Man Crushes and Crafts

   So if you know me at all (or read my blog or see my Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter) you know that my child is my whole world. I love him more than anything. I did not understand what love was till I became pregnant with Ryder.

   I also love to craft. I've realized I'm really good at starting crafts and not really finishing them though. I find a new project I wanna try before I finish the last (I know, it is awful). One day I hope to have a craft room, so I can keep all the crafts in one place.

   So in conclusion, I love my son and I love crafts. This means I make a lot of things for my baby. It really is nice actually having time to make things for Ryder. It is also nice because he pretty much likes everything I make him (mostly because I am his mom and he doesn't really have a choice anyway, haha).

   Well, in the last week, I have crocheted a blanket, sewn a boppy pillow cover, almost completed two burp rags, painted a onesie, got squares of a quilt sewn together, and found three or four more projects I'd like to start. Well, I'd like to share my boppy pillow cover project because a cover cost from $25-$60 if you buy one. It cost me maybe $8 to make one. (Fabric cost me $4, Thread cost $2, and a Zipper cost $2). I also shopped smart and used coupons.(:

   My sister has a sewing machine, which she so graciously allowed me to use (thank you, Sarah<3). My boppy pillow was the one my mom got when she was pregnant with my little sister a year ago. It is black and white, it didn't look bad at all, but I wanted something a little more boyish and grey. 

What You Need:

• fabric (1 yard of two different fabrics, or 2 yards of the same fabric. I used cotton fabric for the top side, and a soft minky fabric for the other.)

• thread and needle (or sewing machine)

• zipper (you can always make it with a flap, or use velcro, but I really like the zipper)

   First you trace out your pattern onto the fabric. You can either use a cover you already have, or just used the pillow (give an extra inch to the pattern when you trace the actual pillow). Cut the fabric out, and lay them on top of one another. You sew on the zipper next, I found a great way to do that here. 

   After the zipper is sewn on, sew your two pieces together. Make sure you leave the zipper a little unzipped so you can turn the case inside out after you are done sewing. Once you sew the two pieces together, you have a boppy case. I used this tutorial to make this (except for the zipper part).

   Talk about an easy project, my case didn't turn out perfect (partly because I'd never used a sewing machine before in my life), but it serves it's purpose and actually turned out really cute (at least I think so!). 

   I also want to add the picture of the onesie I made and ask a question before I end this post. 

   How cute is it?!(: I cannot wait to put him in it for Man Crush Monday (the onesie is 6mo. so it'll be a little while before he wears it)! And the question is, does anyone know what the envelope flaps on onesies are for?? I recently found out and will have to write a short post about it tomorrow, but if you think you know, I wanna hear y'all's answers!(:

xx

PS
   If you haven't checked out my last post about a small etsy shop, do it!! She was sweet enough to include a 30% off discount code for her shop.(:

   

A Blessing in a Crib

   I know this doesn't look like much, but I needed a crib. I thought I had one, but it was broken and unusable once we put it together. I was very happy to have had a crib, but now I was crib-less..

   I had talked to my mom a bit about how I didn't necessarily need a crib at first. My mom has the bassinet that she used for me. We figured we would keep our eyes open for a crib, and I could use the bassinet while he was little. I was completely okay with the idea of using the bassinet for a few months, but I figured I'd go look at cribs to know what I was dealing with.

    So while I was looking at cribs and prices, I got super discouraged. I wanted to cry because I didn't have the money for the type of crib I was wanting. I got into my car and gave myself a pep talk. I started praying that I'd be happy with whatever I ended up getting. I had come to terms with that as long as I had a safe crib, it didn't matter about other things (like the fact that it might end up being the ugliest crib there was). 

   God is good though. He knew I was struggling with this seemingly small problem and He provided. I found this insanely nice crib and got an amazing deal on it as well. I know God knew what I wanted and needed. This crib makes me so happy, and it is going to be a constant reminder of how blessed I am every time I look at it. God doesn't always provide what we necessarily want, but He did this time for me. 

   I can't wait to put everything together. I'll be getting a mattress and sheets in the next month, and in about two months, there will be a little baby boy in it. Y'all don't understand how happy I am right now.

xx

25 weeks down and counting

   25 weeks pregnant, and 105 days to go. I cannot wait to be in double digits later this week for the days I have left. Baby Ryder is about the size of a cantaloupe, and he should be weighing in around a pound and a half. I hit a milestone this week, which made me very happy. At 25 weeks, babies blood vessels in their lungs are working and their nostrils have opened up. This means Ryder's chances of surviving if he were born now are very strong, although he better stay in there for at least 14 more weeks or so!

   This week has been a pretty good and uneventful week. I did attend another baby shower this last Sunday for my cousin. She is having a little boy, which is cool because there will be two little boys in my family that will be close in age. I loved giving her and baby their gift, hers is on the left, and the other one is a girl version for another friend of mine having a baby.

   They are onesie cupcakes! Four onesies, and two pairs of socks. I also included a pacifier in the bow. I am very proud of my gifts. They were practical and adorable (at least in my opinion!).

   My momma bought some of my favorite things for her grandson this week. She got him little fox booties (which I am in love with!) and some gowns and bibs. If I hadn't mentioned before, I love foxes and they are Ryder's favorite animal until he can choose his own favorite animal!(: 

   Look at all the foxes! Talk about cute.(:

How far along: 25 weeks

Gender: It is a boy(:

Weight gain: My scale says 9lbs. up from pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes: I've been wearing some of my momma's maternity clothes that she gave me from when she was pregnant with Cherith (my little sister). And they are really nice and rather new since she just wore then last year.

Stretch marks: None still(:

Belly button in or out: Still in

Sleep: I slept better this week, although it's still hard to get comfortable. I am noticing that my belly is definitely starting to grow now.

Best moment this week: I got to spend a lot of time in the pool and sun this week, which was so nice. I love the pool, and I also exercise more in the pool from swimming and floating. I also feel so rejuvenated after being in the sun and water.

Miss anything: I miss sleep still, and I also miss being able to catch full breaths. It has also started to get hard to bend over, which I am still pretending I can bend over without consequence.. It's getting harder with every passing day though!

Movement: I am finally experiencing being able to just feel him kick and move. It is literally one of the best feelings in the world. It makes me so happy and my heart just swells with love for him when I feel him move

Cravings: I've still been craving soda. I craved Pepsi one day this week, and I had to have Pepsi, not coke or any other soda, but specifically Pepsi..

Looking forward to: Seeing my baby in a little over a week at an ultrasound, and I have some packages coming in the mail soon. I am also really looking forward to October, I know it's still three months away, but I'm getting so excited lately about having my baby.(:

   This was before my cousins baby shower, I love being pregnant and my little belly!

   I got a robe this week, and it is so comfortable. It will be getting a lot of use.

   My feet are getting harder to see everyday, but I'm not complaining one bit!(:

xx

Week 22

   I feel like the weeks are going by so slowly.. Yet I only have about 18 weeks left, which is crazy. Part of me loves being pregnant and having Ryder in my tummy, and another part of me is already ready for it to be October so I can hold and love on my little boy.

   Pregnancy has gone so well for me so far. I honestly (I don't think anyway, ha) haven't really complained too much. My bladder fills up faster and I'm tired. At least up until this last week. So I know I'm not the most in shape person ever, but I haven't been able to catch my breath lately. Which is not fun, Ryder is already squishing my lungs. The other symptom that has been killing me is my back. I feel like an old woman with this back pain, hopefully it is just Ryder on a kidney or something (my mom said it probably was, so I'm hoping it is and that Ryder will get off my kidney!) 

   Other than those few things, I really do enjoy being pregnant. Knowing there is a little life in me and that God is fearful and wonderfully making him perfectly is just amazing to me. I feel like pregnancy is such a beautiful thing. 

How far along: 22 weeks

Gender: Boy(:

Weight gain: 1+ lbs. I feel like I've probably gained around five pounds, I'll find out next week at my appointment though 

Maternity clothes: My pants are still buttoning, and I feel so proud(: but I'm loving dresses, I feel so pretty(:

Stretch marks: Just ones from before pregnancy, no new ones yet (hopefully never)

Belly button in or out: In, I'm wondering if my belly button will stick out ever, I looked it up and some women's belly buttons are in the whole time

Sleep: I could sleep better, the past two nights haven't been good to me, so I can't answer this question without being bitter about the past two nights, ha

Best moment this week: Actually feeling Ryder from the outside(: My little sister Rebecca felt him too<3

Miss anything: I kinda have been paying attention to what I eat and drink, because some things just make me feel blehh, so I miss being able to just eat whatever I wanted 

Movement: Felt him from the outside, I'm starting to finally feel him more

Cravings: Coke slushies still, and them if I hear someone talking about food, I'll crave it until someone mentions another food sometimes, ha

Looking forward to: My appointment and the baby showers that will be coming up. I have a cousin and two friends who are pregnant and due a month or so ahead of me which I think is pretty cool(:

   Ryder is about the length of an ear of corn this week. About 10 inches or so and around 13 ounces. 

   So I know I shouldn't buy things for Ryder yet because I'll be getting so much from friends and family. I need to wait till after baby showers, so I can buy what I need. I'm buying everything on sale though, so I'm not being completely awful. 

   I finally found a little stuffed fox, so I am pleased with my purchases.(:

xx

21 weeks!

   It's blog time again, this week went by pretty fast. It was rather uneventful, but good. People are actually noticing I'm pregnant now. I still feel like I'm looking like I had a few too many fries and slushies (which may or may not be partly true as well, ha). 

How far along: 21 weeks

Gender: Boyyy

Weight gain: 1+ lbs. I'm sure I've gained some, but I'll leave the weighing to the doctor office visits(:

Maternity clothes: I'm slowly but surely starting to wear one or two pieces of maternity clothing here and there

Stretch marks: None

Belly button in or out: In, you can tell in my picture below, this was candid and not planned, ha, excuse the wet hair

Sleep: I am sleeping as well as possible for being pregnant I guess, ha

Best moment this week: No huge moments this past week, I got told I looked skinny though, which was pretty cool(:

Miss anything: I've started taking a tum here and there because I guess I've been having heartburn or something, but I'm not sure because I've never had heartburn before really.

Movement: Same as last week, still not feeling as much as I want to though 

Cravings: Coke slushies !! I've had one almost every day.. (Told you I might have had too many !)

Looking forward to: Seeing Baby Ryder again and feeling him kick more.

   So all around good week, I'm so tired still. I'm ready for the magical kick of energy that most pregnant women get in second trimester, hopefully it will come. I did register this week, which was interesting. I registered at target and babies-r-us, I feel like there is so much stuff and I didn't know what to register for. I didn't wanna register for diapers and clothes, because people are gonna get me what they want in those departments, ha. So I only scanned things I knew I for sure wanted. It'll be interesting to see what all I get for Ryder, who knew baby things were so fun. (:

xx

It's a Boy!!!

   So I went to the doctor yesterday and found out that I'm having a baby boy! I am so excited, I just know I will have the cutest baby boy ever (I know I will be slightly biased, but still)! 

   So meet Baby Ryder!

   I feel like he has the cutest nose. (: The ultrasound went really well and the doctor said everything looked good. There was one thing she saw that she wanted me to get checked out again, so I'll be going to get another ultrasound later this week. Hopefully it's nothing and I'll just be able to see my sweet baby again and have some better pictures. 

   I let my mom and dad know right away what I was having, and I kept it a secret for about two hours. I had my family and a couple friends meet me at Moe's for lunch and I handed out peanut M&M's as their hint. Everyone very quickly realized I was having a boy;)

   

   One of my long-time best friends came with me to the ultrasound and then we had to take a picture together. I feel like I don't look pregnant at all (even though I'm almost already halfway through!). I was wearing a loose shirt, and I hadn't eaten yet though. After a little shopping, we grabbed a blue slushie for obvious reasons (and I was craving a slushie reallyyyy badly..).

   My sister offered to take a picture for me to put up on Facebook, so we had this really cool idea of blowing up balloons and white ribbon. As you can see.. Balloons popped and it wasn't as grand an idea as we thought. It was fun though(:

   We decided to just look cute and we set off a color smoke bomb and got what I think is a pretty good picture. I look pregnant after having lunch and a slushie and other random snacks throughout the day(:

   And here are some of the baby clothes I bought(: I'm so excited to get Ryder clothes and things. I've decided to get him fox things. I'll be ordering a little fox stuffed animal soon, I'm so excited.

   I feel like I wrote a lot, and I know I've stated how happy/excited I am more than once, but I am proud of my baby already. It's starting to become more real as the weeks go by, hopefully I'll be feeling him kick more by my next post!