beautification of the home: yay!

A belated Happy Father's Day to Brandon! He's not in town because he's been in a wedding in Florida this past weekend.

Anyhow, Natalie and I have been staying at my parents' house. Again. What's new? We've been here quite a bit since she was born. It makes it easier, especially since I'm not comfortable staying alone at our house with her at night. I know that our neighborhood's safe and secure, but it makes me feel better to know that someone's right down the hall just in case of an emergency. I'm probably just being neurotic.

Anyhow, with Brandon out of town, I have been pondering on ways to beautify our space and make it more practical for our family. We have a formal dining room that has so far been used as a crowded, messy "library" aka verysmallspacewithtwochairsadeskandthreebookshelvesshovedin. It is very crowded and is pretty much a cat hair paradise. Oh, I forgot. We also have a highchair in there. It's still in its box and one of the cats sleeps on it. Just not feeling it.

I know I am new to the mom game and probably shouldn't be spending my time dreaming up ideas, but this is actually within our budget and something that would bring more organization and SPACE to our home. We are going to get my dad to help us construct some diy built-in bookshelves!! :) There will be one four foot bookshelve on each side of our old desk, which will be re-painted to match the shelves. We will have a little area over the desk to hang a bulletin or dry-erase board so we can keep track of our respective schedules. Brandon will have a work space that won't be on our kitchen table, island, or the coffee table. This will eliminate so much frustration. I cannot stand for piles of junk to build up. I'm always decluttering and moving stuff around, and it's always back the next day or a few days later. Constant battle.

Anyhow, I was just excited and had to share.

First step for us will be clearing out the room and boxing up all of our books. We probably should have left them boxed up from the move in November. With the pregnancy, I couldn't really work on making this house a home. Now I can, and I'm so excited. I am so ready for making our home "ours" a little bit at a time. I cannot wait to have a beautiful view when I walk in our front door instead of looking into the dining room and feeling embarrassed at the clutter!

Three Months Old!!

Natalie,
I cannot believe you are already three months old! These have been the best three months of Mommy's life! You are growing so much and are getting more beautiful with each passing day. No longer a newborn, you are fast on your way to being a big girl. This month your eyes are starting to pop and your lashes are growing so long and dark. You smile more and more and wake up so happy each morning; it makes the transition of me having to go back to work so much easier. Each morning you wake up with a stretch and a smile and coo until you really need your bottle. I had been depending on you to be my alarm clock since you used to have your middle of the night bottle at 2am and another one at 5am, but you have changed your schedule a bit and are going longer and longer without your bottle, five and six hour stretches throughout the night. The other morning I woke up when Daddy's alarm went off around 6:30, and you were down in your sleeper watching the morning news with a big smile on your face. You had not even made a peep!

Stats: You were 12.9 lbs and 24 inches long at your appointment last week! Woohoo! That's already 2 ft. tall! ;) The doctor said you would probably reach my height of 5'6" in maturity or even be 5'7".

Bedtime: We have been putting you to bed around 10:00pm each night. Because Daddy gets home around 8:00pm, we like to have you awake and happy for him. You are fed and bathed and in your PJs (no longer sleepers, but onesies and socks because of the summer) usually by the time he gets home. Some nights I let him feed you because he wants to cuddle. You are always glad to see him when he comes in and really kick your feet when he talks to you. :)

Bathtime: You are starting to enjoy your baths! I am so happy because I would always feel horrible when I saw the uncomfortable look come across your face! Because you are getting messier with age, I like that you enjoy the many baths you are starting to need! You are a spitty girl and are drooling like crazy. If we don't put a bib on you, you are wearing a big drool puddle around your neck!

Feedings:
You have always been an every three hours kind of girl. I get the feeling that you like consistency there. Sometimes we go for four hour stretches, but that's pretty rare. You will rouse out of a deep sleep during the day for your bottle and you are MAD until you get it. It's really the only time you cry unless you get a bellyache from not being about to burp, which, by the way, it's getting harder to burp you. You fuss when the bottle is pulled away from you and aren't content until you have a pacifier in your little mouth to soothe you!

Playtime:
You are now able to hold your head up very well. You have always been good at this, but this month you are GREAT! You enjoy your activity mats and love your bouncy chairs. You aren't so keen on the swing anymore because you get bored. You enjoy tummy time and like to bite on your boppy and suck on your hands when you're in this position. You are starting to roll. It's so funny to lay you on your back because you cock your head in the direction you want to turn and shriek at whatever you see over there. You like talking to the pillows on our bed and have so much to say to them. I wonder what you're thinking! You have a preference for the Minnie Mouse toy that Holli got you. Holli walks our dog Brutus and has brought you sweet gifts from the Disney Store. :) Sometimes Grandma Vicky puts you infront of the tv and lets you watch Handy Manny with all the bright colors on Disney Jr. You go crazy and "talk" to all the kids on that show.

Clothing:
You are in the last of your 0-3 months attire. There are some onesies that still snap between your legs, but they look tight on the shoulders. You are most comfortable in 3-6 month clothes and 6 month clothes from Carters and Target's Circo brand. Today you are actually wearing a 6-9 month onesie that Grandma Vicky bought from a consignment sale. I'm bummed to say that it fits you just fine! I want to tell you to stop growing and stay a baby forever, but I know I can't. :)

Carseat:
You are still in your infant carseat and will probably remain rear-facing for a long time. I have been reading articles and find that it's safer that way for you. I have stopped carrying your carrier into stores because it is so heavy. I think our car seat must be the heaviest one out there. It's heavy even when you're not in it! I will know to go smaller if you have a baby brother or sister one day!

wanting to decorate...

Life is a constant DIY project, at least it is around my house. . . since having a baby, I haven't had the time or energy to salivate over Pottery Barn catalogs or decorating blogs. I'm not sad about it really, but I feel like a small part of me is missing.

Most of my maternity leave, I restricted myself to our upstairs. You see, we bought a new home in November, and it's just not looking the way I want it to yet. The downstairs is a dark, depressing builder beige. I have made what I have work for most of the downstairs, but now I want to put my signature on this house. What I'm using now is what we used in our rental, and we really didn't have the liberty to change things there.

I'm thinking yellow. I'm also thinking we may have to hire painters. Between the both of us, Brandon and I are sloppy painters. I don't have the patience for it, and Brandon drips his paint on baseboards. I want color, but I want color within reason and within our teeny budget.

I don't think I have to tell anyone that babies are expensive creatures. I can put these dreams on hold for a bit longer, but I had to get it out that I miss my little projects.

Oh, other than that. I'm back to work. And it's okay. I didn't die. I thought I would die from not seeing my sweet girl, but I can survive an 8 hour stretch without her. ;)