HELP!!!!

Luke and I need HELP in our living room.  We have a few walls that are driving us nuts.  Recently I've been on a cleaning and decluttering spree and this first wall is just not right.  I was going for organized chaos when I did it but I just have never liked it.  I've tried several arrangements and I just can't seem to make this wall collage thing work for me.  Can you help?!?  Take a look, what do you think would be a good use of this space.  I'm willing to start from scratch.

This second wall used to be filled with a desk hutch.  Once again it has been an eye sore since we moved in and decided to have the desk in the living room.  We finally got around to taking it down and I LOVE the open space but feel like it is a little bare now.  Should we put something there or leave it as a blank canvas?  I was thinking maybe some floating shelves or something for a few pictures but I'm also planning to do that in the nursery so maybe I just have that on the brain.  Again, all you creative people out there get to work and help me come up with a plan.  I'm an accountant for crying out loud - not an interior decorator, so stop judging me :)

26 Weeks

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

14 left!!

Size of baby: eggplant

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 

Maternity Clothes: yes.

Gender: boy

Movement: becoming more frequent and quite a bit stronger!  I still get excited when I feel him moving around in there. 

Sleep: NOT GOOD! And that is all I will say on this subject or there just may be a breakdown.

What I miss: sleep.

Cravings: I’m beginning to like sweets again.  For a long time I really had an aversion to them but I’ve found my sweet tooth.  I make myself eat something healthy before I indulge but I will allow myself to enjoy the desserts as well.

Symptoms: William has moved and is right under my ribs and lungs so sleep has become a stranger.  I also find it very uncomfortable to sit for extended periods of time.  I’m still getting sick a few times a week but other than that we are just chugging right along.

Best Moment This Week: wow, this is a tough one today.  It hasn’t been a great week.  I was sick sick sick for a few days and other than that it has been pretty uneventful.  Luke and I did do some major cleaning/reorganizing of our living room space this week and it is still a work in progress but it is so much better!! 

Milestones: Baby's soaking up your antibodies, getting her immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and she'll soon be practicing the blink...perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel.

What I'm Looking Forward To: a weekend of fun.  Luke and I are on heading to Gainesville, TX on Saturday to meet up with Katie, Phil and Emory, PaPa and Grammy!  I can’t wait.  It has been far too long since we have seen any of them.  Look how big my sweet little girl is getting.

25 Weeks

How Far Along: 25 Weeks

Size of baby: an eggplant!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 14 lbs and I swear it is all baby ;)  

Maternity Clothes: mostly maternity clothes, but today I am not wearing a single maternity item!  

Gender: boy

Movement: becoming more and more frequent and strong 

Sleep: not a great subject, maybe we will touch on this next week. I'm afraid if I think about my lack of sleep I just may have a break down.

What I miss: not being crazy.  I blame it on the hormones and a crazy hectic work environment right now, these two are not making a great pair. 

Cravings: none really. In fact, I'm past my starving all the time stage and really have to kinda make myself eat.

Symptoms: still some nausea in the mornings or while traveling. Just ask Luke about our historic stop in Natchez, MS last weekend.   

Best Moment This Week: eating our way through New Orleans over the weekend.  William and I ate and ate and ate, but we walked a lot too so maybe it all evened out.

Milestones: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half about the size of a small bag of sugar, he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture. Your dexterous baby can touch and hold her feet and make a fist. Your partner may be able to hear his heartbeat by pressing his ear against your belly. Your baby has a regular sleep schedule now and active and inactive periods. You may or may not be able to discern what those periods are. Her nostrils, which have been plugged, open up.

What I'm Looking Forward To: It's Peach Fest weekend here so I'm sure we will spend plenty of time down town for festivities.  We have a fun dinner planned with friends on tonight and then we are headed to our first ever Peach Fest Rodeo with Michael and Lynsey.  Other weekend plans include organizing the pantry, staining the crib and lots of pool time :)  Plus, I think there is a plan in the works to meet up with the Simmering/Walters families in Dallas next weekend.  This means cuddle time for aunt Morgan and baby Emory and NOTHING tops that!

24 Weeks

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Take a break from the computer if your fingers feel numb or tingly. It's probably carpal tunnel syndrome, often brought on by pregnancy. Stretch your hands frequently to loosen them up. For significant symptoms, try wrist braces or splints at nighttime. In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball.

Size of baby: still a papaya

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 13 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Yes! And I just got some GREAT hand - me - downs so my wardrobe has doubled in the past week!!!

Gender: BOY - William August

Movement: all the time!   Although he did get me in the rib the other day and I was NOT a fan of that! Luke can see it and feel it now which makes it even that much more fun!

Sleep: good nights and bad nights but nothing too terrible and for that I feel pretty lucky.

What I miss: life with out heart burn, but that is manageable.  Life is pretty good right now.

Cravings: fruits and veggies.  Really anything will do at this point.  I am just hungry ALL the time!

Symptoms: heart burn and a touch of morning sickness every now and then.

Best Moment This Week: My friend Tara gave me 2 huge tubs of hand - me - downs.  She has a little boy that was born in October as well so we are hoping that a lot of his stuff will fit William.  So much of it still had tags on or looked brand new!  I can't wait to go through it all again this weekend!

Milestones: Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long, he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

What I'm Looking Forward To: One month from now I'll be lounging on the beach in Hawaii!!! It will make turning 26 worth it! Don't feel bad for Luke, he will be on his dream vacation as well.  Fishing in Alaska with his Dad.  Our families are the best and are making sure to spoil us before William gets here!

23 Weeks

How Far Along: 23 Weeks

Swollen from head to toe? Increased blood flow, by now an old friend, is to blame. Consider a trip to the shoe store because loosening ligaments will cause your feet to expand even more in the weeks to come.

Size of baby: still a papaya

since we saw the papaya pic last week we've moved on over to babycenter .com for the pic!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I didn't weigh myself this week but Dr. M did make the comment that I finally had a weight "jump", he then followed that up by reassuring me that was a good thing.  I see the belly growing each week but for some reason just don't think to hop on the scale until I sit down to write this!  Maybe next week I'll be on top of it.

Maternity Clothes: yes.  I can still wear my athletic shorts and a few dresses from before but that is about it.  I've even started to wear a few of Luke's smaller t-shirts on the weekends because mine are just getting a little uncomfortable.

Gender: BOY

Movement: yep, I've started to notice patterns.  He likes to wiggle around right around bed time each night.  We have a lot of fun talking to him and feeling him dance around each night.

Sleep: it's been better.  I wake up to go to the bathroom way too much for any good amount of sleep.

What I miss: nothing really.  I'm really enjoying life right now!

Cravings: cucumbers and vinegar, buttermilk, salt and pepper!  I ate 2 cucumbers this way last night for dinner with my pasta salad!

Symptoms: getting a little heartburn but it's nothing the TUMS can't cure!  I still rely on the zofran a few days a week.

Best Moment This Week: getting the nursery updated.  We made fabric covered valance boxes, got new switch plates for all of the outlets and installed a new light switch in Williams room.  We also picked up our glider and got it situated in the room.  We even gave each dog a turn to be rocked!

Milestones: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb. 

What I'm Looking Forward To: another weekend at home.  Plenty of pool time and a few projects in Williams room! 

FYI

FYI:

I am starving!  I can't seem to control my hunger.  I was just telling a coworker about dinner last night and became slightly embarrassed as I started to realize everything I ate!  So while I'm already embarrassed I'll just share with the world what I ate last night.  I started the evening out with a fudge pop.  Just to tide me over while making dinner :)  Then had a nice heaping bowl of pasta salad with extra cheese and turkey pepperoni.  With dinner I devoured 2 cucumbers in vinegar, buttermilk, salt and pepper.  Washed that all down with about 1/2 a bag of baked lays chips and then ended the evening with another fudge pop just for kicks.  Today has been worse and I haven't even made it home from work yet.  But I will let you know that my day has consisted of donuts, easy mac, fried chicken, yams and corn bread.  There is more but that will be my secret.  

I think the nurse may have a small heart attack when I step on the scale at my appointment this afternoon!

Nursery Excitement

Our glider came in today!

ain't she a beauty!
I just got an email that it is ready and waiting and I can't wait to go and get it.  I even called Luke to see if he wanted to meet me for lunch and pick it up.  Being the calm reasonable one he reminded me that it may require some assembly and we should wait until we could enjoy the process this evening!  So I'm pretty sure I'll be leaving work early because I know this afternoon will DRAG on.  I'm like a little kid on Christmas morning, I can't wait to get furniture in the nursery and see it all come together!  So far we have painted the walls, made and hung fabric covered valance boxes for the windows, put the crib together and we are waiting on the glider and changing table.  Once those things arrive this week it will really start to look like Williams room instead of a blank canvas.  I'll try and get some pictures this weekend of our most recent projects and new furniture!  ahahahahhhhh it is really starting to feel real.  There really is going to be a little boy sleeping in this room before too long!  I know I say that every other day but the littlest things just get me so excited!!

Here is the changer we are patiently awaiting

P.S. I have heard rumors that my sweet Emory has rolled over and that it has been caught on tape.  Katie - I NEED to see this video!