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Project Nursery

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What started as Project Nursery turned into Project Move Owen to What Was Going to Be the Nursery Because We Didn’t Have Room to Store the Queen Size Bed and Then Turn Owen’s Room Into the Nursery.

Phew, I know. 😀

Project Nursery, Part 1

Yeah, so we don’t have room to store the Queen bed (so would have to sell it), so we thought Owen could use it…but it’s just too big for his current room (the nursery is a good 3′ wider) which means he’d have to switch rooms. I didn’t want to uproot him at all with the whole baby thing coming…but it seemed like the best plan as I think we have room to store the Full bed (that Owen currently uses).

But, of course, the decision wasn’t THAT simple. Because a room switch would mean he loses all the decals he currently has (alphabet and Cars, though the Cars ones are big enough they might be able to make the move). I had JUST bought a second waterproof mattress pad. We weren’t sure what color we were going to paint, which would have an effect on bedding we already had or needed to buy. We would need new Queen sheets (we only have one summer and one winter set). Again, depending on the color(s), we might need a new dust ruffle and/or curtains (which I had just bought the curtains like six months ago). All little things, but they add up.

So we decided to ask him if he wanted to switch rooms—and of course he said YEP. (That’s it, YEP.) So he seemed to like the idea of a new room, but I’m guessing he doesn’t really FULLY understand. He also picked green over tan paint and seemed excited about his bigger bed (he went to grab cars to play with in there immediately).

So while it was kind of exciting, I honestly was not looking forward to it, as it was going to be enough work just getting one room ready and now we had two rooms to do (oh, who am I kidding, Tom now had two rooms to do as I can’t really do much). So I decided to make it more fun for me and do a full-fledged online search for the bedding I really wanted for Owen’s room…basically a multi-colored plaid…or madras as it turns out. So the stuff I love? Of course it’s at >:XX Pottery Barn Kids: $159 for either a quilt or a duvet cover. Yuck.

Tom was painting while I was shopping…

So I kept my fingers crossed that the bedding Owen was currently using would look okay with the new paint. And, of course, it didn’t—the two different shades of sage completely clashed. I know he won’t care…but but I do. Now before you think I’m nuts, let me remind you that I didn’t care one bit what his nursery looked like (it was never matchy matchy—I just tossed up some monkey decals and called it a day). And then when we moved back here, the room was a medium yellow, which went just fine with the sage curtains/comforter/bedskirt stuff we already had.

So, knowing how I am, I know that the clashing colors would drive me insane every single day. I had a quilt I could put on in the meantime, but it’s a girly flowery pink/tan/sage thing that I know I wouldn’t want on for good so why not just get what I want NOW? Right? 🙂 Besides, other than two sets of sheets, we hadn’t really spent any money on bedding for him…so I felt okay buying something specifically for him… Hence my online search.

But since I couldn’t get it out of my head, we headed out to Ross and Marshall’s. We also went to Bed Bath & Beyond (as it was right next door to Ross)…and found what I wanted. Not quite as expensive as the Pottery Barn Kids stuff (though still more than I would have preferred to pay) but pretty much exactly what I wanted—and of course I could use a 20% coupon! While I was checking out, Tom said “HOW MUCH?!” and I said “Not as much as what I wanted from Pottery Barn Kids!” and he knew well enough not to argue with a hormonal pregnant woman. 🙂

In the end, it all worked out. We were able to (re)use the white dust ruffle and the tan blackout curtains. I already had a waterproof mattress pad cover. The comforter is reversible and BOTH sides match so we can change it up a bit. I just need to buy a set or two of sheets…

And you can see how comfortable he is in his new room—this was about three seconds after we told him to come check it out:

Project Nursery Part 2 starts tomorrow with the dismantling of Owen’s old Full bed, the building of the crib, and the switching of all the clothes and closet stuff…

BONUS VIDEO:

Singing along with Handy Manny’s tools

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm9vm99vcXw

Owen goes through stages of what he wants to watch. Mostly it’s “pigs” (which is the Nick Jr cartoon Olivia) with some Backyardigans and Little Einsteins. However, today he was on a Handy Manny kick (and has been on a few other days recently) so imagine my surprise when he started singing along! Well, not exactly, but as good as a 3yo can do when you can’t really even understand the words to start with! It’s SO cute and he gets so excited!

Mama, I’m floating!

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We have tried repeatedly to let Owen float in our arms, but he’s not a big fan (he ESPECIALLY HATES being put on his back, even when we have a secure hold on him). So I was a bit surprised when on his own, as he was holding on to the side of the pool (which we usually discourage, since it’s not meant for that), he let his legs float up behind him. And he was loving it! And of course he was splashing and hanging over so far the water was spilling out!

Owen being Owen in the pool:

And more Owen being Owen, this time going through phrases from three different books (see if you can hear lines from Hit the Ball Duck, My Daddy And Me, and Elmo’s Potty Book).

Wilmington Children’s Museum

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http://www.playwilmington.org

We had been wanting to take Owen to the children’s museum, so Tom took today off and we headed over early. Once we actually found it (the address in Yelp was wrong, plus it’s in a quiet residential neighborhood with bad signage) it was pretty good.

Owen got to plant some basil with daddy:

He liked the circus mirrors:

And this mirror—“Look at all the Owens!”

Playing grocery store (he likes the buttons):

Here he got to be on TV with daddy via a green screen:

We had fun, but it’s not somewhere we’ll be rushing back to.

Volcano Take 2 & Owen’s first s’more

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zipn1Pmmqlw

Watching the volcano.

Attempting to roast a marshmallow. He looks close, but he was actually about two feet too far away. We kept trying to move his chair closer, but he kept dragging it back. I guess all our warnings of “FIRE! HOT! DANGEROUS! STAY BACK!” worked a little too well. 🙂

Investigating the still-cold marshmallow.

Where the marshmallow actually spent most of its time…

Daddy to the rescue!

When it finally came time to eat it, he was more interested in watching himself eat it than actually eating it.

Sesame Street USO Experience

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http://www.uso.org/sesame/

Since its debut in July 2008, the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families has taken its message to more than 248,000 troops and military families and performed 433 shows on 131 military bases in 33 states and eleven countries.

We learned tonight that Owen really doesn’t do LOUD. (We know he doesn’t like sudden loud noises and in general he doesn’t like loud areas…but I was holding out hope.) So, yep, the Sesame Street thing was a fail. But let me start at the beginning…

We were in the third row on the end of the aisle. I was excited because it meant I could get good pics of the stage and Owen would be close enough to see. The mom next to me said “You know they come down the aisles right?” obviously warning me. I said no I didn’t know, but we’d see what happened (if Owen liked it or was freaked out). I loved the Sesame Street sign.

He loved seeing all the kids waiting in line and in the auditorium (“Look at all the kids!”).

He didn’t seem to mind the noise level of the auditorium (the first big challenge).

He loved that he got an Elmo spinny light toy (he LOVES those type of toys).

He let me take a picture (that turned out awesome).

He did awesome waiting the half hour—playing with the spinny toy and my phone (and the mom next to us even commented on how awesome his behavior was, compared to her 2yo monkey who wouldn’t stop climbing and moving).

But…he started saying DONE before the show even started. But it was a calm DONE, like a polite suggestion. I figured once he saw Elmo, maybe he would change his mind. Well, the first thing that happened was a guy came out to welcome everyone and give thanks to certain people…and Owen was okay with that…and I learned he apparently really likes clapping when everyone else is:

Then there was a video of the First Lady and Elmo, welcoming everyone and setting up the premise of the show. And he was okay with that. (This is one of the videos we saw.)

And then Elmo came out and it was LOUD and they started LOUD music and dancing.

And that’s when he became more emphatic with his HOME, DONE, and pointing. He would be excited momentarily when each new character came out, but it was still LOUD songs and he was not a fan. I kept trying to talk to him to hopefully calm him a little and get him through the music to where there would (hopefully) just be talking…but he alternated between putting his head in my lap (trying to hide) and pointing and saying HOME. I thought we might make it, but then he started whining and almost crying, so I knew we were done.

So about five minutes in (before the thing really got started—they were still in the warm up songs) I decided it was time to go and moved to get out of my seat—and he was off like a shot up the aisle, weaving through all the little kids in the aisle who were dancing, not even looking back for me. As soon as we got outside, he was completely fine, playing with his spinny toy and having a ball.

On the way to the car he started saying “Great job, mama, great job.” ❓ He’s been saying that lately and I assume he’s just parroting me saying it (I say it A LOT) but sometimes it’s appropriate for the situation. So I just thanked him, and eventually he said “Great job, mama, seeing Sesame Street.” So to him, he saw Sesame Street and he was just fine. 🙂

So in once sense I was disappointed (I kinda wanted to see the show—it wasn’t just for him!) but he was apparently happy AND we were out of there before it ended so we didn’t have to deal with the crazy traffic AND we got home in time for his bedtime AND at least we learned the lesson a cheap way (free tickets to something local), instead of traveling and spending $$$ on tickets for something in, say, Raleigh.

I’m guessing this is one of the areas we’ll be working on when we eventually start therapy. 🙂

Tractor tipping + Oh come on!

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http://youtu.be/FyHT9t32r-4

I got a really good deal on these cars that work on an iPad app, so Owen got them for Easter. And he is obsessed with playing with them! It took him a few days, but now he knows how to play the games, tip the tractors, “buy” stuff from the store, and move the pushpin on the map to get directions.

He LOVES tipping the tractors the most, which you can see in this video… And then something doesn’t go his way and you can hear “Oh, come on!” 🙂 I guess I must say that a lot since he’s obviously picked up on it!