40 Weeks + the Final Nursery

Well it's officially official.

Today I'm 40 weeks pregnant.

And in case you didn't know...today is supposedly the day! At least according to my pregnancy app.

 

Though my doctor told me that only about 5% of women go into labor on their due date (can that be true?!), I am still holding out hope that I'll have a January baby. She's got about 36 hours to make it.

Mostly, I continue to feel really good. Shaun and I have been staying pretty local. We spent the last weekend putting the finishing touches on the nursery and eating brunch. Lots of pancakes happening for this lady. And somehow, I'm back on bananas.

I am seriously going to miss eating whatever I want.

I think the most exciting part is that we finally finished the nursery! I'm so excited to share our finished photos with you. This weekend, we hung up some artwork, attached the changing pad to the dresser top and put on all of the finishing touches. Of course, there is still a little more work to do once she arrives (like hanging a wall applique of her name), but I think for right now, we are pretty set. So here goes!

If you recall, months ago I had whipped up this little nursery moodboard to get some inspiration for how I wanted the room to come together:

I'm thrilled to report that most of this came to fruition!

So without further ado, here is the {almost} final nursery! And I'm going to let the photos do the talking...

So there you have it. Our final nursery! I seriously love it so much, I often just head on in there to admire it all. And of course, we've got a pretty awesome closet all set up for her too.

We've got everything all set and ready...we just need a baby! I'll be sure to keep you all posted in the coming days with any news :)

Thanks for all of your well wishes and kind words over the last 9+ months. It has meant the world to Shaun and me!

DIY Closet for Baby

A few weeks ago, we finished overhauling a closet for the nursery.

I really wish that I had taken before photos to show you what a disaster it used to be. I knew at the time that we should photograph the mayhem, but I think I blacked it out or something because I hated it so much. The closet in the nursery is a huge half reach-in half walk-in closet. Half of it is used for general storage (like linens, Christmas decorations, Shaun's golf clubs and more) and our wrapping paper station. That left us with half of a closet to use for baby girl.

When we started this project, I felt incredibly daunted by how to maximize the space and to also give our baby girl a truly awesome closet, filled with plenty of storage and function. It took a few missteps, some wasted funds and admittedly a few tears from this crazy pregnant lady, but I'm so so happy with how it all turned out. I think it's actually my favorite space in the whole apartment.

True story.

We started by cleaning out the entire space and measuring exactly the space that we wanted to use. For against the wall, we used the Closetmaid system from Home Depot. It was as simple as hanging two long tracks on beams and then cutting the shelves to size (which the lovely people at Home Depot will do for you if you give them the measurements). We bought the appropriate brackets, clothing bars and endcaps for the jagged, cut edges. Before we knew it, we had a gorgeous closet set up.

This apartment blessed us with 14ft ceilings, and so the closet shelving actually extends all the way to the ceiling - a place that only Shaun can get to on a 6ft ladder. We used this higher shelves for things we won't need right away or seldom used items.

One of the most important things to me for this closet was to have plenty of hanging space. Since the closet is so tall, we were able to install 2 rows of hanging bars for all of her little clothes, with lots of space to spare. I picked up baby slimline hangers from Target, which also maximized the space.

We chose to hang the shelves with plenty of space in between so that I could still use this shelf for storage, in addition to hanging clothes above it. We received the gorgeous hat box from my Aunt Laurie at our baby shower and I just had to display it (not to mention it's perfect for wrangling lots of little odds and ends). On the right, I wanted to display her gorgeous baby blankets, including an incredible quilt made by my good friend Kristen, gorgeously soft stroller blankets from my Aunt Vicky and my mom, and a beautiful handmade afgan from my cousin Gabe.

And below that lies more hanging space. On the floor, I placed 2 large fabric storage bins from Target and filled them with about 3,500 baby wipes, which will hopefully last us through the first week ;) And just so you know, this only shows a small sampling of her clothes...seriously this little girl already has a better wardrobe than me...I have 2 dressers filled with onesies, pants, sweaters and more.

On the door side, I couldn't resist the amazing Container Store elfa system that I had already installed for our DIY gift wrap station. We ended up using a track from Home Depot (the one I ordered from Container Store actually arrived damaged) and just adding the baskets from CS. They fit perfectly, adding a ton more storage and function to otherwise unused space.

I filled the door side with lots more odds and ends. On top, I placed all of the extra creams, wipes and washes. I have a stash of these in her changing table and have back-ups on hand here. Underneath those, I added all of her extra crib sheets and mattress pads. I've been told by many a Mom that we'll need a bunch and thanks to my own Mom for supplying all of these amazing pieces. Since she won't be in her crib for a little while, I'm holding off on washing them just yet.

I used an entire deep basket for her little bibs. Seriously, so so cute.

And below that, a space for her little hats and burp cloths (I have more of these in her changing table dresser too!). I filled in the bottom baskets with extra diapers (which are also stashed all over the room) and some white frames that I plan to hang up on the walls this weekend.

So there you have it. A pretty awesome baby closet for my little sweet pea, no? I wish I had a cost breakdown for you, but we ended up spending some extra $$ on shelving that didn't quite work and we ended up throwing away. In the end, the Closetmaid system was very affordable, while the Container Store pieces are a bit more...but it's all worth every penny for good storage and organization!

We've got the closet and all her goodies ready...we just need her to get here already!

So what do you think?

Have you ever DIY'ed your own closet?

How do you maximize storage in limited spaces?

It's in {my hospital} bag

I'm 8 days away from my due date and yes, I have just about everything packed and ready to go! After posting what I'm packing for Baby H, I got a few requests for what I plan to bring for myself. 

I searched through tons of lists, spoke to family, friends, & hospital employees, got advice on Facebook and finally narrowed it all down to what I really thought I might use/need. I know that many people say that you don't need much, but I do like to have options and my own creature comforts (make-up was the first thing that got packed and placed into my bag!), so I packed my bag with what I think I'll be most happy with and tried to avoid going overboard.

Here is the bulk of everything laid out and ready to go into the bag. Of course, I'm missing a few key things like a hairbrush, hair dryer and flat iron. These things will go into the bag as we leave for the hospital, since I use them everyday.

I'm bringing a pair of cozy slippers with rubber grips and flip flops for the shower. I plan to be wearing my Uggs on the way to the hospital (since it's pretty much the only footwear that comfortably fits at this point). I plan to wear cozy yet cute cardigans during my stay that will keep me warm and also look nice in photos. The cute pink elephant print is a Babee covee, a 6-in-1 baby blanket, car seat cover, nursing cover and more. I don't really think I'll use this, but am bringing it just in case for when we have visitors.

As for toiletries, I'll spare you the laundry list, but it includes all the basics like shampoo, extra contact lenses & case, headbands, hairties, toothbrush & paste, a razor & shaving gel (just in case), and some other mommy-products (like Lansinoh). For make-up, I brought mascara, blush, primer, a small eyeshadow palette, 1 lipstick and brushes. 

Moving on, I bought 2 pairs of large yoga pants that are oh-so-soft and cozy, along with 4 nursing tank tops that will be perfect for under those cardigans. I purchased some non-slip socks and new unmentionables that can be tossed later on. I also picked out 2 pretty pillowcases (in Baby H's colors!) to bring with us and put on our own pillows (another items that will just get brought with us when we leave for the hospital). I got these at Pottery Barn Kids and think they will be so cute in photos and also get use once we are home.

Lastly, I DIY'd my own baby book for baby girl (I blurred out her name on the cover...it's a surprise!). I left a page for her footprints and I'm hoping to get a copy of those in the hospital. And for myself, a new pair of peach pj's and a new, lightweight and oh-so-soft robe.

It all fits perfectly in my Vera Bradley duffel (one of my all-time favorite bags).

Outside of these things, I have a separate tote bag packed with some snacks for Shaun (granola bars, nuts), an extra tote bag (to carry things home in) and our cameras...we are bringing our new video camera, my point-and-shoot and my DSLR. And very lastly, we'll also be bringing my iPad, phones, chargers, insurance paperwork and a deck of cards (in case of a lot of down time).

I think that pretty much covers it all. Check out last week's post about what I'm bringing for baby, in case you are interested.

So what do you think?

What creature comforts are must-haves for you when traveling?

And moms out there, am I missing anything?