The *almost done* nursery reveal!
03 Oct 2011 3 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, Gearing Up!, Home Improvements, pregnancy
Last night we hit a milestone! I think I had my very first false labor contractions. Since I am still currently pregnant at this moment, I feel pretty confident saying it was false labor. Everything started right after we had eaten dinner last night and I started to feel really nauseous and yucky. I was sitting on the couch and I tried changing positions and moving around, but I just felt so gross. I thought at first that it was dinner not just sitting well, but the baby was being very active and it didn’t feel like normal nausea. I don’t know how to explain it other than that. Eventually I just sat cross-legged on the couch and closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, and it lasted about 10 more minutes and then sort of started to abate. So we went upstairs to watch a movie and while I still wasn’t feeling great, the nausea definitely wasn’t as bad. Until I noticed that I was having some cramping going on that was lasting about 45 seconds-1 minute and then subsiding, and I would feel fine and then in another minute it would kick in again. It took about an hour or so of this on and off until my brain actually kicked in that something was going on and was aware that it was something unusual. I went to the bathroom and started drinking some water and after about another 20 minutes or so, it stopped altogether. The cramping was not very painful and I was fine watching the movie, but I was surprised at how active the baby was being during all of it. I wasn’t expecting to feel all of that movement, but I guess if he was being squeezed in there, it makes sense. Today I feel totally back to normal, and Lisa suggested I call and tell my midwives that it happened, just so they are aware, but other than that, I guess it is par for the course at this point. (It did freak both Scott and I out for a bit there, though. Especially that part when I told Scott to pause the movie and I just blurted out “I think I’m having contractions. But I’m not sure.”)
OK – on to the nursery! So, like I mentioned already, we still have more stuff that we (I) want to do to the baby’s room (rug, side table by the glider, bookshelf, closet organizers shelf-thingy, more wall decor, etc), but here are the basics as it was last week!
Crib! Glider! Ottoman! Really cute little stuffed bluebird.
You can see in the slightly open closet door that there is one more grey tissue-poof hanging in there – I think I want to hang it on the other side of the crib – in that little space between the crib and closet.
Another view so you can see my poofs all hung up. And my Ikea curtains!
Also, I made that blanket that’s draped on the glider – but don’t look too closely, as it is really poorly done. I don’t mind though, and the baby won’t know, so we’re all good.
Dresser/changing area
You can see my little bird picture on the wall in this shot, too. The picture, that along with the Ikea lamp, sort of started the whole room ‘theme’.
Up close!
Lamp shelf with pig variety
Taa-daa! Scott really cranked this one out. Luckily the wall color was already in place – I just had to do some touch ups, and paint the baseboards, but other than that, it was all him, including all furniture assembly. As usual, his work is top notch, and I couldn’t be happier!
35w3d
Houston Shower Recap (FYI…this will be very detailed becase that’s how my mom likes it.)
04 Sep 2011 7 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, baby shower, Family Fun, Gearing Up!, pregnancy
A roaring success! Thanks to Aunt Frances and Aunt Marilyn for hosting and for Karen and Kim for helping out. (Well, and for Douglas and Jim and Scott for also chipping in, against their will, and assembling sandwiches and whatnot.) We had a great time, and I will always be glad for the reminder of how many good people there are in the world. In this instance, good people that have never met me before (although most knew, or had at least met, Scott before), but still came and wanted to shower us with gifts for this baby – they were just happy to be there and to ooh and ahh over all the baby stuff.
Now, seeing as I had never met ANYONE at this shower, except for the above mentioned family members that helped out with it, I will now wow everyone with all of the names that I can remember of the guests as they appear in the pictures. Bonus points for remembering how everyone is related to one another. (If I mix anyone up, I’m sorry, I did my best! I’ll be sure to get it right on your thank-you note.)
The theme of the shower was monkeys, and the ladies didn’t disappoint in the execution. (Lisa, I told them all you would be jealous!) There was an all-chocolate monkey cupcake-cake..it was very tasty! (oh look…guess I should have cropped out the tips of Scott’s feet from the bottom of the picture – oh well…keeping it real.)
And lots of monkey table decor to coordinate:
The punch in that bowl was called 'almond tea' and it was amazing!
We started off on the right foot with all the introductions….here is Marilyn giving me the run-down.
From left to right: Marilyn, (me-hidden behind her), Delaine, Carol, Jeanine, Geneva and Lucille (I think). Lucille is Jeanine’s Mom.
From left to right: After Lucille, Peggy Wise (she’s a cousin), Doris, Gina (?) and Yevette (mostly hidden – daughter of the lady sitting next to her, I think it’s Gina?)), and the back of Betty (Geneva’s Mom), and just the very edge of Peggy (daughter in law of Gina.)
After all the introductions were complete, we got down to the important stuff! Presents – and lots of good ones! By this time, my picture-taker had removed himself to the kitchen with his Dad and Uncle, so there is only 1 picture taken near the end of the presents, but that’s OK, because I can just tell you what we got!
Lots of stuff off the Babies R Us registry, which was so nice, plus some extra bonus items thrown in for fun! Lots of clothes, of course, and quite a few that were monkey-themed, to match the shower decor. 🙂 2 very soft and cuddly blankets, several crib sheets, the “womb-sound” teddy bear for the crib, sun-shades for the car windows, a tummy time playmat (with music!), a reclining bathtub, digital ear thermometer, and the Red Cross healthcare kit, several bibs, the breathable crib bumper, baby spoons, some diapers and wipes and my (much anticipated) stroller! And there were several cards with money and giftcards included, (even some from people who couldn’t make it it to the shower, but still wanted to give something!) Seriously, we were feeling the love.
Opening/fighting with the stroller in the background:
This picture also includes Karen (white shirt) and Frances (black headband), who are both leaning over to help me wrangle the stroller. Also, there’s Kim standing up behind the couch. She’s Douglas and Frances’ daughter. We wore the same dress, but hers was black and white striped, and might I say, definitely more flattering on her than mine was on me. Maybe horizontal stripes weren’t such a good idea.
Posing with one of the table-decoration monkeys.
The food was excellent, and plenty of it…chicken salad sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, chips, olives (black and green!), fruit salad, cupcakes, a cheese-ball with crackers, punch, and some seriously delicious deviled eggs.
More monkeys!
The loot!
All in all, it was a great shower….thanks again to the ladies that put it all together for us. We are so appreciative of the thoughtfulness, and are so glad that this baby will be welcomed into a family that is so excited to meet him and be a part of his life.
31w2d
Nursery progress to date
03 Aug 2011 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Gearing Up!, pregnancy
Well, as far as putting together the nursery, there isn’t much actual progress, but I’ve got lots of pieces that will eventually come together in there, and so I’m going to document those for you today. Because who loves baby stuff? WE DO!
In all our infinite wisdom, years ago, we painted the baby’s room a nice bright yellow – that room used to house all of our workout equipment, and yellow seemed like a nice energizing color to workout in, so we went with it. (It turns out we liked that color so much we also painted the laundry room the same shade. And then when we moved the gym downstairs during a fit of rearranging the house, we used the exact same color all over again. So yes, we have 3 rooms in our house that are this color. We like it, OK?)
I believe it is called ‘Chilled Lemonade’ by Behr, and it is the backdrop for most of these pictures, and shows up pretty true to life, I think.
So, to start with, an overview of what I like to refer to in my head as the ‘small loot.’ As opposed to the ‘big loot,’ which is the furniture and stuff.
Clothes, blankets, diapers, carriers, diaper bags, etc...
Crib mattress and changing pad. Necessary, but kind of boring.
My Ikea lamp has a home on this black shelf. Along with baby’s first and second piggy banks, a piece of wall art still in the mailing envelope and some random screws…to the changing pad, I think?
Then came the special delivery from Oklahoma with with all sorts of ‘big loot.’
It has storage! And a removable Moses basket!
And the cradle that my Dad made about 20 years ago when Meredith was born. Still in pieces, but that sucker ain’t light, so we’re going to wait a while to put it together since we’ll likely need to keep moving it around until it’s time for it to move to its final home downstairs.
Once it's on the stand, it can rock or be locked into place.
And for more big loot, the recently acquired crib (un-assembled, but you get the idea) , glider and ottoman! Scott actually put together the glider in about 5 minutes after we opened all the boxes, so I wasted no time testing it out. It glides, or can be locked into place and it even reclines! All it needs is a cup holder. (Just kidding Scott – I do not need a cup holder on the glider. A side table will do just fine, instead.)
So comfy and cushy!
(Side note to my mom – those are the black pants you bought me!)
And last, just for some Awwws…tiny baby clothes hanging in the closet! (I think I will paint the clothing rod white, so just imagine it that way for now.)
These are just the clothes that were ALREADY on hangers - not everything, by a long shot.
So, there you have it – that’s pretty much the extent of what we’ve got going on so far. The glider is temporarily living in our bedroom, just so it’s out of the way, and the crib pieces are hanging out in the hallway, but soon and very soon it will all find its way to a very cute room for a soon to be arriving baby boy!
26w5d
Busy Bee
27 Jul 2011 3 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 2nd trimester, Family Fun, Gearing Up!, Me, pregnancy
Work has been so, so busy lately, and what with family visiting and my packed social calendar (heh.), I just have not had the extra time to post anything other than the standard weekly update progress reports, and I know that can get kind of old after a while, with nothing else to break it up in between. SO! Here I am to announce that today marks the official ‘100 days left’ portion of this pregnancy. After today, we’ll be in double-digit territory!
We have baby furniture on order, two (2!) baby showers in the works (how lucky are we, I ask you?), and the other day I went through the accumulated clothes that this baby already owns…and let’s just say, he won’t be going around naked, that’s for sure. Everyone is very excited about this baby’s arrival, and I can’t help but feel so amazed that someone who is not even here yet, can have such a huge impact on so many people.
I mentioned before that my friend Kristi is throwing us a local shower here in Austin, and now also the ladies in Scott’s family have also offered to throw a shower in Houston for all the Houston family/friends! The Austin shower will be on Sept 24th, and the Houston shower will be on Sept 3rd. I sort of feel like I should start to see if I know anyone in Dallas and San Antonio that also needs to throw a shower, so that my tour of major cities of Texas will be complete. 🙂 Honestly, though, I am so excited for these get togethers with all my family and friends. I don’t get to see everyone nearly enough, and if you offer me the chance to get to hang out and visit with them all, AND you serve me cake and punch, it’s pretty much the best thing I can think of.
I’ve got another post brewing for sometime in the next several days…sort of a recap of the visit Scott and I just had with some of my family, and there should be pictures included. I know everyone loves pictures! Also, I’ll include my most recent midwife appt update. (Spoiler: it went fine).
But for now…back to work!
25w5d
Cute Stuff
05 Jul 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: 2nd trimester, Domestic Bliss, Gearing Up!, Home Improvements, pregnancy
So, this weekend was full of projects and progress! The baby’s room is *almost* all the way empty now. Just a few more things to clear out and it will be paint touch-up time, and then I can go to town. My little starter pile of baby stuff that was in a corner of the guest room has been growing and is quickly taking over one whole wall! Granted, everything is still in bags and packaging, so once it is opened and organized it won’t seem like nearly as much, but for now it is staying as-is for easy transport to its forever home in the yellow room.
Scott was able to check another project off his list when we installed some shelves in his arcade room for display and storage purposes yesterday. While I didn’t get up on the ladder, or do any drilling, I still say “we” since I was an active participant, and handed him tools and peeled labels off the shelving pieces like nobody’s business. Now that the shelves are up, the lingering things out of the baby’s room have their official place to be relocated to, so we’re in the home stretch!
In anticipation of the day when I can start putting the fun stuff in the room, I’ve made a couple of small, decorative (otherwise known as OH MAN BABY STUFF IS SO CUTE I CAN’T RESIST!) purchases. Well, this lamp wasn’t originally intended to go in the baby’s room, and isn’t technically ‘baby stuff’, but I have since decided it will be perfect in there, so just humor me.
IKEA!
We have a floating black shelf on the wall, right inside the door, and this lamp will be perfect sitting on it. It’s a pretty dim light, so I think it will be great for going into the room at night and needing just a bit of light to see by without waking us, or the baby, up too much with the bright overhead light. (Plus, it goes along with the trend I seem to have created of leaves, trees, and birds for the room. Official colors yet to be determined, so the color palette may just end up being whatever we find that we like, we choose.)
And this was an Etsy purchase that was just too good to resist! It’s an illustration that will need to be framed once it arrives (I think a white frame will be the best.) Since the middle bird is pretty close (I’m hoping) to matching the color of the walls, it should look darn cute once it’s framed and hung up.
I’m getting closer and closer to the day that I start to work from home, and I’m really looking forward at getting to work on some of the sewing ideas I’ve had knocking around in my head for a while. I’ll keep you updated on my progress! (unless I really flub something up…in that case I’m not telling anyone.)
Also, in case anyone wanted an update – our new sprinkler system is FAN-tastic and already the grass is looking so green and fluffy! Several shoots have already started creeping into the barren areas, much faster than I was anticipating, so I think within just a couple more months, it should be well on its way.
22w4d
Adventures in Cloth Diapering
20 Jun 2011 7 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Gearing Up!
So, since not everyone is familiar with cloth diapers, and I know that all the horror stories of rubber pants and safety pins that we have all heard strike fear into the hearts of moms everywhere, I thought it would be fun to give you all a quick little rundown on how cool the new generation of cloth diapers are.
These are not our mama’s cloth diapers. They have been updated, simplified, and are just flat out adorable. (There are lot of variations and options- these are the ones that I have chosen after doing a lot of research on what’s available.)
Here we go!
They come in so many colors and patterns – so cute!
I've got all solid colors so far!
These are one size diapers and are completely size-adjustable: snaps all across the front so they can be adjusted to fit from newborn to toddlerhood.
You can see on the opened side, the little button with elastic - that is to adjust the leg opening.
Both sides have the elastic to adjust the leg tightness, and there is elastic across the back to adjust the fit there, as well. Once you find the size that fits at each stage, you can set every diaper to the same fit.
Lots of snaps!!
The outer layer of the diaper is waterproof fabric – the inside is soft, fleecy fabric that goes up against baby’s skin.
These diapers each come with 2 absorbent inserts that go into a ‘pocket’ between the 2 layers of fabric.
You just stuff the insert in there and you’re good to go! (You can put more than one insert in there for nighttime, to absorb more, if needed.)
Insert is in!
When it’s time to wash, you put the whole thing into the washing machine (you can shake out the insert, or just leave it in – the agitation from the washing machine will shake it loose, regardless.) Then you can either dry them in the dryer or line dry. I hope that being in Texas with plenty of sunshine, I’ll be able to save some wear and tear on the diapers and line dry them for a good portion of the year. Plus, the sun is good for bleaching out any stains.
And there you go!
Heathcliff gives them a thumbs up.
20w3d
And so it begins….
16 May 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Domestic Bliss, Family Fun, Gearing Up!, pregnancy
We had another eventful few days this weekend, but thankfully no heavy lifting or excessive sweating was involved this time. We drove to Houston on Saturday for a belated Mother’s Day visit and lunch and had such a nice time! We got to chat a lot and catch up and Jim and Karen treated us to lunch at Pappadeaux which is always SO good. They put their salad bowls in the freezer ahead of time, and seriously, I love that! When the salad comes out totally chilled it just makes it for me. I told Scott that I just need someone to make me a chilled salad and I would eat one with dinner every single night. We compromised by buying a tub of mixed greens and some cherry tomatoes at the store for me to make it myself. I’m not sure it will be the same, but we’ll see how it goes.
On Sunday we got up late and headed into Austin to make use of a brunch Groupon that I had that was about to expire. Had we known that we would get to have some of the best biscuits and gravy ever, we certainly would have used that Groupon sooner. Anyway, before we left the restaurant, I suggested that maybe we could stop by the nearby baby store to see a stroller in person that I had been eyeballing online. hahaha. To my surprise he agreed! So we headed on over…it was only a few minutes away, so it totally made sense to do it while we were right there.
The store was crazy busy, and the stroller section was a little bit…jam packed, but we managed to see some stuff we liked. We checked out strollers and car seats and cribs, and I think we might have settled on a good crib choice.
We like the dark wood color and the price is right. And it’s one of those cribs that can convert into a toddler bed, daybed and then later to a full size bed. (Necessary conversion kits are sold separately….of course.) But I think it will look really nice up against the yellow walls, and finding the ‘just right’ crib bedding is going to be a fun hunt! No official decisions have been made yet, but we’ve gotten the ball rolling, and as Scott said, his indoctrination has begun.
One trimester down, 2 more to go!
03 May 2011 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 2nd trimester, Gearing Up!, pregnancy
So, I’m counting today (13w4d) as the official first day of my second trimester. (40 weeks divided by 3, etc…) It’s going pretty well, I must say! Not much change from the 1st trimester, really, but that’s a good thing, since I’ve had such an easy time with this pregnancy so far.
I’ve started doing some registry research and making a list of things I think we’ll want to register for. Mostly I’m waiting for Lisa to have the Bloob, so she can try out a lot of stuff that I know we are both interested in and give me her yay or nay votes on it all. I’m using her as my own personal Consumer Reports.
We’re lucky, though, in that the room we are planning to use for the baby’s room, is already painted a nice bright yellow, so check one thing off the list as ‘already done’. We’re overachievers! So, it only makes sense that the color scheme will be yellow, with some more gender-specific colors thrown in to pull it all together. So maybe some yellow with brown and blue? Or a little yellow with pink and green? Or yellow with grey and white? So many options! Thankfully we’ve still got plenty of time to narrow it down.
I did make a purchase last week that was just too good to pass up…I knew I wanted some form of baby carrier, and the Ergo has such good reviews online and everyone seems to love it. So when I saw that babysteals was offering it as the daily special for $57, I couldn’t resist! Normally the Ergo Sport carrier is $115, so, yeah…SCORE!
It’s such a cute baby blue color, I won’t mind carting around a boy or a girl in it, especially knowing I got such a deal. You can use this carrier from newborn to toddlerhood, and it works as a front, back and even hip carrier with some small adjustments. I’d like to try to put Madison in it for a test drive, but, you know, I don’t want to get cat hair all over it.
13w4d
