Call me Crazy

Yesterday I commissioned Doug to put up some shelves in the baby's room above the change table.

The shelves were sitting around not being used, so I thought they'd be useful in here!

After they were up Doug came to me and said:

"Well, they're up and they're not going anywhere... at least until you decide to paint this room... again."

When my sister in law sent me the link to this blog later on last night I laughed and laughed.

When I sat down to read it I had just finished reorganizing the drawers in the baby's room, scrubbed the kitchen top to bottom, vacuumed the entire house (top and bottom floors), washed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees, listed and sold household items on craigslist, and finished up three loads of laundry all the while having a minor panic attack over what to wear, what to put back into my closet, and what to pack in the hospital bag.

Kelle Hampton... I get it.

Extreme nesting.  They could turn it into a successful TLC reality show.

I feel like a pregnant ticking time bomb

37 weeks down...  it's looking like 2ish more to go.

I'll be honest-- I've been tempted to drive to the nearby hospital a few times and just beg them to take this child out right now.  After having two "memorable" deliveries with my other 2 kiddos and several potential complications associated with this pregnancy I started to get a little nervous when the doctor started talking about sending me for extra ultrasounds and non-stress tests this week...

But I've just got to sit tight and wait for my mom to get here first!

And by the way... during my ultrasound this morning the tech asked if I knew what I was having.  It was SO tempting to find out-- but I stayed strong!  Hopefully the promise of a surprise will keep me going for a little while longer :)

A few new things

There are a few new things ready to go in the baby's room...

First of all... I finally finished the DIY botanical pull down chart I was working on!  I must say... I am very happy with the way it turned out.  Here's the finished product...

So I've been seeing these great black background botanicals around the world wide web, and I think to myself "wouldn't one of those look really great in my house?"  I mean really... check out a few of these cool spaces...

Pure Style Home

The Everygirl

Design Sponge

Unfortunately, you need several hundred dollars to purchase one of these... not my kind of budget.  I will say, that ikea has a version that they sell (SIBBARED Picture) for $19.99... which is a great price, but I wanted something a little more one of a kind. 

Now this is where Vintage Printable came to the rescue.  Vintage Printable is a site that provides free, public domain/out of copyright images for people to download and print.  I've heard of people finding cool stuff on the site and printing/framing images to use as artwork, so I figured I might as well dig around to see if there was anything that could work.  Lo and behold, on this page  I found several images of black botanicals that were perfect for this little project of mine.  I decided to go with this one...

All I did was download the image, crop and resize the image in photoshop so that it would fit perfectly on a 24"x36" poster, uploaded my resized image onto Costco's site had it printed as a poster for $15.99.  I was really happy with the image quality-- it's a little bit grainy in some spots but it actually makes it look like an old vintage chart.

You could frame the poster if you wanted, but I decided to make mine look like a vintage-ish pull down chart since it was cheaper than buying a frame!  To do this I had Doug cut two strips of mdf for me 1" wide, 1/4" thick, and 26" long, I primed and spray painted them black, and then attached them to the top and bottom of the poster.  You could use wooden dowels, but I thought that using flat material would be easier to secure.  I used some heavy duty tape to initially attach the trim pieces to the top and bottom and then once I was happy with the way it looked I pulled out my hand stapler and secured it with a few well placed staples.  I attached a piece of hemp cord to the top with a few staples so that you can hang the poster from a nail.

I like it so much that I'm totally tempted to steal it out of the baby's room and put it somewhere else in the house... we'll see :)

And yesterday my moroccan pouf arrived!  As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't sure how it was going to look as I ordered the cheapest one I could source online.  But I've gotta tell you, I am super impressed with the quality.  It totally has the same look and feel as some more expensive options I've seen in a few local Vancouver stores but was several hundred dollars cheaper!  I also really like that it comes pre-stuffed.  There were a few sites selling unstuffed poufs but they all looked like they'd be a pain in the butt to stuff once it arrived.

If you're looking for an inexpensive moroccan pouf definitely check out Rugs USA.  They have tons of colours to chose from and make sure to look online for coupon codes-- I found one and scored an additional 10% off.  Rugs USA has super cheap shipping to Canada too, but I will warn any Canadian purchasers to be prepared to pay duty/taxes on delivery.  If I wasn't so stinkin' pregnant I would have had it shipped to Sumas and driven across the border to pick it up and hopefully saved on having to pay duty.  But, it WAS kind of nice to have it delivered to your front door :)  

Anyhow... those are two new things we've got going on in the nursery.  Oh, and there is one more new thing here in the house that I should show you... turns out the box used to ship the pouf was just as exciting as the contents...

It apparently makes a seriously awesome "puppee scool"  aka puppy school :)

Hours of fun I tell ya... hours of fun :)

Wondering...

I dug out my baby boys clothes and my baby girls clothes... a few small items of each have been washed and are now ready to go.  I totally love the suspense of not knowing if it will be a boy or a girl... and I honestly can say that I have no gender prediction!  I NEVER have a "feeling" one way or the other-- about my own pregnancies or anyone else's.  Only the Lord knows... and maybe the ultrasound tech :)

Anyone want to take a guess?

The Good & The Bad

The weekend had a whole lotta good moments and some not so good ones too.

Started off the weekend by picking up Caleb at school to have Eme start puking all over the car and herself.  Seriously now... all this vomit talk on the blog is making me queasy-- but it seems to never ever stop around here.  The kids have been tag teaming this sickness thing for far too long. 

Thank goodness for my superior immune system-- everyone around these parts is sick sick sick EXCEPT for me.  It's a good thing too... because I'm sick and tired of being pregnant-- does that count?

(I'd like to interrupt this blog post to thank Starbucks for getting on the drive thru bandwagon.  Sure I had to drive half way across town get to a Starbucks with a drive thru-- but not having to get of my car?  So worth it.)

Anyways...

Friday started off not so hot, but Saturday was awesome.  My friends decided to declare Saturday my 30th birthday-- all over again-- so I'd have a chance to really celebrate! Caleb was quite confused.  He was quite uncomfortable with me deciding to have ANOTHER birthday so soon after my REAL one... but I convinced him that it was totally legit and very necessary-- although I kind of suspected that he might wake up and decide to declare Sunday his birthday just for the heck of it.  If mom can do it... why can't he?

So Saturday began with a sleep in thanks to my awesome hubby, coffee and pedicures at the spa with a good friend, and a lunch date!  All child free!!  In the evening I met up with a bunch of my fantastic friends for a girls night at the Roasted Grape-- such yummy food... and so much fun to see all my favourite ladies-- thanks everyone for a good time and for celebrating the big 3-0 with me!

This morning I took a minute to admire my beautiful, freshly painted toes... and then I pulled on my wool socks (not without a struggle and a few breathless moments) and uggs.

Eme continued to be sick all of Saturday but seemed to perk up on Sunday morning.  So... Doug and I left the kids with the grandparents and took off to Vancouver for the afternoon.  We were continuing on with the belated birthday celebration.  I spent a good amount of time shopping at West Elm and brought home this beautiful lamp for my living room.  Thanks for the birthday gift babe!

Unfortunately we came home to a sick and miserable Eme who was having uncontrollable coughing fits and was  throwing up... again.  She was pretty dehydrated and lethargic so I decided to take her in to the ER.

And that was Sunday night... me and my sick girly.

The doctor felt like it wasn't too serious-- she had somehow managed to come down with yet another form of the flu AND a cold in the same weekend.  Lucky girl.  The combo of the two had left her weak and dehydrated so I needed to stick around until we could get her to keep down some fluid.  They gave her some anti-nausea medication and then I started forcing her to drink pedialyte and apple juice.  And wouldn't you know, after 2 cups of apple juice Eme was jumping on the bed, singing, dancing, chattering non-stop and saying over and over "that's silly!!"

Today she's keeping her cookies down (thanks to another dose of the anti-nausea medication) and is acting very much like herself.  I'm taking her into to our doctor's office later on this week to discuss how she's been sick SO much over the past few weeks-- the ER doctor suggested getting her in for blood work to see if there's anything going on.  That should be fun.

And that was what the weekend held around here!  A lot of fun... and a trip to the ER.  Here's to hoping that my next trip to the hospital will involve involve me become "un-pregnant" and the birth of a baby... :)

Cause then I plan to eat a whole lot of chocolate!  This veggie omelette I'm currently eating for lunch is starting to not be all that appealing...

Nursery Time

Thanks for all your kind comments after my mini-panic session a few days ago :)  I went out and bought two packs of newborn diapers and feel so much better now!  

I also sat down and spent some time thinking about the direction I want the baby's nursery to go this time around.  Many of the elements are going to stay the same... but I'd still like to give it a bit of a different feel this time around.  So, here's the current plan:

Furniture & Other Stuff:

Most of the "fixed" elements are staying the same...

1.  The dresser/change table
2.  rug
3.  chair
4.  paint colour above the panelling (BM Woodlawn Blue)

We had to touch up the paint on 2 of the walls and I briefly considered totally changing the colour above the panelling, but decided not to do it.  I really do love the colour it is... when I look into the nursery from my own bedroom it looks so perfect :)

The one new thing that will be going into the baby's room is the tan colored moroccan pouf (item #5)!  I ordered it last week and it's set to arrive soon!!  I ordered sight unseen over the world wide web so I'm hoping it will look okay-- but the price was right!  I've always wanted a footrest to accompany the nursery chair and I figured the brown leather pouf could be worked into a nursery for a girl or boy.

For the Walls:

I've got a few ideas spinning around in my head... we'll see what actually happens :)

6.  I have this sunburst mirror already-- it's been used in the basement and is currently in my bedroom... thinking about pulling it into the baby's room...
7.  A little DIY artwork!  Love the large scale botanical prints with the dark background... but they can be crazy expensive!  I decided to make my own... here's a little sneak peek of how it's looking!

I've still got to paint a few wood pieces I'm using to hang this picture-- once I've got it all assembled I'll take a couple more pictures and post some DIY instructions :)

8.  gallery wall-- this will likely wait until after the baby's born as the gender will determine the colour/feel of the artwork chosen.  I think I'll move the gallery wall to another place in the room this time-- like above the crib or chair.

Textiles:

These elements are to be determined by the gender of the baby.  I'd like to get a new crib sheet in place that is neutral and could work with either scheme.  I like the idea of stripes... but I'm looking at other options too.  Still deciding!

I'd like to add some texture and colour through the use of pillows and blankets.  I've been searching around ebay for some kilim pillows and am loving the different colours/patterns/textures I'm seeing!  Love that they're all one of a kind!  I also love the kantha throws too-- I have one in my living room from West Elm and love the pop of colour and the uniqueness it adds to the space.  For a girl I think I'd go for muted pinks, tans, mustard tones and peaches and for a boy I'd keep going with the tan, deeper browns, charcoal, and maybe some muted greens and blues.  That should spice it up a bit!

Anyhow... just some random thoughts!  Be warned-- these plans tend to change quickly!  I may or may not have already changed up a few things :)  Sometimes you've just gotta roll with what you already have and with some deals that surprise you along the way!

Here's a list of sources-- in case you're wondering:

1.  Ikea Hemnes Dresserin grey/brown
2.  rug from Home Depot
3.  Ikea Ektorp Jennylund armchair
4.  Paint color above panelling is BM Woodlawn Blue (HC-147)
5.  Rugs USA Brown Moroccan Ottoman
6.  Sunburst mirror is from Pier One Imports (not sure if they still have it-- mine was purchased a few years ago
7.  DIY botanical artwork (more info to come... )
8.  Gallery wall inspiration picture used from a nursery designed by Alice Lane Home
9.  Crib sheet from Land of Nod
10.  Kantha throws-- random pretty picture found via pinterest
11. Kilim Pillows-- another random picture via pinterest

This Morning

I woke up this morning thinking about newborn diapers and nursing bras... and the fact that I had neither.  Had a tiny little panic attack.  35 weeks and very much unprepared...

I ALSO woke up thinking that children who wake their parents up at 5:15 am on a Saturday should be charged with cruelty to parents or something like that.  Grrr.... sure doesn't help that I'm flying solo with the kids this weekend!  Time for more coffee... and time to sit down a write a list of the things I need to do in the next few weeks!

A Room for Both Kids

My kids have shared a bedroom for about 7 weeks now and they're still alive.

I'm still alive to tell you about it.

It's actually been a transition with minimal pain and sleepless nights (granted-- I haven't slept normally through the night in oh... 8 months now?  It's that THIRD child that's wreaking havoc on my sleep schedule!!)

Anyhow.

I figured I should give you all a little update.  The kids are loving their shared room and have done really well with the transition.

And since it was actually sunny out (sort of) for a bit today I thought I'd whip out my camera and take a few pictures of the kids room.  It's still "in progress" as there are a few things I need to put up on the walls yet, I've got something else in mind for window coverings, and there is some stuff Doug needs to build for the space (one day).  But here's what it looks like today...

The bed's are somewhat matching but Eme gets a little pink on her side and some butterfly artwork..

And Caleb's got his more "manly" map up above his bed.

We'd still like to trip out the closet with some custom storage shelves/drawers... but we don't have the time for that right now!  So we dragged up an old dresser from the basement for Caleb's clothes (used to be mine as a kid) and stashed Eme's stuff in the closet in another dresser.

Doug's gonna build a shallow depth table to fit between the two beds so the kids have a place for a few of their books and toys.  It's a tricky space to fit a table since it can't be too deep, needs to be a decent height and has to be open since there's a baseboard heater under the window.  So a custom one NEEDS to be made :)  I was going to put a lamp on the table too, but knew that it would get broken.  So, when I saw these wall mounted lights at Ikea I was sold.  They save space, aren't easily broken, and the kids love them... sometimes in the middle of the night too :)

Eme's always ready for a photo op :)

The lighting was a bit weird when I took this picture but Eme's got some butterfly artwork going on-- one's vintage and the other is just a $5 poster (yup, this bedroom was done on the cheap!)

The matching Euro-sized pillows were a Home Sense find.  They look cute and are practical too-- every night we put them both on the floor beside Eme's bed so that when she rolls out of bed (takes after her mama) she has some cushioning.  We often find her curled up on one of those pillows on the floor :)

And that's the kid's shared room!  Now... just gotta get to work on the baby's room!

My latest finds...

Post Christmas shopping... always fun.  Since I'm not shopping for new clothes these days (for obvious reasons) I made a stop at Home Sense to check out what they've got to offer in the home department.  I've got a gift card burning a hole in my pocket... so I was excited to check things out!

Here are some of my favourite finds...

Love these woven rugs-- they were $49.99 each-- seriously!

The colours in these throw rugs were really awesome too... perfect to add a punch of colour to your home during the dreary winter months...

They had a great collection of fun and eclectic side tables-- loving this one.

And this one too!  I'm considering for the baby's room... could be a nice contrast sitting beside my all white chair... hmmm...

Did you know Home Sense had Dwell Studio items for sale?  I didn't!  I found a few throw pillows...

And also Dwell Studio baby bedding and storage baskets for clearance/discounted prices in the kids section.  They had pink for girls...

.... And some cute blue/grey bedding for baby boys.  So fun!

Anyhow... Home Sense... I will be back!

What Just Happened??

Okay, so it's been a month... totally unintentional... and I'm totally not gonna apologize.  This pre-baby, crazy Christmas, been out-of-town season has totally kicked my blogging butt.  Don't worry-- I have no intentions of falling off the blogging bandwagon.  Sometimes a girl's just gotta take a little unexpected break.  Sooo.... what's been up around here lately?  Let's just do a little picture recap, shall we?

Over the past few weeks...

We got a wee bit of pre Christmas snow here in Abby... definitely snowman worthy.

Caleb begged me to let him continue with swimming lessons... even though I was so done with sitting on the side of the pool twice a week.  But, he finished yet another level a few days before Christmas and was a little sad to be done with lessons.  I'm going to wait until life settles down a bit before we decide to conquer the next level :)

Eme and I shopped and shopped.  Turns out she's as into shopping as her Mama is... no real surprise there.

I baked a zillion gingerbread cookies for the school bake sale-- torture for this gestational diabetic preggo.  And shocker-- I made it through the ENTIRE Christmas season without a SINGLE bite of Christmas candy/chocolate/baking goodness.  I decided I would make no exceptions... no compromises... otherwise I would likely slide down the slippery slope of sampling too many sweet treats and have trouble stopping.  Needless to say-- the ladies at the Diabetes Clinic LOVE me, and I will admit that it's nice to step on the scale and realize that I've only gained one pound in the last 7 weeks of being pregnant.  My non-exsistant waistline is gonna thank me later!!

The week before Christmas I finished moving the last of Eme's things out of her room and started prepping for baby #3.  Turns out gallery walls murder your drywall.  So I've got some patching and painting to do.  More on the baby room progress to come...

The "nesting" phase made a brief appearance.  It has since disappeared (darn it!).  I did manage to do a clean sweep of a few closets... all the kids crafty stuff found a new home as Eme has demonstrated the tendency to run with scissors and experiment with markers/paint on any and every surface of the house.

On the 25th we took the first flight out of town to head home to Saskatchewan for Christmas.  Doug sat with the kids giving me the most relaxing flight ever-- alone across the aisle free from kids-- glorious.  Best Christmas present ever.

The kids were so excited to be at Nana and Papa's-- and absolutely fell in love with their cousin.  Seriously... Eme tried to smother him.  Baby Toews #3... watch out.

Eme was a frequent helper in the kitchen.

My sisters and I did our annual boxing day shopping trip.  I bought... slippers.  So exciting, hey?  Seriously... it was the only thing that fit.

Guys... I turned 30.  And I have nothing to say about that.  Well, except that I should have actually combed my hair and washed my face before snapping an "I'm officially 30" self portrait.  Oh well... I guess it's all down hill from here anyways.

(side note-- I get a little weird-ed out taking self portraits and always end up looking like a crazy person-- sorry about that)

The kids had the most fantastic time bundling up and heading outside to play in some good old Sasky snow!!  Eme thought Caleb looked hilarious when he got all ready for a snowmobile ride... but soon she was bundled up just as good as he was...

And of course Daddy had a fantastic time playing in the snow and cruising around on the snowmobile too.  Just love this picture :)

And this one too!

And then this happened.

Like most households we were hit with the nastiest most violent flu.  It struck down EVERYONE except me and my Mom.  Honestly... I must have superhuman immunity or something.  After listening to the most awful and wretched sounds coming from every bathroom in my parent's house I thought I was a goner for sure.  I'm not taking any chances though... I booked myself in for a flu shot as soon we got home!

And now... back to normal life.  Doug's been back at work, Caleb heads back to school on Monday, and the baby is set to arrive in about 5 or 6 weeks.  My family doctor and the obstetrician I've been seeing are wanting to induce me sometime during the 39th week due to the gestational diabetes and  because I had an abruption during delivery with Emerson.  So... the countdown is on!  I have SO much to do in January... where to start!!?