Baby Momma Pictures

Since I am a huge photography lover, I, of course, adore maternity pics.  The minute that we found out that we were pregnant, I began searching Pinterest for maternity pic ideas and couldn't wait for the day that my bump was big enough to take my very own Baby Momma pictures!

Nearly nine months later, the reality of how much our life has changed (and is about to change) has sunk in.  When you are a single income family, the actual price for unnecessary items starts to become shocking.  For the first time, in a really long time, the need for a new dress at Target doesn't seem nearly as important as the need to have a date night with my hubby.  We are far from poor but we are definitely becoming more aware of what we spend our money on and how we spend it.  So, with Adaline's arrival right around the corner, along with the purchase of diapers and bottles and all other baby necessities looming in the near future, paying for a maternity photo shoot seemed incredibly frivolous and I couldn't stomach the idea.    

When talking to Joe about the pics (we have a very sweet photographer here at Irwin who was offering us an incredible deal), he looked at me and said, "Dee, we can totally do these pics ourselves...I can take them and you can edit them!" (I'm not a hundred percent sure if he used the word "totally" but this is my story, so I'm sticking with it).

And that's just what we did!  Last Sunday (at 35 weeks and 5 days pregnant), I got as dressed up as a huge preggo woman can, we packed up my camera and a lunch, drove down the road and into the desert, and had a truly wonderful day exploring the desert and taking pics.  I am super impressed with my hub's photo skills (under my direction, of course ;)  and I couldn't be happier with the way that they came out. 

Looking huge and very pregnant... here are my pics.... :)

 

 

My favorite picture from the whole day!

 

 

 

 

 

Hope for the Spring

There are a thousand and one things that make Texas and Louisiana so amazing during the spring: Crawfish Season, rodeos, bluebonnets, warmer weather, evening cookouts, motorcycle rides, and the list goes on and on.

Needless to say, Spring Fever has brought on a bit of homesickness for our little household. 

Even after almost 6 months of being at Irwin, I still feel like we are slowly settling in.  As always, my sweet and amiable hubby has had a far easier time adjusting to our new surroundings by making friends through work and joining every sporting activity that he can: football, bowling, and softball.  I envy his ease at making friends and acclimating to our new surroundings.

I have found this move to be a bit tougher.  Normally, moving to a new place would mean a new job and finding my niche there.  Not working, combined with the occasional weeks alone when Joe is out in the field, the fact that I am huge, pregnant, (a bit) hormonal, and don't always feel like my old self... well, it hasn't necessarily been a cocktail for success.  Don't get me wrong, friends, I haven't been throwing myself into the desert, weeping my eyes out because I miss humidity, grass, and Happy Hour with my girls.  I have definitely been trying to adjust, even though there are times when it is hard and awkward as hell: joining a military spouses' club, volunteering to help with Joe's unit, inviting his coworkers and their wives over every chance that we can, and attending each and every event that is provided on post.  It hasn't been miserable but feeling settled here is coming very slowlllllllyyyy.         

And to top it all off, I feel like I am missing so much back at home.  There is, of course, the little stuff and I think that this is what Joe has been missing as well (which kinda makes me happy that I'm not the only one): seeing on FB our friends back home attending the Houston rodeo or enjoying boiled crawfish on a Friday night.  If I yell one more time, "I just want some damn crawfish!!!" I am pretty sure that my neighbors will think I am nuts (if they don't already).

And, then there is the big stuff.  Both my best friend and my cousin had babies and I know it will be quite a while before I meet these sweet punkins.  While Skyping with my mom and godchild, my little Ira was so shy and looked at me with such uncertainty because he had no clue who I was (heartbreaking).  And then there are my own changes: my expanding belly and the dances and kicks from Adaline that my family and friends will never get to witness first hand.  It all seems so little and silly but it sure does make me miss home.

So, how does one get over homesickness?  I have no frickin clue and if anyone can answer this question for me, I'll be eternally grateful.  The thing that I am learning, however, is that the moments that I have been feeling dreadfully nostalgic, God has thrown me a bone and made life a little brighter.  For instance, Friday night I was mopey and bored and just about ready to pull out my hair... and woke up Saturday with the same feeling (thank God I have a man who is understanding).  Just when it felt almost too overwhelming and I seriously thought about throwing a tantrum in the middle of the desert, we were invited to the home of one of Joe's coworkers and it was seriously the most fun that I have had since we moved here.  Sunday was exceptional and spent with my love, exploring new areas in the desert and taking maternity pics (more to come on this later).  Both days weren't extravagant but they were just what I needed to lift me back up and keep me going. 

I knew from the beginning that this move wouldn't be easy and that plenty of adjustment comes with moving to a new place... but I am hopeful that Spring will not only bring the new little life that we have been waiting for these past 9 months but will also bring a sense of peace and contentment with our new life here.  Today, I am feeling incredibly hopeful about this. 

Now, if we could only figure out this lack of crawfish problem, I am certain that everything else will work itself out! :)

A Room for Adaline Grace

I started working on Adaline's room back in January.  When I began, I was excited to set up a room for my sweet baby girl and there were three things that I knew:

1) I wanted to take my time with it.  I definitely didn't want this to be a weekend project and then be done with it.  I figured that taking it one step at a time would make this project more enjoyable and give me time to figure out the way that I really wanted it to come out.

2) I did not want to spend a whole lot of money.  I love my lil peanut and wanted her room to be cute and special but we're a family on a budget and I didn't want my hubs to divorce me because of nursery expenses!  So, here was my chance to see just how creative and thrifty I really could be!

3) I had NO idea what the final outcome would be.  I'm not a huge fan of pink (which kind of goes out the window when everyone finds out that you are having a girl... and I'm not going to lie, I have had to refrain from hopping on the pink train, too) so, I didn't want anything too girly or too pink.  Blue is my favorite color so I was sure that would be incorporated somehow (without it looking too much like a boy's room).  And, I knew that I wanted to incorporate motivational pieces that would grow with her.  I know that it's a nursery and she won't know what's what but it's never too early to create a positive environment!  

And so, it all began!  When I started putting my registry together, I was shocked at the cost of baby items.  It is astounding how much they charge for things that you "need."  With this being our first, we were starting from scratch and that all began with baby furniture... which you would think would be cheaper than regular furniture but it's not.  I am amazed at how things worked out.  Just when I was starting to panic, things slowly started to work themselves out and really, truly, if it wasn't for the generosity of our family and friends, Joe and I would be eating ramen right about now.  Joe's mom and stepdad purchased Adaline's crib as a baby shower gift, a huge expense that we didn't have to worry about.  His brother and sister-in-law gave us their gently used glider and ottoman (along with other hand-me-down baby items) and we pulled together furniture from other rooms in our house.  We did not spend one penny on her furniture which completely blows my mind.  Crazy.         

After we had all of her furniture, I used baby shower gift cards and chose sheets and a bed skirt from Target.  I loved the pink and green and decided to use this as the beginning pallet for her room.  It's so funny because I look at this picture and remember how excited I was that things were starting to come together.  I can't believe this is what we started with.

Like I said before, I knew that somehow I wanted to add blue in her room and figured that the best way to do this would be with paint.  Of course, the day that I picked out her paint, I also chose to scroll through Pinterest and get the brilliant idea to do a chevron wall, instead of simply painting a focal wall like I had planned.  And, of course, I wanted to get started immediately... which just so happened to be at 8:30 in the evening.  I know that Joe was less than thrilled to begin this project so late in the evening but he was such a good sport and helped out his pregnant little wife by measuring and setting up the lines for my new project.    

This project took me days to complete.  I'm not the best painter and was pretty nervous about making sure that the lines were straight and also that the paint didn't bleed into the tape.  I got it done by simply taking my sweet time and using an edger (which was a total life-saver).

Slowly progressing... 

  

After the painting came my favorite part, the decorating!  I used more gift cards that we received from Christmas and ordered a few prints off of Etsy.  If I could do it again, I honestly think that I would have made some of these prints myself with my own computer and printer.  I looked all over Hobby Lobby for colorful frames but couldn't find any that I was thrilled about.  So, I picked a couple of cheap, half-off frames, found a few picture frames that we weren't using in our house and began painting.  I was a little unsure about how bright the colors were at first but think that the pop of color really adds more to the room.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that was it!  I merely put everything together afterwards!  

 

 

I had another idea for a mobile but decided on the tissue pompoms on a whim.  You can find these pompoms everywhere on Etsy but in my opinion, they are incredibly over priced.  Get a packet of tissue, some ribbon, and there are a million tutorials online that show how to make them.  Super easy.  Super cheap.  Super cute!

Luckily, I have the bestest bestie ever who had the cutest decorations for my baby shower.  A lot of the decor that she used is now being used as decor for Adaline's room, which makes it not only cute but sentimental as well. 





The art piece on the left was an experiment.  I had an idea of what I wanted but wasn't really sure how I was going to get there.  I googled silhouette images of a rabbit and an elephant, got a canvas, and cute scrapbook paper and just played with it from there.  It may not be high-end artwork but it's art work made with love from Mommy to Addie and I think that means a little more than the price tag. :)

 

 

My absolute favorite piece in her whole room is this elephant lamp from World Market.  It is probably the most expensive new item in her room (aside from the crib) and was given as a gift from my sister, Addie's Honey.  I don't think that Joe was too sure of it when I first showed it to him but I fell in love with it the minute that I saw it and think that it adds so much to her little room (I think he also finally sees how if fits into the room!).  Love, love, love it.    



I also love the little details in her room.  A handmade quilt from my mom, Sophie the Giraffe, and a book are all ready for my sweet darlin. 

 I am so ready that even her little homecoming outfit is laid out and waiting to be packed (along with a back-up dress, just in case we need one a bit bigger!). 

 

 And now, I am waiting... feeling bigger than I ever have in my whole life! 

 

In total, we have spent maybe 200 dollars out of our own pocket for the paint and painting supplies, picture frames, art supplies, a basket, and the material covering the night stand... and I'm fairly certain that is it.  Everything else in her room was either given, purchased with gift cards, or taken from another room.  So crazy. 

 

I know that not everyone has the great fortune of having family or friends that pretty much give them everything they need to complete a whole room.  The thing that I am learning about baby stuff is how easy it is to get it second-hand, in really excellent shape, and for a much cheaper cost by using thrift shops, yard sales, and family or friends who already have kids.  The beautiful thing is that babies grow incredibly fast, so big item stuff (which can usually run about a hundred dollars at Babies R Us or Target) is used for a couple of months and then... that's it!  Baby has grown out of it and it's still in remarkable condition!  I have never been a fan of buying items second-hand and then I started seeing how quickly these items add up... Now, give me some clorox wipes or my washing machine and I am all about using items second hand!             

 

Little Addie will be here before we know it to enjoy her room and all of this hard work that I have put into prepping for her... and thank God for that, I honestly don't think I can expand much more!  This journey has been incredible and I know an even more amazing one is about to begin...