Harrington House

It's Official...

It's official that...

1.  ...Baby Watch is on!

and

2.  ...my husband is country.

When I was at my appointment last week, Dr. E. told me I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  So the ball is rolling!!  (Of course, I know I could sit like that for a month...)  After I told Mike about it, I overheard him on the phone...

Mike:  Yeah, Katie's 1 cm dilated, and the Baby is effacing.

Me (whispering clarification in the background):  No!  My CERVIX is effacing, not the BABY.

Mike (covering the phone and whispering back to me):  I was just meaning the Baby is a-facin' down.

Nice try!  Hahaha!

I picked up my new diaper bag the other day at Merle Norman.  It's the Vera Bradley baby bag.  I looove it!  It has lots of pockets on the inside and outside, and it comes with a coordinating changing mat (although, even with a mat, I never could bring myself to use public changing areas...I always put Amelia on my lap). I want to get a cute ID tag to hang on it once I meet my new baby and name him or her.

I pulled out Amelia's Baby Legs to put on the baby under the coming home gown.  All of hers, of course, are girly, but I do have one solid white pair.   

Other than getting packed up, I've been moving Amelia's clothes and belongings into her new big girl closet.  

 

I finished tagging her baskets to organize some of her things, including one for "Big Girl Toys" to hold things like play dough and markers so that we won't have any more of this type of thing...

I put some of Miss Amelia's toys on the bottom shelf so she can help herself to, say, her Rizzo Barbie doll.  (How do you like that rat's nest in the back of her hair?  We have one every morning.  Sometimes, it's more of a rooster tail.)

I've also been working on some matching appliqued onesies for Amelia and the baby with some new pink and blue fabrics.

I use this stuff above, called "Steam-A-Seam" and a tube of "Fray Block" to keep the edges from unraveling.  These products are really super-easy to use.  I put the things I make in the washing machine (no dryer, of course) and I've never had any trouble at all with them.  

Today, I'm going to play around with the fun stitches on my new sewing machine.  

Several people had asked about the iron-on letters I mentioned a few posts back.  I get mine at Hobby Lobby, but I've seen them at Joann's and other craft stores.  They are ridiculously easy to use and very inexpensive.  Of course, I wouldn't use it on something I wanted to look REALLY NICE, but on play outfits, etc., it works!  :o)

Alrighty, y'all! Who forgot...

...to tell the big pregnant lady that horizontal stripes are bad!!  Hahaha!

Here is it is.  My most recent picture...

I got this dress, along with a couple others at Old Navy the other day.  They aren't maternity, but I'm telling you...I don't think I've had on anything more comfortable in months!!  I liked them because they go all the way to my feet, and you can't see my swollen ankles!  :o)

I really hesitated to show these pictures because, well, to be honest, this "photo session" was comprised of about 50 shots trying to find my best "angle."  (I know that's so vain!  But everybody wants to look decent, right?!)  Anyway, I am posting it because I do want to remember these last few weeks with Sugar Bean in there!  I love looking at pictures of my momma when she was pregnant with me and with Kelly, so I'm sure my children will want to see these, too!  Most of the session was me and Mike dying laughing...

  

...and Amelia coming to pose with Mommy...

...and sniff the irises.

I'm getting SO EXCITED to meet this new little baby!  Is it a son?  Or a daughter?  All along, I was thinking girl.  In the past month or so, I've been thinking boy.  Mike says it's a girl.  Oooooooh!  The excitement!  I love asking random people what they think I'm carrying.  Last pregnancy with Amelia, everybody said BOY!  Haha!  This time around, it's about 50-50.  I finally FINALLY found something to dress the baby in when we come home from the hospital.  It is so hard to find something gender neutral that I like.  I settled on an all-white gown from the Ralph Lauren layette collection.  I love the RL layette fabric...it's always so thick and soft.  I just need to get it washed up and pressed.

I'm starting to pack this week.  WOW!  It's hard to believe it's already time for that!  I'm rounding out my 35th week.  I feel like I could go any minute though!  Just listening to my body, I feel so close!!  I can't help but think I'm further along than I've been dated.  I honestly thought in the beginning that I had conceived earlier than they said, but then I blew it off when I got my due date.  But now, I'm left wondering about it...  What do y'all think?  Is that possible???  Does that happen???

I'm a little anxious as to how Amelia is going to handle the arrival of her new sibling.  She has no idea what's about to rock her little world!  She's a tiny bit on the high maintenance side, and as much as I talk about the new baby, she just doesn't understand.  But I've got a big heart with plenty of love for two (and more), so I think we can handle it!  ;o)  Aunt Kiki is getting her a special baby doll, so maybe that will help.  Mommy will have a new baby, and Amelia will have a new baby.  It's a Bitty Baby from American Girl.  And so, we will enter the world of American Girl...oh my...  :o)

Yesterday, when Mike took me to pick up the baby gown, I stopped into Bath & Body...and I found a new scent that I'm claiming for this year's summer scent for my home!  It's glorious!!

It's called Pineapple Orchid, and it smells so good for summer!

 

And I love pineapples in general because of their symbolism, so I fell in love with these...

 

I got an email today regarding an upcoming conference...Passion 2010...for college-age young adults, and it's here in Atlanta!  I'm really excited about it, and since I'm obviously too old to attend, I am hoping I can volunteer.  Has anyone been to any of the Passion conferences before?

And I'm sure everybody reads MckMama's blog and knows about Stellan, but in case not, this family has an awesome story of faith and submission to God's will.  Please, please pray for this precious little lamb and his whole family...

 

Girly Closet

So I still have some more final touches before I unveil Amelia's new big girl room.  Before I moved all of her clothes from the nursery into her new room, I wanted to finish up the closet.  So we spent a good chunk of the day holed up in that tiny closet.  (Our secondary rooms are practically glorified closets themselves...the closets...you can imagine.)

Actually, Mike was the one who spent most of his day holed up in there.  Due to the paint fumes, I kept myself and Amelia preoccupied elsewhere.  But I still managed to come in every so often to earn my title as "Foreman," as Mike likes to refer to me during most home improvement jobs.  I admit...I am very particular.  ;o)

No need for nicknames.  I see the writing on the wall, Mike...literally...         (Good one, honey...haha)

Thanks for working so hard...and for putting up with me!

I've hunted everywhere in my files for before pictures of the closet, but I can't find them.  It just had that white wire rack system.  I really wanted wooden shelves.  We are slowly but surely replacing them in all the rooms.  

We painted the walls the same color as the bedroom (Behr "Pismo Dunes").  I promise it doesn't look as loud in real life as it does in the photos!  The shelving and the clothing rods are white.  The below photo is a bit more true-to-life on the color.

We actually used stair treads as the shelves and painted them white.  I wanted rounded edges and was planning to sand them, but then I saw the stair treads at Home Depot and got those since they are already rounded in the front.  I'm so glad we did. 

I have some little white storage baskets that I am going to use to store her shoes and socks and other bitty baby stuff.  I'm going to make some tags for each basket later this week.

The iron brackets on the left ends of the shelves are from Anthropologie.  I got them a couple years ago when they were on clearance for next to nothing in the store.  I think they look so perfect in Amelia's new closet!  

Once I get more finished, I'll show the rest.  

In other news, Amelia has a lot of "owies" that we have heard about all day.  Yesterday, she was playing outside barefoot and barelegged and fell a few times on the back patio, sustaining several scratches.  As soon as she woke up this morning, the first thing she told me about was the "owie on toe." 

Once we got inside yesterday evening and I started investigating her "owies," I realized she in fact did have a whole slew of them.  But you know, we have to keep up that Southern stereotype that we all go around barefooted all the time...  ;o)

 

And my favorite part of the day today...she sang "Amazing Grace" for the first time in the bathtub tonight, and it was far and away one of the sweetest things I have ever, ever heard...ever!   Oooh! 

I hope y'all have a wonderful Sunday tomorrow!  I'm off to watch my alma mater....

 

GO BIG RED!

Meatballs & Baby Powder

(I couldn't think of anything better to title this post than that.  The two are thankfully unrelated.)

This is the spaghetti and meatballs that Mike fixed for me!  He made the meatballs from scratch, too!!  I was totally impressed.  (And this wasn't even one of his Love Dares!)  Seriously, they were better than any meatballs I've ever had.  He made them with ground chuck, some fresh herbs, garlic, and parmesan.  He even made enough so I could freeze some for after the baby!  I think he knows the way to my heart is through my stomach!  Hahaha!  (That's really not a joke.)

And now, about that baby powder...

Miss Amelia Kate was in the master bathroom by herself for a mere 2.5 seconds this afternoon.  This being the same bathroom I had just spent a couple hours scrubbing.  This also being the same bathroom that has this glass shaker with powder in it...

Apparently, this shaker is just entirely too tempting to leave alone.

She came and got me and pointed in the bathroom and kept saying repeatedly, "It's a no-no.  It's a no-no."

Um, yes, Amelia, that is a no-no.  (I think she has it down pat that certain things are no-no's, but she is still a tad fuzzy on no-no's being the things we don't do.)

This little pile on the dresser, complete with tiny finger tracings, is just a mere glimpse of what I found.  (I tried to photograph it, but on the white tile floor, it didn't show up well.)  And if you look at the bottle, it may not look like much is missing.  But, trust me, it is a lot when it's out of the bottle. 

But I must admit...if I wasn't the one who had to clean it up, it probably would have been a fun no-no.   

Sugar Bean's First Cake!

Look at the beyond precious gift I received in the mail in anticipation of Sugar Bean's arrival...

It's a diaper cake decked out with bunnies, bathtime goodies, and Pampers (size 1-2)!  I just love it!  

As pretty as it is, I couldn't wait to get into it (just like real cake, you know)!

That top little bunny is actually a binky clip, the middle one is a wrist rattle, and the biggest one is a stuffed doll.

I can't wait now till I throw the next baby shower so I can get a diaper cake from this same company (Diaper Cakewalk) to use as a centerpiece!  I have already had so much fun looking at the cakes on their site.  Now, I just have to find someone who is expecting...  ;o) 

Sun, Glorious Sun

Can y'all tell what this is?

If you guessed my big ole' pregnant belly, you're RIGHT!  (I sepia-toned the pic so I wouldn't blind anyone by that giant ball of paleness.)

This is how I spent the last hour or so...in that beautiful sunshine.  Not many clouds, not much wind...just that fabulous heat.  And some P.M. Dawn on the iPod.  Thank goodness I have a private back yard.  As you can probably tell, I'm in a bikini...a pre-Amelia bikini.  It's not cute.  It's not nice.  It may not even be legal.  But tan fat is just so much more attractive than pale fat.    

Have I mentioned I am ready for summer?

Recession Fashion - Amelia Kate Edition

When Kelly announced she was doing a Recession Fashion bit on her blog, I thought I'd share what I do for Amelia (since I am not fashionable AT ALL!).  

First of all, I shop consignment for a lot of her clothes.  I have a few local shops that I frequent, and they are usually hit or miss...either I come out with nothing or a garbage sack full of goodies!  I also go to the big consignment sales that are held at churches and civic centers.  I look on thebargainwatcher.com for sale info.  I went to DCS a couple of weeks ago and loaded up!  They have boutique overstock plus consignment, and they travel to a handful of cities.

 Here is some of what I got...

I picked up a bunch of little shorts, skorts, bloomers, and capris for her for $2 each.  YEA!  I have some white tees that I am going to applique later, which is another way I can personalize stuff for her without spending a fortune.

I also got some of these outfits that were being sold as pajamas, but let me tell you, they are made out of that thick knit, so I have every intention of having them monogrammed and parading her around town in them.  (Actually, the one is what she wore in my last post...)

A smocked bathing suit...oh yeah...couldn't pass that up...

And I have a whole pile of fun clothes that I got for a song that are loaded with bows and rick-rack and smocking...oh my!

Now, one of my other favorite places to get Amelia's clothes is Wal-Mart.  I have seriously (surprisingly) found so many cute clothes there!   And I usually only spend about $5 on each outfit.  

I couldn't resist buying a tiny one of these just in case I am having another girl.  How sweet will they look in these?!?

And I loved these little dresses...

I'm just going to use those iron-on letters for some quick/easy/inexpensive flare.  ;o)

And I bought some flip-flops at Old Navy for a couple bucks, and I'm adding bows to them for some girly fun!  (Just use those clip-on earring backs...easy!  And interchangeable, too...)

I've also found THE BEST fabrics at Wal-Mart...even better than some of the regular fabric shops.  I can't wait to make her some fun little dresses...

And in case there is a boy in this oven...

Aren't those cute fabrics?!  And they are all only $1-$2 a yard. 

And lastly, I just try to extend the life of her clothes by washing them and hanging them dry.  Unless something accidentally slips past me and makes it to the dryer, I hang-dry all of her clothes, even her socks and onesies.  It really does make a difference, and it's just routine to me now.  And contrary to what many people think, her clothes aren't crunchy and stiff!  Haha!  

So there it is...that's all for now on the AK edition of Recession Fashion.  I'm sure I'll have more to show later!  

Oh, and I was really proud of myself the other day for discovering that I can use the elastic band that comes with Mike's Brooks Brothers shirts as a headband...   :o)

Road Trip

Last week, Mike surprised me with a trip up to Momma and Daddy's in Kentucky.  Yea!  I was so happy and excited!  It's an 8-hour drive, so we don't get to see each other nearly as often as we'd like...which would probably be more like every day.  I also have lots of other family up there, too, so we always have a ball.  

As you can see from these pictures, we were in the backwoods and hills of Kentucky!  It's beautiful to me.  And Amelia was all about those hilly and curvy roads.  She kept saying "Weeeeeeee!" Hahaha!

Most of the trip, she would watch Elmo and Zoe on her DVD player.  Look at that concentration...

It was a much-needed trip for all of us!  Momma always insists on assuming all of Amelia's care (feeding, bathing, bedtime rituals, waking up in the morning with her, etc.) so Mike and I get to rest up!  Sweeeeeeeet sleeeeeeep....ZZZZzzzzzzzz!   Amelia, of course, loved having someone other than me and her Daddy in her face constantly, haha!, and took advantage of Momma's willingness to do anything and everything with her...such as chasing balls over the hill...

 

Amelia's really trying to work on her basketball skills to impress Uncle Derrick.  He's a basketball coach.  Check out these moves, Uncle D, I mean, Coach Clubb!!

Amelia also led Momma (Grandmama) around by the finger for most of the time we were there.  She would grab her by the finger and say "Up!  Up!  PEESE!" and lead her into the kitchen to the stove to cook her an egg or cut up some fruit!  HAHAHAHA!  

Speaking of food, Mike and I foundered on my beloved Giovanni's.  This is THE BEST pizza ever on the face of the earth, and now I have Mike hooked.  I daydream about this stuff!

Giovanni's ... Pizza Power!  It IS powerful, y'all...

Oh mercy...

...with baked spaghetti and garlic bread, too...

And I always have to stock up on my all-time favorite potato chips.  I can't get them around here.

My Aunt Kathy sent Amelia an Easter bunny Snoopy...so cute!  Amelia opened the bag and kept saying "It's a puppy!  It's a puppy!!"  

It was such a wonderful trip, we hated to leave.  It's always so hard to leave.  But at least knowing that Momma would be down here in 6 weeks max when I deliver made the good-byes not as hard.

Blowing kisses!

Bye, Grandmama!  See you soon!  Next time you see me, I'll be a big sister!!!