Revisiting The Pre-Baby Bucket List

One of my first posts consisted of a pre-baby bucket list for home improvements. Now that we're a measly 5ish weeks from our due date, I think it's time to revisit that list and see what we've accomplished.

• Remodel Master Bathroom – They're finishing this one up today! It looks great and I'm going to be so happy to have a bathtub in the house. The vanity and toilet are our responsibility, but they're ready to go in the garage.

• Finish the Remodel of the Guest Bathroom – Well, what we thought was going to be a quick clean up and 10 sq ft tile job has pretty much turned into another remodel. When I showed the room to our tile guy the words that came out of his mouth were "That's probably the worst thing I've ever seen." Luckily it's just a tiled shower and not a cast iron tub like our master bathroom.

• Landscaping – Partially done. Cory has done a lovely job of ripping most everything out and trimming, but there's still some left to do.

• Critter Removal and Blockage – Ah.. nope. Didn't quite get there unfortunately.

• Rewiring – Don't get me started on that one.... We're not actually going to be completely rewiring, thank goodness. But I just don't see it actually happening before Baby Colette gets here. Which is a shame because we've got lights and fans that need installation and a few exposed wires that probably need to be removed.

• Find a New Home for the Office – Check!

• Hang Smoke Detectors – Got a new box of detectors from my mom a while back, still need to get them up.

• Clean Out and Organize the Garage – Thanks to my family for that one. We got everything out and cleaned. Of course, that was a few months ago and we have since found a way to fill it back up. The good news is that we're getting a new garage door so we can actually park a car in there one day.

• Clean Out and Organize Everything Else – I think this is probably a lifelong project, but I have managed to get most everything put away in an orderly fashion.

• BURN THE BURN PILE – Got that done too.

• Hang New Eaves Around the Porch – Not there yet either. One day.

• New Doors – Didn't think this was a big deal at first. But unfortunately one of our doors has taken a turn for the worse. We can't even open it. It somehow collected a ton of moisture. Oops.

• The Nursery – I'm so close! The big thing left is hanging the new fan and pendant lights... And we need to paint/hang the mirror and wall art. I also need a white bookcase.

I'm fairly content with the progress. The only thing I'd really like done (yesterday) is the electrical, but there isn't a whole lot I can do about that.

In the realm of baby things, I think we're officially covered in the most important things. We had our baby shower with Cory's family and friends last weekend and it was most excellent! It was beautiful as well as delicious. (Let's take a moment for a little self-loathing because I definitely forgot my camera...)

Carseat and stroller: Check!

Baby Bedding: Check!

BOPPY: CHECK! (Love a good boppy..)

Diapers: Well... we have at least a solid week's worth.

Pack n Play: Check!

Diaper Bag: Check! (Not here yet, but it has been ordered!)

I'm very thankful for everything that everyone has done for Cory, me, and Baby Colette. Who knew anyone could be so blessed with such an outpouring of support and love.

I know I had some other things I was going to write about, but it seems they've all slipped my mind. Oh well! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

The First Baby Shower

We had our first baby shower this past weekend! This one was in my hometown with my side of the family (and Cory's mom and grandma as well!) and my very much missed friends. I started the day getting breakfast downtown my BFF then heading to get my hair done curtesy of my sister-in-law and Douglas J. Aveda Institute. After a morning of pampering I was whisked away to my mom's to finish getting ready while the rest of the shower was being set up. Setup is generally the most stressful part of any event, but it seems everyone made it out okay.

The shower was excellent. My mom, sister and sister-in-law turned the house into baby shower heaven.

The menu:

• Roasted veggie and orzo salad


• Lots of fresh veggies and dip


• Mini Pigs'n a blanket


• Sliders


• Mac'n Cheese Cups


• Cotton candy cupcakes


• Vanilla bean cupcakes


• Vanilla cake with strawberry filling


• Donut holes


• Chocolate dipped rice krispy treats


• Homemade butter pecan ice cream


• Pickles :)


• And a variety of candy to make up a lovely candy bar

All delicious like all of our family gatherings.

It was so nice to see everyone that I rarely get to see since moving south. I'm a very blessed girl to have the family and friends that I do and I can't thank you all enough for coming to the shower!

Below you'll find some pictures of the big event!

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A big thanks!

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their congrats and complements for the big reveal on Saturday. We had an excellent holiday weekend with family and letting everyone know we will be having a little girl made it that much better.

We also revealed her first name at the end, so in case you missed it, it will be Colette. Full name will be Colette Josephine, and we intend to call her Lettie. :)

[caption id="attachment_413" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Colette Josephine Taylor[/caption]

 

In other news, we decided on a paint color for the nursery and the nursery furniture has arrived at our local Toys-R-Us! We'll be picking it up today or tomorrow. We're also going to look at cars today. Cory sold his 2-door Civic a few weeks ago as we don't think Colette and 2 dogs will fit comfortably in the backseat on our pretty frequent trips to see family.

This little girl isn't even here yet and she's already draining the funds! Now that we know we're having a she,  we should probably go ahead and start putting back money for proms and college and wedding. And maybe add on 3 or 4 jobs a piece. *sweats*

It's also time to get registered for baby showers. As a first time mom, I really have no idea what I need, so I've been searching and researching the web for practical lists of the do's and don'ts for registries and what I'll actually need. My plan is to make a preliminary list and send it to my sister-in-law, and possibly other mom's for guidance. And actually, now that I think about it. I'll probably post the list here so I can get feedback from any of you who are moms already!