One Project Closer!

I'm excited about this piece because it was mostly just because I needed something to do... lol. I made a pennant out of the fabric used throughout Petal's room and a couple other fabrics I had purchased which were options that were vetoed. Here's the process:
I took the selected fabric and used a stencil I made on cardstock to trace the shape into the fabric. Then, I cut two of each patterns (9 patterns, for a total of 18 flags). Laid them out in the order I wanted the flags hung. I used a hot glue gun to glue the pieces in place across a grey ribbon.


And voila - here's the finished project:

I'm not completely in-love with how it turned out, but it'll do. My mum, mother-in-law and Cari are using it for decor at my baby shower Saturday. :)

Update on my heart: it's still working. :) On Wednesday night it was 148/82 which is still ridiculously high. But, we had just walked about the hospital for 25 minutes so that could have caused my heart rate to be higher than it is supposed to be. Jeremy had his blood pressure taken - he was 120/60 - perfect. How ridiculous is that?

I have been trying to take it really low key. I'm beginning to dislike my couch (and STILL terribly messy home) because it becomes boring. Hence, the pennant made for Petal's room. I intend to run to the hardware store and pick up some piping for my Christmas wreath and make it this weekend. That will give me something chill to do, but I'll be doing something fun! :)

Birth Story

I'm pregnant and hormonal, so this story might not be that great. But, it literally brought tears to my eyes. If you read Joanna's story and hear a truly touching experience, let me know what you think.

Also, this dad has a fabulous and real birth story from a father's point of view. It's sweet, touching and a bit eye opening. (I always wonder what the guy is thinking during, you know, the WHOLE experience I mean, seeing a whoo-whoo open up and pop a baby out, is truly an experience!)

I can't wait to experience Petal's birth and all the pain, joy and excitement it will bring!

Baby Menz Update

How far along? 33 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: gain 22 lbs, yuck!
Maternity clothes? Yup.
Stretch marks? Nope - PTL. Still lathering myself up often!
Sleep: I’ve had some really great nights of sleep (only waking up to pee close to 7 AM on Saturday morning – success!) and some really, really crappy nights. The last two nights I woke up in the middle of the night and was up for 1 ½ hours. Not cool once morning, or afternoon, come
Best moment this week: getting asked for the 10,000,000 x whether we are truly naming our baby Petal. My Great-Aunt stopping my mum in Sam’s and having a “chat” with her about our choice of baby name. J Glad everyone is truly concerned for Petal’s sake, right?
Have you told family and friends: Word is definitely out.
Miss Anything? Sleep. Sushi. Beer. (not much changes here)
Movement: Constant.
Food cravings: I really, really wanted sorbet last week. Bought a small tub and it’s been yummy in my tummy ever since!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Have you started to show yet: I feel ginormous!
Gender: Girl.
Labor Signs: No, well… not exactly. Braxton Hicks + blood pressure problems.
Belly Button in or out? Inny… yup, it’s still holding on!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: …does sleepy count?
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving.

Well, we’ve reached our first glitch in Petal’s journey to our arms beyond being breech, which she is officially in the right position as of yesterday!. I had my doctor appointment yesterday and everything was great… with the exception of my blood pressure. It was 160/90 (WOAH). So, the doctor is pretty concerned. He told me “I don’t want you to have your baby for at least the next two weeks.” Did he think that would help my heart rate?????? I sat there for a half hour so they re-checked my blood pressure and it had gone down to 130/80 – which is still higher than they would like to see it at. I have one excuse, okay two, that I can think of for my heart rate to be soo high. 1. My co-worker had just said, “Holy cow, Thanksgiving is next week?!” Which caused me to have a mini major panic attack thinking how close to Petal’s arrival we are. 2. I’ve been highly stressed lately with lots of things; finances, maternity leave, Jeremy and my relationship, getting the nursery done, cleaning my terribly messy house, making time to tour the hospital if Jeremy would ever be home we could do this, we’re touring on Wednesday finally, etc… On a positive note, I do not have any other signs that usually go along with accelerated heart rate that complicate pregnancy; blurred vision, dizziness, abdominal pain, heart pain, numbness, etc… so I’m thankful for that.

So, your prayers are greatly appreciated and needed. Really, I would prefer to keep Petal to myself for the six more weeks of my pregnancy but I’ll take three more weeks at minimum. I’d love Petal to bake as long as possible, but 36 weeks is truly where I would feel more comfortable with her joining us. I’m really trying to look to God for His wisdom, healing touch and direction. This is something I struggle with anyway, but adding the element of my un-born child’s life and her arrival is much scarier and almost harder in a way, for me to trust. I go back to the doctor next week, earlier than usually scheduled, and we’ll have an update then. I’m thankful that I am not showing any other alarming signs that usually coincide with gestational hypertension. Unfortunately, I do have family history of hypertension (outside of pregnancy – neither my mum nor Cari experienced gestational hypertension). So, that is a bit of a cause for alarm with my doctor as well… anyways. I am believing for God’s best for Petal and the few remaining weeks of my pregnancy.

Sneak Peek!

Jeremy REALLY doesn't want me to post nursery pictures until it is complete. But I am SUPER excited about how our work turned out last night... I had needed to share something. So, here’s a sneak peek of what we worked on last night! I’m hoping tonight we make big progress again… it will help me feel much better about the weeks to come and the quickly approaching arrival of Petal! The crib needs to be put together, Lots to hang on the walls - pictures, shelves, embroidery hoops, book shelves, mobile and more! I can't wait to see everything come together.

Petal update:

She will not leave me alone stop kicking me stop moving! Which, I am very thankful for as that is an indication that Petal is her father’s child (by that I mean both the will not leave me alone and will not stop moving) healthy. We have almost 50 days until her arrival (OMG – I had a mini-panic attack just then!!) which, seems unreal! She is now larger than a large jicama, almost 17” long, 4 lbs and taking up most all of my middle section. I am She is gaining almost a pound a week (really, seriously? Is that necessary? Couldn't we have stretched that out a bit?). Petal has toenails, fingernails and hair (let’s hope – I didn’t have hair until I was two!!). She is finally beginning to “plump up” and look more baby-like, and less skeletal.

It makes me feel a bit crazy mother-like, but I’m starting to wish these days would last as long as possible. The idea of having her away from me for any period of time makes me get tears in my eyes. I’m jealous for her and she’s not even born yet. The thought of not knowing her whereabouts at any given moment, not knowing that she’s safely tucked away in my uterus care or that someone or something out there could harm her, makes me want to stuff a cork in “it” a crazy lady reach out to God to trust in Him and His protection for Petal’s life! But, the next moment I have a great desire to hold her in my arms instead of carry her any longer. I can’t wait to see her face, to what she looks like, to see and kiss her little hands and feet, to see her personality begin to take shape and learn the plans God has for her life. I can’t wait to see how much she will impact my life, Jeremy and our families... Then, I’m right back to keeping her inside of me, selfishly enjoying our interactions and her movements that only she and I experience… sigh.

Nursery - Work-In-Progress

A work in progress is DEFINITELY what the nursery is! The room is quite in shambles at the moment (ok - there's a twin be setting in the middle of the room, the closet is stuffed to the brim, the dresser and changing table are sitting in the hallway, our house is a wreck!). But I hope to get the last of the painting completed in the next day, hang pictures, get a new light, etc… and then finally put the furniture back in place. For now, it’s going to be a bit cramped with a twin bed and dresser + baby furniture (crib, changing table) in the room. But realistically, she will probably sleep in her bassinet until she is about 3-4 months and only fits in the crib.

Here’s a sneak peek. I took these last night, it was dark and it’s hard to tell the color that well. But the walls are a light grey. I hung the curtains my Grandma made up. I love how they turned out! Awesome. J
I cannot wait to get the pictures, fabric hoops, shelves, etc... hung up. I couldn't sleep last night. All I wanted to do was get up and start decorating. Absolutely ridic! But, this is the fun part! Where you finally pu the room together and see all of your ideas come into shape. I hope Petal loves how her room turns out. Because, it's been a lot of effort and thought put into it!

Updates

Ok - I know I haven't posted pictures of everything my Grandma made me. It's been a very hectic week for me. BUT, I will soon.

This weekend we're painting the nursery {finally}! I'm super excited! Although, I've begun to question my original choice of grey for the color... because it seems like EVERYONE I've talked to who is pregnant is talking about grey. I need to make up my mind. I'll chat with Jeremy and my mum about it. Hopefully we'll have a decision made ASAP so it can be painted and finished Saturday. :) I would LOVE to do one wall chalkboard paint. I just think it would be SOO fab to have a wall that is changeable and easily redecorated. Hopefully, once we’ve gotten the room painted, we can put together the crib and get everything in place. Then I will feel settled until Petal is here. I still would like a tree in the room… what do you think of this one?Our maternity photo shoot was Saturday. We had a blast! Here are a couple of the shots. I’m excited to get the rest. It was such a fun day... with beautiful weather. Especially for almost November in Minnesota!!

Couple of side notes:

-my co-worker from Embassy is in the hospital having her baby RIGHT now! J Yay!

-Baby Jayden’s open-heart surgery went really well yesterday. He should be able to go home within the next two weeks. Very exciting! If you want to read updates from Jordan go here: jordanfleig.blogspot.com

Pregnancy Update

How far along? 32 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: gain 20 lbs…? – haven’t weighed myself this week. We’ll see at the doctor next week! I assume it’s up and up!!
Maternity clothes? Yup. But, I’m still rockin my non-maternity skinny jeans. Finally, filling out maternity shirts/dresses with my bump!
Stretch marks? Nope - PTL. Hello cocoa butter, lotion and stretch mark cream. I see you twice a day!
Sleep: Lately – CRAP. Unfortunately, waking up to pee can be numerous at times.
Best moment this week: maternity photos with Cari Dugan. I cannot wait to see how they turned out. We ended up going to Tracy and Elizabeth’s house in Jordan and playing around their farm and with Elizabeth’s antiques. So. Much. Fun.
Have you told family and friends: Well known info.
Miss Anything? Sleep. Sushi. Beer.
Movement: Baby M is a MOVER! She’s gotten into a habit of waking me up at night.
Food cravings: Nope.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Beside Jeremy’s fond habit of fake vomit noises, nope.
Have you started to show yet: Feeling more and more massive by the day!
Gender: Girl.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Inny… still holding on !
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: …does sleepy count?
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving.