Baby Bump: 18 weeks

How far along: 18 weeks

Gender: Date change...Sept 12th it is! 

Weight gain: Not sure of weight gain. Guessing somewhere between 6-8 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: Not yet, just using the trusty belly band. 

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Sleep is okay, been better. I was always a belly sleeper, miss it already. 

Best moment this week: Pumpkin spice Lattes are out! 

Worst moment this week: Not sure I had one, but I was crazy emotional at times this week for no reason at all- damn preggo hormones. 

Miss anything:  A frosty pumpkin ale, I am drooling thinking about it. They are EVERYWHERE!

Movement: Lots of love kicks, mostly when I finally rest at night and put my feet up.  Those love kicks never get old. 

Cravings: No cravings but still enjoying my sweets and fruit. And anything pumpkin of course. :)

Queasy or sick: Feeling good.

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender!! Less than 2 weeks! And being half way! 

11 Months..Say What?!

Dear little miss Stella,

     This has been such an amazing month. I feel like our Momma- Daughter relationship has grown so much. You make me laugh every single day. I really cannot believe my little baby is going to be one next month. You've made this past year one of the best years ever. I tell you all the time but you are beautiful, smart, so loving, curious and you are definitely a girl who knows what she wants!  I am enjoying my time with you more than you will ever know. And no matter how big you grow, you will always be my sweet baby girl.

Love you to the moon and back,

Momma

xoxo

Weight: Not totally sure. We will find out in one month. If I had to guess, I would say somewhere around the 20 lb marker!

Height: 

Appetite: Your appetite is very much the same as last month but I would say has gotten better. We have changed our milk schedule a tad so you are taking in more whole foods. We still eat all three at the kitchen table. Many of the times, we have the same foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lately your favorite foods have been pickles, yes pickles, nectarines, yogurt, pasta and still avocado! Your milk intake is some where between 12-16 ounces a day and you love love love water! You still are not much of a juice fan, much do enjoy sipping on my lemonade :) Water is drank throughout the day and especially with meals. We are still working on the milk in the sippy cup but it is definitely not as easy as I was hoping! When I said game on last month I should have meant it more! What a challenge this is. And how can I forget?!  You are drinking cows milk, no more formula! 

Clothing Size: You are in both 6-12 and12-18 month clothing. Some items are bigger on you than others. All of your pajamas are 12 months! Lastly, your shoes are still 3-6 months and are still wearing size 4 diapers!! Momma is getting excited for fall clothing! I always loved a baby in cute hats and puffer vest!

Milestones: I feel like so much has changed and you have learned so much. You are buzzing around incredibly fast in your walker, you are taking a few steps on your own to either daddy or I, you say momma, dada, nananana, and when you're tired you whine what sounds like night night. When you want something or see something you yell 'ABA' or 'Ah' as you point at it. You can identify so many things such as your toy lion, Momma's hair, your belly, Mickey and Minnie in your deck of cards, your Blankey,  your cup, your piggies and Ellie. I'm sure there are more that I am forgetting. You don't and probably will never crawl. But if you want something bad enough you will do something that looks like the army crawl, you scooch on your belly.  You can finally drink out of a straw!

Thoughts: Stella... I love you so so much. 

Our routine: Thank goodness that waking up at 6 AM crap only happens once in a while now. However, you are like clockwork. I swear there is an alarm clock in your room that goes off at 6:45 each morning. After you wake up I bring you down into our bed where we watch a cartoon and you enjoy your first morning milk bottle and sometimes a small cup of Cheerios and I enjoy my morning cup of Joe. Around 7:15 or so we make our way into the living room and play for a bit. We eat breakfast together anywhere between 7:30and 8 o'clock. After our breakfast we brush our teeth together and head out for a nice morning walk. Of course we skip the walk on rainy days.  Not long after our walk do you go down for her morning nap. You usually go down anywhere around 9:30 and sleep for an hour and a half. This is when we head out if we are going out for the day sometimes for lunch, or after lunch. We both eat lunch around noon. I love our lunch dates! You take your second and last nap in the afternoon anywhere between 2 and 3 and sleep for another hour and a half.  We have dinner at 6 and bath time follows. After your bath we have some special playtime with Daddy and off to bed at 7:30. Our bedtime routine has been great lately. We relax in your glider and you drink your milk cap for the night and off to bed when you are done. In between your naps and meals we play, play, play! 

Your favorites: Lately your favorites have been being chased around the house in your walker, going out for walks, anything Mickey or Minnie, tubby time, rolling around without a diaper, your Blankey, reading books, especially turning the pages in the books and walking while holding onto someone's hand.

Momma’s Favorites: Some of my favorites lately have been the cool mornings for our walks of course, anything pumpkin, our ice cream and lunch dates, all of the new fall scents out, planning your birthday party, having conversations with you while we are driving and being able to be home with you each and every day. 

Happy 11 months baby girl....
xoxo

Fall, Where art Tho?

So I am blogging down in the office now and I am not sure I like it so much. I feel like I am in a closed box and need to think of things to write, where sitting somewhere upstairs multitasking things come to me much easier. this is not going to work. Anyway, I finally started on Stella's 11 month update. This is the biggest month of changes yet, I think anyway. I will have her update up hopefully tomorrow. Getting her to sit for pictures is like pulling damn teeth. Know I see why professional pictures cost so much money for kiddies.

We have been keeping busy lately with errands and such, getting things for Stella's party. I have also been on a streak of new dinner recipes. I feel like every now and then I find myself in a dinner slump making the same recipes over and over again. At the same time I want Stella to have a broad palate. I cannot complain about her eating habits, I truly think they rock. I also think this new hair style rocks, what do you think? is that hair gel?? haha!  I am not quite sure which I like more- the hair or the facial expression!

I have finally made a treat jar trail mix- it has been f.o.r.e.v.e.r. The canister was already half eaten by the second day. We definitely missed it around here! I was going to add my fall leaf sprinkles but figured I would save those for after labor day! Treat jar mix paired with a fresh blueberry lemonade- yes, please!

 

We are so ready for fall over here! I made my first pumpkin cookie recipe of the year! Delish! Rick and I also took Stella for a shopping haul over at the babyGap for fall clothing. Her winter hat?! If they had it in my size I totally would have bought it to match her! ( it will be in her 11 month update) I fell in love with babyGap's choice of fall colors this year- especially the mustard yellow. I also love this cat hat for the season! I think it will be a must buy, and it's even on sale!

Our morning walks have been simply the best. Stella and I's conversations are priceless and so are the sights that we see... 

I am going to soak up this last month with my little babe before she turns one. Say What?! This year has been one of the quickest years of my life, yet the best. Now I am off to attempt Stella's 11 month pictures once again...

This was definitely a first and a last time blogging in the office downstairs. Not a fan! 

Baby Bump: 17 Weeks

Time is really flying by. It's hard to believe that in three weeks we will know the gender (if he or she decides to cooperate of course) and we will be half way! Eek! It is also VERY hard to believe that my little babe is going to be 1 year old in just one month. I will officially be a Momma of a toddler! 

How far along: 17 weeks

Gender: Sept. 15 is the magic date :) 

Weight gain: Not sure. As of 16 weeks it was 4.5 lbs, I am sure it's a bit more than that

Maternity clothes: Not yet...definitely rocking cozy clothes around the house and wearing my belly band with some of my shorts now. 

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Sleep has been really shitty lately. Not sure what to blame it on. 

Best moment this week:  Holding Stella in her glider while she drank her nightly milk cap and feeling the baby fluttering in my belly.  my two babies..xoxo

Worst moment this week: Having a cabinet shelf of salad plates and mugs come crashing down on me. We have only 4 lonely mug survivors. a small part of me always wanted mismatched mugs.

Miss anything:  Looking at a menu with sushi on it while out for lunch this week made me crave a salmon roll...yumm

Movement: Flutters, flutters and more flutters. Also think I felt my first little love kick. 

Cravings: Sweets! Anything sweet! Favorite fruits have been Gala apples and red grapes. Some of my other favorites lately have been Noosa pumpkin yoghurt-pure heaven, V8 lemonade, and Turkey Hill Light Extreme cookies n' cream ice cream. 

Queasy or sick: Feeling good.

Looking forward to: Packages arriving this week of items I ordered for Stella's birthday party!!

Catching up...

I have really been using every single nap that Stella takes to work on her party. Between beginning my DIY projects for her party and finding items to order as good as I am imagining are consuming much of my time. I have a vision that I hope I can make. I chose to enjoy this party more for myself (if that doesn't sound selfish) and skipped the character theme and went with a pretty color scheme that fits Stella.  I have been finding most of the items that fit the party on Etsy. Some I chose to purchase and those that I could make myself I went that route. it's just about finding the time :)  I keep telling myself I will do this or that when she falls asleep for the night; but who am I kidding I am right behind her each night.

We have been keeping busy with errands this week, a lunch date and keeping up on our walks. Not only does Stella really enjoy them; as we are walking she reaches out and yells "ABA at everything",  they also make me feel like I am getting a bit of exercise in. Which I can really use these days!

So much has changed this past month. Stella has grown and changed in so many ways- her personality, her favorite foods... She is always making Rick and I laugh and our interaction during the day is incredible. We have full out conversations together- I just wish I knew what she was saying back to me.  I am excited to begin working on her 11 month update. happy tears and sad tears.

Yesterday we made a needed run to Target for household goods and a big box of Pampers! On the way home I decided to make a pit stop at Jimmy's to share a kiddie cone. The time before last we also got a kiddie cone to share and she took a few licks of it and was done. I thought the same for this time so I ordered one cone in kiddie size. get in my preggo belly :)  Let's just say more ended up in her belly than mine ;) She even ate the cone! Every time I went to take a lick to keep it from melting down the cone, she gave me the look like not too much Momma, it's my turn. Proof that the cone was enjoyed, and someone had static in their hair :)

I am starting to see more pumpkin flavored things all around. This is making me more and more excited for fall! One of Stella and I's next recipes will definitely be pumpkin flavored. Hopefully she shares a love for pumpkin with me because Rick is not really a fan!

Cheers to Friday! 

Chocolate buttercream frosting and lunch meat sushi.

Stella and I finally got baking. It's been a while...too long.

This pregnancy has kicked my chocolate loving frenzy in high gear. I have been trying to nail down a good chocolate buttercream frosting from scratch for some time. I like me a fudgy chocolate frosting that is not overly sweet. I think Stella and I knocked it out of the ballpark with our frosting today. I finally found a go to chocolate buttercream frosting. I can't stop eating these mini gems!! I love the bite size cupcakes because you cam pop em' right in your mouth!

The recipe for this Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting.

2 3/4 cups of powdered sugar

2/3 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder

6 Tbl butter, softened

5 Tbl milk or cream

1 tsp vanilla

1. Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

2. in mixer cream butter.

3. gradually add sifted sugar and cocoa, alternating with the milk

4. add the vanilla

I had my little helper in the kitchen with me while making the yellow butter cupcakes that our chocolate buttercream would top. All was good and dandy until she decided to wave the batter filled spatula like she just don't care. Then to top it all off, she picked up the stick of butter and took a big ole' bite out of it. Momma threw in the red flag.

I miss both sushi and a plain old lunch meat sandwich. While on our Monday food shop, I picked up some prepackaged Applegate Naturals organic turkey breast. Since Momma can't have sushi, she had to improvise. We made lunchmeat sushi rolls. We cut the crust off of our 12 grain bread, and rolled it nice and flat with a rolling pin. We then spread a thin layer of cream cheese and layered one slice of turkey breast, one slice of cheese, a sliver of a pickle and some shredded cabbage for crunch! Roll it up and cut it into pieces. Yumm-o! Of course Stella's plate looked a bit different. Her rolls were deconstructed and diced up small. :) But we both enjoyed.

I love having fun with food. Stella inspires me to be creative ;)

Yesterday also marked the first day of Stella's gradual transition onto cows milk. She has lost interest in  the formula lately and just refuses it. I am lucky if she drinks 12 ounces a day. My plan is to boost her fruit and veggie intake to reduce the chance of constipation and gas. This girl loves water, thank goodness her water intake is just perfect so that should help too. I chose to put her on Horizon Organic 2% cows milk with DHA-Omega 3 since the DHA is one huge benefit from drinking formula; especially since we aren't waiting until 1 to switch.  Fingers crossed she likes it and it agrees with her little belly :)

Weekend Recap and Baby Bump: 16 Weeks

How far along: 16 weeks

Gender: We will find out Sept. 15 :) I am leaning towards boy?!

Weight gain: 4 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: Not yet. But I did break out the belly band in order to wear a pair of my shorts more comfortably this weekend :)

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Sleep is the same. Long stretches of solid sleep are far and few in between. Getting up to pee in the middle of the night doesn't help either. 

Best moment this week:  Hearing baby's heartbeat- a healthy 160 and my fro yo date with little miss. 

Worst moment this week: Nausea was back with a vengeance and decided to hang around for a few days. 

Miss anything:  I was eyeing up a pitcher of red sangria with fresh fruit this weekend...I could of really of went for a tall glass of red sangria! 

Movement: A few flutters here and there :) Waiting for those love kicks...

Cravings: Had a crazy craving this week for black bean nachos. After eating almost the entire plate I didn't feel so well and still can't even think about them. 

Queasy or sick: Feeling good.

Looking forward to: More planning for Stella's first birthday party!



Another weekend flew by. Rick ended up working on Saturday so it was the little babe and I for breakfast, without hubby. I look forward to our little family breakfasts. For only the second time ever, I decided to make German pancakes aka dutch babies. They are an airy and eggy pancake dusted with powdered sugar that is much easier to make than standing at the stove flipping pancakes. It is cooked at a high temp in the oven in a cast iron skillet. We topped our German pancake with sliced and diced strawberries. To add a little more calcium to Stella's breakfast, I spread a layer of raspberry pear yogurt on her pancake. Let's just say Stella chowed down.

Later that day we had cousin Dewey's surprise 30th birthday. Since Rick was at work, I made myself list after list in order to not forget anything. Being out with an almost toddler these days requires a trailer of shit. I began loading the truck early so I was more likely to be out on time. After breakfast, we walked, napped, played, had lunch, and took a bath and in between I got our things together and loaded up what felt like the house. If I could just hook up the house and tow that behind, life would be much easier. All in all, we got out on time and somehow forgot nothing. Go me!  It did help that Stella was a gem all morning. 

The lack of pictures from the party was because Rick and I were busy walking Stella balloon to balloon. Now that she can walk holding onto a hand, she is non-stop...go go go. 

Our rooster daughter provided us with our unordered wake up call at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday morning UGH! Our long day on Saturday and early morning on Sunday left me with no energy to cook breakfast so healthy (haha) bagels it was. Stella also enjoyed 1/2 of toasted wheat bagel with cream cheese, diced grapes and a yogurt. We enjoyed a coloring session at her table, and some extra couch time before getting ready to head out to soak up some sun and fill our bellies with lunch. 

We decided to head into Clinton for a nice walk and lunch waterside. A stop at the coffee shop for a decaf iced caramel macchiato was a must :)

Of course Momma had to sign the chalkboard wall before leaving...

In a nutshell, it was a great weekend. Busy, yet relaxing if that is at all possible. I am going to soak up this last month before my baby girl becomes a toddler..... eek!