9 Months & A Nursery Reveal!

So here we are, 9 months later, and what a journey it has been!  I can remember posting this post, revealing the news and being nervous that something could still go wrong.  My nerves are still the same, it is still hard to believe we will be bringing our baby girl home with us in just a few short weeks, but we have made it SO FAR, it's kind of silly to still be so cautious.  I told you, my brain won't knock it off, but I'm trying.  :)

Interesting things that happened this week - I have talked to two different people, in the past couple of weeks (total strangers), that have asked me when I'm due, I tell them and then they ask, "Do you think you are going to make it that far?"  When I say, "no" they say, "me neither."  It is the weirdest thing but I do feel like this baby is going to come earlier than later and apparently other people think so too.  Also, at the cloth diaper store this weekend we got another tutorial on cloth diapers, learned about baby slings and ended up buying one of these for spraying off baby poop (when they start drinking formula or eating solid foods) but mostly because the woman said moms like it when they first get home from the hospital and need to "freshen up" down there.  It sounded good to me so my mom and step-dad got it for me, it's like your own personal beday and I have a feeling I am going to love it!  Anyway, the woman said to me, "You seem so calm so close to your due date, believe me, that is very rare.  You seem so positive, we don't see that very often."  And, she even told me stay positive and keep this energy about me until the baby comes, as we were leaving.  It made me so happy because I knew that one day my positive attitude would show and then people would stop wanting to tell me their horror stories, or any stories, and just appreciate my positivity.  Hypnobirthing has helped me, I feel really knowledgeable and ready, not scared or nervous, and I am excited more than anxious about labor and delivery.  It was a nice thing to hear when you are 9 months pregnant, people aren't often that nice.  :)

While we were out shopping I ran into one of my prenatal yoga friends that had her baby 3 weeks ago.  I shared with her my frustrations about prenatal yoga (how there is no post-natal class for us all to meet up again at) and she said the same thing.  She actually lives by me and got my number, and I hope that we can take our kids out and go on walks together.  She looked amazing, I had only ever seen her pregnant, and I just hope I look that amazing 3 weeks after giving birth!  It was so fun to see her and she says that she is going to start going to Mommy and Me yoga on Tuesday mornings with a couple other of the girls from our prenatal class and that made me happy, like at least we will all be able to catch up there.  And, my step-mother (who passed away), her good friend Peri teaches that class, so I was planning on going to it anyway and just got even more excited about it!  Lemon and mommy at yoga?!  Come on!

Some crazy body stuff going on lately - my feet and my bladder.  When I get out of bed in the middle of the night, or in the morning, and my feet first hit the floor they feel sore and like they can't support me.  It's like all of the blood was relaxing during the night and then they get shocked into working when I get up.  Throughout the day they feel fine, and no swelling yet, but it's in the morning that they feel the weirdest.  I also have this pinching bladder pain that feels like I have to pee right after I pee or when I get up or down from sitting.  My yoga teacher said it's pubic symphysis but my OB said it could be contractions.  However, having experienced a bit of contractions (surges in hypnobirthing) before it doesn't feel like that and I think it's Lemon's head pressing on my bladder.  I looked up diagrams on where she's laying (she has been head down since 30 weeks) and her head is right there, squishing my bladder.  So, I'm pretty sure that's it but it causes me to stop for a second and take a breath because it is kinda painful!

This week we were still working on getting things ready at home before I go into labor.  My only goals for this weekend were to pack up our hospital stuff and to install both car seat bases before Ian took off for Vegas with his family (just in case!).  

The contents of our hospital bag(s) include:

• chapstick
• hair ties/bobby pins/headband
• iPod, headphones and speakers (with Hypnobirthing scripts recorded on it)
• Hypnobirthing book/scripts/visualizations
• gum
• undies (non-flattering ones to hold the after birth gigantic pads)
• feminine products
• our portable DVD player to hook up to TV in room if they don't have one
• DVDs
• blankets/clothes/hats/bows/flowers/outfits/mittens for baby
• baby book for footprints and handprints - do they still do this in hospitals?
• camera
• nightgowns for delivery and after, including a robe
• soap and towel
• massage lotion
• diaper bag with baby items
• breast pump (unopened just in case)
• bathing suit top (for tub)
• my normal hygiene stuff that I couldn't pack yet like deodorant/toothpaste/shampoo/lotion/face wash/etc.
• Ian's normal hygiene stuff
• we are also going to be plenty of water and snacks that I can eat because I'd like to decline IV fluids if possible (and there is no evidence supporting not eating during labor)
• socks/slippers/flip flops
• sweater
• pillows/blanket/snoogle
• notebook and pen
• and . . . a vibrator (sorry moms!)  This is a technique we learned in hypnobirthing (and also in Ina May's book) for slow or stalled labor, we will let you know how it works! 

I also posted our birth plan in this post, along with links to all of the posts where I mentioned hypnobirthing, our teacher, information about it and a brief overview - in case you're interested.  I did that post for my yoga friends, because they were asking about it, but it's really for anyone interested in what we are doing, or trying to do, regarding labor and delivery.

(Do not mind the chair covered in clothes, it has since been cleaned!)

(And this is where everything lives, in the living room, until we have to go!  I even made a list for Ian so that he knows what to pack for himself when the time comes, and one for my mom when she comes over to our house while we are in the hospital.  We are ready!)

Now, the car seat bases.  First, the Prius (which has a latch system):

 

(Convinced we did something wrong because the latches have really no give!)

Then, the 4runner, which is older so we had to use the middle seat belt:

(Thinking I had it down but then needed Ian's help!)

(It was probably like 110 that day and Christie took all the pics for us!)

My mom and I shopped all day on Saturday (pics of the nursery below!), we had spaghetti with my family on Sunday (and Hawaiian shaved ice after at Bahama Bucks) and then Ian left for Las Vegas for a mini family reunion on Monday morning.

 

(It is like shaved ice but with ice cream mixed in, and at the bottom.  So delicious!)

 (Ian had fun playing a ring game while we were there!)

I was so sad to see him leave for some reason.  He was only gone for two days and a night but being so close to having our baby girl left me in kind of a funk while he was gone.  I even cried when he left, how lame is that?!  My mom spent the night on Monday night with me (just in case - again!), even though she worked all day and had to work the next day (she is AMAZING!), and I used the time to swim with Christine, hang with my friend Elise and get some things done around the house.  But, I was still in some sort of a funk because I woke up early both mornings he was gone, couldn't go back to sleep for hours, and then went back to bed and slept until almost 12, not wanting to even get up then and moving slowly all day.  I knew nothing was going to happen while he was gone, but was worried something might happen to him on the drive, I was just being dumb.  He was away when we lost the blueberry (see his post) so maybe that's it, I was just kinda sad for the past two days.

Before Ian left, we put the final touches in the nursery after my mom and I picked up a few things.  My mom helped us buy a new rug, some other things we needed and a cute ladybug light that projects stars all over the room when you turn it on (I didn't think Lemon needed it, but she did).  Ian and I ended up spending Saturday night, laying on the new rug together, looking at the stars projected, holding hands and crying, talking about how our Lemon will soon be here with us.  Having babies is truly a miracle and when you've lost one, you are reminded of that fact even more.  We are just so thankful and happy we've gotten this far and can't wait to hold our little girl in our arms.  It seems unreal and so amazing, we just laid together and talked about her and how happy we are that she's almost here.  The next morning, Ian had written this (all on his own while I slept) and it captured my thoughts/feeling exactly:

Dear Lem,

Last night I saw the starriest night

all because of a ladybug’s light.

Your mom and I laid on the softest pink grass,

among puffy pink flowers,

we simply held hands.

3 solemn strong robots stood so very still

protecting the stillness, they watched the stars too.

The animal watched on the calmest cool night

 as the stars changed their color by lady bug’s light.

There was an art show set under the stars

with paintings by artist whose names are like ours.

Dogs, dinosaurs, jawas, birds,

 words and odd trees;

your mom and I painted so many of these.

We laid there like glaciers frozen in time,

talking and loving your mom’s hand in mine.

You might think were crazy lying out in the trees

but really we laid in your new nursery.

We worked like old dogs, we started from scratch;

we nailed, we hammered, we fastened and latched.

Now we are ready a few weeks ‘til your due,

our whole lives we’ve waited so we can love you.

Last night, after prenatal yoga, me and 3 of my new pregnant yoga friends went out to dinner.  It was SO MUCH fun and I hope we can do it again next week.  I have said it before and I will say it again, there is NOTHING like hanging out with pregnant people when you are pregnant, seriously.  I hope to keep in touch with these girls after we all have our babies - wouldn't that be the best?!

Now, what you've all been waiting for - our final nursery reveal!  Remember when we started, back in March, our spare room looked like this:

And now it looks like this (details to follow):

 

 

(A Pinterest project that turned out to be way more work than we thought.  Bought a canvas, sticky letters/hearts, spray painted it white, then bought a light from Wal-Mart to put behind it, had to build out the frame, twice and use sticky tape to lay it flat to the wall.  The light actually came with a remote so it is stuck in there and we have a remote to turn it on and off like a night light.  It turned out really cute!

(My grandma, Nani, and me.  I hope to one day have Lemon and my mom take a picture just like this and then put the two side by side.  And look what is on the table and behind us in a bowl - so weird!)

Nursery details:

• Ikea Frames
• Mobile from JennaEBee13 on Etsy
• Lemon Bookends from DesignAtelierArticle on Etsy
• Prints from KZukowski, heartsee, enrouge and papermoth on Etsy
• Wet bag (for cloth diapers) from Sweet Bobbins on Etsy (you can get any fabric/handles you want, just look at the fabric they have available)
• Lowes paint color Valspar brand in Fountain Mist
• Lowes molding
• Ikea flooring
• Dresser is from Coaster Furniture (actually found it through Coleman Furniture for $100 less and white glove delivery and they put it together!)
• Chevron curtains, rocking chair pads, yellow lamp shade and crib skirt are from Carousel Designs (not cheap but SO worth it)
• Ikea closet curtains
• Lowes sheer curtains
• Lowes pot for plant
• Ikea Expedit shelf
• Michaels letters
• Buy Buy Baby rug
• Babyletto Hudson 3 in 1 Convertible Crib
• Babies R Us closet accessories
• Company Store yellow storage bins
• Ikea pink storage bins
• Lemon suitcase from IMarriedMrRogers on Etsy (she's got one lemon one left and some tangerine ones if you're interested!)
• Babies R Us crib sheet
• Target pink breathable bumper
• Target Prince Lionheart cloth wipes warmer
• Ikea hamper
• Ikea storage bins in closet (for clothes over 3 months)
• Lemon pillows handmade by our friend Sandy who also has an etsy shop.
• Paper flowers were made by my sister-in-law, Ashley.
• String of pom-poms were made by Jenny.
• The flags were made by Christine.
• The hearts were made by IMarriedMrRogers and were hidden in the lemon suitcase!
• The robot looking toys are actually ATATs and an ATST from Star Wars.  :)