Nursery Stuff: Dresser

Danny and I finished up the last step of our dresser makeover tonight, so I thought I'd share the dresser story with you. As always, scroll to the end if you just want to see the dresser.

I know I've mentioned that we already own a mid-century dresser that I ruined with paint a few years ago (ugh). Here she is:

Back when I was feeling ambitious, I planned on refinishing that sucker—but as time wore on, the thought of all that stripping and sanding and priming and staining became overwhelming. Plus, if we used that huge dresser, we wouldn't be able to put anything else, like the Ikea Expedit, on that wall.

I searched Craigslist relentlessly for nearly 3 months—to no avail. The very same day I gave up and decided to just buy a changing table from Target (Seriously. Like, 3 hours after Danny told his mom she could buy us a changing table), I stumbled upon this stud (and his taller brother that'll go in our bedroom) on Craigslist:

Looks way better in this "before" photo I took than it did in real life.

I don't know why my gut told me to check Craigslist one more time, but it did. They're in very good condition, and we snagged them both for $200.

However, they looked very dull and dry, which this picture captures nicely:

I also wasn't a fan of this:

Freaking Formica!

...or this:

Disgusting drawer liners.

...but I knew we could remedy these situations.

We borrowed some supplies from my friend, Melanie, who happens to know and love all things furniture.

First we scrubbed the dresser down with Murphy's Oil Soap. Next, we applied Howard's Restor-A-Finish with fine-grit steel wool, then wiped it dry. Last, we polished the entire surface with Howard's Feed-N-Wax. This process really brought the piece to life, and it took less than 2 hours.

I removed the gross drawer liner and replaced it with some pretty gift wrap I found at T.J.Maxx.

I ordered a cut-to-order piece of laminated vinyl from Chic Shelf Paper to cover up the Formica and help tie the piece in with the crib. I have to be completely honest and admit that there are bubbles all over the surface of that thing, and try as we might, we can't get rid of them.

Anyway, this isn't the most fantastic picture in the world, but here's the final result:

All shiny and lovely.

Yay!

35 Weeks = Baguette

Today's a really happy milestone: 35/35; I'm exactly 35 weeks pregnant, and I have 35 days left until my due date. Booyah!

Anyway, right now, Arlo's about as long as this loaf of garlic bread:

Windy and rainy. I'm tired of Cleveland ruining my bump photos.

I probably don't need to tell you that I'm improvising again this week. I charged through the grocery store like a tape-measure-wielding maniac until I found something that's about 18" long.

Arlo's been having lots of hiccups this week, which is strange and adorable. I was wondering if I'd ever get to feel baby hiccups, so we can cross that one off the list. By now, most of his physical development is complete, and his main job is to put on weight. Easy, fella—I've seen those cankles (and Lord, do I love them).

I've had a pretty good week—a little of this, a little of that... lots of exhaustion... about what you'd expect of an 8-month-pregnant body. I try to keep things in perspective and treat every painful leg cramp or trip to the bathroom as a little reminder that I'm pregnant with an awesome, healthy baby.

Nursery Stuff: Lighting

We've been busy working on the nursery lately (almost done!), but I haven't been sharing much of our progress because I don't want to give away too much too soon. Since the pendant's on the ceiling, I can show you that without revealing too much of the room.

Anyway, I knew I wanted to make a statement with the ceiling fixture, but I didn't want to spend a fortune. When Danny and I saw the Knappa Pendant at Ikea, we knew it was the one. Interesting + $25 = Come to mama.

When we got it home, though, we were bummed to find out that it's meant to be plugged into an outlet and hung like this:

Ugh. Ikea directions. 

That wasn't going to fly, so we enlisted the help of our handy friend, Joe, and he figured out a way to hang it from the existing ceiling bracket using a $17 "pendant fitter" from Lowe's.

I should mention that putting the actual pendant together was a nightmare in itself. Just as I was contemplating shoving all of those stupid little pieces down the garbage disposal, Danny (and YouTube) came to the rescue.

Here's the end result, which I adore:

Can you see those birch trees in the background, you sneaky devil? 

Thanks, Joe!

34 Weeks = Bowl of Oranges

Today, I'm 34 weeks and 2 days pregnant, and Arlo(!!) probably weighs just under 6 pounds now. The 8 oranges in this bowl weigh a total of 5lbs 10oz. I'm just improvising this week—and will probably continue to do so—since the fruit comparison charts I was using are nonsensical and really annoying.

I'm sure I looked like a lunatic when I was weighing these at the grocery store, swapping them out and trying to find the perfect combination for this week's representation. It took longer than I care to admit. (And my eyes say it all here. I can hardly stay awake.)

Arlo can recognize simple songs now, and he's urinating about a pint a day. He's just jammin' and peein' and having a grand old time in there.

Let's zoom in on that thing.

My symptoms haven't been too terrible this week. Aside from incessant peeing (waaaaay more than a pint a day) and exhaustion, I had a weird episode of seeing cloudy spots when I was driving home from the mall on Sunday. Supposedly, blurry vision is common around this time, and is caused by a combination of hormones, fluid buildup, and lack of sleep. At least I know I'm probably not going blind, thank goodness.

40 days to go!

What's in a Name?

Poppyseed, Appleseed, Sweet Pea, Blueberry...Watermelon…

Baby Boy, our son, our dancer, Little Man, Guido…

Our fighter, our trouper, our miracle…

The one who saved me:

Arlo.

33 Weeks = 5-Pound Weight

Today, I'm 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant, and at this point, babies weigh between 4.2 and 5.8 pounds, like a durian. Yesterday, the ultrasound tech guessed that Guido is about 5lbs 2oz. right now, so I really phoned it in this week and busted out a 5-pound weight to represent him. This was better than trying to hunt down a durian, whatever that is.  

By now, Guido's eyes are open when he's awake. His skeleton is hardening, and his brain is developing like crazy.

When I think of symptoms, "sweaty" springs to mind—along with exhausted, stretch marks, linea nigra, heartburn, swollen feet, and round ligament pain. All that said, I really do feel fine overall. Just not as fine as I did a couple weeks ago... and I know I'm just going to get more uncomfortable as time goes on. Sign me up!

Breech-ish Baby

We had an appointment today, at 33 weeks and 1 day, to see where exactly Guido's hanging out in there. He did move slightly—but in the wrong direction. Naturally. He's somewhere between transverse and breech now. We'll discuss this issue at my next appointment in 2 weeks.

Aside from that news, it was a pretty uneventful appointment. We did get to see our little chubs, though—and he was as uncooperative and camera shy as always. We've still never gotten a good glimpse of his face, but this just means we'll be extra surprised when he arrives.

I love that his nose somehow looks like both Danny's and mine here. (And only a mommy could look at a photo this distorted and cry because her baby is so beautiful.)  

The ultrasound tech (I first typed "ultratech sound," which made me laugh out loud just now) estimates that Guido is currently about 5lbs 2oz, meaning he's measuring approximately a week ahead. He'll most likely be pushing 9 pounds at birth if he continues to grow at the rate he has been.

I always assumed I'd have smaller babies because my mom and sister did, but this dude apparently has other ideas. Do your thang, Guido.