Drew's Crib...literally

One of my favorite ways that I prepared for Drew's birth, ie. "nesting," was in planning and decorating the nursery. I didn't want the typical baby blue or cars nursery. I wanted something that would be bright and cheery and a little unique. I knew that I wanted to use the colors green, orange and blue but thought I would have to end up making the crib bedding to get the look that I wanted (nothing too themey, if that's a word). Then I just happened to find the most adorable crib bedding with all the colors I loved one day! It was meant to be! Intricate details on the bumper and quilt, with just a few cute little grasshoppers sprinkled here and there. It looks so cute in his crib!

From there I found a lovely spring green color to paint on the walls. I also found a really neat piece of art from TJMaxx that perfectly matches his crib set. I found a really neat vintage dresser on craigslist. For a moment I contemplated painting it white or a fun color, but ultimately decided against it as it looks so great with his crib.

In the pic below, you can see a truer version of the actual wall color. It didn't show up as well in the other pictures. And that is moi posing for my 40 week prego pic in all my glorious hugeness.

I found some cute shelves to paint white at a garage sale and stacked books and an adorable owl piggy bank that got a makeover with some spray paint (another garage sale find!) His cute little cardigan that is displayed on the wall was made lovingly for him by his Great-Grammy. She is so talented and is super cute so of course I couldn't bear to hide it away in a closet, thus it's placement on the wall.

The mobile above his changing pad was a fun little project I took on. It was pretty simple and although I borrowed the idea from a couple of websites, I loved creating something for my little man. It took a ton of ribbon, an embroidery hoop, some pom poms, and some grasshopper clips from his crib set. A few hot glue burns later, and voila! A sweet mobile that he already loves!

This is the view of his room from the door. The rocking chair got a fresh coat of paint and with lots of help from Great-Grammy once again, we recovered the chair with some cute fabric.

Introducing Andrew Michael Ethington!

On August 11th, 2010, our little man Andrew Michael Ethington made his way into the world. We couldn't be happier with our adorable baby boy. He is such a good baby and we fell in love with him the moment we laid eyes on him. We had a long labor to get him here, but it was all worth it in the end.

***I also wanted to make this post about his birth story, so be forewarned, as this is a long and well, obviously personal post.

I started to have contractions on August 7th (the day after my due date) when Mike I went down to Seattle to try and walk the little guy out. They continued on through Sunday so we decided to go to the hospital to see if I was ready to be admitted. Sadly, I was only at a 1 and they sent us right back home. I was really frustrated and was just getting used to the idea that the next time I would be coming home would be with my baby. On Monday, the 9th I had a Doctor's appointment and ultrasound to check my amniotic fluid levels. Little guy looked great in the ultrasound, but my fluid levels were super high (which had been one of the reasons that my weight kept creeping up). This is not as dangerous as when you have low levels of fluids but can still cause some complications. I was then checked and I was 100% effaced and at a 2, which made me feel a lot better as my contractions were actually doing something. My doctor, Dr. Cole, let me know that he felt good about letting me be induced tomorrow if I wanted and we talked a little bit about the risks that went along with that. I knew that your risks of having a C-section are higher if you are induced, but he assured me that where my cervix was completely ready for labor, my risks were a lot less. I thought about it and after talking with my doc for a few more minutes felt good and comfortable going ahead to be induced. Then we started to get excited, we were going to have a baby tomorrow! (Or so we thought!)

That night I continued to have some pretty good contractions, however, after laying down for a while they started to slow down and didn't have quite the same intensity. Mike just kept wanting to go to the hospital, as he was closely timing each contraction and asking me how hard they were. :) Gotta love his enthusiasm! The next morning however the contractions seemed to progress and were difficult to talk through. We were supposed to go in to be induced in the morning but when I called the hospital, there was a waiting list from yesterday and they said they might not get to me until later that after noon. Well, my with the way my contractions were going, we decided to go get checked out anyways. I was nervous about doing this because I just plain didn't want to get sent home again! Mike was nervous because he didn't want my water to break in the car.

Before we left Mike gave the sweetest blessing letting me know that whatever happened, everything would be all right and that our son would be all right as well. He also promised me that I would be able to remain calm through the birthing process, which really did help me through the labor and delivery.

We got to the hospital and my doctor checked me and I was only still at a 2. I wanted to cry right then and there. There was no way I was going to go home. My doctor wanted me to stay for an hour on the monitor to see if I progressed. I immediately started to coax and sweet-talk my little boy to PLEASE move down a little so the contractions would progress more. When my doctor came back to check on my we were at a 3 and he would let us be admitted! YIPPEE! I was then super excited, especially since my Mom and Gram and sister had just rolled into town, as they knew I was at least being induced that day. We got admitted and Mike and I started walking the hallway to keep the contractions coming. I then had my water broken by the doc, and it was crazy how much my tummy deflated, I couldn't believe how much fluid I had in there!
That was when the contractions REALLY picked up, they started to com close together and with major intensity. I only lasted about 2 more hours before I felt like I needed an epidural. It was like nothing else I had ever experienced.

After getting an epidural, I was no longer allowed to leave my bed and my delivery nurse, Erin (who by the way was amazing!) would have to keep flipping my from side to side. But for some reason, whenever I was on my left side, little guy's heartbeat would drop after a contraction and not come up for a while. We actually had one big scare where my nurse made my sister leave the room (everyone else was getting dinner before the cafeteria closed) and then more nurses and my doctor were running down the hall. So then my sister and her husband are trying to find my mom and husband and kind of freaking out. I was surprised that I didn't freak out as well, as the nurses were putting an oxygen mask on me and moving me into different positions to try and get the baby's heart rate up. The nurses were actually betting that the little guy was holding onto his cord and squeezing after really strong contractions. His heartbeat kept returning to an exceptable rate, but there were nurses in and out of my room all night due to it dropping. They ended up putting internal monitors for both my contractions and his heart rate to keep a closer eye on things.

I was given pitocin, but was only on it for a little while due to baby's heart rate again continuing to drop. But it did help my contractions get really going. I was at an 8 around 11:00 pm and the nurse thought I would be ready to deliver by midnight, alas, it was not to be. It ended up that his head was not centered on my cervix so I ended up being at a 9 for about 4 hours, because my cervix couldn't dilate to a 10 on one side where baby's head was. Finally my doctor came in (again) to let me know that we would try pushing past my cervix and then try and deliver him. If that didn't work he let me know that I would have to have a c-section. I decided right then and there that I did NOT want to have gone through all that labor just to have a c-section. I knew that if that's what had to happen to get my baby here safely of course I would do it, but felt sure that I could do it. I said a quick prayer to give me strength and calm myself and felt ready and more reassured that everything would be okay.

I only pushed for about 10 minutes and the doctor had to use the vacuum to get him out. It was the biggest relief to have him delivered safely. He didn't cry right away, but was flailing around when I looked up and then heard his amazing little cry. They had to take him right away to suction him out, because he had had a bowel movement in the womb. It seriously felt like hours until they could get him to me. I was really shaky from the labor but was so overwhelmed with the feelings of love and relief that my baby was healthy and here! I couldn't stop crying because I was so happy. They gave him to me all clean and wrapped up and I couldn't believe that this beautiful little boy was mine. Mike and I had waited to long for him, and he was well worth the wait. I knew right away that his name would be Andrew. It seemed to fit him perfectly. He is our little peanut. Drew (his nickname) was exactly 8 pounds and 20 inches long. He is long and skinny with long fingers and long toes just like his Daddy. The first few days I thought he looked a lot like my baby pictures but each day he develops a little more and I think is taking after his Daddy more.

(Sorry theses are totally out of order)

He is really alert and already focuses really well.

Drew grabbing his binkie.

Getting a good look at Daddy.

Taking a snooze on Grammy's shoulder.

Hanging out with Uncle Cooper.

His onesie says it all!

Asleep again.

Loves his Grammy, on the day he came home from the hospital.

One happy family.

Mommy and Drew, snuggling.

Drowning, but still adorable in his coming home outfit.

Yea! We get to come home today!

Auntie Ashley loves little Drew!

Drew loved the bath at the hospital.

Drew checking out this strange new world.

Keeping toasty under the warmer.

My sweet 8 lb., cone head baby.

These are 2 happy grandmas!

Daddy is so proud of his little man.

Countdown until Baby Ethington arrives!

Well seeing as I only have 19 days until my duedate (Aug 6th) things have been super busy around the Ethington Casa. I think Mike has caught onto my nesty feelings just a little bit as we make the final push to try and get things ready before little guy gets here.

I haven't really been into the whole belly pic thing, even though people have been asking me to post them. There is something about posting my hugeness on the net that just doesn't appeal to me. I do have this pic though from my birthday when I was 32 1/2 weeks (June 7th) and I may take one when I hit 40, just so I can say, "Yeah, I was huge."

I have also hit the "I am always uncomfortable stage" in pregnancy. My feet all the way to my knees are really swollen and Mike and I entertain ourselves by making shapes and indentations in my legs because of how much water I am retaining. I did also finally have to take of my wedding ring as my poor little fingers did not escape the whole retaining water thing, I made it to 36 weeks though which I think is pretty good! Little guy makes sure that I always remember that he is in there as he is kicking me all night and all day long. He is very feisty and does not like anything on my tummy, he will try to punch and kick it out of his personal space. I have also been experiencing lots of hip and lower back pains from the relaxin that my body is producing to get me ready for labor. I have also been really hot with the long awaited arrival of Summer in Seattle. It just gets more humid here! We went out and purchased a little AC unit for our bedroom and a wading pool for the back yard. I LOVE my kiddie pool! It is so the best way to cool down on a hot day, that and a lemonade Popsicle, yum!

I feel pretty bad for Mike as he has had to endure through my crazy prego mood swings. Sometimes I can even hear what I am saying and freaking out about to be completely absurd, but can't seem to stop myself! I know Mike is thinking to himself, "Holy Cow! Who is this woman and what has she done with my wife!?" I know he loves me though because he has put up with me through all my psychotic breaks and mood swings. Even if I do see him give the "I think you're crazy" look. For what it's worth, thanks for sticking with me babe! :)

We spent yesterday doing many projects around the house as we know we won't have the time nor the energy once our little guys gets here. Plus I would so much rather spend any free time playing and cuddling with our little man! We spent some time getting his nursery ready and once I get the pictures hung on the wall I will try and post some pics, it has been one of my favorite projects around here getting his room ready, it has become my favorite room in the house!

I had my 36 week ultrasound last week, and he is doing well. He is head down, (and the ultrasound tech even said he's got some hair on that head, which is great, since I was one bald baby!) and they are estimating him to be about 6 lbs. 5 oz right now which is 58th percentile, hopefully they are right, and he will just be average sized when he does come. He is really healthy and all of his organs look great. We are so excited for our little man to arrive and can't wait to become parents!

Our Krazy Kona Trip!

Last week, we got an opportunity to go to HAWAII!! It was so exciting. We have both never been and that is one of the places we both have wanted to go to for a long time. It was kind of a last minute trip with a couple of our very generous friends who had invited us to go with them so we could split expenses. It also came at a great time for us, as I was now 20 weeks and feeling much better than I did in my 1st trimester. We felt like this was our last Hoorah, before our little Bean comes. And what a great Hoorah it was! We went to the "Big Island" of Kona, Hawaii and stayed for 4 days and 5 nights. We had a blast with out friends and with each other, just enjoying being away from it all, taking in the many sights, and relaxing. When we flew into the open-air airport (just lovely, by the way!) it was a beautiful sunny day in Kona.

We had so much fun! Here are some pics of some of our adventures!

On top of the Jagger Museum lookout over Mount Kilauea, there was an extreme amount of CO2 gas being emitted at the time (NOT good for me or baby) so we took a few pics and left, most of the park was closed off because of this - bummer! (although we did get to see the glow of lava in the crater at night!)

Bekah & Ryan underneath an amazing tree where the roots would grow back into the tree system! It was huge!

Me, enjoying a locally grown banana, delish!

Mike & I at some tide pools on the Hilo side of the island, water was a little too cold for snorkeling that day, but they were pretty cool to see.

Mike relaxing after enjoying the waves at Hapuna beach.

**Fun fact! ; The Island of Kona has lots of different colored sand: Black, green, salt & pepper, and white. However, all the white sand was brought to Kona on barges transported from Mexico and California.

Ha! Ok this picture will always make me laugh because we were walking along and were just going to take a quick snap shot of ourselves, when this total island, surfer dude was like "hey I'll take your picture!" I was a little leery letting a complete stranger hold my camera, but all his surfing gear was there so we were ok with it. Mike gave him the camera and he kept taking a lot of pics and having us move one way or another. He kept saying crazy things and was just a little bit too happy...., when Mike went to get our camera, he got a whiff of whatever the guy had been smoking. Our suspicions were confirmed. Definately a laid-back local. It was hilarious.

Mike & I got to go on this amazing snorkel adventure on our last night in Kona. We went out on this boat at sunset to swim with giant MANTA RAYS! They were so beautiful, we got to see like 4 or 5 different manta rays. We went with other snorkelers and divers. The guides gave us underwater flashlights which we used to attract plankton, which manta rays eat. Then they would come and do flips and barrel rolls right in front of your face! It was intense! They were so beautiful and amazing! The biggest one wat probably 9-10 feet across their wings! We tried not to touch them (it can hurt them) but one touched Mike's leg and another my stomach. Definately one of the coolest things we did in Kona!

We also got to go visit the grounds of the Kona Hawaii temple, we went at night and then again before we went to the airport, it was so beautiful and lovely!

Out for a walk on a lovely day in Kona.

We found some coconuts along the sides of the road in Hilo.

We had just finished a little hike through a lava tube cave. Very cool, although I did see a couple of bats, that was a little creepy.

We had just hiked to the top of this waterfall, it was so fun, but very wet! The path was not paved, it was just a jungle path, with moss, branches, and mud. Yikes, my poncho was in shreds by the time we got back to the car. I think I got more wet wearing it, than not. I wish I would have taken a picture of it!

After a long day of sightseeing the volcano, waterfalls, and the lava tube, we tried some local cuisine. Moco Loco is the name of this interesting dish. It is rice, a hamburger patty, brown gravy, & an egg on top. I was skeptical, but it was actually really good!

I always wanted to swing on a vine!

Rainbow falls - one of the beautiful waterfalls we saw on our trip.

It's a BOY!!

This Wednesday, we found out that our little Bean is a boy! We are so excited and couldn't be happier about this new addition to out little family!

I wish I would have taken a picture of Mike's face when the ultrasound tech announced to us that our baby was a boy! He was literally beaming!

Our little guys is not shy either! As soon as the tech started the ultrasound, within 15 seconds, she said, "OK, looks like you have a little boy!" Wow. That was fast!

Our little guy is healthy and everything looks good. It was so fun to see him squirming around in there. I loved it when we got to see his little feet and he kept putting his hands and arms up in front of his face.

I actually have to have another ultrasound next month when I go in for my checkup, because our little man was moving around too much that they couldn't get clear enough pictures to complete the checkup.

I just look at it as another opportunity to see my little guy!

We don't have a specific name picked out as of yet, we actually have quite a few that we have been thinking about, but I think we both like the idea of waiting until we meet out little guy to name him officially.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Well, I think it's about time to update the ol' blog. I know we have been neglecting our little blog but in our defense, we have had a lot of work and projects in the mix. Pretty much our new house has taken control of our lives! So far, we love it though, we get to spend our weekends together tackling the endless list of projects. And somehow, we still can't seem to make a dent in the work that needs to be done. We have a lot of fun though and could never have done a lot of this without some help from our families. Just a little shout-out to basically everyone that's related to us: "THANK YOU! WE LOVE YOU" (And because we love my mom soooooo much we will be helping HER move once they close on their new house!)

Some of the things that we've accomplished are (Brace yourself, it is a bit long):
-Replace every stinking last icky-almond-loose outlet and light switch in the place, let me tell you, so time consuming, but well worth it! At least I know where every outlet in every room is now!
-Paint
-Paint some more!
-Spray-painted from Gaudy Gold to a nice black: the Pendant light in the entry, the Chandelier over the dining table and, get this, the Gas fireplace! Mike thought I was crazy for that last one, but they have heat-resistant spray paint and it worked like a charm. That's right babe, who's laughing NOW?! :)
-Had new carpet installed, I'm pretty sure the carpet was original to the house, which wouldn't be so bad except the house was built in 1989!!! Yeah, I'm not going to describe the grossness there, use your imagination.
-Started installing new baseboard trim
-Replace the Huge-Spotlight-disguised-as-track lights for some nice simple USEFUL track lights


-And while we're in the kitchen, (promise not to laugh at the mess someone left - I swear it wasn't me!) I guess I could show you the work we did there! We installed all the appliances (Thank you, Craigslist!), refinished the cabinets to a nice Walnut stain and added some drawer pulls. I guess I didn't take a picture of the whole kitchen, but it wraps around to a bar as well.


-We have installed new blinds in all the windows

-One of the biggest projects we (that term "We" is used very loosely, it was pretty much my dear, loving, awesome Mike, who did this project. I tried to help, honest! But I think I just got in the way and made more work for him...So I just stuck with getting him food and water when needed) undertook was installing this beautiful Bamboo Hardwood Floor on our main floor, all 550 square feet of it! It definitely was a daunting task, and I'm pretty sure Mike would rather die than do it again, but he sure did a great job, didn't he?? (I make sure to try and tell him that at LEAST once a day!)

-Did I mention that we painted? A LOT? We painted every room in the house, (well except the bathrooms and laundry room, but you just wait my pretties!) but we didn't stop there! Every door in the place was this awful orangey-gold brown color that stepped right out of the 80s. So, we painted them a lovely creamy white. I was thinking, "Man that's a lot of money to replace 12 doors all at once, I KNOW we can paint them, it will be SO much cheaper." In retrospect, yes, much cheaper, however, what a big pain in the tushy. I do kind of wish Mike could have talked me out of that one... (Don't tell him I said that, he'd be down to Home Depot to replace them before I could blink!)

Now our latest and greatest project wasn't on our original To-Do list, but, well we take em' as they come!

Yep, it's true, after waiting, and waiting, and then waiting some more, we are finally PREGNANT!

(And by "we" of course, I mean "me")

It's kind of funny we were so busy at the end of 2009, (New house, vacation to Scotland, Weddings, Holidays, etc.) that we weren't even focused on having a baby. I guess in the end that's what we needed, a break!

As of today I am officially 13 weeks and holding strong! I had an ultrasound at 6 weeks because my doctor wanted to be sure it was a "viable fetus" (doesn't that sound terrible and cold?? I prefer a "Cute little bean with a good heartbeat!") before we got too excited, due to my history.
I can tell you right now, that until we saw that little heart beating away, Mike and I were probably both blue in the face from holding our breaths!

But it's a keeper! I already can't wear my pants without a bellyband, but am not big enough to hold up maternity pants.

I have actually not been feeling too bad, a little nausea, a little heartburn here and there, and a WHOLE lot of tiredness, but thankfully that is now receding.

Mike and I are thrilled to become parents and welcome a beautiful little spirit into our home.

Although, I don't think Mike is so thrilled about the "Nursery To-Do List" that I have started to create!

We'll keep you updated!