We're no Rothko but we are trying

I've lured Bryan into making a little art for the baby's room. It is something I have been thinking about for a while but I was a little hesitant because things I make (that involve paint and canvas) tend to fall short of the vision in my head. Clearly I'm no painter but that doesn't stop me from trying. Bryan, on the other hand, knows a thing or two about design and painting. So, I've enlisted his help for this latest attempt at art. I started this project yesterday before he came home from work- $12.00 a piece canvases at my mercy. Yikes. Good thing he came home shortly after. I pretty much was hating what I had done to the first of three canvases and Bryan came in and helped me find a direction. Yay! It has been a lot of fun learning from him and having him help me decide how and where to put the paint. It's a many-day process because we are making abstract-ish pieces that have lots of (dried) layers of paint. Kinda inspired by the artist Mark Rothko. Even though apparently Rothko hated being called an abstract painter. But he was- anyway...Here's our work so far:

Bryan's is the darker one on the right and mine's the one with all the teal. JLWS- I know you love teal! But it won't be teal for long. Just 'til the next layer goes on. I'll keep you posted and hopefully the end results will be baby-wall worthy!

Two weekends ago we had a really fun baby shower at the home of Bryan's boss. We were lucky to get a few loved ones in town from Texas and Ohio for the weekend. Now Lauren knows my Dad and Linda way more than she ever thought possible. We spent all day together and then went to dinner. She's such a good sport! Here's some pics of the visitors:

We had a really good time mixing friends, family and co-workers at the shower. Lots of fun and good food! If anyone out there has pictures- please email me some because I have none! My camera stayed in my purse all day.

Here's your moment of Zen for the day. My pup loving on a jar of Skippy PB. She LOVES PB!

34 Weeks

I finally feel like my pregnancy is coming to a close. I have about 6 weeks left. It seems kinda like a long time but not really. Today I said my first goodbye to a client that I won't be seeing until after the baby is born. Weird. Next time I see her I'll be a Mom and Cooper will be on the OUTSIDE! It seems not long ago that I was thinking,"I'll be seeing all of my clients two more times before I am out on maternity leave." Now, I am seeing everyone for their last visit. It is exciting but a little scary. I guess I have gone through different stages of reality sinking in and this is another in that long line of realizations. I'm actually going to have a baby. I remember my good friend Kelly saying that there is a reason that it takes 9 (10) months to have a baby. It prepares you for what lies ahead. It would be alarming to just wake up one day and have a baby in the house. Imagine if it was as quick as taking the pregnancy test. "Congratulations! Your baby will be here in five minutes! Good luck with everything!" Haha. I've enjoyed this experience- even the heartburn, the morning sickness, the uncomfortableness. I've needed these 40 weeks to mentally and physically prepare for our son to be a part of our family.

In the spirit of pregnancy, here's a Top Ten List of things people have asked me as a pregnant woman. I could answer these questions in my sleep (if I was actually getting any, that is).

1- Are you excited? YES!
2- Do you know if it is a boy or a girl? Boy-as far as we know.
3- What hospital are you delivering at? Piedmont, hopefully. :)
4- Is this your first baby? Yup.
5- Do you know what you are going to name him? Cooper Beck Kelley.
6- Do you have the nursery all ready/ what's the nursery like? Sort of/ baby boy pastels- blue, green, cream, brown.
7- Is your Mom excited? Of course!
8- Is your husband excited? YES!
9- Are you going to breastfeed? MYOB. Just kidding. I plan on it.
10- How are you feeling? Depends on the day. For the most part, I can't complain.

I get these questions a lot being that I work with the public. My clients are always curious and I love sharing with them. I especially enjoy the conversations with my girls that are having babies now, too. It's good to feel validated and to hear women tell their birth story when it is so fresh in their mind.

The weather is beautiful here in the sunny south. Today was crystal clear and pleasantly warm. Bring on the warm weather! I love spring! Tank tops, flip flops, margaritas (after the baby, of course), pool time, walking the dog, tans, sunglasses, no jackets. Mmmm. Can't wait to push my baby in a stroller.

Our Big Weekend

Yay, we had a full weekend of getting stuff done! Bryan actually had the whole weekend off from work so he and Bill went full steam on the upstairs remodel project. It was awesome, especially since I am exempt from heavy lifting. Bryan and Bill really got a lot done (thanks!!) and we are not too far away from having the drywall guy come out to finish the walls. This will be the first time we have EVER hired out work on this house. We have done everything ourselves (with much help from family) and it seems strange to let someone else work on our baby after all these years. But, drywalling is for suckers! That we pay! Anyway, it is so cool to see it all come together and we are so excited about having this brand new space that we designed to live in. When it is completed, we will have an additional 730 square feet of master bed, bath and walk-in closet! Bryan designed and built a beautiful and functional shelving system for the closet and it will be so nice for organizing all of our clothing and bedding. Our house was built in 1950 and our current bedroom closet is ridiculously small. Apparently people didn't have as much crap to store back then. Our new bathroom will also dwarf the current one. So will the new bedroom. See folks, this is a major step up for the Kelley family! Bigger, better, newer, awesomer! Here's a view of the progress: Don't know why it looks like it is snowing in our bedroom...


The ladies spent the weekend working on the baby's room. My Mom and I picked up some more of his furniture and washed and folded all of his baby clothes. So cute! This boy has so many clothes already. Here's me removing tags and sorting into piles for their first wash in yummy Dreft. That stuff smells so good. Babies. Yum.
Diapers I've bought on sale. It's my new obsession. This isn't even 1/3 of it.

I couldn't get over the sight of this:
How tiny and adorable. I love baby socks.

Bryan and Mom opening the boxes of glider and dresser. I already LOVE the glider. I could take a serious nap in that thing. Thanks Dad and Linda!


Here's a drawer full of clothes. Ok, so maybe I went a little overboard on the onesies. But, they are just so darn cute! And truthfully, only like 2/3 of that drawer is onesies. I swear.


I almost cried when we were done washing all of his things and it was all put away in his dresser. I'm not sure if I can even explain why. I just felt like it was something I had been anticipating and was excited about doing and then it was all done. His clothes are no longer brand, brand new and sitting in bags with tags waiting on his arrival. It just made me a little sad. Time marches on and I realize that all of this waiting for him to be here will soon be gone and it will seem like it happened in the blink of an eye. He'll be born, he will grow up. It is happening too fast already and he's not even born yet. I have really tried to enjoy my pregnancy and relish the moments when he is flip-flopping inside me but I feel like it won't be enough. Enough to remember, to never forget how amazing and special this is, enough to forever be thankful for the opportunity to carry him.

Here's a little update on my body. Try not to stare at my huge mams too long. Good golly I hope they don't get too much bigger.

For my own memory, I am 32 weeks in this pic.