32 Weeks Bumpdate

So since I am spending the day cleaning out the nursery closet of all our junk (who knew SO much could fit into such a tiny, tiny space), I am not really picture friendly.  Here is one I snapped yesterday before heading to Target.  Hence my list and shoes I was returning in my hand!

How far along:  32 weeks

Size of baby: Still a head of Lettuce this week- 19in, 3.9lbs

Gender:  Better be girl since we own a million pink things! :) haha

Maternity clothes:  Definitely all I wear for the most part.  Heading to Old Navy tomorrow to return my fitted maxi and see what else they have.  I have some super cash and rewards money so let's see how much I can get for free!

Sleep:  Still pretty uncomfortable and peeing up to 7 times a night.. UGH!

Symptoms:  Same here really.. plus adding on I am HOT all the time. Omg, this is so out of the norm for me.  I am the girl who was always, always freezing.

Miss anything:  Shopping for all the cute summer clothes.  Going to the store is so depressing- but hey, it is saving me money! :)

Movement:  Staying on my right side and it's definitely more of a rolling feeling now versus the swift kicks and jabs from a few weeks ago. Also, when I stand up after sitting awhile she settles so low- which feels very odd.

Food cravings:  Still nothing here out of the norm.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  No

Have you started to show yet:   Oh yea. And lots of comments from strangers to go with it! The manager at the grocery store the other day saw me and started with, "How are you.. Oh, you are ready to have a baby any day!"  Nope, sorry.. 8 more weeks.

Belly button in or out:   Still in

Wedding rings on or off:  On, even though I take them off when I sleep now because my hands swell at night. I guess from being 1,000 degrees.

Mood: Excited and anxious to get her room organized. This girl has got some STUFF.

Best moment of this week:  Our shower last Saturday was so much fun. We have been blessed with such great friends and family from all over. Between our shower in MS, NC, work, and our family, we got every big item we needed, plus most of the small things.  Once I get her room organized, I will figure out the remainder of the items and finish everything up.  THANK YOU so much to everyone who has helped us prepare for our sweet little girl.

Looking forward to:   Enjoying my time off work- but heck, I am working way harder so far being off than I did sitting at that desk! ha  Getting her room ready, and getting to that feeling of everything is done.  Do you ever get that?!?

Spicy Sausage Pasta

Well, yesterday marked my first day as a stay at home wife (almost mom.. yay!) and I was a busy bee.  I got the house all back in order from our shower Saturday, laundry done, grocery list made and menu for the week, coupons searched online (which I am still not good at and get bored too quickly), grocery shopping done, and dinner made.  If anyone has any good, EASY, coupons sites.. please share!! Needless to say, I was WORE out by the end of the day.  My energy level is just gone and everything takes me so much longer now to-do.  Luckily today my list is pretty small so I don't burn out my first week home.  So much to do, so little time! :)

With all that being said, I figured I would share my first recipe success of the week. I am not the best cook, but I can follow simple recipes! I searched Pinterest yesterday morning and found a few I hoped would work.  Last night I made the Spicy Sausage Pasta and it was actually really good!

Here is the recipe below, hope you enjoy! :)

*Note- Make sure you use a big skillet, I had to switch mine in the middle because once I started adding all the liquid I realized I needed more room!*


1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage (I used Turkey)
1.5 cups diced onion (I used frozen as the site recommended and it worked great)
2 cloves garlic, minced (Also cheated here and used the jar kind)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly


Recipe credit from: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/spicy-sausage-pasta.html#_a5y_p=983880


Have a great Tuesday and everyone stay safe back home with those crazy storms!!

31 Weeks Bumpdate

How far along:  31 weeks, whew!

Size of baby: Head of Lettuce- 18in, 3.2lbs

Gender:  Ms. Tilly Ann Rowland :)

Maternity clothes:  Well, I got my Old Navy maxi in yesterday, and while it fits now.. I'm not sure how it will be in a few weeks.  This one is more fitted than the other, and since I really want to wear it until the end, I think I am going to exchange it (hopefully if they have them in store) for a Medium. If not, try to find another comfy one in store to get.

Sleep:  I am still turbo uncomfortable, but luckily my sweet husband rubs my lower back before bed and this helps SO much with sleeping better.  I am still having tons of potty breaks, and feel super stiff when I wake up.. but at least I can still sleep through all this!

Symptoms:  Same here. Overall discomfort, very tired, dizzy/light headed spurts, insanely hungry, big, wobbly.. etc! :)

Miss anything:  Not having every part of my body growing! ha

Movement:  She reallllllly loves my right side.  Staying tucked over there, sometimes popping out of my SIDE! Also, always feels like her little feet are curled up in my ribs. Ouch.

Food cravings:  Gosh, just food. I am hungry ALL. THE. TIME. now. It's crazy!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:   I am amazed every day how I seem bigger and bigger.  9 more weeks of growing.. eek!

Belly button in or out:   Still in there a good bit, thank goodness.

Wedding rings on or off:  On

Mood: Excited and nervous! Everything is coming together and it's crazy to think we will have a tiny little human here in just a few short weeks.  I can't wait to meet her!!

Best moment of this week:  My AMAZING husband has been working his tale off the past few weeks (months) on our house and it's been crunch time lately.  He has been working on redoing our siding ALL BY HIMSELF and it's been tons of work.  He used the hardy plank (I guess that's how you spell it ha) which is more a wood material, so once it was up the whole house needed to be painted.  He's done all but the back of the house.. so the past 2 weeks he's painted the front and two sides, the garage, trimmed the whole house (roof, door, windows, etc), replaced our old porch poles with new ones, painted those, and shutters should be in today and going up tonight.  All this on top of redoing our bedroom (new floors, paint, decor) and switching the guest room/nursery (while setting up all the nursery furniture).  A LOT has been going on to say the least and it's finally all coming together!!!! :) :) :)  Also, had our checkup yesterday and got to hear little missy's heartbeat and see she is measuring perfect still. woohoo!

Looking forward to:   2 more days of work and our Couple's Cookout shower this weekend! yay!  Also, seeing our cute little house all come together and hopefully letting Lance relax some and do NOTHING for once! :)

haha this is SOO true now!

5 on Friday

This has been the longest week, EVER, it seems!  A huge part is because I am very near to the end of working (one more week!) and with that coming to a close, I have trained my job out already and am really just here as "back up".  That makes for some looooong days. But hey, I am still getting paid so can't complain too much! :)  

I am linking up today for the Five on Friday

My 5 on Friday is pregnancy themed, of course. What my life is all about these days! :)

1.  I'll start off here with some good 'ole moisturizing, stretch cream prevention.  I know for the most part it is hereditary and there isn't really anything you can do to stop mother nature, but hey- it doesn't hurt to try.  I googled and read a lot, and did see everyone say how great coconut oil is. This stuff can be used for just about anything on your body, for cooking, cleaning, etc. It's an all-in-one miracle.  I got my jar from SAM's club for about $8.  Best thing after soaking my belly? You smell like a delicious Mounds bar! SO far, so good for me.. fingers crossed for the next 9 1/2 weeks! :)

2.  The next 2 posts are dedicated to cuteness and comfort. Pregnancy and dresses go hand in hand when it comes to comfort.  Thank goodness I have my discount obsession with Old Navy, a place that has some great Maternity items.  I recently mentioned I got a cute dress for my shower, so I thought I would share it here.  I ordered this in a Small, and it fit perfect, with room to grow in the belly.  I am only 5'2 and it hits right above the knee, so great length for us shortys.  The orginial price is $39.94, but they always have things on sale and discounts/promos going on. I actually got this dress and some comfty maternity shorts for free when I ordered because of my rewards/sales/percent off. :)  I got the dress is hot pink (Electric Youth), which only shows up certain days online- I guess because it is selling out quickly? You can see the dress HERE.

3.  Maxi's. LOVE them.  I already have this ONE  in Blue Tonal and ordered this ONE yesterday in Black and Gray.  Both are on sale right now for $19.00.  I also ordered these in a Small.  I haven't received the Black yet, but the Blue fits great, room to grow, and shockingly the PERFECT length. This never happens with short girls and maxi's!! The reviews did have some tall people say the length was good too, so I think the bigger the size, the longer they make it.

4. And lastly, I will close out with a little bit of Nursery progress.  I found some cute (free!) printables on Pinterest and made these 2 frames (frames were $7.99 at Target). Then I also bought this little oval mirror to put in the middle. (Also found at Target for I think $12.99).  This will be going over the dresser/changing table area.  I can't wait to hang them and see it all put together! I also have one other little pony print to hang that I won from the fair when I was around 5 and still have to this day.

5.  I have been searching and searching for a cute basket for all of Tilly's books we have gotten so far.  I knew we wouldn't have room for a bookshelf, and thought this would be a cute and functionable way to store them. I finally found the perfect basket at one of my favorite Home stores- Marshalls/Home Goods.  I got this basket for $12.99.  I thought it might be too big, but actually fits exactly what we have now. So I might need to get something bigger or maybe just another one in the future. Oops.  I also added our cute little Hippo that Ashley gave me at our Baby Shower back in MS.  It is a Scentsy product, so not only is it cute, but is making her nursery smell amazing! :)

30 Weeks Bumpdate

How far along:  30 weeks

Size of baby: Butternut squash- 17in., 3.1lbs

Gender:  Ms. Tilly Ann Rowland :)

Maternity clothes:  My dress came in from Old Navy and I LOVE it!! The length is great and it fits perfect.. woohoo! As long as the weather is nice, it will be my outfit for my shower here in 2 weeks! :) :)  Also, I am absolutely loving wearing my maternity maxi dresses on the weekend.  They are so comfy and freeing.  I need to get more and not just wear the same 2 over and over, ha.  Old Navy is having a members perk percent off this weekend.. so I may get a few more that are on sale right now.  My rewards points aren't distributed until the end of the month.. so I may actually purchase these without them, shocker.. I know.

Sleep:  More and more uncomfortable every day. My body aches by the end of the day, and laying on my side stinks! My back and hips I think are permanently dislodged at this point. My back is the only semi-comfy position. Potty breaks are back up to around 4-5 a night (AH!) soooo I am a sleepy girl in the mornings.

Symptoms:  Very achy. Growing belly by the SECOND. Hungry. Super achy feet if I wear anything but tennis shoes (or don't wear shoes around the house.. that makes them awful!). Tired. Super pregnant face going on.  Lots of fun stuff :)  I will say, one symptom I am loving is the dry hair/skin. I have said before, I am a turbo oily girl, so to have "normal" skin is amazing.  If I skip a day washing my hair, you can't even tell.. it's a miracle! :) I really hope this sticks around even after she is here.

Miss anything:  Feeling human, haha.

Movement:  Still moving and grooving in there. She likes to do lots of flutter kicks in my ribs and curl up in TIGHT little balls, ouch!

Food cravings:  I have been wanting sweets a bit recently, which I never really did before. So maybe I can say I have a little craving?

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:   By the second!!

Belly button in or out:   Still in there a good bit, thank goodness.

Wedding rings on or off:  On

Mood: As uncomfortable as I am, still very excited! I can't believe starting this week we will be in the single digit countdown to meet our little one.  I can not wait to see what she looks like and what features she got from who!! Also, just ready to know everything is ok. It's nerve racking that we have only seen her at a 8 week ultrasound and then the 20 week.  I just want to know she is nice and perfect!

Best moment of this week:  Getting a lot of things around the inside and outside of the house done. We have SO much going on with projects, it's crazy!!  We got her nursery cleaned out last night of the leftover guest room items, so now it actually really is starting to look like a nursery! (an unfinished one, but that's ok.. for now).

Looking forward to:   7 more working days!!!!!! (can you tell I am excited? ha) Hopefully getting our house in an ok order for the shower, and of course any bit of relaxing I can squeeze in!! Also, I can't wait to get our CD in the mail with all of our maternity pictures. Lexie posted about half on Facebook so I am so anxious to see the rest and get some printed.  We have our checkup next Tuesday and are on the 2 week schedule now, so it's always nice to go in and hear her fast little heartbeat. Before I know it, we will be on the 1 week checkup schedule.. ah!!

Pregnancy Comments 101

So I thought I would post a bit of pregnancy humor/annoyance.  I posted on Sunday a status how I get, "Are you due soon?" as my main question lately.  Sometimes it's, "When are you due?" and when I respond June the next part is a look of shock and, "Oh, so awhile."  First off person, 2 months is not THAT long, and second.. hide your look of amazement a little better please.  As much as I feel "huge", I don't think I look like I could have the baby any day!! I was talking to my best friend, Lexie, about this as she is pregnant with #3 and what she said is so right.. I don't think people really know just how big you get at the very end of pregnancy. So when people see you sporting that big ole belly, they assume you are due that day!  For the most part I luckily have not gotten too many rude comments, but enough to make me annoyed. Come on people, swollen hormonal pregnant women do NOT want your opinion. ESPECIALLY if you are a male. You have zero room to have any opinion.  I had the comment made to me back in my first trimester by a male (when I was deathly ill 24/7 for 7 weeks) that, "Well, pregnancy is really what you make of it." Ok, let me make you feel like you are going to die for 7 straight weeks of your life and then you tell me how joyous it is.  Soooo with that little rant being said, I found a few humorous pictures on line.  Honestly, it doesn't really hurt my feelings or upset me (which is good- I think my pregnant hormones just cause anger for the most part, ha.), but just makes me go into a tiny hormonal rage.  Thank goodness I have keep my responses as short and nice as possible, but warning- I still have that LONG 2 months to go.. so who knows what will happen! :)  Also, with all this being said- this does not mean that you have to tip-toe around what you say or comment how great we/I look constantly.

So please people, be nice to pregnant woman.  You would not walk up to a random person and be so blatantly rude (well, maybe you would), so don't think you have the right to speak whatever you want to someone because they are pregnant. Because I can tell you right now, we don't want nor need your opinion.

End of crazy pregnant lady post.

       

-

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my amazing, wonderful, fantastic, and every other mushy word, husband.  I don't like to post too many cheesy things about him because I know how annoying that can be..BUT it is his birthday, so maybe that makes today ok?  I would 100% consider myself beyond lucky to have gotten this man as my husband.  He is the hardest working person I know, whether it be at work, or on the million projects I have for him at home.  He always has to be doing something and actually enjoys (for the most part!) being busy.  I am sooo excited to see him become a daddy in just a few short months.  He is so sweet now with rubbing my belly and talking to "baby Til", that I can NOT wait to see him with her.  As tough as he likes to say he will be, I know this little girl will have him wrapped around her tiny little finger.  Cheers to my guy who not only deserves acknowledgement for how great he is on his own, but also for being able to put up with me and still love me as much as he does! :)

Happy 35th Birthday old man, I love you.. to the moon and back! :)

29 Weeks Bumpdate

Back to my fancy mirror pics. I know, I'm a slacker with good pictures.  The stripes is me last night after a jumbo work dinner, and then a quick snap this morning.

How far along:  29 weeks

Size of baby: Small cabbage- 17in, 2.9lbs

Gender:  Girl

Maternity clothes:  Same ole, same ole here.  I ordered a very cute (and free thanks to rewards, woo!) dress from Old Navy last week that I hope to wear at my shower here. Fingers crossed it fits and isn't too long since it's an above the knee, and I'm a shorty! 

Sleep:  Able to sleep because I am always so tired, just super uncomfortable.  There's no good way for me to lay without hurting.  At this point my hips and shoulders feel like they're breaking from laying on my sides so much- and I haven't even gained THAT much.  Happy thoughts for the next few weeks that they don't seriously break!! ha

Symptoms:  Sore, sore, sore! Big belly, can't bend over, tired, slow- basically I am 100! :)

Miss anything:  Definitely have been wanting a nice cocktail lately with this nice weather..

Movement:   Busy little lady.  She is now snug on my right side under my ribs.. ah, the danger zone.  Luckily they only feel bruised and not out of place.

Food cravings:  Still nothing here. I know, I must be weird.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:   More and more everyday!

Belly button in or out:   Still in there

Wedding rings on or off:  On

Mood: Happy, happy!

Best moment of this week:  I had my check up on Monday and found out she is now head down, yay! Hopefully she is cozy and will stay that way until delivery. Also, I had a good 6 month check up at my derm, no bad spots on this pale girl!! :)  And lastly, my insanely hardworking husband got the nursery furniture put together over the past few days (Hello 1,000 piece dresser- sheesh!).  The room is still scattered and completely not put together, BUT we are making our way to completion slowly but surely!!

Looking forward to:   Finishing up work (12 days!!!), my shower here, finishing a million home projects, and RELAXING!! :) :)

28 Weeks Bumpdate

I finally have a good bumpdate picture!!!! haha Thank you so much to my amazing photographer best friend, Lexie Merlino, for taking such incredible pictures of us.  She was generous to send me a few previews while she is working on them all. I am so excited to see all the great shots she got. I will share a few more at the bottom.

How far along:  28 weeks

Size of baby: Head of Cauliflower- 16in, 2.5lbs

Gender:  GIRL!!

Maternity clothes:  The same here.. almost all tops are, and then def "real" bottoms.  I can still wear my reg pj bottoms and shorts, I just tuck them down under my belly. :) 

Sleep:  Still uncomfortable with this big ole belly, and by night time my body is just so sore.  Once I am asleep though, I am OUT.  Not too many potty breaks lately.

Symptoms:  Very achey, tired ALL the time, big appetite, slow, growing growing growing!, and super thirsty!!

Miss anything:  Mainly the feeling of moving around freely. Everything is so hard and tiring now! ha And I get so out of breath.

Movement:   We still have a little busy bee in there. She is always flip-flopping or doing something.

Food cravings:  A basic Hershey's bar has been on the top of my list lately (so healthy, I know.) Also, still enjoying my cereal as my "first" breakfast haha

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope

Have you started to show yet:   More and more everyday.

Belly button in or out:   Still in pretty good. It's a lot shallower, but it's in there!

Wedding rings on or off:  On

Mood: Happy!! :) :)

Best moment of this week:  Gosh, SO many things. Going home, seeing everyone, my shower, our maternity pictures, etc.  We had a great, busy weekend back in MS.  It was so nice to finally see all my friends and family and get to celebrate Ms Tilly. Our shower was incredible and my wonderful friend, Amy, did such a great, great job.  I will definitely be making a post about my shower soon.  She is so talented and I am very grateful to have such a special friend. :)  I am so glad our little New Yorker, Sarah, was able to come in town as well.   I also heard some wonderful news from a few friends while in town that makes me so excited!!  Now back at work and into "normal" life.  After today only 18 more working days!! (but who's counting!) Hey, this mama is tired and ready for some me time.  Ok, more like do a million things for Tilly time, but same thing! :) 

Looking forward to:  So much- getting the nursery together (LONG way to go), finishing up some home projects, our doctor's appointment next Monday, finishing work, and our shower the end of the month. Lots and lots going on!

And here are a few previews of our shoot from Sunday! :)