Girls' Room

I think that I have finally organized and finished the girls' room that Aubrey will be sharing with her new baby sister. I definitely wish that we had more space and that we lived in a place where adding a third bedroom wouldn't cost an extra $1000 per month (no joke).

At the same time... Steven and I are both huge fans of small spaces and the "Ikea" type idea of living with less. Our apartment is 900 sq feet and it doesn't feel cramped at all. It keeps me from buying a ton of stuff, I have to stay on top of de-junking, and it feels cozy. One day we will have more, but for now we are content with less.

So the girls' room is 10 X 10. Definitely small.... but I think we have figured out how to make it be functional for both girls. We might move when our contact is up in March, but it would most likely be to another 2 bedroom, so I will just recreate. Here are some pictures!

View from the doorway

Aubrey's bed. She loves her pillow and sleeping like a big girl. 

Aubrey's reading corner. I will admit, she doesn't have a ton of toys. We go out a lot for that, but she does have a ton of books. I hope to foster a passion for reading, and she certainly enjoys having her own space for it. Now if I can only get her to stop climbing on the table.

All the storage and clothes are in the closet. Mostly due to space, but it also seems to keep Aubrey from pulling everything out of the drawers every time she goes down for a nap. 

Crib. I love the tissue paper pom poms :) Perfect mobile for our little girl. 

Baby girl's side of the room with the changing table/crib.

And there you have it! I hope by being so prepared that all of this just sits waiting for the next 3 months while I get large and make it full-term.

Next up is getting Christmas and Aubrey's birthday all ready, and I hope to have a nice stock of freezer meals made before she is born. This is a CrAzY time of year, and despite my love of summer we have managed to have both kids, our anniversary, and the holidays all at the same time. I guess we must like crazy. 

Halloween Party

Last night we had a Halloween party with some of our couple friends. Our awesome hosts, Dave and Liz put together a fun Minute to Win it game night:

Steven and I finished about the middle of the pack. Some games we did awesome (I won two!) and some we just completely sucked at. But, we sure got some funny photos...

Our good friends Kyle and Kaylee were nice to keep Aubrey away from the action while we completed our games. Kaylee is due with a boy in December before me. Our little girl #2 doesn't know it yet, but we have already picked out a boy for her :)

Like any parent, I think watching Aubrey was one of my favorite parts. After each couple had done their games, we would let Aubrey "play." I loved to watch her interpretation of what she saw everybody else do:

 Here is a preview of our what our little zebra will look like on Halloween. Halloween has admittedly never really been my thing. Being sick and pregnant this year, it is really not my thing, so Aubrey dresses up for the whole family. 

Aubrey also had a buddy in little Quincy. Quincy is exactly one year younger than Aubrey. Aubrey spent half the night crawling around on her hands and knees so she could be just like her.

Sometimes it is hard not having any family around, but we are so lucky that we have such great friends. Thanks guys!

24 weeks

Here I am at 24 weeks with baby girl #2.

And just for fun, here I am almost exactly 2 years ago at about this point with Aubrey.

I definitely feel bigger this time around, but I guess that is common with #2. The whole getting bigger part of pregnancy is really hard for me. And, I will admit I am a little worried this time. I only gained like 23 pounds with Aubrey. I definitely don't want to go early again, so I was hoping for like 30 this time. We will see.

I had gained like nothing until I started those darn progesterone shots, but since then... more than I would have liked. I'm still acting healthy, so I'm trying to just go with it since it is what my body seems to need.

We are starting to get things ready for this little girl to come. I know it is early, but I want to be all ready as early as possible, so I don't have to worry. Considering the shock and surprise and complete chaos that happened when Aubrey was born, it will be nice to have a bag packed, nursery ready, etc.

The sickness has definitely made this pregnancy hard, but so far I have avoided all the heartburn, leg cramps, and nose bleeds I got last time.

We are happy. I can't wait to see what she looks like and meet her little personality.

"Naptime"

I put Aubrey down for a nap at 1 pm. It is now 2:45 and she is finally conked out. I think she is enjoying the freedom of her toddler bed a little bit much!

Baby doll stripped of all clothes? check.

Every blanket out and thrown around (including behind the bed)? check.

Books strewn everywhere? check.

I don't keep any toys in her room, or who knows what she would get into. Considering some of her past "naps" I'm just lucky that she is fully clothed!

I love her love of life. She teaches me to stop and just enjoy. Toddlers may be demanding and difficult, but they sure are funny :)