A BIG Thank You

This is long over due, but I need to say Thank You. I need to say thank you to all my mom friends, my non-mom friends, and my family.

Thank you for being supportive during my pregnancy and now.

Thank you for answering my questions and being an "expert" for all my research on mom stuff, labor, etc. 

Thank you for the future expert advice I'll be asking for.

And thank you for being my friend.

I appreciate all your support and love. I'm really glad I don't have to do this first and I don't have to do it alone.

And most important, THANK YOU to my wonderful husband, Stephen! He is the BEST husband/father Sadie and I could ever ask for.

Introducing Sadie Joy

The newest and best addition to our little family:

Sadie Joy Moore

Born Thursday September 12, 2013 at 1:12AM.

Weighing in at 7lbs. 1oz. and 20.5 inches long.

I've been asked what we will call her. We have no preference and will probably bounce back between Sadie, Sadie Joy and SJ. you are welcome to call her any of these names.  When she is older, she can decide what her favorite is or if she has a preference. :)

Sadie is like every baby where she eats and sleeps all the time. She sleeps about 3 hours, eats and then sleeps again. But day 4 brought an unexpected wonderful surprise of Sadie Joy alertness.

Stephen is the best daddy who wakes up to help with late night feedings by changing her diaper and soothing her when I may need a break. He was made to be a dad. I couldn't ask for a better partner to share in this wonderful new journey. 

I already feel like I've been a momma for years. Jesus called me to be a mom from the very beginning and I am beyond thrilled to fulfill this role every day for the rest of my life.

Happy parents

Daddy loving on Sadie

Granddad brought the paper from the day of her birth :)

Granddad and Sadie

Grandmom and Sadie Joy

Coming home!

In my room for the first time

Daddy fell asleep watching her sleep

Can someone please turn the light off?

So tiny in my big big crib

That's all I can think to share at this point.

Nursery Beginnings

Hi! The baby bedding finally arrived and I absolutely love it! The purples are perfect.
Of course the bumpers will not be on when she sleeps until she is older and moving lots. Also, I know the sheet will be changed so many times that this may be one of the few times it all matches, but I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Shout out: Thank you to Holly Afton over on Etsy for her wonderful patience as I struggled over decisions and for making exactly what we wanted! She was kind patient, and flexible. She replied quickly to my questions/comments/concerns and provided visuals to help me decide. So grateful to have her custom make our Baby Girl's bedding and curtain!

(Please ignore the mess that is under the changing table.)

The room is cream with white trim and white heaters.

There will be a valance curtain on the window in the elephant and grass pattern soon. We are getting a free pillow from ordering all this that will have her name, birth date, weight, and length once she is born!

Now to get the rest of the nursery ready...that will happen slowly, most likely, as we wait for our dresser to come back to us, our basket set to come back to the store so we can buy it, and a few other items such as wall decor that we need to pick out and buy. There will be pink accents in the room such as the pink on the baskets, as well as a pink elephant to hang. This is more fun than creating a master bedroom!

A bit of an Update & Suggestions Please!

How far along? 36 weeks

Name? We have narrowed down the name list, but won't be choosing baby girl's name until she is born. Guessing won't get you any closer to finding out either! :P

Movement? I think I have finally felt her little hiccups and I feel so bad for her. I hate hiccups and her having them in me is still not my favorite so I can just imagine how it must be for her.

What I miss? I really miss my cute shoes and clothes. So vain I know, but I've been buying some shirts that I think are cute, loose, and fall worthy, but can also be worn to cover my mommy tummy and breast feed after baby girl is born.

Looking forward to? Everything! (except the labor part) Can she get here already?!

Here are where the suggestions come in:

So in the excitement of everything, Steve has mentioned a few times that we (mainly I) should start getting my hospital bag ready and I think he is right. I have lists and Pinterested things and looked on baby websites, but I want any NEW mom's (if your kid's age is between the range from new born to 5) opinion of what they found were the most important "couldn't-have-done-without" items. Let me know what you were really glad you had or really wished you had right after you gave birth and for your time at the hospital.

I'm pretty big now!!!

36 weeks 4 days

Maternity and 5th Anniversary Pics

Some of our favorite photos from our photo shoot June 28, 2013. These were for our anniversary and maternity. I was about 30 weeks here. :) If you would like one or a few of them please let me know and I'll e-mail them to you.

Better late than...oh nevermind!

How far along? 34 weeks

Weight gain? Enough :)

Name? We have narrowed down the name list, but won't be choosing baby girl's name until she is born. Guessing won't get you any closer to finding out either! :P

Size of baby? about 4.75 lbs and 18 inches long according to baby center

Movement? She moves often, but I feel her on the right side of my belly all the way on top to the bottom of my belly. I cannot tell what parts are what, but have dreams about it.

Sleep? I toss and turn more often, but for the most part still sleep well. Speaking of dreams, I still have lots of them and they are vivid. The most odd ones are similar to this one:
One night I dreamed I was feeling her kicking, and realized I knew it was her little fist. Then all of a sudden her hand wrapped around my finger and before I knew it she was coming out the bottom of my belly, but not all the way, kind of like a kangaroo pouch. Just enough for me to have to hold her in my arms. I ask the doc, "Umm is she ready to come out?" Doc says, "no she'll go back in when she is ready to finish growing inside." WHAT??!! And then I wake up.
I wonder if this is me waking up to her kicking or hitting hard, but I never will know.

What I miss? I miss being able to bend down quickly and a normal way. Now I am very slow and have to basically plea in second position to bend over. Hello belly! haha

Symptoms? Swelling in my ankles/feet, specifically my left foot...doc says it's just how my body works and it has nothing to do with the baby's position or sitting on any vein. I also cry a over some silly things these days, but not too often so I'm not a bubbling mess.

Looking forward to? Baby girl sleeping on mine or Steve's chest. What a feeling/sight it will be!

32 weeks 4 days

Update: Only 12 weeks to go!

How far along? 28 weeks (only about 12 to go! Maybe more maybe less!) So exciting and so crazy

Weight gain? 26 lbs!!!! Yikes!

Maternity Clothes? Thanks to some other moms I've got plenty, although I miss my clothes

Size of baby? about 2 1/4 pounds and 14.6 inches according to baby center (although the times she was actually measured showed that she was more than what baby center said and she was 49th percentile)

Movement? She is getting stronger. Sometimes it feels like she is trying to get out. If you stare at my belly, you may actually see her kick or punch.
Funny story: We were at the security check point where they check your ID and ticket at JFK. Baby girl kicked so I said, "Oh she's kicking." The security lady says, "Who's kicking?!" Steve, "Oh no my wife is pregnant." We had a good laugh.

Sleep? Changing time zones has messed my clock up, but Doc said to nap when I'm tired. Only problem with that: I can't fall asleep until after midnight nap or no nap.

Food? I changed this to just food, because I really have no cravings. I believe I don't have cravings because I eat balanced already (most of the time) and Hilaria Baldwin said something similar.

What I miss? I really miss being my small self. Getting big is difficult! I know that I will always work hard to be fit.

Symptoms? Swelling in my ankles/feet, salt or no salt, activity or no activity, I swell randomly

Looking forward to? Being Momma (I was meant for motherhood, too bad I waited so long for it)

28 weeks 5 days

It's a.....baby update!

In case you missed the last blog:

It's a....

 GIRL

How far along? 21 weeks

Weight gain? Umm more than I'd like to say :)

Maternity Clothes? In the beginning I preferred the middle band pants, but now I much prefer the high band pants or the very low pants.

Size of baby?14 ounces

Boy or Girl? GIRL!! We couldn't be happier! SHE is perfect. We got to see HER so much including HER brain and heart (actually moving)! SHE was sucking HER thumb (assuming thumb, but could have been fist).

Movement? I first felt Baby at 18 weeks. It felt like little muscle spasms or flutters and I've been feeling them ever since, but not enough for Steve to feel yet.

Sleep? Going well, I'm now used to getting up quickly or knowing when to stop drinking water at night. Although the past week I started waking up for no reason.

Food Cravings? I still don't agree that cravings exist, but I really enjoy having an egg once a day. (scrambled, over-easy, hard-boiled) I also love having a fruit bowl and of course my ice cream. :)  I have lost my taste for cold raw veggies also. :(

What I miss? Lying on my back (which is funny because I never wanted to before)

Symptoms? I've had acid reflux quite a bit and learned that for me eating a little more such as a bite of something helps it stop.

Looking forward to? Trying out different names

Daddy-to-Be's thoughts: I am uh...it's uh I don't even know. This is the best, most important big "thing" in my life. It's different than anything I've ever experienced. I've been thinking, for the past couple of years, that I am ready for it, and not that I don't feel ready now, but now that it's actually here it's pretty intense. Thinking about all the fun stuff we will get to do with HER, taking HER camping, playing soccer with HER, taking HER to the beach. Wondering what kind of person SHE will be and what SHE will like.


20 weeks 4 days

Baby Gender Reveal!

It's a ....

What the myths say:

Girl:
~Carrying high         
~Steve not gaining weight      
~Chinese Calendar             
~Heart Rate faster than 140
~Craving citrus (my oranges)
~Moody (first trimester according to Steve)
~The magic 8 ball (from a kid in class) said, "It's Definitely a girl"
~Nuke Submariner Father (it's a sub thing)

Boy:
~No acne
~No Nausea
~Prefer sleeping on my left side
~Clumsy (things slip from my hands more)
~Acid reflux

According to the myths I'm having a girl!

What the Doc says:

 

Bibs say: Daddy's Princess and Mommy Loves Me!

GIRL!!!!!

Baby Update

It's time again to catch you up on the happenings of Baby Moore and I. Check out my baby bump at the end. :)

How far along? 16 weeks

Weight gain? 8 pounds

Maternity Clothes? Yep! We went shopping the other weekend and bought me lots of clothes plus I got some from my parents, sister, and parents-in-laws. So much more comfortable!

Size of baby? about 4.5 inches long head to rump and 3.5 ounces, about the size of an avocado, according to Baby Center's My pregnancy app.

Boy or Girl? Our appointment is set for April 25th! Hopefully Baby will cooperate. Stephen and I will be happy with either. I told my class I was having a baby the other day. One student had a magic 8 ball so we asked of course they had to ask if it would be a girl or boy. The answer: Yes definitely a girl. :)

Movement? I've been told I may not feel anything until weeks 21-23 since this is my first pregnancy.

Sleep?I realized that I wake up during dreams because I have to pee, so I sleep well with only 1 interruption or 2.

Food Cravings? I want to eat everything that I liked before and crave just like I used to. I tend to order hamburgers, eat anything cheese and I've been eating more fruit. They are not really cravings, but my go to foods.

What I miss? My regular allergy meds! Thankful for the netti pot, robitussin, and sudafed right now.

Symptoms? My bump is growing slowly and weight gain. Thankful that those are my only symptoms so far!

Looking forward to? Finding out the gender and feeling baby move around.

Daddy-to-be's thoughts: I'm excited, impatient, and ready to get that baby outta there! Can we put a bigger TV on the baby registry? I'm looking forward to finding out the gender and picking a name so we can have another secret together. I'm also looking forward to feeling Baby move.

If you have any questions feel free to ask or if I missed something that is fun to keep track of just let me know. :)


I promise there is a difference in size of the bump!

12 weeks

16 weeks 

It's Christmas Time!

Hello! Oh I just love the holidays. My thanksgiving was absolutely perfect. Time with all my family and friends from home was exactly what I needed to get motivated to finish up grad work for this semester.

One of the reasons I went home was to hear my cousin announce that she is pregnant. And oh what an announcement. My uncle said, "We have an announcement." And then one my sisters unknowingly said, "Who's pregnant?!" Lindsey and Buck immediately replied, "We are!" It worked out perfectly, almost like it was rehearsed. Of course my husband then leans over to me and says, "Well at least we know when it's out turn not to say we have an announcement, haha." It was so cute though!

I love games! That was the other reason I went home. Lindsey was having a game night/31 party, and I didn't want to miss it. I have missed the Christmas game night the past few years and had been dying to play so I convinced Steve that we should go home. I had a great time hanging out with family and met some really sweet women who work with my cousins Lindsey and Kristy.

Steve and I got home Sunday afternoon and decided that evening would be the only chance we had to decorate for Christmas, so we did. These past few days with the tree lit up, stockings hanging, hot chocolate, and cheesy Christmas movies have been fantastic! Here are a few pictures.

Made this at Mad Potter with my friend Ellen!

The Lynch Cousins - minus 5 of them.

Our Tree and Stockings!

DIY Hair Cut!

It's been waaayyy too long since I last posted! Although I'm not really sure if anyone really reads my posts, I still enjoy making them here and there. I'm trying to figure out what type of blog I want. Sometimes I like it for updating people on life, but Facebook does that pretty well. Other times I want to be crafty and make it a DIY blog to teach others and then I want to be that super effective teacher who has time to post ideas and share things for other teachers. Today I'm a DIYer.

Back more than 10 years ago when I danced pretty much 5 days a week for 4-5 hours a night, I had this awesome teacher Marlo (who I recently reconnected with on Facebook :) ). She was actually the best teacher for me. I improved more than I ever had and my sister even told me so! Any-who, we adored her and thought she was the coolest. She was in college (I think), was a great dancer, and she cut her own hair. It was gorgeous!

I have always wanted to cut my own hair since knowing her. So I got on Google and typed in "cut your own hair in a pony tail" because that's how Marlo did it. I found this blog (that I can't find now) that explained how to do it, looked at it and thought oh that will be easy. I didn't do it for a few months, afraid it may not work and I wouldn't look like me when meeting all Steve's family so I waited a few months.

Here is how the blog described it but in my own words: hair needs to be wet, brush it upside, put into a tight ponytail on top of your head, turn upside down again, the blog said to make sure to cut it straight so your layers are straight. I don't like it to be obvious, I like my hair to blend so I cut it straight and then cut into it at the bottom how my hair stylist does it so my hair isn't flat/blunt on the bottom. Took it down and I was done! I cut to the bottom layer and didn't actually cut the bottom because I wanted my hair to stay long, but you can cut as short as you want! Here are some pictures, hope you can tell the difference:

Before, see how straight it is at the bottom

Before, the front no layers

The hair I chopped off

After, wet, you can see the angle from side to middle

showing the layers

After, dry, angled again

Now, if only I can learn how to cut my bangs like this so they stay and I will never have to pay for a cut again.