Nursery Done!!

Soo exciting but before I tell you all about the room I will give an update on the pregnancy. Many of you will know by now and some will not that I had high blood pressure before I ever got pregnant. So we have known from the start this could add some complications. It has become event this has started, I am on medication and so far its keeping the blood pressure just barely under a very concerning level. I keep track multipal times a day as the Dr is keeping a close watch on things.  If it goes up much at all, and it did about 10 days ago they will check me into the hospital for observation. This did happen just after I got back to VA and after a few hours in the hospital and lots of tests the blood pressure went down and I was sent home. The same almost happened today, but it went down again after sitting for 10 min at the Dr's office so they let me go home. All my tests for many things that can be effected by the high blood pressure, like organs and heart etc have all been negative, so far its not having any lasting bad effects, they will continue to check this. All along the baby has looked great, she is a few weeks ahead in growth which is a great sign as the most common side effect to this is low weight baby's. All this being said I will be induced early its just a matter of how much early, anytime possibly, which would be 6 weeks early, but they are optimistic and hoping to old off to 3 weeks early. Its all a matter of weighing many details for whats best for me and baby at this time. There is no reason to think that if the baby was born next week she wouldn't be perfectly healthy, and over 5 pounds, close to 6 we hope, she may not have a name yet but all signs show she would be fine. 

I have been asked over and over how I am feeling and ironically I feel the best I have yet though this pregnancy, so thats a nice side note. I feel greatly at peace though all this and very open to whatever needs to happen to have a healthy baby. I feel deeply we are in Gods hands and it will all be fine and in His perfect timing in the end. I also feel very ready, which helps my mind be at ease, there is always more I can do but everything that needs to be done is ready, I have a bag in the car and a few preemie clothes just in case, so I can be ready at a moments notice. I also have many wonderful ladies who will be here and support me in whatever I need. Thank you for all your prayers, please do not worry about us, but know that no news is good news and if anything happens Brian will be sure you are all kept informed via Facebook right away and here a little later. 

That brings me to the fun stuff, I have finished decorating the nursery which I love more than I expected and has been lots of fun! This is the view from the door. 

The crib, I just couldn't resist the canopy though I am sure Brian thinks its a bit much and will need to be taken down when she is old enough to pull it down, but for now I love it!

Found this bran new chair on craigslist! The wood is just the same as the crib amazingly! And my plan is to have toys in the baskets and books on the shelves, though I hope the book collection outgrows the shelves soon!

I love these numbers I found in a shop with my Mum, and my Grandmothers doll and my old doll highchair my Granddad made me, with my other Grandfathers old dresser serving as a changing table. 

Wonderful full drawers thanks to many of you and your generous shower gifts!

And by the door, with my Mothers old doll, is the new fish tank serving as white noise and a night light. Don't worry Brian will baby proof the cords long before baby can pull on them. And hopefully its nice and high, the cat as so far has not noticed them, lets hope it stays that way, but she would have to do a 7 foot vertical jump, which I can't say is impossible, but I couldn't have made it more difficult either. Ohh and hooks for the diaper bag and coats and blankets etc. 

Last but no least the closet, bedding on the right, bigger clothes up above, diapers in the middle with more on the way thanks to my Mother-in-law, and my Dad driving them in the car across the country for me. And my ingenious if I do say so myself, double decker hanging clothes. She got so many cute dresses at the showers I had to make room, but these are through 24 month size, so not to many she won't get lots of use from them all!

More garden images

For the few of you who really want to see more garden details and help me identify some plants etc.

Azalia, that looks a little sickly

Close up of the leaves of a tree I posted awhile back, Katie asked for a closer view of the leaves, not sure what it is, but its a very strange looking tree. 

This is coming along nicely but I haven't a clue what it is. 

This poor rose looks a bit worse for the wear, I have treated it for bugs and pruned the bad bits

Beautiful weekend

How nice it is to be home, in ones own home. I am just getting settled back in, getting things back in order very slowly! But it was a beautiful weekend and we stayed home and enjoyed it. It was nicely warm and not humid at all so I felt like I better enjoy each second of it because I am sure there will not be very many days like that. 

We have this pear tree that is a very odd shape and has been bothering us both, it looks a little like its wearing a hat, with this top notch, and blocks the view of the larger trees further back on the property. So Brian decided to my delight to prune it! Thankfully he just got a set of wireless tools and one of them is an electric saw thing, it probably has a real name but I am not the one to know it.

Also putting to use his new ladder! 

And here is the after, you have to look very carefully to see but Brian's head is at the top and you can see the trees behind clearly. Regardless you can take my word for it, it now looks like a normal shaped fruit tree and makes the view from the deck much nicer!

I mentioned before how much things have grown up while I was away and with that comes shade! The patterns of the shade are completely differnt now that the trees have their leaves. And I was thrilled to come home and find out that the whole backyard is in shade after about 4pm, so its very pleasant to sit out the back in the evening! For now at least, at some point it will stay too hot shade or not, but for now its very nice and a exciting discovery. 

You might remember the front of the house is well, I say naked. It was a blank empty garden when we moved in and I have been bidding my time to get some plants in, and this weekend was it! I was so excited to get some plants and get them in the ground, and even though they are small now I am sure it will improve things eventually, above is the after shot, which from the street looks just like the before shot, but closer up its a big improvement already!

I have hydrangea on either side of the front steps, azalia under two windows, a few gerber daisies someone gave me left over from a function where they were center pieces, and two rhododendron on either end of the house. 

We have also started getting serious about having a baby sometime in the near future, I will have a car-seat today so we are prepared just in case and I am working more seriously on getting the nursery more the way I want it now I am back. Not that a newborn needs a nursery done but I know I can spend the time I want now and not later so I better get it done, the sewing things have yet to be removed from the room yet though. 

Sorry this is a very random post with lots of odds and ends, once I am caught up and have you caught up things will go back to normal. 

In other news, while I was gone my husband found some killer deals for a projector and speakers and has set up a home theater in the family room. I am sure a new subwoofer is just what every newborn needs in the house, but he has been enjoying it in the meantime at least. Poor kid might grow up thinking it lives in a war zone, but at least it hopefully will not be a light sleeper. I give him a hard time but I was very impressed when he showed it off and its truly very cool, and with town and the theater being so far away I think we will have lots of fun with it. We had some friends over Saturday to give it a go and they loved it too, and we had a great time. I will have to take some pictures of that next. 

Thats plenty for now, I will try to make a more normal post soon. And of course post pictures of the baby's room when its done!

Visit home in pictures

I am back home (VA) now, and its amazing what has grown in my absence! The trees are fully leafed, if thats a word, and everything is sooo very green! Lush and green in a different color than Seattle green somehow. I think its lighter in color without the evergreens. And the crickets are back! They were one of the first things I noticed when we moved here, constant and loud like a soundtrack to everything and they have returned after the winter. And of course my dear husband is as wonderful as ever.
But enough of that, I am going to give you an overview snapshot of my trip home from all the pictures I took on my phone and sent home to Brian while I was away. Its kindof a day in the life, but a few large things like the baby showers are missing as we took pictures of those with a real camera.

First day back, and I am greeted with sun! The view from my Mother road! 

Pedicures with Mum!

Met my brother for lunch with Mum and dad

Found a temp ring thats bigger to wear while I am pregnant. 

Coffee with the bride

Manicures with the bride

The big day!

With Dad on the big day

Visit to our old home church the day after!

Showing Brian my belly getting bigger

Being spoiled by Mum with strawberries and cream for breakfast in her newly remodeled kitchen

At Ikea, Brian likes to greet me with this daily, especially when I am not looking my best, i.e. just woken up etc, so it was ironic to find it up on the wall in Ikea. 

Lunch with the parents

Easter at the in-laws, and my sister-in-law and my matching bellys

Watching Game of Thrones with my brother-in-law

Apparently Brian left this at his parents house when we moved and his Mother wondered if he wanted it. He replied "of course, I hand picked it out myself!" (for a fish tank in college) so home it came with me!

Dinner with my brother and family, here is the niece and I!

My niece nnd nephew took to Brian's brother at dinner. He is a big hit with the kids!

At one of my showers with my Aunt and "bossy lady" (Brian and I both worked for this dear lady!) 

Tea after the honeymoon with the bride and groom and the new tea things!

The Everett waterfront

Snow and civilized toilets at a rest stop crossing the mountains for the womans retreat. 

Visit with Aunt Judy in Wenachee before we started the retreat.

Dear friend Jonelle saying hi, you can't have her back to Brian via picture

And more mountain views driving home to Seattle to fly out the next day. 

After a miserable cold rainy spring in Seattle I got there just in time for the sun to come back out. I visited with lots more people, had lots of great coffee, and baby showers, thanks to all of you who made time to see me, I feel so blessed and refreshed for having visited with all of you, and at the same time so very glad to be back to my own couple acres here in Virgina.