My first nursery project

Several years ago, I bought a short little wooden stool at an estate sale.  I wasn't really sure what I would do with it, but it was so cute I couldn't pass it up.  Since then, it's been sitting in storage collecting dust, just waiting for a purpose.

As soon as we found out we were having a girl, I knew I wanted to accent the nursery with "Ruby Red Slipper" glittery red on frames, wall hangings, and other decorations here and there around the room.  I had been seeing this Martha Stewart Pomegranate Red Glitter paint on our many trips to Home Depot and thought it would be perfect for what I had in mind.

I bought some red spray paint and pulled out my little stool and went to work.  (Don't worry...I was well ventilated and wore two face masks just in case!)  After the spray paint dried, I began applying the red glitter paint.  Much to my disappointment, even after two coats, it was still just looking like a red stool.

I enlisted my BFF Blackle.com to help me find something that would work and, lo and behold, Krylon makes Glitter Blast Glitter Spray in Cherry Bomb...full coverage and MUCH easier to apply.  I am so happy with my "Ruby Red Slipper" red glittery stool. 

It's not much, but it has lit my fire to get the nursery going.  Plan to really get started in two weeks after our anatomy scan and confirmation that our little girl is growing healthy and strong.

Speaking of strong...been feeling movement all week!  And the last two days, she hasn't seemed to sleep much.  Moving and bumping around from morning till night.  So much fun!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Well, that sure didn't take long.  One comment, one right answer.  And yay for JJ Smartypants because I'm not really sure I could have kept it in all week.  In case you haven't figured it out yet, here it is:

I am in love with over-the-belly maternity pants.
The theme for our nursery is Wizard of Oz.
Sweets...I can't get enough of 'em.
Anyone wanna take a guess at the gender?
Getting ready for a new baby is a lot of work!
I know more than I ever wanted to about strollers.
Right now I am 17 weeks pregnant.
Lexi Lou is very excited to be a big sister!

We had a 3D/4D ultrasound yesterday and the little stinker was playing so coy.  She kept her hands up in her face nearly the whole time and when I shifted positions to get a better look, she flipped right over and showed us her backside.  Tried to pep her up with a Dr. Pepper, but our stubborn little girl wasn't doing any tricks this time around.  Maybe she was sleepy, or maybe she'll have her Aunt Stacey's temperament.  Can't wait to find out!

A little game for you

You all know how much I love brainteasers, so I thought I would make one up just for you.

Below are eight sentences.  Hidden amongst them is a very special message.  Get your creative thinking caps on and maybe you'll figure it out.  If you think you know the answer, post it in the comments.  If someone guesses it correctly, I'll let you know right away.  If not, I will reveal the answer on Friday.  

Here goes...

I am in love with over-the-belly maternity pants.
The theme for our nursery is Wizard of Oz.
Sweets...I can't get enough of 'em.
Anyone wanna take a guess at the gender?
Getting ready for a new baby is a lot of work!
I know more than I ever wanted to about strollers.
Right now I am 17 weeks pregnant.
Lexi Lou is very excited to be a big sister!

Good luck!  Looking forward to the comments...

Family vacations

Growing up, my sister and I were blessed with an abundance of family vacations.  Though I didn't appreciate them as much during my teen years, I certainly look back now and realize how lucky I am to have seen so much of the world.  We had mini-vacations to Vegas, our annual See Family Reunion with Mom's side of the family in Oregon or the California Redwoods, and several visits to the grandparents' in Florida and Washington, amongst others.

As we got older, we continued to enjoy a cultured life:  Trips to New York, Hawaii, and even a 5-week stint through Europe.  Stacey has indulged her love of travel all over the country and world, more recently Nicaragua and Zion National Park.  And we both spent an unforgettable 5 weeks in Africa about a year before Nate and I were married.

Today we head home after a week-long retreat to Puerto Vallarta, MX, with my family.  It has been the kind of hot and humid where a beautiful 82 degrees "feels like 90."  But with the help of an ocean breeze a block away and a villa with an abundance of ceiling fans and a pool, we mastered the art of cooling off (okay...kind of impossible when the pool water is heated to 80 degrees by the sun, but at least it washed the sticky off) and staying relaxed.

Nate and I have made a tradition of taking a mini-vacation each year for our anniversary and another for our birthdays, which happen to be 2 days apart.  It's important to get away from "real life" every once in a while and just enjoy each other's company.  My dream is that we will be able to provide our kids the same luxury and that they will grow up with a love and appreciation of travel, culture, and experiencing a world outside of the one they live in.  I think we're off to a good start...we've already made an international traveler out of our just-16-weeks-along little Bubbles.

Starbucks, you little devil, you

I am happy to report that my blood tests came back in the normal range today.  Huge sigh of relief, though I will be more cautious about what I eat from now on.  The day before my test last week, I had a venti caramel frappuccino with whip, so I'm blaming the high sugar levels on that bad decision.  Next time I'll stick with a tall.  :-)

Everything else looks good.  Got to listen to my little Bubbles' heartbeat, and each little skip as he/she tossed and turned in my belly.  Next appointment in a month.

Headed to Puerto Vallarta with the Pechan family on Saturday.  Looking forward to a week of much needed relaxation!

Glucose part 2

Well, no such luck with the one-hour glucose test last week. My levels came up a little high. So here I am, back at the lab, for my three-hour test.

No eating. No drinking. No leaving the room. Wonderful. Thankful today for my laptop and work to be done. 

Would love some prayers for better results this time around. Doc appointment tomorrow for checkup. 

Stay tuned...

***Post-test commentary:  Having blood drawn four times in 3 hours = no fun.  Was good to go for the first three, but the fourth one took me down for the count.  Sweats, dizzies, light-headed and starving.  Happy to be back home snuggled on the couch with a full belly!

Something sweet

Every mom-to-be is submitted for a glucose tolerance test during pregnancy. It's usually done between 24-28 weeks, but for whatever reason my doctor ordered mine early.

I've heard many stories about the dreaded drink you have to choke down in a 5-minute timeframe and the long, boring hour of waiting for the blood draw. Not what I wanted to wake up for this morning. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the glucose serum. I was expecting it to be the consistency of syrup and intolerably sweet. It turned out to be lemon-lime flavored sugar water. I wouldn't bust it out for a good time, but it could've been worse. 10oz down in two minutes flat!

So here I am, only 52 minutes to go. Thankful for a book my dear friend bought me -- Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist -- to help pass the time. 

Will get the results next week at my doc appointment. Prayers for good results!

Wizard of Oz

Now that the second trimester is upon us (yay!), we're getting more excited about decorating the nursery.  Last year we decided on a Wizard of Oz theme, and we're stickin' to it!

I've been looking for ideas all over the place, but I guess WoZ just isn't that popular in baby rooms and Pinterest wasn't much help either.  My first thought was to hire a muralist to paint the Emerald City across the wall and a yellow brick road around the room.  Hmm...maybe a little too extravagant.

I decided to start simple: Find a "centerpiece" and build off of that.  I searched everywhere for the perfect wall decoration and finally found the cutest rendition of a WoZ scene, in puzzle format, that is just perfect for a child's room.  After several late nights and help from Nate and Aunt Stacey, we're finally done!  I'm so happy to see it complete and can't wait to get it framed and hung.

It will be a while before we start painting and furnishing (we've got plenty of time!), but can't wait to see how the vision in my head translates into reality!