Nesting

Hubs had yesterday as one of his days off this week.  Which I just thought was amusing.....maybe his boss doesn't know that most babies aren't actually born on the "due date?"  No, I am sure he does, but I just thought it was funny regardless. 

Anyhow, Hubs spent the better part of yesterday trying to get our garage organized.

Remember this?  This was our garage about a month ago...

Well, he's mighty proud that he's got the mess down to this and we actually fit Manders (What? You don't name your vehicles?!?!??!)  in the garage once again!
 


And oh, yeah......I am just tickled as well! 

Is it possible that Daddies can feel the urge to nest too? 



 

Check!

Today is the big day.....as in this is my official due date.  But of course, this little guy is gonna do what he's gonna do.  And really?  Due dates mean very little, as they are really just an educated guess. 

We are just getting a few more things done and checked off the list of things to do.

Got Peanut's chandelier hung in her room--well, Hubs, did at least.  Looks awfully sweet, don't you think? 

I also got my second sewing project done for the little guy, going with a more gender neutral color pallet.  And honestly, I would have went with blue, but on the day I went fabric shopping, none of the blue colored fabric screamed "Take me home!" so I went with the yellow and gray.  Plus, it matches the diaper bag, so I was happy.  

Although it's no where near the fine quality an experienced seamstress could stitch together, I am still pleased with it nonetheless. 

Next up?  Bring on baby!

 

Bassinet Building

Just getting a few more things done today.....

like putting together the bassinet for our little guy.  This was Peanut's.  I guess I have already broken my promise to Hubs of no photographic evidence of the little guy using the girly bassinet.   But I can't, in good conscience, justify spending another $150-$200 on a "boy's bassinet" when we only used Peanut's for about a month. 

I simply couldn't sleep with her in the same room as me.  Babies make all sorts of little noises when they sleep and every little noise she made kept. me. awake.  So within about 5 weeks time, she was in her crib in her room and I was stealing sleep when I could.  And you know?  It worked for us.  Now with having a three and half year old and a baby, I know those precious moments of sleep will need to be embraced even more. 


And at the end of the day, a bassinet with flowers on it won't hurt him in the least. 

Plus, I think it's a good reminder to Hubs, that those bigger baby purchases should have been more gender neutral.  After all, he's the one that insisted on all things girly when registering for Peanut nearly four years ago. 

Hmmmmm........



 

To Swim or To Play

My sister is currently in town for our big (little) arrival.  Another fabulous advantage of her being in town for these next several weeks is that she is going to teach our little Peanut how to swim.

Unlike moi, my sister practically has webbed feet and absolutely loves the water.

Moi?  It has to be stinking hot for me to get in a pool.  Like at least 90 degrees + hot.  And I don't get my hair wet.  Or my face wet.  And let's face it, I don't really swim.....I just get in to cool off for all of like 10 minutes (and that's being generous!) and then get back out.  That's the extent of my water amusement.  

Now my sister......when my sister was little, she got through the swimming lesson set of courses through community ed like three years ahead of schedule.  So my Mom and Dad decided to see if she was interested in being on a swim team.  That was all she needed and as they say, the rest is history.  She swam competitively starting in grade school--lasting well into high school.  When she got old enough to have a job, during the summer she was a lifeguard and she also taught swimming lessons.  Which of course, leads us to where we are today.

Teaching our little Peanut. Luckily the water gene seems to have been passed on to Peanut and she loves the water.  And she LOVES her Auntie.  So what a blessing right?  However, because it's not quite warm enough yet in our neck of the woods for my parents outdoor pool, we went to the community pool instead. 
Peanut had a grand time, but we are thinking all the "water features" in the pool are a little too distracting for our little three year old.  We are thinking of trying out another community pool on the opposite side of town (my sister's old stomping grounds!), but it may not work out due to the swim schedule there.  Either way though, I am grateful for my sister's willingness to teach her little niece. 

And I guess there is always next summer....


 

The Afters

I had high hopes of doing "the afters" pictures with everything in it's place like a magazine spread, but that's just not going to happen.  (If you haven't seen already, see "The Befores" here.)  Here are a few during the "in progress" stage (from around the middle of May):

These were taken after "we" moved our stuff out of our storage units back into the house, but PRIOR to carpet being installed in the bedrooms/living area.  Yes, we definitely had our work cut out for us. 

We definitely had our work cut out for us, right?  
 
But I am actually okay with the we are not quite there look.  I have nearly all the stuff I can do done.  That was my biggest concern.....that I wouldn't get the stuff done I could do prior to his arrival. Then of course, with the severe sleep deprivation that is sure to come, I wouldn't have any energy to do it after and we would be looking at some time next year before all the boxes were unpacked.  But that hasn't been the case.  God has multiplied our efforts and we've had tons of help....and we are nearly almost there. 

The rest of all those little details--hanging all the curtain rods, sealing the grout, getting the utility sink running once again--will get done in time.  Some longer than others, but they will get done.  Even if eventually.  If I have started to learn anything through this process (and I have) it would be that those details aren't really that big of a deal. 

Looking back over the last two months (really about eight months), my little family has been so incredibly blessed, there is no question Who it all comes from. 

'Cause it's certainly not of our own doing, that's for sure. 

As nice as it looks already (my Dad laid that floor tile and Hubs grouted!), the counter top, back splash, sink, and faucet will all get replaced as well. 

We were able to move back home (even though stressful at the time, it went beautifully in hindsight!) and have our renters vacate without any hassle.  Then we were able to take possession back of our home, paint, clean, and replace most of the flooring with tons of help from our wonderful family and friends.  Keep in mind I was also 7 + months pregnant through the reno's.....yes, I was difficult, but my family still continued to bless me. 

And can I just share how much I missed I missed our pantry and laundry room?  In Smalltown, we did have washer and dryer hookups (for which I am extremely thankful!) but they were in the basement.....which meant climbing two LONG flights of stairs for each load of laundry.  Here in Hometown, we have a one level home....and laundry now?  It really shouldn't be this delightful!  

The laundry room had had some sort of leak at one point (prior to us even purchasing it) but as bad as it looks, there was no dry rot.  Thank goodness!  So after killing all the mold with a bleach solution and letting the moisture from the cleaning dry for a week+, the floor was good to go to begin the tiling process (starting with cement board, etc.).

In Peanut's bedroom, instead of the soft pink like last time, we decided to go with a soft green (Lowe's Valspar in Lunar Tide~Eggshell finish) in her room, as SO much of her stuff (bedding, toys, clothes.....) is already pink.   My Mom and Dad have a room for Peanut at their house that has a similar shade of green and I liked it so much, we went with it in Peanut's room at our house too. 

I decided I really liked it so much that I went with the same color in our master bedroom as well.  Hubs was a little concerned about it being too matchy-matchy with Peanut's room.  Me?

Still deciding what to hang over our bed.  I have a really nice picture, but am thinking of doing one of those vinyl decals.  I just can't decide if that is too cliche or not.  I am so indecisive, I'll probably wait three months deciding and then just go with the picture I already have.  But I might surprise even myself, so we'll see.

Not so much~we don't have any pink accents in our bedroom!

My fabulous aunt also came over and "helped" me (Who am I kidding?!? She did most of the work!) finish unpacking and decorating our living room.  She also made these photo collages in our family room and entry way.  Me likey--SO SO much! 

We are all settling in well.  Peanut has had her moments, but I keep reminding myself how much change our little girl has endured in these past few months--with the biggest change coming yet!   First, moving back from SmallTown and living with Grandma and Grandpa (and having them at her beck and call!).  Now, moving into our "new" home and not having Grandma and Grandpa just feet away--all of this coupled with the fact that she is going to have a "Baby Brother".  She knows he's coming, but of course her little mind doesn't fully understand just how much change is coming.....it's been a lot for our first little love. 

But our girl is a happy and sweet, very buoyant little girl.  She will pull through wonderfully, I am sure, being the little helper she always tries to be for me and Hubs.  I am sure it will be the same when it comes to her Baby Brother. 

All in all, it's so nice being in our home once again.  In some ways it feels like we never left, but in others it feels like it's just the three weeks that we've been back.  I am loving our new carpet (feels so nice under my feet!), the newly chosen paint colors, our beautiful tile, and coming across a bunch of little treasures I had forgotten about.  And my counter space in our kitchen--SO nice.  While our kitchen here is by no means huge, it practically was compared to before.  I got used to our little space up in SmallTown, but it's yet another reminder to be so, so thankful. 

How we became so blessed, I'll never know.....



 

Our Little Guy's Shower

My dear sweet friend threw a baby shower for our new little guy.  You know, so he wouldn't have to wear any pink.  Because with all of Peanut's things, it was practically a guarantee otherwise.

Oh, how I kid.

Sort of.

Anyhow, back to the shower.  Yes, I realize these were awhile ago (like over two weeks!) but we've been a little busy.  So this is how we are rolling, mmmkay?

Remember these pictures from TWO years ago? 

 




















Gosh, they grow fast, don't they?

Our little girl is SO excited to be a "Big Sister."

My auntie made this.....so cute, right?

Lots of sweet friends and family came to help celebrate the arrival of our sweet little guy....and we were very blessed.  With this move, I have been pretty distracted and it helped me focus on the little love we will get to meet in just a few short weeks.

He got lots of baseball "gear" (Daddy's favorite!) and my sweet, sweet friend made this awesome quilt for him.  Yes, he is spoiled already!

 

I am SO excited!

They Came and They Blessed

It all started out as an innocent little request.  My Mom is sometimes able to get off work early and I called over to my parents to see if she was home yet.  I was hoping she wasn't because I was gonna then call her cell phone and ask if she could possibly stop by the store and pick up a few things for me.  My sister answered (who is in town for our big arrival-yay!) and confirmed that yes, she was home already, but please, go ahead and make a list and we will go pick up whatever you need. 

You see, Peanut has been sick.  Last week it was the flu, this week is a pretty nasty cough along with a cold. 

Fun times.  

So with her being sick, I didn't really want to run to the store.  And let's face it--there's no "running to the store" with a preschooler or when being 38.5 weeks pregnant.  Mmmmm, nope--it's just not that easy. 

Either my sweet husband does not truly recall or he is playing the safe husband card, but he insists I was just as big when pregnant with Peanut.  The photographic evidence shows that that is truly not the case.  I am WAY bigger this time around.  Oh, and yes, I have truly lost all sense of pride and am posting a picture sans make-up. 

So they went to the store for me to pick up the items I needed so I could cook some meals for our freezer.  This way, when our little guy arrives, I'll at least be able to get dinner on the table without too much thought.   Or at least that's the plan anyway. 

Well, my dear mom and sweet sister not only brought the groceries over, but they also proceeded to cook the meals I had planned.  Then they cleaned up the kitchen spotless. 

Sigh.  
 

What would I do without my family? 

What a huge blessing they are! 



 

Maternity Pics

My friend's sister, an up and coming photographer in our area, shot some maternity pictures of me and my {growing} family over the last couple weeks.  When I say up and coming, she actually is just getting her start (I was her first maternity shoot and quite possibly the first shoot outside of family?-but don't quote me on that last part).  I just had to share though, because I think she has quite the career ahead of her.

What do you think?

I am just thrilled at how they turned out.....especially our family picture!