Nursery Details

Happy Monday! My in laws came and went-- we had a great time! Sadly, I took exactly 0 pictures..not a 1.  

They helped tremendously with the nursery and it's about 99.2% done. :) Here are some of my favorite details.. I absolutely love everything! 

My grandmother gave me my mother's newborn dress (above). No idea why she wore blue as an infant, but hey-- it's the thought. 

I'm totally obsessed with our mom photos (top) and the time out chair from my Aunt & Uncle in NY. 

Hopefully we won't have to use it that often!

I've had those frames for months. We got the prints & frames from Ikea long before we knew whether Baby B was a he or a she. They are perfect for the top of her "cube-icle". 

Still have to disinfect/set up the humidifier..yikes! Adding that to the to-do list as we speak. 

I ended up throwing out the poms I made previously (remember my FIL thought they were bathroom decor? Ha ha). My SIL made these and they are perfect. We ended up using floral wire, hooks, and tacks to "shove" the poms up in the corner. 

We found a set of 3 shelves at Target-- teeny tiny, small, and medium. My FIL "stacked" them up in the corner and they look awesome! For now they each have a picture frame on them..I'm sure it will change 500 times, though.  

All the essentials in her changing table.

Her giraffe collection is slowly growing..notice a new one? 

Little Miss' headband collection is also growing..very rapidly! I only ordered 2 from Jameson Monroe but 3 came in the mail (pictures to come)! Not to mention my MIL brought some more homemade headbands when she came over the weekend. They are all so cute! 

This bookcase and the changing table need the most work. I'll get to it, I promise! Can't wait to post more pictures when it's 100% complete!

Hope everyone had a great Monday! xO

Five Question Friday-- September 27th

This week flew by..TGIF! What are your weekend plans? Someone have a pumpkin flavored drink for me-- alcoholic or not. Let me know how it is! :) I sort of want one of those PSL from Starbucks, but I am nervous to have that much caffeine. 

My in laws get here later today and we're so excited to see them! I have quite a to-do list for them. I know, I'm awful. 

Can't wait to report on Monday how our weekend went! xO

1. You got the MamaRoo (here)! What do you think? 

Well, we obviously haven't put BG in the swing, but it is awesome! I love that you can plug your phone in it. It's also really light so it can be carried from room to room. Oh and super cozy and soft. 

2. Are you ready to be done with the pregnancy or are you enjoying it?

I am enjoying every moment! Definitely ready to meet our gal but I want her to cook as long as she wants. :) 

3. How often do you go to the movie theatre?

Maybe 3 times a year? Not often. 

4. What do you still have to do to get ready for baby?

Not much! Install/learn about our carseat, get some curtains for her nursery, put batteries in everything that needs them, fix the pack 'N play/sound machine, maybe buy some more burp cloths, and pack our bags. Not to mention clean up our house. And get me stuff for after-- cozy clothes and jammies. Okay so it's a lot of stuff...yikes!

5. How is it going only having one Diet Coke a day? 

It's not so bad. Definitely will go back to drinking a few more after BG is here, though! 

Bumpdate-- 36 Weeks

Ay yi yi..36 weeks! Where has the time gone? On one hand I feel like I've been pregnant all of 2013 (I sort of have), and on the other it feels like it has flown by. I'm so thankful for this whole experience-- it's been so much fun/scary/exciting! 

Still feeling great, seriously. My back is getting better, thank goodness! I am still walking 3ish miles a day and doing my arm workouts. I walk a lot slower than I used to, but at least I'm outside, right?

The calls are starting: My dad, my aunt(s), my grandmother, my friends..."Are you feeling okay? Are you sure? Did you have the baby?". Yes, dad, I had the baby. She's starting kindergarten tomorrow. 

How far along? 36W5D

Maternity Clothes: Same as always..loving my Gap maternity leggings so much right now. The weather is cooling off and unfortunately I don't have any long sleeve maternity shirts or hoodies/sweaters/jackets. Lately I've just been wearing regular stuff..it is quite attractive!

Stretch Marks? Nothing new. A few under my boobs and on my booty/hips. Belly is still bare (so far).

Sleep: Sleeping great! Not napping any more during the day (probably because I'm sleeping so well at night), just "relaxing" for an hour or so each day. 

My walking is probably contributing to better sleep, too, since my back is slowly feeling better. 

Best moment this week: Finding the perfect outfit for little miss to come home in! We found the sleeper on Amazon and my MIL made her headband. Doesn't this outfit just make you squeal?!

This is certainly not a "best moment" this week, but it's kind of funny.. My husband found that sitting like this helps my sciatic nerve pain. For the past few months I've done this for at least 30 minutes a few times each week: 

One night after my husband got home from work he helped me get into this "position" (it's not very easy when you're a big lady, let me tell ya). 

Side note: I can only sit like this for a few minutes at a time because the baby sits on my lungs and I literally cannot breathe. 

Anyways, my husband got me settled and went to take the dogs out. 20 minutes later he's still not back.....didn't he meet up with our friend and have a conversation with them at 10 at night? UGH! I was yelling for him and couldn't get up. Looking back it was hilarious, but then I was ready to strangle him. 

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly and unlimited Diet Coke. 

Craving anything? No. Maybe cantaloupe, watermelon, and a smoothie. 

Movement: Still feeling lots of shifting. Is she packing her bags? At my appointment last week they said decreased movement is a sign labor is near. She's still moving and shaking! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender: Girls rule!

Labor signs: None

Belly button in or out? It's so weird looking! Same, dark and flat. Little Miss pokes it all the time and I'm worried one day I'll look down and her foot will be sticking out! 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy/blessed/excited!

Looking forward to: Seeing my in laws this weekend, getting organized for our little gal, and meeting our little miss! 

Symptoms: Congested, bloody nose, sciatica, and heavy feeling (?) legs.

Wordless Wednesday-- September 25th

Oh my. Happy Wednesday! xO

Nursery Update (Almost Complete!)

As promised, a nursery update! 

It is finally coming along (look back here to see how much progress we've made)! I think by the time my inlaws leave (they are visiting this weekend), it will be 99.9% done. The .01% will be putting a baby in there. :-)

So after our shower, one of my aunts gave us this tin (?) container. It was used to keep water bottles in it and I love it! We were kind of unsure what to do with it-- it doesn't fit in our bathroom counters (for bath towels/soaps/etc) and it looked silly on top of our bookcase (2 below), but I finally found the perfect spot!

We are keeping it on the floor outside her room! I've been putting the clean laundry in it, or anything that needs to go in her room. I think it will be perfect if she's sleeping in there and she has toys that can be put away, etc. 

Totally obsessed with her giraffe collection! 

The bookcase needs some work, but it's not too bad. Okay, so I crammed a few things in there..sue me. Oh! And I'm definitely going to have my SIL write something cute on the chalkboard basket-- she has the best handwriting!

Ahem. Okay, so I did a lot of cramming. We aren't going to throw the sound machine packaging away because we may have to return it. Hopefully it's an easy fix..we'll see. 

I'm so thankful for that corner in the left. Our stroller is tucked back there, along with boxes of diapers and wipes. 

We are going to put the carseat in the car next week..eeeek!

Curtains! No idea what we're going to yet..yikes! Recommend a place to get cute and reasonably priced curtains? 

LOL my friend thought that wreath was a cushion you sit on after you give birth. 

Don't tell anyone but I just shoved clothes in those bins. :( I'm so embarrassed. BUT, totally in love with the shelves that have yet to be put up. 

My favorite part of her nursery! So excited to hang up our mom pictures (more on that later), and one of my mom's newborn dresses. It's hard to see, but we got the cutest little time out stool at our shower! 

And maybe one of these days I'll get around to moving the lamp back to the living room and buy the lamp I've been wanting? 

Can't wait to update more as we complete the last minute touches! Thank you for all your sweet emails and comments! xO

Weekend Happenings

And with that, the weekend is over. Boo. This weekend went by so fast I honestly don't remember the details. I'll do my best. :)

Friday after work this little cutie and her mama came by. Isn't Coco the cutest? 

My new(ish?) friend came by for pizza and helped me organize the nursery. She helped tremendously and I'm forever grateful.  

                                       

Little Miss needs a few more giraffes! 

*I'll do another nursery update soon, promise!* But for now the giraffe photo is all you get!

We ripped tags off clothes and sorted by color so I could wash, she moved some things around (for at least the 4th time), and figured out what was still needed. 

..Turns out we needed a lot. 

Saturday morning my husband ran out to return something at BRU and came home with a Boppy! It was something we knew we needed and didn't have yet. I'm sure he was a little embarrassed having to carry that thing around (without a bag) until he got home! 

My husband had to work Saturday (as usual) so my afternoon looked like this: 

All the Lifetime movies were duds. Sigh. 

Saturday night I got a random burst of energy (guess that's what happens when you sit around for 3 hours) and cleaned. Oh! And made a yummy dinner. 

Sunday morning I woke up and knew we had to be productive..my husband clearly thought otherwise.

All kidding aside he's been a huge help around the house as of late. Sunday is always our laundry day and he knows I despise folding clothes. 

After lunch we headed out to BRU. We had our registry completion coupon that was about to expire, and not to mention a bunch of gift cards. 

We snagged the Pack 'N Play and we're totally excited about it. Of course the napper on the top is crooked, so I created a little list for my FIL. :) 

Oh, ya like how it's all just hanging in our dining room area? Our apartment looks like a day care. 

I'm super blessed that my FIL likes to be put to work. Even more blessed that he will be here on Friday. 

When we opened our sound machine it just plain didn't work. Hopefully it's something simple because I really don't want to go back to BRU...always something! 

And this morning, on my busiest day of the week, my office looked like this: 

Yup. Bet ya can't guess how today went. 

Happy Monday, folks! xO

Five Question Friday-- September 20th

Woo hoo, it's Friday. Thank goodness because our house is a disaster (more on that here). Even my husband asked how much longer the car seat box is going to sit in front of the TV for. At least I have the whole weekend to get organized and clean this place up! 

Besides that, I am having my new friend over for dinner tomorrow night! She is so sweet and I'm so blessed to have found a few sweet friends here. 

There were lots of questions this week so I'll try to get them answered in the next few Fridays. Some can be condensed to a few questions, so I'll try to do that. 

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend! xO

1. What breed of dogs does your aunt have? 

They are Cairn Terriers-- just like Toto from the Wizard of Oz! I'm sure this is coming...their names are Lucy (3ish, blonde) and Gracie (7ish, black). 

2. Where did you get the necklace that you wore to the shower (back here)?

Target clearance. 

3. Do you recommend traveling with dogs? Do you have a "plan" that works for you guys? How do they behave? Do you choose to sit in the back seat?

Yes, I definitely recommend traveling with dogs! It's certainly not easy but it works for us. We don't really have a plan-- I walk them a lot the day before we drive, we don't feed them the day we drive, and we make sure to stop at a place that they can pee and walk around for a bit. 

My husband swears by his little "set up": Bringing the dog beds and blankets and encouraging lots of sleeping. It really works! (You can see some pictures of us in the car back here). 

Yup, I always sit in the back seat or drive. The front seat makes me car sick! It's a bonus when we travel with the dogs so I can entertain them out of my husband's way. 

4. Is the aunt you stayed with the one who's your boss? Is that weird? 

Yup! No, not weird. 

5. What are the 7 balls sitting by the dogs from this post? Are they dryer balls? 

Yes, they are felt dryer balls. I got them in case little miss is sensitive to dryer sheets..they basically do the same thing. Plus they are much cheaper and good for the environment. :) 

Bumpdate-- 35 Weeks

One month from today, people. My "due date" is one month from today. Hold the freaking phone. 

We got donuts to celebrate. Don't worry, it's only a half dozen. Ha.

I had an appointment yesterday-- nothing very exciting. BG is head down, HB was 149/150, and my BP is low. Appointments are weekly now, so I'll be going back next Wednesday. 

The bad news? My back pain is back. It is absolutely unbearable. I haven't done my walking in days and I'm going batty in this apartment all day. I know it will pass just like it did before, but I'm ready to get my walk on! 

How far along? 35W5D

Maternity Clothes: Same. Wearing my regular comfy clothes around the house and maternity clothes when I go out. 

Oh, some of you were asking. My shower dress was from Motherhood Maternity. There isn't a link to it online, no idea why.

Also got this shirt (below) for the cooler weather. This is the only cool weather maternity shirt I have, so my wardrobe is going to get pretty interesting these next few weeks. :) 

Oh, I also chopped off all my hair. 

Stretch Marks? Nothing new. Bottom of my boobs, a few on my hips/booty. Nothing on my belly (yet?). 

Sleep: Sleeping great for the most part. It's very hard to move with my back, but besides that I'm sleeping through the night..not even waking up to pee!

Best moment this week: Our shower, trip to NY, and seeing our family!

My husband set up our glider. Only said 10 curse words and stormed out of the room twice. 

My cousins got me twelve (yes 12) of the A&A swaddlers that I have been swooning over for months. I was so excited to wash them and feel how soft they were! I'm totally in love. 

Miss anything? I will definitely miss being pregnant, but I do miss sleeping on my belly. And of course I miss having a few Diet Cokes each day.

Craving anything? Nope. Got my sprinkle donut, though, and it was tasty! 

Movement: Still lots of shifting! Not many kicks/punches (I think). 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope. We haven't had the oven on in a while so haven't had that issue lately, thank goodness! 

Have you started to show yet? Yup.

Gender: GIRL! 

Seriously stole this from my shower and had my husband set it up when we got home.

Labor signs: Nada

Belly button in or out: No change. Dark and flat. Totally weird.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy and blessed! 

Looking forward to: Getting ready for little miss, my in laws visiting next weekend, and meeting our little girl very soon! 

I asked my husband what he's most excited for and he said he can't wait to hold her. He also said he wants to be the first one to hold her. There may or may not be a fight in L&D. ;)

This isn't something I'm "looking forward to", but this is what I have to look forward to. 

Please do not judge me for how messy this room is...

You've been warned.

My poor, poor in laws. They don't know what's coming. Guess they do now! I'm hoping with their help we can get this room back to "normal". 

Totally obsessed with Miss Sophie! Every baby needs one and BG is no different. :) So thankful to Christine for getting BG her very own Sophie! 

Symptoms: Congested ALL.THE.TIME. Hot 24/7, acid reflux, and back pain. 

Also stole this favor from the shower. Found it in the bottom of my husband's bag and wondering how the dogs never got into it. Taking bets on how long the M&Ms last. 

Okay, that's all for this week! xO 

Weekend/Shower Recap

We are home and finally getting settled after our trip to NY. It was so much fun to get away and see our family! 

I tried to take as many pictures as I could, but of course I suck and only took maybe 20. Gah! And of course I brought my fancy camera and it never left my bag. Sweet. 

So, the night before we left (I think? It's all starting to mesh together), I was home working and heard a weird noise...

My husband was working (of course), so I called our maintenance team. Three hours later, the sink overflowed and the guy knocked on our door. Nothing like deep cleaning your smelly, sewage-filled kitchen at 10PM. UGH!

The plus? The guy who came to fix it was so sweet. He had to leave his house late at night and I felt bad, so I gave him tons of apple pie and Diet Coke. He loved me! 

The nail lady was ready to kill me. My phone rang at least 5 times while I was there and she kept talking to her friends. I can only imagine what she was saying about me. 

I have to wonder if that was my last pedicure before Baby B arrives...we'll see! 

My aunt sent me this picture the day before we arrived..seriously, are they not the cutest?

And finally-- on the road. The dogs were actually pretty well behaved and slept about 80% of the time. Who am I kidding.. I slept about 80% of the time!

I made sure to keep my feet up and had no problems with swelling. We only stopped once in the 6ish hour drive for a lunch/potty break. 

I really wanted Subway. It was amazing. 

We finally made it! My aunt had these M&Ms out and I thought they looked so much like fall. There were probably 3 in each bowl by the time we left. 

The doggies were so happy to see their cousins. It was adorable. It was like they were never separated! 

When we came in, Oreo lifted his leg at least 10 times. I'm not sure if anything came out, but who knows. Guess my aunt is finding out if it was real pee or just "fake" pee! 

The weather was beautiful. The doors and windows were open and the dogs loved it! 

Walking with 4 dogs the morning of our shower..not easy.

Ya like that? I have no pictures of our shower. I totally suck. BUT it was absolutely beautiful and tons of fun. Note the random stroller wheel behind me in the picture..ha. 

Not sure if it's just my family, but people stayed at the shower for a long time. Seriously! After we opened presents and ate cake, we cleaned up the room and hung out for quite some time. 

Then everyone kind of randomly showed up at my aunt's house where we..surprise, surprise, ordered pizza. 

Cocoa and Oreo loved all the attention and got to be around my cousin's baby who is 15 months old. They really didn't even notice her, which I think is good?

Monday morning I attempted to help clean up my poor aunt's house, but I think we just ended up making it worse. Whoops. 

For example, a dog (we're not sure who) peed on the carpet. We thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give my aunt the Bissel Spot Bot that we have. We absolutely love it and thought it was the least we could do for trashing staying at her house the past 2 nights. 

..Wrong. Didn't it just make it worse? Sigh. I don't even know what to say, honestly. Apparently it's much better but I won't feel better until I see the stain with my own two eyes. 

Until then, my husband and I are saving up enough money to buy her a new rug. Ha. 

Oh and we got this darling giraffe named Mary Catherine at our shower. She's so cute. Cocoa is totally obsessed with her! 

My family was making fun of her because she's so squinty! I think it's a poodle thing or she must have been really tired, because she only does it some of the time. It's really hilarious. 

Everybody was really well behaved on the way home. Even the dogs. ;) 

We are so happy to be home and get ready for our little girl! Cannot believe our "due date" is one month from today! Holy crap. Hold me.

Enjoy your day! xO