23 weeks and loving every second

I seriously don't know where the time has gone. I can't believe we're already 23 weeks (!!!!) along. In less than 119 days, I will *hopefully* be cuddling with my baby girl. That feels so soon, but luckily, feels like enough time to do obsessive amounts of research to learn how to be a parent prepare for her arrival.

So to start this post off, I'm going to do a little pregnancy survey that I see online all the time and had originally planned on doing every week, but life has gotten a little busy!

Total weight gain/loss: Well, aren't you nosy? As of my last appointment, up 7lbs. To me, this doesn't sound like much, but my belly feels pretty huge, and I know most of the weight will be gained in the last 3 months, so I've got awhile to go! I mean, look at that bump!

A view from the top

Size of Baby: She is the size of a papaya... I am not positive I've ever even seen a papaya in person, but basically she's 11 inches long and weighs over a pound now. You go girl!

Biggest challenges: Actually, I feel pretty fantastic. I know why they call the 2nd trimester the "honeymoon" phase. I feel a little more tired than normal, and it's becoming more difficult to paint my toenails because I have a soccer ball in the way, but other than that, I am embracing how good I feel because (as I've been warned time and time again) I will be eating my words come month 8.

Cravings: Nothing crazy. Just milk. CANNOT. GET. ENOUGH. If I don't have a pint glass every morning I feel like I'm dying. I actually think I'm having anti-cravings. Foods I used to love are not that great anymore, i.e. ice cream and chicken.

Pure joy in a glass

Gender: GIRL!!!! 

Movement: Lots :) It's still tiny and adorable, but I feel her every hour. She's most active when I'm sitting at my desk at work or right before we go to bed.

Sleep: I'm sleeping really well actually (knock on wood). I'm not uncomfortable yet, and since I'm so tired by the end of the day, I usually fall asleep in minutes.

What I Miss: I am so grateful and happy to be pregnant that I don't like to complain, but I miss sashimi SO SO SO much. Jon is under strict orders to bring a boat of sashimi to the hospital soon after she's born. I am not kidding.

So good I could cry

Emotions: Other than crying at really dumb things, my emotions are in check. I firmly believe that life is too short to be stressed out all the time, so if I do find myself occasionally getting more frustrated or anxious than normal, it's been easy to recognize that it's a hormonal thing that will be over sooner than a Kardashian marriage.

Best moment this week: Saw a copy of my baby shower invitations. That means it will be coming soon. Which means she'll be coming soon. Which I love :) Also, my belly button is also no longer an innie. It's kinda gross, but also awesome.

Any baby related purchases: We stopped at this adorable independent children's boutique over the weekend, Lily Limes, and bought her the softest pink snowsuit that has ever existed.

Milestones: On Sunday, we'll be 24 weeks, which is considered viability. Meaning, if the baby was born unexpectedly, she'd have a good chance of surviving outside of the womb. Whoa. I want baby girl to cook for as long as possible, but it's still crazy to think that we're far enough along for that.

It's Ok Thursday

Link Up!

It's ok...

... that I've had zero time for blogging this past week.

... to take a new job when you're 5 and 1/2 months pregnant if it's an amazing opportunity and a very wise career move (yep, I did that this week)

... to cram as many major life-changing things into one year as possible

.... to cry over commercials

... to be slightly annoyed when you let someone cut in front of you in their car and they don't acknowledge the gesture with a little wave or other thankful motion

... to be more than slightly annoyed when someone who is neither handicapped nor driving a handicapped person parks in a handicapped space and then runs their able body into the grocery store

... to like the book better than the movie

... that I care way more about all of the kicks the baby is giving me than other people do... it won't stop me from talking about it anyway.

... to listen to the same song on repeat even though it's 5 years old

It's Ok Thursday

 A new blog addition!

Link up!

... that I haven't changed the blade in my razor in about 4 months. Who would dare criticize a pregnant woman for having hairy legs??

... that it's getting harder to bend over and cross my legs - there's a wonderful reason for it :)

... that I had a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner last night. Ok, two.

... if I get annoyed when people give me unsolicited advice or opinions... if I want either, I will ask. The end.

...that I watched a childbirth video and gagged. It'll be fine when it's my own baby. Right? RIGHT!?!?!

... that I can't stop buying baby girl cute little outfits and accessories that she may never wear. It's impossible not to!

... that I spend hours every day just staring at my belly, watching it move :) :) :)

... that I snoozed 7 times this morning.

... that I miss eating sushi more than I miss running.

... if the name you like for your baby isn't everyone's favorite choice. The people whose opinions you actually value will love the baby no matter what you call her (unless it's Beavis or Butthead, in which case it's time for an intervention)

... to never spend less than $30 when I go to Target. Why must they have ALL of the essentials that I didn't realize I needed? Eh, at least it's not Wal-Mart.

... that I haven't been to Orange Leaf in almost a week...... SIKE! It's actually not okay. I better go for lunch.

My car smells like vinegar and coffee grounds

I am still loving my new car, but there was one thing that I really wanted to change about it: The smell.

You know how when you buy a new car it has this great new car smell and you're sad when it eventually fades?? Not this one. We bought the car very gently used, but the previous owners must have:

a. Been chronic smokers
b. Eaten every fast food meal in the car
c. Owned 17 dogs

The "new car" smell I expected was instead the grossest (is that a word?) synthetic, sickly sweet smell I have ever encountered.

Ok, disclaimer. I understand when you're pregnant your sense of smell is extremely heightened. So my nostrils might be a teeny weeny bit sensitive. But other people noticed it too. It wasn't bad, they'd say, but it wasn't good. I just couldn't live with that. I can't take my baby girl home in a car that smells half-bad! That's horrible parenting! Even though I vacuumed the whole thing out twice and left the windows open, the smell remained.

So off to Google I went! Google solves all my problems.

Google tip #1 for removing odors without masking them. First, I read that I should sprinkle baking soda onto all of the upholstery, let it soak in for 15 minutes, then vacuum it up. Great, I said.

Let me tell you, what a hot mess I looked like. I bought the soda from the store, sprinkled it everywhere, then went back into the store to shop for awhile. Little did I realize that I still had to drive over to the outdoor vacuum. Good grief, I had white powder all of over my hands, shirts, and pants, and all of the patrons at Giant Eagle now think I am mother of the year and addicted to drugs. I got all of the powder up and..... it was better. Better, but the stench remained.

Google tip #2: Place a bowl of white vinegar in the space overnight, and by the next day the odor will be completely absorbed. Never one to do things in halves, I decided two bowls of vinegar in the front and back seat would works twice as well.

Fast forward to yesterday morning. Sickly sweet smell? GONE. But now the car REEKS of vinegar. Vinegar. Not a great smell either. Very strong. I gagged all the way to work.

Google tip #3. I told my favorite barista at the local coffee shop about my vinegar problem, and she confirmed what Google said, that fresh coffee grounds will help take the vinegar smell away. She generously donated some to my cause. Irish Mocha to be exact.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon... Car now smells like 60% coffee grounds, 40% vinegar, 0% of the old smell. We're making progress!!!

Left the windows open all night. On the way in this morning I smell 10% coffee, 30% vinegar, 60% fresh air. Getting there, getting there.

Then I had an impartial (and non-pregnant) judge check out the smell for herself. I drove to lunch today, and Holly swears she smells no vinegar, only clean fresh air and definitely not the gross smell we started out with. So I think I'm just paranoid. Or maybe my nose is too sensitive. I'm thinking maybe one more day of the windows open will bring it back to homeostasis.

Either way, this is the most amount of time I have ever spent discussing an odor. And if you've made it to the end, here is a bouquet of flowers just for you. Enjoy. They smell like a computer monitor.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Link up with Jamie @ This Kind of Love

I'm loving...

my new car!!!! Yes, I got the Ford Escape (thanks to some wheelin' and dealin' from my mom) and it is AWESOME! This is my first SUV, so I was a little apprehensive about it at first. I didn't want to feel like I was driving a monster truck. But this little cutie is compact, so maneuverable, and feels sporty and rides really well. I LOVE being up high (I had no idea that I could use the ATM without having to open my car door for fear of scraping my skin off). I feel safe and secure in it, which is important when I'm about to carry the most precious cargo in it come December.

Speaking of my new car, I'm loving....

Bluetooth. Yes, I realize it's 2011 and Bluetooth is not a new concept. But holy cow, what an awesome feature. 2 seconds of syncing with my Droid (ok, 20 minutes and making the husband come help me), and now all I have to do is push a button on my steering wheel, say "Call Jon" and within seconds I can talk to him through the speakers of my car. No phone to my ear, no lame-looking earpiece. Just hands-free communication. Technology, I heart you.

I'm loving....

The One Day trailer. We read this book for book club, and I love both of these actors. It's weird to watch Anne Hathaway with an English accent, but I adore her, and I'm sure the movie will be awesome.



I'm loving...

wearing my husband's old shirts! Now that my belly is getting bigger, my old workout shirts aren't as cute or comfy. I wore this little number to the gym yesterday, and it was awesome. No belly peaking out, lots of room, good length, and super cozy (why is it that your husband's shirts always feel so much softer than your own?)

Strong like bull

Cozy and sweaty

And last, but certainly never least, I'm loving....

my daughter :) She's becoming much more active, especially at night right before bed, and it is the most amazing feeling in the world.

Jon got to feel her kick for the first time the other night, and I fell in love with him all over again. I know every woman probably says this about her husband, but I cannot imagine a better man to be the father of my children. He is just so happy and proud and excited about his little girl. We talk about her way too much... but it's okay. I can't imagine a more perfect Christmas gift :)

What's up this week

I've been pretty busy at work, so my life has been relatively uneventful all week. But in case you're bored and wondering what's new in my world, here we go:

1. I officially can no longer sleep on my stomach :( :( :( I thought I'd be lucky and it would last forever, but sadly no. But she's worth it :) In fact, she kicks the most right as I'm about to fall asleep, and it's so cute that I want to stay up and hang out with her all night. But then I fall asleep right away because I'm exhausted.

Not me anymore... See ya in 20 weeks!

2. Speaking of 20 weeks, we are halfway through our pregnancy. Holy cow!!! It seems like we found out we were pregnant so long ago, but at the same time, it's gone by so fast. I also can't believe I'm going to double in size. My belly is getting quite sizeable!

3. We might be getting a new car next week! I love love love my car, but a Saab isn't the most practical choicewhen you've got a little one who will be spitting up and peeing everywhere. We're thinking about the Ford Escape. It'd be nice to be up high, and it would making loading and unloading our nugget a little easier.

4. We started our baby registry on Saturday... holy crap! We had so much fun picking out cute little things for her bedroom, her wardrobe, her endless supply of tutus and sassy shoes, etc. I tried not to pick everything in pink or purple, but it's sooo hard!

5. I want to meet the person who invented elastic waistband pants, because if I did, I would kiss him/her on the mouth. They are soooo comfortable!! How am I ever going to go back??

So even though I'm kinda boring, I think the universe has been pretty kind to us lately, so you'll hear no complaints from me! Happy Friday!!!

The Future

Still reeling from the news that we're having a DAUGHTER (say whhhhaaaaaaaat?!?!) I can't stop watching these two commercials. Baby girl only weighs 10 ounces, but she already has her daddy wrapped around her teeny, tiny little finger.


As sarcastic as Jon and I can be, I have no doubt our little girl is going to give him sass on occasion, just like this little munchkin :)


The first time I watched this commercial, I literally sobbed. Stupid hormones.