A Few (Much Needed) Improvements

I had a much needed week off from work last week. It was spring break for my school system, but with temperatures hitting the mid 80's it felt almost like summer vacation!  Lydia still had preschool, so I got 5 blissful days to go on every appointment that teacher's struggle to make during the school day.  I had an ultrasound, saw the optometrist, picked out a new pair of glasses, got a prescription for contacts (and had to wear a pair for the whole week to test the fit), I got my hair cut and colored, I visited the dentist for a broken filling (and got a pricey new crown), I was supposed to go to the ear, nose, and throat doctor but the emergency dental work forced that one cancellation.

It was a VERY busy week!  I had a lot of routine maintenance but EVERYONE is commenting on my hair.  It had definitely gotten too long and I wasn't doing anything with it except pulling it up into a clip.  Also, when I was pregnant with Lydia I started seeing grey hairs pop up EVERYWHERE on my head.  It's not like I don't have any grey hair between pregnancies, but MAN do they show up when I am expecting!  So I went from dull reddish brown/grey hair with no style to this cute cut and some vibrant red color.  It was WAY overdue and I am glad to have had the time to get it done!These pictures are a cropped view of my recent maternity photos.  I never got to a professional photographer while pregnant with Lydia.  I wanted to, but she came so early it just didn't happen.  I did snap one picture of my very full belly in June and I am SO glad I did because I wasn't pregnant much longer. You can see it on my birth story blog post HERE. 

 So, I woke up on the last day of my spring break with a cute new cut and color.  I had contacts in because of the week long trial for the eye doctor.  I had just unpacked all of my cute maternity clothing from storage and I FINALLY had a belly that looked pregnant and not just overweight.    AND we (PJ and I) just found out the gender of the baby.  We are waiting to tell family until Easter (similar to our Easter gender announcement for Lydia).  Suddenly I realized that if I could get an appointment that same day, I could take a few gender themed maternity photos BEFORE my double chin turned into a triple chin!  I called and got an appointment for two hours later, giving me just enough time to craft up some gender themed photo props. I am SO happy with the pictures and can't wait to share them!  For now you will have to settle for the cute cropped photos above and with the one other much needed improvement for today's post.

I have been trying to figure out how to add "related posts" links to the end of each blog post for a really long time.  I see them on other blogs and then I look in the widgets on blogger and NOTHING!  Today, while trying to find a link to leave a comment on another blog, I accidentally clicked this little "linkwithin" button. I was diverted to a  website all about a FREE widget that automatically scans your blog and suggests similar related posts for each post you look at!  EXACTLY what I wanted and SO EASY to add.  They had step by step directions (with pictures) to make sure you did it right.  So, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post and check out the recommendations for related topics.  I couldn't be happier....unless it really was summer vacation, instead of just FEELING like it SHOULD be!