Jesse Coulter

Week 4 of Calling It Home's One Room Challenge is complete! I find myself sitting in Walt and Whitney's nursery every night. I love it so much, and want to make it as comfy as possible because I remember how bad I got the baby blues with Turner. Maybe a beautiful room will cheer me up when I face those tough emotions again...at least I'm telling myself that.

The nursery is 90% complete, because I will be out of town Monday-Thursday next week, and Friday morning I'm having the nursery photographed. So, it needs to be 100% complete by this coming Sunday. It's been challenging pulling this together so quickly, but it's been fun and I'm excited for it to be finished so soon. After it's all done, I can focus on organizing the closet, purchasing baby clothes (I have only a few girl outfits), preparing my hospital bag, and maybe read some books on twins (haven't done any of that).  Here's a look at what I accomplished (with the help of my husband) this past week!

• Hung 24x36 posters over cribs (I can't wait to show you these beauties!)
• Replaced closet doors
• Hung AtHome mirror over dresser
• Glider came in, was assembled and is ready for some long nights!
• Made a trip to IKEA for last minute items, faux sheep skin, shelves for books, curtain rod hardware (I forgot my $30 gift card at home and my total came out to $34...ugh! I was not about to leave w/out my stuff though, I loathe walking through IKEA and didn't want to go back anytime soon.) 
• Hung frames and book shelves
• Ordered an Ubbi diaper pail and wipes dispenser as well as a felt garland from Etsy shop GracieAndMarie (I'm excited to be collaborating with some great brands)
• Bought a basket for books & toys, a ceramic elephant, and 2 throw pillows from Target using a few gift cards I received when I spent OVER $150 on diapers (sadly, the diapers will not last very long). 

Art by my friend Katie

DIY Felt Banner

Stuffed Panda: Jellycats. Throw Pillow: Target

I would love to add one of these acrylic side tables to the nursery, but I think my husband might lose it if I buy one more thing.

• Preview/Inspiration
• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3

Hello Fall! It's finally starting to cool down in Austin, and I'm taking every occasion to wear my fall maternity outfits. This pregnancy is going by extremely fast (I'm 25 weeks and in my 2nd trimester), and I might only have a few months left! Comfy layers and a good pair of leggings are my staples this pregnancy. I wish I had a few longer button down shirts or tees that go past my butt, so I could wear leggings more often! That's where long cardigans come...to cover the situation that's going on in the rear (yikes..."I think mah butt gettin' big").

Maternity Dress: c/o Envie Fraise. Cargdigan: Old Navy Non Maternity. Boots: Nine West. Hat: Cotton On

Top: Gap Maternity. Jeggings: Motherhood Maternity. Boots: Aldo Outlet (scored for $45)

Dress: Cotton On Non Maternity (On sale for $12). Cardigan: c/o PinkBlush Maternity. Shoes: Old Navy

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Babies Genders: Boy AND Girl

Due Date: February 8, will deliver no later than January 25

Things to Note:
- Had a 24 week ultrasound and Dr. appointment. Babies were healthy and weighed 1.6 oz each. Whitney was kicking Walt in the face like always. It's getting harder to see the babies profiles as they get bigger and start squishing each other. I asked about a 4D ultrasound, and the Dr. said it's not worth it because I won't be able to see their faces well. Walt is head down and Whitney is breech. We know that Walt will be delivered first, and if Whitney is smaller than Walt, then she can most likely be delivered breech if she doesn't turn.

- Still getting over being sick this past week, so didn't do any exercising which was killing me.

- Made a few Craigslist purchases...Twin Z pillow, Britax double stroller and diaper bag.

Weight gain: 25 lbs.

Nursery: Currently on week 4 of the One Room Challenge and the room is almost complete! I need to add a few last minute touches and hang the curtains, but I will be done by the time I'm 26 weeks. See what I've done so far on my Week 3 post.

Symptoms: 
- Lots of kicks and movement all over the place. I have to put two hands on my belly when I start to feel kicks because they are spread out.

- Sleeping good, and haven't needed to use extra pillows for support which is surprising.

- I can't count how many times I use the restroom during the day.

Exercise: N/A other than wrangling my son

Clothing: I purchased a beautiful maxi dress from Kohl's for my upcoming maternity shoot with Todd White. I scored it for less than $40, and it's non maternity so even better. You can see my fashion posts on Instagram here.

Cravings: Cereal, I eat it for breakfast and a late night snack most days

Welcome to week 3 of the One Room Challenge! I'm halfway to completing Walt & Whitney's twin nursery. Actually more than halfway, because during week 5 I will be out of town for work and week 6 I'll be having photos of the nursery taken. That means I have less than 2 weeks to finish this. Eek! I honestly didn't do much this week other than make some larger item orders online that I realized need to be shipped ASAP to get here in time. I did a lot of window shopping and took a ton of photos of things to remember, but I won't pull the trigger on the small details till the last week.

Here is a break down of what I did accomplish this past week;

• Rug - I layed out my 5x7 Homegoods rug and I wanted to make sure the ends didn't curl up so I ordered rug corners online and applied them to the corners. They seem to be working good so far, but we haven't had much foot traffic in the nursery yet).

• Ordered glider - We had a small rocking chair style glider in Turner's room, but Alex wasn't comfy in it. I knew with twins we HAD to have a chair that he liked. We tried out the chairs at Babies R Us for size, and then I made my final order on Wayfair's website. I've never tried the chair, but I'm really hoping both Alex and I love it. It was our biggest splurge of the room at $300. A lot of my finishing touches and decorating are depending on the glider and its color so I can't wait till it arrives this Friday. 

• Bought floor lamp and set up - cashed in a Target gift card and found the perfect lamp. I can never have too many lamps in my home. I loathe overhead lighting

•  Intended to hang a large mirror above the dresser, but couldn't get the dang price sticker and it's residue off so I'll be scrubbing this week. Any tips?

• Bought curtains, and I'm on the hunt for the perfect curtain rod. It's crazy how much importance I put on the small details of the room. Hunting for a curtain rod takes days checking multiple stores. Anyone else do this? My go to stores to look for decor are; Target, Homegoods, World Market, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning and IKEA.

Trunk & globe are both thrifted and were in this room prior. They work perfectly between the cribs!

• Preview/Inspiration
• Week 1
• Week 2

I've been having a lot of fun styling this bump, but it can be challenging at times. Dresses are the easiest option so I find myself dressing more formal. I'll likely have a capsule wardrobe by the end of this pregnancy since I don't have a ton of maternity clothes. Find more outfit photos on my Instagram here.

Dress: ASOS Maternity. Shoes: Creatures Boutique

Top/Jeans: Old Navy Maternity. Shoes: Birkenstocks

Top: Gap Maternity. Jeans: Old Navy Maternity. Shoes: Gap.

How Far Along: 23 weeks (P.S. I'm posting these a week late so I can give you a full update of how I felt during that actual week)

Babies Genders: Boy AND Girl

Things to Note:
- Realized that we NEED a ton more diapers (we have 2 boxes we received from friends). I can only imagine what our grocery bill is going to turn in to once we add in diapers (and formula if we have to).

- Was sick most of the week and still am with some type of sinus/respiratory infection or could be due to allergies. I'm not 100% sure, but all I know is that having a cough while carrying twins SUCKS! So painful.

Nursery: Currently on week 3 of the One Room Challenge. I realized I only have about 2 weeks to pull the whole nursery together because the 5th week I'll be out of town for work, and the 6th week is for final photos and the big reveal. I'm kind of freaking out thinking of the last minute things I still need to get.  See what I've done so far on my Week 2 post.

Symptoms: 
- My stomach is tightening a lot, especially when running errands, walking or exercising.

- Feeling kicks in the morning, lunchtime and evening when I sit down, but I don't feel double the kicks. I always wonder who is doing the kicking.

- I tried to nap in the passenger seat of my van while Alex drove us home from a weekend trip, but it didn't go so well. It was painful to bend my side and try to lean against my pillow, so I had to sit straight forward and try to sleep...no fun.

Exercise: N/A, too sick

Clothing: Going back and forth between fall and summer clothes. I've worn heels out to a few events and people seem surprised, but they either very LOW or wedges. Dressing up at least once a week makes me happy ; )


Cravings:
- Salty snacks, Mexican food, burgers.

- Last week I made Alex run to McDonald's at 8pm to grab me a large fry and coke. McDonald's coke is sooo much better than any other coke, and the those salty fries are heaven!

I haven't wanted to rush Turner's potty training, but it's been on my mind since we will have A LOT more diapers to change in a few months. About a 3 months ago, Turner's teacher said that he rarely has a wet diaper, and asks to go to the restroom. She suggested we bring underwear the next day and see how he does. Well, he didn't do so well, but ever since that point we've been letting him wear underwear to school. We pack lots of back up underwear and outfits. When we first started the potty training he wouldn't have any accidents during the night for almost a month, then all of the sudden he was having one every night, so we are back to pull-ups during bed time. For the first month he was doing really good during the day at school, but he started regressing about a month later so I straight up ask him everyday if he wants to wear pull-ups or underwear. Some days it is underwear, some days it is pull-ups. I don't want to force underwear because there are times he refuses to sit on the potty. The last thing I want to do is force him, but again...I'm not an expert at this and really have no idea what I'm doing.

He is proud of his Star Wars and Cars underwear.

When I originally researched potty training months ago, I was planning on do a super strict potty training weekend where our lives basically revolved around training him to go on the toilet. But life happens, and I'm taking a more laid back drawn out approach.

The poop is the worst part. Ugh. Changing a dirty pair of underwear is the worst! I freeze up everytime, and think "Ahh...what do I do now? Spray you down outside? Put you in the bathtub? Change you on the changing table?" After he eats dinner I watch him like a hawk, and any time he squats I ask "Do you need to go potty?!". He'll usually reply no, and then poop his pants 5 minutes later (awesome). We are still deep in to potty training, but we've been using The Potty Rocker to have more fun in the bathroom. I'll try anything if it helps him go #2 in the toilet! The Potty Rocker is a fun character that comes with a book and dissolving rainbow poop...yep, rainbow! I read the book and use the doll to dance around while Turner sits on the toilet, in hopes that if we sit long enough he'll go #2. He's obsessed with the book and it's the only one he knows by heart. It's so cute to hear him finish my sentences when I read it.


I'm not sure how long this training will go, but I'm trying not to worry about it. Although it's very hard because I'm a Type A person....AND I really hate dirty underwear. I'm hoping Turner is completely potty trained by the time the twins are born. Wish us luck, and I'll give you a full report when we are done!

• Cleaned out room (including all furniture and beds) - this immediately made the room feel ready to decorate!
• Bought IKEA cribs and Hemnes dresser, put together, and set up in room
• Put rug in the room I had previously bought from Homegoods(5x7)
• Decided that the closet doors in the room were way too old and squeaky. I mentioned to Alex about replacing them, and he suprisingly was on board and wanted to replace ALL the bi-fold closet doors in our house. So...we went to Lowe's and bought 8 bi-fold doors. 
• Painted all the doors (2 coats of Sherwin-Williams Snowbound pro-classic latex paint...leftover from painting our bathroom). We'll be installing them next week. 
• Did a lot of window shopping at Target, Homegoods, Ross and AtHome. If you're like me, you take a TON of photos on your phone for inspiration. I took enough that I was able to make a small inspiration board (see the last photo).  
• Found an amazing lamp from Homegoods for $22 (including the shade)
• Cashed in an Amazon gift card and bought a Keekaroo Peanut Diaper Changer
• Started laying out frames and art along the wall (most that you see below were gifts from my talented friend Katie)

• Preview/Inspiration

• Week 1

I'm still waiting for temperatures to drop below the 90s here in Austin so I can break out my fall maternity wardrobe. Until then I've been living in this gray maternity tank handed down from my sis, and I enjoyed dressing up and feeling fancy for my baby shower in the Envie De Fraises dress below.

I also cashed in a gift card I won from Paypal and finally bought the Hunter rain boots I've been wanting for 3 years (Alex tried to buy them for me last year). Now I wait for rain as well.

Top: Target Maternity. Jeans: Cotton On (non maternity). Sandals: Gap. Sunglasses: Forever21

Dress: c/o Envie Die Fraises. Heels: Creatures Boutique. DIY Flower Crown

Top: c/o PinkBlush Maternity. Leggings: Old Navy Maternity. Boots: Hunter Rain Boots

Follow me on Instagram for more style inspiration!

How Far Along: 22 weeks (P.S. I'm posting these a week late so I can give you a full update of how I felt during that actual week)

Babies Genders: Boy AND Girl

Things to Note:
- Super emotional watching the Leftovers Premiere...I was SOBBING during the opening scene. Any mothers feel the same way? I also cried on the way home thinking about holding two babies constantly, and the thought of Turner feeling lonely or sad that I wasn't giving him enough attention.

- Collecting a list of twin pregnancy books on Amazon I want to read (specifically in regards to sleep and breastfeeding), but I'm running out of time. I really really want to try breastfeeding, but I am terrified. I had such a hard time with Turner, so I can't imagine how it will be with two.  Praying for guidance, support and the right help.

Nursery: Decided to participate in the One Room Challenge and complete the nursery in 5 weeks! Follow along my journey, as I will be posting updates every week till the big reveal on Nov. 12th.

Symptoms: 

- Indigestion and heartburn have officially kicked in. I'll eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and a few hours later I'll have heartburn. I can't imagine what spicy Mexican food is going to do to me!

- Constipation...TMI, but it's true.

Exercise: Body Pump (weight training) x 2, 30 min. walk x 3

Clothing: Received an awesome package in the mail from Envie De Fraises with some beautiful maternity dresses. I wore one to my baby shower, and will be sporting the others to work very soon!

Cravings: N/A

I'm excited to announce that I'll be guest contributing to Austin's new online magazine, Lady ATX Mag, created by Nikol Moen. The site is simple and pretty, and it's sole purpose is to connect women in Austin. Check out my first article recapping my night out at Love Ding learning how to make flower crowns!

Dress: C/O Envie De Fraises Shoes: Creatures Boutique. DIY Flower Crown

Maternity Countdown Tee

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Babies Genders: Boy AND Girl

Things to Note:
- My friends, Katie and Josh, along with my Mom and Sis hosted a baby shower for Alex and I over the weekend. I decided months ago to have my shower early because I wanted to make sure it didn't coincide with the holidays, and I wanted to have plenty of time to know what to buy/save for.

- Purchased a matching Britax car seat, IKEA cribs and a few Rock n' Play sleepers via Craigslist.

Nursery: Decided to participate in the One Room Challenge and complete the nursery in 6 weeks! Follow along my journey, as I will be posting updates every week till the big reveal on Nov. 12th.

Symptoms:
- Definitely feeling baby kicks and maybe a few Braxton hicks contractions. I'm not 100% sure if the tightening is from a contraction, or if it's the position the babies are in.

- Every time I do Body Pump, my stomach gets extremely hard and the babies drop super low. It's a very uncomfortable feeling. Are they mad because I'm moving so much?

Exercise: Body Pump (weight training), 30 min. walk x 2

Clothing: It's still super hot in Texas so I've been wearing non maternity summer dresses and non maternity stretchy jogger pants before it gets cold. At this point, I'm pretty set on basic fall pieces, but I am interested in purchasing some comfy post pregnancy pajamas, slippers and nursing bras. I remember after Turner was born I wore the same pair of pajama pants and interchanged two nursing tanks from Target every day.

Cravings: Caffeine...soda and tea. I try not to have more than 1-2 glasses per day.

Top: Old Navy (Non Maternity). Skirt: Bought from a tiny boutique in Fredericksburg a few years ago

Top: Target Maternity. Pants: Old Navy (Non Maternity). Sandals: Gap. Hat: Aerie

Dress: Old Navy Maternity. Cardigan: Old Navy. Shoes: Gap.