Some things just sound simple....

I started out on what was supposed to be a simple task, making Cason's bed. As I mentioned earlier, I had to get all of his bedding because Target is making room for something else in January and all the Dwell Circle bedding is on clearance. I prefer to buy things on clearance so I'm not upset about this, I just wasn't planning on buying it quite yet. I was going to wait to put the bedding on but I couldn't stand looking at the empty room any longer and needed some inspiration to keep going. I washed all the sheets last night and set out on the task this morning of making the bed. Simple. Small mattress, small sheets, no big deal.
After 30 minutes of sweating and heavy breathing, I finally wrestled all the bedding on. This was no small task. Tiny mattress made no difference. You get the bed skirt on and straightened out, and plop the mattress in only to shift the bed skirt to a completely wrong position. So, you reach to fingers between the regulation bars and try and pull the bed skirt back into position. Then, you start putting the mattress pad on the mattress only to realize that when you lift the corner of the mattress up, you have also grabbed the corner of the bed skirt and re-positioned it yet again. More tugging and straightening. Then the sheet which wasn't terribly difficult except that it's stripes and I want all the stripes to be running parallel with the bed not angled like they did at my first attempt to get them on the mattress. Then comes the bumper pad. The thing that makes cribs the cutest. It's great in theory except when you have one of those cribs where the front side lowers for us short people, then, how does the bumper stay in place when you lower the front. I did not try this move once I got it on, and I'm no expert, but from the looks of things, it ain't going to work. Oh well, we will figure that out when the baby is here. For now I think the crib looks much better.





Disclaimer: I realize that the use of pillows and other accessories is not recommended in a crib when the baby is in there for risk of suffocation. These were placed in the crib strictly for photographic effect and will be removed before Cason is placed in the crib. They are so cute though, aren't they?




I guess what is most upsetting about the crib being so darn difficult to make is that i hear that babies often have leaking problems when sleeping, and the bed might require changing often. I was already prepared for this by stocking up on extra sheets that match my collection as well as white ones. I figured changing the bed often would be no big deal, again, tiny mattress, very simple. Well, if I have to go through that every time, count me out, Cason is sleeping on plastic because this crib is staying like it is!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We sure did! We are always able to visit both families so that makes it a lot of fun.
As you can see above we have selected a name for the new baby and I get more and more excited each day as we continue to prepare for him. It's a bit overwhelming being in the final months but also nice knowing that the pregnancy part is going to have an end. I will have pictures of the nursery to post soon. It's far from being done but my bedding went on clearance at Target so I have most of it now and I just couldn't wait to get it put on the bed so it's in the wash (with special detergent) and I'll put it on the bed tonight or tomorrow morning.

It's a Start

Thanks to some generous friends, they loaned us a crib so we officially have 1 item in the nursery. it's painted the brown color found in the sheets and the floors are stained. They look so good i hate to cover it up with a rug! Now I just need about a million more things :-)

Pregnancy and the Dentist

I already wasn't looking forward to my trip becuase I have experienced the bleeding gums symptom that faces many pregnant women. I'm not a huge fan of the dentist anyways but add being uncomfortable and having bleeding, tender gums on top of that and I was dreading it.
So, I tell her right at the beginning, my gums bleed, I would prefer not to drown in my own blood so please be gentile. Well, i guess that was the kiss of death becuase there was no gentile. I was pretty ticked by the end of it actually. I know it is her job to get my mouth clean and disease free but I really think they should give pregnant people a break. They actually say we need extra attention because of the sensitive bleeding gums thing but by the time she got through, I wish I had skipped the appointment and risked the extra cavity- the filling would have hurt less. I think I was still bleeding when I left and went to the car. As I was checking out they had the nerve to tell me that pregnant women should come to the dentist MORE often than normal. I looked at that woman like she was crazy and said "no thanks". Not only does insurance not cover that, I cannot loose any more blood! So, against all dr's recomendations, I advise pregnant women not to go to the dentist... But don't tell anyone I said that!

Catching Up!

Wow, it's been a crazy week couple of weeks. Let's start with last week, we decided to have a professional stain our concrete in the back of the house. We have always intended to have a hard surface in the back but never got around to it. After we stained the den, we decided it was worth the money to have someone do it for us... especially since I'm not much help these days. So, we had to move out of the house because of the chemicals and the stain so last week, we spent 2 nights at a friends house, 2 nights at Great Wolf Lodge (more on that later) then we were back in the house as long as we wore little blue booties over our shoes if we walked on the concrete. It looks amazing and we are so happy but as you can imagine, nothing is in the right place and we have spent this week trying to get everything back to normal, but that's taking much longer than I had hoped.
I put a picture of the concrete in the hallway and a view of the newly re-decorated guest room. I've been waiting to take pictures of this room until it is finished but that's taking longer than expected (hmmm, is that a theme?). Lastly i got the word "Create" from the company Uppercase Living that does wall words and put it in the guest room/office. I think it turned out quite well!

Looks like someone needs to iron the bedspread and curtains.... any volunteers?


If you want your own one of these or another phrase, go to the Uppercase Living web site.

It's the most, wonderful time, of the year!

Christmas decorations are finally up. I'm sure this won't be my only pictures but it's a start. I love having the deorations up and letting the christmas lights be the only lighting in the living room, so fun!

Craft Weekend

Before I talk about craft weekend, I wanted to let everyone know that i'm feeling much better. I still have a lingering cough but that's pretty typical of a cold. My lower back has started hurting after standing but that's something I expected as well because of the baby in the front. All in all, I'm doing okay and I think it's due to your prayers, I really appreciate it!

So, a few weekends ago, mom and I went to a cool hotel in dallas to do crafts and chill out for the weekend. Here's her photos of the hotel- Hotel Belmont. Here are the photos of my craft projects. I made 2 necklaces with beads I got at michaels, some decorative letters for my Christmas Tree, and a bunch of cards for a friend who ordered them. A very productive weekend all in all.

Tetris and Crying at 2 am... not a good sign

Last Monday night is when it all started. I just couldn't sleep. Don't know why, there's no particular reason, I didn't feel that tired but i knew i was. It made Tuesday a little hard because I was quite tired. Then Tuesday night, still couldn't sleep but this time it was because my stopped up nose was not allowing me to breathe properly. That's when i gave in and started playing game boy at 2 am. I was so tired of not feeling well and not sleeping and not knowing what to do about it that I ended up in tears, while playing Tetris. Needless to say, I didn't do as well as I could have (I'm typically awesome at Tetris). The rest of the week was somewhat better, well, the sleeping was better but the sinus problems were worse which has lead me to be at home from work today trying to sleep it off. It's 6:30 and I still feel crappy. If I have the flu tomorrow I'm checking into the hospital and staying until I deliver. Seriously. I knew this would be hard but I really had no idea. No book or website can prepare you. I was very angry with those of you out there who say "when i was pregnant it was great, I didn't even know i was pregnant," as I was crying on Tues. night but I know that's not the right attitude. I'm happy that it was easy for you, just a bit jealous. I don't believe you though, I think they give you memory erasing drugs soon after labor in the hospital but I'm on to that little trick and I'm not going to let it happen to me. The painful pregnancy has been helpful to my prayer life though. I have a moment every afternoon at work where i lock myself in the bathroom stall and pray that I won't be in pain anymore. It also gives me a chance to pray for all my other friends who are pregnant because I have a lot right now and I really do want them to have pain-free pregnancies.

Meanwhile, baby noname is kicking every day. Still softly as if to say "i'm still here" and I really appreciate that. I love searching for nursery stuff and mike and I are still trying to choose a name. You are free to weigh in if you have something good. It has to go with the middle name Michael though so keep that in mind.

I really hope it doesn't seem like I'm complaining, I am aware that this is a huge blessing and I'm incredibly excited about the baby getting here. I'm just trying to be real because I don't want to tell you everything's okay when it isn't. I know it's going to be eventually though. :-)

Official Colors

Okay, I think this is it, the official nursery colors for baby nameless. It's hard to tell but the dots in the blankets are the colors of the paint chips. I think the walls will be painted the brown and accented with the other colors. The blankets shown are just some receiving blankets that match the set at Target. I still would like to find some of my own fabric that coordinates and make some of the bedding but who knows how that will go. If you see any fabric that you think will coordinate, just let me know!

More Nursery Inspiration

So I have basically settled on a look for the nursery. It's practical because the bedding is available at Target and I think I'm going to search for some additional fabrics to compliment. I'm working on paint colors right now so we will see what comes of that and I'm working on creating my own twist on the look. Of course, a name would be helpful too but we are working on that also. This is the fun part for me so i'm excited.

On another note, I was able to feel the baby kick with my hand for the first time today. I have been feeling him on the inside but when he started kicking today, I put my hand on my stomach and could feel him from the outside. It was amazing and allowed me to get my mind off the pain for a bit. I jumped up from my desk and ran across the room to tell someone because I just couldn't believe it (the guys i sit next to wouldn't have cared so I chose the running across the office method).

Baby Registry

First of all, let me start out by saying that pregnant women who have full time jobs or other children deserve a medal or something, it's hard!

So, I went and registered this weekend which is what i was most looking forward to. It was a lot of fun but very overwhelming and tiring. Thankfully, I had helpers, Connie went with me to Babies R Us and my mom and sister were with me at Target. I seriously couldn't have made it without them since I know nothing about babies or what products to get, they were a great help. So, I have posted the links below not for you to buy me things, so you can take a look and see if I have forgotten anything or gotten something that I should not have. I appreciate all the help I can get!

Target

Babies R Us

Boy Nursery

Now that we finally know what we are having I can start thinking about a nursery. The pictures below are my favorite boy nursery I have seen so far. I have no idea how i will get those things on the ceiling or how to make them at all but i love it! Of course, I will make my own spin on this look but it's a good starting off point. I have to go out of town this week but hopefully will be registering on Sat. and I'll get to see what's out there for boys. I'm open for suggestions for must have items!

I feel like I must mention that yes, I'm very excited about our baby boy. If you have known me for more than 1 hour, you know I was hoping for a girl because I felt like that's what I would be a better girl mom, I mean, I'm a girl, surely I would know how to raise one. A boy on the other hand, I have no clue what to do with. I prayed that God would give us what would be best so a boy it is. Apparently God thinks it will be funny when a girl who doesn't know which sports have quarters and which sports have innings will be taking her son to soccer practice.

well...

it's a boy!

Gardening

Every spring I get the urge to do some gardening and plant some vegetables that I will be able to eat when they grow. Finally this spring, I acted upon my dream and did what any great gardener would do. I had my husband dig a garden, plant some vegetables and water them for me while I watched them grow. It took all summer and half of the fall but I finally have vegetables (pictured below) The tomatoes still have not turned red so I'm just hoping they don't die as the weather gets cold. My mom and I did sample one tiny red tomato and it was delicious. So maybe next year they will be better.


Purple pepper. Don't know what that tastes like but it looks pretty!

Fall Decorations

I think I already posted something about fall decorations but I added some more! Here's my pumpkin pyramid.

For Halloween, I added some new decorations including the tissue paper puff balls that I made with the help of Martha Stewart. If you haven't been to Michaels lately, you should go. They have remodeled some of the stores and it's wonderful.


I also made some frames with Halloween paper and candleholders with Halloween rub-ons to decorate the table. I also found some skull garland which I tossed in chunky glitter- everything's better with glitter! Another new addition to the home is a much needed dining table from West Elm. It's very grown up, it's expandable and very pretty. Of course, we don't have chairs but that's a minor problem. Do you think anyone would notice if I registered for dining chairs along with my baby registry?

Bad Dog.

The other day mike and I were working in the office installing some new cabinetry and putting together ikea furniture and really working hard when i heard a weird noise from the other room and went to check and see what it was. To my dismay, I find our sweet innocent newest puppy sitting on the futon tearing the keys off of Mikes keyboard and placing them beside the computer. I'm not sure what possessed him to do this, his fascination with computers is a new one because he had never tried this before. He took careful effort not to chew the keys, his only goal was to remove them from the keyboard.



Mike attempted to put them back on the keyboard but Charger had taken the keys off as well as the tiny plastic pieces behind the keys that held them on so it was a lost cause.


Here is Charger in his bed feeling bad about what he did. He better feel bad, it cost us more to fix the computer than he cost.
The computer went to the Apple store where it is still and we forgave Charger and he's sitting in my lap as I type, I'm just keeping his face away from the keyboard!

Baby Update

Yea, I'm 1/2 way done- 20 weeks down, 20 more to go. That seems like forever. Well, we find out tomorrow what we are having assuming the baby cooperates during the ultrasound and I am going to try and post here as soon as I find out using the modern technology of the cell phone, we will see how it goes.

The question I get asked most often is "how are you feeling?" In an effort to be real and not smile and say "everything's great" I have probably told you that it's not been easy. I didn't have morning sickness my first trimester, just major sinus & acid reflux problems that caused me to have times when i would wake up in the middle of the night and be gasping for breath, I always hoped Mike would wake up enough to call 911 if i passed out on the floor. Other than that and the crazy food aversions it wasn't too bad. Somewhere in there I started having pain in my left ribcage. It would start in the afternoon and last until I went to bed. Unfortunately, this symptom has continued and gotten worse as I have gone along. I spend the majority of the day in a lot of pain that only lying down can cure and that isn't really appropriate at work. Now the pain has moved into the same part in my back and standing makes it much worse. I'm seeing a chiropractor on Tuesday and praying for a miracle because i leave for a business trip that evening and i really don't know how i'm going to make it. I've talked to the Dr. about it and she hasn't offered me any advise except Tylenol but that really doesn't help much. I'm scared this is going to last for 5 more months and get worse and i don't know how i can make it. I'm so frustrated because i can't get anything done, we have some major projects to do in addition to the minor ones and I can't even hang up all the clean laundry because i can't stand the pain.
The other unexpected symptom is the anxiety. I think some anxiety is normal because you want everything to be okay but sometimes mine is way worse than that. I was expecting to be crying a lot and have moments of insane anger and those moments have been at a minimum while the moments of intense worry and anxiety are there instead. Ugh, hormones! Don't worry, I'm going to talk to my Dr. about it and I'm watching it very closely to make sure it doesn't get out of control.
So what's the good stuff? Well, I'm having a baby and that's very exciting. Since i spend most of my time wondering about how i'm going to make it through the pregnancy, I am not worried at all about when the baby gets here, actually I'm quite excited. Also, I have gotten to buy some new clothes and that's fun. Well, I'll try and keep you posted better and hopefully after tomorrow i can post some ultrasound photos!

Can I help?

I was trying to figure out this morning how I could make some much needed extra money in order to buy things like carseats (apparently you have to get more than one through the life of your child- didn't know that). So, I remembered something I used to do all the time. Here's the plan. Please let me know if you would like me to make your homemade Christmas cards or scrapbooks (great for Christmas gifts). I have done a lot of cards and scrapbooks for other people and I loved doing it. I can also make digital scrapbooks, well, anyone can but I can do it for you if you don't want to take the time. I have plenty of examples I can email you or client recommendations and my prices are quite reasonable. So, please tell anyone who might need these services and let me know how I can help. Oh, you can email me at supercat107@yahoo.com if you want to hear more.

Vacation

I know I should have written more by now but it's just about all i can do to post pictures. This is from our cruise we took in Sept. If you click on Linda & Don's blog there are more pictures and descriptions there.

Nursery Inspiration

Okay, so i know we don't know what i'm having yet but that doesn't stop me from thinking about the nursery. I found some pictures online of other nurseries that I love and I would like to hear what ya'll think. Tell me which one is your favorite. Of course, nothing will be copied exactly but I need some inspiration to start!

Kids are Cute

Mike Recently spoke at a local private school at their chapel. He did an awesome job. I know that because all the kids wrote him thank you notes and they told him that. I picked a few of my favorites to share. I kept the spelling as it was in the letter. oh, these are 5th graders.

Dear Mr. Mike,
Thanks for speaking in chapel today. God always gives second chances. It helps to see that and it is easier to relax.

Dear Mr. Mike,
I like your hair. I think that forgiveness what you preached on was just right for what were going through.

Dear Mr. Mike,
Thank you so much for all the time, energy, money, and everything else to make this chapel fun. You were great and I liked the kid-friendliness in your voice. You are an awesome guy. Your message helped me understand lots of things better. Thanks for everything.

Dear Mr. Mike,
I loved your speech! You are the coolest, awesomest, and the most rockin' dude I have ever met! Thanks!
Rock On!
P.S. Thanks so much again, whenever you get the chance could you come back? Peace out!

Dear Mr. Mike,
I loved your speech today! It was very intertaining. I wish that you could come more often but you can't. By the way you rock my socks off!

Dear Mr. Mike,
Thanks for coming and talking because otherwise we would still have to be in class, and I bet you know how boring that can be! I loved how you said that we need to forgive because that really sunk into me and I fully understood it. Thanks!

Dear Mr. Mike,
Thank you for teaching to us in chapel, you a rocking dud. Please next time can you give the card to me.
(he gave a gift card as part of the lesson)

Dear Mr. Mike
Thanks for teaching chapel to our undeveloped mines. You rock for that.

Dear Mr. Mike,
Thank you for speaking in chapel today. I remember going to FBC. Whenever you came up I knew it was going to be fun. Thank you for reminding us that God loves us.

Fall Weather

I thought these pictures were cute of the dogs enjoying the fall weather. I don't know about you but I think it's wonderful and I'm so thankful for a bit of coolness. I know it's going to be hard to sit at work today and wish that I was outside but I will try.

Painting the Kitchen

We finally painted the kitchen! I use the term "we" loosely because I didn't do much of anything, Mike and my Dad painted the whole thing while I went shopping. The pictures don't show the color that well but it looks great. Just added a little something and made the white trim pop. You will have to look back at the post where we did the tile to see what it looked like before we painted.


I also worked on my fall table decoration. It's very much like the one i did last year with the added peacock feathers. I know Martha Stewart would make it a bit more elaborate but she's not here! :-)