Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 27

Bumpdate with Dutch at 27 weeks

Ummmmm hello 3rd trimester!!!
How did you get here so quickly?!

Who could resist a generation picture?!?!

Date: 10/24/15
How far along: 27 weeks
Fruit-size comparison: A head of cauliflower!!!
Developmental milestones: Brain activity is happening now!  This is big y’all! Baby girl is getting bigger and smarter already :-)
Maternity clothes: I’m still mixing my pre-maternity and maternity clothes.  My jeans and oversized fall shirts are pre-maternity, but everything else is maternity.
Weight gain: I had my appointment this week and I’ve gained 10lbs.  At this point with Dutch I was up 17 lbs so I think I’m doing pretty well here and hopefully I can keep this minimal weight gain on track for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.
Sleep: Exhaustion has definitely set in, and even more than the first trimester.  I am tired all the time.  I could sleep all day (and I did on Sunday), and still be tired and ready for bed by the evening.  I’m sleeping pretty hard and love bed time!
Best moment of the week: This week brought a lot of excitement to our home: 1- My sister was here and we got to go to the pumpkin patch together with Dutch.  She also gifted baby girl with some clothes and the cutest coming home bonnet that I can’t wait to put on her precious little head 2- I had a doctors appointment this week for Teeny Peep.  My bp was 110/62, her heartrate was 142, she’s measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule (another long skinny baby?), I started my blood compatibility shots for delivery, and had my glucose screening.  We’re now down to appointments every two weeks.  How are we here already?! Mind is blown!
Movement: So much movement these days.  She is a busy dancing girl! I'm trying to savor every single kick she gives me.
Cravings: I will have the occasional thing that I want at that moment (sonic oreo blast or a baked potato happened once for each of those this week) but nothing is consistent or regular.
Gender: Baby girl!!
Belly button: Mostly flat, but the top portion is poking out; I love this! I think it is so cute lol
Wedding Ring: Still on and not feeling tight yet thank goodness
Anything making you queasy/sick: Nothing that I can think of
What I miss: Nothing
What I’m looking forward to: I’m starting to think about holding my precious girl and that newborn baby smell of heaven.  I can definitely wait at least 10 more weeks for this, but I am already thinking about it :-)
Labor signs: No thank goodness!
Symptoms: Heartburn is on the rise, there is a lot of grunting when I stand up or bend over, and, like I said above, I'm pretty exhausted.  Teeny Peep is already very low and I’m feeling lots of pressure.  Something that was new this week was that baby girl had the hiccups.  This was a completely new and awesome sensation since Dutch never had them.
Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.
Emotions: Lots of joy and looking forward to the future while enjoying and cherishing the present :-)

Back to the Patch & a Visit from Aunt Kellyn

This past week my sister was visiting Houston.  She was here for work, but we soaked up all of her extra time.  Last year when she came to Houston for work we went to the pumpkin patch, so we thought it only appropriate that she accompany us again this year. 

Last year we went to a patch that was about an hour away, then took about 45 minutes to park, then there was another 30 minute line for tickets, 10 bazillion people trying to get to all of the rides and games, a line for the hayride to a pumpkin patch that you just got to pick a pumpkin that was shipped in from somewhere else and dumped into a field…….quite disappointing to this east-coaster that was used to actually picking a pumpkin off of a vine and could do without the amusement park activities and lines.  This year I called around Houston to about 15 patches, and it seems that no one does the “pick off the vine” concept for pumpkins; apparently it’s too hot to grow pumpkins here so they are grown somewhere else and then shipped into southern Texas.  To me, there was no point waiting in all of those lines for something I could really get at the grocery store without a line for a quarter of the price.  Instead this year, we went to a local Methodist church where the Mr. and I got pumpkins pre-kids (and as a child, for years my sister and I sold pumpkins for mission work at a Methodist church).  It made perfect sense to me to go back to the tried and true, and this year was so much more enjoyable for us and Dutch.  Despite the rain, it was a much more relaxing and enjoyable experience and it was such a joy to watch Dutch discover all of the pumpkins.  I am so excited about next year and seeing him teach Teeny Peep all about pumpkins :-)

He was very excited to run into the pumpkin patch!

And of course I can’t  forget a comparison picture! 

This is last year vs. this year with “Aunt Nana”

I love to see the growth, and I just love to see these two together!

“Aunt Nana” also brought such a fun craft with her from Virginia.  To teach Dutch about fall (since we don’t really have one in Houston), she brought some real fallen leaves with her from the east coast.  Together with Dutch they read a book about leaves changing, crumbled the leaves, and pasted them onto fall shapes.  Dutch and “Aunt Nana” blew bubbles and went on walks.  She even gave him his first cake pop (I’m pretty sure he is a really big fan lol). 

We don’t get to see family often, so when we do we definitely cherish these special moments. 

She is such a great and fun aunt!  We are going to miss her big time!

Hawley-isms

Every home has rules, and I would assume, like most, we have a set of unique rules that make perfect sense to us but may be completely weird, or even comical, to you.  This morning I’m sharing some of Team Hawley’s  house rules that are more like random Hawley-isms.

1-Christmas music & celebration is allowed all. year. long.- We absolutely love Christmas and are “those people” that openly and freely celebrate it year-round.  Some people say that the continuous celebration makes the holiday less special, but for us we have found the opposite to be true. For us celebrating year-round is like training for the holidays and a build-up of anticipation.  It only makes us long for the holidays more.  We don’t keep our tree up the entire year because we like a live tree and they die, but we do continue to read Christmas books and listen to Christmas music.  We love it!   2-No American cheese- The Mr. and I cannot stand processed cheese that comes shrink-wrapped.  The idea of it, the look of it, the taste of it is just plain nast-tay! Yucky!!!!   3- Go to bed angry- This rule was a really tough one for me initially because I’m a person who really wants to talk things out.  The Mr. likes to think before he speaks (such a great characteristic that I admire & I've learned to adapt as my own).  When we first got married if there was an offense or disagreement I wanted to really hash it out, but sometimes I ended up saying things out of emotion instead of logic, which I later came to regret saying.  Since our first year of marriage we decided that in our house it is totally acceptable to have the emotion of anger; you are allowed to be mad, but it is how you react that is most important.  Sometimes it is better to think for a while before you say something so that you can cool off, really compile what you’re struggling with, and define your specific issue without flying off the handle.  Occasionally this will require days and you might have to go to bed upset so that you can look upon the situation with a fresh brain.  We're adults who can acknowledge that we are mad yet still go to bed civilly saying, “I’m upset right now, but I’m still processing my emotions and I’m not ready to talk about it yet.  I might be ready to talk in the morning. I love you” This takes patience and grace from all parties, but we are okay with this and it works well for us.   4-No yelling allowed-Like I said above you are allowed to be mad, but how you respond is very important to us.  In our home there is not a single reason to raise your voice.  Yelling is reserved for emergencies only.     5-Diner food can’t be beat- Y’all know that I love to cook, and obviously that means I love to eat too. hehe  I will be the first to admit that we often choose not to go out to eat because food at home is tastier…..however, I am a total push-over when it comes to a good old fashioned diner for breakfast on Saturday or Sunday morning.  I simply can’t resist it; too wonderful to pass up.  The nostalgia alone makes me smile, but add on a filling brunch and I’m one happy camper!    6-No phones at the table- We know that the cells of our society are families and quality time with family is crucial; however, the technology in our world is pervasive and potentially toxic.  Meal times are for connecting and engaging with each other, therefore, technology (e.g. phones, social media, etc.) are not allowed at our dining room table.  We just don’t allow them at the table for any reason so that we minimize distraction and increase focus on each other.   7-No Commercials- This I know sounds super funny, but it's a real Hawley-ism haha We do not watch commercials in our house.  They are a total waste of time.  We DVR everything so that we can fast-forward through commercials.  Our TV viewing is efficient lol   8-Dancing at the table- Please note that I said “at” the table, not “on” the table lol We always have music playing in the background during meals- occasionally it’s Christmas music, as stated above this is totally acceptable ;-).  There are times to be formal and there are times to be comfortable and silly.  We love to dance in our seats during meals.  Dancing is fun and infectious. We just let it happen and have fun being silly! As I look back at this list I realize that I have a lot of focus on food......hahaha I wonder why that is ;-) Have a great Monday y'all!

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 26

Bumpdate with Dutch at 26 weeks
This is the worst bumpdate photo I've ever taken from all of my pregnancies, by far.
Oh well this is real life folks!

Date: 10/17/15
How far along: 26 weeks
Fruit-size comparison: A head of lettuce……..how is Teeny Peep that big already?! I think I’m already in denial about her speedy growth.  Lord help me!
Developmental milestones: Baby girl is starting to absorb my antibodies to get ready for life outside the womb.  Her eyes are developing and she is getting ready to start blinking soon.  She is also inhaling & exhaling amniotic fluid and practicing her breathing.
Maternity clothes: Mostly, yes.  I think the weather is going to be better this week so I should be able to fit into my fall pre-prego layers like a few weeks ago.
Weight gain: Since the last time I posted about my weight, which I think was a couple of weeks ago, I think I’m up a total of 10 lbs
Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.
Sleep: For the most part, I’m sleeping pretty hard.  No dreams, just solid sleep.
Best moment of the week: Several great things happened this week: 1- Dutch learned how to say his sister’s name in about 15 seconds.  It was so so so sweet.  When the Mr. came home from work I asked Dutch who was in mama’s tummy and he told daddy.  I will never forget that look on the Mr’s face :-) 2- The Mr and I spent a lot of time purging the house this week to get ready for baby girl.  We are organizing and getting things ready for the transition.  We’ve only been in this house for 2, almost 3, years so it’s hard to believe that we have too much to purge but we do.  We did find a few boxes of pictures that we had not yet unpacked from our previous home and we had such a kick going through all of those pictures.  We even found one picture of me from when I was Dutch’s age…..and let me tell you: we could be twins! 3- I purchased a few things this week on Etsy for Teeny Peep.  I got her what might be her coming home outfit from the hospital, several mini felt bows, and some matching shirts for her and her big brother.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing everything arrive. 4- The Mr hung up the hair bow holder I purchased for Teeny Peep in the nursery and it’s very cute.  I think it matches the color palette really well.
Movement: Oh yes!  This girl is on the move!  She is moving so much all day long and all night long.  I can see her movements on the outside of my stomach and I absolutely love it.  I caught her kicks on video this week too.  She still is very gentle with her kicks and it still mostly on my lower left side. 
Cravings: Nope, nothing, and I totally forgot to eat this week.  I forgot to cook dinner every single night.  We had breakfast for dinner several nights.  I know we have to eat, but either I lost track of time playing with Dutch or just completely forgot to cook something.  No worries, nobody went without a meal or anything, it just wasn’t a typical dinner week in our house. 
Gender: It’s a girl!
Belly button: Part of the top is an outtie! Yay!!!!
Wedding ring: On
Anything making you queasy/sick: Not that I can think of right now
What I miss: Nothing!
What I’m looking forward to: Spending the week with my sister!
Labor signs: No thank goodness!  I know that Braxton-Hicks might start showing up soon, but so far things seem pretty boring and I’m completely fine with that :-)
Symptoms: My symptoms are still really minor, and I don’t have a single thing to complain about.  I’m still having some round ligament pain but it isn’t unbearable, just noticeable.  I’m easily tired and heartburn is starting to increase a little (especially when I bend down to clean up toys lol), but again, I’m blessed and these are not horrific at all.
Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.
Emotions: I’ve had occasional moments of anxiety which have induced some insomnia this past week, but nothing really out of control.  I’ve tried to be proactive during my insomnia to tackle my to do lists and this has helped immensely.  My emotions seems pretty even and balanced which I’m grateful for (and I’m sure my family is too hehe).

DIY Woven Babywrap

If you've been reading my Teeny Peep Bumpdates or following me on Facebook or Instagram, you know that I've been on a serious hunt for a woven baby wrap for a couple of months.  I wore Dutch on the reg until I was about 6 weeks pregnant with Teeny Peep and put on pelvic rest.  When our placenta issues resolved themselves around 19 weeks, my caregiver removed me pelvic rest and gave me the green light to wear Dutch again.  In the time that past since I wore Dutch, we both grew!  He got taller and I got wider lol  Because I couldn't wear him on my front due to my belly, my only option was on the side or on my back and my Moby wrap, which I have LOVED, was no longer a safe option for him.  The Moby is too stretchy for a safe back carry, so my search for alternatives began.  The Mr. loves the Bjorn still, because of the structure that comes with it, but that is exactly what I don't like about it; I prefer wraps.  Dutch and I were missing the contact and comfort from wrapping, and I really wanted to have that connection back with him.  For back wraps with toddlers, a woven material is the safest and most secure option, and so began my search for one.
I searched all over the internet for wraps, and what I found is that these things are expensive! I'm talking like $150-$300 each!  My search turned to used Facebook pages, consignment sales, and Ebay and Amazon, and I kept hitting a tall (and pricey) brick wall.  It seems that these wraps are so treasured that no one wants to part with theirs...and I honestly can't blame them simply based on the investment alone.  I posted on Facebook about borrowing a woven wrap and a generous friend from church gave me a ring sling, and I was thrilled to try it out.  Dutch and I practiced around the house with a side carry and back carry using the ring sling and it seemed to work great; however, when I wore it in public for longer than 30 minutes I was in intense pain at my stomach and clavicle.  I practiced with the fitting positions and posted on my babywearing group pages for help, and while I was wearing it properly, it still wasn't comfortable for longer periods of time.  I think this is due to the fact that my middle is growing daily.  Perhaps it wouldn't be so uncomfortable if I wasn't pregnant?  I'm definitely going to try it again after Teeny Peep arrives, but until then, I returned to the search for a woven wrap.  At the end of the day, I just couldn't justify a baby wrap purchase for anything over $75; that was my personal spending comfort line.
Then I had a thought, "Hey Darby, you know how to sew.  Why don't you just make a wrap?!"  Uh duh! So I began researching fabric options that were secure and safe for babies and toddlers for front and back carrying positions, while still being cost efficient.  I found that osnaburg (a muslin fabric) was the perfect fit for what I was looking for in a woven wrap.  Since we have a Joann's Fabric at the entrance of our neighborhood, one afternoon I drove around the corner for a peak; I was just going to look (famous last words, right?).  I ended up with a great deal and a DIY project sitting in my passenger seat.  I purchased 6 yards of osnaburg for $6/yard and I had a 40% coupon from their website, so I spent $22 (much more affordable than anything I found on the internet!).  As soon as I got home & Dutch went down for his nap, I got started & was done with the entire wrap in about 25 minutes :-) Awesome, right?! So let me tell you how to make your own woven wrap without killing yourself or your bank account! Materials: 6 yards of osnaburg- it seems like a lot but for a back carry it is perfect! permanent marker or ribbon sewing machine- thread & scissors
Instructions: 1.When you purchase the fabric in yards it comes as 45 inches in width.  You will want to cut it to 31 inches.  To wrap you will want to know where the middle of the wrap is located, so mark the middle either with a permanent marker or sewing a ribbon on the rail at the middle. 2. Sew a seem on both ends, the top & the bottom.  Feel free to use different colors of thread for the long sides (or rails) to help you distinguish the top from the bottom when tightening your wrap.  If you're new to babywearing this may be really helpful for you, but if you're really comfortable with wrapping you could just use a single color. 3. Start wrapping!

Seriously, I don't think this could get easier: 

CUT, SEW SEEMS, WRAP! :-)

I have seen some mamas dye their wraps or add colorful fabrics to the ends, and you can decorate your wrap anyway you want.  I personally like the neutral and natural color of osnaburg so I have left mine alone.  Osnaburg does shrink so you might want to wash it first.  It also feels a little scratchy (or as they say in the babywearing community "diggy", but with a single wash it's completely fine).  I wash mine on mild and delicate settings in cool water, and dry it with a gentle setting.
This wrap is ah-maz-ing!  My toddler is 22 lbs and I'm 6 months pregnant and don't have any discomfort; it is perfect for us!  Dutch and I are so happy to be babywearing again and so glad that this took no time at all and was so affordable!  Happy babywearing mamas!

October in Houston

A couple weeks ago Houston had……how do I put it? …..Uh….I guess I would call it a cold front?  But let me clarify that there was nothing cold about this weekend.  Instead it was more like a retreat from the nightmare heat we’ve been having for months.  So we did what every other Houstonian did, and went outside.  We try to go to a park or nature trail together every weekend, but we usually get up early to try and beat the heat.  On this particular weekend though, the humidity forgot to show up so we spent the entire weekend outside. 

We went to three different parks in a single day, rolled down a big hill (yes, even me with a giant belly), flew a kite, fed the ducks, raked leaves just to jump in them, visited an urban garden, and even ate outside on our pack porch (which I honestly can’t remember when the last time that that happened).  It was heavenly I tell ya! 

So you know I did what every mother does: put on yoga pants, threw in a headband, and followed my boys around all weekend taking their pictures.  Here is our unscripted, unedited, natural Hawley weekend for you in photographs.

And just for proof that I was actually here for this particular weekend lol

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 25

Bumpdate with Dutch at 25 weeks

I have to say that I always write my posts for Teeny Peep before looking back and this week is so comically similar to this point in my last pregnancy with Dutch. 

Date: 10/10/15
How far along: 25 weeks
Fruit-size comparison: Cauliflower
Developmental milestones: Teeny Peep has a sense of equilibrium (meaning that she knows up vs. down....so she better get ready to flip head-down lol)
Maternity clothes: For the most part I’m in maternity clothes but there are several regular shirts and jeans that I can still fit into comfortably.
Weight gain: This past weekend I definitely indulged in lots of rich French food, and loved every minute of it.  I don't do that often, so it was a treat.  As a result, I’m purposefully not weighing myself haha
Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.
Sleep: There is no such thing as enough sleep.  I’m continually exhausted.
Best moment of the week: My bestie invited me on a trip to San Antonio for a girls weekend.  Honestly, it was nothing short of spectacular.  We slept, ate, laughed, and shopped to our hearts content.  It was magical! 
Movement: I can always count on her ballet moves at night and in the morning.  One morning this week I got up really early because I had to use the restroom.  When I came back to bed I was just laying there feeling Teeny Peep move around and I got the sense that the Mr was awake.  I looked over and he was also awake so we just laid in bed feeling her morning kicks.  It was so peaceful and wonderful. 
Cravings: Sugar & spice and everything nice ;-)
Gender: It’s a girl!
Belly button: The top portion is poking out!!!!
Wedding ring: On
Anything making you queasy/sick: Nothing, thank goodness!
What I miss: I can’t think of anything here.
What I’m looking forward to: My sister is coming next week
Labor signs: Nooooo! Thank goodness!  But a few weeks ago I did register at the hospital, so we have checked that big item off of our to do list.
Symptoms: I am having some round ligament pain, so I’m trying to move slower and continue working with my yoga ball.  Also I’m a furnace….seriously I. AM. SO. HOT. all the time!  I NEED it to cool off in Houston before I catch on fire.
Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.
Emotions: Pretty joyful and focused on all of the good things in life :-)