Nursery - Stage 3 (Painting Project)

While having trouble getting comfortable to sleep this past weekend, I gave up and decided to get a head start on some of the decorations that I've been waiting to paint for months! :) I've always wanted the theme of the nursery to be light gray and white (I love brighter nurseries!) If we were having a girl, we planned to add pops of lavender, and a boy, pops of teal. When we found out that we were expecting a little boy - I couldn't wait to start thinking of different decor ideas for the light gray/white/teal colored nursery :)

I knew that I wanted decor that wouldn't be too baby-like, so that as the baby got older, we wouldn't have to completely re-do their room and would only have to update certain parts. Some of the earlier decor items that I bought to paint teal were:

These arrows that I found from Jane - They were around $15 when I purchased them back in June.

His name in cursive that I found from Jane - It was about $10 when I purchased it back in July.

A small wooden chalkboard from Michaels to use for his monthly pictures - $2.99.

I wanted to wait to start painting until the nursery was painted and furniture was in - as these were the lower items on my to-do list, priority wise. Now that the furniture is here and nursery is painted - I was excited to get started!

Here are the 'after' photos! :) We're going to wait until after my next shower in a couple of weeks, to start hanging everything and putting out the other decor items that we've collected or received as gifts so far.

Next up on my decorating list is re-painting a hand-me-down stool (thank you Kristen & Greg!) to put next to our glider to use as a little side table. Other pops of teal will come from picture frames, a lamp, Bennett's bedding with matching curtains, etc. I can't wait to be able to share our progress! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

I was searching Pinterest for an easy dessert-like dish that I could make to bring to a family party when I came across this recipe! I had all of the ingredients already (even better!) and just needed to pick up some vanilla wafers or graham crackers to serve with the dip. It was a hit! :)

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces

- 1/3 cup light brown sugar

- Pinch of salt

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 8 oz cream cheese

- 1/2 cup powdered sugar

- 3/4 cup chocolate chips

- Vanilla Wafers or Graham Crackers to serve

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and salt over medium/low heat, stirring constantly, until the brown sugar dissolves. 

Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Sit to the side to cool at room temperature.

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy. Stir in the cooled butter mixture.

Add chocolate chips and continue stirring. 

Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Serve with Vanilla Wafers or Graham Crackers. 

Enjoy! :)

Nursery - Stage 2 (Blinds & Furniture)

Things are becoming more real! We are now 9 weeks away from our due date and all of the little things are starting to come together as we continuously check things off of our to do list!

This morning we had a great appointment with our doctor and was able to see our little man again in 3D! He's growing right on track and is weighing in at 3 lbs 4 oz already. It's so exciting seeing him move around and check in on things - especially since I'm feeling him constantly now. 

Since my last post, we re-painted the nursery light gray (You can see the before pictures here - the room was painted a darker gray color). I'm a pretty plain person when it comes to designing rooms and decor - I like to stick with neutral colors with pops of color here and there - so our theme for the baby's nursery is light gray and white with pops of teal.

Next on our list (well, Eric's list) was to hang the new blind and assemble the glider that we've had in the original box for months. I clearly approved the hard work that took place! Tucker on the other hand - was more excited while helping Eric, instead of for the photo op afterwards with Mom.

Also this morning, the last of our nursery furniture was delivered! (Which ah... for those of you that know the furniture drama we've had to deal with over the past 16 weeks since ordering our original set - you know how relieved I am to finally just have this done!) A HUGE thank you to Mom, Dad and Madison who were able to go back to the store in DE and take care of business in person - canceling our original set, placing the order for the new set and then dealing with the new plan for making it up to us for creating such a mess in the first place :) Needless to say - the new set arrived days letter, and we received a nice refund for the all of the stress that was caused in the process. While this wasn't the original set we ordered, we absolutely love it! Here's what the nursery currently looks with our new furniture included!

Next up on our list for the nursery:

- Dad comes to build the closet

- Putting Bennett's things away 

- Decorating - including lots of DIY projects for adding those pops of teal to the nursery!

Building the Perfect Maternity Wardrobe

What a crazy transition - moving from the regular sized clothes that you're used to and love, to needing new ones because nothing seems to fit anymore! While it's definitely exciting to build a new wardrobe, it can be a little overwhelming when you start to realize that literally nothing fits you anymore. Also not to mention, the sticker shock of how expensive maternity clothes can be! Thankfully, I've been able to build a wardrobe of maternity clothes with pieces I continuously use over and over again - without breaking the bank and am excited to share my tips/tricks/advice with you for those of you soon-to-be or future mommas out there that will find themselves in this position :) I'll also try to share links where I can, so that you can easily find them too or so that you can take a look at what I'm talking about to compare!

Here's my closet currently - all maternity clothes. Nesting is no joke. I quickly became tired of pulling maternity clothes from different piles in our guest room, or digging for a different shirt out of a tub. I was ready to have everything easily accessible and easy to see so that I could quickly grab and go! One day - I took on the task of emptying my entire closet (and figuring out which regular clothes I'd still be able to use while pregnant, and others that I could put away until after Bennett arrives and I'm ready for them). I packed up all of the clothes I didn't need while pregnant and organized them neatly into tubs in the top of my closet and the guest room closet. What a difference it makes being able to see and easily browse through all of the clothes that you can actually wear and that fit! 

I was told by many friends when we announced that we were pregnant to be careful with continuing to wear your favorite regular-sized pieces. They shared their experiences with doing that. Of course, with your baby bump continuing to grow - so did your regular clothes. After they had their babies and were able to fit back into non-maternity clothes again, the ones that they continued to wear (for a little while) were stretched and didn't fit nicely anymore. I was thankful for that piece of advice - no need to spend money on maternity clothes so that you actually have some clothes that fit AND needing to spend money replacing old ones that you stretched out throughout your pregnancy.

I'm extremely thankful for hand-me-downs! A few friends and sister-in-laws graciously passed down and offered tons of clothes to choose from and take advantage of, which was and has been a huge help! Especially, while working in an office setting and needing nicer clothes to wear every day to work. (As mentioned above, it's shocking how expensive maternity dress clothes can be!) A huge shout out to Susana! She sent me home one weekend with 2 huge tubs of maternity clothes - I counted them while unpacking them at home, and there were over 100 pieces! :) So definitely take advantage of those hand-me-downs that are offered to you from your amazing friends and family - they are wonderful to have!

While shopping for maternity clothes is extremely exciting, I promised myself early on that I wouldn't go crazy picking out and spending a lot of money on maternity clothes, that let's face it - I wouldn't even be wearing for that long. (Another side note - it's shocking how fast you can grow out of certain items! And amazing how you love certain things in your early months of pregnancy, and as you approach the latter-end of your pregnancy, you have a completely different preference). You don't need much! It's crazy how long certain pieces last you. With a few exceptions of bathing suits and a few shorts, I've been able to make pieces last throughout my entire pregnancy! (Let's hope that this blog post doesn't jinx me...)  I'm happy to say that I've stuck to my promise and I've been so happy with those purchases I've made along the way to add to those amazing hand-me-downs that I received!

So - what have been some of my favorite pieces so far?

Full panel bottoms! While in my first and going into my second trimester, I tried to avoid full panel bottoms. I was shocked in how quickly my regular sized pants became so much tighter - so I definitely needed something! I had a couple of pair of shorts that were low-panel, along with a pair of hand-me-down jeans and capris that were low panel (which I loved in the beginning!)  I was also able to continue to wear a few capris and work pants with a belly-band (by leaving my pants un-zipped and wearing the belly band-over top) - so that was definitely helpful in the first trimester! After a certain point, the belly-band becomes uncomfortable, as do the low panel bottoms - especially if you're sitting and standing constantly throughout the day (lots of adjusting!) And as your precious little bump starts getting bigger and bigger, the low panel waists are definitely not comfortable anymore. The first time I tried on full panel pants I thought to myself, 'why in the heck did I wait so long?!' They are amazing! 

> Bottoms for work - I purchased one pair of black full panel capris and one pair of black full panel dress pants. No need for more than that - you can constantly change up your tops to make different outfits for each week. These capris and dress pants have been some of my favorite purchases because they are not only so comfortable but they look great too! [Tip: My favorite work capris and dress pants came from the Gap - they're constantly having 40% off sales with free shipping - definitely don't try to purchase these items at full price!]

> Bottoms for lounging - My favorite have been from Target! The brand is Be Maternity by Ingrid & Isabel. They not only can be dressed up with certain tops, but they make the perfect lounging around leggings - they're so, so comfortable. And they're not made out of cheap material that you can see through. They also come in low panel and high panel. (Of course, I got the high panel - I never have have to worry about my circulation cutting off or my belly hanging out! They're just so comfortable!) I could live in these pants! Also - constantly check for Cartwheel coupons before buying (there's usually always a 20% off maternity coupon). Even better, they come in capri cut and full-legging cut.

Tank tops from Target! These I started wearing early on when my tops starting to get too tight for comfort! I purchased the Long & Lean Tanks made by Mossimo Supply Co. - they come in so many different colors! I'm usually a size medium top, and one size up has worked perfectly! They're regularly about $9 each, but every so often, Target runs a sale where you can get either 2 for $16 or cheaper. (In addition to that - if you're a cartwheel user, there are constantly coupons for women's clothing that will land you even more money off of that!) After coupons and discounts, I probably spent about $5 for each tank, and I've been wearing them from the first trimester and am still continuing to comfortably wear them in my third trimester! Note: They are not maternity - they are found in the regular women's section. It's nice because not only are these tanks so cheap, but you can so easily dress them up or down with whatever you're wearing! Plus - they'll be great to have after you deliver too while you're body is adjusting to no longer carrying your precious baby anymore - they're extremely comfortable and don't look like your typical maternity top. Here are few samples of times I've worn different tanks of these in each trimester:

13 weeks here - navy blue tank!

Purple tank at 19 weeks while Big Brother Tucker is cuddling close!

20 weeks here - white tank, dressed up  by a cardigan for work!

Teal tank at 25 weeks (and hubs too!) :)

Same white tank at 27 (almost 28 weeks) 

paired with the Gap capris mentioned above!

Maternity underwear! First thoughts? No thanks. I thought they'd look like huge granny panties with tall panels in the front that go over your belly. Boy was I wrong about this too! These were actually recommended to me by my boss - she said don't wait to order yourself a pair and to try them out because they're that comfortable. That's exactly what I did! (I think by this time, I was definitely into my second trimester). My favorite brand? Gap wins again! (Again - keep in mind, they always have sales - most common is 40% off with free shipping, but in addition, they're constantly having sales on their maternity intimates - so take advantage!). Don't get me wrong - I'm still able to wear my regular sized underwear and did so more often in my first and second trimesters, but definitely now that I'm in my third trimester - they're not as comfortable as they were while not pregnant! Here are two of my favorites: Stretch Cotton Thong & Stretch Cotton Bikini. 

Other favorites:

> Dresses - Old Navy and Gap have wonderful collections of maternity dresses for all phases. I've loved their pieces but beware while ordering online - definitely read the reviews on sizing. I've found that I've needed much smaller sizes than the size I actually thought I'd be based on the size charts. They have a lot of affordable but high quality pieces that have also lasted! Also - easy to dress up for work, and to make more casual for other occasions.

> Tops - Target has been my go to place to many pieces, especially tops. I love the Liz Lange collection (again, always coupons!) but they are also made of nice quality material. I've been able to find a ton of options on clearance - especially now, lots of tops are on clearance as we're switching seasons. I've stuck with a lot of solid colors. It's easy to add different statement necklaces or scarves now that we're approaching cooler weather - to make more top options. 

> Bras - Don't spend a fortune.  Your bra size will change a million times. In this category especially, I'm thankful for my hand-me-downs, sports bras and gift certificates! :) It's definitely essential to have a nice-fitting bra - what a difference it makes! But egh, how annoying it is when you're one size one week and two weeks later, you're in need of something new. So don't spend a fortune on a great bra like you're use to doing that will last you for a while - you definitely won't be in the same size for long!

Some items that I continue to wear that I've had from my regular-sized wardrobe: Sweat pants, some yoga pants, t-shirts and tanks that were baggier on me pre-pregnancy, hoodies, cardigans. Also - thank goodness for Eric's wardrobe as well :) He's come home plenty of nights from work to find me in either his work out tees, sweat pants, or taking advantage of his zip up hoodies on cooler days. I'm warned by pregnant friends and family that his comfy gym shorts are next :) Also - I've found a lot of the not-so-form-fitting dresses that I had pre-pregnancy work great as you're growing.

Here's one that I actually wore last on our honeymoon - 14 weeks

And one from 15 weeks, a dress that I last wore while on vacation in Jamaica! (It's fun to be able to re-wear these items while your body is completely different from the last time you wore them!)

You can even dress the more flowy ones up with a cute belt or ribbon. Here's a flowy black dress that I had pre-pregnancy that I'm able to spruce up with a ribbon belt (to help make the once nice looking flowy shape of the dress, look not so frumpy now that there's actually a bump under it! :)

I could go on and on about tips/tricks but I think that these so far are my favorite ones! My best piece of advice - don't go crazy. Honestly, who cares how many different outfits and tops/bottoms/dresses you have? A) They'll only fit for so long B) They're so expensive C) Who cares? All you need to be is comfortable... who do you need to impress? :) If you feel comfortable and are happy - that's all that matters! 

Nursery - Stage 1 (Prepping & Painting)

Stage one of getting the nursery together has been clearing it out! Pre-baby, we were using the room as a second guest bedroom and it also housed a desk that we rarely ever used. The closet is huge (thankfully, because Bennett already has a lot of stuff!) but it was full of storage stuff for things like holiday decorations, craft supplies, office supplies, anything that needed a storage spot that didn't have a home elsewhere, you could usually find it there! Also, all of Eric's work certificates and awards were hung in this guest bedroom. It's so weird to see this space now empty, but it makes me even more excited to see what it'll look like when it's completely finished!

Here's what it currently looks like - empty and ready for fresh paint [and of course Big Brother Tucker had to make at least one photo]! :)

We've had a few set backs with time and plans, but thankfully this week the nursery will finally get painted! Within the next few weeks, Dad and Eric will be building the closet and assembling all of the furniture! I can't wait for everything to be set up so that I can finally start putting things away. (As an obsesser of organization and cleanliness - I can't wait to empty the tubs and random boxes of supplies and clothes that we've received already that are ready to have their official home, neatly put away!)

Such an exciting time! I can't wait to post updates of the progress we make over the next few weeks, and the projects for wall decor and other ideas that I'm so excited to start! Stay tuned! :)