An Early Christmas Gift for Rudy (DIY Learning Tower)

Since Rudy's first birthday, we've had some rough but exciting days.  In the past couple of weeks, Rudy has cut two new teeth, had a pretty extreme growth spurt, a couple of difficult nights and she's started talking!  Sure, she said a (very) few basic words before but now it's happening for real and we are so excited!

It's so crazy that it happened so quickly but she only said a few words by her birthday and in the past couple of days her vocabulary has sort of exploded.  She now says "Hi" to everyone and will even put it together with words that she knows to say "Hi doggies!" when she greets the boys.  The staff at daycare tell us that each person who enters their classroom is now greeted with a "Hi" and a wave.  Rudy also says "Santa" and "Buh Guh" (which means Bubble Guppies, and yes we are a little ashamed) "diaper" and "burp" all in the proper context.  She even waved and said "Bye diaper" as I was throwing her diaper away yesterday.  All of a sudden, she seems to understand that sounds are for communication and it is amazing!  

Along with this new language, Rudy just seems older this week somehow.  When I see her at the end of the day, a little girl greets me and I can't find many traces of my baby.  Of course, she wants to do everything we do and we decided that we weren't going to let the fact that she's small hold her back any longer.

We wanted her to become more involved in kitchen chores.  Corey and I love to cook and bake together and we want Rudy to share our hobby.  I'd read about a great Ikea Hacked learning tower and Corey said he'd make one for Christmas for Rudy.

We bought a Bekvam stool from Ikea and Corey picked up some lumber.  We used the photos and directions from this blog as well as this one.  Of course, it's not quite finished yet and we still need to fill some holes and sand it a bit.  We are going to think about whether we want to stain it or leave it raw and let Rudy paint it when she's a little older.  Just a couple of hints, if you're trying the same project: assemble the stool but don't secure the top step.  Instead, use that as the base for the top portion.  Also, it's a good idea to measure against your own counter to make sure it's the right height for your space.  This is an easy project and the height of the top portion is easily modified. 

The end result was a huge hit though.  The whole project only took Corey a few hours and Rudy came home from school to a learning tower just for her!

It allowed us to messily make some shortbread cookies (Nana pre-made the dough for us) and spend some time enjoying a new family activity.

Of course, baking with a toddler (even when successful) always falls into the disaster category.  I think there are still sprinkles between my toes.

Rudy almost made it down on her own too.  We ended up helping her because it was her first try and she's still pretty little...

The cookies look disgusting but they tasted great once they were baked.  When I offered Rudy a piece of cookie she examined it carefully and then laughed before shoving it in her mouth.

We're excited to have found a new way for Rudy to participate in our daily lives.  

ONE

Rudy turned one yesterday and we had a small (grandparents only) party for her last weekend.  The theme was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, after the beautifully illustrated children's book.  It was the first book that Rudy showed real interest in so we thought it would be a fun party theme.

We kept the decorations simple (a few balloons and streamers) and a friend made us a beautiful cake.  I couldn't find a party hat that didn't fasten uncomfortably under her chin so I made Rudy a little caterpillar headband instead.  Afterwards, we let Rudy eat a slice of cake while we snapped some photos.

Isn't she a cutie?

This milestone birthday had me reflecting over the past year.  The first year is so huge!  Your baby changes from newborn, to infant, to baby, to toddler and as parents, we change from novice beginners who cried when my mother left us alone with the baby (after staying with us for three weeks) to a comfortable and happy family.  Corey and I have learned to trust our parenting instincts and we feel like we have found our groove.

In addition to all the learning, this has truly been the best and most emotional year of our lives!  Sometimes I tear up just thinking about how lucky we are as a family because my heart feels so full.  This past year has been filled with so many emotions from joy, to surprise, to fear, to laughter, to the kind of wonder that you feel when you know you are experiencing one of your life's top moments- A moment that is so special and of such great importance that you hope to relive it on your deathbed.  What an adventure!

Not wanting to forget a single thing, I spent a little time every week filing away photos and video clips for a video that we hope Rudy treasures one day.  It's a little long, so you deserve a medal if you make it all the way through but I'll leave it here anyway.  It's our most honest keepsake of the joys and everyday memories that filled our first year of parenthood.

Leaside Holiday House Tour (Part 2)

Today was a fabulous day for the first annual Leaside Holiday House Tour!  I left with many decorating ideas and inspiration and I'm excited to share some photos with you.  Remember to join us next year, since all proceeds support the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.

Our day began in The Leaside Gardens where we had coffee and muffins and were able to bid on some items in a silent auction.  The entrance was decorated by Adrienne Dhima.  I loved the use of rustic neutral colours and fabrics paired with black and white.  It felt rustic but modern.

There were some beautiful things available for purchase.  I had my eye on these stunning gem inlaid charcuterie boards by Stone Water Studio.  My mother may have picked one up for me for Christmas.  I'll show you later.  ;)

We were treated to a talk on holiday decorating tips by Evelyn Eshun.

Next, we set off to tour six professionally decorated Leaside homes.  Each was beautiful and very unique.  I'll share a few photos from each house.  My amateur photography skills probably haven't done the houses or the designers justice (the reason I use a pro for my listing photos) but I am sharing my favourite pops of colour, ideas and vignettes from each house.

I bet another person would leave each house having photographed entirely different scenes (there was SO much to see in each house) but this is what I saw and loved.  I'll let you enjoy the photos without captions.  Maybe you'll join me next year.  :)

The first house was decorated by Erica Gelman.  My favourite room in the house was the Christmas morning scene in the family room.  I especially loved that is was staged with classic toys.  The metallic hues kept the room feeling glamorous but all the texture made it feel cozy and homey.

The second house was decorated by Evelyn Eshun.  There was so much to see in this house but I really loved how many of the pieces could be used year round.  I especially loved her use of berries and her mixing of throw pillows on the sofa.  Everything felt eclectic yet still pulled together.  This house gave me so many ideas!

The third house we visited was decorated by Jacklynn Little Interiors.  This house combined two very different styles.  I loved all the modern metallic hues in the living and dining rooms.  Those rooms simply sparkled and would have been equally appropriately decorated had it been new years eve!  The family room and kitchen were so festive and all the red made me feel like I could almost smell the peppermint!  Gorgeous!

The fourth house was decorated by Barbara Nyke of Nikka Design.  This house was elegant and colourful and I loved everything about it!  I would love to replicate this in my own home.  I may actually borrow the palette of silver, gold and rich jewel tones!  I'm actually thinking of picking up those blue plates at Crate and Barrel!

The fifth house was decorated by Set the Occasion.  I loved the mix of traditional and whimsical accessories.  The rich colours reminded me of my childhood Christmases and the polar bears on the tree were adorable!  I also loved the little collection of nutcrackers!

The sixth house was decorated by Emily Rivard of The Next Stage.  This house was so fragrant from all the cedar and pine inside that it inspired me to use some real cedar in my own decorating.  This house was filled with nature and it felt more subtly decorated than some of the others, but every bit as beautiful.  I especially loved the place settings.

Thanks for joining me.  Which home was your favourite?