My Baby Shower

My good friend (and small group leader) Missy threw me a wonderful baby shower, with food made and brought by her and my mother-in-law and my mom. It was so much fun! I loved being surrounded by friends and family and receiving such amazing wonderful gifts from such caring people for my baby.

There was so much food. My mother in law took all these pictures (I thought I'd have time to take some but I totally forgot so I'm so grateful to her!) I cut out all the people except for Brian and I because I am more and more aware of making sure I don't violate anyone's personal space by putting a picture of them on the internet.

We have to play a game where we had to diaper a "baby" in the dark. Aka blindfolded. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, although it did take awhile!

Success! (We both put the diaper on backwards...)

Opening things and imagining them on my squishy was delightful! I'm washing everything now and I can't wait to put it all away!

My baby shower was amazing. I loved every minute and ate three vegan cupcakes and a lot of popcorn. I am beyond blessed to have such wonderful amazing friends who care so much about me!

Third Trimester Essentials

I'm still using (and needing) everything I talked about in my second trimester essentials post. But I have added a few products to my life that help me out a ton as I traverse the third trimester.

Organic Apple Juice - I don't know if this is a thing, but this organic apple juice helps my acid reflex like woah. I don't like to eat tums because of the food coloring, and I gag if I try to down some apple cider vinegar no matter how much I dilute it (usually they say 1-2 tbsp in 2 cups of water). Apple juice works through. I would have no esophagus I'm sure if I didn't have this to drink. My baby better have a ton of hair because this is not fun.

Body Pillow - I love my C shaped body pillow. I'll be honest, I'm still sleeping really well, and I credit it two things-- one, this body pillow, and two, working out (power walking) in the evenings. Or perhaps I'm just lucky. But who knows. I bought mine off amazon and I sleep with it every night, and I won't give it up no matter how much space it takes up in the bed (sorry husband) (actually not sorry.)

Boob Creme - Okay, this isn't called boob cream. It's actual name is Shea Butter with Avocado Oil by Norwex, but since I exclusively put this on the ladies, I call it boob cream. I don't have any stretch marks on my belly--but half of my breasts look like a war zone. I still put coconut oil on them in the morning but now I'm putting this stuff on them as a night cream.

Probiotics - I feel like talk about my lack of a stellar digestive system a bit to much. But it's true, many women become constipated during pregnancy. I got this probiotic approved by my midwife and it's helping. A lot.

So besides my ever-loving affair with leggings, not much else has changed in the third trimester. What things got you through these last three months?

32 Weeks

I'm starting to get excited guys! Every day that comes is one more day closer to meeting my son. Also, I don't feel afraid or anxious anymore about birth! I feel calm. It's wonderful, and refreshing. I am so uncomfortable through. Instead of this bothering me it actually makes me thrilled because it means birth is getting closer. I feel pressure in my hips and pelvic bones and walking isn't that fun anymore (I'm a turtle) but it means my body is getting ready to expunge a human. Yay!

I've gotten a lot done around the house. I feel ready and prepared. I think this alone has helped with the anxiety I was feeling in the first and second trimesters. The only other thing I want to do is stockpile some freezer meals! (any suggestions?)

The only annoying thing is how everyone (and I mean almost everyone) I meet or run into and yes even random strangers feel the need to tell me how huge I am. Yesterday it happened three times. Once at a Japanese restaurant, the lady behind the cash register told me I was huge and cautioned me not to eat to much, and then she launched into the lecture about how I shouldn't shower every day, because showering in pregnancy makes babies grow. (She was Asian, is this a Asian superstition?) The next lady to comment on my budding baby belly was a cleaning lady at the YMCA. When I getting dressed (and she was mopping) she commented on my hugeness and then proceeded to yell at my behind how I should be giving birth next week as I waddled to the pool. (By the way, the pool is AMAZING when you are growing a human. Talk about taking a load off your back. I never want to leave. And I hate swimming...) I didn't stop to tell her that I was due in July. Goodness knows what she would have said to that.

I'm getting tired of it. I'm growing a human. He's kinda taking up a lot of space. It is necessary. Also, I really don't feel that huge. Who knows? My doctor says Reuben (yes we picked a name. we drew straws. I may not 100% enjoy the name Reuben, but it isn't terrible. His middle name will be Alexander) is in the 80th percentile but still--I'm measuring right on track for bump growth. I try not to let it bother me, but really, why is that all most people say when they first see me? Wow, your huge! Why not congrats, or is it a boy? My belly must shock people.

And I've still never been touched without asking. The thing I thought would happen. I've just been ogled and told how large I am. Bah.

So, yeah. 32 weeks. I'm almost there. I bet he will be a tiny baby and everyone will be wrong. Serves them right, haha.

Reacting to Old Selfies

I don't know about you, but I love taking pictures of myself. Ever since I received a camera (as a birthday gift right before my senior year of high school) I have been, well, turning the camera around and attempting to...capture myself.

 I don't think the word selfie was invented when I received my gift in 2005, but, whatever. I still loved taking pictures of everything from gardens to my own face. Mostly my own face.

Here are some...interesting ones that I dug up. And then promptly deleted, because why?

1) Okay, so I remember taking this picture (somewhere in 2007) and sending it to my boyfriend. Apparently I thought I looked hot. 

2) I have no idea what I was doing here. But look, my old car!

3) Clearly, still no idea what I am doing. But wow, I must have really thought something of myself.

 4) Nothing says "third time's the charm" like a cheesy 90's smile. These were taken in 2007.

5) I found this next gem on my macbook photobooth app. It's from 2008. I remember taking it in class and sending it to my boyfriend (a different boyfriend at this point) to show him how bored I was in class.

Also, this used to be my favorite hat. I have no idea what happened to it.

6) Clearly the hair fairy really blessed me. Dear lord, I don't remember having that much hair.

7) What am I wearing? And why? I have no idea.

8) I believe this was one of my first (and only) attempts to wear "eyeliner". The world can thank me later.

So, I want to see you guys react to your old selfies too. Most importantly, Belle and Rachel! (Rachel it is totally okay to cheat and use Angel's old pictures if you don't have any. For some reason he strikes me as more of the selfie taker anyway).

Flower Bunting Tutorial

I wanted something cute and colorful to brighten up my room, so I decided to make a flower bunting to hang above the guest bed in my room.

Crochet Terms Used
Magic loop (magic circle method)
Sc - single crochet
Dc - double crochet
tr - triple crochet
ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch

You will Need
1) 50 yards of each color. I made 7 flowers and used about 300 yards.
2) 4.0mm crochet hook (G) my hook says 4.25, but the internet tells me this is the same size
3) Worsted weight yarn. Mine is a cotton/acrylic blend.

Tutorial: 

Using the magic loop, do 15 single crochet into the ring. Pull tight, then sl st into the 1st sc.

R1: Ch 3. *sk 1 st, sc, dc in same place you just sc, ch1, repeat from * around join with a sl st in 2nd ch of ch 3.

R2: Join new color to a ch 1 space on flower (anywhere is good). Work a sc, dc, trc, dc, sc in each ch 1 loop. Should make 8 petals. Sl st into the first sc.

R3: Work behind. *Ch 4, sl st between the sc of each flower. Repeat from * around until end, sl st into first ch4

R4: Do a sc, dc, 2tr, dc, sc in each ch 4 space around (makes 8 petals) sl st into first sc.

R5: Working from behind, ch 4, sl st behind each petal just like R3.

R6: Work a sc, dc, 3 trc, dc, sc in each ch 4 space around. (8 petals) sl st into first sc, fasten off.

Make 5-8 flowers (depending on how many you want) and join them all with a crochet ch and sl sts! I ch 20 times between each flower, but you might want more/less space.

You can see all steps in the video tutorial here, because I know text can be a little confusing!

Baby Turban

I've been on a crochet baby-hat binge lately, can you tell? This crochet hat is made out of worsted weight yarn and a 4.0mm hook. I love the turban style and I think it looks adorable!

Check out the PDF here, or the video tutorial here. I love making patterns--and I hope to be able to keep it up after my own little baby comes in July.

My Birth Plan

Before I share my birth plan with you guys, I want to go over two things. One, every woman's birth plan is different. Don't judge! I've tried to make decisions that I feel are best for me and my baby. The second thing I want to say is that I know birth plans are guidelines at best. Things can go wrong. Things can change. This is just me preparing as best I can. I mean, I hope things go favorably for me--but anything can happen. It's birth. It's my body, doing the best it can. Because of this, you will see that I wrote both a vaginal birth and a c-section birth plan.

 Important information:

1)     Patient has an extreme fear of needles.

2)     We would like to attempt as natural a birth as possible

3)     Please inform both Mother (Carolynn Markey) and Father (Brian Markey) of all procedures before administering

When Laboring

1)     Only necessary hospital medical personal please.

2)     Would like Father (Brian Markey) and grandmother and Doula to be present and allowed in birthing room.

3)     Prefer to avoid routine IV, no hep-lock

4)     Please no pain medication unless requested

5)     No epidural

6)     Would like ability to move around in room, and use birthing ball.

7)     Intermittent fetal monitoring

At Delivery

1)     Prefer to wait for the urge to push and wish to push in whatever position feels most comfortable

2)     Would like to avoid episiotomy

3)     Warm oil and compresses for perineum

After Birth

1)     Delayed cord clamping, until it stops pulsating

2)     Would like to naturally deliver placenta

3)     Wish to breastfeed baby immediately, no pacifier for baby

4)     Wait for newborn procedures until after first feeding

5)     No erythromycin eye drops

6)     No Hep-B shot

7)     Oral vitamin K to be given to baby, no vit K shot

8)     No Circumcision for male baby, Baby to room with mom.

9)     Do not rub vernix off, I will rub it into skin

In case of Mother’s death/unresponsive state or emergency hospitalization

1)     Father has formula to feed baby. Please let him use what we have picked out, no generic formula

2)     Baby to stay with Father (Brian Markey) or grandmother at all times.

So that, above is my individual natural birth plan. You can view/download a word document of my birth plan here to see the c-section portion that I hope and pray I don't have to use. What about you? Did you use a birth plan and how did it go? I'm trying not to expect much, and I'm praying a lot!

Large Pouch

I made another noodlehead pouch, but this one for large projects like shawls. My friend Beth gifted me this fabric and I've had it for awhile mulling over what to do with it. It's perfect for this bag! This is the second bag I've made (first is here) and I learned a lot! For one, I close up the gap in the bottom with glue now. It makes a totally invisible seam.

I also made one of these for my blogging friend Kristin as well (my third one) that I gave her when I met her at a yarn event. I'll post pictures of that one as it is made out of cute organic fabric that I fell in love with.

I plan on making more. These things are so useful. And I'm getting the hang of it!

A Two Week Meal Plan for 2

As I said in a previous blog post, I've been meal planning! I love meal planning and knowing what I am making every day helps me not panic when dinner time hits. It also helps me not make the same thing every week. I decided to start posting my meal plans on the blog! For this dinner plan, I cooked a bunch of gluten free recipes I either know from my head or found on pinterest (with some gluten options included for my gluten-loving husband). If you click on the recipe it will take you to the person's blog I got it from!

Week One

1. Baked chicken, frozen veggies, & sweet potatoes
2. Chicken Salad with paleo wraps, frozen veggies
3. Tomato Basil Parm Soup
4. Leftover tomato basil parm soup with grilled cheese on the side for the husband
5. Paleo sloppy joes served on sweet potatoes
6. Chinese Chicken + veggies + rice
7. leftover sloppy joes

Week Two

1. Paleo pizza pie layer casserole
2. leftover pizza pie casserole
3. Chicken fajitas with paleo wraps
4. hamburgers and steamed cauliflour
5. Chicken curry + rice
6. leftover chicken curry and rice
7. BBQ chicken wraps with frozen veggies

I paid about $150 in groceries for these two weeks of meal plans. I buy everything organic that I possibly can (some exceptions: bananas, avocados, and bread) so this might be more expensive than what most people typically spend in a two week period. But it works for us. Since I buy organic meat, $60 alone went to the meat I purchased.

If you want to download this two week meal plan (includes all recipes for each day as well as a printable grocery list) you can click here! Let me know if you like it, and if you would like to see more meal plans like this on my blog. I've slightly modified the two recipes from paleo newbie and beauty and the foodie that are linked above but the actual recipes are linked in the downloadable pdf as well.

Happy cooking!

Oatmeal Glove Knitting Tutorial

I wanted to make a pattern that would work well with variegated yarn. This all started when Kristin posted her mountain mitts, and I fell in love with the yarn supplier she used, Fairy Tale Knits. I'm not a big fan of fingering weight yarn (the kind Kristin used) because it can be so time consuming to knit due to the small needle size required. So I bought some thicker worsted weight to make these gloves. I was picturing something chunky, not just a straight knit glove pattern--something with an interesting tactile presence that show off the colors in this amazing purple silk/wool yarn blend and not muddy them together with a difficult stitch pattern. So many patterns don't work well with variegated yarn due to the stitches getting lost in the colors or vice-versa.

So I made up my own pattern that uses contrasting rows of knits and purls to show off the lovely yarn while also creating some cool textures! You can check out the downloadable PDF pattern on Raverly or Youtube, or hit play below. 


Happy knitting!

Hilarous Third Trimester Adventures

Besides the time (okay, times, now) that I peed on myself at the beginning of the third trimester I assumed the worst was over. I was wrong.

Last week everything hurt. When I say everything, I mean everything. My back. My belly. My legs. I pulled a muscle in my shoulder that still to this day is giving me pain (going to the chiropractor...) I was just overall miserable and also crabby towards my husband, of course. It comes with the miserable category. He, of course, is usually a good sport and rubs my back and brings me ice packs and heated rice thingies to lay on. He hasn't even complained all that much about the smell of lavender that permeates the bedroom with it's soothing (yet cloying, to husband) scent. 

Little man is getting so big and I'm so excited to meet him. I mean, all the struggles I am going through I'd probably still go through even if he wasn't currently sitting on my bladder and playing drums all over my uterus, but perhaps of a different sort. I'd probably be complaining about weight loss and the inability to get pregnant if he wasn't there, or perhaps pain from my neck or something (old accident that flairs up sometimes). It's all priorities, people. Right now I'm living something different through.

Everyone struggles. However, I was convinced that if I had to go through the next 10 weeks in pain like last week I wouldn't make it. I cried on my husband from the pain. I know he doesn't like to see me in pain--and I find it annoying that he can't do anything to help me. I mean, I know he can't do anything. But for some reason I expect magic. (anyone else like this? Pain frustrates me!)

This week is better through, thank goodness. We had an ultrasound, and I no longer have marginal placenta previa! Yay! I am good to go for a vaginal delivery, as my placenta is now 7 cm away from my cervix. This was great news. I was all preparing for bad news that it took awhile to sink in, through. No more scheduled c-section at this point unless something else goes awry. I feel blessed. Now if only my shoulder would stop hurting.

 

Another thing. Sex in the third trimester is no joke, people. Okay, maybe it is a joke. It's fun...but it is the most awkward and hilarious marital sex I've had. It requires both tact and an open mind from both partners. I've never laughed so much during sex before! It's still fun, of course...it's just interesting. My husband has an amazing sense of humor and I am so thankful for it at this time. He knows just the right thing to say at the wrong time. Hahaha. Ahem. Third trimester sex is not easy.

Only 10 more weeks until I will be able to hold my baby! I'm excited for him to stop kicking my insides. He can kick the outsides all he wants. I'm sure he will still wake me up in the middle of the night, but hopefully I can stop peeing on myself on a weekly occasion. And we still have to pick out a name!

Eating, Lately

I don't know if people who follow my blog also follow my YouTube channel, but if you've noticed I've started posting a lot of my videos on my blog. At first I wanted to keep things separate so people that followed both my videos and my writing were not annoyed by seeing the same thing every day. But I am having a hard time keeping up with writing blogs and making videos, and thus I am going to be posting my videos on my blog from now on.

Last week I filmed all my lunches (well, four of them). Guys, I love food. I was so tired of hating it in my first trimester--it's so nice to be back to enjoying the idea of cooking and eating food!

I've been experimenting with meal planning as well. I'm trying to make two week meals and besides buying lettuce and fresh veggie toppings weekly (I eat a salad almost every day) I want to get into the habit of doing a big shopping trip only once every two weeks. So far it's been working. We've been doing it for 2 months now and I love it! Also, I write down each meal plan so I can revisit them in the future. It's really nice to know what I am making every day so I don't have to panic and search frantically through my cupboards. Does anyone else meal plan? I originally became interested in it after reading my friend's blog, "bam". She posts her meal plans every so often.

Watching this video may make you hungry. Just be warned. Thinking about food makes me hungry, but I'm growing a human so I have a free pass to salivate at the thought of rice noodles. Plus, this is food I eat all the time!


What did you eat this week?

Pink Baby Hat

I started this hat around the time I found out I was expecting, and hoping for a girl. Now I'm having a boy, and this hat will have to be saved for a friend or for my next (don't want to think about that right now) baby. I love the cute bobbles and the adorable pink scallops!

This hat was based on another baby hat I made for a friend. I don't think I'll be making any more hats, baby or otherwise, out of fingering weight yarn! That took forever.

I'm trying to finish up all my WIP's before my baby comes...only 6 more WIP's to go. I'm trying not to start any more projects either...wish me luck!