Claire's Nursery

I finally finished Claire's nursery last week!  Truthfully, the majority of it was done by the time I was 20 weeks along but I had a few small projects I needed to finish that I finally got around to! 

       

My parents gave us the crib, and it was actually the crib they used for me and my siblings.  It was wood when we got it but Bryce painted it white since that was the main color I wanted for the furniture.  I made the mobile, crib sheet, crib skirt, the embroidery hanging on the wall, and the baby quilt.

I found the tutorial for the mobile on the blog You Are My Fave.

 

This is the diaper bag I bought.  It's made by Petunia Pickle Bottom but it is from their men's line "Scout."  I love the shape & style of all the PPB diaper bags but I didn't really like any of the fabrics until I found their men's line.  Since I would be using it instead of a purse for the next couple years I wanted a really good sturdy one that still looked nice and didn't scream "diaper bag".  I am sooo happy that I found this one!  It is probably my favorite baby item I've purchased.

The rug is just a cheap white one I bought from Ikea and then I painted the stencil on it myself. 

This dresser was such a lucky find.  It is a solid hardwood dresser that we bought from a neighbor's yard sale for $15!  It was really old and looked pretty gross at first but we gave it a fresh coat of white paint, added some cute knobs, and it looks as good as new! Now I just need a baby for this nursery.  Only 7 more weeks until she's here (which will probably be the longest 7 weeks of my life)!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  

I don't know if I am just feeling overly emotional because of pregnancy or if it is just that I'm more appreciative the older I get, but my heart has been so full all day.  I look at all of my blessings and I could cry (happy tears of course)!  I am so grateful for the gospel, my testimony, and my savior Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for Bryce and the little family we are creating.  I am grateful for my sweet puppy and the happiness she has brought to our family.  I am especially grateful for our little baby Claire who will be joining us in January and for the opportunity I have to be a mother.  These are only a fraction of the countless blessings in my life.  I definitely don't deserve all of this, but I try to recognize and appreciate it as much as I can.  Ever so slowly I'm learning, gratitude turns what you have into enough.

Pregnancy Update: 32 Weeks

How far along? 32 Weeks (as of yesterday)

How big is baby? At my doctor's appointment this morning she measured in at 4 pounds on the ultrasound.
Maternity clothes? Yep.  I don't know why I answer this question every update haha (I'll probably remove it).  I'm obviously going to be wearing maternity clothes for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Stretch marks? Still none.  I'm crossing my fingers I will be lucky but I've heard a lot of times they show up in the last month or so.

Sleep: Ugh.  Sleep is not coming so easily.  My lower back hurts and my hips ache.  Sleeping on my side seems to make things worse but unfortunately it's my only option.  I think pregnancy slowly preps you for sleepless nights with a newborn ;)

Best moment of the week?  I say this a lot, but seeing Claire on the ultrasound at my doctor's appointment this morning.  I get so excited after I see her at every appointment.  I really can't wait for her arrival.

Food cravings?  Nothing really.  I still really want some diet pomegranate 7 up but haven't seen it anywhere yet.

Symptoms? Heartburn, lower back pain, aching hips, ligament pain, and braxton hicks.  (It's a good thing babies make all of this worth it!)    

Movement: She is still in the same position so I get kicked in the ribs all the time on my right side.  She also gets the hiccups multiple times a day.  Sometimes it will last for over 30 minutes.  It's a little distracting at times but I think it's pretty cute.

Gender? girl!

Belly button in or out? Halfway out.

Wedding rings on or off? on.
Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nope.

Happy or moody most of the time:  Pretty happy.  I get nervous when I think about taking care of a newborn in a couple months.  The happiness and excitement definitely outweigh the nervousness though.

Miss Anything?  This might sound weird but I miss being able to sit while hugging my knees to my chest.  Bryce and I were sitting in bed the other night talking and I wanted to lean back against our headboard and pull my knees to my chest but my belly was a little bit in the way :)
Labor Signs? Thankfully, no.
Looking Forward to? Thanksgiving, spending time with my family, my next baby shower, and of course meeting baby Claire in 8 more weeks!

Watch Me Grow: 39 Weeks

Rory is 39 Weeks old!  She's mostly trained and almost full grown so I don't have as much to update on her lately.  These little updates are probably going to be mostly pictures unless she hits a significant training milestone or grows more.  She has become much more obedient lately and has been listening really well though.  We are still working hard and trying to teach her to be calm for when the baby comes in less than two months!  She is doing great and we are happy to report she is making progress.

Sunday Thoughts

"Marriage is a gift from God. The quality of our marriage is a gift from us to God."

-L. Whitney Clayton 

I love this quote and the talk it is from (you can read the whole thing here).  This quote has been on my mind a lot lately.  I'm so happy I married someone who values marriage and family as much as I do.  It is such a blessing to have someone to go through the ups and downs of life with.  Marriage truly is a gift.  I hope Bryce and I only continue to improve the quality of ours as we start our family and face the challenges that await us. 

Bryce and I spent our afternoon together walking around one of our favorite spots, Beus pond.  We held hands as we walked and I thought about how comfortable it felt.  We've been married a little over a year and a half and it already feels like a lifetime.  Our marriage is far from perfect but we work on it every single day.  A good marriage isn't something that comes easily.  It takes a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice, but I can't imagine anything more worth it.  

Watch Me Grow: 37 & 38 Weeks

I didn't get a chance to post Rory's update last week so here are weeks 37 & 38 combined.

37 Weeks:

 

38 Weeks:

Whenever I am on the couch lately Rory gets right in my face and won't leave me alone unless I pet her.  Sometimes it's cute, but when I'm trying to get work done on the computer or something it gets way annoying.

Bryce thought it would be funny to tease Rory and get in her crate with her on Sunday while she was napping.  At first she wasn't sure what to think....

Then she decided she didn't mind and cuddled up with him to finish her nap.  She's still the same size and still has the same behavior problems that we're still working on (so nothing new really).  But she is a cutie!

 

Weekend Recap

This past weekend has been full of exciting things for us. We had a coupon for a free movie ticket so Friday night we went and saw Ender's Game.  We looooved it, like really, really loved it.  We both feel a little ashamed we haven't read the books, but I remedied that problem and ordered them as soon as we got home.
  
 Saturday I had my first baby shower with Bryce's side of the family (The Leishmans & Lloyds).  Goodness we were so spoiled.  Claire is a lucky girl!  I was so sad I forgot to take my camera to the shower so I just took pictures of all the gifts when I got home. 

One of my favorite gifts was this hooded towel that Bryce's aunt made.  It is adorable!  I can't wait for Claire to use it.

We were given lots of baby necessities including a baby bathtub, bath wash, baby lotions, blankets, diapers, diaper cream, a thermometer, an activity gym, books, toys, bibs, and of course lots of cute little clothes.  We had my shower early before all of the holidays, and it worked out so great.  The only bad thing about having it earlier is after receiving all of her cute gifts I am even more excited for her to finally arrive!

Which brings me to the next exciting event of our weekend.  Today I am officialy at 31 weeks in my pregnancy.  Only 9 weeks left until Claire's arrival.  I'm finally in single digits for the weekly countdown!