18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain: 6 lbs total

Maternity clothes? Not yet... I have a couple pairs of jeans that are getting snug, but still a few that fit just fine!

Stretch marks? No, but I am starting to worry about this! I have had terribly dry skin the past few weeks {my hands are cracking open & bleeding} so I definitely need more hydration! I don't really want to pay $40 for stretch mark cream though. I bought some baby oil & am going to try to come up with a homemade recipe!

Sleep: Decent.

Best moment of the week: Finally feeling the baby squirm around in there! The dr. told me I'd start feeling him around 15 weeks, but I didn't until right at 18 weeks. I was laying in bed & thought maybe I felt something but wasn't sure. But then the baby wiggled around for about 30 minutes and I could definitely tell that was it! I feel him/her a lot now! We also had our first (of two) fetal anatomy ultrasounds and everything with baby looks great!.... although I will never understand how they can tell that our baby doesn't have a cleft palate but they can't tell the gender! We have one stubborn baby in there :)

Miss anything? Starting to miss coffee... which means my morning sickness is MUCH better!

Movement: Almost every day after lunch & dinner.

Food cravings: Cream soda... after craving it for about 5 days I finally broke down and got some... it was SOOO yummy.

 Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really anymore. I still don't like to brown hamburger, but I did it this weekend without gagging!

Gender prediction: Depends on the day, so definitely no strong feelings one way or another! 

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Feeling awfully bloated these days. 

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to: My next dr's appt. & getting the baby's room cleaned out. I NEED to do that this week so daddy-to-be can paint :)

No-Slip Baby Girl Hairclip Tutorial

First of all I'd like to say that no, this post does not mean that baby is a girl. Actually, at our 18 week appointment baby decided to play hide & seek so we still don't know the gender! We're hoping to find out at our next appointment which will be at 22 weeks. 

But in the mean time I have been making these bow hair clips as gifts... since I'm pretty convinced that my baby is a boy. {I don't know why... it's just in my brain. Maybe because I know about 8 other girls pregnant with boys right now!}

I found the original tutorial here {at make-it-love-it... great blog!} and changed just a few things. She uses drawer liners to make a non-slip gripper on the hair clips which worked great! 

Supplies: 

Hot glue gun

Ribbon

Hair Clips

Lighter

Scissors

Non-slip grip material

The original post recommends drawer liner, but I couldn't find any less than $10 and I knew I'd only need a little bit, so I got this set of 4 gripper pads at the dollar tree for $1. I only used about a half of one to make over 20 clips. I also got my clips at Sallys.  

First, start by cutting your outer ribbon into 4 inch strips {depending on the size of your clips}. Singe the edges of the ribbon to prevent fraying. 

Next, follow instructions below: 

For the bows, I made 2 different types. I can't decide which one I like better. See below for tutorials on both styles of bows!

For the layered look: 

For the criss-crossed look:

When you're all done, it's time to add the no-slip grip material. The original tutorial had you glue a piece of felt to the back side of the gripper before gluing it to the clip, but for some reason I didn't do that {I think I forgot}. I just glued the gripper it straight onto the clip and it turned out just fine, but I may try the felt sometime in the future. 

 I had so much cute ribbon in my stash that I made a bunch!! They were so simple & look great! 

 Some of the layered bows I just did one layer of ribbon instead of two {see the ones on the right} and I love them both! 

 I also used some of this glittery ribbon from Michaels, although I would only suggest this kind for an older girl since babies can have such sensitive little heads. 

Now, I really need to find some cute boy accessories to make if baby is a boy!! Send any ideas my way because I have scowered pinterest with no luck! 

Partying here this week:

Weekend Wrap Up Party @ TT&J, Threading My Way Hair Accessories Party, Whatcha Got Wednesday @ Lolly Jane, Free For All Friday @ Young & Crafty, Friday Favs @ Naptime Crafters, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now, My Spin on the Pin Party @ Creative Itch, Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal, Sunday Scoop @ I Heart Naptime, Think Pink Sundays @ Flamingo Toes, Saturday Spotlight @ Classy Clutter

*As always, check out my linky parties tab for all of these {and more} fab party buttons!*

17 weeks

 

How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain: 5 lbs

Maternity clothes? Bought a few shirts on clearance for $5, but haven't worn them yet. I figure I'll wait til I have no other options!

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Not terrible, but not awesome.

Best moment of the week: Having almost an entire week of no gagging... first time in 16 weeks!!

Miss anything? Subway!

Movement: Nothing distinct that I can tell yet.

Food cravings: Mostly just sweets/fruit & subs!

 Anything making you queasy or sick: This was the first week that I haven't felt queasy over every little thing! But still not a fan of meat! All I want is carbs!

Gender prediction: I'm kind of thinking it's a boy, but no reason why really! We will hopefully find out next tuesday!

Labor signs: No

Symptoms: Not much this week... just lots of back pain from sleeping & being on my feet all day.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender! Anyone have any tricks on getting the baby to cooperate? I have just heard to eat sugar before the ultrasound... will definitely be trying that!

Bucket of Sweets Valentines Day Gift

Only 2 days left til Valentines Day! But there is still time to make this cute bucket of sweets for someone! It is super easy & doesn't take very long!

For my bucket, I used the bottles from a 4 pack of Starbucks frappuccino... yum! {Added bonus: you can drink all of the yummy frappuccino while you're crafting!}

 First, I painted the edges of the box with a foam brush & acrylic paint. You could probably spray paint easier if you don't live in MN, but it is cold out here and there is no way I'm going outside to spray paint! I did paint the inside but you wouldn't have to since your bottles will cover it. Totally up to you!

 Then I just cut some scrapbook paper & applied it with double sided tape. You could get really creative here, but sometimes I just like the simple & clean look.  

 This is what I filled my bottles with. I only used about 1/2 of the candy from each bag and 2/3 the can of nuts. So you could probably get away with making 2 sets... or just eat the leftovers like me! 

 After I washed out the bottles & scrubbed the sticky stuff off, I painted the caps white. I used a circle punch to punch out some paper & taped it to the top. For these bottles, I didn't have to use goo-gone. I just soaked them in soapy water for about 5 minutes and it came off easily with a washcloth!

 If I'm not back before Tuesday, have a Happy Valentines Day!! 

Linking up here this week:

A Round Tuit @ Creating My Way To Success, FFA Friday @ Sassy Sites,  Craftomaniac Mondays, Craft Catwalk @ Embellishing Life, Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative, Making The World Cuter Monday,

DIY Vday Gift: The MAN Cookbook

Here is a super quick & easy Valentines Day gift you can DIY for the man in your life... unless of course that man actually knows how to cook, then he may think this is silly. {Or you could just put REAL recipes in it!}

My husband cannot cook. When we first started dating, he tried to win me over by telling me that he could. I  quickly found out that was not true. at all. Good thing I like to cook! 

I got this idea because when I was in nursing school, I would have clinicals in the evenings. I tried to have something easy for him to throw in the oven, but sometimes that just didn't happen. One night at clinicals I got a text from him saying that he created his own dinner... not successfully! He boiled egg noodles and topped them with canned tomato soup! Can you say disgusting?! I don't know if he thought it was going to taste the same as spaghetti because it was the same color or what he. But that Valentines Day I decided to make him this cookbook. 

I just used a mini scrapbook. It was one that came in a kit of 3 from Hobby Lobby. 

 I didn't do anything too fancy as far as decorating... I mean, it is for a guy! I just printed out some quick & easy recipes and matted them on some primary colored cardstock. 

 Most of my recipes include ground beef as the meat because I always have ground beef in the freezer, ready to use. That way he doesn't actually have to cook any meat.. because, you know, that would be way too hard! 

 I'm hoping that he will whip this out after the baby comes every once in a while! {Although, I do plan to make at least a month of freezer meals, so he might get off easy if all goes well!}

 I only put about 12 recipes in here, but there was room for 20 so I can add to it as I find more yummy & easy recipes! 

If you have any links {or pinterest boards} for any other good Vday gift ideas for guys, leave them in the comments! I always have  the hardest time thinking of gifts for him! 

Linking up at these fab parties:

20 Below Thursdays @ Christina's Adventures, FFA Friday @ Sassy Sites, Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff & Nonsense, Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge, Coffee & Conversation Thursday @ Passionately Perfect, Simply Creations @ Simple Home Life, Frugal Fridays @ The Shabby Nest, WGW @ Lolly Jane, Weekend Wrap Up @ TT&J, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now, Friday Favs @ Naptime Crafters, Craftomaniac Mondays, Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT, Sugar & Spice @ seven thirty three, Torquoise Lovin @ Sweet Little Gals, Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday, Free For All Friday @ Young & Crafty, WGW @ Lolly Jane, Simply Creations @ Simple Home Life, Sunday Scoop @ IheartNaptime, Think Pink Sundays @ Flamingo Toes

as usual, click here to find all these {and more} awesome buttons to find more linky parties to join!  

16 Weeks

So, I decided to do a belly pic with our chalkboard like I have seen done over at the Little Baby Garvin blog... of course I am totally not as artistic as her, but I thought it would be fun to document my growing belly & pregnancy for our my baby's scrapbook. I'm not sure that I'll do it every week because I'm just not sure that I'm creative enough! And since this isn't a "baby blog", I won't bore you with all the weekly details of my pregnancy. But I thought I'd share the picture of the week. We have hit 16 weeks and I couldn't be happier! Crazy to think how fast it's gone. We feel so blessed! 

And to those of you who have asked about the details in between my "infertility" post and getting pregnant, I will update that soon. But for now I'll just say that God is faithful. 

*I'm terrible at taking pictures and I could NOT get rid of the huge flash mark in the middle of the chalkboard.... On the other side of this room is our sliding glass door so I'm not sure there's any way to get around all that brightness! Sorry!!*

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain: 5 lbs (from 112-117)

Maternity clothes? No, most of my clothes are fitting decently, but I have been loving my yoga pants a lot more lately!Stretch marks? nope

Sleep: Not great... I wake up a lot (which is very abnormal for me) because I'm usually a stomach sleeper & sleeping on my side is not comfortable to me. But no complaints, because I know it will only get worse!

Best moment this week: Seeing my little baby bump poke out (even though I know it's barely there!)

Miss Anything? Enjoying food. Also, I really miss eating subs!
 Movement: Not that I can tell. There have been 2 times where I thought maybe I felt a flutter, but it may just have been hunger pangs. It was over too quick to know for sure!

Food cravings: I don't have much of an appetite. It's 8:00 pm and so far today I've eaten 2 pieces of peanut butter toast, a granola bar & a handful of wheat thins {and a tiny brownie!}... and food does not sound appealing at all!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Pretty much anything I eat, especially meat.

Gender Prediction: It goes back and forth. First, I thought girl... then boy... now I'm totally undecided. We have an appt in 2 weeks & if baby cooperates, we should be able to tell. Our dr. does an ultrasound at every appt. so if not this time, hopefully at our 22 week appt. 

Labor Signs: No... and hopefully not for a LONG time. 

Symptoms: Nauseous, but now it's only after I eat so I'm thankful it's not all day long! Otherwise, feeling pretty good!

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move & finding out the gender 

Mustache Mugs

Can you believe it's almost Valentines Day? It's been kind of a big year around here and I'm not sure that Vday will get as big of a celebration as it has in the past... but I thought I'd show you a quick & easy Vday gift idea. I actually made these up for little Christmas gifts for the guys in our family... but I think they'd still work for your guy for <3 day

Step 1: Cut out the mustache vinyl with silhouette {or other crafty cutter}... they have tons of options to choose from!

Step 2: Stuff with your favorite yummy drink mixes! I chose ghirardelli hot chocolate & some mini hazlenut coffee!

And that's it! :) I think I can handle that even with our non-valentines day this year! {Especially because mr. ji@h appreciates edible gifts more than anything else!}

Linking up here this week:

WGW @ Lolly Jane, Weekend Wrap Up @ TT&J, Friday Favs @ Naptime Crafters, 

Hospital Survival Kit for a New Mom

Hey Everyone!

If you're reading this, you must have stuck by me through my long bloggy-vaca... so THANK YOU! And thank you for all of your sweet comments about our newest addition. I truly believe that everyone's prayers helped make this little miracle happen. You are the best ever!

I managed to do like.......1 craft during my first trimester. And of course, it's baby themed. My cousin had a baby in November & since she picked out the gift we got her I thought we should add in something unique. So here is the Hospital Survival Kit I made. 

The bucket is from ikea for about $2.99. We live about an hour from ikea, so I buy a handful of them every time I go there. I used my vinyl cutter to add the letters. They are the baby blue color {silhouette brand} but it honestly is so light that it almost looks white, especially when cut out small like this. But it still works!

Here is a list of what was stocked in the kit:

-fuzzy socks {i couldn't find any with grippers, but they would be the best for the hospital}

-a mini spa/lotion kit

-face wipes

-burt's bee's chapstick {i've never given birth, but I hear it makes you have dry lips!}

-a stand-up mirror

-chocolate

-mints

-stretchy headbands

-hand sanitizer {see below}

There are lots of other things you could put in this, but I'd suggest a bigger basket if you do! I had a hard time stuffing it all into this little guy.

 I made this hand sanitizer by peeling off the label & adding some vinyls that say "sanitize before snuggles". I figured it was a more polite than saying "You better wash your germy hands before touching my baby!" {Plus, that probably wouldn't have fit on the bottle!}

I can't wait to make another one.... as soon as someone else has a baby!! If you have any other ideas, let me know! Hope you are all doing well! God Bless!

Linking up at these fab parties:

FFA Friday @ Sassy Sites, Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff & Nonsense, Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge, Coffee & Conversation Thursday @ Passionately Perfect, Simply Creations @ Simple Home Life, Frugal Fridays @ The Shabby Nest, WGW @ Lolly Jane, Weekend Wrap Up @ TT&J, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now, Friday Favs @ Naptime Crafters, Craftomaniac Mondays, Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT, Sugar & Spice @ seven thirty three, Torquoise Lovin @ Sweet Little Gals, Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday, Fun Stuff Fridays @ Toys In The Dryer, Tutorial Tuesday @ Hope Studios

as usual, click here to find all these {and more} awesome buttons to find more linky parties to join!