My sister-in-law is cooler than Your sister-in-law

Notice to all you women out there: When your brother's are looking to get married, offer them suggestions regarding their choice. Hope that they will pick someone who is warm, smart, loving and talented. Tell them to be on the lookout for someone who is willing to hang out with his family. Remind him how lucky he'll be if she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

Then tell him that if he could also pick someone who is an interior designer, you will be SO very happy that he'll never have to buy you birthday presents again for the rest of your life.

Thank you, Brigham, for managing to do all of the above. :)

Brig and Caitlin flew out this last weekend to see Baby Eva and to offer up Caitlin's design talents for my hopelessly bare nursery. They came in on a red-eye and visited us at the hospital before we were discharged and they headed home to take naps. We were all in a new baby haze that night, so decorating didn't begin until Saturday morning. And with Sunday being Sunday (and their return flight being Monday morning), we had exactly one day to accomplish our task. One day. I wish I had a 'before' picture, but suffice to say that the beginnings were bare. We had: one crib with bedding, one changing table, and one rocking chair. The walls were a mintier green than I would've picked myself (but as a renter, am not at liberty to change) and I couldn't catch a vision of what I wanted the room to look like.

That's where Cait came in. We all piled into two small cars (six adults, two babies, two car seats, and two strollers) and headed to the mecca of one stop shopping: IKEA. A few hours later we re-surfaced, with more boxes, lamps, vases, etc., than should have been able to fit into our two small cars. With a little help from our guardian angels, we managed to make it all home with ours and Mary's stuff in tow.

We didn't arrive back at the homestead until dinner-time, and so after some delicious veggie lasagna (thank you, Sunny!) it was all hands on deck. We assembled, decoupaged, and framed until we dropped. Caitlin outlasted us all. The next morning I just sat in the room staring around. Could this possibly be the same room I had seen a few days before? From the polka-dot carpets to the perfecty accessorized bookshelf to the dreamy lighting fixtures, it was the most peaceful and adorable haven I could've wished for my baby.

I really feel so lucky to have such a wonderful sister-in-law and so grateful that she battled jet-lag, work constraints, and a tight time schedule to come transform our nursery (and guest-room) with her magical design wand. You are the best!

Designer Extraordinaire


Cait and Kate and Eva take in the new surroundings


And a few more photos from the past week:

The $100 salad. Brig does not do vegetables. Unless you pay him. :)


Worth the Wait


Playing dress-up is even more fun than I thought


So cute!


Eva meets cousin Nikolai


A New Family


First Doctor's Visit


Doing Crunches


Got to catch Zzzz's where you can!