Distractions

I'm trying to take advantage of my desperation - I'm desperate for a sign... a contraction, nesting instinct, lightening, lower back tingling, diarrhea... anything!!!

I had the urge to clean up our pantry this morning, it's been something that I've wanted to do for the longest time. Could it be a sign? Probably not, but that's ok at least I spent an hour NOT trying to will Miss E to come out and play :)

Next project: Removing decals from dining room. I stayed up for an hour after waking up at 2am to pee thinking about how sick I was of staring at these, so I think it's time to finally get rid of them (that'll buy me at least 30 minutes)!

Quality time with Mom

It's so nice having my mom around! I'm so thankful that she's here keeping me company before the big day and will hopefully get to spend lots of time with Emma once she decides to grace us with her presence. She's been cooking up a storm and both Hillsy and I are lovin' it!!

Today she's teaching me how to crochet little baby booties!

Happy Friday

Three more weeks to go!



I spotted black mission figs on sale at Whole Foods this week so I grabbed a couple of pints and decided to make one of Hillsy's favorite pasta dishes - Black Fig & Chili Pasta!

I also wanted to share this awesome tutorial for baby tights on made by RAE (a new to me blog that I just recently discovered thanks to Nancy of sewnancy.) I can't wait to give this tutorial a try, how cute are those red & white tights?!??!?



I really hope I have the energy to sew once the baby arrives!! I've been dying over the cutest baby clothes that are waaaay beyond our budget so it would be so nice to be able to sew some cute things for her.

Current Fave: Inset Lace Bikini

Let's talk undies shall we?
Everyone (including books) recommends packing undies you don't care about in your overnight hospital bag. I get why, but unfortunately I've purged my drawers of these bad boys a while ago and replaced them with ones that I'd actually wear. For years I kept a drawer full of too small, worn elastic waist bands, what was I thinking types of undies that never saw the light of day. Not really sure why I kept them for so long?

I recently discovered the Super Soft Angels by Victoria's Secret line and purchased a whole bunch of them a couple of months ago. Little did I know that Puff Puss would be making a sudden appearance, making all thongs instantly redundant and completely out of the question (which unfortunately makes up about 90% of my stash). So what's a girl to do? I refuse to believe that Puff Puss is going be a permanent fixture around here so paying VS prices ($10 each if they're on sale) for a whole new set of larger-sized undies seems wasteful to me... Target to the rescue!

I found these NON-maternity bikinis that I absolutely love. They fit perfectly (I just had to buy M instead of S). The best part? They're only $5 each! Unfortunately I couldn't find them online so if you're interested, you'll have to go to your nearest Target. PS. They're cut low enough to accommodate a 9-month belly!

Wishful Thinking?

I just ordered Brooke Burke's Taut Belly Band. I know I know, a band that will help melt away pregnancy fat?!? Hey I'll have about 35-40 pounds to lose after giving birth and I won't be able to work out for at least six weeks - figured I could use all the help I can get.

DIY Home Improvement

Here's our new banister!
I think the awkward turn threw my mom off a bit, so hopefully this should help a little.

We just went to Home Depot, picked out a banister style/color and they cut it to size. We also bought two sets of banister brackets and the cheapest drill and bit set they had. The whole project probably took us a little less than three hours.



First step was to measure the length so we'd know how long to cut the wood. Then I measured about 35" up from the 2nd and 2nd to last step and marked it with a pencil. You can adjust the height accordingly. Then took painters tape and followed the angle down to create a guide for us. Drilled holes (we had to do this several times coz we didn't have a stud finder and kept hitting bad spots), attached brackets, attached banister to brackets, sanded it down and voila!

Not bad for less-than-two-years home owners ay? Now let's just hope it stays attached to the wall :)

Bump Update: 36 Weeks

Four more weeks to go!!

So. About that easy & relaxing weekend... well it didn't turn out exactly as planned. Friday night was nice. Went out for some Thai food then caught the new flick Inception. Not sure if it was because of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (love him) and Mr. Leo, but I really enjoyed it. The rest of the weekend was full of baby-related errands. Spent Saturday buying the rest of the stuff on our baby essentials list from Buy Buy Baby and IKEA. We also installed a banister for my mom's sake, she's staying with us for a while and doesn't have the best balance so we thought it was essential to have. I'll post pics of the whole thing later on it the week. It wasn't too hard, except we have really bad walls and it was a pain in the butt to find the studs so we ended up drilling way too many holes that we'll eventually have to patch up.

I also finished packing my hospital bag. Here's what I ended up packing:
- comfy PJs that also work as lounging around clothes, robe, socks, slippers, flip-flops for shower
- underwear, nursing tanks/bras, nursing pads, (plan to use hospital's giga maxi-pads)
- going home clothes
- receiving blanket + stuffed toy to put in the baby's bassinet, going home clothes, mittens/hat, nail clipper
- baby journal
- travel sized basic toiletries for both of us (toothbrush/toothpaste etc)
- makeup bag
- large ziplock full of snacks (fruit strips, granola bars, mints, lollipops)

I also attached an index card outside of the bag listing out items not to forget that aren't in the bag (e.g. iPad, camera, chargers, boppy pillow, extra pillow, birthing ball, my regular bag etc.).

Hillsy seems to think that she'll arrive a week early (if she's anything like me that is). I guess you could say we're ready.

Happy Friday

Finally! I thought this week was never gonna end.

The Mr has been working hard all week so I'm looking forward to spending some quality time together. We're going out on a little date night later on :) Figured we should take advantage of the free nights/weekends we have left. I wanted to catch the new Leo flick then maybe grab a bite, then walk it all off with a nice leisurely stroll. With the exception of taking a trip down to IKEA and Buy Buy Baby to purchase some last minute items, we're hoping it'll be a nice and easy weekend! Maybe catch another movie tomorrow night! I know, such bad asses :)

PS. Oh my goodness. How could I forget... I have an Oh Hells No moment to share!!! OK. All my pregnant ladies out there (and those who have had the pleasure) - WHAT IN THE WORLD IS UP WITH THIS EXTRA LAYER OF "LOVE" THAT I'VE MANAGED TO GROW BELOW MY BUMP AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE GARDEN OF EDEN (CAMEL TOE MANOR)??? Please say I'm not alone in this. It's like a layer of padding right before the pooch. I now lovingly refer to it as PUFF-PUSS. I hope this too shall pass.

How To: Fabric & Marker Painted Decals

Hi again! Please go and check out my DIY: Decals guest post on Kelly's awesome blog Make Grow Gather. Thanks for asking me to be a part of your Lazy Summer: Summercraft series Kelly!

Feeling... Better

Ah what a difference a day makes!

Thanks again for all of your words of encouragement, I'm happy to report that I got my shit together this morning and took another stab at it. These (cloth) storage boxes from IKEA are a god-send. They're perfect for organizing tiny tiny clothes. Folding, rolling and organizing (short sleeve onesies, long-sleeve gowns, etc) the chaos felt invigorating unlike yesterday's fiasco. I guess I just needed to apply my anal-ness to this whole baby thing. As a first timer, sometimes it's hard to see through the weeds. Organizing baby clothes, blankets, towels is just like organizing craft supplies, sillly! I'm thinking that as long as I approach it this way - applying the same coping skills I have for more familiar issues, I'll have less freak-outs!? Hmm perhaps a spreadsheet :)



The Mr also helped put things in perspective. Sometimes tough love is annoying, especially when you just need someone to share in your sorrows and egg you on. But he's so right this time. There are more important things to worry about. Having too much is a better problem than not having enough. AND I need to get over the whole pink thing or else it'll just bite me in the ass. I've been so obsessed with not going overboard with the whole pink thing. Why? I don't really know, just something that I've managed to set my mind to. Honestly, I need to get over it and accept the fact that one day she might just gravitate towards it (like 90% of all girls), so why drive myself nuts over it? There are worst things to gravitate towards! Like purple. Just kidding. So instead of whining about it, I should be more grateful that we have all these things - pink or not. We're lucky that we won't need to buy additional clothes for her and she'll be spitting, puking and crapping all over herself in the first couple of months right? I've been such a momzilla. Bad. Can I get a pass this time and play the hormonal/pregnancy card? Pretty please?

OK. I'm off to find nursing bras! I'm attempting to pack my hospital bag and apparently it's a key item to have. What was in your overnight bag? Any useless items or things you wish you had?

Feeling... Overwhelmed

This is exactly how I'm feeling this morning. Since we had our last baby shower this weekend, I decided it was time to do Emma's laundry. So I unpacked all of our gifts and laid out everything on the living room floor. This sort of heavy feeling started to pour over me and I had to take a break. So of course I got my camera out and started taking pictures of the mess.

All these thoughts were unraveling as I kept piling and piling the mini heaps of hooded towels, onesies and baby socks.

Do I really need so many damn onesies? Which of these will fit her right away? If it says 0-3 months does that mean she can wear them right away? What if she's a huge baby? Should I wash the 3-6 month outfits?... the 1 year dresses? Are these going to shrink? She'll never get to wear these cute summer 3-6 month outfits! Should I really be cutting the tags off all of these things or should I wait and perhaps give them to friends who are also pregnant? Do I have enough hats? Will she need hats, it's so hot out? There's way too much freakin pink! There's waaaay too much stuff!

The thoughts were non-stop so I just left it all down there and decided to go upstairs and write about it instead. The living room looks like a baby shower bomb just went off so I'll probably hide out up here until I get too hungry (it's a shame I don't have an emergency stash of food up here). AND to top it all off I feel like a penguin and I've turned into a big ol' sap crying and tearing about things that aren't even all that sad. Now I'm worried. Could this be a preview to postpartum depression?

Emma's Nursery

Little Emma's room is finally done (I had posted a nursery sneak peek about a month ago)!!! I have four weeks and four days to go and I'm so glad I got a head start on this big project! My energy levels are now way down and I feel like I'm carrying the world's largest and heaviest watermelon. There's no way I would've been able to paint and decorate in my condition and in this god awful heat.

My legs, ankles and feet are finally starting to swell and so is my face. Oh yes, I definitely have that I'm pregnant and I need to give birth soon or else look. Of course it didn't help that I had family visiting last week and we've been eating non-stop. My mom arrived from California this weekend, she'll be staying until the end of August to help out with Emma.





I had my last baby shower this weekend and I just want to say thank you to my sister Mary Jane (who came all the way up from Texas) for throwing the party and to my sister Cecile (all the way from California) for lending her decorating & games/entertainment expertise! Hillsy and I are very lucky and grateful to have you guys! A special thank you to my cousin Ely for hosting it at her lovely home and of course to all of my aunts and cousins who were able to attend. We played lots of games and ate lots and lots of good Filipino food - I'm still recuperating.

Sources:
Wall color: Glidden Evermore Premium (Satin finish) Stillness 70GG 63 Pure White Base; Prints by Amy Blackwell; Wall embroidery by Lisa of loulouandoscar; Laundry Basket: Round Carry Basket (Steele Canvas Basket Co.); Giant Dwarf stuffed bunny; Sophie the Giraffe; Gulliver Crib, IKEA; Pillows: Ferm Living Elle Elephant, Yellow round Pillow from Urban Outfitters; Tiny Garland on crib (I made); Hanging twig garland (I made); mirror, yard sale find; Faux Sheepskin Cloud Rugs (I made); Stuffed Strawberries (I made); white and red striped Fern Animal by Ashley Anna Brown; Wall Doe Sculpture by Astulabee; Two framed prints by Studio Violet; Aqua & White throw on Heater, Anthropologie; Blue & White striped dress, old navy; "Emma" customized wall decal and grey ribbon decal by Shanna Murray; Chandelier (Pottery Barn Kids)

I love this: ATSUYO ET AKIKO

I want to buy Emma one of everything from Atsuyo and Akido's magical studio! I especially love all of the accessories and jewelry...

1. Yellow String with Sheep Necklace, Nonchalant Mom
2. Lucky Charm Stars, atsuyoetakiko.com
3. 14K Gold with Diamond Ring, atsuyoetakiko.com
4. Ribbon Necklace - Rabbit, Nonchalant Mom
5. Ribbon Necklace - Bell, atsuyoetakiko.com
6. Heart Ribbon Necklace, atsuyoetakiko.com
7. Vermeil Beads Bracelet - Heart, atsuyoetakiko.com

(via kenziepoo)
Images: Nonchalant Mom & Atsuyo et Akido