levity

And down will come baby cradle and all

Make that cradle swing....

My sweet little baby girl fell out of her swing face first to the floor. Nice. I hereby nominate myself for mother of the year. I think hubs may fire me from being a stay at home mom.

She was strapped in, obviously not tight enough! She screamed for a minute and then immediately demanded to eat. Perfectly normal behavior. So, I think she is fine. But my what a scare!

Ellie sucks her 'bum

We are 2 for 2 on thumb-suckers. Or as Moo says, 'bum suckers. We need to work on our pronunciation a little bit...

let it out

I think Moo's expression pretty much sums up how our last week went. A few minutes before and a few minutes after this photo was taken, little man was at the height of happiness and excitement. A little sunscreen in the eyes and a $%#@*&@ helmet were just enough to push him over the edge. Adjusting to a new job and a new routine has been stressful for Hubs and therefore stressful for me and therefore stressful for Moo. It seems we lost sight of the blessing and adventure of everything NEW and got stuck fretting over little things like insurance, uniforms, and pensions. God in his infinite wisdom provided us a weekend of fun full of poker, bicycles, sun, bbq, swimming pools, and friends. He did not in his infinite wisdom provide me with the common sense not to wear a bathing suit 2 months post partum in public. My profuse apologies for those who witnessed that!

So we are fine, just preoccupied! This week IS going to be better.

Ella Bella seems to respond to stress by being a supremely awesome little baby who sleeps, plays, and eats with nary a whimper. I was ready to give her away after all the "fun" we had in Colorado... She has redeemed herself BIG time by sleeping from at least 10 pm to 7 am every night since we got back. We even have both kids sleeping in their own cribs in the SAME room now. Hooray! Even more exciting, she hasn't puked (knock on wood) since we got back from Colorado!

Jack and Jill Nursery

Tickled Pink Housewife had a post on her blog the other day about her nursery on a budget. It reminded me and inspired me to post about the newly finished boy and girl nursery in my own home. I love to decorate and I am frugal, so naturally their nursery was done on the cheap. It was a lot of fun to take a boy nursery and add some girly into it. I think it turned out cute without being over the top babyish.

View from the hallway.

Our house is TINY and their door is literally 3" from our door and from the door to our lone bathroom. Call it charm, call it efficient, it makes for some tight living space. I definitely don't want to live in this house when Moo discovers rock music! The towel over the door is too keep Moo from shutting himself in his room.

Moo's crib. He loves it and it hasn't occurred to him to climb out.

Moo's crib is a freebie off Craigs list from a couple months ago. It's really sturdy, hasn't been recalled, and matches Ella Bella's crib. We did have to replace some hardware and we painted it with high quality chip resistant spray paint. That came to about $50. His bedding is a hodge podge of Amy Coe from target, pottery barn thrift store finds, and homemade items. $50 for Amy Coe, $5 for the PB kids bumper, $20ish for the crib skirt, ribbon blankie and pillows. The airplanes above his bed were .20 a piece 90% off at Hobby lobby after Christmas. $1.60. The train artwork was about $10. His mattress is a gently used hand me down. Total: $136.60

Ella Bella's crib. Oops, her name is on the wall..... :)

I got Ella Bella's crib brand spanking new (still in the box) at a garage sale when I was pregnant with Moo. A steal at $20. We did buy a brand new mattress for it, which was $70. We also spray painted her crib, $10. Her bedding is also Amy Coe from Target and it matches Moo's bedding. I bought the entire girl's set and the entire boy's set long before I ever got pregnant because it was 75% off and I loved it. Not very frugal! I also made some blankets and a crib skirt for her bed, $20. Amy Coe bedding, $50. I lucked out and most of the sheets match both the boys and girls crib sets. The mobile was actually part of a huge nursery set I bought and then hated. I actually sold the set at a $40 profit, so we will just the mobile was free! I repainted it and changed out the ornaments to match the crib sets. The wall hanging was $9 for the letters and another $3 for the stars and ribbon. The branch is from my backyard sprayed with leftover spray paint. The frames are from the dollar store and were repurposed with scrapbook paper to match the room. $9 The hanging flowers are from a friends baby shower, FREE. $191 for her crib, Total: $327.60

The reading chair, Hubs only values comfort and always messes up the pillows. Sigh.

The reading corner. The chair is a remnant form my bachelorette days living with Tickled Pink Housewife and Wood Squared. Good times. I think we got the chair, a couch, and an old tv all for $15. So, $5? More dollar tree frames and scrapbook paper, $9. Blue diaper caddy, $10. Dresser, $10.... gift wrap to cover drawers of dresser, $3. Planes hanging from the ceiling, $3. The pillows and blankets are more Amy Coe and were included in the prices above. So, $37
Total: $364.60

I forced my husband to build the shelf, materials came to $50. The baskets and the lamp were my mom's contribution, I think I may have just taken the lampshade from her house :) Anyways, free to me! She also gave me the little boots, the globe, the piggy bank, and the frames. Free! The firetruck was a gift from a dear woman at our church. It was her now twenty something son's and she insisted Moo have it. I painted the baby word art, $5 for both.
The cool metal bins were a Target steal, $10 for all 4! $59 for the shelf and decorative pieces.
Total: $423.60

Cramped quarters. Their room is 11 by 11, so it really is ALL crib!

Ikea Rocker, $3o. Their curtains are cheap twin sheets cut in half, $7.50 for all 3 windows. $10 for 3 curtain rods. Star hanger on closet door, $1. Blackout shades for 3 windows, $15. $62.50 for the windows and the rocker. Total: $486.10

The closet! It's so tiny! It is also, sadly, the biggest of the the 3 closets in our entire house!

Pocket organizers hanging on the door, 75% off from the a Target one spot. $1.25 for both. Adjustable clothing rod, $10. PB kids laundry basket, $3 at a garage sale. We added in shelves on either side of the clothes to hold diapers and wipes using scrap wood, free. Closet total: $14.25, Room Total: $500.35

Just over $500 to do a whole nursery! I am honestly thinking, oops, I spent more than I realized I did! I guess that should remind me that costs add up! I know some of you have done spectacular thrifty nursery's. Send me a link to them and I will add them here! Let's give Tickled Pink's friend some great, thrifty ideas!

Moo's memory box with sweet baby clothes and what not in there.

Ella Bella's mobile. Moo used the same one, just with western themed ornaments.

I heart google!

Ok, I am a nerd and probably perennially trapped a few decades behind the curve on new technology, but google reader is AMAZING! And FREE! I am a tad bit blog addicted, I read love reading friend's blogs, creative blogs, photography blogs, funny mom blogs, ect.... there are over 120 I follow regularly (I told you I was addicted) and before I would check sporadically and completely miss some. Now I can go to one site and read them ALL! So cool! I know blogger lets you has a similar program that you can add to the side of your blog, but I am not real keen on everyone seeing links to blogs of my friends who may want their privacy!

Next, I will blog about this amazing new thing called a video cassette recorder. Some call it a VCR for short.

similarity

For the past 2 months, we have heard several questions over and over again. Are you having more kids? When are you having more kids? We think you should have 5 or 6 kids, how many do you want? Are you "finished" now that you have one of each? How did you get one of each? Any advice to get one of each? (seriously) And more often, does she look like Moo? I haven't really had an answer to any of those questions, but now I can answer the last one.

Does she look like Moo?

Yep. She certainly does! Well, at least I think so....

Ella Bella had her 2 month appointment today and she mostly took her 3 shots and an oral vaccine like a champ. Other than that whole bright red screaming tomato thing they do when they get stabbed. The faces she was making while we waited for the doctor were deja vu from Moo's 2 month appointment 2 years ago.

I made the mom mistake of not giving her any tylenol and we paid dearly for that a couple hours later when my husband brushed her chubby little thigh where they gave her the shots and she screamed so long and hard that she threw up and just trembled. She then threw up the tylenol too.... nice. Note to self: next time dose the child before the shots!

Ella Bella is now tipping the scales at 14 lbs and is 24 inches long. She slept all the way through MY night last night, sleeping from 9:30pm to 6:45am when I woke her up because I was in PAIN. :) I am hoping for a repeat performance tonight.

home

We survived a looooooooooong trip to Rocky Mountain National Park and back. It was good, the kids are troopers. We anxiously counted down the miles to home (stupid mile markers.).

We walked in the door and....

Saw cat vomit,

and cat puke,

and feline barf.

about 20 piles in all.

If you need us, we will be reminiscing about the mountains while scrubbing the floor.

final.

Yesterday, my dear Hubby woke up both me and the baby from our glorious eight hours of consecutive slumber with his tromping around and turning on blaring lights. And once you get a taste of such wondrous sleep with a newborn you want more of it. I was about to jump out of bed and have a full on 5:30 am gripe fest.

And then it hit me.

My gripe would be completely in vain.

Hubs won't be waking us up in the morning anymore.

That task will have to fall to the fussy baby, the cheery toddler, the needy cat, or the sun.



Happy last day of work, babe!

I am THAT mom

I am THAT mom. The one everyone whispers about and pulls their kids away from her kids. Yep. I did the unspeakable mom crime of taking a sick child to a play date. Yep. I am THAT mom.

In my defense, my adorable little toddler showed no indication that he was sick. None. He had a fever on Monday and Tuesday and we stayed away from everyone for the obligatory 24hours after that. In fact, we didn't leave the house until Friday. He was happy and full of energy. He danced up a storm with little L and let her boss him around like a little wife.

Then on Saturday, I woke up with the chills. Serious chills. But since it was my one and only time to get out of the house sans kids this week, I threw on my fleece jacket and ran errands. Yeah, wearing a fleece jacket in the 90 degree summer heat probably should have been an indicator to stay home....

A couple hours later I was shaking and dizzy and feverish. I had to call my husband on his cell phone (he was at the other end of our very small house) to help me feed the baby before I dropped her on the floor. Good times.

Sunday and Monday were really not any better. Less fever and a whole lot more sore throat. I had lost 7 pounds since Friday (not how I planned on losing the last of the baby weight!) and Ella Bella was eating every hour to hour and half and was really fussy in between. I was way to tired and way to stressed from trying to take care of two grumpy kids by myself. Insert nervous breakdown here. My very practical friend R calmly suggested perhaps I should go to the doctor and she would come watch the kids. I don't know what we would do without her!

I take Ella Bella with me to the doctor. We have strep! Yay! Give me drugs!

They suggest I bring my 2 year old in for a strep test, just in case, they will even see him immediately. I run home and swap kids. Moo takes the test and it instantly turns positive. The poor kid must have been feeling so lousy, but he is just so happy!

So we are all on antibiotics and are all feeling much better. We have been instructed to eat lots and lots of yogurt to prevent thrush, hence the dozen kinds! I have energy again, Ella Bella is sleeping again and back to eating every 3-4 hours, and Moo is the same. Happy, so happy!