Baby Henna

I've had henna before, but pregnancy henna was always an experience i kind of wanted to have. We don't live in an area where henna services are widely available, but we do have a festival (with a henna booth) every memorial day and labor day weekend, so at 36.5 weeks, DH and i went to the Kipona festival where there was no line and I said "I was hoping to henna my big pregnant belly!" and a very nice Indian artist did just that.

It was relaxing, it wasn't too hot or humid and -although i drew a crowd of about a dozen people- my seat faced the river and I got to just chill. All I asked for was something traditional and floral-ish about 5" round.

They seal it with sugar lemon solution at the festival, but since i had to work, i also added a layer of school glue and saran wrap to protect the paste and my clothes. I left the henna on for ~10hours.

Our Alice in Wonderland Baby Shower

My mom and sister threw us a beautiful theme shower and everything was spectacular.

I (of course) was Alice for the day. My hair was fabulously curly, but the humidity got to me about halfway through. I still had a fabulously curly ponytail ;)

Follow the signs!

We're going to Wonderland!

Down the rabbit hole (on an adventure into parenthood!)

It's a teaparty!!!

Flowers with faces as the center pieces. See the queen of hearts tarts?
You could take your cup of tea in the assortment of mismatched and unique vintage teacups or drink "Lemonade that makes you smaller" or "Lemonade that makes you taller"

Lots of yummy desserts, almost all homemade by my sister but complemented by boxed goodies too (my mom found the cutest chocolate mushrooms!)
In addition to the array of teacakes and desserts, there was a buffet line of finger sandwiches, crudite, curried carrot soup, and mini quiche

Party favors! I had a beautiful keepsake teacup (the peacock!), a there were blue sixlets with "Take Me" messages and keys.
Activities included making mad hatter hats, "white rabbit" boo boo bunnies, and flamingo croquet!

Invitations said "It's a boy! And we're entirely bonkers about him! (All the best people are) Join Samantha & Robert on their first trip down the rabbit hole-into parenthood!" and thank you cards were gifted along with the list keeping track of gifts :)

Games were played- baby shopping list, how big is belly (39"), etc. These cute pocket watch necklace with rabbit and drink me charms were a prize, but as Alice, i got one to keep either way :)

Pink vs Blue

So the media is all in a tizzy because this week, Target stores stopped label toys and bedding as "boys" or "girls" (the clothes are still gender sorted, the rest of the store is gender sorted), because some boys like my little pony and some girls like transformers, and why should the store tell them that's not okay?

A lot of consumers are upset by this politically correct and considerate move, citing their traditions and getting all worked up. I went to fashion school, I studied both the history of fashion and art history, so I just feel the need to enlighten you:

Pink and blue sprang onto the baby scene as gender neutral trends in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

Pink has only been a "girl" color and blue a "boy" color since ~the 1950s. 

For 40-50 years before that, it was the opposite- blue was delicate and dainty and pink was strong and decisive, but mostly they were just trendy gender-neutral baby colors.

For CENTURIES before that, pink and blue weren't even baby colors. Everyone dressed their children (of either gender) in little white DRESSES until age 6 or 7.

Women's liberation movements changed the "gendered" color from blue to pink by trying to appear more masculine (incidentally it's also how women stole the high-heeled shoe from men- women wanted to look more masculine, and men didn't like the trend when women started wearing it. That's right, high heels were for men and we inflicted them upon ourselves)

I've linked an article below, but i learned this in fashion history 11 years ago.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-did-girls-start-wearing-pink-1370097/?page=2

I don't really enjoy the color pink. I think it washes most people out and i don't own much of it for myself and prefer that my red-headed husband not wear it either- because it's generally unflattering to our pale skintones.

I don't care what toys your kid plays with, but if you don't want your son to have a Barbie or your daughter to like legos then don't buy them barbies and legos. Do you know why the labeling is about the kids and not about the adults? Because you already know if you don't want your kid playing with barbies or legos, and you know if the reason is because they're "gendered" toys. Your kid? your kid has no idea that toys are gender specific until someone labels them as such.

>Mind BLOWN<

Our Little Explorer Nursery

I've never really been traditional, and definitely not into everything pastel and plastic and baby. Yes, our kid will get older and he will choose things i won't love, but when it comes to that first year where he gives zero cares, i get to pick SO

may i present our:

Explorer-Themed Nursery

*I've hyperlinked any purchasable items, mostly from Amazon

My mom tells me every time she sees it that I'm mean and that babies need more color in their lives and basically that she hates it. I love it, but I wish people wouldn't say they hate it. 

Walls

I knew i wanted brown whether it was a boy or girl and the nursery got painted early. Then the decals- it would have been cherry blossoms for a girl, but i went with jungle vines for our little man. (here's a similar one i also like)

We replaced the light fixture with something that's way cooler, but was also smaller than the old light fixture, which meant there was a ring on the ceiling with the inner paint as white and the outer paint as off white. Rather than paint the whole ceiling, i opted for a compass rose decal that disguises the rings, matches real-world cardinal directions, and just looks very cool. 

When we emptied the room, we had taken out a roman-looking shield i had randomly bought during a halloween sale a year ago and never found a home for. When the room was painted, I stared at one wall and said "something goes here". My husband immediately returned the shield to the space and it was perfect.

There is an extra door in this room that leads to our kitchen, and that door has a window. Rather than replace the door (which is also stained to match the woodwork), i added a stained glass film reminiscent of a castle or ship in a fishscale pattern. At this point, i was definitely leaning a bit pirate, and you'll see lots of nautical inspiration. The framed seahorse print and glass fishing orbs really add something

You'll remember that i cast our gender reveal/baby announcement into a resin paperweight. I later decided to frame and hang it. This frame wasn't quite a perfect fit for a 3" paperweight, so i used a dremel to widen the opening and some clear glue to keep the paperweight mounted. The back still opens to reveal our "It's a Boy! Coming October 1st, 2015..." message. The birds were extra perfect with the egg/nest

One of the first wall decorations was this Skyrim (videogame) map. Again, this was something that was laying around the guest room because i liked it and never found a home for it that was converted as perfect. I ironed it flat, burned the edges and glued it to a safety glass frame for a floaty effect.

Little Touches
These aren't necessarily "wall" decorations, but they're decorative touches

This armillary was a great mantle piece, the tiny telescope was a gift from Grandma and pappy, and the pelican was a gift for the mobile that just didn't quite go

I decided i wanted a cool pirate ship for the mantle and found this one affordable. The bamboo had been living elsewhere in the house and looks great here. The shark (which i LOVE) was a gift for the mobile that ran just a tad too large. It looks great terrorizing the ship here on the mantle

I got this octopus print for myself a very long time ago, i just love how gleefully happy he is to find a sunken ship and it's just the right amount of adorable for a baby room. Those socks were snuck into my purse by mother in law about 4-5 years ago on vacation.

Furniture

There had already been a guest bed (my bed from my medieval theme room in high school actually) and we decided to leave it. We did add a crib, and though it converts, we'll probably upgrade him to the real bed, rather than super convert the crib. I had chosen the blue and gold brocades for the guest bed in years prior, and had the red brocade baby bedding picked out for YEARS

I chose this bedding years ago, with every intention of it being for a little girl (in her brown and red room with cherry blossoms). I was so in love with it, and so upset that it might be "too girly" for a boys room. That is when my husband said "who says? who says it's girly?" and I kept the bedding i loved. The curtain matches.

My dad built me this desk/wall unit in middle school and my sister and i originally used it as a dresser. I padded the desk as a changing table, with diapers and swaddling blankets on the shelves above.  Bottles supplies are currently left and right. From there down, there are baskets on every shelf for clothes and two large baskets below the changing table full of books. An owl piggy bank i love has a home here as well and the mantle is perfect for decorations.

I really wanted a place for toys, especially since they'll undoubtedly clash with the decor. An "authentic" looking treasure chest was the perfect solution. This reinforced chest is designed to hold over 100lbs on top (and i have stood on it) and we're adding some bumpers to keep the lids from pinching tiny fingers

The Mobile

I love how this is coming along. It currently has 6 glass sea creatures dangling from a ships wheel anchored to the ceiling with a brass hook in front of the window (where light can make it sparkle). I have 6 more animals coming and would not be surprised to receive others. It has a whale from "Aunt" Wendy, a hermit crab from Aunt Lori, a pufferfish from Sandy, a seahorse from Pappy, an Octopus from me, and a dolphin from our babymoon (it was a gift in our room). It also has an angelfish for good measure. I will be adding: a jellyfish, sanddollar, starfish, seashell, sea turtle, and snail, as well as seaglass from Grandma Corder and some doubloons too. 

I've never personally had the patience for yarn craft, but luckily i have friends who do! The blankets were made with love by friends, and that octopus has the cutest curly tentacles! The sea turtle i commissioned  from an old friend as a gift from us to the little guy. We also received a bunch of hand knit hats that are stinkin' cute!

Bump Box

This isn't a freebie, it's a subscription box of samples. They have lots of different versions, some more tailored to your pregnancy than others or with specific trends in mind. I chose the cheapest box which is $30 for 3 months($10/box). The boxes come packaged very prettily, but my overall review is that they aren't worth it. You get so many free or nearly free samples while pregnant, and for $10/box most of these don't meet the value. There was 1 box that seemed maybe worth the $10 and it still wasn't awesome. Furthermore, while the packaging is adorable, you'll see in the photos below that in every single box, i easily fit the ENTIRE contents into the included pillowbox with 1 bigger item per box. The quality of these boxes does not convince me to give the more expensive versions a try.

Box #1

Bottom Left: How it arrives at your door
Bottom Right: Prettily packaged
Top Left: Removing index cards and large packaging, I fit this entire Bump Box into the pillow box that had 2 samples
Top Right: Box included samples of belly oil, belly butter, moisturizer, lubricant :eyebrow wiggle:, 5 days of pre-natal vitamins, a preggie pop, heartburn tea, morning sickness tea, and a silicone bump box logo sticker pocket for your phone to hold credit cards- which is not something that i can use on my phone even if i didn't mind the logo. It also comes with a 20% off for purchasing full sizes of any of the sample you like.

Overall, it's a cute box for while your pregnant, but barely worth $10. I'm glad I didn't choose one of the more expensive boxes as an indulgence. Most of the samples in this box, I've already gotten to try for free without a $10 box, as the top left photo of the entire contents of the box inside a pillow box does add perspective. Walmart's box had more samples in bigger sizes for the $5 shipping charge. 

Would I recommend Bump Box? No. The "cooler" boxes from them range $39.99-$48.99, and even with full size products in them don't look worth the price. 

Update August 23rd
Box #2

I mentioned above that this is a subscription box of 3 boxes @ $10 each. This is the 2nd box i received:

On the right is what it looks like when you open it. On the left is without out the paper junk. This box had a lactation cookie (which i don't need yet), washable bamboo nursing pads (shaped like hearts), and samples of: earth mama milk tea, bamboobies nipple cream, babyganics laundry detergent, and belly cream. All of the samples (4) fit inside the pillow box. This is probably the best value box I received out of all 3 since bamboobies are $15 for a 2 pack or $25 for a 3pack (~$8/pair). You do eek out your monies worth on this one. Again, there's a total of 6 items in this box for $10 and personally, I don't recommend it. still say your money is better spent on a cool onesie or pack of bottles. I have one more of these to go yet, and will post its contents when it arrives

Update September 25th
Box #3

This is probably the lousiest of the 3 boxes I received. It has 6 foil pouch samples and a 2 day prenatal vitamin sample.  It came in the same pretty pink packaging as the others, but i didn't photograph it the day it came- i just put all the samples in the pillow box and set them aside to photograph later.

Hospital "Go-Bag"

I read a lot of articles on things women wished they had brought to the hospital and what many consider the 'must-haves', and then I started building my go-bag. I didn't really have a set of luggage i wanted to cart to a hospital or anything, so i splurged and bought a duffle ($23) and a new toiletry bag ($11) and mostly new everything to put inside of it, BUT you can totally pull from what you already have.

I've hyperlinked all of my amazon purchases, and marked prices.

What's in my bag?

Left pocket: Baby essentials (1 swaddle, 2 outfits, and a wristlet with some diapers/wipes)
Right Pocket: Snacks, Charger, Papers (our birth plan), I also tossed a massage tool ($16) in here, and will be adding a coloring book and puzzles book
The Main Pocket: 2 soft V-neck dresses (for nursing- $11 each), 1 comfy dress (for labor), a robe and slippers ($18)
Not Pictured: I also fit my toiletry bag and a towel and washcloth.

*Every compartment is half full or less, and there's a pocket on the front i haven't used at all.

Paper:
You'll want 2-3 sets of your papers for doctors, nurses, and dear husband

• The Birth Plan
• Any redeemable certificates from enfamil and gerber
• Any signs like "No bottles" "Uncircumcised", etc. 

Toiletries:
*I ordered all my favorite travel-sized things at Drugstore.com

• Hairbrush & Hairties
• Toothpaste/Toothbrush
• Deodorant
• Lip Balm
• Nail Clippers
• Shampoo/Conditioner
• Body wash or soap
• Lotion
• Makeup

Comfort:

The biggest regrets women seemed to have was that the hospital is cold and uncomfortable and products available are meant to be cost effective.

• A Robe
• Slippers and/or warm socks
• Your Own Towel (The hospital one will be thin)
• Labor Gown? If you'd like to wear your own clothes, might as well make them easy to find
• Back Massager- This is going to be last minute for me because i use it almost everyday

Little Things:

All the electronics I might want are built into my phone, but i did put a wall charger in my go-bag.

• Camera 
• Music
• Entertainment- like a book of mind puzzles, adult coloring book, or novel
• Snacks- for you and for hubby! *Packing them in a gallon zip bag also gives you a place to put anything gross- like a soiled onesie!

Going Home:

• 2 Baby Outfits (in case one has an...unfortunate accident)
• Hat
• Receiving Blanket
• Clothes for yourself
• A going home outfit
• A maternity or sports bra
• Underwear- i bought myself a 5-pack of my favorite panties (most comfortable) in black, but know that those first days are essentially a mess, so I packed some depends silhouette samples in my go-bag

"Hard Knock Life" Pregnancy Edition

It’s a hard knock life for ribs, It’s a hard knock life for hips

Instead of organ space, we get crimped!

Instead of deep breaths, we get kicked!

It's a hard-knock life!

Half a pound a week, he grows
It's the hard-knock row we hoe

Cotton panties

Instead of lace

Round belly
Up in our space
It's a hard-knock life!

Don't it feel like your bladder’s always howlin?
Don't you wanna just turn out the light?
Once a day, don't you wanna lay in?
Sleep the day away into the night.

No one's there when your dreams at night are creepy!
No one cares if you grow or if you shrink!
No one dries when your eyes get wet and weepy
From the crying you would think this place would sink!

Ohhhh!!!!!!!
Round belly life!
Cramped and hungry life!
Full of baby life!
Dreams of tomorrow life!

Little hands we can’t wait to see,
Little hands? What about eyes? And feet?

All anyone cares about is the smidge
But there’s no room between my ribs!
It's the hard knock life!

It's the hard-knock life for hips
It's the hard-knock life for ribs
All they care about is the smidge
While he’s widening out my hips
It's The Hard Knock Life!
It's the Hard Knock Life!
IT'S THE HARD KNOCK LIFE!!!