Vivi's Birth Story

Sweet gentle Virginia Claire, our Vivi girl, whose name means “spring” and “flourishing” and “clear,” and who was born at the beginning of this season that brings new life… She has lived up to her name in just the eight days that she has been with us, bringing a new life to our family and a clear, fresh perspective. She is truly the calmest baby I have ever spent time with. Her older brother’s physical twin, she could not be more different than he in personality. Ford is wild, feisty, determined, and Vivi appears to be preternaturally serene, easy-going and--a godsend in these early days--so sleepy! While her older brother cried for four and a half months straight, Vivi tends merely to squeak if she wants something – and even then, it’s so easy to figure out what she wants and pacify her. She sleeps best when I’m holding her, which I can’t help but take as an affirmation of my role as her mama.

Of course I realize she is only eight days old, and I certainly don’t want to speak too soon. But I am cherishing, treasuring, each little snuggle with this baby child. And her birth was equally different from her brother’s entry into the world, which after four and a half hours of pushing, found us just one push away from a cesarean section.  Before I forget, I want to record the details of how she came to be a part of this world!

I had a doctor’s appointment on Monday morning, March 25, the day before my due date. As you may have read, the doctor said the baby was still floating tremendously high, and that it would likely be at least another week before she would be born. At this point, I had already had two acupuncture treatments, two chiropractic adjustments, and was religiously taking my herbs and consuming certain teas in order to motivate the little one to start moving downward. I really hadn’t even had any contractions, real or false, which was pretty demotivating.

The due date, March 26, came and went (NB: I actually think the real due date was a few days before, March 23, but my doctor’s office was going off of March 26 based on an early ultrasound). Brad and I went on a date while Brad’s aunt and uncle watched Ford. We had gotten spicy Indian food the week before, so we decided to get spicy sushi this time, hoping to smoke the little one out of her hovel. For several days, I had modified my exercise routine to include a really brisk walk while pushing Ford in the stroller, and I’d put one foot on the curb to mimic the feeling of doing a stair-stepper. Those were the only times I thought I might feel some crampiness that could be a contraction. But still, it wasn’t much, if anything.

After reaching out to a few natural-minded mom friends, I decided to take one dose of blue cohosh capsules on Wednesday, March 27. I should note, two out of three of these friends basically suggested that I NOT take blue cohosh, since it may carry some risks, and even natural induction methods are still inductions, which means the baby may not be ready for birth. But I was feeling discouraged and concerned that my doctor would pressure me to induce after my Monday (April 1) appointment, and I really just didn’t want to walk down that road. I took a single blue cohosh pill and went to the nursery to pick up some plants. Ford and I spent the rest of Wednesday in the back yard, planting flowers and peppers and herbs and shrubs, arranging hanging baskets and whiskey barrels, and caring for the tomatoes, purple sage and indigo spires that were already in the ground. I was hoping some heavy labor – hauling bags of potting soil, shoveling deep holes and spending lots of time on my hands and knees – would stimulate another kind of heavy labor, the childbirth kind! Alas, I had no contractions, but I did have a pretty yard to enjoy, and Ford loved spending so much time outdoors.

I woke up early Thursday morning, around 4 a.m., with a painful contraction. I decided to start timing the contractions on my phone, and I was having a strong contraction every five minutes. This was exciting! I was sure this was it, so I got out of bed, took a bath, curled my hair and put on makeup, and tidied up the house while I waited for the boys to wake up. I had a sweet time of praying and thanking God for initiating the labor and asking for a peaceful, complication-free delivery. The contractions were still strong and steady at five minutes apart. Brad and Ford both awoke around 7:30, at which time I told Brad I thought I was in early labor. I knew I had a long way to go before we got to the active labor stage, based on my appointment Monday, so I suggested we plan to get some things done around the house and play with Ford for a few hours until the contractions just really became unbearable. I decided to call the chiropractor for one last adjustment, and she worked me in first thing. Brad drove me to my appointment with Ford in the back seat, and then the strangest thing happened. Once we were in the car, my contractions really became irregular. I had been very conscious of leaning slightly forward and not slouching, since poor posture may cause the baby to rotate into a posterior position, like Ford was, and I didn’t want to go through a forceps delivery again. But in the deep cushy seats of my car, I couldn’t help but slouch. As long as I had a seat belt on, I was forced into a slouchy position. I’m wondering if that just relaxed my body enough to stop contracting.

We continued to the chiropractor, who confirmed that my sacrum had popped out of alignment again. She adjusted me and we were back on the road toward home. At this point my contractions were alternating weak and strong, 16 minutes apart, then two minutes, then 20 minutes, then eight minutes. In short, they were all over the map. This persisted all day long, varying in intensity, frequency and length. They slowed down considerably when I laid down, which led me to believe that I was experiencing false labor. I took a brisk walk with Ford and stayed as active as I could, also taking lots of red raspberry leaf to try to synch things up, but nothing I did would get me contracting regularly. By 5 p.m., my nicely curled hair was a mess and my carefully applied makeup was looking pretty bad. I had read online about prodromal labor – wonky contractions that may be intense, but are just irregular enough that they’re not actually doing anything to the cervix that would move labor along. So frustrating. Brad sweetly offered to take Ford and pick up dinner from Central Market. I requested something light, like fruit salad and a brothy soup. We had a late dinner, visited with our neighbors, Don and Carol, put Ford to bed, and I tried at this point to go ahead and stop the contractions. I took a warm bath and drank a pear cider that Brad had gotten for me, trying to relax enough to stop contracting. But they wouldn’t stop! They were as infrequent as 20 minutes apart and as frequent as two minutes apart, usually pretty painful, but totally unpredictable.

Around 8:30 p.m., I decided to go ahead and call my doctor’s office just to get their opinion. Dr. Lori Romberg, whom I had not met, was on call. I explained what had been going on, and she very sweetly and sympathetically confirmed what I had suspected: That I was experiencing prodromal labor. She informed me that it could go on for days or even weeks, and that it really wasn’t doing anything to precipitate true labor. I just had to wait it out. She suggested a take a big dose of Tylenol P.M. or Benadryl and try to get some sleep, indicating a good night of rest may stop the contractions. So I hung up the phone and took 50 mg of diphenhydramine HCl, Benadryl. I had asked Brad if he would mind sleeping on the futon in Vivi’s room, since I was just so uncomfortable and wanted the whole bed to spread out in. Suddenly, I was having contractions every eight to 12 minutes, and each one was incredibly painful, to the point that I couldn’t speak through them. Not to mention, the Benadryl was starting to kick in, and I was EXHAUSTED. Keep in mind, I had been up and active since 4 a.m.! I would dose off for five minutes, then be awakened by an incredibly painful contraction. I’d run to the bathroom, thinking I was about to throw up, then lay on the floor, wiped out, for a couple of minutes until I got the strength to go back to bed. This process continued for a couple of hours. I never threw up, but I just felt awful. The contractions were so painful that I started making these guttural, whale-like sounds to cope with each one. But still, they were irregular, and pretty far apart. Dr. Romberg’s words kept ringing in my head: This could last for a week or longer. When it became clear to me that I wasn’t going to be able to sleep that night, I decided to call the practice again, a little after midnight. I explained to Dr. Romberg that I was in a lot of pain, and even though it didn’t seem like this was in true labor, I thought something strange was happening and would feel more comfortable coming in to the hospital. She agreed that this was pretty unusual, especially the nausea, and suggested I come right over. Brad had just fallen asleep on the futon, so I woke him and we got dressed for the hospital. We called Don and Carol, who told us to come right over. So we scooped up our sleeping Ford and dropped him off in the pack and play at their house. Then it was off to Baylor, a 10-minute drive from our house!

I was miserable and grumpy the whole ride there. I didn’t want to talk or be touched, I didn’t want any music… I just wanted to sleep. And I was frustrated, SURE that this was false labor and that after they checked my cervix, we’d be sent home and told I still had a long way to go. Nevertheless, we checked in to Labor & Delivery, and I met Dr. Buchanan, a very nice resident who was going to do my exam and determine if I stayed or went. I told him I couldn’t handle any bad news, and that if I was only like a centimeter dilated or less, to lie to me and tell me I was at least a couple of centimeters. He did the exam and said, “Do you want me to lie to you?” I told him no, I needed to know what was actually happening. And he told me I was five to six centimeters dilated and very much in active labor! SO ENCOURAGING! I had unknowingly spent the entire “early labor” period at home. He asked me if I wanted an epidural, and I told him yes, but that I wanted to wait a couple of hours. Since my labor with Ford stalled after I got an epidural, I wanted to endure as long as I possibly could. I only made it about another hour before the contractions were just too painful, though. At the point that they called the anesthesiologist, Dr. Haas – the same INCREDIBLE doctor who did my first epidural! – I was seven to eight centimeters dilated and 100 percent effaced. (By the way, Brad almost lost it while I was getting my epidural! He couldn’t see anything gross, but he got really queasy and lightheaded and had to leave the room! The sweet nurses brought him juice and he had to lie down for a while before he started to feel a little better.) Dr. Buchanan told me that in his book, that’s a natural labor, which made me feel like superwoman, but I think he was just being kind, ha. My water still had not broken by this time, around 5 a.m., so once the epidural kicked in, he suggested I rest for a bit and then they’d return to see if they needed to break my water for me. The baby was still SO high, like minus three station, and the bag of waters was the only thing putting pressure on my cervix to dilate and efface it.

At this point, I need to tell you about our incredible labor and delivery nurse, Gina. We totally hit the jackpot with her. She was personable and fun, and she, like Brad, did endurance races like the Spartan Beast race. But here’s the best part: she got her nursing degree and worked for a few years as an ICU nurse, then went to work for an OB/GYN. During her tenure working for the OB, she began working as a doula for some of the clients, eventually deciding to leave nursing to be a full-time doula! After a few years, she decided to return to nursing, this time in labor and delivery. So it was like I had a doula and a nurse in one. And she was such an encouragement and just so knowledgeable. I had some apprehension about allowing the doctor to break my water (artificial rupture of the membranes, AROM). The doctor had broken my water during my first labor, and things just went haywire, so I didn’t know if the AROM contributed to Ford being posterior or anything. After Dr. Buchanan left the room, Jeanie very appropriately counseled me not to let them pressure me into anything I wasn’t comfortable with, and that once the waters break, it’s harder for the baby to turn if she needs to get into a better position. That makes a lot of sense, since the water is what’s buoying the baby and allowing her to move. So I determined that I would just wait as long as I need to and prepared myself for a long wait before my water broke and we got to the pushing stage. Jeanie turned off the lights and encouraged me and Brad to rest. I would fall asleep for a minute or two, then dream that we had forgotten the infant car seat and wake up. Then I would fall asleep again and the blood pressure cuff would activate and wake me up. Then I’d fall asleep and the fetal monitor would shift and a nurse would rush in to make sure the baby wasn’t in distress. Brad got a solid hour and half nap in, but I was still pretty exhausted by the time Dr. Romberg came into the room to introduce herself, around 7 a.m.

Dr. Romberg was this really cool lady with thick-rimmed glasses, a zig-zag part and a hot pink zebra stripe iPhone cover. I had read her bio on the OB/GYN practice website, and it said she was really active in her church community. We said our “hellos” and I asked her what church she went to. Guess what? She went to Watermark, our church! From that point, we were fast friends, talking about which ministries we all serve in and trying to figure out if we had any friends in common. Dr. Romberg said she had texted Dr. Norwood and that he should be in around 8 a.m., about 45 minutes from then, and he would deliver the baby. She said she’d just check really quick to see where we’re at and how much longer it might be. She did a quick peek and her demeanor totally changed! She started yelling for a nurse to get a table ready, then laughed and said she didn’t think I’d make it 45 minutes – she didn’t even think I’d make it four more contractions! Apparently the baby had been moving downward pretty rapidly since I got the epidural and was ready to go! Brad started feeling queasy again, so he laid down while the nurses started counting for me. After the second contraction, they told me to rest but I could feel the baby trying to get out, it was the weirdest thing. I said, “I think the baby’s trying to—“ and before I could say “birth herself,” Dr. Romberg said, “Whoa, here she comes, go ahead and one last push!” It only took two and a half total contractions of pushing, and baby Vivi was here! It was SO DIFFERENT from my experience with Ford! After a long, long labor at home, she came at the hospital in such a hurry, and they were able to put her right on my chest, unlike last time, and Brad had recovered enough at this point that he got to cut the cord, also unlike last time. Vivi had a strong, lusty cry right from the start. They cleaned her up and she scored two nines on her Apgar tests. Brad held her for a long while as the doctors attended to me for the third stage of labor and the stitching. I had gotten a third degree tear since she was born so “precipitously,” and I ended up having a postpartum hemorrhage. They didn’t do a transfusion, opting to wait until they could test my hematocrit levels the next day to decide if a transfusion would be necessary.

About 30 minutes into my 1.5 hour recovery, I got to feed Vivi for the first time. It was such a gift to have that bonding time soon after birth, since I didn't get to see Ford for four hours after his dramatic entry! The song that was playing when she entered the world was "Beautiful Things" by Gungor, and she is certainly just that -- beautiful. She is named after one of her paternal great grandmothers, who is an inspiration and encouragement to everyone who meets her! Praying that Vivi lives up to her namesake's legacy. We are so thankful for our healthy girl. 

Due Date! (a day late)

Took this photo yesterday, 03/26/13, on the due date! Check out that belly button nub!

Pretend there's no snot on his face. This poor boy has been sick with a cold since Friday or Saturday. Get well, Big Brother! And don't get Mom and Dad sick! Photo of us playing in the backyard yesterday, collecting acorns.

Ford got to spend time with Uncle Roy and Aunt Cheryl yesterday so Brad and I could have a "due date date." We got sushi to help take the sting out of going past the due date, and Ford got to play with Ellie the dog, run around in the backyard, find Easter eggs and watch a little bit of Toy Story!

Well the due date has come and gone with no baby in our arms! Unlike when I was pregnant with Ford and TRULY content to wait as long as he needed (he arrived at 40 weeks + 6 days), I was actually a little down yesterday. Not sad, not throwing a pity party, but I guess like my doctor, I expected SOMETHING to be happening, since this was the second baby and not the first. Not like I thought she'd BE here yesterday, but I thought I might have at least had some contractions at this point, or that I could feel myself carrying low (see photo above... could she BE any higher?!). And I've started having people say things like, "Maybe your due date was off and she's actually due a lot later," which I just don't think is true... If anything, I think she was "due" a few days earlier. And I had one person ask me a couple of days ago why I was still "so small" if I am 40 weeks, and was I sure my "fluid level" was okay. I just think comments like that aren't helpful. And yes, I've gotten at least a couple of texts from well-meaning people who have asked "Where is the baby?!" and I don't like feeling like I'm late on something.

So while my heart tells me that this waiting period is right and good and just to be grateful, my head is causing me to doubt, "Is this normal?" I can't think of anything else I can be doing to get some progress going that I'm not already trying (and I'm not really looking for suggestions :). I AM cherishing these days with Ford, although he's got a full-blown cold AND he's getting ALL FOUR canines at once, and I've heard those are the most painful teeth to erupt. Makes it a little hard to do things like go on "field trips" when a meltdown is always imminent and he has a scary-sounding cough (I'm not worried about it, but it sounds bad!). And finally, Brad has a broken foot... I don't think I've mentioned that here, but he broke it a couple of days after he ran the half marathon on February 17. Needless to say, our daily family walks have not happened for a while, and we're not doing things like going to Northpark Center or White Rock Lake together like we often do. Maybe I have to take back what I said a minute ago... Am I throwing a pity party?! Ha. I guess I just expected these days to look a little different, that's all, and I'm having to adjust my expectations. 

Still, like I posted a few days ago, we have TONS of people blessing us in really wonderful ways. Roy and Cheryl have watched Ford once a week for the past THREE WEEKS so Brad and I can go on a date. We had a fun time splurging on sushi last night and just enjoying what may be one of our last dates for a while! It was really sweet (and delicious!).

Overall, everything is great and we are so fortunate to be where we are, waiting to welcome a new baby into our family. I am still nervous about HOW she's going to get here, praying that she's not OP, that the delivery is quicker than last time, smooth and uncomplicated, that C-section will be avoided (and induction, too! Why not?), for a healthy baby and that everyone will adjust well to the changes.

More soon. Sorry if this seemed like a big complaint... I don't mean for it to, just trying to share the state of my heart and where we're all at! In the meantime, I'm going to take Ford for a vigorous walk! :)

40 Weeks Update

Two posts in one day! See below for a post on how much I have appreciated sweet gestures and random acts of kindness lately!

How big is baby? I guess close to 8 lbs, if she's following the trajectory my doctor predicted! Hoping she doesn't get much bigger, eek. 

Weight gain/loss: No gain from last week! Still 24 pounds gained in this pregnancy.

Sleep: Well, you know. Predictably not so good, but it's just part of God's way of preparing me for nights with a newborn. Just wish I could nap during the day... I'm really not a good napper! 

Movement: Moving! I saw a different doctor this morning for my weekly appointment -- my doc was performing an emergency C-section -- and he was a lot more positive and encouraging. I had seen this doctor once before, right after I delivered Ford, and he was just as nice as I remembered. Anyway, this doctor was able to feel for the position of the baby just by palpating my belly. He could tell she is turned so that she's facing my right hip (at least during the appointment she was, but she's moving a lot!). That put to rest some of my fears that the baby is OP, like Ford was, although Dr. J did say she could turn either direction (posterior or anterior) once labor begins.

Symptoms: Leg pain is back! My right leg spider vein has been throbbing. I'm even sleeping with my compression stockings on now. Overall though, feeling very good.

Belly button: Out!

Food cravings: Nothing in particular, although I have been eating the chocolate cake like crazy (see post below).

Gender: Sweet Baby Girl! 

What I miss? Not much! Really, I'm cherishing these last days of "relative autonomy," before a newborn turns our world blissfully upside-down. :) Lots of sweet time with Ford and Brad, walks by myself, treasuring feeling baby girl kick...

What I'm looking forward to? Still just having some idea of how baby will arrive and when. The doctor this morning guessed it will be at least another week, so we may be having an April baby rather than a March baby. More expensive birth stone! Ha. I'm totally not impatient at all, and I want her to come when she's ready. But I know some people are making travel plans (and Easter plans!) around the baby's arrival, which stresses me out just a little. Not because they are MAKING me feel stressed, but because I would like to be able to give them a definitive date. And of course I don't want my doctor to start getting impatient, or maybe I should say more impatient. So it would be nice to have a clear idea of when she will be here! I guess she'll be here before April 8, since that's two weeks after my due date. I have been going to the chiropractor, who told me my sacrum was out of alignment, and the acupuncturist, who was shocked when I came back for a second appointment ("You no have baby yet? I think... you have... baby tonight.") Also taking lots of walks, herbs, stretching, doing my "spinning babies" poses to do everything I can to avoid having her turn OP... We're in full-on "get ready for baby" mode!  

Big Brother:Oy. I know I have said this every week for the past few weeks, but his love for "Mama" knows no bounds. I'm actually a little nervous about how he'll handle me being at the hospital for a couple of days. Brad took him to run an errand while I was at my doctor appointment this morning, and when they returned to an empty house (my OB and chiro appointments both ran way late), Ford burst into tears and was screaming "Moooommmmmy!!!!" Overall, he's still cracking us up daily and blowing me away with the new words he's learning. Lots of fun. With that, though, have been two or three days of skipped naps, a cold (and bronchitis?), teething... Lots of good with a few challenges mixed in to keep us grounded. He discovered the train table at Barnes & Noble last night and was OBSESSED. He has been asking to read the "New Baby" book a lot, a Little Critters book called "The New Baby." The thing is, I don't like that book much -- makes bringing a new baby home sound like a drag ("I read my favorite picture book to the baby but all she did was cry!"), so I always make up words ("Sometimes babies cry, but it's their way of telling us what they need. Babies are sweet!"). Ha.

I'll try to be back tomorrow with a due date post! 

On Kindness

Just a little bit of kindness

Can go a long, long way

Just a little bit of tenderness

Can brighten up a day... 

Excerpt from "Kindness" by Alice Joyce Davidson

I recited the full text of that (admittedly pretty cheesy) poem at the Association of Christian Schools International Speech Meet when I was in third grade. Funny how the things you learn and memorize way back then stay with you! I may not remember my drivers license number every time, but I do remember most of my speech meet pieces!

That stanza sets up the point of this post, though: How MUCH I have been touched by the kindness of others, particularly at the end of this pregnancy! From texts and Facebook posts by sweet and encouraging friends (read: NOT the ones who say things like, "WHERE'S THAT BABY?!" but the ones who remind me of the fun ahead and tell me that they're praying for the birth) to my surprise baby shower to other incredible acts of kindness.

A few more that come to mind are my friend Lisa from Bible study gifting me some really fantastic used baby gear; my acupuncturist/herbalist giving me every piece of personal contact info that he can in case I need him at any hour; Alison and Lola coming over for a playdate/visit and bringing us an armful of Starbucks pastries; our neighbors and Brad's aunt and uncle watching Ford so I can either get stuff done around the house or Brad and I can go on dates; Abby coming over for a visit and making the sweetest framed art for baby girl's room; and more, so much more!

To be clear, people have done a TON of stuff to bless us during this pregnancy. My mom has bought baby girl a TON of sweet clothes (and Aunt Brittney, Tara and others have added to her stockpile, too!), and Tara and Katy loaned me maternity clothes, and Shelly gifted us a boatload of Liliana's precious smocked dresses and other special outfits, enough to keep her well dressed for at least a couple of years! Above are just a few examples of things that have blessed us in the last few weeks. If I didn't mention you by name, please don't think I'm any less grateful! 

I wanted to share some pictures from the play group shower, but they have disappeared from my phone. Basically, a bunch of us gathered at Kimie's house for the normal Monday morning play group, but Kimie had rallied the girls to bring some hand-me-down (many with tags still attached!) baby girl clothes, since I hadn't had any showers. Anne brought cupcakes and Kimie made bran muffins with cream cheese frosting, along with yummy oolong tea. I opened gifts and "ooohed" and "ahhhed" while the kiddos milled around and played. I will forever cherish the memory of that time with friends!

A couple of weeks ago, Kimie so sweetly agreed to take pics of me and Ford at a park in Richardson to capture what it's like in these last days of it being just Mommy and Ford. She took up photography as a hobby not long ago and is REALLY talented! Below are a few of my favorite shots from our time together. Such a sweet gift to have these precious days captured in photos!

Ford and his friend, Kimie's daughter Lucy, whom Ford affectionately calls "Nnnlooooosy." And she reciprocates by signing the word for "forehead" for his name (or at least she did once, which Kimie and I thought was hilarious!).

Do not try to get between a toddler and his snack.

Feeding the ducks. Ford gave them approximately two small bites of bread and ate the rest himself.

I feel like Ford looks like a stuffed animal here. Does that make any sense?!

Again with the snacks.

Toddler Thug Life.

And finally, this knocked my socks off... Brad's cousin's wife Shelly, whom I've mentioned here before, has been such an encouragement to me during both of my pregnancies. She is a childbirth guru, both because she apprenticed with a midwife when she was 19 or so (Shelly, correct me if I'm wrong!), and because she has had four beautiful babies herself, and each birth was a little different, so she's seen and experienced the full spectrum of how things can go, from a birth scenario. She is also just really wise and discerning. She recently moved from the Denton area to Montreal with her family as her husband works with a church group in Canada. I emailed her a few weeks ago telling her that I missed her and I could really use a piece of her amazing chocolate cake. She emailed me again early this week to say that her chocolate cake was on its way. I couldn't imagine what she had planned... Mailing me a box of ingredients? Going to have her mom, who still lives in North Texas, deliver a fully baked cake? It was exciting all week to see what would show up and when! So Saturday it was SUCH a treat to have her cousin's wife, who happens to be a friend of mine through our church, show up on our doorstep bearing a GIANT chocolate cake with pink, cream cheese frosting, and gifts! Murphy (Shelly's cousin) and Lauren also brought along a couple of gifts: one was a pink piggy, like Liliana's beloved Piggy, from Shelly, and the other was a sweet little Janie & Jack sailor dress from Murphy and Lauren. Such an AMAZING surprise on a rainy Saturday, and the cake could not be tastier. I have already eaten an embarrassing number of servings! Ahhhh! Shelly dreamed up this sweet surprise, and Lauren executed it. I could not have felt more loved or supported!

My heroes! Murphy and Lauren Stroope. An added bonus of their visit was learning that we live really close to them! I feel like no one from church lives within a 10-minute radius of us, and they are within 10 minutes! P.S. LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT CAKE.

Of course Piggy had to have a slice, too. :)

39 weeks update

Another week, another doctor's appointment. Must be time for a weekly update! But first, here's a funny photo of me getting photobombed while trying to snap a 38 weeks belly shot. :)

How big is baby? I guess close to 7.5 lbs, if my doctor is accurate! Crazy, that sounds so big to me.

Weight gain/loss: I've gained 2 lbs in the last week, so that puts me up to 24 lbs gain. Fingers crossed that it comes off quickly! It did last time, but I think that was because Ford was SUCH a hearty eater. Hoping for a voracious appetite with this little one too.

Sleep: Oh goodness, it's been rough! I think because we're in that in-between phase of not really needing AC but not needing heat either, I just feel so HOT at night! I finally caved and turned on the AC, which made for a more comfortable night.

Movement: Moving! She's head down and I think she's facing my left hip, based on where I feel rolls, punches, etc. She is still CRAZY high, according to my doctor, and not even close to being "engaged," which he says she should be at this point. I'm discouraged but not without hope. I still have a week until my due date, and I'm plenty happy to go three more weeks (to 42 weeks) before any interventions (induction, etc.). I had thought I would wait until the due date before starting any natural induction methods, like acupuncture or chiropractic, but I was more progressed at this point with Ford, and you may remember that even that was not much. So I went ahead and scheduled an acupuncture appointment for later this week, just to see if we can get baby girl moving in the right direction. It worked last time! I went into labor a little over 24 hours after my first of two acupuncture appointments with Ford. I definitely don't want to jump start anything before Baby Girl is ready, but I would also love to know that SOMETHING is happening.   

Symptoms: Occasionally a sore lower back, which makes me fear she is OP like Ford was, but it could just be normal pregnancy aches, too. All in all, feeling better than I probably should! Ha! 

Belly button: Out!

Food cravings: Nothing in particular! I'm eating fewer carbs, which is good, since I had been overdoing it for a while there. Tonight is date night while Brad's aunt and uncle hang out with Ford for a couple of hours. We're going to get spicy Indian food to see if that spurs Baby Girl to move into position. I think that's just an old wives' tale, but we do enjoy our Indian food!

Gender: Sweet Baby Girl! 

What I miss? Not much! Asking God for peace during the waiting and peace whatever the outcome. I would love to have a smooth, uncomplicated delivery, no C-section, and a healthy baby girl, but ultimately I just want Christ's peace to reign in my heart and mind.

What I'm looking forward to? Same as last week: Knowing how this is all going to go down. :) Waiting is hard. It was easier and sweeter last time when I was blissfully unaware of how difficult Ford's birth would be. Now, especially after my appointment, I just have this sense of nervousness. I know that's not from God, so I'm asking him to give me a peace that passes understanding and can only come from the Spirit of Christ ruling in my heart!

Big Brother:What a funny boy. In SUCH a "mama" phase right now. He has been a total angel for me the last few days, and we had a lot of fun over the weekend while Brad was out of town... Lots of sweet, special "Mommy and Ford" time. But he can turn on a dime (I guess that's part of being a toddler??), usually at the most unexpected moments. He was playing at our neighbors' house over the weekend so I could get a couple of things done. I should mention, he ADORES our neighbors and asks for them daily. We can't even go play in the backyard without him pleading, "Don Don? Don Don?" as if he's saying, "Can we go to Don's house?" But something set him off during the time he was there, and he couldn't be consoled. That has happened with Brad watching him recently too, and then when we picked him up from Brad's aunt and uncle's house last week after a short date, he totally came unglued for no apparent reason. It's just hard to know what's going on in his mind! He has such a sensitive heart. We were watching Peter Pan a couple of weeks ago, and the part where Captain Hook and the crocodile are playing cat and mouse COMPLETELY freaked him out. Running from the room, sobbing, hysterics. He has started asking for his friends by name, which warms my heart because it makes me feel like he's developing the beginnings of real friendships. He also loves to exclaim, "FUN!" when we're doing something he enjoys. He's putting together strings of words, like "Mama's shoes" or "head hurts" or "red ball," and he answers questions that have to do with more than just, "What color is the ball?" "Yeddow (yellow)"; like if I ask him how he slept last night, he'll say "Good." We were playing in the driveway over the weekend, and he pointed at my car and said "Mama's car," then he pointed at Brad's car and said "Dada's truck," then he stopped and I could see the wheels in his head turning before he exclaimed joyfully, pointing at both cars at the same time, "TWO CARS!" Of course it sounded more like "two tawhs," but I can't even explain how exhilarating and fascinating it is to watch him learn and discover. Life with Ford at this age is never, ever boring! My sweet friend Kimie took some pictures of us at a park recently, and I want to do a full post soon with those pictures and some other goodness. Stay tuned!

38 Weeks Update

After this week's doctor's appointment, I'm deciding to do away with the March 20 due date (I had been given two due dates based on the baby's size), so we'll just go with the later one, March 26. More on this below.  So that makes me 38 weeks today!

How big is baby? At my doctor's appointment today, the doctor guessed that the baby is currently seven pounds even! With at least two weeks to go, sounds like this could be a bigger baby than Ford, who was 7 lbs, 7 ounces at his birth. Babies at this stage of pregnancy gain about half a pound a week, so it's looking like she'll be in the neighborhood of 8 pounds. Yikes! I know that's nothing for many of you, but I'm nervous about having a big baby, since my kiddos' heads seem to be on the LARGE side anyway... Ummm... And I know she could be smaller than he thinks, but that doesn't help to put my mind at ease right now. 

Weight gain/loss: No gain since last week! So in total I have gained 22 pounds.

Sleep: Good! I have had a couple of rough nights in the last week, but that's due to Ford's night-waking, not the pregnancy. If he starts crying, I can't help but hear it and wake up. Nine times out of 10, I'll check the video monitor, see that he's okay, and stay in bed awake until he stops crying. But he's had some mystery medical issues since Saturday afternoon (all is well, no worries - just random toddler rashes and whatnot), so Saturday night I ended up going in his room twice and rocking him until he fell back to sleep. Sweet boy. 

Movement: Moving, though less dramatically than when she had more room. This morning my doctor asked me if I was having any contractions, and I said "no," which seemed to concern him. He followed that up, worriedly, with, "She is moving, right?" And I just about wanted to smack him. Like, because I am not having contractions, you make me think there could be something wrong with baby girl or me? I assured him she was still moving plenty (even had a few cases of the hiccups in the last few weeks!). Overall my doctor's appointment ANNOYED me and scared me! Dr. N was in a bad mood... My appointment was supposed to be at 10:20, and after I waited until 11, they came in and told me he was still doing a difficult birth and that they would have to move my appointment to 1 p.m. at his other office. I was actually okay with that, and I understood, even though I could have seen it as an inconvenience. Brad was working from home and watching Ford, so while it was a bit of an inconvenience for him, it was kind of a nice "mom's day out" for me. So I went to the downtown office at 1 p.m. and Dr. N proceeds to tell me about the hellish birth... It was a "second time mom, so it was supposed to go fast," but she was an "ineffective pusher" so they tried forceps, then the baby's heart rate dropped so they did an emergency C-section, then as he was pulling the baby out, the baby threw his shoulder... I started to tune him out at this point because it sounded awful, and it also sounded like something that could totally happen to me, based on my last go-around. I just thought it was insensitive (and kind of inappropriate to be sharing all of that, right?). Then he was shocked that the baby's head was still SUPER high. I asked him what station the baby was at, and he said, "Oh she's not even at a station, she's WAY up there, you could go on a cruise and come back and still be pregnant." I asked if there was anything I could or should be doing, in addition to my regular routine of exercising, taking Red Raspberry Leaf and Evening Primrose Oil, doing stretches, etc. to get the baby into position. And he just said, "Nope, there's really nothing you can do," so I said I was a little nervous since this feels like a repeat of last time, where the baby didn't want to drop and I avoided a C-section by the skin of my teeth, and he just sort of brushed me off (or at least that's how I felt). I know he can't tell me I won't have to be induced or won't need a C-section, but I do think he could be more helpful. Sure, he had a rough, frustrating morning, but I left his office feeling really discouraged. All of that, plus his guess that the baby is already seven pounds... Just not encouraging. Heart rate was good (141 bpm) and my belly is measuring right on track. But like I said above, I'm throwing March 20 out the window and going with the later date of March 26 (Gee's birthday!), just for my sanity's sake.  

Symptoms: Nothing new! I stepped up one of my workouts last week and ended up having a sore lower back, but that only lasted a day or so. At this point with Ford I was having pain in my hips and joints, so I'm glad to be avoiding that, even though if the baby would drop I'm sure the discomfort would be worth it... 

Belly button: Out! I went for a walk this afternoon after my appointment and was wearing a tight-ish tank top, and you could totally see my belly button sticking out through the shirt. Was kind of gross-looking, but whatever. 

Food cravings: Nothing in particular! Cold fruit, maybe? Strawberries and stone fruits are favorites around here right now. Brad could sense I was discouraged and frustrated after I got home from my doctor's appointment, then the chicken I was going to roast for dinner still hadn't thawed out, so he suggested we go out for pizza (a REAL treat around here, since we don't eat a lot of grains!). We headed gleefully to our favorite pizza place in Deep Ellum, Serious Pizza. We got Ford to start chanting "Pizza!" with us to distract him from how hungry he was. Then we find a meter, walk up to the restaurant, and... they're closed because the interior is being repainted. So we went to El Fenix for Mexican food instead, which was fine and still a nice treat, but not pizza... wah wah.

Gender: Sweet Baby Girl! 

What I miss? Nothing much! Grateful to be where I am. Praying for God to ease my anxiety about the birth and about everyone's transition to having a newborn in the house. Join me in prayer that baby and I will avoid any complications during birth, and that I'll be able/allowed to go into labor on my own!

What I'm looking forward to? Knowing how this is all going to go down. :) Waiting is hard. It was easier and sweeter last time when I was blissfully unaware of how difficult Ford's birth would be. Now, especially after my appointment, I just have this sense of nervousness. I know that's not from God, so I'm asking him to give me a peace that passes understanding and can only come from the Spirit of Christ ruling in my heart!

Big Brother: Still totally in love with mama. I have a bunch of cute stories from the last week, but I'll just share a couple of them here. It's a really fun age and stage. He says a Bible verse now, with hand motions: "God made the heavens (hebbens) and the earth (earf)." He usually repeats after me, but he came up spontaneously last week while Brad and I were sitting at the kitchen table and said, "God (pointing to the sky)... maaaaade (motioning like he's molding something in his hands)... BELLYBUTTONS! (lifting up his shirt)" So funny! Guess he got a little distracted along the way. ;) I also realized today that he has been telling me "I love you," but I have been thinking he is saying "Where are you." Kind of comes out "Whyyy wuhhh youuuu." His favorite activity at the moment is pouring water from one measuring cup to another, and he would choose prunes over candy. I have caught him doing a lot of pretend play with his stuffed animals, and he's still OBSESSED with doing his ABCs. He knows all of the letters now and no longer confuses V with Y. This morning he was trying to bite his boiled eggs into the shapes of letters. I also heard him count to six while he was playing with his blocks. I KNOW I'M TOTALLY BRAGGING right now, and I feel a LITTLE bad about it because I'm sure it's annoying, but I also want to chronicle this stuff because it blows my mind. Of course, he's not perfect... Still lots of temper tantrums and boundary-testing, but he is responding to discipline well. I thank God daily for what a sweet gift he is to me and Brad!

37-38 Week Update!

In case you haven't seen it, I posted photos of the nursery last night! Check them out below or click here.  

Also, I saw my doctor this morning for my weekly check-up. All is well in babyland. I am fully expecting this baby to go past her due date, since I haven't been having any contractions (real or false). Brad is going on a business trip to Nebraska at the end of next week (only four days before baby's earliest due date), so I asked Dr. N what my chances of going into labor before or during that time were. He pressed on my belly and had me do the same, showing me how HIGH the baby's head is. I could float the head up almost to my belly button when I pushed it upward! As Dr. Norwood put it, Brad could go to Antarctica next week and he still wouldn't risk missing the baby's birth. Ha! I would be discouraged if I weren't already so convinced that the baby is not coming early. It's just been a part of my mentality all along. I told Dr. N that I want an Easter baby, and he told me he is on call that weekend, even though he doesn't normally work weekends. So that may be a good thing, assuming he lets my labor go as long as it needs to and doesn't insist on a C-section at any point (unless there's a legitimate medical necessity). I also shared with him that I am starting to get nervous about labor the second time around, since I was one push away from C-section last time. He assured me that second births are much, much easier, which I have heard, but I figure I am very likely the exception to the rule. (Okay, I know I'm being negative, but my theory is that I'm good at pregnancy and bad at birth. And yes, I base this on one birth.) I asked if there was any way to find out if this baby is OP/sunny-side up like Ford was, and he said all babies start out transverse and rotate during labor. I don't know if that's true... not to act like I'm smarter than him (I'm not!!!), but I know there are a ton of resources on how to spin a transverse baby before labor... blah blah blah. If anyone knows more about this than me, please weigh in. 

Now on to the weekly update!

How big is baby? Somewhere in the neighborhood of 6.5 - 7 pounds and almost 20 inches long! Ford was 7 lbs, 7 oz and 20 inches when he was born about a week after his due date. I'm thinking this baby will be about that size, depending on when she decides to grace us with her presence.

Weight gain/loss: As of this morning, I have gained 22 pounds.

Sleep: It's okay! I had a week or 10 days when I didn't take any Benadryl before bed but slept through the whole night without waking. But I've had three rough nights in a row, waking up to use the restroom or just waking up with insatiable thirst! I think tonight I'm going to cave and take a Benadryl. Worth it.

Movement: I can tell it's cramped in there. Lots of rolls and jabs, but limited in their range of motion. I love feeling her move though, and I know I'll miss it when she's here (even though I'll be happy to have her here!).

Symptoms: Nothing new! I actually feel pretty good. I still have what I call my "Horsehead Nebula tattoo" on my right calf, the gnarly spider vein that appeared during this pregnancy, but it doesn't seem to hurt anymore, so I guess there's not much pressure anymore on whatever vein is supplying blood to that area.

Belly button: Top part is still out!And I'm not even trying to tape it down anymore. Haha.

Food cravings: I have noticed I am eating a ton of carbs! Probably not good. I've never really craved carbs, like breadsticks or donuts or whatever. I don't even eat cereal for breakfast. But now I want cereal for breakfast, a bagel for lunch, and garlic bread for dinner. Weird! Maybe it's because I'm sort of low-energy but not napping, so I feel like I need to fuel myself with carbs... :-/ I also really am wanting seafood. Brad and I tried out a new seafood place close to our neighborhood (relatively speaking), and I got fish & chips. It was okay but didn't live up to expectations. Still need to scratch that itch!

Gender: Sweet Baby Girl! I think we finally have a name. Not 100 percent sure, but sure enough that I bought two infant caps and got one of them monogrammed. I'm saving the other one in case we change our minds. :)
What I miss? This may sound terrible, but I have actually been thinking about what I will miss when baby girl is here. I have it pretty good. I can get a lot done while Ford naps (projects for work, stuff around the house, baking/cooking/crafting, even just sitting and reading and eating a Honey Bun, ha), and I have a feeling those leisurely naptimes are coming to an end, once there are two kids on different schedules. That probably sounds a hundred different shades of selfish, but it's really been on my mind, thinking of how I'll deal with the change. I know our lives will be so much richer with another child, but the reality of newborn craziness is coming back to me. I had such a hard time when Ford was new. He was a tough, tough baby. So cute but OH so hungry all the time, not a great sleeper, not a happy boy. Nothing anyone could have said would have prepared me for how much he cried, and nothing I did seemed to help. I think Ford just had a spunky, determined personality from the start; he still gets easily frustrated, though I love how determined he is. I'm praying that baby girl has a peaceful, gentle demeanor from the start to help me transition into being a mom two times over. But to answer the question more directly, I do miss having more than a few outfits that fit and make me feel good!

What I'm looking forward to? Lots! For all of my anxiety that I mentioned above, I really am looking forward to having a tiny baby. It will be nice to have family up here, and I'm also excited for Ford to do an Easter egg hunt where he actually knows what's going on. Here's a video of his first "hunt" for puffs-filled Easter eggs. He was about eight months old and a fairly new crawler. The smiles at the beginning just melt me! And watch around 4 min, 15 sec for a "mama bear attack."

Big Brother: At 19 months, such a mama's boy right now! We are fortunate that Brad gets to be home a lot during the day when he's not out visiting customers, but if I disappear for even 30 seconds, even if Brad is right next to him, it's "Mama? Mama? MAMA!" He has also started calling me "mom" some of the time, which I'm not a big fan of, but it's kind of funny. He walks around the house chanting rhythmically, "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom..." He is obsessed with "Finding Nemo" and asks for it several times a day (we let him watch it maybe once a week, tops). He also likes to entertain us by "speaking whale," like Dory does in the movie. His favorite activity is swinging in the backyard, and he takes great pride and doing things on his own. If he climbs on the couch by himself or finishes his entire dinner or puts his toys away without assistance, I'll hear a cheer of "DID IT!" from Ford. He has been calling animals by their sounds since he was about a year old (dog was "woof woof," cat was "meow," monkey was "oooh oooh ah ah"), but now he says the animal names. Monkey is a favorite, but it comes out munt-nee. He also tells me when he thinks things are delicious by saying "nishuss." So much cuteness, I can hardly stand it. He'll start mother's day out in June one day a week, then two days a week in September. Hard to believe how fast he's growing! 

As you may remember from my last post, I've had some nervousness over how Ford will adapt to sharing the stage with a baby and having less of my focused attention. Brad's cousin Shelly, who is a kindred spirit and SUCH a blessing to me, told me that with her four kids, she has always tried to project what she expects, meaning that she just expects them to love their new brother or sister because that baby is a gift, and their lives will be full of so much more joy because of that sibling. That resonates with me. I'm trying to have a really positive, hopeful attitude about how Ford will adjust. I know some days will be very hard, but in the grand scheme of life, it's a good thing. 

The Nursery Reveal!

Note: I'll be back tomorrow (??? I HOPE!) with an update on my thoughts on Ford bonding with his soon-to-be new sibling, an update from the doctor (appointment in the morning) and a few words about a surprise SHOWER that my incredible play group friends threw for me.

At long last, here are photos of the nursery! I think it will evolve over time, and again, there are things I would do differently if all other things were equal. However, this room still has to have some guest room components (futon) and office storage (closet), and I didn't bother repainting the room or removing the shelves that were already nailed into the studs... but I'm happy with how things have turned out. All of the photos of the nursery were taken on my iPhone, so excuse the funny lighting on a few of them.

Here is a photo of what the room looked like a couple of months ago, when it was a full-fledged office and guest room:

And here's where you can find pictures of Ford's nursery (click here).

Now for baby girl's gray, coral and mint/seafoam nursery, the hardest working room in our house!

Futon. No other place to put it, so we made it work in this room, where it has been for the last few years. It will probably be good for middle-of-the-night feedings, or when/if I want to sleep in her room after she has transitioned out of our room. The bigger art piece on the left was made by one of Brad's relatives on his dad's side. It is super intricately WOVEN onto canvas. Pretty incredible.

Art ledge. This was a "make it work" area... I used only art that we already had. I think it will continue to evolve over time, possibly turning into a gallery wall with more frames hung directly on the wall. The watercolor with the horse was a fun project. I didn't paint it, but I replaced the mat (it was kinda 1980s before -- peach and green double-matted with notches cut out) and painted the frame from speckled brown to white. Happy with the new look!

Love this corner with the crib! I made the canopy and pom poms. The blankies in the crib were mine when I was a baby. The print I already owned ("Choose Joy" in French), and the colors match the room perfectly. The sheet is mint-colored (hard to tell in photo), and the crib skirt was a cheap one I purchased and added the coral trim. The canopy tie-backs are from Urban Outfitters (detail photo below), one of the few purchased items for this room.

 

Ahhh the big pillow looks wonky in this photo, but it looks great in person! I made covers for two pillows we already owned. They're just a little smaller than Euro shams. I found a pinky-coral heavy duck cloth at Joann's in the remnant section for super cheap. I sewed them into pocket pillow covers and added grosgrain ruffle trim. Probably the girliest items in the room! The "hare" pillow was found at IKEA a long time ago, and the kind of ikat long pillow was a West Elm purchase from many moons ago. I sewed the peach polka dot pillow (not very well, but whatever), as well as the funky little felt heart pillow. 

Just another corner of the room. The deep nightstands hold baby clothes, swaddles and diapers. The closet is full of office supplies, including our printer and scanner! Baby girl is sharing a closet with Ford (his room).

This was really hard to photograph on the iPhone (haha), so the photo looks weird, but it may give you an idea of how the room is oriented. The nightstand under the window will be a changing table for middle-of-the-night diapers while she's tiny. Otherwise, we'll use the table in Ford's room.

Also hard to photograph since it is so backlit, but I made this wreath out of a styrofoam floral ring and the leftover scraps from the pom poms over the crib. I want to put baby's monogram in the middle once we are sure of the name. I purchased the window shade from IKEA (Emmy roller shade) and removed the roller to give it a swoop shape, added coral trim to the seams and made coral trim ties.

Maximizing every inch of storage space! Under the futon I'm using (already owned) IKEA storage boxes to hold hats, shoes, hair accessories and other accessories, while under her crib you'd find pretty baskets filled with baby blankets and burp cloths, as well as a nursing pillow. Sheepskin throw was purchased from IKEA a couple of years ago.

Weird coloring in these two photos! The dresses hang right next to each other. My mom made these* for me when I was a baby! I have so many pretty smocked treasures because she sewed/smocked her fingers off when I was little, with the goal of making one new dress or outfit a week! Insane. The hooks will eventually hold more practical items, like a diaper bag and play clothes, but I love the way these look on the pretty hooks for now (purchased from Urban Outfitters).
*UPDATE 03/05/13: Mom has informed me that while she did indeed "smock her fingers off" when I was a tot, these dresses were not actually made by her. My dad's mom, known to us grandkids as "Gee," made the blue-green dress, and Gee's friend Lil made the pink dress. How fortunate am I to have so many creative women in my life?!  

A couple of detail shots. You can see a little bit of the pouf I sewed on the left, and the two shelves on the right have been in the room from the time it was an office. I added coral chevron washi tape to the facing edge of the shelves. The ballet slippers hanging there were my wedding shoes!

Just some random pretties on the top shelf. The bottom shelf holds practical stuff, like wipes and a noisemaker, but the top one has a Madame Alexander doll (slightly creepy, but baby's only doll!) from when I was a baby, some shells and coral, a butterfly vase I made and painted in middle school, a vase from Anthropologie, and an amber glass jewelry holder (purchased from Urban Outfitters). And also, apparently, a Sharpie.

More detail shots. On the left, I'm obsessed with the knobs on the refinished dressers/nightstands. They don't photograph well, but in person they are the prettiest mother of pearl or capiz! Detail of the canopy tie backs and the amber glass closet door knobs (purchased from, you guessed it, Urban Outfitters!).

I love the way the room looks in the dark with just the "Chinese lantern" string lights illuminating the room! So soft and peaceful.

Thanks for taking a tour with me! Can't wait to add the finishing touch to the nursery: a little baby girl!

Full term?! Random Updates

As a reminder, I have gotten a handful of due dates, since we have to go off the baby's size, which varies from practitioner to practitioner and ultrasound machine to ultrasound machine. The earliest I have gotten is March 20, and the latest is March 26. If you go toward the earlier end of that spectrum, I am FULL TERM! Thirty seven weeks and a few days! If you go by the later date, I think I'll be full term on Tuesday. I have been hoping all along for an Easter baby (March 31), but I know she'll come when she's ready. I'm just hoping it's not April 1, since I'm afraid people will think I'm pulling an April Fools joke!

I went to the doctor last Tuesday (going weekly now!) and had gained like a pound and a half since my previous appointment. Looks like I'm on track to gain less than 30, which was the goal! My belly is measuring exactly on schedule and baby's heartbeat is consistently between 120 and 160 bpm. I've gotten a little bit of my nesting mojo back since I last posted, so I've been getting some of the practical stuff together for baby's arrival... Buying extra toilet paper and paper towels, diapers and wipes, cleaning and organizing closets (I have done every single closet in our house in the span of just a couple of days!), and putting some finishing touches on the nursery.

I will do a separate post with pictures of the nursery soon. I was really fortunate to have a totally blank slate when "designing" Ford's room... I was able to think of how to make it function as the best NURSERY ever, putting furniture wherever I wanted, leaving lots of room for playing, having TWO WHOLE CLOSETS for one tiny baby... and this room has posed some challenges. For one thing, I have had less time to focus on it. I can't even really get in there to work while Ford's sleeping, since his room is adjacent and he's a pretty light sleeper. So I don't really even know how things are getting done. Mostly it's just when Brad's home to distract the man-cub and I can sneak in 30 minutes to hang pictures or fold blankets or what have you. But the room also still has to function as an office storage space and guest room, in addition to baby room. I'm not willing to spend much money at all on the space, since it may be a full-on office again in a few months, or we may move... so I'm pretty much just using what I have and repurposing it, or making things (crib skirt, canopy, pom poms, art, etc.). Here are a few sneak peeks:

Some hand-me-down dressers to hold baby's clothes. I have two of them. Left: before, Right: after. The after is a high gloss elephant gray with capiz shell knobs. They are pretty deep drawers, so they offer a surprising amount of storage for their petite size!

Outtake from my photo shoot... :) He is such a little muskrat. Love him!

Can't remember if I have posted this here. This is from six weeks ago or so... I made the canopy and the pom poms. I've since added two pom poms to help fill it out.

I think I have posted this before? A big pouf I sewed before I even really knew what I wanted the nursery to look like.

Bad lighting, but here's a window shade I modified (it's just a straight roller shade from IKEA, and I added coral trim and took out the roller so it would have a scallop shape). In the middle is a "wreath" I made from the pom pom fabric scraps. I want to put baby's monogram in the middle once we're sure about the name.

I've also been really focused on preparing activities for Ford when the baby comes. It's funny, I'll be driving somewhere and I have a thought like, "THERE SHOULD BE BALLOONS IN THE HOSPITAL ROOM WHEN FORD MEETS HIS SISTER. THEN HE WON'T BE SCARED." Or, "WE SHOULD GET FORD SOME MATCHBOX CARS AND TELL THEM THEY'RE FROM HIS SISTER. HE WOULD LIKE THAT." I'm just trying to think of things to help with the transition, plus ways to keep him occupied while we're having to care for a newborn. I did a busy bag swap with some fellow moms at church and went home with six great activities, like stringing yarn through foam shapes, fishing with a magnetized rod and play fish, velcro sticks, and the like. Below is my contribution, a laminated color wheel with clothespins. I drew a number wheel on the back of ours, where you match up wedges with dots and their numerals. I also created some separate activities for Ford, like sorting colored beads into a small, six-cup muffin tin, sticker books, a couple of DVDs (Curious George and Happy Feet), some new books about being a new brother, as well as some Sesame Street books, watercolors, finger paints, little wooden puzzles... We'll pull out one new activity every few days and rotate them.

More soon! I have the house to myself for about 20 more minutes (Ford's asleep and Brad's working out), so I may watch the end of Project Runway and eat a sweet treat (I still have a few leftover honey buns from Sam's! Ha!). Thanks for reading.