This takes the cake...

Awhile back I posted some creepy baby shower cakes... but today I came across one that totally takes the "cake" as WORST BABY SHOWER CAKE EVER!

I mean really?? OMG!

New addition

Thought I meant a baby? Ha! Not quite yet : )

I am referring to a new addition to our nursery. Can you tell what it is?



A side table and lamp! I wanted a table next to the chair so when I am nursing I have somewhere to put stuff. I told Mr. Pate I just wanted to get a used one at a thrift store and paint it. Cheap and easy right?

Not quite. We got the table cheap, but Mr. Pate had to sand it down a ton to get it to take paint. And in the end it still didn't take it well, but it turned out to give it a distressed look that I love! We decided in white legs and an orange top for some color fun. I love it! Thanks for the hard work honey! You are the best babydaddy ever!




- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone

Prepping it up... Continued

After getting the prefolds ready yesterday, I decided to get the pocket diapers and inserts done today. Mr. Pate and the other Mr. Pate (Dustin) put up my clothesline for me! Yay!

Pocket diapers do not need much prepping. It is good to wash them for cleanliness and to fluff up the fibers though. So I unwrapped and unsnapped all of my diapers, pulled all the inserts out and folded any Velcro into the laundry tabs (I don't have very many Velcro).





Once I had it all in the basket i realized it was a lot! Anyhow, I put them in the washer and did a cold cycle with 2 tbsp rockin green. Then I added one extra rinse cycle at the end. Once they were done, I put all the inserts into the dryer on medium heat. And Mr. Pate and I hung up all the shells outside:





How cute! Ha! So now I am about to stuff them and put them away until Griffin is around 10 lbs or more, so he can fit them well. Yay for cloth diapers! And yay for being ready... We have very little still on our to do list and I am very pumped about that!

- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone

Prepping it up

Yesterday I began prepping our cloth diapers. What's that mean? Cloth diapers need to be washed before you use them so they are ready to be absorbent. Different types of cloth diapers must be prepped differently. Anyhow, I wanted to get this done before baby arrives because I am sure life will be plenty busy then!

So I started with our prefolds. (click on cloth diapers under the subject menu to see my posts about the different types of diapers) I got 12 prefolds and a few diaper covers to have on hand when baby needs to use diaper cream, I am running low on pockets or whatever. They are cheap. Prefolds are the old school diaper that people used to use with rubber pants! : )

So this is how they looked when they arrived:





Very stiff and flat. Which apparantly means they are not absorbent. Prefolds require lots of washing and drying to get them to fluff up and be absorbent. They also cone with natural oils that you need to wash out. So in they went




With some Rockin Green (thanks Emily!). I washed and dryed mine 4 times total, and here is the finished product:








So as you can see, they fluffed and quilted up a whole bunch! Check another thing off the to do list! Woo hoo!

- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone

38 Weeks and Counting....

• How far along: 38 Weeks
• Total Weight Gained: 35 lbs (started 107, currently 142) 
• Sleep: Doing ok. I am really tired and can fall sleep in a moments notice! But I still wake up numerous times a night...  
• Best Moment of the Week:  This weekend Mr.Pate and I got to spend lots of time together just enjoying each other and finishing up last minute things. It was nice to get the time together, because I know it is going to be way different very soon! 
• Movement: Yes still lots of it. He constantly pushes out and has hiccups often. When I lay down my belly has waves going on and he likes to move his head too- which is a weird weird feeling.     
• Food Cravings: All along I have said I didnt really have any, but I guess I have had a few things I have definitely wanted more than others all along: tacos, salmon, mac n cheese, pep hot chocolates from starbucks, ranch burgers and mandarin oranges. And last weekend I actually had a craving for a blizzard! Which I havent had in forever, so we went and got some. It wasnt as good as I was hoping, but oh well.   
• Food Aversions: N/A
• Symptoms: Cant breath, tire very easily, waddling, sore tailbone, pee a lot... 
• What I miss: Being able to bend over! Ha!
• What I'm looking forward to: Meeting our baby! And this week is a Starbucks Party for us! Yay! 
• Other news: 
• We definitely had a productive week around here. We got everything but the clothesline done, and if the weather would cooperate it would be done too! Though there are still little things to do, it feels so weird knowing that we are ready and the baby could come anytime. It may be today and it may be 3 weeks from now. We are hoping for later instead of sooner just so we get everything done and he has the most time to develop and grow in there. 
• It is sooo strange and kinda sad to think about not being pregnant anymore. I have loved this experience so much. It has been a sweet time for me and Mr.Pate to bond over the preparation of a child, without dealing with the reality of it 24/7. And that is son to change. I am so excited to meet our child and start that journey, but there is a part of me that is mourning the end of such a sweet phase of our lives. It will be sad to not be able to feel Griffin pushing me anymore, because that is such a neat and special thing that only I get to feel. He is soooo easy to take care of right now : ) and that will soon change too. The reality is setting in and I am both soooo excited I cant stand it and sad about the changes. Maybe Ill blog more on that later. 
• Anyhow, things seem to be progressing. I wasn't sure I was going to share this, and if you are a boy or dont want grosser details stop reading right now! I lost my mucus plug last week. That means that my cervix is opening up and can no longer hold it in. So its a good thing. But it could mean labor tomorrow or 3 weeks from now! ha! I am encouraged to know that my body is getting ready and I feel confident it knows what it is doing. We just need to be patient for Griffin to come on his own time. I haven't experienced any contractions that I was aware of, but I am dilated and effaced so Dr.Gass says I have obviously been having some. Interesting. 
• I went to the Thyroid Doctor this week and everything is right on track, so thats good news! I have been surprised with how well keeping my thyroid levels stabilized during this process has been. I am attributing (my dr is too) most of it to continuing to be active and eat healthy. Woo Hoo!
• I also went to a breastfeeding class Tuesday night with my momma! It was good and very informative. I am praying that nursing goes smoothly- please do the same! 
• This week I am hoping to get the diapers prepped, a baby book started, and review my labor notes from class. 
• I am still working. I plan to work until I have Griffin, so I can use all of my time off with him. And even though I love my job, I am over working everyday! I want so badly to just sit in a pool all day and sleep! Ha! 
• Gender & Name: It's a Boy! Griffin Alan Pate

Milestones:
According to Babycenter.com : Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)