Being Baby Busy

I know, I know, my blogging has suffered lately.  However, with all the baby stuff going on, including our baby shower and getting the nursery ready, I have just lacked time to edit photos and post.  I am sure anyone who has expected a baby completely understands.  Right now, I am 33 weeks and on cruise control until I hit full term and start seeing my doctor every week.  My mother delivered both my older brother and I 10 days early so, I am prepping for doing the same...even if I don't, better safe than sorry.  So I have been spending an exorbitant amount of time washing bedding, clothing and diapers, figuring out how in God's name things work (like folding up my stroller to fit in my car, holy geez) and most time-consuming, training someone to do my job for my maternity leave at work.  Which, I must say, has proven more difficult than I originally thought.  Regardless, I wanted to share a few pictures of the nursery!

This is the room.  Ignore the random pile of baby stuff in the corner and what looks like a demonic cat coming out from behind the bed (I promise, she is completely harmless!)

Baby Owl's crib.  I love, LOVE this crib because it is simple, modern and there is a built in drawer on the bottom that is perfect for stashing extra linens.  The paintings were done by a friend of ours who recently moved to Shanghai with his wife.  They are both slightly abstract takes on places in Chicago (which will forever be out home even though we now technically live in the suburbs).  The one on the left is of Grant Park and the one on the right is of the Botanic Garden coy ponds.

The crib head-on....and YES, those are Ugly Dolls.  I chose stuff that doesn't really scream "BOY!" so I could reuse the bedding for Baby Owl #2 sometime in the distance future.  To make it somewhat boy, I just added boyish accessories.  Like Ugly Dolls.

He already has a large collection of stuffed animals, as you you can see....

I am a huge, huge fan of children's books (probably because my mother was a children's librarian when I was growing up) so I started him a collection of books and stuffed animals to go with the books. 

And just in case you were wondering, here was me at our baby shower.  We have a large amount of men on both sides of our family so, we held it at a brewery in the city called Haymarket Brewery.  A friend of ours co-owns it.  They brew their own beer and instead of baby shower favors (that no one ever takes home yet you spend too much money on), we paid for the beer.  It was a great day and we had an amazing time with family especially family from out of town.  We planned it the same weekend as my brother's wedding so everyone would be in to celebrate with us.  

Opening some books....including French versions of my favorites like Madeline and Le Petit Prince.

My aunt knitted me a blanket which I loved.  That would be my husband next to me as well as my mother (in the black shirt) and my mother-in-law all the way to the right.  

Me with my cousin Claire.  She lives in Boston so I don't get to see her that often.  She is 9 years younger than me but a foot taller than me (I am the shortest person in my entire extended family and I am 5'6).  Claire knits beautifully and owns an Etsy shop called Tumble Tower.

And here is me...8 months pregnant....standing in front of a line of malt bags they use for making the beer!