18 Weeks

18 Weeks

August 21, 2013- August 27, 2013

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of Baby: Baby H2 is roughly 5.5 inches from head to rump and weighs in at about 7 ounces. It's the size of a bell pepper, which is appropriate because Griffin loves peppers! 

Total Weight Gain: I haven't been getting on the scaled; we'll see what they say at the doctor! 

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! I refuse to buy summer maternity clothes since I won't wear them much longer. I need to dig out my fall stuff from the attic! 

Gender: We don't know! Actually, we do know because this is late and we had an appointment, but for records sake, we didn't know during my 18th week. 

Movement: Still feeling those butterflies in my lower belly! It's mostly when I'm resting and looking for it. I love it so much! 

Sleep: Sleep is hit or miss for me right now. Luckily, Griffin sleeps a little later in the morning and I can catch up that way if I need to. 

What I Miss: Clear skin. My skin is so, so bad. 

Cravings: Bean burritos-- yum, yum, yum! Taco Bell's are the very best and I always ask for extra cheese, but I can get by with making them at home. 

Symptoms: My nausea is practically gone, which makes me so thankful! However, I still cannot stomach even the thought of a hamburger. Gag. I'm sure if I ate one, it would reappear rather quickly. My belly is pretty itchy already; I need to start slathering on more lotion! I'm not really worried about stretch marks because I had surgery this spring that pretty much ensured I will never wear a bikini again, no matter what size I am! It's one pieces and tankinis for this mama from now on! 

Best Moment this Week: I was at Target and grabbed these two little sweater rompers for our little peanut. I couldn't resist! Either one will be perfect for a little January baby. I haven't bought anything for the baby yet (save one gender neutral sleeper set when I thought I might be pregnant); I still can't believe I'm buying things for our second child! Thank you, Lord! 

17 Weeks

17 Weeks

August 14, 2013- August 20, 2013

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Size of Baby: Baby H2 is about 5 inches from head to bottom and 5 ounces-- about as much as a turnip!

Total Weight Gain: It's hard to know because my scale is wonky, so I probably will just update this when I get weighed at the doctor. But I'm growing!

Maternity Clothes: Nope. Just a lot of yoga pants and forgiving shirts!

Gender: Unknown. We'll know soon! 

Movement: I'm almost 100% sure that what I've been feeling at night when I lie down is the baby moving. It feels like a little butterfly flying around under my belly button. I keep feeling it, so I'm guessing it's the baby. 

Sleep: I've been sleeping normally! Thank you, Lord. 

What I Miss: Nothing specifically this week! 

Cravings: Food. Just food. Pathetic, huh?

Symptoms: I'm finally feeling better! I only threw up once this week which was a huge encouragement to this tired mama. Also, holy boobs. That's my least favorite pregnancy symptom. Awful. 

Best Moment this Week: We met some friends at a park downtown last weekend and we had the best time! It is the neatest place and there was an antique fair going on with food trucks, a popsicle stand, and so much more. The kids (and the dads) played in the splash pad and then we walked and had lunch at a nearby market. It was just a great family day altogether! It makes me excited that we'll have another family member joining us next year when we do these kinds of things! 

Five on Friday

I'm linking up again with Darci and the girls for Five on Friday! I'm loving this link up every week!

1. Soup Friday

I don't know about where you live, but in southern Ohio, August is typically unbearable when it comes to heat. However, we've had an unseasonably cool month which has done nothing but get me excited for fall! Currently we have all our windows open and our air off; it feels amazing in our house! 

In the fall and winter, we do something in the Haney house called Soup Friday. Basically, I make a big pot of soup and some sort of bread to go with it and we hunker down, eat, and watch Shark Tank. It truly is my favorite night of the week. We are probably the coolest couple you've ever met, huh? Recently, I made a board on Pinterest with a lot of our favorite soups and quite a few new ones I can't wait to try this fall! If you have any soups you love, send 'em my way! We're always looking for new recipes to try. 

2. Big Brother

I started watching Big Brother every summer after Tyler and I got married. It really is our favorite show to watch together and we look forward to it every year. HOWEVER, CBS really screwed it up this year and pieced together the worst cast of all time. Truly... the WORST. I would like to go on the record as saying that I think Gina Marie is the most vile person alive, followed closely by Aaryn and Amanda. 

This is my 6th year watching and I'm so tempted to give it up every week. I've gotten to the point where all my favorites have gone home, so I don't even care who wins. There have been a lot of horrible, horrible things said in the house this year and I'm actually ashamed that CBS continues to let it go on. No one is really playing the game or making any moves. It's pitiful. Here's hoping that Big Brother will get a nice revamp next summer!

3. Peanut Butter Boy

Earlier this week, I was making breakfast and I heard a two year old voice behind me say, "Yum! Delicious!" I turned around to find Griffin sitting on his stool pretending to drink from the peanut butter jar he'd so stealthily stolen from the pantry! He thought it was hilarious, so naturally, I did too. He soon graduated to just digging peanut butter out of the jar with his finger. I do the same thing, so I guess he comes by it naturally! Funny little duck. 

4. Greek "Dip"

My friend Megan posted an Instagram picture a few weeks ago with these pretzel crisps and a similar tomato/ feta concoction and I've literally thought about it constantly since. I finally found the right pretzel crisps at my Kroger this week and during snack time the other day (one of about 4 daily snacks that I'm having right now, let's be honest), I mixed up a quick little bowl of this Greek dip that's always such a hit. I just eyeballed amounts and halved some grape tomatoes instead of chopping up a whole tomato, but it really hit the spot. Shoot. Now I need some more. 

5. Farmer Boy

When I took Griffy to the library last week, I found this book just sitting on the chair in the children's section. This was my absolute favorite of all the Little House books. My third grade teacher read it to our class and I still remember hanging on her every word! I was reminded that I need to reread the series at some point; maybe in January when I'm nursing a baby for one million hours a day. I can't wait until Griffin is old enough for us to read Farmer Boy together! I think my favorite part is still when Almanzo's pig gets her teeth stuck together with the candy. Such precious childhood memories!

Have a fantastic weekend!

16 Weeks

Since I tend to do these late, I should probably start writing down the exact dates of my weeks. This is more for my memory than anyone else's! 

16 Weeks

August 7, 2013- August 13, 2013

Before I launch into my update, I need you to understand my level of crazy.

I have been sick most of this week. On top of my normal pregnancy nausea and vomiting, I've come down with some kind of summer cold that has knocked me flat. Because of this, I didn't get a weekly picture in my "spot" because I've been looking rough every time I've thought of it. 

Anyway, this goes against every neurotic tendency I have and has caused me great panic because this picture that I happened to snap for my best friend is the only pregnancy picture I had from the week. I had a mild panic attack last night because it's not like the others, but then I realized, stupid problem. I also was worried because I feel like my hair looks like Hurley's from Lost, but whatever. 

So, in short, I am crazy normally but pregnancy makes me bat crazy. The end. And also, I used to make our bed pretty regularly before I got pregnant, but not anymore. The end again. 

How Far Along: 16 weeks (Still a week behind)

Size of Baby: Baby H2 is about 5 inches long from head to bottom, 5 oz, and is approximately the size of a turnip.

Total Weight Gain: I've gained 6 pounds. YAY. Just kidding, I honestly don't care. 

Maternity Clothes: Not yet, but I did pick up a few new things at GAP this week. I forgot how much I love maternity clothes. They're like stylish pajamas! 

Gender: Unknown. We will find out right around 20 weeks! I can't wait! 

Movement: A few times this week, as I was laying in bed, I felt this tickle below my belly button. However, Griffin felt like popcorn when he started moving, so I'm not super confident that it was the baby. But I did feel it more than once on more than one occasion! 

Sleep: I've been sleeping terribly this week thanks to certain toddler who lives in my house who has started to adopt the sleeping habits of a newborn. Maybe he's just getting me ready for January? 

What I Miss: Nothing much at the moment! Hmm, actually, maybe I miss being able to take any kind of medicine for this cold, but I can deal. I know it won't hang on for much longer. 

Cravings: Still Dr. Pepper and lots of savory foods like cheese, crackers, and pickled jalapeños. Yum! 

Symptoms: I still have periods of nausea every day and I'm still throwing up every few days. I'm also having a horrible time with acne. I normally have pretty clear skin, but it looks like I have poison ivy on my face. I've been advised not to use products with salicylic acid (which was all that was working). Anyone have any natural suggestions for me? 

Best Moment This Week: Tyler and I went out on Saturday night for my birthday. We went to dinner at a new (to us) restaurant that we loved and then headed to Barnes and Noble where we relaxed and read for awhile. Then we grabbed a movie from Redbox and headed home. It really was a wonderful night; we needed a date so badly! It had been awhile. Below, you will see that Tyler had a BLT and I had a shrimp po' boy. He ate half of his and I ate all of mine. Eating for two, right? 

Five on Friday :: Favorite Kitchen Items

I'm linking up with Darci, Natasha, and the girls today for Five on Friday!

I thought it would be fun this week to share my top five favorite kitchen items! 

If you read this blog, you know it's not a secret that I really love to cook and bake. That is, I love it when I'm not pregnant. I'm not the most creative or exciting cook while I'm pregnant, but I know that will pass. Supper time is just not a good time of the day for mama here. 

However, I do have some things in my kitchen that make my life a lot easier, pregnant or not. I'm going to go backwards this week and count down to my favorite item. 

Hold onto your hats... it's about to get wild in here.

5. Pampered Chef Large Stoneware Bar Pan

My friend had a Pampered Chef party this past winter and I became convinced that I needed one of these when her mom pulled hers out that she'd had for years. When it was delivered, I had a little bit of buyers remorse. I mean, really, what could this pan do for me that my other pans didn't? 

I now know how wrong I was. After a few uses, this pan becomes virtually nonstick. I bake virtually everything on this... cookies, roasted veggies, bacon, chicken breasts, etc. It washes very easily (but not with soap! Think "the cast iron skillet concept") and cooks evenly. I really do love this pan and I don't have a shred of buyers remorse anymore. 

4. KitchenAid Stand Mixer

My mama gave me my stand mixer as a wedding shower gift over six years ago and it's still one of my happiest spots in the kitchen. Yes, my mixer is a pale pink and no, I don't have any regrets about choosing a pink mixer. Tyler made me register for a cover when we were registering before our wedding, but I went home and removed it without his knowledge. 

Yes, it is a wonder that we have made it six years. And by that I mean that my poor husband is a saint.

Anyway, I love this mixer. I use it a lot for baking, obviously. My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe wouldn't be easy if not for my mixer. I also use it for cooking! I love shredding chicken breasts for the freezer with my paddle attachment. I've been saying for years that I want to get some different attachments for my mixer... maybe this will be my year!

3. Pampered Chef Cut-N-Seal

This was another item that I snagged at my friend's party! I love, love, love this little gadget. It's basically just a little sandwich press! It makes preparation so easy and Griffin loves holding his little sandwich. Most of the time, it disappears quickly when he has his little pocket! You just make your sandwich and put the circle on top and press down firmly. It seals the sandwich tightly and gives you a perfect little circle.

I know that Smucker's sells the little frozen Uncrustable sandwiches (and who am I kidding, those things are darn good), but I think making a homemade uncrustable is so much better and a little easier on the budget. This is just one of those little gadgets that's fun and makes life a little easier when you have a little one to feed. 

2. Vintage Pyrex Refrigerator Dishes 

One of my dearest friends introduced me to the beauty of Pyrex refrigerator dishes last summer. She is the Pyrex queen and has so many beautiful vintage Pyrex dishes. I went to a flea market with her and found this exact set below from three different venders. Luckily, I had Le with me to guide me and tell me what to get! The yellow dish was discounted heavily because of a chip on the lid that you can't even notice (mostly because Le's husband sanded it down for me). 

I love these dishes so much and I'm always using them to store food in my fridge. They're so bright and colorful... plus they're easy to wash and you can throw them right into the microwave! If you ever see these at a flea market or even a yard sale, grab them! I bet you'll love them. 

1. Crock Pot

Yes, you are reading that right. My #1 kitchen item is my crock pot, but all I can say is don't knock it until you've really tried it. I love using this thing in every season and for all sorts of different things! I baked potatoes in it all day earlier this week and they were amazing! My only complaint is that mine cooks a little hot, but I've learned to deal with it over the years.

Truly, what I want is one of those old school crock pots like what my mom had. You know what I'm talking about! They were tall and a perfect circle instead of the popular oval shape that's sold now. I don't think they cooked as hot, but that's my personal opinion. You didn't know you were going to get my traumatic story about crock pots today, now did you? 

In conclusion, I really love my crock pot. It does nothing but make my life easier. If you're looking for a good CP resource, I would highly recommend A Year of Slow Cooking. It's a fantastic blog with nothing but crock pot recipes. I've never made anything from her site that we haven't loved. Our very favorites are her Chicken Enchilada Chili and Gumbo. I also have an entire board on Pinterest devoted to my crock pot. See? I wasn't kidding. It's love. And to prove it, I took a picture of my beloved crock pot to show you.

What are your favorite kitchen items? I'd love to know!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

As a quick note, my friend Sarah sells Pampered Chef! Here is her website if you're interested in ordering anything. I've always loved everything I've purchased from Pampered Chef and I bet you will too!  

15 Weeks

It's that time again!

Time for weekly pregnancy updates! Woo! I know you're thrilled.

When I told Tyler that he got to start taking these pictures again, you would've thought I told him that he was going to have to deliver this baby in January.

"WHAT?? NO!! Take mirror pictures! (Those would be selfies; he's not up on his social media lingo.) I can't do this again. Last time, you made me take about 50 pictures every time. It was HORRIBLE. It's been three years and I still haven't forgotten!"

Now to his credit, he's partially right. I did make him take a ton of pictures every week and usually, it was before I went to work in the morning and I was usually running late so I was a little more snippy than usual. But again, I feel like since I've done/am doing the hardest part of this baby thing, he can deal and take a few pictures every week. Am I right?

I did fear for our marriage a few times when I was pregnant with Griffin and 99% of that was due to these pictures. I would say I broke down in tears after about half of those photography "sessions". I was nothing if not a rational flower while pregnant the first time. So, pray for us. Hopefully this time around will be different and if not, we are taking donations for some good marriage counseling. I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

So, with that, here we go!

How Far Along: 15 weeks (I'm a week behind on my updates)

Size of Baby: Baby H2 is about 4 inches long, 2.5 oz, and is approximately the size of an apple.

Total Weight Gain: At my last appointment, I'd gained 4 ounces. I'm quite sure the scale will have increased quite a bit at my appointment today. At least my pants and pictures tell me so. I was so much smaller last time; it's actually astonishing how much bigger I am. 

Maternity Clothes: Not yet. I'm hoping to get through the rest of the summer without having to buy any maternity shorts and I think I'll be good with dresses and maxi skirts and a few select pairs of shorts.

Gender: Unknown. We will find out right around 20 weeks! I can't wait! 

Movement: I think I felt something as I was lying in bed on August 2, but it was only once, so I can't be sure. 

Sleep: I had a terrible time sleeping during my first trimester. I was so tired during the day and then I was wide awake at night. It's been a bit better lately. I find that if I do a lot during the day and don't lie down at all, I sleep better. ROCKET SCIENCE, I tell you. I never, ever sleep through the night, but I haven't slept through the night in years, so that's nothing new. 

What I Miss: Honestly, nothing at the moment. I'm so, so grateful to be pregnant that I haven't actively missed anything at this point. God has truly made beauty out of ashes for us with this pregnancy! 

Cravings: Dr. Pepper. I wake up thinking about it in the morning and I savor each sip. SO GOOD. I didn't drink caffeine during my first 13 weeks, but on the way home from my 13 week appointment, I made Tyler stop at McDonald's and pick up a DP. It was heavenly. 

Symptoms: I'm still throwing up. Usually, it's because I haven't eaten in a few hours, but sometimes, it just is because I have all day sickness when I'm pregnant. I know it won't be forever, so I really don't mind. I know I'm hungry if I'm nauseous. I haven't been as sick this pregnancy, but I've been sicker longer. 

Best Moment This Week: Every time we ask Griffin what we should name the baby, he responds with Baby Dr. Hofmann. Dr. Hofmann is one of my doctors and although we love him, I don't think we'll be naming the baby after him. 

That's it for this week. We're off to the doctor today and I'm so excited to hear that sweet little heartbeat again! 

Five on Friday!

Today I'm linking up today with Darci, Natasha, and the girls for Five on Friday!

1. Thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your sweet comments, tweets, texts, etc. about our new addition coming in January! We are over the moon excited! After a long journey, it still feels very surreal to be pregnant. I have never been so thankful to be nauseous every single day. I plan to write a post next week about this pregnancy and I am going to do weekly pregnancy updates... I just have to get my rear in gear! But again, thank you for all of your kind words. It was so fun for me to share this joy with everyone after 13 weeks of silence! This is the only bump picture I've taken so far. I was almost 14 weeks. Whoa, baby.

2. Sweet Tea

I really, really love sweet tea. I happen to think McDonald's is the best "fast food" sweet tea and I love getting a large $1 tea and sipping on it all day. Recently, I saw a recipe on Pinterest for it that I intended to try. A few days later, I was texting with my friends Hillary and Ashley and if you must know, we were texting each other pictures of the insides of our refrigerators. Ashley had a pitcher of tea which reminded me of my pin. I shared it with her, she made it, and said that it was perfect. I made a pitcher the next day and she was right! This is SUCH an easy "recipe" and it has a secret ingredient that makes the tea so smooth and not at all bitter. Tyler and I have been loving having a big pitcher of it in the fridge! It makes a full gallon, so be sure you have an appropriately sized pitcher. And of course, sweet tea is always best served in a mason jar.

3. Birthday Weekend

Today kicks off my birthday weekend! On Sunday, I will turn the big 2-8. It makes my chest constrict to think that I'm two years of from thirty, but we won't talk about that. We really don't have any big plans for the weekend (we're going out next weekend for a birthday date), but I'm looking forward to some low key fun with my guys. I'm hoping for donuts, a family swim, maybe a trip to the bookstore, a steak dinner, and lunch at Chuy's on Sunday. 

A little known blog fact about me is that our 6th anniversary is on Sunday as well! Yes, we got married on my 22nd birthday. It was, quite literally, the only day that worked that summer. We recently decided that we're going to start celebrating our anniversary a month later so we can have separate celebrations and I am just fine with that! Tyler knows that anniversary + birthday does not equal one gift, unless it's something fabulous like a car or a vacation. Am I right? ;) 

And just for fun, here are a few little birthday pretties that I'm hoping for this year... 

Custom Calligraphy Stamp by Heavens to Betsy

Mrs. Fancy Pants mug by Ashley Brooke Designs

Porcelain Elephant Jewelry Bowl

i heart Michigan necklace

4. Fresh Prince 

Please tell me you've seen this. If you haven't, stop what you're doing and watch. It's Will Smith with his son, Jazzy Jeff, and a special appearance by Carlton! It will make your day, I promise! I watch it a lot and it always puts a huge smile on my face and makes me laugh out loud. I love Will Smith a strange amount. I want to shrink him down and put him in my pocket. This video is PURE GOLD.

5. Keep Some Room

I saw this on Pinterest recently and it really resonated with me. Sometimes life is hard and sometimes it seems like things will never turn out the way you hope. I'm living proof of that, but I'm also living proof of the fact that God's plans are so much better than mine, even when there's pain along the way. God can do way more than we ever imagine or dream and I think this little saying goes right along with that. I need to find a place in my home to keep this quote... just so I don't forget in the good and bad moments. 

Happy Friday, friends!