Baby's Room...done and done!

Jason's worried it's all about to get real! We declare this room done and ready for a baby!

This all started 2 summers ago when Dad and I built the shelves and painted! Glad we did, since I wasn't allowed to do any painting or construction this summer! Plus I was asleep.

This room is packed with thoughtful gifts, handmade items, and love for baby!!

Looking attractive on the way to prenatal yoga! Well, one of us looks good.

1/29/12

37 weeks!

More Nursery Projects

Jason has helped me get so much done over the last two weeks! We have scrubbed, organized, built, put away, and put up so much stuff. We have done just about everything on my "get ready for baby" list. Feels great, especially considering my focus next week will shift to getting my school stuff organized and ready to be gone. Just six more weeks of school, and then it's Mid-Winter Break and baby time!

We have been on the hunt for a long time for the perfect decal for the baby's room, and this month we spotted it!! I saw this adorable nursery online and knew this decal was perfect for us! As a Christmas gift to me, Jason ordered it from this Etsy shop, put it up, and installed the perfect shelves. We love it!!

DIY Baby Room Projects

Mom, Jason and I have been busy getting some projects checked off our lists!

We knew we wanted books to be accessible and enticing in baby's room. I had seen this adorable nursery on Project Nursery and loved the book sling! I found the directions to make it here. It turned out to be super easy! The hardest part was finding the perfect fabric!

Jason loves a chance to use his power tools. Also, I think he's willing to do anything for his little girl already!

It works great! Thanks for your help, Mom!

We also made a quick pillow to match.

I also recovered this old bulletin board...finally getting some PINK in this place!

Making everything just right!

Full on Fall - 23 Weeks

Some rainy fall weather around here has been good for getting stuff done around the house, and has inspired some crafty activity! We girls hit up the fabric store to start some Christmas projects (gifts for actual people who are already out of the womb), and do some preliminary scouting for Baby's room. We haven't found the perfect fabrics, but we were inspired by some ideas. We're hoping to make our own crib skirt, display bookshelf (books must be accessible and appealing to our baby, who is going to come out a reader from all these phonics lessons she hears every day!), and maybe some curtains. We also found a pattern for making our own fabric bins, and we're hoping to make the perfect thing to fit in our changing table cubby holes!

Meanwhile, Jason and I assembled the crib! We were able to sell our guest bed (sorry, guests! We still have a super comfy couch and an air mattress...guests are still welcome!) to an adorable teenager moving out for the first time. I couldn't wait to get all those boxes unpacked and out of the room!

You can see a little peek into her closet here...Rachel brought over boat loads of hand-me-downs, and Jason is already complaining that the baby has more clothes than he does!

We are unbelievable thankful that Rachel won this crib and mattress for us. It is beautiful (we LOVE it against our green wall!), incredibly sturdy, and safe. We love the organic mattress, and I feel very relieved to know that our baby won't be pressing her little face into toxins every night. Thank you Lullaby Organics for these amazing gifts!!

We checked another big thing off our list this week. We finally picked a pediatrician! This seemed like a big project to me, we didn't even know where to start! We went to an open house at a local pediatrician group this week, and LOVED it. They work directly with our hospital, and someone from the group will see us in the hospital after the baby is born. We've selected a primary pediatrician, and will start seeing him after that point. The whole practice seemed warm, welcoming, and knowledgeable. We were ready to sign up right then and there!! It's a relief to have something big like that checked off the list.

The baby has been very active this last week, entertaining me with regularly with her kicks and rolls. Jason gets to feel her, though she is still shy around other people so far. Bebe and Auntie Rachel are patiently waiting to get kicked! This weekend she got really going and I swear I could see my whole belly moving! Since she is probably about 11 inches long and a little over a pound now, she can really swing some weight around. :)

The kids at school continue to be very entertained by the baby, and have hilarious questions. I swear, having an unborn child is the best class pet ever! This week it was "Mrs. F, you ARE getting fat!" They continue to debate names, though they are thinking about crossing "Baby F" off the list. One friend recently said, "Mrs. F, I don't think Baby F is a very good name for the baby. Because, actually, she won't always be a baby, and she might get kinda mad that her name is Baby." The other kids seemed to think that was pretty great logic. I resisted telling them about the Dirty Dancing character. I guess Jason and I should get cracking on deciding what we are going to call this child, but luckily we still have time. For now, February Sparkle will have to do.

Here we are at the game last week with some friends. Instead of playing classical music, this baby is getting smarter to the tune of "Bow Down to Washington." We think it will be very calming to her in her infancy!

Halfway to Baby! - 21 Weeks

Things seem a lot different ever since we found out that baby is a girl, and I started feeling her move around in there! Even Jason thinks he can feel her bonking around. There is no question that someone is in there! She also gets lots of hugs from my kiddos, especially since the belly has really started to stick out.

We are starting to make some progress on her room. This week the changing table arrived! Jason assembled about a million pieces, but luckily to him building this stuff is just like real-life LEGOs.

Looks like a cozy spot for a change!

Hooray! There is no mistaking this for a baby's room now! Next step: sell the bed and extra furniture to make room to put together the crib, and pick out some cuteness to make it girly!

We also toured the district infant center! We met all 3 teachers, a happy mom and baby, and checked out the space. We really liked the laid-back atmosphere, and the stellar reviews we have heard from other moms. I think this center is our first choice! We will get on the list as soon as the spots are posted in Jan/Feb!

Prep for Baby - 19 weeks

We feel like there are a million little things to do to get ready for baby! We are slowing making our way through our list, and getting a few things checked off.

We've been daydreaming about how to convert our "Guest Nest" into a cozy room for baby. I'm thankful that dad and I did a bunch of preliminary work last summer (no painting or building for me now!) We are a little reluctant to give up our guest space, but excited about making it work for baby!

This week Mom ordered a changing table for us! We've been on the hunt for the perfect thing to match our Loom crib that Rachel won for us in June. We're still in shock over that one. Thanks, Lullaby Organics! Don't they look cute together?? We haven't seen the changer in real life yet, but we're confident that we will love it!

Yesterday I got the scoop on district childcare, and scheduled us for a tour! The district infant center is at the nearest high school, which is only 2 miles from my school. I've heard GREAT things about the program, and can't wait to check it out. At one year, the baby can be on campus with me! Our long-term plan will definitely depend on where Jason ends up next year, but as a district employee I do have the option of getting a variance and having Baby attend any school in our district. I did laugh while I was trying to fill out the application paperwork...no name, no birthday, we don't even know the gender! No medical records, no immunizations....

We are officially signed up for a birth class! At the recommendation of our midwife, we decided to take hypnobirthing at the hospital. It's a comprehensive birth class that she said would offer the most options to couples who are committed to a natural birth. So for 5 weeks we'll spend Tuesday nights practicing breathing and visualization, and learning about what we can expect during labor. Hypnobirthing has been recommended to us by a couple friends, one who said that it has no become a life skill for any situation where she needs to go to her "happy place" (ie traffic!).

Other than that, we've been reading up a storm! Here are a selection of the books I've read over the last year in preparation for baby and my rating of each...with more to come!

Get Ready to Get Pregnant*****

Complete Organic Pregnancy***

And Baby Makes Three***

Birth Day*****

Catching Babies*****

How to Have Your Second Child First***

Big Book of Birth****

One Year to an Organized Life With Baby***

What to Expect When You Are Expecting**

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy***

Eating for Pregnancy**

The Parent You Want to Be*****

The Everything Get Ready for Baby Book**

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother****

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (in progress)

Last weekend we wrapped up the summer with one last camping trip! We tried to escape the rain by heading over the Leavenworth with Dawn and Derek, and only got a little wet! We did get to eat German food while watching the Huskies. Sweet! Camping while pregnant was definitely an adventure. But look how close our site was to the bathroom! Nice!

Leavenworth Thousand Trails - 18 weeks

We can't wait until Wednesday...it's ultrasound day!!!