[Nursery] More progress

We have progress! We found the perfect teal colored curtains at Target, and got them hung last night... this then allowed for us to hang the "whitney" letters I've been so excited about, too! It turned out great!

[Pregnancy] A visit to labor & delivery...

Saturday started out as any other day, until we had a bit of a scare and decided to check in with our doctor... the OB on call said we should come immediately to labor & delivery. We both panicked, laughed, panicked again... and went to the hospital. Thankfully it was a false alarm, but we were able to get paperwork completed and questions answered that we won't have to do again, so we're thankful we did it! Before we were released, I did start having some contractions, so that was exciting, but they sent us home to see what happens.

The interesting thing is that the nurse said, "So I bet you're ready to have this baby, and you don't want to leave the hospital without her, right?" 

"Uhh, actually, we're just fine staying pregnant for a little while longer," I replied. She gave me a weird look and I explained... I know it's in Whitney's best interest to stay cooking at least one week longer, if not two weeks, for the best chance of lung development being completed. Plus, this may be the only time in my life that I am pregnant, and it took a LOT to get us pregnant, so I'm perfectly content! 

I know this attitude differs from a lot of pregnant women at this point in pregnancy, and although the exhaustion, puffiness, and soreness are annoying at times, I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.

We had maternity photos done earlier today with a girl whom I "met" online in a fertility/trying to conceive group. She had her miracle baby 11 months ago, and is a very talented photographer. It turns out we have several friends in common, so we've had fun connecting throughout the past few years. We finally met today, and she was so much fun! It was very special to have her capture this amazing time in our life. While I hoped to reenact every single awkward maternity pose I've seen online, we ran out of time. ;)

We took the photos at my Great Aunt Whit's house, in her gorgeous backyard and surrounding property. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

[Pregnancy] "Glowing" while "showering"

Three of my amazing girlfriends threw me an incredible "Tickled Pink" baby shower earlier this month, and it was such a fun day! Friends from every aspect of my life - from high school, work, college, sorority, book club, etc. - were part of the celebration.

I've gotten to the point where I just laugh when people comment on pictures saying that I'm "glowing" during this pregnancy. Let's be honest, I'm sweating. My body runs hot to begin with, and add on the fact that I'm cooking a tiny human, I've been in a constant state of "glow" for the past nine months. :)

Aside from the "glow" you'll see in the photos, the day was just perfect. Everyone kept commenting on how "me" the shower was, and I couldn't agree more! 

To Alicia, Holly and Susan: thank you from the bottom of my heart. You each have been such an important part of my life, and incredible friends through the good times, and the bad. You've been by my side through this 3+ year journey to motherhood, and I am so lucky to have you in my life. Whitney is a lucky little girl to have "aunties" like you! xo

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

[Pregnancy] 4.5 weeks to go!

Today marks being 35 weeks and 5 days pregnant. In a week and 2 days, Whitney will be considered full term! She is growing right on schedule, and could feasibly arrive anytime between now and the next 6.5 weeks... EEK!

We've been discussing packing our hospital bag for the past few weeks, and today we got some news that has definitely lit the fire for us to get it done...

We had an appointment with our OB, and also had an ultrasound... while everything looked good, they followed up with a call after the ultrasound to share that the doctor was a little bit concerned about my amniotic fluid level. Often times this can be influenced by hydration (or actually, lack thereof), but I am diligent about drinking water all day long. While they assured us this is nothing to be concerned about, it's hard not to worry...!

They would like to do another ultrasound next week to check how things look, and I would guess that if the fluid level is still low, we could be meeting Whitney much sooner than we imagined! There's a chance Whitney and I could share a birthday week! Our hope is that things will look good, and she'll stay cooking for a few more weeks, however, so we'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers. :)

[Nursery] Progress and setbacks

I've totally procrastinated posting updates on the nursery (and in general) for several reasons:

1. I'm freaking exhausted all the time! :) I went to bed at 7 two nights last week, and could easily do it most nights, but life gets in the way
2. I was hoping to have our crib bedding, curtains, etc. to share, as they were due to be done January 7th

Unfortunately we've had a major setback with the bedding and everything... we initially placed the order back in November, and everything was to be ready at the beginning of this month. After several phone calls to check in after the new year went unreturned, I started to get worried. Then we've gotten a total runaround for the past three weeks since then... stories have included: the fabric was on backorder, the curtains were ready/not ready, the other fabric hasn't shipped yet and they don't know why, no one will return their emails, woah is them, it's not their fault, etc. Well, today was the final straw when they were supposed to call me with tracking numbers for the fabric that had yet to be ordered last Friday, and I still hadn't heard from them today. There's no excuse for not returning phone calls!

We had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and decided to go by their factory to see if they were there, since they weren't answering their phone and returning our calls. Sure enough, still no proof that the fabric was even ordered, and I was OVER IT. We asked if they were prepared to give us a discount on the balance due since things were so late, and they said no. We asked for our deposit back (and received it).

It turned out they did have our glider covers done, and just before we left, they decided to give them to us at no charge... which was VERY nice. Low and behold, we got home and discovered they'd also had the pillow covers done and they were in the bag with the glider covers. Granted, they were done in the wrong fabric (they were supposed to be floral), but they look really nice on the grey couch, so I can't complain.

Wes and I realized tonight that the cost of the glider cover and pillow covers were what would've made us happy if they'd agreed to discount our order... so essentially they gave them to us for FREE, and LOST our order. If they'd given us that amount off of the order, we would've waited on the other items. Silly!

That being said, I strongly recommend that you NOT use The Baby Guy for anything bedding related! He has a factory shop in Santa Fe Springs, but sells mostly out of the OC Swap Meet/OC Marketplace on the weekends. While his work is gorgeous, his business practices are incredibly sketchy.

So now the search is on to find a seamstress or someone on Etsy to make the rest of the stuff... know anyone? Let me know!

But in the mean time, things are certainly starting to come together... some photos:

We love how the pink pops off the grey walls!

We spruced up a plain white bookcase with fabric along the back!

Eventually the crib will have bedding...!

We put shelves up on the tree. Love it!

Hopefully we can get bedding and curtains done in the next few weeks, but regardless, Whitney will be in a bassinet in our room for a few months, so we have time!

[Fun] Horton Family bassinet

We've been planning to have Whitney in our bedroom when she first comes home, and had registered for a pack-n-play with a built in bassinet and changing table. About a month ago, my girlfriend Juliana contacted me to ask if we had a bassinet...

I met Juliana and her then boyfriend/now husband my sophomore year at Sonoma, and she is my sorority sister. We were in one other's weddings, and have always had an amazing connection. She's mom to four handsome boys, and has a heart of gold. Her husband and his family are equally fabulous, and his mother-in-law heard I was pregnant, and asked Juliana if I would be interested in using the Horton Family bassinet.

Now this isn't any old bassinet... it's been in their family since 1956! Every child and grandchild born since then has slept in it, and it is not only incredibly meaningful, it's absolutely precious! Juliana & John bought new bedding for it when their oldest son was born, and it is all darling. I mentioned it to Wes, and we were both overcome with how sweet of an offer it was. We gladly accepted, and can't wait to bring Whitney home to sleep in it!

[Wordless Wednesday] Date night at the Staples Center

[Wordless Wednesday] He's a cat person after all?

[Fun] New year

I think I speak for both of us when I say we couldn't wait for the calendar to turn to 2012! Now we're just weeks away from meeting our baby girl. Ack! Even typing that seems crazy! In just 52ish days, Whitney will make her arrival! We spent a lot of time during our holiday break doing things to prepare for her arrival... I think Wes has gotten the 'nesting' bug more than I have at this point, and it was awesome to get some random projects completed around the house.

Pregnancy has been treating me well, although I'm definitely exhausted most of the time. Having two weeks off was a huge blessing, and I took advantage of napping whenever possible, and living in slippers as much as I could! My feet and hands are starting to swell pretty badly... not surprising given our 80+ degree temperatures lately, too! I thought I would luck out being pregnant through the winter, but Mother Nature's giving me a little does of heat to keep things interesting. :)

We saw our doctor over the break, and things are progressing just as they should be! I'm measuring right on track for our due date - fun fact... did you know that the measurement of a woman's belly from the top of the uterus to the pubic bone should be exactly how many weeks pregnant she is in centimeters? It can be plus/minus three centimeters, but I measured right at 32 centimeters when I was two days shy of being 32 weeks along. Interesting!

We toured the hospital during the break, and I'm very thankful to be delivering where I am... all of their labor & delivery rooms are private, and so are the mother/baby rooms! The whole maternity wing was redone just a few years ago, and it's very nice. We went back a few days later and met with one of the L&D nurses, whose daughter I went to high school with. She was great to answer questions we had and give us some great advice about delivery and recovery.

We can't wait for the holidays this next year to have Whitney here with us... life is about to change, and we cannot wait! <3