Our Nursery Reveal

Well the time has finally come... 
Matt and I had discussed before that we weren't going to blog about our baby's nursery...more for security reasons.  But as we began working on it...we got so excited about sharing all the hard work and details that went into this room.  Honestly this room is a true labor of love...and we wouldn't have had it any other way.
To start, we'd like to take you on a tour of the room as it was when we first moved in.  The room was used as a boy's room by the previous owners and it was all blue!  Besides the walls, the owners had even painted the white molding and edges dark blue... it was overkill.

We decided from the get-go that we wouldn't paint the room until we were ready to use it as a nursery.  So we worked with the color to change it into a guest bedroom.  The closet was mainly used as storage for wedding related items.

Then we got the good news on our 1 year anniversary... we were expecting our first child!  Our minds were whirling with ideas... and soon construction started.  Matt worked every weekend for months to construct a built-in complete with two book shelves, window seat with hidden  toy chest, cabinets and display lights.  Well I'll let you see for yourself...

I'm a mom!

...to a very handsome little boy!

Avery Isaac Kirabo Conway

May 6th, 2012

9lbs 2oz / 22 inches

We're home now and getting a schedule established. Life is definitely different. :)
Thank you for all the emails and comments asking for updates! It's been so fun going week by week through the pregnancy and stay tuned for the birth story. :)

39 week Bump Update

...this may be my last bump update before B-day!! 


How Far Along? 39 weeks 3 days

Size of Baby? About 20 inches and weighing about 7 lbs (mini watermelon)

Maternity Clothes? Getting snug!!
Stretch Marks?  I think it's safe to say I didn't get any. :)

Sleep?. What's that? 

Food Cravings? Lemonade...Regular, Pink, Strawberry, Raspberry... it really doesn't matter.

What I Miss: Sitting up!  I literally have to recline when I sit because Cricket needs the space.  I literally get rhythmic kicks until I do.  I guess I should be impressed that they are rhythmic though. :)

What I'm Looking Forward To: I have a doc appointment on Thursday whereby if I haven't started labor naturally we'll discuss/schedule induction.  So I guess I'm mostly looking forward to meeting my baby this week... that sounds so weird!!! ah!!!

Symptoms?  My emotions are ridiculous.  I'm nervous about a lot of things...taking in the unexpected during labor... handling that first week of being a parent with Matt...recovery.  I've been taking it all one day at a time though. 

Movement? It's more of stretches than actual movement.  I think with the lack of room our lil one is just trying to get comfortable.  

Belly Button In or Out? My sister thinks it's the most fascinating thing ever since it sticks out so much. lol.. rude.

Labor Signs? Braxton-Hicks contractions... yay!

Best Moment of the Week? Matt has been amazing.  I seriously could not ask for a better husband.  He's stepped up helping me get around or just doing stuff around the house.  He calls to check up on me and baby every hour and at night he lays there and talks to the baby about how excited he is to meet.  Melts my heart... he's going to be such a great dad. 

Weekly Wisdom: At this point...I'm at the point of pregnancy known as the "ticking time bomb".  We don't know when I'll pop! My phone starts to blow up at 6:30am with phone calls, texts, e-mails and fb alerts from people wondering on baby status.  I'll be glad when Cricket makes his or her debut and I can just let my phone battery die without guilt. lol

...getting a pedicure tonight after work... so excited!! 

The Guest Commode is Complete!

...yes the beach themed oasis of a guest bathroom is complete! I got the mirror, wreath and new towels & bath mat done! It was a productive weekend for sure. Now when guests come to visit the baby I can relax and know the bathroom is looking awesome. :) I still would like to have a towel storage rack of some kind in there... But that can be an upgrade we add on once I find it...or Matt makes it. Hehe. So here are the final pics! You can find the details leading up the this reveal {here} and {here}.

Check out the rest of the details!!

Guest Bathroom Update

So yesterday was crazy productive.  In between my doctor's appointments I managed to tape off the bathroom and get it completely painted...while rocking out to Adele on Pandora radio. :)
I used taping instructions from Young House Love.  Matt had helped me last week to mark the corners with the proper measurements... so all I had to do was connect the lines with tape making sure I was either inside or outside the lines (Read their directions... they make a lot of sense!). I used blue scotch tape... though many will say they like the frog tape.

I made arrows to show me where to paint... to avoid any mistakes!!

Next, I took some tan paint we had used in the stairwell and diluted it down with some white.  So yeah... I don't have a color number for this room. But I made sure to save the extra in case we need touch-ups down the road.  I started painting behind the toilet first with a brush...and then edged everywhere whereby the roller wouldn't be able to fit.  I came back around with the roller and finished it up.

The key now was to remove the tape right away... but carefully.  I made a couple touch-ups to the edges...but otherwise it came out great.

As I said in my last post, I had a lot of the decor already so I started putting those elements in.  The wooden shelf was too raw... so I sprayed it with some white spray paint and rubbed it in to give it a washed-up beach look.   I still need to get my framed art done, the wreath...and the mirror.  I'm hoping to tackle that tonight.  Still on the hunt for the towel rack too!

{Check out the Parties I've joined!}

Stay tuned!!
Baby Update: Doc said between now and next Thursday!...

New Room to Tackle

...yeah...yeah.. I know I'm giving birth any day now, but I couldn't help but start on another full room project.  Don't worry... it's a small one. :)  It's the upstairs guest bathroom.  I figured with the baby arriving we'll be getting a lot of overnight guests in the next few months... the bathroom really needs some love.  It's just down-right sad right now.  Here are some before shots if you don't believe me...

"Blah" doesn't even begin to describe this space.  Matt really wants a beach themed room, and as nice as that is, I want to make sure it's subtle.  Beach themes can get out of control very quickly.  Here is some of my inspiration... 

1) Subtle Horizontal lines: I really like the idea of white with a very light tan.  Matt said it will represent "sand". :)

{Source: Young House Love}

2) Subdued Color Elements: To save on costs I want to keep the towels and rug that I have for this room.  They're red... so that will be the accent color.  Otherwise everything else will be white, tan, cream, and light blue and brown.  I really like the lantern idea as well.

{Source: Pottery Barn}

3) Rope Mirror: This is one DIY project that I'm excited to tackle.  Very cost effective too since I decided to use the builder grade mirror that's already in there. 

{Source: Nate Berkus}

4) Burlap Wreath: I found this awesome burlap wreath on Roeshel's blog last year and I actually started it... just never finished!  It'll fit really well in this room.

5) Optimal Storage: I'd love to find something like this wine bottle rack to hold extra towels as well...maybe via craigslist??      

...so am I crazy for deciding to start this project tomorrow morning?  In my defense,  a lot of  the design elements have already been purchased.  It's just a matter of painting and getting everything put in. :)

38 week Bump Update!

How Far Along? 38 weeks 3 days

Size of Baby? About 19 1/2 inches and weighing about 6.8 lbs

Maternity Clothes? Lately I'd rather be wearing my non-maternity sweat pants and a t-shirt. haha
Stretch Marks?  I think it's safe to say I didn't get any. :)

Sleep?. I lay every which way just to get comfy.  I no long care...comfort is priority!!   But once I'm asleep... it's all good! 

Food Cravings? popsicles, cold milk, lemonade

What I Miss: My independence.  I rely a lot of Matt and thankfully he's been an amazing support system.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Who else is ready to see the completed nursery?! 

Symptoms? Belly keeps having moments of extreme tightness..can last for awhile.  Not sure what that is all about. 

Movement? It's more of stretches than actual movement.  I think with the lack of room our lil one is just trying to get comfortable.

Belly Button In or Out? I give up on trying to understand what its doing lol.

Labor Signs? The tummy tightening...other than that we're just waiting on the real signs for action!

Best Moment of the Week? Matt has been getting on me to keep up pace with him to get the house extremely ready for baby... we're talking full clean up.  It's like we switched personalities.  I'd rather lay on the couch with a Popsicle.

Weekly Wisdom: I must look like death...because everyone either has this "I'm so sorry for you" face or  the brave ones actually tell me, "It won't be much longer"...or "Hang in there".   It's the ones who have horror stories to tell that should be worried of my wrath.  Honestly, I don't feel all that bad yet. 

My view when I bend over a bit...
I can no longer put these boots on without Matt's help... {sigh}...