11 Months!

{Written at 11 months} This is passing by so fast...very bitter sweet. Abram's 1 year pics are in a week and I cannot wait to get our first professional photos done since his newborn shoot.

Bad pic, I know...it's hard to get a clear photo of a moving target! He was bribed with a pretzel as long as he could stand it.

Health: I brought Abram to the Dr. for his persistent cough and a rash, and it turned out he had a double ear infection that he showed no signs of. He was still smiling all the time and never rubbed his ears. We have been battling it all month; even on our vacation, and 3 antibiotics later he still has the cough, infection, and is now fussy. We will be going in for a check up next week.

Sleep: Besides the lack of sleep from his ears and cough, he sleeps well at night.

       Abram LOVES food and will eat almost anything (including paper and crumbs from the floor). I have lost count of how many teeth he has. They started coming in fast and furious this month which probably contributed to the infections. Last I counted, he has 12 teeth (yes his canines came in on top and bottom)...but he may have 2 more on the bottom now. I can't keep up.

       He still pulls up and walks around furniture. He will also let go and stand and ALMOST take a step, but then he gets scared and sits. He is such a cautious kid...he even looks up to make sure he doesn't bump his head when he stands.

       Abram loves crawling, standing, chewing on anything, ripping paper, banging anything, screaming dada when he is excited, pizza, pacifiers, picking his nose, naps, music, art (mostly chewing on the crayons), dancing, baths, his mom and dad, washing his hands, walks in the stroller, remotes, the computer and dog toys.

       He hates being held down on his back, sitting still, getting his face wiped, getting licked by Bijou, getting something taken from him (he now screams), being woken up early, and staying up late.

       Over the past month we went on vacation to Tahoe, Napa Valley, and San Fransisco; where we got to hike, visit wineries, go to the urgent care (his fever from infection), and see the sites in San Fran. Abram got to go to his first County Fair where we pet goats and deer, and saw a momma cow and her calf (he thought they were hilarious). We also decorated for fall and ordered Abram's halloween costume (love it). We have tons a plans for this month; including the a trip to Louisiana, the pumpkin patch, halloween, family pics, and his birthday party.

10 Months!

       I've been working a month, and on top of that I am the newsletter editor for Junior League, painting murals and furniture for friends, and ya know doing the whole mom thing so this poor little blog and all the awesome tutorials I had planned in the line up are having to take a back seat. Things should be calming down a little after the holidays...so I can catch up and get back to making this place pretty.

Notice the transition to the use of props...I can barely keep this kid still. 10 months has come and gone, and we are gearing up for Abram's 1st birthday party and 1 year pictures. Really!? I cannot believe this is already happening! 

 

First "family" LSU weekend

Health: Abram still has a cough and congestion, so a doctor's appointment has been made. (this post is a month late, so more to come on this...)

We finally get sleep!

       Abram started daycare 2 days after he turned 9 months, and they only give ONE major nap. They sometimes give him a second nap if he is acting tired, but I think all the distraction over there helps him to hang all day. AND they don't give him a pacifier or blanket....crazy! As soon as he gets home, he is ready for a bottle and bed. I feel like I never see him, but I know it is just a phase. He typically sleeps from 6/7 pm to 6/7 am...or later on weekends. It is just insane to us that we finally have a sleeper. It feels AMAZING! knock.on.wood.....

Abram's 1st day of school

       Abram's schedule changed when he started daycare, but he didn't mind. He gets 4 bottles a day, and eats breakfast, lunch, and 2 snacks (am and pm) at daycare. He apparently eats table food like a champ and we constantly get comments on how much he loves food. If you know us you are prob. not surprised by this... I still restrict his food a little (no milk, eggs, nuts, or shell fish), but I had to loosen up when he started daycare or I would have a heart attack. I'm sure they still think I'm obsessive when I don't let him eat cookies and other processed junk, but they are at least nice about it.

       He mostly crawls like a normal kid now, but will crawl on his feet when he crawls on a rough surface or his shins are red. He pulls up and walks around furniture. We have seen him let go to stand, but he is just not balanced or brave enough yet.

       Abram loves crawling, standing, chewing on anything, banging anything, screaming dada when he is excited, pizza, pacifiers, naps, music, dancing, baths, his mom and dad, his bear, walks in the stroller, remotes, shoes, and dog toys.

       He hates being held down on his back, sitting still, getting his face wiped, getting licked by Bijou, and staying up late.

       This month he started daycare and I started my job, we went to Louisiana for an LSU game while Abram spent the day with Beebee and Baba, Abram got his 8th and 9th teeth, we celebrated his friend's 1st birthday, he had his first lazy-Sunday milkshake with us in a small town nearby, and we went for a bike ride for the first time.

9 Months!

       Oh hello there! You may or may not have noticed that I took an unplanned blogging hiatus. You see; I went and got myself a J.O.B. doing what I went to school for...FINALLY! It was totally unplanned and unexpected, but everything is going great and I'm starting to get back into the swing of things.

This post is all about the little man...

Health: Abram gets a cough every now and then, but is really good other than that.

We finally get sleep!

He still takes 2-3 longish naps a day and sleeps from around 7/8 pm to 7:30/8 am with a dream feeding at 10:30...that all changed after he hit 9 months and went to daycare.

Exploring his tunnel

       He usually eats solids two to three times a day and has not found something he won't eat. He ALWAYS makes a face when he eats yogurt, strawberries, or plums because of the sourness but will just keep eating them. We have started to give him table foods, and he loves them! When we go to restaurants he is no longer entertained by toys, so we either bring his puffs, yogurt melts, or get tortilla or bread for him to snack on with sips of our water.

40 weeks in | 40 weeks out!

       We pretty much give him anything that isn't too sweet or spicy...and of course no eggs, milk, shell fish, or honey. He LOVES cherrios and gold fish. {who wouldn't}

       Army crawling is built for speed, and crawling on all fours is more just for a leisurely stroll. Right around eight months he started pulling up and now there is no stopping him. He gets up on everything, and we have had to block off our stairs. He even ate the soot from our fireplace...parenting fail!

Going for the soot before we learned our lesson

       Abram loves crawling, standing, chewing on anything, banging anything, screaming dada when he is excited, all food, pacifiers, naps, babbling, music, throwing his sippy cup on the floor and watching it fall, water, baths, his mom and dad, and walks in the stroller, remotes, cords, shoes, and dog toys {you know...anything he is not supposed to have}.

       He got a bigger car seat this month and will tolerate it but still prefers not to be strapped in. He hates when he can't move so he still hates being changed or dressed, sitting still, being rocked (most of the time), getting his face wiped, getting licked by Bijou, and staying up late.

       He finished swim lessons this month and can now go under water when I blow in his face. He also loves to sit on the ledge and fall into the water while I catch him. This has all made him way more adventurous in the bath...he even tries to stand there {not cool}.

Taking a play break...

     Abram said mama first, but quickly followed with dadda and got stuck on it. Now it is virtually impossible to get him to say mama. He also has 7 teeth!

       This month we celebrated Matt's Birthday, me getting a job, we visited his daycare, and went to Louisiana.

8 Months!

       These pictures are getting more and more difficult to take since Abram is getting more and more curious about his world. He is ALWAYS on the go these days!

Health: Besides having a cold and cough from hanging around other kids, Abram has been great!

This is what I am dealing with...the drool monster on the move

We finally get sleep!

He still takes 2-3 longish naps a day and sleeps from around 7/8 pm to 7/7:30 am with a dream feeding at 10:30.

       He usually eats solids twice a day (occasionally 3) and has not found something he won't eat. He ALWAYS makes a face when he eats yogurt, strawberries, or plums but will just keep eating them. He has gotten to the point where he will suck/chew on a small piece of fruit or bread and try to swallow it instead of spitting it out; he is not always successful.

       This month he had peas, oatmeal, spinach, peaches, plums, yogurt, strawberries, mangos, apricots, lemon, and bread. His main foods are still prunes, pears, carrots, and sweet potatoes because they are so easy on him.

      His main mode of travel is still army crawling. He can crawl like a normal child, but chooses to drop to his belly and leave a drool trail as he drags his wet shirt across the floor. He is like a very quick slug. He HATES to be contained now and just wants to explore everything he is not supposed to. He started pulling up right around 8 months. The first time was in the bath tub of course which totally freaked me out! He still chews everything and usually has a pacifier while he sleeps, with a back up in one of his hands. 

       Abram loves army crawling, chewing on anything, banging anything, screaming when he is excited, all food, pacifiers, naps, babbling, music, throwing his sippy cup on the floor and watching it fall, water, baths, his mom and dad, and walks in the stroller.

He still hates his infant seat, being changed or dressed, sitting still, being rocked (most of the time), getting his face wiped, getting licked by Bijou, and staying up late.

Celebrating Father's Day

Before His first swim lesson

       This month we started swim lessons so Abram wouldn't be scared of the water. After one lesson he was cured and would kick and splash on his belly in the bath tub. He is now one of the best (and the youngest) kids in his glass. He loves to splash and kick his feet.

       Along with his crawling and pulling up came exploring electric cords, dog toys, shoes, and oh the fire place soot! 

Ashes were just as appetizing as his sweet potato!

       This month we celebrated Father's Day, my birthday, and July 4th. Abram's "best friend" made his debut and he saw fireworks for the first time. The fireworks were so intriguing to him...he would just stare like he couldn't figure them out. He started taking (and liking) big boy baths, drinking water out of a sippy cup, and pulling up.

My B-day dinner

July 4th

July 4th

D.I.Y. Updated Kitchen Cabinets (Part 2) | Home Tour

       When I ended part one I was still sulking in the corner of my kitchen, staring at my DIY disaster. Luckily, there is an easier alternative to sanding...PAINT! I have never been opposed to painted cabinets but since we already had all white appliances, white counter tops, and white-ish back splash...white was out of the question. I didn't want something as dark as black. I LOVE colorful cabinets, but {like most of my projects} I consider both my "style" and resale to a certain extent since I know this will not be our house forever. Then I saw a picture of this home online and became obsessed with how good the dark gray with white counter tops looked. I didn't want them to look too modern for our traditional/contemporary style home, so I decided I would used a glaze to give them a little of an "antiqued" look.

       We had already sanded, so we no longer needed to do that step....just degrease and wipe them down with a damp cloth. We were advised to use an oil-based paint because it is more durable. Little did I know that latex paints have made big steps over the years....

TIP 1: As you take off your doors/drawers, find a way to number them in order to make sure you know where to put them back. Also put all hardware in a ziplock bag to make sure it doesn't get lost in the D.I.Y. craziness.

TIP 2: If you are painting your cabinets white, use a primer and then latex paint...oil-based white paints tend to yellow over time.

       Our oil-based paint was much thicker than the oil-based primers I have used; it took FOREVER to dry because it was cold. The brush strokes and bubbles from the paint were also showing when dry. 

TIP 3: If you have access to a paint sprayer, it may be messier but is well worth it since it saves you time and you avoid brush strokes {although I am sure they come with other problems}...my mom informed me once our job was done that she had one...not cool Debbie.

TIP 4: To thin oil based paint or primer in the winter and extend its drying time in the summer use a product called, Penetrol...it worked wonders! We couldn't see out brushstrokes afterwards.

TIP 5: Do NOT shake oil-based paint/primer to mix it before painting! Shaking will cause the bubbles, while stirring it with the paint sticks leaves it much smoother.

       We taped up the cabinets and rolled the paint on with a small foam roller made for cabinets, and would then quickly go over it with a high quality brush to take out any bubbles and fill in the corners/cracks. After each use we would just throw the roller and clean the brush WELL with mineral spirits. I also wore a respirator mask and gloves because I found out I was pregnant half way through this project and was cleared by my doctor to paint that way. Lightly sand in-between the two coats with a 220 grit sand paper. 

TIP 6: Take your time and use good lighting so you can see and correct any mistakes BEFORE the paint dries. 

       Read the back of your paint can to see how long you need to wait between coats. If I could do it again, I would do 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of latex in the color of my choice {semi-gloss for a little shine or satin for a more matte finish; sanding in between coats}.

       For antiquing, I bought one container of clear glaze from Lowes and mixed the amount directed with a sample size of the Valspar "almost black" paint because my gray was so dark. I antiqued the creases of the cabinets, drawers, and trim using a triangular sponge and a dry cloth for wiping. 

TIP 7: The more glaze you mix with the paint, the thinner it will go on...the less glaze you use with the paint, the thicker it will go on and less it will wipe off.

TIP 8: Experiment glazing with a small section {maybe hidden} to see what affect you want...keep a damp cloth with you to wipe off immediately if you don't like it.    

       To cap it off and make sure everything stays in place, I did two coats of Polyurethane, in Satin finish...always put a clear coat on furniture and cabinets. 

TIP 9: Make sure the clear coat you choose does not yellow over time, especially if you are using white/light paint.

       To avoid the modern gray/chrome/white kitchen look, we chose a dark metal/copper drawer pull from Lowes...and I LOVE it! Done and will NEVER do it again...at least in this house. Hope this helps you in your future kitchen re-do's. Painting the cabinets is an in-expensive way to update your kitchen quickly.

Paint color: Walmart- Chimney Smoke- Satin

Glaze from Lowes mixed with a sample of customized black valspar paint

Polyurethane water-based clear coat in Satin

Cabinet pulls: from Lowes

Recommended primers: Zinsser Oil-based Primer (high odor though) OR

Kilz Oil-based Odorless Primer (less odor)...or you can use water-based

Recommended Clear Coats: (based on others tutorial recommendations) Varathane Interior Water-based Polyurethane

Birthday Fun

       Yesterday was my birthday. It's crazy that a year has passed since we found out we were having a boy! What a whirlwind of a year...

       My car broke down Sunday, so I was carless all day and stuck inside. Boo! BUT Matt took me to dinner, and surprised me with my sis and his brother coming to meet us. Yay! Best gift of the year...this little guy...

D.I.Y. Updated Kitchen Cabinets- Part 1 The FAIL

Our kitchen when we bought the house...

       We have had our kitchen cabinets refinished for a year now so I think I am finally ready to talk about them again... 

       Our kitchen cabinets took 4 years to complete from start to finish; the project is a preschooler. We had a lot of ups and downs...ok more downs...when it came to refinishing our cabinets. I am by no means an expert, but I can simply give you a few tips to keep you from wasting your time, beating your head against a wall, and resenting your spouse. :)

       When we started our journey, we had just moved into our new house that had the 90's honey oak cabinets and wood floors {yes they matched}. Having stained a few pieces of furniture in my day, I suggested we stain the cabinets darker to bring them into this decade and at least differentiate them from the floors. I began sanding the cabinets with a circular sander since there was so much surface area to cover.

DON'T: Don't use a circular sander to sand when staining...you must sand WITH the grain of the wood or you will see it! Oops...

       I had bought a gel stain in dark walnut; I love gel stains because of their ability to coat evenly. However, when I began applying I realized that it was not coating evenly at all. The problem: we had factory-grade, spec home cabinets. Instead of being coated with a polyurethane clear coat, they were coated with a lacquer. Do you know how hard it is to get lacquer off?! They were also made with cheap wood on the sides, another type for the wall cabinets, and another for the doors.

TIP: Stain soaks into different types/qualities of wood differently. Gel stain can be applied over a clear coat without sanding, and although it will not become as dark as it would if it was applied directly to the wood, it will at least coat more evenly.

LESSON LEARNED: Staining an entire kitchen is much HARDER than a single piece of furniture...unless you are super confident, you may just want to hire a professional.

Summer 2009...I think our cabinets stayed like this for at least a year

       To fix our mistakes and re-stain our small-ish kitchen would cost us $2,000 by a professional. The cost wasn't too bad for an updated kitchen, but it was more than this DIY-er could afford at the moment. We went without cabinet doors for a year while we tried to fix each one ourselves....then out of shear frustration we gave up and just put them back on as is. I took about 6 months to lick my creative wounds and mentally scheme up another plan.

Summer 2011...we gave up

Winter 2012...about to start part 2 redo

Stamp this as a D.I.Y. FAIL! Part 2 is much happier ending with prettier pictures...   

7 Months Old

       Abram turned 7 months a couple weeks ago. I freak out every time I have to write these posts! Not only is he growing up so fast, but a lot of info goes into them. These posts are his "baby book" at the moment because I haven't had time to print pictures and write in his actual baby book so I don't want to miss ANYTHING! Lot of pressure...

Health: He managed not to get the nasty stomach virus we all got! :) Super happy about that one...and is getting in tooth #5!

Praise the sleep gods...
Abram has started to consolidate his naps, from 4 to 2/3. He is still taking 45 minute- 2 hour naps! We are STILL doing a dream feed at 10:30 at night, but have now started graudally decreasing the amount he gets at the feeding. He usually wakes up between 6:30-7:30.

Shut the front door!

       At the end of this month he went from barely eating a "cube" of purees to dominating 5 "cubes", and getting hungry more often during the day. I think he had a growth spurt or something. It did make us move from 1 feeding to 2, sometimes 3 feedings. He now screams and slams his hands on his high chair tray demanding I give him more, quickly! At lunch I try to give him real solids to chew on so he can learn...it usually just ends up on the floor. 

       He has now had avocado, carrots, pears, green beans, prunes, sweet potato, butternut squash, apple, and bananas. He has loved them all, but we had to stop bananas after 2 days due to their side effects. 

       He is slowly getting over his jumperoo now that he is army crawling, but will tolerate it. He likes anything he can chew on...anything. He likes to bangs toys that make noise and still uses the white noise machine. He NEVER could hold a pacifier in his mouth as a baby and it was so aggravating. Well, all of a sudden he started grabbing it and putting it in his own mouth, and keeping it in by biting it. Crazy baby...genius ;).

       Abram loves army crawling, chewing on anything, banging anything, screaming when he is excited, grabbing Bijou for a kiss {I'm pretty sure she is the only one getting his kisses}, all food, pacifiers, naps, babbling, blowing his own bubbles, music, and the beach sand.

       He despises his infant seat, being changed or dressed, being bathed in the big bath tub, sitting still, and staying up late.

  

       We were super busy this month. We celebrated Mother's day and my brother's graduation, went to the beach, the boardwalk, and his friend's baby shower.

We Love Daddy!

       Happy belated Father's Day to all the daddy's out there! My dad is a state away, so I could only call to tell him that I love him. Sunday was Matt's first father's day. I have to say nothing makes me love him more than seeing how much he loves our son!

       We had been planning a Father's Day party, on Saturday night, with several friends who are dads and dads-to-be. Nothing fizzles out party plans like a baby making an early appearance! Yup, one of Matt's best friends welcomed his baby boy on Friday, two weeks early...just in time for father's day! Welcome to our growing group of kiddos baby Colton!

       Instead of a party, a few of us got together at a grill with a play place for the kids. It was under a shaded area and the fans were going, so our Texas heat was actually manageable. We had a blast! That may just be our go-to place this summer. Abram was the youngest of the kids there, so he was taking note of all their amazing skills and trying to follow them.

       Sunday morning Matt requested homemade waffles, so I added bacon, sausage, and chopped bananas to make it a real man's breakfast. He also requested my homemade chocolate bunt cake which I decided to make into cupcakes to give to other dads as well...we basically didn't want to eat an entire cake between the two of us.  We brought some over to the new parents, along with dinner, when they got home from the hospital. It is crazy how big Abram is compared to a newborn.

       The last thing on our list was to take Abram swimming. At the beach he hated the pool water and loved the sand. This NEEDS to change! We are trying to just get him used to water. At first he wasn't thrilled, but we sat there and watched the other kids and slowly got him all the way into the water. After that he realized he could splash just like in the bath and loved it! SUCCESS!! 

Just a couple of baby geniuses

Abram's hair has suddenly started to grow in at lightening pace; at least for him. It is also becoming harder and harder to tame. Every single day I try to wet it down, but as soon as it dries it fluffs back up.

Matt's brother swears it's a sign that he will be a genius (like Einstein). I accept that explanation because even though everyone can't decide who he looks like more; he definitely gets this bit of character from me! ;) My family called me Spike...

Still it would be nice to tame the beastly hair every once in a while...suggestions please! Until I can figure out what to do I'll just go with the baby geniuses theory.

Vacation Recap Part 2

       After a day at home to get over the stomach virus, we headed to Oklahoma for my brother's graduation. He graduated high school which made me feel like an old lady. I know I am not, but he is 10 years younger than me so I have always thought of him as my little baby brother that I would babysit and play momma to.

       He graduated on Friday night and we had a little celebration with our close family afterwards. I don't get to see them enough! I am so proud of my brother and so excited to see what he accomplishes during his college years and beyond. I know "uncle red" will be a great role model for Abram!

Our visit was very surreal. My parents live 5 minutes away from where the huge tornado hit, and my uncle's house was 1/4 mile away. On top of that, my aunt's sister was a teacher in Plaza Towers. She got a group of students into a closet and held the door shut while the tornado hovered above them. We drove around to look at the damage and I honestly cannot believe how destroyed the schools and a few other buildings were. It didn't really hit home until I saw people just getting to their houses to search for their belongings that survived. They were wearing gloves and climbing on top of the rubble. 

       I love blogging and reading blogs about home decor, crafts, and diy. When I came back to my house with all of the furnishings in their "place" and saw these blogs I love showing off their homes; it reinforced that all this stuff is just stuff. It can be taken in an instant! Please continue to pray for those hit in the tornado.

       Sunday we headed to church with the fam. The church happened to be the #1 recovery center for the tornado, and my mom had been volunteering as families came in the first day to search for loved ones, get a warm meal, and a place to sleep. Their message was "I heart this city"...it was wonderful! It wasn't the perfect visit (somehow we gave 11 family members the stomach virus on Sunday), but it was good to be in a place I once called home and see how everyone comes together. I love my family!

Vacation Recap

       Week just got back from a 1.5 week road trip. The first part of our trip was to Gulf Shores. It was our first family beach vacation! Matt and I used to go there all the time when we lived in Louisiana, but since we moved to Texas we have been missing the white, sandy beaches so much!

       We headed over there with one of my best friends and her family. They used to live there, so her 3 year old is a total beach bum. She also has an 8 month old that will be Abram's best friend...he just doesn't know it yet. We brought a tent and pack-n-play to the beach {yes we were those people}, and it helped us to contain the little ones and stay out there ALL day without getting too hot.

       Abram LOVED the sand. Within the first hour he managed to face plant right into the sand and come up with a smile. The water will take some getting used to....

       Most of our time was spent relaxing at the beach, but we did manage to make it out to Lulu's to listen to the live music and go to the zoo.

       It was a fantastic trip until about 10 minutes into our 9 hour drive home when we had to pull to the side of the road for me to throw up. Yup folks, I had a stomach virus for all NINE hours. An hour later Matt got the aches, chills, and fever along-side me and we moaned the whole.way.home! Luckily, it was a 24 hour virus.

Part 2 up next...

6 months

Take back what I said about 4 month olds being the hardest to photograph...that would now be a title for 6 month olds! Good thing it is harder to catch this kid not smiling, than smiling. Happiest.Baby.Ever!

Health: Our little man got a cold this month, so we fought that fever and fussiness, along with getting in his top two teeth.

Praise the sleep gods...
He is taking 45 minute- 2 hour naps throughout the day! We still do a dream feed at night, but Abram now goes from 11-7 without any help from us on most nights! FINALLY!

       His bottle amounts and frequencies have not changed, but we started solids at around 5.5 months...he was ready! We started out with avocado and he LOVED IT! I make most of my own baby food {except for on the go} and he has now tried avocado, carrots, and pears.

       He still loves his jumperoo, white noise machine, sophie, other toys, and activity mat! We have also been able to take him places in both strollers and love them. We stopped using the boppy pillow this month...bitter sweet. My baby is growing up.

       Abram still LOVES music and tries to watch tv when we are watching it. He loves Bijou, other babies, his feet, putting things in his mouth, laying on his belly, people watching, and bath time.

       He despises his infant seat and will now stiffen up with an arched back when we try to put him in it. He is also getting frustrated when we have to dress him or change him..."just let me go momma!"

Break dancing baby will do anything for the ball

        We have been extremely entertained by him this month. He is a human sprinkler blowing his bubbles and will just jabber all to himself in the car. I prayed the whole time I was pregnant for a baby with character and he certainly has that! He enjoyed another pool day this month and sat in a restaurant highchair for the first time at brunch. He also has started scooting by bending his knees under him and pushing with his arms stretched...yes he scoots on his face.

Oklahoma

Please pray for my family and friends in Norman, Moore, and the surrounding areas of Oklahoma. We will be heading to Norman, on Thursday, to see my baby brother graduate. We are hoping we can help with relief efforts in Moore while we are there since my uncle and his family live there.

The Journey to My Pre-Baby Body

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I started this post on day 3 of the Advocare 24-day challenge, but was so grouchy that I decided to come back to it. At the time I was angry about having to drink fiber {my least favorite part} and eat right when I felt I had done pretty good during pregnancy. I felt SO HUNGRY, I COULD DIE!

Not really, but according to my sources, that day is the day you feel it the most. They were right.

The actual truth is that this challenge encourages lots of eating...just the healthy foods. Still that doesn't stop me from wanting to snatch the chocolate syrup from the fridge door and drink it. It is not like Abram would tell anyone, but Matt and I are doing this together as a commitment to get back into a healthier way of life.

Let me back up a little.

You may or may not have noticed that I did posts all about pregnancy and now baby, but never mentioned postpartum weight. There was really no need. I was very smart during pregnancy to keep active and eat right, most of the time. I was encouraged by my doctor who said that delivery and weight loss would be easier if I stayed fit.

I did boot camp until 5 months, ran until 6 or 7, biked until 9, and did modified versions of Matt's weight training from 5-8 months. After it is all said and done, I can tell you that my doctor was right! I had 10 minutes of pushing, and was 2 pounds over my pre-baby weight by 6 weeks postpartum. My body just seemed to bounce back naturally.

The thing that none of us counted on was that I would have a colicky baby. A baby that we could not figure out what was wrong until he was 3 months old. A baby that would not sleep more than 4 hours until around 5 months old. I was exhausted and stressed to the max. I sat around watching him play...or in the beginning lay there with him sleeping on me. I grabbed whatever food was eatable and would miss meals frequently. I went from working out about 4 times a week with a baby weighing me down, to maybe once a week...maybe.

I started to gain back my baby weight; about 6-8 pounds.Technically this was not the weight gained during pregnancy, but I still call it my baby weight...don't judge. I was so frustrated that I worked so hard and had nothing to show for it {weight wise, not baby wise...and I am not talking about the book}. I would cry myself to sleep several nights a week. This was not good for me or Abram.

Then my sister started the 24-day challenge and started dropping inches, leaning up, and her diet changed for the better! I was so hesitant. I did not want to pay all that money and have it not work. I also didn't want a temporary fix.

Well skip to day 21 {today...and 6 months postpartum} and I can say I feel great! I am back to my pre-baby weight, but more importantly I have lost 3 inches and my clothes fit better. This is not supposed to be a diet, but more like a lifestyle change. Instead of eating right and not seeing results, then getting frustrated and giving up...I have tons of energy and am more motivated than ever! Matt and I have been eating clean for the most part, and plan to continue {we did eat healthy pre-Abram}. I have also given myself the goal to work out 3 times a week and I am doing it! Almost all of my family has gotten on this to get more healthy and all of us are seeing the reward for our efforts. I am so excited to tell everyone about this golden nugget we have discovered. My goal is to become a healthy me that can sit in a swimsuit on the beach, and play with my baby {with out being self-conscious}. Feel free to contact me if you have questions...

Mother's Day Weekend

Our Mother's Day weekend was a busy one. I think I prefer to be busy deep inside. Part of me gets so stressed, but the other part of me hates sitting around feeling bored so I create work for myself.

Friday, I was a vendor at a fundraiser for our local firemen to go to a competition in Ireland. Before I could attend that event, I had to get the decor ready for our friend's baby shower that took place, on Saturday. Of course there were kinks that I forgot to work out ahead of time, so Saturday we were running around like crazy. Procrastination is not at easy with a baby, but I happen to have one of the best husbands in the world. He ran around to multiple stores to find the white flowers I requested, which apparently were a hot commodity the day before Mother's Day.

Finally my decorating was finished and looked great! I forgot to take pics myself, so I had to rely on others...typical. It was a nautical theme so I had a great time making things, and dressing a little beachy too.

Sunday, I woke up to two smiling boys holding a card. Nothing is better than my baby's smile with those 4 teeth. He looks like a little rabbit! "Abram" had written the best little message for me and got me a paint sprayer...best.gift.ever! Look out, I just may walk around spraying things with paint now that I can! We went to church afterwards and Abram got to show his scooting moves for the pretty 9 month old in the cry room with us.Then we did brunch at one of our favorite cafes, and headed to the nearby board walk. It was Abram's first time to be that close to boats and the ocean. We are so excited to bring him to the beach next week!

How was your mother's day?

From pilot wings, to angel wings

Our family lost our favorite pilot last week. 

       My Uncle Troy lost his very short battle with cancer and received his angel wings, on Wednesday, so I took the rest of the week off from blogging to reflect and grieve.

       I have been trying to type this post for days, but start balling every time I would sit down. Then I read some of my aunt's blog. She has constantly poured her strong faith and prayers for her husband into it and seemed so much stronger than I was. 

You may remember me mentioning him in this post, when we ran in the color run in his honor. 

       This weekend there will be a celebration of his life, with the vibrant colors of heaven and live flowers to be planted in his memory. How wonderful...to be able to celebrate his amazing life!

       I took Abram on a walk in the park and began to think about how much he lived. Yes, he was taken from us too early, but I believe he left knowing he had LIVED! 

       He put tons of hard work into his company, and was rewarded for that work. However, he took joy in generosity, and loved sharing the fruits of his labor with others. He saw the world and loved my aunt deeply. They had a true love that was obvious and inspiring to everyone around them...almost contagious.

       He never stopped working on projects or trying to achieve his dreams. Troy had a passion for aviation and a love for boating.  He also had deep interest in politics and wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed. Troy was a believer in Jesus Christ and was assured of the promises of heaven and eternal life. He was a man to whom family meant so much and I pray that he felt that same interest, concern, sharing and family love from all of us.

       Too many times lately, I sit inside with Abram just wishing for things to happen. Well it is time to start living like Troy. Those wish lists will be made into lists of things I have tried. I will teach my son to work hard, love harder, dream big, see the world, give to others, and not take anything for granted...in honor of Troy's life! Who's with me?

My Blog Commitment...

I have a lot of things on my plate right now...

       I am currently trying to find a "real person" job again...but while I do that {and just in case it doesn't fall from the heavens}...I am blogging, selling Rodan + Fields, starting a 24 Day Challenge {more about that later}, scheming about my dream career, painting paintings for the random people that want one every now and then, re-doing my house, re-finishing furniture for myself and others, and oh ya there is the small responsibility of raising my smiley, little boy!

      Part of me tells myself to start knocking things off my plate so I can be better at each, but I am doing each of those because they are all my passion at the moment.  Matt reads a ton of books {his night stand is starting to look like a library stack and I can't stand it}, and in one they said that if you dedicate your whole life to one thing alone {and identify yourself through it}, with no balance, whenever that "thing" changes or falls through, you can go through a major identity crisis.

That would be me....

       I was in design school for 8 years! 8 years people! I could be a freakin' doctor, but instead I am in an unstable field in a shaky economy! I am now realizing that the dreams that got me through school do not have to stay the same throughout my life. Dreams Evolve! So I'm continuing to figure out my next dream...

      I will always love design...ALWAYS! I am always thinking creatively, and Matt sometimes hates that. This brings me to my blog commitment...I have 2 chairs I got for $10 before I got pregnant. They have been sitting in my garage the whole time. My bff and I challenged each other to refinish a piece of furniture by the 15th of April. I'm pretty sure she did 2 pieces by then {with 2 kids}. I was able to clean up the chairs, then company came over and they were moved to the garage where they have sat for a week. I also have a bathroom wall to finish detailing.

One of her beautiful pieces

Lord help me!

       I started it almost 2 years ago and it is not finished. Honestly, I sort of want to redo the whole idea now, but Matt would chase me down the street with a wooden spoon if I did that!  So my blog commitment is to finish the bathroom and most of the chairs {besides the upholstered seat if it gives me trouble} within the next 2 weeks!

 My beautiful before chair...it stinks

Hold me accountable people! Man, just typing that makes me nervous.

I'm working smarter, not harder....

D.I.Y. Dipped Barstool

       I inherited 3 wooden bar stools from my mom when I moved out for college. They were a simple, stained wood stool which I painted a mocha color a long time ago....in college...wow, was it that long ago!?

       When we moved into our house they were too short for our bar and falling apart, but we had to save up for almost 3 years before we found our current bar stools. As soon as the new stools came in Matt gave the old ones to Goodwill {or tossed them and lied to me}...he hated them! I convinced him to let me keep one of the nicer stools, under our desk area in the kitchen, because it is just so dang useful when I need to reach something up high.

       However, over time it became scratched up and had paint dripped on it from some crazy artsy person in our house ;). Sooo, when I was priming Abram's laminate bookshelf I decided to prime the stool as well to give it a fresh look. I wanted the paint to last a little longer this time...

Supplies:
- Stool or chair
- Putty to fill holes

- 220 Grit Sand Paper

- Kilz Oil Based Primer (or Zinsser Oil Based Primer-more odor, or Water-based Primer-    needs more drying time and a sanding)

- Base paint for stool/chair

- Paint colors of your choice to mix with the glaze (OPTIONAL)
- Clear Glaze (OPTIONAL)

- Dipping Paint Color

- Painter's Tape

- Paint brush 

- Foam paint roller
- Paint rag {damp and dry} to wipe
- Clear Polyurethane 

- Mineral Spirits to clean supplies
- Gloves

- Mask to protect from fumes
- Plastic to protect surrounding areas

Step 1:
        Fill in the scratches, sand them down, and wiped the stool with a damp cloth. 

  

Step 2:         

       Next, use a small foam roller to roll on the Kilz Oil Based Primer to really create a binding agent for the paint to stick to. I used a cheap brush just to get the paint in the cracks. Zinsser Oil Based Primer works well too, but has a strong odor...so since there was a pregnant woman in the house, we decided on the odorless Kilz {still has a small odor so use in a well-ventilated area}.

TIP:  If you use water-based you MUST sand before {not the case with the oil-based}, and wait at least 7 hours for the primer to cure. I believe the cure time for the oil-based is only 2 hours, but I usually wait a little longer to be sure. After I primed, I lightly sanded {between coats} with a 220 grit sandpaper to take off any drips or brush strokes.

Step 3:
       Next choose your paint color for the majority of the stool; I used a Custom White Valspar Semi-Gloss that I had left over from another project. I used a better quality brush to paint 2-3 coats. {Lightly sanding in-between}

* Again, you MUST wait the required amount of time for any primer or paint {on back of can} to cure in between coats or the finished piece will be sticky and might even peel...and it will never really go away.

Step 4: (OPTIONAL)

       I wanted the stool to look a little more distressed, so I lightly sanded some of the "heavy traffic" areas to reveal the dark paint or wood below...it really doesn't take much sanding...just a couple swipes. If you want to do this, but don't have a color that you want to show beneath, pre-pick your distressed areas and paint them that color before priming.

Step 5: (OPTIONAL)
       If you want it to look even more antique, use this glazing tutorial I used on the dresser {like I did in the pic below}.

Step 6:
       After the paint cures {and glaze}, tape off where you want the "dipped" paint to stop. Then  just paint the area where the dipped color will be...two coats. I used a mix of a black/brown custom paint {first coat} and a copper enamel paint {1-2 coats} I already had from painting a fleur de lis painting I did for my mom.{creates a distressed look to go with my stool}.  I also peeled off the tape before the last coat of paint completely dried...about 10 minutes after painting. The reason is because I have found some latex paints like to peel once dry when you try and peel off the tape.

TIP: If you are having issues with the dipped paint bleeding behind the tape, simply paint a coat of the base color before painting the dipped color. This should help to create a barrier against the line of the tape.

Step 7:
       To make sure everything stays protected and in place, I did a final coat of Polyurethane clear coat, in Satin finish...always put a clear coat on furniture and cabinets. 

TIP: Make sure the clear coat you choose does not yellow over time, especially if you are using white/light paint.

• Base paint is a custom Valspar Semi-Gloss
• Glaze from Lowes mixed with a sample of customized black valspar paint
• Dipped is custom black/brown, followed by Liquitex Glossie, Copper Enamel {from Hobby Lobby}
• Polyurethane water-based clear coat in Satin (because I wanted to reduce the shine of my paint)       

   
    Glad I finally got to try out the dipping technique; I think it is a cool spin on the traditional looking stool. Also, if you like my cabinets {besides the mess on them}, stay tuned, I am typing up a two-part post of the process that took me 2 years to complete. I'll save you a lot of time! We finally got the gusto to finish when I got pregnant...procrastinators.

5 Months!

I would say that time has been flying, but after the first two weeks of this month...it didn't.

At 4.5 months, we were cruising along and then all signs of teething hit and our world came to a grumpy stop. Little did we know that it was combination teething/virus. Luckily, it has seemed to pass and we are back on track with our BIG GOAL of trying to get him to sleep through the night! That goal, however, seems as unbelievable as flying a unicorn to the pot of gold, at the end of the rainbow.

Abram hit the 5 month mark last Monday, and is getting more and more personality.

 Health: Our poor baby had his first visit to the ER, with a 104 degree fever, caused by a stomach virus and teething combined. Two weeks later, he was finally feeling better!

 He tries to grab EVERYTHING!

We're getting there... 

       Abram's naps have started to get longer this month. He also started to go 6 hours without eating, at night. He would still wake up after 4 to be patted, but after teething and a virus he wakes up after 4 hours starving! 

       He is still only on Enfamil AR, prune juice, and prevacid. We are waiting until closer to 6 months to start solids. He now drinks 6-7 oz, every 3 hours...hence the weight gain!

        We love putting him int the jumperoo when we need to get stuff done. I try and read to him often, but he hates it. We still love his bumbo, Bob stroller, Chicco lightway stroller, softy blanket, sophie the giraffe, white noise machine, bouncer, infant tub, activity gym, baby bjorn, and other toys

Baby wearing and painting a mural... 

He LOVES talking, music, standing, bath time, Bijou, looking around, his jumperoo, his feet, putting anything in his mouth, laying on his belly, Sophie, looking at himself in the mirror

Abram hates his carseat, shopping, being hot, laying on his back unless he can look at his planes, wearing his cool sunglasses. 

"Stuck in the carseat while shopping...kill me now..."

Milestones: Longer naps, blowing bubbles, two new teeth {bottom}, jumping a ton in the jumperoo, squealing, and {tear} his eyes are changing from blue to a hazel/gray/greenish color. He also surprised the heck out of me when he grabbed my watermelon out of my hand and sucked on it. He then made a sour face, looked at me, and started to scrape it with his teeth. This boy is almost ready for real food!

 Abram celebrated his first Easter at the same time he got his first teeth.

He traveled to Dallas, met some cousins, is now in the stroller without the infant seat, had his first ER visit, his first pool day, and his first taste of watermelon.