New Spring Items in the Shop!

Spring is just around the corner and the Etsy shop is filling up quickly with some new,  simply lovely, colorful pieces!  Headbands are the perfect accessory for any family photos and can make a great addition to any Easter basket!  

 

Stop by the shop to see more!  Link can be found at the top of this page as well.  Thanks!

  

30 Weeks with Kellan & Baby Shower!

 

 

How far along:  30 weeks 5 days (in the picture)
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 18 lbs

Maternity clothes: Maternity leggings and lots of over-sized t-shirts.

 
Stretch marks: Still managing to keep them at bay.

Sleep: Sleeping through the night is now a thing of the past. If it's not reflux waking me up it is contractions/pain.  God's way of preparing me for what's ahead?  Maybe!

 
Best moment last week: Some of my dearest friends got together and threw Kellan a baby shower this week!  It was great getting to see friends and family and the food was delish!  We were spoiled with some incredible gifts and now feel like we will be prepared for little man's arrival.  Just not for a few more weeks. :)

 

Movement: Movement seems to have gotten a little less, maybe because he's running out of room.  But he is still a very active baby. 

 

 Food cravings: Eating is just getting so much more difficult, but fruits have become more appealing lately.

 
Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: Lots and lots and LOTS of contractions/pain.  Just thrilled to have made it this far! 3 positive fFN tests and still going strong, but I've started having labor dreams, I'm just not sure what they mean.

Belly button - in or out? The top part is officially out now :)

What I miss:  I really miss feeling like myself.  Pregnancy sure does change a lot!

What I am looking forward to: Making it to 32 weeks, another milestone.  :)

 

 Milestones:  Sweet boy is putting on more weight everyday and those lungs are getting more and more developed. 

Some of my favorite pictures from the shower this week:

Addicting Bed Rest Activities - Crochet!

Last week I wrote a post about needing some new activities to occupy my time on bed rest and decided to try my hand at crochet!  I was a little nervous at first because of all of the language and terminology, not to mention hook sizes/yarn sizes, etc... But with the encouragement of my friends I looked up some Youtube videos and went to work.   You never know if you don't try, right?  I used the tutorial that was linked in my last post to get started and it was WONDERFUL.  Here was my first practice square:

 

 

Next I attempted to start on a blanket:

 

And then, when that got a little monotonous and boring I practiced seamless color changing:

Once I had mastered those small things it was onto an actual project!  My very first project was a hat for Kellan.  On day two of crocheting I finished this (much thanks to Callie's baby doll for modeling for me :) ):

 

And on day 3 it was time to make a matching one for my Cal-girl.   I even made a little removable flower clip for that extra girly touch! 

Needless to say, I think she loved it!

I have a few different projects in the work including a chevron blanket for Kellan and a little hat with ear flaps (just a practice run before doing a nice one).  I love the feeling I get when a project is finished, it's like I'm actually doing something useful with my time!  The feeling of accomplishment is very rewarding after being on bed rest for over a month. 

Here are the links to the things I tried this past week for anyone that wants to give them a try.  I highly recommend it!!  Thank you to all of my friends/family for encouraging me to give it a go. :)

Crochet flower

Close Chevron Stitch

Ribbed Hat

Seamless color change

Slip knot tutorial

Chain stitch

Single crochet stitch

 

29 Weeks with Kellan

 

 

How far along:  29 weeks 6 days (in the picture)
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 16 lbs

Maternity clothes: Maternity leggings and lots of over-sized t-shirts.

 
Stretch marks: Still managing to keep them at bay.

Sleep: I wake up about 1-2 times a night for a restroom break, but other than that I sleep like a rock.  Some belly pain/contractions have been waking me up a little more frequently this week, though.

 
Best moment last week: This week was Valentine's Day!  Josh was INCREDIBLE, he started the day by making Callie and I breakfast before he went to work.  That night he came home and got busy in the kitchen, not letting me see what he was up to.  He made me a steak dinner with my favorites and even tried his hands at dipping strawberries!  We exchanged cards and gifts, I got a brand new game (the nerd in me says, eeek!!) and some insanely good chocolates (Fran's Chocolates) and he got a brand new Elvis Andrus bobble head for his desk at work.  We had a great day spoiling Callie, too!

 

Movement: Hiccups, kicks, rolls... you name it this kid does it.  He's a strong little guy!

 

 Food cravings: Still no cravings. 

 
Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: Lots and lots and LOTS of contractions/pain.  Just thrilled to have made it this far!  We've already proved 1 fFN test wrong and tomorrow we will have proved another wrong.  God is so good! 

Belly button - in or out? The top part is officially out now :)

What I miss:  Being able to roll over in bed without causing excruciating pain and exhaustion.

What I am looking forward to: Baby shower is this weekend!

 

 Milestones:  Sweet boy is putting on more weight everyday and those lungs are getting more and more developed. 

Some of my favorite family pictures from this week:

Sweet girl on Valentine's Day

Our delicious Valentine's meal

Some very rare snuggles from little miss independent after she played her heart out at a birthday party with Daddy

More nursery details are finally coming together!  My mother in law has a friend who painted these for us!  Didn't she do an incredible job?

Trying New Things

Being on full bed rest has introduced so many new emotions into this pregnancy.  With the help of some very special friends and family members I have been able to tackle the past four weeks with very little grumbling.  But it's getting increasingly difficult to maintain a positive attitude with all of the emotional and physical struggles that have reared their ugly heads lately. 

It's difficult to find a healthy balance between watching TV, reading, spending (quality) time with Callie, time with the Lord, etc... and unbelievably frustrating to be limited in the physical activities I can participate in.  Basically, if I can do it lying down then it's okay (minus the very obvious adult activity that can be done laying down... Arg!  Pelvic rest is AWFUL).  I've already completed the Divergent trilogy, watched entire seasons of shows I've been dying to see, dabbled in some crafting for my Etsy site, and spent countless hours surfing Pinterest the web.  Needless to say, I have been searching for something NEW to occupy some of my time that would bring focus and a new challenge.  

After some wonderful encouragement from some friends I've decided to attempt to tackle the art of crochet!  Callie is about to go down for her first nap of the day and I have my brand new tools (thanks to a coworker of my mom's), and practice yarn all ready to go.  I'll be using this tutorial to start with and then, hopefully, will venture out into some patterns and youtube videos to make a blanket for Kellan.  I would absolutely LOVE to be able to turn the TV off and dive into something that has nothing to do with technology for an hour or so.  

Have any of you successfully taught yourself to crochet?  I'd love to hear your stories, suggestions and successes.  Welp, here goes nothing!  Wish me luck!!!

28 Weeks with Kellan

 

How far along:  28 weeks 5 days (in the picture)
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 15 lbs

Maternity clothes: Maternity leggings and lots of over-sized t-shirts.

 
Stretch marks: No, but I can tell they're trying their hardest to form.  I slab on tubs and tubs of tummy butter and pray it continues to work!

Sleep: Still pretty good, although I really missed having Josh home two nights this week while he was away for work.  I just don't sleep as well when he's not home.  

 
Best moment last week: My mom was able to come to my doctor appointment this week since Josh was out of town and she got to see Little Man in a sonogram for the first time.  He's measuring at 2.2 lbs and even has a little chub on his cheeks!  Still too little to enter this world, but I'm thankful he's growing well. 

 

 

Movement: Oh yes, yes, and yes.  The hiccups are in full force.  He gets them at least 3 times a day, always when I'm trying to rest or go to sleep!  Little booger.

 

 Food cravings: I wish something sounded good... Mostly I hate eating these days.  I get full after a few bites because my stomach is officially shoved up into my ribs and then the food just keeps coming up for two or three hours after I've eaten.

 
Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: This week contractions got a lot worse.  I am not sure if it's because my body is getting used to the medications, or what... But they caused some more cervical change, so much so that my doctor had to send me to maternal observations straight after my appointment to have a specialist take a look.  There is really nothing else we can do that we aren't already doing, so it's still all about prayer! 

Belly button - in or out? It's teetering on flat still.  If I'm really full the top part will stick out a little :)

What I miss:  This week I missed my hubby!  He takes such wonderful care of me and Callie and his company makes me happy, happy, happy... so when he's gone it's definitely a struggle for me. 

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower this month!

 

 Milestones:  HELLLLLLLO third and FINAL trimester!  WOO HOO!!!!!

Favorite pictures from this week:

27 Weeks with Kellan

 

 

How far along:  27 weeks 5 days (in the picture)
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 13lbs

Maternity clothes: Maternity leggings and lots of over-sized t-shirts.

 
Stretch marks: No, but I can tell they're trying their hardest to form.  I slab on tubs and tubs of tummy butter and pray it continues to work!

Sleep: Sleep is great when I'm not choking on reflux acid in my throat. 

Best moment last week: I received my baby shower invitation in the mail this week and got REALLY excited about it!  I have some of the best friends anyone could ask for and am really looking forward to getting everyone together to celebrate Kellan. 

 

Movement:Yes!  His movements are getting more and more predictable.  I think he's finally getting into a sleep pattern.  

 

 Food cravings: Soup and bread.

 
Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: The new medications I've been on seem to be doing their job!  Contractions have been much more manageable and last week at my appointment everything was looking really good.  Last night was a different story with 6-10 contractions an hour, but they've eased up a bit since then. 

Belly button - in or out? I think we are officially to the flat belly button stage!

What I miss: Being able to exercise.  I sure do wish I could do some cardio or go on a walk... I really don't want to gain more than I did with Callie, but a healthy baby boy is MUCH more important than a few pounds. :)

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower this month!

 

 Milestones:  Making it one more week!  God is so good!

Callie really loves her baby brother!

Our first mother, daughter manicure :)

Spending time with Daddy on a beautiful, warm day

I just can't handle her cuteness!  20 months old, already.

My big project of the week!  An owl pillow for Kellan's nursery.  I love the way he turned out!!