So, we now wait...and wait....and wait....

This waiting game is starting to get me down. I am now 35 weeks, I know- not ready yet, but soon... This is the part of pregnancy where you don't look cute anymore- you have contractions all the time, you dream about 12 lb babies and labor, and you can't fit in your maternity clothes any longer. My bladder is squished, along with my lungs- and I waddle like a duck. I don't know if it is because I have been banned by my doctor to not go home until Ryan is born, or maybe the fact of missing Christmas in Austin is making me a little blue. Sure, I put up the tree- wrapped gifts, and planned some fun outings for us, but the fact of the matter is that I want to spend Christmas with my family and this year, I can't. 

Could this be pregnancy hormones again? Possibly. I pride myself on being jolly- I could be related to the guy in red (ya know), but with all of the stuff that needs to be taken care of (insurance, sub plans, maternity leave) I am a little overwhelmed and can't really talk about it to anyone. Ya, I have Richard and he is wonderful, but it's the little things that I have to take care of as the "mom" and he can't help with. 

Has anyone felt this right around the 35th week? Am I just being a baby? ;)

 

Baby shower in ATX

Week #31

It has been a very, very hectic two months. I have just been too tired to sit down and write, but I stay up some nights thinking about it. We are nearing the end of this journey. And my, what a journey it has been! From the 5 pregnancy tests that were taken in my wonderful little loft in downtown, to moving into a SUBURB...gasp, from the piles of clothes scattered across my velvet tufted couch that aren't even mine. Gone are the days of Neiman's window shopping, brunch and gabbing with friends, and late night movies with the husband. These have been replaced with baby bibs, parenting classes, and Boudreaux's Butt Paste (for the baby, not for me!) :)

Let's talk pregnancy. I don't want to be a downer, but I do not think that this was made for me. I know a lot of women LOVE being pregnant, and yes it is totally cool when you can feel him squirming and moving all around, but the fact that I am so uncomfortable and have been for a while is a little frustrating. BB (before baby) I was a healthy 114 lbs- not too big, not too small... I have little bones, so this weight works for me- remember, before you are like 114? That is absurd! I am like 5 ft nothing. Now, I weigh in at 143. Nothing of mine from my previous wardrobe fits, nothing looks cute on me, and maternity clothes are honestly too big. A size 2 in maternity is still comparable to a 2 regular, and I was a 0. Therefore, maternity clothes are too large. I miss heels, dresses, and honestly being able to see my feet. God Bless women that love this stage of life, but I just don't.

I am excited for Ryan to get here! I cannot wait! I love that Richard is so into this. He is so happy for him to come, writes in his baby book, and has been taking care of me without complaint. I am happy and LUCKY to have such an amazing husband!

So, although pregnancy is HARD WORK, I will be so happy to reap the benefits of all of my hard "labor" at the end! Now, the actual delivery part has not hit me yet, so maybe I will be writing again soon!

XOXO <3

What I am reading right now...

Thought I would give you a list of great books I am reading right now!

Happy Reading! XOXO!

A little bit of Luxury

I LOVE glass jars! Big ones, small ones, any size and I am in LOVE! Now, I know these have been really popular the last couple of season...hello apothecary jars for like $45.00 a piece! Well, I am here to tell you, do not go out and spend that kind of money! The BEST place to find these pretty glass jars are.... Tuesday Morning and Hobby Lobby! Hobby Lobby ALWAYS has their glass on sale, and I put my favorite candles inside the big jars that I fill with sand, rocks, or marbles. This all came about after my cat, Audrey burned her tail while walking across the counter. Rich and I could not figure out what was burning! Dinner? The dishwasher? No, it was the cat. She was fine, just a little charred. ;) In my bathroom, I hate stuff on the counters, but if they are in pretty jars, I seem to be okay with it. Here is a picture of my jars in my bathroom, some inspiration pictures, and some pretty things to put inside of the jars!

Burlap and Basil

I have these jars on my nightstand. They hold extra change. Find these on Ebay, CHEAP!

Eat Drink and Be Married Blog

 

Eat, Drink, and Be Married Blog

 

Jitterbug Weddings

Some of my favorite things to add to jars are bath salts, cotton balls and que-tips, and candles. The BEST candles I have found may be a little pricey for candles, but let me tell you, they are worth it. You will love them as much as I do, and honestly, they last a LONG time and smell up the entire house. I sometimes feel really ritzy, (although we all know on a teacher's salary, we are NOT) when I buy luxurious items like candles, soap, towels, and pillows. These little items make a HUGE difference when you go for the best of the best! Although, my secret is the best place to find candles- Francescas, Anthropologie (both sell Voluspa brand), LAFCO (best soap out there, and GREAT candles too!- Oprah's favorite things, and believe me- if Oprah loves it, you will too!), towels (believe it or not, the best my mom has found...SAMS. I know, I know!...PS. Only buy white towels. you can bleach them, and they will always match) and pillows- HOME GOODS AND MARSHALLS HAVE AMAZING PILLOWS! Sometimes, it is the littlest thing that makes your house feel like a million bucks!

Voluspa- find at Francesca's and Anthropologie

LAFCO soaps, Oprah's favorite things 2007

LOVE Tommy Bahama pillows- $10 at Homegoods

Ryan's Room!

My adorable little baby boy is 22 weeks "old" today. What a milestone! :) I pray that each Wednesday comes fast! Wednesdays are my FAVORITE days! ;) Wanna see my inspiration for his room? Of course you do friends! :-) 

My changing table

Red Fabric for Changing Table Cover

Mobile for Crib

A big letter R from Etsy, just like the one I have for him already!

Embroidered Cot Sheet- Vintage

Classic Sleigh Crib

 

Fabric for bedding

Birds Have Flowers on Etsy

Vintage Sign

Gone for FAR TOO LONG!

I am sorry. I know, I know. I have been gone a long time. Believe me, I think of you. Often. It's just that...well, I am pregnant. Being pregnant is no piece of cake. Ohhhh, cake. YUM. Wonder if Richard will buy me one. Okay, okay... I am off topic, but I am having trouble. I can't figure out what to write about. What do you want me to research? What is exciting for you? I can put fun and pretty things up, but do you like it? Like, really?

Well, for today, I guess I don't care. I will put something up that is inspiring to me, and if you don't like it, too bad. ;) 

My mom is looking at putting twin beds in her spare room. My aunt had twin beds in her house, and always reminded me of a cute B&B, but hers had far better taste. Here are some cute rooms with twin beds. I think they look nice in a spare room. Now, I know when Rich and I come to visit, we will have to sleep apart, kinda like Lucy and Ricky, but we will get used to it. Not like we have never shared a twin bed in a dorm...cough, cough, cough! (Hope my mother in law doesn't read this today!) Plus, it will give us ample room to put Ryan's crib in when he arrives! :) Aw, Ry Ry!

Style Key West Blog

Ms. Howard's Personal Shopper

Tufted Fancy Twin Beds- Home Design

The Inspired Bedroom

Baby Update

Alright, now that the cat is out of the bag- speaking of which Elly is currently IN my overnight bag I pulled out to get ready for my trip to ATX Friday- I am glad to announce...YES! I am WITH CHILD! ;) 15 weeks to be exact today!!! And everything is going well, except for a few recurring cases of morning sickness I am feeling much better! BUT- my pants DO NOT FIT. Already. I know this is supposed to happen, but NOTHING works. Today, I wore stretchy tights to work...My friends at work keep teasing me because I have worn tights and boots all week in 100+ weather, but what I haven't told them is that I tried on one of my dresses the other day, and those are too tight also. So stretchy leggings are the only thing that works...Maybe since it is my first pregnancy- this is why it bothers me..I'm not large enough for someone to be like, "hey she's having a baby," but big enough for someone to think..."wow, she must have eaten a big lunch!" What they don't know is...both are true. ;) and laying on the couch and having Richard zip them is no longer working.


On the UP SIDE: I can feel "it" move! Kinda wierd calling my baby "it," so I am gonna call "it"- see I am doing IT again! Let's see...we were calling it SPRINKLE at work, so I am gonna keep that! So, I can feel the Sprinkle move! It feels like a goldfish swimming and I only catch it at night usually when I have stopped moving!

No more Waity Katie!

I love me some Kate Middleton. I mean it. I just think she is the bee's knees. So classy, elegant, and always looks great! So, in honor of her visiting North America, I have found some super cute Kate stuff! Ah, alas if only I was her BFF! Sigh...

I would sip my afternoon tea in this Wills and Kate mug!

Kate cross stitch pattern from Etsy

Wall plate to commemorate her home country!

Kate, this dress from Peter Som would be great for you!

Canada is cold, take a wrap!

Till Death do we part

Hi guys! I am sorry I have been slacking lately, but as some of you know, this summer has been a struggle for me! I had strep for A MONTH- and I am finally feeling better. :) I have also spent a lot of time in Austin with my mom recently, and like a dork forgot my laptop! I just got back to Dallas yesterday, and let me tell you, Audrey missed me more than Richard I think! (Ha! I have Velcro kitty this week...Elly could honestly care less. She hid from me for the first hour, then attacked me in my sleep.)


Now, Richard and I have been watching the craziest show on Discovery called Oddities. Have you seen it? It is an antique store called Obscura that sells morbid, creepy, and gross things. Things like teddy bears made of belly button lint...that one literally sent me over the edge, coffins, cool carnival stuff, and stuff more horrifying...they seem to get very colorful people in as well. It is a trip. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It doesn't disappoint, but you may spend time hiding your eyes.

So, after thinking about this show, I wanted to think of my own oddities I have seen. I don't have any, although I think some are cool, but do I really want a taxidermy llama in my living room? No thank you. But, my mom has somethings I would consider odd. She used to have a mermaid from an Aztec tribe that had no shirt on, and she hung it from the ceiling. That was odd...I remember when we were little, friends of ours helped us put a bra on her. Hilarity! She also has a mourning quilt framed.. yes, mourning as in someone died. It's really pretty. It has initials on it, and is stitched on silk from like the 1800's. Really pretty.


Have you ever seen Victorian mourning jewelry or pictures? You might consider this morbid, but the Victorians thought of it as a way to remember their loved ones. Think about it. Did they have photos and videos of their family once they died? No. So they remembered their family by taking locks of their hair and turning it into art. Doesn't sound quite so weird once you know why they used it right??


Here are some pretty examples of mourning jewelry, like pins and brooches... I find it very beautiful. Now, would I wear one? No.

Here are mourning pictures made to hang on the wall and remember loved ones and celebrate their life. Sometimes, whole families had their hair used in ONE picture!

What do you think? Too strange? Strangely beautiful? Let me know!

Salt n Peppa'

Remember the duo? Wow, with hits like "Shake Yo Thang," how can you not? I was just searching Etsy.com and found these! LOVE them!

Hilarious!

Mine, sorry folks!

Cute!