Nursery and Pregnancy Update

Lucky number 22 was on Monday!  18 Weeks to go!  Here's my favorite picture from our 22 week photo session (aka Danny snapping a few photos for me). 

I've been gearing up for the weekend and getting excited that my mom is coming to paint the nursery for me.  I went to Lowe's last weekend and picked out paint.  We've decided on a two tone color with chair molding in between.  We will be doing pink on the top and chocolate on the bottom with white chair molding.  I hope it turns out nice!  I also received Marissa's bedding set in the mail last weekend (see below).  It's so cute!  It's simple, but I love the colors and can't wait to see it all together with the crib.  My mother in law ordered the crib for us last week and it should arrive in about a week or two.  We're still in the beginning stages of the nursery but I think after this weekend we will be well on our way to the perfect room for our little girl! 

I've also been working on some craft projects for Marissa's room.  Remember that "M" from my last post?  Well, here's the finished product!  However, it won't be 100% finished until it is on the wall, behind the crib in the nursery and we have little Marissa here with us.  :)

I decided to make a lamp shade in coordinating fabric with the letters.  I L-O-V-E the outcome!  So stinkin' cute!  Have I mentioned that mod-podge is my new favorite craft supply (thanks, Kristin)?  I've already used half a bottle!

DIY Nursery Decor - Sneak Peek!!

Here's my first DIY project for the nursery.  It's been a bit time consuming but I think the end result will make it all worth while!  I'm really excited to see the final product. More pictures to come soon!

We also picked out the name for our little girl.  Her name is going to be:

Marissa Iris

Danny and I love the name.  Danny actually picked out Marissa and I picked Iris.  I love that you don't hear either name that often.  It's unique but not too out there.  We've had a few people kind of give us that look like "really, you're naming your kid that?"  It's kind of annoying all the (unwanted) opinions people feel they need to throw at you when you are pregnant.  I don't like people telling me how I'm going to feel when my child gets here, or what I will or will not do as a parent.  You don't know what I'm going to do and pushing your beliefs and views on me is very rude and frustrating.  Just smile and nod, right!?  I just wish people would be supportive!  I am grateful for those few people that have been supportive on my parenting decisions and have respected that this is my child and I need to learn and explore parenthood with my husband as a family. 

I'm 21 weeks along today, 19 to go.  Over the weekend a friend of ours gave us a ton of baby girl goodies!  We got a walker, a swing, a vibrating chair, a few toys, a large bag of clothes, a crib and a dresser.  We decided that we would let Danny's parents keep the crib and dresser at their house.  We have a nursery set that we want to purchase.  It was very, very generous of our friend to give us this stuff though.  It will all be put to good use and I can't wait to see Marissa in the adorable little outfits!

Well, it's getting late and my bed is calling my name.  If only my hubby was here to snuggle. :-(

Half Baked

Yesterday was the big day!  Danny and I had our 20 week ultrasound.  We got good news that the baby is growing and progressing on track, the baby looks healthy and we will continue to pray for our little one to grow healthy and strong.

We also found out that we are having a baby G-I-R-L!!!  I guess me wearing pink in all of my belly pictures really did have an underlying meaning.  Danny and I are both so excited.  I think Danny is a little nervous about having a little girl.  I think he is already scheming in the back of his mind how to chase boys off.  He's so funny.  I know time will fly, but lets at least let the little one make her appearance before Daddy goes running off every boy in town. 

It was amazing getting to see our little angel move around on the ultrasound.  She wasn't very active and the sonographer actually had no trouble getting any of the measurements.  We did get to see her moving her lips and sticking out her tongue.  It was so adorable!  Danny says she has a button nose.  I know she is our child and that we have to think she is the cutest thing ever, but really, she looks so darn cute on the sonogram.  I can't wait to meet that sweet face in August!  Perfection is only in the eye of the beholder.

After our appointment with the sonographer we met with the Doctor to discuss the results.  He said everything looked great, the only problem is I have a low-lying placenta.  Right now there is no need to worry, they have scheduled another sonogram for 28 weeks to check and see if it has gone up at all (the good part is I get another ultrasound, the 20 week one was supposed to be my last!).  I am hoping that my placenta begins to rise so that we can continue on with our natural birth plan.  If it hasn't, I guess we will deal with that when the time comes.

I'm really excited to start the nursery.  I plan to go shopping this weekend to start registering and to get ideas of what we like.  I hope that we can get the nursery furniture soon.  My mom and a few friends have offered to help paint the nursery when the time comes.  The good thing is that it is a small room.  I just want to have everything ready before she makes her arrival.  Daddy says his whole house is going to be pink!  :)  I can't promise that it won't be filled with barbies, dolls and dresses, but I can promise that the first time she bats her eye lashes at Daddy, his heart will melt.  I can just feel it, she's going to be a daddy's girl!

We have a few names that are in the running, we're about 99% sure which one we are going to pick.  We want to keep it a secret until we have it firmly in place though, just so we can avoid everyone's opinions and likes/dislikes.  I really like the name we have picked out though, I think it's really pretty.

Here's a few pictures of our little girl: