week 36

Just four more weeks!

Today, Austin leaves for Lubbock... so no matter what happens, I have to hold this baby in this week! He isn't really showing any signs of making an entrance anyway, but I would hate for Ethan to come and Austin be 8 hours away.

This week, we rearranged Ethan's room a little. I'm not a huge fan of the way it looks when you walk in, but we made the decision to move the dresser because 1) I didn't want pee and poo on those pretty white curtains, and 2) I can change Ethan's diaper from a variety of angles this way, rather than just from the side. I personally prefer changing diapers from the baby's feet, not their side. When you're in the room (say, sitting on the bed), the layout makes sense.

You walk in and... bam, there's the dresser!
(And the diaper pail)

The dresser looks really nice next to the crib, though!
Hey, we have a crib skirt! Thanks, Grandma!

It's going to take some getting used to. The rocker will go next to that table
which will soon be re-painted white.

I still prefer the dresser under the window, but I think I'm choosing function over form this time. Ethan won't know the difference!

Blurry...

Much better!

How far along? 36 weeks!

Weight gain: I feel like I doubled it last week.. I feel huge and uncomfortable.
Maternity clothes? Yes, I love these jeans.
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: It's getting more rough. I absolutely can't get comfortable, and my back always hurts.
Miss anything? A good night's sleep. I don't think I'm going to see one of those for a LONG time.
Movement: He still has his crazy bouts!
Food cravings: Last Monday I wanted (and got) Fuddruckers. Lately, I've just wanted something healthy - a fruit and veggie tray would really do the trick.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Heartburn, if I forget my medicine!
Have you started to show yet: Hahaha...
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nothing major, and hoping to keep it that way at least one more week
Belly Button in or out? In, and we don't think it's going to come out.
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: The ultrasound this Thursday!!! I can't wait to see Ethan!

love,

The Nursery

The nursery is.... mostly done! We're still waiting for a few things that are on the registry, as well as the bedding (which I can't wait to see!). I decided to take pictures in a circle so you could get a good idea of what everything looks like when you're in the room. Unfortunately, we aren't fancy enough for a 360-view.

The doors are up in the room... they're painted, trimmed, reinstalled, and ready for their doorsy-duty.

The accessories on the floating shelves have been secured to the shelves, per Ethan's grandpa's request. He was here Wednesday night and he didn't even check to see that they were secured! Then there's the bed, complete with the pillow I made:

And, my favorite part, the whale and the net! I love it. (Yes, we've already played with the monitor on the wall. Thanks Jennifer!)

And now we're back at the door!

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath on seeing the crib set that my mom is making (well, maybe just me) so look for an update to this post!

I think we're about ready for a baby... almost! {5.5 more weeks!}

love,

the nautical pillow

I've had the fabric and materials to start this pillow for probably a month now, but there were many, many other projects going on at the time! Once this is done, my mom is going to help me make Ethan's bumpers. She's been working away at his quilt for weeks!

The goal was to imitate this pillowcase from The Land of Nod without spending $20. I spent $15 (not including the insert) and I bought way too much fabric, so it is definitely doable with $10. (PS - their entire collection of nautical little boys' bedding is by far the cutest I've seen anywhere!)

The Land of Nod
(I'm fairly sure their rope is NOT round. More on that later)

Materials:

• 1/2 yard Wonder Under
• 1/2 yard white fabric (something thick)
• 1 yard navy blue fabric (don't need a yard, but it depends on the size of your pillow)
• Navy thread
• White thread
• 1/2 yard White rope (from ribbon section)
• Fray Check (take your mother's, you don't need that much)
• Printed outline of anchor (I fit the entire anchor on one sheet of printer paper)
• Pillow insert (mine was 16"x16")
• Sewing machine

Make sure you get the Wonder Under instructions when they cut it.

I knew from the beginning I did not want to embroider this, so that's why we opted for iron-on. I also used Fray Check to keep the edges of the anchor from fraying, since I didn't want to have to sew a seam on all those edges.

I washed my fabrics first, then pinned the navy fabric around the pillow. I probably should have left some gaps on the left and right side that I could sew the rope into, since I didn't want the frayed rope edges that the example pillow had.

I wanted to make a zipper-less case so I made sure my ends met on the
back side, and sewed up those seams.

Once the pillow was done, I ironed my Wonder Under on and traced my anchor, which I could see through the white fabric. If you don't use white fabric, you may want to trace first, then iron. There are specific instructions for this on the instructions sheet.

Sharpie pen: later, I learned this was a bad idea. Wonder
Under is not thick enough.

I made notes to myself about my lines as I went,
because  I knew I would forget which one to use!

Once it was cut, I laid it out on the pillow. I laid out my rope a little differently than they did (and changed it later):

The rope ended up being a huge pain in the butt for the novice seamstress that I am. I regretted using a round rope entirely. It seems obvious, but it moved a LOT, and then wouldn't line up with where I wanted it to be. I couldn't machine-sew this, so the whole thing was very frustrating.

I ended up just sewing down the crossed part of the loops and the bottom of the loops, as well as the edges and the rope that went under the anchor. I think a semi-loose rope is more realistic (just go with me on this one). 

When I ironed on the anchor, I learned two things: 1) Fray Check should be the last thing you use because it is wet and will activate the Wonder Under even if you leave the backing on; 2) don't use a sharpie pen to outline your anchor (it bled through in one part, luckily it was blue and you can't tell). Because the Fray Check activated the Wonder Under, I had to sew the edges of the "T" part of the anchor.

This is what this issue reminded me of:

At 0:12, Pearl says "but you can't really tell, especially when I twirl it like this." Yup, that's this pillow.

The moral of this story? Don't use round rope, Fray Check should be last, the instructions for Wonder Under kind of stink if you aren't doing a basic task, and keep the pillow away from the baby.

All that matters at this point is that I'm happy, the pillow is DONE, and Ethan's bed looks cute!

love,

nursery phase II: finishing the bottom

I am unable to procrastinate on things, and knowing that I have things to get done makes me crazy. So on Wednesday night, I wrapped up as much of Ethan's nursery as I could do alone. Needless to say, I was in bed by 9, and slept very well that night.

I have to say that the white looks awesome against the blue... and that his nursery wouldn't look half as good without it. It brightens up the blue in a way I really didn't expect. Was it worth all that time (and money)? Maybe...

The original color of the entire room house.

I'll also say that I am sick of painting, so I think I'm taking those closet doors down and leaving them off. I don't care right now whether they ever go back on. They need to be trimmed anyway, because the carpet is too thick. Yes, curtains sound more appealing by the day. Or new closet doors, but I am not interested in installing more doors.

Austin has been gone a lot, so fortunately I had a lot of help from other people on this nursery. One of my best friends, Lindsey, helped me paint his nursery blue. When that dried, Leslie, Meredith, and Danielle from our small group came and helped me with the wallpaper (which is the highlight of the room, is it not?). I painted the chair rail, Austin cut it, and I nail-gunned it up while Austin held it. I really love that nail gun! It freaks me out when I use it and Bear is in the room. I don't think I'd nail him accidentally - I don't think that's possible - but it still scares me!

What's left, then? Austin's job! Changing all the beige, old, gross outlets and light switches to new, white, tamper-resistant plugs and switches. Hopefully, that won't take too long. I bought them in bulk because half our house had white plugs when we moved in, and we need to replace the beige ones anyway. Might as well make them tamper-resistant, while we're at it.

Austin also needs to add one 2-3 foot section of chair rail that he didn't get to do last Sunday because he was already late in leaving for Laredo. I may use a nail gun, but I am not putting my hands on a saw! After that (and DAP-ing the holes and caulking it...) I think the room itself will be done... I think.

Without further ado, the very handsome, partly-decorated nursery:

I'm obsessed with that whale and that net. Best part
of the room so far!

I decided I hate the white curtains, so they've already come down.
They look pretty bad in person.
Isn't that lantern the best?

The pieces on the bed are going up on the wall to the
right (there are shelves for them to sit on but they
are hard to see in this picture).

This is the section of the wall (on the left) that needs to
be finished, along with that tiny piece on the right.
Directly to the left of this picture is the closet; the door
faces Ethan's crib.

I just did the math on the nursery, and it  blew me away. The cost is huge compared to what I anticipated. We're talking a few hundred dollars! Considering that real beadboard would have cost this much on it's own, I want to feel like this is a good deal.

Was it way more expensive and time-consuming than I imagined? Yes. Am I ever going to repaint this room again, ever in my life? NO. If you'd told me it'd cost this much time and money to make this room..... I probably would have skipped it all. When I told Austin what the cost was, he said, "that's nothing for my little man." Awwwwwww. I can't wait for Austin to come home and see how awesome this looks in person. Overall, the way the room looks today has totally exceeded my expectations, and I know we aren't done yet.

The dresser/changing table was a gift from Grammie Cindy, the crib was a gift from my parents, and my mom is working on Ethan's quilt, bumpers, and crib skirt (though right now, Grandma is in San Francisco enjoying time with Grandpa. Am I jealous that they're in California Wine Country without me? No.....). Grammie C also gave us that twin bed. The headboard was $25 on clearance at Target. We still need to actually put the bed together.

My friend Sarah Blome (who makes fabulous paper flowers) has volunteered to make the mobile for Ethan, which is super sweet, and I am really excited about - her work is always awesome! It'll hang through the net above Ethan's crib.

That's all for now... more to come when it is FINISHED!

love,

25 weeks, 6 days

This post is a day early, because I wisened up and realized that no one will be here tomorrow to take my week 26 picture! Honestly, I'm having a hard time even remembering which week it is. I'm fortunate to remember that they start on Mondays!

Next week starts my third trimester and my bi-weekly doctor appointments. My doctor will be measuring my belly externally to make sure that Ethan is as big as he needs to be. If you're wondering, yes, I feel huge. Austin made the comment today that he thought I wouldn't get much bigger, but he doesn't understand how pregnancy works. I get bigger because Ethan gets bigger - not because it's just a fun thing to do! :) He is in for a surprise.

{courtesy of theBump.com}

I don't get these size comparisons sometimes. Last week he was the size of a head of cauliflower, which I tend to think of as larger than a head of lettuce... I guess I'm wrong?

I also felt Ethan hiccup this week. I don't think it was the first time, because I've felt this kind of rhythmic movement before, but it occurred to me that it probably wasn't him kicking - it was hiccups (thanks to a little research on Google!). Austin was very disappointed he couldn't feel that!

This weekend, my mom and I went shopping for fabric for Ethan's bedding. The above swatches will go into his quilt, which will have a soft white backing (my mom is nervous about the white!) and white trim. The material for the bumpers and skirt had to be ordered, so that will come later... but it going to look awesome.

Nursery update! 85% of the trim is up, but the rest of it needs to be painted white... and I need wood filler. Almost there!

I painted the window sill today!

For bump pictures, I opted to wear a tighter shirt (I really should come up with a standard shirt...) because I think the shirt from last week was a tiny bit big/misleading. Whoops!

I have to say, it's hard to manage a smile when you know your husband is leaving in a few hours!

How far along? almost 26 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I'm not sure
Maternity clothes? 90%
Stretch marks? none yet!
Sleep: Good! I can't make it through the night without a bathroom trip anymore.
Miss anything? My husband!
Movement: So much!
Food cravings: Nothing unusual this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! I finally bought some heartburn meds that my doctor approved and seem to work!
Have you started to show yet: Look at those pictures!
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Zero
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, mostly! Sad that Austin is leaving :(
Looking forward to: My husband coming home! And decorating the nursery in the meantime :)

Love,

week 24

Oh little Ethan... you sure are getting big! TheBump.com says you're about the size of a cantaloupe... but who are we kidding, you're clearly larger than that! All you wanted to do yesterday was prove that you're a big boy and taking over my body. You pushed something into my right rib - hard. I had a sharp pain for about an hour. And you wiggled all afternoon, which is new because I usually only feel you in the mornings before 11 am and at night after 8. I also felt you roll over for the first time, which was a very weird feeling. "Big" feels like an understatement, and we still have 16 weeks to go! I'm thankful for that extra time, because I know you need the time to grow, and your dad and I need that time to get ready for your arrival.

This Saturday, some of the women from our small group helped me wallpaper your nursery while your dad was traveling.

Beadboard wallpaper! The darker white lines are where
the seams are. I did an extra coat of paint on those to
make sure that they didn't show any blue paint through
the seam. This nursery is coming together!

Sunday, I painted the wallpaper and a little of the trim in the room. Your dad is going to come home and install tamper-resistant (babyproof) plugs in your room this week, along with the chair rail.

This is the dresser your Great Grammie gave us (thank you Grammie C!):

I put this together all by myself! It is SO TALL - taller than our kitchen
counter tops! I know Austin will be so glad he doesn't have to stoop over
to change Ethan!

I couldn't lift the package (even if I wasn't pregnant), so the people at IKEA and your Grandpa had to help me get it home. This is where we are going to change all your (cloth) diapers. :)

I also went this weekend to Nurtured Family to check out cloth diapers! Though Grandma still isn't on board (and will probably choose to use disposables at her/Grandpa's house) we both liked BestBottom the most. We will have to go check out a class sometime before we get them, but they seemed like the most reasonable option... Either those, or bumGenius!

So here it is... the weekly update!

How far along? 24 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: I really try not to weigh myself. But my doctor says I'm perfect!
Maternity clothes? Lots!
Stretch marks? None yet, and I've been applying a special Cocoa butter I got on Maui.
Sleep: Last night was TERRIBLE - I had what Austin called "lava" (horrible heartburn) all night. Thanks, son!
Miss anything? Not having heartburn!
Movement: So much more than he was doing before! Rolling, kicking, pushing....
Food cravings: Sweets!
Anything making you queasy or sick: EVERYTHING gives me heartburn except milk/cereal.
Have you started to show yet: Definitely!
Gender: Boy... rambunctious little boy.
Labor Signs: Zero
Belly Button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On! Though I keep forgetting them and hope no one thinks I'm single!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Oh goodness. It's been a moody week (poor Austin).
Looking forward to: putting up trim in Ethan's nursery, and hanging things on the walls!

I'm definitely looking forward to meeting our mondo-cantaloupe, but I am NOT looking forward to the third trimester! My prayer is (and will be) that he is a healthy and happy baby boy. 16 more weeks....

Love,

PS - I was waiting to post this so I could take a bump picture, but I'm not a fan of selfies so... maybe we'll get one tomorrow when the hubby is home!

nursery phase I: painting the top

The nursery has been the monkey on my back for the last three weeks (when we found out the baby was an Ethan rather than a Hannah). I had the paint, and much of the decor. We still need to finish the top, possibly add a second coat, buy the beadboard wallpaper and chair rail, as well, but this is a darn good start!

I used tape as a rough marker to remind us not to
paint the entire wall!

My friend Lindsey came to help me get started, and I was/am really thankful because Austin is gone and I had zero motivation to paint, but every motivation to decorate! I started by laying some plastic liner around the edges of the room to protect the carpet (after moving the furniture and clothes toward the middle of the room) and then I taped off the trim and ceiling. I should have put more liner down, because I am, evidently, the messiest painter on the face of the earth. (We're replacing the carpet anyway, right?) Then, I marked how low we need to paint. I don't want to paint any more than I have to!

It would be SO easy to skip the top edge and add crown
moulding instead, don't you think? ;)



Valspar Ultra
Low Odor
No VOC

We decided on navy blue (update: we used Filoli Dark Iris 4009-5. This is one of their historic preservation colors) because neither of us are fans of "typical" baby rooms. We had a lot of ideas for this room, but Austin was really stuck on something ocean related, so we settled on the vintage nautical look. This may seem like a lot of forethought for a baby's room, but he is our first baby, and we don't want to have to "un-baby" the room in two years. The paint we used was Valspar Ultra (my new favorite). It's what we've used all over the other parts of our house. It covers fairly well, but if you did an entire room, I definitely recommend two gallons. They're around $27 here at Lowe's in Houston.

Removable Beadboard Wallapaper | Lowe's

We've also decided to use wallpaper that will be easy to remove, because wallpaper in this house will be a HUGE headache. We want the one from Lowe's because it is significantly cheaper than Home Depot's - we're always price-comparing between the two.

We do plan on reusing this bedroom for our next baby, so since beadboard is a classic look, we think we'll be safe with that. I'm now wondering what I can do with navy blue for a girl's room since I don't want to repaint this, and I really hope we have a girl next... you know, in 4 years ;)

We're also thinking of moving our dining room table to the kitchen/breakfast area, and opening up the dining/kitchen to the living room. The dining room would then be a play room - a perfect place to play so the baby's toys stay out of the main living area, but in sight all the time. His room is so small going to have so much furniture in it that he won't have room for toys anyway. I finally decided on the layout the other day, too... maybe.

Mentally rotate this counter-clockwise 90 degrees -
for some reason my computer shows it that way but it
uploads wrong!

That's it for now! We leave for Tennessee tonight at 9 (it's going to be a late night!) and we can't wait to see all our friends in Clarksville tomorrow and Sunday! I'm hoping to have this completely done in the next month....

love,

the first nursery purchases

Many of you know we already have Ethan's crib, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, who "happened" to be at Ikea and decided to get it :)

Bear was essential to the assembly process.

The crib! We have to raise the bottom later....
Anyone know of a safe way to make the whole thing taller?

Last night, I went to Hobby Lobby because Grandma send me a picture of a bunch of goodies for Ethan's room, and they have all their decor on sale for Mother's Day. I only spent $58, which is what I expected to pay for some of these individually had I bought them vintage. Considering that we may have to re-do his room when he gets older, I'm glad this wasn't too expensive!

(Ignore the fact that they're on the quilt my Grandma made! We will have to get new bedding for that room...)

Weight & anchor

Primitive sailboat

Ship wheel!

Decorative netting..
hope to use this to store
soft toys

Pulley

I still have a few things left to get (haha, including most of the furniture!), but this is a darn good start!

I re-watched Ethan's ultrasound again today... I love it! I am SO glad we got the DVD! Anyone know how to get that onto YouTube or something? It's ~20 minutes long.

love,