Weekly Bump Photo (Week 36)

36 Week Interview

How far along? 36 weeks!

Baby’s size? Honeydew

Days until next doc appointment? Had an appointment today (today started the weekly appointments) and everything is on track. I got confirmation that we can have a natural birth (woot!) and baby is measuring right at 36. My doctor said to plan on having a 7 1/2 - 8 lb baby. Hopefully she won't get much bigger than that!

Total weight gain/loss? 26 lbs

Maternity clothes?  Broke down and bought two more dresses - one maxi and one knee length - because I am getting bored with my rotation of other dresses. I love Old Navy! The prices are great and they are super comfy. 

Stretch marks?  Finally getting a couple... I think due to moving. :( Oh yeah, and maybe because I'm growing a human in my belly!

Sleep:  I'm so tired and never have a problem going to sleep and lately I've had a few nights where I don't even have to get up! But still tossing and turning...

Best moment this week:  Finding out we could have a natural birth!!! Also, setting up the nursery (finally!).

Movement:  She's a movin' and a shakin' - they hurt too! Especially the ones up in my ribs!

Food cravings:  Nothing really crazy (thank goodness no pickles), just sweet stuff and treat receipts from Starbucks (decaf, of course). :)

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Can you guess?

Have you started to show yet?  Yes, she's getting so big! I don't know how there's any more room in there, or room to grow... how much more can she expand?! It's crazy.

Missing anything?  Being able to lift things and not have to ask the husband to do a million things for me because I can't.

Gender: GIRL

Labor signs?  None yet

Belly button: I'd say it's about 3/4 out right now. At some times it pokes farther out than others.

Wedding rings on or off?  Off... too hot!

Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy! So excited for her to get here already! Trying to just relax and enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy.

Weekly symptoms:  I've been getting some nasty heartburn. The kind that wakes you up at night and boy does it burn. Ugh. Tums are my saving grace.

Looking forward to: Finishing the nursery and soaking up these last few weeks with just the husband and me (oh yeah, and the pups). 

Weekly Bump Photo (Week 35) & Some Good News!

Hey everyone! I'm a little late with week 35, but we have been super busy this past week and a half. We moved into a bigger house! I'm so excited to have more room. It has three bedrooms plus a bonus/man cave room for Zach! Best part - we have a nursery! And there's plenty of storage. I think we might even have an extra cupboard or two in the kitchen that isn't being used. Just how I like it - everything has a place. :)

No interview this week, but I did have an ultrasound today! Zach got to come with me, too. I've been having so many ultrasounds because I had Placenta Previa (marginal) which means my placenta was very close to my cervix (not covering it though). When it's too close or covering the cervix you have to have a C Section because you either won't be able to deliver vaginally (because it's blocked by the placenta) or delivering vaginally could cause hemorrhaging and put you and the baby at risk. 

We've been hoping and praying for a few months now that it would resolve itself (my doctor said it was fairly common and does usually resolve itself) but after two extra ultrasounds through 32 weeks, I was keeping my expectations low and assuming the worst (because that's what I do) that I would have to have a C section. It wouldn't be the end of the world, and ultimately I just want Little BK (and myself) to be safe and healthy through the delivery, but I would definitely prefer a regular vaginal birth. 

Good news today at our last ultrasound (last chance for change!) - no more previa!!!! Woohoo! We are all in the clear and hopefully after my next regular appointment on Monday my doctor will clear me for a regular birth! Such a good day and we are both really excited! Although, now I better seriously prepare for some hard core pushing! :)

On top of that, we got to see our beautiful little girl and she finally showed us a good profile pic. At first she was being shy, but then she moved her little hands so we could see her sweet face. I'm so in love already, I just can't wait til she's here. :) 

I might continue to be a little slow with posts this week, but once I get unpacked I promise I'll be back with some more fun projects (mostly for the nursery). Can't wait to share with you!

Weekly Bump Photo (Week 34)

Yes, the nightie still fits! We had our Childbirth Preparation class yesterday and it wasn't as bad as I thought. Not too much of the breathing stuff, but a lot of information. Makes me feel just slightly more prepared for what's to come. Zach already knew pretty much all of it though - he was a good sport for coming with me! Thanks husband! :)

34 Week Interview

How far along? 34 weeks!

Baby’s size? Large cantaloupe/butternut squash

Days until next doc appointment? Had my appointment today and everything is looking good! Measuring at 36 and BK's heart rate was awesome. I love that sound so much!!!

Total weight gain/loss? 23 lbs

Maternity clothes?  Mmmmhmmmm

Stretch marks?  None so far. 

Sleep:  Not great... lots of interruptions (bathroom, tossing and turning). It probably takes me a full minute to turn over to my other side now. Not fun! But when I'm asleep, I'm out - definitely more exhausted these days!

Best moment this week:  Seeing her crazy movements! I took a video of her squirming around it was so awesome! Literally she pokes her knee/foot/elbow out on my right side and it is kinda freaky. It just looks so unreal and weird. Like, there's not supposed to be anything protruding from my stomach regularly. But it is so amazing at the same time because I love seeing her in there kicking butt!

Movement:  She is so strong! Getting more and more of those kicks that make me stop and go whoa!

Food cravings:  Chocolate. Definitely feeling the sweets lately - chocolate croissants, cookies, brownies, etc.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Still eggs. I'd probably be fine, but I'm just staying away.

Have you started to show yet?  Getting bigger and bigger! No twin comments this week though, thank goodness. :)

Missing anything?  Sleeping soundly. Moving around easily. 

Gender: Girlie girl (or maybe probably tomboy)

Labor signs?  None yet

Belly button: We're at about half innie/half outie status... still! Come on, man!

Wedding rings on or off?  Off these past couple days - the heat is getting to me!

Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy happy time. But, very emotional this past week. I feel like I could start crying at the drop of a hat for no reason (and maybe I have once... or twice). Also, feeling anxious and nervous for all the changes to come... 

Weekly symptoms:  Leg cramping, exhaustion, heartburn, swelling feet, insomnia... you name it!

Looking forward to: My next ultrasound next week and moving into our new place so I can (finally!) set up the nursery!!!

Reupholstering a Chair... in Photos

Remember when I told you guys about this awesome chair I found at a thrift shop in Centralia about 9 months ago??? No? Well, I don't blame you because yeah, it was 9 months ago. But, it's finally finished! Well, almost finished. I still need to work on some finishing touches (the arm details, side panel stitching, and the back finishing along the curved detail - more on that below).

I fell in love with the shape of this chair right away. Check out those curves and the tufting. Mmmmmhmmmm. By default, this is technically Zach's chair since I already reupholstered my own wing back chair last May. While I used a bright, fun patterned fabric for my chair, I wanted to use more of a solid, sophisticated (and manly) fabric for Zach's chair. See my previous post about how I decided on the charcoal gray fabric.

After the rosy pink chair sat for a few months in all it's pink glory, we finally decided to get on it in early December. I used the same methods for this chair that I did with my wing back chair (check out Part 1 and Part 2) with some adjustments when we put it back together since there were some other challenges (hello curved shoulders PLUS tufting!). 

For this post I wanted to do more of a photo tutorial since I think every re-upholstery project is different. I'm hoping this photo tutorial gives you a guide of what to do and then allows you to tweak your method to make it easier for you and your project. Here we go!

Still working on the finishing touches. As you can see, the front of the arms needs some finishing details. It originally had a curved wooden piece on each side, but one was damaged and I think I might explore using re-upholstery brads instead. The back also needs to be finished (above, middle). Originally, it had some color-coordinated rik rak glued on to cover the staples, but I'm also thinking of using brads here too. The above right photo shows a little gap on the side (right above the leg) that just needs to be stitched together with coordinating thread.

So, like I said, not completely finished, but for our purposes (especially since baby will be here soon!) this bad boy is probably done for now.

Some additional notes on this project:
- If you have a curved wing back like I did, make sure to cut the piece of fabric with plenty of extra room since you have to cut the fabric and work with it to bend around the curves (see the cuts we made in Step 11 above).

- Be prepared to reinforce the chair with whatever method works for you, especially if it is an older chair. We used some leftover chicken wire and some nails with ours. :)

- Tufting is hard. Tufting + a curved back is even harder! We started in the middle/bottom and worked our way up as we pulled the fabric tight around the curves. Take your time and make sure there is no bunching. It also helped us to use the original pink fabric as our guide and put pins on the gray fabric where the buttons were supposed to be so they lined up easily.

- If you do nothing else, at least 1) take photos before you start 2) take notes as you take it apart for ordering 3) label the pieces you take off so you know where to put the new fabric back on. From there, you can probably figure out the rest by trial and error (and a lot of staples).

Here are some more photos of the (almost) finished chair - we love it!

I'll be sure to update you when I complete the finishing touches... hopefully soon, but with moving and baby girl, who knows!

Weekly Bump Photo (Week 33)

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! I'm a little behind this week... been super tired lately! It was nice to have a long weekend. I got to catch up with friends and do a little shopping while Zach worked all weekend... also got a little packing done (thanks to mi madre).

33 Week Interview

How far along? 33 weeks!

Baby’s size? Durian Fruit - I have no idea what that is or tastes like? But, she's at least 4 pounds 11 ounces! Possibly up to 5 pounds already? I have a feeling she is going to be a big baby girl!

Days until next doc appointment? Monday

Total weight gain/loss? 18 lbs (ish)

Maternity clothes?  Yes, same four dresses each week to work... I'm determined not to buy any more maternity clothes! haha.

Stretch marks?  None so far. 

Sleep:  Not too horrible, but not great. Tossing and turning is hard when you have a basketball on your stomach. Also, waking up to use the bathroom at least once a night is annoying!

Best moment this week:  Getting packed and ready to move... but most of all, seeing Buster snuggle with Little Miss. He may have been scared out of his mind because of the fireworks, but it was still really sweet.

Movement:  She is so active, my little pistol! Today it felt like she was rotating around in there. There is less and less room for her to move, too, so her little kicks and punches are starting to hurt a little (but mostly just feel weird). She still just loves poking me in the ribs on my right side. 

Food cravings:  Chocolate croissants. The new ones at Starbucks are THE BEST and so yummy, but expensive. Luckily, it's Safeway to the rescue! They sell them 10 for $5! Booyah.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Still eggs. I'd probably be fine, but I'm just staying away.

Have you started to show yet?  Um, you could say that... another comment today about if I'm having twins... Oy Vey.  

Missing anything?  Being able to move without having to think about it. I was so sore yesterday after packing some boxes this weekend. I felt like I wasn't even doing much (definitely no lifting) but still sore and super tired.

Gender: Little Miss.

Labor signs?  None yet

Belly button: Still at halvsies.

Wedding rings on or off?  Just wearing my band now. Summer = swelling.

Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy happy time.

Weekly symptoms:  Leg cramping, exhaustion, heartburn, swelling feet, insomnia... you name it! My heartburn has really crept up this past week too... popping those tums like they are candy.

Looking forward to: Moving!!! 

DIY: Home is Wherever I'm With You Pillow

Sad news. My best friend, Kim, is moving across the country. :( For three years at least. It makes me sad. To be fair, I did move halfway across country to Arizona two years ago, so I guess we're even? 

No, seriously, I am so happy for Kim and her hubby, Jake, to embark on their next adventure. I can speak from experience when saying moving to a far away place can be scary, but also an amazing growing experience with fun new adventures to be had!

We had our farewell dinner last week at this amazing little restaurant in Seattle called Pasta Freska. You are seated and then the Chef comes to your table and asks you if there is anything you can't eat, don't like, etc. I said no fish, Kim and Zach said not too spicy and Jake said bring it on! No menu, no prices listed. He just brings you a bottle of wine (and a Raspberry Lemonade for the prego) and the first course begins! Such a cool experience and everything was so delicious. Brought us all back to Italy! I think in all we had about 7 courses including dessert. It was a little spendy, but well worth it for a nice dinner out to celebrate awesome friendships! 

So, back to the pillow. I wanted to send them off with a sweet going away gift and have always loved the "Home Is Wherever I'm With You" quote from this song. Further evidence here that I love it and how relevant it was to us when we moved to Arizona (and to Kim and Jake now that they are moving to Charlotte.

Luckily, I had everything on hand for this project, it was just a matter of putting it all together, which was super easy!

Supplies:

Fabric

Felt

Fiberfill

Embroidery thread

Scissors

Needle

Sewing machine with matching thread

Step One: Print out your quote in the font you want. Cut out the paper letters individually first.

Step Two: Cut out your fabric in two square pieces the same size. If you are using fiberfill, you can make it any size you want. If you have a pillow form, measure the form and cut accordingly. I made mine about 17 inches square.

Step Three: Cut out the felt letters. 

Step Four: Play with the placement on your pillow.

Step Five: Start stitching! I started with the bottom row to make sure there was enough space along the bottom. I used a simple running stitch on each letter with three strands (half) of the embroidery thread. 

Step Six: Sew the pillow together using a straight stitch with your machine. I used navy thread that blended in quite nicely. Make sure to leave a good 5-6 inch gap at the bottom so you can stuff your pillow. 

Step Seven: Turn the pillow inside out and stuff with fiber fill. Make sure to get into the corners really well. I didn't stuff it too full because I wanted it to be comfy and soft. 

Step Eight: Sew up the pillow using a hidden stitch. I used the navy thread and didn't have to be that careful since it blended in. 

Don't you love it? Modern and simple. Perfect for Kim's style - and she loved it too! Such and easy project, I think it took me two nights while watching TV. Not bad at all. I kind of want to make one for myself now! :)

We'll miss you Kim and Jake!!!

PS see more of my pillow projects here!

Weekly Bump Photos (Week 32)

It has been a HOT weekend here in the PNW. HOT! 90 degrees and very humid does not make for a happy pregnant lady. I've been trying to stay cool with no A/C, but it is tough. I feel worse for my puppies though! They are panting so hard. At least I don't have a fur coat... and I was actually looking forward to going to work Monday morning to get in the A/C!

The good news is that we found a new rental house (puppies and all!) and I'm so excited to move in three weeks. You better believe the first room that's getting done is the nursery! Can't wait to set everything up and get settled into a bigger place. The landlords are even painting the nursery the color I want before we move in! 

32 Week Interview

How far along? 32 weeks!

Baby’s size? Squash. According to my ultrasound last week she is 4 pounds 11 ounces right now!!! (Average for this time is 4 lbs 8 oz so she is on track!)

Days until next doc appointment? Just had an ultrasound on Friday, next regular appointment in two weeks.

Total weight gain/loss? 18 lbs

Maternity clothes?  Yup.

Stretch marks?  None so far. 

Sleep:  This heat is making it very difficult! Plus, as we are getting closer I'm getting more anxious and my mind is running with all the things we have left to do = not sleeping well.

Best moment this week:  Seeing her heartbeat and hearing how big she actually is right now! So cool. Also, we signed a lease on a new rental! So excited to have more space!

Movement:  So active. Last week, I thought her booty was on my right side, but at my ultrasound it turns out her head/hands/feet are all on my right side. Which totally makes more sense. She is rumbling and tumbling in there!

Food cravings:  Sandwiches this week. Ham and cheese. Tastes so yummy.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Still eggs. I'd probably be fine, but I'm just staying away.

Have you started to show yet?  The past two days I've gotten a lot of comments about how big I am! 

Missing anything?  Being able to bend over easily and pick something up. If I drop something these days, then I'm asking Zach to pick it up for me or waiting until I absolutely have to. :)

Gender: Little Miss.

Labor signs?  None yet

Belly button: We're at about half innie/half outie status... still! 

Wedding rings on or off?  Off these past couple days - the heat is getting to me!

Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy happy time.

Weekly symptoms:  Leg cramping, exhaustion, heartburn, swelling feet, insomnia... you name it!

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery set up (we move in three weeks) and just getting more prepared for baby girl to come!

Seaside, Oregon Trip

I love the beach. Especially when there is sun! We went down to Seaside, Oregon for a quick night last weekend to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. It was a quick trip, but we had a great time. Saturday was a beautiful day - actually quite hot! - so once we got to the campsite and had some lunch, we went downtown to the boardwalk and the beach. 

I love all the shops downtown and even though we didn't have a lot of time to do any shopping, we of course had to hit up the arcade so Zach could show off his mad Skee Ball and air hockey skills. Although I did beat him once in Skee Ball. Once is enough for me. :)

I even got a little sunburn at the beach (I did use sunscreen though!) while everyone played frisbee. It is hard being prego and not being able to play! I'm way to competitive to sit on the sidelines! But oh well. It's only temporary... 

We had yummy dinner and s'mores (and birthday cake!) and actually went to bed early (like, before it was even completely dark) so we could get up super early to go clam digging. I wasn't looking forward to the early wake up call, but pulled it together to go see what it was like. I've never been before, but I can't wait til next year already to get my hands dirty! Although it does look like hard work... Instead this year I was the "clam girl" with my sis Jenn. We helped spot all the air pockets that hopefully had a clam in there and I have to say, I was quite good!

Zach caught one on his first try! So awesome!

 

I was amazed with how many people were out there digging! I'd never seen anything like it. We drove down the beach for probably a good 3-4 miles before stopping for our spot and the beach was packed the whole way. Who knew clamming was so big? I certainly didn't... and I can't wait to go next year! Maybe with Little BK strapped on my back and ready to go? Haha. Maybe not... :)

Have I mentioned I'm obsessed with Instagram? Follow me to keep up on my travels, DIY sneak peeks and other random shots. :)

Are you traveling for the holidays? Where are you going? We will be packing... because we found a new rental! Moving in three weeks and can't wait to have more space. Pics to come... probably once we move in (with before & afters of course).