Napping with my Nephew

This past Saturday I woke up early to go walk my dogs with my sister and mom. After our walk we had breakfast and after that I ran a few errands with my little sister. By the time we were done with running errands I was getting pretty tired. I usually take a nap on the couch with my puppies on Saturdays but this past Saturday I ended up at my sister's house when I became really tired. So I took a nap with my nephew Cameron. He is so sweet and getting so big so quickly. He will be two months old tomorrow and almost 4 months old by the time his cousin Everly is born!

Kitty Love Friday

So recently sleeping has become more and more uncomfortable for me. If you know me at all, this is shocking, because I can usually fall asleep anywhere and at anytime. I am the Queen of having a few beers and then falling asleep early (and my brother-in-law Mark is the King). However, lately just flipping over in bed is difficult and not being able to sleep on my stomach is no fun. I have been sleeping with a body pillow and that helps a little bit. I am usually the first to wake up in the morning and our kitty Oscar loves to steal my spot when I get up to shower. Since the addition of the body pillow, he has found a new spot...so we had a little photo shoot this morning. Love this guy...

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31 Weeks!

I am now 31 Weeks pregnant! Nine more weeks to go! Everything has been going pretty good and I have been feeling pretty good still. Some things have become more difficult, though. I no longer can wear my wedding ring because my hands are too swollen. I can get my ring on but it looks funny and then at night it is much more difficult to get it off so I just don't even put it on anymore. It definitely feels weird not wearing it.
Yesterday Justin and I took a Birthing Basics Class at the hospital I plan on delivering Everly at. I am actually really glad that we went to the class. There were a few things I was not prepared for (like the size of the placenta) and I feel better that we won't be as surprised on delivery day! Our instructor was pretty funny too so that made the all day class a little more manageable. It did make me more anxious, however. I can't wait to have her here!

Kitty Love Friday

So I do honestly feel a little bad that the blog is named Baby and the Hounds when the real King of the house is our cat Oscar. Oscar is really the first pet I ever had, and he is not even mine. Technically, he is Justin's cat, but I told him back when we were dating if we ever broke up I was keeping him. He is 8 years old and a siamese mix. Oscar has a very unique personality! He demands attention, and he usually gets what he wants. He loves to play fetch with his toys (yes, he actually plays fetch). He wakes up with us every morning and it just wouldn't be right to not include him on this blog. So, I am starting a series called Kitty Love Friday where I will include a post, even if it is just a picture, about our little guy. Hopefully I can keep it up! To start it off, here is one from last night. Every night, Oscar joins us for dinner on the kitchen table. I had brought home some socks that my sister bought for Everly and Oscar just couldn't resist laying on top of them. Right after I snapped this picture he rested his head down on the socks like they were his pillow...so cute!

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Dining with Dad v.02

I had a real hankering for some fried rice the other night. We have tried to make it before but for some reason, it wasn't one of those dishes we kept going back to. So, since it had been out of the rotation for quite some time, I felt it was time to try it again. 

It's a really easy dish to make, the hardest part is the preparation. Once all of the chopping of vegetables and cooking the rice is done, it all comes together pretty quickly.

I started out with some fried rice essentials. Peas, carrots, green onion, egg, and garlic, I also added some ginger.

I grilled up some chicken that I marinated with soy sauce, lime, garlic, and some oil.

I threw the vegetables into the wok first to let them tenderize.

Then added the rice, egg and started mixing with soy sauce. We always use low sodium soy sauce.

The hounds stuck around to help out, in case something landed on the ground.  Who needs brooms?

Yes, your arm does get tired after mixing this up after a while.

But in the end you will end up with a tasty meal!

August!!!!

So excited for all of the things coming up in August! First of all, Justin and I are taking a birthing class this upcoming weekend at the hospital I plan on delivering at. We are still a good two months away from my due date, but it fits into our schedule now and better early than late! On August 15th I get to see my favorite band in concert...Death Cab for Cutie! I love their new album and can't wait to hear it live!

 

I am also super excited for August 20th becuase it is the date of my baby shower! Of course I am really excited to get things for our baby girl, but I am really more excited because of the fact that the baby shower is almost here, and it means that we are that much closer to meeting Everly! 

August has saved the best for last, though! On August 24th I will be leaving for NYC to see my beautiful cousin Krya (below) become Mrs. Michael Hamilton!

Of course, the wedding is going to be amazing, and it will be awesome to see a lot of my family in New York as well. I haven't seen most of them since my wedding last November so it should be fun. We are going to go see a Yankees game while in the city which will be a lot of fun, and right now we are also planning on seeing the Dave Matthews Band perform at their own festival on Governor's Island, NY. That concert will probably be a last minute decision though, since I will be 34 weeks pregnant and not sure how energetic I will be. Yay for August!!!!

30 Weeks and a Pregnancy Survey!

Today I am 30 Weeks pregnant. I don't know why but it is just really exciting to say that! I know we are still about 2 1/2 months away from seeing our little girl, but 30 weeks just sounds so much closer than 29 weeks did!

I had an ultrasound this week and despite the fact that I was measuring a little farther along at my last appointment, all of Everly's growth measurements are right along track with 30 weeks. I also found out that I passed my glucose test and do not have gestational diabetes...yay! Everly has been moving around a lot lately and sometimes I just sit at my desk at work and start giggling because sometimes it feels really weird. It is sometimes less like punches and kicks and more like rolling around. Justin has been able to feel her move more too, which is nice, because the last few weeks every time he would feel my stomach she would stop moving! Already being stubborn I guess? She was a bit stubborn during the ultrasound, too. We have no photos to share because she was not cooperating and was only showing us the back of her head! Here is a little survey I filled out about my pregnancy so far...


How far along?  30 weeks

What was the first thing you bought for your baby? Oh...that is going to be hard to remember with my pregnancy brain! My mom bought a little bib for her when I was like 5 weeks pregnant so that will have to count!

How are the maternity clothes? I am in love with my forever 21 maternity tanks. I have 3 different colors, and I love them. I also have a pair of maternity leggings from H&M that I love. Other than that it is mostly skirts and dresses for me!

Stretch marks? Yea, got one, but I also had some before I was even pregnant so not surprised.

How’s the sleep? Definitely not like it used to be. I mean I still fall asleep pretty good, and often when I am on the couch downstairs, however, I toss and turn a few times a night and that is not getting any easier the bigger I get. I also used to be able to sleep through the night without having to go to the bathroom. Those days are over!

Best moment this week? Getting my "Everly" necklace!

Movement? A lot more movements in the past week. They make me laugh and are feeling more like rolls then just punches or kicks.

Have you taken a birthing class? Not yet. We did a tour of the hospital, and Justin attended a Daddy Bootcamp, but we are planning on taking birthing basics next weekend. We also plan on taking infant CPR and I would like to take a breastfeeding class in September as well.

Type of delivery you’re planning on? No planned C-Section or anything, but I will be getting an epidural. I just hope it is safe and we have a healthy baby!

Biggest change in your body besides belly? My feet have been swelling a lot and my hands. I think I won't be wearing my wedding rings much anymore. My skin has not been so pretty either. I have read it is common when having a girl though, because of the estrogen. I also definitely have pregnancy brain...not so good when you are an accountant.

Food cravings? Nothing too weird. I like ice cream, and bagels, although, not together! Sometimes all I want for dinner is macaroni and cheese and Pillsbury crescent rolls. I guess that's a little weird. I crave beer, does that count?

Gender? Female

Labor Signs? None, thankfully!

Belly Button in or out? In.

What are you missing? Beer and clothes fitting comfortably. Even my big comfy shirts are tight and I don't like that!

What are you looking forward to? Maternity Leave! I am really looking forward to just holding her and staring at her and seeing my husband with her.

Other Updates? My baby shower is 3 weeks from today and I am super excited! Also, end of August I go to NY for my cousin's wedding and I can't wait.

Making Grandpa Larkins Proud!

Yesterday we stopped at Target after my ultrasound and came across something we just could not resist...

My father-in-law was a huge ASU fan and I know he would have loved to see our little girl in these adorable onesies. Plus, I am an alumni of ASU so she kind of has to have them! Can't wait for her to be here!

A late birthday present...sort of

So Justin actually got me this present early but we had to take it back and get it fixed because it was too small and on the wrong color chain. I am so glad it is finally ready! I love it. It is a necklace from this adorable vintage store in central Phoenix called Frances. If you have never been there, check it out!

Her name looks so pretty in cursive! I love it and will probably be wearing it very often. Some people may think it is weird that I have a necklace with my daughter's name on it, but I like it, so who cares! 

We Won!

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us on facebook for the use of our decals from Designed Designer. We got more votes than any other photo during this contest and now we won back the cost of the decals, which was over $100 so we are excited to use that money towards other baby items for little Everly! We have the most awesome friends and family for putting up with all of my nagging to vote for us. Thanks!

And while I am on the subject of nagging...please vote for us on Top Baby Blogs. You can vote once a day!

Nursery Update!

Justin and I have been working on adding some art and decorations in Everly's nursery for a while now. Thanks to some awesome birthday gifts and finding some frames, we finally have enough to post about. One of my favorite items is this print from Sycamore Street Press.

Justin got it for me for my birthday and it is hand-printed on a vintage letterpress. This company is on Etsy but you can also get to their shop from the link above. They have some really cute prints, it was hard to decide on this one. Eventually, this will be the corner with the rocking chair so we thought that this print would be appropriate here. A few weeks ago we also found this picture at Kohl's...

It is hanging above the closet and we like it because it continues with our owl them and it kind of has a Beatles lyric in it...plus we bought it with a coupon! Continuing on with the owl theme are a couple of owls we purchased. The one on the left below is from Urban Outfitters and is actually a little bank and the one on the right is from West Elm. We love both of them.

These next two items are some pottery that Justin and I painted on a date night a few weeks ago. He painted the little puppy and I painted the owl. We had a lot of fun painting these for Everly. 

This last area is a work in progress. We wanted to have a little collage of prints and pictures above the changing table area and are not quite done yet. 

The one on the right is something I just typed up on the computer after finding it on Etsy at a price I didn't want to pay. We like it because it is actually in a Dave Matthews Band song (So Much to Say). The picture of the birds on the wire is something my sister got me on clearance at Target and I love it because it fits with the decals and it reminds me of

a Regina Spektor song (Two Birds). Last, the owl on the right is something we have wanted since we began the nursery. It is a print by artist Matte Stephens. You can check out his Etsy shop here. He makes some really cool art! Justin's sister's family actually got it for me for my birthday and I love it and am so glad it is finally up!

Also, our beautiful Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag arrived in the mail this weekend. I never thought I could love a diaper bag so much, but hey, I am going to be carrying this thing around a lot! 

Hope you all had a great weekend and if you don't mind clicking on the link below to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs we would really appreciate it!