happy father's day!

i have to say, i have been mighty blessed with such good and Godly men in my life! every year, i am more thankful to call him "dad" and him "hubby".  believe it or not, the day i met Jr, he smelled like my dad... exactly.  Exactly enough to where i found out they were sporting the exact same cologne, D&G.  if that wasn't a sign, i dunnoooo. ha!

they both inspire me in their own way, and i can honestly say i am a better person because of them.  i love you both, dearly!  thank you, for loving me unconditionally!  father's play such a HUGE HUGE role in a child's life, and I thank God for blessing me with men of such character, honor, and LOVE!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

so true!

faith & love, 

casey

35 Weeks

today, i am 36 weeks and 2 days.
i have this odd odd feeling, she'll be here next week, if not late this week.
or maybe its just been the fact that i have been go go go my entire pregnancy, that these past few days, i've been able to chill, and am finally coming to the realization that i am indeed very very preggo.

i thank God, for giving me such fabulous energy this pregnancy... its gone smoothly and with very very minor complications, if that's what you want to call it.  however, this pregnancy has been a complete 180 of Aislynn's.  everything is quite different... good and bad in aspects, but overall, a blessed experience, and one which i can honestly say i'm sad to see go.  Bella Boo and I have bonded so much these past couple of months, i can't help but see God's beautiful miracles day in and day out... they're kinda just screaming at me saying, "hallelujah! you serve an awesome God!"  its been a beautiful journey to say the least!  thank you, daddy Jesus!

sometimes, i wish i could vlog because i have so much to say, but i'm not much of a video camera person, and with all of this heartburn + pressure on my lungs, it will take me forever to spit out one clear sentence without sounding like i'm going to die.  so here goes...
ps. it gets kinda graphic as you read further, but i'm an open book, and have def appreciated all of the other mommy bloggers and vbloggers who have been just as open about their pregnancy, so thought i would return the favor.
 
i can't really tell if she's dropped... i mean, she's already so big, i dunno if there's any more room for her to actually drop anywhere, so only time will tell.  or, perhaps my doctor will at my next appointment on wednesday, which is when i will start going every week.  i def haven't been able to breathe easier, but again, she's prob already 8 lbs IF the ultrasound was correct, and I'm still under my weight gain, so my stomach is rather hard... like real real hard.  sometimes, so hard, i just want to cry, not so much because it hurts, but it is a real annoying feeling... not sure how to describe it, but its just not fun...at all.  it aches, and then when a braxton hicks hits, it feels like it can't possibly get any harder. 

my braxton hicks are tricky.  i get them more times a day that i can count.  on sunday, they were consistent for only 40 mins, and then POOF, they were gone.  today, in the grocery store, i got my most painful one, and then from there, they've been off and on.  i usually have to brace myself when i feel one coming, because again, my stomach gets super hard, and it literally takes my breath my away, and then, i look like i've been shot. ha!

i'm beginning to feel lots of pressure down in errr that zone. ha!  but again, not sure if she's ready, dropped, or is just super big, and perhaps there's just no where else her big head can move.  tricky tricky, yet again.

my trips to the restroom are very frequent... didn't think they could get more frequent, but i find myself sitting on the royal throne half asleep once every hour. 

i've been using the potty (um. #2) quite often... at first i thought it was something i had eaten, but that would have passed already, so i find myself in the rr more often than not. 

the nausea has officially returned, and blah... i just can't eat like i did a month ago. my appetite is like, "yeahhhh right" ::whimper::

i'm superrrrrrrrrrrrrr tired.  (was that enough, "r's"??)  again... not sure if its because i have just been so darn busy, or because i really am that tired.  either way, i can't get enough sleep.

sleeping has become difficult... very difficult.  and yes, i know i won't be getting sleep later... i have been through this before. lol but there's a huge difference in losing sleep because you are woken up every 45 minutes than losing sleep because you aren't even sleeping more than 45 minutes the entire night. the soreness down there leaves me dreading bed time, so i stay up as late as my eyes will burn without really burning, and then i struggle the entire night... trying to find a position that will make the pain down below not as painful, yet somewhat bearable. plus, i have sleep apnea, and am already woken up every 30 minutes, naturally. boo.  however, THIS pillow, has really really been a life saver the past 6 months, when the pain down below actually began.  i highly recommend it!  i will note, the way the pillow is positioned in the picture (on the link) was how i originally began sleeping with it, however, my stomach is just so big these days, the larger part of the pillow is now between my legs, and the smaller part of the pillow is now supporting my belly.  otherwise, i'll experience back pain from the weight not being distributed correctly. 

last, but not least... i'm 50% sure i lost my plug on Sunday, morning.  was in the restroom superrr early, and when i went to flush, i took a quick glance at the toilet, and saw what looked like it was umm my plug, however, by the time my sleep eyes could focus, all had been flushed away.  however, the discharge i was having earlier this week, disappeared after what i think i saw happened.  in addition to what i think i saw, back cramps are more frequent and more painful. =/

all in all, hoping to get some kind of results/answers on wednesday, because in all honesty, i am feeling miserable at this point with zero answers.  its frustrating, and of course, i just want to know if something is going on.   
 
anywho, here's a mini recap of my 35th week!
i can't believe i'm already 36 weeks, yet at the same time, July 2 seems awfully far away, IF she decides to wait that long... i highly doubt it. =P

35 Weeks:

mini me started swimming, last week, and she made more progress in a 45 min session, than she did all of last summer! so proud of her!

 it wasn't sunny out, however, with the lack of sleep, you'd think i had been crying my eyes out the entire night, they were so swollen. =(

 

and here we are! 

baby shower came and went... not without drama, of course, but tis was a blessed day, anyway! Thank you, to everyone who shared this special day with us, not to mention braved this crazy-houston-we-aren't-even-in-the-summer-yet-heat!  love you! <3


ps. excuse the typos... its 3am. 

faith & love, 

casey

nursery {sneak peek}

if you follow me on facebook or pinterest, you'll see i have been nursery-decorating-obsessed since even before i found out Bella was/is a SHE.  some people probably don't put as much thought into it all, and think i am entirely way too crazy, but i love love love to decorate, love the feeling of accomplishing something i worked truly hard at, and the final product... nothing compares! the creativity just sky rockets and that, my friend, is my therapy. =]

i searched and searched for ideas... you know on pinterest, searching for ONE idea can turn into months and months of hours logged in. yep. that happened.  i knew for sure i didn't want pastels... they're pretty, but too cliche for me, and i wanted a theme i can run with when Bella Boo gets older, because obviously re-decorating a room is quite costly.  finally, after lots of pinning and web-surfing, it was there... right in front of me, "Bella." her names says it all... "BEAUTIFUL." so, that was where the brainstorming began... Spanish flair was the theme.

moving has somewhat hindered the process of it all coming together, simply because i need to visually see what's going where... otherwise, i'll end up with too much stuff and not enough places to put it.  that, and a hurt wallet. ha!  now, that we are finally here, its all coming to me, and i can't be more thrilled! its a work in progress, definitely, but one thing at a time... one wall at a time... one shelf at a time... Soon enough, it will be complete!


here's what has been orchestrated so far.
hope you enjoy.
<3

 a lot of the goodies in her room are thrifted, hand-me-downs, or purchased at Hobby Lobby's 40-50% off sale, or given as gifts.

--the chair and ottoman i purchased at Goodwill over a year ago... it has cute little pineapples on it... i'm reallyyy wanting to re-do it, but Jr is obsessed with the pineapples, so okay, I'll leave it alone... for now. ha  anywho, its a chair that snuggles with you! i love it, and for $35, i couldn't pass it up.

-- the vintage spanish crocheted throw was given to me by my Aunt/God Mother... it was given to her when was young. its huge and super comfy!

-- the teddy bear was Aislynn's... "Boo Boo Bear"... my mother gave this to her as a warm fuzzie to hold when she wasn't feeling well.

-- the side table is actually a plant holder... i loveddd the cast iron and detail of it, so i snagged it at Hobby Lobby for $14.99 on clearance.  its mainly to place her bottles and little odds and in's while feeding, reading, or singing her to sleep.

-- the dresser was my mother's when she was younger... my sister and my dad re-did it about 2 years ago, and i threatened asked my sister to have it, and she gave in.  so sweet of her!

-- the glass lamp on the dresser was given to me by the same aunt who gave me the throw. looking to get a lamp shade from goodwill, and cover it with red ruffle trim.

-- the cross, rug, and crown (pictured above) was purchased at Hobby Lobby... again at 50% off. (i'm obsessed with that store... i guess.)

-- the stuffed little birdies are for Bella's mobile that i will be making... the entire thing cost me less than $12. =]

-- the tall vintage lamp shade (pictured above) was FREE at a garage sale.  i plan on hanging it from the corner ceiling over the chair.

-- the mirror on the wall was given to me by my mother... its gold right now... debating on painting it canary yellow to match the sheer curtains i have yet to buy... looking to add red pom poms as a trim to that as well.

-- {what you can't see just yet}
*  her toy box... its solid wood and cherry brown... it was mine when i was a wee one, and its perfect to house all of her toys and little goodies.

* vintage throws...  i have a pretty hefty amount that has been given and/or thrifted/collected as props.  so, we are purchasing zero blankets... except special breathable receiving blankets to accommodate these crazy Houston summer months. 



thank you, to those who have contributed to Bella's room!  it gives me warm fuzzies to know you are thinking of her.  and to those who gave prior to Preggersville Round 2, thank you for sharing and shedding light on my little inspiration. <3

will be sharing more, soon!


faith & love,
casey