Nursery DIY

This pregnancy was a surprise to Adam and I, which means that we are not as financially prepared as we would have hoped to be.  This is becoming a challenge because I want to start getting the nursery ready and things like that, but everything that I do has to be done with minimal spending.  So here’s a nursery DIY that cost me $10.  Recently I have been working on getting the nursery ready by purging all of the stuff out of it.  Since we moved into this apartment the second bedroom has been a catch-all storage room, and it is nowhere near ready to have a baby in it, so I have been going through things, reorganizing and getting rid of some thing.  Some of our things have been stored in plastic drawer storage containers.  After my cleaning I had two empty ones that would be perfect to store diapers and things in, but they were so boring, so I decided to change them up.

 

All I needed was scrapbook paper, scissors, and clear adhesive.

First, I made these cute little forest animals out of scrapbook paper.  (The nursery theme that we have picked is forest animals). 

 

Second, I measured out the scrapbook paper to fit in the drawer.  Then I attached the animal to it and taped it with double sided scrapbooking tape to the inside of the bin.  And that was it!  Here’s the finished product.

 

I’m pretty excited about how they turned out.  I think they are super cute. 

Do you have any cheap nursery DIYs?

Aches and Pains

For some reason this week has been particularly painful.  There are so many more muscles and things that I am aware of now that I am pregnant.  There are these ligaments that support your uterus and keep it from flopping around, and when you move certain ways then tighten to correct you, and man does it hurt!  I also pulled a muscle, ligament, or something in my groin, another one of those new muscles I didn't even know I had. 

I have been a belly sleeper for the past few years ever since I tore the tendon in my shoulder, well now I can't sleep on my belly.  So I don't sleep very well.  And now I'm laying on my shoulders which makes them hurt.  On top of all that I'm getting headaches, knee pain, and sore ankles!

And I'm afraid that the worst is yet to come!

21 Week Update

Well, I am over halfway through my pregnancy!  I'm so excited to meet this little baby.  I'm hoping these next 20 weeks go by quickly.  But I'm sure they will be full of fun as we start to get the nursery ready and prepare for our child entering this world!

My belly—if I try to just glance down at my feet I can no longer see them!  That's pretty exciting for me.
My baby—is 12oz and 10.5inches long, that's as long as a banana.
I’m reading—Redeeming Love--Francine Rivers
I’m getting ready to watch—The season premiere of Grey's Anatomy!

I’m thinking about—the weekend
Something exciting—I started attending MOPS and a Young Families small group and I'm starting to meet a lot of parents.  I'm excited for the support system that they will become.

Surrounded by Samples

One thing you get when you start going to parenting websites, registering, and doing all the things pre-parents do, is a lot of samples.  Here is my growing supply of samples. 

 

I personally never say no to free samples.  There may be some stuff that I never use and just clutters up everything, but there could also be a few gems in there too.  These are the things that I would call my gems so far:

 

 1- Nursing Pillow from NursingPillow.com.  They sent me a free gift card for this pillow, so I got to pick out everything for it and didn't have to pay anything!  Mark one thing off my registry.

 

2-Nursing Cover from Uddercovers.com.  This is a sister company of NursingPillow.com so it worked much the same way.

 

3-Baby sling from sevenslings.com.  This one worked the same as well.  I liked getting and using these free gift cards because I got to pick out what I wanted and still get the free product.

4-This is from pampers and it is awesome.  It's just a little travel carrier for wipes and diapers but it already seems so convenient.  It's cute and it was full of coupons!

5-I was going to buy one of these anyway and now I don't have to.

6-Avent Bottle.  You can never have enough bottles.  And someone told me to keep the samples around because maybe one night the baby won't like the bottle you're trying to give them.  If that happens I will be trying anything, and maybe that night this bottle will save the evening.

7-Pacifiers.  I think these are probably like diapers, you can never have enough!

So get lots of samples, start researching, and if it’s not for you, then there’s no pressure!  It’s just a bunch of options that you can look through in the comfort of your own home.  And maybe you too will discover some gems!

940 Saturdays

I was reading an article in a magazine the other day and I was startled by this fact.  From the time that your child is born to the time they are 18 and moving out to go to college, you will only have 940 Saturdays to spend with them.  At first my response was what, I think, the article meant to invoke, shock, and panic. 

“Only 940 Saturdays!” 

But then I started thinking about it.  That’s 940 Saturdays.  I’ll be lucky if my child wants to spend all of those Saturdays with me.  That’s two and half years of just Saturdays!  I know that the article was trying to get me to understand that I will have a limited number of Saturdays with my child and to make the most of them, but that’s a lot of Saturdays, and I think that adds an added amount of pressure to me as a parent. 

 

If I look at every Saturday as something to check off as a “memorable” day, I will stress myself out.  And my child will probably hate it.  If you over plan your weekend, sometimes you are even more tired going into your week.  So I say just relax and spend the time together as a family while you have it.  Yes, plan some fun outings, but also just plan some time to stay home and relax.  And don’t get all worked up that you have to have an amazing plan for every Saturday because as your child gets older they will want to spend Saturdays doing what they want to do.  Hanging out with friends, seeing movies, playing sports, and not doing whatever “fun” thing Mom and Dad want to drag you to. 

 

I did not grow up spending every Saturday with my family, but I still feel like I got plenty of family time growing up and many fun memories.  So don’t get wrapped up in the number of days that you have with your child, but rather just live each day spending time with them, loving them, and do the fun outings every once in a while, but don’t stress yourself out. 

10 Things I Learned During my First Trimester

 

1. There is such a thing as too much morning sickness

At the end of the 1^st trimester I told the midwife how sick I had been and she was shocked and said “Why didn’t you come and see us and get some medicine?”  Well, everything you hear about pregnancy is how sick you are.  I didn’t know there was too sick.  If you throw up more than 2 times a day, you probably need to tell your doctor and get some medicine.  By the time I knew that, my sickness was pretty much done.

2. Buy some comfy Pj’s because you will spend a lot of time in them.

During the first trimester I slept more than I ever thought possible.  I was tired all the time, and even after sleeping all the time I was still tired.  I could never get enough sleep.

3. Housework is the first thing to go

Either you’re too tired, you’re too sick, the smells bother you, or you just don’t want to do it, there will be some reason to not do housework.  Take the excuse and lay on the couch.  People will understand if your house isn’t pristine, you’re growing a person you know.

4. Don’t eat until you’re full

I threw up many times just because I had eaten too much, so eat little meals throughout the day and you will feel so much better.  Again, something I learned at the very end of the first trimester. 

5. If you think you are drinking enough water, drink more.

You need tons of water just to keep going.  You will drink so much water that pretty soon you will hate it, but its way better than getting dehydrated. 

6. Keep walking

Even though you are exhausted, keep getting out and doing things.  You still need your exercise, and you need to have some fun.  Don’t stay in your house wrapped up in bed with your trashcan. 

7. Always know where the bathroom is

Since you’re going to be going out and doing things, always know where the quickest bathroom is…just in case

8. Everyone has a surefire way to ease nausea, and none of them will work for you

Don’t get discouraged if every single thing you try fails, just keep trying until you find the one for you.  And it could be something that no one ever suggested.  My way to ease nausea: eating Oreos.

9. Your husband will laugh at you

Your husband will find your cravings and aversions funny.  He will find your pregnancy brain hilarious.  And if he’s anything like mine, he’ll even find you running to the bathroom funny because you have always wanted to be pregnant.  Just don’t let it get to you personally.  He’s enjoying this part of the pregnancy for you.  And he loves you, he just doesn’t get it.

10. It will end

The first trimester is just that, the first.  It will end.  I’m not saying all of your nasty symptoms will magically go away once you hit the 14 week mark, but at some point you will start to feel better.  You will have more energy, you will eat more, and you will start to enjoy yourself.  I know I am!

 

 

 

It is that common, it does happen to everyone, and it’s not a big deal

Pregnancy brain.

It’s real.  It’s a symptom of pregnancy.

All your blood in my body is focused on the baby and not on going to my brain.  And my husband will tell you that pregnancy brain is a total real thing, and I have it, BAD.

I forget everything, even if I write it down.  I can’t remember things, and my brain is not the same as my brain before my pregnancy.

So what do I do?  I laugh at it and I accept it.

Enjoy this comic from pregnancyhumor.com, I like to call it: Your Brain on Baby.

 

 

Have you Checked Out my Pages?

Did you know that there is some extra content at the pages above?  Here's what you can find in my various pages:

Who's Writing This?--A little bit about me, the person writing this blog

Bump Growth--Take a look at how my bump is growing

Maternity Fashion--My thoughts and photos on maternity clothes

Pregnancy Resources--Some books, apps, websites, that have really helped me
Some people say--Some quotes, just for fun, about motherhood

Drowning in Documenting?

Is it possible to over-document your pregnancy?  If it is, then I am probably guilty of it.  This is my first pregnancy and my first child, I do not want to forget any part of this experience, but am I taking it too far?

How I’m Documenting

1-Writing this blog

2-Having a baby website on “The Bump”

3-Posting on Facebook 

4-Keeping up with my Belly Book

5-Keeping up with the Baby Book

6-Writing letters and prayers to the baby in a journal.  I plan to continue this all through high school and give it as a gift when they leave for college

7-Making a baby blanket.  While I am making it I am dreaming, praying, and thinking about the baby

I am enjoying doing all of these things, but is it too much?
Will I be able to do this with any future children?  And if I do not, will they be let down?

How much or little do you document?
Do you wish you had done more?

I’m enjoying what I am doing, and I am hoping that my child will enjoy looking back on it as well.  I am just wondering, can there be too much documenting?

We document everything our child does.  We take pictures, videos, all sorts of things to remember their milestones, why can’t this start in pregnancy?  I think it should.  It’s all part of the journey and the story of their life.

I do not think I’m doing too much, although my husband may disagree, but I want to know what you think?  Is this a case of too much of a good thing?

How many diapers will you need in the first year?

This is the first box of diapers I have purchased.  A little early, you may think.  And that may be true, but I had a family give me a very good piece of advice: “When you see a sale on diapers, buy them, start buying them now.”  I had listened to the advice and thought it made sense.  And then I saw a chart of how many diapers you will need in the first year of a baby’s life, and I knew that I needed to get on the ball.  Let me share this information with you, that I for one, found very startling.

In the first 0-1 months of your child’s life, you will change their diaper 10-12 times a day, that is 320 diapers in the first month!  In months 1-5, you will change their diaper 8-10 times a day, that is 960 diapers.  You will need another 960 diapers for months 5-9 when you’re changing the baby 8-10 times a day, and then for the last four months of their first year, you will need 728 diapers.  Yikes!  And then will all be different sizes as your baby grows.  That is 2,968 diapers!

To me that seems like a lot.  Once I saw that information, I happened to find a great deal on a box of diapers.  I bought this box of diapers, which has 216 diapers in it for $30 on diapers.com.  So this box is the first box of many, many to come in our house.

Brain-Racking Registry

I am a planner.  I get things done way before they need to be, because then I can check them off my list and not worry about them anymore.  And that is wonderful.  Our baby registry is already done.  It was done two weeks ago.  Everything is on it, and I don’t have to think about it anymore.  But that does not mean that it was easy.  No way. 

It was daunting, scary, confusing, and overwhelming, and yet…awesome. 

 There is so much information online about what you should register for.  And everywhere you go, everyone you talk to, will all have different opinions.  And then if you look online there are even more opinions and even more information!  Talk about information overload. 

When Adam and I first walked into Buy Buy Baby we were looking at strollers.  There were probably about 20 and they all looked the same, and we had no idea which one was better, why there were so many, or what safety features actually mattered.  We left that day feeling completely overwhelmed.  And then I tried to research strollers and things got worse.  I couldn’t even think anymore.  I even called my mom and asked her what to look for in strollers and car seats, and she couldn’t really help me because it had been 21 years since she had to buy a stroller.  Things change.

So what did I do?  I went into super Lauren planning mode.  I went to Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us and set up our registries.  I just did this so I could get the goody bags and the registry checklists.  The goody bags were also filled with all kinds of flyers with even more options, so I just put those aside and decided not to look at them.  I then went home and compiled all the registry checklists into a spreadsheet (yes, that is super planner mode).  I also compiled two more online registry checklists into that.

 

  
Then I crossed out the things that seemed unnecessary and started reading.  The registry booklets that I got from the two stores not only had the checklists, but they walked you through how to select things.  I read all this information and formulated some of my own opinions.  Adam and I went out and registered for the easy stuff, like clothes, toys, plates and things.  That was pretty easy.  For the hard stuff, I have this awesome friend, who is a mother of two, who offered to help us with the rest.  So one night we walked around Babies R Us and with her help, opinions, and suggestions, got everything else registered for.  So what did I learn from registering?
Well, let me tell you.

1. You don’t need to buy everything they put on their list that you should buy.  Disposable placemats? 

2. Find a friend who has done it before to help you.

3. The only opinion that ultimately matters is your own.

4. Don’t second guess yourself once you’ve made a decision.

5. Get it done early so you can stop thinking about it.

6. Enjoy the process, get excited.

 

It was a daunting, but rewarding experience.  Now I can plan our money for the big pieces that I know we want and need.  Don’t let registering scare you, you can always just take it one step at a time.

Pleasantly Ignorant

I pretty much have no preconceived ideas about pregnancy.  I have no idea what to expect or what’s going on, and I like it that way. 

The first thing my midwife told me to do was throw away “What to Expect when you’re Expecting” because it’s scary and sometimes inaccurate. 

And I did and I think it was the best idea ever.  I had read like one chapter of the book, and it was literally like “these are all the things that could go wrong in your first trimester.”  Sheesh.  I don’t need that.  I can imagine all kinds of terrible things happening all on my own.  No one wants to be friends with, or even be around, scared, worried Lauren.  She’s just not nice.  Because of this, I have generally stayed away from googling and any other kind of researching.  We’ll just see what happens and take each new thing as it comes, and when in doubt, call my doctor or my mother.  That seems much better than freaking myself out once a week because of whatever I just read in a book.  I don’t know what’s up ahead or what kind of things are in my future, and I’m perfectly okay not knowing, because it’s probably better that I don’t, and then everything new is exciting.  Generally I am an over-researcher, but not this time.  This time I’m going to be pleasantly, happily ignorant, and hopefully pleasantly surprised. 

The Amazingness of an Ultrasound

We had our first ultrasound a couple weeks ago and it was amazing.  We could literally see everything.  We got to see the baby’s cute little profile, all snuggled up, it’s cute little hands and feet.  And then we got to see it’s skull, it’s brain, it’s kidneys, and it’s beating heart.  Kinda weird, but definitely cool, and awesome!  It’s amazing what God can do.  It’s amazing that there is a baby that is growing inside me.  And it’s amazing how clearly we could look at our baby.  Ultrasounds have come a long way.  My mom said that she didn’t remember hers being that good.  It makes me wonder how much better they will be when my kids are having kids!  Adam and I just looked at the screen and giggled because it was so amazing to be able to see our baby. 
Here’s a little taste:

Isn’t it cute?!

19 Week Update

Today marks 19 weeks.  I have been feeling pretty good.  I have some pain in my ligaments, which are keeping my uterus in the correct place, and I’m not sleeping well, but otherwise all is well.

 

My belly—is starting to get bigger, and harder, and is actually starting to get in my way.
My baby—is 8oz and 6inches long, my apps tell me that the brain is starting to get more developed
I’m reading—First Time Mom--Dr. Kevin Leman
I’m getting ready to watch—The Graceland season finale from last night and “Destry Rides Again”

I’m thinking about—all the cleaning that I need to get done, but just don’t want to
Something exciting—I felt the baby move quite a few times yesterday!

I'm Not Qualified

I am a first time mom.  I am currently 19 weeks pregnant, and yes, I do already consider myself a mom.  I am in charge of the health and well-being of a teeny tiny baby, if that does not count as the beginning of motherhood than I do not know what does.

I wanted to start this blog about being a first time mom for a few reasons:

1. Writing things down gives me a chance to think and process
2. This is a good way to document everything that is going on
3. Maybe there are people out there like me and maybe we can learn from each other
If I were trying to apply for a job as "First-Time Mom" I probably wouldn't get an interview.  My cover letter would probably sound a little like this:

To Whom it May Concern,

I am so excited about the possibility of becoming a First-Time Mom.  It is something that I have always dreamed of becoming.  What I lack in experience I make up for in passion and dedication.

If you are looking at my resume you may notice that I have no qualifications or previous experience.  I hope that does not automatically put me out of the running.  I am a fast learner and I have a strong motivation to learn and be the best First-Time Mom I can be.

I am looking forward to discussing this opportunity with you further. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Lauren

What do you think?  Do I get the job?

Regardless of what you, me, or anyone else thinks, I have the job.  And I'm writing to share this journey with you.