One Month Later

Whew, can I just take a moment to breathe?  What a month it's been.  I've tried a dozen times to sit down and officially announce to the blogging world that Juliet has arrived.  But having a newborn around is exhausting! I don't have the brain power most days to do much beside mindlessly watch television or play on my awesome early Christmas present, my iPad.  I'm lucky if I remember to shower most days, let alone sit down and write something coherent.

But it's been a month now, and it's about time to force my brain cells to start working again.  Juliet was born November 12th via c-section at 9:40am.  She was 9lbs, 4oz and 20 inches long.  No one was expecting a 9+ pound baby!  She was almost two pounds heavier than Evie was at birth! 

The c-section and subsequent hospital stay went well.  I would never wish to go through another c-section--I definitely don't agree with those that say it's easier than a vaginal birth--but according to my doctors, I recovered exceptionally well from it.  The first few days were extremely rough, but thankfully Michael has been home to help.

Juliet had a slightly rough start with lots of fluid in her lungs due to being born via c-section but I was finally able to hold her when she was three hours old.  She's nursed like a champ right from the start which is such a blessing since Evie had a rough time with it.  She sleeps pretty wonderfully as well though I'm ready for the days she sleeps longer than three hours at a time.  I am just not on my A-game when I have inadequate sleep!  Evie started sleeping longer stretches by eight weeks so I'm really hoping Juliet will do at least as well as that.

Life as a mom of two has been an adjustment, but since Michael has been on Leave since Juliet's birth and doesn't go back to work until next week, I haven't had to really juggle it on my own yet.  Unfortunately, after the holidays Michael is leaving for a TDY, and will be gone for almost two months.  So I will go from having Michael home 100% of the time to none of the time, with only a week or so of adjustment in between.  It will be interesting for sure, and hopefully I'll still have my sanity by the end of it.

And because I know all you probably really care about is seeing pictures of my cute littlest princess, I'll leave you with a few.  Hopefully I'll be around more now that I'm trying to act human again, but no promises! :)

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween

Stubborn Baby

Last week I underwent an external version to try to turn Juliet from breech to head down.  As I explained, it wasn't successful.  That same night she did a lot of  twisting and turning, and we were hoping that she had finished turning herself the rest of the way all on her own.  I had my weekly OB/GYN appointment on Thursday, and the doctor I saw wasn't able to determine whether or not she was breech.  Juliet likes to keep everyone guessing!   Unfortunately, an ultrasound on Friday morning showed that she was indeed still breech.  What a tremendous letdown. 

I am now scheduled for a planned c-section this coming Monday morning.  In six days (or less, if I happen to go into labor before then), Juliet will finally be here!  I'm still attempting all the at-home methods to try to get her to turn, but I have mostly resigned myself to the fact that she's going to enter the world the exact opposite of how I was hoping.  Some babies do turn last minute, but the percentage of babies that turn on their own after a failed external version is extremely low.  I'm not holding out much hope.

I'm struggling with a mixture of bitterness and disappointment with the whole ordeal right now.  Yes, a healthy baby is the most important thing.  Yes, a c-section may not be the end of the world.  No, not every pregnancy ends exactly how we want it to.  Maybe it's just my hormones, but I am incredibly sick of hearing cliches such as these, even if they are meant to be encouraging and well-meaning.  I get that people don't always know what to say, but implying that I don't want what's best for my baby or that I'm overreacting is incredibly offensive.  I'm entitled to my feelings.

I think the biggest reason the idea of a c-section is so hard for me is because I set my sights on trying for an all-natural labor and delivery.  I was induced and had an epidural with Evie, and it was the best thing for the both of us at the time.  But since this is my last pregnancy, I really wanted to experience the whole process the way nature intended, without any medical interventions.  Or at least give it my best effort. See what I was capable of.  A c-section is the exact opposite of all of that.  And that's a hard thing to accept, knowing I'll never have that experience to look back on. 

However, I am trying to focus on the positive as much as possible, and trying not to let how Juliet enters the world completely taint the excitement of her birth.  I can't wait to see who she looks like, how much she weighs, if she has any hair.  I'm looking forward to that sweet baby smell, bonding during breastfeeding, seeing Evie as a big sister.  After a journey that began almost two years ago, the light at the end of the tunnel is finally drawing near.  I can't wait!

External Version Experience

Last week I mentioned that Juliet was breech.  We were hoping she would turn on her own again, as she had been routinely doing so off and on for a few weeks, but otherwise I had an appointment lined up to discuss trying to turn her manually.  On Monday morning she was still breech so I went to see a Maternal Fetal Specialist for a consultation. A lot of women have a choice to make when finding out their babies are breech, and I want to share my experience and my thoughts about it all. 

The ultrasound and consultation showed that I was a good candidate for an external version, and even though the chances of her turning from breech were only 50/50, I was willing to give it a shot.  If it wasn't successful, then at least I had been proactive in trying to avoid a c-section.  The procedure has to be done at a hospital in case there are complications, and although it felt like everything was moving so fast, they were able to fit me into the schedule that same evening. 

Michael and I arrived at the hospital a couple of hours before the procedure was going to take place.  It was a bit of a whirlwind with what felt like a million people asking me for my medical history and all this activity going on around me.  Because a version can be painful and the best chances of success occur when a mom is completely relaxed, I had an epidural put in.  Let me just say the experience is a lot different when you aren't distracted by the pain of labor.  I barely even remember getting my epidural with Evie, and the whole process felt pretty easy and painless--this time around, I was a ball of nerves and it seemed like it took FOREVER.   I was also given a shot of Terbutaline to relax my uterine muscles.

Once I was numb, the doctor started the version.  Basically, he used the images on an ultrasound screen to help him try to manually manipulate Juliet into turning.  It's a lot of careful pushing and prodding, and I'm told by Michael that it looks very weird.  I just stared at the ceiling the entire time, chanting "turn, turn" over and over in my head.  I didn't feel any pain, but I could feel the pressure of her being moved around--it's a very odd sensation.

 In order to get the best angles to try to manipulate her, the doctor occasionally had me roll slightly onto either my left or right side and finally onto my back.  Within a minute or two of that position, all hell pretty much broke loose.  Suddenly the ten plus people in my room (that is not even an exaggeration) were scrambling around, and the doctor was explaining to me that Juliet's heart rate had dropped really low and we needed to get to the operating room as a precaution.  He was almost positive her heart rate would jump back up before we even got there, but he didn't want to take any chances.

Thankfully the doctor was right and the approximately three minutes it took to get me wheeled into the next room was enough time for Juliet's heart rate to come back up to normal.  It was such a relief, and I'm just glad I didn't have enough time to process it all. However, although her heart rate was up, my blood pressure had dropped drastically.  They had to pump a few doses of ephedrine into me before it came back up--it felt like it took forever though it probably only took a few minutes.  Michael was finally in the room at this point, decked out in his paper scrubs, and I can only imagine what was going through his head.

Once both Juliet and I were stable, the doctor attempted the version once again.  We stayed in the operating room for the remainder of the procedure as a precaution, but no more theatrics occurred.  Unfortunately, Juliet was being completely stubborn and would not get past laying horizontally.  The doctor was able to get her butt up out of my pelvis which is a huge plus, but she just wouldn't turn that last little bit to get head down.  The doctor was only willing to try so long before calling it quits.  No one wanted a repeat of the earlier drama.

I was wheeled back to my room shortly afterwards, and was ready to wait out the two hours of observation required to make sure both Juliet and I stayed stable after the procedure.  The two hours turned into almost six as Juliet wasn't quite ready to stop being a drama queen.  Apparently she's an adrenaline junkie, and the three shots of Ephedrine on top of the Terbutaline were enough to keep her heart rate high for a few hours.  Poor baby went from low heart rate to high heart rate all in the same day.  Thankfully after a few hours of monitoring, her heart rate finally started to slow down and eventually got back to her normal range.  After nine hours in the hospital, we were finally able to go home.

It was quite an experience, and not one I'd be willing to go through again during this pregnancy.  Every person on the medical staff was awesome and through all the drama and craziness of the evening, I never once lost my cool because I felt completely safe in their hands.  I had one moment of pure panic on the way to the potential emergency c-section, but otherwise my nerves were steady.  It's amazing what you can learn about yourself in moments of such intensity. 

Although I wouldn't attempt another version this pregnancy, if I were ever to become pregnant again and was faced with this option due to a breech baby, I would consider trying it again.  I'm just not willing to put my body or Juliet through that stress again so soon after going through this.  Even with the heavy disappointment of going through it all and the procedure not being successful, I don't regret doing it.  Especially because I am almost certain Juliet turned the rest of the way that night while I was asleep!  I'll find out today at my doctor appointment for certain, but either way the whole process was quite a learning experience.

Maternity Pictures

Over the weekend, one of my good friends on Base took some maternity pictures for us.  I didn't take maternity pictures while pregnant with Evie and regret it.  I somehow lost all my belly bump pictures from that time and have nothing to look back on to remember those months.  Here are a few of my favorite shots from the session!

Photo Goofiness

Every once in awhile, Evie and I will do a little photo shoot of the two of us.  It usually includes a couple nice, normal shots.  And then the silliness comes out.  I figured we needed to do one last one with just the two of us before Juliet is born.  Enjoy :)

See, we can do normal

Kisses for Baby Sister

Goofy

Our version of the "duck face"

Ahhhh!

Evie's kisses are sometimes slightly abusive

Turn, Baby, Turn!

The end is near!

I'm a couple days shy of 37 weeks. and I'm so happy every time I think about it.  No matter what, I will be a mother of two within the month!  I'm elated and scared out of my mind at the same time.  That's normal, right?  I'm really only nervous for the adjustment part though.  We've been a family of three for almost five years.  It's going to be hard on everyone involved to adjust to a new family member.  Everything else--even the poopy diapers and impossibly long nights--is actually a bit of a thrill.  I am so ready to have a newborn in the house again.

Everything pregnancy-wise is still going well.  My body is slowly starting to progress, which I am thankful for.  I want my body to have a head start on dilating, etc so when labor finally happens, it hopefully won't be one million hours long.  I'm managing all the usual pregnancy complaints pretty well.  I won't miss the swollen feet or the inability to move because of this huge basketball stuffed under my shirt, but I'm trying to cherish these last moments of pregnancy.  I'm never going to be pregnant again, and it's all a little bittersweet. 

I received the best compliment ever while shopping at the Commissary yesterday.  A lady shopping behind me stopped to tell me she couldn't even tell I was pregnant until I turned to the side, and the belly was revealed.  With only a few weeks of my pregnancy to go, I find that to be quite a compliment.  I'm so thankful I'm carrying this pregnancy so well--hopefully that means the pounds will just melt off afterwards!

36 Week Picture

The one complaint I have pregnancy-wise is that Juliet is breech!  It really is just my luck.  The entire pregnancy up until about 31 weeks, she was always nestled very low in my pelvis.  I rarely felt movement above my belly button, and her hiccups were always extremely low.  When I hit 31 weeks, she decided torturing Mommy would be super fun.  She'll be head down for about seven to ten days, and then flip to breech.  She tends to stay in that position for about a day, and is usually extremely active during that period.  And then she flips back to head down.  Because I am carrying so compactly and the placement of her hiccups are so discernible, it is very easy for me to tell her position.

At my appointment last week, I mentioned to my doctor that I was pretty sure she had turned to breech the day before.  She sent me for an ultrasound for confirmation, and low and behold, Juliet's butt was nestled right down in my pelvis!  We talked about my options, and were planning on scheduling a procedure where the doctor manually tries to turn the baby using external manipulation for this week.   And then that night, like I figured she would, Juliet turned back to head down.  Disaster evaded...or so we thought.

Of course the little stinker stayed in the right position until Tuesday morning.  I woke up to hiccups right at my ribcage, and my doctor appointment the next morning confirmed it.  She's breech again!  Obviously she has enough room to move around yet, but she's been in this position for a few days now--the longest she's stayed breech.  I have the external version appointment set for next week, but really hope she turns on her own.  I've been trying all the "tricks" to get her to move--a cold pack to make her mad, music and a flashlight to catch her attention, pelvic tilts and sticking my booty up in the air to shift her center of gravity. 

Obviously. I'll try anything that has even an inkling of working because I will do anything in my power to avoid a c-section! I know it's not the end of the world if that's the route I end up having to take, but it won't be an option I'll take lightly.  I want what's best for the health of Juliet and myself, but I don't necessarily believe having a c-section is the best thing for our health in every situation. Thankfully my doctor is willing to try to manually move her up until my water breaks so we aren't even discussing a scheduled c-section.

So keep your fingers crossed that she turns to head down, and stays!

Pink & Grey Nursery Reveal

Before we knew if Baby 2.0 was a boy or girl, I started planning the nursery.  By the time of the "big reveal" ultrasound, I had a basic plan for the nursery--one for girl, one for boy.  The ink had barely dried on the ultrasound pictures before I started making lists and gathering supplies to make my vision of Juliet's nursery a reality.

For the past fifteen week or so, Michael and I have been hard at work getting our little projects done.  He was in charge of painting anything that needed painting, and I was in charge of pretty much everything else.  After all, it was my vision.  Not to mention I loved it!

So here it is.  Juliet's pink and grey nursery in all it's glory. 

Don't you just love the stripe?

Used the bones of Evie's old mobile & attached homemade felt creations to add a unique flair

Felt mobile up close

Chevron fabric over a canvas frame, with a handmade felt flower to add a pop

Love the lamp--a gem found at Hobby Lobby

My first attempt at making my own printables turned out well

Handmade "boppy".  A tad smaller than the original, but don't you just love the fabric?

Michael painted the crib & I made both the crib skirt & crib sheet

Cloth diaper storage

And there you have it!  We are very pleased with the end result, and I can't wait to bring Juliet home to it.  It's probably my favorite room in the house!  It's a very small space with an even smaller closet, but I think I did my vision justice. I'm a little sick of my sewing machine at the moment though so I'm glad it's finally done!

The Final Stretch

I'm here for my monthly update!  Ha, whoops.  This blogging thing doesn't seem to be top of my list these days.  Maybe when Juliet finally makes her arrival, I'll be bursting to share every single one of her milestones with all of you, and I'll overwhelm you with posts.  More likely I'll be staring off into space like a zombie for a few months, and I'll be lucky if I can remember to take a shower, let alone blog often.

I'm a few days into my 33rd week of pregnancy, and getting very anxious to meet little lady.  Apparently, Juliet is just as excited to meet us because she put me through my first round of preterm labor over the weekend.  Thankfully it stopped on it's own, but not before keeping me up half of the night.  They don't try to stop labor once you hit 34 weeks so since I'm so close to that magic number, my doctor didn't even have me go into Labor & Delivery because the contractions were still 10 minutes apart.  Even though we're excited for her to arrive, that night made us nervous enough to be content with her waiting it out at least another month.

Other than that, things have been going well.  We finally finished up her nursery, and I will post a nursery reveal very soon.  I love how it turned out!  And I'm really proud that Michael and I did so much of it ourselves.  The only things that weren't repurrposed or homemade were things that would have been pretty difficult to do ourselves--such as making the lamp or cube organizer.

We have everything else ready for Juliet's arrival as well.  All we need is her.  I'm glad we got everything taken care of in case she comes early, but now I have to scramble for things to keep me occupied.  Maybe I'll get a lot of Christmas presents taken care of so I don't have to worry about making or buying anything those first few weeks after her birth.

I'm feeling pretty good for being 33 weeks pregnant.  My back pain is barely a nuisance anymore, and all the regular pregnancy symptoms are pretty minor at the moment.  My biggest complaint is not being able to move as easily or roll over without a concentrated effort.  I'm up almost every hour or two at night because I either need to pee (AGAIN!) or the side I'm currently sleeping on is going numb, and I need to heave myself over to the other side.  I'm ready for pregnancy to be over, but mostly just because I'm ready to meet my newest little princess.

I'll leave you with my latest belly picture, and a promise to be back very soon with the nursery reveal!

3rd Trimester!

Why hello again strangers! 

I'm 28 weeks pregnant as of this last Saturday, and am finally in my 3rd trimester.  Two-thirds of the way done, finally!  Nine months is far too long to be pregnant.  I'm ready to meet this little princess!

Things have been going well thus far.  Although I had some really bad back pain for a couple of weeks, after seeing a physical therapist I have seen an immense amount of relief.  My sacrum bone and hips are both misaligned so I now do corrective stretches during the day, and try to avoid the big things that tend to cause the bones to keep misaligning.  The pain isn't gone all the way, but it's not as sharp or intense as it was at it's worst.  I think having the therapist do a deep tissue massage to get the huge knot out did wonders.  Guess there is a lot to be said for massages!

Everything else in pregnancy has been going very smoothly.  I still battle with feeling woozy almost every morning, and have to be very careful not to overheat as I've come close to fainting many times.  But otherwise, I'm pretty lucky.  All the little aches and pains and annoying side effects that come with pregnancy are easy to deal with although I know this last trimester is usually the worst. 

Belly pictures are always one of the funnest parts of pregnancy, I think.  I'm pretty faithful about taking them at least every couple of weeks, but will probably be more diligent about taking them every week in the third trimester since the belly grows so rapidly during this stage.  Weird enough, I seemed to have shrunk between weeks 26 and 28.  I know that's not really possible, and I've been measuring right on target at all my appointments so I'm not worried.  It boggles my mind though because Juliet has been positioned very low in my pelvis basically the entire time I've been able to feel fetal movement.  She finally moved up a couple inches (which I love because I can really feel those rolls and such now!) last week so you would think my belly would seem larger not smaller.  I'll let you be the judge.

26 Weeks

28 Weeks

Regardless, there's no mistaking my pregnant bump.  I actually adore it, and know I'll miss it a little when Juliet arrives.  Even if it does get in the way most of the time.  And makes me go red in the face if I attempt to reach my toes.  Good thing Evie likes helping Mommy put her shoes and socks on!

We've accomplished a lot in the nursery this last month.  The crib is all painted and set up, and I finished the crib skirt.  We tackled a huge chunk this weekend, figuring out a way to make her tiny 3 feet by 3 feet closet (that doesn't have floor space because it's right about the stairway) workable.  It's all coming together, and I'm excited to do a big nursery reveal in a few weeks. 

Hopefully I remember to blog a few times between now and then.  This pregnancy brain is killer, let me tell you...

This and That

(I'm not even going to mention that it's been almost a month since I posted.  I am such a sucky blogger!)

Things in my neck of the woods are going well.  We went to visit family in Wisconsin the first week of July, and the vacation was much needed.  We spent time with family and friends, and went camping for a few days.  Evie has never been camping, and she absolutely loved it.  Especially going to the beach--another first for her.  Evie loves visiting Wisconsin, and has been tearing at our heart strings asking when we can move back.  Low blow, little girl.  Low blow. 

I'm a few days shy of 24 weeks pregnant, and I'm about ready to be done.  Ha!  Last week was a rough one for me with constant stomach aches, Braxton Hicks contractions, and a horrible pinched nerve in my back that sometimes causes my entire right leg to go numb.  This week has been much better, and if it weren't for the constant fatigue, I'd be set.  I really do love being pregnant because fetal movement is still the coolest thing ever, but I'm not in love with the not-so-fun side effects.  The nerve pain is probably causing most of my crankiness--I know it's not going to get better until I deliver Juliet, and the thought of this pain for four more months is kind of depressing.  But hey, at least there's an end in sight...someday!

Juliet's nursery is coming along, slowly but surely.  Michael painted the dresser, and I made the curtains.  I also sewed up some awesome (if I do say so myself) burb cloths, as well as two wet bags for cloth diapers.  I'm ready to tackle the crib skirt next which kind of frightens me, but I'm sure I'll manage.

Dresser, complete with new knobs!

Curtains

Burp Cloths

Travel-size Wet Bag

Hanging Wet Bag

My life hasn't been all that exciting lately which is probably the reason for the lack of posts.  This stinking HEAT forces me to stay inside most of the time since I start to swell within minutes of being outdoors.  I can't believe we've had 100+ degrees for most of the last six weeks.  Of course I'm pregnant the hottest summer in the history of EVER.  Silver lining?  At least we have air conditioning!

Feeling a Little Crunchy

I mentioned in my post the other day regarding preparing for Juliet that I've been feeling like a "crunchy" momma lately.  It's a newer term for me too, so don't feel bad if you're shaking your head in confusion.  According to Urban Dictionary, a crunchy mama is a mom "who supports homebirth, breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, gentle discipline, etc."  So basically, a hippy! :)

I'm not into home births personally and I prefer a bassinet next to the bed to actual co-sleeping, but everything else applies.  Or at least will, when Juliet arrives.  I've been feeling extra crunchy because Michael and I have decided we're going to cloth diaper! 

Before you wrinkle your nose at me and tell me that's disgusting or say "good luck with that" in a snotty voice, ask yourself if you really know what it means to cloth diaper babies in the here and now.  Gone are the days of pins and plastic pants and dunking poopy diapers in the toilet.  Cloth diapers have come a long way from generations past.  And thank goodness for that.

When I was pregnant with Evie, we considered cloth diapering.  I already knew I was going to breastfeed and make as much of my own baby food as possible--why wouldn't I consider cloth diapering as well?  Sure, it wouldn't be as simple as throwing a disposable diaper in the trash can after every use, but I'm not a fan of doing something just because it's simpler.  If I were, I'd eat at McDonald's every day.  In the end, we went with disposables because we didn't have a washer and dryer in our house, and didn't know when that would change.  Cloth diapering didn't fit into our life at that point in time, and I'm okay with that.

But this time around is different.  We have our own washer and dryer.  I'm not juggling being a first time mom and college.  And I remember how guilty I felt after buying each box of disposables, knowing I'd just be filling the landfills up with more and more waste.  I'm ready to tackle cloth diapering head on.

I'm not going to get into all the reasons why I think cloth diapering is awesome, mainly because it's one of those hot topics people love to argue about.  I've never really understood why people can't just choose to disagree and move on with their lives. Whether you choose bottle or breast, cloth or disposable, daycare or staying home--it's your choice, and I respect that.  Please have the courtesy to do the same.

But what I will say is, cloth diapers are freaking adorable!  Seriously, I can't wait to put Juliet in them. 
 

Aren't they fabulous?  These are Best Bottoms hybrid diapers, the diapers I'm hoping we'll love the most!

We contemplated starting Juliet in disposables until she fit into the one-size diapers (which could be anywhere from birth to three months), but we decided to go with a newborn cloth diaper rental program instead.  It will allow us to start her in cloth diapers right away without making a large investment in newborn diapers that fit for such a brief time, with the added bonus of allowing us to try a few different kinds to see what we like.  And we'll only spend a maximum of $80 to rent the diapers for three months!  You really can't beat that.

With the newborn rental program, we're going to try Little Joey's AIOs, bumGenius AIOs and Fuzzibunz Pocket diapers.  We're also going to buy a few Best Bottoms at the recommendations of a few friends who use them.  For all you moms out there that cloth diaper, please feel free to chime in with your favorite kinds and brands!  I'm a research fanatic so I think these will be the best fit for us to start with, but I'm always open to hearing first hand experience.

I could go on and on about cloth diapers, but I think I'll just say this:  don't knock something until you've tried it.  I'm hoping we'll love cloth diapering (and thankfully Michael is just as on board with the idea as me), but we also know it's going to be a struggle.  Just like anything to do with parenting is.  Heck, I had a lot of people tell me breastfeeding was way too hard, and they had no doubt I'd quit within a few weeks.  I breastfed Evie for over twelve months.  I'm not a quitter, and I hold fast to my convictions.

Juliet's Nursery Inspiration

As soon as I knew I was pregnant, I started looking at ideas for what to do with the nursery.  Evie's nursery was very simple, with a homemade bedding set by my mother-in-law and a few stencils on the wall.  Her room was so tiny and we were on such a tight budget, it was the best we could do. 

Fast forward five years, and we have a little more to work with.  The nursery in this house is still pretty small though, and the closet is ridiculous that I can't even think about it without cringing.  But it's definitely a step up from what Evie came home to.

Between Pinterest and Google, I came up with quite a few different nursery themes and color schemes.  My absolute favorite was our choice for a boy's nursery (turquoise and orange), but since that didn't work out, I had something else pretty awesome in mind.

We finally decided on pink and grey!  I'm not really a fan of super cutesy for a nursery--or for anything baby, really--and wanted whatever we chose to be able to grow with her for a few years.  I also think the price of bedding sets is a complete ripoff so Juliet will be getting a homemade one like her sister.  But this time around, I'm making it!  I hope I don't live to regret that decision.

Pink and grey doesn't seem to be a super popular color scheme yet, but I was able to find a few different pictures online for inspiration.  Never underestimate the power of Pinterest--you can find everything on that site! 

These pictures were some of the inspiration that made me fall in love with this color scheme.

Credit Here

Credit

Credit

I love how the grey is a great background to make the pink really pop.  It's not overwhelming, and it's always easy to find girly things in the color pink.  I really like the chevron stripes, and the use of both light and hot pinks.  I have quite a few more inspiration pictures on my Pinterest board so head on over there if you want to see what else we're considering. 

We decided we're going to just paint one accent wall in a light grey because a) Michael will do the painting and he's not a big fan and b) I hate the idea of having to repaint walls when we move out of this house. Michael is also sanding down and repainting the crib (white) and dresser (grey) we used in Evie's nursery.  Most of the fabric used will be a dark/hot pink with possibly a few accents of grey.  Grey fabric at a reasonable price is hard to find though!

We're going to Wisconsin to visit family next week, but once we're back we're diving head first into this room!  I don't want to leave everything for the last minute, and let's face it, I'm just too excited to wait.  I'll update with progress pictures as things move along.