Nursery Progress

Well, I finally took pictures of our nursery progress thus far. We have made some serious strides in the last couple weeks. I'm loving how it is turning out. I cannot wait to see it when it's all finished, which won't be until after the baby is here as we have some gender and name specific elements planned.

So, let's start the tour...

Our super cool clock, so we know exactly what time those nighttime feedings are happening!

Our paper lantern mobile-ish decoration. I think the baby will be entertained by it from both the crib & the changing table. So far, these are my favorite part!

A glimpse of the changing table and the crib.

Our new Lay-Z-Boy recliner/rocker with our curtains and valance. Grandma Les made our valance for us out of some extra fabric that matches the bedding Kaitlyn & her mom are making for us.

A better picture of the crib & changing table.

So there it is in all it's green glory! Like I said I'm really loving it so far. Just a few finishing touches left! Craig has worked really hard with putting everything together and hanging everything up. He's been really patient with me throughout this process. I think he's done a great job!

We did a little photo shoot the other day with Izzy because we wanted a special picture of her to hang in the nursery. These were our favorites...

She looks more puppy like in this one...probably why I liked it so much!

Here she is getting ready to pounce!

And, this is her all cute and cuddly!

We had our latest check-up with the doctor today. Everything is still looking really good! I'm measuring right on schedule at 31 weeks and all of my labs are within my normal ranges. I'm also finally gaining a little weight, which is good since I hadn't much up until this point. Now, let's hope I don't balloon too much over the next 9ish weeks! Here's a picture from today, as you can see I'm definitely growing. The color got a little funky with this one...not sure why!

Coming along nicely...

It's been a while...sorry, this post of rambling may be a long one! We finished our baby class last week. I think all-in-all it will be very helpful for us. If nothing else, it will take some of the bad "surprises" out of the birthing process. I kind of like to have an idea of what something is before it's happening to me. We are trying to take an open mind to the whole process. I'm trying really hard to not set myself up for disappointment. I hear a lot of stories about moms that have these set birth plans, no drugs, no c-sections; and then, something happens that forces them to deviate from their plan. They end up feeling disappointed and almost like a failure. I think the moms that can do it all without any drugs, are courageous and strong...I would love to be one of them, but I'm trying to be realistic and do what's best for me and our baby. I think trying to go with the flow as much as we can will be our plan, whatever happens happens and all that matters is a healthy baby in the end. The baby class also made it all the more real for both of us, which I think is a good thing! Right now, I think it was worth the time, ask me again in a few months!

We have made significant progress on the nursery over the last few days. On Saturday, Craig & Grandpa Steve put together our changing table (courtesy of Grandpa Steve & Grandma Jaccie), as well as our bassinet (courtesy of Grandpa Gordy & Grandma Les). Baby Mencke is already getting spoiled by his/her grandparents! It's still weird for me to see all this baby stuff in the house, just waiting for the new arrival. We also got our travel system yesterday, so Craig assembled that while I was getting a prenatal massage. This is also courtesy of the Bryant grandparents. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty cool. Our baby is going to be riding in style! Even Daddy Craig thinks it's cool!

It's fun to watch Izzy react to the new additions to the room. She thoroughly "inspects" every item and gets pretty playful with some of it. We had fun with the stroller last night...it got her fired up! Speaking of Izzy, I am totally convinced she knows something is going on. Aside from her behavior changing throughout the last few months. Most recently, she has started getting up multiple times a night to have a bathroom break or to eat. This is not like her at all...she has been sleeping through the night since she was a tiny puppy. It's like she knows I need to get ready for these nighttime feedings. I'm thinking...I need to be sleeping when I can now, and she's not helping! It probably doesn't help that I'm tired all the time again now!

I've been feeling all right. Not quite as good as I felt a month ago, but not horrible either. I'm really tired again and my back has been hurting more and more. It's harder for me to get comfortable every day. I've also been having more headaches again. I'm still able to get through the day and accomplish most of what I want to do, so I shouldn't complain. It will all be worth it in the end. I just have my moments when I'm feeling extra whiny! I also feel like I'm getting bigger on a daily basis, which is good because I haven't felt like I've grown a whole lot up until now!

We have our next doctor's appointment a week from today. I'm looking forward to it because I think the appointments from here on out will be more "involved". Up to this point, it's "how are you feeling?" "any questions?" "well, everything looks and sounds good, we'll see you in 4 weeks!". After this one, we'll start going every 2 weeks...another sign the end is near!

One of my goals for the week is to take and post some pictures of the nursery progress, and I may even throw one in of my growing waistline! Stay tuned...

Oh, and we're still struggling with the name game--girls specifically, so any suggestions are welcome!

23 Weeks!

Technically, we hit 23 weeks tomorrow, but I decided I'd post tonight. We had our monthly check-up today. Everything is still looking good! Baby's heartbeat was in the 140 range and I'm measuring right on target at 23. Next appointment, I have the dreaded glucose screening to check for gestational diabetes. I have a bottle of glucola chilling in my fridge for the next month. Let's hope I pass...I've heard horror stories about the 3 hour version! For all of you that don't see me regularly, I thought you might like a visual of the baby bump. It seems to get getting bigger and bigger every day!



You may notice the green walls behind me...yes, this is the nursery in progress! The painting is done! I really love the color. Here's a few more pictures:







As you can see, we have our crib. We have yet to put it together. It may not be assembled until after the holidays/wedding. That's all right, we have plenty of time! Speaking of the holidays and wedding, can you believe that Christmas is next week already and the wedding in 2. Yikes! It's going to be a crazy couple of weeks around here. I'm looking forward to it, it should be lots of fun!

Oh, and just for fun! Here's a picture of Izzy and I . She loves to be in the middle of things. She also is very interested in the new green room! I seriously think she knows something "BIG" is going on. I'm so excited to see her and her new sibling interact. It should be quite entertaining!



Well, now that you've all "seen" me, we can start taking bets on the gender of the little one. Any guesses? Leave us a comment if you feel up to the challenge!

BLIZZARD!!!

Well, ready or not, winter is here! We are all but snowed in, and personally I'm kinda enjoying it. It sounds like tomorrow may be even worse as 40mph winds are supposed to kick in soon! Yikes! I'm really not looking forward to getting out and about into it. Because of this wonderful snow storm we are having, Craig decided to breakdown and get a snow blower. After 4 stops, his latest "homeowner toy" was his. I really think he had fun dealing with the snow tonight. He even asked if I thought he'd have to do it again tonight. I thought that was pretty funny! Honestly, he probably will!

Izzy isn't enjoying the snow much. We had to clear a path from the deck to the backyard, so she could have an easier time with bathroom breaks! Craig tried to get her to play a little in the snow tonight...poor thing, the snow comes up to her belly, so she had serious trouble running! She looks like a deer leaping and bounding through the snow. It works better than running right now. She was shivering when they came in! I'm thinking it's time for a puppy parka!

Me and baby are trying to stay in and warm as much as we can. The little munchkin has been kicking me a lot these past few days. I'm hoping Craig will get to feel it soon! I spent the afternoon at home cleaning the house, doing laundry, and baking my birthday cake! I'm looking forward to enjoying a piece later.

Craig is putting the final coat on the nursery walls as I type, so pictures to come soon! Apple 5 looks great...very green! I think we can officially call it a success after so many color failures. It's getting more and more real around here every day!

One Week Later

We are sitting here tonight thinking..."wow, we were already home for Thanksgiving a week ago tonight!" Now, we're exhausted and back home in the middle of another work week. Last weekend was long, fast, and exhausting. We had a great time catching up with family we hardly ever see, and enjoying lots and lots of good food! Izzy had a great time playing with the kids and running all over the farm. She is finally starting to act like herself again...she was one absolutely worn out pup!

This week we are focusing on the next big things approaching in the coming weeks! We headed home early Sunday so we could get the Christmas lights up before the Chiefs game. They are up and shining bright. I hope we're not annoying our neighbors...these new LED lights are pretty serious! I do think it looks good! Craig had to climb clear up on the roof to hang some of them. I was also able to get the Christmas tree up and decorated on Sunday. I think it looks good...now it just needs a few packages under it!

Tonight, we selected and purchased paint for the nursery. Apple 5 Laura Ashley Home by Valspar from Lowes to be exact. This is the 3rd option of green we have looked at. Craig plans to paint the room this weekend while I am home in Tekamah throwing Jessica's Bachelorette Party. I'm excited to see how it all turns out! Isn't it nice of him to offer to do this "chore" while I'm out of town at a party?!? Obviously, I will post pictures of the progress next week...unless the color turns out totally awful!

Well, that's all for now folks! Oh...exciting this week I am feeling the little one kick me more and more often. At least once a day for the last week! It's pretty exciting. I hope Craig will be able to feel it soon!

First Big Purchase

Well, we made our first big baby purchase today! We ordered our crib! We hadn't planned on doing this quite so soon, but it was on sale this week so we got a great deal! Now, we have more motivation to get to work cleaning out the closet in the nursery. We really need to quit stalling with that chore. So, this is it...this is the crib! We decided to go with white since we already have a bookshelf & dresser in white that we can use in the nursery! I think it will look great with green walls, don't you?!? My goal is to have the room painted by Christmas...we'll see! I'll post before & after photos of the nursery process.