May 3rd, 2013 …won’t be happening until July!
I totally gotcha, didn’t I?
Big Daddy and I made a “team” decision this week. We’re not sharing baby’s gender until our showers with our family and friends.
(Pretty much file this blog post under “rambly writing that most people do not give two craps about” startingggg now.)
There are many reasons for this. The first of which (but not necessarily most important) was that I didn’t have a fun gender reveal planned. (If I had a great idea I wouldn’t have wanted to stray from it!) I guess my pregnancy announcement manicure maxed out my creativity!
I had never considered doing any kind of gender reveal party. But then I had a conversation with some “team green” moms (who didn’t know gender prior to birth) and they said how it was nice that guests focused on more practical gifts and not cutesy, gender specific outfits. This sounded pretty awesome to me, because 1) I’m picky about clothes 2) will buy a ton second-hand and 3) they’re going to be puked and pooped on. So that intrigued me. Almost made me want to join team green! (Almost. HA.)
Then I talked to a few people who shared the gender later, or had a gender reveal shower. Pre-pregnancy, I thought gender reveal showers would be inconvenient for the parents. I believed they wanted/needed all the gender specific items/clothes. (Sidenote: not that I always understood showers. The first shower I attended, I spent an hour at Babies-R-Us, panicked, and bought outlet covers, a first aid kit, diaper rash cream, and hangers. All practical things on the registry. But I felt kind of silly when the gifts were opened and I was the only one who didn’t buy a bigger item or a cutesy item. It was an a-ha moment. People like to buy outfits, or at least something cute.)
True life? Yes babies need cute clothes and hats and socks. But new parents also need lots of big, practical things. It’s easier for them to go pick up some hangers and outlet covers when needed, than to have to go pick up a large item. And trust me, I’m never going off-registry now (except for perhaps a few meaningful “extras” for very close friends.) And regarding the gender specifics? Unless you aren’t planning to have more kids, gender neutral is totally acceptable and preferred. For example: no reason to buy a pink and purple butterfly glitter stroller when those puppies cost hundreds and baby #2 could be a boy. So with these new realizations about registering and gender specific items, I thought- this could work! I could do a gender reveal shower! It also helps that because they’re out of state and require flights, my showers are earlier than is typical.
Gift practicality aside, the important reason this was so appealing to me is probably easy to guess. We live in Florida. Our families live in New Jersey and Indiana. We’ve told them all our baby news over the phone. How amazing will it be to share some baby-related news with them in person!?!? That sealed the deal for us, 100%. I can’t wait! It would be fun to have family and friends guess boy or girl, and then reveal to them our good news.
 
source & source
The logistics still need to be worked out (my NJ shower date hasn’t even been set- just “4th of July weekend… somewhere”) and they’re going to be pretty informal. Our showers (the Indiana one is the next weekend) are going to be co-ed and very casual/family friendly. Gifts will not be opened there. It’s more so a chance to see family and friends, and celebrate together. I think I’d do the reveal with cake or cupcakes filled with a little blue or pink icing. Especially since in Indiana I can have Holy Cow Cupcakes (the place I used to work!)
 
source, source & source
I think we’ll end up asking my family in NJ to keep the gender quiet for 5 or 6 days til our next shower, then we could share the surprise with Indiana guests in person, and then “go public” when the showers were over.
I just can’t wait to be able to reveal to our families. I can’t wait to see my mom’s face when she finds out if it’s a boy or a girl!!!!
The point of this rambly post?
Baby showers are hard/stressful/confusing. For everyone. Or maybe that’s just me and how I get anxiety about everything. Maybe there’s not quite a point to this entry except to say, you all will find out the gender in July!
Any gender reveal tips or stories?
April 29th, 2013 Is it just me or is time FLYING now? I guess being “out of the closet” does that to pregnant ladies. Plus, there is so much more going on now every week! Like the Anchorman quote I said on instagram… “that escalated quickly!”
16 Weeks (4/29/2013)
How far along? 16 weeks
Baby’s Size: Avocado
Maternity clothes? Yep, I’m probably more like 60/40 non-maternity/maternity now. Thanks to Jess I can use a belly band now to hold up my unzipped pants- that’s been really helpful! But full panel items are a dream. As are maternity dresses.
Best moment this week: Getting to spend Saturday at the beach with B (can you tell? Sunburn city!) Also, registering at Buy Buy Baby after. Our Buy Buy Baby and Amazon registries are almost finished! I’m going back to Buy Buy Baby to spend some in-depth time with one of their awesome salespeople to learn about bottles. I have a bunch of recommendations from you guys but I want to see/feel them before registering. If you have a Buy Buy Baby near you- REGISTER THERE. They were SO AMAZINGLY HELPFUL and knowledgable!
Miss anything? Beer again. After a day at the beach and then registering I was wanting a cold beer to sip and hold on my skin.
Movement: Some people may say I’m crazy (I feel ya now, Twinner!) but I think I am, just barely! I felt a weird tapping sensation a few times in bed, but didn’t think much of it, until one of my baby apps said that I would start feeling baby movements now if I hadn’t already, and it would feel like “popcorn popping, a goldfish swimming around, butterflies fluttering, a tapping sensation, or bubbles.” I had no idea the tapping could be that! So I think just maybe that’s what’s going on. Either way- it’s inevitable!
Food cravings: Now that we have a fryer I am on a mozzarella stick kick.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still having the same issues. I think I might try to be brave and wean off my nausea meds- I wonder how many of my issues are really just side effects, honestly. We’ll see how that works because a week or so ago by 10am without the nausea meds I was incapable of doing anything but breathe.
Gender: No idea. I’m so worked up about it that I could not tell you my “intuitions” since it’s so biased by this point.
Labor signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Same as last week, which was the same as the last week… sciatic nerve pain, IBS style pain, and insane nausea. No change, and nothing has gotten better. Second trimester miracles my ass.
Belly button in or out? Innie.
Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy but I do ride a roller coaster nowadays!
Looking forward to: Since I talked to my Indy BFF Lydia about it so much this past week, and because we just registered, I am starting to get excited for our showers! I can’t wait to see our family/friends, celebrate the beebee, and start stocking up on his or her gear! I think I will have a happiness FLIP OUT when we get the first item purchased off of our registries! It’s becoming so real!
I want to seriously thank so many of you for your help in two ways. First, thank you to all the moms out there who have been so sweet and generous. I feel like I am just on the edge of this amazing world of motherhood, which makes you wonderful women even more amazing. You’ve all shown me so much kindness and generosity, sharing your CLOTHING – for both me and beebee, as well as advice, excitement, and well-wishes. It’s a million times more than I expected, especially from (in many cases) people I’ve never met. Most of my friends in real life don’t have children and I wondered if it would feel scary or lonely- but it has been the opposite. I’ve been surrounded by pregnant and mom friends and welcomed with open arms. It’s more and better than I imagined.
Onto the 2nd way you guys have helped… aka the specific way… registering! I went a little OCD spreadsheet crazy (is anyone surprised?) and it helped me to be so much more prepared having your suggestions on hand at the store. Those of you who took time to put together your advice, likes, and dislikes, it means so much! You’re ten times busier than me with your kiddos and still went out of your way. Seriously amazing. I am so blessed and lucky!
For other registering moms, besides amazing friends, here are two resources that I found invaluable:
The first: Lucie’s List. It’s basically a baby gear site that helps moms with registry basics. I love how she puts it all in her own voice and breaks it up into manageable parts. I used the registry cheat sheet I got once I subscribed to her emails to base my registry spreadsheet off of. Very helpful!
The second: Baby Bargains. It is a fairly inexpensive (less than $10 on amazon right now!) book that became my registering Bible. It details tips and tricks for shopping, what to look for in must-have items, how to save money, and where not to skimp. I ran all your suggestions through it (and I believe they all passed! Smart and safe mamas!) and it was super helpful to have with me while registering. When B and I would see something cute (say, a high chair) that we might have just registered for on the spot, I would first check the book. And with the high chair example- it was a D- rating! Glad we didn’t just register blindly. It’s nice to see ratings for things so closely related to your baby’s safety every single day- having a higher rating is important. Safety should be first with every item you register for that touches your baby in any way. I loved learning about the pros/cons for popular items as well. I had at least 15 people recommend this book to me so if you are a new mom, just do yourself a favor and get it. You won’t be sorry!
I hope that you all have as much support as I do! If not, you need to be friends with my friends! It’s been a crazy week… can’t wait to see what the next one holds!
April 24th, 2013 As I mentioned earlier, I’m hosting an Origami Owl show this week! My gal pal Laura (who never blogs anymore wahhhh) started selling Origami Owl lockets a few months ago and I have been itching to host a show. When I got pregnant, and saw some of the mom options – right in time for Mother’s Day! – I knew it was go time!
For those of you not familiar, Origami Owl are Living Lockets with custom designed charms that tell your story. But a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Laura let me share some of her photos with you guys. Seeing the pictures of them is what got me hooked.
Moms-to-be get to celebrate Mother’s Day too right?
There are ENDLESS options in every budget range for moms. Pick a mini silver locket with a mom charm and her birthstone… or go all out with a large rose gold locket and lots of charms of things she loves! The options are infinite!
You can add so many elements to personalize your locket. Each item is individually priced so you can build within your budget. Plus, you can add on later- the locket is held closed with a strong magnet, so even charms can be added after the fact!
The best place to start (for me at least) is by picking a locket size and then style. There are mini, medium, and large lockets, available in many different finishes. I am DYING over the black and brown finishes!!! Just a few are below:
So you can see the different sizes in action:
And then of course there are tons of chains, charms, and other goodies!
So now the good part… how to order!
SHOP ONLINE HERE: lalaslockets.origamiowl.com
You will shop like normal and at checkout you will select “Kelly H’s Catalog Party” from the drop down menu so I get credit for your order!
For some inspiration and to stay updated on specials, etc. go ‘Like’ Laura’s fb page!
This is an ONLINE party so order at your convenience before next Friday, April 26 (the last day to order to get it in time for Mother’s Day, and the last day of my show!) If you have any questions or want help designing a locket, feel free to contact me or Laura (ilovelalaslockets@gmail.com).
Check out the adorable options and customize your own today! Remember, the show ends Friday, so order today!
April 23rd, 2013 IT’S TIP TIME, PEOPLE!
As you can see in the above picture, I had a manicure that was past it’s prime. But guess what people? Pregnancy makes you lazy. I’m generally lazy to begin with so growing a human doesn’t help my motivation.
The manicure in question was just over one week old. I had done a great job prepping and painting (see my initial tips post here) so they didn’t totally fall apart. But the cuticles and tips were showing wear and growth. And I was sick of it! How often does it happen that you have a chipped or old manicure, and something to do that evening or the next day, but don’t want to take the time to remove the polish and then re-do it? Well, lazy folks, I have FIVE different answers for you to give that old mani a quick and cute update!
The first step is always to touch up the nail. Fill in the growth and chips. It may take two coats. Make it neat but don’t worry about perfection. (FYI, the base polish I’m using is essie e-nuf is e-nuf.)
(PS- I hear people sometimes say they can’t touch up a manicure because it was done at a salon. Word to the wise- bring your own nail polish!!!!! Then you can touch it up if you have to. Also, some salons thin their polish to get it to last longer (which makes it wear off your nails more quickly) so it can be a waste of money for a manicure that will only last a few days.)
Then, pick your poison. I’ve put them in order of, in my opinion, easiest to hardest. Or more like least effort to most effort.
Shown with flash and without, because I think nails 2 and 4 didn’t show well without flash.
1 – Crackle polish
I know, I know. Many people are like, ugh, crackle? That’s so 17 year old! And yes, it can be. I guess it depends on how bold you want to go. Crackle is, in my opinion, the easiest way to fix a tired mani, and most fool proof. The crackle hides imperfections really well and is SO SIMPLE. If you want it too look less juvenile/daring, try a tone-on-tone crackle. This gold crackle looked almost sophisticated on top of a nude/brown color! Throw a few cheaper crackles in your shopping cart at the drugstore for occasions like these. I like sparkly ones like gold and silver best. The one shown here is Antiqued Gold by Sally Hansen. Cheap and works great.
2 – Sheer overlay
Throwing a sheer, shimmery polish over your tired mani seems really easy. And it is! I just ranked it above crackle because it shows more imperfections. You need to be more careful touching up the base coat if you do this method. This is better for nails that aren’t too messed up, for that reason. Find a nail polish with a sheer finish that has shimmer or iridescence. They’re great to keep in your arsenal, especially since they change how they look COMPLETELY depending on what polish they’re layered over! Seen above is L’Oreal The Temptress’ Power, but I also love essie pure pearlfection, or Julep Melissa (which I don’t own yet but it’s on my list.)
3 – Glitter
You knew this one was coming!!! Glitters offer many options for covering up a crapped-out manicure. First, figure out if your glitter is low, medium, or full coverage. Low coverage (looser) glitter are great for all-over application. Full coverage glitters give you the option to do a glitter gradient. They’re too hard to attempt with low coverage glitter- the glitter to clear polish ratio is more polish less glitter, and it will take too many coats to make a gradient. Full coverage glitter is full of it and easy to create a gradient! It’s a little advanced but has a great effect. The glitter shown, Nicole Rainbow in the S-Kylie, is medium coverage so I was able to create a pretty good gradient, but this would look great as all-over glitter too.
4 – Saran Wrap
I’ve touched on this a bit before, but this is SUCH a fun way to touch up a mani!!! I didn’t love the color combo I chose here, but I think the picture with flash (right) shows it better. I chose Julep Dendrie for the 2nd color. I applied it to the nail and immediately took a wadded up square of Saran wrap and blotted down once with medium pressure. You’d need to do one nail at a time… paint, blot, paint, blot, etc.
This one is easy, because I’m sure you have Saran wrap (or any plastic wrap) in your drawer. But it’s tricky and probably good to practice a few times. You only get one try- it’s nearly impossible to “fix” if you press too hard or not hard enough. It also takes some prep- you need 10 wadded up squares of Saran wrap ready to go, you can’t re-use them. But as far as quick and easy, this method gets an A+! I wish I had done a silver holographic polish to go against the bold base color. I think holos look amazing with this method. I also think neons look great with this type of manicure!
5 – Stamping
This is the most challenging method, but the results can be amazing! Of course, stamping requires a lot of tools. A stamper, stamping plates, a scraper, good stamping polish (some regular polishes work well, others don’t) and um… patience. This has been a LEARNED skill, and as you can see, it’s still not easy for me. I have very curved nails so any kind of stamping is challenging for me. Full coverage stamps, like the one shown, are especially hard.
I chose to stamp using Zoya Purity, a white color. Stamping makes the stamped color more sheer, which is why it looks a little pinkish. To stamp, you fill the plate’s design of your choice with polish, moving QUICKLY. The polish dries fast! Scrape it with the scraper to remove excess, and transfer the design to the stamper with a rolling motion. Then transfer the design from the stamper to your nail, again with a rolling motion.
I won’t sugarcoat it: it’s messy and time consuming and often, you make mistakes. Some patterns are more forgiving than others. Like most things though, practice makes perfect. So it’s a fun way to save a mani after a few days, since you get practice while also extending your manicure for a few more days. Even if I plan to take off my polish, I sometimes just test out a few designs/polishes by stamping them onto my worn out mani. The more I stamp the easier it gets, and I’ll take practice wherever I can get it!
There you have it! Five ways to quickly and easily remedy a tired manicure.
What are your favorite ways to save a manicure that is past it’s prime? What polishes would you recommend for manicures in each of these categories?
April 22nd, 2013 It’s that time again! I really should have planned better (ha, like I could plan when my pregnancy weeks flip over) because Mondays suck and showering/putting on makeup for pictures every Monday is a pain in the ass. BUT, I think you can actually see my bump in this picture!!!!
15 Weeks (4/22/2013)
How far along? 15 weeks
Baby’s Size: Navel Orange
Maternity clothes? Some! I tried on some maternity full-panel denim capri pants and IMMEDIATELY BOUGHT THEM. Holy comfort. All pants should be full panel. I have also found this week that a few items, while they fit earlier in pregnancy, no longer do.
Best moment this week: Having a fun night with B and a couple we are friends with, and attending a baby fair (second-hand clothes and baby items!) to pick up a few things. Gender neutral consignment is hard though, can’t wait to find out!
Miss anything? This week, not much!
Movement: Nope.
Food cravings: I had to get Zaxby’s (a salad, Zaxby’s is a chicken fast food chain in the south) after grocery shopping. HAD TO. I didn’t even have a choice. I could eat them every day, so tasty.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still nauseous daily. Still IBS style pain daily. I’m one of the lucky ones! Har har.
Gender: Honestly don’t know. I’m just psyching myself out now and second guessing every feeling I have. It’s driving me insane.
Labor signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Same as last week… sciatic nerve pain, IBS style pain, and insane nausea. No change, and nothing has gotten better.
Belly button in or out? Innie.
Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy week! B bought a fryer so really how could it not be?
Looking forward to: Finding out gender. It’s at the point where I’M OVER not knowing. It’s getting old.
So remember how last week I bitched and moaned about not showing? I SWEAR to you I popped this week! Not necessarily noticeable to anyone but me or B (no comments from strangers at all yet) but I felt like I was showing and B confirmed. I was feeling awesome while shopping- my skinnies still fit but it’s getting HOT here so I needed capri pants. Seeing how much more comfortable maternity pants felt made me think, “Wow, I must be bigger than I thought!” I was feeling super pregnant and cute and then someone said “You’re pregnant!? You don’t look pregnant. Like, at all.” So that burst my bubble as you can imagine. File under things to not tell a pregnant lady. Guess I’ll just continue to overrun the interwebs with “LOOK IT’S A BUMP” pictures and then when I’m a whale I will be like “WTF WAS I THINKING I WAS TINY IN APRIL.” Oh hindsight.
Hope everyone is having a great week! A few PSA’s for you all…
I am selling off some nail polish dupes I have… check out my Pinterest board for the sale, if it’s not marked “sale pending” or “sold” it can be yours! Buy 3 or more for a fun extra!
Speaking of SALES, Laura is helping me to host an Origami Owl show! I’ll post more this week about what Origami Owl is (adorable customizable lockets, GREAT for Mother’s Day!) but if you’re familiar and want to order, SHOP ONLINE HERE: www.lalaslockets.origamiowl.com. You will shop like normal and at checkout you will select “Kelly’s Catalog Party” from the drop down menu so I get credit for your order! For some inspiration and to stay updated on specials, you can also like Laura’s Origami Owl facebook page! The party is open til Friday, which happens to be the last day to order before Mother’s Day!
Happy Monday!!!
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