Message of the Day

This morning I was watching Joel Osteen.  My husband and I haven't gotten established in a church here yet since we moved, so I really like to watch Joel on Sunday mornings.  His messages are inspirational and are usually just what I need to hear.  This morning's message was about not letting your struggles, obstacles, and challenges get the best of you.  Don't let yourself be defeated with your negative thinking.  Don't tell yourself that you'll never get out of debt, or your current situation will never get better, because when you start thinking and speaking negatively, God lets go and stops doing the work for you.  When you start thinking negatively, that becomes your reality.  Instead, have the faith in God and be positive and say and know that your problems will get better, you will get out of town, you will own a house one day, you will beat that cancer, ect.  He used an example of sitting back in a chair and kicking your feet up on top of your problems.  Look down on your problems, not up to them.  And to always remember that we lead by FAITH and not by SIGHT!!!

I will certainly be taking this message very seriously and plan to adapt that in my life as well with my comments and thinking about things.  I know that God has a plan for us and will get us to where we want to be!

Happy Sunday!!

p.s-Hubby and I will be going to a new church next Sunday!  It's hard because he doesn't have every Sunday off, but I can't wait to try it out.  We really want to get established up here before Aubrey is born, so we can have her christened in October.

Easter Treats!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved it!  We have a ton of little nieces and nephews and I thought this would be such a fun idea to make for them!

:-)

Enjoy!

18 Weeks!

So I am now 18 weeks, actually I will be 19 weeks on Monday.  I am feeling great, and I definitely have noticed an increase in my energy levels.  Today, for example, I was on a crazed mission to completely organize my husbands closet and clean and vacuum and do laundry.  Next is my closet!  I have to keep reminding myself though to take frequent breaks because I know I don't want to over do it.  As for my hormones, they are always unpredictable!  Twice this week, the littlest things made me just start crying in front of my husband!  That is so not like me, because I am usually very shy about crying, and one of those that cries by herself in her bedroom or in the shower.  Luckily my little cry outbursts only lasted for a few minutes, and then I felt fine! Gotta love your hormones!! :) I still haven't felt Aubrey kick yet..I have read in the books that between 16-20 weeks you will feel your baby move.  There have been a couple of times where I THINK I may have felt her kick, but nothing that made me say that was definitely her.  So I am anxiously waiting for the day I can feel her :) Here are some of my 18 week belly pix that were taken earlier this week!

Smoothie Time!

So I have been completely obsessed with Pinterest lately, and I found this recipe for a nutritional (and hopefully delicious) smoothie from hipmomsgogreen.com.  I am very excited to try this smoothie out! Especially being pregnant, I am trying to eat healthier and being that I am not a FAN of vegetables, it's nice to find ways to disguise the taste of them in things such as a smoothie.  So here is the recipe, let me know if you try it out and how it tastes :)

All ingredients are organic:)

2 Cups filtered water
1 T. coconut Oil
1 T. organic pure maple syrup
2 T. fresh or bottled lemon juice
1 Cup Kale or large handful
1 bag of strawberries
add a few blueberries to cut the “green” color (if it matters to your children)

Throw all ingredients into the Vitamix and blend until very smooth. You can also try variations of fruit and also spinach with it too.  Enjoy!

http://www.hipmomsgogreen.com/home/strawberry-lemonadepacked-full-of-nutrients/

~xo

The Wait is Over!

So last Friday, we got a 3D sono of our little peanut and also found out the sex!  We are having a GIRL!!!

Even though Jay really was hoping for a boy, so that he can teach him sports and all that manly boy stuff, we are both so EXCITED and happy that we are having a girl.  We have already picked out a name for our sweetie pie, and decided on Aubrey Ann.  Ann is the same middle name as my husbands mother, so it has sentimental value :).  So as soon as we found out that we are having a girl, I couldn't resist and went out and bought a few things! (I got a little carried away) I'll post pictures of some of the things I already got her later!

So now that I know we are having a girl, I am anxious to start working on all of my DIY projects I have been planning!  I will post them as I make them, along with pictures and instructions! :) 

16 Week Check Up

Last night the hubby and I went to my 16 week doctors appointment.  The doctor went over the first part of our Down Syndrome test results.  At the start of the test, I was at risk of that of a 26 year old.  After the results came in, the risk of down syndrome is now that of a 21 year old.  The doctor said my results were great.  Even though they were great, I know that those results are not always 100% accurate.  My sister-in-law was told that her son had a high chance of having down syndrome, and he was born a perfectly happy, healthy baby! So I am happy but I know you can never be too sure with those results.  At the visit, they drew more blood from me.  I usually always request the same nurse to take my blood because she is so friendly and nice and does it so fast and I never feel a thing.  However last night, I decided to try going with another nurse.  Unfortunately it did hurt and wasn't as quick.  So next time I am definitely sticking to my usual nurse.  We also got to hear the baby's heart beat.  The doctor was having a tough time getting the heart beat because all we heard was the baby moving around A LOT!!! It was so neat to hear the baby moving around like crazy in there.  Once she put the monitor really low on my belly she was able to pick up the heart rate.  So then of course my mind started wandering about the old wives tales, that if you carry your baby low, than its a boy.  So next Friday is the day we will find out for sure, FINALLY!!!  I have been dying to start making my DIY things for baby.  I can't wait to start the baby's mobile and I want to start making some onesies with iron ons. I also wish I learned how to sew.  My hubby's cousin has a sewing machine, and it is my goal to learn how to sew and make our little one a bib and a blanket!!
I am looking forward to tomorrow night, because Jay and I are attending a "new parents" class at my doctors office. I am excited to learn more about what to expect, and I also hope to meet some other new mommies and make some more friends.  Well that is all for now, have a good day! =)

Family is Forever

We got to visit my sister who is still recovering from brain surgery.  I am so happy to say that she is doing a lot better.  She looks so much better and seems to be feeling better.  I am so thankful and blessed to be close with my family, and now more than ever family is really important.  I think when you are pregnant you really appreciate family even more.  I want my little one to have a close and supportive relationship with everyone in both mine and my husband's family.  I think everyone in life goes through phases where they value their friendship relationships more than their families.  I know I went through a phase like that myself.  But as I've gotten older I realize and have learned that your friends aren't always there for you.  They don't seem to always care or want to find the time for you.  I have realized that no matter what, through thick and thin, through love and hate, your family is ALWAYS there for you.  It's nice to know that no matter what your family always has your back.  Not to say that is always peachy with family, of course there is sometimes drama and disagreements, but at the end of the day, that is your family and you can never take that away.  Friends will certainly come and go, but family is forever.  Okay so enough of my thoughts about family, here are a few pictures from our trip.

My sister and her friend, she looks pretty amazing for having just gone through brain surgery!!!

15 Week Belly Picture

I am actually going to be 16 weeks along in 2 days.  This picture was shot earlier in the week.  I am feeling great.  Sleep is getting much better for me, with less trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  The first trimester was the worst for that!  Morning sickness is gone, although I have noticed that little things (smell and sight) make me start to gag, and want to throw up, a lot easier now than ever.  Very strange.  Other than that, feeling great and enjoying pregnancy!  Counting down the days to find out the baby's gender...so excited!

DIY

So lately I have been feeling very crafty and very much in the mood for DIY projects!  It started when I was reading another blog, godblessournest.blogspot.com and I came across the most adorable baby mobile.  She made it herself, and also posted instructions on how to make it.  That really inspired me to try to be a little more crafty.

I went to Michael's and started to buy the main wire round piece that you need, but for now that is all I can buy for this project until I know the baby's gender.  Although my hunch is still that it is a girl.  When I was at Michael's, they had so many Valentines Day decorations out, that I fell into their trap.  But everything seemed very pricey, including the vases.  So I decided to buy a mason jar for around $2, and some of the shorter flowers that were on sale for 40% off.  Then when I was waiting in line, a very nice lady voluntarily gave me her extra 40% off coupon!! That was so nice, and that like never happens to me!! So for very little cost, I made an adorable set up on my dresser for Valentines Day!

I saw this next picture while browsing through other blogs.  It's a beautiful lamp from Pottery Barn.  I have an older lamp in my bedroom that I have been dying to do something else with.  I am planning to try to make it look something like this.  I am going to get a hot glue gun and flowers from Michael's (love that place!).  I will post pictures when I am done! (fingers crossed)

The next DIY project on my list, I am so EXCITED about!  I forget what blog I got this idea from, but she was giving this to her friend as a baby shower gift.  They are stick ons, and she just stuck them on a onesie for each month of the babie's age.  I can not wait to do this and post pics of my little one each month! How clever. She got them from this shop on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/75693571/handmade-monthly-milestone-onesie?ref=cat1_gallery_31

Okay, with all of these DIY projects I plan to do I better get busy! Have a great day!

Controversial Topic!

Hello!  So I recently posted an article on my facebook page, without fully reading the article.  I have heard in the past and seen in the past on the news that the bumpers in the cribs are actually not that safe for your little one.  Well when I posted this article, it QUICKLY got a lot of attention from people.  It actually kind of became negative towards me for even posting it, so of course I removed it.  But anyway, I wanted to get some opinions from other fellow moms on their thought on this article.  The big topic seems to be, if you don't use the bumpers, your little one's arms/legs will get caught and can possibly break.  The other view from this article, is that if you do use a bumper, your little one could suffocate.  So I am going to fearfully post this article again, to see what you guys think of it?  Please share your opinions and experience as I am still debating if I should use one for my future baby.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/18/health/no-bumpers-cribs-sids-parenting/index.html

Basically, what I have gathered is that the traditional bumpers used in cribs, are causing babies to suffocate from ages 1 month to 2 years old.  This article is pretty conflicting with itself, but it still points out the dangers of babies suffocating.

So, I did some research and I found Breathable Baby mesh crib bumpers.  They are even sold at Babies R' Us.  They seem to be safer, and were recommended in the article.  I am planning to use one in my soon to be's crib. Here's the link to the mesh crib bumpers: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&tok=gh1lCm71H4AXhE0-4ABk1A&cp=13&gs_id=1e&xhr=t&q=bumpers+for+cribs&gs_upl=&biw=1280&bih=675&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15169367266173682781&sa=X&ei=AGQwT9fECYXY0QHTwZy0Ag&sqi=2&ved=0CJMBEPMCMAE