tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35669594418385356722024-03-05T15:13:59.147-06:00The Sweeting SpotErikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.comBlogger478125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-17697293890592737482013-05-26T21:53:00.001-05:002013-05-26T21:55:26.552-05:00Magic milk cookiesI swear I didn't die. Someone actually emailed me recently asking if I started a new blog because she hadn't seen anything here in so long.<br />
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No, no new blog. Just still trying to get a handle on this new life. I hope to be able to blog some updates lately, but my poor sweet baby has struggled so bad with acid reflux that we pretty much have to constantly struggle with her to eat (not much appetite/throws it up) and to sleep (can't sleep - reflux wakes her up). Most days I feel like it's a success if I eat three meals and/or take a shower. Baby Zantac didn't do enough to help and now we're on to Baby Prilosec which, knock on wood, seems to be taking care of a lot of it. So maybe I'll return to the land of the living pretty soon.<br />
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In the meantime, I've had several people ask me for this magic recipe so I'm posting it here for everyone's reference! My wonderful neighbors brought over these lactation cookies and gave me the recipe. I find them very tasty and they're chock-full of ingredients to help boost milk supply. This batch made me 4.5 dozen - I froze 3 dozen in ziploc baggies of six and pull them out as needed (taste fine cold!) If you're needing a boost, whip up a batch.<br />
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What you need: <br />
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 c. butter, softened<br />
1/2 c. sugar<br />
1/2 c. brown sugar<br />
3/4 c. peanut butter<br />
1 c. ground flax seed<br />
4 T brewer’s yeast<br />
1/3 c. water<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
2 large eggs1 3/4 c. rolled oats<br />
Optional mix-ins (whatever you want!): chocolate chips, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds - get creative<br />
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Preheat oven to 350.<br />
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Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.<br />
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In a separate, large bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add peanut butter and sugars and beat well. Add vanilla, yeast, flax, and water and beat until smooth and creamy. Add eggs on at a time, beating well between additions. <br />
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Slowly beat in flour, then oats. Then mix in all your fun goodies (Mine have 2 cups chocolate chips, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup raisins)<br />
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Drop onto parchment-lined paper and bake for 12 minutes.<br />
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Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-41240420031194081282013-03-24T14:06:00.001-05:002013-03-24T14:09:08.467-05:00Life according to InstagramWhew. I'm tired. Who's surprised?<br />
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I keep intending to find more time to blog... I want to document all these little Emma "firsts" so we never forget a single thing. But then I end up just staring at her for an hour. Or taking a nap together. And I think that's better.<br />
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But I do take a ton of pictures of her every day. I'm sure to most people they all look the same but I keep thinking "look at that cute little smile! that's different than yesterday."<br />
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So if you're interested in seeing more photos of Emma than you'd ever care to see, follow me on <a href="http://instagram.com/">Instagram</a> (<a href="http://instagram.com/esweeting">esweeting</a>). And here's some of my recent favs:<br />
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<br />Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-25801865387743371292013-03-17T16:51:00.001-05:002013-03-24T14:09:08.465-05:00Emma's birth story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Emma was due Monday, February 25. We met with our wonderful doctor the Friday before and she told us that I was 3 cm dilated and 90 percent effaced. She asked if I wanted to have my membranes stripped, but I was reluctant. I asked if I could have the weekend and do it Monday and she said that was fine, she thought I'd go into labor that weekend anyway.<br />
<br />
But the weekend came and went and by Monday morning I hadn't made any progress. I went in and had my membranes stripped (far less painful than I expected), but nothing happened. I was having no contractions at all. My doctor said she was surprised I'd made it that far and she started talking about scheduling my induction. We set a date for Thursday, February 28.<br />
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Tuesday night we went to Chuy's (where I asked for whatever was the spiciest on the menu) and then went for a long walk around the mall (we went in Janie and Jack where the two sales ladies were asking my questions about baby. "When are you due?" "Yesterday" "hahaha, I bet it feels that way" (sales lady #2, eyeing my misery and belly) ".... no, I think she's serious...")<br />
<br />
I had trouble going to sleep that night... I was just feeling so anxious. I finally fell asleep around 1 am. But then I started waking up frequently with an ache in my back. Around 3, after waking up several times, I woke Hans and told him I didn't think he'd be going to work that day. He didn't really respond, just turned his alarm off and rolled back over.<br />
<br />
Around 8 on Wednesday, I woke up because I felt something... weird. I rushed to the bathroom and discovered I'd lost a lot of fluid, but not nearly enough to make me think my water had broken. I texted a good family friend who recently had a baby and asked her what it was like when her water broke - she told me it was quite a lot. She recommend that I take a shower and walk around and see how I felt before calling the doctor.<br />
<br />
I got in the shower and five minutes later it felt like I got hit by a train. I grabbed the side of the shower for support and I'm pretty sure I screamed because Hans came running. The contractions were so hard I couldn't stand up, couldn't speak, couldn't even really move until it passed. Hans started timing them and was surprised to find that they were two minutes apart. He wanted to go to the hospital, but I had always heard to do as much of early labor at home as possible - if you go to the hospital too early, they may send you home. I stayed in the shower until the hot water ran out and then I was kneeling on the floor next to the bed and kind of hanging off the bed to take the pressure off my back. After two hours of this, Hans was convinced this was not "early labor" and called our doctor. They asked if we could come in to the office and they would check me to see if it was time to go to the hospital.<br />
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We made it to the doctor's, but I couldn't make it down the hall. They had to bring me a wheelchair. In the exam room, before I even got on the table for the exam, the rest of my water broke. They did the exam anyway and found that I was 6 cm dilated. Yup, we should be at the hospital.<br />
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Getting to the hospital is all a little hazy for me. I was in so much pain at this point that I was pretty incoherent. I don't really remember going to the hospital or getting into the room. I had no clue who was in the room and I know they were talking to me, asking me questions, but I couldn't process what they were saying and I wasn't capable of answering. They had trouble getting my clothes off and getting me into the hospital gown and into bed because the contractions were so hard and so close together that we had to time each thing for the 60 seconds between contractions. I discovered later (but have no memory of it happening) that they blew two IVs in my right arm before successfully getting one in my left. It also took them three tries to get my blood drawn.<br />
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I could hear them talking and heard them discussing my birth plan. I had said that I wanted to consider narcotics before the epidural, based on how my delivery was going. I started violently shaking my head and they asked "epidural now?" to which I nodded emphatically.<br />
<br />
I know the guy came in. I couldn't pick him out of a lineup. I don't think I spoke a word to him. He said I'd feel a bee sting, which I did, and then a lot of pressure, which I didn't.<br />
<br />
Then the room was empty. And 20 minutes later I felt like myself again. It was so wonderful. I can't describe how good it felt to have that pain gone. Since I'd been hard laboring for over three hours, they said they'd let me rest for a little bit before coming back to check my progress.<br />
<br />
I felt so good that I was convinced the epidural had slowed my labor. I felt nothing - I was lying in the bed texting people! When they came back 45 minutes later to check me, I thought "please, let me have progressed 1 cm, or even just half a cm."<br />
<br />
She checks and says "ok, you're 100%" and Hans and I are both thinking, "Ok, that's good, I was 90 percent effaced for a long time, so at least we're making progress." And she tells us that no, no, she meant I'm 100% everything.. effaced and 10 cm dilated and it's time to push. And I say no! She looks at me like I'm crazy but I'm thinking... I don't FEEL like I need to push, so I'd rather wait for my body to catch up so that I can push with the urge to push (hoping that this might reduce my odds of tearing). She agreed to let me wait another 30 minutes and see if the baby descended more. When she came back, the baby has indeed descended further and she tells me I need to try pushing, even though I'm not quite feeling it.<br />
<br />
I ended up pushing for two hours, which many people have told me sounds horrible, but really wasn't as bad as it sounds. It certainly didn't feel like two hours. For the first hour, my contractions had spread to five minutes apart, so my pushes were fairly far apart and weren't as effective as they could have been. My doctor wanted to give me some pitocin to bring them closer together, but I was reluctant - I'd made it that far without pitocin and I didn't really want to get it. But after the first hour and my contractions weren't getting closer together, she convinced me.<br />
<br />
When Emma was born, I didn't even know she was out. I was all geared up for the next push (which made delivering the placenta quick and easy!) I didn't realize she was out until they set her on my stomach and then I just kinda stared at her. I kinda went into shock - I couldn't believe it was over and she was here, she was mine.<br />
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Hans was in a similar kind of shock, but a little more euphoric. The only part of our birth plan that we were firm on was that Hans would get to announce the gender. They held the baby up to him and he just stared with a big silly grin on his face, wondering why everyone was looking at him.<br />
<br />
"What is it?"<br />
"It's a baby!!"<br />
"No, what IS it?"<br />
"Oh... it's a girl!!"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy's first diaper change! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her little coming home outfit</td></tr>
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From when I woke up to when Emma was born was less than 9 hours. We'd always heard the average first time labor was 18 hours, so we were totally prepared for that. We had a hospital bag full of magazines, games, an ipad with movies loaded up, and we'd planned on walking the halls, using the shower, the birthing bar and ball, all kinds of stuff and we ended up doing none of that. It all went so quickly and so much better than I expected. My epidural was wonderful and I can't believe I ever considered not doing it. I know plenty of amazing women who have gone without and man, I am AMAZED by all of you.<br />
<br />
Recovery has been a little challenging and I am so thankful for the wonderful support system we have. I ended up with second degree tears (the doctor won't even tell me how many stitches I have... she avoided the question twice when I asked) and I must have had a bad reaction to *something* because three days after Emma was born, I started swelling terribly. I had to go back to the doctor and had a ton of tests run, but nothing was found. They gave me some medication that helped with the swelling and then I was finally able to start healing (stitches don't do well with increased swelling. Ouch).<br />
<br />
The wonderful thing about being one of the last in our group of friends to have a baby is that we have some very knowledgable friends to help us out. We were blessed to have the whole Powell family here for our first weekend home and Aaron and Karina were so great helping us figure out how to swaddle the baby, give baths, and Karina helped me a lot with breastfeeding. My good girlfriend Jess should really be a midwife - she had some amazing herb concoction that felt fantastic on my stitches. And my friend Erin was so sweet to come over in the wee hours of the morning on Emma's first night of cluster feeding to help me recover after my alien baby wanted to feed for 8 hours straight. And then we had so many people bring meals and stop by to keep me company while Hans headed back to work... it's been such a blessing. We are so lucky to have so many good people in our lives.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBea-lV6Jo59LkRXerz4VQJZwn4QwTariMpZvHqxkJalSHSewK7TCJVIaLwKWZR6HI7dCF9r1vnW12bn_HVoyc-NHvHWeqr9XmN4Zrwt9UdrnYtbIrfBGmgmA8l5gv_ADFrDvgpmWEaiY/s1600/2013-03-01+14.21.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBea-lV6Jo59LkRXerz4VQJZwn4QwTariMpZvHqxkJalSHSewK7TCJVIaLwKWZR6HI7dCF9r1vnW12bn_HVoyc-NHvHWeqr9XmN4Zrwt9UdrnYtbIrfBGmgmA8l5gv_ADFrDvgpmWEaiY/s400/2013-03-01+14.21.39.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome home, little one!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXiFgpR0dabYpxh335bMLHwvrmsXhZAf-TPOtVKQf0dpyjyyOXa83sppL8k0k7oT3i4GMNW-6gAyuEOrDGYCYnllvntEJpMoRPcWKPYytR-28OqrLo0KEnNB3WNOEccbYciPl9bsRDwxM/s1600/nr2dWSYKFITRHpBwhINc_ZdHLowucE2E_AFO_aHg2zw.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXiFgpR0dabYpxh335bMLHwvrmsXhZAf-TPOtVKQf0dpyjyyOXa83sppL8k0k7oT3i4GMNW-6gAyuEOrDGYCYnllvntEJpMoRPcWKPYytR-28OqrLo0KEnNB3WNOEccbYciPl9bsRDwxM/s400/nr2dWSYKFITRHpBwhINc_ZdHLowucE2E_AFO_aHg2zw.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We are still adjusting to life as parents. I look at her beautiful little face sometimes and can't believe the hospital let us leave with this gorgeous little creature. We love her so much and feel so blessed to be her parents. And, of course, we always stick a camera in her face so expect to see more photos of her than you'd ever care to see :)Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-32174083853522242472013-03-12T10:56:00.000-05:002013-03-12T10:56:06.761-05:00Welcome, Emma!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpnvbW5-ewQY0WFWMfbWNYGPPLaTZwJE9zm0QEVMYbjh8zbeOfXfQtypuPY53bg1L92WiZNCmLIcr_XMHBOohjtdD8VMeJDhTBx7TiM9Q4T_dRTtKh3qneyQIqjQ8BPjsY_tv4vxZd2k1/s1600/emmabirth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpnvbW5-ewQY0WFWMfbWNYGPPLaTZwJE9zm0QEVMYbjh8zbeOfXfQtypuPY53bg1L92WiZNCmLIcr_XMHBOohjtdD8VMeJDhTBx7TiM9Q4T_dRTtKh3qneyQIqjQ8BPjsY_tv4vxZd2k1/s400/emmabirth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-size: x-large;">Emma Carolyn Sweeting</span></div>
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Born at 5:09 pm on Wednesday, February 27</div>
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Weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces</div>
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Doctors announced her as both 19 inches and 19.5 inches </div>
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(and the pediatrician measured her the next day at 20.5, so who the heck knows)</div>
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Full head of dark black hair, mommy's eyes and daddy's nose</div>
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My blog has been a bit silent lately as I try to figured out mommyhood. Whew! But expect a lot more posts - and photos! - coming soon.<br />
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<br />Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-20008693862078361192013-02-26T11:09:00.002-06:002013-02-26T11:09:13.819-06:00Finished nursery<a href="http://thesweetingspot.blogspot.com/2012/11/nursery-update.html">Part I</a> of our nursery makeover took us from nasty beadboard and blue walls to a neutral and blank slate.<br />
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We've spent the last few months making and adding little details and decorations. We wanted to continue the hot air balloon theme and add some subtle color without going overboard. Check it out!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We really struggled with what to do with the curtains ... everything we tried seemed to overpower the room. We ended up repurposing curtains from the downstairs living room and we're happy with the way it makes the window feel finished without being over the top. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnP5sCmUbNgPWX9QfoEpCWwBDkYeIB5_HZDm9kOiAUzTr0nHZ9N13-c0T7TQPL3blmqH8VlM80Q-OV7AmsetIBLa7ImeIHJWFTE-Dhd2RxotPX6MP5VAP0MwsHGx7RmbJpkI_-7cgTrCv/s1600/DSCN0347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnP5sCmUbNgPWX9QfoEpCWwBDkYeIB5_HZDm9kOiAUzTr0nHZ9N13-c0T7TQPL3blmqH8VlM80Q-OV7AmsetIBLa7ImeIHJWFTE-Dhd2RxotPX6MP5VAP0MwsHGx7RmbJpkI_-7cgTrCv/s400/DSCN0347.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did add some tie-backs using leftover fabric from the bunting. I was surprised by how easy these were to make. If you need the tutorial, <a href="http://www.homemadeginger.com/2010/05/how-to-make-curtain-tie-backs.html">it's here</a> - just adjust the size. I doubled what she had listed because I wanted thicker ones and I'm glad I did.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RZXLLMcDaityzAZ4geHYz7osRSJJ7GD4wPGndhSP3I7FGRsyosahEc_nSVEjJrMNo1-JPMl0RXTPgPDW6AUgT5rMFpiYN2Yl5X_oMfB-t3v4qBDf_SfLERgx-IXd_PiaeweUu6bq7qn6/s1600/DSCN0350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RZXLLMcDaityzAZ4geHYz7osRSJJ7GD4wPGndhSP3I7FGRsyosahEc_nSVEjJrMNo1-JPMl0RXTPgPDW6AUgT5rMFpiYN2Yl5X_oMfB-t3v4qBDf_SfLERgx-IXd_PiaeweUu6bq7qn6/s400/DSCN0350.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hans added some shelves inside the closet and I'm so glad for the extra storage space! And yes, I realize that's a lot of pink clothing. No, we don't know anything, we just have friends who recently had twin girls and sent us a box of all their newborn clothes. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B6HNQ39a2jTH4U0-bsxIrFUYRMt3b4jeqy7kz1bbh9LOzHOJR-YyfuedEa-xpiEWdAuavTv3ZcacVipIvrTEF06uKUlSV1ul1wjX4Z1C_3Uetqx-zD8SCtq3amo3oa0VCHuym1jhKKPp/s1600/DSCN0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B6HNQ39a2jTH4U0-bsxIrFUYRMt3b4jeqy7kz1bbh9LOzHOJR-YyfuedEa-xpiEWdAuavTv3ZcacVipIvrTEF06uKUlSV1ul1wjX4Z1C_3Uetqx-zD8SCtq3amo3oa0VCHuym1jhKKPp/s400/DSCN0346.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't find a crib skirt I liked and they're shockingly expensive! I really loved the bumper that went with our bedding set, but we had already decided not to use bumpers. But it was cheaper and cuter than the crib skirt, so we bought it and decided to put it UNDER the mattress, instead of above. And I really love how it looks there! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFFmlX9t4U08x5DERY1LKkrfvakOSPmCdgcju5MvXfGkOaCJJvJiSDaHFkKXedtf5OnMDi934T482CT2fggeDO6epbUpK0uu7WqYd5DoWFr4aIoTNJL6oVb5FopaXV6nylvW_oQl7fXrw/s1600/DSCN0351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFFmlX9t4U08x5DERY1LKkrfvakOSPmCdgcju5MvXfGkOaCJJvJiSDaHFkKXedtf5OnMDi934T482CT2fggeDO6epbUpK0uu7WqYd5DoWFr4aIoTNJL6oVb5FopaXV6nylvW_oQl7fXrw/s400/DSCN0351.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our frame gallery! I made the "child of god," "places you'll go," and "dream big little one" prints and bought the other three off etsy. The frame will eventually hold baby's going home onesie, which is currently packed in my hospital bag (it also has hot air balloons on it!) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBhUzxyb7S4XkX7b_Zsu2iY3MapYgxemDnUi5nhODLAP0SUuVqLC_cFiZlSWjm4DmozKtf3NLQKg2kJBQPIgkYGHAQQNGIQDahMASh-LzJ0_0wS-gpPQB8gUm-P_5npAzMuO03lS22biH/s1600/DSCN0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBhUzxyb7S4XkX7b_Zsu2iY3MapYgxemDnUi5nhODLAP0SUuVqLC_cFiZlSWjm4DmozKtf3NLQKg2kJBQPIgkYGHAQQNGIQDahMASh-LzJ0_0wS-gpPQB8gUm-P_5npAzMuO03lS22biH/s400/DSCN0341.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was easy, just took forever! I had fun picking out the fabric. I actually made two of these and we were going to cross them over each other, but it was too much. So I have an extra if anyone wants one :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj161YbXSqciBGSk82uCZFt3MrGXCny_1fINx_8i2Wh-Ze5Czz99vfKI297LJ6SvgbAIY9jQJLJlwHOlRY9_ghlxUsuelb4MimbTAIgiNIKgYSJD5K0-i3GvN_iTgi_GXq2a_N4BJNcOVn5/s1600/DSCN0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj161YbXSqciBGSk82uCZFt3MrGXCny_1fINx_8i2Wh-Ze5Czz99vfKI297LJ6SvgbAIY9jQJLJlwHOlRY9_ghlxUsuelb4MimbTAIgiNIKgYSJD5K0-i3GvN_iTgi_GXq2a_N4BJNcOVn5/s400/DSCN0344.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am particularly proud of this mobile - it was a project!! But I'm so happy with how it turned out. Hans helped, of course :) You can buy the pattern from <a href="http://craftschmaft.bigcartel.com/product/air-balloon-mobile-pattern">Craft Schmaft</a>, or off etsy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2P308NIeAJvP4HX16VWaoGndzDSk5_B0W47dn-tMzKIEyYr74bonasvfPJaMSr5NELvZUdx4fKuXCf2xVC9Y_ephneoWviUN6NgQZtiy1f-9Pc-5sbXZuommQPIB1WofkWfasuG2bsF1R/s1600/DSCN0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2P308NIeAJvP4HX16VWaoGndzDSk5_B0W47dn-tMzKIEyYr74bonasvfPJaMSr5NELvZUdx4fKuXCf2xVC9Y_ephneoWviUN6NgQZtiy1f-9Pc-5sbXZuommQPIB1WofkWfasuG2bsF1R/s400/DSCN0355.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to the Schadalees for the giraffe - he matches perfectly! And I finally found this turquoise lamp at Home Goods. Gosh, I love that place.</td></tr>
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The only thing missing is that we plan to put the baby's name on the wall above the crib... once we figure out what that is :) Come on baby, we're ready for you!Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-76870202249895341542013-02-25T23:38:00.000-06:002013-02-25T23:38:50.482-06:0040 weeks!!!<br />
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Well, it's 11:11 PM on my due date and.... no baby. So we're going over due. That's fun.</div>
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<b>How Far Along: </b>40 weeks</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>Jackfruit (what the heck is that?), 20 inches, ~7.5 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>Nope. No clue. I think total for pregnancy is in the 20-25 pound range.<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>Actually not sleeping too badly, when I can fall asleep. But it's kinda like the night before Christmas when you were a kid... I'm so anxious and nervous and excited it's hard to fall asleep.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>This weekend wasn't particularly remarkable, but it was still wonderful. Since it was our last weekend just the two of us, we kinda hunkered down and just relaxed together. We went out to dinner Friday (Thai curry, extra spicy) and went for a nice, long walk around Town Lake Saturday. We also did a lot of just napping and relaxing together. It was wonderful - I'll miss this.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>Slowed down considerably. I guess there's just no where to go! But there's definitely a lot of being able to feel very hard, round things poking out.<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>The swelling has gone down amazingly the past few days!! it feels wonderful.<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>French bread with nutella.<br />
<b>Gender: </b>Can't wait to find out.<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>It's not poking out, but it's definitely not in anymore. I'd say just flush.<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Just kinda in general, but I can't pinpoint what's causing it.<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>I'm getting a little frustrated, actually. I'm up to 3.5 cm and 90 percent effaced, and I lost my mucus plug over the weekend. But I really don't think I'm having contractions. If I am, I'm not feeling them. I saw the doctor Friday afternoon and again this morning and she was absolutely shocked that I didn't go into labor over the weekend. Why doesn't baby want to come out??<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>Mostly not wearing anything still, occasionally the fake.<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>Routine. I kinda feel like I'm just in limbo right now, just waiting for things to start happening. I even missed work today!<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to:</b> One way or another, baby will be here by the end of the week (I'm scheduled for an induction later this week).<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>As of tonight, I'm finished! I'll try and do a whole post on it tomorrow, but we're really happy with how it turned out.<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster. I'm so excited about meeting baby and can't wait to hold him/her. I'm also so terrified of delivery it makes me want to puke if I think about it too much. I'm nervous about being a mom and how much our lives are going to change. I'm anxious just sitting around waiting. I swing back and forth between feeling ready and completely unready so fast I can't even figure out my current status. It makes me want to cry, but not because I'm upset or anything - just emotionally overwhelmed. Definitely time to get this kid out.<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>Can't think of anything in particular, just the normal stuff. Bumping into things, not being able to think of words, dropping things. Today I visited Hans at work and when I got to my car, had no clue where I left my keys. Turns out, David Banda's desk had acquired them (i don't know how...)<br />
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Still hoping baby makes an appearance on his/her own before my induction at the end of the week. Send some prayers our way!<br />
Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-72471567721509950772013-02-20T10:09:00.002-06:002013-02-20T10:09:46.536-06:005 Quirks to LoveToday is one of my favorite days of the year - today we get to celebrate my favorite person. Happy birthday, Hans!<br />
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In honor of his big 2-7, I've decided to post five of Hans' cutest and most endearing quirks, if for no other reason than to embarrass him on his birthday.<br />
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1). "It's too dry."<br />
He must have some sort of saliva problem, because his chief complaint with most food is that it's too dry. Short of water, pretty much everything is too dry. This is why he won't eat any sort of chips or crackers and he's not the biggest fan of any kind of pastry. Anything that can be covered in something wet will do - this usually involves copious amounts of syrup or ketchup. This is also why our freezer is continually stocked with ice cream - it's passably wet enough.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQOKrVyV0zi5QyWdNs4mYlFvgDfKvntk2mWyrsL2h4iJ1UvOu_dt4IyHqzqgiz-mh2VpxdlUan2Ltnu9MeZ6lIwPcdE8hCuRkHCHR-9pRd-WZDd6IeEOrUouFQNk_6xcfAsR7ulQZIf9N/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQOKrVyV0zi5QyWdNs4mYlFvgDfKvntk2mWyrsL2h4iJ1UvOu_dt4IyHqzqgiz-mh2VpxdlUan2Ltnu9MeZ6lIwPcdE8hCuRkHCHR-9pRd-WZDd6IeEOrUouFQNk_6xcfAsR7ulQZIf9N/s400/photo+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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2). He has a weird obsession with Ikea mini pencils.</div>
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I kid you not, we probably have at least a hundred of these around the house. Every time we go to Ikea (which is more often than you might think) he grabs a whole handful of them, probably 25-30. You can find them stashed in any drawer, our night stand, on the kitchen cart, in the garage, in the glove compartment of the car. They're everywhere. He's a hoarder when it comes to these.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD39DQPSNDSHz_WqmW4xKrntEZzmcBU4oWuHGqtNlgXe1xQyzarW9t2uSGObFkxM68oXYcZ8SmWBu-iMXY2OP16HKEaBA84Z02-n20RIscDDKYfpWW82qZzZm6mD648f95XazwJtKgZXNu/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD39DQPSNDSHz_WqmW4xKrntEZzmcBU4oWuHGqtNlgXe1xQyzarW9t2uSGObFkxM68oXYcZ8SmWBu-iMXY2OP16HKEaBA84Z02-n20RIscDDKYfpWW82qZzZm6mD648f95XazwJtKgZXNu/s400/photo+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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3). This is probably driving him crazy right now.</div>
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He has some OCD tendencies Like, for example, it's probably driving him crazy that the extra paper towel roll rack in the bathroom is empty. It must have three in it at all times. Two or one is unacceptable and I'm not sure how this emptiness hasn't consumed him yet. For your birthday, I will make sure it's stocked tonight, sweetie.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP11nMkMmk4K5onsx1efApbpUFerP3StxkQEiKJ0ZnykqeIkS5yuPZITadCT6NDDQbwFwaXQKIe_P1O0bSs7bskjCOzQrhzFqEF2m7zDLCnqgXR8QLiJBdlk1dbZG6tLgkMkG9tJlfQRcY/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP11nMkMmk4K5onsx1efApbpUFerP3StxkQEiKJ0ZnykqeIkS5yuPZITadCT6NDDQbwFwaXQKIe_P1O0bSs7bskjCOzQrhzFqEF2m7zDLCnqgXR8QLiJBdlk1dbZG6tLgkMkG9tJlfQRcY/s400/photo+3.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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4). Cereal monster from birth.</div>
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Looking through old photos sure explains a lot about Hans. For example... apparently his cereal obsession is life-long. We still have to buy 2-3 boxes of sugary cereal just for him each week. This week it's cocoa puffs and apple cinnamon cheerios. And he still likes to make the occasional cereal box fort while he eats.</div>
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5). He still sleeps this way!</div>
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Finding this photo made me laugh so hard. I don't know why he always has to sleep with his arms up like that, but he does. And actually, we noticed on one of the sonograms that baby sweeting lies like that, too. A family trait, I guess.</div>
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He has many, many, MANY other adorable quirks that I have yet to obtain photographic evidence of. Maybe next year I'll do 28 of them :) Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Babe and I love you so much and we are lucky to have you in our lives!</div>
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<br />Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-14545473202523500872013-02-19T23:50:00.000-06:002013-02-19T23:50:37.873-06:0039 weeks<br />
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<b>How Far Along: </b>39 weeks, 2 days</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>Watermelon, 20 inches, 7 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>Ya.... not keeping track anymore. A pound since last week, I think.<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>Holy crud I can't stay awake.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>My office threw me a little shower last week, which was really sweet. We went to one of my favorite restaurants and had some tasty food and it was fun. My boss got me a beautiful Moses basket and one of my co-workers (who knows us well!) got us some awesome baby gear - a "muggle-born" onesie and a bib with "accio milk." More importantly, my maternity proposal for work was approved this week, which was a HUGE relief. We got pretty much everything we wanted and we feel so blessed that I work for such an amazing boss and for such a flexible company. We are really happy with how everything worked out.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>It's finally slowing down. The movements are a lot slower, but more dramatic. The other night it was like baby was trying to push straight out through my belly button. It would stretch so far forward I couldn't believe it, and it would get all pointy. And then it would sink back down. Hans tried to get it on video, but baby's apparently camera shy. Some of the movements are still quite large and noticeable - it's funny when people across the room can see it.<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>Nothing new, I don't think. Still hugely swollen. Some back pain. I guess that's it.<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>More cereal, very thirsty (drink so much water!), chocolate<br />
<b>Gender: </b>So excited to find out soon!<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>Come on little guy... stay in! You're so close. You got this.<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>The smell of butter. So random.<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>Unfortunately, absolutely none. I was pretty bummed by this. I am still a little less than 3 cm dilated and 60 percent effaced. I'm also only at -2 station. I'm having frequent Braxton Hicks, but no real contractions.<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>I frequently don't even wear the fake anymore. It's just more comfortable not to have anything on my hand.<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>Feeling like me. I just feel absolutely miserable and I'm really struggling to stay positive.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>Baby! Come on, any day now!<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>Finished the curtains! I'm really pleased with how they turned out. We also took out all the furniture upstairs and had a company come deep clean our carpets - they badly needed it. So we did that and then re-assembled the nursery and now it feels sparkling clean and ready to go. I just need to finish that dang mobile...<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>So anxious. I just have this feeling like I'm waiting for the axe to drop. Ticking time bomb. I hate the waiting. I'm also pretty grumpy and miserable - it's hard not to be when I'm so uncomfortable all the time. This last week is going to be rough.<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>The normal stuff - mostly can't talk. Say words other than what I mean, forget things a lot, stuff like that. Nothing really stupid though.<br />
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Today is Tuesday and I am due this coming Monday. My "last" appointment is Friday at 3:30. I am still horribly, horribly swollen. At my last appointment, they sent three people in to look at my feet and ask me a lot of questions. I don't have any other pre-eclampsia signs and my blood pressure was actually decent this week, but the amount of swelling seems more than is normal. So we will see what they say at this week's appointment - I'm a little suspicious that my doctor will want to induce. She's been concerned about the swelling for three or four weeks now and I have a feeling that this week I'll be close enough she'll just want to pull the plug. Plus, she's on call on Sunday and they schedule inductions for when your doc is on call (there's 6 or 7 at this practice). I really, really don't want to be induced - I don't want to force my body to do something it's not ready for and I feel like induction will lead to tearing or c-section. So please keep your fingers crossed that baby will make an appearance before Friday, or my doctor will be ok with letting me go another week! Either way.... baby will be here soon and we are so excited to meet him/her.<br />
Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-26440536691106859662013-02-12T22:58:00.000-06:002013-02-12T22:58:07.710-06:0038 weeks<br />
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<b>How Far Along: </b>38 weeks, 2 days</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>Pumpkin, 19.5 inches, 6.8 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>I've lost track, but I think it was about 1.5 lbs<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>I'm so tired. All I want to do is sleep. But I don't think I'm sleeping well.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>We had a busy and great weekend! Friday we went to my cousin's high school production of "Hair Spray" and it was AMAZING! I swear... I didn't know how high school productions could be that good. So proud of her. Saturday my lovely friend Alissa came over to help clean the house - thank you, thank you! Then we had a double date for yummy Korean food with Danielle and Rob and then spent the rest of the evening with Jenn, Jared, and Andrew. It was a full weekend full of the people we love and we feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.<br />
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My Friday appointment went much better than the week before. Baby is measuring on track and had a heart beat in the high 160s - it's never gone about the 140s before. Doc says baby was just being particularly active (surprise, surprise). I actually passed the sugar and while my BP was slightly elevated, it didn't set off any warning bells like it did before. All in all, it was an uneventful appointment, which is what I want at this point.<br />
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Yesterday was probably the best day in a while. We decided to celebrate 38 weeks. Even though 37 weeks is technically full term, we felt like 38 was that mile marker of "ok, baby, you can come any time now." We celebrated by getting pedicures (do I have the best husband or what?) The foot massage was glorious. And much needed. Then we went to Chuy's. It was a wonderfully relaxing way to celebrate. And now that my toesies look pretty, baby's allowed to come.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>Still plenty! I thought it was supposed to slow down near the end.... when does that happen? Because it's not.<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>Cannot believe how swollen I am. My feet and ankles look like the Michelin Man. It hurts to bend my toes. I thought the massage therapist was going to pop my foot when he was working on it! On the plus side, no more heartburn or nausea!<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>cereal. poptarts. milk.<br />
<b>Gender: </b>The official votes are in - a little more than 60 percent of you think it's a girl, a little less than 40 percent a boy. Something interesting we noticed within the past week or two: Up until this point, every time I've talked to a stranger about the baby, they always told me "oh, it's definitely a girl." Within the past week, that changed and now every stranger says "oh, i'm sure it's a boy." I was thinking it's because the baby dropped, which the doc confirmed at my last appointment. It's funny how that affects what people say!<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>I'm gonna say it's not out yet... but it's so dang close.<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Nope<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>I am 2.5-3 cm dilated and 60% effaced. I'm having some contractions, but they're pretty irregular, mostly about an hour a part and not very strong.<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>Oh, how I miss my real ring. This one makes a funny noise, like it's rattling around in its prongs.<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>My ankles. Being able to move. Sleep. Not being miserable.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>Valentines Day :) I am really cherishing all the time we get to spend alone together before baby comes.<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>Made some slow progress. We've figured out what to do with the curtains, just need to finish them. I've started the mobile, but it intimidates me so I keep procrastinating finishing it. That's about all we have left though!<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>Mostly just exhausted. I feel a lot more at peace this week than I did last week. Something about changing from 37 weeks to 38 weeks (and the BP scare of a couple weeks ago) just put me more in a mindset of being prepared for this to happen any day. I mean, I'm still scared of the delivery, but more accepting that it's coming.<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>Nothing. I'm too tired to really do anything, much less anything stupid.<br />
Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-26618099758259483342013-02-04T20:51:00.000-06:002013-02-04T20:51:02.019-06:0037 weeks<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<b>How Far Along: </b>37 weeks</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>Swiss Chard, 19 inches, 6.5 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>Didn't get a good look at the scale, but I'm pretty sure it says I haven't gained anything. Maybe that's just cuz I cut off 2 feet of hair since my last appointment!<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>It has gotten so bad. I'm so miserable. I wake up about every 30 minutes to an hour, mostly in pain. I'm having horrible back pain in my lower back (this is new). I'll get down on my hands and knees and do yoga cat pose, or I'll kneel by the bed with my weight in my arms/shoulders and rock back and forth and that'll help me get back to sleep, but it happens a couple times a night and it's miserable.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>It's been a rough week - the good moments were very good, but the bad moments were pretty bad. Thursday we watched our fourth and final roomie-boy get married and that was so wonderful. We love Ali and think that she and Edgar are a match made in heaven. I survived the ride to the temple just fine and made it through the sealing and photos without getting too swollen. I didn't make it all the way through the reception, but did last through dinner and toasts and stuff, so that was great. We are so happy for them.<br />
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Then Friday was not a great day. I don't know if it's because we were out on Thursday and I got behind at work or if I just have *that much* on my work to-do list (which, I AM trying to get a ton done before this baby pops out) but I was feeling super stressed and tense. I looked up and realized I was late to my weekly doctor's appointment, so I rushed over there. It was supposed to be just a vitals check, but after taking my vitals they came back concerned. Apparently my blood pressure was quite high and I was showing sugar in my urine (but no protein). Doc says she's concerned I may have preeclampsia and they have to run a bunch of tests and it's possible I may have to come back that night and deliver. I did not head into Friday thinking "Hey, I might have a baby tonight!" They took a bunch of tests and told me they'd call me before the end of the day. They also did a couple other tests (GBS - not comfy) and did my first cervical exam (ow). By the time I left the doctor I'd been thoroughly poked and prodded and was worried out of my mind. I went back to work just because I knew if I went home I'd sit there and worry until they called. They didn't call til 7 and told me that the tests results were fine, I just need to reduce stress (well then don't tell me I may have to have a baby today!) In any event, I was an emotional wreck by Friday night and it was not really a day I want to remember.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>I think baby is finally running out of room, so the movement feels different. It may have lessened a little, but it's hard to say. Now the movement feels big and slow... not so many quick jabs and pangs. Yesterday, we could feel something hard and round that kept moving around my belly button. We think it was a boney behind or maybe a knee. We could track it all day because it was just sticking out!<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>Still incredibly swollen. Very irritable and short tempered (sorry if you've come in contact with me!) Stretch marks on my thighs :( (but knock on wood, not on my belly or chest!) Horrible back pain. Just awful.<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>pizza and strawberry frozen yogurt<br />
<b>Gender: </b>Who knows!<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>Still holding steady at even with the rest of my belly.<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Nope<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>I am 1.5-2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. This is happening, folks.<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>It's funny how many people think my fake rock is real. This thing is ridiculous!<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>Being able to roll over/get out of bed. It's gotten difficult and I truly dread it.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>Baby - any day now.<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>Got the lamp! Thank you, Home Goods. Check! I ordered the hard-to-find pack n' play sheets and Hans ordered the baby monitor. Check and check! I've gotten just about everything to fill the frame gallery - just need to design one more piece and then I plan to send 'em for printing tonight, so this should be done tonight or tomorrow. Hans has been building some shelves in the closet and they just need to be painted, then that'll be done, too. I washed EVERYTHING in that room, including all bedding, the cover on the rock n'play, the changing pad cover, and I even took the covers off the glider to wash them (jeez, I never want to do that again. Those things are impossible to get on and off!) So everything is cleaned and put back together. I think all that's left is curtains (I have no idea what to do about that...), finding some baskets for the closet, and making the mobile. I'll do a full nursery post when I'm all done :)<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>Anxious. Worried. Terrified. All normal at this point, I think, but again - finding it very difficult to stay positive. Lots of tears this week.<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>Many, many this week. I pulled a Rachel this weekend. Washing all the baby's things, there was something red in one of the loads. Let's hope this baby is a girl because now that entire load is tinted pink (lots of tears there!)<br />
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And I'm having trouble with words. Apparently, the word I am saying and the word that I am hearing/thinking are not the same. Last week I kept trying to say "Doodle" to my coworker and she says I was really saying "google." I just wasn't hearing it, no matter how many times I said it. She said I was saying google every time. I did it a couple more times this weekend, with other people, but I can't remember what words I was mixing up. It's very strange.Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-19750535260803365952013-02-04T10:52:00.003-06:002013-02-04T10:52:42.876-06:00Giggles for your MondayLast week, I asked Hans' mom and my dad to send us some of our baby photos so that I could hang some in the nursery.<br />
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They have arrived and we have been laughing at them all morning. So, for your Monday morning giggles, check out my crazy, crazy hair and Hans' mullet.<br />
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Enjoy.<br />
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<br />Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-60100535307429832042013-01-29T21:42:00.001-06:002013-01-29T21:42:43.128-06:0036 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>How Far Along: </b>36 weeks, 2 days</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>crenshaw melon (? Hans thinks they made this one up), 18.5 inches, ~6 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>Will know at appointment Friday<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>Not going so hot. Can't stay asleep for very long, but so exhausted!! I went to bed early last night and still feel like I didn't sleep.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>Friday night date night was so much fun - and kinda sad, as it sinks in that our spontaneous date nights are coming to an end. We went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner, then we went to the mall to get baby clothes and buy baby's first gift from mommy and daddy - a teddy bear from Build-A-Bear! It was actually my doctor's idea... she suggested that we get the record your own sound thing, bring it in, and she'll record baby's heartbeat for us with the Doppler machine.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>No change here. Still constant movement. I keep hearing that it should slow down, but that's just not true. Now it just looks like baby's constantly doing the wave... my stomach is always moving. Kick counts are averaging under 10 minutes and one this week took less than three. The bigger baby gets, the more painful the movement gets and my ribs are taking a beating. Whew.<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>Veerrrrry swollen. Mood swings. Tired. I think I had a growth spurt this week because I'm extra tired and extra hungry.<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>Mostly thirsty, but this week all I want is S'mores! Oh, and Jimmy Johns. I miss Jimmy Johns and I think someone will have to bring me some in the hospital. Hint: I love the thinny chips.<br />
<b>Gender: </b>Experiencing great doubt! Our friends Jeff and Erin were due this week with their surprise baby. Erin was convinced it was a girl and out popped their little boy. Makes me seriously doubt myself. I'd be fine either way, of course, but I'll feel like a terrible mother that I didn't even know what my child was!<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>Even with the rest of my belly. It hasn't popped out, but it's definitely not in anymore. It just feels smooth (and soft, which is kinda weird!)<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Nope<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>A few Braxton Hicks, but I really don't get as many as I thought I would. And they don't hurt. They just cause a horrible urge to pee, but that goes away as soon as the contraction is over.<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>It happened. It's off. I woke up in the middle of the night last week because it hurt so stinking bad - it was just too tight! So it's off and I miss it. I worry about people giving me dirty looks (and I just *feel* weird without it) so we went to Dillards to get me something larger to wear until baby comes. I think it's a little too blingy, but Hans thought it would be fun for a few weeks :)<br />
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<b>What I miss: </b>Sleeeeeeeeeep.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>Baby. I'm very quickly reaching the point where I feel like I'm done with being pregnant and I just want to have that baby already. I am NOT looking forward to my first cervical check this week, or the GBS test :(<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>I didn't do anything this week. Oops. I got distracted! We did, however, make Saturday a "baby prep" day and went to Babies R Us, Target, and Buy Buy Baby to pick up the things on our "baby essentials" list that we were still missing - changing pad covers, more bottles, sleep sacks, socks, mittens, hats, a few more onesies, a baby monitor, and a mattress. Whew! Thank goodness for gift cards and good sales.... I think we're all done now, as far as immediate essentials go. There's still a few items that would be nice, but I feel like we're ready to meet immediate needs. My goal for this week is to finally finish the frame gallery and do the mobile. And I need to find a stinkin' lamp! Anyone seen a cute teal/aqua table lamp anywhere? I've checked the usual suspects...<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>Very moody. Short tempered. Anxious. Trying to stay positive, but having a hard time.<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>As I mentioned, I think baby had a growth spurt this week and my belly grew quite a bit. I haven't adjusted to the new size and I keep bumping into things and slamming things into my belly. I was coming out of a bathroom stall while we were out shopping on Saturday and I actually yanked the door right into my belly. It hurt!Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-84987710722352048402013-01-24T14:09:00.004-06:002013-01-24T14:09:59.618-06:00Betting now openWe are now one month out from our estimated due date! (going to be the longest month of my life....)<br />
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We've heard many guesses about Baby Sweeting so we thought we'd do a little game! Welcome to Baby Watch 2013 (as Danny D. named it).<br />
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Go to <a href="http://www.whatsinmybelly.com/baby-pool-baby-sweeting--527">whatisinmybelly.com, Pool #527</a> to vote. It makes you sign in with your Facebook account so if you don't want to do that, leave your vote as a comment below and I will manually enter it. Guess gender, birth date, time, weight, length, and hair and eye color.<br />
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<a href="http://www.whatsinmybelly.com/baby-pool-baby-sweeting--527"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju93BiBqI14xw1BMMdyYzvVeOk5DnDtB182b9CjccGFNw8HAaSyp4vbiT6A7fqyQSZUF5MrywpFDCfzpgj0MApunItPxji1dd4wUAA5HKOcph1W7wLEXl75shTdLvjAPLTy5FrJjgJtM_C/s400/belly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes, there will be a prize for the winner! Let the games begin.Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-34361904523810987842013-01-23T22:20:00.000-06:002013-01-23T22:20:09.540-06:0035 weeks<br />
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<b>How Far Along: </b>35 weeks, 3 days</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>Honeydew melon, 18 inches, 5.25 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>Gained two pounds since my last appointment. Not bad.<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>I am le tired. I could really use a good night's sleep.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>I loved my baby shower. I felt so loved and spoiled :)<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>Still constant. Still hurts. There's a spot to the right of my belly button and another one centered right beneath my ribs that have both become so tender I can't touch them and wince when anything does. Bruised maybe?<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>Super swollen. Noticed a few stretch marks on my upper legs (I totally thought I was going to avoid those!). Heartburn. No nausea, though! (knock on wood).<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>Milk. A blueberry muffin.<br />
<b>Gender: </b>:)<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>Same<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Nope<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>A couple Braxton Hicks, but not many.<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>On.... but it's tight.<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>My ankles. Not having chubby bunny cheeks.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>Nothing in particular this week. Hopefully another productive weekend.<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>Frame gallery is on the wall... just need to fill it. Decided to put a bumper on after all.... but not as a bumper, haha. I couldn't find a bedskirt I liked, so I put the bumper underneath the mattress in place of a skirt.<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>Irritable. Everything annoys me.<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>Can't think of anything notable this week.<br />
Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-76280930387395242142013-01-22T12:52:00.001-06:002013-01-22T19:56:54.665-06:00What do you do....... when you have an unexpected day off? I didn't realize my office was closed for MLK Day, so that was a pleasant surprise on Friday. So it became a get-stuff-done day!<br />
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First stop - Hair goes bye-bye! It's been about three years since my last haircut and thanks to prenatals, it's been growing like a weed. It's been heavy and in the way for a while now. I went in and said that as long as it still goes up in a ponytail, I didn't care what she did to it.<br />
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I was able to get two 16-inch ponytails to donate to Locks of Love (it's my fourth time!) and then she gave me a cute cut. I think in total I am ~20 inches lighter today.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5LjaqfCfgth5_bavtenKdwp-oR7BkzlAGS14xIpHqXvkXL-eO9KSndIFEPckLp7IbJdDkh_3GFD-mqeFnRtYFlUSFR4SmvM767BOC2VlDUnIBeXvlcJblMS_Bv5dUHhy8tLfAu9TLddU/s1600/b4875b1263eb11e29ae122000a1f9a03_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5LjaqfCfgth5_bavtenKdwp-oR7BkzlAGS14xIpHqXvkXL-eO9KSndIFEPckLp7IbJdDkh_3GFD-mqeFnRtYFlUSFR4SmvM767BOC2VlDUnIBeXvlcJblMS_Bv5dUHhy8tLfAu9TLddU/s400/b4875b1263eb11e29ae122000a1f9a03_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It always looks the cutest the day you get it cut and the stylist makes it all purdy.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
Next up - Cook. I spent most of the day in the kitchen and made 18 different meals to store in the freezer for post-baby. I've done the freezer cooking thing before... it makes for one miserable day, but hopefully we'll thank Past-Me later. Oh, and I *may* need a bigger freezer.<br />
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Once Hans got home from work, it was off to Babies R Us to pick up a Pack N Play, courtesy of my fabulous in-laws, and get it set up in our bedroom. We're one step closer to being ready for baby!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceAVX8uSPd_pudgCeM4BU7hqesaGEZLBo6vaoFwLKew8dC2o0LXJVttAe6uLyqbkr0sQhyEtHzJNE9pIjDg9t4sry528i1j6Nk7fsPd8sDRhg_wJIeSHu-KreRnRnozNZY1rA1jLfXAg8/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceAVX8uSPd_pudgCeM4BU7hqesaGEZLBo6vaoFwLKew8dC2o0LXJVttAe6uLyqbkr0sQhyEtHzJNE9pIjDg9t4sry528i1j6Nk7fsPd8sDRhg_wJIeSHu-KreRnRnozNZY1rA1jLfXAg8/s400/photo+5.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the little owls =)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
If you're interested in what I cooked, here's the list! I haven't even tried some of them yet, so I'll have to post later about what worked and what didn't<div><ul><li>chicken pot pie (2) - adapted from the BHG New Cookbook</li><li>lasagna (2) - my mom's recipe</li><li><a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2012/06/08/sausage-mozzarella-basil-stuffed-peppers-recipe/">sausage and mozzarella stuffed peppers</a> (3) </li><li><a href="http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2010/12/29/chicken-enchiladas/">chicken enchiladas</a> (2) </li><li><a href="http://bustedbutton.com/2012/09/22/slow-cooker-freezer-meal-prep-day/">white bean and sausage soup</a> (3) </li><li><a href="http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html">teriyaki chicken</a> (2) </li><li><a href="http://bustedbutton.com/2012/09/22/slow-cooker-freezer-meal-prep-day/">beef and broccoli </a>(2) </li><li><a href="http://joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/chicken-and-wild-rice-freezer-meal.html">chicken and wild rice casserole</a> (2)</li></ul><br />
</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-70421843854312971382013-01-22T12:00:00.003-06:002013-01-22T12:00:37.236-06:00Baby showerHow lucky am I? This past weekend my wonderful friends Candace and Danielle threw me the cutest baby shower! It was so much fun and I felt wonderfully spoiled and loved. They went with a giraffe theme and I loved all the orange and yellow and decorations! Thank you so much to everyone who came, especially my godparents who drove all the way from Houston. And thank you for all the wonderful goodies for Baby Sweeting! I can't wait to use them all. Thank you, thank you C + D for being some of the best friends a girl could ask for :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOVE how the diaper cake turned out</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think Hans ate half the jelly beans before the shower even started </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ummm, these were amazing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6DzPDFeXYN0WqXyKWH7qNQT1y146-KSRsAGugAKCDAi_xVHIVYdMaBDVH_wJS88WoCTdgRsWQ-n934yEZbjEXFfbUo9GeX2tc3n5HIxz3UuPeTQD9D-9S5YH1hYgqlq81XNP6Vv9d2y4/s1600/DSCN0270small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6DzPDFeXYN0WqXyKWH7qNQT1y146-KSRsAGugAKCDAi_xVHIVYdMaBDVH_wJS88WoCTdgRsWQ-n934yEZbjEXFfbUo9GeX2tc3n5HIxz3UuPeTQD9D-9S5YH1hYgqlq81XNP6Vv9d2y4/s400/DSCN0270small.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "guess how big the baby belly" is game... turns out Samantha Briggs is really good at it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7lRUqhW5lvMQiIei7fNwlmFq6WPhRLdhdnATxdUwjkhTMx_7y1MsnsErrYw0TffyqavWDxEuldxs8RSi97zDTxHrSvd3Mtui1X5H3d3D2o4K4BStRnfhP7Kvw0I7XA3eO_P-nQExQT2_/s1600/DSCN0272small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7lRUqhW5lvMQiIei7fNwlmFq6WPhRLdhdnATxdUwjkhTMx_7y1MsnsErrYw0TffyqavWDxEuldxs8RSi97zDTxHrSvd3Mtui1X5H3d3D2o4K4BStRnfhP7Kvw0I7XA3eO_P-nQExQT2_/s400/DSCN0272small.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Jess knows her baby food</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwGYPs-qonVYGXWWyJ2vMKKU8OayxnrkEj0f4No6dONsWSxa9UuIHXs7VnB2NBR6ZboqMMrgKdY17HRYZiOdyui8QsqS7Qikb3WKvbIO0irc1xKgvfq2pO64K5OYaq1scCI8tsMwg1BDu/s1600/DSCN0277small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwGYPs-qonVYGXWWyJ2vMKKU8OayxnrkEj0f4No6dONsWSxa9UuIHXs7VnB2NBR6ZboqMMrgKdY17HRYZiOdyui8QsqS7Qikb3WKvbIO0irc1xKgvfq2pO64K5OYaq1scCI8tsMwg1BDu/s400/DSCN0277small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pJv2zhI2XiD5jUy6SrbMaoCO3Kl0Ulq1z9QH2DnASuJecLl67GolAf6U_W-BkvV1pmsOSbOf_dcVTrP2ggMfhEeziK1FWP4z0YfOqcE9vz1KJbGl4UOmX7R-R-Btx-iBkBDZXwRrRzDd/s1600/DSCN0295small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pJv2zhI2XiD5jUy6SrbMaoCO3Kl0Ulq1z9QH2DnASuJecLl67GolAf6U_W-BkvV1pmsOSbOf_dcVTrP2ggMfhEeziK1FWP4z0YfOqcE9vz1KJbGl4UOmX7R-R-Btx-iBkBDZXwRrRzDd/s400/DSCN0295small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malinda is so convinced it's a girl, she couldn't resist.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Z-W6qlKERIf2i1w31cSyyXBzPArCkPh2jJvPTwPBQnYqhTF1Vlw8s1TcBN-PZ_nFwot3PlDzQgpGd4NZFQMFyeLrKVpIGuxzL9upe2M0sjPcH1QJ11_QewUjLYi5mtKNuv8F-Ulk9uPx/s1600/DSCN0305small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Z-W6qlKERIf2i1w31cSyyXBzPArCkPh2jJvPTwPBQnYqhTF1Vlw8s1TcBN-PZ_nFwot3PlDzQgpGd4NZFQMFyeLrKVpIGuxzL9upe2M0sjPcH1QJ11_QewUjLYi5mtKNuv8F-Ulk9uPx/s400/DSCN0305small.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary MADE this beautiful blessing dress..... can you believe it? She's so talented! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1S-oLrKH3kvnpdgIF5CUwL9mvm4_iIH2Vv8py2yHRCm1RBUlRJQuIEwWXye0K4oeMjNNqoYyU3u8HTXUuILX5G0V2AGPprh5dRYOLiaG88Hi_DhuP5HtwNRDlcLk5ESwD3DnZ6w2ay5R/s1600/DSCN0308small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1S-oLrKH3kvnpdgIF5CUwL9mvm4_iIH2Vv8py2yHRCm1RBUlRJQuIEwWXye0K4oeMjNNqoYyU3u8HTXUuILX5G0V2AGPprh5dRYOLiaG88Hi_DhuP5HtwNRDlcLk5ESwD3DnZ6w2ay5R/s400/DSCN0308small.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got tons of books... our friends know us well! :) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguG_H9lcs_fE_7iaE9a-3eGA6hJW7bYad4dFP8RwZ6EccxbkWH5mgZhnrEKAdkmbh58WPZJnnY2uzAgsrl0JfBlBIaffZXv7ECMs38VqtyFibu0JrgekUqaMwKhC5aATvyoryCSJL48YrH/s1600/DSCN0322small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguG_H9lcs_fE_7iaE9a-3eGA6hJW7bYad4dFP8RwZ6EccxbkWH5mgZhnrEKAdkmbh58WPZJnnY2uzAgsrl0JfBlBIaffZXv7ECMs38VqtyFibu0JrgekUqaMwKhC5aATvyoryCSJL48YrH/s400/DSCN0322small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm so glad that so many of my beautiful young women could come :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLg1aAKAWOVs5ybuq9xu-xlIQN0bqkHyZmOg0pU1kiL26_vaw71fhknWW3FJGC61ZKJXMvR-vra9xoDmndtbMtr6SJCuhOuzkRpBf7IZcZrkwW6ofSmareWvX8_uvwZQYJtDBxIyBSgEHO/s1600/DSCN0323small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLg1aAKAWOVs5ybuq9xu-xlIQN0bqkHyZmOg0pU1kiL26_vaw71fhknWW3FJGC61ZKJXMvR-vra9xoDmndtbMtr6SJCuhOuzkRpBf7IZcZrkwW6ofSmareWvX8_uvwZQYJtDBxIyBSgEHO/s400/DSCN0323small.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandy's mom was in town so she got to come, too - how fun! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7evqHfcE_mOboAA5pHKiwKAHbFpq3jilxiwjdXYVKLYfE4H-Vt46pDTbONoER7Ly4EzKxuNYXWYT6nvZZjVrHtbqas_Ge0kWioTt2z2ZBup7aoo9bnxnTJSar1HTXvH_GPuyt7ktzVsgT/s1600/DSCN0324small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7evqHfcE_mOboAA5pHKiwKAHbFpq3jilxiwjdXYVKLYfE4H-Vt46pDTbONoER7Ly4EzKxuNYXWYT6nvZZjVrHtbqas_Ge0kWioTt2z2ZBup7aoo9bnxnTJSar1HTXvH_GPuyt7ktzVsgT/s400/DSCN0324small.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Camille had to crouch down to take a picture with me, haha. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VnN8U6lHqeAJ4-T4zdtoUPZF94cbZxiiNN7I5wLHnqfBtu8_lbiZX1EcxJoyV5W_PdmDevJwlyuDxXtl-28TnKR6L8aF7Xa8C8qxIvKCXGGKebLpxEE9s_aT1owyPyzp5ZDaak4gJZ7e/s1600/DSCN0325small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VnN8U6lHqeAJ4-T4zdtoUPZF94cbZxiiNN7I5wLHnqfBtu8_lbiZX1EcxJoyV5W_PdmDevJwlyuDxXtl-28TnKR6L8aF7Xa8C8qxIvKCXGGKebLpxEE9s_aT1owyPyzp5ZDaak4gJZ7e/s400/DSCN0325small.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love my Liz!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxH-pgr82Z9Ez9TZ0hT9iPb_uvpS08xQJoAYBRrc9vxyBjCDfO4OGJpuhyrfI51TnrBYmGAKUFW8Vkx0APn2Br2pjrLxQ4WnYoA8rXoF5V9Rhg2hJTGcbXWsreSEX3KPTwRB6CqQtsJUHu/s1600/DSCN0326small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxH-pgr82Z9Ez9TZ0hT9iPb_uvpS08xQJoAYBRrc9vxyBjCDfO4OGJpuhyrfI51TnrBYmGAKUFW8Vkx0APn2Br2pjrLxQ4WnYoA8rXoF5V9Rhg2hJTGcbXWsreSEX3KPTwRB6CqQtsJUHu/s400/DSCN0326small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wonderful ladies I've been blessed to serve in Young Women's with... I miss seeing you so much!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JtfQjnqNGSpRQQ9HYHCvBdxkHiOjZ7n1fjQOU-fZMFIJ1MmlP4wgu2u2nNZrjW7ldbtakBlqG7TzD95sIwTZv4KJg5FTdobjYzBZgtwgL1SA3RzLj905qVcHO5Gbh3WyFNIn1dvcAUYh/s1600/DSCN0330small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JtfQjnqNGSpRQQ9HYHCvBdxkHiOjZ7n1fjQOU-fZMFIJ1MmlP4wgu2u2nNZrjW7ldbtakBlqG7TzD95sIwTZv4KJg5FTdobjYzBZgtwgL1SA3RzLj905qVcHO5Gbh3WyFNIn1dvcAUYh/s400/DSCN0330small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wonderful hostesses... Thank you!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZacc_zyNC-vTilVjQ_XWcntJdfbq-mPRaaAQIwHmMTJfMbkty197rgw75CANt9hFMB4dr41JuKGUquPZWwSZjzcktS8etCnNPclo_B3wNhOkIjgduOYugpK6pf5-3H6adqQMmePSdtB7/s1600/DSCN0329small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZacc_zyNC-vTilVjQ_XWcntJdfbq-mPRaaAQIwHmMTJfMbkty197rgw75CANt9hFMB4dr41JuKGUquPZWwSZjzcktS8etCnNPclo_B3wNhOkIjgduOYugpK6pf5-3H6adqQMmePSdtB7/s400/DSCN0329small.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve and Hans setting up the AWESOME stroller the Powells got us</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJ7xDR2yPWa-vMsZ5XUqr5xfNoF2uMCTSiyyq9uqadJVZxAyv-Bx7X_nXUsDunY0rl_UDMSgs1r6BOV8_HMsDWd5lch2dJHHKEj45OhQgNHZbs0pdVuiiy9TyQ3Wox5B_iyxp897qsbLp/s1600/DSCN0332small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJ7xDR2yPWa-vMsZ5XUqr5xfNoF2uMCTSiyyq9uqadJVZxAyv-Bx7X_nXUsDunY0rl_UDMSgs1r6BOV8_HMsDWd5lch2dJHHKEj45OhQgNHZbs0pdVuiiy9TyQ3Wox5B_iyxp897qsbLp/s400/DSCN0332small.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you for such a wonderful gift!! We love it and we've been pushing it around the house all weekend hahaha.</td></tr>
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<br />Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-59910284776822829392013-01-16T18:27:00.002-06:002013-01-16T18:27:27.421-06:0034 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>How Far Along: </b>34 weeks, 2 days</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>Cantaloupe, 17.75 inches, 4.75 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>Appointment Thursday, but I can tell that I'm gaining.<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>I'm so tired, but not sleeping well at all. I wake up more often to go to the restroom and even more often than that because I'm just not comfortable. And I can't seem to stay awake for long periods of time - I just wake up every couple hours for no reason at all. I could use a good night's sleep, but I think those days are over.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>My dad came to visit last week and that was really fun. He's seen me since I've been pregnant, but I was only 7 weeks then and wasn't showing any symptoms. He got to feel the baby moving a little bit and we had a nice time chatting and hanging out. Oh, and we finally picked out names (pending looking at the baby and going "oh no, that doesn't fit at all!) and we're both pretty excited about that. I think Hans is actually more stoked than I am about it. And no, we're not sharing just yet because we don't want to hear how you don't like them or what's wrong with them.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>This hurts. The movement is still pretty constant and just plain hurts. A lot. It's to the point where I feel like the baby has bruised the muscles in my mid-section - the whole thing is tender to the touch and every movement feels like kicking a bruise. Hiccups have gotten a lot more frequent and I think I feel them pretty much at least once a day, sometimes more. There's a lot of movement going on in my ribcage and that's no party either.<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>I am so swollen it's ridiculous. I went pretty far without this symptom so I guess I can't complain, but I'm making up for it now. My legs, ankles and face look huge. Awesome. Lots of heartburn, lots of shortness of breath, some back pain. All very normal things for this stage.<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>So thirsty. I can't get enough to drink. I just want water all the time. I did really want some vanilla bean Bluebell this weekend and that was glorious. I wanted eggs on Friday (go figure) but we were out. It was a sad day.<br />
<b>Gender: </b>:)<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>Same<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Actually, I've been doing better this week! (knock on wood...)<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>Do Braxton Hicks count? Turns out, I HAVE been having a few of these... but they don't hurt and compared to the painful movements going on, I barely notice them. My stomach just gets hard as a rock for about 30 seconds. I had a big one in home depot one night last week and scared the pants off a high school-age employee. It wasn't hurting me, it just made me double over and grab onto a shelf for support - my stomach was locked up too tight to stand up straight. I stayed like that for 30 seconds or so, breathing through it while it passed, then I was up and walking around like nothing happened. I'm sure the poor boy was very confused and convinced that this lady was going to drop a kid in the middle of the store!<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>On.... but I'm not sure for much longer :-\<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>My ankles.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>My baby shower is Saturday and I'm so excited!! The wonderful ladies throwing it for me showed me some of the plans this weekend and it's going to be so cute - they're doing such an amazing job and I'm so grateful to have such good friends. My godparents are driving in from Houston for the shower and I can't wait to see them :)<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>Made some progress! I just finished a penant banner for the wall (post soon!) and I also have just two more frames to make and then I'll be ready to hang the frame gallery on the wall.<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>Pretty freaked out. I didn't do so well at our first birthing class. I've always avoided the actually birthing videos - I don't do great with graphic imagery or blood. But they showed one in class last week - the actually here's-a-close-up-of-a-baby-coming-out variety - and I almost passed out. It was pretty horrible and after watching it, I fail to understand how our species continues to exist. Everything's becoming very, very real and I'm acutely aware that in about six weeks, I have to do this. There's got to be another way...<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>Yesterday on my lunch break I made muffins. And then went back to work. And then couldn't remember if I turned off the oven.... Thanks, Jess, for checking for me!! (it was off... if you're wondering...)Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-7927565814200004422013-01-14T11:14:00.000-06:002013-01-14T11:14:09.055-06:00Baby bathroom makeoverWe haven't touched the second bathroom since.... well, ever. But certainly not since the boys moved out. Really, I just kept the door shut and pretended that room didn't exist.<br />
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But with baby on the way, it was in dire need of a makeover. Check out the before pics:<br />
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This project took me a while - there was a lot to do! And I'm proud to say that I did most of it myself (at 8 months pregnant) because Hans had his hands full with some problems in the garage and with our heating unit. So I tackled the list:</div>
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<ul>
<li>sanded down the dried up wallpaper glue and puttied up a bunch of holes</li>
<li>repainted with Glidden Water Chestnut - I wanted something nice and neutral since I planned on putting a lot of cutesy, colorful things in it</li>
<li>replaced towel bar with towel hooks (just plain, brushed steel ones for now... I'm looking for some cutesier ones)</li>
<li>replaced curtain rod with a rounded, brushed nickel rod for extra room</li>
<li>replaced gold, exposed bulb light with brushed nickel fixture</li>
<li>scrubbed like it's never been scrubbed. no offense boys, we love ya, but that room was DIRTY. I know Parker tried to clean it a couple times, but it needed some intensive treatment. I really expected to have to try several products and make several attempts on the black nastiness growing in the shower.... but to my great surprise and pleasure, I used a Clorox bleach pen on the grout and caulking, left for half an hour, came back and wiped it off and it was gone! I'm huge a fun of those pens now.</li>
<li>added all the baby stuff! I actually saw this whale collection at Target two years ago and fell in love with it. we'd always planned on not finding out the gender, so I knew gender neutral would be happening and I figured... why not just get it now? It's been sitting in our linen closet for two years and I finally got to pull it out and put up the cute shower curtain, towels, rug, trash can and other bathroom accessories. Only thing is that I discovered I'm missing the matching hand towel and now I can't find it anywhere :(</li>
<li>and the painting! I saw it on Pinterest and thought it'd be easy enough to re-create. I don't really have a tutorial necessarily (sorry, Laura!) but I do have some details about how I made it if you want to give it a go. I used 8x10 canvases from Michaels - they were sold in packs of two and the packs were buy one get one free (total cost: ~$5). Picked up three cheap acrylic paints for about a buck each - a navy, a turquoise, and a baby blue. I printed <a href="http://www.sennandsons.com/">the picture</a> (greyscale, fast draft, cropped to match an 8x10 canvas) and then used leftover graphite paper from another project to trace. Then it was just painting! Since it's going in the bathroom, I did top it with a coat of polyurethane for extra protection.</li>
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I think the only other thing we want to do in here is some sort of shelves or medicine cabinet above the toilet for extra storage and maybe frame the mirror, but otherwise it's cute and clean and ready for baby!</div>
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<br />Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-18569567250328251992013-01-08T09:41:00.002-06:002013-01-08T09:41:25.888-06:0033 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>How Far Along: </b>33 weeks, 1 day</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>Pineapple, 17 inches, 4.25 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>I've gained four pounds since my last appointment - jeez! That's two pounds a week. I'm now up to 17 total for my pregnancy which is good - it's just hard to see those numbers going up.<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>I'm exhausted. I think I'm as tired as or more than I was during the first trimester. And I'm having trouble sleeping. I actually woke Hans and I both up earlier this week - apparently, I tried to roll over in my sleep and got stuck. I grabbed on to him to try and pull myself the rest of the way over and woke us both up in the middle of the night. We laugh about it now...<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>We had a productive weekend. That always feels good. I got a lot of things crossed of my to-do list (72 hour kit, putting together baby's bathroom, finishing up some Christmas returns/exchanges at the mall, finally finished cleaning up Christmas around the house, etc) and that felt good. I have so many things I want to do before the baby gets here and sometimes I get frustrated with myself because I'm not making progress as fast as I'd like.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>Lots and lots, and getting very, very painful. There's a lot in my ribs now. I can consistently feel hiccups on the left side of my belly button and on the right side I can feel what feels like a foot. I'm pretty sure the other day I felt the entire outline of the bottom of baby's foot. Weird. The movement feels a lot less like kicks now and more just... moving around. This wiggly baby is really starting to hurt.<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>Getting more swollen, but less nauseous, so that's good. Still having lots of heartburn. Had a couple charley horses this week, but not bad ones - I'm feeling really lucky on this front, especially when I hear stories from other pregnant women.<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>Mostly, still just very thirsty. I did really want a salad last Friday and ice cream over the weekend. Corn Chex has been sounding good a lot lately, too.<br />
<b>Gender: </b>:)<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>Same<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Something at church yesterday smelled really awful - I think there was a dirty diaper near me.<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>None.<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>On<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>Clothes. I've reached that point where I can't get comfortable to save my life. All I want to wear is Hans' sweat pants and t-shirts. I don't even want to wear my pajamas or my leggings - I just want to wear Hans' grubby clothes. I put them on the second I walk in the door from work/errands/church, and don't ever want to take them off. Plus, it's been cold and I am poorly equipped for cold-weather maternity clothes.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>Our birthing classes start tonight. I'm both looking forward to it and kind of nervous. It means that we're really here, this is really happening. I'm looking forward to learning more about the birthing process and having a lot of my questions answered, but kinda nervous at the same time that I'll feel overwhelmed or scared by the information. Oh, and my dad is coming to visit tomorrow and I'm really excited about that.<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>It's not nursery necessarily, but it is "baby nesting" - I *FINALLY* re-did the bathroom for the baby! It was probably the biggest embarrassment in our house. I'll do a separate post on the makeover, but after a lot of hard work this weekend, it's sparkling clean, has a new coat of paint, new fixtures, and tons of cute baby bathroom stuff.<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>Definitely more varied. I felt giddy a couple times this weekend (finishing the bathroom!), I've felt randomly down without being able to pinpoint why, and I've done lots of crying (baby blessing - that always does it for me - and I got released from my calling. They cried, I cried... It was emotional).<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>Thursday morning I left for work wearing Hans' house slippers. I had to go back for real shoes. I should have just worn the slippers to work.Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-55884520162485992802013-01-07T14:25:00.001-06:002013-01-07T14:25:06.056-06:0072-hour kitsAfter 2+ years in the Young Women's presidency, I just got released.<br />
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I'm not surprised and I was ready for it, but I wasn't quite ready for just how sad I felt about it. I've really loved getting to know our beautiful, smart, strong young women and I'll miss seeing their smiling faces multiple times a week.<br />
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I've been moved into Relief Society to serve as an instructor, which I'm quite looking forward to. I find that I always seem to get more out of the lessons than the people I am supposedly "teaching" (pretty sure I'm not the teacher in these situations...).<br />
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As a side note to this change, it means that I did not earn my YW in Excellence Medallion during my time in Young Women's. I made a lot of progress and got pretty close and I can pick up where I left off the next time I get called into YW, which I'm sure will happen in the not to distant future.<br />
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One of the 10-hour projects I've been working on (or not so much) for the past several months was emergency preparedness. My goal for the Faith Project was to finish an emergency kit, 72-hour kits, and a 3-month supply of food storage. It was maybe too ambitious and definitely more than a 10-hour project.<br />
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Even though it's no longer working toward personal progress, I decided I wanted to finish at least the emergency bucket and 72-hour kits before baby comes. I've done 72-hour kits before, but it always got put in a shoe box, stuffed on some remote shelf, and forgotten about. Not to mention that it's usually things we don't normally eat and so it just expires and we throw it out.<br />
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I wanted to try a different, more organized approach this time. I looked at several websites to get basic ideas for what should go in a 72-hour kit. Than I adapted it slightly with things we'd actually eat, made a list, and did some shopping. I also ordered two cheapy, $8 backpacks off Amazon to put them in. And then Hans and I had this conversation.<br />
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Hans: Do they need to be backpacks? Can't we just put them in those Rubbermaid storage containers?<br />
Me: Well yes, we could. But I was reading some people say that backpacks were good for grab and go. And down the road, it'll be easier for kids to manage.<br />
Hans: Why do we need two? Can we put them in the same bag?<br />
Me: What if we get separated for some reason? The idea is that each person is responsible for their own food.<br />
Hans: Why is yours a horrible pink?<br />
Me: I thought it'd be easier to see/find in an emergency situation.<br />
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And there ya go - the reasoning behind some of my decisions.<br />
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After collecting all the food, I made some little printables (which you can have, if you want!). The first is little "menu cards" that say what a day's worth of meals might look like.<br />
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This helped me pack the right quantity of food in each Ziploc bag (freezer, gallon size!) and it would (theoretically) help us ration ourselves in the event of an emergency (instead of eating all our food the first day and then being hungry). You can download these <a href="http://www.l3.org/resources/files/72hr_menu.pdf">menu cards</a> as a pdf here, but you may want to adapt them with foods your family normally eats.<br />
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The second thing I did was make a master list that is now posted on our message center in the kitchen. It lists all the things that are in each kit, printed on heavy cardstock and sealed with contact paper. Then I printed out these little tags (extras are in a ziploc sandwich baggie attached to the back). Each tag has when the food item will expire and then it's taped next to that item. Orange means within six months, blue within a year, purple is longer than a year. I made it visible in the kitchen so that we can glance at it every month and see what we need to eat and replace. Download the <a href="http://www.l3.org/resources/files/72hourkit.pdf">chart</a> and <a href="http://www.l3.org/resources/files/72hr_expirations.pdf">tags</a> here.<br />
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I packed each backpack with 9 bottles of water (3 for each day), plus the three gallon-size baggies of food, and (DON'T FORGET!) each backpack has a gallon-size baggie (double bagged, actually, to try and avoid contaminating smells) of dog food for our fur babies. These are now being stored in the closet under the stairs with our yet-to-be-completed emergency bucket. I'll be putting additional water, clothes and other supplies in that. That's the next project =)<br />
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I'm excited to check this off my list and hope that we'll be able to keep up with our 72-hour kits now that we can see it on a regular basis. Poke me if I forget to check those expiration dates.<br />
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And if you're curious what's in my kit and don't want to download the PDF:<br />
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<u>Day 1</u><br />
Breakfast - oatmeal, v8 juice<br />
Lunch - tuna fish, applesauce<br />
Dinner - soup-at-hand, peanut butter crackers<br />
Snack - zone bar, hot cocoa<br />
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<u>Day 2</u><br />
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Breakfast - chewy granola bar, v8 juice<br />
Lunch - beef jerky, applesauce<br />
Dinner - ravioli, trail mix<br />
Snack - zone bar, hot cocoa<br />
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<u>Day 3</u><br />
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Breakfast - oatmeal, v8 juice<br />
Lunch - Easy mac, chewy granola bar<br />
Dinner - soup-at-hand, peanut butter crackers<br />
Snack - trail mix, hot cocoa<br />
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+ 9 bottles of water per person<br />
+ 1 gallon-size dog food per dog<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everest-Luggage-Backpack-Front-Pockets/dp/B005O8D68G/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">Amazon backpacks purchased here</a>.Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-37208780696056572702013-01-02T09:59:00.004-06:002013-01-02T09:59:30.965-06:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our last New Year's as a couple. We kept up our longstanding Mockler's Eve tradition with a delicious dinner at Maggiano's (too much food!) and a fun get together at the Mocklers. </div>
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It was a little bittersweet - everyone there will be moving in the coming months and come this time next year, we'll be the only ones still in Austin. It's the end of an era!<br />
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The best part of our night? Playing with this gorgeous little chunk. Hans took her for most of dinner and wouldn't give her back. He wouldn't even let me hold her! She's such a good baby. She's just smiley and happy all the time. We love her!<br />
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Hope all of you had a safe and fun New Year's Eve. Here's to a great 2013!Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-89284159767666863462013-01-01T11:58:00.000-06:002013-01-01T21:49:34.236-06:0032 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkJ_YxEgVNB7m0yaEN4X0xBpXL6D_np4lFZLmJtbZW9-1ebQzPPkGU4jp-SuBWu-wKRt0lRbGOI1Yk-fCG4nUgkv3PLdVssYzDVZh_hQQ6P-YA6VjYsSlCToiyynpGZRKzmYckvqblXN7/s1600/week32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkJ_YxEgVNB7m0yaEN4X0xBpXL6D_np4lFZLmJtbZW9-1ebQzPPkGU4jp-SuBWu-wKRt0lRbGOI1Yk-fCG4nUgkv3PLdVssYzDVZh_hQQ6P-YA6VjYsSlCToiyynpGZRKzmYckvqblXN7/s400/week32.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>How Far Along: </b>32 weeks, 2 days</div><b>Size of the Baby: </b>Large Jicama (cuz that helps...), 16.7 inches, 3.75 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>Appointment is Thursday and I'll know then, but I feel HUGE. I'm really struggling with it. I know that I'm well within where I should be for weight gain (under, even) but I feel gross. I hate hanging over my pants and I feel so swollen. My face looks huge! I know that weight gain is part of pregnancy, but it's still hard to see those numbers going up.<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>So very tired, but can't stay asleep for any decent period of time. So tired.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>Starting the New Year - it's the year of baby!<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>Same. Moves allllllll the time. Last night Hans and I just laid in bed and watched my stomach dance around for about half an hour. It looked like someone was setting off fireworks in there.<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>Swollen. Nauseous. So very nauseous. Heartburn.<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>Don't want food. Just thirsty.<br />
<b>Gender: </b>:)<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>Same<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Nothing in particular, it seems. Lots of smells. Refried beans is the only one I remember.<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>None.<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>On<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>Cheeses - brie and ricotta and gorgonzola... I miss them.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>More nursery decorating<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>Started several decorating projects this week, but didn't finish any. I'm working on some bunting, a frame gallery, and a mobile. We also received our changing pad this week and somehow that makes it feel more nursery-ish. I still need to figure out curtains, a rug, a lamp and a crib skirt. Whew!<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>I feel like I'm moving in slow motion. I have so many things I want to get done in the next eight weeks and everything is taking longer than I'd like. At the same time, I'm not in a hurry for time to speed up.... those eight weeks can take their time.<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>Just more clumsy. Lots of dropping things and bumping into things.Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-89211625799806456252012-12-31T15:07:00.002-06:002012-12-31T15:07:44.805-06:00Christmas craftingToday is the last day of 2012. Man, that went fast. And that means that tomorrow, I have to take down all my Christmas decorations. It's one of the saddest days of the year. Since they're coming down tomorrow, I figured I'd share some of this year's new decorations, including the several crafts I *actually* finished (that NEVER happens!) What did we ever do before Pinterest? I found almost all these ideas there and love that most were cheap and very easy. If you found and tried any great Christmas crafts on Pinterest, please feel free to share! Maybe if I start now I can finish before next Christmas....<br />
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<b>Nativity Canvas</b><br />
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Easy peasy! You just need a cheap-o canvas, a couple shades of blue, silver, and gold acrylic paint, a silver paint pen, and chipboard letters and a glue gun. Paint and glue. Tip: Use chalk first for the "adore" to make sure it's where you want it before you go over with the silver paint pen.<br />
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<b>Noel and mantle</b><br />
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Last year's mantle had red and green swag. This year I saw this house and sleigh at Hobby Lobby and loved them, so I decided to redo the mantle around them.<br />
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It's plain garland that I stuck in silver beads and branches. The silver and white snowflakes used to hang on the wall, but now they're on the mirror (Target - $1!) I think the Santa Dude is from Hobby Lobby, but it's been a couple years.<br />
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And I'm not sure how I feel about the rustic "Noel" yet, but we'll keep it around for next year.<br />
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<b>2x4 characters</b><br />
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At a RS Enrichment activity a few weeks ago we made this Santa guy and I thought he was so cute! But once I got him home, I thought he seemed so lonely.<br />
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On Pinterest, I found these candy bar wrappers and thought I could easily make them into 2x4 friends for Santa.<br />
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Voila!<br />
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<b>Wreath</b><br />
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I liked this on Pinterest, but I forgot how long yarn wreaths take. And I think I should have used a darker red instead of a bright red - it kind of looks like a life preserver!<br />
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<b>Christmas cards</b><br />
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I never knew what to do with all the beautiful Christmas cards we get each year. This was the perfect solution! We taped red velvet ribbon to the back of the kitchen cabinets and then clothes pinned them on. I love seeing them all the time and I'll be so sad to take them down!Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-42048645307703981762012-12-27T13:03:00.003-06:002012-12-27T13:03:59.817-06:0031 weeks**Sorry this is so late!<br />
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<b>How Far Along: </b>31 weeks, 2 days</div>
<b>Size of the Baby: </b>Four navel oranges, 16.25 inches, 3.3 lbs<br />
<b>Weight gain/loss: </b>I feel like there's a growth spurt going on - my stomach seems to have popped and there's a lot of cramping that feels like growing pains going on. So next week I won't be too surprised to have gained a few pounds. Plus... Christmas. Ya know.<br />
<b>Sleep: </b>Exhausted. All the time. But having trouble staying asleep. I'll sleep a few hours and wake up before I feel like I'm ready. And I'm ready for bed by 7.<br />
<b>Best Moment of the Week: </b>Christmas!! That got it's own post, though, so I don't need to rehash here. But it was wonderful and I can't wait to spend next one with Little One.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>Lots and lots, as usual. During sacrament on Sunday there was one that was so big and looked like a huge Pop! You could see it all the way across the room. Both Hans and I jumped. Lots more hiccups, too.<br />
<b>Symptoms: </b>Same as last week, but getting worse. Morning sickness is back in full force and it's miserable. Hans had to go out at midnight on Christmas Eve to get me ginger ale and crackers.<br />
<b>Food Cravings: </b>Food holds no appeal. Just very thirsty.<br />
<b>Gender: </b>After the ridiculous amount of baby clothes we received this weekend, I'm hoping it's a girl because we'll be all set. Our friend Liz welcomed twin nieces a couple months ago and her sweet sister-in-law sent me ALL of their newborn clothes. We are overwhelmed by the generosity and so excited about the cute little dresses and bows. If not, one of my friends having a girl is getting a lot of clothes from me.<br />
<b>Belly Button in or out: </b>No change<br />
<b>Anything making you queasy or sick: </b>Everything and anything.<br />
<b>Labor Signs: </b>None<br />
<b>Wedding ring on or off: </b>On<br />
<b>What I miss: </b>Being morning-sickness free. I'm back to feeling like a half-functioning human.<br />
<b>What I am looking forward to: </b>Decorating the nursery! I'm off work for the next week and I'm excited about some projects and nesting.<br />
<b>Nursery: </b>On it.<br />
<b>Emotions: </b>Oh goodness. So emotional. I cried a LOT. Friday night we watched What to Expect When You're Expecting and during the labor scene I started completely freaking out and sobbing. We had to stop the movie while I sat there and blubbered "I don't want to do it!" over and over again. I guess it's all starting to feel very real and I'm terrified. A baptism Saturday, some changes at church Sunday (details coming soon) made me cry, and the wonderful Spirit I've felt as we've celebrated Christmas means that I've done more crying in the past few years than I have in quite some time.<br />
<b>Stupid things I have done: </b>Just more clumsy. Lots of dropping things and bumping into things.Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3566959441838535672.post-14869046294161415472012-12-27T13:01:00.001-06:002012-12-27T13:01:13.099-06:004th Annual Gingerbread HouseAs long as I can remember, my family has always spent Christmas Eve decorating homemade gingerbread houses and watching a Christmas movie. It's one of my favorite Christmas traditions, one that Hans and I have continued even when it meant decorating the house at 3 in the morning after I got off work at the newspaper.<br />
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That's why it makes me so sad that we broke that tradition this year. I was so excited about it and made all the preparations and then... halfway through baking the house pieces, I got slammed with the worst morning sickness I've had since the first trimester. I mean, the knock me on my back, send Hans out in the middle of the night for gingerale, hating being pregnant kind of morning sickness. And that was it. I couldn't finish the house. I was lying in bed, half asleep, moaning about how it didn't feel like Christmas because we didn't make the houses.<br />
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We did finally get to them, though, on Christmas day, which was still really nice. I've always gone for a very colorful, or a red and green themed house, but this year I just wanted yummy things so I decided to do an all chocolate house! Hans kinda has a rule that he only uses candy that he'll eat later, so his ends up with all his favorite things.<br />
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And voila! Now we can officially say we finished Christmas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of pretty colors! Jelly beans, sweet tarts and sour candy tape. I'm surprised any tape made it onto the house... he ate most of it while decorating.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate covered raisins, mini reeses cups, pumpkin pie almonds, and chocolate stars - my chocolate-y house! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnYxWOoqcWfneMqD5fwH2fK7NZvNo9BqpVaAWDM7O5MKennUtr3zg3fV_RMtkIUW4G5aKJ8Zfgvn4iiQfhfT7eU2vzE1hN7dTI4arJyCSyyWjS_Ba10Fh_dvLQI7BEuPspRt4GVU_cGYN/s1600/photo+4+%252820%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnYxWOoqcWfneMqD5fwH2fK7NZvNo9BqpVaAWDM7O5MKennUtr3zg3fV_RMtkIUW4G5aKJ8Zfgvn4iiQfhfT7eU2vzE1hN7dTI4arJyCSyyWjS_Ba10Fh_dvLQI7BEuPspRt4GVU_cGYN/s400/photo+4+%252820%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had extra chocolate covered raisins. This seemed like a good solution.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reeses and Hershey's make Hans' favorite roof</td></tr>
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<br />Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132105319080562253noreply@blogger.com0