Big Boy Bed

Well, it's official this time.  After a weekend trial run in February that resulted in a momentary "he is growing up way too fast" mommy panic, we officially made the transition to the BIG BOY BED yesterday!!!  Having cute bedding and the desire to crawl in bed and read books with my little guy gave me the final push to make it happen, and I'm really glad we did.

The bed was delivered right before nap time, so after several rounds of jumping on and off of his new bed, he was very ready to take a nap.

I explained to him that playing/jumping on his bed was fine, but that during nap and bed time, he needed to lay down and sleep.  I asked him to stay in bed and let me know he was ready to get up after he slept, and he seemed to understand that well enough.

I had the monitor with me constantly and was so.freaking.excited that after 1.5 hours, he was still happily snoozing!

Horrible monitor pictures:

I was on a conference call when suddenly, after 2 hours, Ben apparently fell out of his bed in the middle of a DEEP SLEEP.  He cried the most panic-filled what-the-FFFFF-just-happened-to-me cry I have ever heard.  I rushed to get him and it, sadly, took awhile to calm him down.  We agreed that I would move his bed to a wall and make it more safe for night time.  (OOPS!)

New layout:  

I also immediately ordered these so we should have total peace of mind very soon.

But I'm happy to report that he went down to bed with zero problems last night and even slept in this morning - hooray!! 

So proud of my big boy.

Nursery = Complete

With six weeks left until my due date, I'm happy to say that the nursery (at least the decor) is complete!  I spent my Saturday washing and sorting through baby clothes, organizing diapers and burp cloths, and folding receiving blankets.  Fun, right?  Luckily, it was.  Lisa came up and spent most of the day with me gossiping and watching Sex and the City episodes between laundry loads :)

Below are some pictures of Ben's room:

Bird hooks and the diaper bag

Bird mobile, purchased on Etsy - the woman was

able to custom coordinate the bird colors to the bedding :)

The pictures - where this whole bird theme originated. 

I was originally going to do a picture collage on this wall, but things got

a little "busy" so I changed things up.

Glider/rocker - above it hang the fabric "globes" that Rachel made for my shower :)

Birth announcement picture/frame from Brenna, made by

our friend Katie.  I love that Brenna put her birthday as Ben's "temporary"

birth date :)  We also all had a laugh at the extra "s" that somehow made it into

the print.  When Ben is born, this will be replaced with all of his "real" stats.

Dresser/changing table, tree, shelves.

Adding to the Picture Collage

I have picked up a few more items to add to the picture collage that I will hang above Ben's crib.  This part of the decorating has been equal parts stressful (wanting to find the PERFECT pictures) and fun (I love Etsy).  I'm waiting to have all of the pictures together before I decide what frames to purchase and which ones look the best together, but eventually they will all be hung on this wall:

Here is what I have to add to the other pictures I already have:

I have memories of singing "You Are My Sunshine" with my parents when I was little, (and having them sing it to me) so I absolutely loved this last one. 

30 Weeks!

Hippie Prego

How far along: 30 weeks.  3/4 done with this pregnancy.  10 weeks to go (or as several people have reminded me...maybe 9, or 8, or 7...or shoot, maybe 12!).  Insane.
Weight gain: 21 lbs.  (Okay, 21.5) ;)
How big is baby: 15.7 inches long and 3 pounds (and surrounded by a pint and a half of amniotic fluid - no wonder my stomach feels heavier)!
Maternity clothes:  This doesn't even need to be a question on my survey anymore.   
Stretch marks: So far, no.
Sleep: Sleeping good.
Best moment this week: It was really, really nice to have 3 days off - from both working and teaching yoga!  My mom and I went out and purchased some cubbies and bins for the closets in the nursery, which was something I needed to get checked off the list.  I have organized his current wardrobe into sizes, and I'm looking forward to organizing the rest of his things once we get them!

We purchased and have installed an air conditioner (YAY) to keep the upstairs cool over the next couple months, and we spent the 4th of July hanging out with our friends.  I also have made a point to get lots of exercise in this week in an attempt to clear my increasingly cluttered, chaotic and emotional brain :)  Side note - walking long distances has become a challenge!  I have had to slow my pace WAY down.  On Wednesday night, I was able to make last minute plans to walk Greenlake and have dinner with my best friend Lisa, who recently moved to Seattle!  Lisa and I grew up essentially sharing a backyard in Brier, and this week we were talking about how we have not lived this close since before she went off to college at Gonzaga!  I'm SO happy to have her close to me again - and Ben will be happy to have his Aunt Lisa just a short drive away.
Movement: Seemingly constant.
Food Cravings:  With the beautiful and warm weather we have had, popsicles have been a favorite! 
Labor Signs: No, but I am experiencing an occasional braxton hicks contraction while out on my walks.
Belly button in or out: Out.
What I miss: Feeling normal.
What I'm looking forward to: Even though it is a month away, I'm starting to really look forward to our weekend trip to Victoria!

Picture Collage

We are in the final stages of the nursery now.  A few more things to hang or paint, a few more things to move around, a final deep cleaning (from a yet to be scheduled cleaning service that I purchased on Living Social awhile back - YES) and all we will need is baby Ben to put in there.

There is one more project that I would like to do, and that is to create a picture collage on the wall above the crib.  Back in an earlier post, I had mentioned that my friend Rachel was helping me to come up with a vision for how I wanted the nursery to look.  She had come across this blog and loved the collage that they created, and I do too!  Check out a few pictures here:

I already have 3 framed pictures to include in this collage, and a few other small items that I plan to frame.  I'm now in the hunt for a "B" and any other cute pictures (similar to what is shown above) that would fit in nicely.  I would also like to frame a photo of Ben's hands or feet (once he is out) and include that.

Project Knobs

I'm really excited about how this project turned out.  When I was putting my list together of things we needed for the nursery, I surprised myself by deciding that instead of buying a new dresser and changing table, that it would be okay for us to renovate the old (ugly) dresser that we had in the spare bedroom.

We (Greg) started by painting the dresser that used to be a ugly, medium wood color (no before pics, blog FAIL), to this dark, chocolate/espresso color. 

Next, we needed to do something about the knobs.  Previously, there had been long, brass handles on each drawer.  Rachel came up with the great idea of finding colorful knobs to put on each drawer.  So, the search began.  I was unable to find anything I liked at The Home Depot, so Rachel volunteered to help me make some :) 

Thus, the beginning of Project Knobs.

We picked out paint, purchased some round wooden knobs, and got started!

And the *almost final result:

* I need to borrow a drill to make the 3 holes on the top middle drawer big enough to screw the knobs in, but I will do that soon - and they will be blue :)

Tree is Up!

This tree ended up being a lot easier to put up than I thought!  I LOVE how it turned out!  Such a great price for something that essentially covers the entire wall :)  Next up - finding some shelves to hang in the branches.

Nursery Update

I wanted to give an update on the nursery as we have made some significant progress in the last month or so! I will save pictures of the room itself for when things are complete, (below are just pictures from the web).  I cannot believe that Ben will be here in, (let me refer to my countdown...), 16.5 WEEKS!  While I honestly cannot wait to meet/hold him, I do not wish for him to be even a day early.  I have way too many things to accomplish in the upcoming weeks.

The weekend after Greg and I found out we are having a boy, we (I) decided it was time to paint the room.  I never thought I would have a "blue is for boy" or "pink is for girl" nursery, but we did end up with choosing blue for the color.  It just looked SO great with the bedding we had already picked out, and I'm really happy with the final result!

We have ordered and received both the crib and the rocker/glider.  Our parents were so generous to offer to pay for both of these items - Greg's parents bought the crib and my parents bought the chair.  (Spoiled)!

* This crib will convert into a toddler bed and then a double bed when we are ready

While I was gone in Orlando, Greg and his friend Steve worked hard to put the crib and the chair together.  They also painted the ugly (sorry, Greg) dresser that Greg has had for YEARS to a color that matches the espresso wood of the chair and crib.  It looks like a brand new piece of furniture!  I just need to pick out some new knobs to add the final touches to it!  Thanks, guys!

Finally, I have ordered the tree decal that I wrote about a few months ago, and it is on it's way to me!  I'm hoping it arrives before the long weekend so we can get it up on the wall.

My goal was to have all of the "big projects" done before the summer months arrived.  When it is nice in Seattle, the last thing either of us will want to do is deal with something like painting, or putting together furniture.  Also, at least 1/2 of the weekends between now and B-day are filled with plans already - and I want to save some time for any last minute things that may have slipped my mind.

Left to do in the nursery:

* Frame the artwork I had previously purchased

* Purchase and hang a mobile above the crib

* Move the elliptical machine out of Ben's room and into our room

* Establish some sort of closet organization system and purchase the necessary bins/shelves for that

* Purchase shelves to hang on the wall (see the above picture of the tree)

* Set up a "changing station" on the dresser

* Find and purchase curtains

* Purchase (maybe) a book shelf or a toy chest for the room

* Last minute details to personalize the room

* Anything else?  (Help)!

Mirror Removal

Our condo/town home was built in 1979.  We think it maybe has had 1-2 owners prior to us.  We have NO IDEA whether this mirror was part of the original model, or something added after the fact, but from day one I've thought it was just tacky.  Since the spare room has been somewhat of a guest room/workout room for the past 3+ years, there has been no real drive for us to remove the thing - but now that Baby I will be here in 5 months or so, I've wanted it GONE.  Our room is set up where we have one full wall of windows, another of closets, and the third with this mirror - so I have limited room to decorate. 

I asked Greg how much work he thought it would be to take the thing off.  He sighed, rolled his eyes and asked me just how important it was to me that we take on this project.  I exercised my "Pregnancy Card" and let him know that it was very important :)

Our awesome friend Dan agreed to spend a Sunday of his time to come over and help us out.  I think we all expected it to be a tedious project, HOWEVER - the mirror came down in minutes and in one piece! 

Before

During

"After" - Still need to patch up/smooth out the parts of the

wall where the glue stuck and then it's time for PAINT!

More on the Nursery

Another thing I have known that I wanted was a tree decal to stick on one of the walls.  In the spare room we have one full wall almost covered with windows and another that is wall-to-wall closets, so I will have to take advantage of the 2 walls I have left and make the most of them!

I found this one on Etsy and loved it immediately.  I love how they incorporate the shelves (from Target) into the branches and I love the little birds as well!  I think I would have the option to change up the bird color - hopefully to match some of the other things I have chosen/will choose for the room.

In front of it I would probably place something similar to what is pictured above - either a little storage cubby, a toy chest or a bookshelf.

Bedding - Purchased!

Yeah, this probably doesn't deserve its own post, but it's getting one, okay? :)  Last night our date night consisted of driving to The Land of Nod down in the U-District, me wandering around the store (while Greg followed behind me checking price tags of things I said I liked), and purchasing the bedding for the crib!  Yay!

I know it's early, but I figure with all of the other things we will need to purchase for the baby, we might as well space it out along the way!  Here are a few more pictures of what the bedding will look like in the crib if anyone is interested... I want a dark wood crib like the ones pictured below.  I'm waiting on my book, "Best Baby Products" by Consumer Reports to arrive so I can find a crib that is safe.

We ended this exciting night with crepes at The Crepe Cafe, which I HIGHLY recommend everyone try.  I had the most amazing mushroom with garlic cream sauce crepe.  Make reservations for this place - it's super small and always busy!

Gathering Inspiration for the Nursery...

Decorating has never really been my favorite thing to do.  I love the idea of it, but when it comes down to actually picking out and choosing what colors or items to purchase, I tend to get overwhelmed and quit.  Within a week of finding out I was pregnant, I had already mentally assigned the task at hand to my (very patient, excellent-at-surfing-the-Internet-and-finding-amazing-stuff) friend Rachel, and to my mom.  I figure having them "in charge" and as my go-to style consultants, I could chill out a little and enjoy the process.  Luckily, they agreed to my plan!

Fast-forward to the current day - I have already picked out and purchased three pictures from Etsy that I plan to have matted and framed.  Rachel had found the first picture below (Yoga Bird) months ago and I fell in love with it.  Looking through the entire collection I found so many more prints that were equally adorable!  I had a hard time narrowing down to just three to purchase.  (I might get two more, but I'm waiting on that for the moment).  Below are the pictures:

Cute, right? :)  I'm thinking white frames with maybe an off white or eggshell matting.

I also have found the bedding and a mobile that I am in love with.  I feel that it is all gender-neutral, so I'm contemplating going ahead and just purchasing it now.  I never really envisioned myself having an "all blue" or "all pink" room anyway :)

Both the bedding and the mobile are from The Land of Nod which has some of the cutest stuff I have ever seen.  (I honestly can't believe that I'm as excited about all of this stuff as I am...what is happening to me?)

I've lined up 2 weekends in April for clearing out the room, (putting the spare bed in storage, selling an old dresser and desk), removing the giant wall to wall mirror in the bedroom (hello, 70's) and having Greg get his paint on.  That will allow me to spend the summer leisurely gathering up the rest of what is needed for the room with the big/time-consuming tasks out of the way.