byhillary

Happy Mother's Day

2013-05-12T09:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all moms young and old. To fur baby moms to baby moms.
I salute you. It is the toughest job you can ever do.

Baby fashions

2013-05-01T10:34:00.001-05:00

Wee likes to boogie down and she has unique sense of fashion. Ok maybe Dave does who dresses her many days.

In order of wearing

1.Gymboree onesie from Grammy lala. Unicorn pants from yard sale 8 years ago. Headband from Carter's.

2.Carter's onesie from Grammy Ivy. Sweatshirt from boys clearance at Target. Leg warmers Dave made from Target Clearance socks.

3. Baby Liberace pjs from my gram. Her great gram they are from Babies R Us

4. Target Carter's onesie and hand me down Carter's pants

5. Brown monkey pjs Old Navy

6. Hello Kitty outfit from Dave's boss

7. Pink monkey pjs from Grammy Suzy they are from Cracker Barrel. Seriously!

8. Carter's onesie from great auntie Betsy, Carter's pants from me. socks from Babies R Us and turban from Grammy Suzy

9. Carter's outfit I got entire outfit on clearance for $6

10. Fancy organic gown and too big hat by Barn Organics from Auntie Heather

11. This was last night I love this one I put it together. All Carter's from me but shoes from Grammy Suzy

New accessory

2013-05-01T08:45:00.001-05:00

I keep meaning to post but babies man they just rock your world and you forget about things like blogs. I wonder if I should post all those pregnant outfit photos saved in a folder I never got around to posting.

First off. I chopped my hair. I hadn't intended on it. My normally very amazing lady who does exactly what I ask... Apparently left her ears at home that day. It's about 4-5 inches shorter than I asked for. I don't dislike it but its too short to put in a hair tie which is problematic for a mom. This is why I only cut my hair once a year. This was the only time I was away from Wee in 7 weeks. It was 45 minutes and it sucked. She was literally1/10th a mile away and I was edgy. Full disclosure I battling severe PPD. I will write a full post about it because I feel like it isn't talked about enough and I didn't know it could happen to me. I got help quick though so I am doing better but the idea of being away from her isn't something I can do yet. Baby steps. Literally.

I'll be honest most days I don't get dressed. I'm not in a routine yet and we are moving and pjs are comfy and I've had company.... Excuse excuse.

But when Dave is home on weekend I used it as an excuse to take a shower that was longer than a minute and put on actual clothes! I also used my new magic trick. If you put on lipstick and sunglasses it looks like you made an effort and no one notices the unbrushed hair and no makeup!

Tiered top and polka for jeans Target. Can you believe I am wearing skinny jeans? My aunt Sam visited and she was rocking a pair and looked so damn cute I had to get a pair.
Sweater NY and Co. It's at least 5 years old.
Dansko Thea sandals
Skip Hop diaper bag
Baby made by us

I'm attempting to post from phone so formatting might be super wacky! I'm currently under the baby :)

Long time no see!

2013-04-06T08:45:00.001-05:00

Hey guys!
Sorry I fell off the planet. I had big goals my week I took off before baby to catch up on the enormous back log of pregnancy pictures and posts. But that week turned into two and I didn't do it and then at 41 weeks pregnant I thought I would never have the baby.

Well the day before my scheduled induction she finally decided to start the process on her own.

It didn't go so smoothly. I will post my birth story soon. Hopefully before she goes to college. I'll give you a cliff note for now.... Emergency C-Section :/

We decided at this time we aren't comfortable sharing her name but her picture is ok. New parent paranoia. I may change my mind later. I'm allowed. I'm sleep deprived.

So meet Miss Wee Pi.
Born March 14th, Pi day.
7lbs 13oz.

Her cousin, my niece was born the day before! We call her Mel. (Also not her real name)

Wee was 9 days late, Mel 1 day early. I can't wait for big shared birthday parties!!!

P.S I made this little dress for her. It's reversible!

The BIG stuff (Nesting) ugh.

2013-02-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

OOPS this post is two months old but apparently never was published. Here it is now....

The phrase nesting makes my skin crawl. I feel I have not been emotional at all this entire time. (Dave agrees. Seriously he does. He isn't scared of me, he is honest) Business as usual. Did I get sick. HELL YES. Did I worry? HELL YES. But no more than I always did my other 34 years. I haven't cried ONCE. (I take it back, but it was at a funeral.) But my "omg we must have the STUFF in the house NOW" has kicked into high gear. Call it nesting if you will, just don't make a big deal about it :P A blog reader who morphed into a friend had her beautiful baby boy at 31(?) weeks over the holidays so I kinda got scared and wanted it all in arms reach JUST IN CASE.

Sheets are clearance at Target. Online they are twice the price.
Humidifier I love this thing. My only complaint is that it lights up and you can't turn it off. We have been using it for about a month. The cats love it too. No more dry paws.
Boppy Bought in store at Target because I had a gift card.
Crib Note this is about half the price at Toys R Us I just refuse to link to them. My inlaws kindly bought us this crib with a "coupon" for setting it up too!
Diaper Pail Bought in store at Target because I had gift card. Cheaper on Amazon though.
Ergo Baby Carrier We bought in store at Target but I can't find it online as cheap as it is on Amazon.
Graco Pack 'N Play My mom got the color way we have at BuyBuyBaby in store I believe.
Stroller and Car Seat Gift from my dad and step mother. I can't even tell you how hilarious this was first time testing it out. It took FIVE people to figure out why the car seat was stuck to the stroller. It was because I was stupid and had latched something I wasn't supposed to latch. Gram was off camera reading instructions. I was laughing and taking pictures. I researched strollers and car seats a LOT. I will be honest there is a $700 stroller I am like madly in love with. I can't stop drooling over it when I see it. But lets be real this will do the job that will AND it came with a car seat which cost $220 ON TOP of a stroller if we got them separate. I was a bit I won't say sad but you know wistful wanting the nice one but being realistic and picking this one. I didn't even tell family about the fancy one. When we were setting this one up my dad who is very much a straight shooter and WILL tell you like it is regardless of how it will make you feel, kept saying how nice this was and how well built and great design and how impressed he was with it. That made me realize I picked good. I purposefully picked on that all the cloth came off and could be washed. And the frame was mostly metal and not plastic. It also sets up one handed.

Nothing is assembled and in place. Nothing is in it's place but we have all the big (size and cost) "needs" for Wee in our possession. (the little stuff can wait, so can the "wants") The crib technically is in another state until we move but it has been purchased. Eventually it turns into a bed and a nightstand. She is going to sleep in a Pack n Play until we move. That isn't the exact color way we got. Well it is but the colors are in different spots. It is mostly brown skirt and edging with soft teal accents. We got everything in neutrals. If we are to have more kids I don't want to rebuy things. Much to my mom and gram's chagrin nothing is pink. That is what her clothes is for! Not to mention I have been scoping out everyone else's stuff for the past 8 months and dude... people who have pink strollers and car seats? Um they tend to look grubby. Why not buy it in grubby color to hide as much grubby as possible I say?! That is why the Pack n Play has brown sides too on the one we picked. The ones in store in the light colors? EW! It is meant to be moved often. It gets mucky from your hands. Even if I knew for certain if I had more kids and all them are going to be girls I still would of went the route we did. I mean come on a grey carrier? HOW CUTE IS THAT?

One very crucial thing missing? Diapers. LORDY why is that all so hard? I don't want to fill the landfills. I don't want to go broke. We can't do cloth until we move. We have ones we think we might use but are going to kinda wing it.

If we do end up being able to successfully do cloth diapers that diaper pail is going to be the most kick ass kitty litter disposal unit ever. Seriously it is PERFECT. Hides odors, wraps it up, would nest nicely next to box for easy scooping. I don't know why we never thought of it. Heck we may get one just for that. Maybe we can get the cats to scoop their own poop it is so easy.

I forgot we also have a swing from grandma. It is so friggin cute.

It goes in both directions. I hope she likes it. If not Waffle will. Waffle loves to rock herself on the rocking chair. She figured it out and now spends hours in it.

Edited to add. Waffle let me test the carrier out with her. SHE LOVED IT.

Maternity photo

2013-02-25T08:57:00.001-05:00

I have dozens of backlog photos. But I want to fix them up before posting. What can I say I just have been majorly unmotivated in the blogging department. The lack of interest in the posts kinda nailed it too. Eh. Can't win them all. But I did win one thing.

My "maternity" photo. I started it all out taking weekly belly shots. Lets be honest I HATED IT. I always wanted to skip it. So eventually I did. My self esteem just couldn't handle it. I then stuck to Instagram casual photos for bump watch so to speak.

Dave and I wanted to do some maternity photos but with the snow every single weekend the past month it has been kinda hard figuring out what to do. I took inspiration from Pinterest and my favorite wedding photo and we went with something less traditional.

I really wish we had taken a zoomed out shot. That way you could of seen the cowboy pj pant bottoms, the slippers, the fact that this "dress" wasn't much of a dress anymore and that we were both standing on a board on the top of an ottoman.

I always loved this photo from my wedding so it was part of the inspiration.

And as a reminder as it has been awhile our original announcement photo.

Which I jokingly "improved upon" for Facebook once we knew it was a girl.

I like how our photo came out, its "US". I took some actual belly shots but those will NEVER been seen on the internet. :) I was clothed, they aren't risque but no one needs to see how pale my belly is. Ever. Lets just say my arms are tan in comparison.

Edited to add. I wish you could tell but the charm bracelet on my right wrist is this. A Pisces charm. Dave got it for me for Valentine's day. It is the babies sign. When he gave it to me there were 4 days before it kicked into that sign and he blurted out as I opened it. "The lady said I can return it if she comes in the next 4 days!"

The two bracelets on my left are my Pop bracelet and my wedding bracelet. I wanted to put little special touches in to make it more special. Pop isn't here physically but he is always with me.

Winter got ya down?

2013-01-31T12:59:00.002-05:00

Winter weather sucks even with a normal sized wardrobe. But when you are on a limited wardrobe you can get even more grumpy each morning getting dressed. I love black white and grey. They are my homeboys but that is mostly all I have in maternity clothes so I have been wearing a lot of scarves to liven it all up in the sub-arctic temps we have been having.

I haven't even been able to do my winter layering with extra tights and turtlenecks because I don't have maternity ones! Yesterday and today were freaks of weather nature and in the 50's!!! You better believe I pulled out some dresses!

Dress and reversible Motherhood Maternity, (yup I wore the cardigan three days in a row) Leggings H&M Maternity, Boots Clarks.

The funny thing about dresses, or these in particular is how much they ACCENTUATE the bump. People at work were shocked because compared to the day before it looks like I grew. See the day before in comparison!

Like my new "prop" I kid calling it a prop but it does make a nice place to stand for a picture. My work was selling them off so I snatched one up. I was very unpopular that day. It was a first come first serve sale and apparently I got the one "everyone wanted" or so I was told by lots of grumpy librarians. You snooze you lose dudes.

I was standing crooked so the dress is doing an odd thing in the middle there. Right at boob level. It doesn't look like that when I stand up I hope.

Dress, Leggings and cardigan Motherhood Maternity, Boots Clarks.

Overall I was MUCH happier in dresses the past two days then I have been in months. Everything else is just too uncomfortable right now. If my body wasn't so stubborn and had such issues getting pregnant I'd plan to be pregnant in the summer next time! OY dresses galore. Nothing belly binding!

I have been having horrific back pains this week. Awful horrible. So I begged Dave to do something after work. Anything. Told him it didn't matter what it was as long as I got to walk around.

I didn't want to go home and sit on the couch and hurt some more. He took me to Chestnut Hill mall and got me a chair massage. OMG Best 10 minutes of my life in a long time. He kept saying do it longer but I felt bad. I decided I don't feel bad now. I am so going back. SOON. The lady propped towels on the chair so I could drape myself and not crush the belly. She was awesome. I had a maternity massage for Christmas and that was wonderful but on the gentle side, sometimes you just need a small woman to dig her elbow into your back. He also got me some Lush goodies and I went home and took an insanely long shower with my shower chair. I don't enjoy baths at all. I am allergic to bubble bath and honestly I don't fit UNDER the water.

Yes I bought a chair for the shower. It's just a plastic folding chair but it was life changing. I can shave my legs. I can sit and relax and not worry about toppling over. It folds up flat and fits behind the bathroom door. It was $10 in the office section of Target.

Here is me in the same dresses back in October.

I gave up on the weekly updates. I just felt complain-y Janey and I felt bad because I try not to be that person and I know people have it MUCH worse than I do. I've had a headache since the first week of August and my morning sickness never went away the entire time and food is still an issue. I have to force feed myself during the day and I hate any and all food. Still can't brush without heaving either.

BUT BUT BUT! As of this morning I have gained 13 lbs. I am unusually proud of myself. While I have struggled with how I looked this whole time and any weight gain was hard at first to palette after years of Weight Watchers trying to keep my weight. But for the longest time I wasn't gaining. I was so sick I just couldn't put on weight and it made me feel like a bad mom. How was she supposed to grow big and strong if I wasn't gaining. My doctor assured me time and time again that they are little parasites and will literally suck you dry so any food was fine no matter how little. Friends recommend lots of things and I did things like snacked on fatty nuts, protein packed shakes, butter and milk in things instead of my Smart Balance and rice milk. I am measuring exactly on target week wise and even if I didn't technically HAVE to gain weight according to my doctor I felt it was setting me up better for after. I know lots of people who were so malnourished when they gave birth because of that same issues. (Waves HI MOM)

I look forward to enjoying food again. To eating and not instantly wanting to be sick. To know what all those crazy people were talking about when they said pregnant women have cravings? (to them I say, NOT EVERYONE DUDE)

Dove® Winter Care

2013-01-30T08:55:00.000-05:00

I was recently asked by the lovely people at Dove® to try their Winter Care Body Wash. I was intrigued by the idea of a "winter wash". I know in winter as I have said before my skin gets DRY. Not dry with a lower case, we are talking full capital letter DRY.

Dove® Winter Care Contains Nutrium Moisture® to nourish deep down and help heal dry skin. The mild formula reverses the signs of dry winter skin. It is available October through March. (keep your eye out for Summer Care come April!)

So the husband and I gave it a try.

First thing I noticed was how thick it was. We are talking heavy duty lotion thick. Which to me is a big plus. I despise runny body wash. I have a bottle of a leading national brand I bought not knowing it was so runny and it sits on the shelf totally neglected because I hate how it pours out and spills everywhere. While Winter Care is thick it isn't greasy. It is smooth and creamy and feels nice applying. I don't even use a scrubby or cloth I just slather it all over my skin. It rinses without a sticky film like some moisturizing ones and leaves my skin soft and kinda dewy. The smell is kinda standard Dove® smell but a little lighter.

Does it really moisturize? Well I have to say yes. While my skin isn't overwhelmingly moist now the biggest thing I noticed after using it for 10 days is I no longer itched getting out of the shower. The itching totally stopped.

When I asked Dave what he thought he said that he also enjoyed how thick it was (he hates that runny one more than I do!) and he also commented on the lack of sticky film like some of the other lotionesque type ones we have tried. He has extremely sensitive skin and used it daily without any issues or rash.

Curious to see how some of your favorite body washes – including Olay – stack-up on the mildness scale compared to Dove®? Head here to put them to the test!

I was provided with Dove® body wash and information about the products by Rocket XL. All opinions are 100% my own.

(Cloth) Diapering Help

2013-01-28T09:04:00.001-05:00

The countdown is on. Wee will be here soon. HOPEFULLY not for 5 weeks soon though.

Dude cloth diapering research is overwhelming. I went into a store to talk to a person and serious I felt like I took 5 steps back as she told me all I learned as wrong. ACK.

Everyone has a varying opinion on the topic. People love what they love.

We have acquired 2 kinds of semiecofriendly (semi) diapers that are available in stores. I really dug the information about the Honest company but they make them out of wheat and I just don't want to "try it and see if she reacts" as some people have suggested! (shocked face) We have 4 Celiacs in the family, even if Wee is safe no one will be able to touch her diapers but me! OH hell no! (OK well only two of the Celiacs have tactile reactions but still. Best to avoid wheat. End of argument)

Earth's Best uses wheat too. blarg.

So tell me what you like and the why please. I figure a couple recommendations from you guys then I can research those because I can't keep doing it the way I was because I am driving myself insane.

I want to know what YOU love.... and why??

And if you use disposables (I refuse to call them sposies) which do you use.

Things change and that is OK

2013-01-10T12:16:00.001-05:00

You hear a million quotes about having a baby. One I am guessing that has never been uttered is "nothing will change, your life will be the same"
I know this. I went into this willingly. I am not complaining, quite the opposite really. Heck I did fertility treatments. I WANTED this. I just look at it sometimes and have to giggle how much things change.

Who is a fill up your online cart and let it sit person? Only to never buy it or to use it as a "wish list" and eventually buy a thing or two on it? Raise your hand.

(click to enlarge. I know it came in kinda small huh?)

Our family Amazon cart has stuff saved in it from 5 years ago. It has a little bit of everything in the "save for later" section. I was on there today and my cart as it stands today made me laugh. Do I need all of it. Probably not. Will I buy some of it. Maybe eventually. (I will the waterproof pad for sure) But it just made smile to see how even before she is born something as simple as "playing on the internet throwing things in a cart" has totally changed from say 6 months ago.

That's OK. I like this change.

While I have you here.

What are your newborn MUST HAVES? Any category? I love reading people's opinions on this. You never know when you are going to find a total gem of advice.

The mitts were recent advice from someone. She said how babies like to pull their mittens off so those mittens above are ones with little Velcro tabs so tighten them on so they can't take them off. Genius right? I haven't pulled the trigger due to price. But they sit there to remind me how smart they are.

Wee's baby shower

2013-01-09T12:28:00.001-05:00

Oh how I hate the phrase baby shower. Why I don't know. I kept calling it a baby party. Mostly because I wanted my dad there and every time someone said shower he made a face. Since my shower he attended ANOTHER shower so now I think he is over his whole "that is a girls thing" mentality. I will say he never once put up a fuss when I said he was coming. He just made a face. If you know my dad you know the face. It looks a lot like this.

My shower was a family affair. My mom flew up from Florida, my dad and step mom and gram were there along with Dave's family. We had quite a crew and that was with a bunch of people unable to come. (The plague was going around.)

I was crazy nervous before the party. I don't like attention. I get all uncomfortable, especially since I don't see everyone for a long time. But I LOVE having everyone I love all in one spot at the same time. My aunt and cousin were missing or it would of been literally my whole family. I love my family intermingling with Dave's family too. We get to see both of them but not too often together so any excuse to bring them all together I say LETS DO THIS.

This was the scene when we arrived. My mom flew in the day before and actually spent the night with my baby cousin (at the sink) who lives one town over from my inlaws. I was so nervous she wouldn't have a good time. I don't know her very well we've always lived in different states. I know when we are together we have fun but we are about 14 years apart and go so long in between seeing one another. Her and my friend I had brought totally hit it off. It was cute they are 15 years apart but everyone thought my friend went to college with my cousin they didn't realize I had brought her up with me from Boston. She was loving being mistaken for a 20 year old!

Isn't my cousin B the cutest ever? She is SO TALL, shes slouching for me here! She doesn't get that from our side of the family. (our mom's are sisters)

There was so much yummy food and I didn't have almost any of it! My nerves got the better of me. I am kicking myself looking back at the pictures. This is only ONE table of it there were multiple!

Oh and there was a cotton candy machine! For my SIL wedding earlier this year my MIL was talking about how did you know you could rent cotton candy machines? I said WHY DIDN'T YOU GET ONE THEN? So what did her and my mom do? They bought me one! I haven't taken it home yet. It is so neat you use one hard candy to make it. You smash it up and put it in.

The machine got a lot of laughs for sure.

Gram was being so silly. She kept saying she had never had it. I know for a fact she has. She also said it tasted funny but it was made out of a starlight peppermint just like the 28392 you find in the bottom of her purse!

I was pretty adamant about not being "embarrassed" with any games. No diaper games, no drinking a bottle games, no measuring me games!!! Instead we played a guess who game where people had to guess who said what Dave or I? It was as if we said it when we are five and there was multiple choice.

We also played "MY WATER BROKE!" everyone got an ice cube with a baby in it and who ever had their baby pop to the top of their glass first one. My great aunt won and she totally admitted she cheated with a warm beverage!

The funniest game was one that my mom and MIL made up. My mom found these little girl ducks and she didn't know what to do with them but knew she had to get them. So her and MIL came up with "Pluck a Duck" they used the jar from our wedding. Each duck was tied to a string and 6 of them had an apple on the bottom. Who ever got the apple won a prize!

I didn't win a prize. But my cousin and friend did. I hear they also cheated :) (No seriously, I am not being a sore loser they were scoping out the ducks ahead of time) Dave's cousin's little boy was very concerned about all the ducks and kept asking for skizors to set them free.

We played the game again this weekend at my SIL's party. I didn't win again this time. My stepmom did though and gave me her prize ;) I need to remember to grab a duck or two for Wee next time we are in NH. I think we are done with the baby showers for awhile!

There was a lot of presents. OH MY DAMN. I was in shock. I mean maybe it was ignorant of me but I didn't expect it. It was 90% clothes. People like to buy little girl clothes! OH MY! I was super clever and came up with a great way to remember who gave us what. I took everyone's picture with their present. I highly recommend it if you are every in a similar situation. No matter how good your list you write at the party is you get home and you have no idea who gave you the pink onesie with the tiny flowers over the one with the hearts.

When I opened the raccoon I bet half the people in the room were like "WHY a raccoon?" I yelled out ROCCA!!!!! and my head whipped around from my dad on one side of the room and my mom on the other because the package wasn't labeled. When I was little I had a stuffed raccoon (hey you had a teddy, now that is weird to me! ha)
I named him Rocky after the Beatles song. He then became Rocca. There were two Roccas because something happened at one point but no one is sure how the first one bet his fate. The smile shared between my parents across the room just was priceless. They may of split up 30 years ago but they will always remember their insane child flipping out over her missing raccoon.

My family doesn't have a serious bone in their body. If a joke can be made it will be. Doesn't matter who is in the room or how appropriate it is. This was my favorite part all day. Dave was opening the box of the plaque my dad is holding in a photo above. It had all this shrizzle shred on top so we were pulling it out in handfuls and shoving it in a bag to see what was in the box. Gram busts out "is that a box of marijuana?!" Hence my face. WHAT? She is 83. She says some funny stuff but this took the cake. I replied. Yes gram, your son gave me a box of marijuana, he thought it would help with labor!"

I wanted to make sure I thanked everyone profusely but I didn't want to write some drone cards "thank you for the 4 onesies and yellow socks" what fun is that? What fun is that to get too? Oh yes you know what I got you. So I set up this elaborate photo shoot. I spent hours taking absolutely everything we had for Wee and everything we got and making it look like a Baby Boutique. We even got out the lighting equipment and posed the animals to make them look like they were having fun. (The raccoon kept looking menacing. No joke.)

Every time we took a shot I had to reassess that you could see each and every item from the shower so people could identify what they gave. I then used a service to have glossy cards printed out an mailed to everyone RIGHT FROM MY IPHONE. Dude I love technology.

Ack Carter's "haul"

2013-01-07T12:30:00.000-05:00

Dave and I ventured into a Carter's for the first time yesterday since knowing we are having a baby, at the suggestion of his aunt. We have a few things on our "needs" list and she said it would be a great place to look.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO HER? The only person who had a harder time in that store than me was Dave. I'd think it was fair to say there was little in there that I didn't like. I am kinda picky about baby clothes too and at least at this moment in time every thing was so damn cute!

It also appears and from what I remember from buying for other people's kids everything goes on sale. The brandy new stuff that was full price was more than I felt comfortable spending but there was so much that was 70% off. We stuck to our list but did end up with one more item than than we went in for ;)

Wee is gonna eventually have opinions on what she wears. But until then I plan on living it up and dressing her in all the things Dave and I love. :) ha. Heck why not while we can. Being as it is my kid I am sure she will make her opinions known soon enough!

These are the things I fell in love with there but we only bought one of them. They also seem to have lots of coupons going at once. Between the sales and coupons I can see this being our store to find her great little outfits at a very reasonable price. It was all cheaper than Target too for what appears to be better constructed items. Who knows how they will hold up. I do know that I personally wore a TON of Carters as a kid. We had a Factory Outlet store near where I grew up.

We ended up buying the red sweater and zebra outfit. It was cheaper to buy that then to buy just a sweater. (sweaters weren't on sale. I think they had all just come in)

I found I REALLY liked the boy stuff too. Lots of stuff that would be cute on a boy or a girl was to be found over there. I loved the soft teal color and the greys. There isn't enough girl stuff I have seen in those colors. I don't want a sea of pink. Heck she might be a red head and teal might be her COLOR. :)

We ended up getting the whale and crab onesie set top left. We needed some short sleeve ones. The dark blue one says Captain Adorable. Which I know some might say says "BOY" I say why can't Wee be a Captain? I loved the neon orange accents on them too! She has a little pair of orange or grey pants that will go so great with all them.

Here is what we ended up with.

Our list of what we were looking for:

*Pants

*Sweaters or a warm layer that opens in front

*Socks

*Short sleeve onesies

*Hats (sadly they didn't have any on sale. They had really cute ones that were white and neon pink but I wasn't going to spend $6 a piece on them)

The top two outfits were on the super clearance rack. We paid $6 a set and ended up with two sweaters, two pants and a onesie! We were very strategic in the colors we bought to go along with the stuff we thrifted and were gifted at our shower.

Click the image to visit the site. I will not get any credit but the stuff is ADORABLE. I was not compensated or asked to post this. I just loved all the cute little things and thought it would be fun to share a collage of things I'd like to see her in. I think the stuff is honestly even cheaper in store too. Looking at the prices online some was what we paid but a lot was more than what we paid.

Where is your favorite place to buy kids clothes? Even if you don't have a kid but buy for friends.

EDITED TO ADD because Dave thought it might not be clear. We only got the stuff in the last collage. I thought it was obvious but doesn't hurt to say so.

Our break. Pic heavy!

2013-01-04T13:52:00.001-05:00

Back to work. No more vacation. WOMP WOMP.

I was off from December 22nd through December 1st. One of the few perks of working for a school. Dave took that time off to coincide with me. We plan it that way each year because we want to maximize our time together.

We had a nice time off. We went to NH for 3 days and had 2 family Christmastimes up there.

I will make two posts because I have way too many photos.

Xmas eve at the inlaws

This was earlier in the day before we left home. Waffle was a huge snuggle buddy all week.

My MIL always makes a ton of desserts. This time there were blueberry and lemon mini pies, mini pecan, cookie bars and magic bars. I had one of tiny pecans and kicked myself for not taking some home. I brought the magic bars to my families house for xmas day and they DEVOURED them. Doh!

Sadly ONLY photo of Dave all day. he was the one this time taking all the pictures.

Everyone gets a new ornament here is FIL putting his up. The ones of the rest of us we were all making faces. There was a lot of faces that day. What is up with this one?? Enlarge if necessary. It must of been at something funny cause SIL is laughing.

The girls always get matching presents. We are told to hold up packages and compare before opening. I've said it for the past 15 years we wouldn't know until the other one opened it! Silly! They usually are in a different color though. Here it's nightgowns.

Speaking of faces. My MIL makes the funniest when a camera is on her. I will be nice and post this sweet one though. I know where Dave gets it from though! ha. I hope my little girl has just a little of that in her.

Christmas day we went to my dad's then my gram's. No pics from Dad's house.

GAH. There are SIX of these photos and not a single one where someone wasn't eating or looking angry which is funny because we were all laughing through the whole thing. You now know where I get my serious face from. My family is NOTHING close to serious though. The other couple is gram's littlesr brother and his wife.

Unfortunately my uncle was sick but if you added him to this photo, this is my entire immediate family on my dad's side. Next year there will be two more girls in the photo. My cousin's widow is pregnant too!

Gram opening her digital picture frame. She kept saying it was scented powder which we usually buy her since Pop passed. Dude do you know how expensive that stuff has got FOR POWDER? My grandfather used to buy it for her, White Linen is one of the only perfumes on the market that still makes scented powder to go with it. It was CHEAPER to buy her a digital picture frame with remote and memory card. I loaded it up with pics of my cousin who passed and Pop.

Ok that isn't that many photos as I thought, I will just add them all to this post!

Two days after Christmas we took a day trip to Mohegan Sun the casino in Connecticut. I had no idea it was so close to us. Having been to Vegas a few times I am a bit biased on size and fancy but I will say it was really nice. I would suggest going for a day. Mind you people can still smoke in some parts which sucks in my opinion but there are places they can't.

We decided after calling and talking to someone to go to a new restaurant there called "Hash House a Go Go" it was farm fresh fun food and it sounded great and they sounded like they could do GF. We talked to the hostess before we put our name in and they assured us again they could and what they could do. We put our named in and they said 10-15 minutes. We waited 45 minute. We were ravenous at that point after driving 1.5 hours there. Once we were seated we noticed the place was EMPTY. I don't know what we were waiting for the kitchen was stocked with people and plenty of servers. I will chalk that up to they have been open less than a week. The hostesses were little bitches. The entire time we were sitting there waiting they bitched about EVERYONE. The customers, the dishwashers, what they were getting paid. They made a HORRIBLE first impression on people too. Wicked entitled bad attitude little girls. Ones mom and dad picked her up when her shift was over. I am guess they were all under 20.

Ok so I ordered chicken and waffles. I have had it before other places and it is always yummy and the description sounded like chicken tenders on bacon waffles. SCORE. It took FOREVER to come at this point we had been in the Casino 1.5 hours and this is all we had done.

It shows up and it is hilariously large. We took pics thinking it was funny. THEN I REALIZED it was boned skinned chicken. I know I know to most people that wouldn't be a big deal. Dude I am a vegetarian who eats chicken. Lame I know. I hate meat. I eat it because I am anemic but I am very particular on how it is. It HAS to have no bones and NO SKIN. retch. OMG it is freaking me out thinking about it. I pulled it off and ate the waffles. They were TERRIBLE. So Dave's comes and there is a biscuit on it. UGH. We had talked to the server, he had talked to the chef PRIOR to ordering and assured us it was no problem. At this point Dave was scared they would just pull the biscuit off and bring it back. No he can't eat it like that. He is that sensitive. It isn't an allergy it is an autoimmune disease he can't even have a CRUMB. So they bring it back to the kitchen and bring it back out and put it in front of him. It is missing the meat this time. We tell the runner and he goes back to the kitchen. Before he takes a bit we are looking at it and can't tell what the weird little stick on it are. We flag down the waiter. IT WAS DEEP FRIED PASTA. gebsus H. We tell him to take it back and please get out check. Poor borderline diabetic kid is ravenous, getting lightheaded, two bad dishes and hasn't eaten in hours at this point. We paid for mine and left. I flagged down the manager and had a little talk with him. I was very polite but told him this kind of stuff can't happen. I mean we talked to THREE people prior to ordering, a hostess, waiter and chef. One mistake OK but TWICE?? This isn't a joke. We aren't being difficult. This is someones life. Dave was mortified. MORTIFIED. He wanted to crawl into a hole. He wasn't even going to talk to the manager. HELL NO was I not saying anything. So if you have any good issues DO NOT GO TO HASH HOUSE A GO GO in Mohegan Sun. Seriously.

We ended up finding a Margaritaville which was hilarious because it is everything Dave usually is annoyed by. (Florida themed cheesy) They had a GF menu, listened, were so kind and he finally got to eat. Poor thing. I felt AWFUL. I just wanted to fix it.

We spent the rest of what was left of the day (this all took close to 3 hours) and wandered and peopel watched. We had each brought $20 to gamble with. We only ended up using $30 of it and left with $10 extra on top of that in winnings.

Which we then spent on overpriced ice cream. I don't eat ice cream often but they had a sprinkle con. I asked for the smallest serving of ice cream they had. They clearly heard biggest.

This is my "I don't want it" face. Dave the genius he is had a brilliant idea if we are ever in this situation again. He will order ice cream we both like, I will get my gluten filled waffle cone WITHOUT ICE CREAM and he will give he the 3 bites of his to put in that I really want. I just really wanted the cone! That is why I married this man. (our 10th wedding anniversary was in December. Insane right?)

Did you have a nice holiday? Santa bring you anything fun?

Santa brought fun things for Wee. (man kid stuff is so damn cute) From top bibs my mom made and clothes from her too. Tiny shoes from "auntie" Becky and thifted wonder of color from "auntie" Emily in Canada. I swear Canada has the best thrift finds. She always sends me such beautiful colorful stuff. Note the monkey butt romper! and tiny Royal Tenenbaumsesque dress!

Merry Christmas

2012-12-27T17:54:00.001-05:00

We had a nice Christmas in our house and the other 3 houses we visited over 24 hours. Lots of laughs, good food and nice presents. The MO this year was useful. Lots of useful presents which was awesome. With a baby coming I don't need more stuff and everyone seemed to be of same mind set. Wee got a nice donation to her college fund from grandpa in lieu of gifts for us and it was so appreciated and a little scary. Dude school is expensive! I'm gonna teach her the wonders of state schools (like mommy went to!) along with her ABC's.

Wee also got some amazing homemade gifts from near and far. Even one from a complete stranger!

The bib were made by my mom we got a whoe set of them. The carving is made by my stepdad. It's amazing right??? It's from a Magnolia tree he had to cut down because it was dying. He left the bark on the back.

The apron and sweater were both made by Wee's "Auntie Em". I don't have siblings but Wee will have a large extended family of love relatives. Isn't the sweaters the cutest little thing ever? It's SOOO soft too.

Now this is the gift from a "stranger" she's isn't really. Gram has known her for a million years. I just don't know her. Or I met her when I was little and don't remember. How sweet was that of her?!

The kid isn't even born and she's already spoiled :) she also got a itty bitty leopard print sweater that looks just like one of mine and a fancy French toy from her Auntie Heather. Lots of cutie clothes from grandma and Auntie Em. I got a prenatal massage from Dave. Which I did today and it was amazing! Wee was kicking up a storm which is unusual for her so I think she liked all the calm music and rubs!

I also got some camera equipment for my camera, as you may of noticed ;) a remote, a toy lens and tripod.

And there is also something super surprising under the tree.....

insane kickass boots from Dave. It was all him! I didn't pick them out at all. He got them on sale too! Who gets Fryes on sale!?! I love that man. They're from JL Coombs in NH if your local and looking for Fryes on sale! They are super sturdy for "running after a baby" and slip on without having to pull on them. They are little shorties. Expect to see on me soon.

I can't stop playing with my little cheapy stylus on my iPad I got in my stocking. It makes editing photos on iPad so fun?

I hope you all had an amazing holiday no matter what you celebrate. What was your favorite gift you gave or recieved?

The favorite gift I gave was the digital frame I gave gram filled with picture of me, pop and her grandson that passed away in August. She seemed to love it and is already wanting Wee pics on it. Hold on gram we got 10 weeks to go!

Incase you are wondering no we aren't naming our baby Wee. It was what I nicknamed her instead of baby and apparently it stuck! Everyone's loved it as ran with it.

Week 22 and 23

2012-12-20T16:07:00.001-05:00

Woah dude I am BEHIND.

Week 22.2
Skirt regular section Target. It is made out of sweater like material. It is kinda rad. I couldn't tell if I should wear it over or below bump. Both looked odd. I ended up pulling the shirt out over it once I go to work because I AM A WUSS. Shirt and reversible thing Motherhood Maternity. Boots Dankso. This also happened to be Halloween.

Week 22.4
Shirt Pea in the Pod. Sweater Motherhood Maternity. Jeans Old Navy, Boots Clark, Scarf Lands End Canvas. This is super casual like but it was so cuddly warm. My office is a damn ice box.

Week 22.7
Shirt Gap, ORANGE but looks red here jacket thing Target regular. OMG BUY IT. It is the best. This thing gets worn once or twice a week. it is awesome. It is sweatshirt like but isn't fuzzy on inside and it looks rad as hell. Plus since it is from regular section it will look just as good after!

Week 23.4
Shirt Pea in the Pod (yup same one as above. I wear it a lot) Jackety thing Motherhood Maternity. I spared you the bathroom background. I'm nice like that.

Someone asked for a bump photo that day so this was it at 23 weeks. I am wearing that same shirt today at 29 weeks 3 days and it looks a tish different.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway I posted earlier!

Caress® Passionate Spell Giveaway

2012-12-20T11:19:00.000-05:00

I was contacted by a lovely representative for Caress® Passionate Spell® Fine Fragrance Elixir Body Wash asking if I'd like to review it for my site and they provided a bottle for me to try.

After my husband and myself using it exclusively for a week here is what we think. We did not let the other see what we wrote before posting and we didn't talk about it so as to give a fair assessment.

Her opinion.
This is just silly but I really like that it is kind of a dark amber color. It stands out from anything else I have in the shower and can easily identify with my glasses off. The smell is hard to describe. It is kinda dark and spicy but not over the top. I tend to be a bit tender nosed right now and it wasn't too much. Perfect for this wintery temps though, infused with the scent of passion fruit and fiery orange rose. I will say though that this is not a "go to bed" smell for myself, too invigorating. It is more a "hello morning!" or I "I have a hot date tonight and hope he will sniff me close" smell. The lather, moisture and texture were all good and it didn't dry out my skin at all which is always something I fear with scented products. Personally I would buy again. It was a nice change from our usual soapy smelling product.

His opinion
Passionate Spell® has a strong spicy smell that I really liked. It's definitely invigorating (to borrow soap commercial jargon) and probably best for a wake up morning shower rather than a calm down evening shower. The body wash is really thick, which is a definite plus in my book, as you won't waste it going from bottle to body. My only complaint (doesn't seem like a review without one) is that it isn't super sudsy/lathery. Then again, I prefer my body wash on the foamy side. Would recommend, will likely buy again when it's on sale.

Now the best part. I have one Caress® Passionate Spell® Fine Fragrance Elixir Body Wash to giveaway to one lucky reader. Consider it a after Christmas gift to yourself.

Winning is simple. Just tell someone about this giveaway on a social media site of your choosing. Leave a comment below with a link to where you posted it. You MUST include a valid email address in your comment to be entered. Format it with AT and DOT to avoid spambots.

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Your own site. Anywhere you'd like to post it! If you tweet it please use the hashtag #caress

Check out caress on Facebook and Twitter
Facebook.com/Caress
@Caress/ #Caress

I was provided with Caress® product, a $25 gift card and information about the product by Caress®. All opinions are 100% my own.

I was told I should get myself an accessory to enjoy while using the product but honestly I can't think of one! Any suggestions??!!

A winner will be chosen on Wednesday December 26th.

If you have tried the Caress products before please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Practical Gifts Under $12

2012-12-04T13:08:00.003-05:00

I never claimed to be a magical gift giver or person to give advice on the giving of gifts but I still dig it, I am not even going to pretend lots of people asked me to share one. One person did and I am related to them. Not sure they count. But I thought I would share my "Practical Stocking Stuffer under $12" Why $12? I was going to do it under $10 but there was one item I HAD to include and it retailed for $12.17 so I included it even though it was the only item over $10 and breaking that nice $10 mark.I chose all items from Amazon that qualified for Free Super Saver shipping if you spend $25. So if you are already doing some shopping these are great add on items to make sure you get that free shipping!

Everything I picked is PRACTICAL. I know holidays tend to be about getting someone something they wouldn't buy themselves but I have given all the gifts above and can't tell you how great the reactions are. People just don't think to get themselves fun little practical things often.
Starting from top left going clockwise.
Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Pocket Knife $12.17
I think most everyone should have a swiss army knife. (Note I said most everyone) My dad gave me mine. He and my pop were never without theirs. Plus you will feel wicked awesome that day at work where someone is looking for a screw driver or tweezers and your McGyver self pulls that out and saves the day.
Reusable Snack Bag, $7.23
How many snack bags do you go thorough in your house? Probably too many. Get one of these. Save a few bags. I actually throw mine in the dishwasher every once in awhile. I don't know if you should but it still seems to work fine!
Cococare Cocoa Butter Super Rich Formula Cream - 4 Oz $3.60
Yeah Yeah I put cocoa butter on everylist I make all time. There is a reason for it. I can't make any lofty claims that it will be this way with everyone but it doesn't bother my sensitive skin and it WORKS. I get rashy from just about everything. Cocoa Butter always sinks in quickly, never leaves me sticky and you smell edible for a few minutes. Win, win win. Plus when you wash your hands it seems to come back to the surface a little. Kinda weird.
Rabbit Mini Portable Stand for iPhone 5, 4S, 4, 3Gs, iPod, Samsung Galaxy S3, S2, S Phone, HTC and other Smartphones $9.99
Totally unnecessary device until you use it. Then you think "damn this is handy" I got one for free from a vendor fair at work. I prop my phone up on it on my desk on silent. If someone calls I can see it flashing and doesn't vibrate across my desk. I also take it to lunch sometimes and watch netfilx on it with my headphones. It also works great to set it up and take pictures too. This one just happens to kinda look like a rabbit. But anything that does the same thing is pretty awesome.
Rosebud Salve Lip Balm. 8oz Tin $6.30
This is a cult product to many beauty junkies. I bought it for my mil last year who had "dish pan hands" and she claimed that they instantly felt better. I mainly use it on really dry patches but the tin claims you can use it all over your body. Slip it in your pocket and use it in the winter when your nose is chapped and your fingers split. You will not regret it. Takes a few min to sink it and it does smell like roses but not too bad. I have known men who use it. Mostly on cracked hands.
Trendy "I used to care" Pill Case Vitamins Organizer Pillbox $6.30
Basically any pill box is a great gift. This one just made me laugh. Even if you don't rx on the regular there are so many pharmaceuticals that are great to have at hand.
tums, aspirin, tylenol. advil. multi vitamin, b6 (yup just the vitamin. It kicks nauseous ass. It is awesome) breath mints, the list goes on!
Carson Optical super-soft microfiber lens cloth for all Lenses and Eye Glasses $3.87
HUH? yeah I know it seems odd but this gift got so many comments this year. I got one for Dave on a lark. He put it on his keychain and went on his way. Then over the year times come up, your glasses are smudged, your screen on your phone is smudged. There is a fingerprint right in your line of sight on the inside of your windshield. He whips this out. I can't tell you how many people have said I WANT ONE after seeing his. I kick myself for not getting one myself. OH the best use is cleaning off the lens on your camera!

Yes if you buy these items I might get .12 cents. But only if you buy through my link. Heck if you can find it cheaper somewhere please do so! I know I will. I just liked that I can add them on to my Amazon order because I refuse to pay for shipping.

What is your stocking stuffer gift giving strategy?

Thanksgiving

2012-11-28T12:16:00.002-05:00

I have this giant backlog of outfits and somehow convinced myself I couldn't post anything until I post that. But that would mean things wouldn't be timely at all. So I give you Thanksgiving.

We stayed home. It was something we had only done once before in my entire life. It was actually absolutely perfect. Thanksgiving isn't a holiday I have ever been fond of and it was always uncomfortable for me. Even as a kid. I dreaded it. I didn't want anything to do with it. We did our own thing and it worked perfectly. I think next year we will insist on hosting it. We can blame the baby.

We made it all from scratch. You kinda have to when you do gluten free. We made little rolls, a ham with leeks, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and stuffing.

nerds. We had spent the morning watching a White Collar marathon which inspired Dave to wear the hat. He knows I am a SUCKER for a man in a hat. Since it was inside our own house it wasn't a faux pas in my opinion. (pop was a stickler for that)

We took pictures to send to our families.Someone couldn't wait to eat the rolls.

I am thankful for this amazing man.

We also put up the tree. We bought a fake one. We always had small fake ones and Waffle is just too rough for them. Knocks them over in under a minute flat.

Lets not forget the year she climbed Dave to attack the tree before it was out of the box.

Right after we finished hanging only the unbreakable ornaments. Fire hazard Santa came out again. Remember last year he showed up at my house and none of my family will fess up to leaving him. We ended up putting a skirt on the floor to make it look less odd.

Last year the cats kept drinking the water in the tree and eating the branches. I wrote a song about it.

Oh kitten tree oh kitten tree.
How tasty are your branches.
Your piney water and your shiny balls are mine. I'm gonna climb ya until Christmas time. Oh kitten tree oh kitten tree a bad idea for Christmas time.

I am going to have to track down another of these $1 stockings to make one for Wee that matches ours.

Friday afternoon we hopped in the car and headed north for a couple hours to see the inlaws. This is officially my view when I look down in the car now!

My mother in law made cookies and Heather and I decorated them.

I had one just to see if I still don't like sugar cookies. I still don't. Shame they are so damn cute. Since my sister in law is also pregnant and only a matter of days behind us it was fun to pick her brain. She is also a pediatrician. I barraged her with a list of "these things keep me up at night" questions. One which made everyone laugh was. Where do you put the baby when it isn't sleeping. I know swings are 30 min a day limit. So where should it be the rest of the time for optimal baby health. She didn't laugh at a single question. Her baby is active. I got to feel him/her? move. It was insane to me because Wee I only just felt her for the first time that I KNOW that week. 25.5 weeks into it. And Wee is a light mover. It feels like a marshmallow poking me. SIL baby is like doing back handsprings. I can say though that Wee has taken a LARGE liking to my lungs. OY.

This made me ask my mil about her two pregnancies. Dave was a very very quiet baby in belly. He only moved small little bits and was mostly quiet. Which is exactly him as a baby and a person, shy personality until he got ear infections and had tubes. SIL was a VERY active in belly baby and a... *ahem* active child. I asked my mom and she said I moved so much I made her belly look deformed. I wouldn't sit still and I was all on one side or the other. I can't sit still to this day! I am always fidgeting constantly. But I was a quiet baby until I started getting ear infections and had to get tubes.

How was your Thanksgiving to my fellow USA people?

2012-11-21T10:48:00.000-05:00

This was week 20.7 I really loved this combo and it was only warm enough for it for like 3 days. We skipped over Fall here in New England. I loved this jeans. The whole 8 hours I go to wear them. My MIL got them for me when I was about 8 weeks pregnant and then I didn't get them hemmed until the the day before this. I had never had jeans like this. They weren't "skinny" and they weren't bootleg. They were like little pipes. I felt so hot and cute in them. UNTIL I GOT HOME. Dave said to me. "umm honey... what happened to your pants?"

Yup they were totally split. My orange undies were on full display. To who I don't know. I have no idea when it happened. And the next day my coworkers who always point out my flaws said they never saw it. The shirt was long.... oy vey. They were from Pea in the Pod. I brought them back and was told that I was NOT the first person that had happened to at all. They also assumed me I wasn't a moo cow like I kept saying and they did actually fit. The sales lady said they had a lot of problem with their "premium" denim. So I exchanged them for a $29. Motherhood pair that are fantastic!

Jeans Pea in Pod DO NOT RECOMMEND. Shirt Gap, hot pink thing Motherhood, Belt Target. Boots from a cowboy store my mom got at their sidewalk sale. Earrings Forever 21. Nails Sally Hansen!

Week 21.2 I loved this look. Blazer regular Target, Shirt H&M Maternity. It is hard to tell but the stripes are neon orange. Scarf Gap. I just felt pulled together.

Week 21.3 I am very particular about buying things I love. I don't like to buy things I only like. I loved this shirt. It is wicked long, regular Target, has a slouchy collar and pockets! I thought it was the cats pajamas in the store. Once I wore it to work I felt OFF. You know I just don't wear creams. I think they wash me out. The store lighting lied to me. I even held my phone in another hand to see if I could make the angle better. Nope. I wore it with a long sleeve shirt black under it hoping it would add color to it but it didn't help.

Week 22.1 When I exchanged the busted pants I had $30 extra left over after getting a new pair of pants so I got this sweater. I have the exact same one in black. This time I went down a size and I love this one. The other is just too big and with a chunky knit fit matters. I wore it with a navy stripe tshirt and navy eye makeup. Not the fanciest of combos but people really liked it. I always hate to admit it but people like me in brown. As much as I fight it and wear black whenever I wear brown people comment.

You may be wondering WOW did Hillary find a new amazing bathroom with magic backgrounds? I DID or I potatoshopped it. I figured eh if I am going to take bathroom shots on my phone I could at least put in a little effort and make them look slightly better. :)

What are your Thanksgiving plans?
My family had a upheaval this year with the tragic and sudden death of my only cousin, gram's only other grandchild at the end of August. He was the one I talked about often on here. It is so hard and every day is a harsh reminder. So for the first time ever we aren't doing Thanksgiving. Gram is going to her sisters and Dave and I are staying home. My uncle doesn't want to have a holiday and I don't blame him. While it sounds sad to do this I think it will be good for all us. Last thanksgiving was the last time we were all together in the same place and we can have that memory.

I miss you kid. You weren't just my cousin, you were my little brother. You drove me crazy sometimes but that was because I love you with all my heart and I miss you so much. You will always be my hero. Next year I hope my little girl and your little boy or girl to be can sit next to one another at the table just like we always did.

SmartBuyGlasses your affordable designer frame retailer

2012-11-19T08:18:00.000-05:00

Glasses are such a big deal to me. People say the first thing someone sees about you is your face and glasses are front and center! When I have to buy new glasses it is always a long involved process until I find THE ONE.

When SmartBuyGlasses asked me to check out their site I instantly thought I needed to change my email password because I had just emailed my husband some ideas for his new glasses. His appointment for his exam is today in fact.

After checking out their site I am impressed. My first reaction was to check for the pairs both Dave and I currently have. They had my current Tiffany frames and Dave's Prada frames. The display all the dimensions for those particular frames we already wear so that is a great jumping off point to figure out if something else would fit us since they are an internet retailer. We both looked for quite awhile in stores to find our frames so I was majorly impressed they had them AND were cheaper than the big name store we use last time. Dave's were $75 cheaper! That is a big deal when you are making such an expensive purchase.

SmartBuyGlasses also has a Buy One, Give One program where for every pair you purchase they donate a pair to someone in need. That is a fantastic idea and I think more companies really need to get on board with that! You are saving money and helping someone out. WIN WIN!

They have all the name brands, Ray Ban Glasses, Persol Glasses and my personal favorite Marc by Marc Jacobs Sunglasses. With over 150 designer brands, 40% off retail, free shipping and free cleaning kit they are really worth checking out before you buy your next pair of glasses!

Week 20 glamour shots snicker

2012-11-09T11:59:00.000-05:00

All these outfits are from 4 days in a row week 20. Can you tell the temp shift? ha!

20.2 Not done on purpose but I seem to wear blazers on Tuesdays. I loved this. The blazer is regular target I just bought up. My dad gave me $ for birthday with "buy yourself something pretty" line. This was one of the things. The underside of collar is hot pink! Shirt Pea in pod. Flower is a barrette from H&M

0.3 I got this sweater from my gram for my birthday. She got it at "Targets"(she hates it but knows I love it so she shops for me there every holiday) It is regular but as she told me "Cecile said this is what all the girls where. You don't have to worry how big you get in it" Who are these girls? Last time I asked what the girls were they were the ladies on the Price is Right. I KID YOU NOT. That is where gram gets pregnancy fashion advice. That and her 72 year old sister.
Dress Motherhood. This sweater is not a color I would ever buy for myself because I feel I am more a blue red person but I like it and it is INSANELY soft.

20.4 This long shirt thing is Target Maternity(thanks dad!). I find there selection WEAK. I find more regular things there that work for maternity then their maternity stuff. I have a couple things from there though. This is something I will grow into. It is insanely long. I bet a college kid would wear it as a dress.

20.4 bump. I kept getting asked the day before for an update on it.

20.5 We were going out for our first Saturday without a commitment or company in months. Just to run a million errands. Check out sewing machines, hit the consignment store, see if we can see the crib we want in person etc. It ended up being HOT. This is SO not something I normally would have the balls to wear but hell why not! Leopard leggins Target regular (thanks dad!) and the top is Old Navy Maternity. Shoes J Crew from Heather's wedding. Purse bday gift from Dave. I loved how comfy this was but all day felt like I forgot to put on pants. How do people wear leggings as pants and not feel naked? I want to know how to do it!

I find it really hard to find a place to take a full length picture this time of year. I also lost the tiny stand I used to use to take my pictures with. But everyday is the same. I wear the same jeans almost every single day so you aren't missing anything on the bottom half of my pics. I now have a couple extra pants that Dave hemmed up for me so I do rotate a little more now but this was almost a month ago above.

It has been a year since I colored my hair. Insanity right? Except for the last few inches this is my natural hair color. I hadn't seen it since 1999. I thought it has darkened some since I was a kid but not as much as I thought once I went and pulled these pics. (which have been posted before, yes)

I bet a few weeks in the sunshine and it would brighten back up. In the mean time it feels SO DULL to me. I have been forbidden from dyeing it. Not by my doctor though.... :P Any suggestions for non dye options to give it OOMPH. Don't say Henna. I promised my mom in 1994 I would never do it again and I don't go back on my word. :)

More outfits! Now with more bump

2012-10-24T08:04:00.000-05:00

More back log outfits. Everything clickable. Been working on that for you if you really want to see details I know it is necessary.

18.6 I wore this the day after my birthday to go apple picking with my inlaws. Jeans same pair I wear everyday Pea in the Pod clearance rack. Sweater Motherhood, Shirt Motherhood, Purse BDAY PRESENT FROM DAVE! We are very different in a lot of things.When I met him he only wore a navv or grey shirt and khakis. About a month before my birthday a coworker gave me a $100 off any Coach purse coupon cause she said "I know you shop there" I laughed. I never shop there. That's Dave's place. I gave him the coupon and said I AM NOT ASKING FOR A PURSE, SERIOUSLY.... But if you do, here is a coupon. When I did get this for my birthday I had totally forgot and I don't assume things so it was a total shock and when I pulled it out of the dust bag and saw hot pink OMG! Dave?? YOU got me hot pink?? He said "I know YOU love it" Damn I love that man.

19.1 This is what I wore to find out what the baby was. I said I need to look nice in case she can see. :P Blazer regular Target, shirt Motherhood. Wore with Dark Jeans and boots.

19.2 I loved this outfit. The shirt is ENORMOUS. I didn't try it on in the store. I can't wear it on it's own so throw a sweater over it! Both clearance from Gap. I love this plum color. People in real like dug it too. I think because it works well with my green eyes it is a good color for me despite what the bathroom lighting says :P I mean FANCY PORTRAIT STUDIO. I totally potatoshopped the stalls out.

19.3 I am never going to be one of those beautiful fashion bloggers who takes their pictures prancing through the woods in high heels looking like OOH you caught me, look coy, touch hair. I don't dislike them, hell I am jealous of them. My life isn't that pretty. You can't walk into my house and take a beautiful photo like many of them seem to. Hell I live in the city. We don't have woods! My front yard is bricked. How do these people always look so pretty??? For every one pic I post on blog there was 45 I didn't cause I looked awful. But just for your guys and the sake of the blog I found a tree nymph infested forest and took a pic for you. Totally weird how it has the same lighting as my work bathroom huh?
Shirt Target regular, Sweater Gap, Bracelets weird hippie store, Tiffany and gift from friend's trip to Venice.

19.4 I loved this outfit not because of how it looks even though its cute but because IT FELT RIGHT. Everything was cotton.Shirt H&M (wish I got detail) Pants Pea in the Pod, Sweater Kohls I want to say Daisy Fuentes which makes me giggle.

Question

I got this skirt because I was feeling so UNLIKE myself and I wanted something that felt more "regular" me. Now I am not sure how to wear it. I tried it on with a black shirt and and cardigan and it was just BLAH. Trouble is I HAVE to wear an extra layer my work is so cold sitting under a vent all day. This is how I would of worn it before but is it all too much paired with a belly? Click the links if you are interested these are all actual items I own. NO I don't get a single dime if you get anything. The skirt is regular Target and its super soft stretchy sweater.

Tucked in was a bit too cha cha for me right now. Maybe eventually :) This is with the only plain black top I have. I tried it on with a magenta one but it was like OMG TOO MUCH GOING ON.

Gender reveal

2012-10-16T15:10:00.001-05:00

I am posting this before my week 19 summary because some people told me to hurry up and post it already! ha!

On Saturday we had my birthday party / gender reveal party. We figured why not do it while we had everyone in one place! This post is super photo heavy but this was after me whittling it all down! All are click able and should be pin-able to Pinterest as well.(if you click on a pic and it doesn't enlarge. refresh your window. I noticed it is being weird and I reuploaded all pics and it still does it but only sometimes.)

Dave and I made everything for the party EXCEPT the soup and the mini pecan pies. My MIL kindly made those. Dave even made the invitation above. I kid you not, gram called and said "are those the names you are thinking of using?" Yes gram I am naming my kid Batman.

I may or may not of stuck it out a little for a cuter pic :P

The favor table.

I took this photo too early in the day. I didn't take a pic of the final totals but I have the board at home and I didn't erase it. The final had one extra vote on one side but I can't remember which side! The votes above were from friend's on Facebook. I made those little circle stickers and made all the guests wear their vote.

We had found out 4 days before the party what we were having but I refused to tell anyone. So we kept up with what we had thought through out the whole party. I had sworn it was a boy, Dave was adamant it was a girl.

Our votes. So we wore the respective stickers. It totally threw people off. Trying to figure out who was "lying" I said it wasn't lying. It was what we thought the past 5 months.

I bought this jar for our wedding in 2002 and hadn't used it since. I saw these lights at Target for $4.99 and thought OOH I know what to do with it!

My in laws bought some flowers to display around. I made this little arrangement. Maybe I have a future in flower arranging? EH?

I made 18 cups of Chex puppy chow the night before to fill all these little Mason jars. I wanted to give people something they could reuse. Dave cut out circles of paper to add over the lid on the top to make it more fun.

Dave made 4 strands of bunting from scarpbooking paper I had. He even double sided them because he is clever (what if someone walks to other side and sees it blank!) smart boy.

For plates I wanted something gender neutral and not too "baby" I totally would of bought these plates regularly! The napkin had a carriage on it but the plates didn't.

We made up all the food on Saturday before the party. The salad was out wedding salad. Spinich, candied pecans (homemade) craisins and goat cheese and I made a homemade red wine vinegar, maple mustard dressing.

Fingerling potatoes with rosemary, Chicken Satay and Teeny Weenies. Those are so easy. Put in crock pot with grape jelly and mustard. Cheaper the better. THAT IS IT. The food was kinda all over the place in flavors but they were all things I liked. The only thing we didn't get a picture of was the Zuppa Toscana the potato sausage kale Olive Garden inspired soup my MIL made. IT IS MY FAVORITE and also something we served after our wedding. Everyone slurped it down. Actually there were no leftovers. All the food got eaten. That's what happens when you invite a 23 year old boy!

I had been wanting to make this a long time. Dave made a simple ginger syrup and we put it in lemonaid. It was a big hit. My gram liked it a lot. Wants me to make it for my shower. She picked on me for buying the decanter but then said how much she liked it and to bring it to the shower. Those are fruit lemonaid ice cubes. So as to not water it down.

The cake. We made the cake the night before after a long day of work and errands. We forgot the crucial step. DYEING THE CAKE. OOPS. Didn't realize until it was in the oven. Solved the problem with a colored frosting in the middle. Dave decorated it. People were so funny trying to guess the answer based on how we dyed the frosting. I said NO way people we made a fresh batch of color for each step! Dave used a Ernie and Bert album as the base because it just happened to be the perfect size!

nerds.

Grandpa to be.

My mom lives in Florida so she wasn't able to come. So we did live video Facetime with her! I even put her vote for a boy on the bottom of the screen.

I let my gram cut the cake. She wasn't able to find out what her babies were until they were born and they didn't know what I was either. She voted it was a boy but wanted a girl. She made that well known. You can see her screen out the answer at the end.

PINK!

Both my gram and my MIL bought two presents. A boy and a girl one. We got the girl ones after we cut the cake.

Her first outfit. I did end up getting the boy outfit too. It was SO DAMN CUTE. I am not too worried about gender roles. Our little girl will wear cute little "boy" striped onsies too! But you better believe I can't wait to buy some froofroo pink stuff!

We would of been happy with boy or girl. But for the past 16 years the majority of our child conversations (97%) have been about "our little girl" The plan is for more than one so hopefully we get the little brother next time :)

Oh and because people keep asking "how did Dave react?" He squealed. Literally.

Edited to add. The plates, tin buckets, mason jars, plastic forks and knives and drink decanter and cups are all from Target.

Week 17 and Week 18

2012-10-16T10:04:00.002-05:00

From the week of September 24th on.

How far along: 17 weeks

How big is baby: an onion

Total weight gain: +4.6

Best moment of the week: We had company that week. Dave's sister and her husband. Friday night we went to see a comedian and Saturday we sat around the kitchen counter and talked all afternoon. It was nice.

Food cravings: No cravings but we got a bunch of breakfast stuff from a local gluten free bakery that morning and there was pumpkin chocolate chip bars and I was so horrified by the idea. I thought NO WAY. (which is weird cause I love pumpkin truffles) and I finally had it cause it was all there was left and it was tasty. Normally I wouldn't of even of tasted it but I was hungry and have to eat. So not a craving but I was willing to try something I normally wouldn't.

Symptoms: Headaches still.Heartburn and indigestion from EVERYTHING. Literally everything.

Gender: Don't know yet.

What I’m looking forward to: my birthday next week! Next year my birthday will have another guest too!

What I miss: Now this is silly but I have a sudden urge to go to Disney. It wouldn't be fun skipping all the roller coasters though!

Next appt: Second week of October

Husband perspective: I've been trying to be supportive and helpful for the new mom without treating her like an invalid. I want to protect her and make it all go ok but life is stressful and you can't control everything so I do what I can. We have been making an effort to spend more time with family. We really want baby to have a strong relationship with everyone.

Photos from week 17.

WEEK 18

From the week of October 2nd

How far along: 18 weeks

How big is baby: Sweet potato

Total weight gain: +5.2

Best moment of the week: My birthday! My dad and step mom and gram came on my actual birthday and we had lunch and sat around and chatted for hours.

Food cravings: None. Food is still a battle.

Symptoms: Headaches. Redux.

Gender: Don't know yet. I'm guessing boy. Dave guesses girl.

What I’m looking forward to: Next week we find out thr gender and we are having a gender reveal/birthday party. Well it's a birthday party but we are using it as a chance to tell everyone since we will be all together.

What I miss: Wearing my fitted waist dresses.

Next appt: Second week of October NEXT WEEK

Husband perspective: It's amazing how baby has hijacked Hillary's body. Foods, smells, sleep, body, and on. Things that were once go-to favorites are now off limits today and back in favor tomorrow. We are excited to integrate baby into the family and talk at length about where we will go, what we will do, and how baby might react. We are excited for the anatomy sonogram next week and finding out what pronouns we should be using. It's getting hard to talk about baby as "it" and "they" and "bean." We are planning the reveal and looking forward to surprising people at once.

Photo from week 18

Week 16

2012-10-15T19:01:00.000-05:00

From the week of September 18th on.

How far along: 16 weeks

How big is baby: An avocado

Total weight gain: +4 (yes DOWN from last week. I tell you it JUMPS through out the day) Ok so I don't know how accurate this all is because at my appointment this week my doctor said that my weight was exactly the same as it was at 12 weeks. So this was according to the home scale last night vs. the weight I wrote down on the day I found out I was pregnant about 12 weeks ago. I'm just gonna go off that and not doctors which is a month in between.

Best moment of the week: Finding out we could find out the gender soon and planning a party. Before you roll your eyes... It will also be my birthday so we are just having people over for my birthday AND we will all happen to find out what IT is. My grandmother is DRIVING ME CRAZY about it. Despite me telling her no joke 15 times I couldn't find out until almost half way she asks me every time we talk. (we talk almost daily) she thinks I have a home ultrasound machine and can just check.

Food cravings: Still hate food. BUT I have been wanting the Starbucks Salted Caramel Chocolate cake pops. But I always love me a cake pop, they just happen to be the newest flavor. It's perfect size I can't really finish even a cupcake on my own before I pass it off. This week I couldn't finish half a piece of pie before pawning it off on my MIL.

Symptoms: Headaches still.

Gender: Don't know yet.

What I’m looking forward to: Cooler temps coming in. Being pregnant in summer to me personally BLOWS. I don't like to sweat. Stupid sentence but I despise it and all these maternity things have synthetic fibers in them which I am no longer used to.

What I miss: A waist line. Pants that button and zip and don't feel like they are going to fall down all day.

Next appt: I had one this week! 16 week checkup. All good. My doctor is so insanely chill. Too chill. I think he should be on Sesame Street.

Husband perspective: The whole process is so surreal. I know that we're having a baby but somehow I don't believe it yet. In my mind Hillary and I are still 17 and in no way mature enough to be parents. I'm nervous but excited and can't wait for our first ultrasound where baby looks like a baby and then finding out the gender. I'm looking forward to getting our house and lives ready for the new addition and planning all of baby's firsts.

OK to illustrate the weight jumping. On the LEFT is Wednesday. The day I thought I had "Popped" because HELLO look at that. Then on the RIGHT is Thursday. ummm... More normal looking (lets be honest I NEVER had a flat stomach) I can leave in the morning in an outfit that fits fine and by the time I get home it doesn't fit but will again the next morning.