Bumpdate

I've been exhausted lately!

Why did no one tell me this baby-growing business was so tiring? Oh, wait...I'm pretty sure EVERYone has said it at one point or another.

I'm now almost 24 weeks (!) and I've popped!

Here's a picture of the lil peanut, taken about a week and a half ago.
And here's a picture of me at 21 weeks


And again at 23 weeks

Isn't it amazing what 2 weeks does?

Also, please pardon the gay bathroom picture. I truly do not have a full-length mirror in my house and work, although the bathroom is less-than-desirable, will have to suffice!

I've been feeling great with the occasional heartburn. I bought costco-sized containers of tums the other day - one for my desk at work, and one for the house.

I've been worrying lately about not feeling the baby move as much. It's ridiculous. I know it's ridiculous, yet I'm unable to stop being paranoid. Last night I dragged Ryan to the store to pick up one of those baby womb-sound amplifiers. Thirty minutes later and my worrying was still there. Don't waste money on it. I promptly returned it today and last night ordered an FDA approved Fetal Doppler on eBay. Yeah...so...I'm a little anxious, what can I say. Peace of mind is worth the $48 I forked over for a little piece of equipment that will let me hear our little bebe's heartbeat. And I've decided that since I've gotten bigger, I'm just feeling the baby differently.

Of course, as I type, the kid's going crazy and I can totally feel them moving. Of course!

Here's something amusing.

Baby dreams. I have been having the funniest and weirdest dreams.

A few weeks ago I dreamt we were at the Alexanders for Christmas. But it was like National Lampoon Christmas - extended family, little kids everywhere, etc. So many kids that there were kids sleeping on stairs and so in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve/Early Christmas Morning I had to step over kids.

Apparently in the middle of the night I delivered the baby myself and handed him to my mother-in-law so I could get some sleep and whatever. So Christmas morning everyone gets up and gathers around the Christmas tree and my MIL comes in holding the baby and asks Ryan, "so what are you naming your son?"
Ryan wanted to consult with me--how considerate--and pulled me aside for a minute, wanting to get the ok for the name.

Chelsea: Okay, what do you want to name him?
Ryan: I think we should name him Britton Smoker Alexander
Chelsea: Smoker? Smoker. Hmmm...Where did THAT come from? Really, Smoker?
Ryan: (after a pensive pause) What?....I love barbecue!


Since this dream, Ryan's been referring to the baby as Smoker.

A Quick Favor {and a Sweet Reward}

**Thanks for voting, everyone! Comment #3 is the winner!** Also, it's not too late to vote! It's open until the 11th.

Two of my old roommates have a photography business together. Their work is really impressive and I wish they were around when I got married!

BUT, I have a chance to win a free photo shoot from them through their beYOUtiful Campaign. I am one of the 15 finalists.

What is beYOUtiful?

To sum it up, all women deserve to feel beautiful no matter what shape, size, or how they look. Cristi and Jessi want to promote this attitude and have done so with a little giveaway/contest.

For more information, click here to read Cristi and Jessi's post.

While you're there, if you could vote for #14, you would help get me in the running. Currently I'm totally out of the game. :( Bummer, huh?

So, I'm using all my internet tools to shamelessly request help.

What's in it for you?

I'm doing a little giveaway.

Please go vote, then come back here and leave me a comment. I'm going to give away a full set of felt hairbow headbands. That's 10 bows and 2 headbands. $60 prize for simply clicking a button.

The colors will vary from those above. I have more browns, tans, blacks, fall, and spring colors!
I've been wanting to do a giveaway for them for awhile, so this is a perfect reason!

Giveaway ends on Sunday night, January 8th. Not sure when voting at HiyaPapaya ends, so please vote soon! Thanks, all!

Vanilla - Out and About

Did I tell you my friend Laura designed the vanilla labels for me?

She did such an awesome job. I tweaked them a little because I fell in love with a shape that was/is exclusive to Silhouette, but the design is ALL her!

While at Spark I met April Atwater, an amazing woman, a strong leader, and a creative giant!

She's working on her own magazine, Simply the Sweet Life. This is her second year and it looks to be great!

I provided her with some product and I was supposed to provide her with a little bio, but, uh, yeah...I got really busy, really, really quickly and I dropped the ball. Still, she was SO kind to include me in her December/Winter issue of Simply the Sweet Life.

Which you can read here:

You can see my beauts on page 55.

Also, if you follow the amazingly cute party blog, One Charming Party, a recent post included a recipe and a bottle of 16oz Vanilla peaking up from the bottom of the picture:

It was pretty awesome to open my email for one of the daily posts and see a picture of something I created!

Now that December is over (the busiest month I've had in a LONG time), AND I'm well into my second trimester, I feel better and have a little more energy to get crafty and maybe even share it with everyone!