Dream come true and big changes for our Margie Poo!

The next two months are going to be momentous for the Weavers and especially Margo, who will be facing a lot of changes.

On an incredibly exciting note, I have decided to make a big career move and leave the work force to start my new career as a stay-at-home mom. For those who know me well, they know this is all I have ever really wanted in life. It is something I even wrote about in college, expressing my thoughts on the importance of being a stay-at-home mom in a persuasive paper that was not well received by the liberals of Southwestern University! That aside, I am getting to see my one and only real dream in life come true and I could not be more grateful. Motherhood suits me, I think it is what God made me for and to be able to devote myself 100% to my family means more to me than anything. There will be sacrifices involved, but I think the trade-off will be worth so much more than the extra income or freedom could ever be. I actually cannot wait to clean my own house because my maids have gotten worse and worse by the week and I especially cannot wait to devote more time to providing healthy meals for our family. I am hoping I will have the energy to start going to church again and enjoy the weekend with the family instead of doing laundry or grocery shopping.

So… on January 10^th I will say goodbye to the working world and Margo will also say goodbye to her little peers and teachers at our beloved day school, Grace Episcopal. With this change, we cannot afford to keep her in a full day program as much as I hate to say goodbye to the place that I trust and she has finally grown to love (after a one year adjustment period). The following Monday, Margo will start her new two-day Mother’s Day Out program at the wonderful little Methodist church around the corner. It is a true miracle that we were able to get Margo into the one and only slot that opened in the whole school, for her age group in January (the only slot that opened in a whole school year), which I think is a sign it was meant to be. I can even walk with David to take or pick her up, which will be fantastic!

I have mommy fears though… Will it take another year to adjust? Will she be bored because the program is shorter? Will she be bored as the oldest in the class? Will she be bored because she is so verbally advanced? I am clearly worried she will be bored. The curriculum in MDO is not as strong as her current school and she is not eligible for pre-school until next September because of her 9/10 birthday falling after 9/1. However, they have a separate music class with separate teachers which I know she will LOVE… or will she be scared of the new teachers? I will be packing her lunch. Will she give up on trying things since she is already so picky and is forced to try the hot lunches and healthy snacks at her current school? Will she survive the day with only a 1 or 1.5 hour nap?

All of these are big changes for a two year old, and especially our sensitive little girl considering this will take place ONLY three weeks before David will be born. Yes, that one snuck up on me! The pregnancy is going well and I am crossing my fingers it continues this way. If so, my doctor will deliver at 37.5 weeks which is less than two months away—yikes! I am so ill-prepared and I am so worried about making sure Margo’s little world will feel safe and secure and nurturing for her. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled about David, but so sad at the same time that I will no longer be able to devote myself 100% to Margo. I have the mixed emotions of a pregnant mama. Margo is an exceptionally good and sweet, fun child… I am so worried this new baby is going to tarnish her special little spirit, but I know in my mind that is really silly. I know how important my siblings are to me and that the lifetime of benefit I am providing to both of them is immeasurable.  Not to mention that we are probably a bit off balance, doting obsessively a bit over our sweet girl. I know that David will eventually create a balance and harmony in both ours and Margo’s life that is needed to mature in a healthy way.

So… please keep all of us, and especially Margo, who has a hard time with change in your prayers in the coming months as we start a new journey as a family of four and the many changes that come along with that for her. More updates to come!!!  In the meantime, enjoy this precious video of her singing.  Maybe she will be the next Celine Dion--ha ha--and excuse the lull in the middle of the video, but watch to the end.

 

 

Margo's Big Girl Room in Full Bloom!

Margo’s big girl room was a lot of fun to put together and I really wanted to make it special for her, especially with a new little brother coming onto the scene soon. I was lucky enough to receive custom made twin beds with applique'd bows on the head and foot boards that were my nieces, as well as some beautiful custom made bedding that my sister literally never used on them. While I felt a bit challenged with colors that were not in the pink palette, I was so excited to have such beautiful and luxurious things to work with.

I wanted to find some art that would compliment the bedding and that would have a young, fun feel to it. “You are my Sunshine” being my signature song for Margo, I began my search within that theme and landed upon some precious pictures from my favorite, etsy.com, artist here. The artist customized them for me a bit and I think they look absolutely perfect, bright and fun with the bedding! Margo loves them too, especially the blue birdie.

Next on our project list was refinishing the dresser and mirror that goes back to my oldest sister’s childhood furniture. It is a great solid brand, Drexel Heritage, and I loved the curves and lines of it. I thought it would be a real shame to let it go to waste, but did not like the old finish with the painted on decorations, so the uncrafty and unhandy pair of us got to work. My mom had previously mentioned chalk paint to me and then I read about it on another blog. This is a product that claims to require no sanding, stripping, priming, etc… That is right down my alley and despite the extra cost of the paint, it was much more cost effective than paying a professional to refinish the furniture.

Before

 We started with the clean piece of furniture and worked for a few hours a night. It took about a week to complete. We did two coats of Annie Sloan’s chalk paint that we purchased in New Braunfels with a free little tutorial from the sweet store owners. After the first coat, I was a bit panicked. The brush strokes were very obvious and I was not getting the smooth look that I wanted. I switched from Annie Sloan’s pricey brush to a regular wide natural bristle brush from Home Depot for the second coat. This was easier to use and gave the look I wanted, plus the second coat just made a big difference. The next step was distressing a little on the edges and cleaning things up before we put on the signature clear wax coating which seals everything in. I painted and Cary waxed because the wax is more toxic and requires more muscle to apply. Here, we ran into a snafu… you are supposed to use a soft, clean cloth to buff the wax until it is no longer tacky feeling. The shirt I gave Cary to use had lint on it, which got stuck in the wax. He tried to buff it out with no success, I freaked out and we decided to add another coat of paint. Too bad, I think it looked better before the third coat of paint, but it worked to cover the lint and Cary finished the project the next night with a lint free t-shirt!

After

 I would say that being seven months pregnant and sleep deprived from insomnia, this was a tough yet easy project at the same time. For the amount we spent on paint ($100), it turned out incredibly beautiful and I am really pleased! My family said it looked like a piece you could buy at Doodles or Nest and Cot for over a $1000. We will see how it holds up. I hope Annie Sloan’s chalk paint lives up to its name. I would definitely recommend it and use it again after this experience and I am proud of us for trying something new and challenging!

I also had Margo go and pick out a little Christmas tree for her room and she knew exactly what she wanted… the metallic aqua blue tree. We had a little argument over the star because she wanted a clashing bright green, but she settled on the silver one once I pointed it out among many others. She picked the silver skirt and then I left it in the car for her to forget. Margo’s GiGi got it all decorated for her before the unveiling of her big girl room! Needless to say, she loved everything and was very excited when we brought her in. She was looking all around at everything grinning from ear to ear! The transition to her big girl bed has been so easy and she is so proud of her vintage Sesame Street sheets and her new stuffed animals to accompany her in bed. One room down… now the nursery to go and I have my work cut out!! I hope our little sweetheart will enjoy her pretty room for many years to come!