Pregnancy Update Week 34 !

How far along? 34 weeks 5 days 

Size of baby: Pineapple/Butternut Squash (19-22 in, 4.9 lbs)

Total weight gain:  23 lbs.... 

Maternity clothes: I am all about comfort, warmth, but also dressing in layers. The mornings are cold, but by the the afternoon, my classroom warms up a lot! Therefore, it is necessary for me to dress in multiple layers! 

  

Sleep:  Well...I have been sleeping okay. I wake up multiple times are night still, and unfortunately my husband it battling a cold. It is not his fault-- but he has been snoring A LOT lately haha-- and I tried earplugs and they just didn't work! 

Best moment of the week: Seeing the crib all set up!  

Movement:  Yes :) 

Miss anything:  I miss being able to easily tie my shoes and shave haha. These were the things I was warned about and just laughed it off. 

Food cravings:  Just food in general now haha. 

Food aversions: Nope! 

Symptoms I have:  Bloating, sore back, tightening in my stomach, sore feet, and just general uncomfortableness. So this is what they were talking about in terms of third trimester......haha

Gender Predictions: I'm still thinking a girl :)

Looking forward to:  Our appointment on Friday! 

What's Up Wednesday

Today, I am linking up with The Larson Lingo, Pinterest Told Me To, and Mix and Match Family for What's Up Wednesday! 

What We're Eating This Week: 

Crockpot meals and easy oven recipes. With everything that has been going on, crockpot meals are definitely a staple right now. Because the recipes are typically for four people, we have also been  having leftovers. It is great to get multiple meals out of one recipe. 

What I'm Reminiscing About...

We just got our wedding video a few weeks ago (you can watch it here), and I have been reminiscing about our wedding. I can't believe we will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary this December! 

What I'm Loving:

As I posted on Monday, I am loving all of the baby holiday clothes!  The Halloween costumes, and all of the Thanksgiving and Christmas clothes are so adorable. 

What We've Been Up To:

We have been "nesting." A lot. And I still do not feel ready. I feel as though the preparations never end! 

What I'm Dreading:

Although I LOVE daylight savings time for the extra hour of sleep-- I don't like when it gets dark early. Around here-- it can start getting dark around 4/5 pm! 

What I'm Working On:

I am currently working on preparing for my maternity leave. It is overwhelming, but I want my students to be all set when I leave. 

What I'm Excited About:

I am excited for Halloween! I can't wait for the excuse to eat the candy (we haven't opened our bags yet haha) and to see all of the costumes! 

What I'm Reading/Watching:

I am currently reading: 

I am currently re-watching "The Office"-- I absolutely love this show. I always wished that I would find a "Jim" of my own-- little did I know that one day I would meet my own Jim :)

What I'm Listening To:

The Adele song "Hello"-- it is so good! I am refraining from listening to Christmas music until November 1st....I just love hearing it so much! 

What I'm Wearing:

Comfortable clothes and scarves haha. Being 8 months pregnant, I am all about comfort. 

What I'm Doing This Weekend:

This weekend will be spent touring our hospital's birth place, passing out candy, and attending my sisters' cheerleading competition on Sunday. Busy, busy, busy. 

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

Thanksgiving of course! I also want to get our Christmas tree, decorate for the holidays, and possibly see the arrival of our little one! 

What Else Is New:

Nothing really.. 

What's My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe:

My favorite recipes include: an amazing pumpkin bread recipe I found here, my mom's sweet potatoes, and my grandmother's mashed potatoes. I can't wait! 

Friday Favorites/ 5 on Friday and Weekending......a SUPER POST!

Today, I am linking up with Momfessionals, A Little Bit of Everything, and Grace and Love for Friday Favorites, but also A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, Hello! Happiness, and The Good Life for 5 on Friday 

AND....

I am also linking up with B Loved Boston and Champagne and Suburbs for Weekending...  

The past week has been so hectic and busy-- both personally and professionally. I also feel as though I am starting to understand why people talk about the third trimester in a certain way ;) haha. One reason for why I am feeling EXTREMELY stressed and overwhelmed is that my school is being observed by a NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) committee. This group is made up of fellow educators from all different New England states who observe a school and provide recommendations and praises toward that school. Essentially the final result of the visit is the accreditation piece which comes from the office of NEASC.  This New England accreditation is a volunteer accreditation, but most schools in New England opt to obtain it. My school has been working on preparing for this visit for two years, and the committee visits us for four days to evaluate what aspects of education we do well and what aspects of education we need to work on. Everyone at my school has been tense and nervous for these meetings. Our classes are being observed, we have engaged in interviews with the committee members on multiple occasions. And we still have two days left! 
I have also been a little on edge and stressed lately since I still don't know who will be replacing me during my maternity leave. I want to make sure that whoever takes over for me is comfortable, prepared, and ready to go! I have about 5 1/2 weeks left to go until the baby comes, and in case I go early I want to be prepared. I don't want my students to be left without set plans either. They have worked so hard this semester, and deserve a schedule. 
I am also stressed/worried/nervous because I feel totally unprepared. The nursery isn't ready, our kitchen isn't ready, our car seats aren't installed, our rock-in-play and pack-in-play aren't ready, and more importantly I'm not ready! I am scared. I have been emotional and crying non-stop lately--gahh pregnancy hormones. Thankfully my husband and I are taking a newborn class in two weeks and I'm hoping that I will feel better after that haha. 
Sorry to vent on here-- but that is what has been on my mind lately! 

Friday night my husband, my sisters Elizabeth and Nicole, my mom,  my dad, and I went out to celebrate my dad's birthday at an Italian restaurant. The bread was fantastic-- warm, thick, great flavor. We also got amazing mozzarella sticks as an appetizer-- I shouldn't eat so much food before my meal! By the time our entrees   were ready, I was a little full haha. The only good thing about being full-- leftovers haha. 

Saturday morning, I attended my sister Nicole's cheerleading competition (Elizabeth coaches them), and they did so well! I was really impressed with their routine and showmanship! After the competition, I stopped by the apple picking station one last time for the season :(. I will be making the last apple crisp of the season this week :(. I can't believe it is almost November-- and then we will be talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas! 
Saturday afternoon-- it was all about the laundry. I had so manyyyy loads to do! And yes I know that I will have so much more laundry when the baby comes haha-- I have already been warned. Saturday afternoon, I spent the greater part of the day grading essays. Thankfully, while I was grading, I was also re-watching "The Office!" 
Sunday was spent cleaning and finishing up some grading before I had to report at school. Teachers and staff had to be at school between 1-5 pm for the NEASC committee meeting. Afterwards, I came home, had dinner, continued to grade (see a theme here) and went to bed early. I needed to rest since it had been a pretty long, stressful weekend. I was so ready for Monday to come! 

Now.... onto my favorites...

{FAVORITE ONE}

We FINALLY received our wedding video a few weeks ago (10 months after the fact- but I digress) haha. I have been watching it non-stop (I blame the pregnancy), but it is such a nice reminder of the perfect day we had :)
You can watch it here! 

{FAVORITE TWO}

I am LOVING these cute holiday baby items:

  

via // via // via // via 

{FAVORITE THREE}

I am also loving these baby items from Etsy:

via

via

via

{FAVORITE FOUR}
I am also loving pendant necklaces! These are my favorite right now:

 

 

via // via // via

{FAVORITE FIVE}

The fact that it has been cooler this week! I love Fall weather, and it FINALLY feels and smells like fall haha. 

I hope you all had a great end of the week, and beginning of the week! 

Pregnancy Update....Week 33!!! Eeek!!!

How far along? 33 weeks 5 days 

Size of baby: Honeydew Melon/Durian (19 in, 4.5 lbs)

Total weight gain:  22 lbs.... 

Maternity clothes: Since I don't fit into much of anything else haha-- yes! Although I am glad that I can still fit into my cardigans, some of my tops, and that's pretty much it haha. I am starting to feel uncomfortable- I have recently "popped" (a term that has been used to describe my shape a LOT this week haha). I am also trying to find time to exercise and keep up my energy level! 

  

Sleep:  I've been sleeping fairly well-- although I have been having a hard time falling asleep. I still wake up at least once at night-- but that's an improvement haha. Sometimes it's hard to find a comfortable spot, but I think that's just something I'll have to work on!

Best moment of the week: Realizing that we only have about 6 weeks left before we meet our baby! It was a scary and exciting thought all at the same time. There are days where I feel 100% ready and confident, and then there are the days where I feel as though we will never be ready! We still have to finish the nursery, place the carseat bases in our cars, set-up the swing, Rock-in-Play, Pack-in-Play, and finish getting the necessary items. I also have a TON of items to sterilize (and we don't have a sterilizer-- I hope that's okay?!)

Movement:  Yes and I can usually predict when the baby will move (after I eat haha). The movement is getting a little stronger and it is noticeable :)

Miss anything:  I miss seeing my feet :) 

Food cravings:  I don't really have any cravings-- I just crave food in general haha. I feel like I am hungry all the time- and I try to have snacks throughout the day. 

Food aversions: No real aversions still! 

Symptoms I have:  Bloating, sore back, tightening in my stomach, sore feet, and just general uncomfortableness. So this is what they were talking about in terms of third trimester......haha

Gender Predictions: I'm still thinking a girl :)

Looking forward to:  We should be getting a few more items (clothes, mattress, sheets) for the baby this weekend, and I am looking forward to organizing everything. Maybe I will even get to the sterilization part haha. 

It really is the final countdown....ahhhhh!!!

Weekending...

Happy Monday everyone :) I am linking up with B Loved Boston and Champagne and Suburbs for Weekending... 

Sorry for slacking last week. I have been crazy busy-- I may have overcommitted just a bit and it is definitely catching up with me. This week, I will try to stay on top of things, but I make no promises! 

{Friday night} 

Friday night I helped my mom sell tickets for a high school football game and let me tell you--some people are just not nice! We dealt with some fans from the opposing team that were rude, constantly complained, and got mad at us over prices for the game (which we have no control over!). It is crazy at how much people complain, and take it out on people who cannot really change the situation. Now many of the opposing team fans were great and super nice-- but as we all know, interacting with just a few negative people can really damper one's mood haha. Let's just say I was not a happy pregnant lady haha. 

After selling tickets, my husband and I met up with one of my best friends and her fiancee for dinner. We went to "Not Your Average Joe's" and I had the best sandwich! I have only been there a handful of times but every time I go, I love what I order! Not only was dinner great, but so was the company. I love seeing my friend so happy- we both went through really tough break-ups right around the same time about 4 years ago. We both found amazing men, and I am so glad she has found the true love and happiness she deserves. Her wedding will be next October and I can't wait! 

{Saturday}

After sleeping in on Saturday (much needed), my husband and I deep cleaned the house. Jim cleaned the entire kitchen from top to bottom, while I cleaned the bathrooms and did four loads of laundry. I am lucky that I married a man who likes a clean house as much as I do :) I am also lucky that he likes to help me :)

Saturday afternoon my father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, niece and nephew all came up to bring some baby items for us to use. We got so many items and we are so grateful! My niece will be four in December and my nephew will be six in March, so my sister-in-law offered up her baby crib, stroller, portable pack-in-play, and a lot of toys! 

All of the generous gifts aside, I was also happy to see them.  It has been a while since they have been up to the house, and they haven't really gotten a chance to see the changes we have made. I was able to catch-up with my sister-in-law and get in some good "aunt" time with my niece and nephew. 

Saturday night, Jim and I did some errands and I got some much "needed" frozen yogurt from Orange Leaf :) I can't really call it a pregnancy craving since I probably would have gotten some even if I wasn't pregnant! When we got home, we finally relaxed and watched "Tomorrowland" which was pretty good. 

{Sunday}

After church, I graded quizzes and lab activities and I also shamefully watched a Christmas movie haha. Yes I know it is early-- but it was so cold yesterday there were flurries already! 

Sunday afternoon, I went to my grandparents for dinner. My family completed a baby pool (most guessed that I am having a boy haha) and my grandmother did the needle and thread test haha. The test showed that I am having a boy so we will see if it's correct! 

Sunday night, I finished lesson planning and flipped between the Patriot's game and "Superbad." I will fully admit that I am a fair-weather fan haha. 

I also started to read "The Rosie Project" for a family book club and "Panic" for my school book club. Both are really good so far! I will let you know what I think of each of them once I am done. 

I hope you are ready for the week! 

Pregnancy Update....Week 32!

How far along? 32 weeks 5 days 

Size of baby: Squash (19 in, 3.9 lbs)

Total weight gain:  22 lbs.... 

Maternity clothes:  Yes-- thankfully I have a pretty good rotation going right now :) and it is still warm enough to wear some of the dresses I wore during the summer. 

  

Sleep: Sleep has been okay this week-- I wake up a few times at night to use the bathroom and to make sure that I hydrate. 

Best moment of the week: I had an appointment yesterday, and hearing the baby's heart rate never gets old! 

Movement: The baby is moving quite a bit lately, and we have noticed that he/she generally moves towards one side. Even yesterday during my appointment, the midwife remarked at how the baby's back was pushing towards one side. It is really funny to l see :) It is also cool to watch the baby move from one side to the other (looks like a wave haha). 

Miss anything: This weekend I was actually missing wine haha-- I just wanted a glass to unwind :)

Food cravings:  Pretty much carbohydrates-- although the cravings are not as strong as they were the past few weeks. 

Food aversions: Nothing :) 

Symptoms I have:  Sore back, cramps, and bloating. I have also been pretty tired this week. I am trying to get back into a workout routine because truth be told, I feel as though when I exercise I end up having more energy throughout the day and week. 

Gender Predictions: I'm still thinking a girl :)

Looking forward to: Finishing the baby room! We have most of it organized, but we are actually getting the crib this weekend and some other items from my brother-in-law. Once everything is DONE I will be sure to share pictures! 

Weekending...Long Weekend Edition

Happy Monday everyone :) I am linking up with B Loved Boston and Champagne and Suburbs for Weekending... 

{FRIDAY AFTERNOON/NIGHT}

- Friday was a Teacher Workshop Day. Workshop days can sometimes be more exhausting than a normal day with students :) (teachers-- you know what I mean haha)-- and to say I was tired after the one on Friday would be an understatement. We had a lot of meetings, but thankfully I had some down time to organize items for class Tuesday. 

Friday night, I ended up meeting up with my mom for dinner (my husband was gone the whole weekend on a hunting trip) at a local cafe called Pressed. The cafe makes all of their sandwiches, wraps, soups, and smoothies fresh and the ingredients they use are top-notch, without being too expensive. After dinner, we stopped by the mall (and met up with my dad who had been stuck at work) to shop around a little bit. I got a few baby items (it is so hard not to buy things for the baby!), and broke down and bought this: 

via

It smells so good! I know it seems weird buying and wearing lotion named Pumpkin Latte-- BUT it smells so good! 

I also bought a new hand sanitizer, and yes it might be from their Winter collection (Is it wrong to want to skip past Halloween and just move to the "real" Holiday season???)

FYI-- it smells really good...

I also bought a few organizing bins at Target for the baby room, and I am so glad I did! 

Late Friday night, I did some lesson planning, continued to binge-watch Parenthood (my go-to show now haha), and started organizing the baby clothes. Before I knew it it was midnight-- WAYYYY past my bedtime haha. I got so caught up in looking at cute baby items that we got at the Baby Shower-- people are so generous and thoughtful! 

I also drank some of this on Friday: 

I have no shame.......

{SATURDAY}

Saturday, I cleaned the entire downstairs and both bathrooms, and got started on some baby laundry! I only had a certain amount of time since much of my immediate family was headed to up to Lebanon, NH to see my cousin Kelly who is at one of the top hospitals in the country, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. She is pregnant with her second baby, a boy named Noah, and she was having some complications. She is about 24 weeks, and we need her and baby Noah to hang in there at least until 28 weeks-- preferably we would him to make it until about 33/34 weeks. If you could keep them in your prayers, I would be so grateful. She seemed in really good spirits Saturday, and she is at one of the best medical hospitals in the entire country, so we are so blessed in so many ways. They also have a toddler, William, who was so incredibly good when we saw him. He also didn't mind the company :) 

The trip took most of the day, so when I got home Saturday, I finished a few more loads of baby laundry, folded it all, graded a little bit, and then called it a night. Again-- I think it was about 11:30/12 when I actually went to bed (don't ask me how I did it haha). 

I also watched a little of this..... 

I forgot how much I loved this show! It really can make me laugh like no other :) 

{SUNDAY}

Sunday I had to wake up early to help volunteer at the pumpkin festival race held at the high school where I teach. It was a cool, crisp, Fall morning--the perfect day for running (or so I can imagine haha). I love volunteering at this race-- I get to see current students, former students, parents, and other community members. 

Once the race was finished, I went to Walmart to pick up a few items--more organizing bins and more mums :)

Once I got home, I went to work on the baby room! I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

The baby room isn't quite done yet-- once it is, I will share more pictures! 

The rest of Sunday was spent at my grandparents house watching football. Once I got home, I did some of the normal laundry, made chili for the beginning of the week and once I was done, I went to bed! 

{MONDAY}

I had no school today (Columbus Day), and so I worked Pick Your Own Apples for most of the day. It was so busy! It was also really warm-- the sun was so strong! I actually burned a little bit haha. 

When I got home from work, I ate dinner and I finally just relaxed! I had a busy weekend, I was tired, and I just wanted to watch tv without really doing anything else. Success :)

Hope you all had a great weekend, even if it wasn't a long weekend for you!