Pieces of the nursery

I have been dying to get my nursery underway. Finally, I said enough waiting a purchased not only my Jenny Lind Crib from Amazon but also my mattress which is a Naturepedic also from Amazon (which I researched to death). Then, I went a little crazy and also picked up the Naturepedic waterproof pad from Amazon and a Crane Drop Humidifier from Amazon as well. 

20 Weeks Celebration

FLEMINGS

Ok not diggin' this picture as I look like I have no shape! But if you like the dress it was 14.99 from Ross's. I was like OMG. 

It was semi cold in the restaurant. But I love this picture. It is actually a picture were Jeff doesn't look goofy-he hates to take pictures.

So for our 20 week mark we decided to celebrate by heading out to Flemings! It was sooooo good. My husband ordered the prime ribeye steak with this special house sauce that was absolutely delish. The bread (I have to say I am not a bread person but I could have ate the butters with a spoon-especially the tomato one). 

I ordered a wedge salad and for my entree got the roasted mushroom ravioli which was an appetizer. There were only 3 raviolis pieces but I could only eat two. 

My husband and I each choose a side-he got the chipolte macaroni and cheese (which was great and again-I am not a big cheese person so I can't believe that this was, in my opinion, better than the house potatoes which were like an au gratin with jalapenos. These are huge portions and we couldn't even finish them even eating on them together.

Finally, I got a carrot cake (I have such a sweet tooth right now). It was great-the other 3/4 is in the fridge for me to munch on for a few days.

20 Weeks

Dress 14.99 @ Ross

How far along? 20 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss:   I am going to say a little over 6 lbs; it isn’t at seven or even 6 and ½ so a little over will have to do.
Maternity clothes?  I have made it to the 20 week mark with no maternity clothes, no Bella Bands and no rubber band tricks. I feel it is coming soon though.
Stretch marks?  Nope.
Sleep: My dreams are wild and vivid, and I feel like I could sleep all the time.
Best moment this week: Getting the crib and mattress in. I am so exciting to watch the nursery and my dreams and ideas unfold.
Have you told family and friends:  Yes.
Miss Anything?  Not being tired, Going to Hooters (I just can’t go and watch my friends fill pitcher after pitcher), and  a waistline!
Movement:  Maybe, possibly. I wish I knew exactly what it should feel like, instead I can only guess.
Food cravings: Still chocolate and fruits and veggies. Funny story-I found this recipe for a chocolate chip cookie in a mug and decided to make it using a few substitutions (bad idea) and it came out terrible so instead I had apple nachos…so good. I also am really liking cinnamon-sweet potatoes drenched in cinnamon, a cinnamon raisin English muffin with the new Laughing Cow wedge of cinnamon cream cheese for just 45 calories! I also would eat the heck out of a cinnamon roll if given the opportunity.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  I think it is going to be the same all the way through, stinky smells.
Have you started to show yet: I think so. Someone said the other day that I was starting to get a little bump but then today someone said that I was going to make it through this whole pregnancy and never show anything. So I think it has more to do with what I am wearing at the moment.
Gender prediction:  Girl
Labor Signs:  No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, especially now that the nursery is coming together.
Weekly Wisdom: Don’t except what has worked in the past as things that will work now. Pay attention. Read labels. Question. RESEARCH what you are buying, eating and plan on putting in, on your body and what you plan on putting in, on or around your baby. I’ve been ready some interesting stuff which has caused me not only to purchase an organic crib mattress, but also look into better types of diapers than Huggies and Pampers.  
Looking forward to: Eating dinner with my husband for our 20 weeks this week at Flemmings. Getting the floors put down upstairs for the nursery and the rest of the house. Turning our UT room into an upstairs “family” room instead of the clutter room, office, lounge area. 

And it looks like my hubby will have to work on the mattress level in the crib. It is so crooked from this angle. I think he just doesn't have the mattress pushed down enough on the left side as I think I can see the springs a little underneath. 

MY BABY...well for now

So, I am just wondering how my little Yorkie Bella Boak will react to having a baby in the house and not getting her "tuddles" times with her mommy and daddy. You can tell she is sooo soo very spoiled. I carry her around like a baby-lol, and she loves it. She is very much a lap dog.

Book Shelves Tutorial

Tutorial:

Materials: 

 We made (4) 18 inch shelves (We would have gone bigger but the corner wall was only 22 inches).

• (1) 1''x2''x8 foot board
• (1) 1''x4''x8 foot board
• (1) 1''x6''x8 foot board
• wood glue
• screws or nails--We used 1 1/4 inch screws (about 50) for assembling the shelves and 2 1/2 inch screws (about 15) for mounting the shelves to the wall through the studs)
• Sand paper and/or electric sander
• Paint or stain
• Wood filler/calk optional (We didn't use it, but to make them look more professional, you may want to.)

I started by having my hubby cut the boards for me.  

Each shelf will need a set that looks like this.

They will go together to look like this.

We started out by sanding the pieces with our electric sander.  Sand paper would look fine too, it will just take a little longer.  I just sanded the edges that were going to be exposed so that Baby Boak wouldn't get bumped with rough edges.

As we constructed the shelves, we put down a layer of wood glue, and then the wood on top of it. We stared with the front piece and placed in ON TOP of the largest bottom board.

We had to hold it in place ourselves while Hubby drilled holes for the screws and then put the screws in place.  You'll want to wipe off any excess glue as soon as you've got the screws in.  We did the lip on the front of the shelves first. Then to make some extra "wow" we added a trim piece to the front.

We didn't measure exactly where we were putting the screws because they don't show, but they were about an inch from each end and then a little less then 12 inches apart going down the shelf.

Then we repeated the process for adding the back of the shelves.  We put the back piece ON TOP of the bottom piece.

Once the screws were in, we (don't laugh) taped down the front piece and the trim piece to hold it in place while it was drying. We let the glue dry overnight. 

Next, we sanded the shelves down to even out places where the seams hadn't lined up perfectly.  

Then we applied two coats of satin Olympic paint.  

To mount the shelves to the wall, we used 2 1/2 inch screws and made sure they hit studs. 

Bow Holder tutorial

Bow Holder tutorial

Side Note-this picture was taken before husband had the chance to put in the screws.

Materials:

Picture Frame (whatever size but I did 11X 14; purchased with a coupon at Michaels for $13 dollars)
Fabric- out of the dollar bin at JoAnns
Batting (from JoAnns but had it for another project -the bench)
Ribbon (purchased from JoAnn's for $1.99)
Hot glue/glue gun which I already had
Scissors
those little white hooks with the screws on the end (we already had these)

Steps:
First, take the glass out of the picture frame.
Measure the number of hooks that you are using and use a pencil to make marks evenly where the hooks will go.
USE A RULER to make sure that they are evenly spaced apart.
Once your marks are made, screw in the hooks (or have your wonderful hubby do it for you).
Measure out the batting so that it is slightly larger than the glass from your frame. Then glue the batting to the glass. Now, I tried this about 3 times trying to put the glue on the glass and it just did not work for me. So I put the glue on the batting and pressed the two together and bingo!

Let it sit for a few minutes to ensure good bonding.
Then trim up any extra batting hanging over the glass.
Then,measure out your fabric and make sure you have a little extra to put over top of the batting. You want the extra to glue to the backside of the glass.

Then, measure the glass to see how long your ribbon needs to be cut.
Cut your ribbon about 1-2 inches longer than the glass so that you can have a little bit of over hang (again to glue to the glass).
I suggest cutting all of them and laying them out on the board to decide exactly how far apart you want the ribbons.

Once you have cut all the ribbons and decided where to place them, glue them to the glass. Then continue to do that with the rest of the ribbons.
Let it sit to ensure bonding.
Pop it into the frame.
If you wish, add an embellishment with hot glue.
Begin decorating it with those adorable bows.

Reading bench tutorial

How to:

Supplies:

• 10 inch wide board.  Commonly used for shelving.  Cut it to desired length- I had my husband cut it to 24 inches wide. The original board came from Lowes (1 x 10 x 4) bought with military discount for $5.62 and there is still plenty left for another bench or another project.
• four 7 to 9 inch bench legs but I picked 12 inch ones just because they were the only ones I really liked and actually they are perfect for my vision.  You will find them by the table legs.  I painted mine white with Olympic paint from Lowes. (4 12 inch Early American Table legs at $3.13 each at discount=$12.52
• insert nuts that match the threading on the leg screws, these are in the specialty hardware section which we had.
• drill with bits that the insert nut packaging calls for.
• batting or upholstery foam which I had from JoAnns
• hot glue 
• 1/2 of a yard of fabric purchased from Walmart for $5.60 (still enough material left over for a pillow or something)
• staple gun (purchased from Lowes at discount for $18.88)
• scissors

Directions:

1. First thing that you want to do is cut your board to the desired size. Because the fabric would cover the board, I felt no need to paint it. However, I did paint the legs with Olympic satin paint. 
2. The next thing to do is install the insert nuts.  Measure and mark on all four corners where you will be drilling  (1 inch).  Drill the holes and then according to the insert nut packaging, you will either hammer in the nut, or use a hex screwdriver.
3. Next, prep and cut the batting or foam.  I used batting, folding it a few times to the thickness I wanted.  Then, I cut it to the exact size with just a little overhang to soften the edges.
4. 

1. Cover the batting with hot glue and put the board on top. Let it sit a few minutes.
2. Now cut the fabric down to size with a few inches to spare on all sides.  I also ironed the fabric to get rid of any unsightly creases.
3. After you have it cut, fold over each side a half inch and press, then again two more times.Now lay the fabric face side down, then the larger single piece of batting, and then the board batting side down.  Or if you are in a hurry, skip this step and just have a few lose threads underneath. 
4. Fold the fabric over at the center and staple starting at the longer sides first.  For the corners, I just worked with them until I had them looking the way I wanted and stapled.  I did have to cut out some excess batting and fabric on the corners, to remove some bulk and allow access to the leg holes.

1. Now just thread the legs into the insert nuts and screw in and you are all finished! 
2. Set up for your little one to enjoy.

Please ignore the lack of a plate over the socket. We just painted the room's with its last coat but I wanted to see how it would look. Of course it will look different when the carpet is gone and it is hardwood floors too. We also plan on distressing the legs just a tad. I will update with a picture after it is completed.

"Diet" & Exercise while Prego

I titled this post "Diet" because that is how I view food. Food is my diet, not necessarily that I am on a diet. I don't think that diets work. Eating healthy is a lifestyle and requires lifestyle changes to maintain. Now that I am pregnant, I feel that I am eating healthier than ever. A brief look at a sample of what I might eat for a day.

Breakfast

• Egg beaters and half a cinnamon raisin english muffin with a dollop of cream cheese
• Vanilla Yogurt with a handful of berries (usually strawberry & blueberry) and granola (sometimes I sprinkle with flaxseed
• oatmeal made Hungry Girl style-after it is cooked I add a packet of sugar free fat free hot chocolate (I know it sounds weird) I mix it well and then add in a little chocolate chips and peanut butter chips chopped up fine, and some walnuts...it tastes like a hot No Bake cookie without all the fat and such.
• a bowl of cereal (most of the time Special K with a splash of milk-I hate milk) and flaxseed
• a high protein chocolate shake and a banana (for those quick morning rushes out the door)
• My own version of a McDonald's English Muffin sandwich (so yummy)
• Sunday breakfast varies-it is the only breakfast I get to eat with my husband and it can vary depending on what he wants. 
• My favorite is my oatmeal blueberry waffles and sugar free syrup, but pancakes, french toast, egg burritos, or egg omelets fit the bill. 
• One breakfast that is on the menu every once in a blue moon is gravy and biscuits (but I am not so much of a fan of gravy, so I eat honey on my biscuit).

Lunch/Dinner

• Vanilla Yogurt with a handful of berries (usually strawberry & blueberry) and granola
• Spinach salad with lots of colorful veggies, LF cottage cheese, and a hardboiled egg
• soup-any kind. I love it!
• Baked potato with broccoli and cheese (I could probably just be happy with the broccoli and cheese)
• (the aforementioned are usually lunches at school or nites when the hubby works late.
• Dinner with the hubby usually is
• a protein (chicken, steak, pork) a green veggie, a potato of some sort and a salad. Sometimes there are more veggies
• or Italian with homemade meat sauce and whole wheat pasta (spaghetti, ziti, lasagna)
• or for those tired nights-a frozen pizza, frozen made ahead meal or take out (maybe one night a week if that)

Snacks
Fruit-strawberries, apples, kiwi, bananas, etc
Veggies-love baby cherry tomatoes, (no dipping required) cucumber slices, celery, etc
bars-fiber one, granola,
100 calorie packs (on an occasion when I want a little something different)
cups-a yogurt, cottage cheese, jello chocolate, or fruity, and creme brulee rice pudding
100 calorie popcorn
a 40 calorie fudge pop or 25 calorie fruit bar

Side note to my chocoholics- Every day I have a piece of Dove chocolate (those little squares) in dark chocolate because it is a more heart healthy, antioxidant choice.

Now lets be honest, this would get boring. I eat very healthy 90 percent of the time. So if I want a cookie, I have a cookie but I try to stop at one. (Although I have to admit when the PTO served the teachers Salsaritas and I thought my mouth was on fire from the salsa and after 2 whole bottles of water didn't help, I ate 2 cookies0a chocolate chip and a white chunk macadamia nut-hey I had to try them both and make sure that they were not poison for my other colleagues.

Exercise

My exercise routine is simple. I have a treadclimber, and I am for at LEAST a mile a day on average. (as long as I have at least 7 miles logged in by the end of the week, I am satisfied. However, I am trying to get it up to 10 miles a week but sometimes baby gets really mad, and I have to stop if it hurts. My goal is 15-20 every week but that might take me a while.
I also do little things during the day. I NEVER sit (except on the weekends). I am up and moving. I fidget. I do leg lifts while fixing breakfast on waiting on the oven to preheat. I lift 5 pound weights during commercials. I just move it.

19 weeks

top is from Kohls. Pants are from American Eagle but you really can't see those. The earrings are from Dress Barn

How far along? 19 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss:   5 lbs.
Maternity clothes?  Nope. Nada. None. Zilch.
Stretch marks?  Nope.
Sleep:  I’ve had to have two naps upon coming home from school this week. So unlike me.
Best moment this week: Maybe feeling the baby. I am not sure. It feels like little butterfly kisses.
Have you told family and friends:  Yes.
Miss Anything?  Being able to get around easy. I know it will just get worse.  
Movement:  Again, maybe. I don’t know because I don’t know exactly what it is supposed to feel like.
Food cravings: CHOCOLATE and sweets. I made a honey bun cake and wished I could devour it before my husband could take it to work.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not eating when I am hungry. I feel terrible if I don’t eat the second I feel a hunger pain. I keep snacks in my “bag”aka my purse, at all times.
Have you started to show yet: It really depends on what I am wearing. People are always trying to get a peek at my belly.
Gender prediction:  Girl
Labor Signs:  No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  This week I think I have been moody. Not necessarily to anyone, but more inside myself. One minute I am happy in love and think my husband is the best thing since sliced bread the next minute I think OMG what am I doing I am too young to have a baby (I know, I know, I am 30 years old)
Weekly Wisdom: It is natural to have highs and lows or points of clarity and points of confusion. If I was 100 percent on it all the time, I wouldn’t be human.
Looking forward to: Next week and the half way point. I am also looking forward to ordering the crib and mattress ( a Jenny Lind white 3 in 1 and a Naturepedic Organic 150 Mattress)

Yummy

O my goodness. I made this tonight for my husband to take to work tomorrow and I just had to sneak a piece. Just to make sure that it wasn't poison or anything....SO GOOD. I probably could eat the whole thing. It is called a HoneyBun Cake, and it is to die for. Seriously...you must try it! Yes, it looks exactly like this and tastes like heaven.

Books and Resources

I am a bookaholic. I love books. I am a self professed nerd who wants her own library when we build our new home (complete with ladders on wheels to reach those tippy top of the shelves). I read for many different reasons, for pleasure, to find out things, to gain knowledge, because I have to (with a Doctorate degree that was a huge thing). Some of the books that have tickled my fancy over the past few weeks:
The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy book which had me in tears (not really) laughing my head off.
Bump it up book that dealt with being fashionable during pregnancy. I have not had to use it yet but am waiting patiently.
Skinny B**** Bun in the Oven book which I am still reading. It agree with a lot of what it says but still disagree with a few things. Very informative though.
What to Expect when Your Expecting book which was helpful with certain questions but I found
the Baby Center book to be more helpful as a week by week guide.

I am looking forward to reading breastfeeding books and What to Expect the first year and the Everything: Get Ready for Baby book. I am sure that there are more . (Funny quick snippet-for Easter my husband gets me this wax Bear in UT colors to go in my UT room-smells like vanilla-mmmmm and then gave me a stack of 5 dollar bills to go book shopping at McKay's. My first question was can I buy baby books? I meant like little children books to read to baby but I will probably through some readings for me in the basket too).

Baby Names

You would think that it would be easy to come up with a single name. However, my husband and I have found it to be one of the most taxing tasks we have had to tackle. As someone with a name that was almost never around (I have only ever met 2 other Jonies in my life and never spelled my way JONE instead of an i or ie), I desire our child to have something unique. I want him or her to stand out and not be surrounded by a class full of students with the same name. Being a teacher, you see how popular names are and that they come in waves. One teacher has 6 Ryans right now. I just want to prevent picking out a name that is going to be just like any other. That being said, I do not want a weird name. So unique but not weird. Is that so hard to ask for? There are ton of books out there and lists galore. One could toggle through the internet and find millions of names. You can look up names by type (whether you want a fashionista name, or techie name) or you want a name that is Irish or German, or you want a name that is gender neutral, a button or a flip of the book can give you a wide range of names. So why is it so hard to choose a name? It seems every name we throw out is veto somehow. Whether we already know someone with that name, or it is too close to another name, or my husband's two favorites (it sounds like a last name or he can make fun of it somehow).
A long time ago, before we were even married, I had a dream of our little baby girl (actually it was the nursery I saw in my dream). Usually I don't remember everything about my dreams but the one thing that stood out to me were the white letters that spelled out the name of our daughter in the vintage white and ivory room. They spelled out HADLEY KRUZ. So for years that was her name. It was even part of how I told my husband he was going to be a father. But, alas it was spoiled. When I was talking to my mom one day about names we were considering, I brought up Hadley. She immediately said No because a girl that I had grown up with in church (years and years ago mind you) had named her son that. I never see this girl or her family but my mom was like no way can they have the same name. My husband was broken hearted. Now we are on the search for a name for our baby. We have a list and some top favorites but nothing seems perfect. We would like the name to end in that ee sound (like Jone and Jeffrey). It seems that everyone is trying to get in on the naming process as my mom has this long list of names (Sagen for a boy tops her charts-we say NO) and even Jeff's daughter is suggesting names Jonah, Olivia, and Avery. She says she is having a baby sister though (she will be 8 in July).
I like classic names but not plain Jane. For instance, I love Sophie or Gwenaviere but dislike names like Lilly or Brittany. I would love to be able to incorporate a family name in but looking at the old family tree leaves much to be desired when it comes to names. Usually names get interesting again with great grandmothers but that just isn't our case. I also love literature names-Harper, Holden, Auden, Scarlett. The problem is finding something that sounds good with our last name Boak (sounds like joke). I would prefer to keep our name a secret when we figure it out but I might be so glad to finally have a name that I blurt it out. I would just like to keep from hearing stories of so and so's child is named that or I knew a kid like that who was weird and ate paste.

Some of the names we have considered though:
taking the h off of Hadley and tweaking it to:
ADALEY
EVERLY
LAKELYN
ELIONA

HUDTON
BRU (as a middle name for our dad's Gary Bruce and Bruce O.)
JAXTON
ELIJAH (EJ)

But we don't know....still on the search. Thoughts?

18 weeks

The dress was on sale at Belk for 25.00. It is soooo comfortable that I want another because they had so many colors. My mom bought this for me. 

How far along? 18 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss:   5 lbs. The doctor said I am doing good on weight gain.
Maternity clothes?  Not yet, I am really hoping I can make it the next 28 ½ school days without having to buy any. I think that I can get through the summer with flowy dresses.
Stretch marks?  No, I am using my Mama Mio Belly Oil every night, but it is time to reorder. I was thinking about picking up some Mustela from Baby’s r us too.
Sleep:  Sleep is interrupted by one of three things…number one…I have to go pee…number two…I have crazy, wicked dreams…number three…I can’t breathe. I need a crane humidifier.
Best moment this week: I am going to change this to the worse moment this week. We went in for a sonogram to find out the baby’s gender and they wouldn’t do it. Worst of all, I drug my parents with us. So disappointed.
Have you told family and friends:  Yes.
Miss Anything?  Green Tea. Flavored beverages. I love water but the blandness is really starting to tick me off.
Movement:  Hmmmmm. This one is kind of up in the air. I do have funny “sensations” but I don’t know exactly what it is. Could be they baby or something as yucky as gas.
Food cravings: Fruits, vegetables, and sweets. My aunt made some squash for Easter, and I loved it. So have to go to the farmer’s market soon.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Just nasty smells.
Have you started to show yet: Not to the public. I can tell. My husband says barely…but he probably just doesn’t want me to kick him…lol.
Gender prediction:  The heart rate was 155…so girl. Sweets…so girl. Higher carry…girl.
Labor Signs:  No
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  I am happy, right up until the doctor and nurses burst my bubble.
Weekly Wisdom:  Don’t kill the doctor…I am going to need him later. Seriously.
Looking forward to: Finally getting the nursery going.