Dear Miss M....

Holy Moly I was so worried my impatient and restless lil girl was going to make her appearance 3 months early! What a crazy two weeks it has been and after 4 days getting to know the nurses and doctors in the Women & Family unit at the hospital, Mommy is finally feeling like herself again- and you are staying put!

On Sunday January 29th, Mommy went into the hospital soooo sick and in pain! They admitted me because they didn't know what was causing the problems. Regardless of my nausea, pain, vomiting, or restlessness, you were JUST FINE. My onry lil bug gave the nurses such a hard time! They put the monitors on my tummy to check your heart rate, but you took advantage of the attention to show off your kicks and spins you've been practicing in there! You made it nearly impossible for them to get their 20 minutes of monitoring in- something we've started warning people about! You got a little angry during the ultrasound as well, moving and grooving to your own little beats.... but we didn't really make you mad until we had to have an MRI done to check on Mommy's abdomen. They didn't know if my pain was associated with my kidney or my appendix, so in we went! You didn't like the large device I was strapped into, the movement of the machine, the position I had to be in, and most definitely the sounds! Those loud clanks and thumps were driving you NUTS in there, huh? You were angry for a while after it ended, and didn't bother letting me know!
We also underwent our first surgery together little girl! The doctors thought Mommy's pain was being caused by a kidney stone that blocking and irritating my urethra, so into the OR we went... You had a nurse with you the whole time- monitoring you while Mommy was under...and you did wonderfully! Mommy was so nervous and worried about you the whole time and you were the first question on my mind when I came to.
Mommy's had a bad couple of weeks with the pain and discomfort from the surgery- but feeling like herself again. I've officially decided that Daddy and I need to be ready for you to come out early- because you just seem to be causing all kinds of chaos in there!
8 weeks. That's what Mommy's decided that she's going to plan on. There's so much to do and hopefully in the next week or so, Daddy and I can really buckle down and get started on your room.... Auntie Bridgett's started planning your first party! We've moved up potential dates for your shower just to be sure Mommy's not in the hospital the day we should be celebrating! Maybe you'll be your Daddy's birthday present? I'd be okay with that. :) I can't wait to meet you little Bug. Everything we've gone through- the pain and scares, the hospital stay and time off from work- it's hard and confusing, but will be so worth it when I get to meet your beautiful little face! The months have been going by so fast, and I know that these next weeks will too! If you will just wait long enough for us to get through a few things- maternity pictures, showers, finishing your nursery, preparing all the supplies and stuff you're gonna need- then I'll be ready to meet you.
Just be patient little bug!

The List...

4:30am.
Seems like a great time to be lying wide awake in bed creating the project list of everything I would like to get done before Baby M arrives in May, right? Unfortunately, I'm not talking just the baby room project list....
There are a few random things around the house I've been putting off for a while now- but I would LOVE to tackle it all before I'm distracted by all that baby awesomeness.... I think lists are so rewarding when you're able to cross stuff off, so here it goes. Baby M's nursery list first....

PAINT WALLS

INSTALL BEADBOARD

BUILD SHELF/ SHELVES

PAINT OR WALLPAPER CLOSET

CLEAN OR REPLACE CARPET

REPAINT BASEBOARDS AND DOOR

INSTALL NEW LIGHT

INSTALL SMALL CLOSET LIGHT

PURCHASE CHANGING PAD

PURCHASE CRIB

PURCHASE DRESSER

- IF NEEDED, BUILD CHANGING PAD FRAME FOR DRESSER

PURCHASE OR RE-COVER CHAIR

OTTOMAN?

TRUNK- REPLACE INSIDE/ CLEAN AND SEAL OUTSIDE

WINDOW- CREATE CURTAINS/ PURCHASE ROD 

CREATE CRIBSKIRT

CREATE OR PURCHASE CRIBSHEETS

CREATE PILLOWS

CREATE CHANGING PAD COVER

CREATE FABRIC BUNTING

CREATE BUNTING- LACE DOILIES DIY

LAMP- DIY PROJECT FOR SHADE & BASE

SEALER ON WIRE BASKETS & BIRDCAGES?

QUILT/BLANKET- PURCHASE? MOMS?

Ugh.... I feel like this list might grow. I know there are things I'm missing off of this list....and I already have an idea of small details I want to make/ purchase that I'm not going to list out in detail... but just know there's more. So here's a beginning list for the rest of the house. Sorry Mr. M- it's a never ending battle with this girl! 

MASTER BEDROOM:

 DUVET

CURTAINS

PILLOWS

CHAIR

MIRROR

 DETAILS OVER BED

FRAMED PRINT

MASTER BATHROOM:

SHOWER DOOR

WINDOW TREATMENT

CLEAN UP PAINT MISTAKES

LIVING ROOM:

CROWN MOLDING

REDO MANTLE DETAILS

REFINISH CHAIR (IF NOT USED IN NURSERY)

SIDEBOARD TABLE & BRING IN DOOR

MOVE BOOKSHELF

CURTAINS
THROW PILLOWS FOR COUCH
TV STAND (?)

REPAINT FRONT DOOR- INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

MAIN LEVEL HALF BATH:
FINISH PAINTING
WINDOW TREATMENT
MIRROR


KITCHEN:
REFINISH CABINETS
ADD BACKSPLASH
ADD CABINET KNOBS
SIMPLIFY ABOVE CABINETS
WINDOW TREATMENT
REFINISH DINING FURNITURE
SHELVING ABOVE DINING TABLE


UPSTAIRS SPARE BATHROOM:
REDO CABINET FINISH
CLEAN UP PAINT MISTAKES
NEW SHOWER CURTAIN & BATHMAT

RANDOM:
REDO SHELVING IN LAUNDRY CLOSET
CLEAN ALL CARPETS
CLEAN/REPAINT ALL BASEBOARDS
CLEAN ALL WINDOW BLINDS

CLEAN/REPAINT ALL WINDOW TRIM
FINISH BASEMENT BATHROOM PAINTING & DETAILS
BASEMENT LIVING SPACE (?) - MOVE METAL TABLE DOWN

See... told you he deserves some sympathy... and this is just all of the stuff floating around in my mind this am! I'm sure this list will be added to as I start on projects.... nothing like adding more before you finish! 

98 days. Think we can do it? I'm hoping I'll be able to wrangle family members to help with some of this stuff... we'll just have to see who loves me...

Dear Miss M....

100 days.
How is it even possible that we only will wait that long until you will forever be in our lives? 
The idea of becoming a mommy is something I've thought so much about but can't even fathom until I meet your sweet little face.


You're such an animated little bug aren't you? I went from waiting and hoping for that first slight movement (felt at 5:00am one morning after Daddy left for work- thank you very much!) And now I find it odd to go an hour without feeling one of your crazy punch/kick combinations. Some times it's a dance party- other times it's just a single dull, deep thud.  But regardless, I know you're there. You seem to love the sounds of music and spent most of an afternoon moving around while the computer belted out tracks from Glee.... good tastes? I think so. 


Can I point out now how spoiled you already are? Your Grandpa Jones created a fabulous closet for his little bug that most girls only dream of- and your poor Daddy took note of how much stuff is already filling that closet..... Aunt Bridgett has guaranteed you will be traveling in style with your beautiful stroller and carseat and of course your Grandma Robin and Grandma Mary are already addicted to adorable baby stuff.... (we won't point out your Grandma Robin's Pinterest pinboard she already has....) You are already one loved little girl, Miss M. I guess that's why you feel the need to dance and move and remind the world how ready it needs to be for your arrival....


This mommy is usually pretty stress-free (with the exception of my search for the perfect crib for you...), but this last weekend, you have me a little scared my sweet baby bug.... I've been having little contractions here and there for a while now, but when combined with pressure and pain, it's never a good thing.... after spending the entire weekend in bed (you can get a lot of Pinterest pinboards organized from there...) I seem to be feeling better and the pressure and pain is gone. However, the contractions remain, so into the doctor's I go tomorrow to insure you are staying exactly where you need to. 
Thoughts of you deciding to come early have been flooding my brain for the last 48 hours little girl, and I don't like it. 
You stay exactly where you are sweet baby, the world is not ready for you yet....

Nursery Inspiration...

There are so many beautiful nursery designs out there in that beautiful world of the internet....so narrowing down one idea that really caught my eye is ridiculous and just plain impossible. Here are a few of my absolute favorites that reserved a nice little spot on my desktop and Pinterest pinboard...

Kelli Murray

Project Nursery

LayBabyLay

See what I mean!?! So many options! I know I love the combination of the blush/peach, rust orange and washed out aqua colors...not to mention a little burnt mustard and some grays.... 

Here are the fabrics that have caught my eye for Miss M's nursery....

I'm planning to make my own bedding, so if I can just make up my mind and get these fabrics ordered, I'll get started on the changing pad cover, cribskirt, throw pillows, and a few crib sheets.... I'm hoping to combine a few of these for a bunting on the wall as well, layered with another made from  a few old lace doilies from Justin's mom and my mom and grandma.... 

I think we finally decided on a color for the walls....I loved the look of the light washed out aqua blue in the second picture above, however when I put that color on the walls- it was far too bright for such a small space... so Justin and I went searching and his pick was Behr's Spearmint Stick...

I think it'll be the perfect compliment to the darker colors of the fabric as well as the white beadboarding Justin is going to install on the bottom half of the walls! 

Here's to getting started!

The Nursery Wishlist....

Oh, I love the internet. 

Justin hates it. :)

I could spend HOURS looking at all the beautiful nursery ideas on design blogs! There are SO. MANY. OPTIONS. for EVERYTHING! Unfortunately for my husband and our bank account, I tend to have really expensive tastes. I blame my parents. I tend to lean towards expensive woods and finishes, (your fault Rod!) beautiful fabrics & designs (Robin- lookin' at you!) and always believe I (or my poor husband..) have the ability to recreate these things on my own. (Both of you Jones' are at fault!) 

Lets start with the obvious. 

The crib and dresser.

My plan was originally to find an old dresser and refinish it to match whatever crib I decided on. However, when shopping with my awesome mother-in-law last week, I realized I didn't want to deal with the process of refinishing- mostly because Mr. M would have ended up doing it!- or the idea of sticky drawers that don't smoothly pull out or push in. So, now I'm hoping to find a crib/dresser set that still has all the qualities I'm looking for in the finish of a vintage refurbish. I originally wanted something in a dark wood finish- but the room is relatively small- so I think a medium wood finish will be best. I also know I want to avoid anything white- our plan is to finish the walls with a white beadboard paneling and I think the wood finish of the furniture will be a great contrast...

Restoration Hardware has my back. I've always loved this store- and tend to turn to it for inspiration when planning refinishing projects, so naturally their Baby & Child line is PERFECTION. Here is the dream....

RH Baby & Child

And of course, the beautiful dresser that matches...I love both the small  and long dresser.... though the longer one is preferred for the changing station on top! 

RH Baby & Child

Another amazing option from Restoration Hardware is the Jameson Collection- the FINISH on this crib and dresser is absolutely A.MAH.ZING. It is exactly what I'm looking for- a new structure with the finish of something worn and weathered over the years.... now if only we could do something about the price tag?

RH Baby & Child

RH Baby & Child

So between my poor husband and my poor mother-in-law, someone is always stuck with me and my ideas of what I am looking for to furnish Miss M's little haven.I've always known I wanted an upholstered rocker/glider that is COM.FORT.ABLE.... but after seeing this beauty- I've been leaning towards the style with the exposed wooden rockers for a more traditional look...

Land of Nod

However, this style (and pricetag) are not exactly what I'm looking for in Miss M's room.... the style is just a little too modern.... enter dream chair from Pottery Barn Kids...I introduced my mother-in-law to this on our last shopping trip....

PB Kids

Lower in price, exactly the right combination of clean lines and traditional style... even the color is beautiful. And this comfy little chair even comes with the option of purchasing the 4 legs to make it into a traditional armchair later on- uh, awesome?!

So there's the list. Now how do I go about finding all of these items for a more affordable price so Miss M can also enjoy the luxuries in life- like food and diapers. :)

And So It Begins...

Morning Sickness.
Food Aversions.
Food CRAVINGS.
Pregnancy Brain.


It's real. Very, very real. All of it. And it's all happening at the Mynatt house on a regular basis... we've been able to get a handle on the morning sickness with medicine and the food aversions are mostly gone... due to all the nausea, I was losing weight in the first couple of months, but boy oh boy I think we've made up for it in the 2nd trimester!  I'm still not super excited about any meat- chicken, beef- you name it and I USED to eat it.....I'm getting better about getting my protein whenever I can, but I'm never craving it. Milk has become a permanent fixture in our fridge- and the half gallon that used to get thrown out from going bad is barely lasting a few days.... we may have to upgrade to the big-daddy gallon... 

After a dating ultrasound, we were given the magical date of
         May 9, 2012...
...and thus the journey began. We've had a very regular first half of the pregnancy- and after making it to 13 weeks and a healthy doctor's appointment, announced it to all of our friends and family who we hadn't broken down and told yet... I was a ball of nerves and anxiety up until that appointment. You don't realize the percentage of pregnancies that go wrong in those first couple months, and it just wasn't something I wanted to have to tell people- so we chose to only tell family and a few very close friends. I had to tell my sales team at the store, of course- they needed to understand why I was spending more time in the bathroom than slinging jeans! 


Here is a picture of me and the belly (with Burt in the background- of course!) right before Justin and I went out for dinner on Halloween 2011 to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary! I was about 14 weeks I think? Oh how different this year's halloween was from what the next will be... 
who am I kidding? From a halloween will EVER be again! 

After our delicious meal at P.F.Chang's (uh, yum.) we spent the evening hoping for trick-or-treaters (got none.) and trading ideas for an awesome costume for a 5 month old.... 
November and December consisted of one really exhausted couple...Justin was putting in alot of time at work and it goes without saying that these two months are the busiest time for me at the store- but we had something to look forward to- finding out if we were going to have a little boy or girl! Our appointment was scheduled for December 23rd- which worked out perfect as my family came out to visit for Christmas.
My mom, sister, and Justin's mom joined us that morning for our ultrasound and we were able to capture amazing images and video of our little one.... what an amazing Christmas present to tell everyone we were expecting a 
   beautiful little GIRL!

I was so excited for either a boy or girl- but all of my ideas of my first child- clothes shopping, nursery designs, baby names- it all seemed to be centered around a little girl. Early dreams were always of us with a baby girl, and I found myself calling the baby 'her' and 'she' all the time.... but Justin has a family of all boys, so I didn't know if it was just me being crazy and hopeful...
but here were are- expecting a DAUGHTER in May.... and so the name game has begun. We've been able to narrow it down to 6 possibilities- only because I am so indecisive and love them all! I don't think we're going to tell anyone even if we do decide on one before she makes her debut, just to avoid hearing 'oh, that's different..' or '...I knew someone named that and...' 
Until then, my attentions are focused on her crazy dance moves that she likes to show off at 2am and my ideas floating around in my head about her nursery...  Pinterest has been my favorite procrastinating tool for a while now, and it definitely has come in handy for me to get my thoughts together for this room. Now it's just a matter of finding EXACTLY. WHAT. I. WANT. :) Yep- if you know me, you know it's gotta be that difficult! I'm hoping to put together a ideaboard for the post I'm planning focused on all things NURSERY! I just can't wait to dive in and get all the details started for lil Miss M's first room! 

A little backstory on the Belly....

Better late than never, right? 

We're officially 26 weeks into our pregnancy with our first baby, and while I've been keeping my own handwritten journal entries, and taking belly photos here and there... I thought it was time for a more organized plan to document and remember this amazing experience that we are going through. 

So here goes... 

The husband, Justin, and I have been married about two and a half years. Originally from Nebraska, I moved to Colorado shortly after college graduation and after a three year relationship and one year engagement, we were married on Halloween in 2009...

...We bought a perfect little house in Evans, Colorado where I am the manager of the local Buckle store, and Justin works at the new hospital in Loveland...

...Our 'firstborn' furry loves in our lives currently are Winston and Burt. Winston is a 3 year old Siamese and Burt is a sweet little 1 year old white Boxer..... 

Last September, my little sister Bridgett came out to visit for Labor Day weekend. I felt a little off the entire time she was visiting, and she keep suggesting (hopefully) that maybe I was pregnant....

After so many months of trying and dreaming and negative tests, I wanted to hold out until I felt more certain it could be it. Finally, on a Wednesday morning after Justin had left for work, I was laying in bed thinking of nothing but that stupid little test sitting in my bathroom.  I spent the next half hour crying and laughing and my poor animals probably thought I was crazy....should I drive the half hour to Justin's work to tell him before I have to be at work? Should I wait until after? Should I call him?  I decided to try to pull it together and wait to tell him in person after work....

As hard as it is to pee on that stupid thing and wait- it's even harder to go an ENTIRE DAY at work not telling anyone such amazing news! Justin came home that night to a onesie that said "Daddy's Soccer Star" and the positive test.....

Waiting a day to tell Justin? Absolutely nothing compared to how hard it is to wait a WEEK to tell my family! We decided I would make the trip back to Nebraska to tell them in person, so phone calls were short and edited for many days and keeping it in was one of the hardest things! 

We had our first consult appointment and our families knew the exciting news...now we could anxiously await our first physical appointment and all that these upcoming months would bring....

HOLY MOLY! WE'RE GOING TO BE PARENTS!