Ryker the Striker's First Photo Session

Time is flying by once again and my little boy is growing up so fast! Ryker will already be 11 weeks old on Saturday and at his 2 month doctors visit he measured up to be in the 97 percentile in height and 90 percentile in weight! Yes, he definitely got that from his daddy.

I realized that I wasn't able to do a posting yet on Ryker's first photo session with my talented photographer / brother, Ron. So here are a few amazing shots he was able to get of our little guy just a couple weeks after he was born.

Behind the scenes shot at my house

Of course Erik had to buy the 2012 Champions League Ball

I got this cute soccer bean bag chair at Toys R Us - it's a great prop for a DIY baby photo session

This is one of my faves!

I'll have to remember to have that one framed for him once when he get's his first office job!

My sister-in-law crocheted that soccer ball.  He was originally supposed to fit entirely in it, but since he was so long he could only fit his little booty in it! It turned out SO cute nonetheless! Thank you Z!

Yes, he did sleep through the whole shoot!

I can snuggle with him forever

Our All Star Boy

and here he is now at 2 1/2 months old....

... more alert, chubbier, and just chillin out and enjoying the new fluffy bed pillows!  

(BTW, I'll be doing a separate bedroom posting on my new duvet set shortly - I'm just loving it!)

Welcome Ryker Keane!

So, I finally went into active labor at 2:30 am on Saturday, July 7th.  I delivered little Ryker at 6:24 am as we got to see the sunrise from our room - it was an amazingly beautiful experience, it almost felt surreal!  Ryker weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and was just about 21 inches long.  He's been such a joy & seeing Keira and him together is just priceless!

Ryker's first photo with Mommy & Daddy

Welcome Little Ryker!

My babies! 

Father & Son

The first car ride home.  I have to get used to seeing 2 car seats in the back of the car!

Keira's being a great big sister!

Pregnancy Update - Time to come out!

I've been trying almost everything to try to get this little guy out, but Ryker just seems to like it in there!  The last ultrasound put me up to the due date of June 25th - which is now 8 days ago!  So my doc says that if he doesn't come out by July 9th they can induce me (which I really hope they don't have to do).  I sure hope he comes out soon we can't wait to meet him, and this load is getting a bit too heavy for me to carry around nowadays.  

Look how much bigger he's gotten!

Plus, I'm running out of clothes that even fit around my belly!  Luckily, this dress still fit me though...it gave me something to wear for my good friend Caroline's surprise 30th birthday party!

I've been getting frequent contractions at night time (as I'm typing right now actually), so I'll keep you posted in case he wants to really be a 4th of July Baby!

Have a wonderful Holiday tomorrow everyone!

The Most Creative DIY Baby Shower Gifts!

My friend Kim (who is also expecting a baby boy in July) made me the CUTEST Baby Shower presents that I told her I had to do a post on it! It's so creative and useful and I just love them! 

Thank you so much Kim!

The Diaper Cake on the left and she cut out Ryker's name!
The gift basket on the right was labeled "Hospital Survival Kit" and you have to see what's in this!!!

So cute I don't want to ever take it apart!

Genius! You bet I'll be taking these with me to the hospital!

Kit Contents:  Chewing gum, Cotton Candy, Mini Oreos, Hand Sanitizer labeled "Sanitize before Snuggles",  hair ties (can't have enough of these), mini Aveeno lotion, mini facial tissue box, makeup remover cleansing wipes, a hair clip, soft lips moisturizer

Remember to always tell people, "Sanitize before Snuggles" when holding the new little one!

Thanks so much Kim! You're so creative!

Ryker's Nursery Update

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! I've been feeling a bit more nervous lately that I might deliver a lot sooner than expected because I've already dropped and having an extremely difficult time sleeping at night because this boy is getting SO heavy! This has led me to get moving with my progress for Ryker's Nursery.  Here's what we were able to do so far...

I decided to do a photo frame wall collage with wooden elements as well as some gold, silver, and yellow accents

I painted this  yellow and grey piece for Ryker's room to add a pop of color and balance to this wall collage.

Can't forget the Owl Bank and the wooden elephant!

We were finally able to hang up the mirror and the frames for this changing table area.  I actually found this mirror at Home Goods on Clearance for $20!  It was painted a distressed off white color, so I spray painted the frame Gold.  I'll post before and after photos HERE shortly.   I had to make sure to hang it high enough so Ryker can't grab it while he was on the changing table.

I'm still waiting on my changing pad cover to arrive as well as the prints from the maternity photo shoot so I can replace these default frame photos ;)

I scored this wicker rocking chair on Craigslist.  This is actually going in the living room once we get our glider for the nursery in place.  That one is more comfortable to fall asleep in and this one I thought would be perfect for the living room during the day time so I can watch both of the kids out there.

Of course, Erik got a case for his Champion's League ball.  We're still also waiting for the crib bedding to arrive so I'll post more photo updates on that soon!

I hope you enjoy your week!!!

Funny Little Boys Tee's

After going through a ton of baby girl clothes with Keira, it's fun to finally have a reason to get some fun boys tee's and bodysuits for baby Ryker. You can just get away with more clever little sayings on their shirts.  Here's a few that I found that Erik and I loved!

I was thinking about maybe getting this tuxedo bodysuit to take the little man home in from the hospital!

These two images were from www.punkbabyclothes.net

Erik couldn't resist so he picked this one up from cafepress.com (...of course he had to)

These were some other funny ones from Cafepress.com

I saw this one on Pinterest and thought it was hilarious...

Pregnancy Update: 30 Weeks

Wow! Time does FLY!!!

This weekend we went to our 3D Ultrasound appointment at 3D Baby Vu in Pleasanton, Ca - I highly recommend them (their packages are great and the photos are high quality).  It looks as if this little boy may be another big baby because he's measuring out to be about 2 weeks older than my EDD (estimated due date) putting him in the 87-90% percentile in growth already...and he's still in the womb!  When Keira was born she was only 6 lbs 11 oz, but 21 inches long and she's still in the 90 percentile in height!  I guess they got that from their Daddy! I just hope he's as good to me as Keira was when it's time for him to come out!

Ryker Keane at 30 (...or 32) weeks

His eyes are wide open already!

It's crazy how detailed these ultrasound photos can be!

 and....

They even gave us this little cute bear with Ryker's heart beat recorded so you can hear it when you squeeze him!

We can't wait to meet you little big guy!

Work in Progress: Ryker's Room

Ryker's room is getting closer to being finished.  Wall #2 is finally painted!

Here's the Black & White CHEVRON wall 

Here's how it looked before (below)

I originally planned on using a stencil to do the lines, but they seemed to be even more difficult to use because I wanted the lines to be as crisp as possible and the only way to achieve that is to use painters tape.  So, I mostly taped the design just by eye and used a level to help me out a bit. I was crossing my fingers that since it was a busy print that it might not be as noticeable if the lines weren't perfect.

Once I painted the black, my perfect Little "DIVA" Helper - Keira, helped pull all the tape off (with her heels on of course)

Here's the finished wall!!

I found this vintage wooden bar on Craigslist, which I thought of originally painting over, but lately I've been loving the look of natural wood, especially with the black and white tree theme of Ryker's room.
I actually plan on using this as Ryker's changing table once we get the changing pad and a yellow cover for it, which I haven't found a yellow one that I like yet. I really want a bright yellow and white striped pad cover so if any of you have any recommendations please comment below.

I also received my Cockatoo Art Parrot Print on a vintage dictionary page from BLACK BAROQUE and framed it.  It's perfect because it wen't with my yellow cockatoo pillow I got from the One Kings Lane sale when Room Service was featured. I really loved it and thought it would be perfect against the black and white blanket I got for my glider.

It's coming together...on to the next project!

These cockatoo's are AWESOME - they remind me of a little boys mohawk!

** See how Ryker's room turned out HERE **

Home Goods Haul: Keira & Ryker's Room

Home Goods has been my all time favorite place to find treasures for homes that I've decorated, especially my own.  When people come over and ask where I bought certain pieces whether it be mirrors, dressers, frames, you name it -  80% of the time I bought it from Home Goods. It's an interior designers secret place to shop and most of the things you'll find there are one of a kind pieces that you can't find restocked again...or you might be able to find it elsewhere at possibly double, even triple the price!

Check out some of the cool pieces I snagged for Keira's new room and Ryker's nursery...and a few things for mommy. ;)

WARNING:  Home Goods can sometimes be evil...it tempts you to spontaneously buy amazing pieces that you don't necessarily need at the moment, or don't even have the exact spot for yet...so buyers beware!

For Ryker's Room:

- A black candle holder & a yellow and white candle

(My original intention was to put this in Rykers room on a white hanging shelf out of a childrens reach, but I think it's actually best to keep it on the fireplace instead since it just isn't kid friendly ;)

* This is a perfect example of that WARNING notice I listed above)

However, in my defense...you can always find the perfect spot for it, it just takes some re-arranging.

- The PERFECT ultra-soft throw blanket for my glider for Ryker's room.

(It's Black and White with the perfect tree branch motif we have for the nursery)

- A black, white, and silver pocket watch wall clock 

(I thought it was great because it had a storybook feel to it, plus it isn't girly at all, and at $12.99 I just couldn't pass that up!

- A black bird and tree branch frame

(Perfect again for the tree theme)

- A White Owl Bank 

(Keira fills her pig up with the change she finds on the couch, so Ryker needs to have his own bank)

For Keira's Room:

- Two Round Red Ruffle Pillows to match her hanging Red Rose pom pom's I made for her below on the right

(I'll do a DIY tutorial on it soon)

- A modern hourglass with light turquoise sand 

(I thought it was a fun way to keep track of the time she had left to play before bedtime)

For Daddy & Mommy:

- A portable lap desk for your laptop with an LCD lamp 

(My friend actually got burned because he fell asleep with his laptop on his lap, so at $12.99, I think it's worth buying)

- New Inspiration Board

(I love that it has a cabinet door - it's like a shadow box, but with this one you can just use pins to put up your photos or clippings since it's padded and lined with linnen)

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!!

Happy Hunting!!!