He's A Belly Sleeper!

    I had my doctor's appointment this morning, and so far so good! Baby H is measuring 20 weeks and 4 days, although they are keeping me at 20 weeks and 2 days(they only change your due date if it's at least 10 days different). He was moving around quite a bit, but when we tried to get a picture he was on his belly. He's still a boy haha! It's kinda funny because last night I had a dream he was a girl and they had it wrong before, but we're sure he's a boy. My doctor was telling me how important it is right now to get as much calcium as I can so the baby won't be sucking it from my bones. So don't be surprised if you see me in Food Lion buying 3 gallons of milk at a time!

    Some of you may remember in my last post I was taking about my horrible indigestion problems. Well yesterday I didn't take my prenatal vitamin to see if that could be affecting my indigestion. The result: my indigestion was way better(I had slight issues still but not the massive amount I had before). So I asked my doctor if he could prescribe me a vitamin with maybe a thicker coating to help prevent it from affecting my digestive system so harshly. This is what he sent me home with....

   I think he sent me home with like 4 different prenatal vitamins. He told me just try one, if I like it give him a call and he'll write a prescription for me. If I don't throw it away and try a new one. So thanks to my doctor I have plenty of options, hopefully I'll find one I like!
   In other news I have been looking online for a good, cheap maternity dress for the holiday season. I thought I found actually 2 dresses I liked at Target for only $10 each, but when I went to order them I realized they didn't have my size. I looked online at every store I could think of but everywhere else was either not cheap enough for me( maybe it is for y'all but just ask my husband, I'm cheap), only had summer dresses, or didn't have my size! Maybe I'll just wear sweats, or a potato sack, during the holidays. I plan to check out Kid to Kid(a children's and maternity consignment store) and a few other places, but if you know of any good places to find maternity dresses please let me know!
    Soon Dillon and I need to sign up for Lamaze classes. I was comforted to hear my doctor say if we didn't get around to taking Lamaze classes they can still talk me through everything at the hospital. So I'll breath a little easier, for now haha. I would love to hear y'all's experiences with Lamaze classes and if there's any other classes that might be helpful to Dillon and me.
   With Christmas approaching fast( yes I'm one of those people haha) I really need to start looking up cookies recipes! I love baking for the holidays, but I always feel like I never get around to it until Christmas is basically over. This year I will start early, please don't quote me. At least I'm always crazy early with our trees. Here's our first one this year and my latest bump picture!

        P.S. Yes I know Halloween isn't even here until tomorrow. I told you I'm one of those people.

Burning, Blinking, & Bedspreads

  It's raining, but hey at least we're halfway through the week! Before you know it the weekend is here....and then it's gone haha! That's pretty much sums up most of our lives, at least I think so. We wait and we hope for something that only stays for a short time, then we blink. Moral of the story, enjoy things while they are here.
   Speaking of blinking, I was 19 weeks yesterday, which makes Baby H the size of a Zucchini(who picks this stuff??!!) and should be able to suck his thumb! At his last ultrasound it looked like he was trying to put it in his mouth but hadn't quite figured it out.
  As far as symptoms go I've mostly been having muscle pain in my legs, joint pain in my hips, and indigestion strong enough to light a candle. My doctor told me I should try a Belly Band. I've heard of women using it to wear their pre-baby pants longer but haven't heard many talk about the pain relieve benefits. As for the indigestion I have been drinking tons of water, eating slowly, drinking milk, but it always comes back with a vengeance. I don't wanna try Tums since I've heard it actually can make it worse and pregnant women should avoid it. If anyone knows of some natural remedies for indigestion, or if you've used a Belly Band or something like it, I would greatly appreciate your advice!
  In other news I got a new bedding set for our bedroom! I had one that I bought the June before we got married at Target. It was on sale for $40, 3 pieces(comforter and 2 shams), and was gold. Well probably about a month ago I noticed some holes on the top near the foot of the bed on Dillon's side. They were noticeable but not huge. Then they got bigger, and bigger, and now it's one big hole. Like the size of a really big "zucchini". I have no idea why it would happen, it's never happened with any other comforters or quilts I've had.
   So I've been looking around for something new, preferably without gaping holes, and we found this....

   I love it!!! At first I was looking for something beige or cream, but I'm so glad I went with this one. It kinda reminds me of Blue Willow china. I found it at Wal-mart for $50. It's from the Better Homes and Gardens line, and it's called Indigo Scrollwork. It's a 5 piece set( comforter, 2 shams, and 2 throw pillows). You can't find it on the Wal-mart website, but they might have it on there now since I looked like a week ago.
   Now that we have our new bedding I really want to have a fresh color for the walls. As you can see the walls are a light green, which I love, but I feel like it looks a little dingy now. It went well with the gold bedding but it's time for a change. Something still on the lighter side maybe? If you have any suggestions of a paint color I'd love to hear them!!!
   This Saturday night I have our church's annual Fall Follies. It's basically a talent show, only sillier! We have all kinds of acts from skits to musical performances. I usually choreograph a dance to perform somewhere in the show. Sometimes it's lyrical, sometimes it's theater jazz. But I won't be putting on my dancing shoes this year. Although I do have something else in the works for Saturday night. Here's a video of what my husband and I did a couple years back. Excuse the technical difficulties, it was better in practice, but he wasn't wearing his cute suit!

7 Beauty Tips For Pregnancy And Beyond

   If you're like me pregnancy makes you super aware of everything you do. You have to think before you eat anything, and also before you use a lot of beauty products you're used to using. Here are just a few tips to keep looking and feeling your best! By the way, these tips are great for everyone, especially if this (see picture below) isn't your morning routine.

1.Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Fine Lines

The retinoids found in most anti-aging moisturizers and products are something you should be avoiding while pregnant. That doesn't mean you can't still be preventing wrinkles. EVOO is going to keep your skin hydrated leaving it supple and smooth. Simply dab it on any problems areas on your face at night and let it work while you sleep. If you'd prefer not to use it over night just leave it on for 20 minutes and wash it off with warm water. Keep in mind it is sticky! Also if you find it causes you to break out more only use it under your eyes.

2. Toothpaste For Acne

If you have acne odds are you use a face wash or some kind of treatment that has salicylic acid in it, which is yet another thing pregnant women should avoid.(Side-note: you're probably wondering why you need to avoid all of these products since you won't be using them orally. Anything you put on your face has the potential to seep into your body through your pores. So keep that in mind anytime you use something on your skin). Toothpaste is good for dealing with acne since it is very drying when you put it on skin. Just dab a little anywhere you see a blemish(or cluster of blemishes) and it should help them to downsize.

3. Shaving With Baby Oil

Now don't go running to throw out your shaving cream. It's perfectly fine. But if you're just looking to prolong the life of your razor, or you ran out of shaving cream and you happen to have baby oil on hand, it's an awesome substitute. It gives you a nice close shave, and you don't need to use a lot! Just slather it all over your leg and get shaving!

4. Drink Lots Of Water

I'm sure you've heard this a million times. I know I have! But it can't be said enough. Not only do you and baby need water to live but your skin needs it to look it's best. Plus if you've had any cramping water is a way to make yourself feel better.

5. Walking 

Now that you're carrying around an extra 20 or 30 pounds exercising is the last thing on your mind I bet. Walking is one of the best low impact ways to keep moving through those 9 months. It's good to keep the bloat away, enhances mental well being,and helps maintain blood sugar levels. Please consult your doctor first before starting any exercise routines.

6. Using Vanilla Extract As Perfume

Perfume is fine during pregnancy, but it might make you feel queasy to smell it. Vanilla extract is something you can swap your usual perfume out for.  Just dab a a little on your pressure points(behind the ears, your wrists, etc.) before you leave the house. Bonus: men love anything that smells like baking, so your significant other should love the scent as well!

7. Facial Exercise Or Massage

Say what??!! I know this one might sound silly, but if you think about it we exercise our bodies to look firmer and younger, why not our faces?  Some people claim these are alternatives to botox and surgeries. Here is just one of many facial exercise routines, but you can find more on YouTube just like any other exercise videos. As for facial massage, that can be great if you've been experiencing headaches and sinus pressure. An easy massage you can do would be to gently rub your temples in a circular motion for a few minutes. You'd be surprised at the amount of tension released!

Please let me know if any of these tips helped you, I'd love to hear your feedback!

Is That A Kick?

    Getting closer to the half way mark! I'm 18 weeks today. Hopefully soon I'll start feeling Baby H's movements. A mama can hope! Although my mom told me some women don't actually feel anything until 20 weeks. I've felt a few things that made me think it was him, but nothing for sure feeling.
    The other day it hit me. In 10 weeks I'll be in the 3rd trimester. No sense of panic here haha! But really, labor seems pretty daunting the closer I get. I'm praying that all of a sudden when the day is finally here I'll just have this overwhelming peace about everything. Also I've heard Lamaze classes are very helpful as far as feeling prepared.
    I've been told that around this time your appetite is suppose to be getting bigger(just like the baby is getting bigger). So far I haven't noticed a huge increase in that department, but I am psyched to try some of the crock pot mac 'n' cheese I'm making today! I found the recipe on Pinterest. Super easy, just 4 ingredients. I'll let you know how it turns out.
   Speaking of food, Baby H is now the size of a sweet potato, and should be weighting in at about 7 oz..

   We recently started our registries for Baby H. The first place we went in was Wal-mart. I looked the store over for the registry kiosk and couldn't find it anywhere. So I went and asked costumer service and then they told me that no Wal-mart has the in store option anymore to start a registry, but people can come in and ask them to pull someone's registry up. Keep that in mind if you're planning to register for a baby soon, or a wedding for that matter(I ended up registering online with them a few days later).
    So we headed to Target! Their process hasn't changed much since we registered for our wedding. Except their scanners are now iPhones. I was pretty surprised by how much you have to look at in their baby section. I loooovvvee Target but always thought their baby section was kinda small, which it is compared to place like Babies 'r' us and Buy buy baby. But it was definitely enough to look at for me. I would have liked more clothing options for baby boys though. But you can find way more online, just like any other store!

   If you have any suggestions for Baby H's registry I'd love to hear them!

   P.S. The crock pot mac 'n' cheese has just finished cooking and it is delicious! I was skeptical since it only had two cheeses, but it is nice and cheesy. Excuse the burnt cheese on the sides!

Pink or blue?

   Last Thursday Dillon and I found out Baby H's gender! If anyone has actually been reading this blog you probably know I've been dying to know what we're having! Now we know.....

   Yay!!! We are so excited! Honestly I thought Baby H was a girl. Everyone told me I was carrying high( a common sign of a baby girl). Early on I thought I was having a boy since I didn't have much morning sickness, but it just recently seemed like Baby H must be a girl. I was expecting to hear we were having a girl when I thought I saw something while he was facing us in the ultrasound. Sure enough he's a boy!
 
   Since we were going to see a lot of family on Saturday to celebrate my Grand-daddy's 90th birthday( isn't that awesome?! I really hope Baby H gets to know him well.) we decided to keep it between us and our parents until Saturday.

    Shortly after the cake was cut we gathered everyone in the living room to break the news. Everyone was excited and congratulated. Then I hear my Dad say as he's holding my phone that's suppose to be recording "oh wait, is this recording?". He thought he was taking pictures and completely missed the moment. So we pretended we didn't already tell everyone and did a take two. Here's the result:

 
  Haha on the bright side it was way more enthusiastic the last time. I'm sure Baby H thought it was hilarious!

  Welcome to the family, son!