Going home outfit

Well, just the skirt anyway...

SNOW DAY!

Had to cancel dance tonight because of the weather. Thank goodness I got smart and decided to come home last night BEFORE the weather hit... so at least I'm snowed in at home instead of 80+ miles away! I really hate cancelling right now though since my time is currently becoming limited. Recitals are stressful anyway, but add going into labor and taking care of a new infant in the last 3 months and... wow, I don't know how I'm going to pull it off. Plus competitions in those same last 3 months. Yikes. I'll get through it, and the show will be awesome - but only because I will have some good help!

The nursery is almost finished! Yay! The only things left are curtains, recovering the glider cushions, finding a rug, and adding some more stuff to the walls. We are also looking for a quilt for the crib, something simple and elegant. But really, if little Hadley decided to make her appearance early, the room would be ready for her. I debated on taking pictures until it was truly finished, but I'm just too in love with how everything has come together so far to wait. I had to post these! However I did leave out a few walls because they are not what I want the finished look to be. So here is just a (major) sneak peek!

More wall stuff is on the way...

 .

Hopefully that bottom shelf will be filled with books soon!

Haven't gone too crazy buying clothes - yet. I've been good. :) I'm sure this will fill up after the shower though. Also getting another closet rod to put below. 

Icky picture, but you can see how much bigger the bump is now!

31 weeks!

How far along?: 31weeks
Total weight gain: +20
How much does baby weigh?: Over 3 pounds now
Maternity clothes?: Here's my daily outfit: maternity leggings, long tank or dress, sweater, scarf, boots.
Stretch marks?: :( Unfortunately. Currently applying the cocoa butter with a putty knife.
Sleep?: Super tired all the time. I sleep in and in a few hours or so I'm ready to tuck myself back in and take a nap.
Best moment this week?: Setting up the crib!
Movement?: A lot and since she's bigger it's gotten much different feeling. I like it more now even though I'm starting to feel knees or feet in the ribcage.
Food cravings?: Sandwiches with lots of Hellmans.
Labor signs?: Nope, and hoping it stays that way for another 8 weeks!
Belly button in or out?: It's weird. Sticks out on top but it's still in kinda.
What I miss: My waist. Tried to go shopping after Christmas with a couple gift cards and I had to pass up on some really cute things because they didn't fit over the bump and I didn't know what they would look like on me without it.
What I'm looking forward to: Finishing the nursery. Getting a 3D ultrasound.
Milestone: Down to single-digit weeks left!

Knees in the ribcage :)

So I should be finishing up on organizing and putting away all of our gifts, but I'm feeling a little unmotivated at the moment... one reason being this David Tutera marathon on WEtv.


We had a good Christmas, super busy and overwhelming, but very good. We had a Christmas on the 23rd, four on the 24th, and two on the 25th. By Christmas morning I was totally overwhelmed and had a little meltdown before we left the house. I just couldn't handle any more at that point, so unfortunately I missed one on the 26th.

The stress of the holidays on top of being very pregnant although extremely exhausting (and hoping I never have to go through it again), was also exciting in that this was the last Christmas we will be a couple instead of a family. We’re so ready to have the holiday become fun and magical again. It’s crazy to think that this year she wasn’t here and next year she will be around 10 months old! The next time these mostly old and handed down decorations are put up will become something new and eventful.

Her room is starting to look more and more like a nursery! We now have the crib! Although there are plenty of things I have to add or finish before she gets here, some major stuff is now done. We got the crib on Christmas Eve (an early baby shower gift from Brett's parents) and the boys brought it in, took it upstairs, and put it all together in a matter of like 15 minutes!






Brett's younger brother Cole is super, and I mean SUPER allergic to cats. Not sure who came up with this idea that day but it actually worked! We're so glad we found a way he can visit!

It was very exciting and a huge relief to have the last, and most important, piece of furniture set up and in it's place. We still need all the furniture accessories you register for (crib sheets, matress pad cover, changing pad etc.) and make some decisions on bedding, but at least I feel a little more prepared and closer to the point of feeling ready to go and just relaxing, waiting for her arrival. Can't wait to be at that point. Can't wait until we have a little girl to wrap up in these blankets and put these cute tiny outfits on.






The gorgeous mobile that Uncle Cole got for her!


Hadley still needs a middle name! And we are having a little trouble deciding. I like Jane but we haven’t completely settled on it. I need some ideas. I don’t want a “filler” middle name... like one of those middle names that 7 out of 10 women have (Marie, Sue, Lynn etc.) but I don’t want something that overpowers Hadley either. Grace is pretty but I just think it’s becoming new generation “filler” too. I know I definitely don’t want Dawn, Lee (obviously) or Rae, but any other suggestions are welcome... and needed!


Ok, now back to this Christmas mess...

Sweepy.

(I am so exhasted so this will be quick. Attempting to get through this without falling head first into the keyboard.)

Well, I failed my hour glucose test. I go in at the end of this week for three hour test. Not excited. And to prepare I am currently eating puppy chow... but only because it was a homemade gift from one of my little students tonight and I feel like I better eat it while I still "can".

This week has been a major freak-out week. Hello! I am freaking out about getting stretch marks, my feet flattening (if it really does happen), being torn open... in one place or the other, saggy elephant boobs, flabby abs, etc. I feel like no part of my body is going to be the same after this and that is a pretty hard pill to swallow. Not trying to come off as shallow, but when your career requires you to stand in front of a mirror everyday and perfect the way your body looks & moves... I'd say it's a legitamite worry. You stand onstage next to these little girls in short shorts and a tight top and you'd understand where this comes from. Most girls feel this way that AREN'T in my field of work. And some are just somehow super lucky so.. we'll pray. And pray and pray and praaaay....

/End insecure blabbling.

How far along?: 29 weeks
Total weight gain: I have now hit the 20 pound mark. :/
How much does baby weigh?: 2 and a half lbs!
Maternity clothes?: I wear my maternity leggings a lot but that is about it. I tried wearing maternity jeans and I can't stand them. Too baggy in the knee area... yuck.
Stretch marks?: :( I had a little meltdown the other day when I found one... but it's really small and light, unnoticable really, and on the underside of my belly. But I'm still freaking out.
Sleep?: Sucks bad. Can't get comfy or make it through the night. It's bad when sleep starts getting exhasting.
Best moment this week?: Spending time with Brett. Christmas shopping. Getting a few things done in the nursery.
Movement?: Oh yeah. A lot. She's started pressing her tush (I think) up against my belly button area and it doesn't feel so good.
Food cravings?: Yogurt.
Labor signs?: No, and hopefully not for another 10 weeks!
Belly button in or out?: It's still... in. Kinda. It's doing weird stuff on top. I think it might be on its way to disappearing...?
What I miss: Being able to walk through tight areas. Mhmm, the belly bumped wet paint this past week.
What I'm looking forward to: Christmas break!
Milestone: Third trimester! And 8 weeks until considered full term... (yikes.)

Oh, yet another wonderful Monday evening.

Some of you want this, so here it is...

My Amazon Wishlist

Lately I swear God is testing me. Monday nights at dance have taken an unexpected twist. I teach all my really little ones on Mondays (babies through first graders) and the past two weeks have been... hmm... eventful? I blame part of it on the holiday craziness and the other half on the weird December weather we're having.

Last week we started out fine. My babies class is first (3-4 year olds) and for some reason they have developed this whole class ritual of fake falling... constantly. I have tried many different methods to get them to stop but it still is a real issue for some of the youngest ones. Let me tell you, it's hard to teach dance when the student is on their butt every 15 seconds. The very youngest (she is just so tiny and completely girly and adorable) is that one student in class that I have to keep close tabs on or she's off in her own little world. She likes to fall the most. Halfway through the class they seem to all forget about the fake falling, and just as this happened last week, this little girl had a real fall while just standing still. A REAL fall, like head to the wood, can't breathe because she's crying so hard type of fall. Of course I grabbed her as fast as I could and she arched back in my arms with her mouth open, bawling but not breathing. It seemed like forever until she did the WA-WA-WA-WAAAAH thing. Then suddenly she just stopped and got angry for a second, confusing me, before she full out wailed. It was kind of weird and scary, yet minutes later she was fine and totally over it. When class was over and I told her mom what had happened she said, "Babies get bumps! You'll find this out soon enough!" and shrugged it off.

Okay, so if that's all that happened last Monday it wouldn't have been worth even writing about... but then my next class came in. My pre-k & kindergarteners. I have 16 of them so it is always a somewhat trying class, although I have the patience of a saint. Okay, maybe that's pushing it but I am very patient when it comes to children. Usually. But asking to go to the bathroom during class frustrates me. Most of the time I say, "can you wait until (insert something here)?" because like every teacher knows, once you let one go, they all have to. Going to the bathroom is a fun activity for them I guess, but I don't know, I'm pretty tired of it.

So anyway, we do the always crazy tap-shoe-fastening session, take attendance in our circle, and then stand up and spread out for warm-ups. I swear, two toe taps in, little A walks up to me holding herself and squeezing her knees together, asking "can I go potty?" I'm about to habitually say, "can you wait until...." when she looks down, and so I look down and notice the little sprinkles dotting her pink tights.

And then the flood gates open... and no, I'm not talking about tears.
Ugh.

So I'm stuck there with the whole moving her and getting pee everywhere or just letting her get out enough that she can turn it off and we can make it to the bathroom dilemma and of course we had to be standing right in the smack middle of the studio floor. Not sure what I decided split-second but somehow we managed to get to the bathroom without leaving a trail. Still her clothes, even her shoes, were soaked. I ran around and managed to salvage some studio clothes small enough to change her into as Judy saved the day and cleaned up the puddle.

I thank the mighty Lord that he chose to laugh at me on a day where I at least had a student helper, or else there would have 15 kids running wild around a puddle of urine in tap shoes. I shudder at the thought. The mothers in the lobby just laughed and said, "Mommy training!" and little A walked back into class in that oversized t-shirt that hung to her knees with a little smirk on her face. Obviously my stress level then was a little heightened and the following classes had naughty kids that I didn't bother with and instead put into corners. "I still have another corner left! Who wants it...?” Mean, mean (pregnant) dance teacher.

My Primary (pre-k/kindergarten) class during Halloween Week.

So today I'm thinking, okay, last week we had pee and that means this Monday session HAS to be better. The babies are fake falling all over the place but whatever, we make it through. "Yell goodbye on three, ready? 1...2...3!" In comes my pre-k/kindergarten class. I ask little A if she needs to go to the bathroom during our tap-shoe-put-on-craziness. She says no. Woo hoo. A dad peeks in to give his daughter her missing shoe, but what's this? She's not here. She got lost on the short walk from Studio B to Studio A. How does that happen?? This student, however, and yes she is only 4 or 5, has a little record of coming to tumbling and then trying to skip her following class. So Dad retraces her footsteps and finds her, WHERE ELSE, the bathroom... being a good girl, going before class! Whew. Our problem of the night averted.

Or so I thought.

Once again... not two toe taps in, I scan the room and notice poor little S keeled over and puking... yes, PUKING on the floor. I run over and let her "finish" before trying to usher her into the bathroom. She looks at me and says, "But I went potty before class."

If the vomit itself was not a cruel joke, then this statement most definitely is.

"I don't need to go potty" she keeps telling me. I tell her that's not what I'm worried about and get her into the bathroom. She is staring into the toilet and acting oddly fine when I say I'm going to send her home. She frowns and asks why. I tell her if she's sick she needs to be at home resting, "don't you think?" and after quite the dramatic sigh she replies, "Suuure." Once again, Judy, clean up on aisle 4 while I wipe down tap shoes and ankles...


Seriously... how did that really happen? Out of all the years I've owned the studio I have only had one previous pee accident and never a puke story. And now? Back to back?!

I might skip Monday classes next week.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great, aside from the initial stress. To make a long story short, due to ill-timed planning and terrible communication, Brett & I went to different places... although it was totally unnecessary. But ANYWAY, I had a nice time. I was able to make it to three Thanksgivings and there are awful pictures to prove it (see below)!

I feel like there is some disconnect between my brain and my body. It seems that when I look in the mirror I feel like I don’t look THAT big or THAT horrible, but then I see photos and I look HUGE and disgusting and my face looks puffy. Maybe this is the way everyone feels while they’re in that last trimester (yes I am now in my last tri!) but I really wish I didn’t have to go through the holiday season like this. Dodging cameras is not going to be an easy task.

The night before Thanksgiving while I was trying to fall asleep alone, I sent Brett a text about how much I was reaaaally liking a certain name. When I woke up the next morning he had shot me a text back about how much he liked it too. Honestly, there was a moment or two of disbelief on my end, figuring maybe he just said that because he knew how upset I was with him over the fact that we were spending a holiday apart for the FIRST time ever, and to top it off, the first holiday we are ENGAGED and most notably, PREGNANT, so I sent a few “OMG really?” texts to try to decipher his intention. Surprisingly, he was serious and responded about how now all we need is a middle name.  And that was it! OUR BABY HAS A NAME… Hadley. And we decided via text. Haha. 

UM, I JUST FELT A FOOT. Like seriously... a foot!! Pretty cool but also a little weird!

Ok, gross nasty picture time… go.

Me & my aunt Lezlie who is expecting late January. I'm hoping it's a boy!

Me & Brett at his parents' house.

My dad & me. He really dressed up for the occasion. ;)