Nursery, Part 4

 The nursery is done and ready.

We've only added a few things.

I was on the hunt for a cute picture frame for the small shelf.  I had in mind what I wanted, but either couldn't find it or would find something that was way overpriced.  I didn't want a plain old frame.  I wanted something crafty looking...maybe something that said "Bless this child" or something.  I didn't want anything that was specifically baby.  I wanted it to be able to grow with her.  Well, that mission failed.

But....... I found this

Perfect!

I also ordered this because I love Willow Tree

When my friend Laurie stayed with us, we realized that we needed a clock in there for when the room is used as a guest room.  Both Michael and I had alarm clocks, so for a while we just put Michael's in there.  I was roaming the aisles of Hobby Lobby (looking for a frame) and found this

The whole dresser

 We also used a gift card to buy a hamper.  I had registered for one.  I went to buy it and it was gone.  I wanted a basket looking one, but I couldn't find what I wanted.  I ended up going with this.

Originally I thought these kind were gross.  You put puked, pooped and peed on clothes in there.  Why would you use cloth?  Then I found out it had a net in it.  That made me feel a little better.

Ready and waiting

I recently got a very nice package from my college roommate.
It had cherry blossom pictures for the nursery!
Her boyfriend is a photographer, so he took these for us.

They are shimmery, so it was hard to get a picture.  You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

We're done!

Dr.'s Appointment

(Written Wednesday afternoon)

Most of you already know, but for those of you who don't... I am currently in the hospital being induced.

I went to my doctor's appointment on Wednesday morning.  My blood pressure was 128/88, which I thought was good.  Apparently the nurses and doctor didn't, because I heard them talking about it in the hall.  She had me lay down and then came back in to take it and it was 128/86, so it didn't go down much after laying down.

I did a non stress test and Olivia was moving all over the place.  Both the nurse and doctor said (at separate times) how "happy" she was.  Michael and I thought it looked like she was trying to kick of the monitor. :)

My doctor came in and checked me.  I was 2 cm, but my cervix was still thick.  She asked me how I felt about having a baby tomorrow.  That wasn't in my box of options, so it took me off guard for a moment.  I told her that I was ready, so if she thought that was best then I was fine with that.

She said there was protein in my urine. So I went from no protein a few appointments ago, to traces of protein last time (which I didn't know about), to +1 this time--or something like that.  She said that I was basically 38 weeks and she felt good about delivering a 38 week old baby.  She said she'd rather get me delivered now, since we know where things are headed, then wait until next week and then I get sick (because of preeclampsia) and have complications.

We were told to arrive at the hospital at 10 o'clock Wednesday night to get a cervix ripening medication.  Depending on how that goes, I will be given pitocin in this morning to get things rolling.

I have a blog scheduled for tomorrow.  After that, I'm not sure when I'll be on here.  I hope to get pictures of Olivia up as soon as possible! :) 

Prepared (or nesting?)

This list has been in the works for about 3 months.  Seriously.

Yep, I'm that crazy.

 

Behind this list you will find 3 pages of neatly written out recipes.  These are the recipes that go with the meals labeled "easy to make meals".  That way they are handy for Michael or my mom--instead of trying to send them to the right cook book.

I made this list for 3 reasons.

1. Pregnancy brain has already got the best of me, and I imagine the lack of sleep that is coming is not going to have me thinking straight either.

2.  Michael is an incredible help (pregnant or not), but he doesn't always know what the options are.  Sometimes (both pre-pregnancy and pregnant) I am so drained that I ask him to make dinner.  He is willing, but then he wants me to tell him what to make.  One of the main reasons I don't want to make dinner is because I don't want to have to think about it and decide--so this helps us both.  I don't have to have a plan and he can easily look at what is available and choose.

3. My mom is coming to stay with us for a bit and this way she can see what there is to eat and I don't have to worry about feeding a baby and a mother.

Almost everything on the list is stuff we have on hand.  Like I said, I've been planning, preparing and mapping out the list for months now.  Michael will have to make a quick grocery store shop after the birth for things like milk, fresh fruit, and bakery items (buns, etc) that wouldn't last.  Other than that, we are set!

Also, people from church are going to be bringing us meals at first too.  I think we'll be covered for a while! :)

Skillet Lasagna

Here is another meal I made to freeze.  I've had this recipe for years.  I'm pretty sure I got it from my sister who got it from some online search she did.

What you need:

1 lb lean ground beef

2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta*

1 tsp salt

1 (10oz) jar spaghetti sauce**

3 cups mini lasagna noodles***

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tsp parsley flakes

*I honestly can't remember what I normally make this with.  The recipe said cottage cheese and then ricotta was in parentheses.  Normally, whatever is in parentheses is what my sister suggested, so it's what I used.  I bought ricotta, but as I was making it I was thinking that I'm pretty sure I usually use cottage cheese.  I guess you can use either.

**10 ounces is NOT enough.  I use an entire jar.  Also, depending on what flavor of sauce I get, I sometimes add garlic or garlic powder to spice it up a bit.

***I have never found mini lasagna noodles.  I just use curly noodles.

Brown ground beef in large skillet, drain excess fat.

Add spaghetti sauce, salt, noodles, cottage cheese and parsley flakes.

Yes, dry uncooked noodles!

Stir

Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the noodles are done.  (You may have to cook longer--it depends on the noodles you use.  Make sure to taste test one before you move on to the next step.  Sometimes I turn the heat up a little hotter than "simmer".)

Sprinkle with cheese

Cover and let stand for 10 minutes with the heat turned off.

Mmmm... look at that cheesy goodness!

Warning:  It makes a lot!

37 Weeks

 Don't get in a tizzy--I didn't get dressed up and go to church yesterday.  This was snapped right after getting home from my hair appointment on Saturday.  I wore the dress because it was 103 degrees out and it was airy and easy.  I didn't think I'd be looking too presentable on Sunday so I thought ahead.  I don't think I look like I dropped...  What do you think?


How far along: 37 weeks

Size of baby: for weeks 37 to delivery (month 9) the baby is the size of a watermelon

Average size is 18.9 to 20.9 inches and 6.2 to 9.2 pounds.

Total weight gain/loss: +31.2

Gender: It's a girl!  Olivia Grace is on her way!

Movement: big and strong!

Sleep: Once I get to sleep I'm alright, but the first hour or two is rough.  Now that I'm on bed rest, I expect that sleep will get better.  I can nap here and there and go to bed when I'm tired instead of when I feel I should because I have to get up for work.

What I miss: being comfortable... doing things easily

Cravings: watermelon, jello, dessert (any kind really)

Symptoms: swelling!!! high blood pressure :(

Fun Purchases: We bought the last piece of the nursery puzzle... post coming soon.

Surprises: getting put on bed rest--I guess it's not a huge surprise, but I sort of thought that I would get the "take it as easy as you can" talk and that would be it.  I'm very surprised there was talk of moving the induction up.  I didn't expect that.

What I'm looking forward to: getting this show on the road and meeting my daughter

Milestones: I'm FULL TERM!!!!!!!!!!!

Birth plan: From the beginning I didn't really feel the need to have a birth plan.  Personally, I think they are a little silly.  I might not know a lot about giving birth (yet), but I do know from years of watching baby shows on TV that it is very unpredictable.  I didn't want to sit and write out the things I did and didn't want.  Ultimately, I want what what is best for the baby and I.  Everyone pretty much says the same thing... "I don't want an episiotomy", or "I didn't want any medical intervention" or "I don't want a c-section".  Almost always the thing the mom really didn't want is exactly what had to happen.  Why set myself up for failure?  Why waste my time planning something out that can't really be planned?  I asked my doctor if I needed one and she laughed it off and said no.  She said they joke in the office that the woman that come in with the five page birth plans are almost always the ones who end up going in for a last minute c-section (Murphy's law?).  Usually you or your husband can just relay to the nurse what is going on.  (Now, if my hospital gave the baby the Hep B shot, I would make sure to have it in writing that we did not want it.  However, my hospital doesn't do it, so I don't have to worry about it.)

I told my doctor that I understood--especially with an induction-- that anything can happen and it's best to be flexible.  I said the only thing I had to say was, I didn't want to be told to feel the babies head as she comes out.  I don't want to "catch" her either.  Let me do what I need to do and I will appreciate her when she is laying on my stomach.  There is no need for mirrors or hands to be touching half out gooey heads!  Also, I told her that I wasn't going to be one of those women that cry if I have to go for a c-section.  It doesn't scare me.  I know that with induction there is a higher rate of needing a c-section (because you are trying to make your body do something it wasn't ready for).  I've seen a lot of baby shows lately where the women are dead set on not getting a c-section.  They end up in labor for 56...68...72 hours (and sometimes have to get a c-section anyway).  I do not want that.  Don't drag this thing out for days.  If it's not working... if I'm not progressing as I should... just take me and cut me open.  Seriously.  She said that was good to know.  She said obviously if the baby is in distress it's a no-brainer.  She said she will be honest with me.  If she thinks it can happen but is just taking a while, then she'll tell me.  If she assesses me and doesn't think it will happen, then she will tell me that too.

Other: My next (and last!) doctor's appointment is Wednesday morning.  I fully intend on taking all hospital bags with us just in case.  You never know when you can get sent straight to the hospital for induction!  Oh, and I'm eating a HUGE breakfast before too--just in case! :)

ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!!!
(maybe)

Happy Father's Day!

Besides Michael, I don't think there are too many men hanging out here on my blog.  Just in case there is--Happy Father's Day!

I got Michael a gift for Father's Day.  It was in the works for months.  Before we left Columbus in December I thought it would be a good idea to stock up on some Ohio State baby clothes.  The only problem was I didn't know if we were having a girl or a boy. The girl stuff was super cute.  The boy stuff was pretty cute as well.  The gender neutral stuff was just "eh".  I decided to wait.

So when I went back to Ohio for my shower, my sister and I hit the mall.  One of my first stops was the Buckeye store to get Michael's gift.  The girl stuff was SO cute that I couldn't decide... so I got two.

A cheerleader outfit (size 3 to 6 months)

and this fun polo dress (size 12 months)

Even though we don't have an "outside" baby yet, Michael is already a good daddy and I know he will get even better once Olivia arrives. :)

P.S.  Good thing it wasn't a boy.  What would we do with a sweater vest onesie now? :)

Dr.'s Appointment

It's official... I'm on strict bed rest.

The appointment went as follows:

• I got my blood pressure taken and it was 138/100.  Yeah... the bottom number was HIGH.  I had to lay on my left side for ten minutes (like the last 3 appointments).
• My blood pressure then went down to 128/74.  Better...
• My doctor came in and said I was pretty much on bed rest.  She said I could shower and make myself a sandwich, but that was about it.  I got permission to go to my hair appointment (today), but after that she doesn't really even want me leaving the house.
• I can't even sit on the couch with my feet up... I pretty much have to be laying.
• She considered moving my induction up, but decided to let me wait it out and see.  My next appointment is on Wednesday.  She will decide then if I go in on Friday for the induction or wait until Tuesday as planned.
• I didn't have an internal this time.  She is going to do one on Wednesday.  If everything is still on schedule for the Tuesday induction, she will decide if I come in Monday night for cervadil or Tuesday morning and go straight into pitocin.
• I am measured at 38, which is 2 cm less than last time.  That is because Olivia has started dropping.  I started feeling weird pressure and movements on Thursday night.  I think that's when she started dropping.  Once they start dropping, there is less baby to measure, which is why your measurement goes down.
• She felt my stomach and pointed out the head and it was pretty low.
• We got some questions answered about video taping, picture taking and having a birth plan.
• I did another pre-eclampsia blood draw.  That is also going to weigh in on whether or not I go for the induction on Friday or Tuesday.

That's pretty much the scoop.  Thankfully most everything is done.  Michael is going to step in and help out with Little Man as much as possible.  Luckily it's only for a week.  Nana and Papa are arriving on Friday afternoon.

Father's Day Craft #2

For G, Little Man and I made a stepping stone.  This has been a project that has been in my back pocket of crafts for literally years.  I've just always come up with something different each time, so I've never had to rely on my reserves.  This year it was time to pull out the reserves. :)

Thankfully, Michaels had them on sale.

I got this box for $8.

I bought a beach bucket for a dollar to mix the cement.  Then I just threw it away when we were done.  I didn't want to risk clogging drains, nor did I want to spend the time to clean it out.  The kit came with the cement, pieces of glass, tray to set it up in, and mixing stick.

You are suppose to pour the cement in a bucket and mix with a cup of water.  Stir until mixed, and then pour into plastic mold.

Apparently I added too much water, because ours was really soupy.  Oops.
It said if it was hot you may need to add more... it was hot!

The tiles started sinking!
I left it outside in the heat... hoping that would help.
(Still wet)

After a day of drying (it's suppose to take 48 hours)

The directions said the tiles could be cleaned off with soap and water, so this is after I cleaned it.  Some of them had more cement on them. :(  Oh well... what can you do?!  It says "# 1 DAD" in case you couldn't read it.

Honestly, at this point we are doing good just to have a Father's Day gift for G! :)

Wedding ABC's

I saw this on another blog and thought it was a fun idea.  So in honor of our 4th wedding anniversary, here are our wedding ABC's.

Attending:

Our venue could only hold 200, so I stuck with that number.  I invited something like 198 guests.  Some guests only were able to make it to the wedding and not the ceremony.  I don't know what the exact count was there.  The reception was suppose to have around 170, but some people RSVP'd and then didn't show up.  (Don't get me started on that!)

Bridesmaids:

I had one maid of honor (my sister Angella), one matron of honor (my cousin Erica), and 4 bridesmaids--my cousin Sonja, my college roommate Amanda, my roommate and co-teacher Laurie and friend Kristin.

 Catering:

We had to use the catering at the venue we chose.  We had a cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres on the patio and then a buffet style meal.  Honestly, I don't know how the food was because I didn't eat much of it.

The cake was from a local lady who worked out of her home.  I got her information from theknot.com

 I was a little irritated that she put the monogram on wrong (and I couldn't switch it because the M had two prongs and the B only had one).  You'd think a cake lady would know... but I'm sure no one else noticed.  I blinged out the cake topper myself! :)  It was a small cake because I don't like cake.  It was basically just for cutting and for saving the top.  It was half coconut with pineapple mouse and half chocolate with chocolate filling. We had a cheesecake buffet with different toppings for our guests.

Dress:

My dress was the one thing my mom purchased.  We got it from David's Bridal.  I think it's very "me".  I always knew I wanted something that was big and poofy at the bottom.  I know that's not for everyone, but with my body type it's what I wanted.  I felt beautiful, but still comfortable.  That was important to me.  I didn't want to feel self conscious about my body.

 (I don't have any of those dress-hanging-on-the-back-of-a-door pictures.)
The dress came with a train or without a train.  I chose to go without a train.

Engagement:

We got engaged on June 25, 2006 after just two and a half short months of dating.  Crazy, I know!

We got engaged at Inniswoods Metro Gardens in Westerville, Ohio and then later had our engagement pictures taken there.

 The exact spot we got engaged--in the gazebo.

Flowers:

I was on a budget.  I wanted real flowers for my bouquet, but didn't want to break the bank.  I'm not a huge flower person (as in knowing names)--I just have a few favorites.  One that I knew I wanted to use were gerber daisies.  My other favorite flower is a stargazer lily.  I found a great (and inexpensive) florist through theknot.com and went to her.  We added in roses because they were a cheaper filler.  I like roses anyway, so it worked for me.  My bouquet had the three types of flowers and the bridesmaids had the same minus the lilies.  We actually used starfighter lilies instead of stargazer because the color was a little darker and matched my color theme better.

I loved it!  It's very me.  I wanted fun, not stuffy.

The only other real flowers I used were two huge displays at the alter that later got transferred to the reception and decorated the buffet table.  I used a lot of candles at the church and also at the reception.  I had two different center pieces using fake rose petals and also candles in the windows.

Groomsmen:

Michael had one best man (Phil) and five groomsmen--Jason, Tommy, Danny F., Danny S (his cousin) and Aaron.  He's known Danny F and Aaron since middle school and then went to high school with all the rest (including his cousin).  How rare is that...to still be best friends with the people you met in 9th grade?!?

Yes, half our groomsmen were giants. :)

The grooms cake was made by the same lady who made our cake.  We had it at the rehearsal dinner.

Honeymoon:

We went on a cruise to the Bahamas.

We swam with dolphins, scuba dived (ok, Michael did.  I laid on a hammock!), and went parasailing.  We had a great time.

Invitations:

I don't have a picture of our invitations.  They were pretty basic.  I printed them (and the escort cards) myself.  I do have a picture of the invites I sent to the girls for our morning brunch (and schedule).

Sorry the picture isn't the best--it's from back before I had a digital camera.

Isn't it cute though?  I love the matching envelope.  Yep-made that too! :)

Justice of the Peace:

My uncle Dennis married us.  He is my godfather and from a teenager I said he would be the one to marry me.  We had to jump through some hoops--it's hard to find a church these days that lets you bring your own pastor.  Plus, he's not licensed in the state of Ohio.  Someone else had to sign the marriage license.  All in all it worked out.  It was important to me and is one of the many special elements/details of our day that make me happy.

Keepsakes:

I'm not sure I have any keepsakes?  I have things from my wedding, sure.  I'm just not sure there is anything I would label a keepsake.

Ladies night:

Since half of my bridal party lived out of state, my bachelorette party was pretty small.  I'm not much of a "partier" in the traditional bachelorette kind of way, so it all worked out.  The few of us that were there had a great time.

Music:

My nephews played the violins while guests were being seated.  The ceremony music was all on C.D.  One of the moms of two former students of mine sang.  The song I chose was actually a duet, so she sang with her step-dad.  They sing a lot together in church and she said it would be a good fit.  I loved the song and I thought they did a great job.  We had a deejay for the reception.

Newlyweds:

I don't know what this one means?  I don't think we are considered newlyweds anymore.  I think we were great newlyweds though.  Everyone says the first year is the hardest.  I thought it was pretty easy.  I remember saying often, "If this is the hardest, then we are in for one easy ride."

 Old, New, Borrowed, Blue:

Old was a handkerchief that my aunt had given me when I was a teenager.  She brought it back from one of her travels (I can't remember where at the moment).  I carried it with me.  New was my dress, shoes, and jewelry.  Borrowed was my cousin's veil.  Blue was on the bottom of my shoes.

   (Once again, sorry for the poor picture quality.  I had yet to steal Michael's camera :)

Photography:

I really liked our photographer.  Turns out, he's from Wisconsin! :)  Photographers are so expensive! I found a lady I liked online.  I emailed her and she was not available on our day.  She gave me two recommendations.  One of them didn't return my email, so he was out.  We met with Chris at his studio (he does more commercial photography for work).  We saw examples.  He was willing to work with our budget, gave us a discount if we paid in cash, AND threw in our engagement pictures for free.  I didn't want all the stuffy you stand here with this person and you stand here with that person.  I wanted him to capture the day.  I think he did a great job.  Oh, and I loved that I got two photo albums of the proofs (that don't say PROOF all over them) and then the C.D. with rights to print whatever we want.

Question popping:

Isn't this the same as engagement?  He asked me on Sunday morning, June 25th.  After church we went to the park.  It was close to our church and we had already been talking about our wedding.  He said we should check it out and see if we wanted to get our wedding pictures taken there.  We walked around a little bit and he asked if anything looked good to me.  We were by a gazebo and I said that it would be cool to take pictures in the circle of the gazebo.  Then, he popped the question.

  Reception:

Our reception was at Bent Tree Golf Club in Sunbury.  Really, I chose that place because it was the only place we could afford.  It was nice though.  My only complaint is that it was SO hot.  They must have been having air conditioning problems, because someone went to a wedding there a few weeks after mine and said it was comfortable.  Oh well.  Everything can't be perfect.

All my EU friends at the cocktail hour

The bridal party came in to the Price is Right theme song-name tags and all-and did something funny (or where suppose to anyway...we had a few bumps on a log!)

I'm pretty sure everyone was laughing and having a good time, which was my goal.

We came in to the Ohio State fight song.  I love this picture.  It cracks me up!

Michael and I took dance lessons and danced our first choreographed dance to Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts.

Check out that perfect form

After that, we ate, did the cake cutting, did the father/daughter dance (to My Wish by Rascal Flatts), and then danced the night away!

 

Michael actually dancing... one of the only songs he danced to :)  He didn't even want dancing at our wedding, but he did it for me.

Looks fun, huh?  Yep... it was! :)

Shoes:

I don't have any pictures of just my shoes.  They were from David's Bridal.  I literally bought them because they were the right height.  My dress didn't need to be altered at all.  I liked them though.  They had bling.

Trash the dress:

I didn't do this.  My dress is currently in a cedar closet at my bosses house.  It still needs to be cleaned.  My spray tan melted right off in the heat! :)

Unique:

I think lots of things about my wedding were unique.  I did what I wanted to do and didn't do what I didn't want to do--no matter how traditional.  I made everything myself and planned everything on my own, down to the very last detail.  Some you've already seen.  Others:

I made the rose and lime displays (4) the morning of the wedding.  

Our guest book was a scrapbook

Instead of bubbles or bird seed, I made these wands with bells on them

 I dyed my crinoline pink

The church we got married at had a rule that you had to have an aisle runner... so I painted mine.  You can't see the green very well, but it had a little border too.

Then it got cut and hung up behind our head table

Genius, right? :)

Vows:

Our vows were traditional with a twist.  I found some online with wording I liked better than the traditional ones, so that's what we used.

Wedding Woes:

I didn't really have any.  Everything went pretty well.

X-rated:

Again, I don't know what this is suppose to mean?  There was nothing x-rated.  We didn't even do the whole garter thing.  I'm not a fan.

Young kids:

My youngest niece Hannah was my flower girl.

My ring bearer was a little boy that I taught named Jeffery.  I also taught his older sister, so there was some history with the family.  This was my way of tying in being a teacher to my wedding day.

Seriously, isn't he the cutest?!

Zzzz:

We stayed and partied until it was time to close down the reception.

This is one of the last pictures of the night.  You can tell I partied hard.  My hair is falling out of it's do.  I am tired, hot, and sweaty.  I love the look on Michael's face in this one.  Such adoration.

We had a great day.  I get told even to this day that our wedding was one of the most fun people have been to.  Everything was done by me, and I had a blast doing it.  I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.  (To the same groom, of course!)

Happy Anniversary Love!