Great Expectations: 22 weeks

How Far Along: 22 weeks

Fruit Size Comparison:Papaya 

Weight/ Clothes: I was in New York this past weekend for wedding gown shopping with my sister, the bride, and when I returned home Adam looked at me and said, "Where did that (belly) come from?" I went a little pasta crazy in New York this past weekend, so perhaps that added to my new roundness...though it may just be my time to round out, haha. Many of my cousins commented on how small I am at 5 months along, which was encouraging to hear since I'm definitely getting bigger...I may have to curb my pasta eating at least this coming week to get back on the wagon, oh well. I also signed up at a nearby gym to stay active and fit. It should also help with labor and delivery at the end of this road. 

On the clothing front, I inherited a bunch of maternity hand-me-downs this week from a friend who attends my old church, Grace Point Community Church. I took home four HUGE bins of clothes collected over the years and passed amongst the pregnant women at that church. There were always a bunch of women pregnant throughout the time Adam and I attended that church, but then we moved and I would have never expected to be part of that maternity clothes exchange. 

I sorted through the bins to see what fit and what wasn't too outdated and kept a HUGE bin of staples, lots of basic tees and long sleeve shirts, a few sweaters, some dressier pants and a couple cute dresses. I've had some money set aside to buy maternity items when I need them and now I won't be needing the simple stuff. I'm really excited to have so many choices since I've been living out of the maternity items my mom sent me for my birthday.

It was also birthday week, so I bought myself a couple pairs of Gap maternity jeans and a great dress since there are a couple actual stores Gap Maternity stores up here. I definitely wanted to try on skinny maternity jeans before buying them, and I LOVE what I got. I also got some ADORABLE light sweaters from Motherhood Maternity from my mom. I'm feeling SO cute!

Cravings: Pasta and delicious Italian bakery goodies! We were in New York after all.

Gender: We're going to find out very soon...but not soon enough as my mom kept reminding me. She is dieing to buy gender specific clothes. My cousins all wanted to know if we'd be broadcasting the gender reveal in a few weeks. Sadly, we won't have an internet signal in the mountains, but as soon as we do we will POST POST POST the reveal results!

Movement: The big kicked me pretty good this week while mom and I were at Whole Foods buying groceries. I was shocked and doubled over a bit once again and it cracked my mom up. Otherwise, I'm feeling subtle movement pretty regularly which is so cool.

I also felt what I think is the baby's bottom the other day. All of a sudden an area of the baby bump got REALLY hard and the skin got tighter. I had my mom feel it too and she agreed that it was definitely either the baby's head or buttox. When I showed Adam, he said I shouldn't poke the baby and that the baby was probably thinking, "Can't a baby get a little peace in WOMB?!" My husband cracks me up.

Symptoms: HEARTBURN to the HILT! Yikes! But Zantac is my new best friend and seems to be REALLY helping!

Still snorting when I laugh...gosh I hope this goes away after the birth. I can't snort when I laugh for the rest of my life. It is sooo embarrassing and makes me laugh even harder at myself, but I just can't control it.

Mental State: I was nannying this week for a friend's kiddos. That's right, two kiddos, a 6 month old and a 2 year old toddler. The kids are so sweet, but it is an eye opening experience hanging out and entertaining a 2 year old for 8 hours while watching an infant at the same time. We had fun and I think I handled it all pretty well, but I left each day thinking I was thankful to be starting out in the world of parenting with one baby and then easing into toddlerhood and all it's nuances since toddlers seem to have pretty short attention spans. Each day I came with a new simple cooking project to work on and pass some of the time (apple crisp and rice crispies). It's funny to me when kids don't like being messy/  sticky even if just for a few minutes until the project is complete.

I'm so excited to meet out own cuddly baby in just a few months!! I can't believe I'm already over the half way mark!

Appointment Updates: I had a doctor's appointment with the OB, so she could take a look at the swollen spot in my underarm. She wasn't too concerned and wanted me to use warm compresses and Tylenol to see if whatever was irritated would go down. She also used the doppler to check in on the baby whose heart rate was 150 and he/she was moving all around again. The doc found the heartbeat and would then lose it and have to go searching over and over.  I found it pretty amusing actually.

Is this normal? Strange occurrences: I'm sweating a lot more than I usually do...interesting.

Best Moment of the Week: Auntie Anna picked her wedding gown this weekend while mom and I were in New York and it was fun to think that there might be five girls in the salon dressing room or four girls and a sneaky boy present. (Anna, Mom, Me, Teresa and Baby Herndon) There was also so much good news to celebrate with my family in New York. We got to see pretty much everybody on both sides of the family!

My birthday was also a highlight this week. Mom was here to celebrate with me and Adam and she treated us and Peanut to a wonderful 10 course dinner at No. 9 Park. The chef made my food pregnancy friendly and it was fun when the waiter explaining each course of the tasting would explain how I was "special" and therefore had a slightly altered menu item. It was ALL super delicious and SUCH an amazing culinary experience!

Adam also got me tickets to the Boston Ballet for my birthday since I've always wanted to go to a real ballet, so now Peanut will get some added culture while still in the womb since the first show we get to go to occurs after my trip home in October and then another around Christmas. I am one lucky girl!

Great Expectations: 21 weeks

How Far Along: 21 Weeks

OVER HALF WAY!!!

(Don't you LOVE the 5ft Giraffe Nana Fronch, mom's newest nickname, found for the nursery!)

Fruit Size Comparison: Pomegranate 

Weight/ Clothes: I'm still pretty much on target with my weight gain, which is good. I'm carrying well and seem to truly be "showing" now.

I'm loving the maternity clothes my mom sent me for my birthday. They really have come in handy especially since I needed a dress for the wedding I coordinated for the first time on Saturday.

Cravings: Nothing to report.

Gender: The votes are still leaning towards the baby being a boy, but there have been QUITE a few more votes for it being a girl lately. We'll see on the 13th!

Movement: Feeling waves of movement pretty consistently now. At my centering appointment, the midwife was using the doppler and found the heartbeat for a couple seconds before the baby moved and it took quite a bit of searching to relocate the heartbeat. She commented on how much this baby is moving around. We seem to have a very active kid in there.

Symptoms: HEARTBURN!! It's been BAD! I've taking Tums pretty regularly and I found out at my appointment that I could take Zantac because I was taking more than four Tums a day it could be the better choice. I kept an eye on it this week to see if I would switch over to Zantac. I'm probably going to. 

This heartburn is CRAZY! It's not just acid choking me and climbing up my esophagus, but it creates soreness all through my midsection that feels like a huge bruise (imagine that feeling, ladies, when you wear an underwire bra and it's too tight and digs into your rib cage leaving you pretty sore...that's what this soreness feels like). 

Mental State: I feel like I had some pregnancy brain this week...I had some things to accomplish and definitely felt busy (substitute teaching applications and interview, a Hillsong Concert, launching the youth ministry), but when I was asked later in the week what I had been keeping busy with I drew a total blank even though I knew my days had felt full! I needed to check my calendar to see how I had actually been keeping busy. 

Appointment Updates: I had my second centering appointment this week and this month's discussion centered around pregnancy symptoms and solutions. It was a helpful discussion for sure! I haven't been dealing with all the symptoms that were covered, but it's nice to have ideas for ways to alleviate symptoms if and when they arise. We were also told to expect to come in for the well-known GLUCOSE TEST, which I had already experienced due to the heavy family history of diabetes, so I was asked to share what the experience was like with my centering mates. I told them it was like drinking flat orange soda and what made it a challenge, for me at least, wasn't so much the taste but the short amount of time I had to get the entire bottle down (5 minutes). I suggested bringing a straw since the lab didn't have any when I did my test. My early sugar test had fantastic results...my doc said I almost needed more sugar in my diet but not really. I'll have another sugar test around Halloween within the normal time frame since the extra weight is a factor in developing gestational diabetes. How lucky for me, right?!

My blood pressure was good this time around, thank goodness, and I'm measuring at 21 weeks and the baby is moving around a bunch as noted during the doppler exam.

Is this normal? Strange occurrences: My heartburn soreness

Best Moment of the Week: Mom mailed me a SNOOGLE! My sleep has definitely improved since I've found comfortable ways to sleep with my new bed buddy.

Great Expectations: time flies!

We're HALF WAY there this week!! 

YAY for 20 weeks along!

Great Expectations: 20 weeks

How Far Along: 20 weeks (HALF WAY!!!)

Fruit Size Comparison: Banana

Weight/ Clothes: Strange to say...but I feel like I've either stayed the exact same size this week or possibly shrunk a little. For a few days last week, I really felt like I'd "popped"...but some days this week I've felt smaller. Maybe I'm just getting used to this being my new body for the next few months.

Then again, people around me here keep commenting on how I don't look pregnant at all...this could also be getting to my head, though I will say in some shirts I could definitely hide the fact that I was expecting if I wished to (flashback to the weird nightmare I once had about being pregnant and being one of THOSE woman who did not know about it until out comes a baby...the way things feel/look right now I could believe I had just gained some extra weight), but I can't get away with wearing my regular size pants...so I am definitely wearing a bump!

Friends who have known me longer can/will see the difference. It's so strange being some place where no one knew me before being pregnant. I guess it will be fun to return to my pre-baby weight and surprise everyone that I INDEED looked pregnant after the fact, haha.

Cravings: Nothing really...boring I know.

Gender: Waiting...and getting a little more antsy/curious/excited to find out! I'm happy waiting though to be with everyone for the big reveal.

Movement: Houston, we had our first serious KICK this week! I've definitely been feeling slight movement in the form of waves/ ripples at times, but Saturday night when we got home from a free concert on the Esplanade I was headed into the elevator when I felt something like a crazy muscle spasm right near my belly button. It was CRAZY! I kind of doubled over not from pain, but more from the surprise. I began laughing and explaining to Adam who must have thought I'd gone crazy that I was pretty sure the baby had just socked me in the stomach. I haven't felt anything like it since, but I asked a friend here who recently had a baby and she confirmed that what I was describing was indeed most likely a kick.

Symptoms: I've had some discomfort sleeping lately, which seems crazy to me because my belly is NOT THAT BIG AT ALL...but I am finding it hard to get comfortable at night. Mom picked up a discounted Snoogle though when she was shopping with Shelby and Cola in Tennessee, so I think that will make a world of difference as soon as I get it.

I've also been waking up 3, 4, 5 sometimes 6 times a night to pee! No wonder I feel a bit tired even though my energy level has been on the up swing. Guess it's good preparation for waking up later on to feed, right?!

Mental State: Nothing to heavy clouding my thoughts this week, though I have found myself wondering what my days will look like once the baby gets here. I try to think about what my stay at home mom friends keep busy with day in and day out...but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'm really looking forward to this new style of busy with baby. I had a pretty relaxed week otherwise, which is why I had time to ponder such things, and the week was followed by a fun filled weekend. 

Appointment Updates: My next centering appointment is this Thursday and Adam plans to attend this time. He'll get to hear the baby's heartbeat and participate in all the fun. I'm hoping my blood pressure was a fluke thing last time. A friend here even lent me a blood pressure cuff to test for my own peace of mind. 

Is this normal? Strange occurrences: Nothing comes to mind this week, which is kind of nice.

Best Moment of the Week: #1: Definitely THE KICK! I love how these moments make me giggle out of pure joy. 

#2: Having AMAZING free tickets to Sunday's Red Sox Game. (8 rows behind the Red Sox dug out). It was fun getting a photo of me and Peanut at the game...this was actually Peanut's second Red Sox game this season. 

First game back in Boston (below).

This photo feels a little reminiscent of this photo we took 6 years back when we moved to Mass. the first time around. I started this here blog with said photo. 

Great Expectations: My First Centering Appointment

So what was my first centering appointment like? I thought I'd write about the whole experience before heading to my second appointment next week, so here's what it was like from beginning to end. I think I'm a fan of this centering model of care.

When I entered the meeting room, there were cute bags with an informational binder on every other seat for the expectant mothers, posters about the developing baby hung around the room and snacks set out on the table.

We were given a brief overview of the centering form of care followed by an ice breaker where we broke into groups of three and discussed a couple fun facts about our pregnancies so far. We then shared someone else's fact with the group when we all reconvened. It was really fun to chat and compare experiences and encourage each other since we're all due within a few weeks of each other and therefore on the same timeline.

During the introduction I found out about my future appointments (though I've known when ALL my appointments will be until the end of December.) I'll attend 8 centering appointments before my traditional office visits resumer and between 26 and 29 weeks I'll see my OB again to touch base as long as everything continues to go well.

At each appointment, we check our own vitals (weight and blood pressure) with the help of the nurse and this all gets documented in our binders and reported to the midwife when we see her individually during our later belly checks.

Then the class continues on a certain topic. This first class was focused on nutrition. We watched a couple short videos, discussed the basics for nutrition in pregnancy and then broke off for some binder activities (worksheets) while the midwife began individual belly checks.

One at a time we would head over to the area of the room where the midwife was performing belly checks. This area was sort of separated from the rest of the room by some plants, but it was off in the corner and did feel pretty private. You really couldn't hear the individual conversations from where I was sitting in the group and you remain fully clothed for the doppler.

During my belly check she documented my weight and blood pressure (which was sadly a bit high). Then she let me know the height of my uterus (mine came to the top of my belly button...crazy how they can tell!) Finally, she used the doppler to hear the baby's heartbeat and we recorded the heart rate. I had my blood pressure taken again a bit later and it had come down. The nurse said this happens all the time due to anxiousness and hearing the heart beat tends to but women at ease. I didn't realize I was anxious at all, but it did come down afterward so perhaps I was.

After all the belly checks were complete, we came back together as a group and discussed the questions that had been listed on the post-it board. That wrapped up our time together and then there was casual time as people were leaving to ask any left over individual questions.

Overall, I really liked the experience. It was great to talk with other women in the same stage of pregnancy and I'm looking forward to my future appointments. Hopefully Adam will come along for the next appointment.

Great Expectations: 19 weeks

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Fruit Size Comparison: Mango 

Weight/ Clothes: I definitely feel like I "popped" this week.

I'm wearing a combination of maternity and regular clothing still. I'm excited for fall weather and fall layers.

One of my friends from our old church up here, Kim, has offered to lend me a bunch of her maternity clothes too! I'm pretty excited about it. More options without having to spend a ton of money. (Thanks Kim!)

Cravings: Nothing this week that I can put my finger on.

Gender: No new news this week...waiting for cabin weekend and the BIG reveal! If this baby is a girl, Adam is going to be a VERY SHOCKED fellow! 

Movement: I think I'm beginning to feel movement. I am not absolutely positive, but I've felt a little something a few times that made me wonder and knowing how hard it is to tell with your first baby, I'm thinking that this is very likely movement.

Symptoms: I've had moments where I feel like I'm starving this week, which wouldn't be so strange except I will have had a good size meal a few hours earlier and then suddenly feel like I could eat everything in sight. It's made Adam chuckle a few times.

On the flip side, I've had moments where my belly feels SOOOO full from top to bottom! Literally STUFFED. Now I can understand why the British refer to pregnancy as "being stuffed". It's a strange feeling and I then have some difficulty getting comfortable.

I also get out of breath so easily at times. Makes me feel way out of shape, but usually it has nothing to do with my activity level being overly strenuous. I think it's pretty normal.

Mental State: My friend Shelby texted me this week on August 30th to remind me that Baby Herndon was due in exactly 5 months!! Wow, our lives will look pretty different 5 months from now!

Life is beginning to slow down for me some this week, which is actually refreshing and yet strange since so many of my friends from Virginia Beach headed back to work this week with the start of the new school year. I miss teaching a bit, butI have loved catching up with friends at my home school and helping my ESL replacement get settled even from far away. I am turning in my substitute application this week for a flexible job op and I'm nannying for my friend Kim for a few days later in the month while she does new job orientation.

I'm also feeling very productive in terms of baby preparations. The nursery is well on its way (furniture is all put together thanks to Adam and in place with the exception of the glider, which is due in any day now...and we returned the one we ordered because it wasn't very comfortable.) I won't post pictures until it's more finished though because it's lacking the pops of yellow for now and I don't want to spoil the finished reveal.

We've also begun our registries (Babies R Us and Land of Nod) since Robin, Adam's mom, is planning a baby shower for my visit home in October. I have been a busy bee researching gear and I'm finally feeling like most of the big decisions are researched, decided and out of the way. This feels like a GREAT accomplishment since all the stuff that babies seem to need can be pretty overwhelming if you let it be. I've looked back at saved emails about registering from moms who have gone before (thanks Lisa), thought about what I've seen so many of my mom friends using, gotten feedback from Shelby who figured her way through so much of the gear through trial and error and was actually hanging out with MY MOM this past weekend, and also a great blog, Lucie's List, that breaks down the essentials and gives reviews and research. 

Appointment Updates: Nothing new this week...my next centering appointment is next Thursday.

Is this normal? Strange occurrences: A gland is my armpit must be irritated from shaving because I can feel where it is swollen. This used to happen to me as a teen going through puberty, but it hasn't happened in years.  My guess is it has something to do with hormones (the cause of everything, right!?!)

I have also had sharp, sudden, shooting pains in one of my breasts on occasion this week...my guess is it has something to do with preparing for milk production and breast feeding, but it is SUPER weird!

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing the nursery furniture all put together and in place including an AWESOME five foot giraffe that my mom sent us. She noticed that there was a large giraffe in both nursery inspirations and found this guy for ours. My mom's newest nickname is Nana Fronk (Father of the Bride wedding and baby suite planner). Samson is actually scared of the giraffe, haha!

Great Expectations: Popped

POPPED THIS WEEK! 

That is all. 

Weekly update coming soon.

Great Expectations: Car Seat Safety

My next essential baby item to research was the car seat. I knew I wanted an infant seat that I could carry and transfer in and out of the car in case Baby Herndon falls asleep, but I also wanted the utmost in safety since motor vehicle accidents are the #1 cause of fatal injuries in children. THIS IS A BIG DEAL ITEM!

At first I had considered the Chicco Keyfit (mostly because I thought the colors were cute, BIG SURPRISE RIGHT!?!), but I heard it could be a challenge in terms of compatibility with the Baby Jogger stroller I chose...so I moved on and kept researching.

Then I looked at the Graco SnugRide, which seemed cute as well, but I figured it would be best to read up on all the differences between the popular and stroller compatible brands. I figured all these seats had to be safe since they are so popular and considered to be best in class, but which is truly BEST?

Well, I read some more reviews all over the internet and found out that the Britax Chaperone is the only infant seat to receive an EXCELLENT rating by the independent crash testers. It tends to be a little larger in comparison to these other infant seats or the alternative Britax option, the Britax B-Safe, but my fusion has a very spacious back seat, which should be suitable. This seat is also a little more expensive ($40 give or take), but I feel like it's worth the extra when it comes to safety plus there's always the off chance of finding a sale or using a coupon.

There you have it...my decision making process in choosing a car seat. It's decisions, decisions with all this baby stuff...but it's so much fun doing the research and talking to friends about their choices and experiences to finally figure out what I would like to go with for Baby Herndon.

What's been your experience with car seats and brands? Did you use an infant seat or just a convertible seat?

Great Expectations: 18 weeks

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Sidenote: I didn't have a chance to get my weekly photo in my black dress, back to that next week...but I got this shot in the meantime right after we ran outside to take a few photos for our change of address postcard (coming soon).

Fruit Size Comparison: sweet potato

Weight/ Clothes: We spent a good portion of this past week at our church's Family Camp in Maine. It was a GREAT time and we met so many fantastic families most with children of all ages. Next year's camp will be such a different experience with a baby of our own along. Why do I tell you all of this here? Well, it was funny because everyone kept commenting on how I don't look pregnant. I guess that's good at this point, but it's funny at the same time because no one here knows me pre-pregnancy or pre-pregnancy weight for that matter. My sister arrived a few days after we returned from Maine and her first comment when we met me in the bus terminal was, "You look so pregnant! I love it!" What a difference of perspective right?!

My mom sent me a plethora of maternity staples this week as an early birthday present. THANKS MOM!!! I'm excited to get my pregnancy fashion statement on...haha.

I also discovered the maternity section at the H&M a block from my house this week (could be dangerous) while my sister was visiting.  There were some super cute things! I didn't buy anything yet because I figured it'd be best to buy trendy items when they're actually in season and fit me properly. It was fun shopping with my sister though because I've been shopping one my own for staples for the most part thus far and shopping with company for fun items is much more enjoyable.

Cravings: Salad. I've been really enjoying salad and I ate a lot of it at Family Camp since there was a great salad bar.

I'm still enjoying soup, but not craving it as much.

I also have an actual aversion to fish tacos...so strange because I'm fine with the thought of fish, but for some reason fish tacos are a whole different story.

Gender: We had our BIG ultrasound this week and we received our mystery envelope. I mailed it to my friend, Lindsey, who is coordinating the gender reveal Cabin Weekend. She has since received the envelope and opened it. Now she and the doctor are the only ones in the know and she's like a vault, so no one is getting the news out of her early, not even my mom who is dieing to know. I told mom this week that at least I'm not waiting for the actual birth to find out, which I had contemplated quite a while back. I am so excited for the big reveal!

The vote is still way in favor of the baby being a boy...but there are now officially three votes for a girl. We will see!!!

Movement: The jury is still out on this one. Occasionally I feel something that could be gas or could be movement, but like most new moms I have no idea which it is and I don't feel confident calling it movement yet. I'll keep you posted...hopefully I'll have confident news next week. The baby was moving a ton when we saw him/her in the ultrasound. He/ she was even sucking his/her thumb! It was soooo adorable!!!

Symptoms: I've been dealing with some evening headaches occasionally this week. I know these headaches are not related to caffeine because I've been having my one cup a day. They haven't been bad enough to take anything (I could take regular tylenol). I usually just go to bed because they've tended to pop up pretty late at night. I'm hoping and praying these headaches aren't related to my blood pressure since it was a little on the high side at my last appointment, though it did go back down within that same appointment. I haven't had any other symptoms of high blood pressure though, no unusual swelling for example. I've decided to lay off the salt as much as possible, drink lots of water and take it a little easier. I may also try to get my blood pressure checked this week to have more peace of mind.

Mental State: I'm excited to be done traveling for a while. Family Camp was the last out of town trip for the summer. My next trip to NYC for wedding gown shopping with Anna, Mom and the family isn't scheduled until later in September, so I'm looking forward to finding more of a daily routine in the next few weeks. I'll also probably start substitute teaching soon and I'm scheduled to Nanny for my friend Kim's two kids for three days while she does orientation for her new job, but that's still a couple weeks away. I've also kept busy with my photography quite a bit since moving taking family photos at Family Camp and even taking the faculty photo for the Park Street School. It's been nice to not have too much idol time...in fact I remained really busy since moving (which has shocked me), but I'm curious to see what life will look like this fall. Any routine we establish will be short lived since Baby Herndon will arrive this winter and things will definitely change then I'm sure. I must say I'm excited for each of these seasons though.

Appointment Updates: We had our big ultrasound this week and it is amazing what they can see! The baby's spinal cord was closed, which is important. The baby's lips were perfectly formed, so no clef lip. Each organ was carefully examined and looked healthy. The baby's bones were counted and everything was present. There were ten fingers and ten toes. The baby was even sucking his/her thumb!! Adam commented on how these appointments are in no way relaxing because you want everything to look well formed and healthy as the tech examines and comments on each body part and organ. We are so thankful that the baby looks healthy!

I received the results of my sugar test and I passed, no gestational diabetes, at least not at this point. I'm not sure if I'll be tested again later on.

I also received the results of my series sequential tests and the results were very good meaning there doesn't seem to be a high risk for any genetic abnormalities.

Is this normal? Strange occurrences: I noticed my belly button beginning to stretch some this week. It's so WEIRD and fun all at the same time! My sister even posted on Facebook about this fascination I had and there were lots of fun comments, haha. Gotta love social media.


Best Moment of the Week: My sister came to Boston for a visit and she's the one that found and sent me the grey, yellow and white nursery inspiration photo because of the wall treatment knowing I was already planning on that color scheme, which I LOVED, so I asked her if she wanted to help me with that painting project this week. She was super excited to help make this project a reality and the wall turned out beautifully! That successfully completed wall was the BEST MOMENT of this WEEK!

Great Expectations: Chevron How-to

This past week Anna and I worked on a fun wall treatment for the baby's room, so I thought I'd share the process in case you desire to do a similar project. 

Step 1: Measure out a grid. We used a foot long ruler beginning at the top of the wall to mark where the vertical lines of the grid should be drawn using chalk that could later be wiped away. Then we draw the vertical lines across the wall based on the measured out marks. Next we marked the intersecting points where a horizontal line would cross the vertical lines again at foot long intervals. This created a large grid on the wall of 1' by 1' squares.

Step 2: We used painters tape to tape from intersecting point to intersecting point on the diagonal within each square paying attention to the direction of the each diagonal from the square before so the diagonals went the same direction going up and down the wall and opposite direction going across the wall with each alternating square.

Step 3: We wiped away the chalked grid prior to painting. We then marked the areas with chalk that would not be painted.

Step 4: Painting begins. This wall took two coats of white paint.

Step 5: Let the paint dry overnight before pulling off the painters tape. 

Step 6: Pull off the painters tape and touch up any areas where the paint may have run underneath the tape or any places where the peaks need touching up.

Step 7: Enjoy your new wall! I'm so excited our project was such a success!

A BIG THANKS TO MY SISTER FOR FINDING THE INSPIRATION PHOTO AND HELPING MAKE THIS PROJECT A REALITY!

Baby Herndon is lucky to have such a fabulous aunt and I can't wait to tell him or her about how we did this project together while awaiting your arrival!