Bump update: 24 Weeks

    
        According to my pregnancy app, at 24 weeks the baby weighs more than a pound and is almost a foot long, or about the length of a banana. His brain is growing quickly now and his taste buds are starting to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help air sacs in the lungs inflate once he is born. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. 

        I am still feeling good for the most part and have a good amount of energy (Though I tend to overexert myself during the week and have to crash on weekends). I have been cleaning the house, organizing, and giving away and trashing a lot of stuff. I joke that my "nesting" this time around isn't nursery decorating, but making room! We are starting to go through our guest bedroom (also known as the room where we put all the junk we have no place for) so that we can convert it into a big boy room for Owen. We are hoping to make it a big deal so that Owen feels like getting a new room is a privilege and exciting and not like he's getting kicked out of his room (which will remain the nursery for this baby). I figure once we get him a new bed and a train table or play table or make him a little reading nook, he will really like it and be excited about his new room. 
      Coming up with a name for this baby is still causing us troubles. We can't really come up with many names that seem right and fit with Owen's name and with our last name. We don't really have any favorite names yet, but we have both vetoed about a million. We have a name book that we've gone through a couple times and I have been looking for names online too. 
      I am feeling super pregnant now and like my belly is already massive. I can't believe that I have three more months of belly-growing to do, but at the same time I feel like this pregnancy is flying by. Second pregnancies are so very different from first ones. 
     Oh and cute story time: The other day Owen ran over to my belly, cupped his hands around his mouth against my stomach, and said, "Hi baby brother! Come play cars!" Awww....

Stork Stack review (May box)

    I recently purchased a three month subscription to Stork Stack using a referral code last month. Stork Stack is a monthly subscription box for babies and toddlers ages newborn to three. The company sends a box (called a stack) of five items each month for $28. Multi-month subscriptions offer discounted prices and the company also donates a box to charity for each membership purchased for 3, 6, or 12 months. Shipping is super fast for this company. Boxes ship at the beginning of the month and you should receive them sometime between the first and the fifth of the month. 

      I started out my subscription using our baby-to-be's information because I thought it would be interesting to see what kinds of cool items are available to babies now. I see people with so many neat baby products and it's only been two years since Owen was born! Owen still enjoyed helping to open his little brother's stack and many of the items are ones that Owen will enjoy too. I haven't decided whether to keep the subscription for baby brother or e-mail and ask the company to change to sending boxes that are tailored to Owen's age instead. 

      Stork Stack has one of the prettiest boxes of all of the subscription boxes that I have tried. That turquoise and coral colored box is so cute. I also love the variety of the items included in Stork Stack's boxes. They have a theme each month and their items are tailored to that theme. 

       The theme this month was Anniversary Stack because it was the one year anniversary of the company's first shipment. Here's the description from the insert in the box: "This month, our Stack is designed in celebration of Stork Stack's first birthday! It's been one year since our website launched and our Storks prepared for their first flight. We wanted to share our excitement, as well as our thanks, with all the members of our Stork Stack family. In this 'Anniversary Stack,' we've included some of our favorite past partners (like Rubbabu and North American Bear), as well as a few new partners and products we have been admiring over the past several months. We also chose several classic children's stories with a modern twist, sure to please both you and your little ones. Unfortunately, we couldn't include all of our favorites in just one Stack (we need bigger boxes!), but we certainly had fun putting together some of them in this theme of celebration, love, and fun!" I was really excited about the theme this month because I figured there would be a bunch of really great items in it because it was the company's anniversary. 

The box we received was tailored to a newborn boy. Here's what we received in our box:

• North American Bear Co. Two-Dees Animal ($16.00) - Noted for its contemporary, whimsical designs with classic charm, North American Bear Company has been producing award-winning gifts and toys for children of all ages for 35 years. Two-Dees are made of fluffy fleece and contrasting jersey knit with embroidered facial features and quirky 2-dimensional charm. A lovable first friend for all ages and machine washable too! We are not big on stuffed animals in this family. Owen doesn't really show much interest in them, but he did give this one a hug right away. But this one is pretty darn cute and really unique. I thought it was a rabbit, but it is actually a dog. And it is super soft. 

•  Rubbabu Educational Ball ($6.95) - Rubbabu's products are handmade from natural foam and encourage imaginative play and education at a young age. They are strong and durable, one of those toys that become a child's favorite companion for many years. We already have a Rubbabu ball that we received in a past subscription box and we really like it. I really love this brand and their products are so colorful and well made. I especially love their little cars, which I think they sent out in their boxes for older kiddos. 

•  Child's Play International "Wee Willie Winkie" ($4.99) - This award-winning series has been specifically designed for babies. A great introduction to books through well-known nursery rhymes and interactive text. Singing songs and rhymes is the perfect way to bond with your baby and share quality time. It also aids language development by introducing them to the natural sounds and patterns of speech. Combining these with actions also stimulates the brain and helps muscle development. I love receiving books in subscription boxes for my kiddos and would be happy to get one every month. Books are never the wrong size or inappropriate for children. And we are constantly in need of new reading material. 

•  Stephen Joseph Reusable Snack Bags ($6.99) - Let us brighten your day with our colorful line of children's gifts and accessories! Our adorable collections offer matching themes through coordinating products. The perfect fit for school time, play time, travel time...anytime. I thought this was a strange addition to a box for a newborn considering this baby won't be snacking for many months, but because I have a toddler, I am really psyched to get them. I think they will be great for packing snacks for Owen to take with us on trips and elsewhere. I typically try to take some type of snack for him every time we leave the house because it never fails that he gets hungry when I have nothing to give him. These are super cute and I am excited about being able to use them instead of Ziploc bags. 

• Credible Cravings Organic Whole Foods bar ($3.00): Credible Cravings is the first organic whole food bar developed collaboratively with obstetricians, midwives, and nutritionists to support the nutritional needs for women before, during, and after pregnancy! Each and every ingredient was chosen for a specific nutritional benefit for mom and baby - no fillers, no artificial sweeteners or preservatives, certified organic, certified gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, soy-free, and available in three delicious flavors. I am excited to try this bar. I am constantly in need of quick snacks because I get hungry pretty frequently, but I don't always have the time to fix a healthy snack. This will be a great on-the-go snack at some point. I'm also interested in the claim that it contains all these great ingredients for pregnant women. I will have to check out the ingredients label. 

     The total value of this box was $37.93 which is a pretty good return for my investment and a little more than $10 over what I paid for it. From looking at past month's reviews, Stork Stack seems to have a good variety of items and brands and is a fun monthly surprise. I am already excited to get my next month's stack. 

       If you're interested in learning more about Stork Stack, click HERE. By using my referral link, you can save $10 on your first month or a multi-month subscription. There is a 20 percent off code available for your first month currently, but that gets you less than $10 off so you are better off using a referral code. 

Julep Maven review (ft. May Modern Beauty box)

      My Julep Maven box came in the mail really quickly this month and I was so excited to receive this particular box. The May nail colors were all pretty, but what really convinced me to get this box this month was the additional products, a new trio of lipsticks and a lip scrub. Plus, I just added on the nail colors that I liked. 

     The theme for this month was "Set the Stage" and featured elegant colors inspired by the music, style, and spirit of the Roaring Twenties. The nail colors for this month were mainly cremes and a couple shimmers, metallics, and a glitter. The theme definitely seemed glamorous and 1920's inspired, especially because of the special product this month: the two Jazz Collection lip trio sets.

     Once again, the packaging was really beautiful with the products all nestled down in gold sparkly tissue paper and burgundy paper crinkles. The products were all packaged great too in shiny black and gold boxes. The containers themselves were shiny gold and really glitzy looking. 

      This month, I chose the Modern Beauty box for the first time. This is actually a newer style profile and the only one that does not include nail polish and instead has several beauty products. Three of the other profiles (Boho Glam, Bombshell, and Classic with a Twist) include different assortments of two polishes and one product. And It Girl still includes just three polishes (I was really tempted by the colors in this box this month, but decided against it because it didn't have the lip colors). But the great thing about Julep is that you don't have to stick with your style profile each month and can change up your mind (and style) anytime you want. 

  The products that came in my box were:

• American Beauty Volumizing Mascara: Jet black. This mascara debuted in September last year and contains peptides to stimulate lash growth. I really like this mascara and was happy to receive another one. 
• New York Jazz Trio lip colors: Satin doll (poppy lip sheer), Tea for Two (nude shimmer lip sheer), and Lady in Red (matte crimson lip color). These lip colors all look really great, but came in a smaller size than I expected. I assumed that they were full sized, but I'm still happy with them. I'm just glad that I got a box that they came in and didn't pay the add-on price of $19.99. 

From left to right, Tea for Two, Lady in Red, and Satin Doll.

• Sugar Smooch Lip Scrub: Brown sugar and molasses scent. This lip scrub features brown sugar, molasses, conditioning oils, vitamin E, and shea butter. I love the scent of this lip scrub. It smells so delicious. And the container it comes in is really pretty too. I just want to leave it out on my counter so I can see it all the time. The scrub is maybe a little rougher than I expected, but it also had moisturizers that felt really good on my lips after I rinsed off the scrub.   

• Bonus product: Four floral hairpins. This was a bonus item added to the boxes this month. They aren't really my style, but they are pretty cute. I was really hoping for tickets to go see The Great Gatsby in theaters. Oh well! 

      Because I liked so many of the nail polishes, but not really any that came in the same box together, I added on two nail colors: Myrtle (flapper red creme) and Zelda (pink champagne metallic). They haven't come in the mail yet. 

     Want to join in on the fun of receiving nail polishes and products in the mail each month? Joining the Julep Maven program is the best way to get Julep products at a discount on everything and access to new colors before everyone else! You just take a style quiz and they will send you products that match your style (don't worry though because you won't be stuck with that style forever). Plus you can join now for a free box and just pay shipping. Here are some other benefits of the Julep Maven program:

• $40-$60 worth of nail and beauty products delivered to your door each month for $19.99.
• You get to preview the nail colors you will receive each month.
• You can add on up to three additional nail colors or products at a discounted price.
• You can pay an additional $30-$35 and receive the entire collection for that month, which is often a really great deal worth more than $200. 
• You can skip receiving a box (and the bill) if you're not interested in that month's products and colors. I have done this the past two months. 
• You can switch to one of four other style profiles if you don't like the colors in your style profile.
• You can chose to send your box to a friend. 
• One Maven will win a super special box that includes all sorts of things depending on the month's theme. There are also typically bonus items in all the boxes too. 
• Twenty percent off purchases at julep.com and free shipping for Mavens. 
• You can earn a free month by referring two friends to the program using your referral link. (Mine is below and I'd be so happy if you used it)
• You can earn jules (rewards points) to be used toward monthly boxes when you purchase a box or add-ons. You also get reward points on your anniversary as a Maven and on your birthday. 
• You can cancel anytime by giving Julep a call.

Sound good? Then fill out a style quiz HERE and use the code FREEBOX to receive your first box for free (just pay shipping!)

Bump update: 22 Weeks

       
         According to my pregnancy app, this week the baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and tiny tooth buds are even developing beneath the gums. His eyes have formed, but the irises still lack pigment. At about 11 inches long, the baby weighs almost a pound. 
       Fine hair called lanugo covers his body and the wrinkles in his skin will fill with fat before birth. If I give birth on my due date, then I have 124 days left to go! 
       I am still feeling good, though I have been a bit tired again lately. I have a good amount of energy in the morning and through the beginning of the afternoon, but I've been wanting an afternoon nap the last couple days. I am a little stressed about getting things in order at the house before the baby comes because we have a lot going on this summer and will be out of town several times. At most, we only have 18 weekends before I'm due and of those I know of at least two where we will be out of town and I didn't make it to 40 weeks with Owen anyway. And I'm only getting bigger! Hopefully, we will begin working on Owen's big boy room soon and I can begin getting back out all our baby stuff and making sure we have anything else we may need. 

Newlywed Game Link-up

      I haven't linked up with the Newlywed Game Link-up in a few weeks because I haven't really had the time to do it, but because my sister-in-law Leah is the new co-host this week, I figured I should make a point of linking up. 

Question 1: What is the funniest thing your spouse has done?
I can't really think of anything at the moment. Tim is really funny though and typically catches me off guard with his sense of humor. 
The funniest things we have are our inside jokes we've developed over our relationship. They crack us up more than anything she or I do.

Question 2: What is your idea of a good date?

My idea of a good date would be doing something really fun and new for the both of us, but more realistically, I'd just be happy to go out to dinner and a movie. 
One that ends with us in bed. 

Question 3: What is your favorite memory of you and your spouse?

My favorite memory of Tim is from our wedding night (don't get freaked out just yet!). I was in the bathroom getting ready and all of a sudden I heard Tim's voice. At first I thought it was a weird time to make a phone call, but then as I listened at the door (yes, I eavesdropped!) I realized that he was praying. It was such a sweet, intimate moment and it made me so grateful to have a husband who would take the time to thank God for me. 
We have so many good ones. Three stand out in my mind: when I proposed, our honeymoon, and the birth of our first son. 

Question 4: What are some activities/hobbies that you and your spouse do together?

We pretty much do everything together. We work on the house together, we play video games together, we travel and go exploring new places together, we watch TV and movies together, we play outside and work outside in the yard together.
Make babies. I like cooking with Jessica, doing yardwork with her, and I like exercising with her. 

Question 5: Why do you think your marriage is successful?

We are successful because we view ourselves as members of a team or as one unit. While there are obviously two people, we see ourselves as a pair. Sort-of an us against the world mentality. We depend on one another and support one another so that it's nearly impossible to imagine life without the other. 
Our marriage is centered around our relationship with God and is built on the principles of love and selflessness. 

Question 6: What is your spouse's dream job? Is he/she currently in it?
Tim's dream job would be in the engineering field where he actually got to design bridges and buildings and stuff. He is currently a project controls engineer so he is not doing what he dreamed of doing when he majored in engineering in college. (Tim says his dream job would be to be a sports coach or trainer.)
Jessica's dream job would be to have a little bistro or something where she could cook or bake. (Not really. I am happy to be a stay-at-home mom, but I would also love to have a little business on the side doing something I am passionate about, which probably would be related to children.)

Question 7: What is the best gift your spouse ever gave you?
The cheesy answer would be the gift of getting to be a mom. 
Jessica has given me lots of good gifts. The best gift she ever gave me would probably be my Nexus tablet. 

Question 8: Where do you see you and your spouse in the next 10 years?

This question is hilarious! We have done so many things in the past three and a half years of marriage that I never would have imagined we would do so I can't possibly guess where we will be in 10 years. We have moved three times in our first three years of marriage alone! (Though hopefully we won't have 10 more moves in the next 10 years.) What I do know is that we will be following God's plan wherever we go. Because His plan is the best plan!
I have no idea where we will be living, but we'll still be married and we'll have a 12-year-old and an almost 10-year-old. Woah! 

Question 9: Is marriage everything you expected it to be? Is it much harder than you thought it would be? Why?

Obviously in my imaginings of what marriage was like pre-wedding I didn't really fantasize about bills and job difficulties and all that stuff that comes along with life, but I think marriage has actually turned out to be so much more than what I expected. Tim and I were talking about this the other day. We love marriage. We don't see marriage as being all that hard. Obviously it is hard to die to our selfish natures and put another first, but marriage itself isn't that hard if you're with the right person. You know what is hard? Life! And luckily marriage and having an awesome spouse is one of the biggest things (besides a relationship with God) that helps you get through all the hard stuff in life like pain, death, disappointment, loss, and more. 
I don't think marriage is hard. It requires work, but that work isn't too bad if you get along and enjoy being with the other person. 

Question 10: Who is your spouse's celebrity crush and do you look like them?

We had this talk the other day just for fun and Tim always gets really uncomfortable when I ask him if he thinks any celebrities are attractive. So I don't really know. (I pressed him to think of somebody and he came up with Olivia Munn from The Newsroom. Oh, and I look nothing like her and there are lots of really skanky photos of her on the Internet.)

Ian Somerhalder and he looks just like me. (Note his sarcasm). 

Thursday Thoughts

      I'm linking up today with Jennifer from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for Thursday Thoughts. 

~ I am so excited because I was lucky enough to snag one of the Allure Summer Essentials Beauty boxes on Tuesday. This box features more than $250 in full-size hair, make-up and skin-care beauty products. There are 26 items in the box. It cost $39.99. The box sold out really fast and people are all cranky on Allure's Facebook page because of something like a faulty link or it selling out too fast or whatever else caused them to be unable to get a box. Thanks to Jennifer from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom, I found out about the box and bookmarked her link so that when they went on sale at noon on Tuesday, I could easily click through to the page and buy one. I'm really excited about trying all the products and hopefully not having to buy anything from the drugstore for a long time. I will post on the blog when I receive the box to show off all my goodies. 

~ My brother-in-law and his wife are coming to visit us this weekend. I'm not sure what we'll do while they are in town, but hopefully we can show them a fun time even here in the middle of nowhere Kentucky. 

~ Ready for Love still sucks. 

~ I am so stinking excited because the photographers who did Owen's first birthday photos are having free mini sessions for moms and their kids during May. And because we will be in town visiting Tim's mom for her retirement party, I booked a session with them for that weekend. If you are in the Athens, Georgia area, give these people a call! 

~ I got my April Goodies Co. box in the mail yesterday and I was kind-of like "Meh." It had some healthy bars and an energy drink and just some other random stuff. I didn't feel like it had a theme like last month and there wasn't an information card in there either. That's my favorite part! 

~ I really love the concept of The Little Book Club, but once again, they are taking three eternities to ship. And I'm still not entirely sure that it is worth the price. I can pick out three books I know Owen will like on Amazon for about the same price and have them shipped free to our house. Hmm... 

What I'm Loving Wednesday

 I am linking up with Jamie at The Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday. And here's what I'm loving this week:

• I am loving the Julep May Maven nail colors and products. After skipping the last couple of months, I was so excited by this month's Roaring Twenties theme inspired by the new movie The Great Gatsby. I had the hardest time choosing a box, and would have gotten the entire set if I had the points to get it for free. I just can't justify spending $55 on nail polish though. I ended up getting the Modern Beauty box, which includes three lipsticks, a lip scrub, and a mascara. I also added on two of the nail polishes: Zelda (pink champagne metallic) and Myrtle (flapper red creme). If you're new to Julep, it's a monthly subscription box company that sends you more than $40 worth of nail polishes and other beauty products for $19.99. You get to choose one of five different boxes each month and can add on an additional three products if you want. Julep is also a really unique service because you don't have to get it every month and can skip a month if you don't like the products or you don't have the money. If you're interested in signing up, you can go here and use the code FREEBOX to get your introductory box for free (you may have to pay shipping.) 

• I am loving The Honest Company's new diaper designs, particularly the new hippo design which supports the World Wildlife Federation. They are so stinkin' cute. Also, because I was one of the first 1,000 people who ordered the new hippo diapers, The Honest Company donated money to the WWF to adopt a hippo in my name. Pretty cool, huh? Their new Comic boys diaper is also super adorable. They have comic book phrases like Bam! Pow! etc. on them and are really bright and colorful. If you are interested in The Honest Company, you can sign up now or just order a bundle from their site for 40 percent off through April 3o using the code PLUMDISTRICT40. Also, if you use my link, you will have $10 credited to your account as well. 

• I am loving buying some new clothes for Baby Boy No. 2. I know we will be able to reuse some of Owen's baby clothes (though they will be born in different seasons so it might be little hard), but I still want this baby to have some stuff that's completely new. I had some Gymbucks that my mom gave me from the last time we shopped there so I used them to buy some clothes online the other day. I am apparently still loving elephants and other jungle animals and I'm digging the orange and navy.

• I am loving that spring has finally come and we are able to do some yardwork. I also replanted flowers in my hanging baskets from last year and now our porch looks so summery and pretty. We used petunias, verbena, and some other dark purple flower that I can't remember the name of. Now I just need to make sure to keep them really well watered and hope they don't die like last summer when we go out of town on trips. 

• I am loving this Apple Dumplings recipe from Pioneer Woman. It's incredibly unhealthy, but super yummy and very easy to make. I whipped them up on Monday to take to our small group and they were a big hit. I wanted something that was easy to make and that was easy to serve as well. I found this recipe in her cookbook, but you can find it on her blog too.  I recommend using less butter and sugar and Mountain Dew than the recipe calls for because I found the finished result to be a little too soupy. But it was still pretty darn delicious. 

• I am loving my Owen boy. He is starting to seem so old to me lately. He's talking really well now and into everything. We recently moved him to the 2-year-old room at church and he didn't put up a fuss at all. He just went in and started playing and could care less that we left. In fact, he cried when we came to pick him up because he was having so much fun. Whose kid does that? This photo was taken at IKEA the other weekend. He really loves little tables that are just his size and we will most likely get him one once we start working on his big boy room. 

What are you loving this week? Anything I should try or check out?