My Favorite Money Saving Sites...

I only have 3 more days of bedrest, and I'm getting a little bored. I have been thinking of this post for quite awhile...and what do you know...I finally have sometime to go through and write it out.

Since early this year I have become a HUGE coupon shopper. In fact, it pains me to buy anything without a coupon. My favorite is going to Target coming home with a huge bag of items that I paid pennies on the dollar for. If I watch the sales right and match them with my coupons, I get most things free or for under $1.

One of my favorite couponing websites is Hip2Save...Collin does an amazing job of highlighting amazing deals from all over the web. She also takes the time to go through the sale ads on Sunday and helping you match coupons with sales...saving you tons! I check the website at least twice a day!

I am also a huge fan of flash sale sites. I have three I visit regularly. I was able to get great deals on Christmas and birthday items through these sites this year. If you aren't familiar with flash sale sites here's the run down. Flash sale sites hold sales daily, most last for 2 to 3 days. The key is to get in early because these sales can save you up to 75% off.
Here are my favorite:
Zulily - This website specializes in sales for Moms, Babies, and Kids. Right now they have Kelty products for 40% off. This site run anywhere between 5-10 news sales everyday!

Totsy - I love this site! Zulily is good, but I think Totsy is better! That may be because they tend to have more toys and baby items. Right now they have plush toys for as little as $1.60! Or this adorable dog (which comes with an online code for playing games on a special interactive website) for $2.30...seriously...

Gilt  - I have already mentioned this site before, but it's worth mentioning again. This site has sales for Men, Women, Children, and the Home. It's marketed as more of a high-end sale site. Last week they had designer jeans (I'm talking ones the retail for around $200, for $79!) But I love their children section. Right now they have JJCole up to 50% off. They have great stuff! Once you sign up with this site, send an e-mai invitation to 10 of your friends and they'll give you free shipping (regardless if they sign up or not!).

For all of you online shoppers out there, did you know you could be getting money back on every purchase you make (on top of coupons and other savings)? Through the website Hip2Save I found out about Ebates. I wish I would have know about this sooner! I'm have already saved an extra $30 just by going through this website to make my purchases. Here's how it works. Log into Ebates, before doing your online shopping. Search for the store of your choice and go through the link they provide. Here's the best part, they also have coupons that you can use too, so it's like one stop shopping. It's that simple, if you go through their link and make a purchase you will get credit in your account after your purchase is confirmed.

Here's a short list of how much extra you can save just by going through Ebates:

Target- 3% (this is on top of coupons, and the 5% you can save if you have a Target Card)

Barnes and Noble- 8%

Groupon- 3% (makes for some pretty awesome deals)

Zulily- 3.5%

Ebay- 3-7%

Wal-Mart- 2%

Kohls- 4% (matches up with some awesome deals Kohls is having right now and is on top of your Kohls card savings too!)

Go through the link above and get $5 just for signing up!

I think that's all for now, but when Baby P arrives I'll be cutting back even more and looking for savings where I can, I'll keep passing along my money saving tips as I find them!

Happy Savings!!

Weekly Check-up Update!

Today was my 2nd weekly check-up since being put on bedrest. I had even better news this week than I did last week!

My cervix has lengthened! I am now about 3cm compared to my 2cm I was last week! Still shorter than "normal" but I am thrilled to know bedrest is actually working!
I'm measuring a week small, but Baby P's heartbeat is great.

I also found out that Baby P's head is really low. My doctor said it's at a 2. She said last week I was at 1, so Baby P's head seems to be gettig lower and lower. She never said negative 1 or 2, so I'm assuming we passed that point and went straight to the positive side. That really kinda freaks me out...crowning is +5. I'm not exactly sure what that means at this stage, but seems pretty crazy to me!

The best news of all is that I'm off bedrest as of Friday! I turn 34 weeks on Saturday, but my doctor gave me the ok to go out for New Years Eve as long as I don't "jump" around. I'm not sure if we'll really do anything, but it's nice to have the option. I am already planning the rest of my weekend (it will be filled with everything Baby P, the nursery will get finished, shopping will get done, and I might even try to venture out to the Broncos game (although that might be pushing it!))

So, it's all systems go after Friday. I still hope I can keep LO baking for at least 2 or 3 more weeks, but they'll let me go anytime after Friday! Crazy!!

33 Weeks!

I've made it through one whole week of bedrest and to the 33 week mark! That topped with being able to leave the house for Christmas makes for a great week!

Ryan and I were very lucky and thankful that my mom decided to fly out last Sunday to help out around the house. It was so great to have her here. She worked her butt off! She did lots of shopping (including Christmas shopping w/Ryan), lots of baking, lots of cleaning, and she put the drawer pulls on Baby P's dressers! She also kept me company last week while Ryan was at work. I now feel as prepared as I can for Baby P's arrival if he/she decides to come before 34 weeks.

Ryan is working through Wednesday this week so I just have to get through 3 days of being alone and then he can keep me company until I'm hopefully allowed to get up and join the real world again.

I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'm hoping for some good news. I'm slightly worried since I really pushed the rules of my bedrest on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but I'm hoping that my cervix has at least stayed where it was last week. I'll update tomorrow when I get home.

Here's my 33 week picture taken on Christmas Day...our last one without LO!

How far along? 33 weeks

Food cravings: Pigs in a blanket (I'm sending Ryan to the store so he can make them!)
Biggest Moment? Leaving the house for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Movement? Tons! I'm feeling lots of hiccups and I get to feel LO's butt trying to escape on a regular basis...
What I'm looking forward to: Hopefully good news at my appointment tomorrow and the possibility of this being my last week of bedrest...
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 17.5 inches long and weighing around 4-4.5 pounds!

Update...

I had my first follow up appointment this morning. Things are going well. Thankfully I have no change in my cervix since Friday. At this point no change is a good thing. As long as it's not getting shorter I'll be able to stay home.

I will continue to go in for weekly appointments and checks until I'm 34 weeks. After that I should be allowed off bedrest and will be allowed to go into labor whenever it happens. I am still hoping to make it until at least 36 weeks, but since Baby P has gotten the steriod shots it's lung should be well developed. Even at this point my doctor said they wouldn't try to hard to stop labor.

So I've got about 12 more days of bedrest and after that it's game on. Here's to hoping LO and I make it through the full moon tonight and through the middle of January.

32 Weeks and Bed Rest.....

This wasn't quite the update I was hoping to make this week. I was hoping to start of by saying I've got 8 more weeks left (hopefully more like 5). It's funny how things change.


Yesterday was my 32 week appointment. I had a million questions for my doctor about delivery and the last of my appointments. I mentioned to my doctor that I was having some mild cramping, but enough to wake and keep me up for about an hour and a half the other night. I didn't think much about it because my stomach wasn't contracting and I had called a few days prior and the nurses told me to take it easy and drink lots of water (they thought I was just over doing it, since I didn't have any other symptoms). I was expecting the same answer from my doctor. She did say she could do an internal if I wanted (which I choose to do, since I figured it couldn't hurt anything). Things quickly changed at that point. She told me I had a shortened cervix and quickly started rushing around grabbing tests, and an unltrasound machine to get an accurate length. While doing all of this she was talking about sending me straight to the hospital and was mentioning a high risk doctor.


My head was spinning, I was there by myself since it was supposed to a routine appointment. I had to keep it together for an hour and a half while we were trying to figure out what was going on. They ran bloodwork ( which came back normal, no signs of infection) she did my Group B strep test and ran a few other test which I will have the results for on Monday.


So here's the run down...I have a shortened cervix, the shortest they want to see at this point is around 3.75cm and mine is about 2cm. A shortened cervix is usually caused by an infection (which I don't have), so I plan on asking many more questions about this on Monday. Having a shortened cervix puts me at a high risk for preterm labor. I received a steriod shot yesterday and will get another one today to help baby's lungs develop.


My new goal is 34 weeks. I am very much hoping to keep LO cooking for many more weeks, but 34 is the goal at the moment. That's two weeks away! Talk about a complete change in thinking. I am now on modified bedrest (bed, couch, food, very short shower) I will most likely stay on modified bedrest until Baby P's arrival. I will have weekly cervix checks at my doctor and if it gets an shorter before 34 weeks, I will most likely be sent straight to the hospital for strict bedrest with constant monitoring.


So now I'm trying to figure out how I am going to get everything ready for Baby P's arrival without being about to leave the couch. I already had a list before this happened, but now it's growing and being seperated into stores, so Ryan can doing the shopping for me. Luckily we have had our showers and we have all the big stuff we need for Baby P. It's mostly the things for me that we are lacking. That and Christmas shopping, that was on the agenda for tomorrow.
We need to have our bags packed this weekend since I could be sent to the hospital as early as Monday, so that's become a list too!


Although this isn't a happy upbeat post like the rest, I sitll have a lot to be thankful for. Baby P's heartbeat was nice and strong. He/She is in the head down position and shows no other signs of stress. I have an amazing husband who is willing to do anything to help and I have family and friends who have already offered support and prayers during this scary time.


There's no guarantee that bed rest will prevent my preterm labor, but it's the best option for Baby P and I at the moment. I have also heard many success stories of bed rest and I sure hope Baby P and I are one of them!

How far along? 32 weeks
Food cravings: Nothing this week...
Biggest Change? Being put on bedrest
Movement? Thankfully I still have lots of movement, Ryan even got to feel hiccups last night!
What I'm looking forward to: Hopefully being able to leave the house for Christmas
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 17 inches long and weighing around 3.5- 4 pounds!

Keepsake for Baby P...

While I was home for my shower in November, I found and brought with me a teddy bear I have had since I was a little girl. In fact I got the bear on my 1st birthday. This wasn't any regular bear, it was bear that sat on a shelf for the last 25 years (if you forget the few times we took it off the shelf to play with it, even though we weren't supposed too). I have always known this bear was special and unique, but until I did a little research this week I had no idea how special.

I own a Steiff Bear. The Steiff company created the teddy bear in 1902. Since then their trademark "button in ear" bears have won over the hearts of many. They now have a wide variety of bears from collection only pieces to child friendly pieces. After some research on my bear, I found out that it's worth around $150. Not too shabby for an adorable bear!

Now, to the keepsake for Baby P part....
One of my new favorite sites is Gilt.com ( <--- Click here to join (it's an invite only site)). It's a flash sale site with high end merchandise (and great deals on toys and clothes for kids). While browsing the other day I saw they were selling Steiff Bears! I was so excited! I love having something to pass down to LO and I thought it would be fun to get LO his/her very own Steiff Bear. That way my bear has company while sitting on a shelf for the next 25 years :) Most of the Steiff Bears are pretty expensive infact they have somethings that sell for almost $1000! But through this sale I was able to get one 50% off.
So introduce to you Baby P's first keepsake...

Here's mine...patiently awaiting the arrival of it's new friend....

Baby P's bear should be here next week...I can't wait!

31 Weeks!

9 weeks left! I'm very excited about this single digit milestone, mostly because I hope LO will be here before I hit my next single digit milestone. Although, I'm sure it's purely positive thinking, I keep thinking if I tell LO that I'm ready at 37weeks2days he/she may listen to me :)

I spent last weekend working in the nursery and it's still not finished...in fact it still looks like a bomb exploded in it. I'm convinced as soon as we get the spare bed out of there everything will fall into place within an afternoon. I finally found my bookcase, which should help get things out of the way. I can't wait to go through all the books I got for my shower and the ones I have been collecting for the last 5 years and put them on a shelf where they belong.

Baby P and I are moving right along, we are feeling great! LO is very active all the time and last week I even felt hiccups for the first time! It was so fun, until LO got them at 3am and woke me up :)

We have our 32 week appointment on Friday. I'm looking forward to talking to my doctor about a birthing plan and scheduling our positioning ultrasound. Right now I'm fairly sure LO is breech, I'm hoping that changes in the next few weeks. I have been doing some research on having a version done if LO is breech and it sounds horrible, so I hope LO flips soon!

How far along? 31 weeks

Food cravings: Nothing this week...
Biggest Change/Moment? Getting down to single digits week wise...9 to go!
Movement? I felt hiccups for the first time last week!
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Nikki graduate from CSU this weekend!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 16 inches long and weighing around 3.5 pounds!

30 Weeks!

30 down, 10 to go (or 7 if baby is listening (I'm getting a little anxious))

We had a super busy week but it was busy in a good way. Last Wednesday (which also happened to be my birthday) Lindsay and Erin came into town to visit. They spent Thursday exploring Denver and we went shopping for my diaper bag on Friday.
On Friday my Mom, Alli, and Gracie came into town. Saturday was my baby shower. Lisa, Lindsay and Nikki did a great job. It was so good to see everyone and I loved having some friends and family from home there too!
I don't have any pictures from the shower yet, but I'll try to get them up next week.
It was an amazing weekend, topped off by spending Sunday sorting through baby items and getting our dressers in. They look amazing! Chimmy and Ryan did an amazing job. Now I just need some more time to organize everything and we will be ready for LO.

I'm still feeling great! Just some minor aches and pains, but I feel very lucky to be feeling this great at 30 weeks!

I feel like I'm carrying so low, I'm slightly afraid to think about what will happen when LO drops!


How far along? 30 weeks

Food cravings: Breakfast foods (bagels and cereal)
Biggest Change/Moment? Completing our childbirth class we are now "prepared" :)
Movement? Sometimes I wonder what LO is doing in there!
What I'm looking forward to: Working in the nursery this weekend
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 15.5 inches long and weighing around 3 pounds!

29 Weeks!

As I write this I'm 75 days away from my due date! 75 days! I can't believe it! Thankfully, we had a very productive 4 day weekend and I'm feeling a little more ready for Baby P than I was a week ago.
The nursery is finished. Ryan and his dad worked hard to get the chair rail up on Friday. It looks great! I'll put pictures up with next weeks blog after the big reveal this weekend. Our dressers are also almost finished. Ryan and Jimmy worked hard to get them sanded down and stained on Saturday. They are getting the finishing coat this week and we should have them by this weekend. Although there isn't much space in the room right now, I can't wait to get them in.

I am also blessed to have another shower this coming weekend with all of our family and friends in Denver. I also am getting some special visitors for the weekend. Erin and Lindsay are coming out on Wednesday, Alli on Thursday, and Gracie and Mom on Friday. I can't wait to see everyone!

Someone asked me the other day if I liked being pregnant...my response...I LOVE being pregnant! I have been blessed to have a smooth, easy pregnancy so far. I love feeling LO move all day, although I can't wait for Baby P to be here I will miss feeling him/her moving all the time.
Besides the heartburn that has started and is here ALL the time, everything else is going great!

Here's my 29 week picture...I don't feel like my belly has gotten much bigger in the last few weeks....

How far along? 29 weeks

Food cravings: Broccoli and Cheese soup from Silver Mine...I can't wait to have some tomorrow :)
Biggest Change/Moment? Finishing the nurseryMovement? Sometimes I wonder what LO is doing in there!
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing family and friends at my shower on Saturday
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 15 inches long and weighing around 2 1/2-3 pounds!

28 Weeks and My Baby Shower!

First off, I need to start out by saying I have an amazing group of family and friends! I have been blessed with great friends who with the help of my mom and sisters threw me an amazing shower! They thought of everything...including a buffet of my cravings throughout the pregnancy so far. It was quite the spread!
So, thanks to Mom, Alli, Gracie, Cassie, Erin, Lindsay, Jessica, and Lindsay. You guys did an amazing job and threw the me best shower!
It was so fun to see family and friends, although there is never enough time to chat at a shower I enjoyed talking to everyone!
Baby P is very lucky! We got so much good stuff! I can not thank everyone enough for their generosity.

Here are a few pictures from my shower...

Me and the other Mommies-to-be

Cassie (Jan. 29th), Me (Feb.12th), Jessica (Jan. 23rd)

My cake...it was so cute I didn't want to cut it!

The table decorations were picture of Ryan and I as babies..too cute!

Baby P's quilt made Great Aunt Jeanie

The yummy food!

My mom and sisters

The Girls

I don't have an actual 28 week picture...but if you click on some of the pictures you can see my bump pretty good.

How far along? 28 weeks
Food cravings: Nothing this week...but I loved having all my past cravings at my shower!

Biggest Change/Moment? Biggest moment, my baby shower! Biggest change...heartburn has started!
Movement? All the time..
What I'm looking forward to: Playing with all of our new baby stuff and finishing the nursery!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 15 inches long and weighing around 2 1/2 pounds!

28 Week Appointment and A Look Back....

Today was my lovely 28 week appointment. It was filled with lots of fun things, including my 1 hour gluclose and my rhogram shot. Is it weird that I actually enjoyed the first few drinks of the orange sugary drink?


I'm measuring right on track this time and LO's heartbeat was in the low 150s...which is higher than it ever been before. It could be because LO was not thrilled with the dopplar cramping it's space and was kicking and punching it like crazy!


My weight gain is right on track and everything is looking good! Next appointment is at 32 weeks! I can't believe I'm into my third trimester already!

Since I'm in my third trimester I thought it would be fun to look back over the last few months...here you go....

(4 days after we found out!)

Ahh...my flat tummy :) Hopefully that will come back!

(14 Weeks...2nd Trimester!)

(One week shy of 3rd Trimester!)

I can't believe how much my belly has grown since the beginning of the 2nd trimester. I remember being excited to have a "bump" at 14 weeks seems kinda silly now!


                                                            Have a great weekend!

3rd Trimester!!

Horray! I'm in my 3rd and final trimester!! Although there have been times when I have felt like this pregnancy was crawling by, I can't believe I am already in the 3rd trimester! LO is moving like crazy and doesn't seem to like when it's living quarters are cramped. The second I lay on my side or put anything on my belly (including Baby Addie) LO is kicking away!

Last weekend I was home to throw a shower for Cassie. She's due just two weeks before me! I have thrown many showers, but I'll tell ya, throwing one while pregnant is much harder. I am so thankful to have had the help of her sister, Lindsay and Erin, I couldn't have done it without them!

This week is a busy one for us...and I'm glad, I need the week to fly by! We start our birthing classes tomorrow. I have no idea what to expect and I'm excited and nervous all at the same time! Then this weekend is my shower in Red Bud. I'm so excited! I have already started to receive baby gifts from the UPS man! I can't wait to see my family and friends and celebrate our LO!

I didn't take a picture this weekend, but this is Cassie and I at her shower...exactly 27 weeks for me!

How far along? 27 weeks

Food cravings: Grapes...pretty sure I ate almost an entire bag at work today!
Biggest Change/Moment? 3rd Trimester!
Movement? All the time..
What I'm looking forward to: Birthing Class and my baby shower this weekend!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 14 1/2 inches long and weighing around 2 pounds!

26 Weeks...Nursery Progress...Double Digits!!

Wow that's a long title :) But it's been a busy week around here! I hit double digits on Friday, turned 26 weeks yesterday, and we finished painting the nursery today!

Ross and Nikki came over yesterday to help move furniture and get started on the priming. After they left Ryan and I worked on the first coat of green. We woke up bright and early  today and have just finished getting all the painting done (2 coats for each color)! I am already sore and know I'll be regretting spending the day painting, but I am so happy with the way it turned out. All that's left is the chair rail!

Here are a few pictures of the progress...

It's hard to tell in the pictures, but the top is a mint green. I am so happy with the way it turned out! I can't wait to see it with the chair rail!

Other than hitting double digits, nothing else is new with me this week. I still feel great!

Here I am 26 weeks on the dot!

I feel like I'm a little big for how far along I am. Last appointment I was measuring a week and half ahead. I go in again in a few weeks so I'm interested to see if I'm still measuring big.


How far along? 26 weeks

Food cravings: Dr. Pepper...LO loves Dr. Pepper!
Biggest Change/Moment? Hitting double digits....97 days left!
Movement? All the time..this morning I was actually laughing because my stomach was moving like crazy! I couldn't believe it!
What I'm looking forward to: Going home for Cassie's shower this weekend!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 14 inches long and weighing around 1 1/2-2 pounds!

25 Weeks & V-Day!

Boy...I've been slacking! I was home last week, so I'll use that as my excuse! Last week was an important one though, we made it to viability day! As far as milestones go, I say it's right up there with making it to the 2nd trimester. As of last week (24weeks) baby P has a fighting chance for survival if he or she was born. Although LO needs to bake for a few more months, it's reassuring to know.

Last week I was able to head home for a few days while the families were on vacation. I enjoyed seeing family and friends and finally meeting Baby Addie. She's a doll! I can't wait to see how much she's grown at my shower in a few weeks.

Ryan's birthday is on Friday, we plan on going to a nice dinner and maybe a movie. This weekend we are going to start painting the nursery. I hope to get the room primed by Sunday night and if we are on a roll start one of the colors. This is one of two free weekends between now and December 4th (my goal date to have the nursery finished) so we better get busy!

As for me, I've been feeling great (minus the back issues!)! I feel LO moving all the time. Not just kicks or punches, but every other movement he/she makes right now. I'm loving it!

Here's my 25 week picture...15 more weeks to go!!

How far along? 25 weeks

Food cravings: Mom's chocolate pie...yes mom I'm still craving it :)
Biggest Change? Making it to V-Day!
Movement? All the time
What I'm looking forward to: Hitting double digits...almost to 99 days!!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now about 13 1/2 inches long and weighing around 1 1/2-2 pounds!

 

24 Week Check-Up....

I had my 24 week check up today. Everything is going great! I'm measuring at 25 weeks (about a week and a half ahead)! Seems like a lot to me, but my doctor didn't seem to mind. I just hope baby went through a growth spurt, and I'm not growing a 10lb baby!
I also found out that the baby is sitting on my left side, so that means the kicking I have been feeling has actually been punches! I have one strong baby!

LO's heartbeat was at 140 and sounded perfect!

That pretty much sums up the entire appointment! It was quick and easy, up next is the 1 hour gluclose test and my Rhogram shot (since I'm Rh-)....can't wait to hear the heartbeat again... 4 more weeks!

23 Weeks!

This week has been a very stressful! We learned a few weeks ago that Ryan's dad has colon cancer. His surgery was this week. So we have been at the hospital everyday since Thursday.

He's doing much better today and was even able to get up and walk around. We are thankful that they were able to remove the entire tumor, but he will have to have a round of chemo and radiation starting in a few weeks. We continue to hope for a quick recovery so we can put this part behind us so he can come home!




All that aside, I've been feeling great (minus some pain/pulling in my lower stomach the last few days)! LO has definatly gotten stronger. If I'm sitting down I can feel him/her moving like crazy. Today Ryan was also able to see my stomach move today too. Sometimes I feel like LO is just running circles in there! I'm loving every second of it!


Here's my 23 week picture...only 17 more weeks left!! (And I will no longer allow Ryan to sit and take a picture..I look like I have 7 chins!!)

How far along? 23 weeks
Food cravings: Mom's chocolate pie...can't wait to have some next week!
Biggest Change? Feeling LO ALL the time!!
Movement? Lots! Even got to see it on the outside!
What I'm looking forward to: Heading home next weekend to see family and meet Addie!!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now the size of a papaya (although I've never seen one in person) it's easier for me to think about this week in inches...11 1/2 to be exact! He or She is weighing in around 1 pound!!

So I told everyone last week about Swagbucks. I'm totally obsessed with it! I have already earned a $5 gift card to Amazon...doesn't sound like much, but think about it...I got that in just over a week. So if I keep this up I could get about $20 a month for free! Just in time for Christmas! It's super easy to use. I have it bookmarked and use it for everything (to get to facebook, my e-mail, here) and regular searches that I would have normally used Google for. Yesterday I got 50 swagbucks for searching for something simple! Plus there are daily polls and surveys you can take! I promise I'll quit talking about it, but I am so excited I had to let everyone know...who doesn't love free money??!!

22 Weeks!

22 down! I can't believe it! I was telling Ryan yesterday that we could be meeting our little on in 18 weeks or as early as 15 weeks (if Little One comes early!) Thankfully time has been flying, and with all we have planned between now and February it will be here before we know it!

We got our bedding this week, I'm really happy with it! Now that we have bedding we can (and did) pick paint colors. My goal is to still have the room done in time for my Denver shower, but with only two free weekends between now and then, it's going to be tough.

Here's a picture of our crib with the bedding and then one with our paint swatches....

As for me, I've been feeling great! My belly is still expanding! Baby P is kicking more and more and the kicks are getting stronger. On Wednesday I was able to actually able to see my belly move when LO kicked. It was so fun!

Other than that, nothing new has been happening! I'm just enjoying feeling LO move all the time!

How far along? 22 weeks
Food cravings: Nothing this week....
Biggest Change? My ever growing belly!
Movement? Lots! Even got to see it on the outside!
What I'm looking forward to: Painting Baby P's room!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now the size of a papaya (although I've never seen one in person) it's easier for me to think about this week in inches...11 to be exact! He or She is weighing in around 1 pound!!

Swagbucks...So Fun!

So a few days ago I came across this website called Swagbucks. Sounds strange...right? It's a super cool website where you get rewarded for using it as a search engine. You accumulate points based on "swagbucks" rewarded for random searches. When I first signed up I searched for "tidy cat coupons" (no, we don't have a cat, but the person I heard about it from did the same search and got points, so I thought I would give it a shot) I got 11 "swagbucks". That's it...all I had to do!
There are other ways to earn points too, it's all free and super easy, especially if you are on your computer a lot. Just a few searches a day can get you lots of points.
You can turn in your "swagbucks" for all kinds of things including giftcards to places like, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, Target, etc.
I joined yesterday and I already have 70 "swagbucks."
Here's the link.... Swagbucks

21 Weeks....

Past the half way mark! While I am enjoying being pregnant, I can't wait for the day Baby P enters the world! I wasn't really antsy until one of my best friends had her baby last week.

Adeline Claire arrived at 8lbs3oz after 45 hours (yep...you read that right....45!!) of labor. Her mommy is my hero! I would have given up and let them do a c-section. But Lindsay hung in there and delivered a perfect baby girl! Here's a picture of adorable Miss Addie...can't wait to see her in a few weeks!

As for me, I think baby had a major growth spurt this weekend. I feel like my belly has gotten so much bigger! LO is still kicking and moving all the time, which is fun.

We also got our crib put together this weekend. We are doing things a little backwards, since we don't have the room painted yet, but I was antsy and Ryan's dad offered to help.

So they put together the crib last night. I'm so happy with it! It is only carried online, so I was a little nervous, but it turned out great.

Here's the finished product:

Our bedding set is ordered, too! I hope it's here by this weekend so we can go out and get some paint colors picked out. We are running short on weekends and I would love to start painting in the next week or two.

Here's my 21 week picture, I think my bump is big enough now, that I don't have to do bare belly pictures anymore!

How far along? 21 weeks

Food cravings: Chili
Biggest Change? My ever growing belly!Movement? Lots and lots of movement!
What I'm looking forward to: Our bedding set arriving and picking out paint colors!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now the size of an banana! He or She is weighing in around 11 ounces!
 
 
 



It's A.......

BABY! Although so very tempting, we are still Team Green. We had our 20 week ultrasound today and it was the coolest thing I have ever seen. I was teary throughout the entire thing, even when I wasn't really sure what I was looking at :)


Our tech was nice, but not allowed to tell us anything useful besides the fact that the heart did have 4 chambers. Other than that, if they see any problems my doctor will call us.


Baby P was moving a ton. The first thing we saw was baby covering his/her face. I have been feeling movenment more and more the last day or two and now I see why! We got only 3 pictures. I wish I would have asked for a better profile picture or face picture, but I was distracted by my dancing baby.  I even forgot to ask a few questions I wanted to ask.


I do know baby is measuring 21w0d. Which is a few days ahead, but not enough to change my due date. Baby's heartbeat is 143.


I think over the next few weeks I might try some old wives tales and track what they say on here. It will be interesting to see if any of them are right (if you know of any, please leave a comment so I can try them!)


The tech told us she always refers to the baby as he, unless she hear's me refer to it as she then she might switch. Although i don't remember doing it, she did switch to she. Maybe we saw something, or maybe I did say she without even thinking about it (sorry Baby P, if you are a boy!) I'm not to worried about it, but it's fun to think about!


Here are the pictures!

Although I love my baby, I find this picture kinda creepy :)

Tiny feet

Profile. Baby P is also holding his/her feet in this picture

Halfway There!!

20 Weeks! I can't believe it! We've hit the halfway mark! Along with that mark, we've also been busy preparing for baby and hit a major milestone!

First things first....We felt the baby move on the outside yesterday, at exactly 20 weeks! I woke up and noticed the kicks were stronger than even the day before. I rolled on my back and sure enough,as soon as I put my hand on my belly I felt 3 strong kicks on my left side. It was the most amazing thing ever! I layed there for another minute just to make sure I wasn't making it up before getting Ryan. I was worried our LO would stop performing once Daddy was there, but we gave it a minute and a few shakes from me and Ryan felt it too! It was so cool! I can't believe how much stronger the kicks and movement have gotten over the last few days. I'm loving every minute of it!

We also ordered our crib this week. We also decided to use a changing table and dresser that Ryan had when we was a baby. His Dad made them, they're in pretty bad shape at the moment (due to the fact that Ryan and Ross used them as toys growing up...I've heard the stories and I'm impressed that they even made it through the two of them). Jimmy and Ryan are going to refinish them add new drawer fronts and stain it to match out crib. I'm really excited! I'll post before and after pictures after we pull them out of storage. Here's the crib we are going to use and the bedding set (unless LO decides it doesn't want us to be Team Green later this week)

We've also finished our registries and now will hopefully start working on the nursery in the next few weeks. My goal is to have it done by the first week in December when family and friends are coming in for my Denver shower. I have to start early since Sundays are out between now and when the baby comes (gotta love football season!)



Here's my 20 picture....

How far along? 20 weeks

Food cravings: Nothing new this week...
Biggest Change? Feeling baby P move on the outside!

Movement? We felt kicks on the outside yesterday, and I've been feeling more general movement all day.
What I'm looking forward to: Our "Big" ultrasound on Tuesday, although we aren't finding out the sex, I can't wait to see Baby P again!
Baby's Milestones: Baby P is now the size of an cantalope! He or She is weighing in around 10 1/2 ounces!