27 weeks

This is a big week! I am 27 weeks, which makes me officially in the 3rd trimester & in my 7th month! I think my belly is looking bigger this week! And ont he the survey....

How far along? 27 weeks
Total Weight Gain? I think about the same still 12 lbs.
Maternity Clothes? Yup, went and got soem new summer tanks & shorts too!
Stretch Marks? Ugh they are so ugly, lots on the bottom of my bump!
Sleep? About 9 hrs total at night with bathroom beaks every 3 hrs or so. Sometimes I get an afternoon nap in too.
Best Moment this week? Les & I going on nightly strolls thru the neighbourhood, its so nice to get a little activity in finally!
Food Cravings? almonds, cereal, yogurt, vanilla cupcakes
Gender? I have no idea!
Labour Signs? No but I had my first Braxton Hicks contraction.
Belly Button? Really shallow & flattening out, sticks out a little depending on BBs position in there.
What I miss the most? Having extra money, wine
What am I looking forward to the most? Seeing what this baby looks like!
Milestones? Officially in the third & final trimester!

Home Tour Friday-My Dining Room!

Its Friday again! I am participating again this week in Kelly's "Show us where you live home tour". Head over to Kelly's Korner to check out other great dining rooms! I am posting this Thursday night as I am going shopping for some very much needed clothes tomorrow!

I do not have a formal dining room. I am not sure if I like this or not. I LOVE our open concept home & the dining area right beside the kitchen, however maybe another room would be nice for Holidays? I posted pictures of this space in the kitchen tour, however they were outdated. I took these pictures today so they are VERY current! Welcome & Enjoy!!


This is a view of the dinign space from the kitchen area. My decor is pretty electic, the table is antiqued black, I wanted a Pottery Barn set that was similar but not in our newlywed budget. I found this one in the scratch & dent area of a local store for a real steal! It is a 5x5 foot square, which I LOVE, we have 6 chairs, I would really like 2 more but the 2 chairs at regualr price are more then I paid for this entire set!! (The scratches BTW totally blend in with the antiqued look!)

This is a close-up of my summer napkins. They are from Pier One, I love how bright & cheery they are. The napkin ring is just plain silver, I would like something a but more fun, but they work!

This is the view from the hall way. I put out a different table runner & napkins and/or placemats for each season/holiday. This is my new summer set. The vase in the center often has fresh flowers in it because I LOVE fresh flowers, however our budget is not alllowing it as much. I am thinking of filling it with "faux" lemons & limes, what do you think? Any tips on where to get these at a good price? You also get a view of my big clock (Target) and photo collection in the background here.

This is the view from the livingroom. You can see more of my buffet here. I LOVE this piece as well, another great bargain, this one from costco! There are a collection of photos on it, I am sure it will have more added of Baby Bear once he or she makes their appearance coem August! The vase on the corner needs a "faux" summer flower arrangement. I usually hate fake flowers however have come to tolerate good quality ones, they just economically make more sense. There are a few I have my eye on at Pier One, Oranges, Reds & Yellows....how do you think that would look?

A view of the buffet. It has a wie rack in the middle, however these shelves can be flipped over to be flat for other purposes. Each cabinet has 3 glass shelves. The inside of the cabinets light up, which looks great. I display my butterfly tea party set here as well as my crystal & a few other special pieces. The drawer is full of junk but I PLAN on filling it with my extra table runners, napkins, etc.

One last shot. This is the top of the buffet. I would like a few more decorative pieces evetually but I really liek the photos. Many are of our wedding.

Thats it! There is always more I think that you want to add to any room however for now I am very pleased with this space. Each holiday or season brings out a whole new look, which I find sun, since I get bored easy! Thanks for stopping in!

26 weeks!

Another week! Time seems to be going faster! Everyone IRL is commenting on the size of my belly, it bothers me a bit but I have comet o realize there is not a lot I can do abotu it & so I try to let the comments roll off! On to the ever popular survery!

How far along? 26 weeks
Total Weight Gain? Up another 3 lbs (in 3 weeks), which puts me at +12lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. Not bad but I weigh more then I ever have, I don't like the #'s I'm seeing!

Maternity Clothes? Oh yeah & I am in desperate need of some tank tops to brave the heat~
Stretch Marks? Same ones as before, on the bottom of my bump
Sleep? Still pretty tired, havign trouble getting comfy, peeing every few hrs & now I have started getting Charlie Horses in my legs.
Best Moment this week? Hearing BB's heartbeat & Dr.J lifting soem of my restrictions!
Food Cravings? Granny smith apples with dip, cereal & fruit juice.
Gender? Really thinking boy.
Labour Signs? None!
Belly Button? Really shallow & flattening out. Its actually kinda tender.
What I miss the most? Wearing cute wedge sandals & my regular paychecks!
What am I looking forward to the most? My shower in 2 weeks!

Milestones? Not sure....just making it here!

Not me Monday!

Well its Monday again & since I had so much fun participating last week I will give it another shot today. Check out Mckmama's blog & see what things other people didn't do this week! I wish I had more exciting things to confess but my life is pretty boring....

I did NOT make Les go on a wild goose chase thru the city to find me a sour cherry slurpee, that would be silly when I could have any flavour slurpee, NOT ME!

I did NOT rudely snap at my sister for eating on of my beloved ahh caramel cakes, that would be selfish & unkinds, NOT ME!

I did NOT allow my registry stalking to expand to include looking at other people's including strangers registeries to scope out fun baby stuff, that would be wierd! NOT ME!

I did NOT finally get a new bedroom set this week & insist that we stay up & not go to bed until the entire room looked perfect, you WILL NOT see this in a future home tour with Kelly! NOT ME!

Thats all, as usual it involves food & nothing too exciting, good thing I didn't do any of those things!

Friday Home Tour-Guest Room

Well its Friday again & time for another hoem tour! I have looked thru some on Kelly's Korner (head over & check out other people's spaces!), and really debated about sharing mine. I really like my guest room, but its plain & at the moment nothing more then a storage closet. I decided to post pictures from when we moved in, and so they are just slightly out dated, I have added more since then. Tomorrow my wonderful mother is coming to help me get some spring cleaning done & so perhaps after that I will put up a few new photos as well!

This is the view from the door way. The bed now has more throw pillows in green & the window above the bed has simple white faux wood blinds. At the end of the bed is an old coffee table that I use for scrapbookign & plan on makign a cushion for so it can be a bench when not in use.

This is my old desk from when I lived at home. We only use it to pile bills & papers for filing on! We have hung our University diplomas above it. Those 2 framed scrapbook pages on the floor have also found homes. All of my scrapbookign papers are in those organizers, that all is located inside the guest room closet now, as well as all my gift wrapping & stationary. I will try to get a photo! Those shelves now hold more deocrative pieces & a tv for our guests.

One more shot of the bed. I do not love the comforter at all. However, we did not have one when we moved in and this was the cheapest, least ugly one I could find at Walmart! One day I will change it out but for now it works (at Christmas it gets a whole new look~which I do love!)

Thats all I wish it was more exciting! But this room is really nothing but practical. I will try to add more photos tomorrow!

25 weeks!

Wow! Another week! This is still a little surreal to me. I still find myself saying to Les as I gaze at babies and or baby things, I want a baby. And I do, iw ant mine, but I will continue to be patient for a few more months. My bump is growing but still no HUGE changes, which is good! With the weather warming up I am getting to wear some of my summert materity clothes that I bought on clearance last fall before we were even TTC!

And on to the Q&A:

How far along? 25 weeks

Total Weight Gain? According to my mom's scale up another 2 lbs, which puts me at 11lbs, we will see what the OB's scale says next week!

Maternity Clothes? Obviously!

Stretch Marks? No more new ones yet, but I have a nice collection on the bottom of my bump & my sides.

Sleep? I am soo tired but insomnia has started I toss & turn for an hour or two before I manage to fall asleep, and now my bladder lasts about 3 hrs before I have to pee. I am still getting lots of sleep but it ends up being from about 3am-11am then an afternoon/evening nap. Good Thing I'm off work or that would be a problem!

Best Moment this week? SEEING my belly move! Les saw it too! I call BB my little Ninja Baby because it feels like he or she is doing some crazy karate in there!

Food Cravings? Hot Dogs, Slurpees & Sour Candy.

Gender? umm..boy, maybe?

Labour Signs? None!

Belly Button? Really shallow & flattening out. Its actually kinda tender.

What I miss the most? Summer cocktails, spontaneous day trips, baseball games.

What am I looking forward to the most? Seeing the nursery start to come together! Milestones? Seeing little alien movements in my belly!

Not Me! Monday

I got this great idea from Jillian who's blog directed me over to another very fun blog that I have decided to also follow. MckMama has started this fun little "honest Monday" that I really like the idea on her blog you will find lots of links to other people just being honest. Check out her her adorable family as well! On to my not me Monday!



I did NOT ask Les to bring me a basket of laundry to fold 4 days ago only to have it still sitting here & so wrinkly it vary well may not a trip at least back to the dryer, NOT ME that would be very lazy since that is one of the small tasks I am actually allowed to do!

I did NOT leave my house at 11pm when I was home alone one night & drive all the way to McDonalds to satisfy a cheeseburger & french fry craving, NOT ME that would be very unhealthy & make me fat!

I did NOT go shopping & spend a little too much money on a few sleepers for Baby Bear & an adorable matching momma & baby lounge set for at the hosputal, NOT ME I promised not to do any baby bear shopping until after my showers!

I did NOT stalk my registry & become very excited to see that people have purchased some fun gifts off it, NOT ME that would ruin the surprise of my showers!

I did NOT discover, while eating a snack of sour cherry blasters & a slurpee that my belly "jumps" when baby bear moves, which did NOT lead me to eat much more of this sugar filled snack then necessary just to watch the "jumping", NOT ME that would not be a very healthy bedtime snack!

haha that was fun! I look forward to reading all the other "not me's" this week!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all the mommy's who read my blog! An especially happy mother's day to MY mom, who is the best mother anyone could want. In my wedding speach I said that she is the strongest women I know & not only a wonderful role model, but also a wonderful friend! Here is a picture of the two of us last year at my wedding, it was such a great day!

I woke up this morning to find a sweet mommy-to-be card from my wonderful husband. I had told him I didn't want a gift, but thought this was very thoughtful of him. He wrote soem very touchign & sweet words to me. We are FINALLY redoing or I should say doing our master bedroom this week & so this is our gift to ourselves & eachother before we become parents.

I was also very suprised yesterday with a card & willow angel from the little girls accross the street. As well as cards from my mom (I told you she was the best!) and my sister. These are all keepsakes for sure!

I spent the day today at my mom's house with her & my sisters working on shower details. 4 weeks from today is my first shower! They are doing most of the work, but I have been helong with stationary designs as in our family that is my "area". We got a lot done & I am feeling very excited about the day!

Next year we will have a very special celebration as my mom will be a grandma & I will officially be a mommy!

My Living Room!

Its Friday again & so its time for the house tour! Today is show your livingroom/family room. We only have the one livingroom on the main level for now and it serves as our main living area. We have plans to finish the basement & put a family room/TV room down there. But financially that is a few days down the road. Check out Kellys blog to visit all the other homes!

This is the view from our front door. We have a raised ranch so from the foyer we have these wrought iron rails. I love my hardwood floors however they are right at eye level and even if I sweep 10 times a day you can see dust and or cat hair, we didn't think about the dark furniture & floors when getting our white kitty. To the right is our rockband, which as soon as the basement is finished will be going down there, not my favourite piece of decor!

The is a view of my bay window. I love this window, it has a coved ceiling that is perfect for a Christmas tree. The arm chair & ottoman are so comfy & my guests migrate there & usually curl up with the throw blanket. The way too big TV and all the games systems are my husbands toys (we have XBOX 360, Wii & Playstation 2)

This is our couch, its dark chocolate brown, almost black leather, we love it! We change up the throw pillows often, usually with different seasons. These burnt orange ones are from our trip to the Philippines. The artwork above the couch is black with silver writing. They say "family", "love" and "friend" with dictionary type defintions, the love one is the popular Corinthians scripture.

This the view from the window looking into the diningroom & kitchen. Again my couches & with burnt orange pillows. I really like my chrome & glass tables but we plan on moving this one out once baby bear arrives. The bowl on the table is made from wrought iron & filled with wicker balls. I often put seasonal decorations or a vase with fresh flowers here as well. We keep our magazines stacked on the shelves. My kitty likes to sleep there as well.

This is the view from the dining room. You an see my kitty perched by the window. Les' laptop usually stays on the coffee table, another thing that will probably have to change!

A closer shot of the artwork. We had a really hard time finding something we liked. I think the silver in the photos help to pull in the chrome on the tables which are also in my kitchen barstools.

These are side tables. I love the lamps & got a great deal on them. I would like to find some shades that are a bit more fun but these are very versatile. That frame was an engagement gift & that is an engagement photo in it.

Our other side table, this photo is of my adorable nephew. I am hoping we can leave these tables after the baby comes, they may temporarily be relocated until the family room in the basement is complete.

A final shot of our coffee table. I nthe background you can see a standign photo frame that holds various black & white snapshots of family & friends.

Thats all! This was the first "complete" room in our house. All our guests always say its cozy. I would like to jazz it up a bit but am very happy with how it is. Its very festive come the holidays, I decorate for each season & occasion!

24 weeks!

Wow! 24 weeks! This is a big week, Baby Bear has officially reached the time of viability. Meaning, that if God forbid he or she decided to make an early entrance from this point out efforts would be made to save him or her. Although I plan on this little one staying in me until sometime in August its nice to know this little fact. Being a nurse I know many other mortality & morbidity facts as well that I am choosing not to think of for now, I'm just trying to be a mommy these days! Her ei smy picture, I don't see tons of change in the bump over the last few weeks, thank goodness! It needs to slow down a bit!

How far along? 24 weeks
Total Weight Gain? We don't own a scale, thankfully, so for now I will say 9lbs as I was at my last visit, probably up a bit more tho!
Maternity Clothes? Yup! Lots of them, I really need some capris soon too!
Stretch Marks? Their multiplying! I have sprouted a few more on the underside of the bump as well as some lovely little ones on each hip/love handle area, beautiful.
Sleep? I am so tired, all the time! I am sleeping about 8-9 hrs a night plus napping about 2-3 hrs on most days. My bladder capacity seems to be about 4 hrs so I do wake up in between.
Best Moment this week? Les FINALLY felt BB kick today! This mornign in bed I out his hand on my belly right where s/he was using my side as a trampoline & Les felt two sift kicks, very cool!
Movement? Lets, its getting much more frequnet, usually at night & early in the morning.
Food Cravings? Still slurpees, fresh white bread & butter & fresh fruit.
Gender? I am clueless.
Labour Signs? None!
Belly Button? Really shallow & flattening out.
What I miss the most? Physical activity, cocktails, weekends away/road trips.
What am I looking forward to the most? Being a mommy on mothers day next year!
Milestones? Les feeling the baby kick!

Random Ramblings & Some Pics

This blog is going to be very random, I just feel like updating & talking about random things....

With our one year anniversary fast approaching I have been going thru photos from the last year. This is a picture we took on our honeymoon. We went to Las Vegas, this is us goofing around in the giant FAO Schwarz toy store. We foudn this doll that we thought looked like what our future child may look like, and so we took a photo. If baby bear is a girl, is this what she will look like?
So its been warm here, which is nice because I have been able to start wearing flip flops, which is awesome! Today we went to church & I wore my new to me outfit, wish I had a pic but I don't. I went to a mom2mom resale yesterday & got a cute pair of brown dress pants as well as a pink dress top, in great condition for $7! I also picked up a few other tops for me & a few baby items, some still had tags on them! Anyways, I dressed up today & feltthe outfit required my cute new heels from the Philippines, and so tonight I noticed the definite start od cankles. My ankles & feet a puffy, they aren't too bad in this picture, but I think its just the beginning!

I feel that in life & my blog I have been ignoring my sweet kitty. I will tell his short little story of how he became ours. We were married last May & had just moved into our first home. Les had never had a pet, his parents are very against animals. I LOVE animals & felt our home needed soem love that only a pet can bring. As we both work 12 hr shifts I didn't think we were ready for the commitment of a dog, and hence I started talking about a kitten.

In July we decided to just "visit" the local shelter. Les was insistent that if we got a cat he wanted it to be social, not snotty like my mom's sweet kitty Chloe, who really doesn't like men! As we were tourign the shelter & my heart was breaking I could feel Les' heart softening as well. There were so many kitties there who needed forever homes! There were a few very tiny ones who of course made you melt, and then there was a little guy who was a bit bigger, around 3 months. Everytime we walked by his cage he reached out his little paw and tried to pet us, he was so affectionate & playful. However on his cage was a sign that said "Caution:I'm a wild & crazy guy!" He didn't look too wild to me, they let me take him out of the cage & while he had tons of energy I could tell he was a sweetheart, and he had to be mine! We filled out an adoption application before we left, and 2 days later he came home with us. He has always been vey fun & playful, not wild tho! He is sweet & affectionate and very much a momma's boy! Although Les will work if I'm not around. This is a pic I snapped the other day, he's snuggling with daddy & sound asleep. He always needs contact, he is always next to or on top of someone. He is very "talkative" and loves to play fetch. He doesn't look too wild does he?

I have been helpign with the organizing of my baby showers. The hosts of the first shower are my mom & sisters, all of whom work & are very busy. With me being off work they are taking advantage of my time & craftiness. I finished the invites & they will go in the mail tomorrow. I designed & handmade these, I am very happy with the finished product! I am now working on favour labels as well as some games (that my mom insists we play). She is so excited about this baby I am just goign along & doing what I can to help!

No post would be complete without a quick pregnancy update. All is well on this front. I continue to expand, I swear I feel my bump growing! Sadly more stretch marks have appeared. I continue to lotion & potion but figure its just the price I have to pay. the baby must be getting bigger & stronger because the movements are getting much swifter & harder. Yesterday he or she foudn my cervix & decided it woudl be a good spot to jump, ouch, it actually HURT! I am tryign really hard not to be rude when people touch my belly, MIL just won't get the hint. Les took an opportunity today to let her know how much it bugs me when the waitress started rubbign my belly! MIL still grabs my bump repeatedly and says "my baby" umm, nope definetly mine! I guess that will be the end of my randomness for now! I'm off for a bubble bath & book reading! I will thoroughly miss my glass of wine!

My Kitchen!

I started following Kelly's Blog in December & love it! You should check it out, she is very down to Earth & a great source for many faith inspiring sites. She started a home tour on Firdays & today we all show off our kitchens. I must admit mine isn't much to show off but I have loved lookign at others spaces so thought I would join in the fun! While lookign at all the other beautiful hoems I realized I REALLY need to decorate this space! I guess I have another project to work on! These are all a littel outdated but they will do!

These first two photos are of my hutch in the eat in/dining area attached to my kitchen. I LOVE this hutch! I had been eyeing it for soem time at Costco & when it went on sale I scooped it up ( I love a good deal!)

These photos were taken last Thanksgiving, hence the fall decor. I need to get soem cute summery things to brighten up my space its looking a little drab right now!

This is a little nook you can see as you enter my kitchen. Its a neat little decorative element. We hada hard time deciding what to put there! There is a little husband wife sculpture there as well now. We are also havign a light put in the top.

I love the medium colour of our cabinets. I thought I wanted something a lot darker but I am so happy with these now. This is from when we first moved in. Although I must admit it still needs some love!

I love that we have two glass cabinets they show off our dishes nicely. We did not register for nice china, I didn't think we would use it. Our everyday stuff is a simple white pattern. I hope to add a Christmas set this year.

Our island is free standing, it can be moved or taken out as the entire floor is completely tiled. I love it where it is tho. It has these neat little shelves where I keep my teapot & put seasonal decor. I think once Baby Bear comes, these shelves may be empty!

Here is a veiw of the entire kitchen. You can just barely see that we have a tray ceiling in there, which I love! It adds such a nice touch. We now have simple wood blinds over the sink, I would like to add a valance. We also have black & chrome barstools at th island, which we use often. Our back door (beside the fridge) is a garden door with a full length window, it has an enclosed white blind. The wall behind the isalnd really needs the perfect peice of art. I would like to do a backsplash evetually as well. Finally our applicance, I LOVE them, were a wedding gift from my ILs. My fridge is giant, which is great for entertaining. The dishwasher is now fully installed!

This is our eating space. The leaf in now inserted so its a 5ftx5ft square, which I much prefer. I got a great deal ont his little gem too! And I love it. The hutch (pictured above) is against the wall where that metal wine rack is. We also have a large clock & photos above. it.

One more shot of the top of our table. I try to keep a runner on it, which changes with the seasons. As well as either fresh flowers or some other pretty centerpiece (Neither of these pieces are currently there)

Well thats it! Hope you enjoyed! I loved looking at everyones spaces, it really inspired me to add a few more personal touches to our home!