Sunday, November 25, 2012

baby girl’s nursery {the plan}

so, I’m a little behind schedule in getting this nursery put together.  {part of that is due to my inability to decide on a color scheme.}  but I finally got my butt in gear and nailed down somewhat of a plan.  I can’t say we’ve gotten much farther than this, but it’s a start, right?!

Nursery_Page_1

as you can see, the color scheme will involve lavender, gray, white, and a touch of plum as well.  the crib is from wal-mart, and I’m planning to copy an idea from my decorating obsessed friend Ashley, and paint the wood part at the bottom to coordinate with the room.  the fabric shown behind the crib is what I’m planning for curtains, and the other gray fabrics will be accents – a crib skirt, pillows, etc.  I probably won’t get the exact chair pictured, but something similar and definitely in gray with white piping.  the walls will be some combination of gray and lavender – I just haven’t decided what that combination will be yet.  there could be an accent wall involved, maybe in a chevron or stripe pattern…we’ll see how brave Matt is feeling when the time comes to paint.  my original plan for the dresser/changing table was the IKEA expedit shelf, modified like in the picture with legs and drawers, but I have since changed my mind.  my parents have an old dresser {that I actually used when I was in high school} that we will be revamping to use in the nursery.  it will definitely be getting a coat of white paint to match the dresser, and new hardware as well, and once again if I {ok, Matt} is feeling brave, we may try adding some color to the drawers.  Here’s what will be the “before” shot of this project… complete with Grandma-to-be and a pup :)

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so, there you have it.  the plan.  things are still a bit up in the air as we aren’t entirely sure if we’ll be living in this house or somewhere else at the time of baby girl’s arrival, but I’m realizing that time is slipping away and I need to get moving one way or another!

of course I’ll share our progress as we get this puppy going – we’ll see how close to the plan the final product comes out to be :)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

{week 25}

25 weeks 

Week 25 (Nov 17 – Nov 23)

This week was a nice short work-week, followed by probably the best holiday ever for a pregnant girl: Thanksgiving!  I must say I thoroughly enjoyed spending the entire day eating, and not feeling bad about it one bit.  YUM.  Oh, and it was also nice to have some quality family time. :)  As usual I also went Black Friday shopping {which now involves staying up super late on Thanksgiving as opposed to waking up super early on Friday…and I’m not too terribly fond of that change, just for the record}.  This year was a bit of a dud for me, and I actually didn’t end up buying anything!  I know, crazy isn’t it?!  I still had fun running around with the cousins, in what is becoming our yearly shopping tradition. :)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I have to say that this year we have a lot to be thankful for.  We are so blessed that our family is about to grow by one, and that so far everything has gone smoothly. I am SO thankful for this little girl, and it’s pretty crazy how much I love her already, even though I have yet to meet her. Ok, ok, enough mushy stuff.

Size of baby: cauliflower (like, the whole head of cauliflower – woah)

Total weight gain/loss:  26 lbs.  until I’m told otherwise. :)

Maternity clothes? my order from Old Navy came in, and totally made my day!  I have still been trying to squeeze into a few non-maternity things here and there, but those days are quickly coming to an end. 

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: what’s that?

Symptoms: still going strong with the back pain, and a constantly stuffy nose.  I’m quite thankful that I sit in a chair all day at my job, there is just no way I could be on my feet all that time. 

Best moment this week: Thanksgiving!  Everything about it was great ~ the turkey, the family time, daydreaming about how different it will be next year with our additional family member :)

Movement: all day every day it seems like.  Baby girl gave her Grandma and Grandpa Henry an early Christmas present and let them both feel her kick on Thanksgiving.

Food cravings: it was turkey and everything Thanksgiving related, but I satisfied that one a few times over. :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: most definitely.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? still holding on as an innie.

Wedding rings on or off? back on, and haven’t had to come off again yet…

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy ~ of course that is subject to change at the drop of a hat.

Looking forward to: having our maternity pictures taken this weekend ~ normally these would be done later in pregnancy {with a bigger belly}, but I wanted to use them for our holiday cards, so we’re just doing them a bit early.  with all of the photos I’ve been taking lately, I’m incredibly excited to be on the other side of the camera for once!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

{week 24}

 24 weeks

Week 24 (Nov 10 – Nov 16)

We started off this week with the best day ever – my birthday!  It turned out to be a super busy day, full of family, presents, CHEESECAKE, birth class, a cat in a tree, more family, and more celebrating with friends!  Whew.  I am exhausted just thinking about it.  But I had lots of fun celebrating with my family, and eating more than my share of fried chicken.  We had our first Bradley class that afternoon, where we learned a ton.  Matt seemed to enjoy it as well, and retained even more information than I did I think, so that’s a good sign. :)  We also had a house showing during our class, so my birthday twin Ash was kind enough to watch our cats for us since they had to be out of the house – well, that didn’t work out so well.  One of our cats apparently didn’t like the idea of staying at her house, and instead decided to run up a tree and stay there for 2 hours.  Once we got over there Matt was able to climb the tree and rescue her, though, so all was well again.  After all of that drama we had a lovely family dinner and then met with friends to celebrate Ash and my birthdays.  I was totally the pregnant chick in a bar.  I must admit, it was actually quite fun. :)  Jessica, the awesome best friend that she is, even managed to get the bartender to make a “shot” for me (pineapple juice, grenadine & sprite) so I could take a birthday shot with everyone.  I know that got some weird looks from other people at the bar. ;)

Sunday rolled around and we had yet another house showing, and then went to Buy Buy Baby to start the grand journey of registering.  Holy cow.  There is just way too much baby stuff out there.  We made a good dent, and will be going back at some point this weekend hopefully to finish it up.  Before I knew it my birthday weekend was over, and it was another Monday.  I kept this week nice and full though with birthday dinners, a happy hour with my 2 favorite also-pregnant-chicks, and – you guessed it – another house showing.  It has been a busy week to say the least, and now that my birthday week is officially in the books, I’m ready to rest. Not sure how much of that I’ll be doing this weekend, but a girl can hope!

In other news, I’ve officially been baking this baby for 6 months.  6 months?!?!  When did that happen?!  Time is really flying.  I am starting to get antsy about getting her nursery put together - I finally decided on a color scheme and a few key things… if I ever catch my breath I’ll post about that separately.

Size of baby: cantaloupe (WHAT!  Ok, that is significantly bigger than a grapefruit people!)

Total weight gain/loss:  26 lbs.  until I’m told otherwise. :)

Maternity clothes? Yes and yes.  Old Navy had another sale this week, so I went ahead and spent my birthday gift card and ordered 2 more tops and a pair of work pants.  I am really loving maternity pants these days… they are just so darn comfy.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: blah.  Nothing new to say here… it still isn’t great.  And it’s not getting any better.

Symptoms: hello, back pain!  This belly seems to be growing exponentially lately, and my poor back isn’t too happy about it.  It’s not the worst back pain ever, but it certainly isn’t comfortable.  I guess I should get used to it, though, I’m certainly not getting any smaller.

Best moment this week: My BIRTHDAY!!  To be more specific – my present from the husband: a new point and shoot camera, but more adorable: a Christmas ornament for our baby girl with her name on it. :) Daddy wanted to make his first official purchase for his little girl. (cue collective AWWWWWW!)

Movement: All the time still.  I’ve now started feeling her move in the middle of the night…I sure hope that’s just a phase.  I cannot figure out this kid’s schedule for the life of me – some days she moves all morning, some days it’s only the evening, then there was the middle of the night dance-off… who knows.  Hopefully she has more of a schedule when she comes out!

Food cravings: right now: a home cooked meal.  Due to all of the birthday celebrating, I have eaten out waaaaay too much this week.  I’m ready for some real food.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Ha!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? In, but I think it’s on its way out.  Ugh.

Wedding rings on or off? OFF! :(  Yesterday I noticed all of my rings feeling quite tight, so I removed them just to be safe.  Well then I forgot to put them back on.  I don’t think I quite have sausage fingers, but there has definitely been some swelling/water retention happening.  (and I am not the least bit happy about it!!!!!!)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy this week.

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving (aka – FOOOOOOOD!!!!) and Black Friday! :)

{week 23}

I know, I know, I’m behind on these again.  What can I say, I’ve been busy! 

23 weeks

Week 23 (Nov 3 – Nov 9)

This week was a busy week of taking/editing/blogging photos, followed by the start of my birthday week!  We started the weekend off with a surprise party for a friend’s birthday (side note: going to a party where there is free alcohol while you are pregnant = complete torture), and finally had a day to rest and hang out on Sunday – started off by some chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP (best way to start a Sunday ever!).  Beginning on Wednesday the week got hectic, but since it was mostly birthday celebrations I won’t complain. :)

Size of baby: grapefruit

Total weight gain/loss:  26 lbs.  Yeah, I don’t step on the scale anymore. So this only changes on weeks I have a doctor’s appointment. :)

Maternity clothes? Yep – went shopping on Saturday for some jeans and a coat.  Happy Birthday to me!

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: not terrible.  Sleeping with the Snoogle regularly, and although I still do wake up quite a bit, I can usually stay comfortable for a few hours at a time.

Symptoms: new to the list: stuffy nose!  I keep thinking I’m getting a cold, but it’s pretty much just anytime I lay down, my nose goes from perfect clear to a block of concrete.  I don’t get it.  It doesn’t help the sleep department very much, but it seems to go away after being up for a couple hours so I guess it could be worse.

Best moment this week: Daylight savings ending therefore allowing me an extra hour of sleep Saturday night :)  Also: the first birthday celebration (dinner with Ashley – who shares a birthday with me), and getting my hair chopped off and colored.  Guess it was a good week :)

Movement: Lots of it!  She hasn’t seemed to figure out a real schedule yet…for a while she was always moving in the evenings, but lately I’ve felt her wiggling around right when I wake up in the morning.  Maybe Daylight Savings has her confused. :)  Matt has felt it several more times now, which is always exciting!

Food cravings: I feel like a sham of a pregnant chick because I still haven’t really had any crazy cravings.  I’m certainly eating everything in sight though (see above – this is why I refuse to step on the scale), so that has to count for something.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yep.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? In, and still looking odd.  I’m still hoping it stays in as long as possible…

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Well.  I have officially had a crazy-pregnant-lady-crying-moment (or 4). We watched What to Expect When You’re Expecting over the weekend.  I innocently expected to just laugh my way through the flick, but no such luck.  A couple of serious parts, a sad part, and even the happy parts at the end – all sent me into a blubbering mess.  And just for the record:  I am not usually a movie-crier.  Maybe a tear in the corner of my eye, but this was serious hysterical I-have-to-walk-out-of-the-room crying.  Matt wasn’t sure what to do.  In the end, I made it through the movie (and a box of Kleenex), and I now know that the pregnant loss of control over emotions is in full effect.  Yay?

Looking forward to: My birthday!  A whole weekend full of celebrations (even a few dragged into the week)!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

{week 22}

22 weeks 

Week 22 (Oct 27Nov 2)

Big milestone this week…daddy felt  baby girl move for the first time!!  I’ve obviously been feeling her for quite a while now, and have been trying to get Matt to feel it too, but the timing just hadn’t worked out.  Until Tuesday night. :)  We were just sitting on the couch, and she was giving some pretty hefty kicks so I had him put his hand on my belly and he looked right at me with big wide eyes and said “was that it?!?!”  Yes it sure was!  So that was all sorts of exciting. :)

In other news, I had another doctor’s appointment this week.  It was a pretty uneventful one, but I did get to hear her heartbeat again, and now they measure my belly (which I’m not sure I understand, but Dr. C said that it was right where it should be, so I’ll take it!).  I also found out I get to do the Gestational Diabetes test next time – SO not looking forward to that.  I’m hoping that my previous PCOS condition and sugar filled diet for the past 5 months aren’t going to cause me to fail.  *fingers crossed*

We had a busy and fun weekend, attended a Halloween party on Saturday night {as HGTV’s Mike Holmes – if you know Matt you know this is perfect -  and a skeleton pregnant chick that was too lazy to wear an actual costume…see pictures below :) }, and on Sunday I had yet another photo session and then we had another house showing in the afternoon.  The week has pretty much flown by, with a short pause on Wednesday for Halloween!  We spent the evening with our favorite almost-3-year-old, who was quite possibly the cutest bumble bee I’ve ever seen.  She had a blast trick-or-treating, and we probably had just as much fun (if not more) watching.  We are now super excited for Halloween next year, knowing that we will have our own little pumpkin to dress up!

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Size of baby: papaya (yet another fruit that I know nothing about. I read somewhere though that a non-fruit equivalent for this week is a football. A FOOTBALL.  That can’t be right.  HOLY COW)

Total weight gain/loss:  26 lbs.  Yes, you read that right, I have gained another 10 lbs.  Let’s just say I am an overachiever when it comes to gaining weight during pregnancy :) (and just for the record, the doctor has no concerns about it, so neither do I. thankyouverymuch)

Maternity clothes? Absolutely – and thinking about going shopping for some more, actually.

Stretch marks? Not yet (I have started putting cocoa butter lotion on my belly religiously in hopes of preventing them :) )

Sleep: the snoogle and I are starting to get along better (yes, the thing is really called a snoogle.  Who names these things??)  Although, I have now found that Daisy is a fan of it, and enjoys sleeping right between my belly and the pillow.  Lovely.

Symptoms: still a little heartburn here and there, along with some new back pain and leg cramps!  Yay for pregnancy?  But really, none of it is that horrible and I still consider myself VERY lucky to have had such an easy pregnancy so far (KNOCKING ON WOOD)

Best moment this week: Matt feeling baby girl kick! 

Movement: I think we’ve already discussed this in quite a bit of detail... but yes, I get kicked and punched all day long.  It’s getting to be a lot stronger, and somewhat regular – this child is definitely mine, because she’s not active until the afternoon and evenings most days.

Food cravings: I still haven’t had any crazy, I MUST HAVE IT NOW type of cravings.  Today I really wanted Chinese food…does that count?

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yep.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? In, but starting to look a little strange.  I don’t really know how to describe it, but it definitely looks funny.  Matt thinks it’s going to pop soon, I am hoping it doesn’t.

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: feeling a few more mood swings, but I still think I’m keeping control of the crazy.  For now. :)

Looking forward to: the start of my birthday week!  Yes, I claim an entire week. :)  My birthday is a week from Saturday, so it’s officially on.  Something tells me the celebrations will be a bit more tame than usual, but that’s ok.  It’s still my birthday!!

Monday, November 5, 2012

{week 21}

hi there!  yes, I know I am getting behind in these.  oops!  I’ve been so busy taking pictures of other people, I haven’t had time to get these posted.  But I’m catching up now! 

21 weeks 

so, I totally intended on Photoshopping the dog nose out of this week’s picture, but then I decided it was just too cute.  she was obviously very concerned with what I was doing {and to explain, I take the pictures in our bedroom, and she is standing on the bed.  she’s not actually that tall. :) }

Week 21 (Oct 20 – Oct 27)

This week we started off by showing our house {never heard any feedback though, so who knows what they thought…}, and then on Saturday while the boys finished some last minute painting I joined the family on a trip to the corn maze in Liberty.  We had a blast!  Who knew wandering through corn for 2 hours could be so much fun. :)

Sunday I was left to fend for myself while Matt went to the NASCAR race with his dad and brother in law.  I actually had quite a nice relaxing morning, and day of productivity, followed by a photo shoot in the evening.  The work week was pretty typical, although Matt ditched me (AGAIN!) on Wednesday and Thursday to go to St. Louis for work.  I spent my free time this week looking for rental houses, and researching baby stuff so that we can go register one of these days.  This weekend we have a Halloween party to attend, and hopefully a relatively quiet day at home on Sunday.  We also have a few home showings scheduled in the mix, so fingers crossed!

a couple of Instagram photos from the weekend:

IMG_20121020_150941 corn maze!!

IMG_20121020_115906 what happens when we have a showing, and have to remove all 3 pets from the house ~ let me tell you, they just love car rides together ;)

Size of baby: pomegranate (I really have no idea how big one of these is.  My cousins and I Googled it so I could see what the heck it even was, but I still have no concept of the size…oh well, guess I’m just not well versed in fruits!)

Total weight gain/loss:  16 lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Yes, loving them.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: still not fabulous.  I finally started using the pregnancy pillow, but I’m not sure I really know how to work the thing.  I know, it’s just a pillow right, but it’s quite a strange contraption and between the Mister, a dog and a cat that also occupy our bed, I just haven’t quite figured out the best strategy for using it yet.  Although Wednesday night when I had the bed to myself – snuggled right up with it and actually slept pretty well.

Symptoms: finally something new: heartburn!  Hooray?  Not so much.  It isn’t horrible, but I’ve never really had heartburn before so this is all new to me.  Apparently very common during pregnancy though, so I guess I’ll just get used to it (and stock up on smoothie flavored Tums…)

Best moment this week: Matt coming home from St. Louis – we missed him!  He wasn’t gone that long, but still.  I think he may have been more excited to see Daisy than me when he got home, but whatever. 

Movement: more and more every day!  And I’m still loving every minute of it.  Also still waiting for Matt to be able to feel it.

Food cravings: I’m going with candy again.  Probably just because I’m a bad influence on myself and always keep it around when Halloween gets close, but I’ve definitely been eating my fair share.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Yep.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!!

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy – like, really happy.  I now laugh so hard I cry at least once a week…and usually over something not all that funny.  But I’ll take it over crazy pregnant-lady rage!  I definitely feel the mood shifts every now and then, but I think I still have a pretty good handle on them.  (I don’t know though, I should probably ask Matt and see if he agreesJ)  I do cry at the drop of a hat now, which is just lovely.  Warning: do not cry in front of this pregnant chick!

Looking forward to: next doctor’s appointment is Tuesday!  It will be a pretty boring one (no ultrasound again for a while L) but I always love hearing her heartbeat and having the doctor tell me that all is well.  {Not looking forward to: stepping on the scale!!}