When thinking up a theme for her nursery, I really wanted to create a fun and unique space for my little one to call her own. I chose a theme that I haven't seen before for a nursery and also requested lots of handmade items from family members to make it extra special.


Liana's nursery theme is Studio Ghibli, with a minty green and pink underlying color scheme. If you haven't read my previous posts on this, Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio that has produced many of the anime films that I have come to fall in love with over the past several years. While there are very serious and intriguing morals and messages in each of the films, I felt that the animation style and and some of the surface story lines could be suited for a child's room. So I got to have a blast playing around with the creation of something I love while also giving Liana a completely unique room to brag about in the future!! (Or maybe I'll be the one doing all the bragging, ha!)


My mom has been a HUGE supporter in making Liana's nursery truly come to life. She doesn't have a ton of knowledge on the Studio Ghibli films, but she went out of her way to find and create her own patterns for several different characters and handmade them with such determination! They are so beautifully done and I love them so much (I'm sure Liana will too!) Liana is very lucky to have such a caring and involved Grammy!


I also *mildly hinted* that I would love for anyone who wanted to, to hand make something that would be placed in Liana's nursery. Lot's of people delivered on that request! Liana now has tons of handmade blankets that I couldn't be more grateful for. I've found different places for many of them, so they can be shown off instead of thrown in a drawer somewhere. She has a pink one and a minty green one draped over the end and side of her crib, a beautiful multi-colored one draped over the back of my glider in the nursery, a purple one draped over the back of my glider in the living room, a tiny multi-colored one draped over the ottoman in the nursery, and an owl quilt spread underneath some of the Ghibli characters. I also hung a handmade tote bag on the nursery doorknob and placed her handmade hats and shoes between the Ghibli characters on her shelf.


The handmade pieces that I contributed include the paper wall decorations (the two totoros and the soot sprites in the corners of the room), the Ghibli painted block set (I finished three blocks and started a fourth), and Liana's name decoration above her crib. Her name decoration is especially unique and holds sentimental value because it is crafted from the tissue paper and ribbons from her baby shower gifts. I wanted to make this sooner and was kicking myself in the butt because it was done so last minute, but now I'm really glad I decided to wait because it has an added personalized touch by reusing materials from her gifts!


I am so happy with how well everything turned out and I love being in Liana's room. I also love that it is by far the brightest room in the apartment so it's the prime location for really great pictures of her. I think I'll have to do a little photo shoot to post with her one month update!

This trimester has seemed significantly longer, but just as exciting and rewarding as the first. This trimester has brought on the most changes and the most decisions have had to be made so far. I've gone through a whirlwind of emotions, but I am still loving every moment of this journey. I still feel like everything has been quite peachy so far, with no major issues or symptoms.

Symptoms: continued acne, cramping and pressure due to baby hiding out in my pelvic area, and terrible nightmares accompanied by night sweats.
Issues that came up: anemia due to an iron deficiency.
Important decisions: not taking prenatal vitamins and getting vitamins and nutrients from food instead (with the exception of iron), not getting a flu shot, giving birth at Brigham & Women's hospital, not getting an epidural for pain during labor, not opting for an episiotomy unless it is medically necessary, and choosing a name for my baby girl!
Improvements from last trimester: breast tenderness, leg cramps and waking up to roll over at night have all gone away, surprisingly! (I'm preparing for all three of these to make an appearance again at some point though). I have probably the same amount of energy, but have more motivation to do "nesting" things like cleaning, baking, preparing for baby, designing her nursery, and beginning a few diy projects.

Like my last trimester recap I will include the highs and lows, beginning with the lows.
Lows: Honestly, the worst thing to happen to me this entire pregnancy is having nightmares that involve my baby. I have woken up terrified, sweating, and crying. The dreams seem so real at the time and it's hard to let go of that when I first wake up, so I just lie there feeling numb, until the thoughts roll away. Luckily, Ashton has been such a great support person and comforts me when he knows I need it, but also lets me ride out the fears and thoughts until they are gone. Luckily, this lasted less than two weeks.
Working six days a week or working longer hours right up until 27 weeks for fear of not having money when I go on maternity leave. That has been a major cause of stress this trimester and I know will only get worse as the time for leave draws nearer. I don't know if I will continue working 6 days after this past week, or if I will even be allowed to at work. We'll see. I am proud of myself for making it to 6 months working so much though!
Stressing about not being able to find an apartment yet and not being able to get out of my current lease. I don't really want to get into this again, as it is still making me really upset to think about. I'm afraid of preparing for a nursery that my baby girl won't get to have. :(
Highs: Continuing our registry at Babies R Us. Reviewing our registry, one of the things I am most excited for is a diaper bag! I know that sounds so silly and I can't even explain why I can't wait to have one and fill it up, haha.
I love feeling her move around all the time. I used to get lonely and miss her because I could barely feel that she was there, but now there's no mistaking it! I was even told (by my doctor) I don't need to bother tracking her movements since she is so active all day. I also love that my belly is getting bigger because I can never be upset when I rest my hand on it, knowing that she can feel the warmth of my hand. I made up a little song that I sing to her in the shower as I wash my tummy. I really love moments like those.
Nesting! I absolutely love it. I feel energized and motivated and purposeful. For the first time so far, I feel "motherly"!! I don't even mind so much with cleaning, and I LOVE being crafty and coming up with little projects. During my first one I was so excited to be painting again!
We have received so many wonderful gifts from friends and family. Several gifts came at Christmas, but we also have friends who have recently had baby girls and were willing to give us their extra goodies. We have tons of teeny clothes already and we haven't even bought anything yet!
I'm still really invested in my blog and am delighted that so many people have taken the time to read it and tell me how much they enjoy it! I can't wait to look back on it all and read previous posts and remember the joyful moments I had. I also secretly hope my sisters will read it again when they are pregnant to see how our journeys compare. :)
We decided on our daughter's name and I wrote it in the snow one day and sent Ashton a picture of it while he was at work (as I am sure you know if you have read my past posts). I am in love with her name already and can't wait for the name reveal at her birth!

Overall, I am loving being pregnant more than any other experience in my life!! There are times when I feel a little heavy, but most of the time I actually feel pretty light on my feet. I know baby is due for another growth spurt any second, so that will probably change and also affect my energy level and mood. I can't see myself getting too upset by anything at this point, but I do still have three months to go! I'm ready for trimester #3!

Sneak-a-peek! My first nursery project.

I wasn't going to reveal this project or post any pictures until I was done but I just can't help myself! I decided to design and hand paint a truly unique, one-of-a-kind set of blocks for my little bump's nursery. Now I know she probably won't play with them (I used acrylic gloss enamel and she will undoubtedly put them in her mouth), but I think they are so adorable anyway and will make a nice shelf decoration to go along with the Studio Ghibli theme in her nursery. The set is going to include 6 blocks, each one based on a different Studio Ghibli movie. As to not give too much away I will only show you one side of the three completed blocks so far.


These are based on the movies: Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro. I am still working on Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky and Whisper of the Heart. They are pretty time consuming and tedious (1 1/2 inch blocks!), but I am loving this project because I haven't painted in so long (I forgot how much I love it even though I'm not great at it), it is very relaxing for me and something I can do to stay busy while sitting, and I have a secret obsession with everything Studio Ghibli. Basically this is a project for the both of us! :)

How far along? 25 weeks.
Total weight gain? Almost 15 pounds. This baby is getting massive, and quick!
Stretch marks? None.

I made these giant 3d paper snowflakes at work to decorate above the coffee bar and thought I’d share how to make them. They’re super easy to make and look great hanging up!


Step 1: Cut out 6 squares of the same size and fold them in half to form triangles as shown below. They can be any size depending on how big you want the snowflake to be, but smaller pieces are harder to work with.

Step 2: Fold each triangle from top to bottom, as shown. Then make three parallel cuts from the edge up to the center fold. Make sure not to cut completely through the fold!

Step 3: Open them all the way up and they should look like this!

Step 4: Roll the edges of the inner diamond toward each other and fasten with tape. Skip the second diamond and also fasten the third diamond in the same way.

Step 5: Flip the piece over, face-down, and tape the remaining diamonds the same way as the first two. It should end up looking like this:

Step 6: After making three of these, pinch the ends and staple them together.

Step 7: Repeat step 6 with the remaining three pieces, then pinch the stapled ends together (shown below) and fasten these two together using a third staple. A mini stapler works best here.

Step 8: Roll small pieces of tape inside out (shown below) and place them between the arms of the snowflake. In the circled areas below you will see arms taped and not yet taped.

That’s it! You’ve successfully made a 3d paper snowflake!

Now try experimenting with different colored paper and different sizes. Also try using a glitter or shimmer spray on them to add a little sparkle! Enjoy!