Long Time, No Blog!

Well, HELLO to anyone who is reading this!

This blog has been dead for quite some time ... but with Baby Filip arriving in around 11 weeks ... things are bound to get a little more exciting around here!

Baby's name will be Bennett. Did I ever mention that here? I don't remember. Anyway, yep, Bennett Allen Filip. Allen is Chris' middle name. I'm lukewarm on the middle name, but it's important to Chris, so I am just going to be okay with it! :)

As you can see, I am 29 weeks now and very much looking forward to meeting baby! Around 72 more days to go! At this point, I am more anxious than uncomfortable ... but I am sure the uncomfortable stage will be making its entry in the next few weeks! (One can only hope that it won't happen ... but it's bound to, right!?)

Hmmm ... what else is new?

Work - School Job:

I have about a week and a half before work begins again. I have some trainings and meetings and such here and there before then, but "work" officially begins again on August 25! Then only two months of work, and I'll be off for another two months being a Mom! If the timing of everything works out with Baby being born, I plan to take my maternity leave from approximately Oct 22-Dec 16. Then, I'll go back to work for four days, and then have off for another 10 days over Winter Break, and then really come back full time after the 1st of the year. I hope my little plan works out ... where I'll get to "try" work for 4 days and then get a little break again ... so I can ease into "doing it all" full time. One can only hope it turns out this way!

Work - Kayla Richards Photography:

Ah, the joy of being a pregnant photographer! (Not.So.Much!) Wedding season really hasn't been terrible as I originally thought it would be - I just tire so easy and it's hard to stay motivated while shooting a wedding on your feet all day long. I luckily booked myself lighter (by my choice) than I have been the past couple years. I have shot 6 weddings this year, and I have only 4 to go! My last wedding will be at 36 weeks, on September 24! It's not really the weddings that are causing me most of the stress, it's the idea of upcoming sessions AND weddings filling up my weekends (which means very, very few days off until maternity leave once school starts again). My summer has been fairly quiet, and now it seems everything is coming together at once: home stretch of pregnancy + going back to work + most of my sessions happening at this time up until the end of the pregnancy. (I must plan all of this better with the next pregnancy!)

In Other News:

Something that's been keeping me entertained while editing business photos has been Pinterest! Yeah. I'm obsessed. It's awwwwwesome! I'm sure I'd get more editing done if I just didn't open this website up while working! Ah, oh well! What's the quote again ... "It wasn't wasted time if you were doing something you enjoyed?" Something like that!

Here are a few Pins of things I'd like to try:

Obviously, for when we are closer to Halloween! (I should have a newborn by Oct 31st this year!) I think it will be cute to get a small, medium, and large pumpkin - and paint our first name initial on each (C -Chris, K-Kayla, & B-Bennett) and put 'em on the front steps!

Another Halloween idea ... not sure if I will REALLY make this or not, but how cute would it be to have some newborn shots of my little guy dressed up in a candy corn costume for his 1st Halloween? LOL.

I love this simple idea! I wonder though, does anyone know if the dry erase marker really comes off of glass as easily as it does from a white board? Another question...now where does one find frames in that shape? So cute! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled!

Yes, I know, it's just a card. However, I have done ZERO crafting in the past year or so (maybe more). A reminder that crafting is easy ... and that having a stock of cute handmade birthday cards on hand is never a bad idea!

These letters are an idea for Bennett's room ... I like how cozy and soft they look. I have a white wooden "B" in his room right now ... but I could wrap it with yarn like this. If I ever wanted to it just be white again, I could just take the yarn off.

OH and the FOOD! Pinterest really, really, really makes me hungry sometimes! And this cocktail? Is it bad that I admit my pregnancy craving has been COCKTAILS!??! I've been thirsting for magaritas, wine, and other fruity concoctions!

I was never a lush before pregnancy, but any means ... but a nice cocktail sounds so wonderful! However, who knows how long it will be before I can have one! I know they say you can have ONE drink right after nursing ... and then letting it settle in your system for a few hours before nursing again ... but I don't know how I feel about consuming alcohol at all while nursing ... ah, another topic to ponder some other time!

For now, I'll just enjoy my glass of iced splashed with virgin pomegranate syrup and caffeine free Sierra Mist, lol!

Two handprint ideas for baby ... his room is ocean themed, and I think making his newborn handprints and doing the crab thing would make a cute little framed art piece for his room. However, I'm thinking something a bit more simple than that example! Maybe just the hands, and then decorate the crab's face and have a white background.

I also LOVE the black and white handprints ... where baby's hand is inside the parent's hand ... aww!

Okay, that's all for today!

Hopefully I'll have more stuff to post soon!

Almost at Week 23

Just a few randoms:

On the Baby front:

• Maternity leave at work seems like it will all turn out good. Had an issue for a little while because of some mis-communication, but I am happy where things stand now. It looks like I'll for sure be able to take off 8 weeks (half of that unpaid) ...but perhaps I can swing a little over 10 weeks if I can figure it out financially. Choices, choices.
• Had another doctor's appointment today. All checked out great. Didn't gain any weight all month ... woo hoo! Though I'm sure the weight will be coming ... I've gained a total of 10 lbs thus far ... I'm at week 23...I thought I was hungry all the time before this week .... well, now when I say I am hungry all the time, I mean it! Trying to munch on healthier options though.
• Also relating to today's appointment, doctor was having a hard time figuring out the heart rate though, because Baby didn't want to sit still! :) Amazing how he always seems to be moving, but I don't really feel him that much. Make me wonder what he is doing in there when I CAN feel him! Every single time they have checked Baby's heart rate, it's been an even 140 every time.
• Blood pressure was down at this appointment. It was 116/82 today ... my last appointment it was 138/90ish ... that scared me because of all the horror stories with high BP during pregnancy. Hopefully it'll stay down now!
• I was peeking around at Goodwill today for some maternity shirts hoping I'd have some luck. Nothing struck my fancy enough for me to buy it. However, in the Infant Wear bin I found a brand new white and lime green striped Gap newborn hat ... which will be perfect for newborn shots. I also found a SUPER cute moose sleeper. I have a 30% coupon for Kohls, and they have Early Bird specials on Saturday morning, so hopefully I can find some good deals on some maternity stuff then. I do have some maternity stuff, but a lot of it is long or 3/4 sleeve ... which I cannot stand wearing lately! Thus far, some of my regular shirts have been ok, but I am starting to for sure outgrow them!
• I got to hang out with my friend Ashley yesterday, who GENEROUSLY gave me some really really cute outfits that her son has outgrown. I sit and stare at "Newborn" sized clothing ... and I just can't believe how small Baby will start out! Thanks, Ash!

On the life front:

• Summer School started last Friday with an in-service for teachers. Kids started this past Monday. My day is from 7:45-12:09, and I have three classes of kids. I teach Crafts and Creativity. The kids are 1st graders who are going into 2nd grade. I have pretty good groups, and there are only about 3 of them that drive me a little batty - pretty good odds! ;-) This week we made: decorative nametags, mosaic turtles, sprinkled ice cream cone project, water color painting, and tomorrow, we are making sun catcher jars.
• Not much going on with house projects ... BOO!
• Photography has been mellow for about the last month. I have 8 weddings left this year - 2 in July, and the rest in August + September. I am so glad I didn't over book myself, considering last year I didn't know I'd be pregnant during wedding season!
• Had a garage sale last weekend with my mom. We got rid of a lot of stuff - so nice to have extra space in some of my cupboards and closets!

I think that's it. Nothing too exciting happening here!

'Til next time!

Baby Room: Phase I

Well, for starters, here is Baby BOY Filip at 20 Weeks:

Sadly, we didn't get any other pictures ... although during the ultrasound, I think the tech for sure could have printed much cuter ones ... esp of the hands, feet, ect - because those things were definitely clear... BUMMER. I have seen so many people's ultrasound pics that are 3D that show the little lips, cheeks, and other cute details ... and it's not an insurance thing either, because we have the same exact insurance policies. Oh well ... I guess it means Baby Filip is healthy enough, and I should just be thankful there is no medical reason to need more/in depth ultrasounds.

Also, the tech "thought" she saw a penis, but didn't go back and look again. GRR. So, I'm assuming since she does this every day, if she "thinks" that's what she saw, she is probably right. So we're assuming it is in fact a boy ... but if baby turns out to be a girl, she'll just have to enjoy her fish room!

Onto the baby room details -

Here is Phase I (aka very early stage!) of Baby Filip's room. It doesn't look like much, but believe me when I say it's been it's fair share of work thus far! OH the cleaning/organized of that little room and it's closet ... since we moved in, it had been used as the "dumping grounds" where we hauled everything we weren't sure where else to store. BAD IDEA! But, after many days of hard work, it's ready to go for a baby room! *WHEW*

Let me remind you of the "BEFORE" when we moved in and got started repairing the walls, ripping out carpet, taking out wood paneling on right side wall, new carpet, new paint, new EVERYTHING. So glad that pile of stuff is gone!

So far for the baby room, we've:

• Purchased the crib and fish & sea creature bedding/accessories set, and the glider chair
• The changing table in the right corner was a garage sale find ... $10 one day, and the next day I went back, it was marked down to $5 ... SCORE! It's nice and sturdy - and used to be super ugly light wood color ... however, I was able to see it's potential, and Hubby painted it to match the crib ... it turned out AWESOME! It looks brand new!
• Hubby also painted the bookshelf the same color ... I've had that bookshelf since I was a teenager, and I'm so glad it was able to be used for Baby's room - I love it!
• The little table by the glider chair just happens to be the right color - it was an antique store find a few years back.

What we still have left to do in the baby's room:

• Get some kind of art on the walls ... I'm not going over board, maybe one or two pieces, since I still can't bear to put holes in the walls after the EXTENSIVE repair work we did to them
• Window treatments ... Hubby doesn't seem to think we're getting white wood blinds ... however, we ARE! ;-) Also, we'll need curtains ... this I'm stuck on. I'm thinking navy blue, but I don't want the room to end up looking too dark. I think the light blue will look drab. We'll see...
• Accessories ... I'm not going to overboard on this yet. I have lots of fun stuff picked out my registry that'll color up the room ... like the changing pad cover, baskets, lamp, etc!

So that's the plan! :-)

Now Entering: Week 18, Beginning of 5th Month

It's crazy that we have gone from ... a poppy seed size baby ... to a bell pepper size baby! And to think I'll have a life size baby by the time this is all over! ;-)

We have a doctor's appointment on Friday. I am hoping that maybe we'll be able to do an ultrasound that day. However, I'm assuming they'll wait until my 22 week appointment, as they'll be able to tell the sex for sure by then. So much waiting during pregnancy! :-)

How your baby's growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born.

"If it's a girl" bedding has been decided ...

After way too much thought and consideration, I picked out what will be our girl bedding ... if it's a girl. Jungle Jill made by Carters.

Of course I'd get the bedding set (which includes the comforter, crib bumpers, dust ruffle, and crib sheet. I would also get the mobile, because it's so darn cute with that big giraffe neck. I'd also get the flower/elephant wooden wall piece thing. But, I'd skip the wall decals, valance, and lamp .... because well, they're just too busy looking, and I like simple! :-)

The room is painted exactly the same color as the brown in the giraffe (wahoo, because we all know I wasn't going to paint that room again!). We also have a dark brown crib, which will richen this bedding up.

We'll see how the nursery actually turns out! Either girly jungle or boyish ocean! Either way, I'm sooo beyond ready to get started on that room! We have the crib up, all ready to be decked out!

I am currently 17 weeks. I have a doctor's appointment next week, and I'm sure the Mr. Doc will want to schedule out the ultrasound another month after that.

We'll see ....

Growing Baby ... Week 16

How your baby's growing:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

And then there is the growing me. I feel like I'm kinda big for only 16 weeks! I bet I'll be one of those HUUUUGE pregnant people by the end!

Baby, Baby, Baby ...

My thoughts are consumed these days by everything baby!

Is it a girl? Is it a boy? What will he/she look like!?

What will the nursery end up looking like!?

Either way, boy or girl, the walls and carpeting will remain beige! We just remodeled that room last summer, and neutral floors and walls should look okay with whatever theme/colors I go with!

Here is the crib I purchased yesterday. I LOVE it! (And I scored the mattress for FREE!)

Obviously, it's hard to plan a nursery when we don't know if we are having a boy or a girl. I do not have a preference either way in regards to the gender. But - I think planning a boy room will be much easier ... because there are so many better options out there for boys than girls!

For the girl room, I want this rich, deep, purple-ish-dark pink-ish color:

Problem is, nobody makes anything baby related in that color ... trust me, I have scoured the internet and baby stores for it!

Now, boy will be much easier. I know I want a beachy/ocean theme. I LOVE the beach + I have never seen a baby room decorated like that in person. So, while I know tons of people must do ocean baby rooms, I still feel it's a bit unique! And adorable!

Here are a few that I really like:

(http://www.babysupermall.com ... so I can remember where I found them!)

I will be 15 weeks on Saturday! Baby will have grown to the size of an apple! I have just a little tiny bump so far. I still fit into my regular clothes, although I have purchased quite the stockpile of fun maternity clothes. I am wearing maternity jeans here and there ... because there are SOOOO comfy. (Dare I wear them even after I have the baby!? Nobody would be able to tell if they are regular jeans or maternity, LOL. I love them!)

14 Weeks

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

11 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

K's *Right Now* Faves

I saw *Right Now* because these change often! Some of these faves "questions" were taken off of other blogs I have seen, in case some look oddly familiar! ;-)

Music:

First on the line-up is Ryan Star. No, he's not a well heard of artist, but I am in LOVE with is song "Last Train Home." It totally should be a top hit on the billboard charts. LOVE IT! Here's a link to the YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HoDRbZvOcM

Next we have Katy Perry. I feel like a high school kid saying I like Katy Perry's music ... but I really do! My faves are: Waking Up in Vegas, Thinking of You, and Firework. Her music always puts me in a good mood!

Restaurant:

Applebees. I know, right!? How boring does that sound!? But I really really really have a thing for the Chicken Fajita Roll Up! Pre-pregancy, I would pair it with their yum yum yummy $1.99 Long Islands, but for now, I'll just have to go for a caffeine-free lemonade!

Clothing:

This is one of my favorite pieces of clothing right now. It's so super comfy, and I pair it with dress pants for work, or jeans when I feel like chilling!

I just got this Simply Vera by Vera Wang shirt from Kohls. I LOVE how sparkly the detail on the top is! Super cute! I got it a little big, so I can wear it lots during the summer and fall when my baby belly gets bigger! There are SO not many options out there for moms to be, so I thought hey, this one will work - I had to get it! It'll be great for shooting weddings this summer!

Drink:

This is by far my favorite tea. I used to drink Trader Joe's pomegranate, but now in the early stages of pregnancy, the fruit teas make me queasy. This tea is plain and simple - the way my tummy currently likes it!

Stores:

Food:
Have you tried these!? Oh my goodness, they are semi (okay, sort of) healthier ... and seriously better than eating a candy bar! (They have to be a tiny bit more nutritious than candy, right!?) Anyway ... yum!

Blogs:

Creature Comforts -

http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/

Fashion, Art, Home Decor, Crafting - you name it, this blog has it! It showcases all of these types of items in a way that makes me feel SO INSPIRED!

Simplicity Photography -

http://simplicityphotography.com/blog/

I LOVE this photographer ... the colors in the images are SO vibrant! Also, she has products for photographers that make me drool!

Millie Holloman Photography -

http://www.milliehollomanblog.com/

I love love love the style of photography that Millie has. Her associates also have her same style; I think they have an in-house editor that edits all of the photographer's photographs to match a similar style. I am always excited to see a new post; the work is crisp, clean, and vibrant.

Beautiful Moments Photography -

http://beautifulmoments.com.au/blog/

This photographer is located in Australia. Again - crisp, clean photographs, but with a style all her own. I get TONS of wedding photography inspiration from this blog!

Pregnancy Update: March

Right now, I am 9 weeks.

In my initial post announcing my pregnancy, I said I was going to post a lot about it so I could look back at it someday. Here is another one of those posts!

Everyone keeps asking how I am feeling - my response is: TIRED! TIRED! Tiiiiired! I was reading on a website about pregnancy fatigue, and it made me laugh when the article said things that went something like: "You feel like you could fall asleep. Any time. Any where. At your work desk. On your mother in law's couch. In front of someone's garage. In a dirty alley!"

I about laughed out loud reading that, because for me, that is SO TRUE RIGHT NOW! I truly am exhausted! I could sleep anywhere! I usually get home, make dinner, eat, watch about a half hour of 'Two And A Half Men' and I'm totally ZONKED OUT until Chris wakes me up for bed!

I hear (and desperately hope it's true!) that the serious fatigue will start to go away around Week 12. I know I probably won't be back to myself tired-wise for, oh, about 3 years from now (LOL), but I'll be extremely grateful to be just a little less tired all the time!

On other pregnancy related symptoms:

• Morning Sickness: This really hasn't been too terrible. Around Week 7-Week 8, I had serious food aversions ... almost EVERYTHING made me feel sick and grossed me out. I never actually got "sick," but I was pretty queasy for a little while. Things are looking up though, and my eating has gotten back on track. Some foods still make me turn my head the other way (like anything chicken related!), but I really can't complain in this area! Compared to many women, I got off soooo easy in this department!

• Cravings: At first I wanted cheese and bubbly white soda like Sierra Mist. All day. Every day. That quickly went away, and I really haven't had any other cravings yet.

• Showing: I am not showing yet. When I was at the doctor's office the other day, I learned I have actually lost 2 lbs since being pregnant. I assume this is from the couple weeks when I didn't eat very much, due to everything "sounding gross." The baby book also says at this point, I really won't be showing yet, and any "showing" is really due to bloating. I did purchase a belly band from Target though, just in case one of these days my regular pants begin to get a little tight!

• How Big Is Baby? Right now, at 9 weeks, BabyCenter.com says Baby Filip is about the size of a green grape! The doctor said he/she is measuring at about 2 cm in length, from the top of Baby's head to it's bum.

More updates soon, I'm sure of that!

Let The Projects Begin!

It was such a nice day yesterday ... the high was about 50 degrees (or 10 degrees Celsius for my non-USA friends). SO much nicer than the 20 and 30 degree temps we've had lately! I think my husband had a bit of cabin fever this winter (who hasn't!?), and yesterday, he decided to do a little project outside. A new side entry door for our garage!

It look a little (okay, a lot) of effort on his part to dismantle the old structure, and re-structure for the new door ... evvveeeerrrrrrryyyyything is SO NOT level - both the garage and our house! That's what we get for purchasing a house built in 1909!

But, he kept at it, and now we have a new door! We (okay, HE) still needs to fix the siding above the door and paint and such, but looks good for a little Saturday afternoon project!

Here's a little visual of the BEFORE (taken almost one year ago ... March 29, 2010) ... before we scraped, primed, and painted the whole garage for the fabulous HUD requirements! I'd say that's quite the improvement!

Also to the garage, last fall, we (okay, again HE) installed a new garage door and opener! Upcoming garage projects:

• Fixing the siding on the back of the garage. A previous owner chopped parts of it apart for rabbit cages, and another previous owner decide to patch the "holes" with crappy-looking pieces of wood. Chris is going to repair it so it looks somewhat decent!
• We also have a huge shelf at the back of the garage's interior ... like, a good 5 feet high, and at least 5 feet deep ... he's ripping that out so we have more room in the garage. He's also building a work bench so he can use that space to work on cutting wood, etc for the house interior projects!

Watch for more house updates ... you know I'll be posting them! :-)

A Very Cool Picture

Here is the first snapshot of Baby Filip! We have this picture inside a cute little ultrasound frame that says "Baby to Be" in our kitchen. This is our 9 week ultrasound:

You can't see Baby very well, but he/she was moving around so much, it was hard for the doctor to get a good shot! Baby looks like a U shape here, but on screen, it was more of an oval shape with 2 tiny arms and 2 tiny legs than just a U shape. :-) Baby's heartbeat was 160 beats per minute, and a very very very cool thing to see. That heart was ticking away so fast! (Old wive's tale says over 140 beats per minute indicates a girl ... I have had a feeling all along it will be a girl ... but who knows! I'm not a believer in old wive's tales ... but you never know!)

Our due date is still October 22!