better late than never... 26 weeks

how far along? 26 weeks!

Claire’s size: almost 2 pounds… about the size of an hothouse cucumber           
weight gain: We’ll find out Friday
maternity clothes? Of course
stretch marks? 3
sleep? Some nights are better than others

best moment this week? purchasing an adorable coat rack for her room.

food cravings: Little Debbie’s Nutty Bars. Good Lord, I’m full of shame!!
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? In, though it’s starting to flatten out!
movement? She’s starting to do barrel rolls rather than just kicking. I think she’s getting the hiccups too :)
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!

No make-up and hair aloof-don't judge!

 I am definitely behind this week. It’s goes without saying that I’ve been super busy all weekend. Matt has been painting the house (outside) and I’ve been busy cleaning and organizing and all the other wonderful nesting stuff.

My sister had her graduation party on Saturday, so that entailed driving 2.5 hours each way. Jamie, my sister-in-law, sent me home with TONS of baby stuff. Seriously, the trunk of my car is massive and it was P.A.C.K.ED. full. Then we packed the back seat. I even had stuff on the floor of the front passenger side.

I brought home an entire box of shoes, and about 12 boxes of clothes. Needless to say, Matt and I will not have to purchase many clothes after 9 months :) She gave me a beautiful swing, high chair, and a super nice umbrella stroller for when she gets bigger. Plus, about 4 or 5 blankets, another boppy, some toys, snowsuits out the whazoo, a HotSling, a Moby wrap, and her gently used (closed system) breast pump.

Thanks a million Brian and Jamie! Matty and I really appreciate your generosity! Seriously, thank you!

In other news, we bought a sewing machine yesterday! I have wanted one forever but just couldn’t justify spending the money on one. I don’t have a lot of time to spend practicing and I was never sure what I would really use it for.  Since I am going to use cloth wipes I figured that would be enough of a reason to make the purchase. We went to Joanne’s and looked at their sewing machine selection and decided that they weren’t really meeting my expectations, quality wise. We left without buying one and as we were leaving Olean, we passed a Singer store. We stopped in and spoke to the owner. I told him what I was looking for and he helped me find the perfect sewing machine. We purchased a previously loved Singer for about $85. It’s incredible how much quality has changed over the years. I’ve already started making my cloth wipes and I am super happy with my decision to buy one!

I am also in the midst of reupholstering a footstool that we bought at an antique store last week. We purchased the fabric yesterday while we were checking out sewing machines at Joanne’s.

finally some purple :)

Here's Claire's new coat/boa/purse rack. We bought it last week and it's incredibly adorable! It doesn't really match any of the other decor, but it was too cute to not buy. It's unfinished right now, but I'm going to paint her (her name is Raffi) a super soft/pale yellow.

One last thing! One of my very good friends delivered her precious baby boy last week. Baby Judah had to undergo heart surgery the day after he was born. I was wondering/hoping that you would keep the little guy in your prayers. You can read their story here.

Have a beautiful week!

Grow Claire, grow!