For like ev-er: nursery reveal

I've finally gotten around to taking pictures of Carla's nursery. Up until this week it has sat empty (aside from diaper changes) since she came home.  We, *ahem*, I finally pulled the trigger. NZ was ready from night one, I'm sure. However, it took some time before I was comfortable having her across our flat. We have a good quality audio monitor, but due to our concrete walls, reception from her room to ours is crap. Now that she usually sleeps in a seven hour stretch, waking at 3:30-4:00 each morning, I feel more confident in waking to feed her without use of a monitor at all.

So here it is..a pink explosion that would make Elle Woods and the 818 proud. 

                     

We utilized some existing furniture, and bought a sundvik crib and coordinating dresser at IKEA. The dresser is the perfect height for diaper changes, with just enough space on top for a changing pad & wipes. The drawers are nice and deep for storage.

 I was able to maximize storage by using zippered boxes from IKEA to organize diapers, toiletries and clothing. The long narrow ones are perfect for onesies and cloth diaper soakers, while the large square ones easily fit folded sleepers and two rows of disposables. 

I attached two little dog booty hooks to the side of the dresser using 3M tape which are the perfect height for her to hang her coat or hat when the time comes for her to become independent.

On the walls, I made a collage of prints that fit my color scheme above the changing table and finished it off with her framed birth announcement from tinyprints. Frames used were from IKEA. Channelling my crafty side, I painted a couple canvases with two of my favorite Valley Girl-esque quotes. I fell in love with the "for like ever" print way back when pregnant with my first girl, but having it shipped here would be a lesson in futility, so I made my own to go above her crib. 

                             

Above the futon, I painted " love you more" in gold on an aqua background, and weathered it with sandpaper. The angle and lighting of this photo doesn't do it justice--it's cuter in person. The pillows are covered in an extra receiving blanket and Victoria's Secret "one size fits all" wrap dress that no longer fits (explain how that works?!). I followed a pinterest pin on no sew pillow covering and these were a snap! The pillows that were on the futon were even more chinese (& hideous) than the futon itself.

                             

The flat came furnished with the fugly futon and a bookshelf. I've used the bookshelf to store burp cloths, bibs, blankets, and her shoe & bow collection. One of my college besties sent us a bow board full of texas sized bows, and my sister has been buying headbands off etsy to fill our bow apothecary jar. Carla better grow some hair so I can put them to use--no pressure, my bald little baby. 

                          

Since we are short on space and this room was our office B.C. (Before Carla), I purchased white magazine and storage boxes from IKEA to disguise our paperwork, office supplies, and extra stroller parts to keep mischievous little hands out. 

                             

Here's my favorite part...the linens!

My super-awesome-couldn't-ask-for-a-better-best-friend, sister made fitted sheets for the crib using a tutorial over at the Dana-made-it blog (see link at end of post). I purchased fabrics within the general color scheme and she whipped them up and sent them our way.

                  

 

 I like to change out the linens to change the look of the room. My favorite sheet is the chevronish herringbone print, but I also have a dainty gray & pink floral sheet and festive turquoise, coral and yellow one waiting for their time to shine. I don't use crib bumpers because they freak me out, so changing crib sheets is really easy because there's no disassembly of a crib bumper to contend with each time the sheets need changing. 

Well, that's Carla's "crib"...hope you liked it...but I must say, my favorite part of her room is walking in to find this little girl waiting for me...

Like the crib sheets? Want to make your own? It's easy..follow Dana's instructions here:

http://www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/tutorial-crib-and-toddler-bed-sheets.html

Like the burp cloths? Visit my uber-talented sister-in-law's etsy shop, Coral Tree, here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoralTree?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

Like the birth announcement? Here it is on tiny prints:

http://www.tinyprints.com/product/33589/girl_photo_birth_announcements_sweet_salutation_begonia.html#color/01/pid/33595/paper/2

27 weeks

    

               [hiding under my belly]

How far along? 27 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: probably 24-25lbs by now. Was up 22 lbs last week.

Maternity clothes? Yep. Moved on to living 24/7 in leggings and a few longer tunic type shirts. So thankful for hand me downs. By the time NZ gets home I'm usually in one of his t shirts and my leggings from the day. Mama needs breathing room.

Stretch marks? Still feeling lucky that I don't have any. I brought back my kukui nut oil (Alba botanicals) from the US and have been greasing myself like a pig after my showers. I smell like vacation. I love it.

Sleep: Better some nights than others. NZ was away for a few nights so I had a king size bed to myself and stole his pillow to make myself comfy. I am still napping when Sal naps-about 2 hours a day. 

Best moment this week: Having Sal lift my shirt up and kiss my belly. It was followed by some belly button poking, but I love that he just approached me out of the blue and wanted to kiss the belly. 

Miss Anything? Diet cola. Big time. 

Movement: She has her moments of high activity but for the most part, she is much less active than Sal was...either that, or I am just too busy chasing him to notice each and every kick. She is finally kicking hard enough for NZ to feel her from the outside, which is always cool.

Food cravings: Frozen lemonade. Real Lemonade. All of which are either difficult to find or non-existent here in Wuxi. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. 

Gender: Girl.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks when I overdo it or when I eat too much chocolate. 

Symptoms: Sore back. Difficulty getting a deep breath when she is in certain positions.

Belly Button in or out? Still in.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody?: Happy with bouts of anxiety over what to do with Sal when we head to Shanghai to have his baby sister. I'm a worrier by nature. 

22 weeks

How many weeks: 22

Showing? Everything on me has grown this time. Arms, butt, stomach, chins....feeling more and more like Jessica Simpson, daily. Not knocking her by any means, but you know how some women only grow a cute belly....and others grow everywhere? I'm feeling the latter. 

How am I feeling? Tired. Achy. Hopeful. Really relieved to be feeling jabs and kicks more regularly. The first time I was absolutely positive I felt the girl (and not gas) was at 20w4d. So much for feeling consecutive pregnancies earlier and earlier. She held out on me! 

Doctor’s Appointment? No OB visits til October. A looooong 5 week stretch ( due to travel) between appointments this time. I will see my endocrinologist next week when I'm stateside. He's worth traveling a million miles for. 

Workouts? Just walking. Been walking about 1-2 miles 3x a week. This afternoon, my trusty napper decided to babble for two hours in his crib before I caved and plopped him in our stroller for a ride. Twenty minutes into a walk I didn't really want to be on, he cashed in his chips, so I hightailed it home and parked my butt on the couch while he slept the afternoon away.  Mom wins.

 I had downloaded a Summer Sanders prenatal workout and OMG it is way beyond my abilities. Ab work and squats while pregnant? I thought this was a no-no? I'm bummed I paid for a workout I am not comfortable doing. Guess I will Improvise some upper body work and light legs myself. I should have known better than to download a video without watching a preview first. Mom loses.

Sleep? Still napping a ton. Nights are rough. Between nightmares (now courtesy of Breaking Bad episodes) and waking to pee every couple hours, I'm feeling like I hit my sleep stride right as our alarm goes off each morning. 

Weight Gain?  Oh my, yes! Another .4 kg since last week! Holy hell, batman! 

Baby preparation? Nope.

Likes/Dislikes? Orange juice and grapes.

It's a......

                            

                                                              Girl!!!!

I found a duck call onesie on etsy and sent a picture of it to my pop along with, "would grandpa Jet take HER hunting in this outfit?"

My dad,an avid outdoorsman/hunter, answered back, "Hell yes, she can".

Gender aside, we are happy to be expecting what has so far turned out to be a healthy, growing baby.

May it be smooth sailing til January!