#HomeByOakley Home Tour | Gracyn's Room

My biggest gal's room got a bit of a refresh a few weeks ago! I'm super happy with how it turned out; it's colorful but not overwhelming. Girly, but hopefully not to "babyish" so that she's happy with it for years to come. She could probably stand a few more things hung up on the walls but for now, I'm calling it good! 

I picked out a few things and put together this post as inspiration and a jumping off point. A few good sales at Target and some furniture rearranging is basically all it took to give Gracyn a bit more play space in her room and free up the double bed for when we transition Leighton out of her crib.

Originally, we had set up the bed on the opposite wall (where her dresser used to be) but after one night, G wanted it back by the window so she could "see the hallway". It's where her old bed was so I can't blame the girl for wanting to sleep in a familiar place while she got used to her new twin bed.

The headboard is made of reclaimed wood and was put together by Axel Co, a local Kansas City company. I snagged it last year from one of their Instagram sales. Her little nightstand was a find from Bella Patina and her dresser used to be part of Justin's old bedroom set. I had painted it two years ago for G's big girl room at our old house.

comforter/sham set // blanket // sheets // lamp // sound machine // slippers (similar)

Her bookshelves are IKEA spice racks painted white - they work perfectly. My mama made her "birth" sign with all of her stats and things like that on a 11x14 (I think) canvas. 

I found blackout curtains for the girls' rooms at Lowes of all places about a month or so after we had moved in. On clearance, too! Since they only have one window in each of their rooms, I purchased on neutral gray set and split them up so it can now stay dark 24/7 if we want it to! ;)

I was searching high and low for this metal cart on wheels from IKEA but they must not make this color any more. Luckily, Michael's has one that is basically identical. Well, except for the price. I saved a 50% off coupon and scooped it up one day, which brought it down to IKEA's $29.99 price tag. I love it and might need one in every room of the house.

Bean bag for the win! The kids take turns jumping all over it so I'm sure it'll pop or be ruined in a matter of time but they both love it so far!

I'm not one to enter Hobby Lobby and leave empty handed... too many goodies screaming, "make me into a gallery wall, lady!" 

Gracyn helped me take the pictures for this post and needed to pose with her friends. Never mind that it was past lunchtime and we were still in our jammies...

Leighton's room and the baby's room are next up on my list. Can't wait to get started planning the nursery once we find out if we're having a boy or girl! 10 days to go, but who's counting!?!

Other home tour posts:

Family Room
Playroom
Holiday Home Tour
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Baby Ramblings

We heard our sweet babe's heartbeat again yesterday! This kid likes to move and dart away from the doppler any chance he/she gets. My doctor was, thankfully, able to get a couple of good readings and we heard some nice, loud, strong sounds coming from in there! Heart rate was in the mid 130s which had slowed wayyyy down since last month. The girls were NEVER that slow but the doctor assured me it was normal.

The fact that it was so noticeably different makes me think it's a boy. Well that, and the fact that I pounded a brat the other night in about a minute and a half. It tasted sooooo good. I'm not normally a huge brat fan - they're just OK to me - but man alive, it was heaven. Ha!

I'm already almost 19 weeks - that's basically half way. We've barely started preparing for a new infant but I did finally pull the trigger on a new jogging stroller. Because I do so much jogging. Not really {like, none at all...} but I do think they're so much easier to steer and control. I've wanted one since Gracyn was born and always recommend a jogger over a regular travel system if a friend happens to ask my opinion. The one I found just happened to be on super sale a few weeks ago and came with a new carseat/base so I couldn't pass it up.

"nice touches..." 

I also happened to call our insurance the other day to verify some amounts on a nice little "estimation of charges" that came in the mail and was informed that I'll get a brand new breast pump after the little one is born. It made me weirdly excited. Not because I love to hook my boobs up to a machine several times a day but excited about the fact that I get to try to breastfeed again.

That sounds really strange coming from me because in the past, I've had a very public love/hate relationship with breastfeeding. I mean, hello, I've blogged about my boobs no less than 4 times... (here, here, here and here). I might have a problem, actually...

Anyway...

You'd think by my third child I'd have it all figured out but newsflash - I so don't. Every kid is so different therefore each experience is different. Shortly after Leighton quit nursing I read this article and for the first time felt just a tad guilty that I didn't try to nurse her past the 6-month mark. It wasn't all-consuming guilt or anything like that but I did kind of have a shift in thinking regarding the whole breastfeeding thing. I didn't love it the first two times around and I don't know if I'll love it the 3rd time around, either, but I'm trying to be optimistic.

drunk on love. or milk.

And if it doesn't work out, I won't beat myself up because there are a ton of options out there if we end up having to formula-feed. We have 5 birth announcements hanging on our fridge, meaning 5 new babies have been born into our circle of family and friends the in the recent months. Some are brand new mamas, others welcomed baby #2, but all of them have made feeding decisions based on their personal experiences.

Breastfeeding came natural to some and others had to work at it. Hard. It is hard work. And it's so hard to not beat yourself up when it doesn't work out as planned but it's also important to remember one option doesn't work for everyone.

The science behind breastfeeding is amazing but I think it's also incredible that science has been involved in developing alternatives that are designed to mimic breastmilk so every mama can do what's best for them and their precious babe.

Check out The Honest Company for all things baby (feeding, diapering, bathing and more!). They have products to keep the mamas happy and healthy as well!

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Five on Friday | Sick {Again}

Happy Friday!

{ONE}

I'm excited for the weekend - who isn't?! - but I also need everyone to get healthy. I started typing this out at 5:42 AM while I waited for Gracyn to either throw up again or have to use the potty. She has some sort of stomach bug that's been lingering since Wednesday and I am so. over. it.  I thought we were in the clear yesterday - she had kept food down since Wednesday mid-morning and never ran a temp or anything like that. But she still wasn't 100%. 

You haven't lived as a parent until you have to describe diarrhea to a worried four year old. Suuuuuper fun I tell you. #sogross

She randomly woke up at 4 AM this morning and had thrown up so we're back to square one. I'm definitely done with the month of March. The kids and I have been sick on and off for 3 weeks now and I can't hang anymore. Ready to feel "normal" - cold and flu germs can get the eff out. The rest of my day will consist of laundry, disinfecting the entire house (again) and a trip to Target for pedialyte (for G) and candy (for me) since I can't drink to cope with this nastiness.

She doesn't look sick, does she!?! In fact, she looks like she's 17 years old and I about died when I saw this picture. SHE'S SO OLD.

In other news...

{TWO}

18 weeks with Baby #3! We find out gender (finally!) two weeks from Monday and I'm leaning towards boy. I also thought the other two girls were boys so my intuition is usually dead wrong. I won't be placing any bets. So excited to get a peek at this babe and make sure they're growing as they should.

{THREE}

We are now a two-vehicle family once again. Justin found a good deal on a 2010 Ford F-150 pickup truck and his life is now complete. ;) I tried to convince him to go the nice family sedan route but it was a no-go. He's wanted a truck (other than his work truck that's full of tools and equipment and basically useless after working hours...) for a long time now so he wins. It's a nice truck that will last us a very long time and will come in handy as our family grows. We took a family cruise earlier this week to grab free ice cream cones at Dairy Queen. You know, before the vomiting started.

{FOUR}

New truck means a nice new (strict) budget for all the things but these shoes might need to come home with me... 

I wear my Converse Shorelines all the time and these look very similar. Might have to move some funds around... ha!

{FIVE}

Anyone else tired of the random Instagram comments that show up on your posts? I guess that's what I get for using hashtags bit the robo-responses are so ridiculous. I could post something about my kid barfing all over me and get a comment that reads "Your page rocks!" or "Beautiful photo!" with the starburst emoji. I mean, it just doesn't make sense! I try to respond to people who take time to comment or ask questions on my posts but I never know what to do with those ones..

Anyway, cheers to the weekend! And hopefully no more sickness!

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Spring Break

From sun to snow and back again! The girls and I got back from a quick trip up north to Sioux Falls to see my parents during Gracyn's little spring break from school. I took the last half of the week off and we managed to get up there in time for supper on Wednesday night. Justin had to work so he stayed behind with Rufus - we missed him, though! We (or I..) did NOT miss the Rufus... 

My parents had gotten 5 inches of snow a few days earlier and it was still on the ground when we arrived. Gracyn had a chance to go sledding and frolic around with her cousins. Papa even took them on a hike. The snow had pretty much melted by Friday and warmer temps stuck around for the rest of the weekend.

I was able to meet up with some of my high school girlfriends on Thursday night and meet the two new baby boys that joined the group earlier this year. Not gonna lie, it made me pretty excited to snuggle a newborn come August. Sweet little babies! And it was SO good to catch up with some of my besties. 

Isla & Jack had to go home on Friday so while my parents were transporting them south, I took the girls to the Butterfly House and Aquarium to kill some time. It's a cute little place. Leighton hated the butterflies flying around her head (shocker! not really; the girl hates snow, too...) but it was pretty fun to see them all swirling around. 

We headed to Falls Park on Saturday morning and then downtown for some lunch dessert at CH Patisserie. Holy yum.

The St. Patrick's Day parade was about to start as we were heading out. I crushed a certain 4-year old's dreams when I told her we couldn't stay to watch. Leighton was one French macaron away from a meltdown so we had to get back to Grandma and Papa's house.

The girls stayed with my parents on Saturday night while I met a couple of friends for drinks downtown. And by drinks I mean one smelly non-alcoholic beer that I could barely drink. We chatted for a solid two hours and called it a night at 10pm. It was the best. :)

We made it home to daddy by late Sunday afternoon and it's back to reality today. It's pretty warm in KC today but I refuse to turn on the air, even if it's the first official day of Spring!

The drive up and back with just me and the kids went pretty well considering I was a man short. They traveled pretty well but I'm not sure if I'm up for the solo drive again anytime soon. We'll make the trip again in late April but Justin gets tag along for that one. It'll be nice to have an extra set of hands on deck to fetch snacks and toys and books for the 6-hour drive!

Five on.... Monday Night

Better late than never, I suppose. I had every intention of posting this last week (and then again this weekend) but time got away from me!

{ONE}

We've been a sickly house for the last week and a half and I'm so over it! I battled what I would consider the worst head cold I've ever had. I was so miserable on top of taking care of both girls who were also snotty and coughing and high maintenance. I'm so glad we're all on the mend!

{TWO}

I barely got dressed but I managed to take a 16-week photo. Leighton is for sure still in her jammies but she was a good helper.

{THREE}

This girl woke up at 7 AM on Sunday morning (6 AM "real time" if it weren't for daylight savings time...) so we had a good hour or two to ourselves before the rest of the house woke up. She is NEVER up that early. Case in point - she slept until 11:15 this morning. She's a teenager disguised as a two year old, I swear.

{FOUR}

We're watching our neighbor's fish while they're gone on Spring Break this week and the girls are obsessed. Leighton screams every time she sees him swim around his little home. In addition to being a closet teenager, she's also a legit climber....

{FIVE}

Car shopping with toddlers is THE WORST. We've been a one-car family for almost 2 years. Van life is the best life, right?! Justin drives a work truck during the week so we really didn't have a use for a second vehicle, especially since I started working from home. We sold his old Monte Carlo and figured we'd get another car down the road. As the kids have gotten older, we've run into a few scenarios here and there where life would be easier if we had two cars (that fit the appropriate amount of car seats) so we started looking around this weekend.

While Justin browsed, we killed the time with Snapchat filters, obvi.

Happy Weekend Monday Rest of the Week!

#HomeByOakley | Inspiration for Gracyn's Room (Version 2.0)

Phase One of "Get Ready for Baby" commenced this last weekend. We started revamping Gracyn's room by switching out her full bed, which will eventually be put in Leighton's room, for a twin bed. We moved her dresser to the same wall as her bed which gave her a ton more space for "fun" stuff - more toys, books and stuffed animals in her room instead of thrown around the house. 

I had purchased a twin headboard from a local Kansas City company over a year ago. We had no use for it at the time but I saw them selling it on Instagram and couldn't pass it up; it was also a great deal. And made of reclaimed wood. I needed it! We picked it up one night and immediately put it in storage for a later date. 

When we moved into our new home last summer, we bought a twin bed for our guest room in the basement. So, when the "Great Bed Switch-a-Roo of 2017" started last weekend, we were finally able to move the headboard upstairs and pair it with the twin bed. 

Here's a little inspiration for the rest of Gracyn's room!

I gave myself a $150 budget because she truly doesn't need much for her room. I knew we would need to get bedding but beyond that, everything else was more than a "want" versus a necessity. My thought was to give her a reading nook or some more storage so she can keep some toys up there. Eventually I know she'll enjoy playing up in her room, whether it be with friends or her siblings (I can dream, right?!) or enjoy some quiet time by herself so I wanted her to have the space to do that. 

The twin bed itself freed up a bunch of room so I feel like we're on the right track. She's super excited for her bean bag to arrive, which is pretty much the last piece of the puzzle for this little project. Luckily, a lot of what we had on her walls from her "first" big girl room still worked with the color scheme and things like that. 

1. Bedding // There were several comforter and bedding sets that I liked. We ultimately picked this one because the colors worked and it was less than $25 dollars on sale. Target for the win.

2. Lamp // Another Target item, which is a definite theme here. Like most, Target is my love language.

3. Reclaimed Wood // This is kind of what the headboard looks like. I put a sneak peek on Instagram the other day, though, if you want to check it out!

4. Accent Pillow // She can either keep it on her bed or on her little bean bag chair. Most likely, it'll end up on the floor.

5. ABC Print // Found this on Pinterest awhile back but I'm thinking I could make and print something similar on my own.

 6. Rolling Cart // This article nailed it - I need one of these little carts in every room of the house...

7. Circle Shelf // I've been eyeing this shelf for quite sometime. Whether it ends up in G's room or the nursery, it is coming home with me one of these days!

8. Book Shelves // These shelves are actually already in her room. A great Ikea hack that I'm sure you've seen all over Pinterest.

9. Let Her Sleep Print // I've had this quote in G's room since she was a little baby. My mom made a little canvas with this saying on it with wooden letters but it's since been destroyed by tiny hands. She offered to make a new one so I'm excited about that!

10. Bean Bag Chair // G sat in this one in the store and wanted to bring it home. I waited to purchase until the other day because it's on sale. Scored it in Daydream Pink for less than $35!

11. Canopy // I haven't fully committed to the canopy but it would be a pretty sweet detail to add to a corner of the room. Gracyn would love it; Leighton would swing on it like a monkey until it was ripped from the ceiling. We'll see... ;)