Baby Boy BLISS

It's hard to believe we've already got a month of lovin' on our sweet little boy under our belts!  Rowan joined us bright and early on July 1, and the rest of us have been big, walking heart-eye emojis ever since.  He surprised us by coming exactly one week early - I'd always had our babies right around their due dates so I had big, important plans for that last weekend without baby.  But instead we ended up at the hospital about 5:45 that Saturday morning - girls and all!

Since we don't have family in town and he decided to not only join us earlier than his due date, but also early in the morning on a holiday weekend, we couldn't find anyone nearby to be with the girls.  Ryan woke them and quickly got them dressed while they buzzed around the house, so excited to meet their baby brother! Then we all packed up and headed to the hospital - luckily it's nearby because my labors and I don't last long.  The girls stuck with us in my room until it was epidural time, which sounds chaotic but I actually loved it.  I'll never forget looking over in between contractions and seeing one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen, with both of them huddled together under the window playing on dad's phone. 

Luckily Joan got there right at epidural time, because that quickly turned into pushing time, followed shortly after by baby Rowan time!  He was so sweet and tiny in my arms with his full head of dark hair!  It's amazing how for 9 months you're connected so completely with that baby actually living inside you, but it just doesn't compare to the strength and intensity of that heart connection that comes after they're born.  I was hook, line and sinker for this boy as soon as he took his first breath.  There are just no words to describe that love.

Joan and the girls headed up from the cafeteria and they burst into the room with so much excitement.  Evie came running in, asking if she could hold him first, which is exactly what she did.  Lyla held him next, and both were so proud and excited and tender with him.  It was the dreamiest mama moment.

We went home the next day and the rest has been a blur with lots of grandparents and aunts coming to visit and help.  Rowan has been such a good baby, and the girls have just been unbelievable.  Evie has taken to this big sister thing better than I could have ever hoped for, and WAY better than I expected.  Lyla, my eternal busybody helper, has been eating up the fact that she's the OLDEST, and loving her big sister role more than ever.  I couldn't be more proud of them.

So far this family of 5 life has been so good to me.  So the million dollar question is do we stick with 5 or do we keep going... :)

Welcome to the family, little Rowan!  I can't promise a whole lot of peace and quiet, but I can promise a crazy amount of love.  We're so glad you're ours. 

- K

His first photo!  Such a handsome boy with all that hair!

Family of 5!

Skin on skin time with dad :)

Mama cuddles.  Swooning just looking at his tininess.

Still not an official thumb sucker, but he sure found it quick on his own!

Rowan brought the girls new dress up dresses, and they were both impressed he already knew who their favorite princesses were.  ;)

Belle and Cinderella!

First family outing with the boy!  We saw Cars on the 4th of July.  :)

Our patriotic little man.

First doctor appointment, and already back up to birth weight!  Love how tiny they look in those car seats at first.  Boy does that change quickly!

Loving her new big sister role.  :)

He's a lucky little boy to have so much love!

...he's also just a little bit smothered with love at times.  ;)

SO. STINKING. CUTE.

Got a new swingset for my push present.  :)  Love being able to send them outside to play while I tend to baby.

So proud!

Our first visitor!  It was fabulous having an extra hand to help!

Tootsies!

Love me some knuckle dimples.  :)

Our first day on our own!  We survived.  Barely.  ;)

Just happened to take this right when he started to fill his diaper.  Let's just say he is NOT dainty about it.  The girls' faces kill me!

Grandma K!

Sleepy smiles.  :)

Big stretches!

Hangin' with Auntie Kate

Grammy!  And the cutest little guy I've ever laid eyes on.

Working on his fitness.  (Thanks for the rattles Aunt Katherine!)

First visit to Lake Harriett!  He can't wait til he gets some ice cream too.  ;)

Nursery Design



I have to give my husband some major love for his help with all these bedroom projects I've signed us up for.  I seem to have an allergy to keeping anything simple and rather than just setup a nursery I decided we just had to completely redecorate all three of the kids' rooms.  I mean, we have so much spare time and all.

 

The big debate once we got pregnant again was do we have the girls share a room, freeing up a room for baby and keeping the extra bedroom a play room OR do we let them keep their space and turn the play room into the nursery.  I was envisioning bunk beds in the girls' shared room, but that eventually turned into visions of Lyla jumping from the top bunk and attempting to swing from her chandelier...and the bunk beds were nixed.  It's not often I can be proactive enough to anticipate her wild antics, but I feel like I saved us from a real catastrophe with that one.

 

So, for the past couple of months we've been working non-stop on updating the rooms, starting with Lyla's.  What do you mean by updating, you ask??  Maybe some paint?  Maybe a couple new decorations?  Nope.  I'm talking wallpaper, paint, painting trim, building new storage units.  The whole shebang.  And while I've questioned my own sanity at times, and wanted to quit at other times, my lovely dear of a husband hasn't complained a single darn time.  Even when he's gotten up at 3AM to fly home from a work trip on a Saturday and has to come home to immediately paint trim...no complaints.  Every once in a while the man is a real saint.  ;)

 

I should also give a big huge shout out to Goan, our wonder nanny, do-it-yourself expert, emergency save-the-day-er, friend, and adopted family member.  Mary Poppins ain't got nothing on that lady.

 

The girls' rooms are SO CLOSE to being done, and the boy's room is finally underway and n the next couple of weeks we'll finally be able to share some pics of the transformations!  In the meantime I wanted to share these photos of a nursery I designed for some friends from church when they had their third boy.  It was the first boy space I ever got to do, and I had so much fun!  Decorating in general is probably my favorite hobby, but doing kids' rooms is the ultimate.  It's so fun to be able to get a little more whimsical and add pops of color you wouldn't do in other spaces in your home.

 

For this particular family, the dad was from Texas and the boys' names were Ranger and Duke, with baby Boone getting his nursery updated.  They let me surprise them with the look, which was a little daunting, but making any space feel personal is so important to me and with those names I knew immediately we had to go for a Western theme.  When the dad showed me his painting of a cow he wanted to have incorporated, the theme was solidified.

 

Over the next couple of months I had a blast researching and collecting fun, unique pieces to add to the nursery.  I was lucky the room had good bones, with a neutral wall color, white trim, and hardwood floors.  Everything else just came together perfectly.

 

Here are the photos!

 

- K

 

 

 

I bought those curtains from Ikea and dip-dyed them myself for a pop of color.

 

The rocking chair was theirs already, and it fit in perfectly.  And how cute is that tiny hide?!  One of my favorite things for sure.

 

I was able to find these vintage Western comic books and the plaster skull with bright green horns on Etsy.  Love the pops of color and uniqueness!

 

I used books they already had at home - luckily their were plenty with a Western theme.  :)

 

Had to incorporate this book for little Boone.  ;)

 

Probably my favorite part of the whole nursery!

 

There's the cow painting!  The dad had painted it years earlier and added the barnwood frame for this project.  It turned out perfectly!

 

OK, another favorite find.  How COOL is this mobile?!

 

That pillow cover was another Ikea find that I added some pom poms to for a fun accent.

One of my favorite verses, and just perfect for a baby's room!

Play Dates!

Between a new MBA program, more travel for work and redecorating three bedrooms (why couldn't I just stick with decorating a nursery???), things have been pretty crazy around here.  Baby D Day is less than a month away now, and I'm starting to feel acutely aware of the fact that this will actually (somehow) be the least busy we are for.... well, ever.

One of the things I remember most from the last time we welcomed a new baby is how unbelievably tiny that new baby seemed, how big Lyla suddenly was, and how hard it was to learn to share myself.  A good friend put it to me that way once, shortly after having Evie, and it hit the nail on the head.  I was prepared for the difficulties my only child would potentially face with becoming a sister and having to share me, or at least I expected it.  What I hadn't realized is how hard it would be for me to learn to share myself.  Or how much guilt and other emotions came along with that learning curve. 

This time around I know more of what to expect - the unfathomable tininess of our new addition, the girls suddenly feeling like teenagers, and a brand new sharing learning curve...but I'm not sure the expectation is going to make any of it any easier.  So, as busy as we are, I've been trying to be intentional with balancing the crazy and stress with some fun and play dates for the girls, before we're outnumbered. 

We recently had two fun play dates with friends - our first outing of the year to the horse races and our first ever visit to the Arboretum.  Both girls loved running around with their friends.  They couldn't get enough of the horses (Evie is currently in negotiations with Grandma and Pop for a horse with a yellow saddle) and the ice creams and lemonades at the races, or the fun exploring through the creeks and trees and gardens at the Arboretum.  Both days were so fun with beautiful weather and great friends.  Just what the doctor ordered!

- K

Cookies and cream is Evie's fave.  :)

The funny thing is I didn't even notice all the fancy accessories until I actually looked back at these pics.  Who wants to bet how long baby boy makes it before getting adorned with his first princess crown??

Lyla's friend, Duke, from preschool.  How funny is their pose?!  Future prom dates, I'm thinking.  ;)

Can we just focus on those little hands wrapped around Lyla's waist??  And how much she's loving it?!  Dyingggggg.

Evie working on her lemonade modeling.

She didn't fully understand why she couldn't ride a racehorse herself.

Running through the Arboretum!

Evie is not always into friends as much as Lyla is, but these twins were cut from the same cloth as Lyla, so I think she feels right at home with them.  :)

Lyla and the twins.  They could seriously be triplets - same size, same personalities!

"Painting" the playhouse with water.  Such a fun time!  We'll definitely be back.