The Nursery Reveal

Drum roll please..... we have finally finished the Nursery.  With a lot of hours of work, and a lot of help from family and friends, we are proud to unveil our creation.  Yes, it is missing one key element, Little T.  But, he or she needs to bake just a little bit longer. 

Just a little reminder, here is what the room looked like before: 

And remember our inspiration from Spearmint Baby? Well here is our final product. We knew we wanted Dr. Seuss. We knew we wanted gender neutral. And we knew that we wanted the best nursery that we had ever seen. I am pretty sure that we accomplished all of those things. (although I may be a little biased)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, you have to see what it looks like with the lights off and the back lighting on.  We did this so that when we have to get up at night we can use the soft glow rather than the bright overhead.  It is actually quite a warm glo--- just hard to photograph!

 

 

 

So how did we do it?  Well, let me break it down for you!

The White Stripe- the stripe around the room is actually built to stand off the wall by about 1 inch.  Behind it is rope lighting that connects to a light switch at the front of the room.  It creates a glow effect that allows us to see everything in the room without turning on the over head.

The Dr. Seuss Characters- Once we had decided on the theme and had an inspiration, we knew that we wanted a lot of handmade touches in the room.  We asked my dad if he would be willing to do a few drawings for us.  Before knowing exactly how many or how complex they'd be he agreed. Sucker! Each of the characters is hand painted (not traced, not projected, not copied) onto a piece of white styrete. This way we were able to place the characters around the room on the elevated lighted white stripe.  When Little T out grows the room we can simply take them down rather than having to paint over.  My dad spent hours working on this project and the room simply would not be the same without them

The Alphabet- Simply black vinyl cut in the Dr. Seuss font with my Cricut then applied around the room.  It is easy to remove if we ever want to make a change

The Green Chair- This super cozy chair is the Tryp by Best Chairs.  It was a gift from my parents and we were able to custom order it in our limey accent color.

The Bookshelf- The bottom is a closetmaid shelf and the top is a book ledge from Ikea.

The Polka Dot Lamp- This was a black lamp from target that was a shower gift from my cousin, I'm sure she didn't expect me to add the polka dots.  I just couldn't help myself.

The Curtains/Crib Skit- I made these to coordinate with the room.  

The Crib- The Graco Lauren Classic, a gift from Matthew's mom.

The Mobile- This is a fishy mobile from Ikea.  I am pretty sure it has been discontinued, but on our last trip to Ikea they had one randomly in a bin. Score!

The Changing Table- Matthew and I are both pretty tall so we wanted a nice high changing area.  We bought a closetmaid unit for $40 and added a $4 table top from Ikea to make this beauty.  We screwed it together and to the wall for support.  Once baby doesn't need it anymore it will convert into a shelf again.  I did some iron on vinyl on the bins too--- I can't be stopped with the cricut.

The Dresser- This actually is contained in the closet.  It holds all of Little T's clothes all organized and ready!

The Fan- This was a regular black ceiling fan, until I added the vinyl polka dots.  Now it looks like it was bought that way.

Everything Else- Ok, so I realize this is a very broad bullet point, but quite frankly I am running out of typing patience.  Just about everything in this room was altered in some way to give it our own personal touch.  I am so happy with how everything turned out and I can't wait to have our baby to bring home to see it.

Dr Seuss Throws a Shower

Well, I hope that none of my faithful blog readers is here on a dial-up connection, because the number of words and pictures in this post may cause your computer to crash. In addition, the number of stunningly creative ideas that you will witness may cause your brain to crash as well. When people wonder where I get my party planning and creative genes from they need to look no further than Mimsy. To say that she out did herself would be truly an understatement.

I knew I was in for a treat when en route we had passed by the Cat in the Hat telling us which way to go and Thing 1 and Thing 2 letting us know we were almost there. A five foot tall Cat in the Hat stood guard at the door. When I walked inside I could not believe it. The whole main level of the house had been transformed.  Tables were covered in bright and cheery polka dots, the kitchen was filled with pasta and fruit salads, cheeses, snacks and a spread of sandwiches that made my mouth water.

Around 12:30 the guests started to arrive. And arrive. And arrive. It seemed like everyone wanted to shower Little T! The women all gathered up stairs and the men headed downstairs for manly things. I was able to talk to everyone for a little bit, but this bump was in high demand!

Mimsy was in her element. She effortlessly floated through the massive crowd making everyone feel welcome. She made sure that everyone had a place to sit, a bite to eat and plenty of good conversation. I'm not sure how we got a picture of her sitting down!

Once we all had full bellies it was time to open presents. This is where I get totally blown away. I know that our family and friends care for us, but I can not believe how generous they were. Little T is truly blessed to have so many wonderful people to surround him or her. When I looked at the mountains of gifts I didn't know how I was going to be able to get through them.

Little T received so many wonderful things. I know that it can be challenging to buy for a baby that you have never met and that you have no idea of the sex, but that didn't seem to phase any of our guests. From the bath to the nursery, Little T is practically set!

About halfway through the gift opening extravaganza, Mimsy could see that I needed a break. No problem for my hostess. She had planned a little intermission entertainment. In honor of the Kentucky Derby being run later that day, she had her own horse race.  One by one she called up six men from the downstairs and loaded them into their "gates".  First was Matthew, then my Dad- Jack, our family friend- John, Adam, Andy and finally Aaron. Each was given a baby bottle with 2 ozs of beer. It was a drinking game and we all had to bet on our "horse". I, like most of the other 40 guests, put all my money on Aaron.

The race started and the excitement built in the room. I don't think I have ever seen anything as funny as six grown men frantically sucking down beer. Some even had their own techniques. Andy went for the squeezing the bottle method, while the rest mainly just sucked. I nearly wet myself laughing. If you ever need a shower game, I highly recommend this.

And in a twist of fate, not unlike many other Derby upsets, Aaron was not victorious. He barely even placed. He was obviously off of his game. The winner was the proud papa-to-be. Other contestants announced that Matthew "sucked the most".  I think that they were jealous.  

After the race we continued to open gifts. Finally, at the end of the presents I was able to give my mom her gift. I had wanted to make her something because I knew how much work she put into the shower. I also wanted it to be something useful. Since she will be watching Little T after I go back to work I thought a diaper bag was the perfect gift. She was surprised that I had had time to make it for her, and she loved it!  It may be the best bag that I have made yet.  I was able to make a pocket design that even included the word "Mimsy" like a brand.

Next came the best part of the shower. Many showers have a cake. Mine had cupcakes. Not one type. Not two. But FIVE different types of cupcakes.

She made each from scratch and had a variety of flavors all modeled after Seuss characters.  By far the crowd favorite was the Green Eggs & Ham cupcakes which featured Sam I am atop a key lime cupcake.  My favorite was the triple chocolate Cat in the Hat... mmmm... soo good.

Once everyone was sufficiently sugared up it was time to go home. But not without a parting gift of course. Each guest got a box of Yertle the Turtle handmade turtle candies. Just in case they needed a little more sugar on the way home.

I had so much fun seeing everyone and didn't want the day to end. Little T sure is going to be a lucky little baby!

Shower Preview

I can't wait for tomorrow.  And I'm sure that Little T is just bustling with excitement as well.  That's right folks, tomorrow afternoon we will have our first shower! My mom has planned the event for our family and friends and she has been literally working overtime planning and making all of the arrangements.  She has attempted to keep most of it a secret from me, but I have been privy to a few details and I am too excited.  

Alas, with all good parties and showers alike, the mood is most definitely set by the invitation.  My mom definitely did not slack on this aspect in the slightest. Knowing that our nursery theme is Dr. Seuss she went all out on the invites.

You only have one chance to make a first impression.  Imagine pulling out your mail and finding a giant bright lime envelope.  This was step one of her invite design. A giant, and I do mean GIANT envelope.  She customized it with a Cat in the Hat holding a sign which read, "The Time is at Hand, So an Invitation for YOU! We'll Celebrate and Party Before Baby is Due!" Talk about making a first impression.  I have never received an invitation larger than life like this before!

Inside the envelope was an equally large Hat from the Cat in the Hat. My mom had to cut each one of these out individually!

All of the information for the shower was on the back of the hat.  She even used a very Seussian poem:

"What is that you say?

Lauren & Matthew have a BABY on the way!

From there to here, From here to there,

We will shower the new parents to help them prepare!

May is the month.

Saturday the first is the day

From 1 to 4 at the Lake House

We will par-tay!"

I know it is just personal opinion, and maybe some pregnancy hormones, but this is the cutest shower invite that I have ever seen. Seriously. And it is mine, which makes it all the more special to me. 

 

Just one last look... just so you can appreciate how large and in charge this puppy is. You'll notice the ruler--- yup that envelope is 13" wide.

I can't wait to see what else Mimsy has up her sleeve for Saturday. I also have a little surprise of my own for her--- shh!  It's a secret!

The Bump

Have you noticed the lack of bump pictures lately?  Well, we Tals have been more than a little bit busy.  Between a wedding, finishing up the nursery and other top secret projects, free time does not come cheap at our house.  And when there is free time it generally involves me complaining about the fact that I suddenly feel truly pregnant.

Voila!  The bump!  Ok, so I really think it looks way larger in person.  Larger and lopsided.  There is either a butt, head or knee that has taken permanent residence in my upper right quadrant of the bump.  Even my doc is stumped at exactly what body part it is.  

And just for fun... here is another clothed shot of me and Little T.  And now that I am looking at it, white is definitely not slimming for the two of us and may be banned from this point on.

Little T gets an Auntie!

Up until this Friday, Little T was missing something big in his or her life.  Little T was officially Aunt-less. Oh there were Uncles a plenty, but not an official Aunt in the bunch.  But on April 16, 2010,  Little T's Uncle Andy made us all very happy!  We couldn't be prouder to add Amanda to the Talicska tribe.

The wedding took place in Toledo, Ohio and was truly spectacular.  Amanda made me proud with all of her DIY.  There was not a single element of the whole day that didn't have her crafty touch.  Not only do I finally have a sister--- but I have one that is more than worthy of her share of the DIY crown.  Maybe in Ohio the last name "Talicska" is the equivalent of "Martha Stewart Protege"?  I wish I had taken pictures to share with you--- but given my poor photography skills I think that was a task best left for the wedding photographers.

When we found out that we were pregnant, both Matt and I were already part of the wedding party.  I was a little nervous about how I would be feeling since I knew that lots of people are miserable by 32 weeks.  On the big day we were just shy of 33 weeks and I think that I felt just about as good as a house sized woman could feel.  

I was able to squish the bump into a non-maternity dress without alterations.  Yes, it was two whole sizes bigger than anything I would normally wear, but it was a small victory nonetheless.  In fact, I can't understand who on earth would want to wear this dress that wasn't pregnant.  I am convinced it would take a skinny person and make them into a gigantic movie screen sized monstrosity.  Speaking of movie screen sized monstrosities... I felt like I looked good for most of the night until one of Matt's cousins told me that I had cankles.  Yeah, my recommendation is to never tell a pregnant woman that already is super self conscious about her size that she has lost her ankles.  Especially if it isn't true.  I may have packed on my share of baby weight (oops), but I will happily announce to all that as of 33 weeks I have the exact same ankles that I have always have.  

One thing that made me very happy was that my parents were invited to the wedding as well.  In addition to always being a good time, I was glad that they were close by.  Now knowing how I would feel, and being over two hours from home made me a nervous nelly.  What would happen if doing the Cha-Cha Slide might accidently put me into labor?  Luckily it didn't... although I sure paid for all that dancing the next day!  I felt like Little T had karate kicked me in the ribs.

I was definitely not the only soon-to-be-mommy in the crowd.  I think that the only one that danced more than me was our cousin Marissa.  She is just a few weeks behind us and is looking fantastic.  The sex of her baby is a surprise as well, so we have been having fun trying to make guesses.  If it were up to Matt's grandma we would both be having girls and both on June 15th.  I think it will be fun for Little T to have a relative so close in age!

It was such a fun weekend, but an exhausting one as well.  Little T and me have had some much deserved rest and relaxation.  Next in our schedule... get the nursery finished!

The Bump

31 Weeks down, 9(ish) to go.  I write in the "ish" because who really knows when this baby is going to come.  While some experts have said that they think I may go early, I know that their input is about as reliable as reading the leaves in my raspberry tea.  Regardless of how much time we have left, we have enjoyed 31 weeks of Little T growing in my previously little belly.

The last few weeks have literally flown by, so I thought we might want to take a look back before we look at the present.  Remember this?  Remember when I had abs, a waistline and an hour glass figure?

Grow, baby, grow!  Gone are the days of nipped waistlines and clingy low cut shirts.  I have replaced my hourglass figure with what I lovingly call "the duck".  Here we have the latest and greatest of the bump shots.  It looks like Little T has expanded the living quarters upwards.  I am finally starting to carry a bit higher, though I know it will be short lived.