Gestational Diabetes

So today was the day...the 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test. Which was totally as unpleasant as I've heard, and I felt pretty much like crap all day.  Fasting for 16 hours and then having someone jack with your glucose levels and draw blood 4 times in 3 hours doesn't do much for the soul, or the body it turns out.  I was all headachy and hungry, and then had this massive crash and felt like I could barely stay awake.  I ended up sleeping for several hours this afternoon when I got home.  I figured it would be worth it when I heard in a few days that the results were normal and I could proceed with my pregnancy as planned.  That was until 4:30 or so, when the nurse called to say my results were in fact, abnormal, and I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.  Mother Eff! They want me to be seen as soon as possible in Endocrinology for nutritional counseling, diabetic teaching, and possibly further information from the Endocrinologist. So, that's what I'm doing first thing tomorrow.

At first I was really upset and felt like I had done something wrong to make this happen - not watched my diet well enough, didn't get enough exercise, something.  But the bits I've read so far today show that about 4% of all pregnant women get GD and there really isn't always an identifiable cause. I have none of the risk factors, at least for this pregnancy, other than the initial screen which showed impaired glucose tolerance a few weeks ago.  (Info taken from http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/gestational_diabetes) I'm trying not to obsess about all the potential negatives, and just focus on what I can do to control it.  I'll learn more tomorrow, and go from there I guess. It's just what I have to do.  I want her here safely, and with as little negative impact on my own body as I can manage.

More updates when I have some...

28 Weeks

Well another week has slipped away - 12 weeks (give or take) until little girl makes her debut! That leaves us with approximately 3 months to get ready, and whoa nelly we are not! I think emotionally we are getting ourselves prepared as much as one can, but as far as all the practical preparation we have LOTS to do! It will all get done, and just like when I was planning our wedding, some details might not get finished by "the big day" but the major things have a way of taking precedence and getting done in time.  The little things, albeit fun to dream about and imagine, are usually such small details that really won't be missed once the event is upon us.  

Anyway, since the update last Monday from the ultrasound, there isn't much new info on what baby is doing this week. She's about 2 lbs 7 oz according to Monday's measurements, and growing every day.  Her eyesight and brain function are improving every day as well, and she's in for a major growth spurt in the next 4 weeks or so.  She's practicing swallowing and "breathing" still - which we got to see in action during the ultrasound!  She was in a head down (cephalic) presentation during the ultrasound, with her feet up just by the bottom of my ribcage on the right side.  I'd be happy if she stayed right there - don't get any breech or transverse ideas, OK, little one?  We'll get to see her again at 32 weeks, so I will be interested to see if she stays put or flips around.

Here we are this week: 

In other pregnancy related news, I started physical therapy yesterday for the SPD.  It went really well, and I'm feeling very good today! I was given a few exercises/stretches to work on anytime at home, and then I will have PT twice/week to make sure that everything stays put.  Thanks to Molly, I've also had her help readjusting twice now, and I'm hopeful that between her assistance, PT, and reduced work hours, I will make it to the end of this pregnancy without continued daily pain! I also received 2 support belts I ordered today in the mail, and I was thinking I might send one back before trying them out, but after trying each one, I think they could both be helpful so I might just keep 'em.  They are seriously Nerd Ferguson looking, but I guess since when is an elastic and velcro strap designed to hold up your shit all day supposed to be like something from VS?  

Pregnancy related news bit part 2: I failed the 1 hour glucose test and now have to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test on Monday to rule out Gestational Diabetes. I'm not too concerned that I actually have GD, but man would that suck if I did.  I'm supposed to eat a "high carb" diet for 3 days before the test, and was told to have 150 g of carbs/day Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  At first I thought this would be my license to sugar it up this weekend, but as I started keeping track this morning I realized that just eating my normal things will probably do it.  My Quaker Oatmeal Squares, 1/2 a banana and some milk first thing this morning already had me at about 82 g!! One little bowl of "healthy" cereal, some fruit and milk for goodness sake! I mean, I know fruit has a lot of natural sugars, but I have at least 2 pieces of fruit a day and that alone is close to 100 g of carbs.  I try to balance what I eat otherwise, but maybe I really am getting way too much of that and not enough protein.  Time to veg it up, I guess. Good thing our veggie drawer is stocked after a trip to the store!  Anyway, fingers crossed for a clear 3 hour GTT result after Monday! 

DIY Butterfly Mobile

I spent some time yesterday finishing the mobile I had planned for the nursery.  I was inspired by Pottery Barn Kids' one, but couldn't really justify the $59 price tag.  

While I liked the look of the all white butterflies, but I really wanted to add more color since the walls will be tan, so I found mostly 2-sided scrapbooking paper or cardstock that coordinates with the fabrics I will be using in the room.  I spent about $8 on paper for this project, plus used some that I already had in my stash.  I busted out my brand new Cricut machine (a little Black Friday steal that was a total gift to myself!) and got to work cutting out approximately 100 little butterflies! They ranged from 1.5"-3" on the Cricut dial, and I used the Give a Hoot and Picturesque cartridges to get the different butterflies I liked.   I'm sure you could find die cuts already made at Joann's or Michael's, or you could go to a scrapbooking store and borrow/rent their Cricut machine for a few hours to cut out what you want.  

I didn't really take step-by-step photos after this, because stringing the butterflies and attaching them to the hoops kept both of my hands busy! But, the basics steps are that I used clear fishing line type wire and I cut 8 21" lengths of wire, and 6 18" lengths.  Then I used a needle to poke 2 little holes in the center of each butterfly, then threaded 4-6 butterflies on per strand (4 on the 18" lengths of wire, 6 on the 21" lengths), going from the bottom butterfly to the top.  I used a little hot glue to fix the bottom one on each strand so it didn't slide off, but the rest of the butterflies didn't really slide on the wire since the needle holes were small enough.   For the base of the mobile, I deconstructed a pre-fab wreath base from Michaels (about $1.79) that had 4 hoops connected by wires (like this):

At first I was going to paint it whole with all 4 hoops, but it ended up looking pretty sketchy and just home-made, so I took it apart with some pliers and wrapped 2 of the hoops in satin ribbon, fixing the ends with hot glue to make sure it won't unravel.  Using coordinating thread, I tied the 2 hoops back together at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions to form the 2-hoop base, similar to how the wires were holding it together to begin with.  

Then, using the hot glue gun, I put a little dab of glue at evenly spaced points around the hoops (one at a time, of course, or it wouldn't have been so hot), and attached the 6 18" strands around the outer hoop, and the 8 21" strands around the inner hoop. I cut 4 lengths of ribbon to hang the mobile from, and glued those in equal spacing around the outer hoop.   

Close view

Hanging over the changing table

Whole room perspective

27 Weeks 4 Days - Ultrasound Check

Today was the ultrasound re-checking for the placenta previa.  It has moved some in the last 8 weeks, and is no longer fully covering the cervix, but is still only about 1 cm away from the cervix.  The docs want it to be at least 2 cm away in order to attempt a vaginal delivery, otherwise they would recommend a scheduled c-section.  So we will have another ultrasound at 32 weeks and hopefully by then it will have moved up another cm or more, and we'll be in the clear.  If not, they will schedule another ultrasound to check one last time, and then proceed with scheduling her birthday for her if need be.  My goal is to do whatever is safest for both of us.  While I would prefer (for various and sundry reasons, I'm sure to be detailed in a future post) not to have a c-section, I would be 100% on board if that meant she would be delivered safely and the risk of complications to me and my uterus were minimal.  But I'm still hoping for it to move enough that we can safely attempt a vaginal delivery. If they feel it's on the cusp and might not be a good idea, then so be it.  We'll just have to see, I guess. More waiting, yay!

She, however, looks great.  They estimate that she weighs about 2lb 7oz! Her heart rate was normal and in the 130s, and we clearly saw a beautiful, typically formed 4 chamber heart just beating away!  Her kidneys look normal and all of her measurements that were taken seemed to be great.  As far as the measurement that was abnormal at 20 weeks, there isn't much they can do to re-check that at this point. The nuchal fold measurement is invalid after about 21 weeks, so we'll just have to sit and wait with the prospect that it was an abnormal finding that probably means nothing.

They turned on the 3D imaging for us, and she wasn't in a great position for full face photos, but we did get a few that are pretty neat! Nevermind the blobbiness in some parts of the shot - there were just things like placenta/cord/etc floating about that were kind of in the way. That, and her head was all jammed down and NOT movin'! But look at the CHEEKS! And, I suspect someone was pouting a little bit in the last pic... apparently we were interrupting her regularly scheduled programming for the morning.

 Showin off her little she-guns!

Pouting - look at that frown! 

So today was a good day :) I also drop my hours this week, and it looks like everything is going to work out just fine with my benefits and everything as planned, so I feel relieved about the situation and happy to take some time to rest! 

27 Weeks - Hello Third Trimester!

Today is the start of the third trimester, and literally as if on cue, it feels as if the "glow" and comfort and energy of the second trimester that everyone talks about (which I was lame enough not to even really notice let alone appreciate while experiencing them...) seem to be fading quickly into the past.  While riding home last night after work, I thought to myself that I feel as tired as I did around 6 weeks, and that's saying a lot! By the end of the work day, I'm pretty much spent. My mental to-do list is piling up at a frightening rate, and then I get home and change clothes and eat dinner and it's all I can do to convince myself that 8 PM is not a dignified bedtime for an adult on a nightly basis.  As I've continued to talk about on here, the SPD doesn't help, but more than that I'm just generally wearing out more quickly now.  I guess that's why they call it the "home stretch" - there is still quite literally LOTS of stretching to be done, but at least we are counting down the weeks now instead of counting up.


Little girl is working on her lungs now - her nostrils are open and she's "breathing" amniotic fluid and practicing inhaling and exhaling for her big debut when she'll have to do it on her own.  She's about the size of an eggplant and weighs over 2 lbs! Maybe we'll get an even more accurate estimate of her size at the ultrasound on Monday.  One thing I am definitely noticing (and Matt has too!) are specific body parts when she moves around.  Not that I can identify what is an elbow or knee or butt, but I can definitely tell that lump protruding slightly on the left side of my belly is distinctly part of someone and not just a transient blob of blobbiness knocking about in there! So far none of the movement has been uncomfortable or feeling like getting swiftly kicked in the ribs or anything, but I am guessing those days are just around the corner!


Here we are at 27 Weeks - my belly button seems to be popping slightly, but I think that is also because I just ate dinner right before we took this :-) Up just under 10 lbs today at the midwife appointment, so I guess I'm on track.  She said the "fundal height" is also just where it should be, so no worries about development from a growth perspective, I guess.  

Our nursery fabrics have been ordered, and I've already received all but one of them! I hope to have the other one arrive by the end of the week and then I can think about getting projects started.  I decided to go with these:

 

The aqua trellis pattern will be the main part of the crib skirt with the raspberry dandelion print as the trim along the bottom.  The multi-colored botanical print fabric is called "Teja" and will be the curtains, and aqua paisley is a super plush minky fabric that I'm planning on doing a changing pad cover with.  Then I should have enough of each to do some other small accents in the room.  I know I perseverated and spent WAY too much time making this decision but I'm happy with the choices and can't wait to see them come together! I think they look perfect for a spring baby girl and I am so excited to see all the other little things I'm hoping to have ready all in one space.  We are deciding on a chair, and have one pretty much picked out. I think we're going to go with the upholstered glider/rocker from PB Kids with the white twill and stone piping slipcover (shown here in just white and slipcover below).   The walls will be a light tan/sand color, still to be picked out.  

Still looking for a small side table for beside the chair (I mean small...there's not a ton of room in there, and with a larger chair there will be even less!).  Like, enough room for a little lamp, a coaster, and the sound machine.  If anyone has a small table they want to get rid of or you see in your travels that could be repainted white, give me a shout! Ideally, I think I'd like it to have one drawer, like this (but this one is $97 from Target - their South Hampton Night Stand, and I don't really feel we need to spend that much): 

First up however, we must get finished emptying the room (almost there!) and then tape and paint it, and then we can do the rest, which is the fun part! Can't wait to share our progress as we go!

Disappointed

Despite trying our hardest to keep up the charade, Matt's dad found out the sex of the baby.  I know everyone on the Smith side of the family worked so hard to keep the secret, and then he ended up finding out from someone else who didn't know he didn't want to know. I just feel...defeated, disappointed, and overall just bummed that this was the way he heard the news. If it wasn't going to be a surprise to him on the day of her birth, I at least would have wanted him to hear that his first grandchild would be a grand-daughter from one of the people in his life he cared about the most. It's such big news, and I feel like instead of being fully able to enjoy being excited about it, the moment was tainted by the fact that he found out the "wrong" way.  I know these things happen, and it's certainly not the end of the world, but I just wish I could erase what he heard and make it 3 more months!  I don't regret knowing that we're having a girl for myself, in fact I'm very happy that we know, but it would have been so great if he heard the way he wanted to, too. 

On a separate, although also somewhat disappointing note, I'm planning to drop my hours at work to 3 days/week in the next few weeks.  I will discuss it with Holly at our appointment tomorrow, and I have already talked to my manager and she's supportive of pretty much whatever I need to do.  That being said, I'm disappointed in that I feel like my body is letting me down a little bit. I went into this feeling so energetic and capable, and while I know my body is still doing the primary task of creating a safe haven for this little one to grow and develop, I wish that I was able to do what I thought I would be able to do, and work and Zumba and be fit and active all the way up to the end. I feel like you hear all these women who did X,Y, & Z right up to their due date, and I thought I'd be one of those women.  I planned on being one of those women. I know, our bodies go through changes that are 100% out of our control during pregnancy, but I still feel like somehow I should be able to push through and get to the end of this marathon like a champ, not sitting on my couch. Everyone (at work, at home, my friends...) keeps reminding me that my goal needs to be to help my body do what it needs to in order to grow this little one as long and as well as possible, and of course that's my priority, but it just feels a little bad to admit that I can't do all the things I planned to do and keep that goal my #1.  And so, as with every other challenge I've faced in life, I will adapt and do what I need to do, even if it's disappointing and even if I feel defeated, because it's a time limited thing and in a few (what will be VERY short weeks, I'm afraid) it will end, and I will be a mama. And that will be worth any cost :)

26 Weeks, and some nursery decisions!

Today marks the start of the final week of the second trimester...2/3 of the way done with this first pregnancy of mine and it blows my mind how the weeks are starting to melt away now.  The first trimester went painfully slowly (at times at least), and every day that I successfully made it through felt like a triumph.  Now, I find that week by week suddenly it's time to take another belly shot and mark the passing of another week closer to baby day.  Basically, if I go as long overdue as they will let me, at most it will be 16 weeks from now until I meet our little baby!  Depending on how things go with the placenta previa and/or just delivering before my due date, it could be sooner than that.   HOLY CRAP. and EEEEE!

I have a midwife visit in a week, and will be discussing my plans to drop my hours a little bit at work over the next few weeks.  The SPD has started to be much more of a problem, and it's very clear when I've overdone it and my body simply won't go anymore.  I have had to call in to work a few times because I couldn't stand long enough to get in the shower in the morning :( I never imagined I would be one of those pregnant ladies who just couldn't do daily things like lift a laundry basket or get out of the car without help, but alas, here I am.  It's not even because the belly is so big and cumbersome yet, but the pelvic pain is just enough to be downright incapacitating at times.  I feel guilty to even consider dropping my work hours, but the people around me here have been more than supportive and have reminded me that I'm growing a person for goodness sake and should just do what my body says.  Then, on 1/24 we have our ultrasound to re-check the previa, so we will know a little better what things look like and what to possibly plan for in terms of delivery (c-section versus attempting a normal delivery).  I will certainly keep this updated regarding what we find out.

Baby should be about 1 2/3 lbs and 14" head to heel this week.  She is able to "breathe" amniotic fluid now (even if the thought of her breathing essentially her own pee is kind of weird).  Her inner ear nerves are pretty well developed, too, and she can now not only distinguish my voice but that of someone else I'm having a conversation with!  Her eyelids are open and she blinks now, too!  Go baby, go!

I decided on the fabric for the nursery - at least I know for sure about the blue trellis fabric, and it's ordered and on its way! I haven't ordered the complimenting fabrics yet, but am pretty sure we'll do the raspberry dandelion and still deciding on the second.  Can't wait to see it all come together!  The room that will be the nursery is mostly cleaned out and ready to paint! Looking forward to seeing some progress in there over the next few weeks, and I'm sure it will ease my anxiety about not having anything for baby (like, I keep having dreams that we don't have anywhere to put her to sleep, or she doesn't have any clothes...which is the current situation but of course we will by April!).

So that's the scoop this week :) I'll update this post with a belly pic when I get home tonight!

How cute are these?

For taking monthly photos of baby as she grows? You stick them to a onesie or shirt, and snap a pic every month, just like I've been doing with my weekly belly photos! Not that little Smith will have a shortage of pics, I'm guessing, but these are so cute! Etsy has tons of different designs and I think I like these.  Gonna have to get a set, I think!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64833386/13-monthly-stickers-bellagirl-receive-a

Any mom friends of mine (well anyone of course can chime in - please!) have a good suggestion for a "coming home outfit"? People have started asking me (God knows why it matters anyway, but particularly this early?) what we're bringing her home in.  My first answer was "Umm, her carseat?" haha!  I just figured we'd end up with some cute sleeper or little snap down thing from a shower or just random travels, and that would be that. We aren't doing a fancy lacy gown that's been handed down through generations or something, and I don't really feel that sentimental about what we bring her home in I guess.  Definitely NOT planning on spending any large sum of money on an outfit that she will sully either before we even leave the hospital, or on the way home, but I guess since we'll commemorate her first trip outside with pics she ought to at least look cute!   Hard to buy right now, too, because I don't know if she'll be early or late, and what size to have...ok seriously not that worried about it but I've already been up for 3 hours and it is 9 am on Sunday and what the heck else do I have to be doing besides obsess about things that don't make a damn bit of difference ;)?

"Babylegs" by Mama Tots

The baby craft bug has bitten, and I'm so into tiny little projects that we can put on our girl and have the satisfaction of knowing I made for her.  My current obsession regarding her future tiny parts to be adorned with handmade love happens to be "Babylegs" - the name is copyrighted I'm sure, but the concept is not.  For those who might wonder, "Babylegs" are little teeny legwarmers for baby's bare legs - why in the world does a baby need leg warmers, you ask?  Well, for newborns they are handy for keeping their legs covered and warm during diaper changes and so you don't have to mess with getting pant legs on and off.  As they grow, babylegs are helpful for covering and padding crawling knees and keeping legs warm during colder months even under pants (or little dresses OMG). So needless to say,  I thought I'd try my craft-loving hand at a pair, and here's what we've got. I think I'm going French with this one, and calling them "Bebe-Jambes" :)

Crocheted Bebe-Jambes by Mama tots:

These would be better pics if there were baby toes sticking out of the ends...but you get the idea. 

I can't wait to see her little cloth-diapered bum and chubby little thighs with these lovelies on! I have another color of yarn waiting for me to whip up another set, and it might just become a bit of an addiction, I'm afraid.  

I followed a pattern (here: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70440AD.html?noImages=)  but made some adjustments and used a self-striping sock weight yarn instead of alternating colors of worsted weight yarn, so I'll repost my pattern in case you want to have at it!

Newborn size baby leg warmers: 

Yarn used: Serenity Sock Weight (or "fingering" weight) yarn in Thyme, 1 skein (1.76 oz)

E-4 crochet hook

Yarn needle

Using larger hooks or a heavier weight yarn will result in larger leg warmers.  Test gauge to achieve desired size. Mine measure about 2 1/4" across and 11" long. 

Lower Ribbing
Begin with Ch 6.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across - 5 sc.
Rows 2-36: Ch 1, turn, working in back loops only, sc in each sc across

Leg
Rnd 1: Pivot to work in ends of rows along edge, ch 2, work 38 hdc evenly spaced along edge; join with sl st in top of beginning ch.
Rnd 2-38 (or until 1 1/2 in. (4 cm) less than desired length): Ch 2, turn, hdc in each hdc around; join with sl st in top of turning ch. 

Top Ribbing
Note: Sc worked in rows and through the back loop only, forms the top ribbing. The rows are joined to the top (last rnd) of the Leg with sl sts as work proceeds. 

Begin with ch 6.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across, sl st in next hdc of last rnd of leg - 5 sc.
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sc in back loop of each sc across.
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in back loop of each sc across, skip next hdc of last rnd of leg, sl st in next hdc of last rnd of leg.
Rep last 2 rows until top ribbing has been worked around entire top edge of leg. Working through both thicknesses, sl st through ch-6 foundation ch and last row of top ribbing to close seam. Fasten off. 

FINISHING
Sew lower ribbing seam. Weave in ends.

I found the seam to look slightly cleaner by turning the finished leg inside out after weaving the ends in.  

2 other colorways for nursery fabrics, thoughts?

Ok, so of course, I cannot make a decision.  What do you, my friends and family, think of these two options? (Clearly, I love the raspberry dandelion print - as it appears in all choices).  I think now I'm leaning towards this first choice....why must this be such a difficult decision for me?  I love the geometric prints for the crib skirt, but want to keep it soft enough that it's still feminine.

Crib Skirt:
 
 with this at the bottom:

 

Curtains:

 

with same bottom panel as skirt.

 

-OR-

 

Crib Skirt:

 plus

and curtains:

-OR- the one shown several posts below with the geometric print??

The wall color will remain some type of tan/sand/beige. My mom tends not to lean towards the cooler color palettes for paint, and since the room will be in her home it has to work.  That said, I think a neutral wall color can be the basis for any color scheme, and any of these would look nice against a pale sand. 

25 weeks (almost)

Just a quick update for a belly shot - today is actually 24W+5D but it's close enough! 

Dear God do my eyes look that baggy all the time?

At 25 weeks, our girl can reach her own toes and hold on to them! She can also make a fist (so that's what I've been feeling lately!).  If you listen from the outside, it's now possible to hear her heartbeat without a doppler or stethoscope - we'll have to try that to see if it's true, or if you only really hear my stomach deciding if dinner was a worthy choice or not... I'm feeling all kinds of movement lately which range from gentle bumps to some stronger pointy jabs. Matt felt a particularly swift kick the other day and was shocked at how strong it feels even from outside! He asked "what does that feel like from inside when it feels that crazy strong outside?"  It's hard to explain, but sometimes it feels like if you jammed a few irregularly shaped balls or objects and then rolled them over one another inside a sock or something.  Pretty cool :-) 

In other pregnancy related news, I've decided not to teach my winter session of Zumba after all.  With the increasing SPD (pelvic/pubic pain) I've been having, plus the possibility of complications from placenta previa, I just felt that it was important to listen to my body and take it a little easy (which many of you know is particularly hard for me to do sometimes).  I wanted to teach this winter for a few reasons, including staying in shape before delivery and also not letting my students down, but I know I have to do what's important for the pregnancy and that was that. I'll plan to go back to teaching in September, but a little break will probably be a good thing anyway.  The SPD is pretty obnoxious, and that literally feels like my pubic bone is separating when I move certain ways (rolling over in bed, pushing something with my feet or even taking off one shoe using the other foot, going up stairs etc).  The only thing that really helps that is to take it easy, and Zumba is not exactly that, unfortunately. I'm going to get a support band to wear around my hips to see if that helps, too, because it's getting challenging to stand for longer than 15 minutes at a time, and sometimes it is so achy it hurts to stand on one foot long enough to put my legs in my pants! 

Our next ultrasound is in 3 weeks, and they will re-check the placement of the placenta (and I am going to ask them to turn on the 3D for a minute to try and get a glimpse what our girl looks like...hoping they will!).  If it's still low-lying or completely covering the cervix, they will do a repeat u/s again at 32 weeks, and begin to make a delivery plan if we have to think about a c-section.  If it's all clear, then we can proceed with planning a normal delivery.  We're enrolled in a condensed childbirth prep series at the Center for the Childbearing Year which will be 2 Saturdays in the early spring regardless, and I think that will be good for us even if we think we're planning for a c-section just in case that option changes at the last minute.  I definitely feel like I need to start getting my head in the game if I'm going to have a natural delivery, which is the way I'd like to see this go.  More on "birth plans" in a future post, however. 

3 more weeks until the 3rd trimester begins...so hard to believe I'm nearly 2/3 of the way through this! 

Nursery Inspirations

Post Holidays, and a few days into the purging/organizing of the space at my Mom's that will be our little girl's first room, I'm starting to brainstorm decor ideas for the nursery.  I don't want to have a really specific theme (i.e Ladybugs! or Butterflies!), or have a migraine inducing throbbing pink explosion, but I want to have a space that feels relaxed, sophisticated, and put together.  After a reasonable amount of time weekend spent entirely searching for fabrics online, I thought I was totally settled on my choices, but then the bug bit a second time and I'm rethinking what I want.  I will be making the crib skirt and curtains at the very least, and most likely a few throw pillows and smaller accessories like possibly a diaper stacker (even though I want to use cloth diapers, I think it could come in handy for those or something else).  I'm planning to use this sewing pattern for the basics minus the bumper pad, which we aren't using for safety reasons:

For curtains, I don't think I'm going to need a pattern but I'm planning to do floor length panels (84") with a primary fabric and a contrasting band of fabric along the bottom for an accent.  I also plan to add a band of the contrast fabric along the bottom of the crib skirt to coordinate the two. 

Here are some of the fabrics I like at the moment:

For the main fabric in the crib skirt:

For the trim panel on the skirt and curtains:

 

 

 

For the main part of the curtains:

 

I'm also thinking of doing a very thin stripe of a pale lime between the primary and contrasting fabrics to tie them together, possibly something like this:

 

 

The walls will be painted in some shade of tan/sand/taupe/oyster/beige and the trim will be white.  I'm planning to paint the furniture white as well.  I really like Sherwin Williams Oyster bar for the walls:

 

 

 

So that is my current inspiration board :) I want to incorporate touches of "natural" elements like baby birdies/owls, a wall collage of vintage styled and modern prints (Matt got us some REALLY cute papers from Hollanders to play with), and a DIY fluttery mobile project similar to this:

Organizationally, we need a small bookshelf for all the books we already have (!) for this little girl, and something for the closet, and I'm thinking about one of these with color coordinating fabric bins:

Thoughts?

 

2011 - the year I will become a mama

My apologies for the missed posts - with the holidays bearing down on us and working all week, it was the best I could do to make sure all the major items were checked off my list, and the blog slipped to the back burner.  But, to recap, Christmas came and went and was just as lovely as it is every year. We did our annual Christmas Eve dinner with Matt's family, and let me tell you, I married into a great one there! Delicious food, family stories, and the excitement of the kids on Christmas Eve (although they are all getting SO grown up and I have to say it's amazing to see how they each get a little bit more reserved and less Santa'sComing!Santa'sComing!OMG every year).  And for those of you who wanted to see pics, I brought a peppermint meringue chocolate ganache cake for dessert, and it was SO delicious!

The cake, pre-slicing 

 The inside view

The 23 Week Belly at Christmas Eve

Our Christmas morning was actually pretty perfect, as it was the first time since we lived in our condo that we've actually had our own time together on Christmas day without anyone else. We opened our gifts in front of the fire with mugs of coffee and a few special treats, and just spent the day generally relaxed and jammied until my Mom got home from work and Allison came over.  Family dinner before 8 PM and opening our gifts at night by just the light of the tree was a little upside down for the way we usually do it, but it was really nice and a great way to end the day.  Of note, I received a video camera (well, apparently I made this wish recommendation quite clearly known and both Matt and Mom got one for me...oops!), so just get ready for an onslaught of adorable videos this spring! :)

Anyway, I have now hit the 24 week mark and the very brink of viability. Little girl's lungs should be developed enough to offer at least a chance of survival outside the womb (although I've been quite clear with her that she is to stay put for a while yet!).  She should weigh about 1.5 lbs and will begin putting on the weight now.  According to one of the many weekly email updates my inbox is regularly assaulted with, she is currently approximately the size of a papaya :)

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Reflecting on 2010, looking forward to 2011

2010 held much excitement and promise for us.  We continued to work very hard every month towards our goal of paying down debts and moving closer to being able to look into buying our own home.  We had hoped that this would happen by the end of this year, and although we're not quite there we've made tremendous progress, and I have to remind myself how much we have accomplished.  We have pushed ourselves to give things up or hold off on things that we wanted, we have learned the importance of patience and fortitude towards a shared goal, and we have continued to learn that supporting each other no matter how difficult the circumstances might seem at times is ultimately what will get us to that end.  And so, in 2011, we will continue to forge ahead and hopefully this year will be the year that we do in fact become homeowners. 

2010, as you all know from reading this blog, was also the year we decided to take the leap towards parenthood.  We were lucky enough to conceive without a struggle, and I feel so fortunate to have had a relatively normal pregnancy thus far.  Being slightly less than 16 weeks from our due date, I am looking forward to the remaining experiences that this journey will have in store, but more than that I am looking towards the most wondrous change our lives will probably ever see; becoming parents for the first time.  I think we both have the chops to handle it with relative grace, and the support we have from friends and family will see us through when we inevitably falter.   This role, Mama, is something I feel I have literally waited most of my life to experience, and I feel ready. I honestly hold very little anticipatory anxiety about those first early stages of motherhood, anyway...thinking about raising a teenage girl does pose its challenges, but we'll work up to that by the time we need to! I feel knowledgeable, prepared, and overwhelmingly excited to experience that which I have admired in others for so many years.  To have a little face look to me as one of the most important sources of love and knowledge and guidance, to nourish both a body and a developing soul, to raise an intelligent, present, caring member of our human race...I am truly honored to have the opportunity to try my hand at this.  

Aside from the obviously major changes that 2011 has in store for us, my other goals (albeit related to that in some way) are to simplify, de-clutter, and organize both my physical spaces and my inner self.  I want to feel that the spaces I surround myself with bring me peace, calm, and comfort, so that I can live as presently and simply as possible.  I want to experience my remaining pregnancy and maternity leave fully, not living in a whirlwind of clutter and physical mayhem (of course some of that comes with having a newborn around, but I at least want to start with a clean slate, both mentally and physically).   I am notoriously terrible at getting and staying organized, and I truly want this year to be a fresh start. With that in mind, the rest of this weekend is dedicated to clearing out spaces and finding what we cannot live without, and doing away with much of the excess. 

What are your goals/resolutions/hopes for 2011?