Hello, 2014

Happy New Year! Wow, it has been a looong time since I've updated. Needless to say, I've been a little busy between the holidays, Gracie's 6th birthday, being sick, being a new mom to a new baby and just living life the best I can. So much has happened since my last post. Gracie turned 6, had a fun birthday party and during the whole thing I was sick as all hell. I didn't have a voice for 3 or 4 days, I lost hearing in my left ear due to an ear infection and was just feeling rather yucky for most of November. By the time Thanksgiving got around I was starting to feel better, but enjoyed spending the holiday with my family. December was another busy month due to the holidays being so close this year, a shorter time span then usual to buy gifts, decorate and just get everything done. We baked cookies, brownies, ate lots of yummy food, opened lots of presents and I'd say had a pretty great month. We ended 2013 with a small get together here at our home with our closest friends, drank waaay to much alcohol, played lots of games, shot off fireworks and rang in the New Year with laughs and joy.

As for 2014, well we will have to see what happens! We or should I said I have lots of plans this year, to do the outside of the house. I'm going to paint, take down our front screened porch, put up a pergola, change out the poles in our carport, fix some rotted wood, spruce up the landscaping and that's only the outside. Inside, I have plans to paint the main tv wall in my living room in a fun Moroccan pattern, stain our chest/coffee table and mostly, my most exciting task, redecorate Gracie's bedroom. Boy, do I have plans!

1 & 2 Baja & Cozy Cottage by Behr - I'm undecided on the exact color I want to do, but this is the basic idea.

A. Kura by Ikea - Of course, Ikea! This is the bunk bed Gracie has been asking for and the good thing is, the bottom portion is actually right on the floor so when Lily is big enough to be in a big girl bed, she won't get hurt if she were to roll off. Gracie can't wait to be roommates with her, it's cute!

B. Throw pillows from Ikea & Etsy - Gracie's would obviously be a G, not an E. But that's what it will look like and the other pillow is just one of many from Ikea I'm going to be throwing on her bed & reading corner.

C. Shelf, Bins, Wire hanger for Art all from Ikea - Gracie needs a place for toys that's organized and also a place for her art, these things will work perfectly in her room. View a larger image here, in my Pinterest.

D. Ombre dresser - I'll be keeping Gracie's current dresser and painting it just like the one above. Ombre!

E. Color Pop Bed Set by Circo at Target - This is the exact thing I was looking for when I started looking months ago. It's everything Gracie loves! Lots and lots of colors!

F. Tastrup by Ikea - This rug is so Gracie. She's currently obsessed with all things Lalaloopsy, but I wasn't willing to do a themed room for something I know she will be tired of in 6 months. So, this little pop of buttons gives her a taste of the Loopsy button eyes without going all Loopsy wild in her room. She's happy, I'm happy, solved!

G. Colorful frames & art - Obviously there isn't a place for me to link for this picture but you get the idea. Lots of colorful frames & art on her walls. Fun! Colorful! SO Gracie!

So, lots of posts coming soon! Stay tuned! :)

It's November, y'all!

I'm so pumped for November, if only for the cooler weather! My big girl turns 6 next week, I can hardly believe it. But, before we enjoy the month of November, let's recap the month of October, shall we?

Lily started to giggle in October. She talks more & smiles all the time.


I found out my name is on the 10th Anniversary Fantasy box. If you know me, you know I'm a HUGE Britney fan. This made my month!


I made these yummy omelets for Sunday brunch. Recipe here.


Lily went for her 3 month checkup. DR said she's a month ahead on everything! She is already trying to crawl!


My girls continue to grow closer and closer. Gracie loves being Lily's big sister. <3


Paul got free front row endzone seats from Davin Joseph of the Tampa Bay Bucs for building an entire gym for a local high school. It's the second year in a row Paul has done this. :)


We had such a great time at the game together. It was a well needed grownups night!


We go on nightly walks now, thanks to the cool fall weather.


I took Lily's 3 month photos in her Mouse costume. The cutest little mouse you've ever seen!


Lily went to the park for the first time and liked the swing!


She also went on the slide with her big sissy. The girls had a great time at the park together. :)


Lily enjoyed her first Halloween! Even tho she slept thru the entire thing. haha


I also enjoyed playing dress up! Meow!


I made Jack O Lantern burgers for Halloween dinner. Kids & Hubs loved them!


And last but not least, my spooky little family. Paul as SNL's Drunk Uncle, Jordan is a Zombie Banana & Gracie is a Lalaloopsy.


October was a fun month! Looking forward to November. Family, friends, yard sales, Thanksgiving, Birthday party, Fall weather, etc, etc. Lot's of good stuff to look forward to. Hope you all had a nice October & a fun Halloween!

Little girls are love

Yesterday, Lily turned 3 months old and had her monthly checkup. Her dr says shes a month ahead on everything for her age. He's amazed at how she's already trying to crawl and scoot across the floor. She can already turn herself in a complete circle when shes on her tummy. It's pretty unreal! I love watching her discover new things everyday. We also learned she has colic. I also had colic as a baby, so maybe it's because I also had it? She has had some issues with sleeping alone the past few weeks due to it. But, last night she slept in her crib all night long without any issues. I'm so glad! I enjoy being able to move around in my bed without having to worry about disturbing her or anything. She's such a happy smiling baby too. I've never seen a baby smile so much in my life! Just seeing her smile, lights up everyone around her. She's so sweet!

Since finding out about her colic, I went on the ol google hunt for help. Which led me to Gripe Water. The following day, after a long night of no sleeping we went out and got some, which I now refer to as magic water. As soon as it was in her, like seconds, it was working. Her hiccups (which she gets two times a day, at least) are gone and shes no longer in any kind of gas pain. This stuff really is magical! I highly recommend it to fellow moms whose babies are colicky. Believe me, you'll thank me later.

Gracie's birthday is right around the corner. We are having her 6th birthday party at Laser Tag this year. She's been asking to do this for about two years now. When Jordan had his party there two years ago, she told us she needed to have her 6th birthday party there too. She has every birthday party planned for the next 3 years, in her head. haha. She's so funny! Next year is Legoland!

This week I need to get Lily's 3 month photos done. I have a bunch of ideas, I just need to get it done! Fingers crossed it doesn't take me three weeks. lol

Anyway, that's it for now. Currently marathon-ing through Revenge season 2 on Netflix. Love this show!

Last month, in quick review

Hey! It's been nearly a month since I've last updated. With that said, my sweet baby girl Lily Jade will be one month on Thursday! Time is really flying by. I remember feeling crazy miserable the last month of my pregnancy and just wanting to be done with all of it and then the last night in the hospital when I just felt so uncomfortable because I wanted to be in my own bed and now it's already been a month since she was born. I gotta say that she is growing beautifully. Her dr is very pleased with her progress and says she's absolutely perfect, not like I didn't already know that or anything. ;)



Lily's welcome home baby party was a success. Everyone had a really nice time & Lily also got some really cute gifts. I made all of the decorations myself, as you can see in the picture. My niece Taylor and I made all of the food, except for the chicken strips we had catered by PDQ and the pasta & potato salads my mom made. I even reused the garland and the banner in Lily's room after the party. It looks so cute in there!



See, cute right? In other news, Gracie started Kindergarten yesterday. We found out that Gracie's teacher is the same teacher Paul had for Kindergarten. She said she remembered Paul but I mean, that was 20 years ago so I doubt she did, she was probably just being nice. I actually already knew her from when I worked for before & after school care at Gracie's school before she was born. She remembered me too, but that I believe because it wasn't that long ago. haha



I also made Lily's birth announcements and ordered 100 of them from Shutterfly since I got a free coupon from them in the mail. I can't wait to mail them out once they get here. Here is a preview of what it looks like, without me actually posting the real thing. I wanna mail them out before I post it here. I also took Lily's one month pictures, which I used some of in her birth announcement. I'll share those pictures next time I update.



That's it for now. I'll update again soon, I have a cool project I'm going to be working on in the living room pretty soon, well a couple different projects in there and also I'll share all the details for Gracie's room makeover I have planned for November, as a birthday present. Lots of projects coming up!

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!

Nursery Reveal

I know, I know, I've been MIA for nearly a month! First off, Baby L is STILL in my belly. She hasn't made her grand entrance into the world or anything. What happened was Gracie decided she should "clean" mine & Paul's laptops and wound up killing them. She completely burned out the power button on Paul's to where his wouldn't even turn on anymore. On mine she killed my keyboard. I could turn it on but not access anything because I had a password login for mine. So, I was screwed. I took it to a local PC repair guy who my family has used in the past and he got all of my personal files off the hard drive for me (thankfully, that was a-ok!) & put it into my now new laptop. It isn't brand spanking new but it's nearly exactly like my other one and does everything I need to do so I'm happy! Then in the mist of all that, our AC in our house broke and we were without AC for two weeks. This happened right before we left for our Babymoon. The inside of the house got up to 87 degrees nearly everyday, it was awful! Then I ordered an iPhone 4s off eBay and was told it was ready to go and when I got it, it wasn't. It was still locked for my phone provider, so we had to shell out more money to get it unlocked and THAT took another 2 weeks. So, I didn't have AC or a laptop or a phone for parts of June. June was the worst, can I just say that?! Ugh. Anyway, the nursery is DONZO! I'm so excited to share every inch and every detail! Here we go...

Before we start, you can see before photos here and the original plans for this room here.

This is the view as you enter.




As you enter and turn left, you'll find the crib on the stripe wall. I bought the yellow lanterns at a party store back when we had the Gender party and KNEW I'd reuse them for the nursery. I made the pompoms myself and found the art on google.




I'm so in love with how all of it turned out looking after it was all put together. I love that elephant head!


To the left of the crib. I made the alphabet art myself.


To the right of the crib. The top picture is L's first ultrasound images & the art under I made myself, it says her name (revealed! gasp!) and under that I put "Pretty little flower... From the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. She is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." Then her letter L in bubblegum pink, it actually matches the color of the heart in the alphabet art.


Her crib & bedding.


Her dresser. Top drawer. All organized. Blankets, socks, wipes, pacifiers, lotions, soaps, towels, etcetc.


Middle drawer. Clothes that will fit now and cases of wipes.


Bottom drawer. All diapers. There are actually a lot of clothes that she will grow into underneath all of that. We really made out like bandits at our gender reveal party. I don't think we'll need diapers or wipes for a very very very long time. Under the crib is FULL of diapers in all sizes. We are set!


To the right of her dresser. The rocking elephant Paul found at goodwill LONG before I even started on the nursery. Such a great find! I think we paid 5 bucks? And her diaper holder, full of diapers.


On the opposite side of the room facing the crib is the wall we (my dad & I) built for the washer/dryer. The art above it was made by Gracie, Paul & Jordan.


To the left of that is the window back in the little nook, where I put a trio of laundry baskets. It all fits perfectly!


L's diaper bag that my parents got me. I love it so much! Vera Bradley. It's perfection!


Inside. All ready to go to the hospital. Blankets, take home outfit, beanies and extra onesies, as well as other random goodies tucked away.


That's it! Feel free to ask questions and leave comments! I'm so happy with how everything turned out, it's so beautiful and a perfect little nursery for our new baby girl.

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!