My Favorite Things

Yup, just like Oprah. I interrupt these posts about Lylah, to bring you my current favorite things. Well, they are about Lylah because I use them with her.

1. ItzBeen

A friend recommended this, and I love it! You can put in what time you started feeding, and it helps you keep track. You can also track how long baby has been sleeping and how long since the last diaper change. I use the feeding one the most. When we first got home from the hospital we used the star button for my pain medication. Great invention!

2. My Breast Friend

I first saw this on TV. Bethany Frankel was using it on Bethany Getting Married. (love!) I googled it, and thought it looked interesting. At our Breastfeeding class at the Hospital, the lactation specialist recommended it. She said that many women had told her it made the difference for them being successful with nursing. And I have to say, I love it. It stays on your waist if you need to stand up while nursing (holding baby of course). It has a little pocket on the side to hold your ItzBeen, and snacks. I usually have some candy stashed there. I love it. If you are planning to breastfeed, you need it and it is worth the price.

more info



3. My Babywise Book

Yes, I'm one of those. I love Babywise. Ryan got the book when I was pregnant and made me read it. It's awesome! It has helped Lylah be able to sleep 7 hours a night, which is beyond amazing. You can read more about Babywise here: www.babywisemom.com

4. Little Einstein Piano toy 

A church friend gave us this toy at a shower and it is Lylah's favorite. She has even started pressing the keys! So cute. I need to video it. Absolutely love this toy, love the music and Lylah loves the flashing lights and colors.

5.  Woombie

Uh, this is not Lylah, btw.

Lylah sleeps in a woombie allllll the time. We started out swaddling her, but she always broke out, no matter what we did. Remember this? My friend Susan had used this with her daughter, so I went and bought one at the Nappy Shoppe. Then I bought another. It's great because she can move her arms around because it is stretchy, but she can't wake herself up with her arms. And saying "woombie" is just plain fun.


So there you go. No one asked, but these are my current favorite baby things.

Any day now

I am not due until next Sunday, the 4th, but our doctor says it's any day now. I have progressed a lot, and I will spare you the details. Let's just say everything is where it is supposed to be and all we are waiting on is for me to go into labor. It's so exciting and weird to think that she will be here soon. We are so excited! Soaking up our last days as a family of 2....waiting for our sweet little girl to make her appearance. We can't wait!

Everything is pretty much tied up...I am done teaching piano/voice until end of October, all of my photo shoots are done and edited....We have everything we need....except Baby Lylah! Ryan put together this for her which I felt compelled to document. :) Good ole pack 'n play...

Tomorrow I am 39 weeks, so this picture is not the most up to date...but you get the idea. Here I am at 38 weeks!

Still feeling good!

So now we wait. Ryan is doing yard work, and I think I will watch Harry Potter and pinterest for a while. And just wait :)

36 weeks and still crafting like a crazy woman

Well, here I am. 36 weeks, and needing a little bit more make-up. And better lighting. But oh well. :)

I am almost full term and I really cannot believe it. This has flown by. And I have to say, I am one of those crazy women who loves being pregnant. I just love it. I love watching her grow week to week, and I love how ridiculously mushy and lovey it has made Ryan and me. I love that guy. I absolutely cannot wait to see him be a Dad. It makes me tear up typing about it. 

So, moving on, last night we went to a childbirth class and watching one of the "videos". You know...the video. It actually didn't freak me out like I thought it would, but the instructor said there is one more that we haven't seen. We'll see that either Friday or next Thursday. Esshk. I hope I can handle it. But I got the feeling from the gasps and groans around the room, that I was not the only one who is a little worried about watching it. Phew. I am one of the farthest along in the class, though. Guess I shoulda taken it sooner. Whoops....

Still crafting like a crazy woman. I made this last week: 

And on Saturday my friend Kristyn is coming over and we're going to tackle this....

Source: twojunkchix.blogspot.com via Allison on Pinterest

And there are still a few other projects I would like to complete before she comes. I want to make this for her room (as a bow holder)...

Source: lemonademakinmama.com via Allison on Pinterest

Speaking of her room, it is 99% done. There is one more project (besides the bow holder) that I want to do before I reveal. Sorry. I know, you're devastated. 

Hope you are enjoying the weather. He he he.

Edmond Baby Shower

Weekend before last, some of my college friends threw me a wonderful baby shower. They are so sweet! It was PERFECT. My hostesses thought of so many wonderful things to make the day special. We had such a great shower and a great weekend in Edmond. Here are some pictures.....

My Hostesses: Janie, Allissa, (Me), Kacee and Rachel

Beautiful table!

My sisters, Mom and Memaw

Me and the great grandmothers (possibly the worst picture of me ever taken)

Receiving Humpty for Lylah, a family tradition on the Harms side

The cute drink table

 Me and my good friend Allissa. She's awesome!!!

Me and My Mom at the Shower

 Rachel and Me

Me and My Mom before Church

This was supposed to be a "funny one". Is it funny? Ummm......You decide.

Possibly my most random post....ever.

1. Nursery Progress:

The nursery is done. Except for one tiny project that I will do later (in a few weeks when the items I need arrive). I will leave you in suspense as to what that project is. But the Nursery is 95% done, but I'm just feeling to lazy to take the pictures of it any post it. Sorry. I will soon, promise.

2. I love the pool

Speaking of lazy, this is my saving grace lately...

If you don't mind kids jumping over your head and screaming, our neighborhood pool is awesome. And I am definitely at the point where I don't even care, I have to swim. It feels so good and is great exercise. Easier on the joints and so refreshing and wonderful. If I can keep my belly covered so I don't scar little children, then I'm good. Te he he.

3. Pinterest
I am in love with Pinterest. If you are not on it, you should be.  It's basically social bookmarking. It's amazing and I have so many new craft ideas and home ideas because of it!

4. Last road trip before baby..
Last weekend was our shower in Edmond. My college girlfriends threw it for me, and because most of our family is in Oklahoma, it was perfect. We saw so many people we love and some we hadn't seen in a long time. The shower was wonderful and I will post pictures soon. My good friend Allissa did such a great job putting everything together. So many little touches and details that I loved! Thanks girls!

5. The Bachelorette
Lastly, I have to comment on the Bachelorette getting interrupted (Spoiler alert) right when Constantine was leaving. I was okay with it cause I was watching live and could DVR the next show to get the whole thing, but I bet there are some mad people today who didn't get the whole thing. My favorite part was Twitter posts about Obama interrupting. Here are a few:

 "@darabrooke: It was really weird when Ashley went on that fantasy date with President Obama #bachelorette"


"Boehner is sooo not getting a rose #bachelorette #ohwait"


"I know! Obama needs to buy his own stupid channel for lame people to watch and let us watch the Bachelorette!"


"Is Obama trying to be the next Bachelor? Cause that would be the worst season ever."


"If Obama doesn't bring back my #Bachelorette, the debt will be the LEAST Of his crises."


"In a shocking twist @chrisbharrison about to tell Obama and Boehner if they would like to forgo their separate rooms....#Bachelorette"

Dallas Baby Shower!

Week before last, we had our first Baby shower! I can't even tell you how wonderful it was. My hostesses were just marvelous! We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our church and Dallas friends. Here are some pictures!

Above: My Mother-in-Law Paula, Me, My Mom and Sister Kelsey

Me and Laura...we're due a week or so apart!

The beautiful table!

Guests!

My hostesses and me. They did such an awesome job!

Opening gifts!

The gorgeous quilt Suzie made! She is so great.

Our Dining Room table after! We feel so blessed. Thank you to everyone! :)

32 weeks, for the love

I am 32 weeks pregnant. And I am in shock that my belly keeps getting bigger. Well, I'm aware that when you are pregnant, your belly grows. It's just growing OUT at this point which makes me giggle.

Here's me at 32 weeks, about to go to church at 7:30 in the morning to see our friend lead worship. So the light is crazy on our front porch, but hey, it's a belly picture, not a photo shoot. (I have to tell myself this to keep myself from freaking out while editing this picture.)

That's two weeks in a row on belly pictures. Crazy! Why am I posting so many? I am not sure. I don't like them of myself, but I figured I will look at my blog later in life and wonder where they are if I don't. And it's more fun to take pictures like this than in the 2nd trimester. A big belly is fun....unless you are trying to clean out a closet. 

Next up...

Art work I made for the nursery.......

So the story is I found these prints on etsy that I loved, but I wanted paintings, not prints....and plus the lady who made them lives in Paris. I thought it might take a while to get them. So I decided to try making them. I thought SURE I couldn't do it, but I surprised myself. I can't wait to put them in the nursery! Which, if you are wondering, is almost done! 

In other baby news (cause what else would I post about?) I had my first baby shower this weekend and I was overwhelmed with how wonderful my friends are. It was a great shower and I will post pictures soon. I feel so blessed to have amazing friends who hosted an adorable shower and friends who brought us gifts. Seriously some of the cutest gifts I have ever seen. I love my girls!

4th of July

We had such a great weekend. My in laws came up on Friday, and we had a fun night as the Harms unit. We even got a visit from my Brother-in-law! It was great to all be together. On Saturday we left for Perry, to see Ryan's Dad's side of the family in Perry, OK. We got to see Ryan's grandma and cousins! It was very fun, and that night we went to stay with Ryan's other Grandma in Ponca City. Then, we went to see Ryan's best friend in Stillwater. They had just moved there from Alaska! We are so excited they are close again, and they have the cutest little 8 month old, Charles. He is so adorable and right about now I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of the cuteness.

Then, we went to my parent's NEW house! They had just moved out of the house we lived in for 17 years! It was quite the move, but they are doing a great job of putting everything back together and settling into their new home. I love it! We even squeezed in a quick visit with our good friends from college, the Hejls.

So we saw a LOT of people! It was very fun. And I just keep getting bigger....
(Not my favorite picture....I look ragged and for some reason there is a stick in between my legs, but oh well..)

And check out what we got...

Ryan's Great Grandfather made it long ago! Isn't it sweet? And it will go perfectly in our playroom.

Next Saturday is my first baby shower. Eek...I guess we're really having a baby!

Hope you had a great 4th! We did. :)

Going to try to blog about something else besides the Nursery, baby, etc.

Happy Fathers-to-be Day to my awesome husband! This is a late post, but hey, I'm pregnant. Oh, you didn't know that? Yeah, I don't talk about it enough. Sorry. I'll try to post more about being pregnant. (Sarcasm.) 

For Father's Day, I wanted to do something really sweet for Ryan. Let me tell you something about Ryan. He needs NOTHING. He doesn't need clothes, shoes, movies, cologne, ANYTHING. If you ask him what he wants, he doesn't know. If he needs something, he purchases it. (He gets this from his Dad.) If he wants something, it is way too big of a purchase for me. Like a receiver, or a TV. Yeah, like I'm gonna get him that without him. I ain't nobody's fool. 

So I do know he likes food. And recently, I have introduced him to massages. I have an amazing massage lady who I LOVE and have seen for over a year. She is fantastic. Her name is Megan and she is at Salon and Spa at Eaton Court in Allen, TX. If you need a massage, she is awesome. 

So Sunday morning, I snuck out of bed early. This is really hard to do, because Ryan is an especially light sleeper, and even more so that I've been pregnant. But somehow I made it out to the kitchen and managed to cook this without waking him. I thought for SURE I had woken him up, but when I went to bring him breakfast, he was dead to the world. 

YUM! 

It was so yummy. (Of course I made some for myself) I gave him a gift certificate for massage and we headed off to church. 

I am so lucky to have this awesome man! He is going to be such an amazing father. I love hearing him talk about Lylah, and how he can't wait to play with her. Just take a look at this....

Yup, that's my awesome Husband reading to the baby. I love him. 

Happy Fathers Day also to my Dad. He is such a great Dad! I love him so dearly. He always makes me laugh and is just a fun guy. If you know my Dad, you probably know that I am a lot like him. I just love him...He is the best. I miss living close to him and will get to see him in a few weeks. 

And Happy Father's Day to my awesome Father-in-law! He is such a great guy, and I'd have to say the BEST Father-in-law a girl could ask for. He is so kind, easy-going, and very easy to get along with. He is such a great man! 

My little girl is SO lucky to have these three men in her life. I can't wait to see them interact with her! :)

Happy Father's Day!! (A little late...)

26 weeks

I've hit my pregnancy stride. I am now obviously pregnant. But not so pregnant that I am waddling around and incredibly uncomfortable. I'm getting there, but so far week 26 has been my friend. 

For some reason I always use my little digital camera and never my good camera, and I get really frustrated trying to edit the picture to make me look better. I really wish I could take my own pictures with my good camera. But alas, what you see is what you get. Enjoy! If I balloon up super huge, this might be the last one you ever see.....:)

Eating for Two

Apparently, eating for two is a myth, but tell that to a pregnant lady. I dare you. NO, don't. It'd be a bad idea. Cause you would get glared at, or maybe worse. Apparently you are only supposed to eat an extra 300 calories, and as someone who has spent a large portion of her adult life counting calories, I can tell you that is NOT much. It's like a bag of chips and yogurt.

But I get asked a lot if I have had any weird cravings. The answer is, no, not really. In the beginning, I was just starving. I would see something on a commercial that looked yummy, and I had to have it. We ate out a lot, and that was not good for our Dave Ramsey envelope system. I felt bad about it, because I have friends who were super healthy during pregnancy. But, it got better. After 9-10 weeks, I moved into a stage where I was hungry and wanted something specific. I went through craving "stages". I had to have toast (like a LOT of toast) for several days. Then it was Schlotzkys sandwiches, pickles (I know, so cliche), strawberries, Fun Dip (don't judge) and then I am sure Ryan will never let me the cupcake faze. This was during the big ice storm and I sent him to Kroger in the snow with all of the crazies to buy me vanilla cupcakes. What a good man.

But now, I feel more in control of my eating. I am eating so much better. I have been eating lots of granola, yogurt, raisins and fruit. I seriously felt out of control the first trimester with my eating. I remember crying to Ryan telling him I was so hungry, and I had to have McDonald's fries. It was not a great time health-wise. But now I feel more in control. Oh but trust me, there's still a stash of Fun Dip hidden in the pantry. But I'm not telling where.

A Baby Name, A Belly and A Big Nursery Purchase

I had a lot of trouble coming up with my third "B" for my alliteration title. Hopefully you appreciate my effort.

We have named our little girl Lylah Denise. She is named after my husband's late Grandpa Lyle, and my sister Denise, who is named after my Dad, Dennis. Also my middle name is Denae (After Dennis) so we've got lots of namesakes for our ittle girl.

Here I am at 23 weeks....this was last week, now I am 24 weeks. But this picture is cuter. This dress is awesome and I recommend it to any pregnant girl...it was only $10 at Forever 21. And it's not even maternity. So comfortable. I have two and I want another one. Yeah, you need a cardigan for church, blah blah, but it's still great.

We ordered our Nursery furniture! And we are going to paint in a few weeks. Here is the Nursery collection we ordered. We ordered the crib, combo unit and hutch. So just ignore the armoire to the left and tall dresser on the far right. There is no way we could fit all of that....plus we are putting a twin bed in there. 

Here are fabrics for the bedding that we're having made :)

(The green doesn't quite match, so it might be a different color, but you get the idea...)

'

It's girly but not extremely girly. I knew I wanted polka dots, but I couldn't find anything pre-made that I liked. But then I found out my friend Angela of "Ruthies Red Apple" (Search for her on Facebook!) can make it for me and I am so pumped. My awesome Mother-In-Law is making the crib skirt. I may try my hand at a few pillows, but I'm no seamstress. We'll see how that works out!

It is so fun to plan out her room and think about her playing, sleeping and living there. We can't wait to meet her! 

Things are moving along! Shower dates are set, furniture ordered...her room is completely bare and ready for paint! It's going by so fast!!

Belly Pictures are NOT my favorite

I finally gave in and posted a belly picture on Facebook. I kinda regret it. I don't want the crazies to think this will be a weekly thing. Or even a monthly thing. I am just not a belly pictures person. Now, you may love them, and I LOVE seeing them of other people. Don't be insulted if you like to post them, because I can guarantee I like seeing them. I just don't like them for me. Ugh.

I love hearing I'm cute, and really that helps. Not that this is a fishing-for-compliments blog. But now that I am pregnant, I am a lot nicer to pregnant woman and more careful about what I say.

Here are some things that are NOT okay. . .
(Not many of these things have been said to me, but more to my pregnant friends, but some to me..)


"Hi there!"
"Hey big mama"

no.

"Hey!"
"You're huge!"

I mean, come on.

"Are you sure you are not having twins?"

No. I'm not, thanks.

"You are getting so big!" 
(I know I have said this before! And I wasn't trying to be rude. I have replaced this with "You are so cute!")

Comes up, touches the belly (ugh, please ask) and says: "When are we due?" I had a friend who would reply, "WE are not due anytime!" (I don't suggest this.)

There are so many more. Feel free to add your own in the comments!
Just goes to show...as a friend said: "People just don't know what to say to a pregnant woman."

I am not trying to just complain in this blog. I love being pregnant. I realize that my body is the place my little girl is growing. I know this. I just wish there were some world wide classes that pregnant women could give to the rest of the world on how to talk to us. Treat us like we are normal, which we are. And tell us how cute we are. Or even say "Oh my gosh, you are only 20 weeks? You are tiny!". Yeahhh....that'd be great. :-)

Here I am....

In other baby news, she *almost* has a name!

Warning: Don't Read if you are hungry!

 Okay, don't read this if you are hungry. Cause you will want to eat. I mean really eat. Like oops-I-went-to-the-grocery-store-hungry eat. (Big mistake if you are pregnant. Yesterday I came home with two Slim Jims.)

Lately everything I eat is awesome. Most of these are what I made, but trust me, it's not limited to my cooking.

This roast was awesome...I ate so much Ryan was staring at me and I thought I was gonna be sick. So good.

While my awesome Mother in Law was here, she made this fruit salad. This was the best thing I have ever had.

Chicken Parm. Best thing I ever had.

Slushy from the Oasis place on Bethany and Greenville in Allen. Strawberry Pineapple. Best thing I have ever eaten.

To reward you for sticking with this post, here is an awesome recipe.  I got this from a PTA mom at school. After the snow days, they had a soup/chili day. It came on just the right day. I needed it. And this soup is so good and so easy. I made it last week and it lasted Ryan and I for 3 1/2 meals. Seriously. SOOOO yummy! Try it and tell me how it is!

Taco Soup

2 lbs ground beef 

1 small onion, chopped*

2 cans 14.5oz  stewed tomatoes**

1 pkg Ranch Dressing Mix

1 15oz can Kidney beans

1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 1/2 cups water

1 can mexicorn (I used corn)

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 pkg. Taco seasoning

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Brown beef with onions*, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add taco seasoning, dressing mix, mexicorn, stewed tomatoes**, Rotel tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, water in a large pot (very large). Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips if desired. Enjoy!

*I always use onion powder in place of onions. This is my trick and I can never tell the difference. 

**Ryan hated the big tomatoes, so next time I will use diced or petite diced. 

In an unrelated note....They really should have these everywhere: