Happy 6 Months, Hanky!

love,  sarah

Playroom Chalkboard DIY

i've been itching to try out chalkboard paint since we moved into our house. i can't count the hours that i have spent browsing the internet and pinterest for pictures of dark, beautiful, chalkboard painted walls.  fast forward to my feeble attempts to convince josh to let me paint an entire wall. my reasonable husband, then spent the following hours trying to convince me to rather paint a sheet of plywood. he knows me. the second the paint dried, i'd be second guessing the location and wanting to repaint.  i agreed to paint the plywood.

what you'll need:

• sheet of plywood
• sander
• painters tape
• chalkboard paint (i used Rust-Oleum Chalkboard paint!)
• foam roller
• stain
• paintbrush for staining
• chalk

the how to:
1. cut your piece of plywood to desired size.
2. use an orbital sander with a fine grit to sand plywood until smooth
3. measure your border (a speed square is very helpful in this step!) i marked six inches all around.
4. tape off border
5.  paint your chalkboard! i did about 5 coats, allowing for 2 hour dry time between each. this might be a little excessive ;) after your last coat, let it dry for 48 hours.
6. remove tape & "cure" chalkboard by rubbing a piece of chalk on its side all over the board
7. erase the board and decorate!
8. for a more finished look, stain the border.
9. after allowing for dry time, hang your finished chalkboard!!

love,  sarah

branch basics

i was never one of those people who cared much about going green, organic food, or staying away from the harmful chemicals that is in practically everything.

i thought-- what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.  right?  well that's good and well for me.  but things changed when hanky came into our lives.  i want the best for him.  as a parent you often feel so helpless because so much of life is completely out of your control.  but there are things i can control and so we do what we can to protect our children. 

branch basics was just what our family needed. 

let's talk about how it works because it is the easiest products i have ever used. all you need is soap! branch basics's main product is a highly concentrated soap that can be diluted for different purposes around the home: all purpose, kitchen, & bathroom cleaner, mirror & glass cleaner, laundry detergent, hand soap, shower gel-- you name it! we also used it on our pup and she is now smelling great, too! 

and the best part is i know that the soap is safe for every surface and every person in our family home. the soap is so safe that you could eat it. this is super important to me because i have a babe who will soon be putting everything in his mouth. the soap is free of all synthetics and GMO's. it is 100% plant and mineral based, as well as biodegradable and vegan. could it get anything better?

not to mention, that it cleans like a dream. so long harsh chemical based cleaners, you have been replaced! i feel so good about what's now sitting under my sink.

run, don't walk, over to branch basic's website and purchase your starter kit now! you can ever gen 25% off your purchase with promo code: PURE25.  this company is so sure that you will love their product (and so am i!) that they offer a 180-day money-back guarantee! talk about customer services. 

i love this product. i love this company. our house is now a branch basics home! 

love,  sarah 

branch basics was kind enough to provide this product for our review. all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are me own. 

interested in learning more about branch basics?

dotcom  //  facebook  //  twitter // instagram  //  pinterest 

Radio Silence

it's been pretty quiet over here lately. we're totally drained. josh had back surgery a little over two weeks ago and it has been tough around the house. no bending, twisting or lifting. which means he can't take care of hanky. thank goodness for our moms helping us out… but i haven't been able to keep my eyes open much past 8:30 PM lately. i'm exhausted and josh is frustrated that he can't help. hanky is happy as can be.

let me just take a moment to tell you how amazing that husband of mine is.  he is such a good dad to henry and seriously i would lose my mind without his help (and i have, for the past two weeks).  but we knew that surgery was the best option for him to get back to work and not live in constant nerve pain. he's feeling better and better with each day, but it's been pretty rough.  this experience really has shown me just how much i need him.  he's the best partner and parent on the planet. so for now we will just lay in bed until this man of man can get back to playing all over the place.

i promise we will be back with some more updates, projects, and fun.


love, sarah

Happy 5 Months, Hanky!

love,  sarah

Month 4 Update + Solids

well hanky had his four month appointment with our pedi this week and he rocked it.  we have had such a good time watching him grow and fatten up, that we we're really excited to see how much he weighed. sometimes i swear wakes up three times bigger. the morning of his appointment an 'arctic blast' blew through and every fleece outfit we put on him was too small.  even our pediatrician joked that we were going to have to cut off his outfit for the examination-- how embarrassing!! needless to say that after the appointment, we immediately went to carters and raided their clearance section for 6 month fleece jams.

so here are the stats: henry is currently weighing in at 14 lbs 6 oz and 24.5 inches. he is actually on the growth chart now, hovering right around the 30th percentile. did that boy really gain 4 pounds in 2 months? yes, yes he did. 

although he's getting those delicious fat rolls on his thighs and wrists, we are still struggling to figure out hanks gut issues. he still spits up like it's nobodies business- 20ish burp cloths & 8 outfits a day kind of spit up. the past few weeks he has also been having horrible constipation, gas, and fussiness. he also went from happily taking 6 oz to wanting to eat about 11-12 oz a feeding.  he is still getting some breast milk at each feeding-- as much as I can provide-- but the majority of his bottle is formula. 

so putting our heads together with our pediatrician, we have switched his formula, trailing an rx for zantac, and starting on some solid foods!! 

it was suggested to us to stay away from rice cereal (due to constipation) and try an oat base instead.  we're also skipping veggies for a few weeks and trying some bland fruits, again to assist with constipation issues. 

and after a few confusing bites…

hanky went to town. 

but we did take some breaks to catch the blind auditions of the voice. 

we've had some food three times now.  last night he was grabbing at the spoon and shoving his apple&oats covered hands into his mouth.  it is so fun to watch him work on coordination and see his eyes light up with the taste.  watching this babe grow is really my favorite. 

love, sarah 

Happy Four Months, Hanky!

love, sarah

Favorites

Vulli SoPure Teether  //  Tiny Love Gymini Bouncer  //  Dr. Brown's Glass Bottles  //  Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse  //  Mama's & Papa's Tummy Time  //  Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes  //  myBaby SoundSpa  //  Bright Starts Lots of Links  //  SleepySounds App //  JellyCat Monkey Soother  //  Summer Infant SwaddleMe  //  Chicco Keyfit 30 and Stroller Frame  //  Fisher Price Piano Gym  //  Sassy Ring O' Links  //  Lamaze Peek-a-Boo Forest  //  Fisher Price Rock N' Play  //  Philips Avent Soothie  //  Welcome Baby! Book  //  Noggin Stick

almost a month late, but that's okay.  i really wanted to make a list of things we've loved throughout hanky's first few months with us.  some are practical, some are fun, some are lifesavers, and some are just little luxuries, but these products really stood out in my mind.  i would recommend each of these to my very best friends, and would buy over and over again. 

love,  sarah 

Happy Valentines Day!

love,  sarah

Rollin' Rollin'

yesterday, while i was having an especially grueling day at work, i got this video.

it was one of those days that was so tough, that just seeing my baby and hearing my hubs voice instantly calmed me down. and then i thought, holy shit!!! did my baby just roll over?  after josh swore up and down that he did not touch him or tip him over, i was so so proud. and then so so sad.

hanky did something so momentous (at least in a parent's eyes) and i had missed it. and i realize that it will be the first of many things that i miss while at work. and i am still struggling to process that. i'm sure this is just the beginning of the dichotomy of being a working mom. it's hard, really, really, really, hard.

but you know i have made hanky roll over like 10 times when i got home.  i just LOVE that his face lights up with a smile and he seems so proud of himself. now, it may not have been the first time he rolled over, but it was the first time for me. and that's still pretty special.


love,  sarah

thoughts on going back to work

i've officially been back to work for three weeks. but before i shared my experience, i wanted to take some time and get back into my routine. i wanted to take it all in before jumping back in with an opinion. and to be honest, i haven't really established one.

some days i have been happy to leave the house, including leaving hanky, and going to work. i felt like i was really accomplishing something. and i also felt really, really, guilty.  other days, leaving him was literally torture. i felt like i was missing out on his childhood. i felt like he had grown 10 inches by the time i had gotten home. but all in all, i think going back to work has been the right choice for me, and for our family.

what really helps is having childcare that you can depend on and trust.  i feel so fortunate that josh's schedule permits him to be home with hanky a lot.  as i've said before, his shift work is both a blessing and a curse.  he has five days in a row to be at home, but only after two 24 hour shifts at the station. some days work overlaps  we are also lucky to have two local grandmothers who jump at the opportunity to babysit on days we are both working.

so i am pretty spoiled to get texts, pictures, videos, and even some FaceTime in throughout my work day.  and the best part? no matter how my day is going, i have the best thing in my life waiting for me when i get home.

love, sarah

4 month sleep regression

y'all are probably doing a happy dance while reading this, but hanky has been having some terrible sleep. and boy do i mean, TERRIBLE! so much for sleeping through the night. right now, i'd sell my soul to get in a 4 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep.

for the past three days hanky has been in quite the mood.  he can't seem to eat often enough and his sleep is totally out of whack.  he is on an official nap strike.  he won't stop crying.

he's not hungry, he's not wet, he's not sick, he's not hot/cold. he's overly tired, but refuses to go to sleep.

could it be the four month sleep regression i have read so much about? for the past two nights, hanky has been up at 11:00 PM, 1:30 AM, 4:00 AM, 5:30 AM, and then wakes up for the day at 7:30 AM.  he somehow manages to be pleasant throughout the day (if he is fed quick enough), while boycotting napping all together. oh, and did i mention, he has only done this on the nights that josh is at the station and i am alone by myself?

please, someone, anyone, help me! i want my sleeping baby back.


love, sarah

Gallery Wall- How to:

a few weeks ago i shared that we were working on turning the front office into a playroom and even posted a fun mood board. well the projects are slowly and surely coming together and i am so excited for how it is coming together. i can't wait to share pictures of the entire room when it's completely done!  until then, be on the look out for some fun tutorials because there's a lot of DIY going on in that room.

as with any 'finished' room in my house, i just knew that it needed a gallery wall full of fun art, family pictures and sentimental touches. the first gallery wall that i did in our living room was a bit overwhelming, so i figured i'd share all the mistakes tips i've learned a long the way.

the first thing you want to do is gather all of your frames, art, and objects that you want on your wall.  try to think out of the box and add in fun items that you wouldn't expect. i know it's overdone in decorating and totally not original, but i really wanted ours to include a faux taxidermy in ours-- so i did. no shame. but anyway, be sure to collect your things over time. the more random (& cheaper!), the better. it will come together in a cohesive grouping, i swear.

now, my no fail, can't mess it up, suggestion. trace all your pieces onto paper before you pick up that hammer and nails. i simply grabbed some leftover rolls of wrapping paper and outlined everything. this way, you can tape them up to the wall and mess with the placement until you're happy. you will save yourself (or your husband) a lot of time spackling and painting over misjudged nail holes.

when working on the placement of your art, start from the top. i like to find the height i want and work my way down. this way you won't be trying to fit items into awkward blank space in the middle of the wall- i've been there, no fun.  for this gallery wall, i decided to work off the door trim because i wanted to keep everything on a parallel line.

now tape them up. play with your placement until you're happy! here's what mine looked like:

okay, now comes the part that makes this so EASY, it's idiot proof. before i started to do this, i really struggled with placing the nail in the correct place- so my picture would always hang just a smidge off from where i really wanted. okay, are you ready to have your mind blown? turn the back of your picture over and make not of where the hanging hardware is located. (you can measure if you are feeling especially anal, but i usually eye ball it.) now notice in the picture below, some of my paper had graphed lines in .5 inches. totally on accident, but it made this portion so simple.  even if yours doesn't, find the center of your cut out and drop down to about where your hanging hardware was and drive that nail into the wall. 

you can go ahead and nail all the way if you want-- but then you'll have to rip off your paper template around the nail.  i like to just push the nail into the wall to leave a hole. this way, if it's not in a place you're happy with you can simply start over. (don't judge my disgusting nail polish). 

when you're sure, hammer the nail into the wall and hang your photo! keep it up with the rest of the pieces that will make up your wall.

when you're finished, you will have something that looks like this! i still need to get some family photos printed for some of the blank frames mixed in there, but i am absolutely thrilled with how it came out.

in full disclosure, i used to be one of those people who needed each frame to be exactly level and parallel to what was next to it. but i kind of let that go for this project and i am so glad that i did. firstly, it made the project go a million times faster and secondly, it was much more enjoyable with a kind of care-free (and kid friendly) attitude.  when hanky is jumping on the furniture or throwing a football inside, i am not going to worry if something gets moved or knocked over. this room is for him to play, explore, and learn.  i hope that these items inspire him to embrace his wonderful self.


love,  sarah

Happy Three Months, Hanky!

love,  sarah

Captiva Island, FL

apologies in advance for the photo overload. we had the best week in florida with my family. it was just what the doctor ordered before my first week back at work.

^^ could not have made it through the flight with out my solly wrap. hanky goes comatose when he's in there. thank you solly, from my family and the entire plane! ^^

^^ boating tours and fishing. that's pine island in the background ^^

^^ first catch of the day! ^^

^^ showing hanky my fish, he wasn't impressed ^^

^^ enjoying lunch at south seas island resort ^^

^^ this guys face, my heart is exploding ^^

^^ dipping our feet in the pool ^^

^^ this guy jumped on my swimsuit! ^^

^^ hanky enjoying his meal al fresco ^^

^^ ocean fishing at sunset ^^

^^ my favorite men in the world ^^

our trip to florida is exactly what i needed.  we had such a good week together and i was able to soak up every moment with my baby boy.  josh liked to remind me that i was on limited time until i was back at work, but it helped me take advantage of the extra snuggle time. 

traveling with a babe in tow was definitely a new experience, but everything went great.  i can't wait until our next family of three adventure. 

love, sarah