Luke's Nursery

This post is a LONG time coming now! I can't believe it's taken me this long to post about Luke's room. Especially since it's my favorite room in the entire house!

It was always known that our first child's room would be "Finding Nemo" themed. Now try to create a room with the theme of "Finding Nemo" when the movie last came out in 2003 (the year that Andy and I graduated high school....) At first the thought of creating a room sounded daunting, but in the end I think it came out great without it looking like Nemo threw up all over the room. :)  

First up was the paint color. I knew that I either wanted a teal or ocean blue color for the room with a possibility of an orange accent wall. I also had Andy agree to do stripes on one wall. I chose some paint colors at Lowe's even before knowing the gender of the baby. I then began to second guess my color choices because I thought if we were having a girl, I would then want more of girly colored room. Also the thought of teal colored walls with an orange accent wall began to make my head hurt and I began to second guess my color options. Back to Lowe's we went and Andy decided on agreeing to paint one wall with chevron stripes. I was soooooo excited for those chevron stripes. We chose a bright blue color for 3 of the walls and 2 different grey colors for the chevron stripes! 

Painting began in April (2014) with the help of our ex-neighbors (long story, but basically we are no longer friends with them). The 3 walls received the blue color and the grey wall received it's first coat of paint, the lighter grey color. They then used a chalk line and measured out and taped where the dark grey color would be painted in. In the end, the paint job came out great and I was so pleased with the results! Our ex-neighbors also helped designed some vinyl stickers to add to the wall. This is where the pop of orange color came in effect. I designed Luke's name and we even were able to cut out of vinyl a Nemo and Dory for the wall. 

Next step was to get some furniture in that room! We knew we wanted white furniture in there seeing the color of the room came out, we knew the white furniture would pop just perfectly in there! My mom graciously purchased Luke a gorgeous white dresser, Andy's parents so kindly purchased the tan rocker/glider and we received the crib from my brother (his kids used this crib also). The crib originally was a dark brown color and we thought it would be easy-peasy to paint the crib white. WRONG! Note to those out there, just get a new crib in the color you want! We spent over $60 in spray paint alone just to get that crib white. We also purchased a white bookshelf for the room from Ikea when we went there in April. I love his bookshelf, seeing that it is so unique. My only complaint about the bookshelf is, it doesn't hold books that well. We also picked up a white side table from Ikea to put next to the rocker/glider. I found the "Finding Nemo" prints online from someone selling them. I purchased them for $15. We found some white frames at Michael's to put the prints in but I wanted a little bit more orange pop to the room. So we spray painted them orange. I think the prints look great against the orange frame!

Obviously this post was written a-while ago. Now that Luke moves around in his crib we have moved the crib up against the wall under his "Luke" name so that he cannot pull or possibly choke on the monitor cord.  We are also wanting to get another white bookshelf for his room to display his books. I want to make it a habit once he gets older to pick out a book at night to read before he goes to bed. I think we will just convert his crib into a toddler bed and then when we decide to have baby #2 the crib will be moved over to the baby and Luke will get a big boy bed. 

Well there you have it and I am sooooo glad that I was finally able to share his room with you all. Like I said, its my favorite room of the house! :) 

Luke Andrew - 8 Months Old

Month - 8 Months Old, May 12th, 2015

Height - unknown

Weight - 21.1 pounds. I had to weigh him to find out how much ibuprofen that I could give him. Weighed myself and then weighed myself while holding him.....whatever works people! :) PS, I like my weight soooooo much more without holding him if I am being weighed.

Diaper Size - 4 and should be in these for quite sometime. I also tried some overnights diapers in size 4 and they are ok....had some leaks still so I am not sure if it is the brand (CVS) or if they just don't hold as much as regular diapers. I have a box of Pampers overnights headed my way next month thanks to Amazon, so we shall see.

Clothing Size - 9, 12 and 18 months. 9 months are beginning to get a little tight on him so I am slowly fazing those out and just sticking to 12 and 18 month clothing. I use to put socks on him everyday but he likes to take his socks off now and the new room at daycare doesn't like to chase socks all day long (who would); so I just don't put socks on him. If its a warm day he will either wear a romper or onesie with shorts. It's becoming apparent that I love onesie's and it's sad that he has only one more size up before he can no longer fit into them. Jammies have been the two pieces (either shorts or pants) and a t-shirt. He is comfy and that is all that matters.

Sleep - not bad at all. We have been slowly pushing bedtime back. So far we are at 6:45 pm to start the 3 B's (bath, bottle and bed). He will be asleep by 7:30 pm at the latest and will sleep until around 4:45 am. He will then eat a bottle and get up for the day if it is a work week. If it is the weekend, I will feed him and then lie him back down for another hour. 

Eating - 6 ounce bottles, around 5 a day. He is also eating a combo of either pureed food or whatever we are eating. I received notification from the daycare that Luke started to refuse pureed food so I gave the go ahead for him to eat the "big boy" food and he has done fantastic. He eats anything you give him. He's had yogurt, frozen peaches in the mesh feeder, puffs, vanilla waffers, any and all veggies, pizza, hot dogs, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, toast, english muffins, pancakes, any and all fruit, etc. You name it, he eats it. We just give him whatever we are eating and let's him go to town.

Likes - stroller walks, bath time, his "bink", blankets, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Keeley and Smokey, watching kids play, his bed, his carseat (he loves the new carseat now that he is sitting higher up and can see outside), 

Dislikes - having his nose wiped, teething, being in the car by himself (he wants me to sit in the back with him and entertain him #spoiled)

Luke Andrew - 7 Months Old

Month - 7 Months Old, April 12th, 2015

Height - unknown

Weight - unknown

Diaper Size - size 4

Clothing Size - 9 and 12 month clothing still. It's been nice that he has stopped growing so fast and we can enjoy him wearing some of his clothes more often than a couple times and then pack them away and move him up in size again. Now that it's warmer out I've been trying to get some clothes to get him through summer time too. I'm really liking the rompers (for boys obviously) and hope they will work out for him this summer. Problem with rompers/shorts is that he will be crawling, but his knees will get use to it. :) 

Sleep - Not too shabby. Some nights he is up once or twice but usually puts himself back to sleep. Other nights he sleeps the entire night through. Very rare we wake up crying and screaming so it takes a bink, sometimes a night bottle, or other times its a cuddle on the rocking chair with Momma to put him back to sleep. Teething has taken over out lives and Tylenol/Ibuprofin is a staple in our household. Good thing he likes the grape flavor. 

Eating - avocado, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, oatmeal, apples and pears. We eat oatmeal with a fruit for breakfast and a veggie for our afternoon meal. Then we have about 4-5 bottles a day with 6 ounces of formula. He eats every 3-4 hours and sleeps through the night.

Luke Andrew - 6 Months Old

Month - 6 Months Old, March 12th, 2015

Height - 29 inches

Weight - 19 pounds, 13 ounces

Diaper Size - size 3 

Clothing Size - 9 and 12 month clothing. 

Sleep - On Monday, February 16th, 2015, Mr. Luke has decided to sleep through the night (6:30 PM to 5am) and I am OK with it! :) 

Eating - avocado, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, and oatmeal. We try for one "solid" food a day. By solids I mean, pureed food that we have homemade. 

Oh Mr. Luke, this month has flown by and it seems like time is flying by faster and faster the older you get! You tried out your airplane swing for the first time just before your 6 month birthday and are still a little too wobbly for it. You have been practicing big time how to sit up on your own and you roll all over the place if we leave you on the floor. You are still the king of the jumperoo and prefer that toy of our anything we own. In fact, Mommy went out and purchased a second jumperoo secondhand for $15 so that we can use it indoors and outdoors! You still smile 24/7 and are such a happy little boy. You are a drooling fool and we keep thinking you are about to get a tooth, but still nothing have popped through just yet. 

Luke Andrew - 5 Months Old

Month - 5 Months Old, February 12th, 2015

Height - unknown, but I'm sure he's grown at least another inch or two

Weight - 17 pounds, 11 ounces (up 1 pound 6.5 ounces from last month)

Diaper Size - 3 and I hope we stay in the size 3 for a little bit and this little dude slows down in the growth department. 

Clothing Size - between 9 and 12 months clothing! His 9 month onesies are starting to get tights....what else is new. LOL! 

Sleep - HA! What's that? Gets up once a night, sometimes twice a night to eat. I really dislike feeding him twice a night, but sometimes he is just so stubborn and won't go back to sleep.

Eating - 6 ounces of formula, 6-7 bottles daily. Oatmeal in the morning with 4 ounces of formula and a veggie or rice cereal in the evening (5pm) with 4 ounces of formula. Veggies tried: sweet potato and summer squash. Veggies up next: avocado, carrots, peas and green beans.

Firsts - solids (oatmeal, sweet potato, summer squash)

This is the first month where Andy and I have noticed a big change in Luke. The afternoon/evening use to be a tough one for us and Luke. He would be fussy and tired but we would be trying to keep him awake so that he would sleep longer for us. Now, we is super happy until around 6 PM. He "knows" when it's 6 and is ready for the 3 B's (bath, bottle, bed). Car rides were tough there for a little bit because Luke just didn't want to be confined to the car seat. Now he knows that he won't be in there long and is pretty content. Luke has discovered his hands and feet. He is getting better everyday at using his hands to put items in his mouth to "eat" and is even getting the hang of putting his "bink" in his mouth by himself. Sometimes it's not in correctly (upside down or even half way in) but he doesn't mind. He absolutely LOVES his jumperoo and can spend a good hour in there bouncing away. He also likes to watch TV....in fact if he doesn't hear the sound of the TV on, he is looking at it like, why isn't the TV on? Sometimes we will put on Baby Einstein's for him on the TV and if we are in the car and he is crabby we will YouTube Baby Einsteins and he instantly quiets down. That show is magical. :) Daycare has been going well and he loves it there. His teachers are amazing and I wouldn't wish for anyone else to be in there with him. Sickies are here and there. It's almost like he is dealing with a sickness every other week. The middle of January a big flu bug went around and Luke got it also. Diarrhea and throwing up were the main culprit and I swear the exorcist came out of him when he was throwing up. I have never seen someone throw up like that....OK that's enough details. Thankfully (only thankful for the fact that I didn't have to take time off of work) the bug really hit him late Friday night so we spent the entire weekend cuddling and changing outfits and sheets. 

Where's the Caffeine?!??

Seriously, where is the caffeine? Why does my child not like to sleep? What did I do to deserve these sleepless nights? UGH!!!! 

Now it's an ear infection keeping him up and screwing up the nighttime sleep and I am about at wits end. I love you Luke but can you just pllllllleeeeeassssseeeeee sleep! We have a "conversation" every night where I talk to Luke and say, "Ok buddy, tonight you are going to sleep the whole night through and not wake up once until it's time to get up. Right buddy?" But our "conversations" are useless right now because he just "isn't listening". I know, he will sleep eventually. I'm still hoping for sooner, rather than later! 

When the alarm goes off and you go get your squishy little one from their bed and they give you a big gummy smile; your heart melts and you immediately forget that you are frustrated at the lack of sleep. Trust me though, once you're at work, you don't forget and struggle with keeping those eyes open all day. That gummy smile is what keeps me going through the day. So keep up those smiles Luke. Those smiles are worth a night of crappy sleep.

 

Andy asked me yesterday, "So you seriously want another one?" My answer is still of course a yes. If you asked me while I was pregnant, my answer was "We will see". Now that Luke is here, I totally want another one. I want to give Luke a sibling, even though siblings can be overrated at times. If I could, I'd have another one right now and get the sleepless nights over with, but it's just not in the cards for us right now money wise. Daycare alone costs us $189 A WEEK! Can you imagine 2 in daycare at that price! We simply just cannot afford that right now. Am I crazy? You betcha!

Luke Andrew - 4 Months Old

Month - 4 Months Old, January 12th, 2015

Height - 26.5 inches (2 ft, 2.5 inches) (95th percentile)

Weight - 16 pounds, 4.5 ounces (68th percentile)

Diaper Size - 3!  We just finished out the size 2 diapers and now were onto size 3 diapers. I have a hard time buying in bulk of diapers right now because of his height and weight gain. I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of diapers that don't fit him.

Clothing Size - mostly all 9 month clothing and some 6 month clothing (pants only and those are getting too small). His jammies were just too short for his long leggies so we moved him up in the New Year! I also noticed that his onesies were getting tight and hard to button up, so we are in the 9 month onesies.....is this kid ever going to slow down in the clothing department? I was joking with Andy that he will be in 24 month clothes by his 1st Birthday!

Sleep - we've gotten into a sleep routine but it's not sleeping through the entire night...ugh! Bedtime process starts between 6 and 7 pm. Bath, bottle then bed. You are really good at just falling asleep now when I lie you down. Sometime you whine but you usually put yourself to sleep. Then you start to stir around midnight. Sometimes you will go back to sleep and other times you want to eat right then and there. Then you're back up anywhere around 4-5 AM which works perfect on weekdays so I can feed you, change you and then get ready for work myself. On weekends I put you back down and you will sleep until 6:30 or 7 AM. 

Eating - 5 ounces and we started on rice cereal on New Years Day. I could tell that the formula just wasn't filling him up. He's done great so far on the rice cereal. We haven't been consistent with it though because you got your first ear infection in both ears and have been quite crabby lately.

Likes - when it's time to eat, his pacifier "Bink", bath time and baby massages, mornings when he is the most happiest, car rides, his light up play mat, being held, looking around when we are out shopping and he is awake, comfy cozy blankets, kisses from Mommy, people talking to you,playing with Daddy (air drumming, rocket ship noises, air karate), Mommy singing silly songs to you and having you dance along 

Dislikes - sitting in one place for too long, sitting in his car seat when the car is NOT moving, stuffy noses, coughing, getting his blood drawn, getting his nose un-stuffy (although he is getting use to it and doesn't fuss as much), being tired, being hungry, being ignored

Firsts - Christmas, New Years, ear infection, trying rice cereal, 9 month clothing, sitting on Santa's lap, going to work with Mommy, car shopping, taking the newborn insert out of the car seat (you fit so much better in there now)

Nicknames - Mr. Luke, bubba, little dude, little buddy, buddy, Mommy's baby, booger, cutie patootie

Favorite Things: Newborn - 3 Months

1. The bouncer I felt was a must, especially during those crazy beginning newborn days. When I was on maternity leave, I felt that the only way for me to not go crazy being in the house 24/7 was to separate our levels for the times of day. During the night I would spend the time upstairs and during the day we would spend it on the main floor. The bouncer helped Luke sleep and since he was on the bili-blanket for so long, this helped keep the blanket in place so that he could receive the light therapy that he needed. We registered and received the Fisher Price Snugapuppy Bouncer. I liked the bouncer but I felt that for something that costs $55 dollars, I thought it should do more. I later learned that there are actual bouncers that auto-bounce for you.....that would have been nice to know before hand. I also felt that with having a two-story house that have a bouncer for each level was helpful so that we wouldn't have to lug this thing up and down the stairs everyday.

2. Burp cloths are a must when you feed a baby, especially when you have one that spits up a lot. We were lucky in that Luke isn't a big spitter upper, but these are the best in collecting the milk that overflows from him eating. These work sooooo much better than the fancy ones you will see. I highly suggest these specific Gerber cloth diapers. 

3. Bottles.....oh my gosh there are sooooooo many different kinds and they cost all different prices. Knowing that Luke doesn't have an issue with gas, I decided to go with the plain old Evenflo bottles and they work great! If they were to get lost at daycare I wouldn't care because they didn't cost me and arm or a leg. We also use the Gerber bottles and have some Dr. Browns bottles. They all work the same if you ask me except Dr. Browns have way more pieces.

4. I knew Luke would be a pacifier kind of guy because I like to chew on things (pen caps, gum, etc.) We were using the hospital pacifiers but he could never keep those in his mouth. I then tried the Nuk pacifier and those worked perfect. We've stuck with these and will continue to do so until we take them away.

5. I never how many people would be curious to see a baby in a car seat until I had a baby of my own....this thing is a lifesaver and no one will bother you while you are out with your baby if the cover is down. It's also great to help shield the sunlight away and the wind. I do not regret getting one of these at all.

6. I never knew that Luke would want to play on a play mat so early in life until one day (I think he was 6 weeks old). I put him on his mat and he LOVED it! He was kicking away and enjoying the lights and sounds. He still loves playing on his play mat.

7. Carter's sleepers! We LOVE Carter's sleepers and I highly recommend their clothing. We are lucky enough to have a Carter's outlet nearby so we can partake in some good deals too. We have most all Carter's clothing (onesies, pants, socks, sleepers, etc).

8. The diaper bag was a big deal for me. I wanted something fun but nothing too girly because I knew Andy wouldn't want to carry around a girly diaper bag. I went with the Thirty One ziptop organizing tote. They don't carry the pattern I have anymore, but I have the black with tiny white polka dots. I even got it embroidered with "Luke" on it in a bright blue thread.

9. THIS is something that I thought I wouldn't love as much as I do. I LOVE that I can see Luke whenever I want without having to go in his room. Every night before I go to sleep I turn the monitor on to look at him and then turn the screen off and fall asleep. My one complaint, the lights on the top....I have black electrical tape covering the first two lights (the charging light and the first sound light). Trying to fall asleep with 2 colored lights in your face is not fun. The electrical tape helped "turn" the lights off. :) 

10. Most people will tell you that a diaper pail is useless, blah blah blah, but I do love ours. It's expensive ($79.99) but worth it. I never smell the dirty diapers unless I open the cover. I also love that you can use regular trash bags in it. We throw the bag out once a week (Thursdays since trash comes Friday) and put a fresh bag in. I highly suggest this diaper pail if you are in the marker for one.

11. The Ergo is awesome! I snagged mine on clearance from Target for like $30, 2 years ago and it was an awesome investment. I've used it several times and Luke seems to enjoy himself in it. It helps save my arms in carrying him when he wants out of his car seat when we are out and about. We used it when he was a newborn and I've used it when he was 3 months and he seemed really snug and secure. I did not purchase the newborn insert because I also have the Moby and thought I'd use it more when he was first born. I tried using just a receiving blanket folded up under him like it was suggested, but I didn't think he was held in there very well.

12. The Moby is also awesome! I am so thankful for Youtube where I've learned how to use this carrier more times than I can think. My favorite for him to use it was as a newborn because it made him so snug and secure. I've also used it recently when he was 3 months old and it's still functional but I don't feel like I can get it as tight and secure as the Ergo is. It's probably me and not the wrap. I would say though that both are excellent choices. I picked mine up used for $15 and think it was totally worth it.

13. This Chicco Liteaway Plus stroller is the BEST!!!! I am sooooo glad that I found this stroller. It can hold the infant car seat in it and then when Luke is old enough we flip the seat up and he can use it for years on end. It's light weight, easy to fold up, takes not much room in the car trunk and is easy to push around. I HIGHLY suggest this stroller if you get the car seat. It's worth the $179 price tag because it's the only stroller you'll ever need (unless you have a second kid). 

14. The Chicco KeyFit 30 car seat has been nothing but great to us also. We picked ours up 2 years ago on clearance for $90 and it's been great. Easy to install in the car, easy to put baby in and easy to adjust straps. The car adapter makes putting the car a breeze. I am so happy with Chicco products and highly suggest this car seat also.

One /  Two / Three / Four / Five

Six / Seven / Eight / Nine  / Ten

Eleven / Twelve / Thirteen / Fourteen

Last Weekend Recap of 2014

Back at it Monday morning. OF course I forget to get the Christmas photos off the DSLR over the weekend so today will just be a weekend recap. 

Friday - 

I had to work, BOO!!!!  But Andy was off and it was his first time spending the entire day with Luke and without Mommy. They did come up to have lunch with me though, so that helped make my day less miserable. We ate at Dewey's Pizza. That night was spent mostly on the couch hanging out. I haven't had much of an appetite during dinner so we decided on the ever easy toast for dinner. Butter and cherry jam for me!

Saturday -

It was a cold and dreary day but I had to get out to get some more formula. We stopped by Target and picked up some half off wrapping paper. The cashier told us that they were out and some more must have come on their truck. Score for us! Costco we picked up some formula and a new toothbrush. We picked up the Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite Rechargeable Toothbrush, 2 pack for $129.99. So far we are LOVING the toothbrush. 

 

source

The rest of the afternoon/evening was filled with a nap on the couch, cuddles with Luke, and cleaning out a bunch of things we don't use in our kitchen. We got rid of so many vases (from our wedding), appliances that we don't use, and gadgets that were old and that we replaced but never got rid of the old ones. It felt nice to clean up that part of the house. We need to tackle the guest room and closet next. That will probably happen on New Years Day since we are off. Dinner was toast again for dinner. Andy made himself some chicken patty's.

Baby wearing at Tarjay

If you ever say that you miss being pregnant, wear your 14 pound child in a carrier like mine (Ergo) around Target for an hour.....you'll remember how it feels to be pregnant again. LOL!

Baby and his toy monkey! 

Sunday - 

I decided to make breakfast but didn't want a "sweet" breakfast. So I whipped something up on my own. I baked some potatoes that I cut up small in some extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Added some leftover turkey sausage and topped with some sharp cheddar cheese. Ta-Da!! It came out pretty delicious! I then went out shopping with my mom and sister. We stopped by Yankee Candle, Bath and Body Works, Target, and Ulta. I was so tired after shopping.....I really need to get back into working out if just walking around and shopping is wearing me out. It doesn't help that Luke still wakes up twice a night to eat.....will it ever end!?!! That evening Luke was super crabby, I'm pretty sure he is teething, so bath time was bumped up to 6:30 PM. Unfortunately, early bath wasn't as helpful as we thought it would be. I made the mistake of binking Luke at 9:30 PM which woke him up more and then caused him to demand to be fed at 10 PM. I think I finally fell asleep at 10:30 PM and was back up at 2:45 AM to feed the hangry monster again. 

Potatoes, turkey sausage and sharp shredded cheese

Such a big boy wanting to help hold his bottle.

All in all, a good weekend like always and spent with my favorite people on this Earth!