Friday, April 27, 2012

Bumpdate - Almost 37 Weeks!

I can hardly believe this baby is almost here! And just in time...I'm just now getting uncomfortably pregnant. The complaints of other moms of swollen feet and sleepless nights eluded me until about 35 1/2 weeks when I started not sleeping well. Not only can I not get to sleep easily, but I can't stay asleep. It's a total energy drain!

{at 36 weeks}
BUT - I really shouldn't complain. I've had such an easy pregnancy, in my opinion. I've loved having this kidlet cozy and snug inside and kicking me throughout the day. It just makes me wonder: are you going to be this feisty once you're here? Are you like your mama and love sleep or are you going to be a night owl like your pops? If you're like your daddy, he'll be having the night shift. Unquestionably.

I've spent most of my evenings after work busily working on projects that need to be finished in the next couple of weeks. Namely, places to put clothes for this baby!

I am 95% finished with the dresser. I decided to go with a distressed finish after the nice, smooth and seamless paint process didn't turn out as expected. I learned much too late that I should have been using a high density foam brush the whole time instead of a paintbrush, even though I've used both this paint and paintbrush on the trim in the house and it's turned out exactly as I'd hoped, the wood on the dresser...well, it just didn't. 

I'll take better pictures, but here's one in awful lighting that I've tried to compensate for with editing. The 5% left is the need to use a straight edge to scrape the paint off the mirror and get a wipe-on polycrylic/sealant to make sure it doesn't get TOO distressed. 

Oh! this is the BEFORE of the dresser next to the after. 

And placement. The queen-sized-most-comfortable-ever-guest-bed is causing me grief. I want it to be turned sideways à la day bed, but it doesn't work with the headboard/bedframe. I think we've figured out how to inexpensively remedy that, but it has yet to be done.  {Just hang in there for 2 more weeks, kiddo!} 

So, once that's done, I'll move the dresser around the room to figure out where it can go. Too close to the closet and the modern style of the crib and the farm-house-y style of the dresser just clash way too much. I need to figure out some happy medium!

We've tried taking advantage of the spaces in the closet that were previously unusable and I'm quite proud of our ingenuity. Each of those closet poles is about 10" long and will have a shelf associated with it so we can put shoes, etc. by it. Not bad for a $10 project, right?
And with that quick update, I'm going to take a nap. I have to work tomorrow. {imagine a really really frowny face inserted here.}

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Rounding Out and Projects a'Plenty

Saturday at work = no makeup and bedhead.

Have I mentioned that my mom was here for 3 weeks? She was. She left yesterday morning. After a tearful good-bye, she drove off in one direction and I drove off in the other (heading to work) and then I remembered she'll be back in 6-7 weeks. Hooray!
33 weeks

She was a busy little worker-bee while she was here.

I have a LONG to-do list still, but here are a few things she got done:

Rocking chair - primed, painted, seat bottom made (I have to upholster the seat for it still. It's on the docket for next week)

Nursery painted - ceiling, baseboards, walls, closet. It was a beast of a project.
Crib Sheets - one down, 2 to go.

Cradle sanded and stained - this was my little pet project. I was dragging my feet on sanding the last piece and she totally got it done while I was at work one day!
Crib Bumpers - custom made and sewn
Cradle Bumpers - custom made and sewn

Cradle Mattress - custom-fit and covered with vinyl (we waterproofed it by using a vinyl shower curtain liner. My mom sewed it the last night she was here, working into the night long after I'd crashed)
Gigantic 30"x40" frame - this was a totally from scratch project. We came up with the design we wanted, printed it, took our 8x10 picture to FedEx/Kinko's and had it enlarged to a 30"x40" proportion and then she taped all the edges (basically laminating the pattern) and then cut it out, traced 3, cut 3, routered 3, and sanded 3. It took several hours! But the cost per frame was roughly $15, so not too bad considering if we purchased it they would have each been more than $100.
Terrariums - this was a fun project she wanted to do so we gathered all the supplies she'd purchased and put our own together on Sunday night. So much fun! I'll need to get a picture soon.
Curtains - hung

And I have to mention that my dad and Ryan also did some awesome 'chores' around the house: Switched out all the almond-colored electrical outlets/switches/faceplates to crisp white ones, hung a ceiling fan in the nursery, & cleaned out/up the garage. OH! and they replaced the microwave above the stove! It's awesome!

Want to know what I have left? Sure you do. Otherwise, you would have already closed the page.

And as you can see, I'm getting rounder by the day. (...AND apparently think it's acceptable not to wear makeup in public while continuing to take pictures in public restrooms.Ugh.)

I think that might be it for now. But that's not including the house chores I need to keep up with (I have about 8 loads of laundry I could do tomorrow) and the reorganization that needs to happen. We have stuff EVERYWHERE!

Thanks for sticking with me! You deserve a medal. But you'll have to make it yourself. It's not on my list.