He's a big kid now with a big kid bed.

Connor informs me on a daily basis of how "big" he is.. and that he is getting "bigger, and bigger, and BIGGER, and will eventually be as BIG as Daddy!". Not that this revelation has not occurred to me before he mentions it but I cant help to feel a little heart broken every time I see the size of his big boy feet or when I change his clothes and realize that there is no part of his body that even remotely resembles the baby fat rolls he had just months ago. My biggest baby has somehow transformed in what seems like an overnight progression into a full fledged preschooler. I knew this day was coming and the arrival of his little brother looming over us a few months ago meant it was time to do a full overhaul of his room to prepare the way for two brothers to share one room.

Moving Dylan into Connor's room hasn't happened quite yet as Dylan is still sleeping in the bassinet beside me at night to allow for easier feedings, but we did make the most important leap towards having both boys in one room and that was moving Connor out of his beloved crib. Actually the whole transition took longer than I ever thought it would as Connor was pretty attached to his crib and not that I blame him it's a great crib. Before Connor was born I searched high and low for a really secure, well built, modern looking crib that would not totally break the budget. I also wanted to buy a crib that was convertible as I really wanted something that we could keep long term and not two short years. I ended up settling on the Emily crib by Million Dollar Baby. I've never regretted that decision even for a second. The only thing I will warn you about is we purchased our crib in black and though we have a house full of black furniture and I was well aware of this fact, dust, dirt, and MILK shows up very well on black furniture. However, the crib is available in everything from white to black and everything in between. It's served us well and it still looks almost exactly like the day we bought it except for a little rub mark on the back where Connor decided to take a toy and slam in full force into the wall against the crib.

So I knew I wanted a toddler bed that would match or Emily crib and hold up as well as I figure between the two boys someone will either be sleeping in the crib, toddler bed, or the crib converted into a full size bed for at least the next four to five years (and much longer with the crib conversion). The toddler bed had to hold up to a very active three year old and it had to match the Emily set we already had. The Million Dollar Baby Toddler Sleigh bed was the perfect solution. It matches our Emily crib perfectly and the price is more than reasonably priced as I've seen it priced anywhere from $99 (on sale) to $130. What I didn't expect was just how sturdy this bed was as it's a pretty small bed. We've been using it since around Christmas and though I was concerned that if I sat on the bed I'd damage it, I was not only wrong but I read to Connor in his bed almost nightly. So much so that on more than one occassion I've fallen asleep in bed with Connor. This actually happened to us the other night while I was reading to both Dylan and Connor in his bed. Somehow all three of us managed to snuggle up on the bed and fall asleep and we actually made it most of the night that way, well until Dylan woke up around 2am wanting to eat.

Regardless if your in the market for a toddler bed, crib, or even just some additional furniture for your nursery or child's room I can say from experience that we absolutely love our Million Dollar Baby furniture. You can also buy the same items at most major baby and departement store chains labeled under DaVinci Furniture as well.

Disclosure: Million Dollar Baby was gracious enough to send us the Toddler Sleigh Bed to try out to write this review. However I purchased the Emily Crib and matching furniture out of my own pocket. My opinions and comments on items we review are always my own and are never influenced by sponsors.

Give a boy a hand.

Connor needs no help when it comes to reaching things in high places. I’m still not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing but he will find a way to reach something be it on the kitchen table, a high shelf, or even the kitchen cabinets if he really wants it. This means moving chairs, boxes, or even toys for him to climb on. All of which takes him just seconds if he is determined and usually before I even realize what he is doing. The problem with this is its terribly unsafe and we have had more than one bruise on his noggin as a result of his climbing attempts.

Lately he just wants to do or see what I’m doing and he hates been excluded. Cooking dinner has become even harder than normal as he is using right under my feet screaming up or pretty much giving the play by play of what’s going on from under my feet in his little Connor language (hot, pan, chop, hot, glove) doing the best he can trying to tell me what I’m doing. As adorable as it is it honestly drives me nutty when I’m trying really hard to get dinner on the table before he has a total meltdown from not being able to help and pure hunger. So finding ways to entertain him or more importantly include him is a challenge.

The Learning Tower is really unusual. Part step stool, part play house it’s the first real option I’ve found to allow children to really partake in the adult world safely. The wooden tower can be slid up to a counter or tall table and the child can safely stand on it allowing them to reach counter height safely without fear of falling. Connor helped me put ours together and the moment it was together he almost instantly realized what it was for and he climbed up without any prompting stood on the platform and gave me a huge kiss for the first time without me having to pick him up or bend down to his level. Ironically I’m so short that when he is standing on the Learning Tower on the top setting he is not so much shorter than I am. Heh.

At first we used our learning tower purely as a playhouse. Connor can easily climb up and down without any assistance and he loves to hide with his favorite stuffed animal underneath the shelf and jump out and scare me. We’ve also put a blanket over the top to turn it almost into a mini cave for Connor to hide in which he really enjoys. Though we have an ever growing selection of puppets he hasn’t quite mastered that concept yet but I figure its only a matter of time as the Learning Tower makes for an ideal puppet theater with the shelf completely removed.

The real joy in the Learning Tower is the fact that when Connor is standing on the top setting he is tall enough to reach the kitchen counters. This means he can help me do easy tasks in the kitchen like making salad or sandwiches. Connor’s favorite thing of all though is the sink. He is absolutely fascinated with water and the sink is always a favorite play thing. Previous to our tower I would have to hold him up and let him was his hands or sit him on the counter by the sink and watch him like a hawk in fear that he would fall face first into the sink or worst off the counter all together. Now if I’m doing something in the kitchen and need some free time to work I can just drag his Learning Tower in and set it up by the sink and the kid would happily play in sink full of water for hours or until his hands shriveled into little fat raisins. Though I always watch him I don’t worry about him falling or the tower tipping over.

I know we will be enjoying our new Learning Tower for many years to come and it will grow as he grows first just by lowering the platform to accommodate his height and finally to be used as a playhouse all by itself. It’s all up to him on how he wants to use it, I’m just along for the ride.

Visit Little Partners website to learn more about the Learning Tower and to purchase one for yourself!

Your parking space has your name on it!

When it comes to decorating a kid's bedroom Olive Kids is always my first stop. From Pirates to Mermaids your bound to find something to decorate your child's bedroom that suits your little person. Bright Colors, large sets that include everything from wall clocks, shaped pillows, and rugs you can covert an otherwise boring bed room to something really exciting. To make things even more special a large majority of the items in the catalog are customizable.

If your looking for one special item for your holiday list their floor pillows are not only customizable but very versatile. Available in a large variety of color/design choices each of the floor pillows is customizable to include your child's name or even a nickname to make their pillow all their own. The Olive Kids Floor pillows make great room decorations, look great at the head of a bed, or are the perfect companion for watching morning cartoons. Connor has a rocket ship floor pillow with his name embroidered on it. Since I just broke down and installed his own TV in his room I find him sitting and watching his favorite shows propped up on his pillow. As we prepare for a transition to a toddler bed in a few months the floor pillow will also be a great pillow to prop up against his back for reading books at night as well. Its actually a rather big pillow but not so big that you can't take it pretty much everywhere with you.

Floor pillows are not the only personalized item that would make for a great Christmas gift, you can see the entire selection of personalized gifts available from Olive Kids on their website!

Connor are you sitting on that frog?

I am a huge fan of clean looking children's products, or especially products that can have multiple uses. I've had my eye on the Silly Soft Seating available at One Stop Modern. Part plush friend, part stacking toy, part seating, part desk. We actually use Connor's at snack time the bottom part of the frog, aka Talus, becomes the seat and his head then becomes the table. All the while it doesn't look at all like one of those plastic kid tables and its light enough that Connor has no problems moving it around the room. I find it kind of funny as he will move the bottom half beside my computer and sit on it and watch me while I answer emails. He is just too stinking cute.

I could decorate my entire house at One Stop Modern however. I've been looking for a great mid height bookcase to use in my kitchen as the back door enters into the kitchen and it seems that the small table I have by the back door has become a catch all for school supplies, my purse, shoes, random things that come in the house but don't seem to have a proper home. The problem is it has to look great as well as my floor plan is fairly open and you can see it from almost every room. The Stagger Server over at One Stop Modern is not only gorgeous but it would function in the kitchen as well as provide me with enough room to store all of those random things that need a home with the help of some great looking bins no one would even notice. You can even order it with cupboards if you would prefer drawers over bins. I may just have to start a savings account to buy it!

Head on over to One Stop Modern and check out their great line of kid and baby products but while your over there take a look at the Silly Soft Seating its very affordable, the covers are machine washable, and it will totally grow with your child as depending on how you stack the pieces you can completely change the function.

This is just plain not fair. I want one.

Our good friend Lisa sent us this about Kidtropolis, and after checking out their absolutely stunning kids furniture designs I've decided if I win the lottery I am having them build Connor a pirate ship bed.

If you're one of those parents who not only likes to, but can afford to spoil your kid rotten, then you've got to check out the incredible children’s bedroom décor created by Kidtropolis. This uber-talented group of designers is the favorite of Hollywood stars, corporate CEOs and international royal families because their jaw-dropping themes are literally where dreams not only become reality but stay real while a child grows up.

Trust us when we say that the ultimate dream weaver himself, Walt Disney, would have hired Kidtropolis to design rooms for his own children. Want your little princess to dream about ruling the realm in a royal carriage? A REAL castle? Well, one customer did and here’s what Kidtropolis came up with:

Another family hired Kidtropolis to give their young “Wyatt Earp” a way to sleep in the OK Corral every night. Here’s what they got, pardner (no spurs in the stagecoach, please!):

Another family, inspired by their child’s love of Mother Goose, wanted their little one to live in the shoe with Old Mother Hubbard... well, you get the idea:

And their latest creation is like a page out of the Swiss Family Robinson, with a few modern updates:

Okay, so maybe you’d prefer to send your kids to college rather than let them sleep in a fairy tale world. Who could blame you? But browsing the www.kidtropolisbuild.com website is still a ride worth taking… and a lot less expensive than four plane tickets to “The Magic Kingdom.”

Oh, the things that you'll see, the places you'll soar, you'll look at your child's room the same nevermore. The company's not-to-be-believed creative designs and custom-built doors, beds and themed rooms transform a child’s room into a truly unique, personal and functional space.

For information, visit www.kidtropolisbuild.com. For detailed examples of their work or work in progress, click on their website blog.

Connor's big purple chair!

My little baby is growing up to be a little man... *sigh* he finally has his first "big boy" style armchair!

The Lands End Toddler Chair is the perfect chair for toddlers, kids, and even smaller adults as I actually am very comfortable sitting in it though I will admit that I am only 4'11!

Connor LOVES his Lands End Toddler Chair, so much so he gets on and off of it at least 50 or 60 times a day. I catch him dragging his books over to it and he will climb up and then drag the books on top and sit there pretending to read.. We usually keep it in his room but during his TV time I move it into the living room so he can sit in it while he watches. The chair is very light and includes a handle on the back so moving it from room to room is no harder than it was with our bouncy seat.

Though toddlers will have no problem with its size it actually dwarfs Connor, even with him sitting on it and all of his plush friends there is still plenty of room, which is a good thing as he can use it as a reading chair for years to come. The seat cushions do fold out as well for extra lounging space though it would also be a great place for a small visitor to sleep or take a nap as well. I have left it folded out for Connor on several occasions and found him stretched out laying on it.

The Lands End Toddler Chair comes in several color options including a blue denim, the lavender purple that we got, as well as a dark red. I debated and debated over if we should go with lavender or blue and though some of you may argue that lavender is not a boy's color it looks amazing against his blue walls and we can use it in a little brother or sister's room one day as Connor starts to outgrow it. You can even get them monogrammed for only $5 more!!

I know one aspect I was concerned about when dealing with furniture for toddlers is being washable. Diapers leak, sippy cups sometimes leak too, messy snacks, and in Connor's case his friend Melos. Needless to say washable is very important in this household. Lands End Toddler Chair's cover is removable and washable.. though I spot clean when I can its nice to know if we have a major spill we can just throw it in the washing machine and be as good as new.

If you have multiple children or want something with more space when it folds out the Lands End Toddler Sofa is also a great option. Both the chair and sofa fold out to be 41 inches long the sofa is 42 wide vrs 28 wide. That gives you an area 42 x 41 for napping when the chair is folded out. Thats actually not much smaller than a normal toddler bed mattress!

Lands End offers other great options for your kids room as well as great children's clothing as well!