What We're Loving Wednesday | My Favorite Blogs

I really love blogs.  Not only writing my own but reading others as well.  Writing this blog started as a way to share what was going on in mine & Jake's life as we were wedding planning and life as newlyweds, since I have a lot of family out of town/state and I could keep everyone in the loop very easily.  Now it's adapted into sharing updates on Ryleigh and other random things going on in our lives.  But mostly Ryleigh.  Cause she's the cute one everyone cares about anyway ;)

I love reading blogs, especially good "mommy blogs" because they give good ideas and some comic relief, and they help you realize that everyone has tough days [like when you're trying to pump in the morning and you hear a diaper explosion happen....] but everyone also has really great moments that make it all worth while.  These are ones I read on a daily basis:

3 Ladies & Their Gent
Amber is a young momma of twin girls and married to her firefighter husband.  She shares stories and photos of her adorable girls, and also some great baby food recipes and toddler eating ideas.  She is a registered dietitian so you can trust that her recipes and toddler meal plans give a nice, balanced diet.

Little Baby Garvin
Jessica is a momma of two girls, Harper and new little baby Eloise.  I think she can be credited with being one to start the chalkboard pregnancy update craze with her cute designs while she was pregnant with Harper.  She is refreshingly open and down to earth, and even her shortest blog posts are entertaining.  I love all of her fashion and decorating ideas.

Mix and Match Family
Shay Shull is the sister of Sean Lowe from the Bachelor.  This is her family blog, I also follow her foodie blog [info below].  She has two adorable kids and shares about everyday life with them and her hubby.  They are travel agents, so she shares stories of their trips and travel ideas for lots of fun places.  They are also currently going through the foreign adoption process so she has started sharing a little bit about that, although she's not giving tons of details until they bring their new daughter home, for privacy. 


And of course the designer in me loves some home décor blogs:

Bower Power
Katie is a wife and a momma to her three little boys.  She and her husband are very into DIY projects so her blog is mostly about that, while mixing in stories of her boys in between.  She is humble and sarcastic and always finds a positive outlook on things.  I wish I had her drive and planning skills to slowly tackle house projects.  I just get overwhelmed with my ideas and never get around to anything.

Tiny Talk
This is a party planning blog from Tiny Prints [a Shutterfly company].  I love seeing their ideas!



And I love, love, love this food blog:
Mix and Match Mama
This is Shay's foodie blog, and the best food blog I've ever found.  Her recipes are amazing and she has a ton of them.  We have tried so many and they have all been delicious...to name a few favorites: Lemonade Pie, S'mores Cookies, Chicken Pot Pie, Caramel Apple Cider Bundt Cake, Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings and the list goes on.  What I love about her recipes are that (1) her apps, dinners, and desserts are all fabulous. Sometimes a source is only really great at one of those categories, but you can get them all from her! (2) they are pretty simple.  You can easily find quick options for a weeknight dinner or last minute dessert to bring somewhere. 



 

 

4 Month Check-Up

RYLEIGH'S 4 MONTH STATS:

Weight:  14lbs 9.5oz
Height:  26" pretty tall! I think that puts her like 95th percentile
Head Circumference:  16.25"

EATING
We have moved up to 5-5 1/2 oz bottles, still breastmilk.  I usually do make her one bottle a day that is an ounce less for before bedtime, since she tends to fall asleep before she finishes the normal size bottle.  She is eating about 30-35oz a day.  We introduced Organic Brown Rice cereal and Ryleigh was loving to get to eat "food" from a spoon.  She's been staring us down when we eat dinner and more recently adding lip smacking and "mmmhmmmmhmm" noises the whole time she watches us eat.  On our anniversary we got Cheesecake Factory to go and while I was eating my piece of cheesecake she literally followed the fork with her eyes for every single one of my bites.  I felt terrible, like we were teasing her, so we let her try some all-natural Sweet Potatoes and let me tell you--baby girl is a fan!  She's clearly not taking after mommy or daddy for this one because neither one of us can stand sweet potatoes.  Our plan is to introduce a new flavor on Saturdays or Sundays as breakfast/lunch so that we can watch her all day to make sure she doesn't have a reaction to it.  Then she will get it for dinner when we get home from work during the week.  Sometimes we mix with rice cereal and sometimes just serve it plain. 


TEETHING
Nothing has poked through yet but we've got some little bumps where the gums are getting pushed up.  We handle her teething pain with frozen teethers, Baby Orajel Naturals, Tylenol, and/or distraction...If we hold her and walk her around/bounce she calms down a little bit but still knaws on her hands.  We got her Hazelaid necklace and shes worn it a few times but I think it would be better on a baby who can sit up on their own.  I don't like how it can lay under her little double chin when she's being supported sitting.  We have shelved that for the next couple months until she can wear it again.

One of my favorite pictures ever!  The perfect shot of the two of them :)

SLEEPING
...through the night!! Whoop whoop! No change since last month.  We've found our morning routine goes a little smoother if we put her to bed in her onesie that she will wear the next day [plus her sleep sack].  That way when she doesn't want to be messed with in the morning because she's tired, we just do a quick diaper change and throw on some shorts.

 ACTIVITY
Always!  Her little legs never stop moving. She is a master at rolling from belly-to-back, and she's rolled back-to-belly a few times.  She attempts it a lot, but often can't figure out how to get her arm out from under her to complete the full roll.  She has also discovered Kona this month!  Baby girl loves her fluffy white dog.  She has pretty much zero interest in Reece, but the second Kona is within view she is smiling at him and reaching out for him.

DIAPERING
We are in the process of moving to Size2 diapers...still Pampers and Luvs.

CLOTHES
She's mostly 3-6 month sizes, but she can still fit into a couple brands 3 month size for shorts/skirts and onesies.

SPECIAL FIRSTS
--attended 1st wedding
--tried first foods - rice cereal and sweet potatoes
--attended first real sporting event [Charlotte Knights game w/mommy's networking group family night]
--Rolled back to belly
--Rolled belly to back
--Celebrated 1st Father's Day....with your first sports jersey [ATL Braves]!

31 Weeks!

Not the best picture, but it was the only one we got on Christmas day!

How far along?  31 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +23lbs...darn those Christmas cookies! haha but really things seem to be on track and my OB is happy with where we're at so far....

Maternity clothes? All the time!  Now I'm also trying to focus on nursing clothing and taking that into account when/if I purchase any clothing.

Sleep: Seems to be okay...getting tired and taking some weekend or evening naps here and there.  I've gotten a few leg cramps in the middle of the night which is not fun.  I'm having a little more back/hip pain as this bump gets bigger and bigger so sometimes it's difficult to figure out a way to lay that is comfortable.

Best baby moment this week:  Several!  Jake and I went to childbirth class on Saturday and learned lots about preparing for the exciting, yet dreaded, childbirth.  I have to admit that it pretty much scares the mess out of me.  But, I'm now feeling super informed and finding some confidence in myself and the choices that Jake and I will make for bringing our daughter into this world.  We had a great instructor and both really liked the class.  

 

On our way home from class, we bought little one's crib mattress!  Selecting one seems overwhelming and impossible to do with all of the choices available, but I did some research and we settled on the Lullaby Earth Stage 2 crib mattress from Buy Buy Baby [thank you 20% off BBB coupon!].  It's a huge matter of personal preference, but the important aspects came down to organic materials, firmness/support, and it's waterproof so it will be easy to clean and hold up well.

 

Also all the love and Christmas gifts for Ryleigh :)  She's already one lucky little girl.  She got some outfits and pj's, bedtime prayer board book, squeeze/teethe blocks, and two handmade quilts!  I had to hold myself together when I opened up the beautiful quilt from my friend Shanti, which she also had embroidered with Ryleigh's name and it has the softest minky fabric back.  That will keep her warm next winter for sure! 

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Miss Anything?  Being able to sit down and get up quickly...being able to get dressed quickly...being able to do anything quickly...haha

Movement: lots, especially around meal times or after 7:30pm.  Night owl!

Food cravings: Still pasta, chocolate milk, and juice!  Trying out some out-of-the-ordinary flavors but not necessarily weird--like Hawaiian pizza.   

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes :)  belly bump is measuring right on track at 32cm/32 weeks [I've been measuring 4 days ahead for a while now]

Gender: GIRL!  

Labor Signs: No, hopefully not until sometime in February!

Belly Button in or out?  In, but getting pretty shallow. 

Wedding rings on or off? On, but some days it's a little snug.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy/tired.  I do get emotional over sad/sweet things.  

Looking forward to: More nursery progress, and celebrating on New Year's Eve--closing out one pretty great year and looking forward to 2014 because I know it will be even better!  Also our maternity pictures and baby shower coming up in a few weeks!

 

 

 

29 Weeks!

Whoa hello 3rd trimester!  I can't believe we are already a week in, and that I'm going to be 30 weeks next week! That number just makes me feel like I'm sooo far along! 

Had my Glucose test this morning for my 28/29 week appointment.  I guess it wasn't quite as horrible as I had built it up to be, but it was still pretty nasty.  I took the first sip of my drink [I had the red one] and thought "well, maybe this won't be so bad" because it tasted like really strong Hawaiian Punch.  However, by the time I got to the bottom of that bottle I was questioning if I'd be able to hold it down for an hour!  I was told to put it in the refrigerator so that it tasted better, but I think that made it thicken a little.  Yuck--makes me gag just thinking about it again.

Everything else at the appointment seemed good! Measuring on track, baby's strong heartbeat at 143 bpm, and got my T-dap [whooping cough] vaccine.  Also found out yesterday at my follow-up renal ultrasound--for checking my kidneys/Hydronephrosis--that baby girl is head-down.  Of course, it's early and she could still move, but that's a good sign for being on track for a "normal" delivery.

Me & hubs before my company Christmas dinner last weekend :)

How far along? 29 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: +20lbs...little bit of a jump in the past month! Let's blame it on Thanksgiving....

Maternity clothes? All the time!  With a couple pre-prego shirts and sweaters mixed in, although those options are starting to dwindle because they won't fully cover my belly. [And let's be honest--some of Jake's sweatpants and shirts for comfy lounge clothes and pajamas!]

Sleep: This past week, pretty terrible.  I think it's a combination of being extra tired from the weather, a growing baby, Jake's crazy work schedule last week, the dogs being unsettled because of the weird work schedule, lots of things to do.....I guess I've probably over-done it a bit.  I just can't seem to get comfortable, my kidneys have been acting up again [but still not as painful as 6 weeks ago-thankfully!], I've had more back pain from my ever-growing belly.....the list goes on.  I'm just glad that although I toss and turn all night long, the sleep I do get is pretty darn good--like when you've only been asleep for 45 minutes, wake up/toss & turn, and feel like it's been 5 hours--so I'm not walking around like a zombie all day. 

Best baby moment this week:  Feeling her STRONG kicks.  Some so hard that they move my whole body.  Jake was talking to my belly the other night, and she kicked so hard my belly hit him in the face! haha...Also, had a great time Black Friday shopping!  I found some great deals on things like picture frames and a bookcase for her nursery :)

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Miss Anything?  Being able to sit down and get up quickly...being able to sleep on my back or my stomach...putting on socks or underwear without difficulty...

Movement: tons

Food cravings: Still pasta.  Always TONS of milk, chocolate milk, and juice!  Ice cream/milkshakes--not necessarily a craving but it's the only thing that seems to help my terrible indigestion/acid reflux or whatever it is. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: The drink for my glucose test made me super queasy.  I think the worst part was having to have an empty stomach.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes :)

Gender: GIRL!  

Labor Signs: No, and better not for a while!

Belly Button in or out?  In, but getting a little shallow. 

Wedding rings on or off? On, but some days it's a little snug.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy/tired.  I do get emotional over sad/sweet things.  My lack of sleep has made me a little moody/irritable this past week though.

Looking forward to: Childbirth class, Christmas, and getting the crib set up!

 

 

 

25 Weeks!

How far along? 25 weeks, 1 day!

Total weight gain/loss: +14lbs

Maternity clothes? All the time!  With a few pre-prego shirts and sweaters mixed in. [And let's be honest--some of Jake's sweatpants and shirts for comfy lounge clothes and pajamas!]

Sleep: Usually pretty good!

Best baby moment this week:  Feeling her move so much more nowadays.  I went to the doctor last Friday, and while we were listening to the heartbeat we could hear two big kicks and my doctor and I both laughed!

Have you told family and friends: Yes

Miss Anything?  Being able to sit down and get up quickly...being able to sleep on my back or my stomach...shrimp...sushi...

Movement: Yes! I think we've got a soccer star growing

Food cravings: Still pasta.  Baked beans was one this week.  Always TONS of milk, chocolate milk, and juice!  I could drink 3 giant Tervis cups full of juice and still want more.  At least I'm drinking "no sugar added" :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still staying away from red meat and Chinese food.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes :)

Gender: GIRL!  Ryleigh Marie. 

Labor Signs: No, and better not for a while!

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy/tired.  I do get emotional, but I wouldn't say "moody"

Looking forward to: More nursery progress! and Black Friday shopping! [and unlimited holiday desserts!!!!]

 

 

 

25th Birthday Weekend Recap :)

I had a great 25th Birthday weekend!  Saturday morning my parents came up to visit, and we went out to Windy Hill Orchard's Apple Festival.  It sprinkled a little on us when we first got there, but other than that the weather was nice.  We got to feed some animals, eat some cider donuts and drink some cider!  My dad and Jake did the Hard Cider tasting.  After that we quick snapped this picture by their pumpkins :)

Such a good picture of me and my hubby [..and Ryleigh making her presence known nowadays!]...

After the Orchard we went to Empire 2 for lunch and played in their cornhole tournament.  It was a lot of fun, but sadly we did not come even close to win.

Saturday night was some girl time and window shopping with friends, then made chocolate & pecan covered apples....There are photos of that somewhere but they will never see the light of day! Let's just say that the chocolate was not set before we decided to devour them, so it was a little messy to say the least!

Sunday [my actual birthday] started off with a lazy, snuggly morning watching overloads of New Girl on Netflix with Jake...and the treat of breakfast in bed, in the form of these bad boys:

...Let's just call it a recent craving...

Then, got ready and met a couple friends at the Upscale WeeSale.  It was an interesting experience!  I ended up finding some pretty cute little outfits, mostly jumpers/dresses, for little miss!  I was impressed with the nice brands that they had [Ralph Lauren, The Children's Place, Janie & Jack, Gymboree] and most clothing items were priced around $4-6.  The last day prices were cut in half, so we ended up paying $1.50-3 for each of these:

 

 

Black corduroy dress with matching bloomer, 6-9 months from Baby Gap  $3.00

Brown and Pink ruffled leggings, 6 months from Carter's  $2.25 for the set 

 

Jean & Plaid jumper, 6-9 months from The Children's Place $1.50

Autumn Plaid jumper, 6 months from Gymboree $1.50

 

Khaki embroidered jumper, 6 months from Gymboree  $1.50

Jean Capris, 6 months from Janie & Jack  $1.50

 

and my absolute favorite for many reasons [UGA colors, super cute, plaid, and still had tags on!]

Red & Black plaid jumper, 6 months from Ralph Lauren  $3.00

 

Yes, ladies and gents, those are serious deals!  I also got myself a pair of black maternity leggings that were Ingrid & Isabel for only $3.00! 

 

The grand total for everything came to $18.99 with sales tax :)  Even Jake was proud of those deals!

 

 

 

I ended my birthday with a fun dinner with some friends and Jake's side of the family at...wait for it...Charandas! You were surprised, weren't you?! haha we do love that place :)

 

Go Dawgs!

Ahh, football season has finally begun!  We are going big for the UGA vs. Clemson game this weekend. 

A couple friends came over last night to help me whip up some of our tailgating munchies.  So far on the list:

• Buffalo Chicken dip [tripled the recipe!] going to be in the crock pot
• Macaroni Salad
• Vanilla Chip Rice Crispy Treats
• Chocolate Chip cookies [homemade, the only way to go...]
• Peanut Butter Brownie Bites
• Red Pepper Jelly & Cream Cheese dip
• Chips & Pretzels [ok, so we didn't make these]

Others are also bringing a fruit tray and some 7 Layer Taco Dip, yum!  I am so looking forward to the food this weekend.  I am so NOT looking forward to the fact that it's going to be 87 degrees all day.  At least we will have an industrial fan and several tents to hopefully cool off under (I told you, we're doing it big!).  I'm halfway considering getting water balloons. Too much?

 

Girls' Night :)

It's Fridayyyyyyy!

Jake is going with some of the boys to some sort of outdoorsman's fundraising banquet thing-a-ma-jig [clearly this is a last minute plan that I don't know much about] so the girls have decided to do our own thing tonight.  And by our own thing, I mean:

 

Dinner & a Movie!

The first Grown Ups was so hilarious and I am really looking forward to seeing this one.  I'm hoping it doesn't fall in the terrible sequel category!

 

Christmas in July..

Anyone else getting really excited for the upcoming Fall and Winter holidays?

I feel like this happens to me almost every year once the 4th of July passes.  We're halfway through the Summer season but I'm already getting over it and ready for Fall...Football season, pumpkin spice, cider, scarves, cozy sweaters, boots, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, buying Christmas presents....it goes on and on.  My favorite time of the year!

 

 

Decorating and holiday parties and baking cookies....Anyone else as excited as me?