More Nursery Decor Ideas

So my new ambition I mentioned about making my own crib bedding has turned into a full blown obsession! My Pinterest baby board has 79 pins now, mostly of fabric and nursery decorating ideas.

After my last post asking you all what fabrics you liked best, I tried to step back and get some perspective.  Sometimes I find that in the midst of getting excited about all different adorable ideas I lose sight of what I really want.  Does that ever happen to you?  It's like I get overwhelmed at all the cool things I find, and then I get off track.

So thanks to the help of a dear friend, I was reminded that we picked out a very beautiful crib, but nonetheless one that will probably cover up any cute or intricate ruffly crib skirts.  So that nixed that idea.  I was also reminded that said crib is a dark wood, which got me thinking and wondering about how a bright pattern would look against it.

Our crib: Baby's Dream Renaissance Crib in Espresso

Keeping those things in mind helped me refocus and hone in on what I really wanted in the first place: a beautiful and more traditional pink and green nursery.  Some of my original inspiration is on my Pinterest board:

Pink and green girly nursery with dark wood crib

Another idea with pink walls:

Pretty pink with subtle green

And I found some really pretty bedding ideas that went along the lines of the pink and green feel and still felt appropriate for a nursery.  I love this first one:

Source: modpeapod.com

Incorporating pink and green into one damask print:

You can see these soft colors look beautiful against the dark wood crib.  When Art got home I showed him and he agreed that this type of look would be perfect for our little girl's room.  So I excitedly ordered three yards of fabric:

Madison Gate/Baby Pink - recognize it from above?  Art's favorite

Ozborne Maggie

Paisley Gate / Baby Pink 

I can't wait for them to come in on Friday so that I can see them in person and decide which one is my favorite!

For anyone wondering, none of these were in my original lineup, although Ozborne Maggie is similar to #7 but with a lighter pink.  I guess it just goes to show that it's a pregnant woman's prerogative to change her mind! 

My New Ambition

Now that we have our  crib picked out I figure it's time to work on the rest of the nursery.  I want to get it painted before we have the crib and the rest of the furniture moved in.  But, I wanted to pick out the nursery bedding first so that I can coordinate the paint with it and come up with a cute color scheme.

And then a friend gave me a great idea: why not make my own crib bedding?  She did it and it turned out beautifully.  Plus, I haven't been super impressed with the stuff I've seen in the stores.  If I did get a store bought set it would probably be pretty plain and I really want this little one's nursery to be special.

So I've been combing though pages and pages of digital fabric swatches on joann.com and hawthornethreads.com.  I have found some really pretty designs!  And Hawthorne's website is really cool because users can upload pictures of projects that they have done with the fabric.  Which is how I found this:

 Isn't it gorgeous?  Unfortunately the Etsy seller isn't taking orders, because she is pregnant!  But I wanted to do it myself anyway.  My design will probably be way more simple, but I want it to be preppy and girly and fun.

So back to those fabric swatches!  Here's a few bunch that I love that I found: (you can see all of them and some of my nursery inspiration on my Pinterest page)

#1

#2

#3 

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

I'd love to know which one is your favorite and why? 

20 Week Update and How we celebrated being Half Baked

Gosh, there has been so much fun stuff happening lately!  First of all, it's my last day of being 20 weeks so I will give my little update: 

How far along?: 20 Weeks

How big is baby?:   Your baby is the size of a melon!  Your baby weighs about 13 ounces, and measures about 10 1/2 inches long.  She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system.  She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Any appointments or updates this week?:  Nope

Body changes?: Nothing much new

Maternity clothes?:  Oh yeah!  I'm cleaning out my closet of my pre-pregnancy clothes, because most of them don't fit or if they do they don't really look flattering on my new body shape.

Best moment last week?:  Celebrating that we have hit the halfway point! 

Food cravings?:  Chocolate, ice cream, oh and girl scout cookies!

Symptoms?: I started getting acid reflux this week (it seems to happen when I eat marinara sauce, which is really unfortunate since I love Italian food).  Also, I've been getting leg numbness on my left side.  Apparently this is a pregnancy symptom - who knew?  And of course the leg cramps.

Exercise?: Yes! I did an awesome yoga class on Thursday and played a little basketball and kickball at an open gym day yesterday.

What I miss?:  Sleeping all the way through the night.

What I'm looking forward to?: Decorating the nursery! I can't wait for us to get it painted and pick out the bedding.

Last Wednesday we decided to celebrate our Sweet Pea being half baked!  We went to Caffe Positanos, a local Italian restaurant, and had a really nice relaxing dinner.  

Afterwards, we stopped at Publix and picked up a container of Half Baked ice cream!

It was such a yummy and fun way to celebrate!  And here are a couple pictures of both of us: 

I love this one

 

You can see the bump better here

It's been a fun, celebratory week.  We didn't do as much baby-related stuff this weekend, but we did get to do some cool adults stuff (which I fully realize we won't be able to do for a while once baby gets here).  On Saturday we went to see Matthew Kelly, a Catholic speaker.  He gave several talks and it was a really inspiring morning.  I got Art the tickets for Valentine's Day and I think he really loved it.  Here's some pictures (yep, I'm wearing the same outfit, lol.  It's so comfortable!)

On Sunday we hung out with friends at an open-gym thing at church and then went to lunch.  After lunch Art and I went to Crib 4 Life, a local baby furniture store.  I think we found the baby's bedroom set!  The company was recommended to me by another mom and the quality is great. 

Baby's Dream Renaissance series in Espresso

Plus the crib will convert to a toddler bed and full size bed later on.  It feels good to have another big thing picked out.  Now the next thing will be deciding on bedding and accessories to decorate her room.  I can't wait, it's so much fun. 

Fun Stuff, Part 3!

To continue the fun posts full of pictures, here is the other part of what we did on Sunday!  Besides buying me lots of new maternity clothes and my new diaper bag, we hit up a few other stores in the mall.  Specifically, all the adorable baby clothes stores!

I strategically took Art to the most expensive (and most adorable) store first; Janie and Jack.  He loved it!  They were having a great President's Day sale going on, so we looked through the sale racks to pick out some new duds for our little girl.  

I was really surprised that he didn't even blink at the price tags, he LOVED shopping for her!  Here's what we picked out: 

A couple of cute jackets and pants for cooler weather and in the a/c

A really cute little onesie, perfect for the summer

Our favorite outfit!  Art picked this one out himself.  I can't wait to dress her in it!

He was so excited to spoil our little girl, it was really sweet.  After Janie and Jack I tried to take Art to Gymboree and Baby Gap, but he wasn't having any of it.  He complained saying that the stuff wasn't as nice as Janie and Jack and we should just buy all her clothes there.  Haha, I foresee our bank account shrinking quickly!

Hump Day Bump Day!

So remember how I was telling you about our awesomely fun weekend?  Here's part of what we did on Sunday.  I had a gift card to Destination Maternity that my awesome parents gave me for Christmas, and I was finally feeling ready to use it!  Up until now my regular clothes have fit okay (with the belly band at least) but I noticed that my shirts weren't exactly long enough and I didn't want to stretch them all out anyway.

So Art sweetly took me to the store, which was down near our nicest mall in town.  Yay shopping!  It's one of my favorite things to do, especially when I have a gift card.  Plus it was President's Day weekend so I was pretty sure there would be good sales. 

Here's what I got from Motherhood/Destination Maternity.  I got all this and I still have some money on the gift card!  Thank you Mom and Dad!

Cute work shirt to wear with a cardigan

Another shirt that I can dress up or down,
good for work and church!

Comfy/cute dress that is perfect
for pretty much anything!

Check out my 20 week bump!!!

Another shirt that I'm in love with!
Oh and that's a peek at my diaper bag!

We weren't planning to buy my diaper bag on the shopping trip, but after going to Motherhood I was disappointed in their pants selection.  They didn't have any demi-panel pants so I insisted on a trip to the Gap, which was next door in the mall.

The Gap had a really good sale going on. I was able to get a pair of black pants, dark wash maternity jeans, a shirt dress and this cute shirt:

Comfy casual shirt

After the Gap we walked around the mall for a little bit and spotted the Vera Bradley store!  Art asked if I wanted to go in, and of course I said yes!  I told him that I wanted to use one of their bags for a diaper bag so we started asking the sales lady questions about what the best bags were.  It turned out that the one I wanted was going to go on sale for 25% off the following week, but she let me have it at that price early.  Yay!!!

My Vera Bradley Miller tote diaper bag in Ellie Blue

And the best part?  They are coming out with a baby line in March!  I signed up for their launch event...for other Vera Bradley fans, here are some links to the adorable things they are coming out with:

http://pinterest.com/verabradley/we-re-expecting/

http://www.ohmyvera.com/2013/02/vera-bradley-baby-items.html


It was such a fun shopping day :)  Oh and we did some other things too...I will save those for another post though. 

20 Weeks = Half Baked!

Wow...I can't believe we have already come this far.  It honestly feels like I'm living in a dream.  Especially now that we know we are having a little girl and getting to feel her kicks and everything.  It's so special and amazing. After all of the time we spent praying for this miracle, it's almost unreal that it came true. 

Despite every tear that I've shed to get here, I don't think I would trade it for anything.  I am never going to take this amazing gift for granted.   Losing our first baby Elijah, having to wait for almost a year not knowing what was wrong, having surgery, and taking fertility drugs including injections...it's been a very difficult journey.  However, I think God was preparing us.  He has given Art and I special gifts through this struggle, including bringing us closer to each other and closer to Him.

I truly feel so blessed.  This little miracle baby is going to know how much she is loved and wanted.  I pray that I will always have patience with her.  Hopefully the way that my patience has already been tested and formed will help with that. 

I hope and pray that everything goes as smoothly with the next 20 weeks as it did with the last.  I'm still working on "letting go and letting God" and turning over my fears and anxiety to Him.  I know that it does no good for me to worry about things that are out of my control.  So instead I offer up my daily prayer: Please God, let my little girl continue to grow and be healthy.  Amen.

Hey Hey, We're Almost Halfway!

Wow, I can't believe it!  Tomorrow will be 20 weeks!  Reality has finally started hitting me and I've completely gone into get-stuff-done mode, so that made for an extremely fun but extremely busy weekend.  Also, Art is about to get slammed at work so I wanted to take advantage of one of his last weekends where he wouldn't be working or completely exhausted.

We started Saturday by taking our first trip together to Babies-R-Us and Buy Buy Baby.  I went in armed with my Baby Bargains book (a lifesaver!) and a list of items that my sister-in-law recommended.  It helped a lot to have that extra information as we walked through all the aisles of gear.  We picked out some things that will be going on our registry, like the Chicco KeyFit 30 car seat and stroller caddy

It was our front runner, and a mom actually stopped is in the store and told us that the stroller caddy was awesome because it's lightweight and easy to fold and unfold, and not to bother with the travel system.  We like the Adventure style because it's gender neutral and we plan on having more kids eventually. 

Other categories were harder to agree on, like the crib and dresser.  And we were both stumped by all the different gliders.  But, we are making progress!

We also went over to my aunt's house on Saturday afternoon to visit and pick up a bunch of baby clothes that she offered to hand down to us.  It was great, she gave us a huge plastic tub full of her kids' clothes including the cutest thing...

Our little gator girl has her first cheerleading outfit!

When we were at my aunt's house, Sweet Pea was kicking me like crazy.  I'm not sure what got her so excited but it might have been the two dogs that my aunt and uncle have.  Anyway, I put Art's hand on my stomach while we were sitting on the couch and all of a sudden I feel a really hard kick, and he felt it too!  It was so cool and special that we could both feel her moving. 

We did more shopping on Sunday, but I'm going to save that for tomorrow.

Anyway, I guess I should get to posting my 19 week update :)

How far along?: 19 Weeks

How big is baby?:   Your baby is the size of a potato or mango!  Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces, and measures about 10 1/2 inches long.
Baby girl's early ovaries contain follicles with forming eggs. Soon, half of the genetic material for your potential future grandchildren will be formed. Pictures of babies at this age show them touching the membrane of the amniotic sac, touching their own faces, reaching for the umbilical cord, pedaling their legs, and sucking their thumbs.

Any appointments or updates this week?:  No appointments this week, I'm still on the every 4 weeks schedule so I won't go back until March.

Body changes?: My bump is getting a little bigger every day!  Everything else is going well so far.

Maternity clothes?:  Yes!  I am definitely noticing the need for maternity clothes now, because my bump is getting to the point where some of my shirts aren't long enough any more.  The belly band still works but demi-panel pants are a lot more comfortable.  I have a feeling I will be retiring most of my pre-pregnancy wardrobe pretty soon!

Best moment last week?:  Art getting to feel the baby kick, and receiving his Valentine's Day gifts from our daughter (and the card he gave her back). 

Food cravings?:  Still craving chocolate and anything sweet.

Symptoms?: Extra emotional, leg cramps, thirsty.

Exercise?: Does pulling weeds from our flower beds count?

What I miss?:  Not having to carry a water bottle everwhere

What I'm looking forward to?: Decorating the nursery and registering for everything

What our little girl looks like this week:

 

Update to Valentine's Day + Lots More!

Wow, what a fun weekend!  It really feels like life just keeps moving wayyy too fast for my blog to keep up with it!  I don't know how some people do it with updating right as things are happening, I'm lucky to get caught up once in a while.  Anyway, here we go!  (Warning...this is a very picture-heavy post!)

Valentine's Day reveal!  I decided I wanted to do something really cute and get Art a gift from our daughter to him for Valentine's Day.  So, I went to Gymboree last week and bought these cute little clothes for him.  He loved the card too, it was so sweet getting to watch him read it.

The baby also bought him a couple of parenting books for Dads:

  Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads 

 First Time Dad: The Stuff You Really Need to Know  

He really liked the Be Prepared book because he said it looks like the Boy Scout handbook, and he is an Eagle Scout.  

Now this is the really cute part: I was thinking that I was very clever with buying him a card and gift from the baby...and it turned out that he bought our Sweet Pea a card too!  I couldn't believe we both had the same idea.  He also made me a delicious dinner:  Beef Wellington!

The cooking process:

The finished product: 

Soooo good!  

So last Wednesday was Mommy's first shopping trip for Sweet Pea, when I bought the outfits for her to give to her Daddy for Valentine's, and I think I mentioned last week that I went ahead and bought a bunch of things so that I could qualify for the Gymbucks (haha great excuse right?)!  Here's everything I bought our little girl: 

Also, I just have to share this because it almost made me cry.  After announcing that we were having a little girl, a friend from church brought in a little bag for me...it was this adorable outfit:

I just thought that it was so sweet and thoughtful of her.  

Lastly, for my news from last week, I was lucky enough to win an online contest for a free maternity workout top from  me2roo!  I was thrilled to get it in the mail on Friday and decided to wear it around the house on Saturday (I didn't actually do any workout that day, but I did pull some weeds...does that count?)

Bump picture (19 weeks!!!!) with my free me2roo top:

You can see that my belly is really growing now!  Loads more to update on, but that's all for this post :)