These are a few of my favorite things...

Yesterday BD husband and I cheated a bit and opened up some shower gifts that arrived early. One of the packages was from Jane, a long time family friend AND Nevada favorite. Before he opened the gift I said we will love this! You see, Jane is known for several things...she is a lover of books, retired teacher, stromboli artist, mother of twins (they are also favorite people) and an amazing gift giver. The gifts are always extremely thoughful and come with notes of who, what, why and how she selected. In essence, she shares her favorite things.

Thank you Jane! We can't wait to read all of the great books.

Shower Early & Often!

Well, not the often part but definitely the "early" part! I now know why the baby mammas were only between 5 & 6 months along at the last three showers I attended. At the time it seemed so early but now I realize it was GENIUS! In case you don't get my drift...

• At 5-6 months my "bump" was just starting and I called it cute
• The maternity clothes were new and exciting, now they are in a rotation (every 3 days you will see the same pants on me)
• Makeup and hair was happening daily (now I kind of blame it on the heat but the pony is part of the rotation)
• I was still doing bootcamp, now I am on walks and cruiser bike rides
• It was easier to clean the tub and toilet for guests 2 months ago, now the belly is getting in the way

Even though I am having my shower at the 32 week mark, I am VERY excited to celebrate with everyone. Family from Florida to Wyoming will be in attendance and it will be all about the visiting AND the eating. With only 8 days to complete the room, I can say that there is no way that would have been done at 5-6 months. I was still changing my mind on fabric!

Slam Dunk of a Deal!

My friend Bridgette and I went to the Savvy Sale last week. Let me just say, the picture doesn't even begin to explain the chaos. Imagine hundreds of pregnant women and new mothers shopping among the racks below.

Because of my due date, we were able to shop Thursday evening and beat the rush...or so we were told. The clothes were a no go, partly because BD Baby has a TON of clothes already and well most of the stuff was expensive for consignment. I was thrilled with the book selection and got BD baby an infant bible, Guess How Much I Love You and a few others. He also got a new (used) toy, the Fisher-Price Dunk 'N Cheer. It retails for around $30, I purchased for $9. It is in mint condition and came with batteries....so you can imagine I just couldn't walk on by.

I convinced myself that BD Baby has WANTED several of these items, but he hasn't really NEEDED anything. A hard concept to grasp for a first time Mom. The shower is in a few weeks and I am going to refrain from purchasing anything until I have the needs taken care of. No more shoes, clothes or toys. Books are a NEED right?

29 Week Bump!

I noticed afterwards that the cross is right above BD Baby. It's the only thing cute about this shot. LOL!

New Ride!

A friend gave us this car seat to use as a backup for not only the other car but g-parent pick ups as well. When she gave it to my she said that she didn't clean it because she knew that I would. She was right on both accounts. It was very dirty and I spent some belly grease shining it up. The biggest transformation of course came in the new padding and belts that I ordered from Graco. A cheap way to spruce up the old ride!

After:

What I Miss...

Things I miss during pregnancy:

1. Wearing my wedding ring. That's right, fingers have reached the fatty point of no return. People are back calling me Miss at the grocery store. 
2. Running, long and hard. I know from this month's Runner's Wold that my idol Kara Goucher and ultimate marathoner is still running at 38 weeks but she is also an Olympian. Anyone with a chest and a body for breeding is NOT running at 29 weeks. 
3. Seeing my feet in general. Seeing my feet not swollen. Seeing my feet in something other than flats. 
4. Deli meat. I have cheated a few times on this one because I love turkey sandwiches but for the most part I miss it.
5. Sleeping on my stomach. Sleeping the whole entire night. Sleeping without leg cramps.

It just wouldn't be me if I didn't finish with a little GLAD game regarding things I am happy about:

1. This little blessing growing inside!
2. Eleven weeks or so until two become three. 
3. I won't have to see the fat man at work that offered me a donut (just because I am pregnant) for 3 whole months.
4. All of the family and friends that call on a daily basis to check on BD baby + mom.
5. I met the love of my life five years ago this week! Without him, there would be no us.

New Fav!

My new favorite site featuring timed sales for children, maternity + more = Zulilly! Today's special included EsacaPee Jays, a possible gift for BD niece.

Hair "do" and hair "don't"

I have never been one of those women that felt defined by her hair. This is good news because right about now I would be fading and split. I am and always have been willing to try pretty much about anything. I think that it's because I have had the hair horror happen to me. Stef's wedding circa 2000 comes to mind...the stylist pulled out the wrong bottle of blonde and my hair was instead dyed black. Actually it was grey and I had to return two nights in a row to get respectable. Good thing all eyes were on the bride.

I bring this up because I have tried to pay a bit more attention to my hair since I have been pregnant, you know all eyes on top. I have also refrained from cutting my hair because I read in one of my books that if you make the mistake of cutting your hair while pregnant your head will look like a grape on top of a watermelon a.k.a. your body.

Today is a big day because after 3+ months I am finally going in for a trim. I will be tempted to go for the chop and some color BUT the fruit salad body image is locked in. The other reason is that I have promised myself a Brazilian Blowout once this baby is here. Just look at the amazing results above. LOL! This gives a whole new excitement to "going in for a Brazilian!"

If you can't sleep, BLOG!

That should be added to my idol's list of "Ten Important Things I've Learned About Blogging" ...

Pregnant Women are Sweeter!

I am not sure that my husband would agree but the mosquitos sure do. No joke, I have lived in Arizona for 11+ years and have maybe had 2 mosquito bites. In fact, it's one of my positive things to remember when it's 115! Lately I have been getting eaten alive on my nightly walks. Come to find out that it has been scientifically proven that pregnant women get twice as many bites. I researched and found that a natural repellent is Listerine; the thyme is said to repel. Minty fresh legs this evening it is!

From my google search:

Have you noticed more interest from the insect community now that you’re pregnant?

There’s a good chance that you are not imagining things. Pregnant women do get more mosquito bites! Around twice as many, according to one study. Why?

Mosquitoes use heat to see. So that furnace you’ve been feeling in bed at night is to blame. It’s easier for a mosquito to find you due to your higher body temperature.

Pregnant women also exhale more carbon dioxide than other people, which is another way mosquitoes track down their victims.

Home Remedies for Mosquito Bites:

Hair spray -- applying hair spray to a mosquito bite stops the desire to itch and the pain.

Toothpaste -- A dab of toothpaste will also relieve the need to itch.

Aspirin -- To control the inflammation, break open an aspirin tablet and rub it over the mosquito bite.