So, this should be fun.

Since tomorrow is May 1st (and it's still snowing, awesome), I had this brilliant idea for hubby & I to do a May Money Challenge. Cheesy? Yes. But we need to save more. We are pretty good with our money. Hubby manages all of our bills. I can't do that. It freaks me out. We don't spend on frivolous things. We really only buy things we need, but our problem is that we eat out a lot. Like, 3-4 times per week & I eat out for lunch every day. I suck at planning meals & grocery shopping. That's honestly the last thing I want to do when I get home from work, so; we eat out. It honestly needs to stop. It's a little ridiculous. We are both trying to eat healthier & lead healthier lifestyles, so what better way to save money & eat better than to go on a money diet??

Basically what we're doing is seeing who can spend the least amount of money each week in the month of May. Even though I know hubby will find this very easy, it's more of a challenge to myself to see how much will power I can have to make my own meals everyday. And the results (both physically & financially) will hopefully be great!

So, on Monday; I'm headed to Costco to stock up on veggies, fruit, lunch meat, lettuce & whatever else I need so I can make my own lunches as well as dinners. No eating out.

This is going to be HARD, but I'm up for the challenge & so excited for the results!
Wish us luck!!

If any of you have money saving tips you use in your household, let me know!! I'm so open to suggestions!

Oh, and the crib arrived today!!! Can you believe it? I just ordered the dang thing on Tuesday & it's already at our house! After we paint tomorrow & it dries on Sunday, we'll be setting that baby up! I can't wait!!! I know it's early, but we have it; so we might as well assemble it right??

Have a wonderful weekend lovely ladies.

21 weeks.

ETA: Thank you, thank you to those who offered info. on my "very important question" yesterday. I realize it was a dumb question & I figured it was that she was just measuring big, but I just wanted to make sure :)

Wow. It seems like I just did my 20 week post. That last week went so fast! I hope the rest of the time does too!!

Things are going well on the pregnancy front. Nothing really new & exciting except that HUBBY FELT CLAIRE for the first time last night! She was movin' & groovin' for a good 30 minutes & I finally put his hand on my lower abdomen & thump, thump. She kicked him!! It was seriously so sweet! His face lit up. At first he thought I was tricking him & thought I made that thump. Uh, no. That was baby girl! Yay!!

Ok, survey time!

How far along?: 21 weeks!!
How big is baby?: Approx. the size of a large banana.
Weight gain?: Since I'm exercising & cutting back on the horrible foods, I weigh the same as last week! Thank goodness.
Stretch Marks?: None yet. I hope none ever!
Maternity Clothes?: Yesssir
Sleep?: Honestly, no complaints-once Clarie stops kicking me. I just hate waking up in the mornings. It's damn near impossible
Best moment this week?: Ordering the crib! & Definitely yesterday when hubby felt baby girl kick!
Food cravings?: Nothing new. Still MEXICAN! Oh & french toast. I love how I crave all the healthy things.....
Gender?: Baby girl!!!
Movement?: Yes. Everyday now. She's very active either after I eat or when I lay down on my back.
What I miss?: Being able to stand or walk for more than 30 minutes without my shins killing me. Oy.
Belly button?: pretty much completely flat. I HATE how there's just a big hole in my shirts. I'd rather it be out than all flat & deep. haha.
What I'm looking forward to?: Getting the crib in & painting the nursery this weekend!
Milestone?: Buying the crib? Claire kicking her daddy :)

21 week belly. Please excuse my hair, kthanks.

Question.

This is very important & I must have an answer since I've been thinking about it since last week (yes I am being very dramatic).

If baby girl was measuring a week ahead at last week's ultrasound (measuring at my original due date of September 1st), would that technically make me 21w6d, rather than 20w6d??

Or is she just measuring big for the hell of it?

Please tell me. Because a week is crucial in pregnancy land, after all.

We're slowly progressing!

Phew, we had a busy weekend & it revolved around all things baby!

We decided on a paint color for the nursery ::claps & cheers:: We're going with the color Minted Lemon by Behr. We went back & forth a lot on whether we wanted to do cream or a green color. The cream looked nasty on our walls & the green was, perfect! We knew we didn't want pink, as the bedding is pink & we wanted something that would accent it. I hate matchy matchy when it comes to, well; anything. So, we're going with green! I promise it will look nice!

We also picked up some absofrickinadorable birdie decor from Hobby Lobby on Saturday (her theme is birdies). I cannot wait to show it all off!

Yesterday we registered at BRU & today.... we BOUGHT THE CRIB!!

You like??

We had one from JcPenny's picked out for the longest time & today, hubby was doing some looking around & found this one that we liked much, much more & was only about $30 more than the one we originally picked out! Woot! I can't wait to get it! The dresser/changer that goes with it, we don't love; so we're going to wait until we get the crib assembled & then try & find something that will match this.

We're painting this weekend & will of course keep you updated on it :)

Oh & my sunburn looks 876541 times worse than yesterday. I hope it will go away soon because I hate walking around looking like a pregnant lobster. But the good news is, the planet on my face got substantially smaller. Hey, I'll take what I can get.

Strike ONE against this pregnant lady.

Don't ask me what the hell I was thinking, but I laid out on my back porch today for approx. 20 minutes. 3 hours later, my chest & shoulders are as red as tomatoes. I didn't know until today that sunburns are no-no's for pregnant women. Shit. My poor baby- I hope she's ok in there.

Not only have I been crying & worried for the last 2 hours, but I look ridiculous with bright red skin.

Oh & I have a zit/cyst thing the size of Texas on my cheek.

Strike one. Lesson learned

And for your viewing pleasure....

see that planet on my (no-make-up) face & my tomato red chest?

sexay.

Half baked baby!

EEEE!!! I'm halfway done with this pregnancy, world! I'm so excited!

We went for our 20 week Anatomy Scan today & baby girl looks perfect! No signs of Down Syndrome, no cleft pallet, no clubbed hands or feet & everything in functioning normally! We are so grateful. She's even measuring back to my original due date, (Sept. 1st.) 21 weeks! wow! Grow baby girl, grow!

My weight on the other hand, now that's a different story. The doctor isn't concerned at all, but I am all freaked out! I know I'm supposed to gain weight, I just feel like I've been gaining it too fast. I don't know. So, salads for me from here on out. NO MORE MEXICAN!

And um, I know I have a ways to go, but I can't walk without my groin hurting, like the muscles are being pulled in 8 directions. I've caught myself waddling a few times because it's so painful. It's really cute when I do that. Also, if I stand for too long, my shins hurt-shin splints! WTF?? I bet you it's all that extra weight I'm "lugging" around.

Survey:

How far along?: 20 weeks!!!!!
How big is baby?: The size of a cantaloupe. Whaaa??!
Weight Gain?: I'm just gonna say it. 15 pounds. Ohmylord. I've gained half of my allotted weight in the first half of my pregnancy. Normal? I hope so. I just need to watch what I eat a little more & continue my daily walks & I should be fine.
Stretch Marks?: No. Not yet. I'm definitely growing, but I hope those stretchies keep their distance.
Maternity Clothes?: All bottoms. I can still get away with larger tops & dresses that are non-maternity. I rocked my first summer dress the other day. It was nice :)
Sleep?: Good when hubby isn't snoring. My Snoogle is not keeping me on my left side though!! I constantly wake up on my back. What's up with that?
Best Moment this week?: Seeing Claire today on that machine & knowing she's healthy. Also, reaching the halfway mark!
Food Cravings?: I've officially turned into "that" pregnant chick & am craving PICKLES! I indulged in a few last week & then I noticed they have 75,000mg or sodium. That explains why my face & feet looked so chubby. ha!
Gender?: Tiny Dancer!
Movement?: YES! All the time! Everyday! Still can't feel anything from the outside, but that girl is wild!
What I miss?: My groin not hurting every time I walk. Oy.
Belly Button?: It's officially flat. And it shows through all my shirts. So gross. AND it hurts. What the hell?
What I'm looking forward to?: Getting started on the nursery!
Milestone?: Halfway there oh & strangers commenting & touching my belly (that's sort of weird)!!

Sorry for the creepy smile, but here's the 20 weeker.

Ok, technically 19w6d.

I look huge because I just ate some pickles ;)

A hodge podge post.

Happy Monday ladies! I love Mondays, don't you?? (insert sarcasm)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! It was absolutely gorgeous weather here & we took advantage of it!

On Thursday, D & I broke out our grill & bbq'd for the first time this year. It was so fun! We grilled the usual- hot dogs & burgers & I got a sudden craving for bell peppers, so we grilled those too! YUMMM!!


Friday after work, I met my momma at the convention center where they were having a children's consignment sale. It was a total bust. There was hardly anything there, but we did find a cutr Pottery Barn changing pad cover that was brand new. So mom got me that! At the other end of the convention center, they were having the annual "What a Woman Wants" expo, so we checked that out & I got these adorable little baby loafers for Claire. They were $8 & they kill me. So cute.

Saturday, me & hubby woke up bright and early (ermm, 10am), packed up the puppy & headed out to a local trail. It was so gorgeous out & I actually got a little color (read: sunburn)! Oh how I despise my pasty skin. After that, we went out for some pizza; to you know, cancel out the workout we just got.

Sunday, we went to our fave. breakfast spot, ate entirely too many calories & then I went shopping. We ended the weekend with a bbq at the in-laws. It was great!

I will leave you with a few (hundred) pictures. D scrounged up an old cord that worked with my camera, thank goodness; & I finally uploaded the pictures from when my BFF Heidi & Gianna were here. yay! So, enjoy!


Claire's new kicks. HAHA!


The Dr. Suess onesie I picked up at Dillard's
thanks to Mrs. G!



I love!



Puppy enjoying the gorgeous weather


My husband being...himself. I promise we don't live in
the boonies, he just dresses like it.

Like his outfit?? hahahaha!!

Me, Mrs. F & Gigi

Gianna trying to play with my puppies.

Cute girl!


Being a flirt. Good thing her daddy wasn't there!

Getting ready for her nap!

Walking with Momma



Look at that face! ::dies::

Ah! she's not old enough to be drinking out
of a sippy cup!!! (ok, she really is)

Being silly at lunch

Feeding sweet baby her bottle.
I love her!! (don't look at me, I look weird)


Hope you enjoyed my very random post! Have a lovely day!!

You know you're pregnant when,

your husband makes you laugh so hard that you uncontrollably pee your pants & it drips down your legs mid laugh & you have no way of stopping it. True story.

Pregnancy sure is glamorous.

On another note, I am going insane because I cannot find my camera cord anywhere to upload my pictures from last week & this week. I haven't forgotten, I'm just spacey & don't know where the hell I put it!!

And just for funsies...

Look at the comparison: 7 weeks & 18 weeks

Growin' belleh!! Woo!

19 weeks.

Today, I am 19 weeks pregnant. That means I am a mere one week away from being halfway done cookin' this little girl.

In the last 5 or so weeks of pregnancy, I have begun to realize that pregnancy sure is a humbling experience. I mean, you watch your body grow/morph & change right before your eyes & there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Your skin stretches, your face gets fat & breaks out, your back aches & you can't drink for a whole 9+ months. While it's an amazing thing to be growing a human, it's hard not to have some hard times in these 40 weeks.

On Saturday, my momma took me shopping to get some cute summer maternity clothes. She knew I had been having a rough week & wanted to make me feel pretty I guess :)
I am fairly certain I tried on every item in that store. Numerous designer maternity jeans filled my dressing room & none of them fit me right. I tried on my usual size 27. They wouldn't even fit over my thighs. So, I went up to a 29 ::gulp:: & well, they barely fit over my butt. I wanted to sit & cry & feel defeated. I whined to my mom & she kept reminding me "you're pregnant, NOT fat". Oh, ya, that's right. All of this is temporary & I will be ok. I ended up walking out with some cozy lounge pants, a tank top & a long gorgeous summer dress that makes me feel like a million bucks. So jeans aren't my thing this pregnancy, so what?

Don't get me wrong, I am loving being pregnant; because, well I do get a child at the end of it. And, I love the fact the people tell me I'm "glowing" and look so beautiful, even though I sometimes think they're full of it. It makes me feel good & makes me step back & think of the real reason I am doing this- for me, for my husband, for us. We have been blessed with the wonderful gift from God & I thank Him for that every single day.

I have my moments with feeling self conscience & then, Claire kicks me & wiggles in there & I am reminded yet again how amazing this experience is, even with some rough patches.

Baby Girl, I love you more everyday. Daddy & I cannot wait to meet you in 4 short months. Keep growing strong & healthy in there.

Love, momma

19 week belly

I've got some business to take care of...

First off, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I sure did! As you know from my last post, I took Friday off to spend the day with my best friend Mrs. F & her sweet baby girl Gianna. I hadn't seen them since Christmas & I cannot believe how big she's gotten! Makes me sad!

We had so much fun & of course I left the cords to my camera at home to upload the pictures on here, but I did take one on my cell phone right after momma woke her up from her nap:

Now does that not melt your heart or what?? I love her. I will post the rest of the pictures I took maybe tonight or tomorrow.


Annd...I'm so bad at these, but I got some sweet awards from a few ladies last week that I never posted about.

First, I would like to thank Mrs. Tully & Jenny for this Lovely Blog Award. You both are too sweet :)

And sassy Sarah, for this award! I just love this girl. She's so honest & hilarious. It's refreshing!

The rules for this award go as followed:

* Accept & thank the fellow bloggie who gave this to you

* List 10 things about yourself

* List 5 additional things that you don't like

* Award this to 10 other fellow bloggies

Ok, here we go then:

1- I am always on time everywhere I go. I love it & hate it at the same time. It makes me look like a goodie goodie. But I really don't mean to always be on time. It just, happens.

2- My hair has been blonde since I came out of the womb. I die it lighter blonde, but have never been a brunette.

3- I have "suffered" from depression since the ripe age of 12. I used to be so embarrassed of admitting I took anti-depressants, but it's something I embrace. I am open about it in hopes of saving other people from suffering from it. Depression is a very common sickness & is not something to take lightly.

4- I'm left handed. The only one in my family. I guess this is my special talent.

5- I have some extreme self-esteem issues. Always have, always will.

6- My husband calls my beautiful at least 75 times a day. It helps with the above issue, that's for sure :)

7- I am not afraid to speak my mind & stand up for what I believe. Momma calls my the most outspoken person she's ever met, in a good way :)

8- I care way too much about what others think of me.

9- I sound like I'm 12 on the phone & on video camera.

10- I drive an H3 Hummer & so does my husband. We're twinners. I know, lame.

Now for 5 things I don't like:

1- I cannot stand slow drivers. It's usually the old folk that get on my last nerve. I think once you reach the age of 60, you should have to take the driving test again.

2- I really don't like flakey & unreliable people. Just not a good trait to have.

3- The Mormon religion pisses me off. Just sayin'.

4- I can't stand hair in the shower. Even if it's mine, I can't touch it.

5- I hate the smell of lysol when you walk in a bathroom that's supposed to cover up the poop smell. To be honest, I'd rather just smell poop.

Now, I shall pass on this award to the following lucky ladies:

Mrs. F

Mrs.G

Rachel

Mrs. Lexi

Mrs. Lovebug

Melissa

Anne

Ashley Paige

Jenny

Crystal

Hello Weekend

I'm taking tomorrow off work to spend the day with my best friend Heidi & her baby girl Gianna who are home visiting for a little bit. We plan on talking a lot, eating a lot & no doubt shop 'til we drop!

Have a wonderful weekend ladies!!

18 weeks!

I can't decide if this pregnancy is getting slower or faster. In a way, I feel like the weeks are flying by; but the days are dragging. If that makes any sense.

Anyway, I'm 18 weeks today & in a mere two weeks I'll be halfway done!

Looking at my picture this week, I definitely feel like I've grown in the last two weeks. I'm hoping I'm starting to actually look pregnant now. My co-workers have commented that I definitely look pregnant, but I'll let you judge as well :)

This week has been extremely uneventful, so I will just jump into the survey!

How far along?: 18 weeks

How big is baby?: The size of a sweet potato!

Weight gain?: I don't own a scale & don't want to because I'm scared. I'm hoping it's around 10-11ish pounds? ::dies::

Stretch marks?: It's become routine for me to do a stretchie check every morning & I freak myself out because I always think the lines I get from sleeping are stretch marks. So far everything has been a false alarm. Thank goodness!

Maternity clothes: I'm rotating between my only 2 pairs of maternity pants. It needs to get warm like, now, so I can wear my maternity capris & sun dresses. I'm currently in LOVE with the Liz Lange (sp?) maternity tanks from Target. They are very fitted & very long. Besides that, I'm in regular shirts.

Sleep?: I love it. I'm sleeping great ::knocks on wood:: But I have a hell of a time getting up in the morning. It's bad. I feel like a teenager again.

Best moment this week?: feeling baby girl movin' around in my tummy ;)

Food cravings?: still on the spicy/mexican/cheesy kick but I'm limiting myself to that type of food so I don't turn into a whale.

Gender?: Sweet baby GIRL

Movement?: YES! FINALLY! I'm feeling her about every other day. Sometimes it's little jabs & pokes & sometimes it's the feeling that there's a little fish swimming in there. She got angry this morning when I started to wake up. She's obv. not a morning girl like her momma.

What I miss?: my back not constantly hurting, not peeing every 10 minutes & wine. still.

Belly Button?: It's in but stretching & getting wider. It's so ugly. I showed hubby the other night & he started laughing. Real mature.

What I'm looking forward to?:Seeing my best friend & her baby girl this week! Hitting the 20 wk mark & getting the anatomy scan.

Milestone?: looking pregnant :)

This little girl is spoiled already!

I hope everyone had a happy & wonderful Easter! I know Claire did, because all I did was eat. All. Day. Long. & she got some pretty snazzy things from her Grandma (my mother-in-law) & her nana (my mom). My MIL also got me some adorable spring maternity clothes for Easter. They are so cute & I can't wait to wear them, because it's only about 45 degrees here right now. Ack!

I'll show off Claire's new digs in a minute, but first I want to show you my inspiration for her nursery. You can't really tell up close in the picture what the bedding looks like, but it's the same bedding I want for her. It has cherry blossom branches on it with little birds.

I LOVE the color of the walls & how it accents with the bedding so nicely.

I love this room because it's so classy. Nothing over the top.

We would be getting espresso colored furniture rather than white.

Now onto more important things like baby girl's clothes & accessories:

Grandma got her this little newborn tye dye onsie. So adorable!

And this little Ralph Lauren dress...

I picked these outfits at Target the other day. I have had my eye on those little jammies for about a month but just refused to buy any gender specific clothing until I knew for sure!
I also bought this adorable summer dress in size 9mo for $5! How stinkin' cute!


Her Nana (my momma) bought her these adorable ballerina socks right after we found out Claire was in fact a girl.

This bracelet kills me. It's about the size of my big toe (ok maybe bigger).

Her Grandma gave this to her. Too. Damn. Cute.

And I wanted to take a picture of this gorgeous/unique bracelet hubby got me when he was down in Moab for the week. It's a genuine handmade piece of jewelry by the Anasazi Indians.

Cool huh?? I love it!

IT'S A...

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I knew it all along, but just having the confirmation makes it so much more amazing & real.

Her name will be: Claire Lula. As lame as it sounds, hubby & I have had our baby's names picked out since junior year in high school & we've never once changed our minds. Her middle name is hubby's great-grandmother's name & I've always loved the name Claire. So, there ya go!

She was so cooperative for the technician yesterday. She was kicking up a storm & I could feel her a couple of times actually! It was truly amazing.

As you know, D is out of town & was perfectly fine with me going with just our mom's & I just called him afterwards & told him. He's elated. It's so sweet.

Since the place we went for the ultrasound was in the mall, you better believe that the grandmas had to go to a baby boutique right after & get Claire bows, a little hat & ballerina socks.

I'll leave you with some pictures of Claire. Have a happy Easter ladies!

The money shot

look at that button nose.

Sweet girl

Baby girl sucking her thumb