Slowly but surely

Have you ever started a project with a vision in your head and the perfect plan to execute it in what seemed like a realistic time frame?  And as you go along, you change/modify/improve the plan and the days drag on and you start to realize that your excitement and ambition may have gotten the best of you?  Never?  Me neither!  (Insert sarcasm here).  I was and still am SUPER excited about the nursery, despite the fact I thought two weeks was plenty of time to get everything done (ha!). 

Around the time we got the puzzle together at the beginning of June (remember this?) I used my handy-dandy PowerPoint skills to create our Wizard of Oz room.  It has undergone many modifications as projects have been completed, but it has kept us on track for where we want to end up.  Here's the most recent version (unfortunately, I didn't save the phases of progression):

My goal was/is to have the nursery completed by the end of the 2nd trimester (read: the end of next week).  It sure is shaping up to be exactly what I had in mind, and that makes my little heart happy!

Grandpa Ozzie and Papa have been busy with the moulding (not an easy project, we learned, but they are doing an excellent job!) and should be done this weekend, which means we get to start moving in and decorating!  Not sure we'll make the deadline, but we'll be pretty darn close. 

Here's a look at how far we've come (click on pictures to enlarge):

Paint!

Popcorn ceiling scraped, primed, painted, and clouds sponged

Dresser transformation

Moulding primed, painted, glazed, and chair rail installed

I hope, hope, hope that by this time next week I'll be showing you pictures of Emma Lynn's Land of Oz.  But no matter when it gets finished, I know that so much love has gone into this room, it won't be anything less than perfect!

Belly pic!

Birthdays and Babymoons

Since our birthdays are just two days apart, Nate and I have made a tradition of gathering our friends together and heading to Laughlin for a weekend of fun and kayaking.  It's my favorite weekend of the year!  As September approaches and bouts of fatigue start to set in again, we reluctantly canceled our trip this year, but we still want to treat ourselves to a birthday/babymoon getaway so we can relax and enjoy our last vacation sans baby.

Relax: to release or bring relief from the effects of tension, anxiety, etc.  We do a lot of couch-sitting when we're home, but it's hard to relax, in the full sense of the term, when you're home and there is a laundry list of things that could be getting done. 

I love to go places we've never been before, and Nate likes to spend the least amount of time in the car possible.  With these two conditions in mind, I scoured the internet for SoCal's "best hidden secrets."  Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of "secrets" that we haven't already seen.  There is one place, though, where neither of us has been, despite the fact I lived in San Diego for almost 10 years:  A little town about an hour outside of the city called Julian.

Julian is a historic town known for its apple pies and nestled in the Cuyamaca mountains.  With little to do -- yet enough to keep you busy for an afternoon -- it will make the perfect weekend getaway.  Even better, we were able to snag a "free" timeshare with our ThankYou rewards (thank you, Citibank!).

To sweeten things up a little bit, I have been hoarding gift cards to my favorite day spa, Glen Ivy.  On our way to Julian, I'll be surprising Nate with a day of relaxing amongst a plethora of pools and hot springs, a couples massage, and (my favorite) a visit to the Grotto underground moisturizing experience.  I'm excited to finally share my favorite guilty pleasure with Nate!

4 weeks to go...let the countdown begin!

Busybodies

When I first learned that I wouldn't have a job this summer, I freaked out.  I am a busybody by nature and couldn't imagine what the heck I would do with my time.  And we all know what they say about idle hands.

Enter: the nursery.

God must really know what He's doing because while this isn't the greatest time to not have a steady income, it has certainly worked out in the unlimited-time-to-prepare-a-nursery department.  (And, thanks to my mom instilling good financial practices in me at an early age, the former doesn't seem to be an issue).

If you think back to my July 26th post, you'll recall seeing a "before" picture of what will become Emma Lynn's living quarters (aka the nursery).  Since we knew we were expecting before we moved in -- albeit, by just one day -- we hadn't done much with the room in anticipation of Emma's impending arrival. 

Well, we have been quite busy over here painting and prepping for our very own little Land of Oz.  We finally finished painting today (aside from touch-ups and the billowing clouds that will fill the sky), and here's the beginning of the new look:

Special thanks to Noah Perez, long-time employee of my parents' business and our awesome realtor, for scraping the nasty popcorn ceiling and adding texture for a beautiful blue sky!!

In the midst of all of this painting business, we scored a FREE -- yes, FREE -- matching dresser and crib (thank you, craigslist!).  With a little help from Home Depot, Rust-Oleum Furniture Transformations kit, and quite a bit of elbow grease, they are shaping up to be the bedroom set we've been dreaming of.  Here are some pictures of the items we picked up, with all of their potential. Transformations reveal coming soon...

(Click to enlarge)

Next up: Moulding.

Daddies and diapers

So I've decided to give cloth diapering a try.  While the start-up costs can set you back a bit, in the long run, I think it's the economical way to go.  But like everything else, the research is exhausting.  There are so many options and none that are agreed on by everyone.  Fortunately, I have a friend who has mastered cloth diapering and is going to share her wealth of knowledge with me so I can start making some decisions.

Nate, on the other hand, is not as enthusiastic about it as I am.  He's pretty confident he won't be able to deal with the poop.  I'm hoping with a little support and encouragement, he'll get on board.  But I can't help but think of this video montage of dads changing diapers...I'll make sure to have the video camera ready when it's Nate's turn!

"Don't" by Alison Lee

I found this gem on ScaryMommy.com and had to share...

Don’t wish time away.

Don’t miss out on eating dessert for breakfast.

Don’t hold your farts in.

Don’t go to bed angry.

Don’t wake up angry.

Don’t be late.

Don’t be too early. It’s as much an inconvenience as being late.

Don’t be rude to the waiter/ waitress/ barista/ cashier/ cleaning lady.

Don’t cut your own hair.

Don’t talk yourself out of an opportunity to try something new.

Don’t close your heart to kindness.

Don’t shake hands limply.

Don’t talk yourself down.

Don’t pick at pimples.

Don’t be strong all the time.

Don’t worry about the dishes, until you absolutely have to.

Don’t be a jerk when driving.

Don’t ignore your email inbox to the point of having 1,976 unread emails.

Don’t build so many walls that you can’t be reached.

Don’t buy what you can make.

Don’t ignore your instincts.

Don’t worry about singing in the car, just do it.

Don’t tell lies about other people to make yourself look good.

Don’t be lazy. Unless it’s the weekend. Then be lazy.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’ve had a bad day with the kids/ failed at your diet. You’re human. Be human.

Don’t slurp your soup.

Don’t judge others. You don’t know their story.

Don’t stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.

Don’t be afraid of what people think.

Don’t make everything a competition.

Don’t compare.

Don’t say, “I can’t.”

Don’t spend more than you earn.

Don’t buy what you don’t need just because it’s cheap.

Don’t be ashamed to admit you totally rocked to Justin Timberlake’s “I’m Bringing Sexy Back” (what, just me?).

Don’t be afraid to apologize.

Don’t call each other names in a fight. Fight hard, but fight clean.

Don’t neglect books. Read, and read a lot.

Don’t scrimp on a good mattress.

Don’t forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed.

Don’t say no to travel. Seeing the world opens your eyes in surprising ways.

Don’t stalk your ex on Facebook. Just don’t.

Don’t think that the world is against you. Sometimes, it’s just you against you.

Don’t hold onto grudges.

Don’t be afraid to let go of the people who should no longer be in your life.

Don’t forget to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.

Don’t forget to tell your children you love them.

Ultrasounds, consignment sales, and nurseries. Oh, my!

I'm pretty sure I promised you an update on my mid-pregnancy ultrasound, and I'm even more sure that I never followed through, so here it is.  On July 12th, just two days shy of 20 weeks, I had my anatomy scan, which consists of a 30- to 45-minute ultrasound where the technician takes pictures and measurements of the baby to ensure that everything is developing properly and no abnormalities are detected.  Since we declined the early genetic screening, this is where we would find out if there is anything that may be cause for concern.

The fun part is we got to spend 45 minutes watching our little girl fuss and fidget, flex her hand, and grab her toes.  The tech even let us watch for a minute or so as her body bounced with a bout of the hiccups.  I watched the statistics on the screen with each measurement, and every one showed right on schedule, within a day or two.

When I spoke with the doctor's office, they said everything looks good and no abnormalities were detected, however they were unable to get an optimal view of Emma's heart.  I will be going back next week for a follow-up and hopefully she will cooperate so we can get the info we need. 

In the meantime, I have been keeping myself busy shopping and planning the nursery.  We hit up a fun consignment sale, where local families sell their "gently used" items, and got some great deals.  I think Grandma Susan's favorite find was this adorable bassinet to keep at their house for visits.
 

Yesterday I picked up the paint for the nursery and am prepping the room for some new colors!  It's going to be a few weeks before it's complete, but I will post pictures of my progress.  Here's the "before" look:

(Click on the picture to enlarge for a better view)

One last fun share...we had a special moment last night in bed.  (Um...that sounded different in my head.)  I've been feeling Emma move for a few weeks now, albeit very intermittently.  Sometimes throughout the day; sometimes a few days apart.  I had been laying in bed for a few minutes last night when I felt a good, solid THUMP on the inside of my belly.  It was the strangest and most amazing feeling I've ever felt.  Then a few seconds later, THUMP again.  I grabbed Nate's hand and placed it on my lower abdomen, and she gave a kick that could rival Dan Bailey's on a good day!  My favorite pregnancy memory so far!  And the best part is that Nate got to experience it with me.  Pure bliss!