New Blinds

We recently purchased blinds for Claire's room. After 3+ months of deliberating we decided to splurge on a nice set of blackout, insulated blinds. We chose these because of they provide superior blackout, are cordless, and help keep the room warmer than before. Here's a glimpse of they're blackout capabilities- something we need with the Windows's early morning sun.

Claire's Nursery Reveal!!!

...finally!
It only took me forever to finally take pictures of Claire's nursery! She'll be 12 weeks on Wednesday and I've been soaking in every last moment. BUT I finally took a few moments to snap some pictures to share with you. So stop reading and see where she lays her pretty lil head at night!

Glider- Posh Tots
Changing Table: local Antique store
Book Rack: Restoration Hardware
Lamp: Goodwill (total makeover)... before photo here
Mini Piano: Family heirloom (belonged to my Great-Grandmother "Nanny" who passed away in October)

Dresser: Built by a local carpenter. Idea/blueprint Ana White
Shelf: Local Antique Store... before photo here
Lamp: Goodwill (total makeover)
Hamper: Local Antique Store (we hit the jackpot that day!)
Puff Hanging: Made by yours truly

 Plant: Gift from my parent and sister for Claire's birthday

Child of God: I made it... not too terribly proud of this one.
"C" monogram: Another one of my DIYs
Owl Bookends: Hallmark
Mini Tea set:  Another item handed down to Claire by her late Great Great-Grandmother
Banner: DIY

Crib: Jenny Lind
Carpet: Given to Claire from her cousin Sophie (I bought this as a shower gift for Sophie)
Giraffe coat rack: Local furniture store

Mini Rocking Chair: Another gift from Nanny
Wall Mural: purchased from Zulilly

"Always KISS ME goodnight": Yard sale purchase a few years ago (painted for her room)
Pretty White Dress: Was my Easter dress when I was 3

Mobile: DIY

In other news...

I went back to work last Monday and things have been going swimmingly. Of course I wish I was home with my lil Claire Bear, but I only work 3 hours a day (M-F) so I can't really complain. She still won't take a bottle. Or pacifier. Matt's been with her every day since he's still not back to work, and she does just fine sans mamma's booby ;) Matt wears her out and than she takes a long nap and before she knows I'm away, I'm back to greet her with my super hard, giant tatas. TMI much? Nahh. Nothing is TMI these days.

I am enjoying Claire, there's no doubt but I miss being pregnant already... and I'm ready to have another babe. Claire is the epitome of a perfect baby. Seriously, I don't know how I got so blessed. And I'm hoping {and praying} that when babe #2 comes he/she will be just as awesome.

We are excited to have our very first Christmas with Claire. We said that we weren't going to do a lot because she's so little, but we've already spent a butt load of moola on books. Not that I care, I want her to have a library by the time she's old enough to read. She loves to sit and be read to already. She's incredible :) I also order some cute, furry, and fluffy things from Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn. I'll share those a different day!

Also, tay tuned for my cloth diaper routine! We love them!!!

This one's for you Jenna!

After reading a comment left by sweet Jenna from The Three Little Birdies (go check her out right now), I couldn't help but share a few photos of some of the new things in Claire's nursery. I won't be giving you the whole reveal until we get her dresser, but these should hold you over in the meantime! Sorry ahead of time for the quality of some of these... iphones are great, but not for photography! Let me know what you think :)

old washstand turned changing table/cloth diaper storage

 I really wanted a storage solution for my cloth diapers but didn't really want a conventional changing table. Matt was going to make me one but I couldn't decide on what I wanted. I did however know that I wanted a piece of furniture that can be re-purposed once she's out of the diaper phase. When I saw this beauty at the antique shop I knew it was exactly what I wanted. We only spruced her up a little tiny bit since we didn't want to diminish the integrity of this old washstand.

lamp, before/after

I told my mom to keep her eye out for a floor lamp because she's such lucky person when it comes to finding diamonds in the rough at her local goodwill. Well lo and behold, she found one, and I absolutley LOVE IT! It appears to be very vintage as it has these super awesome glass tubes around the neck and it's base is really heavy. Things just aren't made that way anymore. It will look different in the final reveal since I added something extra to it post photoshoot ;)

before

 We found this pretty shelf at the same store as the washstand/changing table. We (both my mom and I) have been searching feverishly for floating shelves, but weren't having any luck. My mom spotted this beauty and it's like it was meant to be in our baby girl's nursery. It's the perfect scale and her dresser will be positioned underneath it once it arrives.

after

 Things aren't evenly spaced in this photo but this is the shelf all painted and decorated. So simple and sweet, just the way I wanted it.

"antique toys" from the early '60s

Kind of a funny story about that dog pull-toy! First, let me start by saying that when we entered the store, the owner told us to make sure that once we walked through, to walk back through the opposite way because we would most likely miss something the first time around. Moving on. While we were walking through the store (the first time) I overheard Matt telling my mom that he would love to find "one of those old dog toys". As we made our way back through the opposite way I spotted the exact toy he was looking for! I was so excited to show him what I found. I was also thankful for that woman's advice. Needless to say, we walked around a couple more times before finally making our final purchases!

just for fun... what I see when I try to see my toes :)

34 week aerial view of the bump! haha

better late than never... 26 weeks

how far along? 26 weeks!

Claire’s size: almost 2 pounds… about the size of an hothouse cucumber           
weight gain: We’ll find out Friday
maternity clothes? Of course
stretch marks? 3
sleep? Some nights are better than others

best moment this week? purchasing an adorable coat rack for her room.

food cravings: Little Debbie’s Nutty Bars. Good Lord, I’m full of shame!!
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? In, though it’s starting to flatten out!
movement? She’s starting to do barrel rolls rather than just kicking. I think she’s getting the hiccups too :)
what I miss?  Being comfortable.

what I'm looking forward to: Enjoying the rest of this pregnancy and letting lil miss Claire grow and of course, decorating her nursery!

No make-up and hair aloof-don't judge!

 I am definitely behind this week. It’s goes without saying that I’ve been super busy all weekend. Matt has been painting the house (outside) and I’ve been busy cleaning and organizing and all the other wonderful nesting stuff.

My sister had her graduation party on Saturday, so that entailed driving 2.5 hours each way. Jamie, my sister-in-law, sent me home with TONS of baby stuff. Seriously, the trunk of my car is massive and it was P.A.C.K.ED. full. Then we packed the back seat. I even had stuff on the floor of the front passenger side.

I brought home an entire box of shoes, and about 12 boxes of clothes. Needless to say, Matt and I will not have to purchase many clothes after 9 months :) She gave me a beautiful swing, high chair, and a super nice umbrella stroller for when she gets bigger. Plus, about 4 or 5 blankets, another boppy, some toys, snowsuits out the whazoo, a HotSling, a Moby wrap, and her gently used (closed system) breast pump.

Thanks a million Brian and Jamie! Matty and I really appreciate your generosity! Seriously, thank you!

In other news, we bought a sewing machine yesterday! I have wanted one forever but just couldn’t justify spending the money on one. I don’t have a lot of time to spend practicing and I was never sure what I would really use it for.  Since I am going to use cloth wipes I figured that would be enough of a reason to make the purchase. We went to Joanne’s and looked at their sewing machine selection and decided that they weren’t really meeting my expectations, quality wise. We left without buying one and as we were leaving Olean, we passed a Singer store. We stopped in and spoke to the owner. I told him what I was looking for and he helped me find the perfect sewing machine. We purchased a previously loved Singer for about $85. It’s incredible how much quality has changed over the years. I’ve already started making my cloth wipes and I am super happy with my decision to buy one!

I am also in the midst of reupholstering a footstool that we bought at an antique store last week. We purchased the fabric yesterday while we were checking out sewing machines at Joanne’s.

finally some purple :)

Here's Claire's new coat/boa/purse rack. We bought it last week and it's incredibly adorable! It doesn't really match any of the other decor, but it was too cute to not buy. It's unfinished right now, but I'm going to paint her (her name is Raffi) a super soft/pale yellow.

One last thing! One of my very good friends delivered her precious baby boy last week. Baby Judah had to undergo heart surgery the day after he was born. I was wondering/hoping that you would keep the little guy in your prayers. You can read their story here.

Have a beautiful week!

Grow Claire, grow!

25 Week Update and Goodies

how far along? 25 weeks!

Claire’s size: around 1 pound 8 ounces & 14 inches long... about the size of an eggplant           
weight gain: I’ve gained back 7 of my lost 25
maternity clothes? Bottoms- absolutely, though my tops still fit fine.
stretch marks? Yes, 3. GRRR!
sleep? Not too bad.

best moment this week? Working on pretties for her nursery.
food cravings: Nothing this week :)
gender: Girl!
belly button in or out? In, though it’s starting to flatten out!
movement? Absolutely!
what I miss?  Being comfortable.

what I'm looking forward to: Enjoying the rest of this pregnancy and letting lil miss Claire grow and of course, decorating her nursery!

 I am not happy in this photo. Like, at all. I was totally giving the worlds cheeziest, forced smile ever. If I didn't have $1000+ of camera equipmet in my hand I would have smashed that damn thing into a

thousand and one pieces. That lens, by itself, weighs a good 2-3 pounds. And since Canon is super awesome and decided not to allow the photographer to see what he/she is photographing without looking into the viewfinder, each snap is a guess. Will I be in the picture? Will my head be chopped off? Will it be in focus? These are all questions that I ask myself each time I press the shutter. I think I took about 75 photos. Seriously, I'm not exaggarating, at all. I promise! This was the best one, hands down and I still hate it. Oh well. Happy 25 weeks to me!

Whoa! I cannot believe that I am 25 weeks pregnant today. When I experienced (found out that I had) a subchronic hemorrhage I was sure that I wouldn’t see this day. My midwife warned me that some women have one spell and never see blood again, while some women ended up losing the baby down the road. I, naturally, expected the worst scenario possible. Nonetheless, here I am with a {getting} huge bump, carrying a beautiful baby girl (yes, I know she’s beautiful already!!), and I’m 25 weeks along! I cannot even begin to elaborate on my hearts overwhelming feeling of joy, love, and thankfulness for this little baby, the biggest blessing I’ve ever known.

I’m yet to see her smile, or kiss her precious cheeks, touch her tiny toes, or hold her to my chest yet I feel so tremendously enthralled with her and her sweet little heart. How could I possibly love her more than what I do now? I’m not sure how much love this heart of mine can hold. I’m beginning to think it may burst when I see her for the first time.

I’ve been up SUPER late the past few nights and I’ve come to meet a new side of this little lady... she’s VERY much a night owl :) She moves a ton between 12-2 AM! I just sit on the couch, one hand on my computer mouse, and the other on my abdomen. She is so low; it’s amazing she hasn’t kicked her way out yet! Each time I feel her, I smile from ear to ear. I've been telling her stories about our day, telling her how much she is loved, and thanking God for trusting me with such an awesome gift.

Source: Etsy

Purchased from Zulilly

We ordered a wall decal for her nursery, and I’m hoping that I will love it as much in person as I did when I saw it on the website. I don't usually like decals, but I really like this one. I’ve been working on her decorations too. I'm making poms for
[somewhere in] her nursery, although their precise location hasn’t been decided. I think that once all the furniture is placed in her room, in their respective positions, I will be able to make up my mind.

Since I am pregnant with a ‘night owl’ I thought it would only be fitting to incorporate some owls into her room. I purchased these little beauties (at Hallmark) because they were too cute to pass up on!

We are deciding whether or not to purchase this bookrack for her room. I do really love it and it would be perfect on the wall behind/beside her glider but I’m struggling with shelling out the moola for it. Matt swears he couldn’t have a cheaper one made (as far as price is concerned, not quality) and it’s precisely what we are looking for. Since we have baseboard heating through more than 50% of her room, meaning that more than 50% of the bottom of the wall is consumed by heaters, makes less room for traditional book cases. Her dresser is going to take up one whole wall itself, leaving only one wall free. This bookrack could be placed at a level for Claire to get her own books when she’s old enough and conveniently nested behind/beside the glider for easy access.

Last but not least, I scored this lamp at Goodwill yesterday! I paid $1.25 for it. Oh yeah! I’m not certain if I’m going to keep the original color- a grayish-purple color- or spray paint it. Decisions, decisions!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Grow Claire, grow!