20 weeks!

Not a lot to report this time around. Here's a cute picture from our 20 week ultrasound for your troubles. Someone found his new pastime. It was a fun ultrasound, he's gotten so big!

We still don't know how to explain it, but during the ultrasound the strangest thing happened...the little guy wiggled around a whole bunch, we zoomed out for a better view and...voila. Don't know how he managed it.

P52: W2 {Made With Love}

It was not easy to get the creative juices flowing for this week's Project 52 theme, Made With Love. My brainstorming in a nutshell: "Made With Love". Babies. Pregnant belly. Hands making a heart in front of pregnant belly. (There was a moment where I considered this original.) I couldn't bring myself to seriously consider doing a food item.

There are other kinds of love; think brain, think!

You know what true, non-romantic, love is? Ben and airplanes. And that brings me to this week's photo.

Ben picked up this particular hobby long before I met him and he has a passion for it to this day that I'm sure will be passed down. Of course, the typical airplanes he builds are bigger, shinier, and more expensive. This particular creation came out of pure need to make something with a propeller and wings. He cut the strips of balsa wood himself out of scraps he saved from another project. The rest is from around the house (including my jewelry supplies). 


I used to complain about how much his hobby stuff sprawled all over the house, how much time it consumed, and how much I really didn't want to hear about the intricacies of building and flying. (Still don't understand it, but I like to hear about it.) Now, I just sit and bask in the pure and simple joy that radiates off of him when he's in the zone. It is truly something to behold.

19 weeks...and then some

Hey er'body! The last 3 weeks have flown by.  What with Ben's parents coming to stay at our place for Christmas, my sister coming in for the week after Christmas, teaching nursery again, and my returning to work, ...well, life is feeling a little something like crazy once again. We had so much fun over the holidays eating way too much good food, staying up late at night, seeing family and friends, eating some more glorious food...let's face it - my appreciation for food has grown a LOT in the past few months. I celebrated the ability to eat time and time again. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciated it, here's me and my undeniably pregnant belly now!

Our little tomato (for that's what this baby roughly matches in size now) is getting bigger and bigger by the second, I swear! Lots of movement now, lots of growing...and a lot more to come I'm sure. We are so excited to meet our little...ahem, *boy* and learn who he is, what he's all about, find out if he likes fruits and vegetables as much as his mama (he better! well, maybe not bell peppers...ick), and introduce him to his first, of many, airplanes. June 1st can not come soon enough. (That's the little man's ETA) I can't believe this journey's almost half-way over.

Project 52: Week 1 {Resolution}

Project 52 is my first resolution this year! 1 picture a week revolving around a theme. Here's to becoming a better photographer! I definitely recommend going to the site and checking out all the other resolution shots.

Here's my resolution to do a little more with what I have, to learn something new, and (I'll give this my all - but no promises here) to make something by hand that I can be proud of.

16 weeks

Happy 16 weeks of pregnancy everybody!! Things are going that good suddenly. It's definitely the best I've ever felt while being pregnant. 

Ben and I went to see the midwife for our 16 week appointment on Friday. Here are a few of the ultrasound pictures. 

{full body profile, who can spot the turkey leg our baby seems to be stashing?)

{view of the spine and arm}

{here's the brain! looks like a butterfly}

 {hand and foot}

 {alien face!}

We were hoping to announce whether it's a boy or girl but the baby's hand or the umbilical cord was blocking the view! Sorry folks, maybe next time.

In other news, I was able to take my IV out on Friday! My midwife decided a trial run over the weekend was a good idea to see how I handle things. Everything's been fine so far; barring any major events tonight I'll be able to call and report good news to my midwife tomorrow. 

And finally: Don't poke the bear, 2nd trimester or not.

Ben: "Don't look miserable."

Simple Christmas Crafts

You might say, "These craft projects are so simple that a sick pregnant woman only able to utilize one arm effectively could do them!" How true that is. Here are 3 quick and easy decorations I've made with things I already had around the house.

{clear ball ornament, copy of favorite Christmas carol, paper cutter}

{mason jars, epsom salt - chunkier texture looks like snow, tea lights, twine/ribbon}

{card stock, scrapbook paper, glue, brads, twine/ribbon}

This one took a little more planning, but if you have a die-cut machine it'll be that much easier for you. How I did it:

• create a template for your background shape. I created mine in MS Word with the shapes tool. Arrange 2 braces (these guys { } ) and 2 straight lines into a continuous outline. Hint: draw one brace to the size and shape you're satisfied with, then copy, paste, and rotate.
• print on card stock, cut, and trace the shape onto whatever paper you like.
• print the letters for your message in a contrasting color and cut out. (this is where I wish I had a Cricut!)
• glue letters on, poke a brad through the top of the shape, separate prongs slightly - just enough to slide the string in, bend prongs down so they lay flat.
• tie bows out of the string/ribbon you used and glue to the ends.

14 weeks

We're at 14 weeks and growing stronger than ever! After losing about 10 pounds in the early weeks of the first trimester I'm happy to report that I've regained almost all of it and don't plan on stopping there. (I still have that 2nd pumpkin cheesecake we made for Thanksgiving to keep me company.)


On November 11th I started a peripheral IV. Ben or I administer all the doses and a nurse comes out every 3-5 days to put a new catheter in my arm. (Super fun!) After seeing my midwife today we decided that 2 more weeks with this thing is a good idea. I'm doing well, but there's a definite risk I could lose all of the progress we've made. I like having the ability to eat, thank you.

I've gotta say, 1 liter of fluids per day plus a syringe of anti-nausea medicine handy is just what this girl needed. Not what I wanted to do...but hey, lesson 1 for this mom-to-be was that needs and wants don't come packaged together. An old lesson needing to be relearned apparently! Take last night for example...I definitely wanted that huge piece of peach-on-the-bottom cake with a big scoop of ice cream on the side. I am here today to tell you, it's not what I needed. At least, not after an entire bowl of beef stew and all of the elote (mexican style corn, delicious!) that Ben made for us to share. Just call me the hungry, hungry caterpillar...stomachache and all.


Stay tuned, on December 16th (16 weeks) Ben and I go back to the midwife to find out if we're having a boy or girl!