Joleigh Deann Guy

From the time we announced we would be starting our own little family, one of the most frequently asked questions has been "Have you thought of any names?"  We knew very early on, perhaps even before we were surprised with our pregnancy news, that we wanted our baby to have a name that reminded us of some of the important people in our lives.

There were tons of things we had to keep in mind while we were getting ready to meet our sweet baby.  Deciding whether or not to breastfeed, to use cloth diapers or disposable, finding quality childcare, making sure that all of her gear has great safety reviews, and trying to do all of those things without killing our finances.  Whew!  I'm exhausted just thinking about it all!  I would venture to say that choosing her name has been one of the hardest decisions we've had to make thus far in preparing for her.  She's not going to remember which diapers fit her tiny booty best, or whether she liked formula or breast milk better, but her name will be hers forever!  That's a big deal y'all!!

I'm a sucker for old-fashioned names and try as I might, I just couldn't get my sweet husband (or anyone else for that matter) to agree that Betty Jo was a great name.  Graham's biggest issue, other than thinking it was absolutely horrendous, was that she would be know by her initials, BJ.  Needless to say, I started thinking about other possibilities.

One of my other favorite names, Annie Mae, had already been given to our beloved fur baby.  Even though I tried calling her by new names, in order to snag hers for our precious baby girl - my plan just didn't work.  She (and Graham) would give me a look that let me know I had obviously lost my mind!

The one name we do both agree on and makes our hearts smile every time we say it, is Joleigh Deann.  The name Joleigh is french for "pretty", while Deann is english for "divine".  The names mean so much more to us though.  It's a combination of Graham's late Grandmother (Mary Jo), my middle name (Leigh), my late Dad's middle name (Dean), and my Mama's middle name (Ann).  Talk about keeping it all in the family!!

Having her name picked out and (finally) sharing it with family makes it feel like we're one step closer to meeting our little miracle.  29 days and counting!!!

 

 

35 Weeks!

Baby Guy

*18 inches long

*5.25 lbs

*About the size of a honeydew melon

*30 days to go! (Updated)

 

 

I'm 35 weeks today and am just basically over being pregnant.  I have an ultrasound appt this afternoon and I'm anxious to see my sweet baby girl one more time before we meet her in just a few short weeks.  At the last ultrasound, my dr. moved her due date up by 5 days because of her size, so I'm wondering if today it will happen again.  My feelings definitely wouldn't be hurt if they moved it up a week or two... as long as she's healthy!

 

I've become very impatient, which is really bad now because I was extremely impatient before pregnancy.  Graham got the crib skirt and mesh liner put up on the crib, because it was literally just pissing me off.  I had to walk away.  I'm swelling like crazy, the sciatic nerve is really bothering me on my right side, I feel like I'm starving all the time, and I've been having bad headaches.  Thank God the end is getting closer!

 

My goals this week are to get her newborn size outfits washed up and get a couple bags packed for us to have ready for when I go into labor.  I have a good list of stuff written down, just need to get it all put together.  I'm literally waiting to wash the rest of her things until we make sure it's a girl.  All of the ultrasounds have said she is, but I just don't want to take a chance of not being able to exchange that stuff if needed.  I'm sure I'm worrying over nothing, but better safe than sorry!

 

Please keep us in your prayers...

 

 

Rag Lamp Shade / Chandelier

While thinking about all of the different nursery decor options there are available, one thing was certain - I didn't want my baby girl's room to look like a typical nursery with all pinks, or winnie the pooh, or any of that crap.  I'm actually just not a big fan of character decor at all.  One day I'm sure she'll want that kind of stuff in there, but for now I get to choose.  =)  I've been saying this for weeks, but I have one more sign that was shipped this morning from Etsy and then we can finish hanging the other paintings in there, so I can get a blog post written! 

 

 

Rag Lamp Shade

 

Recently I'd found a couple cute ideas on Pinterest for decorating a lamp shade, so I thought I'd try my hand at making my own for her room.  I bought 1/2 a yard each of 7 different colors of fabrics that go with the color scheme we're using - pink, red, and turquoise.  It ended up being entirely too much fabric, but it worked out just perfectly to use with another project I'd seen as well.  Always better to have too much than not enough anyways!

 

I spent the better part of two evenings cutting the fabric into shreds so it would be easier to work with.  They were approximately 1 inch wide x the length of the whole piece of fabric, if that makes sense.  If it doesn't, you may just have to play with some measurements to make it work for your project!

 

 

After everything was torn up and placed in little piles, I started tying them to the frame of the lamp shade.  I failed to take a picture of the lampshade before I tore off the fabric that it had previously, but it's important to find a shade that has a good shape, in order to make it work right.  I think it would probably be pretty difficult to do it with a round shade, but I could be wrong. 

 

 

As I worked my way up the shade, the ends had more and more fabric, due to the shape of the shade I'd chosen.  Once all the fabric was tied, I went back and trimmed the edges of each piece to about the size of my thumb.  I didn't care if some of the pieces were a little longer than others... it just adds to the beauty of it!

 

 

Once the shade was done and I put it on the lamp, I realized that the base itself didnt really match with the fabrics I'd chosen, so I decided to paint it.  I painted it white first, brought it inside and tried it out with the shade, but it just didn't look right.  The next day I used some of the paint that we used for an accent wall behind her crib, and pained the lamp base that color. 

 

   

 

 

 

I just love the way it turned out and it gives such a cute country chic look to her room!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Fabric Chandelier

 

Once I finally finished the rag lamp shade, I still had tons of fabric strips left over that I didn't want to just go to waste.  I picked up a couple metal rings at Hobby Lobby after one of my many dr. appts one afternoon.  I had intended on making a double layer chandelier, but once I got all of the fabric strips tied to the metal rings, it proved nearly impossible to get them to line up evenly.  Truth be told, I was just ready to get the project done and so I didn't spend much time actually trying to make it work.  Baby girl will just have to make due with a single fabric chandelier for now. 



 

 

 

The corner I hung it in looks a little busy with it up there, so I'll probably move it to another one, but you get the idea. I think it looks great and I love that it matches her lamp shade as well. Her nursery is coming along - slowly but surely!

 

What I Miss Most About Not Being Pregnant

 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to meet our baby girl in a few weeks and to start a new life with our new family, but the third trimester just plain sucks!  As I stated yesterday, I'm over it... and here are a few reasons why!

I miss...
Seeing my ankles.  My feet have been too swollen to wear boots since the beginning of February and became to swollen to wear anything but flip flops somewhere around March.  Just about the only good thing about being pregnant in the summer is getting away with wearing flip flops the entire time.  I'm not sure what I will do if I were to ever be pregnant in the winter!   



August 2013

 

June 2014

I miss...

Having energy.  I used to come home every day and cook, clean, water the yard, do laundry... just whatever needed to be done and it never bothered me.  Now...?  Pssshhhh... I can't even remember the last time I cooked us a meal.  Either Graham grills or we pick up take out.  I'm literally exhausted and with my feet hurting so bad the last thing I want to do is stand for an hour and cook - even if it's to stuff my own face!  That's what a drive thru window is for at this point.  I do love me some cereal though.  If Graham would do it, we'd have cereal every night!

I miss...

Painting my own toes.  Since about February or March I started getting monthly pedicures, which is completely out of the norm for me.  Before getting pregnant I might have treated myself to one each year.  In the beginning I was getting them just because it felt freaking good.  As of about the end of April, they've become a necessity since I can't reach my toes long enough to paint them myself.  With the swelling, the leg and feet massages don't really feel good at this point, because my skin is so sensitive... but wearing flip flops every day, I want my toes to look nice.  It's really all that makes me feel good at this point.

I miss...

Sleeping on my back/belly.  For as long as I can remember I've always slept on my belly.  It's just the most comfortable position in the world to me.  Sometimes when I wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and I see Graham sleeping on his stomach, I just want to shake him and tell him how lucky he is to be able to still do that.  Not only does he get to still drink beer while I'm pregnant, he gets to sleep on his belly.  It's just not right and I don't think he even realizes what a good life he has right now!  As far as sleeping on my back, I think I just miss it because I can't do it.  It's just one of those 'don't know what ya got til it's gone' sort of things I suppose.

I miss...

Wearing boots.  Now don't get me wrong, I love me some flip flops and tennis shoes, but I used to live in boots.  It didn't matter what time of year it was or what I was wearing that day... boots were just about always on my feet.  I'm just hoping that my feet will still fit in them when all of this is over. 

I miss...

Drinking.  I'm not talking about tea and water people, because trust me... I get plenty of fluids daily.  I'm talking beer, lime-a-rita's, wine, pendleton whiskey, mimosa's or just a good ol' margarita.  Not that I've ever really been a big drinker, but summer time just screams kicking back and having a good drink in hand.  I'm 8 months sober and I'm not liking it.  I plan to breast feed as well, so I honestly have no clue when I will be able to get my hands on something good. 

I miss...

Not waddling.  I just want to walk normal again.  I want to not have to steady myself and make sure I'm good to take a step each time I get off of a chair. 

I miss...

Being able to poop.  TMI?  Probably.  But it's one of the hardest things to deal with and it seems like it's only getting worse.  I understand why it's happening... baby is pressing down and basically causing blockage... yada yada yada, but I've always been very regular.  I knew exactly what time each day I'd be taking a trip to the bathroom and I was ok with it.  It was just my normal life.  Not being able to go for days at a time, without downing some milk of magnesia that makes me freaking nauseous for the day just plain sucks.  It hurts to be stopped up all the time!

I miss...

People.  Or for lack of a better way of putting it... I miss not hating being around people.  I used to love getting together with friends and family for bbq's and what not.  I'm at the point where I literally dread having something on the calendar that I have to do... even if it is to go somewhere and stuff my face.  It should just be the new norm for a pregnant woman to just be able to sit at her house the last month before she goes into labor.  No work, no cleaning, no responsibilities!  Ahhhh, being a (pregnant) adult is hard!
 

Am I being a big ol' cry baby and feeling sorry for myself at the moment?  Probably.  Ok, yes... yes I am.  But I don't care.  Pregnancy is a joyous time but it's also freaking hard.  I knew I'd have to make some sacrifices and that my body would change a bit... but I had no idea as to what degree.  Pregnancy is a total body experience.  I always thought I wanted 5 kids and I'd honestly be ok if we adopted our next little sweetheart.  The second trimester definitely tricks you into thinking you could go through this forever.  Now I know the truth.  I just keep telling myself... "this too shall pass".

36 more days...

34 Weeks!

Baby Guy

*4.75 lbs

*17.75 in long

*about the size of a cantaloupe

37 days to go (Updated!)

 

 

I'm 34 weeks today, but since the dr won't be allowing me to go to my due date on July 29th, I'm just going to start showing how many days I have left as of my scheduled induction date on July 24th.  If she doesn't come earlier, I will be a mama in 37 freaking days!!!

 

It's safe to say that I'm just over being pregnant.  I'm tired y'all.  My feet are swelling so bad that there are cracks in the skin by my toes... and basically from my knees down my legs are all the same size - huge!  My hands hadn't really been effected up until this last week and now I can't wear my pretty wedding ring anymore.  Luckily we bought an extra band last year when I kept having problems with my diamond falling out and it was constantly at the dealer for repairs.  It's plain and not very pretty, but at least it's not cutting off circulation.  Works for me!  I'm feeling tons of pressure and pain down there, as well as having some braxton hicks contractions.  I don't want to cook at all, but I still want to eat... so we've been eating out way more than we probably need to. 

 

One of the signs for the nursery came in from Etsy yesterday and it looks so good in there.  The other two show to have shipped on Friday, but don't have any tracking information, so I'm assuming they'll be here by the end of the week.  Hopefully I can finally get my nursery blog post done so I can show y'all! 

 

Today is going to feel like Christmas came early when I get home, because we purchased most of the remaining things that were left on our registry and they should be in today.  I wanted a girl so badly, but I'm beginning to think that it may not be the best thing for our finances - there are so many cute things to be bought!!!  Speaking of Christmas - I've already thought of a few things to buy her when the time comes.  I'm getting so excited!

 

Keep us in your prayers!



 

The girls wanted in the picture this morning.  =)

 

Child Birthing Class

We traveled to Roswell on Saturday morning to attend an all day child birthing class at the hospital we will be delivering our sweet baby girl at.  I signed us up for it a few weeks ago and as time went by, and we got closer to the day of actually going, we both started dreading it.  Partly because Graham only has a few weekends off to take advantage of before her big arrival, but I think mostly because the thought of attending the class made us both very anxious.  We both ended up being so happy that we decided to go through with it.

There were two very knowledgeable lady instructors that immediately made us feel very comfortable.  They covered a multitude of topics including videos of c-section and natural births, epidural videos, what to pack to bring to the hospital, a couple different breathing techniques to focus on to help relieve the pain of contractions, as well as a few different massaging techniques that Graham can do that day to hopefully keep me calm and not freak out. 

They even covered introducing the new baby to our fur babies when we get home.  I know that it will definitely be an adjustment to our animals to bring home a baby, but the classes made me think of things that I hadn't even thought of.  Tig has never been aggressive, but we will have to make sure to watch her, especially when the baby is crying, to keep her from possibly picking up the baby like a mama dog would - by the scruff of its neck.  I'm mostly nervous about how Annie will react to not having all of the attention on her, but I've come to the conclusion that it's just going to be an all around world changing experience in our household.  We will all have lots of adjusting to make to get our lives ready for a new normal.  I just can't wait though!

I think about the only part of the class we didn't care for, was the fact that there was a couple in there that felt the need to make out the whole time.  The soon-to-be father felt the need to excessively rub and caress the mama-to-be's baby bump just about the entire time.  They talked loudly and it was pretty obvious that although they were first time parents as well, they didn't need to be taking that class.  It was annoying to say the least, especially since we paid for that class because the rest of us wanted to be there.  I'm not sure who forced them to go, but I suppose somewhere in their minds they felt they were "checking off" something on their to-do list before baby comes.  Regardless... I wanted to tell them to shut the hell up at least 5-6 times... I'm a little surprised I didn't, to be quite honest.

I won't say I'm looking forward to labor and delivery, because I'm pretty sure it's just going to suck, but I will say I'm excited that we're getting so close to meeting our sweet baby girl.  With the knowledge from that class, I hope that we will at least remember a few key parts during all of the craziness that day will likely produce and I'll be able to enjoy at least a few parts of bringing her into this crazy world.  I'm definitely still very anxious, but I'm so glad I have such a supportive and loving husband to go through it all with me.  God is good!

33 Weeks!

Baby Guy

*The weight of a pineapple

*Weighs 4.25 lbs

*About 17in long

49 more days!!!

 

The last week has been pretty busy for us.  Today marks 33 weeks, but at my appointment on Thursday my dr. said if baby girl doesn't come on her own before then, he is planning to induce on the 24th of July - a full 5 days earlier than my due date.  I'm excited that she'll be coming a little early and I actually plan on asking the dr. if it's possible for her to be induced on Monday, the 21st.  1 - because it's the beginning of the week and 2- because I really hope she's born on an odd numbered day.  Anyone that truly knows me, knows I don't like even numbers!  I'm still praying with all my might that she'll surprise us all and come on the 11th. 

 

My baby shower was this past Saturday and my hosts did an amazing job!  My sweet family and friends overwhelmed us with their generosity and we're pretty much ready for our sweet girl to arrive now!  There were a few duplicates that I need to go exchange, but other than that we got some great gifts to get us ready to meet her.  It was kind of hard to take a bunch of pictures, since I was the guest of honor and all, but as soon as I track them down from Kelly and Debbie I'll get a blog post written about it as well. 

 

Not surprisingly, I'm freaking tired y'all.  As the days go on this pregnancy is getting much harder.  I'm not sure if she's dropped, but I feel a ton of pressure down there and anytime I get up after laying or sitting down for longer than 20 minutes at a time is a chore.  It just plain hurts!  My feet and legs are very swollen and it feels like her little feet are trying to break my ribs.  I'm definitely uncomfortable at this point.  On a positive note, Graham bought me a little step stool for my side of the bed since I'd been having a hard time getting in and out so frequently.  It's made a huge difference!

 

I've got a dr. appointment this afternoon, so we'll see if anything has changed since the last one.  Our lamaze/baby care class is this Saturday too.  Eeeek!!  Have a great week and keep us in your prayers!

 

32 Weeks!

 

Baby Guy

*Weighs about 3.75 lbs

*Weighs as much as a jicama (whatever that is!)

*About 16.7 inches in length

56 days to go!

 

 

Hello 32 weeks!  I'd be lying if I said this pregnancy isn't starting to get really hard.  My doctor says it's perfectly normal to feel this way, but I guess I just thought it wouldn't happen until I was closer to 36 weeks or so.  I thought I had another month before I lost all my energy, but this third trimester (and the heat of the summer) has hit me like a ton of bricks!

 

At my dr. appointment last Wednesday, he mentioned that everything was progressing along as normal for being 32 weeks and at the time it didn't even occur to me, that I was supposed to be 31 weeks.  I'm not sure if he just read my chart wrong, or if my ultrasound that day was measuring me to be a little larger, but I'll find out for sure this Thursday at my next appointment!  Oh man that would be awesome if I was farther along than I thought, even if it is only a week.  Truth be told I'm hoping she'll come on the 11th of July... as long as she's healthy of course!

 

My baby shower is this coming Saturday and I am so excited.  It's been a long time since I've been able to get together with all of my family and I'm hoping this week flies by.  I've also got us signed up for a lamaze-type class next Saturday in Roswell.  I was a little apprehensive about attending one, because I've read that those types of classes really can't prepare you for what actually happens in the delivery room, but I've been starting to get really anxious about birth.  I figure if nothing else, it'll be good to get an idea of what is supposed to happen - even if nothing goes as planned on that big day.

 

The nursery is still in a holding stage... we're waiting for some wall decor I had made on Etsy to come in so we can get it all finished up.  I'll write a blog post on it once it's completely done.

 

With 8 weeks (hopefully less) left to go I'm feeling very tired.  My hips and back hurt all the time and it's hard to start walking once I've been sitting down for any length of time.  It feels like she's dropped some and I swear sometimes it feels like she's going to fall out.  I've definitely got a little waddle going on in my step these days!  My legs and feet are swelling like crazy and I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing pedicure this afternoon when I get off work.

 

I've been mowing the yard, but with the temps in the 100's now, I think I'm going to have to step back away from the yard work for a bit.  Graham's been grilling nearly every night and it's helped so, so much.  He's a lifesaver and such a good husband.  Just love that man!! 

 

Keep our little family in your prayers - we're getting closer!!!