General Update

I still need to paint the ceiling and trim in the girls' rooms, but even though I've got some mild nesting instincts coming on, there's just no energy left for that.

Last time I saw the doc, she said the baby was upside down.  That's great, because she's not kicking me in really sensitive places, but now the places she kicks hurt worse.  Before it was just shocking or awkward.  Not it's downright painful sometimes.  I remember with Abby getting to the point where it felt like she was going to wear a hole in the wall of my uterus.  I am getting there with this one now.  If she doesn't wear a hole in it, she's going to just rip right through it one of these days!

As it is, I have to hold my hand on the spots she is kicking and press down to try and get her to not push out of my abdomen SO hard.  I much prefer the twitchy little hamster kicks to these "holy crap there's a PERSON in there" kicks.

Marti got me some diapers and wipes to put in the nursery this weekend when we were at Costco.  They are too big for a newborn I think, but they were the smallest they had, and at least we have SOMETHING in there for now.  I suppose in a pinch, we could break out the duct tape and make it work.  (Yes, I'm kidding!!!!  ...mostly.)

Still no luck in finding a dresser for the nursery.  Either they just cost too much for baby type things and I don't want to invest that much in something temporary, they cost a lot and I'm not sure if that's what we want to invest in for something long term yet, or they get HORIBLE reviews on design, materials, or function if they are cheaper.  Isn't there anything in the middle???

Also, I was thinking of making a crib skirt since I don't really want a full crib set anyway.  I just can't see investing at least $175-$200 minimum on something I KNOW we won't use.  We had a darling one for Abby's nursery that came out when she arrived and never went back in except for the crib skirt.  So, I went to the fabric store and looked around.  I finally found a pattern for a plain one with a simple pleat (no ruffles!), but by the time I had found one that was in stock, I was tired and I just put it back.  I figured it would end up sitting on the shelf like many other projects that started with the best of intentions and just fizzled out.

So, if anyone knows where to find a nice long crib skirt (pink or white?) with no ruffles for a reasonable price, let me know.  We have the crib set up where the mattress is really high right now, but it will be lower in time.  I don't like the gap between the mattress and the drawer right now, but I don't want the crib skirt drooping all over the floor later when we lower the mattress.  What do you do with that?????

On another note, we still haven't bought our new bedroom furniture and I just realized the set we WERE looking at has drawer slides that I detest, so it's off the table.  The good news about that is, our mattress is on the FLOOR!  What's good about that?  It makes it REALLY easy to roll out of bed in the morning!  I remember coming home from the hospital with Abby and trying to lie down on our big bed while Marti put Abby to bed.  I sort of landed halfway on my tummy and half off the bed and had to just lie there waiting for him to help me roll over the rest of the way.  It wasn't pretty!  I got stuck because my feet didn't reach the ground and I couldn't roll myself over after the surgery.  This time I'll be able to actually sit down first, and maybe swing my legs over before I recline the rest of the way.

Until then, we're going to have to move the glider chair into our room.  I'm starting to get to that point where I have heartburn every day.  It's just a matter of time before it starts disrupting my sleep and making me have to sit up all night if I want to get any rest.  It would be nice to move the recliner upstairs, but I'll settle for the glider for now.  I HOPE that will do and I'm not forced to go downstairs to sleep or bring the recliner up and do without it in the family room until the baby comes.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to go with another c-section or not.  Marti wants to know when I'm taking off work so he can plan his time off from work.  He'll need to get his shifts covered, so I see his point, but seriously?  I have no idea when this little one is coming!  Even if I scheduled a c-section, there's no saying she won't come earlier.  You just never know.

And, finally, I think I've avoided "the waddle" so far!  I wonder when that will hit me.

I guess that's about it on the baby front for now.

Pictures! Finally!

I was finally able to get the girls' rooms presentable and get some photos of Suzanne's work!  The lighting could have been better, but, what can I say?  It's been a LONG weekend and at least I got them done before the sun actually set.

We still need to paint the ceilings, doors, and all the trim, but for now you can get the gist of the rooms.  I also want to add crown molding, but who knows when we will get to that.

In the nursery, we will be losing the natural color changing table and replacing it with a white dresser.  For now, Abby's toy cubes can stay because once the baby gets here, she won't be crawling around and getting into them any time soon anyway.  I'm also thinking we may need a rug in the center of the room to pull it all together.

I would love to refinish the glider, but that's something I don't think I have the time or energy for.  Once the baby gets here, who really cares anyway.

I don't have a comforter set in the crib, so I just draped some pink furry fabric over the mattress for the picture so it looks a little better.

This one is a REPLACEMENT PICTURE ADDED to this post on 02/06/11 after we got the dresser we've been looking for!

As for Abby's room, I had a little better lighting in there since I did hers first.  It took me FOR.EV.ER to wash, dry, and iron her curtains today!  We really love her big girl room and how well everything come together.

30 Weeks - Update

I am at 30 weeks! 

I still haven't gained much weight (9 lbs or so) but my belly is QUITE obvious now.  Strangers are finally starting to make random unsolicited comments about my pregnancy.  I finally feel "really" or "officially" pregnant, and then a friend at work points out that I only have 10 weeks to go.

Uh...!!!  That's a little alarming and I hadn't thought of it that way!

 

I had my last “once a month” appointment with the OB/GYN today and I’m moving on to the “every two weeks” appointments now!

Today was just a quick check in, so not much to report there except that she measured my belly and didn’t comment (as usual, so I’m assuming that’s right on target), and she listened to the heartbeat and it was in the 130s.  She also checked the baby’s position and she said for now she is head down, but there is still plenty of time for that to get screwed up.  (Nice sense of humor, huh?)

Still no decision (on my part) about whether to go with a VBAC or C-section delivery.  Decisions, decisions!

She did tell me on the way out the door that from now on when I come in, they are going to put me on the fetal monitor to check on the baby.

HUH?

I asked what that was all about and she told me that there is an increased risk of “fetal demise” in women over 40, so she just wants to monitor me more closely since I’m 42 now.

Uh…!!!!!!!!

I didn’t know if it was just the age thing, or that the heartbeat was in the 130s and maybe that seemed low, or if it was that I mentioned she wasn’t as active this morning compared to normal – but she made me a little nervous when she used the words “fetal demise!”  Last time I heard that…  Well…  Nevermind.  It’s not a good memory.

So, I’m not so sure that’s a good thing or not that I’m getting extra attention.  Also, I guess I can safely assume I’m going to be even MORE late to work since she already was checking the baby with the Doppler and I’m assuming this fetal monitor will be more involved and take longer.  I’m picturing the “belt” they put around me when I was in labor with Abby.  Sit still for a long stretch of time and they get a print out of how the baby is doing instead of a quick snapshot of the heartbeat that the quick listen with the Doppler provides.

I need to look into that more later.  For now, the good news is that we got the crib today!  And also, we got Abby’s furniture delivered and set up today, too!!!  AND, I’m on my way to get Abby and then go pick up the changing table/cabinet for the nursery tonight!  SO EXCITING!  Nesting kicking in full force now that I have some nesting materials!

Pictures - Still Coming Soon

I was going to post pictures this weekend of the murals we had done, but rather than spend our time clearing out the rooms so we could get “clean” pictures of the painting, we went out furniture shopping!

Abby’s furniture should be delivered tomorrow and I think the crib comes FedEx tomorrow, too!  If all goes as planned, I’ll actually have pictures of somewhat finished rooms by next weekend instead of the “it will have to do for now” empty rooms I had planned on taking pictures of.

One more weekend, folks.  J  Pictures WILL be posted very soon.  I promise!

Nursery Inspiration

For some reason -- perhaps it was just being overwhelmed with house hunting, moving and the list of other projects that then came with the new home, the holidays, the new puppy, somewhat extreme fatigue at many moments in this pregnancy, just not caring about anything else because I'm amazed that I'm actually still pregnant (!!!!) and that's all that really matters, or, on the other hand, sadly overcome with "been there, done that" and not interested in going bonkers on another nursery decorating bonanza -- I have just not had any inspiration when it's come to getting a nursery ready for this little one.  Well, not until just recently!

Marti was anxious to get the nursery set up more so than I, so he pushed a little to decide on a theme or SOMETHING.  I didn't even want to paint really -- I was just THAT tired!  The room was kind of a latte color with one medium to dark brown accent wall.  I asked IRL and OL friends for help in deciding what would work for a little girl in a nursery with those colors and got a lot of help.  But, in the end, Marti offered to spearhead the project and get that room painted PINK!  (All this my aunt, Pat, pointed out, after we nearly FORBADE anyone to get Abby oodles of pink stuff when she was a baby!)

The room was suddenly taking shape -- but WHAT shape?  I didn't recognize it and STILL had no idea what to do with it!

Marti heard about wall decals we could put up that would effortlessly finish a design and keep me from having to spend endless weeks in there coming up with and executing something that was going to satisfy me.  The weekend after he finished painting the room, I sat down at the computer from the moment I woke up until after 12 noon looking for ideas.

I REALLY wanted something easy to work for us, but in the end, all the decals I saw were too "cartoony" or too grown up.  I wanted something that would have an impact when you saw it, but not be overwhelming.  I also wanted it subtle and understated, yet not too plain.  It had to be worthwhile if I was going to do it at all.

Did I mention I can be hard to please???

Out of sheer desperation, I was almost ready to settle on some rinky dink Pooh bear decals, but I knew I was not content.  SO, I dove into Google Images and started looking for ALL NEW IDEAS.  I typed in those fateful words:  Pink Nursery.  After scrolling through page after page of images, I was starting to wonder if there was ANYTHING that would please me!  I really wasn't in love with ANYTHING I saw.

...that is, not until I saw THIS!!!!

Passion for Murals

I was instantly smitten!!!  I HAD to have it!  Given that I had painted SO much in Abby's nursery, I was confident that I could take this on, but I was still secretly hoping it was a decal (fat chance with all those fine details!) and that I could order it and just be done with it.  (Little did I know that I'd later find out it would be even easier than that!!!!)

I backtracked the home address for the image and found out it was originally from a professional muralist's website.  That was initially disappointing because I'm just not one to have other people do things for me that I can do for myself.  Besides, how does one even locate a muralist, and who knows if some random muralist could (or would even want to) reproduce what I was looking at to my satisfaction.  Would it have the same feel, or would it come off cumbersome instead of wispy?  Would it be fine and free flowing, or would it look structured instead?  In my fear of someone else not being able to do it, I was also doubting my own abilities to just do it myself when I thought of these things and saw how much was going to go into accomplishing all that.

As I was staring longingly at the image on the website, I noticed something else.

The phone number.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!  You've GOT to be KIDDING me!!!!  She was LOCAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just KNEW Marti wouldn't go for it, but I called her anyway just to SEE if there was a snowball's chance...

We discussed price and a couple other things, but I wasn't too excited yet because I still wasn't sure I could talk Marti out of the "stick it and go" idea he already had.  Was I EVER surprised when he came back after thinking about it and told me to call her!!!!  I really didn't believe him and he had to tell me about three times to call her before he changed his mind!

Well, long story short, I called her, she came out to the house for a consultation before I knew it, and yesterday she painted the same exact image on OUR nursery walls!!!  I am beyond pleased to not only have something that somewhat resembled the design I saw, but was EXACTLY what I saw and fell in love with.  I never would have thought it would be so easy to find a design I loved and actually have that same artist in my own home that same week completing it for me.  It still seems kind of surreal how one day after hours of staring at image after image and not having the first CLUE what I wanted, it all came together!

Not only did I get what I wanted in the nursery, but Suzanne also offered to do Abby's room up in a big way!  Marti thought it would be good to go with that so Abby didn't feel left out if we made a big deal about painting one room and not the other.

At first I wasn't sure if Abby wanted princesses and castles or flowers and butterflies.  What I did know was that before we even bought the house, she loved colorful rooms when we looked at prospective homes, so we promised to paint her room first when we got a new house.  She not only wanted a brightly colored room, but LOTS of colors!

In the end, we HAD to go with flowers and butterflies, but Abby was not settling for them.  She actually chose that on her own -- even though that's all we found when we went out looking for bedding the week before Suzanne came to paint.  With that choice, here is what we decided on:

Suzanne pulled out the flower and butterfly designs and matched the colors perfectly to create a fun and funky custom design in Abby's room!  Abby got her flowers, her butterflies, and also her variety of colors all over her room!  It's perfect for Abby at 5 years old, but will also last her for many years to come.  (Check back after this weekend for actual photos of the painting!)

All in all, I am overcome with joy at finding something I wanted, satisfaction of getting "the original" and not some lame substitute, gratitude for Marti finding a way to make it all happen, and amazingly impressed with Suzanne's talent and professionalism in her work from start to finish!

I still don't know what I did to deserve all the good fortune that keeps coming my way recently, but I am grateful for how things have turned out.