It's MONDAY!

Renovations are fun!  Said no one ever.  Unless they said it with a long, drawn face covered in tile dust in the driest voice ever.  I should be posting the newly installed bathroom cabinets.  The custom cabinetry I spent months selecting and based all bathroom timing upon. There was a mix up - an error - a little goof.  Someone measured wrong.  Measure twice, cut once is the old saying.  And these nincompoops flipped tradition the bird and went ahead and ordered the 5 week lead time cabinetry incorrectly.  So now we wait.  I've been assured it's been "rushed" and they will be in touch when they have an eta on it's arrival.  We'll just chalk that one up next to the Pella window with a 3 week lead time which came in wrong last week.  How about some positive news?  Here is a picture of the tile work to swoon over.

Le Tile.  Le Dope.

Ever been to C. Wonder?  Tory Burch's jilted ex-husband's new retail store?  If not, you should.  The clothes are more J. Crew than the resort feel of Tory's.  Price point is about in line with J. Crew.  The clothes are def more 30+ year old than 20 something year old.  I bought a dress there this year I am happy with, but most of the other clothes I could take or leave.  It's the home goods that are too die for. Melamine everywhere.  Acrylic.  Gold plated.  Monograms vomited on everything.  Love it.  In preparation for the new bathroom unveiling I bought myself this cute little dish to throw my earrings and rings in.  One day it shall sit upon the vanity. Until then it will lay in wait for it's debut.

$12 can't be beat.

 Palmer turned 10 months a week ago.  I'll get to his picture before he's 11 months.  For now, I shall show him in his natural man state.  In his chair.  In front of the t.v.

I said I'd never be that mom who let their kid watch too much t.v.
Baby Einstein and 30 minutes of quiet can't be wrong!

It was a chilly morning for swim today.

So he was rewarded with more chair time.  Or was that my reward?

The one a day nap time routine is still in the works.  I had to lower my expectations and not shoot for the 1pm nap time right away.  Palmer was not ready for 6+ hours of awake time prior to a nap.  I went with 11:30am today and he passed out before I made it to the kitchen to check the monitor.  Think I nailed it.  It's 1:53pm right now and he is still snoozing.  I felt confident right out of the gate and took the time to bake.  

New nap schedule = Mom bakes fresh bread

 I've finally mastered the art of baby appropriate portions.  Took some time to adjust, but after eating so many throwing away so many leftovers I got the hang of it.

Don't judge me.  It's organic-antiobiotic free-gluten free.

The Transition Phase

We are in transition. Much like the stage of labor, it is painful. The transition we are enduring is that of taking dear, sweet baby Palmer from 2 naps a day to 1. Ah yes, sweet, sweet sleep scheduling. Currently Palmer naps at 9am and 1pm for about an hour and a half each time. Lately he has decided he does not need his afternoon nap. Instead choosing to chew on his sleep sack, whip around Mr. Giraffe like he's a ribbon dancer, catapult himself backward and forward from a seated position (sometimes making dome to crib contact), sit, stand, and roll around. Anything but sleep.  

Hey you, scary air purifier thing in the corner, could you quit glowing neon green?
You're freaking me out

It was entertaining at first  to watch the antics unfold, but after several days of him in isolation for 45 minutes to an hour with no sleep, I have decided to bite the bullet and make the switch.  I've been encouraged one nap is better than two.  I do see the pluses to one nap, for example, more freedom to do things before midday.  I am just hesitant to endure the crankiness of the baby enduring the transition.  With much hesitation I venture to say the staying awake part has been easy.  We have plenty of activities to do to stay awake hours past his normal nap time.  The tricky part is getting him to shut it down for at least 2 hours in the afternoon.  Without at least two hours there is no dice he makes it to bedtime without turning into one of those scary dolls whose head spins around.  I put him down at 1 o'clock this afternoon and am praying for at least a 3pm wake up.  My sister-in-law/baby whisperer assured me this is a regular hurdle when transitioning and to just hang in there.  The remedy for not getting a sufficient nap is to shut him down much earlier for bedtime.  So we will endure and wait for Mr. Palmer's internal clock to make the adjustment.  Until then you will find me staring at the monitor whispering chants of prayers to the nap gods from the hours of 1-3pm.  

Also in transition is our friend the master bathroom.  As September comes to a close, it appears mid-October is our likely end date.  Remember that silly, optimistic contractor who said 2-3 weeks?! Cue sinister laugh here "Hahahahahahaha...."  As one might venture a guess everything is taking much longer than expected.  We are scheduled for some major progress tomorrow.  The cabinetry will be installed.  Or at least the installation will begin.  That shall be a transformation.

Making great progress on the marble tile.  

In daily mom-ing news:

I captured a heartwarming photo of Pete and Palmer on their morning stroll 

Palmer played in a homemade ball pit because he was too sick for My Gym

He made his debut back into baby society at library story time.
His buddies were all happy to see he survived.

We got back in the swing of things at My Gym

We found out he won't forget his float and flip survival skills after a 2 week hiatus from swim lessons

And most importantly, we got our appetite back!!!

I'm that mom who feeds my child pizza too often.
Keep your kids away from me or I'll give them Michelin Man rolls, too. 

I also bought my first set of Baby Einstein DVD's.  They are a huge hit.

Pulling up to standing has finally peaked his interest.  He shall not be stopped.

We are scheduled to do our family photos next month.  Hopefully we snap the perfect pic to make our very first family Christmas card of Mr. Palmer.  We are using Monique Smith from Brown Eyed Girl Images who did my maternity and newborn photos.  She's having a ridiculous special for Fall that can be found on her Facebook page here.  We will be going to downtown Sanford to hopefully use the water and some cool buildings as our backdrop.  Let the outfit planning begin...as well as cheesy pose practice.

Solve For X

Here's my latest math equation:

Palmer(teething+bronchialitis+wheezing+ear infection)/(nebulizer*motrin*tylenol*amoxicillin)(master bath reno/umpteen design decisions) = Xhausted

How's that for algebraic fun?!?  Are you picking up my sarcasm?  Thought I'd point it out in case you missed it.  The sick little bird is taking a morning nap because he was up for all his meds and nebulizer about 5am.  The poor thing can barely breathe and is wheezing like an 80 year old smoking emphysema patient.  Oh and let's not forget the ear infection.  Or the doctor's concerns this could turn to pneumonia.  Oh wait, you want me to select whether I want 2cm or 3cm marble slab for the bathtub deck?  How about you go...enjoy a coffee break while I gather my mental acuity with a gallon of coffee.

Palmer started getting sick on Friday.  A week from today.  As of yesterday he was growing worse and worse.  Not how things should be shaping up a week into a cold.  The doctor put us on antibiotics yesterday (FINALLY!!) and my fingers crossed this will start to put us on the upswing by tomorrow.  Thankfully the same antibiotic to treat his ear infection would also treat pneumonia so the doctor is encouraged we are on the right path to Palmer's recovery.  At the doctor's yesterday they wouldn't even let us wait in the "sick kid" waiting room.  They took us to an isolation room where no one could come in contact with us ("us" means Grandma came to visit to help me out and now she has the death cooties, too).  How's that for encouraging the first time mom that your child isn't on death's door.  Allright, slightly dramatic, but I deserve a little dramatics at this point.  

Here was my little patient last week.  I haven't had the heart to take a picture
of his sad little snot face since he's taken a turn

Remember what our master bathroom use to look like?

Ah yes, the 1980's glory is all coming back to you in one mauve marbled swoop

Well here it was a few days ago

And here it is this morning

Despite my prior whining, I truly am ecstatic this is coming together.  We are kind of at a stand still waiting on cabinetry to be fabricated, tile to come in from back order, window to come in, blah blah blah.  But there is still plenty of plumbing and drywall work to be done.  The plumber made me feel very encouraged when he said, "You didn't order a whirlpool tub did you?"  My reply, "Of course!!" His face drops, "Oh, great."  My intuition is that means a lot more work.  But if I am good on my algebra (which I think I've proven to be) More Work = More Money for plumber.  So why all the fussin'?

In other news, did you know Palmer looks like his momma?

If I had that dress I would dress him up in a heartbeat and play guess who's the real baby Palmer

In closing, as Palmer awakens like a roaring beast gently stirs from his nap, I shall state in all the week's despair I am grateful for a snot nose to wipe, a wet diaper to change (because that means he actually drank enough to pee!) and a destroyed master bath because it means I have a family to love and home to care for them in.  (Coffee must be kicking in.)

Lunch Time Emergency: Pizza, Ice Cream & Wine

Okay, so I resisted the temptation to chug half a bottle of wine during lunch after what seemed to be the never-ending morning of aggravation.   But I did, however, manage to house a good portion of an Amy's frozen pizza and sneak into the Haagen-Daaz while dreamily staring out the window pretending I was on a deserted island.  I think my expectations for the smoothness of Day 2 of Total-Bathroom-Destruction were set too high based on a yesterdays high marks.  My cockiness might have gotten the best of me.  Day 1 was a bit of a breeze.  Sure it was messy, dusty and noisy.  But with 2 sound machines and Palmer upstairs it was smooth sailing!  Then came the jackhammers of doom today.  They reeked total havoc on our angelic little routine.  Here are the pictures to prove it.

The beginnings of demo on Day 1

Day 2...a whole different ball game.  Those two window are goners.

The jackhammer of doom's trail of misery

Bye-Bye 45 degree wall.  Hello, nervous we made the right decision!

I mean...wth is happening?!

I don't even want to reminisce about all the things gone awry which led to my grumpiness and carbohydrate binging.  After all, we are truly blessed to have this headache to make the master bathroom of our hearts desire.  And how can you be upset when you have this teething little monster to commiserate with...

He went ahead and housed 3 pieces of pizza so my thighs were spared them

We are making large strides in the hat department

" Mom, If I could, I would pull this tooth straight out myself!"

1988 Called. They're Taking Back Their Master Bathroom.

As if dreaming of baby #2 wasn't wild enough, I've decided to prove to myself I am completely bonkers by moving ahead with our forever delayed master bathroom renovation.  I successfully put a halt to the destruction once I got pregnant and had had enough contractors in my space while trying to nap during the guest bathroom renovation.  You remember the Green Monster?  The time has come to say goodbye to the not-yet-vintage vibe of our master en suite.  Now instead of contractors interrupting my nap time, they will be jackhammering through Palmer's.  

Here's a glimpse into the beauty.  You'll see in the tub Palmer's very own duck pool from his Auntie Courtney.  It's a hot spot for afternoon splish-splashing when the weather isn't cooperating for pool time.  The tub itself has never been used.  Except by Palmer's cousin Lila.  She so lovingly placed Mickey Mouse stickers in the tub 2 years ago and there they have remained.

Our very own mauve marble and crystal chandelier

White lacquer cabinets are showcased at night by under mount lights (straight disco style)

The chandelier is the first thing going - I think I'll rip that monstrosity out myself.  Then it's all out chaos from there.  Closing up both windows, adding a new.  Flip flopping tub and shower placement.  It's going to be a zoo.  We will be ousted from our bath for approximately 3 weeks (so says the contractor).  So I am hoping to be in there before Christmas! HA!  The demo starts tomorrow.  My blood pressure is high.  And poor baby P doesn't know what's coming.  Happy Labor Day!