Somewhere in the middle of all those play-dates, we found time as a family to have a 3D ultrasound done of baby Lydia. This is something we never did with Juliet, but we thought the girls might enjoy seeing their baby sister. We also felt it might make her impending birth a bit more real for them. The experience was surreal. I couldn't believe how much detail we could see on that screen. Lydia was sleeping, face smushed against the placenta, body curled up in a tiny ball. She had her hand in front of her face for most of the ultrasound, and may have been sucking her thumb at one point. Despite her best attempts to the contrary, we were able to get a few glimpses of her face, hands and feet. She even opened her eyes at one point. Did you know babies open their eyes in the womb?!? While the stenographer focused in on her face, I stared, smitten with my newest daughter. She has the cutest button nose, and two thin, beautiful lips. As I was studying her face, it reminded me of another little girl I love so much.
The picture on the left is Lydia. The one on the right is Juliet, just a day old. Maybe it's just me, but I can definitely see the resemblance.
One tiny little foot....
One perfect little hand....
I could have stared at that screen forever. But the girls got bored, and after 30 minutes, the sonogram was over. I'm glad we did it, because we got some great photos and a double copy of the video. We gave one copy to my parents, who enjoyed watching their newest granddaughter.
About two weeks ago, I started to get into some mega-crazy nesting. I decided that we were indeed going to redo our bedroom floors BEFORE the baby came. I called around, got estimates and chose a contractor. Wednesday is the big day when we switch from having carpet in our bedroom, to wood. The wood we've chosen actually matches the wood throughout our living/dining room and makes the entire downstairs either wood or tile. I'm really excited to see the finished product, and I'm also glad to to do away with our disgusting carpet. Carpets and pets do not mix!
Last week, I decided I wanted to paint an accent wall in Lydia's bedroom. I went from thinking about it, to buying paint, to painting in about a 48-hour time period. Yup, that's just how I roll. Here are some before and after pictures.
Before painting, the entire room was a very pale yellow. The color is actually called, "Ivory Invitation". We chose that color when we bought the house, because it was neutral and would work for both a boy or a girl bedroom. I still really love that yellow. You can see the bedding in the valance. It's green, pink and red with black and white gingham borders.
I had chosen a green much lighter than what you see above, but at the last minute, standing in Lowe's, I panicked. I was afraid I wouldn't like the way the light green looked, and I really wanted a contrast. I chose a shade of green much darker than my original choice, and loved it from the first brush stroke.
After I got the dark green up, I had the idea to paint vertical stripes on the wall, using a lighter shade of green that was a closer match to the shade in the bedding. Hubs was a huge help in this process. I wouldn't have been able to make it turn out so perfect on my own!
Hubs pitched in, even though he HATES painting. What a guy. This is one of the many reasons why I love him so very much!
Hubs really got into the process! At the end, he just wasn't satisfied with the way the edge turned out so he took a tiny paintbrush, used for the girls' watercolors, and touched it up himself. He would totally deny this, but I think he's nesting too!
The finished product....LOVE!!!
A friend on Facebook suggested that I pull out the pinks and reds in the bedding and buy a few accent pieces for the wall in those colors. Right now, I'm thinking a fun lamp, and maybe a frame or two. I haven't had a chance to complete the look just yet, but I know she won't be using the room for a while, so I'm not too hurried. Mostly, I just feel better that her room is ready, and her closet is organized. The only thing left to do, aside from the accent pieces, is to wash her clothes and move the rocking chair and changing table down to our bedroom. Until she's sleeping longer stretches, I refuse to traipse up and down stairs multiple times a night to feed her. We'll move that furniture down after our wood floors are installed. Soon, we'll be ready.
I glanced at my calendar today and couldn't help but notice that July looks almost as busy as June. In 15 days, we celebrate Liesel's one year Gotcha anniversary! We have a special day trip planned to celebrate. I can't believe she's been with us for one year.
On Thursday, I'll be 33 weeks along in my pregnancy. It seems to me that the first 20 weeks dragged on, but the last 13 have flown by. The above picture is me at 32 weeks with Juliet (in white) and me at 32 weeks with Lydia (in red). Although I feel huge, the evidence shows that I look about the same. I'm doing very well, feeling good, and experiencing less pain that I did with Juliet. I've gained 29 lbs, more than I was hoping to, but still less than with Juliet. I'm so much more relaxed this time around. I'm not worried by my work, trying desperately to get lesson plans together for my long-term sub. I'm also not worried about a cross-country move (we moved from Missouri to Texas when Juliet was 5 weeks old) this time around. I'm really able to enjoy this pregnancy in a way that I never could the first time. What a blessing that has been! I plan to enjoy these last 7 weeks with my girls and slow down a bit...or at least, try.
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