Saturday, August 25, 2012

Operation Shower

A few months ago I received an email from the squadron that I work if any first time mom would be interested in attending an event called Operation Shower... So because I am a dork researcher before responding to the email I quickly did a Google search. When I saw the website I knew right away I wanted to be apart of it. If I wasn't going to go to the shower, I was going to try (in the future after Skyler is born) to donate. There was a lot of back and forth with the squadron, finally I was able to get in touch with one of the event organizers via their facebook

Leading up to the event Mr.B & I made plans to go to Long Beach NY so we made it into a little "babymoon" it was so wonderful. We walked Long Beaches Nautical Mile, we ate (disgusting microwaved food) at Ottos (on the Nautical Mile), we had ice cream then went and played miniature golf. The following day we headed up to the Barclays. The Barclays is supposed to be one of the hardest golf courses around. They were hosting military appreciation day. Mr.B watched the golfers while I spent the day at the shower. 

When entering you were able to enter a raffle for crib bedding by carousel design. Of course I did! We ate food provided by whole foods. Then the fun started. There were several speakers including Melissa Joan Heart who is currently expecting her THIRD child! They started raffling off items first was the Wonder Bug activity center - well what do you know EVERY MOM received one! Then there was the bedding raffle. There was a boys/girls/neutral raffle and guess what? I WON THE GIRLS!!  It matches Skylers nursery colors perfectly. It couldn't have worked better... now we have two sets which is great since we didn't register for any extra bedding. 
Facebook

Made in the USA by Carousel Designs
After the initial raffles we were ALL given HUGE boxes filled with goodies...  


I took this in Sklyers nursery :)
The box on the left is the box that was filled with goodies, HUGE right? I am sure I am going to miss things but let me try to name some of the items that were given - for free - to all the moms (each box was gender specific and age specific they asked us in advance what we were having and when we were due)  
  • Moby Wrap
  • Two winter newborn outfits
  • Disney onsies SIX total (so soft)
  • LOTS of books - for mom and baby
  • Build a Bear white teddy 
  • A Diaper bag by Petunia Picklebottom (which I ADORE) 
  • A book titled Sh*tty Mom (LOVE IT - the Author was there and personally gave out her books)
  • A book titled Plan a Party (I love parties! This author was also there! )
  • ANOTHER set of sheets and a crib blanket from Carousel Designs
  • A pair of shoes
  • A tether
  • Wipes
  • A memory book (to put photos for the baby to remember faces) 
  • A baby Brag photo album 
  • A MUM pacifier and bottle
  • An Operation Shower sippy cup
  • The coolest sunglasses
  • Johnston & Johnston body wash
  • Hand knitted hat and bib along with a few other onsies, bibs, towel and receiving blanket
  • (Not Pictured) A Baby's 1st birthday starter kit!
That is pretty much all I can see. I cried when I opened the box. I was so overwhelmed and filled with gratitude. It was amazing.... but that wasnt all. After a few minutes they started raffling off items again. Custom bedding and a crib were given away by Carousel Designs! A Ryder wagon was raffled off, a beautiful watch was raffled. Then they raffled off a bracelet (which I am sad I dont have a photo of and I dont remember the name of the company I will try to remember to update this) EVERYONE got one! There was a Tree of Life on it. I thought it was so symbolic to have all these women who were pregnant (or who had given birth only weeks prior to the event). Then There was a Mclaren Trimuph Stroller raffle - they called number 45, noone had it so OBVIOUSLY that meant EVERYONE got one! CRAZY!? Tears again. The next item was a Britax Marathon 70 Car seat - which you guessed it EVERYONE got one! 
Babies R Us
Babies R Us

After the shower we participated in a military ceremony. I was told because parking was SO far they would mail our goodies to us. Well wouldn't you know yesterday (Friday) I get home to FOUR boxes on my front stoop! Yes. 2 day turn around. So quick. I can not express how much everything meant to me, how filled with gratitude and thanks I am to the people who donated and put together this event. Operation Shower - an amazing organization and I am so lucky that they have touched my life. I still think about it and get chills all the mothers there had smiles from ear to ear. I can not say enough how amazing it all was. Everyone should go check them out... 


** A link on FB from a photographerElizabeth Mascali - An Author who donated the party book! **
  

Sorry for the long post!

xoxo
Mrs.B

p.s. tomorrow is my baby shower with friends & family I CAN NOT WAIIIIIT!!!

30 WEEKS!!!



*I totally missed 29 weeks! Sorry for slacking & I'm sorry this blog has been a week by week linkup and bump update!*
· How far along are you? 30 WEEKS!!! 7 more weeks until your FULL TERM Skyler! Momma and Daddy agree that after October 13th you can come whenever you want. 
· Total weight gain: I am at 198 as of this morning, which is exactly 25LB gain. Very first thing I did was weigh myself - before I ate or drank anything. Typically I weigh myself first thing in the AM and right before bed. I have seen the scale as high as 204 at night. Its just a lot of fluctuation. 
*NOTE: I'm a person who worked my whole adulthood to maintain a weight/look, I've never been 'model thin' I love the curve of my muscles! Gym daily and I ate reasonable but I am here to tell you to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! I was told to continue to workout, which I tried. It is so difficult to go to the gym and not do the routine that you are used to. Or being looked at because your getting a belly. It is/was very difficult for me to walk into the gym with my (amazingly) in shape husband. So I walked, there are days where I WANT to and actually crave a walk. On days where I didn't want to and forced myself to walk I lazily went out on an adventure and it actually hurt to walk. My feet couldn't fit into sneakers, I got blisters, I couldn't drink enough water (I did carry a bottle with me) and I would be out of breath 5 minutes into it. Listen to your body ladies.  Yes, I am going to have to start at square one when I am able to get back into the swing of the gym again, but ya know what? I am going to do it and it will be a challenge that I am completely excited about!*
· Gender : Female - Her name is Skyler Mae
· Maternity clothes: Still the same. Dresses, Gym clothes. My tanks & T-shirts are belly shirts. I have a few maternity shirts I wear.. I may need more in the coming weeks. 
· Stretch marks?: Nope. 

· Wedding rings on or off?: Off & my fake one is getting tight!!

· Sleep: Has been AWFUL. Mr.B and I went out of town for Operation Shower and stayed at a hotel. I woke up at 1AM with awful pains. Mr.B must have felt me wake up and he jumped out of bed so quickly. It was just Skyler all up in my ribs but it was so painfully uncomfortable I could not get back to bed until after 2:30AM. She has been doing that a lot lately... ontop of the sciatic nerve, going to the bathroom a million times a night and my shoulders screaming - sleep is not something that I get a bunch of continuous hours of. 

· Best moment this week?: OPERATION shower. hands down. Was amazing. 

· Movement: A TON! She's going all over the place. I love it! 

· Food cravings: Birthday cake... This is the one that keeps coming back! Thankfully Hubs Birthday is this week :)

· Food aversions: None right now

· Labor signs: None other then a few occasional braxton hicks. During the 4D ultrasound the tech said that Skyler is head down. 

· Belly button in or out?: In. Hopefully it stays that way, but its doubtful!

· What I miss: I miss going out. The beach. Amusement Parks. Fitting into clothes.

· What I'm looking forward to: My baby shower is tomorrow! I can not wait!


· Milestone: Hitting the 30 week mark! 7 more weeks until she is full term! 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Fridays Letters

Bachelorette Party with the Bridesmaids that made the trip to Baltimore MD to celebrate!


Morning!!

I'm linking up again with Ashley at Adventures Of Newlyweds for her Fridays Letters Link up!

Dear Husband : I know I don't say it enough but Thank You for all of the hard work you do at the house. I know I bitch about it a ton but you really do surprise me sometimes. You are an amazing person and I am very lucky to be your wife. I can not wait 11 more weeks until our baby girl has you wrapped around her finger. I cant wait to see how you interact with her!! Your going to be great with this 'Dad' stuff. Dear Skyler: we are going to have to have a talk... Momma and Daddy paid a pretty penny for a 4D ultrasound and you did not play nice. We did get a few really weird but very cute pictures. Your Daddy wanted the ultrasound tech to confirm that you were a girl and boy did you show him! I can not wait to meet you. Its so hard to explain to people how much I love you and I haven't even met you yet (only other Moms/pregnant women would know). Dear Puppies: You guys were very good when Baby Jack came over the other day. When he let out a little scream Layla your ears went up and you wanted to come eat  kiss him so much but I couldn't let you get too close. Maybe when Skyler is here and we get comfortable you can love on her. Oscar and Jessie you two are too silly, and are going to be good brothers and sisters too... Whenever the door to her room is open I catch you in there laying on the rug or just looking at all the things in there. Dear August: You have been an amazing (-ly stressful) month. So far we had a baby shower, a bachelorette party and our 4D ultrasound... we still have 2 days at Long Beach Island, Operation Shower, Patricks Birthday, My baby shower , Nicole's c- section, Patrick's 'surprise' party & our OB appointment. Lets play nice the next few weeks! I am drained here.


Ready for picture overload?!

The DRESSER!! Yes its finished & I love it to pieces! 

Crib (with bumper that's going to be removed!)
Amazing in a very weird way

Big Yawn!

Hi Baby Skyler I love you!
All of us girls in Baltimore



P.S. I love all the comments! Keep em' coming 
xoxo

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

A little late..28 weeks & Sometimes & Always


Sometimes: Time flies SO darn fast. I lose track of everything
Always: Thankful the November is coming up so I can meet this little kicker in my belly

Sometimes: I feel like I nag my husband to death
Always: Feel better when my nagging turns into do'ing so I know he actually listens to me while I nag (LOVE YOU BABY) 

Sometimes: I absolutely HATE to clean and I feel like I do it EVERY dang day!
Always: Would much have a clean house than a crappy dirty house. 

Sometimes: I get the urge to job hunt
Always: Remember time is ticking down and I NEED to try to find something ASAP before my maternity leave will be up


· How far along are you? 28 WEEKS!!! 
· Total weight gain: I am at 199 as of yesterday morning. I know WAY more then my Dr. recommended. It is SO HARD to try to stay on track with weight gain. I really do not feel like I am over eating (at all). I eat when I am hungry and I don't always reach for sweets. I have actually been crazing Mangos and Pineapple lately. 
· Gender : Female - Her name is Skyler Mae
· Maternity clothes: Tons of dresses & stretchy shorts. My tank tops are getting shorter.. pretty soon they will be belly shirts. 
· Stretch marks?: Nope none yet. 

· Wedding rings on or off?: I have my fakey that I wearing still. 

· Sleep: Has been AWFUL. I have sciatic nerve pain (is that what ya call it?). My shoulders are so sore from sleeping on my side. I try to switch from left to right nightly so I can at least give them a rest. Hubsters have been good about massaging my back though. 

· Best moment this week?: Hubs felt her move on Sunday (the 12th)!! We were cuddling on the couch and she was moving... really big movements.. I grabbed his hand and put it on my belly she wailed on him! He was a bit creeped out but it was a good feeling to finally have him feel her. + Tomorrow is our 3D/4D ultrasound!! I am so excited!

· Movement: A TON! 

· Food cravings: Sweets & Fruit

· Food aversions: None right now

· Labor signs: None other then a few occasional braxton hicks. I have also been having lower abdomen pain. Like right above my pelvic bone.

· Belly button in or out?: In. Hopefully it stays that way.
· What I miss: Being able to enjoy the summer & having a glass of wine.
· What I'm looking forward to: The 3D/4D ultrasound. & in 2 weeks we are having the baby shower :)


· Milestone: Defiantly her Daddy feeling her for the first time. I think it also help us (him and I) connect better as a couple and as parents 





Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Well what do we have here?!

Fruit Punch flavored YUCKKKKY
This is how my Monday morning started.... Well after the hour drive home from work and eating a very bland plain breakfast. I went to the hospital and sat in the out patient lab for an hour after drinking this bottle of sugar. It wasn't AS bad as I got myself all stressed over. The only think I can kinda compare it to is a VERY strong fruit drink. Have you ever drank a sugary drink that made your throat burn a little? Not like liquor burning feeling but a little tingle/burn feeling? Weird I know. That is the only way I can describe it. I waited an hour in the waiting room and had 5 little tubes of blood taken and was on my merry way... I called this morning for the results and my glucose was good! No gestational diabetes, I don't know why I was so scared of it... maybe just because I have gained 20+ LBS and it terrifies me to have gained so much and I still have over 10 weeks left? Who knows. That was the good news. The bad news was that I had VERY low iron. Super low. I forget what the word was that the NP used on the phone but 13 is the normal low and I was barley a 9. So I just have to add a supplement. 

We also worked on Skylers hand me down dresser. It wasnt too hard... I sanded it lightly to get the glossy junk off and Mr.B spray primed it and painted a sloppy top coat. Just to see if it would match the other furniture.. 

Primed and ready to get painted!

Sloppy coat... NO GOOD!

Mr.B said while I'm at work today he is going to put a full coat on it and possibly a second, it will get darker. We need it to be like a black/brown and that is like a chocolate brown... It will not match! I think tomorrow I will take a trip to home depot while hubsters is on shift. 

This weekend I am SO looking forward to hanging out with my BFF for her Bachelorette party!! I know I cant party like I used to but it doesnt matter it will be an amazing time. OH and how could I have forgotten GO USA!  This is Hub and the Pug Jessie watching  US vs. Canada Woman's Soccer it was an amazing nail bitter match. US came out on top playing Thursday against Japan for the gold! 


Talk to you all soon! xo


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Sometimes & Always

Linking up with Megan from Mackey Madness for Sometimes & Always! You should too!!!



Sometimes: I get these spurts of energy to work on Skylers room
Always: Takes longer then expected but we have a few months longer (even though in my perfect world it will be done before her shower at the end of this month!!)
Pass me down dresser primed and ready for paint


a VERY rough first coat to see if the color was right... I don't think it is at all. :(

Sometimes: I have the urge to paint my nails
Always: Lasts about 3 days until it starts to look horrid and then it still takes days before I take the polish off

Sometimes: All I want is a good nights sleep
Always: Would rather toss and turn with the Hubs and Dogs in bed then sleep at work alone.

Sometimes: I wish I could get a massage every day
Always: Realize I am not rich.. and that makes me sad.

LINK UP!!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

27 Weeks!






· How far along are you? 27 WEEKS!!! 
· Total weight gain: Last time I weighed myself I was 196- Last time I went to the OB I was 194... My weight fluctuation so much its insane. Water + Swelling + Eating! I asked my OB what was OKAY to gain and she told me I could gain about a pound a week until I was due, OR preferably .5 a pound a week. It would be easier on my body that way.
· Gender : Skyler Mae :) She is going to be so loved!
· Maternity clothes: LOTS of dresses. Gym shorts when I'm home or in the car for a long period of time.
· Stretch marks?: Nada!! I read it has a lot to do with genetics and my Momma said that she only got very light ones and not a lot at all. I'm hoping I'm as lucky as her!

· Wedding rings on or off?: I have my fakey that I wearing still. Next month sometime I want to bring my rings back to the jeweler to be dipped

· Sleep: When I can get comfortable I am golden. But that's my problemo I can not for the life of me get comfortable... 

· Best moment this week?: To see Skyler kicking. It was crazy creepy she was kicking around while I was laying on the couch and I was just looking at my belly and it started making waves. Amazed by her. 

· Movement: A bunch.

· Food cravings: Sweets. Like Cupcakes and Cake.

· Food aversions: None right now

· Labor signs: I think I felt my first few braxton hicks. They weren't too bad but I hear they progress with you. 

· Belly button in or out?: In. Hopefully it stays that way.

· What I miss: Going to amusement parks

· What I'm looking forward to: The 4D ultrasound! Its in 10 days! 

· Milestone: Seeing her moving around from the outside... It is a wonderful feeling to be able to see how strong shes getting.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Fridays Letters

My Dear friend Robyn and I
Today I'm linking up with Ashley from Adventures of Newlyweds for Fridays Letters!

Dear Rock 'n' Roll for the Animals: You were such a good night! I hope the PSPCA got tons of donations and copious amounts of money was raised! Dear Robyn: We've been friends for a super long time.. We've always been the crazy animal lovers. People would look at our friendship like WTF those girls have nothing in common but you are one of my best and longest friendships and you put on an AMAZING event last night. I am very proud of you and even more proud to call you my friend. Dear Husband: After weeks of begging the dresser is down in the bar room! Hopefully while I'm at work today you got your cute little butt to work on it. Our next big project is getting rid of those tree limbs. Delaware spiders are going to take over that mess and I wont be a happy pregnant woman. Dear Skyler: Tomorrow is week 27 & according to my appy that means HAPPY THIRD TRIMESTER! That scares the hell out me and makes me so excited because its one step closer to meeting you. Dear August: YOU are one busy month... Which means I will have a ton to blog about.

xoxo
Mrs. B

p.s. tomorrow I will be posting my 27 week update! & my goals to get rid of a credit card and try to save every penny before Skyler gets here. Check back with me!