Mommy Measure Measuring My Milestones

I LOVE documenting things. I've especially loved documenting my pregnancy with weekly photos and journals.Another fun way to document things that I've recently discovered is the Mommy Measure. Have you seen this? It's an adorable little measuring tape that has space for your little journal markings. It's great for women who maybe don't like to write-journal a lot, but prefer to jot down little notes from time to time. Or in my case... For people who like to document in as MANY ways as possible!
Here's how I use it:

When something special comes up, like my baby shower, or the first time I feel Spawnie's hiccups (still waiting to notice that one) I measure my belly and mark that date with a heart sticker, and write how far along I am, and the occasion below it.
My handwriting's not the best, but I guess that's something I'll be able to prove to my little girl too when I show her this. I try to measure my stomach every-other week if I remember, or mark down "special days."

You can also use it after birth to measure your baby's growth his/her first year!

I got my Mommy Measure right as I found out Spawnie was a girl and looking back I wish I had marked that day down. At the time I was concerned about "messing it up" but now I think the more stickers the better!I'm going to keep using it though my last 8.5 weeks and mark the day I finally catch her kicking on video, the day I feel her first hiccups, and maybe I'll record a funny dream I have or something, as well as when contractions start. So lots to look forward to!

Then, on her delivery day, I'll write all of her stats on it, and it'll be a great keepsake for a scrapbook (if I get the courage to make one!).Here's a little more information about Mommy Measure:

"If you are looking for the perfect pregnancy gift, the Mommy Measure is it! Our unique patent pending pregnancy growth chart & journal make it easy to record your belly growth (Fundal height / belly circumference) and pregnancy milestones.

The Mommy Measure creates a unique timeline of your pregnancy journey and allows you to compare measurements and experiences of previous or future pregnancies.

The Mommy Measure can also be used to track your baby's first year of growth. Simply lay the Mommy Measure™ alongside your baby on a flat surface and mark their length and write special milestones.

With the Mommy Measure you will never forget the moments where it all started."

***Buy One!***

Another great thing about this is it's only $15. And it comes in gender neutral colors, like mine, as well as pink and blue! It's a great gift for expecting mama's!

You can find out more about them, deals and contests by Following @MommyMeasure on Twitter or by "Liking" Mommy Measure on Facebook.

***Win One!***

What do you think of Mommy Measure? Leave a comment letting me know to enter to win one! it comes with a permanent thin-point sharpie, the measuring tape, directions, and 24 heart-shaped stickers!

*For Extra Entries*

-Be(come) a follower of my blog
-Follow @MommyMeasure on Twitter and tweet about this contest including them in the tweet.
-"Like" Mommy Measure on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall telling them you came from here!

Contest Ends Tuesday May 4th at 11:59pm
Random.org will choose my winner. Good Luck!

**Thanks to Mommy Measure for sending me the item to try for this review and one for the giveaway. I was not paid for this review and opinions are my own!**

Making No Sew Curtains for Spawnie: What I'm Makin(g) Monday

I know it's SO LAME but I come close to tears when I talk about putting Spawnie's nursery together. Decorating a nursery for a little girl is quite honestly something I've dreamed of doing for SO LONG.I've never had a set sketch or layout decided but I've always known I'd want lots of PINK... And some other colors. Well, finding the swatches of the bedding I love, and adding that with other items in the room to match has been one of the most fun experiences of my life.

I was just telling a friend that I have NEVER decorated an entire room... Never had something on every wall, or enough curtains for all of the windows. I'm just not a very good decorator and my rooms have always been very plain. Even now my living room has basically four things hung up but there's SO MUCH blank space on the walls, I don't have any decorative pillows, I'm missing a curtain panel, and nothing really coordinates.

I've tried to make my living room look trendy but since we've moved so much it's been hard to keep up with.

With my Spawnie's nursery I've tried to turn over a new leaf. I already have something on almost all of the walls and I'm not stopping! It's also the first time I've had curtains AND valances, and guess what?... I MADE THEM MYSELF! Operation Nursery Makeover Part 5 (click that link to read 1-4)!And since my sewing machine is out of commission right now I did it WITHOUT sewing. I used this wonderful stuff right here! Iron-on adhesive. I got the extra-strength Heat n Bond and it works GREAT!

So for you ladies who don't have, or are intimidated by sewing machines this is a fast and cheap way to do it! Honestly the HARDEST part of this whole ordeal was picking fabric and getting it cut the right size. I brought fabric swatches to match with my bedding coming from Artistic Sensations and ended up ordering some of the same fabric online for the valance, but getting a pink at the store to match.I was LITERALLY in the fabric store walking round and round doing math in my head and near tears, ok I lied... IN tears trying to figure out how much I needed and why I kept calculating "6 yards."

Turns out I was converting inches to FEET and THINKING yards and got way thrown off.... Stupid Preggo Brain. My best advice is to ASK FOR HELP from the nice lady cutting your fabric. I told the lady at Hancock Fabrics I was making curtains and she asked me "want them to bunch?" then when I said "yea" she helped me cut the right length! I asked her to cut each one in half too so the sizes were pretty much set for each panel.

She also told me to pre-wash the fabric cause it can (and did) shrink. So I used our washer and dryer for the first time in about a year... I didn't even need my husband's help to do it! And I pre-shrunk the fabric!After that I ironed out all of the fabric and got to sewing... I mean, more ironing.

For three sides I folded over the edges by about 1/2 inch for a hem. Then at the fourth side (which would be placed at the top, that the curtain rod would go in) I folded over a hem, then folded again about an inch so there was room for the rod.I ironed each side down first to make a crease, then cut the iron stitch stuff to the same length of each side, placed it under the folded-over part, and ironed it shut!!

Repeat for each panel, place on the inner curtain rod and TADAA!!The valances were easier cause there was less fabric. I only bought 2 yards and I have lots left over that I'll use for a pillow. Same story, just different lengths... Mine are about 23 inches long.Put those on the outer curtain rod and TADAA!!So, what do you think?! And you are lucky cause I was gonna save these pics for a part of the nursery reveal but what the heck, I'm so excited I wanted to show it off!! The crib wasn't up in this picture though, and the room was a mess so seeing everything together will still be a surprise.

What did you make? Link up and share! I'm loving visiting your sites and getting more fun ideas! I'm visiting them all! Be sure to link back to "What I'm Makin(g) Monday" here to help spread the word!

Babymoon... To Take or Not to Take?

I'm trying spend time with my hubbs today since we've taken some time off together, but our plans to go out of town have been botched. We forgot we have a Lamaze class tonight! I'm debating if we should still try to do a one-day getaway or some kind of weekend away another time.

So my post today is over here, on my blog for Parenting Magazine's Project Pregnancy. I'm really hoping they'll keep me on after Spawnie is born so I'd LOVE it if you could leave a comment over there with your thoughts! Please and thank you!

Here's an excerpt:

59 days. That’s how much longer I have until my baby girl’s due date. Less than two months. In less than two months I will have the responsibility of taking care of a person for the rest of my life.

Last January we went on a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean. We went thinking that very well could be our last big trip before having out first child—Turns out that’s the case. We aren’t big travelers, and quite honestly, we’re pretty big homebodies. We’d much rather a night inside with pizza and movies than a night out on the town. Every now and then we try to force ourselves out because we know those outings will be sparse once we have a new baby around but we really just prefer each other’s company snuggling at home.

In preparing for welcoming a new person to our lives we’ve thought a little about a “last trip” before she arrives. A “Babymoon” if you will. We both requested three of the same days off this week so we could take a little trip to a nearby city. We—or rather I—had a few places in mind that we could tour, visit and dine at. But now that our three-day weekend together has come, we’re both finding ourselves rather comfortable with just having the quite time alone together..."

You can read the rest of the post here.

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Lucky duck and winner of Trading Phrases Wall Decal: Random.org says #11. Congrats Tara, email your info to babymakingmachine{at}gmail.com.

Hair Removal Before The BIG DAY!

I have yet to go to Brazil but I have had "a taste of Brazil" if you know what I mean (wink wink nudge nudge).

DISCLAIMER: Let's start with saying if you are ulrta-conservative, a member of my family or get bashful when you hear the words "Brazilian Wax" let's save both of us the embarrassment, reading this post probably isn't for you. I'm not a very private person. And I figured I'd give some words of wisdom for my lady friends who may be curious about the same thing.

If you've read my blog awhile and you're familiar with my post "To Brazil and Back" this will be very similar, but now, knowing that my lady parts will soon become a spectacle to many different people I have a different perspective on all of these techniques so I'm adding my "Preggo Commentary"

After watching some very graphic Youtube videos (why do I do this to myself, I don't know) and some even more graphic in my Lamaze class, I'm a little nervous, and I'm wondering what I can do to be a little less uneasy about that idea.

Besides my OB, and before that, my yearly visit to the GYNO no strange person gets to see my whooha. I'll admit, now that I'm pregnant, how things appear "down there" is one of the last things on my mind but as I get closer to D-Day that's starting to change.

We'll start with the problem: Hair. Sometimes ya just don't wait it in certain areas...
I've tried many different tactics to rid myself of the blasted stuff. Remember my birth control post? Well this is going to be a similar but a little less elaborate, oh and maybe more graphic.

I started to consider lazier hair removal but once I heard it was painful and that it's harder on people with dark skin, I put that idea on hold. Here are my other previous-pre-pregnancy attempts.

Shaving
/5

Pre- Pregnancy: If you're going to try it this way I only suggest you get a mirror, doing the balancing act in front of the bathroom mirror just won't cut it. Plus, you could get hurt! Trust me, slipping and sliding with a razor blade in your hand aimed at very important bodily organs is NOT a good idea.

The results: Nice for about a day then ya feel like a porcupine. A few days later... a porcupine with an itch. I give it /5 stars cause it can be worse.

Preggo: It's a totally different story when you've got a 7-month belly blocking your view of the mirror and everything else... I kind of chalk this up to being too dangerous to try.

Nair/Veet Stuff
.5 /5

Pre-pregnancy: I should have known this wasn't the best idea from the beginning. After spending 20 minutes down the hair removal isle trying to decide whether to get the sensitive skin or bikini.. Finally choosing some kind of sensitive (with aloe vera) I did everything wrong.

... The label says something like 3 minutes. To make sure it worked REALLY well I decided to add another 5--First bad idea.

...The label says to avoid certain sensitive areas and I tried but I just wanted it ALL gone so I gave into my internal temptations and just put it all over--Second bad idea.

...I waited another couple of minuets before really trying to take it all off (tripling the directed time), then got the water really hot-- Third and Fourth bad idea.

...I closed my legs--The WORST idea.

I knew something was wrong when I felt the burning. 'Jump in the tub' was my first though but the water was so hot I didn't know which was burning me more.

Let's just say the next 5-10 minuets of trying to get the stuff off was some of the worst pain I've ever experienced. Every swipe felt like I was peeling my skin off with an acidic rake.

Ladies, I know we're told to keep our legs closed but this is one instance you DON'T want to do it. Or better yet... don't put the stuff there!

I get it .5 stars /5 if you follow the directions.

Preggo: I'm not sure if it's even safe to use while pregnant since you're using all of those chemicals, plus the spell is UGH... it just can't be good. Plus, with my mistakes last time I'd be worried Id' screw up and Spawnie would come out bald.

Smooth Away (as seen on TV)
/5

If you've seen the infomercials for Smooth Away, don't be fooled! They show women softly caressing their legs, zoom in and show a silky smooth leg free from hair. They give you smaller pads to use in "the bikini" area. After trying it on my legs and realizing instead of turning my leg nice, shiny, and smooth it was just smooth and ashy. It also wasn't an easy "wipe on wipe off" motion it was more like "push down real hard and get a workout while trying to wipe the hair away." I seriously can skip an arm workout at the gym after smoothing my legs away. After testing on my legs I realized it doesn't get the hair as close as shaving does, and it makes the area you use it on real tender... I opted not to try it on my goodies.
/5 stars /5 stars for the workout you get while trying.

Preggo: Still not willing to try on my goodies, though I'm sure I should build up some pain tolerance before labor, I'm not sure I want to do it with that.

Waxing
/5

Pre-Pregnancy: Ok here we go, here's where it gets good. I had always been curious about getting a Brazilian wax. The fact that I have the lowest pain tolerance imaginable kept me from trying it for years. Two things made me brave enough to do it. 1. I found to one of my ultra conservative friends gets one regularly. Waaa? 'If SHE can do it, I can do it,' I thought. 2. It came up in a conversation with one of my girlfriends who had also never had a Brazilian and we decided to take the leap together! We sort of worked as each other's coach.

In preparation I did a lot of research. I came across a story about one woman taking a bite stick in with her. I wanted to do that--Anything that would help. I heard of No Scream Cream but not until after the fact. So I drugged up on ibuprofen and hoped for the best.

Having a friend with me gave me motivation to try not to scream... Or at least not first.

I had never had anything besides my eyebrows waxed before so I had no idea the surprise I was in for. Everyone I'd asked about it said it hurt a lot but said it was worth it. All I kept thinking was 'it had better be!'

The torturer esthetician was nice. She tried to make good conversation but really, all I wanted to do was focus on not screaming.
"Does anyone ever cry?" I asked her.
"Oh no, if you cried I'd feel really bad."

Great... Pressure.
"Well, I've never had anything waxed before. Nothing besides my eyebrows," I told her, hoping to get some sympathy-Permission to cry if need be.

I told her I almost brought a bite stick and she offered me a towel. Great! I'll take it. I shoved the towel in my mouth and braced myself for the unimaginable pain I knew would soon be bestowed upon me.

Now, I'm not sure why they do this but the scenario would go something like this:
"So what are you studying?" She'd ask me, probably trying to lighten the mood, although I was in no mood for talking. Besides, I had the towel in my mouth, remember?

I'd take the towel out, and begin to answer...
"Broadcast..... JOOOOOOOOUUUUURNALISM!!!!" Right as the first, and worst strip of hair was ripped away. Why did she do that? Couldn't she have at least waited for me to put the towel back in my mouth?

I could feel the tears start to form. I felt betrayed.

"Oh yea?" She'd say, and she's ask a series of follow up questions I'd try to answer as quickly as possible as not to be fooled again.

The whole process took about an hour... Yea, an hour of: Question, Ans-RIIIIP!!! wer!!!

I wasn't alone though, my friend said it wasn't easy for her either. After it all I felt accomplished, brave, and like I had achieved a new level of womanhood. I told them all it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but really... It was.

The good news: A month later it was still nice and silky smooth. I looked like a plucked chicken the first couple of days but after the tenderness went away I was LOVIN it! I felt lighter, nicer, cleaner and just better!

I went for a second round but nearly a year later (I tested out those other products in between) and decided/learned it's best to NOT shave between those. Good news though--It only took 15 minutes the last time! I went to a much better salon known for their 15-minute Brazilians.

In the end I recommend finding a GOOD salon for those. Do your research and don't pick some place just cause it's cheap. Take a bite stick or ask for a towel to keep from screaming and prepared to be tricked into answering questions right as they pull the trigger.

Preggo: I really don't know any other way that I can get rid of the stuff unless I have help. I mean, I can't see my TOES for heaven's sakes, much less my lady parts. I'll be dealing with some SERIOUS pain when baby girl is on her way out so maybe I should build up the tolerance now. You know... Like boot camp before the war.

It's a different kind of pain though, that's for sure, and while you're pregnant you're EXTRA sensitive in that area so I'm sure it will only hurt more... Way more. I may even cry. So I'm not sure if it's worth it. I'm also not sure if I'll want a mirror during labor now.

**Additional info for those who have asked**

A Brazilian way takes away ALL the hair I mean Everythang girl! A Playboy takes away everything but what they call a "landing strip" (don't ask me why they call it that) but I guess they leave a little section (which you can actually get designed like a heart or something if you're interested). And yea, you pretty much get totally naked. The first time I went they gave me wannabe panties and moved them from side to side and the second time the lady was like "You might as well take everything off cause I'm gonna see it all anyway." But hey, if you can deliver a baby you can do this, trust me!!

I give Brazilians a /5 because let's face it... It hurts. And the trickery, that's not cool.

For the ladies who have given birth before I'm sure a Brazillian wax would be like NOTHING, but maybe it's not really that big of a deal how ya look "down there." I mean, doctors have seen everything right?

Baby Girl... We've Made it to Month 8!

Dear LadyBug,

It's a little hard to believe, but we are now officially 8 months along. Every day I'm preparing for your arrival. Whether thinking about your birth day, organizing your room, or getting my rest now, it's all in preparation for you!

This week we made a milestone together... I felt your hiccups for the first time. I told your daddy to come feel them and he thought you were kicking. I told him I knew it was the hiccups because it was rhythmic and soft.

Some people say their baby's hiccups were uncomfortable but yours didn't bother me at all. In fact, I've felt them every day since and been so excited every time I feel them. I can feel what I think is your head jumping, and it feels lower than your feet so I think you're head down again! Or head sideways, I'm not sure. You really move a lot and I sometimes feel like you're just doing somersaults in there!

Every day I feel a little more anxious and way more excited about meeting you. There's so many little things I still want to get done, but mostly they're things I'm creating for myself to pass the time quicker before we meet.
I've also been thinking SO MUCH about the labor process lately that I'm starting to wonder if I'm over thinking it. The last thing I want to do is set myself up for disappointment and that take away from us meeting each other, but at the same time, I think knowledge is power, and your daddy and I will keep a good perspective on things, and we'll all be just fine.

I do sort of have a daily "to do" routine though. I listen to labor hypnosis and/or pregnancy affirmations in the morning while I also play a BabyPlus lesson for you. Then I try to write in my pregnancy journal as well. In the afternoon or evening after work I'll read some information in my Lamaze books about childbirth while you listen to another BabyPlus lesson, then your daddy and I practice the techniques we've learned in Lamaze class. It's crazy that it's so much stuff all leading up to just one day! It had better be good!

I am enjoying the fun stuff about preparing for that day. Making labor playlists, packing our hospital bag. I already have your "coming home" outfit packed, with matching socks and a hairbow!

I'm starting to get soooo much more tired, so exhausted, and walking really hurts my feet by the end of the night (they're swollen again). I still sleep really well though, partly cause I have a freaking awesome pregnancy pillow. I'm just getting up more to go to the bathroom.

I go to the doctor again on Tuesday and I'm excited to see if I'm still gaining weight. I'm sure I am because I feel bigger every day. You weigh about 3.75 pounds now and are gaining about half a pound a week right now, and you'll gain about a third of your total weight these next 7 weeks! You have toe nails, fingernails (which by the way according to that movie Juno, I thought you had at like six weeks) and hair! I hope you have lots of hair when you're born!Every day I think to myself and say to you dad: "Can you believe we're going to have a baby in a matter of WEEKS?" I don't think it's REALLY sunk in for either of us, but I know we're so excited or what's ahead.

Happy eight months my little princess, keep growing strong for us!

Love,

Mommy

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