Tuesday, April 19, 2011

1 Month from Today...

The date is April 19th, 2011. Exactly 1 month from today is our daughter's estimated arrival date. Whoa. I told Dan this last night and he looked like a deer in the headlights.

Dan: "We have to get ready!"
Me: "What do you mean, what do we have left to do?"
Dan: "We have to pack our hospital bag!"
Me: "Are you nervous?"
Dan: "You don't know me!" *stares down at food and refuses to make eye contact*

Haha. It's sweet to know he's excited and nervous just like I am. He's generally so poised that I can never tell what is going through his mind (though when I ask he always swears his mind is blank).

So, in honor of our only being 1 month away from having a baby, I'd like to share a few comments that you should never say to a pregnant stranger and the reasons behind them. Enjoy.


10 Things to avoid saying to a pregnant woman you've just met: 


1. "Wow, you're huge!" "You're about to pop aren't you?!" "Are you having more than one?" "When is your due date? *response* Oh, are you sure about that one?"
            Every woman's body is different. Some women barely look like they're showing when they're a week away from their due date. Other women start showing at 8 weeks! We already FEEL huge, there's really no reason to blatantly point it out to us. I mean, come on! Don't point out the obvious and then expect us to be genuinely nice in our response! (I do have to admit that I haven't made a single snide remark to anyone during my entire pregnancy. Even when given huge bug eyes when I told someone I still had 2 months to go. And she totally deserved it.)

2. "You're so tiny! Are you sure there's a baby in there!" 
            Well, this is one sure way to make a pregnant mom feel like she's not growing the baby properly. Here are some of the thoughts that run through a mom's head when she hears these words: "Have I been taking my prenatals?" "Is this baby going to be very small and have a lot of complications?" "Am I eating right?" "Is she growing at all?" "I need to call my OB right away and make sure that everything is fine!"
            While it might be a compliment to tell someone AFTER they've given birth that they look so small, it's never a compliment to tell a pregnant woman that.

3. "Do you plan to give birth the natural way?" 
            This is a very personal question! You may as well ask me about my financial status or how often my husband and I have sex! You have no idea about the person's past childbirth experiences or anything about their life in general. Not to mention that this question is typically followed by horrible birth stories. Which leads me to number 4.


4. "It hurt so bad! I ripped from end to end! And the recovery was horrible!" 
            First of all, most soon-to-be-moms are nervous about the labor experience. Sharing horror stories is not the best idea. If a friend of yours said that she was horrified of spiders, would you tell her a detailed account of how you were once covered in spiders and bit on every part of your body? Probably not.
            Second of all, just because you had a horrible birth experience doesn't mean that I will!

5. "Are you going to breastfeed?" 
            Again, how personal do you need to get with someone you've just met? I've heard stories of men asking women their plans on breastfeeding and being very taken aback when the women say no.
            Yes, breast milk and breastfeeding have a lot of advantages over formula, but again, you don't know anything about their past experiences, their fears, or their decision making process!

6. "Just you wait!" 
            This is probably the most annoying words one could ever speak to anybody! We hate it when our parents say that to us when we're little, "just you wait until you're an adult and have to make all these hard decisions for yourself! You'll thank me some day!" Why would we like it when we're adults and when it's coming from a stranger?
             Here are some typical situations that get this response:

Pregnant lady: *Yawn*
Random stranger: "Just you wait until that baby is born. You don't even know what it's like to be tired yet."

Seriously? I yawned. Am I not allowed to yawn until I've pushed a baby out? News alert to everyone in the world - unless you are a mother, you are hereby forbidden to yawn. Ever!

Pregnant lady: "I've been so busy lately."
Random stranger: "Just you wait! You'll be so busy once the baby is born you'll wish you could go back to being this lazy."

Again, seriously? Just because I've never had a baby I can't know what busy means? Not to mention, I didn't say I've been the most busy anyone in the world has ever been in their entire lives. I simply stated that I've been keeping busy.

Pregnant lady: *Purchasing a breast pump*
Random stranger: "Oh, honey, just you wait. You'll never even get a chance to use this! That kid will be attached to your boob 24/7."

I don't think that one needs an explanation.


7. "Wow, you sound like you've just ran a marathon!"
              I apologize that my lungs are half the size of what they used to be and that walking even slightly quicker than normal causes me to have to catch my breath. You try carrying around an extra 20 pounds in the front and having something squishing your insides. Sheesh.

8. "You shouldn't be drinking that, it's bad for your baby!" "Oh my goodness, I can't believe you would even dare eat that!" 
             It always amazes me when people think that there is one right solution for everything. (Okay, there are obvious things you should definitely not do while pregnant - like drugs or alcohol or having unprotected sex with strangers, but this is different). Let me just say that the worst thing I've had to eat or drink all pregnancy would be the very occasional root beer or diet coke. But, some women choose to eat and drink a lot more of the things that are on the pregnancy "no-no" list. Coffee, lunch meat, sushi, soft-serve ice cream, etc.
             Regardless, you wouldn't go up to a smoker and say, "You're killing yourself a little bit every single time you inhale." (Well, some people might...)


9. "You're having a boy! I can tell by the way you carry!" 
             Actually, it's a girl. But thank you for your infinite wisdom of my body type and the position in which my baby is laying. :)

10. This isn't a comment but an action: Touching a pregnant woman's belly without her permission. 
             I have been SO fortunate to not have this happen to me. But, if it did, I would be so tempted to reach out and rub their belly, too!
             I have been randomly touched by people I do know without warning and it totally startled me, so I can't even imagine if a stranger did this. Imagine walking down an aisle in the grocery store and feeling a hand on your belly that you know isn't yours. How would you react?

Most of these are totally kosher to say to people you know. But remember that if you make these comments to your friends all the time, they'll probably be just as annoyed as if it were a stranger saying them.

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I hope you've enjoyed my bitter explanations. I'm not speaking for all pregnant women, of course, as many are completely unfazed by any of these things. These are simply my opinions on the subject. :)

Until next time,
Amy

Monday, April 18, 2011

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag

Yesterday and today were... interesting. Yesterday, I didn't do anything. Well, that's not totally true. I cut out 2 pattern pieces for my purse (Woohoo!). Today, I went to Joann's to get fabric for my next couple of projects, finished cutting out the purse pattern, put together the entire purse, and cut out the pattern for my next project.

I'm pretty excited about my purse. I love the fabric and the colors. I really like the pattern. While most of the purse was easy to sew, I nearly threw something across the room when I got to the dip in the band. Holy smokes I hated that part so much! Luckily, it only took a few minutes to get through.

Also, this was the first time I've ever worked with interfacing. The pattern told me to fuse the interfacing to different pieces throughout the project, but I'm pretty sure I saved myself a lot of time by doing all of the pieces at once. 

Here's the final result:





My next 2 projects are Easter dresses for my nieces. I'm beyond excited to get started on those. Looks like I'll be up very early tomorrow and working all day. Off to bed. :)

Until next time,
Amy

P.S. Expect a "10 Things Not to Say to a Pregnant Woman" post tomorrow. Should be amusing, but I'm not known for my comedic writing. ;)

Friday, April 15, 2011

Spring is Here!

I love all of the seasons we get here in North Carolina. We had a beautiful Fall, a cold and somewhat white winter (which was wonderful), and now a colorful spring! These flowers just appeared on the bushes outside of our apartment building overnight. What a gorgeous pink!!




Recently, Dan and I have been receiving lots of lovely baby gifts in the mail. So, thank you to everyone who has been sending them!! (Of course you'll be receiving a formal Thank You card, also!)

We received a very special homemade gift today from my cousin, Anne. She recently became a grandmother (like 2 days ago! exciting!) and somehow still had time to write us a sweet card and send this beautiful hand knit baby blanket our way. I simply had to share, since this is a craft blog and all!




I'm in love! I know Autumn will love the softness of it and will use it for years to come! :)

I wasn't very productive in the sewing arena today. I was supposed to finish the boppy cover (which I did, actually) and cut out a whole bunch of material for stuffed toy blocks, a taggy blanket, and some crinkle toys. Instead I dreamed up my ideal house and sketched one part of it. Haha.

Here is the finished boppy cover. Like I said yesterday, I really really love the bird fabric! It's so cute! Let me just say that the sewing part of this pattern took maybe 45 minutes, but the stuffing of the pillow into the cover took 20!! I considered that my workout for the day. ;)





Until next time,
Amy

Thursday, April 14, 2011

35/35!

Today I made it to the 35/35 mark. Meaning: 35 weeks down, 35 days to go! I can't tell if time is flying or if it's going ridiculously slow. Part of me is thinking, "Hurry up already, I wanna meet my baby (and, you know, be done with being pregnant)!" and the other part is thinking, "Oh, holy crap, my life is about to be completely turned upside down and I am about to have a LIFE that is 100% dependent on my irresponsible self." It's really amazing how each of those thoughts run through my head, one after the other, all day, every day. Haha. I know, I know, I'll be completely fine when she gets here and my innate mothering skills will just appear out of nowhere. (RIGHT?!?!) But, what about my driving skills? Are those suddenly going to be so stellar that I will never get in an accident when she's in the car? Like, I'll suddenly have ninja reflexes that allow me to avoid danger that's completely out of my control? I mean, I've never been in an accident and I consider myself to be a pretty decent driver, but I'm going to be so on edge every time I get behind the wheel now! What about the little things that are totally going to slip my mind, like covering the outlets before she can stick her finger in them? That one I actually have a solution for, of course, but things like this keep making their way into the forefront of my mind and freaking me out! I hope I'm not one of those insanely crazed, psychotically overbearing moms who freaks out every time their child eats a tiny piece of dirt....(No offense, of course, to moms who are like that).

On another - related - note, anyone remember that song, "I'm too sexy"? Well, I've made up a new song that fits the way I feel at the moment. It's called, "I'm too fatty" and it goes a little like this:

I'm too fatty for my bed,
too fatty for my joints,
too fatty to walk.

Seriously, though. It's amazing what an extra 20 pounds will do to you when you're already overweight to begin with.

Here's my 35 week picture:


Enough with the pregnancy ramblings, now on to the crafting! I was quite busy these past 2 days.

Yesterday I took a trip to the fabric store, cut out everything to make my friend Emily's purse, a Boppy pillow, and a Boppy cover. Let me tell you, if you're ever looking into learning to sew, buy a good pair of scissors. They could cost you $20-40, but the time and pain they save you is so amazing! Seriously, scissors are the key.

Last night I sewed the Boppy pillow.




It's a little lumpy, but that's what I get for using Polyester Fiberfill since I couldn't find a better pillow stuffing. Oh well, it will serve its purpose. And, yes, that is my belly sticking out - I couldn't move it out of the way apparently.

Tomorrow I'll sew the Boppy cover out of these 2 adorable fabrics. I'm so excited. The bird print is one of my all-time favorites!!


Today, I spent about 6 hours completing Emily's purse. It went MUCH faster than the last purse since I knew what all the directions meant, I'd been through the process before, and I threw out some steps that seemed (and were) completely superfluous. It's the same purse that I made for Meredith. I just used a different fabric, obviously. She told me her favorite color is pink, so I got a cute, colorful canvas fabric that had 2 different shades of pink in it and then spiced it up on the inside with a bright pink lining. I really hope she likes it!





I only hope it looks as good on her as it does on Dan. :)

Until next time,
Amy

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I'm Married to a Quarter-Centurian!

Dan turned 25 yesterday. This past weekend his best friend, Brian, came to town as a surprise and we had a party. I had been planning Brian's surprise visit since January and didn't give Dan any clues whatsoever that anyone would be coming to town for his birthday. I've never kept a secret like that from him for so long before. Brian arrived Friday night with a quick knock on the door. Dan opened it, threw his hands in the air and yelled, "Brian!" Brian threw his hands in the air and yelled, "Dan!" and then they hugged. It was amazing. Haha. Dan said he knew that it was going to be Brian and he had just had a feeling for the past few days. He told me I didn't give him any hints at all, and that Brian and him must be psychically connected. They're goofy like that.

The next day I kicked them both out of the house so that I could get started setting up for the party. A big thank you to his parents for helping me get the food and decorations in order. It as a huge help!

Since it was his 25th birthday, I had 25 drink options and 25 food options. I made a menu for the drinks: 




 

For food we had: 5 different types of pizza, 5 veggies, 5 fruits, 3 chips, 1 dip, 5 candies, and cupcakes.

It's really unfair for pregnant women to make cupcakes. I love cupcake batter and of course I couldn't eat any of it. I was so sad that I couldn't eat this:


Here are the cupcakes when they've been frosted, followed by a picture of them with poker chips stuck in the frosting. Yes, that is Dan and me on the poker chips. His Uncle got those made for us in Vegas as a Christmas present one year. They're kind of awesome.



The party ended up looking like a Mexican fiesta, but it was supposed to be a "poker party". The colors were black, red, green, and white. Whatever, it's not like this was a professional party or anything. Here are some pictures Dan's dad took.

Brian, Dan, and Me

The party guests, missing Jared and Christina.

Being serenaded

We played Celebrity (only the most amazing game on the face of the planet) and hung out and talked for the majority of the party. People left around 10:30/11:00 and Dan, Brian, and I stayed up until 2:30 talking and hanging out. It was a lot of fun.

On Monday - Dan's actual birthday - we went to a place called Frankie's. It's like a mini-amusement park. They have mini-golf, go-carts, rides, an arcade, etc. We played an epic round of mini-golf in which Dan beat me by 1 point on the 18th hole with an awesome second putt.


Later we played skeeball.


 We went out to dinner later with his parents to a place called Ted's Montana Grill. They served bison. It was yum-o! :) 

I think Dan really enjoyed his last birthday before the baby is born. I know I did! Haha. 

Anyway - for one last set of pictures - here is the purse I made for my sister-in-law. I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out and she seemed like she really liked it (so that's awesome)! 





I used this Simplicity Pattern - Bag D. I hope you like it, too! 

Until next time,
Amy

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Haven't Done Much Recently

Over the last few days I've been sewing a couple purses - one for my sister-in-law and one for my friend, Emily. I'm not even 50% done, but it sure seems like I've been working on them forever! Hopefully by the end of this week they will be finished. Especially since Emily's is a birthday present and her birthday was over a week ago!

I have also been slowly working on the Cranes for Kids project. Each crane takes me about 10 minutes, so I've spent about 10 hours making 60 cranes. This picture only has 50, but I made 10 more today.


My goal is 150 cranes by April 25th (the deadline). Hopefully, I get there!

The other night, Dan and I made a unique homemade pizza. It had ricotta cheese, ground beef, onion, olives, mushrooms, as well as the typical tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. I guess it's not that unique, but I've never had ricotta or ground beef on red-sauced pizza before, so it was a new experience. Yum!


Before
After
Nothing too exciting has been happening. I have been to the chiropractor 4 times in the past week and I have 2 more appointments before Friday.

We went to the Midwife today and she said everything was looking great! She also said that at my last appointment and this appointment I was measuring 1.5 weeks ahead. Who knows what that means, since it's not that accurate of a measurement anyway, but it did give me a little bit of hope that we'll be meeting our daughter sooner rather than later. She also said she's in the head-down position - YAY!

Oh, and funny story about our appointment - my maternity pants have been digging into my skin when I sit down lately, so I unbuttoned them when we got into the exam room. The midwife saw this and said, "I think it's time for you to get some new pants, people are about to be able to see your cookies in these!" ... Cookies?!?!

Here's my 33 week bump. I'll be 34 weeks this Thursday.


And on another note... Dan is turning 25 next week. We're having a party this Saturday night for family. I'd give you more details, but in the (unlikely, but still possible) event that he actually reads this blog, I wouldn't want to spoil anything. I'll post pictures after the party.

Until I finish the purses or come up with something clever to say,
Amy