Nursery Progress

KJ and I did a lot of work on the nursery this weekend. It's really starting to come together!

Here's the crib all assembled

The crib with the mobile

This Precious Moments mobile was another previous kids.woot purchase.

KJ trying to decipher the Swedish hieroglyphics for the dresser

Almost done!

The finished product

Friday night's progress

Saturday we added a bookshelf

And pretty pink knobs on the dresser

Sunday I made the window valences. I love how they turned out!

That's all for now!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Life in Pictures

I've been getting a little picture happy lately with my iPhone. Enjoy a little throw back Hanson as you peruse the past week or so in pictures...

Monday, Feb 27 was Cloby-Jack's first birthday. My baby is growing up so fast! This is him with his birthday toy.



My boys patiently waiting to go outside. Tucker is in the back and Colby-Jack is in the front. Too cute!



BPF! This is from Friday, March 2 when we were 21w5d.



Trying to feel baby. I thought this was the cutest thing ever! I was sitting on the couch and Heath-Cliff was cuddling me up, like usual. He likes to cuddle Superman style with his arms stretched out. I started feeling LG kick, so I told KJ to put his hand on my belly to try and feel it. Of course she stopped at that moment, but it sure made for a cute picture opt!



Girl Scout cookies!!! For weeks I've been seeing people post about getting their cookies in and I've been soooo jealous. On Saturday (3/3) I finally found some girls selling cookies out side of one of our local stores. Thank God!!



Fluff mail!! Saturday I got my first cloth diapers in the mail! I'm so excited! Cottenbabies.com had a sale last week on their gently used Bum Genius 4.0's. I got 5 snap diapers and 6 inserts for $56. Awesome deal! I can't wait to start using these!



Paint. Matching. Nightmare. So, like I mentioned before, we repainted the yellow in the nursery purple. It turned out really well, but we had some splatterage on the green that I really wanted to keep. Originally I thought, not a big deal, we'll just take our old sample and get it color matched to touch up with. Let me tell you, all of those home improvement stores that claim up and down that they can match any color you bring in, no problem.... THEY ARE LYING!! Poor KJ spent five hours, two trips, and tried eleven different greens that the stores had come up with. None of them were even close to being right. Everything Home Depot came up with was too yellow. Everything that Lowes came up with was too light. Sherwin Williams came pretty close, but it still wasn't deep enough. Here is just one of many non-matching samples.



Finally Sunday morning I said eff it, and we went out and chose a different green. Sadly, my pretty Pea Pod green that I loved so much is gone. In it's place is Cliveden Pasture which is definitely not as fun sounding, but it looks nice. Here's the nursery all painted.



Also Sunday morning, I tried to make coffee (decaf)... With no coffee grounds. Yup, pregnancy brain has officially set it.



Last night I cleaned up all the painting supplies from the nursery and swept and mopped. Then KJ and I put the rug down. I got the little pink and green rugs off of Kids.Woot.com last year. It was one of those deals I just couldn't pass up! I'm not sold on the placement of everything just yet, and once we get the furniture in there I'll probably rearrange.





These are some of the fabric flowers I've been working on for the past few weeks. Our nursery theme is "flower garden" and I'm planning on putting them up on the walls around the room.



This is the general look I'm going for with the "flower garden". I've been using McCalls pattern M5869.



This is a quilt and a couple crib sheets I made a few weeks ago. I can't wait to put these to use!



Name reveal! KJ and I have settled on a first name for our little girl, Alexis. We actually had this name picked out before we found out the gender, but now that I've painted some letters it makes it more official.  We won't  be telling anyone IRL the name until LG is born, so keep it to yourself! Honestly, I don't want anyone steeling the name and I don't want to hear anyone's rude opinions on it. KJ and I pick Alexis because WE like it. We're still thinking about middle names, but the strong contender so far is Alexis Grace. In second place is Alexis Rose, but I think we'll probably go with Grace.



My little seedlings. The tall ones in the back are beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, in the middle I have basil and some purple and white flowers (can't remember the name!), and up front I have orange marigolds and petunias. I harvested my own seeds last year from the purple and white flowers, marigolds, and petunias that I had. Everything's growing well so far, so I'm pretty proud!





Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Shopping for Baby!

We're going to back track a little bit here and do all of our shopping excursions in one neat little post.

On Saturday, Feb 11 KJ and I took a drive to my favorite store in the world, Ikea! I love Ikea. They have the coolest things at affordable prices. And thanks to our tax return, we were there to buy, not brows like usual. Before we found out our little girl was a girl, KJ had me talked out of the white Hensvik crib I loved, and into the Gulliver in the natural wood. He convinced me the natural wood would go better with the nursery in the green and yellow that we already had. Well, then we found out LO is a LG (little girl) and all the plans changed! DH finished painting the other day and the bright yellow has been replaced with a nice blue toned purple.

The nursery so far:

Anyways, because of the color switch, we went back to the original plan of white furniture, and I got my pretty Hensvik after all. Squee!

We also bought the Vyssa Sloa crib mattress and the Koppang dresser. I was really surprised I liked the Sloa mattress so much. When I was checking them out on line I was leaning more towards the Vyssa Vackert. It's one of the only ones made with springs and it sounded like it would be a nice firm mattress that would hold up through the years. The Sola didn't sound like there was much too it, being all foam. When we actually saw them in the store, though, the Vackert turned out to be supper soft and squishy, not really something I want my fragile newborn laying on. The Sola, on the other hand, was nice and firm on one side, and then a bit softer with an egg crate on the other side. Out of the ones they had available, I felt it was really the best one. For the dresser, originally I was looking at the Hemnes line. Being that our space is so limited in the nursery, though, we really needed to find something small. The Koppang is a good 6" shorter than the smallest Hemnes, and it comes in white. So, I was sold.

We also picked up some teething rails, a few white picture frames, and of corse, a nice big green leaf. So, after our Ikea trip, we have two of our main nursery pieces!

Sunday Feb 19 KJ and I went registering! So much fun! I actually started catching a cold that day, so I wasn't feeling very well, but it was still a good time. First we registered at Babies R Us (duh! Where else would you register!). I have to admit, it was a little overwhelming. There are just sooo many things you can get and you have to sort out what you actually need from the things that would just be nice. Before we went, I read Lucie's List and that was a really helpful guide for the big things, but there's still so much stuff out there.

We also registered at Target. Not everyone has a BRU by them, but most people can get to a Target. Between the two places I think we have our bases pretty covered. I also made a registry on Amazon. They have a lot of the same things as BRU and Target, but for lower prices. I also registered for all of our cloth diapers on there. I really, really want to CD and I hope people buy us at least a few. CDing isn't a big thing around where we live and I've gotten a lot of weird looks when I've mentioned it to people. I'm really worried I'm going to get all clothes and blankets at my shower. I really hope people are considerate enough to include gift receipts!

Lots of love,
KJsbabe


P.S. Here's our five month pic from Sunday. We're half baked!! 20w down, 20ish weeks to go!

Pregnant at a Hanson Concert - Dream Come True!

On Wednesday I got to see Hanson at the Carnegie Music Library in Pittsburgh!! Woo hoo! This was one of the shows they had to cancel in the fall due to them being sick. The funny thing is, I wasn't pg yet when they were originally supposed to do the show (Oct 13), but I got to be 19w3d at the make up show. Seeing them again was such a thrill!

The set list was to. die. for.!! They played a nice mix of songs, but it was the random ones that made it the best ever. They played "Sunny Day" off of their 2011 member's EP with a mix of "Cecelia" by Simon and Garfunke which sounded really cool together. I love it when they do covers! Ike sang "River" for his solo, not a song you hear very often. Taylor shocked everyone in the audience and sang "Never Let Go" for his solo. It's off of their 2005 member's EP and it's one of those songs everyone loves, but they've only played it a hand full of times (at least that's what it seems like). It's such a beautiful and heart wrenching song.

And then, as if it couldn't get any better, Zac sang "Oh Darlin" by the Beatles.... My heart about stopped!! My two favorite bands mashed together... Hanson doing a Beatles cover!!! OMG I could have died happy right there. Best. Set list. Ever.!!

They also played "Penny and Me". KJ and I are pretty set on what we're going to name our little girl, but we're still tossing some names around. Penny is one of them. I thought how cool would that be if I got to take my little girl to a Hanson concert to hear the song she was named after before she was born. It would certainly make a nice story!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Anatomy Scan and Other Adventures!

This past Monday (2/6) we went in for our anatomy scan. The day we've been waiting for! Normally I see the doctor first, but this time we had the u/s first. Right away we saw our little munchkin bouncing around on the screen. The tech was able to get all of the measurements she needed without too much trouble. She said the heart, brain, spine, kidneys, upper lip, limbs, and everything else looked perfect! What a relief! I feel like this was the last big hurdle to get over before I could really relax and enjoy this pregnancy, and we cleared it with flying colors! As the tech was checking out the legs we were also able to get a peak at the goods...

We are having a GIRL!! I'm so stinking excited! I have to admit, this whole time I thought for sure we'd have a boy. KJ has all boys on his dad's side of the family (SIL was from MIL's second marriage), so I figured there was a good chance genetics would win and we'd be destined to have all boys. Boy, was I wrong! As you can see there's nothing even close to a boy there. We are girl all the way! I'm thrilled!

The goods



Since little girl was bouncing around so much, we didn't get a good profile shot. We did get a pretty cute one, though, of her all curled up with her feet by her head. I call this the sandwich pose:



A sweet little foot!



The rest of the app went well, except for a brief almost fainting spell. While I was still on the u/s table I started to feel really warm and dizzy. It felt like a panic attack, but I wasn't panicking about anything, so I'm not sure what to call it. I felt nauseous, had ringing in my ear, and black spots in my vision. After about five minuets I was fine again, though. The tech said I wasn't the first one that that had happened to that day, so maybe it wasn't me.

Moving on to Tuesday (2/7) we told the family the good news by sending pink flowers to the grandmas-to-be. Everyone loved them and thought it was a really special way to share the news.



Wednesday (2/8) DH and I got our tax refund! Woo hoo! We went out and bought a nice area rug for the nursery. It was our first big purchase for little girl, so that was exciting! Right now the nursery is yellow and green. I painted it right after we started trying the first time around. I figured I wouldn't want to paint once I was pg, and green and yellow would work well for Either a boy or girl. Well, now DH feels the yellow is too bright and wants to pain the top a different color. I told him, as long as he's the one painting, it's fine. I think we're going to go with a nice light purple to go with the green.

The nursery as it stands now



Thursday (2/9) while DH and I were eating dinner I got the thrill of a lifetime. I got kicked in the stomach! By my baby! It took me a minuet to realize what it was, but it was an honest to goodness kick. She kicked about five or six times.

I took a drive to a near by Walmart that actually still carries fabric and picked out some really cute prints for the nursery. I came across the perfect material! I had a general idea of what I was looking for, but once I saw it I knew it was it. I'm so in love with this print! And of coarse, there was a coordinating fabric and a quilt panel that matched, so I had to get those, too. I may have splurged just a tiny bit! $120 later (yikes!) I have all the fabric I need... for now.



That's all for now. There may be an Ikea trip in our near future... So stay tuned!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe


PS Here's a bonus pic! My first BPF from last Friday at 17w5d.

A Song for my Angels

Today is one year since my first EDD. I'm so incredibly grateful for the LO growing inside of me, but I will anyways love and miss my angels. This is for you, sweet little ones. Mommy loves you.


Never Let Go 
Hanson

Just lay down, and let your worry sleep
Don't think now, of waters dark and deep

Cuz you know that I love you and never let go
And you know that I love you forever
Love you and never let go

Just cry out, yeah I've cried those tears before
Well I can feel it now, as your tear drops hit the floor

'Cus you know that I love you and never let go
And you know that I love you forever
Love you and never let go
Yes I love you and never let go

You don't have to ask me do I love you
As I hold you it says how much I do
I'm yours until forever is though
Every time I stand before you
I know I'd lay my life down for you
I'll never let, I'd never let go

Just lay down, put your worry thoughts to bed
As slumber pulls you down, let my shoulder rest your head

'Cus you know that I love you and never let go
Yeah you know that I love you forever
Love you and never go
Yes I love you and never let go

Never let go...
I'll never let go...


Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Four Months

I am four months pg!! Woo hoo! We hit 16 weeks on Sunday (1-22). I definitely think I popped over the weekend. There's no more hiding this belly! I'm officially in maternity clothes, which is exciting. I feel like this means I'm REALLY pg now.

I'm having some jeans issues, though. I bought one pair of the secret panel jeans in a medium from Motherhood. The panel part fits well and I like it because it smooths everything out, but the bottom part tends to sag. They're like stretchy jeans that rely on your thighs to keep them up, which I didn't realize. I don't like tight things on my thighs, so I purposely bought them a size bigger to be more loose and comfortable in that area. So, while they're comfortable to sit in, they sag when I stand and walk around. To fix this problem, I thought I'd get a pair of the under-the-belly jeans. So, I went back to Motherhood and got a small pair. These ones fit really well in the legs, not tight on my thighs, my but looks good, and they don't sag. However, the elastic band part is really tight. Like super uncomfortable, hello-muffin-top-I-haven't-seen-you-in-five-years tight. They were a little tight in the store when I tried them on, but I thought they'd stretch out like the other pair did. I can't win! I'm sitting here, frustrated and uncomfortable, and I can't wait to get home and take these damn things off. I almost want to take the two pairs apart and put the panel part on the small legs. They only thing that's stopping me though, is if it doesn't work the way I want it to, I don't want to ruin $60 worth of jeans (that I paid full price for!). I just want to be comfortable and look good. Is that too much to ask?? Enough about my clothing problems.

Two weekends ago we "came out" and it was the scariest thing I've ever done in my life. It went well and I wasn't expecting a bad reaction, but I was so scared that we'd tell and then something would go wrong. I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of the doppler! I used it every day for a week after we told everyone. So nerve wracking! We gave each of the grandmas-to-be a picture and a count down calendar.

We told my parents first and both my mom and dad were very happy for us. This will be the first grandchild on this side. Next we told FIL and KJ's step mom and we got the best reaction from her. She was over the moon thrilled! They were just so happy for us and it made me feel great! This will be the first grandchild on this side, too. Step mom said she's already stared on a baby quilt. Last we told MIL and KJ's step dad. Now, if you remember from previous posts, step dad is a real douchcanoe. MIL opened up the picture first and didn't really get it so she showed it to step dad. The first thing that came out of he mouth was, "Well that can't be (SIL) because she's not married." Ok, #1 what does being married have to do with having a baby? And #2 why the hell would we be giving them a picture of SIL????? He's such an idiot! Anyways, once MIL understood what we were telling her she was very happy. I wish we could have just told her by herself, but what's done is done. Everyone knows now, we even came out on FB, and LO still has a HB, so things are going well.

Here's our four month bump picture. First we tried going with snowflakes for January, and even though Colby-Jack made it a pretty cute picture, it looked silly. KJ suggested a scarf instead, and I thought that looked much better.

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe