4 Weeks

So this morning, just to verify, I took another test...

Yup, still preggo!  :D

This time Erik was with me to watch the results "develop."  I think two tests confirms that in fact, we are going to have a baby!  We decided to celebrate with brunch at Weaver St. Market, followed by a family photo session together.  I would be lying if I said I haven't been dreaming of finally being able to take the "belly photos" that everyone does with their first pregnancy.  According to my calculations, I am around 4 weeks and 3 days pregnant, so of course I am not even close to showing yet but we decided to do some photos of me as more of a "before bump."

The B family... for now!

4 weeks

4 weeks.  I have always had a little "roundness" to my belly but I blame any extra puffiness on the hormonal bloating and large brunch I had just consumed..

4 weeks

belly love ♥

even though we can't see it yet, something is growing inside  :)

4 week facts:

• At 4 weeks the baby is about as big as a poppyseed and is now classified as an embryo 

• The brain, spinal cord, heart, and gastrointestinal tract begin to form

• The amniotic sac and fluid are forming into protective cushioning for the baby

poppyseeds!

me + poppyseeds

Symptoms that I am currently having are very large and sore boobies, bloating, hungry more often, and a weird sharp pain in my right lower abdomen/pelvic area that is starting to concern me a little.  From what I have read online it seems to be normal in most cases.  I am trying not to worry about it but I will surely go to the doctors if it becomes severe.  In the next week or so I will be calling to make my first appointment with the midwife, as well as schedule a tour of the Birthing Center that we have actually been trying to make it to for the last couple of months. Very excited for all that!

 After we took the photos together we headed back to Weaver St. and picked up some gluten-free vegan treats from a vegan bake sale they were having outside on the lawn.  (Have I ever mentioned how much I love Carrboro?!)

All vegan, all gluten-free.  Good thing the "4 week" photos were taken before these went in my belly  ;)

Pig face on cupcake!

Chocolate espresso pecan brownie

Gooey chocolate-covered smore... amazingness!

And finally...

We decided this morning how we will announce the pregnancy to our families.  Since we will be visiting my parents at their new house in Tennessee in just two weeks, we have decided to make the big announcement to our immediate families that weekend.  Originally I wanted to wait a little longer (just to be safe) but I think it will be perfect timing being Mother's Day weekend and all.  Plus I am dying to let this cat out of the bag!  I don't know how people keep this kind of secret for any length of time...

To tell Erik's parents, we are going to frame the photo below, mail it to them, and have them open it while on the phone with us.  It is going to be disguised as a Mother's day gift so they certainly won't expect to find this photo when they open it!

To tell my parents, I think we are going to do something a little different...  Have not decided yet.  More on that later!

I plan to do weekly updates from here on out, hopefully every Sunday.  I started this blog as a way to document our pregnancy journey, the growing belly, and other things that happen in our life during this time. I look forward to sharing the next nine months of this journey with y'all!

This Day.

This day was suppose to go like this:

Wake up.

Eat breakfast.

Yard sales.

Walk Lucy.

Grocery shop.

Go for long run.

Plant tomato plants.

Do laundry.

Clean house.

Make dinner.

Spend evening with Erik.

Sleep.

Instead...  I decided to start my day with a pregnancy test.  And this happened:

I AM PREGNANT!!!

Even as I type these words I can't really believe it.  I was seriously 80-90% positive that I did NOT get pregnant this month.  In fact, for the last week and a half I have been experiencing the worst PMS ever.  It started only a few days after I believe I was ovulating so I figured there was no way that I was having pregnancy signs already.  Plus is was all my usual PMS symptoms (x 10): starving ALL the time, irritable at times, chocolate cravings, bloating, and the most noticeable one of all - my breasts are ginormous and super sore.  For the past week I have been telling Erik that they just keep getting bigger and bigger, and that this must be a really bad "cycle" for my symptoms to be so severe.  Little did I know, it was not at all what I thought it was!

So anyway, the main reason I even decided to take the test in the first place was that Erik is leaving on Monday for a week in New Mexico, and if I was pregnant, I didn't want to find out while he was gone.  I took the test very early this morning right when I got up.  Erik was outside with a friend loading up his car for a bike race today, and they were just about to leave.  He had already came in to the bedroom and kissed me good-bye and I didn't think I would see him again until late this evening.  I was still half asleep when the pink lines started developing, and after I realized there were two, I stood there in shock for at least a minute.  Fortunately Erik came back in the house to pick up something he forgot, and I immediately yelled for him to come upstairs for a minute.  I held up the test (with trembling hands) as he walked into the bathroom, and he was like "you're pregnant?!"  I said something like "I think so, read this test and tell me what you think!"  We both couldn't believe it, and just stood there hugging (and lets admit it - me crying!)  Sadly, he pretty much had to leave after I told him since his friend was waiting outside (which I made him promise not to tell) so we will have to celebrate this happy news together later tonight.

I know it is still very early but I am beyond excited and can't believe this is happening.  After we didn't get pregnant the first month I sort of got it in my head that it was going to take a while.  But just one month later, and here we are with two pink lines!  :D

As far as my previously scheduled activities for today, I pretty much threw that agenda out the window.  I did manage to make it to a few yard sales this morning, and this time didn't feel silly at all buying baby stuff - ha!  I did score some awesome deals today (more on that in a later post) and am slowly trying to tackle the rest of my "chores" for the day.  But given the exciting news (which is ALL I can think about) I have found myself online reading all about how big the baby is right now (poppyseed!), calculating my due date (1-3-13!), what to expect in the next few weeks (morning sickness and more breast tenderness - yay!), and trying to figure out if it is safe for me to go for that long run I had planned for today (YES thankfully it is!)

The rest of my list is just going to have to wait until another day...

Cats of two kinds

One of my most recent projects is this little guy, Amineko the cat:

I came across the pattern on Ravelry a few weeks ago and fell in love with him immediately.  There is actually a book about this cat, found here:  Hello My Name is Amineko: The Story of a Crafty Crochet Cat

Fortunately the artist also has the pattern for free online if you don't want to buy the book.  Pattern here:  Amineko

The pattern took longer than I expected since I kept working on other side craft projects, but I am so happy with the end result!

Even though it is warm and springtime here in NC I made him a colorful scarf so he is ready for cold weather at anytime. I also thought he needed a toy to play with so I made a mini-Amineko, which actually kind of looked like a bear with a cat-tail when I was done. Oh well… He is sporting a pretty cute sweater if you ask me!

I used dried chick peas in his hands, feet, and bottom which gives them weight and helps make him so "pose-able." Since he will one day be loved and kissed by a child, I was afraid of the chocking hazard the beans presented so I used scrap fabric to sew up tiny little “pouches” for the beans to go into before I put them in Amineko.

I used organic cotton yarn which is grown and spun without the use of pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals.  Being cotton it should last a long time and refrain from stretching out and changing shape like synthetic yarns tend to do.

The hardest part of the whole project (which overall was actually very easy to make) was his darn face! I did his mouth/nose THREE times before I was satisfied. I am glad I kept re-doing it though, I love how it turned out.

 Speaking of cats, Erik has some news of recent that has to do with a cat of another kind.  He recently upgraded to a CAT 1 cyclist, which is the highest category you can be classified in without being pro.  I guess all those long hours on the bike are really paying off!

Congrats on your upgrade Erik!!

5k

Yesterday I accomplished something that I have always been meaning to do... I ran my first 5k!  I have been running (on and off) since high school, but never for anything more than exercise and stress-relief.  Lucy and I run/jog 2.5-3 miles usually five days per week so I have considered that my "training."  I only timed myself a couple of times but knew they were not really accurate since I was always with Lucy who needs no less than four potty breaks during longer runs, not to mention the times we need to say hello to other dogs or try and catch the squirrels.  I was told recently that I should be able to run the race in under 30 min so that is what I set my goal at.  I was thrilled to cross the finish line and see 27:27 on the clock! 

Official stats:

Place:  44th out of 179 runners

Div Place:  6th out of 18 runners in my division

Race time: 27:29

Pace: 8:51

The race was held at Briar Chapel, a "green" housing community south of Chapel Hill.  The course was a mix of rolling hills and what seemed like a good number of turns.  The area is beautiful and the weather was in the high 60's - perfect for running.  I do my daily runs in a neighborhood nearby that has some pretty big hills which most definitely helped my training.  My usual route has over 200 ft of climbing so the small hills on the race course were actually not very difficult at all.  I held a steady pace throughout the race (including the hills) and found myself actually passing people on the uphill.  That had to be my favorite part of the whole race  :)

One reason that I choose this 5k was that it benefited an organization called The Abundance Foundation, which aims to educate the public on sustainability topics, specifically: local food, renewable energy, water quality, and conservation.  Naturally I gravitated towards a race that helped out such an important cause.

Beginning of the race, it's pretty easy to find me in my bright pink top:

Smiling at the beginning of the race.  The smile quickly faded though as I got into "the zone"

Halfway point.  Fortunately Erik was there on his bike so he was able to quickly zoom around and get lots of pictures of me at various points of the course.

The course had markers at miles #1 and #2.  For some reason I didn't see the second mile marker so when I got close to the end and Erik yelled "almost done" I was like "but I haven't passed mile #2 yet!"

Crossing the finish line!

I thought after I ran a 5k it would be something I would cross off my list of things to do in life, and that would be that.  Instead I found myself online last night researching upcoming 5 and 10k races in the area.  Can't wait to do it again!

Not likely...

Erik e-mailed me from work today with a picture of the diaper bag he thinks we will be needing when we have a baby.  It looks like this:

He also mentioned that it would be for our son, "Thor" (pronounced "tor.")

I can assure you neither of the above are going to happen.  Sorry babe!

The fact that my husband is e-mailing me from work about diaper bags and baby names (even if he is only joking around) is enough to put a big smile on my face and melt my heart a little...

Tuesday Tacos

Want a really easy vegan-friendly dinner to make during weeknights?  I give you:

Tuesday Tacos!

Ingredients:

12 corn tortilla shells (hard or soft)

black beans - 2 cans or equivalent

fresh or frozen corn - aprox 2 cups

2-3 cloves chopped garlic 

small can of green chiles

Daiya cheese (optional)

 refried beans - 2 cans 

1 large onion

taco seasoning 

guacamole

1.)  Start by sauteing onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes in a little bit of cooking oil.  When starting to brown,    add in black beans, corn, chiles and taco seasoning (I used just 1/2 packet, use the whole thing if you like it spicy!)  Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

2.)  Put refried beans into small pot over low heat to warm up while main ingredients cook.

3.)  Prepare guacamole if you choose to.  I made my own by mashing up 2 ripe avocados, 1 tbsp chopped cilantro, 2 green onions, 1 clove minced garlic, lime juice, and salt.

Trader Joes has great Taco shells made with organic corn, and their Refried Pintos are the BEST around.

4.)  Warm taco shells in oven for 3-4 minutes.  By this time your main ingredients should be hot and ready.

5.)  Assemble tacos by putting down a layer of refried beans, bean/corn/onion taco filling, salsa, and top with guacamole.  If you are using the Daiya cheese put it between the bean layers so it starts to warm and melt a bit.

I am not one to really eat a lot of mock meats/cheeses, but Daiya is seriously good stuff.  The mozzarella is our absolute favorite.  I recommend heating it to the point of melting for the best flavor.  It makes an amazing pizza topping too!

6.)  Enjoy your delicious quick and easy Tuesday Tacos!

I love to eat my tacos open faced so I can really load up the fillings!  Plus I can put on as much guac as humanly possible  ;)

 Not only are these tacos vegan, but they are gluten-free and soy-free too.  Lots of protein, healthy fats, and veggies.  The whole dinner can came together in under 30 minutes (even less if you can talk the hubby into helping out like I did!)  Plus there is enough for leftovers for at least one or two more nights.

Enjoy!

Thrifty baby: take 1

It is no secret that I am quite the thrifty shopper.  I rarely buy anything unless it is on sale, clearance, or a fantastic deal.  I get far more excited than I should from scoring an inexpensive new treasure while yard sale-ing.  In fact, most of my favorite things in our house are thrifted items.  Well-loved (and well-made) vintage pieces are so much cooler to me than the stuff you can buy in stores today.  That being said, we did just spend a ridiculous amount on new custom-made living room furniture, because there are some things I just won't buy used (and we wanted to put our tax return to good use - ha!)  Rule #1 when buying secondhand - must be washable.  Couches, mattresses, rugs are excluded from my thrift shopping since I can't thoroughly sanitize the items.  Anything made from hard materials (such as wood or metal) or that can be put in a washing machine are fair game.

So it will probably no come as a surprise to anyone when I say that I want 95% of our baby stuff to come to us secondhand.  Yes this will save money of course, but even more important are the environmental benefits.  Think of how many babies are born each year, and all of the "stuff" each of these tiny little humans will go through in their first year alone.  If every one of these babies had all new stuff, think of all the CRAP that would go to a landfill after the baby used it for a couple months then outgrew it.  We already have a major trash storage problem in this country, the last thing I want to do is contribute more than I absolutely need to.  So sorry to disappoint you, we will not be creating that mile-long registry list at babies-r-us.  Can I register at local yard sales?  ;)

Since it is now mid-April, "yard sale season" is now really getting into full swing.  Even months and months ago before we even started trying for a baby, I knew we would be sometime in the next year, and this "season" would be the time to be shopping for baby stuff (and boy am I happy that time is finally here!)  There are some crazy good deals out there to be had... People with little ones seem fully ready to part with their no-longer-needed items, and will practically give the stuff away to avoid having to bring in back in their houses.  I will say that I am quite picky with what I will actually buy for baby.  It has to be in very good to like-new condition, and be fully washable.  I will save those more "well-loved" items at the sale for someone not as picky as me!

So after reading all that, aren't you excited to see what I have found already?  :D

 Books:

Pregnancy books: two were free, $0.25 - $0.50 each for others.  Skinny Bitch book was only bought because it was written by those two vegan girls, and it has already been passed on to someone else as I didn't care much for it...  A couple of these are a little dated (which explains their price tag of free) but still have some useful information.

  

Clothes:

 Every clothing item is in like-new condition and was only $0.50 each.
 

Ducks... So in love with these!!

Super soft blanket - only $1!  And two more outfits...

Cloth Diapers:

Some of you might find it strange to buy cloth diapers at a yard sale.  Trust me, when I thought about this I knew I was going to have to set my standards even higher than usual.  I actually planned on buying these new if I didn't find any that matched my expectations.  Fortunately I did - and at one of the first sales of the season!  These are in nearly-new condition with no stains and hardly any signs of wear.  I have always known that we would cloth diaper our babies, and I also know how expensive they are...  This brand Kushies is normally $12-$15 per diaper depending on where you buy them.  Are you ready for this?  I bought all 13 of them... For a whopping $10!!  Score.  Even if we don't love this brand (I plan on picking up several different brands to see which we like best) they can function as back-ups.
 

There are 6 diapers that fit babies 4-10lbs and 7 diapers that fit babies 10-22lbs.  If our baby is anything like Erik was at birth (over 10lbs!) we won't be using the smaller ones at all.  Seriously though, I hope we will!  :o

The first thing I do when I bring home new (used) baby stuff is wash it in hot water and dry thoroughly.

These are "all in one" diapers meaning there is no removable liner.  I don't know really the pros or cons of these but from the reviews I read people really seem to like them.  And see - clean and perfect condition inside!!

Bottles:

I came across these bottles (brand new in box) this past weekend at a church sale that had TONS of baby stuff.  I do plan to breast feed, but these will be good for the times that I am away and someone else will be feeding the baby my pumped milk.  I knew when I saw them that they were kinda fancy and not your typical cheap-o bottle.  Price check on Amazon: $13.49 currently with a list price of $25.  I bought these (never used) for only $3.

Blocks:

When I saw these at a sale yesterday they immediately reminded me of the old-school blocks I had as a young child.  Solid wood with a vintagy-feel, even though they actually came from Pottery Barn.  When I brought them home I used a magic-eraser to remove some crayon marks from a couple of the blocks (came off super easy) and then washed them all in a sink of hot soapy water.  Then once dry I proceeded to play with them on the kitchen table for a little bit, haha...  These will be super cute nursery decorations plus a really neat toy when the baby is older!  Pottery Barn sells them new for $54 (unbelievable I know,) I paid $3 for the whole set.  Niiiiice.
 

Savings breakdown:

Estimated cost to buy all items new:  (Average $12 per book, $10 per clothing item, $13 for blanket, $13 per diaper, $14 for bottles, $54 for blocks) = $360

I paid = $20.50

That is like buying everything for 94% off.

Good deal?  I think so.  Can't wait to do it all again next weekend!

Crochet Pillow Ball

I came across this sweet little crocheted pillow ball recently on Pinterest and knew right when I saw it that I would soon have my own (homemade) version.

Crochet Pillow Ball by lacasadecoto on etsy

I liked the traditional granny squares that this little pillow had, but thought it might be cuter to find something a little more fancy.  I came across this pattern in my search for the perfect square, and fell in love with it immediately...

Here is how I made my version of the granny square pillow ball:

First I made six squares following the above pattern.  I then single crocheted them all together, leaving one unattached on three sides so I could put the stuffing in.  These six squares essentially formed a cube, but figured if I stuffed it firmly it would make more of a round shape. 

Because this pattern makes squares with fairly decent sized holes, I decided to make a "liner" for the ball to keep the stuffing from coming out.  As well, I didn't want the stuffing to be visible through the holes.  I made the liner out of scrap off-white flannel fabric.  I didn't follow any kind of pattern really, just tried to make something in the shape of the "cube."

As you can see, the inside "liner" ended up being significantly larger than the granny squares.  I was trying to make it slightly larger knowing that the grannies would stretch, but I think I went a bit overboard.  Like I said though, I didn't follow a pattern, just made it up as I went along...

I had to really stretch the squares, but I finally made it fit!  I sewed up the edges, and just like that had my own crocheted pillow ball!

Total cost of project:  Well, free since I used yarn/fabric/stuffing I already had on hand.  Materials probably cost around $4 or less.  Compared to the one on Etsy for $30 + shipping I would say I did pretty good!  The yarn that I used is one of my favorites - Lions Brand Cotton-Ease.

Although it turned out a bit larger than I had originally thought it would (about the size of a large cantaloupe) I still think it will make an awesome nursery decoration on a shelf or chair.  I love it and am so happy with how it turned out!

Happy hooking y'all!  ;)