Card Making, Round 1

Point to me!

Before I get too far into this post, I'll forewarn you all that there will be a few posts today. The first about cards, and the second about my outfit for the shower tomorrow. I have sort of an idea of what I want to wear, but I'm definitely struggling with accessories and shoes...so need some help in deciding the look

Now...onto the cards!

First and foremost, I have to thank Cousin S for lending me her stamps...they certainly came in handy for my first set of baby shower thank-you cards.

I decided to split them up into three batches. Each batch will have a vertical and horizontal design, but the concept behind them all will stay consistent. (Who knew that making cards was such a science! lol)

All of my supplies...and yes the Hershey Kisses are essential to card making...

Stamping is done! Oh gosh...am I really doing this!?

And here we have it! The finished set of cards for Baby Shower #1!

Oh, My Belly!

First and foremost, I'm sure that the weather isn't helping matters at all. It's been raining here for the past two and a half days....straight...and there's no end in sight. The Weather Network actually has flurries forecasted for overnight tonight and tomorrow. WHAT?! It's April!

When I say that I don't think the weather has been helping, I mean that I don't think it's been helping my body feel great. I went for a massage yesterday (thank God for my bff!! She has magical hands I swear!) and I felt awesome afterward. My hands didn't fall asleep last night, my shoulders felt super relaxed and my back felt alot of relief. Before I got there though, I noticed that my belly felt...weird.

Weird as in heavy. I felt like I had to hold it up for some reason? Everytime I would walk around the house, it was either a sudden urge to run to the bathroom or I would instantly get tired. Another growth spurt for Bug, perhaps? I hope so, and I certainly hope that it passes. His movements are also getting really strong, so everytime he rolls over or squirms, I feel it all over my belly and all through my back.

Deep down, I know that this likely isn't going to change, and it's likely just going to get more uncomfortable from here on in. Hopefully, I get used to it and find a way to cope! By the time I got home from my massage yesterday, all I wanted to do was veg out and relax. No yoga for me yesterday and it was definitely early to bed.

Today, I'm hoping it's a different story and will be doing my yoga shortly. Afterwards, I usually feel fantastic so I'm hoping that it helps my body get a little more energy and feel a little more normal than it has felt last night and this morning.

Energy would be a good thing today...I have thank-you cards and chocolates to make!

EDIT: I'm feeling SO much better after yoga! The whole routine is focused on creating more space in your toros...something that I can certainly use with my petite frame!

The Eyes Have It

The other day, a lovely soon-to-be-mommy from The Bump posted a website that can help you figure out what the odds of your baby having blue, green or brown eyes will be.

http://museum.thetech.org/ugenetics/eyeCalc/eyecalculator.html

It was really interesting to take, and the results were pretty much what I was expecting.

10.0% chance of blue eyes - fairly rare, however C's mom has baby blues, as does his brother and my brother

23.3% chance of green eyes - again, pretty rare, but we would absolutely be thrilled if Bug has green eyes...like his Daddy!

66.6% chance of big brown eyes - he's going to be a Momma's boy for sure!

Those eyes that we will very soon be falling in love with have their pigment now, and by the end of the week he should have a full(ish) head of hair. My fingers are still crossed for blonde curls, but we shall see! He's still trying to pack on the pounds, and will gain about a third of his body weight between now and when he's born. For every 1lb I gain, half goes to e and half to Bug. I can live with that considering I've only gained a total of 6 lbs! He's certainly taking up alot of space right now, and we can see him squirming and rolling over all of the time.

It's crazy to think that we're only 5 weeks away fro being considered full term. 5 Weeks...5. This could happen at any moment! I'm starting to feel really tired from the simplest of tasks (I actually had to take a couple of bench-breaks yesterday while shopping!) and I'm getting a little anxious about becoming a mom. Not about the practical, everyday duties like diapering and feeding or the emotional side of it, but more the "how many layers do I dress him in today?" and "is it better to do this or to do that?" I know that it will come with experience, but there's a tiny bit of anxiousness in my tummy when I think about the little things.


And here's your "Bare Belly Ahead!" warning!

31wk1d...off to do yoga and then get a prenatal massage



From the front...I think my belly button might pop out soon!

Happy 31 Weeks!

What a way to celebrate completing Week 31...Maternity Leave! While I realize that it's only been one day so far, I thought that I would get restless right away and be bored out of my skull. Happily, I'm not bored yet and have lots of things to get accomplished this week before my first baby shower on Saturday!

First, I have hostess gifts for the wonderful ladies who are hosting showers for me that I need to figure out. I have everything done for the one hostess - the mother of a 3 year old bouncing boy who definitely deserves some pampering (Bath and Body Works, anyone??). The hostess for this weekend's shower I have one thing left to get to complete her gift, and I'm really excited to give it to her because I think that she will really love it.

The other two hostesses are proving to be much more difficult to buy for, but I'm determined to find them the perfect gift today in my adventures! One just renovated a really beautiful home, complete with a rooftop patio that I'm sure they will get loads of enjoyment out of this summer. Perhaps something funky for up there is in order, which means a trip to Homesense! The other hostess is an avid gardener, and I remember C's mom saying that she loves peonies...so perhaps something like a beautiful hydrangea or azalea, or maybe an orchid for indoors?

Today is a perfect shopping day as the weather leaves something to be desired! Having worked in a mall setting while in University, rainy days were always the best because no one wanted to venture out of their homes for some reason. You'd think that it's be perfect for shopping because...well...what else are you going to do when the weather is not-so-nice?

I also have to make the thank-you cards this week and make the seashell chocolate favours for the bridal shower that I'm throwing later in the month for my friend. Another great rainy day activity, if you ask me! I started the chocolates last night, but only have the one mold so it's going to take me a little bit of time to get them all finished. Twenty-five guests, three chocolates each and the mold only has 11 cavities!

And then there are the pampering appointments that I have for myself this week! Tomorrow, I' going for a prenatal massage and I couldn't be more excited for it. Thankfully, my best friend (who is also Bug's Godmomma) is an RMT, and I'll be going to her clinic for my massage. Then, we're doing lunch afterward!

Friday, I get to go and see the wonderful, magical and incredibly talented April - my hairstylist! I always love going to her and letting her play with colour and texture. I probably won't stray too far from my regular dark-dark brown with red peak-a-boo's, but I've been finding that the red fades rather quickly these days, so perhaps something with a darker undertone is in order. Either way, I know that she'll do a fabulous job and that y hair will look perfect for the shower on Saturday!

I Have an Awesome Cousin!

Yesterday was quite possibly one of the best days yet, and to top it all off, we got to spend it with family for brunch of Easter Sunday.

I have to brag for a minute. Some of you may have seen comments from someone named "The Kerr Family"...well...that's my cousin, S, and I must say...she is absolutely awesome. Her mom was coming into town (well...my mom's town) to visit Nana Wilson and brought with her a huge bag of 0-12month old baby boy clothes that my cousin was going to donate away.

It was like Christmas at the Szem household last evening when I laid everything out of the couch and held up some of the cutest sweaters and sleepers I've seen in a long time! C was giving me the blank stares, nods and "yes dear...that's lovely", and I think I may have heard him giggle once or twice when I would squeal in delight over sneakers and overalls.



All of our picks, piled up by size. 12 month (including his first swim trunks! Woohoo!), 6-12 month, 3-6 month and 0-3month/newborn.



LOVE the blue First Steps to the right, and the black high tops!



My favourites of the bunch...the overalls are just awesome, the snowman sweater is going to be perfect for this Christmas (wow...this Christmas...not next Christmas!), the Old Navy onesie/jumpsuit will be great for the fall, and the MOO shirt...well how can you NOT love that?!



Did I mention that I'm in love with these clothes? How cute is the onesie with the ducks that say QUACK! on it!?

Today, I'd like to send a very, very big thank you to my cousin S for sending us really great hand-me-down's that are not only super cute, but are also in really great condition! It definitely helps to have things like this to save money for other things like our stroller and car seat, high chair and pack-n-play....you know...the gear.

THANK YOU, Cousin S! You're awesome!

Happy GREAT Friday!

It's not just Good Friday...it's GREAT Friday today! It's C's birthday!!

In honour of that, I've changed the playlist to a few of our favourite Classic Rock songs...and by a few, there are a lot!

This afternoon, we're off to his first softball game of the season and I am so excited for a few reasons.

First and foremost, I'm Team Mom. I take cookies, cupcakes, oranges, juice boxes...pretty much anything that I think the team will enjoy. I love my job at Team Mom and it's going to be great this summer going to all of the games with Bug!

Secondly, C really enjoys his time out with the team. It's really nice to see him enjoying something that he's passionate about, and it's great that the kickoff is on his birthday this year. It's primarily a work team, but today a whole bunch of his best friends are coming to play...which should help them win considering that two of them are former OUA baseball players, and one is a former NCAA baseball player. Stack the team much? Absolutely!

Lastly, baseball was a big part of growing up in our family. My brother played, my Dad coached, and my Mom kept score. I was just that cute kid who wanted to sit on the players bench and keep her Dad company, help Mom keep score and then run to the booth for a freezie.

You know who gets to be that cute kid at Daddy's games soon? Bug! We'll likely get him into playing baseball (hopefully he likes it and wants to continue with it after a year or so...we'll see!) and T will probably help with coaching, and C will be that Dad who cheers his kid on no matter what happens. I'll keep score, and bring cookies and oranges for all of the little kids. It's such an exciting thought, and it makes me really excited for baseball this afternoon!

Happy Birthday C! Bug and I love you very much and hope you have a great day!!

All In a Good Night's Sleep

You read that right...a good night's sleep! I only had to get up to go to the bathroom once, and to roll over one other time! I think I slept for a full 6 hour stretch at one point! Needlesstosay, I am feeling absolutely amazing today, maybe even a little hyper (that could just be the Starbucks talking though...)

Today is an exciting and yet sad day, all rolled into one. It's my last day of work and while I'm excited to get started on my many projects, and an art collection, I have a very heavy heart in leaving a place that I've been working at for such a long time. I've built some really awesome friendships and relationships with people here, and am really proud of the work that I've been able to accomplish. It's been an interesting week of reflection - writing out instruction sheets to make sure things get taken care of etc. and realizing just how far I've taken this position. We've come along way from using a spreadsheet for file maintenance, and I'm so proud to have brought structure and organization to what could otherwise be chaos.

I'm really going to miss it here. Taking down my pictures and decorative stuff yesterday really made it all sink in that I'm actually going to be gone for the next 14 months. Wow...that's a long time! And man, do I have alot of stuff to take home! Thankfully, I've been able to transfer some of my pictures up to C's office, but most of the heavy stuff is coming home with me.

After a good night's sleep, it's really sinking in that today's my last day...for a while anyway. I'm excited to get home, sleep in tomorrow, and get started on some projects next week. I'm going to try and stick to a schedule so that I'm staying active and have a routine every day, while focusing all of my energy on really positive things. After organizing my design space, I have the Thank-You cards to start next week. I was flipping through my sketch book last night and realized that there are 3 collections sketched out that need to be created. I feel a trip to Curry's in Hamilton in my very near future (sorry, bank account!)

In terms of bug's development this week, he's not growing much in length but will be putting on some serious baby fat. He'll go from about 2lbs. to 3lbs. by the end of the week, and is still classified in the "butternut squash" category. He is working on practising turning his head from side to side (which I can feel alot first thing in the morning when I say "Good morning Sweetpea"), doing somersaults in the middle of the night (we had to have a little chat about that last night before bedtime....) and stretching out every now and then. By the end of next week, he'll be started on moving into the "honeydew melon" stage. He's such a good little boy, and we love him to pieces already.

Oh! And C put on another coat of stain last night. There's still alot more to do to the dresser, and after 3 coats...it's going to need probably about 5-6 more. I want it to be dark-dark, but it still has the honey undertones showing through. I can't wait to get it up into the nursery, and I'm really hoping that by the end of the weekend, that might be able to happen. I can't wait to post pictures!! It's just beautiful, and C put so much hard work into pulling everything together, which I very much appreciate. Thanks, Daddy!