Getting My Nest On

Posted on May 2, 2016 by playinghousewi

My to do list seems to keep growing. In my little pregnancy app, my weekly activity a few weeks back was packing my hospital bag. So, last week, I decided it was time to start.

Toiletries seemed like a good place to start… BUT, upon beginning, I discovered that all of the drawers and cabinets in our master bath were a mess! Clearly the only reasonable thing to do was purge (severely) and clean out every single drawer and cabinet… To the point of emptying and cleaning the drawer itself.

Three hours later, my bathroom drawers and cabinets look great… I have yet to pack my bag.

Last night I decided to keep it going. It was time to tackle our “Charlie Cabinet” in the kitchen. This is a tiny cabinet that’s just packed with plastic cups, bottles, etc.

Without going into crazy detail, let’s just say that I spent a good 4-5 hours cleaning out all of my kitchen cabinets, doing major purges and switching around the organization. And yes, this included the entire pantry.

Needless to say, this morning is a stop for coffee morning because this crazy momma was up until after midnight.

But dang that kitchen looks good.

Next tasks?

Linen closet and the guest bedroom!

And the Nesting is BACK!

Posted on June 18, 2014 by playinghousewi

I’m not sure if it was the realization that my due date is next week, the fact that I’m starting half-time maternity leave, or my body doing it’s labor-prep thing, but I am back at the nesting game. I feel like the bulk of my pregnancy was spent at a pretty high level of nesting (minus that wicked first trimester) until about a month or so ago… maybe a few weeks? Whenever the swelling started. Once that hit, I was a puffy, sleepy mess with little drive to do much but wimper, ice, or lay. BUT, the past few days have brought me some serious levels of productivity. And not the kind of productivity I had before – where if it wasn’t baby-related, it wasn’t getting done… or at least not quickly – this was full-on, “A-Game” work! At work, at home, at my other work… I’ve been checking things off my lists, getting organized, cleaning up… it’s amazing. I feel really great about it! Last night, I actually unpacked my hospital bag and repacked it in a way that felt more organized. Yep, that’s where I’m at.

So now, it’s 5:10 and I’m working at a totally cleaned up desk with only one thing to finish… this blog! Then, I’m off! I will officially start my half-time maternity leave. Unfortunately, I have to work a full day at my other job tomorrow and a half-day on Friday, but whatever. Regardless, I’m feeling pretty excited. The uncertainty of this job was really starting to bring me down… not to mention the humidity. So once I leave here, I will head to the gym for my last pre-baby workout (they told me I needed to stop after today… I guess they don’t want to deliver my baby on the gym floor) and then go home to organize something. Or maybe fold some laundry? The bedroom could use a bit of organizing.

And despite all the loveliness of my nesting spree, I must mention that yesterday, it did inflict a little damage…

Yup… that is a HUGE chunk of paint that I gouged out of the wall that took us FOREVER to paint. Urgh. That caused my heart to ache a little…

Other than that, hubs and I did a little cloth diaper practice…

This is Mutsy, my childhood stuffed animal. Pretty cute in his little prefold diaper, huh?

Doesn’t he look excited to be using cloth diapers?

Symptoms
I will be so happy when…

The hot flashes stop. Holy smokes… if anyone looks at me too long, or says something weird, or exists, I start sweating. A lot. My thermostat is way outta whack.
I can curl up in the fetal position.
I can sleep on my back.
My hands are no longer numb.
My hands no longer resemble sausages.
My feet fit in all of my cute shoes. Oh how I miss wearing cute shoes.
I can run and jump into my husband’s arms.
I can run and jump.
I can give my husband a hug without having to be watermelon-distance apart.
I can put my shoes on without breaking a sweat.
My stomach doesn’t rest on my stomach when I sit.
MY BABY IS IN MY ARMS!

So, yesterday I was having very light Braxton Hicks contractions all day. I wasn’t really keeping track of them because they were random and all over the place. Today I’ve had more than I was having previously, but probably not as many as yesterday… at least not that I can remember? I don’t really think it means much except for the obvious, I am coming up on 39 weeks and this baby is coming out soon.

I will say though, I’m getting a little sick of over analyzing every contraction, movement, etc. To the point where I was even considering skipping my internal exam tomorrow. BUT, I’ve decided that I’ll let her check me and if I’ve made no progress, which could totally be the case, then I will skip my 40-week exam. My appointment is tomorrow and I just really hope there has been some progress. I think I feel different. I haven’t had to pee much more than normal (I already pee all the time), but I have had more pressure in my pelvic area and hips. It could just be that this baby is getting HUGE and weighing down on me, but who knows?

I can’t believe this baby is coming soon. I think I’m back to feeling really confident. I spoke to a friend from high school who I had kind of lost touch with and she is just a god-send. She had a natural birth and is just so open and honest about everything. It’s SO nice talking with her. It definitely gave me a boost in confidence. The hubs and I have also been doing the perineum massage, which I think is helping. I don’t know if it will ultimately prevent me from tearing, but it is helping my husband and I in terms of boundary breaking (it was pretty awkward at first), and just in terms of working together. It’s opened up conversation regarding what helps me focus versus what breaks my focus and so on. I know this is a very, VERY mild version of what I’ll actually be feeling, but it at least gets us thinking of ideas.

Paint-a-Palooza 2014

Posted on March 10, 2014 by playinghousewi

This weekend was a big one! I had pretty high (and possibly a little unrealistic) expectations for our productivity. I charged my hubs and I with the task of painting the walls and trim in our soon-to-be nursery. Now, I say the expectations may have been unrealistic because if you factor in dry times, I’m not sure the task was actually possible. Pshhh… details! Right?

Anyway, Friday we had a very nice dinner with our friends and got to see their sweet little 6-month-old, Ellie. She is literally cute as a button. It was fun getting to love on her… even Toby got to come!

Our friends have a GIANT Goldendoodle who thinks Toby is a toy. Needless to say, he was pretty tuckered out by the end of it.

On Saturday, we were up bright and early to get started. Step 1 was getting everything out of the room. Hardware, drapes, etc.

Cleaning out the room…

Step 2: time to tackle the trim. Lots of sanding, wiping down the trim/walls/doors, vacuuming the dust, etc.

Mark’s sweet Momma (Milly) came to help us!!

And we made Mark vacuum the ceiling. Can’t have any dust lingering up there when the baby comes!

Mark was not a fan of this job.

Step 3: We had to wedge tape under the trim to protect the carpet and then cover everything with a drop cloth, and tape up the window.

Almost ready to paint!

Taping up the carpet in the closet.

We paused for a picture... still happily painting for our baby girl :)

We paused for a picture… still happily prepping for our baby girl 🙂

Step 4: Finally, it was time to prime the trim and the doors. PS: doing anything to louvered doors SUCKS.

Doors and trim are primed!

Step 5: BREAK TIME! At this point, it was 11:30 PM. Mark made a package of grand biscuits and I decided to lay down for a second.

Step 6: Mark paints the first coat of paint on the trim and fills all the holes in the wall. Melissa is passed out on the couch.

Just a quick nap… that ends at 330 AM. Note: this evening happened to be daylight’s savings, so we lost an hour.

Step 7: Back at it at 330 am to do the second coat of paint on the trim and the doors. In the end, we did 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Extra Pure White paint. We haven’t done this yet, but we are going to need to do one more coat on the trim, as you can still see some wood through in areas. BOO!

Post-nap paint.

Step 8: Literally at about 7am, we finally finished and went to bed. Baby, if you’re reading this, you should know that we REALLY love you already… and that’s what drove us to keep going. Now, this was probably a bit much, but apparently, we lost perspective at this point.

Step 9: Woke up at about 1pm and got started again.

Step 10: Tape the trim & prime the walls.

Trim is taped, it’s primer time!

Step 11: Cut in and start rolling on the paint! We ended up changing the paint at the last minute and went with Sherwin Williams Requisite Grey.

Mark is excellent at cutting in!

Milly came back to help!

Almost done with the first coat!

Step 12: Finally at 930pm, we ate dinner and relaxed. Job done for the day.

So, now that it’s Monday, what’s left?

It looks like we might be good with just one coat of paint on the walls, BUT, we are going to need to touch them up tonight.
We didn’t fill the holes in the trim or use caulk where the trim connects to the wall. We are going to do this and then paint one last coat of paint over the trim.
The closet doors need more paint. Probably have 2-3 coats left.
The entrance door needs to be primed and painted.

And once all that’s done, we can install the chandelier and build the crib and the glider… because we officially ordered them both on Saturday! Yay! With the coupon, ended up being $920 for both. Not too shabby!

Also, I stopped at TJ Maxx on Friday and picked up a bunch of cute decor. For everything, I only spent $120!

Mercury glass lamp, two throw pillos, storage basket, soft basket for toys, 4 picture frames for the gallery wall and two window panels in a cute sheer white with embroidery!

Symptoms

By the time Thursday hits, I will definitely be MORE than ready for vacation. I pushed it a little hard this weekend, so I’m going to try and get to bed early this week. As for how I’m feeling, besides tired, I feel great! Everything is really coming together and I couldn’t be happier. I’m also VERY excited to have some non-working time with Marky. Perfect timing!

Nursery Design Complete(ish)

Posted on March 7, 2014 by playinghousewi

The other night, Mark and I were sitting in the nursery trying to decide if everything was going to fit. Ultimately, he said that we’d make it work once it came. Me being me couldn’t let that be the end. SO, taking my mother’s suggestion, I decided to use graph paper to mock up the room and furniture, to scale, and play around with different layouts.

This is what I’ve ended up with…

The room layout with decor ideas all along the corresponding walls. A gallery wall over the changing table with this cute mirror from Home Depot. The crib netting and mobile from Restoration Hardware. A picture, some wall flowers, and two floating shelves in the corner behind the glider. And then, a homemade growth chart ruler made with some scrap wood we have from our wedding photo booth.

Before I had selected the layout, here are some of the options I came up with…

My #1 Option. Note: the glider has the wrong dimensions and is actually smaller.

Another option…

And yet another!

Then, after going through a bazillion paint swatches and three sample cans of paint (all of which made it to the wall), I think I’ve finally selected a paint.

The many paint swatches…

The final selection... Sherwin Williams (which I could have sworn was actually SherMAN Williams) Alpaca.

The final selection… Sherwin Williams (which I could have sworn was actually SherMAN Williams) SW 7022 Alpaca.

So obviously, once my colors were selected and the layout was set, I had to put together a little inspiration board, or whatever you’d call it.

The colors are more yellow because of the way the camera took the photo, but here it is. The first ivory color is similar to that of the furniture. Then the next two colors (grey and white) are for the walls and trim. Next are three pink variations for accent colors and finally, the dark grey, which is close to the color of the glider. Voila!

And as a recap, here’s what we’ve decided in terms of furniture…

The Crib: Sorelle Verona Panel Lifetime Crib from Babies R’ Us

Sorelle Verona Panel Lifetime Crib from Babies R’ Us

The Dresser: South Shore Hopedale 6-Drawer Dresser from Walmart (they have the cheapest price and free shipping!)

South Shore Hopedale 6-Drawer Dresser from Wayfair

South Shore Hopedale 6-Drawer Dresser from Walmart

The Bookshelf: Sauder Living Room Library Bookcase from WalMart (originally found this on Wayfair, but cheapest price is from WalMart)

Sauder Living Room Library Bookcase from Walmart

The Glider: Kacy Collection Madison Glider & Ottoman in Ash from Babies R’ Us

Kacy Collection Madison Glider from Babies R’ Us

The Chandelier: Hampton Bay Maria Theresa 6-Light Chrome Chandelier from Home Depot

Hampton Bay Maria Theresa 6-Light Chrome Chandelier from Home Depot

As for the pink accents, I’m thinking of doing little things like this…

Gallery Wall Accent Pops

Polka accents in gold/blush.

I will likely be doing some crafting and/or InDesign(ing) for the gallery wall art. No need to buy that stuff. And then maybe a pink pillow or two, and subtle little decorative pieces… it’s going to be decorated in no time!

Symptoms

We leave for Mexico in less than a week and I’m just so excited! Can we consider this our sweet girl’s first time out of the country? By the time she’s born, she will have been to NYC and Mexico. Quite the little traveler.

As for me, I’m feeling great. Happy and excited to be making progress on the nursery. Excited for the trip. Loving all the kicks, pokes and prods of our little baby. Life is good and really, I’m loving being pregnant.

Let the Nesting Begin…

Posted on February 24, 2014 by playinghousewi

Something happened to me last week and I’m not exactly sure what it was. I don’t know if it was the power of hitting 5.5 months (aka: we only have 4.5 months to go) or what, but I have been totally non-stop planning, organizing, researching, cleaning, purging old crap, registering, etc. It’s all I can think about. I go to bed thinking about what I can do or clean next and wake up bright and early ready to work.

On Saturday, after a lovely brunch with my Milly (mother-in-law) and Pop (Mark’s grandpa), we went off to check out baby furniture and to touch and feel some of the stuff we had selected for our registry. The plan was Babies R’ Us, Buy Buy Baby, World Market, and Pottery Barn Kids. Unfortunately, when we got to the mall to go to PBK, the dang place was gone! I don’t know when, but the store had closed and now, the closest location is in Illinois over an hour away.

This discovery made me a little crabby (or maybe it was the fact that we had been out shopping for 4 hours already), but we decided that next weekend we would head to IL and check out PBK and potentially IKEA. And of course, still feeling like we needed to get things done, we went to the JC Penney Outlet to check out furniture and Target to get some storage drawers/cabinets for our lower-level “bonus room” and the nursery closet. A quick $250 later, we were ready to finally head home.

That evening, I built this little cube bookshelf for the nursery (I’ll post a picture tomorrow) and went through all the hand-me-downs from Mark’s sister and organized them into newborn, 0-3, and 3-6. A completely unnecessary task, as I will obviously be washing them… but oh well!

The next day I was up super early to start organizing the bonus room (except for a quick break to see my grandparents and buy MORE bins from Target, this is what I did from about 8 am – 11 pm). Currently, we have two desks in this room and it acts as a catch-all for the random crap we don’t know what to do with or haven’t had time to put away. Originally, the room was going to be an office/craft room, but we both always end up working upstairs, so we have decided to get rid of the big desk and bring our guest bedroom furniture from the soon-to-be nursery down to this room. But, in order to do such things, we need to get everything SUPER organized. That means, all my craft stuff, our files, Mark’s old crap from his mom’s house, etc all needs to have a specific place to go.

So here’s what I did…

BEFORE shot of the bonus room. Please note that there are piles of papers and crap everywhere and that all craft stuff is thrown into two drawers or somewhere in the desk.

AFTER: Yes, there are still some boxes in the corner… but it’s a HUGE improvement. And tonight, we’ll tackle the boxes (that is all crap that my husband brought over from his mother’s basement… I told him to make sure to find an actual place for the items instead of just throwing them somewhere. He found this room.)

AFTER: The closet is all organized in our new bins! There’s an “adhesives” drawer, an “every day paper” drawer, a scrap paper drawer, a ribbon drawer, and the list goes on. Organization like this makes my heart go pitter patter.

Next Steps:

Go through the remaining boxes in the bonus room.
Sell the big desk on craigslist.
Bring the furniture from the soon-to-be nursery down to the bonus room and get it all set up.
Figure out lighting in the nursery (I want to change the light fixture and look into getting overhead lights)
Paint the nursery (trim and all).
Go through the basement storage area and get everything organized.

Lots to do, but I’m hoping that this list will be done within the next month! Wish me luck 🙂

Symptoms

Besides my compulsive need to organize, I’ve been feeling really great. Energetic, motivated, excited, and happy. Yesterday, Mark and I bought the book, “Snuggle Puppy,” by Sandra Boynton. We’ve decided that every night, Marky will read a (or this) book to the baby to help her learn his voice and to help him feel connected to her. Last night was the first night and our sweet baby who was quiet as a mouse started kicking as soon as daddy started reading to her. I can’t wait to continue this ritual and see if she continues to react. It definitely was a special 2.5 minutes 🙂

Another Picture of the Baby Boo & a Weekend Recap

Posted on November 25, 2013 by playinghousewi

Baby “Blob” Lang! Ultrasound #2

Today was our second ultrasound appointment, and my doctor’s way of appeasing my stubborn mind. As I’ve mentioned before, I was not convinced by the due date given at our last ultrasound appointment, so my doctor had suggested we do another one. Well, turns out the ultrasound tech and the fancy machinery is staying pretty consistent. My most recent due date was June 30th and today it was adjusted to June 27th. As I stated before, I am totally prepared to accept June 27th as the day and begin tracking the baby’s growth accordingly.

So, here’s where we’re at… I’m officially 9 weeks and 3 days pregnant, our baby is just over an inch from head to rump, and the heartbeat was 174 beats per minute.

Ultrasound 1 vs Ultrasound 2

It must be mentioned, that my mom is now convinced it’s going to be a girl! Only 10 more weeks until we find out! Also, I didn’t really see the heart beat last time, although my hubs did. This time, it was so clear and amazing to see. That little heart is working hard and was totally crazy and wonderful to be able to watch.

I’m not 100% sure, but I think we might have another ultrasound at 12 weeks for the nuchal screening. Can’t wait until the babe looks a little less like a blob and a little more like a sweet baby.

Weekend Recap

It was, once again, a pretty busy weekend. We were still furiously working to get my grandparents set up in their new place. Here’s some progress…