Ari Judah Sauve

 

 

Mr. Ari Judah Sauve was born at 6:25 a.m. on Sunday morning, (just like his daddy thought!) May 26th, 2013. He weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long. Do you see that head of hair? Yep, he takes after his daddy. :) We're pretty much in love with this little blessing.

 

So this is my little, tiny, yet very loud reason for taking a little break from blogging. ;) I love him, but things get a little crazier than usual around here now. haha And since I feel like my brain has been replaced with a racquetball court, I can't quite collect my thoughts quickly enough (during nap time) to compose any sort of birth story yet. I will say what a huge, huge blessing our stay at the hospital was. I really loved it and all the nurses and my great doctor. God is so good to work His wisdom through people like that and I was completely at peace with every decision we made with the help of my doctor surrounding Ari's birth. Ari has been very healthy, is a champion eater, and as of Sunday I was able to celebrate two weeks of breastfeeding!! Woohoo!! I've heard it's a breeze from here on out (God willing). 

The name. I wanted to share why we picked this name. Our last name is the French verb for salvation, or to save. Ari means lions and Judah is for the tribe of Judah. So when you stick his entire name together it's like the gospel: the lion from the tribe of Judah (that's Jesus) saves. We were debating between two names, and Brian picked Ari once the nurses held him up and we could see his funky full head of hair. He had a lions mane from the very first time we saw him. ;) Very fitting, we thought.

Alright, that's as much organized thought at I can get out during this naptime. ;)

xoxo

God's sovereignty over our hormones.

It's getting up in the 80's this weekend. And fun pregnancy hormones really crank up the sweat glands.

 

 

70 feels like 90 when you're pregnant. I'm very, very thankful for the maternity shorts a friend of mine passed along. ;)

 

 

There's our boy! I still don't fully understand it, how life is going to change and look. Don't know if I will until he's actually here. You'd think maybe it would have sunk in by now...since I'm between 38 and 39 weeks....and ya know, he could technically decide to move in (as an 18 year house guest) at anytime.

 

You know what people failed to mention about nesting? The terrible, hormonal, don't-want-to-share-my-hubby-or-baby-with-anyone nesting that sets in. The territorial madness and paranoia that take over. I think it's nesting on hormonal steroids. haha That's where all the random crying comes in to play being pregnant this far along. I will share a bit of honesty: I've been scared out of my mind of having postpartum for a while now. Many months. And many long nights I've been up in staggering fear thinking about it. I've been fearing my husband ever liking me after this baby is born, ever wanting to stick around to be with us, ever feeling like a normal human again, ever....ya know, the list goes on and on, however logical or (very often) NOT logical. Us pregnant people do understand that, ya know. We aren't logical. We know that. But you still can't help the feelings that occur. So, what do you do?

 

God's Word is always a good place to turn. :) I seriously was so encouraged by it this week and experienced the power it has in my life. I feel like people have just been telling me these ups and downs are part of hormones and you have to deal with it, in part aiding me in jusitifying totally sinful behaviors. "I can be mad all night and ruin everything because I'm hungry and pregnant and can't control my hormones and my husband rushed me out of the house...so let me ruin the whole plan for everyone. Everyone pays because my silly husband knocked me up!" Nope.

 

"...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7

 

God is sovereign and in control of my hormones. My hormones do not control me. I do not have to fear because God has given me a spirit of power. I can take my thoughts captive and meditate on His truth.

 

Freeing. This truth quickly dried up tears in the middle of what could have been a (totally justified...but we won't go there) hysterical crying fit. And it has been helping me all week when my thoughts go towards the dark, fear filled corners of my mind.

 

So ladies, any of you ladies of any age and in any particular chapter of life, don't give in to the lie that your hormones have the final say. Because they don't. God does. He always has and always will. He is the creator of our bodies, including our hormones, and I totally, totally believe He has the power to intervene when things get emotionally crazy in our minds and hearts because of physical issues.

 

Also, did you notice the words self-control? There's some responsibility right there. We don't get a justified bad mood day, week, year, or life because our hormones are out of balance. God provides grace for that. Take it. And He will help you with the responsibilities He's called us to.

 

Next time you start to create an entire backstory as to why you have every right to be bitter towards your husband all night or a co-worker, sibling, whoever your "hormones" choose as their victim, remember: God has given us a spirit of self-control. I really say this in love, as I've been experiencing the freedom from my sinful emotions these last few days, whether I always look it on the outside or not, and I want you to experience that freedom too. I can go out on what could be our last date before the baby comes with my husband tonight without feeling angry or totally scared that we will never, EVER be able to do such a thing again. And who knows, maybe we won't. But God still reigns and I don't have to ruin what could be my last date ever with my gorgeous hubby. ;)

 

xoxo



Our little boy's ecclectic nature nursery.

I'm not sure if that's even what you would call it, but here are a few snapshots of our little boy's room. I think I've mentioned it before, but he is sharing space with his daddy. :) I wasn't too happy about it at first, but I tried really, really, really, really hard not to fight about it. Then one day while I was praying about it, God showed me how thankful I should be that my husband is willing to share the same room (office/nursery) with our son, when most kids in America go to bed at night without a dad around. That totally changed my perspective, and I'm super excited for my boys to have a hang out spot. ;) haha

Those are the prints I blogged about here. I bought the postcard size of them and found some inexpensive wooden frames from Hobby Lobby. You can also see one of the knit mushrooms my very creative friend Amy made for me, by request. She rocks! She is a great, great cook (so check out her blog) and she knit the cutest sweater vest for out little one, and got us some awesome vintage books!! I love used books and handmade things. :) To the left is a jar of eggs. haha It's very random, but I decided to add it anyways. For some reason I bought a glass egg on our honeymoon, and then somewhere else after that, and I just buy them wherever I can find them now. I told my gramma about them once and she had a few that (I believe?) her  mom had collected, so she brought them to me on one of her trips out here. So now I have a jar of eggs that people in my family have been collecting for a few generations. I thought it fit the nature theme. What do you think? ;) haha

I collect framed butterflies, which I've talked about before. This was my first collection one of my uncle's bought me from a flea market. After that, I was in love with the vintage ones, but they are VERY expensive. B got me another set when he went to Cambodia. My parents brought those with them on their last trip down, so I will hang them soon as well. I really want to get some other framed bugs, as weird as that sounds. Maybe some bumble bees or beetles. I have a few other small collections around the house. They are so colorful! I also made the garland out of old fabric scraps I had laying around. A friend of mine mentioned that they look like butterflies. I hadn't noticed, but they totally do look like fluttery wings. :) It adds to the nature theme, I guess.

I love these woodland animals! My boss just gave us the deer yesterday, and I wanted to keep it for myself to cuddle with. ;)

One of the gals in my creative workshop does calligraphy art. I so wish I could write that beautifully! I found a poetry book on motherhood at a thrift store a few months after I got pregnant. This is one of my favorite poems I found in it. I thought the title was so adorable too!! So, she wrote it up! How gorgeous is it!? I haven't framed it yet, but I intend to. I will eventually hang it in there as well. This is the actual poem, since you can't read it from the picture:

To a Little Invisible Being Who is Expected Soon To Become Visible

by Anna Laetitia Barbauld

Germ of new life, whose powers expanding slow

For many a moon their full perfection wait,—

Haste, precious pledge of happy love, to go

Auspicious borne through life's mysterious gate.

What powers lie folded in thy curious frame,—

Senses from objects locked, and mind from thought!

How little canst thou guess thy lofty claim

To grasp at all the worlds the Almighty wrought!

And see, the genial season's warmth to share,

Fresh younglings shoot, and opening roses glow!

Swarms of new life exulting fill the air,—

Haste, infant bud of being, haste to blow!

For thee the nurse prepares her lulling songs,

The eager matrons count the lingering day;

But far the most thy anxious parent longs

On thy soft cheek a mother's kiss to lay.

She only asks to lay her burden down,

That her glad arms that burden may resume;

And nature's sharpest pangs her wishes crown,

That free thee living from thy living tomb.

She longs to fold to her maternal breast

Part of herself, yet to herself unknown;

To see and to salute the stranger guest,

Fed with her life through many a tedious moon.

Come, reap thy rich inheritance of love!

Bask in the fondness of a Mother's eye!

Nor wit nor eloquence her heart shall move

Like the first accents of thy feeble cry.

Haste, little captive, burst thy prison doors!

Launch on the living world, and spring to light!

Nature for thee displays her various stores,

Opens her thousand inlets of delight.

If charmed verse or muttered prayers had power,

With favouring spells to speed thee on thy way,

Anxious I'd bid my beads each passing hour,

Till thy wished smile thy mother's pangs o'erpay.

I randomly pulled stuff from around the house that I thought fit the theme and just added it to these shelves. I really have a thing for eggs and butterflies, I guess. The butterfly in that blown glass was a housewarming gift from my brother in law. haha I got those little wooden boxes for $3 from Target. I've been collecting those books since I was in high school. And I didn't think a nature room was complete without a real, living plant. :) I've been quite pleased with it! It's a pathos house plant. They are supposed to be very easy to take care of, as far as indoor plants go. I love the bright shade of green it adds. I somehow ended up with dark aqua and lime green being some of the main colors in this room. :)

Hope you enjoyed the mini nursery tour! I kept it very minimal, but I really love it. :)

xoxo

Quiet times.

B finished up this semester a few days ago. He's taking a break for a while with baby coming soon. I'm done with most stuff at work, and I have only one more stop to make at Babies R Us this afternoon then I'm DONE with all my running around related to baby. I think this is the real nesting setting in. The sitting at home, enjoying an always-messy-but-lived-in look this place has going on with all the adjustments to baby things: high chair, children's books, monitors glowing from the corner of the room. This is crazy, guys. :) But I feel a sense of quiet and peace after these last few crazy weeks. I'm really, really trying to be patient and wait on God's timing for this kid to be born. Only three weeks left to go. Keep praying for health and safety for us! God's taught me to let go of soooo many things during this pregnancy: an abundance of riches and a birth plan only include a few of them. haha

All that to be said, we were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful, golden Utah air up in the canyon Sunday night. We got out and went on a little hike (that I had to convince B to let me go on). It's my favorite hike around, 36 weeks pregnant or not pregnant, because it really is the easiest, and in my opinion, the prettiest. Wheeler Canyon opens up to a pretty field. Oh, I just love it!

Our friend Greg brought along his new camera and snapped some adorable pics. haha (Thanks for blessing us with your creativity!) All the guys that went with us were very patient with me as I slowly hopped down rocky hills and hobbled through part of the stream. It was so much fun!

I told them a secret...I couldn't remember when the last time I had washed my hair was. ;) But you can't tell....................riiiight? haha

The guys were snapping pictures of everything. The air truly was golden as we hiked higher up and looked back down. I love that natural gold color. Even when we got home last night from our (maybe last) dessert date before baby comes, our house was filled with that same golden hue as the sun was going down. I just love it! So much that I wrote a poem about it once....here it is:

this iridescent hour 

gold light filters through white, wooden blinds

a mist of stars

 hanging in the air

this is the light housewives have worked by

for many, many centuries

and i am home, sick

partaking in this iridescent hour

 

-feb. 22, 2012

(Side note: It's scary to share poetry, no matter what context it's in. ;) Thanks for reading and letting me do it a little more often.)

I think it was B who made this comment as we kept hiking and everyone was taking pictures.

"God really must love photographers..."

That really made me stop and think. It's true! He must love them! He must love the absolute joy they take in HIS creations, snapping picture after picture, making God feel proud and desrving of the glory He gets in those moments. I've been thinking about that all week. I sometimes overlook how art really can relate to my Christian walk, and abandon my pen and any other artform I practice in the midst of the busyness of life. Maybe sometimes I just need to get out and hike with my camera as an act of worship to God, thanking Him for creating that unique, golden hue that can only be found in nature.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy some of the sights we got to see.

xoxo

P.S. Did anyone hear the news that we have a baby due THIS month?? Whaaa whaaat? Crazy sauce! :D

Thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you everyone who made it out to to the shower to celebrate our little baby boy with us! B and I truly were overwhelmbed by all the generosity, support, love, and kindness shown to us and the little guy that's about to arrive. It was comforting to see the support system we really do have, but often forget about in moments of stress.

I have a few pictures to share, but there were so many people who attended (40 plus people?) that I didn't get to snap too many.

 

 

The shower was book themed (how appropriate) so we could build a library for our baby boy. These cupcakes with the white cream on top are my favorite from Peddlers. I still can't remember what their actual name is, but they taste just like a pancake covered in syrup!! Since that was a major craving for me during this pregnancy they were just perfect! :) 

These fruit leather book were very yummy! (Thanks to my mother-in-law who patiently made the fun treats!!)

I found these tags to stick in the book on this blog. I just loved the animals. B used his photo editing skills and changed them up a bit to fit the occasion.

It's been over a week now since the shower and the debris from baby onesies, tissue paper, baby bottles, nursing clothes, and so many other generous gifts has finally settled. I honestly didn't think it ever would. haha My mom and dad were in town for the weekend of the shower and part of last week, so with them being here, me working, my house looking like a baby actually lives here, and my computer having a virus, I've been late in posting about the shower. There's so much to say about it, so I'll just blurt it all out there. :)

I wanted B there with me. I think I've talked about this before, but I went to a baby shower before we were married (the first baby shower I think I had ever been to) and the mom opened up all the cute gifts and was so very excited for this little person in her womb, but her hubby wasn't there to share in that with her. Now I know it's totally normal for guys to not go to showers, and I know why, but I just really wanted B to share in all the excitement with me. He was also a HUGE help to me physically, helping move gifts around, carrying bigger gifts out, keeping water and chapstick close by. Anyways, so there was that.

Also, we both felt so loved when we saw how many people showed up. That was also very overwhelming (just a warning for any peeps out there about to have big showers). Overwhelming in a good way I guess. It just all really sunk in for me that night, especially when my mom and her friend helped us bring everything home, and I couldn't see the floor of the living room or the baby's room anymore because it was now covered in gifts bags and tissue paper. Ha! I honestly wanted to climb in bed and think about anything except baby after that. It was a huge reality check for both of us. The shower was so much more surreal for me than I ever thought it would be. Literally, I felt like I was floating around outside of my body, watching the pregnant blonde lady sitting on the floor (since that was the only comfortable position to sit in), sweating while she opened gift after gift. Now that I've had a week to organize I don't feel overwhelmed. All my thank yous are written, we have everthing we NEED before this baby is born (thanks mom and dad for grabbing our last big need for us- the carseat!), and I'm ok with the reality that this house is never going to be spotless before we bring this little boy home because I have NO CLUE when we're bringing him home. haha

All that randomness aside, I'll have to share more pictures of the cute baby gifts later! But again, a big thank you to everyone who attended, helped prepare for, and traveled out to love on our little bambino!

xoxo

Confessions of an (almost) new mom.

Wow. I finished a role of toilet paper tonight because I've cried so much. About what? Nothing in particular, but then again, just about everything. I watched this adorable documentary about a married Down syndrome couple...aaaand it was all down hill (or up?) from there with the crying, being pregnant, missing my husband, blah, blah, blah. So, may I indulge?

I've felt so selfish lately. Probably the most selfish I've ever felt, or realized I am, in my entire life. I hate even writing this on here, but so much of me has recently longed for it to just be me and B forever. And ever. And ever. And then I feel the baby kick me in the rib. "Too late, mom." I know, I know. Nervous laugh. Or at least, I'm starting to know. The bright side is that parenthood isn't an eternal identity thing, it's just a calling for a period of life. I'm going to be B's wife even after parenthood ends though. :)

Am I terrible? Is it terrible that I just wrote that? I just want to savor one last day trip alone with my husband without thinking about carseats and meal plans and who's watching my kid. I think yesterday morning could very well have been the last morning B and I got to sleep in together for who knows how long. He's been working so much, and we have opposite schedules a lot....so the next eight weeks are pretty much shot. Oh, it's coming so fast.

Well, now that I've showed you guys in words what a terrible mom I'm going to be (haha...it's ok, you can laugh with me), let me remind you that there is HOPE! Not in Lexy, no, not in me. In JESUS. And HIS grace. It's only by His presence in my life that I EVER have the ability to put these feelings aside, except for nights like tonight, nights that are luckily far and few between. Don't put your hope in me as a parent, in B as a dad, in the two of us as a married couple. No, please don't. You'll be let down all too fast. I only hope you can see little slivers of Christ through all of those different aspects of our life and rejoice in the progressive growth in Christ we get to experience.

 On a lighter note, anyone else out there think I look like my own momma in this picture? :)

I am so lame that I can't figure out how to turn this picture to the side. hahahaha I was made for the typewriter, not the computer. It's up and down in my file, but won't upload that way. I was trying to upload it to Facebook all night last night and today, but it just wouldn't for some reason. Oh well. :)

xoxo

32 weeks and counting.

 

Credit goes to my hubby for walking going on a little barefoot hike with me today. :) He's more artsy than I give him credit for. Although, you can tell he's a musician...because he likes to make most things look like album covers. haha

 

Here we go! Another pregnancy survey. 32 weeks, folks! 32 weeks!!

 

1. What name did you and your spouse call your baby before you knew the gender?

 

Hmmm...good question. I don't really remember ever calling him anything except for baby or kid.

2. When did "Oh-my-gosh-we're-having-a-baby" really sink it?

 

Still hasn't I guess. Some moments are like that...but for the most part I don't know if it ever fully sinks in.

3. When you think of yourself as a mom, what's the first thing to come to mind?

 

Ponytails. haha Maybe that's because most moms always have their hair up while running around chasing toddlers and throwing another load of laundry in. :)

4. Is your nursery complete? What's the theme and what do you have left to complete?

Nope, and as of today I decided I'm done with all my projects and craft ideas. Baby has enough. I need to get some more storage type furniture and just get everything put together, but I'm done with my little projects. I really need to get everything up on the wall...this took months and months for me to do after we got married. B has yet to convince me to hang a few drawings a friend of ours did, or my butterfly collections. I guess I'm stalling in the baby's room too. But really....I need to jump on this. Good thing next week is spring break.  

5. List 5 qualities you hope your baby will possess:

 

Jesus, love, wisdom, a genuine love for people, a love and respect for his earthly parents, aaand his daddy's eyes or curls. :) Do all those count as qualities?

6. What's your ideal labor experience?

 

Lots and lots of trusting on God for whatever He wants labor to look like for me...be it a natural birth, pain-free epidural birth, C-section with lots and lots of rest afterwards...whatever He wants for His plants and purposes in my life. I've thought about this lots and I still know that I have no clue what it will look like until I get to the hospital. So anyways, I just want the baby out at the end. ;)

7. List 5 things that have changed in your relationship with your spouse since you've been pregnant:

We sadly have what seems like a third person in our bed at all times now. My stupid Boppy pillow (I'm very thankful for whoever secretly got it for me...I do love it) gets between me and my hubby. I can't sleep right next to his back all night like I used to because there's a giant pillow between us. It does keep me from being in pain though. :) That's the only reason he puts up with it. haha

 

What hasn't changed? We think about money differently now. We think about the future differently, I think. Ya know, since we have this little bambino to think about too. I think about B differently (in a good way). I know both of our prayers have changed to include this little dude we've been called to raise. :) That's cute to hear your husband pray for your baby. :)   

8. List 5 things you think will change once your baby arrives:

Haaaa..........sleep habits, fo sho. I'm pretty sure my personal, daily schedule will change. I know I will have to plan taking care of my hubby differently too. I can't cook dinner throughout the entire day simply because I enjoy that. I will have a baby to plan around too. I think B and I will really have to be more intentional about dating each other also. I've been thinking lots about that lately. Also, spending habits will probably adjust even more.

9. Where do you think you'll be when you go into labor? Why?

I'm really hoping I'm not at school with a classroom full of 3 year olds. HA!

10. Have you been talking to your baby? Playing music?

I talk to him in my head. Does that make sense? I don't talk outloud...but I do talk to him a lot. I do play music, but not on purpose for him to listen to. Although, B was playing the guitar in the living room one night and the little bambino was FREAKING OUT when he stopped. So he started playing again and calmed right down. That was pretty awesome. :)

11. In what ways do you hope your baby is like your spouse?

Most ways because B is much more chill than I am. :) I hope he looks JUST like him, too. :)

12. In what ways do you hope your baby is like you?

Blonde hair would be really cute. :)

13. How long will you wait for the next baby, or if this is your last one, why/why not?

Oh goodness. I can't think about that right now.

14. Who will be with you during labor? Who will visit you in the hospital during your recovery?

I'm pretty sure B is the only one we're planning on having in the room with us. As for after, I honestly don't care. The whole world could come visit me. I think I'd like that. :)

15. How much will you tell your baby (child, teenager) about your past? Why/why not?

Enough that he knows I'm a sinner saved by grace. Enough to warn and teach. I guess I need to ask for wisdom on what NOT to tell him. haha

16. Do you have any hopes for your child's activities? (Sports, academics, school preference, activities, etc)

Nope. As long as he loves Jesus, that's all the man he needs to be.

17. When will you tell your baby about the birds and the bees?

hahahaha I will probably be forced too much earlier than I think I will.

18. Which childhood memory do you hope your child will have (similar to one you fondly remember)?

I really hope he gets to remember a time his mom and or dad shared Jesus with them and prayer with them like I remember my mom doing with me and my little brother.

19. And finally, Be annoying! What "advice" do you want newly pregnant women to know?

You need so much less than you think you need. Maternity clothes, books, baby items, decorations. You've got boobs? You're good. Ok, not really, but seriously...kinda really. ;) I've also been shocked that the only time I'm really in crazy pain is when I haven't had a chance to exercise that day. So exercise! I've never done this regularly before being pregnant, but I think I'm going to make it a norm now. You really do have so much more energy.

 

 

It comes and goes.

That's energy that I'm talking about. These days at least. I've got to make the most of it when I can, even if that means planning out my nesting and meals when I'm awake at 4 a.m. haha! Today I got home around 4 after a long, but good, day at work, and sat down on the couch with some water and my laptop, planning on never getting up again for the rest of the night. But alas, I talked myself into doing my workout, and I've suddenly had energy ever since. Yesterday I went crazy to town making all sorts of things for the babies room , and one cute project for myself, and I've had enough energy in the last hour to finish some of them up. :)

Please know that I am generally not this crafty, I promise. At least...I'm not as crafty as many other people I know. I did many of these projects because I was able to use things from around my house or they required basic craft supplies that I have on hand from past projects. These are also projects I've been keeping track of on my pinterest boards for months now, and have finally decided to just do them, so it's not like I find something and get it made before dinner time. ;) It's takes lots and lots of pins, time, and courage. haha

This book garland was super easy to make! I made it for the baby boy's room, but my baby shower is also book themed, so I thought it would be cute to use there as well. I just pulled the pages out of an old book I had around the house that I've used in the past for various projects. I also had the string. I did buy the mini clothes pins, but I plan on using those in lots of different ways in the baby's room, so I didn't mind spending the 1.50 or whatever they were (plus my teacher's discount at Michael's! Score!). The paper that I used for the book covers I did buy, but just because they were .59 each and I didn't have a spare cereal box on hand. I do plan on making some more where I use cereal boxes and just paint them, or the pattern of the boxes themselves may be kind of cute and add to the creative mix.

 

 

I always check the clearance for acrylic paint. I usually find some funky colors for .19. I think this was one of those colors I found, but I just so happen to be using it in the baby's room quite a bit. I bought these letters right after we were married to use this idea in our bedroom, I just never got around to finishing it. Plus, I think it looks much cuter for the little guy's room. I've got them sitting above the doorframe of his room, and I'm going to cut out a small cardboard star or two and paint them gold and stick them up there as well.

 

 

 These toilet paper roll owls are so adorable!! I'm going to make a few more and set them on different shelves in his room. I think it's so fun how you can create different personalities with each owl. This was a very, very cheap project!! I think everyone in America has spare toilet paper rolls on hand.

 

 



And last but not least, these fun flats that I repainted!! I am a sucker for any item of clothing that has a cat on it...so I had to make these when I saw the how-to. The paint was a little old, so who knows how long they'll last, but I think I originally purchased the shoes for just a couple of bucks anyways. And they aren't the most comfortable, so I've only worn them one or two times, but now I have a cute reason to push through the pain! ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed checking up on my nesting projects. :) Do you see a theme of some sort coming together? haha

xoxo

All natural beauty: things I've experimented with this pregnancy.

There we go! One day shy of 30 weeks! I really wish I could live in skirts these days, and I would but I'm slightly clumsy and I find myself tripping in them a lot. haha And a pregnant lady who trips all the time really is hazardous.

Since it's been warmer I realized my dull, white legs will be showing soon. ;) As usual, I've been on my pinterest boards looking through all natural beauty tricks for fun. I've used this trick twice now, and I really like it. Although, I did just finish cleaning our bathroom and found all the coconut and olive oil very tricky to get off. Any suggestions? Haha It's quite comical to watch me and my belly curve around the toilet to clean behind it, and get in the tub to scrub, scrub, scrub.

About two weeks ago I noticed my cheeks finally started to become very, very dry. I've used half apple cider vinegar and half water as a toner through most of my pregnancy. My skin freaked out a bit as I entered into my second trimester, but this stuff seriously cleared it right up. I think after allllll these weeks of using it with really no moisturizer (shhh...I know that's probably terrible for my skin, but I really do drink tons and tons of water and the skin on my face doesn't seem to need much else most of the year) it may have started to dry me out a bit, but I found this moisturizing facial cleanser last week and I really, really love it!! I was super worried it would make my face extra oily, but it didn't at all!! I love using all natural beauty recipes that only have a few ingredients because I remember how to do them easier, making it so that I actually use them. I started looking for a new cleanser because I recently read that they are trying to get rid of all exfoliants with plastic scrubbies in them (something about fish and landfills?), and since I've used the same one for literally years, I started looking for natural alternatives when mine goes off the market. I love that the baking soda actually makes your face feel scrubbed and cleaned, and it really does get all your make up off. I switched to using the ACV toner only once a day or so, and I've really noticed a difference. I swear, the day after I used the coconut and baking soda mixture, my cheeks were already brighter and rosy.

My other favorite natural winter skin repair that I started about this time last year was mixing one egg white with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. You make the paste and let it sit as a mask on your skin for about 20 minutes. The protein from the egg helps rebuild your chapped winter skin. I ONLY use real lemon juice because you just never know what's in the store bought, prepackaged kind, and I don't what who-knows-what sitting on my skin.

At first I started doing these weird experiments when B wasn't home, but I don't care anymore. He knows I'm a weirdo. haha I don't think he was home the one time I experimented with tumeric, turning my face orange. (It was a good thing I try these at night, or else I would have had to go out looking like an Oompa Loompa.) Honey is the ONLY natural ingredient that doesn't work well with my skin. Any other thing I've put on my skin has really done fine, some things just work better than others for me.

I really want to try this all-natural mascara sometime. I've used the same Clinique one for ages because I'm allergic to all other ones. I used to use mineral veil, but it's just too expensive for me to keep buying, so I want to try to make this one sometime. I could go on, and on... ;) I really find this stuff interesting and it's always a fun challenge to try something new, especially if it saves money. The one product I do buy and haven't been able to bring myself to experiment with making on my own is my foundation. I have again used the same thing for years. It's Naked Minerals Pressed Mineral Foundation. My mom is an esthetician and actually sold this stuff back when I was in junior high I think. I like it because it's not a powder. With powder you seem to waste more than you actually use. It also doesn't make my face oily. Other loose or even pressed mineral foundations I've tried make my face oily very quickly. They've done all sorts of fancy tests with this stuff that I can't remember right now (thank you pregnancy brain). I do remember they tested being able to sleep in this stuff and it doesn't harm your skin. Also, there was something about being able to put it in an open wound (not that you would really want to, right?) and it didn't cause any extra harm. Being a pre-school teacher means the people I spend the most time with during the day don't really give a hoot what I look like, as long as I know how to put the puzzle back together. But my basic beauty routine that I stick to most days includes this foundation and a tiny bit of mascara, if I even get that far. haha Anyways, enough about Naked Minerals. I love the stuff. :)

Sidenote: Any things you guys did around the house that were very helpful for when you came home with a new baby? I actually have time to be home today and get caught up on cleaning and organizing, which is ALWAYS energizing to me for some reason, so I sat down and made a very, very basic grocery list in case anyone has to do that for us while we're in the hospital. I figured it's nicer to have a stocked fridge when you first come home so you don't have to figure out who has more energy to go out and grab the basics to get by for that first week. Any other suggestions? The only other thing (besides trying this natural carpet cleaner today) that I really want to have done before baby gets here is getting my blinds cleaned. I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE doing this. I always did as a kid, and I STILL do. That's why they are dusty pretty much all the time. I don't know how to do it well, and they are white plantation shutter type blinds, so they show dust, and the black streaks from cleaning the dust. Sigh Anyways, again...what other things were helpful to you to have done at home when baby came home? :)

xoxo

Spring green.

I love it when an avocado looks that good. Lime green and muted yellow. They're finally in season! And that means it's finally getting a little warmer and sunnier! (Knock on wood...it's only March, so it's bound to snow some more.) This perfect little avocado was the icing on the cake today. I spent an hour outside with my students, and came home to make this yummy dinner. It called for some guac, so I got my avocado on! :) I'm so thankful for the 60's weather today brought. B and I are heading to SLC tomorrow afternoon to walk around the city a bit and get to know the place more. I can't wait to put on some capris and get some exercise in the warmth. Maybe I will be able to break out those marternity shorts! ;)

10 weeks left! Oh wow!! I'm not sure B and I realize just how soon that is. ;) We're taking our Childbirth Prep class this Saturday. Maybe then reality will set in a bit more? B said he had a dream he got to hang out with our little baby. I can't remember much of what he said about the dream, but I thought it was adorable. He knew our little guy had to go back in my tummy to finish out his time, but I guess he had fun hanging out with him. I still haven't dreamt about him. I was feeling bummed about how uncomfortable sleeping at night is with the extra tummy weight, and I ended up having a dream that I had to carry around a dalmatian instead of the baby. By the end of the dream I was so exhausted from carrying around the little black and white bum that I was begging for the baby weight to come back. haha So weird!

Anyways, the dinner timer just went off! Time to chow down with my babe!

xoxo

A nest.

It seems like that's what I'm building when I consider all the fabric and string scarps I'm pulling from around the house for this little boy's nursery. Oh, and the feathers. I had to actually stop myself from buying moss yesterday. haha Thanks to your prayers and encouraging words, I truly felt a difference at work yesterday. Part of it was also just voicing my need for more help, and my wonderful aids came to the rescue as usual. And now I'll be home for most of the rest of the week, and I can feel my momma mode kicking into high gear. I've been staying up a little later than usual making things, and actually taking steps to get organized with his room.

 

 

I'm making a few banners to hang on the ceiling over the crib, coming out from one of the corners. Some of the fabric I'm using are actually vintage crib sheets I snagged several years ago because I liked the print so much. I found myself having to really think about boy colors while making these. "Oh, pink flowers..what shades of pink should I put with this one?" No, no, no, Lexy! Blue! You're having a little boy. haha I've got to retrain my girlish thinking habits.

 

 



We got a big package in the mail last week and opened it up to find this beauty! B's cousins from Tacoma sent it to us. One of them drew it by hand. It's a one of a kind. I love it, as I love all sorts of butterfly or bug prints. haha As long as we have space in the nursery, I plan on hanging this up. :)

Alright, well there are a few peeks at what I've been working on this week. :) Keep me and baby boy in your prayers!

xoxo

Over a week, and here's why...

I can't breathe. Ok, really, I can obviously breathe since I'm alive and blogging, but I have to concentrate really hard to simply SIT and BREATHE most days. Baby is NOT hanging low anymore. He's climbed up my rib cage and is squishing my lungs. Anyways, this leaves me quite exhausted. Want to pray for me? I could really use some extra energy to get through my work days. I'm supposed to be (and hopefully will be) working up until  my due date, but seriously....who would have thought bending over multiple times a day to clean up all the toys in a classroom could knock someone out for the week. That's how I've been feeling. It makes me physically tired, but its also been making my tummy upset. Maybe because everything is being squished together so I can grab one toy here, another toy there. haha I haven't had energy for much else besides focusing on work and home. So no blogging for the last week.

Anyways, besides that...I drove past Wendy's and Burger King today, all before 11 a.m. and all I could think about were the chocolate frostys they have!! So I had to rush home and make myself a healthier version that I'm quite pleased with. :)

1 banana (not frozen, but I usually use frozen)
a squirt of agave
1 tablespoon coacoa powder
about half a tray of ice cubes (depends on how thick you like yours)
almond milk
leftover coffee from this morning
three strawberries

It's so yummy!! And not too bad for you, and I took care of that sweet craving while filling up my tummy with good fruits. :) When I worked at Starbucks I LOVED making smoothies for my meals with all sorts of weird things in them: I always had spinach in mine, Greek yogurt, almonds, chia seeds, wheat germ, whatever fruits I had on hand, one packet of honey, some dark chocolate chips...I promise, promise, promise you don't taste the spinach. Yes, it looks weird and gross, but they're really sooooo good for you, and quite filling too. Enough about my random smoothies.

I'm at 29 weeks tomorrow. I have some time this afternoon, so I'm going to pack our hospital bag. Advice? What things were you glad you had on hand? What was useless? Some things I've been reading from around the web say its nice to have little gifts for the nurses, as well as mints or something to suck on during labor (since you can't eat...still not sure how I feel about that?), ohh...I can't remember what else. It's still a bit early to think we need to head to the hospital, but you never know I guess. I was planning on doing this last week while B was out of town, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It just seemed way too real that this is all happening. I can't even describe it now that I'm thinking about it. haha

While continuing to think and pray about what God wants this baby's birth to look like, I found this blog post to be very helpful. A friend shared it with me and it's seriously one of the most encouraging things I've read yet. In thinking about diets, natural birth, birth orders, epidurals, essential oils, being vegan, Hypnobirthing, blah, blah, blah....the list could go on, God's continued to put a passage from 1 Timothy on my heart.

"As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge any persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussions..." 1 Timothy 1:3-6

God really showed me a few weeks back that I was wandering into vain discussions with myself on learning and reading about natural birth. All of the things I listed above really are just myths, things we can never, ever truly be certain about. I will never know for sure if an essential oil can cure my cold. I will never know for sure if I will make it all natural this time. I will never know for sure if an epidural would be perfectly fine for me and my baby. I will never know if I will live longer of this diet or that diet. Only if it's God's will would any of these things happen. I was, and continue, to get caught up in things like these, placing my faith in these things instead of in Christ. Trusting in those other things instead of Him was and is sin (Romans 14:23). His Word is one of the only absolutes I can stand on in faith, and I knew all of my anxiety was coming from trusting in these things I was never meant to trust in. There's been quite a release since He gently showed me that. I've also come to the conclusion that I'm honestly not going to make a decision and stick to it when it comes to this whole giving birth thing because the only person who knows how its going to turn out already has the whole thing planned out for me, and I want to rest in His plan.

Well, off I go to back our hospital bag! :)

xoxo

"What in the world were we thinking?"

In God's grace He must make it so that moms forget the terrible pregnant nights and days like today so they keep having babies. Nights where you literally get maybe two hours of sleep, looking at your husband all night long, sound asleep and comfy, as you think, "What in the world were we thinking?" Days where the sweet guy who plows the tiny road you live on piles all the snow around your car so you have to tip toe around it, balancing on ice with a pregnant belly, snow past your boots, bending in the most painful positions to attempt to get all the snow and ice off your car, failing and decided you have to get on the road anyways or you'll just run out of gas right there in your parking spot. Days where you slam your middle finger in your car door for the first time ever while pumping gas, with nobody around but an old man who you just look at and silently turn to start crying, continuing the whole way to church, to quit just in time to drag yourself inside, and cry to the first friend who asks you how you are. All because of a stupid purple fingernail that is throbbing and on fire, setting off all the other emotional troubles to your morning. Sigh. Yes, days like these. I've done enough crying this morning.

Then the spiritual battle sets in, complete with anxieties, doubts, fears, and insecurities.



Yep, I can hardly see my toes anymore. That happened a whole lot quicker than I thought it would.

As you can probably tell, I'm feeling all sorts of discouraged today, but I know it doesn't just end on that note because God is big enough to handle all my emotions, even these ugly, distrusting, sinful ones. He can handle the fact that I feel so disconnected from everyone in my life these days. He meets me in that loneliness. He can handle that I feel big and pregnant and never pretty. He is what makes me beautiful. He can handle all the physical trials pregnancy puts on your body. He took more pain of the cross than I could imagine. He can handle that I have absolutely NO CLUE why I wanted children, thinking I had anything in me with the ability to raise them right for His glory. He is the perfect parent I will never, ever be. He can handle my fear of labor that arises every night when I can't even get through an hour of sleep without pain. He is the one who designed the female body in such a way to give birth to children, curse or no curse.

"Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On you I was cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God." Psalms 22:9&10

God is the one always at work. Even when I'm proud and think it's me. I'm truly going to seek rest in this today, and literally, as I sleep off these silly emotions.

xoxo

*Edited*

This is not a pity party. This is to show that the gospel applies to all those crazy pregnant emotions. And the actual writing of this is my process of walking in that belief.

A lonely Tuesday.

B and I usually work opposite shifts on Tuesdays. Which stinks. And he basically works alllll day Thursdays between a regular job and then ministry, and I also work Thursdays. So Thursdays also stink. But on my way to work this morning I was soooo overjoyed at the thought that I won't be lonely Tuesday and Thursday nights for much longer. :) I know this is the romanticizing part of having a new baby, but I am so going to love to have a little man to spend the night with while his daddy is out providing for us! I guess I'm spending time with him now....haha I can even feel him kicking me while I type this. Now that's love. ;)

I busted my butt getting stuff done in this little guy's room yesterday. For the first time ever, I made a list of things I was looking for before setting foot in the thrift store (thanks to some advice I got from a friend's blog post). I still only found one thing from my list...well, it wasn't even on my list, but I've always got my eye out for a good crate. I also scored yet another book and some maternity shorts. I'm not sure if this pregnancy will call for those since I'm due the last week, but they were only a couple bucks so I can pull them out if I need them.

After blogging on Sunday about all the things I really should be doing to get his room ready, I actually did them. haha I found a used changing table that was at our place by 5 p.m. and I also ordered a few of those small prints, since B and I couldn't decide on just one. All very affordable pieces. So I spent a good hour or so really dusting and cleaning the changing table. AFTER all that cleaning was when I got the bright idea to sand it down and make it look worn. I have lots of pieces in my house that really ARE old and warn, almost to the point that I don't like to clean my furniture because it just pulls more old paint off. haha Here are the before and afters:

I had already started working on the front when I remember to snap a pic.

Aaaand after. After many awkward positions, finger burns, pieces of sand paper, a purple, blistered finger, and an achey belly. I could have kept going, but it honestly took a lot out of me. Plus, it was cold standing outside for over an hour sanding away. haha But I'm quite happy with it. :) It adds to the eclectic look this doll house is going for.

By the way, today marks the beginning of the END!! :D Woohoo!! Hello third and final trimester!

xoxo

The Prego Questions!

Because everyone is just dying to know these answers....not. haha I've just had lots of nothing but thoughts about baby and adjusting to my new uncomfortable body this week, so why not just continue with the theme here? ;) I found these cute questions on this blog.

How far along are you: My doctor and I have made a compromise haha So I'm a few days short of 27 weeks now. :)

Size of Baby: Huge! lol The Bump has a cute chart that shows the size of the baby at each week based on a food. So this week my little babe is the size of a head of lettuce.

Maternity Clothes: Ha...well, I think I have four shirts that I remember off the top of my head, and a few dresses. I don't think I'm going to buy anymore though. My of my sweet student's parents got me a be band last week, so that's been really nice to just wear under normal clothes and get the extra length I need on shirts. Other than that, I'll probably have to start sleeping in B's old t-shirts soon. ;)

Stretch Marks: Not yet haha I have an odd combo of things I've been doing to try and prevent them, but obviously I can't do much if they do happen. I use Mango Shea lotion, Neutrogena Norwegian body wrap, and Doterra's Wild Orange oil mixed with some coconut carrier oil. I just grab whatever I have on hand. The Neutrogena is the same lotion I've used since high school. My skin would get so dry that when I'd shave my legs they'd just bleed afterwards. This was the lotion my mom found that really helped. I used the mango shea butter because I read that any lotion with shea works for stretch marks, as well as any essential oil. Luckily, while reading my book on essential oils during pregnancy, I learned that Wild Orange is one they specifically suggest using. So I did, but some days the smell can be a bit strong for me and it makes me sick, so I really have to be careful when I use it. (I ONLY suggest using Doterra's oils during pregnancy. Noting else has gone through the testing like they have to check for purity and quality, so who knows what else you're really putting on and in your body when you use another brand of essential oils.) Anyways, there's my spiel about that.

Weight gain/loss: I don't really care who knows this. lol I'm about 19 pounds as of my last appt. My doctor said I'm gaining a bit quickly and he really wants me to try and stay at 30 total since I'm little, so his suggestion was cutting out dairy and bread. I do looooove my Greek yogurt, as well as cheese, and I could eat a few bagels a day, so yes, I'm guilty on both those accounts. haha I've been having some fun switching up my diet this week, as well as trying to cut out white flour and sugar as I go into my last trimester. (starting TUESDAY!! EEEK)

Sleep: I'm feeling much more comfortable. I take off the top pillows on the Boppy body pillow that's for your arms and use that to support my tummy. Using the whole thing just made me soooo hot at night, and it was like having a person laying between my husband and I, which we didn't really like. But this has made me much, much more comfortable. It's just finding the TIME to sleep during our crazy schedule. ;)

Best Moment of the week: When B was scratching and poking my belly before School of Worship last night. :) It has freaked him out so far, but without even realizing it he just seemed to be scratching it (which made me VERY happy) and poking around while waiting for these to start last night. :) It just felt like a very natural, dad-like thing to do. :) Am I crazy? Yes, I think he's wonderful. :)

Movement: Oh my goodness!! Since he's my first I have nothing else to compare him to. The first long, long while he was really chill. Everyone told me that. My doctor, the ultrasound tech, and I knew he wasn't a crazy mover. But these last few days I seriously feel like he's trying to bust out of the oven!! It's like he takes both his feet at the same time and tries to pop my belly!! He's crazy strong.

Symptoms: Still no period. ;) haha I couldn't resist. Other than that, I'm just really, really uncomfortable in basically any position. I think I'm coming to the end of being able to bend over and help my student's clean up toys. I'm feeling lots of pressure under my ribs.

Food Carvings: I have wanted a vanilla cone from McDonald's alllll week (probably because my doctor said no dairy) haha

Gender: Boy!! :) I prayed for a boy. I would have been just as happy with a girl, but I really, really prayed God would bless our family with an older, godly brother to love on, guide, and protect his other siblings. :)

Belly button in or out: haaaaa! It's almost out!! That's so crazy!! One of the most painful things I've experienced during pregnancy is (well, I don't actually know what it is) when he starts kicking the belly button! It's like he is literally pushing it out from the inside!

Anything make you queazy or sick: Essential oils. haha I put some rose oil in my humidifier about a week ago, a normal, safe number of drops, but I just think the scent was too, too strong. So basically any of my oils are making me feel sick now.

Labor signs: Not that I know of haha

Wedding ring on or off: On. :) I don't really think I've had any sweeling at all....yet.

What I miss: Get up and bending over with ease.

What I am looking forward to: meeting my handsome little man!!! Ahhh...can't wait!!! :)

Nursery: Sigh...basically at a stand still until the shower. I'm not sure what I do, so I'm not thinking about it too much. It's honestly the least of my worries when it comes to planning for this little guy.

Emotions: haha This week I've totally relied on myself to be nice, instead of asking the Holy Spirit to help, which resulted in....me not being very nice. I've noticed I say the first thing that comes to my mind without even thinking a lot more and use "pregnancy" as an excuse. Really, it's just sin. So Jesus had a good headrt to heart with me yesterday. :)

Stupid things I have done: Well, I called all the men on my husband's side of the family wiener-meanies while we were playing a boys vs. girls game a while ago. I was VERY tired and sick of playing games, so....yeah, again, first thing that came to find just came out. They all got a good laugh, but the phrase has since stuck around.

Name: Not telling the world on here just yet. :) We have two names, but B has decided he just wants to wait to see what he looks like. :) So cute!

More thoughts on pregnancy: anticipation & diet

Yep, it's here. All my days and lots of my thoughts are filled with anticipation of this little guy getting here. I finished registering with a friend on Saturday, and I'm sooo thankful I did that! As a first time mom I had NO CLUE about all the little gadgets that you need for breast pumps/feeding, little tricks for having diapers ready in the car, etc. It was very helpful! (Thanks Stac!) After that, I attended a baby shower yesterday. All this combined with the cold weather is really causing much impatience on my part for May to get here, and secondly, summer!!

Summer means gardening. Actually, summer means your garden better have been in a few months ago with plenty of time to start soaking up the sun. I was planning my garden online through Smart Gardener. It's a sweet tool that help you literally plan out each square in your garden (I have a raised square foot garden box), but it also tells you what grows well in your area according to your zip code. Super easy! One of my favorite parts is that based off of your zip, it can tell you which plants are ready to be planted each week of the year, if any at all. I learned there is a lot more that can be planted in the cold months in Utah than I thought.

After looking over my calendar, I realized the bulk of what we like to eat and that is plantable needs to be in the ground right around week 38 of my pregnancy!! Can you imagine? I'm having visions of going in to labor with dirt up to my elbows....

It's either that, or I just go for it as soon as baby is born. (No...no...no...) I may recruit the help of many of my gardening friends this year. My herb garden will all come back on its own, I just need to get those veggies in! I think gardening will be fine with a new born, since my bed is literally right outside our front door. I can lay baby down for a nap, leave the screen door open, and soak up some rays while pulling weeds. :) And for when I want to hang outside with my little guy, I registered for this super cool portable activity seat.

I can set it up next to me while I garden, put a hat on my little man, and hopefully garden away. Since our condo is kinda small (I'm not complaining, I love my little dollhouse) we love to spend time outside in the cool of the morning or evening. I prefer reading and studying in the morning...now that I think about it....we prefer reading in the evenings too. ;) haha (We literally sat on the couch reading from about 3 in the afternoon until 9 at night yesterday. Sundays...are exhausting, so we really try to Sabbath in the afternoons.)

So much gibber gabber today.

I'm really trying to cut out white sugar and flour in this last part of my pregnancy. I've been reading and hearing from lots of people that it really helps prevent tearing and cuts down on blood loss during labor, as well as after birth. Since I've developed this crazy, untamable sweet tooth the last few weeks I've really been searching for some healthier sweet treats to make. I'm turning to one of our favorite vegan desserts which is an upside down fruit cake. I love it because you really can use whatever fruits you have on hand, or that are in season. Since strawberries have been such a good deal these last few weeks, I'll be using those up, along with the banana a day I'm trying to consume to help these ridiculously scary charley horses that attack at of nowhere. (I'm scared to go to bed at night for fear accientally pointing a toe and causing a charley horse.)

It looks like the blog I got it from doesn't really exist anymore, but I search some more on pinterest and found the recipe in a comment under the picture of the dessert, so here it is for ya'll:

"8 dates 1/2 cup shredded coconut- in processor till thick paste. Slice a banana and line bottom and sides of small container. Spread half of paste smoothly. Layer the fruit-3 layers and spread rest of crust over the top, so it all looks pretty. Refrigerate overight. Carefuly remove from container."

(You don't NEED to refrigerate over night, as long as you make it early enough in the day to set. I better hurry up and finish here so I can go do that!!)

This is what it looks like so you know how to layer it. I use my little ramekins or small containers that I usually store leftovers in. So yummy and healthy! :)

xoxo

Registering for baby & more evidence that we have no clue what we're doing.

We went and registered today. Finally. When is the right time to register anyways? I don't know, but it's one of the things my thoughts turn to at night now while I'm not doing much sleeping.

Registering really just freaked me out more. I think. What it really did was confirm that we have no idea what we're getting into as parents, and only by God's grace will we learn. haha I'm having a good friend of mine go back to help with some of the items I had more questions about, like breast pumps, and also help me register for the things a first time mom just wouldn't think to register for. (Like socks. Do I register for baby socks? AH!)

I found this blog post on what to register for very helpful. Besides being registered at Babies-R-Us, I'm also registered online at MyRegistry.com which I HIGHLY suggest doing. Throughout my pregnancy so far I've really wanted to research bigger ticket items to get the best bang for my buck, as well as learning about things I actually NEED and will use. At first, I started forgetting everything I liked because I didn't have a log of items in one place, but through this website I've been able to keep track of items I like, as well as watch sales and get any items that are a good deal. (For example, I got my diaper bag on Black Friday.) Now I can just keep the extra items I consider must-haves, but I can't register for at Babies-R-Us.

After all my research, becoming more relaxed and practical about what we actually need, will use, want, etc, here are my favorite items that I can't wait to use!

No, Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags were not a need for us. This was a little bit of a splurge my hubby let me get. We had a little extra money one month after he sold a bunch of guitar stuff, and I found a rockin' deal on this bag on Black Friday. Petunia's actual website never had a sale section (believe me, I looked and looked) but on Black Friday one magically appeared! I had been searching and searching for sales since I found out I was pregnant in September. I only found two diaper bag brands that carried backpack to shoulder carriers, which I wanted. (There are many on Etsy, but since they're handmade they are MUCH more expensive than Petunia.) I wanted to have a backpack while having my arms free to carry our little dude around. I saw a mom who had one like this at Ikea once, and I thought it was genius! I also generally have really terrible lower back pain, so anything carried on one shoulder tends to become very painful. Anyways, the other one I liked was the Ju Ju BE BFF bag. I have a smaller diaper bag for when I don't need to carry this huge one around, but if you know me....you know how big my own purse is! haha The bigger the bag, the better. ;) How is my kid going to be a bookworm if I don't allow extra space to carry around extra books? ;)

 

 

 



I asked several people I knew who had used baby carriers, and they all said if they did it all over again, they'd go with the Ergo Baby Carrier. I was all set and registered for a Sakura Bloom sling, but after reading several reviews on them I saw a common complaint of backpain again. My hubby, being an Eagle Scout, says the idea of the Ergo is better for your body because there is a hip strap which allows you to carry your weight in your hips, like a backpacking backpack does, instead of your lower back. We went to Nordstrom's and tried one on, both of us, got all our questions asked, and we were both happy with this one. It really is so, so comfy! And the cool thing is that you can wear it front, back, and on your hip if you want.

I can't remember if I've mentioned B's sudden weirdness about making sure his child and I have nothing to do with BPA products. He usually doesn't care much about that stuff. I'm more gullible than he is by far, so when he actually believes something that's a huge red flag to me. haha So one night as I was doing dishes after dinner, B came in and started throwing away all sorts of canned veggies (mostly tomatoes because we don't use canned much else). "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Not that it was too expensive, but still! We're on a tighter budget these days, folks! Anyways, he proceeded to tell me how all the cans have BPA in them, which is bad for people in general, but especially pregnant ladies and babies. He's so silly and cute. :) He said he doesn't care if I have to spend a little more on jarred food, he doesn't want me buying cans where BPA is used anymore.  

 

That's where Life Factory bottles come into play! They are glass and BPA free!! I find it cute that B wants to protect us in this way. I'm hoping we won't have to use too many bottles (and if we do the world won't end), but I did register for a few of these. They also make water bottles and some other products.

 

A mom I know went with me to pick out a stroller, which I later made B go back and test to make sure he liked too. He literally RAN around the store pushing it to make sure he liked it. ;) Even though I know we'll survive without a stroller, I found her advice very helpful. She said to pick one that you can easily turn with one hand, since you may be holding the baby at the same time you're trying to push the stroller around. She said you obviously want something light, so it's not too heavy to carry around from car to car. She also said to get one with cup and snack holders that are plastic and not fabric, making it easier to clean. We ended up picking the Graco Moonstruck stroller, as well as the car carrier that goes with it.

  

Like I've said before, my baby and myself will survive without all these things. Standing around the store having no clue what half the things in there are for made me realize this is allllllllll about learning to grow in my role as a mom. So, if you guys have any suggestions of these to register for, feel free to let me know! :) I feel like there was a bunch of random stuff we didn't need, but we registered for it anyways because it looked so fun. You only do this for the first time once, so I guess we made the most of it. :)

 

xoxo