Husband Appreciation

As the pregnancy comes to a close, I think it is very important to note how amazing Paul has been throughout the process. From the very beginning when the morning sickness (really midnight sickness) started and seemingly wouldn't end, he was there to hold my hair or get me Sprite. And now as I am ready to be done, he's out getting me Dairy Queen b/c I want some...yes, it is against the gestational diabetes diet, but I'm at the end of this...the baby can't gain 5 pounds in the next few days.

At any rate, I'd like to publicly note my profound appreciation for my husband and all that he has done for me and continues to do throughout the pregnancy. I know that I am unbelievably lucky to have such a supportive and involved husband. He will be an amazing father to the little Nugget...whenever he/she decides to make an arrival anyway! Love you honey!!!!

40+ Weeks Pregnant

Yep, that's right kids...it's official, I'm overdue! Granted only by one day, but still, it's really starting to wear on me! I am DONE being pregnant. I didn't think I'd get to the point where I was ready to have the baby be on the outside w/ me, but I am definitely there. I am very grateful that the pregnancy has been as smooth as it has been...I mean seriously, some ladies have it WAY worse. But I am still really ready to be done. I think that the anticipation of everything...labor, gender reveal, naming decisions...is making it even more annoying that nothing is happening. As we all know, I really have a hard time not being in control and whether I like it or not, this is definitely one of those times where I have NO control. So needless to say, I'm a little cranky! As cranky and moody as I am, I still took a 40 week picture for your viewing pleasure...

It's Official...Nugget is CUTE!!

As seen through previous posts, little Nugget is a bit camera shy. Every time we had an ultrasound since about 16 or 20 weeks, he/she has been head down with his or her hands covering the face. So we haven't had a great profile shot in quite some time. This unfortunately meant we didn't get a 3D/4D ultrasound either. We pretty much had written off any chance of seeing the baby in 3D/4D glory until the birth. But alas, at our 36 week ultrasound, we got to have a 3D/4D one! Although little Nugget was still covering most of his/her face, we still got to see the cute little cheeks, perfect little ears and unbelievably flexible legs and feet. We have had a lot of ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy, but this one really cemented it for me. There's a real baby in there, and better yet...he/she is CUTE!

Since these things are not the easiest to decipher unless you're a pro, I labeled the first one and then put the unedited one below it:

PICTURE ONE

PICTURE TWO

PICTURE THREE

Nugget's Nursery Reveal

The moment you've all been waiting for....just kidding, this is NOT a gender reveal, but I think it's a close second...it's NUGGET'S NURSERY REVEAL!!! We're finally done, well mostly done. We've got a few more items left to complete...the growth chart, procurement of the glider, and a few more tiny things, but you can definitely get the idea of what was completed.

See below for the before and after photos of Nugget's room:

As you can see, Paul was very busy making more than just purely cosmetic changes. The carpet was removed along with the trim AND the popcorn ceilings. The flooring was replaced with a floating laminate flooring procured from Lumber Liquidators at a steal of a price. Although it was the first laminate floor Paul and my dad installed, it turned out great! It definitely makes the room look a lot larger. Although I think the lovely sea foam green helps too. ;)

Next on the agenda was replacing the trim with a 3" flat trim painted white as well as replacing the window treatments. While we did still use the existing ceiling fan, a little tip from Pinterest transformed the look of the the light fixture. In lieu of the individual glass shades, we placed a burlap-like covered shade procured from the BEST place for these things...Home Goods.

From what we have seen from our friends with children and already experienced with the goods obtained thus far, you can NEVER have enough storage for baby items! So, we added some shelves made from galvanized pipe and finished wood to the left of window. Then we had my dad put together bookshelves from pallets which Paul sanded and finished. And even though we had those put together and the dresser, along with cubbies in the closet, we still decided on purchasing a book case that could double as a changing station.

The dresser (pictured above) was once a honey oak colored and was owned by my great grandparents. Paul stripped the dresser, painted shades of orange (of course) and added clean modern hardware.

I think the thing that sets the nursery apart from others is the abundance of original artwork. A lot of the art was found and procured from artists on Etsy.com, but we also were able to find some through local vendors (in Seattle and Denver) and had some made especially for the Nugget by Auntie Meggan.

 The beautiful quilt shown here was made by my dear friend and former college roomie, Leah Gillette-Fox. She did an amazing job with color and pattern selection and it is absolutely PERFECT for the Nugget...especially with the sparkly seahorse appliques! :)

This crib was our third choice, but it is true what they say...third time is the charm...because we absolutely LOVE it! Thank you Auntie for the crib, it's perfect for the room!! 

It's been a true test of our teamwork and testament to how deep our procrastination runs, but we're done!! And I have to say, it feels great to have the nursery ready for Nugget's arrival...which at this point is give or take only four weeks away!

36 Weeks!!

Yup, it's official, only a month left until my due date...I'm 36 weeks!!! While I don't have all the details of my current state since my 36 week appointment is tomorrow afternoon, which includes an ultrasound, I thought you may want to see the full glory of the 36 week belly bump.

I have been very fortunate to not have a completely miserable pregnancy but at this point the aches and pains are getting a little more irritating to deal with. Not to mention I am completely OVER dealing with the gestational diabetes thing!! I feel as though I have to eat the same things over and over again and they are NOT the things I want to eat either!!!  But the last appointment with ultrasound (at 32 weeks) showed that my eating habits were paying off with the Nugget only being at 4.8 lbs or the 45th percentile for his/her gestational age. So we'll see tomorrow if we're still at a good pace for growth. More on that later...

Maternity Photos @ 34 Weeks

So, I have not been the greatest at keeping up on bump photos since week 29, as you may have noticed due to the lack of activity on the blog. But the last month and a half has been quite busy! Our flurry of activity has delayed quite a bit of Nugget related to-do's, not just on the blog. Luckily, however, Paul's goatee grew back quickly following his Movember trucker stache so we could still have our maternity photos before I get too uncomfortable in this preggo body! Thank you to our dear friend Katherine Benjamin for taking these lovely photos! They are great and capture our excitement perfectly!

 

A Little Date Day in Seattle

We had a few hours between getting to the west side of the state and heading to the airport, so we decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to have a little date day in our former stomping grounds. The weather was slightly chilly for our Arizona thin blood but other than that, it was a truly beautiful day in Seattle.

Our first stop was to have lunch at Pike Place...nothing like fresh fish! Then attempting to find some Seattle based books for Nugget, which we are happy to report was a successful venture. Here are a few more snapshots of our day together. It sure was nice to have a moment to ourselves before heading back to reality.

Don't mind Paul's creeper stache...it was Movember after all!
Happy to announce he raised $150 this year toward prostate cancer research. Although it did force us to delay taking our maternity photos until he could grow his goatee back!

 Nugget's first trip to Pike Place Market! Too bad he/she won't be able to remember it!