22 weeks!

How far along? 22 weeks <3
Total weight gain/loss: 21 lbs officially at the doctor's office yesterday.
Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Some of my regular tank tops are starting to be too short. 
Stretch marks? Gorgeous ones.
Sleep: Yes please.
Best moment this week: Finding out I get another 3D ultrasound. I miss that little face! 
Miss Anything? Lack of back pain. 
Movement: Oh yes. All over the place. I found out that he's transverse yesterday, which he has been pretty much the whole time, but now I can really picture what's moving when I feel movement. <3
Food cravings: I've been SO bad and eating wheat lately. I need to stop.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. 
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? Ugly. Still flat.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody. I'm sick of work, dumb people, I have no patience or tolerance and I'm crabby and emotional.
Looking forward to: Next 3D ultrasound. Buying more stuff for the nursery this weekend. Feeling hiccups. My shower - only 8 weeks away! Buying invitations this weekend.

I found out at yesterday's ultrasound that the previa is only marginal - about 1.5-2cm from the cervix. So, it hasn't gotten worse which is good. Still anterior. And the doctor is thinking it's eccentric, which he's not happy about. This means that instead of the umbilical cord attaching to the center of the placenta, it's off to one side. That's why he's sending me for a 3D ultrasound to check it out. If this is the case, we will just monitor more closely - yes, even more closely than we already are. The complications could be Parker not getting enough nutrients towards to end, plus the doctor has to be cautious when he's delivering the placenta.

My ultrasound is scheduled for 7/10, so we'll see how it goes. SO looking forward to seeing P's little face again.. I miss it! It's been 1 month and 1 day since I saw him. (My doc's u/s machine SUCKS.) So, that's a blessing out of a potentially annoying new problem.

I'm not too worried. I trust my doctor and know that if P's in trouble, doc will deliver and/or do whatever he needs to do to take care of my baby. That said, I would like just ONE appointment where I don't find out anything new is wrong!

On a happier note, Parker's sock monkey came in the mail! So cute.

His rocker should be here Monday, his crib skirt SHOULD be getting sent out any day now (wth!!), and I will order his changing table on Saturday, as well as the shelves for his room. All the details are coming together!! <3

Gray desk!!

Dork. I am a dork. This is how much of a dork I have become. I can't sleep because I am so excited about the following.

Ever since we moved into our house a year ago, I have wanted a long, narrow desk/console for our entry way. I have browsed Craiglist once in a while. I have looked at DIY's (like this tutorial on how to make your own desk from a door and 2 bookshelves for only $60). But the ones on CL were never quite right. And the DIY one is too big.

I've always admired this desk/console from www.iheartorganizing.blogspot.com. It was cute before, but I LOVE the after:

And fiiiiinally today, while just randomly browsing Craiglist - I FOUND IT! The perfect desk!! It looks soo much like the one from Jen's project, except longer, which is exactly what I need for the space!

Here's a pic of it, still at the woman's house:

My stepdad is so kind as to take me over there on Friday so we can throw it in the back of his Subaru "wagon". I am SO so so excited.

And now to pick out the perfect coat of paint! The 3 large frames that hang above it are black. And there is a black TV stand in the room. But I don't want to paint it boring black. I'm thinking gray, but paint the drawer black to tie it in. And as for the knobs - I would never pick out glass knobs, but I love how they look on Jen's  desk above, so I'm thinking I'll do that!

Here are some gray desks for color inspiration:

http://tatertotsandjello.com/2011/07/great-ideas-gray-projects.html

Martha Stewart - Schoolhouse Slate

And I like these knobs from Home Depot:

I am soooooo excited! We'll be painting a LOT while Doug's gone:


This desk (gray/black).
The dresser (black) that is going in our bedroom (to hold Doug's cluttered clothes! - free, from my mom, and it matches my dresser.. or, it will once it gets a coat of black paint and some brushed chrome knobs).
Our ugly DVD stand (black).
The TV stand (black).
The living room (tan).
The cutting in by the ceiling in the baby's room (blue).
The closet rod for the baby's room (white).
A shelf for the baby's room (white).

Doug is going to be SHOCKED when he sees how awesome our house looks! I am sooooo excited!

There are really no words for what a dork I am.

P.S. Also, I am so excited to have a new surface to put things! lol.. I'm going to try out another of Jen's favorite things - trays! Perhaps one of these cheap, cute ones from Target:

http://www.target.com/p/black-letter-basket/-/A-13361001

http://www.target.com/p/itso-wide-tray/-/A-11231843

Or maybe I'll DIY like she did in this post.

And I'm also going to paint some of my Mason jars and/or glass vases to decorate the top.

Can't wait! :)

Quilting fun!

So, I was concerned about making a quilt for Parker because although it "seemed" easy, I know that it's not. And what I admire most about quilts is the beautiful, intricate stitching on the top. But I have NO idea how to do that. I can sew a straight line - that's about it (lol).

So, I found a great solution! Puff quilts! (Tutorial here.)

You simply cut out a 5" square of fabric and a 4" square of fabric. Lay the smaller square down on top of the bigger square (both right sides in) and sew 3 sides. Turn right sides out and stuff.

You do this about a billion times, and come up with all these little squares:

You then sew all the squares together, and there you have the front of your quilt! Some people don't add binding or backing, but I think it looks better with it.

I am SO excited to get the fabric in from www.fabric.com. These are the fabrics for Parker's puff quilt:

Bugs!! I think they're sooo cute. And perfect for a little boy. I also love the color palette of gray, green, blue and orange. I'm thinking I'm going to do an orange minky backing and binding to really make the orange pop. These fabrics are from Michael Miller's Backyard Baby collection.

Crafty day!

Besides nesting/cleaning - I have been feeling so crafty lately!! I've gotten the itch to do a bunch of projects, and just went to Joanns to get all the materials.

I found this fabric in my craft bin and just knew I HAD to make something with it.

I decided to make a pillow, but I'm going to add piping to it (using this tutorial). Sounds pretty simple. We'll see!

The piping is going to be yellow, like the yellow pears, and I bought enough of that fabric that I can make another, smaller pillow. I figure they'll look so cute sitting next to each other.

I also decided I want to combine these three ideas:

 I'm going to have guests at my baby shower write sweet messages (with their names on the back) to Parker on stones. I'm going to use this tutorial and tint mason jars (that I already have from the Goodwill), then wrap them decoratively in twine and white ribbon, put the stones in them, and place them on Parker's shelves in his room. I'm doing a "test tint" right now with one of the jars - so far, so good!

I love this idea of the yarn wrapped letter for one of his shelves, but wanted it to be more than just one color.

I toyed with the idea of doing "striped" yarn, if you will, but ultimately I decided that since I'm adding pops of color here and there (as you'll see next) in Parker's room, I'm going to make this letter a POP of color as well. So, I ordered this fabric from www.fabric.com, and I'm going to wrap the "P" in that:

Another pop of color in the room will be his changing pad cover. I found the exact one I wanted, but didn't want to spend $45 on it (yikes). So, I decided to make my own, using this tutorial. And here is the fabric (www.fabric.com) that I will be using for that:

As you can see, I've been adding lots of POPs of yellow, which works so well in his otherwise teal/gray room. And it doesn't stop there!

Today I ordered him his first sock monkey! My mom was OBSESSED with sock monkeys when she was little. I wanted his to be modern, bright and fun, so I got him this one:

She has ADORABLE sock monkeys on her Etsy site, which you can get to here.

I also ordered him his chair! I was going to go with a personalized chair from Pottery Barn Kids, which I loved. But it was just too expensive, and I wanted to spend the money elsewhere. So, I got him this adorable one from Amazon (the tan matches the tan paint below the chair rail in his room).

Looks so comfy! And, it's a rocker!

And last, but not least, I finished up his art print that I started last weekend. It came out really cute, I'm really happy with it! I used this tutorial as inspiration:

http://www.positivelysplendid.com/2011/02/whimsical-nursery-wall-hangings.html

And here is the finished product:

I'll post a tutorial soon, although it's pretty self explanatory and obvious. (Scrapbook paper, glue stick, canvas, paint, sponge brush, painter's tape, rick-rack, a button - and I'm going to seal with Krylon Crystal Clear.)

His nursery is coming along SO nicely! Next week I will be ordering his shelves, and these 2 items to sit on those shelves:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97788454/gray-nursery-ideas-yellow-picture-frame?ref=pr_faveitems

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85758940/green-octopus-plush-toy-with-moustache?ref=tre-2722977964-3

(Haven't decided what color on the octopus yet.. blue, yellow, or green.)

21 weeks!

How far along? 21 weeks <3
Total weight gain/loss: 18-20 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Stretch marks? Ugly purple ones on the underside of my boobs. Definitely don't come and go anymore.
Sleep: Don't need anything to sleep anymore, that's for sure.
Best moment this week: Feeling Parker move on a daily basis. It's so fun and comforting :)
Miss Anything? Bending down lol.. gonna be a while before I can do that again! (I even had to have Doug shave me.. so odd haha!)
Movement: Yup! It's not as strong as I thought it would be by now.. but I'm even feeling a bit on the waaaay left side - and felt some on the right side for the first time! He musta been in just the right position. Or he's getting stronger and I can feel it through the placenta.
Food cravings: Bought peaches and watermelon today - YUM! 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, but I have had some heartburn! FUN! 
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? It's flat, brown, gross and ugly lol. 
Wedding rings on or off? Engagement ring on whenever I leave the house. It's snug though on hot days. --Same.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Definitely a LOT more sensitive. Wouldn't say moody, but I cry at the drop of a hat - almost cried at a home security system commercial yesterday LOL.
Looking forward to: Working on the nursery while Doug's in Cali. Gonna have a lot of the little touches of decorating done - soooo fun!! I love decorating, which I never really knew! Pinterest, www.projectnursery.com, and DIY blogs have been the best help. 

20 weeks!!

How far along? 20 weeks!!!!!! <3
Total weight gain/loss: Official weigh-in at doctor's - 15lbs (12 days ago). I think it's closer to 18-19 lbs now. 
Maternity clothes? Yep.
Stretch marks? Some on my boobs. Boo. They seem to come and go though! Weird. -- Same.
Sleep: I'm EXHAUSTED as I type this. Usually not too bad though. 
Best moment this week: HALFWAY! 5 months. 4 weeks 'til viability. I can't believe I'm half done! It's really crazy.
Miss Anything? No, not really.  
Movement: Felt a LOT at 19w6d and 20w - like more than every before. But not a lot since then, which I guess is normal. Especially with the previa. But I do feel kicks sometimes and it makes me smile every time. :)
Food cravings: Fruit and salads with Ranch dressing. --Same.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? It's flat, brown, gross and ugly lol. 
Wedding rings on or off? Engagement ring on whenever I leave the house. It's snug though on hot days. --Same.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Extremely happy with my life right now. :)
Looking forward to: August - SO much excitement. Breastfeeding class, birthing class, hospital tour, maternity photo shoot, 3D/4D ultrasound, baby shower, and possibly our Babymoon! Also, finishing the nursery. <3

Things I want to remember to do.

1. Have each teacher sign "Oh, the Places You'll Go" from pre-K to Senior year, and give it to Parker for his graduation.



2. Fill his room with balloons on his birthday.



3. DIY baby book - monthly milestones.



4. Take a picture of him on his last day of school, holding his picture from the first day of school.



5. Document what he wants to be on he first day of school.



6. Welcome to summer banner on the last day of school.



7. For each birthday:



Also very important for organization/saving memories:

Life Story Binder
School Paperwork Storage
Precious Picture Packets


Saving kid's art without the clutter

Quiltspiration

I've never made a quilt, and I'm NOT an expert sewer by any means. But I REALLY want to make a quilt for Parker.

Here are some pics for inspiration.