Her Bump- 38 Weeks

At today's weekly OB appointment, apparently there was some confusion and Dr F thought I was asking my progress to see how favorable an induction would be for scheduling one. Not this time! Since my health and Dakota's have been right-on-target {even weight-wise according to Dr F!}, I'm wanting to wait for spontaneous labour rather than inducing.

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However, my modified Bishop score is currently a 9 so it appears I'm a likely candidate for healthy spontaneous labour at this point anyway =)

Cervical Position- still posterior, however I remember even with my induction with Mason I was very posterior; perhaps it's just the way my body is...

Cervical Consistency- very soft

Effacement- 100%

Dilation- 2 cm

Fetal Station- 0 {he could easily feel her head...well once he reached my posterior cervix}

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Gigi isn't able to come into town until I'm 39 weeks...so hopefully this little girl will hold off just 1 more week, but then will come quickly after that {here's for hoping!}.

Dakota Kate's Nursery Sneak Peek

Everything has been coming together nicely!

The first weekend of this month I had been sourcing materials for a DIY Board & Batten project for the nursery walls. To my dismay, the trips to Lowe's had me very disappointed in both the selection and the lack of customer service. The second trip, I asked Scott to accompany me and he witnessed firsthand the lumber staff flat-out tell me that my project just wouldn't work and I couldn't really do much unless I purchased a skill saw because they don't do project cuts anymore. I've seen DIY Board & Batten projects all over the Internet/blogs and just couldn't believe that everyone else had been able to tackle this project, but that apparently I couldn't.

So per Mom's suggestion {who is a big-time DIYer/Renovator anyway}, the following weekend I headed over to Home Depot...and I should have started there first! They were FANTASTIC! From the initial trip where I had 2 people jump in to help me, to the employee who helped me figure out how to save $65 on the lumber alone. I ended up with 2 best-buds: Eric & Walt who helped me get ALL of the lumber for the board & batten project for $10. Yep, you read that correctly...TEN DOLLARS! They were so helpful and did all of the project cuts for me. They also had suggestions on how to put it on the wall safely, securely & most efficiently. {for instance, using non-toxic wood glue rather than liquid nails...using thinner luan plywood so I could use my nail gun with 5/8" brads rather than have to individually nail by hammer}. So after adding 2 gallons of Behr premium paint {again for a pregnant woman, so they were low-VOC}, some odds & ends supplies and my lumber, the total cost came out to $65 for the entire room to be redone!

Here's a sneak peek after putting the battens up...

And as to the Nursery theme that I've been keeping "secret"...well since we're having a little China doll {haha-watch her end up looking more like Daddy than Mommy now!}, I decided on a Chinoiserie-themed nursery. Check out these incredible hand-painted canvases my Mom created for the nursery-see the pink pagoda! Doesn't everyone wish they had a GIGI?!?!?! LOVE THEM!

Alright, here's the revised Mood Board too...slightly altered to incorporate the Chinoiserie theme. And the palette is softer too with the palest of colors {I decided on light pink Foo Dogs, rather than hot pink below}. There's the hint of exotic mixed in with Palm Beach preppy in pink & green...hello Lilly Pulitzer is my mostest favoritest designer so this was fitting!

More to come soon!

Oh How I Love You

I love this child to the moon and back!

He's definitely in his "terrible Two"s stage but I find myself struggling between enforcing strong boundaries and then being tempted to allow indulgence, since the days are limited for just the 3 of us. The very best thing for me is to outline those boundaries, enforce discipline justly and appropriately, and to do all with consistency. Easier said than done!

I just realized today that there are only 16 days until my official due date...Dakota Kate could arrive anytime between now and then. Typically my OB doesn't suggest going too far past the estimated due date, I think I'm prepared for up to 41 weeks if necessary; particularly since I'm not sure if I'm ready for 2 yet!

Part of me is truly sad that soon Mason will no longer be the littlest baby of our family. He jumped in the laundry sorter the other day and while normally I would make him exit immediately, I enjoyed the moment and realized there will be bigger battles to pick...plus he was so darn cute staring up at me!

Here's a poem I found online about the growing family:

As I hold your hand basking in the glow of our magical relationship,

I suddenly feel a kick from within,

as if to remind me that our time alone is limited.

And I wonder:

How could I ever love another child as I love you?

Then she is born, and I watch you.

I watch the pain you feel at having to share me,

as you’ve never shared me before.

I hear you telling me in your own way,

“Please love only me.”

And I hear myself telling you in mine,

“I can’t,” knowing, in fact, that I never can again.

You cry. I cry with you.

I almost see our new baby as an intruder

on the precious relationship we once shared.

A relationship we can never quite have again.

But then, barely noticing,

I find myself attached to that new being,

and feeling almost guilty.

I’m afraid to let you see me enjoying her.

–as though I am betraying you.

But then I notice your resentment change,

first to curiosity, then to protectiveness,

finally to genuine affection.

More days pass, and we are settling into a new routine.

The memory of days with just the two of us is fading fast.

But something else is replacing those wonderful times we shared, just we two.

There are new times–only now, we are three.

I watch the love between you grow,the way you look at each other,touch each other.

I watch how she adores you–as I have for so long.

I see how excited you are by each of his new accomplishments.

And I begin to realize that I haven’t taken something from you,

I’ve given something to you.

I noticed that I am no longer afraid to share my love openly with both of you.

I find that my love for each of you is as different as you are, but equally strong.

And my question is finally answered,

to my amazement…

Yes, I can love another child as much as I love you–

only differently.

And although I realize that you may have to share my time,

I now know you’ll never share my love.

There’s enough of that for both of you

–you each have your own supply.

I love you–both

and I thank you for blessing my life.

-author unknown

Goodbye Luncheon & Her Bump- 37 Weeks

This afternoon we had a Goodbye Luncheon for a friend leaving town for Pharmacy School. I got my hands on a friend's baby Callie, and I realized how much I have baby fever...even being pregnant!

And for the first time, this little dude revealed a hint of jealousy that Mommy was holding another baby. Typically he doesn't mind with me at all. He's been jealous of his Aunt Mary before {but he has a super-big crush on her!}, but until today I hadn't seen him even notice when I hold another child. So I simply took his toys out and he was easily distracted. Won't it be nice if it's that easy with Baby Dakota =)

And let me honestly share with you how embarrassing it is to be full-term pregnant, humongous, and be surrounded by these gorgeous skinny minnies! Erin {below on the right} just had her baby a couple of months ago and is back to tiny.

Here's our guest of honor with Erin's baby-we're going to miss this girl!

And here's the lunch crew...I'm the whale on the far right!

Her Bump- 35 Weeks

Mason and His Farm Animals

We're still working on growing his vocabulary daily, but this child definitely loves his farm animals. Here he is "reading" one of his favorite books.