Nursery Inspiration

Although we currently live in a one-bedroom apartment, our lease is up just a month or two after our little guy is supposed to be here, so we will be moving to a two-bedroom. I guess that just gives me more time to plan out a nursery! Here are some of my Pinterest favorites:

I just love the mobile on this one. I am not a huge fan of the crib on wheels (maybe this is a bassinet?), but I like the light and dark and neutral colors with pops of green and yellow.

I LOVE the idea of displaying books like this in a child's room. I think it is a little more fun for them than the usual bookcase and it would be so fun to pick out books at bedtime! :)

I am a really big fan of the rustic feel of this one. The rug reminds me of the pallet projects I see everywhere nowadays, but I love how warm the whole room feels. 

This corner is so cute! I love this style of glider- we even registered for an over-sized version that will be great as the baby gets older (and takes up more room). The collection of frames and the bookcase make this corner seem fun, while the light colors make it look a little less cluttered. 

I'm not normally a huge fan of themes, but I just can't get enough of this world-traveler theme! I don't like the pirate all that much, but I love the planes and the map, and I would put a little globe on a bookcase and fill the bookcase with books of travel and adventure. :)

What are some of your favorite nursery ideas? Do you have any advice for me on nursery planning? Are there some things in your nursery you just can't live without? Tell me!

24 Week Excitement

So, if you've ever been pregnant, you know that your monthly appointments are not very long or very eventful.

Usually.

My 24 week appointment started off with an abnormally long wait time. This means I waited 20-25 minutes instead of the usual 5 or so. When I got taken back and I got my blood pressure taken (perfect) and got weighed (not perfect), I noticed that I had gained more weight than I really expected, since I had been better about what I had been eating since my last appointment. I obviously expected to gain weight, I mean I am pregnant, but not that much. Since 16 weeks, I have gained about 15 pounds. And that. is. a. lot.

When I finally got back to a room to see a doctor, I started asking her about the size of my belly (it's big), and the the weight gain. She started asking me about my diet and whether I have been drinking water (she thought she'd catch me on the sugary drinks), but they have both been fine. I drink mostly water and I hardly ever eat out any more and I eat a lot of vegetables and lean meats. Once she got through with that part, she suggested that we do some blood work to check my thyroid.

Then she measured me.

And was surprised.

Because I am measuring at 30 weeks. I am only 24 weeks. That's 6 extra weeks worth of belly.

This made her reconsider. I got sent in for an ultrasound to see if I had any extra amniotic fluid, and to give my organs a once-over. They found that it did look like I had a little extra amniotic fluid and, as far as they could tell, that my organs were fine. This is when all the craziness started.

They brought me in to an empty exam room and told me that they wanted to send me to a perinatal specialist because of my size and because of the amniotic fluid. and they threw around the term "high risk" which is just terrifying to a first time mom who was fine 20 minutes ago. With all of my extra baby-mama hormones, I naturally got worked up and started to cry. The good thing about this is that, because I was all worked up, they told me they would call the specialist and make the appointment for me. The appointment was that day, so I headed over to the hospital (which thankfully was right around the corner) and filled out paperwork and waited to see this specialist.

They told me that they wanted to do an ultrasound, and so they did the entire anatomy scan again (still a boy) and found that he was measuring a little ahead. Babies this gestational age usually weigh about a pound and a half, give or take a few ounces. Guess how much my little dude's estimated weight is? 2.3 pounds. Wowza. He is in the 95th percentile for size, and the 97th percentile for weight. A biiiiiiig baby.

Because of this and the obvious amount of extra fluid I am carrying around, the specialist said that he thought it was a good idea to have me checked for gestational diabetes. Either way, I have to go in every 4 weeks to check his growth. So, I did my glucose test the same day. I drank that drink that tasted surprisingly like Hawaiian Punch (enough to convince me to never ever give it to my child) and I went home to await the results. Thankfully, the doctor called me the next day and said...

I did not have gestational diabetes!

Woo! He told me, verbatim, "you just have a big baby." Because of this, he might come a little early and I have a higher chance of having a c-section due to his size.

So, there you have it. Along with some almost-diagnoses of placenta previa and echogenic intracardial foci, which both were cleared in the end, I had a VERY eventful day. But the good news is, I'm fine. The best news is that little man is fine.

And I really need to thank my husband for going to every appointment with me and offering me support in a would-be-hysteric moment. He is the best.

24 Weeks

I know this is a little late. I was 24 weeks on Tuesday (aka 6 days ago), but I had a whole lot going on this week, so I apologize for the late post. More on that later. For now, 24 weeks!

How far along? 24 Weeks

Total weight gain: A lot. Too much. But doesn't every pregnant person think that?

Maternity clothes? Yes, please! Even my largest pre-pregnancy t-shirts are working hard to cover up this baby belly. Most of the time, I walk around the house looking like a middle-aged man with a pot belly hanging out the bottom of his shirt.

Stretch marks? Yes. This baby is growing so quickly that I have suddenly acquired stretch marks. Sigh. My biggest issue is finding something to ease the itching that these stretch marks cause. I was initially using Olay something-or-other, but it wasn't helping, so I started using the Lubriderm Intense Healing (or something along those lines) and that helped a little, but since the stretching has really ramped up lately, I had to go buy some Palmer's Cocoa Butter. Not the lotion, the actual butter stuff. I needed something thick enough to really get in there, haha. It feels much better, now, but you can still catch me absently scratching my ginormous belly.

Sleep: The second trimester welcomed a lot less midnight bathroom breaks, but I fear they are on their way back....

Best moment this week: Going out to dinner and a movie with Chris this weekend, courtesy of our friends. We babysat for them on Saturday and they gave us the best gift! We saw Guardians of the Galaxy, and it was awesome. The best part was is, since we waited so long to see it, the theater was empty aside from a few people that sat in the very front row. Which is something I will never understand....doesn't everyone know you sit in the middle of the theater so you can see the whole screen without turning your head?!

Miss Anything? Still just the normal things- sushi, beer (especially this time of year), and salami slathered in mustard.

Movement: From the way the Ultrasound techs react, this kid moves a lot more than other kids...and I get the constant reminders every day. :)

Food cravings: For a week or so, I could not get enough rye bread. Especially rye toast. SO delicious.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still a no! Thank goodness!

Gender: Boy

Symptoms: More trouble bending over every day. People think that getting up his hard because you're so big, and that's partly true. However, the biggest problem is leaning forward. With a big 'ol belly in the way, you can't really bend in half. I told Chris the other day that it's like putting a pillow under your shirt and then trying to get up without squishing the pillow. Good luck!

Belly Button in or out? Kind of flat.... I'm really hoping it doesn't start looking like a turkey timer.

Wedding rings on or off? Down to one. I normally have three, but all three don't really fit, so I picked my wedding band and that's all I'm wearing for now.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy! Sometimes I get frustrated at work when I get really tired, but that's pretty much it.

Looking forward to: I would normally say cooler weather, but it's here! YAY! Big fan of this fall-feeling weather. 

Only 16 weeks to go!