Bathroom Reno - Before Pics and Plans

Who is ready to see another transition in our house? I know everyone is waiting for the nursery reveal, and in due time, but for now, lets take a look back at the bathroom and how far its come:

Here is how it looked before we moved in:

Still don't miss that green!!
And then after we moved in:

Knowing it would be a full on gut job, we just touched up the paint and décor - easy fix. You can check out this POST talking about what all went down at that point.

And this is what it looked like last month:

Essentially the same - I just like to change the shower curtain up every now and then!

And today it is looking on the rather rough side:

Check out that border!! It actually matches the current wall color!!

Those side panels are coming down too, but M needs to remove the pot lights first, as it is all connected!

Oh and yes, that is mold!! Seeing this makes me soo happy to be replacing it all! That dry wall will be replaced. We have a professional tiler coming in to do the bathtub surround!!

Won't miss that tub, those floors, the cracked sink, the mold, the leaks, etc.

The plans?

Well we have a new tub going in, since that one leaks, new double sink vanity, I am thinking this one from Costco:

But we need to inquire about how the plumbing part works. Not sure if it will work.

Flooring and tile:

We are going with barn board floors, very rustic feeling and the tile is actually a little more taupe than this picture shows.

So basically we want a rustic, bright, spa like feel for in there. I have not even started with paint colors, aside from grabbing a bunch of chips!

We will have 2 stages for the reno, with the initial one going down now, with new tub, vanity, floors, paint, fan installation and tile and lighting. Stage 2 will be a new bathroom door, and floor to ceiling cabinets on the wall, pictured above with the dresser, for storage, as we don't have a true linen closet.

Oh and this is all to be done before Baby V arrives! Well Stage 1 is, stage 2 can wait. M is starting to feel the pressure now, especially when the doctor told us the baby could come anytime now.

We are down to one bathroom right now and M is learning that sharing the bathroom with a pregnant woman is no fun! No more hour long book readings... I still don't even know how that is comfortable...

Wish us luck!!

33 Weeks

How Far Along:

33 weeks - January 19 - 25, 2014

 

Size Of Baby?

A Durian? Can't say I have ever seen or had one of these...

Baby is sleeping about 95% of the time. The umbilical cord is providing antibodies now that will help the baby fight infections once s/he is born. Baby is gaining 1/2 a pound a week now! Baby's bones are hardening.

Less than 50 days to go!! 

  

Maternity Clothes?

Ya we didn't venture into any regular clothes this week! My maternity jeans bands are no longer folded down, they need to be pulled right up. Gotta love those fancy lines.

Stretch Marks?

Still just a small one, but nothing really noticeable.

 

Gender?

Team Green!

What the Doctor Had To Say:

Baby is doing great!!! Measuring ahead!! Placenta function is great! He did increase my blood pressure meds, I had no protein in my urine this week, so that was progress. His concerns being obviously pre-eclampsia, so he is keeping a close eye on things. Delivery at this point could be anytime between 36-39 weeks, but obviously there are too many variables to come up with a distinct plan at this point. He instructed me to watch for swelling, and other pre-eclampsia symptoms, and of course to take it easy! 

  

Sleep?
I am waking up more and more frequently, whether it be to use the bathroom, roll over or overall insomnia.

More and more bathroom breaks, as well as leg cramps and Charlie horses.

Baby Purchases This Week:

Foam for the bassinet. 

I ordered the the "You Are Loved" book collection by Nancy Tillman. I want to make sure the baby has the book On The Night You Were Born for when we are in the hospital. I also love the book Whereever You Are, My Love Will Find You. Love love love the author!!

The recliner for the nursery came in this week!! Now we can officially set up the room.

Made this Week:

M cut the foam for the bassinet - does that count? 

We weren't really home this week to accomplish many hands-on tasks. 

Cravings/Aversions?

Cannot get enough water!
Baby is loving chocolate kisses!
Still working on eating smaller meals and avoiding garlic, as the heartburn/reflux is the worst after!

   

Movement?
Baby is kicking up a storm still. Loves music.
Baby has officially found my rib cage! 

Feeling?

A lot better after seeing my doctor. A little reassurance goes a long way!! 

Braxton and Hicks contractions are becoming more and more frequent. Luckily they don't last and aren't overly painful. 

I definitely tire easy and am working really hard at taking it easy, as well as getting things ready for baby now, knowing it really could be anytime.

Charlie horses have been bad this week, but it is most likely caused my increase in blood pressure meds. 

Feet swelling.

  

Highlights:
Seeing sweet Baby V!! Baby is head down and in position, so we didn't get a picture unfortunately, but as long as baby stays put, I'm ok with it! 

Having everything we need for the baby in the house! This makes my nesting self very happy and feels like a huge accomplishment! We are still waiting for the mama-roo to come in, but I have got shipping notice!

M and I were away again in the middle of the week for his yearly drainage conference, so we were hotel staying again. We did have a formal dinner to attend:

I seriously felt large and in charge. I wasn't a fan of the dress, I would have preferred something black, although I got a lot of compliments, and M loved it and chose it (not that I had a lot of selection to choose from) I was not 100% comfortable in it. It fit fine, was just brighter than I wanted. 

We changed the nursery furniture around. Everything is washed, and in the process of finding a home! I also started packing the diaper bag, just need wipes (which I haven't bought yet) and burp clothes which I need to make still! 

Belly Button?

In, but it is getting flatter and flatter. I still don't think it will pop.

 

Wedding Rings?

I took them off on Thursday. After noticing my feet swelling, which could have just been from the long day before on my feet, I would have been upset to wake up and have hand swelling and have to get my rings cut off! Better safe than sorry. They may reappear, as they were still loose, but for now, until this resolves they will remain off! 

Best Moment of the Week?

Seeing sweet Baby V takes the win this week. Crazy to think we will be meeting soo soon!! I can't wait to find out what the baby is! The closer we get, the more I wonder. Crazy how much I love this little peanut already!! 

Crazy Pregnancy Moment:

The house key that wouldn't work.
I am pretty sure a combination of baby brain and not being able to leave the house for a month caused this one. But now that I am able to leave the house, I was having issues with my keys and was unable to lock the door. I told M my key was broken. Everyone else's key worked, just not mine! M finally took the time to check it and discovered I was using the front door key to try to unlock the side door. He then reminded me that I was missing part of my key chain that has the right key on it, along with the other house keys. I was soo confused. Then he found the keys, and quickly I remembered! Luckily my keys are all together now!!

  

Bump Pic:

23 Weeks 

(You may recognize this same shirt as posted above, just 10 weeks later) 

13 weeks: 

3 weeks:

Looking Forward To:

   Getting a few more projects done for the nursery. Its all really starting to come together!!  

Weekend Rewind

Our weekend was a productive one to say the least. Although we were nailed with yet another snow storm, as in 4 foot snow drifts kind of storm.

Friday night it all started, the productivity and the storm. The recliner for the nursery came in, so we could finally decide on the room layout, as that was the last big thing we were waiting for in there. 

We opted to change the room around despite my original plans, but I actually like the layout now. The chair is big, and so very comfy - I will have no problem feeding the baby in in, or falling asleep in it:

Mike had to get up early to take his parents to Toronto for their flight at 5:30 AM. Needless to say I didn't sleep well, knowing he was going out in the storm and it was nasty out. But they made it to the airport alright and M made it back home, just in time before they shut the highway down. However, the next issue was him trying to get into the driveway. We had 4 ft snow drifts on each side (we have 2 driveways). 

So he headed straight to the farm to get the snow blower on the tractor and had it blown out in no time. Our little snow blower died last year, so luckily this was available. 

By the time he got home, it was lunch time, so with very little groceries in the house, we managed to make sandwiches. Needless to say we weren't about to go into town to get groceries. 

Saturday was Brandon's Birthday, but my sister ended up having to postpone it due to the weather. So I washed all the baby clothes, swaddles, blankets, towels, etc, folded them and found homes for them all!! I also made the crib all up: 

We will have to add some color to the wall above the crib with the babies name, once s/he is here and we decide on one!  I'm sure the mobile will help too. I got a lot of organizing done in the nursery, so that was a great feeling. The only things really left are shelves to hang, bookshelves to make, growth board to make, and books to put away. The one thing with gender nuetral, is that you can't fill all the drawers yet, just the gender nuetral stuff. 

With the baby living on the main floor for the first 3 months, diapers will need to be stored on the main floor, as well as some sleepers. I fully expect to still use the nursery, but for convenience it will be nice to have a place for this stuff. 

While I was busy upstairs in the nursery, M emptied the bathroom, and started gutting it!! 

We made homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner (desperate measures over here) and relaxed in the evening after M walked the dogs. 

Sunday I got up and started the morning off with baking homemade chocolate chip cookies (Grandmas recipe of course), actually the dough was frozen leftovers from Christmas, so I really just had to scoop and bake them! I will make sure I freeze dough next time, it was soo easy and I used convection bake on the oven for the first time!! 

M was helping my Dad move the pool table and a freezer during the morning. When he got home, we went and finally got groceries. 

We headed to my sisters for Brandon's birthday and guess who forgot her camera and has no pics?? Oh that would be me. I also almost forgot my purse when leaving there... Can we say baby brain? 

Once we were home, we put away the groceries and relaxed on the couch. I watched the bachelor wedding and Grammies (flipped back and forth). 

Today I am working on some more baby projects. Which I started off with building the pack and play and it was rather frustrating. Glad we have a small one to travel with, because I would not want to be tearing this thing apart if I planned on using the bassinet/change pad portion!

Home Sweet Home Friday

Another week just zoomed on by! Just like another snow storm is about to zoom on in!! I'm soo over winter, and I know we have like 2/3 more months to go! Yuck!

This week was a busy one, as we had M's drainage conference. It was his last year on the board of directors for the land improvement contractors for Ontario (LICO). 

So after our long day of appointments on Tuesday (update coming next Tuesday, but so far so good), we checked in to our hotel and M was off to his first meeting. I got ready for dinner in the meantime. We had dinner at the Keg with the board and then M and I relaxed back in the hotel room afterwards. 

Wednesday I took part in the ladies program, while M had a day of meetings and seminars. They had an interior designer come in Sarah St. Amand come in and talk about the latest trends and tips and and tricks for design in our homes, how to achieve high end looks for less, etc. It was great! After that was laughter yoga - which was a bit of a flop as far as I was concerned. We had lunch afterwards and then the spa services started. I opted to have my hair done! The lady did a great job! When I was finished I heard back to my room to try to grab a cat nap sitting up (because I didn't want to wreck my hair). I ended up laying carefully without damaging my hair. Unfortunately, I awoke to the worst Charlie horse, infact I still have it today. I've tried heat, cold, walking, stretching, you name it and it won't release. 

Wednesday night we had a formal banquet to attend (at the head table nonetheless with me gimping along). M and I got all dressed up.

I felt large and incharge, despite M loving the dress and getting compliments, I was not overly confident in it! But it was one night and I didn't have many other choices. It was a long night on my feet. After dinner they did a casino night (a group comes in sets up various tables and you can gamble with fake money that you then trade in for raffle tickets at the end of the night for prizes). It was a lot of fun, but by the end of the night I was done. 

Thursday M had a tour and meetings to attend, so his Mom and I packed up and headed home, while his Dad stayed with M. We hit up lowes on the way home and bought the bathroom flooring. They didn't have the exact floor I wanted in stock, so I went with something a touch different. But I do love it!  Now we just need to pick a paint color and gut it! 

When he got home we just went to the restaurant here in the village for wing night. It felt soo nice to sleep in my own bed last night. Baby must have been happy too, because I only woke up once for a bathroom break. 

Unfortunately while we were gone, we missed Miss Lily's birthday!! Hard to believe she is 6!!! Wasn't she just a pup yesterday?? 

Can't wait to see her with the sweet baby though!! 

Let's talk about a winner for the custom onsie giveaway shall we?? Nicole from Haute Runner is the lucky winner!! Congrats Nicole! I will be in contact with you regarding this soon!!

The recliner comes in for the nursery today!! Soo excited!! Now we can determine the furniture layout because have all the pieces now! Oh and we hang stuff on the walls after that, all the while M will be renovating the bathroom!! Fun times ahead!!

This weekend aside from the nasty weather, we have Brandon's 2nd birthday and then the bathroom is being gutted!

Easy Peasy Wreath Tutorial

I've been wanting to make one of those cute burlap wreaths for quite some time. If you follow me on Pinterest, you would see various wreath tutorials like this:

PIN

And yes, I realize they say they are "easy" as well, but guess what, I couldn't get it to work! I later realized that the wreath wire I was using was actually only 3 rings, not 4, which could have been the problem.

I was getting soo very frustrated. I had 2 rolls of cute chevron burlap waiting for me to use. So when in doubt, just wrap the burlap around the wreath until the burlap roll ends:

Then I took a few pins and pinned it into place so it couldn't unravel. I decided to pin it so that I could reuse the burlap afterwards for another craft if I so choose when I am sick of this wreath!

This my friends was actually EASY!!!

I decided I needed to add an embellishment and Alison had given me this flower clip forever ago and I found a new perfect place for it!

So friends when I told you it was easy, and that you don't need to be crafty to make it, I wasn't kidding!!

Turns out I have a 4 ring wreath up in my craft room, so with the other roll, I might try one of those fancy complicated ones, or I might just make another one of these, but I will have to get crafty with the embellishment this time myself!

So there you have it ladies, get crafting!!!