Harrigan Party of FOUR

It has been a really long time since I updated. Between the addition on the house and the new baby, life has been busy. Hoping to get caught up some posts in the near future!

We welcomed our baby boy, Brayden Tate, on August 10th.  He was born weighing in at 9lbs and 3oz, quite the contrast from my little Charlotte! This pregnancy and birth ended up being a completely different experience for me. Much like how I shared Charlotte's birth story, I wanted to share Brayden's. Even if I am the only one who reads it!

At 28 weeks, I mentioned to my doctor I felt very large in comparison to my previous pregnancy. She measured my stomach and sent me for an ultrasound that day. Baby was already over 3 pounds and measuring ahead. Then  I failed my 1 hr glucose test by just a few points. As is common practice, I was sent for the 3 hour glucose test at the lab. Going to the lab to have blood drawn is a big deal for me. I have very thin, rolling veins. This typically leads to multiple attempts to draw blood from various parts of my body and is (often) accompanied by me fainting. The three hour glucose test meant 4 fasting blood draws!  My doctor told me to schedule an appointment at the lab ASAP for the test. I could not get an appointment at the lab for more than 3 weeks out. So I took my chances and showed up when the lab opened. I was 7th in line. Due to computer issues, I waited almost 2 hours before being called back. They got my veins on the first try and I was able to get the glucose drink down. This time they made me drink the entire 100g bottle. 13 minutes in, I thew up the entire drink and was sent home. I am not sure if it was because, at that point, I had gone SO long with no food and my empty stomach just could not handle THAT much sugar? In the meantime, I started testing my blood sugars 1 hour after meals with an extra glucometer I got from my mom. All of my levels were within the normal range.

At my next doctor appointment I told her what happened. She was adamant about me taking the test again despite showing her evidence of good numbers and pleading my case that even if I tested positive, it wouldn't change anything with my diet. Yet again, there were no appointments at the lab. Ultimately, she gave me the option of skipping the test but proceeding with Diabetes Education classes and continued monitoring OR attempting the test again with Zofran. She called me in a script for 1 pill and gave me s referral for Diabetes Education classes and left it up to me to decide before my next appointment. I was really unsure about what I wanted to do. I scheduled the Diabetes class but ultimately ended up going in for the 3-hour test again. I was able to keep the liquid down and tested my own sugars after each draw. I knew I had failed before I left.

Since I had already been testing, I was able to bring that information with me when I went to meet with the Diabetes Educators. They made a few changes to my diet, gave me a glucometer and set me up to come back in a week. I followed their diet for a few days and noticed my sugars were increasing. My insurance company was GREAT. They have a Diabetes Care program and covered all my supplies at 100% and assigned me a nurse who checked in with my once per week. She called me that first week and I was able to talk to her about what was going on. We made a couple of changes to my nighttime snack to help with my fasting numbers. I also started walking 1-mile each night. This was the ticket for me... my numbers were perfect!  I feel SO thankful that I was able to manage without medication!

Overall, I gained 30lbs this pregnancy. I really didn't think I would make it to my scheduled C-section. Despite my controlled glucose levels, I knew baby was measuring big so it was almost a blessing to have a repeat C-section this time around. We were scheduled to be at the hospital at 6am on 8/10/15. It was VERY weird knowing we were checking in to have a baby. They immediately took me back to start my IV, take my blood and monitor the baby. I did not have a spinal with Charlotte since I labored before having an emergency C-section so I was a bit anxious about that. I also really nervous that they would want to put the catheter in BEFORE the spinal but they assured me they would not do that to me!

I had an awesome team of doctors. Not only did I get my two favorite doctors from my OB practice, but the anesthesia team was amazing. Since Tim was not allowed in the room when they gave the spinal, they stayed with me the entire time, walked me through everything I would feel, and held my hand when I panicked. I felt pressure when they were trying to get Brayden out as he was stuck under my ribs. When they pulled him out they called him a linebacker and had us guess the weight... I was shocked to hear 9lbs! Since the primary doctor also delivered Charlotte, she even joked about getting a 9lb baby out of 6lb incision  :) He was born at 8:07am.

I was taken to recovery and gained feeling back in my legs within 2-hours. My recovery this time was SO much better. I had very little pain and swelling compared to my first C-section. I was up and walking the halls that evening. One of the things they worry about with Gestational Diabetes is the baby's glucose levels which they monitor for the first 24-hours. Brayden's were completely normal and he took to nursing right away. My glucose levels also returned to normal as well.

Charlotte got to meet Brayden the next day. Initially, she was not very interested. When she left we asked her to kiss her brother and she said no. Then she cried all the way home because she didn't get to kiss her brother...toddlers! :)  We got discharged a day early and have been loving being a family of FOUR! There are definitely days were things have been a challenge but my heart is so full with love for these two kiddos!

Harrigan Update

Obviously, I have been updating a lot about the progress on our house. I have kind of brushed over some of the other exciting things that have been going on around here lately.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we are expecting baby #2. Before Charlotte was born, Tim and I honestly weren't sure if we wanted more than one kid. Pretty much as soon as we got home from the hospital with Charlotte, we knew we wanted a second baby. I am an only child and Tim and his brother are quite a few years apart. We thought 2 years apart sounded perfect for our family. Shortly after Charlotte's first birthday, we decided to try for a second. We found out the first week of December that I was pregnant!

The first 10 weeks or so were rough. I wasn't "sick" but very queasy and very tired. Dealing with that, work and chasing a toddler during the holidays was difficult and I was so thankful to get some relief. We held off on telling our parent's until after my first OB appointment. It was SO hard to keep it a secret over Christmas!

I definitely started showing MUCH earlier this time around. I took out the maternity clothes at 14 weeks and have been enjoying my maternity pants ever since. We were really on the fence about if we wanted to have an elective gender ultrasound this time around. Mainly, the cost of doing so. Ultimately, curiosity got the best of us and we scheduled an appointment without telling anyone art 16 weeks, 5 days. I thought we were having another little girl and had a name all picked out. Tim and my mom also thought it was going to be another girl. My pregnancies were pretty similar at that point and I kept having dreams about two little girls. When we went in for our ultrasound, the tech said "first impression is it is a girl"... a few minutes in he said " I am going to change my mind on that, you are definitely having a boy"! Tim was ecstatic, I was going to happy regardless!

We went that evening and bought some "It's a boy" balloons and told our parents who are SO excited we will have one of each. This is the picture we posted on facebook.

I had an anatomy scan at 20 weeks to confirm gender ( along with other important developmental milestones). I was SO nervous. The first thing the tech says... "so you are having another girl" immediately followed by " Oh wait, its a BOY".  Apparently, our little guy is just a little shy at first :)

We have decided to name him Brayden and have started working on his nursery. We are both excited and nervous. I think the nervous part is more about how Charlotte will react and how that period of transition will go. I know its normal to feel that way so I try not to let the anxiety get to me too much!

I have been feeling great and am just hoping that will last through the summer! I am now 26 week a long and will likely be a repeat C-section at 39-weeks. I feel a bit guilty about not doing weekly posts with this pregnancy like I did for Charlotte. I am taking weekly belly pictures and posting on Instagram. It is SO much harder to be consistent with things when you already have a toddler running around. I am going to post about Brayden's nursery in the upcoming weeks because it is starting to look AMAZING :)

Charlotte's Birth Story: Just Born

I started writing this post 6 weeks ago and just wrapped it up. Clearly having an infant changes how you can spend your time :)

On Friday (9/20) when I left the office, I tried to make sure things were as wrapped up as possible. The state of not knowing was really starting to get to me. I made sure I had a backup for all my scheduled appointments on Monday "just in case".

Friday night, Tim and I went to Bealls to return something. My upper thigh cramps were SO bad because baby girl's head was putting pressure on my femoral artery. I could barely walk around the store. Even though I had wanted to go to 3rd Friday, we decided to come home. I took a bath, something I never do, which did help the pains in my thighs. I fell asleep rather early, maybe 10ish? However, I woke up at 2am with mild cramps. I was up and down with irregular cramping most of the night. Tylenol did nothing to alleviate the pain and I knew this was "prelabor".

Saturday I took it easy. Still irregular cramping. I went to Publix and tried to go about my normal Saturday routine but I was tired. I did wrap up a bunch of work stuff, confident that I would not be at work on Monday. Around 4pm, my pants felt slightly damp but I had been outside walking so I didn't think too much of it. Tim and I had dinner, straightened up the house and packed any last minute things for the hospital, knowing we would be there before morning. I took a shower around 8pm, laid down and when I stood up, I knew I was leaking fluid. We took our time getting ready and made it to the hospital around 10:30pm.

Once we were checked into Labor and Delivery, I was advised to put on a gown so that I could be checked before determining if I would be admitted. I was SO excited that one of my favorite OBs was on call for the weekend. As soon as I put the gown on, my water officially "broke" and the nurse declared that I " wasn't going anywhere". I was disappointed to learn that I was only at 2cm, as I did not want to come to the hospital before I was at a 4.

The Doctor came in and they went over my timeline. Since I hadn't slept much the night before and they suspected my water broke at 4pm, they decided to let me rest and see how I progressed until 3am at which time they would start Pitocin. At 3am I decided to get an epidural. Contractions were pretty regular and I simply could not get comfortable in any position.  The epidural was FABULOUS and Pitocin was pushed off till 6am. Tim slept on a cot beside me and we both got some rest.

Shortly after starting Pitocin, we had the 7am shift change meaning I got a new nurse. Before introductions could even be made, she was rushing into my room throwing my bed back into a flat position and putting oxygen on me. Apparently, baby's heart rate had dropped when they increased the Pitocin. After her heart rate went back up, they reduced my Pitocin back down to the lowest level until the doctor came in. Right before 9am, the doctor was monitoring me, they increased the Pitocin and sent Tim for breakfast. Immediately, I was again flat on my back with oxygen and I even heard the doctor say " We need to get dad back in here". At this time they began talking about a C-section.

I was not ready to give up just yet. I was removed from the Pitocin completely. If I continued to progress on my own and everyones' heart rate remained stable, I could still go for a vaginal birth. If I did not progress or a we had any more dips in the heart rate, I would need to have a C-section. Because my water broke at 4pm Saturday, they wanted baby born by 4pm Sunday as she would be without amniotic fluid too long which increased her chance of infection.

I progressed well on my own. My mom got to the hospital shortly before 12. Baby girls heart rate dropped and I was put on oxygen permanently. The nurse checked me and I was at a 10. My epidural had worn off and they did not want to give me any medications until the doctor came in and it was decided if I would be pushing or having a c-section. I was in A LOT of pain. The contractions felt like they were one on top of the other. The nurse told me to tell her if I felt pressure to push. Baby's heart rate continued to drop on and off. The doctor came in and told me she did not feel comfortable with me pushing due to the unstable heart rate. They began prepping the OR for my C-section.

Waiting for this was THE worst part. Not only was I in pain, but I began feeling the pressure to push...which I was told not to do. I was also SO thirsty and they would not let me drink. There were numerous C-sections going on that day but eventually I got down to the OR. The whole thing is kind of a blur... Tim was taken into another room until they were ready. I remember them prepping my stomach and then someone accidentally touching it and they had to start all over. I remember having a death grip on Tim's hand the whole time. Then we heard the sweet sounds of our baby girl. Turns out her cord was wrapped around her foot, making her like a little bungee jumper every time she decided to come out, hence the drop in heart rate. Despite this, Charlotte Grace was born perfectly healthy on September 22, 2013 at 2:37pm weighing in at 6lbs, 9 oz and 20 inches long.

The staff were great about taking lots of pictures for us. They called Tim away to cut the cord while they began "putting me back together". I felt A LOT, not sure if that is normal. The whole time I kept saying "ow, ow". The anesthesiologist stayed by holding my other hand the entire time. Because my pain was not under control, they opted for staples at my incision site in order to get me into recovery faster.

At this point, I was handed my little baby girl. I remember feeling drowsy and having to concentrate to hold onto the baby as they took me back upstairs. Once I was back in the room, I threw up but immediately felt better and was ready for skin-to-skin with my little one. My parents and Tim's parents both were invited back one by one for a quick visit. The nurse then suggested no more visitors until the next day which was a blessing as it gave us lots of time to bond as a family of three and get to know our sweet Charlotte.

We were moved to a "mom and baby" room and we were lucky enough to get a water view room. I was still not allowed to eat or drink as they didn't want me to get sick again. It wasn't till after midnight on Monday that they FINALLY let me have juice and ice pops... my first "food" since Saturday. It was phenomenal! :)

I was pretty much bed bound so I just spent lots of time snuggling my baby girl. At 4 in the morning, I was finally allowed up. It was painful but not unbearable. I was still hooked up to all sorts of wires which made it more difficult but those got removed later that day. I really pushed myself because I wanted nothing more than to go home with my baby. Monday was full of lots of visitors and doctors. I was told I was one of "the best C-section patients" by my nurses, so much so that we got to go home a day early! The next few days were filled with lots of "firsts" and it has been such an amazing adventure so far. I LOVE being this little girls mom!

Since I love having the weekly updates from my pregnancy, I am going to being photographing baby girl monthly and writing up a post to document her growth. Here is the first photo, taken the day we got home from the hospital.

I hope to get her one month post up this weekend so I will be all caught up going forward :)

Week 39

+ I was rather disappointed at my 39 week check-up to find out I was still not dilated. I was told that should things remain the same at 40 weeks, my induction would be scheduled for 10/3. The doctor tried to reassure me saying " I don't think you will go into labor in the next two hours but things can change fast so that doesn't mean you can't go into labor in the next two days".

+ The upper thigh cramps came back full force, stopping me in my tracks. Tim and I wanted to walk around third Friday in Downtown Safety Harbor but when I couldn't walk around Bealls, we decided it was best for me to come home.

+ Work was becoming increasingly difficult because I didn't know how to plan from day-to-day, not knowing when baby would come.

+ At 39 week, 3 days (9/22/13) Charlotte decided to make her debut. We are completely in love...

Week 37

+ Had my doctor's appointment last Thursday. We officially have a full term, in position baby!

+ I thought it would be fun to mix things up this week! 

• How far along: 37 weeks, 5 days.
• Total Weight Gain/Loss: I officially hit the 20 pound mark at my last appointment :( 
• Maternity clothes: To work yes! Home it is yoga pants with the band up and regular work out t-shirts ( just in a larger size). 
• Stretch marks: None yet! I am hoping this doesn't change in the next few weeks. No linea nigra either!  
• Sleep: In between bathrooms breaks :) 
• Best moment this week: Hearing my OB say " See you Thursday or before" after last weeks' appointment. 
• Movement: TONS! I often have a baby butt or foot visible from my left side. 
• Food cravings: Baby girl LOVES watermelon and it always gets her moving! 
• Gender: GIRL! 
• Labor signs: Tired, feeling baby much lower, being able to breath and contractions although not consistent. Yesterday I felt really off and Tim was convinced it was THE day. 
• Belly button - in or out? In- again hoping this doesn't change! 
• What I miss: Having energy, being able to sleep on my stomach, and exercise. 
• What I am looking forward to: Baby girls arrival ( although nerve wracking at the same time) 
• Wedding Ring: Some days on, some days off. 
• Milestones: Baby is full term!! 

+ Tim and I also spent some time looking at our old baby photos. We laughed a lot. Well, I laughed a lot. I always make fun of Tim's " fivehead" which I assumed was due to his receding hairline. Nope, it was present at birth! Here is a side by side of us around the same age complete with the same 1980's background. 

Meghan ( L) & Tim ( R) 

Week 36

+ I went to the Doctor on Friday and am now on weekly checks. I was up 2 lbs from two weeks ago. I met the last OB doctor in the practice ( there are 8 doctors in the practice, 6 of which do OB). They want you to meet all 6 over the course of your pregnancy because they obviously can't predict who will be on call when you go into labor. I LOVED her: she was very patient with me while I asked 100 questions. Charlotte has switched sides ( she is now on my lower right) with her head "down and low". The doctor was very happy with her position.

+ I have continued to have Braxton Hicks. Nothing unbareable just tightness. I am getting shooting pains in my upper thighs when I walk. The doctor said it is completely normal and due to increased blood flow: one of our body's ways of preparing for baby.

+ I think my nesting has kicked in. I want to clean everything and be prepared. Tim installed the car seat the other night. However, I still want to get in inspected. On my agenda? Packing a hospital bag.

+ Oh and my employer threw me a surprise baby shower the other day. It was incredibly sweet and unexpected!

Week 35

+ This week I am feeling VERY pregnant. Everything feels so compressed.. Like Charlotte has officially run out of room! Oh and I am pretty sure I am waddling...

+ We got our maternity pictures back this week. I purchased a Groupon deal for Constance Avellino Photography and am really pleased with the way our pictures turned out. Here are a few of my favorites from the session.

+ I have been dealing with HR trying to work out my leave. It is way more complicated that I originally thought. Hoping to have things sorted out by the end of the week.

+ This week we are attending a breast feeding class at Morton Plant. I have been reading  "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". I find that the information is good but agree with a lot of the reviewers who found it a bit judgemental. Hoping that the class will present a more open minded approach.

Week 34

+ 34 week check went great! Baby is head down.

+ No weight gain since my last checkup! Belly is still growing so no one is concerned.

+ For the past several weeks I have been feeling kicks in my ribs and it has been difficult to breath at time. I think Charlotte "dropped" some this week. Not only has breathing gotten easier, I feel like my bump looks lower.

+ This weekend my mom and I made a trip to Buy Buy Baby. The nearest one is in Brandon which is about 35 miles from here. LOVE the store. They carry a lot more variety than Babies R Us. However, I was disappointed because they had a roof leak the night before and half the store was closed. I was able to get most of the things I went for. Baby stuff adds up SO quickly!!

+ I am starting to get a little anxiety about the birthing process. I am really trying not to put unnecessary expectations on myself or think about all the possible medical interventions.

Week 33

+ I definitely feel pregnant these days. This weekend my feet and my back hurt from cleaning the house. I think my feet may even be starting to swell a little.

+ Charley Horses... who knew this was another pregnancy side effect? I had them in the second trimester and they seemed to go away. Well they are back in full force. I have been trying to drink more water, stretch my calves before bed and make sure I am taking a vitamin everyday.

+ This weekend I spent sometime in the nursery, sorting clothes and determining what needed to be washed now versus later. All the newborn clothes and all the bedding has been washed and put away should Charlotte choose to join us a bit earlier.

+ I still have a few things to pick up for the nursery but things are really shaping up and I am hoping to share final pictures soon.

+ Oh and I have to share this adorable outfit I received from a friend a work:

It's from an the Lilmamas Etsy Store. Is that not the most adorable thing ever?

Week 32

+ 32 week check-up last Friday- strong heartbeat on baby. Belly is growing but no weight gain. I also got the TDAP vaccine.

+ We picked up a video monitor at Babies R Us. Tim installed it and we have had a lot of fun testing it out in different conditions. We opted for the Motorola MBP41

+ Tim was gone again last weekend at a bachelor party in Ft. Lauderdale. Typically this would be a non issue for me. But considering the whole 8 month pregnant thing combined with the fact that I had a houseful of dachshund....made for a long, exhausting weekend! In addition to our three, we have a friend's two doxies until Friday.

+ Monday night when Tim got back in town, we went to the hospital for the birth center tour. I use to frequent Morton Plant's NICU when I worked in Child Protective Services. Back then it was the Sarah Walker Women's Center which is where I thought I would be delivering. I found out Monday that they are building a new Women's hospital and Labor & Delivery are temporarily on another floor in the main hospital. The con of this is that the rooms are rather small. The pro? Most of the mom/baby rooms are water view.

+ Charlotte in intruding on my lung space more and more these days. So much so that I often find myself breathless. This happened during the hospital tour simply from walking from the elevator to the delivery room... I thought about asking them to strap the monitor on right then!

Nursery Rugs

I never thought it would be so hard to pick out an area rug. When I first started designing Charlotte's nursery, I fell in love with the Addison Rug from Pottery Barn Kids (PBK).  Tim and I both liked the design and it was the perfect color pink. However, once we hung the curtains we realized it was just going to be too pink.

I LOVE Pottery Barn Kids. I don't love their prices or that they charge a ton for shipping and handling but overall, I think they offer quality products. While I wasn't set on having a rug from PBK, I knew the colors would match perfectly which was a major plus. Their rugs pretty much only come in two sizes that would work in my space 3X5 and 5X8. I was really hoping we could make a 3x5 work, mainly due to price, but when we taped it out on the floor it simply looked too small. So then we taped out a 5 x8 rug onto the floor. At first I was thinking it was too large but after Tim centered it in the room, I felt like it could work.

I looked on the Internet and narrowed it down to several rugs:

1) Pottery Barn Kids' Addison rug- I thought it was a gray but it turns out it is a true tan
2) PBK's Chevron rug in gray
3) Overstock Moroccan Gray rug 
4) PBK's Chevron rug in Pink
5) Overstock Soho Gray Rug

As you can tell from the pictures above, I was clearly leaning toward gray. So last week while I was on my way home from working in Tampa I pulled off at the Pottery Barn Kids in old Hyde Park. They offer "free design consult" so I showed the clerk pictures of the room and she too agreed that we should go with the gray. Then she remembered that she JUST got a brand new grey rug in that day that hadn't even made it to the floor yet. I waited while she lugged the rug downstairs and was immediately sold. They accepted my coupon and loaded the rug into my car and I was off.

Tim was out of town again but I managed to get the rug home and rolled out. Its called Floral Bouquet and while the colors are perfect, I didn't love it.

Even though I had text Tim a picture, he told me to wait till he got home to see it in person before returning it to the store. A few days later I got an email from PBK again with a link to some new rugs... one of which was the floral bouquet I had already purchased. They also had another new rug called the McKenna. As soon as I saw it, I know it would work so much better in the room due to the medallion print: its mimics the pattern in the bedding without being too matchy.

So I had Tim load the rug back in my car when he got home and I tried to return it for the McKenna rug but they did not have it in stock. And of course shipping was an additional $47... not what I wanted to hear. Luckily, the sales people are always so accommodating. They ordered the rug for me, waived the shipping, honored my coupon AND had the rug shipped to my house. It came in the mail yesterday and we both agreed that it works so much better.

Unfortunately, the room isn't looking quite a clean as in the above picture. Its was a dumping ground for baby shower presents that we need to go through and organize. I  also need to buy a no slip mat for under the area rug once we get everything else put away. So excited that the nursery is almost done :)

Week 31

+ I am feeling quite large these days. Charlotte is sitting rather high which often makes me feel breathless and generally uncomfortable.

+ I am still trying to remain as active as possible. The gym is mainly walking/bike and light weights. If I don't make it to the gym, I walk the neighborhood.

+ This weekend my mom, mother-in-law and several of my friends threw me an AMAZING baby shower. Since I was so busy chatting the whole time, I didn't get any pictures on my camera. I am hoping guests email me pictures so I can post all the cute girly details. We we blessed with so many necessities for baby and it was SO nice to be able to see so many people in one place.

+ Tonight we are doing a few maternity pictures. I really wish we could have done the pictures closer to 28 weeks as I felt so much better about the way I looked then! As long as we get one or two good images, I will be happy!

+ I had to move my 32 week check-up to Friday due to a work conflict. Hoping to get a better idea of position and size of baby!

Some Progress

We have slowly been adding one or two things to the nursery each week.... well at least trying to! After we finished the Crown, my next project was to find curtains. This ended up being a fairly annoying process. I purchased the Dahlia pink bedding from Pottery Barn Kids which I love. I knew their "bright pink" window panels would match but they didn't sell them in stores. So I thought I would try to find blackout panels at a few local stores first.

My first attempt was Bed, Bath and Beyond. I was surprised to find they actually did have several different pink colored black out panels in store. Unfortunately, they don't sell them online but they were $24/panel before my coupon. I purchased one to try it and it was too magenta so back to the store it went.

The next day, I stopped by Babies R Us to see what they had. Luckily, this time I brought a crib sheet with me to color match. I found the PERFECT match...

They are the Sweet Dreams Twill Window panel in Bright Pink. All of the Sweet Dreams panels come in either 63 or 84 inch length... except the Bright Pink, that only comes in 63 inches. So unfortunately, this went back to the store as well. I will say, I thought $39.99 for one panel was a bit steep!

So after checking JcPenny, Sears and Buy Buy Baby, I finally just ordered the original curtains I liked from Pottery Barn Kids. Like I said, I originally wanted a curtain with a blackout liner but at PBK's that meant I was paying $59 for one panel. I decided that since I already had blinds on the window I would just get the traditional Sailcloth panel without the blackout liner. That brought the price down to $29/panel. I am SO glad I did not spend the extra money on this as the curtains are nice and thick and the blackout is not needed at all!

I picked up some Oil Rubbed Bronze curtain rods,rings, and tie backs at Kohls with some coupons I had. They also had a buy one get one for $1 sale so I really didn't end up spending much on that.

We also picked up some raw wood shelves at Hobby Lobby. Tim stained them to match the dark wood in the dresser and crib.

While staining them was not a problem, hanging them was a quite the project! Floating shelves always have the same hanging mechanism which is never spaced evenly or centered leading to unlevel shelves. After some trial and error measurements, we finally had shelves!

The only other thing to get accomplished to date are two pictures we hung up Friday night. I picked up two 11X14 white frames at Joann's last weekend. They were matted to fit 8x10 prints and on sale for 50% off plus an extra 25% off during their coupon commotion sale. So both frames with tax were under $20. I then ordered these prints from PrintsbyChristine on Etsy.

We hung them on either side of the dresser/changing table.

Still have quite a things to get/do. I think my last "Big" purchase will be an area rug which has been an ongoing issue for me the past few weeks ( post to come). Everything else is minor so we are on our way to completion :)

Crowning Around

I shared in my Week 27 post that we FINALLY got around to hanging up the Crown in the nursery. I purchased the Crown back when we installed the Panel and Picture Frame moulding. If I was already painting, I wanted to go ahead and get the Crown out of the way too. Everything got two coats of Benjamin Moore Advance in Super white.

I ended up buying a contractor's pack of moulding from Lowe's. All the other Crown in our house we purchased at Home Depot and was traditional one sided crown. This was flip face moulding. So after painting we were sure to mark the "bad" side with a sharpie to insure there were no mess ups during installation.

Tim and my Dad started the day by installing the crown moulding on their matching camouflage ladders. We weren't 100% sure on how the flip faced moulding would lay... turns out it is exactly the same as the one-sided. The only thing a bit tricky were the cuts. We have a templates that my dad made 2.5 years ago when we first installed Crown. We refer to the four templates as RIC, LIC, ROC, and LOC: Right interior corner, left interior corner, right outer corner, and left outer corner. They haven't failed us yet!

When installing Crown in an older home, you often end up with corners like this... but trust me, it is invisible in the end!

After everything was pinned down, Tim and my dad went around and caulked everything with White Lightening Caulk, using a damp sponge to rid of an any excess caulk on the fresh paint. They also caulked several areas on the paneling that needed some touch ups as well. 

Once everything was installed and caulked, I come around for paint touch ups: I went over every corner and pin hole in the crown and paneling. I also decided to roll another thin layer of paint over the paneling, now that it was in place and settled. 

Everything is looking nice and crisp...

So much so that we decided to go ahead and move in the furniture once everything was dry. 

 And since there is no baby yet... we used our current "baby" as a place holder. 

Its feels so good to make this much progress on the room. Now on to the fun stuff.... Accessorizing! :) 

Week 30

+ Seriously, where is the time going?

+ Tim and I went to a childbirth class yesterday at our hospital. We signed up for the 1/2 day intensive. I had heard from other "moms-to-be" to prepare dad for a lot of graphic videos. Ours was a lecture/Q & A format that was taught by a Labor and Delivery nurse. Overall, I think it was pretty informative and she did a good job of keeping people engaged most of the time. I know people have really strong opinions about their birthing process but I have been trying to take a more laid back approach. I realize that I don't have control over a lot of things and I don't know how I am going to respond to the pain. Instead of being upset with myself for not living up to my own expectations of myself, I am simply not setting any. That's right, this Type A personality is going to " go with the flow".

+ Today I had my 30 week check-up. My blood pressure and baby's heart rate are perfect. While my belly is measuring "right on target", I somehow managed to lose a little weight!

+ I am working with an Etsy seller on designing a few things for the nursery walls. Can't wait to share :)

+ My baby shower is this upcoming weekend and I am looking forward to seeing everyone in one place.

Week 29

+ "Selfie" pic this week because the husband was away at a training.

+ I had to go for some routine lab work... no fainting which I always count as a small success!

+ Charlotte moves around SO much at night. Despite this, I am still sleeping pretty well which is awesome. I have no idea how I got comfortable before the snoogle. It has been WONDERFUL.

+Lily, our smallest doxie, now has to sleep on my belly constantly. I am not sure if she knows something is going on in there or what but either way its very sweet.

+ We purchased some raw wood shelves for the nursery from Hobby Lobby. Tim finished up the staining process over the weekend and they turned out really good.

+ It is becoming so much harder to workout! I have really good intentions and can get myself to the gym. However, I just don't last! Monday night I got winded and crampy after 20 minutes on the treadmill... I kept reducing speed and ended up at a 3.6mph before I had to get off and take a rest. I know its still beneficial to me and baby but my stamina is definitely not what it use to be!

Week 28

+ This week was an eventful week. On Friday we went and had a 3D/4D ultrasound done at a local boutique, Sneak Peek. While they have stadium style seating where you can bring family and/or friends, Tim and I decided to go alone. Baby Girl was moving all over the place but did not want to show us her face! She had her arm up with her hands hiding her face or reaching for her mouth constantly. While we did get several good pictures of other body parts ( cute little ears, fingers and toes) we did not get a good face picture. That being said, they are allowing us to come back this Thursday for a free ultrasound to try again. We, of course, will jump at any opportunity to see little Ms. Charlotte. Here is a picture of baby girl with her chubby cheeks.

+ Yesterday, I went to the doctor for my 28 week check and glucose test. I was only up about 2 pounds this month which is good.  I had my sugar drink and then met with the doctor during my hour wait. I got to meet one of the OB's I had yet to met and I really liked her, she is young and very relatable. After I was measured and we listened to baby's heart, I was shipped off to the waiting room to finish out the hour. I opted for the fruit punch drink and let me tell you... it made me nauseous! It tasted fine going down but I just don't think I am use to all that sugar! Thank God I passed the one hour with flying colors because I am not sure I could keep that juice down for the 3 hour test!

+ I am now on the two week schedule instead of once a month. Reality is setting in that we are in the home stretch now! :)

+ Room progress continues. We ordered curtains and now get to accessorize/ decorate which is always the fun part. I will do an update post soon.

+ I registered for a childbirth and breast feeding class within the next month. My OB also reminded me that I need to pre-register with the hospital this month AND schedule my tour.

Week 27

+ This past weekend we spent some major time in the nursery. Not only did Tim and my dad install the crown moulding but they also caulked everything. Once they were done, I did paint touch-ups around the whole room.

+ I caved and scheduled a 3D/4D Ultrasound for this Friday. It feels like it has been SO long since we have seen our girl!

+ Speaking of caving, I was so against maternity pictures but Monday I purchased a Groupon to have some casual ones taken. The photographer will be given strict instructions on what I find appropriate and what I find awkward/ cheesy... no half naked gazing at belly pictures for this lady! No offense to anyone who like that style of picture... its just not my cup of tea.

+ My mom is graciously throwing me a baby shower. She let me pick the theme but that's about it. I found this Etsy seller who matched the invites to me nursery theme. They turned out perfect!

+ Glucose test Monday... fingers crossed for a one hour pass! :)

Week 26

+ I am late again this post... Tomorrow is 27 weeks!

+ Charlotte is all over the place these days and it is such an amazing feeling!

+ Work has been keeping me so busy... June is the end of our year so things get crazy! That being said, I haven't done much of anything in regard to baby prep. I did a few minor paint touch ups in the nursery. I am hoping to get on the crown moulding this weekend.

+ I really did not want to spend any more money on elective ultrasounds however I am seriously considering getting a 3D/4D done of our girl! It feels like you get so many ultrasounds in the first half of your pregnancy.... then nothing!

+ Oh, and I did book a infant photographer that I am pretty excited about! I am typically so against maternity pictures but am on the hunt for a tasteful photographer... just incase I change my mind! ;)

Week 25

+ How big does my belly look?!

+ Baby Girl is starting to develop more consistent movements. I feel her moving a ton at night when I am laying down.

+ I can feel her kick from the outside of my stomach. Lily, one of our dogs, was sitting on my stomach the other day and Charlotte decided to give her a kick.

+ Speaking of dogs, I have been thinking a lot more about how the dogs are going to react to having a little baby around the house. I have heard to make sure we bring home baby blankets from the hospital before we get home. I also read that I should not be the one carrying Charlotte in the house for the first time. I am sure everyone will adjust but the three doxies are use to getting all the attention up until this point.

+ Tim went to a " Daddy Boot Camp" at the hospital we will deliver at. They ask previous participants to come back with their infants to teach the next round of dads. He said they mainly ran it like a Q & A session but he came home excited and I think he learned a thing or two.

+ I had brunch with some other "moms-to-be" while he was at the Boot Camp. It was nice to be able to talk baby without having to worry about boring anyone.

+ I scored a baby bath for $5 on the clearance rack at Target. That being said one whole side of my house is being taken over my baby stuff since the nursery isn't ready. I really need to get on that!