25 Week Update and Goodies

how far along? 25 weeks!

Claire’s size: around 1 pound 8 ounces & 14 inches long... about the size of an eggplant           
weight gain: I’ve gained back 7 of my lost 25
maternity clothes? Bottoms- absolutely, though my tops still fit fine.
stretch marks? Yes, 3. GRRR!
sleep? Not too bad.

best moment this week? Working on pretties for her nursery.
food cravings: Nothing this week :)
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? In, though it’s starting to flatten out!
movement? Absolutely!
what I miss?  Being comfortable.

what I'm looking forward to: Enjoying the rest of this pregnancy and letting lil miss Claire grow and of course, decorating her nursery!

 I am not happy in this photo. Like, at all. I was totally giving the worlds cheeziest, forced smile ever. If I didn't have $1000+ of camera equipmet in my hand I would have smashed that damn thing into a

thousand and one pieces. That lens, by itself, weighs a good 2-3 pounds. And since Canon is super awesome and decided not to allow the photographer to see what he/she is photographing without looking into the viewfinder, each snap is a guess. Will I be in the picture? Will my head be chopped off? Will it be in focus? These are all questions that I ask myself each time I press the shutter. I think I took about 75 photos. Seriously, I'm not exaggarating, at all. I promise! This was the best one, hands down and I still hate it. Oh well. Happy 25 weeks to me!

Whoa! I cannot believe that I am 25 weeks pregnant today. When I experienced (found out that I had) a subchronic hemorrhage I was sure that I wouldn’t see this day. My midwife warned me that some women have one spell and never see blood again, while some women ended up losing the baby down the road. I, naturally, expected the worst scenario possible. Nonetheless, here I am with a {getting} huge bump, carrying a beautiful baby girl (yes, I know she’s beautiful already!!), and I’m 25 weeks along! I cannot even begin to elaborate on my hearts overwhelming feeling of joy, love, and thankfulness for this little baby, the biggest blessing I’ve ever known.

I’m yet to see her smile, or kiss her precious cheeks, touch her tiny toes, or hold her to my chest yet I feel so tremendously enthralled with her and her sweet little heart. How could I possibly love her more than what I do now? I’m not sure how much love this heart of mine can hold. I’m beginning to think it may burst when I see her for the first time.

I’ve been up SUPER late the past few nights and I’ve come to meet a new side of this little lady... she’s VERY much a night owl :) She moves a ton between 12-2 AM! I just sit on the couch, one hand on my computer mouse, and the other on my abdomen. She is so low; it’s amazing she hasn’t kicked her way out yet! Each time I feel her, I smile from ear to ear. I've been telling her stories about our day, telling her how much she is loved, and thanking God for trusting me with such an awesome gift.

Source: Etsy

Purchased from Zulilly

We ordered a wall decal for her nursery, and I’m hoping that I will love it as much in person as I did when I saw it on the website. I don't usually like decals, but I really like this one. I’ve been working on her decorations too. I'm making poms for
[somewhere in] her nursery, although their precise location hasn’t been decided. I think that once all the furniture is placed in her room, in their respective positions, I will be able to make up my mind.

Since I am pregnant with a ‘night owl’ I thought it would only be fitting to incorporate some owls into her room. I purchased these little beauties (at Hallmark) because they were too cute to pass up on!

We are deciding whether or not to purchase this bookrack for her room. I do really love it and it would be perfect on the wall behind/beside her glider but I’m struggling with shelling out the moola for it. Matt swears he couldn’t have a cheaper one made (as far as price is concerned, not quality) and it’s precisely what we are looking for. Since we have baseboard heating through more than 50% of her room, meaning that more than 50% of the bottom of the wall is consumed by heaters, makes less room for traditional book cases. Her dresser is going to take up one whole wall itself, leaving only one wall free. This bookrack could be placed at a level for Claire to get her own books when she’s old enough and conveniently nested behind/beside the glider for easy access.

Last but not least, I scored this lamp at Goodwill yesterday! I paid $1.25 for it. Oh yeah! I’m not certain if I’m going to keep the original color- a grayish-purple color- or spray paint it. Decisions, decisions!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Grow Claire, grow!