Baby Nursery Brainstorming

Typical to my personality I am not satisfied with anything I can find in a jumbo store. While we registered at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby, there wasn't a "theme" that I loved. 

I feel it would be a huge waste to invest in something that wouldn't transition into a toddler or child's taste. Teddy bears? He'll grow out of that in a heart beat (A new mother's heart beat - wahh!! ). 

Hubby wanted a car theme but Hub's love of cars will be passed down regardless of the bedroom theme. 

I never had a brother, so I can only go by cousins and school boys. So I always think of dirty fingernails when I think of little boys. 

Etsy Vinyl  

Think Chic Dirt and you'll understand how

 I fell in love with this Lumberjack themed baby shower I saw on Pinterest 

Source

I let my imagination flow from there. 

IKEA Rug 

Not sure if we need a rug since the room has carpet.

2nd choice in IKEA duvet cover and pillow 

1st Choice in IKEA duvet cover and pillow 

I can see these easily transitioning into a toddler's bed. Since they are only the duvet and pillowcase, we don't need to worry about spills or bed wetting ruining them. These are VERY INexpensive compared to what they sell at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby. 

IKEA is great, but I don't always understand the European design. For example: these fruits and vegetables with faces. I'm not a fan.

IKEA Bed Set

The following Pin-spirations are embedded from www.pinterest.com/rachelkellar/baby 
If you're on a mobile phone or device you might not be able to see the rest of my nursery inspiration. 

Decor

Rachel Kellar's pin on Pinterest.

Baby Clothes
Rachel Kellar's pin on Pinterest. Rachel Kellar's pin on Pinterest. Rachel Kellar's pin on Pinterest.

Baby Toys

Are we seeing the theme now?
He'll grow up around cows, horses, chickens and goats but this is another side of nature I'd like him to learn about. He's more likely to encounter a fox than an elephant (no jungle or circus themes). 
At the end of the day, raising a child is hard enough, I didn't want to over think a nursery. Being a fan of camping and the outdoors, this came natural to me and if mommy is happy everyone is happy!


Of course a part of me LOVES the "little gentleman" theme too:

Rachel Kellar's pin on Pinterest. Rachel Kellar's pin on Pinterest. Rachel Kellar's pin on Pinterest. 

He may be a boy, but mommy still loves shoes!!

Book Baby Shower

Of course there is no where I'd rather be on my birthday, than my home town Dallas Texas. So I was fortunate this year to have a baby shower the weekend of my birthday. It was hosted by my 5th grade teacher who is now my mom's new BFF. She just renovated her house, you'll catch glimpses in the photos. She really opened it up, it looks great!

It was a 'Book' themed shower. All guests were asked to bring a gift and a book. I wasn't expecting the menu to be book themed as well! Too cute!

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs - served along side meatballs!

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss with Green Deviled eggs
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish with goldfish crackers and home made crackers

The Book of Virtues with bumble bee cupcakes
featuring virtues such as "Bee Honest", "Bee Friendly" etc.

The Hungry Little Caterpillar next to the veggie tray. 

Oh, the Places You'll Go with sugar cookies shaped like feet!

And I could not get enough of the cheese and crackers.
Maybe that means the baby will love this book!

I registered at Buy Buy Baby. I love that they offer a free wrapping station. Some guests did wrap their presents there. That is a diaper cake back there! yay!

A Texas onesie from my mom with a baseball hat.
My hubby wears baseball hats all the time and my mom swears she's going to buy a matching Texas shirt too.
She's loving this grandmother thing.

This beautiful piece of art was created by our family friend.
It is a collage featuring our last names and stamps from areas significant to our family.
Such a great personal piece!
I need to tap into my creative side when it comes to gift giving!

Baby's first tie!

The largest gift award goes to my two best friends (and bridesmaids)
This 3-in-1 walker Ally and Shaena.
Shaena swore she only bought off the registry, but she didn't on this one!
It is a black car that looks like a bat-mobile, Hubs loves it.
I said it'll be great for when it's wine night and I don't want to chase the baby around. 

Good Night Moon book and stuffed bunny from little sister Theresa/MOH

Baby got lots of stripes!

I had a lot of fun. Didn't get emotional at all! No tears from this hormonal mama!

The highlight of the event was the new BumGenius cloth diapers.
I registered for the One-Size diapers so guests were figuring out how the snaps and folds worked.
After looking at them when I got home I'll need a crash course also!

All recorded by my mom in the baby book we received at Christmas!

My younger sister, Jessica, (she's 3 years younger than me) and my mom.

Jessica was the photographer throughout the afternoon and did a great job! 

I think I'm standing on my tiptoes since Jessica is like 5 inches taller than me. No fair!

A pleasant surprise was seeing my friend from college who is also pregnant!

I missed out on a belly bump with my Sister in Law, but Danielle was the next best girl!

Dear Daddy-to-be,

Can you believe it's been 8 months since I asked you "Do you want to start trying?"? It feels like yesterday! Seriously, I remember exactly where we were and your facial expression when you heard the question. Now-a-days I can't remember my own name, but I'll never forget your face! Time flies when you're having fun! 

I think this pregnancy has been awesome for our relationship. Not that things were ever bad, but with the could-be stress of a pregnancy things are going much better than I expected.

You have been such a support throughout these 8 months. I am actually looking forward to the support you'll provide me during the labor and birthing process. I wouldn't want anyone else by my side in the hospital.

On that note, I want to say Thank You:

Thank you for joining me on this adventure.
Thank you for supporting me along the way.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for calming my nerves.
Thank you for having your own opinion.
Thank you for dealing with my mood swings, even though you say they aren't that bad, I kinda think you are lying to make me feel better. ;) 
Thank you for coming TO me when I cry (due to hormones) instead of "giving me space".
Thank you for agreeing to keep the name a secret.
Thank you for the many many massages.
Thank you for dealing with my awkward sleeping patterns and positions now.
Thank you for the food runs.
Thank you for tempting me with ice cream and congratulating me when I refuse.
Thank you for gaining more weight than me! (I don't really mean that - haha)
Thank you for not overreacting to my stretch marks like I did.
Thank you for your positive outlook on our future.
Thank you for attending the birthing classes and doctors appointments.
Thank you for planning a paternity leave.
Thank you for your prayers.
and of course, Thank you for being who you are! I think we make a great team! You are one of a kind and I wouldn't have it any other way!

High Heels!

Wedding Season 2014

Forget the baby talk, Wedding Season has begun! My best friend for the past 23 years (I'm 28 years old) so my lifelong friend - is getting married. She is a savvy sexy successful woman who is way to cool to call me her friend but for some reason she does. (Thanks!) Her #1 no-no is most social situations is children. She'd just "rather not". Rather not deal with the crying, rather not deal with the distraction and just "rather not". So at her upcoming wedding at the end of February she has a strict NO CHILDREN rule. Five of her nine bridesmaids are married and three of the five have children. More like toddlers, not children. Either way, they are not invited to the wedding.

I was so anxious for her reaction when I announced my pregnancy. I expected her initial reaction would be one of the following Pinterest comments:



    

YIKES!! Not so nice...
 Style Unveiled.com

God Bless this bride with THREE pregnant BMs
source

Ack! Even hubby recalls the bride-to-be saying "You better not knock her up!" ayayay

When the day came I missed my chance to tell her face to face. However, she knew something was up and asked me a few days later. She is happy for me and hasn't banned me from her wedding.

Let's face it, this pregnancy hasn't change me much. I'm a pretty lame friend anyways. I'm definitely not the one you call for a crazy night out. A crazy night IN? I'm all over that! lol

For all other pregnant bridesmaids out here: I found this website with pregnant bridesmaid advice. 

1. Be honest with the bride With this being my first baby I have no clue what to expect! But she is my BFF so she pretty much knows everything about me anyway.
3. Order a bigger dress Done!

       

This is the dress straight from the boutique. Yes I said boutique, not store because it came with a boutique price tag, we're not talking David's Bridal here!

 I took this picture in my 17 year old sister's bedroom so the color doesn't do it justice. It's a really pretty dress I will ABSOLUTELY wear again, believe it or not. Also I had extra spark that day (notice the static cling). 

This is before alterations. Can't wait to see how big I get by the end of Feb!

More advice....
7. BYOB: Bring snacks and water to stay hydrated. Fainting bride, cute. Fainting preggo, "TIMBER!!"
8. Comfortable shoes! Flats for sure!
9. Laugh at yourself Hormones = emotional. But tears at a wedding are OK!


I'm signing off with Grits on this. Being pregnant is hard enough, add in supporting your BFF on the most important day of her life and it's hard to remember to take care of yourself. So a definite Grit post.

Grits,

It's not like I can wear high heels right now anyways.

Baby is not the size of fruit

I figured out the whole "your baby is the size of a _____" controversy I created.

Thanks to my 4 pregnancy apps I realized the "size" they are talking about is usually the WEIGHT of the baby.

When you look at it that way they do kinda go up in weight..
18 weeks: Bell Pepper
19 weeks: Heirloom Tomato
20 weeks: Banana
21 weeks: Carrot
22 weeks: Spaghetti Squash maybe a small squash
23 weeks: Large Mango
24 weeks: Ear of Corn
25 weeks: Rutabaga
26 weeks: Scallion ok, not this one
27 weeks: Head of Cauliflower
28 weeks: Eggplant
29 weeks: Butternut Squash
30 weeks: Large Cabbage
31 weeks: Coconut
32 weeks: Jicama
33 weeks: Pineapple
Then, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Head of Romaine Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Leek, mini watermelon, and finally pumpkin.

Close enough. I'll settle for an average of length and weight just to keep me happy.

It's my birthday!

This will be the second year in a row Hubby woke up early to make me birthday pancakes. He's so awesome! 
Here's to many more birthday's together and even more pancakes!

Working Out while Pregnant

I am SO grateful for my years in sports. My high school basketball and softball days helped me transition into TaeBo classes in college. Unfortunately those classes were only offered my freshman year.  After that I had to find the time and energy to run on the track or go to a gym (yuck!)

After college I become an at-home work out person. This included daily dog walks up and down hills in San Antonio and Arlington. I also enjoyed at-home yoga and hot yoga in a Dallas studio.

Since moving to the farm, I've kept up with dog walks without the hills (because there are none). I've also done yoga in my living room and zumba in the school gym. All are very satisfying. None are as strenuous as high school sports, but then again I'm not 16 anymore.

Now that I'm pregnant it's even more obvious that I'm, as my dad said, "not a spring chicken anymore". During my first trimester I was tired ALL the time. I lost weight in the beginning and then started gaining about 1 pound a week (as recommended). My second trimester flew by! I got my energy back so I added a lot to my plate. Thankfully, I was energized enough to workout consistently too. My biggest workout deterrent is travelling. During the holidays when we traveled to Dallas or Lubbock to see family and friends I never found the time to work out. 

Finally, the holidays are over and I have no excuses. I've gained 15 lbs over the past 7 months and I have 2 months (hopefully!) to go. Which means I could end up with a total weight gain of 23 lbs if I gain 1 lb per week for the next 8 weeks. Since I was overweight to begin with, I would be comfortable with a 23 lb gain. While I'd prefer less, it's really up to the baby. 

As you read the other day, I have almost every symptom in the book. I've been ignoring my copy of 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' (I kinda read the whole thing as soon as I got it, scared myself into a stressful state of mind and decided to play it cool and just go with the flow which meant NOT reading that book anymore). Well I re-read the sections regarding my symptoms and everything could be fixed with a healthy diet and exercise. I've been eating really well and not giving into sugary or white flour cravings. So I feel more motivated than ever to workout!

The workout routine I've been doing is the Tracy Anderson Pregnancy Project DVD. I love it. I bought this DVD set in my first trimester. The only research I put into it was reading the reviews on Amazon. I'm still not into pregnancy magazines or anything like that so I went where the money is actually spent by consumers.

PROS

• The stage is all pastel colors and she plays relaxing music

  

  See? Really muted and relaxing (source)

• There are 9 discs. One for each month. I have found each disc corresponds perfectly with where my body is during the pregnancy. And I could share the DVDs with my SIL who was 3 months further along than I was. (In return I got her extra changing pad and stroller!)
• Tracy is SO nice! I've always liked the video trainers who say things like "you can do it" even though they don't know that I'm actually sitting on the couch eating potato chips. j/k I'm usually yelling back at them "Shut up! You don't even know me!" 
• The further into my pregnancy, the more impact I see with the workouts. I couldn't even image some of the position she puts you in, but once you get in that position it feels amazing! For example, in months 8 & 9 we use a chair to help with balance and stability. I would have never considered that!

PRO & CON

• It is relaxing and doesn't "feel" like a workout. In the beginning I wanted it to feel like a workout (which is why this is part Con), but it is important to keep your body burning calories making the baby not making a 6 pack. (They say pregnant women have 40% more blood vessels in their body, so Tracy really works on getting the circulation throughout. I can tell a HUGE difference in my circulation on days I work out.)

CONS

• Tracy is BEAUTIFUL and her boobs are spilling out everywhere. It's not a bad thing, just makes me wonder why I am working out in a messy bun, no make up, and two sports bras and she has her hair perfectly curled, a face full of makeup and no bra?

See? boobs everywhere! Then again, she's pregnant! (source)

• There are a lot of butt workouts. Tracy says we are "lifting" our buttock. If you've seen my buttocks, it is quite lifted so this big booty lady doesn't see the need in getting it higher up on my back!...but I do enjoy what it does for my hips. 

Remember those biceps in baby boy's sonogram? I think it's safe to say he gets it from his mama! ;) 

High Heels!

31 weeks, less than 2 months away!

How far along? 31 weeks

You baby is the size of a coconut (source)

Really?! He was a large head of cabbage last week and now he's a coconut? Isn't a coconut smaller than a large head of cabbage? Are they thinking of those big green coconuts hanging from palm trees? Those things are HUGE! I prefer this clever diagram from How To Be a Dad.com: 

via How to be a Dad on Pinterest 

Baby is the size of a JUMBO bag of chips! Okay, now we're talking!

Total weight gain/loss: I gained 10lbs after Christmas! My mentality was "no wine at dinner? Fine, I'll have 2 desserts!" I've lost 5 of those. So my total weight gain is 15lbs. My doctor does not seem worried.

Maternity Clothes? Oh ya. 

Stretch marks?  The stretch marks from my 5th grade growth spurt are darkening, but nothing ON the belly yet.

Sleep? What is sleep again? I'm either passed out from exhaustion or I'm tossing and turning all night. Last night I came home and took a 4 hour nap. I'm pretty sure the only reason I woke up was because I was hungry. 

Best moment this week:  I'm just loving the baby kicks I feel all day long. I am slowly realizing that "don't you just love being pregnant?" mentality. Too bad it's only for a short while longer! 

Miss Anything?  I miss the way things were. Now, before he's even in my arms this little guy has taken over my lifestyle. Even hubby is having to adjust his finances to accommodate for our new addition. For example: movie theaters. We can't take a baby into a movie theater! So we are trying to enjoy the movie theater as much as possible (which is difficult when you have to pee every 30 minutes). Before you know it it'll be Redbox rentals and rated G movies for the next 13 years!

Movement:  Tons and tons of movement. My office is usually pretty quiet, so when I answer my phone he starts kicking at the sound of my voice. During and after every meal he's jumping around. And when I lay down he's all over the place! I think he may be asleep in the car, so we might become those parents driving around the block in the middle of the night to get the baby to sleep.

Food cravings:  None. I crave milk and ice cream to soothe the heartburn. I had skipped 2 days on my iron supplement and I was craving a hamburger BAD. I gave in. It was amazing.

Anything making your queasy or sick?  I was telling Mr. Y at work about this family of rabbits that was living in our backyard and he told me I should shoot them and eat them. Then he started describing the skinning process and it made me pretty queasy, but I think that would have happened pregnant or not!

Have you started to show yet? As Mrs. Y (Mr. Y's wife) told me today at lunch: "You are all baby!" 

I wonder if I'll have a shelf like Halle Berry

dailymail.co.uk

Symptoms: What ISN'T hurting?! I need a prenatal massage BAD!!! Haven't done my workouts in a week, so I'm pretty stiff.  We had our first childbirth class on Monday and they had a list of all the possible symptoms. I have everything except hemorrhoids. And I pray to GOD I don't get those!

• Sciatic pain, indigestion, heart burn, dizziness, numbness in arms and hands (especially at night), headaches, tight muscles in stomach and legs, overheating, congested at night, lower back pain and a million more I cannot think of right now.

Gender:  BOY!

Labor signs:  none

Belly button in or out?  Still in. I don't think it's going to "pop"

Wedding rings on or off?  Off. I bought my sisters and I these very thin sterling silver rings for Christmas. Mine is a size 8, so it fits my swollen ring finger perfectly :(

Happy or Moody most of the time?  MOODY. Hello hormones! Stay out of my way if you don't want tears or an evil glare. Trying not to stress out about things, but it's inevitable. I thought planning a wedding was stressful but at least then you don't have the hormones to accelerate the drama. Hubby has requested I text him on my way home what my mood will be when I walk in the door. Yesterday he did a very good job of blending into the wall and avoiding the wrath of Rachel all together. 
Ok, that's pretty exaggerated, but I definitely need a work out. As Elle Woods says in Legally Blonde 

"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy....."

Looking forward to: My baby shower in Dallas this weekend and attempting sewing projects with my new sewing machine. Mission 1: pajama pants Mission 2: Hospital gown