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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Day #2 with MiMi & Paw-Paw

Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Mimi got to my house at 9:05 - I was finishing my bottle from mom, and dad was on a business conference call. I kissed them bye, and Mimi surprised me by taking me to Aunt Curl and Gigi's house... Beau was very excited to see me, but I didn't pay any attention to him. I had already fallen asleep in the car and just couldn't wake up - Aunt Curl and Gigi held me a little and then I laid on Gigi's big bed, but I really wanted to go back to sleep in my carseat, so Mimi and I hit the road back to her house. When we pulled into the garage, Paw Paw and Uncle Jared raced to see me and said, "Welcome to Paw Paw's house!" But it didn't phase me - I was sound asleep and slept in my carseat until 12:30. Paw Paw and Uncle Jared fed me 5 1/2 ounces and I did a big poop for Jared - he didn't seem to mind it at all, but Mimi cleaned me up and I felt better... I showed my talent by hiccupping and pooping at the same time. Mimi talked to me and I cooed and tried to imitate her sounds... I sat in my rocker a little but couldn't get comfortable, so Mimi wrapped me in my SwaddleMe and laid me down in my bed... I listened and watched the Great Barrier Reef screen and when the music stopped, I still wasn't asleep but wasn't fussing... but Mimi turned on some country music and I went to dreamland... I closed my baby blues around 2:30 and tried to wake up around 4:15... when Mimi picked me up and gave me my paci I returned to nodland... Mom & dad came about 4:20 & I heard them but thought I must be dreaming so slept until Paw Paw fed me at 4:50. I recognize voices from my mom and dad - that's for sure! Mom, dad, and I left for church a little after 6...
Paw Paw took a picture of me in one of his boots: "I was going to go hunting with Uncle Jared, but I couldn't get the other boot on"... ahhh, life is grand!


Uncle Jared gave me my bottle yesterday...



and here's my speech lesson withMimi...

I also found the singing Happy Bear that lights up,


put my fingers in my mouth,

and got a new hairdo from Mimi...

Coltons Days with Mimi & Paw Paw: Day #1

Colton has been staying with Ryans parents (mimi & paw-paw) 3 days a week since I went back to work January 11th. Mama Key does a journal entry of each stay Colton has with them. She emails this entry out along with pictures. My friends & family have gotten a kick out of these so I thought it would be nice to start posting them on my blog. This way, everyone can keep up with Colton on a weekly basis!
Monday, January 11, 2010
This was my first day to stay at Mimi and Paw Paw's house as mom returned to work at Engaged... she is excited that she gets to work at home rather than go to an office and sit behind a desk... and when she's excited, so am I! Mimi fed me 5 ounces at 11:45 and that filled my belly, and when I started crying at getting my diaper changed, Uncle Jared called me a baby and said I was too little to go out with him... but that's okay because I'll be big before he knows it! I liked the rocker that Mimi placed me in & I watched the lights on the television set for a while before I got a little fussy... then Mimi took the rocker into the warm kitchen where I fell asleep listening to The Fray and Sugarland. I slept until Paw Paw got home from Albertville around 3:15 - and when he picked me up, naptime was a thing of the past. I was really, really hungry and drank 5 ounces at 3:30... Mimi is learning when I am full as a tick because she didn't insist on making me drink the last drops when I gave her THAT look - you know what I mean?! I rode in my carseat with Mimi beside me back to my house where mama and daddy were waiting on me with open arms... ah, to be loved... is there anything better?!
Mom, have a great first day back at work with Engaged... you don't have to worry about anything... what happens at Mimi's and Paw Paw's stays at Mimi's and Paw Paw's...
I love you, mom and dad.
Colton C.
P.S. Uncle Jared wouldn't take me out with him... he said I was still a baby...
Paw Paw fed me a bottle...
and Mimi is teaching me syllables... what fun! I'm getting prepared for school!
I love you, mom and dad.
Love,Colton C.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Coltons Nursery!!!

FINALLY! I am posting pictures of Colts nursery! Some of you have been awaiting this moment. :) First off let me explain how this creation came about. I like to think of myself as a creative person...normally. Being pregnant makes you "unnormal" :). I had no creative juices while pregnant. And I especially didn't have any creative juices for a boy room...I wanted different but felt limited. You know they always have more cute stuff out there for girls than boys.
So..I got in touch with Mandy at HotHouse Design Studio http://hothousedesignstudio.com here in Birmingham. She advertises with the magazine I work for (Perfect Wedding Guide), so I knew her style & knew she could help me come up with something different! She came by the house & accessed my style (based on the rest of our decor throughout the house) & checked out our space for the nursery. I then told her my likes & dislikes. A week or so later she called me to meet & discuss the 3 ideas she came up with for me. They were all super cute ideas but mine & her favorite was this one that you see below. We call it "Aviary Sunshine". The inspiration is from the bedding material which is found on http://javisdavis.com. This particular fabric set is called Aviary Sunshine.
This is as you walk into the nursery. The painting on the right is from my friend Keri Southern. She has a friend who paints & had her paint it to coordinate with the room! Perfect huh?! The scripture painted on it is our "theme verse" for Colton, I Samuel 1:27 "For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him." I guess it should say For this child people all over the country prayed! Because that is the truth! We are so blessed to know so many who believe in the power of prayer.



These probably look repetitive but I am trying to be sure you can see every single thing. :) Glider chair to the right..we LOVE! Have to tell you that I got it at good 'ole Burlington Coat Factory for $250 bucks! That is cheap for those of you who haven't shopped around for an upholstered glider!

This book shelf we already had in our office & it's from IKEA. We went back to IKEA in Atlanta & bought the baskets & drawers that are made to fit this shelf. We then spray painted the baskets to match the room! My first time to experiment with spray paint for plastic, but it worked great on the 2 tan & 1 bright yellow plastic inserts. I LOVE childrens books so Colton has a good collection going already.

The crib! Okay...let me explain this oval crib. Again I don't want anything "normal". :) 5 years ago I was in Gulf Shores with Brooke at my in-laws Timeshare. While there, we went shopping at The Wharf. I was drawn into this baby store by the white ROUND crib I saw hanging from the CEILING in the center of the store. We went in & I couldn't believe it. I wanted that thing! I am typically a girl that knows what she wants. From the checklist in my purse that itemized what a guy had to be like in order to be my boyfriend :) to getting engaged & knowing exactly how I wanted my wedding! I knew I wanted a round crib of some sort. I never let go of that...years later I am finally preggers & I begin the hunt for a round crib. In the end it wasn't the actual one I saw at that store in Gulf Shores, b/c that one was Corsican which is very expensive and it was too frilly for a boy. But I did find this Oval crib which really is even better...because that was the most unique shape I had seen! It's a Stokke crib & I got if off of http://landofnod.com . Sidenote...my original plan was to hang it from the ceiling (even though everyone thought I was crazy), but our nursery is very small. In order to hang it from the ceiling it really looks best in the center of the room which would have made the room cramped. But..one day I would like to have a swing in my living room. Not this house, but maybe when we build one day. :)

If you know me hardly at all then you know I LOVE animal prints. So..Colton got orange leopard printed sheets. :) The awesome seamstress who made all my bedding (including the special oval sheets) ;) is my bosses Aunt, Kathy. She is for hire! Let me know if you need some stuff made. She also made my valance which you can see in other pictures. She did an impecable job! I wouldn't put her on here if I didn't feel comfortable recommending her.
OH! The closet! As you can see it is VERY small. Old house...small closets...gotta' make due. Thankfully, I was told by Brooke that her friend bought this cool thing from Babies R Us, a bar that has a chain that hangs from your top rod. Then you have two rods to hang clothes from. *note: the chain & bar are plastic. When you have lots of clothes to hang from this plastic the chain wants to break away from the bar. But no worries, bust out your clear strapping tape & it's fixed and even better...no one will notice..it's clear!*
Okay..so Colton is very blessed to have his cousin Mason who is 2 yrs old & his cousin Eli who is 1 yr old. They both passed down their clothes, bibs, shoes, hats, you name it we got it! Do you see all those bibs to the right on the top bar? I've never seen so many bibs! Oh & the clothes in his closet right now are just sizes 0-3 months! I have purged all the newborn stuff & am about to add in 3-6 months! Where on earth will I put it all!
This wooden painted sign is from our great friends back in Pensacola, Eric & Kristen Smith. Well...really this particular gift is from Eric. Kristen got me my favorite Petunia Pickle Bottom :) diaper bag & hosted my Pensacola baby shower. So Eric saw this plaque a few years ago when we were struggling to get pregnant & the whole world started praying. He told Kristen he had to get that for us. He just knew our prayers would be answered & I would be pregnant one day. Of course, at the time he couldn't buy it because he wouldn't know what color scheme to get, girl? or boy? He took note of the company & once I was preggers, ordered it for us. When I opened this at my shower & read the note Eric wrote on the package for us telling this story I cried & so did everyone else! He's so thoughtful!
I love that verse in the green, Luke 2:40.
Random...but that box of size 3 diapers is not what Colt is wearing, he's in 1's. But I bought those because I got a $20 box of diapers for $12.50 by using 3 different coupons at Publix! I love beating their high price system...buy it on sale & use coupons at the same time!
This picture is to show the room darkening shade we got recently. Colton was not napping is well as I would like so my brother suggested making the room darker. Well...I ran right out to Wal-mart & for $30 got one of these plastic old timey shades. :) It sure did the trick though! This shade is supposed to roll up when I don't want to look at it, but it's a little ghetto & doesn't cooperate in that way. :) But I don't really ever need it up anyways b/c the only time Colt is in there is when he's sleeping.
Changing table area & our picture frame with 12 bubbles. We are taking a picture of Colton each time he turns another month old. By 12 months we'll have this frame full of his progression from 1 month to 12 months!


His 1st & 2nd month pics. Just slightly chubbier in that 2nd month! :)
I wanted pictures of Ryan & I as kids in Coltons room so we can see who he is looking like as he grows. This is Ryan at 2 yrs old. Isn't he adorable!
This is me at 2 yrs old.

So the main reason I really liked this room theme was not only the color scheme but the tree idea the interior decorator had. This is a family tree. My wonderful cousins Dawn & Savannah Morris and Terri Bain came up one weekend & painted this for me. A friend of my brothers, Richard Worth, drew it out & the cuz's painted it. I LOVE how it turned out! They were all so sweet to help me out with this.

So in the trunk is a frame to look like a knot in the tree. This is the center of Coltons family tree, Ryan & I.

On the left side of the tree you have Coltons Mimi & Paw Paw Key (Butch & Bev).


Then, you have Coltons Uncle Chad & Aunt Christi (Prissy) :) Key. Now that Christi's pregnant with Lindsey, we'll have to change out their photo soon to include her. :)


This is Uncle Jared, who one day will have to get his pictured changed out when we find him a wonderful Christian girl to marry! :)
On the right side of the tree trunk is this empty frame. This frame will have a picture of Coltons Grandpa Hinote (my dad, Andy) & his Heavenly Grandma Hinote (my mom, Barbie). Since Colton won't get to meet my Mom until he gets to Heaven I wanted to be sure he knew her. That is why this family tree idea was my favorite! It allowed me to incorporate my mom so Colton would "know" her. I don't have a digital version of a picture of my parents so that's why I don't have one in there yet. I am going home this weekend & will hunt for one that I can scan to put in here.
Then, you have my Aunt Holly & Uncle Kevbo (Kevin) :). Cousin Eli should be in this picture, but I need to get one of the 3 of them.
Uncle Jerry (Jeremy) :), Aunt Lauren & Cousin Mason hang here & that completes the family tree! If I were to continue to branch out amongst great grandparents, great aunts, uncles etc etc...if you know my family you know that would take up the whole nursery! So..I had to draw the line. :)
Just a few other snapshots of the room...this is a drawer full of hats! I LOVE putting cute hats on Colton..I have to take advantage of it while I can! Before long, he'll be able to pull it off or cry when I put it on.

His cousins blessed him with LOTS of socks!
And SHOES!
Oh MY! And YES..he has worn a bunch of them.
And I couldn't leave out his awesome pair of cowboy boots Auntie Brooke got him. He's gonna' love these! I hope he is like most boys who love their cowboy boots & want to wear them with everything! even shorts! I'd let him! That's adorable to me.
This is a precious, precious, gift from my co-worker, Katie Calhan. She found out my pantone colors for Colts room & got matching paint & painted this little rocking chair for him! She did an awesome job! It looks so cute in his room & he will love this. I remember loving Grandma & Grandpa Hinotes olive green rocking chair like this one!



Talk about attention to detail! How cute is this sweet note on the bottom!
For now, this is who uses his rocking chair. :) His cool & so cute Koala Bear back pack from Australia! Ryans cousin Garrett lives over there & sent this to Colt. I love that the little Koala even comes out so he can play with it!


Well, that's all for now! I still have to hang some more stuff on the walls & get letters spelling COLTON to put on top of his white bookshelf. I'll post when that is up! Hope you enjoyed it! Sorry it took me months to get this posted.
~Happy Mom