DIY Project- No-Sew Window Valance

Now that we're back in our house (and I've joined Pinterest), I've been scheming some projects for Keith and I to work on. The first one that I recently finished and want to share with you is a no-sew window valance. I made it for our basement window. I used to have a valance on it when we lived here before but to be honest, it was kind of ugly. I knew I wanted something different so I started looking online. I found a cute one on etsy, but becasuse our window is wider than a standard one, it would've cost me $80. I wasn't willing to shell out that kind of money for a valance, so I decided to look at turorials online to get ideas for how to make my own. I found a few helpful blogs here and here. I then shopped online and ordered some really cute fabric for only $5.99 a yard! Here's a pic of my fabric:

 

Since it has the decorative stripes, I decided I wanted to make a smooth box-style valance instead of a ruffly one. This was a little more challenging, since I had to make sure I make it a precise width and had to piece two sections together. But I think it turned out pretty well.  Here's the finished product:



Not bad, right? And the total cost was less than $25! To recap, here's the supplies I used:

• 2 yds fabric (a duck cloth or outdoor fabric works best since it's heavier)
• 1 roll Heat n Bond adhesive (I used the ultrahold variety)
• Scissors
• Iron/ironing board

Once I had a plan and all my measurements, it really was pretty easy to make. If you're sewing-challenged like I am, give it a try. You just might surprise yourself! Be sure to stay tuned for some more DIY projects to come...

Love,
Ashley

A Happy(?) Thanksgiving

I'm a little late on this post, but as you might infer from the title, we didn't exactly have the best Thanksgiving holiday. It started on Wednesday afternoon. I went to get Wyatt up from his nap only to discover that he had puked. Everywhere. There was vomit all over the crib, in his hair, on his sleepsack. It was like nothing I've ever seen (and also made me question whether the boy chews his food...but that's another issue). I'll attach a picture of it at the bottom of this post (kidding!).  We have been lucky that Wyatt had never had anything more than a boogy nose this past year, so I guess it was time for us to face our first real illness. The poor guy got sick a few more times Wednesday evening before bed. Thankfully he did not vomit overnight, but he had a pretty fitful sleep (as did Keith and I). He seemed to be in better spirits Thursday morning, and we debated whether or not to take him anywhere. However, he had one small vomiting episode later that morning which confirmed our decision to keep him home. Originally we had planned to go to my parents' house and then Keith's aunt and uncle's. We ended up taking turns and going by ourselves. Not exactly the holiday we had in mind. But by the end of the day Wyatt was much better. I was paranoid that Keith and I were going to come down with it, seeing as we both had gotten directly puked on. But by Friday evening with Wyatt back to normal and both of us feeling fine, I started to think maybe we'd dodge it. Wrong. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning Saturday and instantly knew I felt off. I'll spare you the details, but I can say that I haven't been sick like that in a long time (thank you, child, for licking shopping carts and passing that crazy bug to me). I was bedridden most of the day, but luckily it was a 24 hour bug and I was feeling almost completely back to normal on Sunday. Keith felt yucky by Saturday night, but his symptoms were much milder than Wyatt's or mine.

So that's our Thanksving weekend in a nutshell. It may have been a bit of a bust, but we still have so much to be thankful for this year. And we now look forward to celebrating Christmas in a few weeks (and hope to be healthy!).

Love,
Ashley

Home Sweet Home

It's taken awhile for me to update, but we are finally back in Omaha! Whoohoo! Our move went as smoothly as it could, and we're now getting settled back into our house. We are lucky that the renters we had took very good care of it. Sure, there were a few spots on the walls and a couple of small stains in the carpet. but other than some touch-up painting and strategic furniture placement, there wasn't anything major to repair. The funny thing is that since we now have a child and some of our decor has changed, it kind of feels like a whole new home to us. We're looking forward to celebrating the holidays here and making lasting memories as a family.

Now on to the Wy Guy. He's 14 months now and on the go NON-STOP. We've  baby-proofed almost everything in the house except for the bathroom cabinets...and those will be done this weekend. ;) Until then he continues to enjoy taking my hair products and brushes out and placing them all over the floor. His social awareness is developing, and he seems to be fascinated by other little kids.  This is one of the biggest reasons why I'm ready to go back to work and enroll him in childcare. I know that he needs more interaction with other kiddos.  I'm not sure if/what I will end up doing this year, as it's already nearly the middle of the school year. However, I know that I want to be back to work next fall. So we'll see what happens!

After months without a new tooth, Wyatt got one new bottom one and 4(!) molars, all back-to-back. The first two molars snuck up on me, since the child refuses to let us feel around in his mouth. We had a few rough nights where I had to go in and rock him multiple times, and had no clue teething was the cause. I felt terrible once I discovered them since I didn't give him any Tylenol. However, I did give him some before bed with the next 2 molars and we had much smoother nights.   I'm hoping that was the worst of his teething for his sake (and maybe mine too)!

So that's what's new with us right now. I'll end the post with some pictures from Halloween. This year Wyatt was a dinosaur and I must say, he looked pretty darn cute. He got to don his costume a few times, as we went to a Halloween party at my sister-in-law's parents' house, went trick-or-treating at his grammy's office, and handed out candy at our house. We had fun and I look forward to taking him trick-or-treating next year.

 All dressed up!

 

 Posing with one grandma..

 

 ..and the other!

 

Family photo.

 



 Helping Grandpa Joel carve a pumpkin.

 

 He enjoyed sucking on the raw pumpkin pieces. *shudder*

 

 Snickers? Don't mind if I do.

 

 Grammy Kim dressed up too!

 

 A smiley little dinosaur!

 

 

Love,

Ashley

Heading Home

I've been a bit neglectful with my blog lately, and there is so much to catch up on. We've been preparing for our move these last few weeks. We leave Thursday for Omaha and will be doing some painting at our house this weekend.  Then Keith is coming back down here on Sunday and the movers will be here next week. Wyatt and I will stay at my parents' house so we're out of the way during that process. I can't wait until we're settled back into our house. It will be so nice to have a place that is truly ours again.

So what's new with Wyatt? He has improved in his walking, and is now moving all over the place. Heaven forbid I turn my back on him for a second, as he can quickly disappear! He currently enjoys going into our bathroom and getting into my cabinet of hair products, as well as going into our closet and closing the door. He did that last week and managed to break my shoe rack during the short time he was in there. The boy does not have a future at Famous Footwear.

I continue to be amazed by how much Wyatt understands. I still think of him at times as the baby who didn't have a clue what anyone was saying to him.  Throughout the day I will randomly turn on the baby channel we have on tv, and Wyatt finds it highly entertaining. Since  the same shows run (a million times) each day, I've memorized many of the theme songs. If I sing them while we're playing, he immediately goes to look at the tv. It's pretty funny. We taught Wyatt how old he is this month. When we ask him, he holds up his pointer finger to say "one." He also knows some of his body parts such as his hair, ear, belly, hand, foot and nose (though he usually wants to grab our nose instead of his). It's just so cool to watch him develop.

A few weeks ago I braved a trip home by myself with Wy for a friend's baby shower. The last time I had ever driven alone with him for such a length of time was when we moved here, and that was when he was a sleepy 2 month old. I was a bit nervous as to how this would go. Usually when we make trips home I sit in the back with him, providing constant attention, food, and fun. Wyatt has a habit of throwing toys that I give him out of his carseat these days, so I wasn't sure how I would keep him entertained. However, it actually went ok. For the first two hours of each trip he was pretty quiet and slept on and off. The last 1 1/2 hrs, though, involved lots of tears. And Wyatt cried too. ;) But we survived and had a great time at the shower. I'll be driving up alone with him when we go back home, so at least I'll be prepared and it's a one way trip!

And of course, here are some recent pics:

I'm a messy eater.

 The baby channel.

 I'm number one!

 Just helping with the recycling...

 Sippy!

 Playing with Daddy.

So much fun!

Oh, you were going to fold these towels?

 Mama tried for a photo op.

Just being silly.

So that's what's new with us. We'll keep you posted on our move once we've settled in!

Love,
Ashley

We Have a Walker!

I'm a few days behind on this, but as of Monday Wyatt has really started to walk! I think he was embarrassed by my post last week saying that he hadn't mastered this by his birthday.  He's not a sprinter by any means, but he is walking so much more now. Here's some proof:

This time I'm not holding onto the gate!



 Look at me go!

 Are ya gettin' this on film?

I'm so talented I can walk AND chew on my toy.

What an exciting milestone this is! I can't wait for him to continue to perfecting this skill, and look forward to the days when he can walk next to me when we run errands...my arms are getting sore! :)

Love,

Ashley



Our Cowpoke is One!

Well, it's official...Wyatt is now entering toddlerhood! His first birthday was on Tuesday. We celebrated with a party at my parents' house on Sunday. Wyatt and I had been staying there for a nice two week visit home (hence why I've neglected to post since last month). It was great to have extended time with family and be able to visit old friends and colleagues that I never get a chance to visit on our usual short trips home. Keith joined us last weekend and we all rode back together on Labor Day. And speaking of the visit home, we have recently learned that we will be transferring back to Omaha in October!!! We are beyond excited about this. The exact date has yet to be determined, but we know it will be sometime that month, most likely the latter half. We are also going to be able to get back into our house, which we had been renting out for the last 3 years since we moved away. I am soooo happy about this and ready to be back in our own place, close to family. I'll keep you posted on the move as we get closer, but for now I suppose I should get back to the main topic of this post...

I wish I could tell you that we now have a child who is walking all over the place, but we're still not quite there yet. However, he has taken numerous unassisted steps. I've noticed that he takes more of them when he's holding a toy in his hand. I'm not sure if it makes him forget what he's doing, or gives him some sense of balance. For the last few days I've given him a small object to hold and then coaxed him over to me. It seems to be helping him take more steps, so we'll see when he really takes off!

Wyatt's personality continues to evolve, and he really has a good sense of humor. It doesn't take much to make him laugh. And if he sees you start to giggle he'll join right in! Most recently he's started snorting when he laughs which is hysterical. He also continues to enjoy mimicking us. Any noise we make he'll copy. Currently his favorite sounds to mimic are screeching and clicking our tongues. It's quite funny!

While he still isn't saying words on a regular basis, Wyatt will at times try to say baby, bye-bye, and night-night. This is on his terms of course, so it's anyone's guess when he will actually repeat us when we say them. I've noticed that his babbling has changed a bit. He now seems to make jibberish sounds where he uses his tongue to make L sounds while he talks. I'm hoping this is a sign that his speech is evolving, and not that he is learning some sort of alien language. We've also gotten Wyatt to make animal sounds a few times. When asked what a monkey says he replied "ah, ah!" and what a sheep says: "baaa!" We're working on other animal sounds as well. It's really so interesting to watch his understanding of sounds and language develop!

This year has been such life-changing one for Keith and me. Not only in terms of our family dynamics, but also for us as individuals. Being a parent is the most important and rewarding job we've ever had. But that's not to say that every day has been rainbows and butterflies. There have been many instances this year where our patience and sanity have been tested. From the first few days home where I struggled with breastfeeding and sobbed in the rocking chair as I tried to feed him, to the nights where we struggled with Wyatt's sleep and tried letting him cry it out (and cried along with him). Yes, those are times that I will admit I never want to go back to. But there are also so many moments that I wish I could re-live forever. Wyatt has brought such tremendous joy to us, and we couldn’t imagine life without him.  We love him so very much.



And now for the photos:


Here are some of the pictures from Wyatt’s party. We did a cowboy theme, of course! I only have a few photos right now, as my camera went dead and I'm still waiting to get all of the pictures that other people took, but here's a few. More to come!

 Some party decor.



 The party hats that I tapped into my crafty side to make.

Birthday banner. And Wendell.



 Playing with new toys with cousins.

 Party time!

 Hmm..what's this?

 It has an interesting texture...

..and the flavor's not bad.

 Ah, sugar!! Sweet nectar of the gods!

 Satisfied.

And our monthly photos...last one with the tie!



 So grownup looking.

 And silly.

Alright Mom, enough with the pictures.

Happy First Birthday, Wyatt!!

Love,
Ashley

11 Months

I'm a little behind, but last Saturday Wyatt turned 11 months old. I can't believe we only have one more month until he turns one.  Lately I've been reminiscing about this time last year, and how anxious we were to meet our little man.  I find myself missing the fun things like planning his nursery and feeling his kicks and rolls in my belly. But I also remember how uncomfortable I felt, between the pressure on my bladder, braxton hicks and those lovely vericose veins (remember that?). But anyway, I digress. Here's what's been going on with Wyatt lately:

The Wy Guy is sooooo close to walking. I was sure in my last post that it would happen any time, but we're just not quite there yet. However, he has mastered cruising furniture and can stand still by himself. We try to lure him into taking a step by holding a toy out to him, but he opts to sit down and crawl to us to get it. He can walk well holding on to just one of our hands too, so hopefully (or maybe not, as I know this will just make him even harder to keep up with) we will have a walker soon!

We've discovered this last month that there are many words and objects that Wyatt understands and recognizes. If we ask him where a particular object is, he will look directly at it or look around to find it. Right now he knows fan, doggy, ball, mommy, daddy, mailbox (which is on one of his toys) and monkey. The monkey is actually a small toy that dangles on his jumperoo. The funny thing about it is that we used to say "ooh ooh, ah ah" like a monkey each time we pointed it out to him, so now when we ask where the monkey is he'll look at it and say "ah ah!"  I've also continued to work on saying words with Wyatt, though he only tries to repeat what I say when he feels like it (which isn't that often). A few times I've managed to get him to try and say baby and night-night, though it comes out sounding like "bay" and "ni ni". It's really cute.

Wy's kept us on our toes this month, and I know that these next few weeks before his birthday will go by in a flash. As I've said before, we really do love this age. If  I could freeze time and keep him this size forever, I would. But since I can't, I will just try to relish the time that he's still my baby!

Here are our latest pics:

Just cruisin'.

 Stare down.

 Please kindly take this off my head.

 Mischief is my middle name.

 Who needs all those expensive toys when I've got these? 

Posing with Mama.

 Posing with Pops.

 Riding a pony at Daddy's work picnic.

 Like a Rhinestone Cowboy...

 Weeee!

Love,
Ashley