Downstairs Bedroom

Most people know that we moved into our house in July of this past summer. When we moved into the house we didn't know that I was going to get pregnant a couple months later :) Obviously this news changed how we were going to use some rooms. I already posted some pictures of the baby's room, which used to be our guest bedroom. Since we had a the furniture already we decided to make the downstairs bedroom into a guest bedroom. Now at this point you might be wondering why I'm giving you all of this background information. Well, that's simple, to explain the color on our downstairs bedroom walls. Originally this room was set up to be my teacher room. I told Michael when we made that decision that I really wanted to get a bright color that would encourage me to go down there. We actually got the color from the secretary of my school. She has a room in her basement painted the exact same color. So you have been forewarned about the color - by the way, I LOVE THE COLOR!!! After seeing the color you might be able to see why it was difficult to find a comforter that would go with the room. The comforter has white and light gray circles on it. I'm actually REALLY excited about how the room came out. It's pretty minimal when it comes to the furniture but I like it. It's pretty modern but I like the funkiness of the room. Let me know what you think, do you like our modern funky guest bedroom? Leave me a comment.

In case you can't tell there's a lot of changes happening at our house right now. We have gotten the baby's room done, the guest bedroom is done, and the furniture for our bedroom should be coming soon. We've got some more things planned like a new furnace and air conditioner. At some point we're going to redo the master bathroom. We don't have a bathroom anywhere in the house because the previous owners were older and they took out the tub to put in a walk-in-shower unit. So we're going to install a tub in our master bathroom. Like I said there's already been a lot of changes and there's going to be even more. I'm really excited with all the progress we've made and I can't wait to continue the process.

Oh, and I've totally started nesting. In the process of moving all of my stuff out of the teacher room I threw away a TON of stuff. I think I had something like eight boxes of recycling, three boxes of trash, and two boxes that went to NOCOMO (the thrift store here in town).

Enjoy the pictures and let me know what you think!

Cole's Room

We accomplished a lot today! Michael and I officially have stuff in Cole's room. We started getting the baby furniture last week. This week we received the final pieces. Before finding out we were pregnant we used the "blue room", as we refer to it, as a guest bedroom. After a LOT of persuading I finally got Michael to agree to make this into the baby's room. This took a lot of work on my part because this room was where all of Michael's clothing was. He has been moving his clothes down to the basement bedroom over the past week. I know this might sound like a demotion for Michael but really it isn't that bad. There is a bathroom that he has basically staked claim to. With his clothes downstairs it should make it easier to get ready because he won't have to worry about forgetting something and running through the house naked! ;)

Like I said, we finally agreed to have the "blue room" become the baby's room. I had planned on painting the room a different color but ended up keeping it the same. I really just couldn't wait for Michael to paint when I knew that we had baby furniture out in the garage waiting to be put together.

We started out our morning by calling Phil, our brother-in-law, and having him come over to move some furniture. We gave the furniture that had been in the blue room to Phil and Natalie. So Michael and Phil packed all of that in Phil's truck and then they brought in all the boxes of the baby furniture and put them in the baby's room. Michael went with Phil to help unload the furniture at his house and then came back.

I was busting at the seems to put the furniture together so we decided to start with the crib. We then spent the majority of the day putting furniture together. We started around noon or so and didn't finish until about 8 p.m. I know that sounds awful but it really wasn't that bad. We had an hour and a half to two hour break in the middle for lunch and Michael had to do some stuff for work. We also took our time and didn't get in a hurry. Most of the time it seems like we're always in a hurry to do something and it was nice to just have some time to ourselves and do something special. Around 6 p.m. Michael's parents stopped by to see the furniture and somehow Michael's dad got roped into helping us on the last piece of furniture. I'm really excited with how the furniture turned out! We still have to hang stuff up on the walls but below you can see the furniture and how the room is arranged.

ENJOY the pictures!

Michael and his dad working hard on the last dresser!

At least they are still smiling!

The rest of these are the room at the end of the evening! Remember, we still have things to hang up!

The crib and dresser. We're going to use the dresser as a changing table too!

The dresser and glider. We are really lucky because some friends gave us the glider. We've been pretty lucky because we've gotten a TON of stuff from friends for the baby! We have a highchair, swing, bouncy seat, Johnny Jumper seat, bottles, a bottle warmer, and soooo much more. I can't even begin to tell them all thank you!

This is a picture of our crib set. We have a blanket that goes with it but it was still drying when I took this picture.

Holy Snow!

Holy Snow! Yes, I said snow. In case you didn't know Northwest Missouri has gotten a LOT of snow. Michael has written down all of our snow we have gotten prior to today and before today it was 40 inches! Then today, they were calling from one to three inches by 11 a.m., then they changed it to two to three inches by 1. We got out of school at 12:30 and Michael followed me home because he was worried my car wouldn't make it. I made it fine and we measured and there is already SIX inches of snow on the ground! We measured around 1:45 this afternoon. So much for that three inches! Of course that means that I won't see my husband at all this evening since he'll be busy blading snow. Oh, and to make it better it's supposed to snow even more on Saturday evening and all day Sunday. Also on Sunday we're supposed to have high winds which is perfect for blizzard like conditions. Can you tell I REALLY REALLY REALLY don't like snow anymore. You know it's bad when my students, second graders, are complaining about snow! :-) I am beyond ready for spring. Let's hope this weekend is the end of the snow for this winter. I doubt it will be but I'm still going to hope for it to be the end!

Ash Wednesday and 24 Weeks!

I got to go to church this morning with my kiddos! We always go to church on Wednesday morning so this isn't anything out of the normal. Ashes during church that's out of the normal. :) We talked all about Ash Wednesday yesterday so that the kiddos would be prepared. Anyway, church went pretty well so that was nice! The funny thing happened later in the day. One of the first graders came up to me and told me my ashes were a LOT better than everyone elses. I tried not to laugh in front of her and then I nicely explained that none of the ashes are better, it's just that mine were still on my forehead that's all. It was pretty cute!
Anyway, we had our 24 week appointment. The doctor measured me for the first time. I don't know the measurement but that doesn't bother me. I've only gained one pound in the last month! Which I'm REALLY happy about. I am secretly, well not so secretly, hoping that I actually weigh less or about the same when I have this baby. That would rock my world! I'm not getting my hopes up but the doctor did say sometimes that can happen. Michael was worried that I have only gained one pound. He asked how the baby is getting his nutrients if I'm getting sick still and not gaining any weight. The doctor told him that the baby is basically sucking it out of me, which is fine by me! :) She also told Michael that sometimes women actually end up weighing less after having babies and breast feeding! So, we'll see!

Counting Our Blessings

It seems like lately that our friends have been kind of in a rut. There are several of our friends who have been going through some rough times - sicknesses, deaths, major life changes, etc. I just realized this the other day and have decided that Michael and I should be counting our blessings. So here are our blessings:
Our baby - We have both been able to feel his movement. Every appointment we've had we've been told that he is developing they way he is supposed to.
Each other - Michael and I continue to appreciate the fact that we have each other and we support each other in our lives. I would say that this is our biggest blessing, that we can rely on each other!
Our home - We have a wonderful home in which we can have friends and family over. We also have a nice room that will be ready for the baby in a couple of months!
Our Jobs - Michael and I both have stable jobs that we're both happy in. The fact that we aren't concerned with losing our jobs is a pretty big deal.
Our Health - Yes, we're both overweight but neither of us has any major health concerns.
Our Faith - We are able to share our faith with each other and we support each other in expanding our faith.
Our Families - Both of our families are EXTREMELY supportive of us as a couple and as our impending adventure as parents.
Our Friends - It's so nice to know that if we do have any problems or need any help we can call on our friends. It's also nice to know that our friends feel comfortable calling us too!
Right now, maybe because I'm pregnant, I just feel blessed and like we should focus on our blessings! I normally would never be like this because I tend to be too busy to focus on anything other than what's happening in the here and now but because of all that our friends are going through I decided that it was necessary to count our blessings. Hopefully some of our good fortune will spread to our friends! I hope and pray that soon that our various friends will have a little bit of break and start having more positive things happen rather than negative.

Exciting News!

Well, I finally felt the baby move this week! On Wednesday I had to call the doctor and get a refill on my prescription. While I was on the phone with the nurse I asked her when I should start to feel the baby move - I was 23 weeks that day. She told me that it should be soon but that some people never feel their baby move because of where the placenta is attached. I was somewhat disappointed about the fact that I might not ever feel the baby. I talked to the kindergarten teacher about this. She said that I should lay down with no noises and do some deep breathing. So that night I went home and cooked Michael supper (yes, I'm aware that this is shocking!). After I was done I went and laid down in the bed. I thought I felt something but wasn't sure and a couple minutes later, there it was! The baby was going crazy! I was so excited. On Thursday I felt him a some too. Friday during our Catechatical Day in K.C. I felt him a TON! Friday night I had Michael try to feel him and Cole was agreeable! Michael actually got to feel him move twice! He wasn't nearly as excited as I was but I'm sure that's because I can actually feel more than him!
Well, we're headed out to one of the cabins at Mozingo to celebrate Valentine's Day but I just wanted to update everyone with our exciting news!

Moving right along!

Well, we're moving right along! 22 weeks and getting close to 23! I can't believe that we have about 17 and 1/2 weeks before this baby is supposed to arrive. It still boggles me that we're going to have a baby in just a few short months. The good thing right now is that we have a lot of stuff already, thanks to some very kind and generous friends. We've got baby furniture ordered and it should be here soon. Although we still have a lot to do, I don't feel totally over-whelmed! If anything I'm completely terrified of the labor but I'll have to deal with that when it comes time. There's nothing I can do, it's coming whether I want it to or not!
As a side note our friends had their baby on Friday night. He is ADORABLE! Seeing his pictures really made me excited to have our little guy!
Well, I'm pretty tired so I better head home...
Here's to secretly hoping for a snow day tomorrow so that I can get ahead in my grad class!
:)