Happy Valentine's Day!

One month, already?!

It's true... today Sam is ONE whole month old!

We of course had to come up with some creative ways to document his monthly growth.  My SIL sent us a fun idea she found on Pinterest where you put baby in an outfit that's entirely too big for him at first, and photograph him in the same one every month to see how he grows into it.  So we did that with a size 12mo sleeper - which totally swallows him right now!

Then we put him in one of the PB Kids baskets from his changing table... (OK that reminds me that I totally need to get nursery pics on here!)

And the "main" pic is this one - just a simple overhead view of him on a blanket with one of MY old toys - a crocheted Cookie Monster doll.  Love it!

I always love seeing how people document the actual month.  I've seen onesies and tees and stickers/patches you can use to put on the kid.  I liked that idea, but of course decided to do a budget-friendly version with stuff I already had.  So the solution?  Iron-on printer paper.  It's so darn easy...

Here's a very quick how-to if you're interested in doing something similar...


Easy Month-by-Month Iron-on Decals

1. You will need a plain onesie or tee for each month.  I just went with plain white onesies by Carters.  (Or sorry, "bodysuits" since Gerber officially coined the term "onesie" - whatev.)  And I'm doing these month-by-month because who knows what size Sam will need as he grows!

2. Assuming you've got an iron and a printer at home, the only other thing you need is iron-on printer paper.  I have found this at the grocery store, but Walmart usually has it and certainly any office supply store would.  It comes in the same packaging as labels - so look for those.  I used Avery brand and it comes in two varieties - one for light fabrics and one for darker fabrics. 

3.  I designed my own image just using Microsoft Word - I went really simple.  But you can get as fancy pants as you want.  Design your own decal, or find some clip art or other pictures to use.  The big thing to remember here, once you're ready to print, is you'll need to print a mirror image of the decal.  Some programs have you do this through the print menu, or you may be able to flip the image itself before printing.  I created my image in Word and then copied it into Paint (yeah, that free program under your Accessories - love it) and printed from there.  So I just flipped the image itself before printing.

One other thing to note - this iron-on paper is designed for inkjet printers.  I broke the rules and used a laser printer though.  It worked fine for these small and simple images, but really an inkjet printer will do best.  The heat from a laser printer screws up the iron-on material some and may affect your decal.  But the image itself transfers fine if the paper around your decal survives the printing (which mine did).

4. Transfer the image!  Follow the instructions on the iron-on paper package - they are plenty detailed and easy to follow.  It takes a matter of seconds to transfer the image - especially a small one like this.  And then you're done!  Come month #2, start back at step 1.  :-) 


So there you go.  We are obviously having a complete BALL with Sam.  Love him to pieces.  He is ridiculously cute.  He's a good sleeper too.  The nights are hard... we've had to grow accustom to "naps" rather than getting a full night's sleep, but we're coping well.  He's a fabulous eater and pooper too.  The plumbing is definitely working.  His projectile pee and poo range is quite impressive.  I just recently had to start a clothes bin for items he's already outgrown!  I mean, really!  He's out of most of his NB items and is in 0-3mo or 3mo sizes now. He's growing like a weed, that's for sure. 

I've got lots of great post ideas swimming in my foggy head right now... it's just a matter of finding the time and opportunity to sit down at the 'puter and get them posted.  I definitely want to share my favorite maternity items and baby items so far, among other things.  You know I love dishing on fun clothes and products!  And as I mentioned, I need to get our nursery pics up!  My Dad took a bunch of great ones after we got everything finished, so I'll have to get those on here shortly. 

Also... any fun Valentine's Day plans, y'all?  We typically stay in and do fondue for V-Day, but seeing as we stay in like ALL the time lately, that's not quite as appealing this year!  So we are having our first official date night on Tuesday!  Well, date afternoon really.  My parents are going to watch the little man at our house while the hub and I go to see "The Vow" and then have an early dinner at a local Italian restaurant.  We have 5pm reservations - which officially makes us old farts.  Seriously, who eats at 5pm?  People with one-month-old's at home with grandparents waiting to have their own Valentine's dinner out.  Yep, Nana and Grandpa have 7:30pm reservations, so we'll be home in time to relieve them.  And we thought caring for the dogs was hard enough to coordinate!  Ha!  Looking forward to it...  you know I love Valentine's!  Any reason to celebrate is... well... a reason to celebrate!  Hope you all have a great one filled with lots of love!

Sam's Birth Story

Please excuse my little "maternity leave" from bloggy world... like I said, time just escapes me these days.  Before I turn around, I'll be back at work.  Newborns have like a fast-forward button or something.  The hours in the day seriously just slip away and I'm like, wow... look at all the things I have NOT done today! But that's OK... my #1 to-do right now is loving on sweet Sam.  And I'm definitely getting plenty of that in!

So if you remember, we were scheduled to have a c-section on January 19th, when he was 39 weeks.  On the 11th, we had what we thought would be my last OB appointment before delivery.  Before the doctor came in, the nurse asked if I wanted him to check me for dilation, etc.  Well sure, what the heck?  They don't regularly check your cervix as a planned c-section patient, but I figured it couldn't hurt.  Well, turns out I was already dilated some to 1-2 inches and 75% effaced.  At that point, I was a day shy of 38 weeks.  My OB was like, "Well if you were delivering vaginally, this would be great news."  But seeing as my team of doctors didn't want me going into labor at all, this freaked me out a little bit!  With how things looked that day, the OB didn't think I'd make it to the 19th.  In fact, he said he'd go ahead and take Sam that day if there wasn't the big hooplah over waiting till the 39-week mark.  (Not that it's all hooplah - but a lot of it is about hospitals and money and politics.)  So my instructions were to call in if my water broke or I had continuous contractions over a 4-hour period. 

Well this all kind of threw me for a loop...  we had a plan.  January 19th at 5:30am.  We had a nice to-do list to get done in that last week before heading for the hospital.  But God had other plans!  That same day, after going back to work after my OB appointment, I managed to have a ridiculous amount of contractions all afternoon.  They were just Braxton Hicks, as far as I knew... but contractions nonetheless.  And after we hit that 4-hour mark, we called.  The nurse put me on hold after I told her what was going on.  She came back after a couple of minutes, having talked to my doctor.  "It's time, honey.  Head to Labor & Delivery!"  Holy shit.

That call happened about 3pm... I was still at the office and LUCKILY I had really focused on crossing all my T's and dotting all my I's earlier that week so that I could vacate early if need be.  Good thing I did!  I just spent maybe a half hour tying up some little loose ends before the hub picked me up.  And so that was my official last day of work before Sam!  We did have our hospital bags mostly packed, thank goodness.  So once I got picked up, we ran home to grab our stuff, change clothes, get the dogs situated, and head to the hospital. 

Once we got to the hospital, it all went so fast.  We checked in just before 6pm.  The nurses immediately got us into an L&D room and hooked me up to the monitors...


Let's do this!


Sure enough, after seeing my activity (i.e contractions like every few minutes!), the doctor on call decided we needed to do this thing.  Even though my contractions weren't too severe, they still put stress on my wonky uterus.  And we don't need to stress my poor uterus.  My L&D nurses were great.  Our short time there was right smack in the middle of a shift change, so we had two nurses, only for about an hour each before moving into surgery.  Besides their bedside manner, I gotta say I judge a nurse by how well they put an IV in.  This girl kicked ass.  Quick and easy!  The only other thing I had some apprehension about was the epidural.  The surgery itself really didn't scare me.  It's always the pre-op stuff that I hate. 

Because I hadn't eaten anything since my lunch at about noon, we didn't have to wait too long to go into surgery.  They typically make you wait 8 hours after eating, so luckily we didn't have to!  By 8pm, they were walking me back to the OR.  The hub had to stay back to put on his scrubs while they prepped me for surgery.  I had to sit up on the edge of the operating table to have the epidural put in. I was nervous, so I was a little shaky - but it was also wicked cold in that room!  The anesthesiologist was awesome and I'm not kidding when I tell you I barely felt it.  I think I was more nervous about jerking out of position while he was inserting it rather than the needle itself.  I mean, through this whole process, I've had my fair share of needles.  I can handle needles for the most part.  I've been stuck in every place imaginable.  Yes.  Every. Place. Imaginable.  But despite my shaking, I managed to stay totally still and before I knew it, my legs were feeling funny and heavy and then... holy cow, where did my legs go?  I see you moving them but seriously... whose legs are those?!  Totally weird...

Honestly the worst part of the whole epidural was the fact that my blood pressure slowed so much that I got nauseous almost immediately.  But of course they had some good drugs at the ready for that very reason and before long I was feeling fine again.  It was weird though because I could hear my pulse on the monitor the whole time and you could literally hear it slow way down once the epidural hit.  By the time I was feeling good again, the hub was by my side.  The curtain was being pinned up at my chest.  And here we go!

It was all so fast.  I could feel some pressure, but I was totally relaxed.  Well, as relaxed as you can be when your long-awaited son is about to enter the world!  I just stared at the hub the whole time.. listening, listening, listening for that cry.  And OH did he cry!  Boy was NOT too pleased to be yanked out so abruptly!  But it was a beautiful sound.  Holy crap - that's our baby!!!  Sam was born at 8:29pm.  So walking back to the OR to the time I was horizontal with a baby flying out... less than 30 minutes.  Wow.

The hub watched the whole thing (from behind the curtain).  He described the scene - said it was seriously like a NASCAR pit crew.  Nothing gentle about it, that's for sure.  And I sure don't want to ever SEE what happened on that table to my body!  But wow, it sure is amazing. 

After Sam was out, they eventually took him away to get cleaned up.  The hub stayed with me though as the doctors got me cleaned up and sewn up and ready to go.  I have no idea how long that took.  I was totally conscious and "with it" the whole time... but after that epidural, time just seemed to disappear.  And I haven't been able to find it since! 

Our families were in the waiting room - anxious to get word on Baby Sam's arrival.  So while I was back in recovery, the hub spread the good word and shared some pics on his camera.  Here I am holding sweet Sam for the first time...

I was in recovery for an hour or so.  I was able to start breastfeeding Sam there.  They had a lactation consultant there at the ready.  Everyone was super supportive and helpful.  Then we were ultimately moved to our postpartum room and our family was able to come back and meet our little man...

Grandpa with Sam

Nana with Sam

It was all a whirlwind!  We stayed in the hospital for three nights and went home that following Saturday.  We were at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta and I had a fabulous experience there.  ALL of the nurses we had while in postpartum were fantastic.  Of course we had our favorites... Nurse Amy was our day nurse on the second day.  I had a total breakdown when I couldn't pee.  It was a total repeat of the nightmare recovery after my first surgery years ago.  Sometimes when you get catheterized for surgery, you forget how to pee once they remove the catheter.  Imagine needing to pee like a race horse, but not being able to get your muscles to function properly and relieve yourself.  Um, friggin nightmare!  And just super frustrating.  I had a feeling this was going to happen when I couldn't pee the first time I tried.  So basically what happens is, they have to insert a straight catheter in if you can't get the job done yourself.  And if you don't know... that hurts like hell.  At least that's how I remembered it.  So knowing this was coming just made me lose it.  But y'all, Nurse Amy could NOT have been sweeter about it.  You know I hate crying in front of people.  So breaking down in front of the nurse was not in the plans.  But there was no stopping it.  And she was just super about it.  She was totally comforting and to top it off, she kicked ass doing the catheter.  Yeah, it was not fun - but it was not NEARLY the painful experience I had at Northside years ago after my first surgery.  So now, along with IV's, I can judge nurses on their ability to insert a catheter.  ;-)

The last nurse we had, Nurse Marsha, was also amazing.  I tried my best to hold it back, but I totally cried when she was loving on Sam as we were packing up to go home.  Heading home... into the real world... was emotional enough as it was, but seeing her say goodbye to our boy... ugh, wow.  I'm telling you - our nurses were the best!  And I certainly have a whole new respect for L&D and postpartum nurses.  They see stuff and do stuff no person should have to.  Goodness.  Modesty just goes out the window while you're there. 

The drive home was surreal.  We kept saying, "There's a baby in the back of our car."  And we both cried... driving up 85.  It's been 3 weeks and it's still so unbelievable sometimes.  Not sure I'll ever stop pinching myself!  We had a photographer come out on Sam's one week birthday.  Here's one of my favorites...

Samuel Nolen

This little guy melts my heart!  So in love. God is good.

Welcome home, Baby Sam.

Samuel Nolen Rogers

born January 11, 2012 at 8:29pm

7 pounds, 10 ounces and 19.5 inches

I know... I'm like WAY behind on getting Sam's birth story up here! I promise to get lots of pics and details posted shortly.  Somehow, with a little one in the house, everything that should take 5 minutes takes 5 hours.  And what I meant to do on Tuesday might get done by Friday.  It's a new world, that's for sure. But we're in love with our sweet boy, clearly.

I'll be back soon!  I know I've not responded to all your sweet tweets and messages, but please know I'm loving every one of them!  We appreciate the prayers and well wishes so much.  Now I'm off to go snuggle my little peanut some more...

Freezer Meals

You know, my to-do-before-Sam-gets-here-list is never going to get done if I don't stop adding things to it... story of my life!  And one project I've added to the list is to get some freezer meals prepared and put away.  I'm not making a big production of it... not like a full day of cooking up fabulous recipes or anything.  Don't have the energy for that!  Nor do I really care to do that at this point.  But as I'm cooking our regular dinners here and there, I'm doubling or tripling what I usually make and freezing what we don't eat into several meals for later.  Like the other night, the hub made a big double batch of turkey chili.  We usually eat maybe 2/3 or so of one batch in a night.  So I divided up what we didn't eat into two freezer meals for later.  Easy!

 

Tonight I'll do the same with taco meat.  I'm sure some of our friends and family will spoil us with food and whatnot when we first get home with Sam, but it will be nice to know we have a variety of backup meals on hand that are all but ready-to-eat when the last thing we'll want to do is cook!  I have a short list of several meals I'm going to put together over the next couple of weeks - but I'm not going to stress over it.  If I get to it, great!  If not - no big.  Others I plan to do are chicken pot pie (cook the chicken, mix in the pie "innards" so that all I need to do is add crust and bake), chicken taco stew (an easy crockpot recipe that will freeze well), and spaghetti (just the sauce).  I may also mix up a turkey meatloaf and freeze that.  Haven't made that in forever because it just sounded gross throughout most of my pregnancy.  It still does not sound all that appealing, but maybe I'll feel differently afterward?  I have a great chicken noodle soup recipe too... would that freeze well, minus the noodles?  Hmmm...

 

So, any other easy ideas to consider for freezing?  Emphasis on EASY.  I'm not looking for some amazing new recipe to try.  But you know... is there something you love that freezes really well and is easy to prepare ahead of time?  We are not picky eaters.  I just don't have a lot of energy to be super creative right now!  So leave me your ideas if you have any I should try.  That are easy.  With few ingredients.  That can be found at normal stores.  THANKS!!!

A Quick Update

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas weekend!  We certainly did.  We had lots of fun with friends and family and then had Monday off to recover and rest up before getting back to reality on Tuesday.  It's a very quiet week at work though - which is nice.  Plenty to do though, as I'm trying my best not to leave any loose ends when Sam arrives. 

 

Had another OB appointment today and all looks good.  Also had an ultrasound yesterday at the perinatologist and Sam is looking great!  Of course he's all chunky and mushed up in there so it's hard to get any great pics.  But he's still a bit ahead of schedule size wise - weighing in at 6lb 7oz.  They also put me on the monitors for a bit to track his activity.  That little booger was all over the place.  The nurses kept commenting on how active he was!  It kept making me laugh - listening to his heartbeat and hearing him go nuts jostling around in there.  And yeah, speaking of jostling... it friggin hurts when he moves around now.  There is so little room that my poor organs become punching bags.  Pretty sure if he came out talking, his first word would be "Shit!"  Because I feel like that's all I say right now.  Can't complain though... still love feeling him even though it cripples me some days.  He especially likes to pounce on my sciatic nerve and send a rush of shooting pain down my butt or thigh.  It is awesome.

 

Dr. Stone (perinatologist) does want to see me again this Friday.  I seriously have like 5 doctor appointments this week between the OB, perinatologist, acupuncturist, and chiropractor.  Anyway, Dr. Stone noticed that the cord was kind of tangled up around Sam's head - nothing to be alarmed about, but he wanted me to come back and see if he has shifted and the cord straightens back out, etc (as he suspects it will).  I don't think they'd really do much of anything if it doesn't move, other than alert my OB to where it is so they're aware of it when performing the c-section here soon.  And of course I'm supposed to pay attention to his activity - which isn't hard (uh, reread the previous paragraph).  If he's suddenly less active than normal, I'm to call.  Otherwise, keep on keepin' on.

 

So that's the latest.  As far as the nursery, we are all but done!  Just a few finishing touches to take care of... gotta hang all the wall decor this weekend.  The cornice board has been assembled - we just need to add the fabric.  That will be ready this weekend as well.  Only things we don't have yet are a few customized fabric accessories that are being made... the cushion for the bench, liners for the wicker baskets (on the changing table) and the fabric curtain that serves as the closet "door."  We also plan to get a ceiling fan, but that's obviously not a must-have item before Sam arrives.  But maybe we'll get that this weekend too.  My dad is going to take some good pics of it all with his wide-angle lens once we get it all done!  Hopefully that will give you a much better look than my camera phone -ha! 

 

Christmas decorations are already down and baby gear is moving its way in...  We've got the pac n' play in the guest room downstairs all assembled and loaded up with diaper changing supplies.  The swing and bouncy seat are up and ready in the den.  We're getting there!  After ALL this time, I cannot believe we're just a few weeks away from meeting this little guy!  Wow...  it's totally unreal.

A Very Merry Christmas

This Christmas certainly is a special one.  Anticipating Sam's arrival in just a few weeks has us all excited!  The holidays, while I always love them regardless, can be tough when you're in the thick of the infertility battle.  Every year there for a while I wondered how many more Christmases we'd have to endure without a child of our own.  Again, I'm no Scrooge... I still loved every minute of every Christmas the hub and I have shared together, but I'd be lying if I said there hadn't been a hollow spot in my heart all those years.  So being pregnant during this season has been a true blessing.  There are such exciting things to come in the New Year.

But this Christmas is so much bigger than that...  It is extra meaningful this year because of the story of another sweet baby.  If you haven't had the privilege of reading about sweet Hallie Lynn Green, please take a quiet moment over the Christmas holidays to let her story into your heart.  Hallie's mom, Katie, and I have several mutual friends, but we've only met a couple of times - I'm not even sure she'd remember me.  But through her special little girl, she and her husband have touched SO many lives this Christmas.

I'm sure my hormones are half to blame, but I've shed more tears over this little angel and her family in the last week than I can remember.  Tears of sorrow, but also tears of joy.  Joy for the miracle of this little life that has touched countless souls over just a few short days.  Little Hallie came in to this world and did more in her sweet little life to further God's Kingdom than most people can hope for in a lifetime.  I hope you will take a moment to learn about her and pray over her sweet family.  You can follow her story here.  At tonight's Christmas Eve service we were reminded that Jesus was and is the light of the world.  How bright he shined through Hallie's life here.

[Short pause while I wipe my swollen eyes and blow my runny nose.]

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!  We are certainly enjoying our time together with family and friends this weekend.  Presents are wrapped and waiting, the family (and doggies) are all snug in their beds... Now I better get to sleep before Santa realizes I'm still up...  yikes!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Dude...

WHY cannot I not get my butt on the 'puter to blog?  Like everything else in life, it is a total chore right now.  Going to the bathroom is a chore.  The 3rd trimester slowdown has come on with a vengeance.  I'm not fatigued like I was during the 1st trimester, but Sam is so mushed up in there that it's hard to breathe.  So the littlest thing, like talking, gets me out of breath.  My sweet husband suggested I just stop speaking.  Hahaha...

My Braxton Hicks contractions did get the better of me last night...  we missed the neighborhood Christmas party because of them!  I've had them on and off throughout the day the last few weeks, but the doctor said not to worry about calling unless we had more than 6 an hour.  Well, first I'm supposed to get horizontal and drink a glass of water if I have six.  And if they don't slow down, then we call.  So last night I was having them like every 10 minutes for over two hours, so we did call.  Only for them to tell me that there's not much to do since I'm past 34 weeks.  Baby is super viable at that point, so if labor were to start, they're not going to interfere too much at this point.  OK whatever... I felt better after hearing that, although I do want this little booger to stay in there and bake as long as he can.  We go for another OB visit on Tuesday so I will ask again if there's any different protocol for my situation since my doctors don't want me going into labor period... I failed to think to ask that last night, but I'm not worried.  These definitely aren't true labor contractions.  But hopefully we can get some more assurance on Tuesday.

We were supposed to hit the mall after church today to finish up the last bit of Christmas shopping we had, but decided to play it safe and lay low.  Shopping (well, standing up or walking for long at all) has gotten super difficult.  I've only been able to do quick trips.  I did do a BRU-Kohl's-Target run Friday afternoon with my mom and I think that did me in.  From now on it's either Amazon or a motorized scooter.  The hub is taking good care of me... whether it's a 4am poptart or an emergency backrub, he comes running.  The other day he said he can't wait to sit in our rocker and doze off with Sam in his arms.... wow, melt my heart!  He's going to be such a great daddy.

So, all is good... the nursery is really, really coming together!  As I type, the hub and my dad are upstairs finishing up the beadboard in the bathroom.  The cornice board for the nursery has been assembled, but for the fabric - it is going to look SO great!  Still waiting on some other little odds and ends - various fabric projects/accessories and also lighting fixtures... but the major projects are all but done.  Can't wait to see it all come together!

And lastly, for now, here are some pics from one of my last showers.  This one was hosted by my wonderful godmother.  We had a fabulous turnout - lots of great friends of my mother's came all the way from Alabama to help us celebrate.  And a lot of my sweet friends came from all over as well - many who I hadn't seen in forever!  It was a great afternoon...

Sam's own little Christmas tree!

The sweet hostess with the mostess!

Eating for two... nom nom nom!

One of my favorite gifts!  A sweet name plaque for Sam from my friend, Jill.

I think I'm trying to explain to my mom what Baby Legs are...

One of my dear friends gave us this awesome wagon!

Uh, yeah...

This is what I wore... Gap dress with my Target shoes and grey tights.  Dress was cute on - if I didn't move.  But I had horrid static cling that day, no matter what I tried... so it did not hang so well at the shower.  Oh well...

Ketchup.

Gosh, I am having trouble getting my butt on the computer lately to blog.  I just have been very busy sitting on the couch and not caring.  Ha!  No, but I do have so much I need to update y'all on... we had our last round of showers this past weekend - which were great!  And we also did our maternity shoot last Friday (above is a little sample for ya).  So I'll get some weekend pics up soon!  

I tell ya - Sam is pretty darn set.  I think the only major thing we don't have that we'd like to get before he arrives is my breast pump.  So I think we'll slap a 20% off coupon and a few BRU giftcards on that puppy and it'll be pretty affordable!  We went to a breastfeeding class at the hospital this past Saturday and they suggested bringing in your pump if you have one so they can show us how to get it set up and use it.  Sounds good to me!  I need all the help I can get.  

The nursery is really coming together.  The built-in shelves are installed but just waiting on some finishing touches.  They look AWESOME and I can't wait to "move in" to them with all of Sam's loot.  They're our main source of storage in that room, besides his closet.  Other projects still in the works are the cornice board for the window - my dad is helping us construct that.  I think I mentioned the quote I got to have one made was like $750.  Yeah... so I quickly started googling "DIY cornice boards."  It looks pretty darn easy, so I'm excited to see how this project comes together.  We're just doing a super simple one with the same paisley fabric that's in the bedding and it will be monogrammed in the center.

We're also having a cushion made for the bench seat under the window.  Any DIY option there would turn into a hot mess.  Not even attempting that!  So we'll leave that one to the pros.  Also using a fabric from the bedding collection for the cushion, but a more neutral one that can be used later if we decided to change up the color scheme in that room.  What else... well, paint!  We are nearly done there.  I of course have to make the paint as complicated as possible with 15 different colors, etc.  We finally figured out colors for the nursery ceiling and bath ceiling.  The hub finished the main ceiling paint and WOW, does it look good!  It is a metallic bronze - which I thought might be a bit dark once applied, but it is so perfect.  We have so much white going on in the nursery between the shelving, furniture, and trim, so the dark contrast really warms it up and makes it so soothing.  Plus our wall colors are very subtle (two shades of taupe), so the metallic ceiling adds a bit of drama!  I'll get some pics up once we finish the paint.  We are still doing stripes, but just on one wall.  I think stripes all around might be overkill, so we're going to try just one wall to start.  I'm planning to conquer the stripes this weekend.  Then the last bit of paint will be the ceiling in the bathroom - also a metallic gold, but a lot lighter than the nursery color.  It's more of a pale gold.

And speaking of the bathroom - we still have the beadboard to install.  My dad is helping us with that as well.  We did finally get our bathroom mirror though!  I had been eying one at Pottery Barn forever but we stumbled upon a comparable version on clearance at Home Depot this week!  Total score... I was literally about to shell out $149 for the PB version, but we ended up getting the $70 HD version instead.  Love it!  It's a white medicine cabinet style mirror.  We wanted a medicine cabinet because we've got a pedestal sink in the nursery bath with no storage.  And now the only other major thing I need to order here soon is the baskets from Pottery Barn for our changing table.  And that has turned into a fiasco this week because I've been trying to use these Amex giftcards we got to purchase those, to no avail.  Oh believe me, I've been on the phone with the Pottery Barn people... While I'm TRULY grateful for these Amex giftcards, I gotta say they have been a pain in the ass to try to use online.  I know, rich people problem... "Oh weh... the money I received as a gift is hard to spend!" Obviously not a big deal in the grand scheme, but yeah, add that to the list of reasons to hate Amex.  We'll get them to work one way or another but I don't think I'll be buying those particular cards as a gift for anyone.  Uh, not to mention they charge a fee when you purchase them!  Lame, Amex.

As far as Sam, he is doing great!  When you throw in my perinatal visits, I'm pretty much into weekly doctor appointments now.  Which is fine by me... I like to know how things stand.  We had our last OB visit on Tuesday and, as suspected, they're going to make me do the 3-hr glucose test later this week since I borderline passed the 1-hr test and Sam is on the big side.  Well, drats... that means I have to fast Friday morning... as in no Friday morning poptart!  What am I going to do?!  Ha...  I've also been having a fair amount of Braxton Hicks contractions in the last few weeks.  The hub got mad at me because I hadn't mentioned them to him when I had them.  He knew I'd been having them because he was at the doctor with me when I asked about them.  But as long as they didn't get excessive, I didn't figure I needed to worry him when I had one.  Well, he did not like that.  So now I have a custom app on my phone that looks like a big red button.  Anytime I have a contraction, I have to push the button and it immediately sends a text message to the hub.  Hahaha.... gotta love it.  The OB said if I have 6 or more an hour, that I need to drink a glass of water and lie down.  If they continue at that rate, then we call the doctor.  I haven't had near that many in an hour, so no real cause for alarm just yet!  But heaven knows the hub will be the first to know if I do.  :-)

Other big news we found out this week is that, unfortunately, my OB won't be able to do my c-section.  She apparently had to have some kind of emergency surgery this week and will be out of commission for a while, so they went ahead and had me schedule with a different doctor in the practice.  I'm sad it won't be my regular OB... I sure hope she's OK!  I've been seeing her for over 10 years... she had a wonky uterus just like me and was also a Dr. Toledo patient, so she "gets" it.  Would've been cool to have her deliver Sam, but whatever... I know most women don't get their own doctors anyway!  It's luck of the draw really unless it's scheduled.  So yeah, that was kinda disappointing, but not a huge deal in the long run.  I will be in good hands.  My OB's health is obviously the priority here! We have met all but one of the other OB's in the practice, so I was able to pick one I liked and keep the same day/time.  The doctor we saw this week was also good, and she's available that day (Jan 19), but not till after 1pm.  Which means I'd have to go WAY longer without food.  Um, no thanks.  I picked someone else.  As with all events in my life, I center this around my meals.  Momma's gotta eat!  Priorities.

Alright y'all... I promise I'll get back on with some pics and other fun deets from this past weekend.  Hope you're having a good one!

32 Week Ultrasound

Finally got some decent pics... although the face shot is a little creepy - haha!  But some pretty cool detail nonetheless.  Sam has got some serious cheeks!  Size-wise, he's measuring a solid two weeks ahead.  He weighed 4lb, 12oz today and already has a a head full of hair!  They're guessing he'll be 8 or 8 1/2 lbs at 39 weeks.  We'll see! 

 

All is looking good though... the perinatologist did ask if I had passed my glucose test.  Well yeah, but barely!  Can't remember if I mentioned that - but I found out at my last OB visit that I just squeeked by.  The doctor's not at all concerned, but is mentioning to my OB that they may want to think about retesting me considering Sam's chub-a-lubness.  He also wants to see me again at 36 weeks just to monitor size.  He said on occasion, if baby is super big, they'll recommend taking him a little earlier.  I am cool with going earlier if it's planned... I just don't want to go into labor for fear of rupturing my wonky uterus.  Or should I say formerly wonky?  The wonkiness has been minimalized, but it's still "special." 

 

We bought the last bit of paint this weekend for the nursery, so hopefully all the painting projects will get wrapped up over the next week or so.  I want to get the nursery done before Sam gets here, obviously... but I'm more concerned about *me* being ready in the event he decides to come early.  So my hospital bag is pretty much packed.  There are a couple of things I'd like to add, but really I've got the essentials covered.  And it's not like my mom or whoever couldn't run out while we're in the hospital and grab whatever else we needed.  And there are just some things around the house I want to get "in order" before he comes.  Nothing major - but just some small projects to wrap up.

 

But gosh... we're down to less than 8 weeks!  That is nuts.  And I've also got some loose ends to tie up at work.  Nothing I can't handle in the next few weeks, but just want to make sure I've covered everything.  And oh yeah... Christmas?  I am usually Santa's right hand man, but this year I'm like SO unmotivated to Christmas shop.  I think my "I don't care about anything" attitude from the 1st trimester is creeping back in...  Luckily we don't have a huge list of people to buy for, but I'm usually done at this point!  Mostly anyway.  I only have a couple of small things so far... and a few ideas, but not much else!  I better get on it.  Pretty sure it's going to be an online Christmas for the most part this year though.  Amazon to the rescue?!

Baby Shower - Nov 6th

We had a double header that first weekend in November!  This second shower was put on by my best high school girlfriends and another one of my sweet girlfriends that I used to work with.  This one was a lot more intimate and girly... all the details were so sweet!  What a fun weekend, huh?!

The lovely food table with all kinds of sweet goodies - including a bike-shaped diaper cake!

Delicous cake pops made by one of my girlfriends

A watermelon baby carriage - too cute!

Sam's going to one dapper little dude!

More great gifts... Sam is really loading up!

Couples Shower - Nov 5th

Finally, some pics for you!  This incredible shower was put on by some of our very good friends.  Every detail was fabulous and we had an absolute ball.  It could not have been more perfect!  We are truly grateful to be blessed with such amazing friends and family that were so excited to celebrate with us.

The table set-up for a delicious BBQ dinner

Adorable centerpieces with baby books and rubber duckies

Favors with one of my faves... white chocolate covered pretzels!

Monogrammed petit fours

The petit fours and some delicious red velvet cupcakes

And you gotta have some chocolate!

Sam's loot!

Me and the hub... and check out the cute mason jars with tags and paper straws!

Yes, folks, there really is a baby in there!

Just Checking In

Wow... has it really been that long since I posted?  Yeah.  Sorry about that!  I've either been running around or just too darn tired to get on the 'puter.  I stare at a computer all day at work, so sometimes it's the last thing I want to do when I get home.  But I have been rather domestic lately... I'm not just plopped on the couch!  I'm really trying to keep up the habit of doing one load of laundry a day so that when I'm buried in dirty onesies, sheets, and burp cloths, it won't be such a huge adjustment.  And I'm just trying to get little projects done here and there at night and on weekends to get ready.  Like the other day I cleared out an entire kitchen cabinet to make way for bottles and baby food and other kitcheny stuff for Sam.  Not even sure what all will go in there, but we have the space now! 

 

Had another OB appointment yesterday and all is still looking good.  We have what should be our last perinatal visit next Monday.  Can't wait to see Sam on screen again - it's been forever!  He is busting at the seams, it seems.  I swear he's trying to push my belly out to make more room.  Feeling him wiggle around in there is an entirely different experience now than it was mere weeks ago.  Used to just be a jab here, a kick there.  Now it's like entire body parts shifting or rolling over - it is seriously crazy.  Sometimes it catches me out of the blue and scares me.  And he still loves to set up camp on my bladder at times.  That's always fun.  But I can't complain!  Oh and the hiccups... I've only been able to feel those fairly recently.  He gets those pretty often - it's so funny.

 

Nothing much else to report here... I will get our shower pics up sometime this week.  We still have a few more showers next week as well.  Plus we're doing a maternity photo shoot next Friday.  It's going to be a BUSY but very fun week.  So by Sunday, Sam should be sittin' pretty.  The nursery is coming along, but of course my idea of having everything 100% done by Thanksgiving is not going to happen... duh. I kinda knew that wouldn't happen, but a girl can dream.  The shelves arein the room, but not officially installed and finished yet.  But we're very close on that!  They are going to look so great - can't wait!  And they'll be very functional... pretty much all our nursery storage (aside from the closet) is in the shelving.  I did snap a few pics of the boys moving the shelving units into the room - I'll post those too in a bit. 

 

Other than the shelves, the big projects left are finishing up the paint and installing the beadboard in the nursery bath.  None of those require tons of time, but it's just finding that time that's been hard.  The holidays, while I LOVE them, just complicate things.  And of course showers, and football, and other fall goings-on... it's just a busy time of year!  But we'll get there.  I'm hoping we can get some painting in this weekend in the midst of Christmas decorating.  The biggest part left is the ceiling paint - and there's no way in hell I'm getting in the awkward positions required to paint a ceiling.  So the hub will take care of that job! 

 

A few other projects remain... building a cornice board, having the window seat cushion made, and getting other accessories in order.  But one step at a time...  we'll get there!  Just hoping to get the bulk of it done before year-end.  Not sure I'll be able to move much come January!

 

Hope you all have a fantastic Turkey Day planned... it's such a fun week!  Enjoy the time with family and friends, be grateful, and eat up!

The Hospital Bag

Y'all were so helpful with tips on nursing stuff... how about items for the hospital bag?  I've already started packing and have made mad progress.  I got some great suggestions from Facebook friends that I hadn't thought of, so I figured y'all might have some ideas as well!  We're having a scheduled c-section and will probably be in the hospital 4 nights.  So, what are your must-haves?

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday... it's 11/11/11!  And Happy Veteran's Day!  I'll be back later with shower pics from last weekend.  Haven't had time to sit in front of the 'puter all week!

Showered with Love

Wow, what a weekend!  And thank goodness we have an empty room downstairs... or had I should say.  The "empty" room has now become storage for all of Sam's loot!  And the boy racked up this weekend.  We had two lovely showers thrown by sweet friends of ours.  My dad played photographer (in addition to grandpa-to-be) at the couples' shower Saturday night and he got a lot of great shots.  And one of my sweet hostesses from Sunday got some great pics as well.  I'll be back soon with more deets and pics (still waiting on some to get sent to me), but check out these adorable cake pops that one of my girls made for Sunday's shower...

And how stinkin' cute are these monogrammed petit fours from Saturday?  I'm a sucker for a monogram... especially with sugar.

Lots of love for little Sam this weekend...  so grateful.