wordless wednesday

my girl wants to party all the time

what a fun 6th birthday sweet cheeks had.

for her party, we took her and 4 of her friends (2 of which were her cousins, cailyn and ellis) to the american girl cafe. of course all the girls brought their girls along with them. what fun was had!

here we are with 4 of the 5 girls loaded in our car on our way to the cafe. look at all those smiles! they were so excited.

the girls (sans 1 cousin) in front of the cafe right when we arrived

we had some time in between shopping the store and our dinner reservation, so we walked around sephora a bit. the girls enjoyed it since they got to put lip gloss and perfume on. lip gloss makes everything fun when you are 6! they were pretty cute walking around the store in a single-file line looking at everything.

in order- ellis (cousin), hayden, cailyn (cousin), birthday girl sweet cheeks, and catherine

the girls giving their girls "tea," which was really water.

the birthday girl and julie
making a wish
please note sweet cheek's adorable birthday shirt that her sweet grandma made for her. i think this is the third year now that grandma has made her a birthday shirt. they make for great keepsakes too. i plan to have her do the same for the baby. it's a great tradition now.

a bunch of silly girls
it was such a fun time and i know sweet cheeks really enjoyed spending it with her cousins and friends.

35 weeks down, 5 to go!

how far along: 35 weeks

weight gained: 19 lbs

maternity clothes: i am so tired of my maternity clothes! i am ready to wear my regular clothes again. guess i have several weeks before that will happen. and ughhh... how i hate those first 2 weeks after delivery when you aren't pregnant but still look it! that is torture and everything fits horribly and uncomfortably. that stage is the worst.

stretch marks: it must be a miracle! i still don't have any. please stay that way! thank you mustela.

belly button in: it is totally an outie now. feels funny, pokes out through my shirts, and makes sweet cheeks laugh when she sees it.

baby movement: i am kicked in the ribs and side nonstop. it is crazy just how painful it can actually be. i know she is small in there but apparently she likes to stretch out as much as she can. it is funny feeling small, round things poking out and wondering just what part of her body it is! pretty sure she still does flips in there. i am hoping though since i feel the kicking in the ribs that it means she is at least head down.

cravings: not really. i just eat small meals more frequently. i get full quickly.

next appt: monday, april 4th. i will have the group b strep test at that time.

update from last appt: i met with my favorite doctor and explained to him my nervousness over both a vbac and repeat c-section. the truth is i am scared to death of both! i feel like it is a no-win situation but she has to get out of me somehow. thankfully he listened to me, explained my options thoroughly, and told me in the end it was our decision. i just wish he would have decided for me. he did make me feel a lot better about the vbac, saying i am definitely a good candidate for it. that eased my fears a bit. so that is still the plan. we will push on for the vbac with hopes of a much better recovery with this girl than we had with sweet cheeks. of course, i realize everything can change in a minute and i will do whatever is safest for her. fingers crossed and prayers please that we have a successful vbac!

symptoms: i am actually feeling pretty good for the most part. the reflux hasn't been near as bad. that may be because i am doing smaller meals now. the only complaint really is the huge, ugly, swollen feet and ankles that i endure daily. seriously, they are UGLY and shoes only accentuate it. it is weird that it is mainly my left foot, a lot more so than the right. maybe i walk funny and never realized how much i lean on the left foot. hopefully someone would have told me by now that i walk funny if that was the case! i am doing much better drinking water hoping that will help the swelling but it really doesn't seem to make a difference. i am surprised that it is actually kind of painful by the end of the day and hurts to walk on them. i figure if this is my worst complaint, i am still doing pretty good.

nursery: it is looking so good now! i love it already. we have some shelves hung, crib mattress in the crib, rocker with cushions, lighting, and clothing washed. the only things remaining are hanging of frames, purchase of a decorative pillow for the rocker, and a changing pad for the dresser. once the husband and i get those things done, i will be ready to share pictures with you. hopefully we'll finish that up this weekend.

gear: i did get a little bouncy seat from work for her. it will be nice so now i have two... one for upstairs and one for downstairs. makes that a bit easier i think.

me at 35 weeks

time keeps on slippin slippin slippin into the future

happy 6th birthday to sweet cheeks!

happy birthday to the girl who brings continual joy, happiness, sunshine, laughter, silliness, and fun into our life.

happy birthday to the girl with the most amazing smile.

happy birthday to the girl that loves to make, draw, and color pictures for her parents.

happy birthday to the girl who is now a skilled two-wheeled bike rider.

happy birthday to the girl that always has two drinks with every meal, even though she only ever drinks the water.

happy birthday to the girl who loves to sing, dance, and entertain.

happy birthday to the girl is who very adventurous and always willing to try new things. (which she obviously didn't get from her mother!)

happy birthday to the girl that makes me smile inside and out.

from my favorite book to read to sweet cheeks, 'on the night you were born.'

i tear up every time i read this to her...

"for never before in story or rhyme
not even once upon a time
has the world ever known a you, my friend,
and it never will, not ever again…
heaven blew every trumpet
and played every horn
on the wonderful, marvelous
night you were born."

i love you sweet cheeks!

springy spring time

i was at target on my lunch break today getting sweet cheeks a birthday present. tomorrow she turns 6! i am not sure how that is possible since i just had her yesterday. where has the time gone? i can't believe it.

more to come on the sassy 6 year old tomorrow...

but here is a cute outfit i picked up for her, along with a few other things...

simple yellow tee


cute blue tiered ruffle skirt


love these little floral ballet flats for a mere $9.99!


she can just pair her outfit with some of the cute accessories she already has. that is one area target doesn't have much of a selection in, girls jewelry/accessories.

wordless wednesday

i am not your rolling wheels...

check out sweet cheeks rockin' the two-wheel bike! oh yea! not only is she awesome at it, she is 100% impressed with herself. and she should be.

watch not only her talented cycling skills, but her facial expressions too. it is a quick shot but look how big her smile is and how proud she is of herself.

wordless wednesday

a space of her own

well i am finally getting around to posting the before and after pics of sweet cheeks room. i am happy with it. more importantly, she is happy with it! you'll see the sweet cheeks "style" throughout...

sweet cheek's room before

painted a lilac color for her nursery



sweet cheek's room after

i had to cover up the 3 pics above her bed, which are really, really cute, but from work and not out yet... so just being safe. trust me when i say they are cute though.

ikea chandelier... per the request of sweet cheeks and her daddy

ikea snoig wall lamp

target xhileration dot bedding
owl/tree decals only $9 from kohls

ikea hemnes dresser
the touches of sweet cheeks.... peace sign decals!

the corner with the chair in it is a little reading area. you can't see it but on the floor is a basket filled with some of her favorite books.

and of course her vanity which santa brought to her this year.

just the right mix of cute and colorful without being too baby or too big for her.

gentle reminders

how cute are these good manner wall cards from art and philanthropy on etsy?


these nature themed counting cards are pretty cute too.

wordless wednesday

one step at a time

the nursery.... well it is coming along slowly but surely. i should feel rushed with only 8 weeks to go but strangely i don't feel that way. i am probably more relaxed about it than i should be. i guess going into it i didn't quite realize how much work we had cut out for ourselves with this room. and when i say "we," you know i am mainly referring to the husband. he had his work cut out for him with all the projects i wanted done. what a great relationship right.. i have the ideas and he does the work. he has gotten so much completed already. i'll point out everything in a future completed nursery post. the only other main projects i need him to still do is finish painting the closet and hang 3 ledges for me. once those are done, i can start moving everything in and decorate. the fun part!

he changed out an ugly brown ceiling fan for this ikea leran pendant light

i started washing all of her tiny clothes and putting them in her dresser, which is an ikea hemnes

we are getting there.

can't wait to share pics of something special that the husband did for sweet cheeks and her baby sister!

wordless wednesday