DIY Project: Baby's New Room!

The last several weeks (months!) I've been working on the baby's room. I put together a "pin board" with a lot of inspirational and real life pieces that I envisioned for his new space.

The hardest part has been finding the right paint color. I wanted JUST the right color and didn't want to settle.

I knew I wanted yellow. And I knew I wanted a bright, clear yellow, not a pastel, precious yellow. Almost neon really. 

So the search began.

I would pick up a few paint swatches whenever we were out at Lowe's or Wal Mart. I narrowed it down to 4 favorites and then went to Lowe's to get samples mixed up. I had prepped the room for painting and then applied some primer to seal the old paint - mustardy tan/yellow and dark maroon. Then I painted big squares of the 4 samples onto a couple of the walls so I could see how they behaved in different lights. Then I waited.

Here's how the room looked when we first moved in - the red/maroon is on the left and right walls, and the yellow is on the window and entry walls. Very dark and enclosed...

We'd go into the room during the day, night, clouds, rain. I even went into the backyard and looked at the color from the outside! ;) I liked one of the swatches best so I painted over the other 3, enlarged the favorite remaining swatch and waited some more.

Like I says, I didn't want to settle. :)

I finally decided I officially loved the color. We left for vacation over the 4th of July week, I still hadn't finished painting. So as soon as we got back I went to Lowe's and got a gallon of the color - Sparkling Yellow Shimmer - and finished the room in a weekend, walls trim and doors.

I'm so pleased!! I love that it has a lot of cool green with the yellow, more grellow than yellow: like a tennis ball but toned down.

My parents were nice enough to outfit baby's room with a majority of the large furniture items - dresser, nightstand, crib, rug and yet-to-be-hung curtains - and Kevin built them all for me last weekend once I was done with the painting. I was pretty worthless as an assistant since sitting on the floor, getting back up from the floor and lifting large pieces of furniture are kind of beyond my capacity right now, but I did try. ;)

Here are a few photos of the room progress and how it looks now.

We still need the rocker/glider and the layout is tentative, but it looks so good! I'm really happy with it and am pleased with how my pin board came together so well in real life. :))

Here is my original pin board:

Priming the dark red beadboard paneling on this wall was a nightmare. 

The gallon of paint, ready for the walls!

Finally done painting - walls, trim and doors - and almost done cleaning up.

Cleaned up and read for furniture!!

Getting started on the dresser.

Half way there...

The crib is done and looks amazing!!

Here is the room as it looks today, as complete as possible (the cat seems pleased ;).  

We still need to ...

1. get the glider (brown leather),

2. get the laundry hamper

3. paint and hang the curtains

(I'm going to use this tutorial and paint wide navy stripes onto some of these great, simple curtains from IKEA)

4. get some art for the walls

But it looks beautiful to me, even incomplete.

We put in a lot of time and effort and the energy this room exudes now is so serene and happy and welcoming. I hope Baby likes it, too. ;)

Next up: Baby's first quilt!

Third Trimester?? So soon?!?!

Today marks my 28th week - 7th full month - of carrying around this little dragon.

He's been kicking and flailing what feels like non-stop for the last couple of weeks.

It HURTS!

Maybe I'm just a weenie, but it's painful lately: SO MUCH pressure and SO MUCH tightness.

I have embraced the ever-so-graceful pregnant lady waddle 110% and when I get up from the couch or out of bed, my knees are the widest part of me, like a bowlegged cowboy. *Awesome*

I am starting to feel like I'll have to get all new shoes since practically every pair is now very snug. I'm hoping that's just the swelling and my feet will go back to their normal 7.5-ness, but I've heard that some people's feet actually stay bigger post-pregnancy so ... who knows. I kind of like my shoes and really don't want to buy a whole new shoe wardrobe.

Apparently little man is about 2.25 pounds and 14 inches this week. He is approximately the size of a napa cabbage. Makes me hungry for cabbage salad with steak and sesame dressing and noodles and lime juice.

With only 84 days to go, I'm definitely starting to feel the crush of duties that are yet to be completed.

Two showers are in the works. My nesting instict tells me these should have been done 5 months ago (along with having all baby's clothes washed and folded, nursery complete, hospital bag at the ready ... learning to sew) so I'm kind of (irrationally) uneasy about the timeline; but I really just need to chill out about that. The hosts are doing a wonderful job and they are giving me such a great gift by hosting these parties for me, I'm beyond honored. I just need to chill out and not be mom-zilla!!

Speaking of showers, here are a few maxi dresses I've been eyeing. I've wanted to get some for a long time and I figured being pregnant (maxi dress = best piece of clothes you can own as a preggy!) and being another hot Texas summer AND having 2 parties coming up, I might as well get something cute to wear.

Sources (l to r):

Dress: Old Navy

Handbag: Charming Charlie

Sunnies: Pinterest

Scarf: Old Navy

Shoes: Pinterest

Sunglasses: Pinterest

Dress: Old Navy

Necklace: Forever21

Handbag: Forever21

Shoes: Tory Burch

Dress: Old Navy

Necklace: Forever21

Handbag: Charming Charlie

Shoes: Old Navy

Baby's room is laughably under-prepared. Curtains, unhung (not even purchased yet, for that matter!). Walls, unpainted. We bought primer, supplies and 4 different paint swatches to try but we haven't done anything with them. I still have to make a trip to IKEA for like 1/2 the stuff that I need for his room. Really stressing me out. I've been "meaning to" get his room ready for weeks, MONTHS, but it's just sitting there collecting dust. I imagine that it looks like the nursery in my mind: complete and coordinated and clean and ready for a baby to live there. NOT EVEN CLOSE. *bites nails*

Here is a little collage I put together of all the elements I'd like to incorporate in his room. The quilt is an inspiration piece I found on Pinterest that my amazing quilting friend is going to recreate for me. She said it won't be exactly the same, but close. She's also making a gray and bright orange pillow for the glider (of course we don't have that yet either!).

Sources:

Dresser: IKEA

Storage Cubes: IKEA

Glider/Rocker/Recliner: Amazon.com

Pillow: will be similar, handmade

Side Table: IKEA

Rug: IKEA

Mobile: Amazon.com

Quilt: similar, handmade

Crib: Amazon.com

Curtains: IKEA, navy stripes will be DIY

Maternity Leave Across the Globe - Prepare to have your mind BLOWN!

Oh I just HAD to share this gem!!

A Facebook friend just posted this and I am yet again awed at the staggering discrepancy between our own 'great' nation and other nations around the world when it comes to the benefits - nay, rights - provided to working families.

Being pregnant makes you aware of so many interesting things about life and existence and parenthood and all that. Most especially as a female, the fascinating - disgusting! - lack of respect for the family unit  when it comes to paid time off for mothers is simply mind boggling. (The family unit, which we as a super-conservative country seem to praise from the hilltops! What gives?!)

Take a look at the other countries around the world treat their pregnant women/new moms. In the US, we get a whopping ZERO weeks of paid leave. Yes, friends. Good ole FMLA allows us to take off something like 10 weeks of UNpaid leave. Great if you have zero debt, no car payments, 6 months of living expenses acrued and your car never ever breaks down, your A/C never ever stops working, you never ever have to go to the Doctor unexpected. Yeah, basically not so great.

For a huge chunk of average women and families, having no paid leave means no leave at all, since many can't afford to simply not generate a paycheck for 4 or 6 or 8 weeks - however long each individual woman deems necessary for her proper recovery AND bonding time with her new baby.

Of all the things we need to rectify about our great US of A, paid leave for new moms AND new dads needs to change, drastically. And NOW. This is unacceptable.

As my FB friend commented: "Pakistan? Really? Come on guys!!!" Yeah.

Good Friends

Sometimes there is a lot for me to complain about. Or I just make up stuff to complain about? Either way I seem to gripe a lot, at times; not ALL the time.

Lately I've been stressing about getting the baby's room ready, finding the right paint, getting my kitchen updated and looking decent, making sure everything in the house is perfect before he gets here - because he'll know if my kitchen floors are ugly or if there is dust behind the couch. ;)

I've had some really nice experiences lately that have reminded me how great it is to have great friends. It's nice to have new friends, but it seems for me that the old friends are the best friends. It's so great knowing people for years and years and having history and familiarity with them. They are my family.

I just spent the weekend with some of my friends/adopted family to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. An excellent excuse to get together for a proper tea with lots of Earl Gray and goodies and finger sandwiches.

And yesterday once I was back in town, I had a visit from one of my oldest neighbors - she has known me since birth. Crazy. Anyway, she has generously made some beautiful quilts for me and Baby. She is a seasoned and talented quilter/seamstress and does amazing work. Here are the two small quilts she made for Baby ... perfect for "tummy time" (tummy time is great and important but I do hate that term for some reason), in the car, picnicing, travel ... and they are so colorful! She knew I wanted lots of color for the Baby so she went with this beautiful rainbow theme with accenting trim and backing.

She is still working on one for Baby's room - about crib-sized - that will hang on one of his walls. Can't wait to see the finished product! She showed us all the colors she had selected for that and they are perfect.

Square rainbow pattern on the front with musical notes on the back. She said the backing was in honor of Kevin since she knows he loves music:

And a pretty rainbow pinwheel with blue trim and stripes and dots on the back:

I'm very grateful for the friends and 'family' who give their time and energy and love to me and Kevin, and our little man Baby. Even before he is here, I know he is loved and looked forward to by our friends.

 Another friend of mine - whose girls I've babysat since her oldest was just a few months old (she's turning 9 this year!) - is graciously hosting a baby shower for me! I'm so happy to have her do that; she will host a wonderful party.

Here are a few inspiration photos I've gathered for the party ... we're still in planning mode, but soon we'll have everything hammered out and the party will be here before we know it. Can't wait!

Today, I'm 27 weeks 4 days. Baby is about 2 pounds and the size of a cauliflower. And he is moving All. The. Time. Jabbing and punching and headbutting. And stretching and pressing. And squashing.

Sometimes it's really uncomfortable, but I'm reminding myself this is a good thing, and that he won't be able to do this forever. My next appointment is in 3 weeks then my subsequent appointments will be bi-weekly.

This Friday I will be 28 weeks and starting my third trimester! I can't believe I'm almost a third trimester mom-to-be! September will be here before I can blink.

Pregnancy Related Incapacitation!

My first thought if drop something on the floor: "$&@#!" (let's be honest)

Next: "Do I really need that?"

And then: "I'll just get another one."

Ahh, pregnancy.

Slowly curing me of OCD, one day at a time.

Dragon Lady is here! aka: grumpy pregnant lady. (Plus, yummy British foods)

The last couple weeks I've been a wimp and complained about everything.

Grumpy.

Moody.

Edgy.

You name it.

And honestly I haven't had that much to complain about. =/

I'm feeling great. Which is a nice change.

My back isn't hurting as much and I'm sleeping better. Even though I wake up uncomfortable sometimes, I'm not tired and I don't really have a "tired slump" as much in the afternoons, so I know I'm getting rested. I do wake up on my back a lot and supposedly you should sleep on your left side for circulation to the fetus or whatever.

But sleeping on my left side is PAINFUL - I have a sharp stabbing pain in my left ribs whenever I inhale. Not conducive to sleep. It's hard enough breathing these days, period; but add pain to the mix? ... So I sleep on my right side now. And then wake up on my back. Breaking all the rules!

I haven't been as hungry/cravey lately. Though I suppose I have been craving fruit. Some days it's almost all I eat before dinner: a banana, apple, orange (sometimes two), sometimes a handful of almonds, sometimes a small piece of cheddar with the apple, any leftovers I may have brought from home, a flipping gallon of water, and then dinner at home. I feel like I'm eating all day but I'm never hungry. I just feel the need to eat something and eat it. I am definitely NOT counting calories these days.

OMG, Kevin convinced me to try some new McVitie's (I'm kind of stuck on my dark chocolate dipped digestives)called HobNobs and I'm flipping out. Addicted!

We got the original ones which are just-crispy-enough and oaty and so good (nobbly!).

And the vanilla creme sandwich HobNobs which are half the size of the originals and filled with yummy vanilla creme, like Oreo but better.

SO FLIPPING GOOD with my tea after dinner.

I'm pretty sure I'm a land whale but that hasn't slowed me down.

Here is my 25 week self!

It's a little bit funny ... this feeling inside.

Can't help it.

I lol'ed thinking about this clip today as the fetus was kicking.