Tis the season...DIY and gift giving

‘Tis the season for giving and I absolutely love giving gifts and love, even more, when I can channel what little creativity I may have into a homemade gift!  

This year I decided since we are shaving our budget down a bit, we would opt for some DIY gifts when appropriate. Grandma and Grandpa’s are definitely a good place to put that energy toward- they really appreciate the thought behind the gifts, especially when they center around their grandchildren.

I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done and most of the supplies ready to do the DIY projects that I have chosen. I won’t give away all the details because, obviously, Christmas hasn’t arrived and most of the recipients have not yet received their gifts.

But, I can share that one of my projects (that I chose to just do) is not for Christmas. I have several loved ones who suffer from Fibromyalgia including my mom, grandma and my MiL, Carol. I wanted to try this cream that I have been seeing constantly on Pinterest. I have all of the essential oils needed to make it, but I needed Coconut oil and a jar. It was slightly messy, but fairly easy to whip out this past weekend. I needed to alter the jar used, which I did (for easier access) and then I gave the first batch to Carol for her birthday last night. I also have my mom hers and I am going to give my grandma hers this weekend after I can make another batch. I am praying that it works! I would be so thrilled if they got even a little relief! I made a smaller batch for them and asked them all to try it and if it worked and they wanted more, I would make a big batch!

I also needed to give something to my sons’ daycare teacher. I wanted something on the inexpensive but heartfelt side, so I also made her homemade peppermint foot scrub with sugar and coconut oil blended with a few drops of peppermint oil and some red food coloring for the “peppermint look”. It’s cute and was very easy! I went and bought a couple more fun items and am putting together a “pampering” basket for her. I added some nail polish, lotion, fuzzy socks, a mini pedicure set and a candle. I also added some chocolates for her, her kids and an extra pair of socks for her teenage daughter who helps her with the kids a lot. I thought maybe they could do it together.

I have a few other DIY projects for family members that I have to work on this weekend.

On a separate note, we gave my Papa a new drill set this weekend as a “Thank you” for building our room. He wasn’t happy that we spent money on him, but I didn’t care! It was a good set, something he needed and hadn’t purchased for himself yet (he always purchases what he wants before anyone can), something that will help him finish the room more quickly and I felt good getting him a good gift! Plus, we got a really good deal on it- which makes it ever better!

I am hoping to get a few pics of the end results for each of these DIY gifts…and I am really hoping to get them done this weekend so they can be wrapped and ready to go!

Wish me luck! My 3^rd trimester begins tomorrow and my energy is fleeting…

As usual, I continually add items to my Stress List rather than allowing the completed items to fall off and the list get smaller. The list IS getting smaller, but not as quickly as I would appreciate since I keep adding items as I remember them…such as life for the pregnant mind.

XOXO- Ladylewy

December check-in and last 2nd Trimester update!

Trimester 3 is on the horizon, so time for a quick update on my pregnancy with baby #2.

I am officially 27 weeks pregnant. Which means, this time next week, I will be in my 3^rd trimester! I have reached a milestone; if something happened and I had to deliver tomorrow, baby would have to stay in NICU for a bit, but should survive! That is a big deal to me!

Due to a horrific craving of carbs and my extreme lack of energy, I have gained more weight this time around than I wanted to. I haven't gained too much, but I did set a limit for myself and I have nearly reached that, with 13 weeks to go...oh well!

Weirdly enough, I fit comfortably in my clothes (pants size 8) until week 16, only using the “rubber band trick” on occasion, before purchasing the belly band for comfort. And, it wasn't until closer to week 23 that maternity jeans became a necessity most days. 

I have yoga pants, textured leggings, cotton pants and linen pants added to my current wardrobe, in addition to the jeans, but I only own 2 maternity shirts. I wear tank tops and t-shirts or sweaters most days. They are not stretching out yet, they "fit", they are just shorter on my torso than they used to be.  I feel bigger than I was with Jaxon at this time, but I am not. I am almost the same, and with my second baby, so I am feeling pretty good about that! Honestly, I am not even too upset about inching toward my limit, it was just an arbitrary number and I am healthy and so is baby and nothing beyond that matters. Plus, the weight will come off after baby arrives...

We are headed into the homestretch! I have a little over 2 weeks at work before we’re closed for Christmas vacation and I won’t return until Monday, January 5^th.  That will mark between 5-6 weeks left of work before maternity leave (depending on how I am doing  and what doc says)! I still consider my due date to be March 7^th, which means, February 6^th could be my last day at work. Although, I currently have plans to stay through February 13th, but we will see...

I hope to have a post about the construction of our new room in the garage soon. Papa is building it and it looks like some decent progress is being made and we are on par for being done by the end of the month! I sure hope so! I would like to be moved in and settled before heading back to work in January. Then I can focus on the nursery....

Stay tuned for more updates!

XOXO, Ladylewy

Baby #2 is a.....

Hey, it's been a while. Life is a little crazy being pregnant with a very active toddler running around! So, here is a quick little update...

October 15^th was the big day. Jason and I had a mid-afternoon appointment to confirm our baby was in deed healthy (thank you, God!) and see if we could find out the sex. It is not secret, since we were told baby was healthy at the 12 week Nuchal Translucency scan, we were hoping for a girl. We would then have one of each and be able to call our family "complete", if we chose to.

About 10 minutes into the scan as the doctor is moving the wand, with warm jelly (yay!) over my belly and baby is flippin’ and kickin’ around in there, she asks if we want to know the “gender”.  Yes, we wanted to know the sex of our baby. She immediately says ‘BOY’. I say ”are you sure?” – lol. She is very sure and over the course of the next 20-30 minutes, proceeds to show me at multiple angles, that he is in fact, a boy.

Admittedly, I was disappointed for about 10-20 seconds. I wanted a girl and because this pregnancy was polar opposite of Jaxon and the 20 weeks I carried Mason, I was sure this was a girl. I also feel that pregnancy doesn’t really agree with my body (I am having less trouble with this baby than I did with Jaxon because I was 20lbs lighter when I got pregnant this time than last). I have always dreamed of having a little girl. But, I absolutely LOVE my son and the minute I started thinking of all the adorable clothes that I had packed away because Jaxon grew out of them so quickly, my excitement bubbled over. 

Now, I am over the moon thrilled that Jaxon is going to have a little brother! I cannot wait for the two of them to be best buds and for Jaxon to have a playmate in the family. Jaxon really doesn't have a solid playmate at this point because his cousins are girls. Even though my S and BIL just had a boy recently, he is many, many months away from being able to play with the older kids and then the age different may be too much. I am also very aware that Jaxon won’t be able to play with his brother until he is closer to a year old, too. But, still, a built in friend. I just cannot fathom anything more amazing.

What does that mean for another baby down the road? Who knows. Let's take this one day at time, is what I think! At this moment, I am completely content being a mom to boys. If we decide down the road to try for a 3^rd baby, then we will see what God graces us with then. Who knows, maybe that will be a boy too! All that matters to me, is to have healthy babies. End of story.

Thankfully, this boy, who has yet to be named, is healthy and has a wealth of friends and family waiting for his arrival. March cannot come soon enough!!

Adventures in Potty Training

Exciting times in the Lewy land….  

Project Potty Training is about to commence!

My mom got an adorable Cars potty chair for Jaxon for Christmas. We knew at 18 months it was too soon to introduce the idea of potty training, especially to a boy. So, we just let him use the chair as a toy for a few months before moving it to the bathroom and showing him the intended purpose. It has a lid that closes so it can double as a stool. Perfect for a 3’ kid who loves to play in water. It has a button that you can “flush” after doing your business. It is a “vroom” sound like a racetrack.  So fun!

About a month or so ago, I bought Jaxon training pants – really thick underwear. I just put them in his room and didn’t make a big deal about them. Jaxon has been very aware of when he is “going to the bathroom” and lets us know. Weirdly though, lately, he doesn’t want us to change him. I am not exactly sure what that is about, honestly, I wonder if he is sick of sitting still for the diaper changes!

Last night, Jaxon was in the tub and mentioned he had to go potty. Normally, he just stands up and pees. But, he told me this time. I asked if he wanted to use the potty and he said “yes”! I helped him out, put his chair in front of the toilet for him to climb up and helped him steady himself on the toilet. He was a tad nervous, then relaxed a bit and peed! It was only a dribble- but the look of excitement that washed over his face… one of the most incredible moments I have ever witnessed as a mother (yet, of course). He was SO proud of himself. I don’t think he could have been more than me, though!! He started calling for him grandma and when she came him he yelled “I peed in the potty!!” What an incredible moment!

We called daddy at work right away and told him the news, too. Pure excitement! Amazing!

I had purchased chocolate coins a few weeks ago that look like “gold debloons” from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I went in and grabbed one and explained that because he did so great with peeing in the potty that I had a surprise for him. Another beautiful look of awe washed across his face when I handed him the coin. These are the moments in parenting that make everything worth it!!

This weekend we are going to go get him a special potty insert (he will pick it out) and a container (treasure chest) for his trinkets and gold coins for going potty. Once he is trained and no longer in diapers, we’ll trade in his treasure chest in for a prize.

This is a big project to undertake, but so very important. I hope to have him potty trained by Christmas. I am thrilled at the idea of having one child out of diapers before the next arrives! Even if only for a few months- that is so worth it!

Yay Jaxon!!

Xoxo- LadyLewy

Time Management during 2nd Trimester

When you’re pregnant, you know that your first trimester (unless you are super lucky) is going to be a doozy. The surge of hormones, fears, excitement, nausea, and utter exhaustion (for seemingly no reason at all), are like a tidal wave. You do get used to it, but you usually will have a projected “end date” for when normalcy might return and you can settle in to your new world while busily preparing for new baby. And, for STM (Second Time Moms) like myself, helping to introduce the idea in to your toddler’s world that someone new will be joining the family.

A light at the end of the tunnel has been my saving grace since I found out I was pregnant. Being pregnant with an active toddler is a beast! In the early weeks when exhaustion and nausea were ruling my world, the best thing I could do to get through the day was stay hydrated and eat every few hours to keep “morning” sickness at bay and nap whenever humanly possible. I kept telling myself ”only X more weeks and you’ll feel human again”.  In fact, I secretly began a countdown. I knew by the end of August, my tummy would return to normal and my energy would slowly start to ramp up again. Ugh, I was wrong!

My doctor ordered some blood-work to rule out some possible medical reasons for my exhaustion, but I am pretty sure that I just have to accept it; this is life and my energy is not coming back!  

They say every pregnancy is different and that couldn’t be more true for me! This is my 3^rd pregnancy at this gestational age (I carried Mason until 20 weeks) and neither Mason nor Jaxon was like this one, at all! Morning sickness was only for a few weeks and never as bad as I have had with this baby and I had the typical Trimester 2 return of energy, nearly on the mark!

Since 2^nd trimester energy surge has not arrived, and probably wont be, I need to make some changes and some plans (I know, not like me at all…lol).

Time management is one thing that will be super necessary for me to supercharge and make a priority right now for the next few months.

Checklists are one thing that will help immensely. Literally seeing items ‘come off’ the list gives me a sense of accomplishment and can reinforce a burst of energy when I want to crash and sleep. We all know that I am a fan of lists. Stress List, anyone? I love making lists, never in any particular order, and then going through to prioritize, and then knock them out! I LOVE to cross something off my Stress List!

Another helpful and time saving trick is meal planning! I have begun shopping at Fresh & Easy again because they have great items that are portion controlled for lunch, easy and healthy meals to heat up for dinner and great snack options. They may be a tad more expensive, but you’re paying for convenience and packaging. At this point, I am good with that! It also will help with our budget! That is another post, for another day…

With Jason working 6 days per week and it being anyone’s guess as to whether he’ll be home at or around the time he’s supposed to each nigh, I have to plan around this carefully. I schedule all my appointments for Wednesday because that is his day off (guaranteed). So, I get whatever appointment I have scheduled handled without worry that I won’t make it to Jaxon’s daycare by 5 to get him, and it gives me a little break from him. I love that kid, but he is an endless ball of energy and it makes my pure exhaustion seemingly double, at least.

Spacing out my chores throughout the week or actually scheduling myself a night off, meal planning and following my Stress List are all really good ways to keep my work load under control and allow me enough time to rest.

We all know I am a planner,  I just have to adjust my plan for this pregnancy! Regardless of nausea or energy, I am beyond thankful that this baby is healthy- I know I say it often, but my first baby and my last pregnancy weren’t. So, having a healthy baby truly is a blessing and something that I am so thankful for, no matter how crappy I may feel!

We have some more changes coming (remember the theme of this blog?), so stay tuned….

Xoxo- LadyLewy

September Check-In

Here is a little update on life in the land of Lewy…

Jason is back at Momentum, thankfully, and doing well. He has been given more duties and has opportunities to go into management. Best of all, he is only 15 minutes from home now. Such good news considering he is close to Jaxon during the day, if needed and will be super close for when baby arrives. Regardless of where he is, he adapts to the environment and has such good character and personality that he connects and makes clients out of strangers. I am so proud of him!

Jaxon is so smart! He talks so well, learning new words seemingly every day and we have full on conversations with him. Coherent, intelligible conversations. It’s adorable and exiting. We really haven’t broached the subject of baby again with him, we have plenty of time, although since I am showing now, I am waiting for the questions to roll in. I think he will be an excellent big brother. But considering how darn loved and spoiled with attention he is, I think it will take some adjustment.

I am officially 4 months pregnant, 16 weeks now. Baby is the size of an avocado and the best purchase for a pregnant mom with previous losses is a Sonoline B home fetal Doppler. Since I don’t feel baby yet (well, I do- but so few and far between that I don’t really count it yet) I can plop that wand on my tummy at night, hear his/her heartbeat and sleep peacefully. I am showing now- I have a decent bump going. I think it is safe to say that I look pregnant and no longer question if I had too many donuts and beer. My energy level is not what it used to be, at all, and I am pretty bummed about that. No matter what time I got to bed at night (which has been earlier and earlier lately) I don’t seem to get enough rest to feel like I can take on the world. Since I have several weeks into the 2^nd trimester, I have basically accepted that I am not going to get my energy back this time.  My morning sickness (LMAO- all day sickness) is much better, but still hanging around. At this point, I don’t expect it to go away either, but I am truly thankful for those days when it stays at bay or just barely shows up.

Maxi skirts and linen pants are my best friend right now. Oh, and yoga pants. Love yoga pants! I am all about comfort and haven’t even attempted to try to reason with my fashion sense. I have scarves and sweaters tucked away for fall and winter seasons- so, I will worry about my prego-fashion at that point and focus on staying comfy and cool for now. Although, I have gotten compliments recently on my outfits, so I guess I am doing something right!

I am utterly thankful that I am experiencing my 1^st and 2^nd trimester during summer and early fall because the heat is awful and I could not imagine being 7-9 months pregnant right now! Ugh! I give tons of credit to all the ladies that do it- I am thankful for my early summer baby and my current pregnancy with a Spring baby!

I will have many more updates over the next several weeks.

Xoxo- Ladylewy

Baby #2: First Trimester

If you saw my recent post, you know that we are excitedly expecting Baby #2!

With Mason, we let the world know within a week of the positive test. With Jaxon, we announced after our first ultrasound (and confirmed heartbeat and due date). We never revealed our 3rd pregnancy to most people, and not at all to Facebook or any other social media site because we lost the baby prior to the first ultrasound (I have posted about our loss).

With this baby, we decided to take a step back from our "open book lives". We chose to keep our pregnancy a guarded secret for a while this time, to ensure we are expecting a healthy baby. Since I had my 12 week scan and baby is doing great, we felt like it was time to let the world in on our wonderful, little secret.

Here is a little recap of my First Trimester with Baby #2...

Jason and I had been trying to get pregnant with #2 since July 2013. Tuesday, June 24th, in the evening after a brief conversation with my mom, I got a thought in my head... I decided on a whim to take a test. Whaddya know? It was positive! Honestly, I didn't believe it and told no one. The next morning, I took another test to see if I was crazy, and the positive popped right up. There was no question- we are expecting! I told Jason that afternoon and my mom and grandparents that evening. Everyone was thrilled.

Due to my loss in January, I was cautiously excited. Actually, not a very fun feeling. I wanted so badly to scream from the mountains that Jaxon was going to be a big brother, but considering our first pregnancy ending in devastation and the last pregnancy essentially ending as soon as it began, I was very tentative.This is NOT normal for me, so the last several months have been a challenge!

When we went in for our confirmation ultrasound on July 22, I was supposed to be 7w 3d (based on LMP...sorry, TMI) and was hoping to hear that baby was measuring close to that. I was thrilled to hear a strong heartbeat and learn that baby was measuring exactly where he/she should! I could feel the knot in my body slowly unwinding.

I was scheduled to come back in 2 weeks to check growth and we learned at that appointment that baby was measuring ahead! S/he was already measuring 10 weeks at 9w4d- not that big of a deal, really, but when measurements are key in the first trimester, those few days did make a difference for some of the screenings that I had to schedule - immediately!

After speaking with Genetics, we learned that we are not in danger (or in any higher danger than anyone else) for chromosomal abnormalities. Mason's disease was so very rare that they cannot even compute what the chances of a sibling having the disease would be. Thank GOD! I am officially "Low Risk" and can continue with my pregnancy like normal and participate in only the screenings that I want without suggestion.

I was so thankful to have the month of July off because the minute everything sunk in- I was nauseous nearly 24/7, exhausted (especially running after a toddler!), headaches were often and I was always starving. Plus, I got some time to plan for baby since Jason and I will be moving into the garage after we make our "garage master suite". Our current room will become the nursery.

Now that I am back to work, I am heading straight into busy season, we'll go in to the Holiday season, then I will spend January and February preparing for my leave and one last big test before maternity leave. I have quite a bit of work to do in the next 5-6 months before baby is due to arrive!

We opted only for the Nuchal Translucency test: that is a 12 week Ultrasound coupled with a 1st Trimester and 2nd Trimester blood draw that computes (accompanied with maternal age and familial history) the likelihood that our baby will have Down Syndrome, Trisomy 13 or 18 (both fatal), Spinabifida or other neural tube defects. This is where we learned Mason was so sick. A fatal heart defect was the first indication that something was wrong. Thankfully, we also learned during this ultrasound, with Jaxon, that he was totally healthy, had a perfect heart and was a boy! Normally, they are done in the 12th week, but I wasn't able to schedule mine until mid-13th week and he had a growth spurt just prior...so he measured 15 weeks exactly and his boy-ness was obvious.

After learning all was well, I told my co-workers the news. Their reactions made my heart swell. I felt SO loved! And know my baby is already loved. They didn't even care about the timing (I've already mentioned that I will be gone during a major portion of testing and will not return until the following school year (if at all). I will have a sub, so testing issues may press on all of them a tad this year). They're all awesome!

We announced on social media on Sunday 8/31 and the well wishes and love from everyone was beyond overwhelming!

Now that I have entered my 2nd trimester, I am enjoying a tad more energy and I suspect that will continue to increase over the next several weeks. The nausea has decreased a bit, but is still there and many other indicators have lightened up a tad. All in all, I am thankful for each and every symptom - it reminds me that I am pregnant and my baby is healthy and growing. I wouldn't care if I was hunched over a toilet all 9 months to bring a healthy baby home in the end. Although, that image is certainly not ideal!

More updates to come!

xoxo- Lady Lewy

Lewis: Party of 4!

Jason and I are extremely thankful and thrilled to announce…

“This Lewis family is expanding and making Jaxon a BIG Brother! We are expecting baby #2 in early Spring!”

I have just entered my Second Trimester. All seems to be going well and baby is healthy! We are over the moon excited, and so thankful that we are finally able to make Jaxon a big brother.

Here is the announcement that we posted on Facebook over the Labor Day weekend.

Here is Jaxon in the shirt we got for him to make the announcement. The smallest size I could get was a Youth XS and it was too big. He was NOT thrilled and kept yelling "too big"!! So....we opted for Plan B (above!). I think it turned out really cute anyway!

I can remember, nearly 10 years ago, when Jason and I first started dating and the writing was on the wall that it was “for forever”. We would talk about our future and discuss how many children we wanted. It was always three, God willing. I wanted two boys and one girl, but bottom line, I wanted healthy and would be perfectly content with 3 of whatever! We waited for several years before beginning the journey and even though we had a few bumps along the way, I think our family is shaping up beautifully!

We kept this pregnancy a secret this time and it was kind of fun! Normally, I have a big mouth and blab to the world the minute the stick pops up two lines…but this time, I kept the news to myself and husband, mom and grandparents. Once we had a strong heartbeat on the first ultrasound, we let some of Jason’s family in on the secret. I also told my closest friends and cousin. But still, we kept the news to ourselves.

After our 12 week scan indicated baby was healthy and right on track, I let my boss and co-workers know. Maternity leave is going to be a little tricky given that a large chunk of my testing duties will fall into the late Spring timeline and I won't be present. I will be leaving for the remainder of the school year in late February. But, everything will work out just fine and I am not worried and, I refuse to.

Here is baby’s first photo (ultrasound at 7w3d) and then another ultrasound shot at the NT scan at 12 weeks! I am in love already!!

This is a wonderful time for my family and I couldn’t be more thankful that God has blessed me with the ability to have children! While we may go through bumps along the way, I do understand how lucky I am to be able to get pregnant and carry my own child. That is truly a gift! Every child is a gift!

Xoxo- Lady Lewy

Randomness & Netflix

Here is a 'captain obvious' statement: being a parent is tiring. Duh, right? How about being a working parent. Not only do we have our daily jobs to think about, but when our kids are in daycare, we automatically have guilt for not being there ourselves. If you don't, you're lucky. It is normally dubbed "mom guilt", but I am sure dads have it, too.

After your put in your time at work for the day, you get your kid from daycare, come home and give them some playtime while you get dinner ready. It is normally a quick evening before it's time for a bath and then bed. If you have chores to do, things are even more tight and this is only applicable for a "normal" day, all bets are off if you have something planned for the evening that takes you away from your routine. Completing my nightly routine with my kid normally puts him in bed around 8pm or so. At least that is the goal. Then, I have to finish whatever is left on my to-do list before I retreat to the couch or my bed (whichever is calling louder!) to decompress before it's time to call it a night.  I am lucky that I get July off each year, so I had a bit of free time during the month and I was able to sleep in a bit and take a nap here and there as my energy level dictated without feeling like I was missing too much.

Jason and I don't go to the movies and we rarely go 'out' even. We don't even watch too much t.v., but it is definitely one of our favorite past times. We have a few shows that we have watched for years together and really enjoy. But, we really only have time for a few shows during the year. We save movies for summer time or during holiday hiatus.

This year, we only had a few movies we were really interested in watching, so soon after my vacation started- we were caught up. We decided to finally take advantage of our free month of Netflix and open our account. I must say that I have mixed reviews; not everything I thought would be available is there and they don't have too many newer releases, you still have to use the mail option for those. But, we did get a basic package, so, that being said, there are some shows that we were really interested in catching up on since we missed the boat in real time.

I jumped on Parenthood, myself, and have been able to make my way through 3 seasons (or close to it). I have one more season already available to me and then once the current season begins, the last season will be released.

Jason and I jumped on The Walking Dead. We LOVE that show. Cannot understand what stopped us from jumping in years ago when it began. However, last night we watched the final episode of Season 3 (what is currently available). Now, we have to wait for the next season to start so the 4th season is released. I am SO ready already. Such a good show.

I like that I have other options on there too, in addition to movies and series, there are also kid shows that if I run out of stuff on the dvr to keep Jaxon occupied during rainy days or in the evening when it's time to slow down and get ready for bed, I have that to fall back on.

I think our next venture is going to be 'Orange is the new Black' and then maybe 'Dexter'. We aren't sure when we are going to start those...we still have the rest of 'The Originals' on the dvr and we're a tad backed up on a new show called "The Last Ship". Hey, if this is our entertainment, cheaper than a lot of other options, we're fine with that! :)

xoxo- Ladylewy

Official "Nursery " transformation to Big Boy Room....

Jaxon has been out of a crib since the second time he climbed out, shortly after turning 18 months old. He is tall and was born taller than I expected (for my height), so I knew that keeping my baby in a crib for several years wouldn't be an option. We removed the front rail from his crib right after it become apparent that it no longer served its purpose and had become a safety hazard, instead.

Knowing that he was currently in a front rail-less bed that would seen need to become a big boy bed, I started thinking.Jaxon is still at an age where I get to chose (for the most part) the decoration in his room. I understand that his interests should be represented, but I still get to put my mark on it. As a mom, you really only get to dictate the style and interests of your children for the first several years, the nursery of course and the transition to "big kid" room before they really have a desire to see what they want in their room, to have their choices represented. I really do feel like this entire childhood deal is on fast forward. I found myself searching for a big kid room ideas back a couple months ago, and since Jaxon's 2nd birthday was fast approaching, I realized that it would probably be an ideal time to make the transition.

Because Jaxon's loves Cars and Mickey Mouse, the options for decor were easily narrowed down. I searched, with the help of my mom and sister for several weeks. I really wasn't that thrilled with any of the options in the patterns available. Let me tell you, boys are a hard beast to buy for. Clothes options are limited and bedding/room decor doesn't seem to be at the top of any designer's list. I don't really see that problem with girls, though I don't have one yet, so my assessment may be off-base.

After a bid of vacillating over the few options that I did have,  I decided that I really wanted to focus on Cars. There seemed to be more patterns available out there for decoration and the colors in the patterns were more broad. The final decision came when I received a text from my mom. She and my sister were shopping in Dublin and came across a Cars bed and a matching sheet/blanket set. Perfect. This set had varying blues, red, white and a smattering of a few other kills for depth. It was, by far, the best option I had seen. I jumped on it. Granted, this was back in April and I had no intention of making the transition until after Jaxon turned two. So, they brought home their finds and they sat in our garage hidden away from Mr. J until the time came.

Fast forward to July. I am off work and tackling various projects around the house. Jaxon's Big Boy room was high on the list, but something was preventing me from actually making the leak. I am still not sure what. Maybe the fact that his crib was finally be removed from his room and he official was a "big boy"?  I am still not sure what the hold up was. But, my sister came to help and once we pulled out the box that contained the pieces of Jaxon's new bed, Jaxon was thrilled. I think he knew what that meant.

He jumped in and helped- and I don't mean the toddler version where he was really in our way - he actually handed us tools and parts when we asked and truly was interested in what was taking place.

Here is a shot of the bed in his room.

I will add more pictures later of all the finishing touches (my mom made curtains and a diaper changing pad cover). We still need to change out the lamp and the switch plate for the light. But other than those minor additions, he has an awesome, vibrant Big Boy Room. :)

xoxo- LadyLewy

Family time with my boy & man is priceless

The best laid plans never seem to work out; but, you just have to roll with the punches.

I had 5 weeks off during summer and since Jason has every Tuesday and Wednesday off, I had all these ideas of things we were going to do during those weekly family “weekends”. Well, due to Jason’s career in sales, I have to remember that often times he works more hours than scheduled to make things happen. That is okay and I accept it. Jason ended up being on call or working several of his scheduled days off during July. I sucked it up and went on to plan B . Jason made bonus, so I cannot complain (although I did a LOT when it was actually happening, LOL…sorry babe).

Some of the highlights of the month was a day on the boat, a quick trip to Lake Tahoe,  a day at the park, a day at Nut Tree with friends, and a day in the City and at Bay Area Discovery Museum.

Watching Jaxon exploring and learning things on his own is more fun than I ever imagined. Jason and I soak up these moments in absolute awe.

I am really bad at taking pictures lately- I have been just enjoying the moment, but then I realize later, I would love to look back on the moment, too. It’s an internal struggle that I am trying to overcome- I’m hoping to remember to just have my phone attached to my hand so I can snap that picture in the moment while enjoying it all the same…

Here are some shots of our various adventures.

Lake Tahoe 

 On the carousel at the Nut Tree

Park time

Discovery Museum

I have cherished my time with my boy and my hubby. I enjoy it so much. I am excited, also, because Jason's schedule has changed and now his days off are rotating and he gets one weekend off per month! So ready for more family time and to create more lasting memories! Maybe I will remember my camera more often ;)

xoxo- Lady Lewy

A shower for a baby boy!

The Lewy Family, as a whole, is growing. My B&SIL, Ryan and Victoria, are adding a BOY to the crew! Yay!!

Back in May, my MIL Carol (Jason’s stepmom) contacted me and asked me if I would help her plan my the baby shower. Victoria is having a boy and her last baby was a girl – so, we don’t sprinkle, we shower! J I was thrilled. I immediately started a private Pinterest board to fill with ideas and get my creative juices flowing. I was in the midst of my crazy time at work (spans from late March through Memorial weekend), so quick little jaunts on Pinterest was all I had time for right then, and then I had to focus on Jaxon’s 2^nd birthday party first, so the planning would have to wait. But, the ideas would not!

After Jaxon’s party was done and I was finally off work, Carol and I met and settled on a “Little Gentleman” theme. Mustaches and bow ties and baby blue hues. I was excited. Carol put together a lot of DIY touches and a nice menu of yummys and munchies. I had a blast making the Diaper motorcycle and the onesie clothesline. I also got the idea for loufa favors from Pinterest: from my shower to yours…I got adorable loufa’s and made the little tags to add to the string. I made pigs in a blanket and individual ranch and veggie cups.

I think everything came together beautifully and the little man was totally spoiled. He will be arriving by scheduled c-section, so I will get to meet my chunky little nephew on September 4^th. So excited for another little boy in the family!

Here are some pictures of the DIY touches that I added to the party….

 

…and here are some of the touches that my MIL added. I think everything was just adorable! (And yummy!)

xoxo - Lady Lewy