Paxton's Nursery

Nursery design is my most favorite hobby.  Well it might be my only hobby as of lately, unless you consider one of my many glamorous mom-duties a hobby.  Pulling together Paxton's room has been a creative outlet throughout this pregnancy.  I learned a few things after designing and spending many hours in Hudson's room. The most important being that the baby is clueless about the room - it could be decked out perfectly or just have the bare essentials and all will be fine.  Having said that, just as I said about planning Hudson's first birthday, when it comes down to it, a well put together party or room really makes me happy on a rather vain level.  And happiness is happiness no matter the level's depth.  This room makes me happy.  An emotion I will be grasping for soon, I'm sure, as I learn to embrace my new normal of two babies just under two years apart.  Lovely chaos, for sure.

Back to the design - I was unsure if this room would be Hudson's big boy room or a nursery for Paxton, so I designed it knowing it could last for many years and hopefully become a shared bedroom for the boys.  The bright and bold colors veer off the typical nursery design path, and in comparison to Hudson's room, the modern elements are nothing like the rugged yet classic Restoration Hardware pieces.  Guess I was just ready to switch things up!  The Land of Nod was a huge inspiration behind this room too, so props to them on successfully marketing to me. :)  Check out the pictures below and pardon my lack of linking everything, at 39.5 weeks pregnant paired with a 22 month old, my mind and body aren't all up to speed.

This picture received a lot of love on Instagram!  The best overall picture of the nursery shows two of the three main nursery elements: crib and rocker.  It is also the only photo that shows off the beautiful Land of Nod "Hanging Around" drum light. See below photos for sources on everything else.

As I mentioned, I wanted to evoke happy thoughts, for myself and the boys, but mainly myself.:)  Hey, if I'm going to be spending a majority of my time here I should create a fun environment to enjoy with the boys, right? To start, the pop of color on the ceiling, Sherwin William's Mint Condition, ties everything together and makes me soo happy.  This specific corner of the room though might be my favorite.

The Peter Pan artwork reminds me to enjoy all of the moments I can with them and really cherish our time together.  Local Kansas City company, House of Belonging creates such graceful work with a lot of religious quotes, but this one in particular felt like it was flowing from my heart: "Little boys should never be sent to bed, they always wake up a day older.".  Wow that quote sums up how I feel about the past 22 months with Hudson - he is so big now!  And yes, my husband may not agree with this quote given Hudson and my attitudes after little sleep, but the whimsy behind this quote is forever that of a Lost Boy, which I hold onto dearly.

The painting above the yellow Land of Nod shelf was commissioned by my all time favorite artist, Britt Bass.  Her work is abstract but each line flows so purposefully.  That in addition to her love for color, reminds me a lot of the way I live my life.  While the small details may be scattered at times the end result is loving and genuine.  If you aren't willing to take on the financial aspect of an original piece be sure to frequent One Kings Lane for her prints, which so happens to be the first place I saw her work.

Onto that swivel rocker - totally swoon worthy.  A thrift store wingback that was gifted to me almost ten years ago, has been recovered and turned into a swivel rocker, thanks to Paseo Upholstering in Kansas City.  Larry did an amazing job!  The inspiration came from a designer named Dina who runs a blog and design company called Honey + Fitz.  Her work is pinned a thousand times over on Pinterest, so it was hard to miss her incredible inspiration when starting on Pax's room.  After reading her blog post in which a similar chair was featured, I showed it to Larry of Paseo Upholstery and he brought it to life.  I chose Sunbrella fabrics to help wick away some of the unpleasant elements that come with a newborn. :)  If there is spit up we should be okay - fingers crossed!

And spit up leads me to my next design choice - that rag rug.  We all know babies, and more specifically, boys can be messy, which totally shatters my dreams of having a light colored rug in the room.  So instead of the soft, plush, bound-to-get-dirty-white-softly-textured rug of my dreams, I opted for a Safavieh woven rag rug.  I had one as a teenager and it held up so well that this seemed like a no-brainer choice.  That and it was only $200 (during a Deal Boutique) on All Modern for an 8x10!!  Talk about a steal to off balance some of my other purchases ...

Other nursery elements pictured above include: Anthropologie side table, Blu Dot light (purchased through All Modern), Crate & Barrel gray foot rest/pouf (few years old - originally bought for Hudson's room), basket from Target, and blackout curtains from PB Teen.

While the crib is a DucDuc I found through a friend's posting on Craigslist (brand new and half price!), the rest of this side of the room is The Land of Nod dreamland.  The bold metal letters ground the room while the fun Alphanumeric bedding created by the lovely Ampersand Design ladies for Land of Nod make the room bright and cheerful.  Given the crib was still an investment, (and worth it given high quality standards and that buttery bleached walnut finish), I didn't want my second child chewing on the railing like Hudson so lovingly did during naptime, on my husband's watch of course.  So instead of buying bumpers, which we never used in my first child's crib, we had a friend convert The Land of Nod's Alphanumeric quilt into crib rail guards, a pillow sham, and a toddler sized quilt.  The final product was exactly what I had hoped for!  Makes the modern crib look cozy.  Kind of like LA meets Kansas City.

These honeycomb wall shelves are from The Land of Nod as well.  While they weren't easy to hang (big thank you to my Mom and Dad!)  they sure make a statement.  I utilized four in this pattern and thought that the arrow design perfectly paired with the Alphanumeric bedding collection.  As the months progress I hope to switch out the toys and books with special keepsakes marking our months and milestones with Paxton.

This little nook is Hudson's corner of the room.  Right within arms reach during diaper changes, yet far enough away while I'm nursing Pax in the rocking chair.  I filled each of the canvas organizer pockets, from The Land of Nod, with soft toys that a suitable for both boys, but really are baby toys.  When we began prepping the nursery I noticed the toys Hudson outgrew became appealing to him all over again.  I'm sure this was just a taste of the fighting over toys that I'm in for in the future so for now I'll be embracing it.

Above that is the incredible pendant banner from Sharp Tooth Studio.  The lovely owner, Samantha, has Kansas City roots.  Once I saw her work I knew a custom banner was a must.  She was incredibly accommodating!  Love, love, love her work.

Another local find is the adorable clock just to the right of the Target hexagon mirror.  Maiko from Decoylab creates intricate and stunning clocks from walnut.  I found her through a local Kansas City crafters faire and could not be more thrilled with the quality of her work.  She carries a variety of playful designs perfect for any room in the house.

This dresser is a custom DucDuc to match the crib - sturdy with soft closing drawers.  Very heavy - rightfully so since the American based and made company uses real wood.  Definitely an heirloom piece we will cherish for many years to come.  And the perfect artwork that is hung just out of little fingers reach?  Another original Britt Bass.  Makes my heart happy.

This Land of Nod daybed is what will make this room so comfortable, I just know it.  Picturing lots of bedtime stories read here.  Also after being a nervous Nancy in regards to Hudson sleeping in his own crib, I figured a place for me to lay during those tough nights would be a nice alternative. Those late nights in Hudson's room always left me with a stiff back after falling asleep on the floor.

The bedding and a majority of the pillows are Land of Nod as well.  We added in a gray Jellycat rabbit, the Alexandra Jonathan "Awesome" pillow, and the custom daybed bolster pillows.

So happy with the way everything turned out.  Grateful for Land of Nods' inspiration (and my husband thanks them for the quarterly 15% off coupons!).  Now all we need is for sweet baby Paxton to arrive so we can enjoy this room as a family of four.

28 weeks: Baby BOY is on the way!

It has been way too long since I posted - time is flying.  I've been meaning to share our joyous news of baby brother's expected arrival mid-summer.  Yep, that's right folks, Hudson is going to be a big brother.  We are so excited to meet baby brother and to have two boys just shy of two years apart.  I have to admit, part of the delay in posting to the blog has been denial that this is really happening despite the months of tears and hopeful prayers asking God to bless us with another baby.  My hope in writing this post is to convince my mind of what it longs for: hearing baby's first breath of air and cry - incredible moments just a few months away.  My heart and body are fully aware of the blessing growing inside of me.  It is almost as if baby kicks and rolls around when my mind begins to wander in disbelief of God's amazing miracle cooking inside of me.

When we decided we wanted to try for another baby we knew that it may take awhile, despite Hudson being a surprise, so we began trying in June 2014.  And boom, just like that, we had a positive pregnancy test by the end of cycle.  In complete shock and not fully ready to have two babies at once, I broke out into a panic for a week straight.  Then within a week or two we miscarried.  The guilt that followed was so intense. Unbearable actually.  Which only made the next few months of trying that much harder.  And to top it off, it seemed like everyone on Facebook was announcing their Spring babies.  I wanted to be happy for their upcoming miracles; how could I not given the our amazing baby Hudson.  The remorse of losing our baby was gut-wrenching.  Looking back, the silver linings in the situation have been vast despite not being able to meet that sweet babe in our lifetime on Earth.  My appreciation for others' journeys towards creating their own families has heightened and I now understand just how lucky I am to be Hudson's mother.  

Every so often though I wish I could go back to blissfully ignorant pregnancy days.  The days when I knew no matter what Hudson would arrive around his due date and take his first breath.  Oh how I long for those days.  I was unaware of how quickly my life would change with him.  Beyond those first months full of diaper changes, sleepless nights, and breastfeeding struggles.  I'm talking about the intense, overwhelming, unavoidable love and hope for another human being that goes way beyond any other feeling I've ever experienced before.  True unconditional love.  While I would never truly want to go back to my pre-baby ignorance, easing the pain here and there of love's vulnerability would be nice.  That same love runs just as deeply for our angel baby as well as the baby boy growing inside of me now.  It also is a love I've learned to foster for my other loved ones too, despite the backlash of the vulnerability factor at times.  Now that I am a mother, I understand the "no risk, no reward" saying.  Being open to life's joys requires vulnerability to life's struggles.

Despite my incredibly hormonal post (thank you third trimester), we are over the moon excited to meet baby brother.  He truly is a miracle baby for us as we struggled a lot in the first trimester, and had a slight scare right around when the sonogram pictures below were taken.  And yes, baby brother does have a name.  We aren't terribly good at secrets over here so you may already know his name, but we aren't openly sharing it with everyone just yet.  Here are some pictures of baby brother so far. 

Looking forward to meeting him early July!  Due date is July 7th, 2015.

And below is our social media announcement - we held off on this until 20 weeks.  Definitely a love/hate post this time around.  So very excited and wanted to celebrate his life, but also much more cognisant of others feelings.  You never know the battles others are facing, and while they may want to be happy for you, their own struggles could be weighing down their hearts and minds.

Hudson's Recap: One Year Video

I put together a video recapping some of our most precious memories with Hudson so far.  We played it on loop during his first birthday party.  I find myself playing it at least once a week gasping and sighing at how quickly the moments pass us by.

We love you so much, bubba.  Don't ever forget.

We've got a walker ...

Hudson has been toying with the idea of walking for a few weeks.  Prior to that it was a few months of scaling furniture and cruising behind his push cart.  A few nights ago he took more than three steps when both Adam and I were in the room - 6 or 7 in a row, I believe.  It was an exciting moment, however, I will not be pushing him to take more steps.  Oh and Adam also caught Hudson's climbing skills on camera that same night.  The kid has been darting up the staircase for at least a month, but climbing on the coffee table was a new one.  

Videos to come!!  They are on Adam's phone and 23 Snaps (a private photo sharing site), so I will have to post them later.

Hudson turns 1!

So the big birthday celebration for Mr. ONE-derful came and went this past weekend.  It was everything I anticipated after the amazing adventure we've been on for the past year (and 10 months, let's not forget pregnancy).  Our friends and family donned party hats, took Polaroid snapshots documenting the fun, and even paid a few compliments in regards to my charming little boy and the delicious mac 'n cheese.

While I was going to post a birthday note to Hudson on the blog, I decided I'd keep my overly sappy emotions between me and him.  He can read the card when he is a bit older.  In the meantime though, you better believe the kid is getting swarmed with hugs, kisses, and "I love you's" galore.  I love him so much!

My most favorite planning element of the party was having guests bring diapers to donate to a local nonprofit, Operation Breakthrough, that provides early childhood education and social services for children in the urban core.  "Giving is the greatest gift of all" has always been at the forefront of my thoughts since I was young adult and is something I want Hudson to understand in the coming years so he can carry it through his lifetime.  Whether it is to those in need of a hug, a meal, or something far greater like basic necessities.  The feeling one gets after giving to another in need far surpasses that of any luxury. So in addition to 'giving' my son a fun birthday celebration, we wanted to give back to those in need of a purchase I often take for granted.

1st birthday selfie was one of our first to-do's on H's big day!  This adorable onesie came from Noah's Boytiques. Hudson is 30 inches tall, 20 pounds, and has two teeth with three more cutting through! 

This balloon from Carousel Lane was out front during his birthday party, and has stayed inflated ever since, so we got some pictures with it this morning before loading up the car with diaper donations.

Nice and cozy with over 2,000 diapers!

Dropping off the diapers on the morning of his birthday made my heart sing.  Giving back is at the heart of how I define a gentleman whether it's time, talent, or monetary. One of my goals as a mother is to instill selflessness and compassion in Hudson, and hope to do so through acts like these.

On what others consider fun: decorating a first birthday party!  No theme this year as I figured there will be plenty of those in the future.  I had some pretty tissue tassel garlands that never arrived in time for a surprise engagement party we threw for Adam's brother back in June, so the colors were my starting point: mint, navy, gold, and white.  From there I turned to Etsy to turn my ideas (from my Pinterest boards) into a reality.

This is were the most exciting part of the party took place!  Instead of having H's incredibly hard to clean (yet beautiful) Bloom highchair covered in icing, we opted for a cheap wooden find on Craigslist and spray painted it navy.  The decor: Shanz Party Decorations tulle pom garland, and the most precious sign and highchair bunting from Audriana Paper.  And the sweet birthday hat in this picture is from Carousel Lane - customized with his name and #1.

The big moment!  Seconds before he smashed into his cake, a friend captured this photo - we had him wearing a seersucker diaper/suspender/bowtie combo from Holly Squires.  His party hat during the cake smash and for his first birthday photo shoot came from Little Blue Olive - I love following her on Instagram, such amazing creations!  The tissue tassel garland cake topper is from Carousel Lane.

Proud of my guy's cake smashing skills. :)

This is the "after" shot of an amazingly well-documented party, thanks to my brother Jake.  Original idea was to have guests snap a photo upon entering our home, then tape it is a photo album and write a note.  Obviously this is a lot to ask, especially if you have a baby in your arms, so Jake snapped photos throughout the party.  The Sugarboo Designs Chalkboard served as a great backdrop!  We wrote "Snap a photo and leave Mr. ONE-derful some wishes".

The dining room was party HQ with desserts, drinks, and a full mac 'n cheese bar.  The lighting was a bit off since it was mid afternoon, but the photo above is of the dessert buffet.  I can't bake to save my soul, so we had Dolce Bakery make the pretty and tasty creations. Cake stands came from Pryde's, 'H' marquee light from STUFF, and the wonderful photography by Clicks by Charity. Cake toppers "happy" wire from Itty Bitty Hip, glitter + mint 1's as well as glitter gold Hudson letter's from Orange Blossom Paperie. Tissue tassel garland from Love Garlands, and tissue flowers from Lovelyfest Garlands.

Close up of the ombre petal iced cake creation - as delicious as it was pretty!

This photo from H's birthday shoot (a few weeks before the party) might be my favorite.  Not sure how I am going to ever be able to say no to this sweet face.  We put Summer Brew in one drink dispenser, and lemon water in the other.  

No 1st birthday is complete without a bar for the adults.

We filled our office shelves with framed photos of H - Home Goods usually has frames within the same brand and/or color scheme.  Lucky for us they had a bunch of gold ones that we snatched up a few nights before the party.

Not the best lighting - we set up a donations table for Operation Breakthrough in the office.  I hung Shanz Party Decorations tulle poms from the ceiling to make the room more fun.

And finally, here is the mac 'n cheese recipe that I multiplied by at least 18.  I forgot to snap a picture of the display!  We had chalkboard paper underneath labeling all the toppings available - bacon, sausage, chicken, pepperoni, prosciutto, peppers, tomatoes, scallions, sweet potatoes, carrots, Gates BBQ sauce, taco seasoning ... I believe there were a few others, my memory is escaping me.  The massive amounts of mac 'n cheese were piled high in the middle of the table inside chaffing dishes.  I've copied the recipe below from slickhousewives.com - note though my updates in red.

Delicious Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (4 servings)
Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked shells macaroni
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar (sold as blocks, just shred before melting), I also added in some smoked Gouda and Muenster cheeses too
4 tablespoons butter Shatto Butter (Kansas City brand), use half garlic butter/half regular butter

1/2 cup sour cream Daisy brand - half light/half regular
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Boil the macaroni in water for six minutes and drain{all dente}. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Heat over medium high heat and stir until the cheese melts. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cheese mixture, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper in your slow cooker. Add the drained macaroni and stir again. Cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally!

Turning Point: Handsome Hudson is 11 months!

Eleven months may not seem like a milestone for many, but for me - a first time mom, it is everything.  Adam and I have almost survived the first year of parenthood, some days/nights better than others, and we have a handsome little man to show for it.  And at almost a year the emphasis is on "man" - where has the time gone?  He is growing up so fast.

H is speed crawling everywhere and is just starting to stand on his own without support.  He is great with his push cart toys, but isn't quite interested in walking on his own, which is fine with me. He loves opening and closing doors, especially the glass panel interior ones we have around the house.  And if knocking through a wall from the kitchen to the living room wasn't single handedly the best design decision we made when remodeling, it is also one of little man's favorite parts of the house because he can make one big loop around the first floor.  

Despite his long and lanky features - nothing like his dad, right? :) - he is not afraid to put anything unknown into his mouth.  If he can get to dirt and leaves, he will go for them and act like they are dessert.  Not sure what this says about my cooking, but I'm not taking it personally - chalking it up to him being a typical boy.  His favorite foods are mac 'n cheese, avocados, strawberries, salmon and a veggie quinoa mix.  He eats a lot of sweet potatoes, hummus, pitas, cottage cheese, and the occasional sweet roll or bite of birthday cake.  He prefers to pick up his food on his own, but struggles with non-mussy foods since he still only has two teeth.

I've fallen into new parent mode and photograph and video just about everything.  Sometimes I run into not having enough iPhone storage, which is always a bummer, but I'm pretty sure he has more documented than his future siblings will have combined.  No matter how many pictures I take though, there is one I physically cannot capture: H as he drifts off to sleep in my arms.  Those moments, sometimes minutes, are truly the best of each and every day.  Since I can't capture his serene eyelids, soft breath, magical baby smell, and the most perfect way in which he curls up against me; I hold onto these details tightly in my memory every night once he has gone to bed.

Adam's two favorite times with Hudson are bath time, and the time that follows, rough housing on the bed.  The rough housing use to just be massage time, but has since spiraled into all sorts of fun.  Lots of giggles, climbing, peek-a-boo, tickles, and mama/dada love (kisses and bear hugs).  There is a limited window for this burst of energy though and I have to manage a massage as well as putting on diaper, pajamas, and nighttime sack all before a sleepy meltdown.  Somehow we manage just fine every night and count our blessings - H is such a joy.  

Questions I often ponder - how did we get so lucky?  How will we ever manage to add another baby into the mix one day?  And, if we are blessed with more children, will our hearts (and my brain) explode?  I know there is no more room in my brain for knowledge since I have terrible mom brain, but my heart, can I squeeze the overwhelming love for another babe in there?  Very far-reaching, and as my brother would say, first-world mom problems, but seriously these are the things I worry about.  I know the house will be a mess for the next few decades, and I will have frantic mom days, but that stuff is to be expected when you have one of the most challenging and rewarding careers.  Being a mom is an honor whether it is just for my soon-to-be toddler, or for an entire brood of Blake children.  So very thankful for the memories we've made as a family of three, and looking forward to what the future has in store for us.

He rolls through the neighborhood every day and night in his big boy truck.

He loves opening and closing the front door of his "man" house

Kiddie pool with friends, Mary and Finn

If I could, I would fall asleep while being pushed in a swing.  Wouldn't you?  Life is good.

Getting into loads of trouble with his besties, Cal and Grant

First day in his big boy carseat

Blake Family - me and my guys attending our first 1st birthday - Hudson is next!

Sporting his Corporate Challenge medal with Dada

Pool time with Mimi and Papa

Being a silly goose

Even sillier, no surprise

And he is off exploring, pretty typical

Baby's 1st Christmas

The Blake Home is really beginning to look a lot like Christmas and sound like it too!  In addition to the very audible coos, laughs, and occasional cries from our little man, we've got Christmas tunes streaming galore via an early present from Adam.  Thank you, Sonos (and the Glee Holiday station on Pandora), for making our home so cheery.  There have been many baby + mama dance parties and the month of celebration has just begun!

This past weekend Adam and I rifled through boxes of our childhood ornaments and chose a few to add to our first real tree as a family.  I quickly realized that our tree would be the perfect mix of sports teams, as well as the Barbie and the Crayola Bear collections.  Adam's ornament box had delicate handmade ornaments from craft fairs.  Mine on the other hand had works of art a la Ali.  You know, the pasta glued to construction paper, yarn wrapped around popsicle sticks type ornaments.

I wanted something personalized from Hudson for this first Christmas, because let's face it, few boys enjoy crafts.  So earlier today we created a footprint ornament.  It was meant for handprints, but if you've been around Hudson lately you know he is always moving.  His Bumbo seat came in handy for keeping his feet still.  Look at those hands go (pictures all snapped within seconds of each other):

I had to reprint his foot a few times to get it just right.  A close up of his foot and ornament:

The finished product should be ready in a few days!  Looking forward to hanging it up on our very first family Christmas tree.  We will be showering our babe with lots of love this season; you should do the same with the ones you love.  Tis the season of cherishing and creating memories.

Will post pictures once our house completely decorated for the Holidays.  Oh and just to get you in a jolly state of mind, check out this pictures of sweet Hudson with Santa. He LOVED him.  I asked Santa if he ever babysat - only at the North Pole for all the Elf boys and girls.  Oh well, we'll just have to go visit him again next year!

Just being jolly together

Checking out some toys to tell Santa about ...

Thinking about the toy in front of him ... 

He looks just like Adam :)

Mimi + Papa met us at the Learning Tree for the picture session with Santa