Quick Living Room Redo

Need some inspiration to make a few quick changes to your living room? Lay on your couch a million hours a day...and you will find it! haha! 

I thought I was going to go crazy if I had to continue to look at my living room the way that it was. It wasn't that it was bad, or even that I changed it that much, but it just needed a little lift. I was tired of the bookshelf, which was just cluttered with pictures, and I was sick of looking at the art on the wall. I made a few cheap changes, and my view from the couch is much more enjoyable. Thank gosh for online shopping! 

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

 

I got a new rug from Target, added some brown curtain panels (which are great for naptime), switched the TV/chair, added a plant and decluttered the bookshelf. Down the street we have this place called CentrePeace, which is a "vintage" store (aka-a large rummage sale), where people donate old furniture and household items. The county inmates work there daily, and are taught repair skills  (repairing furniture and electronics) from weavers and electricians, so that items can be sold for a profit. It is a little unnerving going there because 90% of the people are in orange jumpsuits, but I see the positive in the whole effort. Anywho, I got a plate, vase and wooden bowl there for 5.50! They added a little color to the bookshelf, and were super cheap! I also replaced the pictures on the wall with these:

Ahhh...nothing like online nesting and a hubby who "willingly" takes orders to move furniture! :)

28.5 Week Update

Just to warn you.....from here on out all belly pictures will be from the neck down! We took belly pictures on Monday and my personal photographer was attempting to get a "slimming" picture of my face, which proved to be IMPOSSIBLE. When I initially looked at his snapshots I yelled at him because I couldn't believe he thought that was a good picture. He tried 3 more times, and I soon realized it was not the photographer, but reality! AH! I somehow thought I was going to be able to bypass the fat face stage of pregnancy that some women go through...how optimistic of me. So, from now on..just insert this image to my neck, and you will have a good visualization!:)

I am trying not to think what 11 more weeks is going to do to my face, but at this point I don't even care! I AM hoping the baby inherits those cheeks though! There is nothing cuter than a puggy faced baby!

We went to Geisinger Danville on Friday to see a high risk pregnancy doctor. We really enjoyed our new doctor, Dr. Smith. He was very thorough and to the point, but also showed us compassion and was empathetic to our worries, being first time parents and all. 

They did a routine ultrasound, which they do with every HR patient, and the baby was moving all over the place. The heart-rate is still around 150, and they said that we have a happy baby in there (hopefully one that wants to stay happy in there for at least 9 more weeks). They told us that there is no doubt that we are going to have a "petite baby". The baby is measuring one week behind again, but they continue to reassure us that it is most likely due to our sizes (we aren't the hugest people). They will continue to watch this, as you want to make sure that the baby doesn't fall 2 or 3 weeks behind. Last time this happened, at 20 weeks, it caught back up by 24 weeks. I have a feeling it goes through these growth spurts randomly, as I can feel myself hungrier certain weeks. It still boggles my mind how we are going to have a petite baby when I was 8lb8oz and Luke was 8lb10oz. Maybe Lil' Wayne will surprise us all. He/She was weighing 2lb3oz on Friday, which is normal. I try to stay optimistic about all of these little things, but it is hard not to have them hang over your head. I just want May to be here, and have everything be done and over with. Even though "watching things" doesn't mean something is wrong, it is still looming on my mind. 

As for the contractions...They are assuming I am just going to be someone how has "uterine irritability". It is 100% comforting knowing that I am not showing any signs of labor. I just need to continue to rest and take it easy...which is getting harder and harder. I still do things around the house, and occasionally go out, but I hate not being active. I just want to get off the couch and go for a run! However, I know that that time will come again. It is amazing the side effects I feel from being so inactive. I felt SO great before all of this, no aches and pains or typical complaints. Now, everything hurts! My hips ache SO badly at night. I get nightly charlie horses in my sleep, and am starting to have round ligament pain. I have to stop wondering what it would be like if none of this was going on...it has driven me crazy. I go back in 3 more weeks to make sure my cervix is still long/thick. So thankful that we are almost to 30 weeks..each week is a little bit more of a relief. 

Thanks for thinking of us...it will all be worth it in a few short weeks! :)

27 Week Belly

Apparently, all the pregnant belly needs is 2 weeks on the couch, and it grows immensely (along with everything else). I am sure it doesn't help that the most exciting parts of my day are deciding what snack/meal I am going to have next..hum! I think Baby Wheeler is finally taking off! :)

L says my shirt doesn't do it justice! 

Maternity clothes are slimming, ya know! 

Bedding Factory

Originally, I had ordered the baby's bedding from Pottery Barn, and  for the most part, was very pleased with it. When we went to put it in the crib it didn't exactly fit, and really didn't look the way I anticipated. I had an epiphany (which I can't figure out why I hadn't had this before this point, for as much as loveeee fabric) that my mom and I could make the bedding. There is this amazing website called: polkatotdesigns.com. It has the absolute CUTEST baby bedding in America, probably the most expensive, too. It is all hand made with your choice of fabrics.  The style is definitely Southern, I like to call it "Alma Easom style", which is the school I taught at in N.C. Everything is polka dotted and monogrammed, just like the kiddos in my classes outfits (their outfits were monogrammed right down to their headbands). 

A few examples from polkatots

My mom and I had so much fun picking out the fabrics to create Lil Dub's bedding. I used the website fabrics.com, which has every fabric known to man! By doing this I saved over 200.00!! Again, why didn't I think of this idea before?

My parents came and visited last weekend and in the middle of them waiting on me, cooking and grocery shopping, we somehow found some time to start the bedding "factory". Everyone helped, which made this a speedy process. I even have proof of my dad IRONING. Don't get me wrong, we did have to teach him HOW, but he did a fantastic job after getting comfortable with his new "job". Lucas was the cutter, which led to him having a bloody, bandaged finger. He still did a great job, but was almost fired because he wanted Workman's Comp for his injury! Here are a few pictures of us (them) working!

Some serious team work! What a hoot!

After 55 years, we now know he is capable!

THE seamstress...

Uh-oh!

Pathetic..he wrapped it with fabric scraps...

We aren't finished with the bumper yet, which is the main piece, so you will just have to sit tightly for pictures of that. I had pictures of all of the fabrics on my old, wet computer..so, just use your imagination.

This past week, during my "active" periods (if you want to call them that) of bed rest, I worked on the curtains, bedskirt and basket liners. They turned out super cute. This project helped with my sanity last week.

I'm really happy with how these turned out! That is one of the main fabrics in the baby bedding!

The crib skirt, which was quite the project! 

My other project, which I completed a few weeks ago, was wall hangings...

The previous bedding was birds/owls, so we stuck with that theme. I cut patterns out and then used coordinating fabrics to make the patchwork birds and owl. They turned out super cute! We then matted/framed them! It was a really fun project! Luke wants me to sell them on etsy.com! I am highly considering..especially with my bedrest situation!

That's it for now! Still lots of work to be done, but it is becoming the calm feeling nursery I was envisioning!

The Cadillac

We got our stroller in the mail this weekend! How exciting! This thing is like the Cadillac of all strollers, I am almost jealous that I don't get to ride in it.. We decided to bite the bullet and buy a really good jogger stroller, that can also be used as a newborn stroller. I really didn't want one of the 4 wheeled strollers, and then go and buy a jogger stroller on top of that. We're really happy with this purchase! We went with the standard black and gray, so it is gender neutral, and can be used for the next/s baby (this may be an only child after all of this! ;)). Luke put it together this weekend, and also tried it out by attempting to strap the poor cats in it. Tarin actually enjoyed going for a ride, but I can guarantee you that it will be the LAST time! 

                                 Luke was happy with the wheels! ;)         

                   

 

Believe it or not, it folds up compactly..

It came with a "man purse", or man diaper bag. Oh lord!

The directions for strapping the bag on said, "Do not strap on if contents weigh more than one pound".

Can someone please tell me how you are supposed to have a diaper bag that weighs less than a pound? Maybe it can hold a bag of cheerios!?

The car seat is on it's way, I had to wait until it came back in stock. I used this website called smartmomma.com. It has the absolute BEST prices for name-brand strollers and carseats (trust me, I am a deal finder). You can also use the coupon code : take5 for $5.00 off AND if you use "google checkouts" (which is an option at checkout), you get an extra $10.00 off. I purchased them separately, so I got to use these deals 2 times, saving us an extra $30.00! Every penny counts!

Prayers for a better week..

This past week has been extremely stressful, and emotionally exhausting. Last Sunday I started having a lot of tightening in my abdomen, along with these constant palpitations. At first I thought the baby was just busy, and happy to visit with his/her Aunt Haley and Uncle Josh (we had a great time with them last weekend), but then realized that something just wasn't quite right. I made a doctor's appointment for Monday morning, and they hooked me up to the monitor and realized that I was indeed having contractions. They quickly gave me a shot of Terburtaline ( a drug to stop contractions), which burned like WOAH, and an IV to see if might be lack of fluids. The combination of both worked quickly, so that itself was a relief. They decided to release me and put me on the pill form of Terbutaline, and "ordered" me to drink a ton. Luke and I thought it was weird that they thought I was a little dehydrated, as all I do is drink, pee, drink, pee...for 24 hours a day.  As soon as I left and went and picked up my prescription, the tightening started back up again. Needless to say this was a cycle all week, we were in and out of the hospital/doctors office.  The worry was just sickening! I just couldn't even begin to imagine what a 25 week baby would have to go through if he/she was born. I was kind of in disbelief, as well, because besides the morning sickness, I felt like I was having an extremely healthy, easy pregnancy. I never anticipated any complications, and we were anxiously just awaiting May. On Thursday when we were back at the doctors they did a Fetal FibroNectin test, which determines if a protein is present that indicates if you will go into labor within 1-2 weeks. The test is 90% accurate for the next 14 days, and it came back negative..thank god! They also did an ultrasound to see if my cervix was thinning/shortening and my cervix was perfect, even a little bit longer than needed. Who ever thought that you could brag about your cervix? ;) So, both of these results took about 75lbs off of my shoulders. I'm now on light bedrest, which involves 6 extra hours off your feet and little activity. I am still having tightening and a lot of cramping at night, but feel reassured that the baby is healthy and happy. The next step is to see a high risk pregnancy doctor to determine why I am contracting. The doctor said that I may just be one of those women who contracts for the next 14 weeks, but has no signs of labor. I can take that! As long as I can cook this baby for AT LEAST another 10 weeks, I will be satisfied. If laying on the couch/in bed all day (along with my sanity) is what it takes, then that is what I will gladly do. Our ultrasound Thursday did bring us lots of good things:

• The baby is weighing in at a whopping 1lb 13oz, which is actually 5 oz. more than the normal 25 week old baby (on average about 1 1/2lbs). Eat that random people that say insensitive things! Check that worry off the list!
• We could see the baby's hair on the ultrasound, which was the cutest thing ever!
• My mom was able to "meet" her first grandchild, which was so fun for her!
• My placenta is moving upward. Check that worry off the list!
• My fluid level is between the 55-99% percentile. Check THAT worry off the list!

   I think Lil' Wayne/nette is saying "let me out, let me out"..

So, we'll just continue thinking positive and remember that every day counts! Jokingly, the doctor told us that sometimes women like me are the ones that they end up having to induce at 41 weeks because they are overdue! I'll take that!

As always, Luke has been the absolute b-e-s-t, he is SO supportive. Even during stressful times he has a way of making me laugh. When we were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, it is policy that the patient get taken to the car in a wheelchair, so I had my first ride in one ever (I even had an oxygen tank on the back)! Luke said this is going to be us in 50+ years. I said "yeah, but I am going to be pushing you!". He then said, "But, it will be more like this..." and he slowed way down and started to shuffle/drag his feet like old men do and talk in an old man raspy voice! Made me laugh hard! :) He's back to cleaning/laundry duty, and takes it like a champ! Praise the lord for men like him!!

 I need something stationary to do, like take pictures of L working!