DIY Drawers

    Daniel bought a dresser for our room that I just finished repainting, so I decided our old drawers needed to be moved to Hardy's room for more storage. All the furniture makeovers I've done have been subtle cream colors, so I was really excited/nervous to repaint a fun color to match Hardy's decor. I was nervous b/c its so dramatic looking, but it turned out really good.
   Because it was a cheaper wood chest, I skipped right over the sanding and went straight to an oil based primer that could be painted over in Latex. I hate messing with oil and trying to clean up the mess. So I painted 1 coat of primer, 2 coats of Latex, and 2 coats of polycrylic finish. I've been using polycrylic so it doesn't change the color of my paint job. Just about every polyurethane finish out there leaves a slightly yellow tint and polycrylic dries clear, no tint to it. Its perfect if you're wanting a stark white color. AND, it can be washed out with soap and water, easy cleanup:) Just give it a quick, fine sanding in between coats. I also really hate brush strokes, so I used a foam roller brush where I could and touched up with a matching spray paint from the Valspar line:) Let me know what you think! I really like how AnnElise's dresser turned out, but I really like Hardy's b/c its such a fun pop of extra color to his room. I used the same original hardware. I felt like it was aged perfectly and looked great with the blue.
   Overall it really didn't take much time, I don't have much time to put into things with two kiddos so I managed to do it over 3 days, but no more than 2 hours each day. I had to wait for paint to dry overnight before recoating and such.

2 mont check up stats

  Hardy had his 2 month check last week, here are his stats.

Weight: 11 lbs 8 oz, 40%
Height: 24 inches, 90%

   He's already wearing some 6 month clothes b/c of his length. I have to say that I'm surprised he's not a fatty as much as he eats. He's loosing his hair on top and a little on the sides which makes him look like a little old man, a cute one at that:) His hair looks to have some red in it when its in natural sunlight. Its interesting to see how much he changes just from birth already. He's really smiling and coo-ing a ton. He mostly gives AnnElise angry looks and seems to remember that she's a little too much for his liking. It may be a while before he enjoys her as much as she enjoys him.

What we've been up to the last month!

AnnElise went Trick or Treating for the 1st time! We took this picture afterward at my brother's place. She was pretty tired, but wound up on sweets:) 

This is her with her cousins! We went around their neighborhood in Brentwood. I think we enjoyed just as much as she did.

This picture cracks me up. The very next pic that was taken had her finger in her mouth... ew! AnnElise had a lot of fun at the Pumpkin Patch in Smyrna.

AnnElise and Baylor bonding over mud at a Lake House in Alabama. She had a lot of fun with Baylor who is only 10 days younger than she is. Actually Baylor was due before AnnElise, but Christy went nearly two weeks overdue and I had AnnElise at 38 weeks.

This is our reunion crew at a Lake House in Alabama. We didn't get nearly enough time, but it was much needed. Everyone had moved away doing different things and such. I'm thinking we'll do this every year the Harrisons are back from Africa.

One of my new adventures... as if I needed something else to occupy my time.  Daniel picked this up for me off of Craigslist. We've needed a dresser for our bedroom so I'm making it over. I forgot to get a before picture. 

Milestone of surviving his sister dropping him on his head. She was trying to pick him up off the floor when she heard him crying then dropped him when she realized it was not something she should be doing. 

The very next day after being dropped, I tickled him and he had his 1st laugh. 

A bit behind...

  Yes, I know, I'm behind on my blogging. Mostly b/c I haven't had much time to download pics and such. The pictures will have to come another time. We've been busy, busy! Daniel has been working a ton lately which leaves me exhausted having two or three days in a row with 2 kids by myself. Its still overwhelming, but its getting better and easier as time goes by.
  We've been to Paris for a few days visiting family while Daniel went to Florida for a race, enjoyed a long weekend with some great friends at a lake house in Alabama, took the kids to a pumpkin patch, been to the doctor more times than anyone should ever go, and recently I've found my creative side again thanks to pinterest.com.
   AnnElise and Hardy are growing so fast! I've got to find time to go shopping for them. They're growing out of everything they have. In exactly 1 month I'll have a 2 year old and a 3 month old! I'm trying to plan something small with both of our families to celebrate AnnElise's birthday, but I haven't had much motivation to do anything more than a cake:)
  Thanks to pinterest for helping me find my creative/DIY love of upcycling. We bought an old dresser off of Craigslist last night and I plan on starting the makeover on it this week. I've also done more to Hardy's room to make it more boyish instead of just neutral, but its still a work in progress.
   I'm hoping Hardy will start sleeping more on a schedule so that I can have my hands free more. He started off being easier than AE, but not so much anymore. At night, he's great, but during the day he only wants to nap in my arms. I've tried putting him down when he's in a deep sleep, but it never last more than 30 minutes. He's much more demanding at this stage than AE. I'll give him another month before I try other sleep methods.
   Since Hardy is awake from his ultra short nap, I'll save the pictures from the last few weeks for another post.

Happy Saturday, Ya'll

  I'm slacking with my blog posts lately... I wonder why!? Here's some updates for all those who are dying to know whats been going on.
  Yesterday, my beautiful younger cousin, JoEllen, got married. One of the prettiest weddings I've been to and I got to see a lot of my family which is always a plus. My mother stayed with us last night and helped out this morning with the kids.
   Mornings are always harder on us. Both kids get hungry at the same time, usually I feed Hardy 1st, since AnnElise isn't as demanding about it. I've learned that at least 1 kid will be crying or demanding attention throughout the day, while I've learned that, I've learned at the same time that crying babies do survive:) Sometimes they just have to cry, but its not fun hearing it.
   Today marks 22 months for AnnElise, and 1 month for Hardy. It has flown by, people. I'm not complaining one bit though. I've not had the easiest time these last 4 weeks. It seems like everyday brings another new health problem our way, but nothing major and always something God will take care of. I am at least sleeping. Its one of my top priorities. Hardy wakes me up once or twice still and he's getting better about eating faster. I look forward to the nights when I can count on him sleeping longer and being a little less demanding.
   Hardy has his 1 month check up Wednesday so I'm not sure how much he's gained, but I can bet that its at least 2 or 3 lbs (seems like a little bit, but he feels so much heavier and has filled out a lot). He's almost outgrown all of his newborn clothes that used to swallow him. It lets me know that I'm doing something right when he's growing and gaining.
   Its really hard having two little ones, but I love it. I know that all my challenges now will seem so easy when the new challenges come. Makes me wonder what I did with the extra time before he came along.

Two Hands Full

    Our house is a bit noisier now, but right now its very quiet. I'm getting the hang of caring for two demanding kiddos, but its going to take some practice taking care of them along with the other things around the house. Today, I decided I could be brave and took both of them out by myself for the 1st time. We went to Target to gather some baby things. We don't have much in the way of clothes for boys so I'm always on the hunt for some more along with more items to make breast feeding a little easier. Who knew that something thats supposed to be so natural, could feel so unnatural at times. Since I had to pump for AE, this is a new experience for me. I'm not sure that we've got the correct latch going on. I was sure of it at 1st, but there's a few little difficulties that I'm facing. Its only been 2.5 weeks so its still very new. Hopefully these things will work themselves out VERY soon.
   While its only been 2.5 weeks, I feel really well so far. I'm only waking up once every 4 hours at night to feed so I'm getting my much needed sleep so early on. Praise God for that. I thought AE was easy, but Hardy is easier so far (mostly b/c I'm not having to pump, feed, clean supplies every hour of the day like I had with AE). I just feed, then move on:) So much better. He does cluster feed from 7-10pm... by cluster feed, I mean, he's on me for 3 hours straight, but whatever helps him sleep, right? One thing I learned from the 1st kiddo, was just to give my worries to God and keep praying about them. Everything else is just temporary and will be much better after 3 months when they really start sleeping longer, and routine is easier.
    AnnElise is finding it more normal for me to be dividing my attention between the two of them. Now she's ok that Hardy is occupying my lap and she'll sit beside me so that I can still read her a book. There's still the difficult jealous times. When we were at Target this morning, Hardy began to cry, so I picked him up and kept on strolling along, then AE decided that she needed to be picked up too. I was trying to decide if I could carry them both and push the cart, then realized that I couldn't. AE is usually persistent, but she just ended up sitting back down like a big girl after some whining. I was proud of her. There are many other times when the end result is her throwing everything within reach then crying for half an hour until she's forgotten or distracted.
   I don't want to wish this precious newborn stage away so fast, but I really look forward to the two of them laughing, playing, fighting, and learning together. I love that our house is already filled with so much love and laughter and sometimes crying, but I can't wait to hear 1 more laugh added to it.

Our Son

   We have been incredibly blessed to have spent the last week getting to know our son, Hardy. Many people have asked about his name. The name Hardy comes from my maternal grandmother's side of the family that dates back to "Hardy Mizell" 1785. The name Neal is from my late father's middle name which is also my fraternal grandmother's maiden name. It means "Strong Champion". We've learned a lot about Hardy so far, we've learned that he wants to eat when he's not sleeping, he really enjoys sleeping, peeing on the wall during diaper changes, does not like pacifiers, but really enjoys AnnElise poking at him and petting his head. AnnElise had a really hard time in the beginning with jealousy and wanting to play with him. The day that Hardy was born, AE came to the hospital with a rash and fever so she wasn't allowed to be very close to him. Since we've let her touch him she's been much better and every day gets easier for her. She still gets tons of attention, but its hard for her to see us cuddling him especially if its her daddy. I have really enjoyed watching her reaction to him. She gets so excited to see him and always says "Hey Babies" then proceeds to point out every body part he has.
   Since we have been out of the hospital we have had a doctor's appointment EVERY day (except for Sunday) for either him or me. Hardy has jaundice so we have to keep a bili light on him all of the time, and I have high blood pressure that is a little out of control. I had preeclampsia during pregnancy with AE, delivered this baby a week early before my blood pressure got too high to avoid preeclampsia and the magnesium treatment during delivery. Technically, I don't have post-partum preeclampsia so far, but my doctors are keeping a close eye on it. Despite the high blood pressure, I actually feel really good. I'm getting at least 7 hours of sleep, maybe more, have energy and am getting the hang of having a newborn again. I feel like its been a really easy transition. It helps that Daniel is off of work for two weeks and takes on AnnElise while I take care of Hardy. We are looking forward to this next week with less appointments and more relaxation before Daniel goes back to work.

Surprised that we have a son! He was so proud.

AE checking out her little brother!