It's been a while!

Yikes! Life is busy and beautiful and chaotic. I posted one year ago a post similar to this one, and hopefully I can find time to write and update a little more regularly. 

We had a great summer! We went on LOTS of trips. Maybe too many, because the momma never really gets to rest on vacation, right?!  But we got to enjoy time on the lake, Jake visited Lake Hartwell with some college frat buddies, I went on a girls trip to Asheville and saw the breath-taking Chihuly exhibition at the Biltmore Estate, I took the girls to visit some family up in PA over Memorial Day, Jake and I went on a couples trip to Jekyll Island for our anniversary, and we went to IOP as a family.  Yep, busy!

Head over to instagram if you want to catch up with photos of all those things [smwalden11]. 

Additionally, I've really enjoyed having more time for reading this summer! I thought I would round up some of my summer reading favorites for you.  Some novels, some education books, some personal development...

The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator's Creative Breakthrough by Wade King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is full of great ideas. I enjoyed the Audible version and hearing the authors read it in their own voices. As an art teacher, I felt some of their ideas did not completely apply to me as the book is geared more towards classroom teachers, however many could be adapted for my content area. I especially loved the idea of transforming spare classrooms for all in the school to use and benefit from. I think every person in a school could gain something from this book.



Be the One by Byron Pitts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this entire short book in a few hours. His words are heart wrenching, captivating, and hopeful. As a future teacher, this book will stick with me for a long time.



The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this new book by Hilderbrand. The characters were interesting and the plot kept you guessing, even when theorizing about who was guilty. It left me wanting more!



It Won't Be Easy: An Exceedingly Honest (and Slightly Unprofessional) Love Letter to Teaching by Tom Rademacher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a fantastic, quick, and easy read and was written with a practical voice of a veteran teacher who was still in touch with school as it currently is today. He is witty and self-deprecating, and was enjoyable to read. He brought up so many poignant elements that one might encounter during their first year of teaching, and overall I think it could be summed up by saying that he helps you to understand picking your battles on the many fronts you may face them. Highly recommend this one!

These were the highlights, but I did read a few others that were just okay. 

View all my reviews

Where do you get ideas for which books to read next? I love following blogs and seeing what they suggest, and also through my friend's Goodreads accounts.  I've been in the mood for another Liane Moriarty book so I think I might start one of those next!

Now, back to grad school and football season!

Hello again!

Well, this blog has suffered over the past several months. Having a new baby and not being in front of the computer every day over the holidays turned me into a blogging slacker and then starting grad school this spring has left little free time in the schedule! I want to get back at it more regularly though!

So to catch you up on our lives....Last summer while I was pregnant with Aubrey, Jake and I started thinking about what our lives would look like with two kiddos and we thought it would be the right time for me to take on more of a part-time working role.  With my previous job being about a 40-45 minute commute each way, that just wasn't making sense to stay there if I cut back to part time.  Just with travel, it would add two more hours to the workday.  Plus, there wasn't a whole lot of opportunity for growth since it was a small business and I felt like I was ready for a change in job and a change in schedule.

Ever since I started college, I have had an interest in teaching. At first, that was more of a desire to be an adjunct professor one day.  But one day it sort of clicked for me that the things I have always wanted to do in a career (1) be creative, (2) not do the same thing over and over each day, and (3) something art related.  Well, hello! Teaching art allows me to make art every day, be creative with my lessons, and introduce new and exciting units constantly! I guess going into college for my undergrad I didn't consider art education because of the money. But, now as a wife and a mother, the salary and schedule fit our lives perfectly. I am really excited that I will be able to have all of the school breaks and holidays off with my girls.  I am excited to teach students new and interesting techniques and lessons.  I am finally feeling like I have found what I was meant to do with my life.  It has also been so enriching for me because as an artist, we tend to find what we love and stick with it.  As a student, I am learning all of these different mediums and techniques that I haven't used in years or haven't ever tried.  I'm loving it! I have a renewed love in watercolors and I am finally getting back to making art on a regular basis.  So, officially I am in the Master of Arts in Teaching program for Art (K-12).  I'm almost finished with my first semester and I have two more years to go.  I was lucky enough to receive a Graduate Associate position doing the marketing, advertising & recruitment for the College of Education Graduate programs, so that has helped with having a flexible, fun part-time job while I'm in school.

If you want to keep up with what I'm doing in the art world, follow my instagram @SMWartwork

Aubrey's Birth Story

Well, it has been quite a while.  Our family has had just a few changes since the beginning of October -- quitting my job, applying to grad school, having a baby, "maternity leave", the holidays, starting grad school, and Aubrey starting daycare! So, more on all of that another day, but I wanted to write Aubrey's birth story on here before I get too far removed from remembering the details!



So, one day shy of my due date I woke up at 6am on Saturday, October 29th to some pains.  I wasn't sure if it was Braxton Hicks, since those had been happening more lately and were getting stronger.  I turned on some TV and slept on and off for another hour and a half until Jake woke up. I told him I wasn't sure if it was anything or not, but I was having pain every 45 minutes or so and felt "off."  I knew this feeling well from when I went into labor with Ryleigh, and being so close to my due date we both figured "well, this will probably be the day!" Once Ryleigh woke up, Jake got her ready and they left the house to go help some other Kappa Sigma alums move everything out of the KS House since they were no longer at Winthrop.  It also gave me some time to rest and see what was going on. I kept monitoring the pain and the contractions started getting closer- about 20-30 minutes apart. Since it was not going away, even when I laid down and drank some water (all the tricks they tell you) I figured I needed to shower and make sure everything was packed and ready.  I texted my parents, who were designated as the ones to watch Ryleigh while we went to the hospital, and let them know what was going on. We decided they would come over to our house around 3pm.  I updated Jake on the timing and he and Ryleigh got back home around 1:15, when my contractions were now getting stronger and about 20 minutes apart.  We had been prepping Ryleigh about how mommy would need to have a sleepover at the hospital once Aubrey comes, and that she would have a sleepover with Pom-Pom and Grandpa, so we put her down for a nap and told her that it was time for that sleepover so we wouldn't be there when she woke up from nap.  I will never forget everything going through my head giving her that last hug before she went to sleep!  My parents came over a little early around 2:30, and Jake & I got on the road at 3pm to head to the hospital.  They took me in to triage to check everything, and told me I was at 4cm. My contractions were now about 4-5 minutes apart so they admitted me to a delivery room.  They started my gbs antibiotics and got all the monitors hooked up.  I had progressed to 6cm and started begging for an epidural.  A little while later,  the anesthesiologist came in to give me my epidural and then they had me lay down to monitor me and said they would be back to check on me in about an hour.  Jake left the room to go move our car out of the Delivering Mom spot, and just as everyone was clearing out of my room, I felt my water break! I told the only nurse who was still in the room and she came over to check me, to find out that yes my water had indeed broken and I was also at 10cm with Aubrey in view!  (all of this, going from 4cm-10cm happened in about an hour and a half! talk about painful....) I knew that I had progressed past 6cm when they were giving me the epidural but they wouldn't check--they learned their lesson, haha....my body just turns things into overdrive once labor starts.  I texted Jake and he ran back to our room, they did a rush page to get the doctor there and after two pushes she was out! It was different than with Ryleigh when they had me push during a contraction. I guess since Aubrey was already 100% effaced, they had me do a test push and she moved right there so they just told me to push whenever I felt I wanted to.  She was born at 6:12pm during the 3rd quarter of the UGA game (an unfortunate loss for the team..and yes it was on tv in the delivery room!) and we were in awe that the next piece of our puzzle was here!

The entire time the nurses were monitoring me before she was born, they were telling me she felt like a bigger baby and they were sure she would be at least 8lbs. One woman even asked me if I had gestational diabetes because they thought she was such a big baby! Well, I don't know what they were feeling because she came out almost the exact sizes of her big sister:  6lbs 14oz, 20.25" long.

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 36 weeks!

How far along? 36 weeks, 3 days!

Total weight gain: +28 lbs

Maternity clothes? always 

Sleep: not always great. I'm waking up a lot to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and it's not as easy to fall back asleep these days.

Best baby moment this week:  Finishing up purchasing a lot of baby stuff.  Feeling very accomplished!

Miss Anything?  Sushi

Movement: yes, and unfortunately I'm starting to feel her pushing her feet up into my ribs and diaphragm.  Not so comfortable.

Food cravings:  milk, cherry coke, ice cream

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: girl 

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my pearl ring 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and tired.

Looking forward to:  Still seeing our maternity pictures and getting the nursery finished up!

Parenting Penrose: 2nd Baby Checklist

During a pregnancy, I feel like at times it goes by slowly and at times it rushes by.  All of a sudden you get to a certain week and feel so far along.  That definitely hit me at 35 weeks this past Sunday.  Wow. 5(+/-) weeks to go. One month. Or less? Or more?

So, it's crunch time.  My baby shower came at a perfect time because it's helping my severe nesting mode to get all of these little things checked off the list:

Set up nursery furniture

Make nursery wall letters

Hang nursery wall letters & other frames

Wash pass-down & new clothing

Put clothing away in dresser & closet

Hang black-out curtain in nursery

Clear out misc. junk from nursery

Test breastpump

Wash all bottles & pump parts

Stock up on Household goods & toiletries

Clean out closets/drop off clothes at Goodwill

Wrap Ryleigh's Big Sister gifts

Pick up nursery art from printer's

Buy remaining Registry must-haves

 Buy postpartum lounge clothes

Pack Hospital bag for:  me, baby, Jake

Have carpet cleaned upstairs

Buy baby monitor with 2 cameras

Figure out how to work double stroller

Pre-Register at hospital

Pick new Pediatrician

Install Car seat bases

Tour Hospital

Set up Newborn pictures

Purchase organizer for changing table

Purchase new humidifier

Start on purchasing Christmas gifts

So, as you can see we've got most of the important items crossed off the list!  We need to hang some things in the nursery, get breastpump and bottles ready, finish packing the hospital bag (half-done)...We have to buy a new video monitor with two cameras because our model has been discontinued so there is no way to get a second camera! I'm pretty bummed about this because our monitor has been fantastic, but alas, that is how technology goes I guess...Install our carseat bases, and get a few last things for the nursery.  

Also, thanks to my hormones I've decided our carpets should be cleaned before the baby arrives.

Since I'm going to be in my "we have a newborn"/postpartum fog over the holidays, Santa has been trying to stock up on gifts for our girls ;)




   

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 35 Weeks!

How far along? 35 weeks, 4 days!

Total weight gain: +27 lbs

Maternity clothes? always 

Sleep: pretty good, but starting to be uncomfortable.

Best baby moment this week:  We got to peek in on little Aubrey at my appointment yesterday with a quick ultrasound to check if she was head down (my doctor does this at the 35 week appt).  It was so neat seeing her this far along! We did not see Ryleigh after 20 weeks on ultrasound.  It's crazy how neat technology can be.  She was making the cutest little faces and looked snuggled in all comfy in there!  I'm so relieved that she is head down and in the right position, because I've been concerned she was breech from where I've felt her movements.  We are so excited to meet her in a few more weeks!

Also, my baby shower last Saturday! Everything was wonderful from the guests to the food and the decorations! We got lots of great goodies, necessities, and cute outfits :)  I'm making progress with getting the nursery all set up, if only we could get around to hanging everything on the walls!

Miss Anything?  Not having to pee every 5 minutes. 

Movement: mid-morning and bedtime are still her favorite times to party.

Food cravings:  pasta, milk, apple cider 

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: girl 

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my pearl ring 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and definitely in serious nesting mode.

Looking forward to:  Seeing our maternity pictures and getting the nursery finished up!




   

Baby #2 Bumpdate: 33 Weeks!

How far along? 33 weeks, 3 days!

Total weight gain: +24 lbs

Maternity clothes? always 

Sleep: good

Best baby moment this week:  Feeling lots and lots of movement and flips.  I'm finally starting to feel like she's taking up a lot of room and not just floating around in there, haha! Also, on Saturday we got SO. MUCH. accomplished in the nursery and around the house (hanging things, moving furniture, building stuff, organizing clothes, wrapping Big Sister gifts, etc).  Nesting mode is in full swing and I feel a million times better about the state of our house haha.

Miss Anything?  I picked up some Japanese food for dinner last night and saw their sushi menu.  Why is it that sushi always sounds so amazing when you can't have it?!  At least I have crab rangoons :)

Movement: Tons!  I went to the dentist this morning and I felt like my belly must have looked like an alien was trying to escape the whole time the hygienist was cleaning my teeth.

Food cravings:  Milk, milk, milk and more milk. Also, green grapes & Nutella.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: girl 

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my pearl ring 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and tired. Although I feel like I've been having hot flashes which make me grumpy in the moment.

Looking forward to:  a mani/pedi on Saturday and Maternity pictures on Sunday!! Let's all collectively pray that it doesn't rain during our pictures.

Baby #2 : Recent Purchases

Nesting mode kicked in so much quicker this pregnancy than before.  I feel like I'm checking things off the list a lot sooner this time around, but part of that could also be because we started out with more--re-using the nursery furniture and already having lots of baby items.  

There have been a few things that I've bought lately that we found great deals on!

DOUBLE STROLLER--
I periodically check Amazon and Target to see if anything we need for the baby is on sale, and finally our double stroller hit an all-time low price so I snagged that up today!  I love the style of this tandem stroller for a toddler & baby.  This is the older model, which sells for $100 less than their new "ultralight" version and it has all of the same features but it is 7lbs heavier.  Both are light enough for me to lift with one hand so I figure this stroller was a great way to get all the features but at a lower price.  AND--today it went on sale $40 off the normal retail which is the lowest I have seen it over the last several months.

Joovy Caboose Graphite Stand-On Tandem Stroller

After reading reviews and comparisons on several tandem sit-stand strollers, this one was the winner!  We bought it in red to match our red Britax infant carrier, and because #gobulldawgs.


NEW MATTRESS--
This one was a little switch-a-roo.  Instead of purchasing a new nursery crib mattress (the one we love that Ryleigh uses is the Lullaby Earth Healthy Support 2-in-1 Mattress) we bought a much more affordable toddler bed mattress and we will move the current mattress to the nursery.  I found this Kolcraft foam toddler mattress (fits a crib/toddler bed) with fantastic reviews and it is 40% off right now.  The only negative in the reviews was that the waterproof cover wasn't as soft/comfortable, so I bought these extras which are 50% off right now and will also be good to have on hand for the accidents that are probably in our future because of eventually #pottytraining.


POSTPARTUM WARDROBE--
I've made several purchases for my postpartum/nursing wardrobe.  I did this last pregnancy too, and I think that (1) It gives you something to look forward to in the midst of newborn craziness, and (2) buying new items that you know are going to accommodate a postpartum body help to avoid being sad that none of your pre-prego clothing fits yet.  I've got a lot of cardigans (including three of these thick sweater cardigans that feel like heaven!) so I aimed my focus at good transitional tunics and sleepwear.

Penguins // Polka Dot // Plaid 

All of these pajama sets were on sale under $15! 

Wearing nursing sleep bras like these was a necessity last time, so I bought a couple new ones...

Nursing Sleep Bras

I'm in love with these sleeveless tunics that I found on Zulily. The prints are gorgeous and can easily be dressed up or down. They are a nice shape that isn't low cut or tummy-hugging and will look great under a cardigan. They are the perfect 4-season shirt that I think I will be continuing to wear long after my postpartum months.

That's all for now! I've got some free time the next two weekends so I'm hoping to make lots of headway on the nursery :)

Baby #2 Bumpdate : 31 Weeks!

To summarize...

How far along? 31 weeks, 4 days!

Total weight gain: +22.5 lbs

Maternity clothes? Of course  

Sleep: Pretty good lately.

Best baby moment this week:  Such a sweet 'sister moment' last night.  We were putting Ryleigh to bed and sometimes she likes to give my belly goodnight kisses and will baby-talk to her sister.  She started talking to her and you could see some big kicks and movement in my belly. Ryleigh loved seeing that! She laid down with her head right beside my belly (I was sitting on the corner of her bed) and kept saying "Hey Aubrey, why you kickin like a little baby?!" and kept saying that and laughing over and over, while Aubrey kept kicking over and over! It was so cute and hard not to think that it was all directly related to Aubrey hearing Ryleigh's voice.  The kicking was only on the side of my belly that Ryleigh was talking to.  

Also, we toured the hospital that I will be delivering at this time, and I really like it! Definitely different than last time, but some similarities too.  Overall it seems nicer and I've heard fantastic things :) 

Miss Anything?  Ease of movement. Getting in & out of bed, moving around, standing up, etc. just isn't as easy as it used to be! haha

Movement: Some good, big movements lately. She's becoming a little more active throughout the day, but her most active times are still mid-morning and evening.  

Food cravings:  Fruit & nutella, milk, cereal

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: girl 

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my pearl ring 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy with some occasional emotional moments. Songs on the radio have been getting to me lately! haha

Looking forward to:  We are going on a trip this weekend, just a fun little getaway to partly celebrate the start of football season and also as a little bit of a "Last Trip as an Only Child" celebration for Ryleigh.  It should be a lot of fun!  Also, I've been ordering a few more things for getting the nursery together and I started working on the wall letters too :) 

Pages of Penrose : The Book of August

Just one book this month! It was a pretty busy month with lots of things taking up my usual reading time, and once I finished the first book a couple weeks ago I did not get to go to the library to pick up another.  So, here is the book of August:

The Storyteller By Jodi Picoult

Thankfully, for being the only book I read this month it was one fantastic book! I love anytime bits of history are incorporated into a book.  This novel, which is set in present day but through the telling of certain memories and stories it takes you back into history, was incredible.  This is my second Picoult book (last year I read Leaving Time) and I have been so impressed with her writing style.  The topics that she brings into her books are thoroughly researched and developed, which make her stories so gripping and real.  If you want a to read a book that inspires you, try a Jodi Picoult book, especially The Storyteller!

Remember to follow along with me on Goodreads.  I find so many great recommendations on there!

Baby #2 Bumpdate : 29 Weeks

How far along? 29 weeks, 3 days!

Total weight gain: +21 lbs

Maternity clothes? Of course  

Sleep: Usually good, but occasionally it will be tough to fall back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night.

Best baby moment this week:  Lots of big movement.  

Miss Anything?  my old wardrobe. I'm feeling more limited on maternity options lately, mostly with good summer shirts. I guess now that I can't mix in some non-maternity items much anymore I'm noticing that I don't have as many maternity tops as I thought.

Movement: Yes, more and more lately.

Food cravings:  Turkey Sausage Breakfast muffins (Jimmy Dean's Delights are my go-to!)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Only my seasonal allergies lately.

Gender: girl 

Wedding rings on or off? I've started wearing a different ring that I have which was a size bigger than my wedding ring because I usually wore it on my middle finger.   It's a black pearl & diamond ring that I was given when I graduated from high school.  It's much more comfortable, and while it's a tiny bit big, I'd much rather that than feeling like my wedding ring was getting stuck.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired. Allergies are taking a tole.

Looking forward to:  Finding time to get more done in the nursery.  Also we go on our hospital tour at the end of the month! I'm looking forward to it because I'm delivering at a different hospital this time and I have heard all kinds of wonderful things about the maternity ward!!

Projects of Penrose: Kitchen Remodel

When we were making selections for our kitchen at the builder's design center last year, I knew I would want to have different finishes than our previous home and I also knew that I would want to select the granite and backsplash on my own--not from the builder's limited selection.  Sometimes builders can have nice colors but often times they are basic options and I like granite that has more movement in the pattern. Plus, I am admittedly picky when it comes to things like this after I spent almost two years doing high-end kitchen remodeling at my first job.  #designerproblems  So, we initially just installed a laminate that had a granite-like pattern to it.

We have a large kitchen - about 12'x19'- and the layout allowed for a bigger island than what came standard from the builder (just 3'x4').  I knew I wanted to extend that, so I decided to go with a furniture-style island.  We extended it to be about 40"x 72" using a frame and furniture post legs, which gives us overhang on the back and one side of the original base cabinet which we kept for the storage.  We used bead-board to cover the back and sides of the island for easier painting.  I wanted my island to be a contrasting cabinet color because our floors ended up very similar in color to our dark Espresso cabinets.  The entire 1st floor of our house has shades of blues as accents, so I decided to gamble and go a little bold with a blue island.  I LOVE how it turned out!  The photo below does not show the color exactly, it's got some teal/gray undertones.

After the island frame was done, we had granite installed.  I had decided on white for this kitchen, and fell in love with this slab of Himalaya White.  The whites and grays with some dark speckling swirled in work perfectly with the other colors of our home and tie in so well to the dark cabinets.  Since the granite had a lot going on, we went with a simple white porcelain subway mosaic in 2"x4" size.  I wanted a gray grout for some contrast and to bring in a little bit more of the dark contrast.  We went with Dove Gray, which is the medium-tone gray that was available. I'm glad we did not go with the darker Charcoal and I think the lighter gray would not have stood out as much as I would have wanted. #win

This photo was taken just a short time after grouting was finished, so it had not completely dried and now is just a tiny bit lighter than what you see in the photo.  I'm so happy with how the grout color pulls the dark veining in the granite.

Patience is a virtue, and I'm so glad that we waited to do this the way that I wanted instead of settling with the builder options.  

Pages of Penrose: Books of July

Genuine Lies was such a great book! It was longer than average, but the story had some great twists and plot kept me interested the whole time.  An oldie (originally published in 1991!) but a goodie!

I loved this brand new Elin Hilderbrand book! She has written a lot of books and I am slowly trying to work my way through most of them, but so far Here's to Us is one of my favorites.  The characters were interesting, the storyline was neat, and I liked the personal growth that the characters made throughout the book.  If you are looking for a good airplane/beach/summer read, this is your book!



See all of the books I've read so far in 2016 here, and follow along with me on Goodreads!

Baby #2 Bump-date: 27 Weeks

How far along? 27 weeks, 1 day!

Total weight gain: +19 lbs

Maternity clothes? Of course  

Sleep: Touch & go.  Mostly good.

Best baby moment this week:  Not this week, but since my last update--Ryleigh got to feel Aubrey kick and it was pretty much the best thing in the world.  She was already being sweet and acknowledging the baby in my belly, but now she's all about her little sister Aubrey.  I'm sure this will change once Aubrey actually arrives and takes up more of my time ;)  

Miss Anything? Not having swollen feet...

Movement: Yes, especially mid-morning and during the night.

Food cravings: Icees, Cereal, Milk

Anything making you queasy or sick: The nasty glucose drink from my test this morning!  I do not recommend the clear orange drink.

Have you started to show yet: Yes, definitely.

Gender: girl 

Wedding rings on or off? Most of the time on, but if I'm spending a lot of time outside on the weekend I have been leaving it off. No point in wearing it because I know my fingers will swell in the heat.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy

Looking forward to: Tax free weekend shopping---getting things for Big Sister and filling in the wardrobe for Baby Sister!  Also, our backsplash is getting done this weekend so the nesting-mode part of me is very happy!

 

Parenting Penrose: Getting Ready for Preschool!

Linking up today with Andrea & Erika...

Preschool...How are we already talking about this?  I can't believe that Ryleigh is going to be starting her first year of preschool a month from now.  She will be in the two year old class, which meets two mornings a week.  I think she will really love school, and I'm so glad she already knows a few kiddos that will be in her class so she will be more comfortable from the start.

As far as back to school shopping, I've got some items saved in my Amazon shopping cart to complete her Supply List.  The fun items that I've purchased were of course her backpack (her first ever backpack!!) and a matching lunchbox.  I probably over-thought this way too much but I figured a matching set would make it easier on the teacher to know which were hers.

These were scored on sale during Amazon Prime Day:

Wouldn't a monogram look cute on the front pocket?!

Skip Hop Zoo Backpack // Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie

My tall little stringbean is in need of some new clothes as well.  Since her 2 year doctor's appointment back in mid-February, she has grown over 2 inches in height.  We noticed this when we had our kitchen granite done a couple weeks ago and realized she was all of a sudden taller than the countertops!  2T shirts are all showing too much belly so I've got to stock up on 3T tees and long sleeved shirts.  The first weekend of August is tax-free weekend in SC so I'm planning to do some outlet shopping, and also pick up some fleece sleep & plays for baby Aubrey!  I've gone through most of Ryleigh's old clothes and I'm finding that newborn, 0-3m, and 9m clothes are where we need to add since Ryleigh was born during the opposite time of year.  

Aubrey Kate's Nursery Design Plans

Planning the nursery decor is always one of my favorite baby checklist items! I am incredibly excited to see my plans for Aubrey's nursery come together.  Here is a little peek into what we are working on...

It typically starts for me by looking through fabrics and finding one that is my inspiration starting point.  Last time for Ryleigh's nursery, I found a cute, colorful giraffe print that became her whole nursery theme.  This time, Aubrey's design started with Budquette in Nightfall from Bari. J's Emmy Grace collection.  I immediately fell in love with the artsy floral print and the charcoal background.  Our house has a lot of gray and blue tones so this fit in well.  After looking at a lot of paint samples, I chose SW Restful for an accent wall.  The other walls are SW Agreeable Gray like the rest of our house.

I always like to include the baby's name in the nursery and started brainstorming after I read a recent blog post from Katie about the Alphabet Soup letters at Michael's craft store.  I spent a good hour there rooting through the options since some are on clearance/discontinued, and coming up with this (although I have a lot of work to do with them before they are ready to hang)...

I ordered a crib skirt and one fitted sheet in the Budquette fabric from HappyMae on Etsy.  From there, the floral print took my mind in a wildflower/woodland direction.  I stumbled across this Monogram wall art from Anthropologie (unfortunately now discontinued) and looked up the artist, Starla Michelle Halfmann.  Her work is incredible! I am so in love with her style and wanted to order canvases and prints of everything, but eventually I decided on a large print of Kandy Forest.  I found the handpainted clipart images of woodland animals with flower crowns from FHFclipart on Etsy, and I shared a sneak peek on instagram of some cute artwork I've made to go over the changing table and rocking chair....

And of course, we will be re-using the crib and dresser/changing table from Ryleigh's nursery, now that she's in a toddler bed and we have a different set of furniture for her (my childhood bedroom suite).  

The accent wall has been painted and now we have lots of organizing and moving around of furniture to do.  I'm excited to start making progress!

Baby #2 Bumpdate | 23 Weeks

How far along? 23 weeks, 5 days!

Total weight gain: +15 lbs

Maternity clothes? Oh yes.  

Sleep: Fairly good.  I usually wake up in the middle of the night wide awake, but I can fall back asleep within 30 minutes or so.

Best baby moment this week:  Feeling so much movement these days!  We have had some sweet Big Sister moments lately and Ryleigh is really demonstrating that she realizes there is a growing baby in my belly.  She will tell us "I want to play with Aubrey" and then bring toys over and sit them on my belly and give my belly kisses or hugs.  

Miss Anything? Free movement--the belly is getting in the way a bit these days.

Movement: Yes, lots of movement and kicks.  She seems most active mid-morning and in the evening right now.

Food cravings: Lemonade, Milk, green grapes

Anything making you queasy or sick: No, but I am having more heartburn with this pregnancy.

Actually I take that back--I'm already queasy over the fact that my next OB appointment is my Glucose test :(  Dreading that sugar drink!

Have you started to show yet: Yes, this belly has definitely popped now.

Gender: GIRL! Aubrey Kate. 

Wedding rings on or off? On, but this summer heat does make my ring and some of my sandals uncomfortable some days.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Mostly happy, though I do admit having some emotional/hormonal cries.  

Looking forward to: Working more on Aubrey's nursery and Ryleigh's big girl room.  I shared this sneak peek on Instagram of the letters that will go above Aubrey's crib after I paint them and work on them a little...

Pages of Penrose | Books of June

A very short list this month.  I only post books that I finish in each month, and I'm currently reading and listening to two very long books so they don't quite make the cut for June.  I did, however, very much enjoy this book:

It's about a woman who's mother dies and leads her to search for some answers about her mother's past in the old historic town where her mother grew up.  The plot was very interesting, especially if you like historical facts.  I enjoyed how the story played out with the research and piecing together bits of information that she gathers, since her mother was very private and did not share about her life prior to marriage.  Additionally, there is a bit of a love triangle that plays out between some of the main characters.

This would be a great beach read, or book to read on a long car ride/flight.


Check back with me at the end of July to see what I'm reading this month--they are some great ones!

Remember to follow along with me on Goodreads.  I find so many great recommendations on there!