blueprints

Tomorrow is a big day. Well, tomorrow is the precursor to a big day.

 Tomorrow, this truck will show up at our house.... (via)

...and leave a "roll off container", aka dumpster, in our driveway. (via)

 Won't the neighbors love us then?! It's all for the greater good, though. It is mere prep work for what is to come. Thursday, the attic renovation will actually BEGIN!

Want to see what the "renovation" is going to be?

We got real, live architectural plans drawn for us! Aren't they beautiful?! It really helps to be able to visualize what is about to happen, and obviously is also quite valuable in directing the subcontractors.

Let's take a tour!

When you reach the top of the stairs, you will be in the bonus room. You could also call it a living room, playroom, den, and main room. We do.

To the left of the staircase, as you begin down the hallway, you would see the "nook". We are super excited about this space. It will only be about 5 feet at it's peak (sloped ceiling), so it will be the perfect cozy space for kids. Can't you just picture a train table in there?! Or lots of pillows and bean bags and books?

 At the end of that hallway, there will be a bedroom. A closet on either side of the window, and a door into the bathroom...

Check it out! We'll have a full bath upstairs, complete with a tub/shower (among other bathroom staples), a linen closet, and doors to both the bedroom and the bonus room. I'm so excited!

Now, back to the big picture. Can you visualize it now?!

 This is the downstairs hallway. The stairwell will be redone (too steep as it is) and opened up at the bottom to have more of a normal staircase feel. The current door will be removed.

Now, let's look at where we are today...

This is the downstairs hallway, and the current door (open on the right) that opens to the attic stairs.  (looking from top of blueprint picture to the bottom)

Looking up the stairs.

Looking back down the stairs. 

The big picture... pre-renovation. 

Oh, and just for fun: the nook, as it looks today. Can you believe the transformation that is about to take place?! 

I feel so blessed to be able to just sit back and watch it all unfold. The only attic work I plan on doing is documenting it and sharing it with y'all!

Get ready!!

faceplant

A month or two ago, Curtis and I were watching Cooper run around like a maniac and making bets on how long it would be before we were taking him to the emergency room. My guess was "in the next few months".
I was right.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. First thing in the morning, Curtis went down into our basement to grab something.

 

Unbeknownst to his daddy, Cooper decided to follow and check out what was going on. 

The next thing Curtis knew, he heard a noise and turned around to see Cooper somersault down a few steps and fall- headfirst- off of the side of the staircase onto the concrete basement floor. Thankfully, I suppose, he actually fell face-first and may have caught a little of his weight with his hands.

Regardless, it was awful. Blood flowing from nose and mouth and a huge blue knot forming on his forehead. For the next 30 minutes we did everything we could to soothe our little boy... hold him, kiss him, try to distract him, talk to him, walk him around, take him outside (what were the neighbors thinking?!), offer him treats. Nothing we did could make him stop screaming and crying. Not only that, but he was doing strange things like holding the sides of his head and shaking it from side to side. We were especially freaked out when he kept trying to crawl out of our arms onto beds/sofas and yelling "lay down, wanna lay down!". When we let him lay down, his eyes would start to close as if he was going to sleep. It was 7:30 in the morning! Does this mean he has a concussion?!

At that point, we decided that we definitely needed to call the doctor. After at least 5 minutes (which seemed like an eternity) of listening to recorded messages, pushing the right numbers, and waiting for the on-call nurse to pick up, I finally spoke with someone. She asked way too many questions, clearly going down her checklist, while I strained to hear her and answer through the screaming. Finally, she nonchalantly said, "Yeah, I think you should take him to the E.R."

By then, that was all the motivation I needed, let me just tell you.

I'll spare you all the details, but suffice it to say that it was a pretty pointless $125-copay trip to the hospital. Cooper finally stopped crying over an hour post-fall... coincidentally right before the doctor came in. Isn't that always the way?? The doctor asked basically the same questions that the nurse had asked on the phone, checked his vitals, and said he was fine. Sure, he might lose a tooth or two- they are a little loose- but no other major damage done.

Lovely. But, I ask you this.... does he look fine to you??

I think not.

His poor little lips were so swollen that he couldn't drink out of sippy cup. 

The bridge of his nose seemed about twice as big as normal. And crooked.

The blood I tried to wipe away on his face ended up being burns/scratches from the concrete.

The bruise on his head was ugly and dotted with bright red speckles. 

This picture doesn't do it justice.

You know what's amazing, though?

As soon as we got home, he was ready to play. He couldn't really eat anything or speak easily, but he picked up that basketball like it was any other day, albeit a little more slowly. 

Who is this kid?! Don't you know that I would be milking that injury for all it was worth?!

He did so well the rest of the morning that I decided to take him by his cousin's birthday pool party that afternoon. He was quite the attraction.

At least the kids just came up and stared.

You know those parents were wondering to each other what I had done to the poor kid.

The next day, if it hadn't been for the colorful face and oddly-shaped nose,  you wouldn't have know that anything had happened.

We tried to do our best sad faces for the camera...

(mine was a lot better than his)

...but really, he was "just fine".

P.S.  I realize now that we may have been those over-reactive parents, but hey- we hadn't been through this before! Let's just say that, next time, I will exercise a few more options before declaring it an E.R.-worthy event, despite what the doctor's office says. "Shake it off", right Dad?

have your cake

A few weeks ago, I was working hard in the kitchen and trying to take advantage of my precious few minutes of dual-naptime. When Cooper woke up, my thoughts immediately went to how I could distract him long enough for me to finish the birthday cake I was working on. Then, I remembered something that my friend, Melissa, had said on her blog not too long ago. Her kids asked her, out of the blue, if they could make cookies... and she just said "yes"! The sentiment that stuck with me was this: "I love being their hero every once in a while."

I so often say "no". Sadly, sometimes even when I don't need to. Wouldn't you want a mom who would do the unexpected? the gracious? the just-for-fun?

Humming "Wind Beneath My Wings" to myself, I scooped Cooper out of bed and asked him if he wanted to help mommy bake a cake. He dumped in a few ingredients, watched with fascination as I cracked the eggs, and then (the part I had been waiting for)... I gave him the batter-covered beaters.

My ever-cautious firstborn.  

Is this a trick?

Whoa! Not a trick.

Hmmm. This would make a pretty awesome paintbrush.

Nah. Tastes too good for that.

Must. get. more. in. mouth.

Can we do this every day?!

Happy mommy + happy Cooper = Dino-Cake!

beachin it

Playing catch-up... of course. Last month, the kids and I spent a week at the beach with some of my family. Curtis joined us for a long weekend. Here are some fun shots from the week:

Aunt Whit is so fun.

So is Grandpa.

And maybe even Annabelle... he's still figuring that one out.

Mammy's fun too. Just ask Annabelle.
She couldn't have been happier... diaper-less on the beach.

(wearing Cooper's sunglasses... their heads are almost the same size! Ha!)

Cooper couldn't have been happier... he gave "wet and wild" a whole new meaning. :)

Sitting around with the ladies of the family (plus baby Myer)

Uncle Matt playing with the kiddos

This one stayed under the tent mostly- Cousin Myer (2 months old at the time)

So did this one. Isn't she chuuuuuuuby?!

Sometimes you need to get out and cruise though. And cuddle.

Cousin Rosey, all smiles.

Cousin Bess, gorgeous as ever.


And now, for your viewing pleasure:  

Cooper Meets Barbie

Huh... what's this? what do you do with a toy like this?

Oh, I know...

You throw it just like you do every other toy.

Obviously.

Sorry, Barbie. He means well.


There you have it! A glimpse into our week at the beach. Don't be confused by the lack of pictures of us, Curtis and I were indeed there.

Hoping for another post or two tomorrow night to bring us up to date. If you are squeamish at all, you might want to skip out on the next one!

"Good times. Noodle Salad."

(Name that movie in the comments- without looking it up- and I'll send you a prize.)

annabelle makes me happy

Annabelle makes me happy. She is full of life and change and newness every day...

She is becoming so much more observant. Watching people, noticing toys, and always wanting to face out and see the world.

Though she's been trying for weeks, she still hasn't fully "gotten" her fingers. We really wish she would so that we could forgo the paci this time around. Regardless, you rarely see her not sucking on some appendage... even (just this morning) her toes!

Look at that expression! Ha! At about 4 months, Annabelle flipped over from back to tummy for the first time. Since then, there's no more "back to sleep" for her! Let's be honest- I think God designed these little ones to sleep on their bellies anyway. It certainly gives parents something to worry about though... especially when we see red marks like these on their faces! Was she sleeping ON her face?

Recently, Annabelle seems to want to chew more than suck, which can include other people's appendages as well! And drool... lots of drool. Who knows? Maybe there will be a tooth in  her near future!

When you smile at this little girl, you almost always get a big ole grin right back. The rest of the time, though, Annabelle's expressions are usually deadpan and always hilarious! We joke that she looks like a boy if she's not wearing pink and smiling. We are only half kidding. :)

I have loved watching her begin to interact with her big brother and her daddy. 

She thinks they are both fascinating, even when Cooper's trying to drill her head. :)

Other noteworthy changes: 

- Her blond hair is still  s l o w l y  growing.

- She is majorly into squealing and yelling for fun. We'll have to get a video of that soon.

- She just rolled over from tummy to back the other day, finally!
- She has hazel eyes! Blue mixed with light brown and maybe even some green? Most likely, they will be the same beautiful brown as her daddy's but it's fun to watch the process.

 

Throughout all of the changes, Annabelle remains an amazingly peaceful and happy baby. She is such a joy for us all and we continue to marvel at how GOOD she is most of the time. Oh, how I love her.

really? (road trip style)

Two weeks ago, on our way to the beach, I called Curtis to tell him that our kids were "rockstars". Cooper had slept for 1 1/2 hours (he normally maxes out at 45 minute naps in the car) and Annabelle slept for 2 1/2! I couldn't believe it.

Last week, on our way home, it was a different story. A long story, I apologize. As a preface: I love my children and I love my life, but days like this are too ridiculous not to share.

(I tried so hard to time the trip well, taking nap times and city locations into account, as I'm still a little intimidated to take road trips with my wild toddler and nursing baby by myself. Despite Annabelle having only slept about 30 minutes and Cooper on the brink of falling asleep already, we arrived at our lunch stop fairly unscathed. Then the fun began.)

Unload kids from the car, into the 95 degree heat, and head into McDonalds. I hate McDonalds. But I love my son and he loves the play place and desperately needs an energy outlet. Remind him 3 times before we got out of the car that we would have to go to the bathroom first, in order to avoid the tantrum that would surely come otherwise. Breathe a sigh of relief as we head to the bathroom without aforementioned tantrum.

After "mommy" uses the restroom, decide to go ahead and check Cooper's diaper. Surprised to find that it is soaking wet. So are his shorts and (I assume) his car seat. Lovely. After covering the changing table with paper liners, plop him up there and put on a new diaper. I do not have extra shorts. Out we go, back into the heat, Annabelle's car seat in one hand, Cooper's hand in the other. Search through the trunk to find a clean pair of shorts while keeping one eye on Cooper to make sure he stays on the sidewalk where I left him. Put on the shorts and go inside again.

We bypass the food altogether. Cooper doesn't want to eat and, to be honest, neither do I. We'll get it when we leave. Despite the blazing heat, he is in heaven on the playground. I, on the other hand, must feed Annabelle. After going through all possible scenarios in my mind, I decide that I must nurse her then and there. At least there is some shade. Unbuckle and begin to lift her out. Ew. I feel ooze. She has pooped through out of her diaper and through her clothes. And on to her car seat. (P.S. She hasn't pooped in a week. A week! Chooses the car ride. Every time.) With no other option, since Cooper is somewhere atop the jungle gym maze, must lay her down on the oh-so-clean McDonalds picnic table bench and clean her up. After using up the last of my wipes on her and her seat, she gets a new diaper and onesie. Okay, crisis averted. I can handle this.

Time to nurse. It is hot. So. Stinking. Hot. I put on my nursing drape cover and try to situate us so that we're not flashing anyone. Within seconds, we are both sweating like stuffed pigs. Cooper is still having a blast, squealing and stopping to poke his head through random holes and yell to me. Try to smile and share in his enthusiasm while also trying to make sure my poor baby girl is not having a heat stroke in there. Cooper is trying to yell something to me again, but I cannot make it out. Unable to handle any more. Stop nursing Annabelle and pray that she had enough to get her home.

Cooper isn't coming down the slide. Why, I wonder. Call to him a few times and hear his voice but, again, can't make out the words. Finally see his little legs returning down the stairs. He quickly and enthusiastically informs me, "I went poopy, Mommy! I went poopy!". Of course you did.

Annabelle is stuck back into her hopefully-clean car seat, and we head inside. Ahhh. Air conditioning. Coop is crying because we are leaving the playplace. Annabelle's toy falls out and a man picks it up for me. I clearly look frazzled because he says, "You sure do have your hands full!". Yeah, in every way. Okay, to the bathroom. Wait. No more wipes. Big sigh. We head outside. Search the trunk for more wipes while maintaining watchful eye. Back in the bathroom, changing table is lined, Cooper is cleaned up again. I pee again as Cooper tries to climb under the door. Do. NOT. Do. That.

Make it to the food counter and the lady asks if she can help me. Say, "I need just a minute" and scour the menu for something that looks good. Anything? Might need more than a minute. My little Curious George tries to go behind the counter. Upon being told  "no", he begins to cry and ask to go back to the playplace. Oh heavens. Look across the counter- "Never mind. We'll go through the drive-thru."


Through the door, into the heat, load up the car. Order lunch that Cooper won't eat and I won't like. Can't roll down window because it's broken, so I have to open my door to order, pay, and get the food. Drive away. Far, far away. Reflect on the last hour...

Really?