Trailer Nursery Remodel

With a baby here, we need a nursery. Living in a trailer can make a nursery hard to create but we decided to do a little remodeling. Our dining room table is never used, except to throw stuff on as we walk in the door (what table isn't). We took out the table and put in a changing table and crib. We had to find smaller versions of each to fit but they work great.

Before

After

Don't worry, we will be removing the pillows before placing the baby in the crib! They are just for decoration now. 

Update:
We are home and have most of the stuff organized and where it should be but baby stuff will always be everywhere. 

Check out the video tour below:

What does your nursery look like?

Cowboy Baby Shower

I was lucky to have two baby showers, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. This one was on the West Coast hosted by my mother-in-law. They live on a ranch so it seemed fitting for the theme to be cowboy! We kept it small and had a great time.

First, we played some games. 

The first was match the animal to its baby name. For example "cat" would be "kitten". How many do you know?	The other game we played was the Price is Right. We had them tell us whether the current prices were higher or lower. Which do you think are higher or lower?

We gave out some Bacon Bark (dark chocolate with almonds and bacon) as prizes and everyone got to select a succulent to take home.

Next, we ate some delicious food. We had a creamery (cheese plate), veggie garden (veggie platter), haystacks (rice krispies), Yum Yum (pork roast), and cow chips (cheesecake brownies).

Last, we opened presents. My husband was able to be here in person to help me open them all. We had a good laugh at some of them. My mom, an ER nurse, sent us a medical records book while his mom made sure to get a bunch of "grandma" bibs.

We all had a blast and were thankful for our friends and family that could join!

What was your baby shower theme?

Nautical Baby Shower

Being in the military is tough when you live away from family. Half our family lives on the East Coast and the other half lives on the West Coast. I am lucky enough to have two great families that each threw me a baby shower on opposite sides of the country. My mom threw me one in Florida in October with a Nautical Theme. She did an amazing job with the help of my sister and grandma. Check it out!

Ahoy It's a Boy!

We had some delicious food all with a nautical theme. We had everything from crab-wiches to dips and egg boats. The cake was even in the shape of an anchor.

Everyone signed "The Rainbow Fish" with a special message to the baby. We played games like guess how many Sweedish Fish and don't say the word "baby". If you said "baby" and someone heard, they could take your lifesaver necklace.

We played other games such as match up the baby word to the candy bar. An example is "baby poop" matched up with "raisinets". How many do you know?

The other game we played was the story game where every time you hear "left" or "right", you must pass that direction. My grandma came up with the story about Lloyd and I! At the end of the story, everyone had the chance to open their gift and and turns out it was all baby items that I got to keep. My dad couldn't quite fit in his onsie!

My husband even got to skype in for a few minutes and say hi to everyone.

The shower was beautiful and I was so happy to see everyone in Florida. Being stationed across the country, I don't get the chance to see my East Coast family and friends very often.

Be sure to check out on Thursday my West Coast baby shower my mother-in-law threw for me!

Target Registry Gift Bag

There are so many registries out there to choose from when getting married or having a baby. Our main registry was on Amazon but we also signed up for a Target registry too. Signing up for a Target registry gets you a free gift bag with lots of goodies.

Below is what was included in my bag.

• Dr. Brown's 8oz bottle
• Honest diapers size 1 - 2 pack
• Lansinoh sample of 2 disposable nursing pads and 2 breastmilk storage bags
• Up & Up diapers size 1
• Baby Dove wash 1.8 oz sample
• Johnson's wash and shampoo 1.7 oz sample
• Palmer's Cocoa Butter for Stretch Marks .17 oz sample
• Target coupons for multiple products
• Seventh Generation coupons
• Aquaphor baby lotion .03 oz sample
• Flyer for breastfeeding
• Babyganics mouisturizing daily lotion  .15 oz sample

Each bag has different samples based on what they have in stock at that time. All of these samples were brands and items I have been wanting to try. Be sure to check out Target next time you have a baby and need a registry.

Did you have a baby registry at Target?

Amazon Baby Registry Welcome Box

Registries are always fun to create but hard to decide where to select your items from. For our wedding registry, we chose Bed Bath and Beyond because they had everything we needed. For our baby registry, we chose Amazon because of the wide variety of items to choose from plus all the benefits.

One of the benefits is a registry completion discount - 15% off anything from your registry 60 days before and after your due date. This discount can be used on 2 orders so be sure to add it all to your cart!

Another benefit is the registry welcome box. Each box is different and the items vary with what is in stock. Below is what is included in my box.

• Boon baby bottle
• Tommee Tippee Baby Bottle
• Seventh Generation sample box with diapers, wipes and coupons
• Britax Coupons
• Huggies wipes pack - 36 count
• Cetaphil wash and shampoo - 1.7 fl oz sample
• Johnson's wash and shampoo - 1.7 fl oz sample
• NUK Orthodontic pacifiers - pack of 2
• Moon and Back onesie for 3-6 months
• SwaddleMe Swaddle blanket

We received some great items that I am excited to try out. Each baby is different and you never know what brand they will like best.

Where did you register for your baby?

Adventures in London Part 2

On the second half of the trip we ate more delicious food, more sightseeing, nightlife and we even saw some shows.

London Day #5

We had a jam packed day. First up was Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian and the cute little town. We were waiting in line with my mom and sister for the ferry but it never seemed to come when the schedule said. My sister stayed in line while my husband, mom and I went to get coffee at the store right next to the dock. My mom got hers and went back to get in line. We were paying and saw the ferry pull up. We ran over to get on the boat and they started pulling away without us. My mom tried to stop them but they wouldn't We ended up having to take the Tube and meet my mom and sister in Greenwich. It was quite the adventure and many trains and stops later, we made it.

That night we went out to dinner and I had a delicious steak. After we went to see Wicked. My husband had never been to a Broadway play and I might have ruined him for future plays, bringing him to one of the best ones first. I swear I even saw a tear roll down his cheek during Defying Gravity. I had seen Wicked in New York and to see it in London was just as amazing. 

London Day #6

We did our own thing while my mom and sister went to the Harry Potter studio tour. First, my husband and I went to the Science Museum. Science museums are very different in London. In the US, Science Museums have interactive activities to do. This one did not have anything interactive. It was more the history of science.

Next, we went to the Piccadilly Circus/ Soho area. We did our own bar crawl and checked out the local bars and pubs. We checked out China town because you have to see it in every city, right? We explored the Theatre district and all the shows playing. We did all this while walking around with a bag of Five Guys fries. (We ate them before I could get a picture!) For dinner we went to Sussex and got another London classic - meat pie.

London Day #7

In the morning, we went to Notting Hill and explored all the little carts and shops. There were lots of cute trinkets and goodies. For lunch we had delicious street falafels. There were so many flavors wrapped in the pita. Last, we went and saw the famous blue door from the movie, Notting Hill.

That night we checked out the nightlife. We tried to go to a club called Libertine and waited in line. When we got to the front, they weren't letting in guys. We found another club around the corner and a promoter added us to his list. When we got inside, we were ushered to a table with a giant cooler looking thing in the middle. They ended up filling it with ice and a big bottle of vodka. We had a few drinks and it tasted like water. My husband asked for one on the rocks to check and it was most definitely alcohol. On the way home, the train we needed to take on the Tube was under construction so we ended up taking the famous red double decker bus. (another to do on my bucket list)

London Day #8

On our last full day, we went to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The show took up the entire day since it was in two parts. The special effects were amazing and having a theatre background, I was surprised at some of them. Many of the actors looked just like their counterparts. It is definitely a must see!

London Day #9

This was a sad day as we said goodbye to our gorgeous view and headed to the airport. We stopped for sausage rolls, a London specialty and my moms favorite. 

London was a great city and I hope to go back one day! What are your favorite things to do in London?

Adventures in London Part 1

Have you ever been to London? I had the chance to go a little over two years and never did post. Better late than never I guess. While we were there, we did everything a tourist could do. We explored the museums, saw Big Ben, toured the Tower of London, ate everything, and sightseeing.

London Day #1

We had a flight out of San Francisco with a short layover before making the long trek across the Atlantic. We didn't get in till late. We met up with my mom and sister for dinner at a pub. We soon found out pubs are a huge thing in London. 

 We stayed at a family friends in their gorgeous condo. In the picture below (sorry it is a little blurry - we were tired), you can see the London Eye and surrounding area. 

London Day #2

The next day we woke up and did some sightseeing. We headed to the Tower of London and took a tour. We searched every room and every corner. I think the torture room was my favorite. I can't believe they were allowed to do half of those torture techniques back then.

Next, we took a bunch of pictures on the Tower Bridge.

We ate lunch at another pub and I had a delicious Shepherd's Pie. I made it a goal to try all the popular English dishes and this was the first of many. 

That night we went to see Big Ben, my all time favorite thing about London. I have always had a fascination with Big Ben and seeing it in person was a dream come true. 

London Day #3

Today was a major sightseeing day. Being a theatre geek, one of my must sees was the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. We took a tour and I loved every minute of it. They were working on the stage so we weren't able to go on it but I still stood in front and imagined what it would be like to perform there. We wanted to go see a show but everything was sold out at the times we could go.

After we went to Westminster Abbey, Parliament, saw Big Ben again and of course, had to take tourist pictures in the red telephone booth.

That night we went aboard the London Eye. It was beautiful to see the city lit up at night.

London Day #4

This was a day of museums. First stop was the British Museum. We loved the Aztec exhibit best!

Second stop was lunch at Honest Burger. They had some of the best burgers and even had great specials. We will definitely go back there if we get the chance to go back to London.

Last stop was the Natural History Museum. It is always interesting to see the difference in the natural histories of different countries. It seems like every natural history museum has dinosaurs. 

Have you been to any of these places? 

Check out Part 2 coming on Thursday!