6.12.2013

Ideas for #3's nursery

The beauty of a new house is that I get to decorate a new nursery! I did a brown, green, and cream bunny themed nursery in the old house. I loved it but we left the curtains, bunny tie backs, and painted room behind us when we moved. This time around I decided on owls in oranges, blues, greens, and browns. I love starting off with a gender neutral palette and it was all inspired by the Treetop Friends bedding by Skip Hop. I bought the pillow, blanket, and sheets from this set. We don't do bumpers so I see no need in buying an entire set if I'm not going to use half of the products in the bag.

Skip Hop Treetop Friends

I decided on grey for the walls. I wanted a color that would could handle a lot of different styles so we won't need to paint again down the road when owls aren't cool anymore! I bought Dolphin Fin Grey by Behr and now am just waiting for it to magically put itself on our walls. 

Dolphin Fin Grey

My Mom is graciously going to make curtains for the baby's room. I really like an owl fabric from fabric.com, but it was a little busy. Mom suggested using it as a trim on the bottom and as a valance. That's why she's the pro. I am not sure what solid colored fabric I am going to use for the main part of the curtain, but hopefully Marlene can help me with that! 

Michael Miller Cocoa Berry Swedish Owls fabric

Here are some products that would be so adorable in the nursery:








Of course I have been working on my own special artwork for this little one's new room. It is a work in progress, but here is a sneak peak. I have had this project looming in the back of my head for months so it has felt great to finally get started. 

It is a 2 canvas project, but so far I love it!

I cannot wait to get the room painted and get started on decorating!








6.10.2013

We are getting stuff done!

The last two days have been pretty productive around here. I am not sure that I would call it nesting b/c my baseboards are still dirty and I don't care, but things are getting done. Yesterday Dave and a co-worker/friend drove down to the Springs and emptied out our storage unit. A lot of the baby stuff was down there along with a majority of our DVDs. I was really missing my Pride & Prejudice! While they were gone, our sitter came over to watch the boys while I was able to work without interruption. I cleaned the kitchen, baked some mini muffins, sanded and painted a nightstand, worked on art for the babies room, and cleaned some more. The boys were having a ball with their sitter which was nice too. 

Today we cleaned some more. I sprinkled the basement carpets with baking soda and let it sit for an hour. Dewey has been peeing down there and upstairs as I discovered today. Dave is going to make a vet appointment because this is not typical behavior for him and if he has an infection I want it to get taken care of ASAP. Also, this means we will need to get the carpets cleaned before the baby arrives. I spent half the morning scrubbing six different pee spots that I found. The joys of pet ownership. 

 Dewey the Menace

Anyway, today Dave worked in the yard a bit but his allergies were really acting up. I am so glad that I don't have seasonal allergies! He looked miserable poor guy. I finished painting the nightstand for the nursery and now need to wait a few days before putting on a few coats of polyurethane. It was an old Sauder telephone stand that my Grandma gave me years ago. Solid a rock, but an awful faux wood finish. It looks fantastic already plus I bought a cute little owl know for the door. 

A work in progress

For dinner I made a lentil loaf, mustard greens from our garden, and chopped up a watermelon. My blood sugar levels have been great so I am doing something right. We took a walk afterwards in the 80+ degree heat. I was definitely dragging, but the only time my sugar spiked was when I ate fruit with dinner and did not take a walk. Yesterday I made two mini muffin recipes. One was from the diabetic living and it was vanilla cake donut muffins and the other was a healthy mini muffin recipe I found online. The vanilla cake donuts I made in my mini muffin tin and I used regular brown sugar, but I did not put the cinnamon and truvia mix on top. The other mini muffins I used applesauce in place of the juice, added about 2 Tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk to thin the batter, and did 1/2 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup diced apples. I also replaced one egg with egg beaters and baked them in a mini muffin tin at 350 F for 15 minutes. Neither of them spiked my sugar either! It is so nice have a glucometer so now I can be a little more adventurous in my eating. Before I got it I had absolutely no added sugar for over a week and I am a dessert girl. 

my mini muffins


In the past 2ish months we have been making changes with how we handle the boys' tantrums, eating habits, and general behavior. They are eating their meals much better since we switched to only 1 snack in between meals. The snack is also way more healthy than before. They now get cottage cheese with fruit, yogurt with cinnamon and flax, apples with peanut butter, pretzels with hummus, cheese and crackers, etc.. Gone are the days of processed foods for snacking. This also means they are eating their breakfast, lunch, and dinner too. They are eating lentil loaf, quinoa with tahini and spinach, beets, and all the other healthy meals I have been cooking. It is a far cry from Archie throwing up food that he didn't like and Fletcher running away from the table after two bites. 

I also read the book "1-2-3 Magic" by Thomas Phelan. It's funny because I talked with Grandma about it and she was like, "Isn't counting how everyone does it?" I am surprised at how effective it is and how i am yelling far less than I used to on a daily basis. Most times they stop at the count at 2 and they usually only get time outs when they physically hurt someone because that is an automatic 3. We have seen the biggest improvement in Fletcher. He is still a handful, but at least I don't feel like I am constantly treading water with him anymore. They are both good boys though. Right now Archie is sharing his most favorite toys with his baby brother. They are very sweet with each sometimes. 

 Fletcher is allowed iPad access again. 

"drink like a big boy" 

Playing at the new park

He is getting so big!

6.05.2013

Double Rainbow

Yesterday right before our family walk it started to rain. The upside is that the kids got to see a gorgeous double rainbow from our balcony. Archie is still asking to see the rainbow this morning and I'm having a hard time explaining to him that rainbows don't happen all of the time. Of course I had to go into extreme detail about how you can only see rainbows if the sun is behind you, and it is currently raining, and the light is just right, etc... The curse of the educated. Anyway, here is the beautiful double rainbow!



Say hello to my little friend...

...the Glucometer!
 
I finally met with my Dr. a week and half after getting my gestational diabetes diagnosis. It turns out that 2 of my 4 blood draws during the 3 hours test were abnormal. My fasting was high and my 2 hour draw was high. The 1 hour and 3 hours were withing normal range though. We talked about my diet, the fact that I had lost 4 lbs., and the size of the baby, which is right on track for 30 weeks. She told me it sounds like I am doing everything right and that my diagnosis shouldn't be a huge concern if I keep up with my current lifestyle. She gave me a glucometer, but only wants me to test twice/day and will call me in a week to see what my numbers have been. Based on that information she will decide what to do after that. If the numbers look good then she will only have be testing my blood sugars every other day to make sure they are on track.

I have tested my BSLs (blood sugar levels) 6 times so far. Only 1 draw has been over the recommended limit by 7 mg/dl. The others were in the 70s and 80s. The high draw came after a meal in which I normally wouldn't have had an apple with, but I cut one up for the boys and ate the other half. I also didn't take my walk immediately after dinner like normal either. Knowing what certain foods are doing to my body is quite fascinating. However, knowing how much additional test strips cost, even with insurance, has limited my curiosity to two times/day. I am testing my fasting level in the morning and then alternating which meal I test 2 hours postprandial (after eating). With my levels being so much under the recommended 120 mg/dl at 2 hours postprandial, I am thinking that I have been too conservative with my carbs.

Despite things looking pretty good, I am still going to be getting NSTs (non stress tests) at every bimonthly appointment, 1-2 more ultrasounds to check the growth of the baby, and my Dr. doesn't want me to go past 39 weeks. If I don't go into labor naturally before then, however, I may fight her on that because if the size of the baby is looking normal then I don't see a need to be induced. Since my boys were born at 37 and 38 weeks, respectively, I am not too worried that this LO will wait much past 39 weeks anyway.

I am finding some great recipes for diabetes online and am thoroughly enjoying some of these new dishes I never would have found otherwise. For dinner last night I made Penne with Walnuts and Peppers and wilted mustard greens from our garden. They were delicious! My night time snack was a ricotta cheese spread in 1/2 a roll up with blueberries. Dinner two nights ago was Black Bean Salad in a pita with hummus with Roasted Snap Peas. We have been eating so well since this diagnosis!

30 weeks

6.02.2013

Another garden post.

We finally went to the nursery earlier and got some plants to spruce up our front. The previous owners of our house have a lot of nice non flowering perennials around the yard so we were waiting to see what else would pop up. There is not a lot of color so we went to the nursery to grab a few to make our house more inviting. I love salvia and Dave loves columbine so those were definitely on the list. I also grabbed some colorful annuals for our pots and then another ornamental grass to fill in a gap near our driveway. Next yer we will probably build a stone planter in front of the porch and fill it with colorful perennials. Until then, this is our little front yard oasis.

Walking up to our house

The greenery bordering our driveway.

Flowering vines and rosebush planted by the previous owners.

Our potted plants. Waiting for many to grow bigger. 

The large pot was left by the previous owners. We planted columbine around it. 

Close up of the columbine with a leftover dusty miller. 

1 white and 2 purple salvia.

Today we planted mimulus, zinnia, coleus, geranium, dusty miller, ribbon grass, and I think marigold. Archie picked up some yellow flowers that weren't labeled so I am guessing. I do not have the green thumb that my parents possess, but I do like having my own yard to try and make pretty. I also have Dave who gets excited about the garden every year. I cannot wait to see what it looks like in a few years!


Produce, gardens, and outdoor play.

This has been a rather uneventful week around these parts. We were pretty much homebodies only leaving to take a daily walk. In fact, I didn't go anywhere in a vehicle from Friday to Wednesday. We did get to have dinner with my friend and old roomie Heather though. She was in town on business for the week and it was really nice to see her. Archie especially enjoyed showing off for his new friend. Luckily the restaurant wasn't very busy as the boys were not cooperating and staying in their seats go figure.

We have successfully completed our first month of menu planning and bi-monthly food shopping. I had to modify a few of the last weeks recipes to accommodate for my new diet, but we actually had most things on hand. Turns out my new shopping habits are conducive to a diabetic diet! I am learning which fruits and veggies will last the full 2 weeks and what I need to use in the first week. These are just what I am experiencing in my refrigerator and climate.

Use within week:

  • bananas
  • strawberries
  • blueberries
  • avocado
  • leaf lettuce
  • mushrooms
  • asparagus
  • stone fruit (if you buy it ripe)
  • fresh, cut herbs (freeze if you aren't using within a few days)
  • green onions
Lasts longer than 1 week, but not quite 2:
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • cucumbers
  • stone fruit (if you buy it slightly under ripe)
  • tomatoes
  • brussel sprouts
  • melons (if you don't cut them right away. Once cut they last less than 1 week)
  • bell peppers
Lasts the full 2 weeks:
  • celery
  • carrots
  • spinach
  • apples
  • zucchini
  • romaine lettuce
  • lemons
  • onions
  • sweet potato
  • garlic
  • living basil plant (we keep it a cup on our counter and fill with water. Still going strong after 2 weeks.)
I have been chopping and freezing celery, carrots, bell peppers, green onions, bananas, strawberries, and spinach with great success. Frozen spinach is great in smoothies, soups, and casseroles. I just bought cilantro that I plan on washing and freezing later today. Our garden is starting to produce some vegetables as well. We have got spinach and mustard greens so far and the tomatoes and strawberries are looking good too. Dave planted around 10-15 different fruits and veggies so we will see what works well. 

 Dave and his garden!

 Spinach

Strawberries

On Friday we went to the toy store because Archie has been asking for a doll for weeks. After looking at about 5 aisles of dolls, however, he decided that he wanted cars instead. We did end up getting a sandbox for the boys though. They have a sand and water table, but the two always got mixed together so that is now just a water table and sand stays in the sand box - in theory. Our backyard is slowly being taken over by kid toys, but it keeps us outside a lot so I don't mind. 



Today Dave planted the peach tree that he bought last weekend and we are going to get some flowers planted in the front yard. I want to put salvia and columbine in the ground and then get some annuals in our pots for the front porch. There are some great non-flowering plants in our front yard from the previous owners, but I want more color. Spring is so beautiful in Colorado!

Watering our new peach tree.