28 Week BumpWatch!

How far along? 28 weeks, 5 days today!

Weight gain/loss: I was excited because I hadn't gained too much from my last appointment until the one I had this Tuesday, but at this point I'm up 26 lbs.

Feeling: It's been way too hot for my liking and so I feel like that's really slowing me down and making me very cranky.  I need a nap...

Maternity clothes? Just got a new shirt from the clearance rack at JcPenney's for $7.  Thanks Mom!

Sleep: It's been rough in that it's hard to flip over and bring the body pillow with me.  And for some reason, Bailey keeps trying to get as close to me as possible.  Maybe she's "nesting"...ha.

Food cravings: Fresh fruit has been amazing and any kind of frozen treat like frozen lemonade or ice cream.

Movement? Not as much as the last time I posted, but he's still moving around every day.

What I miss? My old clothes.  The novelty of getting to wear "new stuff" is over and I wish I could fit into some of my other summer skirts.

Best moment this week: Our doctor's appointment this week on Tuesday went great!  Baby's cysts on his brain have dissolved on their own, he's head down, he's growing right on track for where he should be, the doctor thinks I'll go early again like with Sean, and I got to have a phone consultation with an anesthesiologist who thinks that I can get an epidural during my VBAC, but it will be harder to put in and may take several attempts.

What I'm looking forward to: The weekend Up North with both sides of the family!  The 4th of July holiday!

Next Appointment: I'm on to 2 week appointments now!  So, I go back on Tuesday, July 10th at 9:50am with Dr. Salem

Milestones: Baby Evan weighs roughly 2 and 1/2 lbs. and can blink his eyes open and shut.  He can see the light filter through the womb and moves to react to it.  He's adding lots of body fat this week as well to prepare for life on the outside.  Maybe that's contributing to my total weight gain.  :)

Sean's new pad

Big boy?

He must be.

We just had his new furniture delivered today and moved the baby furniture (except for the crib since he's still sleeping at night in it) into what will be the baby's room.  And I cried.

As much as I've been excited for this day to come, mostly so I could redecorate a room, I can't help but wonder, where did my baby boy go?

I'm so excited to finally get to decorate with sock monkeys. I can't wait to get some wall decor up and make a little nook for the sock monkeys I have collected over the years that I can pass on to him.

He naps in his toddler bed here that my mom found at a resale shop for $35.  The next step is to get him to sleep in it at night.  We'll probably start that next week.  He'll sleep in that until he's potty trained so he doesn't ruin the nice full size mattress.  I hate that the wood doesn't match the new furniture, but it's temporary.

Today, after his furniture was delivered and assembled, I laid him down for a nap in the toddler bed without having to read him books or rock him.  I simply put on his Rockabye Baby CD he loves, turned off the light, and I heard his tiny, beautiful voice say, "Night, night mama".  And that was all it took.  He slept for 2 hours and 45 minutes and waited to get out of his bed until I came upstairs.

I'm just in complete awe that we're at this point with him already.  And just because I think he's the cutest thing ever, here's him trying to feed the statue of a Tiger a cracker:

Meal Plan Monday!

I'm so excited for all the yummy meals I planned out for this week!  We finally have a week where I can cook some different meals that are a little more involved!  Here we go...

Monday - Balsamic Chicken, Couscous, and Sugar Snap Peas made with olive oil, butter, and garlic!

Tuesday - Baked Ziti with garlic bread.  I found the recipe here:  Classic Baked Ziti

Wednesday - Sloppy Joes, Corn on the Cob, and some homemade Cheese Sticks that I've been eyeing on Pinterest.  Here's the recipe for the cheese stick bites:  Cheese Stick Bites

Thursday - Lasagna roll ups and a Caesar salad.  It's basically lasagna without all the layers.  You roll up the cheese mixture and sauce mixture in a lasagna noodle.  How clever!  Here's the recipe:Lasagna Roll Ups

Friday - Pulled pork sandwiches, macarroni salad, and coleslaw (compliments of my mom!).

This weekend will also include blueberry pie and brownies (again, compliments of my mom).  Looking forward to a weekend Up North with lots of family and delicious food!

The Giving Tree

Father's Day this year was a little tricky.  I had committed to going out of town for a girl's weekend/bachelorette party in South Haven with friends that I hadn't seen since my wedding in '09.  Scott said he was fine with that and he would take Sean up north for the weekend.  So, I figured we had better celebrate Father's Day the weekend before.

I racked my brain for weeks in advance debating on what to get him this year.  I knew it needed to include something handmade from Sean, but Scott and I discussed buying each other gifts for Mother's and Father's days this year and decided it should be something for the house since we're still fixing it up.

And then it hit me.

Scott is the type of husband and father who gives and gives and gives until it seems like all he does are things for the family or house and not much for himself.  And it reminded me of the story, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  And suddenly everything fell into place.

We needed a new tree for the front yard and I thought what better gift, then to give Scott "The Giving Tree" as a daily reminder of how much he sacrifices of himself for our family.  Even better, it could be something that we take a picture of Sean and Evan next to each year on Father's Day to show how much they've grown compared to the new tree.

 

So, Sean gave him his handprint inside of Scott's in Tiger's colors, as well as a mini watering can and The Giving Tree book so Scott can read the book to Sean periodically.

 And I gave Scott a Japanese Maple tree since we had one at our old house that he loved.

Scott and Sean made me the stepping stones from scatch for Mother's Day

For the man who gives and gives and gives until he feels like he has nothing left to give, and yet still finds something to give.   As another year goes by and our family continues to grow, I’m constantly reminded of how much you provide for our family and how much you give of yourself to us.  I hope that you can instill these traits in Sean and Evan over the years, but until then, this tree can be our “Giving Tree” as a testament to all that you do as a father and husband.  Happy Father’s Day, Scott!  We love you!

Daddy's Little Bowling Buddy

Scott and I are huge bowling fans.  When we were dating, we would always go up to Classic Lanes in Troy and bowl on random week nights, always making bets on each game.  In Kalamazoo, we have many fond memories of bowling with friends.  When we lived in Clawson, we joined a bowling league with some good friends that bowled on Sunday nights and named our team the Clawson Spare Ribs.

The irony of this picture is that it was taken on our due date with Sean a year before.

Considering Scott and I have always found bowling to be fun and even joined a league for a few years, when I found out I was pregnant with Sean I had to give Scott this onesie:

So, understandably, when we decided to take Sean bowling this week for the first time, it was a big event!  And he loved it!  They didn't have shoes his size and he could barely lift the lightest 6 lb. ball, but he had a blast running back and forth from the ball return to the ramp to push the ball down the lane.  We have a natural!  It was meant to be.

I think we've found a new way to entertain Sean on hot summer days for $1 games.  Future P.B.A. bowler here...

26 and 27 Weeks BumpWatch!

I'm falling behind with all these weekly photos since the summer has started and I've been out of town...so here's two weeks worth even though I'm two days away from yet another week!

26 Weeks:

 

 How far along? 26 weeks and some change by the time I got around to taking a picture...

Weight gain/loss: I haven't gotten on the scale since I saw a 20 lb. weight gain a few weeks ago.  I'm assuming it's 24 lbs. or so though.  Which makes me on track for 40 lbs. or less, which is tolerable.

Feeling: I'm starting to feel more tired by the littlest things, but I'm still going 100 miles an hour at home with Sean this summer.  It's nice having Scott home too so he can help give me some much needed breaks.  I'm exhausted during the day, yet wired when it's time to go to bed.

Belly button status:  Top part is out completely, but the bottom part is still partially in.  Just like last time, but I think it looks like it's popped completely through my shirt.

Sleep: I'm sleeping fairly well, once I can relax enough to fall asleep. 

Food cravings: Strawberry glazed pie!  Yum!  The strawberries are insanely ripe right now and have such a great flavor that I feel like making everything with strawberries.

Movement? Every day, lots of times during the day!  The kicks are getting stronger too.

What I miss?  Not my students that's for sure lol.

Best moment this week: Finishing the school year and having an awesome "Father's Day" weekend (we celebrated a week early since I would be out of town on the real holiday) at the Zoo and Splash Park!

What I'm looking forward to: Getting Sean transitioned to his toddler bed so we can move the crib and other furniture into the baby's room to start decorating!

Next Appointment: Tuesday, June 26th at 11:00am with an ultrasound and appointment with Dr. Salem.

Milestones: My little head of lettuce is now able to hear both our voices as we chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air.

27 Weeks:

How far along? 27 weeks, 5 days.  Getting behind on these weekly pictures!

Weight gain/loss: Couldn't tell you...but I split some pants today while at the zoo (they were non-maternity in my defense), so that can't be good!

Feeling: The heat this past week has been rough on me.  I get tired so easily and I feel short of breath if I'm outside too long. 

Sleep: Apparently I've been snoring again.  I woke up the other night to find Scott sleeping in the spare bedroom.  Oops! 

Food cravings: Ice cream!  We just bought this Kroger brand "Jammed" ice cream with butterfinger pieces.  Amazing...

Movement? I was just telling Scott last night that Evan has been moving around like crazy, all day, every day.  I'm feeling him higher too.

What I miss? Considering I was at a bachelorette party over the weekend, I definitely missed out on having cocktails with the girls on the beach.

Best moment this week: Getting away for the weekend to Lake Michigan to catch up with some girls I studied abroad with!  It was so nice to see the sunset, to lay on the beach, and to have some time to myself.

What I'm looking forward to: We're going to Laura and Ed's wedding tomorrow night and it should be nice to dance the night away with friends from work.

Next Appointment: Tuesday, June 26th at 11am for our ultrasound!  Hoping he's head down...

Milestones: Baby rutabaga is busy getting a sleeping and active schedule down pat.  He's much more active now, which would explain the almost constant movement I'm feeling.  He's even having hiccups!

Meal Plan Monday!

We've got an easy week of meals ahead of us since I just got back from South Haven today and haven't grocery shopped yet.  Tomorrow, Scott is going to the Tiger's game with his family and I have my last photography field trip.  And Friday, we have Laura and Ed's wedding!  So, we have a few days of not having to do much for a meal, but here goes:

Monday - Pizza and stuffed cheese bread carry-out from a local pizza place.  I also made a garden salad with sunflower seeds and italian dressing.

Tuesday - Baked penne pasta with Italian sausage.  Basically, just cook the pasta, then put in a 9x13 baking dish, top with cheese and already grilled Italian Sausage pieces cut-up and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about a half hour.  Yum!  I'll probably serve with homemade garlic bread and a side salad again.

Wednesday - Chicken chimichangas!  I haven't had time to make these in so long so I'm very excited for this!  Here's the recipe:  Deep Fried Chicken Chimichangas

Thursday - Greek chicken pita sandwiches with rice pilaf.  Really simple.  Grill some chicken breasts in any kind of marinade, make a greek salad, combine with the chicken cut-up, and stuff in a pita pocket.  Put the pita pocket on the indoor grill for a few minutes with the outsides brushed with olive oil.  And enjoy!

Friday - Laura and Ed's Wedding!

I plan on also making some sort of homemade fruit popsicles this week as well for Sean.  I bought the popsicle molds and now I just need to find a recipe I think he'll like...

Off to a roaring start...

Summer vacation started officially for us Tuesday afternoon!!  I can't help but hum along to the tune of, "School's out for summer!" on the last day of school each year.  Grades were submitted, classrooms cleaned out, and a huge Ikea bag full of Kleenex, Clorox wipes, and hand sanitizer were brought home for our house (thanks kids - you wanted extra credit, right?!).

We started our summer plans a little early since the weekend before was gorgeous!  They included a trip to the Detroit Zoo, where for the first time in our history of going, every animal we wanted to see was out and about!  We met up with my best friend Trisha, her husband, and her adorable baby girl, Reese.  We were disappointed that this year Sean was not a fan of feeding the giraffes.  Maybe next year...

We also made sure to hit up Splash Park in Plymouth for some fun in the sun with Scott's sister Jackie, her husband, and her girls, Sydney and Adelaide.

But, the most exciting part of our first week of summer vacation was coming home on Tuesday from my last day of work to find Scott putting the finishing touches on the play structure!  It all started a few months back when our friend, Jeff, called us to ask if we wanted a play structure that was on a home his dad bought.  Scott, his dad, and Jeff put in some hours taking the structure apart, throwing all the parts in one giant shopping bag (leave it to Scott to not separate the parts by what they went to), and moving them all to our house.

The next step was staining the wood since it was looking a little shabby.

My mom picked us up a baby swing from the resale shop since the structure had only two big kid swings.

Scott bought a few missing parts and a few new boards to replace.

And roughly three months later and countless hours of work put in by his dad, Jeff, and Scott himself...our new play structure:

I'm so proud of Scott and all his hard work!  Seriously...three months ago I thought this was just a pipe dream.  I can't believe he pulled it together and it looks this great!  Sean loves it!

Speaking of Sean, he has had an interesting week home with us so far.  We have experienced:

• Temper tantrums
• Biting
• Hitting
• Throwing of everything and anything

 Ummm...terrible twos starting already?

But, to end on a positive note, big boy has slept Wednesday and Thursday in his toddler bed for his naps and has done wonderfully!  On Wednesday, I put him down awake and he seemed confused.  I left the room and went downstairs to clean up lunch.  Not 5 minutes later, I heard him playing with his books in his room.  I went upstairs to put him back to bed and the minute he saw me, he ran to his bed and laid down.  It was hilarious!  Like he knew he was caught!  I then laid down on the floor next to his bed for 5 more minutes until he fell asleep.  Thursday, he fell asleep in the car on my way home from Marla's house from a play date and Scott just transferred him from the car to the bed, but he slept over 2 hours and waited until I came upstairs to get down from his bed.  I'm so excited that he's giving the toddler bed a shot!

Well, can't wait for week 2 of our summer vacation to start!  Our plans include the library, Jungle Java, and possibly Splash Park again!  Ahhh...the possibilities are endless....

Another Pinterest Project Success! Sort of...

While looking for some home decor ideas to spruce up the front of our house, I came across this unique idea to make a wreath out of baseballs for the summer.  And then I remembered we have a huge bag of baseballs and softballs in the garage from Scott coaching that never get used.  So, I gathered the supplies it said I needed and set out to make it this past weekend.

The pin from Pinterest showed the wreath looking like this:

The lady who pinned this on Pinterest claimed this could be made as a shortcut with hot glue.  I was a little leary about hot glue holding these baseballs on to a metal wreath frame, but I gave it a go.  And within two minutes I knew it wasn't going to work.  The hot glue, no matter how much I put on a baseball, was not going to hold the weight of the ball at all.  How disappointing...

So, I called Scott over and asked him for his suggestion and he said he would drill a hole all the way through each ball and wire each one onto the frame.  This is truly a loving husband right here...he spent the rest of his Friday night in the basement drilling through baseballs and wiring them on to the wreath frame.

After that, I took the ribbon I bought at Michael's and looped it under and over each ball using scrapbook stickers that are made to adhere a picture to the paper to help hold down the ribbon.  And there you have it!  A baseball wreath!

GO TIGERS!

Meal Plan Monday!

It's official.  Our oven is in working condition!  We've been out of commission for over 3 weeks!  Which, has been devastating to me, an avid meal planner, cook, and baker.  I have piles of recipes that I want to try just from 3 weeks of scouring the internet that have been put on hold.  The repair would have cost us well over $800, but thanks to the home warranty that was included in the purchase of our home, our total cost was $60.  And for that we received a new burner, a new electronic panel, and a touch pad on the outside of the oven. 

That being said, I'm excited to use the oven this week for several recipes, that although some of them were in the plans over the last few weeks, we haven't gotten around to making them yet.

Monday - Nachos made with ground turkey and complete with cheese, green peppers, onions, black olives, tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream.  Served with refried beans.

Tuesday - Cheddar potato soup that I saw the recipe for on the Semi-Homemade by Sandra Lee show on the Food Network a few years ago.  It's a really easy recipe, but so tasty.  I'll probably whip up a salad to go with it.  Here's the recipe:  Cheddar Cheese Baked Potato Soup.

Wednesday - I finally get to make those Stuffed Green Peppers with Italian Sausage and rice from a post a few weeks ago!! Here's the recipe: Stuffed Green Peppers.

Thursday - Napa Cabbage Salad with Teriayki Chicken.  This is a family favorite - thanks Aunt Mary!  Even though this recipe is from my Aunt on a recipe card in my kitchen, I found a similar version online so I could share the recipe and picture.  Here's the recipe:  Chinese Napa Cabbage Salad.

Friday - French Dip Sandwiches!  Something simple since we'll be getting ready to go out of town.  I'll probably serve it with broccoli and Cape Cod's Reduced Fat Potato Chips since those are so tasty when you dip them in the Au Jus.  Here's a simple recipe:  French Dip Sandwiches.

And because I'm so excited to have my oven back and have missed baking so much, I plan on making two desserts this week.  One is for our last day of school tomorrow since one of our colleagues might be taking a job somewhere else for the next school year. 

I plan on making a strawberry glazed pie my mom used to make us growing up.  Oh my gosh, I'm drooling just thinking about it now!  Here's the recipe, although I use strawberry Jello instead of the food coloring and such:  Strawberry Glaze Pie.

And lastly, Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pretzels and Peanut Butter Chips too!  Holy moly!  A friend made these for a Thirty-One party at her house in the fall and I found the recipe on Pinterest and am going to make these to take to the Bachelorette Party at the cottage this weekend.  Here's the recipe:  Pretzel Cookies.

Kicking butt and taking names!

Heck yes!  Things are getting crossed off the "baby to-do list" and I think we've found the momentum, and motivation I might add, to keep on keepin' on.  With less than 3 months to go and school out in a few days, I don't think we have any excuses now to put these things off any longer.

1.  We picked a name!!!  In my post below, I mentioned that we're naming him Evan Jameson.  We picked Evan because it's Irish and a short traditional name like Sean.  Also, Evan means "young warrior" and we thought that was a solid name.  Jameson was our fun and more modern middle name.  Most people we've told think it's because of the liqour and we all know how much Scott enjoys his libations.  However, we liked it because it means "Son of James" and James is both Scott's Dad's middle name and Scott's grandpa's first name who passed away earlier this year.  So, it was exciting to pick something "in the family". 

2.  We found a newborn photographer and booked her!!  I'm thrilled to get an opportunity to work with Erin Werner Photography to capture Evan's first week of life, Sean as a 2 year (almost), and us as a family.  I've loved her work since our friends Amy and Eric used her for their wedding and engagement photos and am confident that she will do a beautiful job. 

3.  We bought a changing table for the downstairs!!  I didn't need anything fancy since it would be for the playroom and I had my mom on the hunt for one at her favorite resale shop, but Scott and I just happened to drive by a church yard sale on the way to Sean's swim class last Saturday and found one in great condition for....brace yourselves....$20!!!  Only problem is that the pad is torn on one side and it's an unusual size that isn't carried online or in stores.  So, I guess we'll be covering the pad with some receiving blankets and calling it a day.  We cleaned out the playroom walk-in closet and now it's hidden and ready for use!  Thank God I don't have to lug 2 kids upstairs just for diaper changes!  Here's a picture of our great find:

4.  Lastly, I think I've found what I want Evan to wear home from the hospital!  I found this adorable sock monkey onesie set and hat at Buy, Buy, Baby the other night while I was there returning the changing table pad that didn't fit.  Figures...I go to return something and end up spending money instead.  Either way, this will be perfect for him to wear home in early September with a pair of brown pants and some socks.  I love it!

Next on our list: 

• Get Sean to sleep and nap in his toddler bed so we can move the baby furniture to the nursery.
• Buy a nice new furniture set for Sean's bedroom.
• Make (have my mom make) curtains for both of the boy's bedrooms.
• Put together a Big Brother gift bag for Sean.
• Pick out something for Sean to give to Evan.
• Buy their "Big Brother/Little Brother" t-shirt/onesie.
• Decorate both of the boy's bedrooms and get all the baby clothes and gear out and ready to go.

Thankfully we have the next 3 months off to do this!  Sounds like we'll have our work cut out for us while Sean takes his afternoon naps...

Wordless Wednesday!

25 Week BumpWatch!

How far along? 25 weeks, 2 days!

Weight gain/loss: Hovering around 20 lbs.  I hope it stays there for a few more weeks.

Feeling: My back has really started to bother me.  Only on the lower left side - my usual spot. 

Sleep: It's becoming more and more challenging because of the back pain.  The only position that feels comfortable is sleeping on my back.  But, I'm not supposed to do that, so I allow myself to rest on my back for short intervals so I can get some sleep.

Food cravings: Nothing in particular lately.  I'm still snacking on my usual Lucky Charms, chips, and various ice cream/popsicles.

Movement? All the time!  In fact, baby just had the hiccups last night for the first time (or first time that I felt).  It was pretty exciting!  Scott has felt some outside movement too, which is always fun.

What I miss? Beer.  Beer.  Beer.

Best moment this week: Deciding on a name last Thursday evening!  You can see it above in the picture!  And booking the newborn photographer too.  Crossing things off the list!

What I'm looking forward to: Being done with school/work!  Only 5 more work days for me and I'm done until I come back from maternity leave in late November/early December.

Next Appointment: Tomorrow morning for my 3 hour fasting glucose screening since I failed the 1 hour.  I did that with Sean too, so I'm not worried.  Everything will be just fine. 

Milestones: Baby Evan is the size of a cauliflower.  If we were able to see it, his hair now has a distinct color and texture that he'll have at birth.  How exciting!  A little redhead?!  Yeah, right.

Spending some time with nature...

Those that know me should know that I'm not really an "outdoorsy" person.  My idea of roughing it is staying at a Holiday Inn.  But, as week four of my photography class approached, I realized I would have to sport myself in gym shoes and bug spray and venture out to Maybury State Park to be one with the trees and trails.

It was a gorgeous evening!  The sun was setting beautifully over the pond.  It was quiet and serene.  The bugs were at a minimum.  And I even befriended a girl in my class who is a fellow teacher so we were able to critique our teacher's teaching styles, complain about the crappy political situation, and make fun of each others' pictures. 

After looking at the pictures at home on the computer, I have to say that I was quite impressed with a few of them.  And I was thrilled to try some new techniques like panning.  While we couldn't capture any bikers on the trails with the panning, our teacher was nice enough to be our subject.

Here's my latest and greatest:

Some of my classmates "in the field".

I mastered depth of field!!

Yay for depth of field!

Borrowing my friend's zoom lens

Our teacher giving us a lesson

My friend, thrilled that I snapped this gem of her

Panning!

Yes, I meant to do this

And that too

Next week's lesson is on flash - oh boy!  But, I'm getting excited at all that I'm learning in a few short weeks.  Makes me feel motivated to take another class...next summer maybe?