Waistline Wednesday

Well, this is it. My first and last Waistline Wednesday post! I haven't taken any belly pictures this pregnancy, mostly out of being busy with the other kids, my mind was simply on other things. There are inevitably pictures of me out there where I'm pregnant, just not the posed belly photos I've done in the past. I used to give my parents a hard time about my sister having an album full of photos and me having like one page for the first several years of my life. It really is just harder to set aside time to do those things when so much else is going on.

We have finished as much of the nursery as possible, but I'd like to add some homemade elements after she arrives. Some things just can't be done ahead of time. So stay tuned for her birth announcement and nursery post. Hopefully I'll get to it quicker than I did Jake's. :)

Waistline Wednesday- 37 weeks

Time to reveal some baby projects! I completed most if not all of these before the other projects I've been posting lately, but I wanted to wait until they were all in the room and I could do one big reveal. Well, here's the thing: we moved the furniture in and could not find an arrangement I was happy with. It's just too much furniture, feels too crowded and cluttered. Daniel reminded me that's how I felt with Maggie's room- hers is smaller than Will's and we had more furniture- so maybe I'll get used to it. We'll see. I wanted to at least reveal the baby projects I have completed since I promised those awhile back (I know, you're on pins & needles, ha!) Without further adieu:

Bibs & Burps

I finished the burp cloths first and made a few minor changes when I moved onto the bibs, but they match for the most part. This was my first time using minky fabric and sewing my own bibs as opposed to buying bibs & embroidering them. Sewing the bibs was fine but I definitely prefer terry cloth to minky because it moves less. We'll see how the absorbency is, but the minky sure is cute and soft!

Diaper bag

I followed the same basic premise for making this as I did for the other bags I've made, but adjusted the size. This time I added a little band across the middle, bringing the fabric from the inside out and added a little clasp. This doesn't offer complete closure like a zipper would, but still serves its purpose. I really like how it turned out, it's a good size and seems to be sturdy, but we'll see how it holds to the wear and tear of baby items. :)

Wall letters

I wanted to make these just like I did for Will & Maggie only I painted theirs and decided on scrapbook paper this time. After I finished, they needed something a little more, so I added ribbon & buttons from my stash and really like how the finished product looks!

Piggy Bank

I actually bought this piggy bank as one of Maggie's Christmas gifts with the intention to decorate it to match her ladybug room. Well, shortly after Christmas I found an actual ladybug bank at Target that was so cute and had to get it! It's perfect- pink with white flowers and resting on a little green leaf. I resolved to return this piggy I purchased and then found out I was pregnant. So I decided to save it for baby 3- fast forward 9 months and here it is! Simple but cute- just what a little baby boy needs. I added his name and dots in the room colors- green, yellow & blue. I thought about adding frogs, ducks and/or turtles but decided the dots would be really cute. I used vinyl for this (cut with my Cricut)....I am not a painter!

Well, that's it for now! Originally I wanted to sew his bedding, make a mobile and a few other things, but once we decided to keep the froggy room, there was no point. It's sweet that he'll have his older brother's stuff and economical as well. Maybe I'll make his own room when he's older. Also, I will probably sew some outfits for him, but that will have to wait as well because I don't have any newborn patterns. Just as well since babies grow so fast! That and we have plenty of hand-me-downs!! 

Waistline Wednesday- 36 weeks

Good news! The dresser/changing table arrived on our doorstep today, finally!! Just in time, you say? Uhm, yea, baby is kinda gonna be here in 4 weeks. Now with this last piece of the puzzle, hopefully we can get the room finished and be all the way ready for baby boy Jake to arrive. At least in the home/nesting sense. Still not sure how I'm gonna handle the whole 3 kid thing, but I'm just gonna let God take care of that and give me what I need. Again I say, hopefully in the next few days I can post some nursery pics!! I'll also update a belly photo later.

Waistline Wednesday- 34 weeks

Uhm wow, 6 weeks to go, that is just crazy!! And let's remember that's the latest...if I happen to go into labor at 36+ weeks, it's considered safe and baby will come! I do not feel prepared. Even though I have "experience" with this whole parenting thing, I'm pretty sure I feel less ready this time. Some of that is not having the room finished (I'm not really a procrastinator at heart but sometimes circumstances push you to that end) and the other is just the whole idea of another child. 3 kids at home with me. All. the. time. I have no idea how this is going to pan out, especially in the mix of all Maggie's therapy. Whew, by God's grace alone, that's for sure. I didn't find a dresser at thrift stores or Craigslist so retail it is. I actually found one on Walmart.com and went to place the order only to discover this dresser in the finish I want is out of stock. Nice. I tracked down the manufacturer and they're out as well. The website, did however estimate more stock arriving by 8/5. So I checked again and the new in-stock date estimated 8/12. Oh my goodness. I managed to find it at another online furniture store for a few dollars more, but at this point it just had to get ordered. Hopefully in a couple (more) weeks, I'll finally be able to finish and reveal the nursery/big boy room- since little man will be in there as well.
Dear baby Jacob,
A part of me is so excited to meet you and hold you in my arms while the other part is anxious about your arrival. I know you'll be a wonderful addition to our little family and that God is knitting you together in my womb- perfect, beautiful little you. Mommy just gets a little nervous about logistics, that's who I am, but I know it will all work out because you're a very special gift from God. He never gives us more than we can handle and I'm looking forward to another blessing in my life and helping to raise/create/mold/teach another miracle only He can provide. You are already so love, little Jake. Your brother talks to you all the time and cannot wait to share his room with and play with you. I'll warn you though, he did say to me once that he can't wait until you're old enough so he can beat you up. Haha, that is so funny and upsetting at the same time. But just for the sake of argument, go ahead and practice some moves these last few weeks in your warm, cozy little home. You may need them. Perhaps that's what you're busy doing in there all the time- you certainly like to move as much as your siblings did! I love you and can't wait to meet you soon...but not too soon. :) Love, mommy.

Waistline Wednesday- 32 weeks

Wow, only 8 weeks to go! It's been a couple weeks since I posted about my expanding waistline and the sweet, tiny little boy who resides in my womb. I'm happy to report I've made some preparation progress since my last post. I've finished bibs & burp cloths, bought a crib and finished wall letters for the nursery. I'll buy or make more bibs when he gets older, but I have enough for now and plenty of burpies. I finally found a crib on Craigslist, right before I was about to give up and buy a new one. I'm going to give a couple thrift stores and Craigslist one more go-around before I buy a new dresser. Once we have one, we'll be ready to set-up the room he'll be sharing with big brother Will. At that time, I'll reveal the pics of all the projects I've been working on. We officially agreed on the name we've been considering as a top choice for awhile, thus the finished bibs & burps. We plan to name him Jacob Daniel.
Dear baby Jacob,
Daddy plans to call you Jake, which means you'll eventually be just Jake. That's okay, though, we don't call Will William either. We thought about choosing Jake as your given name, but I really like Jacob, its biblical connection and its two syllables that are sometimes needed. You still move plenty and have seemed very active while I'm sewing- which has been alot lately- and when music is playing. Perhaps we have another music baby on our hands. But you're also active other times and your movements seem to be occurring later at night than they used to. I still enjoy feeling you move and grow inside me and love showing other people your movements. I often tell your brother, sister and daddy, "look, watch him move, he's all over the place in there!" Your siblings were also very active, so I think you'll fit right in. We look forward to meeting you little Jacob, Jakey-poo, won't be long now! Nursery reveal pics coming soon!

Waistline Wednesday- 29 weeks

Wow, like four weeks has gone by since my last 'baby belly' post! Since that time, I've had a birthday, went on vacation, had a surprise party and stayed pretty busy in between. What I haven't done, is make much progress preparing for this baby. Not from lack of trying, though. I've searched craigslist and went to thrift store after thrift store and have just not found what I need. We didn't have to buy furniture with the other two because the showers we had with Will and I used my childhood furniture for Maggie's room, plus Will's crib and changing table. Now we need a second crib and another dresser, so I'm trying to go secondhand to keep costs down. Hopefully I'll find what I want/need soon.

As for other baby projects, I'll be starting those soon. Now that we know our colors, I'm shopping for fabric and other crafting supplies. Of course, some of that is slightly on hold because I want to be 800% sure of a name before I start sewing. Baby boy, we didn't name your brother until he was born and I told you we should have a name before you arrive, but that may not happen.

In the meantime, you've just been growing and moving plenty! I had the sugar test last week at my final 4 week check-up, now I'll start going every 2 weeks. We have just over two months before you arrive, can't wait to meet you baby boy!

Waistline Wednesday - 25 weeks

Just over 3 months to go before baby boy gets here! Whew, I've got lots to do and need to get busy!

Baby boy, I've finally decided I'm going to keep your big sister in her crib and we're going to keep frogs & ducks in your brother's room- which you'll soon be sharing- at least for now. So, with a few decisions made, I can finally start getting ready for you and I need to get on it! I'll need to get a new crib, stroller and high chair. Plus I want to sew and craft some things for you. Hopefully 3 months is enough time to finish/afford to make all the purchases! You move pretty often now- still most heavily in the morning and evening- and we can see you move already! I don't remember seeing your brother or sister's movements yet, but my memory could just be failing me. Enjoy your warm, cozy home for the next few months; I'll be busy preparing for your arrival. See you soon!
Love,
mommy

Waistline Wednesday- 23 weeks

Wow, this pregnancy is going fast! With each pregnancy, the 20 weeks before the ultrasound- if you're finding out the gender anyway- is much longer than the following 20 until baby arrives. I'm sure most if not all of that has to do with preparations-- setting up the nursery, shopping for baby, rearranging the house, showers-- you know, whatever keeps ya busy. But I have to say with this pregnancy, it's all going by pretty fast. I'm still barely over half way, but baby 3 will be here in less than 4 months, oh my!! I should have less preparations this time, you say? Perhaps. Baby 3 is sharing a room with Will but there's still some items I want to sew/craft and some baby things that need replacing or upgrading. So, there's plenty to do. Plus, we're still deciding whether or not to keep the froggy/duck nursery theme going in Will's room or to transition him into a big boy room and find baby bedding to match. See?!!? So much to think about! And we've gotta get deciding so I can move on to preparing.
Dear baby 3, I promise we're thinking of a name for you and I'm pretty sure we've decided on one, but I'm not embroidering anything until I'm 100% sure!! I'm certain you'll have a name before your arrival and that's better than we did for Will- his name wasn't official until after he was born. You've been moving a lot more lately- mostly in the mid-morning and evening but on occasion, you check in at other times of the day. During my first ultrasound around 18/18.5 weeks, you were curled into a ball and the ultrasound tech couldn't measure everything, so I had another ultrasound at my appointment this week. Well this time you were very active! In fact, your heart rate got a little high at one point so I'm scheduled to return next week to check this again. I'm praying it's no big deal- the doctor wasn't concerned but she wanted me to come back to see my OB who was out of the office that day. I'm asking my readers to pray it's no big deal as well (hey guys, will you pray it's no big deal as well?) I'm excited to make some decisions about the room you'll soon be sharing with big brother so I can get to work! See you in a few months! Love, mommy.

Waistline Wednesday

Poor baby #3. I'm 21 weeks and this is the first official belly shot I've taken. I had at least 5 of the other two by now. Oh well. If it makes a difference baby 3, I understand how you feel. I am the youngest of 4 children and while my sister has a whole photo album of her growing up years, I have like a page in an album. Just remember, it doesn't mean we love you any less (just as I don't think my parents loved me less), but only means  we have less time with two kids already demanding our attention.
So here's my new weekly post...or should I say only...it has been awhile since I've written a Thankful Thursday. Maybe tomorrow I'll write about being thankful for my expanding waistline. After all, there's really only one time in your life when it's exciting to watch your belly grow- at least for me- and that's now, while God is knitting a very special little boy in my womb.