The Best Year of My Life

Posted on March 12, 2014 by playinghousewi

I can’t believe how fast time is going. Tomorrow the hubs and I will fly to Mexico to celebrate our ONE YEAR anniversary. Yes, to all you marriage veterans, this doesn’t seem very long, but I literally feel like our wedding was a few months ago. It’s crazy to think that an entire year has already gone by and now we have a wee little one on the way who will be here in less than 4 months. Craziness.

So, in honor of the most amazing year of my life, spent with the most amazing man I’ve ever known, today’s blog is my Top 10 list. The 10 highlights of this past year we’ve spent together…

1) Exchanging our personal vows to each other in front of our friends and family. I cannot explain how grateful I am to have gotten my husband to agree to pouring our hearts and souls out in front of an audience. The words that this man said to me literally brought tears to my eyes. How could I be so lucky? He’s amazing and that moment was one of the best of my life.

Forever.

2) Loving and laughing with my guy. We have so much fun together and I absolutely love my time with him. It’s almost a little pathetic. If I could be with him every second of every day, I’m thinking I’d do it in a heartbeat. Everything just feels a little better with him around.

Splish splashing in Cali.

3) Learning to SCUBA in Fiji together. This was a big accomplishment for us, as Marky has some serious anxiety when it comes to water. But, together – with an amazing Fijian dive guide – we did it and were able to explore over 100 ft under the ocean… together.

4) The Mark/Toby morning routine. Most mornings, I get up first and when Mark and Toby finally drag their butts out of bed, Marky will carry Toby into the bathroom where I’m getting ready to say good morning. I get a sweet, sleepy kiss from both of them and I absolutely love it.

5) Telling Marky that we’re pregnant! The overwhelming excitement we shared at that moment and the monumental concept of the whole thing is just incredible. We created life together. And we made a commitment to each other and to our future baby to bring love and reason and morals and knowledge to her life. We extended our vows beyond each other.

Breaking the news to the daddy-to-be!

6) Running and jumping into his arms. While this is very fun, that’s not the only reason I love to jump into my husband’s arms. Sometimes I feel like a child with my love for him. I get so overwhelmed with love that I want to squeeze him… or hit him. Like a Kindergartner. Something about our run & jump routine fulfills this need. Side note… this is probably what I miss most since being pregnant. A giant belly is not conducive to such expressions of love.

That’s the face of someone who just got hit by 110 pounds running at top speed.

7) Baby & Pregnancy Planning. It has been SO amazing to plan out our pregnancy, birth plan, and child rearing techniques with my husband. His interest in EVERYTHING relating to the delivery is incredible. Already I feel like the most supported mama-to-be in the world. He’s not afraid to read about or watch the gory delivery details. He just wants to soak it all in so we can make the best decisions for me and for our sweet girl. He worries about me and takes care of me. And, he takes the time to read our parenting book and talk through a bazillion parenting scenarios. We have so many, “what would you have done in that situation?” conversations… and I love every single one. I couldn’t have a better partner.

8) Making up. While I don’t love disagreeing or arguing, I do love how we’ve been able to grow from all of our disagreements. With every fight, we get better and better. I cherish the fact that we take every opportunity to adjust our own actions in order to be a better partner for the other. I feel like we have a really great balance of give and take and I feel so comforted knowing that this is something we will only improve on.

9) Mark’s face when he felt the baby kick for the first time. Maybe just Mark’s face period. I just love him. I love seeing him light up and I love being able to share such insane and miraculous milestones with him.

10) Valentine’s Day! Not many men would take their wives all the way to NYC to see a musical. But my hubs had no problem. We spent an amazing and spontaneous day/night walking around, shopping, eating and just being in love. It was the perfect reminder of what we have together. Easy love.

So, lovey, happy anniversary! I love you madly. Here’s to another year of amazingness and to our celebration of the best year ever… which officially begins in less than 24 hours. Oh, and thanks for making me feel like the luckiest lady around. You’re my best friend (if you were with me, I’d give you a high five).

Symptoms

I have fresh fruit juice, sun and sand on the brain! Can’t wait to take my sweet inside baby and the love of my life to MEXICO… tomorrow!!! Also, I’d like to apologize to any of you who may run into us there… I may or may not be rocking a 6+ month belly in a bikini. It just has to happen. Please drink accordingly 🙂

My Hips are Widening

Posted on March 11, 2014 by playinghousewi

I had to run to the chiropractor today due to some serious hip pain. Right where my thigh and body connect, I was experiencing some pretty bad pain every time I took a step. Both mom & the chiropractor attribute this to my hips widening.

Although this makes the vain side of me wince, the part of me that a) really wants a natural, vaginal birth and b) doesn’t want to rip in half really appreciates the fact that my hips are widening.

The chiropractor reminded me to do my bathroom hula hoops (hula hoop my hips twice in each direction every time I pee) to keep my hips stretched and also added a few other exercises.

1) Squats – she said this is very important! Squat with my tush in, in good squatting position.

2) Lie on my back with my knees bent. Cross one leg over the bent knee into a figure 4. Then, straighten the bent leg (the one the figure 4 is resting on) and lift it up so your heel is facing the ceiling. This causes a good old stretch in that hip.

I think the third and most important remedy is VACATION! Tomorrow is officially our last working day before it’s time for sunny Mexico.

Thank goodness.

Symptoms

This baby might be a hangry baby. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, that’s a special trait for those who get severely angry when hungry. I say this because every time I feel hungry, she-baby-boo starts thrashing around inside of me. Time will tell 🙂

Besides her hangry outbursts, she’s still been pretty darn active. I love feeling her move around. There is something so magical and precious about it.

Last night after Mark read to her, he started asking her what her name was. He said, “kick if your name is this” or “kick if your name is that”… unfortunately, we didn’t get any closer to picking a name, as she kicked at every name expect “Tob-a-lina.” What we did discover is that she appears to be recognizing her dad’s voice these days and talking back to him when he speaks. The whole thing had me laughing hysterically.

She’s silly already 🙂

Paint-a-Palooza 2014

Posted on March 10, 2014 by playinghousewi

This weekend was a big one! I had pretty high (and possibly a little unrealistic) expectations for our productivity. I charged my hubs and I with the task of painting the walls and trim in our soon-to-be nursery. Now, I say the expectations may have been unrealistic because if you factor in dry times, I’m not sure the task was actually possible. Pshhh… details! Right?

Anyway, Friday we had a very nice dinner with our friends and got to see their sweet little 6-month-old, Ellie. She is literally cute as a button. It was fun getting to love on her… even Toby got to come!

Our friends have a GIANT Goldendoodle who thinks Toby is a toy. Needless to say, he was pretty tuckered out by the end of it.

On Saturday, we were up bright and early to get started. Step 1 was getting everything out of the room. Hardware, drapes, etc.

Cleaning out the room…

Step 2: time to tackle the trim. Lots of sanding, wiping down the trim/walls/doors, vacuuming the dust, etc.

Mark’s sweet Momma (Milly) came to help us!!

And we made Mark vacuum the ceiling. Can’t have any dust lingering up there when the baby comes!

Mark was not a fan of this job.

Step 3: We had to wedge tape under the trim to protect the carpet and then cover everything with a drop cloth, and tape up the window.

Almost ready to paint!

Taping up the carpet in the closet.

We paused for a picture... still happily painting for our baby girl :)

We paused for a picture… still happily prepping for our baby girl 🙂

Step 4: Finally, it was time to prime the trim and the doors. PS: doing anything to louvered doors SUCKS.

Doors and trim are primed!

Step 5: BREAK TIME! At this point, it was 11:30 PM. Mark made a package of grand biscuits and I decided to lay down for a second.

Step 6: Mark paints the first coat of paint on the trim and fills all the holes in the wall. Melissa is passed out on the couch.

Just a quick nap… that ends at 330 AM. Note: this evening happened to be daylight’s savings, so we lost an hour.

Step 7: Back at it at 330 am to do the second coat of paint on the trim and the doors. In the end, we did 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Extra Pure White paint. We haven’t done this yet, but we are going to need to do one more coat on the trim, as you can still see some wood through in areas. BOO!

Post-nap paint.

Step 8: Literally at about 7am, we finally finished and went to bed. Baby, if you’re reading this, you should know that we REALLY love you already… and that’s what drove us to keep going. Now, this was probably a bit much, but apparently, we lost perspective at this point.

Step 9: Woke up at about 1pm and got started again.

Step 10: Tape the trim & prime the walls.

Trim is taped, it’s primer time!

Step 11: Cut in and start rolling on the paint! We ended up changing the paint at the last minute and went with Sherwin Williams Requisite Grey.

Mark is excellent at cutting in!

Milly came back to help!

Almost done with the first coat!

Step 12: Finally at 930pm, we ate dinner and relaxed. Job done for the day.

So, now that it’s Monday, what’s left?

It looks like we might be good with just one coat of paint on the walls, BUT, we are going to need to touch them up tonight.
We didn’t fill the holes in the trim or use caulk where the trim connects to the wall. We are going to do this and then paint one last coat of paint over the trim.
The closet doors need more paint. Probably have 2-3 coats left.
The entrance door needs to be primed and painted.

And once all that’s done, we can install the chandelier and build the crib and the glider… because we officially ordered them both on Saturday! Yay! With the coupon, ended up being $920 for both. Not too shabby!

Also, I stopped at TJ Maxx on Friday and picked up a bunch of cute decor. For everything, I only spent $120!

Mercury glass lamp, two throw pillos, storage basket, soft basket for toys, 4 picture frames for the gallery wall and two window panels in a cute sheer white with embroidery!

Symptoms

By the time Thursday hits, I will definitely be MORE than ready for vacation. I pushed it a little hard this weekend, so I’m going to try and get to bed early this week. As for how I’m feeling, besides tired, I feel great! Everything is really coming together and I couldn’t be happier. I’m also VERY excited to have some non-working time with Marky. Perfect timing!

Nursery Design Complete(ish)

Posted on March 7, 2014 by playinghousewi

The other night, Mark and I were sitting in the nursery trying to decide if everything was going to fit. Ultimately, he said that we’d make it work once it came. Me being me couldn’t let that be the end. SO, taking my mother’s suggestion, I decided to use graph paper to mock up the room and furniture, to scale, and play around with different layouts.

This is what I’ve ended up with…

The room layout with decor ideas all along the corresponding walls. A gallery wall over the changing table with this cute mirror from Home Depot. The crib netting and mobile from Restoration Hardware. A picture, some wall flowers, and two floating shelves in the corner behind the glider. And then, a homemade growth chart ruler made with some scrap wood we have from our wedding photo booth.

Before I had selected the layout, here are some of the options I came up with…

My #1 Option. Note: the glider has the wrong dimensions and is actually smaller.

Another option…

And yet another!

Then, after going through a bazillion paint swatches and three sample cans of paint (all of which made it to the wall), I think I’ve finally selected a paint.

The many paint swatches…

The final selection... Sherwin Williams (which I could have sworn was actually SherMAN Williams) Alpaca.

The final selection… Sherwin Williams (which I could have sworn was actually SherMAN Williams) SW 7022 Alpaca.

So obviously, once my colors were selected and the layout was set, I had to put together a little inspiration board, or whatever you’d call it.

The colors are more yellow because of the way the camera took the photo, but here it is. The first ivory color is similar to that of the furniture. Then the next two colors (grey and white) are for the walls and trim. Next are three pink variations for accent colors and finally, the dark grey, which is close to the color of the glider. Voila!

And as a recap, here’s what we’ve decided in terms of furniture…

The Crib: Sorelle Verona Panel Lifetime Crib from Babies R’ Us

Sorelle Verona Panel Lifetime Crib from Babies R’ Us

The Dresser: South Shore Hopedale 6-Drawer Dresser from Walmart (they have the cheapest price and free shipping!)

South Shore Hopedale 6-Drawer Dresser from Wayfair

South Shore Hopedale 6-Drawer Dresser from Walmart

The Bookshelf: Sauder Living Room Library Bookcase from WalMart (originally found this on Wayfair, but cheapest price is from WalMart)

Sauder Living Room Library Bookcase from Walmart

The Glider: Kacy Collection Madison Glider & Ottoman in Ash from Babies R’ Us

Kacy Collection Madison Glider from Babies R’ Us

The Chandelier: Hampton Bay Maria Theresa 6-Light Chrome Chandelier from Home Depot

Hampton Bay Maria Theresa 6-Light Chrome Chandelier from Home Depot

As for the pink accents, I’m thinking of doing little things like this…

Gallery Wall Accent Pops

Polka accents in gold/blush.

I will likely be doing some crafting and/or InDesign(ing) for the gallery wall art. No need to buy that stuff. And then maybe a pink pillow or two, and subtle little decorative pieces… it’s going to be decorated in no time!

Symptoms

We leave for Mexico in less than a week and I’m just so excited! Can we consider this our sweet girl’s first time out of the country? By the time she’s born, she will have been to NYC and Mexico. Quite the little traveler.

As for me, I’m feeling great. Happy and excited to be making progress on the nursery. Excited for the trip. Loving all the kicks, pokes and prods of our little baby. Life is good and really, I’m loving being pregnant.

24 Weeks… 6 MONTHS! (March 7, 2014)

Posted on March 7, 2014 by playinghousewi

24 Weeks… 6 Months! March 7, 2014. Where does the time go? Seriously! I cannot believe we’ve made it to the monumental 6 month mark. I’m not sure why it feels SO important, but for some reason, I’ve always had 6 months in my head as the time when you become REALLY pregnant!

Meeting with our Doula

Posted on March 6, 2014 by playinghousewi

After going to the Doula Meet & Greet through our hospital a month or so back, we had done a little digging only to find out that the Doula, Rachel, we met – who was part of the Doula co-op – also offered Doula services independently. So, yesterday we met her to have a chat and see if she was the right fit for our birth.

And honestly, it went perfectly. She is a totally smart lady with perfectly hippy ways… the exact personality and influence we want for our experience.

I also have to mention that we have received a lot of comments like, “isn’t Mark supposed to be your birthing coach?” And so on… but, it must be mentioned that even just working towards the process of selecting a doula and following her movie/book suggestions to date have made me feel like Mark and I are more of a team in this. He is really taking the time to understand what I will be experiencing (he’s even watched some live births), what our baby will be going through, and how – together with our doula – we can have the best birthing experience possible. If anything, the doula is helping Mark to be more of a birthing coach and support than I think he could have imagined without her.

Anyway, here are some of the questions/responses from our meeting:

What happens if I go into labor during a time that you just can’t make it? (This was a concern because through the co-op you just get whoever is on call, but with an individual, you’re just counting on one person.) She ensured us that she does have a couple back-ups, but is confident it won’t be an issue.
When I’m laboring at the house, can you check how dilated I am? How will you know when it’s time to go to the hospital? No medical procedures will be performed. She will observe physical labor signs and will base everything on my comfort level, distance from the hospital, time of day, etc.
Your closest birthing class is over an hour away from us. Are there other options? Yes. I can offer the 8 (or 16 – I can’t remember) week class to you in (2) 4-hour sessions at your house for the same price. This will include lessons on breastfeeding as well.
What are your thoughts on the different birthing positions? While the mother is in “transition” or pushing, I don’t let her stay in one position for over 20 minutes. By staying active (aka: changing positions), you’re promoting movement within your body, which can really speed up the process.
Can you be in water after your water breaks? Yes!
We want minimal-to-no intervention. How do we make this happen? It’s very important to make a birth plan. This will help guide the hospital staff in providing you the labor that you want. I will also put a sign on the door to remind the nurses and staff to refer to your birth plan, keep voices low and respect the peace. Also, there are ways to prepare your body through your diet. For instance, at 34 weeks, you should double your probiotics and increase your garlic consumption. This will help to fight the Strep B virus and prevent you from having to be put on antibiotics. Also, at 36 weeks, you’ll want to really increase your vitamin C intake with 1-2 Emergen-C packets per day.
Do you have sample birth plans? My favorite is from Earth Mama Angel Baby. Here’s a link!
Have you noticed delivery timing patters for new moms? Yes, the most common delivery is at 41 weeks and 1 day. (I hope not… means I might have my baby at my friend’s wedding! SHIT!)
What does the birthing doula service include? A 36-week home visit to do some paper work, get me acquainted with your house and where you keep things so that the day of your delivery, I don’t have to ask where things are and can just move about, supporting you both. Then, of course, the birth. I will be there while you’re laboring at home and through your birth. And I will return for a postpartum visit three days after delivery. At this time, you’ll be at home and I can help with lactation consulting, etc.
How much does it cost? $500
How much is the birthing class? $250
What are your thoughts on placenta encapsulation? I think it’s great and actually work with a woman who is really good. She can encapsulate the placenta for less than $200. Consuming the placenta helps to stop postpartum bleeding, prevent depression, help your milk come in and in general help you bounce back quicker. (We will explore this more in a separate post.)

Other Resources

Benefits of Breastfeeding, by CIMS
Hazards of Labor Induction, by CIMS
Risks of a C-Section, by CIMS
Mother Friendly Birth Practices, by CIMS
La Leche International (Breastfeeding Support Non-Profit Group) – Use this link to find a group near you or explore the website for forums, tips, etc.

Pregnancy Meal Plan

Here’s a daily meal plan for optimal pregnancy health.

4 servings: Milk/Dairy
2 servings: Egg
8 servings: Protein (SO much…)
2 servings: Green Vegetable
5 servings: Whole Grains
2 servings: Vitamin C Source
3 servings: Fats & Oils
1 serving: Vitamin A Source
Can’t get enough SEA SALT
Lots of water

Below is a guide for what 1 serving of each of these looks like…

What does a serving look like?

And here’s a worksheet to track your progress…

Pregnancy Diet Worksheet

Symptoms

Nothing new to report! Tomorrow we’re 6 months! HOLY SMOKES!

Shades of Grey

Posted on March 5, 2014 by playinghousewi

For all my family that reads this, DON’T WORRY, I’m not about to get weird. I’m talking about paint shades!

On Monday, I went over to Sherman Williams to grab some grey paint swatches to try out in the nursery. When I got them home, I realized I was way off. Out of the 15 swatches (literally) that I brought home, I didn’t like any of them. So today, I ran over to Home Depot over lunch. I decided to stick with Behr, because I’ve had a lot of success with the paint and it’s cheaper. Plain and simple.

Anyway, at first I was picking colors on my own, and then I decided to enlist the Home Depot paint man. We’ll call him Fred to make the story easier. So, I showed Fred my “inspiration photo” and asked him if any of the 10 swatches I was holding were close and what he would recommend for a small room with moderate to low light. Surprise, surprise… I was way off again. After about 5-10 minutes of discussing colors, I decided to purchase two sample paint jars for $2.77 each. Here’s what I ended up with…

My “inspiration photo”… I just love how warm and simple this looks. While grey is usually considered a cooler color, something about the lighting, the ivory furniture and the white trim really warm it up to be so cozy.

GREY OPTION #1 (the lighter version)

Behr Color 790e-1

GREY OPTION #2 (the darker version)

Behr Color 790e-2

For the trim, I’m thinking just a plain old ultra pure white…

1850 Ultra Pure White

So, if all goes as planned, I’ll be able to slap these colors on the wall and HOPEFULLY get closer to picking a color by… THE WEEKEND! Yes, I want to paint this weekend. Maybe that’s unrealistic, but I’m up for the challenge, as is my hubs.

As for techniques, I learned a lot from Fred:

Unless there is a semi-gloss or gloss paint on our current walls, it is not necessary to sand the walls before painting. If there is a semi-gloss or gloss, a light sand is recommended.
For the trim, if there is a high-sheen coating (forgot the name), we will need to sand down to the bare wood. If there is just a stain, a light sand will do. He recommended this sander:

3M Pro Grade 2-1/2 in. x 4-1/2 in. Extra-Fine Sanding Sponge

Fred recommended prepping the trim and walls first. Then, paint the walls, then trim. My husband and I have been debating this, as he things trim first and I think walls first. Fred said walls first… and I swear, I didn’t even prompt him.
We have a louvered closet door. I had no idea that was the name, but essentially, it’s a slatted door. The closet door guy recommended that we use spray paint on the door because getting in the grooves is a pain in the rear with a brush. He recommended this spray paint:
Spray Paint

I’m not sure how I feel about this, but it’s something to explore. We’re also thinking about renting a paint sprayer from Home Depot, but this is TBD.
Brush recommendation for the trim:

$12 option…

$6 option

Roller recommendation for the walls:
Cheaper version…

More expensive version.
Roller recommendation for the main nursery entrance door:
Smooth

Productive lunch, huh? Hopefully with all this, we’ll be ready to sand and paint this weekend!

Symptoms

Yesterday, I had my first real bloody nose ever. All I can say is, “Woof!” I hate blood. Hopefully that doesn’t happen often. Otherwise, I’m feeling pretty good. Still pretty overwhelmed and emotional. The husband and I got into it yesterday (again) about the registry items/expenses/etc. and I’m not going to lie, the “discussion” ended with FULL sobbing. Actually, I was pretty much sobbing the entire time. I can’t remember the last time I cried so hard. I just felt so overwhelmed.

It ended with a good hug and I think we both feel better. It feels like we’re on the same page I think. With all the money being spent and the nerves of having another little life joining our family in 4 months, I think stress levels are just a little high. But, it helped to talk it out last night. Once I stopped sobbing of course. And today, I’m feeling really good. Excited to take on the nursery with my hubs. I’m sure the painting project will take way too long and will suck a bit, but for now, I’m excited to work on it with Mark. He’s pretty fun. AND, for all those worried about pregnant me and paint fumes, the room will be well ventilated. I think we’ll be just fine!

The other notable thing is that this sweet little love nugget is a kicking machine this week, and today especially. Mark and I joked that this is her way of saying, “no fighting or else mom gets kicked.” Or maybe she’s just feeling spunky today. Ugh, I can’t wait to hug her. She’s definitely getting bigger and starting to feel like a mini person moving around in there (versus feeling like gas or just a little poke). There is some full-on movement and I’m not gonna lie, it gets a bit distracting sometimes. Especially when she tries to rearrange my organs while I’m in a meeting… or the vagina pokes. Eesh.

Back in the Market

Posted on March 5, 2014 by playinghousewi

Well, the beautiful craigslist dresser didn’t end up being a winner. We drove out to New Berlin, about a 40 minute drive from our house, to check out this dresser I found on Craigslist, and unfortunately, it wasn’t a winner.

The shape was nice and it was solid, but the drawers were a total pain in the rear. They weren’t on any kind of glide, so they became misaligned every time you attempted to push the drawer back in. The other issue was that there was no stop on the drawers, meaning that our sweet baby girl could very easily pull the entire drawer out of the dresser and bonk her mini head, etc.

Needless to say, the search continues. Here are a few options that I’ve found…

South Shore Sand Castle 6-Drawer Dresser from Wayfair

This one is $206.13 from Wayfair

South Shore Hopedale 6-Drawer Dresser from Wayfair

I think I really like this one… only trouble is that it’s only 17″ deep. Not sure that is going to be big enough. Anyway, this one is also from Wayfair and costs $217.

Regardless of which dresser we end up selecting, I’m thinking maybe I can do something fun with the knob pulls. Like, all different style grey or silver knobs. Might make it a look a little more unique and a little less like cheap particle board furniture.

Who knows! Either way, I’m hoping to get some furniture purchasing done this weekend.

A Weekend of Stress

Posted on March 3, 2014 by playinghousewi

This weekend was not a light and peppy weekend. With only a little more than 4 months to go, I’ve been freaking out a bit and recognizing just how much we need to get done before our sweet pumpkin arrives. So, I was determined to make some progress with the selection of our baby furniture and making some progress on deciding what to paint.

On Friday, we went to Colders (a furniture store) to check out their cribs, and actually, really liked the Young America Sleigh Crib. The store was having a “50% off” sale… ie: they inflate their prices so they can offer ridiculous discounts… which would make the crib about $800. Originally, we had thought it was closer to $700, but regardless, we were excited about the crib and thought it was a really good option.

On Saturday, after a nice mani/pedi with my mom and sis and lunch with the two of them and the hubs, Mark and I set off to Chicago to check out all that Pottery Barn Kids had to offer. We drove over an hour to spend about 20 minutes in the store. The quality of the furniture and some of the blankets, etc. just did not match the prices. (My Pottery Barn Kids Discoveries: Blankets I loved… The Sherpa Stroller Blanket and the Emerson Stroller Blanket. Blankets that felt rough and yucky… The Chevron Stroller Blanket and the St. Tropez Stroller Blanket. I had also registered for the Harper Changing Table Runner and End of Crib Storage. After seeing them in person, I removed them from my registry. And, generally speaking, unless it’s on total sale, I wouldn’t waste your money on their nursery furniture.)

I was feeling a bit bummed out, but we headed back towards home… in even more snow. We literally saw 10-15 accidents on our way home.

Anyway, we stopped at Colders on our way and got pricing on the full nursery furniture set that we saw quickly on Friday. With a crib, toddler conversion, dresser with changing topper, bookshelf and side table, the total was $2,800! We were a bit taken a back. Obviously, that was not going to work… it didn’t even include the glider, which can be another $200-1000+.

So, we drove home very quietly. Actually, we put on my Big Band Swing CD, which somehow saved us a little. It brought the perfect level of calm to the car ride so I didn’t break down in tears.

The next day was my friend’s baby shower. A group of us planned the shower, and it really came together to be a nice little celebration. However, I’m not going to lie… by about halfway through the gift opening, I was feeling some MAJOR anxiety. My friend opened present after present and literally it felt like 85-90% of the gifts were clothes. The cutest and sweetest little clothes… but all clothes. She barely got anything off of her registry.

And as I sat there struggling with my own, “how the hell are we going to afford everything we need” dilemma, watching my friend not receive the registry items she needs started to stress me out more.

Needless to say, by the time I got home, I was on a mission to find cheaper options for our furniture and was kind of a basket case. While I was gone, my husband had done some research on furniture options, which were summarized in a nice little email. Although, the message was disappointing… not that he had said something I didn’t know, but he had put into writing what I had been avoiding. It is not worth it to spend all that money on baby furniture, no matter how adorable it would make the room.

So, in my full pregnancy fashion, I sat in front of my computer looking for furniture options, as silent little overwhelmed tears fell from my eyes. Thankfully, Mark was amazing. He cooked dinner without even asking me what to make and just let me digest and reformulate my plan.

By the end of the night, I felt way better. I had found a new crib option from Babies R’ Us for under $500 AND a Babies R Us Coupon, an awesome dresser on Craigslist for under $200 (that needs to be refinished to match the white crib), and a cheap bookshelf.

This afternoon at lunch, I went to Babies R Us to check out the crib and I think it’s going to work. The wood is a little soft, so the crib rail seems like it might get easily dented by belt buckles, etc., but with a crib guard, I think it would be fine! I also saw a glider that was pretty comfortable and fits the look I like… it has an ottoman, although I can’t find it online. The set is just under $600.

Sorelle Verona Panel Lifetime Crib from Babies R’ Us

Sauder Living Room Library Bookcase from Sears

Adorable dresser from Craigslist.

Kacy Collection Madison Glider from Babies R’ Us

So, if we go with this set, we’re looking at $1,500 for all of our furniture. Not too shabby in my opinion! We’re going to check out the Craigslist dresser tonight and hopefully get everything squared away this week.

Other things accomplished… I ordered this chandelier from Home Depot:

Hampton Bay Maria Theresa 6-Light Chrome Chandelier from Home Depot

With an inexpensive ceiling medallion. The light was $99.97, which is a little splurge, but the fixture in the current room is terrible. It doesn’t give off a lot of light and is very yellow. My sweet and compromising husband didn’t fight me on this one 🙂

I’m also thinking of doing crib netting with the mobile hanging from the inside. Not sure if that makes sense yet, but here are a couple of examples…

Crib netting with mobile inside…

Another example.

I found the netting for only $19 online. Here’s the picture from their website (maybe I can sew some lace on it to spruce it up a bit):

And here’s the mobile I’m thinking. It’s from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child.

So sweet…

FINALLY, we’re making progress.

Symptoms

I just love our little baby and want everything to be perfect for her. In the midst of my meltdown yesterday, I had a really nice chat with my friend’s mom who is just SUCH a voice of reason. She reminded me that a) stuff is just stuff; b) that mismatchy stuff is usually even cuter than a set of all matchy matchy; and c) I need to compromise. It was the exact conversation I needed to make it through yesterday and be able to end the day with a new plan.

Even with our more reasonable budget, I’m confident that the room is going to be perfectly amazing and lovely.

23 Weeks (February 28, 2014)

Posted on February 28, 2014 by playinghousewi

23 Weeks (February 28, 2014). I can’t believe next week I’ll be 6 months! That just seems SOO pregnant. My belly is definitely growing and is still looking pretty darn pointy, right? Silly little baby bump…

Symptoms

Yesterday I tripped over myself at the gym and thankfully landed on my knee. The unfortunate part is that I landed on my knee… and it hurt. What I’ve learned from this experience is that I need to BE CAREFUL and not do any kind of exercise with accelerated inertia (as my husband put it). The stupid thing is that I was doing a quick side shuffle with a resistance band around my knees… so, if you can imagine, I tripped over my foot and when I went to catch myself, I couldn’t do a great job because I had a damn rubber band around my legs. Not smart, but thankfully I was given the opportunity to learn from the mistake without any more damage than a little burn to the knee.

Otherwise, I’m feeling good! Swollen in the mornings (from my toes all the way to my face), but otherwise good! If the weather cooperates, we’ll be headed to Pottery Barn Kids tomorrow to check out some furniture and I’m hoping to stop by a local furniture store tonight to see what they have to offer in the crib/dresser department. Keep you posted!

As for the current state of the nursery, while it still has the guest bedroom furniture in it, all my husbands stuff has now been removed from the closet and the two little Closetmaid Cubeicles with Canvas Drawers (in natural) and Baskets have been built and set up in there. Looks cute.