24 Weeks and First Snow!

Well, I am 24 weeks this week. I can't believe I am at the 6 month mark already!!! I had an OB appointment this week and unfortunately no ultrasound pictures to share with you this time.  I did have a good appointment though. The baby is doing well with heart beat  of 140 bpm.  My belly and my weight are where they should be so I am very happy with that as well.  Here is an updated picture of my belly this week.

Wow, I am getting bigger and bigger!! This baby is growing so fast!!!  
      In addition to this we had our first snow storm of the season and it came pretty early for us.  The storm started around 9pm on Tuesday evening and ended around 1 pm Wednesday after noon. I would say we got a total of 10-12 inches.  I have to say it is a beautiful sight to see.  Here are some quick pictures I took so I could share them with you!

I love the snow!! Its such a beautiful sight!! I will post more starting next week. I have just been busy with a huge knitting/sewing project and trying to keep up with the house work.

23 Weeks

I know in my last post I said I would wait until 24 weeks to post the next belly picture. However, this morning I was admiring it and decided to go ahead and take a picture. 

I can't believe how many changes I am going through right now. I can feel the baby move like crazy these days, especially when I eat certain foods.  As I type this its bouncing around probably because of the chocolate I just ate!!!  I am so in love with this little person I can't wait to meet it. I can't believe I only have 17 weeks left. I feel like it was 2 months ago they were telling me I was pregnant.  The odd thing is I still can't believe it until I see my belly every morning and feel the baby moving!! I think its getting close to when Kevin will be able to feel the baby move!!!  I can't wait for him to feel our little blessing!!!

What we are up to

Well, I know I haven't posted in a while and I hope to have a fun post soon. Things have been busy and there isn't too much to share at this time. So I thought I would just update you on what we are up to.  Well Kevin has been pretty busy trying to finish his experiments and writing his paper. I in the mean time have been looking at baby stuff.  I would like to start planning as I am getting a little nervous. I will be 23 weeks on Wednesday and we do not have a thing planned or organized. I have it narrowed down to 6 different crib bedding sets. This up coming weekend Kevin and I will sit down and pick on a final theme.  Once this has been decided upon, I will get to work on some crafts I have planned for the babies room.  I would like to make letters, wall art, pillows, and other little accents like blankets and so forth. I need to get busy as I only have 17 weeks and 3 days left.  As for the letters, since we will not find out the sex of the baby until its born, I will just buy the supplies and not the letters.  In the mean time I have been looking at items to register for and narrowing down my choices.  I have also gotten into sewing again ( you can look at my other blog, kellysknitsandotherlittletidbits.blogspot.com) I plan on knitting 12 bibs and 20 burp clothes.  So as you can see I have a lot of projects planned for the baby and the baby's room. This weekend I sewed some burp clothes for a gift.  Here is a picture of what they look like.

As I make things for the nursery I will update you with pictures.  Sorry if these posts become a lot of baby stuff over the next few months.  I will have an update on my belly pics and hopefully an ultrasound picture next week.

21 weeks ( 5 months 1 week)

This will be a short post.  I am 21 weeks now and feeling pretty good.  I still have bouts of nausea but not nearly as bad and as much. It mostly has to do with smells.  My belly hasn't changed too much but I am experiencing round ligament pains. So I have a feeling my bump is going to get bigger soon!!! 

Here is a comparison of 17 weeks and 21 weeks. Its hard to tell. Maybe I should have taken the picture in the same shirt next time. 

At 17 weeks I started to feel the baby move or what I think was baby movement.  At this point it was hard to tell if it was the  baby or gas.  I felt that for about a week and a half. Then felt absolutely nothing.  This weekend I started noticing movement once again, but this time its a little stronger.  So now I know for sure its the baby.  I feel the little peanut moving quite often and this always puts my mind at ease and a smile on my face. I am getting so excited the more and more this pregnancy continues. I truly feel blessed and I am very thankful!!!

Homemade Lotion

After many months of contemplating, I finally built up the confidence and made my own homemade lotion.  Ever since I became pregnant I have been in search of a lotion without a lot of chemicals, preferably no chemicals at all.  Unfortunately, this does not exist, or I haven't found one that does exist.  After much research I decided I wanted to make my own.  When I mentioned my thought to Kevin, he was excited as we have this gigantic aloe plant.  He really wanted to find something to do with it, because it is growing out of control.

 

Finally, on Friday I went to the store and got the ingredients. Now I have to tell you, my first mistake was going to the local vitamin store.  If you want to try making your own lotion I would recommend searching and buying on line.  The amount of supplies you get for the money is so much more economical. Don't get me wrong, when  I use all of the supplies, I will have paid $.50 an ounce of lotion.  So its still a good deal.  Now lets make some lotion!! Please excuse the lack of photos.  I was doing this alone and could only snap a pic here and there and missed a few.
In order to make your own lotion you will need to first understand the different oils.  There are carrier oils and solid oils. A carrier oil is a vegetable oil derived from the fatty portion of a plant, usually from the seeds, kernels or the nuts. Each carrier oil offers a different combination of therapeutic properties and characteristics. The choice of carrier oil can depend on the therapeutic benefit being sought.  Here are just a few to give you an idea of the therapeutic relief these oils offer.

• Peanut - rich, heavy, strong aroma ~ good for dry, malnourished skin.
• Canola - light, not very nourishing ~ good for most skin types.
• Jojoba - protective, lubricating, some UV protection ~ good for dry, damaged skin.
• Olive - stable, heavy, strong aroma, slower to absorb into skin ~ good for dry skin.
• Apricot kernel - light, odorless, somewhat drying ~ good for oily akin.
• Hemp - rich, nutritive, penetration strong aroma ~ good for all skin types.
• Avocado - rich, heavy, penetrating ~ good for dry, damaged skin.
• Grapeseed - light, odorless, drying ~ good for acne-prone skin.
• Rosehip seed - my favorite, good for dry, mature skin.
• Herbal infused oils - usually made with olive oil and herbs such as calendula, St Johns Wort, comfrey.
• Other good oils to include in small amounts are emu and wheat germ

Solid oils act as an emulsifier and are super rich!

Good solid oils are:

• Coconut oil
• Cocoa butter
• Shea butter 

  Now the at you know the oils we will be working with lets get to how to make lotion.  I will list the ingredients needed and tell you what I chose as my ingredients. 

The oils have be be a combination of 2 parts liquid oil to 1 part solid oil.

Homemade Lotion Recipes

• 3 oz rosehip seed oil
• 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 Tablespoon each hemp seed oil and vitamin E oil
• Add enough jojoba oil to make 6 oz.

OR any combination of the carrier oils to equal 6 oz.

• 3 oz of solid oils( I used 1 oz of coconut oil, 1 oz of shea butter, and 1 oz of cocoa butter)
• 1 oz beeswax
• 9 oz distilled water OR 6 oz distilled water and 3 oz aloe vera gel
• 19 drops grapefruit seed extract (a preservative)
• 40 drops lavender essential oil OR essential oils of choice ( I didn’t use any essential oils.  The scent isn’t bad but if  I had to do it again I would chose rosemary oil).

1. To prep I shredded the beeswax into a bowl, measure the distilled water and squeeze the aloe.  (Sorry I lost the aloe and the water pics by not paying attention when downloading and deleting). 

1. 
2.  Pour your liquid oils into a 16 oz heat proof measuring cup
3. 
4.  Add pieces of solid oils until volume reaches 9 oz mark.
5. Add pieces of beeswax until volume reaches 10 oz mark.
6.  Place measuring cup in a pan of gently simmering water and heat until solid oils are just melted.
7.  
8. 
    
9. Remove measuring cup from water and let sit until oils reach body temperature. Test by placing the measuring cup on wrist. When it feels neither warm nor cold it is body temperature. Stir occasionally as it cools.
10. Make sure distilled water is body temperature. You can simply place the water into another heat proof measuring cup and into the pan of hot water used for heating the oils. 
11.  Pour the water into a blender and add grapefruit seed extract.
12. 
13. They say to Process at high speed. If you have a powerful blender process at low speed. You can use a hand mixer but it will take longer. ( In my experience, the blender didn't work and it was a mess.  So I used the mixer instead and it didn't take long and worked just fine for me.  I think this is a less messier way of mixing it).
14. Slowly add the oil mixture into the water.
15. It will begin to thicken and sputter. In a high powered mixer this can be as quick as 30 seconds. With a hand mixer it will take 15 minutes at highest speed.
     
16. Continue until you have a thick, creamy liquid.
17. Add essential oils and stir in well by hand.

You have lotion.  My quick review,sorry this was a very long post.  In all I am pretty happy with it.  I will tell you that it is very greasy to apply. After a bit it sinks in. Its made out of all edible ( I don't know if aloe is edible).  So there are no chemicals which is a huge plus.  After 2 days of using the lotion it left my skin smooth and moist. Which is a huge plus for Colorado. I apply most lotions and after hours my skin is still dry. I only have to apply it morning and night, regular lotion I have to apply 4 times daily.  I am really happy with how it turned out and will continue to better the recipe.  If I find a non greasy recipe I will post that as well. 

Notes:  Since all ingredients are perishable you must store this in the a cool dark place. By adding grapefruit seed extract it preserves it longer.  If you store in the refrigerator it lasts up to 6 months, in cool dark place 3-4 months, and with out extract take 4-6 weeks off the time.  You have to use distilled water since its purified.  If you use regular water it will not last long as bacteria will cause it to go bad quickly.  It is recommended you use something to scoop the lotion out and not use your fingers will help extend the life of the lotion!

19 weeks

I decided to create yet another blog.  This one however, will be about My life and the many little journeys life gives us.  Of course this will include posts about Kevin as well, since he is a big part of my life.  Well with a new post and new beginnings, I thought I would blog about our special gift we have received from God.  Yes, as many of you know we are expecting are first baby. As of today I am 19 weeks pregnant and feeling pretty good. I feel blessed to have this long awaited opportunity.  Along with this gift I have been fortunate to experience the many blessings that come along with pregnancy.  Its odd what we take for-granted ,things like our energy, and the ability to be very productive each day. These days, I feel productive if I get off the couch and clean something, or if I make a meal.  I am so blessed with a wonderful husband who takes care of me during this time. I wouldn't know what to do without him.  I am sure I would be more productive, but I am going to enjoy being pampered and spoiled while I can.   I don't have any recent baby bump pictures but pictured below is one taken at 17 weeks.   It seem like I went from not showing to this over one weekend.  

 

Since I have taken this picture, I haven't really notice a change in the growth of my belly.  So when I think its time for another picture I will post an update.   Around this same time we had our 17 week check up and our last sonogram.  For those of you who do not know, we are not finding out the sex of our baby.  The OB knows this and avoids taking pictures that will give it away.  Below is a our special gift, we are anxious to meet him/her.

Its so hard to believe how fast this pregnancy is going. I feel like they just told me 2 months ago I was pregnant.  That is all I have for you now. I promise to do a better job keeping up with this blog then the last one.  I hope to post at least 2-3 times a week if possible, so check here often for updates.   I still have my knitting/sewing blog if anyone is interested in checking that out.  I will not be posting most of my knitting or sewing here unless it pertains to something in our life, like the baby.  I hope you visit often and enjoy our life's journey with us!!!! Until next time!!!!