Nursery Inspiration Boards

Aside from cleaning out the closets, I really haven't done much to prepare the guest room for becoming a nursery yet. I even have an unopened can of Kilz primer sitting in the room, waiting to cover up that deep red wall so that I can go over it with a nice gray-green or another calming hue. There's just something about nursery-izing a room... I guess it makes everything OFFICIAL. I don't want to get ahead of myself.

That's not to say I haven't been THINKING about what a Baby G nursery could look like. Depending on whether it's a boy or a girl, I put together a couple of options (click the photos to view larger):

Baby Girl Gaultney

Sources:

Niagra Blue, Valspar
Jenny Lind Crib, unknown
Pinwale Alphabet, Anthropologie
Sewing Basket Kids' Apron, Anthropologie
Quirky Heirloom Throw, Anthropologie
Buttonwood Curtain, Anthropologie
Venus Mirror, Anthropologie
Choisis la Joie print, Eva Juliet (Etsy)
Kitten Bandit print, theblackapple (Etsy)
Cold Toes Warm Heart print, theblackapple (Etsy)
Cori and the Bear print, Paola Zakimi (Etsy)
Coral Bay fabric, Calico Corners
Ellina Chintz fabric, Calico Corners
Hatteras Outdoor Buttercream fabric, Calico Corners
Wildflowers Double Hook, Urban Outfitters
Recycled T-shirt rug, handmade
Lotus Flower Chandelier, Viva Terra
Luca Glider, Real Baby Inc.
Natures Purest Sleepy Safari Knit Elephant, Baby Village
Hanging Paper Flowers, handmade
Acid Etch Letter, Urban Outfitters

Baby Boy Gaultney

Sources:

Deep Sea Curtain, Anthropologie
Royal Navy, Valspar
Denmark Crib, Natural, Amazon
Pique Nursery Bedding, Dark Navy, Pottery Barn Kids
Sailing Ship Sketch, Anthropologie
Brass Key Sample Set, Amazon
Brass letters, unknown
Wonders Never Cease print, theblackapple (Etsy)
Keep Calm and Sail On print, KeepCalmShop (Etsy)
Yacht Club Plaid fabric, Calico Corners
Sultana Lattice fabric, Calico Corners
Inlet View fabric, Calico Corners
Gazelle Trophy Wall Sculpture, Urban Outfitters
Devil Whale Wall Art, Urban Outfitters
Bone Finish Globe, Ballard Designs
Rope Knot Doorstop, Ballard Designs
Capel Shell Collection rug in Camel, Rugs USA
Industrial Cage Lights, unknown
Luca Glider, Real Baby Inc.
Uncle Goose Hebrew Alphabet Blocks, Magic Beans
Knit Octopus, unknown

I made those inspiration boards well over a month ago, and I've already pretty much changed my mind on the Baby Boy Gaultney room. I could still see it having a sailor/nautical theme, but that room doesn't get a ton of light, so I might need a lighter/brighter color for the walls. Whatever I choose, I want either room to be able to "grow up" with the little one and not be too babyish. I am in love with the little girl room, but I have a feeling we may be going with the nautical theme, if you know what I mean.

Oh, and I should mention that INSPIRATION is the key word here. Many of the sources I used are going to be WAY too expensive, but I'll look for something similar.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Other favorite sources I should check out?

Reflecting

Since I haven't shared much about what this new chapter means to me, a few brief thoughts:

To think that God would use us to create a life, an eternal soul--one that we will shepherd and nourish--is nothing short of stunning. I have been feeling so blessed, truly, and there's no other word for it. Feeling so honored that I would be entrusted with this huge responsibility, and wanting to live up to that calling. Sometimes, this feels like the first "grown up" thing I've ever done. And yet I expect this little life to make me more child-like in many ways, too. Already, I am looking at everything and everyone around me differently, with more grace and depth and tenderness, and I know that's not of myself, but it's the work that God has been doing in me for years, and is continuing to do in me as I answer this new calling. It's truly supernatural.


Children are a heritage from the LORD,
   offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
   are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
   whose quiver is full of them.
Psalm 127:3-5a

Genetics

I decided a few weeks ago to do a very standard screening test to see if Baby G has any markers for Down Syndrome. That's when I got to watch the cutest fetus in the world wriggle and squirm on the ultrasound, as you saw in the video. The test involved taking a measurement of Baby's head (the nuchal fold) and drawing a blood sample to see if a certain protein was present. It took a while for my doctor's office to get back to me, but the good news is it looks like the Babe Gaultney has a very low risk of having Down Syndrome or serious congenital heart problems.

To borrow from the American Pregnancy Association's website, this test is approximately 85 percent accurate with a false positive rate of 5 percent. This means that:

• Approximately 85 out of every 100 babies affected by the abnormalities addressed by the screen will be identified.
• Approximately 5 percent of all normal pregnancies will receive a positive result or an abnormal level.
• A positive test means that you have a 1/100 to 1/300 chance of experiencing one of the abnormalities.

In related news, I'm taking a genetics and ethics course at SMU right now. My professor is convinced she is going to terrify me with all of the chromosomal disorders we're going to talk about, but I am truly not apprehensive about the course. I figure there is absolutely nothing I can do about it now, if the baby were to have some abnormality, so why get worked up? The most interesting chromosomal disorder I have learned about so far is called Lesch-Nyhan's, where an X chromosome mutation causes the sufferer to self-mutilate. An M.D. who is a student in the class said he treated a case where the child would try to bite all of his fingers off and bash his head against walls. People afflicted with this disorder have to be strapped into beds, sedated, kept in padded rooms... It's terrible, and truly amazing how important balance is in our bodies. If you have an extra set of chromosomes, a missing set, or if a chromosome is bigger or smaller than it should be, it can throw everything off.

The course has also got me thinking about dominant and recessive traits. What eye color is Baby most likely to have? As it turns out, since Brad and I both have hazel eyes, it's awfully hard to predict. Interesting, anyway!

This is sort of a rambling post. I'll end by saying we're really grateful that Baby G seems to be healthy so far!

Bump, Week 14

There's a gnarly shadow on this picture, but I see a tiny bump sprouting!

And the Beat Goes On

We got to hear Baby G's heartbeat at our appointment today. Just so cool. Dr. Norwood said it was beating at 130 beats per minute. He said at this stage anywhere from 120 - 180 is normal. Guess despite how active s/he was at the last ultrasound, s/he's pretty cool, calm and collected when it comes to matters of the heart!

Click below to play the recording Brad took. That's Brad's voice right at the end. By the way, Brad says, "HE's pretty active..." Wondering if that slip of the tongue means somebody wants Baby G to be a boy?! (We won't find out the gender until early March.)

Bump, Week 13.5

Starting to get a little thicker.

Ultrasound Video, 13 weeks

Well, the news is out! I told my work on Friday, and they reacted better than I could have ever expected. We told some friends over the weekend, and today I had an ultrasound to do standard prenatal screening tests. The doctor thought everything looked good, and we'll know more at the end of the week.

Since Brad wasn't able to be there, the ultrasound tech took a DVD of the whole thing for me. She even did the 4D ultrasound feature for a part of it, which I didn't expect! She just needed to take a small measurement at the back of the baby's head, but Baby G was not cooperating. It worked out GREAT for me, because I ended up with more than 15 minutes of footage of the little guy or gal squirming around for the camera. I edited it to 5:30 minutes, don't worry. The doctor said our baby is "very photogenic," and that you usually don't see images this good at 13 weeks! (Can you tell I'm already a proud mama?!)

Here is a link to the video so you can watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAl-x_3viBk

And here is the embedded video, in case you'd like to play it on the blog:



I narrated it to make what you're seeing a little clearer. I may have gotten some of it a little wrong (like at one point I say the baby is facing backward when I think it's actually facing forward), so don't pay too much attention to what I'm saying. :)

Surprising the Grandparents

Brad and I were so thrilled to find out right after Thanksgiving that we were expecting, and we started right away thinking of how to surprise our families with the news. The timing was great... the next time we would be with our families would be over the Christmas holiday. We decided to put a sonogram picture in a cute frame, then wrap it like a Christmas gift. Brad filmed our moms' reactions:

Teresa, a.k.a. Nonnie (or Nonna):



Nancy, a.k.a. Meeme (pronounced Mimi):



A bunch of friends have asked me how I was able to wait that long (I was almost 10 weeks when we told our families - about a month after we found out; I waited until 13 weeks to tell my closest friends). For me, it honestly was not much of a challenge at all. There was something so sweet and special about cherishing a "secret" like this with only Brad. In a way, I knew that once I started to tell people, this special news would be a little less "mine" and a little more "everyone else's." Not at all to say I didn't want to celebrate with our families, but I just knew I could put it off for a few weeks and ponder all these things in my heart. It's just a personality thing, I guess. I have dear friends who told everyone they know and even strangers the day they found out, and I think that's great!

If pregnancy has taught me anything so far, it's that everyone is different.