Divide & Conquer

This post is really just about dividing, but I added the "conquer" because we just conquered Southern Miss!

Woohoo! Wildcat win!

How cute are these shirts? I have been seeing them pop up everywhere lately. This one is from Old Navy. They have other schools, but obviously the K-state one is the cutest and makes the most sense. :)

Hello Kitty.

Anyways, I wanted to share with you the dividers Brian made for Carson's room - Closet and drawers.

I love all things organization related, so these were a must when we were planning the nursery.

First up, Drawers. 

Socks are the worst to keep separated. It's nice to have them divided, by size, so you can easily grab a pair, without going through several pairs before you find a winner.

 Also, good for hats.

The hubs used a thin wood such as balsa wood and simply cut slits to connect the two pieces.

They aren't quite as stable as I would prefer, but without affecting the dresser drawers permanently, he assured me this was the only way.

The dividers also work great for burp cloths, bibs, changing pad covers, etc.

Organization sensation my friends.

Next up, Closet.

For several weeks after Carson was born, I drove myself crazy (and wasted a ton of time) constantly looking at the sizes on his clothes. I would find an outfit in his closet with the tags still attached, that he had already outgrown.

Major letdown when your little bambino misses out on any cute get up.

So, I researched several options for DIY closet dividers on Pinterest, but couldn't find exactly what I was hoping.

One used cardboard and scrapbook paper, but I wanted something sturdy. Another used CDs covered in fabric or paper.

Then, I found this blog. Exactly what I wanted. Except we decided to cut the wood dividers ourselves rather than buying them pre-made at Hobby Lobby.

Using the leftover wood from the drawer dividers, he cut 4 x 5 pieces. Then, he used a hole saw to cut a hole big enough for the closet rod to go through. Last step, a light sand.

Then, I used cheap acrylic paint and a paint pen to come up with this:

0-3 Months, 3-6 Months, 6-12 Months, 12-24 Months

Awesomeness.

Nursery Reveal

I'm so excited to finally reveal Baby K's Nursery. It has been a long process of getting everything ready, but I am so happy with the results!

I really hope this baby is a boy. If he came out a girl, we would be in big trouble. I'm not sure she would enjoy cars, sailboats, trains and buses.

Note: You'll have to excuse the lighting on these pics. It was quite gloomy outside when I snapped them and I should have waited until later in the day.

Introducing...Baby K's nursery.

 View from doorway. The walls are more blue than they appear here.

The accent wall Brian worked so hard on for our little man. I'm in love with it. It adds just the right amount of "pop" I was looking for without adding a mural or decals or some of the other popular nursery choices.

Bedding: Transportation themed

The changing pad cover (not pictured above, but will go on the dresser) will have this same pattern.

 I love his musical mobile!

DIY floating shelves crafted by Mr. Kutter himself. I was really impressed with his skillz. He might be the next American Handyman:). Oh, and check out some of the great books we received at my shower. What a great idea to have everyone include a book rather than a card. My friends are so smart!

Yes, his name starts with a C. Any guesses? We aren't really keeping it a secret at all, it just seems more fun to not reveal it on the blog yet. I bought the C monogram at Hobby Lobby for $2, traced it onto scrapbook paper, cut out and spray glued. Easy as can be! This project was shown on YHL. Man, I just love Sherry and John.

Until I get some pictures worthy of framing, I simply framed the words "Our Little Man"

The pillow and blanket my mom made. She is so talented. The bedding set came with a diaper stacker we weren't going to use, so she turned it into a pillow for the glider. This is one of four blankets she made him:)

Extra fabric from the diaper stacker to add to a boring white lamp shade.

 Extra fabric made into curtain ties. Using the awesome Steam-A-Seam...

 I seriously love this stuff. No sewing necessary.

 Simply iron over. I have used this to patch up hems of dress pants that were coming out.

 Window Ledge: More books from the shower and a porcelain car piggy bank from Hobby Lobby I painted.

 The teddy bear bank was Brian's when he was little.

 The oar from the antique store and two framed prints I made. I blurred out his name for now:)

 At the bottom of the print, it says, "C is for CXXXXX"

I tried to match the sailboat to the bedding design.

So there you have it folks. We are almost finished! Now I just need to get all his clothes and blankets washed and get the dresser and closet organized.

Oh and I hope this baby doesn't happen to come early because Brian has to leave town for work for a few days. That would be a horrible situation.

Guess what? Tomorrow is Friday!

First Timer: Antiquing

Is antiquing a word?

Hopefully, because that's what I'm calling it.

I did it for the first time this week. You're probably thinking, "What, she's never been in an antique store before?" The honest answer is, well yes I have, but I have never, ever bought anything. And most of the stores I have ventured in have been outrageously priced and sold nothing I would pay that much money for.

But not this one. Nellie and Nico's - an antique boutique. A lot of the prices were right up my alley.

From the outside, I was a little hesitant to even step inside. But, my swollen feet and aching back told me to suck it up and go inside to see if I could score any treasures.

I was in love. Dipping in and out of every aisle, scouring all the great items and finds as ideas and DIY projects filled my head. I was lost. Literally.

There was dust and rust and lots of old crap, but it sucked me in.

I wanted to drop hundreds of dollars right then and there and redo my entire house.

I'm not sure if every antique store is operated the same as this one, but the antique mall was made up of "booths" where sellers were displaying their antiques for sale. There were themed booths, random booths, booths that made me stop and take a picture because they were so fab, and booths that just contained a bunch of old knick knacks.

But the greatest thing about an antique store is that someone out there will find a use for those crap items. All anyone needs is a little inspiration and a vision, and BAM! You have yourself a project or unique piece you never thought you'd stumble across.

I was pretty stoked about my $7.50 find. I almost did a little happy dance until I realized that wouldn't be flattering of a waddling pregnant lady.

It was hanging high up on a wall just screaming for me to buy it.

My first purchase from an antique store. For Baby K of course. The little wooden oar that I plan to paint and put in the nursery.

We're doing a transport theme so it will fit in nicely. Trains, cars and boats.

Evidence of my excitement:

Thanks Antique Mall. I'll be back someday.

29 weeks

Another week passed and I missed the 28 week update. Oops. Sorry.

The good news is that we are making some super-duper progress on Baby K's nursery. The trim and walls are painted and complete, we are just working on the accent wall. We hope to finish it up this weekend.

Brian loves taking these kind of pics.

The color on the wall looks gray in this photo, but I promise it's not. It's a muted blue. Brian thought it would come out looking gray, but he confirmed that I was right with the paint choice this time!

The furniture has also arrived, but is still sitting in the garage. I can't wait to see Brian put the crib together! He's pretty handy, but let's hope for an easy-peasy process. He had some struggles collapsing an exer-saucer we purchased from Heather's co-worker. I think every cuss word in the book was used before he finally figured it out. 

Another thing we have been tackling is trying to find daycare for our sweet little man. It is much harder than I thought it would be. If you want your child in the best daycare centers, simply sign up for another hefty monthly mortgage payment. Seriously, these centers charge $1,200 - 1,400 per month. It's just crazy.

Ok, how about a 29-week bump update?

How far along: 29 weeks
Size of Baby K: I'm now convinced this has been off all along. According to babycenter.com, Baby K is 15 inches long and 2.5 pounds. But according to the sonogram I had yesterday at my appointment, he is more than 3 pounds. Probably explains why he is in the 70% percentile. The technician said this was a nice size!
Fruit/vegetable comparison (according to Baby Center): Butternut Squash.
Total weight gain: 24 pounds, yikes. I think the average is 25-35 pounds. Hoping it slows down some:)
Sleep: Last night = horrible. Woke up at 2:30 to pee and couldn't get back to sleep until 4:30. Oh and the back pain is back, boo.
Movement: I'm his punching bag and I'm perfectly ok with that. I love feeling him move around in there so much.
Unglamorous body changes: Same as before, but bending over is harder than ever. It's even hard to get up off the floor from sorting laundry or putting on tennis shoes.
Food cravings: This past week was Chicken salad sandwiches (had one 3 different times for lunch) and sweets! Thanks to the baby shower and wedding I attended this past weekend.
What I miss: Cute clothes that make you feel sexy and being able to wear heels without your feet feeling like they were put through a meat grinder.
Strange experiences: All the lovely comments I have received lately from people including strangers. Post to come about this!
Milestones: His muscles and lungs are maturing and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain.
Best moment this week: Finding out that he has hair! The sonogram tech pointed it out to us. I was balled until I was one, so I am really hoping for Baby K to have hair still when I deliver:).

27 Weeks: Nursery Planning & New Ride

Hi friends!

I rolled over the 27 week mark this past week and am only three days shy of moving into the third trimester. Yikes! Boy, do I feel so behind. We are definitely making progress with the baby's room and getting prepared, but everything seems to take much longer than expected.

We have finally applied a coat of primer to the room (bye bye fugly lime green) and painted the trim white. Woohoo! It's one big white box as of now, but will soon be transformed into a cute, yet classy (hopefully!) nursery for Baby K. We are ready for paint, just struggling a bit with paint colors/ideas. The furniture comes Friday, so let's keep our fingers crossed that we get a whole lot done this week. Here's our thoughts as of today. Yes, it changes daily:)

I hope to have a mini-reveal soon.

Speaking of mini...we got a new family vehicle! Introducing our new ride:

A mini van!!

Ok, just kidding. We didn't get a minivan, but I will say that they are super functional and definitely made for having a family. I've made a road trip in the Greens', and they are quite comfortable.

Rather, we picked up a Toyota Highlander. It was only a matter of time before the Mazda had to go. Brian loved this car, but it is much too small for a baby and all their gear.

Bye bye Mazda. Brian was pretty sad, but he's pretty excited about our new family car.

So spacious! Now, when we travel, I don't have to worry about Jakey Boy trampling Baby K in the back seat. Jake can have the third row all to himself!

I didn't like the whole "buying a car" process and how long it took last weekend, but we are both in love. And...we sold Brian's car in three days on Craigs List. Yes, three days. I'm a pretty happy lady. I semi-pushed for us to do a trade in, because I was so nervous we weren't going to be able to sell it quickly on our own. However, Brian ensured me it would happen. Sure enough, a 16 year-old girl from Branson. MO, now drives it. 

Time for an update on the protruding belly and Baby K.

How far along: 27 weeks
Size of Baby K: 14.5 inches long, almost 2 pounds
Fruit/vegetable comparison (according to Baby Center): Head of cauliflower. (What!? Some of these are weird!)
Total weight gain: Still don't know...probably 20 pounds. Doc appt next week.
Sleep: Seems to be better lately, back pain isn't as bad as it was surprisingly
Movement: I think we might have a future soccer player. Or just a little man who can kick some ass.
Unglamorous body changes: Ready for some honesty? Gas! Yep, major symptom of pregnancy. Pretty much sucks.
Food cravings: This week was Thai food for some reason. Had it twice. Yummy.
What I miss: Sipping on a glass of wine on the back deck
Strange experiences: Having bigger boobs! I was the girl who was called "Kansas" in middle school because I had no hills, so this change is weird for me. I finally bit the bullet and had to go buy new bras. Why? Because my normal ones have too much lift/under pad and were making me look like a pregnant chick that was trying to flaunt her ta-tas.
Milestones: He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes and sucking his fingers!
Best moment this week: Planning the nursery