Reward

Since I have almost made it to the half way point in my pregnancy - officially, the half way point is Friday - I decided to reward myself with a few maternity clothes. I really haven't bought anything except the necessities since maternity clothes are pretty expensive. However, it has finally gotten to the point where my regular clothes are becoming uncomfortable.

So far, I really have to say that I recommend being pregnant in the time of year that I am. My summer clothes fit me all summer long, and just as things were starting to get tight, I could wear dresses. Then comes the crisp fall air and the cold winter months, which means I really only have one season (winter) of being super pregnant. My plan is to live in leggings, my UGG boots, and oversized tops. This is what I wear anywhere, so adapting it to maternity will be pretty easy. Some of this can be translated to work, but my plan is to buy a few basics to get me by until February. I love the idea of having the baby in February, because just when the baby is old enough to be getting out of the house, spring will be here. :)

Here are a few of my finds today, mostly for work but also for some upcoming weddings. The first is made by NOM, the second two are by Maternal America.

Can't wait to wear them!

19 Weeks

The baby is the size of a mango!

This week, Baby Fields is growing hair on its head. Also, the baby's brain is designating specialized areas for taste, smell, hearing, vision, and touch. Here is what the baby looks like (um, can we say uncomfortable?):

Here is what I look like:

19 down, 21 to go!

Mallory's 17th Birthday

Sunday night we celebrated my sister-in-law Mallory's birthday. She had a surprise party and it was equally hilarious and fun!

First, we took some pictures downtown while her family and friends met at Kooky Canuck's to surprise. After the pictures, we headed to the restaurant and all her friends surprised. Then they went on a carriage ride around downtown. Happy Birthday Mallory! Can't believe you are 17!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Success!

I am super excited because I just had some major diaper bag success. I have been a member of Gilt Groupe for a long time, and they had a sale today on baby gear. Skip Hop was one of the featured sales in the children's category. They make all kinds of baby gear, but in particular I have been checking out their diaper bags. I wanted a cute diaper bag, but didn't want to spend a fortune. I also wanted something gender neutral so it could be used for multiple kids. So, I logged in when the sale started and got this gem for $27! I found it other places online and the cheapest I could find it was around $60, so this is quite a bargain.

Here are some of the features:

*Lightweight, water-resistant laminated cotton canvas
*Contrast interior lining
*Hangs neatly on a stroller and can be worn over the shoulder
*Adjustable stroller bar straps
*Adjustable and removable shoulder strap
*Large matching changing pad with built-in pillow
*Large rear pocket for changing pad and diapers
*Two roomy front pockets with magnetic closures
*Two side bottle pockets with magnetic closures
*Large main compartment with super strong magnetic closure
*Two top easy access zippered pockets that keep personal items safe and dry
*Two interior bottle/organizer pockets
*Silver nickel hardware detail

Yay for the first purchase for Baby Fields! Can you believe that? We haven't bought a single thing for our child. We are really waiting until we know the sex. So, glad to finally say we have spent the first of many dollars on our little one :)

New Poll

I added a poll to guess if Baby Fields is a boy or girl - look on the right side of my blog and vote!

18 Weeks

This week, the baby is the size of a sweet potato!!

The baby is moving like crazy and according to Babycenter is yawning, hiccuping, sucking its thumb, rolling (I definitely feel that!), twisting, kicking, punching and swallowing. I also read that the baby's ears are in their final position, although they are sticking out, haha. You can also see all of the baby's blood vessels through the skin. Here is what the baby looks like at 18 weeks:

Here is what I look like:

18 down, 22 to go!

Inspiration Nurseries

It's officially September! The month we find out if Baby Fields is a boy or a girl. In the meantime, I have started a little research on nurseries and cannot wait to begin transforming our guest bedroom to a nursery.

Here are a few of my fav nurseries and links to more detailed info on them. Baby rooms are so sweet! Most of these images came from Spearmint Baby.

More info can be found here.

More info here.

More info here.

More info on this nursery can be found here.

More info here.

This one is my most favorite. More info here.

As you can see from the above, I'm not into matchy, matchy. If you have seen our house, we have only bought two new pieces of furniture in the last 4 years. The rest are from scavenger hunts through estate sales and hand me downs. My favorite chair in our house is from New York - my dad (who I tend to get my love of old, used furniture from) picked it off the side of the road in the 1970s. Of course we will buy a new crib, but everything else we have collected for the nursery so far are hand me downs. For fabrics and decor, I have been scouring Etsy, Anthropologie, and other sites for vintage/antique-looking items for the baby's room. We don't plan on buying matching crib bedding, but piecing different fabrics and items together for a unique look.

From the pics above, we like gender neutral rooms even though we are finding out the sex. I don't want a pink frilly room for a girl - if she is anything like her momma, she won't be super girly and won't particularly enjoy pink. And for a boy, this is probably the only time in his life he will let me give him a sweet and tranquil room without trucks, sports gear and weapons. For paint colors, I am a huge fan of Benjamin Moore's Gray Horse and Bird's Egg.

One debate will be decided on Sept. 16, when we find out boy or girl. I like white nursery furniture and Brian likes dark nursery furniture. Over a handshake in Target, we decided that if it's a girl, white furniture, and if it's a boy, dark furniture.

Eventually, I'll do a post all on accessories. We also have a trip to Atlanta planned in which we will be making a major Ikea run. Check back soon for more nursery updates!