Putting on the "Icing"

Well, I think that we're officially done with Jax's nursery. I picked up the last piece of furniture that I was hoping to find yesterday - a glider with ottoman for that little nook in his space. Check out the deal that I got: And this is a Dutalier glider, which was the most expensive one that I saw at Babies R Us. I would NEVER have paid full price for this piece - ya'll know I'm cheap! But I found one on Craigslist and booyah - welcome home. It's in excellent condition (exactly as the seller advertised it, shocking I know) and I scored this $500 set for $140.

Come again, you say? Yep, you read that right. One hundred forty smack-a-roos...a GREAT deal, if I do say so myself.

And to find a Craigslist seller who's willing to honor the order that people respond, even if it's frustrating or extra work for her...even when the first responder (not me) lead her on a merry chase for a week before she eventually pulled the plug on him. But that's just my newest soap box, and a story for another day!

So back to Jax's room...once we got the glider and ottoman placed in that nook, we saw how cramped the space would be. Granted, the glider is over-sized, but that's something that we'll both be thankful for after spending a few hours each day in it here pretty soon! To alleviate the problem, Brent slid the dresser down a foot or so closer to the bookshelf and then we decided to move the diaper stacker off of the crib and onto the wall. Once we started all of that, it just made sense to go ahead and hang the art work that came with the bedding set, as well as the blanker. Check it out... Other than getting a night light bulb for his lamp, I think that we're set for this little guy to make his appearance. Isn't it nice when things all come together?

I mean, the baseboards, trim and crown molding all still need to be done, but one step at a time people, one step at a time!

The Rest of the Story...

...Man! Did anyone else have a Paul Harvey flashback or what?!?! I sure did...

Anyway, so I promised to let you see the results of the rest of our evening of hard work yesterday, and despite evidence to the contrary I try to keep my word.

Unfortunately, you won't get to see as much evidence of my insanely great photography skills since I was getting the "evil eye" from my hubby at the amount of pictures that I was taking. In fact, to be honest, I think that I actually got asked this question: "You're NOT going to take as many pictures of this one, are you?" Except that it wasn't really a question, if you know what I mean... :)

So here goes. We also purchased the Expedite bookshelf while we were at IKEA the other day, like I already mentioned...and here's what it looked like out of the boxes (yes, there were THREE boxes for such an uncomplicated bookshelf!)... And the parts, such as they are... In fact, that's all of the pictures that I have until the final steps. (Insert sad face here) It looks REALLY big laying on the floor! Then Brent used his big man muscles and stood it upright... Just double checking his work... So once we slid it into the right spot and got it all in place, this is what it will look like walking into our room... Minus the couch with the tired-looking boy sitting on it, of course!And then to round the end of the bookshelf, you'll come to the "entrance" of Jax's room... We actually had a few more parts left over from this installation, just because we chose not to anchor it to the wall just yet. I want to be sure about where it's going before doing that step! And the next day, the kids helped me unpack the four boxes of books that I had in our bedroom and load up the shelf, so this is what it will really look like. I'm actually still looking for some maroon-colored curtains to hang on the back of the bookshelf to make it more like a wall...but BB&B didn't have anything that I really liked when I checked there tonight. Of course not, that would be too easy, right? Yeah, but it works like this for now.

So there you have it...most of Jax's nursery is put together and all. Yes, we still need to paint the trim in the room, redo the baseboards and hang the crown molding...along with the artwork and blanket that came with Jax's bedroom set, but the really big hard stuff is done. After my shower this weekend, I'll start washing all of the baby clothes and putting stuff away into the dresser and making it ready for him to come home to. I can't wait!

Putting the Nursery Furniture Together...

I think that I mentioned that we had a busy weekend…didn’t I mention that? Well, if I didn’t already mention it…we did! With my baby shower just one short week away, and me conveniently placed on partial bed rest…we needed a nice, productive weekend under our belts. I’ll let you be the judge to see if we got it or not…

I wrote here about getting the nursery furniture the weekend before last. Well, with Brent starting his new job last week, there was no chance for us to work on getting the dresser assembled during the week, or even getting the boxes moved upstairs even…poor boy was TIRED! With that in mind, we made it a point to start on this project bright and early Saturday morning.

Brent and Tanner toted the boxes up the stairs…and proceeded to unpack the various parts and pieces.

I was downstairs working on something else. Then I heard a shout from above that they might need some help…and I came to the rescue.

Look, this is my story and if I want to be the heroine, then I can! LOL!

Anyway, I was put in charge of these…

and this lovely book of instructions which contain almost NO words what-so-ever…just pictures.

Good thing that I’m so super-duper smart and can accurately depict what I’m seeing on paper to the two worker boys! That picture is also proof (Mom) that my spot was on the couch with the book of “destructions” and all of the various parts. Would that make me the parts-giver-outer person? Just wondering…

I was also in charge of taking pictures…yes, that was a self-appointed position…one that quickly annoyed SOMEONE. (not me)

Anyway, so these piles of pieces are what we started with…and the boys quickly got to work. Before I knew it, the skeleton of the dresser was quickly coming together.


Then it was time to stand it all up…

And put on the top of the dresser…

Which was BY FAR the most difficult step of the entire process. Brent was SO frustrated during this one little step…word of warning to those others that might be looking to get the Hemnes dresser. It did all eventually get put on, but it took some hard work from Brent.

Doesn’t he do good work?

Next, it was time to put the drawers together.

Can you tell that he’s getting a little annoyed by all of the pictures? This was easier, since they all mostly went together in the exact same manner, just with varying number of screws and other parts. Before I knew it, we were sliding in drawers…

And then it seemed like 15 minutes passed and the drawers were all finished.

Here is the finished product!

Didn’t I tell you that my man did great work? Tanner did an amazing job of helping too, and this was a great time to teach him some handy skills that he’ll use later in life. And not to toot my own horn or anything, but I did a FANTASTIC job of direction and handing out the right parts, as this was all that was left over…

We slid the dresser into its spot where we were thinking that it would go, and I have to admit that it looks really nice against the wall color. And I LOVE Brent’s idea to match the trim in the room (including crown molding) to the dresser stain…I'll show you what we found as soon as I remember to stop at the store and get a sample can...

Last, but not least, we opened up the lamp that matches Jax’s bedding set and placed it on the dresser. Check out how CUTE it is…


But wait! It gets better! Since we finished THAT piece of furniture in record IKEA time, we moved on to the bookshelf…but I’ll keep you in suspense about how it turned out until tomorrow! I know, I hear you…I’m SO mean!

The Nursery "Furniture"

I swear that it’s not that the nursery is the ONLY thing on my mind…I promise it’s not…but it might be the most pressing thing. :) Because of that, you’re hearing a LOT about it…and I don’t know if that’s ok with you or if I should say “sorry!”

I mentioned the other day in a post that we worked on acquiring some of the items that we’ll need for the nursery. No, not booties, bottles and onesies…but like a dresser, a room divider, etc. You know, the big stuff! I mentioned here that we are sharing our room with baby Jax for a little while…making the lemonade out of lemons…and we had been tossing ideas about how to “divide” the room to still allow us a little smidge of privacy and give Jax his own space as well for a while. We’ve discussed everything from installing a wall (not in favor of) to hanging a heavy curtain (also not one of my favorites) and some type of bi-folding screen (not the best option either). As you can probably tell, I’m the one holding all of our progress back with my lack of enthusiasm over everything that we could think of doing.

Then the other day it hit me like a ton of bricks…what about a bookshelf? Like a really BIG bookshelf that would go up pretty high and be pretty wide so as to “create” a wall without us actually putting up a wall…hmmm…this could work. I started searching and quickly found several options that I liked on the IKEA website. Of course, when I mentioned the idea to Brent, he wanted to see it all in person and we made plans to visit our local IKEA store over the weekend.

Now, in my defense, I really DID go just to look. I mean, I thought that if we liked it, we MIGHT be coming home with a bookshelf. You know, if things went just right. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would leave the store with a truck-bed full of boxes and a MUCH lighter checkbook! But hey, when you find what you’re looking for, you get it right?
Because if you’ll remember, we were still searching for a dresser for Jax to use as well. I’ve been going back and forth about a separate changing table and then whether to snag Jenna’s dresser (which matches the crib and turns upside down to make a changing table) for a few months now. I’ve been scouring Craigslist and just couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for at the right time. For some reason, I was about 30 minutes too late on more than one listing…and I got ROBBED out of the perfect long dresser last weekend, but that’s a whole other story!

Anyway, to make a long story shorter, this is what we left IKEA with this bookshelf…

And this dresser…

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the dresser and it’s unique finish. Since we hadn’t yet decided on a trim color for our room, we immediately finalized that decision and will find a trim color that will complement/match the finish on the dresser…making sure that it also works with the wall color, of course.

And the bookshelf isn’t exactly what I had in mind…you might have noticed that the shelves are OPEN…but it’s the one that I liked the best and it’s the right size. At just over 6’ square, it’s perfect to divide our room up without actually dividing it up. And the plan is to find some curtains or some type of fabric to cover the “back” of the bookshelf with so that it’s not open on both sides…

What do you think? We’ve got our work cut out for us this weekend, that’s for sure! I’d like to have both pieces assembled before my shower next weekend, so I’m crossing my fingers that it actually happens. Then again, Brent has to work two shifts this weekend…and I know from a friend’s personal experience (holla Lady Di!) that IKEA dressers are NOT the easiest things to assemble. Let’s just say that I laughed so hard a few years back when she told me about putting the dresser that she got from IKEA together that I nearly peed my pants…there was MUCH cussing and throwing of tools, if I remember correctly…so we’ll see.

I’d like to at least get the dresser up so that I can start washing clothes and putting them up…but I’d also like to have the dresser so that I can put up the five BOXES of books that I own up on shelves and not have them in the upstairs living room any longer too. We’ll see what happens!

*source for pictures

The Progress of The Crib...

If you've been reading along with me for a while now...or if you know me in real life...then you know that it's just not in my nature to let something sit once I sink my teeth into it. Ok, Mom, I'll be honest here...sometimes it's in my nature to let something sit once I start on it - think about the year and a half that it's taken me to finish my bedspread! - but nine times out of ten, once I decide to start something and I get good and truly started on it, there's no stopping.

So now you'll understand why putting together Jax's crib was no different. Did I encounter problems? Sure. Did I still make my deadline of putting it all together on Sunday? Of course! Did I let the fact that the bag of "parts/hardware" that I remembered being the parts that held the crib pieces together was not in fact parts to put it all together, but extra parts sent by the manufacturer deter me? NO! Of course not! Two "quick" trips to Lowe's solved all of my problems...and there was a back-up plan of ordering what I needed from the manufacturer's website, if needed.

Luckily, fate smiled on me and I didn't have to pay twice the cost of the parts needed themselves just for shipping alone...LOL!

At the end of the day, this is what Jenna and I managed to get together...maybe I've already shown it off, but can you tell that I'm super duper proud of how handy I was able to be at 8 months pregnant?!?! Yep, so proud of my handy skills...I should hire out, huh?

OK - maybe that's taking things a little too far. And maybe by the time it was all put together I was pooped with a capital "P" but it was worth it. I immediately set to the task of washing all of the bedding linens and getting them ready to put on the crib. Of course, my plan was to finish the putting together phase early enough to also finish the washing phase and move on to the putting-it-all-together phase all on Sunday...but that didn't really happen. Everything got washed and dried, but there was nothing left in me to put it all together.

Somehow, I managed to get some sleep and recooperate enough so that when I woke up Monday morning, I was tired, but refreshed enough to drag out the iron and give the bedding stuff a quick press before putting it all together. Want to see it all assembled? Of course you do!

First I added the bed skirt, which I suppose would technically be called a crib skirt... Then I took the mattress...after putting it BACK in the crib first one time and THEN remembering that it's easier to put on the crib mattress stuff when the mattress is OUT of the crib..cue Sandy taking the mattress back OUT of the crib... ...and added the WATERPROOF mattress pad (VERY important!) I also managed to remember to add a waterproof crib pad on top of the mattress pad BEFORE putting on the crib sheet. Look how cute! What's that? Oh, you'd like to see a close-up of the design on the sheet? Oh, OK - twist my arm! Too cute!

OK, NOW is the time to add the mattress back inside the crib...it's ALL coming back to me! Isn't it all so cute?!?! Yes, I'm going to say that a few hundred times...

After that was all done and inside the crib, it was time to add the bumper. Did you knwo that safety regulations state that crib bumper ties can be NO longer than 9" in length for the safety of the baby? I had NO clue, and I've done this once before! But like I said, it's all coming back to me. I remembered how when I had Jenna a crib with side posts as large as the crib that I selected wasn't all that common and I had a HECK of a time getting those things tied to the crib sides. They constantly sagged...I guess it's a sign that times have changed because although the corner ties were still a "close call" on actually tying together, it all worked and nothing sags! Let's take a quick peek at how cute it will be from Jax's point of view...here's the back of the crib... And this is the front of the crib... Last, but not least, and something that would TOTALLY not tie onto the crib in Jenna's baby bedding set...the cute little diaper stacker! And not to leave anything out...there are still two things that I already have that also belong to the bedding set that I haven't done anything with...the window valance (not pictured) and the cutesy little crib blanket... As you may, or may not know, the crib blanket can't really be used as a blanket in the crib right at first...so I'm not entirely 100% sure what I'm going to do with it for now. But I'll figure it out. And the reason that the window valance isn't pictured yet is because A) I thought that I had enough windo material to make the flowing curtains match the rest of the windows in our bedroom, and I was actually short on material, so they look retarded...and B) I forgot that the window valance was actually a tab-top and the curtain rod would show. So while at Target I just bought the cheapy double valance window curtain rods since I thought they weren't going to show...I'll correct that soon!

Now maybe tomorrow, I can get started washing this pile... Yep, those are the clothes that I have already bought for Mr. Jax and haven't cut the tags or washed anything yet. Part of me was waiting to verify the sex one more time before clipping all tags, but that happened two weeks ago nearly. Now, I'm just waiting to have somewhere to put them once they're all washed and folded up. We've got the dresser, we just need to get it in the room...pictures coming soon!

Nursery Options

In keeping with the current topic of choice, let’s keep talking about Jax’s nursery. You might remember from several posts that I did about picking his bedding, that we went with a bedding set by Cocalo called (ironically) Jackson. Here’s a picture in case you need a refresher: Cute, right? Well, my step-mom had generously made the offer to purchase the bedding set for us once we picked on out, so I had emailed her a list of places online that sold it. Then she found it on her own at BuyBuyBaby. At our shower two weeks ago, I got to bring the bedding set home. But as cute as it was, it was lacking a few things…you know, the accessories that make the room cutesy. And yes, even little boys need cutesy rooms…

I found out (sorta by accident) that JCPenney’s carried some of the items from that line of baby bedding, and it was on sale this week. I looked at it very seriously for a few minutes, but then decided against purchasing any of it since their sales prices were the same prices as the normal prices anywhere else. Plus, my Uncle had gifted us with a gift card to BuyBuyBaby where I knew that I could get some of the items. Then, the VERY next day, I got an email coupon offer from JCP offering an additional 15% off of online or in-store purchases, including items already marked on sale. Hmmm…this might be worth pursuing…

So I picked three additional accessory items and dropped them into my basket and applied the coupon and held my breath to see the total. Not bad – just over $100…but wait! I had some JCP gift cards from a return and a gift that I hadn’t used yet…I quickly applied those balance to the basket and my grand total out the door was about $30! Score. Quick – click on the Submit My Order button fast before anything happens!

For just over $30, these items are on their way to our house…the Mobile……and the extra window valance that we need for that area of our room… …and these adorable wall hangings…Awesome, right? Then on my way home that day, I stopped off at BuyBuyBaby and picked up the lamp (which JCP didn’t carry and I really wouldn’t want shipped anyway) and spent a whopping $2 out of my own pocket for that item! Double score!

Ten minutes later, my friend Brandi emailed me a 20% coupon for one item from BuyBuyBaby. Sort of rotten timing, as I wasn’t going back to the store and trying to get the discount back…but now that I have this email coupon sitting in my Inbox, it’s calling my name…urging me to use it…almost mocking me.

I took a look online real quick to see what other items are in the Jackson collection that I could use the coupon on and found a few things. Help me decide which one to get.

There’s a laundry hamper… A throw pillow that might look good on the glider that we’re probably going to end up getting…Or a blanket that matches the bedding. Normally, I would shy away from the blanket, remembering the astonishing amount of blankets that I received when I had Jenna. But I only got one blanket in my last shower…so maybe the blanket would be cute?

Which one do you think that I should get? They’re all pretty cute, except I’m not sold on the laundry hamper 100%. A nice dark brown wicker one would look just as cute and match our other ones as well…

Do you have any thoughts as to which other accessory would help dress up the room a bit more? Or do you think that I should wait and get the room “assembled” and then step back and look and see what else I might need?