Millie's Birth Story

Since I have shared the boys birth stories, I figured we would round things out with one more.

We used the birth center again, and if you are curious about that then check out Levi's birth story part 1. I went into more detail about how it might differ from a hospital birth.

My due date was Monday August 1st, and the day came and went with no major developments. I went into labor with Levi the day after he was due, so I didn't have to wait too long. This time I went three days over. That in itself is not really a big deal...unless you're the pregnant one. I was so over being pregnant and wanted to be done, so every day that went by was almost torture. I was getting disappointed and my mind was starting to play out every dangerous scenario that could go wrong by being "overdue." I was starting to psych myself out. I think at one point I actually talked with Daniel about an induction date, because I was convinced that this baby was going to be different and my body would never go into labor. (The birth center would have let me go to 42 weeks, which would have been August 15th: Gunner's first day of school. I didn't want to be dealing with all that at once so I told Daniel that I would go in for an induction on August 12th) Luckily, on the morning of August 4th at 4:45 am, at 40.3 weeks, I felt the first contraction.

That morning I had gotten up at 3:45 to use the restroom, because my bladder was also totally over it and I think I spent more time peeing than I spent sleeping those last several weeks. I couldn't get back to sleep so I tossed and turned for an hour. Around 4:45, I had a contraction. It wasn't too bad but was slightly painful. Then a few minutes later there was another. After three contractions, I decided to get up and time them. I used an app on my phone to track them while I ate a protein bar. They were definitely real labor contractions, so I decided to time them for an hour to see how quickly (or slowly) things were moving. They were averaging out to be about 1 minute long and 5-6 minutes apart. At 6am I called my mom to let her know. She told me to call her and let her know when they started getting more intense. I got up to go wake Daniel up, and it kicked things up quite a bit. I told him he had better get ready and that I was going to finish gathering everything together. Moving around like that made them go crazy, so as soon as I was finished I told him that I had to lay down so they didn't get worse. I continued to time them, and Daniel called the birth center to inform them that we would be coming in that day.

My dad arrived so he could keep the boys for us, and I was completely taken over trying to get through every contraction. I totally forgot to call my mom to let her know they had gotten pretty intense. I kept asking Daniel to check on her location. (We have a family location app that allows us to see where someone is. Super helpful so we aren't calling someone who is driving.) Right as she was driving up, I decided to get up and lean over the bench in front of our bed, thinking it might help ease things. Turns out, that made it much worse and I was almost feeling the urge to push. She walked in at the end of that contraction and I said "We need to go!" So we loaded up in the car; Daniel, mom, and myself. The birth center is about 7 minutes from our house, but that ride was awful. I was so frustrated every time Daniel stopped at a light that I would yell "Go!!" and nearly cause him to jump into oncoming traffic. We arrived at 8:30am.

They quickly got us into a room and wanted to check the baby's heart rate and see how far along I was. That was AWFUL. I'm trying to get through intense contractions while the midwife is checking to see where we are in the labor process, meanwhile the nurse has to shove the Doppler into my lower abdomen trying to find the baby's heart beat. I remember the midwife apologizing telling me they were hurrying, and I think I apologized and said "You're just doing your job!" I went ahead and got into the birthing tub because (woo hoo!) I was already at 7cm and 90%! I think I cried from relief when she told me. With baby #1, I was only at a 3 when I got to the hospital, and with #2 I was at a 5 when we got to the birth center. I guess I was hitting transition in the car, which explains why I was so agitated.

The contractions were more and more intense, and I was fully taken over by each one just trying to get through it. This time it felt like it was harder for me to cope. Things were progressing very quickly and it felt overwhelming. I felt very frustrated and I think I took my frustrations out on Daniel a few times. He wasn't even really doing anything to bother me! He was super helpful and supportive. (Sorry, dear) The birth center had recently added the option of using nitrous oxide gas, and I took full advantage of that. It was set to be part gas, part oxygen and prevented you from getting more than a certain amount with each inhale. Not enough to make you completely loopy, but just enough to take the edge off and help you stay relaxed.

It felt like an eternity, but it didn't take too long before we were within minutes of meeting Millie. One of the worst contractions started up, and my water broke during that one. Once that happened, the midwife told me that it was time to start pushing. Daniel was behind me holding me more upright under my arms. It only took 7 minutes and then Millie was born at 10:05am!

This time, the baby did not start crying like I had hoped. It turns out that the cord was pretty tight around her neck when she was born. The midwife quickly put her in my arms but she was purple all over and not making a sound. I helped pat and rub her to try to get her to cry, but she laid there like a rag doll. It was pretty terrifying seeing her like that. The midwife was listening to her lungs and ensured us that she was breathing, but needed assistance and started suctioning her and trying to help her breathe better. She then said she needed to take her and quickly clamped and cut the cord. This all happened within 2-3 minutes. I also think I remember her letting out one cry right before she took her, which was a huge relief to hear. She started crying and perking up more and was fine, but those first few moments were scary.

She made up for the lack of crying after that and let us know how loud she could be! Everyone got to hold her, and I got to feed her too. We were able to head home around 2:30-3 to let her meet her big brothers.

It was a much more intense labor and delivery this time and I definitely knew that I did not want to do that again. I'm very much at peace with her being our last baby! She completes our family and we all love her so much already.

Project : Nursery (one last time!)

Well, here we are. Baby number three. Four weeks away from the due date. This time, the baby is a girl! It's been a complete 180 decorating a nursery this time. Very weird. Very surreal. I am not into the typical baby girl styles these days, especially the super girly stuff like glitter and ruffles and princesses. I'm sure this has been a disappointment to a few (*cough cough* Mom...) but I am trying to incorporate feminine elements without being ridiculous. So without blabbing too much, here is the reveal!




Baby Babb # 3 will be Millie June Babb

I decided to go with coral and navy with mint green as an accent color. I think it turned out very cute! Daniel made the awesome navy frame and I painted it and the letters for her name. My ever talented mother made the adorable bunting. She also made a few crib sheets, the crib skirt, changing pad covers, and a few other little things. (I had lots of orders lined up for her!)

I am super proud of the lamp shade because I recovered it myself! I think it turned out amazing. I threw some of the extra fabric from the bunting in some frames for a quick way to add some wall décor. The biggest labor of love for me was that cute (frustrating) flower garland. Y'all, that thing took me a solid 3.5 hours to put together. It was a stack of die cut paper. Just so much work. But it turned out cute and if anything ever happens to it we will just burn the whole house down and start a new life somewhere else because I put wayyyyyy too much energy into that. (Not really, but you know.)


I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out. It is SO weird seeing so much pink. It will take me a while to really get used to it. I'm excited for her to be here so she can enjoy her new room!

Time Gets Away From Me

How unfortunate that my last post was about Levi's birth, and here we are now, 9 months later, and I'm planning his first birthday. Blogging doesn't seem to be a priority in my life. Maybe that's ok, because "ain't nobody got time for that."

Levi is almost 11 months old! Gunner is four and a half! Life is busy, stressful, messy, exhausting, and so much fun. I am still so thankful I get to stay home with them. 

Gunner has really grown so much in the last year. Last summer we got him a bicycle the day that Levi was born. (It was waiting in the attic. I didn't go to the store while I was in labor.) Over the summer, he learned to ride it very quickly, but preferred to stay in the driveway. The sidewalk had too many bumps, the road was too rough, and the beautiful walking trail that is just feet away from our house was too steep. Tears happened. Arguments about "just use your breaks" and "you don't have to get off and push" happened. It was more than frustrating. This spring, there is a totally different child riding that bike. He can easily keep up with us and do 2-3 miles now. He loves going fast down hills, too. Just yesterday, he mastered riding from the sidewalk to the road on a very steep area that he has ALWAYS gotten off and pushed for. Growing. Learning. Every day. He uses his helmet, but now I'm starting to think he needs knee and elbow pads. Not because I don't want him to get hurt, but more so because if he scrapes any part of his body, he cries for days. Bathtime with a scraped knee is not for the faint of heart. But he is learning and growing and it is so much fun to watch. 

Levi is just mister cute and squishy. He is such a ham and seems so much happier than his big brother did at his age. He's cruising everywhere as long as he can hold on to something, and has started seeing if he can let go and stand on his own for a few seconds. He is starting to learn to repeat sounds that we make, and copy our hand movements. The kid loves to eat. He doesn't have many things he doesn't like either. I've been trying to keep it interesting and feed him all sorts of different foods. He seems to have a bit of stubbornness or strong willed moments now and again. It will be interesting to see how this little guy turns out. 

They are both in Kids Day Out and this fall is the start of Gunner's last year there. In less than a year we will be registering him for kindergarten. It's so hard to believe. My nephew is 18 and graduating from high school next month and it's too much for me to think about! Time is flying by and there's nothing I can do to slow it down. So I'm hanging on as best I can. Let's enjoy the ride. 

Birth Story : Part 2 - Levi's Birthday

I am writing this for myself so I will remember this day. I will try not to be too graphic with the details, but there's a chance it might be gross, so be forewarned. 

The night before Levi was born, I did not get much sleep. I was uncomfortable the whole night. Around 5am, I woke up and realized I was having painful contractions. I didn't want to wake Daniel up just yet, so I got up and grabbed a Gatorade so I could relax on the couch for a while. After having one contraction on the couch though, I realized that wasn't going to work out. They were much more painful while sitting down. I walked around for a while and timed them. They were 4-5 minutes apart and 1 minute long. After half a hour, I decided it was time to wake Daniel up. I was really needing to focus and breathe through each contraction. He got up and took a shower while I finished packing the rest of our things. I told him that since I already had my regular appointment with the midwife scheduled for 9:30 that day, he should just go in to work. He could come pick me up and take me to my appointment because I didn't think I could drive myself. Apparently that was a dumb suggestion, because he laughed at me and said "I just turned on my 'out of office' auto reply on my work email. I'm not going in, you're in labor!" I jumped in the shower and then started drying my hair. I had to put the hair dryer down for every contraction and lean on the counter to get through it. Daniel had called my parents to let them know, and he called the birth center as well. Dad was going to stay here with Gunner and Mom was going to go with us to the birth center. At 7:30 Dad arrived. Gunner was pretty excited to see him! I was running around trying to get ready and make sure everything was taken care of. Mom showed up a little later, I can't remember what time. I think Dad was worried I was going to give birth right then and there because he kept asking if we wanted him to load the car or call 911! I was getting pretty vocal through each contraction and it was becoming tough to do anything else. Daniel and I loaded up to head to the birth center at 9, while Mom ran to grab some more Gatorade to take with us. 

A few weeks before my due date, we bought Gunner a bike! We wanted him to have it when Levi was born, kind of as a big brother gift. We kept it hidden in the attic. Right before we left to have the baby, we got it down to give to him. He loved it! As we were pulling out of the driveway, he and Dad were waving at us and trying out Gunner's new bike. I sat in the car and sobbed because I knew the next time he saw us, everything would change and he wouldn't be our only baby. It was tough! I was so excited for him to be a big brother, but I was really afraid he would have a hard time adjusting to everything. It was an emotional ride to the birth center. I had two contractions in the car, and after the second one I said "I don't want to have another one in here!!!" 

We arrived exactly at 9:30 and went inside. From here, my midwife logged everything into my file as it happened, so I have detailed accounts of what happened and when it happened. I remember getting to the room and wondering if they needed to weigh me and check my blood pressure for my normal appointment. They thought that was funny because they laughed and said "Uh, no! We're having a baby!" I had been concerned the whole pregnancy that I would have another long and slow labor, and that I would get to the birth center too soon and have to labor for ever and ever. We decided that it might help me not worry if she checked me to see where I was. I was 5 centimeters, 60% effaced and the baby was at -3 station. I was a little disappointed because I was hoping to be more effaced, but the midwife assured me that it was great progress and that it would probably happen fairly quickly. 

I remember laying on the bed on my side for about 10-15 minutes to rest since I had been on my feet all morning. Once I got up, I wanted to wear a robe, but then decided I was too hot so I took off my tshirt. I had on a spaghetti strap shirt under that for some reason. I guess I wanted to wear layers that day! They put a big yoga ball on the bed with a towel over it for me to lean on while I stood up. That was a great position because it allowed me to lean over a little and still rock side to side, which I think helped the baby decend. 

Around 10:15, I REALLY felt like I needed to go to the bathroom. I did not realize that the baby was already low enough to be causing that much pressure. So obviously nothing happened, but I did have what is referred to as "bloody show."  (I warned you it might be gross!!) Just par for the course, and things were progressing very well. 

I went back to standing and leaning on the yoga ball, and around 10:30 we decided to try the shower. This was my favorite position. I was able to stand up and lean on the ball (which was raised on a stool) with the hot water on my lower back. While I was standing in the shower, I started pushing. I didn't realize that was what was happening, because I didn't realize your body just does it on its own even if you don't try! It wasn't forceful and I wasn't straining, but it was the start of small, short pushes. They were asking me if I was pushing and I kept saying no, but they eventually let me know that I was indeed and it was perfectly fine. I have heard stories of moms pushing too soon and it causing swelling of the cervix, making the baby get stuck and ending in a c-section. I was pretty concerned about it but my midwife assured me it was not a problem. 

Around 10:40, I moved to the birthing tub. This was "relaxing" mostly because I didn't have to be on my feet. I was starting to get really worn out and it was nice to just rest between contractions. The notes on my file state that it was at this time where I was "visibly bearing down", so the contractions were getting much more intense. My mom was sitting on a small stool to my right, and Daniel was sitting on the "dad stool" to my left and kind of behind me. They were both holding one of my hands, and taking turns getting me water and putting a cold cloth on my forehead. I labored in the tub for about 20 minutes, and the contractions were starting to space out more and more. My midwife let me know and suggested moving to a different position to keep things going. They put the ball on the bed with a towel over it, and I got up on my knees and leaned over the ball. I'm pretty sure this was when I hit transition, because I was having a hard time even staying upright. My contractions were getting very intense and I was sweating like you see in the movies when women are in labor. I was a mess, and couldn't NOT push at this point. I got up on the bed at 11:18, and at 11:22 my water broke during a contraction. Everyone in the room heard it because it made a loud POP sound. My midwife told Daniel that at this point things were going to get pretty intense. She started to explain to me that things were going to start progressing very quickly, and I said "No don't tell me that! I don't want to know!!" I think I just needed to really focus and didn't want to think too far ahead of what was happening at that moment. At this point I was at 9 centimeters, 90% effaced and the baby was at -1 station. 

At 11:40, I got back in the tub. I was starting to really push with each contraction, and I could start feeling the baby getting lower. From what I remember, I was able to push on my own for quite some time. I remember getting to the point where I could literally feel the baby's head move in the birth canal, and that was totally weird. After that contraction, I then felt him move back up and that was WAY weird. My mom suggested I try pushing as they counted to ten. That was harder than I thought because my pushing was really being fascilitated by my contractions, I wasn't really doing a lot to make it happen. It was kind of just happening on its own and I was going with it. I had to really focus on them counting. It was starting to get pretty uncomfortable because he was beginning to crown, though I didn't realize he was already that far down. I remember thinking "This is the worst it has felt so far, and I am worried he will never be born!" What I didn't realize was that his head had come out at that point! Because I had good breaks between my contractions, I stopped pushing after his head was delivered. I didn't realize this had happened, but there wasn't a lot else I could do because I was so exhausted. They kept telling me to push one more time but I couldn't until the next one started. Once it did, I did one small push and I remember opening my eyes and he was coming out of the water! They put him right into my arms and he was screaming and pink as could be! It was 12:03. Daniel was right there and Mom was taking pictures. I loved hearing him cry! Poor Gunner had lots of fluid in his lungs so he just gurgled and barely made any noise. I was so worried about him. This was so different, and I couldn't get enough of Levi wailing away. 

One thing I had requested to have done in the hospital was delayed cord clamping. They didn't seem to care too much to make that happen, and kind of shrugged it off as if it was a silly request. With the birth center, they automatically try to do that if they can. We were able to delay the cord being clamped and cut for 8 minutes after he was born! My mom said she could see how quickly he was turning from whitish purple to pink as the blood started working its magic in his little body. After Daniel cut the cord, they helped me get up and out of the tub and onto the bed. 

Daniel quickly threw his shirt off so he could do skin to skin with Levi. It took about twenty minutes for the placenta to deliver, and that wasn't fun. I had torn pretty much exactly where my episiotomy was so I ended up with a few stitches. After that was all taken care of, I was able to try to nurse him. Thankfully he latched a few times and we had a good start on breastfeeding. Mom ran and picked up lunch for us, Daniel laid down to rest and I cuddled the baby. 

About 3pm I wanted to get cleaned up so I took a shower and got dressed. We were able to get in the car and head home around 5:30! That's one of the great things about the birth center. As long as mom and baby are doing well, they let you go home within four hours of the birth! It was SO nice to be able to start recovering in my own home instead of in a hospital room. 

The next day, one of the other midwives came to our house for our follow up! Home visits have been part of the package of the birth center, but because they have become so very busy they are phasing it out. I was so lucky to be one of the last few moms to get a home visit. She checked on me and my recovery and checked Levi and did his heel prick. 

My mother in law stayed with us the first week, and my mom stayed the second week. We had tons of people bring us meals and had lots of help. We are so thankful and blessed to have so many people in our lives to take care of us during this huge life changing time. 

Levi's birth was a really amazing moment in my life. I had been preparing for that for more than a year. There is nothing like delivering a baby naturally. It did hurt, but not like I thought it would. It was not unbearable. It was not impossible. I could totally see myself doing that again if we decide to have another one. I'm pretty sure the postpartum recovery was more uncomfortable than the actual labor and delivery. I have been recommending the birth center to anyone in the area who is pregnant or wants to have a baby. They took such good care of us and made this experience seem easy. 

Birth Story : Part 1 - Prep Work

This is for me. If someone wants to read it, cool beans. I'm not writing this for anyone else except myself though. I want to have it written out while I still remember it. Part one is about everything leading up to labor and delivery. 

Having gone through one labor and delivery already, I constantly compared what I thought the second time would be like to the first. The two pregnancies were very different too. I knew the two labors wouldn't be anything close to the same. 

With Gunner, I had a very easy pregnancy with little to no complaints until the last few weeks. (Towards the end, no one is comfortable and everyone is ready for it to end!) I chose the traditional hospital route with all the things that come along with it, including the epidural. It was the exact right choice for me at that moment in my life. The labor was long (18 hours) and we were in the hospital for two nights and nearly three days. I hated every moment of that hospital stay after he was born. I was miserable, uncomfortable, exhausted, annoyed by everyone and everything, and didn't feel like I was able to bond with my child like I heard everyone talk about. Once we got home and more used to having a newborn, things seemed better and life took on a new "normal". My second pregnancy was much more uncomfortable. I started feeling aches and pains much sooner. I had morning sickness more, though thank goodness it only amounted to lots of nausea. I started showing sooner. I was more moody and irritable than the first time. It was a lot more exhausting too. Very different!

As we started discussing baby #2, I had a few more opinions on how I wanted things to go the next time around. I was toying around with the idea of delivering at a new birthing center just minutes from our house. I didn't know a lot about how that would work, but I knew two things. 1- I would have almost complete control over everything that happened during labor and delivery, within reason. 2- I wouldn't be able to have a pain free labor. The first point was super appealing. The second, not so much. As we weighed our options, the birth center seemed like a really good choice. We started doing our research and preparing for a totally unmedicated birth. 

For the people in my life that know me well, this seemed like a terrible idea. I do not deal well with pain or being uncomfortable. This was going to be a mind over matter task, and I needed support from those who knew how to handle me. Those two people were Daniel and my mom. We all started watching lots of videos regarding natural childbirth and ways to cope with pain. Daniel and I took a class which really helped, and I got a lot out of hypnobirthing videos on YouTube. (It sounds hooky, but it's actually pretty interesting and informative) We all took turns reading The Birth Partner, which was really good at breaking down labor into detailed stages. We took a tour of the birth center and decided this was the way we wanted to go. (If you haven't heard of it, check out their website! http://bcnwa.com) They accept several of the major insurance providers in this area, and when it was all said and done we paid a lot less than we did with baby #1! Along with arming ourselves with information, we took lots of walks for a while. There was a span of several weeks where I didn't get in many walks because I was having a ton of lower back pain. Towards the end of the third trimester, we made a point to take one long walk every evening. It was NOT fun. I was waddling down the walking trail just aching and whining the whole way. I'm quite sure it helped with getting the baby down in the right position though. I walked a ton the first pregnancy, and Gunner was born on his due date! Levi ended up being born the day after his! 

A little about the birth center...

This birth center is not physically attached to a hospital, but it is right across the street from Mercy. The main concerns that were raised in the beginning all involved the safety of the baby and myself in the event of an emergency. They have many ways to deal with different emergencies at the center, and if they determine that a transfer to the hospital is needed, the ambulance can zoom over quickly. The thing that keeps them from having too many emergencies is the fact that they only accept very low risk mothers. They are very particular about who they will see, and that is in the best interest of everyone. I was lucky enough to be low risk and a perfect candidate. 

Instead of seeing a doctor for my prenatal care, I saw certified nurse midwives at the center. They were wonderful and I really felt like we got great personal care with each of them. 

The facility looks and feels like a high end hotel. The rooms are so nice and comfortable. (Check out the photos on their website!)

You do not have to wear a hospital gown or have an IV there. I was able to move around and labor like I wanted, which is not usually something you are free to do at a hospital. I was also encouraged to eat and drink during labor. 

I had regular appointments, just like I did at the hospital. They post everything from each appointment online under your secure file so that you can log in and see it if you want. I had direct contact with everyone there (including the midwives) through email, and they always replied very quickly. I really loved that, because if I had any questions or concerns I could get in touch with someone fast. 

Probably my favorite thing about the birth center was that they let you go home within 4 hours of delivery, as long as mom and baby are doing well. 

Throughout my pregnancy people would ask me where the baby was going to be born or which doctor I was seeing. I would say that I was seeing a midwife at the birth center. I got a few funny looks when I would tell people that, and often they would ask why I wasn't seeing a doctor and why I would ever want to have a natural childbirth. I can very much relate to that question, because that's exactly how my mind worked when I was getting ready for the first baby. I never even entertained the idea of a non medicated birth. It was epidural all the way. It would have been AWFUL if I had attempted a natural birth the first time around. I was in no way mentally ready for something like that, so I am glad we didn't try it. I'm pretty sure it would have ended up with an epidural anyway! There are several factors that went in to the decision the second time. The first time around, I wasn't really allowed to be mobile in the hospital to help things progress. I was more encouraged to stay laying down in the bed. This kept things from progressing much, slowing down my labor. The second time, I was encouraged to labor at home as long as I could and to be up moving around. At the hospital, I had to get an IV for fluids and medication. Unfortunately, the nurse who gave me the IV ended up busting the veins in both of my hands before finally getting it set up in the vein on my thumb! Ouch. I think I complained about that in between contractions the most. No IV needed at the birth center. They actually don't hook you up to anything, and use a little Doppler to monitor the baby's heart rate throughout. You aren't supposed to eat or drink anything at the hospital, but at the birth center they want you to eat (nothing too heavy) and drink water during labor. The main points that drove me to choosing a natural birth had to do with things after the baby was born. I had a difficult time coming off all the drugs after the first baby. It gave me a terrible headache and made me feel all around bad afterward. I didn't have that natural high you are supposed to experience immediately afterward. I couldn't move my legs for about 4-5 hours afterward, so I couldn't get up for quite some time. I didn't get the chance to breastfeed until more than an hour after he was born, and at that point he was entering the deep sleepy phase that babies hit shortly after they are born. We continued to struggle with that for the entire ten months that he nursed. At the birth center, I wouldn't have to worry about the side effects of any drugs. Also, one of the things they really encourage immediately after delivery is skin to skin with the mom and breastfeeding as soon as possible. Something I had requested at the hospital was delayed cord clamping, but they didn't seem too concerned with making that happen. We were able to delay any cord clamping with Levi for 8 minutes! 

There were lots of things that made me want to completely change things up the second time. I am totally happy with how it all went! If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing. 

Stay tuned for Part Two - Levi's Birthday!

Project: Nursery

I have really enjoyed putting Levi's room together! It has seemed to be a little more fun than Gunner's was, probably because we already had lots of stuff from when Gunner was a baby. This time it was also easy for me to picture him using his room and the things in it considering we have done this once before and know what to expect. With Gunner, it was hard to imagine the room being used until he was actually here. Gunner makes it fun too! He is so excited about his baby brother and it has been really neat seeing how excited he has been helping us with the room.


I'll get right to it! I found a quilt on the Pottery Barn Kids site that I fell in love with, and used it as my inspiration. I didn't buy the quilt though, just used the colors and style and went from there.

This is Gunner's old crib! My mom made so much stuff for Levi's room. She made the beautiful crib skirt, which has a cute peek a boo pleat with green peeking through. It is adjustable which is amazing. As he grows and we have to lower the mattress, we can adjust the skirt with the height. Daniel and I made the wall hanging out of a big canvas (Hobby Lobby), crib sheet (Target), and letters and paint (Hobby Lobby). 

I found the lamp at Lowe's, the lamp shade at Target, curtains at Kohl's, totally adorable toy bin at Home Goods, and perfect rug at JC Penney. The anchor wall art we made out of a canvas and fabric I found at a very cool fabric store in Springfield, Missouri. 

The dresser area really turned out cute! We found the dresser at Furniture Factory Outlet after giving up hope to get the perfect one at IKEA. (We have never bought anything at Ikea, and had no idea how difficult it is to get anything there if you don't live near one of their stores.) The mirror and floating shelves are from Lowe's, striped basket from Home Goods, and toys from Gunner! 

Let's talk about my mother. She is an amazing lady. She has been sewing longer than I have been alive. I knew she was very talented, but she has completely and totally surprised us with the things she can do! She literally took one of my old changing pad covers home and made one from scratch, just by examining the commercially made one. So, naturally she did the same thing with a crib sheet. Oh, and burp cloths...and washable changing pad toppers, taggie blankets, bassinet sheets...you name it! She made the sweet turtle pillow cover, all the crib sheets (green, grey chevron, grey polka dot), three changing pad covers (green chevron minky, navy blue t-shirt material, green plaid flannel), baby blanket, and amazing quilt! This quilt looks almost identical to the one I found at Pottery Barn! (I have no idea what the back of that one looked like, so we found a cool coordinating fabric for the back)

She also made the cutest wet bag for diapers! (Sorry, I don't have a photo of that!)

She recently got an embroidery machine, and has been going bonkers with the thing. It's really fun seeing all the things she has made! She did a great job making the boys matching shirts. 

I wonder if he has enough clothes? I have to brag on Daniel here. This closet just had one small shelf that went halfway across the wall when we moved in. He took it down and built his own system, including cutting a thick metal pole for the rack. Much more functional now. Now I just need to organize the stuff ON the shelf a bit...

Check out this precious 31 bag! My sister in law (a 31 consultant!!!) gave this to us a couple of weeks ago. I cannot wait to use it!

I probably left some things out, who knows. Levi's room is basically complete! I may add a couple of wall decorations. I am really proud of the room, especially because it has so many items custom made by people who love him already. It really makes it a special project that has come together a little at a time. 

Pregnancy Can Break Down Barriers

I have learned a lot of things about life in the last decade. I can safely say I am not the same person that I was ten years ago, and I hope we can all be thankful for that because my ninteen year old self was annoying. 

That being said, nothing has changed me more than becoming a mom. From that first few weeks of discovering we were pregnant, it changed me. In a good way! I'm very comfortable with who I have become now. You have to learn to let things roll off your back more as a mom though. People really enjoy giving unsolicited advice to pregnant women and mothers. Pregnancy is one of those things where perfect strangers don't mind approaching you and striking up a conversation about what's going on inside your body. I usually don't mind it, sometimes you can get to know someone better because of it. Other times you can be quite entertained at the things people will tell you. 

The things I've heard while pregnant have ranged from "Were you trying for a baby?" (What? Why would you ask someone this?!) to "Oh good luck, you're going to be so tired for the next ten years." (Gee, thanks). Labor and delivery is another hot topic for pregnant moms to encounter. There are many methods and schools of thought on this, so it's often interesting to hear someone's plan of attack. Everyone is different, therefore I fully believe that each mother should be the one to decide how she wants her delivery to happen. If you want to go all natural and birth at home in your living room, have at it. If you are determined to have a c-section at 39 weeks, so be it. It's your decision. However, if you ask an expecting mother what her plan is, it's a good idea to have the phrase "Awesome! That sounds great!" ready, no matter what they say. (I also recommend this response for when you ask them what they are naming their child. More on that later.) No mother wants advice on how someone else thinks they should do things unless they flat out ask for it. If they ask for advice, then, by golly, you are free to give it! 

Something I was not at all prepared for was the pressure to have a girl with baby #2. Daniel and I had no preference on gender either time, so we were very happy to hear that the baby was healthy and growing right on track. It was a bonus to discover it was a boy. However, other people were apparently hoping we would have a girl for some reason. I guess it's just an American standard to have one boy and one girl. I was hoping for a baby. As long as it was a human baby that was healthy, I would be happy. Mind you, if the baby wasn't totally healthy, we would still love it no matter what because it was our baby. It was a HUGE relief to find out he was doing great so far. When we announced the gender, I was pretty shocked when people actually said "Oh well, maybe next time you will get your girl." and "You can always try again next time!" This is incredibly awful to me! It's as if I had made a recipe that didn't quite turn out like I wanted it to, so we just had to throw it out. This is my son! I already love him!  I have continued to hear these statements from people, even strangers, and it really hurts. The other day at a restaurant one of the employees looked at Gunner and then said "I sure hope there's a baby girl in there! (Pointing at my belly)". At first I had no idea what to say. I finally replied with "Nope, it's another boy but we are perfectly happy with that!"  Later in the day I actually got really mad about the whole thing. I just don't understand what the problem is with having more than one of the same gender. There's literally nothing we can do about it! This is what God wants for us, and if He decides to give us three more boys before we are done having kids, then obviously He's got a plan there! Maybe He wants us to have a family basketball team! I'm not upset by another boy, so I don't think anyone else should be either. Pregnant women are extremely hormonal, so it's important to be very careful with what you say to them. 

The name game comes to mind as well. When you ask someone what they are naming their baby, your response should fall along the lines of "Wow! That's a great name!" Asking where they came up with the name is ok too. I've even said "Oh cool! That is a very unique name!" I'm starting to understand why people wait until their baby is born before announcing the name. 

Pregnancy can often bring down barriers between people and you might discover a common ground with someone you didn't expect. This is not always a good thing. However, it's part of life, and it's helping me learn the hard way to not let the things other people say bother me. I am incredibly lucky to have a second baby on the way! I know far too many people who would give anything for the chance to have just one. If we all approached things with this thought in mind, we might not be so critical about things like gender and names. 

Rejoice in The Lord always, again I will say rejoice!