Thursday, May 19, 2016

Pregnancy Update: 38 Weeks


Earlier this week, I asked T to snap a few pictures of my bare belly.  I got so sad thinking that in a few weeks I won't have it anymore, and I have nothing to document what it looked like.  I debated putting a picture up here since I am wearing very little up top, but then I realized that most of my bathing suit tops are more revealing anyway.  So, here it is in all it's glory..my 38 week belly.  

How Far Along?   38 Weeks, we're getting so close!

Size of Baby:
  A winter melon, whatever that is.

Gender:
  All boy, and I couldn't be more excited. Never did I think I could get this giddy about Jon-Jons and blue onesies.

Weight Gain: About 23 lbs.  My mom and sister both gained 25 with their pregnancies, so that's the number I've been targeting.  Looks like I'll be right about there, too.  This was pretty much just pure luck, as I haven't really been watching what I've been eating for the past few months.   I make sure to eat as many fruits and veggies as I can, but there's usually no limit on the amount of carbs and sweets that enter my mouth each day.  


Maternity Clothes:
  Yes, and I'm so tired of my little selection.  I did find one dress from Old Navy that's non-maternity that I love.  I bought it in FOUR colors, and it's on constant weekly rotation.  I love it so much because it's one I'll be able to wear after baby, too.   You can find it on sale here.  I wore the black version at my niece Camille's birthday party this weekend.  





Nursery: 
 It's DONE!  I posted the reveal yesterday, you can see it here.

Movement:
  Yes, but I do feel like it's been slowing down a bit.  I'm sure poor Thompson is getting pretty cramped in there.  I also feel him more in the center of my belly versus where he's been the last several weeks with his butt on my left side and feet on my right.

Symptoms:
  Frequent trips to the potty, shortness of breath, and the worst heartburn ever.   A little bit of swelling in my hands and feet, my wedding rings felt tight when I put them on a few days this week. 

Sleep:  Meh, not bad but not good.  Since we're getting so close to my due date I've stopped taking Unisom just in case I go into labor in the middle of the night.   I usually wake up once or twice now in the night with my mind racing, and it's a miracle if I can go back to sleep.  

Cravings:  Still sweets, mainly soft serve ice cream.  I could also crunch on ice all day long.

What I Miss:  White jeans.  I know it sounds silly, but there are several pieces of my springtime wardrobe that I miss getting to wear this time of the year.  White jeans are definitely on the top of that list.  I never found a pair of maternity ones that fit right, and at this point pants are just so uncomfortable.  

Best Moment This Week:  My 38 week doctor appointment.  Got confirmation that I'm effaced, but not dilated yet.  He is still head down, and has dropped into position, so hopefully I'll start dilating soon!  My doctor predicts he's about 6 lbs 4 oz now, and will be around 6 lbs 10 oz on my due date.  

Looking Forward To:  Labor!  My anxieties have almost all gone away, I'm just so ready at this point. 

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Thompson's Nursery Reveal

I can't believe baby Thompson's nursery is finally complete!  This room has been a labor of love since this fall when I found out we were having a boy.  The week we found out our baby's gender, I immediately started searching for the perfect shade of blue paint, and started scouring Pinterest for baby boy nursery inspiration.  


Finding the perfect shade of blue was easier said than done.  I knew I wanted something light and bright, but finding the exact shade that wasn't too green, too purple, or too grey was more difficult than I thought.  We finally found a sample of Olympic's Bashful that I fell in love with.  The room started out with a lot to be desired.  White walls, a dated ceiling fan, and some old furniture that I'd been meaning to redo for months.  Here are a few pictures of the before. 



Once we found the paint color we wanted, our next task was reconfiguring the closet.  The original closet only had one bar for clothes, which wasn't conducive for hanging and storing baby clothes.  We used IKEA shelves to completely redo the closet, and it's one of my favorite parts about this room.  You an read the full tutorial here.  


Next we purchased six baby animal prints.   These were the inspiration for the whole room.  T and I fell in love with these prints when we were looking for nursery ideas, so they were an absolute must. Once the prints were purchased, I slowly started acquiring the big pieces of furniture that we needed for the room.  I had an old dresser that I wanted to use for a changing table.  It needed a new coat of paint, so we painted it with Annie Sloan's Paris Grey and added new knobs to the drawers.  I love how much storage this piece has compared to other changing tables. 




The nursery is very small, so finding an upholstered glider that would fit in the space was a challenge.  Target came through with a petite wingback glider and ottoman that were a perfect shade of grey and reasonably priced.  I also knew I wanted a fun light fixture in the room, so we found an old brass fixture on a consignment site, spray painted it white, and changed out the bulbs.   We installed a dimmer switch so that we can control the brightness of the room during the evenings.  



Since the room is so tiny, there was no room for a bookshelf.   We hung three of these IKEA spice racks to display a good portion of the books that we have, and the rest are stored in his closet.   I also framed this cute free printable above the shelves.   






This is Thompson's going home outfit, handmade by my mom.   I can't wait to see our little boy wearing it soon!


I tried so hard to avoid having to make my own curtains and crib skirt, but I could never find something that I loved that wasn't ridiculously pricey.  Originally I wanted something solid and basic for the curtains, but once I saw this tan buffalo check in the fabric store I fell in love.  I used Pinterest tutorials for both the adjustable crib skirt and curtains, and I think they are perfect for the space.  






And to tie in the colors, my girlfriend Elizabeth of Wheaton Whaley Designs made this precious blue houndstooth pillow with a tan monogram for the glider.  I know I'm totally first time momming here, but seeing that sweet little baby boy monogram just makes my heart so warm.  


And that's it!  Now all it needs is a little baby boy.  I'm due in a week, so we're definitely entering the final countdown.  I've listed all sources below, but please let me know if you have questions about anything!


Sources: 

Paint Color- Olympic Bashful
Blue Heirloom Bubble- Custom by The Tipsy Bunny
Rug- Similar
Curtains- Made using this tutorial
Crib Skirt- Made using this tutorial
Curtain and Crib Skirt Fabric- Similar
Chandelier- Vintage and repainted white
Garden Stool- Similar
Changing Table- Vintage and Painted with Annie Sloan Paris Grey



Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Our Weekend + Thompson's Diaper Shower

Since we've got less than 2 weeks until my due date, T and I are taking advantage of every opportunity we have to be out and about before that becomes a little more difficult with a baby in tow. Friday night we met friends out at one of our favorite restaurants downtown, The Trappe Door.  Saturday we were up bright and early and heading to Charlotte to celebrate the 2nd birthday of our niece Camille.

And on Sunday, our Greenville friends threw Thompson a diaper shower.  It was quite different than a typical baby shower, we had coolers of beer outside and outdoor games like corn hole and spike ball for everyone to play.  A perfectly laid back party with some of our best friends to celebrate our little guy.  And as gifts everyone brought a pack of diapers, so T and I are now set on diapers for a very long time!  We had such a great time, and are so thankful to have such a great group of friends here in Greenville.










Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Tucanos Brazilian Grill

This spring the Upstate has gotten several new restaurants.  A few weeks ago, I got to try out Tucanos,  Greenville's first Brazilian Steakhouse.   Although I'd never been to any Brazilian steakhouses before, I was familiar with the concept.  Usually an all-you-can-eat experience with servers coming to your table with swordfulls of different cuts of meat, a pretty intense salad bar, and typically pretty pricey.  Tucanos fits that description pretty closely, but I was shocked when I saw the price points on their menu.  Lunch is priced at $16.95 and dinner is $23.95 per person for their all you can eat Churrasco menu.

When we arrived, we got to try out several of their Brazilian Lemonade recipes. The name is a little deceiving, we learned Brazilian lemonade is actually limeade because lemons aren't as readily available in Brazil.  It's made with sweetened condensed milk, so it's creamier than your typical limeade.  They also have several different flavors available, and offer free refills.


On to the food.  Our waiter made a really big deal about their salad bar, which they call the Salad Festival.  Not gonna lie, the food snob in me wanted to turn my nose up at anything called a Salad Festival.  I had flashbacks of a Big Red Boat vacation in the late 90's after hearing about this over the top salad bar.  But, with that said, everything I tried from the salad bar was really, really good.  

Shortly after we sat down with our salad plates, the waitstaff started their rounds to the tables with a variety of meats.   They came around with 15 different kinds of skewers; beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, and grilled pineapple.   

Everything was cooked to perfection and really tasty.  My favorites were the sweet and spicy chicken, the garlic parmesan beef, and I couldn't get enough of their grilled pineapple.  It could have just been the 9 month pregnant woman in me, but I couldn't get enough of that pineapple.  




At Tucanos, like any other Brazilian steakhouse, the waiters will keep coming with more and more meat selections, until you tell them to stop.  Each table has a cue, a little wooden figurine, with green on one side and red on the other.  If the green side is up meat keeps coming, if you need to take a break or you're done, you switch it to red and they'll stop.  That simple.

Once we were stuffed, we switched our cue to red, and to our surprise our waiter then came around with their desserts.  A tray full of humongous desserts that all looked and sounded phenomenal.    They're best known for the Mango Butter Cake, butter cake infused with mango puree served warm and topped with mango sorbet and diced mango.  




All in all we were really satisfied with our experience at Tucanos.  As a brand new restaurant, they really seem to have their stuff together.  They've brought waiters in from other locations around the country to help with the launch, which I really appreciate.  It's been my experience before that most restaurant openings are not the smoothest experiences.  Front of the house and back of the house staff are still learning, and the dining experience can be quite rocky.  But I loved that Tucanos really put the effort in to avoid that from happening.

There's definitely a learning curve to using the cue, we kept on forgetting if our cue was on red or green, and we were either overwhelmed by the amount of meat coming to the table, or searching for someone to bring more.  But, that was more user error than anything.  By the end of the night we definitely got the hang of it.

If you're interested in dining at Tucanos, I'd definitely recommend making  reservation.   It's located in Magnolia Park just off of Woodruff road.  That shopping center can be a little bit of a madhouse on the weekends, especially when a restaurant is new.  Tucanos gladly accepts reservations, so it's definitely worth it to call ahead.

Monday, May 9, 2016

My First Mother's Day

Typically T and I travel to see our moms for Mother's Day, but this year we decided to stay in Greenville since we're getting close to my due date. (We're less than 3 weeks away!)  I wasn't quite sure how the day would go. I feel like a mom already, but since I don't have a baby to hold in my arms yet, I wasn't sure how others would view it.

I let T know several weeks back that I was really hoping we could celebrate it for me in some way, especially because we'll have a baby once Father's Day rolls around.  Figured it would be smart to go ahead and lay my expectations out there for him rather than just expecting him to know exactly what I wanted and needed on that day.   He was a smart man, and brought flowers and a card home for me over the weekend.  Glad he can take a hint :)

I was blown away at the amount of Happy Mother's Day wishes I got from friends, family, and so many strangers yesterday.  The day started with a surprise of donuts and a balloon from my girlfriends, thanking me for making them Aunts.  I mean c'mon, I totally have the best friends.



Later that day we headed out to lunch at Tazikis.  They have good food, but I really mainly go there for their crushed ice.  They have the best, and chomping on ice has been a weird pregnancy thing for me.  I think since my heartburn is so bad, it's one of the only thing that soothes my stinging throat.   They've got an outdoor seating area, so we were able to bring George with us too.  

After lunch we headed downtown to walk around Falls Park a bit.  George loved wading in the water, and it felt great to be outside walking around.  





After about an hour of walking around in the park, all three of us were overheated so we headed back to the car to go home.  We kept it simple last night for dinner, T grilled wings and I made a simple slaw recipe that we both love.  We finished the night off with House Of Cards and a bowl of ice cream, and I was one happy girl.  What an amazing way to spend my very first Mother's Day!



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