Coming soon...

I have been pregnant with my second child for almost 38 weeks, which doesn’t seem possible. Where does the time go? I have such mixed emotions about it, especially since this will probably be my last pregnancy. Here’s a recent update:

On Thursday, April 16th my doctor said I was dilated to 2cm and effaced at 25%. I was having lots of contractions for the following couple of days, but fortunately made it through the weekend. Ryan was the caterer for my cousin Shannon’s wedding on Saturday, so it would not have been good timing. We prayed about it and thankfully God answered our prayers. =)

On Wednesday, April 22nd my doctor said I was dilated to 3cm and effaced at 50%. He gave me the option to schedule an induction for next week (once I’m 38 weeks and full-term) or according to him, "let mother nature take it’s course". I explained to him how well my induction went with Ethan, since I had a different doctor and asked him if he thought it would go just as well this time. Basically, I wanted to know if he thought my body was ready and would work with me, not against me like it did with my first induction. I was dilated and effaced with Ethan, but needed a little nudge to help me establish a regular contraction pattern.

He said he felt very good about it, especially since I’m petite and carrying a decent size baby of approximately 7 – 7 1/2 lbs. He agreed with me that it's probably not a good idea for her to get too much bigger, since I’ve been dealing with bulging varicose veins this pregnancy that are both painful and unsightly.

My induction is scheduled for this Monday, April 27th at 8:00 a.m. as long as a room is available. Thankfully, my family has been very supportive and will all be with me when Emily arrives. Ryan, my mom, and mother-in-law will be with me for the entire labor and delivery. I’m both very excited and anxious to meet my baby girl! It’s hard to believe that I will be a mother to not one, but two children in less than a week.

Preggo pics

A good friend of mine (our wedding photographer), Inma Ruggieri took my pregnancy photos last month. She did this on March 13th when I was 32 weeks. Her website is: www.sevillaphoto.com.

In the beginning of the photo shoot, Ethan struggled with me exposing my belly and refused to be photographed. In a whiny voice he kept saying, "Close the door mommy!" Of course, he was referring to my shirt. It was the funniest thing! :) He finally calmed down once Grandma Mary, Inma, and I sang songs with him.

I really like a bunch of photos that she took, but here are a few of my favorites...

My hard-working hubby

I am so blessed to have married a handyman. Ryan is such an amazing, selfless man who puts a lot of time and energy into home improvements for our family. This past weekend he definitely outdid himself with projects.

He has always been very artistic, which definitely showed when he got the idea to give the nursery an abstract bubble effect. Here is a brief list of what he recently did in Emily's room:

1. He painted two different sizes of crown molding – one red and one black. His dad came over last weekend to help him put it up.
2. He traced four different sized circles on the wall using paint cans, a bucket, and a soda can.
3. First he painted the circles with primer, and then did one coat of Heirloom Red. He’ll complete the bubble effect this week by painting another coat of red and doing some touch-up work.
   
4. He installed a clothing bar in Emily’s closet underneath the existing one. My fun project yesterday was hanging up the rest of her adorable baby clothes!
5. He glued wooden ladybugs on the "Emily" wall letters and mounted a hook on the side of her crib for the diaper stacker.

He plans to have her room completed by the end of the week (excluding the windows and wood blinds, which he will install in about 1 - 2 weeks). I am definitely looking forward to the finished product.

As for the rest of the house, here is a brief list of other projects that are either in progress or were completed over the weekend:

1. We finally got some of our wedding pictures printed and framed. Ryan used his creative eye and mounted them in our hallway.
2. We found a beautiful oil paining of a vineyard that Ryan hung, which completed our dining room wall decor.
3. He hung a mirror on the back of our bedroom door and bought green paint for two of our bedroom walls, which will contrast nicely with our existing tan colored walls.
4. My laundry area in our garage will be completed soon. We made a trip to Lowe's, so I could pick out things to hang on my white pegboard (metal buckets for misc. items, white bucket for trash, paper towel holder, etc.). The only thing I need to do is label the metal buckets and buy a countertop laundry basket. Ryan enjoyed helping me make my side of the garage look as organized as his.
   

Ryan painting the circles with primer

Abstract bubble effect (first coat of paint)

Not quite finished yet...

Letters made by Amber, Teresa & Mary

Wooden ladybug that Ryan glued

Decor above the changing table

Wedding photo collage in hallway

Wedding photos in hallway