September is just around the corner. I find myself enthusiastically thinking about the crisp autumn air, vibrant leaf colors, and our annual beach trip. Along with all those happy thoughts, I also find myself starting to panic about cold and flu season. Yes, panic. I saw this today were a 2 month old died from pertussis, aka whooping cough. So sad and another reminder on the importance of vaccines!
No parent likes to see their kid sick, but in some ways, you just come to understand that it's par for the course. They all get sick; they bounce back. They build their immune system. You may lose a little sleep for a couple days, but all-in-all it's no big deal.
With Will, we're terrified for him to get his first cold. I already constantly walk around feeling his head and begging Carlton to see if it feels like he has a temperature. I'm sure Carlton would pay a hefty price to never hear me utter the words, "does he feel hot to you?", ever again. I analyze every sneeze, every sniffle and every tiny bit of congestion. Paranoid much? Yep, I am.
It makes me feel a little crazy to be so scared about Will getting sick, but I know with Jeune's kids that it's ridiculously important to keep their lungs healthy. The lungs need every chance to grow and any setback can lead to issues. This is why we're thinking of getting Will Synagis® shots to help protect him against RSV infections. The issue is that it's a big series of shots and they carry a hefty price tag if insurance isn't willing to pay. We are hoping that our insurance will understand the importance of these shots for Will, but we also know we probably need those DNA results before we can make a compelling case to the insurance company.
I fired off another email to our geneticist at Duke today to see if there was any update on his DNA testing and to request her guidance on how best to protect Will this fall and winter. Ohhhh, how I'm looking forward to these next few months. I am going to predict the following: 1) I drive Carlton crazy with my worries about Will being sick...., 2) Emme becomes an expert at proper hand washing and hand sanitizing, 3) We become hermits until the spring.
I also need to remember that God is in control and I need to relax a little. I need to be vigilant and take precautions, but I also can't forget what a miracle it is to even have Will here. The same faith and prayers that got us this far can help see us through these next few months, too.
One day at a time, Mary, one day at a time. Anyone got any tips for keeping us all healthy this winter? Should we just become hermits?!? ;)
Monday, August 20
Thursday, August 16
Will's Room So Far...the big update!
This week, I have been giving a few updates on Will's room and I'm back today with the final post on the big projects we have undertaken so far.
Let's start with what the room looked like before, though... It was definitely more girly with the beige / pinkish wall color. The mural was cute but not really my thing so it had to go. Also, let me just say it was not easy to remove that mural. I ended up having to sand down the entire wall and then paint over it three times. Glad. It. Is. Gone.
Once the mural was gone, I repainted the entire room in Valspar's Summer Gray. Then, the next step was hanging Will's new curtains. You can read more about them, by clicking here.
The other big change we made was to swap out his old glass boob light for a new pendant from Ikea. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone with his new light fixture so I spray painted it. The color of the original woven shade was nice, but I really wanted to work in some more gray to the room, so I spray painted the Boja pendant with Valspar's gray primer. Then, I used some spray sealant to protect it. It was super easy to do and really helped customize Ikea's standard fixture. I also really love how the light fixture ties in with the gray stripes in the hallway, too (you can see that better in the 2nd picture below).
Finally, this is the look back towards the hallway and on the left side of his crib. I'm working on some DIY artwork for that wall. Those are exising frames we had for old album covers in our first house, so I'm going to reuse those to save some $$$. I'm also thinking of making something like this for the wall over his crib.
This was my old design board for his room, so I think it's finally starting to come together. I need to incorporate some more green and gray into the design, and I'm hoping to do that with artwork. Slowly but surely we're getting there...
Whatcha think? If you liked the tree mural better, don't tell me! ;)
Let's start with what the room looked like before, though... It was definitely more girly with the beige / pinkish wall color. The mural was cute but not really my thing so it had to go. Also, let me just say it was not easy to remove that mural. I ended up having to sand down the entire wall and then paint over it three times. Glad. It. Is. Gone.
Once the mural was gone, I repainted the entire room in Valspar's Summer Gray. Then, the next step was hanging Will's new curtains. You can read more about them, by clicking here.
And here's what we did to give his dresser / changing table area a revamp. You can read more about that here.
Here's a broader picture standing on the far side of his room near the crib looking back towards the dresser nook.
The other big change we made was to swap out his old glass boob light for a new pendant from Ikea. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone with his new light fixture so I spray painted it. The color of the original woven shade was nice, but I really wanted to work in some more gray to the room, so I spray painted the Boja pendant with Valspar's gray primer. Then, I used some spray sealant to protect it. It was super easy to do and really helped customize Ikea's standard fixture. I also really love how the light fixture ties in with the gray stripes in the hallway, too (you can see that better in the 2nd picture below).
Finally, this is the look back towards the hallway and on the left side of his crib. I'm working on some DIY artwork for that wall. Those are exising frames we had for old album covers in our first house, so I'm going to reuse those to save some $$$. I'm also thinking of making something like this for the wall over his crib.
This was my old design board for his room, so I think it's finally starting to come together. I need to incorporate some more green and gray into the design, and I'm hoping to do that with artwork. Slowly but surely we're getting there...
Whatcha think? If you liked the tree mural better, don't tell me! ;)
Wednesday, August 15
More Storage!
Yesterday, you got a peek at how Will's room is progressing and today I'm back with another quick before and after. This time, you get to see our little dresser / changing table area on the opposite side of his room.
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| Yesterday's before and after post can be found here! |
Now, for today's post. This was Will's dresser / changing table before. The dresser was actually Carlton's old childhood dresser that we brought with us when we moved into this house a couple years ago. It fits absolutely perfectly in this little nook. It's stained a really dark wood color and I actually like it just the way it is, but I have to admit I've played with the idea of painting it something a bit funkier. That's not a task I want to take on right now, though, so wood it is! This little area was functional as it was, but some additional lighting and storage is never a bad idea.
I had two hanging lights leftover from our first house that I never got around to hanging together, so I decided to hang both of them over some new crate storage. We put the two old Target lights on an adjustable dimmer switch so now we have the perfect low-medium-high light settings for those late night diaper changes. If it's just a pee, low light is all good. If Will has been a bit busier and has given us a super dirty diaper, we can adjust that light all the way up to high! How functional is that?!? AHAHHAH!
Those crates were super simple and cheap storage options for this area. I picked up two of them from AC Moore (for $16) and a can of Valspar's avocado spray paint ($4) and went to work. Once I had them painted, I did a coat of poly on them to seal and protect them. Then, we hung them using toggle bolts so they would be super secure. So for about $20, we added some additional functionality to this little nook in Will's room. I can't wait to add more stuff to the crates and I'm sure I'll continue debating on whether to paint that dresser or not. We'll see. $50 bucks says I end up painting it. I can't stop myself.
That's all for today! Hope to be back later this week with more updates on his room! Anyone else have trouble stopping yourself from grabbing a paint brush to change up something that you already have in your house? We should start a support group for that. ;)
Tuesday, August 14
Making Old Curtains New Again (and chevron!)
I've been known to jump on the chevron bandwagon before like this wall in Emme's big girl room...
and our new rug for the dining room turned play area downstairs that you can see better in this post about making your own Pottery Barn inspired activity table...
so it wasn't really a big surprise to me when I was searching around on the internet for ideas to make the old curtains in Will's room look a little more fresh, and I stumbled across this fabric and soon found myself ordering it.
As I mentioned in my update on Will's room last week, I was inspired by these Restoration Hardware curtains to make my "old" curtains that were too short new again by adding a fabric chevron panel to the middle and then moving my new longer curtains all the way up to the ceiling like I love to do (and as seen in the 2nd picture below).
With my chevron fabric in hand and my inspiration from Restoration Hardware, I began by cutting my old white panels in half. I didn't do it perfectly at the midpoint of the curtains because I wanted the chevron panel to be placed more like the band of gray in the RH curtains above.
Once I had them cut in half, I added in the chevron panels by just eyeballing the size of the panel I thought I wanted. Then, I pinned the fabric in place with the right sides together and just added the chevron in between the two old halves of the curtains. I'm not great with the sewing machine so I won't even begin to give you a tutorial on how I did it. BUT, the good news is that I did it and I'm no expert. So if I can do it, absolutely anyone can do this. I PROMISE!!!
and our new rug for the dining room turned play area downstairs that you can see better in this post about making your own Pottery Barn inspired activity table...
so it wasn't really a big surprise to me when I was searching around on the internet for ideas to make the old curtains in Will's room look a little more fresh, and I stumbled across this fabric and soon found myself ordering it.
As I mentioned in my update on Will's room last week, I was inspired by these Restoration Hardware curtains to make my "old" curtains that were too short new again by adding a fabric chevron panel to the middle and then moving my new longer curtains all the way up to the ceiling like I love to do (and as seen in the 2nd picture below).
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| Restoration Hardware inspiration curtains |
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| How I like to hang my curtains from Hyphen Interiors |
With my chevron fabric in hand and my inspiration from Restoration Hardware, I began by cutting my old white panels in half. I didn't do it perfectly at the midpoint of the curtains because I wanted the chevron panel to be placed more like the band of gray in the RH curtains above.
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| The old white curtains that were too short and too plain! |
Once I had them cut in half, I added in the chevron panels by just eyeballing the size of the panel I thought I wanted. Then, I pinned the fabric in place with the right sides together and just added the chevron in between the two old halves of the curtains. I'm not great with the sewing machine so I won't even begin to give you a tutorial on how I did it. BUT, the good news is that I did it and I'm no expert. So if I can do it, absolutely anyone can do this. I PROMISE!!!
And here's the official before and after!
Clearly, I've also done a few more things in Will's room since these before and afters were taken, so I'll be back later this week with more updates and pictures!
What do you think? Am I going overboard on the chevron? Time for me to jump on a new trend? :) I think so, but I love these curtains anyway. Have you jumped on any bandwagons lately?!?
Linked up @ : Not Just A Housewife, Home Stories A to Z, Between Naps On The Porch, Skip To My Lou, Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie
Friday, August 10
Telling Time
Ever since Will was born, it seems like time has kind of stood still. Yes, the days still pass by as quickly as ever but it seems as if we do much of the same thing every day. There are a few playdates and trips outside of the house mixed in here and there, but for the most part we have a fairly consistent daily routine. This routine can seem monotonous and I've quickly found myself completely out of touch with what day it actually is. I can easily tell you Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Those are easy because Mondays and Tuesdays are usually bad days because Emme is adjusting to Daddy not being home. Wednesdays are a little better. Thursdays are even better because Mommy knows that she only has to survive one more day and Fridays are the best of all. :)
The hard part is figuring out the actual numerical date. It is hilarious to me that I find it so difficult to nail down the actual date. In my old life pre-kids, I thrived on the corporate world. I loved it and carried around a calendar nearly every minute of the day. Tonight, I was out on the porch with Carlton having one of our grandious discussions about life when I realized that I couldn't even tell him today's date, much less what I thought I would be doing in five or ten years. This really bothered me and I found myself thinking out loud trying to figure out the date. Here's how that thought process went...
--The last gallon of milk I bought for Emme had an expiration date of Aug. 18.
--I bought it because the other gallon of milk in the fridge had an expiration date of Aug. 9.
--It must be somewhere between August 9 and August 18.
--CRAP. I don't have a clue what day it is between the 9th and the 18th.
--I'll just guess and say it's the.....13th! Surely, it must be August 13th.
Three years ago when I was still in the midst of my "old" life, I would have been shocked to see what I was like today. I would have never guessed that I would be 32, with two kids and staying home full time. I never thought I had it in me, but guess what!?! Evidently I do and evidently I'm loving it enough to not even care to look at the calendar! Each day is a treasure and I pray that I can continue living joyously in all the days between those milk expiration dates!
Tell me I'm not the only date challenged one around here? Do your days sometimes feel like groundhog days? I'm sure whether you stay at home or work outside of the home, we all have those moments when we feel like we're just doing the same things over and over again....
The hard part is figuring out the actual numerical date. It is hilarious to me that I find it so difficult to nail down the actual date. In my old life pre-kids, I thrived on the corporate world. I loved it and carried around a calendar nearly every minute of the day. Tonight, I was out on the porch with Carlton having one of our grandious discussions about life when I realized that I couldn't even tell him today's date, much less what I thought I would be doing in five or ten years. This really bothered me and I found myself thinking out loud trying to figure out the date. Here's how that thought process went...
--The last gallon of milk I bought for Emme had an expiration date of Aug. 18.
--I bought it because the other gallon of milk in the fridge had an expiration date of Aug. 9.
--It must be somewhere between August 9 and August 18.
--CRAP. I don't have a clue what day it is between the 9th and the 18th.
--I'll just guess and say it's the.....13th! Surely, it must be August 13th.
Three years ago when I was still in the midst of my "old" life, I would have been shocked to see what I was like today. I would have never guessed that I would be 32, with two kids and staying home full time. I never thought I had it in me, but guess what!?! Evidently I do and evidently I'm loving it enough to not even care to look at the calendar! Each day is a treasure and I pray that I can continue living joyously in all the days between those milk expiration dates!
Tell me I'm not the only date challenged one around here? Do your days sometimes feel like groundhog days? I'm sure whether you stay at home or work outside of the home, we all have those moments when we feel like we're just doing the same things over and over again....
Wednesday, August 8
An Update On Will's Room
I don't have a lot of in progress pics to show you right now (the boy is napping!), but I'm making pretty good progress on getting Will's room finished up. At the beginning of July, I posted this update and my inspiration for his room.
Here's what I have achieved so far and how the plan is shaping up. There have been a few changes along the way but nothing too drastic!
First, paint. I was going to use the Behr paint chips I posted in #4 above, but I had to run to Lowe's anyway and there was no way I was making a special trip to Home Depot just for paint. So, I ended up picking new colors on the fly! Can I just say what a big deal that was for me? Usually I agonize over paint choices but two antsy kids + my need for progress had me picking a new color and handing it over to the paint desk person in about three minutes flat. Anyway, I ended up deciding to paint his room in Valspar's Summer Gray. It looks pretty darn white on the walls, but with a hint of gray. I had originally thought about going with a darker gray color, but since I have that in other rooms of the house I wanted to do something a little different. His room also joins with the striped hallway I painted last year, so I kind of wanted to play off that little. Hence, my decision to go almost-white. It is totally different for me to go in this direction, but I'm really, really happy with my quick decision so far. Pics soon, promise!
Second, let's talk about furniture. We made the trip to Ikea this weekend and it was a doozy. The store was C.R.O.W.D.E.D. You had to force your way back out into the aisle if you stepped into a little section to explore. I guess with colleges back in full swing soon there were loads of people there stocking up. It was crazy and Will wasn't exactly happy to be along for the ride. Anyway, we made it and we ended up buying these items that I'm currently modifying with paint.
I have the bookshelves installed and the light fixture is out drying in the sun now and getting ready for it's next coat of paint!
The third and final thing I've done so far is to modify some old curtains I had hanging in the room already. They were basic white panels, but they were too short for me to hang them all the way up at the ceiling (like I love to do!). So, I ended up adding some of this chevron fabric in the middle of the panels like this image I pinned several weeks ago. I LOVE them!
Once I get these things finished, I need to finalize artwork and get a couple more storage pieces finished and I'll be ready for the big reveal! Soon, I hope!!!!
Here's what I have achieved so far and how the plan is shaping up. There have been a few changes along the way but nothing too drastic!
First, paint. I was going to use the Behr paint chips I posted in #4 above, but I had to run to Lowe's anyway and there was no way I was making a special trip to Home Depot just for paint. So, I ended up picking new colors on the fly! Can I just say what a big deal that was for me? Usually I agonize over paint choices but two antsy kids + my need for progress had me picking a new color and handing it over to the paint desk person in about three minutes flat. Anyway, I ended up deciding to paint his room in Valspar's Summer Gray. It looks pretty darn white on the walls, but with a hint of gray. I had originally thought about going with a darker gray color, but since I have that in other rooms of the house I wanted to do something a little different. His room also joins with the striped hallway I painted last year, so I kind of wanted to play off that little. Hence, my decision to go almost-white. It is totally different for me to go in this direction, but I'm really, really happy with my quick decision so far. Pics soon, promise!
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| Will's room is the first door on the left from the hall. |
Second, let's talk about furniture. We made the trip to Ikea this weekend and it was a doozy. The store was C.R.O.W.D.E.D. You had to force your way back out into the aisle if you stepped into a little section to explore. I guess with colleges back in full swing soon there were loads of people there stocking up. It was crazy and Will wasn't exactly happy to be along for the ride. Anyway, we made it and we ended up buying these items that I'm currently modifying with paint.
I have the bookshelves installed and the light fixture is out drying in the sun now and getting ready for it's next coat of paint!
The third and final thing I've done so far is to modify some old curtains I had hanging in the room already. They were basic white panels, but they were too short for me to hang them all the way up at the ceiling (like I love to do!). So, I ended up adding some of this chevron fabric in the middle of the panels like this image I pinned several weeks ago. I LOVE them!
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| My inspiration from Restoration Hardware + my chevron fabric |
Once I get these things finished, I need to finalize artwork and get a couple more storage pieces finished and I'll be ready for the big reveal! Soon, I hope!!!!
Monday, August 6
It's Coming Soon...
Things have been quieter than normal here on the blog lately, but it's because things have been going so incredibly well. Both kids have been healthy and I've been busy doing a few projects around the house. In fact, I've been so focused on getting some physical projects done during their naps that I haven't spent very much time here at the computer. The break has been nice and we've really been enjoying our time as a family of four!
Constantly lingering in the back of my mind, though, is the pending arrival of Will's genetic testing results. When he was born in early May, doctors quickly switched their diagnosis from Osteogenesis Imperfecta to something even more rare called Jeune Syndrome. If you google it like we did shortly after his birth, it won't leave you feeling very optimistic. BUT, the good news for sweet Will is that he is doing incredibly well. If he does indeed have Jeune Syndrome, he most likely has a very mild type. The big question is still unanswered though... What condition has caused Will's bell shaped chest and mild bowing in his femurs?
After doctors made the potential Jeune diagnosis, we had a tough decision to make on the type of genetic testing we wanted to pursue to get definitive results. Because Jeune's is so rare and some of the types don't have standardized genetic testing, we decided to go the route of whole genome sequencing. Basically, this type of testing will evaluate his complete DNA profile and it will help us more accurately identify what condition he may have. Most importantly, it will help us prepare for any future care he may need, and I pray it will provide us with some comfort in no longer dealing with the unknown. It seems like we've been living in the unknown for almost a year now, so I can't help but feel optimistic that maybe this testing will give us some closure. The results should be back sometime this month. I'm so apprehensive about receiving them and I find myself thinking more and more about his prognosis.
A new thought entered my head on Sunday morning as we got ready for church. It hit me like a ton of bricks and it was a thought I was shocked I had not had before. What if these genetic results come back and don't really reveal anything? I know a couple of other moms that have been down the road of testing for Jeune's and they don't really have anything definitive to hang their hat on... What if we are the same way? How am I going to feel if we have to live in the unknown forever? Will this jeopardize Will's care at all?
The way the thought entered my head on Sunday seemed so strong and so clear. I almost feel like God is trying to prepare me for genetic results that don't tell us anything. I don't know how I feel about all this yet, but I'm trying to get ready for whatever is coming in the next few weeks.
The biggest thing I'm trying to remember in the meantime, though, is that Will is doing exceptionally well. He weighs over thirteen pounds now and is easily fitting into six month sleepers (he's only 3 months old!). I'm so happy with how he's doing and it's super easy to fall into a place of complacency. I just worry that maybe we're overlooking something or getting a little too comfortable. AAAARRRG, this journey is so hard. The unknown is hard but maybe knowing is even harder?? We'll see. Just continue to pray for Will and that he continues doing so well.
I would also love to ask for your support, prayers, well wishes and whatever happy vibes you have to send my way. I'm working on a HUGE project I hope to reveal very soon. It's all about my mission to give back and I'm pouring my heart and mind into it! It is taking a lot more time than I anticipated, but I pray it can launch soon!
Thanks for continuing to check in on us!! I'll be back later this week with a few updates on my house projects!! :)
Constantly lingering in the back of my mind, though, is the pending arrival of Will's genetic testing results. When he was born in early May, doctors quickly switched their diagnosis from Osteogenesis Imperfecta to something even more rare called Jeune Syndrome. If you google it like we did shortly after his birth, it won't leave you feeling very optimistic. BUT, the good news for sweet Will is that he is doing incredibly well. If he does indeed have Jeune Syndrome, he most likely has a very mild type. The big question is still unanswered though... What condition has caused Will's bell shaped chest and mild bowing in his femurs?
After doctors made the potential Jeune diagnosis, we had a tough decision to make on the type of genetic testing we wanted to pursue to get definitive results. Because Jeune's is so rare and some of the types don't have standardized genetic testing, we decided to go the route of whole genome sequencing. Basically, this type of testing will evaluate his complete DNA profile and it will help us more accurately identify what condition he may have. Most importantly, it will help us prepare for any future care he may need, and I pray it will provide us with some comfort in no longer dealing with the unknown. It seems like we've been living in the unknown for almost a year now, so I can't help but feel optimistic that maybe this testing will give us some closure. The results should be back sometime this month. I'm so apprehensive about receiving them and I find myself thinking more and more about his prognosis.
A new thought entered my head on Sunday morning as we got ready for church. It hit me like a ton of bricks and it was a thought I was shocked I had not had before. What if these genetic results come back and don't really reveal anything? I know a couple of other moms that have been down the road of testing for Jeune's and they don't really have anything definitive to hang their hat on... What if we are the same way? How am I going to feel if we have to live in the unknown forever? Will this jeopardize Will's care at all?
The way the thought entered my head on Sunday seemed so strong and so clear. I almost feel like God is trying to prepare me for genetic results that don't tell us anything. I don't know how I feel about all this yet, but I'm trying to get ready for whatever is coming in the next few weeks.
The biggest thing I'm trying to remember in the meantime, though, is that Will is doing exceptionally well. He weighs over thirteen pounds now and is easily fitting into six month sleepers (he's only 3 months old!). I'm so happy with how he's doing and it's super easy to fall into a place of complacency. I just worry that maybe we're overlooking something or getting a little too comfortable. AAAARRRG, this journey is so hard. The unknown is hard but maybe knowing is even harder?? We'll see. Just continue to pray for Will and that he continues doing so well.
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| Posted to my Instagram account; you can follow me there @thetallchick |
I would also love to ask for your support, prayers, well wishes and whatever happy vibes you have to send my way. I'm working on a HUGE project I hope to reveal very soon. It's all about my mission to give back and I'm pouring my heart and mind into it! It is taking a lot more time than I anticipated, but I pray it can launch soon!
Thanks for continuing to check in on us!! I'll be back later this week with a few updates on my house projects!! :)
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