Nursery Tour

As promised, here's a look at our now complete nursery!

Let's start with an overall look at the whole room. Pretty typical, right? Crib, bouncy chair, dresser/changing table and glider with ottoman.  We decided to do an Owl and Birds theme with Yellow and Gray colors, and pops of light blue.

Getting more specific, above is our crib. We got it from Target after seeing great ratings for it on Consumer Reports. It's the Graco Charleston Classic Convertible Crib. It's also stocked with bedding from the Land of Nod, Not a Peep Collection. I loved that bedding the minute I saw it, and it inspired the whole room.  I'm so grateful for my friends Joleen and Wendy who gave us the crib sheets, and Ben's co-worker and my friend Angie who gave us the crib skirt (and also hosted an amazing shower that she posted about on her blog here).

 

We ended up getting the Swirl Branch Wall Decal that I blogged about previously from Janey Mac on Etsy and I absolutely love it! Ben did a great job putting it up above the crib, and he put one of the little birds above the closet as well.

The dresser I previously wrote about was actually sold out when we went to Ikea, and there was NO way I was going back to that place (it was a mad house to get there in traffic, and then only being able to go there on a Saturday, the store was nuts as well), so we got this Birkeland six drawer dresser instead, and I actually like it a lot better.

The lamp on the dresser is one we had around the house from Pottery Barn and used to use in the living room, and the changing pad cover is also from Land of Nod's Not a Peep collection.

My friend Christina gave us this Sleep Sheep, noise machine/stuffed animal from Pottery Barn Kids, saying her daughter loves it. I love the items we've been receiving from experienced parents. The sheep will go great with the Dr. Karp, Happiest Baby on the Block sleep philosophy we're going to try and follow.

For easy access to diapers, wipes, etc and for storage all over the room, we have these Gingham Storage Bins from Land of Nod for toys, books and many other things.

Inside the drawers, my organization freak comes out. These drawer organizers were right by the dressers at Ikea, talk about great marketing! I have things organized by size, long sleeve/short sleeve, hats, bibs, socks. etc. I know it won't stay perfect once the baby arrives, but it will help things. People told us (some of them quite rudely!) that no one would gift us clothes because of not knowing our baby's gender ahead of time; how false was that. We have been really lucky and are totally stocked on 0-3 month clothes and many 3-6 month clothes as well.

This was one item I insisted on, a nice glider, and specifically this one from Pottery Barn Kids. It's technically my "push gift" because I told Ben I would use it more than any piece of jewelery or gift he would get me, and we shouldn't waste money on something superficial (although, a little gift when I come home from the hospital would be nice. ;)

The pillow I received in a gift from my friends Molly, Jenna, Sarah and Nina, and I think it will be great to have around for feedings, and because it's beautiful and matches the room perfectly.

We also have these very cute Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that Ben's grandmother made for him when his mom was expecting. They are SO cute, and I'm glad that our baby can now have them as well. (And there's that bird I mentioned earlier!)

I hope you liked the little nursery tour. Now that all is settled we just sit... and wait...for baby!

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VitaCake Giveaway

OK, I lied, the post AFTER this will be a nursery tour. This one is a giveaway I keep meaning to do from the great people at Vitalicious.

They have volunteered to give one of my readers a case of their 50 Calorie VitaCakes and have them delivered right to your doorstep!

I wish I could say I've eaten them, but they're not gluten free, so I couldn't try these beauties. =( I did used to love their VitaTops, especially the chocolate flavors, before I was gluten free.

Also, my husband, friends and coworkers all loved the VitaCakes when I handed them around for them to try with the samples Vitalicious gave me.

I had one co-worker who kept saying, "Can I have just one more of those??" Glad he liked them!

Anyway, if you would like to enter to win a case of these VitaCakes, here's how:
1. Be an official follower of this blog
2. Tweet about this giveaway mentioning me (@AlexaTC) and Vitalicious (@vitamuffin)
3. Leave a comment saying why you want these delicious cakes!

Leave a separate comment for each entry (so up to three total).

All entries must be received by Sunday, October 21, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. eastern, and once I announce a winner they have 48 hours to e-mail me their mailing info to: AlexaTaleof2Cities@gmail.com

** Open to US Residents Only.. Vitalicious provided me with a case of samples of Vitacakes to try, but did not compensate me in any other way for this post.


UPDATE: The random winner is #3, Emily at A Nutritionist Eats. Congratulations Emily!
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What I've been cooking, baking and eating (and not eating)

I've been in total, make it, and freeze it mode as we prep for Baby's arrival. Maybe because nearly everything else is done, birthing class and infant CPR are both complete, drawers are full of washed clothes, car seats are in place. So now, we wait...

Lucky for me, I've been busy at work to keep my mind off the impending event (most of the time, sometimes I just can't avoid thinking about it when I feel like my abdomen is a big ball of pressure) and then my weekends fill up fast as I try enjoy our last few weeks as a family of two (plus Cooper).

Recipes I've been making to freeze include:
Apple Crisp (Can't find the recipe anymore online, I'll write another post with it soon, it's so easy and delicious!)
Chicken Enchiladas
Three Bean Chili
Quinoa Chicken Chili
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

I also recently made these (you could freeze them, but they're probably best fresh) Cheesy Chicken Crunchers.

 Photo Source from: More Than Just Dessert

Oh. My. Goodness. These were delicious, like an adult version of chicken tenders, and my husband who has a taste for simpler foods (he's a mac and cheese, burger & fries, steak & potatoes, etc. lover more than anything) loved them as well.

Last night, I also made these simple baked apples from Healthy Tipping Point. They were great with a scoop of ice cream last night, and on my oatmeal this morning. 

People keep asking me if I've had particular cravings during this pregnancy, and I guess I can't pinpoint many. What made me take a pregnancy test in the first place was wanting to eat Mexican food everyday for about seven days straight and realizing after about the fifth day that that was a little odd. During my first trimester, I was sick with nausea and throwing up for about eight weeks straight, and my food choices were little. During that time I did crave Edy's Slow Churned Rocky Road Ice Cream and Ore Ida Tater Tots (we were going through at least two bags a week for awhile) because they were one of the few things, besides Rice Chex and Crackers as well, that sat well in my stomach.

The one thing I have not been able to stand this entire pregnancy is ground beef. During the first trimester, it was any meat all together, but now it's just ground beef. The smell and taste of it leave me gauging.

I cannot WAIT to eat certain foods again. Specifically soft cheeses. I know some are comfortable eating them if they're pasteurized, but I just was too paranoid.  So, I'll be having some goat cheese pasta and brie with jam, along with a glass of wine or a cold beer as soon as I can.

After this weekend, the final touches of nursery should be done, so in my next post I'll give you a little tour with links to the products we purchased. Stay Tuned!


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