She's Due Next Month!!!

Due Date Approaches- Mommy is Anxious!

I would have to say that one of the hardest things with pregnancy is practicing patients. With over nine months of waiting, waiting, and more waiting there is plenty of anticipation to be had. I have spent the entire pregnancy clinging to milestones, dates- anything that can be considered the next step towards baby's debut. I have been especially looking forward to December 1st so that I could say "I'm due next month!" This year, I'm welcoming Christmas to come along more than ever; not only do I love Christmas, but it marks December 25th... Baby Girl is Due January 25th- I think you get it ;)

Aside from being silly with my little milestones and countdowns, a few smaller new things have started to happen. Doctor appointments are now only a couple weeks apart instead of a month apart. I've been having my first bouts of braxton hicks contractions (no funzies), and my winter coats might have another week or two of fitting thanks to the fact that I look like i'm smuggling a basketball under my shirt. 

Baby moves so much and kicks so hard that other people can see my tummy do the wave. Her daddy bought her some baby buds, so we play her music, which she seems to really like (I say this due to increased activity when we put them on). I've also been calling her by a nickname "Noni", which is sticking for me. 

Other than that, we are in the final stages of nursery prep, with pictures to come very soon!

The video link below will explain what's happening this week: 

http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/video/pregnancy-week-33

30 Week Maternity Pics

Baby Belly With Hubby Photos

I suppose a "necessary evil" of pregnancy is taking the 'fat pics' so everyone can see the baby bump. Nah, it's not that bad.... but I will admit I am definitely feeling more heave and self-conscious these days. We decided to take our own maternity pictures last week and I have to say that i'm pretty impressed at how well they turned out. We took the fall photos in the afternoon, and the rail road tracks pictures the following morning. Both sessions were taken on base, and yes... the train tracks are out of commission- no longer in use!

My DIY nursery projects

For the Ambitious Crafters

I've gotten some requests from people asking about some of the nursery projects i've done for baby Naomi's nursery, so i've decided to include pictures and instructions below for the do-it-yourselefers. Hopefully those of you who aren't necessarily eager to bust out the sewing machine and hot glue will enjoy the post anyway. ***Tip: print coupons online for Michael's and Joann Fabrics/ hit sales!

'The Letter N- N is for Naomi'

Supplies/Tools Needed:
-light weight wooden letter N
-light weight wooden frame
-acrylic paint of your color choice (glitter paint optional)
-foam paint brushes 
-variety of buttons and jewels in your color choice
-card-stock in a variety of colors (scrapbook paper works too)
-hot glue and hot glue gun
-1.5 inch round paper punch
-scissors 

Firstly, paint your letter and frame with your acrylic paint and allow to dry several hours. Apply multiple coats as needed. I used a top coat of a glitter paint that was like colored to give mine a girly flair. In the mean time, you can start prepping your card-stock/scrapbook paper by punching the holes in it, then cutting each one in half. Once your paint is fully dried and cured (I gave it overnight before proceeding), you can begin to cover or partially cover your letter with buttons/jewels using a hot glue gun. Next, take a solid piece of remaining card-stock and use it as your background to layer the half circle dots- make sure to leave some overlap so that it can be glued to the wooden frame. To achieve the fish scale pattern, simply layer them across but touching, then take the next layer and start them in the middle like you would a brick pattern. Each individual half circle dot needs to be hot glued to the card-stock background. Once your half circles are all glued down you can carefully (but quickly) apply hot glue to the edges it and stick it to the frame. Lastly, apply a generous amount of hot glue to your letter and stick it to the half circle papers you just created. 




The Paper Chandler 

Supplies/Tools Needed:
-card-stock in your color choices (must be thick enough paper to be sewn)
-2 circular frames (can use wreath frame or quilting hoop- I used a 10" and 12")
-1.5 inch round paper punch
-sewing machine and thread of your color choice
-fishing string
 -tape or hot glue
                                     -eye hooks for hanging 

Start by deciding on your color scheme. I calculated roughly how many 'dots' I would need to go around each hoop, and how long I wanted them to hang and went from there. Next, you can start punching out your dots using the hole punch tool. After punching and punching and punching, line them up into rows to make sure they are all inn order by color and amount. Next, prep your sewing machine and get ready to sew. Take each dot and run the sewing line straight down the middle, following it with the next dot and so on. Be sure to leave enough thread on each end to tie them off, or attach them to the hanging hoops respectively. Once all your strands of dots are sewn, tie the ends off and cut them, leaving your top end long to attach it to the hoop. Next tie each strand to the hoop and double secure with tape. Attach the two separate hoops to each other at four points to ensure the bottom hoop will hang level. Do the same to the top hoop, except to your eye hooks for hanging. Hang and adore!

The Tulle Crib Skirt 
 Supplies/Tools Needed:

- 6 yards of tulle in your color choice(s)
-1 yard of fabric in a like color (I used a cookie monster blue fleece)
-Scissors, stapler, staples, tape measure
-Industrial strength Velcro strips. 

Measure your crib (I did three sides) length wise as well as frame to floor distance. This will tell you the measurements you will need to cut your tulle and fabric, depending on how you want it to look. I wanted an extra crib skirt to cover the gap from the crib being raised initially while she's young, so I basicall did the same thing twice and made two. Once you have all your measurements, cut out your bottom fabric (this was the fleece for me) into the lengths and widths needed. Next, if you are feeling super creative (or simply can't cut a straight line to save your life like me.... ) cut a pattern out along the bottom. I choose rounded half circles, comes out looking like a little flag banner. Next, cut strips of tulle- I used two layers (folded in half), so made sure that one was shorter than the other. I made one the same height as the fleece (crib to floor) and the other about half that. The strips should be anywhere from 6-10 inches wide and again, folded in half so that you have enough to show (one layer is too transparent). Don't worry about getting them all uniformly cut; that's the beauty of the next step. Once all your strips are cut you can begin to staple them to your fleece or fabric bottom. Take your folded tulle and staple it to the top of the fleece end to end, allowing the bottom to hang freely. To achieve the nice little ruffle/tutu look, fold it over itself about one inch (and staple) every 4 inches or so. Once it's all stapled together, you can take your Velcro strips and attach them along the top of the fleece where the staples are (at at least three points), leaving the sticky side exposed to be attached to the crib frame under it.  

Hurry Up! ... And Wait.

Sometimes something so 'eventful' can be so 'un-eventful'

Well, as the title says, I don't have much to report this time around. As much as time flies, I find that pregnancy can really drag on. So, I will fill you in on 'the little things' that are going on. 
Yesterday, I had my 28 week appointment. No fun ultrasounds or news to report there; I got a shot and the disappointing news that I gained a bunch of weight since my last visit. I'm finding solace with that in the fact that between 24-28 weeks it's very common for the baby to have a huge growth spurt and is often when women report the largest amount of weight gain. That, and I posted my first real pregnancy pics on fb today and have been getting several really sweet and encouraging comments on them. For those of you who follow the blog but do not have fb, I will include one on here. 
I'm one of the lucky few who has to get the Rhogam shot at 28 weeks due to my blood type. In a nutshell, having my blood type could mean that my body is incompatible with that of the baby's blood, and the shot of Rhogam keeps my body from producing antibodies against her. 
Other than that, not much is new. I am finding myself slowing down a bit with my daily activities. It's a tough pill to swallow with the busy holiday season and birthdays to come. I'm happy that the nursery is mostly complete, and lots of the wardrobe sorting is finished. I'm gearing up for lots of baby laundry and cloth diaper prepping next. 
Other than that, i'm looking forward to November wrapping up. I'm excited for Thanksgiving and Matt's birthday, as well as the start of December. The first week of December will be my 32 week Dr. appointment, as well as the landmark where I get to say, "I'm having my baby next month!". As exciting as it is, I am also trying to remember how much life will change and appreciate it as it is in the mean time.