Jackson Update :)

It's been two days short of a month since I last posted. But, in my defense, I've been a little busy :) My sweet, generous mother came to Houston a few weeks ago to help me out with Charlotte in the last weeks of pregnancy. Isn't she the best? I cannot overstate what a blessing this has been. Especially in the last week or so, I've really needed the help. She's a saint, as is my father for loaning her to me for so long!

Speaking of pregnancy...So I know last pregnancy I did a MUCH better job of keeping everyone in the loop. I just forgot to blog about it this time around! I'll tell you (while trying to not over-share) that I've had quite a bit of progression in the last few weeks, but still no Jackson. Even my doctor is shocked. She thought he'd be here last week. They stripped my membranes to help speed things along, and still no Jackson. (In case you're wondering, that procedure is about as fun as it sounds) So the latest is that if he doesn't make an appearance on his own this week they'll induce Friday, July 1 around 6 am. My children never want to be born. What's up with that? Here's a pregnancy picture from last week:

In other news...THE NURSERY'S DONE! Here are some pictures:

I LOVE the pottery barn kids madras print, so I decided to use it in a big way on his curtains. They make me very happy :)

Navy blue shelves from pbk. I haven't finished styling them yet, but you get the idea :) The "J" & "S" are going to be hung somewhere, just haven't gotten that far

an autographed babe ruth photo, matt's childhood boots (PRECIOUS!), vintage tom swift and hardy boys books and an iron jack

Changing table (vintage longhorn plate and a painting my dad had commissioned for Matt last Christmas)

close up of the books and jack

decal above the crib (we found this at Target for$12!)

Crib...his sheets are orange gingham, you can't really tell here

vintage Dr.Pepper cooler that houses his burp cloths/blankets...

it's doubling as an ottoman, hence the pillow :)

I'm OBSESSED with our giant orange mirror from Ikea. It maks me happy :)

Ikea rug I bought at Baby Daze for around $5...you can't beat that ;)

33 Weeks

What's Happening This Week: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

How far along? 33 weeks

Stretch marks? Not yet…

Sleep: I give up!

Best moment this past week: The nursery got painted! The color is "Springtime" by Sherwin-Williams. It makes me super happy. Matt also put the crib together and moved some of our furniture into the room (glider and two dressers) He loves me!

Food cravings: Nothing really...I’m just hungry all the time. It’s hard trying to manage eating healthy and knowing when I actually need to eat more.

What I miss: Feeling like myself

What I am looking forward to: Working on the nursery this weekend

Weekly Wisdom: "I went 3 days without a shower the first week my baby came home and I live in PJs for the first month. Totally normal :)"  Um, I kind of do this now...

So I mentioned that we finally started the nursery...I am so excited. It's the little things :) One of the sweet women from my young moms group gave me the most adorable rug yesterday! I feel so blessed by her generosity.  It works perfectly with the nursery, too!  Here are some of the promised photos. Please ignore all of the accessories, as they are not in their proper places and some things are changing (like the green lampshade!) But at least you can see the wall color and some of our furniture! The changing table is supposed to arrive tomorrow...get excited! I'll try to post some pictures of our progress this weekend.

I have a doctor's appointment later this morning. At our last appointment our doctor said she's between 4.5 and 5 lbs. Good gracious! I wish I knew if I was going to get an ultrasound anytime soon. We haven't had one since 20 weeks...that was 13 weeks ago! I want to see her :)

32 Weeks

I've been so busy with my mom that I forgot to post yesterday! For shame! :)

We're starting to make some real progress with the nursery...YAY!!!!! Something VERY exciting happened yesterday. We were at Pottery Barn Kids and they had a floor sample of an AWESOME rocker/swivel chair that was for sale. There were a few stains on the slipcover, but I felt confident we could get them out, and sure enough-WE DID! The chair itself is in GREAT condition, and I knew I wouldn't find anything this nice for any less money. We got a $1300 chair for 1/3 of the cost. Amazing. I'll post pictures of it SOON. I know I'm super behind on posting pictures...I'll post from the shower very soon, promise :)

My mom and I also found the cutest owl light switch covers from Anthropologie, along with a fantastic door knob for the closest door. It's beyond fabulous. When I started putting together the nursery I created a story board to track my progress and to insure that everything was cohesive. I keep meaning to post it, it's FAR from complete...I need to update it with pictures of the 2 dressers (both painted furniture from my parents' old beach house), the mirror and various accessories, but this will give you an idea of where it's headed! One thing I can't wait to add a photo of is the chandelier! Mom and I found a FAB chandelier for $5, we just need to paint it. I can't wait...it makes me happy :)

Main Colors: pale pink, spring green, and pale blue
Themes: woodland creatures! birds, bunnies, owls, etc :)

Click Picture to Enlarge

32 Weeks Update

What's Happening This Week: By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

I don't know what in the world a jicama is, but I can tell you I feel huge.

How far along? 32 weeks
Stretch marks? Not yet…
Sleep: None...sigh.
Best moment this past week: It was a GREAT week. Not only did my mom and grandmother come in town, but I also had two fabulous baby showers! One was thrown by my prayer group and it was SO fun! The other was thrown by some of the women from church. I am still overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. This child is already loved by so many, and that's the real gift!
Food cravings: The SUPER yummy pimento cheese that Debbie Welch made for me...Love her and her pimento cheese!
What I miss: Being able to lift things! I love to get things done on my own and have a difficult time asking for help!
What I am looking forward to: Seeing my girlfriends this weekend!
Weekly Wisdom: "Don't let your wife try on her pre-pregnancy clothes for at least 6 months" ...great advice given to Matt at Young Mom's. I do miss my old wardrobe though

26 WEEKS

What's Happening This Week: The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

That cucumber looks mighty large...no wonder I can't get comfortable!  Things with me haven't really changed since last week.  I will say I've had a difficult time sleeping, but I hear that's normal so I'm just trying to deal with it. 

In other news, I've changed my mind about the bedding...I KNOW! I KNOW! The one thing I had finally decided on has already been changed :) I really LOOOOVE the other bedding from Serena and Lily, but it's hard to decorate with since it's two very specific shades of pink and green. We already have some furniture that I want to use in that room and it just wasn't working with the fabric, so I had to shift gears (which, by the way, isn't an easy thing to do when you're already hormonal). So I found a company that does custom bedding and I love it. It's really sweet, has many shades to choose from, and is a little more in line with my eclectic tastes.   Also, it's going to save us money! :) You can see the picture of what it looks like all put together below as well as pictures of the swatches!

 

cribskirt

Outside of bumper

Crib Sheet

Inside of the bumper (It's SUPER soft!)

Trim for the bumper and the cribskirt

Ties for the bumper

I'm going to order a pillow in the bird fabric for my glider and have it trimmed in the pink circles and I'll probablly order the changing pad cover in the same fabric as the bumper and/or the cribskirt.  So many decisions!

Mobile for Nursery

So I've had ZERO luck finding a mobile that I like.  I don't want anything too baby-ish (ie: I would like something a bit more modern), and everything that I like is over $100. Yes, for a MOBILE. Silliness.  Luckily, I found a GREAT DIY mobile on projectnursery.com! YAY!

Here's a picture:

and here's the link to see the step-by-step instructions: http://projectnursery.com/2010/01/butterfly-mobile/

Another thought I've had is hanging tissue pom-poms...you see them in Martha Stewart's Wedding Magazine frequently (hanging inside wedding tents, etc).  I love this idea for a mobile! There's also a great shop on Etsy that sells these pom-poms.   Here's an example: