Introducing Our Baby Girl

Jocelyn Elyse was born on November 30, 2015.

Everything went according to plan and she is absolutely perfect.

We are thrilled that she has joined our family, and have had so much fun getting to know her during the last 6 weeks.

Life seems to be slipping into a new normal as Jocelyn is starting to sleep better and I'm finally feeling better. We're looking forward to what 2016 has in store for our family of six!

Pregnancy #4: 36 Weeks

I can't believe baby girl is 36 weeks along! Seems like time is flying, but it also seems like I've been pregnant forever!

I've been working on a few things in the baby's room. I moved the wall unit in from the bathroom to hang above the changing table. I had a shelf with knobs on it, but I think this will be more functional for diaper changing and dressing our baby girl.

I also went through baby's clothes, pulling out the newborn stuff and making a stack of things to take to the hospital. I'm starting to feel that I should go ahead and pack that bag, but my other babies have been over 41 weeks, so I think I'm ok for now.

 Our little girl is not lacking for shoes! Aren't they fun? She has at least 10 pairs!

As for me, I still feel pretty good, usually. I do get tired easily. We were very busy this weekend and with the time change, I've been going to bed pretty early! I'm still walking (my October review is here) and can still do a mile, though I'm much slower than I was a few weeks ago. Everything looked fine at my last doctor's appointment. Starting this week, I go every week, and because of my "advanced maternal age" I'll be doing a non-stress test each week as well.

I've hesitated sharing this on the blog because people are so opinionated, but a list of factors has made us opt for a scheduled c-section this time around. I've had one before and felt strongly in favor of natural births for my 2nd and 3rd babies, but here we are again! It's definitely different to have a day scheduled instead of waiting for baby to decide.

I thought it would be fun to do a series of weekly shots starting with 18 weeks when we learned this baby is a girl. She (and I) has definitely grown!

That red shirt sure stands out! I actually am wearing it in my 35 week photo, but it looked so similar to the 33 week shot that I changed it to black and white. I do love red...

Only one more update to go!

Homemade Burp Cloths

I confess, this isn't a DIY or tutorial, just a report on something I did with a few pictures to make it post-able. There are plenty of tutorials out there, this one being very similar to what I did.

I don't have any burp cloths for our baby girl yet. There's still a month to go and two baby showers, but I also had a stack of receiving blankets I'd gotten as hand-me-downs. Personally, I prefer swaddler blankets or the thicker, softer baby blankets. That got me thinking, I should make burp cloths out of the receiving blankets!

So one evening I cut down several of the little blankets while watching an Income Property marathon. I also made a stack of washable wipes with the same blankets. (I may or may not write about those some day, we'll see.)

I chose to round the corners because that's how the receiving blankets were made. I then matched up two coordinating patterns, then sewed them together on the machine. I thought the double layers would help the burp cloths be more absorbent. And they're cute.

I actually had to take my sewing machine in for a check-up before I could complete this project. It gave me the incentive to get it fixed, finally! I asked around for a local repair shop and was given the name of a man who works out of his garage. He was so nice! He tweaked the tension and showed me a few tips, added a nut here and a screw there, and sent me on my way. I asked how much I owed and he said, "Nothing!" I've felt totally blessed all day because of his generosity. And he has a loyal customer as long as we live here!

It didn't take me long to sew the two pieces of flannel together. And now I have a nice stack of burp cloths! I think 10 is enough, but I have a few more receiving blankets if I want more!

Have you sewed anything lately? I'm thinking of making a crib skirt...

Etsy Favorites: Baby Girl Edition

You all know I have everything baby girl on my brain. It's just so fun and exciting! Less than 7 weeks until we get to meet our baby girl! Go here for my latest pregnancy update.

I was given an Etsy gift card for my birthday. While I'm planning to get something for me, I couldn't help but browse through some of the adorable baby girl things they have available. And why not share it with you?

Each picture is sourced to the Etsy shop involved in the print under the picture.

Here are 12 of my favorite things, all in a color scheme too!

Wouldn't this bloomer and headband set be adorable for that newborn photo shoot? Baby laying on her tummy, legs tucked under her, hands under her head, asleep. Totally cute.

You'd need these age blocks for on-going photo shoots too. I imagine an older baby would want to play with the blocks, but that would be cute too!

Your older baby needs this dress too. Maybe a 1st birthday?

These handmade leather mary janes will get lots of use, not just for photo shoots!

My babies have only had fuzz on their heads, so I'm planning to use plenty of headbands. I like how simple this one is.

Of course headbands and hair bows need organizing. This display almost doubles as art!

Speaking of art, how about this monogram? Just paint it one of your nursery colors.

Or do the whole alphabet! Have you seen that baby shower activity on Pinterest? Buy a set of these and scrap book papers, bows, and embellishments in the nursery colors, then have everyone at the party decorate one letter. So cute!

Of course there's crib bedding to consider. This set is beautifully made. I'm not wealthy enough to spend quite so much on something that's going to get washed repeatedly though.

This ribbon mobile would be fun to create! I like how it has so many different textures. Super cute over a changing table!

Baby needs a sweet little ribbon blankie. This one with the ribbons should keep her attention longer.

I love this idea and might have to take up quilt making to see it happen! It's a memory quilt with some of baby's cutest/favorite shirts, dresses or blankets. What a sweet idea!

Pregnancy #4: 32 Weeks

We got to see more pictures of our 4th little sweetie a couple weeks ago! We're so thankful everything looks healthy and normal. The technician even said she looks like her brothers. Aw!

Today is actually the last day of Week 32. Time is flying! I do feel like I'm starting to slow down and I have to ration my energy.

I'm still walking, but I've cut back to 1.5 miles 5 days a week. So far that's been easy to do, but I'm glad to have a goal set and the accountability of reporting how it's going here on my blog, or I'd find every excuse to not go!

In the last month it's officially become fall, we've enjoyed a few family outings, I turned 40, and my prenatal visits are up to twice a month. Everything looks great though, so we're thankful.

Some kind ladies from our church went together and bought us a beautiful white crib and matching changing table! I just love it! The current nursery is super tiny, so we had to move the dresser we had in there out to the mudroom. It's holding hats and scarves and things and will be moved back into baby's room in our next house. For now, there's a huge built in closet with drawers and plenty of room for storage in the nursery.

There's also a baby shower scheduled, hosted by more ladies at our church! I'm so glad to be welcomed by these ladies and hope I can make some real friends. Moving to a new area is always hard in that regard!

Baby's Auntie is making a mobile like this for her! I'm so excited! The butterfly punch is detailed and so pretty with the different scrapbook papers. It's going to be so adorable above the crib!

Our boys are excited to meet their sister! Poor things have no idea how much their lives will be interrupted with a newborn around! I'm so thankful for Grandmas who will be with us for several weeks, plus Gary practically works from home. We'll just stick close to home, rest a lot, and stay cozy and warm together.

Ok, so notice how the bump has grown? Check out Week 29 compared to 32! I guess that's a good thing, right? (And isn't it silly how my face is a totally different color in each of the pictures below? I guess photo edits and filters do make a difference!)

Thanks for reading! Only a couple more of these updates to go!

Pregnancy #4: 28 Weeks

Happy 3rd Trimester to this baby bump!

I can't believe there are only 10-12 weeks left before we become a family of six! I know from experience though that the last few weeks are the hardest. And longest. And slowest. And most uncomfortable.

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling great! My thyroid issue is under control and my numbers are totally normal now. I'm so happy about that! I have more energy and seem to think more clearly. Usually I'm pretty optimistic, but some days I just want to move to Australia.

I'm still walking two miles a day, six days a week! I'm getting stronger there too. I want to keep it up through September, then I might pull back to one mile a day. We'll see how I feel and how the weather holds up. Here's my latest update on my walks.

I'm still wearing much of the same clothes as I was before. I love soft, stretchy maxi skirts and they all still fit! My loser, longer shirts are doing well too. I made a moodboard of comfortable, modest maternity clothes similar to what I wear if you're interested.

I invested in a belly band a couple weeks ago and LOVE it! I got this one and wish it could go a little tighter but I think I'll be thankful for the extra room by the end. I wear the belt on my walks, when I'm doing standing-up chores like meal prep, vacuuming, mopping, etc., and on errands that require lots of walking, like getting groceries. The belt is comfortable when sitting but it does tend to creep up in the back. I feel that it helps my belly not be so heavy.

I'm so thankful for cooler weather and some rain! Those hot hot days were making me miserable! I've been sleeping better now that it's cool and have much less swelling in my feet. I'm taking the glucose test tomorrow and my 28-week appointment. Yuck! I'll keep you posted in another few weeks, or you can see weekly updates on Instagram (I'm Gibsongirl726).

Thought I'd end with a little nursery update! I love seeing pink! We have lots of clothes, though I'm not sure they're the right size for the seasons. Everything is hand-me-downs and furniture we already had. We need a crib! That's on our list for the next few weeks. I got a sweet little canopy for the crib and my BFF/SIL is helping me make a butterfly mobile. So excited!

Thanks for reading!