40 Weeks in my Neverending Pregnancy

So, I was hoping that I wouldn't be posting a 40 week photo, but here I am! I think I am permanently pregnant. When I went to the doctor last week, they said that I still wasn't dilated and that the baby hadn't dropped yet, so we talked about what would happen if I went over 40 weeks. Tomorrow I will have my 40 week appointment where they will give me an ultrasound to determine the size of the baby. As long as he isn't too big they will let me go until 41 weeks and bump me up to 2 doctors appointments a week. After 41 weeks they will schedule an induction. I'm really hoping I don't have to be induced and that I still go into labor naturally.

I have really just been trying to stay busy for the past week or so while hoping I would go into labor. I've been going to the gym and walking/bouncing in the pool every other day this week to try to get his head in position and also spending a couple of hours every day bouncing on my exercise ball. I have no idea if that is actually doing anything, but I guess we will find out tomorrow.

Last Friday I spent the evening celebrating my friend Angie's birthday by having a wine night and painting with some of our friends. I obviously couldn't participate in the wine, but had a ton of fun painting and hanging out with girlfriends. Brendan was even impressed with my painting because he knows I'm not very artistic. I also have been doing a few Pinterest projects to make some presents for friends before I don't have time to do anything!

I have a few Bible studies going which has given me lots of things to read. I have one with young women in my Church through the book of John and one that will start later this month through 2 Samuel (I read 1 Samuel last spring!) Also, on January 1, I began my journey of reading through the Bible in a year with an accountability group of other women! Today we completed Genesis! I'm hoping not to fall too far behind once Luke comes!

This weekend is MLK weekend which means Brendan has a 4 day weekend and I will have company around the house which makes me excited that I will have other people to talk to! Hopefully the next post I write will be complete with sweet photos of a baby!

How far along? 40 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: over 35... leaving it at that
Maternity clothes? My maternity dresses are now used as shirts.
Stretch marks? Still none so far, but I finally decided to start using lotion... for good measure.
Sleep: terrible
Best moment this week:  Painting night with the girls!
Miss Anything? moving around easily
Movement:all the time.
Food cravings: cookies
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Have you started to show yet: this question is absurd at this point
Labor Signs: I wish there were more labor signs...
Belly Button in or out? OUT
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Happy or Moody? Happy, but getting impatient
Looking forward to: my doctors appointment and ultrasound!

39 Weeks... I'm still pregnant

Well, things have certainly slowed down the past week as the holidays are over and we settle in to wait for Luke's arrival. This week so far, it's been fairly quiet. I've focused on trying to get some work done for my job at the IT company to make sure I'm all caught up to be able to take a break for a few weeks. I also went to the grocery store over the weekend and stocked up on ingredients for crock pot meals because I have a feeling that those will be my best friends until I get a handle on this whole "mom" thing, met with a newborn photographer, and finished typing up my birth plan.

Right now, I'm just trying to enjoy the calm before the storm and spend as much time with Brendan and our friends as I can. I still feel pretty good for the most part although putting on shoes, getting up, and getting around in general are getting increasingly difficult. I think the worst thing is just the waiting. Whenever I have a contraction, I think that maybe it's the start of labor although I know that first time moms usually go to or past their due date. If I go before my due date it will probably be Friday since Brendan has staff duty or Saturday because apparently he's working all day that day also.

How far along? 39 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: over 35... leaving it at that
Maternity clothes? still wearing all black all the time.
Stretch marks? Still none so far!
Sleep: not great
Best moment this week: watching tv on the couch with Brendan
Miss Anything? looking cute and not having people give you worried looks when they see my pregnant belly approaching
Movement:all the time.
Food cravings: anything that's unhealthy
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Have you started to show yet: this question is absurd at this point
Labor Signs: contractions are getting more frequent
Belly Button in or out? OUT
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Happy or Moody? Happy unless I have to put on shoes... then I am frustrated
Looking forward to: my doctors appointment and hopefully going into labor at some point

Successfully Painting Laminate Furniture

When I started planning Luke's nursery, I knew from the beginning that I really wanted to use the Ikea Expedit shelf that we have for the changing table. The problem was that after quite a few moves, the white shelf had some scuffs and scratches on it, so I began trying to figure out how to paint it. During my googling and pinteresting, I came across this tutorial by LiveLoveDIY and basically used the same technique! I decided I wanted to paint the inside of the shelves a different color than the outside, and suggest that if you do the same you use the lighter color on the inside like I did to avoid the piece looking too dark!

What I used:

Zinnser 123 Primer
Behr Sample Paints in Acorn Spice (brownish orange) and Grass Cloth (green)- I used 3 containers of the Acorn Spice and four of the Grass Cloth
Miniwax Clear Polycrylic Protective Finish
Paint Rollers
Painter's tape

The Process

1)I started by wiping down the shelves with a wet cloth so that they were free of dust and debris, and then put two coats of the Zinnser primer on the entire surface. I had started off using paint brushes but quickly realized that it was much quicker and easier to control how evenly I spread the primer by using a paint roller.

2) After waiting for the primer to dry, I painted the inside of the shelves with the Grass Cloth, While I was waiting for the first coat to dry, I went ahead and painted the outside with the first layer of Acorn Spice.

3) After finishing painting 3-4 coats of Grass Cloth on the inside and letting it dry overnight, I placed painters tape around the edges of each cubby to ensure that I would stay within the lines when I painted the edges of the shelves in the Acorn Spice. Then, I finished my coats of the Acorn Spice!

4) I let the paint dry overnight again (mostly because I was working on this between going to work and doing other things) and then I painted 2 coats of the Miniwax Polycrylic finish over the top to seal it!

Once I let the shelf dry and air out for a while, I bribed Brendan and one of his friends to put it up in Luke's Nursery and was able the check another thing off of my To-Do list! I even used the extra Grass Cloth paint to paint these pine frames that I found at Michael's and hung above the shelf in Luke's room. (To see the rest of his nursery, go here!)

All in all, this was a very easy DIY project. I loved that there was no sanding involved and that it was relatively inexpensive- probably less than $40 total for all the supplies! I would totally do this again if I have any other furniture later that needs a little facelift!

38 Weeks, Happy New Year!

Well, it's official! Luke will be a 2014 baby, although I had a scare on Monday night while Brendan was at staff duty and wasn't sure if I was going into labor! I was having a lot of contractions, and although they weren't very painful they were pretty close together! Luckily, they stopped around 1am and I was able to sleep for a few hours, but it definitely made me a little bit nervous that Luke was coming sooner than later! In the meantime, my little fingers finally swelled up and I had to take my engagement ring off and wedding band... my hands actually hurt from the swelling which I'm going to check with my doctor about on Friday because I don't know if that's normal!

This week we stayed pretty busy and on Saturday took the dogs and made a trip out to Carolina Beach State Park and Fort Fisher to walk around. It's about a 2 hour drive from here to get out to the coast and while I was hesitant to drive out there, it was nice to walk around and to be able to see the ocean. Proximity to the ocean is one thing I definitely took for granted growing up in Connecticut. Although it was the Long Island Sound, I only lived about 20 minutes from the beach and an hour or so away from the actual ocean and my grandparents lived on Long Island on the water and a 5 minute walk from the beach. I've realized that if I don't go to a big body of water at least a few times a year I get really sad about it. Living next to a lake here in Fayetteville has been pretty helpful though! Here are some photos from our adventure:

We spent New Years Eve with some of our friends at our house. It was much more low key than Christmas! I made a few easy snacks- cheese and crackers, salsa and chips and sweet potato circles (which are my go-to for having people over!) and some of our friends brought some snacks over too. Brendan made a fire in the back yard in our fire pit and we had some champagne at midnight. This was actually the first year that Brendan and I actually managed to stay up to ring in the New Year... last year, after having too much "fun" the night before in Savannah, we crawled into bed around 11 and heard the fireworks as we went to sleep and the year before I think we were awake, but didn't really make a big deal about it.

2013 was a great year for us, so I will quickly reflect on some of the highlights!

• In the beginning of the year (or end of 2012, I can't completely remember!) Brendan and I began meeting with other young couples from our church for fellowship and to discuss the sermons and made some of the best friends we could have asked for, I also began doing a Saturday morning ladies running group and bible study through 1 Samuel! 
• Brendan spent a pretty good amount of time in the field this year and 5 weeks down at Ft. Benning for a class over the summer which gave me some time to do some self reflection. 
• Brendan had a great first full year here at Ft. Bragg! In May he earned his EIB (Expert Infantry Badge) and he was assigned a second platoon which he took over in October and is currently the Mortars Platoon Leader
• In May, we found out that we were pregnant, and in August found out that we'd be having a boy!
• Also in May, I was offered and accepted a position at my church which allowed me to have more time to focus on our marriage, home life, and the impending arrival of a baby!
• My parents moved to Florida over the summer and having them a little bit closer has been nice, even though we still don't see them often it's good for my peace of mind!
• I was able to make two trips up to Connecticut this year, including one which Brendan came and we were able to spend some time in the Hudson Valley where we met, and the other one being my baby shower where I was able to see most of my friends and family!
• THREE of my bridesmaids welcomed little boys into the world this year, which means Luke will have tons of playmates
• another three of my closest friends from church and here in Fayetteville welcomed babies into the world this year (two boys and a girl!) and I'm thrilled to have so many friend in the same season of life as me!
• We moved into a new house which feels more like home than I thought it could!

These are just a few of the amazing things that God has blessed us with this year. I could really write an entire post on how awesome this year has been! The real blessing for me has been watching Brendan and I's marriage really blossom this year. 2012 was tough for us because we didn't really have a ton of time to be together. Brendan was gone for 2 weeks in January and then from February until September, and then we moved to NC in October making that year really just a series of major adjustments, and while I wouldn't change anything about that year, I don't miss it very much. 2013 has been a fantastic year, and I know that 2014 will be even better... thanks in big part to a small human that will enter our lives shortly!

How far along? 38 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: over 35... leaving it at that
Maternity clothes? I have about 3 shirts that fit, and I now wear all black, because it's slimming... right?
Stretch marks? Still none so far!
Sleep: not great
Best moment this week: Beach and New Years Eve
Miss Anything? wearing my wedding rings and not crying when I need to get up
Movement:all the time.
Food cravings: chocolate... and I never even liked it before I was pregnant
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Have you started to show yet: got asked if I was having twins on Monday...
Labor Signs: contractions are getting more frequent
Belly Button in or out? OUT
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Happy or Moody? Happy, but self consciousness has returned
Looking forward to: Meeting with my doula on Friday and getting my hair done tomorrow!