Raleigh's Nursery

Whenever it finally sunk in (has it really though?) that we'd be bringing a child into our home the wheels started turning in my head! Where will he sleep? What about our guest room, we can't lose that because all of our family lives out of town!? How will we fit a queen sized bed & a crib into a small space? How much do we want to spend on this nursery? How do I decorate for my little boy?

Well, I'm still not exactly sure about where he'll start off sleeping! I'm going to try the nursery from day one (it's not like our room is far away... we live in a small apartment!). We kept our guest room... & made it into fully functioning nursery & guest room combo! We had to turn the queen size bed into a "day bed" of sorts, but I think it will work. Every piece of furniture we purchased was a Craigslist/ internet find... & of course we got it all for a steal! I decided to decorate the way I'd like it... not too frilly of course, I mean it is for our boy! I wanted to use things that could go in any room of our house but together create a nursery. From day one I thought we were having a boy! I decided to purchase green fabric before our ultrasound confirmed we were in fact having a boy. It was a safe bet & after all it is my favorite color! Each detail has been picked out for a reason & each nicknack has been placed because it's special. Our families have their touches in Raleigh's nursery, which makes it extra special... so here goes!

 Here is one side! Ok- let's break it down. Far left are hooks, I found that at Target for $4! It's perfect for Raleigh's towels. We found the crib on Craigslist... we bought it with the matching changing table for $275! I love it. My Pop Pop bought Raleigh's mattress and my Grandma Barbara lovingly sewed the crib skirt. Maw Maw, Nathan's Grandma, bought us the rocking chair & ottoman... which we found on Craigslist for $85!

That gorgeous rug? I love it. It was an Overstock purchase! I found is for $130, which kind of seemed like a lot at the time, but it adds so much! It could go in any room of our house & it's wool so it's a natural fiber I don't mind my son crawling on. See those gorgeous drapes? My awesome Grandma Barbara & mom made those too. I found the fabric at a craft fair. It used to be a vintage mattress cover. See the vintage suitcases? Well for now they're ok but I'll have to figure out how to mount it open when Raleigh starts to pull up on things; I don't want his little fingers to get pinched! I bought those from our friends Matt & Mel Hux before they moved across the country... it makes it extra sweet!

 

 Here is the "day bed"! It's queen sized & comfy... so come on down! Another challenge was keeping this bedding & making it work with a baby's room. I didn't want to part with it! I think I may take a few naps in the future right there! ;)

Oh, this artwork. I could not be more pleased with it! I saw these on Zulilly one day & knew it would be perfect for Raleigh's nursery. I spent $30 on the artwork, $16 on the frames & 79 cents on the green paint which Auntie Katherine used to paint the once cream mats!! We're a little ghetto... but that saved me $120!! The green is perfect.

"Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Corinthians 13:7... that's what the sweet giraffe canvas reads! I LOVE it. My sweet friend & coworker Linda Rose surprised me with that at work one day. She said she couldn't wait until my shower to give it to me & I'm glad! I was so excited to hang it somewhere special. Oh, this is also our changing table! I also have a solid green changing pad cover & another one in the green print... both made by my mom & grandma again!

Here is Raleigh's dresser. It's full of lots of clean and organized clothes & blankets!! My mom & sister are the best. Raleigh's daddy is an excellent painter, apparently! He took the vintage white dresser we bought for $90 & turned it into this adorable yellow gem! Since this nursery doubles as a guest room, I made sure to provide a mirror... which I found at Target for $19.99. The picture frame was a gift from Dan & Bev Bonner... I can't wait to put our first family picture in it! (Well at least our first good one!!)

 

 Here are some of our nicknacks! The bunny was my most beloved stuffed animal. I was convinced it was the Velveteen Rabbit! The bib was Nathan's which was hand stitched by a friend of Carol's. The cigar box was from when Nathan was born!

Here is my favorite corner! Hanging is a prayer that Grandma Carol cross stitched for Nathan's nursery. It just happpppened to match perfectly!? The little table came from Gramma Claudia's house. Nathan painted it yellow too! The pillow was made by my Grandma Barbara! Oh- and there is Raleigh... his little ultrasound is framed!

This shelf I found that at Target on clearance for $16. It has little chalkboards but I haven't decided what to write! I bought it before I had the crib & changing table... I love how perfectly they match!? Hanging from it is Raleigh's baby bonnet & Nathan's baby shoes. On top of it is an adorable personalize giraffe push toy from my friend Meghan & a sweet plate from Nathan's Aunt Karen!

Last thing. My totally impractical & impulsive buy pre-marriage! I found this lamp at a little antique store in western NC when I was vacationing with my mom & dad. I saw it & fell for it! It's green & antique... anyone else seeing a trend?! I had it rewired & got it for $30. I love that it's displayed & on a dimmer! Thanks Dad AKA "Antonio" for hanging it & setting it up on the dimmer. 

 I had fun decorating Raleigh's room. I loved the challenges & the "treasure hunting"! As you can see our families helped provide special nicknacks, homemade gifts & the serious labor to make it all come together. There are still a few things that need to be hung & polished but, for the most part things are in order!! Raleigh is a loved little boy & I can't wait to bring him into his new home!

Best educational free date ever!

Last night we had our very first class before baby Raleigh arrives! It was a basic newborn care class. We reviewed things that are common sense and learned other things like cord care and how to give baby a bath. (Also common sense... but it was a nice refresher/ reminder!) Nathan proved to be an excellent diaper changer... at least when it involved a fake baby & no mess, but I think he'll be just fine in the real situation! We washed our fake baby and learned how to clean the umbilical cord.

We had lots of laughs together & giggled through the entire class... while taking it very seriously of course! All in all it was fun and I think we'll be able to meet Raleigh's most basic needs!  ;)

We were the first couple to arrive so we had first choice of our baby. Meet baby Price! 

A friendly PSA!

If it was never appropriate to talk about a lady's weight pre pregnancy, why do people feel the need to discuss it durning? Don't get me wrong... it doesn't offend me when someone talks about my baby's growth and keeps it to the "oh, look at your belly, he is getting so big" statements. It's the moments people feel the need to use words like huge or ginormous when referencing me. Or how about the random strangers that can't believe I'm only "x" many months along... "are you sure they got your due date right?!" Lady... I don't even know you!! People- have some common sense! It's just not wise to discuss such things with hormonal women... Ever. The End! :)

Growing Belly 21-28 weeks

Whew! A lot has happened in the last 8 weeks! Mr. Raleigh has grown quite a bit... and apparently so have I! So here is the recap:

Late night shot in my pjs! 

After a delicious sushi dinner! (Don't worry... I stuck with tempura!)

This week Nathan was out of town... He had the opportunity to go to a huge church planting conference! Also, I NEVER show my bare belly but I was shocked how much my body had changed! Pardon my pasty whiteness! ;)

Feeling good and clearly rocking a preggo belly! Yay. 

25 weeks and wearing my $12 maternity dress from Kohl's! Love that place. 

Tired but thankfully not sick! 

Not sure what I was doing with my face..... but this was the best one! Lol

Annnnnnnd 28 weeks! Officially in my third trimester! How did that happen so quickly!? 

I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is wrapping up. I'm just praying that I continue to feel well and that this heat/humidity will be nice to me! Raleigh is a big boy and we're grateful he is growing and is healthy! With our last ultrasound at 28 weeks we were told he is in the 89% for growth and is estimated to weigh 3lbs already! Crazy. 

Next time I'd better not wait 8 weeks to post my growth... I may just have a baby by then!!! Holy moly, what a thought!

 

A Simple Gesture

My husband is in no way the most affectionate man. Many times he has to work at showing me love the way I need it. It's been something that he has continued to work on throughout our marriage because he knows how much a kiss or hug means to me! 

Tonight he out did himself. The sweetest thing this pregnant wife needed was some simple reassurance about this incredibly different yet amazing time in my life. I've realized more and more these last 29 weeks that my body is no longer "mine". I have no control over how it grows! I can't control this baby growing in me! I can't control how my body reacts to these changes. In the last few days I have gotten serious stretch marks. They aren't pretty. They certainly don't make me feel pretty! My sweet, sweet husband without thought just leaned over and kissed my growing belly. This time not because our son is in there, but this time because he can see the outward toll my body is taking! He asked me, "do they hurt?" Which thankfully they do not. He gently rubbed the bio oil (which I've been using, apparently in vain) & made me feel like I was pretty again. They didn't scare him or turn him away. They represent something bigger... something he can't do without me! The are my battle scars. In the end they will be worth it and to know that my husband loves me regardless is the best part. 

Sometimes I'm just a silly girl and I guess I just need to be reminded of such things! 

What's in a name?

People have asked us where we came up with the name Raleigh James. Honestly it just came to us! We knew we wanted to carry on the name "James"... that's Nathan's first name, it was his dad's name and his dad's. 

As for Raleigh, it's the place where we had our first home together. It's in the state where we met, fell in love & got married! After some research I am even more pleased with his name. 

The name Raleigh originates from Old English, it's literal meaning is "from the deer meadow" (kind of appropriate for the son of an outdoorsmen!) and its spiritual connotation is "excellent worth"! I love that. James is Hebrew for "supplanter" and the spiritual connotation is "nurtured". A fun fact? Sir Walter Raleigh was known as Queen Elizabeth's favorite! No pressure for naming our future kids, right!? 

We can't wait to meet our baby boy, Raleigh James Price. 

True Life: Pregnancy has turned me into a toddler...

I have acted like a child! I blame the hormones.
Here's what happened...

It's 10:50pm on a Saturday night:
I turned to Nathan and said, I need french fries!
He looked at me like I was crazy.
I seriously needed them.
He said, "No... it's too late and it's raining. I'm not getting you french fries! You have plenty of food here!"
This is when I proceeded to burst into tears and reply with something like........ "WHY does everyone else's husband get them food when their pregnant wife wants something except YOU!?!"  
Yeah. I'm not proud of the way I behaved... but that's real life my friends!
Thank goodness that Nathan dug through our freezer & found some french fries. He is baking them for me now!

Pregnancy is a funny thing... I'm pretty sure motherhood will come with plenty of embarrassing stories too! Please laugh with me. It's all I can do!