:: 22 Weeks :: Nursery Update

Welcome to 22 weeks baby!

Wow! another week down, but still many to go.

Although I feel like I still have awhile till meeting our boy, I have moments where I feel overwhelmed by everything I need to buy and do before he gets here. Those moments feel like it's just not enough time!

This week I've been having a lot of sharp pains in my stomach muscles. 

I definitely feel like I have grown this week.
Kevin's wish is coming true. Even tonight, he (all giddy like) said my belly has gotten significantly bigger in the past two weeks. He said he's always wanted/pictured his wife with a big ol pregnant belly. Thanks hun! ;P 

 It's still mind blowing to me that a baby is in my stomach. 

Where in the world does everything else move to? ;)

::::::::: Nursery Update :::::::::
The crib and mattress came in the mail yesterday.
We haven't put it together yet.
We might be painting the nursery this weekend, which is super exciting to me.
Once it gets painted I feel like I can then start officially decorating the room.

:: Mobile ::
Today I purchased this cute mobile off Etsy.
Since our theme is partly "Where the Wild Things Are" - I thought it would be perfect.

:: Lighting ::

I'm also debating on buying this light from Pottery Barn. 

I'm looking for something rustic, and this is the only semi-decent priced pendant I can

find online (that I like). I'm hoping to shop around at some local shops to see what I can find for cheaper. 

But if nothing else, then I think this will do. :)

:: Toy Box ::

Purchased this awesome Toy Box from Regeneration.
It's a repurposed cargo box from a machine company.

Love it!

In other news, I've been reading Baby Wise. 

Great book so far! Now if only I had more time to read all the other books I have pertaining to baby!

That's OK, even though I may sound anxious, I know God has it all in control. 

I'm trying to not fast forward too quickly. I want to enjoy these moments, because I know our boy will be here before we know it. :)

:: 21 Weeks :: Nursery Update

Welcome to 21 weeks baby!

:: How far along - 21 Weeks

:: Size of baby – 10 1/2 inches, length of a carrot

:: Total Weight Gain/Loss - hmm, about 14 pounds I think

:: Maternity Clothes - Yes - wearing them everyday

:: Gender - Boy :) so excited to meet him

:: Names - I think we've picked one. Still not sharing though 
:: Movement - Yep it's happening. Some days I can feel him more than others
:: Sleep -Sleeping well for the most part. Have started to have stomach muscle pains at night. I think it's from growing
:: What I miss - having better food digestion
:: Cravings - Nothing extreme. I can tell you that I don't like Chipotle at all. I've tried to eat it a few times while preggo, and it's awful. :( I do really enjoy citrus food. I love lemon yogurt and other fruits. I also prefer to have my water really cold
:: Symptoms – Waves of tiredness more than normal. Not able to eat as much food in a sitting as before
:: Best Moment this week – Purchasing some nursery items. It has begun!

::::::::::: Baby Boy's NURSERY :::::::::::   
{ so far } 

Theme :: We're doing a woodsy, modern - "Where the Wild Things Are" theme. 
Colors :: Blue, green, grey, white, wood
Inspiration :: This nursery has been some of my inspiration. I'll be taking some ideas from it. I even found bedding very similar that I'll be having made on Etsy. 
  Purchases so far ::
 Found this basket, globe, pillow and rug at T.J. Maxx

 Wooden basket from T.J. Maxx too.

Purchased this stencil for one of the walls. I don't think we'll be putting it on all of the walls. 

Birch Stencil

Baby Mod grey crib from Wal-Mart.com 

Wal-Mart wasn't my first choice to look for a crib or even purchase one, but I saw this crib listed in the top 5 cribs on a blog. I checked it out and found that it has all great reviews! Considering the great reviews, the price being great, and it being the look we were going for, we went for it. 

We should be receiving it next week sometime, so I'll have to let you know how it is once we get it.
(not our bedding)

Weathered Wood - Wild Things 

This is so cute. Fell in love with it as soon as I found it. 

It helps to bring in the woodsy theme we're going for. :)

 I have some other small things I've purchased: crib mattress (talk about a hard decision!), mattress pad, and changing pad. 

I'll post more as the pieces come together. :)

Thought I'd share this precious picture too. 

Kevin talking to our baby. :)

**Excuse my gigantic belly button though**

Just too special to not document. 

:: 20 Weeks ::

Welcome to 20 weeks!

This been one of the most exciting and life changing weeks of my pregnancy. 

This week we found out the gender of our sweet baby. 

:: BOY ::

Being that I'm the oldest in my family, before getting pregnant I always imagined myself having a girl first (because I was first). Kevin on the other hand always imagined a boy first (he comes from an all boy home). 

A little bit into the pregnancy I started feeling like it would be a boy and so did Kev, but about a week or so before we found out, we started feeling like it was a girl. 

Therefore whatever it would be we were going to be surprised for sure. 

During our ultrasound our little man wasn't shy on sharing his gender. The technician caught it before she was even looking for it. Since she wasn't looking for it, and blurted it out when she saw it, it took Kevin and I both by surprise. I think we both imagined her telling us WHEN she would be looking for the gender. I have no complaints though, it was fun being surprised like that. 

I didn't cry, but Kevin did. 

I was in more of a surreal state of shock. 

Kevin not so much. 

Once I got home and really started to think on my little guy, I then became overwhelmed with honor and joy of knowing I'm having a son. I've always wanted a boy and a girl, but for some reason I never imagined the true love I would feel knowing I was having a boy. The feelings I feel for him have taken me by complete surprise.

I'm seriously overwhelmed with honor and blessings knowing we get to introduce a little man Van Wynsberg to this world. Boys and girls individually have unique qualities to offer, so thinking about them for our little boy is truly incredible. 

When I look at his profile (which I do often, because I'm smitten) 

my heart melts and swells with wonder and hope in ways I never imagined. 

Here he is being shy. He refused to show us the front of his face. That's OK though, because I get to have another ultrasound on the 16th. They would like to look at his heart some more. They don't have any cause for concern, just needing to get a better look. :)

:: Gender Reveal ::

For our gender reveal party we invited some of our closest friends to Rivermont Pizza.
I made homemade vanilla bean cupcakes and added blue frosting to the middle.
The cupcakes turned out delicious. I will definitely be making these again.
During dinner we took a vote on who thought boy and who thought girl.
From the jar that people guessed correctly we picked two names and gave them a gift card to Starbucks.
More people guessed boy than girl. ;)

 

The homemade vanilla bean frosting is AMAZING!

Here we are heading to head out to the party ;)

Some pictures from the evening. 

Thank you so much to everyone who came out and celebrated with us. 

It really meant a lot. :)

Kev passing out cupcakes. :)

  

Our little guys first shoes. :) 
Bailey fell asleep against my belly. Keeping baby warm.
Also, this week was special, because Kevin felt the baby kick for the first time. :)
   

We began writing down and talking about baby names. :) I think we might have one picked out, but we're still not sure if we will be announcing it once we settle on it. 

Yes we are those people, but that's OK.

I've also settled on a nursery theme. It's all coming together in my head and on Pinterest. ;)

In other news we had to say goodbye to my brother Tyler on Monday. 

It was such a pleasure getting to have him here for two weeks. 

The boys at Snowflex with a beautiful sunset. 

 

My brother is a wealth of random health facts. 

He taught us a lot about health stuff, and a lot about what God is doing/teaching him in his life. 

So neat. :)

We love you Ty!

Well that about sums up what took place during week 20 of pregnancy. 

Now onto all the planning and preparation that needs to take place!

Remnant Reading (R&R) & more

Dear friend, 

I want to invite you again: 

 Get connected. Get accountable. Make this year different. 

I want to invite you along...

I want to invite you to make 2013 different...

I want to invite you to become the remnant...

I want to invite you to experience God's truth this year...

I want to invite you to experience your fathers love...

I want to invite you to forward moving...

I want to invite you to change...

I want to invite you to love...

I want to invite you to strength...

I want to invite you to peace...

I want to invite you to becoming the warrior your heart was made to be...

I wanted to extend the offer again. 

It's never too late. 

If you can't or simply don't want to meet in person like the previous invite stated we'd be doing.

We've begun a private group on Facebook (Remnant Reading &more...)

where you can find encouragement 

and resources you need there without having to meet in person once a month.

Meet other women who are journeying through the Word too.

If you would like to be added to the group on FB let me know. 

Private message me through Facebook

OR

Email me at finchwings@gmail.com

 Get connected. Get accountable. Make this year different.

Love, Melanie

Something shared on R&R today:

"You hear God's Word, but then you speak God's Word, so you can do God's Word. Your faith will be activated when you begin to say what God says." - Faith Confessions - S.Furtick

Speaking God's Word out loud isn't something I have a habit of doing. I'd really like to start doing it much more. There is so much power in our words. I love how Steven puts it in perspective.

What is one thing you'd like to see God's Word fulfill in your life?

To answer my own question above: I would like to speak freedom from jealousy over my life. I don't struggle with this too often, but when I do, it really has a way of bringing me down hard. I begin feeling hopeless and worthless; simply not good enough to be anyone or anything special. It puts me in a dark place where love and peace are hidden. I want to choose love instead of jealousy. Ultimately I think it boils down to not being focused on "self". Less of me. More of Him.

:: 19 Weeks ::

Welcome to 19 Weeks baby! 

  I'd have to say the biggest baby thing this week

would be feeling baby V kick and punch!

I had been feeling a little something lately, but wasn't sure. This week it's become too

consistent for it not to be. I began feeling it a lot stronger this week!

I have no doubt that it's the baby. 

The other night when I told Kevin that I was pretty positive I was feeling the baby, 

he ran over and started talking to baby V (pic below).

Precious. 

He likes to do that, and I'm glad he does. :)

This week has been filled with anticipation as we wait anxiously to find out what baby V is.
It's almost here! 

:: What we've been up to this week ::

My brother is in town so we've been having a lot of fun getting to spend quality time with him.
We took a trip to Charlotte North Carolina to visit some of Kevin's family.
While we were there we attended Elevation church.
It was a great message! One I hope to act on in this new year.
Here's the sermon if you're interested...I highly recommend it, totally worth your time.
:: Labels and Lids (by Larry Brey) ::


We didn't do much on New Year Eve.
Just sat at home with Kevin & my brother.
Not as exciting as last years New Years... kissing in Time Square. ;)

This years kiss may not have been as exciting, but still just as special. :)

We're looking forward to the changes coming in 2013. 

Praying it's a great year in the Lord.