Calvin's Room Tour

Looking in from the door.

 Calvin's Room is the only one in the house that is really intentionally decorated and I knew as soon as we found out we were having a boy that normal baby decor was not going to cut it in this house.

I just can't wrap my head around "baby" decorations, light blues and greens with cartoon monkeys or cars embroidered all over everything just doesn't appeal to me.

I wanted something he could grow into.

This is the basic color palette I chose:

A lot of the items in his room have been hand made by myself and family and friends.
It makes my heart happy to know he's so loved.

 

I ordered the Crib, Nightstand, Dresser and Wall Shelves online.

The crib is no longer on the website I bought it from but you can find it Here with free shipping!

The Dresser is from Amazon.

As is the night stand/end table.

I saw a super cute kite mobile on Etsy and got myself into trouble once again by saying, "I can make that!" *sigh*... when will I learn?

So I made this mobile out of card stock, fishing line, white wire, ribbon scraps and a metal hoop I found at Hobby Lobby.

I don't know if you've ever tried to make a mobile...There was a lot of swearing involved.

 

My husband has always loved the name Calvin because of Calvin and Hobbes. He had all the books when he was growing up.

I saw this AWESOME wall mural of Hobbes on Pinterest (which I'm having a hard time finding the original owner of, so if it's your image please let me know) and LOVED the idea of Hobbes sleeping over Calvin's bed.

However, we do not intend to live in this house forever and the thought of someone buying it and painting over my mural gave me anxiety.

So, I bought the biggest stretched canvas that would fit over the crib (thank you 40%off coupon from Hobby Lobby) and painted his "mural" on that.

The progression of Hobbes

I believe while I was painting the words "This kid better appreciate this..." came out of my mouth a few times.

It took me 4 evenings to finish the 36"x36" painting. I just used acrylics (I do not have the patience for oils) and now Calvin has a piece of art he can have forever.

Have you ever priced out crib bedding???

It's EFFING RIDICULOUS!

The only bedding set I found that I really loved was $400 for 4 pieces!

 NO.

Besides that you're not even supposed to use bumpers anymore and the quilt is pretty much just for looks and you know the one sheet the set comes with is just going to get puked on the second you put your baby on it...  Essentially I just needed the crib skirt...

So my amazingly awesome mom humored me by not only going to the fabric store with me, helping me choose colors but sewing the crib skirt too!

Thanks mom!

Then I just bought a couple Green Fitted Sheets and a white breathable bumper.

Looking from the Crib toward the door.

Unfortunately, Calvin has the warmest room in the house. Even in the winter!

That robot looking thing up there is our attempt to keep him cool.

It's a Fan/Evaporative Cooler .

The rocking camel was a hand-me-down from an awesome client of mine.

The Mobi night light is so cool! It come pre-set with 3 different colors or it can run through the whole rainbow and you can even stop on a custom color if you want.
I may even be giving one away soon. Stay tuned!

The rocking wing back chair is an antique I bought from someone on Craigslist.

It's about 70 years old and it was a really light green.

I bought some teal spray-on fabric paint and went to town on it...

Just don't sit in it if you're sweaty. You might turn green.

My dad came in and refinished the rockers on the bottom.

The gray poof is from World Market but they discontinued the color.

Here is a similar (and less expensive) one from Target. Calvin loves climbing on it and it's the first thing my 4 year old nephew runs and grabs when he comes over.

Tristan and I call Calvin "Thing" all the time, as in, "hey, hold this thing for a second"

So we started this saying and it's one of my favorites.

I made this Chalkboard when I first found out I was knocked-up and used it to document my pregnancy.

It used to be a hideous painting of Austria that i found at Good Will.

The future chalkboard

Here is the tutorial from one of my favorite blogs Little Baby Garvin.

 

Dresser/changing table.

I thought this Umbra Casa Tissue Box Cover was so cute and clever.

The orange garbage can was a Groupon Deal.

The teal "C" is a wooden letter from Hobby Lobby painted with Acrylic.

 

The Wild Thing doll was Tristan's from when he was a kid. The Lego Superhero Print was a gift from our good friend Brandon, and the laser etched "Mad Scientist" wooden blocks are from Xylocopa.com and are so incredibly detailed.

My super-crafty friend Shannon, or as I call her, "Nan" cross-stitched the "Welcome, tiny overlord" sign and gave it to me as part of my baby-shower gift. She also crocheted the duck and the coffee mug that's on the top shelf a few years ago. She's to cool for school in my humble opinion.
And I just thought the Zubels knit Cow was fun.

 

The measuring tape growth chart is from KimsSister on Etsy.

This is the bookshelf/toyland corner. So much fun stuff crammed into such a small area...

If you don't have a sound machine for your nursery go out and buy one NOW!

It's the best thing ever. This one even has an mp3 player jack and night light.

We don't go anywhere over night without it.

And if you live in a climate that gets cold and dry a good humidifier is a must have.

This painting was done by another amazingly talented friend of mine Becky, aka, "Becktine" 

She even incorporated the room colors! 

Total Rock Star!

Calvin loves sitting in this corner pulling out all his toys.

WHEW! That was a long one.
Did I miss anything? Got any Questions?
Let me know!

We have a water baby.

   This Sunday we went over to my mom's house and set up Calvin's inflatable bumble bee pool. I bought it weeks ago but we've been so busy and the weather seriously can't make up it's mind around here, so we haven't had a chance to try it out. 

We don't have grass in our backyard, it's literally a concrete slab with some decorative gravel and shrubs, surrounded by a 6ft privacy fence. Great for having people over for a small dinner party, not great for swimming pools...

 I originally bought this pool because it has an inflatable bottom which I figured would be more forgiving on the cement and I liked that it has a sun shade. But with how wiggly he has been lately (especially in the bath tub), I thought maybe Grammy's nice plush lawn would be a better place to set up.

Calvin was hesitant at first, only wanting to touch the water with his hands.

Gradually he let Grammy put his feet in the water...

Finally he was all in! 

(He's going to HATE me some day for posting these.)

Calvin's Hat

No sunburns on this noggin!

Splash! Splash! Splash!

It took 20 minutes to actually get him in the water but once he was in he stayed there for an hour!

He was getting so sleepy toward the end it looked like he was going to fall asleep sitting in the water but he didn't want to get out.

My personal favorite part of the 2" deep baby pool.

Just in case you were thinking about diving... Don't!

"You can break your neck and be paralyzed"

 Thank You pool makers, 

Thank you.

Danielle's Purple Bridal Shower

 This Saturday we had my Step-Sister's Bridal Shower. She's getting married in August and the wedding colors are Plum and Gray so we decorated with lots and lots of purple.

I made this "Miss to Mrs!" banner out of ivory card stock, a variety of purple scrap booking paper, tulle and some purple flowers.

The letters are a free printable from www.shanty-2-chic.com and you can find them 

Here!

They have the whole alphabet and more!

I have a feeling this isn't the last bunting banner I'm going to make.

 

 Calvin helped my soon-to-be brother in law propose to Danielle with this onesie on Christmas Day.

For the custom onesie, I designed the graphic in a word program, added a clip art engagement ring and printed it out on iron-on transfer paper. Then I just ironed it onto the plain white onesie.

It was an adorable engagement and the onesie is now a precious keepsake.

"Auntie Dani, Will you make Michael my Uncle?"

I also packed up the chalkboard I made to serve as a menu and decoration.

Dual Purpose!!

 

 The bride and her mom and sister made delicious Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Chocolate frosting in these ridiculously cute flower cupcake liners.

They can be found at most craft stores.

Be warned. Should you choose to use these liners you cannot apply the frosting with a knife. A pastry/piping bag is your best bet.

 

 If you EVER entertain, I highly recommend getting one of these 3 Gallon Beverage Dispensers . They are awesome. 

Better yet, find a friend to get one too then you can take turns borrowing each others.

We decorated the outdoor gazebo with hanging paper lanterns that will also be used at the wedding

The beautiful bride and her mama.

We played 3 non-embarrassing games.

"How Well do you know the Bride?" Download the free printable Here

"What's in your Purse?" free printable Here

And "The ABC Game". I printed the alphabet on card stock and cut them out in 3" squares. Mix them up and the guests have to shout-out a "wedding" related word for the letter you call. Whoever ends up with the most cards at the end wins.

 

I put together "Summer Kits" for the prizes which included:

A 16oz plastic tumbler with straw

Mini sunscreen

Dasani flavors for water (3 different flavors)

Chapstick with sunscreen

Mini Altoid tin

Everything came from Target.

I think she was pretty happy with how everything turned out.

My Dress and Belt

Calvin stopped by afterward to visit with his Aunt Dani

Calvin's Hat and Polo Onesie

Happy Father's Day! My Husband Rules!

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddy's out there!

I am personally overflowing with love today for not only my Dad, but my Step-Dad, and Father in Law too! 

But, I have to take a minute to do a blog post shout-out to my awesome husband.

Tristan is so calm and level-headed, he's hilarious, he takes such good care of us and he is probably the most likeable guy you've ever met. Seriously, ask anyone he's ever worked with.

Everyone likes him. I've been told this countless times.

 He's also been The Most Amazing Dad since the second our son was born.

Calvin never slept in the bassinet in the hospital because Tristan literally cradled him the entire night.

He was home the first 5 months of Calvin's life and he gives him his last bottle and rocks him in the rocking chair every night. They have such a special bond. 

Happy Father's Day Honey! 

You pretty much Rock in every way, we love you so much and we wouldn't trade you for the world!

You make pushing a stroller look good!

Taking Care of the TaTa's: Breastfeeding & Pumping Survival Kit

Since my "Healing After Baby. AKA: The Vagina Repair Kit" post has been quite popular, I thought it might be time to address the upper half... Just to be fair.

Calvin is now almost 8 1/2 months old and I still nurse him once or twice a day. Breast feeding has never been easy for me but I was able to so I did. I say it wasn't easy for me because he never had a problem. I was/am the one being gnawed on, clawed at, bitten and pulled on. I affectionately call him "my little piranha". If i nursed more than 2 feedings in a row my nipples would hurt so bad i would cry. So I pumped and gave him bottles a couple times a day just to give my nipples some relief. I think we had maybe a month or two where we hit a stride and things seemed to go a little smoother... but then he got teeth and it all went to hell again.

With all that in mind, here is my list of absolute must haves if you're breastfeeding and/or pumping. These are literally the only reason I didn't give up.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter : Babies are not supposed to ingest lanolin or vitamin E which are the main ingredients in A LOT of nipple butters. This is organic, baby safe and awesome. I have 3 scattered around the house. Use it after you breastfeed, pump and get out of the shower. You NEED to keep those puppies moisturizer or you will be in a world of hurt.

Bamboobies Washable Nursing Pads : Heart shaped to conform to your breasts, I wear them upside down (think bikini top). Barely noticeable and I've never leaked though them. I do have the super thick night time ones, but I've only used them a handful of times when my milk first came in so I'm not sure I would buy those if I were to do it again. Although, if you're a heavy-leaker it might be worth it.

Bravado Wireless Nursing Bra : Comfy, functional and not "super ugly". Invest in a couple because you'll be wearing them for a while.

Medela Pump in Style Advanced Breast Pump : A good breast pump is worth it's weight in gold. You will probably spend countless (read: endless) hours of your life with your boobs hooked up to this thing so you can at least get a nice one.

Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump : I know most people think if you have a fancy double electric pump you don't need a hand pump, but this thing has saved my butt on more than one occasion and it's pretty cheap. I've used it in the car, I've thrown it in my purse, and if I needed to finish emptying a breast after nursing and this was just faster. It's especially useful for taking into a super hot shower with you to help clear a clogged duct or milk blister. You just can't do that with an electric one.

Medela 8oz Breastmilk Bottles : It's amazing how many moms don't know they make bigger pump bottles. There was a time when I could pump 14-16oz. in a sitting so those 5oz. bottles just weren't cutting it. These are also great for storing milk in the fridge when your kiddo starts drinking larger quantities. They come 3 to a set and I personally have 2 sets.

Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags : I did my homework and have only ever used these bags. I've used about 200 of these and have had only 2 leak, which is pretty darn good. The link will take you to the best deal for them on all of the interwebs which is on Amazon. 

Oregon's Wild Harvest Fenugreek Capsules : This brand specifically is my favorite. I've tried several different varieties and this is the only one where I actually felt the difference. I take 2 in the morning and 3 before bed.

24-Ounce Cold Tumbler : Why did this make the list? Because you need to drink a TON of water and if its not right-in-front-of-you, you won't drink it! Keep it with you, shove it in between the couch cushions, take it in the car. Hydrate!


So there you go. Did I miss anything? Want to add something? Let me know!

I leave you with this pic of the kiddo:

His stupid-adorable one-piece can be found Here

 

Week in Review: More Milestones!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

It was another week full of milestones making me realize that this kid is growing way to fast.

Not only has he figured out how to climb stairs (we let him experiment on just one, from my dad's sunken living room), but he's now able to get himself into a sitting position from crawling and laying on his stomach.

Friday he figured out his pincer grasp and started feeding himself little bits of freeze dried yogurt drops. He would get frustrated when he would miss and they would get stuck to his face rather than in his mouth.

This morning I was terrified when I walked in his room and found him standing in the corner of his crib... jeez. So down the mattress had to go. I don't know what I'm going to do, I have a hard enough time getting him into the crib with the mattress up high. I'm not a tall person so I'm already on my tip toes to lay him down as it is. I wish drop-side cribs weren't so stupid dangerous and illegal... gah.

 

This was actually after his nap. I didn't have the foresight to take a pic this morning but "lucky" for us it happened again.

Takin' it down!

That's better!

And last but not least, we finally retired the baby swing today. *sigh* It was a bitter-sweet moment. He LOVED his swing and sometimes that was the only place he would nap for more than 20 minutes. We had become pretty dependent on it to sooth him and for decent naps, but he's obviously out grown it. So, I started making him nap in his crib about 2 weeks ago. The first couple days were rough, but we've been sticking to a pretty good schedule and he generally goes down like clockwork now.

I'm to big for this thing!!!

Our living room looks strangely empty without that huge thing...

I'm sure we'll find more toys to fill the void.

Tristan's Birthday Weekend

Friday was my husbands birthday so Saturday we had a little BBQ with his family and a few friends.
We had the 3 B's of a good party. Burgers, Brats and BEER!
In Tristan's circle we tend to be beer snobs (not that there's anything wrong with that) but have you tried the Budweiser Lime-a-rita's? They're pretty tasty.

I digress...

First and foremost, the most important item:
Tristan's absolute favorite...

Funfetti Cupcakes!

 

  He loves funfetti so much that he has requested it every single year that I've known him (which is a long time). He also ONLY gets Cake Batter frozen yogurt with Rainbow sprinkles whenever we go to FroYo. Always. And I make fun of him every time.

This was his birthday present from me this year. Nerd Art! And, because I'm an awesome wife, I told him he could even hang them in the living room. I know, I know, I'm that cool.

These prints can be found at www.olivergal.com

 

Can you tell he was in dire need of a nap?

Playing with cousins Bella and Noah. He was infatuated with them.

We were pretty wiped out from the festivities so Sunday we all slept in (yep, even the kiddo) and went out for a leisurely lunch at our favorite Thai place. Although, Calvin did not partake in the delicousness that is Hot Pot this time, he will get his share when he's a bit bigger.

"Hey dad... wanna share summa that?"

Thank you to all that came and celebrated with us and those that threw him a fb shout out. 

We love you guys!