Nesting in Overdrive

Three and a half weeks to go and the nursery is done! We have had everything for several weeks now, it was just a matter of doing all the laundry and getting everything into place. Ryan and I woke up yesterday morning and just had to have it all done so we turned on the fan (it was rather toasty for a pregnant lady), cranked up the tunes and got moving.

This is her cute little pack and play. I can't believe how different these are now - it comes with a bassinet, changing station and a canopy plus the cute little hanging bears.

Here is her little reading nook without the pack and play. You can see our lovable little Gus hanging out by the window as well. The cats just love her room - I am hoping they love her just as much!

I love this corner of the room. The rocker is so comfy. The curtains are a cute pink gingham that really pops against the color of the walls (this photo is a little dark so it's hard to tell).

The changing table/dresser full of her tiny little clothes.

This was the area with the most work. Ryan and I put up all of those little decals one by one. They do peel on and off so it wasn't too bad but certainly time consuming. The theme is lambs and sheep so the decals were appropriate. Plus, there is always something I have loved about the whole "counting sheep" thing. It may have helped me to get to sleep on more than one occasion. I do love the cute little sheep mobile over her crib, too. Although she will be in a co-sleeper for the first few months I just had to get her crib linens put together now to get the full picture.

A few other cool items in her nursery are these pieces of art. Thanks to my cousin, Annie, who had shared this artist's information with me. I looked up his etsy store (Bill Robinson) and we fell in love with Professor Schnauzer for her reading area and the little tigers near her crib. Ryan had them framed and we couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Thanks for sharing, Annie!

So, now that her nursery is done, almost all of our closets are reorganized and the grocery shopping is complete -  I am doing laundry and baking brownies and trying to figure out what to tackle next. Perhaps that pesky hospital bag....

Baby Shower!

Yesterday was my baby shower. I don't have a ton of photos because I was too busy enjoying the people, food and gifts. I will post more once someone shares with me! It was a perfect day filled with my favorite people and my favorite foods - who could go wrong with that? Today I spent the day, detagging, organizing and enjoying all of the gifts all over again. The generosity was amazing - Sophie (we have decided on a name!) is going to be one well dressed little girl.

The amazing cake - it matched the shower invitation perfectly and tasted even better than it looked (can't wait to have the leftovers tonite!).

In lieu of cards, the guests were asked to bring a favorite book. Everyone added their own message on the inside cover which I love! So, this is the start of Sophie's bookshelf (you can see the adorable shower invite in the frame).

Today, I detagged everything and organized them into different bags (towels/blankets, size 0-3 months, size 3-6 months, 6+ months). I also took all of her accessories and shoes and organized them in the drawers. It was quite the feat because everyone was so generous! Now, I just have to launder everything and put it away! The nursery is also almost done... we are just waiting for the rocker and to put up the curtains. Once that is done, I will post photos of the finished product. Photos with my new camera that I have yet to get out of the box.... (one thing at a time!).

My sweet boy, Coodie, kept me company through the organizing today. We are making sure to let the cats smell, touch and see everything so they feel comfortable with the changes since they were our first kids and all. We left our new stroller in the kitchen las night and when I came downstairs, I realized they had pushed it clear across the room. I just wish I could have been there to see the hijinks. I am guessing Gus was inside while Coodie pushed him but that could just be my imagination!

Thanks to my family and friends for a truly amazing day. Also, thanks to the hostesses, Jodi, Kate and Donna for all of your hard work in making this come together. It was perfect!

Feeling Accomplished

I am now 24 weeks along with our baby girl and have been getting so much done! Before Christmas, Ryan and I started shopping for the nursery furniture and ended up working with a nursery designer at Pottery Barn (since naturally, we love everything there). We showed her photos of the room and she helped us pick out the first few items. While we there, I saw two women about 8-9 months pregnant ordering their cribs! Now, they do deliver within a week but..... wow! It was at this point that I turned to Ryan and said, "That is not going to be me." I decided then and there that we were going to have all of the furniture and all of the big things done before I hit my third trimester. So far, so good. It's nice to have goals to reach for.

That day, we ordered our crib. It arrived within a week and Ryan and his friend, Jed, had it built within a few hours of the delivery. Since then, we also got the matching bookcase and the changing table/dresser is due to be delivered tomorrow. The rocker was ordered this weekend and is due in next month. So, the only big furniture item is the rug. Whew! They also happened to be discontinuing the little pink lambs theme that we liked so we scoffed up a lamp, nightlight, wall decals, a mobile and all of the bed linens.

Material items aside, we have also registered for birthing classes for the end of February and put the deposit down at the daycare we chose. Can you tell I just really want to relax in the last few months?

The best thing I have done is after a few weeks of back aches, I finally had a pregnancy massage tonite. Ryan's cousin is a massage therapist and she brought her table and gear right to our house. Could it get any better? It was fantastic. I am so relaxed AND I already have my next one scheduled.

Now, to start cleaning some of these closets....

It's a GIRL!

OK, I would have been excited if it was a boy or a girl but just knowing is amazing! We are having so much fun thinking about our baby girl and what she will be like. The best news that we got was that she is healthy, all measurements came back normal with no genetic "marker" issues and a healthy, strong heart. Phew!

I am now 18 weeks pregnant and have not purchased a single item for our baby so this weekend is go time! We have already picked out a crib and dresser/changing table so we need to start ordering. I think I may just pick up a few other items as well...maybe a dress or some shoes or something. And, I know it is cliche but I want some pink things for her!

I also felt her move for the first time today which more or less felt like a little flutter. I guess she liked that Hershey's Kiss I had just eaten!

Overall, it's been an exciting week with many more to come, I am sure!

Over the Moon

I haven't written in several months mostly because it is so darn hard to blog and keep a secret at the same time. It is hard to sit and write about other things going on when I really want to tell the BIGGEST thing going on. So - now that I can, I am back to blogging and well, I'm pregnant!

Ryan and I are so excited - we are expecting our first child in mid-May. I am a little over 3 months pregnant now, have already had my first ultrasound and heard the heartbeat for the first time. (There I am below waiting for the ultrasound tech to see the baby for the first time)

Aside from that excitement, I have some early observations on this pregnancy gig (in no apparent order whatsoever):

1. I dislike the "belly band" or maybe I bought the wrong kind. My pants are suddenly too tight but I am attempting to put off buying maternity clothes by using this awful band. Seriously, it moves around a lot and does not make me feel very secure.

2. I dislike baby books. I do, I stopped reading them about the 6th week. Too much information and the opinions and "facts" vary so much from book to book. I have an app on my phone that summarizes each week and that works just fine. For other questions, I ask my doctor or go to trusted internet sites.

3. Despite the nausea I had from weeks 6-10 and the fatigue, I like the way I feel. I have battled with pretty severe eczema for the past 2 years and it is now GONE. Completely gone! No more itching and unsightly dry skin. Let's hope it never comes back after I give birth.

4. Wow, people are nice when you tell them you are "expecting". Hey, I feel great - no need to treat me any different (but, I am not complaining)! I have treats being dropped on my desk at work, flexibility in my schedule and people checking on me every day.

Overall, it is such an exciting time with so many things going on. I am sure to blog a whole heck of a lot more now the cat is out of the bag!

Littleton - Day 7

The last day was a blur. We got to make the 3.5 mile loop to walk the kiddos to school with Cathy, have some coffee on the back deck and then headed into Denver for lunch at the Paramount with a few of Ryan's friends. We also hit the Cherry Creek Mall to get an additional large bag to carry some of our luggage home with since we were so dangerously close to the dreaded 50 lb. mark.

Cathy, Bondi and I. Look at that view of the mountains *sigh*.

That night, we had another delicious BBQ and dinner on the back deck (oh, the weather was beautiful...again). Above, Grant is so happy with his new baseball mitt!

Cathy and Ryan.

Bondi focused on a squirrel.

Another kind of cool shot of Bondi (can you tell I love animals?) - taken with the Hipstamatic app on the iPhone - as are the others with the funky border.

This was a frequent sight while we were there - Uncle Ryan and Owen playing baseball. We also got to see his teeball practice. Mark my words, this kid is going to be quite the athlete!

Family shot minus Owen.

Uncle Ryan and Owen with their mitts.

Cool sky on our last night. We already can't wait to go back! Thanks to Todd, Cathy and family for everything - we had such an amazing time!

Red Rocks - Day 6

On Monday, we headed to Red Rocks for a hike on another beautiful, sunny day.... As we drove to the parking lot, we saw a huge and fancy tour bus. Red Rocks has an ampitheatre that has been host to so many historic concerts (including U2 from June 5, 1983 which produced the album "Under a Blood Red Sky"). Anyway, Cathy let me know that Peter Gabriel was playing that night. I had to kick myself because who wouldn't want to see "Solsbury Hill" or "In Your Eyes" or any of his other hits live at Red Rocks? Oh well. The cool thing was that we got to meet about 10 members of his 40 person orchestra while we were hiking...some nice folks.

Aside from that excitement, we had a great hike with some amazing views to boot. I'll let the photos do the talking because we took a bunch.

Owen and Grant hiding out - see the stick being used as camouflage?

Todd taking a break to check out the view.

Bondi and I - she's a great dog with such a sweet personality. Someday, we'll have a dog to hike with....