Madeline's eclectic room

A friend had the cute blankie made for Madeline

Her changing station and light from Ikea

Her bed with quilt. I still have to quilt it and put the binding on.

More pics of the quilt.

Close up of the dust ruffle.

I love the Amy Butler paisley fabric. It would all be in that fabric if I could have done it. I like the others too but it is by far my favorite. The dresser is antique and the changing table is actually a buffet table from Ethan Allen I picked up when we lived in Albuquerque. We bought the bed new and a friend gave us their rocker. It is comfy, doesn't match though, but I am about practical. Most things will only be used for a little while anyways. The chaning buffet was perfect for the changing table and I like all the compartments that are in it, and there is a shelf in the bottom cabinet part. I do have plans to put up white curtains and then sooner or later make a paisley valance to go over the top...but I am not going to do it just yet. There are still more pressing things to do at the house to get it ready to sell. We don't have anything up on the walls because I don't want to have to deal with the holes and patching them when we sell. Lazy, I know but true. Hope you all like the room.

Prego Pictures

Easter Weekend

39 Weeks

Jocelyn's Quilt

Jocelyn & her new quilt.

My best friend Emily had her second little girl, Jocelyn. I had made her a quilt from the new Amy Butler fabric, its not a traditional "baby quilt" but oh the fabric is so great! Clementines had some of the line in fat quarters. I had to have it for this quilt. I really like how it turned out. I am not overly happy with the orange and blue polka-dots but love the rest of the quilt. Em really liked it to so that is important too. The pattern was a really quick and easy one. I like how piecy it is.

Week countdown...

Well one week and one day till D-day. I am getting anxiously excited and really ready to meet her. Everyone seems to have some theory on when she will arrive, mine is when she is ready and tired of pushing out instead of down. She is funny. I will rub my belly and she will push out as hard as she can and have me rub her back. It cracks me up...rotten already. But hopefully it will help soother her when she does come out. Even my dad is anxious. He advised me last night on the phone that he is around town the next few weeks but after that he has to travel to Texas and cannot just jump on the plane back home if I go into labor. (Well Dad, I'll see what I can do? lol.) I am still feeling fine, no more back pains and even though there is not much sleep going on I feel rested enough. I have not worked on the room lately since we are getting the house ready to put on the market. I will post pics I promise when I get it ready. I will be quilting on Sunday so that is hopeful at least. I would love to have someone just quilt the blanket for me but I refuse to pay all that money, plus it is more special if I do it I guess.
Everything is packed and ready to go to the hospital, Nate has been packed for himself and the baby for a month. Cute huh, think he's ready and waiting? I do have a new belly shot Nate took yesterday and I will post that soon as well. Say a prayer that she comes soon on her own and also that we get all the work done at the house that needs to be done so we can focus on her when she arrives.

Well if it walks like a duck...it might be me.

But I'm not quacking yet. I am now waddling. It is kinda funny but I try not to...I catch myself and correct it when I notice it. I have not had any problems in my pregnancy but Monday I was struggling! I have low back pain normally but it hasn't bothered me since I've been pregnant but something got me and it took me down! I was out till Wednesday. Poor Nate has been sooo good to me and has cleaned, cooked and even carried me to the bathroom. I am about 80% back to normal now and have been to the chiro every month since I've been pregnant to keep the back pain from happening and it has worked up till then. I went to the chiro on Monday and again on Tuesday. It really did help along with ice, I highly recommend chiropractic care to any pregnant person especially. Please pray my back pain stays away for the next 5 weeks of my pregnancy. I cannot believe that sentence!!!! Only 5 weeks? Wow this has gone by so fast and no posts about how quickly the baby grows okay :).
Her room is pretty much ready, I need to quilt her blanket but the main part is done. The dust ruffle is complete and on her crib already. I am going to put up curtains this week too, I didn't make the curtains, they are cheaper to buy but I am probably going to make valances to go with them though.
We are praying about some major things in life right now too. We are trying to work it for me to stay home...that's our goal. We will be putting the house on the market shortly after a few more cosmetic updates and with all our hope we will sell it asap! I have around 10 wks of FMLA to use before I have to go back to work after she is born so I will have to work till it sells but hope is in sight. I don't mind working but I don't want to do daycare if we don't have to. We do have it lined up for now with a lady who only watches 2 children at a time but it is pretty pricey and it is still not me watching my own child. It is one of the best options available since it is so private and she will get great care there. I am also wanting to try the cloth diapers too to save money and be green but I am sure the babysitter is probably not game for that, plus with nursing it will be easier not working and having to pump. I have a million and one excuses not to work but we just have to make sure that we are of course following what God has planned for our family...So we pray, alot. I'll update again soon and will post pics soon.

Stuck

It is beautiful outside...sigh...I am in cubicle land staring out over them at the sunny day. *sigh* I leave in 30 minutes to my 45 minute commute home. But I have a sun roof at least in the new vehicle.
Oh yeah, we traded in our lovely little Lancer, which will be greatly missed, for a Mercury Mariner. We are in love with it. It is very luxurious compared to our other small vehicles we've had. It is an older model 2007 but it is pretty much fully loaded. Leather, heated seats and automatic everything. We are excited about the new "baby-mobile" and the room it will have. Ms Madeline will have lots of room for all her stuff we need to travel with. :)
Hope everyone else has some sunshine outside to look forward to playing in!

Not much going on...

The belly is growing and I am getting less sleep, as is Nate. The round ligament pains are often and I am looking forward to May. I am so excited to finally meet her! I don't mind the aches and pains and the lack of sleep is only a taste of what's to come I am sure...The room is almost finished, I will post pics when I am done. I have to decide what to do with the curtains and quilt the blanket. Dust ruffle is complete as of last Sunday. I am looking forward to a more quiet weekend. The showers were a ton of fun and I loved seeing everyone but they wore me out. I came down with a Sinus infection last week and stayed home from work for three days. I did nothing...I hate when I am at home and cannot do anything. Sick or not it feels like wasted time. I wanted to clean and do other things and sew...I laid on the couch like a bump on a log. Maggie, Zeke and I caught up on our zzz's. Nate is in nesting mode again since there is lots to do before she gets here. He wants to tile the bathrooms first and then its on to yard work. Spring has sprung and we will soon be cutting grass and planting in the yard. I look longingly at my garden and know I will not have time. I will not miss pulling weeds but will miss all my fresh veggies! I will still have my herb garden and strawberries. I hopefully will have a decent crop of them if the rabbits don't get them. Since we have the ferocious beast that kills rabbits we may be okay this year since she has marked her territory. Rabbits run in fear of my shih-tzu! :) Laugh all you want but its true, she's a kill!
The house has been babyfied, there is baby stuff everywhere, clothes, diapers, car seat, stroller, etc. This kid has more clothes than I'll know what to do with. I have a ton of hand-me-downs and a ton of new clothes too. I am very thankful, I am sure she will use them and dirty them quickly. I love little girl clothes, they are so fun and cute! I am so excited to meet her, Nate is ready too. I want her to stay in and "cook" long enough of course but am getting anxious...its not as if we waited 4 1/2 years already, whats another 7 wks? Pray for patience for this for us. I'll update soon.

There's something wrong in the sky...

There are no clouds, there is this yellow/orange ball in the sky! Oh, that's right, its what they call the sun! I had forgotten what it looks like its been soooooooo very long since we've seen it in Indianapolis! I am thankful today for the sun and the weekend forecast, they are talking 50's in March! It will be nice to have some warmth!

Good Graffiti

On my way into work today I noticed a truck with writing on it. Since all the snow and mush has now accumulated on the vehicles leaving a 2 inch layer of dust you tend to see things written on the back of vehicles of course. It simply said "JESUS SAVES" in large letters. Well that is very true and a great "graffiti" to see on the back of a big truck. Much better than "wash me"...Maybe some people will take it to heart today.
Just a good thought to start out a Friday!

Quilt Block

Here are the two blocks for Madeline's quilt. There will be 6 of each block. I have all of them finished and put together. I have one more row to sew on and then the boarders. I am excited it's getting done. I love the look of all the coordinating colors! I just thought I'd share an update.

Blessings come in.

I got my results back yesterday. Everything is fine. I do not have gestational diabetes! Praise God, I love chocolate and ice cream so I was really worried. All joking aside, I can do anything for 11/12 wks. No problem but I know it can make her a lot bigger and it would increase complications with birth possibly. So not having it makes me very happy. I also just got my yearly review at work and did get a little raise. Any raise is great in this economy. We have a lot to be thankful for in our lives, Nate & I both. Plus yesterday we found out we don't owe any taxes either, we get a nice amount back. God is good and we are thankful. I am making our very, very favorite meal tonight in celebration of all our good news. I thought I'd share the recipe, enjoy.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce from Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine
Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.
While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

This is easy, however time consuming but soooo very worth it. I found this for Nate when we lived in Albuquerque and we have made it for every special meal since then. You don't want to think about the fat grams in this, just enjoy and eat it. I leave the parsley out and will use Shallots instead of onion sometimes. Blog back and let me know if you make it. I hope you love it as much as we do.

More on pregnancy...

So I love being pregnant. It is so neat to feel her move! I am really amazed at how strong she is sometimes. I look down at my tummy and see little movements and then sometimes pretty big ones. I can tell she is laying on the left or the right side too. It is one of the neatest things I think I will ever experience. I am so thankful to God for giving me this gift! Aches, pains? Sure a few but so worth it! It is some small temporary pains for a long term gift! I have been feeling great other than the normal pregnancy aches. I did have to do the three hour glucose test yesterday so I am praying all comes back well with that. I cannot believe it but me, who loves to eat, has only gained 12 lbs! I had some extra to work with before I was pregnant of course. I am thankful for that too. I know more is to come the bigger she gets but that is on track to a healthy weight gain for pregnancy. I have a hard time losing weight with my thyroid condition. But it will be done when she comes. It should be nice weather and since I’ll be home 3 months almost then walks are definitely in our future.
Her room is looking like more than just a jumble of things thrown in it. We now have her bed and we are starting baby showers on February 27th. I am so excited to see everyone in my family again. I know a lot of them prayed for a baby for us, so it makes it extra special. I cannot believe how quickly it has gone by. I am sure the last month may drag on but the rest has flown by, it makes me sad to think how quickly the baby stages fly by too! I won’t think past that though. I have not been too emotional but little silly sentimental things make me cry. I have a song at church that I would sing when I was praying about a baby. It now makes me cry in church, which is strange since I’m not normally emotional. There are other little things that make me cry too, like I said just little sentimental things. I will post a new picture soon as the belly is increasing…

Oh the creativity of a pregnant woman...

So now 25 weeks and counting I have entered into the heartburn, indigestion and two a night potty breaks. I am still loving being pregnant but am having to come up with many creative ways to sleep. I propped myself up with 5 pillows two nights ago to help the heartburn. Last night I used my mommy body pillow like a coil to help with hip pressure. There are normally at least 3 or 4 pillows around me, the bigger I/she gets the more I need. Poor Nate will soon only have a 1/4 of the king sized bed. It seems when you get your shoulders to stop hurting from learning to sleep on your side the pressure goes to the hips and then visa-versa. The indigestion I am used to since before pregnancy but she has had her feet/hands/something up near the top of the belly and pushing on me. I politely try to move her back down and she kicks me, ornery already, it is kinda funny. She's like no mom. I'm comfy, leave me alone; so I do. She is rotten already. I figured many of my pregnant friends have had their creative moments on how to get comfy so if you have any good suggestions I am game.

New Picture-21 weeks

We took this picture at Nate's Uncles house for our Christmas picture this year. We always buy an ornament for the year and this years has a spot for a photo, what better than a belly shot?

New Purse & new quilt

I finished the quilt the week before Christmas, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I pieced the back of the quilt too and then I used some of the special features on the sewing machine to sign it as well.

The back of the quilt

The new purse that I made. I love the fabric and the pleats. I made it for trade with my facialist/friend Christina for my next facial and massage.

Late post, Tables of Christmas

Tables of Christmas is something our church does every year. This year there were about 140 tables. We went with a candy theme this year. The ornaments were all made of candy or about candy. Instead of snow on the table as decoration we used Skittles, the napkin holders were Twizzlers. It was a great time and the speaker was very good. We are already in the works for designing next years table.

Me & Epha

Me, Kim, Tricia, Epha, Kim & Amy

These are some of the other tables at the event...

I'll probably get coal for Christmas...

I have been bad about blogging. I'd get coal from Santa. I have finally finished a quilt and will post the pics of that. Then on to my friend Emmie's quilt for her little one Jocelyn. I am in the process of picking out fabric for my little one's quilt. We found out it is a girl, so that is super fun. I LOVE PINK! It is my favorite color and cannot wait to buy fun stuff. We went and registered the day we found out. We are awful...but it was fun. Madeline is doing well (that is her name) and growing and kicking up a storm. I LOVE that feeling, there is nothing like it and I am still in awe of this whole process of being pregnant. Nate and I are still so thankful for this experience! He has been reading to the baby so it will know his voice and she starts moving around, she likes the deeper voices when she hears them. Our Bible study leader has a deep voice and she moves for him too when he starts talking. Its kinda funny. I raised my voice a few days ago at work on the phone because someone was not listening and she moved her hand, leg, arm (hard to tell) back and forth on my tummy. That one made me jump, she hadn't done that before. She's definitely getting bigger and stronger, you can tell since the movement is stronger. Nate asked if I thought I'd get tired of feeling her? I said I don't think so, I am just so happy she's there and if she does not move for a while it feels strange! My mother is dying to feel her move too, but they are very faint feeling still on the outside. She came to the ultrasound with us and was in awe as well. For her, it was the first ultrasound she'd ever seen. She kept asking the tech questions and I had to fuss to tell her to wait till she was done with the important stuff like the heart, lungs, kidneys, fingers, toes, etc then she can ask all the questions she wants to. She is just so excited about the baby too.

We will be celebrating Christmas with my dad's side of the family tomorrow night. I love going to my Aunt's house, it always reminds me of being a child and going there. I love her turkey dressing, it has been my favorite thing forever. I love holiday dinners! I will post pics soon and also a pic of the belly, it is getting round and is very noticeable. I love it though!

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda

You know when you miss an opportunity for God? I missed one last night. I should have spoke up but for some reason didn’t. Nate and I went to dinner at Gray’s Cafeteria last night and there was a large party in front of us. There was a single older man behind us. He thought we were with the party and let us ahead, I told him that we were not with them and he was fine to go ahead and it was just us two. He declined and stayed behind us. I smiled at him and said thanks and joked that even though the party in front was big I was sure there was plenty of food there for all of us. We went on down the line and got to the register to pay. I had a nudge in my heart….pay his bill. Nate normally pays, so I didn’t do it. I should have done it! I get to the table and I ask Nate if he ever feels like he should have done something then feels awful afterwards? He said yes, and I explained my nudge and Nate had one too, he even thought about asking him to sit with us for dinner. How sad, I was depressed. We missed out last night on doing something we really should have followed through with for God. I told him we need to really just act on those nudges when they come our way. I am sad we missed that one but am hopefully ready for the next nudge God provides and I pray that we/I follow through. We are blessed in our lives and though we don’t have a ton of resources (money) we have enough and God has always provided when we follow His direction. We think we have blessed someone else but we really are the ones blessed in the exchange, we know that we followed through with Gods plan. If we don’t follow through, God passes the blessing of giving to another person and we miss out. So this holiday season what Nudges is God giving you and will you do better than me and follow through?

Blessings...

I have two updates today. Both happened on Wednesday. I went to the dentist and they scheduled me an appointment for 6 months later. I realized, hum…cannot do that. I am due May 8th. If I don’t have the baby by then or am still waiting, the last thing I want to do is sit in a chair and have someone mess with my teeth. So I scheduled it for the first week in June. That brought me to the realization that….Nate will have to watch the baby! That just sounds so strange to me! I completely trust him to watch the baby, honestly he is better with kids than I am even, but the thought that the baby will be here. My baby will be born by June. It is still honestly sinking in that we are really, truly going to be parents finally!!! I know even though the belly is growing that its true but it still seems hard to believe.
Side note: my little friend Jonathan (whom we steal often from his mommy) chalked my growing belly up to “just eating too much”. From the mouth of babes huh? He’s 7.
So in short, I think its funny I have to make sure Nate’s available in June to watch the baby.
The other wonderful thing I am truly thankful for is my friends. I love them. I have several friends who are family to us; Epha is one of them (well Sam and the boys too). I called her since I hadn’t talked to her this week on the way home and was telling her that it was a dinner out night since I had my dentist appointment. My loving friend was going to call me anyways that night and invite us over for Pot roast, and veggies. She said when she was putting it in the oven she thought of us and thought she would call to invite us for dinner. I was so thankful to not have to eat out, plus Epha’s pot roast is awesome! When we moved to Indy from Albuquerque we wondered if we would ever find as good of friends as we had there and we are very blessed here as well. So that’s the update for now…looking forward to Thanksgiving and seeing family and then to the December 8th Ultrasound to hopefully find out if the baby is a boy or girl.

Long time no post...

Okay, pregnancy is great but it has wiped me out. I am 14 weeks this Saturday and looking forward to possibly having some more energy soon. I have so much to do and no energy to do it with. I know this is preparing me for when the baby comes but I have stuff to do before he/she gets here. Loads of stuff!
The belly is expanding and getting round, I heard the heartbeat again this week on Wednesday and it is definitely getting slower since the baby is getting bigger. I have long since gone ahead and taken the advice of a friend to switch to maternity pants and oh, they are so much better! We find out the gender of the baby on December 10th if it is cooperative, but I love seeing the ultrasounds, it is so neat and makes it feel more real. It is still surreal to me about being pregnant, even though I can obviously see the belly sticking out now. I have really started feeling better, no more nausea; except the occasional fight in the morning with my toothbrush still. (I even switched to a childs toothbrush so there is less to gag me with) Nate just keeps talking to my belly and patting it. The dog hasn't figured out yet that she cannot just jump right up on me onto the couch without getting in trouble, she plops right onto my stomach. As far as cravings, not really having any. I am just trying to find quick and easy and somewhat healthy things to make for dinner. I hate eating out of the freezer with processed meals but they are really easy. We have been busy each weekend so I don't get the chance then for meal prep like I normally would for that next week.
This weekend again is going to be busy. My Mom & Dad are both coming up and Dad & Nate are going to tile the new countertop in the bathroom. It will be great when it is done. Nate is still nesting and getting things organized which is TOTALLY unlike him! It is cute and really nice to have the projects completed. He is a great husband and will make a great Daddy too! We are both looking forward to feeling the baby and seeing it move, I think it will make it more real for him too.
Well that's the update for now, nothing really exiting other than the ultrasound coming up on December 10th.