Tummy Time and Rice Cereal

Normally Grayson despises tummy time, so when he was actually smiling I had to snap some pics!

Notice our Saint Bernard, Kaylee, in the background getting a whiff of Grayson’s tushy.  Yum!!!

This kinda looks like one of those old school photos where they had you look off into the distance.  Haha!

Such a little cutie!

Kaylee is always so concerned about Grayson.  Always coming over to check on him and give him a quick sniff to make sure everything’s ok.  They’re going to be best buddies as he grows up!

This past week Grayson had his first taste of rice cereal!!  My little boy is growing up too fast!  He was a little unsure of it at first, but soon he got the hang of how to eat from a spoon.  He’s only getting one small serving of organic brown rice cereal about an hour before bedtime for now, but as he gets older and his appetite grows, we’ll start adding some other foods little by little.

On Saturday we took a video of him eating cereal for the 3rd time.  He did much better than the first time, and was actually able to keep most of it in his mouth!

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, We’ve Got a Roller!

Grayson has figured out how to roll over from his tummy to his back!  He did it for the first time last week when Steve’s parents were here, but unfortunately, Steve didn’t get to see it, and since I wasn’t expecting it at the time, I wasn’t able to get pictures or video of it.

Well, he did it again today, and I just happened to have my camera handy!!  I was taking pictures of him on his tummy to show how well he can hold his head up, when he just rolled over!  And of course I snapped away!

I’m so proud!!!

Then when I put him back on his tummy, his buddy Lazarus decided to join him!

Lazarus: “Hey man, what’s up?”

Grayson: “Not much, just doin’ some tummy time.”

Lazarus: “Sweet!  Mind if I join you?”

Grayson: “Not at all!  It’s nice to have some company.”

Lazarus: “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have any leftover milk would you?  That stuff is delicious!”

Grayson: “No, and how would you know what it tastes like?”

Lazarus: “Ummm…..Hey, what’s that over there?”  *runs away*

(At least that’s how I think the conversation went)

Grayson also went for a walk in the big boy part of the stroller this week!  For 16 weeks old, he did great!  And he loved being able to look around at the scenery as we walked through the park.

Smokey House Rehab: The Finished Product!!!!!

After over a YEAR of procrastinating working on this house, I am happy to announce that it is finally FINISHED!!!!!!!  Between getting married and having a baby, this home rehab was really put on the back burner, but I’m so glad that it’s complete and ready to be put on the market!

It was quite a project, from all the trash we had to remove to the smoke damage that permeated the very bones of the house, there was so much to do!  If you are a new reader, or you need a refresher on what this house looked like when we started, I thought I’d show you some before and after pictures.  The transformation is amazing to say the least!

The Living Room:

Before

After

We removed the stinky, smoke filled carpet and replaced it with pretty laminate flooring.  We also painted all the trim and the fireplace with at LEAST two coats of white paint.  In some cases it took priming and then painting two coats to cover the yellow stained trim.  Steve painted the ceiling, and we hired a painter to paint all the walls in the house since some were several feet high.  We also replaced all the light fixtures in the house, including the outdoor lights.

The Kitchen:

Before

After

Before

After

At first we tried to salvage the white cabinets by scrubbing them with a bleach and water mixture.  While it looked like we were making some great progress and were really getting them clean, once the painter painted the kitchen, we realized that there was no way we’d be able to keep the existing cabinetry.  Against the white paint, the cabinets were quite yellow.  I’m so glad we replaced them, though, because the new cabinets and counters are beautiful!  We also installed brand new stainless steel appliances.  The stove still even has the protective blue plastic covering the stainless steel.

That vinyl floor was awful, and the new tile floor is beautiful and modern.

The Entryway:

Before

After

Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of the entryway before we ripped up the flooring, but you get the idea.

The Hallway:

Before

After

Ugh! That yellowed trim around the door still haunts me!

The Hall Bathroom:

Before

After

This bathroom probably required the least amount of work.  Don’t get me wrong, it was still grody, but compared to the rest of the house, I feel like it cleaned up pretty well with not as much effort.  We removed the vinyl and replaced it with tile, cleaned up the cabinets and counter and replaced the hardware, painted the walls, and of course CLEANED!!!

The Master Bedroom:

Before

After

The Master Bathroom:

Before

After

We basically did the same thing here that we did on the hall bathroom, but on a larger scale.

The 2nd Bedroom:

Before

After

The 3rd Bedroom:

Before

After

The bedrooms were pretty straight forward.  Clear out all the junk, rip out the carpet, paint the walls, ceiling, and doors, and replace the baseboards and the window screens.

The Bonus Room:

Before

After

This room above the garage (for any repair work call the expert garage door repair and installation in Arlington Heights who are the best in this field) could either be used as a bonus room or as a 4th bedroom.  It has an attached bathroom and closet.

The Backyard:

Before

After

There were two huge cedar trees that had to be cut down, and the lawn had to be completely dug up and replanted, since it was basically just overgrown weeds and vines.

The Front:

Before

After

We got rid of the vines hanging down from the roof, removed all the bushes, replanted the grass, and repainted the garage doors and front door.  Look at that curb appeal!

I can’t believe it’s finally done!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!