Second Trimester Wrap up!

Baby is the size of a large coconut!

Baby has fully developed taste buds and can not only hear the outside world but can cry! The second trimester was a breeze, it's as I near the last trimester that things are getting a little harder! I think I can kiss my solid sleeping good-bye as I round the corner into the home stretch with my very active little one.

SYMPTOMS: I sailed through my second trimester I had my energy back and I felt great! But in the last week of the second trimester fatigue has hit me hard again, a heavy belly, backaches and extreme rib pain. She moves all the time and I already know she's going to be full of energy! Headaches are back and at night it's impossible to get comfortable and my sleep is very interrupted. I'm finding myself more moody than usual and it's hard to tell if it's from all the unpleasant symptoms or just the increase in hormones. 

CRAVINGS: In the beginning of my second trimester I craved chocolate ice cream. Which before being pregnant I was more of a vanilla girl, but it had to be plain chocolate. No mix ins and vanilla wouldn't cut it, had to be chocolate. Near the end I haven't had any cravings at all.

WEIGHT GAIN: At the end of my 2nd trimester I've gained a total of 30 lbs which sounds like a ridiculous amount but to be honest I don't even care. I know everyone is different during pregnancy and my body is doing what it needs to prepare and support my little one. As long as baby and I are healthy I'll worry about the weight gain after she gets here!

 MATERNITY CLOTHES: I bought maternity shorts and love wearing my Target maternity dresses, I also still fit into a handful of flowy pre-pregnancy tops and dresses. So in combination with t-shirts and leggings I have enough to last me until the end so I'm pleased I spent less than $50 on all my maternity purchases and the dresses I can wear after pregnancy too. 

BABY IS A. . . : A beautiful, itty bitty, baby girl 

BABY IS DUE: Still waiting to see my new Dr. so we only have the due date my previous (and not so great) Dr gave us: October 20th. Although, I wound up being held overnight in the ER last week because I was having irregular contractions and they needed to monitor me for preterm labour. I was released after the contractions stopped and just need to take it easy and keep a watch out for preterm labour signs. Fingers crossed this little active girl holds out at least a little longer!!

BABY NAMES: We've had a boy name and a girl name picked out since the beginning (the girl name before we even knew we were pregnant!) but as it's nearing the end I think our minds have changed and we've settled on a new one :) 

DO STRANGERS NOTICE: Yes! Almost everyone now can tell I'm pregnant, I've had some strangers offer help if it looks like I'm struggling with something which is really nice, but still get the occasional server who offers me the wine menu or offers to 'spike' that lemonade I ordered! 

BABY BUYS: Stocking up on diapers and wipes, preparing for her arrival! Still on the search for the perfect car seat and stroller.

PREPARING FOR BABY: The nursery is almost done! All her clothes are organized, toys and blankets have a place, just a few more small items need to be purchased and a couple finishing decorating touches. I love sitting in her room and can't believe we'll have a new little resident in our back room soon!

2/3 of the way done!!

DIY Fabric Flower Bouquet

Keep Your Wedding Flowers Forever

For those of you who don't know me I am both ridiculously sentimental and crafty, so going any other route with my bridal bouquet just wasn't an option. I made my own out of fabric flowers, which given my past career (and forever hobby as a designer) it only seemed appropriate. It also meant I got to include tons of vintage brooches that were my grandmothers to boot AND it would preserve perfectly forever so it can serve as the ultimate keepsake from our wedding day! 

You don't have to be crafty to make your own, it was a lot of fun to play around with until I got it how I liked it. Here's a list of supplies that I used but the options are endless!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Hot Glue Gun
• Glue Sticks
• Fabrics in colours and many options of your choice
• Twine or ribbon of choice
• a button or bead to match your theme
• A wiffle ball (I got mine at the dollar store)
• A triangular structure- I used a party blower (again from the dollar store)
• Faux greenery (Dollar Store)

EXTRAS TO ADD

• jewels or beads
• feathers
• brooches, pins or buttons
• pearls or ribbon
• you could even use fake flowers to make it easier!

STEP BY STEP:

1. I stuffed the party blower with scraps of fabric until it was full so it would feel stiff to the touch and not flimsy. 
2. Hot glue the rim of the party blower and stick on the wiffle ball. Let Dry to be secure.
3. Starting from the bottom or wherever you want your ribbon/twine to show (I did mine 1/3 of the way up) hot glue gun a circle for the first wrap. Let dry. Pull taught each time you wrap it around the cone and secure with a dot or line of glue every couple of wraps. Push down the ribbon/twine each time to insure there won't be spacing or gaping later!
4. If you choose to have faux greenery- I think it's great to break up the flowers and make it look more natural. hot glue the bottoms and place them through the wiffle ball and glued securely to the top of the cone or the bottom of the wiffle ball depending on how yours is set on. This is why I loved using wiffle balls for the inside because I prefer smaller bouquets so it was a great size to start with and the holes helped with spacing and securing flowers later!
5. Next if you've chosen to make your own fabric flowers get started! There are tons of different ways to do it. Here are several great tutorials for different kinds of flowers from Skip to My Lou to help you get started. When in doubt cut out several round shapes from one or two similar fabrics and put a dot of glue in the center of the circle and glue it to another circle. Do this to several circle all being glued to the same bottom layer until it's as full as you like! Experiment and have fun with it. Different fabrics will give you different looks too! Not feeling so crafty? Forego the fabric and you can buy a variety of fake flowers you like instead and skip this step all together!                          
6. Here is an optional step. Break out all your trimmings and details! I put something special in the middle of each one of my flowers. I alternated between vintage buttons, my grandmother's brooches, rhinestones and pearls! It gave it that extra something meaningful and a little bling never hurt anyone either!
7. Next is the placement of everything! Play around with it a little until you get it just how you want it! Then stick the "stems" into the wiffle ball holes or glue the flat bottom flower to the sides filling in the gaps as you go! Don't be afraid to rearrange it, I took mine apart a couple different times until I got it just the way I wanted!
8. If you didn't use your ribbon/thread for the entirety of the handle now's the time to fill in the remaining part with whichever trimming you choose. I picked a thick cream ribbon that had been from my Grandmother's sewing things. It was the perfect vintage and bridal touch I was looking for! For the bridesmaid flower bouquets I just did the twine all the way through.
9. Now, that it's almost complete you need to stop up that party blower bottom, you're not going to be blowing on your bouquet so no one even needs to know it's there! For my bridesmaids I picked the perfect sized rhinestones to finish off the bottom with a sparkle, and for my own I used a pearl!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. You can finish them off anyway you like! I added pearl bracelets to my bridesmaids bouquets so they could keep them afterward and a touch of yellow with a ribbon. On my own I glued on white feather plums and draped a strand of my mother's pearls to add to the vintage vibe!

I had a lot of fun making these and they are so easy to personalize and make special in a lot of different ways from recreating your favourite flower, using touches of your bridesmaids favourite colour or like me using pieces from family members to incorporate! 

8 Days and Counting!