Nursery Finds

I had quite the successful shopping trip today, trying to find things to outfit the nursery. A rug from Target for $5, curtains on sale at World Market, and a hanger for the mobile half-off at Hobby Lobby, bringing the cost of that project to about $2 total. I've done a total redesign on the mobile - I decided that sewing a dozen birds was not going to happen due to my lagging energy. I'll reveal it all once we get the nursery done after the move, but here's a peek into what's coming:The last picture is of the graphic Brittany designed for my baby shower invites - isn't it darling? I'm going to frame the invite - it has a precious quote underneath, but I can't remember it off the top of my head as I type this post. I can't wait to get this room ready! It will be such a sweet place to spend time with our new daughter.

He Makes Me Laugh

I've been washing some of the baby clothes, at least what she needs for the first week.
When sorting through our gifts from the baby shower, the clothes were Luke's favorite - he loves how tiny they are. He asked me if we could just keep all of her laundry on the couch so he can look at it while he works. He stood up to get something from the other room, and as he was walking away, I noticed this:
Somehow a onesie had tucked itself under his hoodie - he denies any attempts at putting it there. Likely story.
He's going to be such a good dad.

Our Baby Shower, Part 1

My sister Michelle and my friend Crystal threw us a beautiful baby shower on Saturday. They came up with a nesting theme to go along with what I've been planning for the nursery. The decor from the shower will transition into items to decorate the nursery with. So fabulous! Here are some action shots of me opening up gifts. I'll have to post pics of the shower decor later when I get them from Bri.

Look! Cloth diapers are so cute!

Thank you to everyone who came to the shower, and especially to those who drove in from out-of-town. I had a fabulous time, and Luke loves all of the tiny little clothes!

Our Baby Girl

We had our last ultrasound today, which means you get to enjoy another video! She was quite sleepy this time, despite the handful of M&Ms I shoved in my mouth in the hopes of waking her up with sugar. The technician is quite good at belly jiggling, so we were able to get her to wake up a bit. First we confirmed that yes, she's definitely a girl, so no need to return any girl items I've bought already. Whew. She likes to keep her hands right by her face, which made it hard to really see her at first. At one point she had them clasped together right under her chin - precious. If you watch closely you can see her yawn hugely (around 1 min 45 sec), and then she keeps smacking her lips throughout the video. She started blinking as she woke up and you can see her stick her tongue out. Apparently, she has Luke's lips, and the cutest chubby cheeks ever.

Baby Toro at 34 weeks from Luke Presley on Vimeo.

I'm a Winner!

There is this fabulous little blog, The Blah Blah Blahg, that is having a month long giveaway project called The Bright Side Project. I LOVE giveaways. I NEVER win. But today I was delighted to find an email in my inbox stating that I had won one of the lovely prints being offered up. Here's my darling print, from Argyle Whale. You can find her awesome prints on Etsy (another of my favorite sites).

Isn't this print fabulous?! Be sure to check out The Blah Blah Blahg also for more giveaways through the end of February. The Bright Side Project is oh so fun and makes each day happier because I get to discover new artists out there.

Cute Video

I wonder if our dog Molly will be this kind to our baby.

Fabulous

My friend Diane is always on top of all things related to Anthropologie, and she's one of my inspirations for creativity. She clued me in to this fabulous lady and her fabulous giveaway - check it out. I know I'll be looking in on her blog from now on.
A Bushel and a Peck

Nursery Design Inspiration

I found this nursery today on Ohdeedoh, and jumped on over to the owner's own blog to see more details. I'm obsessed with looking at this website, and they always have the best nursery tours. I'm hoping one day I can post our baby's room on there as well. Right now I'm sad that we won't have a nursery for the baby when she first arrives, since we're moving shortly after her birth. I can't decorate like I want to because why put in the effort when I'll be packing it up 3 weeks later? She won't notice of course, and she'll be in our room to begin with anyways, but the nesting side of me feels the need to have a completed room for her before she gets here. Sigh.

Chickpea Stew with Tomatoes and Polenta

I tried another new recipe today, courtesy of Cooking Light. This one is for a chickpea stew. The chickpeas and polenta are a nice subtle balance against the tangy tomatoes and lemon juice. I fell in love with polenta when I worked at P*ONG in New York...Pichet had a polenta and corn pudding that was to die for, although it doesn't seem to be on the menu anymore. It was delish. This particular recipe for the stew needs a little tweaking - I think it could use more cumin and pepper to kick it up a bit, but overall, a nice winter meal to warm you up on a cold night.

It's February!

Which means March is next, as Luke pointed out excitedly to me last night. Apparently telling him only 8 more weeks meant nothing, but the realization that next month is THE month, that March comes after February (as it has for, well, ever) made him nearly jump out of his seat. I have the most adorable husband.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning - everything is coming along nicely, and she's head down at this point, which is a huge relief to me. As long as she stays that way, we'll avoid a breech birth. Her little feet keep pushing up on my ribs, but thankfully they haven't slipped under there yet. These doctor appointments are always so boring, though, because I pee in a cup, I step on the scale, I wait for an eternity, and then spend 5 minutes with the doctor. Sigh. At least she's a very nice doctor - my favorite out of all doctors I've ever had. They check the heartbeat each time (always so strong!) and measure my stomach (32.5 cm today, from top of stomach down to the bottom, not around my waist - that's much larger, ugh). Reassuring news - she doesn't seem to be on the large side...so we're hoping that we don't have a sumo-baby. Or at least I'm hoping for that. Luke still thinks it would be cool to have a 10-pounder. I then repeat these words to him: "tearing" and "episiotomy". He shudders.

In 2 weeks we have our last ultrasound, where she should look more human thanks to some fat forming on her little body. Last time she was downright skeletal. After that, I start going to the doctor every week! Oh. My. Gosh. I'm so excited.