baby gear

I've got my stroller & car seat picked out!!!

It's a hard decision, and how do you know what works, what is safest, and what will fit in your trunk? lol. With all the wise advice I've been soaking in from my "super-mom" sister-in-law I have decided that I will be registering for this stroller and car seat! I will have to give all the credit to Bethany (my SIL) for inspiring me about this stroller. Bethany has this same style different pattern stroller that she has used for Jack, and before I even knew I was pregnant, I always thought how awesome her stroller was! :)

It is the Graco Mosaic Stroller in Lemon Grass.

This stroller is lightweight, practical, easy to maneuver, and folds down really small! It's not a bulky travel system that you think you need because it holds the car seat, but it's small and still fits the car seat perfectly!! Plus, isn't it so cute in this black & green pattern!?!?!

When I asked Mike if he liked it, he said, "Is there a cup holder?" I told him yes, and then he said "that's all that matters!" lol. The cup holder is attached on the side! I will be toting my tervis tumbler in it! :) hehe.

And there is the carseat, I can already see my little sweet baby all cuddled up in there coming home from the hospital! Ahhhhh! I can't wait to meet the little one! :) The car seat is a Graco Snugride 32 Infant Car Seat!

I found the pack-n-play that converts into a bassinet in the same lemon grass pattern that has only been sold in the UK! I was so aggravated that they don't sell it here in the US! I found it on a couple of sites, but every site is sold out, and they don't sell it a babies r us, which is crazy, they have everything! It would go perfect in our room for the baby to sleep in for the first couple of months. I'm praying that for some reason I will find it being sold in the US! I'm just in love with this pattern!

Other items that I've been looking at is cribs & changing tables, I'll keep you updated on what I decide. I really like white furniture, and I know I want a brown rocker, so I know that there will be white & brown in the nursery whether it's a girl or a boy!

Oh, and I have a feeling that I'm having a girl. Mike wants a boy, & I want a girl. I told Mike that even if we have a girl, she could still play basketball with him, but if she has my bball skills, that wouldn't be fun! lol. I would love to have a boy though, Beth is have Tate in a couple of months, and they will only be 4 months apart, they could be best friends! But then again, we need some girls for the Singleton side! Plus, I need to put some hairbows in my child's hair!!! hehe.

Does anyone have any baby gear advice, things that you wouldn't live without for your infant? What do you think it's going to be? Boy or Girl?

sushi roll

Every week I get emails from babycenter.com and parents.com telling me how much my baby is growing and all the fun stuff. I get really excited when I get the emails and I try not to skip ahead to know what my baby will be doing next week. It's kinda hard though. Well, I'm 11.5 weeks into everything and my baby is the size of a california sushi roll. It's kind of a funny thing because I don't like sushi at all {or any type of seafood}, but my friends LOVE it. So, that means we all go "get sushi" all the time after church, like every other week it seems like. I just order a side of fried rice with some white sauce and I did get a mango roll one time. That was the only one that I {kinda} liked. Well, Mike likes the california roll and the pimp daddy roll. Yes, a pimp daddy roll. That's what it says on the menu. too funny.

I'm feeling pretty good, no sickness yet. I'm just hungry all the time. I can't go 2 hours during the day without my stomach growling so I always have some sort of snacks, and the kids at work always share too... lol. {today I snagged a couple of the delicious combos from a little girl} The other day I was carrying around a box of apple jacks at church and someone said, "Ok, Hilary you are definitely pregnant!" The good thing is I've only gained maybe 2 pounds! I'm hoping not to go over 30 for the entire pregnancy. We'll see how that goes!

On another note, I went coupon shopping today at Target after I got off work today and I got some good deals!

I got 10 Sobe waters for $3.00!

I got 2 boxes of poptarts for $1.33 each!

I got tide stain release for $1.88!

I got some Dove men's body wash for less than $1 for Mike!

I got herbal essences shampoo, conditioner and mousse for less than $5 total!

Then I loaded up with some good target brand snacks. My favorite is the pink & white icing covered animal crackers. They are so yummy! :) Anyboby have any sweet cravings like me while they were pregnant?!?!

the thorn 2010 and volunteering backstage!

These past couple of months have been CR-AZY! Mainly because we are apart of this production at our church, Seacoast Church off of Long Point Rd, that will change peoples lives forever. It is called The Thorn and the opening show is tomorrow night! The thorn is a dramatical portrayal of Jesus' life of his birth through the time he was crucified on the cross.

I just can't wait! My amazing husband, Mike, is in the show this year playing the younger John, a disciple. It's pretty cool because the entire perspective is told through the disciple John, when he is much much older. There are no words to describe the show, but if you haven't gotten tickets yet, you definitely need to! There are 12 shows available to come and see, so there is no excuse that you shouldn't come and see it! You can purchase your tickets here. :) Throughout the show there are dancers, gymnasts flying through the air on hoops, awesome pyrotechnics, and martial artists who have amazing talents that you will be able to see in the show!

I have a few pictures of one of the rehearsals a couple of weeks ago when they were just testing out their costumes, they even look much better now! Mike is on the bottom row with Jesus' arm around him. During this scene they hold this pose for a very long time... I don't know how they do it, I would probably laugh out loud, but they hold it and do such a great job!

I have seen the show probably about 15 times, and I get chills every time during certain parts, and sometimes I even want to cry because of how powerful it is!
My area of volunteering for the thorn is doing Jesus' makeup! We call ourselves the J team. hehe. If you have followed my blog for a while, you might have remembered last year was the first year that the thorn was at seacoast and I did makeup for all the "supernaturals" dancers.... so this year it's a little different. You can read my post about last year's thorn here!

This is Robert(in the picture below), one of Mike's best friends who plays one of the Jesus(es). {We call them our Jesi because there are two of them!}

The whole process for doing Jesus' makeup is a very long process that takes about 2-3 hours before showtime because of the scars that we put on him for the whipping and crucifixion scene.

I'll try to explain it a little bit:

1. There are the scars we put on him (They are latex, the color of his skin)

2. then we connect all the scars with stage makeup, put bruises all over his body, and make all of his flesh look really inflamed.

3. then we put a "dried blood" on the scars, his skin, and his legs.

4. next, we put a "drippy" blood on him that is melted in a crockpot to become warm, then it hardens on him.

5. Then we have to powder him down and spray him with a final seal and he has to stand in front of a fan to dry for about 10-15 minutes.

He is ready for the show, puts on his normal robe(the white one that he is wearing in the picture) and has the scars and dried blood on him under his robes all during the show up until it's time to do the cricifixion scene.

It's really fun to be backstage helping with the makeup and Jesus' costumes. There is 2 times that Jesus needs to change costumes before the whipping scene and we have to get it done in less than a minute, so it can get a little crazy trying to have all the costumes ready!

Right before the whipping scene he stands in the shower backstage (don't worry he is not naked! He has on his loincloth that he gets whipped in) and we quirt him with this "squirty" blood (There are a lot of different bloods we had to learn, I always get confused!) to totally cover his body to give the real effect of what Jesus really looked like! I know that when Jesus was crucified he was almost not even recognized as a human, if you can only imagine, so when he does get whipped in the show, we try to make it look as real as possible!

There are so many testimonies of people that came last year to the thorn that their life was changed, and even the people who are playing roles in the thorn (there are about 120 cast members) whose lives have been changed just up to this point! We have had rehearsals, auditions, and full run-throughs that have been amazing, and everyone is working so hard!

If you would like more information on the thorn, you can email me and/or go to the thorn website

www.thethorn.net

gooey & oh so yummy!

Tonight I was home before Mike and I fixed some dinner as soon as I walked in the door, when I get hungry, I need to eat right then. Being pregnant has given me a whole new meaning on carrying snacks everywhere I go. I am hungry all the time! I asked my sister in law today {who is adorably 7 months pregnant} if she is that hungry all the time. Of course she said, "YES! I am always hungry" and then she told me that we needed to go out to eat together sometime! I am down for that! {Maybe sonic, I've been craving one of their corndogs or the hotdog with all the chili & cheese on top!}

Well, after I ate some dinner, {which if you're wondering, it was nothing gourmet and healthy, it was just pizza rolls} I saw on tv some cookies that someone was popping right in the oven! I immediately ran to our frig and got out the cookie dough, preheated the oven and popped those bad boys in. About 9 minutes later, there they were all 10 of them. I put a movie on and began to watch and eat a few cookies! Before I knew it , I had eaten 5 cookies! Normally, I'll eat about 2 or maybe 3. I know, I just need to start counting the pounds adding on! hehe.

When Mike got home, I showed him the cookies that I made, and he was pretty excited about them. Well, I couldn't resist I ate my sixth cookie. They were still warm, gooey, & oh so yummy! I later tweeted that this could be a bad thing, eating 6 homemade chocolate chip cookies!

I guess that is what happens when you are pregnant! You just want to eat everything in sight! It's very true. I'm sure all of you mommas out there know what I'm talking about! I know I will probably regret this later after I have the baby when I go to try on bathing suits this time next year! :)

oh well, happy pregnancy to me! :)

P.S. If you haven't entered in the springtime hairbow giveaway, please do over here!

photo shoot giveaway

Some of you might know my dear friend Alexa Chloe. She is in a contest for a job at the South Carolina Federal Credit Union to be the next Young & Free Spokesperson for 2010! She was voted out of over 20 contestants and she made it to the top three! This is such a big deal! Oh, and isn't she gorgeous? See, Alexa was in a high school small group that I lead when I was in college, so I have had the privilege of watching her grow into this beautiful and talented young girl! Now she is in college, and has started her own photography business, and she is so good!!! :) Alexa is sweet enough to offer a free photo session for 2 hours if you go and vote for her to be the next Young & Free! Go to her blog to enter and she'll give you the link to go vote for her! If I was to win the contest, I would use the session for newborn pictures of our baby! :) What could you use it for?

Here's Alexa in action! She is super talented & I hope she wins the contest to become the next Young & Free spokesperson! :)

Oh! I forgot to mention that the photo session giveaway is only valid to those who live in the Charleston or Columbia area. Sorry you out of town folks! :)

** You do not have to live in state to vote for her though, so go a head and vote ALEXA CHLOE to win out of the top three!

confessions of a shopaholic style

First of all, if you haven't entered the Springtime hairbow giveaway, come check out my blogstore and leave a comment to enter & win! It's as easy as that! :)

On Wednesday night was the big local consignment sale, Charleston Repeats, that I registered for about a month ago when I found out I was pregnant and heard about the spring sale! It was so much fun! I felt like I was in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, which I absolutely love that movie! Anyways.... if you read my post earlier this week, I was on the look out for a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag for a good price! I walked in and one of my friend's from church who was working the sale was holding it up for me! I was so excited & it was only $25! They normally retail for around $170 online! There was only one there and it happened to be a brown with some green & pink, kinda girly, but hey, maybe I'm hoping for a girl! :) If not, I'm sure I can sell it or just keep it for when I do have a girl! My mom said "maybe it's a sign that you're having a girl!" I told her that I wasn't convinced!

Here's the diaper bag, it's so pretty, it serves as a one strap shoulder bag, or it has straps where you can wear it as a backpack! It's in pretty good shape, just the inside needs to be washed!
I also bought a pink maternity bathing suit, it was only $5 and it's going to fit perfect! It's a tankini style, which will be perfect for working this summer! {I still haven't decided if I am going to get the swimsuit that I blogged about in January... I think I can pull it off while I'm pregnant, but we'll see!}

Other items I bought:

1. a brand new {with tags} black w/white polka dots motherhood maternity dress for $12

2. a little girls strawberry dress, new w/tags for one of my friend's little girl {if I have a girl, I know she'll let me have it back after her little one grows out of it}

3. a new baby float, You guys know I will be taking my little one to the pool all the time! :)

4. The Toddlerhood Transitions book that we'll need for the class that we'll be taking at church.

5. My mom bought me the black "family" frame! It's really cute.

My mom got so much good stuff too for all her little grandbabies!

1. adorable little table & chairs set,

2. she bought me this sling, it was brand new still in the package,

3. a really cute pretend grill set, I know my nephew Jack will love playing with that!

so much more stuff I can't even remember! :)

All my goodies! :)

Yay for my first baby purchases!!! :)

relaxing

Yesterday it was so beautiful! I woke up and around 10am I decided that I was going to get suited up and head to lay by the pool! I got there and the cleaning guy was cleaning out the pool and he said, "I'm sorry mam, the pool is not open yet." I told him that I didn't want to swim, just lay by the pool. He agreed and said that was fine. So I laid there for an hour and 1/2 and it was pure relaxation time. I had some good reading time because we're still going strong with our Bible in 90 days, We are almost halfway there, I'm in Job right now!

With my job situation right now, I'm always on call in the mornings and lately I have been working every single day all day, but this week, it felt so good not to get called in yesterday or today! I got to enjoy some sun time and I ran some errands & did some shopping, well, mainly window shopping! I'm sure I'll be called in again sometime by the end of the week, or the beginning of next week, and that would be just fine, but it's nice to have a little break! Especially while I'm pregnant! I'm almost to the 10 week mark, every Saturday is my turn around day, meaning this Saturday I will be 10 weeks! :)

I was riding with my sunroof open and my windows down yesterday! It was so nice to wear a skirt all day, and how about my newest pair of sandals that I scored at the Gap outlet, a few weeks ago! I just love them!

Happy almost springtime to everyone! Enjoy the beautiful weather while you can, because I think it is suppose to rain for a few days starting this afternoon! :)

Today I'm staying in, working on some hairbows for some people, and maybe attempting to start on the extra bedroom, which will be the baby room if we stay in this apartment! It is a complete disaster right now, and I really need to get in there and attack the mess! :)

preggo updates :)

I had a doctor's appointment today, and it was fun because Mike was able to go with me! He was out of town for the ultrasound, and the very first appointment that I had scheduled, he was working, so he couldn't come. I think for now on I'll schedule all my appointments on Friday so he'll be able to go with me because that's his day off! :)

On my ultrasound day last week, my mom and I went out to lunch afterwards and she gave me this adorable tervis tumbler! She said, "happy ultrasound day!" It was so cute! For those of you who know me, I always have a tervis tumbler with me and if you remember this post, I talked all about how great tervis tumblers are! :) It's a "mom" tervis tumbler! How adorable is that? I'm getting super excited about next week because I'm going to this awesome consignment sale in town called Charleston Repeats! I signed up to be a first time mom, which means I get to go early before it's open to the public! I'm taking my mom with me & I just can't wait! I'm not quite sure what I'm going to buy.... I'm going to be looking for PPB diaper bag, maybe a pack-n-play, and whatever else I think might be good to buy there. Wish me luck! I've heard this place is going to be crazy! They advise you to bring a clothes basket with a rope tied to it to drag around with all your items you are going to purchase! The good thing is that they have it twice a year, and in the fall I can register to be a first time mom again, I know I will be hugely pregnant then, so I can't wait! Being pregnant is so fun! :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

a little hope for the sunshine! :)

We took a three day trip down to Orlando Sunday-Tuesday, and it sure was fun! We attended a conference called the Youth Pastor Summit! It really is a fun thing to go to because the conference is totally free & you get to spend half the day in Island of Adventures & Universal Studios! The entire event is geared towards bringing your students to either Rock the Universe or Atlantafest, two summer events with live bands and teachings. Well, we just went for the free fun with our core youth staff and a few of the core leaders.

Here's a group picture of all of us, minus Maria... she was shopping somewhere else...

Me & Jessica waiting for everyone to get off the new rollercoaster.

{I know I look like a bum, I snagged Mike's jacket to wear for the late afternoon when it got a little chiller. It's a little oversized on me! haha.}

Being pregnant means that I only got to ride a few things... one being the Dr. Seuss carousel.... haha.... it was pretty funny!

Me & Mike in front of Cat & the Hat!

This was in line for the Hulk roller coaster, one of my all time favorite roller coasters, but because I was an expectant mother, I couldn't ride it! That's ok, next year we'll be back! :)
It really was a great trip & was fun to get away. I'm so glad to be back home, I feel like we've been going out of town for this whole month! First with the ski trip, then with Mike going to Russia, and then this trip! I'm ready to just relax at my house and rest for this baby to grow nice and healthy inside of me!

It was a great day when we went to the park because it was 70 degrees in Orlando! I actually got a little sunburn! I had a farmer's tan where my tshirt was on my arm! Pretty funny! This gives me a little hope for our Charleston sunshine weather to return soon.... I'm ready to get out of these jeans and wear skirts & dresses all the time again! Please and Thank you!!!! :)

P.S. I found out this week that I know 4 people that are due within a week of me! One of them has the same due date as me!!! This is going to be one wonderful October! :)