where she sleeps.

don't have a baby at 36 weeks or you won't finish her nursery until she's six months old.  there's no explanation other than pure procrastination.  and child rearing. 

ok, ok...i will say that we waited on a lot because we didn't know her gender until her birthday, but really, i just kept putting off the crafting time and time again.

here it is.  where she sleeps.

dresser from babies r us (changed hardware) | mirror from home goods, painted.

crib from target.com | swivel rocker from diapers.com

diy "d" | night stand and bookshelf ikea | vintage rocking horse from grandma

bedding from etsy shop | wall color - silver sage, from restoration hardware

and this is what took me 6 months to craft.  paper ball mobile thingy.

my fav piece in the room.  cut by my friend audrey with blue heeler designs {bhd*}

these are also a new addition.  ikea spice rack shelves turned book shelves.

no fancy bumper here.  i went for breathable.  sheets match the changing pad cover.

*people...it's for real...after MONTHS of telling her she needs to go viral...audrey will f.i.n.a.l.l.y. have a website in the new year.  blueheelerdesign.com

...

And we have a crib....

so after months of searching and researching...we finally have a crib for this little m&m. thanks again to the book baby bargains (if you're pregnant, it's a must read) because it saved me from purchasing a crib with an f rating. luckily, I found something almost identical, for cheaper with an a+ rating!!! don't you love when you find exactly what you're looking for, for cheaper?? me too.

we ended up with this crib from the graco lauren collection. i wanted to go high end on a mattress (for safety), which is why we wanted to save on the crib.

oh! and check out this pic quality. Yep, that's because I finally got my iphone!!! no more crappy blackberry pics. good riddance. This phone is uh-mazing. ...but that's another post.

still can't really capture the true paint color in a picture.  also, the crib is darker than it appears here too.

on another note: i completed my glucose tolerance test today. cross your fingers that I pass. the drink wasn't as bad as sitting in an uncomfortable chair for an hour. baby m has really set up camp under my right rib, which makes sitting tricky.

28 weeks tomorrow.  holy moly.

i guess that's officially third trimester.  

i suppose i was a week premature when i mentioned that last week.

stay tuned for bump pic.

how is it april?

april 1, 2011 | i played an april fool's joke on jake.  he called me on his way home from work to ask if aunt flow had come to visit that day.  i said, "yes...unfortunately".  he said, "next month". 
a p r i l f o o l s.  when he got home, there was a positive pregnancy test waiting for him.

i think fondly of that little heartbeat and wish that we could have made it to where we are now with this m&m...and beyond.  but, i have to remember that there's a plan in there somewhere.  what a difference a year makes.

27 weeks today.  helllloooooo THIRD trimester?  what?!?  how?!

also...

we ordered a crib!!  in espresso.

and don't worry...i think i've changed my mind on baby girl bedding again.

**and thank goodness for the book baby bargains.  because the crib i almost bought got an F rating!!!  yikes!  this one gets an A+.
...

26 weeks and random events.

no chalkboard pic this week.  we'll have to settle for this mirror pic because jake just wasn't around when i needed the pic.

 

14 more weeks of growth?  i'm scared.

 

inanimate comparison:  i couldn't find this info. any more.  i guess the baby has outgrown the size of any common vegetable.  but, he/she weighs about two pounds now!

 

maternity clothes? oh yes.
 

stretch marks? none yet!  please...stay away!
 

sleep: lots of tossing.  lots of turning.  lots of peeing.
 

best moment this week:  coming home to a perfectly painted nursery!!  and also seeing family for my grandma's 80th.  she gave me a little something special for the nursery [see below].
 

miss anything? bending.
 

movement:  non stop and very low.
 

food cravings:  nothing specific.
 

anything making you queasy or sick:  not lately.
 

gender: still a surprise.  the survey has favored girl up until now.  boy is winning.
 

labor signs:  i would not consider them labor signs [i hope] but i get some sort of charlie horse feeling really low every now and then.  or...maybe that's a contraction.  these are questions for my doc on thursday.

 

symptoms:  my back hates me.  see the picture above and the dip in my lower back?  ya, i think that's why.
 

belly button in or out?  in.  for now...teetering on being out.
 

wedding rings on or off?  on...but sort of bugging me lately.
 

 happy or moody most of the time: happy, with moments of tearfulness.  mainly because i just want to be a home-body lately.
 

looking forward to: hearing a heartbeat on thursday.  working on the nursery more.  putting together a crib!! 

here are some pics of the nursery and other random events...

oh, p.s....congrats to mr. menz on his promotion at work!! 

 just in time for baby.  super proud!

the pic doesn't show the true paint color.  there is more green to it.  this shows up very gray.

my mom gave me that hope chest for my graduation.  trying to decide if it stays in the nursery.

my grandma had this handmade rocking horse in one of the rooms at her townhouse for as long as i can remember.  we used to play on it and when i was there for her birthday, she offered it to me.  i l.o.v.e. it!!

another angle.  not sure of the room set-up yet.

my gorgeous aunts and my dad with my grandma.

'80 reasons why we love you'.  the cutest book, created by my aunt gigi.  and that woman, my grandma, does not have a mean bone in her body.  she's the sweetest lady in the world.  no joke.

yep.  i parked there...for the first time.

i had my first o'doole's on the trip.  it tasted like beer.  i can't say that i really miss beer.

 

rock.a.bye.baby

i'm blogging from panera right now...because march madness has taken over my house.  right now, there are four t.v.s broadcasting basketball throughout the menz residence and all of jake's best buddies are shouting at them.

am i complaining?  not really.  i get a day to treat myself:  have lunch alone (which i never do), shop around for baby stuff and just...be.

but i wanted to share a pic of the glider, which came friday.  the delivery service had me on lock-down with a time frame of 12-3.  and when did they show?...about 2:45.  but, again...am i complaining?  no.  i had an excuse to catch up on dvr.  oh ... and clean the house ... for jake's party ... top to bottom.

i have to thank my mom for this generous gift and addition to the nursery.  it is so perfect and increadibly comfy.  i c a n ' t  w a i t to rock a little menz to sleep in this chair.  thanks, mom.

with a paint sample.  i'm going to love it, i know!

 and i will leave you with this picture of my hunk of a nephew.  

i mean...could rolls be any cuter?  no.  no way.

...

nursery inspiration

i've sort of set the 20 week (or halfway) mark for our ready-set-go date.  since babies come when they're ready, and you never really know what might happen...i planned to begin registering and starting the nursery at that point.  and it is quickly approaching.

so i thought i'd share some pinterest inspiration and our vision of what m&m's lil abode should look like.

i hate the current color of the room.  i went with very bold paint colors throughout the house and now i'm itching to lighten it up.  so when we have the nursery painted, i'm having the guy redo our guest bath as well.  so not only do i have to pick a nursery color i love, but also the perfect color to compliment it in the bathroom.

we've decided to use [what i would consider] the 3rd bedroom for the nursery.  the room in front, which has a large window covering one wall, is nearly the same size and i don't necessarily want to mess with that paint or decor.  plus, with the large window...sometimes temperature control is difficult.

how about some visuals...

everyone has that "officey" type room that doesn't get used.  the room that things just get thrown in.  ya, this is ours.

oh and it also doubles as remy's room.  and that duck's too...hate it.

who needs a mobile when you have this?  jake insisted his banded duck should be on display.  now, i think we can find a cozy spot for it in the garage. 

itsy bitsy clothes in the closet!

how did we manage life without pinterest?  who hasn't found the most adorable things and the greatest inspirations while rummaging pin boards?  and then...to be able to pin everything in one place?  genius!

here are some pics of our inspiration.

benjamin moore | salisbury green

similar color on a wall.

tree wall decals from etsy.

crib from treasure rooms.

two tone or maybe an all espresso dresser.

book wall.  seen here.

chevron bedding, from etsy.

my glider dream.

that's all for now.  

you can follow my pin board by going here.  

and if you need nursery inspiration, i seriously suggest that you visit project nursery...which i found via pinterest. 

question:  moms, any nursery must-haves or tips that you'd like to share?