Life Snapshot No. 007: 5 Resources for the First Time Mom While Pregnant

Whoops, I didn't write a blog post yesterday. Sorry, guys. These past two weeks have been weird, to be honest. I'm caught between wanting to do work, but being too tired to really think of anything great or even getting out of the bed or off the couch. One thing we have done, though, is put up all the art and shelves in the nursery and gave it a much needed final touch. 

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Nursery with Sheep & Wool Map of the World 

I have been using all of my available brain power to think and prepare for the baby to come into the world. I can't believe tomorrow will mark 34 weeks and he being only 6 weeks away! Unreal. So, since I can't really think of anything else but the baby, I'm going to share some resources I've really loved during my pregnancy. I don't have any experience yet, but these have been my go-tos whenever I have questions. And I have a lot of questions.

1. This post : The 20 things you need for the first month home with a newborn baby by Emily Henderson (including all of the comments)
2. This book : The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp - it's all about the five S's and this book taught me a lot about what to expect with a newborn
3. This website : Cricket's Circle - they pinpoint the 3 best products out there in every category (albeit, sometimes pricey ones, but their selection of 3 usually shows variation in price). I can't tell you how many times I've been in Babies R Us or Target and have pulled this site up on my phone for a last-minute decision. 
4. This store : The Nesting House in Mt. Airy - the couple who owns the store (and another location in Collingswood, NJ) are so helpful and kind. They once walked Daniel and I through all the cloth diaper madness for a full 45 minutes and I'm constantly going back to their website for their resources and recommendations there. Plus, their consignment kid's clothes and baby needs are the best priced I've seen.
5. This book : Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon - this book was recommended to us by a mother of four from our church and we dove right in. Bear with me, it's a little anti-medicine and there are some pretty graphic pictures (I literally just used post-its to cover up all the inappropriate spots), but it's giving Daniel and I a very clear idea of what to expect with childbirth and is preparing us well to have a teamwork-oriented, natural birth. We'll let you know how it really worked after the baby is born.

So, there you have it. If there are any other resources other moms have found to be particularly useful, please please let me know in the comments! 

Life Snapshot No. 005

Daniel and I have been slowly working on the baby's nursery since we got our exciting news. So far, we have a wooden dresser/changing table from my parents, a wooden glider from Daniel's mom, and a carpet from good ol' Ikea. We decided early on that - no matter the gender - our theme for the nursery should be sheep. This should come as no surprise, since my well-established love of sheep can be seen in this blog post and my Pinterest board completely dedicated to the sweet little animals. 

Once we chose BEHR Smoked Oyster for the base color for the walls, we decided that I could paint a simple half-drop sheep pattern on the wall where the crib will stand. I finished it all up yesterday and am SO pleased with the outcome! Our nursery just might be my favorite room ever. All we need is a crib, a couple play things, and - oh, of course - our little baby boy to complete it all! 

Here are some pics I snapped of the process:

I first laid out the half-drop placement with white dots then painted the navy legs and finished the little guys with white curly paint strokes for their wool. I simply eyeballed the half-drop placement; if there's anything I've learned, it's that it's the imperfections that make the handmade and hand-painted so great and unique. 

Can you spot the single ram? (per the request from my hubs)

I can't wait for our little boy to arrive and get to live in a room that I love so much. I try every morning to spend some time in this room in prayer and for journaling. It's so relaxing and peaceful; it's the best way I can imagine to start my day!