Baby C's Nursery

We are 15 days away from the due date, people!! 

 Let's hope she comes before or on that day.... HA. 

Regardless, her little nursery is ready when she is. 

Have a look.

If you care about the details...

Bedding, Curtains, & Changing Pad Cover 

I saw the set on Pinterest and about died. Then I died again when I saw the price tag. I decided I would just use the print as inspiration, but my oh-so-amazing Mom actually bought it all for me - here! Let's be honest, minus a few little things Grandma helped fund this nursery significantly. She's great and a little excited for a grandchild ;)

Gallery Wall

I found all of the framed art for my gallery wall online. There is some really cute stuff out there, and most of it's FREE. Links below. (Sorry, I can't remember where I found the blue arc art... I'm pretty sure it was a desktop wallpaper though haha. Whatever works, people!). The key was an old item I had laying around. I just painted it gold to match. The white oval frame is from Hobby Lobby.

Water color floral

No love in fear

Geometric gold heart

World map

Little but fierce

Rocking Chair & Footstool

These things are PRICEY. I went back and forth on this purchase. We ended up finding this gem at Downeast. They have product online too but the real deals are in store. Every store can be different and sometimes when things go, they are gone forever. We just kept checking back and we found this chair on sale. The footstool was an IKEA find. Bonus- it has storage!

"Ferle" Rug

Maybe completely unnecessary because there is already carpet in her room? This rug was too good to pass up though. 6' 5" x 4' 4" and I got it for like $20 at IKEA. We must have bought one of the last in stock because I don't see it online anymore. I know it's not super high quality and it won't last forever - but $20?? Worth it.

Gold Nightstand. Lips, Arrows & Heart Art

Hobby Lobby is your friend, people!! I wasn't even planning on these pieces, but they are just so cute. Stock is always changing, but they have so much to choose from. It was hard to pick!

Owl Lamp

Potterybarn is usually out of my price range, but we found a long lost gift card from our wedding! SCORE. Originally the lamp was like $50/$60 bucks... yikes. I got it on sale though. The gold ears are a nice touch. Don't you think?

Changing Table

Vintage! From Austin's mom. Austin himself was changed on this thing 26 years ago. Precious, right??

Dresser

Another vintage item! My mom grew up with this dresser in her room as a bedroom set, then passed it all onto me, and now I am passing it onto our daughter! It was a teal color before with some serious vintage hardware. I WISH I had taken a "before" picture, but I forgot. I used Americana Decor chalk paint and wax finish (get it at any local craft store), and I got the hardware at Home Depot.

The dresser matched this desk before I painted it.

Maternity Shoot. Eeeek

How far along? 35 weeks!! 5 to go. YIKES!

Baby growth and progress? 19 inches & about 5.5 lbs. They say she won’t get much longer, but she will beef up a bit.

Body/Weight Gain? Holding out around the 21 lb mark. Your body takes a serious beating during pregnancy, but I’m happy to do it for this little girl.

Sleep? Not ideal… haha. I’m trying to get as much as possible before she comes.

Emotions? Still tearing up more than usual. I find myself a little more irritable too.

Food cravings? Still eating lots of smaller meals throughout the day. I’m craving sweets a lot now which is not great. Let's be honest, probably not pregnancy related haha.

Maternity clothes? YESSSS… I look at my pre-prego clothes and wonder if I will ever fit into them again. Only time will tell.

Stretch marks? Shockingly enough, still no. I can seriously see a size difference in my belly over days now though, not weeks. They are bound to come out any day now.

Anything make you queasy? Car rides still and if I don’t drink enough water.

Movement? ALWAYS. Which is good! I sometimes wonder how I am going to make it 5 more weeks without her jabbing out my ribs though.

Exercise? Still trying to walk! The stretching out of the pelvic area is making that reaaaaaal difficult.

Memorable pregnancy moments? Austin does this thing where he will get down close to my belly and say something like, “hey, little girl!” I love it. It’s even better when she moves when she hears him.

Least favorite thing about being pregnant? I originally took this question out. I was just so excited to be pregnant at all I thought it was insensitive to say anything was bad about it. Honestly though, there are some parts that are just not that great. Some people love being pregnant… not me haha. I hesitate to say that, but it’s true! It’s weird to be physically incapable of doing something that I could do so easily before! The bloating and nausea in the beginning was horrendous. The weight gain does a real number on your self-esteem. The random aches and pains from stretching and hormones are inconvenient. It’s a wonder that billions of women have done this haha. BUUUUT… it’s all so worth it. We literally can’t wait to meet our baby girl.

Looking forward to: 35 days from now when she is HERE (hopefully…)

My sister-in-law was kind enough to offer to take some pictures for us. (Thank you, Olivia!!!!) I was a little nervous about the idea. I've never been a huge fan of maternity photo shoots. Sometimes they are weird... haha and do I really want to remember and even highlight my body this way? So be kind, people. I think we will be glad we did these though.

Austin was NOT thrilled about the idea at all, but he was a trooper. Thanks, honey!

4 YEARS

Austin and I have been walking this path of marriage for four years now. Oh, how time flies!! I wanted to write a little tribute to Austin and our time together. Along with a few little things I’ve learned along the way.

Adventure

I can’t say how great it has been for us to travel and live abroad. It forced us to establish our relationship outside of our individual families/friends. We had no choice but to rely on the Lord and each other. There have been many times we were stuck in a train station, or in the middle of a random city in Europe just absolutely winging it. We generally don't have a clue what we're doing, but we always figure it out together. Austin helps to fuel my adventurous side all while being my calming presence. I always know that because I have him, we will be okay.

Compromise

Molding two lives together and establishing a new family unit can be tough. You have to include another person in every aspect of your life– finances, living quarters, jobs, etc. Austin is one of the most relaxed people I know though, and I love that about him. He’s made all of the changes that come with marriage pretty easy. We have both had to compromise, but he makes it so much easier. I say easier, because as we all know compromise takes sacrifice and sacrifice isn’t meant to be easy.

Perspective

Not many people know this about us but in April of 2015 we had a miscarriage. Although I wasn’t too far along, I don’t think I could have ever prepared myself for the dramatic highs and lows the experience brought. I remember sitting in our tiny English flat being flooded with every emotion you can image… but above all, I felt peace. The Lord has a plan for each of us and I knew that. I knew He loved me. I knew this was just something we had to go through. I also know that wasn’t the only hard thing we will have to go through together. These things make us stronger, and through it all Austin is always there -for the happy times, the trials and everything in between. 

Fun

We are total goofs. Bottom line. I know I can say or do anything with this guy and he will love me no matter what. He's an introvert and likes to recharge alone, while I am an extrovert who loves to be out an about or with people. We are a nice balance for each other. He's my favorite and there is never any shortage of fun with him. We're best friends and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Happy 4^th Anniversary, Aust! Love you foreverrrrrr

33 Weeks & Counting...

I know it's still a little early to be counting down, but we are just so excited. 49 days left, 49 PEOPLE! It's so soon!!

How far along? 33 weeks down, 7 to down. Hard to believe!

Baby growth and progress? 19 inches & about 4.5 lbs. A honeydew melon they say... (I've never understood where they get these fruit measurements from).

Body/Weight Gain? Quite a bit! Sitting for long periods of time is pretty uncomfortable now. I know it's only going to get worse from here so I'm just taking it a day at a time!

Sleep? Some nights are better than others. I think I have perfected the art of sleeping with 3 pillows in different positions around my body though. Who needs to spend money on a pregnancy pillow anyways!?

Emotions? Feeling way more emotional these days. Almost cried when I saw Lebron's reaction to their win last night... haha

Food cravings? Still just really hungry! But my stomach is basically pushed up to my throat now so lots of smaller meals and snacks are key. 

Maternity clothes? Are pretty much the only thing that fit me now. It really is amazing how fast your body grows. Clothes I could wear just a few short weeks ago no longer fit. Our little girl is growing and it's so great!

Stretch marks? Shockingly enough, nothing yet! But there is still 7 weeks left. We shall see.

Anything make you queasy? Riding in the car. And sometimes if I'm scrolling and staring at my phone screen for too long... haha is that weird?

Movement? Oh yeah! She's a moving machine and my ribs are FEELING IT. Austin said it looks like there is an alien inside of me sometimes.

Exercise? Walking almost everyday still. I want to get back into swimming too. Being weightless is $$$$.

Gender? Her nursery is looking reaaaaal pink, so we're hoping it's still a girl.

Memorable pregnancy moments? I was at target the other day and some random lady told me how pretty I looked. Seriously, how nice was that?? I don't really think I have that pregnancy glow people talk about, but it was nice to hear when you feel so completely not yourself.

Favorite thing about being pregnant? The thought that we are going to have a little girl join our family in just 7 weeks. Our lives will be changed forever and we can't wait.

Bought anything for the baby yet? Almost everything we need! We still need a few smaller things, but we are so close to being ready for her. Exciting purchase this week: I FINALLY got my hands on the Oh Joy! for Target backpack diaper bag. I've been trying to get it for weeks. Every time they are restocked they sell out so quickly! And it's only $40, which is cheap for a diaper bag.... ridiculous if you ask me! 

Looking forward to: Seeing Austin become a Dad :) 

Here's to the last 49 days of pregnancy!!

A letter to my high school self

I wish I could go back
& tell myself these things.

Chalk it up to coaching high school girls or becoming a mom in the next couple months, but here are some things I needed to hear (interlaced with a few throwback pictures for your viewing pleasure).

Be kind.

Everyone around you is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Keep that in mind the next time you’re hurt or offended. You have no idea why people do what they do. You can’t ever control anyone else, but you can control your own actions. No one will ever accuse you of being too good a friend, too kind, or too generous.

You are of infinite worth.

It can’t be defined by your clothes, grades, looks, date to prom, etc. You matter beyond all of those things. And so does everyone around you. Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise.  

Be nice to your parents. They love you above all else.

(My mom never lets me forget that I was the only child to ever tell her I hated her. HATED. How awful is that?? Sorry, Mom. You know I love you and appreciate you more and more every single day.) They set rules and guidelines because they love you.  They don’t punish you because they want to make your life miserable. Those guidelines are there to keep you safe and happy. And if they do punish you, you probably did something to deserve it. 

Your teachers & coaches want you to succeed.

It’s really easy to hate someone who challenges you, especially as a teenager. Most teachers and coaches aren’t doing what they do because of the money. They do it because they genuinely care about you and want you to thrive. When they push you they are molding and shaping you into a better student, athlete, and person. Cut the attitude, embrace it and rise to the challenge.

You are privileged.

You need lunch? Here. A car to get you to and from all of your activities? Done. Oh, and you need someone to pay for all of those activities? And come support you and be your biggest fan? Check. Believe it or not you have everything you’ll ever need to be happy and healthy- and more. Be grateful.

It’s only going to get harder from here… so enjoy it.

You think your life is hard now? Try again. Growing up comes with a lot of responsibility. ENJOY your time now. Be happy! There is plenty of time to grow up and be an adult later.

Summer Hiking

The weather is warming up here which means we are getting outside more! Last weekend we did a short little hike by our house up to Battle Creek Falls. It was Memorial Day so the trail was packed as ever, but it was still nice to get outside.

Today we went up Little Cottonwood Canyon planning to hike up to Albion Basin where we hear there are fields of beautiful wildflowers. The gate was locked until July 1st though.... oops. So we improvised and did another hike in the canyon - the trail to White Pine Lake. There was still snow up there so we didn't make it all the way to the lake, but it's okay! Next time!

MOOOOOOOOOOSE!

Special shout out to my husband for joining me on these various adventures. I know it's not always his first choice but he's an all-star and I love him for it.