Nursery Reveal

 Here is it - our daughters first room! Several months ago, Thor attempted to talk me into not having a nursery for love bug since we will likely be moving in the next year anyway, and as persuasive as my hubby is I held strong that it was important that our girl have "her space". Since we might be moving I did not want to paint or do anything to involved like hanging lights or wall decals. Even with these limitations, I still feel we were able to create a space that is comfortable, functional, and light. I have already spent many hours just relaxing in her room, talking on the phone or reading and day dreaming about cuddling with our girl.

The quilt on the crib was handmade by a friend of Thor and I; She was able to take inspiration from the balloon photo and the result is incredible! 

This is a convertible crib so it will transition to a toddler bed and a full size bed as our child grows..... but that doesn't need to happen too fast!!!!!

The only thing I'm not loving here is the mint laundry basket... its just too much, so I am heading to exchange it for a more beige/grey basket.

Loving our little change station! I am actually excited to get to diaper duty although I am sure the novelty of that will soon fade. Still need to get my diaper champ/rubbish bin put in place but priorities eh?? The change table topper does completely remove so when diapers are a thing of the past, it can still be utilized as a dresser.

The maternity photos above were taken by Rosalie Black - my hope is that Lovebug knows how very excited we were for her arrival and how loved she was from before we even were able to hold her.

My nursing/reading/rocking chair. LOVE! It is not a huge chair but fits me just perfectly! I also like that it is a chair we could potentially transfer to a different area of the house one day.

The "I love you to the moon and back" lamp was actually given to us as a wedding gift from my brother Harrison. He purchased it while we were on a little post-wedding family trip to Leavenworth. I think the nursery is the PERFECT home for this sweet gift!

Anybody who knows Thor and I, knows that we both love reading. We are so excited to share this past time with our little lady and I love the collection of books already began by so many friends and family!

These are just some of the newborn and 0-3 month headbands created for baby girl at the shower. In the case of no hair, she will not care! I used a candle vase from our wedding table centerpieces to display them but will need to come up with a different option for the larger sized headbands.

8 week, 12 week and 19 week ultrasound photos. Grow baby, grow!

Basket of swaddling cloths will be close at hand. Will utilize for swaddling, feeding covers, light blankets, snugglies, burp cloths, etc....

The only thing missing is the baby (and the diaper champ, and the new laundry basket, and the monitor...)! We are a week away from meeting her and so very excited! I actually had a couple of Braxton Hicks contractions last night that woke me from sleep, so maybe it will be sooner!!! You can always hope!

Weeks 36 & 37

Baby is the size of a Winter Melon

At 37 weeks pregnant, your baby’s lungs are likely mature — but that doesn’t mean he’s finished growing yet. In fact, until the end of week 38 he’s technically considered “early term” and he's still packing on about a half an ounce per day or half a pound a week. At this age, the average fetus weighs about six-and-a-half pounds — though boys are likely to be heavier at birth than girls. And here's a bit of baby boy trivia to back that one up: Moms carrying boys tend to eat more than those expecting girls (a foreshadowing of teenage refrigerator raids to come!). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so he may not be kicking as much, though he’s probably stretching, rolling a bit and wiggling (all of which you’ll be able to feel!).Practicing for Birth - So what's keeping your little one busy while waiting it out until D-day? Practice, practice, practice. Right now, your tiny superstar is rehearsing for his big debut, simulating breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, sucking his thumb, blinking and pivoting from side to side (one day you feel his bottom on the left side, the next it has flipped around to the right).Baby’s Head Is Huge! Here's an interesting fact: Your baby's head (which, by the way, is still growing) will be at birth the same circumference as his chest. And guess what's making an impression (literally) these days on those shoulders and hips? Fat — causing little dimples in those cute elbows, knees and shoulders, along with creases and folds in the neck and wrists.



Baby watch has officially commenced and I have just about made the transition from wanting to put off the day that our love bug has to enter the "real world" to anticipation and feeling a little more ready. This is mostly due to my own growing discomfort - I hate to complain because I know that I have had such a healthy and active pregnancy on the whole, but the back pain and fatigue is getting real. One particularly rough evening I had to just assume extended childs' pose in bed and wait for the throbbing to subside- it actually crossed my mind that it might be the start of labour and gave me a bit of a scare into really getting things ready! Over the next week I packed the hospital bag, visited our fire station for a car seat check and prepped some freezer meals for after the baby's arrival. 

Another big to-do item that we were able to finally check off the list was a new automobile! Thor and I agreed that my little Subaru Impreza was not the ideal family vehicle and we have  spent months looking into other transportation options for our growing family. After driving mini-vans and SUVs and trucks galore, we settled on the Volvo CX 90. I LOVE it - feels safe and sturdy for our "precious cargo" (salesman speak when referring to a child that drove Thor and I bananas), spacious for visiting family members and a bit classy for mum! hehe

I also taught my last RIP and Zumba classes. It was a blast and I will miss teaching for the next couple of months but I knew I just couldn't commit to being there and being on my A-game for the students for much longer! I have continued to take a few classes but I am slowing down a bit now!

I also did what will likely be my last pre-baby hike up Canfield - I feel so fortunate that I was still able to climb mountains in the final couple of weeks of my pregnancy and I can not wait to share that past time with the love bug. 

The nursery is just about done and is waiting for me to snap some photos for a 'Nursery Reveal' on the blog - goal for this week!!!

As I mentioned earlier, I have prepped a few meals for after the babies arrival. So far in the freezer we have Lentil, Potato and Carrot Soup, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Veggie Chili and 2 versions of Shepard's Pie. Waiting to be made is a yummy vegan lasagna. I'm clearly anticipating enjoying some fall comfort foods! I also made a batch of Oatmeal, PB and Chocolate chip cookies last night- but there is a chance that between myself and a certain cookie monster I live with, they will suffer the same fate as the banana muffins and vanish before d-day! :). 

Our love bug still gives me lots of wiggles and rolls to enjoy in my belly, although I can tell she is running out of room as she sometimes tries to occupy the same space as my rib cage. Thor still loves to feel her motions as well and I can tell he is getting anxious to have her on the outside and be able to really snuggle with her. He also gets very worried and concerned about her well-being when she has the hiccups - it is a little distressing since she gets them at least once a day and her entire body will jump every second or so. We hope that they do not bother her too much!

Well I think I am going to sign of and possibly make a lasagna or photograph the nursery! Or make lunch and take a nap....

Only a week to go so its time to get moving on those final to-do items!

Weeks 34-35

Baby is the size of a Honeydew Melon

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds . Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete. He'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

My goodness, this pregnancy is on warp speed! I could swear it was just last week that I handed Thor the chia seed and told him it was the size of our baby, and now there are only 23 days left till the big day - how did that happen?!?! A few big things have taken place in the last 2 weeks so let's dig in.

Week 34 started with a growth ultrasound at the doctors office. The great news was that our lil Love Bug is growing like a champ! Already weighing about 5lbs and 9oz and measuring in the 67th percentile she is on her way to being a lil chunky monkey. The midwifes estimated that she would be "in the low 8's" at birth so we will have to wait and see... I know it can all vary greatly. The not so fantastic news is that she is still snuggled up in her breech position. Due to some medical factors such as the shape of my uterus, their is not much chance at this point she would turn head-down on her own. The midwives suggested that at our next appointment we meet with Dr. Woods to discuss an External Cephalic Version, a hospital procedure to manually rotate the baby using pressure on the outside of my stomach. In the case that he either advised against the procedure or it did not work, Dr. Woods would perform our C-Section. 
Even though we had to wait for nearly 2 weeks for this appointment, Ill cut right to the chase for you here. Dr. Woods was very clear with us that he did not feel this was an ideal situation for the Version technique. He was willing to try it if we wanted, but put our odds of success at less than 50/50. While a Version is a relatively safe procedure, like any medical intervention it does come with some risks and Thor and I has already discussed that if the doctor was not confident in our chance of success, then we would opt out of the procedure. The next step was to talk to Dr. Woods about scheduling the c-section, which we did for the later half of week 39.
I would be lying to myself, and to you reader, if I pretended like I was not disappointed about not being able to have a "natural" birth. It feels as though part of the motherhood experience has been taken away. As I type that I know how silly that is, that mothers come in all forms - from birth in the woods to c-sections to adoptions and surrogacy and so forth. How a child enters the world does not make a mother - that is created in the quite moments of embrace, the tears at a sick childs' bedside, the joy of watching your child laugh, the sleepless nights of worry, and the look of trust that child gives as they place their hand in yours. I'll give myself a day or two to wallow in my disappointment that it is not the birth that I envisioned or dreamed about, and then I will pull on my big girl panties, aka Mother Knickers, and embrace our story, our beginning and my role to continue to be the best advocate I can for our daughter no matter what the circumstance. Just a note that Thor has of course handled all of this just great! He is so supportive of me when I have to wrap my mind around a change in plans but has had this unwavering faith from the beginning that our daughter is doing exactly what our daughter needs to be doing and we just need to take our cues from her because she knows better than we do. I can already tell that Dad and Daughter duo is gonna be inseparable and it warms my heart to no end.

Thor and I did celebrate our 1 year anniversary on August 29. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Boathouse on Hayden Lake, which is the lake where we took our vows. It has been such a crazy year, starting with the wedding day itself, to learning we were pregnant and to Thor making a big transition with his career, and I am so proud of how we handle the joyful times and the stressful times together, as a team and support system for one another. I have so many questions and uncertainties of what our lives will look like as we head into new territory as parents, but I can say undoubtedly that I can not fathom doing this with anyone other than Thor.

Baby Girls room is nearly ready!! We just need to finish hanging a couple of pictures (hopefully this weekend) and then I can post an official nursery tour on the next blog post! I have started washing all blankets, 0-3 clothing and so forth and I have so much more fun doing baby laundry that I do doing my own!! I spend quite a bit of time in her nursery, reading books in the rocking chair or organizing drawers and shelves - I hope she enjoys the room as much as I do!

I've also started to meal planning for those first weeks home from the hospital. So far I've only made a Lentil, Potato and Carrot soup and some Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins to store in the freezer, but I will get to work on some more meals in the coming weeks! Would any readers be interested in my sharing the recipes for what I prep?

Since Im wearing the same dress, check out that growth!!!! No wonder my body aches!!! hehehe