Living Room Plans

 This is what our living room currently looks like:

We haven't done much to it.  We painted it, and we bought a rug.

This is what it looked like when we moved in:

Our house is a little house.  There's no space for a playroom, or bonus room, man cave, mom cave or wine cave....well, maybe a wine cave.

We do have a tiny spare bedroom that we're currently using as an office.  But someday that might need to become a real bedroom if we decide to expand our family.  So, needless to say, we're going to be spending a lot of time together in our little living room over the next thirty years or so.

Therefore, it's important to me that we make this room comfortable, functional, and beautiful.

I've been spending the past few months evilly plotting all the wonderful things I want to do with this room.

First, we want to install built-in shelving and cabinets along the interior wall.  This would allow us to gain some much-needed storage space. (Our old house does not have too many closets.)  We'd be able to hide away Maddie's toys and Eric's abnoxiously vast CD collection. And, I think it would add some character to the room as well.

Here's some pinsperation for you:

Source: None via Summer on Pinterest

Source: None via Summer on Pinterest

Source: None via Summer on Pinterest

And here's what it would look like in our house....sorta...

Well, you get the idea.

I'd also like to install some crown and base moulding around the room to finish it off and help fill in some gaps.

We also would like some new furniture.  There's really nothing wrong with our couch, but while it looked great in our industrial loft apartment, it just doesn't fit right in our new home.

Finally, I'm agonizing over some bright and lively fabrics for curtains, pillows, etc. to add some color into the place.  So many pretty things to choose from, so few rooms to decorate...

Here are a few of my favorites:

 Yes, this is obviously going to be a lengthy process.  But someday, we'll have a living room we'll really be proud of.

Wordless Wednesday

The Maddie Bear must be hitting a growth spurt, because in the words of her teachers, "She's been eating like a piggy."

 I love it when Madeline eats everything in sight!!! It's so much nicer than when she throws everything to the floor and cries....la blissful sigh.

Eating yogurt with a spoon at Panera where we met Dada for a dinner date last night:

The Plague

I haven't been blogging recently because the plague had decided to take up residence in my lungs.

Remember when you were a kid and being sick was half-way awesome because it meant you got to stay home from school, your mom made you soup, and you got to watch all the television you wanted???

Well, being sick as an adult is nothing like that.

Sure, I got to stay home from school, my mom brought me some soup, and I watched several really terrible chick-flicks on Netflix Watch Instantly.... (And read Game of Thrones and half of Clash of Kings because there's no denying I'm a HUGE nerd.)....okay, so maybe it is still half-way awesome.

EXCEPT!  Except...I have a child now, and there's nothing worse than a sick baby.  And this one?  This one's a doozie.

So far, (may the Internet Gods strike me) Madeline has not shown any signs of catching my plague.  But I really miss freely cuddling her, showering her with kisses, and stealing half of her food directly from her fork.

Someday soon I will be well again, and I can smooch the Maddie Bear all I want.

Maybe I'll also feel up to blogging again....maybe.

Slankets...Ha.

I still can't talk, although I did sound a tad bit better this afternoon I think.

I've mainly been communicating to my students through the grace of interpretive dance. Imagine Elaine of Seinfield mixed with Charlie Brown's Christmas and you've got my moves.

I was going to include a YouTube video, but that would require getting off my bum and going into the other room to use the computer. I'm far too busy hacking a lung into the sleeves of my giant pink bathrobe to bother with that nonsense.

At least we've got leftover pizza...that might be enough to lure me off the sofa.

"Lemon, isn't there a slanket somewhere you should be filling with your farts?"

That's all I got folks. That's all I got.

My Child's a Genius! But I Knew that Already...

Today was a big day for the Maddie Bear. She had her early intervention evaluation to see if she still qualified for services, and she scored above her age group in all categories!  No more early intervention for this gal.

We started intervention last March. At the time, Madeline could not roll over, and every time we put her on her belly she'd either scream her head off or lie there playing possum.  At the recommendation of our pediatrician, we had her evaluated for services, and she just barely qualified.  We knew her delay was not serious, but since the services were available to us, we figured we might as well take advantage of them.  She's been meeting with an occupational therapist for an hour a week ever since.  

Today, she scored 16 months in the gross motor skills category, (the same category she was delayed in the first time) so not only has she caught up, she has surpassed her age group. Hoo- ray!

She also got a whopping 19 months in cognitive abilities.  We already knew she is a genius! Obviously.

In retrospect, I feel silly about getting so worried over where Madeline "should" be developmentally.  Even though I take a secret sort of pride in the scores she got today, I even feel a little silly mentioning them here.  They are, after all, just numbers.

As a notorious worry-wart, and first-time parent with a rocky reproductive history, I spent way too much energy worrying over Madeline's skills during her early months.  I'm much more relaxed now than I was then.  And if I knew then what I know now, I'm not sure I would have had Madeline evaluated.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the past year is that Madeline is her own person, and she'll learn and grow at her own pace.  Instead of listening to a book or the Internet Gods telling me that she should be doing X, Y, and Z, I should be focusing on the things that make my Maddie Bear unique.  Did I really need a number on a chart to tell me how wonderful my baby is?  Not really. (P.S. There's a really good post about this at Mandy's blog here.)

One of the women conducting Madeline's evaluation today said she tells her clients to ignore the Internet.  You'll inevitably come across someone bragging about their one-year-old running the Boston Marathon, and you begin to wonder....hummm, my baby can't run a marathon yet...

That being said, we had a really positive experience with early intervention.  The people were amazing, and it's a fascinating process to watch.  What looks like nothing more than playing with a block to me, gives them all sorts of information about a baby's development.  Most importantly, they were able to provide us with tips and exercises to help Madeline out.  Knowing those tricks and tips gave Eric and I a little confidence boost, and it nudged Madeline just over the hump.

I'm not sure if other states have this program, or if it's just a Massachusetts thing, but it's a truly wonderful resource.  I can imagine there are a lot of children and parents out there who truly need their support.

In the meantime, we're looking forward to watching what Madeline's magical little brain does next.

Hint, Hint

Randomness from our lives:

Someone's home from school today with a bad case of what I assume is laryngitis. Hint: it's not Eric and it's not Madeline. (I think Eric is enjoying the fact that I can't talk.  Finally, the poor guy gets some peace and quiet.  Maddie Bear seems confused and sad that I'm not speaking with her.)

Madeline's Halloween costume arrived in the mail yesterday. Hint: It likes honey and rhymes with Boo Bear.

Eric and I are painting the dining room next weekend. Hint: It will be one of these colors, but probably not the first one.

Someone has her Early Intervention evaluation this afternoon to see if she still needs services, which I suspect she won't. Hint: It's not Eric and it's not me.

Light a Candle

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

In memory of our lost children, please light a candle tonight at 7 pm.

Much Love,
Summer

Ellis' Candle: