Work it Wednesday

Well more like "Wore it on the Weekend Wednesday". Last week I didn't have work and went out to LA with a girlfriend for the evening. I'm definitely having to get more creative with my outfit selections these days. I attempted a mild "color blocking" outfit with a cobalt blue tank and fuchsia heels. 

bump alert!

Have a great Wednesday and remember to "work it!" Har har.

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Sushi

Lucky for me my hubby loves making sushi and he's good at it! Last weekend he busted out some delicious rolls even though we forgot the cucumber...oops. And not to worry, they were raw fish free!

nishiki white rice, shrimp tempura, avocado, and siracha sauce

finished roll

inside out roll with crab and avocado

finished roll with sesame seeds on top!

 

 

 

 

 

I will say that making sushi takes a lot of practice and M had to work hard to get it just right but now that he's got it mastered we like to eat it more often.

Maternity Mondays: Week 21

Over Thanksgiving my family listened to her heart beat via a heart beat machine that a friend lent me. It was so fun to see their reactions to her heart's pitter patter. They also attempted to feel her move but she was a stinker and would always stop right when they put their hand on my belly. It's so weird that I feel so much movement and it's still difficult to get others to feel it. I can't wait till my family can join in on the fun!

Blair is about 10.8 inches long and weighs about 12-16 ounces (one whole pound!). Her senses are developing and she has taste buds and can sense touch.

Blair got some adorable onesies this week from her Aunt Tiffany (my brother's wife) and her mom. Leopard?! I love!

We also took our Christmas card photos with one of my best friends, Carrie on Saturday. From the ones I have seen they are adorable. :) Here is a "for fun" shot that I thought I would share since it won't be making the Christmas card cut. Check out her facebook page here.

Definitely a growing belly! At least my innie is still hanging on. :) Well, I'm back to work this week and already looking forward to Christmas break. Is that bad? Have a great Monday!

so (thank) FULL

I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Mine is not over yet. Today we are traveling up to Santa Barbara for Thanksgiving # 2 with Matt's side of the family. Can you believe I'm not hitting up black Friday? Me either. Sigh. Such a bittersweet feeling. While I am not dealing with the crowds I'm also not scoring any amazing deals. There's always cyber Monday, right? ;) 

Yesterday was a great Thanksgiving at the beach. We started it off with a walk on the beach trails with the dogs and then cooked all day. I harassed Matt all day making sure he was getting footage on our Flip because I want him to make a Thanksgiving mini-movie. :) I'll share that sometime next week. Here are a few shots of our day...

Probably wearing this non-maternity shirt for the last time...

it wouldn't be complete without the doggies!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Snuggling with the dog catching up on some things...be back later!

Which Team Are You On?

I never quite understood the whole "Team Jacob" or "Team Edward" thing. Do you pick a team based on who's hotter or do you pick a team based on who Bella should end up with? If it is solely off looks then hands down I am Team Jacob. He is smokin'! Don't worry, Matt is OK with my celebrity crush. :) We went to see Breaking Dawn on Sunday night and while I was entertained I don't think there was enough action for Matt. He is looking forward to Part II. We both read the books and enjoyed them but honestly I really can't wait for Hunger Games to come out in theaters in March. It may be our last date sans Blair. :)

Bella and Edward on their honeymoon

Team Jacob

So, are you a "Twi-hard"? I would not say that I am but since I read the books I have to see the movies.

Maternity Mondays: Week 20

Drum roll please! I'm officially half way to the finish line! Yesterday I had another sonogram in which they measured all of Blair's body parts. The technician said "From what I can tell, it looks like a girl to me." Which I guess in the medical world is as good as it gets because nothing can be 100%. Sigh. However, later in the sonogram she said she was measuring her cervix so you be the judge!

Blair is the length of a banana this week, 10.5 inches, from head to toe. The technician gave us a lot of pictures but to be honest her face looks too alien-like for me to post all the pictures. Her eyes are gigantic! We don't find out if she passed all of her "tests" until December 21st. I've decided pregnancy is just one big waiting game.

check out that spine!

Blair is head down, bum up again. Her heart rate was 142. She is facing my back which really means that picture above should be rotated to the right. I just learned that the top of the picture is the top of my stomach. I was all backwards. :)

According to my scale at home I've gained about 7 pounds. And here is the belly to prove it!

Woah mama! Every week I am amazed by my largeness. It's funny though because I used to really be able to pack away the food before I was prego and now I can't eat as much as I used to. I guess Blair is taking up all the room in there. :)

I am still in a happy mood but I find myself crying at the silliest things. I used to be a stone cold fox when it came to sappy movies but now I cry at the drop of a hat!

As far as baby gear goes this week I got a nice baby gate in the mail along with a onesie that says, "Step Aside, Barbie." I'll admit I'm not usually into that type of thing ("my mom is hotter than your mom"...um NO) but I couldn't resist. Blair needs one sassy outfit, right? Clothes are still trickling in from previous shopping sprees at Zulily (OMG totally obsessed with that website) but I have stopped purchasing for the most part. Matt's Aunt had a friend who gave us 4 HUGE boxes of little girl clothes that we can't possibly use all of so I'm waiting to see which one of my prego friends is also having a girl and am going to share the love. :)

Anyway, I'm off of work this whole week (although I saw 2 students last night at the movies) and I plan on loving every minute of it! Happy maternity Monday and I will see you tomorrow!

Thanks A Lot

Today I have parent teacher conferences from 8-3 solid. No bathroom breaks. No lunch. Which really means some parents are going to have to wait while I go to the restroom and some are going to have to excuse me talking with my mouth full. Hopefully they will all be understanding with my prego self! Next week I am off the whole week, hallelujah! I decided to complete one of my own assignments that I gave in class to my students... what are five things you are thankful for? Although mine will be posted on a blog and not written on turkey feathers. :) 

1. husband

 Matt has been beyond helpful throughout my whole pregnancy. He dotes on my every need even when I whine. Here are some reasons why I love him... 

-he reads a daily devotional to me and Blair every night

-he gets off the couch when I yell at him in the shower to get me a towel

-he does dishes, takes out trash, feeds the pets etc.

-he massages/tickles my back upon request (unless he's asleep)

-he deals with baby stuff arriving almost daily and hasn't yelled at me (yet) for spending on Blair

seriously handsome

2. healthy baby blair

I LOVE this baby! And I can't wait to meet her. When I think about holding her for the first time I get so emotional. My entire perspective on life has changed and I am so excited to be a mommy.

Blair at about 3 months

3. our home

While it is small and not where I want to live for the next year or so, it is home. It has been good to us and I am thankful to have a roof over my head. I am working on being content with what I have here since it is so much more than what some people have.

our home during our first Christmas

4. job

Man will it be glorious to be done teaching! but, bittersweet because I have loved my job and quite honestly I think I'm good at it. (or that's what my principals say anyway!) Although I am itching to be done I am so blessed to have had a job as a teacher for the last five years, especially with California's economy. It's been no picnic being laid off every year but I have learned to trust God and not worry about it. He provides every time!

pajama day my first year of teaching

5. friends and family

Cliche, yes. but seriously I have the best family! I can't wait to see my mom in action as Gramma. :) I am so looking forward to walking with her and Blair in the mornings. I know she will be so helpful and I am thankful for that. While most of my girlfriends live far away I am still blessed by them often. It's always great to catch up right where we left off. 

2011 Christmas card photo

I hope you enjoyed all of my mushiness but 'tis the season to be mushy! It's Thanksgiving for goodness sake! Have a great weekend! I will be at the beach. And most definitely not in a bikini during my winter whiteness.

Work it Wednesday

Um I mean Thursday...

This is one of my favorite items! I LOVE my leopard cardi! Thanks to my mother-in-law for getting me this a few Christmases ago. The lace and gold buttons have me smitten. Plus anything that covers my rear lately is a good thing. Especially when I'm wearing leggings! :)

 

cardigan: parfait

tank(that no longer fits and hangs off my belly): rubbish

leggings: pea in the pod

boots: frye

PS Blair kicked while I wrote this post. She loves Work it Wednesday. And leopard. :)

Bowtastic

Due to the fact that I slacked last weekend and didn't get around to taking my "work it" wednesday photo, today's post will be about something else that I adore...bows! While I used to only wear them in my hair, I love to wear them everywhere now! I own a couple of bow items and decided there are some others that I would like to add to my collection!

bow ring from tiffany's

bow earrings from tiffany's

for baby Blair's shower?

so cute for the weekend!

great with bow tie pasta ;)

perfection

Do you love bows on your accessories? Or is it too girly for you?

Mobile Network

So here's the thing... I hate passionately dislike themed nurseries (my apologies to anyone who has one). I just am not a fan of a "winnie the pooh" or "butterfly" or "monkey" themed room. I am picky. I want the nursery to reflect my sense of style that you see throughout our home. Which means I will make it classic with unique patterns and textures instead of cartoon creatures. I fell in love with this bumper and am basing the entire room around it. Lately I have been on the prowl for the perfect mobile. Do you know how hard it is to find one that isn't tacky? (PS I'm the same way with kids clothing...I like it to be adult-ish. No Disney T's please).

I've seen several banners strung from the wall to the ceiling over the crib to create a mobile. Maybe in pink and green?

well i'm not going with bikes but this is so totally adorable!

my original inspiration from dwell studio

an etsy version that i bet i could recreate

felt poms

i love tissue poms but am wondering if this trend is on its way out? also what about dust collecting on top... 

All mobiles were found on Etsy except for the one from Dwell Studio. Which one do you love? Which one do you think will keep baby Blair interested?

Maternity Mondays: Week 19

Almost half way there! It seems like the pregnancy has gone quickly in some ways and slowly in others. I am always anticipating the next stage. At first all I wanted was a big belly, then all I wanted was to know the sex, then I wanted to feel her moving, and now I want Matt to feel her! I'm never content! And it really seems that I'm having to learn to be more than ever lately because...

The re-model quotes for our house came back sky high and and buying is not an option since selling our current house is not an option. (we thougth about renting and it's also not an option) So, therefore I need to learn to be content with our current home. Don't get me wrong, I love our house it's just getting cramped and it's dissappointing to see other homes twice the size as ours on the market for the same price. What's even more frustrating is that we have the money to buy but not enough to foot two mortgages, which is what we would have to do. Sigh. That was my pity party and I'll be done now. :)

Last weekend I hauled Matt around crib shopping. He was a very good sport and even let me pick out a few things at the Gap baby sale. :) We looked at Pottery Barn, Babies 'R' Us, and a local baby store in town. I thought I would love PB but was honestly dissappointed. We decided on a set at the local baby store in town. I could only find one of the pictures in black but all of the furniture will be white.



the hudson crib by Bonavita

the hudson dresser by Bonavita. The dresser will also double as our changing table.



We are also getting a nightstand and glider. I am really looking forward to changing the office into the nursery. I am always full speed ahead and Matt likes to wait things out to make sure it's all going to work. First thing on our list is to paint and then install new carpet. Then it's furniture time! :) 



A Flair for Blair

After much deliberation (which means me scouring over 100,000 baby names and Matt "yaying or naying" them before falling asleep at night) we came up with a name! Lucky for us baby B is a girl because we were really struggling with boy names! So, without further delay...

BLAIR OLIVIA BUSHMAN

is going to be our baby girl's name! I love the way Blair sounds with Bushman and B.B. are cute initials. Ironically her full initials spell BOB which is Matt's dad's name. :) There were many names that I loved but some of them were overused and/or ruined for me since I have taught so many children. I have never taught a "Blair" so she gets a fresh start!

As I mentioned in Monday's post I have been feeling Blair move a lot but there was a lull in the middle of the week that made me nervous. My friend Carrie suggested that I borrow her Doppler so we could check in on little Blair every now and then and voila! There she was beating away last night. It was so relieving to hear her little heart. I could just listen to it all night! 

Another goofy mom thing I did last night was attach her "baby plus" to my waist. It's basically a sound machine that looks like a fanny pack and plays different beats. The beats resemble a low drum or heart beat. She loved it! I could feel her bumping around inside which was super fun! Some research somewhere says it's good for her to hear patterns and rhythms. Apparently it makes her smarter...we shall see! 

I don't have any pictures to go along with Blair's name but here are some cute things that came in the mail this week...

denim with tulle! thanks gramma!

mini embroidered pumpkins for next fall. thanks andie!

i wish i could borrow this from her...so cute!

move over bella...

apple of my eye. thanks gramma!

joe's skinny cords in mauve. perfect with that leopard top!

skinny joe's jeans for blair! 

Hope you have a great weekend! I know I will since it started today. :) Yay for working for the government!