Nursery Progress

I am happy to say that our nursery is finally ready to go. I am seriously SO stinkin happy, last night I just wanted to cry, and sigh in relief of course. I cannot wait to get the crib together and get everything put in there.

Here is a picture of the nursery before...this used to be our old bedroom downstairs, before we finished our upstairs, which I still plan on doing a post about, just haven't gotten around to it yet. It was an ugly marigold color. I liked it for a while...but yuck.



And here it is again, with the old windows and trim. I wish I had taken a picture of the windows with the blinds up. They were the originals from when the house was built, which was in the 50's.



And here is our completely INSANE dining room, piled with baby stuff. Some organized, some not.



And yes, it has been driving me absolutely crazy.



And here is the finished project! It is a light green color...not really a "lime green" but not pastel either. I like it much better in natural day light.



New windows and trim, with fresh paint...I love it!



After working on all of these house projects over the past year, I can can definitely say that Chris and I have had several "we are NEVER buying an old house ever, ever again" discussions. I love our house, it has tons of character but wow, it has been some work.
We still need to get blinds, curtains and a rug for the nursery as well. The blinds and rug I am not worried about that, we have those in the works. The curtains, well I found the ones that I want online at Ikea, but you can't order them online, and they seem to be out of stock everywhere that is remotely near us. It is sad.

Anyways, can't wait to start filling the room up this weekend!!

From bump to bump...

5 weeks pregnant



15 weeks pregnant



25 weeks pregnant



35 weeks pregnant



So cool. I am happy that I kept track of this, it is so interesting to see the difference between the weeks!
I am also missing my long, dark hair. It will be back for Fall, guaranteed.

35/35!!!!!!!!

How far along? 35 Weeks! Holy smokes. It freaks me out to think that next week I am going to be 36 weeks, which in my mind, he could then come at any point. PLEASE baby stay in there for at least two more weeks!!!
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 lbs. in the past two weeks. 34 lbs. total
How big is baby? About 5 1/4 lbs, and over 18 inches long. Wowza
Maternity clothes? Yes please.
Sleep: Well, I pretty much wake up consistently now every 2-3 hours. Every time I get out of bed I have a BH. Not to mention he is instantly active. Hmm....starting a pattern already? Also, every time I wake up if I am still on my side that particular hip is killing me. When I wake up on my back, my lower back will ache a little. It is hard to get out of bed. I am officially pretty sore!
Best moment this week: So far, there have been a lot of great moments. First, my shower this past weekend, and finishing the windows in the nursery. I cannot wait to start getting everything put in there, and I refuse to start until the painting is COMPLETELY finished and the floors are cleaned. Anal, I know. I cannot help it, I want everything done properly. I will admit, I have been a little psycho about it. Also, my massage on Saturday was amazing, and then I have got to go to Yoga 2 out of the past 3 days which makes me feel amazing. I wish I could go like every other day.
*update since I started this the other day: Nursery is now complete and ready to put stuff in it. I am so happy I could cry.
Movement: All over the place!
Food cravings: Juice, fruit, pasta. I cannot eat a lot anymore otherwise I just feel like it's going to come back up. Getting heartburn A LOT.
Gender: Sweet, baby boy.
Labor Signs: Braxton hicks when I get out of bed at night!
Belly Button in or out? I think that it is starting to bulge out a little now....
Stretchmarks? Ok, so I found one on my stomach this week. But here is the thing, I totally did it to myself. When I was like 12 I tried to pierce my own belly button. The scar was barely ever noticeable until my belly got huge, and now where the scar was a tiny stretch mark has developed beneath it. Oh well, still no other ones so woo hoo!! I am still using Organic Palmer's Cocoa Butter cream in the morning and this "Beautiful Belly Balm" at night that I got at our local health food store. I honestly think that using a little something to keep it moisturized mixed with staying super hydrated helps.
How are you feeling? A little anxious. I want our nursery to be put together asap. And sore, it's hard to get up after sitting for like 10 minutes. My hips and lower back pretty much kill 24/7 now.
What I am looking forward to: Our labor and delivery tour tonight. Which will be totally boring for Chris since he sees it all the time and knows the hospital like the back of his hand. Also, Megan's shower on Saturday, and then getting stuff done this weekend. We are going to majorly kick it into high gear. Asap.
What I miss: Not being able to sleep on my back and stomach, and my hand feeling normal. My feet have not been too swollen which has been super nice. <----I take that back, they are getting more swollen again last night and today, bummer!
Weekly Wisdom: Drink tons of water!
Milestones: Well, on Sunday I totally accidentally squeezed some colostrum out of my boobs. Oops. Totally freaked me out, but I am super happy to know that they are doing what they are supposed to be! (I know, how was that an accident.....well I guess I just wanted to see if anything would happen, I am weird. Lol.) Nursing class is done with, Labor and delivery tour scheduled. Nursery is ready for everything to be put into it, woo hoo!! And all of my showers are done.

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

My final shower ever!

Kinda crazy to think about it that way, but it's true. No more bridal showers or baby showers or anything of that nature!
Sunday afternoon was my final one, the 5th one altogether for baby. We have been so lucky! This shower was given by Chris's mom's side of the family. The them was blue and yellow and duckies everywhere, it was so cute. Even the punch was blue.



Cute little favors



The food was awesome too. And they even had a huge chocolate fountain with tons of goodies to dip in it, it was sooo yummy. Here is a shot of the cake, which was designed by Chris's Aunt Barb, and I love how she used "Baby Ostie" from my blog!



Bath tub toy


We were all cracking up over this bib, from Chris's Aunt Barb!



Cute little plaid outfit!



Activity Mat, woo hoo!



This was from one of the games we played...ducks with numbers on the bottom and I got to pick the number.



Belly shot! Almost 35 weeks.



And a clothesline with some super cute cloths that I got to keep as well.



As excited as I was for all of these showers, I must admit, I am little relieved they are all over. Now it's time to organize some more, take some inventory of everything and figure out what else we need to get yet!

High on the list of priorities include:
The crib mattress
Extra car seat base for our other vehicle
Bookshelf, rug, blinds and curtains for the nursery (I am so picky!)

Those are honestly the only things I can think of off hand that I really feel like we "need." I guess that really is not too bad at all!
We have been so lucky and blessed by all of our friends and family.
I cannot believe he is going to be here anytime now!!! Hopefully not for about 2-5 more weeks though!

Birthday Fun

I have to do a post about my husband....last Monday we celebrated his 30th Birthday! I always call him my old man since I am only 25, haha. It was a fun evening...we went out for dinner with his family at the Electric Cheetah and then went home and had some cake and opened presents. Afterward we hung out at a place called Stella's that he has been wanting to check out for a while. He was not particularly excited about this Birthday, hence his face in some of these pictures that I basically forced him to take. :) You can always tell he is fake smiling when he doesn't show his teeth...still handsome though.

I got him a CD that he wanted and some Jelly Belly's....he loves those!



Chris, baby and I



Holding his cake.



I wanted to throw him a surprise party, but with the wedding that weekend and then everything else that has been going on combined with his work schedule, it just was not happening this year unfortunately. Some year soon I hope to give him the party he deserves! He is a great husband and a hard worker. Love that guy.

34 Week Survey

How far along? 34 Weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: I have no idea since this was last week and I cannot remember!
How big is baby?Almost 5 lbs, and 18 inches long. He is getting huge!
Maternity clothes? Yep most of the time.
Sleep: Pretty good, but my hips hurt and wake up to use the bathroom a couple times, you know, the usual. Still waking up on my back a lot...
Best moment this week: Celebrating Chris's 30th Birthday, and having my nursing class which was awesome. I am so happy that I took it and feel so much more confident now.
Movement: All the time. Hoping he is still head down.
Food cravings: Juice, fruit
Gender: Little man
Labor Signs: Braxton hicks when I get out of bed at night!
Belly Button in or out? Flat.
Stretchmarks? Just like a tiny one on my boob. None at all my stomach! I am using Organic Palmer's Cocoa Butter cream in the morning and this "Beautiful Belly Balm" at night that I got at our local health food store.
How are you feeling? Anxious about getting the nursery done. And not having a clean house, and tons left to do.
What I am looking forward to: Saturday I have my 2nd prenatal massage, and my last shower on Sunday.
What I miss: Not being able to sleep on my back and stomach. Not being swollen, and my hand feeling normal.
Weekly Wisdom: Drink tons of water!
Milestones: I can't remember last week at all....oy!

Don't mind our messy dining room in the background that is PILED with baby stuff everywhere. And the white thing from the bathroom since the toilet was broke, but it's fixed now PRAISE THE LORD! woo hoooo


Getting bigger.....and you can really see my linea nigra now.

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Weekend Wedding Fun!

This past weekend my brother Jesse and his fiance Marideth got married. The wedding was in Ripley, Ohio and the reception was in Maysville, Kentucky right on the river. It was beautiful! But wow, was it ever HOT down there. It was around 100 degrees every day. On Saturday while we were outside taking pictures, the girls were sweating right through their dresses. I felt so bad for the guys, being in tuxes and all. But once we were inside in the air conditioning everything was great. It really turned out to be a beautiful day!

Chris and I the night before at the rehearsal dinner.


Nataleigh being all cute as usual.


-Waiting for the wedding to begin!-

Marideth and I-she was a very pretty bride!


Megan, Emileigh and I- I actually really ended up liking our dresses. They were a lovely color, pretty comfortable and thankfully really suited our pregnant bellies! And they were about as light and airy as a dress was going to get for a hot day. Our flowers were gorgeous too.


Emileigh, Nataleigh and Marideth


The happy couple at the reception!-Marideth and Jesse


The cake!


Cutting the cake-You can really see her dress here, it was really pretty!


Chris and I towards the end of the evening- I was SO tired! My feet were huge and I am pretty sure that I was maybe experiencing some contractions? Not sure though. My body had just had enough! I know that Megan had said that after we got back to the hotel she had time-able contractions throughout the night. It is crazy what a long, HOT day can do to your body! My Yoga instructor who is also a Doula told me that we were lucky that we did not put ourselves into labor! Yikes.


And last but not least, us girls wearing our guy's jackets!
Megan, Emileigh, Marideth and I


It was a long drive there and back, but a super fun weekend!

Baby Shower

Two weekends ago I had another shower, which was given by my side of the family and a friend. It was awesome!!! The theme was "Little One" and everything was miniature. Even all of the food was little and bite size, it was so cute!

Here is a picture of the cake, I loved it!


One of my favorite things were the centerpieces that Megan made for each of the tables. They had sippy cups in the middle and our cloth diaper prefolds all around them that we registered for.

There were a lot of little unique ideas and details that made everything very special! They also did a diaper raffle, had a piggy bank to put spare change in, and had people bring books instead of cards.
We also played games where you had to figure out the baby food without opening the jar, and also figuring out which candy bar or candy went with certain phrases.

Table of presents!!


Aunt Megan and Nataleigh


Megan and I before opening the baby's gifts!


One of the bigger items we got that I was very thankful for was our monitor!


One of the many books we received.


And of course, clothes galore! People sure do love to buy baby clothes.


Me with the cake.


My best friend from high school, Maegan and I.


You can see in these pictures another cool little thing that they did...a clothesline with clothes on it, love it!!
Emileigh, Nataleigh, Megan and Grandma Dottie


Such a great morning, the brunch food was terrific and once again we were so incredibly thankful! I am blessed to have such great people in my life.