Quick Update

 Well, sorry for the lack of pictures from around the house.  My mom has been here the last few days and I have finished:

• The curtains for the den (all 10yards of fabric and the extra time for the plan-B lining they required...more to come about that)
• Pictures hung over couch
• Pictures planned for over the living room couch (still need to buy one or two final items tomorrow and get those up)
• The nursery is done (except for the extra tie I need to sew on the bumper pad and the curtains which may or may not go up before the baby arrives).  The mobiles are hung, the pictures are in place, the built-in is decorated, and best of all -- the clothes are washed and in the drawers!
•  Dexter's room is 2/3rds decorated and his new, twin-size bed is in place
• The mirrors over the buffet are set and just need to be hung

Here is a sneak peek of the fabric I used for the den curtains.  I had to match the pattern when I sewed the panels together...it was "fun"!




So, lots has been going on, but by the end of the day the light is bad in the house and I am just too exhausted to take pictures.  Hold tight though as they will be up soon!

18 days till my due date!

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My Adventurous Son

So, I hear water running yesterday and what do I go in to find? Yep...this:

He was beyond pleased with himself and was all grins that he found a way to get himself a drink of water.  I explained he could only do it when mommy was there and next time he did wait for me to come in.  I have no expectation in the world that will stop him in the future...I'll just be sure and not be far away! 

I also caught this on my phone's camera today.  He LOVES the drill and he got to help daddy run down the battery this afternoon after installing the 2 mobiles in the nursery (can't wait to show you the finished room later this week!

For a toddler boy, water, power tools, and daddy are the recipe for the perfect day.

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Belly Picture and Tootsie Visit

Here is a "belly picture" from 36 weeks.  It was hot...

I love this picture, taken after a great dinner from Tootsie at Ruggle's Green.  I asked Dexter to say "cheese", which he did while grinning.  I love it!

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Thinking About What is True

First, how cute is this picture?  This is during the chunkiest phase of Dexter's life...still putting on the baby weight, but not crawling and getting his boy muscle yet.

I'm starting off this post (that will be a tad more serious) to remind myself more than anything, that things will go back to almost normal after birth.  My project this week, besides the pregnancy-mania induced house projects, has been to think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—anything excellent or praiseworthy (Phil 4:8).

This was the challenge we were given in my young families class Sunday.  The point was made that we have emotions, and they can be good and valid, but we also have a mind that can take every thought captive (2 Cor 10:5).  It was recommended to stop, recognize the emotion, and let it spur you to think honestly about what you feel.  So, I am already a big fan of not stuffing your emotions down...in fact, I tend to be a little too open with how I feel at times (why does my face betray every thought I have!?!).  And these emotions were starting to get a little ground in my thought life as it pertains to birth.

With Dexter I spent a lot more time preparing for labor, and, to be honest, had a healthy dose of naive optimism.  Now, I am still optimistic and remember that it really wasn't that bad, but I still KNOW what it will generally be like.

Here are the questions I finally realized I needed to affirm in my mind:  Do I believe birth is a natural process that is no surprise or medical emergency?  Yes.  Do I believe that a God who could make a human being and soul, complete with fingerprints, a brain, and every other little tiny part of his body, could also provide a way in how He made ME to then let the baby out into this world?  Yes.

So here is where I came to last night as I thought through it.  Can I sit around today and worry that tomorrow I won't be able to breathe?  Or that my heart will stop beating?  Or that all of a sudden my muscles won't work?  Yes, I could...and be a little like Bob from What About Bob (!!).  And yes, for some people these things may happen and they will need medical intervention.  But, for the vast majority of us, our lungs will keep taking in breaths, our heart will keep beating (whether we tell it to or not), and we will have some control over our muscles.  We will do this because it is a natural part of life and we were designed to, just like birth is a natural part of life and I was designed to give birth.

It might be tomorrow, or it might be in a few weeks, but soon this baby will be coming.  Today I am choosing to think about what is right, true, and not some fairy tale I have created.  Why?  Because I want to take a vacation from my problems.  ; )

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Bedroom Curtains, etc

I finally started my bedroom curtains last night (and finished them!).  I used this Universal Tempo Tape that made my life so much easier.  I can't believe all the curtains I have made without using drapery tape.  I was insane. 

These curtains were a top priority as this window faces east and who needs sunlight at 5:30 in the morning?  Not me!  I would have made them about a month ago, but fabric.com let me down...twice.

I finally got a few things on the wall too.  These are my thrift store embroidered homes that I love so much.  I think I will add more around them to make a gallery wall, but I had to start somewhere...

  

Here is my peacock "German dish towel hider"...at least that is how it was described at Round Top. I love, Love, LOVE it! AT first I planned on making it into a pillow. Then I realized that most of the time the pillows I make for the bed end up on the floor and stay there for longer than I want to admit. So, on the wall it went. There is room off to the side for some wall shelves and picture frames. All in good time.

Seriously, how awesome is this embroidery? and the texture?  I swoon!

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Truly Nesting Now

Ok, now I am loosing it. Seriously, I couldn't sleep...at all...last night. I got maybe 4 hours. Am I napping now? Nope. I "feel" more awake than ever. More like hopped up on crazy pills, but never mind that.
While I was up last night I was checking out Centsational Girl's blog and found the link to Hello Newman's on her "Best of the Blogosphere" post. First, I love the finished project! She said it was pregnancy induced which totally intrigued me (I felt a kinship already). After I checked out her awesome project featured (here is her board and batten re-do) I looked around the rest of her blog. Turns out we are due on the exact same day with our 2nd child!! How crazy is that?! And, she also, is not unpacking the clothes for the nursery...oh no! She is ripping perfectly good things off her wall for something new (sound like my couch?!). Anyway, I felt a little less alone.

 

So then there is this project.  At least it is baby related this time.  (Oh, is my couch finished, or my den curtains you ask?  Nope and nope.)  I saw these Aden + Anais swaddle blankets a few weeks ago and really, really want/wanted them.  However, I have a problem paying $50 for a couple of light-weight cotton blankets.  Yes, the print is super cute, but seriously...most of us can make them.  This picture (a bit blurry since I took it on my phone...getting up from the sewing machine and walking downstairs to get the camera was just too much for me today!) is of my teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy rolled hem foot.  I love this foot -- I don't love that I bought the 1/8th of an inch foot.  What was I thinking!?  It is really difficult to get the hang of it and if you mess up, you really mess up.  Oh well.  These blankets are for me and I am sure the baby won't care.

I bought linen and super soft cotton from JoAnns when it was on sale last week.  Here are the 2 I've finished.

You ask, how did you finish these today when it is just the start of nap-time?  Oh, because my dear, dear, dear sister swooped in and took Dexter to Chick-fil-a!  He came back tired, full, and ready for a nap.  Seriously...this is the best gift you can give a mom with a 2 year old boy!

 

Notice the slipcovered couch in the background...oh yes...still half finished!

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Tiny Sneak Peek

Well, I have finished the slipcovers for the main couches AND finished the bottom seat cushions...just have the back cushions to complete. Here is a tiny sneak peek in the meantime (sorry for the bad lighting -- it was taken in the middle of the night).

Curtains for my bedroom and living room have taken priority due to the extreme heat and the eastern sun...I just can't take waking up at 5:30am with light streaming into my bedroom! Pictures of those projects soon!

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Lobsters

Yesterday at HEB, Dexter and I took some time to enjoy a donut and look at the lobsters together.  It was a HUGE hit.  I'd say this is the 2 year old version of a visit to the science museum.  We checked them out on our first pass through the seafood section and he was so upset we had to keep shopping.  So, I decided to pick up a donut on our way out and come back for a longer look.  I figured it was a great way to occupy him without having to chase him around outside.  He thought they were "bugs" and laughed so hard when people came by and picked them up.  It was hilarious.

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Sensory Play...the Disaster

My mom sent me this link to a blog about playing with beans and rice with toddler.   Sensory play is supposed to be very beneficial for toddlers and playing with dry beans and rice is supposed to be a great indoor activity.  Well, I am all about indoor activities as week 36 of this pregnancy is almost here, and the woman on the blog said her toddler played for 3 hours with what she set up.  I didn't expect 3 hours, but maybe 10-30min?

It started off so well...

tongue out in concentration

Here he is just starting.  I had a hunch he would want to spill this everywhere, but didn't want my assumptions to keep us from a really great activity.  Maybe he would be different?  Maybe the mess wouldn't be that bad?  Oh...don't let these cute pictures fool you...

 

I take the time to sit with him and show him where the rice goes and what all he can do with it and snap a few pictures while he explores.  Then the mess starts and the camera gets thrown aside for safety!

He decided to just dump a huge amount on the floor.  I calmly say, "no, the rice stays in the container, you need to help me clean this up."  He starts to help, then, when we are almost done, he dumps the entire contents of one of the containers on the floor gleefully and starts to kick his legs in the rice sending it all over the kitchen and under the fridge.  This time I put him in time-out, reminding him that rice stays in the container.  When he comes out, he walks right over to the other container, the one I have been cleaning all the rice up into, looks straight at me, and dumps THAT one over.

Needless to say, rice/sensory/whatever time was over.  So much for 3 hours...I think we got 3 min.  And then I had a huge mess to clean up and a defiant toddler to deal with.

Maybe putting on Mater's Tall Tales over and over isn't such a bad thing...Just kidding.  Maybe.

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Stop Me Before I Volunteer Again

 

A friend who knows me well bought me a great housewarming gift today! Isn't this mug hilarious? I have to say, I have always loved these 50's women with witty comments whether they be on napkins, magnets, or cards. I like this mug so much I am trying to decide if I should just use it for my daily tea, or if I should plant a little something in it and keep it on the windowsill above my sink. It is such a great reminder!

Now, it is a little tongue in cheek as I of course think volunteering is wonderful and an important part of a meaningful life, but there are times that the volunteering options seem endless, even when your available time seems less and less (any other moms of little ones with me on this one?). 

So, as my friend who gave me this always says, "do less with excellence".  Great motto...so someone needs to stop me if I volunteer for too much again!  = )

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The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

Relaxing and saying "cheese" in his mini barcalounger.

So cute!

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Slipcover -- Tips and Tricks

So I mentioned earlier this week that I am using Miss Mustard Seed's tutorial to slipcover my massive pink sectional.  I am almost done with the body of the couch and just need to whip up some pillows as I am covering each couch cushion separately.  I am loving the result and would be able to sew this much faster if I wasn't this pregnant or if Dexter was still in Mother's Day Out. Sitting on a hard floor while your hips are separating and your 2 year old toddler tries to "help" you with each pin really slows down your progress.
You will have to wait for the full reveal later this week/weekend, but I had to share a few tips and tricks I have learned in the process.

• A lot of the comments said the 9'X15' 8oz drop cloths from Home Depot were the best as they didn't have seams...but all of mine had them.  I was able to work around them for the most part, but just be forewarned.
• Be sure and look at your drop cloths closely when you buy them.  I bought one that is noticeably darker than the others.  I of course didn't notice until I was laying it all out and just decided I didn't care.  It isn't that much darker, but if you really look, you can tell.  ***ALSO - I went to buy a 4'X9' cloth to finish up a few odds and ends and ended up having to buy another full 9'X15' because the color difference was so dramatic.  The smaller one was much more brown than the larger one.  So look carefully, especially if you buy them in batches like I did.
• Instead of bleaching the cloths 3 times like Miss Mustard Seed suggests, I just soaked the cloths for 30min in a wash containing about 3 cups of bleach, then ran a 2nd wash with oxyclean, a cup of bleach, and detergent.  I plan to "neutralize" the bleach with peroxide when I wash the whole slipcover again since I forgot when washing these the first time.

• I broke out the pinking shears and trimmed up all my seams with these guys.  Because you rip the fabric to get it to size (a GREAT time saver), it unravels much more than normal.  I had thread balls everywhere and they were always getting knotted around the fabric while I sewed, so I decided to pinking shear every seam, even though it was boring and made my hand cramp.  I know I will be so thankful I have done this each time I wash the slipcover...which, with 2 little boys running around, I am sure I will do often.

 

•  In the tutorial for attaching the skirt, she puts the slipcover on inside out (how you pin for the rest of the pieces) and then does this weird flip to attach the cording (you can see this about halfway through video #6).  It didn't make a lot of sense to me, so I just put the slipcover on right sides out (just as it will look when finished) and pinned the piping on with the raw edges facing the same direction.  I then used the remote, a super precise method, to make sure the piping was at the same height all the way around. 
• When I added the pleated skirt, I just pleated it as I sewed.  I don't have a picture of it, but will get one tonight and update this post.  It saved a HUGE amount of time (no need to go back and re-fit the slipcover on the couch and, most importantly for my 35 week pregnant self, no need to crawl around on the floor pinning!).  I'll show you my super precise (ha) method for the pleats soon.

Seriously...if you have sewn a little in the past, you can do this!!  It has surprised me how easy it is.  I am so happy with the results and know it will be much more versatile for the future.

When I do the final reveal I'll let you know how much it cost total (under $200) with a full list of supplies.

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Keeping Dexter Occupied

Going out to eat with a small one isn't always the easiest, especially when that small one is Dexter. We went out to brunch for Sander's birthday a few weeks ago and actually had a really great time. Here is the list of what makes for a successful time out with our little guy:

• Sitting outside, preferably near a busy street so he can watch the cars drive by
• Bringing the sippy cup that allows him add a straw extension...lots of time spent opening the straw from the wrapper, figuring out how to get it into the sippy cup's straw, etc

• Small cookies that come with your coffee, so you can reveal a "special treat" as you wait on the real meal to come

 

• Hope someone brings a dog with them and that they sit really close 

Ta DA!  A fun and somewhat leisurely brunch will ensue. 

*by the way, if you are in the Houston area and want to try a great brunch, go to Empire Cafe on Westheimer inside the loop.  Afterward you can run by the Guild Shop...I can't think of a more perfect way to spend a leisurely morning.

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Labor...preperation

Well, as I said in an earlier post, I am re-reading Ina May Gaskin's book about childbirth.  It has been so good for me to remember what capabilities my body  has and share in the birth stories of so many women who have gone before me.  I am one of those women with a positive, natural birth experience...but honestly you forget so much.  I am thankful in some ways you do forget, but it is easy for the fear to come back. 

Just because I have done it once doesn't mean I am nonchalant about this birth.  It was work, mental and physical, and I spent the months before dealing with the fears and uncertainty.  I am finding it is the same, just to a lesser degree this time.  Is it just me, but do all pregnant women have more fear than other women?  Maybe it is just the inevitability of birth and raising a new child that brings the fear to the surface -- can't really avoid it like you can with other fears. 

So, I have started a list of verses to remember speaking of God's promises.  I am reliving what memories I do have of labor to remember how each contraction did have an end and how immediately after the baby was born, the pain ended.  (On a semi-side note, I had some serious leg cramps a few nights ago and they were so much worse than labor in a weird way.  They were un-ending, I didn't know what would ever stop them, and the pain was intense and not producing anything good.  I freaked out.  Sander and I talked the next morning that it was amazing I could stay so calm in labor, yet was screaming because of leg cramps.  The pain is really and truly different...I have to remember that and relax and let each contraction do its job as fast as it can).
I am also thinking of bringing a copy of this picture to the birth of this baby.  It was taken literally a minute or two after Dexter was born.  I love it because it shows the joy and lack of pain I had.  This is what natural labor produces -- joy, love, and a type of euphoria from the endorphins (I couldn't sleep for days I was so excited and energized by the birth!).

So, here I am planning for another natural birth. Anyone else out there doing the same? Or has in the past? I'd love to hear your stories and ways you labored.

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From the Archives: 34 Weeks Pregnant with Dexter

This post is from the archives (April 2nd, 2009). Since I am 34 weeks pregnant as of yesterday with my 2nd pregnancy, I thought now was a great time to look back and remember what a miracle this pregnancy and the last have been. Hope you enjoy it as well:

Babycenter.com says:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

What great news considering what they prepped us for 10 weeks ago at the hospital! 10 weeks ago they were giving me steroid shots to boost the babies lungs as they were concerned I was about to go into labor. It was a scary time and one of great uncertainty, but my how things have changed.

Through everyone’s prayers (probably more than I realize), I have slowly gotten better each week. I remember how excited I was to be able to sit up and eat! Of course I had to lie back down as soon as I was done, but it was such a relief. Then, I got to sit up at the table and eat and shuffle to the fridge and back. At that point I was so excited to refill my water bottle on my own. Week by week I was able to add a little more activity.

Bad days came and I felt like all my progress was for nothing and I was just right back where I started, but then the next week would be even better than the one before. Around 30-40 days on bed rest I began to get discouraged and thought it would never end and I wouldn’t ever get to be out around people again. Around that time the midwives released me to go to one outing a week – Sunday school – and almost immediately that need was met.

What has been hard and what has been easy about these past 10 weeks on bed rest really surprised me. Ever since that first day at the hospital I have been amazed at the unexplainable peace I have felt about the outcome of this little guy’s life. In the Bible it says: And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philipians 4:7). I’ve read that and “known” it in my head for awhile, but this is the first time I have really experienced it for a long period of time. For 10 weeks now I have felt like my heart has truly been guarded from fear. There are tons of times I would have freaked out and been consumed with all the “what if’s”…those who know me know I tend to do this anyway, let alone when a serious issue comes up. All I can say is the power we have through the Holy Spirit is bigger than what we realize…maybe we don’t ever realize it until we really need it. So, as weird as it may sound, I am glad in some ways that Sander and I have been forced to deal with bed rest and the fear of pre-term labor for as long as we have. We have learned that 1)we really aren’t in control of our bodies, 2)God is and will take care of us, 3)even if we have to deal with a “bad outcome,” our hearts have the capacity to be at peace.

I don’t say all this because in our situation we’ve had a “good outcome,” making it to 24 weeks. I really think I would be saying this even if our little guy was born 10 weeks ago. This peace that has guarded my heart isn’t a state of mind or a happy place I went to because I denied the reality of the situation. Each day I was aware of what could be wrong with my little baby boy should he be born that day. Each day I was aware of what I could be doing other than sitting on the couch all day. But each day I was given the peace that passes all understanding. Its real and I am incredibly thankful for it! Without it this would have been a really different 10 weeks. For one, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the time it allowed me to become better friends with my awesome visitors and meal-bringers. You guys who have called, visited, facebooked, and brought meals have meant so much to us. We love you!

So now Sander and I are looking to the future and we don’t have to look far. I am due in 6 weeks, so in 5-7 weeks we should be in normal labor. My nesting instinct has certainly set in and I am trying as hard as possible to not run us both ragged trying to finish all our unfinished house and baby projects. I can’t sleep some nights because I want to re-organize a closet – who does that? I never have before, that’s for sure!

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Neighborhood Pool

Oh my gosh -- I love our neighborhood pool!  Shadow Oaks Recreational Association is the official name of the pool, but it is just the local, private pool for our area.  We don't pay HOA dues, so we feel like the cost of a summer membership is worth it (plus, this year our membership was a gift!! Yea!). 

Things I love most about it:

• Everyone we have ever met at the pool is nice, welcoming, and all seem to know each other.  This is a place the same families have been coming to for years. 
• There is shade! Lots of shade!
• The baby-pool is fenced off from the rest of the pool (with an active kid like mine, this is invaluable!)
• There is a playground area right next to the pool (options are always good)

So, if you live near-by and want to join, let me know.  I plan to be at the pool everyday I can until this baby comes.  Being in the water does wonders for my tired, pregnant body and it tires my 2 year old out.  The perfect combination!

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Out of Oil and Miss Mustard Seed

UGH!  I hate it when you are all set to start a project -- you've overcome the borning, tedious planning dread and you're ready to dive in and get it done -- when out comes a dark cloud to rain on your enthusiasm.  That dark cloud today was my lack of sewing machine oil.  We had to drain the Juki's oil to move it and I forgot to go buy more immediately...like I initially planned (have I mentioned how much I love this machine and don't understand how people who sew more than twice a year don't have one?!  I got mine here for $600...some assembly required).  You absolutely cannot sew without oil in your machine and thankfully I remembered as I filled the first bobbin.

Yes, I have a regular home sewing machine (Bernina 1008, 2nd favorite machine) that I could use, but it sews soooooo much slower, has a weird zipper foot compared to the Juki, and would probably take me just as much time to sew with that machine as it does for me to just wait and go to the industrial sewing machine store tomorrow. 

What am I sewing you ask?  Well, I was going to finish adding the blackout lining to Dexter's curtains for his new room and I was going to start on 50 of the 100yards of piping I need for the slipcovers I am making for the couch.  Making that much piping is the boring part of the project and I was so proud I had talked myself into it and was ready to start tonight while Sander watched Dexter.

Today I was put on "rest" by the midwives as this new baby is sitting a little low, and with my history of contractions and quick labor, they want me to take it easy till at least 37 weeks.  That's only 3 weeks away (!!!), so it shouldn't be a problem.  So tonight I just sat on the floor, ripped up dropcloths, and got the basic peices set up to sew this weekend.

My friend Shelley just told me about the Miss Mustard Seed Blog and now I am obsessed with chalk paint (not chalk board paint, chalk paint) and using bleached, canvas dropcloths to make slipcovers.   So much so that a few nights ago I dreamed I went to Anthropologie and they were selling chalk paint packaged with dyed drop cloths...the ideal combination for my recent obsessions.  It morphed into a dream about shoplifting...not sure what happened there...but I have obviously been thinking too much about these projects.
I have put my paint dreams on hold until after the baby comes, but these slipcovers will probably be made this weekend.  I am waiting on the high-end blackout fabric to arrive from one of my favorite budget on-line fabric shops (fabric.com) to make our bedroom curtains.  Our window faces east and the morning light is way to intense for me to trust these curtains to the stuff I found at JoAnns.  Once that arrives, those curtains move to priority #1.

Is my house fully unpacked yet?  Has all the clutter found a home?  No, and no.  But these projects are more fun and, I feel, more satisfying. = )  I'll keep you updated!

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