Carson's Nursery

I love baby rooms -- especially ones that are fit for a little one, but not too "baby-ish." Initially I said I wasn't going to use any pink in Carson's room, but when my aunt sent me an awesome homemade baby blanket in pink, I knew I would want it on display, so I added some pink into the mix. I have had fun creating this space for Carson -- it's budget friendly, comfortable and a space I look forward spending time in. 

The glider is from Walmart.com, crib from amazon, end table from TJ Maxx. I painted and Sean stacked the crosses above the chair and the quatrefoil frames above the crib are from hobby lobby.

The antique mirror is from my Grandma Ruby's house -- when visiting her last fall her house was empty (she has moved into an assisted living facility), except for a few pictures and this mirror. Seeing as she is Carson's middle namesake, I thought it would be special to include this in the room. The dresser is from Amazon.

Some of her cute little outfits. My niece was born in December and my SIL has been very gracious to give us a lot of her clothes!

Wider shot, of course including Wyatt. We will move the pack n' play into our room when she's tiny. The rug is from Target.

I sewed her crib bedding out of a quilt I found at TJ Maxx. It was reversible and a queen size was perfect to cut up into crib bedding. There is light pink piping at the top and pink ribbon ties. The crib sheet is from pottery barn on clearance.

Quatrefoil mirror from target.

Cute puppy.

This is the sign I made for the hospital door. I just pained a canvas and used my Silhouette for the lettering (regular vinyl)

Here's an overall source list: 

Paint color - Cream in my Coffee
Crib - Amazon, $200

Glider - Walmart.com, $400 

Dresser - Amazon, $200 

Rug - Target, $60 

Curtains - Target, $13 

Crib bedding - Custom, quilt from TJ Maxx $30 

Crib sheet - Pottery Barn, clearance $9
Antique mirror - family heirloom
Frames and crosses on wall - Hobby Lobby, $40

End table - TJ Maxx, $30
Lamp - Target, $15
Ottoman - Target, $17 (I'm planning on covering this with a tan fabric and adding nailhead trim)

Rhea Lana's of NWA

Although baby Carson hasn't made her appearance just yet, I'm loving all the baby stuff around our house. There's a lot of pressure when you're having a baby to have all of the "stuff", much of which I'm not sure she will ever need, or at least not for a while. Something that makes the idea of stuff more palatable to me is finding a good deal. Rhea Lana's is a great opportunity to get nice clothes and baby gear for dramatically reduced prices. 

If you're in the NWA area, I highly suggest you check out this event. There's really so much stuff there (it might have been a little overwhelming at first), but then I started to find cute clothes for mega cheap and got over it pretty quick. My favorite find was a precious pink smocked dress for $4. 

The next event in NWA is this weekend and I'll share some of my goodies with you. For the most up to date information an a early shopping pass, like their page on Facebook by clicking here. They even post some sneak peek pics to get you excited!  You can also visit their website and sign up for their e-mail list. 

37 weeks

How far along: 37 weeks, 3 to go! May 9th is the due date.

Size of baby: 19 inches and approx 6 1/3 pounds 

Gender: A girl! Carson Ruby Huddleston

Maternity clothes: Mostly maternity, though none of it is in the pic.

Weight gain: 22 pounds

Movement: still pretty consistent -- not the big kicks from before, but the frequency is the same

Sleep: Still about the same -- I generally feel rested in the morning, but toss quite a bit through the night.

Best moment this week: I have just felt very good this week -- high energy, less achy pains. Maybe it's more of a state of mind, but I'm so thankful for a healthy pregnancy. This fact has helped me keep negativity at bay and not feel like I need to rush her arrival.

For the most part we feel ready for her arrival and know it could happen any day now. The hospital bag is packed, we have a car seat, my hair is highlighted and nails are manicured. :) We live approx. 2 miles from the hospital, so if there are any last minute needs they will be easily accessible. I'm very curious whether I will go into labor on my own or not...I suppose time will tell!

36 weeks

How far along: 36 weeks, 4 to go!

Size of baby: 18 1/2 inches and approx 6 pounds (that's like a full size baby!)

Gender: A girl! Carson Ruby Huddleston

Maternity clothes: Mostly maternity, though none of it is in the pic.

Weight gain: 21 pounds. Seeing the scale was a little shocking to me, but I know it's very normal for this stage of pregnancy to gain more.

Movement: Less larger movements, but still feeling plenty of kicks. Sometimes it feels like she's trying to break out of my belly. Poor thing, she's probably pretty cramped in there. 

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well recently -- seemingly more frequent bathroom breaks in the middle of the night and I've been increasingly hot at night, so the addition of a fan was a welcome one this week.

Best moment this week: Sean and I spent some good, quality time organizing in the nursery and washing her newborn, 0-3 month clothes. It's so hard to know what and how much of stuff we should have for her!

 Now that I have entered the home stretch of this pregnancy, I get a lot of people asking me if I'm ready for this to be done. Truthfully, I still feel pretty good. I for sure am more swollen and increasingly less comfortable, but sleep is still pretty good and I'm still mobile. New symptom this week is hip pain and my dear athletic trainer of a husband has been awesome about helping me stretch my hips in the evening. I am increasingly excited to meet little miss, but treasure these last weeks of just Sean and I -- I also saw a picture of a 36 week old baby brain and a 40 week baby brain and was encouraged to let her incubate as long as she needs. My doctor said to just take it one week at a time and keep up the walking, so that's what I plan to do!

Branson baby shower

My mom, sister and mother-in-law all hosted a baby shower for Carson in Branson. It was a really nice afternoon and they really spoiled me! I know my mom and sister put a lot of thought into the details and decorations for the shower and my MIL made some yummy contributions to the food. My Aunt Dana even flew up from Texas and my friend Kaitlyn drove from St. Louis to share in the event! We have been blown away by our friends and family's graciousness and generosity throughout this pregnancy -- really, people are so kind! 

My sister decorated the Converse shoes on top - can't wait for Carson to wear those!

Cookie party favors.

Carson's first swimsuit!

Mom, me, Kristel

Mom, me , Kristel, Aunt Dana

My bestie from grad school, Kait

My dad made the stickers for these favors. Just thought it was cute he helped!

My Aunt Dana traveled with all the necessities for a headband and bow making station!

35 weeks

I usually think my roots look ok...until I see a picture of me.
I'll add a hair appt to my {non-existent} pre-baby checklist.

How far along: 35 weeks, 5 to go!

Size of baby: Over 18 inches and 5 1/4 pounds, similar to a honeydew melon

Gender: A girl! Carson Ruby Huddleston

Maternity clothes: Mostly maternity.

Weight gain: Somewhere in the ballpark of 19 pounds, depending on time of day -- really packing them on at the end here, but thankful for a growing baby. Maybe with the promise of warmer weather in the near future I will get out and walk more. Maybe. :)

Movement: Less larger movements, but still feeling plenty of kicks. It's hard for me to tell what's what, but I'm pretty sure I can at least discern her feet now. When they are in my ribs.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well recently, even through the whole night last night. I'm most comfortable on my back and my hips propped up on a pillow.

Best moment this week: I just loved the shower in Branson -- my family worked so hard to make it special and they really did make me feel very loved! My Aunt Dana even flew up from Texas and surprised me!

I did have my first new mom fit of paranoia this week. I know braxton hicks are a real possibility at this time and have had them intermittently for the past few weeks. I had what I would describe as mild, but very consistent cramps for about 12 hours, so I bumped my doctor's appointment up a day to get everything checked out. Of course, all is fine and I was worried about nothing, but better safe than sorry, I guess.