Bedroom Overhaul

And thus we come to our May house project.  It was a big one, though it actually took less time than doing those bathrooms in February.  Go figure!  Anyway, we decided to tackle our bedroom, which I have been wanting to redo for a long while now.  I just wanted something lighter and fresher.  

Let's look at it before (please note the brassy fan):

I'm happy that our house was painted a neutral brown all over, but after a while it gets to be a lot of brown everywhere you look.  So it was time to shed the brown!  I decided to go with a nice light grey (Saxon Grey) for three walls and a plum for an accent wall (Intellectual Plum).  My explanation for this is that I like grey and I've been very taken with the idea of a plum wall lately.  My color choices are basically a gut decision, I guess. 

Maybe now is a good time to mention that I ask Drew's opinion on these things, but he generally agrees with whatever I pick.  So this is basically all my decisions with his stamp of approval.  Though of course, if it were up to him I'm sure all the rooms would still be brown, haha.  MEN.  He is very good to go along with all my schemes, color and otherwise.

ANYway, we taped things off Friday night and got to work on Saturday morning whilst the babies played at the park with Drew's parents.  Needless to say, tarps were put to use.

We got the grey done just as a new paint crew arrived:

Once that crew was put to bed, we started on the plum.

At this point I stopped taking pictures until it was done so I will just list what we did after finishing the painting: bought a new little ceiling fan, went to several stores in search of new bed stuff (Gordman's was the winner!  I'd never been there before and I will go there many, many times in the future.), got some pizza for dinner, fed babies and put them to bed.  Then Drewbles took down the bedroom fan, took down the fan in the downstairs TV room and then put THAT fan in our bedroom.  Of course by this point it was dark so he did this as I held a flashlight, sometimes in my hand and sometimes in my mouth if he needed help.  But we did it!  

Old fan, reused fan, little brand new fan.

Then we ate our pizza at 10:00 and watched some Amazing Race.  When we did our bathrooms I'm pretty sure we ate at 10:30.  So...a little better?

But anyhoo, once all was said and done, I love it!  It turned out even better than I hoped for.  I love the colors, I love how much lighter and brighter it is in there.  It's so much more cheerful.  But let's look at the evidence (AKA pictures of the babies):

(The duvet cover is from IKEA, the pillows are from Gordman's)

This next picture is notable for the fact that Mr. C is actually airborne.

Okay okay, the rest of the room (please note the fan):

HER CUTE LITTLE FACE AUGHHHHHH

Oh you two, just being all adorable and hijacking this post!  Go on then.  

Where was I?  Right, the room.  The idea is to get a canvas print/s for over the bed but we haven't picked a picture for it yet.  So for now it's just the Intellectual Plum.  I'm okay with that.  

And for our June project we will go back through all our painted rooms and do touch ups....

Lately

I've been meaning to write a lengthy blog post for months now about why I don't blog as much these days.  But I'll whittle it down to a few sentences instead: I record things elsewhere.  I got a paper reading journal that I write in rather than on Goodreads.  I write in my actual journal.  I record things in the baby journals.  I have a paper planner.  I guess I'm regressing as far as the digital age goes, but I love it.  So, sorry.  My blog posts have been going elsewhere.  

But I do still enjoy keeping up on the blog, at least to a point, and of course it's fun to add in pictures and what not. 

So in that spirit, here are some little things that have been happening lately.  

I will start with a confession.  You know how on special occasions people make fancy/special foods for each other?  For example, for Valentines, Drew wanted to make (simplified) pho and sticky rice.  

Sometimes he asks for ribs or some other favorite food.  Do you know what I asked him to make me for my Valentines meal?*  The same thing I ask for every birthday or special occasion:

Yep.  Velveeta with hot dogs.  DON'T WORRY--it was the fancy Velveeta where you have to make the cheese sauce yourself.  It is delicious, okay guys?!?  

I finally started an etsy store!

Buy my stuff!

I love Kate Morton.

I have read 4 of her 5 books since November and I love them and she is just SO GOOD and I wish she were my spirit animal.  This one might be my favorite.  And I'm so sad that once I read the 5th book I will have to wait until a sixth comes out!  Pretty sure Drewbles is kind of tired of hearing about Kate Morton...

Kate Morton Kate Morton Kate Morton!  

*sigh*

But speaking of other excellent lady authors...

I hosted a book group and our book was Murder on the Orient Express.

I also tormented Mr C with watercolors.

When I say "tormented" I mean I tried to get him to paint and he recoiled and said he was scared, refusing to do it.  But he had no problem telling ME what colors to paint and where.  

(This was actually very similar to his first experience with finger paints about year ago, but with much less sobbing on his part, fortunately.)

I made the mystical three ingredient scones/biscuits.  

Pretty amazing that they turn out!

I've had these three prints for yearrrrrrrs and I rediscovered them when we cleaned out the office.  I put them in frames (for the first time ever!) and now my laundry room looks really cool.  

I finally finished this wreath I started last summer:

It's covered with moss!  I made the little eggs out of model magic and painted them.  

I'm not sure the moss will survive more than one season, but if it falls off or whatever I think I'll just remake it with artificial greenery.  Have I mentioned that I really like making wreaths?  Pretty sure I meant to blog about it...

Well, here are my wreaths:

I also remade a fall leaves one from Walmart, guess I don't have pictures of that one.  Anyway, I have a grand vision of 12 wreaths hanging on the wall in the garage, one for each month.  I think I need about four more!  Maybe by the end of the year...?

*Obviously we did not eat all these meals at once.  Next time...

Eleven

First, the answer to the big question: no new teeth this month.  

I wish I could say that that means she's slept through the night 100% of the time, but she still likes to get up in the wee hours now and then.  I don't mind too much though really.  And she does go to bed happily by herself.

Just a little static... 

Naps are getting a bit better.  She still doesn't like going to sleep on her own, but she will usually oblige me by falling asleep with me pretty quickly.  The times I have gotten her to sleep on her own for naps she will wake up after 20 minutes or so, caterwauling.  So at this point I am fine with rocking her to sleep...

(How could I mind this??)

She loves her food.  In fact, she loves it so much she sometimes whines through all of dinner because she is not getting it fast enough.  Favorite foods are still bread, bananas and cheese.  If she sees that I have cheese for her, she will often reject everything until she gets it.  I understand, my girl.  The cheese love is strong in you.

The big event of the month is that she started waving and it is super cute.  Still no clapping, but she has gotten very good at playing peek a book, which is also super cute.  She's also gotten ticklish and giggly and loves to be chased.  She will zoom away on all fours, shrieking.

Other favorite things: books, cars, puzzle pieces and anything she can play peek a book with.  Animals also delight her and she will squeak at them with delight.  This month she and Mr C have been cracking each other up so much and it is fun to watch.  I can't wait until she starts trying to say his name.

I think I can say now that she will say "mama" intentionally these days.  She often says it as she crawls onto my lap at least.  Otherwise she just babbles all day and while she doesn't say words, I think I can hear repeated sounds that she seems to associate with people.  Like in the morning when she hears Mr C or at night when the garage door opens.

What else can I say?  She is just a beautiful baby, with a happy, funny manner.  

And I can't believe she's going to be one in just a few weeks ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

A Tale of Two Epidurals, or, The Poppy Arrives

Other alternative titles for this post include: "So That's What a Contraction Feels Like", "A 1???" or "Pleasepleasepleaseplease".

Monday night, the 9th, we spent some time debating when the Poppy would arrive and how (c-section or VBAC).  But debating when a baby will arrive is about as productive as juggling greased lemons so eventually we gave up and went downstairs.  I played Diablo 3 for a while until I realized this off and on discomfort was coming in, shall we say, regular intervals.  Like some kind of, I dunno, contraction perhaps? 

But we didn't really know what to do about it so we went to bed.

After a couple hours of contractions (and no sleep for me), we decided it was time to go in.  But first I threw up dinner (stupid cough).  Anyhoo, we arrived at the hospital about 2 AM and they told me I was at a sad little 1 (of the required 10).  I maybe cried because I didn't want to be sent home again.  But after walking the halls a bit I made it to a 2 and they admitted me.  

This is what happens when they try to draw blood and it won't come out. 

Over the next hour or two, the awesome Dr. B. came by and broke my water (weird) and I made it to a 3.  At that point I was restricted to my bed and decided to get the epidural.  "He'll be here in twenty minutes" they said.  Twenty minutes turned into an hour and it was an awful hour.  Awful.  But he finally showed up and did the thing.

This is what happens when they don't use a short tube on your IV.  Or something?  Lots of tape.

Everything was good for a half hour, until I realized I could feel everything again.  It was very similar to several past experiences at the dentist.  "Oh, are you still not numb?  I guess we'll give you another shot."  It was about another hour before Epidural Man returned, and it was an even awfuler hour.  I was so tired, I couldn't get out of bed and it hurt so bad.  So so so bad.  By this point I'd thrown up three more times.

At this point I started muttering "Pleasepleasepleaseplease", to no one in particular.  Looking back, I feel like I was a crazy person, clawing at my overtight ID band and grabbing at the bed rails.  I was quiet, but crazy.  Drewbles is nice and says I did great notwithstanding.  Anyway, they couldn't explain why the epidural didn't take and so did it again (it was nearing noon by this point).  

Then I fell asleep.  

I was woken up an hour later because the Poppy's heart rate kept dipping and they tried rolling me from this side to the other to get it to pick back up (which it did).  Side note: have you ever tried to roll side to side when you can't feel half your body?  It is basically impossible.  At this point I told Drewbles I was half a body guy.

So, after all the repositioning they told me I was at a 9.5!  Just like that!  In spite of my contraction pattern they said!  So the nurses went over pushing protocol, Dr. B. came in, they gave me some oxygen and put me to work.  Pushing is not hard when you can't feel anything.

Dr. B., the nurses and Drewbles were all so encouraging, and about forty-five minutes later the Poppy made her entrance at 1:56 PM, exactly on her due date.  They plopped her up on me, all bloody and gooey and it was awesome, especially since that couldn't happen last time.  After waiting a bit Drew got to cut the cord, which he didn't get to do last time.  All kinds of firsts, considering this was our second baby, right?  

(Also I got to see the placenta which was bloody, gooey and awesome but not cute at all.)

The Poppy weighed in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and was a half inch longer than Boo Boo at 20.5 inches.  I love that she has the same fluffy dark hair, though I still cannot explain it.  Thanks, heartburn!  I GUESS.

(I love so much that I don't have heartburn anymore!  And no stupid cough and food doesn't taste like barf!)

So, in the end, after all the low placenta stuff and the breech stuff and the lack of progress stuff, we avoided that second c section and had a perfect VBAC.  Go me, go baby, go everyone else!  I really had no issues with my c-section recovery, I thought it was pretty easy and in some ways it was easier than VBAC recovery.  Mostly I don't like either.  But I'm really glad that I didn't HAVE to have another c-section.

(Custom dry erase marker portrait from Drewbles.  The nurses love these.)

So far the little miss is quite mellow and content.  When she wants something she'll tell you, but she's easily pacified and very snuggly.  I see a lot of sibling resemblance until she opens her eyes, but we'll see what happens as she grows. 

Ready to go home.

As for that sibling, he likes to look at her and has held her once on his own initiative.  He doesn't seem to resent her, though he's definitely been a bit touchy.  But we are just trying to be patient and sympathetic to this big change in his world and I think things will settle down soon.  (You can compare his newborn pictures on this post.  They both like having their fluffy hair washed.)

(I have two kids?  Whaaaaa?)

 

(He loves this cup!  Luckily I still had an identical one from when he was born.)

And now we are a family of four, just like that.  It is amazing how these little humans grow and develop and finally enter the world, ready to go. 

Welcome, little one!  We're going to have a great time.