40 Weeks

Well, today is the day. February 16 is here at last, the date I've been looking forward and counting down to since I found out I was pregnant. I'm 40 weeks pregnant today... and very much ready to have this baby. 

Unfortunately it seems that he isn't quite ready to make his grand appearance just yet. Little stinker.

I'm trying to be patient. I want him to come when he is good and ready. At the same time, I am becoming a little antsy. I hope he decides to come soon since I would really like to avoid being induced if possible. Pregnancy really has been much more enjoyable and easy than I was expecting, but after 40 weeks I think I'm ready to not be pregnant any more, you know what I mean? It's time this baby got evicted from his entirely-too-comfortable (for him) abode. At least I know he will for sure be here within a week since my doctor doesn't want me to go over 41 weeks. I'm also grateful I didn't get to the "enough-of-this-pregnancy-bizness-get-this-baby-outta-here" stage until this past week. Very grateful indeed.

It's weird to see these two pictures side-by-side... the beginning and the end. It seems like that first picture was taken ages ago. I can barely remember what it was like to not be pregnant. It's going to be weird to not have a little alien swimming around in my belly anymore. I'm going to miss it, I'm sure. 

See you soon, baby boy! 

Pregnancy Problems

Well, I'm still pregnant, very much so. Since I'm a little cranky today and starting to feel like I am going to be pregnant forever, I figured a little humor was in order. 

And so, without further ado, I present to you: Pregnancy Problems, gif style.

Whenever I have to go anywhere:

(...and a bra.)

As soon as I get home (after removing all unnecessary clothing, obviously):




What I want to do all day, erryday:




Whenever I go near anything with this big belly of mine:




Going to church when 9 months pregnant:

When I sneeze while walking and don't have to change my pants:



When strangers come up and touch my belly:




When the dishes are piling up in precariously balanced mountains all around the kitchen:



How I felt every morning when I was still teaching early morning seminary in my 3rd trimester:

(I really miss being a morning person.)

When someone tells me an old wive's tale and then I realize they believe in it:




When someone asks me if I know how little sleep I'll be getting in the future:

Wait, you mean I'm going to have to take care of
this human, even in the middle of the night? Gasp!

When someone feels the need to share a scary birth or pregnancy story about their cousin's roommate's sister's ex-step-aunt-in-law-once-removed:



And last of all.... When I think about the cute little babe I'm going to get to love on in (hopefully) just a few days:



Get here soon, baby boy!

Two

Two years ago today this handsome man and I got hitched. 

Cliché as it sounds, I don't know how I got so lucky. He makes me happier every day. 

When I was engaged, and for a little while after we got married, so many people gave me marriage tips or advice. I remember hearing lots of them say that things get really hard after a few months or a year, once the "honeymoon is over," but man... it just keeps getting better. I don't know if it's something we're doing right, or if we just happen to get along remarkably well. Most likely it's a little bit of both. All I know is that just when I think I couldn't possibly be any happier, somehow every day I am... and it's all his fault. ;) 

Happy anniversary, my dulcet darling! I'm so glad you are mine.

I have a problem.

In case you've missed the somewhat obnoxious amount of pregnancy talk around this little old blog of mine (That's just all I think about nowadays... #sorrynotsorry), I'm having a baby. Like... any day now. I'm a baby making time bomb. 

Now. I've been pregnant for a long time. 38.5 weeks, to be precise. I've also known that I wanted to have children since... well, since as long as I can remember. Even though I can hardly believe that the time is (pretty much) already here, I can't say I haven't been looking forward to it for quite some time. I've been preparing in many ways over the past 20-something years to have this kiddo. I'm as ready as I'll ever be. My bag is packed, the nursery is ready, I've got some freezer meals ready to go, I'm stocked up on a few months worth of household supplies, I've read the birthing books I wanted to read, many prayers have been prayed, many deep breaths taken, and it's pretty much just a waiting game from here on out. 

Except for one thing: I still don't know what the heck we're going to name this child. 

I had no idea it would be such a task to pick out a name, but when you look at the criteria it needs to fit I guess it isn't a surprise. 

• We both have to like it (and apparently we're both pickier than we thought)
• It can't be too popular or trendy
• First name must be more than one syllable 
• Initials can't spell out anything weird (and there's a lot of three-letter words that end in D, by the way. Sad. Mad. Bad. Dad. Fad. Wad. Lid. Kid. God. Bed. You get the idea.)
• We can't have any negative associations with the name (Who knew there were so many people we didn't like? Just kidding... kind of.)
• No gender neutral names
• Nothing too difficult to pronounce or spell
• Something that won't sound ridiculous when he's a grown-up

I'm sure there's more, but those are the main requirements. Basically, we both want something that is a good, solid, dependable name... yet isn't overused. 

In other words, we'll probably end up just giving our kids numbers instead of names. Why not simplify things, right? 

Or maybe when we meet him one of the names we've been throwing around will just click. I hope so. 

Just in case... any suggestions? Any other good websites beside whatalovelyname.com and nameberry.com?

Also, it's a good thing our last name isn't "Knight" or else my husband might be tempted. 

DIY World Map Wall Art

UPDATE: You can now find these in my Etsy shop here!

I feel a little pretentious posting a craft tutorial. As much as I enjoy making stuff, I know I'm not a pro. No siree.

Nevertheless, I really liked how this map wall art I made for baby boy's nursery turned out, and since I couldn't find a very detailed tutorial I decided to write up my own just in case someone else might be interested!

For this sign, I used a 10"x14" piece of wood that I lightly sanded and stained. I wanted it to look a bit rustic, so I didn't spend a lot of time doing either of those... just enough sanding to round the edges a bit and enough stain (one fairly light coat of this stain) to give it some color. 

I used the Silhouette Cameo I got for Christmas to cut the world map out of adhesive-backed vinyl, then removed all the "land" with the hook tool to make my stencil.

Next, I used transfer paper to put the remaining vinyl onto the wood. I had never used transfer paper before, but it was really easy to use and I can't imagine trying to get things lined up just right without it! 

Here's how I did it: 

1. Cut a piece of transfer paper a little bigger than the vinyl you're transferring

2. Peel off the backing on the transfer paper to expose the sticky side

3. Carefully position the sticky side of the transfer paper onto the top of the vinyl 

4. Smooth out any air bubbles and make sure the transfer paper is really stuck on the vinyl (I used an old gift card for this step)

5. Peel off the backing of the vinyl to expose the sticky side

6. Carefully position the vinyl in the middle of the sign, making sure it adheres well and that there arent any air bubble (I used the gift card here too)

7. Peel back the transfer paper, making sure you don't pick up any vinyl with it

Next, I painted the "land" white, just using white craft paint and a foam brush. (Note: it probably would have been a good idea to line the edges of the vinyl with painter's tape, just to be safe)

Once the paint has dried, carefully peel away the vinyl. You'll need to use the hook tool (or a toothpick) to get some of the smaller pieces off.

Last of all, attach some hanging hardware to the back. I used a sawtooth picture hanger . 

Voila!

 

I really liked how this turned out, and it was really easy to make... Win-win! I'm thinking of playing around with some variations too, like just staining the "land" and leaving the rest of the wood natural, or vice versa. 

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them! :)

UPDATE 2/28/14: A couple of you have been kind enough to ask whether I would be willing to make and sell these. I just had a baby so things are a little chaotic around my house at the moment, but I have considered setting up an Etsy shop sometime in the near future. If you would like me to send you the info if/when I do start selling these, shoot me an email at mikaelablogs@gmail.com! Thanks so much!

UPDATE 5/9/14: My Etsy shop is now open! You can find me here! 

38 weeks

"Any day now."

Every time I say those three words (which has been a lot lately, considering how often people have been asking me when this baby is a-comin'), it kind of blows my mind a bit. Am I really just a mere two weeks away from my due date? It is actually February already? Am I really going to have a baby, like within the next couple weeks? Whaaaat?

It's crazy... but the best kind of crazy. I'm so excited to finally meet the little stinker who has been kicking my ribs and punching my bladder for the past 9 months. 

Not much has changed since my last pregnancy update a month ago. I'm still feeling surprisingly well, for which I'm very, very thankful! I didn't sleep very well this week, but I think that had a lot more to do with a nasty sinus infection than pregnancy. I'm still not very swollen, at least not enough to keep me from wearing normal shoes or my wedding ring, and I don't have an outie belly button (although there's definitely time for that to change... haha!). 

People kept telling me about how terribly uncomfortable I would get the last trimester, so uncomfortable that I would be so ready to not be pregnant anymore, but I haven't gotten to that point yet. I'll be just fine if he decides to wait until his due date (or even a little longer) to make his grand appearance. 

On the other hand, it will be pretty nice to longer have this big 'ol baby squishing my innards. I'm also really looking forward to sleeping on my stomach and wearing normal clothes again. 

Oh yeah, and having a cute little babe to love on, of course. ;)

Now I just hope my delivery goes as smoothly as my pregnancy has. We shall see!

Blargh.

A few things I'm grateful for today:

• Antibiotics
• Herbal tea
• Homemade chicken soup
• Ice cold orange juice
• THE comfiest sweater ever (bought on sale). I have worn it almost daily since fall because I love it almost as much as my husband and maybe even a little more than Krispy Kreme. That's a lot, in case you were wondering. A LOT.

37 weeks, 5 days

• Long hot showers
• Humidifiers
• The luxury of being a bum all day with just myself to take care of. I crawled back in bed after Dallin went to work and slept for another 3 hours. It was glorious.
• The fact that it looks like I *should* be able to kick this sickness before going into labor (knock on wood!)
• Cough drops with pep talks

In other words, I'm sick and have been all week. Ready for the incessant pounding in my head to disappear. Hoping and praying it does before I have this baby. Thankful to be getting better, even if it feels like it's happening slower than the proverbial molasses in January. Since it won't be January tomorrow, maybe I'll be better then, no? 

(Side note: holy toledo it is really February tomorrow!? WHAT.)

Okay. Pity party over. Mikaela out.