And So The Holiday Rush Begins!

Alright...it's FRIDAY... I am back in full swing of things after a crazy hectic week as I edge closer to the end of this semester-now it is down to the "nitty gritty!"

I have:

 3 finals, 1 presentation, 1 more day of clinic left until I am DONE with my LAST Fall Semester:)  

Yes that sounds like a lot (and it is a lot to accomplish within a 2 week span-not to mention that creeping up date of the Praxis) but I can just about see that light shining at the end of the tunnel! ONE MORE SEMESTER TO GO and I am Cassidy Adams, B.S., M.S. Speech Therapist.  Now to find a job...

Christmas Print: Keep Calm and Merry On ON SALE;)

Also on my mind?  Nesting!  The Mr. and I are in full-blown nesting mode (as you seen from our Black Friday shopping trip.)

What's on our to do list now?

Adams To-Do List
*Dining Room Chairs! (lol)

Penn's Marshmellow is shining!  See what I mean?  The church chairs have GOT to go and we need something along the wall...

My Idea for Dining Area...

except no pendants, sconces instead:


And for the Seating issue...

Ignore all the clutter on the table...check out the idea a sofa on one side

and a couple of dining chairs on the other side.  IN LOVE:)  We found this at World Market 

while we were shopping Black Friday.

*Complete a Bathroom...No inspiration here YET

                      


*Finish the nursery 

(paint, buy furniture, hang pictures, finish buying nick-nacks, sheets)

*Maybe do SOMETHING with this den...

STILL don't know what to do here...

Although it may not be possible, we would like to have as much of our house as we welcome Baby A home this coming Spring.  Shoot for the stars, why not?
TGIF,

Week 22

I've gotta do something about that flash!  And yes that's THE Elf on the Shelf...something I am already so excited about doing!:)

This is Week #:  22 Weeks

Total Weight Gain:  6 lbs

What I am wearing:  Still wearing my clothes, just have to do the pony trick on my jeans and make sure the shirts I wear are long. 

Favorite accessory/piece of clothing:  Hmmm the sparkly shirt I am wearing in the pic…very “holiday-ish.”  I’ve seen a lot of mommies to be wearing long sparkly shirts on pinterest and really like the look!

Body woes:  My belly is really starting to pop.  Everyone has mentioned it here lately…

Best part of week:  um the fact that I have one more in school left?  It has been a very hard week!  Very busy and hard to get back in the swing of things after Thanksgiving:/

Feel anything in there?  The Mr. and I have come to the conclusion that he parties at night when we are asleep…that is when he is most active.  Or…maybe he is just trying to kick Penny off of him lolJ

Gives me the Creeps:  grilled chicken really creeped me out this week and that has been something that I have really liked so far during my 2^nd trimester

I miss:  Diet Pepsi’s, Diet Pepsi’s, Diet Pepsi’s…need I say more?

Zzzzz Pattern:  I’m a pee willy but I can’t pee when I try…mix that with trying to get a good night’s rest!

Gender:  Little ManJ

Belly Button Metamorphasis:  It’s flatish poppy looking…I think I am starting to get that dark line down my belly:/  Fingers crossed that I’m not!  At least no stretch marks yet…

I’m Craving:  Ummmmm a Sonic Strawberry Crème slush…and I haven’t had one in about two years:)-SO weird!

Working Out Regimen:  Two days so far…and with those I am SO sore.  But I am planning for tonight and tomorrow night as well=hopefully that will be a good four days in!

Mood (s):  This week has been a doosy…I would say daydreamy…because I am daydreaming about Christmas Break!

I can’t wait for:  To celebrate 3^rd Anniversary;) = Dec. 12, Doctors Appointment on 14^th, and Christmas Break!  Come on December 13^th.

This Week, Baby A is The Size Of A:

  Package of Oreos!  Yum!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things...

I have really enjoyed browsing some other blogs as other mommies-to-be share and recommend their favorite things during pregnancy.  Not only do I enjoy it, but I also have found it to be very useful.  SO...I am going to share some of MY favorite things every month as well!  Starting with Months 1-5:

B-Natal Cherry Therapops:  These were good for those mornings when NOTHING would stay down.  Great flavor...taste just like regular cherry lollie pops!
Crush Grape Soda-someone told me that there is something about the syrup that is supposed to soothe nausea, and low & behold...it worked!  This was a life saver during my first trimester.
Skinny Vanilla Latte: Though pregnancy may not be a time to load up on caffeine (didn't even take a sip until my second trimester), a tall SVL from Starbucks hits the spot when I began craving coffee again during cold weather and late school nights.  With only 75 mg's of caffeine, you won't exceed the recommended dose which is arguably 200 mg and if your like me...you can have a unsweettea as well:)
Apples: Can't say enough about this fruit, I eat one probably 5 days a week.  Great tummy soother (for me)!
Jif Natural Peanut Butter:  Peanut butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Peanut Butter Crackers, Peanut Butter with apples, YOU NAME IT...this has been in my lunch tote every day at school.  A great protein snack (especially for low blood sugar episodes)
Be Maternity BeBand:  I can't say enough about this product!  It has been on my belly since the end of my first trimester mainly for support and now it helps as my jeans are feeling snug.  Highly recommend!
Red Lobster: The Mr. & I joke that Baby A is going to require Cheddar Bay Biscuits and Popcorn shrimp blended for his bottle.  We eat here EVERY time we leave town, especially after we visit the baby doc:)  YUMMMMM
Bubble Baths: Do this almost every night...with great scented candles!  Great way to wind down from the day.
Lindsay Brin Work Out Video(s) and Book "How to Exercise When Expecting":  The videos are great at keeping you lifting weights without overexerting and performing exercises that are risky during pregnancy...has a video for each trimester and I found the video at Target:)  I bought the book for my Ipad and have found it to be one of my top resources when it comes to fitness and nutrition during pregnancy.  I also love her blog!  Check it out...
Waterbottle:  Ahh what can motivate me to drink more water?  Pretty water bottles/tumblers of course
Mary Kay Microdermabrasion Kit: My mom sells this stuff, and at a party last year the sales director mentioned that you can use it while you are pregnant to prevent stretch marks.  While I believe stretch marks are hereditary and creme isn't a miracle worker, this stuff makes sense because it removes the top layer of skin and renews it once you apply the step 2 lotion.  So far so good:)  Fingers crossed...also use cocoa butter every now and then just as a moisturizer.

Well that's it for the past 5 months, month 6 coming soon for December:)

Clean Eating & Pregnancy: Listening to Your Body

Okay...so I have TOTALLY blew the no sugar/chips/cake etc... during the Thanksgiving festivities (which I had allowed for myself in my yearly splurge list-just not for the ENTIRE week...OOPS!).

And my baby?  A good question to ask yourself when it comes to food during pregnancy.

You can find this print here!  Artist: Katie Daisy (one of my favorites!)

To be completely honest, it has been extremely difficult not give into my cravings.  I am still monitoring my caloric intake  so that I am not exceeding the recommended daily amounts needed for pregnancy, but it is really hard to limit certain types of food...ESPECIALLY when you never know what kind of food is going to appeal or give you the creeps.  That being said...I am going to trust that my body knows what it needs and go with what I crave as long as it is a practical proportion of food.

I will leave the strict clean eating regimen days for after Little Guy gets here!  Hey this way of life is all a learning process for me right now...


Rather than limit more foods, I am just going to try and continue to practice cutting out my goals before (sugar, cake, cookies) excluding one treat a week - maybe this will be more attainable for an expectant girl!  LOL:)  By the way it IS December, Christmas Cookie month yall!  I am just going to set my goal for the remainder of this trimester to  eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day to ensure that I am getting a variety of clean eating foods throughout the day and make less room for unhealthy snacking.

Some interesting information I ran across this week...

Nutrition Myths during Pregnancy

If I diet during pregnancy I will lose fat. This is true, although not recommended. A pregnancy diet should only be used if your physician recommends a minimal weight gain during your pregnancy. The Institute of Medicine came out with new weight gain guidelines based on your pre-pregnancy BMI. You can find the pregnancy weight gain recommendations in our Pregnancy FAQ.  *NOTE: I do not encourage dieting!  Just healthy eating;)

I should eliminate fast food while pregnant. This is false. During your pregnancy you are bound to have cravings! And while the moms at MIF do not recommend eating a lot of fast food, we also realize there are days you have to have fast food due to your family's schedule. MIF recommends 2-3 fast food meals a week at most. And make sure you make healthy fast food choices during pregnancy. You want to eat a variety of foods to get in all your pregnancy nutrition. You can find a list of your "healthier fast food" choices on Lindsay's Blog. And keep in mind if you supersize it and eat fried foods you will probably gain more than the recommended weight gain during your pregnancy. And this makes for a long journey to getting your body back afterwards.  This is good to know, but I am doing pretty good about avoiding this...oh wait it could be because the Mr. and I are on a tight budget LOL

Vegetarians do not get enough protein during pregnancy. This is false. Proteins come from many foods other than meat. Good protein sources for vegetarians include legumes, nuts, and seeds.  I get A LOT of my protein from Peanut Butter.

I should avoid fish while pregnant. This is false. The fish that you should avoid while pregnant are your bigger fish like: swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tilefish and wild salmon. But you should consume fish while pregnant to get in your healthy omega 3 fatty acids (please refer to Nutritional Needs during Pregnancy). Some examples are: salmon, shrimp, canned light tuna and cod.  Not a fish person, but gonna try and throw some Tilapia into the weekly menu when I can to get some omega 3...

I should avoid caffeine while pregnant. This is false. In 2008 ACOG published a study indicating that over 200 mg or caffeine a day increased the risk of miscarriage in a group of more than one thousand women. 1 cup of coffee has about 100 mg and the average 12-ounce soda has 50 mg. You must drink a lot of water, and if you are having trouble getting fluids, eliminate the caffeine. As far as soda, some researchers suggest you shouldn't drink artificial sweeteners. Now if you are going to drink regular soda keep in mind it contains about 120 calories per 12-ounce can, and these are "empty calories".  So glad this is not true!  SMALL Skinny Vanilla Latte here I come:)

Source Thanks Lindsay Brin!  She's an awesome resource:)

Next time I have some cool fitness info to share that I recently learned!
Take Care,

Black Friday Aftermath

Well...we survived the Knoxville crowds during the "Black Friday" madness.  We Adams' have our own approach: catch a good night's sleep and THEN hit the stores.  We ate breakfast about 9 am and shopped until about 9 pm Friday night.  I love our little tradition:)  I just wonder how it will change next year with Baby A in tow:)

Shopping Aftermath...

Speaking of Baby A...we began shopping for little guy's nursery in all of the chaos this weekend!  I can't wait to see how the end product turns out.  With much thought and consideration (hair pulling & sleepless nights) I FINALLY decided to take a risk, desert the "baby bedrooms to-go" and channel some of my own creative energy.  Rather than be limited to a certain character or theme, I have decided to go with an eclectic "ALL Boy" look.  So If I see a piece I love-I can grab it!  I am SO at peace with this idea & am excited to see where it takes us.

Here is our blank canvas...

And these are some rooms that inspire me as I brainstorm:

















My sketches: (I know, I know...PATHETIC!  SO much better than doing homework though!) hehehehe:)

The blur is Baby A's name...still holding out to put it on the web:)  Any who this is

where we will put his name!

"Design Board"...

More updates to come!:)


Baby A's room began and over half the people checked off on our Christmas list?

This Santa's helper is signing off!
                                     

Thanksgiving Ramblings...21 Weeks

Happy Thanksgiving!  It's finally here.  I am sitting on the couch with my husband and Penny drinking my morning coffee while watching Macy's Thanksgiving Parade just thinking about how we will have our little guy here with us this time next year.  And he will be almost 7 months old!  How crazy, unexpected, and exciting is life?  Tim Tebow said it best on twitter this morning: "What am I thankful for?  Everything."  Thank you Lord for all of your blessings on me and my family:)

Favorite part of the parade...the Peanut floats:)

Speaking of Macy's...we were just there at Christmas last year!

Bad glare on our turkey:/  

This is Week #:  21 Weeks

Total Weight Gain:  5 lbs

What I am wearing:  Having to wear my  Bella Band for any jeans that aren’t low rise, they won’t fit over my baby bump!

Favorite accessory/piece of clothing:  Scarves!

Body woes:  Had a really bad leg cramp and more cyst pain this week:/ but it was just for one day!

Best part of week:  Thanksgiving BreakJ

Feel anything in there?  As usual, he's a little moving machine

Gives me the Creeps:  Nothing that I can think of right now- uh oh!

I miss:  Wearing jeans without the bella band lol

Zzzzz Pattern:  Woke up one night at 3am and couldn’t sleep.  Might have to check out those huge pillows on Black Friday!

Gender:  Little ManJ

Belly Button Metamorphasis: You can see it through my shirt if I don't wear the band

I’m Craving:  All Thanksgiving foodsJ  Turkey…Dressing…Broccoli Casserole…

Working Out Regimen:  Three days…but trying to take it easy since my cyst started hurting again (Jillian Michaels, Lindsay Brin, & DWTS toning)

Mood (s):  HappyJ

I can’t wait for:  Again I have to say…Thanksgiving Dinner/Family Time, and Black FridayJ

This week...Baby A is the size of a:

Root Beer

_____________________________________________________

Activity we did this week with our Dementia Group..."I'm Thankful for..."

A sweet Thanksgiving gift in the mail from my friend Samantha:)  Aries onsie for baby boy, New Christmas Cookbook (she knows me well!) and

she also got me the Thankful shirt I'm wearing in this week's pic too.  So sweet.

Happy Thanksgiving from Penny!  

She really loves Thanksgiving. 

She always has to have the perfect outfit to celebrate and loves leftover treats and our Black Friday trip.

  Penny is thankful for:  

Purina's National Dog Show, 

anything edible, 

Gina the giraffe, 

covers to sleep under, 

her marshmallow bed,

 and last but not least, 

her pets (aka Cade and Cassidy).

 Well, I am hoping the rumor about turkey making you sleepy is NOT true because we are heading to Knoxville for Black Friday!  Hoping to get some Christmas gifts checked off of our list and possibly some things for the nursery:)  Eeepppp!  So Excited!

Well little guy and I are going to go gobble up some turkey & dressing!

Happy Thanksgiving once agian!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Today was my first day of Thanksgiving Break and I have done nothing but study for the Praxis and make a run with the fam to Wal-mart to get last minute ingredients for the Turkey Day feast!  I just love everything about this time of year, I can't explain it!  These are some of the foods I (and little guy) are looking forward to tomorrow (and no they have nothing to do with clean eating!!):

Of course I am looking forward to the turkey...and it's not that often during the year you can talk someone into cooking the entire bird!  Yummmm...

Then, the dressing...Oh, I wait for you all year!  It's a tie between this and my mom's broccoli casserole for favorite Thanksgiving dish.

Then two of my specialties: Copycat Cheesecake Factory Oreo cheesecake and Paula Dean Macaroni...ahhhh:)  They are pretty delish if I do say so myself.

Oreo cheesecakes cooking in the oven, Michael Buble Holiday Radio Playing, Christmas lights dancing, pumpkin candle scents filling the air...ahhhhhh:)  

From my kitchen to yours:)  

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

5 Months! 20 Weeks...

This is Week #:  20…5 months aka over half way to meeting little man!:)

Total Weight Gain:  5 lbs

What I am wearing:  Still love the leggings and long sweaters

Favorite accessory/piece of clothing:  BOOTSJ

Body woes:  Well, I think my cyst has been acting up this week.  For two days, my left side hurt (where the cyst lives) and ended up calling the doc.  It appears that is probably what it is…soooooooo I’ve been taking it easy this week!

Best part of week:  Two day week (woot woot!) My speech peeps went to ATL for the ASHA conference which = no class for meJ AND my sweet friend Samantha sent me the cutest gift package in the mail (I’ll share later!)

Feel anything in there?  We either have a little sports star or a mini Bieber cooking in there…

Gives me the Creeps:  Hmmmm cereal for some reason, I think I am just sick of it lol

I miss:  Not having crushed ribs & shoulders when I wake up- Laying on my side results in sore shoulders!

Zzzzz Pattern:  Have to pee A LOT! 

Gender:  Little ManJ

Belly Button Metamorphasis:  STILL weirdo! 

I’m Craving:  SLUSHIES!  We went to the Breaking Dawn II Premiere and I was drooling over the blue and red cups of heaven!

Working Out Regimen:  Same as last week…2 days.  Doc said no working out to prevent the cyst from turning over, I am feeling better though so maybe I can restart this week.

Mood (s):  EXCITED for Thanksgiving!!!

I can’t wait for:  Thanksgiving Break/Dinner/Family Time, and Black Friday:)

This Week, Little Guy Is the Size of...

A Redbull Energy Drink!

Holiday Style 2012

Dex Vegan Leather Pant, $59.00, MM Couture Sequin Jacket, $119, Embesllished Shoulder Pullover, $79, Perfectly White Christmas, Faux Fur Vest, $68.60, Sam Edelman Baxton 2,$120, Michael Kors Belted Wrap Coat, $198

Thanksgiving and Christmas are so much fun to dress for, not just the actual day but the ENTIRE season.  Sparkles, sequins, metallics, and all things shiny:)  I can't get enough!  Here are some of my favorite holiday fashion sightings this season...

Cool Deals;)    
*Toms is offering free shipping until December 31st.
*Victoria's Secret has free shipping on orders of $100
*Piperlime has free shipping and returns...no minimum!
*The Limited has 50% off original ticket price Today Only! (Early Black Friday Sale)
*At Express, Now until Sunday, recieve $25 off $100 purchase, $50 off $200, & $75 off $250

Clean Eating Challenge: Week #3

Okay...so I blew this week's challenge.  And I think I have pinpointed why...mindless eating and habit.  This week my sister and I had a "Christmas Decorating Party." OF COURSE we had to have holiday snacks and Christmas Cookies (We ALWAYS do this)!  Not only did I make Christmas Cookies (just ate one though!), I made spinach artichoke dip WITH chips.  And THAT was the downfall- because, that stuff is extremely addictive-and I had forgotten all about my intentions to stay away from cakes, cookies, and chips!

                            

        
                 BUT this scenery was soooooo worth the mindless eating;)

So for Clean Eating Challenge #3?  I am going to try once again to practice mindful eating when it comes to cookies, cakes, and chips (except for on Thanksgiving-give me a break!) and continue avoiding candy (which hasn't been so hard).  Here goes...