A baby is born!

I think I finally have a moment to sit down and write out my birth experience. I've actually had a few moments when I could have done this but I used them for more important things like sleeping and eating. It's been almost two whole weeks since little Colette decided she wanted to grace us with her presence. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. It's beyond my belief that Cory and I created something so small and wonderful and terrifying. So, below is the somewhat censored version of our birth story. If that's not something you're interested in.... I'd probably stop reading and maybe pick up a few paragraphs later. 

We started our journey through the thing called labor around 2am on Saturday, November 23. I was ready for her to be here that day. It seemed appropriate as it marked exactly 10 years since my grandmother passed away. Contractions started out bearable but 5-6 minutes apart. I got up around 3 and called our doula just to let her know how things were going. I wasn't quite ready to go back to bed as it wasn't terribly easy to sleep through the contractions. Bearable but certainly noticeable. I went into the kitchen and made a batch of haystacks (my grandmother's recipe on hand...) then decided I should probably go lay back down. I slept a couple more hours and got back up around 7am. 

I hadn't taken any baby bump pictures in a few weeks, so I thought I would take another final picture (as seen in the previous post!). Definitely a cold and dreary morning! I can't say much else happened on Saturday. Continuous contractions, never more than 10 minutes apart. We ended up eating dinner at Cory's mom's and renting a movie to watch when we got home. Contractions got stronger though the night and by 5am I was ready to go to the hospital. I was in tears and just ready to go. So we called our doula and she headed over to our house. When she got here to help out things got much better in terms of how I dealt with the contractions. We spent the next 8 hours doing lots of breathing, drinking water, and moaning. There was a lot of moaning. Around 3pm on Sunday contractions were strong and steady and we decided it was time to head to the hospital. 

After checking in at the front desk we headed up to L&D. We were greeted by a familiar face! A friend of mine from my roller derby days opened the door for us. She took us back to the triage room so I could get monitored and checked out. I was only about 4cm at that point. That was a bit disheartening since it'd already been so long. I was then admitted to a room. The only position I really felt comfortable in was sitting on the edge of the bed. The exercise ball wasn't right, showering was terrible.. it was all just terrible. When the on call doctor got there and checked me around 8pm I was sooo ready to give up. I wanted that epidural, STAT. But after he checked me he said I was about 8cm. With that information I just decided I would stick it out. It couldn't be that much longer, right? HA.  Hours passed and pain progressed, as did the fatigue. We tried using a breast pump and rupturing my water but by 12:30-1am I was pretty much low-moan screaming through contractions. I was so tired, in so much pain, and shaking uncontrollably. All I wanted to do was sleep. After a lot of crying and talking with Cory I decided it was time. I had no idea how much longer it was going to go on, but I just needed some rest. I got the epidural. I was a bit disappointed at the time because I felt like I was failing at something I really wanted to accomplish, but at that point I really felt it was the best option. The epidural took 20 minutes from the time the nurse walked into the room, set up, asked her questions, stuck the needle in, and  walked out. I imagined it would be a much bigger deal than that. I felt so much better afterward. I still felt contractions and I could still move my legs but I could finally get some much needed sleep. We all slept/rested for a few hours. Our nurse came in a few time to check on me a few time, to change my positions and at some point give me oxygen. I was sleeping so well that my breathing slowed a bit. I don't think Cory was too excited about that. The oxygen made me so flippin' cold. Around 4:30 I woke up and thought to myself... "I think... I think it's time." I then asked if I would know when the time to push came even with the epidural. The nurse came in and sure enough, it was about that time. She called in the doctor and just before 5am I started pushing. No more than 30 minutes later we had a baby girl!

Crazy! I didn't have any issues with pushing, but I wasn't sure Cory was going to make it. He had to walk away in the beginning and get a snack and a drink so he wouldn't pass out. (Poor guy, he's probably traumatized.) 

Baby Colette was was born at 5:26am on Monday, November 25 after 51 hours of labor, weighing in at 7lbs 13oz, and 20in long. She's got a little tiny bit of dark hair and an adorable little nose (...and lips and eyes and toes and fingers and all those other parts...). She had a slew of visitors in her first day of life, A truly loved little girl!

We stayed in the hospital that night and were given the all clear to head home on Tuesday morning. I felt pretty good despite just having another human leave my body. I had 2nd degree tearing which was not exactly comfortable, but I could handle it after the last couple of days. 

When we got home we had Nana and Aunt Lori waiting on us. The first few days home were a challenge. We couldn't wake her up for feedings, she was tearing the ole nips to shreds, and I was generally in a panic for most of the first week. Between the birth on Monday and Friday afternoon, we had seen every doctor in our pediatrician's office. We were scheduled to go back in on Saturday but, alas, we were finally making some progress in the wet diaper area. I had a few more rough days and nights over the last week, but dearest husband of mine has tremendously helped out and alleviated a lot of stress. He's taken baby girl a couple of nights so I could get some sleep. It's amazing what a few hours of sleep can do for your stress levels. 

We're now on a good road. We let her dictate when she wants to be fed instead of trying to wake her up constantly. (Seriously it was taking 3-4 hours to get a feeding in..then it was time to start all over..) Now, if we just wait til she wakes up or starts showing hunger cues, things go pretty quickly. Her latch is better too. Still painful from the first week of terror, but I think we're starting to heal. (Emotionally... physically....).

On a lighter note, it's nice to be able to wear my wedding ring and my pre-pregnancy clothes. Hooray!

She's a pretty good baby so far! Of course she cries all night and sleeps all day, but what can ya do!

I'll post pictures soon. Here's one from our ride home.

[caption id="attachment_691" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Baby Colette[/caption]

Last Pregnancy Photo

I intend to write out a blog about my whole birthing experience in the next couple of days (don't worry, nothing too gross or intimate...) but it's certainly nap time at the moment. In the meantime, I thought I would post the last photo taken of baby Colette in the belly. This was about 4 hours into early labor. 40 weeks + 6 days.



 

 

281st Day of Pregnancy

40 Weeks. 2 days. I'm guessing she's not coming out anytime soon. If I had to put money on a date, I'd go with the 23rd, but then again.. maybe another week after that. Colette seems perfectly content on where she is. Had a doctor's appointment this morning along with an ultrasound just to make sure everything was still alright in there. Things are fine and dandy. Amniotic fluid still up above 10cm (they like it to stay above 6cm) and I'm only about 1.5cm dilated. We go back on Wednesday to check again.

Now that I'm officially on maternity leave I don't really know what to do with my time. The house is fairly clean, there's no laundry, nursery is done, most of the Christmas decorations are out and up... I even finished our birth announcement. All I have to do is drop in a couple of pictures and send it off to the printers. I could use a trip to Hobby Lobby for envelopes... I could go ahead and write out all the addresses for the announcements.... There's something.

We'll probably need groceries for the next week too. There's another thing.

Oh, and I could post another bump picture. There's 3 things I can work on over the next couple of days. I guess I'll spend the rest of my time watching Harry Potter and napping.

 

Maybe I'll start with the napping! We'll do the rest tomorrow.....

Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween! I have about fifteen 55 gallon tubs of Halloween decorations to prove it. Unfortunately there is very little Halloween spirit/decorations in the Taylor household this year, but that's okay. It'll just be more exciting next year with a little girl who will be into everything!

Cory put together the bookshelf for the nursery last night so I was finally able to finish putting things in their place. As soon as we get the new fan up this weekend I'll take some photos for your viewing pleasure!

 

For now, here's a baby bump (or .. more like mountain now) photo.

[caption id="attachment_659" align="aligncenter" width="560"] 37 Weeks and 5 Days![/caption]

 

I think I definitely feel pregnant now. The first 37 weeks were a breeze and I really have nothing to complain about. But as of Tuesday, I'm thinkin' she definitely wants outta there. No braxton hicks that I've noticed, just sharp pains when I sit or lay down that feel like she's using talons to burrow into the ole pelvis.

We're so close to the end/beginning! Hopefully nothing crazy happens between now and Sunday. We're having our driveway concreted and our cars are currently at the very end which is about 2.5 football fields away and surrounded by dark scary woods and a cemetery...

Finished packing!

Well, I think I finished the whole "packing for the hospital" thing. So in the event that you're interested, here's what's in the bag:

1. The Husband Bag

• Gym shorts


• Sleep pants in case it's freezing


• 2 tshirts


• Boxers


• Socks


• Basic toiletries (toothbrush, deodorant)

2. Toiletries

• Toothbrush and toothpaste


• Hair tie and headband


• Face wipes


• Shower essentials (shampoo, conditioner, deodorant)


• Lotion


• Chapstick


• Hand sanitizer


• Lanolin


• Nursing pad


• Maxi's


• Sample vitamins


• Towel

Most of these things I already had since I like to collect travel size things. But I did purchase a new toothbrush for a whole buck. I also thought it was a good way to take advantage of all the free sample vitamins I've received over my many months of prenatal doctor visits instead of having to remember to pack my big bottles.

3. Clothing

• DIY hospital gown #2


• Giant walmart undies


• Nursing bra


• Tank top


• Yoga pants


• Zip-up hoodie


• Non-slip socks

Pretty basic here. I plan on wearing my DIY hospital gown #1, leggings, robe, and flip flops into the hospital.

4. Warmth

• 4 walmart pillows in blue cases


• Fleece blanket

$2 pillows from Walmart in some cheap cases. The nurse at the hospital said to be sure and bring our own because they're quite scarce around the hospital. I put them in a vacuum bag to take up less space for now. I know I won't have a vacuum for the trip back home, but odds are I'm not going to care about it then. The fleece blanket is for Cory on his poor little couch bed.

5. Boppy
Pretty self explanatory. I'm taking my mini boppy to the hospital and leaving my full size at home.

6. Bag o'Colette

• A couple of coming home outfits


• Little hat


• Swaddler


• Blankets


• Pacifier

Pretty basic here too. Blankets for coming home, a wubbanub paci just in case, couple of outfits because I can't decide just yet and don't know what size she'll be, and a hat with her name on it.

7. The Paperwork

• Phone charger


• Birth plan


• Triage questions and answers


• List of people to call/text/email


• Baby book


• Pens


• Paper

All my paperwork is nice and neat in a little folder, ready to go. I found a list of possible/usual triage questions upon entering the hospital. Cory and our doula will be with me and in the event that I'm unable to answer a question because of a contraction or something, perhaps they'll be able to find the answer on the sheet and I can just confirm.

And that's it. The only other things I would possible like to pack are some Harry Potter DVDs. Call me crazy but during those lulls after delivery when/ if I can't sleep etc. it'd be nice to have something playing in the background.

I'm also happy to report that both guest bedrooms and the nursery are clean and ready for occupancy. The only thing the nursery is missing is the bookcase and it will be here late this week. Ahhh sweet relief. Only 3 weeks to go.

What A Morning

Last night when I was thinking of blog titles the first thing that came to mind was "A Peaceful, Easy Feeling."

I'll have to save that for another day.

It's been a busy week for the Taylor's, but a good kind of busy. We had a baby safety class on Monday night and a childbirth class last night that included a tour of the women's services area. I'd been in there once before, but at that time wasn't really thinking about having any kids yet. It's a really small place so there won't be too much hassle when it's time to go and the birthing suites are really nice. I think the baby classes were pretty successful in terrifying Cory and getting me a little more familiar with the hospitals policies.

And then we had a doctor's appointment this morning. Sort of.

The last 4 or so visits we've been to have had exceptionally long waiting times. I thought today was no different but after an hour and a half of watching EVERYONE in the waiting room come and go, Cory got up to ask what the deal was. Well, I had been marked off the sign in sheet but not checked-in and my doctor had already left for an emergency. *Insert rage here* I was not only incredibly irritated, but I hadn't eaten anything yet which made me very hanrgy. As I've noted in a previous post. You won't like me when I'm hangry.

After storming out and a fruitless 40 minute drive back home, I got a call to reschedule and they're also throwing in a free 3D ultrasound. So, it could be worse. Although I will say I'm not terribly fond of the 3D ultrasounds. The images of the babies all squished in there freak me out a little bit. You won't be getting posts of those.

End ranting.

I feel like I've posted a few negative Nancy posts recently and I apologize. I'm actually feeling pretty content. The list of things to do is still large but I feel like we're finally in a place that if Colette decided to show up early, we'd have everything we need in place and the rest could wait. We actually have way more than she could possibly need, but being the taurus I am, I feel like she needs to have a lot of "things." The last of the 'things' on my list came yesterday, THE DIAPER BAG. Wahoo. And I do love it. The label on it boasts about it's simple design and superior functionality and that's exactly what I wanted. (SoYoung Charlie Bag).

Next week is going to be busy as well! We have a prenatal appointment with a pediatrician, our weekly check-up and ultrasound, and thank you notes to send out! I'm such a failure when it comes to thank you notes. BUT THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU, I PROMISE! We are incredibly thankful for everything and everyone who's blessed us with gifts and love. We're (and by we I mean me..) just a little slow in the *need to get things done* category.

Well, let's get back to work! We're down to one month exactly before my due date and maternity leave and I'm officially freaked out that I'm not going to get all my work to a place where someone can take over. Eeek.

I leave you with this baby bunny.

Revisiting The Pre-Baby Bucket List

One of my first posts consisted of a pre-baby bucket list for home improvements. Now that we're a measly 5ish weeks from our due date, I think it's time to revisit that list and see what we've accomplished.

• Remodel Master Bathroom – They're finishing this one up today! It looks great and I'm going to be so happy to have a bathtub in the house. The vanity and toilet are our responsibility, but they're ready to go in the garage.

• Finish the Remodel of the Guest Bathroom – Well, what we thought was going to be a quick clean up and 10 sq ft tile job has pretty much turned into another remodel. When I showed the room to our tile guy the words that came out of his mouth were "That's probably the worst thing I've ever seen." Luckily it's just a tiled shower and not a cast iron tub like our master bathroom.

• Landscaping – Partially done. Cory has done a lovely job of ripping most everything out and trimming, but there's still some left to do.

• Critter Removal and Blockage – Ah.. nope. Didn't quite get there unfortunately.

• Rewiring – Don't get me started on that one.... We're not actually going to be completely rewiring, thank goodness. But I just don't see it actually happening before Baby Colette gets here. Which is a shame because we've got lights and fans that need installation and a few exposed wires that probably need to be removed.

• Find a New Home for the Office – Check!

• Hang Smoke Detectors – Got a new box of detectors from my mom a while back, still need to get them up.

• Clean Out and Organize the Garage – Thanks to my family for that one. We got everything out and cleaned. Of course, that was a few months ago and we have since found a way to fill it back up. The good news is that we're getting a new garage door so we can actually park a car in there one day.

• Clean Out and Organize Everything Else – I think this is probably a lifelong project, but I have managed to get most everything put away in an orderly fashion.

• BURN THE BURN PILE – Got that done too.

• Hang New Eaves Around the Porch – Not there yet either. One day.

• New Doors – Didn't think this was a big deal at first. But unfortunately one of our doors has taken a turn for the worse. We can't even open it. It somehow collected a ton of moisture. Oops.

• The Nursery – I'm so close! The big thing left is hanging the new fan and pendant lights... And we need to paint/hang the mirror and wall art. I also need a white bookcase.

I'm fairly content with the progress. The only thing I'd really like done (yesterday) is the electrical, but there isn't a whole lot I can do about that.

In the realm of baby things, I think we're officially covered in the most important things. We had our baby shower with Cory's family and friends last weekend and it was most excellent! It was beautiful as well as delicious. (Let's take a moment for a little self-loathing because I definitely forgot my camera...)

Carseat and stroller: Check!

Baby Bedding: Check!

BOPPY: CHECK! (Love a good boppy..)

Diapers: Well... we have at least a solid week's worth.

Pack n Play: Check!

Diaper Bag: Check! (Not here yet, but it has been ordered!)

I'm very thankful for everything that everyone has done for Cory, me, and Baby Colette. Who knew anyone could be so blessed with such an outpouring of support and love.

I know I had some other things I was going to write about, but it seems they've all slipped my mind. Oh well! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

33 Weeks Pic

A busy and successful Saturday.

My dearest husband has been working in the yard all day. We've decided to tear everything out of the front beds and just completely start over.

 

Here's the before pictures I took a couple of months ago.








As you can clearly see, all the bushes are trying to take over the house. (And in case you're curious, those things on our roof are solar panels made to help heat our water.... not currently in use.)

It's allllllll coming out. And here's a quick shot I took with my phone a few hours ago.



 

Love his heart, he's going to be sore tomorrow. No more bushes.. except the two rose bushes at the stairs. The monkey grass is still there for now. I think we'll be transplanting that to edge some of our trees. There's a ton of monkey grass.

 

While Cory has been doing all that, I've been reclaiming the front porch from spiderwebs and trash. I also started reclaiming the sunporch in the back by taking down the christmas trees I had in there and sweeping it out. We've got an old mattress set in there we need to get rid of before we can completely reclaim that.

 

Annnnd I took a couple of bump pictures last night before our date night. (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.. and, yes, we were the only people without kids in the theatre. )

Enjoy!







 

Look! I can still get my feet off the ground! :) And, in the event that you didn't notice... I've become to lazy to write on the chalkboard. Photoshop from here on out. I don't know why I didn't think about doing that before.

Rainy Wednesday

It's already nearly 4pm and it feels like I just woke up. Needless to say the rain certainly doesn't help with the serious fatigue that's hit me over the last few weeks.

I've been keeping busy with the house. The day planner is certainly coming in handy for keeping me in check with all the things that really should be done around the house on a daily basis. (Okay.. minus those two days were I really just wanted to sleep all day and not move). I'm happy to say that it's Wednesday and there's no laundry, no dishes, no sweeping, and no counter scrubbing that needs to be done. Our bed is even made. I can't say the same for groceries, though. Since we didn't get back home from Knoxville til Sunday night, I didn't get my usual meal planning and trip to Publix in. Guess I'll be doing that this evening.

Work has been quite busy as well. The end of the fiscal year this month brings lots of meetings and transitions not to mention the transition of my job to someone else while I'm away.

In house news, our bathroom is going to be remodeled next week! HOORAY! I'm very much looking forward to having a bathtub and a vanity that I won't have to break my back at to wash my face. It will be glorious. It will also be nice to have the guest bathroom done, which just needs a little TLC and some tile.

Last night we also had a meeting with our doula. I can't remember if I mentioned that we hired one or not, forgive me if I did. It was a really informative meeting here at the house. I think Cory and I now have a better idea of the things that we really should know and be informed of before we hit the hospital. One thing I learned, that I was a little shocked by, was the rate of natural births in the area. 3%. Yes.... just three. I looked up some other information today and found that 35% of births in Chattanooga alone are cesarean. I wasn't super surprised about the percentage of cesarean births considering the pre-registration packet for the hospital includes information about elective induction. Any who, the reason that was brought up was basically to inform us that this area is not accustomed to performing natural births and if that's the route we really want to go then we need to be prepared for the things that could possibly be offered, to talk to our doctor about her way of typically doing things, and really think about a birth plan and why we're choosing the options we are.

So that's the next task. Really write out a birth plan. Inform myself. I've done a good job of that so far, but with the way my brain has been working lately, it'll be nice to have it out on paper.

And because posts without pictures are boring... here's one of the maternity sash I made a couple of weeks ago.





My next sewing project will be my bean bag for baby photos.... Assuming I can still waller around on the floor to get the vinyl cut out correctly.

Nesting

According to good ole Wikipedia:

Nesting: In human females, the nesting instinct often occurs around the fifth month of pregnancy, but can occur as late as the eighth, or not at all. It may be strongest just before the onset of labor.

It is commonly characterized by a strong urge to clean and organize one's home and is one reason why couples who are expecting a baby often reorganize, arrange, and clean the house and surroundings.

The first signs of things on the "cons" list of pregnancy have arrived. {Mildly}. I believe the nesting instinct has come on full force in the last week which has been accompanied by stress to get things done and thereby inducing stress-related mood swings. It hasn't been terrible, I just feel like I'm in a race with myself to finish projects.

Here's a list of things I did over the past week:

• Made two hospital gowns


• Made a maternity sash (I actually ordered one from a lady on Etsy {with good reviews} a few weeks ago and that turned into a fiasco ending with a PayPal and Etsy dispute and me getting my money back and deciding to make it myself)


• Cleaned for 8 hours straight on Friday


• Shopped for 5 hours on Saturday morning for guest room #1 decor, organizational things, and cleaning supplies


• Spent the rest of Saturday putting together the guest room (with the help of Mrs. Branum THANK YOU!), making a wedding present for a friend (no detail here, I haven't sent it yet!) and setting up my DIY baby photography backdrop holder.


• Sunday was the day for meal planning, another trip to Lowe's for ceiling mount curtain rod holders, Target for cheap curtains, and grocery shopping.... And taking down closet doors and putting up a curtain instead. The good news is I don't have any issues opening the closet doors anymore. The bad news is that it's not terribly attractive.

All that, plus the usual house upkeep, dinner making, and my actual job, it was a very tiring week. And I can assure you I won't be doing that much walking for a while as it was very unpleasant to move about halfway through the cleaning spree on Friday and into the shopping event on Saturday. My pelvis, right hip and right knee where NOT HAPPY.

I'm very glad we're back to Monday. Monday means actual job and lots of sitting. It was a very productive day at work as well. Lots of things to get done before I take maternity leave.

I also spent a little time in the nursery last week, basically just moving things around and thinking about all the things we still have to get.. which is just about everything that isn't clothes. (Diapers, car seat, stroller, diaper bag, more diapers, wipes, pack'n'play, and possibly some socks.)

I think Cory and I will need to get the car seat/stroller and pack'n'play in the next week or so. I like to be ready for the unexpected and since "full term" is a measly 6 weeks away, I'd just like to go ahead and have those two things ready. I'd like to pack my hospital bag too. I've already made the list of things I need to pack and plan to print it out and put it on the fridge in the event I don't get to pack it myself.

So now we're down to just 2 or 3 hundred more things to do before baby Colette arrives in the next 0-9 weeks.

A nap is needed.

Oh and here's a couple more maternity photos from Brittany Mauldin! If you've landed here via Facebook, you've already seen them :)

[gallery type="square" ids="617,618,619,620"]

A Fancy Hospital Gown

Completely impractical. I imagine I'm not going to give a hoot what I'm wearing when labor is happening, but I thought I might like to have one anyway. I first saw them on {*surprise*} Pinterest, which linked me over to Etsy. The variety I like the most is from Milk Threads Maternity. I love the designs and color combinations. The only thing I really couldn't wrap my head around was paying a $60 price tag for something that will only be worn once and likely be completely gross after birth.

And then, like most crafty things that I don't want to pay a million dollars for, I thought I would just make one myself. I went with a more simplistic design than the gowns from Milk Threads. This is mainly because I'm a novice seamstress *at best.*

I perused the fabrics at JoAnn until I found something super soft yet durable. It's basically a nursery fabric. It feels like a cross between flannel and jersey. Very nice. I bought 3 yards at 40% off and some nice ribbon and paid less than half the price of the pre-made gowns on Etsy.

With all that fabric I was able to make 2 gowns (one for delivery and one for post delivery) and still have enough left over to make a nursing cover.

And here's what I came up with: (Please, forgive the terrible iPhone pictures)

[caption id="attachment_612" align="aligncenter" width="532"] The front[/caption]

Super simple with ties at the shoulders for easy nursing access. I would still like to possibly change up the ties and use something a little more like the Milk Thread gowns. Those are a little more sturdy and seem more practical than bows that could possibly just irritate me.

[caption id="attachment_611" align="aligncenter" width="472"] The very fashionable backside[/caption]

And, what hospital gown would be complete without a slit up the backside. For modesty's sake, I also put in snaps so my rear-end doesn't completely hang out at all times.

I haven't made the nursing cover yet, we'll see how that goes another day.

Pregnancy Update and The Day Planner

Why, Hello there! I feel like my brain is sort of devoid of any communication skills this morning. I was all excited about posting something new and now I'm having a hard time formulating thoughts on anything specific.

I think initially my main goal for this blog was to give a general update on my pregnancy as well as post some info about the nearly 800 page planner I had printed for myself. So we'll start with the update!

(And by the way here is another sneak peak from the maternity session with Brittany Mauldin)

[caption id="attachment_602" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Feeling a little round in the facial region in this photo.[/caption]

How far along: 29 Weeks, 6 Days

Total weight gain: 13 lbs

Maternity clothes: Absolutely. I bought a couple pairs of maternity jeans a few weeks ago that I imagine I’ll wear every day for the next foreseeable future. And I’ve been wearing maternity shirts for a few months now because they’re flattering and comfortable :)


Stretch marks: None to speak of

Sleep: Fairly well. I don’t usually get up to go to the bathroom or anything, so that’s awesome.

Best moment of this week: A healthy check-up.

Miss anything: Seafood. I know I can eat it, but my desire to do so has significantly diminished. I also miss the occasional beer as it is the beginning of tailgating season.

Movement: Lots of that. LOTS. Stretching and punching galore. Possibly a couple cases of the hiccups as well.

Food cravings: I don’t really crave anything. I have noticed that I eat a lot more grapes and pancakes though.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Brach’s Juicy Berries Gummies. The scent of them is horrifying and I’m not totally convinced that it has anything to do with pregnancy.

Have you started to show yet: Obv.

Gender: Girl as of 20 weeks… let’s hope there aren’t any surprises when we have our next U/S in about 4 weeks.

Labor signs: None

Belly button in or out: In. It’s pretty far down there, so I don’t think it’s going to pop out, but who knows.

Wedding rings on or off: Off. I can still wear them, but with the weather so hot and humid, anytime I go outside the house my hands tend to swell a bit and getting my rings stuck on my fingers terrifies me.

Happy or moody most of the time: Generally happy. Cory oftentimes wonders when the pregnancy rage will come out.

Looking forward to:  Checking more things off the to-do list. Mainly our master bathroom remodel and the electrical update. Once those two things are done I can finish pretty much everything else, i.e. the nursery.

 

So there's that! And now onto the day planner.

[caption id="attachment_603" align="aligncenter" width="560"] The Book[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_604" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Tabs[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_605" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Spiral bound[/caption]

There's what she looks like! A massive display of organizing goodness on paper. I love technology and being able to pull up a calendar at the touch of a button.... but I REALLY love writing things down and books. As you can see from the photos, the front has a clear cover and the first page is actually a weatherproof material. The backing is cardstock. I did actually ask for a clear binding, but alas, something is always bound to go wrong and since this is my first planner and there are a lot of thing that I already know I want to improve upon for my next one, I let it slide.

 

Here is a PDF of the basics you'll find inside the planner. Taylor_Planner_Lite I was initially going to post screen shots, but I think if you're that interested, you can just download the PDF :)

Here's a list of things you'll find in my planner:

• Yearly Goals


• Important Dates to Remember


• Monthly Calendars


• Monthly Priorities


• Weekly Meal Planning


• Weekly Chores Checklist


• Weekly Cleaning Schedule


• Daily Planning/Routines


• Important Info (Contacts, Medical, Billing, Budgeting)


• Blogging (Editorial Calendar, Possible Series, Future Post Ideas)


• Seasonal Planning/Crafting (Craft Ideas, Party Planning, Seasonal Cleaning)


• Notes

I definitely can't take credit for a lot of the information in here. You'll have to go to Life As Mom and check out all the things she has about planning and organization. I bought her PDF planner and basically adapted it  to my own needs and wants.

When I initially started putting everything together in inDesign, I was thinking about all the little things I wanted to put in design-wise, like quotes and images, etc. But the more I thought about it, the more I really wanted a blank canvas. I like to doodle and write things down. You should see my old notebooks. They're filled with colorful writing, doodles, song lyrics, and anything else you can imagine. I want to get back to that so I left a lot of white space around the edges.

And there you have it. Shipped it off to Office Depot and the next week I had a beautimous personal planner.

 

Until next time...

 

28 Weeks Pic

As promised, here's a few from today.

 







 

And there you have it. Much more house-like than before! I feel tired pretty often these days, but really con't complain overall. I deem this a pretty pleasant experience thus far.

On a sad note, I'm sending out all my thoughts and love to my mom and the rest of the family for my uncle. Love you guys.

*Officially* in the Third Trimester

NOW we're in the third trimester! Fully and officially. 28 weeks and 1 day. I promise to post a new picture tomorrow.

Cory and I spent the past weekend in Knoxville for my niece's 10th birthday party. It was a wonderful weekend much like the previous one for the baby shower. We stopped at my favorite restaurant (Louis') to pick up dinner on our way in to my moms. Delicious as always, but I did forget to bring my leftovers back to Chattanooga, so there's that. Saturday we took a trip out to Buy Buy Baby before heading to the birthday party. I'd never been there before and of course we don't have one in Chattanooga. It's a lot like BabiesRus, but to me it seemed like they had a LOT more stuff. And possibly better organized. Then again, we have very limited options when it comes to baby stores and supplies in Chattanooga. We didn't buy anything but it was nice to see what kind of selection they had. I'll probably be back after the next baby shower to pick up the few things we might still need.

I did come across one item that's fairly new in the world of baby things. The Kiinde Twist Universal Direct Pump. It's a breastmilk feeding and storage system. Seems neat and I like the idea of not having to wash bottles constantly. Here's the video for it if you want to know more. There aren't a whole lot of reviews for it since it's relatively new, so that sort of turns me off from it a bit. I don't know.. I'll think it over for a while and try to decided if it's something I'm interested in enough to try out.

I've also been fantasizing and planning our family's first trip to Disney World. The 5th birthday is when Nana likes to take the grandbabies to Disney and it just so happens my nephew will be 5 next October. Now... Colette will just allllmost be one at that time, but maybe if we all stay in a big house we could pull that off... maybe. It's good to dream. Right Cory? Right?! :)

Anywho, here's a couple of pictures from my nieces party!

 

[gallery type="square" ids="578,579,580,581,583,584,585,586,587,588"]

 

We polished off the weekend with a nice little trip to Dollywood on Sunday morning and a delicious fajita dinner on the back deck with the family.

And now it's Monday and back to work.

The First Baby Shower

We had our first baby shower this past weekend! This one was in my hometown with my side of the family (and Cory's mom and grandma as well!) and my very much missed friends. I started the day getting breakfast downtown my BFF then heading to get my hair done curtesy of my sister-in-law and Douglas J. Aveda Institute. After a morning of pampering I was whisked away to my mom's to finish getting ready while the rest of the shower was being set up. Setup is generally the most stressful part of any event, but it seems everyone made it out okay.

The shower was excellent. My mom, sister and sister-in-law turned the house into baby shower heaven.

The menu:

• Roasted veggie and orzo salad


• Lots of fresh veggies and dip


• Mini Pigs'n a blanket


• Sliders


• Mac'n Cheese Cups


• Cotton candy cupcakes


• Vanilla bean cupcakes


• Vanilla cake with strawberry filling


• Donut holes


• Chocolate dipped rice krispy treats


• Homemade butter pecan ice cream


• Pickles :)


• And a variety of candy to make up a lovely candy bar

All delicious like all of our family gatherings.

It was so nice to see everyone that I rarely get to see since moving south. I'm a very blessed girl to have the family and friends that I do and I can't thank you all enough for coming to the shower!

Below you'll find some pictures of the big event!

[gallery type="square" ids="547,548,549,550,551,552,553,554,555,556,557,558,559,560,561,562,563,564,565,566,567,568,569,570,571,572,573,574,575"]

I'm No Math Magician and Thoughts on a Birth Plan

Okay, so I lied about being in my third trimester in my last post. *Technically* that doesn't happen for another 2 weeks, but I AM however, 6 months along. Math schmath.

We had our regularly scheduled check up last week and I also took my glucose screen while I was there. And, not to my surprise, got a call yesterday telling me I failed it. The cutoff for passing is 130 mg/dL and I was at 140, so I wasn't too far off. If I could turn back time I wouldn't have eaten that bowl of Cap'n Crunch and banana. But alas, I can do no such thing and I'll be going in for the 3 hour glucose tolerance test tomorrow. I think the only thing I'm worried about it how hangry I'm going to be that I won't be able to eat anything between 12am and 12pm. I usually eat right when I get up or I feel terrible so I can imagine drinking a glucose solution AND not eating won't be pleasant. I may carry a celebratory burrito in my purse for the moment the last blood sample is drawn.

 

[caption id="attachment_464" align="aligncenter" width="452"] Probably what I'll look like tomorrow.[/caption]

 

In other news, I've decided to interview a doula next week. Never in my life did I imagine I would ever say those words. My life-long philosophy on childbirth has been, "If I ever have kids, it will be in a hospital with drugs. Lots of drugs." I even felt this way for the first few months of my pregnancy. It's only in the last month or two that I realized I'm not totally sold on that philosophy.

I still plan on birthing at a hospital, there's absolutely no question there. I don't have anything against home-births or water births.. or whatever else someone may choose to do; It's just not for me. But the debate on pain killers and inducing is what's making me rethink the drugs part.

I've ready many, many, biased reports and reviews on natural birth and epidural-assisted births. (I'll let you find these on your own and pick out what you believe to be credible or BS.) My opinion for *myself* is that I will do what ever I can on my own. I don't want to be induced and have no desire for Pitocin to be in my system. I'm also weary about the epidural but not completely impractical. If I get to a point where I just can't take it and there's still time for it, I'll be glad to have it.

So there's the reason for the doula interview. I think it could be beneficial to have someone there who has been though it and can provide extra support for just me and Cory.

I think that's the plan but as the old saying goes, 'the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.'

I'll be sure to update on the doula decision after the interview. That's all for now!

Planning to Plan

I've made one small step in getting organized this week. I used to do fairly well in the meal planning category, but since we moved away from the city and into a more rural area, I let that slide into a weekly meal plan consisting of very unhealthy fast food choices. As for keeping the house clean, it was a lot easier to do when we were in our starter home. Now we're in a very old, large home that needs a lot of love... and often.

There are four categories that I really want to hone in on when it comes to 'getting organized.'

• Home/ Household duties
  -Keeping it clean


• Meal Planning
  -Steering clear of the yuck and excessive spending


• Business
  -Photography goals/contacts/to-do's


• Blogging/crafting
  -Yeah... that. More on that another time.

I know a lot of this is going to change over the next few months after Colette arrives,  but I think it will be good for me to break out into a routine now. Then I can easily work my way back into it once I figure out how to work a baby and stay awake for long enough to think a coherent thought.

My first step was to invest in a day planner. This isn't new to me. I've had a day planner every year since I was a freshman in high school. I usually bounce around on brands but a few years ago I came across dot.mine Day Planners and loved them. However, as of this year, they are no longer making printed copies. *sobs* They're only doing digital versions. One of the things I liked the most were the covers; they always had a classy metallic version and were very consistent... (basically they look good on a bookshelf when they're full).

So now that I'm back to looking for a planner, I thought, "Hey, why not make my own!?" So what I'm doing now is taking pages and tips from others and crafting them into a super planner just for the Taylor household. I've started with information from Life as a Mom. It has a lot of what I want in it as far as meal planning and household duties. Not to mention they also have a blog section. I actually purchased the $12 package and I will be going through it, making notes and revising the information to fit my personal needs. Then once I put the red pen away, I'll put it all into inDesign and make it all purrty-like and send it away for printing. With any luck it will be something I can just tweak for future years and have reprinted. I'll keep you updated on how that turns out.

It will probably take me a couple of weeks to get that done so in the mean time I want to get back into meal planning. I'm trying out a salad plan this week for lunches and dinner sides that's going fairly well. I'll get more into the actual meals starting next week. I got the salad plan from *where else* Pinterest.

http://pinterest.com/pin/67202219412710533/

I also made my own ranch dressing which is pretty tasty, maybe a little garlicky. But you can find the recipe for that below. You can use fat-free mayo/sour cream for a lighter version, but it was quick to make and much better than a store bought version.

http://pinterest.com/pin/67202219412710541/

With Pinterest these days, how can anyone every run out of ideas for pretty much anything. Thanks Pinterest.

Here's a peak at the salad bar I created for the week.

[caption id="attachment_456" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Mm. Salad.[/caption]

This is for cooking as well. Carrots, peppers, tomatoes will all be used for other dishes.

That's all for now folks!

The Sudden Onset of Cankles

[caption id="attachment_452" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Grayton Beach 2013[/caption]

 

We had an excellent vacation in Florida over the past week. Lots of sunshine and warm weather. When we stepped out of the car after our journey back to Tennessee on Saturday I noticed my feet were fairly itchy. When I bent down to scratch them is when I noticed it.... The dreaded cankles. My left foot was fairly larger than the right, but both were nicely swollen. Between the long car ride home, the super sunburned knees (yes... my knees were the only part of my body that were burned somehow), and the hot and humid beach weather, my poor little ankles and feet couldn't take it. You can kind of see it getting started in the picture above. Luckily it was temporary and I'm now back to a regular ankle/foot connection. {I am, however, being a bit on the cautious side and watching the salt intake and doubling up on the water.}

 

Now it's back to the grind of a normal work week.

 

I'm currently at 25 weeks and 1 day. Which means I'm 6 days away from being in my third trimester. WHAT!? That can't be right... there's still so much to do! We got the crib set up yesterday and all the furniture moved around in the nursery where I think most of it will probably stay. The only piece of furniture we're missing is the glider and ottoman that should be here sometime this week. :) I also finalized my decision on the baby bedding. I'm going with the something I picked out from Cottage and Cabin on Etsy in blush and vintage white. Now we just have to get the order in and wait 8 weeks!

I think the nursery is to the point now where I can say it's more shabby chic themed than it is sheep. But sheep are definitely present. I still love the sheep.

 

As far as home improvement goes... We had bath fitter come out and give us an estimate for the master bathtub (currently blue and used for giving the dogs baths in winter) the week before we went on vacation. I think that's what we'll be going with so now we just have to get a vanity, mirror, toilet and tile. We also need to get started on the electric. They said it would only take a day or two so that's excellent. AND we noticed that one of our doors on the side of the house has gotten a little too moist... it's mildewed quite a bit and is swollen to the point of splitting on the side :( So that needs to be replaced... Check one thing off the 'to-do' list and add two more, right?

I think those are the main things left to do. (You know, other than anything baby related.... picking a hospital, birth plan, baby showers... etc.)

Tomorrow I'll post about my upcoming week in the food department. I even made my own ranch. Mmm.

Nursery Business Time

I'm uber happy to report that Baby Colette's nursery has been painted. Many thanks to my husband and his mom for working on it yesterday! We haven't set the room up yet, and I would rather wait and take pictures when it's all put together, but here are a couple of sneak peaks.

These are just quick snap shots. It's a very dark room, so it wasn't easy to get an accurate shot of the wall color. It's a bit darker and a bit greener than this.

[caption id="attachment_440" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Wall Color: Behr - Dill Seed[/caption][caption id="attachment_441" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Wall Color: Behr - Dill Seed[/caption]

 

Now I'm into thinking about the layout of the room. Trying to picture it in my mind is terrible because I'm not very good with scale. So I went to the Pottery Barn website and used their Room Planner tool which was pretty helpful. Here's what I've come up with so far:

[caption id="attachment_443" align="aligncenter" width="488"] Preliminary Nursery Layout[/caption]

Lots of lights! Originally I was going to put the mini chandelier between the two pendant lights above the double dresser, but I think it would probably look better hanging above the crib. Haven't decided on a chandelier yet but here's what I have in mind:

[caption id="attachment_444" align="aligncenter" width="560"] thebellacottage.com[/caption][caption id="attachment_445" align="aligncenter" width="320"] overstock.com[/caption]

 

I did pick out the pendant lights over the weekend. (And a new ceiling fan/light fixture!) Here's the shade that goes over the pendant:

[caption id="attachment_446" align="aligncenter" width="560"] 5'' Crystal Pendant Shade - Lowes[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_447" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Full Pendant Light[/caption]

As for crib bedding, I found some things that I like at Cottage and Cabin on Etsy. She makes some really beautiful and simple things. I requested some fabric swatches that should be here in a couple of days. If I do decide to go with Cottage and Cabin, I'll have to decide pretty quickly! Orders being taken now are for October shipping dates! *insert panicked emoticon here*

 

In other news, we leave for the beach in 5 days. Hooray!

23 Weeks Pic

It's been a few weeks, thought it was time for another picture for the blog! There's no question I've packed on a couple baby pounds now! She seems to be swimming around quite a bit in there. Cory got to feel her a few days ago and that was pretty exciting.

 



 



 



 

Thanks goes to Billy Madison for the chalkboard quote today.

We went to Babies R Us and Target this week to get started on the registry and it was terribly overwhelming. I think we did a pretty good job. I'll be going back and forth comparing lists for a while, I'm sure, but definitely a good start. It's crazy to think that in just a few short months Colette will be here. Time has just flown by..... And there's still so much to do! Ahhhh! The nursery is officially cleaned out and ready for that paint. I'm going today to find some new light fixtures to be installed when the electric is done. I'm very ready to put the crib together and get started on the real decorating... just gotta get the paint on the walls first.

In other news, my dad will be up this weekend. We'll have a booth for Schultz Studios at the Pink Bridal Show at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Sunday. If you're planning a wedding, it's probably the place to be. Free food and swag. I'd go even if I wasn't getting married just to get all the free stuff!

 

I think that's all for now friends! Have an excellent weekend!