Watch it grow... 24 weeks!

Look at sweet little Bella's paws in mommy's hands! She was being a momma's girl this morning when I was taking my pictures! 

My bump is starting to look smaller in the close up photos now compared to the whole shot ones, where compared to before, I had to take the close up photos to even see the bump. Funny how things change.

How far along? 24 weeks... wow!  6 months pregnant!
Size of Baby Baker: Ear of corn or about 12 inches long, weighing little over a pound
Total weight gain/loss: Don't know... don't care! :-) I go to the Dr. next week so I will have my "official" weigh in then.
Maternity clothes? Think I am about to have to be in full force with these, even shirts. I wore a shirt yesterday that was just a regular tee but I kept having to pull it down. Then my favorite pair of maternity jeans I had bought a while back, the ones that don't have a panel, just an elastic waist that goes under the belly, are getting a bit snug... . I guess this will be better suited for post-maternity jeans from now on.  Luckily it is just in the waist part that is too tight.. I guess the elastic doesn't stretch out as much as I need it to so I can still wear them, they are just not as comfy as I would like them to be, even though I have undone the button in the elastic part to make them looser. At least they aren't getting too small in other places, like the hips and thighs! :-)
Best moment this week: Getting the nursery all set up! It is coming right along and it is so much fun! I have also started washing some of her things and putting them up.
Worst Moment:  Nothing really but I will have a "moody" day here and there. Just stay out of my way and no one will get hurt!
Miss Anything?Since it has been getting colder this week, I had a little craving for a big glass of red wine and some yummy cheese. At least I can still have the cheese part... as long as it is pasteurizer!
Movement: I think I am starting to notice her routine a bit more. She seems to be a sleeper during the day and a mover at night. She gets the moving at night from her papa. When he wakes up in the morning his side of the bed sheets are completely wadded up! I don't know what he does when he sleeps!
Food cravings: Still my usual, nothing really new.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope
Have you started to show yet?: I think I have a cute little bump going on! :-)
Gender : GIRL! Mary-Miller Dunlap Baker
What is Baby Baker up to?  
In the coming weeks, MM will continue to grow and mature at a fast rate, gaining about 6 ounces of weight a week. Her brain is growing rapidly and her taste buds are developing. She is pretty lean at 24 weeks, but she'll soon be putting on some "baby fat" to fill out her frame and her wrinkled skin. She has begun to develop white blood cells. These cells are responsible for fighting off disease and infection. Her lungs develop branches this week and her inner ear is completely developed. In fact, she has basic control over all of her senses: hearing, touch, taste, smell and vision!

In other Baker News.... We are gearing up for a huge game this weekend. #1 LSU and #2 Alabama are playing here. The town is already a little on the nuts side. I am also going with mom, Callie and MG to Disney on Ice tomorrow and then to Christmas Village at the BJCC which I am very much looking forward to.
Received and email yesterday saying the crib has been shipped along with the chandelier that I ordered from Pottery Barn Kids. My MIL had given me a gift certificate for my birthday this past year that I still hadn't used so I was able to use it toward that. So excited! Here is what they will look like...

Great weekend!

This past weekend was great, busy and exciting!
Saturday morning I got up and headed to Birmingham to go to a camera workshop to learn how to properly use my DSLR camera. It was a great class and although I still won't consider myself a pro, I now know more than I did before going to the class! I think the key is just to practice and play with it.

Afterwards I got to meet Mrs. Smith, along with H man" and my "due date buddy", Sarah for a little shopping in downtown Homewood. I think we all had a gift certificate to Swaddle. I was determined to use mine since I was unsure when the next time would be that I would be up that way shopping. They had so many cute things in the store, I had such a hard time deciding. But I settled on a Moby knee pad in a shape of a whale for when we are giving Miss Priss a bath, it won't kill our knees. I had never seen one before and thought it was so neat. I also got a set of Medela bottles. Mrs. Smith is going to let me use her breast pump when the time comes and these little guys just screw on when we go to work. I have no clue about this department quite yet, but Mrs. Smith assures me she will hold my hand along the way!

And of course, we had to get a little snack at Savages! Mamas needed a little afternoon pick me up!

I wish you could see our bumps better in this picture. I think we are pretty much the same size but just carrying higher than me. I think it is funny to see the different ways people "carry" their babies. Something I really haven't ever noticed until becoming pregnant. 

 Harrison was such a trooper all day even though he is cutting 2 teeth!

Hope Mary-Miller is as well behaved as this little guy!

And while I was in Birmingham all day, my friend Ashley, was busy being Mary-Miller's personal shopper! She is a yard sale queen and I am all about some good cheap clothing for Miss Priss. She is going to be inside so much in the beginning since it will be cold outside. Not to mention how many onies we might go through a day due to all the fun things baby do! Especially with Mimi (my mom) keeping her for the first few weeks, she is going to make sure that baby stays clean! 

This is our pile as of now:

We have gowns, oneies, crib sheets, cradle sheets, socks, burp clothes, hooded towels, wash cloths, receiving blankets.... all which basically look brand new! All this was about $25. I know she will outgrow things so fast the first few months so I love the idea of stocking up on things that will just be used while we are at home.

The nursery is coming right along and so far I love it! Can't wait to do the full post on it!

Watch it grow...23 weeks!

How far along?23 weeks
Size of Baby Baker: Mango (yummy!) About 11 inches long and weighing about 1lb

Total weight gain/loss: Not really weighing at home anymore but when I did the other day, I think I might be up 3lbs from the last Dr. visit...ekk! That is a 1.5 weight gain a week no the recommended .5 to 1lb, probably should not give in to all those cravings from here on out. Especially since they are mostly sweet ones!
Maternity clothes? Yep! She (more like mom) DOES NOT like to be restricted at all! I love PJ pants
Best moment this week: Feeling her move all the time!
Worst Moment:  Nothing
Miss Anything? Nope
Movement: All the time! I think she thinks my bladder is a trampoline
Food cravings: Tootsie Rolls and hot chocolate 
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope
Have you started to show yet?:Yes, but people still say I am "small". Some days I can hide it good or some days it shows alot... really depends on the clothing. To the ones that say I am still small, I always say "well, you haven't seen me naked!" LOL
Gender prediction: GIRL! Mary-Miller Dunlap Baker, Mary is obviously a family name for me. Miller is Ted's grandfather and brother's middle name. Dunlap is my great grandmother's maiden name...my grandfather on my mom's side mom. When doing her monogram and such, here initials will still just be MMB (or mBm) since everyone will call her Mary-Miller and most won't really know about the Dunlap name unless they ask or just know. I wanted to use Dunlap and thought it would be excuse to give her a "middle" name. I was always asked growing up if I had a middle name. Plus on paper work I had to put Mary as my first name and either "K" or Kathryn for my middle name so people would call me Mary until I corrected them. So maybe this will eliminate that for her.
What is Baby Baker up to? 
In the coming weeks, she will continue to grow and mature at a fast rate, gaining about 6 ounces of weight a week. By week 23, the blood vessels in her lungs, important for breathing outside the womb, are developing. Her lips are becoming more distinct and her eyes continue to develop, though they still lack color. Also, by this week, the bones in her middle ear start to harden. Her skin is still wrinkled but the pigments that will give her skin color are currently being deposited.

In other Baker news: The nursery is being painted this weekend! I have also decided to go with a breathable bumper in the crib instead of the traditional style so I will instead of getting that made with all the pretty fabrics I picked out, I will get the twin bed custom bedding made out of those fabrics. Really makes more sense anyway since she will be able to use it way longer than the crib. We also ordered the crib this week. Ted's mom and stepdad, also known as GiGi and Chief, always buy the crib for the new little ones that come in the family so we are very blessed we didn't have to worry with that. Especially since Baby Girl is already proving to be expensive, or really it might be her momma making her that way! :-) Everywhere I go, I see cute things for her. Most have been a great deal that I can't pass up but it all adds up quickly!

I also dropped off the rocker to be reupholstered yesterday. This rocker has been in my family for years so I am very excited to get to use it. And by looking online at the pricing of upholstered rockers and gliders, we will  be coming out cheaper on the cheaper end but like I said... it all adds up quick!

Our first baby shower invites also are going out this week!
Excited things are moving along.

Gender Reveal Party!

This was by far the one of the most exciting times in my life! I am so glad that Ted and I decided to wait and were able to go this with our family and friends. We originally had the idea, since we were not patience enough to tell our families in person that we were expecting, to do something fun for the gender reveal.

Here is the night in photos:

 All her little ultrasound pictures.

 Everyone had to choose Team Pink or Team Blue and then wear a "name tag" with their choice.

This was to help them decided what team they were on.

MG was on Team Pink!

Cutting into the cake and seeing the PINK! I love this picture!

My friend Ashely actually went with us to the ultrasound. The u/s tech gave her the photo with "the shot" on it and she is the one that took it and had the cake made with the appropriate color inside. She knew 24 hours before anyone else did! And did not crack one bit!

Skyping with Ted's parents. MG was so excited.

Even though it was so hard to wait, I am so glad that we did and were able to 

make this so special for our little family!

Watch it grow...22 weeks & 1 day!

 

(she looks like she is "poking" out more on the bottom of my tummy for sure)

How far along? 22 weeks and 1 day
Size of Baby Baker: size of a small banana

Total weight gain/loss: I haven't weighed at home since last week, so not sure.
Maternity clothes? All pants. 
Best moment this week: Finding out Baby B is a GIRL!!!!!
Worst Moment:  Nothing
Miss Anything? Nothing really besides being able to move around things on my own. I have always been a do it myself kind of girl. Moving furniture, etc. but can't really do that anymore so Ted has to help me. Kind of miss not have to wait on help... I am a impatient person! :-)
Movement: She is moving right now!
Food cravings: Oatmeal Cream Pies... LOVE them this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope
Have you started to show yet?: Yep! I had to go to LA Sunday - Wednesday this week and coming back home at LAX I was actually moved to the short family line to go through security when the security guard noticed my baby bump!
Gender prediction: GIRL! And we couldn't be more excited! Mary-Miller Baker. I think we are also adding a "middle" name so her first name will officially be "Mary-Miller". The middle name will just be for paperwork and such. People asked me all my life if I had a middle name. We have one in mind but still aren't 100% sure yet. Her monogram will still just use the MM and B since most won't even know she has the "middle" name.
What is Baby Baker up to? By week 22, her pancreas, a key player in hormone production, is developing steadily. Her skin may appear wrinkled at this point, but in the coming weeks, she will be gaining enough weight to fill it out.
Her eyes have developed but her irises still lack color. Even though her irises will have color by the time she is born, you won't know her permanent eye color until she is at least 9 months old. Most parents wait until their child's first birthday to determine what their permanent color will be. (source)


In other Baker news....The Gender Party was a great success! I will do another post just on it with the pictures. I am so glad we waited and were able to do that. It is something that we will always remember.

And now that we know she is a she... the nursery is in full swing. I finally had decided on the fabrics to use. My friend Ashley called me Saturday morning and told me that she saw some bedding at a yard sale in a really nice neighborhood so she thought I might want to take a look at it. I went and fell in love! Well, with once piece of it anyway. The crib bed skirt! It was pink and white striped linen. It was beautiful and exactly what I knew I would love mixed with some other pieces. The set also came with 2 curtains, a table skirt and bumper... all custom made. It is a pink and white toile, which my mom and Ted's mom love, but is a bit too girly for me. However I can use the form from the bumper to make the new bumper so that should save me some money there. The whole set was $25! No telling just what the linen fabric had cost alone originally! So now I will be selling the "blue" things I bought a few weeks ago. I thought that even if it was a girl I might still use it but now I have a new color scheme going. We are ordering the crib next week and also getting the room and closet painted. So excited to finally get going on her nursery. Here is a picture of the fabrics I am using...the solid tan is what we are recovering the rocking chair with and the "demask" looking one will be for the outside the the bumper and then the other one will be probably for the inside of the bumper. I don't want it to be too busy looking on the part that she will see when she goes to sleep...I want it to be more calming to look at.You can see the skirt under all the fabric samples in this photo. (and a touch of the toile that we aren't using, but is pretty)

I also remembered I had cream duponi silk curtains that I bought a while back and forgot about so that is what we will use for the drapes.
Mom and I went and registered last Saturday after the Gender Reveal Party. It was just a good time since she was in town and I already knew mostly everything I wanted. I also ordered her baby book. A store here in town makes custom baby books that are so pretty. They are much like our wedding book, made of duponi silk (I really like duponi silk!) and monogrammed. We used some banners at our wedding and I thought it would be so neat if since the books were custom made, we could use some of the fabric from those to make the baby book, and they were able to do it! So her baby book will be made from banners from our wedding! I think it is so neat! I will upload a photo once it comes in.
My wheels have been turning and I am sure won't stop for awhile! :-)
(guess that was my reason for getting up at 2 this morning and not being able to go back to sleep till after 4)

Watch it grow...21 weeks

How far along? 21 weeks
Size of Baby Baker: 14oz to be exact from Dr. this afternoon...or length of carrot

Total weight gain/loss: Officially from the Dr's scale this afternoon: up 7lbs
Maternity clothes? Same as last week. Jeans and knit shirts.
Best moment this week: Ted was able to finally feel Baby B move Monday night for the first time. He/She is moving more and more every day! Love feeling him/her all the time. AND seeing him/her move all over the screen during the ultrasound today! It is crazy how much movement is going on.
Worst Moment:  Besides being ill every once in awhile, thanks hormones!, nothing!
Miss Anything? Nope!
Movement: Yes! We have a mover and groovier on our hands!
Food cravings: Pubix glazed doughnuts, jello and fruit!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope... not this week.
Have you started to show yet?: Little bump is getting bigger and bigger. Still not too noticeable to strangers yet but to everyone else that knows me... they can see it for sure.
Gender prediction: I am writing this after my Dr. appt so the U/S tech knows, the Dr. knows and my friend Ashley knows! She was in charge of doing the cake for tomorrow night so she had to know. I can't wait to cut the cake and see what Baby B is.
Baby Baker Gender Pool is still up and going if you want to make a guess!
Pass code is "baby".
What is Baby Baker up to? May soon feel like Baby B is practicing martial arts. I may also discover a pattern to the activity as you get to know him/her better. In other developments,the baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

In other Baker news.... My mom is town for tomorrow night's reveal party. Then Saturday we are going out and about to register! I can't wait! Our first baby shower is November 12th so since the invitations will be going out soon, we need to get registered at some places. So since mom is in town, this will be the perfect weekend to do it. I think all this will really become "real" once we know what Baby B is and we are registering for baby things! Time is flying by. I also hope to have fabric and paint picked out for the nursery so we can get started on it in the next two weeks. I would love to have things somewhat organized by November 12th so we can come home and start placing things in the room, washing, putting away, etc. All the fun stuff to get ready for baby. For some, this might be a bit early, but for those who know me, they know this is just the way that I am! I would rather be on top of it and get it done early then wait till the last minute. I also like to take my time! It is hard for me to make up my mind on things sometimes but once I do, get out of my way, I am on a mission to get it done! This was probably a the main reason we were engaged for a year and a half! But I think once I officially know boy or girl, my brainstorming on the nursery will calm down a bit and I will be able to make some choices.
 

No bull about it...

Literally! As I had mentioned before,  Ted is the BIG 3-0 this Friday, the 14th but we had his party this past Friday the 7th. And in true 30 year old fashion, of course we had to have some kind of entertainment. So what else would we do but get a mechanical bull! However, that didn't turn out the way we planned.

The bull company got there and was taking awhile to set the thing up. I was wondering what was going on but was busy making sure everything was out and in it's place. Then Ted found me and said "we have a problem". Basically they could not locate the cord that connects the bull to the computer which controls the bull. Without that, there is no bull. And it is not something you can just go and buy. They felt awful as I did too. I mean, I had koozies made for this!!!  But they were extremely nice and offered us a full refund plus them coming out another night. It isn't going to be Ted's 30th birthday party, but what can you do? So they had a basketball thing they set up instead. (see photo below)

I was busy planning away the week leading up to the big party, getting food together, cleaning, ordering the custom koozies.. everything was looking like it would be a successful party. Obviously the bull was beyond my control. If I had been the owner of the company and in charge of the bull there would have been no problems! :-)

I love to party plan! It is one of my favorite things to do. I won't lie, I do get a bit stressed the week leading up to the main event but I love doing it! Guess that is one reason we are having parties back to back weekends! The birthday last weekend and the Gender Reveal this weekend.
Here shots of around the house:

Ted collage from when he was little.

I always say it isn't a party unless you have French Onion Dip!

I found this cute little pre-made chalkboard cards at Hobby Lobby when I was home a few weeks ago. 

I miss that store so much!

 I also used little mini pumpkins as card holders.

Food Set Up

Bar area on deck outside

The koozies... I had joked that we needed to put a big "X" on the bull and draw a basketball instead.

Even had a little bar area in the garage. 

 There is the Birthday Boy! :-) I believe this was during and intense game of "Beer Pong"

And this was our "bull" for the night. At least they had something to give us in the bull's place.