Nursery

We finally put the finishing touches on baby girl's nursery with two weeks to spare (technically anyways). I plan to add some photographs of her and us as a family above her bed once she's born but the room is all ready for her. it's the smallest room in our house and a sort-of odd shape but we managed to squeeze in all the essentials without making it look cluttered. I wanted the room to be as functional as it is cute, cozy, and safe. While I certainly changed my mind a few times during the decorating process (two painting jobs and different colored furniture top the list of changes), I am happy with how it turned out and I think it's a room fit for a little princess :)

Here's a look back at the room before we began converting it into her nursery. It was a second guest bedroom with some of my childhood furniture in it. The daybed has since gone to my grandparents house and the dresser was moved into the other bedroom.











And here's a peak at the room now. It's a nice pale shade of pink with espresso-colored furniture, soft brown curtains, a comfy pink rug, and some bright pink lamps to accentuate the colors in the bedding (the lamps were a must since the room doesn't have overhead lighting). We have some hand-made artwork and plenty of storage room in the closet to hide toys and clutter as she grows. I've got breastfeeding supplies tucked away in the bins on her small espresso storage shelf that also doubles as a nightstand since we didn't have room for a table. It's amazing what you can do with such a small space!

Looking in from the doorway


View from entry into room


Wall against the doorway


"It's a Zoo!" bedding - we won't use the blanket until she's over a year and no bumpers of course for safety reasons


Storage and functionality all in one!


Changing table/dresser combo - great space saver!


Changing pad cover matches the bedding


A friend drew us some pictures to match the animals on her bedding/changing pad cover - way better than anything we could've drawn ourselves!


Closet organization and lots of pink clothes!


Dave testing out the rocker

Weekly Pregnancy Post

Thirty-eight weeks. Two centimeters dilated (at least), 80% effaced, and her head is in the negative one station, meaning it's as far down as it can go without me being in active labor. If you've ever been pregnant than you understand those numbers. If you haven't (or if it's been a while) this basically means that she is more than ready to come out. In fact, my doctor said that some women would already be in labor at this point. If this were my second or third pregnancy I'd likely have delivered by now. She said that because my uterine muscles are all nice and tight I can hold her in there just a little longer and stronger and for some reason she's just not ready to come out yet.

I certainly have held up my end of the deal in helping motivate her to come out. I do about 40 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill each day, I've cleaned my house from top to bottom, I've eaten way too much spicy food this past week, and I've taken lots of hot showers and baths. I still think all of those labor-inducing tricks are bogus. She'll come when she's good and ready but I am certainly good and ready. Baby girl is resting on a nerve in my upper abdomen which is causing some pain, the swelling only continues to worsen in my legs, and I still have trouble breathing even though my belly has noticeably dropped (just compare the above picture to one a few weeks ago). Last night I thought for sure my water was breaking as I was in the bathroom every 5-10 minutes. I think I'm starting to leak small amounts of amniotic fluid because I always feel like I'm peeing myself but I've been assured that when my water actually breaks I'll most certainly know. My contractions are still varied in pattern but can come for a few hours at a time, every twenty minutes, lasting about a minute each. Last night they came about every ten minutes, adding to my anxiety that labor was near. We know it's only a matter of days now but it's the not knowing when that's starting to get to us both. We're both too anxious to play the waiting game any longer!

We're hoping this is our last weekly pregnancy post but she may just decide to hold out until her due date, despite the progress she's already made towards delivery. Her daddy was sort of hoping to watch the Superbowl game with her today. It would've been rather fun for her to cheer the Packers onto a victory by entering the world today but given that it's just two hours to kick-off, I'd say it's safe to assume she won't be a Superbowl baby. I have, however, gotten pretty good at deciphering her kicks though and I'm pretty sure she's chanting "Go Pack Go!!" in there :)

Blizzzzzzzard

I had a tiny amount of hope that those rumors that snowstorms brought babies would be true but the blizzard of 2011 has come and gone and I'm still pregnant. So while 15 inches of snow was piling up outside of our windows, we hunkered down inside to take a few pictures together. We are having professional maternity pictures taken on Saturday but just in case she arrives before then, I told Dave we needed a few good ones of us together to remember this pregnancy by. I suppose I could've done my hair and we could've put on some nicer clothes but these pictures seem to be a more accurate representation of this pregnancy - messy hair, tired eyes, and lots of sweatpants! After about 100 attempts, I found a few that satisfied this crazy pregnant lady :)





Of course we couldn't stay inside forever (and by we I actually mean Dave). We both had snow days today (if you count having to use a vacation day) so I suppose we could have put off digging ourselves out but my hubby wanted to be sure we could get out just in case I went into labor. Which I appreciate because my dad's backup plan for getting me to the hospital with all this snow was on the back of his snowmobile. Somehow I doubt I'd be the first pregnant lady in Wisconsin to get to the hospital that way. Anyways, while Dave braved the blizzard's winds outdoors, I snapped a few pictures from the safety and comfort of our home.

Snowdrift outside our front door


Where to begin...


I think you'll need more than a shovel, Dave!


There's the mailbox!

Weekly Pregnancy Post

Thirty-seven (and a half) weeks.

I'm a little behind on the weekly pregnancy post. That's what happens when in a matter of a week you go from feeling alright to suddenly begging your daughter to vacate your body and enter the world because you're convinced that if you have to be pregnant one more day your body will just stop functioning. I am amazed at how in just a few short days things changed to drastically.

When we went to the doctor last Tuesday for our 36 week appointment my doctor informed me that I was already 2 centimeters dilated, baby girl had dropped into position, and that I had "the cervix of the day" (seriously, those were her words). I've neglected to read all those pregnancy books sitting on our bookshelves because they scare the crap out of me and I know better than to trust everything you read. So I wasn't really aware or even prepared for our doctor to inform us that I was already dilated with four weeks until my due date. Of course the logical question out of my mouth after she informed us of this was when baby girl was going to arrive. Our doctor informed us that it could be a matter of a few days or a few weeks - there really was no way to predict that. Dave tried asking again and she laughed. She plead the fifth and said she doesn't want to be held accountable for any wrong estimates. Fair enough. Either way, we were excited to know that everything was progressing perfectly and naturally so far and we have high hopes that in the next week or two (hopefully!) I'll go into labor the good old fashioned way and have a successful labor and delivery.

While my co-workers are convinced I'll have the baby on Friday (not sure how this date was picked!?), I've been told that women can walk around for weeks dilated and not make any more progress. I'm praying that after we go to the doctor on Thursday she'll tell me that I've dilated even further and that she's confident I'll be going into labor soon. Everyone also has advice on how to naturally induce labor and while I'm not sure I believe in any of these methods, I am walking like a mad woman at the gym and staying plenty hydrated. I'm including spicy foods in our weekly menu plans and enjoy a hot bath once in a while. I've been told that snowstorms can also induce labor and well, we've had one this week and we're in the middle of a blizzard right now but it's not looking promising.

While I am incredibly eager to start this labor process and welcome our baby girl into the world, I am also experiencing an overwhelming amount of anxiety around going into labor. I don't sleep because I can't stop dreaming terrible dreams about labor (think delivering on the side of the road during a blizzard) and I have this fear all night and day that my water is going to break in the most unsuspecting place. The amount of pelvic pressure and pain I am feeling was something I was not prepared for. It scared me at first, especially when coupled with the intense contractions I am beginning to feel. Each day they get stronger and last longer but I know that they are still just braxton hicks contractions and I'll know when the real ones actually arrive. I think I'll actually be much more relaxed and calm when my water finally breaks because that element of anticipation will finally disappear.

Despite how I may be feeling now and how awful these last few weeks could be for me physically, I know we're so close to finally holding our baby girl in our arms and that makes any amount of pain and discomfort worth it. I'm hoping this is my last weekly pregnancy post but you never know...afterall, we did learn early on that baby girl can be just a little bit stubborn :)

Weekly Pregnancy Post

It’s the final countdown… four weeks to go!

Is it acceptable to start feeling incredibly anxious at this point in time? Please say yes because that’s the one word that best describes the multitude of emotions I am experiencing with just four weeks to go until our due date. Everyone keeps asking if we’re excited and yes, we are very very VERY excited. We’re excited to meet our baby girl and I’m excited to no longer be pregnant. But on top of all that excitement is pure anxiety and for an already overly-anxious person, this added anxiety is causing me to feel a bit neurotic and act a lot like a crazy woman. Just ask my husband. I’m a planner and an organizer. It’s just what I do and who I am. Not knowing exactly when I’m going to go into labor or how much longer we have until she arrives is driving me a bit crazy. I have been feeling this overwhelming urge to just be ready, completely and totally ready, even though I know that you really can’t ever be ready for a baby’s arrival. This weekend we cleaned the house from top to bottom – every floor was scrubbed clean, the shop-vacuum came out for a good dust clean-up, cabinets were cleared out and contact-papered, and toilets were scrubbed. Not that she’s going notice any of those things, right? I just feel so much better knowing our house is clean. We finished her bedroom with the exception of the lamps that I’m still waiting for Land of Nod to deliver to my front door. My hospital bag is packed with the exception of a few last-minute items to be thrown in on the day-of. I woke up about 50 times last night after having dreams of my water breaking. I'm sure this is normal but if she doesn't arrive for four more weeks I may just drive MYSELF crazy! I think Dave will be thankful when she arrives for the simple fact that I’ll regain some of my sanity and he’ll be able to watch his weekend sports without the constant dictation of his next task. Then again, he WILL have a baby demanding lots of attention and dictating diaper changes and feedings (sorry, my love, but your sport-watching weekends will never be the same again :)).

How Far Along: Thirty-six weeks

Well, Hello Bags: By bags I mean those lovely bags that form under your eyes that tell the rest of the world just how tired you're feeling. I could get 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep and still manage to have those dark bags under my eyes. I can't even remember the number of people who told me that I looked tired last week. That's an understatement and a feeling that I'm sure won't subside for a very long time. Ironically enough, I'm getting the most sleep now that I've gotten throughout my entire pregnancy. I think this nasty cold virus I'm trying to fight off may have something to do with it. Either way, if you happen to notice the bags, politely tell me that I look wonderful and move on :) Make a pregnant lady feel a little better, would ya?!

Food Cravings: This week I had two very spontaneous and random grocery store purchases: chocolate milk and Frosted Mini Wheats. I haven't had chocolate milk in a very long time but I managed to finish off the gallon in a day and it tasted delicious. I've never had Frosted Mini Wheats in my entire life but for some reason that bright orange box stood out to me as I walked down the cereal aisle and they just looked too deceptively delicious on the cover I had to have them. Unfortunately, they didn't live up the hype but I do plan on finishing that box.

Just the Two of Us: Dave and I have really been trying to savor our last few weeks as a family of two. Last weekend we enjoyed a little night out at the movies, seeing The Dilemma. On Saturday night we spent our last Christmas gift card on dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Despite some terrible service and my pizza being delivered covered in onions (I'm mentally allergic to those nasty little things), it was a nice night out. We even did a little browsing at Baby Gap and both agreed that once she's born and we know just what size she is we'll be heading back for some adorable spring and summer outfits! We know it'll be a while before we get some time together, just the two of us, once she's born so we figure we should make the most of the time now. Although, I will admit we spend most of our time talking about all the things we plan to do with baby girl and really, we're just so excited to become a family of three!

Superbowl Bound: Dave has informed me that I am not allowed to give birth on Sunday, February 6th now that the Packers are Superbowl bound. And if I do happen to be in labor during the Superbowl, it will be on in my room and he will efficently multi-task in cheering me on while cheering on the green & gold. I politely informed him the last thing I want as background noise while in labor is football but there's no reasoning with a man who loves sports. While it's highly unlikely I'll go into labor two weeks early, I did tell him that she might just decide to arrive that day to prove to her daddy that she will always come before sports :)

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: Realizing that in less than a month we'll finally be parents. I've been pregnant for over a year now in theory (give or take a few months) and I'm more than ready to hold our baby girl in my arms. Knowing we're this close to that day makes me feel like a kid on Christmas morning!

Weekly Pregnancy Post

Our laptop is on its last leg and isn’t letting me upload pictures so you’ll have to trust me when I tell you the belly has grown since last week. Consider this a warning that this post is likely to be incredibly long. I keep having this fear that I’m going to go into labor at any minute (yes, I know our due date is still nearly 5 weeks away) and I don’t want to miss any of the last-minute details of this pregnancy.

How Far Along: Thirty-five weeks

Pregnancy Symptoms: Swelling – especially in my feet, ankles, and lower legs. I hadn’t really noticed it until last week when my doctor pointed out that my ankles were swollen. Sure enough – that would explain the pain in my feet and legs recently. Guess it’s easy to miss when you can’t see your feet and you hide under long pants and winter boots!

Food Cravings: I had a miracle craving this week – broccoli!!! I have never ever liked or even really eaten broccoli in my entire life. Unfortunately (or fortunately when I was a kid), I didn’t have parents who forced me to eat my vegetables in order to leave the dinner table. I always try to incorporate more vegetables into my diet but I usually mask their true nutritional value with some melted cheese or something else rather unhealthy. I thought living with a vegetarian during grad school would help but here I am, still refusing to eat my vegetables. Periodically through this pregnancy I’ve wanted some veggies – mostly carrots or other crunchy veggies that can be dipped in ranch so when this urge to serve broccoli with every meal came across a few days ago, I started planning our weekly menu accordingly. Last night we had some delicious chicken and rice with steamed broccoli and I didn’t even pick out one bit of the broccoli. A miracle! I’ve also been craving spicy foods. Again, I’m usually not much of a spicy person but I found myself stocking up on spicy sauces this week to incorporate into this week’s menu. Unfortunately spicy food leads to horrible heartburn but I just can’t put the fork down!

The Belly: I got my first “you look like you’re about to pop” comment this week…from the nice old man bagging my groceries at Pick N Save, nonetheless. He must’ve been in his late 70’s and he is the most methodical, organized bagger I have ever met. He made my job of sorting and putting away groceries much later. Anyways, here I am trying to get my bottled water back into my cart when he says “Oh my goodness dear, you look like you’re about to have that baby any day!” Thank you Mr. Bagger for noticing. I assured him I still had five weeks left but he insisted the baby looked like it could come any day now. After all those months of hearing people say “You don’t even look pregnant” this was a welcomed comment because trust me, I certainly feel more pregnant than I may look. You can bet I’ll be heading to his check-out line if I ever see him again.

Nursery Progress: She has a mattress! And her room is officially baby-ready. We still have lamps and a small table to purchase and her pictures haven’t been hung but the essentials are all there – tucked away in their neat little storage spaces. I spent Saturday washing all her itsy-bitsy clothes and turning our disaster of a guest room into a functional space again by putting all her baby stuff away. It feels good to be organized and I feel better knowing that we’re less than five weeks to her due date now. I have her hospital bag all packed and a long list of things to pack in my own bag – that’s next weekend’s task. I promise some pictures when I feel like her room is truly finished.

Showering Continues: As if our two wonderful baby showers weren’t enough, the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League I am involved in at church decided to throw me a surprise baby shower at our meeting last Tuesday night. It had been a long day at work and I was still so exhausted from the weekend’s showers, I contemplated not going. Thankfully, I went or else there would’ve been a bunch of ladies eating cake and opening baby gifts without me! I was so thankful for this surprise shower and for all the beautiful gifts we got. I’m still amazed that my mom managed to keep this a surprise from me – I am certainly not a surprise person. Unfortunately because it was a surprise I didn’t have my camera on hand but trust me, the cake was beautiful and so incredibly delicious and baby girl received some of the cutest outfits from her LWML family.

Bonding: I am still so amazed at how much Dave and baby girl have bonded. The second he touches my belly and opens his mouth she responds with strong kicks and movements. He’ll have whole conversations with her and she listens and responds as if she already understands how to hold a conversation. It’s so different for me. She listens to me talk all day long and I feel her kicks constantly – I feel like my bonding with her is a slow, continuous process and I think I’ll actually feel that attachment once she is physically here. If I were to guess though I’d say she is definitely going to be a daddy’s girl and it melts my heart already.

The Name Game: Yes, we have a name picked out. No, we are not sharing it :) It’s the number one question I get these days from everyone, though. Even from complete strangers. We had a long list of baby girl names picked out and one baby boy name. I can tell you that when we found out she was a girl, Dave instantly started calling her by one of the names and hasn’t stopped since. I don’t usually call her by her name because sometimes in my mind I wonder if we’ve picked the one that will be best for her. I feel like I want to see her first before I can officially say, “Yes, that’s her name.” I will tell you that the name we picked sounds elegant and sweet and it’s nice and short for a last name like Irish.

It’s Personal: For so many months we’ve been putting all our energy and money into baby girl. I was talking with a girl friend the other day and asked if it was selfish to look forward to not being pregnant anymore so that I could have a bit of myself back. After all, this tiny human being has hijacked my body for the past nine months. First she assured me that I’d have a completely new normal, and I’m perfectly fine with that. Then she told me that it is absolutely necessary that I look forward to doing some things for myself after she’s born so that I don’t lose my sanity as a new parent. It may be weird to say but I look forward to brushing my teeth without bleeding gums and going to the dentist for a good cleaning that doesn’t hurt. I look forward to finally coloring my hair dark again and getting a fresh cut. I look forward to going to the gym and being able to exercise like before. I think I look forward to all of these things because they will make me feel good about myself again after months of not having the energy to make myself look more than just presentable. Ask any pregnant lady and they will tell you it’s difficult to feel beautiful when you’re watching the numbers on the scale continuously go up, you feel and look like you haven’t slept in days and your clothes never seem to fit or look just right. I know I won’t be ready to venture out and do any of these things for quite some time after she’s born but it’s fun to have a few things just for me to look forward to

Weekly Pregnancy Post

How Far Along: Thirty-four weeks

Pregnancy Symptoms: Thinking I can do everything just as I did pre-pregnancy and learning the hard way that sometimes that just isn’t possible. Okay, so maybe that’s a long, made-up, random pregnancy side effect or maybe it’s just my stubborn personality, but last week I learned the hard way that my body definitely cannot do the things it did before I was pregnant. Long story short, I learned that it really is best to bend at your knees when you’re pregnant because if you don’t you might just pull a back muscle. While I’m continually told that I have a tiny belly, to me, it’s significantly larger than it was a few months ago and bending over to pick up your husband’s shoes (that he so graciously leaves lying in front of the door) can be a daunting task. Lesson learned: make hubby pick up his own shoes and always bend at the knees, not the waist! Other than a few pulled muscles and learning how to maneuver my body with this baby belly, I am feeling really good. I think I’m well-adjusted to the minimal sleep because I feel less tired and annoyed when I wake up in the middle of the night now. In a way, I look forward to my mid-night feedings with her in a few weeks. It’ll be nice to have some company when I can’t sleep!

Cravings: I can honestly say I haven’t had any weird cravings this entire pregnancy. Recently, my cravings consist of foods I see on television commercials. The past week it was Pizza Hut breadsticks. We never order Pizza Hut but this very persuasive commercial came on and convinced me, at 9 o’clock at night, that I needed to have breadsticks (with marinara sauce of course). While the hubby offered to drive and get some I insisted it was completely unnecessary and the craving for them passed….until Saturday night when the sister-in-law decided to order us some Pizza Hut and I finally was able to indulge in a breadstick and a half and it was everything I had hoped it would be the night I saw the commercial. I’m still enjoying dairy products, especially cheese and milk. I’ve eaten far too much leftover baby shower cake since the weekend and I’m already declaring that our house will be junk food-free after she’s born. What I find most interesting is that Dave has been having some cravings of his own these past few weeks. I doubt that he’s gained any “sympathy weight” because he probably couldn’t even gain weight if he tried. BUT whenever I announce that I must have a certain food item at a very specific time, he always responds with “I could really go for some…(fill in the blank)”. It’s usually some random and it never relates to my craving. Sometimes you’d think HE’S the one carrying the baby!

Weight-gain: Why do people feel the need to ask how much weight I’ve gained during pregnancy? Is that ever an appropriate question to ask a woman? While I can admit that I’m on the lower end of the pregnancy weight gain spectrum, I still feel like a big old cow on most days. I don’t need a number to make me feel that way. I tell Dave everyday I just want my body back. I can’t wait for her to vacate the premises so that I can feel like myself again. It’s impossible to say no to any form of chocolate while pregnant, my legs are swollen and I refuse to wear anything but long pants, and my face has exploded to the size of a basketball (much like my belly). Everyone keeps telling me that my belly is so tiny for being 34 weeks along – I’ve heard this throughout my entire pregnancy. I think I’m supposed to feel lucky!? Perhaps compared to some others at this point it is on the smaller side but trust me, it’s pretty big when compared to where I started at. My maternity clothes are slowly getting too small. Pregnant or not, no woman wants to feel fat and no woman wants to share how much weight she’s gained. Now, in a few months, feel free to ask me how much I’ve lost because I’m sure that number I will be more than thrilled to share :)

Nesting: On Saturday morning I had a very hormonal breakdown, over clothes of course. I locked myself in our closet while Dave lay in bed, declaring that nothing fit and that I was going to look terrible for my own baby shower no matter what I put on. When I finally emerged dressed I still wasn’t satisfied and declared that I looked like a teacher-mom in my outfit. Dave, still lying in bed, so wonderfully said, “You ARE a mom.” To which I quickly responded that no, I was not yet a mom (just a mom-to-be), therefore I didn’t have to dress like one yet. I proceeded to then lock myself in the bathroom because let’s face it, when your wardrobe fails you there is always hope for a good hair day. The point of the story is, I was wrong – I am a mom. I’ve been a mom since the moment we first found out we were pregnant. I’ve been taking care of our daughter -protecting, feeding, and nurturing her - for nearly nine months now and even though I’ve never held her in my arms or seen her face, I am still her mother. All the nesting I’ve been doing, all the time I spend in her room, touching her clothes, planning her future – that’s the stuff that makes me a mom. So we’ll let the hubby be right this ONE time...although I still wasn’t satisfied with my outfit that day.

One Year Ago: A year ago yesterday, on January 10th, we had found out that we were pregnant with our first baby. Dates tend to stick in my head and always hold some sort of significance for me. I remember we both already knew that I was pregnant – we had a strong feeling that turned out to be right. It was an incredibly joyous day for us and the weeks that followed brought so much excitement and joy to our families, too. While that pregnancy didn’t end in the way we would have hoped, I don’t ever want to forget that excitement because you only have that first time once. And we know that someday we’ll get to meet our sweet baby in heaven and we’ll be reminded of those feelings of excitement all over again.

Best Pregnancy Moment of the Week: Our baby showers. You can read my last post for all the details and pictures from our two baby showers this past weekend. It’s a little bittersweet that they’re over because I hear you only get them with your first child. Either way, it was a significant highlight from our pregnancy and we appreciate everyone who helped us celebrate.