40 weeks of belly love… P.S. we’re in LABOR!!

 

This morning around 8 am, I saw a little something that caught me off guard and let us know our sweet boy will soon be on his way!

We went on to church and slipped out before it was over, the contractions hitting my back were getting a little too intense to sit any longer.

We came home, ate, walked the dog, cleaned, finished packing and are now… waiting.

The contractions have not stopped!

and guess what?

It’s my mom’s birthday today!!!

Happy birthday, momma =)

 

Just a few pictures to remember us by, I’m guessing we’ll be heading to the hospital SOON!

♥We are SO excited♥

 

Wednesday after our doctor appointment:

 

 

 

Friday date night on our due date! 40 weeks exactly here:

 

This morning after we got home from church ~ soon-to-be parents!

 

40 weeks, 2 days

 

Who’s ready to have a baby?!

 

 

Please keep us in your prayers!! We’ll hopefully be back soon with some very good news =)

 

~Stephanie

Part 1: Q&A on pregnancy and conception

EXCITING NEWS!!!!

As of our doctor appointment yesterday, I am 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Have I mentioned lately that I’ve gained 42 pounds in this pregnancy?! Never saw that one coming… =)

That’s not the exciting news since it doesn’t really give us any prediction as to when he’ll actually get here… BUT, if we don’t see him soon, he’s scheduled for eviction next Thursday at 6 am! We might just have us a little September baby after all =)

 

♥♥♥God willing, by this time next week, we’ll have our son!!!♥♥♥

*******

It’s a drizzly, dreary morning here in Lexington and it’s just what the doctor ordered. I’ve been off of work since Sunday, trying to rest and relax, but hanging around the house means always seeing something that needs to be done. If the sunshine is taking a day off – I am too!

 

In all actuality, there is a little “work” to be done today… laundry, light cleaning, a quick trip to the grocery and some very welcomed Fall decorating. I finally convinced my husband to go up into the attic to get the fall things down last night. I’m not sure “convinced” is the right term to use since I actually threatened him that I would do it myself for 2 days straight if he didn’t.

{I’m not crazy – I wouldn’t dare try to navigate the ladder, attic, and lots of oversized storage totes at 9 months pregnant just for the sake of decorating – but I didn’t tell him that!}

I KNOW it’s not fall yet, but it is my favorite season and I doubt I’ll have much time to decorate for it once the bambino decides to make his grand entrance. Bringing the baby home to the colors of fall and my favorite scents in the world… heavenly!

Fall in the Roberts’ love nest via 2009

Now for the answers to your burning questions!

Q: What did you use on your belly to not get stretch marks? ~Tiffany

A: I used Bio-Oil and lots of lotion. I’ve always been a lotion addict, usually taking a full “lotion bath” after every shower and for the past year, I’ve been using this one exclusively: Target’s version of Vaseline Intensive Rescue. It’s a great heavy duty lotion for a heck of a price! I didn’t start using the Bio-Oil till about the second trimester when all the stretching started meaning lots of itching – which is how the first customer ever figured out I was pregnant before I was even showing!

While moisturizing is important, especially when the itching begins, I’m afraid it is mostly a genetics game. My momma never had the first stretch mark with either of us and I’m thankful for her great skin genes for the future too, she’s aged beautifully and slowly! I love my momma♥

Q: Your hair has gotten so long compared to the early pictures. How much longer will you be growing it out? Or will you chop it off after the baby is born? You see that a lot with new mothers I think. ~Anonymous

A: There will be no hair chopping for this soon-to-be momma! I cut my hair for Locks of Love last October and it cannot grow back quick enough. My round face is much happier with a little more hair to hide behind =) Not to mention it was a whole lot easier to wrangle – short hair is high maintenance! {In my opinion…}

Before & After:

   

 

 

Q: I love your maternity clothes? Can you please help a sister out and tell me where you shop? Please? I need some cute ones! ~Angela

A: I wrote up the best advice this non-fashionista could offer for clothing the bump for 9 months here!

 

 

 

Q: I would LOVE to hear your reasoning for natural vs. "assisted" childbirth! I haven't done any research myself but would love to read what you've learned and how you decided! ~Anonymous

A: My reasoning? I do my best to avoid excessive pain!!! haha

Seriously though, I thought a lot about it and began this pregnancy thinking I would go au naturale just like my mom did… then I got real… real scared. There are lots of things that could go wrong with an epidural, with minimal chance of each. We take a lot of risks in this life and I’ve just decided this is one I could live with after talking to several moms and medical professionals. I wouldn’t turn down any pain medicine for any other procedure – dental extraction, colonoscopy, etc. – and I’m sure you’d think I was crazy if I did! I’m not about to turn it down now, I’m just tiny bit whimpy like that ;)  That’s the best way I can explain it. After this child, if we continue to be blessed with more, I’m still open to going completely natural in the future based on how well this birth goes!

 

Q: Have you guys done maternity pictures and are you going to show them on here? ~Courtney

A: We did do pictures and I can’t wait to get them back and share them on here! As of right now, our gallery is still up with Robin Allen Photography. Click on the link, after the page opens up, click “Client Proofing”. Our password to our gallery is  “Stephanie” and it is case sensitive. You’ll then be able to click through all of our photos while the gallery is still available. I’m not a big fan of the ones where we’re dressed in black but I lovelovelove several of the others. The pictures in the gallery have not been re-touched, the ones we chose to order will be – I would much rather show you these for the first time after we’ve been photo shopped, but hey, we’re all non-judgmental friends here, right?

 

 

That’s all for Part 1 of the Q&A – if you even made it through all of that!!

Part 2 coming soon =)

~Stephanie

Nursery Details

I did my best to pick apart the pieces of the nursery to let you know where they all came from… if I left anything out that you were wondering about, leave a comment and I’ll try to update this post as quickly as possible =)

I put asterisks {**} next to everything I hope to talk more about in a future post or write a tutorial on, depending on the time permitting before our baby boy gets here!

Paint color: Valspar’s Stone Mason Gray

 

Crib: borrowed, I wrote about the brand and it’s where-abouts here

Glider & Ottoman: ordered from Buy Buy Baby and given to us by my in-laws

**Bookshelf: from my room at my parents house which I painted with Annie Sloan’s chalk paint in Paris Grey

 

 

**Nightstand & Dresser: both are mine from college, also painted with the amazing chalk paint in Duck Egg Blue and Old White

{I didn’t think to take a picture of these 2 pieces till I had already painted the nightstand and taken out 2 drawers from the dresser. The super messy picture below is of the guest bedroom being taken apart to become the nursery – if you look through the mess you can see the nightstand “before”!}

 

 

 

Changing table: Badger Basket White Sleigh Style Changing Table from Babies R’ Us

Changing table baskets: Buy Buy Baby

Rug: Hand-woven Shag Solo Honey White Rug (7'6 x 9'6) from Overstock.com

**ABC lamp: purchased at TJ Maxx and also saw it at Marshalls, I painted the base and jazzed up the shade =)

 

 

Silver & lucite lamp: from Marshalls’

Colorful fabric bunting: purchased on Etsy from Starlit Nest Gifts

Sunburst mirrors: from Hobby Lobby

Vinyl bible verse above crib: purchased on Etsy from KidsCorner

Crib Bedding: custom designed by me on Carousel Designs website

Curtains: made by me with fabric ordered from Carousel Designs

Curtain rod: Bed Bath and Beyond

“Houston” painting: painted by me

**BABY ♥ Letters: cardboard letters from Hobby Lobby and a foam heart I wrapped with yarn

Personalized Piggy Bank: painted by Houston’s mom and dad at the Mad Potter

“LIFE IS GOOD” letters on bookshelf: iron wording from Hobby Lobby that I spray painted red

Hot air balloons: ordered here on Amazon

Houston’s Twinkle Little Star art: Giftsforyounow.com

Baby Reds’ Jersey: purchased at Babies R Us and personalized at a local shop

Airplane, Tractor, and Truck on bookshelf: all from Hobby Lobby

Crystal globe over glider: bought a couple years back from TJ Maxx for a future nursery =)

“HOUSTON” personalized baby blocks: gift from Sam, custom made by the crafty Bloem and Grow

 

 

*NEW*: Tutorial for year covered letters and lamp shade!

 

That’s all I can think of for now – let me know if I left anything out!!

39 weeks of belly love!

♥♥♥ IT'S THE WEEK OF HOUSTON'S DUE DATE!!!!!!!!!! ♥♥♥


We have, amazingly, reached 39 weeks! And even though I know the end is in sight, it doesn't feel like it in the least. While everyone around me has had their babies and I drool over pictures of their precious chubby cheeks and tiny toes on their mom's Facebook accounts, it doesn't feel real that I will ever be in their position.

As of my last doctor appointment on Tuesday, I was barely 1 cm dilated. No signs of labor whatsoever. Several people have told me that you will feel a surge of energy just before labor begins... I'm aware this is just a old wives' tale and not everyone experiences this, but I am beyond sleepy lately {not tired, sleepy} and I have no urges to nest whatsoever. The old wives' would say I'm no where close to giving birth to this child.

I am stilll working at this point, but only 24 hours total a week. The cut-back in hours has been a major relief to me. My one pet peeve at work lately has been the question.

"When are you due?"

When I answer, they act all surprise, continue with the questions and absolutely will not move on to the point of why they have walked up to my counter. All in the middle of a busy day with more customers piling up in line behind them and lots of prescriptions waiting for me back at my computer.

While I use to long for someone to ask me when I was due, I now dread it. I sometimes wish I could camoflauge the bump... but only at work. Ask me the same question at the grocery store and I'll positively light up. Ask me at the pharmacy and I'll give you the fakest smile I can muster =)

Hormonal much, Stephanie?

Here we are, 39 weeks and the first bump pic we've taken in the nursery... possibly the last?

Doubt it!

No stretch marks!

Thanks for the great skin genetics, momma =)

 

Do you spy with your little eye the puppy hiding in the carpet?

He loves this rug more than we do!




After posting the pics of the nursery, so many people had questions on where I got {fill in the blank}and asking me to break it all down for them that I'll hopefully be posting those details tomorrow.

Thank you for all the love you all showed me for our little room for our little love bug. I was floored by your sweetness {but not surprised, because y'all are always crazy sweet!}

Have a great start to a great week!

Welcome to Houston’s Nursery!

 

This morning I called my mom to chat and started like I always do by asking “What are you doing?”

She goes on to say she’s brushing her teeth, but I don’t hear any brushing. I could tell in that moment, she was standing there - frozen - waiting for me to say those magic words she’s been waiting on.

I tell her “Well go on, you can finish brushing you teeth..”

“No,” she says “what did you call for?”

“Mom, I’m NOT in labor.”

“Oh.” and she finished her teeth cleaning =)

In that moment I realized my momma is anxiously anticipating the call as much as I am those first contractions. As of today, all 4 of the girls I knew who were due around the same time I am – one of them even due in September – have all had their babies.

 

I.am.the.only.one.left!

 

Waking every day to wonder if today’s the day, wondering if “whatever just happened” was a sign of labor, ready to make those phone calls at any moment, especially to my dear husband… all the excitement is almost too much to handle =) In all seriousness, I’m not even miserable pregnant yet. I want him here because I want him here, but I’m honestly not even sick of being pregnant!

There are , however, moments where I remember how easy it use to be to do whatever it is without a huge belly in the way or a shooting pain here and there, but I’m still cherishing those little kicks and wiggles knowing that soon I’ll be missing this big belly. We are 39 weeks with 7 days to go… it’s a good thing we finally have his room finished ;)

 

On to the reveal I’ve been so eager to share with you!!

 

Welcome to Houston’s new room outside the womb.

We just need our baby boy to make this nursery complete♥

 

 

Check out this post for all the details and DIY for how our little boy’s room came together.

We hope he loves it as much as we do and we hope he gets to see it very soon!♥

  Linking up!: