25 Weeks

Here I am at 25 Weeks...I still took the photo in the morning, because it's really the best time for Grant and I to take a photo! Usually by the evenings, he gets home later than I do, and I cook dinner and put on some comfortable pants for wearing around the house or PJ pants, and so, I don't usually want to take a photo in one of those outfits. I also noticed that I've worn a black shirt in all three pictures that I've posted...I'm going to have to change it up next Tuesday and wear a different colored shirt. At least they were all three different black shirts! Ha-Ha! :) I think that my face is getting fuller, and I'm not very thrilled about that! I'm hoping that it's just the angle, because I don't notice it in the mirror. I think I might take a photo face forward rather than turning my head to see. :)

Update: I took a photo of myself face forward to see if my face had gotten fuller, and it definitely looks like it has...not good!! I don't like that at all, so hopefully, I can prevent it from getting any more full in the next few months!

How far along? 25 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Not really sure, but I think about 12-13 lbs. I go to the Doctor on Thursday, so I'll know for sure then.
Maternity clothes? Yes...but I can still wear some non-maternity shirts depending on the type of shirt. I can still wear some of my t-shirts, as well as, some of my longer shirts.
Stretch marks? Nope...crossing fingers that I don't get any! :)
Sleep: Waking up once or twice a night to go to the bathroom, but overall, sleeping fairly well.
Best moment this week: Today when I woke up and realized that I was at 25 weeks, and I only have 15 left to go! Yipee!! :)
Movement: Yes! He is moving a lot, and I love it!
Food cravings: Nothing in particular...
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, hopefully not for quite a while longer.
Belly Button in or out? In but getting more shallow
What I am looking forward to: Decorating the Nursery! and my next Dr.'s Appointment.
Weekly Wisdom: I don't know...I guess I don't have any this week! :)
Milestones: One more week behind me and only 15 Weeks to go!

I had to edit this post and add one more photo...everyone keeps commenting about Banks being in every photo! He is the best dog. So loyal, and he loves me so much. I hate to say it, but he is definitely partial to me over Grant. Probably because I spend the most time loving on him, but he is a loving dog, and he just comes and sits with me in these pictures every week. I never have to say a word. He sees me go to the door, and he comes and sits down right next to me. He's awesome! So, the first photo that we took today, he decided to lick my fingers / hand to see if there was anything on them that he might want to eat and Grant caught him in the act. You can also see his rooster toy in the photo below. He carries that toy around with him everywhere, but he dropped it to be in the photo. :) See proof below...

I must admit...I love this dog!!

And our list grows...

So, over the weekend we started to clean out the closet and begin organizing and preparing for a garage sale / Goodwill trip. And we came up with numerous more things that need to be done, so I'm updating our list from last week, as well as, adding some more items to the list, so I can keep track. We also came up with additional items that we need to purchase, so I'm updating that, as well. Let's hope it begins to get shorter soon! :)

I've decided to color coat each item, as well, so it's easier to see who is doing each item.
Red - Grant
Blue - Rachel
Black - Both of us together

Weston's Room
- Tape for Brown & White Stripes - DONE
- Paint Brown & White Stripes on Wall - DONE
- Tape for Green Stripes on Wall (By 10/16) - DONE
- Paint Green Stripes on Wall (By 10/18) - DONE
- Move High Chair from Weston's Closet to Downstairs Closet - DONE
- Touch-Up Trim (By 10/18) - DONE
- Clean Blinds & Floor well before moving in Furniture (By 10/23)
- Install Dimmer Switch (By 10/23) - DONE
- Move Crib into Weston's Room (By 10/25)
- Put Crib Bedding on Crib (By 10/25)
- Hang Wall Hangings - Canvases, Frames, Gr0wth Chart, Shelf & Name Letters (By 10/31)
- Install Window Valence & Curtains (By 11/8)
- Set Up Diaper Area (By 11/30)
- Organize and Clean Closet (By 1/1)
- Wash Clothes & Hang / Organize in Closet or Dresser Drawer (By 1/1)

Weston's Bathroom
- Hang Canvas Artwork on Wall (10/25)
- Pick Up Monogrammed Towels and put in bathroom (10/25)
- Hang Hooks on back of Door (10/25)

Our House
- Organize Hall Closet Upstairs (By 10/11) - DONE
- Organize Hall Closet Downstairs (By 10/11) - DONE
- Remove Old Desk from Office (10/25) - DONE
- Move Grant's old Chest from Guest Bedroom to Office (10/25) - DONE
- Clean out Old Desk in Office (10/25) - DONE
- Clean out Dresser in Guest Bedroom and move to garage to prepare to take to Goodwill / Garage Sale (10/25) - In Progress
- Move old Bedside table in Guest Bedroom to garage to prepare to take to Goodwill / Garage Sale (10/25) - DONE
- Get my Antique Furniture from Mom & Dad's house and move to Guest Bedroom (10/25)
- Rearrange photos on wall in Guest Bedroom to coordinate with new furniture (10/25)
- Hang additional photos in office / update old photos (10/25)
- Frame photo of UGA Farm Truck and hang in Office (10/25)
- Hang Curtain Rod & Curtains in Guest Bedroom (10/25)
- Clean out and organize File Cabinet in Office (10/25) - DONE
- Organize items to move into Attic (10/25) - DONE
- Decorate & Organize Weston's Bathroom (By 11/1)
- Clean Out & Organize Guest Bedroom Closet (By 11/14) - DONE
- Deep Cleaning!! (By 1/1)
- Hang Floral Canvas Prints in Dining Room (1/1)
- Hang prayer on wall in Dining Room (1/1)
- Hang hooks in Closet for Ties & Purses (1/1)

Left to Purchase
October
- Order Dresser / Changing Table - DONE
- Purchase Small Table next to Glider from Target
- Curtain Rod for Valance & Curtains
- Bin for Diapers & Books - DONE
- Cork Board
- White Hooks for Bathroom Door & Closet

November
- Buy Lamp x's 2
- Purchase Glider & Ottoman
- Purchase Changing Pad Cover
- Blue Hand Towels for Bathroom - DONE
- Blue Wash Cloths for Bathroom Basket
- White Basket for Toilet in Bathroom

If the item is "In Progress" or "DONE", I've bolded the item! :)

Coupon / Sale Request

So, I've never been much of a coupon user, because I don't usually have the patience to cut coupons, but I've been reading comments, status updates from people who have been cutting coupons and saving lots of money, and I'm interested.

I've got to relax and just cut coupons once a week, so I'm asking you guys. Where do you guys get your coupons? I know that there are some blogs for sales and coupons out there, and I know that there are other coupons in various locations, but I'm not sure where they are at. If any of you use any of these resources and can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

To Do List

Edit - I've got an update to the below list already!! Grant has already finished painting the brown and white stripes! He is so ready to get it done that he may even at least have the tape done for the green stripes this weekend. Yipee!! :)

So, I've decided to make a a To-Do List. We have approximately 16 weeks left until Weston makes his appearance, but there are still quite a few things that we need to do around our house and in his room, as well as, things that we still need to purchase. So, I'm going to make a list, and I'll update this list weekly on my blog, so I can keep track of my status and try to remain on track with everything that needs to be done. I'd like to have everything finished by January 1st.

Weston's Room
- Tape for Brown & White Stripes - DONE
- Paint Brown & White Stripes on Wall - DONE
- Tape for Green Stripes on Wall (By 10/16)
- Paint Green Stripes on Wall (By 10/18)
- Move Crib into Weston's Room (By 10/25)
- Put Crib Bedding on Crib (By 10/25)
- Hang Wall Hangings - Canvases, Frames, Growth Chart, Shelf & Name Letters (By 10/31)
- Organize and Clean Closet (By 1/1)
- Wash Clothes & Hang / Organize in Closet or Dresser Drawer (By 1/1)
- Touch-Up Trim (By 10/18)
- Clean Blinds & Floor well before moving in Furniture (By 10/23)
- Install Dimmer Switch (By 10/23)
- Install Window Valence & Curtains (By 11/8)
- Set Up Diaper Area (By 11/30)

Our House
- Organize Hall Closet Upstairs (By 10/11)
- Organize Hall Closet Downstairs (By 10/11)
- Decorate & Organize Weston's Bathroom (By 11/1)
- Clean Out & Organize Guest Bedroom Closet (By 11/14)
- Deep Cleaning!! (By 1/1)

Left to Purchase
October
- Order Dresser / Changing Table
- Purchase Small Table next to Glider from Target
- Curtain Rod for Valance & Curtains
- Bin for Diapers & Books

November
- Buy Lamp x's 2
- Purchase Glider & Ottoman
- Purchase Changing Pad Cover

So, have I missed anything that needs to be done before he gets here? I'm not sure...this doesn't include little things that I need to do like packing his diaper bag and packing my hospital bag. Can you guys think of anything that I'm missing?

We have Daycare prospects!! Yay!!

As much as I would love to either work from home, have my own business and work my own hours or be a SAHM with little Weston, I know that it's just not something that we can do right now, so I'll be going back to work after Weston is born.

As some of you may know, finding daycare can be a bit traumatizing and a very in depth process. You can also be faced with no vacancies and possibly wait lists. After lots of looking and reviewing different locations via the GA Daycare Licensing website, I've made some calls. And now, we are set-up to go and visit two of them within the next two weeks, and I can't wait.

We are visiting one that is about 2-3 miles from our office, and I'm loving that. It's on the opposite side of town than we live on, so it's close to the office, if I needed to, I could go by anytime, and it's closer to my parents, so if my mom or dad ever was going to keep him for an evening, it wouldn't be too far for them to drive to pick him up. This location is my first choice without visiting her home.

The second one that we are visiting is my second choice location. It is in a neighborhood located right across the road from our neighborhood, and it's a nice location, but it's a 20 minute drive from our office. It would be difficult for me to just come by if needed, and it would be tough for my parents to pick him up, because it would be an extra 20 minute drive from their house.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to visiting, and I'm so glad that we finally have something scheduled to look at daycare. Grant has been on me for weeks about calling and making some appointments, but I've been putting it off, because I thought it would be a stressful process, and I didn't feel like dealing with it. Ha-Ha!

I'll keep you all posted! :)

24 Weeks

24 Week Photo

*Please ignore my face...It looks huge and pale! I swear it's not that big, but it's a terrible angle! And for some reason, I think it's a good idea to take the photos in the morning before going to work when I've just woken up...obviously not a good idea! I'll change my timing for next week! :)

So, I'm 24 weeks today, and I can't tell if I've gotten any bigger than last week. Compared to last week's photos, what do you guys think? By the way, I did not ask Banks to come get in the picture and sit next to me like that, he just does it. He is too funny! :)

How far along? 24 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Not really sure, but I think about 12-13 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yes...but I can still wear some non-maternity shirts depending on the fit.
Stretch marks? Nope...crossing fingers that I don't get any! :)
Sleep: Waking up once or twice a night to go to the bathroom, but overall, sleeping fairly well.
Best moment this week: Feeling Weston have hiccups! Too cute! :)
Movement: Yes! He was moving when I woke up on Sunday night, and I couldn't believe that he was awake and moving!
Food cravings: Nothing really, just hungry often!
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, hopefully not for quite a while longer.
Belly Button in or out? In but getting more shallow
What I am looking forward to: Decorating the Nursery! and my next Dr.'s Appointment.
Weekly Wisdom: If you aren't set on stripes, avoid them! They cause your husband to cuss! :)
Milestones: One more week behind me, other than that no big milestones this week!

On another note, I decided to post a really terrible beginning photo...this picture was taken about a week after I found out that I was prego, and I was trying to take the photo by myself and obviously the lighting was terrible. I think it's amazing to see the difference in the beginning to now. And to think that all I could think about was how my stomach was huge, because I was SO bloated in this photo when I first took it, and I didn't want to post it! Ha-Ha!

Calling All Painters!!

I'm going to call my dad over and see if he can help us with painting Weston's nursery! Grant started taping off the walls last night, and he didn't get very far! He got so frustrated with the entire process that he gave up, and I don't think that I'll be able to get him to do anymore taping. I think I can convince him to do the painting, but it looks like the taping is out. My dad is a perfectionist, as is Grant, so he'll likely get frustrated too, but I'm going to see if he can come help us out next Sunday or the following week sometime. We'll see! Grant really wants me to give up on the stripes, but I have my heart set on them, and I think we can do it...it's just time consuming.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to get the tape on the wall straight? Especially going all the way around the room it's difficult to make sure everything lines up, particularly at the corners.

Goals for the Month

So, I was reading Kari's Blog over at Better Together, and she posted a list of her goals for the month of October. She also did this last month, and she inspired me to do it then, but I got busy doing something else, and I just didn't get around to posting my goals. Well, since it's the 1st of October, I think that I'll post some goals for this month. I definitely have some things that I want to get done, so I'll post them here for some motivation to do them. Then at the end of the month, I'll update you guys on how I did.

1.) Complete ALL of my Christmas Shopping - I'm about 80% done with my Christmas Shopping right now, but I do still have a few things that I need to get and a few people that I need to buy for, so I want to complete all of this by the end of October, so I don't have to worry with it right before the Holidays and when I'm huge! :)

2.) Finish painting and decorating that Nursery - We are well on our way, and we've put together the crib and begun painting. We have to paint the stripes and get the wall decor hung. We will definitely have some things spill into November, but I'd like to have the decorations hung on the wall, the crib in place and all of the stripes completed by the end of the month.

3.) Thank You Cards Written - I have my first Baby Shower on October 24th, and I'd like to have all the Thank You Cards from the shower written by the 31st. It gives me exactly a week to finish them up, so I'm hoping to be able to get that taken care of. It may be a stretch! :)

4.) Finish decorating that bathroom and organize the closets - We need to clean out some closets and hang the decorations for the baby's bathroom. I'd like to finish this in October. We have everything we need, but we just need to get the decorations put up in the bathroom and get everything in its place. We also have some STUFFED closets that we need to clean out and get rid of some stuff.

I think that's enough for this month..that's actually quite a bit to complete this month, so I'll end my list there, and I'll have another list for next month.

Newborn Hat for Weston

I saw this really cute hat on someone's blog...I'm SO sorry, but I don't remember whose blog it came from. If it came from yours, let me know, and I'll give you credit! :)

Anyways, I loved it so much that I had to go and buy one for myself. It came in the mail yesterday, and it is SO cute! I'm loving it! I can't wait to take newborn photos of Weston and have him wear the hat. If you are interested in buying one for your little one, go check out Karenisa's Lily-Lu Shoppe on Etsy. By the way, I just noticed that she is currently closed for a short time due to an overwhelming amount of orders, but just keep checking back, she has some really cute items for babies!

Physical Therapy

So, I mentioned yesterday that I went to Physical Therapy, so I thought I would blog about it today...I was a very active teenager, and I found out shortly after beginning my college career that I had spondylolisthesis. In addition to that, I also had two stress fractures most likely caused from some of my activities in high school, as well as, a disc in between the two fractures that was starting to disintegrate. I was in a lot of pain, and it was frustrating. I wasn't ready for any type of back surgery at my age, so I fought the pain with physical therapy. As my back got stronger, as well as, my core muscles, the pain became very minimal, and I was able to go back to my normal routine.

In the past three-four weeks, I've had a lot of back pain again, and I knew it was related to my preexisting condition. So, I went to the physical therapist yesterday, and I got some exercises that I can do to help me out, as well as, started a prenatal yoga class that she said would help out and got access to the pool that they have at the physical therapists office. So, I'm pretty excited, and she was able to do some exercises to adjust me, because my right hip was lower than my left, and I felt better walking out the door. :)

Also, when I came home I had a gift certificate on the counter for two prenatal massages with my favorite massage therapist. I have the best husband in the world!! So, I made my first appointment for late October before my first shower, so I can feel nice and refreshed for the shower! I can't wait! :)