July 10, 2014 by Stephanie

Bumpdate Week 30

Week 30

How far along: Holy Cow! 30 weeks! I can’t believe we are down to 10 weeks until George’s due date.

Sex of Baby W: We saw his little man parts this week.

Weight gain: I have gained 5 pounds…finally. And this is officially the most I have ever weighed in my entire life, which can be a downer when I see that at first. Then I remember I am growing a human.

Size of Baby W: Yesterday, he weighed in at 3 lbs and 3 oz. He is about the size of a large cabbage.

Maternity clothes: I am really not sure why we wear buttons in the first place. Maternity pants and lots of elastic are the best thing! It will be hard going back to regular pants that have zippers and buttons. Maybe I will start a clothing revolution against fasteners…

Baby items: We had both of our baby showers where George was given lots of love! I was excited to see all the books and clothes we got. Baby things are so adorable!

These are some of my favorite onsies we have gotten so far. We asked for books instead of cards to help build a library for George. It was so fun to see all the books and notes to George! I hope he is as excited about them someday as I am!

We do still have a lot of things we need so we are working to figure out what’s a necessity versus want. It stresses me out to see all the things on our registry, but I know it will all work out before he gets here. Although, Target is having huge baby sale (baby items, not actual babies) this week…

Stretch marks: I haven’t noticed any still. Our prenatal class instructor says that stretch marks can’t be prevented by any lotion. Either you are predisposed to get them or you aren’t. Regardless, I will still be lathering on the lotion morning and night to help with all the itching.

Belly button in or out: It’s just a little indent now. Maybe by the next update it will be flat.

Sleep: Well the nights of good sleep have gone away. I have been super restless, and pains in my legs have been waking me up. I am pretty sure I get charlie horses in my left leg almost every night. Have I mentioned that I HATE laying on my left side exclusively? I am thinking that some of this had to do with all the traveling we were doing too. So hopefully now that I am in our own bed for more than a couple nights a week, it will get a little better.

Best moment the past few weeks: Seeing all the friends and family over the past few weekends. My heart is full. It was also great seeing George again on our ultrasound yesterday. It had been a couple months, and he has grown so much! I will admit though that I didn’t know what half the things we were looking at where until the ultrasound tech explained it. But he and I are measuring exactly where we need to be and everything looks fantastic from what our doctor says. Pretty good news indeed.

Worst moment the past few weeks: The traveling has taken a toll on the Whitener family.

Miss anything: Running. I never thought I would say that.

Cravings: Greasy pizza, which was satisfied by Shakespeare’s Pizza during one of our trips to Columbia, MO.

Movement: I feel like George is trying to break free through my belly button. He is like a solid rock hanging out right there or on my kidney. He kicks and flicks around a lot right after I eat. He doesn’t really do much in the morning, so he takes after his night-owl dad. It’s still fun to feel him move, but he is definitely getting stronger. There are moments now where he is a little painful. It was also really fun to see my 4 year old niece feel him move. Such a fun moment to share with her. Oh and he definitely high-fived Tom on command last week-not even kidding.

Not sure if you can tell, but my belly is lopsided. Where the arrow is pointing, that is George’s rump. My belly button is about an inch and a half to the left of the arrow for reference. He likes to stick his butt up and make his presence known at all times. (Also I was parked in my driveway when I took this picture. I was not driving in case you were concerned.)

Symptoms/how I am feeling: I have had a few bouts of nausea, but generally once I eat something I am fine. I am also getting a lot more exhausted. I can tell it takes a lot more out of me to walk the dogs every day, but I am still hitting the pavement with them. I could also do without the cramps.

Looking forward to: Now that we are not traveling as much anymore, we can actually get things organized and set up. I can’t wait to put everything up! We have a lot to do in ways of creating a space for George. This is his room right now…

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I am glad we are back to seeing the doctor every couple weeks. It is nice to be able to get that check up and make sure that everything is going well. It satisfies this worrying momma!

30 weeks

July 9, 2014 by Stephanie

35 Before 35 Update

I didn’t do so hot this month…I blame it on all the travel.

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves at least once a year

2. Do a photography challenge

3. Visit 5 cities I have never been to before (5/5)

We went to Broken Arrow, OK for a wedding. Donsies!

4. Tour at least one of the distilleries in the KY/TN area

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

Yep.

6. Become a “professional” photographer

My pictures were featured in a local magazine for the art auction that I did back in March. So exciting! I also did another newborn shoot a little while ago. So fun! Anyone have any photographer needs? I would love to help you out!

This kid had the best hand expressions. Loved capturing this little guy!

7. Run at least 10 races (any distance) (1/10)

8. Go camping with Tom

9. Pay for the car behind me in a drive through

10. See Tyrone Wells live as many times as possible

11. Tour Fort Defiance here in Clarksville

Done last month

12. Water ski with my dad

13. Do a 5K with my mom

14. Take a swing dance class with Tom

15. Read at least one fun book a month and one professional development book every three months

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

17. Do one new recipe each month

I made another breakfast casserole. This one was so much better than my last attempt. I am not good at doing recipe posts so click here for the recipe. It was pretty good and lasted a long time since I froze half of it.

18. See both a Clemson and UCM football game live

19. Find a place to volunteer on a regular basis

20. Go hiking

21. Ride in a hot air balloon

22. Go to at least 20 “new to me” restaurants. (15/20)

We went to an ice cream place called Sparky’s in Columbia, MO this past weekend. They have the most random flavors of ice cream and make everything in house. Pretty decent!

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

24. Spend a day without electronics (phone, t.v. and computer)

25. Have a Kentucky Derby themed 3oth birthday party.

26. Explore Nashville while we live here

27. Watch at least 10 movies that I have not seen before that won Best Picture at the Oscars and at least 20 documentaries (not necessarily Oscar winning) Movies (0/10); Documentaries (4/20)

28. Sew an item of clothing from scratch

29. Do a personal devotional/bible study on my own

30. Be a mascot for an event

31. Go on our honeymoon (preferably somewhere tropical)

32. Host an annual NCAA Basketball Tournament Championship game party

33. Go on a mission trip

34. Be on a recreation volleyball team

35. Become a mom

I know I still have a lot of time to chip away this list, so in reality I didn’t do so bad.

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Do you have any personal challenges that you are working on?

July 7, 2014 by Stephanie

SurfsUpVoxBox

I recently received my second complimentary box from Influenster.

I really enjoy being part of this community because it gives me a chance to try new products and items that I may not otherwise look twice at. The last box encouraged me to switch my eye shadow, so I was excited to see if there was anything that would change my routine this go around.

Here is what I received:

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1. Jamba Juice Smoothie Kit coupons: I was really pumped to see this in my box because I have a smoothie every single morning on my way to work. I thought it would be good to try this brand to see if it was better than my other frozen fruit options. The bags are normally about $3 and say they are a 2-4 serving. I used a whole bag for one morning. There was nothing special about this bag, and I think you can get more out of your money buying the large store brand bags. It literally was just frozen fruit in a small bag. Mind you it was still good, but I don’t think the price is worth it considering the other options I have.

2. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun: I don’t normally get sun-burned so I was a little skeptical about this product working. Plus, since being pregnant my skin hasn’t seen a lot of sun, so I wasn’t sure if this would be used any time soon. I did end up joining my family for some pool time on July 4th and was able to get some adequate rays. Just to safe guard against any sun affects, I used this that same night. I wasn’t really impressed. It was a thick gel that was kind of sticky going on. It also wasn’t very refreshing as I feel most after sun products are. Not so much a fan.

3. First Aid Shot Therapy: I did not try this purely because I am pregnant. I have been trying to stay away from any medications if I can, so this just went into one of our camping prep bags for emergency use later on. I feel like it would be really handy on long races though.

4. Sinful Colors Professional Nail Polish: I am glad this was in the box. I am always skeptical buying new polish and trying different colors. I haven’t used it yet because I haven’t had the time to sit and do my nails in the past week, but I am sure that this will go to good use. I feel like it is a color that you could use any time of year too.

5. COVERGIRL Bombshell Curvaceous by Lashblast Mascara: I love CoverGirl! They were my first make-up product when I was 13, and I have been hooked ever since. Mascara is also that one make-up item that I rarely leave the house without. So naturally this was the item I was most pumped about! It is a combo mascara with two different applicators that you layer on each other for a real pop factor. CoverGirl mascara is my favorite mascara by far, and rarely (if ever) have I been disappointed. Until I used this. It really isn’t that bad of a product, but it is really difficult to apply. The casing is really bulky, and I can’t get the wand into the corners of my eye very easily because the base runs into my cheeks. I feel like it causes a real uneven layering because I have to position the wand in weird ways to reach all of my lashes, whereas other wands I can hit all the lashes in one direction. I think this is what has caused some clumping, I think if the body of the casing wasn’t so thick I wouldn’t have any issues. The other qualm I have is that it is really hard to clean off. I normally wear waterproof mascara, which is traditionally difficult to get off. I have no problem getting that off, but this product I had to clean my eyes, wash my face, then clean my eyes again, and then I would still wake up with some mascara left under my eyes. So sadly, even after trying to make it work for a week, I was not a fan. I will be sticking to my other Lashblast mascara.

While this box was kind of a bust for me, I still really enjoyed getting the box. It enables me to try some new things, as well as appreciate products that I have been using for years.

I did receive all of these complimentary for the review, and these thoughts are my own. If you are interested in getting a box (you don’t have to be a blogger), just let me know, and I can send you an invite. They are a fun surprise! The community is also really easy to navigate. The more you interact the more they will be able to find boxes that fit your style and needs. It is really versatile, and you can use it a lot or hardly at all. I have really enjoyed it so far!

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July 3, 2014 by Stephanie

Granny Square Crochet

I just love crocheting.

This most recent creation was for my cousin who is expecting a girl here real soon.

Her last child absolutely adored the blanket I made for her. (Not to toot my own horn…I think it was just opportune.) She drags the thing everywhere and cuddles with it at the most random times I have been told.

So when making this one for her new little sister, I knew that it needed to be a soft blanket with the potential to be another snuggle object.

I used this video as my pattern.

I am not really sure why I had been avoiding doing granny square patterns. It is actually really simple once I got started. I think following the video really helped.

I used Baby Bee yarn. It is super soft. Something I didn’t notice until after I started was that they were not all the same weight of yarn. I don’t think it made a difference once it was all together, but some were thicker than the others. They were all in the same section so I didn’t even bother to check.

I really do love the colors. Sweet and romantic. Perfect for a new little girl in the family.

I used a J hook. If I were wanting it to be a blanket for more warmth than snuggle, I would use a smaller hook size and all thick yarn. But the outcome was perfect for what I wanted for this little lady.