Nursery {Changes and the Crib!}

Well, surprise, surprise. Miss Indecisive has changed her mind! I have decided to go with another fabric for the room because I felt like the original fabric would be too much white (with the white curtains and white furniture) and I want to bring a little more color in the room. So, I am now trying to decide between two other fabrics. This will be used to cover the ottoman and the lampshade (and potentially made into a bumper, if  I can figure it out). I made two new inspiration boards with the new fabrics. What do you think?! (I'm also going to use some frames like the blue one below rather than DIY)

1.
Option 1: I like that the fabric has the perfect shades of light pink and aqua and the fabric is still light and bright without being white. It's also the cheaper of the two.

2.

Option 2: I saw this fabric used in another nursery and had to find it! The aqua is the right shade, plus there are so many colors in the fabric we could pull if we later decided to paint the room or add different fabrics.

I'm just not sure!

In other news, we put the crib together last week!

Can you tell how super excited J is?! ;)

can you tell how tired I am?!

We also picked knobs for the dresser! (well, I narrowed it down to two and asked J to pick, since I'm obviously not the best decision maker of all time) He liked the pink since they are more girly and they look great on the dresser!

We have new blinds and hardware for the windows, so hopefully we will get that put up this weekend (the perfect weekend to do inside projects since the highs are 108 and 104- yuck!!)

Beach Vacation 2012: Part I

We were able to go to Orange Beach with my dad, stepmom, and sisters last week. We had a great, relaxing time and hit week 28! I asked my dad to take some photos of us on the beach and wanted to share. I will post more of our candid shots from the trip in another post.
*WARNING: there will be bare belly shots, so if that freaks you out, avoid the post labeled "Beach Vacation 2012: Part II" ; )

Dad didn't want to be in a picture, but here's proof he's touched the bump :)

love this one

28 weeks

How far along? 28 weeks

Maternity clothes? Same as last week. Although some shirts are definitely getting pretty snug and I don't want to stretch all of my regular clothes out!
Movement? She's moving more and more and the movements are getting stronger! She LOVES to move when I lay down in bed and is all over the place. She's also been doing more (what I think) are simultaneous kicks/punches so that I feel them on both sides of my belly- and my belly looks like it moves from side to side. I was using my belly to prop up a book and she was kicking it all over the place!
Cravings? not really. Fruit always sounds good of course :)
Anything make you queasy or sick? nope, although I haven't tried spinach and pizza in a while...
Sleep? I slept SO WELL on vacation! I'm talking sleeping until 9am or later and only getting up once to use the restroom- amazing! We stayed 5 days and I slept great every night...since we've been home I've been back to my usual ways...I think I need to go back to the beach for the duration ;) I did find a new sleep position that has helped relieve my hips- I put a pillow under my back on the right side, so I'm on my back, but angled to my left side. At least it adds a third option! :)
Best moment this week: going to the beach with J, my dad, stepmom, and sisters! It was nice to get away and just relax for a few days. And of course getting the best sleep I've had in quite a while! We (J, my mom, and I) also put her crib together, so now we just need the glider and the big pieces are done!
Gender: Girl!
Labor signs? none
Symptoms? growing belly! forgetful- for example, knowing I want to order something at a restaurant then ordering something else (?!), putting clothes in the dryer and not turning it on, along with not able think of words/make up words/losing my mind ;) heartburn/reflux, sore hips (really only when I sleep for long periods at a time, which really isn't an issue, ha!), BH contractions, lower abdomen pain (the kind no one knows what it is), sore ribs- she definitely prefers the right side of the womb and my ribs know it! I'm a little nervous...I mean, she's still so tiny!
Belly button in or out? the bottom half is pretty flat and the top is hanging in there
What I miss: the beach!
Weekly wisdom: be smart, but don't let your fears keep you from doing things! I was pretty nervous about going to the beach 8 hours away. But I talked to my doctor about it beforehand and found a nice hospital nearby (just in case! Can never be too prepared). Everything was fine and I'm so glad we went. Our next trip will involve an infant and lots more to pack...and I bet I won't be sleeping like I did this year ;) However, I can't wait to take her to the beach. We saw so many cute kids at the beach...and their bathing suits?! Adorable.
What I am looking forward to: working on her room and just enjoying these last 10-12 weeks!
Milestones: Third trimester!!!

Two down, one to go!

I can't believe we are in the third trimester! If you think about it, the second trimester is really the longest. The first trimester you ususally don't know you're in your first trimester until at least week 5 or 6, so it ends up being about 9 weeks or less of knowing. The third trimester techincally extends to week 42 which most people don't get to. Anyway, we made it through the longest trimester, 14 full weeks! I can't believe we will meet our daughter in the next 10-12 weeks!!

This trimester:
- Baby grew from the size of a lemon (about 3.5 inches from head to rump and 1.5 ounces) to the size of a head of cauliflower (about 14.8 inches head to heel and 2.5 lbs)- that's a LOT of growing!! (and it shows!!)

- Found out we are having a sweet baby GIRL
- Finally announced the pregnancy to "everyone" ;)
- Felt definite movements week 17 and J got to feel her move week 21. Since then she's given a few others a kick as well :)
- I started "showing"! Even though I didn't feel like it at the time, I would say the bump started to become obvious week 18
- Got great reports from her ultrasounds and echo
- I chopped off 8-9 inches of hair!!
- Got a start on her nursery. We better kick it into high gear!
- Saw her swallowing and practicing her breathing (still waiting for those hiccups!) on the ultrasound and for the first time could see her kick and feel it at the same time. And of course fell in love with those adorable feet!
- Received our first baby shower invitation (I need to post a picture of it- SO cute!!)
- Even though I was nervous about it, we went to the beach at the end of week 27. Everything was fine and I'm so glad we went!

About 2 1/2 months to go...this sweet pea is going to be here before we know it!

27 weeks

How far along? 27 weeks
(27 weeks, 6 days today and picture taken at 27 weeks, 1 day)

Maternity clothes? Still just the one pair of maternity pants and belly band. Everything else is from before- although, I don't wear many of my regular pants anymore and the pants I do wear were ones that were big on me. I stick mostly to bottoms with stretch or dresses!
Movement? I am finding she likes to hang out on my right side/under my ribs! Last week my belly was a little lopsided and you could tell she was on the right side. Sometimes its hard to lean to the right, because she's wedged herself somewhere in there!
Cravings? fruit, candy, Cracker Barrel cornbread muffins (thanks mom!)
Anything make you queasy or sick? spinach and pizza

Sleep? sore subject :) Although, I slept GREAT Saturday night- hopefully this is a good sign for how my vacation sleep will be!
Best moment this week: most definitely our ultrasound Thursday!! Baby girl is doing great- she is swallowing (we could see her little lips opening and closing!) and practicing her breathing. Also found out she is lodged up on my right side- her head was beneath my right ribs. I knew something was keeping me from bending or leaning that way! Her estimated weight is 2lbs, 2oz which is the 67th percentile. She also has some incredibly adorable feet :) So happy for another great report!!

Gender: Girl
Labor signs? none
Symptoms? getting hard to bend over for things; sore "chest"; my belly is definitely sticking out farther than my chest- which has not been the case for a looong time. While heating up some spaghetti sauce and testing it, a drop fell right past my chest and onto my belly! aches/pains (round ligament pain/growing pains/gas pains/who knows!); heartburn/reflux

Belly button in or out? the bottom half is starting to get pretty flat!

What I miss: not knowing what it feels like to have your cervix checked...oy!
Weekly wisdom: growing a baby can hurt! (and she's got a long way to grow!)
What I am looking forward to: GOING TO THE BEACH! Most of week 28 will be spent relaxing and laying in the water! Then we're coming home a couple days early to work on the house and her room- baby's crib came in (THANK YOU Mom/LuLu!) and we ordered the glider (THANK YOU Dad/Papa + Sarah D/Sadee!) :) It's slowly coming together!

Milestones: Last week in the 2nd trimester! WOW.

New pics of Baby E!

I just had to share the cutest thing I've ever seen. Look at these adorable feet!!

We had our second growth ultrasound yesterday and I asked the tech if there was any way I could get a picture of her feet. Luckily, the tech was really nice and baby was cooperative. This photo just makes me melt! I have never seen cuter toes- and I love that big ole big toe! Trying to figure out where she got that...they don't look like mine or J's. We will have to investigate further when she gets here ; )

We also got some good profile shots as well. Love her little nose and mouth! Looks like she might have her momma's lips!

taking a breath?? :)

notice her hand...still up by her face!

26 Weeks

Oops!*
*an eggplant was from week 25, maybe I can blame this on preggy brain?! She's actually the length of an english hothouse cucumber- about 14 inches long! (and excuse my appearance, I had just gotten home from a 11 hour work day=exhausted!)

How far along? 26 weeks (27 tomorrow!)

Maternity clothes? Same- all regular clothes and one pair of maternity pants
Movement?  She moves a lot- lots of moving around, kicking, and punching going on in there!
Cravings? basically anything sweet (including fruit!) Apples, strawberries, grapes, and mandarin oranges top the list. I still have strawberries at least 5 days a week, usually every day...yum.
Anything make you queasy or sick? still saying no to spinach and pizza. They don't make me queasy or sick, but neither taste right to me

Sleep? Just trying to be happy with what I can get!
Best moment this week: Friday morning, the 8th, I felt a roll (from the outside)! Not sure if it was a foot, elbow, or knee, but it was neat to feel something different than the usual kicks and jabs. She also let a couple other friends feel her moves this week- sometimes she's shy, but I've found if you cramp her space a little, she'll push back!

Gender: Girl!!
Labor signs? No...and we have 90-ish days to go, so no signs for a while please! :)
Symptoms? round ligament pain/growing pains; tired; not really having heartburn/indigestion, but having to burp a lot or feeling like I have one stuck in my chest; back acne; occasional (not painful or frequent!) BH contractions; leg cramps

Belly button in or out? still shallow, starting to poke out more at the top

What I miss: so far, this pregnancy has been really easy on me and I feel so "normal"! So I don't have many complaints, however, I do miss having a clear back!
Weekly wisdom: I am so grateful for my doctor and her staff- they always listen to my (many) questions and treat them as real concerns, even if they aren't a big deal. Always makes me feel so much better!

What I am looking forward to: I'm looking forward to feeling her moving more and her having more of an active/sleeping pattern. Of course I'm also looking forward to making more progress on her nursery and figuring out her name! Oh and trying out my sewing skills on some baby things :)

Milestones: Less than 100 days to go!! Also, she could start to open her eyes towards the end of this week!

I don't think you're ready for this belly.

This photo was taken last Sunday, the 3rd- 25 weeks, 6 days. Check out that baby! It's one of the first pictures I've seen, and thought, whoa! That's me?! Haha. I think the dress enhanced the bump, but still- wow!

I took this picture a couple days later on the 5th, or 26 weeks, 2 days :) So while there's no hiding the bump, what I wear can definitely make it look bigger or smaller- but it's here to stay! (please excuse our terribly dirty mirror! I didn't know it was so bad until I took this photo, yuck)

These boots...

So, remember the boots we used in our announcement?

Well, they were J's when he was little (can't remember if I mentioned that or not). I knew I had seen a picture of him wearing them, so I did some digging around and found it! Hi-larious. He would probably die if he knew I was putting this on the internet, but it's too funny not to. Ha!

25 weeks

100 days to go!

How far along? 25 weeks (she's about 13 1/2 inches long and a pound and a half)

Maternity clothes? With this hot weather, I've started wearing dresses more frequently, but other than that, all of my regular clothes and one pair of maternity pants.
Movement?  She was having a dance party a couple of days this week! I feel her most at work (I guess since I'm sitting most of the day) and then usually after work if I'm sitting around. I've also noticed when I wake up at anytime during the night (we're talking midnight-4am) she is ALWAYS moving. Looks like we'll have a night owl on our hands...
Cravings? Fruit- strawberries, apples, grapes, anything fruit. Pancakes!
Anything make you queasy or sick? spinach and pizza still not sounding great... 

Sleep? Definitely not great, but I have slept through the night several nights over the past week or so! And by that I mean from when I go to bed until 5am, although I don't have to be up until 6:30 or 7 during the week- but I'm getting more consistent sleep rather than waking up a couple times in the middle of the night. I have also started putting a pillow under my belly/hip and between my knees to help with little aches and pains through the night.
Best moment this week: We finally made huge progress on the house over the weekend! YAY! Thank you J for moving the office furniture and guest room furniture!! Now the nursery is ready for her furniture :) We put together her dresser on Memorial Day and I got started organizing all of her stuff. It's still so surreal to me that we are getting this room together for this little person we are bringing into the world!

Gender: Girl!!
Labor signs? Nope- although I have noticed a few more of the BH contractions
Symptoms? The crazy, hormonal emotional pregnant lady has entered the building. Up until this week, I've been pretty "normal"...but now I've started having some moments of unexplained crying...I'm sure this is just the beginning. Waking up in the night with "round ligament pain" and hip pain. Monday I had a really strange pain in my belly- it hurt to stand up straight or take a deep breath. She must have been changing position, but ow! (either that or trying to escape out of my belly button!) Also, the "dark line" is slowly making it's appearance. It's VERY faint right now (maybe it will stay that way??), but it's there.

Belly button in or out? this is so weird, but usually at the end of the day when I'm sitting down, I can take a deep breath and half of my belly button pops out! I definitely think I will have an outie in the next month or so.

What I miss: sleep (better get used to it, I know)

What I am looking forward to: I read she could start getting the hiccups soon- I think it will be neat to feel that!

Milestones: 25 weeks seems like a milestone to me for some reason! (I guess like with birthdays 25/30/35/40 etc are bigger ones that the years in between) Also, my mom (who we plan to call Lulu) felt a kick this week!

Nursery {the Dresser}

We made some major progress over the long weekend thanks to J. The guestroom furniture is all moved out of the nursery, so we now have space to get her furniture set up!

Little miss now has a dresser. This makes me very happy, because now I have a place to put her stuff! The dresser is HUGE, which is great for storage, but we may have to revise the room layout. However, I'm hoping we can keep it as planned. We'll just see once we get the crib and glider in.

J putting the dresser together (this thing had SO many parts and pieces- I'm glad I didn't try to do this one on my own!)

All done! Don't mind the knobs...or lack thereof- I'm planning to get different knobs for the top 4 drawers and spray paint the rest. 

(Cash wanted to be in on these photos :)

 

Working on getting the drawers organized and things put in their place!

 The big brother had to be sure to check everything out

 Even though things may get moved around some and won't look this neat for long, it's definitely nice to have a place to put things. Yay for progress!

Also, not sure if I posted a picture of her shelf. So, although she may not have a name, she does have two pieces of furniture put together and set up in her room ;)

Insta-May-gram

 I wanted to share some pictures from this past month. May was a busy month and flew by! I can't believe today is JUNE 1st!

Sweet set (in a cute case!) for Baby E from Shannon!

My first Mother's Day card thanks to one of my sweet and thoughtful co-workers (I'm lucky to work with a few!)

Pretty flowers from the daddy-to-be to me for Mother's Day

One of his favorite spots- stretched out on the big green pillow, looking out the window :) What a life

Bump + ice cream 5.28.12

25 weeks on Memorial Day!

Day trip to Chatty for visiting, lunch, and shave ice :)