what i wore wednesday

 
When I was pregnant with Nolan, I was the biggest in the summer, so I wore my college collection of elastic-waist, colored Soffe shorts, a few Old Navy maternity tanks, and a couple of nice sleeveless shirts. This pregnancy has been quite different since I’m having a winter baby. I’ve needed jeans, leggings, tanks for layering, long-sleeve shirts, and sweaters.

I love my new light-weight sweater from Target. I was immediately drawn to the lovely shade of blue on top. I like that it’s a snug fit and has ruching along the sides to show off the bump better. When I brought it home, Steve was reminded of Star Trek, and loved it as well. :)

Maternity tunic: Liz Lange for Target Maternity V-Neck Sweater in “Athens Blue”—on sale now.

I thought this non-maternity knit tunic at Nordstrom was similar.

Leggings: Motherhood Maternity Super Stretch Skinny Jeans

Boots: MIA Heritage Knee High Boot

Does it look better with brown boots or black? I can’t make up my mind.

 

Linking up with Lindsey for WIWW and Alison for GYPO.

Feel free to stay awhile, or follow along! 

See my other maternity outfit posts.

See my progression of pregnancy photos. (I’m 31 weeks now.)

ritz cracker thin mints

Thin Mints have forever been my favorite Girl Scout cookie, since before I was even a Daisy scout. I had my doubts that a Ritz cracker covered in chocolate mint could mimic this perfect cookie. I found that it doesn’t taste exactly like a real Thin Mint, but it captures the essence of it, and is definitely the right texture. It makes for a very yummy cookie, especially with only 4 simple ingredients.

Ingredients:
18-20 Ritz crackers
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips with the shortening. Heat on high for 1 minute. Stir, and heat in 15-second increments until the chocolate is very smooth.

Mix in the peppermint extract.

Dip a cracker into the chocolate. Cover the cracker on both sides, and use a fork to pick it up, so that the excess chocolate will drain through the fork. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the crackers.

Put the baking sheet in the fridge for the chocolate to harden.

So easy. So perfect for holiday gatherings!

life lately

+oh, the snowflakes on those eyelashes!
 

+ my first crocheted scarf


+ I love these funny faces.

+ I melt.

Happy Monday!

baby bump: 30 weeks

how far along? 30 weeks, due January 28th.

size of baby: size of a cucumber, about 15 inches (head to toe) and 3 pounds

heartbeat: 145 bpm (last week).

total weight gain: + 22 lbs

sleep: I am now sleeping on 3 pillows (have to be more vertical so food doesn’t come back up), plus hugging my body pillow

movement: He kicks up by my ribs, and I can feel hiccups at least once a day now!

food cravings: saltine toffee, peach fruit cups, hot chocolate, cheesy pizza, green bananas, the usual.

symptoms I have: Still sore legs, still acid reflux.

doctor’s appointment: Last week, one of the midwives told me that I was measuring two centimeters small. (Doctors find this by taking a plastic tape measure and seeing how high the uterus is above your belly button). I don’t necessarily consider this an accurate measurement since four different people have measured me during this pregnancy, and it’s not a perfect science. She told me that it was probably fine, and I was just going to have a small baby. This made me nervous, because Nolan was over 8 pounds at birth, and this new baby has measured a few days ahead of schedule in the ultrasounds. Although she said that doctors don’t get concerned until the fundal height is 3 centimeters off, she offered me an ultrasound. I went home to talk to Steve about it. Even though I knew in my gut that the baby was fine, I couldn’t shake my concern, and I wanted to talk to the doctor about it. I went back in to the office on Friday. The doctor did a quick ultrasound on the baby. It turns out that he was measuring right on track at 29 weeks and 2 days. He was 2 pounds 12 ounces—PERFECT! My fluid levels were good as well. In the end, my doctor said that everyone carries babies a little differently.

what I’m looking forward to: Nolan’s room is now fixed and painted, and yesterday he moved back into it! (Side note—apparently he was so excited to be in his room again that he pulled off his diaper by himself for the first time and made a mess in his crib.) Now that his room and the baby’s room have fresh paint on the walls, I can get the baby clothes from the attic and start organizing :) November has been such a huge month in terms of getting things done, and emotionally feeling prepared for this baby. I am excited for what December will bring!

I don’t have a side-view photo of my pregnancy with Nolan at 30 weeks, but I do have this photo of Steve and me at my friend Meghan’s wedding right around that time :) I don’t really look pregnant from the front view.

what i wore wednesday

I cannot believe that I’m at 30 weeks! The baby is 75% ready! On one hand, ten more weeks of pregnancy sound like a long time to me. But on the other hand, I am grateful to still have two months to wrap my head around the idea of being a mom of two little boys! I have quite a few projects that I still want to accomplish. ;)

Maternity tunic: Liz Lange for Target Maternity Long-Sleeve Fashion Top

Leggings: Motherhood Maternity Secret Fit Belly Jersey Knit in Black

Boots: MIA Heritage Knee High Boot

This tunic is very comfortable, and it has a silky feel to it. I love the little pop of color along the neckline. Steve complimented it several times when I wore it for the first time! And these cognac boots—I’ve been wearing them non-stop… so in love.

 

Linking up with Lindsey for WIWW and Alison for GYPO.

Feel free to stay awhile, or follow along! 

See my other maternity outfit posts.
See my progression of pregnancy photos.

cake mix waffles

The other week, I saw a photo on Instagram of a delicious-looking waffle, and I had to have one. We have a waffle maker, but it only makes little circus animals (super cute, but not that filling). I stole borrowed my mom’s waffle maker from her garage, where it has sat idle for the past twenty years. We made some regular Bisquick waffles, and they were delicious. Then, it was time to try a recipe I had pinned a while back: cake mix waffles.

Steve was actually the one who whipped up these plates of chocolate goodness.

He followed the instructions on a Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix box—cake mix + eggs + vegetable oil + milk/ or water. Steve chose to use milk.

Directions:
Heat waffle maker. Spray with cooking spray. Heat the waffles for 3-5 minutes, or until steaming stops, or waffle maker says it’s done . Then serve the waffles warm with whipped cream or even ice cream :)

They are definitely worth making!

life lately

 

This little guy is SO busy, happy, strong-willed, smart, silly, creative, sweet.
I am ever-so glad that I get to watch him grow and learn every day.
Although there are days when I feel like all I say is “no,”
I’m grateful that I’m the one who gets to teach him right from wrong.
I love helping mold his little heart and mind.
I miss him when he’s not with me, and sometimes while he sleeps.
So thankful for my little buddy.

#eucharisteo (grace, thanksgiving, joy)