Naive Bliss?

I smell like baby barf right now and you know what?...that's totally okay with me :). That probably sounds more like a Facebook status but I thought I would share it hear instead. To me, being Eli's mommy is pure bliss so far. I am fully aware that things will get harder and times will be rough but I hope to always focus on the good things and brush off the bad. I hope that I will always remember to "be ok with the barf" whether that "barf" comes in the form of sickness, tantrums, exhaustion, I hope to stay blissful. Too naive?

Thanksgiving and 2 months old!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving that started with dinner at our house with the Gonzalez fam and then off to my parents house for Thanksgiving with the Preston fam.  It was good to get together with everyone and enjoy all the food.

Little Eli turned 2 months!  Wow already, it is seems like he was just born, so of course we had to document.

And then later in the day he changed into something a little more comfy .

He is all smiles and coos lately, oh and blowing bubbles.

How Cute am I?

I will be 2 months tomorrow!

2 years later...Dressers

I am NO where near finished with our bedroom. it always seems to get pushed back on the "home to-do" list.  Pretty much all that has been done is that we have painted the walls, hung some drapes and put down about 1/3 of the baseboards.  Now that the nursery is done and most of the house is pretty much done (a few details here and there need to be tended to) I hope to really concentrate more on our bedroom.

To start, I was really getting tired of the plastic dressers that we were using in the closets.  I haven't had a dresser since probably 2007 and I thought I didn't need one for so long.  The big plastic dresser worked just fine for a while but with the need to fill some space in our room and the frustration of not enough storage space in the closet, it was time for some dressers.  Of course I didnt want to buy something new or to matchy matchy so I hit up craigslist.  I found the dresser on the Left (Jeremiahs side) for $45 and when I went to pick it up the guy selling it had the one on the Right (my side) for $65.  I told him I would give him $100 for both and the deal was made.

I am still debating between keeping them the original color/finish or painting them.  If I did paint them I was thinking either off-white or maybe something a little more bold.  I was originally going to keep the room very calm and clean with all whites and light blues but now I am leaning towards a more eclectic and mis-matchy theme; something a little more Anthropologie-esque.  Here are some pictures of the new additions.

They are already proving to be worth the $100 in space and organization alone.  Plus I didnt realize how empty the room looked without them next to the bed, they do a perfect job at filling in the space.  I would share before photos but I still need to organize them from the recovery process I had done when I lost (well accidentally deleted) all my photos.

I have found some inspiration photos on Pinterest so with these new dressers being the base of my eclectic room, what would I need to acheive these looks and feels?

Source: refinery29.com via Sally on Pinterest

Source: room-galleries.myhomeideas.com via Sally on Pinterest

Source: housetohome.co.uk via Sally on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Sally on Pinterest

I am thinking I need some colorful pillows, a throw at the end of the bed, a bold rug and some cool art work with a touch of subtle pink. 

As usual, lots to do and even more to dream about.

Photo editing

I purchased and downloaded the "Bloom & Grow Basics" for editing photos in Photoshop.  What do you think of my 1st editing job?  It was way harder than I thought, there are lots of terms in Photoshop I am not familiar with so I did a lot of Google-ing to translate for me.

 Before:

After:

I am definitely going to need more practice but I hope to take some family photos for our Christmas cards and doctor them up.

Quilt

I think I want to make a quilt.  Not a patchworky or patterned quilt but something a little more modern or sophisticated.  Maybe something like on one of these...

Source: modabakeshop.com via Sally on Pinterest

Source: jenduncan.typepad.com via Sally on Pinterest

Source: jenduncan.typepad.com via Sally on Pinterest

 Of course with all my other unfinished projects:

• bedroom
• baseboards in bedroom, living room and hallway
• painted wallpaper in kitchen

I am thinking this might be a little to much to take on, especially with the new baby and all.  Oh and then there is the engagement season that is right around the corner that will have me busy with appointments and writing estiamtes for 2012 brides.  Hmmm, can't decide, can't decide.  I have always wanted to make a quilt and I figure with these kinds of patterns, even if it isn't perfect it won't matter.  Maybe it's a crazy unrealistic dream or maybe not.

First I should write out a to-do list of house projects to finish with pictures first to hold me accountable, that seemed to work on the nursery to-do list, and not start the quilt till I finish all the other items.

A Letter to my Son

Dear Eli,

You are my first born, my first son...you are my everything!  The moment I laid eyes on you I fell in love, you were no longer the little guy in my belly who kicked around and gave me heart burn.  You were finally here and I finally got to hold you and touch you.  I have wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember and you are the special one that made that wish and dream come true.  When I hold you it seems like you fit so well in my arms, like you were shaped perfectly just for me.  It seems in a way that I have waited my whole life to hold you and be your mom and now that you are here I feel complete.  When I look down at your little face sleeping in my arms, I am sad at the idea of you getting bigger and not wanting me to hold you anymore but I am excited to see what kind of person you become.  Will you enjoy sports?  Will you be sweet and kind?  Will you be funny like your daddy?  Will you be tall?  All these things I can't wait to find out but no matter what you are, I will always love you.

This afternoon, you and I read our first book together, it was called "Love You Forever" and as I read it out loud I started to cry because it is about a mother and son and how they both get older but no matter what, the mother always says to her baby boy "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be".  I hope that I get to read that book many more times to you as you grow up and I hope that you will always remember that no matter what, I will ALWAYS love you, for you will always be my baby Eli.  You and I will have many adventures together and we will learn many things together, good and bad, but either way I can't wait for them all. 

You are surrounded by so much love and so much family who were all excited to see you come into this world.  They too can't wait to watch you grow, but no one is more excited than your Daddy.  He gets up with you every morning to change your diaper and to spend his Daddy/Eli time.  He calls you "my baby" and since you just started coo-ing and smiling, he has full coo-ing conversations with you.  Your Daddy has many nieces and nephews and has been around lots of babies so he is pretty comfortable with you but I have never seen him so in love as he is with you.  You light up his eyes and when I look at him watching you, I can see all his dreams coming true too.  You have made us a family and we hope that we will be the best parents that we can for you.

I love you so very much!

Love,
Your Mommy