Weekend Fun

Warm weather really does wonders for the (pregnant) soul. I have felt a bit like a cavewoman over the last few months, buried in layers of clothes & going a bit stir crazy inside with the toddler tornado. But this weekend, the sun was shining & it was a mad dash to get out the door as soon as possible first thing Saturday morning.

We were so excited to visit abby & co. at Atlantic Station for their grand opening! You've probably already seen this if you follow me on Instagram (@jlgarvin) but I am so honored to have chalkboard canvases & prints for sale in this adorable new mom & baby boutique!! The husband & wife team that owns the store are the sweetest people ever & have really outdone themselves with not only a beautiful space, but with amazing selection of vendors that they have made available all in one place! Hopefully there will be an online store very soon!! ;)

Harper was a standard kid in a toy store, she wanted to play with everything, take it all home with her & made sure to knock over a rack of enamelware coffee mugs from West Elm to let us know when she was "O" for over it. So we hit up a local diner & called it a day.

Floral Baseball Tee (sold out from J.Crew Kids) \\ Maternity Maxi Dress \\ Heart Infinity Scarf

Right Left Leggings \\ Moccasins (c/o Freshly Picked)

Three of my four brothers now live in Atlanta, which we couldn't be happier about because not only have we lived for years without any family within a 500 mile radius, but Harper now gets to grow up with the most fun (and rowdy) group of uncles in the world! We started a new Sunday Funday Family Dinner tradition so we could have a good excuse to get everyone together for good food & lots of shenanigans. We just need to work on a collective language cleanup amongst the entire group before Harper learns a few new words to take with her to preschool.

 Wrap Headband \\ Heart Raglan Shirt \\ Green Leggings \\ Moccasins (c/o Freshly Picked)

Grey Maternity Shirt \\ Good Times Camper Tee

And since no post is complete these days without mention of food, I made jello cake this weekend & forgot how insanely amazing it is. Recipe can be found here. It is irresistible, don't be mad at me if you happen to eat the entire thing straight out of the pan with a fork. We've all done it.

PS. Thank you all for such sweet comments on my last belly pics!! For everyone who asked about the pink shirt I am wearing in my most recent chalkboard pic, I bought it during my first visit to abby & co.! Unfortunately it isn't available online anywhere, but hopefully it will be on their site when they launch!! I found this shirt that is very similar in style, baggy & flowy but still fitted in the sleeves. And the heart pin in my hair (also from abby & co.) is by Shop Bando, I bought it for baby girl's nursery but couldn't resist wearing it in  my hair for Valentine's week! 

XO

Toddler Tales

Naptime wraps up around 4 pm, which is when I close up shop for work & things start to get crazy. It always seems like these last two hours of the day are the hardest, Harper wakes up with her second wind & I am just about cashed on energy.

I lay Harper down on the living room floor to change her diaper. She extends her go-go-gadget arms & reaches under the couch to pull out some sort of cat hair covered cracker that she immediately eats before I can stop her, then scissor kicks me in the chest & escapes without any pants on. I spend the next few minutes chasing her around, which is obviously just a game to her since she is much faster than me at this point. We end up in her teepee playing "peek-e-goo" with her stuffed animals & spend at least fifteen minutes getting her doll's hairbrush tangled in my hair. I get her a bowl of grapes, a fresh water & we begin our afternoon routine of searching for missing alphabet puzzle pieces. (The W is her favorite. Or maybe it's the M?) Once the puzzle is finally complete, she tosses it into the abyss of other toys in her toy basket & grabs us a pair of her plastic golf clubs that we will use to putt last year's Easter eggs around the house. This is also when "Harper, don't hit mommy in the knee caps with your golf clubs" starts to play like a broken record.

We set up shop in the living room with crayons to do some coloring. She asks me to draw cats, balloons & pumpkins, approximately five hundred of each, we make paper hats, paper airplanes & sort all the crayons by color before she decides she is over it. She packs up her crayons (and hides a few in the couch cushions for safe keeping) while I head to the kitchen start cutting veggies for dinner. I can hear her chasing the cat around,"kiddy! sit!" as she kindly instructs Izzy to take a seat at the play table.

Eventually she joins me in the kitchen, where she proceeds to unload the entire tupperware cupboard & scatters the contents throughout the entire first floor. I give her a wooden spoon & an oven mitt so she can "help mama?" She whips up some imaginary guacamole then decides she wants a banana. I hesitate, because I know she will probably only take one bite, but give her one anyway & within minutes, banana mush covers her hair & half the kitchen. She hates being messy, so now she has half the tub of baby wipes pulled out do a little damage control. I can't help but laugh, "I got it!" she assures me.

"Oooh! My-Meow!!" Harper squeals & brings me the remote. This is toddler gibberish for "Nemo." which means she is going to sit down & be entertained for a short seven minutes. I start to wonder how medical professionals can get away with writing off the idea of having a drink when you're pregnant. They are unsure about what would be an acceptable amount so they just recommend against it all together. I may be pro-more-research on that topic. Haven't they ever been pregnant before? A few sips of sanity during this little happy hour of toddler trickery is all I'm asking for. But I don't. So I pour myself another glass of pineapple orange juice, which the cat (who now has a Mickey sticker on her back) promptly tips over & spills everywhere.

I half-assedly clean that up & get back to cutting veggies when I get rammed in the back of my ankles with a toy shopping cart. My knees buckle & slam into the kitchen cabinets, but that's ok, I'm just thankful it didn't cause me to cut off my index finger. Finally!! I hear Brandon unlocking the garage door, "daddy's home!!" I yell to Harper & she runs to the door. Brandon is happy to see that we are both still alive, tosses me a bag of peanut m&m's & scoops up the toddler.
Time to tag team this biz.

Spring Style Inspiration

Despite my irrational fears of getting eaten by a bear when we are outside, the warm weather has lured us out of the house & we are loving a little daily dose of sunshine. We have been going on walks everyday before lunch without her stroller, which I can hardly believe she is even old enough to do, but sometimes I'm the one that can't keep up.
And she walks on her tippy toes everywhere she goes.

With bright colors on the horizon, I thought I would share some of my favorite finds so far this season, even if they still require a jacket! ;) Camo is always a favorite in my book, and paired with bright purples & corals, it is perfect for Spring! I am always a fan of neutral pieces like white & chambray since they are so versatile. And of course, a springy pair of pajamas & a little bit of glitter are always essentials!

Camo Tee \\ White Ruffle Dress \\ Glitter Bow \\ Camo Moccasins

Glitter Flats \\ Clover Print Pajamas \\ Coral Leggings \\ Chambray Tank

Those gold glitter flats are the cutest! I'm a little bummed that there aren't very many cute green pieces for St. Patrick's Day, anyone else? I expected to see it all over the place but may have to settle for lots of gold instead. Twist my arm. I am however totally in love with this new bunny dress, so fun for Spring & certainly a perfect dress to rock for an Easter egg hunt.
I can't believe that Easter will be our last holiday as a family of three, with baby girl's estimated arrival just a few days later! We are certainly ready to get our celebration on! ;)

Chalkboard Print Koozie Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, we officially have chalkboard print koozies in the shop!!!! Ever since my very first print, I have wanted to see these on a koozie & I am so so so excited to finally have one in my hand! I swear koozies might be a bit of a midwest thing, most Iowa girls I know have a koozie in their purse at all times & guys, in their back pocket. My husband has been all over this idea from day one & has been such a huge help along the way to make them happen, so cheers to him & his forever cold beer! ;)

Nailcolor is Butter London Trout Pout

These are listed in the shop as preorders & they will ship by March 10th, hopefully sooner.
 But for now, who wants to win one?! All you have to do is enter below (I know rafflecopters are annoying, but it's the only easy way to chose winners at random) & leave a comment with your icy cold beverage of choice. Mine right now is La Croix Lime Sparkling Water! :)

TEN WINNERS will be announced first thing next week! And of course, if you purchase a koozie you can choose to be refunded if you have purchased one! ;) Thank you all SO much for your support of our small business, it all means the world to us & I hope that we can continue to make more fun, festive chalkboard goodies for every occasion! Happy happy happy weekend loves!!

31 Weeks

 Pineapple Tank from VS last summer (similar here)

How far along: 31 weeks (less than two months to go!)

Gender: Girl

Weight gain: 23 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Oh yes! Although still stretching out my regular shirts one by one as I attempt to squeeze into them. Currently on the hunt for a dress for maternity pictures & Easter but not having any luck so far. Guess I could always just dress like the Easter bunny.

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: Out

Sleep: Still good, starting to get a little anxious about how little sleep I will be getting once baby girl arrives. Funny how we forget those times so quickly? :)

Best moment this week: An amazing time with all of my family in town, Harper especially loved spending so much time with her grandma, grandpa & lots of uncles!

Miss anything: Things are going downhill fast in the energy & comfort department, really missing being able to keep up.

Movement: So many knees & elbows!

Cravings: Strawberries, Poptarts & lemon flavored everything.

Queasy or sick: Another lingering cold for the last few days, I think I have had a stuffy nose for the majority of this pregnancy.

Looking forward to: Spending lots of time with family & hopefully soaking up lots of warm weather! And the girl scout cookies that I'm about to eat.

Harper's Big Girl Bed Transition

I sometimes (ok, all the time) can't really believe how grown up my little girl is. Two years old, talking in full sentences & officially sleeping in a big kid bed. Although it was really hard in the beginning to see her not sleeping like a baby in her crib, the huge benefit to the twin bed is easy access for snuggling!! Brandon gets in bed with her every night to read to her & I get in bed with her every morning to snuggle & chat, it is my favorite time of the day! As soon as I come in her room to say good morning, she scoots over & pats the bed, "mama, come?"  
Yes, I will sleep in your bed with you forever.

The very first night (just a few days before her second birthday) she was a little confused, probably more thrown off by my crying, but she kept saying "oooh! new bed!" & loved getting in it. We kept everything for her bedtime routine the same, except we got in her bed with her to read books instead of reading in the glider. Then out she went, just like she did in her crib. We were shocked! She slept through the night, no issues & woke up sitting in her bed waiting for me to come get her.

The first nap time was another story, she hopped right out of bed after I left the room & went to play with books. I came in, put her back in bed & told her she can't get out of bed unless I come in to get her. She got out two more times, I did the same thing & finally she decided to stay in her bed, although she never did nap. She played with her baby doll & stuffed animals for a solid hour until I came back in to get her out. I told her good job for staying in her bed until I came in & I think she maybe got the memo, because she hasn't tried getting out since. I turn our monitor up a little louder than I would have had it previously so I can be sure to hear if she needs me (or tries escaping!). We put these door knob covers on both her closet & the inside of her door also to keep her from opening them. 

We bought the Jenny Lind Twin Bed & have been so happy with it so far! It was a breeze to put together & is very well made. Even sturdy enough that we might find dad wandering down the hall to sleep with the little monkey during sleepless newborn nights. The bed is a little on the pricey side, but it is definitely something that we can keep around for years to come & only requires a single twin mattress, no box spring. We had no clue where to start with picking a twin mattress, but ultimately went with this one from Amazon & it is great!

 We bought these Foam Magic Bumpers that go in between her sheets & mattress to keep her from falling out of bed. I was pretty skeptical about them at first, but they had good reviews so we gave them a try. They work surprisingly well, she can climb over them to get in & out of bed, but she will not fall out! The way this specific twin bed is set up, the single mattress sits below the wooden sides of the bed, so the bigger railings that tuck between a mattress & a box spring weren't really an option. Plus, I of course love how these are hidden beneath the sheets & not such an eyesore. The sheets are just standard twin flannel sheets that I got on clearance from Target after the holidays & the foam pieces fit just fine underneath, although the sheet isn't quite as snug as it would have been otherwise.

This is also when we gave Harper a pillow for the first time, she previously had just a few baby blankets in her crib but the pillow has worked out great & she hardly even moves throughout the night. She sleeps really well & we just know she is so much more comfortable than when we used to find her scrunched up in the corner of her crib with a leg sticking out. I am still working on picking a quilt/coverlet for the bed, but I had a blanket & pillowcase made from the Alexander Henry Market Stalls fabric that I love so much.

Baseball Tee \\ Sweatpants \\ Bla Bla Fox Doll \\ Star Pillow \\ Fur Pillow 

I am definitely no expert but I hope that sharing our experience will help ease some of your fears for the transition. I think having her in a totally different bed instead of just taking the side off her crib was a big help, I don't think there's a chance she would have stayed in it otherwise. We also don't let her play in her bed, since she always wants to put her toys & books in it if she is playing in her room. We try to emphasize that the bed is for sleeping, which I think has helped a ton, she typically goes right to sleep both at night & during naps. We also really went wild praising her for staying in bed until we came to get her. There was a lot of encouragement from some of my close mom friends, who assured me that their kids did great transitioning as young as 18 months, doing the transition before they try climbing out of their crib seems to be a contributing factor to success! ;)

I hope this is helpful & can't wait to share the rest of her big kid room as soon as we put the finishing touches on it this week! XO

Nursery Progress

I can't believe we only have seven weeks to go! Honestly, I have not been quite as "on top of things" as I was with Harper, but I think that totally comes with the territory of being pregnant with a toddler. All of a sudden all of our weekends are being booked & baby girl will be here before we know it! We have quite a few things to check off the list still, but have finally made some great progress in the nursery so I wanted to share some pictures!

I love picking out some books to go with the colors in a room, I found a few last week at the bookstore (loved the gold dots & deer on the front of the Rapunzel book!) and am planning to display them in a wire basket of some sort. I have been drawn to deer for this room for some reason, between that & the tree stump table, it is feeling very woodsy & I am loving it! :) I ordered a few prints (actually in the form of greeting cards in 4x6 and 5x7 sizes which are significantly less expensive) for her room & plan to make another one myself just to tie it all together. Maybe something along the lines of "love you dearly," & I will make it a free download for anyone who may want to use it in their own spaces as well.

I still need to find a changing pad cover, crib skirt & curtains. I so badly wish I could sew, my hot glue gun will only get me so far in the fabric department. I have had my eye on this gold lamp but also keep hoping I will find something at the flea market with a more vintage feel. We used the glider, crib & changing table from Harper's room, so I haven't had to buy any new furniture yet. We are on the hunt for another small antique-style dresser in a lighter wood, then I will stock it full of Harper's baby clothes once I get ambitious enough to rewash them all, of course.

I found the oversized pom blanket at a local boutique & layered it with one of the new plus print blankets from the Evie Collection by Candy Kirby Designs that was inspired by my painting in the room! The line will be available in her shop in just a few weeks, I am so excited about how everything turned out. I will be sure to share all of the sources once the room is complete! :)

The cat has been living in the nursery these days, it's the only place she can hide to escape Harper constantly pulling her tail or trying to put headbands on her. If only she knew we were about to double the fun! ;) XO