#22 - Create Necessities list for all of Ladybugs newborn items

This task is complete! Kale and I have finally sat down and created this list. We had trouble at first distinguishing between the wants and needs and of course we knew we had to slim this list. Budgeting for a new baby is harder than we thought. There are so many things we want for this baby its unbelievable!



Well here is the list:

NURSERY:

Crib -1
Bassinet -1
Furniture -1
Glider Rocker -1
Monitor -1
Crib Mobile -1
Night Light -1
Dimmer Light -1
Crib Sheets - 4
Crib Bumper -1
Crib Mattress - 1
Hamper -1
Baby Blankets -4

DIAPERING:

Diaper Pail -1
Wipes Warmer -1
Sids Mat -1
Diapers -340 
Baby Powder - 2
Diaper Cream -2
Nursery Organizer -1
Wipes - 4 boxes

CLOTHING:

Baby's First Official Outfit -1
Hats -4
Onesies -10 to 12
Pants - 5 to 8
Socks - 10 to 12 

BATH TIME:

Hooded Towel - 2
Wash Cloths - 6 to 8
Baby Soap - 2
Baby Tub -1
Baby Lotion -2 
Nail Clippers -2

FEEDING:

Breast Pump -1
Bottles -6 
Bottle Rack -1
Bottle Brush -1
Bottle Warmer -1
Bibs - 6 to 8
Burp Cloths - 10
Back up Formula -2
Milk Bags - 2 boxes
Drop in bottle liners -4 boxes 

TRAVELING:

Baby carrier to wear on chest -1
Diaper Bag -2
Car Seat -1
Car Seat Cover -1
Travel Wipes Case -1
Strap Pads -1
Changing Pad -1
Head Support -1

HEALTH:

Thermometer- 1
Medicine Binky -1 
Nasal Aspirator -2
Binky's -10

HOME:

Baby Swing -1
Bouncer -1
Boppie -1
Boppie Covers -2
Receiving Blankets -8 to 10  (2 of 10)

OTHER:

Photo Frame - 2
Keepsake Boxes -4
Baby Book -1
Soft Toys -2
Baby Detergent -4
Mittens for hands - 6 to 8
Alcohol and Cotton Balls -2
Instant Hand Sanitizer Machine -1
Stroller -1

Wow! What a list...
We have some of this but have barely made a dent. In a little less than 4 months to go we better hop on this crazy spending ride for new baby !!

~We will also put up subposts to this post for the items we do purchase...
We would like our families to stay updated with what we have purchased. #1 mistake of newborn parents: Purchasing waaayyyy tooo much!

We will be sending out a link to our gift registry soon to anyone who might be interested in knowing what we need for Ladybug.

#4 - Pick Out Paint Colors

Well, we finally chose paint colors for Ladybugs room yesterday. Has this task been accomplished? Not sure yet but we will update. We searched the internet for some baby girl room ideas and these are a few we came up with...

This room was by far my favorite. I would have maybe chose a toned down version of this wallpaper. Daddy said NO to wallpaper.

I really liked the way the white stood out from the paint color on the walls in this photo. The color on the walls is Benjamen Moore 'North Hampton Beige'. This color would look lovely with all of Ladybugs white furniture.

I am not too big on purple but I loved the flowers on the walls. This is an idea we could incorporate.

I also do not like the purple color on the walls but loved the garden take. This is also would be another idea we could incorporate. Kale likes the butterflies painted onto the wall.

Love Love Love the PINK! Ladybugs furniture will be all white just like in this photo. But not only would it be expensive, all of the patterns I like do not always coordinate with each other and the pink on the walls.

I absolutely love black checkered patterns. I always imagined this when and if I ever had a baby girl. Don't know if finding the right fabric is possible but I love pink on black anything. Daddy said no to wallpaper and having something like this put on the walls hand painted or what not just wouldn't be in budget. So, I also plan on using this photo to help decorate Ladybugs room. I also really like the cute framed letters. That's adorable.

Originally Kale and I chose three paint colors for ladybugs room.

Kale actually chose these colors at Lowes BEFORE we even knew it was a girl. Like I mentioned before, he knew all along it was a girl. I never once thought it was strange that we didn't pick out boy colors.

Anyways - We were going to use these three colors in the room. Bottom right for the walls just like in one of the photos above, Bottom left for the trim and the top right color for something else. I can't quite remember how it all went. Anyways. Then I became afraid that we would be overwhelmed with PINK. I want her room to be full of girly colors and patterns but the entire room to be PINK? I am just not sure.

We chose to finally purchase some paint yesterday. We went to Benjamen Moore and bought a sample of the North Hampton Beige. We figured this way her furniture would stand out from the paint color and the paint color is neutral enough to go with any pattern as far as decor went. So, I have sample painted her room this morning. The paint color we chose is the color on the walls in photo number 2. I am thinking I like it already. But before we proceed, daddy has to check it out. I might go today and get the dark pink color that is in the paint samples above and throw some on the walls. Ya never know. Ladybugs furniture is all white and I don't want the room to look stark. Owell, we have a lot of choices to make but will keep this post updated...

#6 - Install New Dimmer Light

Yay! Another task complete except this time daddy did it. I came home from work Friday and Kale had installed the new dimmer light into Ladybug's room.

Now Ladybugs room can be bright when shes awake and dim when she is sleeping.

Family Fun

Summer Vacation 2011 Lake Powell, Utah

Thank you Tami and Randy for such a wonderfully planned trip to Lake Powell, Utah.

This took me forever to post! But it is finally here.

We had quite a little adventure. It was fun, exhausting, exciting, scary and all the above in 5 days!!!
We lived on a beautiful houseboat in the middle of the Canyons on Lake Powell. There were 19 people all together. We are so blessed to have met the rest of the crew! Spending time with that many people on one houseboat posed a lot of challenges! Sleeping, eating, and little Sawyer learning how to open doors. It was a blast though! There are so many pictures! I don't even know where to start!!! A slide show is definitely the way to go with this many pics!

This vacation was sooo needed! We had so much fun. Hanging out with family, swimming, boating, eating, making smores, playing games, and just having a blast in the summer sun!

Thanks again Tami and Randy for everything. We loved spending this time with you and the kiddos! Me and the kids really enjoyed meeting everyone and hanging out!

#18: Pick Out Material And Make Homemade Burpees

Oh I have had some extra time on my hands lately. I got a really great and relaxing few days off of work and decided to finally put my fabric to good use.

Task #18 Complete! Pick out material and make homemade burpees

This was a lot of fun even though it consumed my entire morning. I even ate breakfast later than usual because I was so excited to make these.

P.S. I have been using white thread and my mom purchased me some already threaded bobbins in white and black. I am NOT a very good bobbin threader!!!Unfortunately the thread I needed to use was cream colored to match the material. WHAT? I HAVE TO THREAD MY OWN BOBBIN????  I really biffed it this am getting my thread wrapped around the underside of the bobbin not ONCE but TWICE!! I was so mad. Finally I got the hang of it and the rest of this sewing adventure went very well!

30 Things in 144 Days...Preparing for LadyBug

I have created a list of all the things I need to take care of before "Ladybug" arrives. This should be interesting considering I am working a lot and have no time to do anything!!!

Complete

In Progress

 Room/Furniture and walls:

1. Clean the room really well. (This includes finding out where I am going to put the computer desk at in our home. It is large and takes up a lot of space.)
2. Shampoo the carpet
3. Organize closet giving "ladybug" half of the space
4. Pick out Paint Colors
5. Paint the room
6. Install new dimmer light
7. When furniture arrives, arrange nicely
8. Get some rest

Decor:

9. Pick out material for curtains & Make myself
10. Choose some simple decor and place on walls-possibly make myself
11. Create whimsical to hang in room-possibly create myself
12. Pick out material for cloth totes and cloth hamper & make myself : if I can :)
13. Pick out material for crib bumper, crib skirt, and quilt. Make myself
14. Find some really awesome room decor and create myself
15. Put together Ladybugs first photo album and place in her room
16. Get some rest

Clothing/Blankets/Burpees

17. Decorate at least 5 onesies myself
18. Pick out material and make "homemade" burpees
19. Pick out material and make at least 2 blankets for Ladybug myself
20. Recover Glider Rocker
21. Get some rest

Everything Else:

22. Create a "necessities" list for purchasing all of Ladybugs newborn items
23. Create Gift Registry
24. Attend Ladybugs Baby Shower
25. Organize everything into ladybugs room
26.  Pick a name for Ladybug
27. Pack Bag for Ladybug, Daddy and me for Hospital trip
28. Get grandma here to take care of boys!!
29. Get some rest
30. And last but not least take photo and document successful tasks on blog

Chenille Baby Burpees

Chenille Baby Burpees

I found this project on the internet. Since I am having a little girl, I figured what better than to have a few make it yourself and oh soooo cute baby burpees.

First, Hit up the fabric store and purchase some pretty chenille and coordinating cotton fabric:

For this project you will need the following supplies:

1.5  yards of chenille fabric

1.5 yards of cotton fabric

Scissors

Measuring tape

sewing pins

Coordinating thread

Sewing machine

Note: the amount of fabric I chose makes 6 baby burpees

Note: Pre-wash your fabric before starting your project.

After washing and drying your fabric, trim off any excess material/threads.

Now you will want to cut your fabric. I chose to lay the  fabric one on top of the other than cut the fabric together. I chose to do the measuring by deciding the coverage I wanted each burpee to be. I like a wide long burpee. The size I chose to go with was 9"x18". This allows me to have the 1/2 in. seam allowance giving me a burpee that measures 8"x17" when finished.

Next, you need to pin your fabric together. Do this by laying the fabric on top of each other...( pattern and chenille facing each other)  Then pin around 3 edges.

Sew with a simple stitch all 3 sides. When you are finished sewing, cut off excess material leaving about 1/4 inch along outside of stitching. When done, flip your burpee right side out.

Top stitch around all 4 sides of burpee. Cut off any excess material from the open end of the burpee that you just sealed.

Your all done with this project. A little time-consuming but not bad. Now you have adorable chenille baby burpees for your kids or as a gift!! Enjoy!

My Sweet Potato - 18 weeks

18 Weeks and 5 Days

Baby Shank Update:

Went to our gender ultrasound appointment today! Baby Shank is doing great. Anatomy came back good. Baby has all 10 fingers and all 10 toes!!

Baby's heart rate was 140 BPM.

Baby is moving around like a little tubleweed!

And for the Announcement of Baby's gender:

We are thrilled that it's a girl.

When Kale and I went in for the ultrasound we thought o.k. we will know what it is right away. Well, the ultrasound tech looked twice and then did a complete anatomy of the baby before she would tell us what it was. I looked so hard but without my darn glasses I couldn't see anything. I kept saying, "It's a boy? Is it a boy?"

She said hold on. Up, it's a girl. I was like what? I was shocked. Kale has known for some reason and ever since we saw baby for the first time, he has called Baby Shank a she.

While we were boating on Lake Powell, Tache mentioned that Kristen ( kale's sister) should have a nickname for her baby again. Tache asked us what our's was. We had NO idea. We do now. Don't know where it came from or why. There is no reason really. But Baby Shank is no longer. We will now refer to Baby as "LADYBUG"

Here is a new picture of "LADYBUG"

Mommy Update:

Oh doing good. I have been working everyday and will continue to do so for the next couple months. Then it's vacation time for ME! I can't wait to be off work, relaxing, hitting that awesome "nesting" phase where I clean and prepare for LadyBug to arrive.

I have gained 2 more pounds! Grrr! That puts my total weight gain so far at around 11 pounds. I am wondering if I will make it to only gain my 25-30 pounds for pregnancy. I really need to start watching what I eat or hit the gym more often. I haven't gone in a week because of working so much.

Ahh Maternity clothes! They have now become my best friend. We are o.k. with eachother. LOVE THEM!

I am sleeping great lately except for lastnight. I decided to clean and scrub my kitchen. Pack Kale his lunch. Make him a pot of coffee and go to bed around um 11:00. Then got my little butt up with Kale at 2:30 (for him to go to work early) and started cleaning the bathroom while he was occupying it. Wow. I have NO idea what has gotten into me!

"LADYBUG" is moving around a LOT! She is kicking and rolling and all kinds of movement. I got nervous for a week because she really didn't move around a lot. I think maybe I over did it at work and just wasn't paying attention. I got the 4th off and when I was resting I felt her moving around A LOT! Ever since the 4th she has been a little tumbleweed.

I don't really miss anything right now. Oh wait, yes I do. I miss being cool. I have been HOTTTTT since a few weeks ago. NOTHING can cool me off. I turn the AC to 68 and love it.

Here's my new belly pic:

18 weeks




  Daddy Update:

Kale is doing great too. He's my other baby. He is happy. So very happy. Getting to see Ladybug again. Watching her move around, heart beat, and just seeing her profile. He will be happy when he gets to hold her in his arms!

He remains supportive and has given into all my food addictions lately.

Love him to death and he is tickled about us having a baby girl!

We love you all! The Shank Family

My Karate Kid

June 24, 2011 marks a very memorable moment for the daddy to be. We were laying in bed talking about the baby. All of a sudden my stomach gets very tight and hard. I discover baby is moving around. I am thinking REALLY? Right now? 10 pm? Welcome to Motherhood!!

Ever since the road trip to St. Louis Airport and I felt Baby Shank for the first time, I have just felt lots of very light touches on the inside of my uterus. Or I will get bubbles. Light little bubble feeling in my uterus. I get very happy knowing that it's Baby Shank moving around.I have felt Baby Shank kick maybe once or twice. Well last night marks a definite moment in Baby Shank's life. THE FIRST TIME HE KICKED ME AND DADDY FELT IT!

So I am laying in bed rubbing my own belly. Baby Shank kicks. Oooh, Oooh Kale I said. I placed his hand  over the right spot and bam. He feels Baby Shank kick him!!! It wasn't a hard kick or anything like that but just knowing that Kale finally felt Baby Shank. I was so excited. So, it's finally over with the millionth time I ask Kale "Did you feel that"? And him reply, "NO".

My Onion - Baby Shank Week 17

16 weeks and 6 days


Baby Shank Update:


Went to see my Doctor on Wednesday. My wait time is usually just a few minutes but this time it was longer than expected. My Doctor was delivering a baby. The nursery jingle song came on over the intercom. I wanted to cry knowing a cute little baby had just been born. Oh how emotional pregnancy can be!


We listened to Baby Shank's heart rate. It was at 130 BPM. 


 We get our ultrasound for gender on July 5, 2011. I threw a fit for my Doctor while I was there. I asked her to move my ultrasound up a few weeks. She said why? I said well, with both my boys I found out gender around 16 weeks of pregnancy. She told me I got lucky because they happen to have been boys. Well, ya know, if luck has it goin on the way I think it does, it will be another boy! So, can I PLEASE get my ultrasound I begged! She granted me my wish ( knowing it was just me and her in the room. Never mess with a pregnant lady seriously. You might loose an arm and your lunch money!!) I wasn't waiting until I was 21 weeks along to find out gender!


So she totally made my day. I can't wait!!

Then I will finally get to go SHOPPING and get started on some Baby Shank sewing projects!




Mommy Update:

•  I finally have some weight gain to show for the food I have been eating! YEAH! I have gained 9 pounds since my last appointment. WOW! It's a really good thing Kale finally decided to join my gym membership because we have started hitting the gym TOGETHER.  We call this a "gym date".

•   I had some of what I thought were small contractions over this last weekend. Scared me and I called my Doctor. She said as long as there was no bleeding, not to worry that I just needed to rest. She said that it could be baby shifting inside my uterus. I failed to believe that baby was big enough for me to feel  moving in that way but apparently I was wrong.

• After enduring 3 long months of nausea, bloating, cramping, and fatigue, I am finally back to normal with some energy. The only problem? Feeling sick the minute I sit up out of bed. So I eat and I'm fine. Then an hour later it hits me again. I am sick to my stomach so I eat. Then I feel better. This is basically on the hour every hour.I eat very tiny but have to eat basically all day. I know baby isn't eating this food!!! LOL So, here you go 9 lbs I've gained. Have some more!!! Sooner or later I am bound to be hit with the BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. Thanks C.J. and Kurt for making the memory of how fat my BUTT was with Tyler so memorable and sweet !!! Ready for Round #2???? Calling all Takers!

•  Sometimes I wear maternity clothes. I still wear all of my t-shirts, comfy shorts, pajamas, and things like that. I have had to purchase a few things but extreme shopping for maternity clothes hasn't kicked in yet. A month ago I thought for sure I was doomed but my stomach isn't so bloated anymore.  

•  I am still able to sleep half way on my stomach. Either on the right side or left. I sleep great at night. But man when morning hits move out of my way because I gotta GO!!!

•  YES!!! I actually recorded movement before our Lake Powell trip. I wrote it down and wasn't sure. I am sure now and sure what I felt on the way to the airport was definitely Baby Shank!! Friday June 3, 2011 was the date I first felt Baby Shank bubbles!! When I was pregnant with Colten I felt butterflies for a while. With Tyler I felt gas. Lots of gas. And then I felt butterflies for a while. I am much more aware of what I am feeling being this is baby #3 BUT no butterflies this time. Baby Shank went straight from almost unnoticeable to kicking me. This should be exciting knowing he is such a little rascal already!

•  Starting to look pregnant and not chubby! I am so excited about looking pregnant. Baby is popping out and I am ready for a belly pic finally. I have taken a dozen for myself just for memory sake but I am excited about posting one on our blog.

•  I miss it when my little one Tyler running into my stomach giving me a fat hug! He does it when I pick him up from school. Well, being that it could hurt baby we had to tell Tyler not to do that anymore. He is sad but will survive.

• I am looking forward to finding out the Baby Shank's gender. I can't wait to see if we are having a Kale Jr or a mini Sharin.

• Another Milestone: I got to feel Baby move for the first time. How excited I was. I think Kale and I were in the middle of a serious conversation and I put my hand up SSSHHHH!!! Then I had tears. I couldn't believe it! We were on our way to St. Louis Airport.

Daddy Update:


Kale remains supportive as always.


He has turned into the house wife. It is funny how sometimes us married couples switch roles but this is drastic! Kale has done more dishes and laundry than I have EVER seen him do before. He takes care of Tyler so much now. I am so happy and confident with him and couldn't have asked for a better husband. He has officially outdone me when it comes to household duties this past few weeks.


He enjoys rubbing my belly. He rubs my belly all the time now. The other day he decided to talk to Baby Shank for a few minutes. We played him a baby jingle off my iphone that I downloaded. It's amazing to see Kale react to this pregnancy the way he does. He is going to make such a great new daddy and already is a great daddy to Tyler and Step dad to Colten. He is so wonderful.


If I need food or a drink, he goes downstairs and retrieves it for me. It's so cute. Sometimes he gives me the sad face and I give him mine. You know I always win at this one!!! He went out a week ago around 9:30 pm to get me twizzlers. I all of a sudden wanted twizzlers? I don't think it was a craving. I think I just got a late night sweet tooth!




I didn't get the chance to post these earlier but here is Baby Shank "popping out". I am so happy to present these photos because previously, I looked like a bloated cow! I took bare belly shots for myself but won't subject anyone to the horrifying, bloated, chubby tummy I had going on! I also just noticed I am wearing the same shorts in all these photos. I guess they must be my favorite. All of these photos were taken in the am so my hair is a mess. This is my morning hair-do everyone. I get up and throw it in a bun!  The back ground hasn't changed either. So sad! This is the office which never gets cleaned. It also doubles as my dressing room. This is where I throw mad fits about having NOTHING to wear! It's probably because my clothes are laying all over the place :)





15 weeks preggo 06/10/2011

16 weeks preggo 06/17/2011

17 weeks preggo 06/24/2011