Blogmas day 11: how I dress my bump

Advent activity: Christmas tree elegance
(A local hotel displays Christmas trees and does a raffle to win the tree and prizes that come with the tree, so fun!)

Scripture: Luke 1: 39-45
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Since I am still typing blogs on my phone I plan on keeping this one short. Internet should be back up tomorrow, just in time for Friday Favorites holiday edition! Anyways here is how I dress my bump. Which makes me want to sing "all about the bump, all about the bump, no trouble" to the tune of All About that Bass. Haha! A fellow blogger does wordless Wednesday, so I think of this as wordless Thursday. Doesn't flow as nice. Haha, oh well! Here are the pics.

I realize some of these are repeats but, I shortly realized I didn't have as many pics as I thought. Oops!

Don't forget to enter the legging giveaway! Last day is the 23rd!

Blogmas day 2: Pregnancy Update 34 weeks

I did forget to add yesterday I plan on doing a Christmas scripture advent with Mackenzie. Each night we will read scriptures about Jesus' birth. Yesterday was John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

Today is: Isaiah 9:2-7

2 The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
    will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

I invite you to join us as we read these scriptures each day!

Yesterday for Blogmas Max and I had a dance party! It was so fun and she loved the freeze game. Whenever the music stopped she would put her hands up and say "freeze". HAHA!! Today's activity is too bake goodies. It is my birthday and I want goodies. We will start off with some red velvet pancakes and then I have to run off to a couple of doctor appointments and after nap we will make some cookies!! Mackenzie's favorite place to be is in the kitchen helping cook!! Here is a quick update!!

The weeks are just flying by, every time I blink a new week has gone by. 

Just last week I was driving to go pick up my husband, Max was in the car and she starts blabbing about baby sister in mommy's tummy. I chimed in saying, "Mackenzie in 8 weeks (at that time) you can hug and kiss baby sister, she will be here." Mackenzie responded; "hug baby sister?" I said; "Sure, thing baby. She won't be in mommy's tummy forever." Mackenzie then started to babble about something else. I was telling my husband the story after we picked him up, he interrupted and said "8 weeks!!!" I said "Honey, she is 50 days away." He sat there shocked doing the math in his head; "Wow! that's not far away." I just laughed. So, yes baby Ainsley will be here in less than 50 days!! I am not done being pregnant, she is easier to contain and care for in the tummy. I am done with the discomfort and lack of mobility. I went to Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 with a couple of girlfriends. Man, those seats are uncomfortable (which none prego, I like to think they are comfy) and at the end of the movie from sitting straight up and down my feet were swollen! Ugh! I am patient though, she can keep baking for 6 more weeks!!

How far along: 34 weeks.

Gender: Girl!! Ainsley!

Weight gain: 33 lbs, food has been a major weakness lately.

Maternity clothes: Yes, I found my favorite jeans from when I was prego with Max making for a good day!

Stretch marks: Still putting on my cream. A friend recommended some oils, I plan on trying those out soon!!!

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Hasn't been as good. Although no need for naps lately. Having a pillow between my knees helps with the hips and one under the belly helps with the pain from the weight. I plan on getting a body pillow soon, just every time I go shopping I forget to get one. HAHA!!   

Best moment this week: Seeing Mockingjay was definitely a highlight!! Of course yummy turkey on Thanksgiving!! Lasting for 12 hours on Black Friday was huge!! I rewarded myself with pedi and oreo mcflurry!! I can't believe I lasted the whole time!! Got some good deals too!

Miss anything: I work outside and to make it doable I have some great coveralls. They barely fit and the extra layer makes moving extra difficult, I can't wait until moving is easy again. 

Cravings: Not really, I just like eating bad for me food. 

Queasy or sick: No, I did have an actual sick spell one morning a couple of weeks ago. That wasn't fun! Other than that all good!

Looking forward to: Christmas!! Most of my shopping is done and it's so nice to be able to relax and not worry about fitting in shopping time. We still have some crazy schedule stuff coming up so I will take it easy in the meantime. 

Don't forget to enter the Lularoe legging giveaway. Here is the link for the giveaway and yesterday's blogmas!!

Dorinda

Pregnancy Update/ Baby Name Bracket Update

29 weeks Mackenzie                      28 weeks Baby #2

I found this picture of me at 29 weeks Pregnant with Mackenzie and I thought I would share a side by side to see the difference. 

How far along: 28 weeks

Gender: Girl!! 

Weight gain: 28 lbs. I lost 7 lbs this last month. The doctor kinda freaked. Then I told her we were on the Whole 30 and she was excited, said that is the best food for me and baby. She also measured my tummy and it's still growing so she knows the weight loss is me and not baby! Yay!

Maternity clothes: Yes, I did buy some non-maternity from LuLaRoe that I plan on featuring soon. So be watching for that!!

Stretch marks: I still have them but, I am putting on cream twice a day! Which reminds me... I need more. 

Belly button in or out: In although very shallow. HAHA

Sleep: With this diet I have noticed better sleep and a better schedule. I fall asleep so fast now! Wake up naturally and ready to go, also I don't feel the need for a nap. I still take some but, I don't NEED them.  

Best moment this week: Going back to part time and hanging out with Max!!!

Miss anything: Yes, Candy bars, milk, cheese, hot cocoa, pie, bread!! That's not due to pregnancy though, HAHA, it's this diet that I love/hate!!!

Cravings: See note above!!!!! I can add pizza, cheeseburgers, french fries (fried in bad fat!). 

Queasy or sick: No

Looking forward to: So much!!! Halloween which marks the end of the diet, our anniversary, we are getting awayish! The holidays, Black Friday. My list can go on!!!

We actually have completely narrowed down the name but, for now I will just give you the top 2. I haven't decided when I will reveal the name. I want it to be a fun post!

Points:

Kim: 72

Marnie: 65

Joel: 63

No longer able to get points:

Dawn: 70

Amy: 68

Karm: 54

G.G.:44

Myk: 68

Wendy: 63

Rhiannon: 51

Nicole: 50

Heather: 45

Vanessa: 39

Justin: 34

Lonny: 26

So, now some more good news. Since I have returned to part time that means I will return to a regular blogging schedule! The only problem is I am zapped for ideas, do you have any? As mentioned above I am doing one featuring new clothing from LuLaRoe, I have a makeup one, a dressing my bump, fall craft. I am planning on bringing back blogmas, to make up for all my hit and miss posts. Of course that isn't until Christmas, should I do 12 days again or 25? Let me know what you think in the comments!!

Talk to you soon, 

Dorinda

Pregnancy Update and Updated Bracket

check out those tan lines!!!

How far along: 25 weeks ( I was a little off on the last update. This time I double checked and I am 25 weeks.)

Gender: Girl!! 

Weight gain: 30lbs! Wednesday starts Whole 30, I will blog more on why I am doing that later. 

Maternity clothes: Yes. I am on the hunt for holiday dresses!!

Stretch marks: I think the cream is working, or my belly is growing that I can't notice them as much anymore!! Haha!!

Belly button in or out: In (It never popped out last time, I don't think it will this time.)

Sleep: My energy has come back more but, I am working full time. So, it's not like I can get anything done. 

Best moment this week: Mackenzie telling me baby sister is in "Kenzie tummy"

Miss anything: Not really, I mean I have more aches and pains this time around. I guess I would answer a break but, I know that is coming!

Cravings: No 

Queasy or sick: No

Looking forward to: Halloween!!! I have been looking at decorating ideas with my mom and I am excited!!

Baby Name Update

Things are getting interesting in the Chamber's household. Mackenzie daily changes baby's name. Anna, Elsa (guess where those came from?), Casey (no clue). Here are mommy and daddy's name. Daddy does have a favorite, Mommy is still up in the air so we will see.

Scores:

Myk: 61

Kim: 56

Dawn: 56

Wendy: 56

Amy: 54

Rhiannon: 51

Heather: 45

Nicole: 43

Marnie: 42

Joel: 40

Karm: 40

G.G.: 37

Justin: 34

Vanessa: 32

Lonny: 26

Baby Gender Reveal/ Giveaway

We found out last week if we are having a boy or a girl! For 8 days I had to keep it a secret. Boy, was that challenging. Anyways, we thought we would do a fun Gender Reveal with friends and family. We all met at Rocky Rococo, a great pizza place downtown. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures! Ugh!! Well, we thought it would be fun to have all our friends take an Old Wives' Tale quiz about the different pregnancy symptoms and if it meant boy or girl. Next we did the big REVEAL!!!

I should tell you that Mondo got a Twinkie maker for his birthday or Easter or Christmas, I can't remember and we thought that colored Twinkie creme would be the perfect way to reveal. So, we made homemade Twinkies and although they did not taste like the real ones they were still quite yummy. I did get a picture of the creme inside. Here is what it was!!

That's right, a girl!! Can you believe it?! A GIRL!! Mondo says he's okay now with it, he's freaked out about 13 years from now. HAHA!! How fun will it be to have 2 little girls that I can get dressed up!!!

For the party I did Mackenzie's hair with blue and pink ponies, so even her hair did not reveal the secret!!

And after the party I liked my hair and makeup and took a selfie!

That was the extent of my pictures, haha!!

Anyway, now comes a fun giveaway!!

Mondo and I have no clue as to what we want to name baby girl, We are thinking a middle name of Goe or Joe, but that is subject to change if we find a name we love that doesn't fit. So, we thought we would bring our friends and family in the fun as we pick a name and do it March Madness style. 

You can play to win!!! The prize will be a $10 Starbucks card. So down below print out or download the name bracket, fill it out and email it to me at mommyministryandmore@gmail.com.

Each week I will update our bracket and you can follow along to see how many points you get!

Deadline to enter is by Monday September 8th! All filled out brackets must be emailed by September 8th to be eligible to win!!

You can download the PDF here! Chambers baby name Bracket

Personal Update:  I am learning new things with the blog and plan on making some changes, although it may wait until maternity leave. Also, I am currently working full time which is making blogging opportunities scarce, I will try and blog at least weekly. I do have a bunch of pregnancy posts lined up!

Love, 

Dorinda

How I dressed the bump

I thought it would be fun to show you how I dress this baby bump every once in awhile.

This was last Sunday. Mondo and I went to the first service and then Chipotle afterwards for lunch Yum! We also went to Babies R' Us to check out some double strollers. This is the one I want!

Contours Options

After all that we drove around town to check out some houses, then home for a nap and pizza. Over all it was a great day. I loved spending time with my little family!!

Knowing all our plans for the day and it being another hot one, I wanted to dress comfortably. So, jean shorts, hi-lo top and a cute hat did the trick. I also styled this with some faux toms and a cute owl necklace.  I stayed cool and comfortable.

Talk to you soon!!
Dorinda

Baby Number 2: 16 weeks

First off I want to apologize for the bad photo. No more will I be taking selfies in the mirror. We moved in with my parents a couple of weeks ago, so from now on I plan on having my mom take the pictures. I just really wanted to get this post up and didn't want to wait for her to come home. After seeing the quality of the picture I have decided no more.

Also, this pic is a huge step for me to put up, I feel like I just look fat. No I am not fishing for compliments I am just baring my soul and being real. It bugs me that I look this big and I am only 16 weeks. Ok, rant and self pity over.

I will say the reason I know I feel gross is I still haven't been eating very good. So part of me wonders how big I would be if I did eat correctly. I am slowly getting back into working out (I plan on doing a post on my work outs in the near future), and have been working on getting my eating back on track. With that said here is my 16 week update.

How far along: 16 weeks

Gender: Don't know but we will find out Aug. 25th. Although, we are doing a reveal party so it might be a couple of weeks before I post the result.

Weight gain: 10 lbs. according to my last doctor appointment 3 weeks ago. I am currently at the weight I was when I got prego with Mackenzie.

Maternity clothes: Regular, although I am in my heavier set of clothing. Also, I am wearing nursing bras. They are so much more comfy.

Stretch marks: I had them from Mackenzie so I probably won't notice new ones. 

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: All the time. I still need a daily nap although I am not as cranky if I miss it.

Best moment this week: Watching Mackenzie take care of her babies. I think she might be grasping the concept as much as a 2 year old can. She points to my belly and says baby. When asked, she says she wants a baby sister.

Miss anything: Breathing! I can definitely feel all my organs have moved up.
The top half of my stomach is hard. I get winded walking with my friend, which I never did before, or singing Mackenzie bed time lulluabies. Ugh!

Movement: None, hopefully soon though. Aren't you supposed to feel it sooner with baby 2? I need it, I keep forgetting I am prego. HAHA!!

Cravings: For awhile it was baked potatoes with bacon and cheese and sour cream. That has mostly subsided. Every now and then I want a super good burger or steak. No super strong cravings though.

Queasy or sick: No, thankfully!!

Looking forward to: Planning the baby reveal party and helping plan the baby sprinkle. I helped my mom and sis-in-law last time. Then I emceed the whole thing. HAHA! I am excited to do a smaller, more intimate one this time since I don't need as much stuff.

Thanks everyone for reading!!

What! I am pregnant with number 2!!

I am excited to start documenting this pregnancy! I didn't do this with Mackenzie so it will be fun with this new little one. 

Here are the initial facts. I pretty much knew right away I was pregnant due to the fact that I was instantly extremely tired. Which is not easy with a toddler running around the house. Anytime she napped no matter what I needed to do I had to nap too, it wasn't even an option I am pretty sure I would fall over asleep if I didn't. I did wait another week to test. I had been thinking of ways to surprise Mondo with the news when I just decided to ask him how he wanted to be told. He said "he wanted to find out the exact same time I did". So, we picked a day to test and I did. Right after peeing on the stick I brought it out to him. The look was priceless, and the best I could imagine. He just kept saying "Wow!" I am glad I did it the way he asked, I couldn't have asked for a better response. 

week 4

I had been trying to lose the last few pounds before Minnesota and I am happy to report I did make it! I will try to take my photos with black legging and black tank top, I want to see the difference. Again, something I never did with Mackenzie. Week 5 rolled around and in kicked the nausea. I hated it. With Mackenzie I had actual morning sickness where things actually made me throw up, the only bad thing with that was once I threw up I had a hard time stopping. Baby #2 constant nausea. Then I realized I was eating too little calories and too little protein. So for 3 weeks I did no calorie counting and let myself eat whatever, whenever (usually I could only go 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours without eating). It was hard I gained 5 lbs but I was no longer sick, I was upset with myself for feeling so fat already but, I knew in the long run it's better for my health.

week 8

Week 8 almost week 9 suddenly I felt human again! I mean it was like I was in my second trimester. So I started calorie counting again but, with the higher amount in calories and started choosing healthier options. For awhile I craved carrots, cucumbers with ranch. Yum!! Oh, and I can now go 3 to 4 hours without eating. 

Now I am 10 weeks and still feel good. I do get nausea if I haven't had enough protein for the day but it isn't very often. I still get tired and need naps but, it isn't as much of a demand as it was before.

My due date is January 9th and I want to keep it that day. I don't want the baby too close to Christmas. Mackenzie came 3 weeks early so hopefully this one feels like staying in for awhile.

baby photos

A blogger I follow just had her 2nd baby in April and she did this quiz thing each time. I thought it looked fun so I will do it too. 

How far along: 10 weeks

Gender: Don't Know but we will find out

Weight gain: 5 lbs. (I don't want to go past 25)

Maternity clothes: Regular even my skinny jeans still fit!!!

Stretch marks: I had them from Mackenzie so I probably won't notice new ones. 

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: All the time. At night now I sleep so heavy I don't even notice when Mackenzie joins us in bed. 

Best moment this week: Getting back in the gym. Exhaustion and crazy schedule can't hold me back any more!!

Miss anything: Normal smells. Gosh, everything is so gross smelling

Movement: One time I swore I felt baby move, but now I think it was just gas. Still a little early or a super strength baby.

Cravings: Currently Turkey Burger. Recently cucumbers with ranch ( I am out of ranch), Smore's Blizzard (did you know DQ closes at 10! how rude!)

Queasy or sick: Only when I don't get enough food or enough protein

Looking forward to: Buying cute Maternity clothes, all the ones from Mackenzie will be too big since I am now 10 lbs lighter!!

Thank you for reading! If you have any question or think I should add anything to the questionnaire let me know!!