Which One??

Alright, I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm terribly uncreative...yet surprisingly, a FABULOUS copycat. So what's your pick?? Which should be my blueprint?? I do love the light relaxing feeling of the first room. Plus, it will fit the humongous brown teddy bear I've had in my closet for 4 years now! I'm still in love with the hot pink. (regardless of the fact that I can't duplicate the $750 wallpaper.)




Worse than picking nursery colors is trying to name this little baby! I thought I had my girl name all chosen and then I started talking to her calling her by name and it just doesn't fit. I guess it's 'cause I'm talking to my stomach...oh well. Now, this is coming from the girl who called her dog Copper for 4 days before I decided Scout was a better fit. I can't really do that with my child.
Any suggestions?? I decided I really like names that start with vowels. Here's what I'm debating between...

Emily-- I kinda love it spelt Emma-Leigh but people will just call her Emma, so I don't know. I like "Em" for short too...

Ella-- This one's my new favorite but when I hear other people say it, I'm not in love.

Aubrey-- I've loved this name since I took on the last name of "Arnold" but we have neighbors with the cutest little Aubrey, so I don't know.

Ava-- I don't know why i like this, i just do. Brian's not a fan though.

Olivia-- I only like this because I can call her "olive"... :)

Emerson-- I like this 'cause it's really different but people say it's a boy's name.

Alright, all ideas are welcome. (Except Mom, no more dog names! and Austin, no more cow names!! And Jasmine is not an option!) So, I guess just MOST ideas are welcome.

Threw it Out the Window...

The window, the second story window, with a heave and a hoe and a mighty ol' throw I THREW IT OUT THE WINDOW!!! (sang with the infamous girls camp gusto)

My nursery dreams were shattered this morning as I read this reply to my wallpaper inquiry:



Hi Marissa...
Thank you so much for contacting us about the hot pink and silver damask wallpaper in our Vintage Glamour Nursery!

Nice Walls
This wallpaper is hand silk-screened in hot pink and metallic silver. Each roll is 27" wide x 5 yards long.

Vintage Modern Nursery

How To Get Yours
Each roll is $150. Orders are received approximately 3-4 weeks from payment of our invoice.

Let's Get Started
Tell us know much you need and we will send an invoice and PayPal request.

Installation
This wallpaper is not pre-pasted, and we suggest using a wall primer. It also requires trimming prior to installation. We highly recommend using a professional for installation.


My heart skipped a beat when I saw they had actually replied and then broke when I realized there was no room in my budget for a gorgeous $750 wall...(that's before the recommended professional.) I think I must have been naive to the cost of wallpaper when I told Brian I'd spend $100 to cover the wall.

So, I'm back to the drawing board.

Rats!

Her first photo shoot

This is boring, but I just wanted to document it...so skip ahead to the pictures.


So, at our ultrasound the other day, we got a couple pictures...of the 800 the lady took, she GENEROUSLY printed out 3. I had a hard time concentrating on what was going on because I was too preoccupied with the fact I was going to have an accident any second...and her prodding did NOT help!
They tell you before you go in to drink 16 oz of water 1.5 hours before your appointment to make sure your bladder is full. Well, I obeyed and then payed for it! By the time I even signed in at the lab my palms were totally sweaty (the water needed to escape somehow) and my hands were shaking so bad while I filled out the paperwork. I asked Brian how many people have had an accident waiting for their appointment and if he'd still love me if I was the first. (To that he answered, "Don't think about it." ehem...the correct answer was YES and would you like to borrow my pants!)
This would not normally be a problem for me except that water and I have developed an interesting relationship since baby came to be. Anything but sipping ice cold water would result in instant vomit. So, naturally, I steered away from large quantities of water. I honestly had to do a little 'training' to make sure I could keep that much water down, let alone hold it in! Hence, the extremeness of the situation.
The next ten minutes lasted an eternity. I could not concentrate on anything. It didn't help that on both sides of the waiting room were restroom signs with arrows pointing the way to relief. I said a quick prayer. Sadly, it was the most earnest prayer I've said in awhile. I tried every position in my chair to get comfortable. Legs to the side, nope. Crossed, nope. I ended up on the edge of the chair playing an expert game of sudoku on my ipod to get my mind off it. The angel lady finally called us back. I was afraid to stand up...but made it! Now, to hold it the next 45 minutes while she checks everything out.
I told her my dilemma and she said she'd get what she needed with a full bladder and let me use the restroom before doing the rest of the exam. Well, 2 minutes in she said, "Wow, your bladder's FULL!" (uhh...I didn't need a sonogram image to tell you that lady!) She made me go to the bathroom because what she needed to measure was too squished. Imagine that!?!?
The rest of the ultrasound went fine. Brian was fascinated by what he could see and I was trying to make out what was on the screen in my cockeyed position. She casually told us it was a girl which made me really mad. Not the fact of having a girl, but the casual announcement. It went something like this: "Here's the top of the spine...(freeze screen for picture)...Here's a good view of the left femur...(picture)...and it looks like a girl."
Huh?? What?? This is kinda a big deal to us lady!! Afterward I had to tell myself that this is her job, so the lack of pomp and circumstance was acceptable. Next time, we'll have them write it down so there can be a little more excitement. Whoa...did I just say "next time??" I must be delusional.
Well, here's our pretty little girl. I'll spare you the crotch shot. It took a long time for her to get it. Our baby's private like her momma.

She has her momma's nose and toes. Can you spot them below?

AND...not pictured are the cutest little lips I've ever seen! (I'm slightly obsessed with people's lips so I'm glad she's got some good ones.)

Is this cute?

Or am I crazy??

I've been scouring the internet ever since I found out we're having a little girl to get room ideas, nursery colors, cribs...etc. There's a ridiculous amount of stuff out there and it all started looking the same to me until I found this:




I'm in love. Like LOVE love with this...and pistachios. I then searched for HOURS trying to find the wallpaper and no luck. I won't give up though. I found this on an interior design website and e-mailed the firm to see if they'd tell me the brand of paper they used. I'm hoping they'll be nice enough to respond without charging some kind of finders fee. Anyway, just thought I'd share. My hubby's not a great judge of these things and supports whatever I like because he knows I love to do both the handy man thing and decorate, so I need some outside opinions to validate how adorable it really is.

Make room girlies!

Do you think these two cuties can make room for a third wheel cousin in September??


That's right! We're having a baby girl!! Also check out the sweet Bumbo seat I scored at a garage sale. Baby H is doing a great job testing for quality control.

IT'S A....

SECRET!!!

haha.

Okay, so it's kinda mean for me to know what I'm having and not share it with the 6 of you...ehem...5 of you, but I feel a little powerful keeping a secret so many people want to know. And I haven't felt anything but nausea the last little while, so let me bask in my new-found power emotion a couple days. I will give you a hint...well, I'll tell you what wives' tale symptoms I've got and you can make the call.

(You'll have to click on the picture to see the list clearly)

So far, 3 people have said boy, and 2 girl.

It was pretty exciting to see a little munchkin actually growing. From the little bean sprout it once was, it now has arms, legs, hands, feet and the cutest little beating heart. On the ultrasound, you could see full on bones and everything. Pretty cool. Our goober weighs 12 ounces now...so explain to me why I've gained 15 pounds?? ugh. It's actually crazy that I'm halfway and baby will grow to more than 8 times the size it is now! And I'm happy to announce, I've been puke free a whole week and counting! That's the longest yet! I hope it's finally gone. I really could go the rest of my life without worshiping a toilet and be perfectly happy, NO, ECSTATICALLY HAPPY!

Ode To My Yogurt

The first time I tasted this yogurt,
I knew I'd found a good match.
It came to the rescue in my time of need
And has helped cure the morning sick patch.

Yogurt I love you, I can't tell a lie
You're kind to my stomach unlike pizza pie.
My first choice of fuel everywhere I do bring
I have yet to lose you to the porcelain king.

My one source of protein has solely been you
For chicken and pig seem to ensue the spew.
You're drinkable, portable, and just plain taste sweet
Dear Glen Oaks Farms, thanks for the great treat!

Quality Entertainment

We have our fair share of funny stories from church like many of you do. With 160 primary age children and over 40 in nursery, not to count the toddlers under 18 months we have a ward more full of rustle than of reverence. One Sunday, a little girl's dad gave the opening prayer and afterward she shouted out, "That was a good prayer Daddy!"
But today, hands down was the best. Although the meeting was great...I kept chuckling over this comment made. The row ahead of us had Grandparents visiting and the next row up was a little girl, maybe 2, who kept looking at this grandpa. She finally whispered something to her mom and her mom just started laughing. She turned around to tell the man what her daughter had said.

"Is that man President Monson?"

Really?!?

So a good friend of mine passed along this cute baby swing to me because her little one doesn't use it anymore and she's done storing it. I was very excited to bring it home and set it up for Brian to see but I think it shocked me more than him! Every time I look at it I say to myself, "REALLY?!?!" There's going to be a baby in there in 5 months!
I've been going through denial about this whole baby thing, except for the fact that my pants no longer fit unless I sag them like a gangsta. I actually asked the doctor because I was feeling a little guilty about my lack of enthusiasm. He said it was normal until you start to feel it moving and know the sex.

What's your guess??

Boy or Girl?

I really just want healthy. Brian wants a boy because all the grandkids on the Arnold side are girls. In fact, all the Arnold's want a boy. No pressure.... Ironically I have girl names I love, but no boy names. I don't know if that means anything, but we'll find out in a couple weeks what this baby's gonna be!!

Confessions...

Okay...I might have eaten an ENTIRE See's Bordeaux egg while watching an episode of Biggest Loser. Darn you Easter Bunny!

I'm usually so motivated while watching that I'll do sit-ups at the commercials but the more they sweat, the more I ATE! Talk about your ultimate oxymoron.