Pregnancy: 31 Week Update

How far along? 31 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Coconut (3.5lb!!!)

Weight Gain: We all know the answer to that from last week....so let's not talk about it again until next week, shall we? 

Nursery: It is coming together!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited. 

This week I ordered the monitor as our item of the week. Only a few things left on the list! 

I did add a white noise machine to the list, however. After some research, I picked this one: 

The humidifier I picked that we've ended up using in LW's room bc his kicked the bucket isn't as noisy as our previous humidifier. I really like it (once I painted over the nightlight which was actually like EXTREMELY BRIGHT HEADLIGHT) because it has great output, is small and lasts all night long on one tank, but I specifically remember needing white noise for LW in his newborn days, and really until recently we had the really noisy humidifier in his room that buffered out sounds. This is the humidifier we have now: 

So since the new humidifier is so quiet, I decided a white noise machine is a good thing to have. For LW we used an old iPhone in a docking station with a free white noise app. Problem with that was the home button on that iPhone didn't work consistently, and if I forgot (in my sleep-deprived state) and hit "play" on the docking station, Carrie Underwood would start BLASTING through the speakers at the volume we had been playing soothing waves sounds previously. 

That made for plenty of panicked mommy moments, LW jumping awake, and a lot of frustration. So, I'm not doing that again. $42 will be well-spent on that little noise maker machine. It's gotten great reviews. 

Movement: This little dude is a WILD MAN. He's moving around so much lately! It's really fun. I feel like he's very long because I already always feel him very low in my pelvis while simultaneously feeling him up at my rib cage. I have a feeling my dreams of a baby under 8lb may just be that....dreams :)

Symptoms: Well, this is where it gets interesting. Thursday afternoon LW and I visited my dad in the hospital (he just had both knees replaced) and I got stuck in traffic on my way home. I had to use the bathroom REALLY BADLY by the time I finally arrived to my door and had been contracting from the need to use the bathroom (or so I thought). Turns out the contractions didn't stop once I "emptied my tank" and continued fairly aggressively for over an hour.

I contacted my midwife and made a plan on what to do if they continued but thankfully after a lot of water, sitting with my feet up and completely relaxing 100%, the contractions slowed and eventually stopped.

That said, we're considering Mo a bit of a flight risk so I'll be taking it easy more often than not the remaining 8 weeks....as much as I can possibly stand to do so.

Also, I have SO MANY BRAXTON HICKS lately! It's like my uterus doesn't realize it's done this before and thinks it needs to practice. Earth-to-uterus: YOU GOT THIS. CALM YO'SELF.

I've had a little heartburn this week, but nothing crazy (thankfully). My back hurts now and then. I'm tired. You know...third trimester woes.

Cravings: I think it's probably just residual from Easter, but CHOCOLATE THE MINUTE LW GOES TO BED. As much as possible, get it in my belly. Just thinking about it right now I think I need to bite the ears off of a bunny.

Looking forward to: Getting the final items done in the nursery. I have a craft list of things I want to do and between that, freelance work (blessed!), Jamberry, What I Feed My Kid, housework, LW, sewing ring slings, and oh, trying to "relax" I don't know how I'll do it all!!! One day at a time, I guess :)

Things I can't stop thinking about: Nothing, really. I'm just trying to take it one day at a time and get all of my tasks done on my various lists as I go. 

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Toddler Mini Diaper Bag Necessities

Somewhere along the way in the last 23ish months, LW became a toddler. Toddlers, while exhausting in many ways, are way less work to be out and about with because they don't need 400 diapers. This means I don't need to carry my full diaper bag around anymore (for the time being...until Mo arrives).

Now I just carry one Zipper Pouch by Thirty-One. And can you believe that one little tote holds all of these goodies?! Plus, with just one cloth AIO diaper in the tote, it fits in my purse!

This way, I can be totally ready for a diaper change if we are out and about. If I am going out without LW I can take it out of my bag and leave it in the car without wondering if I forgot my wallet, keys or sunglasses in the diaper bag (you know it's happened to you...).

Here is what I keep it stocked with:

1. The bag is the Zipper Pouch by Thirty-One
2. Wet bag (I make my own)
3. CJ's Butter Stick - All of their scents are AMAZING
4. Norwex Travel Enviro Cloth
5. Norwex Hand Cleaner (an alternative to anti-bac gel)
6. California Baby Sunscreen
7. Doggie bags, because I rarely remember #2
8. AIO diapers
9. Emergency wet-wipe
10. Wipes

What do you use for diaper changes on the go? 

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Pregnancy: 29 Week Update

How far along? 29 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Butternut squash. Is it just me, or is that like....THE SIZE OF A REAL BABY.  

Weight Gain: Haven't checked since 26 weeks. Another week and I'll find out the damage this month. 

Nursery: Well, one of the items on my Someday List was to clean out LW's closet, and I did that this week! All newborn-y items were moved over to Mo's closet. I haven't started the dresser yet so things are a little bit disorganized since I don't have anywhere to put his clothes other than on shelves in the closet. 

Over Christmas we purchased blinds for Mo and LW's rooms but unfortunately they won't work for Mo's room. One has broken from LW's room and one in Mo's room clicks...which will not do. So next weekend Hubs will be tasked with taking the two broken blinds down and installing the one good blind from Mo's room into LW's room. I'll return the two broken blinds and use the store credit to find an alternative for Mo's room. The blinds we bought were on clearance because the store was going to discontinue them. While I am there I may find some curtain rods with a few coupons as well so we can get all of the window treatments up and ready. 

Also, WE SOLD OUR HOUSE! Pending a few final details, we will be able to begin moving our furniture over in the next few weeks. That means LW will get the twin bed that has been staging the old house....and it means we will be setting the crib up for Mo :) 

Movement: Hubs thinks because I am so relaxed now being a SAHM that Mo is finally able to be his "true self" which is a WILD MAN! Here I hoped we would get one docile little nugget baby and it's proving not to be true lately based on his actions inside me! He's just bopping all over in there all the time lately. It's kind of fun...but kind of nauseating. 

Symptoms: HEARTBURN!?!?! First time in my life yesterday I had heartburn for hours. What. The. Heck! Of course, I'm cheap and bought the generic brand TUMS to have in the house and they are AWFUL. I ate them all night long when I got up to use the bathroom and my mouth still tastes like chalk. Note to self: Buy the real thing to have on hand. The really good smoothies kind. Because these Costco ones are the worst. (Sorry Costco. Still love you otherwise.) 

My belly band made me feel sick to my stomach yesterday and as soon as I took it off, I felt better. I concluded that I have outgrown it (already) so I just ordered a replacement using Amazon points today. It's not the same brand, but it's the same style - wide back brace/under belly support/over belly support. And it was less than half of the cost of the original. Should have bought this from day 1! 

I'm also swelling a lot lately. Today I made a conscious effort to spend the late afternoon/evening drinking A LOT of water, using the bathroom every time I got the slightest urge and snacking on fruit. My wedding rings have gone from, "I may need to take these off for the rest of the pregnancy" to, "I can't even tell I'm pregnant based on my hands". That's significant! I must drink more water and put my feet up more frequently. Must, must!!!

Cravings: Nothing really this week! Lemonade give me mild heartburn so I haven't really been drinking that and cinnamon rolls just aren't front-of-mind. Nothing is screaming "EAT THIS NOW!" to me this week, which is nice! If I eat too much, I get heartburn too so I am trying to just snack a lot on healthy stuff instead of have "meals". Meals make me feel gross. 

Looking forward to: Meeting our sweet little Mo. I can't wait to see what he looks like. 

Things I can't stop thinking about: The nursery! I am excited to be making strides. We have budgeted and couponed so well that we haven't spent more than a few dollars total on all of the items we need for him from the registry. Items like window treatments will be more expensive, but thankfully the savings from purchasing the other items with Amazon rewards points and Kohl's coupons/Kohl's cash or Jamberry earnings will allow us to buy those other necessary items with ease. It took some serious planning and patience, but was completely worth it!!!! 

By my calculations we have three more weeks of purchasing items from the registry and we're done (at $25/week). Should have just been two after today's purchase (a stroller lock!), but last night LW's humidifier died so he had to take Mo's. Thankfully we have 10ish more weeks before we NEED any of the remaining items. 

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Someday List

My first few days as a SAHM were pretty surreal. The weather in Chicago went from winter to spring overnight, the air smelled cleaner, the house seemed bigger...everything really felt ideal.

And then reality hit.

Kidding, but really, there were a few days of "honeymoon" period where LW and I did everything and went everywhere and now things are settling into a nice little routine for us.

Every morning, we start by having breakfast together, followed by him watching some Daniel Tiger while I do the breakfast dishes and dinner dishes from the previous evening. Then I head upstairs to sneak a shower while he's still enthralled in Daniel. Around 9:30-10:00am we head to an open gym, library or friend's house many days during the week to blow off a little steam. He falls asleep on the way home, takes a solid nap and that's when I can do as I wish.

This is the "golden" time, as all moms know and understand. Nap time is the one quiet, blissful, beautiful time during the day where we can eat candy bars without hiding behind the pantry door or do our nails without also being a jungle gym.

Every day I have a list of things I plan to accomplish. I love having lists - even if I put things on it just to cross them off. I feel so accomplished watching my list dwindle.

In addition to my "Daily Chores" list, I now keep a "Someday List". This list is full of those tedious, seemingly impossible, challenge-packed tasks that when you realize they need to be done you chuckle to yourself and say "Someday". Someday. As in....never. Me telling myself "Someday" might as well be me telling myself "No chance in Hell I will ever actually do that".

WELL, I've actually started the list. AND I plan on doing the items that are on it! Because....if an item is on my list, I mean business. If I share mine...will you share yours?

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DIY Chevron Metal Locker & New Furniture

Slowly but surely, we are starting to furnish our new home. We are decorating this home with the same mentality we decorated the last house, slow and steady. As we find pieces we can't live without that are prices we can't pass up, we buy.

Over time, this is proving to not only be an awesomely affordable method, but we are finding such unique pieces. Our home is such a blend of new and antique in and out...it really inspires me to find even more amazing pieces to put here.

This summer when we knew we would be moving in the fall, we started keeping our eyes peeled at garage and estate sales for anything we felt was special.

Somehow, this locker spoke to me. And I needed it. Also, it was $5.

Look at how sweet and imperfect it is?! How could I say no, especially for $5.

Well, it moved with us and has sat in our garage for months and finally Hubs took the bull by the horns and told me it's time to do something with that locker.

We desperately needed a solution for our toy/book overflow in the family room and this turned out to be the perfect vessel for those items.

Hubs had two weeks off of work around Christmas and New Year's so he worked like a dog and gave our cheap old locker a whole new life. All I did was pick paint and say "I think I want chevron stripes on the front" (which, I realized I"m kind of into chevron right now since I just bought LW chevron curtains but whatever. I'm on-trend, right?!) and Hubs took care of the rest. I am THRILLED with the result and cannot believe how adorable it looks. Plus, it's fully functional for our book storage in the family room. Did you hear me?! I said it's STYLISH, FUNCTIONAL and was AFFORDABLE. That's like, jackpot. Thank you, Hubs. You are the champion of all champions.

Now, this our family room after we organized the books in the locker and moved a majority of the toys into their new home, the living room:

So much nicer!! And cleaner. It's easy to just turn the light off after bed time in the living room and not need to look at the mess. When all the toys were in the family room it felt so claustrophobic. If I didn't pick them up, it was always a mess I had to overlook to watch TV. Now, I just have to toss a few books into the locker after bedtime and I use that teal bucket on the fireplace as overflow toy storage. So if any toys from the living room make their way into the family room, they go in that bucket. It's great!

And - you can see in that photo of the family room that we bought a new chair! We have a Macy's furniture clearance store about 4 miles from our house and we stalk it. Frequently. That beautiful little chair (which I commonly post on Instagram from) Was $150. It reclines and is unbelievably comfortable! It's the perfect chair for pregnancy, too because it's really supportive through my lower back. Such a beautiful thing.

Today, we bit the bullet and bought a couch we'd been stalking for months. We fell in love when we first saw it buying our chair, but didn't want to pay the price they had it marked as. Just by having patience for a few months, we saved $200 on the couch. Meet our $400 little number, which may look familiar :)

Recognize that? It's the big-brother couch to our little yellow $300 couch from the old house. Sure, it's green instead of yellow but we have never shied away from color. Eventually the little yellow couch will move into the new house and sit across this green guy in our formal living room. Here is a reminder;

We are hoping to find an occasional chair in a bold, fun print to seat adjacent to these couches in our living room along with our favorite estate sale find to date, our vintage chest coffee table. You can see that here, in one of our listing photos (with the cute yellow couch) in the old house:

And here from an older post:

See what I mean? Vintage and modern, all in one space. It makes my heart go pitter-patter.

The new house is slowly starting come together more and more! It's becoming more "us" all the time, which I love.

Eventually, the living room will be an "adult" space for entertaining and the toys will all migrate downstairs but for now, while we have little to no furniture, LW gets to run wild in there with all of his toys. With me working from home, it works really well. LW isn't big enough yet to play in the basement alone and I surely don't want to work downstairs all day anyway. This way we both get to enjoy all the natural light this house allows during the day and at night I don't have to look at toys and mess.

One more new chair recently came home with us, courtesy of a friend who I love buying hand-me-downs from. I've been wanting one of the Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chairs for LW for a while, and she happened to have one to unload. A simple patch over the name and we will be golden :) Or, I may try to find a slipcover for that chair with his name on it in a color that works a little more cohesively in our family room space (greens and browns). We'll see what kind of bargains I fall into.

LW clearly loves it, regardless of what name is on it or what color it is.

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What You REALLY Need To Cloth Diaper

This post has been a long time coming...I mean a lonnnnnnng time coming. So many friends ask me how they can prepare and what they need to cloth diaper and I've rattled off my basics list in a hundred emails but I think having a list on this blog may help more people, and help me not forget anything when someone asks!

I started cloth diapering Billy at 9 days old. My best suggestion is if you're expecting your first and you haven't had a shower yet, feature a raffle ticket announcement in your shower invite. Explain that every cloth diaper gift will receive a raffle ticket for an AWESOME prize at the shower. I did this at one of my showers and because of it I did not NEED to buy a single diaper for my stash. I did anyway, because cloth diapers are so cute, but I did not NEED to buy any diapers. None. NADA! It's a beautiful thing, people.

If you want to CD from day one, you need a full newborn stash. Cloth diapers say "One size fits all". I'm going to tell it to you straight: They lie. Register for some newborn diapers. And they can be velcro, because they're easier and wittle bitty fingers will not search to rip them off. OS diapers will fit nicely once your little is around 12-15lb and MUST ALL BE SNAPS. Or else. ;-)

SO! The list. I'll link everything I can, and these are all the brands Hubs and I prefer. TONS of other brands are out there, so do your research! I can provide another post w/ explanation for everything, but this is JUST the list. Trying to keep it simple for the newbies :) Enjoy!

Newborn Cloth Diapers
24 Size 1 Prefolds (We love: OsoCozy)
8-10 Size 1 Covers (We love: Thirsties Hook & Loop)
1 pack of 5 Snappis
5-8 NB AIOs (We love: Li'l Joeys Snap)

One Size Diapers
18 Size 2 Prefolds (We love: OsoCozy)
10-15 Diaper Covers (We love: Flip, Blueberry, Rumparooz)
8-10 Pocket Style Diapers (We love: BumGenius 4.0)
5-8 AIO Style Diapers (We love: BumGenius Freetime)
5 Hemp Inserts for Pocket Diapers (We love: Hemp Babies Diaper Doubler)
6-12 Charcoal Bamboo Inserts for Pocket Diapers (We love: the cheapest ones you can find)

Misc Other Necessary Materials
California Baby Diaper Rash Cream
CJ's BUTTer Stick
2 Planet Wise Diaper Pail Liner
Diaper Pail  (We love: SORTERA from IKEA)
Norwex laundry detergent 
Tide
OxyClean
Diaper Sprayer
Kirkland brand baby wipes
40 newborn wash cloths to use as wipes 
California Baby Diaper Area Wash
Drying Rack (We love: a standalone for sunning diapers [as seen in image above] and a wall-mount)
Something to store all of your clean diapers (We love: ANTONIUS from IKEA w/ 4 plastic 7 gallon drawers)

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Favorite Life Hacks

You've seen them everywhere - those 'Life Hack' posts of things that people SWEAR make your life easier! Well, I've been trying a few of them and have to admit, what I've tried has really worked! And definitely made my life easier. Here are a few of my faves (found on Pinterest and Google)

I love to make pasta and quinoa salads and cutting a million little cherry tomatoes in half takes forever. This life hack really works, but you need a super sharp knife to do it.

This one is my own invention, I rigged my stroller with two Mommy Clips and a Large Utility Tote from Thirty-One to get a shopping cart I can walk to and from the grocery store or through the farmer's market with! The neighbors on my street are also using this trend to their advantage!

 I do this with Billy when he's congested and it really helps him sleep!

 Marshmallows in brown sugar keeps it from clumping and drying out. So great!

I just tried this one yesterday, I had a watermelon to chop for a party and it worked PERFECTLY. Everyone got bite-sized wedges of watermelon and I had no mess to clean up from cutting the watermelon. It took me less than five minutes to cut up the melon and clean it up. I will be using this forever.

What are some of your favorite life hacks? 

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