A Nursery for Baby Kieran

 Baby Kieran's nursery has been

underway since the end of December.
It was converted from my art studio to a room fit for baby.
 And it has been such a labor of love.
I am a sucker for interior design,
and well, designing a room for my baby boy
was soooo much fun.

We wanted something sweet.
Nothing too themey.
Which, let me tell you, with some of the stuff
out on the market nowadays, is hard to avoid.
If you like monkeys, it means monkeys on everything.
Everywhere.
Monkey's in your face.
And that makes me slightly insane.

I wanted the space to be a calming one,
 one where we can all relax and
spend endless hours cuddling.
A room that not only baby will appreciate,
but a room that we all can love and enjoy.

With personal touches,
DIY projects made from the heart,
and hand picked accessories,
I think we accomplished just that.

We opted for a nursery that had a nod to the nautical,
and celebrated an 'around the world' feel,
Oh the places this baby will go!

Welcome to Baby Kieran's nursery!

GAH!  I'm in love with this glider!
The thifted turquoise chest houses toys for baby
and also functions as additional seating
for company while I'm nursing.

The shelves house some select baby books,
a framed card that my friend Jessica sent me
years ago that I was saving for just the right use,
some sweet nautical decor we picked up on our last trip to Cambria,
and some additional accessories from a nautical themed
 baby shower my sister and friends threw me back in February.

 

 

I'm a sucker for old stuff,

and this old suitcase is no exception.

It seemed perfect atop the toy chest,

and as a added bonus,

it provides more storage for baby things.

 

I'm in love with this cute Peter the Rabbit.

So sweet!

 

 

 

The crib is dressed with a chevron bumper and linens.

Alternate sheets range from gray or green with polka dots,

gray with a modern white elephant motif, and soft blue chevrons.

I'm sure we'll have plenty-a-chance to try 'em all out. :)

OH and baby has some cute furry friends

ready to greet him upon his arrival!

 

 

To add to the "around the world" theme, we framed this map.  

It was actually just some fancy gift wrap that I found at

my all-time favorite local gift shop, Blue Windows for $5 a sheet.

Um, sweet!

 

The frame, which you can't see very well here,

has some great rustic, old world detail. 

I spent many-a-weekend trying to find just the right one.

 

Next to the map is a hand-weaved Chinaman's hat

that I found years ago at a thift store.

(I admit, I have used it for Halloween attire once.

Or twice. Or thrice. But hey, who's counting?)

And the adorable, authentic Ethiopian PJ's hanging

underneath the hat are from Auntie Jessica.

She bought them for Baby Kieran when she was on a trip to South Africa.

How cool!

 

 

And thanks to so many family and friends,

baby has no shortage of stuffed animals

to play with once he's old enough to enjoy them.

 

 

This solid wood dresser was another sweet find.

Plenty of room for baby's cloth diapers,

 

 

lotions and balms,

pj's, swaddle blankets, burp clothes, and

SOCKS!

 

 

Lots and lots of cute baby socks!

 

To add a bit of whimsy,

I placed these sweet accessories atop the dual functioning dresser.

Part dresser. Part changing table.

 

 

Thanks Belia for this adorable crab buddy,

and Kathy for the sweet Family frame.

Note: Don't worry, I steamed the curtains.

Those out-of-the-package wrinkles are a thing of the past.

 

 And this handmade sailboat mobile?

 

It's one of my proud,

Mama-can-do-anything moments.

But it was not done without a little (er, a lot)

of help from my friend JoAnna.

I had to relearn how to sew.

(It's been a while.)

And luckily JoAnna was up for the challenge of teaching me!

I got this adorable fabric at a local fabric store. . .


(The jean material was courtesy of some jean cuts offs.)

 

. . . and we got to makin' this puppy.

Er, sailboat mobile.

It was pretty hilarious our first go around.

My sewing machine has quite the throttle.

But after a few jaw dropping, hands up in the air trial runs,

I got the hang of it.

 
And well, after one boat was complete,
we felt pretty good about our accomplishment.
Thanks Jo!

 

Aww, cute!

I put 5 washers in the bottom of each boat base to give it

a little more weight so it would "sail" once hung.

When all the sailboats were sewn,
Travis cut some branches from
our plum tree and I did a quick white wash 
on the wood with some acrylic paint to lighten the look.
Then he helped me string the boats with fishing line.
And ta da!

Not to brag, but I think it turned out great!

 And I'm sure Baby Kieran will love looking at it all
googly-eyed while he's getting his diaper changed.
Right baby? Right!

Other sweet touches?
Well thanks to baby showers galore,
this baby has no shortage of clothes.
Or wonderful books for us to read to him.
His closet is fully stocked!  

With just one week until this baby is due,
we can't wait to spend some time with him in this room,
a place that has touches of family and friends everywhere.

There is no doubt, you can feel the love in here.
And baby, all you need is love.

XOXO
Aimee
 

 

 

Catch Up Sesh 2013: Part Deux

As promised, catching up...

 Part Two:

Work and home life have been slightly insane these days.

At work I am prepping for 4 months of maternity leave:
finding and hiring a fill-in and trying 
not to leave my office in a state of total disarray,
even though the reality is that I mentally 
checked out a couple weeks ago.
It's hard to focus on taxes, company websites, and proposals
when you got baby on the brain.

And home life?

Well, there has been lots and lots and lots
of baby prep underway to say the least.

The house is scattered with books about babies:
How to nurture them in utero.
How to birth them.
How to care for them once they are finally in your arms.
Basically, how to not be a complete failure at parenthood.
No pressure!

We are on week 9 of our 12 week birthing class 
and are feeling somewhere in between 
being "ready" and being like, "holy shit!"

But I think that's pretty normal.

Truth is, we all know, we will never be
TOTALLY prepared for what's around the corner.

But that is all part of the fun.
Right? Right.

And at 35 weeks, baby is coming soon!

The countdown has officially begun.

So far, baby is looking healthy as can be,
and that makes me a happy Mama.


And as the weeks go by
this baby is growing, growing, growing!
It trips me out to see pics of me at 18 weeks,

and then see me in the same outfit at 34 weeks.

WHAO!

But ya know what?
I've had fun dressing the bump.

For a super cas dinner out with the hubs.


30 weeks.

For a cas day in the office.

For a night out on the town with my girls.

 31 weeks.

In my favorite casual dress.

  31 weeks.

For a chilly day in the office.

34 weeks.

Thankfully, I've stayed really active throughout 

this pregnancy in hopes to not only stay healthy for baby, 

but also to be healthy for me too.
And maybe, just MAYBE
I might get my pre-prego body back post-baby. (???)
Because, as much as I have loved and embraced being pregnant,
 I kinda miss looking like this:

Aug. 2012. 8 weeks prego.

I also miss putting on socks without having to make
an exhausted gasping sound.
Oh, the luxury!

For as busy as we've been,
I've been pretty good about keeping up with my prenatal work outs.
Tracey Anderson is still kicking my ass on a regular basis.

And I started taking a weekly prenatal 
yoga class that I'm really excited about.
It's a small class of only 5 Mamas, 
so the personal attention to form and focus is definitely a plus.
I've taken to walking rather than running in the last month, 
and although I find it to be pretty boring, 
it's much easier on the back.
And spin class is also a thing of the past,

even though I was still kicking the old guy's ass
next to me at a very pregnant 30 weeks.
(Ha! I'm slightly competitive.)

Overall, I gotta say, I'm pretty proud 
of myself for sticking with it. 
I've gained a total of 28 lbs,
which, according to my BMI,
 is right on par for where I should be.
So hopefully all my hard work will 
prove to be worth it in the end,
that I'll be in the physical condition needed to push
 out that baby, and also prepped and ready for post-baby recovery.
Fingers crossed!


OH, but work outs aside,
let's be real...

I still love my sweets,

and it just so happens to be a perfect time of year for that.

It's Girl Scout Cookie season people!

And if you read this post,

you know my feelings about

Girl Scout cookies.
Love is an understatement.
All I wanted for Valentine's Day this year 

was a box of Tagalongs (aka Peanut Butter Patties),
ALL TO MYSELF.
(Note: All caps.)

And I was a very happy girl when Travis showered me with just that.
Thanks Babe! :) 

Oh, and in other exciting, more important news:

We FINALLY decided on baby's name!
Kieran James.

Photo by Jeremy Chou.

It's Irish, like me! :)
And handsome like Travis. 

We are so excited to meet our little man,
the anticipation is killing me! 

Up next in the queue:
Baby Kieran's Nursery
Our fun Maternity Photo Shoot
Men and Cars
and Baby Showers Galore.
Stay tuned!

Happy Tuesday friends!

Xoxo
Aimee

Catch Up Sesh 2013: Part One

I admit,

I've been a bad blogger.

We've been so busy prepping for baby

that days turn into weeks,

then months, and before I know it

 I have about half a dozen posts

just sitting in my queue waiting to be finished.

So I thought it proper to catch us all up to speed on this year's events.

Shall we? We shall.

Part One:

The start of the new year began with a lovely trip up North.

Travis and I decided to take what they call, a "Babymoon."

Definition: A honeymoon of sorts, pre-baby.

You know, one of those vacations where

you look all googly-eyed at each other and can't stop smiling?

Yes, one of those.

I was 27 weeks pregnant,

and it was the perfect time for a getaway.

We went to Travis' uncle's beach house in Cambria,

a fav spot of ours,

 and enjoyed a cozy, quiet weekend together.

It rained at night while we slept in a big comfy bed,

and the sun shone bright in the day

 while we hopped from winery to winery in Paso Robles.

We ate cheese and crackers and Travis drank wine

while we looked out at the gorgeous rolling hills.

And, of course, being prego and all,

I was the ever-reliable DD.

We spent time eating out.

And eating in.

Me mid-snack.

I know you are all really diggin' my maternity fashion here.

We warmed our toes by the fireside,

and watched the sun dip into the ocean's edge many times over.

As I said, it was perfect.

And we were very thankful for that time together,
just the three of us. 
Hehe.

In addition to our Babymoon weekend,

we got a chance to visit with one of my dearest friends,

Jessica, while she was in town from Israel.

It had been 6 months since her last visit,

and even though she was on a very tight schedule,

she made an extra special effort to make time for me,

as it was going to be the first and last chance

for us to hang out while this baby was still in my belly.

And well, she is the kind of friend who wouldn't miss that for anything.

We stayed in a cabin in Paso Robles and Travis and I had

a great time visiting with her family and our friend Naoma.

Jessica's mom, Tracey, and her hubby, Patrick, in their fancy masks.
Hehe. We had fun with these.

Patrick made us delicious breakfasts.
And Tracey made us tasty dinners,
all while cracking jokes and making us laugh in between. 

We played silly games.

(Games that made me laugh so hard I cried).

We took hikes all over the huge, awesome property.

Naoma, Jess and I on a hike.

Travis, Naoma and I.

I really like Naoma's stance here.

I think she was trying to avoid poison ivy,

but she also could have been showing off her killer dance moves.

We also came across this natural wonder:

Lady bugs in the masses! It was so cool.
Apparently, they like to snuggle to keep warm.
And who can blame them? It was freezing outside! 

We met and fell in love with Tracey's new puppy, Duke.

AWWW!

And Duke even volunteered to help us practice
using the Moby baby carrier that Tracey got us.
 

And we obviously were having wayyy too much fun with it.

I think I held Duke in there for a good hour.

What? He liked it!

Oh, and we ate a lot of my homemade cookies.

Jess was especially excited about this ice cream cookie sandwich. :)

Isn't she the cutest?

We got lots of time to talk and catch up

and be silly and it was so much fun!

I'm REALLY looking forward to Jessica being

 back in the States for good come June.

She'll get to meet our lil' man, and I can't wait for that.

Overall, it was a great start to 2013,

and was well deserved after a jam packed end of 2012

filled with lots of baby/house prep on top

of the holiday hustle and bustle.

It's always nice to take some time to relax,

reconnect, and just be.

And with so much on our plate this coming year,

we were glad to savor it while we could.

Cheers to that!

Xoxo

Aimee