Talented friends & my baby girl is 7 months old!

Man, I have talented friends.  And nice friends. 

Beverley has been my twin's bff (sorry - just using the lingo that was used when they became friends) since middle school, and also a friend of mine.  She has a beautiful daughter named Lucy who recently turned one.  Bev offered to take some photos of her baby, my baby, and my sisters' babies all wearing some of the bows I've made.

She did a fantastic job.

Seriously, I feel like my bows don't live up to the photos taken of them!  Hey, at least they're perched on some seriously cute little heads.  And, the good news is that I'm getting better at my bow-making skills, which helps David to know when I'm buying out my supplier's entire stock of ribbon.

Did I mention I will soon have 1.5" crochet headbands in a variety of colors in stock?  I will.  I'm so excited.  Nylon headbands, too, in pink and in white.

There are so many cute photos, but I guess you'll have to go to my Etsy shop to see them.  Or become a Facebook fan.  I do want to show you this one of Kate, not only because she's adorable, but because she's sporting my new ladybug clippie. 

Okay, enough shamless plugging.

While I'm on the subject of talented friends, I have another friend who dyes and spins her own yarn and makes absolutely gorgeous items.  Her Etsy shop is called Neauveau Fiber Arts and Supplies.  She offers free shipping on everything!  Here's my favorite item in her store...a Snow Bunny handknit baby's hat.

My baby is 7 months old today (Wednesday).  7 months. I wrote about her milestones in my previous post so I guess there's no use in posting them again.  I'm so proud of her, though.  I can't get enough of her.  She still isn't feeling well which makes me sad.  But, except for the gurgly nose and cough you wouldn't know it - she's still happy and playful.  A bit clingy and hasn't been napping well but that's to be expected.

You know how I posted about our PC being in our bedroom?  My husband is currently snoozing away and I'm still up trying to get the pictures uploaded to Etsy ASAP.  I'm going to wait until tomorrow to load them onto Facebook.

Oh, one more thing.  I was in a rush to get out the door and to my sister's house last Saturday when Bev was going to meet us to take the photos that I didn't change Amelia out of her recently green bean stained shirt.  I thought the shirt she was wearing over it would cover it, but it turns out she didn't wear that shirt the whole time.  Thus, the trailer trash look.  Not my most shining motherhood moment.  Ah, well.  What's a baby without a stain on her shirt?

I'm laughing at myself

I fully intended to write a new post tonight but, if you can even read this, you'll see that I'm having complications.  If you get my posts via email, come over to my blog and have a good laugh.

My train of thought:  I want a simpler blog layout.  I'll just pick one of the Blogger templates and start over.

What actually happened:  It was too simple.  Decided I needed 3 columns instead of two and started playing with the HTML coding to change some fonts.  Wound up with itty bitty writing.  I'll be working on fixing it tomorrow.

I have so much to share that I'm thinking my entries just from the holidays will spill into February.

For tonight, I'll just say that I'm so thankful for this blogging world.  If it weren't for the blogging world, I...
...wouldn't have started to "follow" Diane's blog
...wouldn't have known Diane when she and her sweet family picked up and moved just 15 minutes from me!
...wouldn't have had the complete delight of meeting Diane and her lovely husband and adorable children this evening!

It was such a great night getting to meet Diane and her family!  Hopefully we can get together and be crafty soon!

Signing off for tonight!

Car rides & homemades

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about making the trip to and from Oregon yet again this month. I'm looking forward to being there, but the thought of making the trip with Amelia again makes my neck start itching and puts my sweat glands into overdrive. She was just so miserable last time. We've made a few changes since then, though, and she seems to be (knock on wood) doing better in the car. First, we moved her car seat so that it's behind the passenger seat. I would imagine that if I were a rear-facing baby I'd want to see out the window and where she was before she was pretty much staring at a boring seat back - it can only get better from there and already we've caught her staring at the lights out the window. Second, I stopped sitting in the backseat next to her. Initially I thought sitting back there with her was a great idea because I could stick her pacifier back in when it slipped out and made her mad and I could "calm her down" when she was having a spastic moment. Doesn't work that way. She seems to calm down faster when I'm not back there, probably because if she's crying and I'm sitting back there she's thinking "Hey, lady, pick me up already. What kind of heartless person are you?" That's what I'd be thinking if I was a baby in a rear-facing car seat staring at my mom when I'm overstimulated wondering why she won't just pick me up already. Being in the back seat with a screaming baby is no picnic. It's hard work. I could practically feel minutes of my life melting away.

On the way down to Oregon last time we stopped twice because Miss Amelia was having a full blown temper tantrum. Now, I realize that, generally speaking, 3 month old babies don't have temper tantrums but in order for you to get the best mental picture that's how I need to describe it. The trip should have lasted 3 hours yet it was over 4. On the way back we also stopped twice but the first time she had a good reason to cry because she had a full, nasty diaper and I took that opportunity to feed her as well. This time I sat in the front passenger seat and as we got on the road from the first stop (about an hour in) she started crying. Then screaming. We stopped again and I tried to calm her down but it really wasn't working. I finally got her to sleep and, since it's impossible to put her in her car seat without waking her up, she woke up and wasn't all too happy about it. But, she stayed in her car seat and we got on the road, determined to let her "cry it out" since there was nothing wrong with her! I'll tell you that being in the passenger seat of a car with a screaming baby in the back seat is ten times easier than being in the back seat with said kid. Ten times. Maybe even one hundred times easier. After about 5-8 minutes she was asleep.

So, tomorrow night makes me nervous. Pray for us.

On to more fun things. First, I have very crafty friends. I have a very sweet friend named Megan who taught me how to knit about a year and a half ago and, as you may remember from this post, Megan sent me an adorable sweater for Amelia before she was born. I can't believe it's already time for me to show you my baby in the sweater because it looked so big when Megan first sent it! I'm attaching two pictures because I think her expression in the second picture is so cute. I think Millie looks a lot like her Grandma Baldwin in that second picture!

Finally, here's a vest I made for Anna or Kate or Amelia (whoever fits in it in the correct season, I guess!). My mom and granny helped me pick out the fabric and supplies which I really appreciated since it was my first ever sewing project (unless you count the whale-shaped pillow I made in Home Ec in 7th grade). My mother-in-law was sweet enough to come over a couple of times and help me read the pattern and teach me a thing or two about how to thread my machine and how to get the seams sewn properly. The courderoy flowers are not sewn on yet. I still can't decide if I like them there. What do you think?



It's way past Amelia's bedtime and probably past mine, too. She's in her swing and fell asleep maybe 10 minutes ago so I need to move her to bed.

Have a great Halloween weekend!

Oh, it's a long update

Post started on 9/5...

Is it wrong that I'm excited for fall and winter? Remind me in 4 months that I said I was excited and we'll see what I say. Today was cloudy and, at times, rainy, and it's the first day of college football season for the Huskies. It's the kind of day that makes me want to throw together a big pot of chili...or maybe some nachos. Or, if I'm honest, a big fat huge chocolate cake. Okay, that had nothing to do with the seasons changing but it's what I want.

D is bouncing Amelia on the yoga ball. Earlier this evening he was sitting on the couch with Amelia on his lap facing outward...they were watching the game together. The Huskies scored a touchdown and D yelped in excitement, completely forgetting himself and the fact that this college football season he has an infant. She did not appreciate the raucous.

Fast forward to today, 9/25...

I've been horrible about updating my blog. It's not that I don't want to...I really do and wish I were better at it. It's just that I like updating in the evenings and usually that's when Amelia is most fussy.

Generally she's a very, very good baby. She's starting to laugh and "talk". She especially gets going when D sings to her which he does often. It sounds like she's trying to sing back. Here's a video...



We were in Chicago around the middle of this month and had a really great time. We stayed with D's aunt & uncle in Naperville which happens to be the town I used to live in. I love Naperville...I almost wouldn't mind living there again. I got to eat at Giordano's, Portillos, & Dunkin Donuts (I won't admit how many times I ate there). Oh, and since Chili's went out here in Washington about a year ago I was very excited to be able to dine at a Chili's while we were in Illinois. Oh, chips & salsa, how I've missed you.

We spent some time with my friends which, I'm ashamed to say I didn't get a single picture of. I'm not happy about that. The Monday we were there we met a couple of dear friends of mine at the Shedd Aquarium. The company was great but the aquarium was disappointing. They had several exhibits closed including the penguins, polar bears, and sharks. My friend, Liz, has an adorable little boy named Isaiah and we had fun watching him interact with Amelia. I hope they'll be great friends one day!

1: D & Amelia at the aquarium
2: My friend, Liz, introducting Amelia to her sweet Isaiah
3: My friend, Shirley, trying to get Isaiah to hold Amelia since he kept saying "hold, hold!"
4: Us girls with a worn out Amelia and Isaiah




This is ridiculous - 9/28

I have more photos from our Chicago trip but I never know if people want me posting pictures of them online so I'll refrain for now. You know, as much as I really love comments from readers of my blog (and I really do love them), I more feel bad for not posting more often because I want Amelia to be able to read about her babyhood later in life. I know there are things that I've already forgotten that, at the time, I think "Oh I need to write that down!". So, I'm hoping to be better about updating from now on. For now, here's a little list of things that have been happening lately.

~ I quit my job! I'm now a full time wife and mom and I couldn't be happier. I've recently looked in to joining a couple of local Mom groups just to give me more adult company and for Amelia to have playmates around her age. The church where we are members doesn't have any kids Amelia's age although there are a few who are a few years older.

~ Amelia smiles almost on demand and coos and laughs. It's so sweet. We've been trying to capture as much as we can on our little video camera but unfortunately not many websites allow for videos over a minute or so. And, I'll be honest that once I get the camera in my hand and start recording my daughter I lose track of time.

~ She's grabbing at things. It's so funny to watch her swat at my hair or grab her rattle or little finger puppet. She never realizes when she has actually grabbed on to something, but I would imagine that's coming soon enough.

~ She gnaws on her hands constantly if her pacifier isn't in her mouth. She usually initially resists her pacifier, but ultimately after a few seconds of me holding it in her mouth she starts sucking. And it usually puts her to sleep/keeps her asleep. I've tried to keep her nails cut pretty short since I don't want her scratching at her face and inside her mouth. She's so squirmy, though, and sleeps so lightly that I have to try to do it when she's eating and even that is a challenge. Here she is gnawing on D's thumb...


~ Tummy time is loathed around here. I have proof.
Here she is, happy as can be, looking at the monkey on her play gym. Then, 2 minutes later after I turned her over for "tummy time"...


~ We moved Amelia to her crib at night a few days ago. The first night she slept only 5 hours, the second only 4, and last night she slept 7.5 hours so it seems to be getting better. Now, my kid is a great sleeper. When she wakes up the first time I simply feed her and put her back in bed and she'll sleep at least another 3 hours. I then feed her again, play with her for 30 minutes or so, then she will sleep for another 3 or 4 hours if I let her. I usually do let her just sleep but when it approaches 4 hours I wake her up. I've tried letting her sleep for as long as she wants to during the day before and then she doesn't sleep at night. I learned a very valuable piece of advice recently and that is not to let your baby be awake for longer than 2 hours. After that point they get overtired and need to rest. I've really taken that to heart because Amelia used to get SO fussy at night and now that we've napped her at night she seems so much better. I used to let her sleep intermittently whenever she wanted in the morning then at night when D got home she'd play with daddy and be awake for 4 or more hours...which led to a VERY fussy baby come bedtime.

Seriously - this is why I need a mommy group. I'm quite certain you don't care about my child's sleeping habits.

I put Amelia in a 3-6 month romper yesterday and almost cried when it actually fit. Granted, Carter's brand runs small but the arm length and leg length is about perfect. I have a long, skinny kid so moving up a size for length is generally good but then the waist area is too big.

I'm learning to sew. I should be finished with my first project by tomorrow or Thursday and I'll post pictures. If you're a seamstress please don't laugh. Or, laugh, because I won't be able to hear you anyway. It's pretty pathetic but I'm still rather proud of it.

I haven't gotten used to the idea that I don't work outside the home anymore. I still feel like I have something to do at work or that I should be starting work any day now. It's liberating yet stressful at the same time because keeping up with my house and taking care of my baby is a lot more work than my "job" ever was. I feel like my husband could take away my "stay at home mom" card any time if I'm not doing a good job. Of course he wouldn't do that, but I want him to love coming home every day to a clean house, a clean kid, and a happy wife. That's a lot more challenging than it sounds! But, it's been my dream job for a long time and I'm happy to attempt to perfect my skills. Any suggestions are welcome.

D took down my winter clothes from the attic so I'll be switching them out tomorrow. I got to thinking that it feels like I just put my winter clothes away then I realized that I did just put them away. Right around the first of August. It will be nice to wear regular winter clothes instead of maternity clothes.

Now I'm just rambling and there's no reason to since I'll be updating more often. I have plenty of time to ramble!

(One of the things that "went" with my pregnancy and subsequent birth of my daughter was my writing ability. I can't seem to form many cohesive thoughts. Thanks for reading, anyway.)

I leave you with a few cute pictures...


These were taken last night. Our dog, Tess, apparently thinks babies taste pretty good.

I'm a blessed girl

Happy Father's Day! We had an enjoyable one.

First, I need to give a shout-out to my dad since we weren't able to spend today with him (the shot to the left is the night D & I got engaged...he asked me in a super creative way right smack dab in front of my family. No one knew he was going to do it except Dad. It was priceless). It's hard to know where to begin when talking about my dad since there are so many things I admire/respect/love about him. What I most remember about my childhood was that he was there all of the time. He worked 45 minutes from our house, but I don't ever remember an occasion when he wasn't actively involved...he never put work above his family although at his job he was always a very hard worker with a stellar work ethic. He coached (or assistant coached?) our little league softball team, the Sugarbabies, and was always there for any sport or hobby that we decided to involve ourselves. When we were little, my mom would bathe us and my dad always blow-dried our hair...I love that memory. When we lived in Michigan and had a ping pong table in the basement he would play ping pong with us tirelessly. Living in Michigan was tough at times because my dad got laid off at work. He went to the unemployment office every single day as if it was his full time job and at night he worked at a Meijer store - stocking shelves. I think about that often because that, to me, was the ultimate in sacrifice for his family. It was important to him that my mom stay home with us so he did what he felt he had to do to provide for his family - no job was "below" him. As a Christian, my dad is an amazing example of a spiritual leader of his family and now that he's an elder he's an excellent leader at church, too. I firmly believe that my sisters and I married such amazing Christian men because of the example my dad set for us when we were growing up. I can't remember my dad ever losing his temper with us when we were still at home. When I was a teenager filled with the normal amount of teen angst, I always felt like I could talk to my dad and he wouldn't get mad at me for expressing how I felt about things (although he had his way of gently reminding me why things were the way they were). He let me talk, and I'll never forget that. I love you, Dad...I feel like I didn't say enough, but what you've done to show us you love us hasn't been overlooked. For my wedding, since I was the last of his daughters to get married, he worked on this video to show at the reception. I wasn't allowed to see it before the wedding day, but I remember he would work on it in his office and come out of the room wiping his eyes...my dad who never cries. I had a great childhood with parents who loved each other deeply (and still do) and put God first...what a difference that makes!

Here's the video Dad made. Turn up your sound and grab a tissue or 9:



Here's the link in case the video doesn't work for you. I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day.

We spent Father's Day with D's parents, sister and brother-in-law. Jake grilled hamburgers and we had potato salad (that D's mom made - mmmm), potato chips, and watermelon. Really yummy meal. I decided to try a dessert I saw recently for Father's Day. They were a big hit! My father-in-law really enjoyed them so I consider them a success! Here are photos of the "hamburgers" I made. It's pretty much a cupcake with brownie and frosting inside. The "fries" are sugar cookies with sugar sprinkled on them:

I wish D wrote a blog so he could talk about his childhood with his dad. I mean, I know what an amazing man his dad is but it would be fun to hear some stories of D growing up. Anyway, I really do feel fortunate for marrying in to the family I did. D's dad gave such a moving speech at our wedding reception - I'll never forget it! Love you, Papa B! Happy Father's Day!

Just to say - I do consider this D's first Father's Day but only slightly. He deserves recognition for putting up with/bending over backwards for me as I carry our little girl. He's a great dad already because he's taking such great care of our little girl's mom, thus taking care of our little girl. I can't tell you how excited I am to see D with our little girl...I think the second he sees her he'll be a goner. That's if he's not passed out on the floor from the whole labor/delivery experience (I'm kidding - kind of. He doesn't like to see people in pain and isn't a fan of blood). Love you, D.

A couple of sweet girls and their husbands got into town on Saturday morning. They arrived shortly after D left to attend a wedding in Portland. I had so much fun just sitting and chatting with Jenn & Sarah...it made me wish I had girls around my age who lived close that I could just sit around and chat with! They really were a delight to have around. Sarah took some shots of me in all my bellied glory on Saturday afternoon in our backyard and I think they turned out well...she does such an amazing job. I do not feel pretty at all right now (what is with my nose?!) but she took pictures of me that I actually like. That's a feat! Sarah - you rock. And Jenn, thanks for the comedic relief :) Here's a sampling of the photos Sarah took:

Tomorrow I start on thank you notes for baby gifts. I figure if I start tomorrow I can be done by mid-September. :)

Have a happy Monday. Go hug your dad.

Feline Drama

Haaaaalcy.
You've met Halcy. She's one of D's two (fat) cats.

Lately, D has been leaving the french doors to the back deck open so that the cats can wander in and out freely. They've always been indoor cats but, when allowed to, they've loved going on to the front porch or back deck and sitting in the open air. Swatting at bugs is an added bonus. D decided it was time to gradually introduce them to more of the outdoor living, thus leaving open the french doors. Hailey usually stays close to the door but Halcy is the more brave of the two and will creep farther and farther away, although she has always stayed on the deck.

Last night D went to lock up the french doors and didn't see the cats on the deck so he shut everything down and we went to bed. He always brushes Hailey before bed and sometimes Halcy will wander in and either want to be brushed or just hang out, but it's not unusual for Halcy to be MIA before we go to bed. I was home all day today but it's also not unusual for me to not notice the cats while I'm here. They meander about and sometimes just stay under the bed all day. So when D asked if I'd seen Halcy and I said "No", that wasn't too unusual. But when he called for her several times and she didn't appear, we got suspicious.

D wandered the house looking for her while I put dinner on the table, thinking he'd find her right away, no problem. I knew it wouldn't be a quick thing when he left to check outdoors. Right about then is when he put it all together and realized she had probably wandered off the deck the night before and he had locked her out. We both thought this was a bit ironic because D had scheduled to get Halcy declawed tomorrow morning at 7am and then all of a sudden she was missing.

Our back yard is fenced, but since it's sloped there are gaps under it where a cat could easily slide under. Before you go thinking our back yard is a typical back yard with some grass and a few plants, let me show you what it looks like.


It gets more "jungley" as it slopes down toward the wetlands in back. I just saw a racoon the size of a yellow lab wandering around on our deck a few nights ago and I know they roam the wetlands so that's what I was most concerned about.

D left because he was meeting his dad at the gun range for target practice. I guess I felt guilty in a way because I had never made it a secret that I did not like the cats. Granted, I never wished them harm in any way but I just didn't want them in my house. During the last few weeks they were wearing on D's nerves, too. Halcy would claw at our new furniture and for some reason Hailey became deathly afraid of the garage where the litter box was so our house became her litter box. I know, say it with me: "EWWWWWWWW!!!" D had gone so far as to email people that we know and ask if anyone wanted the cats, and he called the vet to ask for recommendations for no-kill shelters. So, the cats have not been on our "warm fuzzies" list lately.

Anyway, I didn't want Halcy to be in danger and I felt sick with her being gone because I knew that D would be upset even if he wasn't acting like it. So, while he was at the gun range I got in my car and roamed the neighborhood a bit. THen I walked from our house around the block to the other side of the wetlands and tried calling for her. I was having pretty consistent Braxton Hicks contractions while I was out walking around so I headed back to the house. I stood in the back yard for a while but eventually came inside.

D called on his way home saying that he was going to stop by Lowe's. I was pretty surprised that he was willing to kill daylight that he could be looking for Halcy so I convinced him to come home and spend the evening light looking for her. I guess he'd been thinking of places she might be, because right when he got home he looked here:

Under our hot tub.

And he saw this (look directly to the right of the pole that's in the light):


For some reason the many times we were outside calling for her before this she wasn't meowing. Now, when D was looking at her under the hot tub deck and saying her name she started meowing. D gave her some food and was able to pet her from under the deck, but since there's only one way in and one way out, it was obvious that Halcy either didn't want to come out or didn't know how to come out. She would even hiss at D when he was petting her from the entrance:


She would. not. come. out.

So, we left her there. I mean, D tried getting her out for at least a good 45 minutes but when it became obvious that she didn't want to leave we weren't going to lasso her and drag her out so there she still stays. D left some food for her but I think we're both past the point of feeling sorry for her. She had ample time to get out of there and didn't. Think she knows English and figured out that she was headed to the vet tomorrow?

Anyway, that's our feline drama for this evening. I had some mint chocolate ice cream and some chocolate ice cream so I feel better now. D doesn't work tomorrow so we have a movie date with Netflix tonight. He's playing Call of Duty right now but says he's just waiting on me to finish my blog before he quits his game. Yeah, right. :)

I said it on Facebook, but it bears repeating....it's a little crazy to me that I will have this baby girl before the sour cream in our refrigerator expires.

Probably should get another belly picture tonight, but I decided makeup was entirely unnecessary today so I'm going to rebel against the belly shot. Plus, I have a [sweet friend|starryfish] coming in to town this weekend who takes amazing pictures and she mentioned wanting to get some more belly pictures of me. Does she really know what she's in for? I mean, I've got the belly...I got a lot of belly. Bring the wide angle lense, Sarah!

I'm rambling. You'd think that since I'm not working anymore I'd be more diligent about updating my blog but the truth is that I'm not. I'm lazy about it. I think that's because I like posting pictures when I post a new blog and that takes effort and a subject.

Ok, for real. Signing out.

EDIT: D tried again for 30 minutes and was finally able to coax Halcy out enough so that he could grab her and bring her indoors. So, the cat is now safe and sound...



I'm sorry for my lack of writing skills...I mean really sorry. They're BAD

Shower & Colors of the RainBOW

Blood work came back normal - yay! My next appointment is Tuesday afternoon so I'll have another update for you then. I think I've been having Braxton Hicks the last couple of days. Right now I've got my feet up and I'm watching a chick flick on Netflix instant watch. We're getting rid of Netflix this month and I think I'm going to miss it. Especially since I'm off work until the baby's born. But hopefully I'll have more important things to occupy my time...or at least more demanding things, like cleaning or reorganizing my pantry.

A good friend of David's from high school wanted to throw us a baby shower, so she invited a few friends of David's from high school/college that we get together with regularly. It was sooo nice - she did a really amazing job planning everything. She thought it would be nice to have it at our house so people could see the nursery. Here's a few pictures...



Today I got asked if I was carrying twins. Yeah. I'm going to give you a tip. Never ask a pregnant woman if she's carrying twins. If she is and she wants you to know, she'll volunteer that information. I'm pretty sure you can only stick your foot in your mouth if you have to ask a pregnant woman if she's carrying twins...because more often than not, she's not carrying twins. I wasn't offended - I know I'm swollen and huge. I really understand that people just don't seem to know what to say to pregnant women, so I'm using this blog to spread the word about things not to say to a pregnant woman. You're welcome! I'll narrow it down for you. The only thing you should say to a pregnant woman: "You look great/beautiful/fantastic".

There. See? Easy.

I have a very talented, very sweet friend named Liz who used to have a business making/selling bows and headbands. She's since had a beautiful little boy and set her business aside but she pulls out her ribbons to make headbands and bows for friends who have baby girls. She recently surprised me by sending a huge bag full of her wonderful headbands. I'm SO excited to put these on my baby girl's head.

She made one for each holiday...


And every color of the rainbow!

Thank you, Liz, for another very sweet and thoughtful gift!

Work has been slightly stressful this week. I'm trying to train the woman who will fill in for me while I'm on maternity leave and it's a long story but it's a rough road. Only 2 more days! Tomorrow is my work baby shower so that should be fun!

Have a great Thursday!

28

So I misled you, but not intentionally. Today 28 years ago is the day my sister and I were born. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday weekend. Some ladies at church threw a baby shower for me yesterday and my mom and sister wanted to be here for it so my parents came up Thursday night and my sister and her little family came up on Friday night. My mom made me a german chocolate cake with homemade frosting on Friday and it was delicious. You know I had a great weekend when I don't have many pictures to show you. Normally I have my camera out at all times but I just forgot to break it out this weekend!

On Saturday I woke up at 7am for some reason and Carrie was already up with Anna. My dad was just getting back with donuts (YUM!), and Caleb was wanting to watch cartoons. I loved my Anna time this weekend - she's getting so big already. Before the girls left to go shopping on Saturday afternoon, my mom and dad let us open one of our birthday gifts. Carrie and I each got a pair of really cute Mary Jane Crocs. I know that doesn't sound like it would make a lot of sense, but they're VERY cute and super comfy. You don't want to see my feet right now, but here's what my pair looks like:

I'm wearing them now and love them. They're so roomy even though my feet are triple the size they usually are.

Anna slept for the entire 5 hour shopping trip...it was amazing. While we were at Nordstrom, my mom bought Carrie and me the cutest clips. I've worn mine 3 times just since Saturday...I love it! It's one of those clips that seems like it would be a great heirloom piece so I hope to pass it down to Amelia when she's 35 and can handle the responsibility. :) Before you're critical of my photo, try taking a picture of a little hairpiece while it's in your hair. It's not too easy!


Saturday evening we had our birthday dinner at Maggiano's. When we got there we were shown to a small banquet room with about 8 10-seater tables. We were the only ones in there and it was wonderful. Then a group with 2 young children was shown in. Then another group with about 5 young children was shown in. How did we get the "kids" section? Either way, it was a really yummy dinner even if we had to save our talking for when we got home so we could hear each other!

This is my cute twin with the dessert I made for her. You'll die when you find out what it's made out of. The bottom layer is chocolate chip cookie, then a layer of Cool Whip, cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar mixed together, then a layer of chocolate pudding, then a layer of Cool Whip to top it off. I added mini chocolate chips in lieu of nuts and chocolate shavings. I'll post better pictures and the recipe tomorrow. It was good, although not as good as the cake my mom made for me. Carrie would disagree...she wanted to take her dessert home with her and we tried to get her to borrow one of our coolers but she refused. She said she'd make it at home, so I hope she does. I'm sure D will polish off what's left of the one I made.

So, as I said, Sunday afternoon after church was my baby shower. People were so generous - it was amazing. We got a lot of great stuff and D is doubtful that it will all fit where it needs to go. I'll admit I have a lot of organizing to do, but I'm hoping to start getting Amelia's clothes washed this weekend so I can put things away where they will really go.

I am going to get the pictures from the shower from my sister-in-law and take photos of the gifts and I'll do a separate post about that soon.

Tonight after work I'll go pick up D from work and we'll head to PF Changs for my birthday dinner and then we have our last childbirth class tonight. I can't believe it's already over and that in 4 short weeks I'll be at the end of my 40 weeks growing this little girl. I can't wait to meet her. This morning, D woke me up with a birthday card and a wrapped gift. I used to wear Clinique Happy all of the time but in the last couple of years I just haven't thought to buy any more. I put it on my birthday wish list that I send to D and he bought it for me. I'm wearing it now and love it!

The next few weeks are going to be insane but I'll try to post often. Have a wonderful first week of June!

Showers, Sweaters, & Tess

So we found a pediatrician. She's great. When I called to set up the "Meet & Greet", the receptionist said they only take about 20 minutes. Our pediatrician talked to us for almost an hour! Which, was great! The time went by very quickly - she asked us more questions than we asked her but we were able to get in our questions and she answered them very completely and very professionally. So, that's a big relief to have that out of the way.

On Wednesday afternoon, D's coworkers threw us a baby shower which I thought was really sweet of them. A few of the women he works with set up the room and arranged everything. It was so sweet!



This diaper cake is made of non-chlorine diapers (the reason they're beige instead of white) and had a bunch of really adorable necessities on it which I'm sure we'll get a ton of use out of everything! A few minutes after we arrived at the shower, one of the hostesses threw a blanket over the diaper cake and as a game had everyone try to remember what was on the cake. Well, I was trying not to stare it down because I didn't want people to think I was looking at it and examining everything on it even though I really wanted to! So, I only remembered 4 items. The woman who won the game remembered 10 items!

The pig is a piggy bank - isn't it adorable? It's so unusual but cute! It's wearing a tutu with a big ol' flower on it.



This is D, holding up part of a Janie & Jack sweet pea outfit we got. It's SO cute.







We're so very blessed for the friends we have and the generosity they show to us. I'm trying to stay on top of things by getting thank you cards done for this shower by this weekend. We'll see if that happens!

So, the sweet gal who taught me to knit sent us a gift for the baby. I got it in the mail today and I LOOOOOVE it. I dream of having the skill that she has! I know Amelia is going to get a LOT of use out of this little sweater. The camera makes it look blue, but it's actually a very sweet purple...matches some of the clothes that Amelia has already so it's perfect!


And finally, I took this picture because Tess has taken to laying here sometimes. It's usually while D is gone so I don't know if she's protecting me, watching to bark as people walk by, or if she just needs to use the restroom. At any rate, I think it's cute.

She's gotten much better about her place in the house and realizing that not all dogs get the cush life of sitting on the couch like humans. She still cuddles with us when we're on the couch, but no part of her touches the couch. Right now she's curled up under the coffee table and I can hear her snoring.

I had a doctor appointment yesterday. I turned away from the wall when I was weighed - I don't need to know what that number is...what good does it do me? My doctor scheduled us an ultrasound for 37 weeks which I'm really excited about! They'll measure everything and just generally check on the baby and I'll get to see Amelia one more time before we meet in real life! Her heartbeat at the appointment yesterday was 154 bpm...nice and strong!

Time to fold some laundry and work on my knitting.

My younger sister is officially on baby watch. Her due date is tomorrow so baby Kate can come at any time! Pretty exciting!