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10.28.2012

36 Weeks!




How far along? 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Total of 8lbs


Maternity clothes? Everything with the exception of a few regular t-shirts and pj's I wear to bed! 


Stretch marks? same old same old


Sleep: Tossing and turning... tossing and turning... tossing and turning.

Best moment this week: We did our maternity photos! Can't wait to see them!

Movement: Bubby is really good at making me run to the bathroom! He punches my bladder HARD and loves to push his butt up between my lungs!


Food cravings: Chocolate Milk 


Gender: Still a boy...


Labor signs: Lots of Braxton Hicks this week

Belly button in or out? The top of my belly button sticks out... looks really weird.  


Wedding rings on or off? Wearing both wedding band and engagement ring, they both fit at the moment. Totally different from Boogie, I couldn't wear either at this point!


What I miss: Being able to bend over without getting out of breath. Should have seen me shaving my legs this week. Geez!


What am I looking forward too: Those sweet sweet sleepy newborn moments!

Weekly Wisdom: Take pictures, LOTS of pictures!

 
Milestones: Bubby's bones are fully formed! His bones are ready, but his lungs still need a little more time to develop!

And a few Halloween belly pictures... I was brave, I'm a pretty modest person so it took some guts for me to do this and actually share pictures. Please ignore my pasty white skin and the icky stretch marks! LOL!







10.20.2012

Just A Random Update...

I promise to be a better blogger once I get these last few weeks of school done. I'm SO close to finishing up my BIO classes (aside from scheduling my finals), but it's taking up a lot of my time! I'm sitting at the table with Boogie while she eats her new favorite breakfast... cheerios and milk! Yea, MILK! This child has been adamant about not drinking cow's milk, but since I've introduced her to the world of cereal and milk, she's all for it! LOL!

Anyways, I'll be 35 weeks pregnant tomorrow and I cannot believe it! This pregnancy has gone by SO fast I still feel like I'm grasping at the fact that we're going to be a family of four! Everything is ready for Bubby, all we have left to do is pack our bags and install his car seat. Although... I think we're going to just wait until he's here to do that, J can do it while I'm in the hospital. The way our belts and child latch system is in our van we will have to move Boogie back to the very back seat, and there's no way my big belly can squeeze back there to unbuckle her! So.... yea. Not doing that until after Bubby is born :)

We are doing our maternity photos on Monday evening, I'm so excited! We were supposed to have them done last weekend but our photographer (who is also pregnant!) got really sick and needed to rest! I think it will work out better this weekend though, the fall colors in our beautiful mountains are gorgeous right now!

Boogie is a mess this week, she has made me laugh so much this week with her crazy antics! She is newly obsessed with Cinderella... or in her words, "Cindarellwa", and I can't tell you how much I love it.... it's so much better than Minnie Mouse! LOL! We just got the movie two weekends ago and that's all she wants to watch now! She's also gotten a few books and some of these tiny princess dolls with clothing. (She's really into dressing her dolls and such, so this was a great toy!) She's getting so big, and her vocabulary continues to amaze me. She's slowly but surely learning her ABC's, numbers, and colors. Her colors need a lot more work, but we're getting there. As soon as my classes are done I plan on getting more organized and really start Tot School with her. She loves to learn and do crafts (at least some crafts) so I'm sure she'll enjoy a little more of that on our schedule!

Last weekend on J's days off we did some Halloween and fall crafts and even managed a short trip to the pumpkin patch. We painted pumpkins, made Halloween snacks (well... mommy and daddy made the snacks lol), glued fall leaves onto a paper tree, etc etc. The pumpkin patch was a bust, but at least Boogie enjoyed the animals! I will share some pictures tomorrow or Monday of that fun stuff.

Other than that everything is pretty good around here, J is working a lot of course, but he's still managed to spend time with both Boogie and myself. Bubby continues to grow and get stronger, he's measuring right on and doing well. I feel like my nose is constantly buried in the computer doing homework, I've been leaving facebook up on one of my tabs while I do hw so that I have a reprieve between assignments and can have some "social" interactions lol. I'm still very overwhelmed by everything, but it's not nearly as bad now that my LIT class is over! I'm sure I'll update with pictures soon, as well as with maternity pics sometime this week! Until then... God Bless!



10.14.2012

34 Weeks




How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Total of 10lbs


Maternity clothes? Everything with the exception of a few regular t-shirts and pj's I wear to bed! 


Stretch marks? same old same old


Sleep: Tossing and turning... tossing and turning... tossing and turning.

Best moment this week: Hiccups!

Movement: Bubby has been making himself VERY known this week. Sometimes he jabs so hard it startles me and hurts a little! Slowly but surely he is running out of room!


Food cravings: Junk. Seriously... I feel so gross after all the crap I've eaten this week. This coming week will be better. 


Gender: Still a boy...


Labor signs: Lots of Braxton Hicks this week

Belly button in or out? The top of my belly button sticks out... looks really weird.  


Wedding rings on or off? Wearing both wedding band and engagement ring, they both fit at the moment. Totally different from Boogie, I couldn't wear either at this point!


What I miss: Having complete control of my body. I get tired so easily now, Braxton Hicks are driving me up the wall, I can't sleep, on and on... but this is the home stretch!


What am I looking forward too: Experiencing a different birth... I'm praying to go completely natural and drug free this time with the help of some hypnobirthing!

Weekly Wisdom: Don't let those hormones take over!

 
Milestones: Bubby should be making his way further down into my pelvis soon... sooner would be better little man! My lungs need some more room!




10.13.2012

Desperate for Sleep

I am at a complete loss. It doesn't matter what time this child goes to bed... either a noisy neighbor is waking her up or she's getting up at her own at 5am every freaking morning. I'm exhausted. Granted, J gets up with Boogie most mornings, but on his double shift days I do. I stay up doing homework, and at this stage in my pregnancy I'm not sleeping well anymore. I toss and turn (or should I say flop? because that's what it feels like now) all night, I don't have a restful sleep... I'm burnt out. I'm short with her, I'm impatient with her, I snap at her.... and I HATE that. She doesn't understand obviously but she does know that mommy is upset and somehow it's her fault. So she gets upset and then has a bad rest of the day. What do I do? How can we get her to sleep longer? We've tried earlier bedtimes, later bedtimes, making her room dark, allowing the hall light in her room, later naps, earlier naps.... nothing is working! What am I going to do when I'm awake every few hours with Bubby and even more tired than I am now and she does this?



10.12.2012

Influenster

If you haven't heard of it, Influenster is this great site where you can review and give your opinions on a wide variety of products! I haven't been a very active member because I felt that the old layout was a little awkward and confusing to click through.... but they've "remodeled"!

Here is all the info from their "About" page found HERE.


What Is Influenster

Influenster is a free-to-join community of invited trendsetters who live to give opinions of products and experiences. Influenster creates links between brands and members to reward participation and influence future products.
So...what exactly is Influenster? So glad you asked. Here’s a handy definition that would make Merriam-Webster proud:

Influenster [in-floo-uhn-ster]

noun
An exclusive online community where tastemakers and trendsetters (such as yourself) come to share the latest and greatest news, places, products, and reviews with each other. 2. The hotspot you just bookmarked on your web browser that turns your social influence into sweet rewards.
Basically, Influenster is a place for culture junkies to come together and share their unique opinions of products and experiences. Active members of Influenster get exclusive access to deals, promotions, and swag from brands that thrive off the input (the good, the bad, and the ugly -- they just want to know what's up).

Do I have the chops to be a member?

Probably. Members have an active social life -- both online and offline -- and are always the first to tell friends about the latest discoveries. They want to be the first to know about the products other cool people are loving and hating. Is that you? Awesome, we want you as a member.

What’s involved in a membership?

As a member, you prove your influence by gaining Expert Badges and show how you live by earning LifeStage Badges...both of which are won in a variety of ways, such as: completing surveys, writing reviews, creating videos, and engaging in other social media.

What’s in it for me?

Very important. As a contributing member of Influenster, you get the chance to share your knowledge and know-how with other like-minded people.
You also get exclusive discounts on products and services based on the Expert Badges you unlock. You’ll have access to content and sales based on your influence and area of expertise.
As an active influencer, you’ll have the chance to get invites to Influenster programs so you can try the latest and coolest products catered towards your lifestyle before anyone else.
Members who participate actively on Influenster and engage in programs increase their opportunities to receive rewards.
If you participate in online challenges, play interactive games, spread the word to your friends, and gain currency within our system, you’ll earn serious street cred.

So wait, is this about getting free stuff?

Nope. If you’re here to mooch, this isn't the place for you. Nobody, no matter how high his or her Influenster Score, is guaranteed rewards. Even if you are offered a reward, you can always opt out. The real benefit of membership is access to exclusive content, product reviews, and discussion within a community of tastemakers. Perks are just the icing on the proverbial cake.

Why is this so fun?

There are many reasons. First and foremost, it's a forum for you and your peers to share your interests and discover what other trendsetters are doing and saying. It's like-minded people coming together to inspire one another and offer advice. Secondly, you’re competing with other members for the highest Influenster Score and Expert Badge scores. Just like a game that you can win, and winning is never not fun.

How did Influenster get started?

It was a dark and stormy night…wait, that’s not right. Influenster was started in 2010 by a team of people just like you: culture and beauty junkies with a whole lot of opinions about everything. We wanted a place to come together to share our opinions and hear what other people like us had to say about products and services. The goal? To learn what other influencers care about and to help brands make products that better serve us. After so many hours of labor, out popped Influenster -- an active community where real people share their experiences and give feedback to improve the products we use and the world we live in (yeah, we went there).
After all, you don't have to be a celebrity to think Diet Coke is bubbly and delicious. Every one of us can be influential in different areas with opinions that matter. As consumers, we want to know what other people like us think about products. Influenster is our answer. We give your opinions a voice and your feedback a direct route to brands and trendsetters.

Hurry and join! And have "influencing!"


Five Question Friday

Sorry I've been MIA so often lately... school is kicking my butt and any downtime I have I'm spending with Boogie or resting! Nearing the end of this pregnancy and the exhaustion has hit!

1. Did you have any homecoming traditions?
Well, that depends on what kind of homecoming we're talking about... I'm assuming you mean high school homecoming? If so, then no not really. When I was in band it was a big deal kind of... but other than that it was and still is just another day. Now church homecoming... before my home church became a little bit more 'with it' and popular it was your typical Southern Baptist small town church, and that meant homecoming consisted of good home cooking! Yummo!

2. Do you ask your spouse before spending money?
For large purchases, yes. For groceries and small splurges, no. He DOES make the money, but I manage the money ;-)

3. If you could be famous for something, what would it be?
I'd love to be a musician... even though I've put music on the back-burner since getting married and becoming an adult, it's still a huge part of my life!

4. Have you ever seriously thought you were going crazy?
Lord, yes. Becoming a parent does that sometimes! Especially on days when your child(ren) are CRAZY!

5. How do you eat your steak? Burger?
Well-done... no mooing burgers/steaks here!





10.01.2012

Vacation 2012

I'm sorry I didn't post sooner, however we were having some technical difficulties with our internet this past week which meant I got WAY behind on homework! The GOOD news is that I only have a few weeks left before I'm finished with everything, aside from a few quizzes and exams I need to discuss with my instructor about opening early for me :-D

Anyways, vacation didn't start out with a bang, but overall it was a lot of fun! We got almost all of our Christmas shopping done, got everything the kids need for fall and winter and we had a ton of fun spending time together as a family. The first night, we actually drove out there (it's about a 2 hour drive) after J got off work on Saturday night. So Boogie slept the entire way, and was WIDE awake at 8:30ish pm when we got there. And she didn't sleep until almost midnight. It was awful. We originally took the pack n play, but we all know that Boogie is too much of a big girl to sleep in that... or at least we know that now! The beds were too high for her to sleep by herself on them and I didn't want to sleep with her because this child is a wiggle worm and I didn't want her kicking me. So, since I couldn't sleep with her that meant it still wasn't safe for just J to sleep with her in the other bed because she would probably still fall off (ya know... the wiggle worm). What did we do? Pulled the mattress into the floor. Yea. (Please forgive the vacation pics... we took both our DSLR and digital camera and ended up just using J's smartphone, lol!)

Obviously Boogie thought it was great fun... you can see her diving onto the bed in this picture!

Other than that debacle everything else went pretty smoothly. Sunday we spent the day in Knoxville, we like going to the Turkey Creek Crossing Shopping Area (lots of great stores... Super Target, Old Navy, Hobby Lobby, etc etc.) and then we went to the West Town Mall. When we got back into Pigeon Forge we did some shopping at the Tanger outlet, but it was absolutely packed so we got dinner and then headed back to our hotel. Monday we went back to Tanger and then spent some time at a few other shopping areas and then enjoyed the day in Gatlinburg. We thought about visiting the aquarium again, but I was afraid it would make me sick like it did when I was pregnant with Boogie. Overall we had a great time, and we're glad that we got some time away as a family of three before little man gets here!

This was Saturday night when Boogie wouldn't sleep

At our favorite Christmas store in Pigeon Forge




So excited to eat at the Apple Barn! We love the fritters, muffins, and apple butter!