Owen's Nursery!

I've wanted to post this for a long time now but really, when is his nursery this clean? Like never. We either have something missing because Owen has massively spit up, clothes that need to be hung back up, blankets and books all over, etc etc. For once, I decided to make darn sure Owen's nursery was clean for even just a few minutes of picture-taking so that I could finally share with you what his room looks like!

Owen's Nursery!

View from the doorway, nothing too special. As you can see, we have some weird slanted walls that come down pretty low behind the crib. I wish it were a tad bit higher so I could do something there - I'm thinking maybe bunting of some sort to liven it up...

Behind the door is the extra stash of diapers, wipes and of course, the keep-the-diaper-nasties-and-smellies to a minimum. Worth every penny.

 Surprisingly, Owen loves this spot (for the most part). Though he has moments of tears and crankiness when we have to change his clothes, Owen loves to get his diaper changed. He smiles and coos like crazy, even in the middle of the night or early morning.

My favorite part of the room is this gallary wall. He LOVES it. I'm not exactly sure why because he probably can't see it laying down...

Sources:  O is for Owen  |  All That Awesome  |  to the moon  |  designs

nothing too exciting here, except an odd smell if we-keep-items-with-spit-up-in-there-for-too-long-and-don't-realize-it-until-it-smells-realllllly-bad...yeah, if I can smell it, it's bad. I don't have the best sense of smell.

Owen has slept in his crib since day 2 or 3 after coming home. He does so darn well going down for naps and bedtime but will wake up after his first sleep cycle and have troubles falling back to sleep. We will either let him try to settle himself (works half the time) or give him his paci and turn on the white noise machine.

One of Owen's favorite activities right now is listening to us read him a book, any book. Most of the time, little man has the cutest smiles on his face. I do believe this was the first time he smiled up at me too. After awhile, he gets super calm, then sleepy and if we read for too long - cranky. This is what we try to do after his more stimulating activities and right before naps and bedtime. This picture shows all the books he has right now - When his library grows, we'll have to come up with a different storage idea. All of his blankets are in the corner too.

 I have plans to have a wall of photos by the rocking chair and nightstand now that we have the newborn photos back. Get excited! I may try my hand at making a DIY canvas print. They are so pretty but soooo darn expensive. Mpix, give me a discount? Please and thank you! Otherwise, if you've ventured in to this DIY craft, let me know if there's any tricks I should know about. I'd also love to do something with some of my favorite instragram pics using Ink361 or minted.

The closet holds lots of Owen's goodies like diapers,clothes, toys, socks, hats, shoes, more blankets, extra crib sheets, changing pad covers and pack&play sheets. And something I haven't quite come to terms with yet - all his newborn-sized clothing. I've stopped dressing him in this size (though some items may still fit) and it feels so weird. My man is getting longer and longer!

As Owen is getting longer and longer, he's also getting stronger and stronger. His legs are always kicking and it looks like he's always doing little baby crunches. Gary is certain that he'll be rolling over in no time. The playmat helps him develop his strength. It doesn't always stay in the closet but it sure makes the room look bigger when it is!

Last but not least, the two items that keep Owen the most comfortable: space heater and humidifier. We unplug both if we are going to be out of the room for any extended period of time, thus the pile of cords underneath the humidifier.


Hope you enjoyed Owen's nursery tour! It's a small room but functional. When we have to put another little body in there (since we only have two bedrooms in this house), we'll do some rearranging, but I know it will work because the old owners did it!

Little Mr. {Two Months}

Our Little Mr. just keeps growing and growing right underneath my nose! Owen is now TWO WHOLE MONTHS old and is really starting to become more than a little squishy newborn.

He loves to smile and is starting to coo more and more. And his head control? For reals - I thought that it wasn't coming along so well because when we put him on his tummy - he just licks the play mat. I paid more attention to when I was burping him on my shoulder and noticed OH MY - he's holding his head up for a looooooooong time. Exciting! (He still needs more neck control though as you'll notice in the picture below. Yikes! I promise I only kept him in that pose for the .03 seconds it took to take the photo!) Owen is doing well with tracking sounds, voices and lights too. I love when I can start talking and he'll turn his head and give me the biggest gummy smile. So cute. I can also tell he's using his legs more and more - Owen loves to kick!

Owen has been on formula since just after Thanksgiving and while it has made a HUGE difference for both of us, we are still trying to figure it all out. He seems to be a happy spitter (thankfully!) but he sure is fidgety and sometimes fussy during many of his feedings. Though ever since we switched from a soy-based formula back to the Walmart brand of similac sensitive, he's been doing so much better - not as much gas or constipation which I hope will last. It's hard to see him struggle and cry.

Our last official measurements of Little Mr. were from waaaaay back when he was two weeks old. Imagine my excitement for his two-month appointment. Yeah, I know, he was to also get the first round of vaccinations, but I COULD NOT WAIT. Here are his stats:

Newborn (11/16/2013)                  
Weight: 7 lb 9 oz           
Height: 20 1/4 in

2-Week Appointment (12/2/2013)
Weight: 7 lb 12 oz
Height: 21 in

2-Month Appointment (1/14/2014)
Weight: 10 lb 9 oz
Height: 22 7/8 in

I could never tell when he was going through a growth spurt so was so glad to see that he was in fact growing!

The not so fun part was that Owen got his first round of vaccines that day as well. He did really well in my opinion. He didn't like getting the shots but was able to stop crying shortly after. He was due to eat at 4pm but slept for an extra hour and had a full feeding (4oz). We decided to feed on demand which was a good thing because we definitely noticed a difference when he woke up for his next feeding (turned out to be every 3 hours like we had been doing anyway). Over the course of the next 12-15 hours, Owen got three different doses of infant acetaminophen, once at 8pm for discomfort, once at 1:45a for a 100.6 fever and lastly at 8am for a fever of 100.0 (he did not have a fever at 5am). Despite a low fever and minor discomfort I saw some smiles throughout the night and much less crying than the late evening the night before. Such a relief! He seemed to be mostly back to normal all day yesterday. The only reaction that I think is still in play is his lack of appetite. He isn't quite back to eating 4 full ounces but eats more often so he's still getting the same amount each day.

Looking ahead, I go back to work next week. I am excited to go back but nervous too. I have a lot to learn and will be adjusting as a new working mama too. My hope is that I can get enough sleep! We'll see how that goes :) Right now, I anticipate having to feed him once in the early morning hours which isn't so bad.

Here he is at two months!

Catch up on Owen's First Year!
ONE 

What's for Dinner {20} - Tomato Bisque

I have wanted to make this FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I, however, have very little skill in creating a good soup. Though I haven't quite craved tomatoes like I used to since Owen was born, it is slowly coming back to me. I do love my tomatoes. So, today I finally mustered up the courage to try it out (without a solid recipe, mind you!)

Here's my own rendition of Tomato Bisque

- 3 T butter
- medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tsp of chopped garlic
- 2 (28oz) cans of whole tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
- 1 T fresh basil, chopped
- 1 3/4 c heavy cream
- s&p to taste

1. Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onions and garlic, cook until softened.

2. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes and basil. Cook until boiling on medium high heat. Turn down, let simmer for 30-45 minutes.

3. In two batches, add soup to a blender (fill only half way). Pulse to desired thickness.

4. Return soup to saucepan and whisk in heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In hindsight, I would have added a little flour in the beginning to create a little roux but oh well. It's still pretty delish!

This soup is actually going to be eating through the week - during the last week of my maternity leave (sad!) Gspice and I have already decided to have pizza tonight and I am oh so excited!

Bathroom Remodel Styleboard

When Gary and I moved in to our home over a year and a half ago, we had many ideas of what we'd like to add, update, remove, etc. Did we have the money to do any of it? Of course not. SO, we came up with a few different key things we wanted to do and are now beginning to bring some of these ideas to light. The most important thing on our list - adding a bathroom. For me, I want to at least add a toilet. With another little body that will someday use the commode, I am determined to have this second bathroom. And, if we're going to add a bathroom, why not update the existing bathroom at the same time? I know, great idea, right?

We are in the planning stages right now - we hope to get some estimates and quotes within the next month or two and plan to do a complete remodel early 2015. I would have loved to demo YESTERDAY but with lots of bills and little Owen to care for, I have to be patient. Being on maternity leave has not helped me be patient. Not in the least.

To keep me from taking a hammer to the hideous built-in box around our bathtub/shower we have now, I have tried to look for inspiration on style and colors. Thanks, Pinterest, for giving me tons and tons of ideas.

But one caught my eye.

You can see a full blog post here on Bower Power Blog (I've become a little obsessed with her blog! Love her energy!) She got inspired by the shower curtain, and honestly did I!

As of right now, I am completely in love with their bathroom - I want to take that room and put it in our house. I love how bright it is and doesn't make it look as small as it probably is. Our bathroom needs to look more open and bright and fresh to death! The art is not necessarily what I'll be going for but it definitely works in their space.

Here is my own styleboard - it's literally pictures straight from Lowes.com so it's not the prettiest. Oh well.

I look forward to getting started on some of the less intense projects throughout the year - who says I have to wait until we rip out the clawfoot tub to redo the vanity? For reals.

Stay tuned!

Hello, 2014!

I'm really excited about 2014.

So many fun things will take place and LOTS of progress on things Gary and I have planned to do for awhile. I love to see when ideas that fill my head finally start to take shape in the real world! Oh, my heart is just jumping with excitement.

For one, I cannot wait to see how Owen progresses. He is sooooooooooo darn cute with his lanky legs and little arms. I can't wait for more expressions, for him to hold his head up, for him to start crawling, etc. But, one thing I want to do is really cherish every moment because they go by so quickly!

For all my other "to-do's", I decided to create a PINTEREST CHALLENGE board with some of the things I want to accomplish this year. When I realized I already had all the necessary components for one of the projects, I went right to work!

Here is MY "This Year's To-Do List"

Supplies:
-Empty Frame
-Fabric to fit inside frame
-Dry Erase Marker