39 Weeks Pregnant

I had Vince take a few shots of me and the belly in a wooded area near our house. Some of them turned out pretty cool and I'll post more once I edit them a bit. I thought this black and white one was kinda cool. 

How far along? 39 weeks, holy moley!
Total weight gain: I will reveal the grand total at delivery, you're all in for a treat ;)
Maternity clothes?  Old Navy maternity maxi and regular sized jean jacket from Forever 21. This dress is super comfy and I'm bummed I didn't wear it more during pregnancy but unfortunately the weather just didn't cooperate on the daily. 
Stretch marks?  Fudge muffin, I have them everywhere. But I think they are starting to fade a little. A liiiittle. 
Best moment this week: We had dinner on Wednesday with our good friends Jake & Nicole and it was nice to get out and spend some time with friends before baby comes. We went on a few nice long walks together and fulfilled my craving of a pineapple milkshake. I know, sounds weird. But sheesh it was delish!
Miss anything? I haven't slept great the last few nights just due to being super anxious. I miss normal sleep and being comfortable. But I kissed that goodbye a while ago. I'm also ready to be over this acid reflux, I can't wait to be able to lay down and not have constant burning. Eek. 
Movement: He's starting to slow down a bit, I think just getting more cramped. The midwife estimated him to be about 8 lbs at our appointment on Monday so well see!
Food cravings: Pineapple milkshake. Random, yes. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Just the usual acid reflux. 
Gender: boy
Symptoms: nothing new

Labor signs: A little ! I'm actually surprised I feel like I have had less Braxton hicks contractions than in the past. I'm definitely more crampy this week but i think it's just gas. Fun! My midwife did a check on Monday and I am already 3cm dilated and baby is in -1/0 station which is awesome! I was so surprised I had any progress. Shoot, that's already 1/3 of the way done haha! Yes I'm being a naive first time mama here but we will see what comes of it. In the last few months I had a pretty strong feeling about April 24th but it turned out to be wrong, as today is the 25th and still no baby. I'm thinking he's pretty comfy and won't be coming anytime soon. Psh oh well, kid is already running the show. 
Belly button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? Off :( boo! I woke up Wednesday and my fingers were so swollen I had to use all the soap and lotion in the house just to get my ring off. I never take it off so I feel so flippin naked. But I'm glad I lasted this long!
Happy or moody most of the time: happy
Looking forward to: BABY! I am so looking forward to baby boy making his big debut. I just can't wait to meet him! 

38 Weeks Pregnant

No picture again this week as I'm living in my pajamas these days. I promise to get one last belly shot before T arrives!

How far along? 38 weeks 1 day 
Maternity clothes?  Again, mostly living in pjs and yoga pants. 
Stretch marks?  Yes, they love me. I've also found some delightful ones on my thighs. Oh joy!
Best moment this week: Vince and I have been spending a lot of great quality time together and are enjoying our us time before baby. I also met with a girlfriend for dinner this week and it was nice to put make up on and normal clothes. I felt human again. 
Miss anything? My body. I can't wait to shed this weight. I love being pregnant but I am so flippin large it's insane 

Movement: Yep he's wiggling away
Food cravings: Pineapple! Yum I can't get enough. Also watermelon is delicious 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, nothing other than the usual acid reflux. But I haven't gotten sick just feel like I'm going to. 
Gender: boy
Symptoms: Nothing out of the ordinary

Labor signs: None! It's crazy. I felt great this past week and like my usual self. We went to the park to walk the dogs and usually I can only walk for a little while before getting super crampy. But this time I totally felt normal! Like prepregnancy normal. It was so strange! I've pretty much felt that way this whole past week. Which makes me convinced there's no way he is coming anytime soon. I think he's pretty darn comfy in there!
Belly button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? Still on!
Happy or moody most of the time: soooooo much happier this week after all those aches and pains of kidney stones last week. I'm so glad to be feeling better and normal again
Looking forward to: Easter tomorrow and seeing family. Also looking forwar to meeting my little man of course!!!

Nesting Nesting... 1..2..3..

After a very trying week of dealing with kidney stones at 9 months pregnant (that was fun, let me tell you) I finally mustered up some energy this weekend and got plenty of nesting done.

Saturday was a busy day for us at the H house. My mom, our decorator/organizer/handy woman/etc, came over to assist with my nesting to do list. It was a mighty list but we accomplished a huge junk of it. I probably wasn't a ton of help. I know I slowed her down while waddling through the home depot but I did my best to keep up with her uber fast speed. 

First on our list was installing some shelving in my closet to make a shoe rack. Holy guac, I'm in love! I will have to snag a picture for y'all cause it is just heavenly. I spent a good chunk of time sorting through my 3927940 pairs of shoes and creating a hefty donate pile. I'll be curious which of these I'll even be able to squeeze into after this pregnancy is over.. Can you say 'fat prego feet'?

Then we skipped over to the nursery and finished hanging some frames, a mirror, and installing some other knicknacks. It is almost finished! I changed my mind last minute about the bed skirt we made so we are going to work on a new one this week. Oh the joys of pregnancy & my inability to make up my damn mind!

After creating a number of unnecessary holes in the bathroom wall in an attempt to install some hangers, we finally successfully completed that project. Though I will have to dig out the spackel at some point...

Meanwhile, Vince worked hard in the yard. Har har I rhymed. Anywho, he mowed and edged and whatnot. Even installed a fancy spot light to scare off burglars. Or moles. Mostly those damn moles. But it's fancy and fun and even spooks me out a little. 

After a successful nesting day we got ready for our friends wedding and off we went! We sure clean up nicely. Sometimes..

Ignore my super large face. 

The wedding was great fun but boy do I tire quickly these days! I was ready for bed by 10:30. Sad party pooper I am. 

Ok enough rambles. 

That's our weekend round up! Hope you all had a great one as well. 

37 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 37 weeks - home stretch!
Maternity clothes?  Not many, my uniform these days are yoga pants and a tank/tshirt. 
Stretch marks?  Yes I swear they are taking over my stomach now. They seem to be getting worse but with 3 weeks to go I don't know what else to do about them. Oh well. 
Best moment this week: This was a pretty rough week symptoms wise but I got a massage on Thursday that was just heavenly!
Miss anything? Yes, my old body. I love my belly but lately the extra weight and aches and pains are just making me really miss my old body. 
Movement: Lots!
Food cravings: Still none - so boring!
Anything making you queasy or sick: My acid reflux nearly makes me sick and now when I cough too hard I gag myself. What a delightful symptom!
Gender: Boy
Symptoms: On Tuesday I woke up with a horrible pain in my back. By mid day it had spread to my stomach and I was having constant cramps and pains. It was the strangest thing. I called my midwife and they weren't sure what was going on. I didn't sleep at all that entire night and the next day the pain was worse. I went to my midwife and they took blood and urine. Pretty sure I had a kidney stone r something. They are monitoring me closely for Pre-eclampsia as well because of my blood pressure being high. Fingers crossed that shiz stays away!

Labor signs: No major signs yet
Belly button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: happy and emotional. This week with all the pains I was a little moody but overall my spirits have remained high 
Looking forward to: Meeting this little guy! Really hoping he comes soon :)

Bacon Soda

Don't get me wrong, I like bacon just as much as the next person. But lez be honest, bacon soda? That is just g-r-o-s-s.

Vince and I took a little trip to The Root Beer Store this past week after months of begging (on his part, not mine). We finally made the trip and explored this goofy little store. 

Now, I enjoy my fair share of root beer floats but I tend to stick to my caffeine free MUG. Never would I imagine there would be an entire store dedicated to this beverage. 

In we walk. And to my great surprise this tiny store sells 120 something root beers. 120 something! Say whaaat?

Vince purchased two - both tasted the exact same to me but I'm clearly not a root beer expert. In addition, he decided to get some bacon soda. Um yeah you read that right. Bacon soda!

Today he decided to give it a little taste. As soon as he opened the bottle I felt sick to my stomach and I wasn't even the one trying it out!

Needless to say he immediately spit it out after one tiny sip.

Dis-gust-ing! 

I, however, didn't need to subject myself to this torture to know it would be so gross. but to each their own I guess!

So, you've been warned my friends. While bacon may seem to be the hottest thing on the market these days, let's just all agree to avoid this little concoction. K? K. 

36 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 36 weeks - the countdown is on baby!
Total weight gain: Noneya. None ya business. The scale and I have decided to break up until I go into labor. So there!
Maternity clothes? Nothing is maternity in this photo this week. Wearing some comfy yoga pants from Target, a white tank also from Target, and a cardigan from Nordstrom BP. The belt I snagged off a dress in my closet that was from Forever 21.
Stretch marks?  Ugh, I swear they keep popping up! Surprisingly, the ones on my hips seem to be fading slightly, but I keep finding new ones on my belly and legs. My tummy feels so tight these days so I guess it's really no surprise.
Best moment this week: My mom and I went to get our nails done and out to dinner on Wednesday evening which was very relaxing and much needed! The nail lady cut my big toenail a tad too short so it's been bugging me the last couple days but I'll survive. We had a yummy dinner together though so that made up for the nagging toe nail. I also helped out at the salon the last two days and even though it gives me major contractions, I enjoyed getting out and seeing all my old coworkers. Everyone commented on how big my belly is and how I look like I'm about to pop, which is always fun to hear... [not]. It makes me just that much more anxious for this kiddo to get out!
Miss anything? Putting on my shoes by myself, bending over, ya know.. The usuals. As excited and ready as I am for him to be here I do think I will really I'm going to miss this belly.

Lola really wanted in on the photo sesh today. 

Movement: He's so pushy! I also feel lots of movement in my pelvis area. It's almost like he's digging his head in down there and it hurts like a mother. But I guess that's a good thing he's down there huh?
Food cravings: None, so boring!
Anything making you queasy or sick: My acid reflux makes me nearly sick on the daily. I decided to switch it up a bit today and instead of buying the usual Tums and Zantac I'm going to try out Rolaids and Pepcid AC. Oh the joys of a pregnant lady's life on a Friday night!
Gender: Boy
Symptoms: Acid reflux, sleepiness nights, leg pain (mostly at night or when sitting up straight too long), hip pain, oh just the usual aches and pains I suppose! No new symptoms really other than the increasing pelvic pain from his head. Also, lots more BH contractions. 

Labor signs: Daily BH contractions. I'm also going to ask my midwife on Monday about the pelvic pain. I'm starting to wonder if I'll really be able to tell the difference between BH and real contractions. Time will tell
Belly button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and anxious!
Looking forward to: The next four weeks flying by! [fingers crossed] 

Dog Mommy Melt Down

Call me a hot prego mess, whatever you'd like. Today I had a total dog mommy melt down. 

Leo turned 4 this month and since we adopted him at the tender age of 8 weeks, he had yet to see the inside of a dog groomer. Today that all changed. 

(I recently learned at the vet that his pooper needs squeezing every so often & since he had never had it done before, I chose today to do it. Thinking a nice bath & trim would be beneficial as well) 

I kid you not, I felt like what I imagine I will be feeling when dropping my child off at day care for the first time. I felt like I was leaving my poor child in the hands of some stranger I didn't even know. And shoot, I felt awful about it. 

The look on his poor puppy face just broke my heart. He looked at me with those big green eyes as if saying "Mommy, don't leave me." I was heartbroken! 

Vince, being so tuned into my prego crazy emotions, asked if I wanted to turn around as soon as we left the parking lot. I looked at him with tears in my eyes and sniffled back a quiet "no." But inside I was screaming yes yes please!

He was only there for a few hours and I have certainly left him for longer than this for vacations but he was always with someone I trusted. I couldn't get over the look on his sad little face!

2.5 hours & a Panda Express meal later, the groomer calls to say he's ready to go! I immediately jump in the car, forgetting I'm still in my uber sexy robe & pajama pants, and head to pick him up. 

He was clearly not impressed. The groomer said he hated every second of it. Poor little man. But he sure smells delicious and his nails and feet hair were nicely trimmed. He also got his butt squeezed but he didn't comment on that at all. 

Overall, while it was very traumatic for me, he seemed okay and enjoyed the delightfully stinky dog bone we purchased on our way out the door. 

I can't say we will return anytime soon but it was a learning experience for the both of us! And look how handsome he is in his blue scarf they gave him! Such a babe. 

Homemade Laundry Soap

Friends, meet laundry soap. Laundry soap, meet friends. 

This, my dears, is my homemade laundry soap. I have been using it for a couple years now and have changed the ingredients a few times to match my liking. Possibly my favorite thing about this soap is that it costs very little and lasts for so long!

 So, let's get started. You will need:

4 cups 20 Mule Borax

6 cups baking soda 

6 cups washing soda 

2 Fels-Naptha bar soap shredded

(All can be found at your local grocer)

I like to use a zester to shred up my bar soap, just because I like the pieces to be super fine but you're free to use whatever you'd like, or can muster up. 

Mix all together in a large bowl but be warned, it gets super messy! And if you're anything like me, it will go everywhere. Bonus: it's cleaning products so you aren't really making a mess. Just spreading some cleaning stuff around. 

I doubled this recipe and put all together in my big old glass jar I purchased from Hobby Lobby. Then added a vinyl chalkboard sticker and voila! I borrowed (stole) a measuring cup from one of Vince's protein powder containers (don't worry, I washed it first) and threw it in the jar. 

I use about half a scoop for each load. It doesn't get super sudsy, so this detergent works well for High Efficiency washers too. 

Note: If you like super fragrant clothing, try adding a scented bar soap for extra pa-zazz. 

Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment with your feedback/new concoctions.