Seeing Gray: A Sleek and Modern Nursery for Baby Delicious

For the past two weeks, I've been in full-on nesting mode. I've been going from room to room, closet to closet, one area to the next... cleaning, organizing, throwing out unnecessary old crap stuff, and reconfiguring rooms and spaces to make room for Baby Delicious. And I'm so happy that my entire apartment is super clean and ready to go.

And... I'm so, so happy that the baby's nursery is all set up and ready to go... two weeks before my due date.

I feel like I've accomplished a huge feat, especially considering that I didn't finish setting up Aiden's nursery until I was actually in labor. Early labor with mild contractions, but labor nonetheless. As you can see, Aiden's nursery came out great, but I didn't like the feeling of rushing to get it done.

Flashback to Baby A's nursery:

Teddy bear decor

Aiden's toddler bedroom set-up

Now back to Baby Delicious:

Although I really love the color of Aiden's crib and dresser set, this time around, I wanted to go with a light and airy, sleek and modern (but not too modern) look. The Zutano Tivoli 3-in-1 convertible crib and three drawer dresser in cloud and white fit my vision perfectly, and fit perfectly in the small space allotted for Baby Delicious.

I saw the set online, feel in love, and had to have it for Baby Delicious! I love that this stylish set will grow with him as the wood is super solid, sturdy, and durable. And I love, love, love that I can use pretty much any bedding set and decor to jazz up the furniture in many different ways.

Painting the walls was out of the question (because, pregnancy), but I found these classic triangle wall decals from Brit + Co that I adore. Simply peel, position, stick, and voilà... the entire space is jazzed up! The bold black worked really well with the stark white and soft gray colors, adding depth and giving the space an entirely different look.

I opted to go with lighter shades of gray for the bedding set and the other decor pieces in order to make the small space feel more open and airy.

(And, yes... I stole some of the baby books and teddy bears from Aiden. No worries, though... he's totally cool with giving his little brother some of his "childhood things," as he calls it. #ThatKid #ICant)

Yes, the drawers are filled with his clothes (that have already been washed!)... and the organizer on the dresser is stocked and ready to go... as are the bins in the three-cube organizer! #TypeAMom #DontJudgeMe #OkayMaybeJudgeMe #ButJustALittleBit

Yes, that's a Columbia Lion right next to his "Oh The Places You'll Go!" poster.
With a 3x Ivy Leaguer for a mother and a lawyer for a father,
this kid's gonna have some big shoes to fill.
Just Kidding. (Not really.)

I could not be more happy with the space and cannot wait until Baby Delicious makes his appearance so that he can enjoy it as much as I do!

Now excuse me while I rearrange some things in his closet, drawers, and three-cube organizer until I go into labor. (You guys... my Type-A personality can't help it! #SendHelpNow)

Baby Delicious Baby Shower

Over the weekend, my friend K hosted a fun and sweet (literally!) baby shower for me! (Thanks K!)

Friends from all over Brooklyn and Manhattan showed up to the candy shop, Chocolate Works in Brooklyn Heights and we played games, laughed, mingled, made chocolate-covered pretzels, Oreo cookies, and graham crackers.

Yum!

Then we ate, played a few more games, and tried out the chocolate foundation to make chocolate-covered strawberries and marshmallows.

Double yum!

In between, there were lots of silly photos with funny props. And, to end off the night, everyone got to take candy and cake pops from the dessert table.

Like I said before, the shower was sweet. Literally! 

It was such a blessing to spend time with so many smiling faces and now, I'm even more excited to meet Baby Delicious! And, of course, I used the opportunity to spend a lot of time taking photos of the awesome big brother.

He's so ready to take on this title.

Visit Mommy Delicious on Instagram for more fun photos of the sweet, sweet day!

Lessons From An Eight-Year Old

"It's not about lucky bats; It's not about lucky helmets; it's about hard work."

This is what Aiden said to me a few days ago as I was helping him complete his homework. He was working on this "fast math" worksheet where he had to complete 24 math facts within one minute or less. The idea behind it is to develop automaticity with numbers and math facts. He's been doing really well with the worksheets since the beginning of the school year, even getting 24 out of 24 on pretty much all of them.

But on this particular day, the worksheet was assessing new math facts. Which he hadn't studied yet. So when he saw that he left five questions blank by the time one minute was up, he was feeling pretty down and was pretty hard on himself. To help the kid out, I wrote the new math facts out on flashcards (the equations on the front of the flashcard, the answer on the back of the flashcard). I also helped him notice any patterns that might help him with memorizing the facts.

We practiced for about two days. On the train ride to school. At home before bed. While running errands. Anywhere, really.

The next time he completed the worksheet, he got all 24 math facts correct. With 12 seconds to spare. He was so proud of himself. (And he's been keeping up the momentum and getting all 24 facts correct each time he does the worksheet.)

"Wow, Aiden... you've been working really hard at studying your math facts and I see it's paying off," was my response to his efforts. 

His response? "Yeah... it's like that book I read a few days ago, Strike Out, when the boy said, 'It's not about lucky bats; it's not about lucky helmets; it's about hard work.'" 

(Back story: he recently read a book about a little boy who thought he needed lucky bats and lucky helmets in order to be good at baseball. But, as it turned out, he only needed to work. Hard.)

Truth be told, I didn't even remember the book or the lesson that it tried to teach. But Aiden did. It stuck with him. And he shared that lesson with me.

And, in that one instant, Aiden reminded me what hard work, grit, and resilience can get you -- success. Good success. 

I hope he holds on to that lesson for the rest of his life. I know I will.