Staircase photo gallery project

In a previous post, I wrote about how I wanted to create a photo gallery going up our stairs and found some inspirational photos to help gather ideas.

In my efforts to make this become reality, I have picked out about 10 black frames. Then I traced them on to newspaper and started taping them to the wall to get a sense of what this gallery would (and could) look like.

I clearly have some issues such as: the wall plates and doorbell, and the -- to put it frank -- odd orientation of the wall going up. We don't have a chair rail and I can't imagine putting frames all the way down to the staircase (especially its little kids in the house); so I have to stop the photos randomly halfway down the wall.

So these photos represent where I am now. it is apparent that I could use at least 2 more very large frames to anchor -- they all seemed large until I see them on the wall. The first long newspaper represents a mirror, the rest are photos and art. I would also like to add a wooden F to the mix as well one other piece of non framed art.

Last tomatoes of the season

The Cherokee purple tomato plant went crazy at the end of the summer, producing a bunch of tomatoes. I picked them green and let them ripen on the counter and now we can enjoy them ... The last of the summer crop never tasted so good. Bon apetit!

Painted brick

Last Fall we had our house painted and we wanted to paint the brick but something was holding us back -- like fear. So we lived with it for a while before deciding that we had to paint it and we are so happy we did. We love the single color look of the house. Now the question is - do we stick with the color of the front door?

All smiles

All I can say is that I'm jealous of Wesley and his photogenic smile. 

Claire is 4 months old

Claire is 4 months old! I always feel like this is sort of a milestone month because they are coming into their own -- they smile, laugh, recognize you, and are not just eating machines with scrunched up faces.

So how is Claire faring (and how does she compare to her big brother at this age!)

Size: She had her check up today and she is 15lb 10oz (75%) and 24-3/4" (61%). She's about the same weight as Wesley was and he was 2" longer!

Eating: We are still exclusively breastfeeding! I am so happy! I said I was going to succeed at nursing my 2nd baby and so far, so good. I can't even imagine formula/bottle feeding her (and I speak from experience having done that with Wesley). She's eating on average every 2-3 hours which is a lot, so we are rarely separated (an hour maximum is as much as I leave her). Her weight is the same as Wesley at this age and he was taking in 40oz of formula a day.

Sleeping: Oh boy! Wesley was definitely a better sleeper. She's only started sleeping 6-hour stretches on a regular basis (at 3 months, Wesley was 6-10 hours). I wrote a little bit about it here. Since then, she's a solid 4-6 hr sleeper at one stretch at night. Better than 2-3 like she was doing before. Naps ... well, we're so busy during the day that she sleeps whenever she can -- car, my lap, at playdates ... The doctor asked us to start scheduling her and making sure she gets 3 naps a day ... oh boy!

Clothes: She's in 6 month clothes as of a few weeks. And everytime I have to pack away clothes that don't fit her, my heart breaks. I think that's because we are done having kids so I know I'll never have that age back ... ever again. Until grandkids!

Milestones: She's hitting all her milestones! She smiles, grabs at her toys, lifts her head and does mini push ups, and laughs! She's much better at tummy time than Wesley -- she can actually lift her head and she doesn't cry. And having Wesley around makes it more fun - he runs around the house, jumping up and down, and Claire follows him, smiles, and laughs! She definitely loves her big brother and he loves her.

Someone else's trash ...

...Is definitely my treasure.

Last year I bought this print at an art sale at the library. It was one of those "clean out your basement" events to raise money. The print is an artists proof etching & aquatint and I loved it; for a mere $3 it was mine. The only problem was that it was a matted to an odd size (maybe cm?) so I could never just throw it in a frame. I avoided getting it professionally framed because I'm cheap! Then I figured out I could just double mat it to an 11x14 frame and voila -- it's perfect! Definitely a treasure.

4 square photo

7 layers of sleep

Up until this week, little Claire has graced us with an uninterrupted 5-6 hours of sleep through the night for ... Oh, about 2 times. She was consistently on the 2.5hr cycle and I was turning into a sleep deprived Gila Monster (that Matt has nicknamed Jezebel ... Or Desdemona... Or Lucretia ...We haven't agreed on it entirely).

That is ... Until one night last week when I had had enough. I knew my baby liked it warm so I layered her up -- undershirt, footed onesie, baby legs, sleep sack -- and then zipped her up in the woombie (which she never liked) and ohmigod she slept ... And slept ... And for the past 5 days we have gotten a consistent 6 hour stretch from her before needing to eat. And then she goes back to sleep.

Ok. Wesley loved the swaddle so we should have figured this out sooner but Claire showed no love for it and would manage to sleep a few hours in just a sleep sack with arms. But nevertheless, the woombie (and seven layers of clothes) have saved us once again. Hallelujah!

Fire prevention month

I'm home sick with a cough (taking care of the baby), and Matt took Wesley to the fire station where our friend works. I knew Wesley would love it, but by the looks of these photos he seems a little unsure of what's going on.