What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday friends!  I'm linking up with Jamie for WILW today and I'm excited because I always, always, always forget to do it.  Here are some great things to love on this beautiful day.  What are you loving today?

I am LOVING this new blog I found, It's The Small Things.  Kate does these fab hair tutorials and offers advice on products and what not.  I feel like I may actually be able to do this volumized bob if I took some extra time on my hair.  I may attempt it today.  She recommends Aquage Uplifting foam for roots and volume.  I may order it today!

I am LOVING this Halloween wreath and it reminds me that Miss Avery will be here very soon.  Since I'm not working right now I've got to stay busy and this may be a good craft to do just that.  The thought of cooler weather and Fall just makes me so happy! 

I am LOVING that I've joined a Community Bible Study and our groups will take place on Thursday mornings.  It's a study for women only and we'll be doing the Beth Moore Daniel Study.  My mom is a core group leader and they even have a nursery for when Miss A arrives.  I'm excited to go and meet new people who love Christ!

I am LOVING this Rosette Knit Dress from Garnet Hill.  It would be so great for the fall and beyond.  Even pair with a cardigan, tights and flats for winter.  I can't wait to buy regular clothes again and I'm very much looking forward to shopping in the regular stores.  

I am LOVING that my own personal 30 day photo challenge starts tomorrow.  I've had lots of great ideas for pictures and I hope that you all love them too.  Anybody want to join with me?  Tomorrow's challenge is self-portrait.  I would love to see your photos too!

I am LOVING this tutorial I found online for taking photos of babies.  I'm still deciding whether or not I will get professional pictures done or do them myself.  I have the camera, so why not try?  I'm having a hard time forking over the money to someone else when we are spending so much already on little one.  Check this out because it's got some great ideas! 

I am LOVING these baby clothes organizers.  It's almost like you're at a store, but you're at home!  This would be a great way to keep her little clothes organized by size so mama isn't going crazy looking for something.  Gotta stay organized!  

Randoms

1.  Maybe you'll think I'm crazy for even asking this but do you think pets might be able to sense you are having a baby?  We have two sweet kitties but one isn't really into me like she is Justin.  She just LOVES Justin and will follow him around the house and sleep on him every time he sits down.  Now she's doing it to me and she's never done it before.  She lays right on me at night and sits on top of the toilet while I take showers.  Call me crazy but I feel like she knows.  As I type this she is laying on me and rubbing her head on my belly.  

2.  We were without power from Saturday evening until around mid-day yesterday.  It wasn't fun but we survived.  I feel fortunate because there are still many people in the area without power.  The one thing that literally brought tears to my eyes was throwing away everything in the fridge/freezer. I kept asking Justin, "can we keep this" or "does this really have to be thrown away?"  It made me feel so guilty for being so wasteful.  

3.  I'm sure the Food Lion owner down the street cried a lot more than I did about their food.  I went grocery shopping today and they had to throw away ALL of their dairy products and a lot of frozen items.  There was no milk, cheese, ice cream, butter, yogurt...nothing.  Ugh.  

4.  {I wasn't going to touch this one but will anyways.} I usually enjoy watching fall programs like Dancing with the Stars.  I for one will not be watching this one.  If you saw the cast reveal then you know that Chaz Bono will be a contestant and will be dancing with a woman.  I find this very non-family friendly and a rather strange choice for the show.  That's all I'm going to say.  

5.  I went to the doctor today and I've lost 3.2 pounds this week and over a pound last week.  Goes to show you that eating a healthy diet without sugar, salt or carbs can quickly take off the weight, even for a 7.5 month pregnant woman.  We have another ultrasound on Thursday and I can't wait to see how much she's grown.

6.  I'm completely undecided on whether or not I'll have maternity photos or newborn photos professionally taken.  I would love to capture the memories but it's expensive.  Maybe I should just do them myself?  What did you do when you had your baby?  

7.  My birthday is next week and I cannot think of a thing I want except for baby things.  My mom said she will not give me baby things because it's MY birthday.  And I guess I can also kiss that birthday red velvet cupcake goodbye.  

8.  So, Kim Kardashian is debuting a pop album?  Should be riveting.

9.  I've decided to quit selling Stella & Dot.  It was a fun year while it lasted but I think sales really isn't my thing.  It was very hard to get people to throw a party, even friends and family.  All of my earnings went right back into the jewelry and I spent a lot of money that just ended up being wasted.  I really enjoy doing it but it's tough to get people on the bandwagon and I think some of the pieces are very pricey for most.  

10.  And yes, kitty is still on me.  See!  I have a feeling she might be protective once Avery is here and lay in front of the crib or something.  Really didn't think cats would be like this but she sure is a different kind of cat.  

Suggest Your Diaper Bag

I'm having a hard time deciding on the perfect diaper bag.  I used to see diaper bags and thought that I'd never be able to choose between all the beautiful ones.  Now I can't find one that I'm 100 % in love with.  I'm leaning towards the Petunia Pickle Bottom Sashay Satchel but can't yet commit. Others I've looked at are Vera Bradley bags and Kate Spade (outlet - who am I kidding) nylon bags. If you have a fabulously stylish diaper bag, please suggest it and tell me why you can't live without it!

Thanks for your help ladies!

Hurricane Preparedness

Oh yeah, I think I'm ready.

{If we lose power, then that's a different story!}

30 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How far along? 30 Weeks, 2 days

Size of the baby?  Baby App says that Avery is about 15.7 inches long and 3.2 pounds.  Since I have GD that could all change fast.  We have another ultrasound next week with a fetal medicine specialist to determine her health and her size.  

Maternity Clothes?   Everything I wear is maternity except for one pair of non maternity comfy pants from Tarjay.  My shirts are all getting a little short, as evidenced below.   

Gender?  Girl!  Avery Elizabeth

Movement?  I feel a lot of movement but I've read that movement can start slowing down since she is running out of room in there.   

Sleep?  I've slept a lot better this week!  My pubic bone pain is not so bad this week and I'm sleeping great! 

Cravings?  I have a lot of cravings but I can't indulge in them.  Boo!  I'm trying to crave skim milk and cucumber slices but let's be real, who really craves that when pregnant?!

Symptoms?  Just blood sugar issues because of GD.  I'm a little nauseous when I go to bed so I have to take a little snack up with me.   

Best Moment of the Week?  Being able to spend lots of time with my hubby.  We have been busy preparing for Avery's arrival.  After the new carpet is installed in two weeks, the nursery can be put together.  Finally!

30 Weeks of belly love!

Forgive my awful iPhone pics!

Pity Party For One

So, remember how I failed my first glucose test and so I had to take the three hour glucose test? Well, I failed that one too.  I officially have gestational diabetes and I'm officially depressed about it.

I truly thought I'd be okay with it, but after my "welcome to diabetes" consult yesterday I don't think I'll ever be okay with it.  It's one of those things that until you've been there, you don't know what it's like.  The nurse practitioner did her best job trying to explain everything to me yesterday.  But, she's been handling matters like this for years with patients and it was just my first day.  To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement.

She showed me how to test my blood sugar with the needle device and test it with the meter.  She explained what your numbers should be for fasting and after meals.  She also gave me a very strict diet plan to follow.  However, I'm still confused.  

So what I have to do is test my blood sugar first thing in the morning, one hour after lunch and one hour after dinner.  I prick my finger (each time I've messed it up so I have to do it twice...ouch) and squeeze a little blood onto a test strip in my meter.  Then I take my number and write it down in a little journal for my doctor.  It's not too bad but with GD you have to time everything perfectly, so the timing and scheduling of meals and testing is crucial.

Now when it comes to the diet, I'm not going to lie, it is hard.  Not only is it eating healthier but you can only eat so much of one thing at a time.  You can't just eat whatever you want as long as it's healthy.  No fruit before noon, no fruit juice at all, a very limited amount of fats and no sugar or white flour.  Breakfast today was a cup of skim milk and half of a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter.  Did you catch that?  Only half!  I told the nurse that I was most likely going to starve.  I need to go to the grocery store and get creative because 9+ more weeks of peanut butter, string cheese and bananas is going to get old in a hurry.

And one thing that I really don't like about the diet is that sugar-free and artificial sweeteners are "okay."  This is not okay with me and I refuse to put any of it in my body.  These FDA "approved" sweeteners make me feel incredibly sick to my stomach and give me headaches.  I'll pass on the chemicals, thanks.

The scary thing about GD is that it really could happen to anyone.  In my case it's most likely genetics.  More scary?  50% of GD sufferers can become affected with Type II diabetes within 5-10 years after the baby.  Some even have diabetes for life and it never goes away after the baby is born.  I'm terrified of this since three of my grandparents had Type II.  If I can control it with diet alone then the baby should be more normal in size but if my numbers continue to go up she may be very big and come early.  An ultrasound next week will tell us how big she is as of now.

I also got a call today that I did not get the job I was really hoping for.  Bummer.

I am thankful to have a very supportive husband, family and friends.  Thank you to everyone who reached out with your sweet comments, emails, phone calls and support you have given me!  This is far from a death sentence but it is still scary to go through.  Forgive my pity party for today as I try to become acclimated to my new normal.  

It's Finally Here!

After a long, much-anticipated wait, my Erin Condren 2012 planner is finally here!  I placed an order almost a month ago and then a hacker deleted a gazillion orders, including mine.  I re-placed my order and had to wait an agonizing two and a half weeks for it.  But now it's finally here and I love it!  Here's why...

1}  It's personalized - can it get any better than that?  You can even upload a snazzy picture to the cover.  Whoa baby.  I decided to make this our family planner and added all of our names to it.  Like my husband is ever allowed to touch this!  

2}  It's got a great laminated cover and side binding ring to hold it together!  It's heavy duty and will hold up over numerous throws into the diaper bag!  Plus the colors are vibrant and beautiful.  

3}  It has wonderful quotes and inspirational thoughts inside.  The graphics are amazing!  

4}  Not this has much to do with the planner but I purchased these Paper Mate colorful pens to use with my planner.  Oh, but check out the tabs on the side.  They make it so easy to flip to the month at hand.  

{Did I mention that I love the cover?}

5}  There is truly a spot for everything in this planner.  Here is the double sided pocket folder.  It also comes with a clear zippy pouch for special things (which they included fun, free, personalized stickers.  Um, hello!!).  There is a space to write down everything and there are stickers to mark certain fun occasions.  They truly had me at the stickers.  

So if you were in doubt about purchasing an Erin Condren planner, it is so worth it!  Even my husband mentioned that he could understand why it retails for $50 (go for the coupon codes, y'all). It's very thick and will get you through 2012 and the rest of 2011 organized and in style!

30 Day Photography Challenge

Over the past year I have majorly neglected my camera, and it shows.  Between teaching and my pregnancy, I have found no time to take pictures.  The frustration that I now get over taking pictures is killing me!  I found this fabulous 30 day photo challenge on the White Peach Photography blog (through Pinterest) and I'm going to take the month of September to work on my photos.  I've gotta practice up for Avery's arrival because then the picture taking is going to be non-stop.  So, get ready for photo overload in September!  

What's Been Going On

This has been a very crazy and busy week around here!  I'm thankful that it's Saturday and I have nothing pressing to do, so I'm going to clean up around the house and relax.  Augh, Saturdays, how I love you!  Here's what's been going on lately around these parts.

We went to dinner at the Brio Tuscan Grill at Stony Point with my in-law's this week to thank you for all the work they did around our house while we were on vacation.  My mother in law painted the nursery walls and trim and it's just beautiful!  That deserves a big thank you in and of itself.  

Anyways, we had a few gift cards generously given to us after I had a bad experience there several weeks ago.  After this dinner we probably won't be going back anytime soon.  We were just not that impressed.  Although, I did get to eat this beauty the night before getting the call about my glucose test, so at least I had one last hoorah with sugar if I do have gestational diabetes.  I've really been watching what I'm eating.  I even went to Olive Garden yesterday and had soup, salad and absolutely no breadsticks.  

We did a little shopping after dinner and ended up at Baby Gap.  Their little girl stuff is so precious for the fall!  Justin found this little number that he loved (for some odd reason), so I had to take a picture of him holding it. I think he's getting more and more excited about having a daughter! Nothing like a little faux fur vest to melt daddy's heart.  Ha! 

I also went shopping this week with my mom and I found the cutest Halloween tree at Pier One.  I love Halloween, not for the spooky part of it, but for the fun of it!  And this tree screams fun!  Look at all of the ornaments you can buy to go along with it.  I feel like this would be perfect for our kitchen table at Halloween.  

Yesterday we headed up to Ikea to buy baby girl's dresser for the nursery.  We just love Ikea.  I researched the Hemnes dresser in white and decided it was the one for us.  It has eight drawers and I purchased drawer organizers to go in each one to sort out all of her things.  We are so excited to be making progress.  

Here is the dresser with a full width mirror over top.  I'm wondering if I should go with this mirror now instead of four prints over the dresser.  I think it would make the room seem bigger and add a really neat focal point to the room.  What do you girls think?

The matching Hemnes side table.  Loving this piece too!  I was thinking of doing a cute lamp on top and putting it next to the glider.  And it retails around $100, which is not bad at all.  

I saw this idea and instantly liked it.  They are picture ledges with various sized frames.  I was even thinking of wrapping the mats with coordinating fabric from the room and making them pop with color.  The pictures would be Avery at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.  Colorful, patterned scrapbooking paper would be used in the frames until the picture is ready to be added.  

And here is Avery's Nonni getting her dresser from the shelves.  I had to document this.  And yes, that is my mother.  I think she looks like she's my age in this picture.  Go Nonni!  And no, I'm not sure yet how we're going to spell Nonni.  Noni, Nonny, Nonni?  

We saw The Help last night and it was incredible.  The movie lived up to the book in my opinion and the cast and setting were perfect.  It was emotional and endearing.  The costumes were out of this world and everyone was dressed to a tee.  I just love that time period!  I highly suggest the movie but do read the book first!  And take tissues to the movie.  That is the best advice I've got!

Sorta Kinda, Terrified

Maybe it's the mommy guilt already setting in, but, unfortunately I got the call today that I failed my one hour glucose test.  I feel like I've done something wrong and I've already failed at this pregnancy.  Have I been diagnosed yet with gestational diabetes, no.  But I can't help but already doom and gloom myself into having it.

I guess I would feel better if I didn't google things of this nature.  My husband thinks the internet is the best and worst thing to happen to me because I research way too much.  Sure, I can cut down on my sugar and carb intakes (although I'll have to unselfishly give up the cupcake I bought today, twenty minutes before I got the call), and if it turns out I do have a bigger baby I am okay with having a c-section.  

The one word that terrified me out of my mind?  Stillbirth.  As soon as I saw the word, the worst case scenario, I clicked off of the website.  I cannot live in fear for another two months.  Heck, maybe I'll go in for my three hour test and pass with flying colors, however I truly think I will be diagnosed with GD.  But for now, I am scared.  

Has anyone experienced gestational diabetes or passed their three hour test after failing the first one?  Any helpful advice or positive support is welcome!

29 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights - Not too many more of these left! 

How far along? 29 Weeks

Size of the baby?  Baby App says that Avery is over 15 inches long and just about three pounds.  If one more person asks me if I'm having twins I just.might.lose.it.

Maternity Clothes?   Thank goodness for fabulous friends!  My BFF Ashley let me borrow a ton of clothes so I'm enjoying some fun new additions to my maternity wardrobe.  I don't want to buy too much now that I'm in the home stretch.  

Gender?  Girl!  Avery Elizabeth

Movement?  I feel her move constantly and I love it!  I know exactly where she's laying and I feel her little sweet feet kick my right side like no one's business!  

Sleep?  Sleep is okay.  Rolling over this week has been, honestly, painful.  

Cravings?  More chocolate chip cookies and flavored tea.  Ruby Tuesday has a yummy peach tea that I just love!  

Symptoms?  Other than bone pain at night I'm feeling pretty good this week!  I went to the doctor yesterday for my 28 week check and my glucose screening.  The orange drink was not halfway as bad as some have made it out to be.  I'm very nervous about having gestational diabetes because it runs in my family, so hopefully I won't be getting any calls this week!  Blood pressure was 110/68 and Avery's heart rate was 142.  My doctor said everything looks perfect! 

Best Moment of the Week?  Getting my shower invites in the mail!  I have great friends who are hosting several showers and I'm probably more excited about these than I was about my bridal showers.  I can't wait for them!  

29 Week bump with awful lighting!  Wow, that's bad.

And if you were ever wondering where I was taking these pics, it's in our downstairs bathroom.  I'm looking forward to "lightening things up" in our next house.  This dark trim needs to go, lickety split! 

Blogs Worth a Look

Thought you gals may enjoy some of these blogs as much as I do!  Happy Sunday!

Eighteen 25 - A crafty haven of DIY and printables.  Love! 

The First Grade Parade - Seriously I feel like Cara is my friend!  She is fab and has some of the best teaching ideas out there.  Check her out if you teach or will teach someday.  

I Heart Organizing - Maybe it's the nesting phase in me, but I am all about reading how other people stay organized.  I need to get a few ideas about several things around the house.  Great idea site!

House of Smiths - Fun decorating ideas!  Make sure to check out the DIY section.  I especially love the tutorials for how to make the perfect shelf displays! 

Brown Paper Packages - All sorts of DIY projects.  Makes my heart leap!

Pawley's Island Posh - Julia is incredibly talented at interior design and photography!  Her beautifully done pictures make me swoon, seriously.  She is now a Richmonder and I hope to get together with her soon.  Check out her former home on Pawley's Island.  Gorgeously done!

Skinny (by Fabulous K) - Weight loss motivation with a Fabulous K twist!  Great WW friendly site.

28 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights - From the beach! 

How far along? 28 Weeks, 1 day 

Size of the baby?  Baby App says that Avery is around 15 inches long and 2.5 pounds.  I don't know why but I feel like she's bigger than that, but maybe not.  I am looking huge!  I'm getting lots of pity looks from people on the beach.  

Maternity Clothes?   Yes!  I went to buy some new bras this week and I was about four billion sizes bigger than my regular bras from before pregnancy.  Somehow, I could still wear them although they were a lot more, ahem, filled than normal!  This new size just about made my eyes pop out of my head.  Oh how pregnancy can change your body!  

Gender?  Girl!  Avery Elizabeth

Movement?  All the time.  And I mean all.the.time.  I love my little gymnast baby!  

Sleep?  I've been sleeping so well at the beach this week.  I have absolutely no sleeping gripes to speak of!  

Cravings?  Big, giant chocolate chip cookies.  Like the Mrs. Fields in the mall kind.  We are talking all kinds of yummy!  

Symptoms?  My ankles and feet have been so swollen that my family likes to laugh at them, jokingly of course.   Back pain is now a norm and the pubic symphasis pain continues, although I've learned to manage the pain.  

Best Moment of the Week?  Relaxing at the beach!  I'm enjoying my last vacation before children and I'm soaking in every free moment that I can.  I know that life will never be the same again but for that I am happy!  

My 28 week bump picture.  Somehow I always end up conveniently wearing this red t-shirt in my bump photos.  I wish my bathroom were this light inside, so I'm enjoying not using my dark wood bathroom in this week's shot.  

And hubby decided to jump in the picture with me.  He loves his girls!  

And just to document, I present to you my swollen feet.  Will I ever see my ankles again?