Whew!

Is it really only Thursday?! It seems like 2 weeks have passed since Monday...where to start??? Well, Ellie and I both got a terrible cold (maybe even a mild case of the flu according to my mom) on Sunday night. By Monday, I was completely out of it and getting dehydrated. I started having TONS of Braxton Hicks contractions and a few normal ones too, so my midwife asked me to come in to her office to get checked and make sure I wasn't in labor. When she checked me, she said that I was 2 almost 3cm and dilated and my cervix is SUPER thin- but not in labor yet. She told me that I needed to get better and basically lay in bed for the next few days to get my body healthy and ready to have this baby not being dehydrated. So, I had to stop watching kids this week and take some time to rest it up. I'm feeling great now, and there was nothing like a little scare like that to kick mine and Adam's butt's into gear to make sure that EVERYTHING is ready for Claire to come! It's a horrible feeling to feel so unprepared, and that's exactly where I was at on Monday. ANYHOO, we (Adam) has been making some great progress this week, and I just wanted to document where we were at!

BEFORE: Our tiny useless back patio- literally good for nothing except that storage closet
ALMOST AFTER: Still lots of finalizing to do in here, but it's coming along! Floors done, door & window installed, a few baseboards & fan. Can't wait to see the final product!

Claire's Crib: Isn't it SO tiny?! It made me laugh after we put it together :) But it's just perfect for our tiny space. By the way, my color scheme is gray & pink, and I think it already looks good together!

A view from our room

Claire's letters that will go above her crib :)

Me: Almost 37 weeks. Feeling huge, but it's so worth it.

Ellie came at 38 weeks and 2 days, so I'm hoping that her little sister will get the memo and come early too! That would be SO awesome. There is something about getting a nursery set up, and imagining a little baby in there that gets me feeling SO anxious, excited, scared, ecstatic, etc....I was so pumped about it last night! I'm so thankful for this amazing blessing that the Lord has given me already. I can't believe that she is already complete inside my belly and is just growing. I wish I could see what she looks like- I know I can get one of those 4D things, but I just wanna wait to see her in person :) Come baby come baby baby come come!

Crossing my fingers that she will be here next time I post...probably not....but I can always dream!

Love, K

95%

So, my wish came true! We (Adam) was able to get 95% of our room finished! Hallelujah!! That's record time compared to Ellie's room :) But first, remember this photo from my last post?? Well, I decided that it was time to get a new comforter to freshen things up! So, I finally got a nice new comforter set! I can't wait to put our bed back in our room and see the completed look, but here's a sneak peak of our new comforter, and then our flooring in our room:

BEFORE
AFTER! ( I hadn't bought my king sized pillows yet in this pic, so we just laid the pillow covers over the current pillows, but you get the idea :)

The guys working! Thanks to Ben for all your help :)

Our room w/o baseboards- Adam is putting new ones in tonight. Can't wait!

Sleepover!

We are having a sleepover with Ellie tonight :) We have ripped out the old musky smelling carpet in our room, and are in the beginning stages of installing the wood flooring! Yippee!!! Thankfully we have some friends coming out tomorrow to give us a huge helping hand, and we are still crossing our fingers that we will be 95% done by the time Monday comes around. I'm actually really excited to bunk up with both my babies tonight (well actually all 3 of my babies including Claire!) :) Ellie will be SO excited to wake up and see us in her room...plus it was a lot of fun laying in her room on our bed reading her bedtime stories...makes me kinda wish we could do this more often!

A king size bed, a crib, and a bunch of toys shoved in the closet and corners make this arrangement in a 10 X 10 room possible!

And this is the current state of our bedroom! There are so many secrets to be unlocked in our little condo...it all began with tearing away a goudy (spelling?!) mirror in our living room to discover walls upon walls of mold...remember that?! Well, maybe you don't since I was such a terrible blog slacker at the time, but it happened, and I'm sure I at least wrote about it once :) And today, when Adam was tearing out the old carpet in our closet, he discovered this yucky, cafeteria looking laminate flooring! We would soon find out that it covered the entire room! Haha! It is SO stuck on the floor that we are just gonna give it an immaculate clean, then lay the wood right over it...what were these people thinking?!?! So ugly.

Anywho, I will be back to report of our progress soon! Stay tuned...

Love, Krystle

After almost 5 yrs...I have a headboard!

Adam and I have never had a headboard our entire marriage. Our room ALWAYS got the short end of the stick- not too many decorations, and it always had our randomness from other parts of the house that we didn't know what to do with! We would really like our room to be somewhere we like hanging out...besides to sleep of course! So, we decided to slowly re-do it as cost effectively as possible!

Operation Bedroom Phase 1: Make a headboard!

Materials: Wood, Staple Gun, Electric Drill, Screws, sturdy Board, Upholstery Batting, Fabric

Total Cost: $19 Wood
$8 Staple Gun
$4 Batting
$0 Fabric- We already had it on hand
= $31!!!

BeforeFrame is done!

Covered it with a sturdy board: Not pictured is me putting tape down the middle so there was no gap.

Staple gun the batting over the front, and then staple the fabric (We used an old comforter that we had)

After

I am really pleased with the way everything turned out! For a $30 project, it makes a HUGE difference in our room. We may end up covering it with something else down the road, but this will do for now :) We have so many more cheap home renovations to share with you! Can't wait...

-Krystle

Nursery Fun

I am getting SO excited to start adding (well enclosing) our room for little Claire! I think I have the color scheme I want to work with, and I'm really gonna have to get creative because she is going to have a small room! It's like a 6 x 6 foot space....tiny! But, she is a baby, and it'll be perfect for her. I'm not super high tech & don't have a scanner to scan in our ultrasound pictures, but I wanted to post a picture of the picture (he he!) so you all could see our sweet little girl!

Claire (Enter Middle Name) Porter :)

Alright, so onto the nursery. Here is what I have come up with so far...there is still time to completely change the whole scheme, but I think I'm pretty set. Ellie's room is painted a really pretty purple and is very colorfully decorated...I'll post pictures of her room once it's clean!....so I wanted a different color for Claire and I'm SO LOVING yellow right now:

I'm pretty decided on pink and yellow. Very girly, and not purple like her sister :) Since it's a small space, I was thinking that I lighter color on the walls would really make it feel more open. Yellow here I come! With the husbands approval of course :) And I like accenting with the rich pink (is rich pink even considered an acceptable term?!?! ha ha! It is now...) I love it love it love it!

And once i saw this awesome wall decor, I was sold! I like it that the flowers pop out, and it's not just a wall sticker. I also think that it could add some nice character to the room...make it feel like less of a tiny box.

And now to the circle crib. The reason I am thinking of going this route is that it seems much more space efficient. Cribs are stinkin big and take up a lot of space in the room! So, I thought of this as a good alternative. Set this baby in the corner of the room, and not only will you have more space to walk around, but maybe I could even put an extra piece of furniture in the room now!

More ideas & photos of our space to come!.....til next time....

-K

Home Project: Kitchen Pantry Remodel

Okay, so I say Pantry Remodel, but I think that's a little misleading considering our pantry was left over boxes from the move :) It served it's purpose, but it was one of those areas that was sure to be hidden when guests came over! Adam has seriously become quite the handyman since we have lived here, and I'm SO proud of the things he has done to make our litle condo a home :)

Ellie & the "Old" Pantry
In Progress...

Painted & Polished!

Food items stored.....it's the simplest things we take for granted :)

SO happy to have a fully-funcional pantry! Thanks babe!!!

There have been so many little home projects that I haven't posted yet......I'm trying to get better!

P.S. Tomorrow's post: "My Favorite Things!"

Love,

Hello Out There!

Sorry to leave you with the last post and then NEVER update! Things included/not-included in this post:

1) Jacob
2) Ellie
3) Breastfeeding
4) Lack of new pictures! Ugh...I haven't been home too much and my mom doesn't have any good ones! Dangit!

Jacob

Since we found out a little over a month ago, Jacob has been doing fairly well. Adam's parents decided to do a naturopathic treatment on Jacob and it seems to be taking. Most of his days are spent in bed since he isn't up to running around, so most days Adam and I are over there just hanging out, playing games, and watching re-runs of Gilligans Island! I forgot how funny that show was :) We are hoping to get another MRI done sometime in the near future to see if the tumor has shrunk any. Supposidly (spelling?) the stuff that he is on should be able to reduce the tumor after 6 weeks of using it...so please pray that his body will respond to this treatment! We have people asking all the time about ways that they can help. Adam and I have decided to be very frank about that. It feels weird to do, but right now it seems totally necessary. Adam and I have opened an account for his family to recieve anonymous donations. We are basically trying to raise enough money so that his parents can get by for a few months and solely focus on getting Jacob in a better state and develop and solid routine. If anyone is interested, feel free to send me an email :) Other than that, we feel encouraged. The Lord is definitely among us, guiding us through, keeping us sane (to the best of our abilities anyways) and has been so gracious by showing us small signs of healing already. Praise God. But WAY MORE than money, we would be so thankful for your prayers. We know we have the great Healer on our side, and that he can make miracles. And since He can do that, we are asking for it.

Ellie

Oh my sweet precious girl. Words can't even describe the joy she brings to my life. I am glad to report that little miss is sleeping through the night! Well, she has been for a while now...about 4 weeks! People always come up to me and say "You must be SO tired" ( do I look it or something?!) and it's so cool to say that I'm actually really well rested! She isn't a crier...only if she is hungry or tired, and those things are easy to fix. All in all, we have a awesome little girl! And as soon as I possibly can I will upload some pictures!

P.S. Since Ellie is such a good baby, Adam and I are ready for our next one...I mean REALLY ready...as in we are not preventing it from happening......Whoo-hoo!!!!!

Breastfeeding

Bloody breastfeeding. You were NOT my friend- in fact my enemy for a long while. You cost me 2 ENTIRE months of 7 breast infections...but I was determined and SO glad to say that I won the war!!! About a month ago Ellie started breastfeeding like she'd been doing it her whole life. Little stinker. But boy is life a million times easier now! No feeding , then pumping, then feeding, then pumping....half of my day has been given back to me. It's awesome. Now I'm just hoping that my milk stays in...

So there you have it friends, my life, in a TINY nutshell. I haven't been able to even touch on emotion...you know I like to that...but it will come. Thank you for your prayers and hopefully I will be blogging MUCH MORE frequently in days to come!

By the way, did anyone see Julie & Julia and think it was as AMAZING as I did?! I was inspired to go through a cookbook myself after that!

Love, Krystle

It's called Getting it Done!

Oh yes. Feelings of victory surround me. I have been doing a pretty darn good job of knocking things off my list. I'm still not nesting...don't care about the dirty baseboards, cleaning out the cabinets, and I'm pretty sure that Adam was the one to point out that our refrigerator needed to be cleaned...then he proceeded to clean it himself....maybe HE is nesting...is that possible? Ha ha!

So, here is the list o' victory thus far:

1) Made birthing plans (yes, you read that right, plans is plural). One for the hospital, just in case, and one for here at home. Although I'm pretty sure that my midwife & doula will do a rockin' job of doing what I ask..

2) I completed the crib skirt border! I'm a terrible sewer (spelling?), but it was pretty fool-proof.

3) Made my condensed version of baby-wise through the first month. :) It's about 3 pages long full of quick pointers to help me out.

4) Took my last set of maternity photos! Thanks Jennifer. You are awesome.

Here are some pictures to prove that they are Done!

These aren't in order (After)
Before (and I'd like to thank Steve & Sophie for being my reluctant models!)

This is the park where we took our photos..isn't the fountain awesome?! And we took these with our camera by the way...note the unprofessionalism :)

9 months pregnant, and still loving it! (Did you notice the beard??Not mine, silly...Adams!)

And lastly, the computer stuff.

Thanks for keeping me accountable everyone :-)

Love, Krystle

Doula

Sometimes it seems that all of my schooling towards my nursing degree was a waste. I'm not a nurse- so what does that tell me? Anatomy & Physiology kicked my butt each time I took it. I even shot my anatomy book one day when Adam and I went shooting! It felt good. This has been something that has been really discouraging to me. It's mixed around with a lot of feelings of failure & self-doubt. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew that my efforts towards my degree were about to be prolonged even further! This was both good & bad. I was tired of the constant disappointment failing brought me & happy to get some relief for a while, but also sad that I had worked so hard for something that seemed like wasted time.

I think I may have found the solution though. A happy happy medium. Well, I say medium, but I have no idea really. Recently I have been thinking about becoming a Doula. Need a definition?

dou⋅la / [doo-luh]
–noun
a woman who assists women during labor and after childbirth

....that's a pretty simple definition, because I think they do much more. But that's the sweet & simple. Basically, they are a life-line in labor, delivery, and the transition time that follows. They give you support (emotional & physical), they can be an advocate for you and your partner in the delivery room, and be whatever you need them to be in that sensitive time of giving birth to your child.

Anyways! I went to a mini-doula training this past Saturday (thanks Leigh!), and it was so awesome. It just validated further that doing this career change is the right move for me. I am so passionate about the whole birthing process- the natural, simple process. I think it is so easily overlooked. I am planning on making the move to do this at some point in August after I have a few months of getting use to being a momma! I am going to attend a few births- then do a few of them for free for the brave people that trust me enough to hire me!- and then plan on doing it on my own soon after. I am so excited!

I have also thought about the possibility of becoming a home-birth midwife...but that is further in the future, so we will just have to sit on that for a while :)

Here is a picture of my last visit with my midwife Mary...she is awesome. Look at that massive belly!!
So, that's that, but I also wanted to give you all some pregnancy updates!

*As of right now, I am 36 weeks!!! She is safe to come anytime according to my midwife...Ah!
*I am feeling pretty large...ok VERY large. Sleep isn't the same. But I guess that's what you can expect when a large human is in your belly.
*I LOVE eating ice. Love it. Adam hates it. He thinks I am not a "polite-ice-chewer". Ha!
*I pee almost everytime I sneeze. Wanna hear something funny? I have an extra pair of underwear on my purse at all times "just-in-case". Gross.

Besides that, I am feeling WONDERFUL. Pregnancy has been a blast. A LONG adventure so far. But it's crazy that it's coming to an end soon. Am I ready? No. Somedays I think I am, but most days I feel like I am in un-charted territory (which I am), and it's pretty overwhelming. But hey, how many woman have done this and conquered? Too many to count. I think I'll be just fine...
I will leave you with a picture of me these days. If you see a hint of a double-chin...well, I'm just a little hungrier these days....

Alexa & I

Love, Krystle

Nursery Update

I have a headache, so this post will be short...

Remember those wall stickers that I really liked? Well, it ended up that it was a little too much for the budget...bummer! But, I comprimised on some really cute barn yard stickers...on the box, they put them up over a white changing table...and guess what? I HAVE a white changing table! Yes!

So, I put them up above it, and I like how it turned out :) Her themeless room is coming along quite well...I still need a few more things. Something to put on the wall behind the rocker/glider chair that will go in the corner, a cute rug, and some drawers to put all of her stuff in. It so crazy that I only have 9 weeks left! It is approaching faster than I expected. I'm still anxious but I feel like I still have sooo much to do...which is nice. I will stay busy.

Oh yeah! And I don't have to work full time anymore as of this week.....ahhhh.....sigh of relief. My body is feeling the bigness now, and I think it was perfect timing.
Also, Adam and I watched a birthing video, and it showed a woman birthing the placenta too...nasty. Seriously. I am NOT looking forward to that. We were both a little queasy after that..haha! Oh to being new parents....what a weird journey. Lots of firsts.

Before
After: I am going to put her name in those cute letters with the ribbon above the little animal pictures :)

Her loot above: We have gotten ALL of this stuff for free...such a blesssing. I already have a billion cute outfits, socks, onesies, a crib, and changing table! Wow.

And I just HAD to torture Sophie! I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier!! Ha ha! I am so mean...I know. But isn't it funny?!?!

She was not thrilled to say the least...she wouldn't even look at me! ha!!!

Love, Krystle

Wall Art

I finished my first project for Ellie's room on Tuesday night. Working on a tight budget, I had to get creative, and I did this little number for only $15! I was so excited :) I asked Adam if he would make us dinner while I just crafted...and he said yes! Mr. Wife to the rescue. I love it when husbands are awesome like that. My next project is going to be a crib skirt...I have never done that before, so we'll see how that goes! Oh, and thank you guys for your sweet comments to my pictures :) You sure know how to make a pregnant lady feel attractive! You guys rock.

Steve was so cute & stayed in this box the whole time I crafted :)
I used embroidery hoops (which come in the wood color), and painted them white

This was some of the fabric I used...I wanted lots of variety

Then I put the fabric into the hoop and cut around it...SUPER easy.

And here they are! Cute little circles to put above the crib. Love it!

Happy Friday everyone! Adam and I are planning on chilling out this weekend and doing a lot of nothing. Sometimes you just need a break from doing things and living the adult life. Can I get an amen?! Being an adult can seriously suck sometimes. Go to work, come home, make dinner, clean the house, catch up on randomness, and by the time you are done, it's time for bed & the things that you actually WANTED to do, don't get done. So, with all that being said, we are going to hang out, NOT clean the house, NOT do the laundry, NOT make a huge dinner, and DO some things that we feel like doing- maybe watch a million episodes of the office, catch up on "husband & wife time" (ahem), watch movies, go on some walks, and go out to get ice cream.....sounds amazing. This all starts........right now.

Love, Krystle

Thank You!

Well, however prayer works, it WORKED! Our little Ellie is super healthy, and my placenta looks great!...I never thought that would be something that would concern me, Ha! I am so happy because now I can get back to doing things that make me happy (spending "special" time with the husband more often, exercising, and being more active in general). I realize that could have been too much information, but certain "limitations" we set with my wonderful low-lying placenta diagnosis. Anyways, thanks for your prayers, seriously... you guys are awesome :)

Tonight

I get to spend the night by myself tonight. Well, for the most part. Adam will be gone playing basketball with some guys from work. I used to be such an introvert, then somehow that changed. Actually, I take that back- I started out being an extravert not knowing or acknowledging that I really was an introvert because it wasn't "cool"- became a Christian- realized that I was indeed an introvert and loved to just sit around thinking and asking myself hard questions about life, sitting by myself & reading a book, going to the movies by myself, etc- and now, here I am living the life of an extrovert and missing my roots yet again. Wow, did you guys understand that?!?!

I really look forward to these little times I get. The funny part of pregnancy for me is that I haven't really thought much about the nursery decor, what it will be like when she gets here, or any of that stuff. I'm more concerned about the now. Like, being a wife. I know that once a baby comes, it makes it that much harder to focus on your husband. I don't even do a great job now. So, I have been focusing a lot on improving some of those things. Mommy stuff will come to me, and I will learn as I go. But right now, it's still about Adam and I. I'm not so naive to think that I can somehow master the art of being an awesome wife overnight, but I'm hoping to develop some good habits that will stay with me. I want our marriage to be a testimony and a pillar of strength to my little girl, and to Adam and I. It's so important. I will be thinking and making some goals tonight for sure.

The Lord is so good & so gentle. He had been gracefully nudging me lately that I need to spend some good time with Him. I just need to stop. Stop and think about where I am at with Him, with how I treat the people I love, and how to stay true to myself through all the pressures in this life- and the people in this life who try and change what I think about things, or make me question what I really know is good. God gives has given me confidence in myself that I have never known before. I actually really enjoy being me. What a great feeling. Yesterday was my 6 year anniversary celebrating my life with God. I have gone through some amazing times of satisfaction & peace, times of great sorrow not really living with Him or by His word, times of recovery & picking up the pieces, times of strength, and dry times of wonder & hopelessness. Through it all, He has been my rock. Always unchanging & always true to Himself. I may leave for a while and take my leave, but He stays there waiting. Wow. I am blessed. I love the song "Blessed be Your Name". It talks about how the Lord gives and takes away, and in this life we see it everyday. Not just with life, but with friendships, our marriages, our family, etc. But I am so thankful that He has it all under a calm-control. I am never desolate or alone.

Tonight will be a night of celebration, evaluation, and deep thought. I can't wait.

P.S. Finally Finally Finally! Ellie has FINALLY been moving around and I can feel it! Amazing. I feel like I have waited for an eternity :) I have also grown a TON! I will see about taking some pictures tonight as well.

Love, Krystle

We're Back!!!

I can't say how happy I am to just be sitting here on my bed blogging. It is so relaxing, and I feel like I am turning a corner, and am definitely gonna get back to being my old self again....the self where I blog more than once every two weeks!

We just got back from Santa Fe, New Mexico on Monday night. It was GREAT and MUCH needed! Adam and I had such a good time talking up a storm & goofing around. We all need that little break every once in a while, right?! So, here is a recap:

-We left on Friday night and got to Santa Fe around 1am. We were pooped! Not to mention a huge snow storm was coming in, and we had NEVER driven in the snow! SHEESH! We were a little on the edge of our seats, and just a wee bit stressed...but we made it none-the-less.
-On Saturday we hung out with my aunt, uncle, and cousins, and then headed off to our resort, which was VERY nice! We were able to spend a lot of time just sitting around talking about our goals for this coming year. Adam and I just LOVE doing that. It keeps us focused.
- Sunday we hung out in the town (it was sooo cold!) and went to little shops, and ate a TON! It's funny how when you go on vacations how much you eat!! I feel like those are the main events of the day... nothing to complain about though :)
-On Monday, we were suppose to have a leisurely morning, and then head home. HOWEVER, when we woke up, we opened the window to tons and tons of snow!!! It was soooo awesome, but it made the freeway we were suppose to take home really dangerous, so we had to go another WAY longer way to get back. Our car broke down on us about an hour and a half before we made it home (note that this was an 11 hr trip now!) ....COME ON!!!! But it magically started up again and we thankfully made it home safe after midnight.

This week we have just been going non-stop with car repairs and all of that, and we are in need of another vacation!!! But, you guys are a little escape from my reality, so thank you dearly. And I took some pictures of my belly!!!!!! Finally!

We were walking through town and laughed HARD at this!! I know how it's REALLY pronounced, but we were calling it the "Creepery"- Ha ha!-Needless to say, we didn't go in there.
All bundled up- we went to a little pizza shop on the 3rd story of a plaza and it was so cool!

Gotta love the timer on cameras!

A beautiful picture of the townAdam and I playing hangman & tic tac toe at the restaurant :)

My familyMy aunts Ecuadorian (spelling?!) Christmas Tree! How awesome is that?Adam's belly picture!

My long awaited tiny bump!!!

There you have it everyone. A very LONG recap of our time :) Only 4 more days as of tomorrow til we find out what "IT" is!!!!! Ahhhh!! Can't wait :)

Love, Krystle