We're back!!!

We're home after a wonderful trip to Canada! 

We had a GREAT time but unfortunately that means I have to sift through all of these photos now. Canada was cool, gorgeous, and a little weird to this native Texan, but I loved it! It was one of my top vacations ever, and I can't wait to share it with y'all!

I'll be back later this week and next with TONS of pictures and details! 

signing off

I'm off the grid! Well, not technically, and not yet. 

I'm away on my 'last hoorah' vacation until baby comes in none other than America's Hat. (has no one ever heard this term before?) 

The plan while we're in Canada is to visit with Mark's family, meet family members I've never met before, explore Toronto (and maybe Ottawa), and spend lots of relaxing time off the grid at a cottage on this lake! 

There will be lots of Canada jokes in between, too!

I've loaded up on TONS of movies on my laptop since the chances of getting internet are slim. I'm really hoping we can unwind, relax, play games, canoe, kayak, and stick our toes in the COLD water. I'm counting on coming home refreshed!

If you want to follow along, just miss me, or want to go back in time to see lots of other fun pictures, be sure to follow me here:

I post juuuust enough that you get a glimpse into my life but not enough that I'm that super annoying person that posts 12 pictures a day. :) Everything in moderation, right?

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Also, I've found lots of trip inspiration here so give it a read and maybe you'll find some good stuff too!

kensington market

toronto central waterfront

I may pop in here and there but I'll definitely be back blogging next week. Have a great weekend!!!

30 week bumpdate

Thirty weeks feels like a huge landmark (in more ways than one). We're in the home stretch. We're 3/4 of the way through (maybe) and almost in the single digit weeks! I have felt SO close to delivery but when I would think about my measly 28 or 29 weeks, it sounded SO far away. Now that I'm in the 30's, it seems MUCH closer. I can hardly believe it! I know I still have a while to go but these weeks sure are ticking by and I know baby B will be here before we know it!

How far along:  THIRTY, 3-0, weeks!!!

Size of babe: a cucumber...this seems like a downgrade from last week but I can guarantee that he hasn't gotten any smaller! I'm guessing he is around 4 lbs now, but we'll find that out at our next ultrasound in about 3 weeks!

Gender: Mr. Man! (name is still a secret! shhhh!)

Husband: Same old, same old! He gave me a hug goodbye the other morning and got a swift kick mid-hug. He pulled back and goes 'I felt that!' hahaha. It was a good way to start our day!

Maternity Clothes: I'm becoming more torpedo-like (stomach-wise) but definitely still growing. I have collected a few maternity tanks and have decided I can get by with those and some lightweight kimonos this summer. I also bought some pants on a whim the other day from Amazon and they are both really comfy and lightweight! After I get some more wear out of them I'll share them here.

Stretch Marks: Same old, same old! It feels like he is starting to grow over my ribs which is painful but luckily no marks so far.

Loving: Water, water, water, and food. My body has been craving healthier foods (yay!) and I'm constantly stuffing water down my throat. I cannot quench this thirst!

Loathing: Stretching skin, bras, unquenchable thirst, mosquitoes in Texas, people that ask me "when are you due?" and then immediately follow it with "soon?"

Belly Button: Prettyyyy flat! My stomach still changes throughout the day so where there is a little divot in the morning, at night it's pretty much flat. Eeep!

Movement: This boy hasn't stopped moving since I was 13 weeks pregnant! I have lots of fun poking him and prodding him to wake him up if I haven't felt him in a while. He has started to get more on my sleep schedule and rather than wake me up around 6am, he's now starting to stir right about when I get up. I'm at the point now where I can feel him situated in different spots in my belly. Before, he would kind of disappear and I couldn't find him. Not anymore!

Symptoms: Not sleeping great, aches and pains in my stomach, and lots of swift kicks! I'm also having to go to the bathroom a lot more and drinking water like a fish.

Best Part of the Week: My family baby shower! Check it out here for more details (my mom took pictures this time!

Worst Part of the Week: No horrible parts of the week but I've been having trouble feeling great throughout the day. It feels like my body is craving healthy food but even when I'm taking all of my vitamins and eating a good meal, I have been feeling off. It's been a weird feeling and I'm just trying to get that balanced.

Missing Most: Stomach sleeping this week. I've been having trouble getting comfy and that sure would be nice!

Can't wait for: Vacation!!! Baby moon starts TODAY! Check back tomorrow for more details! :)

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       week 16                                week 17                                        week 18

    week 19                                week 20                                   week 21

   

                      week 22                                                      week 23

week 24                                 week 25                               week 26

   week 27                                   week 28                                 week 29 

family shower

I have a big family. I have the BEST family. This big, awesome family of mine blessed Mark and I this weekend with a wonderful baby shower! 

The shower was held at my cousin's home in Dallas and it was planned and decorated perfectly! I don't have any photos of the decor but it was super cute and super fitting of this baby B. 

There were lots of little ones at the party and my cousins had set up this station to paint blocks for baby B's nursery. Love!!! It was so much fun and kept the little ones busy and intrigued for a long time!

After yummy brunch food (and custom donuts) it was time to open gifts! I had lots of good helpers!

My mom handmade this sweet afghan for baby B and I love it! 

We received so many nice things including swaddle blankets, super soft blankets, cute clothes, fun toys, and lots of essentials like diapers and wipes and strollers, etc. We were spoiled once again!

We *attempted* to get a picture with all six of the little girls there. I keep looking at these pictures and cracking up. This was the BEST we got!

My cousins gathered us all together with some super fun glasses (which mimicked the glasses on the invite! so cute!) for a group picture. Of course the younger you are, the cuter you look in glasses! We had some cuties for sure!

Such a fun group!

Cousin picture!

My lovely hostesses:

We had such a fun time, thank you ladies!!! 

to whom it may concern

It might just be my personality but I'm going go ahead and take advantage of my ability to blame the following post on my pregnancy hormones. Is it just me, or is the world a little off its game lately? Also, see alternate titles to this post: "rants and raves" OR "dear (fill in the blank)". Let's get started.

Dear Motley-

        Just because YOU are comfortable doesn't mean that the two humans in bed are comfortable with your presence. You're lucky that your father sleeps like a rock and doesn't mind you throwing your 60lb body on top of him but that would NOT fly with your mama. Your days in this bed are numbered, so I hope you are soaking these aggressive cuddles in!

Dear Houston-

     You can take your tropical storm back, we don't want it. There's a REASON we don't live near the coast. Plus I'm pretty sure we're good on rain for the next few months. Mmk? Thanks.

Dear Old Navy-

      This is why you can't have nice things. What, pray tell, is this monstrosity? No, I am NOT this big yet and my body has not morphed into a box. Do you really expect me to pay $37 for a sponge-bob square shaped polyester tent? Also, you do realize women are taller than 5'4", right? Those same women would like to be able to buy a maxi dress that touches the ground every once in a while. What is this?! Way to make a pregnant lady feel good about herself. (Oh, and maybe you should stock some variety in sizes in your store. Is there any middle ground between a size XS or XL in a simple overpriced maternity tank?)

Dear Staples-

     Yes, cardboard sheets are only $5 and thus considered pocket change to you, but they are still considered a product, right? So when I ordered $5 worth of cardboard sheets for this project, I expected them to come packaged to where they wouldn't arrive damaged and I could have used the entire sheet if I wanted. When cardboard is the product, don't you think you should package it in a little more than some saran wrap wrapped around it a couple times? Thanks for the $5 coupon to use 'on my next order'. Thanks, but no thanks. 

Dear BCBG/Marshalls-

        $30 blinged-out sandals are considered a bit of a splurge for me so when I bought them last fall, didn't wear them all winter (duh) and pulled them out this spring, I expected them to NOT snap in the same exact spot on both the left and the right foot within 5 hours of wearing them. No, my feet have NOT swollen or grown in pregnancy and yes, I WOULD like to wear my cute sandals more than 5 times before having to completely trash them because they can't be salvaged. Oh, and thanks to your customer service departments for returning my multiple calls and emails. (sarcasm)

Dear Target-

          This is pretty funny, but I'm not mad at you. You keep being you. Kisses!

I actually bought the 4 packs of Oreos just to get the free milk and we are going to eat every.single.oreo (we're already halfway done)

I'll leave my fiesty-ness at that for today. Anything got you ranting lately? Happy Thursday!!!

29 week bumpdate

We're one week away from 30 weeks, which seems like SUCH a milestone to me. I still feel way closer to meeting this little man than the weeks seem to say, but 11 weeks isn't that long in the grand scheme of things! I'm seeing my doctor every two weeks now and since he's measuring big (yep, still) she wants to do an ultrasound in 4 weeks. I'm excited to see my man again! Oh yeah, and I passed my glucose test! yay!

How far along:  29 weeks!!!

Size of babe: an acorn squash! Is it just me or does this seem HUGE?! 

Gender: Mr. Man! (name is still a secret! shhhh!)

Husband: Being sweet every day! He was a ton of help unloading and organizing things from the baby shower and it was so funny watching him put together the stroller. He's gotten to see some of this babe's crazy antics lately and I love seeing how wide his eyes get! What has become routine for me is still so new to him every time he sees or feels it. So much fun!

Maternity Clothes: You know, I'm actually wearing regular pants in this picture. From college. From abercrombie & fitch. I know, I know. They weren't zipped (at all). But they worked! Otherwise it has been dresses and maternity tanks!

Stretch Marks: No more spotted this week! Victory!

Loving: Water, salads, sweets, peanut butter, changing into a tank top once I land at home.

Loathing: Bras, getting comfortable in bed (it's impossible), unquenchable thirst. 

Belly Button: It has gotten flatter this week! It feels super weird when he moves and stretches it out. I'm still hoping we don't transition to having an outie!

Movement: We've moved from kicks to baby yoga. Yes, you guys, my baby is better than all of your babies because he does yoga in utero. He's got child's pose down. 

Symptoms: shortness of breath, lots of rolling movements in the tummy that last all day rather than spurts, super thirsty all the time and more hungry than usual. 

Best Part of the Week: Our first baby shower! It was so wonderful having family and friends all in one home celebrating this sweet little boy inside of me. Wedding showers were fun and all but they were gone in the blink of an eye and were always so overwhelming. I'm approaching these baby showers a little differently and just trying to soak up everything. I love how much this little one of mine is loved!!!

Worst Part of the Week: This week was pretty good but I did wake up short of breath on Saturday and stayed that way for about 2 hours. More below!

Missing Most: Breathing. Gaining 20 pounds in 4-ish months makes breathing difficult sometimes.

Can't wait for: Another shower this weekend! We are so (hashtag) blessed and my sweet family is throwing a shower for me this weekend. I can't wait to see everyone (it's always fun to have everyone in one room) and celebrate this baby even more! 

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       week 16                                week 17                                        week 18

    week 19                                week 20                                   week 21

   

                      week 22                                                      week 23

week 24                                 week 25                               week 26

    

week 27                           week 28

bumpdate bloopers

I take any and every opportunity to laugh at myself. I don't know why, but I really enjoy laughing and I typically try to make a joke out of everything (yes, even serious situations). 

Pregnancy is one of the BEST situations that we can use humor to dull the pain (literally) and I've had to do that on many occasions, most recently this week. 

If you've been following along, I started doing 'bumpdates' at week 16. About halfway through, I realized I had some good material and I stopped deleting the outtakes from all of the bump pictures. So today I bring you...bumpdate bloopers (complete with captions):

"could you TAKE the PICTURE?!"

"Is the ground moving?"

"I'm not sure what to do with my hands..."

(this was the time Motley and I both spotted a rogue wasp)

"wait, I'm preg...what?" (while Motley makes a move to escape)

"what is this black solid thing with a handle?" (pregnancy brain at it's finest)

"I have the mouth size of TWO people!"

"make that 7!"

"is this sexy windblown enough?"

"okay see you next week"

I hope you can laugh at me too! Happy Tuesday!!!