A Room of His Own

FINALLY, it's finished! Now all we need is a sweet baby to put in it!

I enjoyed putting this room together more than I can tell you. It began with a complete clean out sometime in April and is now the perfect "Ole Miss nursery" for our little Rebel. Would you believe me if I told you the original goal was not to make this room 100% Ole Miss?? Probably not. But I am so glad it turned out the way it did. Vaught will love it! It is the perfect representation of me and his dad and our family; we love Ole Miss! In a few years, he may be really into John Deere tractors or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so we may have to completely transform his little space, but for now, a Hotty Toddy nursery it is :)

Mr. Pace and I live in a single story, 3-bedroom 2-bath home in North Mississippi. We love our little town and our neighborhood; although we don't intend to carry out our lives here, it's a great place to be with a little one for now. We hope to purchase land (possibly behind my parents' home on some of my dad's property) and build a house within a few years--all in good time, of course.

Vaught's room is what I refer to as "the middle room" of our house and was formerly the "Phi Mu room" that housed much of my Ole Miss and sorority memorabilia that I refused to get rid of. Upon discovering we were pregnant though, I made myself throw out and give away some things in order to create a special place for our little one. I really love this room because it's the most spacious bedroom in the house, and I love the big window. This room could not have turned out any better; I'm so proud of it!

From Mom and Dad's Room...

I'm registered for a nice baby monitor, but if we end up without one, I'm not too worried, for Vaught's room is not far away. I've actually read a lot of articles about the things you do and do not need with a new baby, and a baby monitor is usually listed on the "do not need" list. When baby's crying, you'll hear him! And I know I'm going to be the mother who sneaks in to check up on him a few times a night when he does start sleeping in his room by himself.

Fifty Shades of Grey

After the big clean out came selecting a paint color.

Previously, it was a tannish/beige, which the previous owners also used in the other two bedrooms. I really like this color in the other rooms, especially in our master bedroom since we've done lots of blues, browns, and neutrals in there. But I knew I wanted something different for our little one. Before I even knew if Baby Pace was a girl or boy, I had decided that I wanted a grey nursery. Had Baby P been a girl, I was going to accent with pale pink and mint, and I knew that if baby was a boy, his room would be navy and grey with a little splash of red. I promise the original plan was not to have it completely Ole Miss! But what can I say?! I went to Lowe's sometime in early May and selected several different shades of grey paint samples. I found one that I just knew would be the one. Even after putting it on and seeing how dark it was, it still didn't hit me that it was very definitely too dark for a nursery! My husband saw the sample on the wall and said to me, "You've lost your mind." Turns out I had. I went back to Lowe's and had them mix one more paint sample (I was so tired of being disappointed by the colors being too light or too dark). And I lucked up with Urban Sunrise by Valspar! It was perfect, and my mom loved it so much she has put it in a few of the bedrooms at their house. When it first rolls on, it almost looks like a light, dusty blue, but once it dries it is the perfect shade of grey. No need to discuss the other 49 it seems like I tried. But we can discuss the "oops" I made that's pretty obvious: this room is pretty big, so it took a gallon and a quart to do one coat. The gallon I originally got was a semi-gloss, and I didn't realize that when I went back to get the quart to finish the areas close to the ceiling and touch-ups. So you can totally tell in certain places that I used two different sheens. I can't be too worried about it, though. I'm sure Vaught won't even notice :)

Changing Table

This is one of many things in this room that my mom is responsible for. She is a thrifter and deal-finder and can find anything you could ever want in a junk store for an eighth of the price! She found a Jenny Lind changing table for $20; its only flaws were that it was missing the shelves. I cut the middle support rod off and put a storage chest underneath it that I found for $10--yes, at a junk store. I decided not to cut the bottom one, for it would make the table a little shaky. It looks a little awkward, but I intend to store packs of diapers and wipes at the bottom, so the "hole" is filled :) I got the changing pad cover from the same website his bedding was ordered from, Carousel Designs.

In the first drawer of the plastic chest are diapers, wipes, and old plastic grocery bags. Although I registered for a Diaper Genie (or something like it), I have not received it yet, and I won't be too disappointed if I don't. No one that I've talked to actually used theirs; most of them actually say it was a waste of space on the registry! Instead, my older sister advised me to just keep plastic grocery bags nearby to wrap "dirty diapers" in then just throw them away in the trash bin outside. Sounds like a plan to me!

In the second drawer are newborn and 0-3 onesies. I wanted them here at easy reach for the many times I'll change his diaper and will also need a to change his ensemble!

Glider

The glider, another gift from my mom, was a $40 find at another junk store and looks brand new. You can't even tell it's ever been used (if it even has). I even love the color of the cloth. I thought about refinishing the white, making it dark brown to match other pieces in his nursery... But it grew on me; it's a nice bright pop in a room full of navy. Vaught and I are going to be spending a lot of time in this thing for sure!

Bed

This has actually been mine since I was 12 or 13, along with the other two large pieces you'll see below. I considered disassembling it and storing it or selling it or putting it in my husband's man-cave (meaning he would have had to have gotten rid of his trusty futon), but then I thought of all the nights the baby will be fussy or sick. My husband gets up at 4am most mornings to go to work, so going to bed at midnight, which is hardly what I consider late, to him is like going to bed at 2 or 3 for others. When Vaught's being super fussy at night, I can just come in here and put him in his crib (if he'll even sleep) and I can sleep on my lovely full-size... or stay up all night in the glider with him! When this was the Phi Mu room, the bedding was a bright and colorful, super girly Ralph Lauren quilt with matching shams and throw pillows. I put those away after finding this lovely duvet and shams set at Target for just $11! I bought matching white sheets at Ross to complete the bed. At first, I thought it looked a little nautical, but with an added Ole Miss throw, I think it's perfect! I got the navy throw pillow at Goodwill for $1 :)

Chest and Wardrobe

These were my oldest sister's and were passed down to me somewhere around age 12, so they've been with me for quite a while. Like the bed, I thought about selling them or putting them in storage, but I'm so glad I didn't! These hold a lot and are such pretty pieces; I definitely want to hang on to them a while longer. The wardrobe will eventually host a TV again, but for now I plan to use it for his toys and boxes of diapers. The drawers of the chest are great for clothes, burp cloths, swaddle blankets, and extra bedding. The white things you see are labels that I made so I could remember where I put everything!

Crib

This is by far my favorite purchase so far. I had originally picked out a Graco crib that I thought I would have to order online and have shipped to my house. One day I was in Walmart in Holly Springs when I saw this one. Not only did I immediately like it more, it was a little less expensive. I kept having to go back and look at it, and when my mom wanted to go with me to see and she shared the same enthusiasm, I knew it was the one I wanted in his room. Putting it together is a different story, but I really do love it. His bedding is from Carousel Designs. You won't believe how difficult it was to find plain navy bedding, but that's all I wanted! His sheets are grey chevron from Target (and I also have some plain white and plain grey for when things get dirty). The bedding is a gift from my grandmother, mother, and her two sisters. It was originally pretty pricey (but like I said, the only navy I could find), but they bought it during a Memorial Day sale and got an incredible deal. I was a little skeptical of the crib skirt at first, but I like it now, as it conceals the storage box I put under the crib for extra diapers, wipes, etc :) The two blankets are gifts from my first baby shower; I love all of the blankets he's gotten! They're an item I feel you can't have enough of!

Closet

Self-explanatory, right? Basically, I just have some of his nicer clothes in here, including the nice Polo collection he's obtained, a few toys, his playard, and a hanging organizer for caps, pants, shoes, etc. I've also kept the things he won't be able to wear for a while hung. On the far right you'll see my 50's costume that I got last year and intend to wear for Halloween every year from there forward. I love the 50's!!

Bassinet

The Pottery Barn bassinet, a find by mother of course, is actually in our room. Once he gets here, I'll wheel it over to the side of my bed so he can sleep next to me. I used a blanket given to him from one of my friends on top of his mattress pad. I love the storage at the bottom; great place to keep diapers and wipes for those late night changes!

Panoramas!

My Helper...

I have to give "my helper" a little credit. Lola Katherine is our three-year-old pitbull that we adopted in 2011. If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably figured out that we actually have four dogs, including Lola: three pitbulls and a weiner dog. Of all four, our relationship with Lola is probably the most unique. We rescued her from a tough situation with her original family in Kosciusko; she was just a couple months old when they could no longer care for her mother or her litter. Lola was one of the last puppies left. She was so timid and scared at first, but within a few weeks she came to life and became a part of our hearts. She has been right there with us through everything. Although she can be super hyper, she is the "best" of all four as far as behavior. She was so easy to train and is so ridiculously smart! We taught her to walk right to Vaught's door when we say "Where's the baby's room?" As I've put his room together, she has been right there with me. She lazed around watching as I painted and once I got all the furniture where I wanted it, she always came in to lay on the bed and watch as I moved things around and organized. I love all our dogs the same, I promise, but there will always be something extra special about Lola K. Some people spend years in search of a friend like her-- Eric and I are very fortunate to have been rescued by her.

THANK YOU!

I also have to extend an extra special thank you to everyone who made this room possible. Obviously, my mother is at the top of this list, but I also have décor, blankets, frames, outfits, and other little items given as gifts from my sweet friends and family members. I love each and every one of you and am so grateful for all that you've done for us and for Vaught. Thank you to my husband for the many "little touches" you did, including hanging Vaught's name above his crib. I apologize that my nesting instinct had me working on this room at all sorts of odd hours of the night so you couldn't always be an enormous part of it :) But you should know that you totally are. If not for you, we wouldn't be welcoming this sweet little boy!

Up Next

I feel like it's been forever since I did a nice Sunday night post. I got so busy working in his room yesterday and last night that I wanted to go ahead and post his nursery blog; so many of my friends and family members have been asking to see it for weeks! I hope you all like it as much as I do, even my sweet Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Alabama fans :)

I was so inspired about the game predictions blog I mentioned in my week 34 update, I began writing it that night and actually finished! I let my husband read it, and he loved it! I'm just waiting for the perfect time to publish... Possibly some night this week. Maybe Thursday, when I'll be 35 weeks! I am so excited for Ole Miss football!!!

And speaking of 35 weeks, I may start posting weekly "bumpdates" this week, seeing as how there's no guarantee that I'll make it to 36, 38, or 40. Well, I do think I'll make it to 36 just fine, but after that it's fair game! Everyone seems to think he's coming early... watch him come on October 5th. That would be the cherry on top of a really large sundae! So watch the Instagram (katepace12) or keep checking back.

Thanks for reading!!!!

Oldies but Goodies...

I didn't realize that Blogger keeps track of every picture that has ever been posed on my blog until I was adding all of Vaught's nursery photos and happened to come across these... So, I thought it would be fun to share just a few profile shots from my younger days... You know, proof that I once was kind of cool.

Not really.

A five pound heavier Ginger on my bed at my first apartment :(
Notice the headline of the DM... haha!!!!

My first frat party, y'all :)

 

And just a few more recent ones... Can't believe I recovered all of these!

Our save-the-dates!

wearing red and blue for Ole Miss's first game of 2013 season

with Mr. Pace, former assistant coach for Kosciusko High football, 2011

 

Week 34 Update

 

This is so very true. I know I've still got 6 weeks to go, give or take a little, but I am so ready to meet him. Even still, I am stopping at least a few times a day to savor some of his kicks and prods, knowing I'll probably miss it one day when he's bigger. Oh no.. Tears.

Six weeks to go, and mama is feeing good. Notice how we've downgraded from the former enthusiastic "great!" At this point, I'll just settle for "good." :)

 

     Right at about week 33, I began accepting the fact that I am truly ready to be finished with this pregnancy; I want to meet Vaught, I want my body back, though he'll still have the reigns over some of it if you know what I mean, and here lately I have really wanted a margarita. I also cannot wait to sleep on my belly again... When I do sleep, that is!

     At my appointment Tuesday, my doctor wanted another growth ultrasound as opposed to checking me like he'd mentioned at my previous appointment. He didn't even bring that up, although I was prepared for it, so I didn't say anything... Well okay, doc, I won't object to you not trying to scope my brain from my nether regions! We've noticed at my last couple of ultrasounds that lots of Vaught's body parts are measuring early--some of them nearly three weeks early! The same is still true of Tuesday's ultrasound, but supposedly the further along you are, the less accurate some of the measurements are. He is now head-down, and he is showing a weight of 5 pounds, 2 ounces. Then again, that's just kind of a guess too! Even still, I just don't think I'll make it all the way to the end of September. But I might! He'll come when he's ready!!

Movement: Vaught's still pretty active, especially when I lay on my side. I can reeeeeally feel him move from the outside, and my mom felt him for the first time Sunday. She's not one of those mothers that's super touchy with her pregnant daughters (or anyone really), but she was so excited to feel him move! I can usually tell you exactly where he's sitting by the poke and prod test, but I cannot tell you if that's a butt or a knee or an elbow poking back! Eric loves to feel him too.

Craving: Fruit, salad, and salty stuff. I swear I could eat an entire family size bag of Lay's potato chips if you let me! But I guess it's good that I'm craving healthy things at the same time.

Weight Gain: Doctor's scale says 22, a gain of 6 in three weeks, but I have eaten like a hungover sorority girl lately. More fruit and even more water for the next few weeks should take care of a little bit of it. But I'm quite proud to be 34 weeks and have only gained 22 pounds. I am giving birth to a future linebacker after all. If I have to set a goal for myself, then it's to not gain more than 5 pounds between now and his birthday. We'll see how that goes.

Stretch Marks: Super light ones that I can only see when I look really close, and those may have already been there from previous growth spurts as a teen. I'm slathering on cocoa butter lotion religiously though! Some women swear by coconut oil. I've also noticed that my belly and skin in general do not itch the way lots of pregnant women describe theirs... (I'm afraid to ever get pregnant again--I have been far too fortunate).

Swelling: VERY little. Sometimes my feet will look a little puffy. The most I have seen them swell was actually last Friday night; I was on my feet and walking around for work most of the day and never seemed to sit down for the rest of the afternoon. I met my cousin for supper (sat down for about 40 minutes for that) then grocery shopped with my husband then cleaned house. Finally, I settled down around 10, and here are the feet.

Not too terrible, right? I've Googled pictures of women who have edema or really intense swelling while pregnant, and I'll just say that I am really thankful, although my doctor did tell me that I could have more swelling towards the end. I've discovered that soaking them in ice water for about an hour a day feels amaaaaaazing. My mom rigged this up for me one day at our office when it was super hot... Okay, so it was only 72 degrees in our building, but that gets warm when you have to cool for two people! Plus my office has a big open window that lets in a lot of sun. Anyway, if you're pregnant, please do this! It feels so good!

And keep drinking that water! I know, the bathroom trips are annoying, but it's so worth it!

 

Contractions: Small ones still (Braxton Hicks). I'll have maybe four or five daily and they last about fifteen seconds.

 

Exercise: I have worked out five times in the past two weeks, including tonight. All four squat racks were taken Tuesday afternoon, so I thought I'd give this other squat station a go (I can't even describe exactly what it was; it looked like something off a Saw movie). Anyway, I hurt my back after about 15 seconds on it. As I was getting off, moaning and groaning about my back, this lady next to me said, "I wasn't going to interfere, but I could have told you that machine probably wasn't a good idea for a pregnant woman." Ugh. I've stretched every day, and it's a bit better, but I probably need to avoid squats for another week. I get a lot of walking in at my job during the day, and last night Eric and I started our walking routine that we'll hopefully do every night until delivery day. We took one of the pitbulls, Chance, who loves long walks! After my workout tonight, I was thinking that maybe at week 36 I would suspend my gym membership for a couple of months. The main thing I enjoy doing in the gym is weight training, and I obviously won't be doing that for a little while once Vaught arrives. We shall see!

 

Vaught's Room: I think I finally have everything where I want it. I have washed and folded/hung up all of his newborn and 0-3 month clothes and a few 6 month outfits and onesies. Some of them are small for 6 months while others shrunk (a LOT) in the washing/drying process. I now know to check the tags to see that most of them should be washed in cold water and dried on cool or hung to dry. I had assembled his playard in his room; however, his bassinet is super light and has wheels, so instead of lugging the playard through the house, I'm just going to use his bassinet while I can. I took the playard down and stored it in his closet for now. We'll probably bring it back out by the time he's a couple months old.

 

Highlights: Last Thursday, we welcomed a new, beautiful little Cooper girl into the family, Miss Kenton Shaw Cooper! She is the daughter of my cousins Josh and Shannon. Congratulations to them!!!

 

 

I rode with my mom to Kohl's earlier this week and discovered these leggings by Motherhood Maternity. Every pregnant woman needs these in her life.  I'll say that I have only taken them off to wash them. Yes, I'm wearing them right now.

 

 

We had our maternity photoshoot Saturday afternoon with Angela Ammons on the Collierville Square; I can't wait to see them and show you all! She did some really neat things with us!

 

Monday was a rather slow day at the office, so Ms. Sandra, our bookkeeper, suggested I create a chart to track our friends' and family members' guesses for Vaught's birthdate and size. It was fun! I was surprised at how many people think he's going to be really early. Nobody seems to think he's going to pass the 25th! We shall wait and see!

 

Last week, I stopped by his childcare center and put his name down... officially! I'm really comfortable with the place we chose; they don't keep more than 20 children at a time, including infants, so they're not overrun with kids. It's super clean and new and the three women who run it are so so sweet. I got to see the infant room, and the whole environment just felt really safe and welcoming. I know it will be hard leaving him the first few times, but I know he'll be well taken care of :)

 

Up Next: Since my cervix wasn't checked at Tuesday's appointment, I know it will be at my next one on September 2nd when I'll be nearly 37 weeks. Can't wait.

 

My next baby shower is September 6th, hosted by my Aunt Wanda and Godmother, Sally. This is the big family shower that all the pregnant women in the family get, so I'm really excited!

 

Ole Miss football kicks off on August 28th against Boise State. TreadwellStillOpen posted this photo on Instagram recently, and it could not be more accurate for me and Mr. Pace. We spend January to August counting down to college football.

 

 

 I still plan on attending the first home game on September 13th. I don't care how tired and hormonal I am, if I can go I am going! And according to my doctor, there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to at this point, but everyone seems to think the baby will be here by then... If he is, then I'll be in attendance by October! Hotty Toddy, y'all!

 

Belly Shots

So, in the last couple of weeks, the belly has reeeeeeally come forward. I am poking way out on most days. I love it though; there is absolutely no doubt that I am pregnant. I'm no longer getting the "Is she or isn't she?" stare from strangers. No, it's quite obvious!

  

                         

 

  This was at work yesterday. I'm all about some Cherish tops (similar to Pikos) and of course my new leggings :)

                              

 

                                

  But is there anything so slimming as black???

 

My husband took these last few this afternoon as I was modeling Vaught's diaper bag that arrived ("See, babe? See how pretty it is? See how big it is? This is just what I needed. This is exactly what I wanted! See, baby?!"). Gotta love the hubs. It is a Skip Hop bag that I have been pining for since February when I found it online. I used two Target gift cards to get it and am so thrilled! It's beautiful! It looks like a bag I'd carry even without a baby :)

A Room of His Own will post in the next week or so, detailing Vaught's nursery that I've worked so hard to put together, plus a blog about all that we're packing for the hospital as we start getting our things together for the big day (or night). It won't be long before we'll be on our way! 

 

As I'm sitting here watching the launch of the SEC Network (yay!), I suddenly got an idea for a game-predictions blog for my team, the Ole Miss Rebels. I am a girl in love with football, but I look at it from a girl's point of view: I know most of the rules, but I still have to tug my husband's shirt at games and ask, "What just happened? Was that a good call? Who got the penalty?" So it would be an interesting blog about football from a girl's perspective... Not too many analytics, but more observations based upon how I've watched my team play for several years now... and what I do know about football. I'm definitely not a pro like my husband! I'll try to post that one soon. And feel free to argue with  me about some of my predictions; I love to talk football :)

 

Celebrating Vaught

     You know that feeling you sometimes get when even though there's a million things you could be worried about, you're just too overcome with happiness to give negative thoughts any satisfaction?

     Well, that was me. All day this past Sunday. If I'm being honest then I have to say that I try to be that way all the time because who wants to worry about stuff? In my young adult life so far, I've had a lot to learn... a lot about myself and a lot about the world of adulthood. It's scary sometimes and a little overwhelming. Sure, there's tons of things at the back of mind I could have been tied up with all day Sunday because our lives have been super busy a little more stressful than usual as we prepare to welcome a baby. But there was just too much to look forward to on this day... Too much joy in my heart to care about anything else.

     I went home with my hot latte after a good but quick morning workout and got ready, even put a few curls in my hair, and Eric and I made the drive to Potts Camp to attend church with my parents. We had lunch at their house then my mom and I drove to New Albany for my first official baby shower. It was hosted by two of my best friends, though one of them couldn't be there, so her mother and sister gladly took her place.

     We arrived right on time, and I was happy to see a few friends and family already there. Right before we ate though, people just started rolling in. Friends and family came from all over. Even the ladies I work with in Holly Springs came! I was so overwhelmed at the support and love I felt; to see so many people there that love me and this precious little boy who's going to make an appearance pretty soon was such an amazing feeling. Somehow, I didn't let myself cry, even as I thanked all of them for coming. I'm such an ugly crier; it would have been uncomfortable for all of us!

     One of the best parts of a shower (bridal or baby or house or whatever!) is opening gifts, of course! And there were a lot! Lots of absolutely precious outfits and toys and diapers and bottles and blankets and even a bouncer! Vaught will surely know how loved and cared for he is. As I opened the gifts, I just kept imaging him wearing this, playing with that, wrapped up in this blanket, chewing on some of the toys when those dreaded teething months arrive. I just became so excited for him--to hear his first cry, to see what he looks like, to know who he'll be one day. It's definitely overwhelming to think about, but it's so sweet too. I was never so sure about motherhood, but I always said that if I did have children, I definitely wanted a son. And could you believe God is giving such a special gift to us?

Can't wait to use this at the hospital then hang in his nursery!

I hot-glued twine to the letters and hung them over his crib.

Cheslin's mother made this cake, and it was incredible!

Cheslin made this cute Ole Miss diaper cake! I love the little Starbucks sippy cup!

       Now that I've had my first shower, I am a few steps closer to completing Vaught's room, which I'm so excited about! I have worked for hours on getting it just the way I want it, though I still have work to do. I received his crib bedding at my shower, so dressing his crib up was one of the first things I did when I got home Sunday night; it looks amazing! I cannot wait to share it with you! Trust me, that blog is coming very soon!
 

     I just want to say now at the end that I am so blessed to have the friends and family that I do. I claim to have just a few friends that I keep, but looking around at all the guests on Sunday, that's a crazy thing for me to say! I have a LOT of friends-- sweet, caring, incredible people who love me and support me and are here for me as I embark on this special journey. I could not ask for anything more than that. I know some of you are reading, so let me just end by saying that each and every one of you mean the world to me. I could never do this alone, and I know that I don't have to. Sure, I have Eric and most days he is all the assurance that I need. But sometimes, I just need the special women like you... To tell me I'm not crazy, it's gonna be okay, and that I can do this. 

From the depths of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. 

I am 33 weeks pregnant today, and this is how I'm starting to feel... I will post my week 34 update next Thursday :)

 

 

To see a few photos of me and some of my lovely guests, add me on Instagram: katepace12 :)