Where do I start? I had been anticipating my ultrasound since I knew I was pregnant with my second child. The week leading up to it and the day seemed to be slowest time has ever passed in history!

So I didn’t have too much time to think before my ultrasound let along get ready. Surprisingly I had fallen asleep and had no time whatsoever to do anything with my hair or put on makeup. I felt literally as groggily as I looked. And with five minutes on the clock to head out and drop my daughter off at my friends house for the next few hours I had to rush to get my bags together and redress my daughter whom was also just as asleep as I was.

I filled up my water bottle and started drinking all that water which I knew was going to cause such uncomfortableness in my body for the next hour or so.  To make things a little worse on that note, it was pouring rain when we left. Just my luck, a full bladder and nature against me!

We arrived at the Doctors on time and my husband was trying to make every possible crack that he could think of to make my full bladder situation worse. Why do husband’s think it’s hilarious to do that? I checked in, turned to my right to see pouring rain, turned to my left to see a little boy getting water, and well add that I had to keep sneezing… I know right? So I went to the restroom to blow my nose and the toilet was literally there to taunt me and guess what? I went because I was about to explode and it was really hard to only go a little bit but I knew it would help me not feel like I was going to absolutely pee my pants!

I had to wait about fifteen minutes before I saw the ultrasound tech. I knew it was going to be soon after seeing an extremely happy couple come out with baby girl pictures.  She was so happy because she thought she was going to have another little boy but got the girl she wanted after all. One very happy beaming mother and soon that was going to be me though I was settled on being happier whether I had gotten a girl or a boy, deep down I was hoping for a little boy.

The time was now mine to be seen! I was so happy knowing I’d be relieving my bladder more than I think I was to see my baby. And I know without a doubt that most moms probably feel this way at that time. I was so happy that after about 2-5 minutes of photos of my baby that ultrasound tech said I could relieve myself and I am glad it looked like my bladder was literally bigger than my baby!

I must brag and say I am very happy and blessed with my Doctor’s office and the ultrasound equipment that is being used. I know some mothers can’t always seen the monitor of the baby easily and with that being said makes all the poking and prodding of our bellies seem to feel that much more uncomfortable.  My husband and I had a monitor to look at of the baby straight in front of us. Our little one was squirming around in there eyes open and swallowing. It’s so neat to be able to see all that going on!

I don’t know if the ultrasound tech caught herself but before she actually pointed out the sex of our baby she referred to the baby as a HE. I later mentioned this to my husband and he didn’t even realize she had said it. Our little boy was not shy in the least bit in exposing himself… our tech called the boys part a tepee and a tripod? lol… Yes, quite amusing.

So the ultrasound tech found out the sex no problem, took plenty of pictures of the baby but there was set she was needing to get and our son would not cooperate! He had turned his back on the camera and was not to be bothered. This stubbornness resulted in a not so fun time for me. This was followed by me getting lain all the way down and sitting up quickly, rolling from side to side,  and pelvic thrusts ( yes you heard me right). None of that was working so she continued to push and prod on my stomach to get Owen to move. Yes it was uncomfortable and annoying. After about twenty minutes of that, he finally turned over long enough for her to get the photo she needed.  And then we were done. Thank God!

That was followed by my Doctor going over the results of the ultrasound which all look great. I am so happy for a healthy little boy and I can’t wait to meet him in person.

So tell me mommies, How was your ultrasound experiences?

Sue Berk Design Winner is – #20 Gerri S.
Magen’s Bay Winner is – #33 Rachel D.
Chex Gift Set Winner is – #49 Nell

( all winners have been chosen using a random.org)

Congratulations to you all! Please reply back to the email I send with your full name and address.
Winners have 48 hrs to contact me or another winner will be chosen.

I just wanted to let everyone know! I’ll be writing more later!

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

and the book:

The Berenstain Bears and the Gift of Courage

Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)

***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bear books in 1962. Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too. Mike is married to Andrea, and they have three children. They live in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks a lot like Bear Country.

Visit the authors’ website.

Product Details:

List Price: $3.99
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310712564
ISBN-13: 978-0310712565

PRESS THE BROWSE BUTTON TO VIEW THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Z

Browse Inside

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I just had to show off my baby bump and fun shirt I created not too long ago. If you are interested in getting a shirt like this of your own you can find it at my Virtuous Planet site. Be sure to request the design be moved to the Belly of the Shirt. I have these shirt available for every month of the year and I would recommend a size bigger than your current pre-pregnancy size.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Can you believe it’s already practically September? I know I can’t! My husband and I never made it to the coast this summer but that doesn’t mean we are not planning not to go. I love going to the Oregon Coast and we are shooting to go as a late vacation before the arrival of our second baby.

I just learned about the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes! You can enter on their site once per day for your chance to win 1 of 100 daily prizes–8 Be My Guest Certificates, each valid for a one-night stay at any Hampton Hotel worldwide! I don’t know about you, but I’d love to win a free stay and it would totally fit right in with our plans for a late autumn trip to the coast.

There are two ways to enter the daily drawings:

• Book a stay online at a Hampton hotel by September 5, 2010 with the promotion code “FRIEND” or “COF.” and you will automatically be entered into a drawing based on the day the stay was booked.
• Enter online without making a purchase by filling out the entry form linked above.

As much fun as it would be to go up to the coast alone, we’d also love to go on up and spend some quality time with our friends. A lot of my friends have children close to the age of my own daughter so if someone wanted to go out for a special evening with their spouse, the other couple could watch their child, it’s a win win! Great photos, great memories and an awesome time hands down!

Go sign up for your chance to win today!

Am I waiting till the end of nine months to find out the sex of my child? No, most certainly not, I really don’t think I could wait that long! I value being be prepared where I can, so knowing totally helps me with that especially since this is our second child.  We need to know if clothing wise all of our pink from our first born is going to get worn again or whether we’ll have to start collecting clothes for a little boy.

Last week seemed to go by very slow and to make things worse, my good friend who is week behind me in her second pregnancy found out the sex of her baby before me! I even tried to get a sooner ultrasound appointment but no luck. You can only guess how eager I am for tomorrow to get here!

I have been majorly nesting to get my house ready for our little arrival. Things kind of got out of hand and needed quite a bit of cleaning and reorganizing through out my first trimester.  I’ve finally felt energized and well enough to tackle it. This is why they say the second trimester is the best…we have more energy and feel well enough to almost be back to our normal un-pregnant selves.

The house looks great, I’ve started cleaning up our baby toys from our first pregnancy, I’ve put up the pack and play of which the baby will be sleeping in for awhile, washed blankets, wiped down our travel system, and more. I’m so happy I didn’t give any of our baby stuff away. I knew it wouldn’t have been long till we had another one and I know we are saving so much money especially since I stuck with getting lots of gender neutral gear with our first born daughter!

Time is ticking until my appointment and here’s to hoping my little one doesn’t hide from the camera and make me wait any longer. I’d like to start calling my baby a he or she instead of an it.

Our second baby will be arriving in as little as 20 more or less weeks so we were glad when we received the opportunity to celebrate our little one early by receiving an adorable Precious Moments baby blanket from the Precious Moments Baby Boutique to review!

My daughter Melody is really excited about our new baby and loves seeing items just for baby arriving in our home. She couldn’t wait to lay this blanket out in our new little ones bed!

This blanket is so comfortable and measures the perfect size for our pack and play and crib at just 30 x 43.  I found this blanket to hold up well in the wash being as soft and warm  as when it arrived as when I was done washing it!

The Precious Moments baby blanket is totally mom approved and I think the image on the blanket is good for either a little girl or boy making it a great baby shower gift if you don’t quite know  the sex of your own or someones elses new to arrive bundle of joy!

For more than 20 years, Precious Moments has been sharing the gift of love by celebrating life’s most special moments, including welcoming of a new baby. At www.preciousmoments.com, under the shop tab, you’ll find the Precious Moments Baby Boutique, featuring a great selection of baby gifts and gear from apparel and accessories to keepsake figurines! Check it out for yourself today, I know enjoyed browsing and will totally be stopping by again!

I have a few shirts that I really like but have found  them to be a little too low cut once I received them. These were shirts and dresses I had purchased online and weren’t as true to fit on me as I thought they would be so I haven’t worn them out at all that is until I discovered Second Base, a one of a kind camisole made for the upper body!

Second Base offers are variety of camisoles in many colors and appealing styles.  I was able to review the Meredith camisole in white. I fell completely head over heals for this camisole. It fits comfortably and eliminates any unwanted immodesty when wearing certain tops and dresses.

I’m currently pregnant and another pro is that I don’t have to worry about layering with purchasing maternity tank tops. This camisole is perfect for when you are pregnant or not, totally versatile!

I found my camisole to wash and dry fantastically, and just so you know they are also made in the USA! I am looking forward to getting another style and color or two sometime in the future!

This is a fashion must have to add to your own collection of clothes and accessories! You can order Second Base demi camis on their website for around $30.00 each.

We had lots of fun enjoying the sunshine at a local park today. We hiked for about 2 hours and 1/2 and really enjoyed just being outside and spending time together! I love nature it’s so much more enjoyable than a lot of other things and it’s free!

I am truly blessed by being able to live so close to many great places to spend time out with my family. I’m so glad to be to partake in beauty God has given us here on earth as well.

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.  ~Martin Luther

Belly 9 Maternity T-shirts are fun, hip and flattering with something for every taste. Our Maternity T-shirts are made of soft, form fitted stretchy 100% cotton designed for growing bellies so it is never too early or too late to purchase our tees. We know that with our Belly 9 Maternity T-shirts, you’ll be showing your style for the whole 9 months.

Being pregnant a second time hasn’t been all that fun for me until just recently. I was feeling pretty yucky up to 16 weeks and now I am comfortably in my second trimester at 20 weeks and looking and feeling so much better.  I am now finally braving the outside world again whether it be heading to the park with my toddler, going to the store, or hanging with friends and all the while, I can’t ignore the cry from my middle section that it’s time for some stylish maternity wear.

A friend recently told me about Belly 9  and I’m glad she did!  Belly 9 offers some really cute maternity shirts, tanks and baby tees and hat sets all made in the USA. Shirts  feature fun designs perfect for the mom to be keeping score, for the mom that just had to know,  and more!

I was given the opportunity to review a tank top that reads ” Miracle Grow”. Very suitable as every little baby is such a miracle of life.  I found the Belly 9 tank top  soft, stretchy and very flattering offering full belly coverage with the extra length.  It’s very comfortable and so soft that I’ve found myself wanting to wear it all the time! This tank top I can totally see myself wearing clear until the end of my pregnancy and I can’t say that for a lot of the other maternity shirts that I have had considering my first pregnancy.

You can purchase Belly9 tank tops for $25.00 and with the autumn and winter season around the corner, long-sleeved tees for $36.00! These would make make great gifts for new moms to be  and those expecting!

Win It!

Belly 9 is  generously offering one of my blog readers a “Miracle Grow” maternity tank top!

To Enter: Visit Belly9 and let me know another shirt you like!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

Giveaway running till 09/18/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. Giveaway is open to USA & Canada Only.

I received this product free of charge for review on my blog. No other compensation was received. The views and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

and the book:

The Berenstain Bears and A Job Well Done

Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)

***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bear books in 1962. Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too. Mike is married to Andrea, and they have three children. They live in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks a lot like Bear Country.

Visit the authors’ website.

Product Details:

List Price: $3.99
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (April 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310712548
ISBN-13: 978-0310712541

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Z

Browse Inside

Browse

Info

Add

I currently don’t really have the time to learn how to knit or crochet all the hats I would love to make for my children because being a full time home maker keeps me on my toes.  That’s why I look to Etsy for adorable knitted hats and other accessories to keep my kids looking their very cutest!

While searching for knitted hats, I came across Toile Tales and fell in love right away! They have a large selection of hats for everyone in the family and you can fully customize each style to your liking for no additional charges…music to my ears!

I was able to review an adorable Crocheted beret brim beanie in ecru in size 2t to 4t for my daughter Melody.  This hat looks fantastic as is but there was also the option to add one of the many beautifully crocheted flowers to accent the hat and I choose to go with one in the color of purple. This hat is multifunctional as it looks great paired with jeans as well as my daughter’s collection of dresses!  We love this hat. It’s made well and my daughter will be able to wear it for quite sometime!

I’m a huge fan and will be making an order in the future once I know the sex of my second child, which will be in about a week! As I mentioned before, there’s something there for everyone in the family!

I really enjoyed getting to know more about the people behind Toile Tales with my Etsy meet and greet questions and hope you do too!

1.Why did you decide to start doing this on Etsy and how long have you been?

We made an etsy store because we were constantly creating. Although we have 8 children combined, you can only make so much for each child. We’ve had an etsy store for about 2 years, however, only in the last 6 months have we put forth time and effort into making our business more successful.

2. What do you enjoy the most when creating your products?

So much of what we do as mothers is overlooked and under appreciated (although the utmost of important jobs). Creating something from nothing …a random thought or idea…gives us the opportunity to fulfill personal aspirations that get lost in the shuffle of motherhood. To have random people stop you and complement your hat/flower is humbling and encouraging.

3. Apart from creating things, what do you do?

{Lori} With 5 children, there is always someone who needs to go somewhere. We have church, gymnastics, soccer, singing lessons, co-op preschool…..that leaves little time for me to do anything else (but crochet will travel). A little nerdy I know, but I love all things Jane Austin. I have read her works several times and get lost in their simplicity of life and integrity. The downside of reading, is that it is sooo hard to crochet at the same time! {Amy} With 3 girls, there is so much going on at the house. We are constantly having spend the nights and play dates. I also sew… clothes, curtains, slip covers… you get the point. We have also been making a family lifestyle change to eat better and exercise. Biking riding and taking family walks have helped us get closer and shape-up. I wish family Wii night counted as exercise because we have a blast!

Other joint passion is photography! We starting taking classes and practicing to revamp our Toile Tales etsy store! If we had a choice of what craft to choose, it would be a close call. Seeing life through the eye of a lens makes you look at things differently. What is seemingly dull and unimportant can come alive for you through your camera. Everywhere we go, there is a constant scanning of the environment for a picture spot. Sometimes you find the most unexpected beauty amongst the weeds.

4. What inspires you?

Honestly, Amy and I find inspiration in each other. Okay, maybe the word is competition…a friendly competition. We are constantly trying to outdo each other for birthdays present creations. So many of our new products have come from just that. The new Toile Tales shelled headbands came from me {Lori} creating something original for Elora’s 8th birthday, whereas, the Aviator hat was something created by Amy for my 6 year old Cadence.

5.In five years you’d like to be…?

In the next five years, our patterns (having our crochet patterns tested as I write) will be the staple of what we sell. We see our photography business expanding in the next few years as well. Hummm, maybe we will even have a place to create outside our perspective craftrooms.

You can follow Toile Tales on Twitter and “like” them on Facebook here.

Win It!

Lori and Amy have generously offered one of my blog readers a $30 gift certificate to their store!

To Enter: Visit Toile Tales and let me know what you love! (Mandatory: Leave the url of the item)

Extra Entries:

1. Visit Toile Tales on Etsy and favorite their shop!

2. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

3. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

4. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

5. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

6. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

Giveaway running till 09/18/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. Giveaway is open to USA & Canada Only.

I received this product free of charge for review on my blog. No other compensation was received. The views and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Tyndale Hands-On Bible NLT Winner is – #29 Kelly D.

( all winners have been chosen using a random.org)

Congratulations to you all! Please reply back to the email I send with your full name and address.
Winners have 48 hrs to contact me or another winner will be chosen.

I wanted to be able to make a blanket for my children but alas I didn’t want to have to go out and purchase a sewing machine. I had seen and heard about no sew fleece blankets from a few people  so I thought I would try my hand at it and was thrilled my results!

A few weeks ago Joann Fabric was having a 40% fleece sell so that time was more than perfect to try my hand and blanket making. I wasn’t sure exactly what size to make for a baby/toddler so I went with a two yard blanket.  I figure more was better at less at the time. My 2 yard blanket is way too big for a little baby but is great to lay down on the floor for crawling on, snuggling up on the couch, or throwing over a twin bed.  Once I know the sex of my baby at the end of August, I’m going to make another no sew blanket and this time go with a 1 yard to a 1 1/2 yard blanket instead.

These blankets are easy to make but a little bit time consuming, especially if you make a two yard blanket. They’ll be lots and lots of cutting! I found the tying part much easier and faster.  Overall if you want to make a fun personalized gift for a friend or baby shower, these are so simple to do.

What You Would Need

• A pair of sharp scissors
• Ruler or tape measure
• Two coordinating pieces of any fleece . . . for a baby or toddler, purchase 1 to 1 1/2 yards,  for a child, purchase 1-3/4 yards (in each of two fabrics, for a teen or adult, purchase 2 yards (in each of two fabrics)

Directions

1. Trim the salvage from your fleece.
2. Lay your two pieces of fleece on top of one another with the good sides facing out.
3. Make sure your two pieces of fleece line up, if not trim accordingly.
4. Cut a 5×5 square from a piece of paper. Use this piece to cut out all four corners from your fleece.
5. Cut the tassles. Make each cut about an inch apart. Make sure you cut through both pieces of fabric on all four sides of the blanket.
6. Start tying off the tassels. I started by doing every other one. Once that is done flip the blanket over and tie off the rest.  You can do either double knots or overhand it totally depends on personal preference.
7. You’ve just made your very own no sew fleece blanket!

I finished my blanket in a day which for me was approximately two hours with breaks here and there. I can’t wait to make a few more in various sizes. I’ll be posting my results  here on my blog so be on the look out!