Updated Bathroom

When we moved in I knew the bathroom would need attention sooner than later. Five years in, we finally got to it. It just needed a new floor that was waterproof instead of the original 1920's wooden subfloor. The vanity was literally crumbling and curling at the base, so I figured we would replace that when it was removed to redo the floor. Last year we put in a new set of mirrors/cabinets because our family of five quickly outgrew the single medicine cabinet.  

(Unfortunately, a before picture was forgotten.) our fantastic landlord is very handy, and he had tile left from redoing the kitchen floor 14 years ago, so we used that. I love that both rooms match.  

The vanity has two full drawers so the plumbing had to be adjusted. It's a bit tricky to put in Swedish plumbing in America.  

Now is the fun part of putting a few cute things on the shelves. I'm sticking with the gray/white/green color scheme since we have all the towels already. I still haven't found anything I like otherwise. I like the idea of a strip of press-on backsplash behind the sink. 

More Happenings

 

Reacted to his first table food. Red Pepper hummus. He loved eating it. Dang it. He still has more foods he can eat than both my big boys combined at this age, so it's just a hiccup.  

Family Game Afternoon! Mostly games we had never played so it was fun to find some new ones! Lewis liked all of them. Augustine was a really good sport and participated. 

Augustine liked Mouse Trap (new version) the most. Confirmation that I will never buy it. So. Annoying. Because no kid wants to actually play the game. They just want to trigger the trap over and over, and who can blame them? It's cool!  

Met the best school friend's new baby sister. Augustine just LOVES babies. And really, look at how cute she is!!! 

Max has settled into our family since joining us on Christmas. Lewis and Grandma Susan made him his own bed and blanket. Max is pleased as punch. 

 We tried coloring. Um...no.

I made a house area downstairs (laundry, babies, kitchen, dining area) when we made room for the Winter Energy Release Gym.  

Lewis was SO tired yesterday but, of course, would NEVER admit it. We cuddled a lot and watched more tv than usual. Whatever. No one melted down (me included). 

 

I have never in all my years of preschooling seen a 4 year old master watercolor paints. Until now. Perfect paint/water ratio, rinsing of the brush between colors, and zero frustration. I couldn't believe it! 

Large Motor area for the winter win. They have been jumping/crashing for a week now, so they have beeen giving wrestling a try on the crash pad. We have had ball pit balls for quite a few years now but needed a bigger pit for growing boys, which came yesterday.  

Lewis insists he likes yogurt, but doesn't. He ate about 3 spoonfuls and that was it. That didn't stop me from taking a photo for Aunt Beth and texting her "He is in for the night!" If you don't know that reference then you need to YouTube Ellen Degeneres Gogurt. You won't be disappointed.  

Lewis whispers everything he is thinking. He found this GIANT box of chocolates at my parents house. I heard him from the kitchen when he whispered

Yeez ah weel? I sink yeez ah weel candy!!!

Yeah, kid. Those are real Swiss chocolates, and there better still be some in that box once I'm off this nursing diet. 

Happenings

 

Logan got our family a really nice chess set (maybe I already posted about this?!) and has been teaching the boys to play. 

I've never had a baby who chooses to sleep on his tummy, let alone one that doesn't puke due to this position. Always with the blanket, this one.   

Lewis likes to play laundry quite often. We made a clothes line too. 

 Sometimes these two are just the cutest together.  

We looked into gymnastics classes and they were expensive for not much class time. So we decided to make our own sensory gym downstairs. All the boys, 24/7 access. Win.  

My lunch date. We had Elias' 9 month photos taken, so while they were printed we enjoyed warm soup and a sandwich. He wanted to sit by a window, and then proceeded to people watch. He had a lot of thoughts on things happening outside.  

We also got a crash pad to go with the trampoline. So much energy release. More sanity for me.   

Had lots of fun at Trivia Night for our parish! We came in 16th out of I think 27, but won third place for our Scrabble/St. Teresa themed table decor! I also won $10 for singing a song from The Sound of Music. Another gal sang at the same time as me and she had a great voice, so it kind of seems like I played half the game but still got the whole snow cone. Logan couldn't believe I did it, but why not? It was for TEN dollars! Do you know how many projects I can do with that?!

9 Months

 

Elias is nine (and almost a half) months old. He is walking about 6 steps or more at a time, regaining his balance mid-walk, and gracefully mowing my entire house. The mower is the perfect walking assistant. He is eating a lot of foods...I've never had a kid able to eat so much variety without reacting. I don't think the red pepper hummus went over very well though...he LOVED it but his back broke out in a crazy rash, and his cheeks followed the next day. 

 He is very conversational with his baby-talk, and likes to "sing" with his brothers in the car or at Mass or when any household appliance is running loudly. He gives soft touches to your face when you say "Elias, give niiiiiiiice touches!" in your most annoying happy sing-song voice. He adores his brothers and wants to do what they are doing. He takes naps in cribs/travel beds. Yep, you read that right...I have a half way normal sleeper. *knock on wood* His blanket and binki are still the magic combo and I hope it stays that way for a while longer.  

The house is baby proof with gates and outlet covers and Legos are stored away. Elias will eat anything that has fallen under the table, so I sweep more times a day than I care to, but my new mop is pretty fun to use! When the boys come home from school and Daddy comes home from work they are all Elias wants. He's a happier baby now that he has tubes in his ears, and a bit more sleep at night...albeit in my armpit. For the first time, I find myself soaking in the smell of his freshly bathed head as he falls asleep next to me, and wishing away the sleepless nights less. He has his hard days, but his easy days totally out number them. That's a first for a Burda baby, and I'm so grateful. 

Found It

I knew it was out there somewhere...the perfect binki string. Isn't it great when you find that thing that you've been looking for?! Especially when it's a baby gadget that makes life go a little more smoothly. 

Yep. I bought three. One for the car, stroller, and his shirt. 

The clips haven't worn out (unlike the metal ones...one wrong move and they suddenly don't grip anymore. Why?!), and it doesn't take 10 minutes to get the binki attached because the loop is elastic, elastic people! Brilliant! I can even take the binki off of the string while it's in my baby's sleeping mouth. That's something. Because isn't it always the case that they fall asleep with the binki on the string and that's not safe in the crib? That's my experience. 

So, a BIG thank you to the brilliant mom behind:

 

Order a binki string at mimi.and.lu.makes@gmail.com...and ask about all her fabulous products!

Kitchen QT

  

Lewis has had a lot of quality time in Grandma Susan's kitchen lately. It's always a surprise as to what they've made when I pick him up! Lewis is very thoughtful when it comes to my diet, so there's usually a dairy free option for me...which is awesome!  

Christmas #5

 We enjoyed dinner and gifts with Grandpa Burda, and got one of the best photos to date of the Burda boys!!!