Bambino Bedroom

Since the bambino news is out in the open now I can share baby room fun stuff with you!  Ever since painting the guest bedroom and having A LOT of left over gray paint – we decided to paint the nursery primarily gray.  and then accent it in some way with either a blue or a pink {depending on the gender}. And in true Barbie fashion I have had to plan everything out and look at cribs and bedding because I want the nursery done well in advance.  So…. I have been drooling over Land of Nod bedding since they somehow found out I was pregnant (creepy) and started sending me their catalog.
 

And for bedding I have decided on these two prints/patterns.  I didn’t want anything cartoony or whimsical.  I feel like some parents go overboard with “themed” nurseries.  Kyle and I like clean, simple lines and I think both of these patterns fit our personalities and they are simple and clean.
 

And then for fitted sheets we want the matching animal {bunny or whale} prints + the big spunky polka dots to contrast against the stripes.  The only difference from the pictures is that the crib skirts show pink and navy – well, they are reversible so we would show the gray and then do the sheets in pink or navy {polka dots}.
 

Best part of Land of Nod – when  you sign up for emails you get an automatic 10% off, which will be nice and we will sign up for emails using multiple email addresses to get the best deals on all the bedding.  Don’t judge me.  I like a good deal. =)
 

We have been looking at cribs too {of course} and want to do dark wood for a boy and white wood for a girl and do a convertible crib that goes from crib to toddler bed to full bed.  That way we *hopefully* won’t have to buy furniture as the kid sprouts and gets older.  Plus we need a matching dresser and glider/rocking chair thing.  So – if anyone has any recommendations, please send them my way.  We have looked at Target and Babies ‘R Us and Buy Buy Baby and Koo Koo Bear Baby but everything is just so expensive. 

Obviously we don’t want to compromise quality for price but we also don’t want to spend as much as we just did on our big kid bedroom furniture!  So seriously, we are taking recommendations.  We want to start setting up the nursery in May so it is 100% done by the middle of June and ready for July.  But the baby room furniture appears to be the one thing we cannot seem to figure out due to price... and I think Kyle and I are just going to have to take a deep breath and just swipe the credit card! Yee Haw.
 

Overall – the nursery is going to be very very simple.  We don’t want a lot on the walls.  We don’t want there to be an overall theme that just clutters the room.  We want simple and relaxing. 
 

Come 20 weeks Land of Nod will be getting some business from the Shanahan’s!  That is when we learn if this Bambino is a boy or a girl! =)

News. News. We Have News.

In October Kyle and I wanted to have a wine night.  In passing I made a minor comment that I was late.  Yes.  That kind of late.  I said it was probably because I was working out more and stressed to the max because of work.  Kyle didn’t care.  He made me pee on a stick. and. no joke. like 2 minutes later we learned that I WAS PREGNANT. We then went to Mexican to eat our feelings. And for about 1 week solid I repeated a zillion times “I cannot believe you got me pregnant”. And then there was like 4 weeks after the 1st confirmation {when I was about 6 weeks along according to 1 of the 506548 apps I downloaded} that we took another test since I was convinced I was not pregnant that we got reconfirmation.

So. With that news. Kyle and I are expecting our 1st born in July. 

We are excited.  We had to go THE WHOLE TRIP HOME for Thanksgiving without saying a word to our parents because we wanted a confirmation from the doctor before we broke the news to anyone big in our lives.  And let me tell you – hanging out with our parents with such a huge secret was HARD.  Every time we left a parents house {since we travel between 3} we would look at each other and say “1 down, 2 to go”

We were able to tell everyone over Christmas and it was just a fun and exciting time to tell people.  …but let me tell you… making phone calls to say “hey, we are having a bambino” is awkward.

Then we wanted to wait till the 2nd trimester before any formal announcement was made online or to our friends and work.  So hello! We are in the 2nd trimester. 7 more months of brewing to go!

And to answer all the questions:

1. I have been feeling GREAT. Which is why I did not believe we were pregnant.  no morning sickness. no afternoon sickness. no heightened smell.  Just some acne and exhaustion and multiple positive pregnancy tests. 
2. The first ultrasound was amazing and breathtaking and so real. God really is just so good.  It is amazing.  And. We are having a little dancing alien.  That little nugget was waving his/her arms around like a wild person!  The other ultrasounds we have had since then have been good – strong heart beat.  We had one annoying one where the bambino would not move so they sent me down to a specialist to get the tests completed – but it was nothing big, scary, or anything to worry about.
3. Yes. We were shocked – really shocked,  But now we are excited. And scared. But we think we will be good parents.  We hope we will be good parents.  I am SO excited for my family. and his family. And for my Granddad to be a GREAT-GRANDDAD and my Aunts and Uncle to be Great Aunts and Uncles {I bet they are feeling old now}.  We have already talked about how to have my Granddad and what not meet this little dancing alien – I know that would be magical and just SO heartwarming. 
4. I am still working out and will work out the whole pregnancy – I believe staying active is a good thing and should be done.  And the Blast900 staff has been fabulous.  I am SO SO SO grateful for Nicole and Paige and all their advice and watchful eyes! Plus my doctor said I shouldn’t gain more than 20-25 pounds.
5. Yes – we have thought of baby names. Initials are:   BOY: CLS    GIRL:  MMS
6. I cry at random.  I cried at Home Depot over something stupid, the poor high school boy worker was probably thinking “oh my gosh, what did I do”.  I have cried over newborn photographers.  Me = Emotional Trainwreck.
7. Speaking of newborn photographers. (1) they are SO expensive for a good one (2) FYI: you have to book like MONTHS in advance – I contacted so many that were booked for July at our 8 week mark.  Did people pee on a stick and drop $200 on a deposit before a confirmed strong heartbeat?!
8. We have already found and registered our unknown named and gender baby in daycare.  if you know anything about me, I am a planner.  I follow checklists and all my iPhone apps said January = research and book a daycare.  So. We have toured, interviewed, visited and researched countless daycares and picked one that has a curriculum {and the bambino will learn both sign language and spanish}. and has an in house chef that makes everything fresh. and good teacher to infant ratios.  And for those who are thinking about having kids.  Daycare = a 2nd mortgage!  For reals.
9. We do not care if it is a boy or a girl.  We want happy and healthy and not too spoiled.  But I cannot stop thinking of little pink things, sequins, glitter, and tutus.  Le Sigh. And then I dread paying for a wedding in like 20 some years.  Can you say inflation?!
10. The dogs are getting some extra special attention and training – and it will only increase as the month go on.  But, I believe they will be good with the baby.  And with all my “preparing the dog for baby” reading should hopefully pay off.
11. I have not really had any cravings, but this child does not really like Mexican food – which is DEVASTATING or anything spicy.  And if the urban legend is true about the heartburn = a lot of hair {again. spicy food} I will be birthing a 4 year old.
12. Yes – this child will attend The University of Alabama in 18 years. There is no other option.  Their first words better be “Roll Tide” or I am giving it back! {Kidding. Maybe.}

We are church hunting.  We want to raise our baby in a church.  Kyle has mentioned how he is envious of my upbringing – 1 house that I was raised in and come home to every time we are in VA – a neighborhood full of kids – stable activities that included church.  So, if anyone has recommendations in Alpharetta, GA – please send them my way!!

I will keep you updated – but do not plan to see too many {if any} sonogram pictures.  Newsflash ladies: ain’t no one want to see your womb other than your family members.  And bump pictures – maybe.  Who knows.  I am SO anti selfies so I do not know how I feel about baby bump pictures.  But honestly, I still am not so sure this whole pregnancy and child birth thing is natural.  Why can’t storks be real things?!  But it really is just so amazing.  God is Good.

xoxo!

:: Five Things Friday ::

I have not done one of these in what feels like FOREVER but I have 1 thing I want to share with the world and then I need to scrounge up 4 other things.  the 1 things want not enough to write a full post, but big enough to share with the world.

so… without further ado.

#1: My husband got a promotion and a killer raise this week!! YEAH!! You have no idea how excited I am for him and how proud I am of him.  He has worked his butt off and has wanted this position for over a year now. So, my husband is now an official Staff Accountant!  ….and the raise doesn’t hurt either! =)  Big smiles in the Shanahan house this week!!!

#2: We had such a slow key New Year Eve.  Watched The Great Gatsby while drinking milk and eating taquitos. Watched the Texas A&M / Duke Game {what an embarrassment for the SEC}.  Played some Candy Crush.  And barely made it till midnight to watch the ball drop.  Living on the edge kids.  Keep your jealousy in check.  I can teach you my ways later!

#3: Another Alabama football season has come to an end.  And it was a sad, embarrassing, depressing end to the season.  But… if going 11-2 is a bad season and only losing 6 games in 5 years is bad, then I don’t know up from down.  And now, Bring on September.  And for the record,  No.  No.  I will not be cheering for Auburn in the National Championship.  I don’t want to “keep it in the state” … I dislike Auburn and the “Gus Bus” and Gus’s sweater vest and his double bubble gum and the fact that he laughed {yes a coach laughed} at a hurt Alabama player during the Iron Bowl.  So.  Go ACC – Go FSU – Roll Tribe Roll!

#4: This weekend is going to be spent taking Christmas down.  We gotta get our house back to normal and the ornaments and stocking put away.  Is it just me or was the holiday season just a rush and a blur this year!? I feel like once it started it was over and that I just put our tree up.  Maybe it is because I spent all of December on the road or maybe it is because I am getting older and life just moves faster when you are older.

#5: I don’t really have any goals for 2014.  Just to make it to 2015 in one piece.  I would like to read more.  and work out more.  and be less stressed. get the house a little more finished.  grow in my career.  keep my marriage strong.  find a church.  go on more dog walks. spend weekends doing things. guess I have some goals but nothing definitive. hello 2014!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!! I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A FABULOUS HOLIDAY SEASON AND YOUR 2014 IS AMAZING!! =)