36 and progressing!

At 36 weeks pregnant, some doctors consider me full term!  (Dr. G won't consider me full term until next week and I'm fine with that!)  It's still crazy for me to think that I'm 8 months pregnant and that Carson could honestly come ANY day!  I know this post is late but I wanted to wait to post until after my 36 week check-up!

According to the Bump, Carson weighs about as much as a Coconut.  To be honest, that just makes me want to go somewhere tropical and soak up the sun by some palm trees!  Baby Center is once again using a melon for comparison and this week it's a Crenshaw Melon.  Anyone ever have one of those before?  I'm pretty sure I have not!  Baby Center also says "Your baby, almost 6 pounds and still packing on the pounds at a rate of about an ounce a day."  Eeek...hard to believe I may have a 6 pounder in there already!  

How far along? 36 weeks!!!

Total weight gain: At 34 weeks I was +22lbs and at 36w I'm up 25!

Maternity clothes? Duh!  I caved and bought 2 new tops from Old Navy just because I had a coupon and they were on sale.  I don't have a ton of warm weather stuff so I bought a t-shirt and a tank.  I also still have quite a few non-maternity shirts that I can wear (thank goodness LONG shirts have been in style, haha)! (scroll down for my newest bump pic!)

Stretch marks? no
Sleep: I've still been tossing and turning a lot.  The other night I slept wrong on my neck and took it out on my Snoogle, ha!  The snoogle is currently on the floor next to the bed until my neck feels better.  :)
Best moment this week: We went to visit with another pediatrician's office and loved them just as much as we loved the first!  It's going to be a tough decision, but luckily we don't have to decide until we're in the hospital!  I'm leaning towards the office we met with this past week just because they seem to have a few extra benefits (open late on occasion, overnight nurse triage service, etc.).  I washed Carson's bottles and also made a list of what we need to buy from our registry so that we will be ready for Carson!  I also put together his pack'n'play (scroll down for a pic)!  Dr. G went over labor & delivery at my 36week appointment which was really informative and exciting!  I am also starting my weekly appointments now which is exciting and also a relief...I hated waiting 2 weeks between appointments, I feel like I always have so many questions!  Oh yea, and I'm dilated 3cm and 50% effaced....ahhh!!  I can't believe how fast things are progressing and getting real!
Miss Anything? I'm still missing having a tan and I'm also really excited to eat a sub when this is all over.  I think I might need a Jimmy John's Slim 5. :)
Movement: Last week I mentioned how Carson hasn't been moving quite as much.  I think he noticed that because this week he has been dancing around like a crazy boy!  I'm surprised more people don't comment on my stomach that changes shape constantly, ha!
Food cravings: Nothing really this week besides juice!  I went through 2 bottles of juice in a few days and I'm also still drinking ice water like it's going out of style. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Baby BOY Carson!
Labor Signs: No.
Symptoms: Still monitoring my blood pressure at home...it's been high at home and I'm now taking it on 2 cuffs to compare.  I compared it to Nick's and his was normal so I don't think the cuffs are off.  I also have had some pretty uncomfortable cramping pretty far down and some sharp pains but nothing I can't handle.  If I was ever in too much pain, I would call the doctor, but so far, so good!  (Dr. G said my cramping was probably Carson dropping down into place and me dilating...interesting!)

Belly Button in or out? Halfie, haha!

Wedding rings on or off? On and loose still!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Getting SUPER happy and anxious!
Looking forward to: Doing Carson's laundry (I'm waiting until we buy the rest of the stuff we need), getting our carseat installed, finishing packing my hospital bag, getting our house ready, etc.  Basically nesting!  I'm also excited to go to the doctor again already a week from today!


Here is my bump at 36 weeks (35w6d)!

Here is Carson's bed for when he first comes home!  I feel so thankful that we got this as a shower gift and I'm also very excited that I put it together all by myself!  Haha, it's the little things. :)

Frame Collage How-To!

Several people asked me about the frame collage over Carson's dresser.  I maybe a little OCD bit of a perfectionist so it took me QUITE a while to figure out how I wanted the layout.  I first went into the basement and found my rubbermaid bin full of old frames.  See?  Sometimes it helps not to donate everything and hoard your old decor! 

I found my "floating" frames and some smaller 5x7 frames that we had in our family room before we re-decorated.  I first attempted making a layout with those....

 I liked the layout but I was frustrated that the sides wouldn't line up without looking awkward and I felt like I need a little more variety.  That's when I found Anne Tavoletti's prints on art.com.  Since they came in 12x12 I was practically forced to buy a couple new frames!  I headed to Michael's since they were having a frame sale (like always) and also took along my coupon for 30% off any framing order (even sale items)!  I found a new line called "Aris" that is super affordable and actually looks really nice.  The 12x12 frames with matting ended up being $6/each!  Here is the new layout with a few 12x12's thrown in the mix.

Next I had to decide how I was going to transfer this from the floor of our loft to the wall of the nursery.  [Insert panic attack.]  I knew I would be SO mad if I had to put any extra holes in the wall.  Then, I remembered my BFF, Pinterest!  I saw this tip on flipping your frames and using wax paper as a template and knew I had to try it.

Source: roost-home.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

First, I flipped my frames, using yard sticks to level the top and bottom.  I used my handy dandy pink measuring tape to ensure equal distance between frames.  Being a perfectionist is so tiring!

Next I taped 3 long pieces of wax paper together and placed the large piece carefully over my frames.  I used a sharpie to mark where the nails needed to go.  I also did a short line on top of the top frames so that I could use that as a point to level the wax paper template. 

Next I took the template and taped it to the wall in the nursery.  I used a laser level with the top lines to ensure it was level and also lined up the center holes with the center of Carson's dresser.  After I was satisfied it was in the right place, I put my nails in and ripped off the wax paper (possibly the most fun part of this project).

Once the template was gone, I was able to hang up my frames and admire my work!  Here are the frames with the old pictures in them and the unpainted 'C'.

The C is something I picked up on clearance at Michael's shortly after we decided on Carson's name.  I wanted it to pop against the wall so I decided to spray paint it navy blue.  Something went wrong with my spray paint and my C ended up being textured.  I asked for some honest feedback and decided to keep it this way, more unique, right?!

This is the outcome of my screwy spraypaint can....paint went everywhere!

Finally, here is the final product!!   I kind of love it and can't wait to fill some of the frames with pictures of our little man!

*Giraffe and Elephant prints can be found on art.com (artist: Anne Tavoletti)

*All other prints are free printables found on Sprik Space

Do you have any frame collages in your house?  How did you decide on a layout and how did you install?  I feel like there has to be an easier way!

8 Months (35/35)!!

I'm now 35 weeks pregnant and only have 35 days left....ahhh!  It's crazy to think that Carson will be here in 5 weeks or less (hopefully)!  The Bump tells me that Carson weighs about as much as a Butternut Squash...why are they always using squash as a reference!?  (Baby Center compared Carson to a butternut squash back at 29 weeks!)  Baby Center tells me that Carson compares to the weight of a Honeydew Melon.  (The Bump compared Carson to a honeydew back at week 33...maybe they should get together to revise these silly lists!)  The Bump also says that Carson's hearing is fully developed (so exciting!) and my uterus has grown to approximately 1,000x its original size.  That's scary! 

For the first time in weeks, I did NOT get an ultrasound so I have no real growth measurements of Carson.  Let's just hope that he's still right on track in there!  It sure feels like he's running out of space!

How far along? 35 weeks...it's hard to believe I only have 5 weeks left

Total weight gain: As of last week I was +22lbs.  I don't have another doctor's appointment until a week from tomorrow so we'll see where I'm at then....eek!

Maternity clothes? Yep.  I am also running out of shirts that are long enough!  I can still wear some of my long non-maternity tops but even some of my XS maternity tops are starting to get too short! (scroll down for my newest bump pic!)

Stretch marks? no
Sleep: I toss and turn a lot so I wake up feeling REALLY tired.  I would give anything to have a desk job because at the end of a work day I'm beyond tired!
Best moment this week: We went to another class (breastfeeding this time) that was very informative!  We also had our family shower which was really nice and we got a lot of great things from our registry!  I finally got into nesting mode (I think?) at home and cleaned out the kitchen cabinets to make space for Carson, reorganized our coat closet, and organized our spare bedroom!  My next step is to organize under all of the bathroom sinks so we have some extra storage space and start washing Carson's clothes!
Miss Anything? I'm really missing having a tan lately and since I'm so tired in the mornings, I'm missing my Keurig :(
Movement: Carson doesn't move quite as much as before, but I've read that's normal.  He still moves a lot...especially when I'm laying on my side!
Food cravings: Still fruit!  I've made quite a few smoothies and I've also been eating rainbow sherbet as a snack.  Believe it or not, I haven't had much chocolate-y dessert lately!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Baby BOY Carson!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Still backaches but nothing much else.  I did come down with a cold this week and I'm still trying to get over it.  I'm really congested and I have a fever that won't leave!  I've been checking my blood pressure at home and it's been higher than at the doctor so my doc wants me to bring in my cuff to make sure it's accurate.  Hopefully it's not and my blood pressure is normal! 

Belly Button in or out? Halfie, haha!

Wedding rings on or off? On and loose still!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and excited to meet this little boy!
Looking forward to: Nesting some more at home if I can find the energy!  I'm also looking forward to the weekend because with this cold, this week has EXHAUSTED me!


Here is my bump at 35 weeks (34w6d)!  Only 35 days left....eeek!

P.S. 4 weeks + 1 day until my maternity leave starts....so crazy!  One week from yesterday!

Nursery Update #3!

I haven't done a nursery update in a LONG time.  I was waiting to figure out exactly what I wanted to do as far as wall decor and it took me a while, but I finally committed!  If you missed my before and after pictures from the first stage, check out my previous nursery update from February.  You can also check out the more recent nursery update from March.

One of the things that Nick insisted we get was some sort of growth chart.  I told him we won't be able to use it for a little while, but he REALLY wanted one.  I'm so glad we picked this super cute giraffe!  (Find it for sale here.)  You might also remember my DIY name art that I made a while ago from this post.  We hung it over the crib and I love how simple it is!

Here is a better picture of the giraffe.  It came with some grass to go under the giraffe but in order for the height measurements to be accurate, we couldn't use the grass. 

I also hung up some of the decorations from the lovely shower my girlfriends threw for me!  I think they look so cute in the room. 

Banner and Diaper Wreath can be purchased at my friend's Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatsSoCuteEtsyShop

As you can see in the picture above, our bookshelf had a decent amount of books.  Last week, my co-workers at my afternoon school threw me a book shower!  It was so great and I'll post pics as soon as I get them!  I got TONS of cute books and I can't wait to read with my little boy!  I also got a ton of great books from my family shower so the shelf is even more overflowing now! :)

My sis got me this super cute artwork for my shower.  (Sorry it's a little crooked in the matting.)  We're going to go shopping together to pick out some frames and then I plan on hanging one on each side of the window!  (Sorry about the mess in Carson's room...I have a balloon left over from my work shower and our Easter baskets in there!) 

Prints can be found on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/petitcollage

 As you saw above, we finally have our glider!  It's a little big for the space but I'm in LOVE with how comfortable it is!  Once we move it out of Carson's room, we can use it in a living area which will be so nice!  It's a glider/recliner and Chip and Dixie are in love!

I also finally finished the frame collage over Carson's dresser!  It took me forever to come up with a good design/layout!  I also had trouble deciding what to put in the frames.  The top left and bottom right are prints made by Anne Tavoletti.  You can find them here on art.com.  The rest of the prints are free printables I found on a wonderful blog called Sprik Space.  The top middle frame has Coldplay lyrics and the others are just cute phrases/quotes.  I plan to change out the free printables with pictures of Carson once we have some! :)  Keep checking back for a DIY post on this frame collage!

Just for fun, here is my lovely husband testing out our infant carrier with poor Chip and Dixie.  Dixie was a little too small, haha!

Chip is NOT amused!

Dixie was so content even though she could barely see!

34 Weeks!

First of all, sorry this post is a day late!  I wasn't feeling well at all yesterday.  I worked in the AM and then went home and spent the rest of the day in bed...lame!  I'm feeling better today so let's hope I can make it through the work day!

I can't believe I'm 34 weeks into this pregnancy.  6 weeks (or less) left...sounds SO soon!  The Bump tells me that Carson is about the size of a Durian Fruit while Baby Center says Carson is about the size of a Cantaloupe.  Obviously they're only comparing weight now, but The Bump compared me to a cantaloupe back at 20 weeks!  The weight estimates are saying about 4.2-5.8lbs.  The length says between 17.2 and 18.7".  At our ultrasound last week (33w1d), Carson was measuring 4lbs12oz and 19.4" long!  Those measurments put him at about 4 days ahead.  (Scroll down for some ultrasound pics!)

Durian Fruit sure is weird looking!

How far along? 34 weeks already!

Total weight gain: I am now up 22lbs.  Sounds crazy since I was only up 18.5 last time!  My doctor is pleased though since I've been on the low end of normal.  Also, the nurse commented that last time I was wearing a t-shirt and flip flops and this time I was wearing boots and a coat, haha!  Maybe she was just trying to make me feel better :)

Maternity clothes? Yes!  I wear a lot of non-maternity tops still but my selection is getting limited...(scroll down for my newest bump pic!)

Stretch marks? no
Sleep: I have been sleeping pretty well but I wake up EXHAUSTED!  I'm not sure if I'm just tossing and turning too much in the night or if I'm not getting enough sleep. 
Best moment this week: We had a great ultrasound and got to see Carson one last time!  This was our 3rd visit to the elective office since Carson never wanted to cooperate!  This time he was finally ready (for the most part) so we were able to see his cute chubby cheeks and full lips! <3  Like I said above, he was measuring 4 days ahead!  We also went to our childbirth class at our hospital and it was very informative and interesting!  AND I had another doctor appointment and Dr. G is very pleased with how Carson and I are doing!
Miss Anything? The warm weather!  Ohio has had a cold front this past week and I'm not loving it. 
Movement: Carson is still moving a lot!  I recorded my stomach bouncing the other night from his hiccups, it's so cute! 
Food cravings: Still fruit (currently drinking a homemade smoothie) and I also have been eating Cheerios a lot...random!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Baby BOY Carson!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: I've still been having some back aches but there are a few exercises and stretches that seem to help.  I also had a scary bleeding episode last week after our ultrasound.  Luckily everything is fine but I had to have a blood vessel on my cervix cauterized...not super fun! :/

Belly Button in or out? Halfie, haha!

Wedding rings on or off? On and loose still!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: My family shower which is this coming Sunday.  I'm actually a bit anxious because most of the guests are people I haven't seen since my bridal shower and/or wedding 4 years ago!  BUT I am excited to get things for Carson and to see some of the family that I actually do know! :)  Also looking forward to 35/35 next week!



Here is Carson at 33w1d measuring in at 4lbs12oz and 19.4" long!

Cracking a little smile for Mommy & Daddy :)

sleeping like Daddy...mouth open!

<3 those lips!

Here is my bump at 34w exactly!  (Please excuse me looking sick...I felt awful!)

30 Before 30 Update!

I have been horrible in keeping up with my bucket list so I'm finally doing an update!  If you haven't checked out my bucket list, it's on my tabs or you can find it here.


1. Paint our master bedroom & bathroom.  My mom's birthday gift to me was to paint our master bedroom.  She knew I wanted it done, but didn't want to pay to have it done or do it myself.  (Lazy? Yes.)  She is a great painter and I love how it turned out!  I didn't want to feel TOO lazy so I decided to paint the master bathroom while she did the bedroom.  :)  Enjoy our before & afters:

Master Bath Before

Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom Before 2 (hubster helped with our plant ledge...haha!)

Master Bath after!  (Paint is "Autumn Fog" by Valspar)

Master Bedroom after!  I can't remember the paint color but I can get it for you if you want....

6. Get rid of antique dining room furniture. AND 7. Transform our dining room into a living room/playroom.  My husband's grandparents gave us this really ornate antique dining furniture when we moved into our house almost 7 years ago.  It was very nice so that we had something to fill the room, but we NEVER used it (except to store junk).  Once we decided to start our family, I wanted that room to have more of a purpose so I decided it should be a living/play room.  Our family didn't want the furniture back so they said we could consign it.  We used a local consignment shop and got a pretty penny for all 3 pieces!  (The chairs didn't match so I sold those to someone I work with for fairly cheap.)  Here is a picture of the furniture and a picture of our new playroom/living room (no wall decor yet...I'm indecisive)!

Paint color is "Arid Plains" by Valspar.

The only things I had to buy for the living room were the throw pillows and the ottoman!  The chairs were hand-me-downs from my mom and formerly in our loft.  The side table is from our family room and the curtains are from our bedroom.  I love moving things to other rooms to make it feel new again!  Like I said, very indecisive on the wall decor....

10. Start our family. <3 You can read more about it in this post.  Baby Carson is due May 24th and we are SO excited to be starting our family!  I feel so thankful and blessed and we can't wait to meet Carson!  Here is the latest picture we have of him (33w1d):

16. Take a family vacation.  This past October, we went to Hocking Hills with my family.  It was just a weekend trip but it was so fun and relaxing!  We went hiking, sat by the fire outside, relaxed in the hot tub (not me though since I was prego), made s'mores, played games, and had fun!  Here are a few pics from our trip...

18. Pay off my student loans.  This is still a work in progress BUT I did pay off more than half of my loans in the past year.  Thanks to working full-time (and sometimes 2 jobs) while in college, I didn't have a huge amount of loans to re-pay.  I'm happy to say that I could pay off my loans by summer if I wanted.  However, there is an early pay-off penalty (lame!) so I will continue to just make my monthly payments.  Also - I signed up for auto-pay so for every 4 (or 6?) payments, my interest rate decreases!  Very nice! :)

21. Complete a DIY project for our house.  With Carson on his way, I decided I would make something for his room.  I wanted it to be personal so I decided on name art.  You can find my little how-to tutorial here.  Here is a pic of the final product.  I'll do another nursery update soon so you can see where it's hanging in the room!

That's about it for now.  I'm hoping to cross off a lot more soon! 
Do you have a Bucket List?