the artwork

so, i finished the artwork for the baby room today. i stayed up way too late last night getting the paint on the canvas and cutting the fabric birds out. then today i cut the felt backings for the birds and wings and sewed them together. then i glued them on the canvas and sprayed it all with a gloss finish. i am pretty pleased with how they turned out. and i love that it matches the fabric throughout the room.









the felt backing on the birds really brought out a dimension to the whole thing. i've always been a 3D kind of gal. i probably should hang them all closer together, since they sort of extend off one another, but i'll worry about that later. for now i'm just thrilled i'm DONE!!

you want me to push a WHAT out of me?

Weeks 37-Delivery (Month 9): Watermelon

At week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. Baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. Meconium, which you’ll probably find in the first diaper, is accumulating in the intestines. If (okay, as) you worry about giving birth, consider what it’s like for the little one. During the journey out of your womb, baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in life.
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well, let me just tell you something...it does feel like a little melon is in my belly at times. particularly a melon that likes to kick down at my bladder at the most inconvenient times (wait...is there ever a convenient time?) making me have to rush to the bathroom only to squeeze out about two drops of pee.

i sure have loved this pregnancy. i've loved both of my experiences. i do feel smaller this time around which has been nice. my movement has been a bit better, i'm not taking 5 minutes to roll over in the bed at night, and this little belly has served as a nice bench seat for emma during the 18 hours out of the day she wants to be held.

i am in the final days down to having my beautiful little baby girl #2. i can't wait to meet her. it was such a special experience the first time around. i just can't wait to hopefully be even more present to this birth, now knowing a bit more about what to expect. i also hope all the arrangements to have emma looked after come beautifully into place. and finally, i hope that this baby does like her big sister and wait until nana gets here to make her presence into this world a reality. in fact, 5 days early was just wonderful for me the first time around...i'm good with that again.

let's just hope that life with two babies is a nice and smooth transition. i know it will come with it's trials, but i have learned that i need to improve upon my stress-handling capabilities. shoot, is that what god is doing to me? throwing me smack-dab in the middle of a stress ball situation and saying, "here, you said you wanted to learn to manage stress better. voila." well, he never gives us more than we can handle, right? RIGHT? HELLO????

oy. i need a nap.

"nubee's" room

over the last few months i have been preparing for the upcoming arrival of our little baby girl. now, our first daughter's room i decorated in pinks and browns. this time around i wanted to do it a little different. the room happened to already be a light purple, so i decided to go with a purple, brown, and green theme. however, i couldn't find any bedding i loved...or if i did, it was the super expensive type. so i decided i would try and make the bedding and decor for the room. mind you, i have never...i repeat, NEVER done anything like this before. i am a major novice when it comes to sewing. but, i am pretty pleased with how everything has and is turning out. i still have a few more things to finish up (like the artwork for the walls), but otherwise, i am pretty much done with the sewing components.

without further ado, here is the room!

voila!




the bumper, dust ruffle (didn't make the sheet); curtain (don't mind the clutter on the sill); pillow in the crib; bird mobile (more below)



bird mobile inspired by an idea i found at homemade by jill. i like my birds a little more squatty, so i altered the pattern a bit. i'm happy with how they turned out.



the blanket on the chair didn't turn out quite like i would have liked, but oh well. it has a green with small brown dot pattern on the opposite of the minky...it's also on the other side of the pillows. oddly, i didn't take a picture of that fabric anywhere. i put some trim matching the bumper fabric and then a satin ribbon like the bumper ties on the base of the lamp shade to tie it in. and then another close up of the fabrics i used. my favorite was the amy butler fabric i used for the dust ruffle, curtain, and blanket trim. and a little picture of the closet in progress. all i did there was add a curtain rod. big whoopie. ;)

now i am just hoping to get some things hung and finish the artwork before it's too late. and i am waiting to do her name art until after she is born. i'd hate to order something and then decide on a different name.

i am so excited to meet my new little girl!!

all this talk of food is makin' me hungry!

Weeks 33-36 (Month 8): Honeydew

Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.


my darling little daughter has decided that my bladder is the perfect place to be! she has taken a liking to kicking (and kicking, and kicking) down on my bladder, making it almost impossible not to pee my pants. aaah, the joys of pregnancy.

i am now pretty much at the stage where i am ready to get my body back, but knowing that will mean having to figure out how to balance life with a crazy toddler and a newborn has me happy to have her in my belly for a couple more months. but i sure am very excited to see what this little angel will look like. whether she will have the dark portugese skin like her big sister, or have the softer tan like me and the scotts/irish/welsh/english side of her gene pool. there is the ever slight chance she could have blue or hazel eyes (which would have me stark raving jealous), and the wonder of if her hair will be curly like her sister too.

we are still debating over a middle name. i still like the one i had in mind, but am coming up with some other options since the hubby wasn't as thrilled with it as i was. names are so hard. and girl names especially. so many names bring up images of girls i knew growing up and would rather not curse my precious child to their looks or temperment (just in case that is possible).

the baby room is coming closer and closer to being completed. the crib now has one coat of stain on the railing and hopefully will be sanded and have the second/third/whatever coat completed maybe, if i'm lucky, by this month. i have been working on more blankets and receiving blankets since i am done with the bedding and am getting rather carried away. i need to fix two of the birds on my bird mobile since they are sitting a bit back rather than on top of the branch. and i have one more coat of paint to put on the trim before i can really start setting things up. i can't wait to see how it all comes together.

i am soon to be a mother of two. wow. when did i get so old?

squash...well, that's how my midsection feels anyway...

Weeks 29-32 (Month 7): Squash
Average size: 15.2-16.7 in, 2.5-3.8 lb

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

my little tumbleweed, as i like to call her, is moving around all over the place. i love the feeling of my baby moving inside of me. it is one thing i will miss when i am all done with having babies. there is only so much time in your life where you can enjoy the journey of pregnancy. and i have fully enjoyed both of my experiences.

i am very close to being....almost done with the baby room and decor. i have finished several projects and am so excited to get everything put together. just need to have the crib rail sanded and re-stained and then get that set up, paint the trim in the room, and a few other 'this 'n' thats' and we will be done!!! i sure hope everything comes together and fits perfectly.

i finished my bird mobile for the room as well. i need to upload the picture so i can post it. i am so happy with how it turned out. i love finding inspiration on other moms' craft sites. people are so clever.

just 10 more weeks to go!

my squirming little eggplant...

Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.
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i can't believe i'm already into month six. time has sure been flying by. i still move swiftly between anxiety and excitement about adding another member to our family. some days i think i can do it, and that the pure joy of a new little teeny, tiny baby will make it all perfect. then other days i look at my screaming little toddler and wonder what the heck i've gotten myself into. but i'm sure once our little angel baby is here all will melt away and i will be washed in the pure bliss of being a mother of two.

...and i think that bliss would be a whole lot more guaranteed if i could get rid of these two dogs of mine. but then, i digress.

i am hoping that all my little projects for the nursery turn out well and that i will be able to walk into her room with pride rather than seeing all the mistakes. we will see just how well i do with correcting all of them. steve is determined to make the crib work and doesn't want to sell it. he did point out a slight trend i seem to have.... i'm sick of the dogs and want to get rid of them. i can't get what i need for the crib and want to get rid of it. let's hope this trend stops with non-humans only...

working against me

well, i feel like i've been given blow after blow with my nursery room projects. i am just about to the point of giving up.

the craigslist crib we bought is pretty much impossible to re-stain. it needs a dye-stain which is hard to find, too toxic to use ourselves, and too expensive to buy anyway.

i screwed up the curtain. i still haven't gotten up the guts to try and finish it with the pathetic attempts i've been making at fixing it.

i screwed up the blanket. the 'fix-it' i came up with is WAY beyond my skill level, apparently.

i know there were some errors on the dust ruffle, but i have yet to see just how it fits given the crib is in above-said disastrous condition and still in parts.

the crib bumpers seem to be coming along fine so far. a little more squished than i had intended, but they look fine. and the pillows came out great. so those are my only shining stars right about now.

i feel like all i am doing is wasting the money i was trying to save us. and my pregnancy hormones are not helping right now. what was i thinking getting into this?!