Bumpdate - 17 Weeks

Whew! It has been a week! I have been in hardcore gender reveal planning mode! If you saw my post regarding the gender reveal party then you know I just may be going a little overboard on the crafting....which I tend to do always! Haha. Head on over there for a sneak peak. But you came to hear about my bumpdate.

What's baby up to this week? He/she is the size of a pear, measuring 5" long and weighs about 5 oz. The skeleton is changing from soft cartiage to bone, and the umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. Baby can move his/her joints and sweat glands are starting to develop.

What's been going on with mom? This past week (Tuesday) I finally noticed the pudge protruding from my lower abdomen!!! YAY! My boss also said she noticed it this week too! Things are starting to round out and show! Yay! I was relatively tired all week, probably because of the lovely insomnia. I have gotten so much stuff done for our gender reveal (see above) but still have lots to do! Still trying to walk my 1/2 mile everyday, but I get winded so easy!

Symptoms: Still having insomnia off and on. Heartburn is rearing its head often....even though I attempt to avoid the main cause (tomato sauce) and the hubby bought me my first bottle of Tums....even though it hasn't been bad enough to pop one of those bad boys yet.

Yummy/Icky: Nothing this week. Just trying to find things that sound appetizing.

Clothing: Still holding off on the purchasing. I wore mostly stretchy jeans and leggings all last week. I tried the hair tie trick on my work slacks, but I'm not big enough for it to actually work. The tie just slipped off the button. :/ I just wore them unbuttoned all day. If you see above the girls just keep growing!!! It's starting to get ridiculous! Certain items of clothing that fit over them two weeks ago, are literally stuffed in now!

Movement: I felt a poking twice. Once after my lunch on Friday. It happened about a half dozen times. Just felt like a finger gently poking me from the inside. Then on Saturday morning, I rolled over onto my tummy and I felt the poking again. Kinda cool, but still unsure if its baby. Once something becomes more consistent then I'll know.

Best Moment this Week: Our taste test of gender reveal food! It's going to be yummy!!!

Looking forward to: Anxious is the better word to describe waiting for our anatomy scan next week!!!! 

And as always, here's a closeup of the chalkboard! Thanks for reading! If you have any questions for me, please leave them in the comments! I read them all!

Party Planning - Gender Reveal Style

Snacks: Macaroons, Pretzels, Cupcakes; Games: Handmande by me; Theme: Ties & Tutu's; Decorations: Popcorn, Pinwheels, Banner; Reveal Pinata

Oh my gosh you guys, I am so excited that we have solidified all the details for our gender reveal party!!! We set our date and got together to solidify the details. The hubby and I are so excited to find out the gender of our little one! Our appointment is approaching rapidly and I need to get my butt in gear getting everything in order! We sent out our Evite to immediate family, were trying to keep it small because parties can get out of hand quickly with our family size. I had such fun creating our invite though!

I have so many decor things to work on, that's why I started early! I am making two pennant banners, which I have started....just need to finish them. The hubby and I started our pinata last night also. It was surprisingly easy to do....just needed an extra pair of hands to tape. I will probably post a tutorial on both of these!

 

Is it obvious that we are doing the pink and blue theme? I requested that my baby shower not be pink/blue overload so I figured it was appropriate to do so here. Were doing bar themed appetizery snacks. Chicken wings, meatballs, chips and dip, popcorn.....and of course I am making cupcakes. We will have a couple of games and of course the big reveal! Sorry, we still don't know the gender so you will have to wait a couple of weeks! I still have a TON to make: cupcake toppers, ties/tutus game cards, finish banners, finish pinata, print out games & put the song game on a disc...I know there's more, but my list is at home! I also need to get the utensils and any other decor we need to pick up. My brain is on complete baby overload!!! I think this is normal though! I am getting really excited and I hope you all are too! Stay tuned for all things gender related!

Bumpdate - 16 Weeks

I'm sorry things have been quiet over here round these parts. We have been using every spare second to plan and coordinate our gender reveal that's coming up here in three weeks, that is if baby cooperates at our anatomy scan! I've got some things lined up, so hopefully this week between crafting I can get some of it posted!

What's baby up to this week? He/she is the size of a avocado (yum), measuring 4-1/2" long and weighs about 3-1/2 oz. He/she is gearing up for a growth spurt in the next few weeks and will gain weight and inches. Baby's legs are much more developed, his/her head is more erect than it has been and the eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. Baby's heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood each day and this amount will continue to rise.

What's been going on with mom? I'm starting to get impatient about getting a real preggo bump. With no clothes on it looks like its going to happen, but with clothes on I just look like I have been packing away the cheeseburgers. Hopefully this growth spurt will force baby out of my abdomen and into the world! I did more prenatal yoga last week and I walked my 1/2 mile everyday at lunch. Trying to stay active as best I can!

Symptoms: The crazy dreams have really kicked up. It seems like every night I am waking to remember some oddity that came up in my subconscious. With these dreams came a return of the insomnia too. Such fun! I tried using a body pillow to help me sleep, but my hips fell asleep, instead of me! The acne that was on my face has seemed to clear up, but now has taken up residence on my back! Lovely. Also I switched my prenatals so the constipation has been on a minimum. I thought the short fuse had taken a back burner, but there are certain things that set me off every time. I gotta learn to control these outbursts at random inanimate objects (computer!)

Yummy/Icky: Not really craving anything, unless someone puts an idea in my head....donuts or chips and dip (my downfall) Other than that I have been trying to stick with eating on the healthier side...but that doesn't always work out. I try to get in fruits and veggies everyday though

Clothing: Same as last week. Squeezing into everything I own. The girls seemed to have grown again and honestly I am putting off getting anything until the last possible minute.....although my aunt sent me some pregnancy/nursing pjs so at least at home I will be comfy! Haha.

Movement: Sporadic. Sometimes I think I feel it, and others I wonder if it's just gas. I wish it would be more consistent so I could know for sure!

Best Moment this Week: Setting a date for the reveal and getting out our invites!!!

Looking forward to: Seeing peanut again at our anatomy scan in two weeks!

And as always, here's a closeup of the chalkboard! Thanks for reading!

Boys Behind the Blog #8

Hi everyone! He's back, your favorite dad to be (albeit LATE!) with this months boys behind the blog questions! The answers are getting shorter and shorter each month! As usual my responses are in purple!

1. What was your favorite movie of 2013? Fast and the Furious 6. I totally knew this was the answer and would have totally balked at it, except well Paul Walker (TEAR!) Although the movie itself was really unrealistic and I might have said "Are you kidding me!?!" very loudly during the credits when Jason Statham came on the screen. Really dislike that actor!

2. What is your all time favorite movie quote? I don't really have a favorite movie quote but my friends and Diane use to tease me about me reenacting the part from Gone in Sixty Seconds when Nicolas Cage is listening to Low Rider before they "boost" all the cars. Cage looks at his buddies, makes two "guns" with his fingers and says "Let's Ride!" Everytime I hear Low Rider I make him re-enact the scene because he does it so perfectly!

 

3. What is your favorite type of movie? My favorite genre of movie would have to be action. Fairly evident from the above answers!

4. What is your New Year's Resolution? I didn't make a New Years resolution. Last year I didn't and it was a great year. Me either! Resolutions are dumb!

5. Finish the sentence: This year I will.... be the best I can be in my professional and personal lives by ensuring that I don't sweat the small stuff. Good plan honey! I should follow suit, but I'm carrying a child and do sweat every tiny thing! Haha!

There you go! Want to participate in this? Head on over to Never the Same Spice Twice and check out all the past questions! Until next time!

Bumpdate - 15 Weeks

I was relatively lazy for this weeks bumpdate. With the playoffs going on and the hubby's team playing at prime photographing time I just worked with what I got. Can football season be over yet?! Also, leggings and flipflops are totally acceptable for attire right? I mean....lets face it I don't have the energy to get dolled up and load the chalkboard in the car every week.

What's baby up to this week? He/she is the size of a apple, measuring 4" long and weighs about 2-1/2 oz. He/she is busy moving amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the air sacs in the lungs begin to develop. The legs are growing longer than their arms and can move all the tiny joints and limbs.

What's been going on with mom? I can definitely feel some changes going on, but they are slow to show on camera. I wake up every morning with a bump, but it likes to retreat after my morning bathroom visit. I am attempting to get in some pre-natal yoga every couple of days, and attempt to have my lunchtime 1/2 mile walk a minimum of 3 times a week to keep a little active.

Symptoms: Starting to have some crazy weird dreams. A lot of stress dreams, but mostly just strange ones. For someone that rarely remembers dreams it's fun to wake up and share them with the hubby. Sleep has been ok. Haven't had the insomnia in a while, but am having trouble finding a comfortable position. A second pillow might be in order soon. I also experienced my first bought of heartburn....it was so NOT FUN. The hubs was watching the game so I went to watch tv in our bedroom after dinner....which involved lying down. Big mistake. I drank some cranberry juice and that seemed to help enough to be able to lull myself to sleep. Time to stock up on some tums.

Yummy/Icky: Haven't been really craving anything. I have however been testing my limits. Tomato sauce is still a no go! :-( My doctor gave me the go ahead to have a sub sandwich, so off I sent the hubby to get my favorite...Spicy Italian. Needless to say that is off the menu because I had a horrible stomach ache after. Sigh. So depressing when that happens! Still on the spicy/salty kick. We had curry pasta for the first time in months, and nearly burned our lips off. It was worth it though! So good!

Clothing: Same as last week. Squeezing into everything I own. Will be needing to get some pants soon!

Movement: I went all week without anything, but then I felt the same movement again!!!! I was lying on my left side and felt it far on my right, then vice versa. I feel them mostly after eating and lying down on my side. Can't wait for it to be more prevalent and for D to feel it!

Best Moment this Week: Hearing Baby Kimball's strong heartbeat!! 156 beats per minute!!!

 

Looking forward to: Three weeks until our anatomy scan and finding out the gender. We will be doing a small reveal for immediate family so I gotta plan for that!! AH! Check out some of my ideas here.

 

As usual below is a closeup of the chalkboard. If your interested in seeing them early I usually post it on my Instagram (dianekimball07) on Sundays, which is when I take my photos as well! Have a great week!

DIY Owl Pillow

If you remember a couple of months ago my friend Mrs. H had her baby shower and it was an adorable Owl theme. The second I got her invite my wheels started spinning and I remembered I had pinned a pattern on Pinterest for an adorable pillow from The Eternal Thread. It was a quick and easy project and the end result was just so cute I couldn't stand it!!! I have to make one for our little!

What You'll Need:
(1) fabric for the back (I used denim)
(1) fabric for the front (I used an upholstery ticking)
(1) fabric for the wings (Blue plaid)
(1) fabric for the tummy (Green polka dots)
Interfacing (If your using cotton fabric instead of heavy duty fabric like I did)
Felt or scrap fabric for the eyes
Trims - I used wide fabric ribbon and rickrack
Owl Template
Pillow Stuffing
Pins
Iron
Sewing Machine


Directions:

1. Cut out all your pieces. Using the owl body templates and create your eyes and nose with your felt and scraps. I used a coaster, a soda can, and a roll of thread to make my circles and just cut two different size triangles out of felt to create my face. I created (4) rows of scalloped fabrics as well.

2. If your using regular cotton fabric then you need to adhere some interfacing to both body pieces to create some stability. Follow the package directions to attaching your interfacing to the wrong side (backside) of both body pieces.

3. Sew on your scalloped body rows to the front of your cut out owl template using a simple straight stitch. Do the same for all layers of your eyes and nose pieces. I sewed unevenly around the grey felt and the green circles to create some interest. Once around the denim was enough for the last eye piece.

4. Zig-Zag stich (if desired) your trim piece over your raw scalloped edge, then stitch down your wing pieces, making sure they are on the correct sides and sewing around all the edges.

5. Stitch down your rick rack to the inner edges of your wing pieces only.

6. Trim off any pieces that might hang over the edge and create bulk. Place your back piece right sides together over your completed front, pin and sew a 1/4" seam around the entire pillow, leaving a 6" opening at the bottom for turning.

7. Clip the tips off your ears, and clip around all your curves making sure to not cut through any of your seams. This will make turning your pillow much easier. Turn your pillow right side out and push out your ears to make them pointy and press your seams.

8. Fill your pillow with stuffing until it reaches your desired fullness and hand stitch your opening closed.

Toss on a chair or in the crib for cute decor! Voila! An adorable addition to any nursery or kids room. This doubles as a stuffed animal because I am sure he will be named and talked to!

Ham Shank and Bean Soup

Ever want a big bowl of a hearty soup that just brings back memories of fireplaces and cuddling? This soup is a family favorite and I have been wanting the recipe for ages! Well I FINALLY got it! I know this photo isn't very good, but I'm telling you that it is worth your effort. Hopefully the next time we have some I can get a better photo so you can all see its mashed bean and ham goodness! I am usually not a ham fan, but with all the other flavors mixed in you can't really tell that there is ham in it! This makes a lot of soup, and since there are only two of us at the moment we freeze the rest for a rainy day, or just a night where we don't feel like cooking. You'll need to use dried beans, not canned for it as well. Enough with the talking, lets get on with the actual recipe shall we?

What You'll Need:
1/2 lb Navy Beans
1/2 lb small white baby lima beans
1/3 cup lentils
1/4 cup split peas
1/4 cup black beans
1/3 cup pinto beans
2 stalks celery (finely minced)
1 large carrot (finely grated)
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
4-5 garlic cloves (minced)
2 tbsp parsley flakes
Small amount of salt
Lots of pepper (to taste)
1 Medium Ham shank
1 small potato grated (Note: when ready to eat only!)

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients (except the potato) in a 6 quart pot and fill with water until about one inch from the surface of the pot.

2. Simmer on low heat for 3 hours stirring often.

3. Remove ham and continue cooking for 1-2 hours until your beans can be easily mashed. Mash the beans with a potato masher.

4. While beans continue to cook, remove ham from bone and tear or chunk into small pieces. After the beans have been mashed, add in the ham and cook for approximately 30 minutes.

5. Prior to serving grate a small peeled potato into the mix and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly until thickened.  Note: if you continue to cook after the 5 minutes the beans will burn and stick. Be careful.

6. Remove from heat and serve.

Bumpdate - 14 Weeks (Second Trimester!!!!)

Welcome to my second trimester! I am officially ecstatic to be out of the "scary trimester." Hopefully my nerves will start to calm down a bit.....baha. Funny funny. We have officially started tossing around name ideas and gender reveal ideas, but things wont be solidified until....A: we know the gender (duh) and B: after Tuesday finding out the date of our gender scan. Baby best behave and make it easy to know what he/she is!

What's baby up to this week? He/she is the size of a lemon, measures 3-1/2" long and weighs about 1-1/2 oz. They can squint, frown, grimace, pee and suck their thumb. Baby's liver started making bile, and the spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells.

What's been going on with mom? Well I officially feel like I have entered the "you look fat, not pregnant" portion of this program. My eating habits haven't been the greatest and now that the energy has returned I fully intend to continue my afternoon walks and do some light workouts at home....as well as start eating better. Comfort foods are great, but baby needs other things!

Symptoms: Constipation still seems to be a major factor.....but someday's are better than others. I have been trying to choke down dried apricots and prunes to help combat this issue. Acne hasn't gotten much better, and I still get nauseous if I eat too fast. I seem to get short of breath easier now as well.

Yummy/Icky: My sweet tooth has definitely returned and the need for salty/spicy seems to be waning a bit. I have been wanting veggies again and salads so this may help in combating the need for unhealthy comfort foods. Nothing has me running the other way, I even had plain chicken breast and I didn't die! Haha. I'll probably avoid tomato sauce for a bit longer, but I need to attempt it again so I can have some family sauce and meatballs! Yum!

Clothing: Same as last week. Everything is just uncomfortable. Bra's, pants, underwear....I basically live in my flannel pj's when I am home. I went into Motherhood this weekend and was so excited about all the cute items! Grow bump grow!

Movement: If you remember from last week I thought I felt a little movement. It happened Saturday night, Sunday night and Tuesday afternoon. I have yet to feel anything since (but also have been able to go to the bathroom) so at this point I am chalking it up to gas. :( If it comes back then I'll be ecstatic!

Looking forward to: My appointment tomorrow! We get to hear babies heartbeat!

Below is our chalkboard shot and an a contender for this weeks bump shot. Had it been a landscape shot it would have one hands down!!!

A Date with the Perfect Gift

This Christmas was really hard in determining what we should get our families for gifts. Considering I was wrecked tired and did not feel like stepping in a mall left me with little options. Actually I only went into two stores and that was to get the hubbies gift. I recieved an email from Tiny Prints and it inspired me to create something fun and unique for each member of our families. With our peanut soon to make an appearance in 2014, I knew I wanted to incorporate that in this years gift, along with the homemade Sled Ornaments that I created. While perusing their site I stumbled upon the daily planners....which were cute, but not as customizable as I had hoped. Clicking through all the gifts I finally landed on the calendars. Perfect! They could be customizable to each family, and I loved that you could include special dates (birthdays and anniversaries) already printed on the calendar! Heck YA! Saves everybody a little time!! I included a little card to give a hint to what they were receiving and let the gift do the talking.

I learned that the calendars are hosted by Tiny Prints sister site Shutterfly, and having experience with them I knew that they would be excellent quality. The hardest part was narrowing down the photos to use. Since I made three different calendars for three households I had to make sure that everyone and all the puppies were included as well. The pre-set layouts were great and all I had to do was click and go. You can include text and captions, but I let the photo's do all the talking.

My Parents

D's Parents

My Stepmom

There are also many different styles, fonts, and colors to choose from, but I went for a calm and classic design and used the same one for all three. Since I placed my order so close to Christmas I was a little on edge when I hit the order button. I used express shipping and they made it here with plenty of time to spare. I couldn't have been happier with my decision to make these are really go the extra mile and take the time to create something unique. Everyone was overjoyed with each calendar, and as per her usual my mom cried.

I plan on using this site again in the future, maybe baby shower invites or announcement cards! I highly recommend this site for their quality, ease of use and customer service!

Disclaimer: I received compensation from Tiny Prints, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

NYE Recap and 2014 Bucket List!!!

I hope everyone had a fantastic New Years Eve/Day! We had a pretty low key one because, well I didn't really feel like going crazy! I did however replace my caloric intake of alcohol with ice cream and Queso dip.....yum! We went over to my parents best friends home for dinner and poker. We learned a couple of new games and D walked away a big winner of a whole 8 bucks!! Lol. I know I know were big spenders! Haha. D also hooked another person onto Fireball....cause those people need more money. Yesterday D spent time with his dad, uncle and cousins to watch the Bowl Game and the ladies went to see Saving Mr. Banks. I laughed, I cried, I LOVED IT! Go see it if you have a penchant for Disney stuff! It was wonderful. We had dinner with his family then went home and passed out! It was great!!

Do you see my puney pile to the left of D....sad!

Pup's Loved D!!!

I don't do resolutions anymore. I used to and I thought that they ended up being pointless because most people (myself included) don't follow through. In 2011 I created a bucket list of things to do in our area and metropolitan of Los Angeles and the list is dwindling down little by little. If you missed the last three you can see 2013, 2012 and 2011 here. Every year I add a couple new things, but keep the things from the previous year that we didn't get to. We didn't do many checks last year, partly because our camera was broken. This year because I am pregnant, I decided to add some things that are more like goals because I have a feeling that the nesting will take over. I keep an updated list of our entire bucket list in the Lifetime of Memories tab up top, and come back to this list each year and link the blog posts to each corresponding check! Again this list is mostly comprised of things to do in our general area and is ever changing! Any and all suggestions are welcomed!


Sailing
Attend a country concert
Attend a sporting event (Kings, Lakers*, Dodgers)
Surf/Boogie Board
Hiking
William S. Hart Museum
La Brea Tarpits
Griffith Park Observatory
Gene Autry Museum
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Sign
Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Descanso Gardens
Rodeo Drive
Grauman's Chinese Theater
Attend a TV Show Taping
Renaissance Fair (April-May)
Magic Castle
Indoor Skydiving
Crystal Cathedral
Lucky Strike Bowling
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Morro Bay
Hearst Castle
Grand Canyon
Club 33
Hot Air Balloon flight (Not likely cause I am CHICKEN! But there it is)
Snowboarding/Skiing
Go to a Farmers Market
Pick a Pumpkin from a Pumpkin Patch
Meet a local blogger, or schedule a blate
Attend local churches to find a spot where we fit
Take a cooking class
Pay off all credit cards
Make the bed everyday for a month (0/31)
Eat in for 1 month (0/31)
Attend a Horse Race
Complete the 52 Week Savings Plan
Buy a home
Make a piece of Furniture
Revamp a piece of furniture
Finish 5 books


*Olvera Street via the Metrolink
*Lake Tahoe
*Camping
*L.A. County Fair
*Play in the snow
*Wakeboarding
*Kneeboarding
*Kayaking
*Wine Tasting
*Catalina Island
*Zip Line
*Visit a new state (*Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Florida)
*Visit a new country (*Mexico, *Caribbean, England, Ireland) (Not likely but its on the list)  

* - Already have been together, & would like to re-experience
Text - Completed task YAY!