Maternity Favorites

One of my best friends was asking me about where to look for maternity clothes recently.  And I've been meaning to do a post on my favorites anyway, so that pushed me to get my "must have" list together.  Best to document it now while elastic waistbands are still fresh in my mind.  Seriously, I don't remember how I used to dress before pregnancy.  I stare at my closet of now too-big maternity clothes and not-quite-big-enough regular clothes and don't know where to turn.  I'm in that awful limbo stage where I've still got that pesky last 10 pounds to lose.  (Though I'm pretty sure at least 5 of those pounds are in my boobs.)  So all my normal pants don't quite fit.  But I finally had to ban myself from continuing to wear maternity jeans.  They look so darn frumpy on me now.  Oh and I must add that I never have really appreciated Spanx until recently.  I have quite a collection of Spanx from being a wear tester, but I never really used them.  Until now.  Guess I'm going to have to work out at some point.  Hmmm...

Anyway!  So I was telling my friend that the bulk of my maternity wardrobe came from Old Navy and Gap.  If you've followed me at all over the years, you know that I've had an unnatural obsession with maternity clothes long before ever getting pregnant. I bought a lot of things on clearance over the years, in anticipation of getting pregnant.  And then that didn't happen when we thought it would.  So a lot of those items went to ebay when we needed cash.  Though I kept a select few favorites.  I became very familiar with what all was out there in maternity world. I had my eye on collections like Isabella Oliver and drooled over designer maternity jeans.  But... of course, by the time we finally got pregnant I was all *budget conscious* and frugal.  The idea of spending $150 on jeans now makes my stomach turn.  Some day, sure... but that's just not where our heads are at right now.  So all that to say, I ended up with a stylish, yet very affordable and practical maternity wardrobe.

No matter what your budget is, my advice is to always play up good basics.  Sure, you'll want to find a cute dress or two for showers and parties, and maybe some cute trendy tops for the office... but in general, stick to great basics and build your look from there.  My wardrobe staple was a solid maternity tank or tee.  I could wear regular (non-maternity) cardis that I already had over these for work.  And anything basic like this can be dressed up with jewelry and other accessories you already have on hand.  So yeah, I wore OUT some tanks over those 9 months.  Keep it simple - that's my basic philosophy.  But as far as specific pieces that were personal favorites...

My #1 (surprisingly) favorite maternity item was the Maxi Skirt from Old Navy...

Old Navy Maternity Maxi Skirt

I'm serious when I tell you that I've never put anything more comfortable on.  And that includes pajama pants.  I bought it in both colors available at the time and wore the heck out of them.  Great look with tanks and flip flops for summer.  And so, so easy.  Plus you can totally wear this skirt not pregnant.  There is nothing obviously maternity about it.  The waist band rolls down so it will fit you, belly or not.  I actually just loaned out my two skirts to a sweet friend.  And then later I was like, dammit... I totally could've worn those this summer! Why did I do that?  And I seriously might buy the skirt again so I'll have one this season.  That's how much I love it.  (And Amy, don't you dare try to give those back to me if you're reading this!  I want you to enjoy them.  I just think it's funny!)

Tanks, of course.  I had a whole array of tanks, but these from Old Navy are the BEST. 

Old Navy Maternity Jersey-Stretch Tank

And stupid cheap.  Get every color!!!!!!!!  The length is prime as well.  You really need that extra length when the belly takes over.  A lot of my other maternity tanks were worthless once I got really big, but these kept me covered and looking good all the way through.  And I still totally wear these.  As long as they're not the ones with ruching on the side seam, you cannot tell they are maternity tanks when wearing them.  So that makes them an even better buy.  I have several of the other tanks from ON, but this particular one is by far superior.

Other must-have's from Old Navy are their leggings and yoga pants. 

Old Navy Roll-Panel Yoga Pants

Old Navy Maternity Jersey Leggings

I'm a big fan of their yoga pants to begin with, so it was a no-brainer for me to get the maternity version.  And truthfully, you can really wear the "regular" ones while pregnant (and I did), but I love the fold-down waistline on the maternity version.  Plus, they wash nicely and hang so well that they really can pass for dress pants at work if your office is on the more casual side.  I totally wore these two or three times a week to work with cute flats and a cardi!  The leggings also are a must.  I had several pairs of maternity leggings and the ON ones were most comfy.  Great under a tunic or shorter dress.  I'm totally wearing some right now.  Another item that can go beyond maternity. 

I also had a couple pairs of jeans from Old Navy.  They're super affordable and look good, but you'll definitely notice the fabric being on the cheaper side.  Especially when your next stop is Gap Maternity and you try their jeans on!  Swoon!  I liked my ON jeans.  I LOVED my Gap jeans...

Gap 1969 Demi Panel Long & Lean Jeans

Note the waistline on these (see link above)... I only liked the "demi" type waist.  I couldn't stand any of the full panel types.  I never liked having anything tight over my belly - just my personal preference. 

Also found at Gap... the BEST. WORK. PANTS. EVER.

Gap Demi Panel Perfect Boot Pants

Just as the name suggests, these pants are perfect.  Love the fit, love the waistline, and LOVE that they come in lengths (as do their maternity jeans).  Who else does that?  No one as far as I've seen.  Maternity slacks I've found at other places are awful.  Like horribly huge full panel waistlines, cheap material, and unflattering cuts ...bleh.  Hated those.  Chalk up the extra bucks and get these.  I just got a basic black pair, but they come in other colors and prints. 

So those are the few basics I would buy again and again.  I of course had some dresses and various tops from a mix of places.  I mostly stuck with Old Navy for basics (their tees are also great), but they also have a lot of fun trendy tops and great shorts and pants for casual wear, too.  I wasn't impressed with their selection of dresses for fall/winter pregos, but they do a better job with spring/summer.  I found Gap to be the better bet for dresses for fall/winter.  Both of my nicer shower dresses came from Gap.

The biggest thing to remember about these two stores is that your best bet is to buy online.  Old Navy especially has the bulk of their maternity collection online - many styles, most actually, are not sold in stores.  Very few ON stores carry a maternity selection anyway, but even those that do are very, very limited.  Some Baby Gap stores sell Gap Maternity.  In Atlanta, your best bets are the ON stores at the Mall of Georgia or The Forum (Norcross) - The Forum being the better of those two.  For Gap, the Lenox and Northpoint stores have the best selection that I've found.  But again, I did most of my shopping online.  Not only for more selection, but for better prices.  When I was jean shopping, I tried a bunch of stuff on at the Gap store, but then went home and ordered everything I found online.  The retail stores do not honor the online prices or discounts, so check both!  If you don't already get Gap and ON emails, sign up.  Because literally, they send out discount codes for 25% or 30% off like every other day.  Never pay retail!  And, another bonus - all Gap stores (Old Navy, Banana Republic, etc.) have their sites linked so you can pick items from any of their stores with one single transaction.  Just remember that discount codes usually apply to items from one single store (though you can stack them at checkout).

Other places I snagged some good stuff...  Kohl's (items are often 50% off), Target (found a piece or two, but ON is a better value and more stylish if you ask me), and various other sites I found random off-season clearance pieces, including:

Figure 8 Maternity

Belly Dance Maternity (sells entire collection of NOM)

Due Maternity (has stores in Atlanta)

A Pea in the Pod (Destination Maternity - includes Motherhood, Mimi)

H&M also has a maternity line, but I never looked.  Wanted to, just never got around to it, so I can't really speak for that collection.  But I'm sure it's trendy and affordable!  Worth a look.  A lot of people swear by Motherhood Maternity.  I went in there a couple of times but never found anything worth getting excited about... but that doesn't mean you won't.  So check that one out, too.  They also have outlet stores where you'll find items for all of the Destination Maternity stores (A Pea in the Pod, etc.).  And of course there are the trendy maternity boutiques around town selling designer jeans and $200 tunics.  Yeah, I skipped those. 

So my wardrobe was pretty simple.  And I must add that I also had wonderful friends who loaned me some great pieces, too!  Definitely spread the love and share with friends.  I also snagged several dresses and tops from a clothing swap a while back, so that's a good way to do it too.  And don't forget thrift stores!  Splurge on a few items for showers and parties, but there's no reason to spend ridiculous amounts on a maternity wardrobe.  It's easy to look fabulous on a small budget.

God willing, we'll be blessed to be able to do this all again someday (and no, I don't know when just yet!).  So what are YOUR maternity must-have's?  Please share!

Ketchup.

Gosh, I am having trouble getting my butt on the computer lately to blog.  I just have been very busy sitting on the couch and not caring.  Ha!  No, but I do have so much I need to update y'all on... we had our last round of showers this past weekend - which were great!  And we also did our maternity shoot last Friday (above is a little sample for ya).  So I'll get some weekend pics up soon!  

I tell ya - Sam is pretty darn set.  I think the only major thing we don't have that we'd like to get before he arrives is my breast pump.  So I think we'll slap a 20% off coupon and a few BRU giftcards on that puppy and it'll be pretty affordable!  We went to a breastfeeding class at the hospital this past Saturday and they suggested bringing in your pump if you have one so they can show us how to get it set up and use it.  Sounds good to me!  I need all the help I can get.  

The nursery is really coming together.  The built-in shelves are installed but just waiting on some finishing touches.  They look AWESOME and I can't wait to "move in" to them with all of Sam's loot.  They're our main source of storage in that room, besides his closet.  Other projects still in the works are the cornice board for the window - my dad is helping us construct that.  I think I mentioned the quote I got to have one made was like $750.  Yeah... so I quickly started googling "DIY cornice boards."  It looks pretty darn easy, so I'm excited to see how this project comes together.  We're just doing a super simple one with the same paisley fabric that's in the bedding and it will be monogrammed in the center.

We're also having a cushion made for the bench seat under the window.  Any DIY option there would turn into a hot mess.  Not even attempting that!  So we'll leave that one to the pros.  Also using a fabric from the bedding collection for the cushion, but a more neutral one that can be used later if we decided to change up the color scheme in that room.  What else... well, paint!  We are nearly done there.  I of course have to make the paint as complicated as possible with 15 different colors, etc.  We finally figured out colors for the nursery ceiling and bath ceiling.  The hub finished the main ceiling paint and WOW, does it look good!  It is a metallic bronze - which I thought might be a bit dark once applied, but it is so perfect.  We have so much white going on in the nursery between the shelving, furniture, and trim, so the dark contrast really warms it up and makes it so soothing.  Plus our wall colors are very subtle (two shades of taupe), so the metallic ceiling adds a bit of drama!  I'll get some pics up once we finish the paint.  We are still doing stripes, but just on one wall.  I think stripes all around might be overkill, so we're going to try just one wall to start.  I'm planning to conquer the stripes this weekend.  Then the last bit of paint will be the ceiling in the bathroom - also a metallic gold, but a lot lighter than the nursery color.  It's more of a pale gold.

And speaking of the bathroom - we still have the beadboard to install.  My dad is helping us with that as well.  We did finally get our bathroom mirror though!  I had been eying one at Pottery Barn forever but we stumbled upon a comparable version on clearance at Home Depot this week!  Total score... I was literally about to shell out $149 for the PB version, but we ended up getting the $70 HD version instead.  Love it!  It's a white medicine cabinet style mirror.  We wanted a medicine cabinet because we've got a pedestal sink in the nursery bath with no storage.  And now the only other major thing I need to order here soon is the baskets from Pottery Barn for our changing table.  And that has turned into a fiasco this week because I've been trying to use these Amex giftcards we got to purchase those, to no avail.  Oh believe me, I've been on the phone with the Pottery Barn people... While I'm TRULY grateful for these Amex giftcards, I gotta say they have been a pain in the ass to try to use online.  I know, rich people problem... "Oh weh... the money I received as a gift is hard to spend!" Obviously not a big deal in the grand scheme, but yeah, add that to the list of reasons to hate Amex.  We'll get them to work one way or another but I don't think I'll be buying those particular cards as a gift for anyone.  Uh, not to mention they charge a fee when you purchase them!  Lame, Amex.

As far as Sam, he is doing great!  When you throw in my perinatal visits, I'm pretty much into weekly doctor appointments now.  Which is fine by me... I like to know how things stand.  We had our last OB visit on Tuesday and, as suspected, they're going to make me do the 3-hr glucose test later this week since I borderline passed the 1-hr test and Sam is on the big side.  Well, drats... that means I have to fast Friday morning... as in no Friday morning poptart!  What am I going to do?!  Ha...  I've also been having a fair amount of Braxton Hicks contractions in the last few weeks.  The hub got mad at me because I hadn't mentioned them to him when I had them.  He knew I'd been having them because he was at the doctor with me when I asked about them.  But as long as they didn't get excessive, I didn't figure I needed to worry him when I had one.  Well, he did not like that.  So now I have a custom app on my phone that looks like a big red button.  Anytime I have a contraction, I have to push the button and it immediately sends a text message to the hub.  Hahaha.... gotta love it.  The OB said if I have 6 or more an hour, that I need to drink a glass of water and lie down.  If they continue at that rate, then we call the doctor.  I haven't had near that many in an hour, so no real cause for alarm just yet!  But heaven knows the hub will be the first to know if I do.  :-)

Other big news we found out this week is that, unfortunately, my OB won't be able to do my c-section.  She apparently had to have some kind of emergency surgery this week and will be out of commission for a while, so they went ahead and had me schedule with a different doctor in the practice.  I'm sad it won't be my regular OB... I sure hope she's OK!  I've been seeing her for over 10 years... she had a wonky uterus just like me and was also a Dr. Toledo patient, so she "gets" it.  Would've been cool to have her deliver Sam, but whatever... I know most women don't get their own doctors anyway!  It's luck of the draw really unless it's scheduled.  So yeah, that was kinda disappointing, but not a huge deal in the long run.  I will be in good hands.  My OB's health is obviously the priority here! We have met all but one of the other OB's in the practice, so I was able to pick one I liked and keep the same day/time.  The doctor we saw this week was also good, and she's available that day (Jan 19), but not till after 1pm.  Which means I'd have to go WAY longer without food.  Um, no thanks.  I picked someone else.  As with all events in my life, I center this around my meals.  Momma's gotta eat!  Priorities.

Alright y'all... I promise I'll get back on with some pics and other fun deets from this past weekend.  Hope you're having a good one!

Couples Shower - Nov 5th

Finally, some pics for you!  This incredible shower was put on by some of our very good friends.  Every detail was fabulous and we had an absolute ball.  It could not have been more perfect!  We are truly grateful to be blessed with such amazing friends and family that were so excited to celebrate with us.

The table set-up for a delicious BBQ dinner

Adorable centerpieces with baby books and rubber duckies

Favors with one of my faves... white chocolate covered pretzels!

Monogrammed petit fours

The petit fours and some delicious red velvet cupcakes

And you gotta have some chocolate!

Sam's loot!

Me and the hub... and check out the cute mason jars with tags and paper straws!

Yes, folks, there really is a baby in there!

The Hospital Bag

Y'all were so helpful with tips on nursing stuff... how about items for the hospital bag?  I've already started packing and have made mad progress.  I got some great suggestions from Facebook friends that I hadn't thought of, so I figured y'all might have some ideas as well!  We're having a scheduled c-section and will probably be in the hospital 4 nights.  So, what are your must-haves?

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday... it's 11/11/11!  And Happy Veteran's Day!  I'll be back later with shower pics from last weekend.  Haven't had time to sit in front of the 'puter all week!

27 Week Belly

I know, I'm a week late getting these up!  How's that for a bump?

Grow, baby, grow!

20 Week Ultrasound

We are halfway there, people! I can't believe it. When we first learned we were pregnant, 20 weeks felt like an eternity away and getting there seemed like wishful thinking. Yet, here we are! Sam is growing strong and yesterday he was measuring 20w6d and weighs almost a whole pound. And while the doctor assured us he was a boy at 16 weeks, I had to take his word for it. But yesterday, his boy parts were clear as day. MORE than clear... hahahha!

I gotta say I was relieved to know for sure that Sam is indeed a boy. My OB told me not to buy anything till 20 weeks - and except for some bargain clothes, I've stuck to that. And honestly, we've gotten so excited about having a boy and talking about "Sam" that I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be a little disappointed at first if they told us yesterday that, whoops, it's a girl. Of course we'd be FINE with that - obviously we don't care ultimately. But we've had Sam in our heads for a month now and it'd be weird to have to re-tune our thinking. But obviously that's not an issue - our boy is most definitely a boy! In fact one of the "weiner shots," as my doctor calls them, was so *vulgar* that he was like, "Uh, I can't let you take that picture home." Hahahha...

And speaking of pictures, we really didn't get any great ones this time. We saw lots of cool stuff on screen, but Sam kept his back turned to us most of the time. So, not the greatest shot, but here you go...




Wow, that was a long 4 weeks to wait to see him again. Admittedly, there were some days where I wasn't sure he was still in there and I started to get a bit anxious. But we actually started to feel him kick over Labor Day weekend - which has been SO cool. I had felt little bubbles and flutters some on and off before, but this was the first time the hub and I both could feel him. Such a cool feeling. And weird!

We go back in again at 24 weeks for another checkup with my OB and ultrasound with the perinatologist. I gotta say I love doing ultrasounds with the perinatologist - they are way thorough and I think their equipment is more high-tech than my regular OB's. It's so amazing all the stuff you can see on there!

This weekend we're taking a CPR class - the first of many classes on becoming parenting experts! And Sunday I'm sure I'll be working some... big deadline next week and LOTS to wrap up before then. That doesn't leave much time for nursery or baby stuff this weekend, but I'm hoping we'll at least get our new blinds put up. I hope you all have fabulous weekends!!!

18 Week Belly

Something's starting to POP! And boy, do I feel it. I've been pretty crampy the last few days because my belly (and Sam) are on quite the growth spurt right now...




There wasn't much difference between 10 and 14 weeks, but you can definitely see a change here!





We'll see how the waistline progresses over the next couple of weeks - I think it may be time to move to belly updates every two weeks instead of four.

So in other fun news, look what a sweet surprise Sam got in the mail yesterday from his Auntie Kathleen!!!




I was literally looking around on Monogram Chick's website this week and saw these shorts and thought, aw... how cute would those be for Sam?!




Apparently my friends are mindreaders! And look - it's Sam's very first monogrammed goodies!!!




Thank you, Kathleen! I'm in love with it all and Sam will be the most dapper little dude on the block! Mom also picked up a couple of goodies at Target yesterday...




I tell ya, this boy is going to be SET. Oh and my fabric swatches finally arrived this week! I knew I'd love them but I had to see them in person. And yeah, they're definitely way prettier in person. Looks like we're definitely going to go with this group for the bedding and other accessories around the nursery...




I laid all the swatches out for the hub last night and asked what he thought. He studied them for a half second and then pointed at the blue and white striped print. "That one." No, I mean ALL of them together, honey. "Oh, oh, yeah, OK." So you like them? "For what?" For the bedding. "Yeah, sure." Clearly he does not share my enthusiasm for these sweet fabrics, but he approves!

Well, Happy Friday all! And I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Enjoy this last toast to summer and be safe out there...

Maternity Goodies

In case you've forgotten, I have a *mild* obsession with maternity wear - have for years. So to be able to actually wear maternity clothes now is a total thrill. For the most part. As my belly is really starting to pop, I'm learning what kinds of clothes I like and don't like. And there are so many designers and brands out there that I love to drool over (Isabella Oliver for one), but it turns out I have more of an Old Navy budget. Which is totally fine - for the price, I think their line is pretty stellar - especially the basics. Some of their stores have a maternity section, but all the ones I've visited pretty much suck. The selection is VERY limited, but I will sometimes find a decent piece on clearance. But to really get a feel for what they've got, you have to go online. Most of their maternity collection is online only - which is kind of annoying, but whatever.

Luckily, my maternity wear obsession led me to collect quite a number of pieces over the years for "future use." So once I finally got here, I found myself with a ridiculous amount of maternity tops - especially tanks and tees. All bought on clearance, of course! But really, it worked out great in the end because I find myself nearly suited for my entire pregnancy - at least on my top half. Bottoms are more of an issue. Those are kind of hard to nail down until you're actually there. So now that I'm getting bigger, I've been hunting down some good options for my bottom half. And so far, this skirt has by far been my favorite maternity purchase to date...





This is the maternity maxi skirt from Old Navy, which I got on sale (duh). It seriously feels like jammies. It has a simple fold over waist that you can wear over the belly or under. And you can totally wear this later post-pregnancy. I got both colors since I knew this would be a staple for fall! My whole game plan for fall (especially at the office) is maternity tanks and tees with cardis. And like I said, the tanks and tees are more than covered.

I want to wait till I'm a little bigger, but my next big hunt will be for a pair of great jeans. And possibly some fun outfits for showers, but other than that, I really don't need much at all. So what were your favorite maternity pieces? Where was your go-to place to shop?

Oh and we finally took my 18 week belly shot - I'll get that posted later today or tomorrow!

I guess my maternal instincts were a bit off...

Totally shocked, but completely thrilled!

I really didn't think we were going to get out of there today with an answer because baby was sitting with its legs all folded up for the longest time and not budging. He was definitely wiggling around in there, but wouldn't unfold those sweet legs. But finally he started stretching out some and the doctor caught some lucky shots of the goods. He kept calling it a "weiner" - it was hilarious. "Don't tell anyone we're taking all these weiner shots!" he said. Too funny...

The doctor said he could feel the baby moving through the ultrasound wand thingee - whatever you call it. So he let me hold it a while to see if I could, but I couldn't tell. We did get some good profile shots today. The little booger was very active and I'm convinced he's a dancer. He was doing a serious back bend at one point, a toe-touch at another, and then I was sold when I saw... jazz hands.




Aside from getting the fun news, we also got to take a really good look at all the major organs and see how everything's measuring up. We're right on schedule and all looks perfect! It is CRAZY what all you can see. All four chambers of the heart pumping away, both sides of the brain, the kidneys, the bladder, the intestines... and oh yeah, the weiner!!!

SYTYCD Finale

My money is still totally on Melanie after last night's performance finale! It'll definitely be a girl this year - that's for sure. Sasha is great too, but Melanie just melts my heart and hello, she's an Atlanta girl! Here's her delicious performance with All-Star Robert last night...



Guest judge Katie Holmes was so stinkin' gorgeous last night, but the hub and I kept laughing because her vocabulary for every critique consisted almost exclusively of the words strong, amazing, beautiful, and magical.

Go Melanie!

So in other news, it looks like about 70% of you are thinking pink... I hope we'll have an answer for you this afternoon! Exciting!

Monday Funny.

14 Week Belly

I feel like this same pooch has just been hovering for weeks. It looks like it's poking out a *little* more than four weeks ago, but it's really not all that different...




It's comin' though! But the best news? I think I've turned a corner and am feeling pretty good now! On Monday, I vomited for the first time. Felt crappy the rest of that day. But on Tuesday, the nausea just sort of was... gone. And I haven't really had much at all sense. I do still get mad hunger pains at time - especially from late night till early morning, and if I don't munch on something right away, I can feel a bit queasy. But it's not nearly as bad as the general nausea I was experiencing over the past couple of months, so hallelujah!

I've still been tired at times, but my energy seems generally better. At least my drive and motivation is - I've gotten more done in the last few days than I have in the last 8 weeks. For example, a couple of weeks ago I'm not sure I could've handled that hour-long trip to pick up the changing table. And hello, I haven't taken one nap all weekend! I did veg for a bit yesterday afternoon after a trip to the outlets that wore me and the hub both out, but I never actually fell asleep. So hopefully this means I'll be feeling pretty good during the 2nd trimester! I sure hope so - it's a lot easier to enjoy all this when you're not feeling like total ass.

Oh and speaking of the outlets, the main reason I wanted to go yesterday was to see what the Pottery Barn Outlet had. We've gotten some major deals there over the years on random furniture and rugs, so I was curious what they had in the way of baby and kid stuff. Our PB Outlet dedicates nearly half the store to PB Kids stuff. I was hoping to maybe find a crib or rocker selection, but no luck. Not a single crib or rocker/glider in sight. But they did have some other furnishings, tons of bedding and bath linens, and other accessories. So I will note that in my mental Rolodex for future.

We also intended to get to IKEA this weekend but that never transpired. I honestly hate going there, so I avoid it until absolutely necessary. But we're interested in redoing the shelving in the nursery closet, so this warrants a visit. Here's a pic of the closet now (actually right NOW there is nothing in the closet because I've cleaned all the junk out, but you get the idea)...




We had originally requested double shelving in this closet (knowing it'd be a nursery someday), but obviously the builders didn't do it. Whatever. But aside from needing more hanging space, the current shelving in there doesn't work great. The hanging rod is so close to the door frame, that every time you open and shut the closet door, it rams into the clothes hanging there. So even if we end up sticking with the current shelving and just adding some more, I think we'll remove the door altogether and hang some fabric instead. But really, I just want to find some better shelving options to maximize the space more. It's a small space, but so much of it is not being used the way it sits currently. I'd like to have some drawers and cubbies and that kind of thing for all the itty bitty sweets baby needs in his/her closet! Nothing fancy... which is why we're calling on IKEA. I'm going for functional over cute here. So hopefully we'll get over there next weekend and be able to price some things out and see what's doable.

Oh, but other than shelving changes/additions, we're painting the interior of the closet a sweet sherbet orange. I wanted something bright and gender neutral, and hello... I love orange. We've already got the paint, so don't try to talk me out of it. That's our first big nursery project, so I should have some pics pretty soon as we'll be tackling this one in the next couple of weeks... stay tuned!

Nursery Bargains: Changing Table

Less than 48 hours ago I was looking at changing tables online and gawking at the prices. I had found a suitable crib in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog that was on clearance for $399 (regularly $599). And we wouldn't necessarily have to have "the" matching changing table for it, but of course I was perusing the ones they had anyway. Ugh, the cheapest one I could find was like $599. I know that's not outrageous, but I was just not thrilled about spending that much. Besides our dining room set, I'm not sure there's a piece of furniture in our house worth that much! Our couches are Exhibit A for the fact that our dogs rule the place, and our master bed is literally a mattress on wheels without a headboard. So yeah, nothing too fancy in our digs right now while we're still in debt-busting mode.

And while I'm very, very picky on the styling of this nursery, I'm not going to be too picky when it comes to the crib. It's not going to be the main focal point in the room and I just want something simple. So the clean lines and more importantly, the price, of this one will work great! This is the Kendall crib from Pottery Barn Kids, in white...




So on a whim yesterday while at work, I hopped on craigslist to see what was available in the way of changing tables. Again, not too picky here but just wanted something with similar styling that would coordinate with the crib we're eying. And right away, BAM! I found two local listings for a Pottery Barn changing table in the exact same collection! It's the Kendall changing table, in white, pictured here...


PB Kids actually doesn't sell it anymore - they have a new Kendall changing table they're selling now. But I like this one better! (Even in the current crib pic above, you can see the edge of this old table in the corner.) And I certainly like the price better! One chick had it listed for $275 along with the baskets she had purchased. I didn't really care about the baskets - I rather get my own, but whatever. But then I found another listing for the exact same piece (sans baskets) for $150! So long-story-short, we drove a good hour last night (I was using "local" loosely - metro Atlanta is rather large) to pick up this beauty! The previous owners were super nice and threw in the changing pad and we also bought a barely used crib mattress from them for $15! Um, Pottery Barn has their cheapest crib mattress listed for $129. Score! I know you can get them cheaper, but still.

I am so excited!!! First big baby purchase! And I'm in love with it - the changing table is in great condition and even more beautiful in person. There's nothing much more satisfying than a killer deal. Stay tuned for more nursery developments! I mean my whole reason for wanting a baby is to design a nursery and have my own live dress-up doll. Kidding. Sort of.

And yes, I am up at 4:00am typing this while eating a pop tart. Baby was hungry and my bedside saltines weren't cutting it...

First Baby Gift!

I was so excited to get home and find this fun package in the mail yesterday from a dear friend...


A super soft and deliciously sweet baby blanket - our very first baby gift! It's much cuter than this crappy phone pic shows. It's ivory with a baby blue satin trim. And along with it was this lovely card...


Definitely brings about one of those "is this really happening?" moments. To God be the glory indeed. THANK YOU, LAUREN!!!


So the questions I'm getting the most are "How do you feel?" and "Are you going to find out the sex?" Well, just to answer those quickly... I still feel like total crap. Eating is still a chore and I'm tired a lot, etc. etc. But everyone tells me that it should get better at 14 or 15 weeks. Today, I'm 13 weeks, so here's hopin'! As for the sex, yes, we're definitely planning to find out. We have another ultrasound on Monday for our 12 week screening, so maybe they can make some guesses then, but my doctor said not to buy anything till we hit that 20 week mark.

Thanks again for all the well wishes!

10 Week Ultrasound

Lots of big steps this week! We're officially in double digits! We're now in the "fetus" stage and no longer the "embryo" stage. Very exciting. And on Friday we graduated from RBA and will now be seeing my normal OB/GYN going forward! Big steps... very grateful... and I think we're really starting to get excited.



Friday's ultrasound was definitely the best one so far... our little nut actually looks like a little baby now. An alien baby, but a baby. The ultrasound tech was pushing on my stomach and having me hold my breath to get the little guy to move around. He was definitely dancing around in there! Can't feel it yet though - it's just bizarre knowing there's a little creature inside of you wiggling around.




These scans aren't great - they show up kinda dark here, but hopefully you can see the images OK. We measured right at 10w1d on Friday and baby almost doubled in length from the last ultrasound to 3.31cm. We heard the heartbeat again, which was good and strong. Everything looked great! This 3D image is kinda freaky...




Totally looks like a little alien! Dr. T was excited to see us off and get us back to my OB. It was definitely a bitter sweet goodbye - RBA has been such a big part of our lives for over four years now. We'll of course be back when we're ready for more, but for now it's goodbye. Here we are with Dr. T...




OK so we also figured it was time to start capturing belly shots. I've honestly had a pooch since beginning my meds back in early April. I literally JUST got off all the hormones on Friday (woo hoo!), so who knows if my belly is due to meds, baby, or both. It's definitely there, whatever it is. And we obviously didn't get a "before" shot since I started plumping up before the transfer even happened. So we'll just use this crappy screen shot from my Lupron shot video as my "before" picture. Because it was all over after that morning!




And here's the pooch as of today (10w3d)...




I'm wearing these fold-down maternity pants from Old Navy here and I can already tell these are going to be a favorite. I'm curious if dropping the hormones will affect the pooch or if I'm just in for the long haul from this point. Either way, fine with me! There's plenty of time to get my flat belly back later. Soooooo not worried about that right now. Honestly I'd like the big belly to hurry up and get here because right now I'm in that stage where none of my normal clothes fit. All I can really wear right now to work are dresses, so getting ready for work has become challenging.

I still feel like crap. Still tired all the time. Nauseous much of the time. Eating is a chore because it's impossible to plan my meals. Therefore I've been spending more on food because I impulse-eat. Grocery shopping is hard because (a) it's exhausting and (b) everything is gross. But I'm managing! In fact, I'm about to head out to Publix right now... so wish me luck!

Hope you all have a fabulous 4th! The hub's running the Peachtree in the morning. (Meanwhile, I'll be snoozing.) Then we have a cookout later that afternoon with friends. Enjoy and stay cool!

Pillow, anyone?

So I guess kids suck the life out of you from day one, huh? Seriously, this kid is taking every bit of energy I have, including my will to do anything productive. Which is why I haven't been on here much lately. I seriously just have no desire to do anything but sleep. Isn't that awful? I know the rest is important, so believe me, I take it when I can get it. I basically sleep through my weekends here lately.

I'll get up at my normal time on a Saturday (7:30 or so), make some breakfast (whatever I can tolerate) and feed the dogs, and then take a nap. I'll get up later and fold a load of laundry. Take another nap. Fold another load. Take another nap. And then all of a sudden it's 8pm. What? Yeah, that's what my weekends look like. Thrilling!!!

I really need to go to the grocery but have only managed short trips here and there. I've got to do a full blown grocery run this weekend though. I've just got to. But that's the other thing... it's not just being sleepy and fatigued - it's like you seriously don't CARE about getting anything done. Which is so unlike me. And it frustrates me, but it is what it is. I suppose I can manage a few weeks of laziness!

Food is still not all that appealing, though I have had a few cravings. All healthy stuff - pizza, ice cream, and donuts. Awesome. Why can't I crave tofu and spinach? I ordered a Papa John's pizza Saturday at lunch and it was seriously the best thing I've ever eaten. I kept talking about it for hours. Wasn't that pizza so good? OMG that pizza was just the best! Seriously, how GOOD was that pizza? (Uh, yeah, obviously I fell off my Moo Goo train.)

And we made pizza at home last night. Seriously, pizza is so dang good. Now, I am trying to eat well, so I decided to stick with my calorie counting and good eats during the week and then let loose on the weekends. So that's pretty much my rule for myself. I'm saving the indulgences for the weekends. That way I still get to have them, but I won't become a blimp in three weeks time.

Other than the exhaustion, nausea, and love/hate relationship with food right now, I am doing great. Eager to get to ultrasound #2 a week from today to see our little gummy bear. Then we'll have one more ultrasound with Dr. T at 10 weeks before I'm released from RBA! I already have my 11 week appointment set up with my normal OB, so we are good to go. Each week seems to pass by slowly, but looking back it feels like it's all gone pretty fast! This is just the longest stretch we've gone between appointments thus far... so I'm definitely ready to move forward!


About to wrap up the 8th week here in a couple of days. Our little life-sucking alien looks something like this...

Baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs, and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy. [thebump.com]

7 Weeks Today!

Absolutely exhausted from two full days of CPE on the other side of the planet (i.e. the Cobb Galleria). I managed to stay awake, but barely. And I learned that a 1.5 hour commute back home with a sore bum is NOT fun. Grateful for my normal 15 minute ride!

Anyway... today we reached 7 weeks! Nausea is in full effect. No vomiting (yet), but definitely feeling nice and crappy. Never been so happy to feel like poop! So blessed to still be on this ride...


OK, please excuse me while I go take a nap. Hope you all have fantastic weekends!

The Weekend

...is almost over, but that's OK because we have our first ultrasound in the morning! I've been totally relaxed and calm about all this since last Tuesday. Which is really refreshing given that I was a bit of a basket case last weekend. But yeah, we have our first ultrasound tomorrow at 8am and we'll see my doctor to discuss the results. I'm sure I'll be a little anxious going into it, but right now I'm just excited. I can't believe we've made it this far! It's been a loooooong two weeks leading up to this point.

We're now in the 7th week (6w2d today)...

Your embryo makes great strides in size this week, growing to between 0.44 inches and 0.52 inches from crown to rump by the end of the week, or about the size of a small raspberry. Leg buds are starting to look like short fins, and hands and feet have a digital plate where fingers and toes will develop. The heart and lungs are becoming more developed, as are the eyes and nostrils, intestines and appendix. By now the brain and spinal cord are growing from the neural tube [webmd.com].


Looks like a little alien doesn't it? Growing like a weed. I will get news up here on the ultrasound as soon as I can! Big prayers that everything is developing as it should be and where it should be. And we should be able to tell if there's one or two little peas in there! Again, I'll be seriously surprised if there's more than one, but you never know.

So I actually wore a pair of maternity shorts today. There's no chance in hell of me getting into any of my other shorts right now, so I broke down and got a pair at Old Navy this weekend with a nice elastic waistband since it's so dang hot. They're really cute and comfortable on my pooch...




Another random purchase we made this weekend? Shift your attention from babies to dogs for a minute here. Have y'all heard of these Thundershirts?



A friend introduced them to us last night and we were so intrigued. They're really affordable, so we didn't think twice about giving these a try on our dogs. Our two have lots of um... "behaviors" that these thundershirts claim to help correct. We'll see. I'll definitely let y'all know how they work out. We ordered them today off of Amazon. You have to watch the video on the main website though - it's hilarious. You'd think they gave the dog a tranquilizer.

This weekend in general was pretty low key, though we managed to squeeze a lot in. My sweet friend, Lucky, and her hubby had a going-away bash. She's an army wife now and they are leaving Atlanta for the west coast on their first of many moves/adventures. I'm SO sad to see her go, but we're all thrilled for them too. It's an exciting move! I also met some girlfriends today to see Bridesmaids for a second time. Hilarious, again. And the hub recently got a bug to do some painting in the house, so we made a trip to Home Depot this afternoon and got all kinds of paint supplies. He made good progress today and I did a good job of napping and occasionally pointing while he worked.

Really just staying awake this weekend was a major accomplishment. The fatigue during these early weeks is no joke. Which reminds me, I need to go to bed...

Oh and P.S. - I got promoted to manager this past week at work! Ordinarily I would've made a big to-do out of that when it happened but it kinda took me by surprise the day it was announced and honestly, my mind's just been elsewhere lately! Though, I am very thrilled about the promotion and my mom will be happy that I finally mentioned it on here! ;-)

Now, for real - bed.