baby o. vol 7 [35 weeks]

THIRTY FIVE WEEKS!
holy. smokes.
i'm going to be a mommy sooner than i think!
i can't wait.

How far along?  35 weeks 2 days [as of today, 4-15-12]

How big is baby?  the books say about a little over 5 pounds! and around 18-19 inches! she's just plumping up now in there. :)

Maternity clothes? i think there's only a handful things that i still wear that are pre-pregnancy but i just squeeeeeze into them! a few of them are normal sweaters so those i don't squeeze into as much. oh, & i literally LIVE in my black maxi maternity skirt. best buy ever.

Stretch marks?  i don't want to talk about it. my poor legs and hips have gotten hit big time. i am just SO THANKFUL that my tummy and sides don't have them! [knock on wood!]

Sleep? still comes pretty dang easy, thank goodness! i just wake up about 3 times a night now to pee haha

Best moment last week?  i was concerned one evening because i couldn't remember feeling her move for a few hours so charlie laid his head down on my lap and just kept saying "london! wake up!" "loooondon where areeee yoouuu?" "london! mommy needs to feel you move". TEARS. TO. MY. EYES. he's going to be such a sweet daddy. oh, and she ended up moving a bit to his voice. i think she already has a favorite...

Movement? ohhhh yeah! she likes to act like a little stink bug and pop her tiny booty in and out and in again. it's adorable and definitely a favorite of mine. 

Food cravings? i don't have cravings anymore but i'm just going through phases of loooving certain things, but like i said, i wouldn't consider it a "craving". it's just that when i eat or drink those items it's like the best things that's ever happened haha right now i'm currently loving: ice, lemon water, green smoothies, and grilled pb&j's with honey and bananas. basically anything. i had a cheeseburger last week and thought i died and went to heaven. 

Food aversions? none. I LOVE FOOD! and so does she. she dances with happiness whenever i eat.

Labor signs? some braxton hicks here and there. and i can't tell if my pelvis is actually starting to widen or if it's just her skull so far down and it's rubbing against my bone. haha sounds more gnarly that it is in real life. promise.

Belly button in/out? out!

What I miss: not a lot. i honestly adore being pregnant. looking forward to getting back into shape, though!

What I am looking forward to:  being a mama! but, MAN i'm going to miss being pregnant. however, having her here will be the best thing in the world. we seriously cannot wait!

Milestones: almost full term! woop!

suggestions, anyone?

oh, hello there lovelies!

since i'm almost to 100 [!] followers on this here little blog'o'mine, i figure it's just about time for some MAJOR revamping.
and since i am not too tech savvy when it comes to html's and whatnot, i'm going to need some help.
but here's the catch.
i'm on a budget.[hey- new babies cost money!]
SO, my question is: do any of you know of some dependable blog designers that can come up with a deal for me?!
please either leave a comment with their information/link to their site, or feel free to email me at samanthaeosborne@aol.com
[don't forget the 'e' in the middle!]

thanks in advance! you're the best.

a birthday in pictures. [plus a few words]

the view from this restaurant is unbelievable! this is what 30 stories up on a sunny portland evening looks like.

on the left: appetizer. fall-off-the-bone duck with sticky buns. drooling.
on the right: 10 oz. top sirloin cooked medium rare  topped with mushrooms and buttery, salty potatoes with crisp green beans and tomatoes on the side. seriously drooling now.

homemade carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and 23 sparkler trick candles.

took at least 10 attempts with both of us blowing these crazy candles out.

last time i buy "sparkler" candles! [that barely even sparkled!]

the end of a great birthday. :)

april second.

someone's birthday is today.

and by someone i mean my cute husband, charlie!
he turned 23.
[does being a whopping 4 months older than him consider me a cougar? haaa]

anywho- since i'm always the one doin' the talking on this thing, i thought it would be nice for all of you to get to know him a little better!
i promise you'll like him. everyone does. :)

23 things you probably didn't know about charlie

1. if he had his way, he'd be in bed asleep by 8:30pm every night. such a morning person.

2. he's played the piano, the saxophone and the guitar. though, he currently only keeps up with the guitar.

3. he is not a picky person [i can thank his mother for this!!] and i am slowly trying to become a good cook [i'm more of a baker, like my mama] so, when i try new recipes they're usually a miss. but he is always so sweet and eats every bite.

4. he is a major goofball.

5. if you were to ask him who his best friend is, he would say "my wife" [what a sweetheart] but a close second is most definitely our dog, wrangler. they are two peas in a pod.

6. he knows his way around a gun with his eyes closed. you don't want to be an intruder in our home. :)

7. he played baseball while in high school. i've been told he had quite the pitcher's arm. [& ooo what i wouldn't do to see him in those baseball pants.]

8. even though he says he doesn't have a favorite color, i can tell you his favorite is blue. he just doesn't realize it. :)

9. he is a MAN'S MAN. outdoors, hunting, fishing, guns, camping, hiking, running, weight lifting, baseball, learning more about cars, hates going shopping [even though i sometimes wished he enjoyed it more..] loves taking care of his family, etc.

10. he ALWAYS smells good.

11. always has to be doing something. as long as we've been married i'm pretty sure i've seen him have only two days where he doesn't have anything planned and just stays home and is "lazy". [his words] haha

12. loves and i mean LOVES country music.

13. kids adore him.

14. he makes a meeeean breakfast sandwich.

15. he's a veteran. served 4 years in the marine corps infantry. i am SO proud of him for that.

16. he sings "my girl" to me at random times, even if i'm not in the room. i can hear him throughout the house. it's cute.

17. he looks amazing in a suit. well, that's my opinion.. :)

18. he has two tattoos.

19. he graduated from high school early to join the marine corps.

20. he owned his own window cleaning business in high school.

21. loves being an American.

22. definitely doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve. only a few choice people really get to see his emotions.

23. is the most wonderful husband.

happy 23rd birthday, babe! i love you!

showered with love.

yesterday was london's baby shower and boy oh boy was she showered with love!
i feel so blessed that this little daughter of mine has so many people that truly care deeply for her.

my mom, sister and one of my best friends, liana put on the whole show! i did help, but that's because i love putting little parties on and don't get to very much. :) but a HUGE hats off to them [especially my mom who slaved away in the kitchen for about a week before hand!]

now on to the pictures! they tell the story much better of how wonderful this shower was more than i can explain.

we had non-traditional games..a diaper raffle, a guessing game where guests guess when london will be born, at what time and her weight. closest guess wins! [obviously that winner won't get their prize until may :)] and the timer game. which is played while gifts are being opened. you set the timer anywhere from 2-5 minutes and whosever gift is currently being opened when the timer goes off gets a prize! keeps things a little entertaining. :)

so i'm very animated with my facial expressions, so what? :)

london got a LOT of gorgeous handmade gifts from numerous friends and family [i am SURROUNDED by talent, i tell you!] the cute yellow bear blanket was crocheted by my grandma, and the heart quilt was made by my lovely mama. who is beyond excited for her first granddaughter! :)

i can't thank everyone enough for coming and supporting me and loving on little london. charlie and i are so thankful. she doesn't even know how lucky she is yet to have this many wonderful people in her life!

me? a nominee?!

our humble little blog has been nominated for the Liebster Award!

[que applause]

a big THANK YOU to my little audience of readers! 

and especially the TWO other blogs that nominated me!

caroline from ...Love, Caroline and mandi from All My Happy Endings

what IS a liebster award you may ask??

well, as mandi ever so wonderfully described it: "The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 or so followers. The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome."

there are a few rules a nominee must follow to receive this award, which are:

1. each person must write 11 things about themselves that readers may not know.

2. answer the 11 questions the tagger asked, and then ask the people YOU nominate and tag to answer 11 questions.

3. choose 11 other blogs and link them in this post.

4. go to their page and tell them.

5. no tag backs!

mmkay, with that said! since two people tagged me, i have to choose which answers to answer. so, i figured i'd go with whoever got a hold of me first. which was caroline! [i think mandi *techincally* tagged me first on my new twitter account a few days ago, but since i'm such a newbie and don't know my way around twitter, i didn't get it until after caroline told me about it.]

11 facts about sam that you may not know yet

1. i'm pretty picky when it comes to grammar [ESPECIALLY when it comes to you're/your, two/to/too, they're/their/there] but i hate capitalizing words. kind of hypocritical, i know. [by the way- i know i still make grammatical errors. but let's just pretend i don't. :D haha]

2. i'm a night owl. big time. having this baby will really slap me into reality when it comes to "normal" morning hours. haha

3. i'm a cosmetologist [i know many of you that i personally know already know this] & i specialize in highlights/weaves.

4. i stopped growing in the 6th grade. [i'm 5'2" shout out to all the other shorties out there!]

5. i'm the youngest of 3 children.

6. two things i love to do by myself: shopping and crafting.

7. my first pet was a dwarf hamster named pinky. he was all white with pink/red eyes and lived for 2 years! [that's a long time for a hamster!]

8. my best friend is truly my husband. i love it. i highly recommend marrying someone who can be your best friend. :) 

9. my parents almost named me elisabeth.

10. i was a cheerleader throughout middle school and high school [most people aren't shocked about this..haha!]

11. i played piano for a total of 7 years growing up. and i was REALLY good! but now, i can't play a lick. it's sad. i completely regret quitting. [you were right, mom!!!]

now on to the questions caroline tagged me with!

1. (Obligatory) Why did you start blogging? i made this blog around the same time charlie and i got engaged...because doesn't every married couple have a blog??! ha! i now mainly use it as a journal since i'm terrible at keeping a written journal.

2. Where is your favorite place to go? disneyland. 

3. What's your most favorite time of year? (i.e. Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall) fall! spring is lovely, too. 

caroline...you skipped #4! :)

5. If you could go to any place in the world, where would you go? oh, man! just one place?! i can't pick! one day i will to go to all the countries of my heritage. which are... scotland, ireland, england, france, romania, holland, lithuania, poland, germany, and hungary. whew! i'm a mut.

6. Where do you like to shop? let's just put it this way..target is my second home. 

7. Who is your favorite music artist? i have so many. mainly all country artists. 

8. What do you do for family time with your family? charlie and i like to go out to restaurants. we also spend lots of time with our dog, wrangler. and we love watching shows together on netflix -no commercials! :) 

9. What make up item could you not live without? my eyebrow pencil! [eyebrows completely define your face- very important beauty tip!] i have blonde eyebrows and eyelashes so without my eyebrow pencil and my mascara, i look like a 12 year old. charlie even admits to it haha!

10. How do you like to style your hair? down and softly curled. charlie prefers it up in a pony, though. :)

11. What is one of your favorite memories? i have been blessed with such an amazing life. i have countless favorite memories, but for now i'll pick the night charlie got back from his 7 month deployment to afghanistan last year. the moment we finally saw each other and hugged and kissed i will NEVER forget. such a special memory.

my nominees are! [drum roll, please..]

1. mandy from Life's Perks

2. noelle from Norrey

3. kimber from Casey + Kimber

4. shelly from Shelly and Branson

5. bethany from Life's Lessons

6. britt from The Walker Clan

7. kristen from Disgustingly Happy

8. jasmine from Enjoy The Journey

aaaand that's it because i don't follow enough blogs with under 200 followers that haven't already been nominated! 

my questions:

1. (obligatory) why did you start blogging?

2. where is your "happy place"?

3. what is your favorite dessert?

4. do you prefer mornings or nights?

5. chocolate or vanilla?

6. what is your favorite type of music?

7. guilty pleasure?

8. what is your bedtime ritual?

9. is there a meaning behind your first and middle name?

10. your biggest pet peeve?

11. what is the last thing you checked off your bucket list?

YAY! there you have it, folks! if you lasted through reading this entire post, my hat goes off to you! 

xo

baby o. vol 6 [30 weeks]

can i get a whoop-whoop?! THIRTY WEEKS, PEOPLE!

do you know what that MEANS?! it means little girl will be here very soon.
it's now to the point where i have my doctors appointments every 2 weeks now.
and it's to the point where i pre-register at the hospital.
and it's to the point where charlie really really wants his baby girl to just be here already! [stay put for at least another 7 weeks, london! don't let daddy tempt you into coming too early.]
so, ya. 30 weeks. big deal. [and big belly!]

How far along?  30 weeks, 3 days [as of today, 3-12-13]

How big is baby? anywhere from 2-3 pounds! and somewhere between 15 & 16 inches long. 

Maternity clothes? um, ya. big time.

Stretch marks?  unfortunately, yes. thankfully- they're only on my lower hips. 

Sleep? i sleep best when i can hog the bed. :) some nights i sleep wonderfully, some nights not so much. but all in all, i can't complain. 

Best moment last week?  yesterday i had a doctor's appointment and was able to hear the wonderful sound of her little heart beat. she was a hyper one yesterday with 170bpm! and she's getting so big that i can now squeeze my tummy and feel her little booty or one of her legs. it's cute- her bum is SO tiny! already love it. haha

Movement?  all day, every day! i absolutely love it. sometimes she'll do a huge JOLT. must be doing some insane back flips or something. crazy girl.

Food cravings? i've been loving pineapple lately. and any meat that has those yummy italian/savory flavors. mmm.

Food aversions? none any more.

Gender? all girl!

Labor signs? nope! few more weeks! keep cookin' little girl.

Belly button in/out? POPPED! see picture below. :)

What I miss: my old wardrobe. my outfit choices are pretty limited these days. 

What I am looking forward to: CALIFORNIA! BABY SHOWER!! FAMILY TIME!!! we leave on monday and i'm staying for two whole weeks! YES. can't wait to visit "home". :)

Milestones: i'm officially in the 3rd trimester! yay!