Saturday, April 27, 2013

Farewell

After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to say goodbye to blogging.

How I thought I would be turns out to be much different than who I am, now. I am private. I love my life, my family, and my purpose in life right now. I love praising God for his wonderful gifts he's bestowed onto me and my family in any way possible, but this blog is no longer it. I do not want to put my life and my son out to the world. Not yet, anyway. There are far too many avenues I feel compelled to walk down right now, and blogging does not fit. It will be an adjustment, but I think it is what's best for me and my family.

I do want to give blogging major credit. It changed my life for the better in the past year. I've learned to document more of my life, which is amazing to look back on. I am so thankful for all these great pictures and anecdotes of this time in my life. I will continue documenting these special (and seemingly ordinary) days, but for now they will be just for me and my family.

Thanks, blog world. I'll think of you fondly.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

35/35

Yesterday I hit 35 weeks, 35 days to go (til my Estimated Due Date/EDD)! Let me say: WOAH!!! Sometimes I still can't believe I'm going to be a mom in just a couple short weeks! I kept saying that it seemed so far away because we were experiencing "winter" and I can only imagine bringing him home in spring weather...Well, Spring peeked it's lovely face out last week, and now it feels so real!


Baby's Size: He should be about 5 pounds and change at this point...although, we really have no clue how big he actually is.
Weight Gain: I did the math wrong last time, lol. At my last appointment I had gained a total of 20lbs. In about three weeks I've gained another 2 pounds. I'm completely ok with it.
Symptoms: Normal stuff-- my hip pain has gotten significantly worse, my acid reflux is now up to about four nights a week (always around 6pm), and I finally figured out that the weird pain and numbness in my hands is carpal tunnel!! I sleep pretty well, despite the hip pain, so I'm just counting my blessings. Honestly, it's not all that bad (yet).
Cravings: With only a couple weeks left, it seems I crave EVERYTHING!
Best Moment: Spending some quality time outside walking and soaking up some sun! Reading in my backyard was especially peaceful and lovely.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

So Behind!

I'm pretty behind on blogging, but I have good reason! My dad has been in town from FL to finish getting some things out of the house so we can use our space in the most efficient way possible. 

Here's a photo-dump of recent happenings:

My outfit to my cousin's bridal shower last weekend. I was 33 and a half weeks that day!



On Good Friday my brother's band played at The Note (Bam Margera's bar). Even though I was exhausted from a day of prepping for Easter, I had to put on my (7 inch platform) boots, leather jacket, and go hear him play! They were awesome!


THe other day I drove Scott to work. It was a particularly warm day, and we arrived 30 min early, so we hung out together outside for a little bit. I love random pockets of quality time together. (it was windy, so my hair looks a little gross.) Scott looks so handsome!

Tomorrow I will definitely be doing my 35 week update, but I wanted to share the last couple of weeks before it became completely irrelevant!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Easter Family Pictures

Here's what I ended up wearing for our little family picture! Last year of it being just the two (and a half) of us!



Comfort is the key when dressing the belly, now. Let me just say, I saw a million women in Maxi dresses or skirts at church! I didn't mind being in-trend, though.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Easter Basket

As a little token of my love and way to celebrate Easter, I made a little Easter Box for Scott this year. 

I started by getting one of those cute little dollar bin boxes from Target in a bright blue. Then, I spent about a week gathering different encouraging bible verses I thought would be fitting for Scott. I wrote them up on some colored paper cards. 

Final step was to put his favorite kinds of candy inside!

It was a little gesture that combined typical Easter loot (candy) with the real meaning for the season (scripture cards). Instead of saving it for Sunday, though, I gave Scott his box on Good Friday night. He loved the box, and is inspired to even make me some scripture cards! 


Candy Included: Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Peach Rings, Snickers Peanut Butter Squares, and Peanut Butter M&Ms :) 

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Double 3

33 Weeks!


Baby's Size: About 4 pounds- a pineapple ;)

Weight Gain: Holy Moly...22lbs total! At this point, what it will be will be (que sera sera).

Symptoms: Did I mention that my belly button has popped? It's not cute. Also, my first stretch mark has appeared. At first I was upset, but then I realized, woah, this is so tiny...and on my boob. No one's going to be seeing it other than Scott, and he couldn't notice it! The only other new issue I have is the shooting pain in my very low belly/pubic area. Every now and then when Caffrey's super active he'll kick super low and cause me to double over. I'm still trying to just ignore the bad and enjoy these last couple of weeks, though.

Cravings: Wendy's fries, Butterfingers, and cereal

Best Moment This Week: The nursery is continuing to come together, and my to-do list is seriously small now! Woohoo

Worst Moment This Week: Having plumbing issues at the house--yuck.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Why I love Easter

I've made it pretty clear that I love Valentine's day. The main reason I love that "hallmark holiday" is because of what it stands for: love. I love celebrating love--parental, spousal, and friendship. After some serious introspection, I realize that my biggest reason for loving Easter is because it is the ultimate holiday of love.
Scott actually proposed in front of our favorite Cross two Easters ago.

Love is a verb. I've always known this as fact. Jesus teaches us this very simple truth. Actions matter. Our words can be deceitful, our beliefs are ideology, but our actions show our character. Jesus didn't just tell us He loves us; He showed us. Jesus didn't want to be crucified. He was fully man, after all. He pleaded with our Father to give him another way. There was no other way, though. God and Jesus (as one and separate entities) gave us the ultimate gift of life through sacrifice and suffering to prove their love.

Let that sink in.

Jesus could have disobeyed God. He could have walked away. He could have said, "you know, what? I'm not going to take the wrap for all of your hateful and sinful ways. I love you, but I won't do this."He didn't. Instead, He (basically said) "I don't want to do this, and this will actually kill me, but I love you so much, I will do this for you. I will give you ETERNAL LIFE."

All that being said, there's something we need to take away from this: love is a verb. We need to use this holiday as a reminder--not just of our love with our Father, but also to our friends, family, and human-kind. When Scotty asks me to help make his lunch but I want to sleep in, I should to step outside myself and get out of bed to help my husband. When your friend asks you for help that's inconvenient, think about how helping him/her could show your love.

I hope that through this mind-cloud of a post you can take away a token about this very special time of year and how it can strengthen your relationships.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Easter Best=Family Photoshoot


As I have mentioned before, I love Easter. To prep for my favorite holiday I will be posting all week about different fun things about Easter, spring, and what this time of year means to me. 

I've always thought that Easter was the perfect time for a family photo. It's (usually) in the spring--a time of rebirth, so it seems fitting to have a memory of what your family looks like embarking in that new year of life. Last year I didn't get my photo because of the tumultuous timing (after a major family death and the midst of another private family matter), but this year I am determined to get at least a decent picture of Scotty, me, and the bump ;)

Here's my inspiration for a family photo wardrobe:


Obviously, this year I won't have the little person to dress, but I wanted to include choices for the babes, too.

I love the fresh-ness of coral, green, and blue together in a tasteful way. I would just choose one main color, a neutral, and one to two 'pop' or accent colors. For example, I would put Scott in the Khaki pants, blue checked shirt, and green tie with dark brown shoes. To coordinate I'd wear the grey maxi with the bold green necklace and gold sandals. If Caffrey were here, I'd put him in the green pants and a plain light-blue button down. If we also had a girl, I'd put her in the white dress with the blue and green headband. A nice balance of color, neutral, and dimension!

I'll be sure to share our Easter photo next week!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Little Guy Style

Caff Style

Caff Style by viclovesny on Polyvore

I think I've mentioned before that I'm not really into the typical monsters and cars little boy clothes. I'm much more into dressing my little guy like I dress his dad. I love the look of little guys in old man sweaters, collared shirts, and laid-back beach bum wear. Although I have plenty of the "typical" baby clothes (sometimes you just need some 'athletic' OshKosh onesies when they're on sale for 99cents!), I also have stocked up on some style pieces for the little dude.

Above is a set of idea baby/toddler style for him. I do not intend to buy all the pieces, though. You can't really justify spending $30 consistently on clothing that will last him about 3 months (if that!). The set does accurately depict my love of grey, nautical, and stripes, of which we have plenty!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

31 & 32 Weeks

I'm going to recap the past two weeks together since I kind of skipped it last week.

^Taken at 30 and a half weeks

Total Weight Gain: Last I learned, 19 pounds--eek! I hope I'm not too much more, now!
Baby's Size: Caffrey's about 4lbs at this point (thank goodness since this belly's so big!)
Symptoms: Basically all the same, but not as bad! All the aches and pains are still not constant, my acne has improved some, and my anxiety has even mellowed a bit! My belly button has popped, though!
Cravings: I still love apples, grapes, french fries, and sweets
Best Moments: Having an awesome shower, getting most of my 'big' items for the baby, and basically getting everything close to ready! We need some diapers, more clothes, and an extra car seat base, but beyond that, we have everything!
Worst Moment: Whenever I indulge too much I feel so guilty. Selfishly, I really don't want to be stuck with a bunch of pounds to lose after he arrives!

^32 Weeks! (please excuse my very tired looking face...wth?!)

The next couple of weeks have so much going on. We're really looking forward to it all! This weekend is a much-needed RR time. Next weekend is Scott's cousin's bridal shower AND Easter at our house. Then, we have two catch-up weekends before we go to the Poconos for his cousin's wedding all weekend long. Another weekend of reprieve then it's Scotty's birthday and my SILs' joint bridal shower. That brings us just a couple days before the due date! Mixed in with it all we have to do a hospital tour, put our finishing touches on the nursery, and try to get as much sleep as possible!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

In Case You Missed It

We are finally sharing our name!


Our son will be named Caffrey Jay Edwards. 

We've heard the name as a last name before, and we really liked it. We started throwing it around, saying it aloud, and decided it fit perfectly. 

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Baby Shower!

This week I didn't do a belly picture/bumpdate, but all these baby shower pictures will hopefully make up for it!

We had the baby shower today, and it was amazing! I feel beyond blessed by everyone coming and celebrating with me and Scotty. I missed those who couldn't be there, but it was awesome knowing that they were still thinking of us.


 ^Here's the invite, tag, and sheet I designed with out theme.
 Little goodie bags of chocolate for our guests to take.

 Some of the food lol. We also had little sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and cake-yum!


 OUR NAME! He will be named Caffrey =]

 I couldn't snap a picture of my cake before we started cutting it. It was carrot cake with buttercream.
 Excited about the stroller and car seat! We got the Britax B-Agile and B-Safe.
 My mom, the lovely and generous host, and I.
 Two out of the three aunts


 Some of the guests



As I said, it was amazing! We were overwhelmed by all the love, for sure!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

That New Car Smell

Our car still has that new car smell.

We traded in our trusty 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe for a 2013 Hyundai Tuscon two weeks ago. It still smells brand new. We wanted to wait another 6 months or a year for a new car, but ours was just costing too much to keep running.

Saying goodbye to Marky Mark was tough, but he's ready for a new family or retirement ;)

Our new car, Stella, is a dream! I really wanted white, and we were lucky that they had one at the dealership. We love driving her!

Look how cute my hubby is driving our new car! Hehe.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Easter is Upon Us...Almost

Easter is one of my all-time favorite holidays. It is so joyous and magical. How can you not feel filled with love while celebrating the season of Jesus? His sacrifice was the most loving act anyone has ever made, and He made it for us.

Other great reasons to love Easter:
-Spring is coming!!!!
-Scott and I got engaged Easter weekend
-all the colors are cheerful
-candy galore
-an excuse to get dressed up all pretty and girly (and men in pastels-ee!)
^Scott and I on Easter in 2011. (The day after his proposal.)

This year, despite being significantly pregnant and Easter being just a short two weeks after my shower, I am hosting my first holiday!
I'm keeping it casual and "stress-free." The day will be mostly low-key. We won't be serving Turkey or Ham, and there won't be any 'decorations.' I'll probably put a  small flower centerpiece on the table to accompany our meatball sub lunch. Still, though, there will be some festive aspects, and it will be the first time I'm having the family over for a holiday meal at our house!

Here's the "invite" I sent via e-mail to the family:

(I got the print via this blog and just added my own words to it.)

I'm pretty excited!

The Big 3-0

I've finally hit the big three-oh! I'm thirty weeks along-woohoo. I've been impatiently patiently waiting to be in the last 10 week stretch for a while now...it's finally here!

I have a lot of the nursery finished, but I am actually going to wait to reveal it until after my shower. There are things I'm waiting to hang because I want all the big stuff in place first. I will, however, be revealing the name next week, so stay tuned!


Baby's Size- about 3 pounds now :)

Weight Gain- I just got back from my doctor's appointment, and I've gained a total of 19 pounds! Holy Cow!!!! It definitely sours my mood a bit, but my doctor reassured me that this is a HEALTHY amount to have gained at this point. I was never scale-obsessed before I got pregnant (like never stepped on one), so I shouldn't start now!

Cravings: This past week it was french fries! I had delicious thick fries at the pub we went to on Friday, and two nights ago I caved and had Wendy's fries. NO regrets there.

Symptoms: My acne is finally cooling off! I still have really bad red marks on my cheeks from previous breakouts (they take forever to go away), but there are few new pimples-yay! My main complaint is probably my morning nausea, back pain, and acid-chest, but I'm trying not to dwell on the negative.

Movement: He's very active, still, which I love! His kicks and punches are getting more uncomfortable, but it's so cool! I feel like I can sometimes tell "oh, this is his butt pushing out on the side," or "his feet are kicking up here." Everything is more distinct.

Best Moment This Week: Saturday Scotty and I had breakfast together at our favorite place, Nudy's. It was delicious and leisurely and wonderful! Another major positive is the ridiculously sweet compliment I got on Sunday. A teenage girl at my church commented on how beautiful I was pregnant/how good I still look, and how I'm all belly. I know it's vain, but it really did pick me up for the past couple of days. She was so sincere and not prompted at all.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Twenty-Nine Weeks


(My top is actually black with little white polka dots, not multicolored. Also, those are my pre-pregnancy skinny jeans! Yes, they still button, but not for long.)

Baby's Size: Butternut Squash and around 2 and a half pounds! I feel like each week he gets significantly bigger-which he does!

Weight Gain: as of last appointment, I've gained a total of 13 pounds.

Symptoms: Ah, here's the good stuff! I have officially felt the pinch on my Sciatic nerve! It is localized in my buttocks and isn't constant. My heartburn/reflux has been pretty pleasant--not! Sometimes I feel like there is a mini acid monster guarding the bottom of my throat. I still generally feel uncomfortable and have constant back and hip pain, too. My morning nausea has come back, too. Honestly, though, these things don't seem unreasonable or horrible when you think I'M MAKING A HUMAN! I hate all the symptoms, but I love that I have the privilege of being pregnant.

Cravings: You know what would be awesome? Thin mints crushed in a Shamrock Shake, yum!

Belly-Button: It is basically flat, now. Only a short matter of time before it pops out.

Sleep: I get good sleep about 4-5 nights a week, so I won't complain.

Best Moment This Week: Getting a new car! Also, straightening out all the insurance stuff for when the little guy gets here, and lining up a meeting with our front-runner pediatrician! It was a productive week, for sure.

In other news, I wouldn't say that I'm nesting. I had a huge second tri energy spurt that allowed me to get A LOT done on the house in terms of organizing, purging, renovating, and crafting. Now, there are only small things to accomplish and clean, which I have been doing at a leisurely pace.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

28 Weeks

THIRD TRIMESTER! I am ready for May to get here! I don't want him to come before he's full-term, but I'm ready to meet him soon! Can't believe full-term is only 9 weeks away, now!

Baby's Size: Somewhere around 2 1/2 pounds!
Weight Gain: eek, 13lbs! That's a 6 pound jump in only 4 weeks, but apparently some months will be like that due to a growth spurt.
Cravings: Still love my sweets! And apples-always apples.
Symptoms: Basically all the same. And this week we add heartburn/reflux to the list!




Worst Moment: He gave us a little scare on Monday. I don't want to go into details, but let's just say I'm so happy he decided to stay in a little longer.
Best Moment This Week: Seeing baby C during an unexpected ultrasound on Monday. I love seeing his cute face and little hands. He was tired from my non-stress test and an exciting morning, so he wasn't moving around as much. I saw his little mouth sucking then he put his arms up to wave right before draping them over his face. I hope this little trait continues when he's out here!

Here's what we still have to do for the nursery:
-Paint the nursery trim white
-Make and hang mobile
-Hang the pictures
-Put new knobs on dresser
-wash/hang/put away all clothes and diaper materials


Sunday, February 17, 2013

Valentine's Dinner

Saturday night Scotty and I had a romantic private dinner together. He made steak, potatoes, and grilled veggies. It was the perfect evening!