Thank You Su Casa!

We made it to June 30th! The last day of the Su Casa blog contest.  We hope you have enjoyed reading our experiences with our sectional sofa over the past month. We certainly had more fun than we expected I have to admit.  It seemed daunting to have to come up with 30 or so ideas on how to convey the Su Casa experience, but Joe and I both really got into it. We have been emailing each other back and forth since March making suggestions for blogs and then we both would help the other edit and fine tune the idea. The coolest thing out of the whole experience was to see how supportive our family and friends have been.  They have logged on every day to read our stories, go to Su Casa's webpage, make comments on facebook and send comments to the store itself. We have had friends visit Su Casa and make some purchases of their own.    We even spread across the pond to our family and friends in the UK.  They alone have had 138 pageviews.  Now the Brits even know about Su Casa! We are so grateful for all that you readers have done to help us.

I think these stats say it all....
Since June 1st
Number of page views  6,489
Number of comments 345
Number of video views 359

In closing, if we haven't beat the point to death by now, this contest was about more than just winning a nice couch. We genuinely like Su Casa and have had an amazing experience the entire time. Friends and family who trust our opinion also have expressed that next time they need a piece of furniture, Su Casa will be the first place they look. Anyway, thanks again and enjoy one last video!


 

Blogging is Such Sweet Sorrow

A big part of our ability to generate traffic in this Su Casa blog contest was of course Facebook. When you're able to say in a quick statement what you're trying to do and also provide an immediate link to your blog, people (lazy as we are), will gladly exert the 1/2 ounce of energy to right click. So from time to time, Jamie and I would kindly remind everyone what we were doing and we tried to do so in a humorous manner. I rather enjoyed parodying some famous pop culture references for my Facebook reminders. Below are my favorites;

Bill Pulman addressing the Nation in "Independence Day"

(Actually waiting until today to post this one concurrent with this blog post). Good morning. Good morning. In less than a day, bloggers from here will join others from around the state, and you will be launching the largest blog contest in the history of Baltimore. Baltimore, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences any more. We will be united in our common interest in Su Casa. Perhaps it's fate that today is the 29th of June, and you will once again be fighting for our furniture. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from other bloggers. We're fighting for our right to win, to blog, and should we win the contest, the 29th of June will no longer be known as nothing, but as the day when Baltimore declared in one voice, 'We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to blog, we're going to win.' Today we celebrate the end of the ‘Test It, Blog it, Win it Contest!’

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The Rifleman's Creed

This is my blog. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My blog is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I master my life. My blog, without me, is useless. Without my blog, I am useless. I must type my blog true. I must blog faster than my competition who is trying to beat me. I must blog them before they blog me. I will… My blog and myself know that what counts in this contest is not the words we type, the comments we get, nor the views we generate. We know it is the blogs that count. We will blog… My blog is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weakness, its strength, its options, its accessories, its homepage, and its backlinks. I will keep my blog clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become a part of each other. We will… Before God I swear this creed. My blog and myself are the defenders of this couch. We are the masters of our competition. We are the saviors of my life. So be it, until victory is the Iskow’s and there is no competition, but couch.

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Old Spice Commercial

Hello, friends, look at your couch, now back to mine, now back at your couch, now back to mine. Sadly, yours isn’t mine, but if you stopped shopping at big retail stores and switched to Su Casa, you could be like us. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on the couch with us that you wished you owned. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s the remote and we’re watching your favoriteshow in unbelievable comfort. Look again, the remote is now an iPhone and you’ve got the President on the line. Anything is possible when you shop at Su Casa and not the other guy. I’m on a dog.

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Andy DuFrane's letter to Red in "The Shawshank Redemption"

Dear Friend, if you're reading this, you've got some time. And if you've come this far, maybe you're willing to read a little further. You remember the name of the store, don't you? (Su Casa) We could use a good friend to help us win our couch this month. I'll keep an eye out for you and the seat cushion ready. Remember, Friend, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever loses. I will be hoping that this status finds you, and finds you well. Your friends, Joe & Jamie.

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Direct TV "Don't Have a Grandson with a Dog Collar" Commercial

ATTENTION: Jamie and I are in a contest to win a couch. If you could go to our blog www.joeandjamieiskow.blogspot.com and leave comments, and click on the provided Su Casa links just to check out the store, that will help us win. And if we win, that means you can sit comfortably when you come to visit us. And when you’re comfortable, you’re relaxed. And when you’re relaxed, you have a clear mind. And when you have a clear mind, you have million dollar ideas. And when you have million dollar ideas, you become a millionaire. Help us win our couch so you can become a millionaire.

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And if you didn't like any of our blogs this month, Livy has one thing to say....

My Little Couch Potato

During the course of the this past month, we have posted a couple interviews from Couch Potato Digest that have helped give you readers some deeper insight into the entire Su Casa experience.

We got to thinking... what a weird expression that is, "couch potato".  

We decided to translate it literally for you into a work of art. 

Behold, the miniature couch made out of a real potato.....

2 potatoes actually:)

If you were wondering, yes Joe and I are both gainfully employed and manage to fit these weird activities into our schedule after we have put our baby to bed. And if we don't win our couch in the blog contest, we will most likely be putting this one in it's place. At least I will always have an easy to grab snack. Those mini pillows look yummy. 

Mad Men

Like many college graduates, I spent four years pursuing a degree I ultimately wasn't able to use. That degree was in marketing and I had aspirations of getting into sports advertising/marketing. The problem was that no one ever told me that the majority of those jobs require a minimum year unpaid internship. Having just spent four years in college and away from Jamie, that wasn't very appealing. For some reason I was anxious to move forward with my life of bills and expectations. That said, one of the fun parts of this contest (as seen with our goofy commercials) is that I've had the opportunity to exercise that part of me, even if just for fun.  

For our latest blog, we decided to tackle print advertising. It's no coincidence that Mad Men is set in the 1960s, that had to have been the best time to be in advertising. There weren't half the FCC limitations companies face today but it was also a time when, how shall I say, people just seemed to be classier. Well, I am a product of the 80s and the 50s & 60s to me seems like milkshakes and soda pop all day long. Kind of like Pleasantville, even though I am certain that isn't true. Anyway, I looked up a couple examples of advertisements from that era and then Jamie and I set to create our own ad for Su Casa. Thought to myself, "what would a Su Casa ad from the 1960s look like?" Keep in mind, this was way back when it was okay to talk about gender stereotypes, smoking, and drinking.

"Kroehler, for the housewife who likes to lean on furniture and wait for her husband". 

If we still haven't perfected the sofa bed, can you imagine what the first drafts must have been like?

I looked it up and yes, Kroehler is still making furniture.Mildly concerned no one is keeping an eye on that child who is clearly playing on the edge of an infinite abyss of darkness and couches.

Bingo! There's only so much you can do with limited time and software, but we had a good time putting this together and given more resources, I think we might have been able to fool some people into thinking it was a real advertisement! And yes, this is us in the pictures!

Livy Videos

The pediatrician told me at our 6 month visit that it was safe to try and start to get Olivia used to the water.  I did some research and apparently if you blow in a baby's face it causes them to hold their breath for a second or two. So that's why I am blowing in her face before her swim! I delayed doing this for a whole month because it made me so nervous, but I want to get her used to the water.....

Talking to Dada...

Talking to Mama...

Su Casa Sunday

On Father's Day, we went down to Ellicott City for some lunch and shopping. Of course we had to stop in and check out what was new at Su Casa.  I tried to take some pictures of our favorite things so you could a better idea of what they have to offer. It's not just couches people! Ok here we go...

This cracks me up. It's a cutting board for OCD chefs. You can cut each piece of food the exact same length and width with the measuring guides provided on the board. As Joe takes over the cooking more and more, I can see this in our kitchen in the near future. My vegetables usually look like I ripped them apart with my teeth. He's into having the sharp knives that aren't supposed to go into the dishwasher that cut the veggies with razor sharp ease. 

These molds let you make square cupcakes!

Joe has been talking about these maps for weeks. He really wants to frame one of them and hang it up somewhere. We haven't purchased one yet because we aren't sure which one to get and we don't know where we would put it yet. 

So we did end up getting 2 of these hooks in light blue to hang on our bay window to hold our new white curtains back. I thought they were very unique. 

It's hard to tell in this picture but we both like this ferris wheel.  It's just a cool piece for a desk or table and it spins around. 

This was an area rug we both agreed on.  We would want it in front of the couch for Olivia to have something bigger to crawl on. It was on sale too, but we aren't impulse buyers anymore! So we will see. 

The upstairs area is full of clearance furniture. We went up to check it out and Olivia was in need of some playtime while we were there. 

Cool wine rack... and it hold a lot of bottles in a small space. My current rack only holds 6. But in our house it would probably be a budlight and vodka rack. 

Need a clock??? They got plenty!

A part of the store is set aside for babies and kids. It's called the Corduroy Button. They have really cute outfits and toys for kids.  

I am LOVING these whales. Maybe my next nursery theme will be whales??:)

Affected by Cantsitdownia?

We would like to present our infomercial for the Su Casa blog contest. And if you want to get the full intended experience, watch this at 3am on repeat for about 25 minutes. If you are able to get through it there is a discount offer for a couch at the end for $19.99 if you buy now.

A huge thank you to Michael Eller, one of our longtime family friends for filming these three commercials for us.  We discussed the idea one day and he was at our house three days later to make it happen. He gave us his very limited free time and we are extremely appreciative for it! He is clearly great at what he does and took our scripts and ideas and with the right filming and editing turned our vision into something far better than we even thought possible.

Movie night/Stuffed Animal Morning

Just a short and sweet post for you dedicated couch readers out there. We invited Steph and Kevin over for a movie last night to test out the movie viewing capability of the Su Casa sectional. It passed the test with flying colors. Kevin was asleep within 15 minutes of the start of the movie (he still has no idea we even took this photo) and I was asleep within 30 minutes. Not that the new Sherlock Holmes was boring, but the couch was just that comfortable!

Then this morning, Olivia invited her friends over for a couch party. They were all so excited that they could all have a seat while they visited with her. 

I am loving my couch, Su Casa! There is enough room for all my friends to come and play. And if I drool, it wipes right up! 

Can it Handle the Heat?

So it's time to discuss the test phase of this couch. This is our last week in the contest and the sectional has already encountered quite a few daunting things. So to date, here is what a Su Casa sectional can withstand...

1. Baby spit up. You heard about that one in the christening blog.

2. Cat vomit. Oh yes. This happened. It went all over the chaise lounge and oozed down the arm rest into the depths of the couch. I wasn't home when it happened and Joe challenged me to try and find the spot, which I couldn't do! 

3. Post soccer game man sweat. eww.

4. Cat snot. Did you not know that a cat's nose can be runny? It can. 

5. Bouncy friends. Mike really likes bouncing on the middle seat. 

6. Baby drool. Olivia likes to sit on the seat near the armrest, give it a good hug and a slobber. 

7. A sneaky dog. She knows she isn't supposed to jump on it, but when I come out in the morning she is sometimes curled up in the corner seat. I don't have to say anything or even look at her. As soon as she hears my footsteps she leaps down as if I don't know where she just was. 

8. My snacks. I like to eat all sorts of crumby things. Saltines, pretzels, goldfish and chips. Anything with a good crunch! Usually most of it ends up down my tank top but sometimes it will find it's way to the couch. 

9. A diaper change. Ok, diapers changes. The end of the chaise lounge is perfect for that task, not gonna lie. And these days, changing Olivia's diaper is like wrestling a wild monkey.  And that is not an exaggeration. I don't know how she can twist and contort her body like she does.

So overall, I think it has held up amazingly well to all these day to day challenges!

Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts

I’ve had a number of miscellaneous thoughts/comments/ramblings I wanted to share, but most of them were too brief to be considered a blog. Well, at least by what I consider to be a blog. With that in mind, I decided that if I compiled a series of these random thoughts together, perhaps they would make one messy pile of a blog, so let’s see how that works;

1. Sleeping on the couch- one of our competitors recently live blogged from a night of sleeping on his Su Casa couch and I tip my hat because it was a good idea. I also kick myself for not thinking of that myself. You see, of the 21 nights we’ve had the couch now, I have probably slept on it at least 10 nights. Why? I love sleeping on couches. I am one of those people who prefer confined spaces when I sleep and the couch is perfect for me. I like to turn the volume down way low and drift off in the glow of the TV. My history of sleeping on couches dates way back to high school in fact. I spent a good 2 years sleeping on the couch in our family rec room. If it turns out that we have to give this couch back to Su Casa, there may be a noticeable Joe-shaped hole on one part of the sectional.

2. Tim Couch- Drafted #1 overall by the Browns in 1999, Tim Couch is widely considered to be one of the worst draft picks in NFL history. I think his association with the word “couch” has been unfavorable. The knock on him was always that he was too soft for the NFL. Get it? Get it?!

3. Remember when Tom Cruise went all banana pants on national TV? He was jumping all over Oprah’s couch screaming about Love like a certified looney. I only ever get that excited about soup. “Broccoli cheddar! I love broccoli cheddar!!!!”

4. Jeremy Lin- This guy became the breakout sensation of the NBA this season before getting hurt for the remainder of the season. And you know what ended up being a big storyline? The fact that at the time he burst on the scene he was sleeping on his brother’s couch. I never really understood why that was such a big deal, it looked like a cozy couch to me (see #1).

5. The Simpsons Couch- Again, not fact-checking, I think The Simpsons has become the longest running show of any kind in broadcast history. And every show starts with the family on the couch. All-American. Simple. Comfortable.

6. I’m a dirtball- So seeing as the couch is technically on loan to us during this contest, we’re doing our best to maintain the integrity of the couch. That is, we’ve refrained from our normal Tuesday night gravy fights. So if we come in from the pool or yard work and are a bit dirty, we’ll always put down a blanket or something. If we’re commenting on things you learn from purchasing a piece of furniture, then I learned that I’m kind of a dirtball. Let me rephrase, I maintain good hygiene as is appropriate for work or public outings. But when I come home from work apparently I immediately become Pigpen because I rarely sit on the couch without a blanket. Sure, I’m being overly cautious, but dude, seriously, I am always dirty when I am at home.

7. I do not fit under the couch. I was on the floor the other night with Olivia and it was the first time I looked at how much the couch was raised off the floor. I thought, “hey, if I can fit under there I could probably scare Jamie pretty good one night”. You’ll be happy to know I am not an idiot, I didn’t lead the effort with my head. Rather I tried to slide my legs under to see whether I could squeeze and it didn’t clear my thighs. On the bright side, I didn’t become a Darwin Award recipient.

8. The other day I recalled how many different pieces of living room furniture we've rotated through in 8+ years of marriage. Including this sectional it's been TEN pieces of furniture. I don't need to tell you that it's more than one piece per year. We literally haven't been able to find anything we love until we got this Su Casa sectional. Isn't that ridiculous? My dad always says that if you're going to do something, you might as well do it right the first time. Well, I obviously never listened because we keep spinning our wheels in this department. I think for the first time with Su Casa, we're trying to do it right. 

The Interview: Part 2

Couch Potato Digest contacted us with interest in another interview regarding the Su Casa blog contest. We referred them to another couple, also Su Casa fans, and gave them a chance in the hot seat. Hopefully this will give the CPD's readers a different and unbiased view of the Su Casa experience.

Let us introduce the couple we suggested, our good friends Mike and Emily. They have been married almost two years, live in Odenton, MD and have a dog named Floyd. They enjoy traveling, chocolate cake, Swedish fish, gummy bears, and going to the movies. They have been homeowners for about three years and are always on the search for the right piece of decor for their home.  Here is an excerpt from their interview with Couch Potato Digest.

CPD: First things first, how did you hear about Su Casa?

Mike:  From our good friends Joe and Jamie, who were previously featured in your CPD Interview of the Month and are currently blogging up a storm to help spread the word about Su Casa. 

Emily:  They knew we were looking for a clock and suggested we check out Su Casa.  Two clocks, a table and hutch, and some artwork later - here we are!

CPD: What is your favorite thing about couches?

Mike:  Couches are like people.  They come in different sizes and colors.  They have personalities: some are fun and cheerful, some are standoffish, and others are laid back and chill.  If you fall asleep and drool on them, they never let you forget it.  There are Russian ones you can order online and they get mailed to your house. 

Emily:  I like that they get better with age.  When you first get a couch, you have to break it in a little, find your favorite spot on the couch.  After awhile you know your spot and you become one with your couch when you sit on it.

CPD: Describe a little bit about your shopping experience at the Ellicott City location.

Mike:  Well, first of all Main Street in Ellicott City is a great place to spend an afternoon.  Awesome restaurants, a local coffee place, and a chocolate shop that’ll knock your socks off.  But Su Casa is the crown jewel, the cock of the walk, the raison d’etre.  For starters, it’s located strategically at the top of a hill, so if an eclectic-home-decor battle ever rages in Ellicott City I’d put my money on Su Casa.  They will protect that casa.  Secondly, their store is just a ton of fun to spend time in.  Literally everything is unique and well-made and interesting.  Su Casa is the english muffin of stores - you keep stumbling upon more treasures in every nook and cranny.  Our weekends are precious to us and we’re not the type to spend our Saturdays shopping for home décor – but we have spent three weekends at Su Casa in the past two months! And our house is all the better for it.

Emily:  We struggled when we first bought our home to find our decorating style, or our taste in artwork.  Su Casa has such an eclectic offering, it really helped give us some great ideas and inspire us to find our style.  And the staff is great.  They leave you to explore, but are always ready to answer questions or give suggestions.

CPD: What is your favorite thing about potatoes?

Mike:  That they taste fabulous when french-fried, salted, and eaten on a comfortable couch.

Emily:  How many different ways you can eat potatoes.  You can have them mashed, fried, baked, scalloped, twice baked… the possibilities are endless!  Waffle fries, curly fries, McDonald’s fries, boardwalk fries.  Then you have sweet potatoes and who doesn't love sweet potatoes with those tiny little marshmallows on top?  Potato salad, potato chips, potato wedges, potato soup...  I guess I feel the way about potatoes that Bubba felt about shrimp.

CPD: If you could pick Joe or Jamie to be on your Dodgeball team, who would you choose and why?

Mike:  Well I’ve played soccer with Joe long enough to know he can outrun most people, and I think that more than makes up for his incredibly poor aim I’ve witnessed while playing basketball in his backyard.

Emily:  Joe’s fast, but Jamie’s got that competitive spirit that says I’m not afraid to throw this ball at a limping child if it means my team is going to win.  You want that type of fire on your side.

CPD: What is the weirdest thing you have found under a couch?

Mike:  Another couch…  I mean sure, it was when I was a kid and it was part of my sister’s doll set, but for a minute it felt like I had stepped into a parallel universe…

Emily:  Our dog.  We were shocked to see he fit underneath, but he had rolled his tennis ball underneath and was determined to get it out and he got stuck.  Silly Floyd!

CPD: We saw a picture of your new table and hutch that you ordered from Su Casa. What made you choose that set?

Mike:  We just loved the style.  It is simple and contemporary, yet looks very unique because it is made with reclaimed wood and has a slightly distressed look to it.  We wanted something lighter colored, and this was perfect.  Jessica – the Su Casa employee who helped us – was really great helping us secure a deal and lock down the logistics of delivery (we needed them to hold the table for a few weeks before delivering).  Free delivery on furniture is a HUGE plus!

Emily:  Mike was the first to see the set and the first time we went to Su Casa I remembered walking past it, but not a lot of details.  When we got home, Mike couldn't stop talking about the table and how well it would go with our newly remodeled kitchen.  I started to get excited too so we made a second trip out to check it out again.  I started to fall in love with it too, and after a week of thinking about it we decided we had to have that table and hutch!  We then started to panic that it might be gone, but on our third trip we walked into the store and were relieved to find that it was still there.  Jessica was a huge help and we watched her put sold signs on the set as we left and now we cannot wait to have the set in our kitchen! 

CPD: If you could be any piece of furniture, what would you choose and why?

Mike:  I don’t think this qualifies as furniture, but I would want to be a fire poker.  Cause then people would always say, “Mike sure knows how to handle the heat!”  Plus I could double as a weapon in case of a home invasion.  Multi-use!

Emily:  Papasan chair!  Because it is fun to say and I love that you feel like you’re sitting in a giant bowl that completely surrounds you.

What Lurks Beneath

We chose the Townsend sectional from Su Casa, which we are totally in love with. However, there is one thing I realized this weekend that hadn't occurred to me before. I am used to my previous couches touching the floor all the way around. So you don't have to worry about sweeping or vacuuming under it.  Usually I would just sweep around the couch until a day came when the cat batted a pen or something underneath it that I needed.  I would have to move the couch away from the wall, gag at the sight of all the hair and dirt under that had been festering and do a quick annual vacuum job.  But this Townsend sectional is a bit more needy. So this is me attempting to vacuum underneath it. It's too big to move out of the way each time I want to clean, so I think this is what I am in store for. And yes, that is my cat with a cone on her face. 

 Another drawback to the raised couch is that you can lose your baby. She's not crawling yet but she has figured out how to slide backwards on the hard floors. And as you can see, she keeps backing herself up and disappearing under the couch! I have to come rescue her and this is another reason why I must keep it so clean under there!

BUT, the Townsend sectional redeemed itself on Saturday night when four very sleepy adults needed a place for a little snooze. Don't we look comfortable?

The Couch, Like You've Never Seen Before

We have tried to keep this blog contest fun and interesting in hopes that all you readers will continue to tune in daily to hear about our day to day experiences with our Su Casa couch.  And in keeping true to the heart of our family blog and our silly sense of humor, we thought another commercial would make you giggle and keep you coming back for more Su Casa couch stories.  You saw the PSA last week and now we would like to introduce the world premiere of our second commercial.  I am sure you have seen one of those luxury car commercials, but have you seen a luxury couch commercial??? Check it out!

Halftime

So I wanted to take a moment and kind of have a real moment in the middle of this blog contest. Most of my contributions thus far have been in the realm of humor because we’ve asked all our friends and family to support this blog effort, the least we could do is entertain, right? Honestly, how much can you read about a couch? We’re hoping at least 30 stories, but we also understand that the subject matter could become redundant. Thus we’ve tried to create variations on the presentation of the subject matter to keep you all engaged. You remember when Oprah had a show (Jamie is still mourning) you knew what the show was about by the music and also where Oprah was sitting? If she was in a single chair and talking directly into the camera with little or no music, it was serious time. Well, I can only be so serious before I laugh at myself, but if you could see me now, I am staring directly into the camera. Today my special guest is Su Casa.

It’s human nature to covet things that we really don’t need. A car, an outfit, an iPhone, etc. They’re luxuries that we want because owning them enhances our lives a little, but without them we’d probably go on just fine. Well, for the longest time Jamie and I coveted a new couch. We’ve gotten along just fine for the last 8+ years rotating in a bunch of different living room arrangements, but you could argue that we’ve never really been comfortable in the room we spend most of our time in.  We’d made some bad decisions on purchasing living room furniture in the past and so we knew that the next time we purchased something, we had to do it right. I’ve mentioned previously what a commitment we make to our living room furniture. My parents literally had the same set for over 25 years. The problem with the idea of “doing it right” is that to do so, you have to find a piece that accomplishes a lot of things at once; style, comfort, price, fit, durability, etc. The truth is Jamie and I were probably many years away from being able to find the couch we coveted with where we are in our lives right now. And then one day an email appeared in our inbox…everything happens for a reason.

If you read our “butterfly effect” blog, maybe this is how we were supposed to get that couch we coveted. Maybe we were meant to earn it. Think about the thing you covet, go ahead. Now imagine the vendor for that thing gave it to you and said “you have 30 days to prove that this belongs to you”.  If you agree our effort thus far has spoken to that desire to earn this couch, then you are correct. Truth be told, I think we’d both be quite dismayed to have to go back to our old green couch after having been graced with such a fine piece of craftsmanship. But if I learned anything from my upbringing (and I know Jamie was raised the same), it’s that even if we win this couch, we will have earned it. As an aside, it occurred to me what such an opportunity like this says about a company like Su Casa. Imagine what it must mean to run a successful company and yet (as far as I can tell) not advertise? It shows you have a genuine dedication to your customers and your brand and trust that it will be enough. I wish every company gave me the chance to earn the things I needed instead of paying for it!

I think the point of this blog wasn’t to get sentimental or serious, but merely to speak to the fact that we recognize the opportunity we have and that we are taking it seriously. Oh, and we both think the second half of this contest for us is going to be better than the first! So to end this bit, I want to say to Su Casa “please just give us this couch!!!”  Hey, I knew a guy once who said you can’t get anything you don’t ask for! Hang in there with us for the second half of this contest and look forward to some interesting stuff we have in store. THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Look, It's the Couch People!

Last weekend we went to a wedding at Kent Manor, right across the Bay Bridge.  While I was waiting at the bar, an old friend that we haven't had contact with for years said "Hey! Aren't you the couple with the couch"?

That cracked me up. I guess through facebook, instagram and word of mouth between our friends he had heard that we were in this Su Casa blog contest. I guess that was Su Casa's intention with this whole thing. They certainly have gotten their name out there with our blog and we are just one of 14. We have had friends go and purchase things at the store, many have been clicking over from our blog to their website to browse, people have been "liking" Su Casa on facebook and others have been telling people we don't even know to check out our blog to help us win!

So yes, we are the couple with the couch. And by God we are trying our hardest to remain the last couple standing with the couch! It's like the Amazing Race without the sweat, fighting, glamorous world traveling, and million dollar winners pot. We are racing to sit comfortably on our couch for many years to come in good ol' Crofton, MD!

Pop Quiz: Is this photo...

a. Su Casa telling us we won our couch

b. Us on the way to the wedding

c. What we would look on the Amazing Race

d. Us hearing about Taco's Bell's new taco shells made out of Doritos

7 Months

Dear Olivia,

This month you turned 7 months old.  Our days together just get better and better as we figure out what routine makes you the happiest.  Usually you wake me up between 6 and 7am.  On a good morning, you might play in your crib for a while and let me sleep until 8.  You have the biggest smile on your face when I go in to get you like you have been saving that smile all night just for me. Sometimes Daddy will go in and get you so he can have some time with you before work.  You will nurse and then it's time for playing! We play on the floor with all of your toys until it's time for breakfast around 9.  Nana and Grandpa Jim got you a new highchair this week so we have trying that out recently.  You have oatmeal and some pureed fruit and love all of it.  You are a good morning eater! 

Then we do different things depending on the day. If it's a worknight,  we will take a walk and play outside and try to make it back for a nap around 2pm so that Mommy can sleep before going to work. That rarely happens to be honest.  You are just starting to get the hang of a good nap, usually around 2 hours.  If it's a day off of work, we will go for a run or walk and then either visit with Nana and Grandpa if they are home, do the grocery shopping, and run our errands.  I haven't been very good at making dinner lately so Daddy has been taking over that job. And to be honest, he is way better at it.  You got him a chef's mat for Father's Day so that his back and feet don't hurt so much after slaving away at the hot stove all day! 

You have your dinner around 5pm and then Daddy comes home from work and you either play with him or sit in your highchair and watch him make us dinner. Then you have an outdoor bath on the deck and play with all of your bath toys.  We have been giving you olive oil hair rubs since you have cradle cap.  That's been pretty hilarious to season you with olive oil and then put you in a tub of hot water. We are making Olivia Soup! 

Then we take an evening walk around the neighborhood (not recently since it's been ridiculously hot!) and we sometimes find a swing to try out at one of the playgrounds.  After our walk, we come home and get ready for bed. We will read a few books and now we even brush your teeth too.  Then around 7:30 it's off to the nursery for a nighttime nursing.  I try to sing to you but I know how bad I sound so I try not to subject you to that too much. Usually I just end up telling you stories or humming a tune.  

I feel so torn when it's time to put you in your crib to sleep.  I want to sit there and hold you for a few hours, and have even debated just taking you into bed with me while I watch tv and you sleep in my arms.  But I know that's not the best thing for you.  And once you fall asleep, it's my only time to wind down and have some time with Daddy or do all my blogging. That's basically all I have been doing in my free time this month to try and win you a couch! But it's a struggle every night to let you go.  You curl up in my arms and hold onto whatever stuffed animal I decide is worthy of you that night and suck on your paci until it plops out of your mouth and yet you will still suck away as if it's still there.  When I go to bed, I sneak in to see you one more time.  It would just be too long away from you if I didn't!

The silliest and most random things make you giggle.  I am willing to dance with a curtain over my head, make a silly grunty breathing noise, or bounce you up and down over and over again just to hear that giggle! You are sitting up all on your own now and I am sure you will be crawling in the next few weeks.  You can push and slide yourself all over the floor and usually end up underneath the couch.  I come rescue you when you start to disappear.  You can say Mama and Dada, but it's really just the syllables you say over and over again. I don't think you know it's us you are talking about yet.  But we pretend it is! Daddy's favorite nickname for you is banana face.  Maybe that's why you said Mama first?! This month you tried avocados, watermelon, mangoes, and pumpkin.  The watermelon was the favorite by far.  

I know that a lot of Moms feel bonded to their baby immediately. And they can't imagine their life without their baby and don't remember what life was like beforehand.  While I loved you instantly and was willing to do anything you needed to no end, I don't think I "knew" you right away.  This past month has been a huge leap forward for me in that regards. Going to work has been harder rather than easier because I will miss you so much while I am there. Putting you bed seems unfair because I won't see you for 12 hours while you are sleeping. My heart literally aches for you when you are not in my arms. I hope so many things for you and pray that whatever your life has in store, you will always remember my love for you.  I will always be there for you Livy girl.  

Oh dear. What hard teenage years you will have trying to assert your independence from me. Sorry, you are gonna have to work pretty hard to do that:)

These are my confessions.... (sing it like Usher)

Joe,

Confession time. 

I used our Su Casa sectional sofa as a diaper changing table this morning. 

Nothing bad happened. 

I won't do it again. 

I love you, 

Me :)

Paying for our Mistake

Our sectional sofa from Su Casa has made our every day life much easier and definitely more comfortable if you have been reading along this past month.  It seems like every week we seem to make a new use for it that we never had been able to do before.  This week we learned a valuable lesson....

 Babies need routines.

 Stick to them.

Or you will pay.

And if you have to pay, you will pay dearly.

 But with a sectional sofa you will at least pay in comfort.

We are still adjusting to our new life of staying in with the baby on the weekends. We went out or had friends over every weekend for the past 5-6 years. This past Friday night we tried to recapture just a small bit of that freedom.  We hauled our baby and her 25 essential travel items over to Mike and Emily's house for dinner and some games.  We set up the pack n play in their spare bedroom and put Livy to bed around 8pm per her usual routine. She slept like a little baby log (a twig?) until 11pm when we headed home. I naively thought I would be able to gently lift my sleeping little angel from her car seat to her crib in one gentle sweet motion and then head off to bed myself for a much needed slumber. But, if you refer to the aforementioned warning about babies and the importance of routines, you know what's coming.

She awoke.

She cried.

And cried.

And cried.

Our baby doesn't cry like that. For seven months she has only cried for two reasons. When she had acid reflux in the beginning and when she cut her first tooth. So when she couldn't be consoled that night, we were bewildered.  Eventually after several rocking attempts and walking of the hall and stairs, we tried her infant swing. It calmed her enough to settle down, but she refused to go back to sleep. Joe and I just looked at each other as the clock kept ticking by. We settled down into the sectional with our heads together in the corner piece of the couch and tried to sleep. It was perfect because we could both stretch out and we could both see Olivia from our point on the couch. As 3am turned into 4am she finally fell asleep. We both got up, did a zombie stumble down the hall to the nursery to put her in her crib and then both passed out in bed.

Payment made for a night out with friends.

I hope that one day I will look back on that night fondly.  Joe and I curled up on the couch together watching our baby swinging back and forth in angry defiance at her parents. It was the first time we were able to both sleep on the couch together.  In our pre-baby, pre-sectional days we would take the back cushions off the green machine couch and both of us would fit for a little bit. But only if we had both worked out and eaten only broth for dinner.

I am glad I have that Su Casa sectional. Because it is only a matter of time before we both must pay. Again.

Sweet Moments

Here are some of the fun family moments we have had over the last 2 weeks with our Su Casa sectional. We have become pretty attached!  And our family and friends are too. I think they really like having somewhere to sit when they visit us! If we had more than one guest over, we had to drag kitchen chairs over or one of us would sit on the floor. This is living!

Morning play time with Daddy. 

I think she likes the couch too!

Aunt Steph has been over to babysit several nights this week.  I think she has enjoyed lying with her feet up and reading her book while Livy sleeps. 

This girl makes me laugh!

Olivia is out to discover what is underneath our new couch!