Sheet Curtains

I've been doing a lot of projects around the house lately. Some of them are due to "baby proofing" and some just because. Mom came a couple weeks ago and helped me make curtains out of sheets. I had been looking at fabric because I wanted new curtains for our dining area since the old ones shrunk about 2 inches when I washed them. However, fabric is really expensive! So, I was at TJ Maxx and came across these sheets that were the perfect color and print I was looking for. In addition, they are sateen so the have a nice slight sheen. We ended up buying two sets of full size sheets and then hemmed the bottom of each of the flat sheets. I unstitched the sides on the top of the sheet and fixed them and slid the rod through. They turned out great.

We were going to cut and sew the fitted she to make table cloths, but when we stretched it over the table I decided to keep the elastic on. You see, I like to put a tablecloth on when kids are at the table but it is always sliding off. The elastic band keeps it in place. It may sound redneck, as Erick says, but it actually doesn't look too bad. The sheet is big enough that the elastic band folds under and you can't see it. I may also make throw pillow covers out of the pillow cases. Nothing wasted here =), and it was still much cheaper than buying fabric.

You can also see in the above picture that I painted stripes on the wall behind the curtains. I wanted to do something to the wall without just hanging pictures. So, I took the paint from the living room, which is a shade darker than the color in the kitchen, and painted stripes.

I also got these lovely knobs at Anthropologie in Jacksonville for our TV stand. The old knobs were stripped and I had hot glued them in. Caden was pulling on them and they were little, so I was afraid they were a choking hazard. I absolutely love these glass knobs!


We installed a gate at the top of the stairs. It works quite nicely. We also have a piece of plexiglass we plan on attaching to the
railing to the right of the gate. Evidently the space between the rails is wider than suggested "baby proofing." I think my son's head is far to big to fit through there, but better safe than sorry. We need to get a gate for the bottom of the stairs still, especially now that Caden can crawl the whole way up them.


I made a couple changes to Caden's nursery. I bought an alphabet print off etsy for above the bed that was on clearance because it had a slight blemish that the frame hides (score!). I also painted the painting with his name for above his dresser because he kept pulling on the heavy mirror that was above it while we were changing him.


*I would like to take this opportunity to proclaim my love for etsy.com. It is such a great idea. It is a website where people can sell items they make. You can find really great items for much cheaper than you can purchase at the store. I have bought pillow covers from England, custom onesies and tshirts, and prints off of it for cheap!

We rearranged the furniture in the living room and family/sun room. I will post on those later.

My Amazing Husband...

Erick works really hard. He hardly ever gets the credit he deserves. He works almost 7 days per week from about October to March. He sometimes puts in 14 hour plus days. One day this season he was up there from about 9AM to 2AM getting both teams ready for away trips after a game. He works for both the men and the women's teams and is there for every practice and home game, and their days off hardly ever coincide. But that's life.

Tomorrow is Erick's birthday and I am so very proud of the amazing father and husband he is. I love him very much and wanted to brag on him a little. The Sports Information guy for the men's team told him one day that a sports station wanted to do a story on him. Well, a couple weeks later he said that the local news also wanted to do a story on him. So, here are links to the clips, check them out!

First Video:

FSU Basketball Equipment Staff from Alexa Lampasona on Vimeo.

Second Video:
Inside the Game: The Team Behind the Team

Caden Update

Caden is now 10 months old. At his 9 month appointment he was 22 pounds 4 ounces. He is getting chunky.

He plays really well by himself now. He loves walking with this toy he pushes. He uses it now sort of like a walker to get himself where he wants to go, then he parks it and plays, then uses it to move on. He will sometimes stand by himself. He is scared to walk alone, though, and will immediately fall to his knees if you let go of his hand. He will walk holding only one of our hands.

He still loves Mickey Mouse and is still only allowed to watch two 30 min episodes per day- one in the morning and one in the evening. He likes to dance, especially to Mickey, and will bounce up and down and from one foot to the other.

He laughs a lot, even at himself. He will mimic movements and sounds and words. He says "mama" and "dada" but I don't think he is using them appropriately. It's harder than I thought it was going to be to pick out his first words because it's hard to tell if he's just making sounds or talking.

We are having a really hard time with solid foods. He eats pureed foods really well, but once we add anything with texture he gags, sometimes to the point of throwing up. We keep trying to reintroduce but nothing is working. We smash up bananas and peaches and mix in a tiny piece with pureed food and he will gag. He will even gag if there is one curd from the small curd cottage cheese. Or, he will separate out the solid part and spit it out. I guess all we can do is continue to try.

He has officially been on formula since the beginning of January. I made it 9 months nursing. Next time my goal will be 6 months. Life is so much easier since I stopped. It was just really hard pumping so much. Especially since in November and December I pumped almost exclusively. Also, Erick this week was able to score some free formula. Turns out he knows someone who knows someone that sells Caden's type of formula. And, he said all free formula for the next kid too. So excited!

He takes 2 naps per day and goes to bed at 7PM and wakes at about 5:30AM. We found that no matter what time he goes to bed he gets up at the same time. I am looking forward to daylight savings and springing forward this year more than ever =). He was chewing up the crib railing with his two little teeth so I had to get a guard to protect it. I think his third tooth might be coming soon.

He really enjoys going to daycare and doesn't give Erick a hard time when he drops him off. He, in fact, reaches for them. However, he cries when we drop him off at church. I love picking him up from both because he gets so excited.

He's really smart and is getting into everything. We have a gate now separating the kitchen and family room and he know where the door on it is and will try to sneak through when you open it. He also knows how to open and shut doors.

He is really strong. Erick has this rolling clothes rack at work that had all of the teams uniforms on it and is pretty heavy and Caden was pushing it across the floor. He loves to move things. We will find him pushing the ironing board across the floor, or his basket of toys.

So, we are loving this stage and having a lot of fun!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Jacksonville

In 2009 Erick and I found out Extreme Makeover Home Edition was coming to Tallahassee. We were so excited because we love the show. I immediately got on the website to volunteer, but all of the spots were already full.

Well, Erick calls me from a women's basketball game one day and says that the location manager (Dustin) from the show is at the game and should he say something to him. I told him yes! He should ask him if we can still volunteer. So, Erick struck up a conversation with him and the guy told him to come on out there for the filming of the march up to the house. You know the scene, where everyone in their blue t-shirts marches up to the house before the demolition. (Yeah, turns out that scene takes about 4 hours to film and lasts about 20 seconds on the show) Anyways, Erick and I get out there and there is a sign-in about a mile from the site where volunteers park and are shuttled to the site. And you have to be on a list. Well, Erick and I weren't on the list because, as I mentioned, the list was full. We started to get nervous so Erick texted Dustin. Dustin made a phone call and someone came up to us and said "Are you Dustin's friends?" and handed us blue t-shirts and hard hats. After filming was complete that night we met up with Dustin and he gave us a tour and told us to come out anytime.

The next day we went out there he told us to just park on site. It was pretty cool getting to go up there anytime we wanted and Dustin was such a gracious host. We got to know a lot of the behind-the-scenes people like security, directors, etc...and Erick even let them all go up to the basketball training facility to play one night. It was a lot of fun. I wanted to help out, but it turns out that a great majority of the volunteer positions were for people with real skills, professionals. But Dustin got me into "Art World" where they do the custom projects and I was able to help sand some of the beds and stuff. Then we both were able to help with the move-in.

The experience was amazing, and it was even more amazing to have a front row seat to see this really deserving family see their new home for the first time.

So, Erick and Dustin kept in touch and Dustin texts Erick anytime he is near here. We were unable to make it to Gainesville or Pensacola, but when he told us he would be in Jacksonville a weekend we were both off in January we jumped at the opportunity! In addition, we were able to get a room at their hotel.


So, the morning after we arrived we were leaving to head to the site and none other than Ty Pennington and the designer Tracey were eating breakfast in the lobby! Erick and I continued to walk to the car because I didn't want to interrupt them. However, I couldn't help but debate this because I really wanted a picture of them with Caden. So Erick suggested we head back through and if they were done we would stop. So, as we started back they were standing outside waiting for their ride and the designer Michael was with them now. So, I asked them to take a picture with Caden and they did. While I was taking the picture I couldn't tell what Ty was doing and I was thinking to myself- " Is he really picking his teeth right now?" When I later looked at the picture I just had to laugh.




My sister Stacey and her husband Tony were able to meet up with us to go to the site because Stacey was in Jacksonville for tests at the Mayo clinic.


Later, we saw some people standing around a young girl that was near us. I wandered to Stacey and Tony if she was the other designer because she was kind of dressed up. That's when Dustin walked up to her and asked Erick if Caden had had a picture with Jillian yet, he said no, so Dustin asked her to take a picture with Caden. She had just watched Caden spit up all over me and as she grabbed him from me said to him "did you just spit up all over your mom?" I was shocked because a lot of people would be grossed out by another kid's spit up but she started hugging and kissing on him in her nice clothes. So I snapped a couple pictures and she continued to talk to him. After I took him back I asked her did she have kids. She said no, she hadn't found the right man yet. Stacey and I agreed that that was an important component. She then said she might "go ahead and pull the trigger herself." We joked with her about tricking a man into having kids. She laughed and asked me to email her the pictures, then changed her mind and asked me to post them on her facebook. I later did and she commented on the picture "OMG, I love this picture." She was really sweet and when I looked up who she was, it turned out she was on the Bachelor and the Bachelorette. This made our whole conversation pretty funny. Erick said, nothing like telling her "I have no idea who you are." But she was really sweet and talked to us for a few minutes.



We had a lot of fun being able to go out to another site. There are 2 production teams (alpha and bravo) and this was the opposite team than was in Tallahassee, so Dustin was the only person we knew. It was nice getting to see him again and getting to take Caden out there. The house is going to be really pretty and this episode, we think, will air on Mother's Day. The trip was also a great learning opportunity for us because it was our first trip with Caden in a hotel room. It was interesting but I think we were pretty well prepared.

End of 2010

Can you tell basketball season has started? Thus, my lack of postings. Having Caden now definitely amplifies how demanding working for two basketball teams is. I use to try to work when Erick worked so I would be off when he was off. But now I do the opposite so we don't have to have a baby sitter all the time. Needless to say, we do a lot of switching off.

Caden is getting so big. At 7 months he was 19 pounds 2 ounces. He had a little trouble with constipation, but the doctor changed his diet to oatmeal cereal instead of rice and 2 ounces of pear juice every day and that did the trick. He has been sick off and on for over a month. The one good thing about him being sick is that he didn't want his pacifier since he couldn't breath with it, so once he got better we never reintroduced it. The last time we went to the doctor a couple weeks ago he was 20 pounds 8 ounces and 27 1/2 inches.

Since my last post he is sitting up by himself, and loves to stand. He can pull himself up from the sitting position to standing sometimes. He also will walk along the couch. A couple days ago I went to get him from his crib and he had pulled himself up onto his knees. Yesterday he started crawling. He had been going a couple "steps" then stopping, but yesterday I left him in the back room and turned around and he had followed me into the kitchen. He loves Mickey Mouse since we watch it once every day and now recognizes the character when we are at the store. He is so much fun, I love it when he laughs. I also love how when he gets a bath he likes to play and reach for himself in his reflection in the drain cover. His schedule continues to change. We are now down to eating 4 times per day and 2, sometimes 3, naps per day.


By the way, mom and dad got me a new lens for my birthday (early gift) and I LOVE IT!!!! I am still learning, though. I am also SUPER excited Unc and Pankey are getting us PhotoShop for Christmas!!!

Caden was a duck for Halloween. Poor little guy. I know he will look back and say "mom, you had to make me a duck, didn't you?' I tried to be creative at first and make him a costume, but it just wasn't working.

Unc and Pankey and mom and dad came over for Thanksgiving since Erick and I had to work. Erick smoked Turkey and made some awesome creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. It was yummy.

Our friends Justin and Jessica are came over a couple weeks ago and we went to a Jars of Clay Christmas concert. It was the first time we had a baby sitter when we were not here. I was nervous, but it ended up going a lot easier than I anticipated. It was my technician Emily, so it helped I knew and trusted her.

Last week we went to the Victorian Christmas in Thomasville, Ga with our friends Matt and Christy. It was a lot of fun. It was the latest either of us had ever kept the babies out. We learned a lot from that trip and I feel if we had ended it about an hour earlier it would have been perfect. Also, next time I will skip taking the stroller. It was too hard to maneuver in such a crowd and he ended up wanting to be carried anyways. I will use the moby wrap and Erick can carry Caden's stuff in a backpack.

Saturday night we had my work Christmas party here. It was hard to do with Caden here, but we made it through. Erick made chili and creamed spinach for a dip and I made dirt dessert. Here are a couple pics of my tech Amanda and her daughter that I took for her.


I am so excited Christmas is here! I wish Caden understood. We decorated the house early this year. I pretty much work the weekend after Thanksgiving every year and that makes it too hard to decorate. So, this year we decided to decorate the weekend before. I am not usually one that likes to skip holidays, but one month seems a little short for Christmas anyways.

Erick and I talked about Christmas traditions, ones we want to keep and start. We decided we will try to always go back to FWB for Christmas. Before Christmas these are our goals: visit Santa Clause, drive around and look at Christmas lights, Victorian Christmas, shop for Angel tree child, do something for the homeless. Here is our tentative Christmas Eve and Day schedules:

Christmas Eve:
spend day with Unc and Pankey, exchange gifts, read the Christmas story
make food for the homeless, drop off at First Baptist Church 4:30-5PM
Christmas Eve service Cinco Baptist 5-6PM
Soup dinner and dessert at mom's
exchange family gifts
put on new pajamas and read Twas the Night Before Christmas

Christmas day:
Open gifts- we have decided we will begin the tradition of Caden only getting 3 gifts (because Jesus only got 3 gifts and to keep ourselves from getting carried away, when he is old enough he will give away 3 of his toys)
Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus
Breakfast at Waffle House
spend time with Unc and Pankey
Drive back to Tallahassee

So, we hope you and your family have a very merry (and healthy) Christmas!

Happy Half-Year Birthday!

Caden is 6 months! Wow, time is going by quickly.
At his 6 month check-up last week he was 17lbs 2ounces (50%), 26 inches (35%) and his head was in the 70th percentile!! To hold all his smarts of course!



We have a schedule worked out and Caden goes to bed about 7:30 and gets up around 6AM. Woohoo! After 5 months of little to no sleep it's nice to finally get some. I know as I type this a little tooth is probably working it's way in =). This is how his day usually goes:
6AM wake, eat, play
7AM nap
9AM eat, play
10AM nap
12PM eat, play
1PM nap
3PM eat, play
4PM nap
6PM eat, play, go on a walk
7:30PM eat, bed
His naps are usually 1 hour, with one of them being 2 hours each day. We keep his meals smaller (6 ounces) and more frequent because of his reflux. He naps a lot, but I asked his doctor if that's okay and she said it's great, she wished kids got more sleep. He even sticks to his schedule at daycare and goes down for naps without crying.

He is so much fun! He catches onto things and likes to play. For example, we have a window above our kitchen sink that looks into our TV room. Since he was born we have played peek-a-boo with him through it. So now, whenever we are on the couch with him, he looks through the window waiting for one of us. It's really cute. He giggles a lot at random stuff. Like the other night Erick was putting his pajamas on and he was just laughing. He is ticklish on his thighs and along his spine.
His favorite toy:


We take family walks almost every night. He loves them. He totally just relaxes and chills during them. It's a great way to calm him before bed.




About a month ago we started cereal again, then a couple weeks ago we started introducing food. He has had peas (did not like), bananas (hated), carrots (likes), and now pears (neutral). He is still nursing. One day I decide I'll make it to a year, and the next I want to quit. We'll see. Pumping at work is hard. Especially now that I am about to start giving flu shots.

Yes, I didn't want to, but they made me get licensed to immunize. I am really not excited about it. I am waiting on my license now. I don't mind giving shots, it just takes so much time out to do it and they didn't give us anymore budget hours to help. I'll let you know how that goes.