Baby Pool

I was talking to my friend Ashley today and she scolded me for not having my hospital bag packed nor the car seat installed in my car...I'm a procrastinator, what can I say?! She then suggested I need to at least get a baby pool going now that we're so close! So Ashley, this is for you. (I miss you bunches, by the way!)

So without further ado, I present to you our baby pool so you can guess all the details of Emanuel's big entrance into the world. If you're so inclined to humor us through your participation, you can click on the button below to enter your guess. :)

Night Stands & Diaper Champ

First of all, thank you guys SO much for all the sweet comments on the nursery! I am working on a more detailed post and will get that up this week.

Just a few quick things today because I'm working on getting our room ready for E. Since his room is upstairs, we'll make a 'temporary' space for him in our room so we're not having to run upstairs in the middle of the night. And by we, I mean me. :) It will basically consist of his pack & play and the glider, but we need to do some rearranging to make that possible.

One of those changes is that Patrick and I will be switching sides of the bed so I can be on the side of the pack & play. With this comes the task of switching out our night stands. Rather than actually move the night stands, I'm moving the contents. Can you guess who each one belongs to right now? :)





I basically have filled all his drawers trying to keep it clean but finally gave up a few months ago. But I'm purging today! :) Wish me luck.

Next up, this:


We registered for the Diaper Champ because I thought a couple of my friends had recommended it. Turns out that none of the people I thought had it do, so maybe one of you guys told me you liked it? Not sure, but any feedback in this department would be great...thanks! :)

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Nursery Pictures

It's finally ready...and I absolutely love it! :) I had sooo much fun developing this space and couldn't have done it without all the help from my amazing mother!!! I'm running late today so won't go into details right now of where everything's from, etc., but wanted to go ahead and share the pictures. If you have any questions about anything, let me know and I'll answer those in another post...with a possible video tour, cribs style. Say what?! I know...but I've had a few people ask me for a video tour so they could get the "feel" of the room, so I'll try to post one later this week. :) Until then, enjoy the pictures!

Entryway of E's

His closet is to the right. (More closet pictures & details can be found here.)

As you turn the corner, the first picture is to the right, the next picture is to the left, and the crib is straight ahead.

A closer look at the alphabet cards - LOVE these!!

The top part of the hutch and a close-up of some items on it:

This is the wall opposite the hutch:

One more shot from a different angle:

Baby Martin: Month 9 & Pregnancy Quiz

Well I am 37 weeks and 1 day (every moment counts, right?!) and can't believe I'm officially full term! What an exciting and overwhelming thought all in one. Is it a problem that it still doesn't seem like there's going to be a baby here - very, very soon?! I just can't comprehend the fact that a little human is inside of me...so, so, so surreal. But some moments it is sinking in! Needless to say, the nursery is d-o-n-e!! I just need to find my camera cord and I will post the pictures. I didn't get around to posting my 9 month collage last week, so here it is.So I've had a few readers ask me why I didn't/don't do the weekly pregnancy updates. I'm not really sure why I never started them, but by the time I decided I might do it I thought it was a little too late, so I just didn't. So basically, no real reason, except maybe laziness. So for your entertainment, I've decided to complete one. I know, I know...I'm such a people pleaser! :)

How Far Along: 37 weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Loss? You mean there are people who actually lose weight during pregnancy?? Umm, yeah...I've struggled with that. Let's just say this...I've gained way more than I'd like to, but I honestly don't care. It will come off one day, and it's all worth it!
Maternity Clothes: Yes, please! They are so comfy...I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go back to wearing a pair of jeans with an actual zipper and button on them. My new motto is, "I'm bringing stretchy back."
Best Moment this week: FINISHING the nursery!!
Gender: It's a Boy - Emanuel William!
Movement: I'll admit - I've been a little lazy lately. But I do usually move at least twice a day from the bed to the couch. Oh wait - was this referring to the baby?
Food Craving: I'm convinced food craves me...it just has this way of sucking me in. There's pretty much nothing I won't/can't eat. I'm thankful I'm not nauseous, but the extra elll beees are adding up!
What I miss: I can tell you what I haven't missed - any chance to eat!
Sleep: Yes, please. I l-o-v-e bedtime. And naptime. And long rides in the car so I can nap. I am fortunate that I've been able to sleep so well (at least up to this point) in my pregnancy.
Belly Button: Eeew. It was a super duper innie to begin with, but now it's just flat and scaly. I don't think it will pop out, but it looks creepy right now.
What I am looking forward to: Besides the obvious (dinner), meeting this little monkey who's hanging out in my belly!

Show Us Your Life: How You Met Your Husband

Today at Kelly's Korner for Show Us Your Life, the theme is How You Met Your Husband...so here we go!
Patrick's dad is actually from northeastern Oklahoma, which is where I grew up. Though Patrick never lived there, they still had family in the area and would come in to visit when they were kids. So technically, we "knew" each other as kids because our families went to church together, but since he was 1.) a boy, and 2.) almost 5 years older than me, we weren't so much hanging out when we were 5 and 10 years old. :)
Fast forward to May 2005. Patrick was living in Chicago at the time and just finishing medical school, and I was living in Tulsa working a job in airline marketing where I traveled quite a bit. Well Patrick had been in to visit his Aunt Treva, who went to church with my parents, and shortly after that, his aunt and my mom decided we'd be a perfect match and started scheming to set us up. :) Since I traveled often with my job, I wasn't in when he was, so we ended up not being able to meet right away...but then finally we did on June 5th, 2005. And as they say, it was love at first sight. :)
When we started dating, he was in the process of moving to Waco to start residency. I still lived in Tulsa, and about 2 weeks after we had been dating, I was offered an excellent marketing job with North.west Airlines in Minneapolis. I was torn because it was a great opportunity career-wise, but at this point I already knew Patrick was the guy I would marry...I just didn't know if he knew it yet. :) So do I take the job that would move me even further north from him, or stay put and see what happened with us? It was a hard decision, but our connection was so instant that I knew I wouldn't regret turning down the job to give us a chance.
And I am sooo very glad I did. Because only 3 months later, we were engaged. And just 6 months after that, we took our trip down the aisle. And now here we are happily married 4 years and counting. It was fast, and though it's cliche' to say, you just know when you know...and we knew. :) Thanks mom & Aunt Treva for contributing to our happily ever after! :)

My BFF in Elle!

Have you seen the May issue of Elle with Fergie on the cover?

Well if you happen to see it or have it, turn to page 98 and check out my BFF! Remember Candice, who I've been besties with since 3rd grade, that threw my fab baby shower? Well her and her daughter were asked to be part of a spread for the A to Zee segment by Joe Zee. (Remember him from The City?)

She looks absolutely amazing in this shoot, and little Jasper sure has grown since this photo taken at the Sip & See I threw for them...isn't she cuteness?!
I scanned these pages in so I know it's a little hard to see, but if you click on the image it should make it a little easier to read. Or you can always pick up the May issue of Elle on a stand near you! Candi-pants, will you autograph my copy? xoxo :)

What Not to Wear, Laundry Detergent, & Thank You Notes

Well I'm officially 36 weeks and feeling very pregnant! Today none of my maternity clothes were fitting right, so I did what any logical 9 month pregnant person would do - chose something to wear from the non-maternity side of my closet. Good thinking, Sarah. I was in a wee bit of a rush as I was running late, but decided to snap a quick picture to make sure my outfit was presentable.

Hmmm...that doesn't look too bad, right? It's a little snug in the chest area, but what isn't these days? Then when I was walking out the door I caught another glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized - whoa...I'm not so sure I should be wearing this. In the words of my 3 year-old niece, it's a little "too fit". (That's what she says when something is too tight - love it!) Is it just me or does it look like I've weaseled my way into a pillow case?! Please don't answer that.

Needless to say, I was way too late at this point to change, so off I went to my lunch meeting and then to my doctor's appointment. While I was waiting to see the doctor, I looked down and noticed my white dress was not so white anymore...apparently my belly had brushed up against something - most likely a table while I was getting my grub on. This picture doesn't do it justice, but I definitely look a little like Pig-Pen.

So lesson learned today - you're 9 months pregnant, Sarah. Don't try to wear something that allows for no breathing room and threatens to bust at the seams with every move you make, no matter how desperate and irritated you might feel with your maternity clothes.

Next topic - does anyone use the kind of laundry detergent with a spicket dispenser thingy? (yes, that's the technical name for it.) I thought I'd try it as it looks like it'd be handy and store easier in my cabinet. However, it has major leakage. See photo below:

Can you see all the blue floating around at the bottom? I guess it just trickles out when not in use. Are you not supposed to store it on its side? I assumed so as that seemed like one of the big conveniences of it it? But every time I go to use it, there's always some built up in there. And it ultimately leaks onto my cabinet like this. (I'd actually already wiped up most of it when I realized - oh! photo op! but you can kind of see some still. )
So my question is, do I have a bad bottle of the stuff? Or am I storing it wrong? Or is this stuff just a pain and never works right?

One other laundry detergent question - what brand of detergent do you guys use to wash baby clothes? I know a lot of people use Dreft, but holy cow it's expensive!! Is it really necessary or can I just get something that's hypo-allergenic, etc.? I know it varies from kid to kid, but I'd like to hear y'alls thoughts on the matter as well.

Final thing - how many thank you notes is too many thank you notes? Let me explain. A lady Patrick works with keeps buying E stuff. She is expecting a grandchild around the same time he is due, so she said she often just gets for E whatever she's getting for her grandbaby. Mostly just little things here and there, but it's still very thoughtful. I'm a huge fan of the thank-you note, and want her to know that we really do appreciate her kindness. But I've now written her like 4 or 5 thank you's, and I'm wondering when to stop? Thoughts?

Nursery Sneak Peek & Giveaway Winner

So I'm starting to feel like a big tease...I promise I'm not putting off sharing the nursery on purpose, it's just it's still a little crazy in there! I will definitely post pictures next week, as we should have time to finish it by then! In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of the wall you see when walking in the room. (The closet is immediately to the right, then you turn left and it's his room.)
I really have wanted to finish up his room, however, when you have a guest bedroom that looks like this, it's easy to get sucked in there instead.
Most of that is my stuff from teaching, and has ended up in there after being shuffled from the nursery or office. I just need to clean out the closet in there so there's room for it all! I have a tendency to jump from project to project.

On to the giveaway! Thank you guys so much for the sweet comments...I'm glad y'all like the bags! And the winner is...Nessa at Moments & Impressions! Please email me at sjg_ou@yahoo.com with your mailing address and what bag you want, as well as what you want on it, and I'll get it to you!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! We're headed to Dallas for my brother-in-law's graduation from chiropractic school, so it should be a fun one! This will probably be my last time to leave home until E arrives...crazy! :)

Movement & Message Tee Fail

Well I can't believe it, but the little guy has turned! I had my weekly appointment yesterday and my doctor checked my cervix (which was still closed) and when he did he said, "That feels like his head down here...but I'd need to do an ultrasound to say for sure." He didn't have time to do one, so said we'd look next week. Well Patrick really wanted to know, so he had me come up to his clinic today and he just did one...and sure enough, the little monkey is head down now! That is just crazy given the fact that he was very much footling breech just a week ago. I've felt him move a lot this week, and seen lots of protruding parts as he moved around, but didn't realize he was traveling south. I am very thankful he turned but also a littttle skeeered as I haven't been preparing myself for a vag.inal birth so much because I didn't want to be disappointed if I had to have a c-section. Needless to say, if I'm a little quiet for the next few days don't worry - I'm simply hyperventilating studying up on the beauty of child birth. Seriously though, I am very thankful to have this opportunity!

In other news, I decided to wear a message tee today. I saw it awhile back at Old Navy and though it was a cute, inspiring message around my baby bump.

While wearing it in the store, I noticed a lady kept staring at my belly, which is somewhat normal so I didn't think much of it. Until she wouldn't stop, so I finally looked down and realized that with the way I was carrying my purse, her view was more like this:

Kind of loses that nice message of hope I was previously trying to share, and instead gives a whole new meaning to my baby bump. Perhaps this is why I don't often wear message tees. :)

Recipe Organization Help

As you all know, I am all about organization. That being the case, it shouldn't surprise you that my recipe drawer looks like this:
Wait - there's something terribly wrong with this picture. In fact, I think I've just pinpointed the reason I don't cook - I can't locate any of my recipes. Yep, surely that must be it. Well my friends, I feel it's time to remedy this little problem. You see, organizing my recipes is something I've wanted to do for quite some time. I've even taken (baby) steps toward doing so in the past.

Exhibit A: the purchase of (several) packs of these adorable recipe cards. The plan? To transcribe all of my recipes onto these pretty little things so it'd be nice and uniform. The problem? I have the penmanship of a 1st grader and could only get half of the ingredients listed before running out of room. Fail.
Exhibit B: I saw this cute little recipe box and knew it was the answer to my problem. My plan this time around was to type up all my recipes in a format that I could cut them out and they would fit in the box. Guess who still hasn't done that 2 years after purchasing said box? Fail.
So here's where we stand...I am leaning towards buying a 3 ring binder and making dividers of the different categories (Desserts, Desserts, etc. - cause that's all I really cook) and also getting some sheet protectors so that I could just slide the smaller recipe cards I have and/or receive into it and they'd still fit in the binder. Thoughts? Ideas? How do you organize your recipes?

Diaper Bag(s), Baby Shower & {a Giveaway!}

After seeing pictures of Emanuel's closet, one very observant reader emailed me and said she'd noticed I'd decided on the paisley diaper bag from this post. While it is true that that diaper bag is nestled snugly on the (professionally built) bookshelf in his closet - I've actually had it since before the great diaper bag poll. :) The overwhelming winner of the diaper bag poll was the Skip Hop Pewter Dot diaper bag, and I'd decided to get it.
Until...I had a baby shower at Patrick's clinic on Thursday, and I got not 1, not 2, not 3, but yes ladies and gentlemen, I now have FOUR diaper bags! 3 of which are personalized with his name or initials. So I think I'll just hold tight with what I have. :) Though I do LOVE the pewter dot one and all of it's fabulous pockets.... :)

Anyway, the shower at his clinic was great and we got lots of cute stuff! One of the nurses Patrick works with got E this onesie - it is too funny!
Moving right along...so for the time being, I've decided to put the etsy shop on hold. I know, right? Stopping something before even starting. But basically time is just flying by and I feel like I have SO much to do to get ready for E's arrival that it would be silly to start a new venture now. I still hope to open my etsy shop after he's born - I just need to see what my life will be like with a baby first & figure out how to best manage. However, I said I'd have a giveaway, and I want to stay true to my word, so I'm going to go ahead and have a giveaway for one of the products I'll (eventually) be selling in my shop. So here's what's up for grabs!
I'm giving away one personalized reusable shopping tote! These are made from polypropylene and are very handy for your personal stuff, or also as a beach/swim bag since they're water resistant. I have a few styles & sizes for you to choose from. The winner can select the design of their choice, and personalize it with their favorite team or mascot (OU, Hogs, etc.) or initials or name/child's name.
Here are your chances to enter - please leave a separate comment for each entry as I will be using random.org to select a winner.
*Leave a comment letting me know which bag is your favorite.
*Become a follower, or let me know you already are one.
*Blog about this giveaway (leave a link, please).
*Tweet about this giveaway (leave a link, please).

Giveaway is open until Thursday, April 15th, at midnight. Good luck, and thanks for entering!