"Adios" Guest Room...

.... Welcome, "Kenleys" new baby play room! lol..... So after trying to get a tackle of organizing everything we recieved from the baby shower- we wanted to get a head start on putting everything together. At one point there was a high-chair,swing,jumper,bouncer,wagon,stroller,space saver high chair, and a walker!! in our living room at all once! ( hard to imagine!) but after a day and a half of trying to manuever around here- tripping over everything- we decided to convert the guest room into a room for her stuff. We would like to eventually have her "play room"in the basement- which will allow more room for her stuff however, we think its best for the first year or two to keep it upstairs-

Here is a "Before" pic of the guest room....



Soooo I have not yet decided what color to paint the room yet- however I will say when we painted the orange room with cholate brown border on the ceiling- It was supposed to be a more sophisticated grown up room- and for the past 2 years here- it has done just that. However, its not very "fun" or inspiring.... so Im going to change it however- I do want to leave the chocolate brown border around the top of the ceiling and maybe do the room an aqua or pink color and add some fun polka dots.

So stay tuned for an update on the "play room"

As for "Kenleys" room I still have to make my way over to "buy buy"baby sometime this week to see if I can agree on a changing table pad cover. ( I bought an orange one from there- but when I brought it home it just did'nt look as I expected it to). So Im going to attempt a chocolate brown one and see how that fits on there. I also am still in seach of a mirror or set of mirriors or SOMETHING that can go above the changing table/dresser combo.

68 days or less....

Yep thats right!! The countdown is down to days!! Finally!! haha

Its been a while since I have blogged- have not been feeling soo well these days! However on a brighter note- we just had our baby shower weekend- this past week and "Kenleys" stuff has officially taken over the house! lol I mean- I knew babies took up room but this spoiled munchkin has got full rein of the house! haha- We finished putting together all of her stuff ( well except for opening the box with the "pack and play" I don't want to deal with operating that thing for another week or so! hehe.

We are in the process of breaking down the guest room and turning it into a baby play-room for all her stuff- when she is older we will re-do her playroom and move it to the basement where there is more space. In our living room right now is the stroller, activity mat, swing, jumper, walker and wagon! lol Its finally starting to feel real to walk into our house and see all of these baby items but we are sooo very excited!!

The room has a few minor touches- Im in the process of looking for an area rug- a changing table cover and something to go on the wall above the changing table.... also maybe a few extra small sold colored throw pillows for decor for the crib. Here is what "Kenleys" room looks like so far..... ( click on each pic to enlarge)

2nd Trimester coming to an end....

Sooooo Right now I am 23 1/2 weeks prego- only 1 and 1/2 more weeks before I can kiss the second trimester GOODBYE! lol... Sadly I keep reading everywhere that they say the 2nd trimester is " the easiest" ... Oh boy! If thats the case- I got another thin coming for me lol.... All and all I think its all here say- because so far even being nautious the first trimester was the best for me, I was sick all of the time but didnt start the severe vomitting or wasnt diagnosed with hyperemeisis until week 15.... But on a brighter note... Kennleys ceiling is painting and in the next two weeks we will start to prime and then be able to paint and soon be able to put the finishing touches in her room. YaaaaY!! pics soon to come! . The shower is coming up, just a month away- centerpieces are done and im excited to see all of our family and friends and see all the great stuff we recieve for Kennley. Just recently I looked down and thought "my oh my" where did this bump come from? its as if it arrived overnight or something haha.... so I can only imagine this bum that is going to soon turn into a mountain!! -oyyy!! .... All and all rough pregnancy or not- despite all that I have gone through we are sooo sooo sooo excited to become parents. We have wanted this for a very long time, and after enjoying our marriage the two of us for quite some time now, its time! So ready or not we will soon be blessed with Kennley- we love her soo much already xo =)

Spoiled Baby....

Sooooo of course, as a mommy to be... I can't help but want to spoil "Kennley" Rotten!! Haha ... So I have been obsessing trying to create the perfect room for her and seen this chandalier I just couldnt live without! lol....

So sat we put it up.... here it is!! ...

22 weeks down, hopefully only 18 more to go! lol

Sooo alot has been going on lately..... not feeling so well. Soooo on top of this lovely "Hypermeisis"... I have this stupid acid reflux now and to top it all off, I had to go take a 3 hour glucola test this week because I failed the fist one because my blood sugar was a little high. Soo I went into beaumont to take my test and not even 20 mins after taking the drink, I vomitted everything up ( surprise surprise! lol).. so because it was higher, they are just going to treat me with "gestational diabetes" to be on the safe side. The good news is, before I got pregnant, I was tested and was not diabetic, and then after I was pregnant for 2 and a half months, I was tested and was still fine, so the good news is, its clearly just gestational.... Soooo I now have to poke myself 5 times a day- ouch!!... but don't have to be on any meds and just follow a diabetic diet, which isnt the end of the world, its just eating less carbs..... and the good news is when i first found this out, i was left to stew and freak out until my docs appt the next morning, and once you google something, you see the very worst of it lol.... I was thinking oh no im gonna have a bigger baby! haha.... buttttt the good news is the average weight of a baby with having gestational, is 7 1/2 lbs and the reason people have the bigger babies, is because they have it, but are not controlling their blood sugars.... so im not gonna let that happen, and everything will be peachy! lol..... besides the poking! Yesterday was my first day... my fingers are already kind of sore... "no bueno"...

Today its supposed to be extremely nice out!! ... yay... im going to try to straighten up this place, because tomorrow I am babysitting Elle, (aka Elle Belly hehe).. our friend Christa's little munchkin... so that should lift my spirits.... despite the sickness!

The baby shower is coming up- thats exciting! .... we are registered at "target" "babies r us" and "buy buy baby"..... fun fun!.... I have two centerpieces of 7 done..lol... so today i need to run to the store to get more ribbon to do the rest. Pics soon to follow!....

With the help of my chika Lisa, I finally found a color or "colors" of paint for the nursery lol.... still unsure if I want to do an accent wall or not. The color is called "sea life" ... its like a aqua turquoisy color! but goes perfect with the custom crib bedding. but still unsure if I want to do the entire room that color or just do an accent wall with that color and the surrounding colors like a celery green? hmmmm decisions decisions!

We had our second appt. for an ultrasound at the hospital to finish up the measurements. "Kennley" was being stubborn again, moving all over the place, haha silly baby.. but they were at least able to get everything they needed to finish up and everything is A- Ok!..... so in a few days i will try to take some pics of these ultrasound pics and post em!.... more to come soon! xo

Kennleys Stuff

Yes.... sadly baby "Kennley" is becoming very spoiled! lol... Im going to try to be better because the baby shower is less than two months away!! ....we registered at "Target"- "Buy Buy Baby" - and "Babies R Us"... although I still have some editing to do on that one! .... Making the guest list and will be collecting address's this week.

Girls Baby Clothes are the cutest!!! here are a few of my favs!! .... the dress.... I just had to!! love it!! .... and the tiny little tanks!! who could pass these up? lol, the tank in orange says " I Love ( written with a heart) fli flops! lmao!!

Ok Ok... heres a peak....

Baby Kennleys Nursery (Update)

Soooo its been a little while, Im not sure if I had mentioned in the previous blog or not that I decided that there was just no crib bedding under the $400-$600 range that caught my eye, so I decided to take it upon myself to custom make the bedding- well art of it anyways! lol

We have made a personal decision, to not use a crib bumper- after all that we have read, its not something we feel comfortable using for Kennleys crib. Even though she will be in an infant positioner, once she is in the crib..... we decided to say no way on the crib bumper! ( this is a personal preference and we are not judging the others who use them for their cribs- just something we prefer not to use on ours).

So I finally was able to find some fabric that has caught my eye. So far I have made a custom crib skirt. I am making a matching window valance with the same fabric and then I am going to use some matching solid colors that are in the fabric, as well as use some of the fabric to create some custom throw pillows for looks. My wonderful friend, Tina- has offered for as part of our shower gift she is making our custom quilt for the crib. Using the same Fabric as well as some complimentarty colors! I can't wait and am excited to see it! As I know she will do a wonderful job and am thankful that we are blessed with a great friend!

So crib skirt.... done.... the rest will start on this weekend. Im having a hard time deciding on the paint color for the room- but once we do I'll be able to get a better vision for the room...

here is a pic of the fabric we chose as well as the crib skirt I made....the crib sheet that is on there was purchased prior and will not be used with this bedding set. Im thinking of using either a matching yellow solid crib sheet or a solid crib sheet in the matching aqua color. But not sure yet.....

Baby update ...

Soooooo the utlrasound went well! ..... as most of you already know, "Its a girl" .. yaay!!!!!!!!!!! .. babys name is set at Kennley Giada Banninger =)

Baby Kennley was being stubborn and was laying on her belly. So I had to get up and walk around to see if we were able to get her to move because she kept curling up. They were able to confirm that its definatly a girl but was unable to complete all of her measurements ... so we have to go back in a few weeks and do another ultrasound, to get more measurements when baby is bigger. So far she weighs 10oz, which is exactly where she is supposed to be at this point. Everything looked wonderful..... and we are excited about being able to do another ultrasound because Kennley will be bigger so we will be able to get better pics. Sooo I have not set up the appointment but we are anxious to see her again.

As far as the nursery goes, the crib bedding I had my eye on at Pottery Barn is gone.... but all and all, I have not come across anything that I like. Soooo Im having a custom tailored crib skirt made and then Im going to pair it with a solid color sheet, if the project comes along well, I will be able to make a quilt with the same fabric and a valance to match as well. So.... Ill keep updating.... and when im finished,.... pics to follow!

14 days ....

Yep! 14 days until our ultrasound!! ...and counting down the days! lol..

I am going to make it a habbit to write as many blogs as I can to be able to look back on this time. The docs have confrirmed indeed that I do have "hypermeisis"... its not much fun at all. I do have a very understanding doctor, in which I am pleased about as well. She also had hypermeises and hers did not go away unti 25 weeks.... and said there are some that it lasts the entire pregnancy. I am trying to stay postive and believe in my heart of hearts that one day this will just be a thing of the past and one day I will just wake up feeling better, hopefully- sooner than later. I"ve had a few semi ok- days the past two weeks... but when I say semi ok... I mean able to at least walk around for a little bit, and less vomitting than usual. The past few days Im down to 4 or 5 times a day as opposed to 7-10..... so some improvement has been made lol.

As of right now, I also have another docs appointment in the morning of the 23rd. Im off work until then- at that point we will be able to decide if Im able to go back to work at that point or not. I really want to go back sooner, than later. I don't want to lose my position, and really need the health insurance.... however at this point know Im completly uncapable of doing my job. If I sit still and don't do much at all, thats how I have noticed having the improvement but the more I move and try to walk around, the extreme headaches and dizzyness and vomitting set in.... Ok Ok I just wanted to document this.... positive thought!! positive thoughts!!

Given all this time at home with the lap top... Im having a difficult time finding crib bedding that I want. And its important that I find this before Chris paints the nursery. So far if its a girl.... mothers instinct is telling 90% sure it is! lol.... based on wivestales that is... lol Sooo I finally found one that I absolutly adore for a girl at Pottery Barn... however- its on sale ( which is good and bad) good because of the price and bad because as soon as it sells out they are discontinuing it. and I thought ok- well I can just buy it and then return it if we find out its a boy....WRONG- no returns... OYYY!! Im crossing my fingers, 14 days from now it will still be availble if its a girl! lol

Here is a pic of it...(click to enlarge if needed)

Doctors appt.

Soooo Tuesday morning at 10am wassupposed to be my regualar every 4 week check-up with the obgyn...... or so I thought anyways.... I work up that morning vomitting severly and started vomitting blood! This was approximatly at 9:15am, well luckily I was already ready for the appointment, but at this point I was freaking out soo much I did'nt know what to expect- I about lost it!! .... Sooo I got in the car and drove myself to the Doctors office, earlier than my appt. to explain to them what was happening. So I waited in the waiting room for about 15mins, mind you running to the bathroom every 5.... and the doc came out and told me that I need to go straight to the triage er- because they were worried with all this constant vomitting for sooo long that I may have been getting dehydrated... UGh, what a mess.... soo I called Chris and he left work to come get me and take me to the hospital. They hooked me up to an iv for two bags of fluid and then gave me meds through the iv. When I was there they were contemplating putting a pic line in, ( a pic line is a temporary iv that they put in your neck to allow you to go home and give fluids to yourself)...... so they decided to try another alternative and I have to take a prescription around the clock for a few days- vomitting or not to see if it helps. As long as I do whatever I can to stay hydrated I can keep away from the pic line. Good thing for short term disability benefits at the Bmont! .... Because there is no way in this world I could go to work like this..... so the docs told me to resched. my docs appt. After I got out of the er and knew what was going on. I was able to get in the next day (wed) and on a brighter note babys heartbeat was 150..... and I got the wonderful prescription to call Fetal Imaging at Royal Oak and I did and they made our appt for March 23rd at 5pm- and on that day we will discover if we are expecting baby Kennley or baby Chace!!!! After going through the ringer this week- this was a definate pick me up! ... Yesterday afternoon I arrived home and there was a knock at the door and I was happy to recive a get well balloon and flowers from David n Katie ( brother n sis in law) and that made my day that much better as well!! xo thanx again guys!

Here are some pics of my delivery...

The life of a Prego lol

Sooo 15 weeks down, 5 more weeks will and we will know if we are expecting baby "Kennley Giada" or Baby "Chace Matthew".... I know I may sound like a broken record at times but I feel if I keep saying that it will help me go through this rough time! lol..

Sooo I have pretty much not worked the entire month of February, maybe a total of 3 days.... so I have been put on a medical leave and am going to have to survive on short term disabilty pay through my benefits for a little bit. Tomorrow I have another doctors appointment which should possibly shed some light on how much longer I will be off and to see if there is anything else that can be done to help me.

In my case "Morning Sickness" is an extreme understatement, instead of tapering off at 12 weeks it got worse from there.... Morning, Noon, and Night.... able to keep very little down! I am doing everything in my power to keep any kind of fluid down, to not to dehyrate. 2 prescriptions later and nothing is working ... the last prescription I was given was Zophran and it seemed to help for a day or two and then out of nowhere once again, stopped working and from this point on now everytime I try to take it- I cant keep that down either!-go figure! I have been doing some research and hoping that I am not developing "Hypermeisis" ( some pregnant women develop this, this being an extreme case of morning sicknees). So we will see what the doctor has to say tomorrow. I seem to be able to keep more down if I am not doing anything what so ever. But as I get up and walk around the dizzyness and headaches become more severe along with the vomittting. So Im not sure what is going on- possibly movement is too much with the combination of the dizzyness- fatigue-migranes and naseau.. causing vomitting? Not sure- I will say however- I have never ever spent this much time in my home without leaving it before lol I feel as if I am living as a hermit crab! lol

On the bright side, about a month ago Chris and I bought two shelves for the baby room and this past weekend Chris put them together!! Still waiting to determine sex of the baby before doing any kind of painting....here are some pics of the new shelves...






This past weekend Chris and my father in law- cut down a big tree in our yard, tree was dead and had to go.... after a huge bang that literally nearly had me fall of the bed- inside the house lol... I looked out the window and this is what I saw...

Stuff For Baby Banninger

Sooo I have been doing some research on various baby items...

After extensive research we have both decided that the Chicco "Luna" collection is going to be the travel system that we are going to register for. It has the best saftey ratings around, as well as modern and neutral..... its the best fit for Baby Banninger.....





http://www.chiccousa.com/gear/travel-systems/cortina-22lb-systems/travel-systems-22-luna.aspx





I came across this modern bouncer by Fisher Price, It recieved wonderful reviews...

Features: Detachable Toy Bar, MP3 Input, Contoured Seat, Buckle Closure, Vibrates and much more!!!

Wow Mp3 Input!! Thats what Im talking about lol!!!



Not sure if this is the one we will for sure register for- we will have to wait and see!!! I think the back pattern might be a little girly, for a boy- what do you guys think???

Childrens Place is my fav.....

Here is a pic of the jacket I had mentioned in a previous blog. I have a feeling the Childrens Place is going to become our one stop shop! lol.... They have quality items, not to mention oh sooo cute items!! lol..... at the best prices you will really find anywhere!!! This is just one of the many items, we bought from there...



Small Paul Things are another one of my favs... I dont believe in the whole boys can only wear blue cliche' ...especially since a hot pink hat and gloves will look cute with this piece!! I cant get enough of this litte monkey!! soo soo cute!!

GoodBye First Trimester...

Oyyyy!! Its been rough- have not been able to keep much down lately- have been off of work the past three days and anxious to feel better soon!!! .... Good Bye First Trimester!! May the Second bring me some relief! haha.....

Also have been thinking about possibly planning a babymoon.... the last getaway for hubby and I by ourselves..... thinking a long weekend away from home, possibly May- but have not given it too much thought yet- so who knows where? Any suggestions??



Here is a pic of the bump- that came out of nowhere!! ....


3 months prego....
(Click on pic to enlarge)

Nursery Sneak Peak

Sooooooo we are waiting for our 20 week ultra sound before we do any painting, at first I thought I would be ok with a gender neutral nursery but I have changed my mind.....For those of you know me- I love pink!!! and there is noooo way I would be able to live with myself if we were having a girl and this room could'nt be the girliest of all girlies!! haha..... and if it were a boy- Im thinking like an airplane theme? Maybe even sports!.....I recently purchased some crib bedding, the only reason I purchased it was because it was the one that I had wanted if we were doing a gender neutral room- the only reason I bought it myself rather than waiting for the shower is beause it was regular $209.00 and low and behold as I strolled through babies r us, found the last one on clearance for $67.00 for the 6 piece set!!! ... what a steal!!!! But as it sat in our nursery for a few weeks and I was thinking of paint samples- it didnt leave me a whole lot of options for decor since the theme was sooo specific.... so I returned it!! lol We have decided to wait until our baby showers to register for the bedding we decide we want that is gender specific.

7 more weeks and we will know if we will be expecting baby Kennley or Baby Chace lol and then the room will start from there!! ..... I did purchase a crib sheet that I could not absolutly live without!! It says " I love Mommy, I love Daddy" Mommy Loves Me, Daddy Loves Me" all over it..... (see below for a pic).

So far we have purchased a crib, and a dresser for the room. I wanted something simple yet modern and white for the crib- I have had my eye on the Ikea Gulliver Crib for quite some time- as well as it got wonderful reviews...... One day out of curiosity I started looking on craigslist.... I came across the crib I wanted BRAND NEW- IN BOX- INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED and all!!!!!!! for a measily $40 (See Pic Below) smackaroos!!! ..... Soooo we went the store and bought a crib mattress the next day. After coming across an amazing deal I have had my eye out for a dresser. The one we wanted retails at babies R us for around $500.00 ..... Sooo I thought,..... eh- why not? Im gonna scope out craigslist for a while and if I come across nothing then we will buy the one we want..... well........ We found a dresser- nearly brand new on craiglist- not a scratch on it- in mint condition which would easily retail for around $500.00 as well, and got another steal at $85.00!!!!!!!!!!! Then replaced the hardware to nickel finished knobs( see pic below)

Sooo far we are off to a great start and cant wait to find out the gender so I can really go to town with this room =)

Baby Baby Baby.....

Sooooo the great baby name debate is over!!... Our names are set at Boy: Chace Matthew Banninger/ Girl: Kennley Giada (pronouced jee ah da)Banninger. Even though I am only into the second trimester- we have been talking baby names for years!! So for us- this is old news!! lol....

This past tuesday, I had a four week check up... Heartbeat was at 171.... everyone is screaming "girl-girl-girl"..... to the point where I myself, would be surprised if the ultrasound showed boy! haha... I want a boy and a girl just as equal so either way we are at a win win here.... I just love shopping for little clothes!! I promised myself yesterday that I wouldnt buy any more clothes until we found out if it were a boy or a girl.....well that went out the window today when we went to Great Lakes Crossings lol... I love love love " The Childrens Place" the entire store was having this mad sale!! .. Weeks ago I stumbled across a grey pea coat that was absolutly adorable ( at Old Navy) But it was priced at $40.00 and I wanted to wait for it to go on sale ( I mean really? $40 for a coat they will be able to wear for two months?)..... Low and behold I was at the Childrens Place today and they had one identical to it for about $35.00...... and then I looked and more than half the store was on sale - I had to do a double take because I just couldnt believe it!! .. But we got the coat for $2.99!!!!! Now THHHHAT is a bargain!!!

In other news, we are starting the process soon of working on the nursery!!! .... I managed to get some other insane deals for the room, but want to wait to expose them until we are completly done with the room!! Sooo stat tuned within a few months for that lol.

8 more weeks until we can determine the sex of the Baby!! We decided to wait until the 20 week mark before going for our Ultra-sound. Many people say its good to wait as far as measurement wise because the baby has grown more by then- so we are waiting until 20 weeks wich would put us in the middle of march- finding out! But at the rate things are going that will be here in no time!! .....

Morning sickness has still not gone away!! ... Morning, Noon, and Night ...sick...sick....sick!!! I was prescribed a prescription for naseau from the doc on tues. Yesterday I went into work and made it a whole two hours before I couldnt take it anymore- I couldnt keep anything down and was getting really shaky... so I went home sick =(
Doc said 12 weeks is when it hits its alltime worst!! ...hopefully Im one of the lucky ones and it disapears soon!! oyyy!!..... Thats another reason why everyone thinks we are having a boy- everyone said when they had girls they were soooo sick..... so we'll see!! The countdown is on......

The Baby Name Debate, has started... lol

Chris and I have talked baby names, before we were pregnant. And although its easy to say a name and like it, It means soo much more not that we have a baby to apply it to! lol.....


Im sure, we are going to change our minds about 50 times, going back and forth. However as of right now

Boy: Rylan or Ryland.....Matthew Banninger..... Matthew is for sure set in stone. It is Chris's middle name and he wanted to carry that on to his child ( if its a son of course lol). Can't decide on Rylan or Ryland.... The popular version is Rylan, however we thought it might sound more masculine if we added a D to the end, resulting in "Ryland".... what do you think?
We also both like the first name "Chace"..... Chace Matthew Banninger? Not sure if it goes?? What do you guys think?

Girl: As far as the first name we both LOVE LOVE LOVE, "Kennley" Its different, yet girly! For a middle name I would like to continue with the whole Italian heritage!...of course if it were up to me our possible sons middle name would be "Gianni" but we do need to compromise. lol So our compromise is if we have a girl, I get to choose the middle name and a boy, he gets to choose the middle name. As far as first names so far have not had any problems on agreeing with one another lol so I guess we are all good with first names.

So for a Girl: Kennley Gia Banninger?..... Kennley Giada Banninger? or Kennley Gianna Banninger...... one of these three! lol What do you guys think? We still have plenty of time to decide. Facebook me what ya think!??