Busty Betty

I've always been self- conscious of my body, which I assume most women can relate. One of my self-conscious body aspects was my tiny mosquito bite boobs. Well, thank you sweet pregnancy, because they are finally BIGGER! I hope they stay like this forever! :D I can finally wear low cuts and not be embarrassed that my 15 year old sister is bigger than I am.

Some of my mom friends say they will get even bigger when I start breastfeeding. Holy porn star titties, I can't wait. hahah 

Here is my 26 week picture. I invested in a body pillow. Now that I have it, I can't believe I went so long without it! It's helping me sleep a little better as far as back aches and round ligament pain goes. I still can't breathe though. My nose is stuffy and bleeds a lot. I suppose a humidifier is the next item I need to purchase. Boiling water on the stove isn't cutting it anymore. Jes still can't get any sleep because he says I breathe too loud. 

This past weekend Jesse's brother and sis-in-law, Tailor and Alex came to visit. We went out for my favorite, SUSHI! Although, I didn't get any raw meat fish, just to be safe. 

I also started watching a Netflix series I heard people rave about, "Orange is the New Black." I'm enjoying it so far. 

This week, I am at 27 weeks, and I gotta say baby is hooongry all the time! It is so hard not to give into cravings. I've been trying to walk more, do yoga, and watch what I eat. I crave ice cream everynight, but I've been supplementing that craving with a bowl of cereal or a peanut butter and banana smoothie. I did not get in trouble about my weight the last time I went to the doctor, so that is good. I also passed my second glucose tolerance test, which was a relief after the first scare. 

I do still give into cravings though. So far, baby girl craves MEAT...like red meat. I'm having an aversion to poultry phase, but give me steak, roast, and hamburgers all day. Jesse is happy about this new development, because now we eat more "man food," like red meat, potatoes, and beans. 

This dress is from some of the maternity clothes my mom brought for me. I love dresses like this because they are so comfy! 

It's becoming more and more real everyday and the bigger I get. That's why I have such a weird look on my face. haha 

I did sign up for a birthing class, a breastfeeding class, and a child CPR class. I want to be as prepared as possible. 

Also, for Christmas Tammy gave me a gift card to get a 4D sonogram. I'm glad she did because otherwise, i probably would not have gotten one. The more I think about it, the more excited I get because I can't wait to see what her face looks like! I won't get to do that until February though.

Well, this weekend is superbowl Sunday. Doc talked about having a superbowl party, but I think that is still up in the air. I don't care much about football, but I LOVE superbowl  finger foods...chips and dip, wings, loaded potato skins, lil smokies! mmmm :) 

I plan on patching up my couch this weekend. I've been wanting a new couch, but mom friends say wait til baby doesn't pee and shit on everything. Also, my clumsy pregnancy hands make me frequently spill. I asked my friend if it would be "poor folk-like" to add patches to the couch, and she said it's not as bad as having holes in the couch. lol which is true. So, I'm thinking some decorative fabric to coordinate with the living room, and patch that sucker up. I'll post pics if it turns out well.  

I also hope to get some painting in this weekend. I've got crafting fever lately! 

Breath of Fresh Air for Betty

This weekend was a breath of fresh air. Not only was it a fun and relaxing weekend, but also it was a THREE day weekend. We were off for Martin Luther King Day! Whoop!

The weekend started with food, as usual. I got this recipe from Jesse's mom. It's chicken pot pie stuff biscuits. So easy... just biscuits, a can of veg-all, cream of mushroom soup, and shredded chicken. I'm a sucker for pastries ( sweet or savory), so these hit my savory spot.

Saturday, it was beautiful outside, so we spent most of the day going for walks. We would walk to the Red Box just to walk. I rented "Tusk," which scarred me. It's a pretty freaky movie, and I had to follow up with something girly, so I watched"If I Stay." 

Other than that, typical boring Saturday chores like cleaning and laundry. We also went to grab a burger at Reggie Burger. Jesse's parents also came for a visit. 

Sunday was Sushi Night at Doc's. Everyone chipped in to bring sushi supplies. I was bummed I couldn't have the raw meat sushi since I'm pregnant, but I could have the crab since it was cooked. Regardless, it was tasty! 

Here's  Doc rolling some sushi. 

Ben getting the bright idea to bread some sushi in Panko and deep fry it. 

Jesse agreeing that is a brilliant idea to fry the sushi. hahah 

Jesse and Ana awaiting the tasties... 

DA- DUM! The main event...we had salmon, crab, tuna, cucumber, cream cheese, avocado, rice, and wasabi, all to choose from to make these delish rolls. 

We, well they, watched "There Will Be Blood" after the dining. I say "they" because preggo over here got too tired and fell asleep during the movie. MY BAD! I know it's a good movie, but preggo sleepiness is no joke. Plus, it was like midnight, which is 3 hours past my bed time. #geriatric 

I did make time to craft this weekend. My friend Erin hooked me up with many craft supplies for my birthday. She knows what I like, because she hit the jackpot! She also gave me a handcrafted ornament, a scrunchie, and turban headbands. 

I used some of the craft supplies to make a baby headband. 

A while ago, I bought these small frames at the Dollar Store. They had standard " Love, Happiness" japanese prints in them, but I took the prints out and re-used the frames. I made some mushroom art for the kitchen using the fabric and yarn Erin gifted me.

There are actually two of these hanging for a the symmetrical zen aspect I want in my place.

My mom came down on Monday. It was another beautiful day. Jes and I both had haircuts scheduled. Mom, me, and Holly all visited for a while, then we went to do the hair cut thing. I imagine it was boring for mom and Holly to sit there waiting on us...that's true love. hahah 

Mom also brought me some maternity clothes, which I have desperately been needing. I've been searching for a while now for maternity pants. I never have any luck, either the butt pockets are too low, the legs are too baggy, the pant leg drags the ground, or it just fits awkwardly. 

She found me some jeans that actually fit and do not drag the ground! She got me a dress and a shirt as well. I'm so glad because it is slim pickins in my wardrobe these days. 

Mom did tell me our baby shower is themed ALICE IN WONDERLAND! YAY! It's going to be in a tea room, and we are having a legit tea party. We even get to wear hats! She showed me the diaper cake she made and it's adorable. it has these collector Funko Alice and Wonderland stuffed animals on it! 

We went to lunch at Olive Garden too. As always, it was YUMMY! They had to go home after that because Holly's boyfriend was coming over to *Smooch * smooch*. Jk. They were going to watch Titanic. Although, I'm sure they did some smooching too. 

Speaking of, Jesse is getting some smooches from the pooches. 

We finally got our internet and Netflix to work, so we spent the rest of the afternoon binge watching Netflix and lounging in our PJ's. We tend to do a lot of that. But hey, I'm trying to get all the rest in that I can before baby morrow arrives. 

Get Better, Betty!

Overall, I have had a great pregnancy. No morning sickness, very little symptoms...until this week.

This week has not been the highlight of my pregnancy weeks. I even have a pounding migraine as I write this blog.

I had my 25 week check-up, and I failed my glucose test. I had to go back for another tolerance test to clarify whether I have gestational diabetes or not. The tolerance test SUCKS! Not only did I have to drink, not a cup, but a whole bottle of that nasty sugar drink, I had to wait in the waiting room for FOUR hours getting blood drawn every hour.

No one has called me on the results of that test yet, but I have been feeling sickly lately, so it may be a blood sugar issue. I had a blood sugar spell this morning. After I took these pics actually. haha I get really hot, sweat like a pig, have to strip off all my clothes, feel dizzy like I'm going to faint or vomit, and get very shaky. It's no fun at all!
I am very nervous to find out what's going on. I hope it isn't gestational diabetes, but if it is, at least I can get on a diet where I feel better throughout the day.

Baby bump is continually growing! I officially have no pants that fit. My mom gave me some birthday money, so I'm hoping to go find a good pair of jeans and a bra that fits! 

Birthday Betty

I am another year older. Yes, my 27th birthday just passed on January 9th. It was a great birthday! 

I had to work that day, and afterward my family came up that weekend to meet me for birthday dinner. I got to see my family, and they spoiled me with great gifts. Dad bought me canvases and an art easel to go with the art supplies he bought me at Christmas. Mom got me some Jack Skellington Slippers, a Nightmare Before Christmas shirt, bath and body works goodies, and candy. 

Jesse gave me the creme de la creme, which was a much needed prenatal wellness massage. It was relaxing and felt amazing! I think Skully liked it too! She started kicking and moving around during the massage. I've had some pretty kickin' back pain, so I was happy to get it worked out. Although, the day after, I think I was more sore than when I went in! I still have some back pain, but hopefully the muscles will relax and give me some ease. 

While I was getting massaged, Jes went to pick up groceries to cook me dinner and some redbox movies. He is such a thoughtful and sweet husband! I am so lucky to have in my life. He also picked up one of my favorite desserts: a variety cheesecake! So, I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in jammies and new slippers, watching a movie, eating the steak dinner he cooked for me and binging on cheesecake. The steak was much bigger than in the picture, but I cut it in half, so I could enjoy it for two days! haha Can't ask for a better day/ weekend than that! 

I think Winnie agrees as she got some left over gristle/fat chunks off my steak in her doggie bowl. She then passed out on the couch, as usual. I think she look comfy in all that fluff! 

Dad gave me some art supplies for Christmas. I had a chance to dig those out this past weekend and have much needed PLAY TIME! I'm slowly changing the decor in my apartment to a combination of earthy/zen/alice in wonderland/ 70's type vibes. I saw this print on Pinterest and wanted to duplicate it for practice. Watercolor is a very difficult style for me to learn. This copy doesn't look quite like the original, but I still like it and it looks great in the kitchen. 

This is a piece from someone I miss mucho. Jessica, who I used to work with at the radio station, bought me this. It's nice of her to buy this for me...AND she gets my style, which is thrift store. haha I really love it. It has actually been envied by a few of my friends when they came over. 

This picture is from when I hung up Christmas decorations, but it shows where I hung the ballin' mushroom piece. ( And the most recent mushroom art from above is where that over- easy egg collage was.)  

Here is another collage I did for the living room.  

and my mushroom/ cupcake painted flower pots. 

Another thrift store find for the mushroom theme. It was only $1.00! 

And I found some throw pillows online.  I need to invest in these. 

Friends and family are hooking me up with mushroom love too. 

Megan and Dustin got me these adorable measuring spoons from World Market! I love that place. 

Slowly but surely my living room will have the earthy vibe I want. It's teaching me patience to only buy little pieces at a time. 

We desperately need a new couch. Our current one is a hand-me-down from a hand-me-down. It's got some rips and holes. I've been looking for a new couch, but can't find one I like. Other mothers have given me some good advice though. They say, "Wait on the new couch," since I am having a new baby, "it will be shit stained." lol 

It surprises me how much good eating we do on the weekends. haha Jes has been talking about wanting Wiener Schnitzel. I couldn't afford veal, like some schnitzel, so we did pork instead. Add a little sauerkraut on top of this, and pretty damn good. 

Here's a picture of Winnie again to sum up how my weekend was...RELAXING! 

Betty's Beats: Let's just make every song a metal song

I used to be a huge metal head and would strictly only listen to that and classical. Now, I can appreciate all genres of music, but I prefer indie rock bands like Grizzly Bear, Talking Heads, Local Natives, Department of Eagles, and the list goes on...and on.

I do love still love metal music; although, lately, like most genres of music, some metal  has become formulaic, predictable, and starting to all sound the same. BUT, I can't be a critic all the time, so I still listen and enjoy it.

Being a musician, and growing up listening to so much rock/metal, I love to see when genre's cross each other. ANY song can be turned into a different genre. Classical can become metal, metal can become pop, pop can become country, country can become rock, and so on.

I was digging around on youtube and found some of my favorite examples of Pop Goes Punk. Some are older songs, some newer.
 I dig it, but most people don't. Metal/ Punk is a genre where either you love it or hate it.

I Prevail covers Taylor Swift's Blank Space 

The Animal in Me covers Iggy Azalea ft Rita Ora- Black Widow 

Living in Fiction covers Animals by Maroon 5 

Upon a Burning Body ( ft. Ice-T) Turn Down for What- (with all the bass drops and heavy breakdown beats in this song, we expected it to eventually be a metal cover.) 

Lzzy Hale is a little bad ass. She can play guitar and sing like a champ. I like this cover Halestorm does of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. 

Breathe Carolina does Billy Jean, this one doesn't get metal until the end.. at about 3:10. 

Rhianna- Diamonds by Any Given Day I mainly just like the chorus in this one. 

 

Then there's some hip-hop metal covers 

The Devil Wears Prada- Still Fly 

In Fear and Faith- Ganster's Paradise 

KRUNK. 

Bigger Belly Betty

24 week photo: I am definitely getting bigger. Sucking in is not an option anymore. haha The belly is out there now! 

 My little girl is growing so much!

....and so am I. I've gained alot of weight so far. I'm betting most of this "baby bump" is my weight gain. Other than gaining weight, I've had a very easy-going pregnancy to date. Like earlier on, my main small complaints are stuffy/bloody nose, and back pain( mainly when trying to sleep.) Jesse said I was breathing so loud in my sleep that I was keeping him awake. haha Sorry babe, that's what happens with pregnancy stuffy nose, and when my guts start getting pushed up into  my ribs. 

My friend, Venus, gave me  this Pre-Natal Yoga DVD which I have been using to help with back pain and staying flexible. I wish the weather would get warmer, so I can start walking again. I do enjoy the Pre-Natal Yoga. It feels good to stretch and relax. 

 I have a doctors appointment next week, I'll find out how much weight I gained over the holidays, and they will do a glucose test to make sure I am not diabetic. I am eating donuts and cheesecake on my birthday, damn it! 

Yep, my 27th birthday is this Friday! The fam is coming down and we are going out to dinner to the place of my choice. I'm not sure where yet...too many types of food sound good to settle on a restaurant. 

I'm pretty stoked about my birthday present from Jesse as well. He bought me a professional prenatal massage for this Saturday! It's going to be great! 

Jingle Bell Betty

Christmas is officially over. I'm a bit sad because that also means my vacation is over. We got a whole week off from work (aside from Christmas and it's surrounding days), and it was AWESOME!

Christmas Eve we went to my mom's to visit. We did a lot of lounging, watching TV, eating, visiting, ya know all my favorite things. :) We also played white elephant with gifts. Mom always picks good gifts and plans it well. I got a perfect gift, which it was a big book filled with different herbal teas from around the world. Jesse got a cool gift too...tabletop foosball!! We played it a lot over the break, and he even took it to work to play with his friends/coworkers. 

We didn't go to my uncle's this year on Christmas Eve. That's one thing I dislike about the holidays-everyone expects you to do all the traveling and to be in five places at once, and they get offended if you don't show up. I do want to see everyone in my family, but there is only so much time in a day. I'm sure they all have cars and know how to get to my apartment. ;) 

 I didn't know it at the time, but the reason we didn't go to my uncle's is because we were going to my Granny's. My cousin Brian was in from the Marines, so everyone went to see him. Here is a picture of him with his mom, Aunt Sandra. 

Christmas morning we were at Tammy and Jeff's, where Tailor, Alex, Megan, and Dustin all came down for breakfast. We opened gifts, and I gotta say, I received some awesome gifts. 

I felt a bit of guilt because I didn't buy anyone gifts, just like every year. In a way, I wish people would stop giving into the commercial side of Christmas and just enjoy spending time together. On the other hand, I realize some people show their love through the love language of giving gifts. 

I can never afford to go all out on gifts, especially this year since I am having my first baby. 

Anyway, I didn't take photo's of every single item, but I received many things I don't deserve, especially since I didn't buy anyone else a gift. Tammy and Jeff gave me my favorite perfume Daisy by Marc Jacobs, a monogrammed photo album, a coffee candle, socks, kitchen towels, new sheets, the best gingersnap cookies from World Market,a scarf,  a gift card to get a 4D sonogram, baby clothes, movies and books for baby skully, and stocking stuffer goodies. My dad gave me art supplies, and my brother got me a matching set of mittens, a hat, and a scarf. 

 We also played games at Tammy and Jeff's. We played a candy cane fishing game. Tammy made a homemade fishing pole with a hook and a dollar store fairy wand. The candy canes are in a basket, and whoever can fish out the most candy canes in 60 seconds wins. Tailor won that one. 

Then we played a cup stacking game. Whoever could stack the most cups and build a structure in 60 seconds won. I was the winner of that one. That's where I won my cupcake kitchen towel prize. 

Then we played Christmas trivia games. One trivia game was all about "The Christmas Story" and the other was basic Christmas movie trivia. I think Megan won "The Christmas Story" trivia, and all the girls tied for movie trivia. 

After all the games, we ate Bar-B-Q brisket, ribs, baked beans, and potatoes. Tammy and Jeff are excellent cooks and always work so hard to make sure we are well fed. It was delicious. 

We went to my Granny's again Christmas Day with Dad and Brad. After that, we went to Dad's to chill, open gifts, and watch movies.

The next day was relaxing. We just chilled all day on the sofa. A pre-cursor of the week to follow. We went back to Texarkana the day after Christmas to begin our week off. We kicked it off by watching one of our movie gifts, The Land Before Time. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid, and I gotta say, that movie is SAD. Baby skully may not be watching that one for a while. haha 

The next day, we went to spend our Olive Garden gift card Perry and Mom got us. It was SOOO delish. I don't get to go there very often, so when I do, I splurge! I was so full, and it was so worth it. 

After that, Jes sat in the car while I went to Michaels. He was too full to walk around. haha They were having an after Christmas clearance sale, so I bought a couple of items to make baby headbands. It was my first time making them, but I think they turned out okay. Now, I hope baby will wear them without throwing a fit. haha 

I also bought some yarn at Michaels because I wanted to pick up knitting again since I had the week off. I was really out of practice and basically had to re-learn since it had been so long. 

 I knitted some headbands for a couple of friends and their baby girls, and I knitted me and baby skully matching sets, so we can be twinkies!

My friend Erin came over the next day. We lounged, talked, drank coffee ( decaf tea for me), played dominoes, and ordered wing-stop. She also brought me a significant amount of baby girl clothes! How sweet of her! 

Erin and I kicked Jesse's booty in dominoes. We  kept saying "Oooo, Jesse getting spanked by some girls." Jes would reply, "That don't sound too bad." hahah 

The next day I had another visit from a friend. Nathan was delivering gifts from he and Hillary before he left for Kuwait. I am so humbled to receive such an awesome loot! I'm really excited about the car seat and stroller. That saves me so much money, and it is a highly rated name brand set! 

Hillary also sent gender neutral clothing, homemade headbands and barefoot sandals, a head rest, car seat strap covers, wash clothes, binkies, binkie clip, witch hazel, The Giving Tree, mittens, an ink pad for baby footprints, a mesh wash bag, bio oil ( which I really am excited about that one too), and the Belly Button for turning regualr pants into maternity pants. I feel so special and lucky to know such generous people!

Megan and Dustin bought me a book of fairy tales to read to baby Skully. I started with the real version ( not Disney) of The Little Mermaid. It is dark and depressing. I'm not sure I can read that one to Skully until she is older. haha I love the book though. It is filled with classic fairy tales.  

Jes is a Star Wars fan ( who isn't?) and his mom got him the Operation game, only it is themed Star Wars. It's so cute. It makes R2D2 and C3P0 sound bite noises. We played this over the break too. We were really channeling our inner child. 

I spent most of my break organizing and cleaning. I have sent so many bags to Goodwill. I'm trying to make room for baby Skully, but it still feels so cramped and crowded in the apartment. It's a work in progress and a bit of a challenge to find a way to store baby stuff. Anyway, my boss knows I love organizing, so she bought me a label maker! I use it frequently. 

You know when you are staying home for a week, you WILL be eating lots of good food. I ordered this bread from a fund raiser, and even though it was a bit expensive, it was worth it! I tasted like a big strawberry cream cheese toaster strudel. mmmmm! 

I also made me and Jes a homemade pizza. Once you taste my homemade pizza, ordering out doesn't even taste good anymore. My pizza is so loaded with toppings, you have to fork it. I put mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, jalepenos, olives, three layers of cheese, and pepperoni. My mouth is watering just looking at the picture. 

Everyone keeps asking me if I have had any weird pregnancy cravings. I have had cravings, but I wouldn't say they were "weird." Jalepeno Cheetos and bean dip is a normal junk food, right? haha Well, i did have a weird craving one night. I took some sliced bananas, rolled them in lime juice, rolled them in a mixture of coconut, salted peanuts, and cinnamon, then fried them in coconut oil. While they were frying, I drizzled honey on top to give it a nice crust. They were SO GOOD. It hit the spot. I think this is a good alternative to having a banana split. It killed my sweet tooth, and it was guilt free. 

 I had such fantastic break. I don't think I left the apartment once after our Olive Garden date. haha It was nice! I stayed home on those rainy cold days, in my fuzzy PJ's, drinking hot tea, cuddled up next to my puppy, watching movies, playing video and board games, trading massages on each other, and doing crafts. 

I think Winnie had enough of my cuddles and kisses this day though. hahah 

This picture of Winnie sums up entirely what Jesse and I did over the break: slept, lounged, relaxed, and lazed.  We slept in til noon almost everyday, and stayed up late playing. It was nice to have one last week of US time. I don't imagine we will have any more weeks like this for a while, especially after baby is born.