Cuatro dias...

One more day of pregnancy completed...4 more until the due date! Countdowns can get kinda boring, so to spice it up, I'm going to start posting the days to go in different languages..ha.

I'm convinced the nursery won't ever be "finished", as I'm pretty sure I'll always be thinking of additional projects, but we are pretty darn close to being "finished" with the nursery, so I decided to fill all of you lovely people in on our little man's first room :)

I am SO happy with how this room has evolved into what it is. Both Russ and I have put more work into just this one room then I think we've put into our whole house in the almost 2 yrs we've lived here...ha.

So without further a due, my little virtual tour of the nursery...
Hope you like it!

We just finished the nest lamp last night, and it turned out more perfect then I could have imagined. We made the decision to put a string of Christmas lights in the shade for some soft night time lighting. It's so sparkly, and the shadows it casts at night are amazing! I found a DIY tutorial on creating these cute nest like shades on Craftynest.com. It's actually a rather simple process, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I started my first shade almost a year ago. I never actually finished it because I ran out of hemp, and then the ball I used to wrap the hemp had deflated, and we had to throw it out...ha. However, this time around the shade was completed in just a couple days, and I'm so happy with how it just pulls the room together!

I found this little bedside table at the Goodwill Outlet for $3!!! Slap a coat of paint on it, and a cute little knob from anthropologie, and voila! The paint color was a total experiment. We have tons of 1/2 cans of paints from painting rooms and what not...so to save a little moola, we decided to combine some colors, and this is what we got! It wasn't exactly the color I was going for, but I love it!

I decidede to made a couple different pillows for the chair cause I wasn't really feeling the initial one. And there's that baby blanket I finished at 4am yesterday morning...haha.


The tree stump ottoman continues to be one of my favorite pieces about the room. Thanks hubs for such a great idea!!!

I made the curtains out of a pretty little fabric from Heather Bailey. Please go check out her fabric...it'll brighten your day for sure!

We were on a pretty tight budget for this room, so we decided to utilize some pieces we already had around the house. Russ found this amazing wooden bench awhile ago. We LOVE rustic wood pieces, and I love it even more in the context of this room! I also love having this vintage style record player along with our record collection on display. Russ and I have a true love and passion for music, and we plan on sharing that love with our little one as much as possible. The blocks were made by my good friend Jenny of Liberty and Lace...are they not the cutest?!

This wall is was the very first project Russ and I completed for the nursery. I love that while sitting in the rocker, this is what I'm looking at! Russ did an amazing job on the tree murals, and of course the crib just makes it perfect! The drawers under the crib are filled with toys and other various treasures our little one will surely be getting in to one day. Each drawer has felt on the bottom for easy sliding, while still protecting our floors!

You've already seen these, but I couldn't help but do another close up...Love these birds!

Addison's little buddies! I can't wait to see Addi running around dragging these little guys behind him :)

This is the wall that still puzzles me. I'm trying my hardest to figure out what to do with that wall!! Until I figure it out, it'll just have to do as is.

I really wanted something bright, cheery and soft for the changing pad cover, but couldn't find a thing that would do...so I made one :) (I plan on posting a tutorial on how to create your own changing pad cover soon!).

I love Terrariums, and have been wanting to make one for FOREVER! I finally did it, and now I want to have them all over my house! haha. The little wooden birds are from West Elm, I want these all over my house as well.

This is little buddie's reading nook! He's got his books, a nice cushy pillow, and a little buddy to read to. The only thing missing is our sweet boy!

Another of Russ' contributions to the nursery is this AMAZING A he designed and made! Seriously...how lucky am I that I have a husband who loves to create just as much as I do?! He is so talented, and this A couldn't be more perfect! The idea for the book shelf display came off of a post on Ohdeedoh (a daily read for me for the last few months). I just thought it was such a fun way to display our little book collection.

So I ended up just redoing the turtle head, and per my lovely sister's suggestion, put a couple eyes on him :)

And this concludes the tour of Addison Nolan Hickman's room.
Now all we need is a baby!!!

39 weeks and 3 days...can't wait to finally meet you my sweet little man!!!

5!!!

I was planning on continuing my countdown over the weekend, but it was just so beautiful warm and sunny outside here in Nashville, there was no way I could allow myself to stay indoors.

So here we are at 5 days away from our due date!!! I know it's not probable that this baby will make his way into this world in 5 days, but I still cannot believe how close we are getting to little man being here!! At church yesterday I kept thinking "How crazy is it that this time next week, I may not be pregnant anymore?!". It's such a crazy feeling but I am definitely ready for our little boy to get here!

I had another insomnia filled night last night (up from about 12a - 4:30a this morning...ugh). My mind was just racing about anything and everything baby, including imagining all of the inconvenient place my water could possibly break...ha. I have such a wild imagination. I totally imagined taking a walk on my lunch break from work and my water breaking while I walked down the sidewalk. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! haha! I've decided that I'm going to stock both of our cars with towels, just in case something unfortunate like that actually happens.

At about 2:30a, and my eyes wide awake, I figured I might as well be productive, so I tip toed myself to the couch and finally finished that baby blanket I've been painstakingly working on for the last few weeks! It's a little smaller...partially because I want to use it as a stroller/car seat blanket, but also because my poor fingers just couldn't take the beating. I'm so glad to have it finished though! I still need to make him a couple pairs of baby booties to bring him home in...I'm truly shocked I haven't made him a pair yet! Oh yea, and I should have pictures for all of you of the finished nursery this week! Just a couple last minute finishing touches, and we're done!

I meant to post a picture of the belly this morning...but for some reason my computer decided it wanted to delete them, and me being the absent minded person that I have been the last few weeks, deleted them off of my camera...ugh! So you'll just have to imagine what I look like these days...it's quite the site. The belly continues to just get bigger and bigger, and surprisingly my legs are staying about the same. Russ says I look like an orange on a toothpick...ha. I'll post something for you as soon as I get a chance and you can be the judge :)

Happy Monday!

I love him!

I was looking through old pictures, remembering all of the amazing times Russ and I have had since we've been together. He's my very best friend, and I am so excited that we get to share this next step of parenthood together! He's seriously going to be the best Dad! These are just a few of my favorites...can't wait to add a picture of our happy little family once little Addi gets here!!

Kissin at the Eiffel Tower

Happily Engaged!

One of the best days of my life!

Honeymooners

One year of wedded bliss!

Our first Home!

Hickmans!

One last trip pre-parenthood

8...

Yep...just 8 short days before our due date! It's pretty crazy to think that this little man could literally be here any day now! I had another midwife appointment this morning. Everything is looking great! My blood pressure is right where it should be, little man is head down and has dropped into position, and his heart rate looks great. He decided he needed to show Ms Margret how good he was at moving around and kicking...haha. So there you have it! We're truly in the last stretch of a pregnancy that really has just flown by! I have a feeling today is going to be a good one...the sun is shining, and we are SO close to the weekend (and a beautiful one at that).

Enjoy your day!

9 days...

{picture via designspongeonline.com}

I wasn't kidding when I said I was counting down to the due date..ha. One day down, 9 more until the due date, and who knows how long until he actually gets here :)

Russ and I got SO excited this morning when we looked up the 10 day forecast, because the warmer weather is FINALLY making it's way to Nashville...Hallelujah!!! I can't tell you how excited I am for sunshine, and the opportunity to put away my winter coat (that BARELY buttons up these days)! I'm looking forward to a beautiful weekend of walks, spending quality time with my best friend and hubby Russell, and finishing up all of those last minute things on our to-do list. Oh spring...how I love thee and have been waiting for you to get here for what seems like FOREVER!!

Tomorrow we see our midwife again! I'm feeling like little buddy has finally dropped (due to feeling like I have to pee every minute, and being able to eat large quantities of food that I shouldn't...haha), but I guess we'll see what they say!

Have a lovely day!

10 days and counting...

I'm starting the official baby day countdown today! I don't know what switched in my head, but I'm finally at the point where I am ready as ever to have this baby!! Ha. Prior to today, I've been stressing about the silliest little things, like what we'll bring little man home in, what I want to wear home, having the nursery completely put together, the list goes on and on. I've seriously been obsessing over these things in my head, so much so that I've been terrified that I'd go into labor without it all figured out! Well those days are over, and I just cannot wait for our little mister to get here!!

Finding Joy...

I have to be honest, the last couple of weeks it's been somewhat of a challenge to find joy in every day life, and especially on a day like today where it's cold and slushy, it's easy for me to give in to feeling sorry for myself. My emotions are literally all over the place (poor husband...if you know him, give him a pat on the back, cause he's been a trooper!), and I've been feeling a tad overwhelmed with various things, some including the thought of birthing a child, and then knowing what to do with said child when we bring him home, plus a random assortment of other things like cleaning, finishing the nursery, finances, etc. But I'm officially putting a stop to all of these sad thoughts, because I have A LOT to be thankful for and to find joy in...

1. Having faith and hope in a God who has always, and promises to always take care of our every need! We have a roof over our head, food in our bellies, and clothes on our back...God has truly blessed us!

2. I am married to one of the most amazing men on the planet. He is my very best friend, and has been so incredibly loving and supportive through all of these changes!

3. God chose Russ and I to be parents!! And not just to any kid...but to this little baby boy growing inside of my belly! Not everyone is blessed with this kind of gift. I know it will be hard. There will be sleepless nights, tears, and frustrations, but I can only imagine what it will be like to hold him, and to stare in amazement at his beautiful tiny face! I can only imagine that raising him, will be one of the greatest joys I've ever known!

4. I have 3 beautiful, wonderful sisters (all who have just recently had babies) and an amazing mom (who birthed 6 children...I think she's had her share of experience). Although I don't live near them (boo), they are only a phone call away, no matter what silly little questions I may have about what to do with a newborn :)

5. We have amazing friends who have been so supportive and helpful already, and the baby isn't even here yet. Not to mention my little brother and his girlfriend who do live here in Nashville. It's truly a blessing to have such enthusiastic, loving family nearby!

6. I know this may be a little silly to be thankful for, but we have the cutest, most affectionate pups! It's a special feeling coming home, knowing that there are 2 little buddies that are just DYING to see you! They love us unconditionally!

7. It's almost Spring!! I love to be outdoors, and I am thrilled that we've pretty much made it through winter, and we're on to spring, summer and the outdoors!

There are a million other things out there for me to find joy in...these are just at the top of my list.

What are you finding joy in today?