The Nursery 2.0 and Other Baby Related Things

With only a few days before the newest Mangiaracina joins the world (days?!!??!?  EEK!!!!), we have put the final touches on the nursery.  As we mentioned here, we wanted to make some small updates to the space so that our new little guy felt like it was his own.  So with some new fabric, artwork and stuffies, voila! An updated nursery without any pain and suffering.

In addition to a new changing pad cover, a new teddy bear friend named Ted has joined the room.  James and Ed went to Build a Bear and made this new little guy for the baby.

I do need to thank friend Anna for the beautiful hand made blanket. The monster fabric was a real inspiration for the room.  In fact, we decided to update the artwork over the crib with monster-themed prints!

Another thank you needs to go to Sylvia for the awesome new valence.  Thank goodness for her sewing skills otherwise this would be a blank window. :)

I did once again dabble in the art of "sewing" aka an iron-on, no-sew crib skirt.  Not to shabby for a novice!  And a thank you needs to go to Cloud b for making such amazing products.  In addition to our Sleep Sheep which still hangs from the crib, the new baby is now the proud owner of the Tranquil Turtle (which James may or may not have already staked a claim on) and the Twinkling Firefly Frog.

And the last new addition is the birth announcement on the wall gallery above the changing table.  The only thing left to add is the baby's photo and hospital bracelet and we will be all set.

Other than the nursery, we have been making other areas of our world baby friendly.  The cars are now equipped with 2 car seats each which is totally weird.  James has shifted over and now sits behind the driver seat which did not phase him at all.  He didn't even notice.  He does ask about the infant seat and tells us that he wants to put his baby doll, Henry in it.  We take that as a good sign.

And even though we have what seems like every piece of baby gear on the planet, we made room for one more thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Q.  This puppy will be a great spot for our little man to nap on the main level since we no longer have room for a Pack 'n Play in the living room.

And finally, the bins. We have lots and lots of toy bins in the living room, but we needed to make room for baby bins for all the things babies need like burp cloths and receiving blankets and diapers.  Thank goodness our end tables have shelf space for this stuff!

There is still more to do, but nothing major.  I think the biggest thing is to get this kiddo out of my belly and into our arms.  The pregnancy has been great, but it's safe to say that I'm done.  Let's get this party started!!

James' 3rd Birthday Video

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY JAMES!!!

Hiatus

It's been a while.  It's been a long while.  I feel bad about that.  And at the same time, I don't.  I'm not big on New Year's resolutions because, really...do they ever stick?  But I did say to myself at the beginning of this year that I wanted to be more IN the moment, enjoying it rather than worrying about how I would capture it on my iPhone and rehash it on this blog.  So that is what I have been doing. Living rather than re-living.

And I'm tired.  Our life does not care that I am almost 32 weeks pregnant with constant back pain and heartburn. The house still needs to be cleaned.  Laundry still needs to get done.  James' social calendar continues to grow making me feel really bad about mine!  And did I mention I'm 2 weeks away from the biggest event of my work year?  It's a crazy time, but I wouldn't trade it in for anything.

The little man in my belly continues to grow and we can't wait to meet him.  Full disclosure - we are nervous.  We are nervous about how life is once again going to shift with our new addition.  We are nervous how James will cope with a new little brother in the house.  But we are embracing the unknown and are ready to tackle it, no matter how tired we will be.

Being Mangiaracina will live on. But posts will more likely be monthly than weekly.  And I'm okay with that.  Time to get living.

Christmas Traditions

Things are starting to get verrrrrrrry merry around these parts.  From James' decked out room to the front of the house to our new cozy basement winter wonderland, it seems that the Mangiaracina's are ready for Santa's arrival.  It all started with our visit to the Christmas tree lot.  We have been going to the same place since we moved here (Trader Joe's parking lot!) and kept up with the tradition - including our pho meal afterwards. :)

I love how James looks so exhausted in that last photo - like he was the one that hauled the tree in the house!  After about a week of letting the branches settle (trip to NY got in the way), we got to trimming it last night. We both grew up in houses that had the "tacky tree".  You know the one.  Colored lights.  Random ornaments.  No theme.  And we LOVE carrying that tradition on.  

Some of our tree favorites include this guy we bought when we were dating...

... James' first ornament...

... an oldie, but goodie from Ed's younger days...

... and a new favorite.

This is the first year we put the tree in the basement, but I think it was a wise move.  It is so cozy down there now that it is finished and with the fireplace, it is the perfect setting for the tree.

We did manage to make sure that the main floor is festive despite the deletion of the tree.

There are still a few things to partake in to complete the holiday traditions.  Cookie making ~ Gingerbread house decorating ~ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer watching.  I can tell you that I'm sure between now and Christmas morning we will watch "Elmo Saves Christmas" another 117 times, but hey, it's the holidays!

A Headboard by Any Other Name...

As many of you know, my hubby is quite the handy man and has recently dabbled into home furnishings.  He made our beautiful kitchen table and recently put together this beauty for James' room:

James' big kid room felt somehow unfinished.  The furniture in the room was Ed's when he was a kid, but the headboard that came with the set was for a twin bed and James has a double.  Enter Super-Hubby!  He built this baby in a few days and we couldn't be more thrilled with how it looks in the space.

Unfortunately, James didn't seem to notice it when he first walked into the room.

Kid is oblivious.

But since that lackluster first impression, he has petted it while saying "I like it!" so it looks like Ed got a thumbs up.

And now for the plug.  Check out Ed's Craigslist site for more of the great stuff he has put together and let him know if you are in need of anything!

Potty TRAINED!

So we are so SO proud to report that our big guy has upgraded his status from potty training to potty trained!  The kid is unstoppable on the potty these days and is full time in underpants - with the exception of overnight.  I think the M&M prizes may have something to do with it, but we are at the point where he only gets it for #2.  I'd rather buy M&M's than endless amounts of diapers and wipes.

Big cheers for no more diapers!!

Full Circle

When I was a kid, my Aunt Linda bought both my sister and I each a mini Christmas Tree for our bedrooms.  I loved having my own tree with my own ornaments in my room so I decided that James should have one too.  We unveiled his little tree on Monday night and the kid could not be more excited.

I picked up this little gem at Land of Nod.  It comes complete with tree, penguin tree topper, tree skirt and colorful ornaments.  We added some colorful lights and voila ~ Christmas magic!

James loves having a tree in his room.  He greets it every morning when he wakes up and says goodnight to it each night before hitting the hay. Once we pull the Christmas ornaments out for the family tree we will be able to add some of his own to his little tree.  Just like I had when I was a little girl.  I love when things come full circle.