Adorable nursery finds!

So I stumbled across this adorable owl print on Esty. I think we are going to hang this along with a few others that are similar in Cole's nursery. Our favorite is the one with the baby owl jamming ;-)

25 week bump pic in the nursery..

Nursery details... hootin' good time!

Check out this super adorable owl pillow that I'm going to be making for the nursery. My sweet big sister is going to help me figure out how to make it on the sewing machine using the pattern I found for it. We get to pick the fabrics we want so it's going to coordinate with the bedding and other nursery decor. We'll probably place it on the glider (if we end up getting one) or on the high shelf above the changing table. I want to be able to say I made it myself for my little Cole. Luv it!

25 Weeks Update...

How far along: 25 weeks exactly

Total weight gain: I have gained 20 lbs!

How much does baby weigh: According to the Bump, I now have an eggplant growing in me and it's 1.5 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Fitting like a glove, some I've already outgrown.

Stretch marks: None so far *fingers crossed*

Sleep: sleep? what's that? getting a few hours in a night... sore back and heartburn is back again.

Best moment this week: Watching Cole react to me talking to him while I caressed my belly.

Movement: The kicks are around the clock and off the charts. Cole kicks and punches every which way, and I can see every one bouncing on the surface. Jay has felt it and seen it several times now. Cole seems to react to when i run my belly and talk to him.

Food cravings: Ice cream sandwiches, Watermelon cubes, Welch's Grape soda (caffeine free)

Belly button in or out: Still on the innie team... but not for much longer?

What I miss: Painting my toes.... um, can't reach them no matter how i turn. Clear skin... breakout city with my hormones going crazy.Cold breezes..

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Cole's foot outline on my belly, the changing table to arrive, our custom mobile to arrive..

Milestone: Glucose test for gestational diabetes is set for next week. I have to drink this sweet orange solution, then have my blood drawn within one hour. Cross your fingers I pass the test!

Update to "Is Cole Ready to Rock" post..

So we tried the headphones on the stomach thing this weekend. We tried Pink Floyd, no response. We tried Nine Inch Nails, no response... nothing we played caused Cole to react. I think he was sleeping at the time. So next time we'll try it when he's awake and actively kicking.

Funny note, most of the pics you see of mommies holding headphones to their bellies are the big clonky kind. I almost felt silly holding the tiny pair of earbuds to my belly. And I was afraid to put the volume up too loud b/c I didn't want to scare the bejeezus out of my son :P

Is Cole ready to rock?

Mr. Laz and I are going to try putting headphones to my stomach this weekend and see what kind of response we get. Of course we will give Pink Floyd and NIN a try, at a very low setting. Mr. Laz is convinced that Cole will have an instant affinity for daddy's music. I know he won't be signing for rock in my belly like the bloggie pic but hopefully he'll boogie around to the music ;-)

Nursery Update, Part 2.. Closet!

The closet is really coming along. We decided to rip down the old mesh shelving and install the ClosetMaid laminate sections. We got the pieces from Home Depot. Mr. Laz has been working very hard to get the whole thing done, a little each night since the closet gets super hot. We used a few stackable units on top of each other to create "towers" on either side and opted to use two clothing rod poles for hanging outfits/coats etc for baby Cole in the center.

Below the clothes is Poe's cat washroom. Which is essentially a litterbox disguised to look like a piece of furniture. We bought it b/c soon the litterbox will be moved to the living room and Poe will be closed from any access to the nursery & closet. And the pet washroom will look much nicer on display in our living room than a standard litterbox, haha. Once the litterbox is moved we're going to put a nice espresso hamper in it's place. And deep espresso baskets in most of the cube openings. The two top compartments will be left open to stack blankets/toys etc.

I've also got cute little clothing dividers on the way for 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and 9-12 months that hang from the clothing rods. Although not really necessary, I wanted them to help keep hanging outfits sorted b/c I'm such a neat freak. Plus they had such an adorable little pattern on them, I was powerless to resist. Stay tuned for pics of them when they arrive in the mail...

To give you an idea of how the space looked before, here's a little before pic. Closet had just been freshly painted in our tried and true Sandstone Cove by Behr. Then Mr. Laz tacked a piece of trim up high to keep the unit parallel to the existing trim and flush to the wall for secure anchoring.

Below is a pic during the closet building process... We still had more shelves to put in and we also tacked a thin strip of moulding along the top to blend the seams.

And this is an after pic, nearly all finished, just waiting for the baskets, hamper and dividers. Oh and of course some more cute clothes to keep the little footie oufits comfy. I couldn't resist hanging up a few of the newborn sized onesies just to put the poles to use ;-) Oh and I put my owl lamp and it's matching piggybank buddy on the top shelf just temporarily until our dresser arrives.

Houston, we have a visual...

This weekend marked a whole new experience in feeling baby Cole's kicks b/c now I can see them! Mr. Laz and my sister were both able to see his kicks as well. It's pretty cool to watch the surface bulge and bounce every time he kicked hard enough. Soon I'll have to try the trick of putting M&M's on my stomach to watch him flick them off. haha.

Braxton Hicks are in full swing now, they started two weeks ago. Although it's not painful I found the sudden tightening and gravitational pull very uncomfortable. They've also been accompanied with cramps, some more intense than others. I know this is nature's way of preparing us for what we're going to encounter so I'm content with that. But it really slows you down when they come on suddenly.

Almost to V-Day!

23 Weeks Update

How far along: 23 weeks exactly

Total weight gain: I have gained 16 lbs since beginning of pregnancy. gaining weight quicker now.. Gotta cut back from one jar of pickles a day to half a jar ;-)

How much does baby weigh: According to the Bump, I have a papaya growing in me and it's 1 pound.

Maternity clothes: Fitting like a glove, some I've already outgrown.

Stretch marks: None so far *fingers crossed*

Sleep: Some days I sleep really good b/c the frequent bathroom trips have slowed. Other nights I feel lower back pain and get leg cramps, which make sleeping tough. But overall doing good..

Best moment this week: Putting the mobile on the crib and watching it spin and play Brahmns "Lullaby", it just made my heart melt imagining baby Cole beneath it..

Movement: The kicks have officially started and a few of them have to be punches. Occasionally Cole must be hitting my lung b/c I'll suddenly cough for air like the wind has been knocked out of me.

Food cravings: Pickles, Watermelon cubes, Welch's Grape soda (caffeine free)

Belly button in or out: Still an innie- but it's like a dash now..hardly any opening

What I miss: Wearing my rings..i can only wear them some days b/c of my fingers swelling.. My long hair...i hacked it last week b/c I couldn't take it anymore in this heat. Muuuuuuch better :)

What I'm looking forward to: Decorating the nursery, anticipating stronger kicks and punches, playing music through headphones on my belly..

Milestone: V-day is coming, one more week. V-day refers to vitality day. I'm not sure where it began but the gals on thebump.com and other message boards relish knowing that if you were to have premature labor the chances of survival for your newborn increase significantly when you start your 24th week of pregnancy and continue to improve as the weeks continue. All the baby books tell you that your baby has developed enough that it stands a much better chance at surviving than prior to week 24. So yay for almost being 24 weeks! Up next is the glucose test for gestational diabetes, around week 26/27.

Look who else wanted to be in the picture.. This was the first time Poe got on the crib and somehow I doubt it will be the last :( Since Poe's litterbox is still in the closet upstairs I have to keep the nursery door open for him. But I have since covered all the crib rails with blankets so no wood is exposed. Once baby Cole comes along we'll move the litterbox somewhere (haven't figured out where..Mom's house? JOKING!) and the nursery door will be closed, off limits to curious kitties ;-)

22 week bump pic...(click to enlarge)

Just a bump pic for this week, hopefully the last one that I will take in the bathroom. The nursery closet mess is getting finished this week so all the pics after this should be in the nursery :) And another stats update will be posted next week..