The Nursery - Step 1: Painting

Here's what the nursery looked like in July on our first day of owning our house. 

Our first priority in July was to remove the wallpaper, the carpet and paint the trim. You can read about that experience here. Back then we referred to the nursery as guest room 1. By the end of the first week in July we had a room with red walls, white trim, no carpet and an announcement of our pregnancy to share with our parents. 

When my parents returned in September the new carpet had been installed and my dad  took on the task of priming the red walls with grey primer. At the time I thought it would be the push we needed to start working on the nursery . . . 2 months later we finally got around to it. 

In November we made the decision that we would paint one wall with stripes and picked out the colors that we wanted to use. We started by roughly measuring out where our small stripes would be and painted an approximate 2 inch stripe. 

We then taped off the ceiling, baseboards and actual 2 inch stripes. 

After taping off the two inch white stripes we started painting our 10 inch stripes. First we painted the blue stripes. I was smitten, I loved the way the blue looked.

Second we painted the orange stripes. At this point I was a little concerned that we were making our child's room into a circus room. But, as I have learnt with other projects, it's really important to reserve judgement until the end of the project. Things can look kinda crazy in the middle and that's okay.

After removing the tape, we could finally see the finished blue, orange and white stripes.

At that point we got a little stuck. I knew I wanted a sandy colored neutral to use on the remaining three walls. Not only would it tone down the circus stripes but it would also allow the bunting flags my sister-in-law made for our wedding to pop and really bring the whole room together. Not having any idea how to find the right neutral I turned to the Petersiks of Young House Love. I've been reading their blog for a while for help with our house projects and they suggested the neutral that we ended up loving and using on the remaining three walls. You can see it on the left wall on the picture below.

My reward for finishing painting the walls was to finally be able to take the crib out of it's box and assemble it. One of my favorite projects is assembling Ikea furniture and this didn't disappoint. I then hung up the flags and made the baby's bed complete with the Sleep Sheep we received from Cheryl and stuffed animals from Victoria and Jessica. Next up was finding an appropriate dresser which could also be used as a changing table.

And just because it's so fun to look at here's a comparison before and after. I absolutely love how much this room changed with just some new carpet and paint.

click photo to enlarge

Goodbye Wall

This weekend we took on a small house project . . . taking out a load bearing wall between our living room and kitchen. 

Originally the wall was covered in paneling but when we took over the house in July we decided to open up the wall, ie remove the paneling. We wanted to get an idea of whether or not we should remove the wall completely and open up the space between the two rooms. So we moved the refrigerator to the other end of the kitchen and started taking the wall apart. 

the original wall between the living room and kitchen

original position of refrigerator against the
wall between the kitchen and living room

Since July we have been living with an open wall. 

I have to admit simply being able to see through the wall and having the fridge at the other end of the kitchen made a huge impact. As soon as it was open we decided we liked it and wanted the wall to come down. We just had to keep in mind that since it was a load bearing wall we weren't going to be able to just knock it out of the way. It was going to need a header and proper support. Plus there were a couple electrical outlets and a light switch that would need relocating. So we patiently waited until we could find a time when the project could be moved to the top of the list and Marc's Dad could come help us. 

I don't know about you but 38.5 weeks pregnant sounds like the perfect time to knock down a load bearing wall in your house, don't you think? Thankfully the project went really smoothly, absolutely no hiccups, and  by the end of Saturday Marc, his Dad and my Dad had removed the wall and installed the header. During this time my mom and I were hiding out in my bedroom, away from the noise and in a safe location in case things went awry, watching Greys Anatomy. As you can see from the pictures below it's fantastic and so open now between the living room, kitchen and dining room. 

View from kitchen to living room - click photo to enlarge

View from living room to kitchen to dining room - click photo to enlarge

On Sunday Marc and his Dad covered the new header in sheet rock and installed the new light switch and electrical outlet. Now we just have to tape and mud the sheet rock and then my Dad can paint it the same color as the hallway.

I can't even begin to tell you how much of a difference this makes to the feel of the house. It's also pretty amazing to see how much you can accomplish in one weekend when you know the right people. We owe a huge thanks to Marc's Dad!

My Worker Bees

*** I'd like to acknowledge that today was our original due date, before ***

*** it was changed by the ultrasound. So happy due day Baby A! ***

If you've been reading this blog for a while you may remember how much we've been able to accomplish when my parents come to visit - painting closets, priming walls, discovering the front and back path, helping us move in, scrubbing the kitchen top to bottom and various other tasks.

I'm happy to share that they are at it again! Thanks to my Dad we now have a beautiful hallway. As you can see in the photo below he painted over the blue/grey/teal color with a brighter warmer neutral (Cozy Cottage). Although it's not finished yet, I can't believe how big of a difference it has made. It still needs a second coat and the door to the attic needs painting but it's awesome. The photo below just doesn't do it justice. Now I really want to hang some pictures on the wall between the attic door and our bedroom door (the two doors on the right) to make it feel even more like home.

click photo to enlarge

While my dad has been painting my mom and I have been busy sewing. Using a tutorial found here we were able to make a nice warm blanket for the baby. I made similar blankets for the twins last year but this time I folded the flannel over the edge of the minky fabric which not only made it easier to sew but also created a really nice border. Since it's quite a large blanket, I'm hoping to use it for tummy time.

My mom then took on the task of hemming the curtains we use instead of closet doors. I had pinned them but never gotten around to actually hemming them. Thanks to my mom that's crossed off the list! While she hemmed the curtains, I sewed together a second blanket for the baby using this tutorial. Super easy to throw together, a little thinner then the above blanket but I made it just as large (1 1/4 yards fabric). I chose to make this because I really liked the details - rounded corners and zigzag stitching. It's big enough for a secondary tummy time blanket and I'm sure it will have a number of other uses too.

I can't tell you how nice it is to have two extra sets of hands around. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in a day with extra help. Tonight we are heading into Hanover to enjoy a night out on the town taking in the Dartmouth Hockey Game. My parents definitely need a rewarding night off from all the work they've accomplished so far.

Just the Two of Us

Tomorrow at lunch time my parents arrive, and they're not leaving until they meet their sweet little grand-daughter. That means today is officially the last day where it will be just Marc and I. To honor the day Marc decided to work from home. Which means we've been able to relish in the simple, quiet, pre-baby life.

After sleeping in, and admiring the snow from our bedroom window, we had a nice leisurely breakfast together. Marc and I usually have breakfast together every morning before he heads off to work but not a cooked breakfast. So as I was cooking the ham, eggs, potatoes and toast I temporarily thought it was Saturday morning. After breakfast I was reminded it was a work day when Marc had to take a few phone calls and get some work done. So while he did that I headed into town to grocery shop and run a few errands.

This afternoon we had a chance to go for a snow hike in our backyard. We checked on both of our streams, followed the path of some deer and explored parts of the woods that we haven't walked through before. Thankfully we were able to get out while the sun was still out, right now a flurry has appeared out of nowhere and there's no sun to be seen.

Tonight I'm treating Marc to a roast chicken dinner with all the fixings - green beans, roast potatoes, stuffing and gravy. If we have any room left after all that I've even made a french apple pie with fresh whipped cream.

Hopefully tonight we'll also get to cuddle up on the couch and watch some DVDs staying warm and cozy as the temperatures outside drop to a predicted -5F. If you ask me, it's been a great day and I know it's only going to get better once my parents and then our daughter arrive.

Pregnancy Update - 37 weeks

3 weeks to go and Marc and I are trying our best to make the most of our dwindling "just us" days. We are basking in the time we have to hang out as a couple in our home - watching DVDs together, playing games, or just spending time in the same room while doing our own thing. Enjoying the stillness of the morning when there's no other sound but the conversation between the two of us. Delighting in dinners together at the dining room table recapping our days and realizing that soon our house will be full of the sound of a family. It's been a fantastic week with my husband. 

I think we've also realized that these are the last few weeks of my belly. One of the best parts of this pregnancy has been watching it slowly grow over the last eight and a half months, learning about our daughter as we go. We've learned that she can hear both Marc snoring and the alarm clock in the morning, she knows which side Dad is sitting on and she's not afraid to let you know if you are impinging on her space in any way. I'm a little sad I didn't take more pictures of my belly along the way but I am happy with the selection we do have. I just wonder how many more pictures we'll have before Baby A arrives. 

click on photo to enlarge

This weekend we'll be visiting some of Marc's family and having some guests visit us. Next week my parents arrive, ready to help finish up last minute projects and eagerly awaiting the birth of their fifth grandchild. I still can't believe we're so close. 

****

If you haven't made a prediction in our baby pool as to when Baby A will arrive and what she will look like, head over to What'sInMyBelly.com and make your guess now. 

Pregnancy Update - 36 weeks

It seems as though the holidays took over just about everything including time to post on the blog! But it was a very good type of crazy busy filled with family and friends. And now, we are just one month away from our due date for Baby Aquila.

Last night we had our last group meeting with our midwife. One of my favorite parts of this pregnancy has been attending the 10-meeting prenatal education class with 4 other amazing couples. We've been known as the rowdy and chatty group and honestly it's been so much fun. Not only has it been educational for us but it's also been great to have others to commiserate with throughout the pregnancy. The best part is we now have 8 new friends to share this journey with. Plus there will soon be 4 little people that can play together. Speaking of which here's a little video of Baby A playing inside my belly.


Jello Belly from Christina A on Vimeo.

According to the midwife Baby Aquila is now probably around 5 pounds. Although she's pretty much fully developed at this stage, she will continue to put on weight over the next four weeks. Her heartbeat is still very strong and she's in the head down position getting ready for her entrance into this world. Marc continues to think that she'll come early, I continue to think that she'll arrive around her due date give or take a few days. Which means this weekend we'll probably be installing the car seat into the car and packing a hospital bag just in case. Thankfully I'm still feeling pretty good although I am beginning to notice the strain of carrying around some of this extra weight.

In other news, we're still working our way through the projects for the nursery. The crib is assembled and the bookcase has been moved into the nursery. We still have to finish painting and staining the dresser before we can move it into Baby A's room. Then we'll have to make sure we secure all the furniture to the wall so there are no safety hazards. The final step will be to hang pictures and unpack her belongings into the dresser and bookcase. I can't wait to see it when it's all decorated and finished.