It's been a while!

Hi all! Sorry, it's been quite some time since I last posted. We've had a lot going on...some family issues, and some personal changes.

BUT.

I'm excited to announce that baby #2 is on the way!

Yes, you read that right. Yes, my daughter is only 10 months old and will only be 16 months when the new babe is born (assuming this baby comes on time and not early again like her). Yes, I realize that's kind of nuts. No, it wasn't exactly 'planned' per se, but we are totally thrilled and excited. We will just have a chaotic household for a bit :)

That's where I've been. Busy being a mom to a mobile almost-toddler. And busy puking and being tired and making another baby. Haha. SO much fun. But really, it's all worth it. It's so much easier to look at my little girl and see what all comes from the unpleasantries of pregnancy. The not-so-awesome symptoms are tons easier to deal with.

SO...question for the mamas out there. Any suggestions for a large diaper bag that will fit enough outfits/food/diapers for two little ones? My current Petunia Pickle Bottom is great but won't cut it for two sets of everything.

I'm loving this Timi & Leslie bag right now:

I know without a doubt that it's big enough...but is it worth the price?? That's the big question.

And sadly, because we are still in our itty 2 bedroom apartment, I won't have another nursery to decorate (or a 2-child room to redecorate). Eden's current nursery is only 7 feet by 9 feet. All I can fit is the dresser, her crib, a hamper, and a couple baskets for blankets, towels, and burp cloths. So baby #2 will be in a pack n play in our bedroom unless there's such a thing as stackable cribs (haha!). But I'll probably still fantasize about what I'd do with another baby room and post about it after we find out the gender in just 8 weeks.

Due date is set for August 22nd (again, if this one doesn't also decide to come a month early). I'll try to get another post up here pretty soon!

Where I've been...

It's been over two months since I've posted! Wow! Where does the time go...

Well, to my credit, I've been a little busy with this:

My little bundle of joy! Those are her newborn photos. She's actually a whole month old now...

Yes, I'm totally baby bragging. She's pretty stinking adorable, in my opinion :). Anyway, she came 4 weeks early (April 7th), so things have just been crazy. I'm starting to get the hang of this mom thing, but she consumes my time. Blogging is on the back burner for now. Loving on her and giving her attention is what's important right now. 

So that's my life. Because she came so early, we weren't exactly prepared and done with the nursery. I'm slowly working on finishing that. I'll get pictures up when I'm done. Just thought I'd let you all know that I'm still alive. I'm just a mom now :)

Diaper bags

Diaper bags...why is it that the cutest ones are the most expensive?? *sigh* I'm one of those people that doesn't really want my diaper bag to *look* like a diaper bag. Apparently I have expensive taste. I happened to see a woman with a diaper bag at Target (doubt she bought it there, but she had it attached to her stroller) that I fell in love with and wanted. And then I saw it again on a blog. I had no idea what brand it was...I just knew what it looked like. So I googled the general description and was able to find it. Guess what? It's from Nordy's (well, that's where I found it anyway). Which means it costs money. After my family baby shower and getting most all the things we needed, my very sweet hubby told me to go ahead and order it. I used the remaining balance of a Nordstrom giftcard I had from Christmas to help with the cost and ordered away! I promised him I'd use it for all our babies and take good care of it. So without further ado, here she is...

Is she pretty, or what?! And oh, so nice! The outside is made from a wipeable (like vinyl...except it's not) material that's also antibacterial. It comes equipped with a very cushy changing pad that detaches for washing...has a travel-sized wipe case to keep your wipes moist and air-tight. And has a few pockets inside that also are detachable for washing. I am in love with it. Thank you to my hubby!! Can't wait to put it to good use :)

Baby girl clothes

I've got an obsession with baby girl clothes. Luckily...we're having a baby girl! I just have to show off a couple of BabyGap sale finds from this weekend...

The cutest little dress! We're going to take her newborn pictures in this! :)

And an adorable little shirt I couldn't keep myself from buying!

Aren't they adorable?! I think she's going to be super spoiled on clothes. Or maybe I'm overdoing it a little now because I can't really buy any clothes for myself with the growing bump on my front end. I can buy maternity clothes, but I hate the thought of spending a bunch of money on clothes I'm only going to wear another 2 or so months. I'd rather save some money to buy new clothes when the baby belly flattens and I've got my figure back :)

The nursery projects are coming along slowly. I'm working on cutting her quilt top still. I'm thinking chances are good I won't have the quilt finished before she comes, but that's ok. She'll have plenty of other blankets to use, and she probably won't need a thick quilt until autumn anyway. At least that's what I'm telling myself to take the pressure off. I just don't know if I'll get it done along with the other sewing projects I had in mind within the next ten weeks!

Happy Monday all!!

Baby room project update!

I'm working on baby projects...I promise! I've just been busy and now third trimester fatigue has hit...so more to come soon! I will post updates on her quilt and a couple other things I intend to start and finish (hopefully) before she gets here. Only 11 weeks until her due date! Ahh! I better get my rear into gear!

Any of you have any lovely nursery/baby projects to share for inspiration? My crafty/inspired self has gotten into a rut and a little overwhelmed with everything I need to do, and I'm not feeling so motivated these days. Show me pretty pictures! :)

PS...thanks for the comments/suggestions on the natural baby products. I'm going to try out the Dr. Bonner's soap for sure as well as the Huggies pure and natural diapers. They are a lot more reasonably priced than Seventh Generation. As much as I'd love to go with the SG, I just can't justify paying twice the price for half the diapers... I'll probably mix the Huggies pure and natural with the regulars and try to do the pure and natural at night when they'll be on her bum for longer periods of time. Making all these decisions for a little one can be a bit stressful, so I love the help!

Oh...and one more note. Just wanted to say a big CONGRATS to my blogger friend Callie. She had her beautiful baby on Friday, February 11th. Go check out the pictures on her blog. This little boy will make you melt!

Green baby

I'm not really that into being super "green" for the sake of the planet/environment. If it doesn't cost me anything extra to help out, then that's fine. But I won't spend more money on "green" products just to save our planet. I'm more about the green and natural/organic stuff because I'm not into the effects of chemicals and all that nasty stuff. So...all that being said, I've made a few household changes.

First off, I've switched from the 409, bleach, windex, etc cleaning products to Method's cleaning products. I decided to try them out for a few reasons: 1) they are reasonable priced at about $3 a product (at Target); 2) I'm pregnant and was afraid to use all these other chemicals and breathe in the fumes and have anything seep into my skin and potentially harm our little one; 3) I had tried Green Works products and hated them...never felt like they actually cleaned...I started off with just one Method cleaning product and was completely awestruck with how well it worked (the tub and tile scrub)...I'm hooked! Plus, they're stuff just smells amazing. I'll admit I still use soft scrub on the stainless sink in the kitchen because nothing cleans a metal sink like that stuff.

Secondly, I started making my own laundry soap. I did this both for budget reasons and for personal reasons. I constantly felt like something was making me itch and noticed skin rashes (like hives) sometimes even though I was using "free and clear" detergent from the store. I also didn't want to have to buy a second detergent for baby clothes. The homemade stuff is amazing! Not only do I not itch anymore, but it works great, saves a ton of money, and is completely safe for little Eden.

Third...I would love to use only natural wipes, diapers, and baby products. However...they are expensive. Twice the price of normal diapers. So while I know I can't really afford to do it all the time, I'm going to try to buy them here and there. I think I'm going to use the Seventh Generation products. I've read some scary stuff about all the chemicals used in diapers now to keep all the mess "locked in" and to keep the baby dry. My poor niece had some horrible reactions to them. Knowing that both my hubby and I have a lot of allergies and extremely sensitive skin, our little girl is bound to have the same thing. I'm planning to make my own wipes for the most part (more on that to come), but I'll hopefully be able to buy the Seventh Generation wipes for backup when I run out or don't have time to make my own. I really wanted to do cloth diapers to solve this issue altogether, but my hubby was horrified/disgusted by the idea and refused to change diapers if I went that route. I guess you have to pick your battles, right? Unless she just can't handle disposables. Then I'll go cloth, and that's just the way it'll have to be.

Baby products...I had seen some of the natural and organic baby products at the store, but they're so much more expensive than the typical Johnson & Johnson products that I didn't feel I could justify the difference. Well, guess what? I did some reading and research on the Johnson & Johnson products (including their Aveeno line), and I found some extremely disturbing things. They have some pretty scary ingredients. And my niece also had some nasty reactions to these products. That was enough to convince me the money spent on organic products would be worth it. So I'm going for Dr. Bonner's all-natural castile baby soaps. Method also makes a few baby products I plan to try out.

Anyone else have any natural/organic suggestions for household or baby use?



**I was not paid or compensated in any way for posting about any of the products I mentioned. This is completely my opinion**

Nursery!

I got an ok from our landlords to paint the nursery any color I want...yay!! My hubby isn't crazy about having to paint it back when we leave, but he knows how much I want it painted, so he's letting me do it. We should be finding out this little one's gender in 2 or 3 weeks, so I'll post our colors/theme soon! Stay tuned.

Nursery photo inspiration

I know, I know. I just posted on the pom poms, but when I said I can't stop thinking about how to decorate, I really meant it! I think I'm getting obsessive over here! Here are some photos (baby related or not) that I'm finding inspiration from. I hope they inspire you a little too.

I love the vintage feel with the white walls and dark warm wood. It's so cozy.

LOVE the painted spindle cribs. A spindle crib will be a must for this munckin!



A photo mobile...what an awesome idea! It would be so cool to put baby or child pictures of your grandparents, parents and yourself and spouse on there.




I'm in love with this dresser (both color and style) as well as that rug! Ok, and the rocking chair. Um...I guess I just love it all! Bright and cheery without being overwhelming. LOVE. And it's very gender neutral, which is a plus because it saves you money on baby #2 (or 3 or 4, etc).



Love, love, LOVE this wall art idea! I'm a sewer and quilter, so this just screamed at me. And it's such a great way to add color to dull walls. We're in a rental, and we're stuck with stark white walls. This would be the perfect way to add some visual interest.

This is very girly, but I just love the bunting, twinkly lights, and vintage/eclectic feel. Um...I pretty much love everything from knack.

I know, I've got a bit of a mobile obsession here, but these bamboo cut mobiles from petite collage are to die for! My problem is going to be only picking ONE!

Another adroable mobile from petite collage

Ok, can you see what I love these so much??

I love the vintage and very natural feel of this mobile and I really wanted to incorporate birds or owls into my design...but how do I choose just ONE mobile?! Bah! I'm sunk...

Nursery decorating ideas

I've been daydreaming about decorating the baby's room a lot lately. Unfortunately, I can't really act on any of it until we know the gender...which won't be for another 6 to 7 weeks...which seems like forever, but I know it will come faster than I realize. I've decided that if it's a girl (because I think this just might be too girly for a boy), I'm going to decorate with paper pom poms. Have you seen those? I'm in love with them. My best friend used them in her wedding, and I absolutely loved them. The more I thought about it, the more I decided they would be adorable for a baby girl's room. I'm inspired by these pictures. Don't you just love them?

Big news/changes!

Well, with a title like that, I might as well just come right out and say it - we're having a baby! The reason for my lacking in posts and projects lately have been the queasiness, throwing up, and exhaustion that come with growing a baby. And you're not exactly supposed to inhale paint fumes with a baby in your belly. So painting projects are on hold until May or so (due date is April 30th!). I have a BUNCH of sewing projects for the nursery lined up, but alas, my sewing machine is on the fritz and waiting to be serviced at the sewing shop. I'll be posting my ideas/plans soon. I just don't want to get myself too excited before I can actually do anything.

So there you have it. The reason for my silence. Now I'm just anxious to find out what this little munchkin is! We have to wait another 8 weeks for that though... :( Sigh. It'll go quickly, I hope.