Light at the end of the tunnel

I went in for my post-40 week check-up today.

And it appears, as it has for weeks, that Nugget is perfectly comfortable and happy staying put.

She still moves around. Her heart beats normally every time they check it. We're so thankful for those things. Praise Jesus she's made it to full term and that she continues to thrive in her warm little cocoon.

And yet she is not making any effort to join her loving parents in the outside world. As my mom would say, "little stinker."

However, we have a date. An induction date. Next Wednesday evening, if she hasn't already arrived, she'll be given a little kick in the pants in the form of Pitocin.

I'm not thrilled at the prospect of 6 more days of waaaaiiitting. I'm a big, fat (pun intended) impatient wimp. I also don't love the idea of circumventing my body's natural process. And yet, I know there are risks associated with waiting too long. So, a Wednesday induction it is. Barring any action prior to that point.

For me there's peace knowing that the end is in sight. The end of the waiting game. The knowledge that we'll get to greet our little Miss mid-next week at the latest. We're so excited to meet her that we can hardly stand it.

Thank you for your excitement, your support, your prayers, your good wishes. We can't wait to introduce her to the world.

Baby Bump Progression

We've seen - and passed - the 40 week mark 'round here. And we're so, so thankful for a healthy and safe and uneventful pregnancy! Lately I've had my share of grouchy "will my baby EVER come?!?" moments, but over the last few days I've absolutely felt a heaping dose of God's goodness to me in the form of trust, patience, and an overall joyous attitude.

Praise Him for that. I know it doesn't come from inside me.

As I was working through our Europe pics I came across a number of belly bump shots, some of which I've already shared. But to celebrate a full 40 weeks, I thought it'd be fun to see them all together.

Clearly, I put zero thought into taking these in any regular intervals or in any consistent location.

10 weeks. My first belly shot. I could tell there was a little more... something... 'round the middle. But clearly no one else could. I was proudly wearing brand new maternity pants here. I made that switch early on! I couldn't make my normal pants button after about 7-8 weeks.

14 weeks. A leeettle more to show off here. We went to visit Josh's parents in Phoenix, and he snapped this shot while we were out there. I was in all maternity, all the time by this point.

And yet, looking back, I'm oh so small!

17 weeks. Next to the harbor in Oslo, Norway.

18 weeks. Just a week later. It was somewhere between these two weeks that a stranger first asked me about my pregnancy. Meaning that it was obvious to more folks than just me.

25 weeks. Me in my messy bathroom with my iPhone. Really out there by this point.

29 weeks. In a hotel in the Chicago area. Bowling ball time. This black shirt from Gap Maternity remains my single favorite item of clothing.

34 weeks. In a hotel in Tennessee. My last business trip. And clearly, my rain coat wasn't working so well.

35 weeks. On my own doorstep. Looking and feeling absolutely enormous. Hardly anything fit anymore (even my maternity clothes) by this point.

This was the effort it took to look at my own feet.

Yesterday. 40 Weeks. What you can't tell is:
A) I have a sty in one eye. Yuck.
B) My sweater is technically too short, and I have to bridge the gap with a tank top. See comments on the 35 week shots. But at this point, I'm not purchasing any more maternity clothes.
C) I'm wearing black work out pants. I rarely wear anything else.
D) I'm not wearing make-up AND having a bad hair day. Thus the reason I blurred out my own face :).

Sewing.

I've really been enjoying sewing lately. These days it's a great way to kill time before lovingly prepare for our baby's arrival. I have also discovered that the Internet provides a wealth of easy ideas, patterns and tutorials. Go figure!

Not surprisingly, I really love making baby stuff. Cute little items for Nugget? Absolutely. But I also truly enjoy making simple things friends, too. A couple of years ago I started making burp cloths. Very fun. Since then I've enjoyed finding cute flannel and experimenting with the designs - it's more interesting that way.

Frayed edges = fun.

I've also started experimenting with applique onesies. Like this one. I actually made a little set of these - one for our baby and two for the LeCompte boys. I'm hoping we get a chance to line all three babies up together wearing these.

And it's fun to use scraps from burp cloths and other larger projects and turn them into a coordinated little set.

Last night I tried something new. My parents got me this great messenger bag for my birthday (I'm TOTALLY a sucker for messenger bags, btw) and thought it might work well for a diaper bag down the line. I agree! We have a more traditional diaper bag too, but it'd be nice to go out with the baby at times and just look like I have a large purse. Right?

Yes, those are my snowflake pajama pants you see there. And no, this picture wasn't taken first thing in the morning. PJ pants are simply more comfortable than my maternity pants these days.

Anywho, I saw this Sushi-roll changing pad tutorial online last week, and was immediately interested. And thought it might be fun to make a changing pad that coordinated with my new messenger bag. I mean, before I can start making these as gifts I need to try one out on my own family, right?

So I bought some material (on sale at Jo-Ann's), batting, and elastic.

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I was hoping for some decorative/colorful elastic, but alas Jo-Ann's only had white and black. Oh well.

I cut out the "pattern" (a 18x22 inch rectangle of two coordinating materials + batting) and ironed it.

And then, following the very easy instructions, and watching old 30 Rock episodes at the same time, I sewed it together in no time. I love projects that take an hour or less... and those that are super duper easy... and those where I really like the result.

To store in your diaper bag/purse, just fold in half and roll.

A perfect match? No. But they jive.

Next I'd like to try...

-Headbands

-This bib

-These shoes

-These letters

-Pretty much all of this stuff

I've got my work cut out for me. Who knows how much I'll continue to do one Nugget arrives, but for now I'm having a lot of fun. Anyone have any favorite crafty websites to share? Any fun projects I should try and tackle? I need then to be easy. Leave some suggestions for me!

The Nursery

It's done! And all good 'n ready for our sweet little nugget to arrive.

You remember us painting the room. And then when we Josh made the shelves. We added furniture this summer, and then I had some fun making a crib skirt and a few other things.

And now? All we need is a baby.

I'll give you a 360 degree tour, starting with the wall closest to the hallway.

Basically, I'm starting with the most boring side of the room, and spinning in a circle from there. I'm okay with boring on this wall, because there's just not much else I can do about it. Almost no wall space + two brown doors. The one on the left is the closet, and the one on the right leads to the hall.

I'm not in love with the fact that both the vent and the light switches are off center, but I'll deal with it.

Tangent: I really love this bouncy seat. It's one of the cuter, less obnoxious ones out there, I think. Hopefully Nugget likes it, too. And I'm sure it won't stay here in her room all the time, but get dragged all over the house as need be.

On this wall we did add a couple of hooks. I figure they'll be great for a hoodie, a hat, and/or a bag from time to time. And when they're not in use? They snap shut close to the wall. Bonus.

Another addition to the wall? The baby monitor camera. I originally thought that a video monitor would be overkill, but was convinced that it will come in handy. Josh's parents got it for us as a shower gift, and I'm sure we'll like being able to peek on our little one without actually going in her room.

I'm glad we had a hidden little spot behind the closet door to mount it to the wall. And that we could run the cord along the molding. Less of an eyesore - you'd hardly notice it. And it still points into the crib.

Which brings me to...

Wall #2.

In lieu of a traditional mobile we opted for paper lanterns. After lots of fighting discussion about how they should be hung and spaced, we finally came up with this arrangement. These guys cost us around $3 each from here and we hung them with simple white ribbon. They're attached to the ceiling with little silver screw-in hooks I picked up at Meijer.

Also, we were a little worried about what they'd do with the ceiling fan on, but they just shake slightly back and forth. Hey, it might even make them more interesting to a certain someone laying in her crib.

And thus far, we really like this crib. Wal-Mart, baby! I'm an especially big fan of the drawer.

Moving along to the corner. We've got our IKEA Poang Chair - with a freshly washed upholstery cover. For a long time it sported an brownish/orange hue on the head rest that I couldn't get out. Who knew that you could open the velcro, pull out the pads, and wash the fabric in the washer/dryer? We've had this chair for 5 years and that concept just occurred to me recently. So we're squeaky clean and ready to go.

Next to the chair is a basket for some books. Right now they're mostly hers. I may sneak in a few of my own, too.

Aren't the little pennant flags cute? My friend Lora (the same one that made the quilt) helped throw me a shower and she sewed these for decorations. And, of course, used some of the exact fabric I'd picked out. And then she let me take them home from the shower. I think they're adorable!

Here they are at the shower:

And now? Hanging proudly in our baby's room. Love them.

Next we've got a basic storage ottoman. Josh bought this for me for Christmas a couple of years back because he knew I wanted one for our Bloomington, Indiana apartment. When we moved into this house we didn't have a good spot for it, and it got relegated to storage in the basement. But it is now getting a new life in Nugget's room.

Not only does it work nicely as a second seat (you know, if both parents to hang out with her in her room) but also doubles nicely as a toy box. And it fits under the window.

Continuing on this wall, we've got our shelves.

(Picture taken right after we finished that project, pre-window-covering, etc.)

And then, the weird corner with two more doors! Because every nursery needs four doors.

The door on the left leads to another closet - a weird shaped one since it's over the stairs. We keep our important files and such in there. The door on the right leads right into our bedroom.

Here's the view from our room into hers:

Finishing up the tour is the dresser/changing area.

We decided not to spring for a changing table in here, but instead to just throw a pad on top of the dresser. Because really, where would we have put a changing table? And the tin basket on the right holds diaper changing paraphernalia.

Above the dresser is a frame collage.

You'll notice an empty shadow box in there. We plan to fill this with Nugget's picture and hospital bracelet once she arrives. Otherwise we've got a shot of Riley eating snow, one of us on our wedding day, a print we bought on Etsy, some numbers I cut out with a die cut machine, and a Bible verse.

That wraps us up! We're back to the boring wall now, so the 360 degree tour has been completed. In general, we're really pleased with the room and can't wait to bring her home to it. It's been such fun to put it together.

And because no good home improvement post is complete without this part....

Before:

And after:

Baby Gifts

We've been spoiled. Blessed. And overwhelmed by all kinds of sweet, thoughtful presents.

A sincere thank you to all of our generous family and friends who have heaped baby gifts upon us. We feel humbled and honored.

Here's a glimpse into some of our growing stock of baby stuff. I love it all.

Hats. What's cuter than baby hats? Yup, nothing. The green one was made by my cousin Christina, and the white/pink/green one was made by my friend Kendra. Adorable.

Itty bitty baby clothes. She's got the beginnings of a great wardrobe!

For the baby of Lost fans. Thank you Martha!

Dog-related baby clothes for GIRLS are hard to find, so I was thrilled to receive this one!

DeeDee thought this outfit was "so me." I agree.

This little set was hand crocheted by Nugget's great great grandmother, "Grandma Wallace." This lady passed away at least 30 years ago, but Josh's mom saved this set for all those years, in the event that there would be a little girl in the family.

Another antique baby outfit, one that my Grandma bought for us. Love this one, too! Both will make for great pictures someday.

My friend Lora made this quilt for us and gave it to me at the shower she hosted. Lora helped me pick out the fabric I've been using for the nursery, and went back to the store and bought more of it to use for this. I love, love this quilt. The back side is flannel, which makes it especially cuddly.

Cloth diapers. These will be put to VERY good use!

A Moby Wrap. I'm excited to try this out... it seems like a very snuggly way to carry a baby. Any reader reviews? We also received an Ergo carrier for when she's bigger.

I'm totally intrigued by these DIY baby wipes, which my friend Erin gave to me. It's a simple recipe + half a roll of paper towel. What could be easier?

Thank you again, family and friends, for SUCH generous gifts. We so appreciate each one and feel so very loved by all of you!