C's Room Reveal

First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of posts over the past few weeks.  When the second phase of our neighborhood was built, AT&T decided that they would only run a small handful of high speed ports to the houses.  I am not sure what their reasoning was, but what I am sure of is that my internet is slower than dial up.  It is next to impossible to upload a single picture to the internet in under 30 minutes.  It is quite frustrating to say the least. 

 

I don't think I have posted any pictures of the house since we moved in, so this post is dedicated to the first room I call complete - Caroline's.  Before I share her big girl room, I wanted to reminisce about her first room.  I loved the pink, brown, stripes, and polka dots.  It was everything I wanted for her at that time.  Oh the time we spent working to make straight stripes across her walls.  Little did I know she would only enjoy it for a few short months before moving.  I put zero time into her 2nd nursery, which made planning for her big girl room even more fun. 

 



 

 



Yes, I loved Caroline's nursery, but I often found it dark and not as cheerful as I wanted it to be.  For her toddler room, I knew I was going to go all bright and nix all colors dark.  The final result consists of yellow walls, green curtains, and touches of pink and blue throughout.  Most of you who know me know that I am not very big on overly themed rooms.   The flowers in this room definitely took over and I love every inch of it!  There are a couple of things I still want to adjust and add, but for now, this is the one completed room in our house.  Hopefully, some of her Texas friends will get to see it in person some day!

 

Room Details
Curtains - Panels from Target with fabric added via no sew hem
Bedding - Bed Bath and Beyond
Furniture - Craig's List
Mirror - Upcycled from nursery with pink spray paint
Flower Decals - Christmas gift from Honey
3D flowers, flower hanging rack, lamp - Hobby Lobby



First Visitors

We were so excited to have friends, Sarah and Preston, spend the other weekend with us.  Our time together was too short, full of excitement, and definitely much needed!  We spent our first afternoon together in New Orleans.  The highlight of this adventure was watching the kids break it down to some local musicians in Jackson Square.  Over the next day and a half, the kids baked cookies, painted, and played at a local park on the beach.  We are just so thankful that they stopped by to see us!   


Making Memories in Jackson Square

 

Fun at the Park on the Beach

Mmm..Gatorade

Baking Cookies

 

Fun with Paint

Pregnancy Journal: 22 Weeks

This post is a week late due to us finally closing on our new house a little over two weeks ago.  A blog post about that adventure will be in the near future.  As far as the baby boy goes, all is going well.  He and I are both growing at a steady rate.  His heart is beating at a steady 150 bpm.  I did have my first experience with round ligament pain during our move.  I did not know if I was working myself too hard or if baby boy was just stretching my insides.  The doctor told me it sounded like round ligament pain.  I was curious about whether my blood pressure was going to be high because of the stresses involved with moving, but surprisingly, it was actually on the low side.  The doctor said since I was not having any other symptoms it was nothing that should alarm us.  I have also turned into somewhat of a cookie monster.  I cannot get enough cookies!  I just want to eat them all the time, so I do.   

Jolly days in July

Took this sweet pic on Angela's front porch

The first half of July has disappeared before my eyes.  We close on our house in 2 days and I really don't know where the time has gone.  I have so much to be grateful for and sometimes have to kick myself to remind me of all the blessings around me.  Here are some pics over the past month.

C ready to stay at Nanny and PawPaw's for our weekend wedding in Ohio

Iphone Pic before the wedding

Having a blast with our Chicago friends Blake and Stacy

We took advantage of a rainy day last weekend and had a great time at the local Children's Museum.  The top left picture is a structure that children can crawl through to get from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor.  

  

C helping Daddy clean his big catch!

ter·ri·ble/ˈterəbəl/

ter·ri·ble/ˈterəbəl/

Adjective: Extremely and shockingly or distressingly bad or serious: “a serious crime”

1.

THE CLICHÉ

Hmmm.  The term terrible twos sounds like such a cliché.  While Caroline has always needed boundaries and wanted to test the limits, I would not have gone so far as to say her actions were either extreme or shocking.  Yes, we have certainly had “bad” twos, but nothing that ever lasted more than a week.  It seems like we would make adjustments, buckle down, and her behavior always got better.  This time it is different.  Extreme, shocking, and distressing might be exaggerating a bit, but life is certainly a challenge right now.  For the past two weeks our day to day life consists of constant battles.  Caroline wants the opposite of whatever is going on at that moment.  This opinionated behavior consists of whining, crying, and sometimes screaming.  Once a day I could handle, but each day seems to have more than the day before.

DISCIPLINE TECHNIQUES BACKFIRING

Our go to discipline methods are starting to backfire.  For example, I used to count to 3 and she would obey before having to go to time out or get a spanking.  Now when I count to 3, she counts to 5 real fast and starts to spank herself.  What a smart alec!  Timeout and spankings just don’t seem to be working.  I think I need to reevaluate the severity of these 2 consequences and figure out how to make them count.

MOTHER OF THE YEAR

Speaking of making it count, let me tell you about a discipline technique that I think will never be forgotten by Caroline or me.  Caroline’s first public all out tantrum was last week in Payless.  She wanted to buy a pair of shoes.  She refused to get off the floor after I counted to three, so I proceeded to pop her and carry her out under my arm screaming and kicking.  While I was carrying her, she chunked a toy car across the store.  When the cashier went to pick it up, I very calmly told that cashier that Caroline must not want that toy and to please throw it in the garbage.  The 25 minute ride home was painful.  Snot, tears, screaming, the works.  Caroline kept screaming for me to turn around and go get her car.  I just kept repeating that we don’t throw fits and when we throw a toy, it goes in the garbage.  I cried, too, because I felt like I was the world’s meanest mother.  All I can say is that a week later Caroline still asks about that car and we can discuss the reasons why it had to be thrown away.  I’ll let you know if this actually prevents public tantrums in the future!      

IS IT JUST ME?

Have you and your toddler had similar conversations to the ones listed below?  How do you punish an indecisive, manipulative two year old?  I am open for suggestions!

I’M HUNGRY: Example 1

Toddler: I’m hungry. (whining on the floor saying it over and over)

Parent: Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes.

5 minutes pass

Parent: Get in your chair, dinner is ready.

Toddler: I’m not hungry. (whining on the floor saying it over and over)

DINNER: Example 2

Toddler: I want that cheese.

Parent: I don’t think you will like feta cheese.

Toddler: I want it.

Parent: Ok. Taste it first.

Toddler: I like that cheese.

Parent puts cheese on plate for dinner. Everyone is eating dinner.

Toddler: I don’t like that cheese.

Parent eats cheese off the plate.

Toddler: MY CHEESE! (crying because she wants her cheese back)

RUNNING ERRANDS: Example 3

Toddler: I ready to go bye bye.

Parent: We are leaving as soon as I get ready.

Toddler: I ready to go bye bye.

Parent and toddler get loaded up to go and are driving down the road.

Toddler: No bye bye, no bye bye, I want to go home.  Go home.  Go home.

Toddler proceeds to scream for the next 20 minutes in the car.

TAKING A WALK: Example 4

Toddler:  I want to walk.

Parent: You can walk when we get on our street.

Get to the street and parent tries to unbuckle seat belt.

Toddler:  I don’t want to walk. (kicking and yelling)

Parent pushes a few feet further.

Toddler: I want to walk.

Parent tries to unbuckle seat bel.t

Toddler: I don’t want to walk.

Parent continues pushing stroller.

Toddler: I want to walk.

Parent: No ma’am. You are being ugly.  You can stay in your seat.

Toddler: I want to walk.

Parent: You can walk when we get to the driveway.

Get to driveway and parent unbuckles seat belt.

Toddler: I don’t want to walk, I don’t want to walk.  Put my seatbelt back on. (screaming)

Parent has to dump toddler out of stroller to go inside.

THE FUTURE

Closing is scheduled and the moving truck is reserved.  I hope that moving into our new home can provide some stability that Caroline may not have been feeling lately.  I pray that God can give me the patience and wisdom to parent and discipline appropriately.  I pray that he can guide us in raising Caroline to be the sweet, loving little girl that he wants her to be.

Pregnancy Journal: 18 Weeks

The last 4 weeks have flown by!  For the most part, I have felt really great since my last pregnancy post.  My baby bump inflates and deflates depending on what I have eaten over the previous 48 hours.  To prove the extent of this theory I measured myself before bed one night and again the next morning.  I was a full inch and a half bigger the night before!  My nurse pointed out that I have gained 5 lbs since my last appointment.  I'll blame it on the delicious hamburgers and fries we ate for dinner last night.  Maybe the chocolate chip cookies we baked afterwards made the difference.  Oh well!

I have started to feel our sweet baby boy moving around!  It is truly an amazing feeling.  I can feel him just a couple times at night before I go to bed.  It definitely helps me go to sleep with a smile.  Every night before bed Caroline gets my pregnancy book and looks at the picture of how big her baby brother is and rubs my belly talking about how she wants to hold him.  I hope she will stay this sweet when he gets here!

All this talk about food is making my stomach growl.  I think I need a cookie!

Almost There: A House Update

The deadline for our house to be ready is July 23rd.  The foreman for the job has assured us that not only will the house be ready by the deadline, but we will have closed, moved in, and be enjoying a drink on the back patio by the 23rd.  That is less than 4 weeks from today.  As you scroll through the pictures you will notice that everything is almost finished!  We still need counter tops, hardwood floors, carpet, toilets, door knobs, grass, and few other finishing touches.  I can't wait!

Notice the added slab to the right of the house.  This is for Grandpa Grady (the boat).  The additional 4 feet of garage is for the Manatee (the other boat).  I lost 3 feet off my dream laundry room that protruded into the garage to accommodate the Manatee.  Yes, our garage is enormous.  By the way, the front door posts are not complete.

Dining Room - This is coming in the front door and to the right.  These are not my favorite light fixtures. 

Living Room - This is standing in the dining room taking a picture.  We shifted the fireplace 3 feet to the left in order to keep our TV on a credenza and not above the fireplace.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that we moved it enough!

Kitchen - The cabinets do not look this red in person, but I am very excited about the slow close cabinet doors and drawers!  The tile floors are very similar to what we had in Texas.

Back Porch - We have cable and speakers wired out here waiting for football season!

Master Bedroom Window
This is very awkward placement for the house next to us.  I am hoping to add some trees!

Another Shot of the Awkward Placement
It is placed like this because we are on a cul-de-sac.

Another Front Shot - The garage you see next to us is the far left side of our neighbor's house.