Max's Place

Here are a final few shots of the nursery all ready for Max. I have two months, but I nest early I guess. Not to mention, there are several other projects that need to get done before his arrival. Hope you like it.

That last one is the Max doll from the movie Where the Wild Things Are. Jake calls him "Baby Max." I'm so excited!

Ahhh, the artwork!

Did you know my husband was an art major in college? He was. He liked installation art and painting, but he realized that there wasn't much of a future in creative art and graduated with a graphic art degree. Much more reasonable, although he doesn't use it. Go figure.

The awesome part of this is the free artwork for the house. I request it, sometimes it gets done. The problems arise when I request a specific piece of artwork. Something like what I had planned for the nursery. You would think he'd be all over that, but sadly no. It takes a lot of coaxing and work from me as well.

I can't say he didn't help- he did. In fact our friend Maria helped too. So here is what I came up with- not Mike- but he helped me execute it. So THANK YOU, HUNNY!

And his name is...

...Maxwell "Max" David Kolker

We will now have a Jake and Max in the house. When trying to decide on another boys' name (remember, we had all girl names chosen) we went back and forth. We tried out a few, taught them to Jake, and listened to him say the names. It was hilarious! His obvious favorite was Max- he said it all the time, and without prompting. So "Baby Max" it is.

Here is his new crib and bedding. I made the crib skirt from this awesome seahorse fabric I bought online. We did a "fish/underwater" theme for his room mostly because I loved Heather Ross's collection of fish fabrics. Too bad she retired her prints- they got expensive! So rather than the goldfish I first wanted, we ended up with a variety of sea creatures!

The crib sheet is flannel that I washed, dried, serged around the edges and put elastic on the ends. I didn't even make a casing for the elastic, I pulled it tight as I zigzaged down the middle. I had no idea how very very simple a crib sheet it. If you need a quick gift, this is an easy one!

The Chinese lanterns above his bed are supposed to be reminiscent of bubbles. I stole that idea from the Internet, and I like how it turned out. A non traditional mobile! The crib mobile is an aquarium themed one, and thanks to the awesome consignment sales I got this one for $6! It plays ocean sounds, can light up, and the fish move and blow bubbles. Jake thinks it's awesome, so that's a good sign.

Next post- more nursery....

WOW...it's been awhile.

I admit, I've been a little overwhelmed with school. HOWEVER, the semester is OVER!! Yea! Here's what we've been doing, that I haven't posted on.

After visiting a wonderful daycare that had a direct nature focus, I realized that I needed to get Jake involved in some of the things I grew up with. I take for granted that I was raised on a farm, and I wish we had the luxury of exposing him to the outdoors on a daily basis, but the reality is we have to make do.

Our first step- a garden! Since I don't really have the space for a planted garden, we did a container one. I decided on green beans, lettuce, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, mint, cilantro, and green onions. High reward foods. I'm hoping that if he grows it, he'll eat it. He already loves cherry tomatoes and strawberries, and I'm hoping he loves the rest too.

He loves loves loves spraying the plants with his "waterer." It keeps him busy for a good half hour. I didn't even know that some of these things could be grown in a container. I hope they turn out. If anything, Jake has gotten a lot of fun out of the experience.

My Very Own Nursing Cover *second try*

I fell in love with this fabric. I had no idea what to do with it- I originally thought it would be an outfit for a friends baby, but selfishly, I kept it all to myself.

One item I could not live without with Jake was my nursing cover. I found an awesome tutorial at Make it and Love it (see first try post) and put my own spin on it. Then, I made a cute burp cloth to match. I'm very pleased with how they turned out.

This one is not reversible, like the tutorial I looked at. It's pretty lightweight too. The one I made for a shower gift was very heavy, but appropriate due to her having a fall/winter baby. My summer baby and I will be nice and cool under this pretty cover. It also takes up less room in my diaper bag.

Why the purple diaper bag you may ask? Because since I have to carry it around, I wanted a bag I liked. Boy or girl makes no difference- it is essentially my purse anyway. I love this Timi & Leslie bag- Mike got it for me for Christmas. Don't worry. The boys will get the therapy they need! : )

Bibs for Boys!

I needed to make a cool boy project to get myself psyched for a house full of boys. While at the fabric store I found the sweetest food material- on sale! I originally saw them awhile ago, but decided not to buy. I never stopped thinking about what great bibs they'd make so.......

I made 8! Yes, 8 in one day! Mike occupied Jake for me- I think he knew I needed some good crafting therapy. Thank you Mike.

Again, Jake refuses to pose so his stuffed rat, Mousey, inherited the job. Disgusting? Yes, but the little guy just LOVES Mousey!

Cotton Gauze Swaddle Blanket *first try*

Know a very trendy baby gift? Muslin Swaddling Blankets. Aden + Anais sells this set for around $38.99.

Ridiculous, right? I agree. I love them though- breathable, soft, large, and good for just about anything you would need a blanket for. Lucky me I found the fabric (cotton gauze= muslin or pretty close to it!) on sale at Hancock fabrics. So, for $3.50, I bought the fabric and segered the ends.

See how lightweight and breathable the fabric is?

The first time it was pink (see previous post), but by switching the thread to blue I was able to salvage the project nicely. They did have prints at the store as well, but not many I liked. I decided to stay with the plain white. If a person wanted to dye it- I assume it would be a very simple project.

My son was NOT a willing model, so his poor Ugly Doll had to stand in.