Yummy NY Food

Charlies has pickles in bins and I just couldn't get enough of them. I know I am pregnant, but I have always loved pickles. Their burgers are fantastic as well.

David had a Charlies Trash Plate. Mmm

 

We also had sticky lips bbq. Those sweet potato fries were amazing, they had cinnamon on them and so sweet!

Herman's Cider & Donuts and Wegmans Bagels were the breakfasts

No visit is left complete without Mark's Pizza! So delicious. We also had Wegmans subs but those were consumed so fast we must have forgotten a picture.

NY Baby Shower

We had a shower for baby Max the day after Thanksgiving in NY. Michelle and David had fun with the games, they made them minute to win it style (with most coming from the actual game).

Here they are practicing them all. They decided to fill their bottles with beer (not a good idea) if you drop them, they start foaming and spewing out everywhere! Michelle found she was pretty good at most of them.

Time for the shower to begin. Mommy and Daddy to be photo.

They did a great job with the decor. The theme was our colors of blue and lime green (nursery colors). Sandie made animal sugar cookies with ducks, elephants, turtles and bears! So cute.

Next we played the minute to win it baby shower games. We did the Kleenex game (David suggested baby wipes, but I was afraid it'd get too messy), Vaseline cotton ball nose game, baby block stacker and baby bottle drinking game.

Everyone had fun routing their teams on and participating. Great idea for shower games. I also wanted to share that little Delilah (seen in the photo in red tights) thought we were going to wash the baby because we were having a shower for him. She kept wanting to know when he was going to come out. So cute.

Baby Max is already spoiled. He got so many great little clothes, a homemade crocheted blanket, baby furniture and gift cards for us to purchase things down here. We overstuffed our suitcases and just love looking at all the little goodies.

Even Mima (that's the name my mom has requested for grandma) got a gift.

Thanks to my sister and mom for hosting a great shower. We missed you Chris and Marla! I also had a wardrobe issue where my dress was too tight and Michelle's was too loose so we swapped. So fun.

Mom and the girls after the shower.

I can't believe we are 28 weeks (at the time of the shower). It's about to get super busy these last couple of months! Thanks to all my NY family for coming and showering baby Max.

Baby W Has a Name!

We waited until the NY shower to reveal the name of the baby. We had it on the cake so everyone could see. Baby W's name is....

Max David

MDW

We choose the name for a few reasons, but we really wanted it to mean something and Max means the greatest. It has a math reference and is just a solid name for us. We will just be using Max, no Maximilien, Maximus or Maxwell. We debated over the middle name for a while, but decided that we wanted to name him after David. He is the greatest man I know :) Close seconds for first and middle names were Blake, Connor, Corbin and Eli. 

Our Handmade Ruffled Tree Skirt

This weekend I was set on making a ruffled christmas tree skirt. I knew that if we didn't do it this year that I would prob. never have enough time to do this again. It was a very long process, but SO worth it. I love it so much and am so glad I only have a week to wait to put the tree out and use it. I am warning you though, this is a very time consuming project and is not for beginners. You will qualify though if you have 2 novice sewers. My thinking is 1 medium level sewer = 2 novice/beginners so David and I put together were able to do it. There are other tree skirts out there that are no-sew, but I am wanting this to last forever and be passed down to generations lol. I got inspiration and tutorials from this site and this site I found via pinterest. They have step-by-step instructions that are way better than I could ever tell you. We did a bunch of math though to convert their 44" tree skirt to a 60" one so if you're interested I can email you our spreadsheet, but it's way too long to explain here.

 I started with some fun fabric, man were those craft stores busy this weekend. We had a few run-in's with the fabric cutter ladies at Joann's (they were stashing all the good material behind their area and wouldn't put them back or let us see them). I was lucky enough to buy 4 yards of that lime green and candy cane fabric last year at clearance so that was a great deal!

 We started out knowing that we needed a 30" radius circle to make our 60" tree skirt so David devised a smart plan to draw our pattern on this red felt (a necessary item).

 I'm sure you are all aware, but David is def. my secret weapon on inventing smarter/easier ways to craft.

 He got into it by making himself a headband out of the scrap material. We were a bit delirious on saturday night as we got started pretty late making this.

 Our first layer had to be completed the next day because I got crazy with the ruffles on saturday by making them too tight and our material didn't cover half of the tree skirt. So we had to undo the stitching and redo it Sunday. We finally got the hang of it and measured each ruffle length before connecting them all together.

 I just wanted proof that I did some of the sewing as well.

 There is a lot of sewing involved so I really got practice on doing hems, creating ruffles by making the thread tension a bit higher, and just practicing the basics.

 Our finished product!!! I will put some final tips about the process since I am not putting step-by-step instructions.

-Definitely use felt as your pattern and template holder

-Please hem each piece, I know this takes a while to iron the hem and then sew it, but if you want this to last you need to hem each piece or it will fray and fall apart. 

-Know how long each ruffled piece needs to be before ruffling and sewing them all together

-Do your math to calculate how much fabric you will need (or just follow those other tutuorials for their exact sizes). I think we used close to 6 yards of fabric total

-Have a helper, even if its just to iron all the pieces to make the hem and help cut all the fabric.

-Go buy your christmas fabric now, all the good stuff seems to be being used up

-Get a fabric cutter, we used something like this and a mat of some sort (we used some spare piece of something David had).

-We used thicker red ribbon for the top part of the tree skirt and just assembled it over the top ruffle to make it more durable and cover up the top ruffle sewing area.

 -Last tip, be sure to wear your tree skirt and be proud of it. It was so heavy I could barely keep it up.

It also makes a great regular skirt. haha. Truthfully I think we were doing this for a good 10-12 hours total plus shopping and math calculation time. Good thing David and I get along!

Pregnancy Survey- 27 Weeks

How Far Along: 27 Weeks- almost in the 3rd trimester!

Size of baby: This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. he's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now.

Total Weight Gain: 12-13lbs

What I miss: Nada

Sleep: Sleeping pretty good with the occasional bathroom breaks

Symptoms: Just some lower sciatic back pain. It gets worse if I am sitting for a while and then get up to use the bathroom at work. I need to just take breaks at least once an hour and move.

Cravings: This isn't a craving, but it is some good food. I went to Chipotle with the girls from work on Tuesday and that burrito was awesome. It was a bit spicy, but so good. No heartburn yet, I should have def. gotten it after that burrito. I know I am a Moe's traitor, but their chicken is so much better. In fact, I could go for another one right now. Just wait until I eat all the good NY food next week, planning is already underway.

Gender- BABY BOY! We're 95% there on the name.

Movement: He's a good little mover.

Maternity Clothes: Same.

Best Moments this week: Starting our projects around the house, buying some clothes for BW and getting the glider. We had it professionally cleaned and it looks pretty good. It's still in the garage so the lighting sucks. When we move it in, I'll post better pictures.

What I'm looking forward to: The upcoming thanksgiving holiday and time off from work!

Milestones: Well, I passed my glucose test! I had to call as they never followed back up with me, but I guess no news is good news.  I am enjoying the 2nd trimester and cooking more so things are pretty good.  As you know, the glider is purchased and cleaned. Still waiting on crib parts, was suppose to hear something this week... We're going to sign up for a few more classes/tours at the hospital soon as well.

Pregnancy Yoga/Pilates Reviews

I have come to learn that I love yoga. I have always been semi-flexible with all the cheerleading and gymnastics I've done through my life, but I definitely have lost most all of that. I like how yoga combines relaxation with strength and stretching. It's not a vigorous exercise (unless you do it P90X style), but it's great for pregnancy. Now I mentioned in one of my surveys that I have sciatic lower back pain that has gotten worse with pregnancy. The yoga is helping by strengthening the area and just making it easier to move. Let's get started with the reviews.

This first video is Yoga Mama and I am borrowing this from Leah and I really love it. She says silly things like "Take the love you have in your heart and the love you have for your baby." She's says it in that exact pose above. It's cheesy, but I do like her voice and the workout is about 40 mins and it's a great routine for overall fitness. If I have to choose, this is my favorite.

I like this Yoga for pregnancy because she has 6 different routines, so you don't have to do the same thing over and over. The major reason I like this is because she has a 20 min workout just on back pain and sciatica. Each stretch is designed specifically for that reason and when she says you should feel the pain you get right now and every time I do so I know it's hitting the areas I need. Warning though, her setting she does the yoga in isn't ideal. She is basically floating on a background so it's a bit odd.

Shiva Rea is popular in the yoga world and she has a pretty good overall yoga video. It's a bit longer than the others, I think its a 60-70 min workout. I just like the variety between the 3 so I don't know what's going to happen after each move. 

I thought I would mix it up and try pilates. Now, I have never done pilates before so I didn't know what to expect. Bottom line, I did not like it. It was a harder workout than the yoga, but that's not the reason why I didn't enjoy it. It was a lot of leg/ab work with just a lot of repetitive motions and I didn't see how this would help me.

If you are new to yoga and just want to try it out, I'd recommend trying one some videos on youtube or even renting from the library. Here is a youtube channel that has a variety of videos and you can see some beginner classes on the right.

Baby Shower Invite- So Exciting!

This came in the mail the other day and I am so excited!

 This is my NY shower invite, how cute is it! I just love it. It incorporates the lime green and aqua colors from the nursery.

Michelle did a great job, I can't wait till next week! I just love the elephant, too!

Let the Shopping and Projects Begin!

This weekend we did a lot of shopping and projects around the house. 

BW got a few outfits from Carters outlet. This was the first time I've purchased any clothes for the munchkin, but his auntie sure hasn't forgotten about him. I need to do a separate post to show you all the cute clothes Michelle has gotten him. My favorite is a shirt that says Vroom Vroom Off to Aunties!

David got some new shirts as well. Some great sales were going on because of Veterans day.

We then made our way to IKEA where we purchased a down comforter, some frames for BW's room and some new dishes in an eggplant color (we decided $25 for a 6 piece dish set was worth trying, our current set has so many chips in it that it's embarrassing to use and those weren't cheap).

David switched out the white fan that came in our room to the nice dark brown one that was in BW's room.

The fan will go much better with the white furniture in the baby's room.

 The darker fan for our room.

 We also got a new light for the kitchen. Since our table isn't centered over the light area we went with one that will maximize the lighting in the space.

 As you see the massive yucky light still up, we will be working on getting some recessed lighting in that space in the coming weeks!

We also purchased a glider for BW's room from craigslist. This is a Dutailier glider that retails for around $1,100-$1,300 new for both and we got it for $300. It def. needs a professional upholstery cleaning, but I think it will come out looking brand new. The color is a cream/sage so I think it will go great in the nursery. It is super comfortable and such a durable long standing brand. Sorry these pics are bad quality, they were from the listing on my phone, I didn't take pictures of it yet.

So as you can see we were super busy this weekend and had lots of fun. We also watched Crazy, Stupid Love, which is pretty hilarious. Don't worry, Molly is still loving her snakey (best toy ever so far, she has destroyed the squeakers the first 5 mins she has them though).

Pregnancy Survey- 26 Weeks!

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

Size of baby: The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches

Total Weight Gain: 12lbs I think I am getting the hang of putting some weight on now. It's been steady at 1ish pounds a week.

What I miss: Nada

Sleep: Sleeping pretty good with the occasional bathroom breaks

Symptoms: Just some lower sciatic back pain, which is going away with my yoga practicing! I have a few more dvd's to try and then I'll review them on here for you. I can't believe it's as simple as stretching and strengthening your back.

Cravings: I have been eating a ton of salad. I wanted to go everywhere that had either endless salad or a salad bar. We went to an Italian restaurant (endless salad bowls), Ruby Tuesday and had a gigantic bag of salad all at the big family dinner this past weekend. There are worse things to crave.

Gender- BABY BOY! We're so close to sharing this with you! Next week will be the big reveal, some friends and family have heard some of out top contenders and it's going over pretty well.

Movement: He's a good little mover.

Maternity Clothes: Same, just my 2 pair of maternity jeans. Tops are getting snug though so maybe before we got home for thanksgiving I'll purchase a few new items.

Best Moments this week: Registering and organizing baby's registry. I have an obsession with lists so we've been making a ton of those. You should see our google doc pages. I have lists with baby costs, lists of projects to get done before baby is born, lists of Jen and David items we need to get before baby is born, etc.. I am glad the glucose test is over, but I haven't heard if I passed or not. Maybe no news is good news? I guess I'll call next week if I don't hear.

What I'm looking forward to: Well we never went to the outlets last weekend as we saw that they were having a ton of veterans day sales this coming weekend. I am excited to look for clothes for BW and pottery barn kids outlet. We're also doing a little shopping for us so should be fun!

Milestones: The dresser is up in the room as I showed you this week and still waiting for replacement parts for the crib. I'm glad registering is done. Next thing is to find a glider and get ready to head home for Thanksgiving. We need to finalize a plan for the closet and start/finish projects around the house. We are taking a bunch of time off while family is in town for Christmas so I think we're going to focus on getting house stuff done before everyone gets here and then focus on BW's nursery while they are all here to help! Mom is already signed up to paint the inside of the closet lime green!

This is the most comfortable target t-shirt ever. I need to get some more!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

I'm linking up to the vintage apple today for for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

Let's start with Baby Closet Inspiration. David's going to build us something once we decide what we want it to look like.

Source: google.com via Jen on Pinterest

I love how this closet unit is divided up with lots of storage. Might need more hanging room though.

Source: houzz.com via Jen on Pinterest

This closet seems a bit chaotic I just like how they painted the back, we're going to do lime green in our closet.

Source: google.com via Jen on Pinterest

I really like the layout and shelf space in this one.

Source: mytutuboutique.com via Jen on Pinterest

These letters would be cute on the wall.

Source: landofnod.com via Jen on Pinterest

I like the clean lines on this glider. It's not too bulky, but looks comfy.

 

Source: lorrinteriors.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

How cute are these

Source: trendytree.com via Jen on Pinterest

And last but not least, can't wait for the holidays! I wish my house could look like this. I think I have a lime green fascination.