Building a Nursery

I have Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery" stuck in my head, except I keep singing "Now we're working on... building a nursery..." Come on, you know it's catchy. All together now... "We're holding on..."

Anyways. We Are working on building a nursery. The painting is finally done and the switch plates are back on all the outlets. We bought a glider-rocker last weekend and I picked it up today. The box was so huge that I had to to fold down the seats in the CR-V so it could fit. I'm not sure how we're going to actually get it inside but I have faith my awesome husband will figure out a way.

It looks like we may be ordering a crib soon too. I've found one I like at Target. The Graco Lauren Classic, for those who are curious.

I called the fabric store nearby to find out if they had nursery patterns and what time they closed. I heard "Yes, we carry McCall's patterns and we close at 9:30." I bebop my way up there and waltz in at 5:30. Do you see where this story is going? I found a fabric I LOVE for the crib skirt and diaper stacker. I go to ask the man- whom I spoke to on the phone- where the patterns were. He told me that they were in the back but they closed five minutes ago, at 5:30. He had the tone of voice of a man who had spent too many hours with "sew-busy" ladies. Once I told him that I misunderstood and apologized for waltzing in at closing, he was much nicer than he had been at first. He offered to send me home with the McCall's book and hold my fabric behind the counter until morning so I wouldn't have to try to find it again.



Things are starting to come together for this nursery. A good thing too. This baby is really starting to look like a baby! We had an ultrasound this morning. Baby DB has the most adorable nose and lips you've ever seen in grainy black and white. The critter is still head down and sleeping diagonally in the bed most of the time (just like Dad!). We'll have pictures of the ultrasound as soon as Wesley can get them scanned and some pictures of progress on the nursery sometime after this weekend- when it will be a guest room for Wesley's dad and stepmom who are coming for their first visit to Asheville. Until then... there I am above. You see me? I'm the one hiding behind that huge belly!



We are also having a party for Wesley's 30th birthday this Sunday. The official day was Monday. We brought home Wesley's baby that day- a new propane grill. Wesley cooked up some bbq chicken, onion, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes for the inaugural meal. I may be a little biased, but it was mighty tasty! I am often amazed at what a fantastic handy-man, heavy lifter, great cook, amazing husband Wesley is. How lucky I am to have Wesley and Baby DB in my life! Happy birthday, sweetie! xoxo

Signs

Wesley and I have decided to use baby sign language with Baby DB. I am really, really excited about this after having seen it work with kids I took care of back in my daycare days.

Wesley had a healthy dose of skepticism at first but after a good conversation where he brought up some great questions we decided to go for it. We bought a book that has a very readable section of short chapters on how to learn baby sign, what it is and its benefits, and how to teach your baby in an effective and fun manner. The majority of the book is an alphabetically arranged selection of 300 basic signs with photographs and small descriptions of how to do them.

I'm hoping Wesley and I can start learning and using signs with each other immediately so when Baby DB gets here we will already be comfortable with the signs and not have to try and teach ourselves while taking care of a newborn.

I'm also hoping that friends and family will be willing to get in on the fun. It is recommended that you start with a base of 3 to 6 words and build from there. There are a plethora of websites and books about baby sign language that you can look into. Baby sign uses American Sign Language and books on ASL can be rented from the library. Video instructions on signing can also be found online. I will try to post pictures and videos of what Wesley and I are learning to sign so that you can learn along with us.


Wikipedia has an article on baby sign language that cites legitimate research on the subject. One of the research papers quoted states that some of the benefits of baby sign language are:
* larger expressive and receptive spoken language vocabularies;
* more advanced mental development;
* a reduction in problematic behaviours like tantrums resulting from frustration; and
* improved parent–child relationships.
(Acredolo et al., 1999, Goodwyn et al., 2000)

Sounds pretty cool, huh?

Going Back

After a wonderful visit to Jackson I am back in the mountains where I belong. Making that drive alone was much harder than I thought it would be. I used to make it in eight hours with two stops the whole way. Not this time. It took me well over ten hours with many stops for gas, food, bathroom breaks, and "Ow, my back is stiff" breaks. I'm hoping Wesley can go with me for the trip in June. Wait, let's be honest. I'm hoping Wesley can chauffeur me for the trip in June.

My grandparents were kind enough to let me stay with them and come and go so I could see everyone while I was in town. I feel like I spent the least amount of time with them, which makes me a little sad- but it was good time. One big highlight of the trip was when I got in the door from my drive and Dran (my grandmother) had fried okra, cornbread, butter beans, and the best meatloaf I've ever tasted on the table. That was some seriously comforting comfort food!

Saturday night I went to the wedding of my second cousin Kellum. She married her childhood sweetheart, Brandon; whom she has been dating since she was thirteen. You could tell that they were each others best friends. The wedding was very sweet.

I haven't seen her or her family in years even though we all spent countless weekends together when we were growing up. She and her sister have grown into beautiful young women and her parents are just as I remember them. It was a fantastic walk down memory lane being with all of them and the wedding was beautiful. Every detail was attended to and it all came together flawlessly. I was grateful that I got to be there and grateful that I didn't have to plan it! Congrats to Kellum and Brandon Kim. May your married life be blessed.

The weather was killer. The air was soupy- hot and thick. I have a new appreciation for our mountain breezes up here. I ended up buying a very lightweight linen sundress on Sunday and wearing it, well... let's just say it's not new anymore.

Believe it or not, I didn't take any pictures the whole trip. I guess I just wanted to experience everything 'in the moment.' Now I'm wishing I had pictures to look back on and share. Silly me.

Thank you to everyone who found time in their busy schedules for me. It was good for my soul to see family. I love you all!

Long time, no post

I haven't written in a while. Much has happened both internally and externally.

Internally, I've changed from feeling like "I am pregnant" to "This baby is going to be born." Being able to feel Baby DB kick around on a regular basis has played a big part in that change. Also fun is when Critter gets the hiccups and I can watch my belly bounce. I like feeling like I am never alone. My little sidekick.

Last week I got very antsy to start working on the nursery. Good thing too, seeing how long it has taken us to get Step 1 completed. I have decided on colors for the room and painted the walls. The only part left is to edge next to the ceiling with a second coat and one small section of wall up high. As a sidebar- No VOC paint is much healthier, but a bit more difficult to apply evenly. Two coats is definitely necessary. What color is the room, you ask? Pea Pod Green. To get an idea of the color, check out the background on the website (www.babyduffeebraun.org for those of you getting this by email). The background was my inspiration for the color scheme and the green on the walls is really that bright. I want to accent the room with turquoise and chocolate brown, but we will see what direction things go in once I start adding furniture and other elements.

I love how cheery this room is and think I will be falling on it for inspiration as I continue to work on the nursery.




Part of the reason I've had the time and energy to work on the nursery is that I am not working anymore. The pregnancy plus the POT syndrome made being a floor nurse on such a hectic unit almost impossible. I pushed through for months but was miserable. I would throw up because I wasn't able to eat when I was hungry. I was getting severely dehydrated. I was too tired to finish my work some days and some days I just wasn't able to go in. It was a mess. I was a mess. Now that the stress from that job is gone I feel much better. I am able to eat better, stay hydrated, rest, and I feel better emotionally. I'm finally starting to enjoy this pregnancy. I am fortunate that Wesley has been so supportive of this change. It has made the transition a smooth one, for which I am grateful. I do plan on returning to work after the baby is born. I hope to find something outside the hospital.

In other news, I had a wonderful time during my grandparents' visit. They helped Wesley do yard work while I supervised. Roy C manned the chainsaw and we turned it from a wildlife preserve to a backyard. Then Roy C and Wesley built a bluebird box and a hanging bird feeder from scrap wood we had. I love sitting on the back porch and watching the birds at the feeder. So far I have seen sparrows, a cardinal, a bluejay, and a robin. The robin has a nest in our dogwood tree. The backyard still has a long way to go before we are ready to be in Southern Living but we got a good start.

I am heading to Jackson tomorrow to visit family. It will be the first time since Christmas since I have seen many of them. I am looking forward to it all. Being pregnant has made me really miss my family. I am fortunate that so many have made the trek up here to come visit us in the past few months. I will make this trip and one at the end of June and that will be the end of my big travels until after the baby is born. Hopefully I can convince family that they need to get out of the MS heat and come see me this summer!

Wesley took me out to eat at the Biltmore Estate Inn a couple of weeks ago. We had a wonderful time. We got dressed up and had a leisurely, coursed meal that was exquisite. Our waitress was fantastic; not too pushy but always there if we needed something. She even had the pastry chef decorate our dessert plate with "Congratulations" written in chocolate piping. These are some pictures we took before we headed out that night.

Ultrasound Pictures

We got to see the critter this morning. Ninja Baby was true to form; kicking, dancing, hand chewing, gulping, and waving. Baby DB is right on track with the growth charts and appears healthy by all accounts. The doctor told me "Whatever you are doing, keep doing it because everything is going great." I felt very encouraged when he said that.

Without further adieu, here are more photos of Baby Duffee-Braun!

This is a profile of the face, abdomen and a cross-section of arm.


Happy feet!



The arm bone is connected to the...



We dubbed this one 'ghost baby'


The first thing we saw this morning. I love this picture.