Hello Due Date

July 22nd- is it really here?!

Some days it felt like this day would never arrive. Certainly not when we were praying and hoping to be given the sweet opportunity of parenthood.

And now, here it is. Our due date.

We're as ready as we're gonna be to meet our little man, but we're just as happy to wait on him to make his appearance whenever he's ready. 

The bags are packed (albeit, over-packed), the nursery is ready, the clothes are washed, and the house is clean- shower curtains and all... because that's what happens when you get close to your due date apparently- you suddenly become overly interested in ev.er.y.thing being clean.

The only thing missing now is the sweet boy who will change our lives forever.

There's no telling what the Lord has in store for our family from here- how many kids we'll have, whether they'll be boys or girls, biological or adopted, close in age or spread apart...

But it feels like we're standing at the threshold of sweet change. The beginning of new experiences and lessons to be learned.

And we can't wait.

Thank you for all of your encouraging words throughout this journey and for sharing in our anticipation of Baby Nelsen's arrival.

We'll update IG or FB when we're headed to the hospital! 

#nelsendays2014 week 28

Here's a look at what we've been up to this week!

Day 190: Nursery REVEAL!

Day 191: "poo" day with this sweet love in our matching hats and glasses ;)

Day 192: Master bedroom makeover completion in action- this was the planning day. Julie brought her pup over and she and Tally fell in love. ;) You'll be hearing lots more about Julie and her amazing design skills later this week when I share the finished product of her work!

Day 193: This is how Tally sleeps now- he uses our curtains as an eye mask. Such a crazy pup!

Day 194: Hiking one of our favorite trails near our house. Pretty soon we'll be doing this with a baby in tow!

Day 195: This book is SO good! Such interesting perspective- one of the best "parenting" books I've read. I quote that because it reads like a story, journal or blog but includes so many great observations of how the French raise their kids. I highly recommend it! You can find it here.

Day 196: One week and counting from our due date. :) I wish I could record our conversations and play them back in five years. I bet we would laugh at the things we're prepping for. Regardless, I'm thankful for this time to sit back and soak it all in.

You can keep up with us everyday on Instagram @hmnelsen or find us here:

"10 before Baby" Update

Back in March, I shared a to-do list of 10 things we needed to accomplish before Baby Nelsen's arrival.

And now, here we sit, 4 days before my due date (yes, FOUR days!), and I am happy to say that that list is COMPLETE! 

So here is a look at the original list with links and updates on what we've accomplished. 

Man I love checking things off a list. ;)

Ten before Baby Checklist:

1.

Replace carpet in master bedroom with hardwoods

Done! See the post here.

2.

Purchase bedroom furniture for master bedroom. 

We are LOVING our furniture! Especially since the rest of the room was completed this week! If you follow me on Instagram, you saw this sneak peek pic:

The rest of the makeover will be shared next week!

3.

Move painted dressers from our room to the nursery. 

4.

Set up crib and window seat.

My parents spent a weekend with me when Matt was out of town and set up the crib and window seat and shopped with me for items for the nursery. :)

That same weekend, my sister came and spent the night and brought EIGHT bins of clothes that she had been saving for me! Everything from newborn to 5T. I had no idea she had saved so much! She is the SWEETEST!

5.

Upholster rocking chair, window seat, bumper and crib skirt.

My parents used an upholsterer they love to recover the rocking chair and then surprised us by not letting us pay for it. They're pretty sweet like that. ;)

And then Matt's sweet mama stitched the cushion for the window seat, the car pillow that's on top of it, and the ABC pillow on the rocker.

And my sweet friend Heidi made the bumper and crib skirt as a GIFT! What a love.

6.

Cover pillows for window seat and rocker, and find two gray pillows for window seat. 

Done! You can read more about that here.

7.

Wash, fold, and hang baby clothes. 

:)

8.

Fill out baby book with pre-baby entries. 

So this is the one I haven't done. I think I'm just not sure about keeping up with a baby book (especially for future kids) so I'm afraid to start one! I know I want to do a Shutterfly book of the first year like I do for each year of our marriage, but I am not positive about keeping it in an official "baby book" yet.

9.

Have a picture taken with my pregnant self, Matt, and Tally. 

Thank you Abby for getting this great pic! ;)

10.

Go on our babymoon!

Ahh, what a trip that was- you can read more about it here! 

We could not be more thankful for all of our sweet family and friends who helped everything come together! Our little guy is so loved already. :)

Don't forget to check out the giveaway going on this week!

Easy Chicken Marinade for Two

I've been looking for ways to fancy-up chicken since I always prepare it the same way. After pulling ideas from various recipes, I came up with a new marinade that we loved!  I used it over 6 boneless, skinless tenderloins, but you could also use the same measurements with 2-3 chicken breasts. It was delicious!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar





Directions:
Mix together, pour over chicken, and marinate for at least 4 hours.

Grill or bake on 350 for 20 minutes (if using tenderloins). Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Don't forget to check out this week's giveaway!