35 Week Bump-Date!

I know I know.. its been a while since I've posted an update. We've had some crazy ups and downs (literally) with my blood pressure so I've not really been up to posting much. Since the last bump date, we have had two hospital stays, been put on meds and have been on bed rest. Not exactly how I thought these last weeks would go but we are counting our blessings that Corbin has been ok through all of this. 

So, here we are at past 35 weeks! Time for an update...

How far along? 35 weeks, 3 days
How big is baby? The size of a bunch of Carrots. Weighing in at almost 5-6 lbs but we know that Corbin is on the smaller side. 
Total weight gain/loss? Total gain as of today... 21lbs! 
Maternity clothes? Bed rest has me in PJ's 24/7 so nothing new in the actual clothes department but this my "going to my Tuesday Dr. Appointment " look. 

Sleep? HA! What is sleep? I've had an AWFUL pinched nerve since being on bed rest at 32 weeks.. so I sleep in 4 hr increments, get up, massage my inflamed neck for a bit, scroll Instagram and then head back to sleep if I can.  Prepping myself for baby I suppose. 
Symptoms? neck pain is still alive and well unfortunately. Also, he is kicking me in the bladder all the time. That is as fun as it sounds ;) 
Food cravings?  Breakfast foods, cheese and fruity stuff (Mike and Ikes & sour worms!)
Food aversions? Nothing really 
Best moment this week so far? We finished the nursery! Details coming to the blog soon! Here is a sneak peek...

Worst moment? Well, staying in the hospital sucked but it was worse hearing your baby isn't growing like he should. Because of the high blood pressure it was constricting some growth on his end. All is good now though. He will just be small! 
Belly button in or out?  IN! Totally thought it was on its way out but its hanging in there. 
What I miss? Feeling like myself... ready to get back to a new normal.
What I'm looking forward to? Just having a healthy little guy at this point.
Weird dreams of the week: I had a weird one but I can't remember it now! 

Baby Items Purchased? We have everything we need now! I have returned a few things and finished up his nursery stuff so I will count that towards baby items purchased :)

On another note, Corbin has been breech for the last 3/4 weeks. So, if he doesn't turn, we will end up having a c-section. Basically, they will not attempt to turn him because of my high blood pressure so, it is what it is. Anyone have any advice on having a c-section or things to know before it all happens? I'm just super anxious about it all! Not the way I thought my first child would come into this world but I know that God has a plan! 


Daddy thoughts:
35 weeks... not much longer.. how are you feeling?
It's getting real.. I'm in disbelief! 

If you could do one more thing before Corbin comes, what would it be?
Spend more time with my babe.

What is you overall thoughts on the pregnancy journey?
Crazy how fast this has gone. And surprised by the early due date he will have!

What have you learned?
I learned that I don't care for staying in a hospital overnight! 

That is all for now.. thanks for stopping by!

Young Living Starter Kit: What I'm loving!

Hello blog world! Hope you are well :)

I wanted to drop by (while on bed rest...more on THAT later) and write yall a little blog post that isn't all about my growing bump for a change! Today, I'll be talking about Young Living Oils... if you want to stop reading that's fine (and I totally get it, cause I was there once too, rolling my eyes about another product out there people are selling) but I'm super loving these oils and want to share with those that have genuinely been interested.

My story starts back in February. I kept hearing about these little oils that had great power to do lots of different things. Every now and then I would see a post from my friend Nikki about them on FB. I would watch her videos and I could really tell these oils were helping her family so much. I wanted to know more but was still super skeptical. I reached out and she invited me to a few online parties and I attended a class she taught here in Louisville.

I was already reading a fantastic book about health/hormones, Woman Code so my mind was on over drive about chemicals and their effects on the body. Alisa Vitti, the author talks about healing herself from PCOS/Hormone imbalances through food and lifestyle changes. She talks about how parabens in our home can be effecting everything from our hormones to fertility issues.Then my sister passed away from a rare endometrial cancer the last day in March. She had PCOS and Endometriosis. It was crazy how all this lined up in my life and I felt a strong pull to get those nasty chemicals out of the house, especially now that cancer had reared its ugly head at our family. I wanted to do anything I could to help prevent anymore of that. I was also newly pregnant so, I of course wanted to watch everything I breathed in, ate, put on my body etc.

I researched so much April-June, watched videos, read reviews, followed instagram posts about them and talked to the hubs about it and finally in July, I took the plunge and thought, well what do I have to lose with these oils? Money was really the only thing I could think I would be losing. And how much money do I spend on cleaning supplies already that are full of chemicals? Especially buying a bunch that are specific to what I was cleaning (toilet cleaner, wood floor cleaner, glass cleaner etc.) Spending a fortune probably. Diffusing an essential oil in the house instead of an air freshener with chemicals? I bet I would feel better about the air we were breathing...

So, Nikki got me all set up and I have been diving in!  I read daily about the different oils and what they can do to benefit many different areas of our lives. There are so many out there and I want to try them all!! But, let me get to my point for this post... In the little time I have had these oils, here is what I have done with the Premium Starter Kit Oils.

*These opinions are all my own. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

First of all, lets start with my most used...

1. I sleep so much better (and I believe Pheebs and Tyler do too!) I just diffuse Lavender at night and we are knocked out. One time I added Peace and Calming and I slept SO hard. Best night sleep ever. PS- Peace and Calming isn't in the Starter kit but a sample of it is. Its on my list to get when its back in stock! 

**Bonus: Lavender will literally calm your pooch down. I let Pheebs sniff it once when she was freaking out about her nails being cut and she was much better after!

 2. I am helping prevent stretch marks! I mix carrier oil (coconut oil) and lavender and slather on my belly at night. I was just doing coconut oil the last few months so I can't say the lavender is the reason I have zero stretch marks right now but hey, I like to think its helping ;) 
3. I got rid of Dryer Sheets! I use Wool Balls now with Lavender oil added to bring back smelly goodness to my clothes. Zero chemicals, yay! (Saving some $$ here man. No more buying those disgusting chemical infused dryer sheets) 
4. I got rid of a headache without using Tylenol! Since Tylenol is the only headache med I can take while pregnant (and I did NOT like doing that anyway) I found a roller blend that is supposed to help..  about a month ago I had a killer headache so I mixed Peppermint, Panaway and Lavender with grape seed carrier oil and put it on my neck and temples while we finished watching the last episode of Stranger Things (go watch on Netflix!!) and it went away before I fell asleep. Amazing. And guess what? Chemical free!
5.  I've read that Lavender is good for helping skin issues such as acne. My hormones are crazy right now but I have a little mix I put together with lavender in it to see what this does for my skin. So far so good.. if I could just STOP picking at my skin. I have a problem. haha! I'll report back on that mix later if I love it!

Next up.. Lemon 

1. I have cleaner dishes AND they smell good! I mix hydrogen peroxide with lemon essential oil and add it to my rinse aid section of the dishwasher and Voila! Chemical free rinse aid. Winning!
2. I am focused and am energized! Peppermint and Lemon in my diffuser has helped me get energized to get things done. One Saturday I used this combo and really knocked some stuff off my to do list for Corbin's room. Most productive weekend I've had in a while.. thanks oils! 
3. Drop some lemon in your water for a zing and some digestive help! 
4. Great for cleaning as well: 

• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar 
• 20-30 drops lemon essential oil... Put in a glass spray bottle and done! 

PS-  I love Young Living's Thieves cleaner as well which is another post for another day haha! 

Next is.. Peppermint!

1. Peppermint helps my headaches. That's all I need to say bout that ! 
2. Gives me energy.. put some in your diffuser with lemon or toss some in your water!
3. Add it to your baking.. Christmas is just around the corner! 

Another I love... 

Purification! 

The STINK it takes out of my sun room is unreal. I just love diffusing this in there! I also have used it in my wool dryer balls. And, I've used it so much, I am out of it! So when I get more maybe I'll have more ways to tell you how to use it!

Those are just a few things I have done with my oils since getting them .. and its been less than 2 months using them! Possibilities are endless here folks! My obvious favorite is Lavender but others in the kit like Digize and Thieves are great for helping stomach aches and colds. My mom used Thieves on her throat and it really helped her with coughing at night. WE have not been sick but I'm sure it would help us just the same if it were us!

Ok, sorry for the rambling!  If you are at all interested in learning more, I would love to talk to you about them! I'm no expert but I love to share. No pressure at all. Drop me a line in the comments ! I will be doing an order in the next week so its in before baby decides to come, so if you want to try an oil, I get them at wholesale price and we can order you some! 

It obviously took me a while to jump on board and there is nothing wrong with making an informed decision. However, if you are ready to get  a kit now, click here and we can get ya set up! I will also throw in a little goodie bag full of stuff to get ya started living the oily life with me. This will put you on my team but you don't have to do anything more if you don't want. I can explain all of that after if you are interested.

Anyway, I hope this post helped to break down what you can do with oils in the Starter Kit and how they can benefit you and your family! 

Peace, Love & Oils... 

28 week Bump-date!

Well folks, I am officially in the 3rd Trimester!! Is it just me or is this flying by? I'm starting to have the nervous sweats... eek!! 

Saturday, July 16 marked the start of 28 weeks... 

HELLO BELLY! 

Since our last blog post, we have taken our baby-moon to Asheville,NC. It was an amazing 3 nights away from everything! I may just blog about it for others that may want to go. We are no experts on the area but man, we were impressed with everything we did that it may be helpful to someone what wants to venture that way soon!

And now, this is where we are today... 

How far along? 29 weeks, 1 day
How big is baby? The size of a PINEAPPLE .. wow! Weighing in at almost 3lbs and close to 16" long. 
Total weight gain/loss? Up 11lbs!
Maternity clothes? Needing to find long maxi dresses cause I'm getting really tired of putting on pants ! And if we are being honest, putting on clothes in general... ;) 

Sleep? I am sleeping AWESOME thanks to my Lavender and Peace and Calming blend in my diffuser.  Also, doctor recommended I stuff pillows behind me so I don't roll over on my back too much cause I was waking up that way. This can cut off the important blood flow to baby with all the weight on the vena cava vein. 
Best moment this week so far? We got the crib up and my friends threw Corbin his first shower and it was so fun!

Worst moment? I had 6 blood draws this week at the doctor. I should have results tomorrow on my glucose test and another test (liver enzymes and blood count). They are just making sure all is good so I'm fine with that even though the constant visits to the doc are no fun.
Symptoms? Feeling full and the usual growing pains. Also, had some nasty fire breathing heartburn.. like afraid to open my mouth cause I may burn someone heartburn... can you imagine? #newmomsuperpower?
Food cravings? All the unhealthy stuff.. of course.
Food aversions? I'm not a big fan of protein, usually at dinner time. Odd.
Belly button in or out? It's still in but I'm giving it 2 weeks max. ;) 
What I miss? Sleeping on my stomach is pretty high on the what I miss scale.
What I'm looking forward to? Making my list of to dos before he gets here! Yeah I know I'm a lame planner and I love lists haha! 10ish weeks is just not that far away! I gotta get on it!! 
Weird dreams of the week: I haven't had any lately that I can remember. Honestly can't remember anything these days... #pregnancybrain 

Baby Items Purchased? All the people in my life are certainly taking care of the baby items being purchased so far. I'm sure I'll be using my weekends soon to get the big things though (stroller, car seat, diaper bag etc.)

Daddy thoughts:
What do you think about your child being the size of a pineapple already?
Crazy!

Are you ready to change some diapers?
I have no idea what I'm doing...

What are you doing to prepare for Corbin's arrival?
Not trying to stress out!
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Does anyone swear by those pregnancy pillows or is that a waste of $$?

Anyone know of good summer clothing sales for those maxi dresses I'm trying to find?

Thinking of making freezer meals before he arrives.. anyone do this and recommend it? Any recipes you want to share?

Leave me some advice in the comments! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Week 25 Bump- date

So, it's been 5 weeks since I last updated you all on Baby Hart! Life has been crazy busy & I apologize for the lack of posting. Not sorry for living life, but sad I've missed some weeks.. anyway, we will get back on track!

Since the last post, we have found out the gender! We had a gender reveal party and it was so much fun! Our theme was AKs or Ballets and we (or Tyler ha!) shot an explosive target that was surrounded by chalk that we made ourselves. Check out some of our photos below to see Boy or Girl! 

 And the official bump pic with his name <3

Where we are now.. 

How far along? 25 weeks, 2 days
How big is baby? Size of a Prairie dog! About 2 lbs.
Total weight gain/loss? I've gained a total of  6 lbs so far.
Maternity clothes? Anytime I can wear Maternity I do... but still rocking some regular jeans but that's only because finding maternity jeans that are flattering really stinks. Maybe I should start my own line so women don't have to be miserable.  Maybe call it Momma Rabbits.. Right Dad? haha family joke.. moving on... 

Sleep? Last time I said it was time for one of those pillows.. and I still don't have one lol I'm not sleeping bad though.
Best moment this week so far? Constantly feeling the kicks just makes me happy.  

Worst moment? Personally, we lost a coworker last week so it was a bad week. Pregnancy wise, pulled a muscle in my upper stomach and oh my goodness, thought Corbin was coming out of my side! Terrified me. 

Symptoms? Just feel BLAH sometimes. 
Food cravings? Lately, I've had lots of ice cream and I'm not tired of it yet! 
Food aversions? Nothing really.
Gender? Little BOY
Belly button in or out? In 
What I miss? Looking normal. I love having the bump but when people stare at it constantly, its like, YES I KNOW I'M PREGNANT, STOP STARING! 
What I'm looking forward to? Getting Corbin's room set up.. I've been collecting things here and there so I'm ready to get started. 
Weird dreams of the week: Oh no big deal, Tyler just LEFT my side during labor & missed the whole thing! His excuse in the dream was he wanted to go talk to family in the waiting room. Nope, you better stay by my side boy or there will be consequences! 

Baby Items Purchased? Again, I have not purchased anything for him these last few weeks but he is getting spoiled by others already!

Daddy thoughts:

On a scale of 1-10 how nervous are you about the delivery room?
5

What are you most excited to teach Corbin?
How to shoot and how to treat his mommy well.

Best moment for you last week?
Visiting family and having friends over for some shooting fun

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How did you reveal the gender of your baby?
Anyone out there have a great place to find maternity pants?

Interested in how we made the chalk for our reveal? Post coming soon!

Week 20 Bump-date!

We are half way there people!  Such an exciting milestone :)
From this point, I'm just going to answer how things currently are going instead of a recap from the week before... 

How far along? 20w 2d

How big is baby? 20- Paper Airplane according to my app, but measuring 12oz at the doc today!
Total weight gain/loss? Officially gained a pound from my 8 week appt, although I feel like its 10..
Maternity clothes? Yep!! 

Sleep? I think its time for one of those pillows... Also, baby has now twice woke me up kicking. Getting me ready I supposed.
Best moment this week so far? I mean, finding out the gender of course!! 

Worst moment? Feeling like I couldn't walk last weekend! Had a horrible pain right in the front on my abdomen. We came to the conclusion it was round ligament pain thanks to Dr. Google, but the real doc said it may have been muscle spasms or a mix of the two.
Symptoms? Nothing right now!
Food cravings? No cravings, just whatever sounds good, I eat.
Food aversions? Not that I can think of
Gender? Mwahahahahahahahaha! Soon.
Belly button in or out? In 
What I miss? Sleeping on my belly even though I didnt do it that much anyway. Sometimes its nice to have that option! 
What I'm looking forward to? Shopping for this little one!
Weird dreams of the week: I had a dream it was a boy. So that's one for boy, one for girl.

Baby Items Purchased? None, but that's about to change!

Daddy thoughts:
How did you feel before the Anatomy Scan today?
Not that nervous. I mean, honestly surreal.

On a scale of 1-10 how nervous are you about being a dad?\
5 

Best moment for you this week?
Watching my baby smile about the gender!

Any more thoughts for the 1/2 way mark?
It's gettin' REAL!



Saturday we announce to the world!! 

Week 17-19 Bump- date!

Yes, I'm a little behind here. Sorry peeps! Life be crazy.
So, we are going to make this a Week 17-19 recap ;)

I'm also behind on getting a pic every Saturday..oh well, here is one right in the middle. 

How far along? 19 weeks as of 5.14.16 
How big is baby? 17- game console controller, 18- slingshot, 19- Zucchini
Total weight gain/loss? I *think* I am up 5 lbs.. but that just a guess from one weigh in at my moms house randomly. 
Maternity clothes? Still need more .. need time to shop!

Sleep? I'm getting good sleep.. and mainly sleeping on my right side.. all you gender predictors out there, here is one that points to girl! 
Best moment these 3 weeks? Feeling the baby move! Crazy! 

Worst moment? No bad moments, thank goodness.
Symptoms? I'm feeling good but uncomfortable at times. I know I know, its only gonna get worse ;)
Food cravings? Cereal!!

Food aversions? I want all the junk and none of the healthy .. that needs to change pronto! I did have Zucchini tonight though... 
Gender? 7 days till we know!
Belly button in or out? In 
What I miss?  Nothing at the moment
What I'm looking forward to? The Anatomy scan!!!
Weird dreams of the week: Lets see.. I've been held hostage in a Foot Locker, flown around like Peter Pan with a coworker to a party out in a corn field and a gender reveal dream revealed we were having a girl. All over the place!!

Baby Items Purchased? None the last few weeks.

Daddy thoughts:
Are you still thinking girl?
I think so...

On a scale of 1-10 how nervous are you about finding out the gender?
5

On a scale of 1-10 how nervous are you about being a dad?
5

(middle of the road.. we shall see if this changes!)

What do you think about the big ol belly so far?
It's cute.

Thanks for reading yall! Just FYI- this may turn into an every 2 week thing ;) 

Week 16 Bump-date!

Welcome to another week of pregnancy fun.. that sure flew by! So much so, I am behind.. sorry about that!
Let's dig into what happened...

How far along? Week 16, 4.23-4.30
How big is baby? About the size of a turnip! 
Total weight gain/loss? Friday April 29th was a check up for me. And I am back down to pre pregnancy weight, so I stand at zero weight gained/lost. Doc said no worries, this happens.. the baby is like a piranha and will take everything from you so, he/she be taking that weight gain! ;) 
Maternity clothes? They are literally my best friend. I need more.. time to go shopping again! 

Sleep? I wish I could sleep like my pug, but I still wake up kind of tossing and turning.
Best moment this week? Seeing my long distance BFF! We went to Franklin TN for a couples trip and it was amazing minus the rain :( 

Worst moment this week? Throwing up at the Apple Barn in Gatlinburg last weekend & then getting some sort of head cold/congestion this weekend. Come on now! 
Symptoms? I'm feeling overall better minus the above statement
Food cravings? Nothing really!
Food aversions? Same as last week.
Gender? I still say boy.. we find out in 3 weeks!
Belly button in or out? In 
What I miss?  My sissy :(
What I'm looking forward to? Planning this gender reveal over the next few weeks.. its going to be so fun! 
Weird dreams of the week: I have had zero (that I can remember) this week!

Baby Items Purchased? YES! I got a Butter onesie at Paula Deen's last week! Isn't it adorable?! haha!!

Daddy thoughts:
Do you think Boy or Girl? 
Girl (we were thinking the same till now!)

What do you want to accomplish before baby arrives? 
Getting this house looking like something!

What are you looking forward to?
Havin' a pretty baby... basically seeing what the baby looks like.

Any other thoughts for Week 16? 
This cheesecake is good.

With love and cheesecake...