So today marks us being together for thirteen long, wonderful and chaotic years! I still can't believe we have survived and surpassed every challenges thrown upon us! Lord knows the struggle we have gone through in the past thirteen years. Our relationship is far from perfect, but I am glad to be where were at now, and being so in love with the one who has truly had my heart since I was 15. John is my happily ever after. He's my forever. When my kids ask who my high school sweet heart was, I wont have to grab my high school year book,  I can just point to John, and say "he's sitting right there." Corny, I know. But the thought of it just gives me butterflies!


All the struggles and challenges we have surpassed over the years have made us stronger individuals, and more importantly, a stronger team. John has shown me that real unconditional love exist. So cheers to us, my love. Its rare nowadays to find a couple who have been together for more than a decade long. I have gone through a lot of milestones with you, and we get to experience our biggest one yet. Thanks for being such an amazing person inside and out, for being my best-friend, business partner, lover and soon to be the father of my child. I can't wait to take on this new role with you! I love you more than I can ever express. I know I'm not always the perfect wife, and can be stubborn, but just know that I try my best every single day because you deserve to have all the love given back to you!

Xx,
Mamabear

Ever have trouble finding a nice comfy robe in the print you like that isn't pricey? Not I! I love wearing robes, mainly in the winter time because most of the robes I have are the thick, fleeced ones, which is too hot to wear any other time of the year! Plus, with labor and delivery nearing, I have been on a hunt for a nice comfy robe. Every time I went to the store, all I found were the thick fleece ones, which I have 3 of already, and when I do find the thin soft cotton ones, they don't have my size or its a little pricier than I'd like! So, I got my creative juices going and pulled out one of my robes and a kimono I was thinking of turning into a robe to see if I can imitate it, and went to the fabric store. I went straight to the clearance and sale section because I didn't want to spend too much since I was experimenting and wasn't sure how it was going to turn out yet.

Paisley - Sheer fabric
Purple Long Sleeve - Cotton and Poly blend
Polka Dots - Silk

Materials Used:

Step 1 (box 1) - I used the measurements that I got from measuring my old Kimono and added a few inches to the width since I have to consider it being wrapped around this big 'ol belly of mine and I just wanted it to bit a little more loose. Measurements I did for the back piece is 27.5 width x 36 in length (since I wanted it to reach my knees). I then cut out two more rectangle pieces, 10in x 26 for the arm pieces and folded it in half, hamburger style. 

** Now for the long sleeve it was a little trickier. I can't remember what the exact measurement was because I wanted it skinny towards my wrist area, so I trimmed it at an angle. I know I started off with 17in x 22 in, cuz this one was folded hotdog style. I measured from my shoulders to my wrist and added .5 in because I know I had to hem the end. 

Step 2 (box 2): I cut two more rectangles measuring 12in x 36in for the front of my robe (I wanted it even with the back part. But if you're making a Kimono you can change the length to 30in or however the length you want it to be so that the front is shorter). I put the front and arm pieces aside. 

Step 4: I put the front pieces on top of the back piece with the right sides facing each other and then pinned them. At first I looked at and something was off cuz It looked odd, so I cut sort of a V shape from the front pieces so that it wasn't just a straight opening. I started the cut from the armpit area all the way to where the neck line ended (see picture above). Then I got to sewing. I sewed the sides and the top edges where the pins are. When you sew, make sure that you leave an opening for for your sleeves. Mine was a 13 in opening, so that you can slip the sleeves in later.

Step 5: Since I was making a robe, I added a little loop in the back piece of the robe so I can put the straps in. I put it on the center of the back pieces starting just below the armpit part. Make sure its centered. You can also add loops to the sides instead if you prefer it that way, it was just easier to do it in the back so I'd only have to do one. Pin & sew. Now you should have the back, front and loop pieces sewed together and only have the sleeves left to sew. 

Thats me trying it on after I made it. John wasn't home to take the picture so I had to do a quick selfie! It took me about 4 hours to do all three only because I sat there for a good 30-40 minutes trying to figure out measurements and how I was going to start it and also took a few breaks in between. I started it at around 8:30 and finished just in time for lunch! But it shouldn't take no more than 45 minutes to do or even an hour at the most. I just get distracted easily! Haha! Overall, I love it and was so proud of them when I finished! Im starting to step out of my comfort zone now and actually trying to make apparels. First the dress, now the robes. John is pretty impressed too. He asked me to make him a bathrobe to use for when he gets out of the shower, but the Terry Cloth material for that is pretty expensive and he's taller so Id have to get more yardage. So I said if I cant find him a robe that cost less than $40, i'll make it for him. You should try it, it's pretty easy! :)

Xx,

Jenn

Baby Size: Good-sized Cabbage (according to the Ovia app!)

Current Cravings: Nothing really stands out anymore because it changes daily! I still have a sweet tooth though!

Weight gain/lost: According to my most recent doctors appointment a few days ago, I have gained another 3lbs the past 2 weeks. Woah baby!  

The Bump: Is indeed growing! Sometimes I wonder how much bigger i'll get because I feel like my belly has stretched as far as it could already, but Im sure it'll stretch even more in the weeks to come! Its amazing how a woman's body works! 

Movements: He's moving like a crazy as I type! Hitting all parts of my inside, mostly my ribs and pelvic area. He has been doing tons of stretching. I dont feel his kicks as often anymore, and Im assuming its because he's running out of room in there, but I definitely fill him wiggling around and stretching. Its crazy when I feel him stretch because I can feel him from the bottom and top parts of my belly and I just imagine him stretching out his arms and legs at the same time! Hiccups have also been very noticeable this week! I feel him hiccup a lot! I feel bad because I hate when I have hiccups, but I know its not hurting him or anything. I have yet to start a kick counter, I should though. 

Sleep: This hasn't been an issue lately. I get a good 6.5-7hrs on most days, and occasionally 8. I don't wake up as often in the middle of the night as most momma-to-be has told me they'd experience. I usually use the bathroom just before I lay in bed, and every now and then (not nightly) I'll get up in the middle of the night to pee, but other than that, I sleep through the night just fine, except for when I turn to switch over to the other side and sometimes lose breath because the baby is pushing up against my diaphragm. I started sleeping somewhat propped up which as somewhat helped. 

Looking Forward To: My maternity session with John! I'm a lot more comfortable when John is the one behind the camera, i mean obviously! I love how he has learned to take control during a session and actually direct on how to pose, if my angle looks flattering or not. I can't wait to see what he comes up with, plus being able to put on the dress I made and the one I ordered! Glam time! Lol! 

Meaningful moments:  John and I laughing at the most ridiculous and lamest thing ever! It was a picture he showed me on Facebook and we were literally rolling on the floor (in our case, the couch) laughing our butts off! I was laughing so hard, that I was on the verge of peeing and crying! Oh man! It was great! I haven't had a good laugh like that in so long, and for something that someone else probably wouldn't have found so hilarious! But thats what I love about us, we can laugh at the stupidest things together!

I miss: being able to drink alcohol! So bad, I know! I'm not as big of a drinker as I was 5 years ago. I stopped drinking a lot 2 years ago when we started actively trying again, so its been a while since I've had a good drink! We recently went to a friends party and most of the ladies there were buzzed, tipsy or drunk and I felt a little out of place! Lol! I'm sure when the time comes, I'll have a drink and I wont like it! But just the freedom of being able to do so I guess, is what I miss! But whatever, Id give up alcohol anyday!

I've come to the realization that I am who I am, based on how I was raised and who I chose to influence me as I grew up.  As soon as I found out we were having a baby, the question I continually asked myself was "Am I ready to raise a child?"  I don't think I'll ever be ready, as ready as I can be I guess. So I'll take what I've learned from my parents, my elders, all of my mentors, and just teach my child how to be the best human being he can be.  I hope he picks up a camera while he's young, so we could go on documenting adventures together.  A change in view from what I see. How an adult and a child sees life is so different.  I can't wait 'til he gets old enough to hold things because Jenn says as soon as he can,  one of the first things were handing him to hold is the Fisher Price camera toy we bought him before he was even conceived! 

I finished this project two days ago. It took me a couple days to figure this one out! I guess it was meant to be because when I finally figured it out and was ready to buy fabric, the fabric I needed, Knit ITY was 50% off, as well as the other solid stretchy fabric I needed!!  Don't ask me how that happens to me often, but call me bargain shopper! 

I am no seamstress by any means and just wanted to see what I can come up with! It doesnt hurt to try right? I had ordered two things from a well-known maternity dress retailer during their sales called Sew Trendy Accessories. I love love their gowns! I was able to 'win' 2 items during the sale, and it was chaos! Two of the items i really wanted was sold out before and I wasn't able to get them. I bought the items mainly for our clients use because I love to shoot maternity sessions! But the two items I didn't win, I really wanted to wear for my own maternity session, but it was a 3 week turn around and I wanted to do our session before our baby shower. Anyway, so I looked at the crop top that I had ordered to see how it was sewn. It took me a while to figure out, but I somewhat got the jist of it.. i think! 

Materials Used:

2.5 yards of stretch knit (I used ITY) - $9.00 (it was on sale plus I had a coupon)

Matching thread color - $1.5

1" elastic waist band (already had)

Scissors or rotary cutter

Cutting board

Measuring tape

Pins

Sewing Machine

Total: ~ $12.00

I wanted this to be a two piece item vs, an entire dress so that I can change the top out for future clients. It'll be long sleeve, and short or tube top. Since it's starting to get chilly, I wanted to make a long sleeve but still make it feel sexy, so I made it an off shoulder top. I grabbed one of my old fitted crop tops to use as a pattern and traced it on the fabric. I first did it on a fabric I didn't care too much for just to see how it'd turn out and thats what that white fabric is on top of the jade fabric. 

First step: I cut about 24 inches off the 2.5 yards, because the length of the crop top I cut was 11.5 inch and I needed two. You can cut the fabric according to how long you want the crop top to be. Fold the fabric in half and put your pattern on top top to trace. When cutting your pattern make sure you cut at-least an extra .5 inch from the pattern youre tracing for the part you'll be sewing. Since I wanted to make off shoulder, I cut off the neck part straight (using the original fitted crop top shirt I had. It was a turtle neck so I just folded the turtle neck part to where it goes to the shoulders, I hope that make sense!). I cut two pieces of this. 

For those that do not know, October is also Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month, and on October 15th is when they hold the wave of light. It is just a day for parents who have lost a child due to sids, still birth, miscarriage, etc to remember the little angels they lost. I actually do not know where to begin this post. It is a sensitive and emotional topic for me, but I have never been afraid to speak of my experiences. This may get a tad long and a little personal, but bare with me. 

Lets rewind a bit...You see, we were at a point in both of our lives where it would have been too chaotic to add another human being in the mix. It would have been unfair to the child to be brought into an unhappy home. Not many people know this, it wasn't all honeymoon and fairytale with us. We were at a rocky point in our marriage when it happened and we were just getting back to trying to rebuild and rekindle what we were so close to losing. The year before was just a year of lows and I felt like the roller coaster just kept dropping, where John and I could barely get along. I was at a point where I felt like I was gonna hit rock bottom, and eventually... I did. Many of you guys know that John and I have been together since we were 14/15, and I guess when you have been together that long you eventually hit a point in your relationship where you question a lot of things.  We went through an obstacle course, and we had to fight hard to get through it and survive. And that we did.

It was February of 2012 when John and I found out we were pregnant for the first time. Us... we were going to be parents. Most people would have been ecstatic, but I was in shock. Happy, but in shock. I still remember that day so vividly. I was so nervous to tell John who was still lying in bed that morning. It came as a big surprise because we were not trying at all, nor we're we expecting it to happen soon after I got off of my birth control, but it did and all we could do was accept it. Ready or not, it was a responsibility we couldn't turn our backs on and we knew we had to work hard at it. We tried so hard, but life just kept throwing challenges at us that sometimes made things very difficult. 

And then the unthinkable happened. We found out the baby had stopped growing and had no heartbeat during our first OB visit at a little over 10 weeks. I still remember the doctor doing the sonogram and the look of concern on her face when the baby popped up in the monitor. She was quiet for a minute and I already knew something wasn't right. I squeezed John's hand as she looked at me and told me the most horrifying news I have ever heard. I looked up at John and cried. She said "maybe we just have your due date wrong and that your earlier than we had thought, come back in a few days and we'll do another ultrasound." We walked back to our car devastated. We went to church that day and we prayed together. My mind was spinning, 'Why?' and then thinking, I deserved it. I wasn't fit and ready to be a mother, and He knew that. I didn't want to be angry nor upset, but as a human being, it came naturally. We didn't even have to go in for another ultrasound because later that evening John took me to the ER because I was spotting, and they confirmed there that the baby indeed did not have a heartbeat. So they asked me if I wanted to do a D&C or just wait it out and let my body do the work and do it naturally. I chose the latter. 

I was going into week 12 of the pregnancy when it happened. So imagine how hard it was for me to carry a baby that I knew wasn't growing. I was a wreck. It was in the middle of the night and John had duty that day so he wasn't expected home til the next afternoon. I woke up from really bad cramps, and at the moment I knew it was happening. I squeezed my belly in hopes that I could stop it from really happening, but there was no way I could have saved the baby because he/she was already long gone. Luckily, I wasn't home alone. I called John at work and told them it was an emergency and he immediately called me back. I could barely even say a word because the pain was that bad, I was speaking under my breath to try and tell him the baby is leaving. I don't remember exactly what happened after that but I assume he got in contact with our housemate who was sleeping across the hall because before I knew it, I heard knocking on the door. I was already on the floor crawling by this time. I let him in and he assisted me to his car to drive me to the ER. I just remember screaming and squeezing his hand because the pain was unbearable. Poor guy, I can tell he was panicking! When we got to the ER I was wheel-chaired in and seen right there and then. They took my vitals before taking me into a room. John showed up an hour later to blood all over the floor.  I was crying. He walked over to me, grabbed my hands and reassured me it'll all be okay. Was it going to be? After that hospital visit, we were going home... with no baby in hand. 

The loss broke me. It was the last thing that would bring me all the way down to rockbottom. I cried everyday, sometimes hiding it from John because I knew he was tired of seeing me cry. Our friends had no idea for days/weeks. I wasn't ready to talk to anyone about it. We saw friends during Easter that year and someone came up to me and rubbed my belly asking how baby was, and I just wanted to break down. But I held it together before walking over to John asking him if we could just go home. That was also the day we did our little memorial. We went to the park and let go of blue & pink balloons because we never even got the chance to find out if we were having a boy or a girl.

For a while, I questioned everything. I was back to my unhappy place. It hurt in all aspects; mentally, physically, emotionally. I was drained. I was angry. I was confused. I would never think of doing such thing, but at that time disappearing just seemed a lot better and less painful. I would talk to the baby and say sorry that I couldn't do anything. I blamed myself.  But I knew I had to get myself together. I had to pick myself back up, as hard as it was to do. If I wanted to experience being a mother someday, I had to get myself together. I grieved for weeks, months, but life kept on going and none of it stopped for me. So I realized I had to move on. 

I eventually started to look at the pregnancy and the loss with a glass half full. It helped me cope with the loss.  I kept telling myself that God knew we weren't ready and he wanted to give us time to work on ourselves and our relationship. And even though for a while I felt some kind of anger towards Him, I had to eventually let it go and find my way back and trust that God's plans are better than my dreams. I started going back to church, praying a lot more and seek in him whole heartedly. I surrendered. "Lord its not so easy, sometimes the pain in my life makes you seem so far away. But I'll trust you... through the tears and the pain, through the heartache and rain." Before I even realized it, I was doing just fine. I still had days when I broke down, but I was no longer angry.

There were still so many things we wanted to do and accomplish before becoming parents. That pregnancy saved us in ways we didn't know then, but looking back at it now, if it never had happened, sometimes I wonder if John and I would have still been together. And we could have easily given up on each other after the fact, but instead, that experience brought us closer together and realized that we can go through hell and back, so we worked on us. And that is why I say that the pregnancy saved us, it saved me. We may have lost the baby, but it served a bigger purpose in our lives for that short amount of time.  It gave way for us to work on ourselves and our marriage. 

And today, more than 3 years later, here we are... more in love than ever, stronger, matured, and ready to take on this role. Although it took longer than we had hoped for, I can't imagine our lives going any other way and I can't imagine going through it all with anyone else. In those three years we became homeowners, John got promoted, he also went back to school, I graduated and got my bachelors degree, became a licensed teacher and officially became a photography business owner and was able to travel to four different countries and took as many trips as we could. So you see, you really have to appreciate the tough times and the struggles because it leads you to a path where you could have only imagined back then. You never know how strong you truly are, until that is your only option. 

So on this day every year, I light a candle for an hour to honor that little angel of ours. For being our savior. Although he/she came and went, that baby left a big mark. When we found out we were pregnant this second time, I joked and said his big bro/sister whispered to God and told him "I think they're ready now." For 3 years, we struggled to get to this happy place.  A lot of tears were shed, heartaches, pain. This is the reason why Ive embraced this pregnancy so much because I promised myself that if we ever fell pregnant again, that I was going to treasure every moment of it.  As I type this, feeling the baby move and stretch is a feeling I once thought would never happen to me. But here we are, a little over 9 weeks to go. Having a good, healthy and normal pregnancy so far is still so surreal to us, but we cannot thank Him enough for this little miracle and blessing. 

Everyone copes with loss differently. Although I kept to myself the first few weeks/months, I decided to share my story because often times you don't hear of miscarry or loss stories because many women would rather keep it to themselves and struggle on their own, not because they want to act as if it never happened and it didn't exist, but because the pain of talking about it is unbearable. It hurts, and the pain never truly goes away. I still sit here and wonder how life would have been if the baby was born. What kind of characteristics they would have had, who it would have looked like. And the fact that October was our due date makes this month just a little bittersweet. But I can't be sad forever. I have just gotten to the point where I no longer cry when I speak about it... I will tear up, but not cry as hard as I used to.  That is totally fine. But I wanted to share my story for those who are trying to find comfort in others who have gone through it. Because I know when it first happened, I tried to find an outlet of people who can relate. However you grieve, cope or handle it, as long as you are able to pick yourself up and keep going. This goes for any of the struggles in your life. Failures don't matter, what matters is how you get back up.  Do not blame yourself. I learned from my experience that there really wasn't much any one could do and blaming yourself just makes the process of healing even harder. Life does move on, but you will always carry that little angel in your heart and memory. 

We are 1 in 4. We never thought it could happen to us, but it did. We share our story so that those who have experienced it won't feel like they have to go through this alone. To give them hope.  If sharing your story helps you cope, then share it. I'm sure someone out there would be glad to read and know they aren't alone. But if you'd rather stay silent and keep the pain to yourself, that is fine too. For everyone who has experienced some type of infant and pregnancy loss or know any one who has experienced it, light a candle up for them.

Xx,

Jenn

Pumpkin patch! Its been 3 years since we've gone to one. We had some spare time to kill before a photography session we had to do later that afternoon, so off to Hunt Club Farm we went! I really wanted to check out Bergey's but they're closed on Sundays! We didn't pick any pumpkins this year, but we're definitely going to be picking some next year!! To be honest, I'm normally on track with getting fall decors out, but not this year! I haven't gotten any of our fall decors out, normally I'd have them out and displayed by the end of September! Its because all our seasonal decorations are in the attic and I have not been in the mood to go in there and dig through the boxes to get to the decorations, and John hasn't really been home a lot to help. So I said, "Forget it! We'll just decorate for the Christmas holidays this year!"

 

Check out those mums! I wanted to take the home with us! Hahaha! Btw, I'm looking at these pictures thinking how fast my hair has grown in the past 3 months! Those pre-natals are definitely working wonders on my hair and nails... my skin not so much! Normally I regret cutting my hair short, but this time around I am so glad I did! My hair definitely feels so much thicker and healthier because I cut off all the dead ends where it was fried from getting "re-bonded" from when we went to Philippines 2 years ago. The lady totally messed up my hair. I should of known not to trust a lady who comes to the house to do your hair and not have all the proper equipment! Haha! I've also cut off all my short layers making my hair feel fuller and thicker! 

Of course I have my personal paparazzi following me around snapping away! Hehe! Btw, that sweater makes these pictures feel so much like autumn! I love it! Ever since moving here many years ago, Fall has become my favorite season. We never really got to experience the autumn season in San Diego because there are only two seasons out there: Spring and Summer. Haha! Anyway, we didn't stay too long because we had to head to the store to return something before heading to the park for the session. Ah! The session we did that day was a maternity one and it got me excited for ours! John's doing my maternity and a good friend of mine is doing our family one! So excited!!

Here goes another sew fun post! I haven't done one in a while! I started this little project over a month ago, but didn't finish the rest 'til recently because I wanted to wait til our carseat arrived so I can see how the fit is on our carseat. This tutorial is for a multi-purpose nursing good. I first saw these on instagram from three different shops. I even added one on of them on our baby registry! But as usual, I wanted to see if  I can make it myself, I mean it was just fabric. After looking at many pictures of them, I went to the fabric store and picked out fabric! As soon as I walked in to the store, I saw the black & white stripes, the best part it was in the clearance section! It was 70% off! Steal! It was also the end of the bolt so there was additional discount. I got 60 inches if that for $4! I was so excited. I found two other ones that were also on sale that day, combined with a coupon!  I eventually ended up with 6 fabrics (two different trips) totaling to around $15.  I got a yard of each fabric. Definitely wait til they have good sales plus a discount for the 'entire' purchase. The type of fabric I used were the stretchy knit ones, because you want them to be able to stretch over the carseat, and it was just lighter and breathable. 

Measure: As I mentioned I've done a few of them before, so I just took the measurements from the one that was already done cuz I now know that it fits the carseat as well. Measurements are 30 x 34, but you can cut them to your liking. I'm probably going to adjust a couple of them so that its a little smaller than this, since they are stretchy anyway. I'm probably going to do a few that are 28 x 30, you just want it big enough so that it covers both the front and back of your when you're breastfeeding. 

Pin & Sew: After you've cut the fabric to the size of your liking, turn it inside out so that the right sides are facing each other. Fold it in half, pin the edges, and then sew. Depending if you're fabrics stretch in all directions, then thats would be all of you have to do. Now its a little more work if your fabric only stretches in one direction, so make sure you buy fabric that stretches in all directions! I had to do an extra step for this black and white striped ones, and instead of the stripes going horizontal, it went vertical because that was the direction it stretched. I hope that made sense! Ha! 

Here it is as a carseat cover! Isn't it so cute? I think it goes really well with our awesome travel system! ;] Hehe! I wish the stripes were horizontal vs. vertical, but thats okay I guess. I've tried on all of them and they all look really good, my other favorite one is the black/grayish knit out, and the gray and white stripes... actually I love all of them on it! John's favorite one is the teal and red. I knew he would thats why I picked out those colors! 

These are the different ways you can put them on your carseat. The one on the right is if you don't want random people trying to touch or look at your baby, its a good way to cover them and still have a little peek hole to check on them. I'll probably have it like this most times when were out in public and then when he's around people we know, have it to the one on the left. Since there's a lot of excess fabric, he can use the excess part as a blanket!! 

Materials Used:

Total cost for all 6: ~$15 (vs. $36-$50 for one!)

We started off with a lazy Sunday type of morning and this weeks bump update pictures shows it! It was around 7 am when I started to feel baby moving around in my tummy and it woke me. I laid there for a good 15 minutes before John turned to face me and slowly opened his eyes. I love waking up next to him, especially after not being able to the previous day. John and I like to lay in bed for a while after waking up on the weekends and just talk and most of the time give Pax some morning lovin'! We got up at almost 9 a.m. to eventually get the day started. John made pancakes for breakfast while I quickly finished off some sewing projects. After breakfast, John decided to mow the lawn and kill the weeds, and we just hung out before heading out.

This week, I have been having major separation anxiety. I started having it towards the end of second trimester, but this week was bad. It might be because I know he wont be home very much this month. I start having anxiety as soon as he gets up for work, to the point where I just wanna cry. I tease him that maybe its the baby thats making me so attached because I have been doing this whole long hours and crazy schedules for the past 8.5 years! I've learned to not let them phase me anymore, but goodness gracious! I can't seem to control my emotions lately! I know, I know, its the hormones! Darn those hormones!

With the bump getting bigger and heavier, doing simple things like picking up something I dropped off the floor is a struggle! I squat down to pick it up, and then sometimes I dont have the momentum to get back up! Sometimes I just sit all the way down and roll over to my knees and push myself up. Also! I've been noticing how much of a messy eater I have been! I've never been a messy eater, but oh my goodness, I feel like the bigger I get the messier I am! Every time I eat now, I drop something and I dont even notice it til I get up and look down at my shirt and there's crumbs or stain marks on my shirt. Its ridiculous! No matter how careful I am when eating, you can guarantee there will be something on my shirt at the end of that meal!

I have also been very clumsy lately. That could be because I am now front heavy and off balanced! John now likes to wait for me at the stairway when we go up for bed because he likes to help me up the stairs by pushing my butt up so I don't have too much weight down there. Its kind of sweet and funny, but it works! Going up and down those stairs are a nightmare, but I guess its my work out. I'm seriously out of breathe after the 3rd time. Thats why when I go up to get something I have to make a list of what I need so that I dont have to go back up for a while, but with pregnancy brains, sometimes I tend to forget and then up and down I go! Its worse when I have to go up to the third floor! Lets not even go there! Haha!

I love that I have John to help me document this pregnancy because he is able to capture me when I feel my prettiest and the not so glamorous, like when I am just getting up to get the day started without all the make up and all. I'm still in awe at the fact that we are now going in to the 30's. I still think back to earlier in the year when I was going through tests and exams to figure out why we were having trouble conceiving, and now here I am sitting typing this as the baby moves around in my tummy. It's a crazy beautiful feeling!

Xx,
Jenn

Our travel system was delivered this week and I have been so eager to put it together but John has been busy at work and he finally got a chance to put it together when he came home this morning! They were delivered separately, the infant carseat came earlier in the week and the stroller was delivered yesterday.  First the crib felt unreal, now the travel system? Ah! Thanks to my wonderful in-laws (John's mom, stepdad and siblings) for the wonderful set of wheels! Babyboy is so spoiled! 

Tada! John modeling our travel system! The thing covering the carseat is a multi-purpose nursing cover I made a few months ago, stay tuned for the tutorial! Who would've thought that we'd be pushing a stroller at the end of this year?! Neither of us did! Anyway, we went with the Britax brand because we heard nothing but good things about them. Most of the mommy friends we have that own a Britax have the B-Agile, but I fell in love with the B-Ready when I saw it while running errands at the mall. This mommy walked in the elevator the same time as me pushing the B-Ready and I immediately fell in love! We never got a chance to test it out in store because no stores here had it! So we went with our gut feeling and just hoped for the best, but if it was anything like the B-Agile, we knew we'd like it, so we added it to the registry!  I was really wanting the more expensive ones like, Orbit baby, Bugaboo or even the Uppababy, but I always gotta be practical and realistic! Although were fortunate enough to have both sets of grandparents to be so giving, we couldn't see anyone spending over $1k for a travel system! So the Britax was a perfect alternative! 

When John first took the stroller out of the box we were laughing at how huge the wheels were! The bigger the wheels the better I guess! Lol! We are loving how smooth of a ride it is and although it is a little bulkier than we expected, the ease of use is superb! Of course at first we had to figure out how it worked, but once we figured it out, it was easy peasy. I love the urban look to it. Im sure we can use it for both jogging and strolling around. I also like that you can buy different accessories for it, like a bassinet if you wanted to, and also convert it to a double stroller later on by buying the adapters to it. Also the handle is adjustable, since there's a big difference in height between John and I, thats definitely a plus! I love love love that it doesn't feel flimsy at all! There were several strollers we tried out in store that just felt so flimsy, like it was going to fall apart! We havent really had a chance to really take out for a test drive besides around the house, but I am certain this will hold up for a very long time! 

One of Baby H's godfathers stopped by in the middle of John putting the stroller together, and thats them up there trying to figure out what certain things were for. It was cute because they were so determined to figure it out! I kept saying read the manual, but they ignored me and wanted to figure it out for themselves. After our friend left, John figured it out. It was to fold the stroller! Silly boys! After John figured out all the configurations of the stroller, he taught me how to set up and fold. It literally is a click and go kind of thing. No hassle, nothing. I can't wait to take baby H for a stroll in this!

Xx,

Jenn

Two decorations were done this week and they were John's projects! When we first started planning for the nursery we agreed that he'd be in charged of the hot air balloons, and he didn't let me down! Of course we collaborated together and he asked for my input, but in the end he got the last say. He originally asked me if we can do fabric and if I can cut up the pieces and pattern, sew it up and stuff it with batting, but I said "lets find something else" because I was already doing a lot and adding that to my list of things to do, we may never get it done! So thankfully, he found a quicker and easier route... paper lanterns! After he told me his plans, I went ahead and ordered some because I could not find the sizes and colors I wanted without it being sold as a pack. Most of the other materials we used I already had, so this was an easy peasy project for him!


I didn't really catch John when he started on it, so I'll try my best to do a step by step tutorial. John's work schedule has been too hectic for me to bother him with posting a blog! He also didn't get the tutorial from Pinterest so there isn't anything for me to link to. But bare with me.

Materials Used:

• Paper Lanterns ( 10", 8" & 6") bought at www.justartifacts.net - Colors: Grey, offwhite, robins egg blue - $9 (with shipping) - I bought 4, because 1 is being used for our baby shower. 
• Jute Cord (1 yard) - $2 (with discount) from Hancock Fabrics - used to wrap the top and bottom parts of the paper lanterns
• Bakers twine - for the pennants
• Kraft cardstock  used to make the boxes
• Burlap 
• Hot glue gun 
• Twine cord - to attach the box and lantern
• Cricut Machine - to cut out the triangles in different sizes (you can easily cut them yourselves, this just saved us more time)
• Canvas fabric (left over from another project) - for the baggies

I have been wanting one of these things for a while now! I first saw them on Etsy and was totally tempted to order every single time I saw it! The one I made is a scrapbook type of thing rather than an actual photo albums like they sell on Etsy. They also have these for people who have an UP themed wedding and use it as a guestbook. They run from $40-$75, sometimes more depending on how many pages and the extra knickknacks! I thought it'd be more fun if I made it myself like Ellie did in the movie!!


I bought the materials (that I didn't already have) for this project a little over two months ago but just never got around to finishing it because I couldn't find the alphabet stickers I wanted that didn't cost more than $5, but totally kept forgetting that my Mom-in-law gave me a Cricut Expression machine earlier this year! So I finally put it to use and made my own letters! It was pretty simple to make! I found a tutorial on Pinterest that I sort of went off of but changed a few things.

Materials used:
(2) 12 x 12 Chip board from Michaels' scrap-booking isle at $1.99 each (was on sale for 50% off) or you can use a cereal box! I went with the chip board because it was harder and more durable.
(2) 12 x 12 Brown Leather scrapbook paper (for front and back cover) $0.99 each
(1) 12 x 12 Red scrapbook paper (for the binding part of the book) $0.59
(2) 12 x 12 Vintage Map scrapbook paper (you can use whatever you want to line the inside of the front and back cover, I chose the map, in the movie I think she used purple) $0.59 each
Leather or Suede Cord (already had from a previous project)
Whole Puncher (already had)
Mod Podge (already had)
Card Stock to use as the pages inside of the book (left overs from the baby shower invites)
Cricut Machine to cut out the letters
Gold Marker to draw out the square and circle
Globe print out and masking tape for decoration

Total Cost: ~$6.00 ||  Tutorial found here.


This is the finished product! I finished this diy about two weeks ago but never got a chance to blog about it because I keep forgetting to until John was like "lets do your 28 weeks pictures in the nursery" and I saw it standing on the dresser! As you can see from the picture above, there was no masking tape yet. I just recently added the masking tape because I finally got a piece from work! Lol! I don't know if you can see it in the first picture where I'm holding the book. It just makes it look more legit! Haha! This was a cute little addition to baby H's nursery and I'm glad I finally got around to finishing it! I'll be adding polaroid pictures inside soon enough! :) I was telling John that for next year's halloween we should dress up as Carl and Ellie and baby H can be Russell and Pax can be Dug! I'm gonna make it happen! Lol

Xx,
Jenn

I've mentioned that the nursery is almost finished, we just have to add the little details and wall arts and what not. We have all the main furnitures in: crib, dresser, changing pad, chair, footstool. Im still contemplating on making that old chair of ours into a glider, because my parents did offer to buy us a rocker/glider (that may go in our room instead). We are loving how our vision for it is coming to life! Of course there were a lot of tweaking to our original plans but its all coming together nicely in the end!


Since these will just be a quick peek of our progress I wont really go into detail on what, where and how. Just know that majority of the things in baby H's nursery are made with love from both John & I, from the decorations, to the pillows, to the nursery bedding set and blankets, to the mural. We've both been busy diy-ing & repurposing, not only to save money, but its just such a rewarding feeling to know you made the things for your baby versus purchasing from a store. Of course there are items in here that we purchased at stores like Ikea, TJ-Maxx/Homegoods, and even OfferUp, thrift and antique stores. The crib and mattress was given to us by my parents. Even if we can afford to shop at high-end baby stores, I think we would still stick to what we did. I love working on a project for the baby or the nursery and seeing the end product, its just such an awesome feeling!


The most recent diy I did are those blankets hanging from the crib! My sister and I collaborated on that blanket that is shown on the picture. She did the fonts for me and I did the rest of the design. I fell in love with similar minky blankets like these on some website but didnt have the money to dish out $60-$105 for a baby blanket. So, naturally I think about making it myself! It was a month long process to get the design just the way I wanted it. I knew I wanted monochrome, so we stuck with that. The blanket hanging underneath it is the world map in monochrome with the words "The World Is your Playground." I'll definitely do a separate post on how I made these :]

Baby H's nursery is hands down my favorite room in the entire house!! There's not a day where I don't spend at least 15 minutes just sitting in his room and imagining how it would be like when he's finally here. I'll sit on that chair and rub my tummy and talk to him as if he was in front of me. Telling him stories and what my hopes are for him. I love when he responds to my touch and my voice. Its our alone time and its my favorite time of the day. The nursery has also become Pax's favorite room. Sometimes I'll catch him snoozing away in there, under the chair. I can already tell he and baby will be best buddies!

Once we have everything up and done, I will definitely post a more detailed post, along with how we organized his dresser and a peek at his closet. But for now, we hope we've inspired some of you to try and make things on your own first before buying. I try to find time out of my day to just sit and work on projects. I spend about an hour or two when I get the chance and energy. This is after Ive worked (if I did that day), done house chores, errands, taking Pax out for walks, wifey duties. Im trying to do as much as I can now, because I know once baby is out, I wont have much alone time. Sometimes I get lazy, but it really is rewarding.

Xx,
Jenn