4 Weeks to Go...

As of today, we just have 4 more weeks until our little girl will be here! I was kind of hoping that after my OB apptmt today that I would have some extra special news, but to my dismay that did not happen :( Matt was at my apptmt with me and he asked the doctor what the chances were of her inducing on Halloween, and well, she said she couldn't do it. Apparently inducing before 39 wks can fall under some sort of malpractice deal, and the sad part of it all is that I will only be 3 days away from being 39 wks along...so close!!

So why do I want our little girl here on Halloween? I moved out here on Halloween, and then the first time I met my husband was on Halloween, so I just thought it fitting that our daughter arrive on that day as well. Who knows, nature just may take its course that day anyhow. I guess I just need to sit back and be patient, and not dwell on the fact that no chocolates or anything else can be used to sway my doctor into inducing.

Other updates:
Twice a week I am scheduled to have nonstress tests, as protocol for my gestational diabetes. Well that is where I have learned that I am having contractions. To think all this time I thought that feeling was due to the baby being positioned a certain way, but nope, that tightness is the Braxton Hicks contractions. Who knew..lol surely not me.

As of last night I now have Fred Flinstone feet. I noticed that my feet and ankles are swollen and they look kinda gross. Yes, I know it is part of pregnancy, but I was kind of hoping that I would miss out on it, especially since I have gotten some of the other effects of pregnancy. Oh well, we are almost there ;)

Nursery

Okay, so I know it seems like forever since I last posted about how we were so close to finishing the nursery. Well, it seems as though we keep running into obstacles with painting all of the frames white. It would have been great if we found frames the sizes we needed that were already white in color, but that would have been too easy. Matt has had the tedious job of painting all of the frames white, and encountering painting issues along the way. On his final coat of paint for the frames that will be used to spell out her name, the paint bubbled up and crackled on Every frame! He was so upset, because that was the last step to completing her room :(

Anyway, I felt bad to keep everyone waiting to see the artwork I did on her wall, so here is a look at my craft work. (Note: the paint was still wet in some spots on the tree, so that's why it looks a bit streaky) Once Matt takes another crack at the frames, I will post pictures of our total work to the nursery. Until then, enjoy what you see ;)

Baby Shower with Matt's Work

Just a couple weeks ago Matt's work gave us a baby shower. It was so nice to see how excited his co-workers are for us to have our first baby! They gave us an amazing and much needed gift of a travel system, which is a stroller and carseat. She will definitely be riding in style thanks to their generous gift! Here's a look at her new ride.

His boss also gave us a name frame that is soo neat, because all of the letters of her name are cut out for us to put pictures in it! I have never seen anything like it before. So once she arrives, we will be sure to take a million pictures of her, and fill up her frame that will soon be hanging up for all to see ;)

Another one of his co-workers gave us this adorable outfit with the tiniest and cutest little tennis shoes to match and some little socks! So cute!!

They definitely went above and beyond, and we were so happy for everything they did for us and our little girl! I was so surprised and grateful that another co-worker of Matt's was so sweet to make some sugar free desserts for us to have following our lunch, since this gestational diabetes does not allow for the desserts with sugar (her thoughtfulness made it sweet and they were delicious!).

We have our crib!

Our crib came in on Friday, so Matt and his dad worked on getting it all put together that very evening. Here are a couple pics of what our little girl's room looks like with her crib all together. I was very excited to see it all assembled, so I could finally put on the cribskirt I made, and see how well it coordinated with the valance I had made for her window.

Oh, I have also begun painting on her walls today! Oh my goodness it looks so cute, but sorry...no sneak peaks for you guys. I want to wait until everything is complete before I post anymore nursery room pics, so you'll just have to be a little patient ;)

We're almost there...

Our crib has just come in, so we will be picking it up this evening and begin assembling it. Well, Matt will be in charge of the handy work while, I make sure that he is putting it together just right ;)

With the date getting so much closer we decided to take inventory on baby needs. We have most of what we need, but are still in need of a few necessary items before she arrives. Let's see, we still need:

*1-2 more crib sheets
*changing pad and at least 2 covers
*bottles
*baby monitor
*more burpcloths
*breast pump
*8-10 more burpcloths
*diaper champ

I think once that is set, all we will need to make things complete is our baby girl!

Church Baby Shower

Here are some photos that capture the creative details that Jessica put into the baby shower that she had for us. There were so many added touches that made the day so special for us and all of the guests that attended!

Sneak Peak in Nursery Decor

There are a few pieces of decor that we have finished working on for the nursery. I finished her cribskirt for the second time (after changing my mind on the colors, the first one I made did not coordinate nearly as well). We also finished getting a couple things framed that will hang on her walls. Once the crib arrives and we position it just where we want, I will begin painting a few things on her wall(s). Anyhow, I have included a photo of her cribskirt and one of the frames that will be on her wall. Things are all beginning to come together..I can not wait to see how well it all looks when everything is complete!

Baby Status Updates...

Our last apptmt gave us a more definitive answer to the sex of our baby. I was of course hesitant about the answer of us having a girl at our sonogram in late June. The sonographer did not have the best view of the baby, but thought we were having a girl. This was not assurance enough for me, so we asked the doctor if there was a way we could have another peak to determine the sex of our little one. Sure enough, the sonographer was right! We are definitely having a girl!! Whew..was I excited to know that I could continue with the room decor and not have to exchange all of the pink gifts from our baby shower for blue ones. Our doctor did the recheck and said it was the clearest image she had ever seen for determining the sex of a baby.

It was also our last apptmt where I had to take my glucose test. Unfortunately I did not pass, and had to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. I struck out on that one as well. What that means is that I apparently have gestational diabetes, and now I have to follow a specific diet where I am counting carbs and I also have to stick myself and check my glucose level 4 times a day! The worst part of it is that I am not allowed to have any desserts until after the baby is here!! Do you have any idea how cruel that is not allow a pregnant woman to have anything sweet? Following along with the diet is not too terrible, it just takes some planning and it will be much easier to follow since my husband is soo great to do it right with me! Just a little over 2 months and I will be ordering up dessert from the maternity unit ;)

Ohio Baby Shower

I am definitely slacking on making current posts to our baby blog. I will say that it is all due to the pregnancy ;)

Our trip to Ohio this July was very exciting, as old friends and family were present to help us celebrate the upcoming arrival of our baby girl! It is amazing how the joyous news of a baby can be so infectious to so many people. Here are some photos that Matt was able to capture of the day of the wonderful baby shower that my family had for us.

Nursery Decor

Okay, so I gave myself way too many choices by choosing an array of colors to use in Kylie's room. I love the fabric that I had chosen before with all of the bright colors, and I had already used it to make her cribskirt. Unfortunately, I was overwhelmed with what color to use for the each item in her room, that I decided I needed to alter things.

Below is a sampling of the new color palette that I will be using in her room. All of these colors are used in a Noah's Ark theme that I found while working at Hallmark. I already have in mind what I will be doing for wall decor and may even paint some sort of mural on her walls as well. I will definitely need to revisit my artistic skills, as I create a beautiful room for our little girl!

Once we have another OB apptmt, we will see if they can confirm that we are indeed having a little girl, so I can get started on a new cribskirt. It will be like a bubble gum pink color with a hot pink ribbon as a trim. The colors in the color palette are still fairly neutral, so I can always modify things if needed.