the nursery

when we moved in to the house, we knew right away that the sunroom - off of the living room and our bedroom- would make the perfect little nursery.  it is not a big room and presented some challenges- no closet, a huge radiator, 2 out of 4 walls of solid windows.

this is how the room looked before we did anything... disgusting carpet, light pink walls, mauve curtains, and furniture that was left (that we have since given away). redeeming qualities: hardwood under the carpet (that needed stained and refinished), awesome french doors, lots of light.

the view from the living room is much sweeter now (even with a pack n'play temporarily shoved in the corner)...

brian refinished the floors a while back.  we had painters trim the room in white with grey walls. we decided on a color scheme -navy and lime green- rather than picking a theme.  the dresser, from ikea, was bought with a gift from my aunt betsy and aunt linda.  the glider and ottoman, ordered from amazon, was a gift from my parents...i have taken some awesome naps in it already.  the crib is from brian's sister kelly...it's in perfect condition and has already slept three sweet nieces.

the quilt hanging on the crib is a handmade gift...thanks brenda!!!  i fell in love with the floor pouf's from the land of nod, but not with the prices of up to $90! yikes! so, i searched for a tutorial and found a perfect one from living with punks...thus, the floor pouf in the lower left corner was born (costing maybe $40 for all of the materials?).

with SO MANY windows to dress, i got cheap white curtains from ikea and hot glued navy/lime green ribbon to the edges.  i was actually able to cut each panel in half because they were so large, which stretched the purchase.  3 packs x $10/pack, plus ~$15 in ribbon...I was able to cover all of those windows for ~$45! score!

the lamp with shelves holding toys was a wedding gift that got spray painted blue for the nursery. the rug came from overstock.com for ~$80.  i made the hanging bunting from curtain scraps and fabric my mom bought and used to cover tables at the baby shower. and doesn't the afghan i made look SO CUTE on the back of the glider!?

since storage is an issue, i picked up two big bins from lowes for $10 each that slide right under the crib.  they are for extra diapers, wipes, and anything else that needs to be neatly out of sight.

i mixed brown and white frames to try to tie the crib and dresser colors together, though i'm not sure it was necessary with the wood doors and white trim already in the room.  i bought the turtle and narnia prints from etsy. the "i love everything about you" print was a free online printable that i colored.  i also framed a baby shower invitation, baby boy's ultrasound, and a few of the maternity pictures jess took of us.  we also took the glass out of the frames and, after hanging, secured the frames with command picture hanging strips...since they are right over where baby boy will sleep.

i am tickled pink with how it turned out.  i think brian is too...even though he kept telling me i was making it too girly ;-)  

NOW, bring on the baby!

happy birthday boo!

boo is a cinco de mayo baby...her birthday was this past sunday, may 5th. although she didn't actually become part of our family until 8 weeks after she was born, we definitely celebrated! she got a new bone, a little extra peanut butter in her kong, and a trip to my parent's house.  this is always a treat because their yard is huge and boo runs her guts out when she is there.

brian and i absolutely love this dog.  one of brian's coworkers had to have her dog put down today.  when brian told me that story, i think we both got a little teary (ok, i sobbed and had to get off the phone).  i'm sure this post is going to seem ridiculous after we have a CHILD!

this is the first picture we ever took of boo...when we went to see her at the breeder's....

hard to believe she has gotten so big in a year....

patiently watching out the window for brian to return from his run

what used to look like a huge stuffed animal is now a rinky-dink toy- that she still loves!....

 

happy birthday boo!

(does someone want to tell her that she's about to become #2??? i don't know that she's going to handle it well!)

38 weeks

since yesterday marked 38 weeks, that definitely means no travel for us.  this has been a total bummer all day today, because two of our favorite people in the world are getting married in charlottesville and we are missing it!  luckily, we got to facetime for a few minutes with the bride before the wedding...she looked unbelievable....made me boo-hoo just a little!  congrats evan and lauren! we love you both so much! please be prepared for a full day reenactment the next time we see you.

WELL, 13 days and counting! the nursery is just about finished (pictures to come soon).  i'm being just a little bit obsessive about it i think.

we still don't have hospital bags packed yet.  my doctor says i'm tempting the labor gods. (i'm going to get up and pack the baby's as soon as i click publish)

as far as labor is concerned, i'm starting to make some progress-a good sign, but likely no baby this week.

this is really closer to a 37 week picture, but i had to show one where i look halfway decent....

...because 38 weeks is crossing over into miserable territory....

37 weeks

Well...we are almost there! I am 37 weeks today.  Only 21 short days to go!

Braxton Hicks contractions are becoming much more frequent and intense, though the doc said not to expect a baby this week unless my water breaks.  I have one more final to give on Monday and then the school year is over for me. Hallelujah!

We have a busy weekend planned - putting the final touches on the nursery, cleaning out the cars and installing the car seat, packing our hospital bags (I KNOW, I should have done this already!!!), cooking some extra meals to have in the freezer, my faculty appreciation dinner, Benzene Ring chemistry club cookout (only for the cool kids, obviously), mowing the grass, replacing some shingles on the roof, and writing IEP's.  Those last few are from Brian's list...I can't tie my own shoes, let alone get up on a roof.

Here's the progress (still pretty proud of these R2 values), evidence of some serious kankles (embarrassing and hilarious), and the belly picture (out of control!!!)......

maternity pictures

this past weekend was spring weekend on campus. that meant lots of friends were in town...so much fun and so great to see everyone!

one of my besties, jess...of jessica isner photography, took some maternity photos for us.  jess is hilarious...she was rolling around on the ground, swiping arm chairs out of dorms, and coming up with tons of ideas. i'm pretty much a limp noodle when it comes to having pictures taken...i have zero ideas, feel silly, and blink all. the. time.  so, thankfully, she is creative and can pull personality out of even the limpest of noodles!  if you live in the charleston area, or close to it, check her out the next time you need pictures taken.  here are a few of the lovelies she recently shared on her facebook page...

 

ew!

is it appropriate for me to post stories about my students on my blog?

well, i'm going to (they aren't minors after all).

yesterday was very hot in our building...the AC has not been turned on yet.  i had my students open all of the windows so that i did not pass out while lecturing.

mid-lecture, i spotted a gentleman(??) near the front with his shirt pulled up to his chest...i will not try to paint a mental picture of his white hairy belly for you, promise.

i assumed he was just hot. but what was really bothering him (apparently) was the lint in his belly button....which he attempted to remove for a good 15 minutes.

i am not kidding.

at what point is it appropriate for me to ask WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING!!!?????????

speaking of belly buttons....mine is nonexistent since i have obviously swallowed a basketball.....

34 weeks

things have been pretty busy around here.  i've had two lovely baby showers (which i intend to share soon).  brian was on spring break...he cleaned out the spare bedroom and refinished the hardwood floor (all floors on the main level are officially done!).  brian had a baby shower (the awesome women he works with put it together).  we've done more to, but have not completed, the nursery. we finally hung some pictures...i got over my fear of putting holes in our freshly painted walls (have you noticed the bright green?  funky, huh?! that's our dining room...i'll share more when we've done more to it).

as far as the belly goes....no surprises, it's getting bigger! i forgot to ask what my measurement was last week, but i gained another 1.5 lbs.  baby boy is in launch position...head down...and feet in my ribs! this picture was after a long day of work around the house. my sweet little 4 year old neighbor brought me a handful of weeds flowers!  he asks just about every day when my baby is going to come out ;-)