What’s in a Name?

Happy 4th of July weekend to all of my American friends!  We are celebrating quietly at home this year.  We might take the kids to a movie tomorrow afternoon before heading over to Erin’s house of The Little Things in Life.  While not a total washout, spotty thundershowers are predicted to move in and out of the area tomorrow, compliments of Hurricane Alex.

Today it is overcast and so the beginning of the remnants of Hurricane Alex are moving in as predicted.  Hopefully, I can take the little ones to the pool for a couple of hours as promised.

In the meantime, the kids and I worked on a craft project this morning.  A couple of weeks ago I purchased wooden letters and acrylic paint to add a touch of personalization to the boys’ shared bedroom.  Mary went to town with this project…Ben didn’t care so much.  He was content with painting just the letter “B”!

Mary painted not only Ben’s name letters, but her future baby brother’s name as well.  Interestingly, although she is a total mess (bedroom, mealtimes, craft areas, etc.) her ability to create “artistic masterpieces” never stops amazing me.  The quality of her work is always beautiful and precise…yet the process is like, well, like a hurricane blowing through!

Here is one of the finished products. You’ll have to wait until the 29th of July for the other name reveal! 

And I’m not sure if I ever shared this…

…Mary Catherine’s and then Benjamin’s changing table.  Very sad looking.  The weight of multiple babies/toddlers being changed over the years caused screws to loosen or fall out completely, the bottom shelf to warp, the white paint to chip…you get the idea!

So, I purchased a few cans of this…

…to transform to this…

…for the final outcome to look like this!

I *heart* spray paint…it is truly amazing!  I especially love how the fabric-lined wicker baskets pop against the black.  Very masculine indeed!

On Monday we are putting together the crib.  It is definitely vintage in its own right…MY 41-year old, Jenny Lind-style crib.  (I know, I know, you’re not supposed to use vintage, drop-side cribs.  BUT, in my defense, the research I did revealed that the “old” models (drop-sides made with metal piping instead of plastic) are safer than the models made in the 90s and 2000s.  Besides, I never drop the side because, um, it’s sort of “rusted” into place.  Nice, huh! If you do try to release the bar and drop the side, it makes the most horrendous screeching sound that not only wakes baby, but the dead as well! 

I do think, with all the recent news reports, that I am going to have our Mr. Fix-It, Jack-of-All-Trades handyman, figure out a way to secure the drop side so that we don’t have a preventable accident and after Baby Boy outgrows it, we will donate it to the landfill.  :(  So sad, but daycares and thrift stores will soon be prohibited from picking up and/or accepting these donated cribs, if they haven’t already. 

Now we are off to Babies R Us to shop for a new car seat/stroller travel system.  The one and only big purchase I need to make for this little blessing about to make his big debut.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,