Jellybean Project #2

Mommy had some free time today so she made this out of colored pencils and card stock paper.

You can see the original sketch to the left in this picture


Closeup



Mommy had debated whether to use colored pencils or using paint but decided to try pencils first as she thought she would have better control with a pencil. Though it didnt come out exactly as Mommy hoped (she went a bit crazy at the end with the yellow pencil )overall she thinks its nice for Jellybean's nursery. She just has to paste it onto the cream cardstock now and frame it. One more project done!

Loved

Mommy and Jellybean have been feeling very loved recently do to the influx of gifts they have been receiving recently. Mommy is so thankful to be able to have such wonderful people in her life to help her welcome Jellybean into the world.

Mommy learned from her mommy forum that contacting companies that specialize in baby products is a great way to receive free samples and coupons so Mommy decided to contact a few companies to see what she would get.

This pile is just some of the things she got from Medela, Lansinoh, MAM, an Dr Brown's. Among the items are a free bottle, pacifiers, breast pads, breast storage bags, and lotions & creams.


Mommy's friend Stephanie recently went away to Taiwan for vacation. While she was there she was nice enough to pick up a this adorable little giraffe puppet for Jellybean! She also got Mommy this tote bag for Christmas. Mommy can't wait to use it!


Mommy recently caught up with a high school friend, Jessica, who she had been out of touch with for a while. They met for lunch nearby and she surprised Mommy with a box of all kinds of baby essentials! Jellybean is all ready for his first bath with all different kinds of baby washes as well as lotions, wipes, sun tan lotion, and a travel kit with mini travel supplies for Jellybean.

Lastly Mommy's penpal Amy sent Mommy a little package with yummy healthy bars to eat and a wonderful butter lotion to help soothe itchiness and prevent stretch marks!
Amy, who is an amazing artist whose work Mommy adores, also included this sweet card and a beautiful doodle she did of Mommy, Jellybean, and Gus.

Mommy loves the little sketch and plans on framing it and hanging in Jellybean's bedroom.

Amy's work is so delicate and serene.

Lastly here are some more recent belly shots. Mommy isn't sure exactly when these were taken anymore but they most likely around 19 and 20 weeks.

Mommy thinks this is 20 weeks 3 days

We have movement

Mommy finally is sure she felt Jellybean move! It started happening this afternoon while Mommy was napping. She would feel a weird whooshy movement but as soon as she rolled over to check it would stop. Tonight while sitting at the computer Mommy felt it again and rushed to to the couch and laid down again and felt it again and again and again! Daddy came over and put his hand there and after a few minutes he felt it too!! Mommy is so excited!! Sometimes when Jellybean pushes really hard Mommy's belly jets out for a second. Its such a weird/neat feeling but Mommy is so excited!!!

Anatomy Scan

So Mommy and Daddy had their anatomy scan of Jellybean on Friday. Despite Mommy's anxieites beforehand everything looked good with Jellybean. We saw 2 hands, 2 arms, 2 feet, 2 legs, a spine, tummy, heart, head, and brain. Jellybean's legs were crossed at the start of the scan but somewhere along the way the tech must have seen what she needed to see and Mommy and Daddy were clearly too unaware to realize it. Honestly many times during the scan Mommy would say oh is that the and the tech and Daddy would so no its this. The only recognizable things to Mommy where Jellybean's head and spine. The tech did say "her" at one point during the scan while she had been saying baby the entire time but then at the end when Mommy asked if she had seen the gender and if everything was ok there she said "without giving too much away everything is there" So while Mommy and Daddy aren't going to put any stock into any of this and wait till June to see what Jellybean turns out to be it does make them wonder just a little.

Daddy still has to scan the pictures in but Mommy and Daddy got a beautiful 3D shot of Jellybean snuggled up against the placenta. Mommy read somewhere that sometimes babies snuggle up to their placentas for comfort. It was so sweet to see that after reading about it.

Mommy will be officially 20 weeks Monday, half way there. Where did the time go? Once Daddy has the scans Mommy will post them along with a few belly shots. Mommy certainly looks pregnant these days though winter layers and coats do a great job of masking it to the general public.

Another pregnancy random Mommy noticed today was these huge blue veins running all over her breasts. Mommy isnt sure if they are something new or something she never noticed before but all she has to say is EWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Mommy read that as of 20 weeks Jellybean will start to be able to hear muffled noises and sounds from the outside meaning Daddy is going to start reading soon to Jellybean so he/she can start to learn his voice. Mommy is going to start to look into building Jellybean's library. So much to do before the big day!!!

Lastly yesterday was Daddy's birthday! His last one before becoming a Daddy. Happy happy birthday Daddy!

If Jellybean was a...

Even though Mommy and Daddy are holding out till June to hear those magical words "It's a..." sometimes it would be a lot easier to just find out the gender. For starters clothing is mostly gender specific these days with gender neutral being scarce and often not that cute honeslty. Also right now sales are going on for winter clothes and Mommy thinks it would be a great time to stock up on 6-9 month old baby clothes for the winter right now when they are on sale but its hard since gender neutral is so hard to find. Daddy, especially, is pro-gender neutral though as he feels that its reusable clothes for future babies so its nice to have and plus the money spent gets stretched just a bit further this way. Mommy does think that it might be sweet to see future babies in the same clothing Jellybean once wore, bringing back sweet memories of all the babies. Still its hard not to walk around the stores and see the adorable baby clothes and not be able to buy some. Mommy is especially drawn to girls clothes (naturally) and today after a spin at the local mall saw these adorable outfits that she simply loved.

Girl

Baby Gap

If Mommy knew Jellybean was a girl this would probably have to be her coming home outfit


Gymboree

Mommy might cave and buy something simply because most of the giraffe items she has are more boyish and this would be pure girl


Outfit!

Individual pieces






Sleeper

Mommy might just end up buying the hat, socks, bib, and blanket that way she can always save it for the next baby and not have to worry about size issues





Mommy also has a thing for goldfish and these are adorable!

Another coming home outfit potential

Onesie



Swimsuit

Shoes!

In the end Mommy might just buy the bib and blanket again

Boy

Gymboree

This alligator is similar to the giraffe


Hat

Sleeper



Little sailor onesie. I love the little collar

Magnolia Baby

This is my doula's company and I guess alligators are in this year


Oh well I guess there will be a lot of shopping in June!

Anxieties

Well tomorrow is Jellybean's anatomy scan also known to most mothers as the BIG Ultrasound as its usually around 18-20 weeks and most of the time gender can be determined at this time. Mommy and Daddy are not planning on finding out the gender (unless Jellybean gives them no choice) but they are excited to see how much Jellybean has grown and developed. Mommy will be 19 weeks at this appointment and has had this scheduled for over a month but for the past few weeks has begun to get nervous at the thought of this appointment. Afterall this appointment is checking Jellybean's anatomy and making sure everything is in the proper place and developed as it should be. For all the other appointments and scans since the beginning Mommy was more focused and worried about whether Jellybean was still even in there. After the first month or so every appointment to see Jellybean made her feel better so this is the first time Mommy had to think about the fact that Jellybean might be there but is everything else there too?

For the past few weeks Mommy has also been wondering whether she has been feeling Jellybean move finally. Movement, or quickening, usually starts to happen anywhere from around 16 weeks and up. Second time moms often feel the movement sooner, probably because they know what to look for. Everyone on Mommy's forums describe movement to feel like tiny flutters to a soft touch moving back and forth. The first time Mommy thought she felt something was at Mommy's friend's shower. At that time Mommy was 16 weeks. Last week Mommy was using her doppler and poking around a bit harder then normal and she thought she felt something again. This week Mommy woke up from a unrestful nap and was laying on her back when she thought she felt tiny thump thump thumps. Since then now and then it feels like tiny quivers now and then. Mommy wants to believe all of these are Jellybean's way for saying hello but its still hard to be certain. Mommy is waiting for kicks that she can see to be sure at this point.

Mommy has also gained close to 20lbs at this time (1lb a week if you look at it) Though she knows that this is normal and suppose to happen and if it is happening its probably for Jellybean's benefit she still can't help but have conflicting feelings everytime she walks by a mirror. Mommy made the mistake of looking at some pregnancy calculators recently and while Mommy is still under the weight she should be gaining in total for the moment she does weigh more then the calculators say she should at this current time. One of the things Mommy noticed is that she tends to eat more now at random times when she isn't necessarily hungry but rather bored. Add this to a non-exsistent excerise regime and probably this has caused some extra lbs to jump on. Now that Mommy is more concious of this snacking issue she seems to be able to curb it better by doing other activities to prevent boredom. She also is planning on starting pre-natal yoga within the next month as well as doing some simple stretches daily. Hopefully this will help Mommy gain the appropriate weight necessary for Jellybean while not allowing bad habits to latch on for good.

Getting ready for baby

So this week Mommy got a few things done to get ready for baby. First Mommy signed up for the pre-natal classes being offered at the hospital. Mommy and Daddy's classes don't begin to late February so still a little bit away but still one more thing down. Mommy and Daddy signed up for the package that included 5 Lamaze classes, a breastfeeding class, and a newborn care class. On top of that there is a hospital tour of the maternity ward at the end of the last Lamaze class and because Mommy and Daddy took the package they are also eligible to attend 4 parenting classes with their infant for free! Mommy is excited about these classes because Daddy will have to attend them and perhaps this will get him more excited for Jellybean's arrival.

In other news Mommy has found a doula. Doula's are labor coaches that assist in the emotional aspect of birth as well as providing non-medical assistance such as breathing exercises to help with pain so medication is not required. Mommy wanted a doula, after reading up on them ad hearing other girls report having better birth experiences with their doulas, because first and foremost she thought it would be nicer to have someone in the delivery room with her that would specifically be there for her. Doula's are your advocate in the delivery room and as much as Mommy reads up on what techniques are best for a natural delivery (what we are hoping for) she feels that in the moment when everything is happening she might forget everything and it would be nice for someone else there who knows what she wants to help her implement that. Also she thought a doula might be nice for Daddy as it would take some of the pressure off of him so he can enjoy the moment for what it is too. Mommy contacted DONA International to find a doula. After emailing to a few Mommy set up a phone interview with one. Claudia is a doula in training, meaning she completed her classes but still needs to observe 3 births in order to complete her certification, and so she is actually not charging Mommy anything for her assistance. Claudia's email was so warm and detailed stating that as a doula she would be in contact with Mommy throughout the remainder of her pregnancy, would meet her at home or the hospital the day of delivery, stay for a few hours after delivery to assist with anything including breastfeeding, and make a home visit later on to check how everything was going. On top of that Claudia is pregnant with her 4th child (2 of her children were delivered completely natural) due in March. After meeting with Claudia yesterday Mommy felt like she had met a friend for lunch rather then a business meeting. Mommy hopes that after Jellybean's birth Mommy and Claudia can have playdates with their babies since they will be only a few months apart. On top of that Claudia's main job is making baby clothes! Her husband and her own their own baby clothing line called Magnolia Baby which is simply adorable! Claudia's family comes from Peru where her manufacturing plant for her baby line is also produced. Claudia told Mommy that when she becomes certified as a doula she plans on using her doula business as a way to donate and give back to her workers in Peru starting off with building a nursery inside the plant as well as offering educational workshops for them.

While at lunch with Claudia Claudia showed Mommy some photos of her 3 year old daughter and recommended a baby photographer that she uses for her business to model her baby line. As it happens the photographer she mentioned was the exact same one Mommy had found a few weeks prior and had inquired about. After looking around at newborn pictures Mommy fell in love with this photographer's work. All her pictures came out crisp and clear capturing the adorableness and beauty of babies. She also had a package that allowed for 2 full photo sessions when the baby was a newborn and one later on when the baby was 6-8 months old as well as a mini-session with cake when the baby turned 1 called a cake smash session. Overall that package for the price and the amount of sessions received seemed the best for the money and after hearing Claudia's glowing review Mommy knew that this was the right photographer for Jellybean's first pictures.

In other news Mommy also joined a Mother's Group on Meetup.com. Mommy was hoping to find other mothers in the area to talk with and befriend as well as make friends for Jellybean when he/she got bigger. Through this group Mommy found another new-mother in the next town who is expecting her first a week after Jellybean's due date. Mommy also emailed another mother in the area with a 6 month old who delivered at the same hospital Mommy is planning on delivering at. She gave Mommy some good information about the hospital as well as a pediatric recommendation for the area. Mommy is hoping to find a Dr who works on a delayed vaccine schedule (no more then 2 shots per week) as well as one who will only use vaccines that contain less mercury and toxins within them. Mommy's friend told her about the difficulties of getting Dr's who are not onboard to comply with such requests and thus its easier to just find a Dr that does this already so Mommy is pleased to know there are Dr's in the area who will listen to her requests.

Mommy also is working on some more baby projects for Jellybean. More on those later

Lastly to end off here are some New Year's pictures.

Dinner at Bobby Flay's resturant (yes I bought Melissa's jacket I loved it so much)

At Aunt Becca's house for New Year's



Yes Jellybean this is really how your Uncle Ben is all the time (his face looks like the Grinch here)


One of Becca's Christmas trees (they have 2!)


Mommy and Daddy's gifts from Secret Santa. Daddy got Gestures and Mommy got a little dancing penquin that dances when music is played!

Becca's parents built this dollhouse for her and her sister when they were little. Mommy has always loved it (probably because she never had a dollhouse as child) so she had Gus take a picture with it

The day after New Years it was off to the Garden to watch the Rangers play


Gus enjoying the game
Gus and Daddy
Family

Oh and lastly Mommy, Daddy, Jellybean, and Gus would like to say



to Aunt Emmy and Uncle Wey for getting engaged this past weekend!!!!

Jellybean Project # 1

Mommy, Daddy, Jellybean, and Gus had a wonderful New Year's filled with activity but Mommy is still trying to get all the pictures in so she will save that post for another day. In the meantime Mommy decided to start one of the many Jellybean projects she had lined up for herself.

Mommy found this project ( She also has a monkey template on her site if you are interested.) from Martha Stewart's website. Martha is not the creator of the project rather a lady named Nicky Batill who sells her items both on Etsy and her site WeeSF. Like all her projects it seems Mommy had to tweek hers a little to make it work. Though Mommy is happy with the finished project she did make some errors which were not necessary and she learned that when Martha lists all her equipment some of it is indeed necessary to make the project come off more polished looking. Still overall Mommy thinks it was a cute project and a great addition to Jellybean's nursery.
Let's hope Mommy's other projects (which are a lot harder she thinks) come out as well.

Here is the original compared to Mommy's tweeked version. Mommy still has to find a frame for hers.