commenting 101

Here's the thing. A lot of you lovelies will leave me comments and I can't respond, because you don't have your email address linked to it. No harm there, but I feel like I'm just ignoring you when what I want to do is give you some love.

So I'm trying something new.

I installed a commenting widget called Disqus, so I can respond to your comments if I want. Now you don't have to feel ignored :) And if you're not familiar with Disqus, here's a little 101 on how to leave comments:

Step 1: Click the comment link.

Step 2: Leave some love.

Step 3: Post as...

You can sign in as a guest, which is probably the easiest. Just leave your email address (only so it knows you're not a robot, you won't get added to any lists. Pinky swear.)

If you have a Blogger/Google account, just sign in with that. Or if you have a blog, comment with that, under the OpenID. There's also Disqus, Facebook and Twitter, but those others are probably the easiest.

Easy peasy, right? Don't be skeered. Let me know what you think!

birthday wishlist

My birthday is on Saturday and while I'm always a fan, here's why I think this year's birthday is a big deal:

• I will be a quarter of a century old. I will be closer to 30 than 20. Whoa.
• It's my last childless birthday. Something tells me it's only going to get harder to enjoy the all-about-me moments.
• It could be the last birthday for a while that Andrew will be around, since he'll probably be deployed more than he's home over the next few years. Boo to that.
• It's on a Saturday, which means I get to do whatever I want all.day.long.
• I took Friday and Monday off to try and use some PTO before Andrew's unavailable, which means we can celebrate over a 4-day weekend. Yesssss.

In honor of my birthday, I decided to show you some things that have been making me smile lately. It's my birthday list, if you will. Because it's my birthday and it's my blog and I can do stuff like this without feeling guilty. Agreed?

Good.

Here we go...

1. Knotted necklace by Marine Parents on Etsy. I especially like the cerise and the jade green. So happy.
2. Bird nest necklace by Pinking Edge Designs on Etsy. Precious, right?
3. Starbucks NYC Architecture Mug. I've only been able to find it on eBay and at $20, I'm wishing that I'd paid $10 when I saw it in a Starbucks while we were in New York this Christmas. I loved it immediately and as silly as it sounds, I've regretted that I didn't get it.
4. Poppy headband by Much Love, Illy on Etsy. Headbands are my new thing, especially as I try to grow my hair out. And because I can go without fixing my hair and still look cute :)
5. House print by Volume 25 on Etsy. There's no better motto for a Navy family...
6. Knotted headband by Marcelacamargo on Etsy. I've coveted this headband for a long, long time. So fun for summer!

Cute stuff, I know. Happy birthday to me!

22 weeks!

Oh, he's growing now! {name that reference and I'll give you a yankee nickel}

Here are some facts about our little man:

• He's almost a foot long and weighs about a pound. Or knowing my luck, he's two feet long and weighs 5 pounds.
• His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct
• He's developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums
• His eyes have formed, but his irises still lack pigment. Our cute little albino baby!

I also read in one of my books this weekend that he can hear more and more each day. Andrew keeps humming Beethoven to my belly in hopes that our boy will be a musical prodigy. We'll see about that.

I'm still feeling great. I've been having some hip and back pain that can be a nuisance, but I have a very stylish (not) maternity belt that has made a bit of a difference in the last week or so. Hopefully that will continue.

I'm also somewhat of a crafty nester at the moment. All I want to do is sew and paint and decorate for the baby. I have a few things done already, so look for it all on the ol' blog in the coming days. And as we get more done in the nursery (eeeek!) I'll show you that as well.

Until then, send some good baby-growing vibes my way...