Here She Is!

We Welcome With Love

Ethnie Lauren Tobler
February 24th, 2012
1:17 PM
7 Pounds 9 Ounces
20 1/2 Inches

Crafty Corner

Ever since we found out we were having a baby girl back in October, I've been busily crafting away. There are so many cute ideas out there via Pinterest and Etsy that it has been difficult to contain myself. Above and below we have an Owl Taggy. Apparently these little guys are really good sensory toys for little ones, I'm not sure if I entirely believe that but heck I think it's cute!

I mean honestly, who doesn't love Minkie fabric? These little guys cost anywhere from $8 - $20 via Etsy. I figured I could make them myself with supplies I had on hand. I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

Hair bows! Need I say more? As soon as we found out Ethnie was a girl all I could think about were dresses, tutus, and hair bows. I may or may not have gone a little bit over board. Here are a few of my favorites.

This one is my personal favorite :).

While exploring the internet I stumbled upon this free dress pattern and I just had to make one. (I'm sorry I can't find the link, but there are tons of free patterns via Google)My first attempt was much too small. It'll be a nice dress for a preemie or one of Ethnie's future teddy bears. I expanded the pattern by 8 stitches and I think this time it'll fit. If not... I'll just make another one.

I am very pleased with the end result. Don't worry we'll keep her modest by putting a onesie underneath. :)

I love to crochet. I think I've crocheted 6 different hats and diaper covers for new born photos. I didn't want to spoil the surprise. I'll be posting those once our little lady is here to model them for us. :)

I also made some burp cloths and soother tags. I wasn't about to spend $5 on a soother clip when I had all the supplies on hand! It's been a ton of fun and an excellent way to keep me busy. I can hardly believe we'll have our little one here in less than 48 hours. It's so hard for me to wrap my head around!! I am so stinking excited!

Ready To *POP*

Since I will not officially be making it to my 40 weeks I thought I'd post about week 39 for my final pregnancy update. We are scheduled to be induced Thursday the 23rd at 5:00 p.m. so ready or not she's coming. I really hope she decides to make her grand entrance before then... as if labor doesn't sound bad enough... forced labor sounds 100 times worse!

How far along? 39 Weeks.

Total weight loss/ gained? +38 lbs (158 lbs)
Name? Ethnie Lauren Tobler
Maternity clothes? I just love being in sweats and a hoodie. Let's be serious, nothing I wear looks flattering right now. :)
Stretch marks? They have migrated from my belly button to my other hip. Everything is still super small for which I'm grateful! I thought I was going to have it a lot worse than I did.
Sleep? Still tossing and turning and dreaming all night long!! I do feel rested though, I honestly feel wonderful. Still so spoiled... I'm sure I'm going to pay for it soon however, no one can be this lucky ;).
Best moment this week? Our photo shoot was so wonderful! Jenna is amazing and we had such a wonderful time, that was then followed up with going to the temple with Mom and Dad. The session went by so fast!! It was so nice to go, it has been tooooo long!!
Missing anything? Not having to crawl out of the car, being able to wear high heels, clothes that fit, sleeping on my back, being able to hug and cuddle with Jakob without my belly getting in the way, being able to put my pants on without effort. I sound so selfish but I'm just ready to be done at this point. Dear Ethnie, Daddy wants to hold you too!!
Movement? Monday she was just a bucket of wiggles! Good gracious! She moves quite a bit still, it's a good thing because every time she stops I have a mini panic attack.
Food cravings? COOKIES! I made 7 dozen Momma van den Berge cookies and I cannot get enough! So good!! Don't worry they aren't all for me.
Anything making you queasy/ sick? Nope.
Labor signs? Contractions!!! I'm doing everything I can to try and get things moving but she's rather stubborn! Good gracious. Monday I moved two dressers, did 5 loads of laundry, scrubbed the bathroom, vacuumed, and was organizing like a crazy woman and still no baby! I've gone hiking, I walk for at least an hour or more every day, and I relax in between. Nothing is working. I really do not like not knowing what day she's going to make her grand entrance! I know she'll come when she comes and if not Thursday the 23rd it is!
Belly button in or out? Out.
Wedding rings on or off? I took them off just to be safe and I don't think Jakob likes it very much even though I am wearing them around my neck. He's always liked playing with my wedding rings while he holds my hand. They still fit but I'd rather be safe than sorry!
Mood? Sunday I was being such a brat. I knew I was cranky and I just wanted to scream because I knew I was begin irrational and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It didn't help either when Dad and Jakob both said that I was allowed to be grumpy. No I'm not, I had no good reason to be. Lol just thinking about it makes me mad. Other than that I am still for the most part happy. I know I have a super short fuse but I'm trying to keep that under control. No one needs to put up with my drama :). For the most part I am just super anxious!!! COME ON LITTLE GIRL!!
Any fun symptoms? Sleepy, moody, heartburn (more formally know as the fire breathing dragon! It's all in my throat and mouth, yuck) and HUNGRY! I could eat enough food to feed an army! Good gravy!
Looking forward too? Her arrival, have I mentioned that yet? LOL. We are so excited to meet our little girl. I cannot wait to watch Jakob hold her, I'm sure my understanding of love will be redefined as I see the look on his face. I am so grateful for all of the love and support we have received from family and friends. Thank you soooo much!

T-4 days and counting. I can't believe it!!!

Just A Trim

A haircut and a "trim". You may want to think twice before asking Mom for a "haircut." ;)

Shortly after his haircut Jakob and Dad started playing "Let me whisper in your ear," a Tobler family favorite. Just thinking about it gives me the heebe jeebies. :)

Maternity Photos

"A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside... when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone." ~ Author: Unknown

This weekend Jakob and I had the opportunity to meet with Jenna for some maternity photos. As I have mentioned before Jenna is an amazing photographer who does a wonderful job just playing around. Once she decides to go professional she'll be unstoppable!! Check out her photography blog at Let It Shine. Thank you so much Jenna!! Are you ready for a picture overload??

I wanted to include this picture simply because it has balloons in it. We went and got balloons as a prop for some photos but it was too windy originally. Once the wind calmed down I sent Jakob to go and get the balloons, he set down the bag they were attached too and they came lose and flew away. It was funny.

Of course Jakob had to have his signature photo. I must admit, he's got this shot down to an art!

I absolutely adore the little shoes! Gosh darn it they are cute! The only thing that beats heels are little shoes.

This is one of my personal favorites!

Jakob really wanted to stick out his belly too... he's gained some sympathy weight. ;)

Not that I'm trying to be vain or anything but I must admit... I {love} this picture!! Sometimes you have have "good eye" days. Thankfully my eyes decided to be super bright that day!

We're already imprisoned by her :).

No Photo shoot would be complete without some bloopers. Here are just a few.

This is Jakob's "Blue Steal" picture.

This is Jakob's personal favorite. He toted that little suitcase around for quite awhile.

Yup that would be my bad! I got to the "h" and thought I was spelling my name. Ooops :)

Jenna asked Jakob to be in love and this is what he came up with. As you can tell I'm not so impressed. I didn't include some of the pictures... boy that man makes me smile!

Once again a huge thank you to Jenna!!! You are incredible!!

Ethnie's Nursery

No, the nursery is still not 100% complete. I still have to hang pictures, which I cannot do until after Ethnie's newborn shoot. However, I figured it was about time to unveil the nursery since I spend most of my time before bed in here just gliding away in my rocker. This post will basically be a testimonial of Craigslist, DIY, Pinterest and Desert Shopping.

Here is our crib. We got it off of Craigslist with the dresser for $200. I absolutely love it! Funny story about the purchasing of our crib. As most know Jakob is a rather busy guy so most of the time I am left alone to my own devices. One fine evening I stumbled upon this treasure and decided that it was mine. Only problem was... I had no truck and no way to move it. I immediately called up one of my replacement husbands (I have a few) Ryan to help me out. Upon arriving to the house I looked at him and said, we can either make this awkward by explaining our situation or you can just pretend to be Jakob.

We looked at the crib and decided that we were taking it. Ryan took it apart and the woman then proceeded to ask us questions about "our" baby. She looked at Ryan and asked "What are you having?" Without skipping a beat he smiled and said "A girl!" She replied with a cheerful "Congratulations" and Ryan just beamed back and said "Thank you!!" He answered most of the questions about "our" baby until she asked what we were naming her... stumbling he looked to me for and answer. I replied with "Ethnie." It was the first time he had heard the name so he repeated with a question in his voice "Ethnie?" The lady was non the wiser and it was rather entertaining. I'm so grateful for wonderful friends! Alright... back to the nursery.

I love the bedding! I really didn't want anything pink, but after seeing this Brooke set by Bananafish I couldn't resist! I got it on Black Friday, I couldn't bring myself to pay full price. Bananafish is expensive!

This is the picture hanging to the right hand side of the crib. I saw this idea via Pinterest for a wedding and really wanted to make our own variation. Thank heavens I have a talented husband! He did such a wonderful job, I absolutely love the little bear. This was the first time that Jakob or I had written down Mom or Dad which was a surreal experience for me. Next time however I will have to monitor the thumbprint station. Things got a little out of control ;).

To the left of the crib is a quote. It says "Sometimes the littlest things take up the most room in your heart" -Winnie the Pooh. Since this isn't our forever home I did not want to put a decal on the wall. Once again to Pinterest I went for some answers.

I found this pin and set straight to work! I love how it turned out!!!!

You can't really tell in the picture but the word "littlest" and "Winne the Pooh" are different shades of pink. It adds so much to the room and it only cost me $10 for the frame at Michaels with a coupon!

Next comes the curtains. Those little blinds do absolutely nothing to block out the sunlight. I knew that I had to make black out curtains. Gosh darn it four straight seams have never been so complicated. Let's just say off grain fabric makes everything more difficult!!

Then there is our valance. I originally purchased the valance that came with the "Brooke" set however it was 4 inches too short for the window and I really didn't have it in me to spend another $25. So I ripped off the back strip of our bed skirt and made one to fit the window and I will be selling the original one! I love it when things work out like that!

Here is the dresser/ changing table that matches our crib. I swear they match, the lighting is just off! Since the dresser was just big enough for a changing table cushion I decided I needed another nightstand to sit beside it. Yes, I'll admit that I sinned and actually purchased the night stand. I will not divulge how much I spent on it but I will simply say that I am ashamed!

May I draw your attention to the light behind the rocker. I have been hanging onto that beauty for the past 5 years hoping I would eventually find a home for it. It is perfect in the nursery and adds such a warm glow to the room.

Our glider/ ottoman were another Craigslist find. We got this beauty for $66. I'm not going to lie... I was thrilled. I even picked it up and moved it home in my Dodge Stratus all by myself. :) I absolutely adore coming into the room and just gliding away! I have a feeling I'll be spending quite a bit of time in this chair once our little lady arrives.

A glimpse of her closet. She already has so many clothes thanks to family, friends, yard sales and Savers.

May I draw your attention to the dresser in the closet. Mom Tobler and I found this beauty on the curb Sunday night. That's right you read that correctly ON-THE-CURB! How people can throw away perfectly wonderful things boggles my mind! I'm just thankful I was there to snatch it up. All it needs are 2 new drawer bottoms and it is perfect. I love desert shopping!

Since our little lady has quite the wardrobe I decided to make dividers for her clothes. I would hate for her to grow out of an outfit before she even had a chance to wear it. All in all I am very pleased with her room thus far. Once I figure out what to put above the crib I will be even happier. Any thoughts?? I cannot wait for her arrival!!!