Happy New Year

This year has been truly "sweet"! Can't wait to see what 2014 has to offer. 

Wishing everyone a

                                   ❤️ The Berrieum's

Merry Christmas

It's been a while since I have written a post.  I'v been just sitting around doing nothing. Sarcasm implied.

But what better time to update than to share Layla-Kay's first Christmas. 

This year we spent Christmas in Tallahassee with Tim's family.

Layla did great on the 8 hour drive and was smiley and cheerful (in the few moments she was awake) during the day. 

Our families truly spoiled her with so many amazing presents. I was like the kid on Christmas morning waiting for her to wake up so I could open them all.

 All in all it was a good day.

Here are some Christmas cupcakes that Layla and I made for our family and friends. Layla contributed by napping while mommy worked. 

1 month update (in photos)

Loves Tummy Time

 Sleepy Smiling

 Catching a glimpse of the TV for the 1st time

 Catching a glimpse of herself in the phone for the 1st time

1st family walk

Layla-Kay's Birth Story

Layla-Kay's birth story all begins Friday October 25th. I had gone to the Dr to get my membranes stripped in hopes to start dilating. Besides the uncomfortableness of the stripping, Friday I felt nothing but semi-stronger contractions. Saturday morning Tim and I woke up, still no baby, so we proceeded with our day. We ran errands; Tim cleaned the cars, I got my hair done, and although the contractions were getting a little stronger as the day went on, it was nothing to worry about. On a quick trip to the store, while chatting about the arrival of our baby girl Tim says "Alright Layla. I give you permission to come out now" (he has been telling her for weeks that she was not allowed to come out until he says so) Needless to say, his baby girl listened.
When we got home that evening, I was quite uncomfortable. Contractions were now strong enough to stop me in my tracks but still not close enough together to warrant a hospital trip. I got in my pajamas and figured I would sleep it off cuddled next to Tim on the sofa. As the night rolled on, contractions got worse. I would fall asleep then wake up suddenly with pain (the look on Tim's face every time I got up and moaned or cried out for a minute then fell back asleep was priceless). By 6 am I was doing more moaning than sleeping and although the contractions were sporadic, I woke Tim up and said "call the Dr".
If you haven't gathered this by now, I can be a sailor when I am not happy. By 6:10 the Doctor became the *&^# Doctor and I wanted to go to the #^%@$ hospital %#%$ now!! Contractions were off the charts, but still not regular. We got to the hospital by 7am and I practically begged the nurse "Please don't send me home. Please give me drugs!!!" She admitted us, in what felt like eternity at the time but was probably 10 minutes in reality, but I had graduated from just expletives to full blown hate mode. I hated the hospital, I hated the contractions, I hated Tim's face, I hated the color on the walls... WHERE IS MY EPIDURAL?!? Once I got the epidural, I was much more of a pleasure to be around. My family came, I was smiling, we were all joking around and laughing at the little earthquake tracker that measures your contractions."oh thats a big one... hahaha"
The Dr finally arrived around 1 and I was ready to go. 3 sets of pushes and a snip later, Layla-Kay had arrived.

7.1 pounds. 20 1/2 inches long. Looks exactly like her dad.

She is a really good baby. Very expressive and doesn't mind new people. 

I cant wait to dress her up

She is definitely going to be a daddy's girl. She loves to be in his arms. 

First Facts:

Born: 1:53pm

Identifying Marks: Small brown mark on stomach

Reaction to the world: She was very calm when she 1st came out. She begin to cry until the nurses started to clean her.

Hair color: long brown very straight hair (Tim calls her Chiney baby)

Eyes: Dark brown

Welcome Layla-Kay

Layla-Kay made her arrival 10/27/2013 and Tim and I could not be more ecstatic to finally met her. Today she is 3 days old and we are learning so much about ourselves and our daughter everyday. I would like to take some time and share her birth story but I am currently operating off of 8 hours sleep sporadically spread over the last 4 days. They should make a Walking Dead spin-off about parents with newborns. 

In the past 3 days my life has changed in many ways but there are 3 things that have stood out the most. 

1. Iv never been so happy to see pee. 
We have learned this week that a baby's diaper is an indicator of good health. Needless to say, when Layla goes to the bathroom Tim and I feel the need to talk about it like she got an A on her spelling test. 

2. Iv never been so hesitant to pee. Episiotomy... that is all there is to say about that (in Forest Gump Voice)

3. 

 There are no words to express how great Tim has been with Layla. He is so hands on and engaged in every aspect of her life. He has spent every night thus far rocking her to sleep for hours and most of all, missed Sunday football to spend time with her. I knew he would be a great dad but did not expect him to be this amazing.

That is all for now. Im going to 

Friday Favorites... Daddy Edition

1.  NFL - obviously as most people should know, it's FOOTBALL SEASON!!!! The teams (Straight Florida Teams) I like aren't doing great, but it'll be ok. All in due time. Especially after Layla comes- then they will have one more reason to win.

2.Sugar Babies - This old favorite has been rediscovered in a big way. I found a few bags in the Dollar Tree when going to buy Diana some stuff for a school project. I had forgotten about this confection-ate delicacy and was very happy to be re-united, they still do a number on your teeth, but they are still delicious as well.

3. The Duck Song (Part 1, 2, 3) Hey! Got any Grapes??   and then he waddled away....Waddle Waddle

4. Patties from Charlie's - haven't tried all of the different patty shops are anything, but out of all the ones I've tried, I definitely like those the best, at least stateside. Got some bun and cheese while I was there too.

5. Krispy Kreme - My GOODNESS!!! These are like the best doughnuts known to man!! I mean- I don't even know what else to say. Pure Deliciousness!!

Week 37

How far along? 37 Weeks


Maternity clothes? Tim's cloths

Stretch marks? 3... :o(

Best moment this week:  Seeing Layla on the ultrasound at the hospital (yes, i said hospital. My third trip in 3 weeks) and hearing her heartbeat. 

Miss Anything? Comfort. 

Movement: Yes, but the bigger and lower she gets, the movements have slowed down

Food cravings: Nothing really

Gender: Girl

Wedding Ring on or off: On but I have to take it off at the end of the day when I swell up

Labor Signs: Still just contractions. I have a few long painful ones a day and plenty of small ones. 

Belly Button in or out? Flat as a pancake

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy but ready 

Looking forward to: Meeting Layla

Friday Favorites

October (my favorite month of the year) is halfway over. Although I have been a bit moody, October has not let me down. The weather is cooling down... a little... and you can feel the holiday season approaching. This leads us to my first favorite thing this week

1. Trip planning: I am a planner. Im sure one day when I die my family will write that on my tombstone. "Here lies Diana-Kay. Wife Mother Planner". There are so many places I want to go right now, Washington, Jamaica, Beach bon-fire in Daytona... We are waiting until Baby B is born until we make any official plans but that hasn't stopped my excitement from brewing. If you can think of a trip... thats baby appropriate, let me know.... I'll start nagging Tim about it.

2.   My halloween tree DVD arrived this week and I cant wait till Halloween to watch it. I used to watch it as a kid with my sisters, along with Hocus Pocus and Ernest Scared stupid (which would always, and still does, scare the crap out of me) as a Halloween tradition.
11 more days!!!






3. One thing I really hope to do with my kids is read to them. We got so many great books at our shower that I cant wait to read (and some we have already been reading to her). This week we also purchased one of Tim's favorite books from childhood to read to her as well.





4. One of my favorite things also this week is the arrival of new babies. As we count down for Layla's arrival, I love keeping up with others on their journeys and their recent arrivals.

5. My last favorite thing this week is baby headbands. I have been stalking Etsy to find the perfect headband for Layla-Kay. There are so many to choose from, I want them all.

Week 36. Pumpkins, Watermelons and IV's. Oh My!

This week has been a roller coaster. As I shared in my Friday Faves post, I had an awesome baby shower at work, then spent some time in the hospital. 

Saturday night we ended the week with a little pumpkin carving. As I mentioned before, I usually carve a pumpkin for halloween but this year I didnt think it was the best of ideas. Tim has never carved a pumpkin so he had the honors this year. 

Although this is completely irrelevant I felt the need to post what a normal pizza looks like in the Berrium house. 1/2 meet lovers, 1/2 veggie lovers. Can you guess whose is whose? Plus the box was super cute... it deserved a shout out. 

Back to pumpkins...

 He concentrated so hard lol The pumpkin came out pretty cute. I think its a superhero.

In other news, everyday I check my Date Counter... not because I dont remember but because I am mostly hoping that my wishful thinking will speed up time. Next week (starting tomorrow) we are Full Term!!! I hope she comes soon (fully developed and healthy) I cant wait to meet her.

How far along? 36 Weeks


Maternity clothes? Tim's cloths

Stretch marks? 3... :o(

Best moment this week:  Carving pumpkins with Tim

Miss Anything? Nothing really this week.

Movement: Yes, but the bigger and lower she gets, the movements have slowed down

Food cravings: Nothing really

Gender: Girl

Wedding Ring on or off: On but I have to take it off at the end of the day when I swell up

Labor Signs: Contractions 5-6 times a day 

Belly Button in or out? Flat as a pancake

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody... at least Im honest

Looking forward to: Meeting Layla

Friday Favorites

Another crazy week has come and gone and its time for a little recap. Although my first instinct is to go on a b!tch fest about how sh!tty this week has been, I will do my best to contain myself and focus on the positives.
1. Owl Cuteness:
This week my job threw me a baby shower. The theme was "Guess Whooo's About to Pop". Because Tim and I went to FAU (mascot: the Owls) I do my best to rep Owl Pride when I can. I loved the all of the pink owl details.

2. Bones Season 8 on Netflix

Bones has become sort of my after school routine. I pretty much started watching it when I found out I was pregnant and would come home from work exhausted and needed something to plop down on the couch and watch. 9 months later I was done with seasons 1-7 (and Pretty Little Liars and Scandal... don't judge me) and was feeling lost "what do I do with my life now!!!!... you know you've felt that way. Anyways, Netflix added season 8 this week and now my life has meaning again.

3. Supportive Family

Maybe its because Im a newlywed, maybe its because Im pregnant and super emotional but people have been melting my heart recently. This week I spent about 24 hours because the Dr felt that Baby B's heart rate was a little slow and my family was by my side and being very supportive. Aunty Lee drove 30 minutes 2 days in a row to check on her niece, parents (who have yet to decide what they want Baby B to call them) waited with me for hours as they were running tests, and Tim actually put a Madden on hold (Football + video game... big stuff for him) to be at the hospital for his babies. 

This is 6'4 him sleeping on a not so large recliner.

4. Fall Nail Colors

Another week another 5 days of swollen hands and feet. My shoe options have dwindled significantly leaving me with about 3 pairs of loose fitting sandals.... sexy. On the flip side, since my little piggy toes are constantly exposed, they might as well be painted nicely. I usually do my own mani and pedi but because I cant reach my toes anymore, I will have to leave it to the professionals. Iv been noticing all the rich and dark colors that are coming back out for fall and am looking forward to trading in my summer peach and pink for autumn navy and purple. 

5. Chocolate

Enough said. 

We've been abducted by aliens!!

JK. This week has been a bit crazy though which is why I have not had the chance to post.
Let us start with Sunday. Last Sunday started like any other until I noticed Layla was not moving around much. She is usually pretty active so it made us a bit nervous. After a pretty quiet night, Tim and I (doing our best not to panic) decided to call the Dr when they open at 8:30am. I went to work like normal but stopped for some Jamba Juice on the way because Layla usually responds to things cold and sweet. Sure enough, it worked and my baby girl was back to her usual dancing queen self. I decided to call the Dr anyway to ease any concern I still had which, naturally, only led to more panic. I was told to go to the emergency at the hospital I had chosen to deliver (reminder for those of you who have been following... is only an hour away from my job) ASAP.  After about 24 hours of holding it together, I called Tim and burst into tears. Anyway, we eventually made it to the emergency room and after about 2 hours of tests were told that the baby was fine and must have "gotten stuck in a position that made it difficult to move"

The next day at my weekly checkup the Dr noticed on the report from the hospital the baby is was 6.1 pounds at the beginning of 35 weeks. She seemed shocked by this information and recommended that rather than 1X week appointments, I come in 2x per week. Correlation between Weight and 2x per week Dr visits, Im not sure. She also mentioned that she thinks Layla will come early. 

Almost simultaneously, the third trimester "Im over this sh!t" feeling hit me and I have been a miserable mess ever since. Hopefully we will see this baby girl who has already changed our lives so much soon. (I have been talking to her everyday about the "outside", hoping maybe she will get curious and want to see it for herself.)

Daddy and Daughter

1. Men's Orange Chuck Taylor's 2. Girl's Orange high tops 3. Grey and pink Men's Cardigan 4. Pink and Grey cardigan and dress 5. Men's Timberland Boots 6. Baby Girl Timberland boots

Friday Favorites

 This week has been cray cray busy week... which was good because my 35 week appointment is next Tuesday I CANT WAIT and the busyness helps the week to go by faster. These are a few of my favorite things (OMG what movie is that from???) from Week 34.

1. A Supportive (in his own special way) Husband:

As I expected Out of F'ing nowhere, my ankles and feet started to swell. I came home from work on Monday, took off my shoe and bam! "who's fatty foot is that????" Naturally, I take a picture and send it to Tim. Sexy huh?

2. Fall decor:

Although I love summer weather vacation, I do get excited for all the events that fall has to bring. September 22nd officially marked the first day of fall (in almost every other state except Florida. Fall doesn't start in S Fla till late October)  

There are already pumpkins around the house which smells deliciously like pumpkin cookies :o)

 3. Pumpkins:
Soooo... I dont think I will be carving a pumpkin solo this year (Pregnancy clumsiness is not a myth! Clumsiness + large knife does not sound like a great combo) but that hasn't stopped me from finding creative ways to decorate a pumpkin this year.

 I love this B pumpkin I found for the BERRIEUM's door step (I also love the fact that I felt the need to capitalize my entire new last name. If this story where told out loud I probably would have made a big hand gesture for extra emphasis).
I will pass the torch to Tim this year, who will be carving his first pumpkin ever (stay turned for pictures of that hilarity)

4. TV premiers
I know Im a week early but next week marks the season premiere of Scandal. Im on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what Olivia Pope and the Gladiators will get themselves into this season.

5. Salad night:
We are still working out the quirks but I do love salad night in our home. Neither Tim nor I grew up in households that ate salads as meals and as much as we love hearty dinners, it feels good to start healthy traditions for our new family. It is far from perfect. Tim came home on salad night this week, looked at his dinner and said "soooo what else are we eating"? He ate it (then later snuck out and ate a cheeseburger).

Holla Back

A lot of people have asked my why we chose to do a blog about Baby B. The truth is... partial laziness. When we first found out we were pregnant, I looked for a book or journal or something to track my pregnancy memories. Some of them were so cute but seemed too time consuming "write your feelings everyday" Wrong! "Take a weekly picture of yourself and paste here" We know how good I am at consistent photo taking plus the added fun of venturing out to print them out... Fun. They just didn't seem for me.

Then I found out that there is a way to turn a blog into a book and TDBabyB was born. I can add whatever I want from the comfort of wherever my computer is, in my pajamas and have the book printed and mailed to me for the baby to enjoy in years to come.

I also really like the idea of family and friends being a part of my pregnancy journal. So "Holla Back!" 

Feel free to comment on posts. Share your thoughts and memories with us and Baby B. 

Friday Favorites... Home Edition

As I am packing away all of the the goodies from our baby shower, I realized I haven't done a post about all the changes that Tim and I have made to our place in preparation for Layla. We currently live in a mansion matchbox and it has been a challenge to fit the three of us comfortably here until we get a bigger place.

1. My # 1 favorite thing is Layla's crib. Its so adorable and fits perfectly into our small place.

I made the mistake of asking Tim to build the crib during a football game

2nd quarter....

4th quarter... lol

But after the game was over, the crib was built. Which leads us too...

2. The mobile. I loved this idea and with the help of Aunt Lee and Mych (helping me to "obtain" over 100 paint swatches) we were able to create it.

3. The closet. So hear is the back story on the closet: One of the biggest issues with living in a 1/1 with 2.5 people is the teeny tiny closet.  After weeks of having this conversation...

Me: "Tim can you fix the closet"

 Tim: "Yes, Ill do it later" 

I got bold and decided to do it myself. When Tim came home I greeted him at the door with "soooo dont be mad". He walked in the bedroom and found this hurricane.

 I was able to take everything out of the closet then Layla reminded me I was 7 months pregnant and the work pretty much stopped there.

 So after a long day at work, he fixed the closet... mumbling angrily at me the entire time.

 The closet is now 75% complete but a HUGE improvement to what it was

4. Our dresser. I am a space addict and Tim is a hoarder (we will probably need therapy for this one day). With our closet completely packed, we still needed somewhere to put Baby's things. I found this second hand dresser at a consignment shop for $70 SCORE!

My dad repurposed it and now we have a home for Layla's things. Picture below

5. Lastly our bedroom finally getting put together. Although it's small, I worked hard to find a home for everything (It is quite the process to get Tim to part with something. Like it said, hoarder... love you Boo)  Im proud of what we created.

Check out of Pinterest to see the how-to's.