11 weeks pregnant {Lime, Plum, Fig}

Okay, the week picked up a little this time around. I've noticed that the days have been dragging on (mostly work days). I guess they'll do that when you feel gross and tired, counting down the minutes until I can clock out and go home! I've also been anxiously awaiting our second doctor's appointment, which is coming up in a few days on Tuesday. I can't wait to see how different this little Tater-Tot looks on the sonogram, and hopefully I'll hear great news, that everything is moving along like Mother Nature planned :)

This week, still nauseous everyday, but some days are easier than others. Still haven't thrown up at all (thank you, little baby!!!). I don't think I've gained any weight yet, if I have, it's probably only a pound...but...I feel heavier! I feel bulky and sluggish and BLOATED all the time. Food is very slowly starting to become more appealing, not by much though. I did have an amazing Chicken Pot Pie from Trader Joe's the other night, which I had been craving for about 3 days...oh it hit the spot, like mmm mmm goood.

My BabyBump phone app says that the baby is the size of a lime, and..."This week your baby is officially developed enough to be called a fetus. The good news is that the most critical part of your baby's organ system development is over. Your baby will grow very rapidly and will double in size by next week. On your baby's head, the ears are moving to the side of the head. Reproductive organs are becoming more distinguished."

In regards to my body, it says, "More than 75% of all pregnant women experience some degree of morning sickness. The good news is that as you approach your second trimester this often subsides and you'll find yourself less fatigued during the day. Inside your body, your uterus is starting to get to be too big to fit in your pelvic area and will begin to rise up into your abdomen over the next few weeks."

Image: www.babycenter.com

Baby Center says the baby is the size of a fig and, "Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden. She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements ill become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two -- nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming."

Okay, Tater-tot...here's to another week of healthy growth, can't wait to see you on Tuesday!
xo, Mommy

Reverse Stencil Dresser

I love DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects! I'm a crafty gal, and hand made items bring so much more of a personal touch and love to a space. This idea, using a reverse stencil technique, is pretty clever and it looks great. I love this image of the ship, too...and could definitely see myself doing something like this for a boy. Musings explains the steps taken to achieve this piece of art HERE.

Maternity Clothes Assistance

I'm still not "showing" at this stage in my pregnancy. I feel bloated all the time and I think I look it, but I try to wear loose clothing to hide that. Well even though I'm not in need of "maternity" clothing just yet, I still checked out the selection at Target a week ago. What a traumatic experience! First of all, it was confusing to figure out what size I am in maternity clothing. After doing a little online research, it appears that the size I was before the pregnancy is the same size to look for in maternity wear. Whew! That's easy enough.

I tried on some maternity tops and some jeans and shorts in "my size"...and I was freaking out a little. I can't believe that within a few months, my body is supposed to fill out the wide legs in the pants, or the giant shirts that I was swimming in! My mom went with me and boy she got a kick out of my reaction and all my sarcastic complaining. And...maybe it was a bad night to shop, but I didn't really find anything "cute" that I'd actually wear out in public. So...I've been doing a lot of online browsing for some decently priced and styled clothes for the growing mother-to-be. Here are a few pieces of clothing along with the website where you can find them.

From Motherhood, I found 3 super cute tops in the SALE section.

Lace Trim Maternity Blouse - $14.99

Trapeze Maternity Blouse - $24.99

Scoop Neck Maternity Shirt - $9.99

At Kiki's Fashions, I found this tribal print top which I love! This site is super cheap, really affordable (especially the sales), but MOST of their clothing doesn't really fit in with MY style. A lot of it looks too "young" and cheapy for me, but I think there are at least a few pieces there for anyone.

White Tribal Print Maternity Shirt - $21.99

Gray Striped Maternity Tank - $9.99

Pink Maternity Shirt - $14.99

I've always seen A Pea in the Pod at the mall but I've never actually walked in. Wow, they are super expensive! Even the SALE section doesn't fit into my budget. I can afford it, but I don't want to spend $30-$40 on a plain blouse that I know I can find elsewhere for much cheaper. If you don't mind the prices, check out their site. Anyways, I did come across this top and I love the fit and its sweet girl look.

Lace Trim Maternity Blouse - $34.99

Ooooohhhh I REALLY want this jacket from Target! It looks so soft and cozy and my big belly days will be happening during the winter...not like California really knows what a real winter is like, but we do have cold moments and this jacket will go with a lot in my wardrobe. It's a little more $ than I'd like, but a good, warm jacket is a must.

Liz Lange Maternity Utility Jacket - $44.99

10 weeks pregnant {Kumquat, Prune}

I hit the 10 week mark a few days ago on Friday (it's Monday night, now). Things are starting to slowly crawl their way to semi-normal. I'm still nauseous each day, but that nob has been turned way down. I'm still not the biggest fan of food these days, eating has been a chore. I'm starting to have a wider range of tastes and cravings again, though. I'm also regaining my energy level, at a slower speed than I'd like but hey, it's something to be thankful for.

Now for a special detail that I'll share with you that maybe not all pregnant women feel comfortable doing...here it is...my nipples are in PAIN!!! No, not all the time, but today was the worst nipple pain I've ever felt in my 28 years of existence. I was at work and it was a cold morning (at least for me, I now get cold much easier than normal, I have to take a sweater into the grocery store) and as we women know, when it gets cold our girls perk up a bit. Well, mine not only perked up, but they felt like they had been lit on fire! I almost yelled that I was on fire while supervising my student's snack-time at work. I had to go inside and I was practically in tears because of the pain and because I couldn't do anything to make it stop. When I read about "breast tenderness" in the baby books, I had no idea this is what I should expect. I figured it was more of a sore feeling, which I'd take any day over this. UGH!

Oh yeah, and how could I forget this gem of pregnant side effect...GAS! For me, mostly in the form of burping. I burp so often, I almost wish I had one of those hand-held counters that bouncers use at clubs to keep track of how many people they've let inside. I burp after every meal, give or take about 5 minutes between each set of burps. Indigestion at its finest, which means simple, plain and bland foods are a favorite with my stomach lately. Now the other gas...yuck, is all I have to say. How's that for a little TMI for one day :)

Image: www.babycenter.com

My BabyBump phone app tells me that the baby is the size of a prune. "The tenth week marks the beginning of a critical period in your baby's development when all the vital organs have formed and are beginning to function. Your baby is also growing tiny nails on the fingers and toes as well as tiny buds for teeth."

Wooden embroidery hoops

Here are 2 really creative and adorable uses for embroidery hoops. I can't wait to add these ideas to my Tator-Tot's room. The framed fabric hoops look extremely simple and add that extra pop of color that the room may be missing overall. It's also a popular trend that I've seen popping up A LOT during my online surfing sessions. It's nice to think that the most time spent here will be browsing the fabric aisles for that perfect print.

This bird mobile, on the other hand, definitely appears to take up some time and patience. Looks like I'll be putting my "sewing skills" to work because I love this simple, hand-made-with-love project. You can find the DIY tutorial HERE at www.ecabonline.com.

I've already started to collect some hoops. I recently found 3 of them and I paid a total of 30 cents at a garage sale.

Bedding inspiration

I'm pretty sure I'll be decking out the nursery with colors of aqua, yellow, orange, red and pink...may sound a little busy, but I've got a vision. I came across this bedding here and I can definitely see something like this style and color in the baby's crib. Unison has it HERE as the "Sailor + Regatta Yellow" crib sheet.

Another great website for furniture, bedding, toys, storage, etc. is The Land of Nod. I found this adorable yet "manly" print for boys (still don't know what I'm having yet...suspense is killing me). I'd go for a look like this, especially since Daddy loves tractors and I really dig the colors. You can find this Construction Zone Crib Bedding HERE.

9 weeks pregnant {Green Olive}

Oh how I despise the number 9. This 1st trimester is kicking my booty. I'm exhausted all the time, I want to take naps (which is a new concept to me), food mostly disgusts me and I'm always out of breath. Whoever said that being pregnant is great...is a liar ;) It definitely could be worse, I've heard some bad "horror stories" in comparison to my complaints so I'll count my blessings and carry on. Besides that, there are no updates to tell about mine and the Tater-Tot's progress. My boyfriend has been awesome and super understanding, helpful and loving (so far!...I bet I can get him to crack soon enough). He even picks me up lunch and delivers it to me at work if and when I come across a craving.

My BabyBump phone app tells me that the baby is about the size of a green olive. "This week the embryonic tail disappears. The hands and feet look a lot less like paddles and have more formed fingers and toes. Your baby's head is still larger than the rest of the body and the eyes are fully developed, but are covered by the eyelids which are fused shut for the next 16 weeks or so. Inside your baby's body the internal reproductive organs, testes or ovaries, are starting to form but will not be quite distinguishable until the next couple of weeks."

Here's an image of what my baby may look like this week...
Image comes from www.babycenter.com

8 weeks pregnant {Raspberry}

There's our little Tater-Tot...currently looking like a small blob. We had our first doctor's appointment 3 days ago on Tuesday. It was my first time meeting my new OB-GYN and I love her! Not only was that a relief, but so was finding out that the baby is doing just fine so far. Everything is as it should be. My mom AND boyfriend were in the room to witness the first viewing of the heart beat and to hear for the first time, the heart beat. What a special moment. So the black sausage-like shape is some sort of fluid in my uterus (i think!!), and the little white blob in the lower middle of it is the baby...about an inch in length. The black area on the upper right of the sonogram is my FULL bladder! I had to potty so badly...bad idea. Finally seeing the Tater-Tot was so surreal...I still can't believe I'm growing a life inside me.

Well, the next day I announced the news to my boss...which then spread like wildfire throughout the school. Did I mention I'm an art teacher at a private school? Yup, I teach 4 year olds to 2nd graders. Anyways, I received a ton of "Congratulations" and a few hugs. It was pretty cool.

Dominic, my boyfriend, also broke the news to his mom on the phone (she lives in Kansas). He was worried about her reaction, but was pleasantly surprised when she said she was happy for him and us. It's so cute, she's been sending him texts (or emails...not sure) with ideas for baby names...and he sends them to me. I've never met his mom, and it looks as if the first time we'll meet is when the baby comes and she's a grandmother!

Speaking of grandmother...my mom is from Mexico and "abuelita" means grandma in spanish. We've decided that she'll be called "Lita" for short, since it's easier to say. My mom's been so great by mothering ME, making sure I'm ok and doing everything I should be....she's really coming around.

Today I'm 8 weeks pregnant. One of my baby apps says that the baby is the size of a raspberry and the "baby's head is proportionally larger than the rest of the body and the ears and eyelids are developing. Fingers and toes are developing from the arm and leg buds which now have distinguished wrists and elbows that can even flex. At this stage, the baby's heart rate is around 150 beats per minute." When referring to my body, it says that "as your baby grows, your uterus is also expanding. By now your uterus is almost the size of a grapefruit which is why it's common to feel abdominal cramping or even a tightening or contraction-like pain."

Nursery style Inspiration

I've been browsing the web like CRAZY, looking for fun ideas on decorating my Tater-Tot's future room and on stylish and useful mommy and baby products. OhDeeDoh is AMAZING! I love the color of this wall and the super-sized alphabet on the wall. Click here for more views of little Ross's nursery.

How cool is this space saver idea. I actually kinda hope my future nursery's closet is big enough for a small crib. I like the idea of the Tot in its own cubby hole :) Click here to see more of Eloise's nursery.
Another really fun example of a little closet nook for your little one. I love the vibrant color scheme (again, loving the mint blue wall paint). Check out Simon, Levi and Josie's shared room here.


If I have a boy, this color scheme is at the top of the list for consideration. Loving the use of gray and calm walls with a rays of yellow sunshine accenting the room. Pretty cool. View Graham's nursery here.

YES! Here is the nursery that inspired me to recreate this warm, calm and sunny ambiance. I've chosen to not use the traditional pink scheme if I have a girl...THIS is what I want. Again, I'm in love with color of the wall...and the yellow, red, orange, and bits of pink accents really bring it all together in a very cheerful and feminine way. Definitely cruise over here for more drooling over Norah's nursery.
Maybe this one is tied with the last, for my favorite! However, if this were my space, I'd bring out a little more of the reds and oranges with some small accessories, or on the curtains. Who'd-a-thought I'd be into YELLOW?! It makes me feel warm, and smile. Check out Little P's room here.

Babies and Technology

I'm a user of an Android phone and I found 2 neato applications that I downloaded...fo FREE dollas!

The first one is called BabyBump, and after entering the due date of my bebe, it gives me daily AND weekly updates on how my Tater-Tot is doing, and how my body is doing. Lot's of info and advice is found here, too. It's informing that in week 7 (which starts tomorrow!), my "baby's brain is becoming more complex and is developing cavities and passages vital for circulating spinal fluid. The baby's face is also becoming more defined with the lenses of the eyes and middle part of the ear forming. Tiny arms, legs, hands and feet are also just beginning to bud." Whoa.

I'd like to add here, that I haven't experienced "morning sickness" yet..which is expected to start last week, this week, or next week, if I get it at all. *fingers crossed* please NO. However, I have felt a little off, a teeny weeny bit nauseous...more like motion sickness...which has only thrown off my appetite. NOTHING sounds good to eat anymore, everything sounds YUCK! That stinks, because I love food.

The other application comes from BabyCenter, another really resourceful website AND phone app. It gives me more information and updates on the growth of the bebe than BabyBump did for week 7...it also adds that the bebe is the size of a blueberry.

Check them out.

I'm Pregnant!

This comes as a surprise.

Well, not completely a surprise, since I know the story of the birds & the bees...but still this news was unexpected and unplanned. My boyfriend (yes, I said boyfriend) and I found out 11 days ago by taking 2 home pregnancy tests, and then a blood test the next day. Positively positive.

I broke the news to my mom the morning of the blood test, and to my step-dad that evening. This was a tough and uncomfortable conversation to have. Mixed feelings of disappointment and concern and support were shared...and understandably so.

My boyfriend, Dominic, and I have known each other for 6 years, and been together for 2 years (whoa, I just realized that TODAY is our anniversary....good one). We don't live together, but have been discussing plans to save $$ and find a house to rent together for MONTHS now. Obviously, these plans have now been bumped up to the top of the To-Do-List. So has an engagement.

Dominic has been working on a plan for a while now to ask me to marry him, and I know this because he flat out tells me...with a smirk on his face. I've expressed my feelings to him that I want him to do this when "the time is right" and when HE wants to do it, but at the same time, it would be easier to tell people that we're expecting a baby if I at least had a ring on my finger. So, what is a girl to do but wait :)

Only a handful of people know about the exciting news...yes, I'm excited...and nervous, unsure, relieved (that I'm not infertile), happy, calm, anxious, curious. Our friends have sent supportive and excited messages to us, which feels pretty darn good I must say. My younger brother, the Uncle of this lil' Tater-Tot (that's what we're calling the baby for now), was surprisingly happy for me. That was a relief. Actually, I haven't even told anyone about this blog yet...I'm waiting to announce it after my first doctor's appointment coming up in 5 days. Gotta make sure everything's legit and ok before freaking more people out :)

Literally, the day that I took the home pregnancy tests, I bought this adorable pack of "gowns" from Target, along with these mommy books and some pre-natal vitamins. I display these gowns in my room as a constant reminder to save every penny that I can and to keep my priorities in line so that this baby gets everything it needs.