My Baby Shower & "New Mom Survival Kit"

While we were in Iowa, I had my baby shower hosted by family at my favorite bed & breakfast. I had the most amazing time & loved seeing all of my friends and family. Accomplishment of the century... I wore a dress AND heels for two full hours. 

I also ate four jelly donuts.

 Dress from Asos, Sweater & Belt from J.Crew

 It was on New Year's Eve in the morning so we had a brunch theme with lots of glitter & champagne. Obviously I was a bit jealous of all who got to drink it... But I did learn that Perrier sparkling water tastes extra yummy with frozen strawberries in it! :)

 

 One of my favorite gifts from my shower came from my best friend, Whitney, who just had a little boy in June. She put together a "Survival Kit" - all of the things that she doesn't leave home without! LOVE!!! I always wondered how I would ever get started packing a diaper bag..and this was beyond perfect!! She filled a giant gift bag with all of the items & attached notecards to each explaining how/why to use it! So, for all of you expectant mothers out there... enjoy her humor & list of all contents!!

Disposable Diaper Sacks: For all of those greenish-yellow runny blow-out diapers you wont want to put straight in anyone's trash!
Pacifier Wipes: For those fussy times where she will throw her paci on the floor.
Dreft Stain Remover: For those runny blow-outs that happen in those "she will only wear this to a nice place" expensive outfits!
Brica Baby Backseat Mirror: So you don't freak out while driving becuase you can't her her making noise - then you don't have to pull over every five minutes.
Baby Nail Files: For those nails you will have to clip super fast while she sleeps - trust me, you won't get a smooth trim!
Portable Changing Station; For those inconsiderate places with no changing table OR for those long drives where she blows out & you have to use your car as a restroom.
Boogie Wipes: For all of those crusted boogers that you don't want to pick with your bare hands.
Nipple Cream: For your crusted, cracked, sore, raw, red nipples... you will be gobbing this crap on inside your bra! Also good as chapstick :)
Hand & Face Wipes: For all of the messy stuff she will get into & try to put in her mouth. Also good to sanitize dropped toys & cart handles!
Soothing Nipple Wipes: For those sore, raw, soon-to-be leather nipples she will suction onto several times daily.
Milk Feeding Bibs: For those super messy bottle feedings ...so the milk doesn't curdle in her neck rolls.
Swaddle Wraps: For the times when your baby won't stop screaming or go to sleep unless she is wrapped up like a friggin' burrito...the tighter the better!

A few other things that we got for little G from the baby shower include lots of fun outfits (a few shown below!), Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio Car Seat, pack 'n play, My Brest Friend Pillow, boppy pillow, baby bottles, My Little Snugabunny Swing, baby monitor, baby tights (my serious obsession) & countless other adorable outfits and goodies!

Worlds biggest thank you to all who could attend & for all of the amazing, thoughtful gifts! I have never felt so blessed & thankful in my entire life... I can't wait for little G to get lots of use out of all these goodies!

Also, in the last few posts there have been questions about where things are from. The grey owl in the crib is from Pier 1 (and they still have them!) but unfortunately I am not sure what the name of the gray fabric is called that the blanket is made of... I literally just stumbled upon it. The outfits pictured above are Carters, Swimsuit from The Gap & pajamas by Koala Baby Organics. Again, WHY don't they make these things in my size?! :)

31 Weeks

 How far along? 31 Weeks (this is a bit delayed, I'm 32.5 weeks now but just getting around to posting from Christmas)

Total weight gain: 25
Maternity clothes? lots of maternity shirts & leggings, still uncomfortably wearing my regular jeans with a hair tie around the buttons & trying to squeeze into my old yoga pants/tshirts
Stretch marks? none yet
Sleep: sleep is still good although I wake up often to roll over because of sore hips ..but I got a body pillow for Christmas so we'll see if that helps!
Best moment this week: got to go home for Christmas to see all of our family & friends! Had the most amazing time & got so many great gifts for babygirl... overall this trip just made us even more excited for her arrival!
Miss Anything? everything - I am officially at the "uncomfortable" stage, out of breath often & I am really missing being able to put on socks/boots without huffing & puffing
Movement: more like shifting around rather than kicking ...but hiccups sometimes 3 times a day!
Food cravings: still craving sweets... holy sugar cookie binge eating this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: not much
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, out of breath every now & then, starting to have a little swelling in my calves after doing lots of walking & still some rib pain
Belly Button in or out? top is starting to pop out! but it's still in limbo
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: finishing the nursery & organizing all of the adorable clothes... I love looking at all of them!! Need to order newborn picture outfits/accessories this week too! Can't believe she will be here so very soon! :)

30 Weeks

How far along? 30 Weeks

Total weight gain: 22+ lbs
Maternity clothes? mostly my regular clothes with a few maternity items mixed in
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: all of a sudden sleep is not so great - unless I am extremely tired, I lay awake at night just thinking of all the things to come and totally struggle to fall asleep....then I wake up a few times in the night with sore hips & roll around a lot. Hope this is just a phase!
Best moment this week: made the decision to SPLURGE on the anthropologie letters for the nursery!! after reading all of your comments, I went to the store to get some up close pictures of them to possibly attempt the DIY ones.... but they stole my heart!!!! SWOON! Also.... taking this picture! I love it so much, so happy my hubby agreed to be in the pic this week... and it only took one attempt!
Miss Anything? being able to keep up with the hustle & bustle of holiday craziness... almost fell asleep in my dessert plate at hubby's company Christmas party the other night and can hardly shop without having to pee a million times and/or sit down & take a breather. Even wrapping presents sounds like a daunting task at this point.... maybe I can ask Santa for my energy back?
Movement: I am positive she was dancing away to the Elf soundtrack the other night.
Food cravings: still loving peppermint (thanks to my sweet husband for all of the yummy peppermint goodies lately), milk and cinnamon!
Anything making you queasy or sick: meat in general ...bleh!
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, rib pain (which has been getting better!) and overall lack of mobility - i know, it's only gonna get worse.
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: so very happy
Looking forward to: Christmas!! So ready to see family and friends & have all of our fun Christmas traditions later this week, lots of good food, my baby shower on NYE,.and Christmas music on repeat the entire way to Iowa this week will make me even more excited (haven't filled my other road tripping passengers in on this yet!).... Fa la la la la.... la la la la.........take it Rus! :)

Nursery Progress

 We have been working so hard on the nursery & I'm so glad we got an early start on it. All of a sudden the Holidays are here & everything has come to a screeching halt. We will not be able to work on the room again until early/mid January - only a month away from D-Day. 

I can't wait to share pictures of the entire room, but for now, here is a little sneak peek of the crib with some of the bedding! I am so super, duper in love with the way this turned out! :) I know, I am missing a mattress... add that to the list of things we still need.

 One of the biggest things left on our to-do list is to pick out letters to put above the crib spelling out Little G's name. We DID make a decision but have decided to keep it a surprise until her arrival. I used to hate when people said that, but I totally get it now. We want to make sure the name fits her & also want to avoid hearing "oh...that's different...." or "I knew a girl with that name... she was strange & ate chalk all the time..." or other stories like that. 

I am currently leaning towards the Zinc letters at Anthropologie - which I loved even before I got pregnant. I feel like they would be such a perfect addition to the room. But WHOA they are pricey... a whopping $18 a piece! Maybe we should have picked a shorter name :) I love the font style & finish... but also wonder if I should do something more traditional.. or make some myself. Thoughts?

An Updated Things To Do List:

Paint the room (Toasted White by Glidden)

Pick out new light fixture

Buy a rug

Purchase all furniture

Hang Shelving (we chose these shelves & painted them white)

Stock Changing Table (not sure what all even goes in here!)

Make & Hang Tissue Poms

Make Artwork

Hang Mirror & Frames

Accessorize

Here is the somewhat organized armoire - I purchased the storage compartments from Ikea & they totally help keep things in place.

 

Here is a picture of a print I made a while back that will hang in the room - it says "Today I Will Be Happier Than a Bird With a French Fry." Love that saying so much!

I won't even go into the "To Buy" list... I can't even wrap my head around that one yet. I still need lots of accessories, a night light, an end table, a mattress and a chicken burrito. And some other stuff. I could settle for just the burrito though at this point.

29 Weeks

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain: 22 lbs gained at my 29 week appointment
Maternity clothes? mostly my regular clothes with a few maternity items mixed in
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: still sleeping great
Best moment this week: another great doctor's appointment, hearing that everything is still going great & baby is healthy. Just getting so much more excited as each day passes!
Miss Anything? being able to shop for hours without getting out of breath, painful hips & swollen ankles... fitting into all of my winter clothes from last year... sledding or ice skating... drinking games with family over Christmas... and being able to lay on my back!
Movement: lots of movement still, although I'd imagine she's going to start getting pretty cramped in there
Food cravings: peppermint anything (which apparently is a natural cure for heartburn..BOOM!) along with sweets of any kind - dark chocolate, peanut butter, apples & homemade strawberry banana smoothies made each night by my husband
Anything making you queasy or sick: red meat & the smell of parmesan cheese - which seriously smells like feet to begin with
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, a little swelling in my calves, restless legs if I stay up too late (past my lame 10:00 bedtime) and non-stop pain in my ribs
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? on, they seem looser than ever, maybe just because it is cold?
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: the Holidays! It's been six months since we've seen our families... can not wait!!!! :)

28 Weeks

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total weight gain: 17 lbs+ (find out official weight gain tomorrow)
Maternity clothes? mostly my regular clothes with a few maternity items mixed in
Stretch marks? no, although I about shat the other day when I thought I saw a giant, red deep one on my side, turns out it was from my shirt seam that was clearly waytootight.
Sleep: still sleeping great
Best moment this week: officially rolling into the third trimester - I can't express how excited I am to meet my sweet baby girl
Miss Anything? I miss wearing all of my christmas pajamas & shirts! apparently pregnant girls can't really rock the full-body-zip-up-footed-pajama so well
Movement: all the time, especially at night, which I hear is common
Food cravings: I may or may not have eaten an entire bag of candy cane/peppermint hershey's kisses
Anything making you queasy or sick: ew I can't even type red meat without gagging just a little (sorry hubby, no tacos for dinner any time soon)
Gender: Girl - and she MIIIIGGGGHHHHTTT have a name!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Still lots of heartburn, but I can hardly complain about that. Restless legs if I stay up late, rib pain & some pain in my hips/tailbone.. but nothing too painful or bothersome.
Belly Button in or out? can't decide, but it sure is funny looking
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy.. although the random mood swings are happening a bit more frequently. I maturely kicked our car's tire and ROARED the other day  when I was getting frustrated trying to put all my shopping bags in the car.
Looking forward to: the Holidays of course! Can't believe it's only a few more weeks away...and then after that only about six weeks until my due date! Sometimes I feel as if I've been pregnant forever... but right now I'm thinking where has the time gone?!

Must share pregnant story of the week:

My husband & I were getting in bed the other night... when he so sweetly, enthusiastically says "So, do you want to get a BUNGALO?!?" 
Me: huh??
Brandon: a bungalo. do you want one??
Me: what are you talking about?
Brandon: you know, the person who comes to the birth to help you and coach you through labor..........
Me: (spitting water out of my mouth all over the bed) you mean, a doula?
Brandon: oh. YEAH! 

Maybe you had to be there, but literally it might have been the funniest conversation of my entire life. I had the giggles all night & couldn't fall asleep because of it. And on that topic, for any of the moms out there, did you have a doula? With us living here in GA, we don't have any family and most likely nobody will make it here in time for the birth, so it will be just my husband & our good friend who I have asked to come take pictures for us. I originally thought about hiring a doula, but after our all day birth classes this weekend, I really do feel like I have much more knowledge & am feeling a bit more confident, so I really that we can do it on our own. Who did you have in the room with you?

And last, but not least, I really, really, REALLY wish I had 123 glittery coffee-sleeves to give away. But unfortunately I have only been able to find one! Thank you to everyone who left comments!! Using random.org, commenter number 40 is the winner.... Allyssa!

Allyssa, send me an email at jandpaper@gmail.com with your address so I can send your little treat to you!

Christmas Favorites & a little GIVEAWAY!

 Happy December 1st! I am so excited for Christmas this year so I just had to post about it! :) First, in terms of baby updates, I passed my glucose test!! Holiday sweets, here I come! I dove right in to Christmas baking the other night while putting together a package for my brother who is in college. I figured he & his roommates could use some festive treats & I could SAMPLE them all. I found this awesome recipe for a Christmas Snack Mix which was way easy & seriously addicting. Something you could definitely throw together last minute.

I have been loving RED lately! I realized that on a daily basis, all of the things below put me in the Christmas spirit.

 Philosophy Candy Cane Shower Gel - the mintyness is perfect for waking up in the morning.

Red Glitter OPI nail polish "Gettin' Miss Piggy With It" - obsessed with this color, but best to put on your toes because this glitter is a pain to take off

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha - Christmas in a cup!

Bath & Body Works Candle "Marshmallow Peppermint" - If I could eat this, I would

Kate Spade Holiday Socks - these are pricey, but I will buy anything that is red & pink striped, also, the white & gold socks that come with it aren't too shabby either :)

Side note: I think this would be a great Christmas GIFT IDEA! Put all of these items in a gift bag (probably stick with a gift card rather than throwing a drink in there - but it's your choice) & give to your favorite people, great gift under $50!

Also in my ramblings of red holiday love... this little onesie that I bought the other day is the most festive thing ever!! I love it so much, I really, really want one in my size!! Purchased from Eight Baby Legs etsy shop.

Last but not least, a GIVEAWAY! After reading the overwhelming love for the red glittery reusable coffee sleeve from Starbucks that I mentioned in a previous post... and hearing that most of you weren't able to find them near you.... I happened to find another one the other day & snatched it up to give to one of YOU! Just leave a comment if you love it & I will use random.org to pick a winner this weekend :)