The End in Sight...

39 weeks today

This pregnancy has been so incredibly different from my previous two.  from start to (near) finish, it has flipped everything I thought I understood about my body on its ear and completely surprised me.

With my first two I was ravenous.  All day. Every day.  I wanted to eat everything in sight, and I did.
This time, I couldn't stand to even think about food for basically the entire first trimester.  I could literally take a bite of something I thought I wanted to eat and instantly feel nauseated and gross.  I never actually upchucked, thank God, but I sure did feel close a few times.  I lost nearly 12 pounds in the first trimester!  like, what?!  that's definitely different from both times before.

The color run Atlanta 2014

Something else that I actively made different this time is that I was much more exercise-conscious.  Shoot, I did TWO 5K's during this pregnancy, and ran in the neighborhood in between, until my pitiful pelvis just wasn't having it anymore, and even then I started walking at least 3 times a week, often more than that.

I slowly but surely, once I was able to stomach, oh basically anything, put on the 12 pounds I had lost.  this is to be expected.  you can't go from not being able to eat to suddenly having a normal appetite without a little gain.

my beautiful and talented friend did my maternity pictures

Up to now, at 39 weeks, I have gained a total of 18 pounds from my starting weight.  Can we say miracle?!  Just as a reference point I gained 85 pounds with my first, and did only slightly better with my second gaining a whopping 65 pounds!

Given, I didn't start out at my ideal weight with this pregnancy.  I started off technically overweight according to BMI standards.  and they say that the more heavy you are before pregnancy the less you should gain.  According to nurses at my doctor's office I should have gained only 15 pounds being overweight to start.  oh well.  I feel fantastic at only 18 pounds.  Nobody can bring me down from this high.

Nobody of course except my own anxiety perhaps.

I have been surprisingly calm this pregnancy.  I haven't been especially miserable, and with my managed growth I have been able to stay comfortable and not have any complications.  My blood pressure has stayed nice and low (with my oldest I had pre-eclampsia, so that is always a looming fear) which is such a blessing.

I did discover this pregnancy that dairy does not agree with me and since then my heartburn has drastically decreased and my acid reflux at night has all but disappeared which makes life much more bearable, like, you have NO idea.

thankfully I can get Soy ice cream...

So, what's the problem you ask? I'll tell you.  Since I haven't been especially uncomfortable or swollen, and since all in all this pregnancy has been rather pleasant, I haven't reached that point where you are so miserable you're saying "somebody get this thing outta me!!" I'm content.  Which makes my scheduled induction in 2 days all the more anxiety-inducing.  I'm think to myself, oh crap...  Am I ready?

Yes, I know, I'm a veteran at this. I have 2 babies already, and for the most part, despite making poorer decisions with the 2 of them (diet and exercise wise) I had smooth deliveries.  I have taken this pregnancy head-on with a much more positive mantra and a much more healthy perspective.

So why am I so nervous?

I am anxious to meet my newest princess, Alice Aurora.  And I'm so excited to be able to go back to sleeping on my stomach, like woah. And I'm excited to be more maneuverable.  But I am so stinking nervous at the same time.

He's so precious

I feel like there is still so much to do.  There really aren't too many things that are especially pressing.  Most of it is all in my head as my precious husband is constantly reminding me.  But somethings are.  For instance, I am being induced in TWO DAYS and I still haven't packed my bag...  yep  procrastinate much?  Don't get me wrong, I have a list, and a bunch of things set aside to be put in said bag, but I'm not done.  I think (here I go "psychologizing" myself) a big part of that is that if I get that bag packed and ready I am admitting to myself that this is happening.  No going back.

Well, for now I think I will procrastinate some more and  go and sit in the tub and soak for a while.

Preggy Poo Update and Other Whatnots

Hello....

Is anyone still out there??

Wowzers, it has been a spell (as my grandmother would say) since I have been 'round here.  I hardly recognize the place.  sheesh.

So much has been going on, and I don't even know where to BEGIN explaining my prolonged absence.  All I hope is that y'all haven't broken up with me and my blog for leaving you hanging for so long.

(I like to believe in my own little world that y'all have been waiting around, checking your blog loving feeds and pouting pitifully wondering where I had wandered off to, however, I'm pretty sure most of you are more confused because you don't remember me anymore.  it's fine.... I understand)

Anywho.  Last I blogged I was telling y'all about being all pregnant and whatnot.  Well, things are going pretty great!  I'm feeling much better and that's a good thing and a bad thing.

GOOD: because I'm not feeling sick anymore, and I can actually eat!
BAD: because I can eat again... and it's hard to stop...

I had this issue with both of my other pregnancies, all will-power (when it comes to food) goes straight out the window, and that my friends is a dangerous dangerous game...

We found out we are having a girl, as you can see in my Gender Reveal post here.
And yes, we have a first name picked out, but not a middle name yet, so we are playing our cards close to the chest until we figure that out... sorry for the suspense.

Here's a little collage of where I am in pictures:

I always regret not having many pictures of me during my first two pregnancies, and so I am trying to resist the urge to hide from the camera and take one every week.  So if you follow me on instagram, you'll see a new pic of this ever-growing bump each Sunday morning.

I'm trying really hard to keep exercising and control my food intake as well.  Yep.  That's right.  I'm going to condition this baby to love exercise!

In fact we took this little baby for a run on her SECOND 5K in utero this weekend (no pics from that unfortunately).

The first 5K she tagged along for was the Color Run in Atlanta in April:

Baby's first 5K!

Anywho, That's about all for now.

I've got A LOT of catching up to do on here, for instance we painted and redecorated Bunny's room, and painted the living room and office, and we are working on some pretty cool big projects, not to mention all the ideas I've got for crafting and just wow, so many things.  

Stay tuned for all that madness....

Ahem Ahem, Announcement Time

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook already know this, and have for about a week, but me and the Hubby are expecting Baby #3!!

We are just plain crazy excited!

Some of you might be thinking, "seriously guys?  A third baby?  Didn't we just get past the craziness of buying a new home?"  and then answers to those questions are yes, yes and yes.

We can't seem to go too long without throwing a wrench at life and making more chaos!  We thrive on chaos frankly...

Baby Kline # 3 is due September 21st, So I am just about 13 weeks along now.  I have been using the Baby Bump App on my phone and it is so cute and educational and just cool in General, you should definitely check it out, they have forums and even baby name polls posted by real women who are toting a bump just like me!  I spent an hour and a half the other night voting on other people's baby names, it was awesome, and completely addictive...

It has been such a relief to let the cat out of the bag.  This pregnancy has been quite different from the other two so far, as you may remember from my post about our Baby Dinosaur, When I got pregnant with Grace I could literally have eaten the whole house, my appetite was through the roof, it was so awful, but I couldn't control myself!  This time around I haven't been sick per se, but I haven't felt good and hungry either.  It got to a point where I could barely eat a bite of food, no matter what it was, and I would feel hugely bloated and nauseated, it was awful!  I have actually lost about 10 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy, which is basically unheard of for me.  But I couldn't eat!  I was either starving or nauseated, no middle ground and that was for weeks!

I also ended up giving up coffee too.  It wasn't exactly a choice, I just got to where it disgusted me, the flavor the smell, all of it, I just couldn't stomach it anymore.  I have even taken the coffee maker off of the counter and put it away in a cabinet. Weird, since I normally can't get my day started without my yummy iced coffee, but right now the idea just gags me.

I have been chugging water like crazy and really can't bring myself to drink anything else, which is great, because I am staying super hydrated.  But also crazy tired!  between cold turkey on the coffee and just general 1st trimester sleepiness I have been utterly pooped all the time!  I can't wait for that energy blast that's just around the corner!

Another thing that is different this time around is that I was more active before this pregnancy than I ever was in the previous two, So I have been getting out and running and walking through the neighborhood and eating much healthier, more veggies and fruits.  I think this baby is going to be a health nut, no complaints there!

I am so excited to share this news with all of you!  I look forward to continuing to share my life with y'all!

If you haven't already please follow me on bloglovin', I lost all my followers when I rebranded my blog, and so I have a wee little following of a whopping two people through there right now!  Yikes!  Down from about 120-something!  Share me around and if you comment with your blog link I will gladly share the love right back!

My First Blogiversary Giveaway!

It's The Sepia Puppy's Anniversary!  Whoop-whoop!!  Let's start this party with a little bit of obnoxious!  

Now it's time for the good stuff!

Meet Our Giveaway Sponsors

We'll start with the Anniversary Girl:

Hello Sweetie Lovelies!  My name is Bethany from The Sepia Puppy and I'm celebrating my 1st Blogiversary!  I am a Wife, Mother of two, Full-time Student & Part-time Blogger.  I love photography, art and all things crafty & DIY. I am working towards my B.S. in Psychology & Christian Counselling.  I am smitten with my husband more everyday and my kids keep me laughing daily.

I'm Bre from Peacoats and Plaid. I'm what you might refer to as a "die-hard creator". Stay at home mommy by day and a dance teacher by night. Throw in a little diy/crafting here and there and that's me in a nutshell.

 My name is Allison and "Okay, Allison" is my little blog about my little life. I say whatever is on my mind at the time, lacking pretty much any filter for what is deemed appropriate.  I seem to observe humanity from a perspective that a lot of people are thinking, but would never speak aloud, or for god’s sake- write down.  I love other funny girls who like to eat and take naps with puppies.   I love art, music, crafting, and of course, writing.  Everything I say in my blog comes from the heart, the stories are all true because I've lived them.  If you like to laugh and smile, read on.

SweetDappity: Two ladies making buttons. Fahmida does the designing, Julia does the businessing - together they are the magical dual guardians of this here button emporium. You are welcome to spend your money here - or not, we don't know your life

Jamie's husband surprised her with a logo and business plan for their company Saturday Morning Pancakes and the rest is History!  They make some of the coolest and funniest products and have even been featured on Good Morning America!  They have a little girl together and are based out of San Clemente, California.  

My name is Mrs. Victoria Aguila and I am from Los Angeles, CA and I blog over at Life as Mrs. Aguila (Faith, Hope and Treasures), about life as a Daughter of Thee King, being married to Mr. Aguila, and about being a Shoe Collector, a Makeup Junkie, a Shopping Addict and a Coffee Lover.  I work full time plus have an AVON/MARK side business.

Kaz Palladino is an illustrator currently living in San Francisco. She is addicted to adorable, geeky and weird things - which is how Awkward Affections was born. Awkward Affections is about evasive love, nerdy sentiment, and fun cultural niche. The goal is to help keep beauty, nostalgia and happiness in everyday life!

Julie is the redhead that blogs at Redhead Can Decorate.  Julie is from Buffalo, NY and is married to Rick, her college sweetheart, and they are blessed with two girls Daphne 13, & Valerie 11.  Julie's passion is cooking and decorating their home with innovative, creative, DIY ideas.  She shares all of it on her blog.

My name is Tara, I'm from Easy Makes Me Happy.  I'm a wife and a mother of four. I grew up in Alaska (the beautiful and the cold) and I'm pretty sure this is where my family will grow up too.  I love to crochet, design, and craft. I absolutely LOVE being able to share everything with you via this blog, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Behind every chocolate chip cookie and every sprinkled cupcake on this blog is a burgeoning photographer, an emerging entrepreneur, an experimental baker, and a social networker. I’m Ashton, the face behind Something Swanky! And I believe in doing what you love and loving what you do.

 Hello! I am Kathe, with an e. I began blogging as a creative outlet. I was born in Washington state and moved with my family to Colorado as a teen.  I married, had two sons, divorced and worked my butt off to make sure my boys had everything they needed.  Then, I met Mr. B, He is the reason and cause of my laugh lines. Bottom line, I am a woman of a certain age that is still trying to find herself after raising two sons and finding my own true love later in life. Someday I may figure out what I want to be when I grow up! Until then, let's have some fun!

*******
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

We Ditched the Dish

Well, We did it.

We ditched the dish.

The days of recording our favorite shows and complaining about having to watch live tv are through.

With my husband's new job came new financial challenges.  You may remember from this post that he is currently living in two places.  An apartment that we were SO blessed to have been hooked up with, and here at home with us, 1.5 hours away from work.  This new chapter in our lives has presented some new challenges, and reminded us of some old ones, not the least of which is the pay cut that we took for this job.
When I tell people how significant the pay cut was to take this new job people think that we are nuts, but let me explain:  The schools here in the county we have been living in are rated between 2 and 3.... and that's out of TEN mind you!  That's horrible!  Don't get me wrong, this place had its uses and charms, and we are all too grateful for the opportunities that we have had here, but we have always known that this place was just a pitstop for us.  The schools in our new county are rated up in the 8 and 9 range!  Good gracious, what a glorious change!  I know that leaving the good money and taking less all for the sake of providing our children a better education and a better community and really, a better quality of life was the righteous choice for us to make for our family, and I am proud of and stand behind that decision, no matter how hard this is. 

What we've gained...

In a way, ditching the dish is something I have been secretly wanting to do for a while.  Having "cable" hinders us from getting up and getting going.  It keeps us from interacting as much with each other.  It keeps us lazy, and it keeps us plugged into the TV when we should be plugged into each other and having quality time together.  

Cable is a trap.  Don't get me wrong, I am  having withdrawals (to a certain extent).  I hate that I missed Sister Wives on Sunday, and the finale of Top Shot All-Stars, and Futurama, and Adventure Time (lol, that's an odd collection, huh), But something I am definitely NOT going to miss is the $73 per month we were paying for it.  Having cable or satellite is a luxury and not a necessity, so we kicked the dish to the curb, and we aren't looking back!  

We aren't totally lost without it though, we still have tons of shows on DVD and enough movies to make your eyes bug out, and oh dear the video games!  We are still able to entertain ourselves, only none of those other sources of TV fun make you feel trapped the way satellite/cable seems to.  And frankly, it is so much easier to get lost in TV because there are so many choices, you can hardly step away.  But with all these other things, you can only be sucked in for so long, and then you get kind of bored.  

Another thing that rocks about ditching the dish is that I have gotten back into reading more.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.  So that's a bonus!  Right now I am speeding through the 3rd installment of the Fallen series, "Passion".  It's not too bad, and it's a pretty quick read.  who knows what is next, I'll probably read Catching Fire again so that I can refresh my memory before the movie comes out (<---so stoked about this!).  I'll probably throw the Twilight and Harry Potter books in the queue as well, I can never go too long without reading them through again.

What comes next...

I just found out this morning that another house we looked at a while back, which ended up going under contract, is back on the market.  Could this one be our house?? Who knows.  But Lord knows I'm on my knees daily praying for the opportunity for us all to live together again!  I want so badly for us all to be together, and to be homeowners for the first time!  

I know God will bless us in due time, and unfortunately for my nerves, I just need to keep praying and stay positive and most of all trust that when the right thing comes along God will set it aside for us! 

I hope y'all are having a PERFECTLY AWESOME long weekend and I look forward to hearing from you

(nudge nudge comments? nudge nudge) lol

Our Baby Dinosaur

When we got pregnant with our daughter, Grace (aka Bunny), we knew almost instantaneously that I was pregnant.  In fact that is one of my husband’s favorite stories to tell.  But I’ll save that one for another post.  

Anywho, I was a little bummed about our first appointment because it was so early on that I knew she wasn’t gonna look like a baby yet.  She was gonna have a huge t-rex head and little nubs and a tail….  Babies are weird…  This is where Bunny got her first of many nicknames:  Baby Dinosaur. 

8 weeks.  not much to see here.

I Turned My Dog into a Scarf...

For those of you who follow me on Instagram you have seen your fair share of animal scarf pics (mostly foxes, because I have made several now)

A couple of weeks ago a fellow Irish Wolfhound owner started following me on IG and suggested I make an Irish Wolfhound scarf too!  

What a Brilliant Idea right?!  

So I went out and got some awesome yarn and got busy and this is how it turned out:

My son took these pictures and snapped this one while I was repositioning...  I look too ridiculous in this pic not to share it.  lol.

"I Am Eve" Blog Hop -- Co-hosting Again!

That's right, Here it comes again!

WELCOME TO

 "I Am Eve" Blog Hop and Hop Share!!

Every Wednesday - Sunday Midnight

Since GFC is gone please refollow Me and my Co-hosts through Bloglovin especially if your last visit you followed through GFC.

Thanks!

First Grab My Button

<div align="center"> <a href="http://makemegodly.blogspot.com/" title="God Make Me A Godly Woman"><img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/LostGarden/e4bd079c-ceb4-4c4e-87c9-3373f14fd55a_zps998d5f02.jpg" alt="God Make Me A Godly Woman" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

AND

Follow your Host

Lisa @ God Make Me A Godly Woman

Via Bloglovin

Follow My Co-Hosts

Bethany @ The Sepia Puppy

Via Bloglovin 

Laney @ Night Owl Venting

Via Bloglovin

2.) Link up your entire blog not just one post

3.) visit 3 other blogs and leave a nice comment

4.) If you are hosting a blog hop as well link up in the second section labeled

"Blog Hopping"

5.) Share the hop with your social networks!

Back-and-Forth and Back-Talk

You may remember from this post that my husband got a new job.

Just as an update, he really loves it.  There is a bit of a learning curve, just because they are WAY more together than his last job and they do a lot of things differently, but it has been a very enjoyable challenge so far.  Plus the schedule there is amazing!  

3 day weekend EVERY OTHER WEEKEND!  

Whowhat!?

"Ya can't beat that with a stick" as we say down south.

Anyway, with the job being an hour and a half away he has been going there and staying while he is working, and then he drives home and stays here on his off days.

Then he turns around and goes back

This is all just temporary until we find our home there.

But Lord knows we are all having some growing pains.  

Progression of an Irish Wolfhound

While putting off my math homework today

I went through some pictures on the computer of my sweet baby Maggie

Well....  She was a baby here:

I fell in love with her from this pic, look at the little outline of a heart on her chest!

Not so much anymore.  It's hard to believe it was only a year ago that she was this tiny.  

Now she is a genuine, dyed-in-the-wool monster of a dog...

with the gentle heart of an angel.

(Sounds cheesy and hokey, I know

But it's so true)

I decided to throw together a quick little photo montage of the progression of our Sweet Magma to show you just how much a year has changed her....

Enjoy!

Blog Button Design Battle -- Season 2

Hello my Lovelies!  

Guess what?

I'm participating in the.....

Welcome to Round 2 of the Blog Button Design Battle: Season 2 with Peacoats & Plaid. Want to know who won Round 1? Drum roll please...

For the first time there was a tie: 2 winners! Congrats to both Ellie from Creative Geekery! Ellie's winning button design:

And Lisa from God, Make Me a Godly Woman! Lisa's winning design:

This week's participants include:



Bethany from The Sepia Puppy

Amanda from Living in Another Language

Hannah from Joyful Life

Yaya from Dream It, Darling

Jasmine from Sassy Brunette

Amanda from The Pretty Pinhead

Amber from Dressing Room Diaries

Kera from Nugget on a Budget

Sarah from Limited Space Organizing

Lindsey from Two Bobbins Later



Vote for your favorite and most eye-catching button by clicking on the thumbnail below. Make sure you're voting solely on eye appeal. You can only vote once, so make it count.

An InLinkz Link-up

Check back next week for Round 3. If you're interested in participating in Season 3 of the Blog Button Design Battle, make sure you subscribe to Peacoats & Plaid for updates.

My Introduction Vlog

So after being inspired MONTHS ago by one of my favorite bloggers,
 (Bre from Peacoats & Plaid) I have FINALLY gotten around to posting the vlog I made a couple weeks ago.  

It's short and sweet with just a little bit of info about me and a lot of distractions and interruptions throughout.

This however is how basically every moment of my life at home goes, so I left it in to keep it authentic.  

I honestly don't know how I get anything done....

Enjoy!

Have some suggestions or questions for my next vlog?  

Drop them in the comments below!  

Spring Brings Change...

the Bradford Pear in bloom in my front yard

Spring is not my favorite season, it never has been.  I can't really explain why, it's just always been kinda "meh" in my book.

My husband was telling me the other day why he loves spring so much and I realized I need to start looking for the beauty in spring. 

Team Schmow Zow! Tough Mudder here we come!

Most of you who read often or follow me on Instagram

know that my husband and I are participating in the Georgia Tough Mudder 2013 

and I just received this email the other day:

wow... this just got real...

Me and My Valentine

This is us at our Wedding party that my mom put together

I figured since It's Valentine's day today I would share some photos of me and My eternal Valentine together.
We've been together for such a long time and it still feels exciting and wonderful to spend any and every moment with him.

You Can't Choose Your Family.... They Can't Choose You Either

Today's Challenge is "How would your family describe you?"

I guess the answer depends on what part of the family you are asking about.

Me on my Birthday last year

I sent out a few Text messages searching for answers,

So, in the meantime, I'll give the answer I would HOPE to receive

I'm Like a Bird....

If I could have been born any animal 

I would've wanted to have been born a bird

(one gifted with flight of course, I don't want to hobble around like a penguin, although they are adorable)

I Think It Was... 1980... Something

Today's task in my "Month About Me" is a little tricky.  

The challenge is "If I could choose any year to have been born I would have chosen the year ___because…"

Now, I have had many an answer for this question through the years.

When I was in 5th grade I wished that I was a teenager (in the 90's) so that ?I could be like the girls from "Clueless".

 with their feather pens and knee high socks.

I remember thinking that was the absolute most awesome fashion statement ever...

Yikes...

Mega Giveaway from Peacoats and Plaid

Welcome to the biggest giveaway of 2013! 

All of the incredibly generous ladies below have contributed

over $1200 in prizes that 3 unbelievably lucky ducks will win!

Waiting for My Dearie...

Today's challenge was pretty difficult.

My husband and I are big movie dorks and we have so many favorites

But after thinking about this challenge since yesterday I have finally come to a decision.  

If I were an actress and could play a role in anything it would have to be the part of Cyd Charisse as Fiona  in Brigadoon.