Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #20

Up:

  • I went to pick up Jackson from Mother's Day Out this week and he was asleep in the corner. My child who wakes up at the drop of a hat at home, was asleep while everyone else was picking up their children and making lots of noise. It was a break through!
  • Mike and I were able to have a night out at the squadron Christmas party without the kids! They survived just fine despite all my worst fears and we had a great time too! We might actually be able to go out on an occasional date now without me freaking out!
  • We celebrated our Christmas yesterday because it was Mike's only day off before we travel back home before Christmas. Jackson wasn't really into opening the presents, but he sure has enjoyed playing with them. We now need a bigger house to accommodate all these new toys! Kennedy slept through everything, so I guess she was happy too! Then Mike cooked us a fabulous meal of prime rib and twice baked potatoes!
  • Kennedy turned 2 months old yesterday! She is up to 11lbs. 7oz. and 23 inches. My little precious is growing so quickly!
Down:
  • As mentioned above, we are busting at the seams in this house. I really am so ready to move. To be honest I have had the itch to move since Mike left for the deployment. We still have at a minimum one year here. I'm trying not to complain and enjoy our time here, but if you know me, clutter is not something I do. I'm pretty OCD when it comes to organization, but there is only so much I can organize when there is no space.
  • Kennedy is having issues with constipation. I'm sure this is TMI for most of you, but this is a significant 'down' in our lives right now. The doctor gave her Lactulose and he thinks she may have to be on it until she starts on baby food. I want her to be pain free, but I just wish her body could regulate all of this on it's own. We'll see how it goes.
Jackson's new easel from Santa! He was more interested in the Mickey Puzzle!

Santa used our play pass to get Mike, Jackson and I bowling balls and shoes. It hasn't all come in yet, but they custom cut the holes to fit your finger and everything! The play pass was given to all deployed families and Mike already used part of it to get a set of golf clubs. It has been very generous for us!

Had to set the ambiance with our 'fireplace'. Kennedy is awake here, but not for long!

The tree and presents!

Daddy showing Jackson how to use the new rug with his Mickey cars!

The disaster that was our home after opening presents.

Mike and I at the squadron Christmas party. It was a lot of fun and great food!



Monday, December 12, 2011

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #19

Up:

  • Christmas Shopping is FINISHED!! Yea! Mike and I got the last of the gifts this weekend, now all that's left is to pack and go back to Texas! Can you tell I'm ready and excited to see family and have a vacation?!
  • Kennedy has been doing really well on soy based formula and her colic doesn't seem as bad. 
Jackson is such a great big brother!

  • Jackson has been sleeping in his 'big bed' for a while now, but still napping in the crib. Now that we won't be having house guests for a while, we started letting him nap in the bed too. It's worked out great! He acts likes he's been napping there this whole time. 
Down:
  • Jackson has started just randomly screaming for no reason. He has this awful high pitched scream and it is so embarrassing. We tried to have a nice meal at Olive Garden on Saturday and he was awful, the kind of kid everyone dreads having in a restaurant.
  • After Jackson's last haircut, Mike said he would be able to cut JP's hair just as well as the barber and it would be free. Well it was time for another haircut, so Mike got his clippers out and gave Jackson a buzz - a buzz! My poor child that took forever to grow hair now has a buzz cut just before Christmas pictures. Can you sense the sarcasm in my voice?!
Jackson - not enjoying the new haircut!

Jackson and Daddy watching the Holiday Parade on Friday. Jackson was not a fan of all the sirens, but the candy seemed to make everything better.

Mike and Jackson enjoying some Topsy's popcorn. Mike's parents always give us a tin for Christmas just like Pope did for them.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Kennedy's Nursery



Many people have asked to see pics of Kennedy's nursery, so here goes. Decorating Kennedy's nursery was somewhat cathartic for me while Mike was gone. I would get started on one project which would lead to another and another. When it was Jackson's room it was Pottery Barn Dr. Seuss. I tried to keep a lot of the red that was already in the room and just add the black and white to it. I am very happy with the results. Let me know what you think.

This is the inspiration for the entire nursery. While I was staying with Mom & Dad, I took my first quilting class in May and made this! I like using the red and black, but with a bunch of different fabrics!

These bumpers were a beast. I sewed them from a pattern which was designed to fit a crib that is open on all sides. Of course, I didn't discover that until I was completely finished. I ended up having to shorten 4 of the 6 panels to get it to fit correctly, but I love the cute little flowers! 
This diaper stacker pattern came from this blog which is where a lot of my ideas came from. The flower hook from Hobby Lobby matched perfectly!

I purchased red gingham curtains to match the bed skirt that we already had. I would have attempted curtains, but around here you need blackout curtains for the summer and it was actually cheaper just to buy them. The curtain tie back came from the same pattern as the bumper pads. 
This little bag has all of Kennedy's headbands in it!

Boppy Pillow cover from pattern.

Another blog idea that was originally for a wipes container, but I thought it would work for a wipes warmer too!

Carseat Canopy which was another blog idea. I opted not to put in the peek a boo window. 
This just shows you the contrasting fabric underneath the canopy as well as the new strap covers I made to match. 
I made a matching diaper/wipes bag from a pattern book I have.

Here I covered the back of the shelves with a horizontal red, black, and white striped fabric and recovered the lamp shade with embellishments. Obviously I need to get pictures for the frames, but that will have to wait until after Kennedy's arrival. The diaper cake was from my baby shower and the tote on the bottom has all of Kennedy's 'baby friendly' toys; I decided to separate them out from Jackson's toys!

This just shows the growth chart, also from a blog. I made one just like it for Jackson's room too.

I have a feeling this Bow Hanger will fill up fast. I just put this together based on ideas I'd seen on etsy.

These beautiful letters were painted by my cousin's wife, Shenee. She is so talented and they turned out so much better than I'd imagined. She matched each alternating letter to the crib/quilt fabric perfectly! Originally I wanted the letters to hang over the crib, but they were too big since she has such a long name. I needed to fill up this blank wall anyway, so I hung them here and put the wall decal chandelier above the crib.
This is Kennedy's dresser/changing table. The Changing pad cover was a gift from my sister-in-law, Laura, but she makes and sells them on her online store if you want one for yourself!

This is just a covered cork board bulletin board inside a fun frame.
This is the canopy above Kennedy's crib. She also has a wall decal chandelier hanging from the center of the canopy. I would say she is a little princess - wouldn't you?!

That is all! I hope she likes red & black! For now she is still in the cradle in our room, but it won't be long and we'll move her over to her very own room.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #18

Up:

  • Pinkie stayed on a few days after Mike left for TDY and Pa came into town too. It was so great to have help with the kids and decorating for Christmas. They also helped me get the kids picture taken for the holidays. Here are some of the really good shots:




  • Kennedy is waking up only once in the night to eat which gives me a LOT more rest! She is already getting so big and giving great smiles!
Down:
  • After much denial, Kennedy has colic. She literally fits every symptom. I guess I didn't want to think that could ever happen to me/my children, but here we are. I will say that we switched her to a new (much more expensive) formula for colic and it has made a world of difference. She isn't in pain any more and really her fussy time only lasts ~30 minutes now. As long as you hold her and walk around during that time she is perfectly fine! Hopefully this won't last long and she can go back to regular formula soon.
  • Jackson has been in time out more than he's been out of it this week. I know that it is mostly due to being cooped up indoors since it's so cold outside. He can't run off his energy so he uses it to get into mischief. Can't wait for Daddy to get back home and help him run off that energy!
Pics of the week:
The presentation of the $1000 check for having the first granddaughter! Happy College Fund Kennedy!  
Kennedy cuddling with Pa!

Jackson helping Pinkie play the piano. She was reminiscing about Suzy Snowflake and playing the song on the piano!

This is how Kennedy felt about Pinkie & Pa leaving town!