Saturday, May 30, 2015

Baby Face Friday: 3 Weeks


Our big boy is up to 9lbs 10oz. Looks like he will grow into those big hands & big feet in no time. After a little over 2 weeks, his belly button finally fell off so we could give him a proper bath. Eloise was glad that his "ouchie" was all gone & thrilled to help out with his bath. 


Eloise's latest thing is to request that I take a picture of her & Preston together while laying on her bed. Fun fact - this scene occurs when I'm trying to get her dressed for school while keeping Preston content. 










Monday, May 25, 2015

2 weeks & counting



Preston is doing great since we came home from the hospital. He was back up to birth weight by the end of the first week and passed it up by his 2 week checkup. He is a good little eater and sleeper so far.  It didn't take long but I've officially been christened as a boy mom.  How'd that happen? I got peed on. Not once, not twice but three times in one day. Good thing I have a good sense of humor and lots of handy burp cloths!  So far, he has had a busy life with a newborn photo shoot, doctor's appointments & visits from various family members & friends.  He even had his first solo outing with Mommy to the best place in the world - Target. 


The bond between Eloise & Preston started the moment that they met. Eloise immediately referred to him as her baby and couldn't wait to have him come home. 

Over the past 2 weeks, we have heard the following 2 questions, "What are you doing?" and "Can I help?" many times each day from Eloise. She is so observant and curious about everything related to her baby brother. One of the most memorable moments from the last 2 weeks was Eloise expressing genuine interest in helping out with feeding Preston - like actually nursing him.  She came home one day from school and as she walked in the door, she took her shirt off, grabbed the pacifier and put it up to her nipple and said, "I want to help feed baby brother!" The same scene occurred the next day too. Use your imagination when it comes to her reaction to watching me pump! 


No matter what is going on, Eloise is thrilled to see her baby brother. She is normally pretty grouchy when she wakes up but magically brightens up when she sees Preston and immediately wants to give him a kiss with the hope that he will open his eyes and look at her. She loves that he has blue eyes that match hers and Mommy's. She loves to help give him his pacifier aka his "fire fighter" and check on him in the swing. 


2 weeks in and things are going pretty well. We are all adjusting to being a family of 4. Some parts of our days are harder than others but at the end of the day, we feel very blessed to have 2 beautiful & healthy kids. 









Saturday, May 16, 2015

Welcome Preston Bradley



on a rainy spring day
at 8:18 in the evening, on
05.08.2015
they placed a 9lb, 2oz
miracle in our arms.
Born on his due date,
 just 12 hours after being admitted to the hospital, and
he was perfect.
We named him
PRESTON BRADLEY.


 

Monday, May 11, 2015

Ahoy, it's a Boy: Nautical Nursery Tour:

Early on in our journey to have Baby #2, Brad said from the get-go that he wanted a nautical nursery if it was a boy.  We had so much fun decorating Eloise's forest/owl-themed nursery that I knew that this one would be just as great.  As soon as we found out that we were having a boy, Brad was ready to start the conversion of one of our guest rooms to a nursery for baby boy.  Brad did a lot of "construction" for this nursery as he created many of the pieces in the room.  Enjoy the tour!

Before: Goodbye Robin's Egg Blue
After - Phase 1: New Paint
After - Phase II: Let's Accessorize!
Come on in!

Brad made this sign.  Stained the wood, attached the letters & secured it to the wall.
After - Phase 3: Mommy's Gallery Wall
Just as Brad knew that he wanted a nautical-themed nursery, I knew that I wanted to do a gallery wall on one specific wall in the nursery.  Between Etsy & my own graphic design skills, I created this nautical-themed gallery wall.  One fun thing to point out is the "You are my sunshine" sign.  The lyrics to this song hang over Eloise's bed and I knew that I needed to incorporate that song again into the nursery decor for this baby too.  Both Brad & I were sung this song as kids so it holds special meaning for us.   
After - Phase 4: Accent Furniture & Shelves
I saw this shelf on Etsy and said to Brad, "Can you make me this?"
As always, Brad said, "Your wish is my command." 
 Brad came up with the idea of having a boat-like bookshelf in the room.  After tons of searching, we found this bookshelf on Etsy.  As it came unfinished, Brad stained it to match the furniture. Don't worry - it is anchored into the wall in 3 areas to avoid any accidents. 
 Auntie Lo made this basket for books & toys
 After - Phase 5: Final Touch. 
How to do you complete a Nautical Nursery?  Get your baby boy's name in Nautical Flags.  Brad gets all the credit for this idea as he suggested that we spell out the baby's name with nautical flags and incorporate that into the room in some way.  It was news to me that their even was a nautical alphabet to do such a thing!  This sign hangs above the closet.  

Love some of the items in our Nursery?  

Bedding, Mobile & Dresser baskets - Pottery Barn Kids
Table top Rope Lamp - Target 


Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Things to do while you wait for your baby to come

Things to do while you wait for your baby to come
Note: My doctor suggested that I shouldn't work past last Friday because of the distance of work from the hospital.
 
  1. Watch some clips of 50 Shades of Grey in preparation for the DVD release on May 8th.

  2. Purchase birthday cards for friends & family that have birthdays over the coming months.

  3. Organize baby boy's clothes for the 10th time to make sure it's "just right."

  4. Go to Target and stock up on some essentials.

  5. Clear out all of your maternity clothes out of your closet.  Go thru your regular clothes and put them back in your closet.

  6. Go thru all the birth announcement selections on Shutterfly and Tiny Prints and pick out your favorites.

  7. Go thru your hospital bag and repack it...one more time. 

  8. Organize your toddler's spring & summer clothes for  the 3rd time to make sure it's "easy" for other people to make her outfits when getting her dressed.  

  9. Prepare blog posts for baby boy's arrival....and maybe the next 2 years of his life.

  10. Go to Target again.  You forgot something...probably.
                          






Saturday, May 2, 2015

Bumpdates: Week 39

~ Week 39 ~


HOW FAR ALONG: 39 weeks
BABY IS AS BIG AS: Mini watermelon
GENDER: Boy
SLEEP: Not so much.
BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: Meeting Baby Luke Campanile
MISS ANYTHING? Lots but the end is near.
MOVEMENT? Yes
FOOD CRAVINGS/AVERSIONS? Not really. 
LABOR SIGNS? 4cm dilated, 100% effaced.
SYMPTOMS: Charlie Horses, Sweating, Swollen Feet.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: Meeting our baby boy - hopefully sooner than later. 


BIG SISTER ELOISE SAYS:
Her BFF at school is having a baby sister so she told me this week, "I want a sister. I want to be matching with Lauren."