Our Nursery for Baby Boy

It still blows my mind that we will be welcoming a new bundle of joy. We were on the fence for quite some time about growing our family (if, when, all those questions you constantly think of). For some reason I never envisioned it to be in the home we currently live in. I couldn't wrap my head around putting a baby in the spare room upstairs. Thanks to my husband for immediately showing me with some new paint on the walls it could become a brand new space. What a difference it made! With our last room having a bit more color & wall decals I felt like this time I wanted something more neutral. I had envisioned whites, greys, along with stripes, polka dots & some natural tones as well. With not knowing the gender until 22 weeks I felt it was our best bet to keep it quite gender neutral anyhow. Here is how it looks below: 

Melissa xo

Hospital Bag

I think this was my most searched item on Google. I always like to hear what Mom's think & any helpful advice they can pass along! So now that I have had my trip to the hospital I figure it's a good idea to make a post of my own on this topic. Considering I had never had a hospital stay or a baby this was all so foreign to me! 

I had thought that I had been prepared with my bag for about 2 months. It's funny, the day I went into labour I had come home & added more things to the bag! I felt like I didn't have enough things & didnt want to be sending my husband home to pick up a million things (we are lucky where we live our hospital is about 7 minutes away). Here are my helpful tips below:

• A fan (you don't realize how hot you will get, could be a combination of hormones or maybe the fact you are having the most intense workout of your life! They tend to keep the hospital quite warm a well) 

• Cozy pajamas or lounge wear (you want to be in something that isn't constricting & comfortable)

• Snacks (depending on what time of day or night you go into labour you want to be able to have something to eat after. Luckily my sister had brought me Gatorade which was fantastic to replenish my electrolytes after the fact)

• DSLR camera (I really wasn't interested in having photos in the delivery room. My sister decided to use our camera halfway through the delivery to capture the first moments with our baby. These are photos I know I will cherish forever)

• Flip flops (you don't know what's on the floor & they are easy to slip on & off, plus you can wear them in the shower) 

• Pillow (you want to be as comfortable as possible so any comforts like this from home make it much better)

• Boppy or Nursing Pillow (I had forgotten mine at home & regretted this deeply! My back was killing me within no time. Do yourself & your back a favor by propping your baby up on the nursing pillow)

• Lip Balm (it's amazing how fast your lips can dry out, stock your bag with your favorite lip chap as you will be constantly applying it)

• Baby Sleepers (I had brought the sleeping gowns for the baby, so easy for changing during the night & it also has long sleeves. Our baby wasn't the Swaddle type so she wanted her arms out at all times, this way I didn't worry about her cooling down too much) 

• Shampoo & Conditioner (I wanted to shower as much as I could so these were nice to have as the hospital only provided some foaming soap to use) 

Overall the hospital does provide a lot of care items for the baby. These are mostly items to make Momma's feel more comfortable. I hope you find these tips helpful. 

Melissa xo 

35 Weeks!

We are currently at 35.5 weeks! Unreal... I'm finally finished work, currently nesting like crazy & trying to get some relaxation in before our baby girl arrives. I started on the outside & am now working my way inside. At least I can enjoy my backyard now :) I didn't realize that you feel the need to clean & organize every square inch of your home? 

I see the doctor every week now. Today he told me the baby's head is very far down in the birthing canal (sorry might be too much info) explains the pelvis pain I have every day. Apparently I am a "fingertip" dilated as well. This could go on for weeks so in the mean time I will just have to be patient. Baby is the size of a large cantaloupe (5.5 lbs). Heard her sweet little heart beat again today. She seems to be healthy & content. I'm feeling full on kicks & jabs now. I always feel her little feet at the side of my stomach sticking out, I'm sure I will miss that. Still feeling pretty good for the most part, able to still do the same things as before just needing a little more sleep at night (waking up usually at 3:00 AM seems to be a normal occurrence). Had my maternity photoshoot yesterday. It was so fun! I went with Sheri Shanahan of Sheri Shanahan Photography. She shared the same vision as I did for the shoot. The little daisies in the grass were the perfect setting for the pictures. We also did some by the ocean. Excited  to receive more copies of the photos! 

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart." Winnie The Pooh

Melissa xo 

22 Weeks!

It seems strange to see 18 weeks to go now instead of having more weeks ahead of us.... We are getting there! The weeks seem to be going by so quickly! Every Sunday we have the "changing of the fruit" which means our "What To Expect" app changes to a new fruit or veggie... Big day around the Coulter household. 

Baby is the size of a papaya this week (8 inches, 1.2 lbs) & active as ever! Babe is starting to put some chub on starting now. I am feeling so much movement, melts my heart. Even Chris can feel her too which is quite special for the both of us. She is more active during the day rather than night (fingers crossed we have a sleeper). Starting to feel really good, more energy & I think the morning sickness may have passed... I don't want to curse myself. Booked our prenatal classes/ hospital tour last week. Things are really getting real around here! We will be seeing a new doctor next week who will hopefully be delivering baby Coulter. 

Photo credit to my patient husband who spent the time capturing these moments while sick. 

"Carrying a baby is the most rewarding experience a woman can enjoy." 

- Jayne Mansfield

We love you already Baby Coulter.

Melissa xo 

Baby Girl!

We went to our doctors on a Tuesday morning to have the gender of the baby sealed in the envelope. Of course the doctor told us everything looked great with the baby & also warned us that they can only be 98% accurate with the gender. He sealed the envelope & we left his office feeling extremely excited/ anxious for what was to be revealed inside. 

My husband Chris & I had this big elaborate plan of having a cake made & celebrating with family. Or the most recent idea was popping a large black ballon with confetti inside. Well we lasted all of 2 minutes before we got into the car looked at each other & decided it was time to open it.... The suspense was killing us both so we just had to do it! I captured the moment on video of Chris ripping open the envelope (picture a kid on Christmas morning after Santa has come!) He held up the doctors note which had a few lines written on it, threw me off. I was looking for a simple message that said "boy or girl". Until I glanced at it again, I read "the fetus appears to be female". Oh my goodness!!!!! Such excitement & happiness :) Of course there were tears of joy. Chris had been saying baby girl since day 1 but for some reason I had thought it would be a boy. Wow! 

We kept the secret to ourselves for a few days but everyone else was bugging us to find out so we sent out the video to our friends & family to share the news. We feel so extremely grateful that not only is our baby healthy but she is a little girl. So excited to welcome her in June. We love you already baby Coulter xoxo.

19 Weeks!

Here we are at 19 weeks, pretty amazing! We had our ultrasound on Friday. Everything really set in...We really are going to be parents & we really are in love with baby. It was so active! Stretching out it's legs & arms. It was also sucking it's thumb (uh oh we might have a thumb sucker!) but it was sure cute at the time. We meet with our doctor tomorrow. We have asked him to seal the gender in an envelope so we can make the decision to find out. If so, we will have some sort of celebration to celebrate the gender. I'm leaning towards having a baker bake us a cake or popping a black balloon with pink or blue confetti. Still undecided! So many fun things to come.

Size: Mango, baby weighs 10oz

Baby: As of late last week I have started to feel lots of movement. More so little flutters or can also be explained as a fish splashing. The heart is beating like crazy at 152. So neat! 

Momma: Feeling much much better! I think the nausea & vomiting (knock on wood, as I don't want to jinx anything!) may have subsided. Sleeping through the night, mornings are a little more challenging. Trying to get in all the nutrients I can by healthy foods & vitamins. 

We are almost halfway there! Getting excited that we will soon enough meeting our little bundle of joy! 

Melissa xo 

Babymoon

I think vacations are a must have! I especially think "babymoons" are a necessity. My husband and I have been discussing going on a little vacay before our little one arrives at the end of June. We don't want to travel great lengths. Just a 4-5 trip to get some rest and relaxation and maybe a glimpse of sun if we're lucky. 2 places on our list are currently San Francisco and Las Vegas. Easy enough to travel to. 

We also love our spot in Tofino, BC. Nothing says relaxation like the westcoast. You can't beat those beach strolls, the smell of the ocean and the calmness of Tofino. This is by far one of our favorite getaways. Many great memories there! 

Cox Bay Beach, BC

Tonquin Beach, BC 

I think it's important for spouses to connect before their baby comes. It's going to add a whole new dynamic to the relationship that's for sure. Extremely exciting but for now I think we will enjoy the calm before the storm (I mean that in the best way possible).

Any recommendations for a Babymoon? 

Melissa xo