Thursday, January 26, 2012

Gathering the First Twigs

I don't think I'm fully into the whole "nesting" thing yet, but I think it is beginning.  I love spending time in Jonah's room and I especially love crossing things off of the to-do list!

Last week, Jesse and I went to Cincinnati to the huge IKEA store.  We had such a good day! It was a great trip and we ended up spending more than we had planned (which is always a sign of a good shopping trip, right?)

We ended up buying the Poang Chair, but we got a more expensive better chair pad for it.  I didn't like the look of the red one once we were in the store.  I thought it looked more orange online, but it was very red in person.  So, I selected a higher quality green one instead.  The chair is a lot more comfy than it looks.  I think, with some pillows, it will be a great nursing chair.  I don't think it will really get used a whole lot, so I didn't want to spend $400 on a comfy rocker.

We also bought an Expedit Bookcase, and 2 orange Kassett Box sets to go inside the bookcase.  I love the way this looks in front of the window, like a window-seat!  Now I just have to get busy sewing some pillows!

Another IKEA purchase was the gray abstract floral rug.  I really love the way it brings the room together.  I can't wait to see it with the crib!

At IKEA, we also bought some curtains (which aren't up yet due to the lack of a curtain rod) and we bought 6 identical natural wood picture frames.  I plan on taking illustrations from the children's book, Caps for Sale, and framing them to hang above the crib, similar to this  (I'll post pictures of mine later as the project progresses)

Here is a sneak-peek of Jonah's room.  I've only just been playing around with the placement of things, so it is likely to change a lot.  It was dark (obviously) when I took these, so I may do a re-take during daylight this weekend and post them soon.



The orange throw was bought by my mom...I love it and it is SO soft! She also bought the cute orange lamp.  I bought the orange teddy bear....and I made the "Snips & Snails" print using my computer and my incredible art skills.


I also have been practicing my sewing skills.  I made this whale softie for Jonah, too.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Second Ultrasound

This past week I had my second ultrasound.  The first time they were unable to get photos of Jonah's heart.  His position and the fact that he kept flopping around prevented them from getting the information that they needed.  So, they rescheduled me for a month later.  This ultrasound was a lot less exciting, but I was still really excited to get to see him again!

This time, they were able to get the photos of his heart (although, it took awhile and I was getting nervous!) but, unfortunately, we didn't get a good look at his face.  No yawns this time, but we did get to see him put up his 1st finger like he was saying "I'm number 1!"   That was pretty neat.  We did get a photo of that.

I feel like there are a lot of things I need to do now! I really can't wait to get the nursery together.  Jesse and I are planning a trip to Ikea to get some things. I'm thinking about getting some bookcases and a Poang chair.  The crib I want is from Amazon and they are currently out of stock.  I can't wait to order it!

Soon I'm going to start sewing a valance for his window.  I bought some fabric (some of the same fabrics from his quilt) the other day! His wrestling shoes arrived... monogrammed with his initials...and they are adorable!


My sister-in-law, Alyson, is throwing me a baby shower...and it is so fun to look at cute baby things! I have been working on getting my registries set up.  I have one that I have been using at Amazon.com mostly just to help me organize the things that I want to buy, but if anyone out there wants to help me on this endeavor...by all means, feel free! I also have a baby registry at Target.  I prefer Amazon, but I know a lot of people won't want to shop online.  Here is a link to my Amazon registry...and here is a link to my registry at Target.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

He has a name!

We have decided on a name for our little man.  He is Jonah Andrew Crouch!  We gave him the same initials as Jesse!  We were pretty sure about the first name for a few weeks.  I've been looking at whale stuff for the nursery for awhile now!  It's so cute!!

As soon as we decided on Jonah Andrew, Jesse ordered him some infant wrestling shoes!  Here is a photo of what they look like.  I'm not sure what colors he picked for Jonah, but they are all pretty cute.  They monogram the baby's initials on the shoes, so Jesse had to wait until we were sure before he ordered them.  


I've spent a little bit of time during Christmas break shopping for baby stuff.  I've bought some stuff and my mom has bought some stuff too!  She got him a really soft, bright orange blanket and an orange lamp for his room.  I bought a cute orange teddy bear, some clothes, some hooded towels (with whales on them!), a shopping cart cover, and I ordered him a custom quilt. 

I picked out the fabrics myself with the help of the lady who is making it.  Then, I put together this quilt pattern...


but we finally decided on something that will look similar to this one. (This is just a small sample, the actual quilt will have more squares than this)


She has ordered the fabrics and I can't wait until she starts sending me photos of the piecing process!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Last Holiday Season Sans Baby



I've been thinking about how different my life will be next year at Christmastime.  Things will definitely be different!  I have thought about the last 9 years of Christmases with Jesse and, honestly, they all run together.  I can't think of one that really stands out in my memory (except when my Mom was recovering from cancer surgery in 2009).    However, from now on, we'll be measuring the passing of time with a growing little body!  Next Christmas, I'll be the parent of an 8 month old!

I'm looking forward to a lot of great things in 2012! Jesse and I will be married for 10 years in May and, of course, our little guy will be here at the end of April or the beginning of May!  I'm thinking that 2012 will be the best year yet!

Everyone have a Happy New Year!