Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Girl, A Baby and A Pile of Laundry

Someone recently asked me what my day looks like now that there is a baby in the picture. I didn't really know how to answer. I feel constantly busy, watching my to-do list grow exponentially by the second, trying to balance what the baby needs, what the house needs, what the husband needs and what I need on an incredibly unstable schedule. That said, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Today, so far, has consisted of:
1 am - feeding the tiny. This is crazy unusual, only the second time she's woken in the night since she was 8 weeks old (Yes, I do realize how blessed I am.)
1:30 am - both of us back to bed.
6:45 am - sleepily kiss the husby goodbye.
7:45 am - feed the tiny (while watching DVR'ed American Idol). Most of the time she goes back down after this feeding for a few hours, during which I am free to go back down also, or to do whatever I can in that time, IE - shower, dress, tidy, what have you. But, generally I go to sleep or read my google reader blogs, check facebook, e-mail and etsy.
8:30 am - put the tiny down for nap #1. This is the only nap that she agrees to most days, but it's a good long one. It should last until about 11, if I'm lucky.
8:40 am - coffee, my dear friend, and a trip to the mailbox to send of a sweet necklace to a sweet customer. I added a little something to this necklace, so I was extra happy with it as I put it in the mail slot.
8:50 am - here we are. Blogging rather that showering. What are you going to do.
The rest of my day will consist roughly of something like this:
9:00 - fold the bitty laundry and put it away (hers is the only laundry I like doing - her stuff is soooo cute!)
9:45 - start some grown up laundry
10ish - dress myself, tidy a bit
11ish - change the laundry, feed the tiny, change her, dress her, play like crazy
12:30 - think about lunch
1:00 - attempt to put the baby down for another nap, change the laundry
1:15 - give up and rock her to sleep
1:30- ease her into her crib and pray it sticks, change the laundry
2:15- feed the tiny, watching Gilmore Girls
2:45- change the baby, play some more, work on rolling
4:30- fold and put away laundry, start prepping baby for nap #3
5:00- seize the 15 minute window I have of definite napping, find some dinner (husby is working tonight, so I don't actually have to make anything)
5:15- eat while bouncing fussy baby (teething has made the evening rough lately)
5:30- feed and change the baby, play
6:30- give up on crib naps and let baby sleep in my arms
7:00- change the baby into jammies, or run a bath, depending on how dirty she's gotten herself today
8:00- feed one more time and start the bedtime attempts (let's say it works on the first time)
8:30- watch TV and wait for hubs to get home
Between 10 and 11- hit the hay and start again tomorrow

This is my rough plan, but odds are today will wind up looking extremely different. I know I'm going to enjoy it though. This girl is an absolute delight.

17 weeks old

Monday, January 24, 2011

If money were no object...

...Charlie would have some incredible etsy stuff.

A clock is a nursery necessity in my book...that way you know what time in the middle of the night she's getting you up to eat, and when you drift off while you're feeding her, you'll know how long you were out for when you come to. So, the prettiest way to fulfill that need is with this beauty from long time favorite, Decoylab.
Clearly, I'm a sucker for Jellybeans (the candy as well as the shop). This sweet hugging tree print would fit seamlessly into Charlie's decor.

I've stalked Skunkboy Creatures forever. I love every single thing she's made,and this beautiful mural is no exception. Sadly, it's sold...she just had a baby of her own (yay!) and is on leave, so I had to wander through her amazing sold items to find what I wanted.
I might tweak the colors slightly, but this pillow by borislovednatasha would be so adorable on the rocker in Charlie's room.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of Uggs...unless they're for babies! Even better...crocheted for babies! Eep! Loving these ones by IndianSummerGardens.

Um, are you even kidding me, BacaCreations? This is hands down the cutest hat in the world. As in, I can't see Charlie NOT having this hat. That said, browse my shop! Maybe then I can justify the purchase ;). Kidding, kidding, totally kidding. (Kinda.)

And, runner up for cutest hat? This sweet owl by JustDandyCreations. I've had my eye on this guy since I found out I was pregnant.

I love pillows that are also stuffed animals (and I'm not talking about pillow pets...too cheesy looking). This fantastic Mr. Fox by sleepyking is so adorable and squeezable. Plus, I'm in love with the bunting in the background.
That's it for now (if I put everything I love from Etsy on here this would never end.) Off to play with my little girl, and maybe later take a nap and dream about hippos.

Four Years







Four years have gone by since my tiny, hilarious, scrappy, amazing mom went to be with the Lord. I'm excited for the day we'll be reunited. She is so missed.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Monday, January 17, 2011

Erin's Favorite Things

Though not nearly as exciting as Oprah's, here are some of my favorite baby discoveries so far:
Halo Sleep Sacks - we have two of these, and they make bedtime peace of mind that much easier to attain. I know that Charlie is unable to pull any blankets over her head, and that the cozy fleece will keep her warm when Seattle nights are cold.
NUK pacifiers. We've tried MAM and Gerber, but NUK is the clear winner. She can keep it in her mouth, it doesn't gag her, and she won't leave home without it (or she "lectures" me the whole time we're out if we do.)
Infantino Twist and Fold Gym in neutral. I LOVE this thing. It's brightly colored animals entertain Charlie for hours, allowing me to do laundry, knit, read, or do anything that requires two hands. It will be a sad day when she outgrows this charming little floor gym.
Munchkin Arm and Hammer Disposable Bags and Dispenser. A friend brought this to us when she came to meet Charlie the day after she was born. These puppies are lifesavers, disguising the disgusto-smell of dirty diapers with a pleasant baking soda based scent. Since most places (including the doctor's office) don't appreciate you leaving stinky diapers in their trash cans, these can make the task of taking them with you much more pleasant.

Sony Baby Call Monitor. As paranoid new parents who hadn't been told that babies breathing patterns can be terrifyingly inconsistent, we bought these monitors after a trip to the ER. Did you know babies can stop breathing for up to 10 seconds and it's normal? Neither did we...till the nice ER doctor told us. (By the way, when in doubt, definitely utilize a nurse consulting line, your pediatrician or the ER - peace of mind is so worth it.) Anyway, now we can hear all of her strange sleep sounds and over time have learned which one's warrant checking on, and which are just throat clearings.

Nail clippers with file. Oh poor Charlie's fingertips. So brutalized by nail clippers alone. Now I use clippers to trim a bit and the file to get them as short as I need...files can't cut jerky fingers like clippers can.
Trumpettetoo socks. These stay on! Hip hip hooray! Plus, so adorable.

Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller. Best stroller ever. One handed maneuverability, plus one handed fold, and-wait for it-17 pounds. Yeah, I know. Amazing.


So, that's it so far, I'm sure there will be many more favorite things to come. What are your favorite things?

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Charlotte - 3 months





Laura had a end of holidays brunch, which resulted in an impromptu photo shoot. Such sweet pictures!
In three months I've learned:
Books can't teach you everything
I'll do just about anything to get a tiny laugh
Three outfits in a day may not be enough (for either of us)
All diapers are not created equal
Napping with Charlotte is delightful
Floor gyms are underrated - it's a daily necessity for us
Tummy time and tub time are tricky to pull off
It's possible to miss her even if she's just taking a nap
She's the most amazing thing ever

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Charlotte's Room

Charlie's room was inspired by some artwork we had from the Etsy shop Jellybeans. Taking the idea of trees with polka dot leaves and running with it, we designed a simple nursery that we absolutely love.

We opted for grayish blue walls so it wasn't quite so girly. (This may have been subconsciously influenced by the fact that I lived in an obscenely pink room for many years when I was younger.)

We found a tree decal on Etsy that was similar to the style of the artwork, and put it over the crib, which we got from IKEA. The bedding is Dwell Studio for Target, and continues that idea of abstract plant life. (Because of the controversy over bumpers, we used the one that came with the set as a makeshift window seat cushion.)



Our one splurge or this room was the rocker glider, and it was so worth it. For the amount of time spent in it you really want to make sure you have something comfy enough to doze off in. My sister in law made this beautiful quilt for Charlie, complete with her initials, and we've hung one of our Jellybeans pieces above the chair, where Charlie loves to stare at it.


We "made" the changing table from a bookcase and tabletop at IKEA, and it's the perfect height. Above it are two more Jellybeans prints, one representing a Daddy and Daughter, and the other a Mother and Daughter.


We also purchased a bigger version of the same bookcase for books and toys. The last Jellybeans print lives here, along with Charlotte's Web and some framed paper I found.

It's been a great place to display favorite toys and books.

We claimed the walk in closet in her room for ourselves (filled to the rafters with the storage that used to fill her room) so we found a wardrobe system at IKEA to hold her clothes. On the side of the wardrobe we've hung the Jellybeans calendar.

A few other details:

Some framed paper in the entry way

A "night light" so diaper changes in the dark aren't quite so treacherous. We swapped out the winged frogs for some more of the paper I found.

That pretty much sums it up. If you see something I didn't give details on that you'd like to know about (changing pad cover, bins in the bookcases etc,) just let me know and I'll tell you where I found it. We love this room and are excited to see Charlie grow into it and personalize it.