Children's Bedroom

I've had a lot more energy the last few weeks and was able to put the final touches on the kids' bedroom. I'm so happy with how it turned out. It's calm but happy, clean, and gender neutral (we decided to have them share a bedroom and create a playroom rather than giving them both their own rooms--I think Gus will love having company, and we figure it will be five years or so before they need their own separate spaces).

The walls are grey (or they were supposed to be--they're more blue than I'd anticipated) and then I used pops of bright green.

I love these birds. They hung in my grandparent's formal living room when I was growing up. It had a tall cathedral ceiling and the birds were soaring and for some reason, they really captured my attention. They have sort of a stylized 60s/70s shape to them. My grandparents recently downsized and when they were divvying up furniture and things I was like I WANT THE BIRDS. And everyone else was like "what birds? Those birds? Umm, okay." I didn't know where I was going to put them at first, but then I realized they would be perfect in the kids' room. I love them there, and I love that Gus often points them out, "Birds!"


To the right of the window is Gus' framed birth announcement and a placeholder for Baby Girl's.


We pulled off the closet doors and I added these "curtains" I made from Ikea fabric.


I've showed this detail of the fabric before, but I'm showing it again because I love it. I sent my grandma the leftovers and she's making a quilt for Baby Girl out of them.


And here's the closet open. That's right, I went all OCD and did green storage bins. The baskets hanging on our wall held programs at our wedding, and the fabric bins in the closet were purchased when Gus was just a hope. (There is actually a cover on the changing pad now; I just didn't feel like taking another picture.)


To the left of the changing area is a little homage to Oz. That's a kangaroo and Gus' baby Uggs along with an Australian flag Adam had bought for Australia Day in the shelf box. Beneath that is Gus' Australian birth certificate. I chose the Australian animals version because I'm touristy like that. I think it's so beautiful and unique.

Oh look, more Australia. To the right of the closet (left side of the window) is this carving of Aussie animals that I mounted on a canvas that I painted green to give it a bit more presence.


Opposite the crib is the twin bed that, umm, Gus was already supposed to be in by now... (Baby Girl will be in a bassinet in our room--or wherever we feel like rolling it--at first, but I'm hoping not to have to get a second crib when she grows out of that.)


Oh YES I DID blow up a picture of our dog. As you can see from this post, I usually take terrible pictures, but I happened to catch a pretty good one of Kona on the beach, and it makes me giggle. It really captures his weird doggy lips (there's even some drool) and his intense concentration on his ball. I just wish I'd flipped the image so that he'd be looking at the birds, but as Adam pointed out, it's more like Kona to be looking in the wrong direction. (The size and placement look a little off in this photo, but I swear it's better in person...)


I've been focusing up on finishing the playroom next (or at least mostly finishing it); pictures of that space coming soon.

First Fruits

Gus helped pick our very first home-grown tomato!

Father's Day Present

Adam got a new bike for Father's Day--and Gus got an ibert to go riding with Daddy.

Thar She Blows

37 weeks (almost 38). The day I turned 37 weeks was the beginning of a heat wave, and as I sat in evening service I watched my feet swell between the straps of my sandals, and by the time we got to the benediction I could no longer pry my wedding ring off of my finger. But I still felt really good all things considered. Then a couple days ago the fatigue returned. Boo.

Anyway, the belly is quite prominent. I still manage to forget about it at times. But occasionally I'll turn around and see it catch Adam's eye and he'll say something like "wow, Baby Girl is really out there."

Yes, she is. She pushes my seatbelt out of the way now so that it's practically strangling me. Also, I can barely reach the faucet on my beloved farm sink. That extra inch it sticks out from the counter makes a difference these days.

The view from the top changes throughout the day, but often I'm kinda pointy.

Nice and aerodynamic.

Gus at 20 Months

"Camera" he says to me and hands me the camera he scored from a table top that is clearly no longer safe. "Smile," he asks and then signs and says "more." He wants me to take another picture of him, so I oblige. "Smile," I tell him, and he screws up his face into a funny, forced pose. As soon as I take the picture he wants to see it. "Baby" he says of himself (he pretty much calls everyone under 7 a baby). "Cute."



And he's right.