nursery grand tour

Sit down, everybody, we're going on a tour of the baby's room.  "Grand" tour is me being facetious - the room is about 7x10 feet, so not really that grand.  When we first saw the room, we were like, "THIS is the 'third bedroom?'  What a joke!"  But it turns out it's all the space you need for a baby's room.  So let's start with the before, to show you how far we've come.

It used to have nondescript, cream colored walls.  We managed to squeeze in a twin bed (assembled in the room, of course) and a chair.

The room is so small it's hard to get a picture, but there are built in closets and a built in cabinet.  The bed fit perfectly between them and almost touched the wall on the other side.  

Notice the lime green radiator.  Ooh, la la.  

When we were ready, we took out the bed and put up the crib, which we acquired for free.  Not the style or color I would've picked, but it fit perfectly between the built-ins.  The solid sideboard isn't a popular style anymore but I like the way it looks in the space.  We considered buying a new crib because it just looked so BLAH in the room, but we were given a changing table that was the same color, so it made sense to keep it and work with it.  We figured a new wall color would change things dramatically. 

One really special project was the door to the room.  I assume it had glass in it at one point, but when we moved in it was empty panes with a yucky mini-blind for privacy.  Our poor guests had a room to themselves - but with no sound barrier between them and the living room.  We considered glass, but decided something solid and opaque was the more practical/safe choice with a baby.  Matt realized that all of the panes were actually slightly different sizes . . . but he found a solution and was able to fill the door in nicely.  

yucky old door and nice new door:

Ok, NOW we can show you the finished product!  

Besides the chair that still needs to be covered, but whatever. 

The photos are a little dark because I used Matt's phone.  Sorry. 

The ALMOST finished product: 

Ta-da!  There it is, a snug little spot for our little buddy.  Went for a bit of a nautical touch since our house touches the water, and we don't think we'll ever live on the ocean again.  Our little Long Island baby gets a touch of the sea cottage life.  

Also, here's a close-up of the driftwood items Matt made for baby:

It's two sailboats and a whale.  The whale has a tendency to look like an island with a tree on it for those that don't know it's a whale, so I thought I'd set you straight.  Or really, if it looks like an island with a tree on it, that's appropriate as well.  I just found the piece of wood once on a walk down the beach and said "it's a whale!" and kept it for such a time as this.  So to me, it's a whale.  

We're really happy with our little room and how it flows with the rest of our little house.  It's a peaceful spot.  

Baby update:

Went to the doctor this morning to check on things and she thought maybe he'd turned.  We had a "how ironic" moment as we waited for a sonogram since my parents were already flying here.  If he'd turned, we'd just wait for him to come . . . which could take two more weeks . . . but the sonogram showed he was still breech.  Specifically frank breech, which means he's in half, like a jackknife.   We got a good look at his face and his organs and he looks good!  Supposedly he's weighing in at 8lb 2oz.  It'll be interesting to see how big he really is.  Our c-section is this Wednesday so we've only got a couple days to wait! 

One more photo to leave you with: 

Brothers. 

(practically) due date

Tomorrow is my official due date!  We're going to be a bit busy tomorrow with a doctor's appointment and pre-admission testing and welcoming my parents from Oklahoma, yeehaw, so consider this the full-term post.  How far we've come. 

I don't think our baby is huge, but after looking at the above picture, maybe he is.  We'll find out in three days!  Thanks for your prayers - despite the change of circumstances, we're feeling pretty good about the upcoming c-section and excited to get this show on the road.

I haven't been working the last two weeks, but I've managed to stay pretty busy with all my "projects."  I've sewn and Matt's constructed, and now baby is allowed to come!  My first week off work I went to town but kind of hit a wall at the end of the week as my energy level crashed.  Now I know I've got to pace myself or I'll be having one of those strange hormonal meltdowns with no excuse besides, "I'm soooo tired!"  Today I made a lasagna after church and then had to rest on the couch for a bit.  Amazing how standing by the stove can lead to aching feet/back/abs.  Being pregnant is like water skiing - you use muscles you never knew you had.  I'm tired of the whole house shaking when I walk across our old wood floor . . . Not real encouraging.  And sleeping is a pretty fun experience these days.  I have to make a 3-point turn just to roll over in bed.  I can't imagine this stage with one other kid - or four.  That is just amazing.  

So, all that to say, I've heard I'll miss being pregnant but right now I'm not feeling it.  :)  

this could be a problem.

Generally speaking, we're pretty confident about how things will go with Moose and the baby.  He's just a really mild-mannered, low-maintenance dog who sleeps 23 hours a day.  He likes playing with kids and sniffing babies.  Moose doesn't really bark that often, but I read that babies get used to those loud sounds if they hear them in the womb, so I'll let you know if that's true or not.  

The problem lies in his drawn-out escapades.  He really hates c-a-t-s and deer and other unexpected creatures (mailmen, oil trucks) that trespass on his property.  Last night I was sitting at the table minding my own business when Moose spotted a cat that had plopped itself down outside the window and he went bondoogles.  I'll let you see for yourself. . . 

Definitely not the most pleasant sound in the world.  It can be pretty scary if you're not expecting it, but it's pretty short lived.  We can't let him outside or he'd be gone in an instant, so he has to get it out by tearing around the house and rumpling my rugs.  Just thought I'd share that on this Thursday morning.  

so very pregnant

I am currently 39 weeks pregnant, phew!  We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is good to go.  I was disappointed to see the scale tip a few more pounds . . . my last two appointments I'd weighed the same!  Never thought I'd be so happy to see THOSE numbers! :)  We are in serious countdown, with the c-section scheduled next week.  By this time next Wednesday, I won't be pregnant any more!  The baby is still breech, with his big old head jammed up near my ribs.  The downside of this is that I still have heartburn a couple times a day.  The upside is that I'm not running to the bathroom all the time like most women at this stage of the game.  So, that's a plus.  Another benefit is knowing exactly when everything will go down.  Our parents were able to get tickets knowing that they would see the baby and not just me, waiting for baby to appear!  

I'm into my second week not working and it's been great, but a bit busier than I thought.  I'm not so good at just sitting around, I guess!  We've had time to work on the baby's room and get lots of little projects done.  I've put my sewing machine to good use!  The nursery is basically ready but there are a few more finishing touches needed.  It's also a really small room, so I haven't taken the time to get good shots of the whole space.  I did take some pictures today of a few little details that make it special.  

I've been working on this baby mobile for a couple days.  Now I know why the ones on Etsy were so expensive - this really does take a lot of time! 

Little whales and a sailboat, in from the Long Island Sound.  

I didn't love any of the changing table covers so I made one of those.  I should probably make/buy more, since it'll probably get stained in baby's first week home . . . I also accidentally sewed the corner seams inside-out because that's the kind of careful seamstress I am.  I figured it's jammed tightly enough into the changing table that you can't tell.  (I'm also the kind of seamstress who chooses to live with mistakes rather than take the time to redo them.) Gingham and seersucker- yes, please!

Baskets of diapers and wipes ready to go.

Laundry basket - we'll do plenty of that, I think.

Matt made some great pieces for the wall that I will feature soon, but here's one dreamy driftwood sailboat!

Crib ready to go!  I made the crib skirt, which you can't see here, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

A soft buddy to snuggle.

One big project is a chair that I've recently discovered is not a standard size so I don't think will fit in a standard slipcover.  I was really disappointed to figure that one out . . . sewing a slipcover is not high on my list of things to figure out how to do at this point in life.  I'm still working on a solution for that one, but right now it's got a some stuff thrown on it so I'm not assaulted by the living-room-grade plaid when I walk in the room.

Hope you enjoyed the little sneak peak!  More pictures soon! (if you can excuse the chair!)

coming soon: baby boy's birthday!

Subtitled: Turn, turn, turn!

After a very smooth and uneventful pregnancy, we've hit a little bump in the road.  Our little tax deduction seems to be fine and healthy, but is having a party up at the top of my uterus instead of turning around and getting ready to enter this world like 95% of other babies do.  We still love him, the stubborn little buddy!

Despite this unexpected news, I've been blessed to see God's hand in the process.  We found out last week when I was at my doctor's appointment and instead of making us wait for a sonogram, she snuck us in that day.  It was perfect timing, as Matt wasn't at work and was able to come and see the baby and then together discuss our options with our doctor.  Also I saw a different doctor last week than I usually do, and I felt so at ease with her and thankful that she was the one walking through this with us.

It was a bit shocking to suddenly be discussing c-sections, which is probably the exact opposite of the birth experience we'd planned on.  After discussing our options, we've decided to go with our doctor's recommendation to avoid an external version (an external manipulation to turn the baby) and schedule a cesarean.  Thankfully she was on board with scheduling after his due date instead of at 39 weeks, which is more common.  We'd like to give him as much time as we can to grow - and maybe turn around in there!  Only 5% of babies are still breech at term, so there is a chance he'll turn right around and we can avoid the surgery.  Just this week I've come in contact with three people who were or are in the same position, and talking with them helped calm my nerves a bit about the c-section.

There are all sorts of ways to encourage a breech baby to turn - from playing music to coax him to turn to propping your hips up above your head to encourage him to move.  And yes, we've tried them.  And no, not a thing happened.  We're not giving up yet.  :)

So . . . our scheduled day is April 20th!  Of course there's still a chance I could go into labor before then but no signs of that yet, so chances are we'll be meeting our little guy then!

And the countdown begins: 19 days!

shower for baby

We've started counting our pre-baby weekends left on one hand!  Last weekend was a particularly fun one . . . UK won BOTH of their games (GO CATS!) . . . and more notably in my little world was a visit from my college friend Sarah and her husband and a baby shower!  Fun times for me!  

My small group at church hosted a shower this weekend and they did such a great job making me feel loved and baby feel welcomed!  

Diaper cake masterpiece:

The mother of my 4 nanny boys came and brought gifts from the kids.  

I had a lot of fun - and almost no trouble - guessing who picked out which thing!  They all have their likes and want Baby Yezerski in on the fun.  

Besides getting some really helpful stuff from our registry, but my friends amazed me with their talents and craftiness.  They gave a lot of handmade items that are so sweet.  And a lot of them brought baby books instead of cards, so now Baby Y has quite the collection.  

It was so nice to see Sarah for a bit and have her out at our house.  She and her husband Jon live only a few hours away in New Jersey but somehow having to travel through the city is makes it seem a lot farther!  They took the train with success so that might be an option for us in the future.

One of Jon's good friends lives in Long Island so he spent the weekend with us as well.  I'm all about friends reconnecting! 

Umm, I just look at these pictures and laugh . . . this baby is taking over!  According to the sonogram, he was 6 lb 13 oz last week - getting big and healthy!  

a host of phone photos

We're having a "lion day," as described by the kindergartner as we waited for the bus this morning.  He went on to explain how they chart "lion days" vs "lamb days" every day in his class.  I'd say 37 degrees and a wintery mix of slushy snow is definitely a lion day.  

We've been busy getting ready for baby!  Matt and I have both invested chunks of time in the baby's room.  I made a crib skirt, we gave it a joint effort on the window treatments, and he's been fixing a VIP (very important problem) with the door to the room.  We still have a little ways to go, but if the baby came tomorrow, we'd survive.  He is NOT coming tomorrow, I'm just saying.  We are less than a month from the due date but I am under no illusions that this baby will come on time . . . I'm trying to mentally prepare for him to be a bit late, but that doesn't mean I'm postponing our projects!  We're just getting things done as we have time for them.  I'll get some pictures of the nursery up soon.  I'm a little disappointed our slipcover is on backorder for another month but we'll all just have to use some imagination. :)

In the meantime, I uploaded some old pictures off my phone this weekend and thought I'd share an entertaining mishmash.  

I walked into the room and saw Moose reclining on the couch with his leg up in the air:

What a funny guy.  Also, he looks really funny when he tries to scratch his nose or clean off his back feet.  

 

You know I just love that dog. 

Here are the kids sporting some hats . . . 

Back when the outdoors looked like this:

Thankfully, it's looking less ridiculous these days!  I was SO THANKFUL to go away for two weeks and come back to minimal snow on the ground.  

Right before we left for vacation we assembled our jogging stroller and gave it a spin around the kitchen.  

Both of our strollers are SO nice, I am really looking forward to pushing the baby around OUTSIDE my body.  (Did I mention that we're less than a month to the due date?  Believe me, I can tell.)

Some more of the kiddos:

(I don't know where he got that hoodie but I like it . . . we'd like to be in Tennessee some day!)

Spotting ducks at low tide.

Matt made the bed the other day and when I walked in, I had to laugh . . . can you guess which side is mine?

I don't sleep with SIX pillows but I do have about three more than I used to sleep with.  It's not exactly fun, but it certainly helps.  

Lastly, Matt was watching a basketball game and I walked into our room and saw this:

Maybe I just had March Madness on the brain but it sure looked like I had a basketball stuffed under there.