Baby Baldwin's birth story

Oliver Lawrence Baldwin was born on December 9th, 2014 at 11:06 am.

On Monday, December 8th, I went in to my doctor for my 41 week appointment. During my exam, my doctor told me he didn't think I'd last another day or two and should be able to go into labor on my own.  Regardless, we scheduled an induction for that Wednesday.  I was utterly disappointed.  I wanted so badly to have as natural a labor as possible and was afraid how being induced would effect that.  That evening, Trevor and I talked and he cheered me up by telling me that by the end of the week, we'd have a baby.

I woke up around 3am Tuesday morning with cramps and contractions.  The contractions didn't feel close together, just uncomfortable enough to wake me up.  After laying in bed for an hour, I decided to get out of bed and see if walking around would help them to go away.  I hoisted myself out of bed, and suddenly felt a slight "pop" and a trickle of fluid as I walked out of our bedroom.  I figured my water must have broken, although it didn't feel like how I imagined it would.  In the movies, it's always a huge gush of fluid.  I started shaking and I couldn't stop smiling - I was so excited this was happening, finally.  I woke Trevor up and called our hospital's labor and delivery floor.  

At 5am, we loaded our bags into the back of the car, double checked our carseat and drove to the hospital.  We got to the hospital, went through check-in and questions and got a quick exam to confirm that my water had broken (it had).  I was admitted and we moved down the hall to a labor room. 

feeling good after being admitted and moved into our labor room

As I waited for my doctor to come in and be checked again to see how things were progressing, I used a birthing ball to bounce and wiggle as much as I could.  Contractions were five minutes apart and moving around helped me get through them.  At 6:30am, my doctor came in and told me that if I wasn't far enough along by 9am, we would discuss starting me on Pitocin to speed things up.  I wanted to avoid that by any means possible.  Trevor and I went and walked the halls, I bounced on the ball some more and did everything short of running up and down flights of stairs.  My nurse came in at 9 to check me.  I wasn't as far along as my doctor wanted... My heart sank and I told my nurse that I'd rather not go the Pitocin route.  She suggested I hop in the jacuzzi tub in my labor room since that would often help people relax and speed things up naturally.  

The jacuzzi helped immensely.  The warm water and the jets helped my muscles to relax and take a break during contractions.  After being in the tub for an hour, the contractions were around three minutes apart but still felt relatively mild.  My nurse came in every so often to check the baby's heartbeat and to see how I was doing.  At 10:30am, Trevor and I decided that I should get out of the tub so we could see how things were progressing.  As soon as we turned off the jets and drained the tub, the contractions suddenly became remarkably intense.  They were forty-five seconds apart and when they hit, I was doubled up.  I told Trevor that if I wasn't half way to pushing out a baby, I needed an epidural because I couldn't handle it if the pain got worse.

I was so uncomfortable, it took me fifteen minutes to travel the twenty feet from the tub to the hospital bed.  I told the nurse I had an urge to push and when she checked me, she said I was ready.  She went to get another nurse and my doctor and after she left the room, I told Trevor I didn't think I'd make it till they came back.  

Suddenly, I was laying in the hospital bed with my doctor and nurses around me.  Trevor was holding a leg (until he turned a little pale).  I heard my doctor say he could see the head and I was instructed to push.  Two deep breaths later, I saw a waxy baby being held up and all at once he was put onto my chest.  

The first hour or so after the baby's birth, Trevor and I held him and stared at this little person who was now a member of our family.  The nurses assessed him as he lay on my chest, but Trevor and didn't even notice them- we were absolutely captivated by our baby.  

Trevor and I named him Oliver Lawrence Baldwin and we already can't imagine our lives without him.

Oliver Lawrence Baldwin

Oliver Lawrence Baldwin was born on December 9, 2014 at 11:06 am after a quick, natural labor.  He weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long.  

Birth story can be found here.

love list (holiday edition)

While waiting for little Baldwin to make his appearance, I'm trying to get our house as ready for the holidays as I can.  Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I'm so excited to start some holiday traditions as a family. Here's a few of my favorite things from the past week or two...

 This tutorial for how to hang Christmas lights is wonderful.  Right now we're using an old tree from my parents since our (14 pound) cat loves to sit in the tree and climb up the limbs.  The tree is one that has lights on the branches already, but only half of them light up.  I've always hated how trees look when they're lit with "lasso-ed" strings of lights.  The lighting tutorial walks you through how to light your tree so it looks like it's glowing from the inside as well, and I could sit and stare at our tree for hours now.

One of the first things I started knitting when I found out I was pregnant was this Christmas stocking.  I've made one for Trevor and myself, and I am finishing up the baby's stocking now.  When I was younger, I always wanted a fireplace mantle to hang Christmas stocking on and am so excited to have one now.  These stockings are huge and are timeless looking. 

Last year, I fell in love with a tree skirt from West Elm.  It had a hand-crafted look and had felt mistletoe around the edges.  I just couldn't rationalize spending over $50 on a tree skirt, and kept my eyes peeled for some type of holiday sale.  Over the summer, I found this wonderful tutorial for a look alike tree skirt.  I've had the best intentions to make this for months now, but I haven't had time.  It's already on my list of things to do for next year.

One of my favorite memories from the holidays last year was a brunch Trevor and I held at our house Christmas morning.  Since both sides of our family live very close, our house was packed and everyone filled up on hot chocolate and gingerbread scones.  My favorite recipe I used that morning was these eggnog cinnamon rolls.  I'm not a fan of eggnog, so I didn't think I would really like these cinnamon rolls.  I was so so wrong.  These rolls were amazing.  They were super easy to make, so soft, so fluffy and just incredible.  I had dreams about these cinnamon rolls after making them for Christmas brunch. 

How are you getting ready for the holidays and what are some of your favorite traditions?

waiting game

Still no baby. 40 weeks and 3 days and I feel like every day lasts a week.  Trevor was born two weeks late, and even a few weeks ago, Trev and I couldn't fathom how his mom felt waiting all that time.  I realize three extra days is nothing compared to two weeks, but I feel like I understand a tiny bit how she felt.  I've walked what feels like miles and miles every single day, bounced and wiggled on my exercise ball, climbed flights of stairs, and nothing is getting this little guy to budge just yet. 

As frustrated by waiting as I am, and as much as I want to take this into my own hands and plan things out, I can't.  I know that if baby Baldwin doesn't come by early next week, I'll be induced (which terrifies me).  That's as close to a hard set date that I have. 

Every night, Trevor and I take turns praying before we fall asleep.  Months and months ago, it was so easy to pray for this pregnancy.  It was so much easier to hand it back to God every night and acknowledge He is in control of the pregnancy, the baby, and everything.  As we've gotten closer and closer to the baby coming, it's gotten harder for me to let it go and give it back to God.  Especially right now, when I don't know how or when things will happen.  

In my devotions that I read this morning, the theme was disappointment.  Max Lucado wrote "...faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and He will get us through it."  This absolutely called me out, because I realized I'm wallowing in the frustration of waiting for something to happen, and I'm disappointed that nothing has happened yet.  As hard as it is for me when I can't be in control, I need to let go of this and give it back to God.

40 weeks

How far along: 40 weeks

General feeling: Pretty good, just antsy. I am so ready to have this baby. I'm also feeling tired from being so antsy- I woke up at 4:30 this morning and was wired.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 27 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight (two pounds down from last week... how did that happen with Thanksgiving?)
Maternity clothes: Still half and half. I love these maternity jeans and may have to keep them in my closet post-baby as well. :)
Innie or outie belly button: Outie- so much so that I have my doubts if it's ever going to be an innie again...

Rings on or off: On.
Braxton Hicks/labor signs: Just like last week, every day. The cramps and contractions I get don't stay around for too long and they don't come at totally regular intervals. Hopefully that'll all change very soon.
Movement: Trevor and I joke about this baby being like a crocodile- he rolls and rolls like crazy. Last night I fell asleep on the couch while Trevor was on the laptop, and I was woken up by hiccups- they were shaking me so much!

Cravings: To hold a baby in my arms... 

Best moment of this week: Reaching our due date! And having a four day weekend. :)

Looking forward to: Baby coming! 

why I was happy my dream fell through

When I was in a sophomore in high school, I mapped out my four years of college. I took a course catalog from the school I wanted to attend and planned out which classes and electives I would take during what semester. I knew my intended major and minor that I was going to study. I'm a planner- I like to know what to expect and to be prepared. Since I wanted to study video/film, I wanted my final semester of school to be spent at a semester-away program working and studying in Los Angeles. Even as a high school sophomore, I wrote this down in pen, not pencil. 

Five years later, as a junior in college, I took part in a spring break missions trip to Los Angeles. We spent the week working on a promotional video for an outreach group that hosted and organized short term mission trips. One of my film professors led our group and in our down time we loved driving around and exploring LA. I remember one evening, my professor looked out the car window and stated "I want a do-over".  Even though my upcoming semester in Los Angeles was something I knew would happen and I knew would work out for me, my professor's statement rattled me. 

After that trip, I came home and told my boyfriend Trevor and I had to go to LA, even if it meant dating long distance, postponing a wedding, or even going out there together as a married couple. I was scared that if I didn't do the semester, I would look back in thirty years and say "I want a do-over". 

Fast forward another year and a half... Trevor and I were two months into marriage and were traveling across the country to live in LA for the next four months.  Everyone had asked us what our plans were after my semester of classes and my internship were done- if we planned to stay out there or if we were planning on coming back.  We honestly didn't know... One friend told us that she prayed that whatever we were supposed to do, that God would make it clear and evident to us.

As the semester progressed, it became harder and harder to be so far away from our family and friends.  It was hard for me to call home, because I would hear my mom's voice breaking every time we said goodbye.  Friends and family went through life changes (babies, health scares, job switches) and we weren't there to support them.  It was difficult to be so separated from everyone.  It wasn't only hard to be away from Michigan... things in California weren't going as smoothly as we had hoped.  I loved my internship, but the company I worked for wasn't hiring and couldn't keep me on unless I stayed as an unpaid intern.  Since I needed our car to travel to my internship, Trevor was only able to search for jobs that were within walking distance of our apartment.  He applied for dozens of jobs a week, but nothing worked out. As time passed, it became clearer and clearer to us that it wasn't God's plan to have us stay in California. 

At the end of the semester, we were counting down the days and hours until we could begin our drive back to Michigan.  Part of me felt like I "failed" and I didn't know what I would do back home since my Los Angeles dream didn't work out.  The other part of me felt absolutely at peace.  I was so thankful that God made it clear to Trevor and myself that we weren't meant to stay in LA.  I was also at peace because I couldn't look back and wonder "what if?" when I'm older.  I am so happy to be so  confident that I'm suppose to be in a small town in Michigan instead of a metropolis in California.  

39 weeks

How far along: 39 weeks

General feeling: So so ready to have this baby. And I'm ready to sleep without waking up feeling like I need a hip replacement in the near future.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 29 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Still half and half. I don't think I'll need to go shopping for a long time after getting through post-partum since it'll seem like most of my wardrobe is brand new.
Innie or outie belly button: Outtie. Hard core. I'm surprised it hasn't obviously popped through any of my shirts yet.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks/labor signs: Yes yes yes. Trevor and I go to bed every night after mentally going through what we'd have to grab if we had to leave for the hospital in the middle of the night.
Movement: Lots of shoving and what feels like head butts. 

Cravings: chocolate. Trev and I made a pan of peppermint fudge this weekend, and we've gone through quite a bit of it already...

Best moment of this week: Doctor's appointment at the end of last week and finding out that things are moving along. 

Looking forward to: Getting this baby out. At this point, I just feel like a hippo.

on my bookshelf

I use to work at a library and one of my favorite parts of the job was getting to see all the new books come in before anyone else did. I would often leave work with a bag filled to the brim with books that caught my attention. Here's what I'm currently going through...

Handmade to Sell - Even though this seems like a simple how-to step by step book, I love it. Whenever I feel like I haven't been inspired or motivated lately, just reading a chapter or two in this book always lights a fire under my butt to get stuff done. 

The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer is one of my favorite writers and I adore her books. This one (even though I only got half way through it before I had to return it to the library) is no exception. 

What to Expect the First Year - because I like to be prepared... and I figured once the baby comes, I won't have much time to read ahead.

Guess How Much I Love You - Right now, Trev and I are breaking in some of the board books we got for the nursery library, and this one is one of our favorites.

What are you reading right now? I'm always on the look out for new books and suggestions to add to my list. 

38 weeks

How far along: 38 weeks

General feeling: Ready to have this baby! I was reading about pre-labor signs in What to Expect When You're Expecting the other day, and realized I have a majority of the signs they listed. And since little boy has dropped, it's easier to breathe, but bending down to pick something up is pretty much impossible.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 27 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: still half and half. Maternity pants and non-maternity shirts.
Innie or outie belly button: rocking a pretty obvious outie now.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks/labor signs: contractions/cramping every evening. They don't last too long or close together, but it always makes me anxious.
Movement: Yep, lots of wiggles and rolls.

Cravings: Nothing really.

Best moment of this week: Still prepping the house and our freezer meal stash before the baby comes.
Looking forward to: Baby day!

37 weeks

How far along: 37 weeks pregnant

General feeling: Anxious and excited to get this show on the road. I'm having a routine ultrasound done tomorrow to get an idea of how big the baby is. And this week has been great because I have so much nesting energy. I told Trevor it's better than six shots of espresso.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: Around 25ish pounds from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Still half and half. Stretchy knit shirts and maternity pants all the time.
Innie or outie belly button: An outie, finally.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks: On and off every day.
Movement: His all time favorite move right now is to poke out his little rump. 

Cravings: Nothing really...

Best moment of this week: Nesting energy! I was able to get so much stuff done, and it was so nice to not be absolutely worn out after a long weekend. The only problem was my mind would still be whirring when I tried to go to sleep. 
Looking forward to: Ultrasound tomorrow!

36 weeks

How far along: 183 weeks 36 weeks pregnant

General feeling: Pretty good- just stretched out and tired more often than not.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: right around 22ish pounds still
Maternity clothes: maternity pants and non-maternity tops
Innie or outie belly button: Still just barely popping out. I love looking down at my belly button, because it's the tiniest little popped button.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks: Braxton Hicks and pressure everyday. I feel them most often right when I stand up from sitting for a while, or if I've been standing for a long period of time. As long as I've drank a good amount of water that day, they'll fade away when I sit down or lay down.
Movement: All the time. Little boy's favorite move is to push his little rear end out so my belly gets hard and oblong shaped.

Cravings: Tomatoes. Just plain tomatoes with salt and pepper on top. 

Best moment of this week: Nightly bathroom trips every two hours. 
Looking forward to: Getting some home improvement stuff done before baby comes. This week is littered with projects!

35 weeks

How far along: 35 weeks

General feeling: Big. And tired and sore. Though there are days when I feel really rested and have energy and feel like I could conquer the world... since those days are getting rare, I try to get as much done as I can and not take them for granted.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 22 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Still half and half.
Innie or outie belly button: Top half is popped and the bottom half is still being shy.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks: Every day still. They never last too long and I try to stay on top of water consumption so they don't get too bad.
Movement: Still everyday. Lots of stretches and last night the little guy had hiccups while I was trying to fall asleep.

Cravings: Nothing crazy. 

Best moment of this week: Trevor and I watching my belly wiggle like crazy last night. 
Looking forward to: Gah- finally meeting this baby. We're 35 days away from the due date today, and it feels like we're little kids counting down to Christmas... 

nesting and diy-ing

This past week or so has been a blur of cleaning and working on different projects.  I'm so happy about everything we're able to knock off our to-do list, particularly all the sewing projects I've been able to get done.  I love finding easy tutorials on Pinterest and I adore projects where the fabric shopping is more time consuming than the cutting, pinning and sewing. 

First, I made a nursing cover that doubles as an infinity scarf.  I had extra knit material lying around and with one straight seam, this came together so quickly.  It was also so nice to finally have something for a cover for nursing- I don't really like any of the ones made specifically for nursing and was just hoping I could find a lightweight blanket big enough to work.

I also made a boppy slipcover and a changing pad cover.  I was able to get each of these projects done in an evening and the fabric shopping really was the longest part of the entire process.  I didn't follow the directions for the boppy slipcover exactly and put the zipper in the back seam instead of on the bottom.  I hate putting in zippers, and about half-way through I thought about just sewing the slipcover on permanently.  Ugh.  After seam ripping and re-adjusting everything worked out.  I totally put it in the "user error" column.  I love the fabric I found and it looks perfect in the nursery.

Speaking of nursery, there are a few more things that need to get done in there before it's totally ready for the baby.  Trevor and I are getting wood this week for an art project to go above the bookshelves and we're getting new windows installed this weekend.  The countdown is on and I can't wait to post pictures of the finished nursery. 

Have a super Monday!

34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks

General feeling: Tired and sore. Sleep is not easy to come by these days and it seems like everything is achy. Is it the end of November yet? 
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 22 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Maternity bottoms, non-maternity tops.  
Innie or outie belly button: Still an in-between-ie. This may be really weird, but sometimes my belly button gets really tender. Yesterday it kept feeling so uncomfortable and sore... 

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks: Every day. I get a couple every night and then a few through the day as well.
Movement: Again, every day. This past week there were a couple days when he was pretty quiet, but in general lots of stretching through the day and kicks and punches at night.

Cravings: Right now I want a greasy hamburger. So bad. 

Best moment of this week: Whenever I got to sleep in.

Looking forward to: A (hopefully) lazy weekend.

33 weeks

How far along: 33 weeks

General feeling: Good! Tired and stretched out, but that's the general state now. There have been some really big movements, and that's so much fun to watch my belly move when that happens. And oh my goodness, these pregnancy dreams are crazy. They are so vivid- I have to make sure I don't read or watch anything scary or gross before I go to bed or else that's what I'll dream about.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 23-ish pounds (mayyyyybe? I haven't stepped on the scale lately...) up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Still half and half. Maternity pants are my jam.
Innie or outie belly button: Starting to pop out. I never knew a protruded belly button could be such a slow process.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks: Every so often, but I'm normally able to shift, wiggle or stretch to make them go away pretty quickly.
Movement: All the time. Trevor was able to see my belly move this week and then so many people were able to feel the baby move during the my baby shower. 

Cravings: Nothing too crazy. I want salsa all the time, but that's nothing new.

Best moment of this week: Seeing so many people during the baby shower. There are so many people from college that I haven't seen in a while and family that lives out of state, so it was nice to be able to reconnect, even though we didn't have a lot of time to talk.

Looking forward to: Organizing the baby room and closet, packing a hospital bag and getting ready in general

32 weeks

How far along: 32 weeks

General feeling: Big, sore, and tired. I'm convinced I'm going to give birth to a moose instead of a tiny baby. The end.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 21 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight
Maternity clothes: Still half and half. Maternity pants are so much more comfy than non-maternity ones, but I wear non-maternity shirts more often than the maternity ones I have.
Innie or outie belly button: My belly button is just about level with the rest of my belly. I feel like I keep saying it's only a matter of time till it pops out, and I'm amazed it's lasted this long.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks: A few every day. When laying down doesn't work to make them go away, I sit on an exercise ball and that helps so much. In our childbirth class, we talked about how people use the exercise ball during labor and I grabbed one just so I could get use to sitting and wiggling around on it. Sitting and swaying my hips around helps so much when I have braxton hicks or sore back muscles.
Movement: Not so many kicks and punches as much as little wiggles and tiny rolls. Yesterday the baby kept doing tiny wiggles in one spot, and I told Trevor it reminded me of the movement people do when they're sleeping to nestle in to their beds.

Cravings: Last night at 10:30 I wanted steak fries and ketchup so badly. It still sounds good. Trevor, like he always does, asked me if I wanted him to run out and grab some. I laughed and said no, but it would have been a different story if it had been two in the afternoon...

Best moment of this week: Nesting! I have such a list of things that I feel like need to get done, and it feels so good to tackle a few items on that list every day or so. I don't know why it is imperative that our baseboards are dusted before we have a baby, but in my head it was a necessity. And I never knew they could get that dirty.

Looking forward to: Baby shower this weekend and getting more prepared for the baby around our house.

31 weeks

How far along: 31 weeks

General feeling: Pretty good, just big, stretched and tired. I found out I passed my glucose test this week and promptly celebrated with a huge bowl of pasta. Nesting and preparing has started to kick in more this past week... when I was thinking a my to-do list one evening, I realized I absolutely had to clean behind my flour and sugar canisters in the kitchen before the baby came. Like it was a necessity. Later that evening, I was just too tired to clean anywhere.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 20-21 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Still half and half, depending on what I wear and how much stretch it has to it.
Innie or outie belly button: Still an in-between-ie. It's getting so stretched though, it's only a matter of time till it pops.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks: This week was full of 'em. I'll normally get a couple every evening now, and as long as I gulp some water and lay down for a while, I'm fine. Over the weekend though, they hung around a little bit longer.
Movement: Every morning and evening at the same time. This little guy likes to twist and turn and loves to stretch. Once when I was laying down with braxton hicks, I could feel some hiccups. I called Trevor over and he was able to feel the little movements too.

Cravings: I needed cookie dough ice cream this week. I don't know why, but it had to be cookie dough. Trev was a gem and we ran out one evening to get some and it totally hit the spot.

Sleep: So-so. I'm still drinking my molasses milk every night and I still haven't been bothered by leg cramps. I don't know if it really is the molasses that's taken care of it, of if I'm doing something else during the day that helps with the leg cramps. Turning around in bed is such a hassle and I miss sleeping on my belly so much. 

Best moment of this week: Trevor being able to feel baby hiccups and passing the glucose test.

Looking forward to: being to to say we're two months away from our due date.

30 weeks

How far along: 30 weeks

General feeling: Good, just feeling a little bit tired and big. It's crazy to me that I'm already 30 weeks pregnant... we'll count through the 30s and then, hopefully, not count through too many 40s. Trevor and I are going to birthing classes, and I honestly look forward to it every single week. I'm someone who likes to be super prepared and I figure that more I know about every possible situation, the more confident I'll be when I have to face those situations.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 19 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Still half and half. Today I'm wearing all non-maternity clothes, and they all fit fine and haven't stretched strangely due to my belly. Although when I put my blue knit skirt on this morning, Trevor looked at me and said, "Your belly looks like a globe." Ha.
Innie or outie belly button: Still an innie, but I have no clue how on earth it's still tucked in.

Rings on or off: On
Braxton Hicks: Nothing too much this week.
Movement: Every day. His kicks and stretches are getting stronger. Yesterday I was suddenly poked/punched/kicked so hard I went "Oof." 

Cravings: Nothing crazy.

Sleep: So much better this week. Last week I decided to do some internet research about what do to for leg cramps at night. I was so frustrated since exercise and stretching didn't seem to affect my leg cramps one way or another. I would still wake up regardless of if I worked out hours before going to bed, right before going to bed or not at all that day. I felt so bad for Trevor since I would wake up and wiggle around like crazy trying to make a charley horse go away. I read about putting a bar of soap under your sheets at the foot of your bed, drinking apple cider vinegar, or eating a spoonful of molasses. I decided to try molasses. For the past four or five night, I heat up a mug of milk, add a spoonful of molasses and drink it before I go to bed. Every night I've had molasses I haven't woken up to leg cramps. I read that the iron in molasses helps to combat cramps, and the milk-molasses mixture tastes pretty good too- like the crinkle cookies my grandma use to make. :)

Best moment of this week: Football, homemade soup, and an all-around lazy day on Sunday. When we went over to my parent's for dinner this week, my mom sat down next to me after dinner to see if she could feel my stomach move. When she finally felt a kick, her reaction was wonderful. 

Looking forward to: Hearing if I passed my glucose test this week at my doctor's appointment. I didn't like downing that sugary drink for my one hour test (I chose the fruit punch flavor), and I don't look forward to the three hour test if I didn't pass this shorter one. Fingers crossed for good news this Thursday!

Linked up on: lifeoffaithblog

29 weeks

How far along: 29 weeks

General feeling: Big and tired. I love my belly right now- love it love it. But it does make things more and more difficult. Bending down to put shoes on makes me feel like I'm 80 years old. Rolling over in bed resembles a whale cresting. Again, I love my belly, I love this baby-growing process, and I know things are only going to get bigger and more unwieldy from here, but it can be so frustrating.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 18 or 19ish pounds up from pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Still about half and half. I wore a lot of knit tops before, so many of those still fit just fine. These maternity jeggings really are the best thing in the entire world.
Innie or outie belly button: Still an innie.

Rings on or off: On.
Braxton Hicks: Just one or two this week.
Movement: Flutters and wiggles and stretches galore! I honestly miss the times when he would give a hard kick when I put my hand on my belly, but I still love feeling the stretches because I know it means this little guy is getting longer and bigger.

Cravings: Chocolate. After months of wanting tomatoes and burritos instead of sweet stuff, I cannot get enough chocolate. Eep.

Sleep: What sleep? Last night was rough. I felt (and Trevor felt) like I was turning every ten minutes or so. My hips hurt so much and my legs wouldn't stop cramping. I did pilates last night hoping that would loosen up my muscles, but it didn't seem to help at all. 

Best moment of this week: Hearing a strong, strong heartbeat at my doctor's appointment this week. It was so loud, and one of the best sounds ever. And watching and feeling my belly move never gets old.

Looking forward to: Glucose test this week. Ha. Having dinner with family this week.

28 weeks

How far along: 28 weeks

General feeling: Pretty good, I've noticed I'm starting to get tired and worn out quicker than I would a few weeks ago. My belly feels heavier and my muscles around my belly get sore quicker.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 15 or 16 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: Still half and half. I bought maternity jeggings over the weekend, and I want to go buy a dozen more pairs and just live in them.
Innie or outie belly button: Still a barely-there innie.

Rings on or off: On without a problem
Braxton Hicks: None this week! Yay!
Movement: There are little pokes and wiggles all the time, with less and less hard kicking movements. Trevor did get half a dozen kicks in a row a few days ago though. 

Cravings: Nothing.

Sleep: Could be better, but it definitely could be worse. I'm normally a belly sleeper, so it's been hard for me to transition to being a strictly side sleeper. Every so often, I'll wake up in the middle of the night because my hips hurt so badly. I'm trying to be consistent about working out and stretching so I go to bed more exhausted and with my muscles feeling better.

Best moment of this week: Officially being in the third trimester now! Whenever December feels lightyears away, I just remind myself how quickly the past couple of months have gone by.

Looking forward to: Doctor's appointment this week.

love list

It is absolutely wonderful to have a lazy Saturday at home. Our windows have been open all day since the temperature has finally dropped. We're celebrating with fall flavored food and an afternoon chock-full of college football. 

I made pumpkin scones this afternoon, and ohmygoodness, these are amazing. They're so soft and I ended up eating the extra glaze with a spoon. 

I'm trying to figure out packing my hospital bag already (I have probably over a dozen diagrams favorited on Pinterest. Whoops).  I've been reading up so much on keeping a baby warm in the winter, since I don't really know what to bring to dress our little guy in. I had no clue if I should get a baby winter coat, or if we should just bring a few blankets... After reading about what is and isn't safe for a baby to wear while in a carseat, I found this car seat cover that looks perfect for transporting a tiny newborn in Michigan winter weather.

Also on the topic of packing a hospital bag, I keep looking for newborn outfits for a coming home in. It's tough to find anything for cold weather since we're just now transitioning to autumn, but it is so much fun to look at baby clothes.

Have a cozy, lazy weekend! 

27 weeks

How far along: 27 weeks

General feeling: Good, I think that second trimester energy is running out. Friday I worked a half day, and came home and slept for hours. I had nothing to be exhausted from. Yesterday I was worn out just from walking around my in-laws back yard... not boding well for the next few months ahead.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: up 14 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes: still half and half, so thankful for my belly band.
Innie or outie belly button: Innie, but still just barely.

Rings on or off: On without any problems.
Braxton Hicks: None except for on Wednesday of last week... that was a doozy.
Movement: Things had been pretty quiet lately, but the past couple of days have felt like nonstop movement. There aren't as many huge kicks, but so many little pokes, flutters and wiggles. And I'm able to see my stomach move during the bigger movements now, which is kind of cool and kind of like a horror movie.

Cravings: This past Sunday, I made a caprese grilled cheese for Trevor and myself with mozzarella cheese, a sliced up tomato and pesto. It was amazing and I've been wanting to make another one ever since.

Sleep: Pretty good, the weather's cooling off a little here, but my nightly pee trips have started back up again. You win some, you lose some.

Best moment of this week: the long weekend! I know it's technically not fall yet, but I've already put my string of fall leaves up on our fireplace mantle and am getting out the Autumn wreath for our front door today. I've been stopping in Bath & Body Works to smell their fall candles for weeks now, and I'm so excited.

Looking forward to: The chillier weather that should be on it's way soon! I can't wait for sweater weather and I already have a recipe for pumpkin scones ready in my kitchen. Also, I have such a list of things I want to get done around the house before the baby gets here, and I am so ready to tackle that list. 

linked up on: lifeoffaithblog

26 weeks

How far along: 26 weeks

General feeling: Hot and tired. Summer has decided to go out with a bang here in Michigan. After a pretty mild summer, it's suddenly hot hot hot. We don't have air conditioning at our place, and the past couple nights its been so sticky and warm all through the night.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 13 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight and 2 down from last week (how does that even happen?). When I went in to the OB last time, he said some women will have a jump in weight gain, and then it'll plateau for a while instead of a steady and consistent week-to-week gain.... so maybe that explains it.
Maternity clothes: Still about half and half. Non-maternity jeans still work with a belly band and shirts still fit as long as I have a long tank top on underneath.
Innie or outie belly button: Innie, just barely.

Rings on or off: On.
Braxton Hicks: Just a few.
Movement: There are days when I just feel him rolling around, and then there are days when he's dancing a jig. Breakfast in the morning and juice in the evening get him wiggling like crazy.

Cravings: Nothing really.

Sleep: Hot and sticky and pretty much not happening the past couple of days. Fall come soon please.

Best moment of this week: Our countdown till Baby's due date is now in the single digits (98 days today), which is exciting and absolutely terrifying at the same time.

Looking forward to: Long holiday weekend!

25 weeks

How far along: 25 weeks.

General feeling: Good. Sleep has been pretty good over the past couple of nights, which is such a relief. There are days when I huff and puff to catch my breath more than usual, but that doesn't happen too often. On Sunday I worked in the nursery at church, and chased an eleven month old all afternoon. I was exhausted afterwards and felt like I had a peek into my future. I've gotta hand it to all you second time (or more!) moms.
Boy or girl: Boy.

Weight gain: 15 pounds up from pre-pregnancy weight. Holy weight gain Batman.
Maternity clothes: half and half. I'm still able to comfortably wear my pre-pregnancy jeans with a hair tie at the button. When I wore a non-maternity shirt this weekend, I did notice that with my belly as big as it is, the shirt was just a little too short to cover it.

Innie or outie belly button: It is just barely an innie. Like a shy outie. If I push on the sides around my belly button, that'll make it pop out, which Trevor hates and says it gives him the creeps. Which makes me do it more.

Rings on or off: On.
Braxton Hicks: Just a couple, but they went away after a minute.
Movement: All the time. I've gotten so frustrated because the biggest kicks would always happen when I was at work or on evenings when Trevor was gone, and he still hadn't felt anything. Finally, last night when we were watching Netflix, I felt a couple wiggles and we paused the show. After a few small kicks that Trevor didn't feel, there was finally a big one right where his hand was. :)

Cravings: Nothing really. Honestly, I kind of feel like I'm missing out on the pregnancy appetite. In the first trimester, I could rival a teenage boy with how much I could eat. Now when I eat, I feel like a fill up faster and can't eat large helpings anymore. Maybe my stomach is being squished and it doesn't have enough room... that doesn't bode well for Thanksgiving though. 

Sleep: Good overall. Tossing and turning (which is proving more and more difficult), but since I've gotten use to that, I go right back to sleep after shifting around.

Best moment of this week: Trevor feeling a kick last night. Finally! 

Looking forward to: Using this nesting urge to get projects around our house done.

diy polka dotted wall

I have loved polka dots as long as I can remember.  When we first bought our house and where trying to figure out what to do with the master bedroom, I knew I wanted to have a polka dotted wall.  

left, right top, right bottom

I started combing the internet to find a place to buy polka dotted decals.  Then I read this tutorial. It suggested using colored contact paper instead, so you could trace and cut out dots in the exact size you wanted.  Lo and behold, buying a roll of contact paper is so much cheaper than buying pre-cut dots.  I found a roll of gold contact paper on amazon (here) and got to work. 

As shown in the inspiration pictures above, I liked confetti or glitter-like polka dot patterns instead of something very organized.  In order to make things look more "confetti-ish", I decided to make different sized dots and used two items to trace the dots.  The larger dots ended up being about 4 inches across.  I used the top from a small kitchen canister to trace the smaller dots, which were 2 inches across.

This step took the longest amount of time. Trevor and I would put on a movie in the evening, and I would spend the next couple of hours just tracing and cutting out circles. I traced just a handful of the larger circles and around 100 smaller circles by the end of the project.

The next step was figuring out a pattern to stick up the dots.  I knew I wanted the dots to look more like confetti falling than a specific length apart.  I decided to start from one corner of the bedroom where the dots would be more concentrated and then sprinkle out from there.  Before I began, I put up sticky notes to mark where I wanted the dots to go.  That way, I could take a step back and rearrange the sticky notes before I put the dots up if things looked too far apart or close together. 

Once I liked the sticky note placement, the dots went up quickly and without any problems.  Our wall has a little bit of texture, but that didn't interfere with the contact paper's stickiness at all. The hardest part of this step was getting the paper's backing to separate from the sticky side.  After putting up the dots after a while, I stopped putting up sticky notes, since I had gotten use to the placement of the dots and was able to eyeball it.  Once I buckled down and was focused, it only took me a day or so to finish this project.

Here's what the wall looked like when it was half done.  I'd take a picture of what the wall looks like right now, but our bed is covered in clean laundry that still needs to be taken care of... so that picture will come later.  

All in all, this was an easy project.  The most time consuming part was tracing and cutting the circles.  Over a hundred circles later, I still have half a roll of the contact paper left, so it's a relatively inexpensive project.  I put up the first circles a few months ago, and they haven't fallen off or lost any of their stickiness.  The only problem I had was when I didn't like the placement of a dot and went to peel it off to reposition it.  Once or twice when I did this, the contact paper held on to the wall and some paint peeled off.  I love the way our wall looks and Trevor says it doesn't look too girly.

Linked up on: sixsistersstuff, mysnippetsofinspiration, craft-o-maniac, flamingotoes, niftythriftythings, vmg206, 

thecasualcraftlete, delineateyourdwelling, thegirlcreative, uncommondesignsonline, ishouldbemoppingthefloor, persialou, carolynshomework, sugarbeecrafts, ourtableforseven, astrollthrulife, lilmrstori, tipjunkie, thenymelrosefamily, snapcreativity, thehappyhousie, somedaycrafts, gingersnapcrafts, whitelightsonwednesday, sewmuchcrafting, lambertslately, lifeinvelvet, bloomdesignsonline, theboldabode, the36thavenue, thepinjunkie, ,atkinsondrive, lifeoffaithblog, thegirlcreative, 

love list

These zucchini oatmeal choco chip cookies are amazing. I decided to make a double batch of the recipe since our zucchini could've fed an army. And it's a good thing I did. I went through the first full tray of cookies right when they were cool enough. Whoops. Worth it.

Right now I am in nesting mode. I want to clean and organize everything and I'm on the sewing machine once a day whipping something up. I have a to-do list that is made up of things to make or do around the house that'll make it a little more home-y. One project I've been dying to do for a while now is a DIY tufted headboard. I'm terrified, but I collected dozens of tutorials on my inspiration pinboard and figure I'll take a whack at it in the next week or two. What's the worst that could happen, anyways?

rocking chair

It is so exciting to see the nursery come together more and more. This past week, we received a rocking chair from my parents that fits perfectly in the space (and the cat, our official tester, refused to get out of the chair. He's a fan.) This past week, I made a fox basket to use on the dresser/changing table. Right now, I'm using it for the swaddle blankets we have so far, but it might be a catching area for cloth diapers in the future.

fox basket

And on the subject of foxes, this drawer pull from Anthropologie is the cutest thing ever. I don't want to really have a themed nursery (our theme is "baby room", ha), but I can't get over how sweet this hardware is. I keep thinking about using it on the dresser or on a bedside table we're going to bring up.

Happy weekend!