Before and After

Although my glider's transformation is not quite complete, it's complete enough to show you. 
Now, as you may recall, sewing is not one of my well-developed skills.  I know enough not to be terrified of the idea of a sewing project...but not quite enough to know how terrified I SHOULD be. 

It all started with fabric selection.  This took awhile as Geoff and I had a pretty good idea what we wanted...but a hard time finding it.  Not to mention we weren't sure what to do about curtains.  After deciding to go neutral on the curtains, we were free to move forward with bolder fabric on the chair.  Below is a pic of the three main fabrics in the room.  The leaves and stripes we bought for the chair and they coordinate beautifully with the bedding/bed skirt as you can see in the pic. 

So, I looked up a couple tutorials online (here and here), took what I found useful from each and dove in.  I started with the seat cushion, since that seemed the most basic.  And it was!  Once that was finished, I felt a little more empowered moving forward. 

The back cushion was significantly more challenging.  But, with some patience and careful planning, I think it turned out darn good (a little wrinkled from all the manipulating I had to do - I'm going to have to figure out a way to steam it). 

The arm covers were by far the hardest because they are the weirdest shape since they wrap around the wood of the chair.  Plus, they have these snaps that hold them in place and I didn't want to deal with replacing snaps.  Anyway, I got my genius on and figured out the necessary cutting and pleating to make the top piece bend over the arm and I added pockets in the striped fabric (you can't see them in any of the pictures...so they kind of feel like a waste of time now since they aren't visible). 

Lastly, I recovered the ottoman using the handy-dandy staple gun.  And...Voila! (Yes, mother, I said that just for you).

Before                                          After 

Another view of the After

Before

After 

Clearly my next project?  WALL ART.

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Changing Pad Cover 2

I won't get too chatty with you today.  But here is the shot of changing pad cover attempt #2.  I think this one turned out a bit better.  The angles were a bit better, too.  And the fabric...

Next up...curtains.

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12 weeks away!

Let the third trimester begin! 

So, today I am officially 28 weeks along and entering my third trimester (pictures below for your enjoyment and my embarrassment).  Things are still going along pretty smoothly.  I had read that his movements would change around this time as he gets bigger and can't roll around quite as much.  He still moves a ton, but the movements are certainly different, and a little less comfortable, then a few weeks ago.  This week he measures approximately 2.25 pounds and 14.8 inches long.  I can't believe he's so big!  (I also can't believe he's got to - at least - triple that weight before he's born!!)

For our anniversary, one of the gifts Geoff got me was a sewing machine (something I've been wanting for a long time now).  So, this weekend I decided to try my hand at one of the sewing projects I've been brewing the back of my mind for awhile now.  I have sewed before...but not much.  So, while winding the bobbin and loading the thread onto my new machine weren't a problem, measuring the fabric and knowing which stitch to use and all that jazz were a little hard.  But, here's how it went down:

Geoff and I bought a fantastic corner changing table unit.  It's pretty unique (the reviews are great - apparently angling the baby's bum toward you makes for efficient changing conditions) and I love it. 

The problem?  The changing pad is a very strange shape with a triangle cut out at the top in order to fit into the corner.  I've looked high and low, but there is not a cover to be found in that shape.  The manufacturer makes a pad cover, but they only sell it in white and that is far too boring (and easily stainable) for my taste.  So, since it seemed like the easiest of my sewing projects, I bought two different styles of fabric to make a couple covers (so we'll always have one while the other is being washed). 

So, I pre-shrunk the fabric, measured and cut the two halves, pinned the right sides together (kind of like I was making a pillow) and sewed around 3 of the four sides.  I then hemmed and darted the bottom and added some velcro so it would stay in place snugly on the pad. 

I think I did pretty well!  I need to make a couple of additional stitches toward the top by the triangle due to some measuring inaccuracies, but, overall, I'm very pleased with my first attempt.  I'm going to make the other one tonight, so I'll share that when it's done!

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4 Years

It's hard to believe that I've reached a point where I've been married for 1/6 of my life.  Now, 1/6 may not seem like all that much...but it's more time then I spent in college.  It's more time then I've been in the post-grad workforce.  It's the same amount of time I spent in high school. 

It also makes me realize how much life Geoff and I have to live together.  We've been married only a fraction of the time we will be married (taking eternity out of the picture, even, and just referring to our lifetime).  I can't believe how little time 4 years really is; how insignificant high school and college end up being in the big scheme of things, and how the things that really matter are who you have around you and the life that each of those days and years adds up to become. 

I am so grateful that Geoff and I made the decision to be married those 4 years ago.  I'm grateful for the love that he shows me every single day.  I'm grateful for his kindness and his strength.  I'm grateful that we still laugh so hard sometimes it hurts.  I'm grateful that we had such wonderful examples from our own parents.  I'm grateful that we are starting our family together.  I'm glad that Geoff's outgoing personality pushes me outside of my comfort zone from time to time.  I'm grateful for the two wonderful pups we have (I can't believe Rubio is 4 and Rom is 2!).  I'm grateful that he still thinks I'm beautiful (even though I'm pretty sure at 27 weeks pregnant, I'm turning into a whale).  I'm grateful for him. 

When I married Geoff, I knew he was a good match for me.  I never knew how much better matched we would continue to grow over the years. 

Happy Fourth Anniversary, Man-Face.  Here's to many, many more!

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Freeze Frame

Snippits from the last couple weeks.

* Although you may pay them a stash of cash every month, your insurance company really WON'T make your life any easier when you are in an accident.  4 weeks later and we are probably still 7-10 days from getting our car back. 

* Geoff and I found a great glider for the nursery on Craigslist.  I love to go sit in the nursery and just imagine what it will be like with little Ace.

* However much of a hassle buying and selling books at the BYU Bookstore was, NDSU's sham of a bookstore has shown me that I should be grateful for BYU and my books. 

* I secretly wish I'd gotten pregnant a month sooner, because I cannot describe how much I love all the little Halloween/fall outfits for sale at clothing stores for infants right now.  I can't believe I have to wait a full year before I can celebrate Halloween with my little one.

* My son has another 6 or so pounds to gain before he is born.  That sounds like a whole lot of baby in my belly. 

* I passed my glucose test with flying colors.  No gestational diabetes for this lady. 
Our work bought us new office chairs so we all match (it definitely looks better), so I bid a fond farewell to "the Throne."

* Geoff and I went to the temple last Saturday and there's not much better than spending the morning there.

* Whenever I am counting down to November, I skip October altogther.  For some reason, my brain is convinced the calendar goes from September to November. 

* Even though pregnancy has rendered me a pretty lazy lump who falls asleep pretty much any time I sit down, the hub is so good to me.  I'm so glad he's mine and we get to start our family together. 

* Our Anniversary is tomorrow (4 years!), so stay tuned for an undoubtedly sappy post about that tomorrow. 

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Oh, baby.

So, the biggest question on the mind of an expectant mother (at least THIS expectant mother) is:

What the heck is this kid going to look like!!

Will he be a blonde baby like his daddy or grandmas?  Will he be brunette like his mom and great-grandma?  Will he have black hair like his grandpa and uncle?  Will he be a surprise redhead like his great-grandpa?

We he he have blue eyes like his daddy's family?  Or brown eyes like his mom's?  Or green eyes like his grandma's? 

Will he have fair, white skin like his parents?  Or will he inherit that great olive-toned skin like his aunt and grandma?

Will he be tall like much of his extended family?  Or more average like his immediate family?

The options seem endless.  While I can't answer any of those questions definitively until on or around November 14th, I CAN let you admire the following pictures and imagine for yourself.

Baby Geoff (sorry for the poor quality of Geoff's photos.  They are photos of photos, one day I'll scan them in, I swear):

 Baby Amanda:

Already a ham! 

So, weigh in - what do YOU think Baby Parker is going to look like?

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Woe IS me

So, with a child constantly kicking me in the belly, I obviously have that little guy on my mind a lot. 

For this, I should probably apologize to my blog readers who aren't at the point of bearing children.  I was one of those people not too long ago, and listening to pregnant women blather on about their baby and pregnancy got a little old.  But, now that I'm in the thick of it, it all makes perfect sense!  So, I won't actually apologize because there is a human being growing inside me.  If that doesn't warrant a little distraction, then I don't know what does!  Just wait - one day it'll all make sense!

So, anyway, Ma and I are discussing travel plans.  In a perfect world, she'll be in town when wee little Ace is born (that is Mama Gs nickname for our as-yet unnamed little one).  This is hard to plan for, however, unless she plans to spend all her money on plane tickets by flying out when I go into labor.  So, we're looking at dates.  And, of course, I start noticing days of the week. 

Ace is due on a Monday.  This makes me think right away, "Monday's child is full of grace."  It turns out this is wrong.  It goes like this:

So, my kiddo is DUE to be fair of face.  I guess this magically changes if he comes early on, say, Saturday?  His face becomes a little less fair and he is destined to be harder working?

I was born quite a bit before my due date.  Quite miraculously, I was due on a Wednesday and born on a Wednesday (albeit a few weeks earlier).  I do not find myself or my life to be terribly woeful, but maybe you just get used to your own level of woe?  Because I am Wednesday's child...so I must be full of woe (my mother may argue I'm full of something else...).

And WHY is Wednesday the only negative day?  I mean, everyone else gets this beautiful promise of beauty or grace or potential, or being bonny.  Alas, poor Wednesday. 

My husband was actually born on his due date (pretty impressive).  This was a Thursday morning.  So, he's got far to go.  At least he's got some potential.  Alongside his woeful wife. 

Want to find out what you're full of?  Try it.  Share in the comments.

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25 weeks pregnant in my 25th year!

Raise your hand if you can believe I'm 25 weeks pregnant this week! 

Note: I am not 25 yet, but I will be this year. 

Note: My hand is not raised. 

It's crazy how quickly time slips by.  Crazy in a good way.  I'm so ready to be a mom to this lil' guy.  At the rate he's been bouncing around in there, I think he's getting excited, too.  He's been pretty active since the beginning (I first felt movement around 15 weeks, he rarely sits still long enough to get his heart rate calculated, we couldn't get a good 3D image of him at the ultrasound because he wouldn't stop moving around), but they say the most active time for a baby-in-utero is 24-30 weeks, and this little guy has been no exception to that.  It's wonderful.  Pregnancy has pretty much agreed with me so far.  No morning sickness, no (extreme) emotional roller coasters - just a few mood swings here and there.  Mostly I tire more easily then when non-pregnant and am hungry nearly all the time. 

Here are a few of my "symptoms" I have had:

Current Pregnancy Symptoms (read: gripes)

1) Heartburn - I can hardly eat anything anymore without getting heartburn immediately after.  I definitely can't sleep without it.  I have two bottles of tums in the house - one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom - and one at work.  They are my best friend. 

2) Back Pain - This started a couple weeks ago, but has been steadily increasing.  If I sit or stand in one position for too long, my back lets me know it's time to switch it up.  I'm thinking I might make a chiropractor appointment soon.

3) Swelling - This doesn't happen super often, but last night was a great example.  We'd been sitting at the kitchen table playing Rage (a great card game, everyone should own it) with the fam.  I stood up to walk to the kitchen to get myself some ice cream and I noticed that my lower half of  my body felt stiff and numb-ish.  I thought I'd just been sitting in one position for too long.  I made it to the kitchen before I looked down at my feet.  My ankles and feet were swollen up like balloons!  Not a good sign for the next 15 weeks!  My mother-in-law offered me a foot massage, however, and that helped the swelling quite a bit.  By this morning they were almost back to normal (and for those of you who are familiar with my ankles, you may know that they already looked swollen in their slimmest state). 

Speaking of the in-laws.  Geoff's family (Mom, Dad, and three of his younger siblings) have been in town since last Thursday.  They leave this morning and it was a blast having them here.  We went tubing down the Otter Tail River and splashed around in Detroit Lakes.  We played croquet and tennis in the park and strolled around downtown Fargo.  We played mini-golf and rode go karts and arcade games.  We rode bikes.  We played ping pong and Just Dance on the Wii and Guitar Hero on the playstation.  We ate lots of yummy food and played tons of games together.  It was a great week.  We'll miss having them here. 

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