Happy 5 Months, Claire!

Happy 5 Months, Claire! Daddy did a little math today and came to the summation that you have been in our lives for 154 days, and every one of them has been a blessing.

Just recently you have mastered rolling over and are waking up in middle of the night with surprise from your newest feat. We don't mind though, because it's fun to see you over on your belly and you usually go right back to sleep when we flip you over or give you a binky.

You are also a drooling queen, so we suspect some major teething is going on in that tiny mouth.

We plan to let you try your first taste of solid food this weekend, likely just a little rice cereal to see how you do, and then we'll move on to the good stuff. Speaking of food, I guess we need to order a high chair pronto! Can't wait to see how you do with a spoon big girl!

And since we're on the topic of being a big girl, although you look pretty chunky, you're still a bit of a peanut, wearing a size behind your age group in most clothing. Your 0-3 month footed sleepers, however, are just now starting to get snug in the feet and short in the arms so 3-6 month sleepers here we come.

Mommy & Daddy can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Battling Baby's First Cold

Just two week's into daycare, at 17 weeks old, Claire got her first cough & cold. Everyone keeps telling me that this will be good for her immune system to build up all of those antibodies, but it's hard to keep in mind when your baby girl is struggling to breathe.

We took a trip to the doctor for our first "sick" visit, just to make sure it wasn't more serious, and luckily it was not. Just a cold that can last 7-10 days. Since there is really no medicine you can give a 4-month-old for a cold (really nothing for up to 4-years-old!), I thought I'd share the things that are making this more bearable for Claire-Bear.

1.) Fisher-Price Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper

Claire has been sleeping in her crib at night from day one, but we always had this around the house for naps since it is so portable and it's the only seat that is approved for sleep. From the reviews, the elevated seat has been a life-saver for many reflux babies, but little did I know it would come in so handy when our baby had a head cold! Our pediatrician recommended that Claire sleep elevated to help her breathe, so in lieu of propping up her crib mattress or having her sleep in the car seat, the Rock 'n Play is a much more comfortable solution and is working like a charm.

2.) Good, old-fashion hospital bulb nasal aspirator.

We bought this fancy, battery operated one and it is terrible. It has no suction and is basically only worth the music that it plays when you press the button. But the little blue bulb we took home from the hospital for free? Priceless!

3.) Crane Ultrasonic Cool Mist Elephant Humidifier

Effective and adorable, all in one. Plus, it matches the animals in Claire's nursery. (Doctor's recommend always using cool-mist humidifiers for children, as opposed to warm-mist, to prevent burns.)

4.) Johnson & Johnson Soothing Vapor Bath (Please Note: This is recommended for babies 3-months and up.)

I actually had this on hand because I used it as a body wash in the shower when I was pregnant and caught a bad cold. Since I was unable to use cold medicine, this and vapor rub were a lifesaver. We pulled it out on Thursday night and gave Claire a vapor bath and I think it really helped.

5.) Lastly, lots of snuggles and cuddles. We are lucky that between the coughs, Claire has remained in pretty good spirits with her cold.

I hope this post helps a few more mom's as they tackle their little one's first bout of coughs and congestion!

Claire's Room featured on Ohdeedoh

After spending most of my pregnancy bookmarking and swooning over all the remarkable nurseries featured on Ohdeedoh, suffice it to say that I was more than humbled when they found our nursery on flickr and deemed it worthy to feature.

Check out their post: Claire Elizabeth's Cozy Nursery in a Contemporary Loft Nursery Tour

I hope our nursery helps inspire future parents-to-be as so many others did for me.

Mamma needs a new pair of espadrilles...

...and baby does, too!

On our first solo outing today, Baby Claire and I headed to Target and picked up these two adorable pairs of shoes.

For Mommy: Women's Mossimo Supply Co. Ownah Flower Espadrilles in Red -- $14.99

Word to the wise, believe the reviews, they run large and wide. So size down and skip them altogether if your foot is super-narrow, but otherwise these are a super-cute steal.

For Baby: JUST ONE YOU Made by Carter's ® Newborn Girls' Espadrille Shoe in White -- $7.99

I can't wait for these to make a debut, maybe with her Easter dress this weekend.

"Real Room Tour" @ buymodernbaby

Esther, of buymodernbaby.com, stumbled across my nursery photos on Flickr and asked to feature them as a "Real Room Tour" on her blog. Of course I obliged, and I feel humbled & delighted that someone enjoys the room as much as us. Hopefully it can provide some inspiration to others beginning to build their nursery.

Check out her post featuring our nursery today: Real Room Tour: Gray with Bright Citrus in Chicago

Thanks again for the feature, Esther!

Introducing Baby C

Our due date is still a few weeks away, but our daughter had different plans :-)

Introducing Claire Elizabeth

Born March 24, 2011 @ 3:08pm

6 lbs 13 ounces

20 inches long

Our Baby's Nursery

I thought I'd reveal our nursery now that it is mostly complete! Good thing, since we are only 3 weeks away for our due date.

It came out pretty close to the original mood board I put together and overall I am very happy with the look. I can't wait until our little baby boy or baby girl gets to come home to his or her new space. I also uploaded it to Project Nursery if you want to check it out there.

I also want to share the sources for all of the great "stuff" to help provide ideas to others:

Furniture:

• overlapping-squares daybed, from west elm
• Gulliver crib in white, from Ikea
• Hemnes 3 drawer chest, from Ikea
• Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker, from Bobby Berk Home (free freight shipping!)
• Tall White Bookcase, from Target
• Wall Book Bin, from The Land of Nod

Accessories:

• Abacus, from cb2
• Woven Veneer Pendant, from west elm
• Dream Menagerie Rug, from anthropologie
• Jungle Friends-Bamboo Mobile, from petitcollage, etsy seller
• Hand Quilted Velvet Pillow in Orange, Round Pintuck Pillow in Yellow, Velvet Ruffle Pillow in Green & Hand Quilted Velvet Pillow in Turquoise, from urban outfitters
• owl lantern in light blue, from urban outfitters
• orange changing pad cover, from The Land of Nod
• Cutie Bear Print, from Delicious Design League
• Zebra & Giraffe Print, from OrangeWillow, etsy seller
• Illinois & Missouri Print, from qadesign, etsy seller
• Lime Green Ceramic Piglet Bank, from crate & barrel outlet
• brightly colored shelf bins, from The Land of Nod
• Aqua Glass Zinnia Knobs, anthropologie

And a Few Vintage Finds:

• Retro wicker changing table-circa 1981, mine from childhood. (Was brown, but my dad painted it white.)
• Aqua Mirror (found at the vintage bazaar)
• Green Lamp (found 5 years ago at a vintage shop in Chicago. New shade still being made!)

Grey Wall Color:

• Benjamin Moore Aura AF-700 "Storm"

Phew...so there you have it: Our Baby's Nursery! I searched online for months for nursery ideas, so I hope this helps someone else on their nursery decorating journey.

35/35

Today, I am 35 weeks along with 35 days to go until our due date.

That's all :-)

No-Sew Fabric Project

I love fabrics. One small problem, I don't know how to sew. But I won't let that stop me :-)

Here's a sneak peak of something I'm working on for the nursery...

Six "Fat Quarters" of brightly covered fabric:

Teamed with Six Embroidery Hoops...ta-da!:

I'm thinking that these *might* one day contain the letters of our little one's name.

Although we are not sharing names before birth (mostly because we don't plan to make a final decision until then!) I do have a little clue. Right now our top boy and top girl name both contain 6 letters and they share 4 of the same letters.

Any guesses?

Diaper Bag Reveal

It's here! My diaper bag from 1154 Lill Studio has arrived!

If you remember, my coworkers threw me a baby shower last month where I got to design my own custom diaper bag and I'm really excited about the results. I went a little pattern crazy, but I think it's very "me" and turned out well.

So without further ado...

Here is the front of the bag:

The back:

Close-up of front pockets:

Big Back Pocket:

Side Pocket:

Top Zipper and Black Waterproof Inside Lining:

Adjustable Strap with Tiny Hook:

At my side:

I can't wait to put it to good use in just 6 weeks or so!

Baby Bag Party

I recently received an invite from my colleagues, who are hosting a very creative baby shower for me that's truly right up my alley. In the near future, we will be going to 1154 Lill Studio where I will get to create my very own, custom diaper bag!

Here is the super-cute invite:

This past summer I took my sister to 1154 Lill Studio for her birthday, and we each made a Grace clutch that I just love. Here is mine:

This time I'll get to create a even bigger, better baby bag so I'm just giddy. From the looks of it online, I think the Susan looks like a great option.

And although I will definitely want to check out the look and feel of all the fabrics in person, I already put together an idea online of the direction I might go with my bag. This one uses: Soho Grey, Sea Spray and Olive Zebra.

I can't wait until I get to celebrate with my generous coworkers and to create something all of my own to tote around the necessities for Baby C.

Bad Blogger with Big News

I rarely ever apologize for not blogging but since it's been 2+ months I think it's time to officially classify me as a "bad blogger". I have been a bit preoccupied though so I'll excuse myself this once. Preoccupied with what you may ask? Well on August 1st, we got some of the best news of our lives... we found out we were pregnant!

Dave didn't believe the first test since it only had a faint line, so the next day we had to go get a digital one just to prove it to him. I think seeing the word "pregnant" made it set in for him :-)

Thus, we began our journey of pregnancy and parenthood prep! The first few months have been a whirlwind full of extreme joy, nerves, morning sickness, fatigue, food aversions, weight loss and every other symptom in the book, but now that I'm well into the second trimester I'm feeling much better.

A Few Fun Facts:

• We are due April 12th; I'll be 19 weeks along on Tuesday.
• We are not finding out the sex of our child and are excited for a surprise on delivery day.
• I really have NO mother's intuition yet about the sex. I often refer to the baby as "he", but nothing is pulling me strongly in either direction nor do I have a preference.
• We will not be revealing our names in advance, but we have narrowed the list down to two names for each gender and will make the decision when we first meet our child.
• I have been busy brainstorming ideas for a gender-neutral nursery (more on that in future posts), and we just made our first baby purchase yesterday: a crib & dresser.

Now that I am "out", I will be sure to update the blog more frequently, with plenty of baby projects no doubt. Overall, we are overjoyed and I can't wait to meet "Baby C" in April 2011 :-)