Baby A's Site

Baby Annan/Boredom implored me to create a baby website.

So without further adieu...

http://babyannan.ourbabychannel.com/

Navy, Lime & Gray

It's official, the colors for Baby Annan's room have been chosen!

Oh, we also decided on his name, too, but that's a secret...

(Only my Mom & Tim know. Taylor Family, maybe if you're really persistant at the beach in August, you can weasle it out of us. But I won't be drunk, so good luck!)

Back to the room. It's no secret that we love Ikea. It's also no secret that I like to be thrifty. These two happen to go hand-in-hand. All of his furniture is coming from Ikea, or we conveniently already own it (like the Poang chair, a toy chest built by my great grandfather that's being handed down & a small chest of wicker drawers).

Zero dollars spent so far. The rest of the furniture is coming in at under $300. It's times like these that I really enjoy doing math.

However, we're not sacraficing cuteness.

Below is my inspiration board, which is more like my "true to life" board, because almost everything you see on it will end up in the baby's room.



[art: allposters.com/fabric: fabricworm & fabric.com/everything else: ikea]



The lime green crib is pretty ballsy (for me). I wanted it to be the focal point of the room (aside from Baby A). It would definitely work for a girl, too, if we're capable of producing girls. Just add some coral and voila, instant girly room. I'm in love with the black dog posters, since as you all know, we have a black dog. We're not very subtle. The pick-up truck fabric is an ode to my first car, a blue Ford Ranger truck, and it'll most likely end up as a crib sheet. The walls are going to be soft gray, and we chose a white wardrobe & dresser to lighten up the room. It's also gender neutral so we can use it again. I mean, I got pregnant in like 2 seconds, so the chances are good that we'll have a few more down the road.

Painting starts this weekend, and I can't wait to see it all come together!

P.S. The Bachelorette. Could Ashley be any more annoying? I seriously just want this season to be over so I can watch lots of trashy hook-ups on the Bachelor Pad.

Tweet This!

Step aside, Anthony Weiner.

He's not even born yet, so it's not scandalous to post pics of my boy's man-parts online. Or so I've decided! We were excited beyond belief to see that little thingy dangling between our babe's legs on the ultrasound screen. (To the left of where it says "BOY").

[20 weeks]

Here is another shot of the little dude who's been kicking me for the past few weeks.

Check out that big ole' head!

His body's got some catching up to do.

It would have been equally awesome to have a girl, but we are thrilled it's a boy. I grew up with 2 brothers and my husband is a guy (obvi), so he naturally knows the routine.

Here are some little boy things we're excited for:

- Matchbox cars/toy trucks

-Army men/camo/playing war

-Nerf everything

-Toy weapons/the ability to make anything into a weapon

- Teaching him to pee outside (not in public)

- Cutting his hair myself (buzzzzz)

- Not having to buy accessories like hair clips & tights

- Dressing him like Daddy

- Watching him romp around with the dog

- The energy that little boys have! It's just different from girls & that's a fact.

- Buying him a little lacrosse stick (like his Mommy)

- Buying him a little guitar (like his Daddy)

- Threatening to kill him if he gets a girl pregnant

- Glaring down any trampy girls that come around... make that any girls in general

- Watching him team up with his only boy cousin to torment his 5 girl cousins

- His first ER visit (it's inevitable)

- Building tree houses

-Making him kiss me goodbye in front of his friends... when he's 16

- Free lawn mowing for life

[He wanted to wear pink this morning. He told me.]

Fabric Madness

The projects my Mom & I intend to make for the baby are piling up... and all of them depend on finding out whether our little human-in-progress is a he or a she!

T-minus 12 days...

They all involve fabric, and there are so many prints that I love.

Curtains, crib sheets, changing pad covers, nursing covers, wall art, blankets, burp cloths... are we going to have time for all of this?!

[Yeah, that's a black lab! So cute.]

TCO!

Total Cuteness Overload.

Can you tell I hate pink & baby blue??

P.S. - These are all from Fabric Worm.

Hot Soup on a Hot Day

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger (from Food Network). She's pretty rad and her soothing voice puts me into a trance.

It's pretty quick & easy. You don't have to let it simmer for an hour or anything lame like that.

Summer Corn & Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

4 cups fresh corn kernels or 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen, thawed

2 cups nonfat milk (I used almond milk)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

2 cups vegetable broth

2 plum tomatoes, diced

3/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

Directions

Put 2 cups of the corn and the milk into a blender or food processor, until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook, stirring until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups of corn and the broth and bring to a boil.

Add the pureed corn and tomatoes and cook until warmed through, but not boiling.

Add the salt and season with pepper.

Serve garnished with the basil ribbons.

We enjoyed it with some garlic naan bread on the side.

Surprisingly refreshing, even on a hot day!

She's Crafty

Who's crafty?

Marcia Taylor, a/k/a my Mom, that's who!

She's been hard at work sewing stuff for Baby A.

Check out her handy work below.



[Reversible flannel receiving blankets]

[Boppy cover in mint green minky dot fabric, per my request]



She should really start at Etsy store and make some mula from her talents.

Think about it, Mom!

To: Meg, From: Meg

As you probably know, I referee girls' lacrosse and I love it. I basically get paid to watch lax and exercise. About a week before I found out I was pregnant, I started to get in shape for the upcoming season by running (like I always do) and continuing to run and referee through the Spring helped with my nausea tremendously. I've been reading about all the benefits of running for mom & baby, and it's something I want to continue doing through my ninth month. Sounds crazy and I'm not even sure how I'm going to haul around a giant belly, but I'm putting my mind to it in the hopes that my labor, delivery & recovery will be a breeze. Or at least a small tornado...

I'm refereeing in an upcoming tournament and I won't lie, I'm gonna be making some major bucks. Half of it will go towards the iPhone 4 I was "forced" to buy this past weekend (dropped my other one on grass?! yes, grass, and the screen shattered). The other half of my earnings are going towards some new running gear to keep me motivated. Also because my feet flattened out due to pregnancy hormones and my running shoes barely fit. I'm talking toes rubbing up against the front. Not cool.

Here is what I'm gifting to myself for a job well done.

(Yep, I already know I'm gonna rock that tournament... and if not, well, I get paid regardless.)

[Nike LunarFly's from Zappos.com]

[For Two Fitness]

[Nike running shorts]



I may be running slow towards the end, but at least I'll look good doing it.

Everyone loves a puppy

And when I say everyone, I mean ev-er-y-on-e.

We look Indy to the farmer's market on Saturday and he was literally SWARMED with people. Some of them were respectful and just asked how old he was, what his name was, if they could pet him, etc. Then, one lady picked him up without asking and jokingly (I think) told us she was going to steal him. Another idiot let her dog jump on top of him. Thanks, lady. Maybe keep one hand on your leash in crowded, public areas.

[our baby]

It was kind of funny to hear random people say "oh looooook" and "awwwwwh" as we walked down the street. I won't lie... it made me feel pretty proud to have such a cute little pup at my side. Good experience for Indy, too, since you're supposed to expose them to public places with other adults, dogs & kids as soon as possible to build up their confidence. But note to self, if you're ever in a rush, don't bring a puppy with you! It took us twice as long to do a simple errand because of our new family member, and he was so pooped afterwards that Tim ended up carrying him back to the car.

[pooped!]

Indy's slowly getting a hang of the peeing outside thing. He actually goes to the back door now and waits for us to hook him up to his leash to take him out. Before he would pee on the way to the door, or right at it - very frustrating. But, for 9 weeks old, I'd say he's doing pretty well! He hasn't destroyed anything (except maybe our sleep habits) and even did great at the vet. Gained a whopping 5 lbs in one week! I have a feeling we're going to have a huge dog before we know it. Gotta keep taking pictures & videos while he's still got that little puppy potbelly and soft fur.

[sitting still... a rarity!]

New likes: going on walks, watching bunny rabbits, playing tug-of-war with a towel, getting treats for going potty outside, watching cars go by in the front yard (on his leash), classical music

New dislikes: the evil vacuum cleaner, baby gates, not being able to jump on the couch (it's still too high), waiting to be fed, when we ignore him (which rarely happens!)

[my boys!]

Hung out to dry

I love it when "old fashioned" things become hip again. The clothesline is definitely on it's way back and I'm gettin' down with it. I grew up watching my mom (and eventually helping her) hang laundry on our clothesline in the backyard. In fact, she gives her clothesline credit for her dryer to last for 20+ years. Talk about a worthwhile investment!

When we moved into our new place, I saw the perfect opportunity between two trees and starting gathering my supplies. I picked up 100 feet of clothesline for $8 and 150 clothespins for $6. I have enough line leftover to put one up in the basement for the winter & rainy days, as well.

To supplement the clothesline, I bought a drying rack from Ikea. It holds all of our underwear, socks & smaller items like my tank tops. It also prevents the neighbors from having to look at our unmentionables. Scandalous! Not that we have anything to be ashamed of, but you know, modesty never hurt anyone.

Since the average family spends $200 per year to run their dryer, I've already saved $166 in the first year (if I never use my dryer). I'm sure there will be days when it's pouring rain and I need to dry something quickly, but I'm really trying to avoid it and use mother nature's natural dryer as much as possible... the good old, trusty sun.

Some other sweet advantages to using a clotheslines are:

- More time spent outside, less time spent in my basement

- Everything gets that fresh, outdoorsy smell that could never be replicated by a dryer sheet

- You rarely have to even buy dryer sheets

- Dryers wreck clothes. The proof is in your lint trap.

- No more shrinking your husband's favorite t-shirt... my bad, Tim!

- The sun naturally bleaches out stains
- Exercise (bend & hang, bend & hang)

- You're being green (if you care) by using less electricity

Downsides of/Misconceptions about line drying:

It takes longer

If it's a cloudy day, it might take longer. That's just a sacrafice you'll have to make. Go out and run some errands... no one's going to steal your bath towels. If the sun is out and there is a breeze going, it's just as quick as a dryer.

Bugs in your clothes

This hasn't happened to me yet. I give everything a good shake before I toss it in the laundry basket.

What will the neighbors think?

Seriously? If you care what they think of your laundry routine, your priorities are out of whack. If they have the balls to complain, tell them they should be ashamed for wasting our earth's precious resources and polluting. You're trying to create a cleaner world for your children. No one can argue with that. Then "accidentally" let your purple bra be swept into their yard by the wind. Ha!

My homeowners association won't allow it

That's a legitmate problem, but not a dealbreaker. You could always get a group of clothesline-loving friends together to petition them with the same information you gave your snotty neighbor. It's green, it's lowering your carbon footprint, don't you want our community to be progressive? If they still don't budge, you can always hang one inside or use a drying rack on your deck or patio. Hopefully the gestapo don't have hidden cameras in your basement. That would just be creepy.

Happy Hanging!

Puppy dog eyes

How could I ever get mad at this face?

I was never a dog person. I only had cats growing up.

But this little guy has won over my heart and can do no wrong.

He poops on the floor and I blame myself for not letting him out soon enough.

He tries to tear down curtains and I worry more about his little baby teeth than my curtains.

I feel so guilty putting him in his crate before I leave for work and have to run out of the house so I don't have to hear him whine.

I even asked my boss if I could leave work an hour early because I'm afraid he'll be lonely his first week home alone.

If I'm a total pushover for this puppy, what's going to happen with the baby?!

It's about time...

How long ago did we move in?

Oh yeah, it's been over a month and I finally have my sewing room set up!

It's actually the enclosed breezeway between the house and garage, but the owners installed handy shelving and a new tile floor to make it a more functional space. What was once their children's playroom is now my playroom. No more sewing/crafting at the kitchen table and having to clear everything off before dinner. This makes me happy :-)

BEFORE



It was basically a dumping ground for all of our extra stuff that we didn't feel like finding a home for after we moved in. The pile of boxes was really getting on my nerves, so while our pup was napping away on Memorial Day, I got down to business.  Indy doesn't know it yet, but once he's housebroken it will also be his area to hang out in while we're at work. Tile floor = easy cleanup after an accident. (Not that we're expecting it, but sh*t happens. Literally.)

AFTER



[That window is begging for bamboo blinds!]



[In the frame are my grandmother's quilt squares and notes from her home economics class. A lovely bridal shower gift from my cousin, Rebecca!]



There is still some junk we need to get rid of, but annoyingly, bulk trash day only comes once a month. I also plan on putting a curtain over the window & door to keep the sun out when Indy is in there. I don't want anyone who pulls up the driveway to be able to see in. They might try to steal our cutie!

"Organized and it feeeeeeels so gooooood..."