Jealousy

I've been looking at pictures of my friends' houses on their blogs (that's you Jess and Kathleen) and I am seriously jealous! I cannot wait to have a real house and an actual nursery. I have so much cute stuff to decorate my baby's room with, but no where to put it, so right now it's just sitting in a box. Sniff. I can't wait to decorate my own home the way that I want to and to be able to actually paint the walls! Oh, to not have white walls, that will be the day. I guess what I am saying is this; as much as it will pain us to leave our lovely Manhattan, I couldn't be more excited to get to Virginia and be able to have more room and decorate my own home! (It won't really be ours, we'll just rent, but you get the gist)

Soooooo jealous! I can't wait to have a nursery.... sigh...

BUT, for now we are making the best of what we have. We really do LOVE our little apartment and will miss it a lot when we move as well, but since our family is expanding so is my need for more space and more freedom to decorate. That is all. Sorry this was such a rant fest.

no good, rotten, very bad day

Well, I went to the doctor today and he checked me out. Nothing. Apparently I'm not even close, so thanks for all the pointers for trying to induce, and we did try a few, but looks like she isn't ready yet.

So, to cheer me up, Dan and I rented Megamind and ordered a pizza and are spending the evening in. Love my man. Funny movie. Good food. Not a bad end to the day.

Great Expectations

So, turns out Dan has this whole week off. This was just about the best surprise we could have gotten, and he is really enjoying himself. Because he has this week off I am doing everything I can think of to speed this little lady's coming as much as possible. There is no guarantee that if she comes after this week that Dan will get any time off to see her. Thank you Vet School. So, any old wives tales about inducing labor you wanna share with me would be much appreciated. I'll try almost anything, but I draw the line at eating weird things. No thanks.

Our crib got delivered today. Unfortunately, it was the wrong crib. Womp womp. So, we had to call them so they could come pick up this giant box and send us the right one. We'll probably get the real deal in a week or so, but it's no biggie since we were just going to leave it in the box anyways. (Easier to move to Virginia that way)

Dan got a call from an Army guy this afternoon saying that he has a hard copy of his orders! Yay! Dan will meet with him on Thursday and get his orders, so then we'll actually know WHEN we're leaving and be able to apply for housing, moving, etc. Exciting news!

Here's hoping baby comes tonight!

About Nothing

I am obsessed with the way my bed looks when it's made

Unfortunately, it's hardly ever made
Because I'm always in it

I am now 37 weeks and would love it if this little girl came early

In other news:
I am now wearing my wedding ring around my neck
because I'm terrified that eventually I won't be able to take it off

There is nothing else in this apartment to clean or organize
and I'm bored

p.s. Remember those straight AE jeans I wore almost everyday?
I miss them
A lot
I also miss being able to wear a skirt
those were the good 'ole days...
However, I do LOVE my maternity dresses
I'll probably miss them

Hobbies: Revisited

Banana Bread. Yum.
Not Pictured: all different kinds of cookies that Dan devoured
very quickly

Baby rag quilt

Other quilt. This one isn't quite finished. It still needs a border

Eventual burp rags. Not quite finished yet

Dear Baby

I don't wanna force you into this crazy world before you're ready, but I am quite ready to meet you. Pregnancy has been great, up until about 2 weeks ago. I used to love your kicks and movements and would watch with great interest to see where you were going and how your body was positioned. But now, it's so crammed in there that your movements usually hurt or just make me incredibly uncomfortable. It's not your fault that you're like a genie in a tiny lamp, but know that there is a lot more room out here in the world just waiting for you to explore. Also, your tiny self is making it impossible for me to sleep through the night and pregnancy is amplifying my allergy symptoms to the point that I can't go outside at all. So, I guess I am trying to persuade you to come as early as possible. I am no longer terrified about birth or being a good mother, as I am more focused on just not wanting to be pregnant anymore. I want to hold you, kiss you, and cuddle you. I want to lay on my back and wear normal clothes. I already love you so much, little girl, but you're making life a little difficult lately. Please come out soon.

-Love,
Mom

BYU won!!!!! By 22!!!!!!! They have to keep winning, cause I'm only about half way done with my bucket of cheeseballs. Britany and I ate at a fancy restaurant for our anniversary, and man were we out of our league. Whenever I eat at a place like that, I always feel like everyone around us knows that we don't belong and at any moment our waiter will make us stand up and escort us to the peasant table. Britany is about ready to pop. She says that women have a hormone that makes them forget all the pains they go through during pregnancy, so they don't hesitate to have more kids later on. I'm assuming the men are just supposed to keep their mouths shut, right? I sure as heck won't forget. I wonder if I'll feel guilty when she gets pregnant again? Probably not. Little Evelyn already has more clothes, furniture, and toys than I do. It just dawned on me that I'm about to be outnumbered by the women in my own home! I need to go buy a violent video game or something to restore the balance. Or a pot-bellied pig named Grumkins.

Solution

Thanks for all your helpful comments! I definitely needed them. Getting organized and ready for baby is a little more stressful than I thought it would be. But, here's what I did:

Nursing station. AKA "my happy place"
Notice the picture on the wall. It's an original Walt Disney painting that my mother-in-law sent for her grandbaby
This is as close to a nursery as we're getting right now
Bought the plastic drawer thing so all the stuff for nursing is right there

Bought a storage chest to go in the living room
It's full of all the stuff for Evelyn we don't have a place for yet because she doesn't have a room
Also, it kind of hides the pack-n-play
Once she's born, the bouncer will find a more permanent home in the living room
But, for now it's out of the way

Moved all of our clothes out of the dresser and instead put all our stuff in these storage bins
and that hanging shelf
So, now she has the dresser for all her clothes and accessories

we were already storing all our un-needed clothing in containers under the bed
so, I just went and bought some more and added to the mess

So, there's a place for almost everything now and I am able to breathe a little easier. I just cannot wait for her to get here!

Problem

Our apartment is small
like really small
And right now we're finally getting all the things we need for baby
Which makes our kitchen/living room look like this


What should I do?
I have no idea where to put all these things
and how do I make a place for my little Evelyn when space is so limited?
Help!

Shower the Baby

Abby was my little helper. She gave me presents and helped me open them

Little tutu made by Katie. Thnks!

K-state piggy bank with her name on it. :)

Yesterday my visiting teachers put together a baby shower for me and it was a lot of fun. My ward is chock full of incredibly talented and generous people, so little Evelyn got a lot of unique, home made things that I am incredibly excited about. These are just a few pictures cause I didn't want to overwhelm everyone with pictures of just me opening presents.
After my shower my mom and I went to lunch and then headed over to the Little Britches Consignment sale where we found a lot of really great things. Mostly mom found a lot of things, but I got some infant toys and a crib bumper. Three of the ladies in my ward who are super talented were there selling their merchandise as well, so it was a lot of fun to look at all their amazing stuff. Jenna Ratcliffe makes these amazing aprons and nursing covers, so if you're interested in something like that, let me know and I'll have her email you. Also, you should check out Bellagirl Boutique and Sarahsassafras for one of the kind bows, clothes, wipes cases, and bow holders. SOO cute! Sarah Smith and Rachel Bittle were kind enough to give me some free bows and a diaper wipes case for free as a gift for my shower. Seriously, this little girl is going to look so adorable. Overall, it was a really great day and thanks to everyone's incredible generosity, we have almost everything me need now.

Easter bow, green and brown bow, and pink and blue felt bow made by Sarah Smith
White bow with headband, pink flowers, and multi-color bow made by Rachel Bittle

Diaper Wipes Case made by Sarah Smith

35 weeks

Today I cried

Because Dan started talking about all the things he can't wait to do with Evelyn
Like taking her to the zoo
and teaching her to fight with a sword
(we'll cross that bridge when we get there)
And then he just sat and talked to my tummy for a little while
and told her how much he loves his little sweetie
and can't wait for her to come along and meet him

And I cried a little because it was so sweet.
He is going to be an amazing daddy.

Hobbies

I have decided that I am tired of spending my days cleaning, running errands, and watching TV. So, I decided to get some hobbies. Sewing has always been something that I have wanted to do because it can be so beneficial with kids and things and it's also a lot of fun. My mom taught me how to sew when I was younger, but that was a really long time ago and I have forgotten almost everything. Regardless, last week I made up my mind that I would take up sewing as a hobby. Problem: I didn't have a sewing machine or any sewing supplies.
Solution: I went out and bought a sewing machine (with Dan's permission of course), a rotary cutter and board, and some thread.
Since then I have been working on 2 different baby blankets. One is a quilt (which is sooo much harder than my mom made it look) and the other is a baby rag quilt. Baby rag quilts are really cute and also pretty easy, so that's going pretty well. As soon as they're done, I'll post some pictures.

I've also decided to do more baking. I've always loved to cook and bake, but I hardly ever do it, so now is the time. Hobby number 2: baking. Yesterday I made banana bread and it was delicious. Today I am going to make Almond Peach bread, Orange cranberry brunch rolls, and no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies. Before you say, whoa slow down killer, most of these things will be for the relief society activity tonight that I am SUPER excited about. I seriously love our relief society and our activities are always so fun. So, wish me luck! I'm off to buy some baking supplies and some fabric. Hobbies here I come!

Lately

Dan has been working non stop and always comes home smelling like cows
According to my doctor this little girl and I are perfect, which is a pretty cool compliment
I feel like a whale
We bought a stroller/car seat combo that I'm super excited about. Eddie Bauer baby!
We also bought a breast pump for me
My stress level has decreased slightly because of these purchases
I went with my friend Katee to buy fabric for some baby blankets
SUPER excited about how they're going to look
This little girl is going to be swaddled in home-made bliss
Seriously
Our apartment has never been cleaner
I spent a fortune at Target buying organizational things and now our closet looks immaculate
Put all the baby clothes in the dresser in preparation for her coming
Threw away a lot of stuff that I don't want to move with us
I have been watching Gossip Girl
Don't judge, I needed some drama and something to do
I am slightly ashamed to say that I am in love with Chuck
I'm kind of loving my new calling-- Visiting teaching supervisor
Didn't think that would happen to be honest
I'm getting more and more excited to hold this little one
When I'm not cleaning, I'm bored out of my mind
I always look forward to Dan coming home

Welcome to my life. Isn't it great?