..i'm nesting!..

Figuratively and literally I suppose :) In getting ready for the girls to make their appearance, I've finally decided how I'm going to do their nursery. I'm going to do like a shabby chic-ish bird theme. I want to use all different colors so that I'm not limited by anything. The walls are a light khaki color, and the molding and all of the furniture is a dark espresso.

These pictures inspired a lot of what I'm going for (I know these are bedrooms and not nurseries, but you get the idea):

I've got two birdcages that I'm going to paint white, and I've bought a couple of little small things too. I also really want to put a small chandelier in as the light fixture. Nothing like, huge and fancy. Now I'm just stuck on fabric choices for the curtains and crib skirt. I'm trying to find a bird pattern that I can pair with a solid or two, but I've found three that I really like.

First, there's this one.. it's hard to tell , but the background is actually a little on the cream-color side, not totally white. I like that it has several different colors as well as the colors of the walls and furniture.

Then there's this one, which is very bold and would really stand out. Hubbo likes it the best. The only thing I don't like about it, is that it doesn't have any blue in it.

And then last, there's this one. It's mine and hubbo's least favorite, but it is cute and vintage-y looking.

I really wish I could see these fabrics in person. I'm one of those that likes to see and feel stuff, lol. So, give me input!! :D I need thoughts and opinions :)

**Update** Lookie what I found! It's a fabric from the same pattern line as choice #2.. it coordinates and it has blue in it! We might just have to have two patterns and a solid :) FYI the background is white, like the other.

..much ado about nothing..

It's Saturday and I'm being a bum :) I'm sitting here at the computer, entering all kinds of baby giveaways and watching it rain. I'm telling myself that I need a day of doing nothing though.. earlier this week I had the scare of my life. Tuesday afternoon my mom was at my house and told me that she didn't really feel good. She had heartburn really bad. I asked if she wanted to go see her doctor. Of course she said no, and said she would be fine. Early the next morning I got a phone call from my brother saying that mom had hurt so bad all night that she hadn't slept at all, so I rushed to her house, picked her up and took her to the hospital.

My mom had had a heart attack. My mom, who I consider to be young at 52 years old, had a heart attack. We couldn't believe it. Everything happened so fast at the hospital. Once the on-call doctor saw her EKG results he immediately called in a cardiologist, who told us he was rushing her to have an arteriogram. He didn't know how much damage had been done, but the possibilities ranged from stents to open heart surgery. Seriously, I have never been more scared in my life. He didn't waste any time starting the arteriogram, and so for the next 45 minutes we waited to hear something. He came back letting us know that she only had full blockage in one artery, and that they put one stent in and she was going to be fine. She came home from the hospital today, and is on strict orders to take it easy for a while, but she feels really good. Actually, she said she felt better than she has in a long, long time. I guess clearing up an artery can do that :)

The cardiologist let us know that heart attacks are so dangerous for women because most women don't have the "classic" heart attack symptoms, such as a tighness in your chest and numbness in your left arm. He said most women feel like they have heartburn really bad, just like mom did.

On a much happier note, we found out the girls like music :) We've been putting headphones on my belly at night, and the girls move nonstop while the music is playing. It's so incredibly fun :) They're really active anyway. All of the nurses think it's hilarious that they have to chase them to get hearbeats with the Doppler or the ultrasound machines. I've got wiggle worms :D

Off to fix myself a BT sandwich. That's a BLT without the L, since I don't have any :)

Peace, love and koala fuzz y'all!

..isabella oliver review..

So as my belly is getting bigger and bigger, it's getting harder and harder to find clothes to cover it, lol. Well, I happened to stumble upon a maternity clothing company called Isabella Oliver. They make some super cute clothes! Here's a little about them from their website:

Isabella Oliver was launched in 2003, and has since become home to two essential women's wear collections; Isabella Oliver Maternity and Isabella Oliver 365.

The brand was founded by Baukjen de Swaan Arons, Vanessa Knox-Brien and Geoff van Sonsbeeck; three passionate individuals whom aspired to create a clothing brand that women would love to wear.

Every Isabella Oliver piece exudes the brand's ethos; pregnancy style solutions for today's multitasking woman. Timeless classics are given a contemporary twist with ruche and wrap accents to create comfortable and stylish maternity essentials in easy, wearable fabrics. We aim to produce effortlessly chic collections; multifunctional must-haves that provide style confidence when you need it most.

And it's not just me that thinks they make cute clothes. They have clothed some of the most famous pregnant women out there! We're talking Angelina Jolie, Heidi Klum, Jessica Alba and Gwen Stefani just to name a few.

Isabella Oliver sent me their most popular item, the Wrap Around Top, to try out.

I'll have to admit, when I first took the Wrap Around Top out of the box, I thought there was no way it was going to cover all of me, because it comes as one piece that looks like this:

The two long "tails" are the pieces you wrap to completely cover your belly. Well, I tried it on anyway and started wrapping. Let me tell you, this is some seriously stretchy fabric! It just kept going and going! It covered all of my belly and tied into a cute little knot on the side.

So now you're probably wondering, if it's so stretchy, do you feel like you're all wrapped up in an ace bandage or something? Well that answer is nope! This is definitely one of the most comfortable tops I've ever worn. It is snug against the body, but not in a way that feels too tight or constricting. Best of all, after the girls are born, I can still wear this top! So bonus for the dual use! :)

So if you're in need of maternity clothes, and you're tired of the tops that make you look like you're wearing a tent, then check out Isabella Oliver. They carry more than just tops too, including dresses, jeans, bathing suits, and lots more!

Note: I received a complimentary top from Isabella Oliver for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received for my opinion.

*All photos courtesy of the Isabella Oliver website.

..officially official..

Well the babies definitely cooperated yesterday. We got wide open shots, lol. The ultrasound tech had no doubt that we are having two little girls :) They have gotten so big since the last time I got to see them. And of course they were wiggling all over the place. The tech kept having to chase them down to get good pictures. By the end of the ultrasound they were fighting! One was punching the other in the butt and then she was kicking the other one in the head. Ahh, the joys of little girls :D

It took us forever to come up with one girl name and one boy name. So after finding out we needed another girl name I thought it was going to be a big, drawn out argument and that they might be born and Baby B still might not have a name. But standing in the checkout line at Wal-Mart last night, out of nowhere, Jeff said a name, and we both love it. So, both of our girls have a name...

Piper Ann and Layla Marie :) Their middle names are after mine and his grandmothers. We're going to be swimming in pink around here, and I can't wait :)