Today I am 36 Weeks! Whoo hoo! I'm starting to get very anxious to meet my little one. Just last night I had a dream that I went in to labor. In a way, it would be kind of nice to have the baby at 38/39 weeks, but I definitely want it to cook long enough before it comes out, so it's healthy. The reality is that most first-time moms go til 40-41 weeks, so more than likely I still have a month!

In fact, Twilight Eclipse comes out June 30, which is 5 days after my due date, soooo..... in the event I'm overdue, I might just go see that movie :-) Ha ha ha! I'll probably feel too miserable to go anywhere, but you never know. 

Unfortunately my doctor is going on vacation during my week 39. The way fate would have it, that will probably be when I go into labor. It's not a huge deal to me if she isn't here to deliver me, but it will be disappointing. After all, you spend 9 months getting to know a doctor and getting comfortable, you want her to deliver you. So we'll see what happens.

Pregnancy Update:

• How far along?: 36 weeks.
• Total weight gain: 21 pounds. At my last appointment I lost a pound and half!
• How big is baby?: If the baby is growing as it should, it should be roughly 6 lbs and 18 and 1/2 inches long.
• Stretch marks?: Still none yet!!! Knock on wood.
• Sleep?: Sleep is not so great. My belly needs support, I don't breathe well, and now I'm having crazy dreams.
• Best moment this week?: Finishing the nursery up. Finally done!
• Movement?: I think the baby is running out of room to move too much, but still kicking!
• Food cravings?:Food disgusts me once again. I am losing my appetite and having a hard time eating.
• Labor signs?: The baby still has not "dropped". I am having Braxton Hicks, but nothing new. I did start cleaning like crazy though. Maybe that's a good sign!
• Belly button in or out?:Partially out. It's so weird. I hope my belly button goes back to normal afterward!
• What I miss: Not getting so tired so quickly. That's a bummer!
• What I'm looking forward to: My next OB appointment on Tuesday!
• Milestone: Only 4-ish weeks left!

I finally feel like the nursery is ready for the baby! With only 4 1/2 weeks to go, I'm starting to get very anxious.

My nursery decor is from Albee Baby and it's called "Willow". Here's some pics!

Tonight was the first episode of Ali's season of the Bachelorette. The Bachelorette is the perfect opportunity for me to sit back, be judgmental of people I've never met, and watch unrealistic drama unfold!  I love it!
I always hate suffering through the awkward limo arrivals. Ali seemed REALLY nervous at first, awkwardly laughing through the whole thing. A few of the guys really stood out. Frank jumped out of the top of the limo. One guy did a backflip! Tyler wore cowboy boots because he thought Ali wore boots last season, but she called him out on it because she didn't. Oops! Justin, the "entertainment wrestler," was in a cast and on crutches. He definitely got the "poor baby" treatment from Ali. Genius!

Thankfully, majority of the men looked better in person than in their photos on the website. When I was looking at the bios last week, I was afraid she was getting a bunch of trolls because I only saw a couple that were good looking. They look much better in person! Plus being able to get to know their personalities makes them more attractive.

The mingle time seemed to drag on. At least there wasn't anything too crazy like previous seasons.

Now for the guys that seem alright: Hunter was kind of cool. He made up a cute song and played the ukulele. He's not one of the cutest, but definitely interesting. Roberto "wooed" her with his latin dancing skills, and got the first impression rose. I think he'll be in the top 4. Jesse was pretty cute, but I'm skeptical that he might be kind of a jerk. I can't keep all of the Chris's straight - there's like 3! Chris L's one of my favs. He pulled on my heart strings when he talked about this mom. I think he'll be in the top as well.


Look's like Kasey is going to be the token "crazy" contestant from the season preview. Justin and one of the Craigs are the most disliked so far. There was a hint that one of the guys has a girlfriend and gets busted mid-season. I'm guessing it's Jesse, but we'll see! Can't wait for next week!

I decided to splurge a couple weeks ago and order a timi & leslie diaper bag during their Haute Look sale. I chose the Aurelie, and fortunately during the Haute Look sale, I got it half off! Haute Look has sales for designer brand clothing (womens, childrens, & mens), accessories, jewelry, beauty products, home products, etc.


The bag has a ton of pockets and even came with a matching clutch to keep mom's stuff so I don't have to carry a purse and diaper bag. It seems to fit lots of goodies! I already stuffed it with baby stuff to take to the hospital. It had plenty of room for a changing pad, bottle cooler and wipe holder as well.

Jessica Alba has been spotted with a timi & leslie bag (the Charlie style).

Last weekend I had an amazing baby shower hosted by my friend Robin, her mom Linda, and my friend Sherri. Planning a gender-neutral shower is no easy task, so I commend these ladies for pulling it off fabulously!

Sherri designed the invitations herself. She also had the cute idea of putting a magnet on the back so people could put on their refrigerator.


First of all - the food was great! Everyone knows the mama-to-be is most interested in the food! We had green chile chicken enchiladas, pinwheels, chips and queso, and veggies. The best part of all was the lovely cupcakes. The flavors were amazing and the frosting was like a cream-cheese type frosting - oh-so-good!!! The baker even made a special cupcake just for me - a cute little baby w/ a marshmallow bonnet!


The party favors were also fabulous. Sherri made these cute little birds nests filled with jordan almonds. She made custom wrappers to go around the nests.


The games were really good too. I'm usually not big on shower games, but these ladies picked out some fun ones. We did a baby quiz, the price is right (where they display a bag of baby items and you have to guess how much the total was), and the last one was guess the baby food game. For prizes they gave out fresh flowers to pot and bird houses. Here's a pic of me and a grossed out look on my face from trying baby food. I had no idea it tasted so terrible!





I received so many beautiful gifts. I was so excited to receive a handmade diaper cake - it was beautiful! I also received a beautiful basket that I filled with tons of homemade blankets and swaddlers that I received. One of my favorite little gifts was a onesie with a pic of a pug. It says, "My sister is a pug." Too cute, huh? Overall it was a fabulous day!

**UPDATE** A wonderful blog, IHeart Organizing, featured a special challenge to put together a Home Binder. She has some lovely free printables (for a limited time). I've added the finances log and blog ideas charts to my binder. She also has freezer inventory, children's schedules, auto log and more! Check it out!



I decided to make a Home Organizer binder as a gift for a friend's baby shower. (I also made one for myself, of course!)

The Home Organizer is a DIY project I found over at the Executive Homemaker Blog. They have so many creative projects, ideas, and free printables. The binder comes with several different printables, all available via PDF from Executive Homemakers.

Printables include things like Important phone numbers, To-Do lists, Babysitter Info, Calendars, etc.


We don't have a Hobby Lobby or Michael's in Grants, so I purchased all of my materials from our local Wal-Mart. I already had paper, ink, and labels, so my binder cost about $14.00.

Here's what I used for mine:

• 3-ring binder - $4.00
• Sticky scrapbook letters - $4.00
• Binder tabs - $3.00
• Return address labels for the tabs (or any small label maker would work)
• Paper/ink/desktop printer
• Monthly calendar or sticky notes of your choice - $3.00

I decided to use a simple, pre-designed, 3-ring binder from Wal-Mart. If you have more time and resources, you could make your own fancy binder out of a plain one and some craft paper, contact paper, or fabric to decorate. The cover is totally up to you! I used a colorful binder and added my own sticky letters.

Then I printed return address labels with the headers for each tab. I put the labels on the tab and put into the binder. You can customize your binder to include whatever categories you prefer.

The categories I used were: Phone Numbers, Babysitter, Errands, Goals/To Do lists, Birthdays/Anniversaries. Then I just printed copies of the printables from Executive Homemakers.


I also bought a little Monthly Refrigerator calendar and stuck it in the front pocket of the binder.


This was a really easy and fun DIY project. For more organization ideas and fun freebies, check out the Executive Homemaker Blog and Tip Junkie.

All of the nice weather we're starting to have makes me want to have backyard barbecues and spend more time eating outside.  I would love to get a cute patio pub table like this piece of bar furniture available on CSN stores:


Imagine a lovely Saturday breakfast outside on a deck, enjoying the beautiful fresh air and atmosphere. If we bought one of these we'd have to make sure the pugs wouldn't tear it up. Last summer I went outside and our patio set was covered in black pug fur, so I think Fiona was enjoying the furniture more than we were!

Miss Fiona also has a reputation for chewing on wood. I tried leaving her unsupervised in the house while I was at work one day. BAD idea. She chewed the corner of my wood desk AND chewed the arms on our rocking chair. Needless to say, she is not allowed inside unsupervised anymore. And I'd probably end up buying a metal pub set for the backyard (just in case).




CSN stores also has great selection of indoor pieces that would be perfect for entertaining or just enjoying as a breakfast bar.


These are great casual dining options. Many homes have a built in bar in their kitchen, but for those of us who don't, these pub tables are a great alternative.

The good thing about the pub sets at CSN stores is that they have free shipping. Anything free is awesome!

So I'm officially feeling kinda crappy. I think I'm at that miserable point in my pregnancy that everyone warned me about.

So... to try and combat those feelings, I am trying to remember how amazing it will be to meet my beautiful baby.  The anticipation is so awesome. I'm REALLY glad we opted to not find out the sex of the baby. It's going to be the best surprise of my life. Like Christmas morning when you were 5 years old!

Rebeca from the McCullough Family Files found a great pregnancy quiz and posted to her blog. I'm going to follow suit because I thought it was pretty cool!

About You
Name?: Marcie
Height?: 5'3"
Pre-pregnancy weight? 135 

About The Father
Name?: Jeremy
Age?: 24
Height? 5'11"
Are you still together?: Still together? We're still newlyweds!

About Your Pregnancy
Is this your first pregnancy?: YES!!!
Was it planned?: Let's just say it was a pleasant surprise.
What was your first reaction?: What will my husband think? Will he be happy?
Who was with you when you found out? I was by myself after work on a Friday.
Who was the first person you told? : My hubby. I left the stick on the bathroom sink and he found it when he came home. He was so excited!
How far along are you? 34 weeks
What was your first symptom?: Puking all over our tour van on our honeymoon in Cabo :-)
What is your due date?: June 25th
Do you know the sex of the baby?: No and it's the coolest feeling ever!
If so, what is it?:
Have you picked out names?: No. See my baby name polls on the left.
If so, what are they?
How much weight have you gained?: 22 lbs as of last week. Probably more by now.
Do you have stretch marks?: Nope! Knock on wood.
Have you felt the baby move?: Yes, it's so amazing.
Have you heard the heartbeat?: Yes! I was one of those over paranoid person who rented a doppler.

About the birth
Home or hospital birth?: Our hospital.
Natural or medicated birth?: The goal is natural, but I'm not against medication.
Who will be in the delivery room with you? My husband, my aunt (she's an RN and she'll be my labor coach, and my mom)
Will you breastfeed?: That's the plan.
Do you think you'll need a c-section?: I'm going to be positive and say no, but you never know.
Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time?: I don't know...more than likely!
What's the first thing you might say to him/her?: I love you!
Would you let someone videotape the birth?: No way!
Are you excited about the birth, or scared?: I'm feeling every emotion possible! I have no idea what to expect. I just can't wait to meet my baby.

I'm a little late on this... seeing as how it's already 5:30, but what the heck, it's still Friday, right?

Living in Rural America has driven me to do more internet shopping than the average person. Yes, Albuquerque is only an hour away, but it's so convenient to shop from the comfort of my own home, in my PJs.

I've developed a rolodex of my favorite online boutique-type stores that sell designer-inspired clothing, shoes, and accessories for an affordable price. Most of these stores I've found via the blog world. I love mainstream stores like NY&Co, Target, Limited, etc., but it's nice to break away from those every now and then.

Here are some of my favorites.

Boutique On Feet - What I love about this store is that they are constantly getting new inventory. You can also host an Online Shopping Party where the hostess gets some free goodies and shopping discounts.


Modern Vintage Boutique - This boutique has great prices and great selection. I really like their dress and shirt inventory.


Down East Basics - This store has a really nice selection of apparel for us gals who don't really want to wear "Junior's" but don't want to look older than we are in some Ladies Fashion. I like their selection of swimwear which includes several tankinis to cover up the post-baby stretchmarks and flab!

So check these out the next time you are in the mood to get yourself something fun! If anyone has suggestions of online clothing stores to check out, send them my way!

I am really excited to try cloth diapering when the baby comes. I especially excited because I have not had to invest a lot of money into it, so if I end up hating it, or I don't continue doing it when I return to work I won't feel like I wasted a ton of money.

Thanks to Kristen, I have a very nice stash of Cloth Diapering supplies! She gave me a TON of prefolds, and lots of inserts, some covers, a few all-in-ones, and some bum genius one-size diapers.

To supplement my new stash, I've purchased a few more items to try. I bought a Gro Baby package that came with two covers, four inserts, and two boosters. The diapers are SO cute and VERY soft! Of course I haven't gotten to use them yet, so I can't really review them, but I can say, they are extremely soft and look very comfy for baby. The organic inserts look like they will hold a lot of moisture! I bought them on Earth Day when they were having a sale, so I got a really good deal.
They are "re-branding" these diapers and calling them GroVia now, so I'm thinking the old Gro Babies might be on sale to make room for the new version.


I also purchased some covers to go over the prefolds I already have. I decided on the Wonder One Size Diaper Covers because they are by far one of the cheapest options and will adjust to fit baby as baby grows. I found them for $10.46 each at the Naturally Trendy website (with only $5 shipping!). These covers are not nearly as soft as the Gro Baby ones. They also look a little big (even on the smallest size setting), but we'll see how they fit when baby comes.

Lastly, I purchased Smartipants 3 Pack of One Size Diapers. These work the same way the Gro Baby diapers work, with an insert. By far, these are one of the cheapest one-size options you'll come across. They are having a sale - you get three for $36.95. That's a great deal! I haven't received these in the mail yet, but I'm anxious to see how they look and feel in real life.

Now all I need to do is find a detergent to use on all of this stuff. Everything I've read says to use something without softener, enzymes, scents, etc. Does anyone have a recommendation for a detergent to use on Cloth Diapers that I can find at Wal-mart or Costco? I've seen a lot of CD detergents online, but it will be kind of a pain to have to order detergent every time I need some. I'd rather be able to buy it at a store. I've been told Dreft is not good because it has enzymes...

Send me your suggestions and wish me good luck. I hope I end up liking Cloth Diapering. We'll find out!

I am 32 weeks and had my regular OB appointment today! Only 8 more weeks left (give or take). I am starting to feel REALLY heavy these days, and it's only going to get worse. I really haven't had too many complaints - braxton hicks now and then, fatigue, some back aches here and there... etc. I've been so lucky.

I went to my step-sister's wedding this weekend and it was awesome! I flew, but luckily it was only a 45 minute flight, so it was quick and easy. The flight home I felt a little motion sickness, but other than that I did really good. During the wedding I felt pretty good, just tried to rest when I could. The baby did not move much the day of the wedding and I started to get worried. The minute I laid in bed after the reception the baby decided to have an all-night party doing somersaults, so I was immediately relieved!

The only thing is that I'm not sure I'm going to make it to 40 weeks. I'm sure every first-time mom says that, and most of them end up being over due or induced! When I go places people always comment on how large I look and how it seems like I am ready to pop, so it makes me feel like I'm gonna have this baby early or have a 10 pounder!

Pregnancy Update:

• How far along?: 32 weeks.
• Total weight gain: 22 pounds and counting. Looks like my final weight gain will be in the 30s.
• How big is baby?: 4 pounds and roughly 16 inches long.
• Maternity clothes?: Oh yeah!
• Stretch marks?: Still none yet but my belly is HUGE.
• Sleep?: Sleep is OK. I wish I could lay on my back instead of my side.
• Best moment this week?: Feeling my baby move lots after not feeling movement for awhile!
• Movement?: Movements are feeling stronger as the baby gets bigger.
• Food cravings?: I've been craving strawberry slushes from Sonic. Cool & refreshing!
• Labor signs?: None, other than people saying I look like I'm going to pop...
• Belly button in or out?: Still in.
• What I miss: Not having flabby arms and a bloated face.
• What I'm looking forward to: My upcoming baby shower!
• Milestone: Only two more months left!