Today I was surprised at work with a baby shower at lunch.  I was so shocked and I turned red and started crying (hormones).  What is even more shocking is that in the 109 years the company I work at has been around- I am the first woman to have a baby while working there!  I am making history.  I had so much fun though. We had really good Mexican food - and I was a huge fan of the jalapeno poppers.  Then we played a few games and I opened presents.  It was so sweet of everyone to do that for me.  Baby and I felt loved.

 

On another note, I have big plans for the weekend.  Now that we have all of the nursery furniture in place (minus the glider) it is time to get my craft on.  I just got my peach chiffon curtain fabric I ordered in the mail which is perfect, but am waiting for my mom to help me with the curtains because, let's just say, they are a bit out of my league when it comes to sewing and I don't want to mess them up.

I have decided that Saturday is going to be my nursery shopping day.  I am planning on driving all the way to Renton to hit up Ikea and then stopping at a couple other places on the way home (Anthropologie, JoAnn's, Home Goods, Thrift Stores...etc.).  I have been searching the web for days and am hoping I will be able to get most of what I need tomorrow.  Here is what is on the list:

• Baskets for changing table.
• Fabric for my little sewing projects (a basket, changing pad cover, and maybe a few other things in case I don't already have enough to do...ha!)
• Tissue paper for pom poms and the cute mobile seen below that I am definitely going to make.
• Cardboard letters that spell out baby girl's name or just the first initial (see below.)
• Mirror for above dresser.
• Picture frames for a gallery wall (If I can't find cheap ones at Ikea then I will have to go to goodwill and get a can of spray paint.)
• Floating shelves.
• Drawer dividers to keep her little onesies and socks organized.
• Some baskets (wicker or canvas - not sure yet) for blanket/toy storage and laundry.
• A night stand - still searching Craigslist daily but keeping my eyes peeled in case I see one for a good price.
• A cute throw pillow for the recliner.
• A lamp.  Still not sure if I want a table lamp to put on her dresser or a floor lamp for behind the glider.  We shall see. 
• Small vases (as seen in a picture in my previous blog post).
• A Cinnabon...or two...since I am now obviously eating for two I don't think any strangers will judge :)

I will probably be wiped out after my long day of shopping, so I will be taking the rest of the weekend off to relax.  Dave's uncle and grandma are coming to visit so we will be spending time with them and even having a BBQ tomorrow night.  The baby requested that we have hot dogs cooked over the fire (so they are almost black), french fries, and watermelon...those are my latest cravings - I have been salivating over tomorrow night's dinner all week.

As promised, here are some of my crafting plans.

Tassel Mobile

Fabric Baskets

Faux Zinc Letters

Nursery Prints

I love these prints - but they are pricey.  I plan on making my own...some like these and a maybe few others.  Updates on that later.

Dresser - I bought stole it from Craigslist.  It is seriously amazing quality and  is worth so much more than we paid.  There were some minor scratches on the top which I fixed with Old English (BEST stuff ever for scratches!)  The handles used to be gold and I wanted to make them a little more girly so I painted them a mint green (to match the crib skirt - fabric seen hanging on the crib) and distressed them with some sand paper.  I love how it makes it look more girly and more suited for a nursery. Crib - White Jenny Lind Crib from Amazon. Crib Skirt Fabric  - CC1 Pastel Mint Green fabric from Silk and More Etsy Shop.  This is where I bought robes for my bridesmaids and I just loved the fabric! Shikha agreed to sell me the fabric for $7 a yard. Rug - Home Decorators Collection 5'X8' WhiteFaux Sheepskin Rug from Amazon.

Changing Table - I bought this off Craigslist as well.  Dave stripped all of the nasty orange and green paint off and I painted it white.  I plan on adding in some baskets for storage.

Next on my list is to start my sewing projects.  First the crib skirt and then the curtains (and then a changing pad cover and some fabric baskets and perhaps even a bunting banner).  For the curtains I bought some Peach Chiffon Fabric and plan on recreating these Anthropologie curtains.  I could not bring myself to spend almost $300 on curtains but could swing $50 and a little bit of my time.

Okay, so I have pondered over all of my nursery ideas for a few weeks now and have finally decided what I want to do.  First things first, I HATE the cliche pink everything for a girl.  I wanted to do something feminine and I don't mind a little pink, but nothing overkill. Here are some of my ideas:

First, I am going to have Dave paint the walls a light gray and the ceiling white - I usually like painting but can't be around the fumes since I am prego.  I also like grey because it is neutral so if we want to change everything in a few years we don't necessarily have to repaint.

I then found an awesome website, Spoonflower, which gave me some inspiration.  I am obsessed with that light minty blue color right now and love it when it is paired with corals.  I also want to mix and match different patterns and use them to sew a crib skirt, changing pad cover, blanket, etc. the flowers on Spoonflower are a little pricey so I am going to check out my local fabric stores first.

For other accents I want to just go with neutrals.  I love the idea of a log for a side table to the glider and this will be easy since we have easy access to lots of wood around this area.

Some other nursery must-haves/projects include:

Crib Definitely going to get a white Jenny Lind 3-in-1 Convertible Crib .  It is so cute and girly and I had one when I was a baby.

Dresser  We are currently searching craigslist for a French style dresser - preferably a longer once - that we are going to refurbish.

Changing Table Also searching craigslist for an old buffet that we can refurbish.  I want something we can take the drawers out of and put in baskets.

Glider & Ottoman Something gray (either pebble gray or charcoal gray) and upholstered.  Obviously I want to sit in a bunch before I pick one out since I am told I will be spending lots of time in it.  I like the style of this one.

Curtains  I going to make some sheer ruffled curtains probably out or a coral or peach color.  I found some sweet DIY Anthropologie inspired curtains here.

Walls  I am going to put up some framed maternity pictures and I also want to find a big mirror for above the changing table or dresser.

As you can see I have lots to do.  Only a few more weeks until we move and I can get started!

So I normally always have a million things going through my mind of what I need to get done (which is a huge reason as to why I am a big list maker).  All I have been able to think about lately is all of the things I need to do before Baby Pehrson gets here...and she will be here in 4 months!!!

First, I need to start a registry.  This is especially hard for two reasons.  One, I have absolutely no idea what I need.  I mean, I guess the only thing that is really necessary for babies are boobs, diapers, and clothes, but going online and trying to register is so overwhelming I give up everytime!  There are so many gadgets out there, many of which I have never heard of, and many of which I don't know if they are even necessary. Reason number two, I want to make sure I am getting the items I like best.  Need proof?  Well let's just say when I was doing my wedding registry on Amazon, I spent hours looking through 200+ pages of salt and pepper shakers.  Ironically, no one even got us the dang salt and pepper shakers.  Even if we don't get everything on our baby registry as a gift, I am sure we will end up buying everything that is essential so I am going to have to put the time in and get it figured out.  I have decided the best thing to do is to just  split up what I need into categories and take a few weeks to do the registry focusing on one category a day.

Next, I need to figure out the nursery.  Dave and I aren't moving until the first week of March so I won't be able to start anything until then.  I have so many ideas of color schemes and patterns and decorations that I don't know what to do.  Not to mention, part of me feels absolutely clueless of what to do because I feel like I am picking out her style - what if she doesn't like it?  I mean, yea she is a baby, but what I like might be completely different than what she likes.

I'm also thinking ahead to what I will need after she is born.  I have decided to take the month of May to make loads of freezer meals (gluten free of course because we just found out Dave has Celiac disease).  Is there anything else anyone recommends that I should take care of ahead of time?

And then on top of all of this off, we are moving and have nothing for our house!  Not only do I get to decorate the nursery, but I will have an entire house to fill - furniture and all.  I know will take lots of time, but I have lots of planning and Pinteresting to get done.

As you can probably tell, I am only a little stressed right now.  Stay tuned for more posts about my registry, nursery plans, gluten free freezer meals, and more!  Also, if you have any advice, please comment!  Anything helps.