The Fear of the Unknown

Right now I am sitting in our semi-hot house waiting for the two air conditioning guys to finish fixing our air conditioner. Luckily our days are not as hot this week as they were last week. Apparently we have a blown motor and who knows how much that is going to cost plus the $70 per hour fee they are charging us. I am overwhelmed with the thought of the unknown. Not just because of the air conditioner but what it represents. As homeowners, you are constantly faced with problems that need to be fixed. It seems as if it is one thing after another all the time. That scares me big time because we are going to be on a very tight budget. I am also overwhelmed with the thought of parenthood and how that is going to fit into our lives. Bryan and I have been going to some birthing classes which have been helpful but they have mostly been for the few hours before baby Seth is born and the few days afterward at the hospital. What the heck are we going to do once we get home? I guess I could be reading about all of this, but for some reason I have been avoiding that. Don't get me wrong, we are super excited about our little one that will be here in about 12 weeks, but I think a part of me wants to live life without a baby as long as possible because I am fearful about so many things. I know I have been blogging about the baby a lot but most of my time is spent like it has always been. Bryan and I still do the same things we have always done and we have worked hard to not let being pregnant consume us. Now some things are unavoidable, like the monstrous kicks that can now be seen quite frequently from the outside of my belly or the fact that I can't play 18 holes of disc golf without making a stop at the bathroom at least once. But we have continued to live life without being consumed by the baby. That doesn't mean that I don't think about the little one inside of me all the time because I do. I know we are going to do fine as parents but that fear of the unknown is so daunting right now. I am so thankful that at least God gives you 9 months to try to get a grasp on what is to come.

The Nursery

I love the benefit of having the summer off as a teacher. This year it has been incredibly helpful because I have had time to work on the nursery. Other than "how far along are you?" I am probably asked about the nursery most often. Since you have already seen glimpses into the room as pieces were being added, I thought I would share a little bit of my thinking behind the rest of it.

Of course, the inspiration for the room came from the Pottery Barn Kids quilt. As soon as I saw it online I knew I had to have it. I like to look at Pottery Barn for house inspirations, only I have to find cheaper ways of doing the things they put in their magazine and online, so I thought I would give Pottery Barn Kids a try for the nursery. It paid off. This is the only piece I have actually bought from the store. There is a cute bumper and ABC printed sheets that go with this bedding set but I opted for a cheaper way of doing things.


I found a polka dotted crib sheet from Target and I think I am going to add one of those mesh crib bumpers eventually since they have good reviews. The crib skirt is light blue and came from Ross. The bed itself came from Target and it converts into a toddler bed and then into a full size headboard. Under the bed I added a few Sterilite white baskets for toys. Since the room is not very big, we have to utilize as much space as possible for baby essentials.

As you are looking into the room from the doorway, you can see the bookshelf that was a must and the glider rocker and ottoman that I already love. It is so comfy. The bookshelf is from Target and the rocker came from Wal-mart. I decided I would try to be somewhat functional with my art for the room. Some things have been carried over from my classroom. I am not much on themes, but I believe the alphabet and numbers are essential for kids to know so why not have it plastered in lots of places they can see? I decided since I was working with bright, bold colors, I would add a magnetic dry erase board with magnetic letters and numbers. I hot glued a ribbon to the back and hung it on the wall. It was super cheap and I think it is super cute. If you are looking for those magnetic letters and numbers, you can usually find them on the $1 wall in the back of the children's toy area at Wal-mart. The silver magnetic dry erase board also came from Wal-mart.

Above the glider rocker, I made a shadowbox that contains a lot of crayons, two huge boxes actually. I love looking through rooms on Rate My Space and I came across a nursery that had some of the same colors I was using and a corner of the room similar to ours that contained a rocker. Above their rocker though, they had a shadowbox full of markers. I thought it was absolutely adorable. Since crayons are cheaper than markers and you can easily cut crayons to the perfect size needed I decided to make a shadowbox using crayons. The shadowbox was purchased at Hobby Lobby when they had their frames and shadowboxes half off. The cheapest place to get crayons is usually Wal-mart unless it is really close to school starting, then you can get crayons for practically nothing most anywhere.

I had to hunt and hunt for a changing table that could also be used as a chest of drawers. We really needed the drawer storage since Seth is going to share the closet with Bryan. So I hunted and hunted. I finally found this piece at JCPenny.com. They were having a closeout sale and so I got a great deal on it. It was very time consuming building it but it is a really nice piece. I found the light blue baskets that fit perfectly in the three cubby spaces at Lowe's.

Above the changing pad I bought an empty frame, again at Hobby Lobby when frames were half off. I hot glued ribbon to the back of it and found miniture clothespins at Mighty Dollar. I painted the clothespins so they could add a bit more color to the room. My intent is to put pictures of family and friends here so that Seth can see all the people that love him every time he is changed. I don't actually have all of those pictures yet, so I had to just add some postcards and the one picture that I did have printed to explain the idea. If you would like to be added to the frame, feel free to send a picture our way and I will gladly add it to the wall. The teacher in me wants to put the pics on cardstock and have each person's name typed under their pic to increase environmental print (teacher term for lots of words in the room). We'll see if that actually happens. :)

So other than adding the bumper and some type of mobile (not sure if I am going to purchase it or make something homemade) I think I have everything the way I want it to be in the nursery. WHAT A RELIEF!

Seth's Rag Quilt

For the past week and a half I have been working diligently on a rag quilt for Seth. I always said when I found out that I was pregnant I would try to make a quilt for my baby. Well, today I finished making my first rag quilt. A rag quilt is a little different from a traditional quilt because all of the seams on the front side are on the outside and they become frayed from washing and being used plus it is much easier to make since the front and back of the quilt is sewn at the same time. As long as a soft fabric is used this makes for a great quilt for kids because it is so soft. A typical rag quilt is made from flannel, but I decided I would make mine with fleece and flannel. It made it a lot thicker and it is definitely very warm. I would still like to make a smaller rag quilt made only of flannel which would be easier to carry around. I think I could really get into this whole sewing thing. It is very rewarding and is very relaxing for me. I can't wait to get started on the next sewing project especially if it helps keep my mind off of all the things that I want done around the house that I know will not get done anywhere in the near future. :)

(The back)

26 Weeks

Here is the 26 Weeks belly shot.

Living the Gestational Diabetes Lifestyle

Well I had my consults with the Community Dietician and Diabetes Consultant yesterday and figured out that it is going to be a long 14 weeks. I didn't realize I had 14 weeks left until tonight! I tested my blood a least five times yesterday and found out that my Joey Jr. burrito from Moe's and a steamed fish meal from Captain D's caused my blood sugar to be too high for the acceptable pregnancy range. So with my booklet of cans and cannots I started planning what I could eat. I have to have 60 grams of carbohydrates at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I also have to eat three snacks which contain 20 grams of carbohydrates to maintain my blood sugar level. All of these meals and snacks have to be at least two hours apart and I have to check my blood when I wake up, 2 hours after each meal, and again at bedtime. The last two days I feel like all I am doing is watching the clock. I don't necessarily feel hungry doing this plan so far because for crying out loud you are eating all the time, but you are eating very small portions. For instance a 20 gram snack could be 24 thin pretzel sticks and 10 grapes. I went to the store today after my breakfast of low sugar oatmeal, pecans, and 15 grapes. I bought a ton of vegetables, meat, fruits, and good snack items. It wasn't too different from the typical grocery run but after I got home I had to do a lot of measuring and counting so that I could have portions ready to go whenever I need them. This gestational diabetes thing really puts a damper on the things that I love though. I love, love, love eating as much fruit as I want or drinking sweet tea at meals or having my one coke a day or my ultimate love for french fries and mozzarella sticks. All that is out for 14 weeks. The amount of fruit and all the vegetables that are my favs are all restricted. It's ok though because it's just temporary. I figure in a week or two, although all my favorite things will still be on my mind, I will be better used to the diet that I can actually eat right now. Going out to eat or eating at friends' houses is going to be the hardest. I think I might try to avoid that as long as possible. Since I have started going by the meal plan today I have been in the acceptable range after every meal so I guess all this might actually work. We will also hopefully have a healthy, fully developed, and not extremely huge baby boy when this is all over. :)

Trees

We have the worst luck with trees! Here's a look at our front and back yard after today's afternoon severe thunderstorms. Pretty soon we aren't going to have anything left!!!!

(This is technically the neighbor's tree but it is our fence. If a tree or limb is going to fall you can count on it falling on something of ours or in our yard.)

A Pricky Situation

It's not a great thing when you have to prick yourself with a needle five times a day especially when you are extremely not fond of needles and thorns. That's what I will be doing until told otherwise for the next 19 weeks. I went in for my 3-hour glucose test today and found out this afternoon that I do in fact have Gestational Diabetes. I picked up my prescription for a glucose meter, test strips, and needles this afternoon and I go in tomorrow for a two hour consult with a nutritionist so that I can learn exactly what I can and cannot eat. My results were just about borderline. Here is the breakdown:

3-Hour Glucose Test

Fasting Bloodwork, My Result- 93
The Acceptable Range- 74-106 (I started off great.)

Glucose Hour #1 My Result- 187
The Acceptable Range 0-189 (Still acceptable)

Glucose Hour #2 My Result- 171
The Acceptable Range 0-164 (High)

Glucose Hour #3 My Result- 148
The Acceptable Range 0-144 (I was so close, but still high.)


So from now on, if you are around me please keep the milkshakes, cookies, cakes, brownies, ice cream, etc. as far away as possible because just never know how my mind might respond to something so sweet and delectable in such close proximity.

Hello Tutoring, Goodbye Housing Authority

This morning I spent two hours tutoring. I have picked up three clients so far and five hours of tutoring a week. Right now I meet on WKU's campus just because I don't want to invite just total strangers into my home at first but I hope to move the tutoring to my house once a rapport has been established. Since I won't be working full time anymore once Seth is born, I am hoping that the tutoring can be a great way to earn some extra money for diapers and food and stuff like that. :)
I found out a few weeks ago that the Housing Authority job will be ending. Because of some weird contracts, the last night will be tonight which I found out about last Thursday night. Mondays are not my day so I am just going to have to stop by to bid them farewell. I am very sad that I won't get to see these clients each week but I know that everything happens for a reason. I am sure that with the pregnancy hormones and because of the close bonds that have been made, this evening will be very hard to get through. I am not staying long so maybe I can say my goodbyes quickly and leave. Or maybe I can just get all my tears out right now so that I can appear strong tonight. That's doubtful but either way I hope that I am able to express how much each and every client means to me. I have posted this before, but I have probably learned more about life from them than I have ever taught them about reading. So even though this one chapter of my life is coming to an end, I am hoping that the tutoring can begin the next. Who knows what the future holds and I am thankful that life presents so many opportunities.

25 Week Check-up

Yesterday I went in for my 25 week check-up. I have gained 8 lbs. so far which my doctor was very pleased with and he said I could gain up to a pound a week from now on. Seth's heart rate was 138 bpm which they said was good. My blood pressure was very good. This was the first time that my stomach was measured and apparently I am measuring at about 26 weeks, about one week ahead. This could mean that Seth is a big baby, I could have gestational diabetes, I could be one week farther along, or he is just measuring big right now. They will do a 3-D ultrasound at my next visit in four weeks to check his size. If he gets too big they might have to induce earlier than the expected due date. I got a good report on just about everything except for my glucose test which I wouldn't know the results of for a while. I was feeling good, feeling fine yesterday about my progress so far, but things changed this morning. I got a call from the nurse and she said that I failed my routine glucose tolerance test. This means I will have to go in next week for the three hour version of the test to determine if I have gestational diabetes. I was bummed for about five minutes and shed a few quick tears because after all I FAILED a test, but then decided I might as well be proactive about it. I did some research about gestational diabetes and realized it's really not something you can prevent but you can help through diet and exercise. So I might as well try to be a little more conscious about my sugar/carbohydrate intake until I know for sure if I have gestational diabetes. My eating healthier and being sugar conscious is not going to hurt anything if I don't have gestational diabetes. I plan to go in for the three hour test during the first part of next week so hopefully I will know by the middle of next week about the gd for sure. We'll see what happens after that.

Weekend (Plus a little more) in Review

This past weekend started off with a trip to Target where I purchased an Espresso colored bookshelf to house all of Seth's books. I also found the perfect curtains last Thursday at Wal-mart which that was a huge relief to get that out of the way. Apparently you become very obsessive over the most stupid things when you are pregnant. Who would have imagined that I would have gone through three sets of curtains before I was actually satisfied with the final decision?

I am not sure if the fish tank will be staying but the little guy has lasted all year in my classroom and I just couldn't bear to get rid of him since he has been such a trooper.

On Saturday, my parents came to visit. We had a very lovely day which included a trip up to Jackson's Orchard for some fried apple pies, quite a bit of shopping, and some nice quality time with mom and dad. While we were out shopping, I bought this very cool picnic basket from Target and mom used a JCPenny gift card to buy me this beautiful ring along with some earrings and the cutest turtle outfit for Baby Seth. I didn't manage to get a picture with them even though I did take a picture of a duck in the Wal-mart parking lot. That's right, it was stopping to get a drink of water I guess. It was quite a crazy sight.

Bryan and I enjoyed some disc golf yesterday after I purchased a chest of drawers (finally) at JCPenny.com. It should be here between four to seven days. The rest of the day I lounged around in the nice cool house until after dinner when we went to register for baby stuff at Target. That's right, we now have a registry. It did not take as long as we were expecting and we were absolutely clueless on a few things so we were hilarious I'm sure.

Although it's not the weekend anymore, this morning Bryan was taking a shower and the metal ring that holds up the curtain came crashing down. This was the scene that I stumbled upon when Bryan told me I couldn't take a shower today until he fixed the shower after he got off work.

This is the second issue we have had in our bathroom in the past few days. Earlier we had a leak coming from the toilet. As soon as that was fixed this happened. On a better note, we now have our microwave back. Did I mention that our microwave broke about two months ago and so we just brought up the one from the basement that Bryan had used during college? Well about three weeks ago that one completely quit working too. What are the odds, right? While we were using our backup microwave, we tried replacing the magnetron on the one that also includes our venthood above our stove. That didn't fix it so we had to take it to an appliance store to get it repaired. They called today and said it was the magnetron, but we apparently had missed a wire when hooking the new one up. Thankfully, it is working again and our microwave use can return to normal. Just so you know, life without a microwave is not that fun. :)

Thrifty Baby Finds

I have been working hard at being thrifty when it comes to Baby Seth's room, clothes, and other essential baby gear and toys. I have been hitting the consignment stores hard as well as a few yard sales, but this weekend I really lucked up. We went back to Jackson to pick up Sophie who is hopefully going to have some adorable puppies in about 8 weeks, but while I was there, Bryan's sister Amy mentioned she had a friend who was having a yard sale and she was selling a lot of baby boy clothes. I was even luckier because the girl selling the clothes had her son in September which meant that all of his clothes were in the right season for Baby Seth. I bought several bags full of clothes, some that had never been worn, and some shoes, toys, and a Leapfrog Learning table all for the great price of $65.00. I have every size needed, hopefully, unless we have a son that grows as fast as a weed, for the next year.

I splurged on one thing for the nursery and that was on a quilt from Pottery Barn Kids. I just couldn't resist but everything else I have found has been very inexpensive. I found a light blue bedskirt at Ross thanks to my mom who spotted it in the store for only $4.99. I bought a polka dotted crib sheet from Target. I also found an adorable miniature Red Radio Flyer wagon at a consignment store for $5.00. Other great finds that I have bought or have been given include a Boppy pillow with slipcover also bought at Ross, a high chair cover to be used when dining out, and an Infantino baby carrier donated by Amy. I have been on the hunt for a chest of drawers which I think I am going to get from IKEA since I haven't been able to find a used chest of drawer that can be used as a changing table. I have also been hunting for a bookshelf that can house the many, many books that I brought home from school that were my favorites for Seth. This week I have also been looking for the perfect curtains. I have already taken two sets of curtains back to Target because they just weren't perfect and now I am on the lookout for some light blue curtains thanks to Bryan's input on the curtain color. Things are coming along and I am having such a delightful time getting the nursery ready.

The monstrous pile of clothes that have been laundered but still need to be sorted and...

the Radio Flyer wagon and woven newborn moccasins that are just too adorable so I had to include them.