oh by the way...

I've gained 13 pounds so far during this pregnancy. Let's do the math. For 2 weeks I wasn't technically pregnant so since falling pregnant, I've gained 0.93 pounds per week. At that rate, I'll gain 37 pounds during this pregnancy. But with the rate at which my hunger has increased, I'm predicting that number will be surpassed. 

But 37 pounds isn't freaking me out. My mom said my gram gained 50 when she was pregnant. And she smoked the whole time. So. Could someone bring me a snack? I'm starving. 

over the weekend

This weekend we went to Minnesota to stock up on maternity clothes and test drive strollers.  Important stuff, you know.  We also went to eat.  Pumpkin bars, rice and beans, nachos, BLTs, blueberry pancakes.  Yum.  Needless to say, baby went through a growth spurt.

Among the shopping and eating, there was also catching up with old friends and hanging out with family.  Plus a lot of relaxing.  To end the weekend, we got to have a midwife appointment today and heard the baby's heartbeat.  It was there!  Along with a few kicks and punches.  Plus I got to ask all my off the wall questions [freeze drying my placenta, deferring on the Hepatitis B vaccine, etc.]  My midwife did not look at me like I grew another head, she supported all of my decisions.  And that's why I prefer not to see medical doctors.

Pictures from the old iPhone:

Lady and Jasper trying to get along.  Not necessarily succeeding.  

Helping little brother sew a button back on his coat.

This is my beautiful friend Ashley cuddling my other beautiful friend Kelsey's beautiful daughter.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Kels.  But how cute is little baby Addilae?

She fell asleep like this after being burped.  I must have the magic touch.  

In 6 months it'll be one of my own!  

16 week bump picture.  It's there.  Those are maternity pants.  Oh the relief!  I had no idea how uncomfortable regular pants were until I put on maternity pants.

on when I almost fainted in the Gap.

"I loved being pregnant" they say

"The nausea goes away at the end of the first trimester and then you forget all about it" they say

"I never felt more beautiful than when I was pregnant" they say

What they don't say? They don't say the nausea actually is still going fairly strong at 16 weeks with no end on the horizon. And there's no "boundless energy" either.  So far I don't super love being pregnant. I  cried for an hour the other day because I didn't feel well, and I was hot, and dizzy, and my belly hurt, and justin accidentally packed my lunch instead of his, and well, hormones. 

And I still have raging pregnancy acne. So, so much for the feeling beautiful part. The only glow my skin emits is from the radiating red pimples on my chin and jawline. Cute. 

Plus! I almost fainted in Gap maternity today. Seriously? I was asking them if they had any Always Skinny Jeans in stock and then I got too hot. And the walls started closing in. And then I had to leave, mid skinny jean conversation I said "I'm sorry I'm overheating bye" and started ripping of my clothes and purse and flinging them at my mom. In the middle of Gap. While the employee was still talking to me. I'm still not sure what my deal was. I had a scarf on and the mall was warm and I guess it was lunch time and I guess I was thirsty. But seriously, I'm not top notch at being pregnant. 

We did do a bang up job, however, at maternity clothes shopping. And why on earth don't they make all jeans this comfy? No buttons digging into your belly is amazing. Plus who heard of buying 4 things from h&m on a whim without trying it on and having 3 of the items fit? Luck baby. Pure luck. Plus we got a delicious lunch out of all of it. So all in all it was a good day. And we may have found our car seat and stroller? I'm exhausted now. Good news, we get BLTs for dinner. 

Jasper Lawrence Jones needing a snug. He's a needy bugger. 

fall weekend

It was one of those weekends where we did just enough to not feel like it was a complete waste, but not so much that we felt like slaves to the weekend.  We got a coat of paint in the nursery, then ran out of paint.  I love it already.  White was definitely the right choice.

Friday was pedicures and BLTs for supper.  Baby wanted a BLT, so baby had 3 over the course of the weekend.  Saturday we grocery shopped, painted, made apple crisp, J mowed [hopefully for the last time of the year], then we went to a friend's house for the Iowa vs. Iowa State game.  It was not a pretty sight.  None of us really cared, though, because the 15 month old kept us entertained by splashing in the dog water and dancing.  She also demanded that I share my apple crisp with her.  Apparently mine was better than everyone else's?

Today we went to church where we got soaked in a down pour.  So we came home and made french onion soup.  Perfect for fall.  Now there's stuffing and a chicken waiting to be put in the oven and potatoes waiting to be boiled and mashed for the epitome of a fall dinner.  Plus some apple crisp to polish off.  Let it be known that I have had more than Justin.  But I think the baby made me do it.

To cap off the wonderfulness of this weekend, I seem to be over the morning sickness hump.  I even forgot to take my Zofran this morning and haven't needed it yet.  That's not saying that I'm completely done being nauseous.  But it's definitely becoming less constant.  Thanks be to GOD!

iPhone evidence of the weekend.  Also known as, I need to charge both of my real cameras.

Lady having a lie in on Friday morning.  Waking up is hard.

One of my glorious BLTs.  Seriously delicious.

Lady wanted the BLT.  But didn't want to beg from the floor, so she tried the beg-from-the-couch method.  

The bump and I in our ISU attire.  Apparently it isn't a lucky shirt.  Also, let it be known; my pants are not buttoned in this picture.

my cluttered life [makeup edition]

So one of my favorite bloggers [Natalie Holbrook of course] is doing a lilash giveaway and OH MY GOSH!  How great would it be to not have to lie to my husband about how much I spent on my eyelashes, so I'll bite.

She posted lovely pictures of all of these classy, organized medicine cabinets.  Medicine cabinets with lotions that cost 300$ and up per bottle.  The most expensive thing in my possession I blogged about here.  $35 dollar toner to clear up this horrible hormonal acne, which, UPDATE: I think is working.  A little?

I think the way I store my makeup says something about my maturity level.  Namely that I still keep it in a bag so I can pick up and go home from college on the weekend [which hasn't happened in a while].  Old habits die hard, I guess.

So here it goes.  The bane of my husband's existence, and the shame of my organized neat-freak of a mother. 

The makeup bag that spills over onto the lovely retro 70's counter:

Burt's Bees Chapstick, Bare Minerals Primer [makes your foundation and concealers go on like buttah], Shiseido color control makeup stick [also genius], and 14 tubes of mascara ranging from bare minerals, to boots, to mabelline [great lash classic], to Mary Kay.  Plus of course, belly butter and the DERMAdoctor litmus test toner.  Some extra contacts.  Revlon Eyelash Curler [I swear the plastic ones work better than metal].  And an old cup of tea from a rushed morning of getting ready.  

Then the awkward, 70's next-to-the-mirror-cabinet-that-i-leave-open-and-husband-smacks-his-face-into-in-the-dark.  Which apparently isn't funny.  Even though I laugh every time.

Paul Mitchell Round Trip curl cream which I swear by.  Mousse [which I don't swear by, as long as it isn't Dove brand then it's fine], Cetaphil for the winter, 2 Degree 48 hour protection deodorants which are NECESSARY this summer.  And 2 because somedays I want to smell cotton fresh and others I'd rather be linen fresh.  Then Vaseline for everything from removing heavy amounts of eye make-up, to chapped lips.  That stuff is gold.  Husband has his own Vaseline for lubing up his baseball glove because no thank you I don't want baseball glove grime in my Vaseline [that happened once.]

Crossing my fingers....#heynataliejeanlilashgiveaway