Monday, August 30, 2010

Mom's Cancer Battle


The local newspaper did a really sweet story about my mom so I thought I would share:


Mother of 'Survivor' contestant beating cancer



By Dudley Brown
Julie Dugan's throat started hurting, and she thought it was the beginning of a cold. But the symptoms lasted a few weeks.
Then, she started having a constant cough and scheduled an appointment with her family physician. Dugan, of Spartanburg, was told she had acid reflux, but the cough wouldn't cease, even with medication. She began to notice her voice was becoming a bit hoarse, but delayed seeing a gastroenterologist about the acid reflux because of a trip scheduled to visit her parents. Then, the cough got worse, and she started having trouble swallowing.
Once Dugan returned home, she made the appointment with the gastroenterologist and learned she had laryngeal cancer shortly before Thanksgiving 2008.
She and her husband, Sean, immediately left the gastroenterologist's office to have an ear, nose and throat doctor perform a biopsy and was told the cancer was Stage 4, the most advanced form of laryngeal cancer.
“We thought she was going in for a normal checkup, and the last thing we thought we'd hear was she had cancer,” said Dugan's daughter Jaime Huffman, a Spartanburg native who appeared on the CBS show “Survivor: China” in 2007.
The cancer is in remission, but Dugan and her family have experienced a roller coaster of emotions since the diagnosis nearly two years ago. There have been appointments with doctors in Spartanburg, Winston-Salem, N.C., and Houston at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. There were also weekly visits to a speech pathologist in Columbia.
An emergency tracheotomy was scheduled once the severity of the cancer was determined. That involved creating a surgical airway by making an incision in her neck. Her voice box and a small portion of her esophagus were also removed during the 2008 holiday season. She lost her voice, and her family quickly learned to read her lips.
The cancer was believed to be in remission. Then, tumors were found in her lungs and they were told she would live three months to a year. However, Dugan, who wasn't very tech savvy, started doing research on the Internet and the family scheduled an appointment with a doctor at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Dugan credits the relationship between M.D. Anderson and Spartanburg Regional Medical Center's Gibbs Cancer Center with her being able to continue her life now that the cancer is in remission after chemotherapy and radiation.
Throughout this ordeal, her family has been amazed to see how the stubbornness they've been accustomed to won't give in to cancer.
“Mom is very stubborn, and it came in handy this time in her life,” Jaime said.
Head and neck cancers are rare, and Dugan's case is even more odd because she's not a smoker.
Amy Curtis, a radiation oncologist at the Gibbs Cancer Center, said smoking and exposure to some chemicals are the most common causes of head and neck cancers. Curtis said 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with head and neck cancers a year compared to 170,000 people who are found to have lung cancer. Plus, people tend to brush off the small lump they might feel on their neck.
“Most of these are caught later because people feel a knot on their neck and think it will go away,” Curtis said.
Curtis said physicians often can't see the larynx, which is a 2-inch-long, tube-shaped organ in the neck used to breathe, talk and swallow. Patients are advised to see an ear, nose and throat doctor who check for laryngeal cancer by using a mirror comparable to ones used by dentists to see the back of the throat. Endoscopes are sometimes used, too. Curtis said smokers are most likely to have a doctor begin checking for laryngeal cancer. Initially, patients who have never smoked are often prescribed antibiotics, and they could be asked to give their voice rest if hoarseness is one of the symptoms being presented.
Curtis said if laryngeal cancer is caught in Stage 1, patients have a 95 percent survival rate after having part of the vocal chord removed or seven weeks of radiation. She said between 25 and 40 percent of patients diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in Stage 4 survive. Like any cancer, it's important to stop the spread of the disease, so that's why a voice box with cancerous cells is often removed.
“It's a difficult surgery to go through,” Curtis said. “We try to use organ prevention as much as we can.” Once a person loses their voice box, they have to find a new way to communicate. Dugan whispers, and she carries a dry erase board with her. Her younger daughter, Jenna, a psychology major at USC Upstate, would often drive 20 minutes from campus to check on her mom between classes because phone calls and texts often didn't work.
“When she wouldn't text me I didn't know if she was OK, so I would drive 20 minutes to check on her for five minutes,” Jenna said.
However, there is hope of speaking again, and Dugan is determined to do it.
Erica McCarthy, a speech pathologist with the Gibbs Cancer Center, said there are four options laryngeal cancer patients can choose from to begin orally communicating again. Three of the options include using devices, such as an electrolarynx that vibrates words out after a person mouths them. McCarthy said esophageal speech, the option chosen by Dugan, is the most difficult option. It involves forcing air into the esophagus to speak with a new voice.
“That says something about her wanting to try something others might throw off and not consider,” McCarthy said of Dugan.
McCarthy said Dugan is one of the most dedicated patients she's had, but they stopped meeting so Dugan could work with a Columbia speech pathologist specializing in esophageal speech. However, that process has been hindered because of the scar tissue formed in her esophagus after six weeks of radiation, which caused her throat to shrink. She visits a doctor every six weeks to have her throat stretched. Dugan wrote that the goal is to get her throat a certain size so she'll be able to eat solid foods again and receive a trachea esophageal puncture, which will allow her to redirect air to speak.
She's been touched by the many people who've taken time to read her lips and those who've done nice things for the family, including pray.
The whole experience has made her family even closer. Jenna, who was attending school in Wilmington, N.C., returned home to help Sean care for Dugan. He works in Charlotte, N.C. Huffman and her husband, Erik, a Greenville native also appearing on “Survivor” returned to the area from Nashville, Tenn., to be closer to the family. The Huffmans live on Lake Lure. They're also expecting a son in about five weeks. He'll be the Dugans' first grandchild.
“That's another huge reason to fight my illness,” Dugan wrote in an essay describing her experience. “I want to see him and hopefully others grow up.”

35 Weeks



How far along?   35 Weeks! (SO close)
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How big is the baby?  5 1/4 pounds (think honeydew melon)
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Weight gain?  At the end of my 35th week I gained 28 pounds! Putting on the belly. I am still able to wear my wedding rings but I have a feeling they won't fit for too much longer.
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Stretch Marks? Don't think so. Still can't see much of the belly these days. And I have no idea how my feet are doing down there. I think they are getting a little fat though. My right shoes feel a little tight.
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Sleep? I am getting used to feeling uncomfortable and have put myself to sleep faster this week. But when I wake up, I ache. My neck aches, my shoulders ache. I guess I will just have to get another prenatal massage!
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Best moment of the week? When I went in for my appointment on Tuesday, I had to go in for an unexpected ultrasound. The doctor couldn't tell which way the baby was positioned. I was kind of nervous and hoped he wasn't breeched. The ultrasound showed he was in perfect position and there is plenty of fluid for the little guy. So that was a big relief!
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Food and cravings? I eat a lot now. I feel like he is so big at this point that he must need quite a bit of food. I guess my cravings have been chocolate milkshakes. I still love to call all of my normal favorites "cravings." It makes me feel less guilty when I grab my second milkshake for the day.
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Movement? His little feet are now right at my side and he has a very strong kick. My belly looks like a bowl of Jello moving around all day.
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What I miss?  I miss feeling normal. I literally feel like an oompa loompa. Erik has to help me up. I can't lift things. I am pretty independent so relying on other people for help for the simple things has been a little difficult.
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Belly Button?  It is flat. no more belly button. 
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Looking forward to?  I can't wait for our "babymoon" in Wild Dunes. I am so ready. 
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Milestone? Harper is in position and ready to go!

Sorry! *I still need to get a recent photo of this belly!*

Here are some photos of the paintings I did for the nursery. I still have several more to paint. I had a really hard time finding paintings that I loved. So, I decided to be brave and try to paint them myself. I have not painted since the 5th grade. Literally. I was worried I would just waste a bunch of money on paint and canvases but I actually like how they turned out. I tried to match his little quilt. And I figured sea creatures were appropriate.

I finished sailboat #1- (there are going to be three total)



And I finished the little seahorse-


I started on a crab and I am going to do two more sailboats (with the numbers "1 and 2" on their sails) and possibly an octopus. Any other fun ideas that I should try?

A tip for other moms who are considering to start painting-

Sign up for the Hobby Lobby newsletter. Once you do, you receive an e-mail with a coupon almost every week. Quite often it is for 40% off. So I buy one canvas a week. It saved a ton of money and I knew I would feel less guilty if I mess one up. I also waited to buy most of my brushes until they went on sale. Two weeks ago, all of the brushes in the store were 50% off. And then I got the paints when they were on sale. So it really didn't cost much to start up this new little hobby!

And here is a photo of his new crib put together. It looks black in the pictures but it is actually expresso.








Now that the new furniture is in, we can start decorating! I am going to try to hurry and and finish these paintings so we can put them up on the wall. We area waiting on a window valence from Pottery Barn kids. And we ordered a custom glider/rocker so hopefully it will be ready before the little guy gets here. Once we start putting all of the details together, I will post photos so you can see what it looks like.


Jaime

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Men: If Your Wife is Pregnant, these tips could save your life!

I saw this article in the Baby Furniture Plus Kids catalogue and had to share. It is HILARIOUS!!! I have to admit, Erik has been the perfect hubby throughout the entire pregnancy. I think he has this list down. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.


Men: If Your Wife is Pregnant, these tips could save your life

By- Eric Ruhalter

If your wife is pregnant you are on the verge of your life's greatest joy. However, you're also in tremendous danger. Pregnant women have surging hormones. If you find PMS difficult to navigate, pregnancy will open your eyes to a while new world of slippery slopes. Mind you, she deserves the courtesy and the special attention. By and large your contribution to the birth if this child involves doing something every man want to do day and night anyway. And until you've peed a grapefruit, you'll never really quite understand what you're wife's going to go through when having your baby. So take heed...
  • Your pregnant wife had an internal instinct to "Nest." "Nesting" is a quaint way of saying. spending way too much money on decorating a nursery and buying baby stuff. LET HER! And when she's nesting and asks your opinion about something, you better have one or pretend you do. Do your best to have the same opinion as her. 
  • You'll get ultrasound photos on some of your visits to the Obstetrician. These images will look nothing like anything. It's like looking at a Doppler radar weather map. However, you should coo at this photo as if it were the actual baby alive in your lap, or your wife will think you're "not excited." Do not ever be "not excited." Always be "excited."
  • When selecting baby names first offer to name the child after your wife's dad. Even if his name is something really stupid.
  • Pregnant women have "cravings" for particular foods. With your mouth closed, you should acquire said food for her at the first mention of any such food. If you have any misgivings about your wife getting heavy while pregnant, you should make absolutely sure that you never ever under any circumstances mention, allude to or even hint at them.
  • Repeat after me" "Honey, from behind you, you can't even tell that you're pregnant!" 
  • In the later stages of pregnancy when she's at max size, refrain from providing large dinosaur footstep sound effects when she's walking across the room, "KOOSH!! KOOSH!! KOOSH!!!" Same goes for making beeping truck-in-reverse sounds effects any time she moves backwards
  • In the delivery room, don't say: "The baby's almost out. How come you still look fat?"
I strongly urge you to heed this advice, as your wife in her hormonal state is significantly more likely to set fire to you while you sleep. So just help out as much as you can, shut up, and rub her feet. And Congratulations! 

Great article right!?! I think all the preggo ladies should print it out and post it on their fridge for their husbands to see! Ha

And here are some photos of some of the fun "Nautical" items we got for Harper's nursery. Still working on it but it is really turning out cute!!! The glider should be here in a few weeks! YAY!!!

This is the sweet pillow Erik's Aunt Sharon made for Harper. I am in LOVE!! 



And this is his octopus rocking chair. Is even sings!! Hehe. You can find them here! 


Jaime

Thursday, August 26, 2010

This is My Confession


I have a confession to make, I love rap music. Always have and always will. I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale... we had an actual class in middle school called "funk aerobics." What do you expect? Now with this love of rap music comes a love of hip hop dancing. Or as I like to call it, "booty dancing." I am currently fascinated with one dance in particular, "the dougie." The song is called, "Teach Me How to Dougie" and it cracks me up. Now if I tried to "get low" in this part of my pregnancy, I would literally hit the floor. So, I am not going to try this dance anytime soon. But I have enjoyed watching all of the hilarious YouTube videos of people trying to do the dougie. I still have no idea how to do this particular dance. It is not easy like the macarana. I like those dances that say "hands up, move side to side." The dougie doesn't seem to have clear instructions. After watching a good 25 YouTube videos about this dance, I have determined that Chris Brown has perfected the Dougie. Man that boy can dance.

This is how you dougie.



This is how you DO NOT "do the dougie!" Warning- this video is a little graphic and I hate to admit it, but I laughed pretty hard while watching it. But the guy in the video is okay!



So now that you all have had your gangster rap lesson of the day, I need your help! Miss Brooke from Shrimp & Glitz, entered this photo of her boyfriend Brice into the Southern Tide, "I'm On A Boat," photo contest. She needs about 20 more "likes" to seal the deal and win a gift certificate from Southern Tide. I think she did an awesome job. The photo is HYSTERICAL. And we would really appreciate it if you took about 5 seconds to "like" this photo for her on Facebook.



All you have to do is click HERE!  and "like" Southern Tide. Once you are a fan of Southern Tide you can click "like" on Brooke's photo and it will count it as a vote.

And for those of you who are unfamiliar with the southern and preppy clothing line, you MUST check it out!! The polos are FABULOUS. They don't shrink in the wash and they fit WAY better than any Lacoste or Ralph Lauren polo that I own.

Here is the hubby rocking one of their gorgeous dress shirts. Love it!




Jaime

To Nip or not to nip!?


I always assumed we wore bras for support and to conceal the "nip." Or in some cases to add a little perk to our bust. Awhile back, I went into a Victoria's Secret and the saleslady asked if I had tried on the Miraculous Bra. She immediately grabbed one in my size and told me to try it on, and that I would be amazed. And whoa was I ever! Dolly Parton didn't have a thing on me with that sucker on. But honestly, it was too much. Too much cleavage! This bra is actually designed to up the “gals” two cup sizes. TWO! Now that is serious.

Miraculous Bra
Then I saw this, a Victoria Secret Miraculous bra made with nipples!?!? Who would have thought we would see the day when nipping was the in thing to do? Ha!



I am trying to think about a time where this would be appropriate or even necessary? I think it is a great option for some women who have had a mastectomy, that extra feature might really make someone else feel more feminine. But besides that, I am having a hard time... Would any of you ladies want a nipple bra? If so, what would you wear it with?


Apparently in the 1970's the nipple bra was in. It was made to give women the look that they were not wearing a bra when in fact they had one on. Here is an ad from the 70's. It says, "The look is so provocative, no one would believe you're actually wearing a bra yet you get all of the support you want. Our exclusive braless-look-bra is the very first bra to have its own built in nipple. Imagine having that sensual cold weather look all the time. It's so sexy, it'll give your shape a whole new eye-opening dimension." HILARIOUS.


So what do you think? Should the nipple bra make a fashion comeback? Or is this a giant FAIL!?
Jaime

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

34 weeks

Just realized I forgot to post this last week! I will post 35 weeks tomorrow. :)

How big is the baby-  he weighs about 4 3/4 pounds. He is the size of a cantaloupe! And he is almost 18 inches long. We have finally reached the "safe zone." Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. So I feel good!

Weight gain? As of last Monday, I have gained 22 pounds. My tummy measured exactly where it supposed to be... so he is growing!!


Stretch Marks? None that i can see. But my belly is so big, I can only see the top side. I have no idea how preggo women shave their legs at this point.

Maternity Clothes? I officially need maternity clothes. I have about 5 dresses that I am rotating between right now. I hate to spend money on maternity clothes with only a few weeks to go!

Sleep? I feel pretty uncomfortable for the most part. I have a hard time getting settled into bed and tend to toss and turn until I finally find a suitable spot. But I still sleep through the night. And I sleep in. And I take naps. I need as much sleep as I can get right now because in a few weeks I am going to be sleep deprived! And I pretty much feel exhausted all day every day!

Best Moment of the Week? I had a healthy checkup with the doctor on Monday! I met with one of the other doctors in the practice. His name is Dr. Pereyo and I really liked him! Erik had the day off work so he was able to join me. We also had great news yesterday. Erik was cast for a Delta commercial. So he is heading to Atlanta to film on an airplane tomorrow. I will miss him but we are both excited he was able to take this fun opportunity. And we picked out a new crib and dresser!!! Man, this was a good week!

Food Cravings? Chocolate milk. Love it! And the Publix brand is the best!

Name? Still Harper!

Movement? Still moving a lot. More at night than during the day. He is a night owl like me!

What I Miss? Walking properly. I feel like I waddle. And I miss my cute clothes. And Sangria.
Jaime

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I Want To Be Martha!

Let's face it, most of us will never compare to Martha. She is a domestic goddess. And she actually gets paid to be crafty. I want to be Martha. But I am still learning the basics. I made my first pot roast this week. I felt pretty good about that. It was very tasty and Erik seemed impressed. It was the first time I  used my Crock-pot. HA! Man, I like Crock-pot cooking. It is so easy and the flavor is so good after sitting around and roasting all day! I wish I would have tried out this slow cooker sooner. Now that I tried out a new entree this week, I decided I should try out a fun dessert. I have some fresh peaches from a local farm that I need to use so I looked up cobbler recipes. I found an amazing recipe from Paula Deen for a dutch oven peach cobbler. Only problem, I don't have a dutch oven. Last year, I shopped around for dutch ovens. I love Le Creuset (the Caribbean colored cookware is my favorite!) and I really wanted to get some Le Creuset cookware but decided to wait until I would use it more.

I found one on sale. Isn't it pretty?!


Do any of you all have a dutch oven? If so, do you use it often? Maybe if I show this recipe to my hubby, it will motivate him to buy me a dutch oven! hehe Although, when I told him I was researching dutch ovens, he thought it was some form of passing gas... lovely!


Here is the recipe I found. I am hungry thinking about it!

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients


2 (16-ounce) cans sliced peaches in heavy or light syrup, or in fruit juice, your choice
1 pint fresh blueberries, optional
1/2 cup baking mix (recommended: Bisquick)
1/3 cup sugar
Ground cinnamon


Topping:


2 1/4 cups baking mix (recommended: Bisquick)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
Cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup sugar combined with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; store in an empty spice shaker jar; shake well before each use)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Spray a Dutch oven with vegetable oil cooking spray


Drain 1 can of the peaches. Combine both cans of peaches, including the juice from the undrained can, the blueberries, if using, the baking mix, sugar, and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Place this mixture into the Dutch oven.


To make the topping: Combine the biscuit mix, sugar, butter, and milk in a resealable plastic bag. Drop bits of dough, using your fingers, on top of the peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.


Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crusty.

Wedding Bells are Ringing!


Two of my best friends just got engaged!!!! Congrats to Kent and Marisa  & Cissy and Kevin! Look at how cute these couples are:

Soon to be Mrs. Marisa Cecil and Kent

Soon to be Mrs. Cissy Kalkwarf and Kevin!

I can't wait for their weddings next year. Cissy is getting married in Charleston, SC and Marisa is having a destination wedding in Turks and Caicos! Woo hoo!

Marisa already picked out the bridesmaid dresses and I love them! It is the Kendall Dress Silk Habotai in "Do the Wave"




I went ahead and bought it in a size 4. Now that is wishful thinking considering I have no idea what my body is going to do post-baby. But I found it on sale and I couldn't resist. Plus, I think it will be great motivation to workout and get rid of any baby weight. 

Does anyone know how this dress tends to run? Is it pretty true to size? Sometimes the one shoulder dresses are a little bigger than the other Lilly dresses. Please share if you have any insight!

I spent most of my day looking for 7 of these dresses on sale for the other girls. I had pretty good luck and found 4 on sale. If anyone knows of any Lilly stores with this particular dress on sale, please let me know. We need several more for the rest of the bridesmaids and they are still listed for $268 on the actual Lilly website.

Congrats again MARISA AND CISSY! So happy for yall!!! 
Jaime

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Wild Dunes It is!!



I am so excited! I just booked a room at the Wild Dunes Resort in September! I absolutely love Wild Dunes! Erik and I had our wedding and reception at the resort and it was absolutely PERFECT!!! The staff is top-notch and the location is ideal. The 560-room complex is inside a gated island community has two miles of beach, two championship Tom Fazio–designed golf courses, 17 tennis courts, four pools and more spread over 1,600 acres. It is breathtaking!

I was thrilled when I saw a sale on Gilt this afternoon for rooms at Wild Dunes. Many of the rooms are on sale at almost half of the normal cost!!

Erik and I decided to officially take a trip to Wild Dunes for our last celebration before little mister gets here! For $100 per night, you really can't beat it. Plus it will give me one last chance for R&R before Harper arrives!

If you are interested in getting a room for the special sale, you have to sign up for Gilt. It is a free membership and I have received some amazing deals on the website! You can sign up for Gilt Jet Setter HERE! It provides all sorts of vacation deals. New ones are available weekly. The Wild Dunes special is only on for a few days so make sure you check it out soon if you are planning a trip in the near future.

Have any of yall been to Wild Dunes? If so, what are your favorite activities to do while you are there?

Jaime

Had to Share!




Someone just shared this adorable video with me via Twitter. Thank you to whoever made this for us. You did a wonderful job and we really enjoyed watching it. I have to admit, Survivor has some of the most amazing and loyal fans out there! We appreciate all of the love and support!

Jaime

Friday, August 20, 2010

New Blog Design and Updated Blog Roll


Wow this week went by fast! I can't believe it is Friday!! Well I am happy to share my new and improved blog design with you all. It is pretty similar to the old design. I kept my header... just added a sweet slogan. Now I have those nice little tabs on the top. I figured they would allow things to stay a little more organized.

I have a new section called "blogroll." I think I am going to have to utilize it by posting other blogs buttons in the post. I went ahead and did an example of three blogs that I read that had buttons. I think it looks pretty cute. So if you would like me to add your "button" to the blogroll, just comment and I will add it to the page. I would appreciate it if you added mine to your page as well.

I also have a new "giveaway" section. So if your blog is currently sponsoring a giveaway... let me know and I will add it to the page!

I have a divider between each post, a pink tomato vine! ha And I finally have a signature, sporting the pink palmetto of course! What do you think?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

PS- Getting excited about football season! GO COCKS! 

Jaime

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

My Dream Crib!


Erik and I already bought a crib and dresser for Harper's nursery. We actually purchased it several months ago. But we were buying within a strict budget, so I didn't get my "dream crib." I loved the crib we bought and I was thankful for it but I knew it was not quite what I hoped for.

I did quite a bit of research on cribs and found several that I loved! One of my favorite crib lines is "Baby's Dream." I like their crib designs because they have a patented feature called the "safety gate."

I like the safety-gate cribs for three reasons:

#1) There is added safety for your baby.
#2) It makes it much easier to reach your baby.
#3) In the long run it would actually save me money because it comes with a free toddler bed conversion and your baby can stay in the crib an extra 6-8 months, due to the deepest mattress level in the industry and the extra height the gate adds. 

The difference between a normal crib and one with a safety gate is the fact that safety-gate cribs have a top portion (6-9") that folds down. You just push in the finger latch on both the left and right side at the same time to fold the gate down quietly. When in up position, the gate is safely locked closed.

The reason I like this feature is because it helps protect your baby. The safety-gate cribs require the arm span of an adult to operate, adding safety by preventing other small children from accessing the baby and once in place the safety gate locks closed. With the safety-gate, babies are less able to climb out, due to the extra height the gate provides. And there is a beveled hinge that prevents fingers from getting pinched.

And because the crib is up to 9 extra inches deeper, it makes it easier to reach into crib to put baby to sleep or change sheets. This is most helpful between ages 1-2 when child weighs 20-25 lbs and the mattress is at the lowest level. Luckily Erik and I are pretty tall but I think this is really beneficial for our friends, family, and babysitters that are shorter and could really benefit us if I have to get a C-section.

The video I posted is from YouTube and it shows you exactly how the safety-gate works. Pretty cool right!?

But these cribs were a little out of our budget... SO I went with another crib that was very cute but it didn't have the safety-gate feature that I had wished for. Then Erik surprised me. He started a new "real job" this week and because of this wonderful new employment opportunity we could get my dream crib! Yay!! 

Baby Furniture Plus Kids in Greenville carries the "Baby's Dream" product line. So we went and picked out my favorite crib with the safety-gate feature! I LOVE IT!!! It is from the "Legendary" collection. And we decided to go with the expresso finish. It is really cool because it converts to a toddler bed and an actual full-size bed! So Harper can keep this crib for years. Here are some photos. This is not the color we picked but it gives you an idea of what the crib looks like.


And this is the dresser we went with. We didn't get the hutch but I love the size of the dresser! 


And this is the crib converted to a full-size bed.

I am so excited I can hardly stand it! I think we are going to try to pick it up tomorrow! And hopefully Erik won't mind putting together another crib!!! :) 

If you are looking for baby or children furniture in the Upstate you should check out Baby Furniture Plus Kids. It is a family-run business and they have another location in Columbia. They have over 100 cribs/beds in their showroom and I was really impressed with their selection. You can find a crib in any price range. And they carry several cribs with the safety-gate feature! Here is their information:


Greenville location:

3620 Pelham Rd #1
Greenville, SC 29615

phone - 864-284-0920
fax - 864-284-0921

Business Hours
Monday - Saturday 10am-6pm
Fridays 10am-8pm
Sunday noon-6pm

**They even have a clearance warehouse in Greenville with some amazing pieces at HUGE discounts! The clearance warehouse is open daily from 2-6pm.**

Driving Directions:

From 85 Northbound
Exit 54 Pelham Road. Take left turn off exit
1/2 mile take Left into "EarthFare Center"
We are on the left hand side of EarthFare
From 85 Southbound
Exit 54 Pelham Road. Take right turn off exit
1/2 mile take Left into "EarthFare Center"
We are on the left hand side of EarthFare

Jaime

Baby Announcements!

I have this crazy idea stuck in my head that once the baby gets here, I am not going to have time to do anything for awhile. I made a long to-do list to try to accomplish before his arrival.

Fifth on the list is gathering all my friends and family's current contact information. I want to make sure we have all the numbers stored in Erik's cell so he can make the phone calls when Harper arrives. And I want to have everyone's address for the baby announcements.

I have found it REALLY difficult to keep up with everyone's address information. I swear my friends and family move on a regular basis. Erik and I just moved in June and I am thinking about ordering those cute little "we moved" cards to send out. Because I am having a heck of a time figuring out which friends live where. So I figure if everyone sent out these cards, life would be easier.

But anyways, back to the baby announcements... I looked up several websites that carry announcements but I think I am going to stick to what I know which is Shutterfly. We used Shutterfly for our Christmas cards last year and they were BEAUTIFUL!!

Here are my favorite picks from the Shutterfly website:






Which one do you like the best? I think they are all pretty darn cute! 

One of my favorite things about Shutterfly is the fact that you can set-up an account and it allows you to save all of your addresses online. Then you can pay a little extra and they will actually address and stamp the envelopes for you and send them out. We haven't decided if we are going to take that route but it is a nice option to have!! 

Right now you can get free shipping on orders $30 or more. You just have to put in the coupon code "Ship30" at checkout. 

So what do you think? Do you like any of those announcements? Do you have any other websites or stores you recommend? 

Jaime

Friday, August 13, 2010

Flashback Friday

Here are some fun photos from college I wanted to share:

Carolina Tailgate! GO COCKS!


Survivor Premiere

Tao in NYC

Hollywood Blvd. in LA


Katana in Los Angeles 

Ledux Nightclub in LA

Jaime
 
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