Making a (hospital) list.... checking it twice

Since the last time I wrote about baby preparations, I have made some progress! We have begun our Christmas shopping (doing it online is AWESOME, why have I never done it before??), finished the burp cloths (separate post coming), and retrieved and set up the changing table.  Here's the current setup in our room...

Cosleeper: we will scoot it up next to the bed when the time comes. Bouncer: ready to go.  Toddler: hiding in the curtains. :)

How can you not love that face???

Exercise ball: needing to be inflated! Hospital bag: packed with essentials, just need to throw in the last few toiletries.

Changing table: set up and ready! Also doubles as a jungle gym...

I think we are pretty much ready, Baby Girl!

SLO Children's Museum!

A couple weeks ago, we "cashed in" a gift certificate from Grammy and Papa J (my parents) for a trip to the  Children's Museum in San Luis Obispo! It was a blast! There were lots of neat activities for Caleb (and, ahem, the big kids) on three different floors, and outside.

a 360-degree train table!

fire truck!!

an air tube that suspended different types of balls-- very fun!

I just love Caleb's face in this one :)

water table

It was a beautiful, warm day!! Not bad for end of November :)

You'll notice Caleb is "all done" playing with the Legos, while the men are still enthralled (trying to perfect their dam/waterfall)...

I think Papa might like one of these???

cool "shadow wall" with glow in the dark surface that stayed lit for a  few seconds after a flash

It was a really neat place that I think we'd enjoy visiting again. We topped off the morning with lunch together at New Frontiers, a "natural marketplace" with yummy healthy food and a deli/soup/salad bar. We are looking forward to more Grammy/Papa outings in the future. It's a blessing to be living in the same town for a season and we want to capitalize on it!

(No Baby Chloe yet.... Stay tuned...)

38 1/2 weeks!

Sean wanted to take a picture of us last night, "since you'll be in labor tomorrow." He keeps saying stuff like that and it takes me a second every time. What??!! How do you know?? Oh. You're kidding. Mostly. :) He's convinced Chloe's arrival is imminent! We happened to get a picture of the two of us the night before Caleb was born (the night my parents arrived in Colorado!), so we're hoping to replicate that, but of course labor is hard to predict before it actually arrives. I've been having a fair amount of discomfort and "pressure" as the baby's head pushes on my cervix and my hips loosen up. I've also been sleeping in a lighter state lately, probably in preparation for frequent wakings to come. All those indications mean she's probably coming soon! I'm grateful we live about eight minutes from the hospital.... instead of a 45-minute trip just to the gate at Fort Carson, where Caleb was born. (We also don't have to worry about snow or ice on the way there this time, which is nice.) It will be interesting to see how L&D #2 goes. I'm trying not to have firm expectations, just hoping to stay relaxed and confident. People keep saying the second/succeeding labors are much faster than the first one, but I also know every labor is different and complications are always possible. We shall see. God is sovereign and good. My goal is to trust Him and be a good laborer. :)

Chloe's Quilt

About two weeks ago I finished Chloe's rag quilt! It was not an "essential" task, since any blanket will work for keeping her warm (and we already have several neutral baby blankets), but it was something I really wanted to do to show love for my little girl! I've made about six other baby blankets, I think, and it was especially fun to make one for my own baby-to-be. It feels good to have something ready for her arrival.

I couldn't resist these prints-- pink daisies, sage green floral print, and a green and white toile

Yes, you use a helicopter as a prop when you have a little boy already :)

This is the first time I haven't put batting in between the flannel layers. It makes a lighter-weight blanket. I also cut the squares a bit larger than I have in the past, 8.5 inches instead of 6.5 inches. I think it turned out pretty well; now we just need a baby to wrap up in it!

Yesterday I sewed a crib sheet  (fitted sheet for a crib or toddler bed mattress) for Caleb's room-- totally not the highest priority, but a therapeutic/nesting endeavor. I've really been enjoying sewing lately. It didn't take very long, was pretty simple, came out super cute, and I think the hardest part was Caleb's "help." :) He was awake at the time, and wanted to contribute. Unfortunately, sewing machines aren't very kid-friendly. I did let him sit on my lap as long as he didn't touch anything, but you can imagine how long that lasted, and how challenging it is to actually sew!

As far as other preparations...

My hospital bag is mostly packed.

The cosleeper is set up in our room.

We have infant diapers ready and waiting.

I guess we are pretty much ready! It's weird knowing she could be born any day.

Preparations NOT completed yet:

• one iota of Christmas shopping (!) :)
• Nalani's photo books (but they are "in progress")
• exercise ball inflated (essential for labor, in my book)
• infant carseat base installed (that's easy)
• burp cloths sewn (I ran out of bobbin halfway through the 3rd of 6 cloths, might tackle that today)
• changing table set up.... it's still at my parents' house (not a deal breaker; we change Caleb on the floor all the time, but it would be nice to have) 
• last load of baby clothes washed-- our church threw us a baby shower this week, very sweet, thoughtful, generous, and overwhelming (in a good way). And the clothes are STINKIN' CUTE!

I'm hoping for a magical burst of energy to come and help me get the last things in order... :) We'll see how that goes!

37 weeks.... a.k.a. Let The Countdown Begin!

37 weeks!

Today, I am thankful to have made it to "full term" with this pregnancy. I know there is no guarantee for tomorrow, and my experiences with miscarriage have made me realize even more how precious new life is. Each day is a gift, and I may not know what lies ahead, but I can appreciate Today, while it is here.

Today, I am thankful for heartburn and hip pain and backache... because they remind me that this physical life is temporary, and imperfect. It would be easy to think I control my own destiny if everything always went perfectly. It would also be easy to take good health and freedom of movement for granted, if they were always available to me.

Today, I am thankful for my wonderful husband, who knows me well and accepts me nonetheless. (And he's pretty good at understanding and encouraging me, too!)

Today, I am thankful for the "fires" of adversity, because they have begun to refine me, and those I love.

Today, I am thankful that God is faithful to keep His word, He is sovereign to accomplish His plans, and He is all-wise to orchestrate all things for His glory.

Today, I am thankful that God meets all our needs.

Today, I am thankful that His grace is sufficient for me.

Today, I am thankful for a sweet little blond-headed boy, who causes me to fall on God's grace often, and who gives the best hugs and kisses. He is affectionate, friendly, social, imaginative, and silly. What a gift.

There are many more gifts I could name, but I am tired and need a nap. :) So I will be back soon!

36 weeks (11/15)

Less than one week until Thanksgiving. Less than four weeks until my due date. Crazy!!!!

According to Babycenter, our wee one weighs almost six pounds, like a crenshaw melon! (Once again, never heard of it.) She'll be considered full-term in one week, and the doctor confirmed last week she is in the head-down position, ready to go!

The doctor also prescribed an iron supplement for me, since my blood test last week showed I am somewhat anemic (not horribly low, but "enough that I want to do something about it," he said). Something about "forgetting" to take my prenatal vitamins. (I kind of hate swallowing pills... so now I get to take MORE pills. That technique definitely backfired.) Also found out I tested positive for the Group B Strep bacteria; if positive, they give you antibiotics during labor so the baby doesn't catch the infection when he/she is traveling through the birth canal.

I am thankful I don't have insomnia every night.... but it's been occurring frequently enough that I feel a little impaired! Not as resilient as I'd like. Irritable, forgetful, exhausted. I guess it's good, because I am really looking forward to having this baby outside of me... which involves labor and delivery and recovery, things it would be easy to not look forward to. I will take interrupted sleep, with a tiny baby beside me, over middle-of-the-night alertness ANY DAY. Or night.

Because of the operating at 75% feeling I've been surviving in, I didn't take a picture of "36 weeks." Sorry. :) It came and went, and I stayed in my sweat pants. :) Plus Caleb was pretty sick Friday, a nice cold with goopy nose,  congestion, and cough, so I stayed comfy with him and we had a pajama party that day. We played "the airplane game" on the Wii and I honestly got a little nauseous with Caleb's flying skills. We had lots of Lego time and matchbox car time, too. He's pretty much back to normal, for which I am thankful. And so far, Sean and I have not gotten it. We are thankful for that too.

Talk soon!

Sleepless in Santa Maria

What do you do when you are wide awake at 4 a.m.?? Teach yourself how to make a mitered corner hem, of course!!

Lately I have had some trouble sleeping. When I lie down, even for an afternoon nap, my mind races with ideas and projects, mostly sewing projects. Could it be the nesting instinct?? On this particular occasion, I had been awake since 3:30 a.m., and decided to actually get up and be productive if I was going to be awake for awhile. (I was-- I went back to bed at 5:30, just enough time to snuggle for a few minutes before Sean's alarm went off.) I had several ideas or thoughts I wanted to research, so it was a productive morning.

Last time I was at the craft store, I had found some flannel on clearance for $2/yard, so I bought enough to make 16 napkins. I've been wanting to make some cloth napkins for everyday use, partly to spend less in the food/toiletries area of our budget, partly to be "green" and cut down on the disposable paper products we consume. I've transitioned to using mostly cloth rags for cleaning and cooking; it takes us about a year to go through 12 rolls of paper towels. That's still one roll a month, but there are some things like bacon grease that it's nice to be able to clean up and throw away. Anyway.

I had cut out all my napkins, but ran into a problem when hemming them. If you just turn under the edges and make 90-degree folds, the corners are really bulky (and kind of ugly and un-professional-looking). So the other night morning when I was lying awake, I decided to figure out a solution to my problem. I actually found several tutorials, with pictures! It's not super hard to do, and the results are fantastic.

beautiful napkins, folded in half!

Today I finished sewing the last of the napkins, which are roughly 7" x 8.25"-- not the standard 20"x20" dinner napkin, but a nice size for the average meal. (Shall we call them "luncheon napkins"?) Traditional square dinner napkins are pretty huge! I figure I won't feel guilty using one for lunch and tossing it in the laundry.

They are officially DONE and ready to be put into circulation! I'll let you know how we like them.