Xander's Nursery

I wanted to share with everyone the little guy's room. My family and friends close to me know I have a hard time designing for my self, even though it is what I do for a living. But this room was 9 month's in the making. When I first found out I was pregnant I could immediately picture what I wanted a little girls room to be. But I was so confused on what to do for a boy, and since I don't like the typical baby rooms this was a challenge. Since we live in a tiny 2 bedroom, and the closet in the babies room was my closet. We had to figure out wear all of the babies stuff was going to go. I knew I wanted it to be modern but all of the Modern cribs were so expensive, we were trying to do the room on a budget. We found the perfect one at Walmart.com of all places! 

Before we knew the gender we took a trip to IKEA to find some storage furniture, we came home with a combination of bookcases with doors. The idea was to create a wardrobe, so we added some rods and TADA a mini closet for the little dude. After finding out he was a he we painted the room a light grey with a lime green accent wall. I didn't want his room to look like a babies room just a fun room that he could also be a toddler in! The room was still missing a dresser/changing table and a chair. Both of these things I was very picky about! One weekend my mom and I went on a furniture hunt in Jenks and Tulsa. We found the chair at our favorite antique furniture store in Jenks. The chair was hideous it was upholstered in a light blue country cutesy fabric with an awful ruffled skirt, my mom took over the task of making a slip cover it in a grey micro-seude. Also at this antique store I found the most amazing bulldog bookends which had to come home with us.

The dresser was more of a challenge I wanted something Mid-Century Modern but everything I liked was either already sold or way to expensive. The hunt lasted all day and took us all over Tulsa, we finally found the perfect piece at a Junk store pilled high with tons of stuff and under all of the boxes of stuff peeking out was THE dresser! It was just what I was looking for and was a very well-built piece with some water spots. We got it for a steal and after sanding it I decided Teal was the way to go...but if you have looked at the pictures you will notice that there is not a teal dresser or a green wall but in fact there is a green dresser with a striped wall. Yes that's right I changed design directions midway through! We decided on painting grey stripes on the wall in varying shades, witch we both LOVED! But we still wanted to incorporate the green so the green that was on the wall became the color for the dresser. 

 We are not theme type people but we needed some art for the room and because we love our puppy children so much I decided they needed a place in his room! I wanted it to be fun but still depict our pups. After a lot of thought and research I decided some paint by number inspired portraits of each dog was just what that wall needed! I really like how they turned out and the colors used in the portraits helped direct the color palate in the rest of the room. 

 This prompted another trip to IKEA because lets face it, it is hard to find inexpensive modern pieces. A girls trip to Dallas and we came home with a cream rug, two large floor pillows one in grey and one black and white, an orange patterned pillow, a fake sheep skin rug, a black and white throw, a light fixture, a green fleece blanket, curtains and doggie but hooks, !  The doggie but hooks were the only thing from the kids section and were a must, they added a bit of humor to the space and went along with the portraits.

 The oval ottoman was a craigslist find and at 15 dollars it was the cheapest option, my mom recovered it in the same fabric as the chair. It has extra storage and cool metal legs, andI love how it helps soften the room by adding some curves with all of the square edges in the rest of the room.

 I didn't expect to find so much at IKEA and didn't think I liked some of the things I picked up until they were all in the basket and that is where it came together. The curtains which I thought were going to be something I was going to make were one of those odd things I picked up and thought they might work, but at 14 dollars for a pair I liked the idea even more. They have these graphic tree branches with birds on them, however they were thin and let too much light through but after adding some blackout fabric to the back and black ball fringe to the edge they were better then I imagined they could be.

The cubbies above the dresser were built by my Dad, the things we use frequently are stored here and it really helps keep us organized. I made the changing pad cover as well as the crib sheets because I couldn't find anything in our color scheme. The lamp and baskets were from Target. 

 I think the wardrobe turned out really well, it provides a lot of hanging space as well as storage for all of his shoes!! 

I absolutely love how it turned out and I think it is our favorite room in the house!  I hope you guys like it too!

Mr. X is 3 months old!!

Getting picked up from Daycare
6 weeks

Okay so I am a terrible blogger and haven't posted anything since his birth story...opps! Well I will catch you up. I went back to work after 6 weeks of Maternity Leave. Jason and I both dropped him off at daycare and it was so hard to leave, I cried and had to call and check up on him. I miss seeing him all day but I like to work, it is my way of having a little me time. Also what makes it easier is that I have started work 11 hours Monday through Thursday so that I get him all to myself on Fridays! In the beginning we struggled with a Lactose Intolerance and some Acid Re flux but we have got that under control. He is such a great baby the first 2 months he went to bed about 6, woke up at 10 for a bottle before we went to bed. He usually woke up again at 1 and then 5 but I was already up getting ready for work at 5 so it was no big deal.  He now sleeps from 10 to about 430. 


The second week of daycare he developed his first cold, lots of congestion and a mild fever but was still a pretty happy baby unless I was using the nasal aspirator on him. The congestion lasted for a couple of weeks but eventually it cleared up, right when we thought we were out of the woods BAM an ear infection!! Poor guy hadn't gotten that muscle control yet so in attempt to grab his ears he was hitting himself in the head. After a round of antibiotics he was cleared from the Doctor with a warning to watch closely for more ear problems... 

Bananas YUM

He was cleared on a Friday and on Saturday he didn't want to eat which turned into a 102 fever. On Sunday we spent Mother's Day curled up in bed which was really sad because we were fighting a fever all day with some serious stomach problems. Monday we visited our favorite Doctor and found out that there is a serious stomach bug going around, we had to switch up his diet but he started eating and feeling much better Monday night. The Doctor put him on some solids, and this Momma was freaked out because he is only 3 months! We tried apples and bananas and we found he LOVES bananas, as in crying when I wouldn't give him anymore. He HATES apples, spitting and gagging occur. He was also on clear liquids only so Pedialite and water. He seems to be better but has to stay on this diet all week with the addition of some soy formula. 

Sick baby trying to keep his fever down

 I feel awful that he has already been sick twice and with the acid re flux and regular Doctor's appointments he has seen the doctor way too much! I know that it is from being exposed to germs at daycare because we are such germaphobes at home, I feel like it is my fault but I tried to do everything right, he nursed for the first month until we realized he had an intolerance, and we wash hands like crazy! I just hope that we are done with the sickness! 

Favorite Bink

Well enough of the sick talk, Xander is a pretty amazing little guy, I think I already said that! He has been holding up his head pretty much since birth and we were hoping that meant he would roll early, not really the case. During tummy time we lift our head and try to eat the blanket then fall asleep. He only takes his Bink on occasion (and it has to be the one from he hospital), and at first he was a finger sucker but he has found his hands and sucks on the hole thing. When he gets upset he holds his ear and puts his hand in his mouth. It's really fun to see because when we did the 4D ultrasound he was doing that very thing! 

Holding his ear

He has some favorites already first are his blankets, they are the Aden and Anais Guazy Blanket my amazing cousins Patty and Beth got them for us and I don't know what we would do without them. He loves to be swaddled when he sleeps and we have tried some other recieving blankets we were given but he won't get comfortable. He likes them so much I had to buy 4 yards of Gauzy fabric and make some more, only having 4 I was constantly doing laundry so he would have one. 

Favorite Blankets

Other favorites bath time!! He could spend forever in the bath if we would let him, we love our tub its the puj tub that hangs flat on the back of the bathroom door, its an amazing space saver for our tiny 2 bedroom. His Grammie got him a floor mat that has dangling animals, and he LOVES it, which helps Jason and I when we eat dinner. He also has a swing that Nana got him which usually keeps him busy when Jason and I wash bottles or while I sew. He has a Elephant Lovey that he adores, he grabs it on occasion but every time he sees it he smiles and laughs like he can't control his happiness. Laughing that is something we thought he would do early because he is always smiling, however it took him forever to figure out how to get the noise out, he would smile sooo big and make a huffing sound, we affectionately called it his nerd laugh.  

 X's Favorites

Mr. Ellie

This boy has been going places too! We have made several trips to Grammie's and Nana's house, we have also been to the zoo and take lots of walks around the neighborhood or the lake, and attended his Aunt Jenny's Wedding. He has also been shopping with the girls, I am no sure if he like that though, but if it means his Aunt Lori picks him up and carries him around then I think he manages to tolerate it (rough life).

The zoo is exhausting

A day at the Lake

One thing we were worried about was having baby X around the dogs. We got several opinions from friends and family both positive and negative. We did take precautions before he was born by putting a baby gate between the living room and the bedrooms, Jason also brought Xander's blanket home for them to sniff before they met. We don't leave the big dogs alone with Xander ever, they like him a lot and love to check him out, but leaving him alone with them is setting us up for disaster so we don't take the chance. Gixr our Great Dane played jealous the first week and now tries to give him kisses every time he sees him which is a challenge of its own. Max is pretty indifferent to him but Lexi O' Lexi she is a little momma always checking if he is okay comes to find me if he is crying. She curls up with him during tummy time or on the couch while watching TV, she also has to give him kisses all the time, its safe to say i have to wash off his little hands and feet all of the time. I am just glad my Dog babies get along with my Human Baby! Well that about catches you up on the last 3 months. Below are his baby stats and monthly pics:


Birth-           7lbs 3 oz. 
2 weeks       6lbs 14 oz.
10 weeks-    11lbs 7 oz. and shots

1 month

                                         

2 months

                                         

 3 months

How Mr. Xander came into our lives

I wanted to start a blog so that all of our family can watch our little man grow. We welcomed Xander into the world on February 9th 2012 at 8:48pm. This is the story of how it all happened...


We decided to induce at 39 weeks, I was diagnosed Group Beta Strep Positive and because my family has a history with quick labors we thought it best that we went the route of induction to insure that I had plenty of antibiotics before delivery. We checked into the hospital February 8th at 5pm, Jason and I both worked a half day because we were so excited we thought it would help pass the time.

They gave me cervidil at 6pm  and by 6:30pm I was having full on regular contractions. We were told there was only a small chance that this would jump start labor however, I was one of the few that it worked on. They started pretty strong and were coming at 5 min intervals, when I checked in I was only dilated to 1 cm, so we had a long way to go. I wasn't allowed to get up for 2 hours and had to lay in one position the whole time, I also wasn't allowed to eat for those 2 hours. Jason left about 7 to go check on the dogs and to get us dinner. I was allowed to eat dinner at 8pm, however I was in soooo much pain that I couldn't eat the KFC mashed potatoes and gravy (comfort food). I planned on holding off on the epidural until we got really close however I was having intense contractions and could not sleep at all despite the sleeping meds they administered. At about 1030pm I decided to go ahead and get the epidural which I was totally scared of, big needle totally scary!!! It was not bad at all, the worst part was the numbing shots and the rest was a piece of cake. Because I had to get antibiotics every 4 hours we didn't get much sleep, and then at 5am on February 9th they gave me Pitocin. My mom, dad, brother and sister came up that morning to relieve Jason so he could get breakfast and go let the Dogs out. I was not allowed to eat at all and was only allowed to have Popsicles and ice chips...and for those of you who really know me, know I get a tad bit cranky when I am hungry so I apologize if I was hateful, I was not myself! I did however indulge in several cherry Popsicles.


At 8am on February 9th my doctor came in and broke my water which did make my contractions start coming about every 3 minutes and they were very strong. Xander was doing great but I was still not progressing very much, at this point I was so tired that I don't exactly remember all of the times and details. At one point I was I was told I was at 5 cm dilated and I stayed there for awhile. My epidural port came unplugged at one point and I was feeling everything again...except my legs haha! I even told the nurse and they came in and upped my dosage, which I didn't get because I was unplugged. We finally discovered it and I was hooked back up and all was well. I finally progressed to 8 cm around 4 pm (I think) and that is where I stayed until 8pm. Because it had been 12 hours after my water had broken my doctor came in to check everything, and to discuss our options. She could feel his head coming down but just didn't think he was going to fit, I specifically remember cone head being mentioned. She really thought we should pursue a C-Section, and honestly after 27 or so hours of labor I was happy to agree with her. All I wanted was a healthy baby so if the doctor thought it best that we have a C-Section then I was totally on board.

They prepped me right away, and we were ready to go! Jason and my mom were in the room and everything went really smooth. I was so tired I could barely stay awake but I was just really ready to meet my little man!! Everyone was great and it went so fast and before we knew it Xander arrived at 8:48pm. It was such an amazing and emotional experience that I totally don't feel like I missed a thing with a normal birth. As soon as I saw him I started crying like a big baby, Xander on the other hand did not cry. I was so worried but was told everything was fine in fact they only got him to cry once or twice, and he still isn't a cryer. He had a big knot on the top of his head from labor, and was definitely not going to come out the natural way so I am glad we made the call at 27 hours instead of waiting longer for something that was just not going to happen. Because he wouldn't cry they had to suction his lungs and give him oxygen to get everything out and then Jason brought him over to me so we could spend a moment together before I went back to my room.

 

Before I knew it they had me stitched up and in the room and I had Xander on my chest. He was 7 pounds 3 ounces and 21 inches at birth however after the knot went down it was more like 20.5 inches. He got a clean bill of health and wasn't affected my the Group Beta Strep.He is such an amazing blessing and an amazing baby, he hardly cries keeps to a pretty regular schedule and just has both Jason and I wrapped around his finger.

Mommy Love

 First Bath

Here are some pictures that we took while in the hospital

 

Headed Home!!!