Wardrobe Wednesday, Part 3

Happy Wednesday! 

Major (Appliance) Update

I was SO excited to do laundry this weekend!!!  Before you think I've lost my mind, here is the reason-

These:

were replaced with these:

To be honest, I actually really do like doing laundry, even before these beauties came to live with me.  It's a never ending task, true, but doesn't it feel good to get a nice clean load out of the dryer and start over fresh?  No?  Okay, maybe I'm weird.  But regardless, laundry is one job I don't dread doing every weekend, even in a really gross less than perfect laundry room and even with that ancient slightly older washer and dryer.  You can't see it in the first picture, but we had a fire extinguisher right beside the dryer, in case of emergency since it did tend to overheat.  It was still hanging in there, though, thanks to Gavin's Mr. Fix-It skills.  But once the agitator in the washing machine quit agitating, we knew it was time to send these guys to the appliance graveyard.  They certainly didn't owe us anything.  Gavin has had them since he moved to Birmingham, back in 1994.  And while less than state-of-the-art, they've suited me just fine since I haven't really been ready to commit to choosing new ones.  I've never chosen my own washer or dryer, and that's a big decision!  Have you seen all the options out there??  Not to mention the fact that I've had visions of my "dream laundry room" from the first day I set my eyes on this house, and the perfect washer and dryer is critical to completing that vision.  I think the two that I finally did choose will fit in with my plans just fine.  Not only are they an aesthetic improvement, they are much more efficient and have oh-so-many more options to play around with.  They can even dry clean!!  IF I can ever figure them out...   That will take some time.  

I contemplated posting some pictures of the entire laundry room in its current state.  But since I don't yet have any pretty, shiny "after" shots, I think I'll wait until we have the laundry room done and you can marvel at how far we've come (instead of just feeling sad and possibly creeped out about the environment my new front loaders have to live in for now).  Wouldn't a new laundry room make the perfect Birthday/Christmas combo gift from the best husband ever?  [wink]

Here are some inspiration pictures of my all time favorite laundry room.  These will have to do for now....

All pictures courtesy of the 2009 HGTV Dream Home

Tons of counter space for folding and wrapping gifts, pull out hampers and a pop-up ironing board??  Yes, please!  Not to mention all that cabinet space, beautiful hardwood floors, a gorgeous glass entry door (who needs privacy when your laundry room looks THAT good?!) and that amazing industrial pendant light.  And since we are dreaming, I might change the wall color and add a different window treatment (like this DIY roman shade in a fun fabric).  I would also like a desk/table that I could pull a chair up to, since I envision this room also being a gift wrapping center and general crafting space. 

Our laundry room actually does have a similar galley layout, but it's not that wide and the ceilings aren't that tall.  Sigh.  Ours is still a great space and I have no doubt it will, one day, beautifully and comfortably suit all my laundry and crafting needs.  Until then, I'll still thoroughly enjoy my upgraded appliances and continue to dream about plan my ideal space.  Hopefully I'll be able to post another update soon!!  :) 

P.S. I almost put in a gratuitous picture of Evie sitting on top of the new washer, since I figure most of you just skim through for pictures of her.  But because she wasn't in the mood for posing last night, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow's new post!!  :) 

       

Wardrobe Wednesday, Part 2

More of Evie's daily photo shoots...

Happy Wednesday!!

Six Month Check-Up (and a New Camera!!)

Evie had her six month doctor's appointment yesterday.  All went well.  She weighs 21 pounds 1 ounce and is 27.75 inches long.  Her head circumference is 17.75 inches.  All of her measurements are in the mid 90th percentile.  She had to get shots, of course, and she got really upset this time.  It took her a little while to recover, but she was fine by the time we left (just a few minutes later).  We got cleareance to start on fruits and veggies, twice a day for now.  We tried pears last night, and she really wasn't interested.  We'll try again tonight and start making it a part of our morning and evening routine.  Exciting!  

And because a post with no pictures isn't any fun, here are some randoms taken this weekend with our NEW camera.  That's right, I finally got it!  I think it makes a big difference.  What do you think?

Wardrobe Wednesday

I've been taking a picture of Evie every morning for about a week.  I can't resist once I get her dressed and ready for school.  I'll try to keep doing this, and then I'll post the pictures every Wednesday, at least until we start to get bored with her wardrobe. :) She's been growing so fast, she outgrows a lot of things after only one wearing.  I've wisened up now, though, and started buying a lot bigger to begin with, so I think her current selection of outfits should last a while.  Wishful thinking!  Anyway, here are some of her transitional pieces, as we make the switch into fall.  You can tell we've had crazy weather- everything from sweatsuits to sleeveless!  Good thing we're prepared.  :)   

Happy Wednesday!! 

Six Months Old

Yesterday was Evie's first half-birthday.  Hard to imagine she is already six months old!  She weighs about 21 pounds and is wearing size 9 month clothes (and some 12 month already).  She loves sitting up, which she does just fine on her own now.  She still loves Wilson, and [finally] she also loves watching Molly.  She talks to both of them, and they always make her laugh when they're in her sight (usually just walking through, minding their own business).  She eats four times a day, at 6am, 10am, 1:30pm and 5pm, give or take 30 minutes or so.  She is still usually taking three naps a day, one at 8am, one around noon, and often one around 3.  Her naps at school have been pretty short (she went for three full days last week), but at least she is sleeping.  She is a great night-time sleeper, and goes to bed at 7pm and wakes up between 5:30 and 6am.  To be honest, she has been doing this since she was about 9 weeks old, but I've always been scared to put in writing for fear of jinxing it!!  Fingers crossed...  I'm still not taking it for granted!  She babbles a lot, but has yet to say her first word.  Can't wait for that!  And we have started her on cereal, only once a day (that's worthy of its own post, coming soon!).  She goes to Dr. Stone for her 6 month check-up next week, so I will post all of her official stats then.  In the meantime, here is our sweet little chunk...

 PS- I'm trying to convince Gavin that we need a new camera, so hopefully these pictures will be a LOT better next month!!  :)  They all look blurry to me without the flash, but the flash is long and blinding (seriously, out of the ordinary BLINDING).  Gav, are you reading?  :)

Report Card

Evie did great on her first day at day care.  When I brought her into her room, she actually put her arms out to her teacher, Ms. Susan, and warmed up to her immediately.  As I walked out of the room, Evie was playing with Ms. Susan's necklace and was happy as could be.  That made me feel so relieved!  There was a mix-up with her start date, and somehow her teachers weren't expecting her until September 6, but Ms. Susan insisted that it wasn't a problem and everything would be fine.  It upset me at first (especially since I was so nervous about it to begin with), but I still managed to leave her, and I'm glad I did.  Evie took a nap and drank all of her bottle before Nana came to get her at about 10:30.  We'll let her stay a full day eventually.  :)   

Here is her first Tiny Talk "Report Card" (click to enlarge)

And here she is this morning, ready for another day (well, another few hours) at school

What?!  I get to go back to school today?!!! 

What a relief to have that first day over with, and here's hoping the rest go so smoothly!

First Day

Bear with me, I'm feeling reflective this morning and that can be dangerous.  I just dropped Evie of for her first day of school (okay, it's day care, but I think "school" sounds much more fun).  To be perfectly honest, I've been dreading this day since March 11.  We've been so blessed that my mom was able to take care of Evie for the entire summer, since I started back to work on May 16.  She has made my transition back to work as smooth as it could possibly be, and I am so so thankful for that.  But in the back of my head, this day has always been looming.  How would Evie do at daycare?  Would she cry when I left her?  Would she be scared by her new surroundings?  Would she be overwhelmed by the other babies?  It's hard for me to imagine her in this new place, with her new teachers and her new "friends."  She should be sleeping as I type this, but I wonder if she could actualy fall asleep.  Will she be fine with someone new giving her a bottle?  Will she be too distracted to eat?  Or will she love every minute of it, soaking up all of the new sites and sounds? 

Thanks to lots of prayer and encouragment from wonderful friends and family, I have gradually come to terms with this day.  Last night I even got excited as I put labels on all of Evie's things (best purchase ever :)), packed up and organized her bag, and even laid out her "first day" outfit.  And I was overcome by new feelings of sadness, not the sadness of worry about how she would react and adapt, but feelings of reflective sadness that she is getting so big so fast.  It's hard to believe she is almost six months old- half a year!!!  And I can't help but think about what it will feel like to send her off to her first day of kindergarten.  I might cry right now, five years out!  :)  Oh, the joys of motherhood.  Part of me is thrilled to see her grow and gain more independence, but the other part of me wants her to stay a sweet baby forever.  A baby who doesn't know the word "no," who isn't embarassed by her mom and who still likes to be held (sometimes).   But she's growing up whether I like it or not, and today she is making one more huge step toward independence.  Sniffle.