Weekending

It has been a crazy and busy weekend.  I did an all day cooking session to get the next month's dinners done on Friday.  Who knew cooking could be so totally physically exhausting?  We have been painting our house all week trying to beat the carpet layers.  We are in the middle of recarpeting the whole house.  It's basically like moving.  We have had to pack the entire house up and move everything.  I've decided I'm not a fan of redecorating.  I always thought I liked it- I just never had time to worry much about it.  Turns out- I hate it.  This carpeting is the last step of repairing all of the flood damage.  We had to recarpet so much of the house from the flood damage that we just went ahead and did it all.  While we were replacing the flooring in 90% of the house- we needed to make sure everything was painted.  So now we are in the process of painting the entire thing.  I had help for some of it but we are doing a ton ourselves.  Two bathrooms and a laundry room to go and the whole house will be painted.   There are other things I'm going to end up finishing because now I just want the house to be finished looking.  I hate quitting more than I hate all of this renovation business.  

The only times I've really gone crazy and painted a bunch and super organized my house is when we've been expecting a baby.  Maybe it will work in reverse?  Nest like crazy and a baby will appear?  That would make this insane amount of work worth it.  My house is going to look good when all of this is done but I'm not sure that makes it worth it enough for me.

We had to stay out of the house a lot this weekend in between marathon painting sessions. We ran a lot of errands together and hung out at the park.  We ate lunch at the mall and round on the merry-go-round.  We went to the library and picked out a stack of new books.  The girls spent 1.5 hours pouring over the children's section and deciding which ones to take home.  Books are serious business around here.

I'm not sure what the fascination with this baby headband is but New Fish has started wearing it everyday.

 We went on a hike to a nearby waterfall and gathered "rainbow leaves."  I love living in the mountains- especially during the Fall.  This hike was only a few miles away from my house.  We baked cookies.  We made collages out of the fall leaves and contact paper.  We spent a lot of time together this weekend.  We did a lot of work- paint, deep cleaning, moving things- and we played together.  I'm totally in love with my little family.

Red Fish did some leave rubbings.  New Fish wasn't interested because she already did them in school at the Buddy's house this week. 

Big Girl Room

Before

Things are changing at a break neck speed around here and I'm dragging my feet. I'm not ready for all of it. Yesterday at my mother in law's birthday party everyone was talking about crib jumping and I said Red Fish wasn't a jumper. They jinxed me. Sure enough we put Red Fish down for a nap and out she flew. So despite my great resistance it was time for the transfer to the "big girl room."
I worked on this room like crazy while I was pregnant and then I just stopped in September and haven't had time to finish it. Someday she will have furniture (someday when I'm not worried about her climbing it during the night.) It always makes me feel good to make things special for my girl's rooms. I painted the nursery with a mural of fish. This room involved a lot of sewing for me. I had a friend help me put up the bead board and build the window seat. Then we got the stripes painted on and little vinyl damasks. I'm pretty excited about the way it's coming together. I made really cute curtains but we've had some problems with the curtain rod so they aren't up yet.

Seeing This Face Makes All My Hard Work Worth It!

Red Fish has known this was going to be her room for awhile. When we got out the clean sheets and told her she was sleeping in here tonight she got so excited. She jumped on the bed for awhile and then got under the covers. So far we haven't heard a peep but we will see if she makes it through the night.

The window seat. I will take another picture after the curtains go up.

Tomorrow New Fish will officially move into the crib and nursery. Her first step away from me and I'm sad that my little girls are growing up so fast. I'm so happy to see them growing up healthy and strong. These changes mean good things are happening. That's got to be a big part of my new year. I need to embrace the little things that make me happy. Sharing mac n cheese with a smiley two year old. Seeing my baby giggle and bond with family. Big gummy smiles. Big hugs and kisses goodnight. They are at such a great stage right now. They are both changing so fast and there are so many sweet little moments that make my heart sing. It makes all the sleepless nights and overwhelming moments worth it. I guess that's what being a mom is all about. (Cheesy I know, but I need to remind myself sometimes.)

Adventures in the Nesting Habbits of the Insane

When I am really nervous and/or scared of something I prepare like a crazy person. When we first tried to bring kids to our family I read a pre-pregnancy planning book. Then I read pregnancy books and nutrition books. Then when we decided on adoption I called everyone I knew who had adopted. We went to my sil's house and quizzed her and her husband. I got information from every agency I could find. I read books. I read forums. I nested and bought baby stuff. I painted the room with fish and picked out the perfect fish bedding. I maniacly cleaned our house for the home check. I bought organization bins and shoe racks (because they might turn us away if we didn't have shoe racks right?) I baby proofed. I made lists of stuff I needed to get. I signed up for baby coupons etc. etc. This is what I do. I prepare "Stuff" until I nearly go insane.

So when I decided this pregnancy was real (which took a good long while) and that a baby was actually coming I began my nesting process. Unfortunately for Two Fish I waited until I was too pregnant to accomplish many of my plans on my own. His honey do list has been out of control.

• Windows cleaned inside and out (don't worry I hired some kid to do the outside. I didn't scale the roof.)
• Clean out all closets and donate junk.
• I want to finish cleaning out all of our drawers and cabinets but I'm running out of steam.
• Clean and organize basement - oh the horror of this project. When we moved I think 50% of everything we owned went in the basement and it looked like a bomb went off down there. How is that we have gone from a one bedroom studio apartment to this house and the stuff just expands to fill it?
• Clean and organize garage. My brother J helped Two Fish build these big shelves to put our stuff on. Two Fish is out there right now putting things up on the shelves and dejunking. We have an extra garage and I think it should be able to fit a car even if we don't have one to put in it. Garages full of crap are terrifying to me and ours was perilously headed that direction.
• Clean and organize our office. You know that drawer full of junk you have? I had a room. I need the room to actually function as a room. It's pretty close to finished. I can leave the door open without embarassment.
• Make curtains for two rooms.
• Repaint nursery and organize.
• Paint and decorate the kids bathroom
• Paint and decorate the playroom. Organize. Make pillows etc.
• Paint and decorate a new "big girl" room for Red Fish. (Someday it will have furniture.) I did make the curtains. I'll post pictures as soon as it is totally put together. It is very very close.
• Put wainscoting up in Red Fish's new room (my role was supervisory)
• Build window seat in Red Fish's room. (I just made the cushions and pillows.)
• Wash and de-stain baby clothes.
• Wash bottles etc.
• Buy formula
• Spring clean (my Mom helped me clean floorboards, walls, etc. It was awesome.)
• Better organize laundry room.
• Do Christmas/birthday shopping (only made it halfway through my list. I have this need to do all holiday shopping for the most part before the end of October or I miss all the holiday fun stressing over gifts. I'm really afraid I can't shop with two kids. The idea of taking two anywhere sounds terrifying.)
• Buy some cute coming home clothes and picture taking clothes for New Fish.
• Get out all baby paraphernalia and sanitize.
• Research strollers.
• Catch up on graphic design projects. I was doing splendidly and then my projects suddenly doubled in size. It's a problem. I'm working on it.
• Take hypnobabies classes and do daily practice. This has done wonders for my stress level. I highly recommend it. It was great to help Two Fish and I prepare for this pregnancy, birth, and baby. It was a little hard find babysitters 6 weeks in a row but totally worth it.

From reading this you probably think I'm a neat freak. I wish I was a neat freak. I'd probably be happier and heathier. In truth I'm ridiculously messy (not dirty! I like to say that clutter is evidence of a creative mind.) Our house may be in better shape than ever before. Now for a plan to keep it that way...who has the energy for that? Am I more prepared to be a second time Mom? Maybe...is anybody ever totally ready for a life change like that? I'm excited anyway. The nesting has helped. I'm a little calmer.

It's Beginning To Look Like A Baby Lives Here

I've started dragging the baby stuff out of the basement (well rather asked Two Fish to do it.) Unpacking the baby clothes was not nearly as much fun as I thought it would be. There were a lot of cute little things to get out but they all seemed to have a big yellow stain down the front of them that I swear wasn't there when I put them away. I remember all the bibs having milk stains but not the clothes. Luckily when I washed the clothes again most of the stain came out. I guess I had idealized what hand me downs would be like. Thank goodness for my stain stick.

The swing, bouncy seat, bathtub, cradle, etc. is already taking over the house. Our home is starting to look like a baby lives here again. It's crazy how much stuff one little person can have. I know I just did this baby thing pretty recently but it's going to be strange to have a little tiny baby again. A wonderful kind of strange. It goes by so fast and then before you know you have a crazy, sweet little girl racing around the house causing havoc. You blink and you miss it.

It's going to be so fun to see what kind of personality this next little one comes with. I'm so curious to know if she will be anything like Red Fish or completely different. It should be an adventure either way!

Playroom

Well in direct contrast with my last post- here is my latest project. (Poor Two Fish is at the mercy of my hyperactive nesting- good thing he got a solo vacation last week.) I was totally freaked out by the bright yellow paint when we first put it on but now I like it. (It helps that the room isn't empty anymore.) I've been dying to do this playroom for the last year. I bought the Melissa Sweet alphabet cards a long time ago when I saw them on sale in a toy store and have wanted to use them in a kids room. The clothespins to hang them up with were ridiculously hard to find. I bought the shelves and bins at Ikea as well as the other hanging stuff. It almost killed me that we just patched and painted the room and then proceeded to put 24 holes in the wall to hang everything up and bolt the shelves to the wall. I totally forgot about the tent Red Fish got last Christmas. It was sitting in the closet. It takes up a lot of space so I don't know if we will leave it set up all the time. Today has pretty much been like Christmas for Red Fish. She didn't get any new toys but reorganizing them makes them seem totally new. She has been racing around the playroom clapping her hands.The little table is a $7 end table from Ikea. I took two pillows and recovered them in some sunflower fabric my grandmother (Mimi) gave me and made a matching tablecloth. Red Fish keeps smelling the flowers and saying they smell good.

The marionette and unbrella are from some of my parent's travels.

The orange magnet boards are from Ikea and are to display Red Fish's artwork. Office Depot has some really fun magnets right now.
The mirror and hooks are for dress up play. (From Ikea- everything was a HUGE pain to put together and hang up but it's cheap so we deal with it. It totally bothers me that they don't include any of the hardware.)

A Finished Room

Things are getting very girly looking around here. I'm excited to have at least one room that is decorated and painted even if it's just a bathroom. I've gotten more cleaning projects done but I still have two rooms I want done before New Fish is born. Let's hope she actually waits another five weeks to arrive. I'm kind of feeling like that isn't going to happen. Something shifted big time in the past couple days. My feet are swelling and turning colors and I swear my stomach got huge overnight. I think she dropped.

Under Construction

Cari- I've been using your quiliting tutorial for my second sewing project!

Well the nesting has officially reached epic proportions. We are under major construction. I'm really going to try and get a bunch of it done before New Fish arrives on the scene. I've taken on a major sewing project that I'm actually really enjoying. I'm made more curtains, and I'm making a quilted cushion for Red Fish's newly built window seat. (I always wanted a window seat when I was little.) It's been a crazy week. I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable at this point and I'm soooooo over the nausea and puking. I'm really looking forward to that going away. 9 months of flu-like symptoms is enough to drive a person insane.

On the upside I'm actually really looking forward to the birth. I've put a lot of time and thought into preparing and I'm getting really excited. There is really nothing more amazing than having a child join your family. It's crazy to think there is going to be a tiny baby around here again. That part sure doesn't last very long. Red Fish is only 20 months and she is such a little girl already. I'm really trying to soak up this shrinking amount of time when it is just the two of us all day. Tonight she was having kind of a rough night so the two of us just lay on her big stuffed dog and snuggled for half and hour while she patted my face. I love the little moments like that. Red has gotten so independent lately and she is always so full of personality. It makes me excited to see what New Fish is going to be like. I wonder if she will be like Red Fish or completely different from her sister. I'm looking forward to them just being sisters! I always wanted a sister when I was little (although I'm pretty fond of my brothers.)

It will be kind of nice to feel a little more confident as a mom this time around. Last time I was terrified I wouldn't know how to take care of Red Fish or that I wouldn't feed her right or be able to comfort her. I know every child is different but hopefully I won't leap out of bed every time New Fish sighs. The idea of ever leaving the house with two babies sounds a little terrifying. One toddler who throws some pretty impressive tantrums is terrifying enough at times. My greatest fear right now is that I won't recognize the labor when it happens. That might sound silly but I'm afraid I won't know when it's really time to go to the hospital. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Books & Other Things

First Art- Art Experiences For Toddlers & Twos by MaryAnn Kohl
I had this fantasy for the summer that I was going to do weekly art projects with Red Fish and introduce her to all sorts of new media and ideas. The summer seems to have gotten away from me. We have painted a few times, colored a lot, done sidewalk chalk and used a lot of stickers. That's about it. This book has great recipes and ideas for toddler art projects. I'm trying to set a goal to actually use some of them by the end of the summer.

The Creative Family by Amanda Soule- A great reminder of the things I truly believe about the importance of family, love, creativity and imagination in parenting. I wish there had been a few more project ideas but I love the sentiments in the book. My ideal parenting would be full of creative projects, family traditions, and a lot of imaginative playtime. I totally agree with Soule's ideas about toys and art supplies. Kids need a few quality toys that can create an imaginary world. Art supplies should be readily available and high quality. Kids should be given tools to explore the world around them rather than distractions like television and video games. Now if I can just find the energy to implement these ideas in my family.

Other than reading I've been starting to nest quite a bit. Before Red Fish was born I went crazy reorganizing the house and getting the perfect nursery ready. I feel the same urge to do that now but I'm having a hard time getting anything done. Turns out it's much harder when I have a toddler and my energy disappears at a shocking rate. I did manage to make a set of curtains for Red Fish's new room (I love my nursery too much to change it for the next baby and I just barely finished repainting the fish) Her room is coming together at a snail's pace. Good thing I don't plan to move her over until New Fish gets a little bigger and needs the crib instead of the cradle. Maybe I should plan on her room being done for Christmas instead of September. (My plans turned out to be more expensive than I planned so everything was put on hold until I could save up more money.)

I've also gotten to about 1/100th of my organization projects I wanted done by September. The fridge has been scrubbed this week, the pantry reorganized and all of the kitchen cabinets have been reorganized. That just leaves... the rest of the house including the scary garage and basement that never really got totally moved into. Wish me luck!

Baby Room

My whole plan to decorate a room a month in my house pretty much fell apart after the first room. I realized I had no money after moving and I also had no energy or motivation after I became pregnant. I'm trying to get back on track a little bit and have been working on Red Fish's room (which will become New Fish's room later.) I painted these same fish to match all of the bedding- most of which is in the closet because Red Fish doesn't need it anymore- in our old house. I was pretty sad to leave them behind. It took me awhile to get excited about painting them again but I had a sudden urge to do it last week so I threw a five minute pencil drawing on the wall and went to town with the aid of my tiny one year old assistant. The fish aren't nearly as meticulously painted as the last time but I think they turned out okay considering I was painting with a toddler. The best part is the only thing I had to buy for this room was some sponge paint brushes - I had all of the paint etc from our old house. Now I just have to do a big girl room for Red Fish and work on organizing the toy room. Time seems to be racing past and I have a lot of projects in mind.

Project Runway Here I Come =-)

These curtains are the first thing I have ever really sewn totally by myself. I know they are all straight lines and not that impressive. Trust me, for me this was a huge feat. I'm not a measure twice and cut once person- I'm a cut it and see what happens person. I sewed together a quilt top my freshman year of college and took it to my grandma's to have her help me finish it. She said it looked like a drunken sailor had made it. (It might have been because I decided things would go faster if I cut 8-10 squares at once and none of them ended up square.) I've also been known to sew a pair of curtains all down one leg of my pants when I was hemming them and watching tv at the same time. Knowing all this about me you should be very impressed by these curtains. My Mom gave me a sewing machine for my birthday last year and now that I am in a rush to redecorate the upstairs for the new baby and Asia's new room I plan to put it to use. This all part of my grand plan to someday be on my favorite show- Project Runway. I might make it somewhere around age 80.