November Thankful Project

So I expect this next month will be one of the most emotional periods of my life. With hormonal ups and downs and huge changes around our home, I am sure I will be all over the place. In an attempt to stay grounded and to remain focused and grateful for all the blessings in my life, I am committing to a November Thankful Project. The basic premise is that I will be blogging daily about something I am thankful for. I hope to have photos to accompany these things... but I am keeping expectations low. ;) I'm sure I'll fall behind, I mean, I'm hopeful there will be a wonderful distraction that shows up right in the middle of the month. :) But I plan to come back and catch up as needed.

11/1/11 - November Thankful Project

Today I am grateful for the little fact that I can work from home with my feet up and my PJs on. I'm still dealing with end-of-pregnancy-swelling and there's nothing better than putting my feet up while also getting work done, as well as having the opportunity to take a break whenever I need to get up and get my blood flowing.

I seriously can't wait for the day that I can see my ankle bones again. Maybe that'll be something I'm thankful for near the end of the month. ;)

our gender neutral nursery

I call this our gender neutral nursery because it is still incomplete. :) It will be completed after we know the gender of our baby. But for now I think you can get the idea of it. I have some options for prints and other complimentary items that will bring it all together as either a girl or boy's room. I'm still collecting a few ideas over on my nursery pinterest board. You'll see a few of our unfinished to-do's in the pictures below, but if I don't post these pictures now I don't know when I ever will. So... here's what we've got so far!

We started with a big shopping trip to Ikea in which Tommy wanted to spend more money than me - a first in our marriage! I had my eye on this white furniture for months ahead of time. I knew Sweden had better safety standards than the US and with the prices Ikea offered, I didn't want to buy our nursery furniture anywhere else. :)

This bedding was my inspiration for the whole room. I loved the simplicity and neutral-ness of it.

Once I had the bedding, I picked up a few paint swatches at the store and let Tommy pick the final color for the walls. (I narrowed it down to a shade of soft yellow & this grey/aqua/blue. I think he made a good choice!)

The closet is my favorite area in the room. I have a soft spot for organization and I really enjoyed sorting and designating a place for every thing. :)

The three bins on top hold (from left to right): all things breastfeeding, all things bath, and a stash of clothes in larger sizes.

This little stack of plastic drawers holds baby clothes, shoes, socks, hats, and some extra linens in the bottom drawer. On top of the drawers are cloth wipes, disposable wipes, a wipe solution, diaper rash cream, and other baby diaper changing essentials.

I have a whole drawer of GOWNS. I am really excited about that! Gowns may just be the only thing our baby wears for the first few weeks/months. :) (Don't be mistaken, the other drawers are full of clothes and onesies as well.)

Under the changing table I have a stash of extra baby wipes and a container of larger diapers that should fit baby up until potty training. I am really excited that we've got all we need for our cloth diapering journey!

The bottom shelf holds burps rags and tons of baby blankets. I had so many receiving blankets that I actually cut up four of them into smaller squares to use as cloth wipes (see the stack on top of the drawers above). Feeling SO blessed!

And the newborn diaper stash... just about ready to go. They just need to be washed once again before baby arrives!

The four baskets on the bookshelf are also full of baby goodies! One holds all the carriers I've stocked (a boba wrap, a baby k'tan, an ergo, and some feeding covers), one has a small stash of newborn baby toys, one is holding more blankets (fuller and fluffier than the receiving blankets), and one is empty to leave room to grow. :)

And all the little things...

I decided to go with animals to accessorize the room in a gender neutral way.

My sister made this sweet canvas for the baby. I adore it.

My fun diaper pail! Complete with the fresh scent of tea tree oil. Mmm mm.

My mom stocked us up with some girl and boy items for the first few days. So we've got our stack of items ready to go... one will be wrapped up and returned to the store and the other will be tossed in the wash and used. It's so fun to wonder which one we'll be keeping!

So that's what we've got! And after baby arrives, here's what our to-do list looks like:

  1. Purchase and frame 2 prints for room.
  2. Paint two lamps with complimentary nursery color (boy: orange/red; girl: rose/khaki)
  3. Replace all outlet covers. (Should do this BEFORE baby... we shall see.)
  4. Paint the closet to match the walls (hopefully this will happen someday!)
  5. Wash & replace the fluffy rug that belongs on the nursery floor.
I am loving the nursery. It's calm, peaceful, clean, and super organized. I think it's safe to say this room is my favorite in our house right now. :)

on being emotional about babies

It's no surprise that I have always wanted to be a mother. Baby fever is a strong beast and I suffered from it many times before I actually became pregnant. Ironically enough, though... the morning before I found out I was pregnant (I got a positive test around dinner time that day) I actually said something like this to a friend over lunch: "I wonder if I am infertile or somehow unable to have babies... because my feelings towards having children have definitely changed recently and I am beginning to find contentment in my life with the way things are today. Maybe that's God preparing me for something different?"

How funny... less than 8hrs later I was holding a positive pregnancy test result in my hand. God is so funny. :)

Since that day I have struggled to imagine what life will be like with a baby. Some thoughts that cross my mind are: I won't be able to just hop in the car and run to the grocery store as needed, or I won't be able to roll over and go back to sleep in the morning if I have a headache, or I will have to get up in the middle of the night over and over when I really want to just sleep.

I know... selfish thoughts. I'm human. And I'm keeping it real around here.

I have had a hard time remembering all those little things I used to dwell on during bouts of baby fever. Thoughts of cuddles, smells, and sweet moments LOVING my baby. I know that it comes... I know that a baby makes life so different - and so much better. But I'm not really processing it. I am trying to remember... trying to be excited... trying to stop worrying about how hard it will be in the beginning so that I can remember to cherish every little moment ("they are so fleeting"). But... it is challenging right now.

Some of the blogs I've come across lately have really been encouraging and inspiring. I can feel the love in each mama's words and I am so very excited to have that kind of love in my life as well. As someone once said "Children fill a hole in your heart that you didn't even know was there." I can't wait to experience that. Trying to imagine it is not working... I am eager to really feel it and live it out.

So just in case you are also in need of a few emotionally charge, love-filled reads about children:

october links | or how I spend my time on the internet

Ahhh Saturdays, how I love thee. Sometimes Saturdays are work days for me... but for those that are not, I am likely found enjoying season-appropriate activities. Last weekend I had a half a work day and chose to spend the morning hopping from yard sale to yard sale with a mug of hot tea in my hand. So lovely! This morning I have just a few hours of free time until I have to get on the road for a long work day. I have prepared a warm cup of earl grey tea and am cozying up on the couch to surf the internet, play with my puppies, and then take a warm bubble bath. You better believe I am going to savor every minute of this life before baby gets here and changes my entire routine. :)

So here's what I've been enjoying about the web this month...

We're 8 days into the annual 31 Days of Change...

I've been reading up on the MMTR 50 Miler running stories because this is the race Tommy is currently training for. I cannot wait to get out and help crew his race for him on November 5th! The stories are super inspiring and help pump us up for the whole adventure.

I guess it's not too hard to figure out what's been happening to this photographer a lot lately. Funny.

I wish I could say all this in 30 seconds or less to anyone I am blessed to have salvation conversations with.

A fun spin on facts about modern cloth diapers.

This inspired me to toss my to-do lists on my days off.

october, you're my favorite!

I knew that having a summer pregnancy was publicly dreaded. And honestly, I thought having a summer pregnancy was considered miserable simply because of the heat. Pregnant women have a higher body temperature as it is (with all the extra blood running through their bodies), so the summer heat only adds to it, right? Yes. But... it's so much more than that.

The heat does so much more than just make you sweat. It makes you swell more. Swollen feet, ankles, and even your face. I would wake up in the morning and the only good thing I could see in the mirror was that my lips were super plump. Paired with a fat nose and another chin, though, plump lips don't do much for cuteness.

Yes, I'm that shallow.

Then there's the thirst. It could not be quenched. No matter how much water I would drink!

And... not to get too TMI here... but the body heat paired with the extra body weight. It just had this awesome way of making you feel disgusting. All the time.

OH! And let's not forget the sleepless nights. The temperature in our house couldn't stay cool enough for me to sleep through the night without waking up too hot 2-5 times a night. Even with a fan blowing right in my face.

Anyway... that's a really long way to introduce this week's gratituesday. Which is about how much I love October. Autumn... harvest... pumpkins... the golden glow of the sun accompanied by a sweet, cool breeze (instead of sweltering heat).

October... you are my favorite. Since you got here, I can walk without feeling the extra jiggle in my feet. I can sleep through the night waking only to use the bathroom. I can breathe when I walk up the stairs in my house. I can participate in outdoor activities without complaining.

I have always been a fan of the fall. I write about it annually... the campfires, football, and beautiful fall foliage in the mountains. But this year, I appreciate it even more. I wish it would stay as long as summer does... you know... 3-4 months instead of just barely 2.

This week I am grateful for the breath of fresh air that is October. What are you grateful for?

Join us for Gratituesday at heavenly homemakers!