Christmas Card Wreath

If you're like me,  you love getting Christmas cards in the mail, but you never know quite how to display them.  Well, thankfully -- Martha Stewart solved my problem!  Introducing....the Christmas Card Wreath:

(Martha's version)

(My version)

It's really simple to put together, and it is adorable!  Here are Martha's instructions for assembly:

Decorate a wall or an interior door by hanging a holiday-card wreath. Using wood glue, affix miniature wooden clothespins to a large (about 14-inch-diameter) embroidery hoop. Alternate clothespins to point outward and inward, spaced 1 1/2 inches apart. Suspend from a ribbon, and clip your cards in place as you receive them.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Pinup Wreath - Martha Stewart Holidays

Drumroll, please.....

That good looking kid in the ultrasound is a............

 

(can't you just feel the suspense around my parents' dining table...of course our nieces were chanting "please be a girl, please be a girl....")

BOY!!!

We (of course) are just thrilled!  Obviously, we are even more thrilled to know that he is healthy, and growing right along the standard growth charts.   Our little family has so very much to be thankful for during this wonderful holiday season!!!

SB is already hoping to outfit him with some sports gear!  (I couldn't resist taking a pic when he came up to me in Sports Authority with a little kid tennis racket and golf club set!  So cute!  I can't wait to see him as a daddy!)

Christmas Wish List

'Tis the season!!  My husband and I can both be a little picky when it comes to gifting....so we usually create "wish lists" for each other to assist with the purchasing. 

A facial!!
 
 These are my favorite winter socks.....you can find them at REI -- and your feet will love them!

 I'm doing my best to resist buying too much maternity stuff -- but this wrap cardigan from Nordstrom looks really comfy!


 Running shoes.  (They're doing more walking and elliptical-ing than running these days...)

 Some sort of fun every day necklace....who doesn't love a blue box :)  Would love it even more if it had significance with the baby-to-be....but I haven't found one yet...

 
 I'm thinking my face may appreciate the exfoliation that a Clarisonic can deliver.  Do any of you have one of these?  Thoughts?
 

 

I need some new recipe ideas....a new cookbook could help!

BABY STUFF!!  Outfits, nursery goodies, you name it -- I'm all over it :)

Baby's First Pic

We're pretty crazy about this little one already!  We are going to surprise our families this week with the big gender news.......SB's family today and my family on Wednesday.  After that I'll share with you all!!

Randomness

Where did the last week go?? 

** I did some serious Christmas shopping this past weekend.  We are done with everyone on SB's side, and I am really close to being done with my family too!!  I love beating the crowds!

**  Work is good but REALLY busy.  I know I would prefer to be busy any day over bored, so no complaints here!

**  SB's family (brother, SIL, and 3 kids) are coming to visit from GA this weekend.  I need to get working on a grocery list, and plans for our free time!

**  We have a leak upstairs.  The wood at the bottom of a door frame is wet, and the carpet around that area is too...but there aren't any obvious signals about where the water is coming from.  We do have our laundry room on the 2nd level, so it could be that, or a shower -- but it's not directly next to either of those things, so it's a mystery right now.  The repair guy is coming tomorrow and will likely need to cut a big hole into our wall to try to get to the bottom of it.  The joys of home ownership, right?  And right before we have 5 guests.  Fantastic...

**  Today we had our ultrasound and doctor appointment.  Everything is looking great, which of course makes us feel very blessed and grateful.  Babies really are miracles!  (and so are ultrasounds -- I can't believe how much you can see at 20 weeks!!  Tears (happy tears) were just streaming down my face while the technician was showing us everything -- it was amazing!!)

Puppy update ..... 8.5 months

Little Lilly is now 8.5 months, I think she is well over 50 pounds, and she still is all puppy!  She has a really sweet and funny demeanor.  She loves to be outside and go on walks with Daisy.  Lilly has a magnetic attraction to water of any kind, and her favorite times of day would be breakfast and dinner (she hasn't seen a food she doesn't like!)  We still have to keep a very close eye on her as she'd chew on just about anything she could find.  Puppies are exhausting!!

 

(Poor thing doesn't fit in her favorite napping spot anymore!)

 (yummy treat of carrots frozen in ice)

 

(New backyard friend.....a caterpillar!)

19 Weeks

We're almost half way there!!  (and just eight days away from finding out the baby's sex!)

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 19 Weeks

Size of Baby: He/she is the size of a mango!
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think I'm in the 10-13lb range.  I'm not totally sure though, but I'm gaining and the baby seems to be growing too (or at least my belly certainly is!) 
Maternity Clothes: Still a bit of a mix -- but definitely maternity jeans.

Gender: TBD!!  The BIG appt is next Tuesday -- but we'll have to keep it a secret until after Thanksgiving, when we're planning to surprise our families with the news.

Movement: No movement yet......at least, no obvious movement.  I keep telling SB "I might have just felt something" -- I'm just not sure what it's really going to feel like!

Sleep: I'm still sleeping well.  I do flip from side to side a lot, but for the most part I'm still sleeping through the night. 

What I Miss: diet coke

Cravings: Potato chips, chocolate (and I had the best pickle from Jimmy Johns the other day -- it was miraculous)

Symptons: Still tired.  New bedtime is pretty much 9pm.  Daylight savings time means I'm already tired at like 7:30.  Sort of embarrassing.
Best Moment This Week: I'm filling out my maternity clothes a little better now....aka - I'm starting to look more preggers, and less like I just have some seriously expanding muffin top!!

Christmas Crush

I'm really ready for the holidays this year (two weeks ago I made a full Thanksgiving meal, with a roast chicken instead of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (I opted for Stovetop - it was easy and still yummy), green beans, and my mom's cranberry sauce just b/c I was craving it...and let's be real -- when a pregnant lady craves something, she makes it happen).  I recently realized that we'll be in our own home for the first time (*ever*) Christmas morning, so we really needed to get stockings.  There's something about these Ballard Designs stockings that I just adore.  I went crazy with a 15% discount offer and sale to boot and ordered 4 (2 monogrammed, 2 for future unborn children), plus the present stocking holders.  I can't wait to get everything all set up (though I am slightly worried about a certain puppy creating some serious havoc with our decorations!)

Just call me Nurse Emily

SB had his tonsils removed on Tuesday.  Actually it wasn't just a tonsillectomy, there was a uvulectomy and they repaired his deviated sceptum too (the real kind - not just the kind people say when they get a nose job - you know what I mean).  Long story short, the procedures are supposed to "cure" his sleep apnea.  They're pretty routine, but can I just say how nerve-wracking it is to have a loved one go under the knife and stay overnight in the hospital!  I mean, I worried about the anesthesia, the fact that he told me where his will is, and the pregnancy hormones kept my eyes tearing up while he was in the pre-op room.  I don't ever want to experience the anxiety of a serious, life-threatening surgery.

Thankfully, everything went well and he is now back home under my watchful eye.  He's feeling ok, although he has a pretty severe sore throat.  We have alarms set to administer the pain meds, and I have stocked our house with popsicles, jello, pudding, ice cream, and today at lunch I swung by Wendy's to get him a frosty (and a chocolate milkshake for me....he can't have all the fun;)  

I'd post pics of my sweet patient, but I'm pretty sure he would hold it against me!!  I'm hoping for a very quick recovery!!!  

Zulily

If you're a mom with little kids, or a soon-to-be-mom.....you need to get the Zulily emails!  One of our friends recommended it to me, and it is such a jackpot (if I were buying for the baby....but I'm still holding back - not sure if I'm waiting to know the sex of what, but I'm just nervous to buy anything!)  They have terrific deals on great brands.  I think today's little knit hats are especially adorable!!