Worst.Blogger.Ever.

Seriously.  It has been 2 weeks since I last posted.  A lot has happened in those two weeks.  Sorry I suck; I'm pregnant and at this point I'm just counting down the minutes until The Sailor gets home from deployment...

Here's everything you've missed...

I printed/framed/hung up the pet silhouettes for the nursery!  I absolutely love them.  I think I'm going to put a quote (in vinyl) above or beneath them...

You can also see that I did some stenciling on the lamp shade!  Another project that I absolutely adore.

My Mom got us our carseat, stroller, and the conversion kit so that the carseat can go in the stroller.  We decided to go with the Graco Snugride 25 and the Baby Jogger City Mini.  At this point I couldn't be happier with these products, but I'll have to actually review them once The Seamonkey gets here!

Gabby loves to steal the spotlight

I climbed my pregnant ass up on a chair and hung the lanterns above the changing table.  Yet another project that turned out even better than I thought it would.  And I used my leftover pinwheels from my DIY mobile by attaching them to the underside of the lanterns!

You can also see the hanging basket on the wall that will be used to hold diapering accessories!

I sewed some diaper covers!!!  My sewing machine finally got here from Pittsburgh and I dove into my first project.  They are far from perfect (the seams are a little wonky) but I love them!  I used all Babyville Boutique products - PUL, elastic, velcro, and even the pattern - which can be found at Joann Fabrics.  The dinosaur one (on the left) is newborn size and the monster one (on the right) is size small.

Lola got spayed!  And while she was all drugged up post-op she totally looked like Doby the House Elf from Harry Potter, hahahaha.

And finally, I prepped (aka washed a million times) all my cloth diapers and supplies and organized and put them away in the dresser.  I even stuffed all the pockets and origami folded the flats!  And I 100% accept the fact that this stuff will never be this organized again...

And I know I still owe you all initial reviews on the diapers I bought.  I promise I'll get around to that.  I think I might vlog them, but I'm not sure yet...thoughts?

So, that's what I failed to post about the past two weeks.  Again, I apologize.  If there is anything I mentioned here that you are dying to read more about (aka have me write a post dedicated to it) just let me know and I'd be more than happy to!

Until next time...

Nursery Updates!!!

Since January is coming to a close, I figured I'd give you some nursery updates!!!  Here's my original to-do list (from earlier this month):


Things I need to buy:

• Crib mattress - I got this from Target ($60)
• Shelves (I want floating shelves for the wall, not like a book case)
• Crib bedding set - I got this from Target ($100 - on sale when I purchased it)

• Paper lanterns - I got a variety of sizes from The Paper Lantern Store ($30).  I still need to hang these though
• Hooks and baskets - I got these  from Target ($20)

And here are the DIY projects I have lined up:

• Final touches to my crib 
• Refinish my dresser/changing table combo
• Mobile for over the crib
• Print, mat, and frame the pet silhouettes - coming soon!!!

On top of that, a few random things:

• Make the final decision on my rocker/glider.  My Dad is going to be buying this for us/the baby, but I need to decide what I actually want!

I went with this glider from Babies R Us.  The blanket and pillow on the chair came with the bedding set.  The lamp is from Home Goods ($40), the side table was kinda a splurge from Overstock ($57), the circles above the chair are mirror wall decals I got from Totsy ($7 - Totsy is a flash sale site; if you  don't have an account already you should make one here!!!), and the stuffed puppy I got at Marshall's on clearance because it was dirty but once through the wash and it's fine ($7)!

 And again (with the shades closed and the light on):

And a close-up of the mirror wall decals:

• Prep the diapers I've purchased already.  When you use cloth diapers you have to wash them a few times before you use them in order to maximize their absorbency.
• Wash all the clothes I've gotten.  There's the stuff I've bought (or other people have bought) and on top of that I just bought a bunch of used baby stuff and it came with a bunch of clothes, but more on that on my weekly update this week!
• Put away/organize all the diapers, baby cloths, etc.
• Figure out what I forgot to put on this list and do that too, lol. - This is going to be ongoing, lol

New Additions to the List:

• Do some stenciling on the lampshade
• Create labels for the closet organizers I purchased
• Frame/hang an animal/alphabet print I got off Zulily (another Flash Sale site; if you don't have an account with them you should totally make one here!)
• Cut out a quote (which quote is still under debate) in vinyl using my Cricut (once it gets here from Pittsburgh - yes, I'm still waiting to get some of my stuff from Pittsburgh) to stick on the wall.

And here's what the rest of the nursery currently looks like at this point.  It's shameful; but I know once I start hanging things and organizing the clothes/diapers it'll all come together...

 I promise I'll be posting about all the cloth diapers I've purchased soon!!!


I forget how much I spent on the night light, but it was next to nothing; I got it from Marshall's.  I also still have to figure out what to do with all my extra pinwheels; some of them will be hung up with the lanterns (above the changing table) but I'm not sure about the rest.

 This wall has become a place for me to place random crap.  AKA this wall is a hot mess.

 Here's a close-up of my favorite books from when I was little, I stole these from my Mom while I was home for Christmas, haha.  The top one is In the Night Kitchen and the other four are the Good Dog Carl books that are about the shenanigans that a baby and her pet rottweiler get into when the Mom let's the rottweiler babysit the baby, hahahaha.

 The organizers are already hanging in the closet, I just need to wash all the clothes (on the floor and on the top shelf in the closet) and put them away!  And yes, the door is currently off it's hinges; I had to remove it to get the rocking chair in the room and I'm having trouble putting it back up.  The Sailor can do it when he gets home.  And hanging on the door is the Vera Bradley Diaper Bag my Dad got me for Christmas!

So there you have it!  Despite all the progress I've made this month, the nursery is currently in shambles, hahaha.  Next time you see it will probably be once everything is done, but I will obviously share pictures of the DIY projects I complete between now and then!

Did your nursery look like a hot mess for a while before it all came together or were you super organized from the start?

Until next time...

**All images are personal photos**

DIY - Mobile for the Nursery!

I'm super excited with how this project turned out and the pictures really don't do it justice!  Hopefully once The Sailor gets home and can actually hang it (from the ceiling) for me I'll be able to get some better pictures!  But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Here are the supplies I used:

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Here's a breakdown...top row (starting on the left):

• Needlenose pliers
• Crimping beads
• Slightly elastic, clear thread (found in the jewelry making section of Michaels)
• Clear beads
• Inner hoop of 3 different sized embroidery hoops.  I had already spray painted these gray (when I was working on the dresser) and I actually only ended up using 2 of them.

Bottom row (again, starting on the left)

• Pinwheels! I used 4 in x 4 in squares of paper and the instructions found here.  Since the paper I found that I liked was one-sided I had to glue two pieces together and I just used a glue stick to do this.  Then the brad I used to secure it all together was actually a little rhinestone to add a little sparkle!  I didn't use all of these (I went a little overboard when I was making them, lol) - I only used 5 of them - but I'll find a way to use the rest in another part of the nursery!!!
• Adhesives - but I only used the hot glue gun for this project.

Step 1:

Attach the two embroidery hoops to one another.  I used the string and just cut out 4 pieces that were the same length and spaced them evenly around the hoop (using hot glue).

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Step 2:

String the pinwheels so they can be hung from the embroidery hoops.  To do this, first I cut a length of the string and put a crimping bead on the very end - all you have to do is hold the crimping bead in the needlenose pliers and compress in on the very end of the string.  Then I put one of the larger, clear beads on the string:

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Step 3:

Attach the pinwheel to the beaded string.  All I did for this was put a glob of hot glue on the back of the pinwheel and use that to adhere the clear bead to the pinwheel:

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Step 4:

Create strings of beads for added interest.  So, in order to not make the mobile look too cluttered I ended up deciding to hang 2 pinwheels from the bottom hoop, 2 from the top, and 1 down the middle.  To add a little more visual interest I decided to create 2 strings of the clear beads to hang from the bottom and top hoops.  I created these using the crimping beads just like in step 2.

Step 5:

Attach two pinwheels and two strings of beads to the lower hoop.  I did this with the hot glue:

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Step 6:

Attach two pinwheels and two strings of beads to the upper hoop.  I did this with the hot glue.

Step 7:

Attach 4 identical length pieces of ribbon to the top hoop to be used to hang the mobile from.  They need to be the same length and be equally spaced around the top hoop; I attached them with hot glue.  Then I tied the four pieces of ribbon together in the middle.

Step 8:

Attach 1 pinwheel to the knot in the hanging-ribbon:

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At this point you really could be done!!  But, I didn't like that you could see the hot glue blobs on the inside of the hoops so I decided to cover that.

Step 9:

Cover the inside of the two hoops with ribbon.  For this I just used double sided tape.

Et voila, a DIY pinwheel mobile for the nursery:

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Yes, I'm holding the mobile with a banana hook, lol

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Isn't it pretty???  And super simple/in-expensive.  My best guess would be that I spent $15 on supplies for this project - can't beat that!

Until next time...

I'm officially the most vain person ever...

This morning I was having a conversation with Gabby that went a little something like this...

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Me - Lordy Gabby, this acne is driving me crazy.  If I could change anything about this pregnancy, I would get rid of my pregnancy-acne.
Gabby - Really Mom?  You can't think of any other symptom you'd rather get rid of?
Me - Nope.  My skin is driving me bonkers!
Gabby - Weren't you just in so much pain that you were in tears?  Wouldn't you much rather get rid of your back pain?
Me - Hmmmm...you're right, but nope, I'd still rather get rid of the acne.


Okay, so obviously I wasn't actually having a conversation with Gabby, lol, but don't judge me!  I live by myself (until The Sailor gets back from deployment) so instead of admitting that I totally talk to myself way too much, I just talk to Gabby!  Plus, she's a great listener...

But seriously, I would rather have clear skin and still deal with my severe back pain.  How horrible is that?  I'm the most vain person ever!!!  And after I had this revelation, I started to think about it and try to rationalize it and I decided it isn't completely due to the fact that I'm super obsessed with how I look.  The fact of the matter is, I've been dealing with back problems for a while now.  I'm used to being in pain (as sad as that is for a 23 year old to admit).  I'm not used to being fat and having acne.  I.feel.gross.  It's that simple.  And I can't prevent the baby belly from happening, because I'm growing a freaking baby!  But before I was pregnant, this is what I would consider "breaking out:"

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That's right - one pimple and my life was over.  I would kill to only have one pimple now!

Did I mention this is actually my 26 week update?  Because it is...haha.  Apart from realizing I'm way too obsessed with how I look, this week I got the best deal on a bunch of baby stuff!

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That is...the most adorable (and practically brand new) bassinet, a trash bag {stuffed full} of baby boys clothes and blankets, a baby bath tub, a "travel swing" (the kind that can fold down to next to nothing), one of those seats that lights up and vibrates, and a play mat.  Guess how much I paid for all that.  No, seriously guess...












$40!!!!!!!!!!!  Yeah - all of that for only $40!  And the best part is their baby boy was born in the beginning of May so the different sized clothes will be the right seasons for The Seamonkey! Well, as close as you could hope to get since I'm due in early April.  I officially have way too much clothes for this little guy, lol.

And I guess that's really all that's new this week on the pregnancy front (apart from my growing belly).  I officially ordered the rest of my cloth diaper stash this morning, so once all those get here I'll start a series on why I chose the brands I did and my initial reviews of the diapers.  Plus I have a bunch of plans for the nursery that I'll be updating you all on soon enough (I'm actually covered in primer right now from starting the work on the dresser/changing table combo, lol)!  And on top of that I actually have a lot of news to share with you all that isn't pregnancy related at all!  So the next few weeks should actually be pretty fun blog-post wise!

Until next time...

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That Poor Guy...

...and no, I'm not referring to The Sailor.  Who, for what it's worth, is in Dubai right now.  And it's awesome because since they're in port he can actually email back and forth with me, which is basically like texting (since I do the majority of my emailing on my phone) which makes it feel like he's much closer than he actually is!  Before I get into the bulk of this post, I have a sudden urge to show off my sweetie...

 These are some of the jets that The Sailor works on.  In case you didn't know, his technical title is Aviation Structural Mechanic - he's a jet mechanic.  And yes, the jets say "Go Navy, Beat Army" on the wings.  They are painted like that for Army vs. Navy football games...

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Here is a super cool picture of The Sailor working.  At least he claims it's him, he could totally be lying.  But, since he's my hubby, I choose to believe him. (But let's be serious - how could he even know for sure that's him up on the wing??)

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This one is for sure The Sailor working, lol.  I think he's super sexy when he's working...then again at this point I even find the shadow-esque picture of him sexy...

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So anyways, back to the poor guy this post is actually about...my Dad.

He's so darn worried about me being out here by myself.  He gets excited when I say I have plans to do things with other people, haha.  And in all honesty, he's the only member of my direct family that I actually speak to on a regular basis so I end up calling him quite a bit.

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That's my Dad - he hates pictures, and he's a wise ass...

Well, the other day I was chatting on the phone with him and Christmas came up.  I said something along the lines of, "I've been thinking about what I'm going to get myself for Christmas since there really isn't anyone else who will be getting me any presents this year..." and I really didn't mean anything by it.  I wasn't throwing myself a pity party, but seriously who is gonna get me a present other than me?  My husband is on a boat in the middle of the ocean and I'm not speaking to my Mother, lol. He quickly snaps back, "I'll get you a present for Christmas still, Midgie!"

Fun fact, my father calls me "Midgie" which is short for "Midget."  This fact is especially fun since I'm the tallest of his three daughters and almost as tall as him.  At one point, like right after I was born, I was the shortest though...

Then, once we got past that whole thing, I somehow let the words "I've been lonely" slip.  And he instantly goes into protective-Dad-must-fix-everything mode.  Maybe I should plan another trip home (I'm going home in a few weeks to see the fam and celebrate the holidays)...do I want him to convince my crazy sister who I'm not speaking to to apologize to me...he wishes he could afford to take the time off and buy a ticket to come out and visit me...

The thing is, I haven't even really been lonely, per se, since I have made some good friends out here.  I'm just still emotional over my whole family situation.  I'm not speaking to my Mother and there's no hope of that happening any time soon.  I'm not speaking to one of my two sisters and I don't want that to happen any time soon.  Then my other sister pretends to not be super judgemental about my whole life but occasionally starts drilling me about where I'm getting money to pay my bills so I really don't talk to her very much either since I don't feel like being judged like that.

I tried to explain that to my Dad but the damage was already done.  I hope that once he sees me in December he'll realize I'm not a complete hot mess, apart from my constant struggle with pregnancy acne!  Any tips on how to make my Dad worry less, or is it just inevitable since I'm his baby and I up and took off to the other side of the country?

Until next time...

So yeah...he's gone...

The Sailor's flight was at 6 am. So, we had to get up at a little before 3 am in order to get him to the airport on time.  Plus side - the stars out here in the middle of nowhere are gorgeous at 3 am. Downside - it was fucking 3 am.

I made him drive there. I was exhausted, and my eyes we still adjusting to the middle of the night. We really didn't talk much. Honestly, what was there to say? I'll miss you...? That's a given, and its been said enough already. Are you nervous/excited/whatever...? We really talked about that in length already.

So, what do you say to your husband when you're on your way to the airport to drop him off to get deployed and won't see him again for 5 months? I chose nothing; just held his hand.

When we said goodbye I didn't cry. I didn't get teary eyed. I just said goodbye. I probably won't cry when he gets back either; I'm just not that kind of crier. Luckily The Sailor was well aware of that, so he wasn't expecting a dramatic goodbye.

We said our goodbyes, he grabbed his things, and he was gone.

But in the grand scheme of things, 5 months is not that long. Especially when it comes to deployments.

I'm lucky {that as long as nothing bad happens} he'll be back before the baby is born. And although I've never experienced a deployment before, I have lived 100% by myself before. That may not seem that important, but honestly, it can be strange being all alone at first. It takes time to adjust to cooking for one person.

I'm lucky to have my amazing dogs. Honestly, they keep me sane; they keep my life in some sort of schedule. Not to mention they're the best cuddlers ever! And thank goodness I've already met some people on base.

So yeah, it sucks. My husband is being shipped off to a boat where he'll miss all the major holidays as well as my birthday. Nobody wants that. But it could definitely be worse, and I can't forget that.

I'll probably post my 12 week update (as well as the results of my NT scan/ultrasound pictures from that appointment) either today or tomorrow. But this is all I've got for now.

Until next time...

PS - totally took this pic of Gabby this morning...how effing perfect is it?

Being a Navy Wife Sucks Sometimes

The Sailor is being sent to the boat on Wednesday.

We knew this was coming. And as much as I didn't want to accept it, I knew it would be last minute (he just found out this morning). But we thought he would get a little more information than he did!

Yup, all we know is that he's leaving Wednesday. Don't know where he's leaving from, what time, or even if he's going straight to the boat or not! I'm just annoyed.

And I feel bad. I went out for the majority of Saturday with Navy Wife Kim. After I had been gone for a few hours, The Sailor texted me and said, "this could be my last weekend home..." But I thought to myself, it also might not be. And I can't live my life expecting you to leave for the next however many months. But he was right, and I feel bad for not spending every minute with him.

This just sucks. I don't want him to leave. I don't want to be alone in this big house. Shit, I don't want to be alone period! But I knew this was coming, and it won't be the last time he gets deployed. At least he's scheduled to be back in time to be there when the baby is born.

Until next time...