Weeks 21-24

I suck I know. I havent updated in a while and trust me, I have heard about it. So now that I have a few extra minutes this morning I figured Id update on me, Holden, Mark, life, my bump, ect...

So first and foremost, I am feeling great! I dont want to jinx myself but this pregnancy deal has been a pretty easy time so far. I am getting bigger by the day but that means that Holden is also getting bigger and stronger too! And boy is he getting stronger! Mark and I are definitely feeling him move around and kick and dance all the time! We say he is dancing cause boy does this kid love music already! Whenever I am around music, he gets ca-razy in there! Mark's shows, church, headphones on my belly, whatever, he loves it- this kiddo is definitely ours! Mark is already talking about teaching him how to play music as soon as he can. Too cute! Since he can hear music, Mark and I have been reading to the bump every night so he can recognize our voices straight outta the womb. We really like Golden Books. Its kinda nice to re-read some of our favorites like The Pokey Little Puppy. :) I may be enjoying it just as much as Holden does. :)

Other than that, life feels like its going a mile a minute. The holidays are quickly approaching and I have been running around preparing for them and enjoying having a house to decorate. So here are a few quick pics of some decor and recipes I made over Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Halloween "Creepy Eyes"

Take a paper towel or toilet paper roll. Draw eyes with a sharpie. 

Once cut (note- the itty bitty scissors from my husband's pocket knife thing made this easy!) insert a glow stick bracelet) 

Duct tape sides closed, and insert anywhere you wish. We placed a bunch in the bushes right in front of our house. 

One of the bushes once it got dark! I loved it! 

Happy Halloween from Pepe LePew and that cat he loves! 

Thanksgiving Mini Pies

I didnt document the process, just the final product. But if you want the recipe, leave a comment and Ill send it your way! These were a hit by the way! Small enough to eat with your hands, or have all 3 and not feel guilty! But calories dont count on Thanksgiving anyway, every one knows that. ;) 

Mini Pecan Pies

Mini Apple Pies

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Festive Fall Wreath

So for this wreath I snagged a plain rustic wooden wreath at the dollar store and added the leaves and other fall decor from a few of those Hobby Lobby garlands (that were 80% off right before Halloween. Holla!) It was super easy to just snip off my favorite parts of the garland with enough wire left over to insert snuggly into the wooden wreath. Turns out I didnt even need the hot glue I had ready! 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Ive done a few things for Christmas already but Im going to save that for another post. Other than that, we have both been working like crazy. We got big things popping for 11:11 Events and Im excited to see where things go with my ladies. Speaking of 11-11, Mark and I just celebrated our 1st anniversary!!! I cant believe its been a year already, it went by so fast and so much has happened. Since it was our "paper" anniversary I made Mark the following gifts:

A photo "yearbook" 

3 important places on a map of Austin 

A blank journal. We just leave each other a quick love note when the feeling hits. We hope to keep this forever and have it to show our kids and grandkids one day. 

I am quickly realizing A-Why I havent updated in a while and B-Why I should. Sorry this post is so long! Im going to go ahead and finish up with bump pics and FAQs. 

Notice my Kendra Scott earrings/anniversary gift??? Love!

Mark decorated the chalkboard this week! 

How far along? 24 weeks

Maternity clothes? Oh yeah. Especially now that H&M opened up in Austin and has a maternity section!!! 
Stretch marks? Not on my belly......thats all Im going to say about that. 
Sleep: Thank God for Rescue Remedy Sleep!!!! 
Best moment this week: Feeling little man dance in my belly. And having other people feel him too. :) 
Miss Anything? Im starting to really miss my mobility. Just getting up and down off a couch or tying my shoe is becoming a chore, and I still have 3 months to go! 
Movement: Definitely! Its the best feeling in the world! Other people are beginning to feel him too which is fun for everyone! 
Food cravings: Spicy food (like always).
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really. I havent really tried fish in a while but I have a feeling like it wouldnt bother me that much anymore.
Gender: Boyyyyy oh boyyy!!! 
Labor Signs: Some braxton hicks but thats supposedly normal. Nothing to worry about.
Symptoms: Have I mentioned that I have heartburn? OH LORDY LORD! Me no likey. I also get tired really quick and my feet hurt if Im on them too long. ......yaaaay.....
Belly Button in or out? Still in. Im telling y'all, it was so abnormally in that I doubt it'll pop. We'll see though.
Wedding rings on or off? On on on! 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Super-di-duperly happy!!!
Looking forward to: Christmas with my family! 

Well I know this was a long one and I promise to be more diligent about updating so it doesnt happen again. Hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
Susannah, Mark, and Holden

Weeks 18-20

Man did the time fly this month!!! 11:11 Events was super busy in October with a Rocky Horror Picture Show 30th Birthday party, my gender reveal party, an art showcase with Austin Fusion Magazine, and a wedding! Not to mention I have started working as a manager on duty at the amazingly gorgeous Laguna Gloria here in town! Whew! I turned around and its Halloween! I can only imagine how time will fly when my little man gets here!

THAT'S RIGHT- I SAID "LITTLE MAN" BECAUSE------> ITS A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Mark and I couldn't wait to find out if "Willow" was a boy or a girl (and trust us, neither could any of our family members)! We had an ultrasound on Oct 10th and my little sister Stephanie joined. The tech had us all look at the ceiling when she did the "check" and once she was sure, she wrote it down and put it in a sealed envelope. Stephanie then took the envelope to a baker and instructed them to dye the inside either blue or pink based on the findings. We then cut the cake at our gender reveal party in front of family and friends and found out that "Willow" is now Holden Stephens Mikulin!!!!

It was such an awesome way to share the moment with everyone. We were so lucky to have such a dear friend capture the day- check out the link to see some shots and check out her website. Erin Molloy Photography is by far one of the best in town and you should book her for your next big event!! Love her!


Since we've found out that our first born will be a little boy, we have already started working on his nursery. We decided on a "vintage sports" nursery since Mark and I both like all things old school and sports. Since we dont agree on a college football team (Im a gator, he's an aggie....I know, I know, dont judge...jk....kinda) but we DO agree on a baseball team (GOOOOO ASTROS!!!) the nursery will focus on baseball but other sports are welcome. Except soccer. We dont like soccer haha. Pics to come as it develops. But I did want to share the first decorative thing we bought for Holden's room once we found out the gender!

I got it in a 24 months so it can be on the nursery wall for now and then he can wear it when we go to Astros games in the future! And because 11 is special to us, I had to put it on the jersey. :) 

Other than the big news, we have started to feel lil man moving around in there!! I have been playing music for the belly thanks to headphone splitters and it seems that he really likes it- go figure in this family. :) I started feeling bubbles in my belly around week 18 or so but just in the last few days Mark has been able to feel him kick from outside the belly. Super cool moments for both of us. :) And he's getting stronger everyday!

So now on to belly pics and FAQs! :) 

The day after we found out!! 

Happy Halloween!!! 

How far along? 20 weeks

Maternity clothes? I really need to buy more maternity bottoms. Im trying to sport the "bump" as long as I can with normal tops though. So far its working. 
Stretch marks? I thought I saw one the other day but then realized it was a scratch from our cat. But trust me, in that .2 second moment, I definitely freaked out and decided to buy hardcore stretch mark cream- just in case. 
Sleep: Well Ive been exhausted lately due to working a lot so Ive actually been sleeping fine. I also started sleeping with a body pillow....why did I wait so long??? 
Best moment this week: Finding out we are having a boy!!! And finally feeling him move around in there! 
Miss Anything? Around this time of year, pumpkin spice ales! 
Movement: Oh yeah! Gas bubbles have turned into legit kicks! He moves around the most as Im lying down about to go to bed! :) 
Food cravings: Pumpkin spice AN-Y-THING.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still fish but I can stomach shrimp now so thats good. Oh and frozen greek yogurt ice cream (UGH!!!!BLAH!!)
Gender: In the words of our ultrasound tech "Oh its definitely a boy!" 
Labor Signs: No.  Kinda scared when this answer starts to change though. 
Symptoms: RLP like always, but now Im realizing I can not stay on my feet for too long. My feet and back start to hurt BAD after a while.
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but not VERY in any more. Starting to look like a normal innie nowadays.
Wedding rings on or off? Always on. Always. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Ecstatic! Mark keeps thanking me for "being awesomely pregnant" haha.  
Looking forward to: Feeling even more kicks and holidays with family! 


Welp, thats that for now. Im going to post separately to showcase everything we did for the gender reveal party and more about the nursery as that comes up. But please leave some love or suggestions on things you'd like me to post about (crafts, recipes, ect...) and Ill do my best!

Lots of love!
Susannah, Mark, and Holden

My favorite trick with a rotisserie chick.

Last night I had an epiphany. Well 2 actually. 1- I currently have the appetite of a truck driver and 2- Cooking is my therapy. So when I came home from speaking at the community college last night, I was STARVING but wanted to cook to relieve stress. So I looked in the fridge and realized that I had all the ingredients for a chicken cacciatore. I also decided last night that Im going to start documenting what I cook or make, just in case I wanna post it.

Before I say how I made the chicken cacciatore in a later post, I find it very necessary to share a trick that Ive been using lately to save some time and money. ROTISSERIE CHICKENS ARE MY NEW BEST FRIEND!

Not only do they save time on cooking chicken but you can also make your own chicken stock out of them. Plus the stock is completely sodium free! Ive been doing this every time I buy one of these chickens and its so easy!

Buy 1 full rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods

(Note- this is easier straight from the store when its warm)

Separate meat in one container. I always separate the breast in tact because they are good for future meals. Place the bones, skin, ect in a medium sized pan. 

Fill pan with water until everything is covered and heat on medium. Simmer for 30 minutes. 

Place a colander in a bowl in sink. 

Dump all contents of the pan into the colander. 

Whats left in the bowl? Homemade chicken stock! Let chill then store in fridge or freeze for future use! 

BAM! 

Hope this is useful for other lil homemakers!

Weeks 16 and 17

Saw this. No, we wont do this to our pumpkin but thought it was cute!

The weather is not the only things a-changing in the Mikulin household. Although, can I please take a second to express my undying love for cold weather???? Sweaters, scarfs, and boots make my heart grow so big! I dont know if I could live where it gets down to sub-zero temps all the time, but Texas winters make me so happy! But along with the change of the season, Lil Miss Suzy Homemaker over here is a-changing too. It seems as if I woke up one morning, looked down, and all of a sudden- BAM- bump! Im finally looking less like Ive overdone it on the doughnuts and more like I belong in the Mommy-To-Be club. I was even told "Aw you look so pregnant" the other day. Which Im guessing was meant to be a compliment. :) Either way, Im definitely not wearing tents and mumus, Im quite proud of my bump and showing it off! (Read: Im holding out on buying maternity tops). Although I have transitioned into the elasticy waisted pants, which are super comfortable. 

We've also started going to our Centering classes at our birthing center. For those who I havent told, we are going to give birth in a free-standing birthing center with certified nurse midwives. After watching Ricky Lake's documentary, The Business of Being Born, as well as the documentary Pregnant In America, our minds were completely changed. I 100000% suggest them to anyone pregnant or attempting to become pregnant. Their are both on Netflix btw. Education is POWER! Anyway- we are going au natural for this adventure. Our centering classes are essentially our monthly check up but with all of the other March couples. We go in to the center, meet and talk as each mama has her individual check up with the midwife, then we all go to the yoga studio for our monthly class and to have an open discussion. Its so much better because its so stress-free and educational! Love it!

This last week we also started with our first big baby purchases! The crib and the changing table!!!!! After a lot of research, we found the perfect sale of these safe, all wood, crib and table. Mark kept saying how well it was made (gotta love my engineer husband). Even though we dont know the sex yet (so soon!) we found this white set knowing it will go well regardless. Once we find out the gender (Oct 14th- Gender Reveal Party! Post to come!) we will make more sex-specific choices. But these are what we purchased. (Side note- a huge thank you to my Dad for helping us!) Both available at Kids R Us.

Delta Venetian Convertible Crib

Delta Martine Sleigh Changing Table 

So like I said, Willow (its going to be weird to call this baby something else....I think he/she has a nickname already) is starting to make him/herself known these days! Here I am at 17 weeks along with those oh-so-fun FAQs. :)

How far along? 17 weeks

Maternity clothes? Purchased one pair of maternity jeans and maternity slacks. Other than that, just buying things a "few" sizes bigger than I usually wear. 
Stretch marks? No. But that reminds me to buy stretch mark cream today. Just in case. 
Sleep: Im falling asleep fine (because Im usually exhausted) but I wake up in the middle of the night a lot and then its hard to fall back to sleep. Good practice for things to come I suppose.
Best moment this week: Our first centering appointment and meeting the other March mamas! Oh and buying the crib and changing table!!!!!!! 
Miss Anything? After working an AWESOME event this last weekend, I realized how nice it would be to have a nice cold beer or glass of wine after a long night. Oh and goats cheese. Weird I know. 
Movement: Not sure. I thought maybe I felt something the other day, but then attributed it to gas. Really excited about this one! 
Food cravings: Have I mentioned how much I love sweets lately? Its so not me. But its true!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Fish. Seeing it, smelling it, anything- ugh!
Gender: Ultrasound on the 10th, but we wont find out until our Gender Reveal Party on the 14th!!! SO SOON! 
Labor Signs: No. 
Symptoms: Still some Round Ligament Pain but more than anything else- headaches!
Belly Button in or out? Still very in.
Wedding rings on or off? Always on. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy for the most part but we found out this weekend that once I start crying it is extremely hard for me to stop. Kinda scary since I can usually calm myself down but it was just one moment. The first and hopefully the last.
Looking forward to: Our Gender Reveal Party on the 14th!!!!!!!!!! And to really feel some movements. :) 

Well thats all for now folks. Thanks for reading! I will most definitely be posting as soon as we find out what the sex is after our party! AUGHIMSOEXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots'o'love!

Susannah, Mark, and (for the last time) "Willow"! 

Week 14 and 15

So remember when I said I was going to take week 14's pic and post separately? Well with all of the yuckiness in the air, everyone in the Mikulin household was feeling dis-gust-ing and before I knew it, I turned around and it was week 15! Seriously, Mark and I have never had such bad allergies before! Even poor Sir Regal, Prince of Darkness (our cat) and Bastian (our dog) were suffering! I looked into the news to see what was up and this is what I found:

Outside is scary. Don't go out there. 

Absolutely ridiculous. Sneezing + Round Ligament Pain = Worst allergies I have EVER had. I was miserable until......well I still feel pretty yucky but better than I had before. I also found out that around this point in my pregnancy my nasal passages are congested because:

"Your uterus is not the only thing that's starting to swell. The mucous membranes of your nose may also start to swell from all the pregnancy hormones circulating in your body, which are also increasing blood flow there." http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/your-body/week-16/nasal-stuffiness.aspx

So thats....just great. But despite the alleries-from-hell epidemic, its been a great couple of weeks around the house. We went to check on Willow at our birthing center, Austin Area Birthing Center, who I HIGHLY recommend. They are absolutely amazing in so many ways! Check them out here! The check-up went great, we got some questions answered, went over our food journal, and got to hear Willow's heartbeat again. (Which is by far the most beautiful sound in the world.) Since being required to keep a food journal, I have really had to think before eating anything. But luckily enough, I love my hippie food and my wonderful husband makes sure that my sweet tooth cravings are subsided with frozen berries. I have also transitioned from hatha yoga to starting prenatal yoga at AABC as well as doing it at home with the Shiva Rea Prenatal Yoga DVD. I love that it has modifications for each trimester. It is all kinds of awesome! Check out her DVD library here!!

Love it!!!! 

On a Martha Stewart/Real Housewife note, I have started crocheting again. With the baby coming, I have really started thinking about what arts and crafts I can make for Willow that he/she will have forever and treasure in future years. And then I realized that one of the only things I still have (well, that my Mom has) from when I was a newborn  is the baby blanket my Grandma (her mother) crocheted for me when I was on the way. Since they didnt know what I was going to be, it is pink and blue and I really hope to display it in the nursery when we put it all together (hint hint Mom)! My Grandma, who happens to be the best person in the entire world, had a huge hand raising me and my sister growing up. Its funny, when I meditate and go to my "safe place", I am instantly transported her apartment we visited every weekend. Love her so much. Anyway- she crochets and being the inquisitive, crafty kid that I was (who am I kidding- still am), wanted to learn to create clothes for all of my barbies and trolls. Funny thing about stuff like that is that it really is a lot like riding a bike. Turns out I can pick up a needle and thread and bust out a baby beanie in about an hour! So since we dont know the sex yet, I went to my local craft store and picked up some black and white thread. Im not a big fan of following patterns or directions on crochet projects. Probably because I cant read them, but thats not the point. I create from inspiration and learn from mistakes. Here's what I've made thus far:

Beanie and booties

On our model, Willow's 1st Teddy Bear from FAO Swartz, NYC 

A blanket for Willow- work in progress

Once we find out the sex, Ill make more in color. But for right now, this has been a great stress relief and makes us smile when we think about our lil one wearing or being bundled up in one of these projects. :) Thanks again for the knowledge Grandma! I know this is nothing compared to your works of art but I hope you approve! :)

Ok, moving on to bump pics. Like I said, I missed week 14 due to looking and feeling like something that rhymes with sit. But I did snag a quick shot during the Florida vs UK game as well as our week 15 pic! Ive also decided to post some FAQandAs. :) I have to give credit to the Little Baby Garvin blog for giving me so much inspiration for my blog. Its a really cute blog! Check it out!

This baby is already a Gator fan! (Despite what its Aggie father says) ;) 

Mmmmm....Avacado.....

How far along? 15 weeks

Maternity clothes? Sometimes, loving the belly band but finally purchased maternity jeans and black slacks. (Not gonna lie, they are super comfortable. But no maternity shirts, dresses, or skirts yet- just stretchy ones. ;) 
Stretch marks? No thank God. Let's keep it that way. 
Sleep: Im having trouble falling asleep and having weird dreams. But thanks to Rescue Remedy, its getting better.
Best moment this week: Hearing Willow's heartbeat. Ill never get sick of that. 
Miss Anything? Medium-Rare steaks or burgers from my Dad's grill and beer while watching some football!!! 
Movement: Nothing yet- CAN NOT WAIT! 
Food cravings: Im beginning to get quite the sweet tooth, which I never have had before. So tons of berries and kiwis! Also, chili powder or sauce on ev-ery-thing.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Fish! Which is so weird because it used to be the only meat I ate!
Gender: TBA 
Labor Signs: No, thank God. 
Symptoms: Feeling great other than some fun Round Ligament Pain every time I sneeze. Which, with allergies, SUCKS!
Belly Button in or out? In. Very in. Ive always wondered if my belly button was abnormally in. We'll see!
Wedding rings on or off? On. Always. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Other than feeling sick from allergies, generally HAPPY! Loving life!
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move! And of course, finding out if we are having a boy or girl. :) 

Sorry this post was so long! But hopefully my out of town family and friends are enjoying reading about our journey! :) Also- with decorating season coming up (You know, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, My Baby Shower, Super Bowl, Valentines, St. Patty's, Easter. Duh.) Im really excited to start posting DIY decorating ideas. Thanks for reading!

Lots of love,
Susannah, Mark, and "Willow"

Hello 2nd trimester!!!

Hello friends and family! 

The Mikulin house is SO glad to announce we are in the safe zone- also known as the 2nd trimester! Mark and I are really getting excited to see my bump grow each week and know that Willow is past the scary 1st trimester. Although Im not going to lie, I didnt have that bad of a go at my 1st trimester. Just SUPER tired. All the time. But other than that, it was pretty smooth sailing! We had a lot of fun surprising friends about our upcoming arrival at Mark's 30th birthday- pictures to come soon! I got a great idea off Pinterest (where else) to make a chalkboard to document my belly growing. It was a lot of fun to work on a craft with my husband. Gotta love being married to an engineer! I think of crazy projects and he makes them a reality! I also decided once I started to actually show to wear the same black dress in each picture to really capture how my body is changing. I know- Im THAT girl. Oh well. I missed my 13th week because I was in El Paso for my 10 year high school reunion. Which, btw, was interesting (to say the least) being pregnant and sober. Im going to post week 14 separately but heres what we have so far. :)  

So without further ado- My Bump ladies and gents. :) 

The day after we found out! 1 month! (4 weeks. Duh.)

7 weeks in Capri, Italy! 

First Picture with our chalkboard! 

First picture in my "belly dress"! 

I can already see a difference within one week! 

Im excited to see my belly get even bigger and REALLY excited to find out whether Willow is a girl or a boy. We have names picked out for both so I really wanna get down to some crafting business! Have a great week y'all! 

Love, Peace, and Chicken Grease, 

Susannah, Mark, and "Willow" 

Say Hello!!

So Im finally out of the 1st trimester and finally getting the hang of this pregnant thing. Just a quick update about how me and the first 3 months got along. GREAT! I was so blessed not to have any morning sickness! Although I had a few blah moments, I never got really really sick. I had moments of pure exhaustion and a few headaches from the 7th circle of hell but other than that, I felt fine!!! Since we were in Europe for the month of July (seriously 3 days after we found out!) it was really easy for us to keep the baby a secret until we got back. When we did get back I was already a little over 8 weeks so we decided we would tell our family. We had our immediate family over to the house to "talk about the honeymoon and get souvenirs". Well we definitely talked about the honeymoon but the fun part came when we handed out gifts. We explained to our 8 family members that since we went to 8 different locations, that we got all of them the same gift from each location, and everyone gets one. I then said "if it doesn't fit, you can give it back. Ok everyone open it!" and in everyone's gift was a onesie from a different location. There were tears, laughter, confusion (my dad didnt get it at first, he thought it was weird European underwear), and hugs all around. Good idea in my opinion!

Shortly after, Mark and I found where we are going to give birth and our midwife! After watching Ricky Lake's "The Business of Being Born" along with a few other documentaries, we've decided to stay away from hospitals and go with a more natural route to this having-a-baby thing. (Note- Neither of us want your opinion on this matter. Please do not try and tell us that hospitals are safer, midwives dont know what their doing, ect. unless you want me to tell you what I honestly think of your life choices, hair, make-up, and/or outfit.) I suggest that anyone having a baby educate yourself before you make a decision on the medical aspects of childbirth. Anyway- we's gonna do it all natural. God help me. 

At 10 weeks and 5 days, we finally got to hear and see our baby for the first time. To say it was the most beautiful thing in the world is an understatement. I am still tearing up thinking about it. I am oh-so in love with this baby and I havent even met him (yes, Im sticking with HIM) yet! So without further ado- everyone say hello to our bay-bay!

Hi Mom and Dad!!!! 

Now that Im done traveling (13 flights in 2 months- seriously?!) I am going to do a better job of updating my blog more often. Bump pics, baby crafts, pregnancy recipes, and whatever else pops into my noggin, coming soon!!! 

Much love, 

Susannah, Mark, and "Willow"