Well, here I am at 39 weeks, 4 days pregnant and it is pretty surreal to be here! I haven’t been much of an over-sharer on social media throughout my pregnancy (although my close friends + family have gotten their fair share of complaints, ha!), but I did want to take a moment to share a bit about the past 9 months, give a little sneak-peak into Baby Peters’ nursery, and fill you all in about what my plans are as a self-employed small business owner going into a parental leave…
How I’ve Been Feeling
Man, I feel like I have been all over the map in this pregnancy (ummm, can I fully blame that on hormones? 😉). First trimester was ok – I had a few bouts of morning sickness, but for the most part, consider myself pretty lucky. In my second trimester things got a bit more challenging… I started getting acid reflux which I would not wish upon ANYBODY! That, combined with random aches and pains made sleep tough for a few weeks. I suppose my pregnancy was a little unconventional in the sense that my second trimester was far less comfortable than my first!
Third trimester has been by far the greatest rollercoaster for me. Acid reflux continued into the start of the third trimester, then seemed to give me a reprieve for a while, and has again returned with a vengeance in the past few weeks!! At this point, it seems like it doesn’t matter what or when I eat, I’m going to have acid reflux in the afternoon/evening until I take something for it. Luckily, I still over-the-counter medication seems to do the trick. Also around the 28-week mark I found that I was feeling exhausted… I mean, I’ve had seasons in my life where I’ve been tired, but this was a bodily exhaustion unlike anything I’ve ever experienced! Turns out I was extremely low on iron – once I got on prescription supplements I felt much better and went back to being “normal” tired (mostly due to the challenge of sleeping in a non-air conditioned house in the hottest months of the summer), haha.
Mentally and emotionally, third trimester has also been the most erratic. I’ve been SHOCKED by how many great days I’ve had over the past few months, but there have been a few that have been really tough. Overall though, I can’t believe how good I’ve felt from mid-July onward! I’ve alluded to it before, but I honestly credit my work and AMAZING clients for inspiring me and keeping my spirits + energy levels up. I never expected to feel this good at 39 weeks pregnant and I am so SO grateful for that!!
Baby’s Nursery
I always feel a little funny sharing my own personal spaces publicly since I design for a living and my personal and professional styles aren’t always the same (based on the client), but the truth is, Chad and I have a quite simple, minimalist style when it comes to our own décor! Even though we found out we were having a boy, I still knew that I wanted to keep things neutral… I realized we succeeded at this the other day when I was looking around the nursery and noticed that the only thing I would have changed if we were having a girl would be the crib sheet!
The first step in pulling our nursery together was renovations. We knew when we bought this house that the ‘70s-style wood paneling in the upstairs bedrooms was going to come down at some point, and having a 9 month deadline was the perfect kick in the pants for us to tackle the job! We started with demo (bye retro wall cladding!), and then Chad updated the electrical. Part-way through we realized that our exterior walls had NO INSULATION (I guess it wasn’t mandatory when our house was originally built in 1946?!?). So needless to say, Chad also added that – we’ll see if it makes a big difference this winter! Design-wise, I chose to go with a classic, shaker-style detail on our half-height walls, which we painted white. The head walls we kept plain, so Chad re-drywalled and painted these in an off-white (we went with Benjamin Moore “Classic Grey”). Renovations were capped off with the required base, door + window trims!
The “before” photos of the nursery, above. That ‘70s-style wood paneling will NOT be missed by me!
I LOVE both of the 2 major furniture pieces in Baby’s nursery. Chad and I agreed that we liked the idea of a classic, vintage looking crib and I’m so pleased with the one we chose. The yellow dresser is an antique that I actually bought YEARS ago at a flea market. I didn’t even know Chad at the time or ever imagine in a million years that it would serve as my future child’s dresser but I was immediately drawn to it and I’m so glad my younger self pulled the trigger on it! We’ve used it as a sideboard in dining rooms and living rooms in the past, but I definitely think the nursery is the most perfect place it’s ever been! It’s not showing in the photos, but it will also double as our change table.
Other than that, we just filled in the nursery with a few accessories! Both of the wall art pieces are things Chad and I picked up on our honeymoon in New York and I love the sentimental value behind that (and the subliminal messages 😉). I’m slightly embarrassed to say that we are still waiting on our rocker to be delivered (I’m much more organized with my clients than I am with myself, I promise, ha!) and baskets, curtains and pillows are assorted from Ikea and Homesense.
Maternity Leave
I get this question a lot and I can’t blame people for asking it: how much time am I planning to take off of work once babe arrives? The truth is, I don’t exactly know, but it definitely WON’T be the typical 12-18 months that most Canadians take. This is in part because as a self-employed person I opted not to pay into E.I. (so I rightfully will not receive parental benefits from the government) but also because I do run my own business and I don’t want to put Elle Peters Design on hold for that long! I really REALLY do love what I do and I don’t want to be away from my business for a year plus!
I am very fortunate that I have the luxury of “playing it by ear” a bit when it comes to integrating back into work. I’m also very lucky that I don’t have to jump right into a 40-hour workweek, and I can transition back part-time. Although I can’t know for sure how baby and I will be doing, my best guess at this point is that I’ll start to ease back into a few projects in late November-early December and be back part-time in the New Year. That being said, I have lots of ideas about what my life will look like post-partum and I really have no idea what to expect! The real message is, if you’re interested in working together at any point over the next few months, please do reach out! If I’m in a place where I think I can take on your project, we can discuss what that might look like, and if our family is not feeling up to it at that time, I will certainly be honest with you and let you know (or beg you to wait until the New Year so we can work together then 😉)!
Thank You!
A HUGE thank you to Michelle of MJay Photography who so graciously offered to take these photos of the nursery and myself at 38 weeks pregnant. We are so grateful to have these moments of my first pregnancy captured on camera! Thank you, Michelle!!!
Also a thanks to all my friends, family and all of YOU for following along on this journey! Chad and I feel so blessed to be welcoming a child into the world knowing all the support we have around us. Baby Peters is already one lucky little guy 😊
