19 weeks 5 days

How Far Along: 19 weeks 5 days

Size of Baby: A large heirloom tomato.  6 inches from crown to rump 8 1/2 oz

Total Weight Gain:  still no weight gain

Maternity Clothes: Yep, just so much more comfy.  Time for bra shopping.  I have been making the ones I have stretch for far too long.  I can't even imagine how big the girls are going to be once my milk comes in.  Yikes!

Gender: ? We find out Nov. 8th.  We had to postpone the ultrasound for a week.  I'm still trying to decide if I want to do anything special to find out.  Right now, I am just thinking I might have the US lady whisper it to Jack, and then have him tell us.  I have had several people tell me it looks like I'm having a girl.  We shall see!

Name: ? We aren't even discussing names

Movement: Getting stronger all the time.  Still mostly when I am sitting or in bed going to sleep.  Kicks have been way down low like they were almost my entire pregnancy with Jack.  For the first time tonight I felt some movement up around my belly button.  I've felt a few kicks/rolls from the outside.  

Sleep:  I'm getting more and more into my late night insomnia patterns, but I think that is more me than the pregnancy.  I do sleep pretty well usually waking for some reason at 4 or 5 in the morning.  Must be practicing!   

Food cravings: Still nothing really.  I still want something for a few days and then I'm over it.  For a few weeks I have been really wanting a fruit roll up.  Something I haven't had in years and don't buy for  Jack since they are loaded with red dye and additives.  I finally caved bought a box, ate one and now I'm fine.  

Aversions: I'm not that into eating meat.  I can eat it, but I'd rather not.  

Symptoms: Indigestion, occasional nausea gagging,  round ligament pain, lower back pain, and shortness of breath.

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out boy or girl.  Seeing our new little one dance around on the ultrasound.  Getting the nursery started.  Starting a baby blanket.  

What I miss: Nothing

Next Appointment: Nov. 8th

Baby #2

I am going to try to be back to blogging, and what better way to start it off than to announce that baby number 2 will be coming into our lives March 2012.  I thought I would fill out this little pregnancy survey, and I will try to keep up with it.

How Far Along: 17 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby: An onion 5 inches from crown to rump and 5.9oz

Total Weight Gain:  -10 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yep, just so much more comfy

Gender: ? We find out in 17 days (Jack still insists it is a sister)

Name: ? We aren't even discussing names

Movement: Yep, I have felt movement since about 12 weeks.  Now, it is just more consistent little taps, kicks, and squirms here and there.  Mostly, when I am sitting on the couch with my feet tucked up.  

Sleep:  Sleeping well these days.  I'm able to sleep w/o taking a sleeping pill.  Not going to bed too late, and sleeping all night.  

Food cravings: Nothing really.  When I want something I want it for a few days then I'm over it.  It was hummus.  Then it was fruity candy like starburst. 

Aversions: I'm not that into eating meat.  I can eat it, but I'd rather not.  

Symptoms: Indigestion, occasional nausea gagging,  round ligament pain, lower back pain, and shortness of breath.

What I'm looking forward to: Stronger kicks, and summersaults.  Finding out the gender just so I can start buying him/her things.  Also, so we can start planning getting the nursery ready.  

What I miss: Nothing

Next Appointment: Nov. 1st. 

At my last doctor appointment we got to hear the heartbeat.  It was in the 140's.  Doctor discussed upping my blood pressure medicine.  Blood pressure is good, but could be even better.  He said  I am fine to travel between here and Missouri as long as I'm taking care of myself.  

The Winner!

I made a list and then used Random.org to choose the winner.  If you followed the blog then you were given your second chance at the drawing.

1.Gina

2.Heather

3.Semper Fi Momma

4.Ellen

5.Shannon

6.Gina

7.Heather

8.Semper Fi Momma

9.Shannon

The winner is....

Congratulations to Semper Fi Momma!!!  I hope you like this hair product as much as I do.  Send me an email and I will get it out to you!  Thanks everyone for participating.  

First Giveaway

     I have been wanting to talk to you all about a hair product that we have been using in our house.  It is renewing moroccan argan oil made by Organix.  You might have heard celebrities, and hair stylists touting how about how fabulous moroccan argan oil is .  There is a more expensive well known moroccan oil that everyone seems to love, but before I shelled out big bucks for it I was hoping I could find a product that was similar, and maybe wouldn't put such a dent in my wallet.

I picked up the Organix brand oil, and thought I would give it a try.  I have used it for a few weeks now, and I really do love it.  

Quoting the back of the bottle it says, "This rare formula has a centuries-old history of providing natural vitamin E and antioxidants while renewing your hair's cell structure, sealing in shine, and creating lush softness."

I brush my hair after I shower, and then apply the oil (it takes a VERY tiny amount) to my hair from my ears down, and then I run a brush through my hair to make sure it is distributed evenly.  I know what you are thinking that you can't put oil in your hair because it will make it look nasty, but this product doesn't.  I am prone to oily hair, and I don't have any problem using it.  I find the scent to be nice, and not too overpowering.  It really does leave my hair shiny and so soft.  The one thing that the more expensive oil claims is that it cuts down on drying time, and I am happy to say that I find that the Organix brand cuts down on drying time too.  Even though the company doesn't claim it will do this on the bottle.  I love this because my hair is really long, and when it starts taking me forever to dry my hair I start thinking about chopping all my hair off.  

Everyone in my family is loving this stuff.  We have all been using the same bottle myself, my mom, my husband, and I even put some on Jackson's hair after his bath.  

If you would like you can enter to win your own bottle of  Organix renewing moroccan argan oil.  

To Enter:

For your first entry just leave me a comment on this post. 

If you would like a second entry then scroll to the bottom, and follow this blog.  If you are already a follower please let me know in the comments.  

All entries must be entered by Friday midnight central time.

A winner will be picked on Saturday morning by Random.org

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with this product, and have not been paid to review it.  I just like it and wanted to share!

Our new fur babies

     We have some new babies here at our house.  Meet the newest members of our family.

Millie she is a 2 year old  cocker spaniel/silky terrier mix.  She weighs 20lbs, but she's really little.  She's just really solid.

Adi she is 4 years old, and 10lbs.

We were able to adopt them last Sunday.  I actually, adopted them from a girl I went to high school with.  She put them up on facebook, and there was just something about Millie's face.  I wasn't even thinking about getting a dog at all.  Something about her sweet little look I just had to have her.  Then the girl I was taking her from asked what I thought about taking Adi, the min pin too.  I was a little more hesitant because that breed has never really interested me, and I've always thought they look mean.  I felt bad and couldn't say no so I agreed saying that we would give it a try, and we would foster her, and continue to look for her a home if we needed to.  We let it be a surprise to Jackson just incase things didn't work out.

We went and got them, and they are perfect car riders.  Things went really smoothly.  I felt bad for the girl that was giving them away, but she is going to be doing traveling in the next year so she knew it would be best if they got a new home.  We have spent a week with them, and it has been great.  Monday night I was a bit worried that I had made a mistake because I knew I liked the dogs, but I didn't know if I could love them.  We had Sam as a puppy, and it was just easier.  Even though it is just a few days later I can say I really do love them, and we have all become very attached to them.  They are both such sweethearts, and I think it is safe to say we will be keeping Adi.  I am really happy they are girls.  I am always surrounded by so many boys, I was excited to buy them some pink collars.  

We also picked up a few pieces of furniture.  Our local Borders book store is going out of business so I got put on the list for their fixture sale, and I was able to go pick out a few pieces I was interested in.  We put this in Jack's room.  Initially, I wanted it downstairs in the playroom, but we like to keep his books upstairs so I decided that might be a better place for it.  I just love it.  It doesn't hold all of Jack's books, but he has his other bookshelf for them.  I am such a nerd I would have killed to have something like this in my room when I was little.  I think it is wonderful that Jack loves to read.  We read him his choice of books every night.  I hope he always loves to read.  I am going to get bins for his toys on the bottom shelves. 

Finally Sweet Relief

     Well, I got finally got my new specs.  My lovely coca-cola bottle glasses.  I haven't had glasses in many years.  I am strictly a contacts girl, and pretty much have been since the eighth grade.  That was until a few weeks ago when I suddenly felt the need to scratch my eyeballs out of my head.  The feeling was driving me out of my ever-loving mind.  It wasn't so much of a painful feeling as it was my contact would swim in my eye, my vision would blur, and it felt like I had twenty pieces of who knows what stuck in my eye.  I tried a wide assortment of eye drops.  Then I tried to stop being such a cheapskate, and I bought the more expensive contact solution.  Absolutely, nothing was helping.  The only thing I could do was take out my contacts and close my eyes for about an hour to get the feeling to go away.  Now, this isn't very convenient when you have to do things like drive, take care of a child, and run the house.

     My mother finally yelled at me to go to the flippin' optometrist already.  So I did, and it turns out I have some type of eye infections, and I have bumps all over the inside of my eyelid.  Just what you wanted to know, right?  My optometrist had no real idea of what it was, or what was exactly causing it.  Her only solution was for me to stop wearing contacts and wear my glasses.  (I didn't intend for this to be such a long winded story, but here we are.)  I then preceded to panic about the amount of money this was going to cost.  I ran around town to different optometrists trying to find something that wasn't going to give me a heart attack from the price.  

     A bit of back story, I was born just over two months premature combine this with genetics, and I have some TERRIBLE vision.  My prescription is -8.00, and the scale goes from -1 being not bad to -10 you can't see your hand in front of your face.  Therefore, my lenses are some thick suckers.  It takes me a while to find the right frames to contain those bad boys.  

     So I am driving all around town getting quotes like $600+ just for the lenses because they have to be made special to fit into frames blah, blah, blah.  So we try to work some money magic, and I found a pair of decent frames.  I can only get the next to the thinnest lens because I can't afford $600+ right now especially, when I never wear glasses.

     So without further ado here they are.  Plus a bonus picture of me wearing them.  

     Please be kind, I know they are some honkers, but it is what I have to work with.  I am getting used to them.  Jack says they are silly, and to ask him again in the morning if he likes them.  He has said this for the past few days so I am thinking this will take a while.  Plus, I really stink at taking self portraits in the bathroom mirror.

 

A Work in Progress

     So much is going on around here, but it is still just the mundane everyday stuff.  My mom, Jack, and I made an attempt to go home to Missouri last weekend.  One for my sister-in-law's baby shower, and also just go get some time at home with family.  Well, that trip ended up being a bust.  We had our rental car all reserved, and when we went to pick it up they said we couldn't do it.  My Mom wanted to pay cash for it, and they said they needed a credit card.  I tried to give them my credit card, but they wouldn't run it because I didn't have my drivers license.  That is a whole story about how my wallet got stolen at Walmart.  So we repeated the vicious cycle of going to every car rental company in this town, only to be turned down at every single place.  So the trip just wasn't going to happen.  Now, I am working on getting a new military ID and a new drivers license so that we can try this again in a few weeks.

     I was bummed because I had gotten my craft on, and I created a diaper cake.  It was my first attempt at something like that.  I couldn't decide what I wanted to do for the shower, and I thought a diaper cake might be fun to try.  Cuter than throwing a box of diapers into a gift bag!  I think it turned out really cute, but I won't be able to deliver it to the momma-to-be for a few weeks.

     I have been working bit by bit on getting things together to try to launch a photography business.  I wouldn't say that my heart isn't fully in it; it is just that I am REALLY nervous and scared.  I am putting it out there to everyone that I am trying to make this work, and I am going to feel awful if I fail.  I have to give it a try.  I am lucky to have Zach by my side pushing supporting me all the way.  I have been working on getting my logo designed, and getting my website set up within the next few weeks.  My big worry is attracting customers and clients.  We don't really know anyone where we live now, and I am trying to figure out how to get my name out there.  It is all going to take so much work, but I am not expecting overnight success.  I am so appreciative of the ongoing support of have from friends and family.  




     For the past few nights Jack and I have set up a little work station for him.  He and I have been practicing writing his letters.  I have been spelling out his name, and he traces my letters.  Then he chooses a few letters, and we work on the capitol and lowercase letters.  The first night we did it he was a bit frustrated, but last night he really seemed to enjoy it.  He had a huge grin on his face, and I could tell a feeling of accomplishment.