Nursery Updates!

As we come into the home stretch prior to the Dude's arrival, I figure I should let you know how things look in the nursery. I think we are done, minus a few little pieces here and there.

The main difference between Kid #1 and Kid #2 is that I realize that this time around, all a baby really needs is some food to eat, a place to sleep, diapers and some clothes. That said, nurseries are a lot of fun to put together and let me introduce you to ours...






This is the nook for our new glider from the Best Chair Company. Seriously, that is the name. I ordered it during a sale from a local children's store.






This this the view from the doorway. A friend from church with far more sewing skills than I have made the custom linens, including the valance, crib skirt and pillows. The elephant lamp on the dresser is from HomeGoods.






This is the previous view of the other wall in the nursery, with the old knobs.






I changed out the knobs for some nickel finish ones that I picked up at Lowes.






Close up of the valance (a sunny yellow stripe with an inset box pleat with dandelions - the most masculine flower I could come up with!).






Not in the original picture, but wanted to carry out the subtle elephant theme with these bronze finish finials from Pottery Barn Kids. Other little pops of yellow include this little storage box that I got at the Container Store and the diaper bag that my friend surprised me with at my shower.











On the crib wall, I have a few more personalized goodies...






Those pictures were made by another friend who is a graphic artist/illustrator (remember the Pirate Princess Party invitations?) who exceeded my expectations for these custom prints. And the crocheted blue and white blanket draped over the end of the crib was handmade by yet another friend. I have some very generous (and very sweet) friends!







Close up of the crib skirt...






The trio of prints features lyrics from one of my favorite kids' songs, "You Are My Sunshine".My daughter has been singing this song to my belly this pregnancy, so it makes the lyrics extra-special.

A quick loop back to the nursing corner shows a couple of my other nursery favorites. A few talented friends made me nursing covers as well as the burp cloths on the side table.






Above the glider is a custom Etsy print with the verse Zephaniah 3:17 on it. This was a present from two dear friends who picked a perfect complement to the nursery.






I LOVE this Martini side table from West Elm! I had been pining for it from afar for several months, thinking it would be a perfect table, but not wanting to drop that kind of money on a table for a kid's room. It was like a sign when about a month ago, my local store had a floor sample on sale for $40! I snatched that sucker up faster than you can say "Pinterest".

Custom changing pad by the same friend.






And last, but not least, a boob shaped contractor grade light. 'Cause why not? Babies like boobs, right?





I want to get a small rug for the center of the room, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for... (U2 lyrics, say what?)

What do you think? Chime in!

Other Places to Follow the Drama

Like everyone else in the blogosphere, I am a little addicted to Pinterest. It is an easy way to gather ideas for future house projects, DIY crafts, recipes, fashion, travel and general fabulousness. I've gotten some great inspiration from the site and frittered away countless hours planning imaginary dinner parties and designing my ultimate dream house.








And it totally counts as nesting prior to the babe being born, right? You can follow me at Pinterest here.

Also, I finally joined the masses and got an iPhone after being an Android fan for years. And while there are certain things I miss about my old phone, the seamless link between my iPad and iPhone is awesome. One of my favorite free apps is Instagram.








Once you download the free app, you can follow me there by typing "drbabymamadrama" into the search function. It makes sharing pictures easy and chronicling daily life a breeze. Expect many baby candids...

Are any of y'all on Pinterest or Instagram and I'm not following you yet? Let me know!

It's a Cookie Swap

I am determined to get some blogging done before the baby arrives, so here goes with some way overdue posts!

For the second year in a row, I attended a cookie swap a few weeks before Christmas, but this time I had the privilege of hosting it in our home. If you have never been to one of these, get a group of friends together to do it! It is super easy to host and there is minimal clean up afterwards (my kind of party!). Valentine's Day is a perfect excuse to do something like this...
As guests came in, they saw their bags for taking cookies home at the end of the evening as well as a  welcoming message on my DIY chalkboard (thank you, Pinterest).



My dining room became cookie central for the night. For the month of December, we did a fresh cedar garland nestled with votives (carefully, because of the fire hazard) and fresh clementines. I used fake greenery to decorate the white buffet and the doorway and banister.
 


We decided to vote on a favorite cookie this year, so as people came in, they wrote their cookie name on a numbered card. The beginnings of the cookie arrival...
  


This was our Christmas tree, which we just took down last week. I figured we should bring a February baby home with a tree still up.



On a table in our foyer, I displayed the various Christmas cards we have had over the years.



Outdoor lighting leading up to the house are below. I always get a little sad when the Christmas lights start coming down, since it always makes your house look less welcoming during the cold winter days.



Still loving the lanterns!



Have you ever attended or hosted a cookie swap? Do you think it could work for a bridal shower or even Valentine's day?

OOTD: New Year's Eve Outfit

I haven't done one of these in a while, so here goes! We normally are old farts and stay home for New Year's Eve. I think it has been at least 7 or 8 years since I have gone out on the 31st. However, this year a good friend of ours was celebrating her 30th birthday at the same time. She rented out a local coffee shop/bistro for the night so that we could ring in the New Year with friends, food and champagne (sparkling juice for me, boo!). I couldn't resist getting a little dolled up for party.

The dilemma at 8 months into pregnancy is what the heck is going to fit??? I tend not to gain much weight during pregnancy, so my pants and looser shirts still fit. And according to my friends and my husband, I am all belly. This makes my wardrobe options a little easier.

I started off with a maternity tank (the only maternity piece I wore) that is really just for the longer length/coverage that it provides. I paired those with black pre-pregnancy skinny jeans that were thankfully low rise and barely fit below the bump - a little over a month to go!




I finished the outfit with a J.Crew sequin tank top from 2010. Funny thing was, I was never able to wear this before because the fit was all weird, but it went perfectly under a black blazer for the evening. Side view...



...and front view.



United Colors of Benetton blazer
Liz Lange maternity tank
J.Crew sequin top and pave link bracelet
Old Navy black skinny jeans
Earrings from a local boutique
Nine West shoes

Since 2011 was the year almost without J.Crew (or any other decent clothes shopping, for that matter) I got this little consolation prize from J.Crew for Christmas from MrDrama. When nothing else fits, at least accessories do!




Sparkly fun heels. Yeah, I lasted about 15 minutes standing in these...




My new favorite earrings this year, black onyx and gold.




The party was fun and it felt so grown up to be out with friends without kids in tow. But I know I am old when I am yawning by 11:30 pm, wishing I wasn't in Central Standard Time, so I could be home already in my bathrobe. If my 23 year old self could see me now...

How was your New Year's? Any fun plans with friends? Or was it a quiet night at home? Chime in!

Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Apparently gestating a baby leaves me one step below having the energy of a three-toed sloth and one step above a piece of moss on a tree. It has been a busy month, filled with parties and Christmas decorating our new house for the first time, church activities as well as craziness of work (there is a baby boom going on, so we are short-staffed) and family visiting this week. I love Christmas, but it can be exhausting!

This feels like the first time in forever that I have had a weekend to relax. Oh, wait not true... We have a new year's party tonight and our annual new year's day lunch with one of my best friend's from college tomorrow. And then, we start preparing for the baby. Please excuse me as if I want to bury my head in the sand and wakeup after Easter!

Here us our much belated Christmas card.




I do have a lot from the past month to share, including how we snazzied up our house (I think "snazzied" is not a word, but I like it) and a cookie swap party as well as a few fashion pics, if you are interested. Christmas in January, why not?

I hope you and your family have a wonderful new year!

Christmas Card Photos and Tiny Prints to the Rescue

I won't do any Christmas posts yet (gotta let Thanksgiving have its day) but I have to give a few big shout outs to the photographer who took some of our pictures for our Christmas cards. I remember hating taking family pictures at Olan Mills studio or JCPenney when I was younger and the horrible awkwardness of it all. Weird backdrops, flashbulbs and standing on those wooden boxes are still vivid in my memory.

Not so, anymore. Spending money on a professional photographer each fall is one of the best investments we make all year. Last year, we did casual pictures at the Factory in Franklin. This year we did pictures at the Ellington Agricultural Center in our old neighborhood and I loved the location for pictures. Our photographer was Ashley Miller Photography and she did a great job and we got our pictures really fast!

I already went ahead and ordered our cards from TinyPrints and am pleased with how they turned out. I will post the actual card after we have mailed them out in a few weeks, but here are a few of the photos that didn't make the cut for the card but were still pretty awesome.
















This is probably my favorite of the pictures that Ashley took. Love the expectant expression on the Kid's face.

What about you? Do you take annual family pictures? Any horrific awkward family photo moments?

Chime in!

J.Crew Crushes

I may not be able to fit into anything right now that doesn't have a stretch waist or a full belly panel. But that hasn't stopped me from browsing my favorite catalogs for a few J.Crew goodies to wear after the little dude arrives...

Like the Fanfare Jacket in winter tweed...




Or the Talia top in Wildcat...




Or the Mona Oxford pump...




Or the Biennial Satchel in Saddle...


The December J.Crew catalog was my favorite this year. I am hoping Santa takes note... DrDrama can't wait to be back in pencil skirts!

Any winter items on your must have list? Boots? New jeans? A pretty scarf? Some jewelry?

Chime in!