Plans for the Little Guy's Nursery

We are slowly starting to accumulate a few baby things, now that we know to expect a he in our near future! I want to show off my very first Craigslist purchase. I had heard good things about the Snugabunny, but considering that not all infants take to swings at first (or ever), I didn't want to pay full price for it. I am very picky about what we buy used, so I look for a lot of things when shopping, including whether or not the person who has written the listing uses correct grammar, lol. This swing was only used twice (as their son did not like it), and was more than half off of the original price! Plus, the owners sounded like good people on the phone and they were in person too! We just have to wash the detachable cover and we are good to go...

 And here are a few other new additions to our baby stash...

I picked these up right after our ultrasound, as a sort of welcome to the world of boys gift for us:). J.R. has a Ralph Lauren polo like the orange one in EVERY color, so we will probably be getting more of these!

I was very excited to find this at my Mom's house when we were home for Christmas. This Jenny Lind-esque rocking chair sat in my nursery at one point, and with some sanding and a coat of paint (probably white) it will be perfect for our little boy.

We found this J.J. Cole diaper bag for a good deal at Marshalls/HomeGoods (love that store!) a few days ago. It's exactly what I wanted and J.R. says he may even carry it:)!

One of our family members graciously offered to buy us a rocker for our nursery, and we should be picking up one of these bad boys 5 weeks from now! Ours will be a yellow/maize color (minus the piping), and let me tell you, a person could fall asleep in one of these! It is amazingly comfortable and beautiful! We cannot wait, and feel very very blessed!

As you can see, we hopefully have a good start. I know a few friends and family have been asking me what we are going to do for a nursery. I thought this would be a great time to brainstorm with some ideas on the blog. So, you can skip the next part if nursery decor isn't your thing....Daddy:)!

In the past week I have noticed that there are tons of beautiful pictures of nurseries for girls all over the internet, but unfortunately the boys are more often than not left out. We had planned to do a semi-gender neutral nursery, and then accent it with either blues or pinks. I think we have now decided to commit to a color scheme of light grays and yellows, with accents of light and turquoise blues (and possibly oranges if it needs to be brightened up a bit).

I am in love (just like the rest of the world) with a site called Pinterest. In case you are one of the few who haven't heard of it, I highly recommend! The concept of the site is to allow you to create inspiration "boards" of things you find on the internet. You select or "pin" a picture of something you have found on a website that you like, want to make, want to buy, etc. and you can add it to your own personal page and board on the site. You can then go back to your page at any time, click on the picture, and it will direct you back to the site you originally found it on. If you are in a hurry, it is a great way to save a good idea you have come across while surfing the web! I have found a ton of things I want to make or buy for our little guy's nursery, simply by browsing through others' nursery boards. Anyhow, so that you can better see the vision I have for the room, here is what is on our nursery board so far...

   I just love blue, gray and yellow together! I wish I knew how to sew because the swatch of tree fabric on the left is perfect for a fitted sheet for his crib. I love the fabric of the bumper in the top picture as well, but don't plan on using one with all the safety risks involved. The little birds bedding is one of my favorites, although I have been partial to chevron patterns like the bottom left lately, as well.

I love everything on this board, from the giraffe pottery barn stroller blanket that would look great on our yellow chair alongside one of those cute giraffe pillows, to the chevron rug, and the tree pillow I found on a DIY blog made using left over fabric. Again, I really need to learn how to sew:)!!

I found the majority of these prints on ETSY for a relatively inexpensive price. I will probably order a few and put them in white frames around the nursery. Who could live without those giraffes? I am starting to think I am a little obsessed with them lately:). We are close to narrowing down a name for our son, and once we do I will try to replicate those gray letters that Anthropologie sells for a small fortune. I actually have a link to a blog that instructs you on how to make them yourself for much cheaper.

The best part is, I have J.R.'s approval on most of this (right babe??;)). We are thinking of painting the walls a light gray, and possibly adding a chair rail. I would like a white crib, a white dresser (I was advised to buy one of these for a changing table so that it can be used for years after they are no longer in diapers), and we have our yellow chair (yay!). J.R. isn't as excited by white furniture for a boy, but I think once he sees it all together he may change his mind. I also want to get a mirror (i found this neat one surrounded by what looks like small driftwood at Kohls that would hopefully add a little more of a rustic look in the room), and maybe make a paper or cloth mobile to go over the changing pad. I hear babies like to study things like that, and the more distraction he has when getting his diaper changed, the better for us I am told! I hope to come across something similar (and less expensive) to these cute stuffed animals I found on Restoration Hardware's site. They have a canvassy/burlap look to them that could add a small touch of vintage neutral to the room:

I know I am a little all over the place with the room design, and am trying to mix three themes together: gray and yellow, rustic/woodsy, and vintage. I hope we can narrow things down a bit (or find a way to incorporate all three) and come up with something perfect! 

As you can see, I have plenty of time on my hands to look around anyway:)!

Finally, a small update. J.R. took off of work so that we could both go meet with the specialist yesterday, and it was nice that we were both able to see an extensive ultrasound. Everything looks great, we are just going to have to monitor his growth a little more towards the end of the pregnancy. He wasn't cooperating enough to get a good profile picture, but we did get to see our little guy in 3D for the first time!

 He's pretty curled up in there right now. J.R. says "he is using the placenta as a pillow." Hopefully you can make out his little face. But, in case you need a little help (this is how I understand it)...

 We are already so in love:)!

Baby Blue!!!

As if the title doesn't give it away, we are having a........BOY!

My plan for a creative long distance gender announcement for our friends and family (who are able to receive picture messages on their phone) took quite a bit of work. I love balloons and decided to order some large balloons in light pink and powder blue from a bargain balloon warehouse that I had found online. I was able to arrange for the floral department at Kroger to blow up one of each color. FYI-if you ever decide to use these giant 36 inch balloons for an event, picture, etc. make sure to ask that some sealant (i have even heard a drop of Elmer's glue shaken up inside can help fill in the tiny holes that allow air to escape the latex) is placed in each balloon before the helium so that they last longer. The sweet lady who helped us was just finishing up her first week in the floral department and didn't know. We filled them up Friday night, and this picture was taken Sunday evening. You may be able to see that the balloon is starting to sink just a bit! With a self-timer, tripod, wireless remote and patient husband, I managed to get as close to the look I wanted for our pictures as I could, but the process was time-consuming and at times frustrating:).

The next day we went for our anatomy scan, and within two seconds of placing the ultrasound instrument on my stomach, she announced that it was a boy! A big smile crept over both of our faces. We had both been so sure that he would be a girl, and boy were we wrong. Unfortunately, our little guy would not cooperate for the rest of the scan (I don't have any good pictures), so I am headed to a specialist tomorrow to have a look at the rest of him (pray for us!).

It is still hard for me to wrap my mind around, even a week later. I am going to be the mom of a little boy! I am so excited for this challenge that God has entrusted us with, but I am scared I will not know what to do with him. I grew up in a house full of girls and am going to have to rely on J.R. for some guidance with this:).

Our semi-bi-weekly picture:

The Houston Rodeo and Lady A

Yesterday, around 2:30pm, we decided to drive over to the Houston Rodeo after J.R. got off of work. I have a feeling we will be missing opportunities to have this kind of spontaneity in a few short months! Lady Antebellum (a favorite of ours) was making an appearance after the actual rodeo and we thought, why not?

Amongst a sea of cowboy boots, hats, and jean jackets, we ascended what seemed like 50 ramps to get to the nose bleed section of Reliant Stadium. I read that in pregnancy a woman's center of gravity shifts, and even as early as the second trimester, she can feel a little off balance. The location of our seats made me feel this way for the first time. I literally needed to hold to J.R.'s shoulders walking down the narrow stadium aisles!

However, it really was nice to be up that high. As you can see, we were able to sit mostly alone during the entire rodeo and concert! Here's a video of the guy that won the night's bull riding round:

And Lady A did not disappoint!

This was, of course, our little one's very first concert!:)

17 Week Valentine's Bump

I found this questionnaire on a few other pregnancy blogs and thought I'd give it a go this time:
 

How far along? 17 Weeks

Total weight gain: up 4 - 6 lbs (although it looks like more--I feel like these pics make me look sooo much bigger than I actually am...the camera adds 10 lbs. right??:))
Maternity clothes? I have bought a few things, but am still wearing regular clothes too--regular jeans are definitely not working as well anymore!
Stretch marks? none so far, and please pray for me that it stays that way!
Sleep: not terrible, just a lot of running to the bathroom constantly at nighttime
Best moment this week: stopping at target with J.R. to pick up my V-day gift, a.k.a a nice body pillow that makes sleeping that much easier since apparently I am supposed to only lay on my sides from this point on
Miss Anything? I missed wine for the first time this past weekend--everyone was enjoying a glass but me:( (don't worry, I will live!:)) 
Movement: I feel something, just not sure if it is baby movement or just weird stomach gurgling
Food cravings: sweets (surprise!), J.R. took me for a cupcake after our Valentine's Day lunch salad--gotta balance out our meals:)
Anything making you queasy or sick: just when i don't eat at least something small every three to four waking hours
Gender: can hardly stand the anticipation I feel for our next ultrasound!!! it feels like a girl to me, but a boy could be in our future--who knows:) 
Labor Signs: no, and thank goodness...praying that the baby is healthy, happy, and stays put!
Symptoms: lots of pains in my lower back, especially when I try to take a brisk walk with Max--frustrating
Belly Button in or out? in and I don't see how it will ever pop out, it's keeping me from looking like those women that have the cute rounded out bump--mine has a gaping hole in the center where my belly button resides
Wedding rings on or off? on.. I can't imagine swelling that much, but it could very well happen, hopefully towards the end
Happy or Moody most of the time: maybe J.R. should answer that ;)
Looking forward to: THE 20 WEEK ULTRASOUND!!! and knowing everything is okay with the baby!!! probably won't be getting much sleep the night before!

Happy Love Day

New Addition Cooking!!!

Yep, you read that right! We are expecting a new addition (of the human variety) to our family at the end of July! We are as thrilled as you'd imagine first-time parents can be! Although you wouldn't gather it from the picture (that's about as much excitement as I can pull out of fur child unless there is food involved), 

Max is excited too!

We had planned to start a family around the time I turned thirty, and we were lucky enough to have it happen very quickly. In fact, I decided to take a test on a whim one day and...

And just to be sure, we tried a couple more...

What a crazy feeling it is to see those two lines appear, and know there is a baby growing inside of you! It doesn't feel completely real yet. I hear it will once we can start feeling it move, 

and hopefully that should come soon.

 

Just in case you were wondering, I feel like a beached whale already:)! It will be nice when a more prominent bump starts forming, rather than the tummy protrusion/one-too-many cheeseburger belly 

I am currently sporting.

 We have our 16 week appointment next Monday, which means our BIG appointment is four weeks from then! We cannot wait to find out baby Dokos' gender. Care to venture a guess? ;)

Christmas 2011

So Christmas came and went, quickly and without major event. In fact, I am having a hard time forgiving myself for not even putting up a Christmas tree. Well actually, we put the tree together, started to untangle the light strands, and gave up. We kept glancing at our poor, worn-out faux tree as we tried to figure out what sort of system we thought we had so cleverly developed last year in the way of light storage, and decided it just wasn't worth it. Don't get me wrong, I know there are plenty of people who cannot afford any type of tree, and for that I feel truly guilty. However, after four years of looking at gaping holes and a very visible plastic trunk, we knew it was time to send it into retirement. So, to Goodwill it went, in hopes that someone else will breath new life into next year. We intended to find another pre-lit tree more suited to our new home, but as we drew closer to our holiday trip to Tennessee it was decided that we should hold off. So next year, look out! I know for a fact we will be spending the 2012 holiday season in our Texas home (more on this in a future post;)), and to me a treeless Christmas day is simply unforgivable.

We made the 16 hour trek to Tennessee again this year to celebrate Christmas, Nichols family style. Missing were my sister, bro-in law, and the camera! First a disclaimer: I am in no way trying to downplay the degree to which I missed Julie and Seth with my camera ramblings. That being cleared up, I admit my beloved camera stayed behind in Texas and I missed it dearly, and I mean dearly! Maybe it was the 3am wake-up call the day we began the horribly LONG drive or some other recent developments in our life (again, more on that in another post), but my brain must have literally turned off as we rolled our suitcases to the car, set our alarm and locked up our house. That said, I have ZERO pictures of our trip.


I will say we had a good time getting out of Texas and seeing my family, although we missed J.R.'s. 2011 was not an easy year health-wise for the Nichols family, so it was nice to be able to help with what I could while there. We had a lovely Christmas dinner, complete with individual cornish game hens, smoked by my talented dad, and a goat cheese au gratin potato dish, baked by my gourmet chef of an aunt. J.R. was able to go shooting with my dad a couple of times, and Max tasted a little bit of freedom with an off-leash hike around Norris Dam. All in all, it was worth the drive and we loved our Tennessee Christmas.


Don't tell the inside of our house, but the outside did celebrate Christmas...a little. I will leave you with a few pictures of the only decorations we did attempt this year:).

 Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year to everyone! 

We will have some exciting news to share in the next few weeks!!