Nursery Tour

Welcome to the tour of the nursery! For some reason the color of the room in almost all the photos is washed out (I had to use the flash on the camera, it was early and the room was still a little dark. . .I think that's why) Anyway, the first photo is pretty close, so let's pretend that's the color in the rest of the photos.

The whole room is basically themed around the quilt for the bedroom set that we hung on the wall. I liked it because it was wasn't too "over the top" with cartoon animals, but still had a cute baby feel to it.

Here is what you see when you first open the door

We opted for a dresser instead of a changing table. The crib is also convertible; that way this will hopefully be his bedroom set when he grows up. The floating shelves above the dresser we got at Kohls (love that store!), and we put various knick knacks up there that we thought were cute.

We got a glider with a really high back so Jared can sit and lean his head back. . .for when he does those late night feedings. . .right Jar? :-)

You can't see it in this picture because it's pulled up, but we got new room darkening shades. We also put the valence above the window that matches the crib bedding. Originally we bought the night stand for later use when we convert the crib to a double bed (I didn't think it would fit in the room with the glider in the corner). After they brought all the furniture in the room I realized that it would probably fit under the window, so now we can use it as a side table for the glider.

We got the lamp at Ikea. It's not my favorite store, but every once in a while you can find really cheap cute stuff. This was one of those times. The lamp only cost 20 dollars!

The book case was another last minute decision we got at Ikea, and I'm SO glad we got it. It's the perfect fit for that corner of the room and now we have room to put story books out. Don't worry, Jared anchored it to the wall so it won't fall and crush him.

Here is his crib and the art project I did.

A close up of the "ABC" art.

Now I know you aren't supposed to put anything in the crib, but the stuffed elephant and blankets are living there until he is born. I love the bumper, but again, I'm not sure if we are going to keep it in there. It's not "pillow like" which is what the books warn against for SIDS and suffocation dangers, but as a nervous first time mom I will probably chicken out and end up taking it out. . .we'll see.

The crocheted blanket was made by my bestie, and the quilt was hand made by my next door neighbor. He is one lucky baby to have such thoughtful hand made gifts.

And finally I also painted some letters and we spelled his name out over his closet. I'm not going to reveal his name on the blog until after he is born :-) I modeled the colors and patterns on the letters from the letters on his quilt.

Here is a close up of Darth Vader on the floating shelves. It's a bank from Jared's childhood, and it's what sparked our first conversation when we first met nine years ago. Darth Vader has a special place in both our hearts (ok that sentence just sounded really funny to me, hehehe), it's only appropriate that he watches over our son. I really hope this kid is a Star Wars fan, he really doesn't have a choice.

When I was little my parents collected music boxes for me. This Noah's ark one was from my first Christmas, I thought it looked cute in the room.

And there you have it! It's a relief to finally have it all done. Now we just have to interview a pediatrician and pack my hospital bag and I THINK we will officially be ready for his arrival. . . 9 months sure went by fast!

Art Project

Ever since the baby shower weekend I pretty much had all the "essential" items for the baby, but the past week or so I've been focusing more on baby projects that aren't really for the baby (like he's going to care what I hang on the walls).

In the picture of the bedding set that we bought there were three cute canvas paintings that matched the "ABC" theme the room had. I really wanted to get them to hang over the crib like they did in the picture (I'm not very creative with decorating). So I looked on the store website that we bought the bedding at and there were tons of other accessories that went along with the bedding set, but not the art. Then I went to trusted Google and discovered that the art for the bedding set had been discontinued! Disaster! What was I going to hang on the wall over his crib now? I was stumped.

I don't really consider myself an "artsy" person, but I've dabbled in sketching things in the past. I can't create my own masterpiece, but I can copy things pretty well. So I decided to head over to the craft store to pick up some painting supplies and try my hand at copying the art from the picture. At first it was horrible. I had many "I just wasted 25 dollars to buy this stuff, and it's garbage" moments. I stuck with it though, and in the end, while it's no Van Gogh I think it came out looking ok. Plus I have the added reward of it's something I painted for the baby.

I'm not going to show you the whole set till the big nursery reveal (I will probably post that tomorrow), but here is a sneak peak.

34 Weeks - Daddy Thoughts Vol. 3

So here are Jared's thoughts on a bit of recent baby news. Enjoy!

So the most recent baby update is that we are potentially having a Christmas baby. Our OBGYN will be on vacation after Christmas, so there was a possibility that Kristen will be induced the week of Christmas to ensure our doctor delvers the baby. We will have an ultrasound scheduled soon to confirm that the little guy is fully cooked and ready to come out before we set a date. But assuming everything is okay, how do you set the date? You are potentially picking your child's birthday. Granted it will most likely have to be the week of Christmas (December 20th - 25th), so how do you pick the day to go in? I wonder if we will get to choose or if the doctor will narrow down the choices?

So, should I find out other people that have birthdays during that week? I know our friends Dan and Stephanie had their daughter on December 22nd. My younger sister's fiance, Joe, has his birthday on December 23rd. Hmmm……how do you decide? Maybe I should look up famous birthdays in history. Maybe that will provide guidance.

DECEMBER 20TH BIRTHDAYS IN HISTORY:

1990 - R&B singer Jojo, most remembered for her debut hit "Leave (Get Out)" at age 13. I don't think this is what my son wants to hear influenced his birthday decision. (-1)

1982 - American Idol 2008 winner David Cook. Hmmm…..he was pretty awesome on the show, but still don't know if this is the precedent we want to set. Although I did vote for him. (Crap! Did I just publicly announce that?!?!?! Please don't think less of me) (+1)

1946 - Uri Geller, the Psychic who claimed he could bend spoons with his mind. That is pretty cool, but it was only claims; I don't think it was ever proven. (-1)

1945 - Peter Criss, drummer for KISS, nicknamed The Cat. Drummers are pretty awesome. (+1)

1922 - George Roy Hill, who directed "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in 1969, an award-winning film starting Paul Newman and Robert Redford. They were pretty awesome cowboy robbers. (+1)

1868 - Harvey Firestone, best known for Firestone Tires. Nothing like a mogul from the automobile industry. (+1)

DECEMBER 21ST BIRTHDAYS IN HISTORY:

1966 - Kiefer Sutherland, best known as Jack Bauer from the Fox show "24". He was definitely a Badass, might be worth noting as a possible vote for December 21st. I think he officially died on the show twice and came back to life. (+1)

1965 - Andy Dick. Need I explain? (-1)

1957 - Ray Romano. Everybody truly does love Raymond. December 21 may be back in the running. (+1)

1948 - Samuel L. Jackson, the man who seems to be in every single movie. Might make sense for him to be reasoning for a birthday, right? (+1)

1940 - Frank Zappa. Seriously, how awesome would this be now? (minus Andy Dick) (+1)

1937 - Jane Fonda, actress and daughter to Henry Fonda. (-1)

1935 - Phil Donahue, trailblazing talk show host. (+1)

1879 - Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader ruthlessly enforced Communism. OK, December 21st may have just lost out. Stalin and Andy Dick I think just ruined it for everyone. (-1)

DECEMBER 22ND BIRTHDAYS IN HISTORY:

1993 - Ali Lohan, Lindsay's sister. Not too noteworthy. (-1)

1989 - Jordan Sparks, 2007 American Idol season winner. Is there a December birthday conspiracy for American Idol winners?!?!?! (-1)

1949 - Maurice Gibbs, member of the Bee Gees. Stayin' Alive does make one want to strut. :-) (+1)

1949 - Robin Gibbs, Maurice's brother also a member of the Bee Gees. Still the Bee Gees, but a second person. So they get two votes (Hey, I don't write the rules). (+1)

1945 - Diane Sawyer, "Good Morning America" co-anchor. She is pretty awesome. (+1)

1915 - Barbara Billingsley, best known as June Cleaver from the hit show, "Leave It To Beaver." I don't know if Kristen wears enough pearls to emulate this one, but we'll give it a shot. (+1)

DECEMBER 23RD BIRTHDAYS IN HISTORY:

1971 - Corey Haim. Ummm……no. (-1)

1964 - Eddie Vedder, guitarist/singer/songwriter in the band Pearl Jam. Will my little man be a rocker? (+1)

1943 - Harry Shearer, voice actor for "The Simpsons" and also on "SNL". This is pretty awesome. We do have a great respect for the Simpsons in our household. (+1)

1867 - Madame C.J. Walker, hair care marketer and noted as the first African-American millionaire. very interesting. (+1)

DECEMBER 24TH BIRTHDAYS IN HISTORY:

1974 - Ryan Seacrest, host of "American Idol". There it is again! Seriously, this has got to be a conspiracy theory, right??!?!? (-1)

1973 - Stephenie Meyer, author of the best-selling, "Twilight" vampire romance novels. Kristen does have a healthy respect for werewolves. (+1)

1971 - Ricky Martin. My little guy does not need to associate his birthday with "Livin' La Vida Loca" just yet. (-1)

1929 - Mary Higgins Clark, suspense novel writer. Hopefully the little man will like to read. (+1)

1922 - Ava Gardner, actress in Hemingway's "The Killers" and married to Frank Sinatra. Sinatra is awesome. (+1)

1905 - Howard Hughes, aviation millionaire became a movie producer and recluse. I don't need my son going crazy ad saving urine in jars. (-1)

1822 - Mathew Arnold, English poet wrote the melancholy masterpiece, "Dover Beach." "For the world, which seems to lie before us like a land of dreams." I will be impressed if anyone has read (or even heard of) this masterpiece. (+1)

1809 - Kit Carson, Western trapper, scout, soldier against Mexico and Navajo. This guy was a "man's man". (+1)

DECEMBER 25TH BIRTHDAYS IN HISTORY:

1971 - English singer/songwriter Dido. He could probably say the name pretty quickly, but it may sound more like a "dee-dee-dee-dee." (-1)

1958 - Rickey Henderson, base-stealing baseball outfielder with many teams in his career. This is the American past-time. (+1)

1954 - Annie Lennox, singer/songwriter on the hit song "Sweet Dreams" with The Eurythmics. Not the sweat dreams I want. (-1)

1949 - Sissy Spacek, oscar winner for the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter" and well known for her role as "Carrie." Wouldn't be able to explain this one for years and it most likely would result in psychiatric help. (-1)

1946 - Jimmy Buffet. No shame in being a Parrot Head. :-) (+1)

1918 - Anwar Sadat, Egyptian president signed peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Way to go! (+1)

1899 - Humphrey Bogart, best known for "Casablanca". Definitely a plus. (+1)

1893 - World traveler Robert Ripley, created the well known book series/show "Believe It Or Not." I'm going to go with a no on this one, just out of principle. (-1)

1887 - Conrad Hilton, entrepreneur built the successful chain of Hilton hotels. But he is related to Paris Hilton. Hmmm……. (-1)

1821 - Clara Barton, Civil War volunteer nurse founded the American Red Cross. Anyone who knows me from high school knows I rocked a Red Cross shirt for years. (+1)

1642 - Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician who formulated three basic laws of motion. I got one for you. F = ma = (+1)

0 - Umm……Jesus. But he still only gets one vote. It's only fair to everyone else. (+1)

So here is the current score:

12/20: 2 points

12/21: 2 points

12/22: 2 points

12/23: 2 points

12/24: 2 points

12/25: 2 points

Well crap. It's a six-way tie.

Flippin' great.

All this blogging and no progress. Perhaps this calls for a need for everyone else to chime in with their vote. Any suggestions from the masses?

-Jared

Baby Shower

I am so behind in my blog reading and writing. It has gotten so bad that I actually got an e-mail from my mother the other day asking me when I was going to update my blog. . .this just struck me as super funny because I talk to her at least once a day and she knows every detail of what's going on in my life.

I am going to have to keep this short because I have a million and one things I want to get finished this weekend, so bare with me.

Anyway! My baby shower was incredible! I am SO SO SO SO lucky to have such amazing and generous friends and family in my life. I really don't know what else to say about it. I felt so pretty (I treated myself and wore contacts even!), loved and special. Normally I hate being the center of attention at things, but for some reason I didn't mind too much this time.

Here is a picture of me and my girls from high school.

Mom, Me, and Jared.

And here is the aftermath in our front room (minus the other big gifts, strollers, swings, bouncer, pack and play). It was like, and still is a little bit, a baby explosion in our house.

Thank you to my mom, Daniela, and Julie (shut it Julie, Daniela said you helped lots so I'm mentioning you here!) for such a wonderful baby shower. I love you all so so so so much, and I count you in my blessings every day. Julie I'm so glad you made me a diaper cake. I held it together the entire day till Julie showed me all the special notes written to me by my friends, family, and mommy bloggers I admire that were posted on it. I cried when Jared read them all out loud after we got home (I'm so glad I waited to read those in private!) I'd also like to thank my awesome mom and sister in law for all the presents and hand me downs they brought up with them from southern Indiana. We are so lucky to have 4 nephews (all boys!) to mooch stuff from.

Sooooooo I've been spending the last two weeks washing and putting things together. The crib is ready to go with clean sheets, all his clothes have been washed (and all the extra linens too), all the big things are put together, oh my gosh. . .I've just been so busy.

Now I'm working on decorating the room. We've hung his quilt on the wall and we also bought some floating shelves to hang up. I've also been working on some art projects for his room. . .but that's a subject for another post. :-)

33 Weeks

I didn't get a bare belly shot for 33 weeks, but here is a sort of belly shot from my baby shower. Daniela just snapped this super quick and I'm glad she did because otherwise I wouldn't have close up shot of the belly at all. Thanks Besty!

32 Weeks

I know this is super late, but here is my 32 week photo :-)

Giveaways!

I loooooove entering in giveaways, don't you? Many of the blogs I read occasionally offer contests to their readers. . .

So along with taking tons and tons of beautiful photos and hosting You Capture, Beth's blog also frequently has some giveaways. This week she's offering four really awesome ones. I love the stamped jewelry, I've been wanting to get a camera strap cover since I bought my first SLR back in July, and I have a certain friend that's having a baby girl in March that I would love to give the headband offer to.

It seems these give aways are just meant for me huh? And for the creme de la creme, my number one item on my baby registry wish list (which my mother thinks is ridiculous), is a VIDEO baby monitor. Our house has 14 steps from the main floor to the 2nd floor, and 14 steps from the basement to the main floor. . . that's a lot of steps people! I really really would love a video monitor so I don't have to trudge up the stairs every five minutes to check on Bean. Lets face it, even if I don't want to, I think that's something every first time mom does.

So stop on by and check out these great gifts! And if you win, I'll be very jealous. :-)

30-31 Weeks - Falling, Furniture, & Class

Well once again I'm behind on blogging. I don't really have a good excuse. . . so let me tell you about some of the events in the past two weeks.

First of all I took a little spill last weekend. Do you remember how high our bed is? Well in order to get myself into bed I have to use a set of wooden steps. It was about 6 o'clock in the morning and I had gotten up to go to the bathroom. I was half asleep, I don't think I really opened my eyes up all the way. When I stepped with my left foot on the bottom step I didn't put it in the middle of the step. So when I put my full weight on my left leg and went to swing my right leg up into bed the stairs tipped over, I banged my knee on the bed frame, and plopped down on the floor. I've never seen Jared shoot out of bed so quickly. He was at my side in a blink of an eye. I didn't hurt or hit my belly, but my knee now has a swollen black and blue knot on it. So that stinks, but at least the baby is fine. He's still moving and kicking like usual.

The nursery furniture was delivered yesterday!!!! No pictures until it's done though :-) I was really worried that the room would look super crowded because it's so small, but it all fits nicely. We even had enough room to put the night stand we bought in there. I spent yesterday evening sitting in the glider reading my book. It was so much fun.

We also started our "baby classes" at the hospital two weeks ago. So far it hasn't freaked me out too much. We've gone over a lot of relaxation and breathing techniques. They are really hard for me to do; my mind always wanders. I have learned that distraction works pretty well for me. I just need to focus on other things. So I'm working on some things to do during labor to distract myself. I'm not worried about the pain, I'm more worried about containing my anxiety and white coat syndrome. So we shall see how that goes! Maybe I will just be so excited to see the little man that I won't need any distractions.