ella's nursery.

since ella was a month early, i didn't have her room finished when she came home from the hospital. so, it took me a while to get some pictures of it to share with all of you guys, but i finally did it! i had so much fun planning her nursery. i wanted the room to be really soothing. also, i wanted her to grow into it as a little girl, so i didn't want it to be overly baby-ish or neon haha. the theme is sort of a whimsy woodland one with neutral {any tan, gray, white, cream, taupe} with pops of gold & coral. 

{i have an unhealthy obsession with neutrals...but i think the coral is so different & fun!} i linked a lot of the things i found, in case you are looking for something similar. if there is something i missed, just ask!

curtains: tjmaxx | curtain rod: amazon | glider & ottoman: babies r us | opossum fur: new zealand | pompom garland: anthropologie | whimsy deer head: amazon | side table: antique store | floor basket: land of nod | lamp: old, hardware refurbished with gold leaf rub 'n buff.

crib: babies r us | mobile: babies r us | gray & coral wool blanket: land of nod | quilt: babies r us | crib sheet: etsy | crib skirt: land of nod | birch tree wall canvas: hobby lobby. 

  bunny with internal white noise: babies r us | plush doughnut rattle: babies r us | deer: fawn shoppe | lambie: gift | elephant lovie: gift | pale nulle: luckyboysunday | opossum fur pillow: new zealand.

i planned the whole nursery around this $3 handmade doily i found in snohomish at an antique shop. it was the perfect color coral that i had in my mind, so i brought it shopping everywhere with me!

 lamp base: land of nod | laurel leaf lamp shade: land of nod {not currently available}  | clover gold mirror: land of nod {gold not currently available, white here}

squirrel: tj maxx | tiny mirrors: hobby lobby | moccs: various

we picked out the felted animals for this diy mobile in a christmas shop in vail, CO when i visited jack at one of his externships last october. however, i found them online by outside inside here. i just took their little scarves off and hung them from a wooden mobile hanger {found on etsy} with embroidery floss. ella is obsessed with it.

 mountain wall canvas: antique shop | nursery furniture: babies r us {note that the furniture comes with standard pewter colored hardware. i turned all the hardware gold with rub n buff in gold leaf. i also did not pay retail...i got all nursery furniture for 40% off!}

  

coral fleece blanket : gift

sushi in the window: priceless. hehe.

 frame: hobby lobby

twenty weeks.

halfway bump date!

 20 weeks {five months}.

i had my 20 week ultrasound this morning and everything looks perfect. they scanned all of her major organs and measured her growth and everything appears exactly as it should. i cannot express my gratitude to the Lord and also my happiness!

S T A T S :

baby: she is the size of a banana {?}...or 13 oz according to my ultrasound tech. this week, she's putting on "brown fat" which surrounds and protects her organs.

weight gain: fifteen lbs {eeeek}. i went so long without gaining much, but this last month has been...what shall we call it...a period of "growth." BUT they weighed me at the doctor's office with my boots and jacket on after breakfast...and I swear their scale is possessed by the devil. so, that makes me feel better. in all seriousness, doc is happy with where i'm at. I'm eating healthily and working out  3 + / - days per week {i could definitely be working out more}, so I'm just letting my bod do what it wants. my wedding rings still fit and that's all that matters. heh.

sleep: ugh, horrible. i've always been a good sleeper, but come the hours between 2-5am...i just lay there. wide. awake. then i'm too tired to get up at 6, so i end up sleeping until 7 or 8. so depressing. and boring. thank goodness i'm not commuting. next question.

feeling: this week was rough. my body is getting to be the biggest it's ever stretched...and i've only just begun. my poor cute organs are moving to places they've never been. my bladder is getting constantly kicked by two cute little feet. this all equals constant pulling + stretching + cramping sensations. i get shooting pains if i cough or get up too fast. so bizarre. people who say pregnancy doesn't hurt are liars. but let me tell you, when i saw my little sunshine's face in my ultrasound today, it made all the poopy days worth it. 

also, i'm suuuuper emotional. last night on the phone with jack, i was laughing so hard at something, i had tears streaming down my face. and then i realized, "i might actually be crying right now. i don't even know." and then i started laughing again. or was i already laughing? 

maternity clothes: yiiiip. i can still fit into almost everything except my jeans & workout pants. my poor middle is too thick. if my face wore clothes, they would be in maternity. it's way rounder than usual.

favorite moments of the week:

1. anatomy scan. my dad & di got to come with me, which was sooo wonderful. with jack being gone, these huge milestone appointments are filled with anxiety for me. i need to be prepared to hear the worst and the best, and it was amazing to have my people there with me to help keep my mind off all the possible scenarios before hearing the outcome.

{on my way to my anatomy scan this morning!}

2. talking with jack about his denver externship. he's staying in his 3rd year resident's house for the month and he's loving it. they have so many fun animals filling their property. i mean, how cute is this of him and their chicken?! 

3. i ordered nursery furniture!!! 

this is our crib. it's hard to tell from the picture, but it's a beautiful off-white, creamy gray color. rustic and modern....perfect for "her" woodland chic nursery!

...and we ordered the short dresser here that can also be used as the changing table...and this is the crib converted to a toddler bed {for later on}. then the conversion kit {not yet available, ugh} will allow this bed to also become a full sized bed! it is the heidi klum truly scrumptious mist collection from babies r us. since i went into the store, the girl ordering it for me gave me 40% off one piece and 35% off the other! and they are delivering it to my house! the crib will probably be put aside until jack can build it when he gets home in january, but still happy i found something affordable that i like that is in stock and in budget. i have learned that any cute, reasonably priced nursery furniture flies off the shelves like hot cakes...so if you like something, you best order it. now. check that off the list! yay!! 

4. fall. it finally feels cold and cozy enough to build a fire here at night. this is the first time the kitties have ever had a fireplace. it's been hilarious watching them enjoy it. 

 i think it's safe to say sushi will never live in a place without her own fireplace ever again.

miso is still learning not to be totally terrified of it. now instead of running under the bed as soon as i open the glass, he will watch from the couch or by sush's side. he's learned that it's warm... and it's not going to eat him.

literally sush just stays here for hours. so cozy.

ok, this turned into sort of a long post. so much happening this week!

i heart fall...and other things, too.

now that it is fall {as officially determined by the recent seasonal release of the starbucks pumpkin spice latte}, i can now publicly get excited and proclaim that:

fall is my favorite season. 

i am head over heels for it.

i get more excited for fall than any season. even my birthday! yes, that is a season.

 i love when the air in the mornings and evenings becomes crisp. i love comfort food in the oven. i love boots, sweaters, and scarves. i love it when it gets dark super early so we are forced to watch movies and eat dinner together on the couch. i love storms. i love it when mornings are cold so jack has to snuggle with me. haha.

in more shallow news:  i'm also loving these things right now.

1. turquoise statement jewelry.

actually. let's be honest. turquoise jewelry everything.

2. ridiculous {-ly awesome & cozy} statement leggings.

yes. those are buffalos. and i'm thinking...how do i not own these? can i go on much longer without them in my life?

...or these elephant ones???

maybe i just need some attention.

3. pumpkin...everything:

pumpkin spice lattes

pumpkin coffee creamer

pumpkin bread

pumpkin frozen yogurt

pumpkin regular yogurt

pumpkin curry

pumpkin candles

pumpkin tea lights

pumpkin lotion

pumpkin sign on my door

pumpkin napkins

pumpkin paper plates

{...i could go on like bubba with his shrimp in forrest gump}

this sheer excitement will go on and on until one day i wake up in november, decide i cannot fathom the thought of one more thing pumpkin, and move on to everything christmas. 

{i'm not dramatic at all}

until then, i hope everyone likes orange!!!

grants pass.

 {picture of jack at the caveman bridge on the rogue river in grants pass, or}

my mom's mom meredith {i call her grammenner because grandma meredith was a mouthful with a childhood lisp} lives on the river in oregon with her lovely husband, roy. jack and i drove up to visit them last week! 

h i g h l i g h t s 

of our trip include:

 roy & grammenner took us on an amazing river boat excursion with the destination being an all you can eat champagne brunch in a beautiful lodge. it was seriously beyond-words-fabulous. we saw hawks, eagles, deer, osprey, heron, and gorgeous river homes.

the lodge.

us on the boat!

 waterfall at the lodge.

we were soaked!!

 grammenner's kitty, gracie. she bit jack. but she sure is pretty!

 

view of grammenner's house from the riverbed.

 contemplating how to cross.

  

 washing off river feet. 

 my favorite wall in grammenner's front yard.

 i fell in love this super darling five-fingered-fern. if i could manage to keep anything alive but a cactus & a palm tree, i'd adopt one.

i read my book with the sound of the rushing river in the background. heaven.

{highlight not pictured: i did my makeup every morning in the upstairs vanity seat with a window looking out on the river. i thought i had died and gone to heaven. to put things in perspective, i usually do my makeup on the bus or under florescent lighting to the sound of buses...ugh, i am SO over the bay area.}

 we had so much fun during a sudden torrential downpour lightening storm while we were there. 

a transformer blew at 4:30pm & the power went out. our apple pie was 5 minutes from being done in the oven. the power company couldn't fix the transformer until the middle of the night, so we just played cards and ate snacks by candlelight until bedtime. roy barbecued steaks and we still ate fabulously {salad, bread, and corn on the cob made on the gas stove}. it was a the best thing that could have happened that night. there is something about the power being out that brings everyone together in the best way. we totally had to batten down the hatches.

royful keeping score to our game!

there is nothing like a weekend at grammenner's house, and we can't wait to go back.

 //...//

...annnnd a picture of sushi just because i lurrrrve her. heh heh.