Gaines' Nursery

It has been finished for sometime, but you know, the whole "getting pictures of it" is another story. The background of the nursery boils down to a very limited budget. Luckily, having Woody 20 months before Gaines made this easy. I reused most things, but I wanted this nursery to be different and special for Gaines...so I painted the walls a dark greenish/grey.

I am kinda hopeless when it comes to design, but I love this room. Enjoy!

We kept a double bed in the nursery. It was tricky, because the room is not that big, but I am glad we have it. When we have guests, Brooks and I can sleep in here and give our room to our guests. (We're nice like that.)

Not a fan of the white cord on the lamp. I need to spray paint it.

The blanket on the chair was a special gift when I was pregnant. One of my students' grandmother made it. There is beautiful lace trim on the end of it.

The ottoman was in Woody's room and got quite dirty, so I added an Ikea Rens Sheepskin to it.

The crib, bedding, art, and rocking horse were all in Woody's nursery. The blue outfit is what Gaines came home from the hospital in. 

Bedding is from Ikea//Throw is Cynthia Rowley from Home Goods

Special art from my friend, Catherine

I found this nightstand before I was pregnant and painted the front. The lamp is an antique from Maridelle's house. The little hand print is what Woody made for his brother. The black and white photos are who Gaines is named after. The two on the left are Brooks' grandfather and uncle- both named Gaines. The top photo is my grandfather (Alton Hollon) holding my brother (William Alton Hollon.)

Keeping it real- the closet. There isn't a lot of room in the room, so I took the doors off the closet and put the dresser in it. I painted the dresser the color of the walls with gold accents. It isn't how I planned for it to turn out, but it serves the purpose.

To see how Woody's nursery looked, click here.

Easter 2014

I love Easter so much. What a wonderful gift our Savior gave us- dying for our terrible sins so that we may live forever!

I love how everything is in bloom and coming back to life.

I love Reese's Easter Eggs.... too much.

I love that I can dress my family in white, seersucker, and linen now.

I don't love creepy rabbits that hold my children, but apparently Woody does!

Easter 2014

(Gaines- 6 weeks//Woody-21 months)

Easter 2013

(Woody- 9 months)

On Saturday, we took Woody to his first Easter Egg Hunt. It was supposed to be at Chastain Park, but due to rain, it was moved to our church. About the time we got there, the power went out! The fellowship hall has lots of windows, so for the little ones, they just dumped eggs on the floor and let them go crazy. And it was crazy.

Hmm, what are these?

Hoarding eggs

Okay, I put these in my basket.

Or I will just put the eggs in other kids' baskets.

Saturday night, I spent some time at Urgent Care. Gaines has been going longer between feedings at night (yay!), but it caused me to develop mastitis (boo!) Luckily, the Urgent Care was pretty empty. I was in and out, got some antibiotics, and was fine for Easter morning!

2014

2013

I hosted Easter lunch. By hosting, I mean I ordered everything from Whole Foods (exactly what I did for Christmas too!) I highly recommend this option. I hope you had a Happy Easter with your family as well!

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' 

Luke 24:6-7

My Favorite Baby Products- The Second Time Around

First of all, I have to share Sister's post. To say I have admired her during this time is an understatement. I cannot imagine what it must be like to struggle with infertility. Emma handled the situation with faith, grace, honesty, and even humor. I think when you go through hard times, like infertility, it helps to know you are not alone.
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Gaines is seven weeks, and I have my favorite products. Many are the same as with Woody, but there are some newcomers to the mix...

PUJ Tub

I knew I wanted this before Gaines was born. I just didn't realize how awesome it would be. Gaines loves bath time, and I believe it is because of this! I can easily bathe him in the sink, which is much easier than bending over a tub (not that we have one or anything.) I can keep the water gently running over him, it keeps a small amount trapped in, and slowly lets the water drain out. Love, love, love.

Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Bouncer

I bought this with Woody, but he never loved it quite like Gaines. When all else fails, I can usually count on this to get him to sleep. I know everyone is all about the Mamaroo (and I am sure I would be too if I had one), but I love this for about a fifth of the price.

Summer Swaddle Me

You know I have sung my praises for the Miracle Blanket (here and here), and believe me, we still use it, but sometimes Gaines likes to switch things up on us and prefers to be swaddled with his hands on his chest. This swaddle allows him to do this. Now, he can usually break his hands out of it, which gives the Miracle Blanket an upper hand, but we are big fans of this one too.

Belly Bandit

When I was in the hospital recovering for my c-section, I started coughing and couldn't stop. If you have ever had a c-section, you know that sneezing, coughing, and laughing make you feel like your insides are going to come out of your incision. (TMI?) It was so bad, my family thought I was chocking because I was doubled over trying to control the pain. My doctor gave me the hospital version of the Belly Bandit, but my sweet friend, Catherine, let me borrow the real deal.

Get the real deal. It helps so much with the pain, plus, it helps tighten your tummy!! I feel like it really works too! I have been so impressed with this brand, I want this and this too!

Click here to see my favorite baby products the first time around, because I still adore all those products too!!

How We Met Todd Chrisley

Brooks and I are huge fans of the show Chrisley Knows Best. I think it is hilarious, plus it is cool that they live outside of Atlanta....

Last Friday, I was a bit panicked, because I had a shower on Saturday and had no gift. When Brooks got home, we loaded up the car with both boys and went to the mall. I wanted this to be very quick, as we were accompanied by a 1 year old and a 5 week old. We parked in the back/bottom part of Bloomingdale's and ran in to "quickly" get a gift. As I moved to my THIRD store, I finally found a gift that was available. (Apparently, not everyone procrastinated like me and got the good stuff.) Both boys were completely over it by the time I got the gift and had it wrapped. Oh, by over it, I mean Gaines was screaming his head off. We all but ran back to Bloomingdale's, to the very bottom floor to get out of there. And then, there he was...

...with Julie! And how cool was I?

via

It is amazing I didn't tackle him. I wanted to ask for a picture but didn't because:

a.) Gaines was screaming

b.) I was wearing maternity clothes five weeks after having a baby. Not proud.

They were both so nice and tried to soothe my screaming child. Being the stalker freak I am, I said, "He knows your voice! We watch you at 2:00 am!!"

(....cue awkward silence as Todd contemplates how quickly he can file a restraining order)

Then he said to me the #1 things you don't say to a woman with a crying baby,

"Aw, he's hungry."

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But I decided to forgive him since, well, he was. I know you were sitting on the edge of your seat for this post. But like my sister said, blogs are like our kids' baby books, and this event is definitely baby book worthy.

Gaines- One Month

Gaines Facts

• Weight: 12 lbs 1 oz (95th percentile)
• Height: 22.75 inches (95th percentile)
• Diaper Size: 1 (but not for long)
• Clothing Size: 3 month
• Sleep: For the most part, sleeps for 45 minutes-2.5 hours. He does well on the Eat-Wake-Sleep routine. Of course, he is a baby, so he didn't come perfectly programmed to this, but I am not complaining! He takes most of his naps in the bouncy seat or pack-n-play. I try to get him to take on nap a day in his crib. He sleeps in either his pack-n-play or crib at night.
• Eat: Nurses every 2-3 hours. He is a really good eater too. And he is very reliable when it comes to getting a big burp out of him.
• His hair is darker than Woody's. It is beginning to fall out, and I wonder what color it will end up being.
• He likes his bath time in his PUJ tub. I love this too, and plan on doing a post about my favorite baby products the second time around.
• He took his first road trip at three weeks. Brooks had to go out of town, so we went to Alabama to visit my mom and dad. He did well and took his first bottle like a champ!
• Also a fan of his bouncy seat
• Overall, Gaines is very laid back baby (hooray!) There are few things that he really dislikes, except when we let his big brother hold him. I am loving my maternity leave with him. Everyday I learn something new about his little personality!