December 2008 Archives

Well, heck.  Maybe this pregnancy thing isn't going to go by too terribly slow.  I have made some progress.  I am feeling strange stretching in my abdomen that is called "round ligament" something or other.  It feels like a strained muscle - without the exercise.  Also, I clearly have a legitimate baby bump - even my skeptical husband sees it now.  I have been running around for the last few weeks sticking my belly way out asking, "do I look pregnant?"  He finally says I do.  That's good.  I haven't been to the gym in a couple of weeks and my "food cravings" have consisted of onion rings and root beer sooooo the bump was a bit suspicious.

Oh, and you know what else?  I can find baby's heartbeat easily using my nifty home doppler device.  I used to have to push it way down into my pelvic area to the point of cramping in order to hear the reassuring "woosh woosh woosh" of my little one.  Now, he/she is right on top of my pelvic bone and very close to the surface.  I love that sound.

We are off to Cabo for a week for our babymoon with hubby's wonderful mom and dad and sister/brother in law.  I can't wait!  I got the cutest little tankini tops to hide the belly - and they were on sale!  But the best part is that when we return next Friday, we get to go to our early gender detection 4D ultrasound.  We will finally get the answer!  We can't wait.  In the scheme of life events, the sex of your babies is very critical.  Will we be spending Sundays on the little league field or the ballet studio?  Will I have someone to shop with and receive decent Mothers Day gifts? 

I'm looking forward to 2009.  We have some great ideas for the shop.  We are buying a new home and will get to set up a nursery (!) and we are inaugurating  Barack Obama as president.  Life is good.

The great thing about planning your own wedding is the ability to really shake up old traditions and create your own as you go. Here are some suggestions for wedding accessories for the untraditional bride.

Wedding Accessories for Your Hair
The veil has been a tradition for centuries dating back to the times when removing it was a real big deal - because the poor groom had never seen what lies beneath before. It's also a sign of virginity.

Fresh flowers are a wonderful choice for bridal hair accessories. Some flowers are heartier than others so speak with your florist before making your selections. Orchids are surprisingly hearty flowers that will look fresh and lovely all day and night.

Silk flowers can also be used for dramatic wedding hair accessories. Silk flowers come in many shades notfound in nature and can be quite elegant if done with taste. A single red rose, for instance, tucked behind the bride's ear would look lovely.

Ribbons in metallic colors and thick velvets can be braided into an intricate hair style. Curl the ends with a curling iron for a Renaissance look.

Wedding Accessories - Jewelry
There is no need to wear your grandmother's pearl necklace with so many contemporary choices in bridal jewelry. Swarovski crystal and Czech Republic glass pearls make a stunning combination and come in virtually every shade of color under the sun. Tanzanite, ruby, diamond crystal, peridot, amber, and emerald to name a few. Don't stop at just white or ivory - explore using your wedding colors in your wedding accessories for a personal and unique touch.

Our "Sweetheart" bridal chokers are created using fancy Czech glass pearls, Swarovski crystal beads and gorgeous Swarovski heart pendants. Your only limitation is your imagination. Wear an emerald heart to signify your Irish ancestry. Wear an aquamarine heart as a symbol of love for your new Piscean husband."

Wedding Accessories - Ring Bearer Pillows and Flower Girl Baskets
Incorporating children in your ceremony is a great way to bring together both sides of your new family.

Most of the pillows and baskets your will find in your wedding accessory search will be white, frilly and completely covered with lace. Fine for the traditional bride but what's a funky bride to do?

Our ring bearer pillows and flower girl baskets are everything but frilly and traditional. Using your selection of colors, accents and themes, let us a create a one of a kind wedding accessory set that will be the topic of conversation all day.

Having a theme wedding? Our ring bearer pillows and flower girl baskets can be created in over 25 different styles. While white and ivory are a good choice and always in stock, we also carry merlot, cranberry, grape, eggplant, lavender, periwinkle, red, black, buttercup yellow, and many more.

Baby is now 11 weeks and 3 days and the size of a fig, or a lime.  By the end of this week, I think he/she should be the size of a kiwi - a small kiwi.

Our last ultrasound appointment was nothing less than awesome.  Baby was moving his/her little paddles and we could actually see his/her face on our ultrasound pics.  That was a super shock!  Baby has a little nose and mouth and he was trying to suck his itty bitty thumb.  I'm in love!

A week from Monday is our Nuchal Transluscency scan.  They take a little blood and use that along with the measurement of baby's neck to determine our chances for having a Down Syndrome baby.  If the chances are higher, we will be given the opportunity for an amnioscentisus (which is incredibly hard to spell).

We also hope that at that point, baby will be almost 13 weeks by then, we will be able to see the sex of our little fig.  The chances are kinda slim but it would be great to know right before Christmas time.  It's funny - I always wanted a little girl but since day one, I had a sneaking suspicion that this little fig was a boy.  I'm actually afraid that I will be disappointed if he/she isn't a boy.  Mostly because it will prove my sneaking suspicion was wrong.  I hate being wrong.

We love the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" wedding tradition, don't you? It's one of the only wedding traditions that still makes sense in today's society. It isn't darkened by old superstitions about fertility and virginity or cheapened by old wives tales about the moon's alignment. It's just plain cute. If you can, try to select items that can be placed in your keepsake box and passed down to your daughter or daughter-in-law.

 

Old

The "old" item represents something you are leaving behind or something that is being passed down to you.

 

· Your grandmother's wedding photo in a silver locket
· Your fiancé's first lost tooth
· Your mother's wedding band on your right ring finger

 

New

The "new" item represents something you are adopting through your marriage or something that is unique to your new union.

 

· Your engagement picture on the other side of the silver locket
· The key to your new home
· A token of your first date like a ticket stub or cocktail napkin.

 

Borrowed

The "borrowed" item should be symbolic of something you respect or admire about someone or something.

 

· Your best friend's energy crystal
· Your mother's monogrammed handkerchief
· Your mother-in-law's pearl necklace

 

Blue

The "blue" item really has no symbolism that we can think of - it simply rhymes with "new." Try to select something hidden and small that only you (and later on, your new hubby!) know about.

 

· A sapphire Austrian crystal heart pendant
· Paint your toes with light blue polish
· A thin light blue ribbon on your garter