31 Weeks

Loving this weather...I heart Spring!

I know people are freaked out that we're having a bit of a windy and chilly week, but for now I'm just soaking in this little cold-ish spell and appreciating the weather before it turns hot-hot-hot!

Yay, Blood!

One more thing to remember to bring to the hospital...

At my last doctor's appointment, I picked up our cord blood collection kit, which may seem like a strange thing to be excited about, but I'm thrilled!


We've decided to collect and store this baby's cord blood and cord tissue, which I highly advocate. I mean, it's a personal decision and definitely not a necessity, but as we've gotten farther into researching it, we've become very convinced that it's the route for us. For anyone who hasn't ever really heard or thought about it, let me just give you my opinion--which you can take or leave.


Basically, when your baby is born, there are stem cells (which are uber-pure) in its umbilical cord. If you've ever heard that you shouldn't cut the umbilical cord right away, it's based on the concept that those last stem cells will be pumped into the baby instead of  being wasted. For about the last 20 years or so, though, parents have had the option to actually collect those stem cells and store them for later use. Once you get pregnant, there are posters and brochures and materials EVERYWHERE about it (because I'm sure it's a very lucrative business), and every parent has to decide yay or nay. Ryan and I decided yay for a few reasons:


1. In case our baby gets sick. What parent doesn't worry about their kid getting sick? If she ever has cancer, a blood disorder, a metabolic disorder or an immune disease, she could potentially use the these stem cells to get better. If we didn't opt to save them, we might have to worry about finding someone who's a match for her in case she needs them down the road. I prefer peace of mind from the beginning--especially since the word "cancer" is involved...


2. In case their sibling gets sick. If we have more kids, they (or even Ryan and I) could potentially use them. (If we had a sick child without banked cord blood, an option would be to try and have an additional kid in hopes that they're born a "match"--what a nerve-wracking and pressure-filled situation!)


3. It's a one-time shot. This is a non-controversial way to gather stem cells, and it's the ONLY time you can take advantage of it. I would hate to need these stem cells down the road and regret not doing it.


4. It lasts a lifetime. They use cryogenic freezing, which means they could be 70 and still use the stem cells. Can you imagine? Ryan and I will be long-gone, and we could still help save our kid's life!


We've also decided to bank the baby's actual cord tissue, which is relatively new. From the cord tissue, they extract mesenchymal cells, which have different properties that are being explored. Basically, the use of mesenchymal cells is still in clinical trials, but these types of cells can potentially be used to help with:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Serious wounds
• Spinal cord injury
• Cartilage injury
• Liver disease
• Diabetes
• HIV

Unfortunately, if our kid has any of these problems right now, it would be experimental for them to be treated with these mesenchymal cells, but since the company we chose to go with is leading the field, we'd have a better chance of even getting into a clinical trial. Plus, although stem cells are really best used with people who are genetically close to the donor, mesenchymal cells aren't as restrictive and could be used for a range of people--maybe even strangers. I know that storing her cord tissue is DEFINITELY a *bonus,* but I can't help but think of the people who opted to store cord blood 20 years ago: I'm sure the full extent of its use wasn't known then (or really even now), but it lasts forever, so down the road they may be able to use them for purposes not yet discovered. What if in 20 years they figured out how to cure cancer with these cells??? Wouldn't I regret not having them? So we're placing a bet on science and will be storing her cord tissue too.

Honestly, after all of the research I've done (which is way more fascinating than anything I've written here, but way too long for a blog), I think that there are really only two reasons why someone wouldn't do it: 1. Lack of knowledge, and 2. The expense. I can't really help anyone with lack of knowledge beyond encouraging them to READ and ASK QUESTIONS. As for the expense, whoa, yes, it's expensive--especially when you're in the midst of paying for a new baby. Ryan and I sat down and talked about it, though, and have come to the conclusion that we'd rather sacrifice financially now than regret our decision--perhaps to the detriment of our kid's health--in the future. Plus, the older I get the more I realize that money comes in, money goes out, and our job is really just to point it in the right direction.

One final thought: I hope we NEVER have to use these cells. It's funny, because in most investments you would assume the opposite--why pay for something that you hope to never take advantage of? A lot of people cite the low percentage of people who actually use their stored cord blood as a reason NOT to store it, but I can't help but think that all of those people who don't use their cord blood are pretty happy with their outcome. I would be...

66 Degrees + a Boppy

Could YOU ask this guy to move?

Not being able to sleep while pregnant is one of those cliches that I have accepted as a part of life. Truthfully, at this point, seven months in, I've all but forgotten what it's like not to be pregnant, and a large part of that revolves around my sleep, or rather, my inability to sleep.

Since becoming pregnant, I haven't slept more than four hours in a row (with the exception of one time following a literal all-nighter). In fact, I average about two hours at a time. At about the two-hour mark, I either have to use the restroom, am dying of thirst, or have to rearrange myself due to discomfort. It's become part of my life, and as someone who deeply believes that eight-straight-hours-a-night is a necessity, it's been a strange transition in accepting my new schedule. Through trial and error, I've discovered two key factors in getting the maximum amount of sleep these days: 1. It has to be 66 degrees in our house at night (which I know sounds super cold, but I'M HOT), and 2. Pillows are key to comfort. In fact, toward the end of my first trimester, Ryan was so sweet to suggest "one of those pregnancy pillows" he had read about on the internet, and it's been helpful...to some of us in the family.

The Boppy is great, don't get me wrong. It's more comfortable than squishing pillows around and easier to maneuver as well. I wouldn't say that it's been a magic solution, but I'm thankful for its help. (Even now I'm piling up extra pillows to create a sort of nest at night, which helps me to feel like I can actually breathe, since feeling like I'm suffocating when I lay down is an unexpected and terrifying symptom that's recently begun happening.) Looking for more of a rave review? Ask my dogs.

If you've ever hung around our dogs long enough for them to calm down (ahem) and relax, you know that comfort and sleep are their main priorities in life. The first morning after I used the Boppy, I came out of the shower to find Oscar and Olive both cozied up in it, snoozing. Hmmm. Not a big deal in and of itself, but as time has passed, we've had to come to a custody-type agreement on who gets the Boppy when.

The second night with the Boppy, I came out of the bathroom from brushing my teeth to find them, once again, comfortable and arranged for a long night's sleep. How do you explain to a dog that something that looks like a dog bed and is clearly more comfortable than a dog bed isn't a dog bed? And, to be fair, as much as my sleep has been sporadic, so has theirs as they often get up with me each night. It's grown to be a little bit of a problem, especially when I return to bed in the pitch-black-middle-of-the-night and find them (pretending to be) asleep in my Boppy. We tried several solutions: Could they fit in the Boppy with me? (Nope.) Would they be just as comfortable with some extra regular pillows laid out like a Boppy? (They're not dumb enough to fall for that.) Maybe we should buy them a Boppy for the floor? (We're not that crazy.) So we've settled on the days-for-dogs, nights-for-Talie settlement. It's been fairly successful thus far, save for a few gray areas that have occurred as a result of some much cherished daytime naps.

I think we've resolved that once the baby is here I'll relinquish the Boppy to belong to the dogs full-time (since it's getting worn in anyway). After all, it makes them happy, and I figure that it will be a nice, familiar place for them to escape a crying baby--a small sacrifice to make to bring our "first kids" a bit of comfort once we have our "real kid."

NOT Strep Throat

Penicillin, ugh.

I'm not a "medicine" person. That is to say that I don't really take medicine unless it's definitely necessary: I rarely take anything for headaches; I've never used a Z-pack (even after four years of UGA's Health Center!); I can't remember the last time I used a decongestant or NyQuil...needless to say my prescriptions often go unfilled.

Don't get me wrong.  I don't oppose medicine--I'm not crazy.  I just like to let my body take care of itself as much as possible.  I believe that it's capable of a lot more than we give it credit for, and therefore shouldn't be coddled too much with medicines at every bump in the road.

Since being pregnant, I think that my aversion to medicine has heightened (naturally) and, yes, has been justified a bit. I do have to say that it's been a bit of a struggle when dealing with my doctor's office since they're naturally inclined to "dose up and be done with it."  It started at our pregnancy confirmation visit, where we had a pushy nurse who asked if I had gotten a flu vaccine yet. When I responded "no," she automatically assumed that I would be getting one that day. I told her I wasn't interested: I work at home, I've never opted to have one, and I've known a few people who've had very adverse effects from the flu shot.  She scoffed at me (almost quite literally) and then tried the "the CDC recommends every pregnant woman get a flu shot" angle. It didn't work. Then she tried the "getting the flu will be much worse than getting the shot" argument. I put my foot down. THEN she had the audacity to turn to Ryan and tell him that he should get one. Really? It made me wonder if she was getting commission for administering flu shots!

Now, I've had quite a few vaccines in my lifetime. Between traveling to Asia, Africa, South America and Eastern Europe, my arm has been privy to its share of needles. And that's fine. But a flu shot just wasn't one that I wanted to add to my list. I did get the whooping cough vaccine, simply because of the unusual way it's popping up again lately in Georgia babies.  That I saw the merit in.

Since being pregnant, I've only used headache medicine once, and otherwise have pretty much avoided OTC stuff with ease. Then, at my 28 week appointment, my doctor tested me for Group B Strep--and I came back positive. Crap.

GBS is not a big deal in and of itself--and, no, it's not even remotely related to strep throat, which, by the way, I have (ironically) NEVER had. It's a bacteria that occurs naturally in about 25% of women and just hangs out, doing its thing quietly, not bothering anyone...until you have a baby. If you have GBS at delivery, there are some very bad things that can happen to the infant. The most concerning problem? Meningitis. Yikes. If a woman tests positive for GBS at delivery, there's a 1 in 200 chance that the baby will be infected with GBS if she doesn't take antibiotics.  Those chances go to 1 in 4,000 if she takes antibiotics.

So I found out early in the game that I'm a "carrier." Dang. I thought we were out of the weeds--no neonatal allo-immune thrombocytopenia; no gestational diabetes (whew! I was worried about that one); no unusual ultrasounds.  I have to admit that I felt a pang of disappointment. Essentially, I have to take penicillin four times a day (ugh) for a week to stave it off initially, then I'll have an IV with antibiotics (even if I test negative at a later date) in the hospital when I give birth.

When I picked up my prescription from Publix (free--that was a treat!), I felt a little worried. Truthfully, I didn't want to take anything during pregnancy, even something as common as penicillin.  And four pills a day for a week?!? That just seems like A LOT. I did look into more natural options, but ultimately I trust Western medicine for something that could potentially cause brain damage or death. This time I DIDN'T argue with the nurse. :)

I've felt a bit begrudging since starting the regimen, though. I take a pill, then I get worried. Take a pill, worry. Take a pill, worry, and again until the day's dosage is done. Then I relax, and start again the next day. Plus, I swear it's making me nauseous and giving me stomach cramps. Needless to say, it's going to be a long week.

The upside? At least I found out now instead of during labor. Granted, at that moment in time I'll probably be so miserable I'll let them give me any antibiotic they want without question, but at least I'll know what to expect. I had been having a secret dream of an IV-free delivery (a la Abbey Busch), but now I can let go of that fantasy and prepare for a line in my hand (ouch/I hate them). I just continue to pray that the penicillin is doing good and not bad for this baby girl, and as long as she keeps kicking to tell me she's alright, I'll survive...

30 Weeks

Uh-oh. Looks like I'm hitting the point of needing bigger shirts...:)

I'm so pumped to be entering the 30-somethings of pregnancy! Two-and-a-half-or-so months to go...is it possible to feel both ready and completely unprepared at the same time?

LTF & The Great Baby-ssage

A little biology lesson...

My. Back. Hurts. Badly.


For those of you following along, you may remember that a few months ago my back was hurting so badly that I bellyflopped into my bed. As an update to that blog, let me just say that 1. The baby is fine despite my lack of common sense, and 2. The pain has only gotten worse.

Since Day One (literally), I've had pain in my tailbone. It was confusing at first (since I didn't realize that can be a symptom of pregnancy), and now it's become almost debilitating. I've been pretty active at the gym, mostly focusing on walking A TON and weightlifting some. (Ryan's been such a great encouragement, love that guy!)  However, the further along I get, the worse the pain is, and nothing is helping.  (Really all I want to do is bend over to touch my toes, but it's like a basketball is keeping me from bending over far enough to get a good stretch.) In fact, the pain is so bad that today I decided to sweep the house, and ended up sitting on the couch arm and sweeping everything in my reach before moving to another spot!

A side note, since I love knowledge so much, even despite my lack of proclivity toward science: When you're pregnant, there are only really three ligaments that attach your uterus (sorry, awkward image) to your body: one on each side in the front and one that attaches to the tailbone. So right now I have a 16-inch person inside of my clinging to my lower back for dear life. Sounds uncomfortable, huh? It is.

It's gotten so bad that I finally gave in and booked a prenatal massage on Saturday. I've been interested in going for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it thus far. I decided to try out my gym's massage therapy (more on Life Time Fitness in a bit) because it's pretty well-priced compared to a real spa, and I viewed this appointment as more functional than fun. I never go to the spa side of LTF (where you can get manicures and haircuts and massages), so I didn't realize how nice it is! There's a little door that I always assumed was a door to an individual massage room (like at a nail place), but it opened up into a whole relaxing lobby! Truthfully, the atmosphere was as nice as Spa Sydell.

I had the best time. Because my expectations were so low, I honestly thought I'd be getting a mall-ssage style treatment (in a chair), but I had a spa-style dark room with soothing music and Aveda essential oils.  I didn't realize that a prenatal massage would simply be done on your side instead of your stomach, which makes sense now. My masseur was very understanding of my wimpy-ness when it comes to massages (Deep tissue? No thank you!), and I came out of it with no back pain for the first time in seven months. For an hour massage, $63 was worth every penny and then some.

(Of course, I worked out on Sunday, and now the pain is back. Dangit. Can I get a massage every day?)

Let me take a moment to talk about Life Time Fitness now. Ryan and I used to belong to L.A. Fitness, and we paid $70 a month. It was fine. I was happy, but Ryan had always heard such great things about LTF that about two years ago I gave in and we took a tour. It's really not a gym; it's a pseudo-country club, and has a freakin' price tag to match. But, as soon as we stepped in, I knew Ryan was a goner. He loved it--a nice cafe with healthy food, an outdoor pool with a slide and food service, an indoor pool with glass saunas overlooking it, TONS of machines so you never have to wait...you name it, they have it. It took A LOT of convincing and cajoling for me to agree to the $115 a month fee (I'd have been happy at a cheap little gym as long as it had an elliptical and a treadmill), and I have to admit that although I can't imagine going anywhere else (spoiled), I always secretly rolled my eyes every time I paid that monthly fee...until I got pregnant. You see, LTF is really popular here in Alpharetta mostly because of its amazing kids' programming, so I stopped by the Childcare Center to feel it out--and BINGO, Life Time immediately became the best investment a mom could ask for.

For a kid to join, it's an additional $6 a month. Yup, just $6. And babies can "join" at three months old. The kicker? That $6 a month pays for 10 hours of childcare A WEEK--that's a maximum of two hours a day, a maximum of four days a week Monday-Saturday, and an additional two hours on Sunday. So even when you consider that we're paying $121 total, we can drop this kid off for as much as 40 hours a month! That's like $3 an hour for babysitting.  And the best part is, I can workout, eat lunch at the cafe with a friend, go to the pool, get a massage, relax in the lobby with a book (i.e. NAP), work on my computer, sit in the sauna...and have a built-in babysitter! Since Ryan travels so much, I know I'll be utilizing the Childcare Center a ton, if only to have a few hours to escape a week. (Maybe now I know why stay-at-home moms are so fit...it means being kid-free for a few hours!)

So moral of the story? If you can, getting a prenatal "baby-ssage" and joining a gym with great childcare are worthwhile investments for moms--and if you can get both in one place? Even better.

29 Weeks

...and feeling good!

Just starting to work on the "delivery" details (lots of research, forms, phone calls and conversations to make some key decisions) while Ryan's traveling a lot. Since I'll be relying on Ryan once this baby girl's here to do things like notify our friends, get her registered with our health care and get our cord blood sent out, I'm trying to organize all of that information early on--just in case she's early...and something in me feels like she will be, at least by a little bit. (Am I allowed to verbalize that?)

28 Weeks

To the gym!

So at 28 weeks, the weather's starting to get to me, and I'm experiencing the awful swelling that everyone complains about during summer pregnancies...air conditioning and oscillating fans, ON! :)

Birth in the '70s

Actually, this aid might be from the '70s as well...maybe it came along with "The Miracle of Life" kit? :)

We took a birthing class on Saturday, which, to say the least, was quite "interesting."

Actually, to back up a bit, about a week ago, a friend of ours gave us and another couple an informal, mini "class" on birthing, which I found to be super helpful. A former nurse, a mother of two (via natural birth) and an acting "doula" for her sister, Andrea Adkins knows a thing or two about having babies.  She was the first person we ever knew to have a natural birth (and since then we've known more people to go the natural route than to have medication--isn't that a total anomaly?), and so we've always viewed her as an expert in the birthing field. She sat down with us and went over some basics (and mostly answered our burning questions), and I can say that I left feeling a lot more educated than I came.  I mean, I've done a lot of reading and video-watching, but there were just some, um, let's just say "logistics" and scientific questions I couldn't seem to have answered without a knowledgable person to talk to.

Now fast forward to Saturday. Since we're only about 29 weeks, we took the birthing class a bit earlier than most people (who all seemed to be in the mid-30s), but since Ryan's traveling a lot before the baby comes, and since I REALLY wanted him there, we opted to go early rather than never. I hate to say this, but my biggest surprise was how unprepared and uninformed the other couples, who are mere weeks away from the big event, really were. From a lot of their questions, I found myself wondering if they had even read a single thing about giving birth or if they were all in birthing denial. I mean, I'm no expert by far, but I started to get frustrated that so much of our time was being taken up by questions like, "You can't walk with an epidural?" (seriously?) and "How can a husband help in breastfeeding?" (did you not see "Meet the Parents?"--sorry, you can't be milked, mister).

Especially after having Andrea talk us through so much in detail, I also started to want to comment back on the midwife's answers. For example, she gave a little spiel about banking cord blood, and I'm pretty sure she got a lot of the information wrong (not just from our conversation with Andrea, but even from the information the companies have published online and in literature), and I know that most of the couples at the class won't even consider it since she made it seem confusing and unnecessarily expensive. I, of course, held my tongue, which took all of my strength due to my Type-A-personality-so-I-must-correct-people urges.

Then there were the videos. Oh, goodness the videos. Really, not that it would make the birthing experience any easier to stomach, but why in the world has no one updated "The Miracle of Life" since the 1970s??? I mean, even getting beyond the ridiculously outdated look of the people and cinematography, let's just talk about how irrelevant some of the content is: 1. None of the women had epidurals (which is a huge part of the current-day experience), 2. The one woman who did had a c-section and all she talked about was how nice the epidural was compared to being knocked out (a totally '60s notion a la Betty Draper), 3. A lot of the mothers' commentary was about how wonderful it was to have their husbands at their side (a then-new-notion, but totally no-duh by today's standards)...let's just say that the best thing I gleaned from that video was the shocking and disgusting nature of the whole process. Really, so far from what I've seen, this whole thing seems less like a "beautiful miracle" and more like a "horrifying train wreck."

And, as a side note, Ryan and I were joking that most of those babies born are now in their 40s. If you're at your own birthing class and YOU are the baby featured in "The Miracle of Life," it's time to update! Could you imagine???

It was a really long day (about six hours or so), and I have to tattle on him--Ryan fell asleep! I felt a little bad since he's been traveling like crazy and had just gotten back on Friday night, but after letting him catch a few moments of rest, I had to nudge him awake before he started snoring or something. To be fair, it was during a how-to-sooth-your-baby video, so the lights were off and the video was very calming, but it was really important information, so I couldn't let him sleep too long. In fact, in hindsight, I think I'd rather have taken one of the classes that focuses only on newborn care (maybe I still will), since I learned a lot more from that portion of the class than from the birthing part.

The final shocking moment from the class: The Northside Hospital promo video (which is where our practice delivers and, for you out-of-staters, is one of the best birthing hospitals in the country) was so out of date as well! I was really shocked; I know that our standards for video here at the Shove household are way higher than the average person's, but man! Their video must be from the '90s, and they mention several times about their exquisite decor (while featuring rooms in mauve and teal with art framed in brass on the walls) and modern features, and I was just thinking, "Thank goodness I'm not unfamiliar with this hospital/that this video isn't really a factor in my decision to go there!" I turned to Ryan as soon as it was over and said, "Well there's a new piece of business to go after..."

So, now that I've ragged on what I didn't enjoy about the class, let me just say that it wasn't a total waste of time. I was able to ask a few logistical questions about birthing at Northside specifically, as well as learning more about the strengths and philosophies of the other doctors in my practice that I haven't met with yet. I also found a renewed vigor for pregnancy wellness (we've been in a lot of eating out situations lately, my body's been aching a lot so I've been walking a little less, I've allowed myself a few sodas lately, I haven't been drinking a ton of water like before, etc....in the middle here it's just dragging a bit, so I've been less diligent over the past few weeks). And, of course, there's the benefit of starting to get Ryan to wrap his head around the situation since he's going to play a big role in this process.

Overall, maybe I'd rather have my hundred dollars back (to pay Andrea for some more one-on-one time), but I'm glad it's over and done with. Now onto the actual birth itself--God help me! :)

Gender Reveal Pictures!

www.carrietabbphotography.com

So it's been about a month since our big Gender Reveal, and I have some pictures to share...enjoy!

CLICK HERE: Gender Reveal (March 3, 2012)

PS: A HUGE thank you to Alli and Kevin for helping us with our party logistics! :)

Nursery Update: Inspiration

No, we're not doing a bird theme, but I LOVE these colors!

I had a moment of panic last week. For the longest time, I've always imagined having a little girl's nursery done in yellows and neutrals (brown). While Ryan's been traveling, I've been working on pulling all of my nursery thoughts together (moving out our guest room furniture, painting the walls, hanging the curtains and accessories, etc.), and I walked into the almost-done room the other day and thought, "Well this is drab."

And then I panicked.  First of all, since the walls had to be beige, I lost a lot of potential color and "airiness" that an actual color would've brought to the room, and thus my yellow accessories and bedding didn't really do "enough" to brighten up the room.  Fail.  Then, I thought to myself, "What if my yellow phase is ending (which, yes, has happened with various colors I've used in our home before) and I'm stuck with only yellow and brown?"  Potential fail.  And then the final straw--the rug.

I thought that maybe finding an amazing yellow rug would solve at least my first problem, so I started searching. Not surprisingly, they're really hard to come by, especially not a "gold" rug.  I did find a couple that I thought would be great, but the issue of my ottoman arose. My bedding fabric is a watercolor paisley pattern, with lots of yellow tones in it. I was so excited to find a mustard-yellow tufted ottoman that perfectly matched the darkest yellow in the fabric, BUT (remembering that I need "airiness" to the room) all of the potential rugs I found were lighter yellow and wouldn't look great right next to the mustard ottoman.

As I grew a bit more frustrated at the rock-and-hard-place I had gotten myself into, I began to open up to the idea of adding more color...and ran across this bird nest at Casa Bella in Marietta.  Voila inspiration!  Our house already has a lot of chartreuse and tiffany blue (my two favorite colors) in it, so I bought the bird nest, grabbed a couple of extraneous accessories for a "test run," and I love it.

So, our direction has changed a bit, or rather grown.  I'm still working on gathering a rug, new curtains and colorful throw pillows to make the space brighter, so I won't be done quite as fast as I thought, but I think in the long run I'll be happier.  The jury is still out for Ryan, who hasn't abandoned the idea of only yellow, but I think that once I get all of my fabric elements in place, he'll see the light. :)

27 Weeks

27 weeks down, 13ish to go!

So this post is actually for last week...just a little late!

The biggest update I have (besides the fact that I feel like I'm growing a GIANT baby; Ryan was a HUGE baby, and from the looks of my belly, this girl is taking after him!) is that my stomach has started to visibly take on odd shapes.  Weird...

Since first being able to feel her kick, I've also been able to see her kick, but my belly's always been basically round.  This week it's looking lopsided, and I can see her hands and feet really poke out when she moves.  Last night (or should I say "this morning," since I couldn't really sleep), she also did a BIG move that felt like my insides were trying to rearrange themselves.  I can't really say that it was a pleasant feeling, but perhaps she was just getting me back for keeping her up so late. :)

OH! And this morning Ryan FINALLY caught one of her kicks! We've been joking that she's already got him wrapped around her little finger because every time he goes to feel her move, she stops.  And then he waits, and eventually gives up, and then she kicks.  Every time--until this morning! Yay!

Pinkalicious

Pink, pink, everywhere!

Buying baby clothing is a whole new game. There's a lot more to think about--most of all, "What size will she be during what season?"--and it's been an adjustment. However, despite having to do more planning and less impulse buying, I've really been enjoying picking out little girl clothes.

Soon after our Gender Reveal, Ryan expressed an earnest concern to me: He fears a closet full of pinks and  pastels. And, truthfully, I understand. Really, if it was up to him, he'd have (what we've deemed as) a "Pinterest kid," which means a little girl who belongs in a J.Crew or Anthro catalog (and, yes, I'd love that too!). I know it's not realistic (or truly important), but I made a promise to him to make a concerted effort to NOT buy ALL pink.  And I've done pretty well...

But, let's be honest, "pink" doesn't have to mean "obnoxious pink." Thankfully this season there's been a ton of coral and neon pink out there, and, of course, other wonderful summery colors to choose from. As many of you may know, I won a sweepstakes for a Gap employee discount for a year, which is up in April, and I've been trying to take as much advantage of it as possible. I love their baby clothes (which are less practical but way cute), and between Old Navy, Carter's and Target, I've amassed quite a few things so far.  I thought I'd share a couple of the pink things we've found--let me just say that I can't wait to get some use out of them!

Right now I'd say we're at about 50/50 for pink/non-pink clothes, and I consider that a "win" since most baby girl clothes naturally fall into the pink category.

We did have a moment at lunch the other day that made Ryan realize why so many baby girl clothes are pink: A woman was strolling her infant past us, and Ryan and I couldn't figure out if it was a boy or girl. The stroller was blue and brown, he/she was wearing a yellow onesie with a turquoise bib, and he/she was cute but didn't clearly look like a boy or girl yet. After a bit of speculating, we realized upon closer inspection that SHE had on zebra leggings, which we deemed the only tell-tale gender-revealing item.  (Unless, poor thing, the mom put zebra leggings on her little boy, to which I say, "Good luck, kid...") It got us into a conversation (since our stroller is black and our car seat is turquoise) about how I didn't want to have to have any awkward interactions in public about the gender of our baby, and how pink clothes, a hair bow or barrette, or some obviously girly toy or blanket was the only way to avoid those confused looks.  I think the experience opened his heart a little bit to the idea of some pink in her wardrobe. :)

Also, one last note about buying baby clothes: I know I'm supposed to be stocking up on sale items for next year, and not the 0-3 or 3-6 sizes (since I know deep down she'll be spending a lot of that time only in onesies that will inevitably be destroyed), but I'm having such a hard time purchasing the 12 month size.  I mean, I don't even have a baby yet, much less a one year old! I can't hardly imagine that yet. So, I figure even though they're not practical, the smaller sizes make me happy right now, and I'll want different things next summer.

It's heeere!

I love that it's feminine and vintage-y.

Three years ago I saw a lady strolling her baby around the mall with a super cute diaper bag and thought to myself, "If I ever have a baby I HAVE to have that bag!"  A little bit of snooping and internet-searching paid off, and I discovered the then-not-so-crazy-popular brand Petunia Pickle Bottom.  Now, of course, it's everywhere, and I'm obsessed with the diaper bags.  I've been keeping an eye on The Bag for a while, and it's from a collection of theirs that hasn't changed much over the past few years. When I found out I was pregnant, my friends joked that I could finally get The Bag, but I wanted to wait a bit to decide on a color (blue or yellow).

In January I had decided, boy or girl, to go with yellow (do I have a yellow thing lately? maybe...). I put the diaper bag in my cart, then faulted: Surely they'll offer free shipping or a Spring sale or something.  At the end of February (when I hadn't gotten any sale notifications from PPB), I decided to pull the trigger--and discovered that my decision to wait was a bad one.

The Bag was gone! And I mean gone. Like, sold out at PPB.com, Amazon, eBay, all the children's online stores...I even called the physical stores (like Koo Koo Bear Kids) that sold The Bag. Gone.  I was so annoyed--at myself.  THREE years of stalking, and I missed it by a couple of weeks? Arg.

I contacted their customer service to double check that they didn't have any hiding in the warehouse (they didn't), and the (wonderfully helpful) representative tipped me off that they had the yellow fabric in a different style bag in-stock and were having an outlet sale coming up.  I was disappointed that I wasn't able to get the actual bag style I wanted (it was like a doctor's bag, the available one is more box-shaped), but when the sale happened, it was cheap enough that I could get a diaper bag and matching clutch for less than The Bag.

And it just came in!  It's not exactly what I had wanted, but in retrospect it is a bit more functional (read: bigger) and I love it and can't wait to use it soon!

Grandma Blankets

Oops--this is the back of the blanket...

My grandmother has always been the knitter in the family: blankets, hats, scarves, capes--you name it, she can and has made it. Traditionally she knits pink or blue baby blankets for all of the new babies in the family, but since I'm making my own bedding, I thought I'd request a couple of specific (not pink) blankets.  Of course this threw her off a bit at first (she always uses the same yarn and same sizing for baby blankets), but after a few trips to JoAnn's, she's started!

I just received the first blanket--and am in love with it!  I chose an off-white, really thick and comfy yarn that will be great for the room color-wise and temperature-wise (the nursery is the coolest room in our house because it doesn't get much sun). Next up she's going to do an "ombre" (striped) yellow blanket to match the crib bedding.

Oscar (and the front side of the blanket!)

The only problem?  Oscar immediately adopted it as his own.  (My bad for leaving it within reach, right?)  Actually, this has been a little quirk we've run into with him thus far--he has a hard time understanding that the toys and teethers coming into our home aren't dog toys!  In fact, the bear I photographed with the blanket has been an issue; it lives on our rocking chair right now, but it mysteriously keeps ending up on the floor with Oscar's other toys.  Hmmm...

26 Weeks

26 weeks down!

Yay! Ryan's finally home for the weekend, so sorry to anyone who tries to contact us over the next two days...we're spending some much needed time together while we can!

Registry Woes

SWAG

So I registered on a whim the other day.

I was eager to check something out a Buy Buy Baby and figured that while I was there, I might as well sign up and scan my stroller and car seat.

Fast forward three hours.

Holy moly.  I really want to be concise and thoughtful with my registry, but that proved to be a challenge.  I know I can (and, despite all of my research, will have to) do some exchanging as I learn "what works and what doesn't," but I'd like to minimize the run-around as much as possible.

Thankfully I really only need practical things since our nursery's planned out, but I was really overwhelmed at the decisions I had to make. I've been gathering opinions and advice from the "moms" in my life (and Amazon) over the past few months and thought I would be prepared.  I wasn't.

The craziest thing to me is that I felt like there were right and wrong decisions, not just matters of opinion, and I didn't know what to do.  I don't mind trying things out and having to exchange them if they aren't great, but it seems like a lot of baby products aren't returnable.  Really, when it comes to the "gear" side of having a baby, I'm pretty clueless.  I can determine if I like the way something looks, but as to whether or not something works, I have no idea!  And what's even more confusing is that everyone seems to have strong, VARYING experiences on a lot of products, so there's no clear-cut winners.  Yikes!

The second craziest thing is that in the course of three hours, my registry still isn't done, mostly due to indecision. For example, take pacifiers.  My mom never used them, so I'm not even sure that I'll need them.  I figured I better register for some, though, because everyone I know uses them like baby crack.  BUT they all swear by different brands...which made me confused about which ones I should choose. So I registered for a couple of types--maybe a total of six pacifiers overall.  But I know that if I use pacifiers, I'll need like a million of them, which makes me want to register for more... Needless to say, I had a lot more fun registering for pacifier clips (a totally opinion-based decision!) than I did for pacifiers themselves. :)

Since Ryan dodged a bullet with the first round of registering, he's agreed to come with me for the much-needed second round next week.  It'll be good to have some back up and someone to share the painful experience with.  And thank you to all of my lovely friends for the advice and offers to registry-edit once we're done; we'll need it!

One final thought: The only consistent piece of advice we've gotten from all of our mom-friends is that the baby will decide what she likes, and really no matter what we register for, she'll survive.  Whew. That's the important thing, right? :)

gDiapers

The chartreuse is my favorite color!

Last week Ryan and I had brunch at West Egg down in White Provision (which, by the way, was delicious!), and since we usually only get down there during post-shopping hours for dinner, we decided to stop by the Seed Factory to take a look around at baby stuff.  It turned out to be a great decision, because 1. We ran into Ashley Nolan (a much-too-scarce occurrence!), and 2. They were running an event that included a raffle...and I won!

Ryan and I have been discussing what to do about diapers for a while...as in disposable v. cloth.  Unfortunately, I don't think that we'd landed on a clear answer because both arguments are imperfect:  Disposable diapers make me a little uneasy because of the waste, but clearly the convenience is unbeatable; cloth diapers are better for the environment, but are such a pain (and a little gross, truthfully) that I worried the effort wasn't going to be worth the payoff.  We had almost landed on being okay with disposable diapers when the Seed Factory surprised me with a gDiapers starter kit--problem solved!

Check out how they work at the official site: www.gdiapers.com

When I received the email saying I won, I assumed I had won a single pair of gDiapers so I didn't rush down there to claim my prize, but to my surprise yesterday, I picked up a whole kit full of 18 plain and colored covers and a pack of liners!  I talked with the shop owner for a while about gDiapers, and she totally convinced me of their amazing-ness.  I can't wait to use them!  I think that we'll still use disposable diapers on occasion (traveling, emergencies, etc.), but I think that we've found a solution to our dilemma.  Crossing fingers that they're as wonderful as they seem--I'll let you know a review come June!

Nursery Update!

Heart this crib!

I haven't been in the posting mood much this week--partly because all I feel like doing is sleeping, and partly because I've been engrossed in decorating our baby girl's nursery!

We're moving along quickly (mostly because I'm a planner at heart and was just waiting to see if this kid was a boy or girl before officially starting!), which feels great from a nesting perspective. Our furniture is all here--crib (which I'm obsessed with), changing table, rocker/ottoman, side table and an upholstered bench.  Our former guest room is a little on the small side, so all the furniture's present and accounted for, but I've been debating on where to place everything. Truthfully this has been a week of (shhh!) heavy lifting and pushing and pulling for me (Ryan's on tour), but I think I've landed on my final floorplan--for now at least. I find myself sitting in my rocker a lot, surveying and considering the furniture placement, and I think it's all set.  I think.

Our crib isn't a traditional shape (it's a little bigger and rounder than a normal square crib--but it's not oval), so it wouldn't take a store-bought crib skirt. I've made the skirt (late-night project!), which is three tiers of ruffled burlap (I fancy myself a sewer--just don't look too closely...), and I made it so that the bottom ruffle will always just hit the floor even as the mattress is raised and lowered.  I've collected several crib sheets (normal crib sheets do fit our crib despite its shape) in white/tan/brown/yellow; actually I think I own more than I really need, but oh well...the more the merrier! Then there's the bumper...

I fell in love with Pottery Barn's Painterly Paisley fabric in yellow and brown a couple of years ago, and when it went on super sale at the outlet, I bought a king duvet and sham just in case. It's been boxed up all this time, and finally it's getting put to use! (Our master bedroom will never be yellow, so I don't mind parting with it.)  I've been considering whether or not to sew the bumper myself (once again, I'm a good-not-GREAT sewer), and right now I'm leaning toward having it made by a seamstress. I want a little ruffle and piped edge and sewn ties; plus there's the odd shape of my crib, and I'm afraid it's a bit above my skill level.  I think I could do it and be okay, but I have an odd feeling that it would unravel the first time it needs washing or the first time she steps on it to try to climb out of the crib...so my peace of mind may win out over my pride in hand-crafting.

Other than that, I've pretty much got almost everything ready to go--a mirror, a library shelf for books, a ledge for nick-nacks, frames for above her crib, a couple of lamp options, lots of storage...I wanted a rug for the space and have one picked out, but I'm not sure that I really need one, so I'm holding off on ordering it. The only unknown right now is really the drapes.

We're going to paint the room beige (not exciting, but great for a house on the market), and the drapes I've picked out are a light tan linen with white accents.  I'm just not sure if they'll be too blah, so I'm thinking on it for a bit.  I also have some white drapes that are light and feminine, so those may work as well. We're aiming to have the nursery painted toward the end of the month, so I figure I don't need to make any decisions until then.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll have an almost-completed nursery to share, but for now, that's the update!

25 Weeks

25 down, 15 to go!

I believe that I might be exiting my second-trimester-of-energy and entering the energy-draining-third-trimester.  The past few days I've been so tired--not really physically exhausted, but really like I could be narcoleptic and fall asleep at any moment. Maybe it's the unseasonable heat (which is proving to me that I'm going to be a worthless homebody come the true, hot summer weather), or maybe this little girl's just going through a growth spurt, but man, I could use a nap...or two!

Dr. Michael Scott

Yep, that's him!

Uh-mazing. Despite being on the verge of throwing up (due to that ding-dang diabetes-testing-drink...) during my 24-week appointment this morning, I have to say that Dr. Michael Scott did NOT disappoint in any way!

Let me first say that I actually really liked this doctor--although my experience may read otherwise. :)

My first impression of Dr. S came before he even entered the room; his booming voice actually came through the other exam rooms into mine (maybe not a good thing due to the sensitive nature of an OB-GYN office), and got even more distinct as he walked his patient out and said in a very serious voice:

Sweetie, don't worry about this all week. It's going to be fine. I mean, your angels will hopefully be looking good for you...


(pause, as I think of what terrible disease the patient must be dealing with and how sensitive he was to her concerns)


...I mean, they just drafted that Japanese pitcher, right? They should be fine.


(Ha! Not "angels," but "Angels.")

Then he came in to my exam room.  If his headshot doesn't paint enough of a visual picture for you, keep in mind that today was Friday--as in Casual Friday, which Dr. S took to mean "Western Wear Friday." Yup. Boots, jeans, belt and snap-front.  Really he was just one ten-gallon hat away from a rodeo.  Plus, he introduced himself just as "Michael Scott," which made me think he must like the comparison, which made me automatically like him.

I won't bore you with every hilarious detail of our interaction, but let's just say he was very casual and very candid, which only enhanced my whole experience with him. Here's a few snippets of his responses to my questions:

1. I'm concerned because I really want to sleep on my back (which every nurse and doctor thus far has said will keep oxygen from the baby).
Do it.  The baby'll be fine. 


2. I'm getting ligament cramping when I walk.
Ignore it and keep walking.  


3. I'm still throwing up.
Eat less.


4. I'm not sure I want to get the whooping cough vaccine.
Having your baby end up in the NICU sucks.
(I got the vaccine.)

Maybe not the most traditional responses you'd expect from a doctor, but they were all delivered with entertainment and informational value, and it was awesome.  I really expected a hum-drum interaction with a guy who would shy away from any humor to avoid drawing a comparison to The Michael Scott, so needless to say he left me surprisingly satisfied.

And THAT'S what she said.

24 Weeks

24 weeks and feeling BIG...

So this pic's a little late in the week, but I haven't been feeling too great since the party. I'm not sure if it's the post-adrenaline let down or a little bug, but I've been achy and exhausted for the past few days. Crossing fingers that it passes quickly!

Gender Reveal

www.carrietabbphotography.com

When Ryan and I first thought about doing a gender reveal party, we went back and forth a LOT--we knew we wouldn't be able to do it right at 20 weeks (so that a few key people would be able to attend); we knew it was kind of a newer thing that a lot of people (especially the older generations in our lives) wouldn't "get;" we worried that (deep down) people wouldn't really care that much what we're having (it's not like this is the first baby in our group of friends); and, of course, there's the time and effort that goes into actually planning a party. Thankfully, after yesterday, I can only say that we made the right decision.

Being surrounded by our family and friends at such a big moment really meant a lot to us. Truthfully, beyond actually finding out we were pregnant (sorry, I can't say that we would've wanted anyone else there for that!), this is the first major surprise about our future baby, and beyond simply loving hanging out with everyone, it definitely made the moment even more memorable.

In the coming days we'll have more pictures, but I also wanted to thank Carrie Tabb for taking such lovely photography!  She's great to work with, and, yeahduh, she's got major skills. :)

23 Weeks

And STILL growing!

Bellyflop

The baby was SMILING all throughout the "emergency" ultrasound--which calmed my nerves!

Have you ever done something so dumb, and while you're actually doing it, it's as if you're having an out-of-body experience where you can't stop yourself no matter how hard you try?

A few nights ago, my back was killing me (a common occurrence these days) so much that I couldn't really even bend down to get into bed. So, being the smart and thoughtful person I am, I went face-first onto the mattress. Now, typically that wouldn't be a big deal, right? But nowadays face-first means belly-first, and as soon as I "landed" my stomach hurt so badly that I actually yelped--which alarmed Ryan, which alarmed me even more, and I started crying. Really? Who does that?

Determined not to freak out and be "that first time mom" who calls the doctor with every bump and bruise, I decided to wait until morning to see how I felt. The next day my stomach hurt still (like I had done a thousand crunches or something), and even more alarming, the baby had only been moving maybe 10% as much before.  So when I called the doctor's office, they asked me to come in, which I had assumed they'd have me do regardless.  (The nurse did ask me about ten times to explain exactly what happened--"You what? Bellyflopped into bed? Onto your stomach? Why?"--which didn't help my disposition.)

So I went in (twice, actually, because they didn't have an ultrasound tech in the first day, so they just checked me out and listened to the heartbeat and asked me to come back the next day too) and got a bonus ultrasound!  It's funny how MUCH babies can change even from week to week; this time I could really see the baby's face in detail on the monitor, almost as clearly as a 3D ultrasound.

Everything turned out to be fine, thankfully. And, for my own peace of mind, I did get an explanation--apparently my bellyflop MANUALLY TURNED the baby 180 degrees, so that it's no longer breech. Hmmm. No wonder my stomach muscles were a bit perturbed at me! And I couldn't/can't feel as much kicking anymore because the baby's feet are on the opposite side of my body now.  So, although I don't recommend it, I now have a new skill in mothering, just in case the baby flips back to breech between now and June. :)

Sacrifices & Spaces

Pared down, but no room to spare!

As many of you may (or may not)  know, Ryan and I have had our home on the market for a while now, and although my mother insists that fate will have us moving on June 20th (I'm due the 23rd), I have to prepare as if we're definitely going to be in our tiny townhouse when this baby comes home. As many of you may also know, both Ryan and I have a lot of clothing...and I mean A LOT.

Thankfully my nesting instincts and logical side have made parting with many of my old clothes very easy (thank you Plato's Closet for the extra cash, and I hope you enjoy the rest, Atlanta Mission).  The rub is that since we've moved in, Ryan and I have never shared a closet (and really never could)--and I got stuck with the unfortunate luck to be using the future nursery's closet...and dresser...and armoire...and linen closet.  Now I'm trying to make room for baby's things IN ADDITION to mine, and it's been a struggle.

I've been working on cleaning out my "closet" (and all of the other places I've stored my things in the room) for a month now, and have had to be realistic about what could go into storage (sorry cute, fitted summer dresses, not this year!) and what I really won't ever wear again.  I'm glad to say that I've pared down so that I can fit everything into the clothes closet comfortably, leaving baby with a linen closet, a dresser and the changing table.

I do have to say that I feel guilty that I'm taking the big closet, but then I remind myself that my clothes are bigger than the baby's will ever be. Plus, apparently it will be easy to pack up and store items that are too small or too big easily since babies change sizes so quickly...current moms, please weigh in!

Anyway, since I can't really do anything decor-wise in the nursery, this is the only update I can give on that front.  (Oh, March 3rd, you can't come quickly enough!)

On a side note, I have convinced Ryan to also clean out his closet, and I am proud to report that he's about halfway there! (Which is a big accomplishment for my procrastinating, loving husband.) It's only fair, right?  :)

A non-negotiable for our next house? TWO really, really LARGE closets in the master bedroom. Oh, and probably a large closet in the baby's room, especially if it's a girl...

22 Weeks

22 weeks

The weirdest feeling is having strangers comment on your being pregnant (thankfully I am, or, man, that'd be a blow to the ol' self esteem!). A Russian man opened the door for me the other day, and after I said thank you and walked through, he commented, "Mothers with baby go first." It took a few seconds for me to process what he said since he was the first random person to mention my belly...and then it hit me--I'm past the "chubby tummy stage" and onto the official "BUMP" stage. Yay!

That's What She Said...

So that's why he left "The Office..."

Oh, and I forgot to mention what we have to look forward to on our next visit--a meeting with Dr. Michael Scott! I know, I know. The poor guy was probably just coasting along, building up a great reputation and practice, and then "BAM!" that dang Ricky Gervais had to come along and invade the States.

Since we're now in the "need to meet all the doctors and midwives possible" phase of our prenatal care, I had wondered if we'd get around to him.  Thankfully, he's up next, and I can't wait. Is it bad that I have such high expectations? I mean, he's probably super serious and old or something, but one can hope, right? I will definitely have to hold back all of my internal commentary (I'm sure he gets at least one off-color "Office" reference a day), and just hope a "That's what she said!" doesn't accidentally slip out...

20 Week Appointment

Teasing me from our junk drawer...

Last Friday we had our "20 week" appointment (which was more like 20-weeks-6-days, which, until I got pregnant, I never really thought mattered; in fact I always wondered when asked how far along a mom was why they didn't just say "5 months," but apparently it's a big deal).  Everything went really well; I had expected something to go wrong because everyone had warned me that something almost always comes up at this appointment, meriting another check up.  But we had a great time, a great ultrasound tech, and a quick catch-up with the doctor about our previous worries, and we were done!

Now everyone keeps asking us if this kid's a boy or girl, and the answer is--yes, we're finding out, but no, we don't know yet. I know that sounds crazy, but we've decided to do a Gender Reveal, and because of some scheduling snafus, we're doing it on March 3rd. Seriously, March 3rd might as well be a year away considering how anxious I feel every time I look at THE envelope!  Since we're really just sitting in limbo (we can't register, or decorate the nursery, or shop for clothes yet), I've been channeling all of my energy into crafting and planning and anything creative I can get my hands on...and I'm thankful Ryan has been so great to not roll his eyes too much at me. :)

20 weeks, 6 days--right on target!

Sidenote: Ultrasounds are amazing to me. Until I had my own, I (truthfully) never got that "Awww!" feeling about anyone else's, but there's something about actually seeing the baby move in real time (not just a picture print-out) that elicits a total adrenaline rush. I have a really hard time sitting still and not laughing during them! From this profile pic, I think this kid's got the Aquilio nose...

21 Weeks

21 weeks down!

So being pregnant = being BIG, no matter what anyone says. But, per many requests, I figured it's time to let this cat out of the proverbial bag and start the week-by-week progress pictures...

Kickpuncher

Ryan was outta' town, so it was just the dogs and I left to celebrate!

Just a quick note...the baby kicked last night!  Several times, in fact!

I've been talking to other moms about when they first felt their babies move, and it's been either about 15 weeks or about 22+ weeks it seems. For a while I've been having a sensation like the baby was pushing on the front of my stomach, but it never felt like what anyone else had described (goldfish swimming, bubbles, tickling, gas...). Thus, when people've been asking whether I've felt the baby, I've not been sure what to say.  I started to think that maybe I was growing an alien that was trying to burst out from my belly (instead of nice babies who tickle their moms)--then last night it happened!

It was 11:30 p.m. on the dot, and I was watching Teen Mom 2 (guilty pleasure), sitting on the couch with the dogs when I felt a kick...or a punch. I'm not sure. Actually, intuitively, it felt like a punch, but no one says, "My baby punched for the first time!" so...I'll go with the ol' "baby kicked" for formality.  Or, for those "Community" fans out there, let's call it a "kickpunch." :)

This thing is really happening!

Resolutions + Cravings

Mmmm.

I've really taken to this whole "resolutions" thing this year. Maybe it's because having a baby makes you realize that all those lazy or foolish things in your life aren't habits you want to pass down to a future generation; maybe it's just that being pregnant seems to make you obsessive compulsive...either way, at the Shove household, we're rolling with it!

We live (literally) a couple hundred yards from Whole Foods. It's the closest grocery store by far, and so we've always used it as our go-to for last minute items and as our entertainment on "free sample Sundays." I remember being a newlywed and walking around Whole Foods with Ryan, and on the way out I said to him, "Well all that stuff is so expensive, we'll never shop there much." The times have changed, though, and so have our priorities.  A few weeks ago, we went ahead and took the plunge: We committed to a 99% organic grocery philosophy.

I say 99% because there are a few things that we haven't been able to part with; Ryan with his Boar's Head deli meats and cheeses (seriously, don't even mention buying another brand around the guy), and me with my Panera salad dressing. (Plus, when we have people over, organic versions of party foods aren't really budget-friendly.)

Since being pregnant, I haven't really had many cravings per se, but I have become obsessed with Panera's Greek salads. Thankfully, my dear friend Kendall Kim mentioned casually that Super Targets carry Panera brand salad dressings! I was in shock. Anyone who frequents Panera knows that a salad and a drink can run you nearly $10, so when I hunted down a whole bottle of their dressing for $5, I felt like one of those super-couponers on TLC. And now, even with our no-excuses, 99% commitment, it's been super easy to re-create at home!

I can't get enough of the stuff. I seriously could eat a "Panera" Greek salad for every meal. I always imagined craving ice cream or burgers, or some other ungodly food, when I was pregnant. Who'd have thought--Greek salads? I suppose there's nothing to complain about there...unless this baby comes out craving kalamata olives. :)