Little Girl's Room

We have a second bedroom in our apartment which used to look like this:

 This was actually on a day when I made it look nice... usually it was just a place to dump stuff.

Now it looks like this:

It was fun to try to decorate this room using mostly things that I already had or was given. I made the "headboard" for the guest bed out of an old curtain rod and some white sheets. Notice the dresser from the before picture? I love it's new look and crystal knobs, even though it was a ton of work.

I just finished the blackout curtains this week! I am excited about how they turned out, and they really do make the room very dark, even in the middle of the day.

Most of the picture frames are still empty. I'm planning on making some bunting with Little Girl's name on it to go in the open frame, and then baby pictures and family pictures in the other frames. I got the "medusa" lamp on Craigslist and it has been in my classroom for the last few years. Perfect colors!

This project took forever... until I figured out I could just drill holes in the bottom for the hook screws (I was trying to screw them into the bottom of the frame by hand-- not so smart). Do you think that Little Girl has enough headbands? I'm not so sure...

 

I thrifted this $4 mirror from Goodwill. I didn't take any before pictures, but it was UGLY. The frame was brown plastic open circles that kind of look like wicker. Or like someone had glued a bunch of bangle bracelets together. I tried painting it, but lost patience and ended up just wrapping the whole thing with white fabric. The turquoise lamp I also got at Goodwill and painted 2 years ago. It's been on my desk in my classroom until now.

I LOVE my rocking recliner! And the first quilt I've ever made and not given away. 

 I made the pack-and-play sheet, too--using this great tutorial.

A girl's gotta have plenty of books....

 ...and clothes! I think Little Girl will be able to wear a different outfit every day for the first year of her life, at least.

My favorite part of the whole room:

 I framed pieces of my Great Grandma Bessie's jewelry. Above are a pair of clip-on earrings and below is a matching brooch.

I was Grandma Bessie's first great-grandchild (she insisted that we were NOT to call her "great" grandma, it made her feel old). She made me a quilt with yellow toucan fabric on the back that I adored. I remember visiting her in Bountiful, Utah when I was pretty young and I have vague memories of a sparkly chandelier, running through the backyard, and eating orange rolls. I love having Grandma Bessie's jewelry displayed! It's a fun way to remember her and they are perfect sparkly accessories for the room. 

37... 38....

The countdown is getting a little bit more real. Little Girl's due date is 10 days away from today! I am assuming that she will be late though, just so I don't get disappointed.  Here are some recent pictures of me:

Lest you believe the falsehood that I spend all of my maternity wearing nice clothes and makeup (those weekly pictures Brian takes of me after church can be misleading...), here's what I look like most of the time:

That's right! XXL T-shirt, Brian's basketball shorts, no makeup, and wet hair from swimming. Sometimes being unemployed has it's perks. :)

Uncle Bri

While I sat around hoping not to go into labor did a bunch of projects during the first week of July (stay tuned for a post dedicated to all of my recent projects-- I'm very proud), Brian got to fly to Oregon for the Wright Reunion!

 Doesn't he look so lonesome without me?

Just kidding, he had plenty of fun:

 Brian has many "roles" that he plays in life, but I think his favorite is being Uncle Bri to (in my unbiased opinion) the cutest and most awesome nieces and nephews!

(He didn't make it back with pictures of Avery, Bre, or Sophie.... but they're pretty cute, too! You'll just have to take my word for it.)

 

Luckily, I had some great friends to watch the fireworks with in downtown Nashville while he was gone!

Red Robin Celebrations

Doesn't this guy look happy?

 

It could be because he's about to eat a Mud Pie...

or it could be because he's finally finished with his OB/GYN rotation...

or it could be because he is now officially a Vanderbilt 4th Year Medical Student!

Most likely, it's a combination of all the above and more.

 

We had fun celebrating Brian's accomplishment at our favorite place to eat. 

We also celebrated 36 weeks of baby

 

and 5 1/2 years of being married

 

 I think we're as crazy (and maybe as clueless?) as ever.

Here's to many more Red Robin trips celebrating many more adventures!

Summer Time

There was one thing I really wanted to do before Little Girl comes:

Kayaking!

....at 34 weeks pregnant?

Well, let's be honest, kayaking on the Duck River in Columbia, TN is less like

 

(source: listofimages.com)

and a lot more like

(source: www.dltk-kids.com)

but it's so much fun and I knew that there would be no way to do it again once we have a baby.

 

We enjoyed the sunshine, cool water and beautiful Tennessee scenery.

We saw lots of turtles!

We even had great company:

I think we all got toasted, but we had a blast and it was totally worth it! 

And here I am at 35 weeks:

"Proud to be a Vandy! Homegrown in Vanderbilt"

I think it's still too big for her!

Midnight Snack

Brian gone on a night shift + Natalie no morning responsibilities = 

MonkeyBread ("skinny" recipe) at midnight.

 Pathetic? Maybe. But definitely quite yummy.

33 weeks

It's unmistakable, Little Girl is growing! 

This week she is apparently the size (4.5 lbs and 17 inches long) of a pineapple, which sounds really uncomfortable. At least this week's comparison is a fruit that I can visualize... last week was a jicama. What the heck? The point of this whole vegetable/fruit weekly comparison thing is to give me a visual that I can relate to since I can't actually see my baby. Using a jicama then, since I have never seen one, defeats the purpose. (But maybe I am just ignorant and everyone else in the world knows exactly what a jicama is.)

Things Little Girl is enjoying right now:

Rolling from one side of my abdomen to the other.

Sticking round hard parts of her body out on my right side (never my left).

Giving Brian "high fives" when he pokes her.

Experimenting with her athletic skills when I am trying to sleep.

Bumping against the inside of my lower ribs when I try to slouch. 

Sleeping (or at least, not bumping around) when I am on an elliptical machine. 

Things I am enjoying right now:

Going to the gym in the morning (and taking as long as I want! No rush to get to work!).

Reading books about natural childbirth (just finished "Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth" and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Natural Childbirth." Currently reading "Your Best Birth." My definite favorite has been the Idiot's Guide).

Wearing T-shirts and yoga pants/pajamas every day.

Taking naps whenever I feel sleepy.

Getting together with friends (and having an AWESOME baby shower!-- maybe pictures will come later)

Cleaning our apartment.

Working on projects.

Quilting.

Here is my first finished project of the summer-- a quilt for Little Girl's room!

 I love the turquoise and pink and gray together! I just can't decide if I like the front or the back of the quilt better. It is a nice size (about 50x75") for the recliner chair that we have in her room.

This week I am determined to be extra productive, although Brian is on Labor & Delivery night shifts (6pm-7am) all week, so his sleep schedule may throw a wrench in my plans for productivity.