maternity shoot

wanted to share some of our favorites from our maternity photo shoot. not only am i glad we decided to do it, but i am absolutely thrilled with how they turned out! we had a really fun time taking pictures with caitlin and she did a fantastic job telling us where to go and what we needed to do to not look so awkward... believe it or not, wes and i can be awkward. if you need someone to take pictures for you check out Caitlin Tyner Photography. http://caitlintynerphotography.weebly.com/blog

 

i'm glad caitlin captured that last photo... sums up wes and i pretty well. poor Graham, his parents are so weird. next time i post pictures they will be newborn shots!

final countdown

when i asked for a sewing machine for Christmas my family laughed. but i have put it to good use! i'm still learning how to use it, but so far i've made a pillow case, blackout curtains, and an elephant toy. i also used it for the baby mobile. i actually made three additional mobiles and opened an Etsy shop about a month ago. no sales yet, but lots of views! if you know of anyone having a baby and wants a creative mobile, send them my way! https://www.etsy.com/shop/rachellcate

i finished the nursery and a few more DIY projects just in time to KEEP WAITING for this baby. nine months is a long time! but we are about three weeks away from meeting our son, give or take. @ 37 weeks i was 1 cm dilated and measuring "right on schedule". he has dropped and is head down so thats good news! at night i have restless leg syndrome, get calf cramps, and i'm constantly changing positions. i get up about every 3 hours to pee. naps during the day are turning into a must. with all that being said, i've still had what i would consider an easy pregnancy. any day now!

here are my final nursery DIYs.

after some serious procrastination on the curtains, i finally went and bought the blackout fabric i needed to finish. i love love love how they turned out! the orange is perfect and 100% unique since they were handmade. oh and let me tell you when those curtains are closed, there is no light getting through. blackout success! you could sleep all day in that room.

a canvas covered in fabric with a puffy paint design! i was a little nervous about this one because i couldn't really undo it if things went badly. but i'm quite proud with how it turned out! i also wanted to share this wooden toy truck that a friend of ours made for him! so cool!

this week i decided to use some left over fabric and sew a stuffed elephant. i found the template on pinterest and it looked fairly easy. i did this project from start to finish in a couple hours. i LOVE it. i named him Elmer! cause every stuffed animal needs a name. i hope Graham loves him too. and of course i had to keep with the navy, gray and orange color scheme... the back of his ears are orange.

i have spent months putting together the nursery. it was like one giant project and a really good distraction from not working. i'm glad everything came together because at first it was just these random DIY ideas. now its probably the best decorated room in the apartment. and it makes our bedroom look very unfinished, but i'll get to that when we have a house. so the nursery is ready and waiting the arrival of its little human! i cannot wait! Graham will be here so soon!

shoes!

i have small feet... this makes finding shoes a challenge to say the least.

i say that i wear a size 5, but its really more like a 4.5 which isn't a real size hence the problem. i have one pair of heels and only wear them for formal occasions. i buy a lot of kid shoes - sandals, boots, gym shoes. i can usually find something that doesn't look like it was made for a child. heels are a different story, all childrens heels look like they were made for a kid. and they are always a short heel, booooo!

i love my chuck taylors! one of the only shoes that doesn't discriminate against people with small feet. i don't have to worry about not being able to find a color or style because they make them for kids too. i buy mine in youth size 2. and bonus! they are cheaper and look the same as the "adult" sizes. yay converse!

zappos does a great job of providing smaller sizes, however i like trying my shoes on before i buy them. i've learned to adapt because i've had no other choice.

today i hit the jackpot people. two new pair of shoes. that is reason to celebrate!

i bought a pair of sandals online and went to pick them up in the store. well, they ended up being a little too big, a little to bulky, and ultimately i decided to return them. payless was having their BOGO sale and i just happened to find two pairs that i liked and that fit. #neverhappens! they are both children's shoes - one a pair of American Eagle sandals in a size 3 and the other a pair of champion running shoes also a size 3. both are super cute. now the running shoes could possibly look like they are for kids, but they are totally awesome... leopard print and glow in the dark. #noregrets


feeling excited. had to share.
it is a rare occasion that i get this excited about shoes.

my pregnancy thus far!

30 weeks pregnant. only 10 weeks to go.
want to know how my pregnancy is going?? GOOD!

some people hate being pregnant, others love it. from what my OB tells me, i've had it pretty easy. i was extremely tired, but only had minor nausea for the first few weeks. i'm gaining the "right" amount of weight - i've been told to expect an average of 25-35 pounds. and i'm carrying mostly in my belly so far. my booty and thighs have gotten a little bigger, which has made fitting into my pants difficult... trying to wear jeans, forget it. i'm down to leggings and maternity jeans now. womp womp. sometimes i call myself big booty judy - one of my old coworkers introduced me to that phrase and i think its pretty fitting. my husband reminds me that i'm beautiful every day. and it is SO incredibly helpful to have someone cheering me on when i'm having an outfit meltdown, don't feel pretty, or get frustrated at being overly emotional.

speaking of being emotional... i have my moments people. yes, those hormones really mess with you. tears for no reason, tears because something is pretty, or because i feel extra sad. watching tv shows or movies... i will cry, it doesn't matter what it is. somewhere between the beginning and the end, it'll get me. for those of you harry potter fans, i cried when hermione created her patronus charm of an otter in order of the phoenix ... seriously, tears streaming down my face because the otter was so cute and happy. can't explain that one, it was definitely the pregnancy hormones. it goes both ways tho, i've been really mad over something incredibly not worth it. or yelled when i didn't need to. this is when sorry and an understanding husband comes in handy. bonus points for wes.

in the beginning i only had one craving... pickles. i like them more than the average person anyways, but it was out of control. i'm talking a jar a week. that subsided and i haven't really had any major cravings since. i've always been drawn to sweets. it could be because i'm home more and baking a lot, but i find myself unable to resist them - cookies, brownies, ice cream, oreos, etc. at one point i was worried our baby would come out addicted to sugar, BUT i found this myth article from parents.com that made me feel better.

this is what it said...
Myth: Pregnant women shouldn't eat sweets.
REALITY: There's a big exception to this rule: chocolate. New studies show that pregnant women who eat chocolate every day during pregnancy have babies who show less fear and smile and laugh more often at six months of age. Another study finds that women who eat five or more servings of chocolate each week during their third trimester have a 40 percent lower risk of developing the dangerous high blood pressure condition known as preeclampsia.

at my last appointment i had low blood pressure so i believe the article. i haven't really noticed much of an increase in my appetite. according to pregnancy folklore, if you're having a boy you should have a big appetite. FALSE. oh another old wives' tale is that you crave sweet things with a girl and salty things with a boy. that couldn't be more FALSE for me. and another one that didn't quite work out in my favor, your hair becomes fuller and more shiny if its a boy. again FALSE. some people swear by those old wives' tales, i do not.

now that i'm in the third trimester and my baby bump is noticeably growing each week, i have begun to feel less comfortable. and since i'm short my torso isn't that long, so Graham doesn't have a whole lot of wiggle room. i've already felt him up in my ribs, not pleasant. my back gets sore if i stand for a long time... shoot it gets sore if i sit too long. some nights i feel like i need a forklift to help me turn over. and i do feel bad for wes, his "side of the bed" is rapidly shrinking. the fort of pillows is really taking over. and our cat has become very attached to me, especially at night. she wants to sleep right next to me. i feel bad so of course i let her even tho it leaves less room for wes and makes me hot. so here's to the last two months of becoming more uncomfortable... for both of us.

oh! the other thing i didn't mention, my bladder. it is always full. and i will admit i have peed my pants. a forceful sneeze will do the job or too much laughter will send me waddling straight to the bathroom. TMI? sorry. if you want to hear the story about how my sister really got me, just ask.

pregnancy is an adventure. everyone's is different and i've really enjoyed mine. it is a beautiful time that comes with a little bit of junk, but when i see my baby boy for the first time, none of that junk is going to matter.

counting down til we get to meet him!

nursery projects.

baby update.

5 weeks ago wes and i went to my 20 week ultrasound. we found out the sex of our baby and got to see how everything was measuring. baby Cate is a BOY! its amazing to see the progression from the first scan to the third scan, he looks like an actual baby now instead of a tiny bean. we saw feet, hands, face, spine, brain, profile, everything. he wasn't feeling shy at all and moved so much the ultrasound tech had to chase him. he's perfect and adorable and i love him so much already. over the past few weeks he's been kicking more and more. its such a strange feeling, hard to describe, but wonderful. i absolutely love feeling him move around.


DIY madness.

while i was waiting to find out our baby gender and start nursery planning i needed something to do. my sister is having a mickey mouse clubhouse themed birthday party for my nephew's first birthday. i decided to make the invitations. the ones she wanted were on etsy, but they were so expensive... $5 for 1 invite. excuse me, what. so i figured out how to make them and it turned out to be a whole lot cheaper. and it wasn't too hard either. i made 20 invites for about $25 and they are just as adorable.

 

now that we know that little baby Cate is a boy, the nursery planning, decorating, and crafting has been in full swing. i've been having so much fun doing all these projects and watching his room come together. the color scheme is navy, orange, and gray. wes and i wanted it to be different and not too babyish.

for my first project i wanted to display his name in his room somehow. this idea just sort of came together. i found a frame that i liked at Michael's and bought it without knowing what i would use it for. i had leftover fabric from sewing a pillow case and i found these galvanized letters at hobby lobby. i stapled the fabric to the frame and hot glued the letters onto the fabric. turned out great! baby Graham :)

my second project was a painting of sorts made out of popsicle sticks. i found it on Pinterest, like most of my projects, and just adapted it to my colors. it was super easy and looks really cool. bought a frame at Michael's and arranged the sticks to each other randomly with hot glue.

 

my third project was reupholstering a lamp found at goodwill for $2. the base was originally maroon and the shade was cream with a flower pattern around the bottom. i bought a new shade because the fabric i wanted to use wasn't thick enough to stop the pattern from showing. i covered the shade in orange and white fabric and painted the base orange. brand new! and unique. i also used this fabric to cover a canvas square and hot glued a G onto it.

 

my fourth project was a baby mobile. i went to Michael's, my favorite store, and bought cardstock paper in navy, light blue, white, orange, and a lighter shade of orange. cut about 15 -20 circles in 3 different sizes. arranged them on the floor in rows from navy to light orange. each row had a different amount of circles so the lengths weren't all the same. once i liked how the rows looked, i ran the circles through my sewing machine with white thread. then i attached each row to a circle mirror. tied twine to the top and ta da! baby mobile with a mirror.

my fifth project is still a work in progress. i'm making blackout curtains. its nearly impossible to find orange and white curtains so i figured i could make them myself. everything is measured, i just need to run it through the sewing machine. i still have about 3.5 months to go... so who knows what other projects i will come up with between now and then.

happy crafting!

baby mania

i tried to start a baby registry the other day.

HOLY COW. what am i doing?!? there are a MILLION baby products. how do you choose?? this is overwhelming... and exciting, but seriously its overwhelming. since when did babies have so much gear??

i started by making a list of "must-haves", i thought that would help. but its still a pretty long list. so i called my sister and figured out a list of things i'm getting from her. i also have some things i want to make... burp cloths, crib sheets, etc. however i want to wait until we know whether its a boy or girl before i start those projects, so i have another month to wait.

i had an appointment today. 16 weeks. wes drove me since he was working from home and it snowed, i'm really turning into a freak when it comes to snow. anyways, it was a super short appointment. we heard the heartbeat again! still crazy every time. baby Cate is cooking away. oh after the nurse weighed me i turned around to see wes smiling, so i said what? are you laughing cause i'm getting fat. and he said is that the most you've ever weighed, to which i answered yes. so that was fun, thanks husband. thats what i get for asking him to drive me.

since i have a whole month before i can really dive into my baby DIYs, i figured i needed to get the sewing machine out and set it up. while trying to thread the machine i could not find this piece i needed to really get things going. i was getting so mad, i thought the box gypped me on the accessories. i found them... hiding in a secret compartment of course. after my little freak out, i sewed 3 lines! they are terribly crooked, but i did it! i'm gonna need some more practice.

back to sewing!

looking back and forward

january 2014 i made a list of goals...

- get vet tech license
- workout
- take more trips
- write at least one blog a month
- make a new friend
- learn to crochet or knit
- one DIY project a month
- try new food
- convince Wes to get a kitty
- read 5 books
- save for a big trip

i got my vet tech license, i started running last spring, wes and i did take some trips, i didn't quite write a blog each month, i made several new friends, taught myself to crochet, did not do a DIY each month, probably didn't really try new food either, wes will never let me have another cat, i don't think i even finished one book, and instead of saving for a big trip we just went on a big trip. i think i did pretty good.
-----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----  -----
goals for 2015:

- grow a baby
- be a mommy
- learn to sew
- continue to learn to crochet
- read 2 books
- one DIY project a month

since i'm currently unemployed and just growing a baby, i have a lot of free time... (until June). i could have half of this list done by february.

here's to 2015! i'm gonna be a mommy!

how is it December?

these last few months have flown by. seriously, how is it already December? two days and it'll be 2015. thats just crazy.

wes and i have had several changes in the last couple months. the most exciting of those changes, is that we are expecting our first baby in June!
we are beyond excited to meet our little one. i'm 15 weeks, second trimester, and in 5 short weeks we will find out if its a boy or a girl! hearing the heartbeat for the first time was such a surreal and magical moment that we will never forget. i've been more tired than ever, super nauseous at times, and i pee way more than i used to. my appetite has definitely increased and my baby bump is growing, thats both exciting and weird. the changes are comforting, knowing that i'm experiencing normal pregnancy symptoms and that the baby is progressing. and in 6 months baby Cate will arrive!

we also moved into a bigger apartment a few weeks ago. our 700 square feet apartment was cozy, but with a baby on the way we felt it was time for an upgrade. so now our space is a little over 1,000 square feet with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a bigger kitchen! wes and i have been adjusting to all the extra space. we still try to talk to each other from the other room, which doesn't really work since they are further apart and we can't hear what the other person is saying. theres been a lot of "what"... "what" going on. the bigger space is definitely nice, but the view from our living and dining room makes the apartment awesome, beautiful woods and the white river!

the most recent of changes is that i quit my job. i worked at the dog bakery for over 4 years and have really enjoyed my time there. however with recent changes, my heart just wasn't in the work anymore. i still love dogs. and i will most likely do way more baking at home, which i'm sure wes and whoever else i share with won't mind. i'm looking forward to a less structured time before the chaos of a baby and all the changes that go with that. i have several projects in mind and plenty to keep myself busy. i received a sewing machine and a knitting round loom set for Christmas, so i'm about to get real crafty. i am interested in doing some babysitting, so if you or anyone you know needs a sitter, let me know! who knows, i have no plans.

its almost the new year and that means resolutions. i have no resolutions. i usually just set goals and plan for a new adventure. well i haven't thought of goals, but my new adventure is being a mom. and i cannot wait for baby Cate to be here.

September DIY

FALL WREATH.

last friday, macey and i had a craft day... well afternoon. we went to michaels and bought supplies to make wreaths. getting in the fall spirit! i love crafts and DIY projects. but it was so much more fun having a friend to do it with! macey and i made our own wreaths with our own styles. they both turned out beautifully! and i'm so proud of macey for her first DIY wreath project. woop woop!

materials: wreath, ribbon, wood initial letter, leaves and other accessories, paint, hot glue gun, and a creative mind.

 

YEAR ROUND WREATH.

i made a spring/summer/whenever wreath back in February. my oh so sweet husband pointed out that my fall wreath was so good that i felt my other wreath didn't look as awesome anymore so i decided to spice up the other wreath before i put it in storage.
i rearranged the flowers, redid the bow (after i learned how to make a bigger and prettier bow), and added a little detail to the initial. definitely more attractive to look at. i'm quite happy with my adjustments!
(before on the LEFT. after on the RIGHT.)

SCARF.

i made it a goal to teach myself to crochet this year. and i FINALLY did it! i started learning a few weeks ago. figured out the basics and then began making a scarf. i ended up pulling the whole thing out, it was too short and thick and awkward. so i restarted, made it longer and thinner.
i'm proud of it, love the color yarn. and its the perfect warm and cozy winter scarf! i'll make my next one longer so theres a little more room to loop it around my neck. or whoever's neck. who knows how many i'll make. its an addictive hobby. i'm really excited to learn more and make hats and gloves and little toys for our baby... that we don't have yet. yay crocheting!

summer... part 2

since summer is officially over, i decided the part two of my summer blog is overdue. honestly i don't know if i can remember all the way back to when part one ended. but here it goes...

we celebrated MY 24th BIRTHDAY at the beginning of July. most of my family came to indy to spend the day with me, which felt backwards since we are usually together at my parent's house instead of our tiny apartment. but it was so nice! i had the day off. hung out with kelly and greyson in the morning. went to Moe's with dad for lunch. and then mom and wes joined us for dinner at Bazbeaux's. natalie was missed, but it was still fun and i definitely felt special. oh i also got crazy awesome birthday gifts! new white chucks, a pair of wedge toms, a new alex and ani paw print bracelet! so blessed.

on the FOURTH OF JULY we celebrated, as it should be, with a cookout and fireworks. we had some friends over for hotdogs, burgers, chips and salsa, etc. super fun! we used one of the apartment complex grills for the first time. played frisbee while Wes prepared
the meat. ate outside on the patio with two patio chairs, two lawn chairs, and the chairs from the dining room table. it looked funny, but it worked. we sat around and talked for a bit then decided to play tennis and kill some time before going to see the Geist fireworks. we grabbed all the tennis balls we own, which is a ridiculous amount for two people who only play tennis for fun, and the 5 rackets and headed to the courts. oh and the frisbee came too. it turned into a game that we named thunder bbq. i actually missed it... and i'm still uspet about that! i went back to clean the apartment up so cleo didn't get into anything while we were at the fireworks. we caravanned to chrissy's parents house to park and then walked to the fireworks on the Geist bridge. super crowded, but a great view. great night with friends!

the second weekend in July was really busy. on friday night we went to an INDIANS GAME. wes' first baseball game. ever. with keegan and emily dunn! and it was star wars night! people dressed up and star wars music played. it was fun. and weird. i'm pretty sure we lost, oh well. and since it was a friday night game there were fireworks. for minor league baseball, they sure do a really good firework show. like it was better than the fourth of july fireworks. on saturday kelly dropped of greyson for my WEEKEND with BABY G! it was mostly my idea. i wanted to borrow him. or steal him, but she won't let me. anyways i got to babysit for a little over 24 hours. he was a little fussy on sunday, but did great on saturday. and slept through the night in his pack and play! i thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with my little nephew, who is really not so little for his age. adorable outfits, snuggles, we took him to church and confused everyone, wes read to him probably one of the cutest things ever. i would do it again. or maybe we will just have our own #babyfever

we had another theme night with friends. ITALIAN NIGHT. wes and i made zucchini pasta. so yummy! with caesar salad, some kind of delicious pepperoni stuffed bread, and pizza... the pizza was a last minute thing. we weren't sure if we would have enough zucchini pasta so we grabbed a little caesars pizza on the way. so lame, but we thought better safe than hungry. we were introduced to a new board game, ticket to ride. crazy fun, put it on my wish list. and watched ratatouille, which we realized was actually french, not italian. i'm not sure why it took us so long to figure that one out. oh good times.

the month of August... of course we had to go to the STATE FAIR! its just one of those things you have to do. ate fair food, walked around and saw the terrifyingly unsafe fair rides, and my favorite... saw the fair animals. the baby barn is the best. newborn calves! and the piglets in the pork barn, so cute. it's basically the same every year, but always fun to go and walk around.

the second weekend in August, wes and i went on our all inclusive vacation to JAMAICA. only a three hour plane ride from indy to jamaica. who would've thought... we should do that more often! on the plane a flight attendant asked where my parents were while wes was in the bathroom so that was neat.

i guess i don't look old enough to travel alone or be married. customs took forever. and then we had an hour or so drive to our resort, which felt like forever, but we got to see a little bit of jamaica. i was surprised by the amount of large, wealthy looking homes. and they had a lot of stray herds of goats. our resort was in Ocho Rios. apparently there is a lot to do in that area, like dunn's river falls, swimming with dolphins, zipline, bobsledding, and whatever else; we didn't leave the resort once we got there. 
it was one full week of pool, beach, ocean, food, alcohol, ice cream, sunshine, and sunscreen. so much sunscreen. i'd never been on an all inclusive trip before and it was kinda hard to adjust to that mindset. it felt rude to just leave dinner without paying or tipping. we got better as the week went on, but it was still weird. i absolutely loved the you can eat ice cream. it was the prefect, relaxing get away we wanted. no obligations, no time line or schedule. just sat and soaked up the sun, read, and hung out. it was nice. so nice. i could've stayed longer if cleo was with us. i missed her. speaking of cleo, she turned four in August. its weird to think i've had her for four years! i love that little fat fur baby! #crazycatlady

after our trip we toned down the excitement for a few weeks. got back into work routines and the simplicity of our daily life. the Haag's took us to the ZOO the first sunday in September. i LOVE the zoo! we hadn't been all summer. and it was the first time i saw the new orangutan exhibit! they were inside, but it was still neat watching them move around and swing on the ropes. they almost don't look real! hah! the weather was perfect. everyone probably already knows, but my favorite animal to see are the elephants. i will work with them someday. it was a super fun afternoon with really awesome people.

the second weekend in September, we had a weekend away with some folks from Leavener at HOLIDAY WORLD. wes and i camped in an RV for two nights and hung out around a campfire. on saturday we went to the park. it was too chilly for the water park, but we walked around and rode a few rides. the raven was my favorite, a 45 second wooden roller coaster. i think we rode it 3 times, twice in the back and once in the very front. the park wasn't super crowded so while we were walking around we were constantly running into familiar faces. it was another relaxing little trip, but surrounded by friends.

and that wraps up our summer!