I Can't Fight This Hungry Feel'in....

Recently I have been hungry all day, every day. It's almost as if I can never get full when I do eat and it's very frustrating to feel this way. I try to make healthy decisions when it comes to breakfast, lunch and dinner but I will admit that sometimes I look at the calorie and carb count, and actually pick the one that is higher in hopes it will fill me up more. I'm not gaining "lots of extra" weight, so I don't think I'm in anyway eating too much, but always being hungry is really getting to me.

Examples of my insane eating include (but are not limited to):

• Ordering multiple adult meals when I eat out
• Eating full size fourth and fifth meals during the day
• Midnight snacks have turned into complete full meals instead of being snack size
• I carry TWO apples with me at all times, because one no longer counts as a snack

I no longer have the ability to stop eating......its that same feeling that you get when you can't eat just one potato chip? Well instead of eating half the bag of potato chips, I'll finish off the whole bag and then be sad when the bag is gone and I'm still hungry. 

Is there a cure for this (other than giving birth)? Do all pregnant women go through this stage? Any suggestions of any food that might fill me up better?

Montgomery's Room.....

So today, Matt and I ordered ALL of Montgomery's furniture today. Yayyyyy!!!!! I feel very relieved that it's finally done and all we have to do is wait for it to be delivered.

What did we get, you might ask? Well I'll show you.......All of the pieces below we got in Espresso.

Dresser

Changing Table

Crib (which we got a little bit ago)

Rocker-Glider

Crib Bedding Picture One

Crib Bedding Picture Two

The Color Espresso!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!!!!

I Love Sock Monkey's!!!!

So, I find myself absolutely adoring Sock Monkey's!!!! I can't get enough of them. I've found a few things on Etsy that are just 100% adorable.....

This one is called "My First Sock Monkey" and comes with a blanket! I just melt when I look at the monkey's eyes.

A Sock-Monkey Mobile!!!!

And of course, a Funky Monkey Quilt

Followed by a Retro Sock Monkey Crib Set

And of course you need Sock Monkey Artwork Picture Set 1 and Picture Set 2

Winter is coming, don't forget your Sock Monkey Hat!

It's really making me rethink the original train decor I had decided on. Sock monkeys just seem a bit more fun and unconventional, and as you can see above the possibilities are endless in the sock monkey world!

Holiday Mocktails!!!

So, as I was sitting in the doctor's office reading, Pregnancy Magazine, this afternoon I came across an article called "9 Months of Mocktails" that inspired this post......"Holiday Mocktails" Since we just can't drink this holiday season. Here are a few that I found, that sound oh-so-yummy.

Hanukkah Bubbly Bubbala
Sparkling concord grape juice
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 lemon wheel

Just mix and serve with a lemon wheel on the rim!

Baked Apple Mock-tini
1 oz sweetened apple juice
Fill to top with 7up/Sprite/Ginger-ale.

Cut an apple into quarters and skin it. Soak in brown sugar and dash of cinnamon. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place in a glass baking pan for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. You can prepare these ahead and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. Serve with a baked apple slice on a fun mocktail stick.

Santa's Hat
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 Teaspoon water
1/4 Cup sweetened, flaked coconut
3 oz. red cranberry juice
1/2 oz. grenadine
1 candy cane

Put water, sugar and coconut on three small plates. Dip first in the water, then sugar then coconut to rim the martini glass. Mix remaining ingredients together in a shaker with ice, then top with a candy cane.

Strawberry Mint Mojito (not holiday specific, but it is my favorite!)
4 strawberries
2 lime wedges
6-8 mint leaves
2 tsp. raw sugar
1 cup club soda

Quarter three of the berries. Squeeze lime into a highball glass. Add the quartered berries, mint and sugar. Crush mixture with a muddler, then add ice and club soda. Stir gently until sugar has dissolved. Garnish with the remaining strawberry.

The Good Moma Cloth Diapers

So, as I was browsing today I found, The Good Moma, an online cloth diaper store that I just fell in love with. I've looked at all types of cloth diapers and covers and these are by far the cutest yet. Check them out!

Must Have iPhone Apps if Your Pregnant

So as Apple takes over the world, I have been taking over the iPhone. Today I'm going to talk about the three apps that I find practical, fun and useful - in reference to baby Monty of course.

RunPee - whomever invented this app is pure genius. We all know that having to go pee comes at the most inopportune times. One that tops the list is while your at the movies and would hate to miss the most important part of the movie. RunPee tells you which points in a movie you can safely go "run" and "pee" without missing an important part. You start the timer when the movie starts and it will alert you with a vibration and give you a count down until the next downtime might be. As if that wasn't enough, it also will give you a recap of everything you missed while you were in the bathroom. No more whispering to your hubby or girlfriend "what did I miss?" and at only 99 cents - this is a steal!

Pimp My Ultrasound - this one is just fun to play around with and at 99 cents as well, it turns those ultrasound pictures into conversation starters. They can also take your ultrasound creation and add it to t-shirts, coffee mugs etc.!

iPregnancy - It has options such as; a progress bar that tells you how far along you are and how much time you have left, both 3D and traditional drawings of what the baby looks like, up-to-date information about both the baby and mommy, a whole section for OB visits along with summaries and a weight progress chart, a "questions for the doctor" organizer, a pop-up reminder for your next appointment, an "important #'s" section to keep all doctor and hospital information, and then we get to my favorite one....... The Name Picker! I can't even begin to imagine how much time I've spent with this function. It works like a slot machine, and all you have to do is give your iphone a shake and the name bank of over 1,000 names will filter through the names landing on one. I will admit that I did not pick Montgomery's name with this tool, but it definitely gave me something to do every time I got bored. It is a little higher priced then average at $3.99, but it is definitely worth the investment.

What's Montgomery Doing?

So, I'm almost at 28 weeks (7 months) now, and I thought I would do an update on things that are going on with Monty. Lets catch up to speed first, with things he has already accomplished; like kicking, flipping, coughing, sucking, hiccuping, taking "practice" breaths and his sleep even includes the REM (rapid eye movement) phase which means he could already be dreaming (I wonder what he's dreaming about?).

New this week is blinking and looking around. I'm not sure there is much to see in there, but he is sensitive to light. I've tried the flashlight trick a time or two and his usual response is some sort of movement.

Monty has officially "outed" my belly button.

He has gone through some rapid growth the last few weeks and is over the 2 1/2 pound mark! Not to mention that he is well over a foot long now.

What am I thinking?

When is my next ultrasound.......I have a doctor's appointment next week so I will ask my doctor then. I really would like to get an idea of what Montgomery looks like - I think about it during my down time and it's O-So-Tempting to pay to have an ultrasound done to get one of those cute videos and 3-D pictures. Maybe, just maybe I'll add that to my Christmas wish list this year.

How heavy can he get.........I'm not too concerned about my size right now, but holy-cow can I feel his weight when I do things like sit up, squat, walk fast........etc. It's almost as if someone added a 20 pound weight inside my stomach and said go-for-it! It's a feeling that's very hard to explain, but I'm sure everyone that has had a kid before will understand.

The Endless Aisle of Baby Books

So, in the past I have read books about anything and everything. From fiction to non-fiction, biographies, science fiction, love stories....you name it - I've read it. However, over the last year I've read nothing but books about babies! How to make babies, what to eat when your having a baby, what to expect, what happens after a baby...................

Across my reading journey I've stumbled upon a few of my favorites. Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth, was among them. It was non-traditional in the fact that there really wasn't any real facts in the book, or doctor recommendations - but having read the book I feel much better knowing that someone has gone through the same thing that I have, and is being brutally honest about all the things that people never talk about. It brought humor into a subject that tends to be technical and "doctor recommended".

Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven: A Gutsy Guide to Becoming One Hot (and Healthy) Mother, also makes my list. It's dry and sarcastic humor, coupled with "I can't believe this" information makes for an excellent read. Although their standards are high in this book, I would recommend this to any of my pregnant friends and encourage them to try and keep up with at least two things they've learned from the book.

The third book I'm going to mention is what I call a "quick read" to have next to your nightstand. Your Pregnancy Week by Week, is by no means short at it's 648 page length, but I prefer to pick it up once a week to see what's going on with the baby and with me (because there are so many things going on with my body that I can't even up with them all!). The chapters are seperated easily into 40 weeks, which makes it impossible to lose your spot! And, it gives helpful information such as an exercise for the week, tips for day and is then paired with everything technical and/or doctor recommended.

The Third Trimester and Glucose Challenge

Wow has time gone by fast! It seems like just yesterday that Matt and I were talking about having a baby. I'm getting very anxious to hold and care for Monty has time is approaching. I'm also getting nervous about all the stuff that we still need to do!

Yesterday I officially entered into the third trimester, that's right! I'm 2/3rds of the way done! However, we are no where close to being prepared! I've been reading up on a few different newborn baby checklists and it just seems like we still have a ton of things to get! 

The Glucose Challenge

So, I will admit that the test wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I went in early this morning since your not allowed to eat prior to the test, and then reluctantly chugged my "orange glucose drink". Waited patiently for an hour, and then had a blood sample taken.

The after effect was the most interesting to me. It was if I had handed Monty three Mt. Dew's and then let him go crazy. I've never felt so much movement from him before. I try my best to eat healthy, avoid caffeine etc. so I think this intense sugar rush really got to him about an hour and a half later.

My Feet Are Growing!!!

So, I would just like to throw this out there as ONE MORE pregnancy symptom that the world does not know about. Growing feet!

Now, I looked up the technical reason for this and it goes as so....

"The aptly named pregnancy hormone relaxin, which loosens the joints around your pelvis so your baby can make his way down the birth canal, also loosens the ligaments in your feet, causing the foot bones to spread. Your foot bones aren't actually growing — it's just that the ligaments that hold these 26 bones together aren't as tight as they were." Baby Center

Okay, so my feet are not technically "growing" but it's still a huge inconvenience. At first I just thought I was crazy. To be completely honest, my shoes were all feeling a little tight about a month ago and I could feel my toes pinching together. I automatically assumed that it was because I needed to clip my toenails (sad I know). However, once I did clip my toe nails the pinch I was feeling didn't go away. And here we are today.

So as of right now I have only TWO pairs of shoes that actually fit! And yes, I have bought them recently. One is a pair of light grey chucks that I wear on a normal basis, and the second is a pair of black flats that I wear to work everyday. I was going to buy another pair a couple of days ago, but I decided against it because I am worried that my feet will continue to grow.

Now, I don't want this to be confused with my feet swelling.....knock on wood I haven't had to experience that yet. My feet arn't fat, just longer :-(

THE ITCH!!!

So, lately I've been feeling THE ITCH TO SHOP.

I have this need/want to go out and buy all the baby stuff that we will need. It hit me hard the other day when a fellow pregnant friend of mine (thanks Krystal!) posted on facebook that she was doing 4 loads of laundry, of which ALL were baby clothes! I got to thinking and I've only purchased a few outfits here and there of which might total half a load.

Controlling the itch.....

Since we are moving, I've been trying to hold off on all buying since we will just have to pack it all up. Although, I think I might purchase a changing table from PBKids because it just went on sale! Normally $400, and I would get it for around $170 - who can pass that up? Have I mentioned that I love my discount?

Two Birds With One Stone

So, I've been thinking lately of the different things I/We can do to bond with Monty prior to him coming into the world. I've done things like put headphones on my belly (he loves the chipmunks!), used a flash light against my belly knowing that he can sense light now and push him around a little, while he kicks and pushes me back.

Today I came up with a new idea. Reading to him. I've noticed two things lately at night when Matt and I go to bed. I'm always up for some conversation about the little things in life, and we both share how our day has gone. In the beginning Monty is usually kick and flip crazy and moves around a lot, but then as I talk to Matt he typically calms down and goes to sleep. Matt, unsurprisingly, does the same thing! He will be awake with conversation, but then soon will start to drift off to sleep. Matt claims that my voice is "soothing" and makes it easy for him to fall asleep.

So, I went to Barnes & Noble to get an idea of some books that I could choose from. I thought first about books that Matt would like, then what books I would like and then landed on what books Monty would like. I narrowed it down to two books in the kids department. A Treasury of Children's Literature ($25) and Classic Fairy Tales ($20).

I was debating between the two when I decided to Google both of them, and get the one with better reviews. Amazon, was of course the first to appear in my search and it was soon after that I was offered a great deal! $30 for both of them on Amazon with FREE shipping! So, my debate ended there and I decided to order both online.

I'm looking forward to reading a story each night to Matt and Monty, but I really can't wait to read it to Monty in person - it's the start of a new tradition!

Love It!

So, my new greatest internet love is Etsy. Also know as "your place to buy and sell things all handmade". I can't get enough of browsing this online version of an up-scale craft show. I haven't yet bought anything on the website, but I'm sure I will soon enough.

A few things that I've found lately that I just adore. The SWEET PEA Crochet Baby Swaddling Cocoon and the James Dean Baby Booties. These two really inspire me to try and start making my own baby stuff. They both look fairly simple, I just need to get the motivation to learn how to do it.




A new take on a "mom" or "family" necklace that I thought was very cute....I found this via one of the baby websites I follow, Cool Mom Picks.

Coloring.

This is of course a reference to a movie quote I'm sure you've all heard before. If you haven't, then I wouldn't read any further because you just wont understand.

Coloring used to be one of my favorite past times. I could color all day long, and I could color anywhere. Matt also liked to color with me (of course) so it was something that we both enjoyed to do together. We even enjoyed coloring outside the lines on occasion just to have a little extra fun.

However, I'm feeling a little guilty that we don't color as often as we used to. I always said that I would never be "that girl" that would let coloring drift out of our everyday lives when I was (is) pregnant. I thought for sure that I would be able to handle a pregnancy and still find the time to color all the time. Matt said otherwise.....and he was right.

It's not that coloring isn't fun anymore.....its just the "unexpected" pregnancy symptoms that I've experienced that make it more difficult, such as: All-day sickness (that knock on wood I think I'm finally getting past); the bad gas at night time (that's something that's just not pleasant); the lack of energy, etc.....I'm sure you all get the point.

Now, what am I going to do about this? I am going to make an effort to color. I'm going to break out my old crayon box and see what type of pictures I can draw.

Everybody's Sleeping...

Except Me!!!

So, for the last few nights I find myself with a sudden burst of energy coming around 10:00 or 10:30 pm. I know that women in their 2nd trimester experience extra energy, but I just wish mine was during the day or morning rather then at night.

Mentally I'm wide awake, but also find myself slightly bored. Matt is of course sleeping, Nelson and Dexi are snoring away and I find myself just wanting to talk or do something simple into the weeee hours of the night. Sadly not even Nelson is willing to spend it with me, unless he can do it while sleeping on my lap.

I've even grown tired of surfing the internet! Last night I was so bored (and wide awake) that I almost made Fettuccine Alfredo. Here it was, past midnight, and I'm getting out the pots and pans to make a complete dinner. I thankfully came to my senses and decided that cooking a second dinner at 1 in the morning wasn't the best idea.

Hmmm....what shall I do tonight?

Cloth vs. Disposable

I am more than confused when it comes to the idea of using cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers. I originally was set on using G-Diapers. But after reading more reviews I'm not 100% set on using them.

I did find a good resource page on The Simple Mom that I'm trying to use as my guide as to what I should pick as my final decision.

Their top rated cloth diaper, Bamboozle, runs about $18.50 each on Amazon. If I'm reading the website correct though, it also needs to be paired with a diaper cover, and then have a "doubler" added at night time once Monty is able to sleep through the night, for added protection and absorbency. They also have a great starter kit, that may be what I purchase initially and then make purchases as needed once I figure out how everything is working. The best price I've found so far is on Amazon. They also come with disposable inserts as well, that I would use for times when I go out in public and don't want to carry around a dirty stinky diaper.

Why Cloth Diapers?

1. After a little research, the average cost of using disposable diapers for one kid is approx. $2000+ while using cloth diapers usually cost about $1,000 if you include the cost of 12 extra loads of laundry per month, dryer use and laundry detergent. See the tech. breakdown here.
   
2. Eco-Friendly - One disposable diaper will take over 500 years in a landfill to decompose!
   
3. Little Monty's Health! There is tons of research out there that shows the health benefits to using cloth diapers including less diaper rash!
4. Quicker Potty Training!!!!! There's a big point for you.....on average a baby using cloth diapers will potty train 1 year earlier then a baby using disposable diapers.
   

Why Disposable Diapers...

1. Convenience - nobody likes to do MORE laundry then they already have to!
2. Ease of use - if we decide to send our kid to daycare or get a baby sitter we will have to teach he/she how to use the cloth diapering system.

After all of this, I am of course going to use cloth diapers.....the only final decision is which ones will I get?

Montgomery's Room

So, we are getting a little closer to making decisions on the furniture that we are going to get for Montgomery's room. (Yes that's right, I've been calling him Montgomery lately :-)

Matt and I went looking AGAIN today, and I think we've finally made our decision.

One - we already have the crib (Thanks Mom and Mike/Dawn for the gift certificates that went towards this purchase). We got the Kendall crib in Espresso from Pottery Barn Kids. Its a very basic crib, but in person its very sturdy and TALL. I also got a killer deal on it with my discount and a sale that was/is going on!

Two - neither Matt nor I were too attached to the furniture that matches this crib, so we decided to go outside of the collection, and instead found a different collection from Pottery Barn that was better suited for our needs. The Camp Collection.

This is what we are going to get...


We are going to order this in espresso as well (sorry they only have a picture of the blue one on the website). I really like the baskets on the bottom. I think that they will be great to put toys in and make it easier for Monty once he becomes a toddler. The other added bonus is that this dresser is 41 inches high. The typical dresser runs around 32 inches, sooo......that means less bending over for Matt and I when we need to change all of his dirty diapers. They make changing table toppers that you can add for a small cost that can be removed later to convert it back to a normal dresser again, which is also on our list of things we need to get.

Three - the rocker/glider. Yes, I am going to mention the two most common things again! PBKids and height!!!! I have sat in a zillion rocking chairs, gliders, swivel chairs, recliners, gliders/swivel chairs.......you get the point. And I have settled once again for a PBKids purchase. The Eco-Glider. It seems around average height, however the arm rests are higher and more cushioned then other chairs. Not to mention that it can do a complete 360 degree turn and glide!


The glider/rocking chair was one of the top three things on my list that I was most concerned about. The other top two were the crib and stroller. I just know that I am going to be spending the majority of my life in this chair and I want it to be as comfy/useful/practical as possible. Did I mention that the chair cover can come off and is washing machine safe?

Our next step.....making the actual purchases. I'm going to try and wait it out as long as possible because of our move, and the fact that one or all of these pieces may go on sale at some point. So for now I will watch and wait as patiently as possible :-)