Introducing Miss Lily Jade...

She's here! After 5 minutes of pushing, our sweet baby girl made her entrance into the world. We are so smitten and floating on cloud 9 with pride. She's 100% healthy & I'm also doing great! We couldn't be happier. <3

She's almost here!!

Welp, it's officially at the waiting game point. I'm scheduled to be induced on Monday (7/22) at 7am. Three more days. I can't believe it! I actually just had a little scare about 30 minutes when I went to the bathroom (TMI!!!) and wiped and saw my mucus plug. I kinda freaked because I had been losing a little here and there over the past few weeks but this time, it was A LOT. So, I did what every pregnant woman nowadays does and ran right to google to ask what to do. Directed me to babycenter and yahoo! questions which both said to call my OBGYN and ask about it just to make sure, so I did. My dr said that yes it is my mucus plug and to keep my eye on if contractions get going and they are 3-5 minutes apart, then to get to the hospital. I'm not having any contractions right now, just feel little L moving around in there. I really just hope I can wait till Monday. Paul already made the work schedule for next week and has the week off, starting Monday. So, hopefully she'll stay put for Daddy's sake. Fingers crossed.

In other news, Paul & I decided that with this pregnancy (I don't remember if I mentioned this before) we'd prefer if no one came to the hospital except for my parents, Gracie & his Mom. The only people I'll have in the room with me during labor is my mom & Paul. I wanted it to be a much calmer laid back experience this time. Last time, with Gracie, it was a circus! Everyone I know who could fit in the room was there and it was very overwhelming. I didn't even expect that many people to STAY in the room but by that point I didn't really care either.

So, with that said, we know we still have lots of family and friends who will actually want to meet Baby L once shes born, so we decided we're going to have a Welcome Home Baby Party, about two weeks after L is home. We are expecting around 20 or so people, which is a lot nicer to have in our home at one time, then a continued train of people coming and going at the hospital or a few days after she's born when we get home. Doing it all at once will be much easier for everyone. But mostly for L and I.

Of course, the little interior designer inside of me is screaming to get out and decorate something and with this party, I'll be able to get my fix. Here are a few ideas I snagged from Pinterest for the party.


Pinned from here.
-- I obviously won't be doing EVERYTHING in the image above, but I'm definitely sticking with the Yellow/Pink color theme and also love the streamers & banner. I'm going to also try and do something similar to the bunting on top of the cake, but with cupcakes instead. I have lots of ideas!


Pinned from here.
-- I'm going to do the paper dot garland and poms above the food table too. I'm making all of it myself tho.

I'm just going to do simple food for the party. Finger foods like fruit, veggies, chips & dips, cupcakes, etc. Paul wants to get chicken strips from PDQ and my mom is making potato & macaroni salads. But it's really just going to be a easy little lunch get together to introduce L to everyone. I'm looking forward to it!

I can't believe my next post will be a birth announcement! Time has flown!

Pre-Nursery Reveal

The nursery is done! Well, for the most part. It's 99% done, to be technical. I still need to order the art and wait for it to get here and then put it in the frames (that are already hung on the wall, waiting!). So, until that gets done (on Wednesday), I thought I'd make a new mood board to show a preview of the nursery before the big reveal. It's fun to see how my ideas, even if they may be large or small have changed since the inspiration board I posted back in January. Since then we found out we were having a girl, when I was so prepared to hear I was having a boy. So because of that news I decided to bite the bullet and add pops of pink to the room. This new mood board doesn't really share all the pops of pink that are in there but when you see the big reveal, you'll see what I mean!



Some things stayed the same, like the paint colors.

1. Wildflower Honey by Behr
2. Silver Screen by Behr

A. IKEA's Gulliver Crib - We decided to go with the Gulliver crib, mostly because when I had Gracie, her crib had solid sides at the headboard and footboard and it was really hard to attach the bumper. Plus I liked the way it looked more than the previous one I picked. The Gulliver crib was also listed on The Bump's 10 Cribs We Love list.

B. RIBBA Frames - Can't wait to fill these frames with the art I'm ordering on Wednesday! The last thing we need to do. :)

C. Brimnes 3 drawer chest by IKEA - I stuck with the same dresser & I'm so glad I did because it's perfect.

D. IKEA'S Hampen Rug - We got two of these. They are bright yellow & I love them!

E. Chevron Bedding by Sweet Jojo Designs - Much cheaper than my original plan and I got way more bang for my buck. It matches perfectly and I couldn't be happier!

F. Cardboard Elephant Head - This was also on the original inspiration board, got it and love it! It's so cute. I can't wait to share how sweet it looks on her wall!

G. Yellow Lanterns and Pink, Gray & White Pom Poms - I knew I wanted to add these when I made the other board but didn't really know how I was going to do it or where I would put them. They ended up going above her crib! Can't wait to share this detail as well in pictures.

H. Yellow Chevron Changing Pad Cover - I ordered this on Etsy but the seller was awful, so I'm not linking them. But this is what I used. It's cute but took forever to get here and cost more than it's fabric was worth.

I. DIY Elephant Baby Mobile - You might remember my mom & I made this. It's above L's changing table and it's still one my favorite things about her room.

J. IKEA's SÖDER Pendant lamp - This is the lamp I chose to hang in her room. It's pretty and simple and works fine.

K. Elephant Rocking Horse - Obviously not something she can use anytime soon. We found this for 5 bucks at Goodwill. It's adorable & I love that it added so much character to her tiny room.

I also got this swing, thanks to my MIL. It matches my theme perfectly & I can't wait to use it. It won't be going in her nursery but it will be able to move around the house with me when I need it too and for the most part will be staying in my bedroom, where she will be sleeping the first few weeks.

So, that's it. I'll share the big reveal in the next couple weeks. Hubs & I are taking a Babymoon, like we did when I was pregnant with Gracie. We are staying local and at a private beach resort but it will be nice to get away for a few days to relax. We only have three weeks till I'm full term and before long we'll have a brand new baby to keep us awake every night! This pregnancy has really flown by but I'm so glad I have my blog to look back at little details I've shared as well as lots of memories to keep. My next post will be the nursery reveal and then Baby L's birth announcement! Get ready!

My little graduate

Gracie graduated Pre-K yesterday, her last official day is tomorrow. She had such a great ceremony and performed songs with her classmates. It was such a great night! She had me laughing through my tears. I'm such a proud mama. I can't believe this school year is already over and in just a few months she'll be off to big kid school and in Kindergarten. To top that off, we'll have a new baby girl next month! This pregnancy is almost over and I can't believe it. I feel like just yesterday Gracie was starting Pre-K and not long after I found out I was pregnant. Time is flying.



I kept looking around Pinterest for something crafty to make for Gracie's teachers and found a few really cute things but wound up making this & this for Gracie's teachers. Check out the links for tutorials. I did mine a little different but with basically the same idea. The tutorial says to use hot glue for the crayon project but I used double sided tape and a rubber band to hold the crayons on the jar. Just use whatever works best for you, those changes worked best for me.



Tomorrow she's having a pizza party and is so sad to leave her teachers and friends she's made this year. But I told her she'll make lots more friends next school year and we'll visit her teachers during the summer when Baby L comes. Enjoy your little ones while you can, they grow up waaay too fast!

Seeing Baby L

Sorry for going MIA there for a minute... or several weeks. I've been busy and haven't been in the mood to update aka edit pictures for a post. But, I'm here now with a new round of updates and a post! Woo! First up, we went to the sonogram, twice actually. The first time we went our little L wasn't very cooperative and wouldn't give us a good enough face shots. Lots of lady parts shots (she's not very modest, apparently.) but not good shots of her face, so the amazing woman who did our sonogram invited us back the following week for a free follow-up appointment to see about better pictures. We went back and L was once again because her little difficult self, snuggled into my placenta, all cozy like a pillow, but after a half hour she decided to let us see her sweet face. She looks JUST LIKE Gracie. Gracie went with us too, btw. She loved it when L would stick her tongue out and wave her hand, she told everyone (once we got home) that L was waving at her and saying hello because she already loves her big sister. Isn't that cute?



There are literally 100's of pictures but a lot of them would have to be explained and I don't want to have to do that, so just enjoy the two simple ones above. haha! As far as her features, she has super chubby cheeks and the same nose and chin as Gracie. They are going to be inseparable, I can already see it now. Best friends for life. :) Gracie is so excited! She also has nice long legs & big feet, just like Daddy. Which, I already knew from all of her wild ninja moves she does in my belly. ;)

Since then we went and got more stuff in prep for her arrival. I now just need a lot of little things here and there, like command strips for hanging her pictures and hooks to hang her mobile and other decor. I'm mostly just in need of things for me now, like a night gown (for my first night there, after birth), slippers, travel sized shampoo and things of that nature. But, by the time she gets here, everything will be (hopefully!!) crossed off my list. Paul tries to buy stuff every week, so we are moving right along.

In two weeks, Gracie graduates from Pre-K! I can't believe it. We got back her pictures with her cap & gown, they turned out so cute. I'll share those once they are scanned. Unfortunately, they put all the girls in red. Of all the colors, one of my least favorites. Blah! They should of just did everyone in blue, or the girls in white. But not red! Oh well.

Kids get out of school in about two weeks! This school year has just flown on by. Before I know it, I'll be in labor and have another little one ready to go to school. Slow down, time! At this point, I'm just trying to soak up these last several weeks of this pregnancy since it will be my final one. Every little (or BIG!) kick and movement, I'm trying my best to hold on to for as long as I can. But, I will say I sure can't wait to really see her face and hold her in my arms. Only 6 weeks till we are full term! Can't believe it. :)

The Never-Ending Baby To-Do List

I thought it would be fun to share all of the things on our to-do list for Baby L. We only have a handful of things crossed off but just recently crossed off a few more things. Shall I share? Here we go...

Nursery
- Crib & Mattress ✓
- Dresser ✓
- Changing Pad & Cover ✓
- Bedding ✓
- Shelves ✓
- Baskets & Bins (for storage) ✓
- Picture Frames ✓
- Print Art (for frames)
- Dresser Organizer ✓
- Hooks (for hanging mobile & poms/lanterns) ✓
- Curtain Rod ✓
- Window Shade ✓
- Books ✓
- Rugs ✓
- Ceiling Light ✓

Baby Necessities
- Clothing ✓
- Socks/Shoes ✓
- Swing ✓
- Stroller/Car Seat ✓
- Receiving Blankets ✓
- Towels/Wash Cloths ✓
- Baby Tub ✓
- Bottles
- Bottle Brush ✓
- Pacifiers ✓
- Brush/Nail Clippers/etc ✓
- Toys ✓

Momma Needs
- Breast Pump
- Nursing Bras
- Boppy Pillow
- Nightgown & Slippers
- Travel sized shampoo, deodorant, etc

List Updated 6/7/13

That's pretty much it. Stuff like a High Chair, Walker and whatnot isn't needed until much later so those things I'm not even thinking about at this point. I feel like this list is never going to be finished! But this week we went and got a bunch of different things like wash cloths, towels, etc & also the stroller & car seat!



Sticking with my yellow & gray theme I chose this Expedition Travel System - by Baby Trend. I love it so much because it's such better quality than the one I had for Gracie. I believe I had a Graco with her. It was too short for Paul to use and didn't seem to last as long as I thought it should. Plus I went with pink, white and light gray which got dirty way too easy. This one is right up my ally and Paul was having a blast pretending to push a baby around the house in it after he put it together. It's tall enough for him to use, finally! The best part is when we're done with it (aka when Baby L grows out of it) he can sell it at his job. He works for a sports store that resells things like this. Score!

Other than that, we go tomorrow for the 3D/4D Ultrasound! Gracie is, I think, more excited than even I am! I don't know how that's even possible but she is. She told me she might not sleep good tonight because she can't wait to see her baby sister. She recently whispered to my belly, "I'm gonna be the best big sister, L. I promise! You're gonna love Mommy & Daddy too." I teared up. Made my heart melt.

Can't stop, won't stop

I feel like I haven't stopped going since my last post. Ok I lied. I didn't do anything today except the basics (yanno, sweep, wipe counters, etc) but other than that I haven't stopped doing things in the Nursery or just around the house in general. For the past year or two I've wanted to paint a little cabinet/shelf I got from my grandmother after she passed away. It sat in my living room and then my hallway holding dvd's for years. It stayed boring and beaten up for as long as I can remember. This past weekend I decided to tackle that project head on. I don't know what got into me but I just felt like painting... and sanding and lots of painting. Here he is before, all sad and whatnot...



So dusty and sad. Poor little guy! First I sanded lightly around all of the edges to get all of the pointy parts off. You have to understand this shelf is pretty old so it has had lots of ware and tare over the years. Even the bottom piece of wood that goes across the bottom in the front had fallen off so I had to get new nails and nail it back in place. After that, I painted, giving time to dry between each coat for about 30 - 45 minutes. Then I'd add another coat. Four coats total. Yeah, FOUR. I used Behr's Paint & Primer in Wildflower Honey, actually the same yellow as I used in Baby L's nursery! I loved it that much! Plus hey, free paint! Here she is all happy and pretty! I also moved around decor to add to her beauty and freshened up my front door area in my Living Room. :)



Since then, Paul, Gracie & I headed to IKEA to buy furniture for Baby L's nursery. We picked up her crib, dresser, picture frames, crib mattress & a drawer organizer. I've now crossed off 6 things of my 31 thing to do list. We have SO MUCH stuff to get still. I feel like I'm falling behind. Anyway, we got the crib built as well as the dresser. We moved the crib into the room and with our luck, it was too wide! Which kind blew my mind because, when we measured the room it was perfect for the dimensions of the crib. I told you, this room is tiny! So, we gotta be EXACT. After huffing and puffing and trying to figure out what the issue was, it hit me that the crib didn't fit because we always measured the room WITHOUT the floor molding in mind. I called my parents in a panic and explained the situation. My dad came over a day or so later and worked his magic and removed parts of the molding so the crib would now fit. Yay, now it fits! So, after we got everything in place, I got to work putting the bedding together (after washing & ironing it, of course) and then started to put away all of the clothes we've gotten so far. It felt good to start getting things done in there.

This past week Gracie made her art for Baby L's nursery. It turned out so cute. The image you see is just a sneak peak. She added a couple more things to it since I took that picture. She is so excited to see her baby sister and to be a big sister! I think she's really going to be great at it. Speaking of seeing Baby L, I scheduled my 3D/4D ultrasound for this coming Thursday. I can't wait to see a good look at her face and see how she's growing. Because I can sure feel her. Her kicks are so violent at times! I swear there is a little ninja in my belly taking me as it's hostage! Paul's eyes got so big one night when he felt her kick because of how strong and hard it was. It was pretty fantastic to see! I also went to my last monthly ob/gyn appointment on Friday. I'm now going to bi-weekly appointments & in my third trimester! Time is really flying by. My doctor said he thinks she might come early, as in anytime around 36-38 weeks. Which of course made me think, 'OH CRAP, I HAVE EVEN LESS TIME TO GET EVERYTHING FOR HER DONE!' so, it's now crunch time. Time is flying & before you know it, Baby L will be here!

DIY Baby Mobile

About a month or two ago, ok maybe several months ago I found myself drooling over all of these fabulous mobiles that were hand made on Etsy, (seriously look at them! They are adorable!) and after weighing my options I decided that the prices were really out of my price range. The ones I was truly in love with were nearly $100+. I KNEW if I asked Paul for something that costs that much money that was just a decoration, he'd give me the side eye and once I did ask him and he did just that. So, I knew that wasn't going down. I looked and looked on Pinterest and finally found a few different things I liked but also kept in mind what I saw on Etsy that caught my eye and just kinda winged it. Here is a little run down of what I did...



SUPPLIES
- Felt fabric & Chevron fabric (I had leftover from this project)
- Thread, String & Ribbon
- Wooden Craft Ring
- Key Ring
- Poly-Fil
- Sharp scissors
- Buttons, Beads, etc (optional)
- Sewing Machine (& person who sews because I don't! haha)

I first searched Google images for an elephant stencil and found one, then I had it printed and went to work. I cut out all of my little elephants & the ears, then a week or so went by and I headed to my parents house for my mom's help. I seriously couldn't have done this project without my mom, since she's the talent that sews!



Once I had my elephants and ears ready to go, my mom and I hatched a plan and went to work. She sewed all of the elephants together and I stuffed them with the Poly-Fil, then as time went on we decided we'd add a couple more details. Changed up the style for each elephant by adding buttons on the ears and the way she sewed them. They turned out so fantastic!



And a close up shot... (the dark gray ones are my favorite!)



After that it was a days work and I went home and worked on the craft ring, I wrapped yellow ribbon all around it, attaching parts of it with my hot glue gun so it would stay in place, I continued wrapping the ribbon around it until it was completely covered. I also wrapped the key ring for the top layer with gray string. After all of that was done, I headed back to my mom's house to put everything together. Here is the final result...



Didn't it turn out great? I'm so happy with it! My mom and I couldn't stop looking at it when it was all finished. We really just trusted each other when it came to trying things and testing things out that worked for us... or really me, since it's for my little one. I'm so thankful that my mom was willing to take the time and help. Thanks mom! You rule!

I can't wait to hang it up in Baby L's room and add all of the other goodies to her room. We head to IKEA next Wednesday for furniture and goodies! I can't wait!

Progress!

Is there anything better than progress? At the end of my last post I mentioned that we had started on the nursery. Well, I can finally report that the building of the room is completely finished. I have some molding to touch up paint at this point, to be done when Gracie goes in for her nap. But otherwise? Finished! In the next couple of weeks we'll be buying all of the furniture and decor for the room. I also started on the mobile I mentioned I'd be attempting to make and the good news is, so far so good! The next step on that is to sew and stuff the felt elephants and then to hang it. But all in due time! First up, I thought I'd share some of the before pictures of the room as in how it looked when we started the renovations.

As mentioned here, this room was originally supposed to be transformed into a half bathroom/half laundry. But long story short, we got screwed by the guy who was supposed to do it so it sat this way for years. I knew in the back of my head I'd want it to be a nursery if baby came before a bathroom and now that it's finished, it's exactly how I imagined it. My dad & I did such a great job on it! Anywho, here we go...

(right mouse click view image for larger views)

This is the far side of the room. As mentioned here the room is very tiny. The walls were so ugly and dirty and just ugh. Pipes exposed. Not cool, man!

This is the opposite side of the room, of the images you see above. The washer/dryer area. Another ugly eye sore.

This is the window wall. After we started to frame out the wall & then add in the insulation. Because the room is so small it's kinda hard to share exact to scale images.

Same wall, you get the idea. Adding sheet rock. Goodbye yucky walls!

After we got the walls up it was time to spackle the seems and make everything look smooth! And this second image is of the frame (sorta) that we built for the washer/dryer to go into. So you wouldn't see it anymore!

After we added the sheet rock to the frame around the washer/dryer. We didn't get a full shot. Epic fail. And the door that covers it all up! Looks like a closet.

And lastly, this is the floor we put in. I'm so happy with it!

I'm not going to share complete after pictures until I have all of the furniture in and decor on the walls. Only a couple more weeks and I promise as soon as I'm done I'll make a post! Stay turned. Oh and pssst, new layout! :)

Birthday girl!

Hi All. Sorry I've once again gone MIA from blogging. A lot has been going on around here lately, everything from me being sick with a stomach bug to Paul getting the same stomach bug (at the same time, actually), to my parents also getting this same bug, my birthday was last week, we started renovations on Baby L's new nursery to I don't even know what. We've just been a bunch of busy Bee's around here as of late.

I thought I'd first share my birthday in Instagram pictures. I turned 28 on April 2nd. Paul planned a great day for just the two of us. Gracie spent the day with my parents and Jordan stayed with his Granny so I could have a nice quiet day with my amazing husband.

On the evening before my birthday, better known as April Fool's day Paul surprised me with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, all yellows & whites. The colors of Baby L's nursery. There was also something special about the flowers but it's a secret until she's born. ;) First thing Tuesday morning, on my birthday I had a monthly OBGYN appointment. Everything is going perfectly & I've only gained 4 pounds my entire pregnancy! My doctor is very pleased. :)

After Gracie got out of school, we dropped her off at my parents house & headed to Tampa for lunch at my favorite restaurant, Grillsmith. I order a Grilled chicken sandwich (A tender grilled chicken breast finished with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and honey mustard sauce on a brioche bun // taken from their menu) with a side of fries. It was amazing! I mean, look at that picture! Makes me want one right now! After lunch we headed to the mall to see The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which was funny but could of been a lot funnier. I adore Steve Carell and Jim Carrey so anything they do is worth it to me no matter what. After the movie, Paul took me to buy more shirts from Old Navy. I'm currently obsessed with these. I have every color now! Mine are all neon colored, for some reason I guess they are sold out online. They have been great while my belly has been growing. They fit perfectly!



After shopping, Paul took me to play some Putt-Putt golf. It's kinda become our thing. We take it waay too seriously sometimes, since he's such a sports guy, whenever he loses he feels he needs to play again to redeem himself. We tend to laugh probably too much while we play. Because we always have so much fun! If we go out of town we always have to find a new putt-putt course to play. I told you, it's our thing! BTW, I lost by two. But don't worry, I'll win the next one! ;) When we finished our game we weren't yet ready for dinner so we headed to the beach to walk on the boardwalk and check out the shops. Paul wound up buying me three new pieces of jewelery, adding to my elephant obsession. I got a bracelet, necklace and anklet. All elephants! I should of probably taken a picture but by then my phone's battery was dying. I'll share pictures next time! We ate dinner at TGI Friday's. I had been craving the Jack Daniels Shrimp for weeks. Paul knows the way to my heart!



Anyway, my birthday was pretty fantastic. I owe all of it to Paul who made sure I had a great day. I don't know what I'd do without that man, he truly goes above and beyond for me no matter what. I love him so much!

In other exciting news, I mentioned at the beginning of this post that we started renovations on the nursery. We did! We are actually almost done with the major parts and I'll get to start painting this weekend! Talk about *squeel*! I also decided against ordering custom made bedding online, ultimately the time frame it takes is way too long. The seller told me it would take around 12 weeks to be made and shipped. I wouldn't even be able to pay till tomorrow and I don't have 12 weeks to wait. So, I googled and googled until I found this set...



The best part, I get almost everything in that picture, 9 pieces for half the price it would of cost me to have it custom and even though I really, really wanted it all custom, what is the point in that? I spend $300 bucks and she uses it for a year or two and then I put it on a shelf? Naaaah. I can think of much cooler ways to spend money. This set is only $189... for NINE pieces! Before with the custom, I'd only be getting 3, a sheet, bumper & crib skirt. So this way I'm really making out much better. I am tho still getting a custom made changing pad cover and a few other things from etsy. I also decided I'd attempt to make my own mobile. I'll of course share how that goes. lol.

SO! My next post will be with before & after (or progress) pictures of Baby L's room. Stay tuned!

The Gender Revealed!

So, last Sunday we had our Gender Reveal Party, which had a lot of surprises to say the least. Lots of guests I wasn't expecting to be there surprised me, which was awesome! I was so happy to see everyone come out and celebrate baby #2 with us. As shown on the invitations, I only asked people to bring diapers instead of gifts since it wasn't a baby shower. Boy, did I get diapers! I got hundreds! At least 20 packages (boxes/bags) of diapers and a bunch of wipes too! I was so grateful!

Anyway, I'm sure the big question for this post is, "So, is it a boy or a girl?!" Welp. First, here is the cake I had made. I absolutely loved it. Publix did a stand up job!

And on the inside of the cake, it revealed that baby #2 is a...

GIRL! I was in such shock I seriously cried for a good two hours. Honestly, I had totally made myself convinced it was a boy, that when I saw pink icing, I was in complete disbelief. I'll be honest and say I was disappointed, as I've said a zillion times, I really was hoping for a boy and since this is going to be our final attempt at having a baby, I knew my chances for a little man had come to an end. I felt so selfish for being disappointed and started to snap out of feeling defeated. I'll tell you one thing though, Gracie is absolutely thrilled! I've never seen her so excited, other than when she goes to Disney. She's so looking forward to having a little sister and in a few years sharing her room with her. So, there's that!

By the time Monday came around I was over it and was starting to feel excitement for another little girl. The most important thing is that this little girl was meant to be here and more importantly, she's healthy! The universe is telling me that this is how it's meant to be. So, now I'm happy about everything. Paul and I have decided on a name. I'm not going to post it until she's born though, so you'll have to wait till July to find that out.

Anyway, I will say though, the first letter in her name is L. So, till she's born I'll be referring to her as Baby L during posts. :) Speaking of Baby L, she's been kicking the entire time I've been making this post. I think she's saying hello! ;)