Getting Seuss-ed!

As many know, we've recently moved to a new house.  We started talking it up to Kevin to get him excited about the move and ease any transition anxiety.
We planned to move Kevin from his converted crib into a real bed with the move, so decided to really talk up how exciting it would be for him to get a brand new bedroom.  We gave him several options for the design: Cars, Mickey Mouse, dinosaurs, rocket ships, pirates....and he chose Dr. Seuss. 

After lots of searching, and not wanting the room to look like the great doctor vomited his paraphenalia all over the room, I found some Dr. Seuss ABC sheets, a couple of themed pillows, and a striped comforter that looks like the Cat in the Hat's hat.

I also found removable wall decals with Dr. Seuss characters, and had a quote designed for the wall above the bed.

Less than a week after moving in, the room was painted in the colors Kevin chose (it was originally a disgusting shade of pink), and the walls were decorated.

I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with myself and how it came together.  I love it when I have a vision and it actually turns out that way I saw it in my head!

Now.....just to get the other rooms in the house done....

 View of the newly painted wall, and quote above the bed.

 Vinyl wall decals with Dr. Seuss characters.

 The full set up (kid included)

The finished  big boy bed



Party Planning

Flash back to January 2012:   Warning from my husband, "Don't let this party get out of control."

He was referring to my son's 3rd birthday party.  Knowing how things went down for the 2nd birthday party, I do admit that he has reason for concern.  Afterall, that was an AMAZING party, and he knows my ultra-competitive spirit forces me to compete even with myself!

I'm going to save details of the 3rd birthday bash for another blog post, but am going to create a "benchmark" in this blog.  So reflecting back to April 2011.....the second birthday party....

Theme: Rock N Roll
Invitations:  Guitar cut-outs inviting friends and family to come and Rock N Roll with the birthday boys. (Kevin shared his party with his BFF, Alex, as their birthdays are only one day apart.)
Venue: Clubhouse at local Country Club
Entertainment: Mr. Marc the Music Man (a popular figure in the toddler circles) and decorate-your-own guitars for the kids
Cakes:  One guitar shaped cake, and one drum shaped cake
Food: 3 ft sub, meatballs, ziti, chicken nuggets, chips
Favors: Guitar bags filled with inflatble guitars, bubbles shaped like microphones, rock n roll tattoos, whistles, and rock star sunglasses.
Guests: 50 people, friends and family

It took two hours to set up, and three cars to haul presents home.  We have videos of Mr. Marc that Kevin still watches one year later. 
We coordinated his birthday portraits to include a guitar. 
Overall, one of the best parties that we've ever been to - but still a chance to top it for the 3rd birthday celebration!

 All of the kids decorating their own guitars.

 Alex's guitar birthday cake.

 The favor bags plus custom printed M&Ms for the adults.

 Kevin's guitar birthday cake.

 The table decorations (of course, guitar shaped bowls of M&Ms on every table!)

Front row seats to Mr. Marc.



The Nanny Diaries...

As many know, we made the decision not to put Kevin back in daycare after his femur fracture.  There's too many risks right now, and the large classroom didn't fit our vision for what is right for him right now.
So I decided to look for a nanny to come to our home and stay with him during the day. 
There were a few things that were very important to us when selecting our nanny:
1 - Must have at least an associate's degree in early childhood education
2 - Must be willing to take on an energetic toddler who needs some special attention
3 - Can do playtime and classroom time
4 - Gives our son the support he needs at home, and is NOTHING like us

Kevin gets a lot of our personality at home, so finding someone who is opposite from us will give him a different kind of nurturing.
We were lucky to find someone who met all of our needs.  Sarah is an ESU grad, who spent years teaching 3 to 5 year olds in early intervention programs.  When the state of PA cut funding, she was laid off, and is currently going back to school in the evening for her masters.
As I tell people about her, I find my refering to her as "our nanny" and I gotta tell you, it feels very weird to say that.  It is a pretty significant expense, and therefore implies that we have a lot of money (which we don't!).  Talking about "our nanny" also feels a little snobby, but referring to her as "the babysitter" doesn't give her the credit for the work she doing to continue her education.
I'm also SO aware of what she thinks of us.  I read the book and saw the movie, and I don't want to be "Mrs. X" to her!  So as much as I want to be her friend, I also realize that she's kind of an employee.  It's an interesting dynamic that I didn't think about before deciding to go down the nanny route. 
I'm sure it's all in my head, because she seems very comfortable with us, our friends, and in our home.  I guess what I should go for is to make her part of our little family since she is spending so much time with the most important family member.