Lilac Saloon

Baby: Week 40

For the past three weeks, everyone has been telling me that I would have a baby in my arms "any day now!" and I started to think so too! I was thinking I'd have her just a little bit before my due date. Mostly because once you hit your due date they start talking about induction and I really don't want that. I've made it to the full 40 weeks now and let me tell you that it's more intense than 38! For those that deliver by 38 and think they've pretty much experienced pregnancy to it's fullest...no. I'm feeling even fuller now! Haha. Heavier, slower, more tired, more sore, more antsy. But it's also normal to deliver anywhere between 38 and 42. So...I'm right in the middle...let's do this! You don't even want to know how many times I've walked into her room to rearrange her outfits in her dresser. It will likely be the only time her room is ever this organized! Evan even knew that I was doing this so once he went in there and messed up the socks in the top drawer so that at least I'd have something to do the next time I went in there. HAHAHA. He's so good to me!

They want to induce me on the 30th if she doesn't come on her own before then. So let's all hope that she comes out asap! Come on, baby! We can't wait to meet you!!

This will be my last update until she is born so let's take a look at the beginning and ending belly shots, shall we? It's kind of amazing what the human body can do...isn't it?!

 

Baby: Week 38

You never know. This might be the last belly update! I've heard that typically, first time pregnancies go a bit beyond 40 weeks. But I know of a few people that had babies recently that had them around this time! Now, the phrase that people have been saying to me for so long, "Any time now!" - seems a lot more legitimate. It really could be any time now.

Now that I'm pretty much at the end of my pregnancy, I can give somewhat of a recap of how it went. I had a very easy and healthy pregnancy. There were never any red flags. I passed all the tests at my appointments. Physically, I didn't have too many complaints. I had always imagined it to be so much more dramatic and so much harder than it was. People love to tell their horror stories!! I don't understand that. Keeping a positive outlook through the whole process, focusing on staying healthy and taking good care of myself, and educating myself all contributed - I would think - to the healthy pregnancy that I have had! It is not all within our control, but it doesn't always have to be full of horribly uncomfortable side effects and symptoms. I wish everyone could experience it in this way.

I think pregnancy itself prepares you for parenthood. Yes, there are parts that are hard and uncomfortable and disrupt your normal day or way of doing things. But there are so many cool experiences in between all of that - things that sort of blow your mind. I've always heard people describe the baby "kicking" and thinking that it must be awful! Kicked in the ribs, seriously?! No thanks! Yet, without experiencing the baby movement for myself, I would have never known that it is the coolest and most amazing thing. It doesn't hurt at all, even now that she is gigantic and basically a full size baby. Sometimes I just sit there and stare at my belly and watch it move around. Better than YouTube! Before pregnancy I would have never known how great it feels to take care of yourself in a way that you know you're taking care of the little person growing along with you. Having a little buddy along with me all these months has been really cool. Somehow I already enjoy her company.

I like to think about all the things from my childhood that I'd like Luna to experience in hers. They're not extravagant things. The simple things are the best things in childhood. I want her to draw all over the sidewalks with chalk until her knees and feet and hands are covered in it. I want her to climb a tree and pretend that it's a castle or a space ship. I want her to walk around and collect rocks or sticks or leaves or anything that she finds beautiful. I want her to ride her bike to the library and come home with her bike basket filled with books that she can't wait to dig into. I want her to frost a cake and then decide how she should decorate it to make it unique. In a world that becomes more complicated and full of technology and fast-paced lifestyles, I want her to grow up in a simple, happy, loving environment that nurtures her creativity and spirit. 

Baby: Week 36

Only four more weeks to go! It is so crazy but so awesome to think that just a month from now we will officially be a family of three. I was telling Evan the other evening that I think it will be really weird to not feel a little person rolling around in my belly. I've gotten used to it since I've been feeling movements since around week 17. My body is going to feel so still! Weird. 

I've been wanting to do laundry all the time lately. Is that weird?? I just keep thinking "what else can I wash?". I haven't scrubbed the house from top to bottom though. It needs it but I'm like "ehh...later". I'll probably do it all the week before she arrives! I just started cooking some food to freeze so we would have some meals that are easy to heat up when we're tired in our first days with her. I don't have a very big freezer so I can't really make an ideal 2 weeks worth of food. I'm just going to make as much as I can and we'll manage from there!

Our friends here in Titonka had a baby shower for us this past weekend. It was SO sweet!! There was so much love put into it and we really had a great time. You would not believe the tacos and rice that we had - they were out of this world!! Everyone here is so sweet and supportive. The town may be really small but we are surrounded by such nice people. I'm grateful for that!

Baby: Week 34

I'm pretty sure that around this point in pregnancy, you become the stereotypical pregnant woman. The waddle begins. The guzzling of the liquids is in full force. Occasional body aches and regular heartburn are pretty much happening. The scale is telling me numbers I'd never seen before! And it is becoming ever so real that this is really gonna end with a little baby in our arms in less than two months! It's such a normal thing. We all got here this way. Yet when it happens to you it's totally mindblowing. I CAN MAKE A PERSON?? What?! 

Also, I was thinking that my photo backdrop is probably a little mysterious. It's just white but you can probably usually see some lines. It's a closet! I thought I'd show you the full scene this time. Just for the heck of it. This is in Luna's nursery! And there I am, full body in all my pregnant glory. Six more weeks to grow. I'm scared to know that I'm still going to be gaining at least 2-3 more pounds of baby!

Nursery Details

As promised, I've taken a few photos of the nursery to share with you! I am just sharing some detail shots for now - and some parts of the room might still change as I get more "nesty" as we get closer to her arrival. I'm not worried about it being "perfect" before she gets here. I just want it to be a cozy space to retreat to with her and a functional space to care for her in those early days, weeks and months of her life.

Baby: Week 32

Ohhhh boy. Getting tired now!! I'm feeling short-of-breath a lot and have been living with almost daily heartburn. The third trimester, for me, is definitely the hardest! The first was sleepy, the second was easy, the third one is the challenge. Luckily it is also the point where you see the light at the end of the tunnel! Less than two months to go, now!

I'm getting really excited to meet her and get to know her. Sometimes it just amazes me that she's going to already have her own unique personality that she will have no matter the choices we make in raising her. I can't wait to see how awesome she is.

I also have these fears that she's going to come out and actually not be a girl. I would have been happy with a boy or girl, but now that we've named her and prepared for her to be a girl (nursery is a little bit girly, clothes can't be returned because they're washed now, etc.) I feel like it will be really upsetting if she is actually a boy! I'll have to bring him home in the adorable girl outfits I've packed. Sorry dude, you're gonna be pretty girly for a bit until we can replace your entire wardrobe. Agh! No. Please!

I have been so thankful not to have been stricken with crazy emotional pregnancy hormones that so many speak of. I don't cry out of nowhere or flip out over nothing. But I almost did yesterday!!! Ha!! I reminded myself that it was just pregnancy hormones and nothing was actually that upsetting, and that helped. First I was ticked off because of all this annoying crap we have had to handle with our insurance and the hospital for the past 7 months. They keep messing things up with the way they process all the claims after each appointment I have, and we get these giant bills in the mail. After going through the giant pile of bills yesterday and calling the insurance and the hospital a few times I was really mad and just on edge. Then dinner didn't turn out very good - which was annoying because I put a lot of work into it. After dinner I sat down on the couch and was trying to show Evan a youtube video on the iPad and I could not find it for the life of me, even though I was typing in the exact name of the video. When I finally find it, it won't play because the uploader doesn't allow video playback on mobile devices (???). I'll be honest with you and say that THAT was my tipping point where I almost cried!!!! Hahaha. So awesome I know! So glad I didn't actually cry. Ohhhh pregnancy.

Only about 8 more weeks to go, if she comes out right on time! Could be a little less or a little more, but being on time would just be swell. I've taken a few detail shots of the nursery and am going to share them with you on Friday!

Baby: Week 30

Week 30 feels pretty far along!! It feels like we are getting so close to meeting our baby - but not close enough to get nervous. I think it will feel really different when there are only two weeks to go, or when her due date arrives and she isn't here yet! Agh! Right now we are getting her room put together and are acquiring all of the necessary baby things we'll need for her. It has been like Christmas every day with packages arriving from family and friends and a few things we ordered too! I wasn't that excited about sharing photos of the nursery with you at one point because I just didn't think it would ever come together. I feel better now and will totally share photos once it's done!

I took the "dreaded" Gestational Diabetes one hour glucose test on Monday and I passed it. Yay! I was pretty nervous to do it because I had read about so many people saying it was so horrible, they almost puked, etc. I know I'm kind of sensitive to disgusting things so expected to be one of those people. It was not THAT bad. I mean, the drink was sweeter than anything anyone should ever consume, but the amount was do-able. During my one hour wait time, I used some of the time to get a tour of the brand new labor/delivery rooms that they're building. Super nice!! They are so new that I might even be the first one to use the room that I'll be put into. I don't really have much to compare the room to since I have only seen labor/delivery/recovery rooms a couple times. It has a pull-out couch, a recliner, tv, little fridge, big bathroom, and wood floors. Classy! ;) 

I'm starting to feel the third trimester tired kicking in for sure now. It's not like the first where there was no motivation to even put on socks. It feels, instead, like I WANT to put on the socks but it's just so hard that after I put them on, I need to rest. Haha. Physically exhausting. Doing laundry is a full body workout!! Up the stairs, down the stairs, lug the baskets, load the clothes, unload the clothes, sort the clothes, fold the clothes. I never realized laundry could be tiring until now! 

I'm also pretty excited about a giveaway that I won today! I entered the giveaway for a Pretty Pushers gown on The Art of Making a Baby and I totally won. Nice!! So now, I don't have to wear the fugly hospital gown during Luna's epic arrival. I'll be looking fierce. As in, as fierce as you can look while in that situation.

Baby: Week 28

I'm officially into the Third Trimester now! Woahhhh. That's crazy! About 12 weeks to go until we meet our little squirmy offspring. I don't feel too much change from my last update, except that I think I might be getting a little more tired. It is definitely different to have this newly shaped body. It is harder to get up from a sitting position, harder to put on pants, way harder to put on socks/shoes, and it's impossible to zip up my winter coat. It needs to start warming up quickly because I really can't zip my coat at all anymore and it's pointless to go buy a bigger one just for the last tiny bit of winter.

This little baby moves around so much that I can just sit there and WATCH her move. It's kind of awesome, actually. I always thought it was super creepy before being pregnant, but experiencing it for yourself is different than watching another person's tummy move around "on it's own".

I'm starting to feel the urge to get really ready for her arrival. We don't have her room all set up and don't have everything we need yet. I am ready to get ready now!! I really need to finish up my custom orders so that I can focus on nestinggggg.

Baby: Week 26

 

Things are feeling more real every day. Our house is slowly accumulating baby paraphernalia. Only a few things so far but they're the bigger things so they're very visible. I'm glad we have them now so we can live with them for a while and kinda get used to it. I physically feel more pregnant now. Sleeping is uncomfortable a few nights out of the week when I wake up with bad heartburn and have to transfer to the couch for more of a "sitting up" type of sleeping situation. I definitely look pregnant to strangers at this point. Bring on the belly touchers! Also, baby Luna is doing violent gymnastics in there and always reminds me that she's there. There is nothing subtle about her movements anymore. I can SEE them, like, from the outside. Girlfriend thinks I'm a trampoline! Nothing hurts, it's just startling sometimes. How can someone so small be so forceful!? It's impressive. She must be absorbing my vitamins!

 

I realize I've been sort of a one note on the blog and have neglected all other areas of life in order to focus on pregnancy. I truly haven't been totally one track minded though. I've just been unmotivated to blog and share and I really don't know why that is! I've been cranking out the custom orders lately. More than ever. It's kind of crazy that they're all pouring in at the point where I'm getting ready to slow down and eventually take a break. I've made about 4 sets of custom Wallflowers that I haven't blogged about, and have 2-3 more on the cutting table. I also have two sets of wedding vow embroideries in the works. I just finished up a BIGGGG project that I had mentioned before but can't share yet. I've been working on it since the summer and it's finally done but I still have to wait longer to tell you about it. Dang!

I've also been absorbing a lot of information lately, for fun and for self improvement. I've been learning more about nutrition, going "green" in the way of using more natural products, and learning about ways to adopt a more minimalist attitude and lifestyle. These things are all parts of the person who I've always pictured myself becoming but had yet taken steps to get there. There's no better time than the present!

Baby: Week 24

We're starting to get more prepared materially now for the baby. I've been working hard to clean out her room. It was basically our "supplies" room up until now. I had all my stockpiles of fabric, embroidery hoops, shipping boxes, you name it, in there. Just everything. I'd walk in there with the intention to clean it out - stand in the middle of the room and stare at the things - and then walk out and close the door. Too intimidating! Where to put all the stuff?!

I decided I needed a real "fire under my ass" to clean it out. So I ordered the crib. It only took two days to arrive (and only cost $10 for shipping!) so that gave me the motivation. If I didn't clean out the room, there was nowhere to put the crib box except to leave it in the living room. I didn't want to do that so I got to work. I filled a box of things to send to my little sister. She's super creative and I knew she'd appreciate some new raw materials to dig into. I also made a big pile of things that were just useless and needed to be thrown out. I basically put myself into an anti-hoarding mentality and went through every bin and drawer and box. I got rid of 2/3 of the stuff - NOT KIDDING. I am pretty darn proud! Having this baby has been great forced therapy for my tendency to be a "pack rat" - as my Mom has always so lovingly called me since childhood.

I've got a lot of energy lately so I've been accepting a few big custom orders and am going to try to crank them out before I get super tired toward the end. I'll be working on two custom orders for embroidered wedding vows in Feb/March! Intense! I will definitely be taking a break right before and after the baby comes. I know it will take some adjusting to taking care of this new little person and I am not going to kid myself into thinking I can run my business at the same time! That's okay. Life before business, always. 

Baby: Week 22

Now that I'm over the halfway point of pregnancy, I'm starting to feel like getting into preparation mode. It's time to get serious! We finished our registry, I've started a class to prepare me for labor and we've even named the baby. Are you ready to know her name?!!!

Our sweet little Luna Brynn is our new favorite person. Mostly because she kicks me so hard that Evan can easily feel it already. It's kind of fun when she kicks because it reminds me that she's in there. It's like "oh, heyyy!" coming from her and I like it. I have had a fantastic pregnancy so far and have felt so darn good. I've discovered that I actually love and appreciate my body more now that I ever have before. I don't look for flaws or criticize or complain about my appearance. I love myself more now. That's pretty amazing and a side effect I didn't expect.

 

Baby: Week 20

What??? Halfway there? I always felt like time flew when observing others go through pregnancy and I figured it was just because I wasn't focusing on them all day every day, and suddenly they'd be more pregnant. Now it's me and time is still flying and suddenly I'm more pregnant! Ha! Just life, I guess!

We had a SUPER exciting day yesterday. We had the 20 Week ultrasound where they do really detailed measurements of all the different body parts and some of the organs too. Also, the most exciting part of course is that you can find out the gender at this time! YES, we definitely wanted to know.

I had been convincing myself that the baby was a boy. I pictured a mini version of my husband running around my house and it made me laugh. I have three younger brothers and am really used to baby boys and was pretty comfortable with the idea of having a boy. But "gut instincts" are not always the most accurate prediction of gender.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

I was so surprised - and to be honest - SO excited! I mean come on. Who can deny that a baby girl is going to be pretty darn fun to create adorable photo shoots for? Yep. I'm kinda excitedddddd.

We have already named her, too!!
I'll share soon. 

Best of 2011!

So much has changed for us this year! We never expected to be where we are right now - but in a really good way. I thought I'd skip down memory lane and point out some of my favorite (blogged) moments of this year! Won't you join me?

 New to the shop in 2011:

Felt Heart Confetti

You & Me Embroideries

Rope & Tassel Necklaces

 

Custom Orders:

Robyn's Wedding Flowers

Jamie's Flower Clip

 Eric & Audrey's Vows

Monogrammed Pajamas

Lorie & Jon's Vows

 

Celebrations:

2 Years Married - & - 9 Years Together

 One Year of Self Employment

 It's A Baby!

 

Fun Projects Completed:

The Sketchbook Project

 A Cutting Felt Video

A Hand Embroidery Video 

A Cutting Petals Video

Lilac Saloon + Brian Hart Collaboration

 

Photographed:

Julie (9 Months Pregnant!)

Hanna at 6 Months & Hanna at 9 Months

Sioux Falls, SD

Lauren & Michael and Matthew (my beautiful siblings) 

 Titonka, IA

Julie & Bryer

 

Favorite Reflective Moments:

10 Reasons Why I Love Being My Own Boss

Small Town vs. Big City

Time to Move Forward

Goodbye to Estherville

 11 Wishes on 11.11.11

 

Honorable Mentions:

Felt Heart Confetti featured on Brandon Kidd's photography blog!

Lilac Girl (modeling a custom necklace by Erin Giles!)

A fresh Facelift for the blog with the help of my talented cousin, Natalie!

 

 With all of that business-growing, job-getting, small-town-moving and baby-growing this year...I can't imagine what the next year will hold for us. I am lowering my expectations on myself because taking care of a new tiny person will make life totally different for us in so many ways! I'm going to do an awesome job at that...and then if I have time and energy to do anything else, then I shall. My goals are to push toward living simply, more naturally, making what I can and working with what I have, focusing on positivity and gratitude, and finding joy in the little moments. Cheers to happiness and love and 2012!

Baby: Week 18

I'm getting closer to the halfway point and that seems crazy! It's weird to think how much is happening in my body - and how little I have to do to keep it going. I basically just need to do things I already know how to do. Sleep lots, eat healthy foods, drink water, take vitamins. Extra bonus points for exercising or yoga and maintaining low stress. 

I have been feeling tiny little kicks lately! It sort of feels like little muscle twitches. It's pretty cool, actually. It has kinda become my new hobby to just sit still and wait for them. In two weeks I have my 20 week ultrasound and hopefully they can tell us the gender! I think things get more exciting at that point! I can't wait to give this little person a name. It's a really big responsibility to give someone a name that they will have for life, but the creative part of my brain completely loves the challenge.

Photo an Hour

On Monday, I decided to take a photo every hour of the day so that I could share with you what my day looked like! It was a pretty average Monday. I don't do as much work on Mondays because I run errands and that takes up some of the day. I also let myself have a lazy start this day because I was extra tired. It is so nice to be able to do that when I need to!! I'm taking advantage of it while I can.

Enjoy this little peek into my simple, quiet day.

Midnight Sun | Iceland

Midnight Sun | Iceland from SCIENTIFANTASTIC on Vimeo.

I can't stop obsessing over Iceland. If I could only pick ONE place to travel in my lifetime, Iceland would be it. This gorgeous time lapse film is beyond breathtaking. Like, I could almost cry. I won't though. Maybe.

The video captures 17 days worth of magic, during the time in the summer months when the sun never fully sets. Enjoy watching - and getting lost in the dreamiest land on Earth.

Portrait Embroidery

Quite a while ago, we did a few portrait embroideries of celebrities - just for fun. The first one was this Seth Rogen embroidery, made for one of my best friends. After creating that, we were inspired to do a couple more! We had a few requests for Bill Murray so that was exactly what we did.

I was just dying to do one of Miss Coco Peru because we have a couple of friends who would really appreciate such a ridiculously amazing embroidery. If you don't know Miss Coco Peru, this embroidery will probably scare the pants off of you. If you DO know her then I am sure you will be really proud.

Other embroideries I'd love to do next:

Ron Swanson of Parks & Recreation, Harry & Lloyd of Dumb & Dumber,  and the one and only Romy & Michele

Baby: Week 16

Guess what? I have got my energy back! I thought I had it back before, but I really didn't. I have gotten so much accomplished in the past week. I am not in the crazy cleaning and cooking mode that I've heard some get into. Maybe later. Right now I'm finally caught up on orders and have even had the energy/motivation to do some experimental stitching for the shop. It has been forever since I've done that! My experiment kind of failed (whoops) but I didn't really care because I was just happy to finally be making things again. Get this - we even finished all of our Christmas shopping already AND shipped everything out to the recipients. Oh yeah. 

Multiple times a day, I forget that I'm pregnant. I don't feel that different now that I'm not so tired. It's pretty cool. Then, when I remember that I do in fact have a tiny person with me all the time - I get really happy. Because that is kind of totally awesome. 

Also, at this point I've started to get pretty uncomfortable in all of my size 2 skinny jeans. BUH-BYE. I don't know what I'm going to do about pants because I haven't been able to find any yet - unless they're leggings. So leggings it is. Every day I'm leggings-in'. I broke down and bought a couple maternity pieces for my wardrobe. My Mom and I went to a consignment shop and I got three shirts. Then I got a couple things from ASOS which was the first real new-clothes shopping I've done in 2 years! Here's what I got:

 

1. Maternity Skinny Jeans in Teal - These were the main reason I wanted to order from ASOS. I loved that these looked relatively normal except for the pocket area which has a double rib knit for lots of stretch. I am going to be returning them because they just don't stretch enough. They fit fine right now but I'd like them to fit me all winter and there's no way they will. They've only got about an inch of give. Sadface.

2. Maternity Soft Touch Leggings - I'm wearing these in the photo above. They're amazing! They're not very thick so they won't be warm enough for wearing outside mid-winter, but they're perfect for days when I'm inside all day. The waistband goes wayyy up to go over the belly instead of under, and the elastic isn't too strong so it doesn't hurt like my other leggings do. These are a keeper.

3. Maternity Roll Neck Tunic - This is really cute and it does not look "maternity". I'd wear it even if I wasn't pregnant. I'll probably dress it up with a pretty necklace and wear it on Christmas, but it is still a nice everyday sweater as well. There's lots of room to grow which is perfect.

4. Blanket Wrap Cardigan - I am in love with this cardigan (pictured in my belly photo above!). It's not in their maternity section but it definitely has everything I need in a cozy cardigan. I love all of the extra fabric to wrap up in - but it's not too bulky or blankety like some are. It's fantastic. I'll prolly wear it every day, or at least until Evan starts to give me looks of disappointment.

Quiet Thanksgiving

This year we had a very quiet Thanksgiving. Evan and I spent it together - just the two of us - and it was really nice! We relaxed all day, I went for a walk around town because it was so nice outside, and we had a nice candle-lit dinner. I didn't take any pictures of our meal (it wasn't an epic feast - just chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans!) but I took my camera on my walk around Titonka. I have a feeling it's the last we're going to see of these warm golden colors. It's going to get COLD soon!!

JewelMint: Two for One

I've recently fallen in love with JewelMint - have you guys heard of it yet? It's the new affordable luxury jewelry line by Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter. It's actually super fun to sign up for the website because you take a quick visual quiz to determine your taste and style which helps them show you jewelry best suited for you! Beyond that, each piece is gorgeous (and I'm picky about jewelry!). I also love the fact that all the pieces are the same price so you never have that moment where you fall in love with a piece and then realize it is way too much - everything is $29.99 each.

In honor of this Thanksgiving Holiday and the season of shopping, I have a really cool special discount to share! JewelMint has offered Lilac Saloon readers a discount valid today through Cyber Monday! Using the discount code "SALOON", you get two pieces of jewelry for the price of one! 

Let me show you some of my favorites on the site right now:

Cuuuute. Right? I love their use of metals with softer elements like rope or thread or textiles. Just my style! It's really fun to take the quiz and see which of their pieces fit you best! I felt it was pretty spot-on for me. Even if it isn't, you can still browse other pieces and add them to your favorites as well.

This discount is so perfect for shopping for your friends, sisters, mother and even for yourself! Those tassel necklaces are on their way to me as I type. Yay!

Discount Details:

Use code SALOON to get 2 pieces for the price of 1, for new members only, valid 11/25 - 11/28. 
To take advantage of the offer, head over to JewelMint, sign up and pick your favorite pieces! Share this blog post with your friends, too, so they can get in on the deals. Be sure to read how this membership based site works so you understand the terms for future purchases!