be on the lookout…

…for this crib.

It’s part of the Baby Mod line at **gasp** Walmart. I know – I can’t believe it either! I’ve made it a point to steer clear of that place since being forced to shop there all through college – it was all we had in Kirksville. Its not that I don’t love a good deal, but most of the stuff they carry is so generic, mass-produced and unattractive, unlike my FAVORITE discount store – Target – they love design.

But I digress.

After an exhaustive search high and low for the perfect crib, we determined that this crib is it. The best combination of modern design, quality and price. Similar style modern cribs are only available in specialty boutiques and run upwards of $1000!

Here lies the problem. Its sold out online and we can’t find it in any of the local stores we’ve checked. So would you all be so kind as to keep an eye out for this beauty? If you see it at ANY Walmart store please let me know.  I will call and buy it and pay to have it shipped. It is called Baby Mod- Olivia 3-in-1 Crib, Amber and White. I just have to get my hands on one before the baby is here!

*UPDATE* Tim was able to get in touch with the manufacturer and find out when the cribs will become available online once again. Evidently, the crib is only available at Walmart.com and not in stores as their website suggests.

25 week update

Well if you haven’t been able to tell by my lack of blog postings, the last few weeks have been BUSY. While summer is always full of barbecues and family get togethers, and we’ve had our share of them, we’ve also thrown in additional activities like visiting daycare centers, childbirth classes, registry shopping and painting rooms (well actually my awesome sister and husband did all the painting – love you both!). On top of that, Tim has been busy photographing weddings on the weekends and I’ve had a steady stream of freelance coming in. I guess you could say that we’ve given up our couch potato ways and we’re gearing up for the busy lifestyle that the baby is sure to bring.

Speaking of our little man, he is now roughly the size of an eggplant or a rutabaga and between 1.5 and 2lbs. He has been very active the past few weeks, kicking most often after meals and before bed. However he’s still a little shy and seems to stop moving whenever someone tries to feel him, much to the dismay of friends and family.

The next prenatal appointment is Tuesday afternoon and I have the joy of taking a glucose test. I have to drink a bunch of sugary sweet fluid, wait an hour and have my blood sugar levels tested for gestational diabetes. Hopefully I pass the test so I don’t have to go back and take the 3 hour version, I’ve heard the drink is pretty awful.

graduation party invitation

To celebrate my little brother’s graduation from the University of Notre Dame, my mom threw one of her big bash parties. The house was decorated stylishly in ND blue, green and gold, complete with an ND cake and some leprechaun shaped pasta salad. She even splurged on a beautiful flower arrangement for the food table. I’m always amazed by the decoration my mom thinks up and finds the time to execute. She is one tough act to follow and I know my skills in party planning have a little ways to go to measure up.

However, one thing I was able to contribute was the invitation design. As the resident family stationer, I had the assignment, I mean pleasure, to create an elegant invitation for the event. I’ve learned from past experience that although mom and I are capable of elaborate folds and die cuts, in most cases, simpler is much, much better. This one was a piece of cake and I think it turned out very nicely.

baby’s bottom

One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how we will diaper our baby. While it seems the norm these days to use disposables and there’s no arguing that they are easy, I’ve been very interested in exploring the cloth alternative. First of all, my mother used cloth diapers on all three of her children, even when disposables were quite common, so the concept is pretty familiar. I can’t actually recall if she let me wield a diaper pin to change my little brother when I was all of 6 years old, but I got the idea. The most obvious benefits of course, are environmental friendliness and cost, however I’ve also read quite a bit about the health benefits for the baby. Cloth diapers don’t have the chemicals that disposable ones do, they’re softer on skin and less likely to cause diaper rash. Really, the only downside I can see is the business of washing all these stinky suckers.

I’m still planning to do a little more research and found a great resource here in St. Louis. One retailer of cloth diapers called Cotton Babies, has a retail store in South County. They offer classes about cloth diapering and give information about all the options available.

I also found another great website and blog called Nature’s Child, that has a variety of useful topics about parenting and offers wholesome, natural products on their website. The best part?! They have a contest going on right now through July 31st where you can win a starter kit of diapers. So if you’re a mom who uses cloth diapers, or if you’re one of my family members or friends who want to win me a spectacular gift, be sure to enter the sweepstakes!

Win a Bum Genius 3.0 Starter Kit from Nature’s Child – Wholesome Goods for Mothers and Babies

head of the table

If you’re hostessing any kind of party or get together coming up and need some fun inspiration, you should head on over to head of the table, one of my favorite daily reads. My friend Kim has a great eye for theming and decorating and on her blog she offers great ideas for showers, holidays and parties just because.

ps. check out her sweet new header art :)

independence day, st. louis style

If you’re in St. Louis and looking for some good old-fashioned Americana this Friday, then march yourselves downtown to watch the 131st annual VP Parade. You can download the above image as a printable pdf here.

(Who, you ask, designed that oh so festive poster above? Why your’s truly of course!)

my kind of sling

Spotted this sling today on Cool Mom Picks (love that site) – recognize the fabric? I think the flowers might be too girly for my little man, but it looks like there are a bunch more on the website.

baby carrot

I had my monthly doctor appointment yesterday afternoon and everything is still going wonderfully. My doctor verified that everything about the anatomy ultrasound was right on track. Ten fingers and ten toes!

Our little man is roughly the length of a carrot and the average weight for 21 weeks is 3/4 lb. However, at our ultrasound last week they estimated his weight at 13 ounces, so he’s probably closer to a pound.

I’ve been feeling him move quite a lot lately and his kicks are finally strong enough to feel on the outside of my belly. So now Tim gets to join in the fun every once in a while when he’s cooperating. I had heard that feeling your baby move is one of the most rewarding parts of pregnancy, but I never really grasped that until now. It’s pretty much the coolest thing in the world.

more amy butler

I almost forgot to mention the most important thing! Amy’s brand new baby book is finally available, called little stitches for little ones. This will be a purchase that can’t wait for a baby shower. It has the perfect changing table pad that I plan to use to convert one of our dressers to a changing table amongst a bunch of other sweet little things.

room shuffle & midwest modern

This weekend kicked off the gauhaus room shuffle. We’re moving furniture and redecorating three rooms of the house in order to have the perfect space for the nursery. First up is the basement which will be the new location of our office, plus as an added bonus I’ll finally have the art and craft room I’ve always wanted – granted it shares its space with the washer and dryer, but I’m excited nonetheless. Especially because I now have a place to do some sewing and I have a brand new collection of Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern fabric!

I saw the above tissue holder on Etsy and instantly fell in love with the fabric, so I had to seek it out. The colors are perfect in our bathroom and our new bedroom after we redecorate, so I bought a bunch to make pillows and blankets. If he’s a good puppy, Odie might even get a new bed out of it too.

It looks like a bunch of people are also inspired by Amy’s new line. Over on decor8 they had a contest of mood boards sponsored by Amy Butler Design.