Nesting Nursery

I love these images from other nurseries. As soon as i told my mom we were expecting, we started designing the baby's room. I love mid-century modern for my living space with quirky personal touches. For the baby room, I want something gender neutral and sweet, without being too 'baby'. Grays and whites with pops of color. Nature-inspired. I want gray or white tree decals along at least the wall where the crib is. I'm in love with pottery barn's glider, but will have to find a less expensive option.
Unfortunately, we will be moving right before the baby, so who knows what the baby's room is going to look like. At least we can start planning out her space, and then just buy things when the time comes. I hope she at least has a good window so there's natural light..

Check Up

We had our 23 week check-up today. You seem to be healthy and growing well, with an attitude to boot! You kicked the entire time the doctor was trying to check you out, and for most of the rest of the day.

Today was also the day we took care of dad's warrants. He had two from when he was a young, rebellious rapscallion and they've been such a burden. We felt that they should be taken care of before you're born, and because I'm sure they would have been an issue at just the wrong time.. like we'll get pulled over driving to the hospital when I'm in labor or something. 

I've gained 3 pounds since our last doctor's appointment, bringing me to 115. When we got home I decided to try on the dress I had in mind for some pregnancy/wedding photos to make sure it still fits. It'd be nice to take some photos with a decent camera, not just photobooth.

Newer=Better?

I've been working on my baby registry recently, and have been overwhelmed by how much toys seem to have changed since I was a kid. My head is filled with fond memories of legos, a wooden train set, and lots of glitter and paint and other art supplies. Imagination was required for the things my brother and I played with. It seems like all of the toys I'm looking at are just noisy, with lots of flashing lights. Did the toys really change that much, or were my parents just selective about what they bought us? I hope Emmylou doesn't feel like she's missing out on something that I opted not to get her because other kids have it. I'm sticking to toys that remind me of my own childhood. And maybe this cool speedster.

22 weeks

our lives have changed forever. i realized this the day i saw those two little lines on the pregnancy test. it's been 18 weeks since that day, and every day since, you've become more real. you're already growing too fast! time is flying by, and dragging at the same time. i'm going to have to capture every moment of every day as soon as you're here. i don't want to miss anything. i've been trying to imagine what our life will be like with you, and all the new experiences you'll have. it's funny how i've never met you, but i constantly think about all of these soon-to-come moments with you. i already can't imagine life without you.

all the love in the world,
l

Rocking Motorcycle

i'm too sleepy to write.. but i had to post this awesome rocking motorcycle built by Felix Gotze. now i'm going to go dream about it

dear emmylou,
i've been reading about your development every week. this week you've got nerve endings, and your sense of touch has developed. you've been moving around so much. i was only feeling you move in the evenings, after 9 o'clock.. now i feel you in the morning and afternoon too. i hope you're getting enough rest, you've got a big day coming up pretty quickly!

love,
l

Dear Little Lou (and the family too)

i've been such a space cadet this week. i can't remember a thing, and have felt like my schedule is packed. things are only going to get worse next week-- i start classes on tuesday. monday, tuesday, and wednesday are going to be exhausting. i hope you're ready for the ride little miss! we'll be exhausted by the end of the day. unfortunately i don't have any days off coinciding with alan's days off. we could really use a relax-and-daydream-about-you day.. and some warm weather. 

oh yeah, alan got you a little white romper with violets printed on it. you're going to be one stylin' kiddo. 

there are only 19 weeks and 3 days left before we become parents. my belly is getting bigger, pants are tighter and i mostly wear alan's shirts. 

love,

l

I love craigslist! Today we got Emmy a Chicco travel system for $130- much better than the $300 price tag for a brand new one. It seemed pointless to buy a brand new one when you only use them for a short period of time, and it's in great condition. Now we just need to find a glider/ottoman and we'll figure out the rest when we get a new apartment. I love love love the ones at Pottery Barn, and am determined to find one that is comparable. Mom and I went to High Fashion and found the perfect fabric for the crib skirt, and got a little owl plushie at Pier 1.
I started sewing this onesie, too. There is still more that needs to be done on it.

Sorry for the brief and boring posts recently, better ones to come soon!

Love
L

Had A Little Scare

This morning I fell down the stairs in our apartment, and ended up having to spend a few hours in the hospital getting blood work and ultrasounds to make sure everything was ok with the baby. She looks perfect, and I'm just bruised. At least I got a good feel for what the hospital is like. The nurses were so sweet and accommodating, so I'm a little more at ease about delivering there. Now it's time for my first prenatal massage. I'm so sore from that fall! But just happy that my little sweetie is okay.

Love
L

Check-Up

Today we had our 20 week check-up. Her heart sounded good, and I asked the doctor about birthing classes. Afterwards, we went to IHOP and spent the rest of the day sleeping, but got up for dinner and a movie at mom and dads. Also, my belly button is not as much of an innie as usual.

Dear little gal,
Gmom washed all of my baby clothes, so now you have some adorable vintage outfits. I can't believe I used to wear these little clothes! I keep finding myself in the closet, running my fingers over the soft fabrics and trying to imagine putting your chubby little arms through the sleeves.
Your dad wanted to contribute to the blog. He says to watch out for wolves, because they are cunning and sneaky. And feet, because you don't know if they're going to be stinky. And don't drink juice when a boy gives it to you.

Love,
L and A

Oops.

Dear Emmylou,
Today I went over to gmom's with the intention of shopping for a dresser and glider for your room. We ended up buying 7 little girly outfits. We were only supposed to buy ONE girly outfit before your arrival, so we could be certain that you're a girl. Oh well, I'M sure of it. Restraint is apparently something your gma and I lack. The clothes are just too cute!

Love
L

Belly Bump

My belly, as of tonight.

Back-Tracking

I thought it would be nice to back-track a little and post the ultrasound photos of you to date. It's incredible how much you've grown. I wonder whose eyes you will have, and whose nose and chin and lips. You'll be more beautiful than I imagine. I'm sure of this, because I've had some very strange dreams about you being all wrinkly and having a uni-brow.


Here you are at 18 weeks on december 29th.

I haven't stopped staring at these photos. 

Also, it looks like you are a little girl! While I'm certain that you are definitely a girl, my mom is worried that sometimes these ultrasounds are wrong, so she doesn't want to me to buy too many girly things and then for you turn out to be a little boy. But I thought I should buy just one girly outfit to celebrate.

Will you be a little bit of a gearhead like mommy?

Your future-grandma and I have been busy preparing for your arrival, as well as making our apartment look like there are people living there. No more empty apartment bachelor life for us! I bought a Karlstad sofa at Ikea that was marked down 50%. We re-upholstered it to be the sofa of my dreams. We've also upholstered two bamboo chairs from the 50s, which were in someone else's trash, and bought you a lovely Jenny Lind crib. It's too white for my taste, so I think I'm going to paint it.

New Start and Dear Baby

Over the past year I've started and re-started this blog countless times. I always intend to post, but the blog always ends up forgotten within a few days. So here we go again. But this time it's different. I've got a motive- to keep track of my pregnancy (currently I'm 19 weeks) and I want my future little one to know all about this time in our lives.

Dear baby,
Just one week ago, we announced to our friends and family that we are expecting you. That was also the time we let everyone know we had gotten married.. it was a double whammy! We feel bad about it all having to be that way, but what else could we do? Anyway, a little about your dad.. his name is Alan and he's wonderful and goofy. Here is the only photo taken of us before we knew about you.. taken 2 days after we got married. (8/11/2010)

Our life has been a whirlwind since we met. We married less than two weeks after we met, and conceived you soon after. We still have so much to learn about each other- likes, dislikes, habits and quirks- the whole shabang. I've concluded that if we can enjoy each other, and stay strong through such a trying time as pregnancy, we will be fine. Now I just hope we can raise you to be polite, well-rounded, and most importantly happy. I have some experience in childcare, and have made some observations that have effected my views on life/raising children. Here are a few:

1. It's ok if you eat dirt sometimes. It's also ok if the dog licks you in the mouth, or if you lick the dog

2. Getting covered in paint is too fun. Do it while you're allowed!

3. I don't like to sit around much. There are too many things to see in a lifetime, so we'll have to start immediately

4. Traditional lullabies can be creepy, (baby falling out of a treetop) so you'll be hearing lots of personalized songs written just for you

Hopefully all of this sounds fun so far.

Love,

your mom