When you’re pregnant and SICK
I was sick this past Sunday/Monday.
I was also 30 weeks pregnant.
Those two things are NOT a good combination.
When you’re pregnant, you can’t take medication (except wussy Tylenol). When you’re breastfeeding, you can’t really take anything, either (except wussy Tylenol).
Since I did the whole back-to-back pregnancy/breastfeeding/pregnancy thingy, that means I have not taken any REAL drugs — like my beloved DayQuil and NyQuil — since the summer of 2009!
And you know what? It is almost the summer of 2012, basically. Wow.
If I breastfeed Baby Girl for as long as I did with the toddler (13 months), then I won’t be able to take DayQuil or NyQuil until late spring of 2013.
I understand that pregnant women don’t often choose to be in drug safety studies, but PLEASE — I am pleading with you, the good people of DayQuil and NyQuil — figure out a way to make a pregnancy- and nursing-friendly version of your lovely product?
I miss you.
Baby girl’s cupcake nursery
We moved into the house a couple of months before finding out if we were expecting a boy or a girl, so this bedroom stayed exactly as it was for a while …
As soon as we found out our second child was going to be a girl (!!!) I went into overdrive decorating her nursery.
We started by painting the top half of each wall a soft aqua (CIL’s “Bali Hai Teal”) and freshening up the white board-and-batten on the bottom. I painted the chair rail what I call “Barbie pink.”
Then I started on a massive “cupcake tree” mural for the main wall. I sketched it with a pencil and did the white trunk/branches first, then painted different-sized cupcakes frosted in pink, purple and yellow icing.
I specifically painted 28 cupcakes because I was 28 years old — and would be, too, when the baby was born.
(Oh, and I outlined everything with a thin black Sharpie to make it crisp!)
You might recall that D didn’t have a dresser until months after he was born (!!!) so we were lucky to get a hand-me-down dresser for C from Darling Husband’s sister. It was PERFECT for the paint treatment I had in mind …
Pink ombré! I sanded and primed the dresser, bought three sample cans of pink paint from Home Depot, and did each row a different shade. I also swapped the hardware for simple + shiny white knobs.
It was a HUGE transformation!
The dresser came with a mirror for the top, which I also painted white and added.
Above the dresser, I painted wooden letters to spell out C’s full name. There’s also a coat of silver glitter on them — yay glitter!
(I remember being disappointed that I couldn’t get all of the letters I needed in the same font, but I think it still worked.)
Over by the door is her hairbow holder — just an old frame I painted pink (the pale pink from the top row of dresser drawers), coated with more glitter, and hot-glued ribbons to the back.
I made tissue-paper poms for two of the corners of the room, using two different shades of pink (as well as light blue/aqua) — and instructions from the one-and-only Martha Stewart.
I painted a hand-me-down wall shelf pink (more leftover dresser paint) and sewed bright pink curtains for the window.
Her rocker and ottoman were the same ones I had used in D’s nursery — espresso wood with “butter” yellow cushions.
The white side table was a vintage metal one I’d had in my room as a teenager.
Above the rocker, there was a serious of six tiny canvases with cupcakes on them. I painted them pale pink (yup, yet more dresser paint) and hot-glued on foam cupcakes I’d cut out.
I brushed glitter on some, glued sequins on one of them, and cut tiny “sprinkles” out of foam for another. It was an easy, fun craft.
Here’s one quick shot of her closet, where I bought pale pink hangers (Dollar Store FTW) and made size tags out of more pink foam.
Across the room, C was of course going to use the same crib we’d used with D. (Still in good condition, just with lots of gnaw marks!)
I sewed an extra-long crib skirt (full tutorial here) so it could graze the floor even when the mattress was at its tallest setting.
And, just like with D’s nursery, I sewed a baby-sized quilt for the crib.
Super simple: just three different types of pink fabric for the squares, pink minky for the backing, and thick pink silky trim for the edges.
D had to “try it out” on one of his dolls while we waited for C to make her big arrival.
Above the crib, I had a pink-painted mirror (yep, more dresser paint — that stuff goes a LONG way). There were actually two identical mirrors, each bought for 50 cents at a yard sale the previous summer.
For this piece, I cut out the letters of C’s name from different pink fabrics (including quilt leftovers), ironed them onto a piece of floral fabric, traced them in glittery gold fabric glue, and hot-glued the whole piece around a canvas. Then I added a few felt rosettes and outlined those in glitter, too.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour of Baby C’s DIY cupcake nursery! I had so much fun putting it together, and — as you’ll see in newer blog posts — it transitioned beautifully into a bedroom she enjoyed for YEARS.
Don’t forget to pin this post for later!
P.S. Take a look back at Baby Boy‘s nursery in our condo here, back when he was a tiny little thing. Try to pick out all the items we’ve reused in our little girl’s nursery!
Wordless Wednesday: Our baby girl’s nursery tour!
Weekly re-cap of pregnancy #2: Week 30
(Feb. 18 through Feb. 24)
Symptoms: Heartburn (it’s brutal, guys). Shortness of breath (especially when going up the stairs — or two flights in a row). That uncomfortable have-to-pee feeling.
Body changes: My stomach (did I ever tell you that I don’t like the word “belly”? I associate it with fatness and jiggly-ness, and just … don’t like it, as a word) is much lower-looking. It seems kind of pointy and really low, all of a sudden. Did the baby drop? No clue. I should ask my first-time-pregnant self, as she has lots of time to Google and always knew the answer to things like this.
Baby movement: At least a few times every day, I feel a kick that makes me go, “Ow!” Most of the time, it’s not uncomfortable, though.
Cravings: White rice (we didn’t have any — curses!), spinach and artichoke dip (we had some — woohoo!)
Aversions: Chicken
High point: A super-fun evening with my book club ladies. It is quickly turning into the ONLY thing I do “just for me” in my life, and I take that very seriously. Love it!
Low point: Feeling guilty when I get tired and can’t do something with the toddler (namely go on insanely long walks around the neighbourhood where he’ll insist on being carried half-way through). I also feel guilty that he’s watching more TV than usual, as I struggle to keep up with my freelance committments (usually I just work during his naps/after bedtime, but sometimes I need to do things when he’s awake).
How does this week compare to Week 30 during pregnancy #1? Still no swelling! Woohoo! I see that I’m equally crazy about the whole nesting thing, though.
Baby preparation: Very glad the nursery is done, although now I keep thinking of things to add! I sewed a quilt this week (super cute), and have another artwork project in mind. Can’t wait to show you guys the pics — tomorrow!
Monday fun
Lindsey at like a hamster on a wheel invited me to take part in a get-to-know-you meme. How fun! And perfect for a Monday when I’m too tired to think of a “Not Me Monday.”
Here’s how it works:
The Rules:
- Post these rules
- You must post 11 random things about yourself
- Answer the questions set for you in their post
- Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
- Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
- No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!
11 random facts about me:
- My go-to tool of choice is a gluegun. You can use those suckers for just about anything, and I have the finger burns to prove it.
- I am religious about skincare. I moisturize every single morning and night. I think it’s because I was a part-time drugstore cosmetician during my high school and university days.
- I’m horribly allergic to flowers. Darling Husband once bought me roses for Valentine’s Day and I was in bed (alone) doped up on Benadryl 20 minutes later.
- I put on makeup every day, no matter what.
- I never seem to like the popular TV shows when they’re actually popular. But a few years later? I decide to try them, and usually end up liking them.
- My favourite thing about my previous career as an entertainment reporter was interviewing celebrities. My best interview was Hilary Duff, and I was so excited that I bought a new outfit for the ocassion (even though it was a phone interview).
- I have never broken a bone, yet I’ve been in a leg cast twice (damn orthopedic surgeries)
- My brain goes to mush when I’m pregnant, and I think my husband secretly enjoys it, because I stop acting like I know everything and just keep admitting that I’m temporarily very, very dumb.
- I don’t eat anything from the sea. It’s not an ethical thing, it’s a gross-seafood-smell thing.
- I never watch award shows. I find them really boring, and they’re on too late.
- My favourite stores to wander around are Fabricville and Michaels. I could spend hours going sloooowly up and down every aisle.
- What was your favourite food as a child? French fries
- What’s your favourite food now? French fries
- What is your favourite quote? “If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart.” I painted it on a canvas in my kitchen/dining room so I can see it every day!
- If your life had a soundtrack, who would sing it? Hilary Duff.
- If you could be a fictional character, who would you choose? Can’t think of anyone fictional, but I would like to be Amalah!
- What makes you most nervous? The possibility of being late. Financial ruin. (Hmm, funny how I seemed to list those in a not-very-practical order)
- What was your last big-ticket purchase? Probably paint, when we first bought the house? I feel like we don’t buy anything anymore, except food.
- Which chore do you hate the most? I despise sweeping, but cleaning the bathrooms is a close second.
- You have one day of completely free time. What do you do? Ooh, that would be so nice. I would eat out with friends, go shopping for fabric/craft supplies, and then have the girls over for a crafting marathon.
- If you could receive any gift, what would it be? I’d really like a serger, but I’d probably pick the gift of a cleaning service. That would be dreamy.
- What happened in the last dream you remember? I was in a six-level mall with two friends (J and J) and I was determined to walk each level to figure out what all the stores were. I determined the bottom floor was mostly mens’ stuff, the second floor was designer stuff, and then I woke up when we were on the third floor. I’m even organized in my dreams!
My questions to you, my lovely readers:
- What does your partner do that drives you up the wall?
- What’s your dream vehicle?
- If you could only eat one cuisine (i.e. Italian, Mexican) every single meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- What are your favourite and least favourite kiddie TV programs?
- If you could bring three luxury items on Survivor, what would they be?
- What’s your favourite scary movie?
- What’s your most memorable moment from junior high?
- If you were forced to delete your Facebook account permanently, how would you feel?
- What’s your favourite outfit for a typical Saturday?
- What’s driving you crazy about your house right now?
- If you won $10,000 in the lottery, how would you spend it?
I tag …*
Emily at imperfect
Melissa at Dear Baby
The Great and Powerful Amalah
Leah at Marital Bless
MrsHix at Life After Mum
Kate from Love, Life and Bunny Crackers
Natalie at Nat The Fat Rat
Katie from Bower Power
Candy from The Laughing Stork
Dusty from All Things G&D
Heather from Small Fry & Co.
*No pressure to participate, of course! And sorry if you’ve already been tagged!
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Heather's Handmade Life 