Books on Courtship

I've been asked what book{s} I read on courtship prior to entering into a relationship with my now husband. I wanted to respond to this question with a public post in case there are other women who are interested in knowing the names of a few books that speak to your heart from a Christian perspective.

The below book, Boundaries in Dating, was the book that I read at the same time that my church was teaching a series on courtship. The content within this book is so enlightening and definitely causes you, the reader, to gain a new perspective on why boundaries are vital to the courtship process. Some of the chapter titles include "Why Boundaries in Dating?", "Dating Won't Cure a Lonely Heart", "Too Much Too Fast", and "Set Appropriate Physical Limits". You can read excerpts from the book and reviews, as well as purchase the book, on Amazon here.

Many years before I met my husband I began reading books by Michelle McKinney Hammond. I was emotionally spent from relationships that God thankfully pulled me out of {I can't tell you how many times I have thanked Him for His covering}, and turned to the pages of Hammond's books for emotional and spiritual restoration. Hammond's books have a large emphasis on preparing yourself for your future mate, praying God's will for your future, learning to overcome heartache, discovering God's love when you feel alone, realizing the power of being a woman, etc. Michelle McKinney Hammond has so many wonderful books. Below are just three of the {probably thirty} books that I read of hers.

Sadly, when I moved to Georgia, my large shipment of boxes that held my books got "lost" in transit. But I will always remember how those books helped me through a season of my life when I needed those words of wisdom the most. Hammond definitely is in tune with her spiritual gift and God uses her as a vessel to reach many women who need to be reminded of what He has in store for them.

You can check this Amazon page to see all of the books written by Michelle McKinney Hammond.

Is It That Hard to Get Breakfast?

This weekend I was craving breakfast from McDonalds. My husband had plans to help a friend move and I wanted to go and get us some breakfast before we delved into our day. I looked at the time and it was 10:25 a.m. Eeek! I was cutting it real close since the usual cut-off time for breakfast is 10:30 a.m. {sometimes you can still get stuff around 10:45 a.m. but it's chancy}. I leaped out of bed, threw on some clothes, slid my feet into some flip flops and headed down the stairs and out the door like a mad woman. Who knew that a sausage and egg biscuit was that serious? My husband is always the one to make food runs these days so I really wanted to be the one to go and get breakfast for us that day.

When I hit the bottom of the stairs to open the door to the garage I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Nooo!! The clock was ticking and there was no time for a tinkle. I had to make it to McDonalds before they flipped the menu to lunch; I simply couldn't risk my breakfast order being denied. I got in my car and was on my way.

And then it starts to rain.

And then I get stuck behind a lady in a car who is in a right turning lane but decides that she wants to go straight, thereby preventing me from making my right turn and proceeding just one block to get into the McDonalds drive-thru. To make it worse, every light but ours was turning green. Yes, I was becoming impatient. And yes I said to myself, "oh my gosh; this lady is unbelievable" - even though she couldn't hear me.

What seemed like an eternity later, although it was just two minutes, I made my right-hand turn and...started to feel like I was going to vomit. This was happening now??!!?? I got in the McDonalds line and as I waited my turn, the vomiting sensation hit me like a ton of bricks. I reached into my purse for a zofran pill. I didn't have any on me {insert a big inhale and exhale}. I had forgotten to put some more in my purse after I used the last one while at my mom's house a few days prior.

The husband soon got a text message from me that read:
Good news: Got our breakfast
Bad news: I'm throwing up

I just wanted to get home. We only live about two miles from the McDonald's so I kept telling myself "keep it together; you can make it home". But nope. That didn't happen. While at a red light {that had just turned green} I opened the door, with my head out in the rain, and began to profusely vomit. How embarrassing! With cars behind me, I had to go through the left arrow light. I just couldn't sit there.

I was still terribly sick and knew I wasn't done vomiting. I happened to have a black tank top in my car and used it to...well...you know...finish. A family that was driving next to me kept starring at me; I suppose I was really a sight to see. I wanted to roll down my window and say, "I'm not some hung over chick; I'm pregnant and am having "one of those" mornings". I'm sure I was the topic of conversation in their car for at least the next few miles. Ha!

Who would have thought that a drive to McDonald's would turn into such an ordeal? Gotta say though...the sausage and egg biscuit was worth it!

Well....

After my doctor's appointment this morning, I went to my mom's house where I spent the entire day and evening. I couldn't wait to hop on the computer once I got there and do a post announcing what the ultrasound revealed {!} BUT because of a storm that hit, mom's internet was out {still is}. Bummer!

I just returned home and even though it's nearly midnight I couldn't leave you all hanging!

So what's the verdict??..........

I had an intuition that our little one was going to be a boy...up until about two weeks ago when I strongly began thinking I was carrying a little girl! We can't wait to meet our little cutie! As I previously shared, we have no names picked out for a little girl so the thoughts of girl names have now begun to swirl in my head!!

Now onto shopping!!

Just One More Day

Last night it took me forever to fall asleep. I had a little "mover and a shaker" in my tummy that kept me up. It takes me a while to get comfortable as it is - my back aches cause a lot of tossing and turning. Going into my sixth month of pregnancy, I think the time has come for me to purchase a pregnancy pillow.

I've recently noticed that I'm beginning to retain water. My engagement ring and wedding band are starting to fit tight; I believe the time is coming near when I won't be able to wear them anymore.

I decided to keep my Friday appointment so tomorrow is the big day when I have another ultrasound and we get to see how big our little one is getting...and most importantly, if all can be seen very clear, we will know if we are having a boy or a girl. We are all anticipating the news! At the time of writing this post, the poll that I uploaded reflects that there's a 50/50 tie as to whether you all think we are having a boy or a girl! Just one more day and we will know!!

20 Weeks Today - Whoo Hoo!

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant. Hello half-way point! Nice to finally meet ya. While although I'm halfway through my pregnancy, the 40 week mark still seems so far away. Probably because I literally found out I was pregnant within a week or so of conceiving. When I went to my first Doctor's appointment, the baby sac hadn't even formed yet! The Doctor told us that we were there at the earliest detection sign that a pregnancy was in the works. Aside from the blood work that confirmed I was pregnant, below is our "positive" pregnancy test that I took before that first visit to the Doctor! For some reason I waited a few hours to take a picture of it which is why the plus sign is a bit faint.

At 20 weeks, our baby is now the size of a cantaloupe! I've noticed that in the evenings, he or she becomes a little mover and a shaker!

According to The Bump: At 20 weeks, Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch. Interesting.

Long before my husband and I got married, I came across these precious ceramic "bibs" with the saying "Once a Child is Born so is a Grandmother". Although we were a long way away from becoming pregnant I purchased them for just the right time when I would need them...the day that we would tell our mothers that we were expecting. On Mothers Day they each opened a gift that was enclosed with one of these...

Our baby will be the first grandchild for both of our parents. Once we find out the sex of the baby I would like to tell them in a special way that they will be having a grandson or a granddaughter! I have some ideas that I've been mulling over : )

A New Craving!

I almost hopped on the computer {late} last night for no other reason than to share with you all what I was currently craving. But I figured it could wait 'til morning. I was perfectly snuggled and I just couldn't risk not finding that cozy spot again.

Anyhow...I was yearning for a visit to this restaurant...

To have a loaf {or three} of their yummy bread...

Lucky for me, there is a Macaroni Grill just a few blocks from my house. How sweet it is. I'll be calling mom up today to see if she wants to join me for a loaf and some lunch. It's probably best that I be forthright and inform mom {and the waiter} of my greediness upfront so that neither get the idea that the one loaf that they initially bring will be shared. That won't be happening. This pregnant woman will be eating that first loaf all on her own. Thank-you-very-much. And I'm certain I'll be asking for at least two loafs to-go.

Now, I've never attempted to make bread but I came across an imitation recipe for Macaroni Grill's Rosemary Bread and it got rave reviews {most say the recipe is even better than the restaurant's bread!}. If you're interested, you can find the recipe here.

Friday Can't Get Here Fast Enough

Last Friday night, my husband felt the baby kick in my tummy for the first time. It was such a sentimental experience. I've been feeling the baby's movements for a few weeks but the little kicks weren't yet strong enough for them to be felt by anyone else who placed their hand on my tummy. That's all changed now. And it's exciting to be able to share the experience.

As I previously posted, we go in on Friday for our 20 week ultrasound and to find out the sex of our baby. I actually called the Doctors office yesterday to see if I can move up the appointment. Friday seems so far away! They told me to call back on Wednesday and if not a lot of new patients have filled the Thursday slots we can be seen on Thursday {fingers crossed!}.

I've been asked if I will reveal the baby's gender once we find out. The answer is yes! I've also been asked if we have any names picked out. Well...yes and no. If it's a boy...yes, we have decided on what his name will be. If it's a girl...no, we have no names picked out.

Since becoming pregnant, I naturally gravitated towards boy’s clothes, boy bedding, etc. having a sense that our little one would be a boy. But you just never know. There's no real way to be certain until that ultrasound reveals what we will be blessed with. Although...

I came across an advertisement in a Fit Pregnancy magazine for an in-home gender prediction test where you get results in 10 minutes. Supposedly you can find out the sex of your baby as early as 10 weeks. Although it appears that many mothers have used this method to find out the gender of their baby, I was leery as to the accuracy so I didn't consider taking one. But if you're pregnant and all about wanting to take this test, you can read more info here.

Since putting up the "Wanna Guess What We're Having?!" poll {upper left side}, it's been fun checking in to see where the percentage is at as to whether we're having a boy or a girl. It's just a matter of days now...can't wait!

A Nice Date Night...at Lowes!

Friday night I was itching to get out of the house. After dinner at home we ventured to Lowe's and bought some beautiful light fixtures for our home. The entrance into our foyer now has a fancier fixture that matches the overall ambience of our interior decor. It looks very close to this one {kudos to my husband for the next day installation!}:

Our home is an open floor plan that has a very warm, cozy feel with a few of the rooms closely mirroring the colors below.

Our dining room has beautiful paneling that I want to accentuate by adding some color to the walls to make the space "pop". I really like the color on the below wall {a warm cinnamon hue}.

We still need to get a buffet for the dining area. I am on a mission to find one just the right size...and in search of a mirror just like the one below to place above the buffet. I saw it on another site in bronze and just love it.


We will also be changing out the dining room light fixture and will likely get one similar to this one...

We have a fairly large space off of our living room and kitchen. Our intention is to replicate the look below. We even purchased the exact chairs that you see here. Love 'em. But now with a baby on the way, this space will be shared with our little one - where the baby swing, highchair, and eventually a walker will go - this space has room for it all and those items can be tucked away {this space is already decorated - we just need a desk to complete the look!}.

Besides the nursery, our bedroom is my current project. I absolutely love the look and feel of the bedroom below and am all about recreating it {minus the chandelier; my husband won't go for it}.

We have a large sitting area in our master bedroom and we're both wanting two plush chairs {like the one below} to go in the space infront of the windows.

I love making our new house a "home". For a plethora of design ideas, visit Decor Pad, where I found all of the above photos {with the exception of the light fixtures which were taken from Lowes}.

Can't Wait to Find Out the Sex of Our Baby!

Just one more week and we will know if we will be blessed with a baby boy or girl. I can barely stand the wait. For fun kicks, I've uploaded a poll to the left where you can guess what you think we're having! Although you can't really "see anything" {if you know what I mean} from the last ultrasound picture that we received from the Doctor when the baby was 14 weeks and 2 days, our Doctor gave us a 75% guess {based on what the 3D machine was showing} that the baby is a ???

We believe that God gives you the child{ren} that you are meant to have so we would truly be excited whether it's a boy or girl. We just can't wait to know for sure what we're having!!

Pretty Labels

While browsing through Etsy this morning I came across these {cheap, and whimsical} sticker labels. These personalized/monogramed round labels can be used as goody bag stickers, thank you stickers, gift favor seals for any occasion, or go on your outgoing mail envelopes. Customize them how you want them!

48 labels for $6.50 {+$2 for shipping}.

Click here to visit the sellers Etsy page!

Mac and Cheese - Yummm!

Last night for dinner I cooked up some delicious baked bbq chicken, made mac and cheese from scratch, and steamed some broccoli {had to get those greens in!}.

The first time that I made macaroni and cheese was over two years ago. I really lucked out because my first attempt was a success! It was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I had found a recipe that I was certainly going to keep forever!! But then...I lost it. I scoured site after site {where I originally found it} with no success. I was so bummed. I've tried new recipes since but none compared to "my first".

And then last night...I found my original recipe!! And it tasted as good as we remembered it being.

For those of you looking for a yummy mac and cheese recipe, here you go:

PREP TIME: 25 Min

COOK TIME: 35 Min

READY IN: 1 Hr

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
9 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces cubed processed cheese food
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain well and return to cooking pot.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons butter; stir into the macaroni.
3. In a large bowl, combine the Muenster cheese, mild and sharp Cheddar cheeses, and Monterey Jack cheese; mix well.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Add the half and half, 1 1/2 cups of cheese mixture, cubed processed cheese food, and eggs to macaroni; mix together and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese mixture and 1 tablespoon of butter.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges; serve.

I made just a few modifications:

• I doubled the amount of cheese noted in the recipe
• I didn't bother with muenster cheese or cubed processed cheese
• Used 1 egg instead of 2
• Used 2 cups of half-and-half instead of 1 1/2
• Sprinkled bread crumbs on top before putting in oven!

ENJOY!!

Haircut Time

My hair has gotten so long. I am sooo ready to cut it. The heat in Atlanta, in August, is horrendous!! I can't wait until October rolls around.

I really like the hairstyles below, especially the first one.

Now I need to get recommendations to a good stylist!

P.S. - Not to worry...my locks will stay black. I won't be going blonde!

The Anticipation is Building

Before I got pregnant, my husband and I prayed in advance for my pregnancy that would "some day" be. We prayed that our baby would develop healthy, that I would feel wonderful while carrying, and that my labor and delivery would be smooth.

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I assumed that a woman simply becomes pregnant and then 9 months later, like magic, there's a precious baby to love. Nothing to it. I figured the process would be a fairly easy one {minus the delivery, which I just assumed would be the hardest part}. However, there is a whole lot of things that happen to a woman's body "in-between" that I never prepared for {could I have anyway?}. For me, it's been ongoing nausea and vomiting {still}, constipation, back aches, shortness of breath, car sickness, heart burn, dizziness, fatigue, odd dreams, disinterest in sex, 600 trips to the bathroom a day, migraines, blurry vision, nasal congestion, emotional changes, and the anticipation that comes from waiting for the results of each and every test that you take.

I'm sure I've left out some things. My body will soon remind me what they are.

Now I'm reading up on things that have yet to happen: lightening, braxton-hicks contractions, and the bloody show {all signs that labor is soon on its way}. I've also delved into reading up on birthing plans.

And while although all of the above are things that I never anticipated going through while being pregnant, I am doing it for our little baby who we can't wait to welcome into the world:

{Ultrasound picture at 14 weeks and 2 days}.

I'm now embracing all the sacrafices and discomforts that I am having to make for our little baby. Because of how immensely sick I have been throughout my pregnancy, I wasn't sure if I would ever reach a point where I would move past "tolerating" the changes to my body and become "excited" about the process. But I've reached that point. Thankfully. And while although I'm just shy of being 5 months pregnant and know that the third trimester will be quite a doozy in itself, it will mean that we are that much closer to finally seeing our miracle.

Sharing Some Thoughts on Christianity and Parenting

Yesterday was a great day! I woke up feeling good, had a bowl of oatmeal, and thought to myself, "I should get out of the house". So that's exactly what I did. I was out and about on my own for the first time in several months and it was so refreshing!!

My first stop was at a Christian bookstore. I haven't really consistently talked about my faith on my blog but my husband and I are Christians who have hearts for the things of God. The Lord has been so faithful to us {individually and as a couple} and His love, goodness, favor and mercy has truly carried us through trying times in our life. Every testimony that we have is one that speaks of God's unconditional love and while we haven't been able to find the meaning to some of the hardships that we endured, we know that God's purpose for them was intentional for we have grown greater in our spiritual lives as a result.

While our lives seem to be filled to capacity with so many things to do, we realize that it's {always} extremely important to remain connected to God and carve out time in our day to read His word, pray, praise, and be conscious about giving unto others. While we would like to say that we are always consistent with the above, we aren't {in fact, we have an abundant amount of newly purchased blankets in the trunk of our car that we intended to hand out to homeless people months ago}. But we know that God knows our hearts in wanting to be close to Him and fulfill the purpose(s) for which we were created for. Continuing to do all that we can individually, and as a couple, to keep God in the center of our lives, and household, is vitally important to us. And perhaps now even more than ever since we will soon have a baby and become parents.

I intentionally visited the Christian bookstore yesterday setting out to find a book from which I could read from daily to our unborn baby. I believe it's important to begin depositing scriptures into our baby even though the words that I am speaking obviously cannot be processed {although at this stage of my pregnancy, our baby can hear my voice}. I have noted on this blog before that I believe in the power of prayer and I know that my own mothers prayers have greatly covered me throughout my life. I found the below book yesterday and it was exactly the type of book that I wanted to begin reading {prayers for our child's faith, character, safety, relationships, and their future}. You can view the book on Amazon here, where you can also read excerpts from the book and read the 5 star reviews.

I also came across the cute book below and just had to buy it! A fun way to teach a little one about how God created each part of their body so that they can enjoy life and everything in it {"God placed on the beaches some shells and some sand, and He gave you five fingers and called it a hand!"}. You can view the book on Amazon here.

I also purchased a book for my husband and I to read {Leading Your Kids to Christ}. It's a 166 page booklet that covers topics such as "Recognizing your parental responsibilities, Seeing your child as God's gift to you, Putting God first in your family, Demonstrating parental love that reflects God's love, Watching for teachable moments, and Leading your child to Christ" - and so much more.

I'm actually looking forward to watching less television and begin diving into these books that feed my spirit and ultimately, when practiced, benefit my family.

Yay for a Great Weekend!

It was a fun, and productive, weekend around our house. Aside from the occasional short bouts of nausea, I was {thankfully} feeling well most of the weekend. It was so refreshing. I can't even remember when the last time was that I got through a Saturday and a Sunday without spending half of either day feeling horribly sick. Car rides aside, I enjoyed being out and about with my sweet husband - having breakfast together, taking in great lunches, shopping for home decor, grabbing some dessert from our favorite bakeries, renting some movies...overall, it was a fabulous weekend of being together...and I got a nice foot massage at the end of each day! Thanks honey!

Over the weekend, we also visited the gorgeous Italian restaurant {love the food there!} where I will be having my baby shower. The private room is absolutely beautiful and perfect! I began to browse for floral arrangements that would bring a pretty flair to the tables and I just love the arrangement, and the entire look, below.

photo credit: The Knot

My mom and I are so excited about planning the shower together! I will share more ideas along the way.

What's Been Happening

Happy Friday everyone!

Here's a little run-down on how things have been going on my end:

• As you can see from the pregnancy ticker above, I'm nearly half way through my pregnancy. So excited about that! This pregnancy continues to take such a toll on me as most of my days I'm nauseous, vomitting, and feeling really light-headed {got iron pills from the Dr.}. I can't believe I'm still experiencing these "morning sickness" symptoms approaching my fifth month. We just can't wait until our precious baby is here {and I can't wait until I'm back to my normal state!}.

• Last week when I visited the Dr. I took another screening test {that required blood work} to make sure the baby is developing healthy. When they told me it would take about a week until the results came back I wasn't sure how I would handle the wait. I can get pretty anxious - especially when it comes to something that has to do with our baby. So naturally I couldn't wait until hearing from the Dr.'s office...so I called them on Wednesday to see if my results were in. And they were! Everything came back normal and our baby is developing healthy. Praise God! We continue to cover our little one in prayer.

• Oh, the dreams that a pregnant woman has! Allow me to share one with you: After giving birth to our baby {it was a boy in the dream}, I forgot what we named our little one. In a panic, I called the hospital to find out the name that was on the birth certificate - and they told me that they couldn't give me that information over the phone. Lovely. I then packed up our newborn, drove to the medical center, and made my inquiry in person. They told me to take a seat in another room. After some time, a lady came in and looked at me and in a loud voice said "Seven". I was sitting there like, "huh??". She said, "You named your baby Seven". What??? I asked to see a copy of the birth certificate. There is no way we named our child Seven. Sure enough...there is was....but it was spelled "Sevin" {with an "i"}. I panicked, said there had to have been a mistake, and asked how the birth certificate could be rectified to reflect the name that we had planned on giving our son. And then...I woke up. How could my dream leave me hanging like that!?!? I needed to know if our child's name was changed from a number to an actual NAME. So not right.

• Within the past week, I have started to feel the baby move in my tummy! Such a weird, yet thrilling, feeling. Over the past several days, the movement has become more frequent and prominent but can't yet be felt when my hand is on the outside of my tummy. Hopefully in the next week or so my husband and mom can also feel the baby's kicks and movement and get to experience the joy with me!

• I continue to be grossed out by food commercials. I have to turn the channel otherwise I'll hurl. However, for the first time, in a long time, I managed to make dinner {and dessert} twice this week. It was all done and ready by the time my hubby got home from work. Although it was just twice, it was a BIG accomplishment for me. I pushed through my nausea and even managed to do some cleaning around the house {bonus points!}.

• Car rides...still can't handle them well. Although, I have discovered that if I'm the one driving, it's more tolerable.

• A few months back I was asked if my husband and I would be taking a "babymoon". I had no idea what that even was. For those of you who don't either, it's essentially a vacation that allows you and your partner some quality time before the baby arrives. Considering that we took an extravagant honeymoon to Prague and Vienna just in April, and want to travel to Italy either in late summer or early fall of next year, we will be skipping a babymoon {unless at some point we tap into our spontaneity and do a short weekend jaunt to the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, or return to our favorite place in Georgia...Savannah}.

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend!

Adorable Baby Nurseries

As I said in yesterday's {late evening} post, the room where we will have our nursery is currently bare. Things will begin going into full swing once we officially know the sex of our baby in two weeks. It will be fun to take a plain palette and transform it into a beautiful haven for our little one.

While it's common to associate the color blue with a boy, and pink for a girl, I'm going against the grain and plan to decorate the nursery with colors that are anything but the above. I've started to browse the internet for ideas and I came across some adorable nurseries that have some precious design elements that I took note of.

I love the soft hues of the below nursery. The hanging chandelier definitely adds to the darling decor. While chandeliers are certainly pretty, it's doubtful one will be in our baby's nursery.

These next two pictures showcase an elegant space that was created for one special little girl!

Two photos seen here

This space has some sweet {uncluttered} touches: a darling stork, a charming lamp, two baskets that hide diapers and baby toiletries, and a cute little frog.

Seen here

I think the colors below are so precious for a little girls room. Soft and feminine.

Seen here

Pink balanced out with black and white makes the below nursery oh-so-chic!

I love the look of the decor element attached to the ceiling with the draping down the sides of the crib but it won't be long before a baby learns how to "pull" on things!


What a fun combo of colors! What I love most in this picture is the framed silhouette images!

I like how the crib below is turned outward and wasn't placed flat against the wall. It's also unique to see the babies name in letters in another area of the room other than directly above the crib.


There's a little nook in the baby's room where an adorable little toy box will likely go!

The below room beautifully combines a crib and a bed in an elegantly decorated space.

Pictures seen here

Pregnancy

I used to love watching “A Baby Story” on TLC. But now…not so much. My remote control happened to land on that particular channel today and the woman who was in labor had refused an epidural and was screaming so violently through her contractions that I thought she was getting eaten alive by an unseen alligator that was at the end of the birthing bed. Either that or she was giving birth to a baby the size of a full-grown lion. I was totally frightened – and I wasn’t even in the delivery room!

Which leads me to say…epidural it is. While some women are adamant about a natural birth, I’m pretty certain that I’m not going to try to brave the excruciating pain and bypass the relief that will be available to me. I did consider a water birth at some point but I think I’ve steered away from it.

When I initially got pregnant I thought I would be the kind of expectant mother who would have a stack of pregnancy books on my nightstand wanting to know everything under the sun about what to expect while expecting. But I soon realized that there is so much information to take in that I think a woman can easily become overwhelmed with all the “what if’s” and “do’s and dont’s” {unless it is known that there is a health related problem with the baby, in which case any mother would want to be properly informed how to care for their little one}. In terms of a healthy progressing pregnancy, I fortunately am very in tune with my body and if something is feeling mildly abnormal to me, I go to my one book {which I researched as being the most highly rated before buying it} for answers and explanations.

Dare I proceed to say that it’s doubtful that I will even take lamaze classes. Call me naïve, but I think that my mind and my body will instinctually and naturally know to do when the time comes {if having a vaginal birth}. Perhaps I will change my mind – but I have the assurance of knowing that there will be qualified nurses and doctors among me who have done this a gazillion times before and know how lead a woman through her labor and delivery. Again, I may change my mind on this. Perhaps those of you who are mommies, or medical professionals in this field, can offer me your feedback.

Switching topics…

I’m 18 weeks pregnant and as of last weekend, I’ve started to feel the little “flutters” and “swooches” in my tummy! Last night the movement was even more noticeable. I’m expecting to feel the baby’s first kick any day now. While it’s undoubtedly going to be such an amazing thing to experience, it’s gonna freak me out. I just know it. Ha ha! But I can’t wait for my husband and my mom to be able to put their hand on my tummy and feel what I’m feeling. It will be such a special moment for them as well.

I think I’m reaching the point of needing a pregnancy pillow. Any suggestions as to which one I should buy? Right now I’m placing just a plain ‘ol king size pillow underneath my tummy as I sleep on my side. I came across the Cozy Cuddler on this site and it looks like a great {and comfy} total body pregnancy pillow {not to mention, it got great reviews and it's being sold at a great affordable price}.

I especially love how it transforms into this shape and can be used like the above picture once the baby arrives!

Vinyl Wall Decals

The room that our baby's nursery will be in is still bare. While the Dr. has given us a 75% guess as to what the sex of our baby is {and yes, we do want to know!}, we won't know for sure until my next Dr. appointment in a few weeks. Whether boy or girl, I love how vinyl wall decals can beautifully fancy up a nursery space and bring a cute, unique touch to the room.

All of the vinyl art below is from Single Stone Studios; their Etsy shop can be found here. They have a vast collection of modern vinyl wall decals and can even create custom orders, which is what I have in mind.

Check out these darling pieces that would fit in beautifully in a nursery/child's room:

They also have a collection of home decor vinyl pieces. Here are just a few:

With 4,187 sales and 100% positive feedback from 1,365 customers, I'm all about ordering something special for our little one's room from this Etsy seller!