Stylish Baby Pads

There's not a whole lot I can do to prepare for Smidge right now but planning the nursery is one thing that I can start on! Of course we don't know whether there's a boy or a girl in my tummy so I'm going to start gathering pics of both girlie and boyish nurseries that make me go awww!

I'm really hoping to keep the baby room fairly minimal, I don't want shelves crammed full of stuff and walls overwhelmed with artwork. I know that down the road when Smidge gets big we won't be able to avoid the toy explosions but while the babe is tiny I'm going to try to keep their room clutter free. Feel free to laugh, I know I have the Dougherty clutter gene but REALLY I want to try to improve and a baby's room is the perfect place to start!

I adore Etsy and there are tonnes of amazing artists showcasing their good there so I think it's likely we'll purchase a few pieces of art there for Smidge; I can't wait to stumble across the perfect pieces for our babe. And then of course there are so many fabulous wall decals available in fun kiddie designs - oh the choices!

I've been admiring emboridery hoop fabric swatch art for ages now and had thought before that a little person's room would be the perfect place to hang them! Check out little Norah's room below, what a fabulous way to prettify a wall and so easy to do - the best part is this is a simple DIY art project that you can change whenever you find a new fabric you adore. For fabric junkies like me it's a great excuse to buy new designs.

Baby P's room is another fabulous nursery I spotted while perusing ohdeedoh.

I've known for years that I would want white and light coloured or natural wood for my baby furniture; good choice considering my fab sis Joanne passed along her boy's light wood crib and change table! We also have an Ikea dresser in our room that is white with natural wood edging that should go perfectly.

I'm thinking the boxy bookshelf seen above (not sure where this one is from but they have the same style at Ikea) will quite likely be an addition to our nursery. A large bookcase is an absolute must since everyone who knows me well knows how much I love books and kid's books are at the top of my list of favourite things. Oh yes that's one thing I started shopping for years ago: books books and more books! Please note: books don't count as clutter. hehe

Welcome!!

photo credit: fofurasfelinas

Hi there! Just wanted to say hello to all of you who have stopped by to check out our little blog.

This weekend was fun! It was Mike's birthday weekend and we made the most of it by sharing our news with a bunch of friends and family members. There are still a few phone calls to be made before we blurt our happiness all over the web (aka Facebook and public blogland) and I appreciate everyone keeping the goods more or less on the down-low until then.

People's reactions to baby news is the best! Telling our parents was obviously our favourite sharing moment but there were a pile of others that I wish I could have video taped or at least snagged sound bytes from: Joanne freaking out, Cara's scream followed by Rosie's crying after Cara read the note I held up to my camera when her Skype volume wasn't working, Grandma's "Woopee!", Tanya's confused face followed by the odd yelp and look of pure shocked bliss, Granny Kerr's giggles, Aunt Nancy's screech... and so many more.

If just the thought of a new baby can spread so much glee I can't wait to see what happens when Smidge pops out to meet all of the people who are already in love with the little nut.

11 Weeks Pregnant!

Jessy and I didn't make it to the pool to swim last weekend so she hasn't seen me in two weeks. When I slipped off my clothes and stood chatting with her in my swimsuit she turned to look at me and her mouth dropped open: "Oh my God! You didn't look like that when I saw you last!"
I have definitely popped, I swear my boobs grew an additional size this week and my tummy is definitely bigger than it was last week.

When you compare these pics to last weeks I think you can tell there's a bit of a bigger bulge but the fact that my boobs have grown make it a little difficult to tell that the tummy has grown. Mike sweetly pointed out that my belly is bigger than my boobs now.

I love being pregnant!

10 Weeks Pregnant!

Mike decided weekly shots would be better than monthly and who am I to argue with a man who wants pictures of his wife and baby?! :)

Here I am with my tiny belly that has begun to protrude.

Funny how when you're pregnant you want to stand in such a way that shows off every bump while normally the goal is to hide those bulges.

Crazy!

Loving Every Moment

I am 11 weeks pregnant now! Tonight is the night we are more or less "going public", we are telling our close friends who don't know yet while mom and dad share the news with the Dougherty clan at the annual siblings Christmas party. They are going to call me before they tell the family so that I can tell Grandma that she is not just expecting one GreatGrandbaby in the new year (my cousin Kris and Shannon's little nut) but two! This will make 13 great-grandbabies for her assuming I'm counting right. Tomorrow we will make some more calls and in another week we'll really spread the news. We go for our first ultra-sound on Friday which we are super excited about! I can't wait to see Smidge!

I'm feeling really really good. Still experiencing a little nausea but just in the morning, I'm a little less tired than I was before and my appetite has increased big time. I'm definitely showing now but still haven't had a significant weight gain, maybe a pound or two but I'm still in my regular 5 pound zone - albeit the higher end of that zone.

I don't remember ever feeling this healthy, then again Jessy had a good point last night when we were comparing feelings of pregnancy fabulousness: no drinking, eating well and lots of sleep might have a little something to do with the healthy feelings we are experiencing. Ha!

I felt Jessy's baby boy kick last night, such a cool feeling! I can't wait to feel Smidge moving around in my tummy.

Mike has starting taking weekly photos of me and Smidge so I think I'll begin posting them here rather than emailing them to my girls. Every Saturday a couple shots will be posted and if you click on the link to the Belly Chronicles you'll see all of the photos in a row making it easier to compare.

I'm off to go shopping for a new shirt to wear out tonight, one in which I can proudly display my tiny protruding tummy. xoxo

mushi*mushi by Barbara Berrada

mushi*mushi has adorable*adorable designs:


Find these and many more sweet bits here.

"Hooter Hiders" Extraordinaire

Cara Nina used a Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover while breastfeeding little Rosie and it was the prettiest, coolest baby hideaway I've ever seen. Rather than simply tossing a baby blanket over the munchkin and awkwardly trying to hide your breasts you can toss on the "hooter hider" and still make eye contact with your peanut while feeding. The fact that you'll look stylish in the process is just an additional reason why these covers are worth buying.

These are my three favourite designs (in no particular order) and I will definitely be purchasing one before Smidge arrives! Not badly priced either: $35 US with free delivery. Considering it can be a daily use item (depending on how comfortable you are breastfeeding in front of others) I don't think that's too bad at all!

Marmot

Yoko

Papillon

These magnetic bibs are uber cool too - hmmm this is something I could probably make.


And I can't resist posting this picture... I'm sure the reason why will be obvious.

Could this baby be any cuter?!

Just a Smidge

I can't believe it happened so quickly but it did! I'M PREGNANT!! Mike and I are super excited and truly couldn't be any happier. Only three months have gone by since we officially started trying, lucky us!!

We're calling our little appleseed Smidge right now because saying "it" just sounds wrong, he/she sounds like we are having a hermaphrodite (not that that would be a horrible terrible thing), and because the baby is so tiny right now that it's "just a Smidge".

Smidge is due on June 18th 2010 so this blog will remain secret until mid-December at the earliest - then again maybe it won't go public at all. I'm more excited than nervous at this point in time, little thoughts of 'what if something goes wrong' enter my mind every now and then but I'm tring to keep the thoughts at bay so that I don't stress unnecessarily. So far so good so why worry?!

Dreaming of a Nut

Well the time has come.... Mike and I have decided that the years of selfish self-indulgence should come to an end. We're super excited to have come to the decision that now is the time to start trying to make a baby. The goal post came out in the spring and we played it semi-safe for a few more months but now it's official: baby making trials have begun.

We are convinced that it won't take us long to get pregnant, and I hope that our positive thinking helps make our dream a reality. I refuse to read baby books or baby-making info sites because I know they'll just scare me: I don't need a million sites telling me what I should or shouldn't be doing, instead I'll rely on my doctor as well as my super duper fabulous friend Jessy who is 2 months into her pregnancy to share the important bits with me.

We want a baby so bad we can taste it but posting a million and one baby bits over at Gingham Skies when we're not even pregnant makes me feel as if I'm a) jumping the gun and b) jinxing us. So here I am creating a semi-secret blog that I'll release to the world, maybe, once I'm pregnant and past the three month point.

On this particular day, at this particular time this blog is a way for me to keep track of the billion sweet baby goodies I find online and a place for me to air my baby craving thoughts - Mike is thrilled at the idea of being a dad but I think he's likely getting a little tired of me talking about possible baby this and possible baby that.

I have lots of new babies in my world thanks to friends and family and there are more on the way so I can justify looking at baby paraphernalia even though I'm not preggo! At least I don't think I've got a nut in the oven...