Etsy Finds - All that is Baby Girl!!!

I have a new obsession.....

Small Ranunculus Flower on a Skinny Elastic Headband

$7 - from Misty Days Boutique

Rolled Rose Flower with Feathers on a Skinny Elastic Headband

$12 - from Misty Days Boutique

I just ordered these adorable headbands for the Princess and I fear this is just the beginning of what will become a huge collection. I find myself browsing Etsy trying to remember what the most prominent colors are in her wardrobe so I can order more to match. This is so not good for my bank account. Here are a few other things that I've added to my "Favorites" list lately...

LOLA - Purple DUPIONI Silk Rosettes on an Eggplant Stretch Headband

$17.95 - from Polka Dot Bungalow

LAYLA - Orange and PINK Dupioni Silk Rosette Headband

$18.95 - from Polka Dot Bungalow

Chartreuse Dupioni Silk Floret Duet Peacock Plumage Headband

$25.50 - from Her Royal Fatness

Baby Pink Satin Fabric Floret Infant Headband with Guinea Feather Accent

$12.75 - from Her Royal Fatness

Vintage Style Headband

$10.50 - from The Olive Tree Boutique

Felt Headband

$4 - from The Olive Tree Boutique

Baby Onesie - They also have Onesie/Headband Sets!

$8.50 - from The Olive Tree Boutique

LISA - Mary Jane Crochet Baby Shoes

$23.00 - from Curly Birdie

Purple Shell Beanie with Yellow Flower

$10 - from HuggaBeans

Making progress and a new birth date!

We had our weekly check-up yesterday. I'm a little over 1cm dilated and we have been officially scheduled for our c-section on 8/6 - that's NEXT FRIDAY!!! We were initially a little bummed to lose out on 8/9/10 (our doctor is over-booked and I could potentially end up waiting around until 7pm for the c-section, meaning I'd be all day without food and that is NOT acceptable), but then I realized that my husband's birthday is 6/8, so that makes 8/6 almost as awesome as 8/9/10. I mean, if we couldn't get the date we really wanted, this is really the next best thing AND it puts her in our arms a few days sooner.

We did a little shopping last night and realized that there really isn't anything else that we need for V. I want to pick up a few more little hats and mittens but I hate that all the packs come with stupid fabrics. What's wrong with just solid colors? All those tacky prints are going to clash with her cute outfits. I'm going to hit the local consignment shop this week to see if I can find any cute, plain hats on the cheap. I remember getting a few there for Logan.

I still have a lot of cleaning to do around the house before I'll consider us truly "ready". My To Do List only has about half of the tasks checked off so it looks like I'm in for a busy weekend. So much for spending our last infant-free weekend relaxing and resting up. We also have a wedding to go to, so it's not like we'd have just been laying around anyway. Aaaaand I have to find something cute to wear that I can fit this belly into.

So that's where we stand as of right now. Like I said, I'm starting to dilate which could mean absolutely nothing OR we could continue to progress and meet our little girl even sooner than planned. That's the magic of childbirth folks - it's all totally unpredictable. You can plot and plan out every minute detail but the baby really doesn't give a damn about your plans. She'll come when she's good and ready. 

In not even a little bit awesome news, I discovered tiny little stretchmarks on the underside of my belly last night. Somehow I held myself together and didn't freak out or even cry, but I am truly heartbroken. My belly was at least twice this size when I had my son and I have not a single belly stretchmark to show for it. This time around I'm "tiny" as everyone tells me, and yet my belly can't take the strain. Are you freaking kidding me? So screw you, belly skin! I guess I'll be retiring my 2-piece bathing suit along with my maternity clothes.

This was me @ only about 6/7 months w/ Logan. I was at LEAST twice this size by the end. This time around, I'm only a little bigger than this @ full term, and yet somehow my belly can't take it.

Oh, and I think I have a sinus infection. Not cool. 

Baby Logan

I've been clearing all my pictures and whatnot off my work computer in preparation for maternity leave. It took me a few days and 3 already half-full thumb drives, but I'm finally done. In the process, I came across some adorable baby pics of Logan that I thought I'd share. He was such a sweet little thing. It's helpful to remember this when he's destroying my house.

Me, my parents, and a brand new Logan.

Logan's 1st bloody lip - of course I had to take a picture.

His 1st haircut.

He completely emptied that cabinet and thought it was the greatest thing EVER.

Christmas 2007

This was the day he learned how to take his diaper off.

The 1st time my boys met.

Swimming under the stars

It's official, my new favorite thing is a nighttime swim. I've been passing up a lot of pool trips these last few weeks because I simply can't stand all the sun and heat even once I'm in the pool, so this is the perfect solution! There's just something about floating around in a pool under the stars. It's kind of romantic....even when the shallow end is full of screeching preschoolers. Also, I look damn sexy in moonlight. The only downside is that I practically need help hauling my huge self out of the pool when it's time to go. I swear, after an hour or two of near weightlessness, once I hit dry land again, it feels like I've gained a whole extra person and not the 35 or so lbs that I've actually put on. So to all my fellow mommas, if you have access to a pool, give it a try and tell me if you're in love too. Just make sure hubby is on hand to help pull you out of the pool!

A few more post-swim pics from Sunday night:

Logan now swims underwater. And by "swim" I mean that he goes under and flails his limbs around for a few seconds before popping back up to the surface in nearly the exact same spot he went under. He does, however, perform this maneuver with his eyes open, which I think makes him a pretty advanced "swimmer" for his age.

My poor baby's eyes were still red and puffy this morning.

You really can't tell from this picture but he is about 4 shades tanner than I am. He may be fair-haired and a huge chunk of Irish, but apparently he has enough Native American blood from my side of the family to bronze instead of burn.

Baby Bump @ 37 Weeks

Taken last night after our night-time swim.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. She's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!). (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

How far along? 37 Weeks!

Weight gain?  I'm honestly not sure. Last week at our appointment I was too busy making sure Kyle didn't peek to look myself. I go back tomorrow, so we'll see if I'm brave enough to look.

Maternity clothes?  Some of my tops are a little short now and my below-the-belly maternity jeans are starting to dig into my sides from where my stomach is stretching them out more. I'm still wearing  mostly non-maternity dresses but a few of them are even getting a little tight through the middle.

Sleep?  I get 1-2 hours on a side before my hips/ribs/groin start to throb and I have to flip over to the other side. I thought this would keep my husband up at night, but apparently he sleeps like a freaking rock.

Best moment this week?  Our night-time swim last night. The water was super, super warm and it was sooo nice to not have the sun beating down on us. I swam all over - which is a big change from my usual floating in my special floaty chair.

Movement?  Wow. The stretching and pushing can get pretty intense. I won't be surprised if she comes out with a big bruise on the top of her head from pushing against the bottom of my rib cage.

Food cravings?  Marshmallows. There is some commercial on tv where a country band roasts marshmallows on the side of the road to make smores and it's got my DYING for a smore. I was trying to convince myself that I could make them in the oven over the weekend but settled for making rice crispy treats instead. Logan helped and we actually made 2 whole batches - one original and one cocoa crispies with nutella mixed into the marshmallow. They're both really, really delicious. I think I probably ate 10 of them this weekend. It's not looking good for my weigh-in tomorrow.

Labor signs?   The Braxton-Hicks contractions are picking up in frequency, duration, and intensity, but still no real signs of labor. I've noticed that they hurt way more if I'm standing.

Belly button in or out?  Way, way out.

What I miss?  Painting my toe nails without smashing the baby and all my insides.

What I am looking forward to?  Getting her OUT! We're so close now, that's all I can really think about. That and only having 10 days left of work before I start my 3 glorious months of maternity leave! I haven't been without work for 3 months since college. I'm REALLY looking forward to that.

Emotions?  Short-tempered, weepy, sentimental, etc.

Milestones: We're officially full term today!

2.5 Hours to Freedom!

I just have a few random tidbits for you today, because it's Friday afternoon and I've got major weekend tunnel vision.

I discovered a few weeks ago that I could do this:

I swear I'm not eating I Can't Believe It's Not Butter straight out of the tub with a fork. I may be pregnant, but I'm not a freak. It's leftover corn. And, yes, we eat in the living room off of tv trays, otherwise we'd miss Wheel of Fortune.

The belly holds drinks nicely as well, as long as V doesn't go too crazy in there.

And in case you're wondering how my son managed to get kicked out of Vacation Bible School, not once but twice....apparently, on both occasions he locked himself in a bathroom stall and screeched at the top of his lungs because he liked the echo. The 1st time it happened, he was there by himself and the VBS staff couldn't get him to come out until my Mom got there to pick him up. The 2nd time was a few nights later and my Mom actually WAS there, but he made his move when she stepped outside for a few minutes. I really wish it was a more entertaining story, but I guess he's not quite the heathen I try to make him out to be. Lol. Honestly, when my mom called me the first night to tell me he had been kicked out, I thought the story would involve nudity or booby touching (the boy loves himself some boobies) or something along those lines. I was actually relieved when she told me what happened. The fact that it happened a second time - and with my mom there - is not cool, but our state fair is in town this week (and he has been waiting impatiently for MONTHS) so I suspect now he'll be on his best behavior at least for the next few days.

Logan @ about 1yr old

Proof that he really is an angel....or was.

Have a great weekend ladies! Try to stay cool!

Baby Bump @ 36 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Baby's now the size of a honeydew! She is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Do I look as tired as I feel? Because I am freaking exhausted! And sore. And soooo over this. I know my belly is still really small for someone who is only a few days away from being "full term" but trust me, there's a full-term-sized baby in there and she likes to stretch out. She likes to wedge her precious little head right up against the bottom of my sternum....you know, right about where my lungs should be. I guess I should be grateful that she's not kicking me in the ribs like her brother did, but honestly, right now I'm not sure which is worse. Not being able to breathe is kind of awful.

Kyle is almost visibly excited about the baby now. This is HUGE considering he really doesn't get excited about things. He even picked out an adorable outfit for her (all on his own) when we were at the mall earlier this week. I think it's finally starting to hit him that we'll have our tiny, perfect, baby girl in our arms very soon. He's constantly touching and kissing my belly and gets a huge laugh out of watching her treat my uterus like a moonbounce. (For the record, I find it significantly less entertaining.) I think she already has him thoroughly wrapped around her itty-bitty finger.

Logan has been really well-behaved lately (except for getting kicked out of Vacation Bible School not once, but twice - but that's a story for another time), but has been kind of clingy, which is REALLY unlike him. I think he's probably getting nervous about having to share Mommy and Daddy with his new baby sister. Ordinarily, he tends to ignore us once we get home, but lately he's been all over us. He's even been doing a lot of snuggling and hugging and kissing with Daddy and that's just bizarre. Kyle teases and torments him a lot so Logan like to tease him back by refusing to hug or kiss him at night before bed or before we leave in the morning. Except for recently. Anyway, I've got his "big brother present" from Vivienne all wrapped and ready to go in our hospital bag (whenever I get around to finishing up packing it). I tried to pick up some things to entertain him quietly while I'm tending to the new baby or that we can do together while she's napping. He got some movies (Yo Gabba Gabba), a paint with water book, dominoes (my mom taught him how to play and he LOVES it), a tea set (I know it's super girly but he has one at my mom's house that was mine and he always asks if we can have tea parties at home but we don't have a set, so I caved and bought him one), one of those Zhu Zhu pets for boys (his is blue and black - very manly for a stuffed hampster that giggles like a baby), a new play cell phone because he got his wet and it died, and some reading flashcards. Originally, I was just going to get him one larger gift, but I thought a bag of smaller things would buy me more quiet time....and quiet time will be a veeeeery good thing.

I'm feeling pretty ready now...for the most part. V's room is done except for a little cleaning and putting away that I still need to do. We toured the maternity ward where I'll be delivering and it seems nice. I still have some questions, but the maternity nurse didn't have the answers so I'll have to wait until I talk to my doctor.  I have 11 days left of work but a ton of stuff to try to wrap up before I go, so I may not be doing much commenting on your blogs over the next few weeks. I'm still reading, just trying to do it quickly, so I can get back to work. I have a crazy long "to do" list hanging on my refrigerator at home, but I doubt I'll get it all done before Baby Time. I got our dining room and kitchen floors swept and mopped last weekend and even got on my hands and knees and scrubbed the baseboards. I even ended up painting all the lower cabinets in our kitchen, but again, I'll save that story of "nesting insanity" for another day. I'm finding myself torn between working my ass off the next few weeks to "get ready" and trying to spend what little time I have left relaxing. Lately, relaxing has been winning over cleaning, but I have my moments.

It's really hot here. What are you guys doing to stay cool?

 

You remind me of the baby...the baby with the power...

Since Baby Jackson was so popular with you ladies, I thought I'd share a couple pics I took of him this weekend. I swear he gets cuter every day! We went out to dinner on Saturday night with Jackson and his parents and he was such a good little guy! Hopefully Vivienne will be as well-behaved!

Those huge eyes remind me of this cute little guy:

"Allo!"

Labyrinth Worm Photo via http://labyrinthfilm.com

Last Weekend

Some of my friends - who weren't able to make it to my big shower - got together last weekend to throw me a surprise mini-shower. My friend Sara had just moved back from a few years in Texas, so I was told that we were taking her out for a Girls' Day to celebrate her return. When we walked into the restaurant and I saw some of my other friends - who had never met the Texas friend - I knew that they had tricked me. It was a wonderful surprise though and really nice to be able to spend some time with the girls. We had girl talk, which I've missed desperately, and enjoyed a really delicious lunch. The girls gave me some cash to gamble with (we went to a restaurant in one of our local casinos) and I ended up doubling my money. Time to go! I wish I had taken more pictures, but this is all I got:

Sara, Kati, Me, Shannon, and Ashley

I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up being the tannest one at the table.

After lunch I went to pick up Logan from my parents (who were in on the whole surprise shower plan from the very beginning) and got to meet their newest addition.

This is Ziva. She's a long-haired chihuahua/poodle/yorkie mix.

I think my mom was a little jealous that I'm getting a brand new baby, so she decided that she needed one of her own. It actually works out nicely because the new puppy is sort of giving Logan a crash course in baby handling and responsibility. He loves Ziva and loves helping my mom take care of her. I'll try to get some pictures of them up soon. They are soooo cute together!

So that's what I was up to last weekend. I had been hoping to keep the next few weekends open for cleaning and relaxing before Vivienne comes, but the days keep filling up anyway. Tomorrow we're going to try to fit in a swim before my parents pick up Logan. They're keeping him for most of the week so they can take him to Vacation Bible School up near their house. Saturday evening we're finally going to go see Baby Jackson and his parents again. We haven't seen them since Memorial Day and I am itching to get my hands on little Jax (his parents call him Jack but I insist on calling him Jax because it's way more bad-ass). On Sunday we have our tour of the maternity ward where Vivienne will be making her grand entrance, and afterwards I'm going to try to get our hospital bag packed. And that's it for our weekend. As always, it will fly by and then the week will draaaaag along. I just keep telling myself that her birthday is only 3 weeks away and I shouldn't rush it, but it's really hard to think that way when we're DYING to finally meet her!

So what are your plans for the weekend?

Nursery Virtual Tour

Vivienne's room isn't TOTALLY done yet, but I have been super-duper productive over the past few days, so I thought I'd share some pictures. Remember, there are still some boxes and junk laying around that I haven't found a place for yet, so obviously those won't be there much longer. Otherwise, enjoy and tell me how nice it looks so I feel better about how much my back hurts.

Viviene's Crib - obviously.

I moved the poms back into the corner so I could use the wall space to hang up some more pictures.

Left: a colorized picture of my mom when she was maybe 4

Middle: the V that I cut out from one of Logan's finger paintings

Right: a picture of my Gram holding the back of her dress up behind her head to show off the full skirt

My Mom's old rocking chair in front of my pretty new curtains and refinished dresser.

My labor of love dresser. It took about 4 days, but it was soooo worth it! Look how pretty it is - even if it is still missing a handle.

Top Left: Colorized photo of my Gram at 18

Top Center: Fabric cut from one of my baby dresses

Top Right: Vivienne's 3d ultrasound picture

Center: A very small picture of my husband on his 6th birthday

Bottom Left: Me (3 yrs old) and my Gram

Bottom Right: Colorized photo of my Gram's younger brother

This is the antique dresser that I bought a few months ago. On top are Vivienne's piggy bank, a green antique vase that we found in Kyle's mommom's basement, an antique mirrored tray, my bronzed baby booties, and a beautiful antique frame that holds 2 pictures of my cousin as a baby. On the floor to the right is an antique victorian hat box where all of Vivienne's blankets are currently residing.

The striped curtain is hiding Kyle's closet. I'm going to change it out for a plain white curtain to match the others in the room. Vivienne's swing is missing the part that we need to hang the mobile so whenever that arrives, it will be ready to go. Please ignore the gift bags full of trash. Kyle finally took it all out to the curb last night so this area is a lot nicer looking now.

So that's her room...so far. There are still some little details to work out, but I at least feel like we'd be ready if she came tomorrow.

What do you think? Did we accomplish the vintage look that we were going for? Is it too much? Be honest!