Baby Boy's Room

Recently I changed up my little man's room. It was looking a little unfortunate with not much besides some of the leftover stuff he had inherited from his sister's gender-neutral nursery. My husband kept complaining that our son didn't have a boy's room, but really he just didn't have a room that was his own apart from some new sheets and curtains.

Here are a couple of really old "before" pictures just so you can get the idea (and apparently they're a little blurry!)

The brown curtains were a use-what-you've-got situation and they've long since gone to goodwill.

So those pictures make the old nursery look really sad and empty but it didn't feel that way in reality... okay maybe a little, but let's move on!

The new baby boy room has a definite theme going on but I tried to stay away from the store-bought sports stuff. I did keep it a little cute because he's still just a little guy after all and a mama only has so long before he's not going to want anything remotely cute.

I gathered a handful of old UCLA t-shirts that we had and wrapped them around canvases that I found on sale at Michael's a while ago. I just wrapped them, centered them, and stapled them to the back of the canvas, then trimmed the excess fabric. The little one in the middle is baby brother's first Bruin shirt and the one in the upper left corner was my first. I didn't cut those ones for sentimental reasons and just used clear packing tape to flatten them on the back of the canvas. It was a super easy and cheap project.

The framed pictures are illustrations from a children's book that Coach John Wooden co-authored based on his Pyramid of Success. The book is a great way to teach kids all the qualities that the legendary John Wooden felt led a person to success, which he defined as reaching one's personal best. What a great message for little ones! I just color-copied some of my favorite illustrations and framed them in the dollar store frames that used to hang in the dining room.

So there you have it. A little sporty meets a little bit of cute and makes a fun room for our one year old baby boy. 

Linking to...

My Funny Valentine

One of the projects I've been working on recently is a Valentine's dress for Baby. I found this tutorial at Made and I had a couple extra shirts lying around that would work well. In particular I had this red shirt that never quite fit right but had been hanging in the closet for a couple years with the tags still on. The big question is why did I even buy this shirt in the first place? Sigh.

I know the picture is awful but try to ignore that and you get the general idea. The sleeves were 3/4 length which made it a little more challenging but it worked out okay. Here is the end result minus the little sash that tied around the waist.

So cute! It looked adorable when I tried it on Baby and I had grand visions of her being so darling when we went out for our family Valentine's dinner at Islands (my favorite). Unfortunately, being a toddler and having very strong opinions these days, Baby absolutely refused to wear the dress to dinner and threw an all-out fit in protest. It was either put her in another outfit or cancel dinner and obviously Islands always wins. Sadly the Valentine's dress didn't actually get worn on V-day, but it was free and pretty easy so no great loss. Maybe another time. Happy belated Valentines Day!

Perfection is Not the Point... Obviously

We're doing our best to babyproof the house in order to keep up with Baby's ever-increasing mobility and interest in things other than her own toys. One of our biggest problem areas was the shelf in the living room which held all the tv components (dvd, cable, etc.) Baby viewed this area as a juicy steak just ready to be devoured. It was a constant process of pulling her away from the shelf and diverting her attention. We searched high and low for some type of armoire or enclosed shelving but everything was either the wrong size or way too pricey. Part of the problem is that we have a giant old-school monstrosity of a tv, and while a new one is on the wishlist, it's not in the budget right now. So finally this weekend we made the switch using an existing bookcase. The components don't quite fit and it's not a very eye-pleasing setup. It may not be perfect, but at least we can rest a little easier knowing that Baby is safe.

Here's the shelf before on one of its worst, most disorganized days.

And here is the new arrangement. You can see the components hang off the edge and they are on separate shelves because they need space to ventilate. But at least it's more organized and out of Baby's reach. You can also see the edge of our ginormous television. Sigh.

Perfection wasn't really possible at this point but the priority is safety so until we can afford a new setup, this will get the job done.

Before...

Baby's nursery has unfortunately remained fairly incomplete. It's pretty barren compared to many of the beautiful nurseries I've seen in magazines and online. There are odds and ends of the useful variety and toys filling space on the rug and a few framed pictures on the wall but I still haven't gotten much else done. Honestly we don't spend much time in there so I guess it hasn't bothered me a whole lot. But I'm feeling the urge to get it looking a little more finished. So here are the "befores" and hopefully the "afters" will come soon. Obviously these are the "way befores" when all we had done was paint and put together the furniture (and by we I mean the Fiance).

Cloth Diapers - Making the Switch

For a while now, I've been toying with the idea of switching over from disposables. For one, diapers are not cheap and while disposables are very convenient, it sucks to be spending so much money on something that will just end up in the trash. Just a rough estimate, but we've probably spent around $800 on diapers alone in the past year. That's not counting the money for wipes either. (That may not sound like that much to some people but keep in mind that Baby is only 1 year and probably at least a year from potty training.) That $800 also accounts for approximately 2700 diapers. Two thousand seven hundred. Aside from the cost, it's a well known fact that diapers are right up there with cat litter when it comes to biodegradability. The diapers go straight to the landfill where they will sit for approximately 300-500 years before they even start to break down. All this adds up to my feeling like there has to be a better method.

I've been researching different types of dipes and there are a lot of options for cloth diapering. Who knew? I've read articles and blog posts about different types, the cleaning process, traveling, and searched the net for reasonably priced cloth diapers. Because while the new models are often much more convenient than the cloth diapers our parents or grandparents used, that convenience costs a pretty penny. I've been off the cloth diaper kick for a little bit only because there was a lot of other stuff going on in our lives but this week Simple Mom is doing a series called Cloth Diapering 101. It got me back on the bandwagon and I'm going for it.

In my opinion, this is an ideal time to try it out for several reasons. At 1 year, Baby is literally pooping less, which I have to say makes the whole cleaning process easier to stomach. She also uses fewer diapers than she did when she was younger. In terms of preparedness, being a mom is comfortable and familiar now, as opposed to the stressful and somewhat chaotic beginning. Trying to figure out cloth diapers and washing cloth diapers while also attempting to take care of a newborn for the first time would not have been a good combination for me. But now I have the time and energy (and sanity) necessary to take on a new adventure. This also gives me the chance to get it down before any future diaper-wearers come along. I'm still looking into the best options for us. After all, it has to be easy enough that Fiance will still participate in the diaper-changing!

Latest Project

Not much to say today but here is my latest creation which will hang above Baby's bed. We didn't want anything heavy or framed in glass in case of earthquakes, so I used cheap canvases that I bought at Michael's and scrapbook paper. The animal cutouts were also from Michael's and came pre-painted and cost $0.59. Am I a big spender or what?

The Lovey

Lately Baby has been going through a swell phase called Separation Anxiety. This basically means that anytime Mama leaves the room, she reacts with instant whining or an all-out breakdown or anything in between. She has also been having a harder time going to sleep and it sometimes takes up to an hour before she falls asleep. I think this also has to do with the fact that she can sit up on her own now and obviously playing and talking to ourselves is much more fun than sleeping. But anyway... today I decided that I would try giving her a lovey to snuggle with at naptime like the one below.I was a little nervous because up until now we've never put anything in the crib with her. But I decided that she is old enough based on all professional recommendations so I'd give it a shot. And it seems to have worked. It only took her the normal 10 minutes to quiet down and go to sleep. Of course I couldn't resist checking on her and found her sleeping peacefully on top of the lovey with the sad little bear's head sticking out the side by her bum. Cute.

My First Mother's Day and a Big Birthday

Last weekend was full of celebration. My sister graduated from college, I welcomed my first official Mother's Day (Baby was born the day after Mother's Day last year), and we celebrated Baby's first birthday! My parents, uncle and cousin were all in town for the graduation so we had a fun weekend together and we were able to have a nice birthday party for Baby with Nana and Grampy. It's still hard for me to believe that she is actually one. The year seems to have passed by so quickly that it doesn't seem possible. Naturally I am now an expert in the field of mothering. Ha. More like I've survived so far. But there are a few things that I have learned about being "the mama" as the Fiance calls me.

1. If you can just drag yourself out of your bed and make it to the crib, the smile that awaits you will make you forget how tired you are and how little sleep you've had.

2. You should always have a hair-tie, headband, bobby pin, etc handy because there is nothing more annoying than having your arms full of baby and hair in your face. This is doubly important on a windy day.

3. It is rarely a good idea to put the nice outfit on before a meal because it will almost always get messy- this counts for both you and the baby.

4. Even if the nice outfit get messy, you probably won't care much if it is the result of baby hugs and cuddles.

5. It will always feel a little silly to check that the baby is still breathing but once the thought crosses your mind, you won't be able to sleep until you've checked so you might as well just do it.

6. All milestones big and small are exciting, but hearing "mama" for the first time and knowing it is actually directed at you will warm your heart over and over again.

7. No matter who you talk to or what book you read, no one knows your baby like you do.

Happy (belated) Mother's Day!

Fabulous Flea Market

Yesterday I went to a wonderful flea market or swap meet or whatever the correct technical name sounds like to you. It was held at a high school nearby and was a parking lot full of kids stuff. Toys, books, clothes, strollers, furniture - you name it, they had it and at dirt cheap prices. The sale is held twice a year and this was my first time. The best part is that it's all for kids so you don't have to scour endless rows of lamps and toasters just to find what you want.

We've been the very fortunate recipients of a lot of hand-me-down clothes and toys from twins that are a year older than Baby, so we are not left wanting for much. BUT there were a few things I was on the lookout for and I managed to score bigtime. I found an umbrella stroller in great condition for $15 and got it for $10. I also found a new set of baby monitors. Our current monitors buzz loudly throughout the night and I just couldn't stomach spending another 65 bucks or so just to get non-buzzy baby monitors. I managed to take the hardly-used set home for $10 and I'm happy to report a buzz-free night of sleep. Along with a handful of books, I managed to leave with an armful of things for less than $25.

The friend I went with unfortunately didn't find the big backyard toys she was looking for because those items are harder to come by and sell instantly when the sale starts. We spent the car trip home strategizing about how we would tackle the next sale held in October. It is definitely nice to find things for cheap and feels somewhat environmentally responsible. I admit that my chief reason for going was to save money but it always feels nice to help the planet at the same time. And now I can roll out my handy new lightweight stroller and feel good that I at least saved a little money!

It's Official

#1- If I didn't qualify as a mom before, even after 8+ months of pregnancy AND a c-section AND caring for an infant for the past 9 months, as of yesterday I officially fit the bill. Yesterday afternoon I licked my finger and used it to clean something off my daughter's face. And not being satisfied, I then licked the corner of a burpcloth and finished the job. There you have it.

#2- I am officially obsessed with a wedding blog called Melissa's Smitten. It is so fun and has so many inspiring ideas. I love it.

The Trials of Sleep Training a Baby

So to elaborate on my previous post, we are in the process of trying to get Baby to sleep through the night in her crib. We went through this a couple months ago with varying levels of success and ended up backsliding due to extenuating circumstances (me being sick, Baby being sick, the holidays, etc). When Baby came home from the hospital, she was very tiny and seemingly fragile and as first-time parents we hated to hear her cry unnecessarily. She was very opposed to sleeping anywhere but in our arms and after a week of sleepless nights, I brought her into our bed out of sheer exhaustion. Lo and behold we discovered she could actually sleep for at least a few hours and that meant (cue the Hallelujah chorus) so could we.

Honestly the majority of the time I actually enjoy having her in our bed. It is comforting to have her right next to me and feel her little baby breath on my face and hear her peacefully snoring away. I sleep more soundly without the worry that she might be in some danger because all I need to do is open my eyes and there she is, safely snuggled between us. By snuggled though, I mean that her limbs are spread in all directions and she is taking up more room than seems possible for such a tiny creature. Her dad and I are huddled on either side on our allotted 2 inches of mattress, always just on the verge of falling out of bed completely. And this is the problem with having Baby in our bed.

By nature I am not a great sleeper so it comes as no surprise to me that my child would have similar issues. I spent the better part of my early childhood fearful that ET was living in my closet, silently waiting until the minute my parents left the room to come out for a visit. In college I loved living in a house with several girls because it usually insured that I was not home alone at night. On the rare occasion that I was on my own, I often spent the night on the couch with the TV on so that at least if someone decided to break in I would know right away. I hoped that by some miracle she would inherit her dad's uncanny ability to fall asleep instantly and not my habit of crawling into bed exhausted and spending the next half hour staring at the ceiling. She does go to sleep quickly but she also wakes up occasionally and sometimes has a very difficult time getting back to sleep. As you probably guessed, this too is my gift to our daughter. During my second trimester of pregnancy, I went through a phase of horrible insomnia. I would fall asleep easily and wake just a few hours later, completely unable to go back to sleep. My only solution was to move to the couch and read until I fell back to sleep. After a few hours I could return to bed and sleep the rest of the night. Luckily my third trimester brought such sweet exhaustion at night that often by 8:00 I could barely keep my eyes open and would sleep soundly until morning. This is truly the only time of my life when this has been the case.

I hope that Baby will get through this rough patch and follow in her father's footsteps when it comes to sleep. Listening to her cry in frustration in the middle of the night is enough to drive me to just relent and buy a bigger bed. But I trust the fact that we are doing what is best for her (and us) and continue the "Get in your own bed" campaign.

A Note on Sleep Training

It sucks. A lot.