Spanish Olive

Jonathan is a handy husband who loves to learn and tackle home projects (one of the great qualities I love about him). Last June or July, we decided to tear out the master shower and tile it. It was a cultured marble surround shower and those tend to have issues with draining and in the long run, don't hold up well. When we would use the shower, it had an awful smell because the water was sitting beneath the floor and not draining...let me just tell you, it was a rancid smell and we understood why after he ripped it out! See the nasty picture below...

Yuck!

Long story short, we have two baths so we used the guest bath in the meantime with no pressure to complete the project by a certain time. We took a while to pick out tile and finally made a decision after 200 trips to Home Depot, visiting online sites, returning samples etc. Jonathan did all of the front end work and was eager to tile it himself but with the baby coming soon, no experience cutting/tiling, we decided to hire someone to complete the job. So thankful we did and we still saved a nice chunk of change by doing the demolition and rebuild ourselves.

The new shower

We love it

We have our master shower back and it looks great and smells even better! The shower was completed two weeks ago and we were thinking about paint colors and I found the perfect color I had been looking for on houzz.com...Benjamin Moore's Spanish olive. Perfection. We purchased the paint yesterday and painted most of the afternoon and will finish it today. Our bathroom is small so we are using the color in the bedroom and bath which is easy peasy.

This brings me to share that I am in full nesting mode, deep cleaning window seals, blinds, baseboards and more...with a TOOTHBRUSH. It needed it anyway but it just feels so fresh to have a new coat of paint on the walls and know that everything is clean. I'll be honest, I had high hopes to complete my nesting to-do's but I haven't felt like doing much these past few weeks. I don't feel bad but it's exhausting to bend over or stand on my feet for more than 30 minutes at a time so I'm happy to have a burst of energy and we can wrap it up before Denson is here. I know we are going to sleep like angels with that soothing Spanish olive color on the walls...including Denson...I know, I have high hopes :)

Picturescourtesy of Houzz.com (not our room or bath)

Contemporary Bedroom design by San Francisco Architect Sutro Architects

Traditional Bathroom design by Philadelphia General Contractor Hanson General Contracting, Inc.

In other news, I will be 39 weeks on Monday and we go for our appointment Tuesday to see what is happening and talk about possible plans for delivery. I feel great and Denson seems quite comfy in his little spot. His feet frequently kick the right side of my belly and he was very active last night when we were at Allison and Adam's house; although I think his movement had something to do with the 3 HUGE cookies I consumed from Icing on the Cookie. They have the best cookies around! These last weeks have been surreal because we know our lives are about to change forever and it's exciting. I feel time is slowing down and it's God's way of blessing us with focus and conversation, blessing our marriage and treasured time together as two. My cup is overflowing and Jonathan and I are truly humbled by the daily blessings in our lives. Denson will be our biggest blessing but we don't hesitate to remember the blessings that seem so small in everyday life and I pray we always remember to thank Him for those too.

36 weeks and counting

The holidays came and went very quickly and here I am at 36 weeks! Time seemed to pick up as soon as we had Thanksgiving and it hasn't slowed down yet. We also celebrated both of our birthdays in December...last birthdays before we're mom and dad! Jonathan and I enjoyed visiting with both families and overindulging in some delicious food :) We were so thankful to make one last quick trip to Florida to see Grammy and Popa Tom. Grammy fell right before Thanksgiving which really scared me and I knew she probably wouldn't be able to make it to Birmingham until after Denson is born. The trip was relaxing and we had a good time with mom & Don too. My pregnancy has been pretty moderate but I need to give more credit to Jonathan for being so supportive and truly making everything more comfortable. He has been rubbing my back and feet even before they were really uncomfortable (and even before I was pregnant :)). He's been so calm and excited and I have such joy to anticipate the incredible father he is going to be. Love him so much and can't wait to meet our little man!

Symptoms:
-Sleeping has been more challenging just because it's difficult to get comfortable and I am up using the bathroom at least five times throughout the night

-Slight contractions have started which don't really hurt but are just uncomfortable

-Pressure in the pelvic area and sometimes painful walking or getting up

-Swelling a little bit in legs and hands; I can no longer wear my wedding rings which makes me sad

-Cravings have been cereal, milk, ice cream...I craved pears over the holidays which was great; we made pears with goat cheese and pecans- delish!

I am so ready to meet Denson, to hold him and have him here! My big appointment went well and he looks and sounds great. He is head down and seems to be dropping. I have not started progressing yet which is normal for first babies but that doesn't mean things can't happen at any moment so we are ready. Car seats are installed, hospital bag is halfway packed and everything else is pretty close to ready. My baby shower is this weekend which I'm really anxious to have because I am getting so close to the due date. I am so thankful for my sister and friends who have worked hard to put it together...I know it will be beautiful and Denson is already blessed with so much love from all these sweet people.

My to-do list for the next weeks:
-deep clean the house (windows, baseboards)
-organize his dresser, wash his clothes
-get baskets for his changing table
-hang the rest of the pictures in nursery
-put bedding on the crib and cradle
-finish packing our hospital bag
-update his baby book
-read my books
-prepare frozen casseroles with mom

It's a new year, a new phase of life for us and we are so thankful for each day. I am humbled that God has chosen Jonathan and I to be parents and bring a sweet baby boy into this world. At small group last night, we discussed New Years resolutions and the paths we are headed on. This is a verse we shared that is the theme for our growing family this year.

Romans 12:2
"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know to learn God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."