Nursery Updates

Most people ask me "is the nursery done yet?" and while it might seem like an innocent question, the answer is a definite no. While it's totally normal, it definitely stresses me out! Moms expecting their second baby might have pulled out a box of newborn clothes from storage or bought a few boxes of newborn diapers, but most of them would roll their eyes if you assumed they had the nursery done. No sweat, there are 9 weeks left. 

I feel like I have to remind myself (and some pushy askers) that I have several upcoming baby showers, and while I don't ever expect anyone to buy us anything, I know that they will (and we are SO grateful!) However, there are several things I would like to do myself for Samson's room because I want his room to be lovingly collected by his mama and daddy. First, we ordered a fun, modern style crib. We didn't want to spend a fortune, so we ordered it from Walmart.com. I'm super pleased with the quality and it arrived quickly. The next thing we decided to do was paint the room mint green and we *gasp* painted over the chalkboard wall. I still cant believe we did it, but the whole room is so bright and airy now. 

I posted last week that I found fabric that I wanted to use for a project  in his room. I wanted his room to be colorful and fit for a little troublemaker, but I also wanted to stay away from themes and create a place he can grow in to. I planned for most of the bigger fixtures of the room: crib, dresser, glider, curtains, etc. to be a neutral shade and wanted to drop in some fun flavor where I could. Once I picked out a fun fabric to base most of the room off of, I had the designer flip the fabric for me so the pattern would repeat itself and fit into the streamlined crib skirt I had in mind. 

I didn't follow any pattern or directions online, I just used all that good old fashioned know-how my momma gave me. I made an adjustable panel for the front, that will adjust easily as the crib lowers and two panels for the sides of the crib.

The ribbon ties I sewed on will just move back further towards to center of the crib to accommodate the shorter skirt length needed in the future. And just in case you were getting too impressed with all my skills, here is how I attached to non-moving side panels to the inside of the crib. 3M tape. Legit.  For the record: I meant to get some adhesive velcro squares, but I forgot, and Samson won't be crawling around, tugging on things for a while, so it might stay like this.

Now that that's done, we've got a much better understanding of what the room will look like. We hope to fill it with things we love that Samson will enjoy looking at and exploring. We have a lot of work left to do but the biggest projects include: purchasing a glider, painting the dresser, creating some wooden ledges to hang on the walls to hold his books, tackling the closet organization (this kid's walk in closet is huge!) and finally getting around to hanging things on the walls.  Smaller features I plan on focusing on next week include window treatments and the decoration above his crib. I'm leaning towards some gray and white curtains like these at Target... we'd add some blackout fabric to the back so our precious baby will sleep through nap time.

I'm still trying to talk myself out of these $18 a pop zinc letters from Anthropologie to spell his name out above his crib. I've looked into tons of other options and even investigated several DIY tutorials (none have impressed me). So far, I've been unsuccessful, so this might end up being the splurge for the room.

So while there is a lot to do, I think Aaron and I are a pretty efficient team... we might have a room ready for Samson before he's born. If not, he can always bunk with mom & dad until it's done ;)

31 weeks

Today : 31 weeks + 5 days

Weight Gain :  19.5 lbs

Maternity Clothes : Yep. Most days I mix and match. These are maternity jeggings from Old Navy my sister-in-law let me borrow. This shirt is just a medium non-maternity shirt from Old Navy, a size up from my regular. 

Stretch marks : No. My belly button is not really an innie anymore, although it doesn't qualify as an outie quite yet. I keep expecting to wake up one morning and it will have popped like one of those red thermometers you put in your Thanksgiving Turkey. 

Sleep : I'm getting plenty of sleep, but in weird shifts. I'm pretty consistent in waking up at 4:30 AM. I follow that up with a 2 hour nap after Aaron leaves for work. This means I've gone full hobbit mode a la Bilbo Baggins and have breakfast AND second breakfast. Fantastic.

Sickness : Nope

Movement : Yes.. there's a dance party in my belly right now. It's all fun and games until the elbows come out. I am starting to wonder if Samson might be laying side-to-side though, because more often than not I'm feeling jabs and kicks simultaneously on opposite sides of my belly. Another factor in my side-to-side theory is that my stomach feels lower than it has been in previous weeks and I think it would be too early for that to happen normally. 

Cravings : Peanut Butter Oatmeal... I think I've had it for breakfast every day this week. Except for today, because it was Friday and it was payday and we had donuts. Oh, and obviously Dr Pepper. 

Exciting happenings : Got coffee with a girlfriend I hadn't seen since this summer (sorry Holly!), went to Babies R Us with my mom, had some friends over for dinner, worked on some things for the nursery and got our first box of cloth diapers in the mail. 

As promised, I definitely plan on doing a dedicated post about our decision to cloth diaper and what it entails soon, but just in case you got really freaked out and started envisioning the earlier generations, white Gerber cloth diapers, diaper pins and plastic pants.. here is what cloth diapers look like today.

These are Charlie Banana one-size hybrid cloth diapers. Theoretically, these will fit Samson from birth to potty training and will last through multiple children. They go on just like disposable diapers and I promise there is no toilet dunking involved. The outside is a soft water-resistent fabric, the inside is fleece... which is definitely nicer than that maxi-pad feel of disposables. In between those layers is a pocket that you stuff with a soft microfiber insert. If you're still unsure about the whole thing, it's ok, Cash is too...

Also, one last bit of exciting news for the week... Due date milk is in stores now! I'm not sure why this has always been so fun for me. All big events are marked as near, upcoming and HOLY SMOKES EXCITING when you see them printed on something real and tangible. Graduation, weddings, birthdays, etc. Nobody else but my sister-in-law Ashley may get this excited about milk, but maybe I'll convert you.

If you aren't an organic milk drinker, you'll have to wait until December to nab some for your own refrigerator, but in the West household, we've got this date in our fridge and on our calendars! Woohoo!

30 weeks

Today : 30 weeks +  5 days ( Halloween! Today I'm actually 31 weeks.. oops!)

Weight Gain :  18.5 lbs, same as last week

Maternity Clothes : Yep ... although the clothes I'm wearing in this picture are all non-maternity & I'm pretty sure that t-shirt is from high school. Just keeping it real.

Stretch marks : Nope. Update on the belly button: still IN, for now.

Sleep : Better this week. I'm probably one of the few pregnant women who doesn't sleep with a body pillow, shockingly, I prefer to sleep next to my husband ;) However, I've learned how to prop one of my hands up on the pillows by my head and the other on one of the extra throw pillows we have laying around and it has helped reduce my carpal tunnel symptoms. Also.. I have been drinking water like a FISH to help with water retention. 

Sickness : No, I felt really good this week!

Movement : Yes. It is oh so sweet to feel this little man squirm around. I know I'll miss this time with him when he is born, but I really can't wait to meet him.

Cravings : One of my co-workers brought me a corn dog for lunch last weekend after reading my blog post and it was GOOD. Definitely lived up to the hype. So far, I haven't wanted another one and haven't had any other cravings. I did decide to bake a Texas sheet cake at 9:30 PM one night. Not sure it qualified as a craving because who doesn't love a good chocolate cake? I prefer this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, because it is fast, easy, and SO good. Also, between the cake and the frosting it contains like a pound of butter y'all. Yum.

Exciting happenings : My 30 week appointment on Monday went really well. The fabric for Samson's room came, we picked up a jumper/bouncer toy from one of my co-workers and we ordered our first box of cloth diapers. (There is a another blog post or 10 involved with that decision, but all you really need to know is no, we aren't crazy, yes, I realize there will be poop involved, no, we won't exclusively be using cloth diapers and you can still send a diaper cake made of Pampers to my baby shower and they will gladly be used). I promise I will write about how we decided to try cloth diapers in another post. 

Also, it was Halloween week! I have really fond memories of my mom making a lot of my costumes growing up and trick-or-treating with my friends.  Aaron and I haven't celebrated Halloween in several years, so the last time I dressed up for Halloween was in college and I'm fairly certain it probably wasn't something that would be appropriate to talk about on our family blog (again, keeping it real for you) but maybe next year, we'll have some fun family friendly costumes. 

Friday, it was too cold to open and close the door for trick-or-treaters in Indiana, so we had a game night with friends from church. I made this festive popcorn munch loosely based on this recipe that I found on Pinterest. I made the popcorn on the stove, spread it out on a pan, threw on some Reese's pieces, candy corn, and peanuts, melted chocolate chips in the microwave and poured it on top. Yum.

Happy first week of November! There are only two more calendar flips between us and Samson (maybe only one!) Hope you have a good week :)

29 weeks

Today : 29 weeks + 4 days

Weight Gain :  18.5 lbs ... I feel like I have been packing it on the last few weeks, but my belly is growing and it's pretty obvious that Samson is getting big. We also may or may not have a pumpkin shaped candy dish filled with goodies on the counter. Whatever.

Maternity Clothes : Obviously. Can I get an amen for leggings? All day, every day. 

Stretch marks : No. People keep telling me that it's bound to happen since my belly is growing so much, so fast, but I haven't seen any yet. Hopefully they don't ever make an appearance before OR after Samson's arrival. Fingers crossed!

However, my belly button is this.close to no longer being an innie... and it is freaking me out. Will it ever be the same? It's okay to lie to me if necessary.

Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha Frappucino ... such a yummy treat!

Sleep : Will never be the same. One, I'm a grade A pumpkin smuggler at this point and a back sleeper by nature. I've succumbed to sleeping on my side, but it is not nearly as comfortable for me. Two, Sunday marked the onset of some pretty awesome carpal tunnel symptoms: numbness, tingling, decreased grip strength and PAIN. Oh my gosh. From my hands up to my shoulders.. No matter what I do it wakes me up every few hours. Pray for me!

Also, I ended up working 5 days in a row.. which is a BIG stretch from my normal 2 days on, 5 days off routine. I know, I know.. rough. BUT, it really did interfere with my already changed sleep schedule (especially since one of those days I worked 3rd shift). 

Sickness : I occasionally get some pretty bad reflux, I attribute that to my rapidly decreasing stomach capacity. Thankfully very rarely do I get heartburn.. But, I did have to cancel some plans last weekend because it was so bad. 

Movement : Yep! I'm starting to get to the point where I can definitely distinguish body parts. It's fun and sometimes painful. I'm convinced our little man is trying to make his way out of my belly button, but his (getting more frequent) swift kicks to the bladder remind me he does know what direction is up and what direction is down. Maybe we should have expected it, we named our little boy after the strongest man in the Bible.

Kisses from Cash as he helped me pick out the fabric for Sam's room.

 Cravings : Corn dogs. For the record, I haven't had any... yet.

Exciting happenings : A lot of extra work at the hospital this week. After that, I got to spend some time with one of my best friends, Holli, as well as my mom. 

Also, I FINALLY picked out the main fabric for Samson's room! I had to e-mail the designer to ask if she would be able to flip the design 90 degrees for me so it would work out for the project I have in mind, her response was seriously lightning fast and a big fat yes. Hallelujah! Can't wait to get my hands on this and get to work!

Fabric by Eloisa D. for natitys design on Spoonflower

28 weeks

Today : 28 weeks 4 days

Weight Gain : 16.5 lbs ... maybe 17 lbs. Depends on if you weigh me before or after ice cream.

Maternity Clothes : Yes, I am so thankful for those elastic sided shirts. This belly is starting to look like it belongs in a diagram of a solar system. 

Stretch marks : Nope.

Sleep : I've been waking up really early and taking a long morning nap with Cash after Aaron leaves for work. Awesome. 

Sickness : Reflux at night.. thankfully no heart burn or nausea though.

Movement : Yes. I have really noticed Samson responding regularly to things going on outside my belly. When my hands (or laptop) are resting on my stomach, he'll poke or kick me. If I'm laying on my left or right side, he'll push HARD towards the side down. Pretty awkward feeling. He loves to dance on my bladder when Justin Timberlake is playing but, country music seems to have the opposite affect. Hopefully that's a sign that he'll be lulled to sleep with country music radio like his cousins Annalyn & Emelina.

Cravings : Apparently caramel truffles... I didn't realize that happened until I got home from the grocery store. They are both delicious though, I promise.

Exciting happenings : This week has been so busy for Aaron, so I feel like it just flew by. We are so excited to meet our son, but I think we both would appreciate it if time slowed down just a little.

Cash caused quite a bit of drama halfway through the week with a sudden onset of ridiculous sickness and a trip to the vet. He's on the mend though, don't worry.

Hopefully next week I'll be able to finally pick some fabric for the crib skirt, curtains and teepee I plan on making for the nursery. I was far too scatter brained this week to make it happen. However, I was not too busy to check out some cute baby things. So far I have only bought one toy and one package on onesies for Samson, but I can feel my will power slipping! Check out how cute these things are & you'll understand why... feast your eyes on some of my favorites.

27 weeks

Today : 27 weeks 6 days

Weight Gain : 15.5 lbs ... although sometimes I see this belly & think it's got to be more. Holy guacamole.

Maternity Clothes : Obviously. And it is fantastic. Fall is the best time to be pregnant, hands down. I obviously don't speak from experience here... but can you imagine squeezing all this in to shorts? No thank you.

Forgot to take my 27 week picture until Saturday night after work (which explains the poor picture quality, sorry!).. Samson is very active at night and my belly always pops out a bit (okay, okay... a lot) more. The picture below in the black and white striped shirt is a little better representation of my belly on a normal day and time.

Shameless Target dressing room selfie. Sometimes maternity clothes are too cute not to buy.

Stretch marks : Nope

Sleep : More, please. This fall weather is perfect for snuggles and naps. 

Sickness : No, but the glucose test I did on Monday put me in dire straights over some french fries. Also, in honor of Cash's 2nd birthday and me not failing said glucose test, I baked cupcakes and taste tested the icing several times in the process of frosting. Cash & I both were in sugar comas afterwords.

Why wasn't this cold? And why didn't I get a straw?

Cash in a post-cupcake stupor.

Cravings : Nothing exciting to write about until Friday when I woke up before 6 am and demanded we go out for breakfast before Aaron went to work. I was starving for eggs, bacon and hash browns. I don't even like eggs. I settled for a bacon, egg & cheese breakfast sandwich on an Asiago cheese bagel from Panera. If you haven't had one, please get one. One of my favorite things, even when I'm not pregnant!

Exciting happenings : Last weekend I unfortunately missed out on the BB King concert I planned to go to with Aaron, my brother Josh and his wife Ravelle (it was postponed).  Lucky for me, I saw some of my best friends from high school instead. Monday, I had my 27 week appointment where everything is measuring right on track. Tuesday I saw Gone Girl with Kali, where Samson went crazy for the surround sound in the movie theater. Cash had a birthday and we added some things to our baby registry.

Jamie, Adrienne & Holli!

I found some super cute things this week for Samson. I absolutely love graphic art and typography, especially when it is combined with scripture.  While I love to make and design my own things, sometimes it's fun to see what other people are doing and support them. Enter Naptime Diaries. One of my favorite places for inspiration. I love this sweet little piece and it's given me a lot of ideas for Samson's nursery.

I love this print from NaptimeDiariesShop.com

I'm so proud that I haven't given in to my impulses and purchased all-things-baby yet, but I'm trying my hardest to hold out until we have our baby showers.  One thing I'd seen & really liked online was this swing from 4moms. When I saw it in person at Babies R Us this week, I almost melted. I can't wait for this sweet little thing to find it's way in to our house!

4moms rockaRoo.

Cash's Birthday

I love to make a big deal about birthdays and holidays. So while this is super silly, and kind of embarrassing, we spent yesterday celebrating Cash's 2nd birthday.  We were supposed to start the day with donuts before Aaron went to work, but someone forgot to set an alarm so we had to skip it (cue disappointed pregnant women and totally clueless dog).  Once we finally woke up, I decided we should make some homemade dog treats to compensate.  

I'll spare you the details because I'm definitely not meant to be a food blogger, but these dog treats only take 4 ingredients (pumpkin, peanut butter, flour and eggs) and bake for 30 minutes.  You can find the recipe on userealbutter.com.  I let Cash taste the dough to make sure it was to his liking before we rolled it out & cut out the shapes ;)

I can't believe it took me making dog treats to realize I don't have a real rolling pin. I used a drinking glass instead.

Cash checking on the progress of his treats.

Notice the drool? He'll gladly balance stuff on top of his head, but on top of his snout? No way.

Although you could eat the dog treats, unfortunately, they won't taste nearly as good to you as they do to your dog who, no joke, also eats poop. So I made something delicious for the non-dog-treat eaters in the West house. Also, let's face it, I'm 27 weeks pregnant and cupcakes always sound good. I found a recipe for Snickerdoodle cupcakes on SallysBakingAddiction.com and got to work.

I know I'm not the only person who has a weird nickname for their dog. Or a few. Aaron & I call Cash "Doodle," almost as often as we call him Cash.  I think it originated from "dude," which we would say with a healthy dose of emphasis when he did something annoying or bad as a puppy. So the obvious choice for his birthday cupcakes were Snickerdoodles, which I love, and also have no chocolate, a big plus when it comes to dogs.

Seriously, this recipe: cinnamon swirled cakes, cinnamon swirled buttercream..

 Try balancing a cupcake on labrador retriever's head. Impossible.

Yum!  We'll see if Cash's birthday gets this big of celebration next year when Samson is here keeping us all busy.  Hopefully he'll be so happy to have a live-in best friend that he won't mind. Plus, if Samson is anything like me, he'll be a messy eater and there will be plenty of surprises for Cash on a daily basis. 

Super thankful for our best friend Cash and all the joy he brings to our life. Happy birthday Cash!