Adventures in Nursery Preparation

Another belated post that was written last year, before the baby arrived, that I didn't quite finish until now...  there may be a few of these coming!  Side note, Tara and Steve sold their home just this last month!  Wahoo!  Congrats you two!!

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Adventures in Nursery Preparation

August through early October was a very busy time full of projects and last chance for freedom (and some work) trips out of town.  In the middle of it all my mom and some of our friends (Tara, Logan and Christine) all helped us prepare the nursery during any free evening or weekend they had.  They all had lives, busy schedules and challenges of their own going on too, of course, but without complaint they were so generous with their spare time!  We set out to paint not just every wall, but every bit of trim in the room as well, of which there is a lot!  It felt like the project that would never end (which as the gestation weeks flew by, got more and more concerning), but we made progress every chance we got.  

Nursery Day 1: just getting started with Christine and my Mom (walls used to be that peachy color in the top right)

One evening in October I arrived home late at night from work.  Exhausted, I climbed the stairs to my room and noticed something a little different.  The bedroom and closet doors for the nursery that had been in the hallway since the project began were gone & upon further inspection the bedroom door had been hung back in its place, as it was closed.  I reached for the handle to inspect further and realized that the new nickle door handle we had purchased months ago had been installed as well (no way!).  I opened the door and flipped on the light to behold the most wonderful thing I could have ever imagined or hoped for!  Every door was hung just right on it's shiny new nickle hinge and every wall and bit of trim was painted to perfection.  The handles on the closet door (which we mistakenly bought in the wrong size) had been exchanged and installed.  The paint buckets, brushes, rollers, tape, plastic tarps and all other manner of chaos that had filled the room were simply gone.  The carpet was even vacuumed!  The room was actually, finally (and much to my relief) ready to become the nursery that we needed.  Admittedly at that point I fell to my knees and sobbed (and apparently I can't recant the tale without the waterworks returning... ahem, excuse me).  I was so overcome with happiness and gratitude that such a large and looming task had been taken completely off my plate.  I knew immediately who was responsible.  I had lent my friend, Tara -who had already been a huge help, a key to our home so that she could "finish up one bit of trim" on Monday while I was at work.  Apparently she had a lot more in mind than she had let on.  I called her immediately and came to find out that Tara's husband, Steve, had also spent part of his day there installing the doors and new hardware, and that my friend Christine had pitched in some of her time that day as well.  Tara and Steve have for a long time been working so hard on their own home, basically remodeling and repainting from top to bottom, in preparation for selling it (you should check it out, if you're in the market for a home, they've done a beautiful job and it's in a great neighborhood).  I couldn't believe that despite that huge task of their own and other significant challenges they've had as of late, they could be so absolutely selfless... (talk about WWJD!) but I shouldn't have been so surprised.  This is just one example of the incredible people they are, people I am both proud and grateful to call my friends.  

I wish I had more before pictures so that you can appreciate the makeover more, but here are some cell phone pics I snapped after some of the furniture had been built/moved in (we wasted no time!).  Disclaimer: the carpet in the first picture is the closest to accurate in color, it's much more beige and not even close to that weird yellow.

West/Accent Wall

South Wall/Bedroom door

East Wall/Tricky Window Trim

North Wall/Closets with lots of trim

The finished product, complete with a hand stitched quilt from baby's Great Grandma Manwaring

P.S. I have been absolutely loving this nursery!  Thank you again to our dear friends and my mom for all of your hard work and help making my vision a peaceful and happy place for us and our baby!  Thank you Grandma for the perfect finishing touch!

Belated Post - Baby's Little Secret Gets Exposed!

The following is a blog post from October of last year (2014) that I wrote, but never got around to pressing that pesky little "publish" button.  Cause I thought my life was too "crazy" back then.  Heh.  What did I know?

In any case, enjoy!

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Well here we are... it's late October & we're rounding third base on this pregnancy.  It's been quite the ride!  So many new experiences, most of them physiological or emotional (certainly not all of them welcome), but all of them a part of the roller coaster ride that's brought Chris and me to a whole new place together.  I'd be lying if I said it's all been just so magical (unless you count the fact that there isn't a visible worn out trail in the carpet from my bedside to the loo - that's got to be some kind of miracle), but that's not to say that there hasn't been any magic at all; there has been plenty and I'd like to share a couple of my favorite magic moments with you over the next couple of posts.

(34 weeks and 5 days pregnant)

Baby's little secret gets exposed!

We were very fortunate that our 20 week mark hit during the month of July, since that month in Utah means non-stop evening festivities full of one of my favorite things - Fireworks!*  With the national holiday at the beginning of the month and state holiday at the end of the month, there are a large number of days where lighting off fireworks is perfectly legal, so we took advantage of this opportunity and decided to have a "Gender Reveal Party".  (Google it.  It's a thing. I promise.)

 

If you spend much time with Chris and me, you'll soon find out that we love surprises!  So, we asked the technician during our gender reveal ultrasound to please not give it away and write the gender of the baby on a piece of paper in a sealed envelope.  Five days later, we gathered as many friends and family as we could round up in person and about a dozen more who tuned in through a group Google+ hangout and/or live video feed on YouTube that Chris set up.  Our dear friends, Tara and Steve, were kind enough to host the party in their driveway and front yard where we had tables set up with goodies and drinks mostly made by another friend, Megan, and help from many others.  Everyone brought camping chairs and fireworks to share.  We enjoyed our goodies (and some Del Taco) and watched as my dad burned through about 50 or so pre-show fireworks at lightening speed, as everyone was anxious to get to the main event!

Finally the time came and after a couple of technical difficulties with trying to make sure those attending online got to see as well, my Dad and Chris' dad took the prized envelope containing our baby's little secret with them into the middle of the circle with two large fireworks -one pink (a girl, of course) and one blue and green (a boy).   Together they opened the prize and bent down to light the appropriate firework -with the rest of us held in suspense that seemed like forever!  (has this story been dragged out long enough yet for you to feel it too?!?)  Chris and I stood hand in hand, eyes focused on the sky, with our family cheering behind us.  I had no idea what would happen next, no mother's intuition that I felt sure of.  Chris leaned over and revealed to me in a whisper what he thought it was going to be... but as the explosions shot straight up above our heads and the sparkles of vibrant color fell down, oh boy were we surprised!

So there you have it!! Hopefully the video link worked for you.  The colors didn't translate as well on video as we'd hoped, but I think the commentary answers the question with enthusiasm!  I was thrilled to think that we were having a son and Chris was so surprised and excited, he was beside himself!  Since that night, through all the planning and preparation, our anticipation for his arrival has only grown stronger every day.

Then Comes...

Previously on Johnston Clan FTW:  We met, we danced, we carried on.  We laughed, we kissed, we said our vows.  We worked, we played, and life went on...

Two brief years later I find myself reflecting back on all that we've accomplished, the loved ones we'll miss, the friendships we've forged, and the relationships we're happy to have.  Tonight in particular, I am looking ahead towards that next big adventure, full of more surely unforgettable moments yet to come.  (humor me and read the photos/captions below in order, starting with top left and ending on bottom right...trust me.)

Yes, yes! You read that last one right!  It still feels weird to say it out loud, but we are in fact having a baby.  Our next big adventure is on its way and we'll be in full-blown "adventure mode" this winter, with a due date of December 3rd (though Chris is convinced it's the 4th).  Which means, for those of you who haven't already pulled out your calculators, I am 19 weeks along as of today. 

The photo above is of our baby at just shy of 14 weeks, a profile view of his or her head and body.  I am more than happy to be out of the first trimester now and about half way through my second trimester (or, what the pregnancy websites I find myself on non-stop these days call "the honeymoon period").  We have our next ultrasound next Wednesday at 20 weeks.  We can hardly wait to see the baby again and are equally as anxious to find out the gender!  Chris is not so quietly rooting for a boy, but can you blame him?  If we had a little boy anything like him, I'd be more than thrilled.  As for myself, I just want a happy and healthy baby more than anything! (and maybe one who sleeps through the night?)

I'll have much more to share about the baby and pregnancy in blog posts to come (I assure you, because I pretty much can't think about anything else these days), but for tonight I'll leave you with our exciting news to cherish and one more pic of the baby we found particularly entertaining.  We call it "Raptor Baby!" Rawr!!

To be continued...

First comes love.

So, there was a time in my life where I used to spend a lot of it writing.  I would write stories, essays, reports, articles, poetry, dream logs and even had a column in my school paper (ok, so it was the horoscopes, but hey those take creativity!).  It's been quite some time since then, so I'm not entirely sure how much flexing I'll have to do to reawaken that muscle, but right about now seems like a good time in my life to give it a shot.  So, bear with me, this should improve with time.  ;)

I'm a sucker for sappy love stories & one of my favorites, based on a true story, talks about moments of impact & how they culminate to create who we will become in our lives.  I believe that both nature and nurture shape us into the people we "grow-up" to be, but that ultimately we are the sum total of all of the most deeply impacting moments of our lives & whether we choose to embrace or deflect each of those moments.  The purpose of this blog, for me, is to have a place to explore my own thoughts while sharing with you some of the most memorable moments of impact Chris and I have had and will have in our life together. 

A little over six years ago (crazy when you start counting and realize how much time has passed!), I was at a cross-roads in my life.  I wasn't really certain which direction to go, where I wanted to be or who even.  I had applied to a couple of pacific northwest colleges for grad school & was contemplating "starting over."  It was during that time that I reluctantly took the advice of a co-worker and friend of mine & agreed to go on a blind date, where as fate would have it I had the good fortune to meet the man who unbeknownst to me would become my husband.  This stranger of a man, in the first minute that we met, offered me a drink (oh good, something to break the ice) which once accepted he promptly lit on fire.  "Put your hand on top of the glass," he told me.  "The flame will go out and the glass will suction to your hand so that you can lift it off the counter, then we drink."  (seriously?! reality check: this is within one minute of having been introduced for the first time and this is real fire we're talking about!)  I must have looked as flabbergasted as I felt, because as if he was Disney's very own Aladin, he held out his hand and asked, "Do you trust me?"  At that precise moment, something in my mind shifted out of the over-revved second gear I had been stuck in for so long, and slid smoothly into third as I embraced the moment and said aloud, "Why not?"  I followed his instructions and in not so Disney-romance-like-fashion, burned my hand on the flame; after which, he immediately rushed me to the kitchen sink to run it under cold water.  His face was at least as red with embarrassment as my scalded hand.  Needless to say, the rest of the date could only get better from there, and it did.  No regrets.
 

The chemistry was instant & any ideas I had about moving (ok, more like running) away went out the window in the months that followed.  After 3 years of dating, he asked and I said yes without hesitation.

We had the most beautiful and wonderful wedding day anyone could ever hope for -the sights, sounds, smells and feelings were absolutely overwhelming.  All surrounded by family and friends  united in celebration of another one of my favorite moments. 

I felt stunning, he looked breathtaking.  Our vows revealed and exchanged on that day were deeply from the heart.  It was the most emotionally charged day of my life that I can remember & the highest of any high I have ever experienced.  It's hard to pick a favorite moment from that day or evening; it all runs into one amazing, one-of-a-kind moment. 

And wouldn't you know it?  My "Aladin" whisked me off to Disney Land the very next day.  (how fitting, right?) ;)

In the two years since then, we've worked hard and played hard -always on the lookout for the next big adventure and mostly just loving life together....

But we're not finished yet.  

 To be continued...