman!) loves cake!!