Sunday, January 31, 2010

Weekend Wrap Up

So this weekend we decided it was time to get serious about the beanette's room. All the furniture has been set up, but we still hadn't moved out Steve's HUGE bookcase and we needed to get it done. So, Saturday we packed up all the books and moved the bookcase. Once we moved it down to it's new home in the craft/office/guestroom, we thought why stop here? Let's keep it going. So we replaced her ceiling fan from an old globe fan (with 2 bulbs) to a new 4 bulb fan. It makes the room so much brighter! We also started to realize that a crib, dresser, changing table and glider were not going to fit into the room. (It's smaller than Mason's room) so we decided to move her dresser into the closet- but oh course, a problem arose- the dresser was 1 INCH TOO big for the closet! ARRRGGH! However, being the smart parents we are, we bought the same color furniture for Mason and lil' sis so that they could switch out if they ever wanted to. So we switched Mason's dresser with beanette's dresser and VOILA problem solved. Now her room is much more roomy and Mason ended up with a better dresser!

Through this all Mason has been such a trooper. Over a month ago, we removed his changing table- no problem, yesterday we moved the glider out of his room, again no biggie. However, last night we switched dressers and while his room was dresserless- he screamed bloody murder. We were both so surprised he was attached to the dresser- so we quickly finished the switch and showed him his new big boy room- he was a little better but still all night pretty cranky. I kept noticing too that he was shaking his left hand. Well, it turns out that while his room was dresserless, his lamp (which uses an old 3 way light bulb) was on the ground- he turned it on and burnt his poor little hand. I was so upset that 1) he burnt his little finger, 2) that it took me like 3 hours to figure it out, and 3)I couldn't make it better. We have been applying Aloe and it seems to be helping- today he was much better.

So that was our Saturday- after so much time working on beanette's room- we decided Sunday was Mason's Day! We took him to the mall play area to let him run free and play with mom and dad. He had such a great time and it is amazing to see how daring he is getting. He has no problem climbing the big boats, or running with the big boys. I remember the first time we brought him there, all he would do was run around and look at the toy structures- now he is unstoppable on them! We also went to do some research on double strollers- we are pretty sure we want a double jogger, so we started researching today.I think we have it narrowed down, we just have to see if our top choice will fit the infant car seat.

It doesn't feel like Sunday, probably because I have Jury Duty tomorrow so Steve is taking the day to play Mr. Mom. I'll let you know how jury duty goes and once the room looks a little better I'll take pictures to post!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

MOMtourage

I just want to say how blessed I feel to have such great mom friends in my life. I love my sisters, my mom and all my friends back home in the south. But it is these women, my momtourage in Seattle, the ones I see daily, share my frustrations, triumphs, struggles and rewards of motherhood with that keep me sane and happy. I have quite a few friends who are pregnant or recently became moms and my one piece of advice- that I would encourage you to take over anything else people tell you- is to find some mom friends and create your very own momtourage. They will get you through anything- when you need to cry, they will be a shoulder, when you need to vent they will listen, when you have to laugh, they will understand the joke and laugh with you. When you wonder if you are a good mom, if what your child is doing is normal, they will be your insurance. And you will be a better mom, friend, wife, because of them. I can't begin to explain how these last 18 months would have been different if it weren't for these women. There have been rough times, and their have been amazingly great times, but through them all, I have known I was not alone. AND not only do I love them, I love their children. I love that everytime I see Avery she runs over to say hello or pulls me away to show me something that she is excited about. I love that Ryan likes to point out every toy and tell me what they are (yes the boy is that verbal) I love that Mason feels safe with Paige and Will. I love that Creede and Finny are Mason's little walking buddies. I love that Mason sees his friends at the park and runs over to greet them! I don't know why today I realized how much my momtourage means to me, but for whatever reason, it did and I felt like I had to share. So to these women, you know who you are- thank you for being you and for accepting me for me. :)


On a lighter note- Mason had his 18th month appointment yesterday.

He weighs 24lbs 10oz.

He is 32 inches tall.

He has moved to a booster seat.

He loves eating things by himself- including applesauce and yogurt.

He has 12 teeth and two more trying to break through.

He is the sweetest thing and I couldn't love anyone more!


Thursday, January 21, 2010

Mason Hanging from a Bar

Mason and I attended a little gym preview class and we learned how to hang from a bar. That weekend we went out to the park to show off our new skills to Steve. I was so proud of Mason hanging for as long as he did! We enjoyed the class, but the semester runs until June so we are gonna pass this time.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Mason the Chef

Yesterday, we were waiting on a new fridge to be delivered and I got bored (and hungry) so we decided to make cookies. Mason seemed interested, so I pulled a chair up and let him help. It was one of the best activities we have done together. He helped me measure the oats and chips and even poured them into the mixing bowl. Once the mixer was on, he liked watching it stir everything up. Once the first batch came out I let him taste test a cookie for me and he liked it. He loved the milk more, which isn't surprising since he LOVES milk and eventually chose milk over the cookie.



Overall it was a great day. I love having these moments with Mase and know that as he gets older they will only get better!

Tasting the Ingriedents




Waiting to add the flour


Mason with the Mixer



Thinking about eating the cookie



MMMM. GOOD!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Beanette's Nursery

A lot of people have asked if we have decided what to do with our little girls nursery and we have! So I thought I would share some of the details. We are moving her into the office/guest room. We have already begun moving everything out and only have the bookcase left before it is empty. The walls are painted chocolate brown and my goal is to keep them that color. I love the color and painting with a toddler sounds a little crazy to me! We ordered her crib and dresser at the end of December and they came yesterday! We went with the expresso finish as this matches Mason's set so if they want to switch dressers when they are older they can. Both of their cribs are convertible and can be made into toddler beds, then full size, so we are keeping Mason in his bed but will try to see if he likes the toddler bed.

As for the bedding, I love the Penelope crib bedding set AND luck would have it, PB sent me a coupon for 20% off one item. When we met to get our pieces- they had a special on three pieces sold together, so the sweet saleslady gave us the 20% off the 3 piece special and let us use the coupon to buy the fourth piece of the set so it was complete! We have the bumper, quilt, bed skirt and a sheet. I will need to get a few more sheets but we will wait until the have another sale.

My other big plan for the nursery is to monogram beanette's initials on the wall. So I am hoping we will have a name picked out before she comes, and then I can go ahead and monogram it. (we will still keep the name a secret but you may at least come closer to guessing! So without further adue. Here are pictures of the bedroom furniture and bedding!

This is the crib


This is the dresser


This is the bedding!