The Nursery: Revisited

Some of you have been asking how James' nursery is working out for us so we wanted to revisit it and show you how we have settled into James' room.

Creating James' nursery was a really fun project especially for a pregnant, nesting future mom.  We wanted to make sure that it was a comfortable, serene space where our baby could rest and play.  We didn't hone in on a specific theme, but instead used color to make the space cohesive.

We were thrilled with the end result and now, 7 and a half months later, we couldn't be more happy with the choices we made.  It's a small room, but we managed to utilize the space efficiently.  The best part is that James loves it.  When on his changing table, he loves checking out his little friends on the shelves above.  He loves sitting with Mommy and Daddy in the glider to have his baba or read a book. He loves, loves, LOVES his bed which is probably the best part.

So, without further ado, here is the The Nursery: Revisited.

On the Move

Over the weekend, someone decided that he didn't want to sit and play anymore.  No...he wanted to MOVE!

He has been working on crawling for a few weeks now and on Sunday, something clicked.  And once he figured it out, there was no stopping him.  Here he is at Gymboree:

I guess it's time to baby proof around here. :)

Top Chef Sighting

Aunt Suzy came to town over the weekend which made James (and the rest of us) very happy.  It was an eventful visit filled with Top Chefs, baskets and lots of food - par for the course with us. :)  The food...not the Top Chef. Let me explain.

On Saturday morning we all headed west to Aldie, VA.  What's in Aldie, VA you ask?  Well, Willowsford is in Aldie, VA.  And why is that important?  Well, they were throwing a big bash to entice people to purchase their gi-NORMOUS homes and we are not the sort of people to miss a party!

None of us are in the market for a new house, but the free food, live jams and cooking demonstration with Mike Isabella of Top Chef fame brought us all on board for the trip.  And we weren't alone.  The place was packed!  I guess when you include a 2-page spread in the Washington Post announcing this party filled with free stuff people come flocking.

The neighborhood was cute filled with all kinds of amenities including their own farm stand.  Who wouldn't love their own farm stand down the street?!  But I digress...the party was great.  Good food, a blue grass band, a wine tasting and of course, the main attraction - Mike Isabella.

For those of you who don't know, Mike Isabella was on season 6 of Top Chef and was the runner-up on Top Chef Allstars.  He is a DC guy - formerly the chef of Zaytinya and recently opened Italian restaurant Graffiato.  Sue and I are big fans of the show so this B-list celebrity sighting was very exciting for us.  After a quick cooking demonstration, he took the time to sign his new cookbook "Crazy Good Italian" and take some photos. James was not as star struck as we were, but he chilled out with us while Mike made some grub.

We briefly chatted with him asking some behind the scenes questions about the show.  Apparently, they tape the show in 6 weeks and it is a HUGE pressure cooker.  Said it is about 1,000 times more intense than it looks on TV.  There are no plans for future TV, but he will appear in a few episodes of Bravo's new series "Life After Top Chef".

So, after getting over the excitement of Mike Isabella, we hit the Sinplicity ice cream truck for free ice cream (really good, btw) and headed out of dodge.

The rest of the weekend was filled with relaxing, eating and playing in baskets.  Yes - you read that correctly. The brilliant Aunt Suzy founded the MOST fun game James has EVER played - Baby in a Basket!!  While Ed and I popped out to the grocery store, Aunt Suzy was in charge and had the idea of putting James in his toy basket.  GENIUS!  He loved it - had a ball!!  Now, whenever he gets a little cranky, we put him in the basket and he calms down and actually smiles.  Thank you Aunt Suzy!!!

We had so much fun and can't wait to see Aunt Suzy again for Thanksgiving.  I'm sure she'll have some new tricks up her sleeve that will trump any toy we buy James between now and then. :)

LOVE YOU AUNT SUZY!!!!

James' Monthly Photo Project: Seven Months Old

James is 7 months old today.  I'm sad for 2 reasons:

1.  My baby is growing up WAY to fast!
2.  I'm in Dallas on business so I'm not able to give him a big birthday kiss!!!

But I am also happy because in these 7 months, James has blossomed into a sweet, loving, adorable little boy who loves to play, laugh, and cuddle.  :)

Milestones:

• We have a sitter!  He is a little bit wobbly, but overall, James is now sitting on his own.  We recently put out the new Skip Hop Zoospot Playmat and he just loves to sit on it while playing with his toys.

• James had his first haircut this month.  He was born with lots and lots of hair that just grew and grew.  It was time to clean him up so we brought him to Cartoon Cuts and now he is even more handsome than ever!

• He is about to go full time in 9 month clothing.  He has already graduated to 6-9 month jammies - the 6 month ones were jamming up his toes.  Now we are seeing that his 6 month onesies and pants are a bit too snug.  Growing boy!

Happy 7 Month Birthday James!!

Cartoon Cuts

Yesterday was a momentous day in our world.  Can you say FIRST HAIRCUT!!!  Our little man was born with lots and lots of hair and although he lost some over time, the poof on top remained and just grew and grew.  He is just shy of 7 months old so we wondered if it was too early to approach this all important milestone, but his hair was cRaZy and it was time.  :)

So off we went to Cartoon Cuts at Fair Oaks Mall.  This place is nuts.  Not only is it chock full with screaming kids and frustrated parents, it also has a HUGE green elephant that washes hair!  James was a little skeptical...rightfully so.  :)

They took us right away so off we went to the barber chair.  James sat on my lap while daddy played photographer.  I think one of the cutest things at this place was the mini smock for James.  It was so little and cute!!  Our stylist, Martha, got started and made sure that Daddy got the official first cut on film.

James was SOOOO GOOOOD throughout.  Don't get me wrong, it helped that Dora was playing on the screen right in front of him, but all in all, it was a good experience.  He was pretty unimpressed the entire time...until the buzzer came out.  That is when the melt down began.  Luckily it was only a mini meltdown thanks to our trusty pacifier.

It only took maybe 10 minutes, but WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  He was a handsome guy before, but now he is a looker!!  I put a before and after shot side by side so you can see just how long and unruly his hair was.  I love how cleaned up he looks!

What is so cute is that Cartoon Cuts sent us home with a First Haircut Certificate along with some locks of James' hair.  

This is SOOO up my ally and will be firmly placed in his baby book.  My Mom actually saved a lock of my hair from my first haircut - it is a circle of hair.  James now has a fully baggie and I'm happy to say, there are some curls in there.  :)

Potty Makeover 2.0: Part Two

It's been a while since we announced that we were going to do a partial renovation to the 2 upstairs bathrooms and we are a little embarassed about it.  It's been 2 months and really, the updates were minimal.  Impactful, but minimal which is why it is sad that it took 2 months to actually do it!  Getting small things done around here these days is no easy task, but alas, we are here and the updates have been made and we are pleased. 

I was never really happy with the way the Master Bath turned out after Ed re-painted it.  I loved the paint color and I loved the new light fixture and vanity over the sink, but I never fell for the color scheme.

Well, a quick trip to Target and World Market changed that. Voila - instant upgrade!

Grey and yellow is all the rage these days so I decided to drink the Kool Aid and take the plunge.  I'm a big fan of how changing a shower curtain and towels can instantly upgrade a room.  I feel like it is a little more sophisticated and spa-like.  My favorite part of the room is the new artwork above the toilet. Because of wall issues, we were not able to hang the glass shelf and towel rod that I had originally intended.  So instead, I scoured Etsy for the perfect art and I think I succeeded.

The attractive state prints highlight the 2 places that Ed and I have lived together - Westbury, NY and Centreville, VA.  The colors match the new scheme perfectly and the frames were a HUGE find at my local Michaels.  All in all, we are really pleased with the final result of our Master Bath update.

Next up is the hall bath otherwise knows as James' bathroom.  We had a lot of fun with this one and with the help of Uncle Jim and Uncle Daniel, we have transformed the room into a sea adventure.

In addition to the awesome fishy shower curtain (thanks again Jim and Daniel!), he now has a comfy, nubby bath mat, a friendly whale tissue box and coming soon...some whale art!  

This little guy still needs a frame and will eventually live here:

So there you have it.  It took a while, but it's finally done...almost.  :)