{phone dump friday}

My iPhone camera has been running hot this week. As you might have noticed on yesterday's post, I made Asher a new shirt just for football season. His little sister has one too!

I've embraced Fall fully and made some pumpkin bars. Drew's mom shared her recipe with me and these are SO good. Seriously, they only lasted a few days - which is why I won't be making more anytime soon.

Also embracing Fall is ladybug {and my feet}. We wore boots for the first time this season when a sudden cold front swept in on Sunday.

My wedding rings have made the great migration from my fingers to a necklace. My hands don't seem that swollen, but I can't stand the too tight feeling, so off they came.

Asher has been extra cuddly this week. He asked to hold hands during breakfast

and insisted on abandoning his sandbox so he could "sleep by mommy" last Saturday {when it was still hot, hot outside}. I love his sweet nature and hope it lasts awhile longer. :-)

I get a little shock every time I catch my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I walk down the hall and finally took a pic the other day. WHO is that lady? Holy belly. ha!

Bugaboo has been both inhibiting...

and helping me on the computer this week.

I asked Asher to give me a funny face and this is what I got in return.

We're working on it.

In the meantime, A is waiting patiently for our family trip to the State Fair this weekend.

Can't wait for some fried goodies! Happy weekend, friends!

{if you have Instagram and want to follow my feed you can find me as 'ecwilk53'}

 

football sunday

Drew has been working on training Asher in the most important things of life. You know - mainly, football.

Asher has picked up on the importance amazingly fast.

A few Fridays ago Drew and my Dad took Asher to his first live football game. Friday night lights at its finest at our local high school. Ash loved it - he loves watching all sports. Now he asks constantly for "football game?"

When we explained that Sundays are the day we watch football on TV, not in person, Asher was quick to change his tune. Every Sunday he starts bright and early with an almost constant refrain of "football TV? football TV?"

It's bad.

Even the teachers in his Sunday school class comment on it when we pick him up - he must talk about Sunday being football day all morning! Nice.

In a lot of ways, Asher is my little boy. He loves his mommy and still wants me first thing in the morning and whenever things go badly.

On Sunday, however, Daddy is king. Personally, I've been praying for a way to get out of watching football all afternoon for 8 years now. I'm so excited the day has finally come. Go boys, go. :-)

 

{and Go Steelers}

 

wordless wednesday {our fall family}

We went to a pumpkin farm last Friday.  It was really hot, but we had fun anyway.  :-)

{love these guys}

Notice the gnarled bit of something in Asher's hand?  We went to the pumpkin patch and all he wanted to leave with is this dead stem - which he held nonstop for the next 24 hours.  Boys.  haha

bugaboo {37 weeks}

Every week when I write this post I wonder if it will be my last one.  Asher was born at 39 weeks, so if this little one follows suit then we're looking at T-minus 2 weeks here.  Even if she doesn't it will only be 3 weeks max.

THREE WEEKS - wow.

This week I did manage to get the baby's diaper bag packed, but I haven't packed my stuff yet.  Not sure if it's denial or laziness, but I should probably get on that...

Like I said yesterday the nursery is basically done and I am totally in love with it.  If I spent half as much time designing and decorating my own room as I did this nursery Drew and I would have a pretty sweet retreat!  Pretty sure next up will be Asher's big boy room, though.

As far as symptoms go, I've been back and forth between feeling great and feeling miserable - there hasn't been a whole lot of neutral.  Night is still the worst.  I sleep ok, except when I wake up because my hands and/or arms are completely numb.  It used to be that I could avoid that by staying on my left side, but now neither side is safe.

There have been more contractions, swollen hands and feet, pressure {and more pressure}, and general achiness.  Definitely nothing unexpected or oh so terrible, just the end of pregnancy.

And, honestly, I'll miss it.  Well, maybe not the insomnia part, but the baby kicks, the big belly, the amazement that I'm growing a person - those parts I'll miss tremendously when it's over.  This is such a crazy miracle - I don't take it for granted for one second.

My Group B Strep results are negative this time around.  This wasn't going to be a big deal either way since I'm having the baby in a hospital, but it's still nice to have one little thing off the list of concerns.  At my last OB visit the midwife said baby was head down and likely to stay that way - from her lips to God's ears.  I go again for my weekly check-up on Thursday.

Baby is full term!!  This week miss bug is the size of a winter melon and probably weighs around 6 pounds.  She's still practicing her breathing and is putting on weight.  All systems are go, so she can arrive safely at any time.

How far along: 37 weeks

Net weight gain/loss: 22 pounds

Maternity clothes: yes, but even those are getting snug.

Stretch marks: a couple little ones just appeared around my belly button.  My skin is so tight and itchy, I'm surprised there aren't more.

Belly button: turkey timer is popped

Sleep: eh

Baby movement: yep, lots!

Gender: it's a girl!

Food cravings: crushed ice {is ice a food? either way, I can't get enough - still}

Food aversions: nothing really

What I miss: laying down without getting really uncomfortable

Looking forward to: checking the last few things off my to-do list

Best moment this week: finishing up the nursery

Milestones: baby is full term!

nursery projects {ribbon mobile}

I'm pretty sure when I finished the bow holder I said it would be the last project I'd do for this nursery.  Well...things changed.  :-)

My rocking chair arrived on Friday night and after it got settled into the room I realized that the blank space above it was way too big.  It drew your eye straight up as you looked in the room and was really aesthetically displeasing.  Filling that void became a priority.  It occurred to me that I could use a mobile - something the room didn't have yet and probably needed.  :-)

As I mulled over what would be:

1} easy and quick to make
2} inexpensive
3} a natural part of the room

only one thing came to mind - ribbons!  I love how flowy and soft the ribbons are without being over-the-top girly.

The chair came Friday - I decided to make the mobile on Saturday - I got to Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabrics after church on Sunday - the mobile was finished before Asher's nap was over Sunday afternoon.  That's my kind of project!

{it was raining here yesterday so the light was really bad - I'm guessing that's why the walls and ceiling appear to be the same color.  In reality, they are not...}

Wondering how to make your own??  It's embarrassingly easy.

Here's what you need:

• spools of 7/8" ribbon {I used 6 different kinds, but do as many or few as you'd like}
• rick rack trim for around the exterior hoop
• 12" wooden embroidery hoop {any size will work}
• acrylic paint or spray paint
• hot glue gun
• string + cup hook for hanging

That's it!

So, the how-to.

1} Paint the embroidery hoop, if you want {I painted mine glossy white}

2} Cut the ribbon into pieces of equal length - mine are 20" long

3} Heat seal both ends of the ribbons so they don't fray

4} Place a couple dabs of hot glue on the inner hoop and attach your 1st ribbon

5} Repeat the hot glue + ribbon attachment the whole way around the hoop

6} Place the outer hoop over the inner hoop and secure the screw

7} Tie the string/twine/fishing line that you'll use to hang the hoop at 4 equally spaced increments around the hoop.

Not sure how long to make the strings?  Just do what I did.  Climb up on a step ladder and have your husband take photos of you holding it at different heights.  :-)

8} Hot glue the rick rack {or any decorative trim} around the outside of the outer hoop.

9} Hang that lovely mobile up because you. are. done!

Now simply glance up and glimpse the view that your baby will enjoy.  There's no way ladybug will know my face when she has this to stare at during our nursing sessions - ha ha.

This is absolutely the last project I'm doing in the nursery.  It is as complete as it can be for now {I plan to add some photos on the walls and in frames after she arrives} so this. is. it.

I mean it this time.

;-)

{oh, and the parts of the nursery you haven't seen yet?  yeah, they have her name on them so the whole nursery tour will come after miss bug arrives!  And I'll be waiting for a pretty day to take photos so you can actually see the wall color - ha!}

{phone dump friday}

I just got a call that my nursery glider is coming - tonight!  Yay!!  It's been delayed and delayed and I was really getting stressed that it wouldn't arrive before ladybug did.  So excited that it's coming {and she's not :-) } - just had to start with this news.

We've had another busy week - preschool, baby prep, cooking, cleaning, laundry - the usual.  I missed the phone dump last week, so it's time to catch up.

I got a free photo book coupon from Shutterfly and decided to use it to make a little summer memories book.  I haven't made a photo book in a long time and forgot how fun it is to have all our pictures in one place that's easy to flip through!

Asher and I started going to a play group in our neighborhood.  Last Friday we explored a new {to us} park that had a pond with tons of ducks and turtles.  A was in heaven - he loves animals these days.

We had a special mid-week family date at the Cheesecake Factory on Wednesday.  Drew was meeting us after work and while we were waiting Asher kept making the funniest faces.  He was eating ice and sometimes the coldness was just too much!

My Dell PC has been giving me the "blue screen of death" upon turn on for the past week.  It's about 2 years old and I was hoping it would last a while longer, but it really seems like it's days are numbered.  Drew and I decided to quickly save everything onto an external hard drive and get a new computer.  We were 90% an Apple family already and made the final leap when we got this beauty...

I love it so far!  If you have any tips or tricks on going from a Windows based system to a Mac I'd love to hear them.  The computer works great, but the Mac OS isn't like I'm used to so there's a bit of a learning curve.

During Asher's preschool last week I took the free time to get a haircut.  I swear one of the hardest things about moving is finding a new hair salon!  This one was great, but I'll probably roll the dice and try another stylist next time.  :-)

I don't know if you knew this, but baby sisters are good pillows.

And they like love kettle corn.

We're still bringing the tiger costume out once in awhile, even though it barely fits.  Turns out tigers love Play-Doh.  Who knew.

Let's end like we started...I am SO excited to get the final pieces to the nursery this weekend!  ha!  Pictures to come...

Happy weekend, friends!

mr. sandman

Now that the weather is cooling down a little Drew and I got Asher a sandbox! He loves to play in the sand at the beach, so we assumed {correctly} that he'd have a blast with his own little piece of the beach here at home.

It might seem like a strange thing to save until fall to get, but it is SO hot during the summer there's no way we wanted to sit outside roasting in a plastic bin of sand.

Pretty much every afternoon Asher gets up from his nap asking for "sand box? sand box?" There's nothing we love more than giving him a gift that he loves!

My favorite part? Guess. :-)

Have fun little sandman!

 

bugaboo {36 weeks}

I'm 9 months pregnant!

It always confuses people that pregnancy is actually more like a 10 month process since it's 40 weeks gestation. If I'm lucky I'll get a few weeks of being 9 months along. Most of the baby prep is finished, but I wouldn't mind having some more time to get the details ironed out and to just enjoy this time with my little family of three.

Today I washed and sterilized all of the breast pump parts, bottles, and pacifiers. It ended up being quite the production. See...

Why do bottles need 6 individual parts?? ha ha

I have an OB appointment on Thursday and get my Group B Strep test. I was positive for it with Asher, but I'm told it's the kind of thing that comes and goes, so we'll see where I fall now. The weekly appointments start now and will continue until D-day.

Baby is definitely getting bigger and making me more uncomfortable. I feel pretty good most of the time, but by 5 or so the Braxton-Hicks kick in and keep up on and off all evening. Sleep is becoming really lousy since absolutely no position is comfortable. I also found out that I have carpal tunnel in my hands and feet, so they both ache like crazy 24/7.

This is all stuff I'd expect by this point, so I really can't complain much. Things could definitely be worse and I have a great reward for my trouble! :-)

How far along: 36 weeks

Net weight gain/loss: 20 pounds

Maternity clothes: yes, but the shirt in these photos is regular

Stretch marks: not yet

Belly button: fully popped

Sleep: sometimes good, sometimes bad

Baby movement: still pretty significant, even though she's running out of room!

Gender: it's a girl!

Food cravings: crushed ice {is ice a food? either way, I can't get enough - still}

Food aversions: nothing really

What I miss: laying down without getting really uncomfortable

Looking forward to: getting the rest of the nursery furniture...hopefully by early next week

Best moment this week: a 3 year old girl in the church toddler class I taught this weekend asked me, "Why do you have such a big tummy?" When I told her it's because I'm having a baby every little girl in the class swarmed around and told me all about their mommy's tummies - size, baby/no baby, wishes that their mommy would have a baby, etc. SO funny! :-)

Milestones: baby could be born any day and would most likely be fine!

 

nursery projects {monitor holder}

Before Asher was born some friends with kids recommended that we get a video baby monitor.  It was one of those items that seemed like it could be overkill, but like it could also be pretty darn handy.  Turns out it was a must have for us.  I love, love, love having it!  We've used ours constantly since Asher's birth {even taking it on vacation with us} and can't imagine having a sound-only monitor.

When ladybug made her presence known I assumed we'd simply get a second camera for Asher's system and plug 'er on in.  As if things are ever that easy...

Naturally, the technology has changed by such leaps and bounds over the past 2 years that they no longer make or sell the cameras we would need.  Oh so convenient.

Luckily for us, my parents offered to gift us with a new system as a welcome gift to lady baby.  Yay!  Thanks!

The system we used with Asher was by Summer Infant and, as it turns out, was very basic.  Lights, camera, action - that was it.  Almost all of the monitors now have songs you can play, 2 way communication, Internet/Skype capability, zoom and panning, etc.  Way more than I need or want, but impossible to avoid.

I did a TON of research and finally landed on this system by Motorola.  It has the features we want + more positive reviews than negative {every video system seemed to have a lot of unhappy customers}.  Because every single video system got mixed reviews I wanted to buy it from a local store so returning would be easy if disaster struck.  This one was in stock at Buy Buy Baby and I was able to use coupons - bonus!

Of course I set it up right away to make sure we liked it.  I noticed one major problem right away - oh no.  The camera swivels up and down, right and left - but it didn't "look down" far enough.  When it sat on the dresser all I could see was the very far end of the crib and the rails.  We already have the nursery furniture set up in the ideal configuration so I knew where the camera had to sit.  The only way to make it work was to put it on a really high and obnoxious box - which in my book is the same thing as it not working - ha!

Drew totally came to the rescue with his engineering genius.  He reasoned that if we hung it vertically then it would have more down view - brilliant!

We didn't want to hang it on the wall so he rigged up this little number.  I bought a wooden plaque at Jo-Ann Fabrics for less than $2 and Drew drilled holes for camera cord to run through.  He then cut a piece of wood to use as a brace to hold the plaque upright.

I painted it all navy blue and we used a hinge and twine to secure the set up {I used twine to hang the bow holder too, so it does go with the feel of the room}.

The view is perfect!

This worked really well and looks so much better than a big 'ole box on top of the dresser.

Thanks Drew - you're the best!  Sometimes it's the littlest things - like having a cute, but practical way to keep tabs on our baby.  :-)