Emme's Nursery

Well, it seems I intended to share these photos much sooner. But battling a cold (sans meds for the safety of baby) while dealing with internet & cable issues at home (code for we have crappy service), and well...time just got the best of me. Yeah, yeah yeah. Let's just get to it, shall we? Afterall, if I don't do this now, we could be sending Emme off to college before we know it...

First off, I'd like to say photographer I am not. Emme's room is so small, I found myself lurking outside her door, perched on the dresser, and practically hanging outside a window trying to get decent shots of her space. But here goes...

Sigh. I love this room. It's the one space in the house that's "finished". Well, for the time being anyway. There's always some sort of tweaking that's taking place around these parts! This room is small and I had big (and many!) decor ideas to the point where my head was about to explode. But I stuck to a girly, vintage-y theme and just kind of went from there.

So for anyone who's curious, here's a source list...

Crib: Sparrow Crib by Oeuf purchased here
Bedding: made by my mom, fabric is Heather Bailey's Mockingbird (from the Garden District line)
Embroidery Hoops: Hobby Lobby (fabric is random scraps purchased at a local quilt shop)
Pom Poms: handmade using this tutorial found on Pinterest
Light fixtures: Home Depot
Rugs, Pillow & Lamp: Target
Rocker: Craigslist find
Side table: DIY project that I talked about here
Curtain panels: Target
Acrylic book shelves: Clear Displays
Dresser: the husband's
Letter "E": Hobby Lobby
Mirror & frames: thrifted, Target & West Elm
Tray: Target (used to be orange, I spray painted it white)
Metal basket: yard sale find

I'm currently having a love/hate relationship with the crib bumpers (sorry mom!). I'm starting to see why these things are on the verge of being banned everywhere. They're cute, but I find that Emme spends most of her time jammed up against them (hello, mommy heart attack!). And by the time morning rolls around, they are a crumpled mess. And for whatever reason, I have to remove the entire mattress when I want to change the sheet! For reals. So for now the bumpers are staying, but when it comes time to lowering the crib, I think we'll be getting rid of them.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the curtain panels that were also made by my mom. Each panel is a 72x120 tablecloth from Target. I got this brilliant idea that curtains were something we should DIY, but in the end I think this project cost me more than actual panels and they gave my mom nothing but grief (I wasn't actually sitting behind the sewing machine...but apparently polyester table cloths are a major pain in the ass to work with). Ah well, lesson learned. But a fun project to talk about, no?

I'm a little hesitant to talk about Emme's sleep patterns (in fear of jinxing anything we have going on), but since we're on the topic of her sleeping in her crib I must say the transition from bassinet to crib went really well. She goes down at night without a fight & wakes up only once a night to eat. The time varies...1:30, 4:00...she keeps mama guessing. And then she's up and ready to start her day by 7:00. We had a 3 night streak where she slept through the night (we could.not.believe.it!), but that jig is up. So we sort of have this night time thing down. For now. But naps during the day? That's an entirely different & painful story. She refuses to take a nap (tantrums, crying, full on resistance), so we're very much working on that one right now. I can tell you it's not going well. So I've been doing a little reading (and drinking) these days...

And because I can't go a post and not include the obligiatory baby picture, I'll share this photo from last weekend when we spent the entire day hunkering down, enjoying the warmth of the indoors while it was snowing outside. Baby leg warmers! I can barely stand it. I just wish her cute toes weren't cut off in this photo. I die!

Thought I would share...

...this pic of Emme that our brother-in-law took while at the hospital...

Ugh, could you just die?? Or maybe that's just the proud mom in me talking. It's amazing just how much she's changed in 3 short months. Her hair has lightened & the mohawk (that the nurses gave her) is no longer. Sigh. Anyway, I'm waaaaay behind on getting out birth announcements (hello, it's almost February!) since I'd been waiting on pics from our photographer. But after unearthing this photo from my inbox this morning, I think we have a winner folks. Just try to act like you've never seen this picture if you get a birth announcement from us...

And just so you can see how much she's changed since this picture was taken, here's a shot of us today before I left for work....

Ugh, again. I can't stand it! If anyone's in Emme's corner, it's her mom. She's totally fascinated by my phone too. Can you tell? I can get her to smile, but as soon as that phone comes out to take a picture, she gets serious & focused. Anyhoo, I'm currently working on a post about her nursery so I'll be back again this week to share!

 

Day 2

Day 2, and I'm back to work. Maternity leave is officially over. Of course, I use the term "leave" quite loosely, as I'm transistioning back to work on a part time basis for now. I'm starting out at two days, working up to three, and then four....you get the picture. I can't believe how fast all of this came up. Two & a half months went by in the blink of an eye, yet some days it seems like she was born two & a half years ago.

So here are some things I've observed now that I'm officially back to work. The stresses you left behind when you walked out that door are the same ones you'll return to (that nagging stress knot in my left shoulder is back y'all!). It's good to have an office with 4 walls and a door for the purpose of privacy & pumping. You'll wake up in the morning and have nothing (I repeat, nothing) to wear because not only are your work clothes not fitting the way they used to, you suddenly realize that your old wardrobe isn't pumping friendly either (and don't even think about putting those maternity clothes back on...they are no longer acceptable). You'll get nothing done those first few days because you'll spend all of your time talking and catching up with everyone after all that time away. And if you're not talking and catching up, well then it's taking you all day to sort through e-mails, and random piles of paper that made their way to your desk in your abscence.

A lot of people asked how my first day went. If I'm being honest, it went well. There were zero tears or anxiety. In fact, I sort of liked the "break". I'm pretty sure the words 'going back to work' and 'break' are a huge oxymoron, but it's the truth. Does that make me a bad mom to admit that I'm okay going back to work? I told the husband that going back allows me to focus & decompress...something I don't do very well while at home with a baby. Because honestly, my days at home are consumed with taking care of the baby, playing with baby, doing endless loads of laundry, picking up and cleaning, taking care of the animals, paying bills, and just trying to find the time to brush my teeth. For reals...I lose focus quite easily now that I'm a mom. Of course I should also mention that my mom is holding down the fort while I'm gone. And my short 15 minute commute allows me to come home when & if I need to (like today when Emme pitched a fit when taking a bottle...the same baby who we started on one bottle a day at 3 weeks and had zero problems up until it was time for me to go back to work). If I was shipping Emme off to daycare--a thought that breaks my heart--this would be an entirely different story. So in short, things are good.

I'll be back in a few days with pics of Emme's finished nursery! We're getting close to transitioning her into her own room...in order to regain our sanity. Okay, I kid, I kid! But mostly because it's time for Miss Emme girl to be in her own room. I'm sure this transition will totally shake up what little routine we've got going on...but at least we can look at pretty nursery pictures and pretend life is good!

Is this thing on?

So here we are. 2013. And it's been almost 3 months since my last entry. I'm beginning to wonder if I even know how to do this blogging "thing" anymore. To say I'm a rusty is a bit of an understatement! Clearly things are very much on with this blog, people are still reading and wondering & asking just where the hell I've been.

Well, I suppose my excuse is a pretty good one...we welcomed this lovely lady into our lives 9.5 weeks ago...

Miss Emmeline Clare arrived 9 weeks and 4 days ago! If you're doing the math, that makes Emme a Halloween baby. Her mom's least favorite holiday. She arrived via c-section at 10:57 p.m. weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz...bound and determined she'd make her mom learn to love Halloween for the rest of her life. I suppose there's no time like the present to put my thinking cap on & come up with some creative costumes and party ideas. Thank goodness for Pinterest, huh?

So let's see, we've been a little busy being parents these last couple of months, and adjusting to this new life of our's. It's challenging, exhausting and awesome all at the same time. Which explains this really long absence from the 'ol blog. I'm at a current loss for words and creativity when it comes to putting together a blog post after almost three months, so I'll let the pictures do the talking (beware...picture overload ahead!)...  

Our first picture as a family of three (just the beginning of my exhaustion...I can't even believe I'm sharing this pic??)...

Going home from the hospital (in our really cute outfit that was worn all of 30 minutes before getting into our jammies and getting ZERO sleep that first night)...

Jazz hands (one of our favorite poses)...

We visited with Santa (the fake one, it's safer that way)...

We love bathtime, but the owl towel...not so much (does it make me a bad mom that I absolutely LOVE this photo?!)...

We got our Christmas tree (and slept through the whole adventure)....

And we were super pumped to turn 7 weeks old!

So there you have it folks. My life in a mini-nutshell these last few months. Now that I've got my wits about me & this parenting thing is getting a bit easier...Stella's gonna get her groove back when it comes to this blog! I'm not a resolution person, but if checking into this blog is the one goal I have, then you'll be hearing a lot more from me in 2013. I'm getting ready to enjoy my last week of maternity leave before heading back to work next week. After that expect a lot more photos & Emme stories, a post on her finished nursery (of which a few people have asked for details and source info, which I'll be sure to include!), an update on the (finally) finished hallway, photos from our maternity shoot last September (?!), and maybe her birth story. Which...is anyone interested in that stuff? I'm typically interested in other people's experiences, but maybe that's just me. I'm going to put my thinking cap on and decide if that's something I want (or should) share. We'll see what folks say...

And with that, I'm off to take care of a baby now. You know, because I'm a MOM...whoa. Things just got a whole lot more exciting up in here...

And then things started coming together...sort of.

I wish I could be one of those people who blogs on the daily. But the reality is that with a baby on the way (in 2 weeks!), a full time job, keeping up the house, thank you's to write (from my showers a MONTH ago) and the need to sleep...it just doesn't happen. Plus, I really don't have much exciting stuff to discuss everyday. I know, this is news to some of you who already know me. I come from a long line of talkers...the kind of talkers who are talented enough to talk and listen to the conversation next to them (and interject into said conversation when & if necessary, which is typically the case)!

But I digress. There's progress being made in the nursery. That's what you all came here for, no? At last you checked, things were looking a little um, well....not put together. At all.

 

 

 

 

 

But now we're ready to change some smelly diapers, amongst a lovely gallery wall! 

 

 

Everything is a thrifted find with the exception of the two large frames (from Target), the letter E (from Hobby Lobby) and the small silver frame (from West Elm). The large mirror was an $8 Salvation Army score that I sprayed pink. The federal style mirror was previously gold, but I felt the wall needed more white elements to it...so white it became. I'm not in love with it, but it's staying for now. I figure I can always spray it gold when & if I change my mind (for $25, I'm not losing sleep over the state of this thing). The vintage ballerina was a Goodwill find that I'd originally purchased for the frame....but something told me to hang on to this gem, that one day we just might have a girl. Boy, I'm glad I predicted that one! I should start playing the lottery more. The smaller circular frames were $1 each at the Goodwill. I've had these for-ev-er...again, I was hanging onto them in the hopes that we'd have a girl. I changed out the random picture inside & replaced them with some fabric scraps. Easy peasy. Come to think of it, the details of this wall would have been a hell of a lot easier to explain with some close-up shots. Oh well, this is what you get when I grab the Iphone (in haste) 30 seconds before leaving for work.

 

I'm also totally happy with my decision not to paint the dresser. I was quite set on painting it white, but then my guilt complex took over & now I'm content with this decision (as is the husband). I decided to keep the existing hardware (and returned the Anthropologie ones last week). I'm still trying to decide if they are going to get some gold Rub 'N Buff. But for now, I think they'll stay as is (the black Target frame, however, will be getting a coat of that stuff this weekend).

 

And in a moment of haste (and some significant time spent on Pinterest) I decided to change out the frames over the crib. I liked them, but didn't love them....something just always seemed off.

 

 

 

 

 

So for a few dollars worth of embroidery hoops and some fabric scraps, we've got ourselves a new focal point over the crib.

 

 



 

 

I realized, after hanging them, that they're a little low. I might have to rethink the state of this wall when baby Keefe gets old enough to stand in her crib! But for now it stays, I'm loving it. One of the hoops was broken (something I didn't discover until I got home), so I'd still like to add another one to make the wall complete. But overall, I'm SO much happier with this wall than I was with the frames. So sad, bye bye frames. We'll find another purpose for you soon.

 

 

And the acrylic bookshelves are up! They're currently holding about 1/2 of the books we got for baby, but I'm thinking we can interchange them when we feel the need. I really stuffed those babies in there (trying to get bang for the buck!). I'm not sure how legit these shelves are...but so far nothing has come tumbling down...I'm hoping that's not the case anytime soon.



 

 

 

 

 

We'll be hanging window treatments this weekend, as well as my DIY mobile pom poms for over the crib. With any luck we'll have the light fixtures changed out this weekend too. And then baby can come home...but not a minute sooner (can you imagine having that much say in the matter?). 

Friday randomness

Okay, here we go. Lots of randomness on this here Friday...

First and foremost, I can barely see my feet. Which means we're in the homestretch here! THREE weeks and counting people!

dramatic, altered image to prove that I DO in fact have feet

 

 





And if I'm being honest, I'm scared out of my fool mind to have this baby. My doctor is hoping to induce me between 39-40 weeks. But unless anything is medically wrong, I'm putting my foot down, listening to my body & hoping baby makes her debut when she's good and ready. In other pregnancy related news, I'll be happy when I can one day put on my pants and shoes without feeling like I'm competing in the Olympics. For reals. Yes, it's selfish (I want baby out...sort of, but not really), but that's reality these days.

 

I decorated for fall. I don't know why. This stuff will probably still be up at Christmas. So please, don't judge.

 

 

 

 

I ordered these shelves earlier this week, and in a matter of days they showed up at my doorstep. I can't speak much for the company or the product, but if their prices and fast shipping are any indication, it's safe to say I'd purchase from them in the future. I found these via Freckles Chick who used them in her daughter's nursery...the power of the blog world, I tell you. This idea saved me a trip to our nearest Ikea (in Canada) for some other ledging I'd had my eye on. In fact, depending on how backed up customs is on a weekend, I'm willing to bet these shelves showed up a heck of a lot faster than I can get myself over the border...  

 

 



 

 

I also ordered this for a whopping $13.50!

 

 

 

 

I desperately need to get my jewelry organized since I've moved everything out of baby's room. We're running out of space in this house. We really need to move (another story for another day), but since that's not really in the cards for us right now, I've been forced to come up with creative solutions for storage. In a perfect world, I'd use my quiet weekend to my advantage and organize every last inch of this house. But for now I'll start small...with an acrylic bracelet holder.....

 

 

The husband is away this weekend (and he took the dog too...peaceful heaven on earth!), so some girlfriends are coming over on Saturday night. I'm thinking to make these...

 

via

 

I'm putting all my pinning to good use...we'll see what the verdict is. If the picture is any indication, I'm thinking these are going to be goooo-oood. Yum.

 

And with that, I'm off to enjoy my productive, peaceful weekend!

 

 



 





Epic fail

Remember this $7.99 Salvation Army find?

 

 

Yep, just clasify this project as one big.epic.fail. And to think I sacraficed the yoga pants, all for nothing! I had intended to rewire this lamp from the very beginning--not only for safety reasons (it was pretty old & crusty), but also because a 3-way setting made much more sense for late night feedings. I'm no stranger to rewiring lamps, but this baby proved to be too much of a challenge for your's truly. After undoing the existing wiring, try as I might, I could not get the new wiring threaded through the base of this lamp. After trying unsuccessfully 3,298 times, I figured the only option was to hack this thing in two. But at some point you learn to cut your losses, and instead go straight to Target for a replacement...  



 

 

It was an unexpected $68 I hadn't planned to fork over for a lamp. But since everything in the nursery (with the exception of the crib) is a budget/thrifted/Craigslisted find, I suppose $68 was a small price to pay in the end. It sure beats the $350 price tag for the West Elm lamp that I've had my eye on forever. I'm still debating it's prescence and placement in this room. But maybe that's just me being indecisive. Not to mention this room has gone from bad to worse in the last week. Don't believe me? Well, check 'er out!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

I keep telling myself that things have to get worse before they can get better. Right? We've gotten 95% of the husband's wardrobe out of this room, and into his new closet in another room. Closet space is at a premium in this household, so transitioning him to another room has been nothing but a challenge. Almost daily (without fail) I find him going into the nursery and then exclaiming, "this is NOT my closet anymore". Like a daily affirmation of sorts....

 

I intended to paint the dresser white, but had a massive guilt complex a few days ago (this was the husband's dresser since he was little). As much as I would have loved to paint this thing, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Which I think relieved the husband as much as it did me (yay--one less thing to do in here!). So I went to Anthropologie at lunch and bought a bunch of new hardware...which took me no less than 30 minutes to make a decision. And now I'm pretty sure I don't like any of what I purchased, and therefore a return trip to Anthropologie is in my near future. Pregnant people shouldn't have to make such intense decisions....

 

Besides, we'd rather be dressing up in our Halloween costumes or taking naps! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, this is how we entertain ourselves around here. 

Nursery progress

Yep, that's all you get for a title today. Creative, no. Straight and to the point, yes.

At some point I intended to do a little update with all the DIY things I'm working on for the nursery. Then last week hit...like a tornado. I'm trying to balance work, two doctor's appointments a week, a maternity shoot (I hope to have pictures to share soon!), and then we were both in our friends' wedding this past weekend.

 

 

And yes, this is the only photo you're getting. I'm slightly mortified by how large my face has grown over the last 8 months.Yikes.

 

Anyway, without further ado, here's how things are currently looking in the nursery. I'm a little behind in terms of being at this point ("ready" as in D-O-N-E), but slowly but surely we're getting there. We'd better be...it's 4.5 weeks and counting folks...

 



 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We still need to change out the light fixtures, hang some window treatments (another DIY I've dreamed up in my head!), finish the DIY pom pom mobile that will hang over the baby's bed (holy crap, wait until you get the lowdown on those things....holy time consumption!), order & hang some shelving for books, paint the dresser, and last but not least....put stuff away! I'm so ready for the closet and drawers to be organized alright, already.

 

In the meantime, I'll share two super easy DIY projects I've already completed for the room. Can you guess what they are? If you said the frames above the bed, and the side table...well, 2 points for you!

 

The frames were $2.99 each from Christmas Tree Shops. They looked a little something like this when I purchased them...

 

 

 

 

 

I loved the size, but the peace sign? Not so much. I bought 6 of them figuring I would find a way to get rid of that god awful logo, and if not...all 6 were going back. 

 





 

 

 

And just as I dreamed in my head, they were super easy to remove. Peace out, peace signs! The frames then got a few coats of glossy white spray, but when I got around to actually hanging them, the white was way too white. I'm aware that my second attempt at changing up these things meant that they'd turn out to be the exact same color of the walls (what are the odds?), but they're much better than the stark white version that were staring at me before. Also, I'm too exhaused to care at this point. For now, the frames are holding some extra scraps of fabric. I'll probably add some of our maternity photos when we get those back from the photographer.

 

Anyway, moving along. Any guesses what this cute little side table used to be? Yep, a $19.99 hamper (or is is a garbage can?) from HomeGoods. I gave it a few coats of gold spray & for $30-ish the guys at my local hardware store cut a piece of glass for the top. I opted for a fairly thick piece, which drove up the price. But we're taking no chances here. At this point I'm actually wondering how long it will take for the husband or myself to break it during late night feedings...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may recall that I'd was in the major throws of a side table conundrum, but in the end, this DIY project was more fun & cheaper than my original plan. Plus, I'm pregnant and change my mind on a daily basis. So there. 

 



So there you go! The current state of the nursery. I'm hoping to tackle more stuff this week and weekend...I'm getting larger by the day & my comfort level is basically non-existent, so tackling projects is only 800 times harder than they would have been if I'd gotten my ass going on the nursery earlier. Coulda, woulda, shoulda!

Craigslisted

Well, it seems I'm a bit overdue for an update these days. So much for my promise of "exciting daily nursery posts!" I should know better to make promises...

Anyway, this post is going to be all sorts of random, since it seems like the last week has been a bit of a whirlwind, and I'm in MAJOR nesting mode. I'm a type-A, organizational freak on a normal day...but throw in pregnancy and it's gotten worse! I've realized that nesting is really difficult when 8 months pregnant. It's getting harder and harder for me to manuever when doing daily, mundane tasks let alone decorating a nursery and organizing every last drawer and closet in our home. Want to see why?

 

 

Hello classy work bathroom shot! Also, I don't know why I look so mad in this photo...maybe it's because I feel like a fat guy in a little coat...remember that from Tommy Boy? I sing it in my head everytime I put this thing on. It looks cute & seems like a good idea....until I actually have to wear it.  

 

 



via

 

The husband was gone for part of the weekend, which is why I got to make things like this...yum, so good (btw--this would be considered a snack to him)...

 

 

As a total side note, I've become completely obsessed with Natalie's blog...a lot of good things going on over there...

 

 

It was Navy week in Buffalo! Aside from a morning of shopping to beef up my fall wardrobe, my mom and I took a spare minute to venture out to the waterfront....one of my few breaks from working at the house this weekend. Which was a productive one, mind you. But breaks are good for my sanity.

 

 



 

 

 



We also introduced this little gem into the baby's room...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a Craigslist find that I scored for $20 (!!!) about a month ago. If I'm being honest, this is not what I'd envisioned for the nursery (I was thinking something big, comfy, tufted, etc.) nor do I know if this is even going to be comfortable or work for us in the end. But we're on a budget here, and this fit the bill. Not to mention I love the details. AND it was in perfect condition folks, perfect! I never actually met the seller since she wasn't home at the time of pick up, but she sounded young and just wanted to unload this chair because she was moving (about a week later I found the same chair from another seller on Craigslist for $50!). I told the husband that if we don't end up using this, ehhh...it was only $20. I certainly won't be crying over spilt milk.   

 

 



 

 

 

 

I opted not to paint it like I'd originally planned. Not only would it be time consuming, but there are way too many white elements being added to this room. So a white chair (which is what I'd envisioned) just wasn't in the cards here. I'm planning to live with things as is for now...again, this chair may or may not pass the comfort and practicality test once baby arrives.  

 

Assuming I don't nest myself into one big pregnancy nap, I'll be back tomorrow to share some easy-peasy, affordable DIY projects! I mean, SO easy they shouldn't even be considered DIY...