Welcome to the World!

Somehow, I had planned on blogging about the arrival of Drake into the world shortly after his birth. Yet, here I am…just one day away from him being one month old. It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’ve got two kiddos that are constantly keeping you busy literally all hours of the day. I seriously have no idea how this is going to work when it’s time for me to go back to work, but for now I have two-ish weeks of maternity leave left, and I’m going to soak up every minute.

It’s SO NICE being at home during my favorite season of the year. We’ve been planting and watering flowers, playing outside, and soaking up the sunshine. It’s so much nicer to be off during this time of the year versus summer because you can actually go outside and enjoy it without sweating to death or coating yourself {really the kiddos} in sunscreen.

That’s not the point though. The point of this whole blog post is to recap the birth of Drake. Let’s just say those first few days were NOT AT ALL like I imagined or planned them to be, but we have made up for it.

So, here it goes…

I chose to be induced, and I went in at midnight. We had to be there around 10:30 to get the paperwork and all started. There I was {amongst some rather scary individuals} in the ER, and in comes a girl who is quite pregnant and in A LOT of pain. Exactly why I chose to be induced! There I sat though…big, fat, pregnant, and just waiting for my name to be called.

Once we got paperwork taken care of, I was taken to my labor and delivery room…not the comfiest of beds since it breaks apart for the delivery part. I had a sweet nurse that got me all situated and hooked up to a million cords and started the process. Colby got situated on his make-shift bed and was out like a light in a matter of minutes it seemed. If only! I was up the entire night, which made for a good time to catch up on soap operas and Candy Crush.

The doctor came in around 6 a.m. to break my water, and those contractions were off to the races. While I can’t remember exactly, I think it was around 8:30 or 9 that they came in and told me I was ready for an epidural if I wanted it. Boy, did I want it!!! Bravo to you ladies who birth those babies without any pain meds! This chick is not one of them.

They gave me a shot of something in my IV to help the pain until the epidural was ready, and that really threw me for a loop. The nurses were ready for me to drink something out of a cup used for the epidural, and let’s just say I wasn’t sure which way the cup was. Everything was running together, but I sure felt better! Once the epidural was in, I couldn’t feel a thing! It was smooth sailing from that point on.

Right around lunch time, I was trying to convince all the family to go eat some lunch and to not be in a hurry. Just as they were about to head out the door though, the nurses came in to check me, and surprise, surprise…it was go time!

Before I knew it, Dr. Lee {the best doctor ever} was in the delivery room ready to catch a baby. Things went quickly, and Drake was here at 12:25 p.m. Nearly the exact same birth story as Landry but an hour quicker!

Tears filled my eyes as I got to see my baby boy for the first time! All the pains of carrying him for 9 months and labor were suddenly erased as I saw that sweet little face and heard that tiny cry…the most precious sound a mother could hear! I was in love immediately.

Shortly after, the family came in to meet our new little boy. Landry wasn’t too sure about what this baby brother thing was, but he hesitantly crawled up beside me to see him. Everyone got to meet him, and then left to {finally} go eat and give me some time to rest and recover….

…right before the scariest moment I think I’ve ever experienced in my life.

Finally Fall and Finally Back

Since school has started, I have been on a little hiatus. Of course, what I was too sick and exhausted to tell you all at the time was that there was another reason aside from the regular beginning of school exhaustion.

Luckily, things are on the up and up, and I’m feeling much better and gaining some of my energy back. Because of this new found energy, I decided to pursue some of my fall decor dreams since I haven’t done that in a couple of years.

Thanks to some very generous people I have pulled this together with a limited budget and made a decent fall scene that can be used until Thanksgiving. Is it bad that I’m already planning for Christmas though?

Don’t worry! I don’t break out the Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving even though it’s getting harder and harder to adhere to that.

Starting at the front door…a small touch with pumpkins and dried limelight hydrangeas.

And then it moves straight to the front porch….pumpkins, cotton, hay bales, ferns, planters, and a lantern to top it off.

As for the planters, I used a combination of marigolds, creeping fig, celosia, and scaevola.

I’ve got plans for a fall mantel, but it’s just a matter of following through with them. Hang tight…I may surprise you.

On to the doctor tomorrow for our second ultrasound of baby brother. Hopefully will have a video to share soon! We’re taking Landry, so that should be interesting. As always, keep us in your prayers for a healthy baby boy. I’m always nervous until everything is confirmed. So thankful for all God has given us!

One Person’s Trash

Is another person’s treasure!

In a dumpster diving adventure, Colby and I found a pretty great table. We brought it home with us even though I had no idea what I was going to do with it. It has sat in the garage for several months, and I finally had the time to think about how I could use it within our home.

It was a decent table. It had some stickers stuck on it, so I sanded them off and gave the rest of the table a good sanding over, so the finish would be roughed up and easier to paint. It probably took about ten minutes to do all of that.

Then came the fun part! I chose to paint the top of the table with chalkboard paint. The top of the table is not wood and has lots of indentions in it. I figured this would make a great homework table one day. I can just see the kids {yes, we will have more one day} doing math homework and using the table to write on and solve problems.

At this point it was looking more like a science lab table than anything.

Just a tip….I did several coats of the chalkboard paint on the top just to make sure it would be usable one day. While I haven’t done it yet, you are supposed to turn a chalk stick sideways and go over the entire surface to break it in so to speak.

For the bottom half, I just used some left over white paint that is a paint and primer combo. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough!

I’m thinking of adding some stools like these {below} from Overstock to put beneath it since the table is too tall for regular chairs.

I brought it on inside and made it a nice addition to our {my} office space. Obviously, I am always cramped for time and can never accessorize properly. Sorry folks! If I waited on things like that, there would never be any blog posts. You’ll always see the work in progress version.

The man of the house {so he thinks} was a bit cranky and demanding it seems.

And just for those who might think my house is always clean….

Here’s the proof it is not! This is the dropping ground!

There you go, folks! Trash to treasure! I can’t wait to share with you what else I’ve found lately!

Transformation Tuesday

Remember that big boy room that I blogged about a good bit in January? Well….we finally put the plans into place and have made good progress in that room. It’s still a good way from complete, but it is definitely getting to that point.

Right now it is to the point where I can walk by the room and not cringe when I get a glimpse of it.

This is where the room started. It’s really quite embarrassing. It was the room that caught all the junk that didn’t have a place or needed to be hid from the public when there wasn’t enough time to figure out a proper place for it. It had no style. It was simply the room that had parts of other rooms pieced together to get it out of the way.

A sad sight to see…

And this is a long cry from where we began when we first bought the house…Hello blue carpet!!!

I had put together this inspiration board to piece together some ideas of the direction I wanted the room to go in.

So far, I have gotten everything in the inspiration board except for the headboard.

My original inspiration came from the blog Dixie Delights and her little boy’s big boy room.

And for the reveal as it is now…

The to-do list always continues, but here are the major things that definitely need to be done:

• Get headboard
• New light fixture
• Have Euro pillows made
• Move dresser to the room or get a different one
• Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!!!

I think once Landry moves into this room the little signs of life will make this room look much more complete. Until then, I’m just looking for little treasures to accessorize it and for a few more things to hang on the wall. At least it is an improvement from where it first began.

Sources:

Duvet cover and shams- IKEA {I had the shams reduced to standard size instead of king size}

White quilt- Overstock

Bedskirt- Overstock

Down Comforter- Overstock

Baskets- World Market

Bookcases- Target

Curtains- Fabric from IKEA

Curtain rods and rings- Target

Crab art- Etsy by SheilaSmithDesigns

Lamps- T.J. Maxx

Throw pillows- Dirt Cheap {originally from Target}

Spring Breakin’ It

I have been unable to contain my excitement about spring break throughout all of March. I am sad to report that today is our last day before we return back to school to finish out the final two months of school.

I love my school babies, but I love being at home with my baby. We have been basically inseparable aside from a trip to the grocery store and a short shopping trip while he stayed with a babysitter.

We’ve slept in {until 8} every morning. There’s nothing like laying in the bed with your baby and watching or sleeping cartoons while he sips on his chocolate milk.

 

We’ve went on Easter egg hunts and hid eggs in the neighbors’ yards.

We’ve planted flowers and mowed grass and pulled weeds.

We’ve DIYed projects and scored some deals shopping.

 

We’ve even gone fishing and been visited by the Easter bunny.

 

It’s been a fun-filled spring break, and I can’t wait for the summer to come. It’s going to be a great time!

38 days not including weekends and holidays, teacher friends! Summer will be here before we know it! Until then, enjoy all the sunlight we now have during each day and the lovely weekends!