Baby Be Mine

Now that we've seen the baby, I wanted to buy him/her a couple of special outfits that weren't hand-me-downs from big brother. Finding unisex 0-3 month clothes is actually more difficult than it should be. As of right now, we have two onesies and two beanies (I love babies in beanies). I remember Miss Maryn had the cutest little giraffe and I found one the other day! It's called Sophie Giraffe (named after Saint Sophie) and was first created in 1961. The rubber is from a Heava tree and the coloring is made from food. Click HERE to learn more about this long-necked animal. 

Garden Show

We headed downtown to the annual garden show. H was so excited he couldn't resist a chance to hop in the seat of a real skid loader. These are the overalls I blogged about yesterday.

Aren't these rock benches cool? Now, where to find some of these babies?!

We're going to steal this idea for our shed. It's a rubber sink (minus the plumbing) used for potting. Plus it has a ruler on the edge of it.

Several booths had this fern type plant. It's called Jacob's Ladder and it loves the shade. 

As H says, "see ya later alligator, after while crocodile."

Overall Comfort

It's been a little while since I've done laundry and I was out of things to wear. After digging through my closet, I found an old pair of overalls. Perfect comfort for the prego belly. As soon as Harrison walked in the door, he stopped, pointed and laughed for about a half an hour. At first, I thought he was making fun of me but then I realized he thought they were completely awesome and he wanted a pair. 

A couple of days later, I just happened to stumble upon a pair of toddler overalls. They were a size too small but from the hanger, they seemed long. I brought them home and he was crazy about them! He insisted on putting them on and showing off his new attire. They really are too short for him but he's not giving them up. Since I've brought them home, he's slept with them in his bed and has carried them around. It's his new lovey.

Lipstick Tea

This teapot just makes me smile!

It's a . . .

I've been looking forward to this days for weeks. We decided it might be kinda fun to bring Harrison along for the ultrasound. He was pretty hyper b/c it was close to nap time but he seemed stoked.

And the for the big question everybody always asks . . . well . . . you'll just have to wait along with us! Before I was pregnant we talked about waiting until the birth to find out the gender and we stuck to our guns. The tech had us look away when she revealed that part. I've had several friends who have waiting and said the feeling is unbelievable when the doctor announces the gender. Plus, we'll know the birth date weeks in advance since I'll have a c-section again. For me, I'll be excited to find out pink or blue rather than stressing about the surgery. Oh yeah, the tech also said the baby has long legs!

Later on that evening, Mimi asked Harrison about the baby. And he said, "The baby is black!" We took it for granted that he's never watched black and white tv and of course looking at the tv monitor, it does appear that way. I'm not breaking the news to him but I have a feeling he may be a little disappointed :)

Website Wednesday - Martha Stewart

You either love Martha or hate her. I happen to love her. Click HERE to visit her website. I actually found our wedding cake idea from her magazine. The craft section is a great inspiration. AND I haven't been disappointed in her recipes. In fact, Ryan makes the best bolognese sauce ever (courtesy of Martha). Enjoy!

Candle Stick Makeover

My SIL gave me three beautiful candle sticks. She said she could never find the right place for them. I love the shapes and details but the color wasn't working. I've decided to paint them a creamy butter and so far I'm pleased. I'll probably shabby chic them too.

Jar of Heads

I love sour candy, especially lemon heads. However, my sugars have been on the high end of normal so my doctor told me to watch my carbs. Since, I had gestational diabetes last time, I'd really like to prevent it if all possible. In my Christmas stocking, I was thrilled to find a big bag of lemon heads. To control myself, I placed them in a jar and only have a few a day. My supply is getting low, good thing Easter is coming up :)

Diamond Dig

Okay, show of hands, how many of you have ever dug for diamonds? Today, we ventured to Crater of Diamonds State Park. Harrison is pretty lucky for us so we were counting on finding a 10 carat.

Look, Bob and Mimi joined in on the fun.

Diggin', diggin', diggin'. Nuthin' yet. Awh, look at my baby bump! 

Harrison thought he might have better luck sifting it through the screen.

No diamonds today, only good times. According to the signs, an average of 600 diamonds are found a year and the biggest find was 40.23 carats in 1924.

In Progress - Side Yard

The weather has been so wonderful this past week, I can't help but start on yard work. Ryan has cleared out most of the overgrown bushes and we're hoping this will help with the mosquito problem. We'll probably plant some holly bushes near the windows and add some grass. Any other suggestions? It's pretty shady over there.

Pregnant Life

When you're pregnant, the body twists and turns in crazy ways. Check out the above diagram. Can someone please tell me where the intestines are located during the third trimester? I think they squish the brain to make more room.

So this week, I've managed to wash AND dry my car keys. It wouldn't be a big deal, but I have the electronic lock attached to the key. Ryan replaced a part and it only cost us 40 bucks instead of 180. Today, I went the extra mile and put on makeup. I don't wear perfume very often so when I do I feel like I'll have an extra special day. As I was squirting it, I immediately felt stinging in my eyes. I'm an idiot. I have no idea how I was able to spray my entire face with perfume. So much for the makeup.

Last but not least. I pulled on my lovely maternity cargo pants and noticed they were feeling a bit snugger. Thinking that I've gained more weight and they were freshly washed, I continued getting ready. I did notice the front pockets looked different but my mind quickly wondered somewhere else. Any sane person would have realized something wasn't right. Right before leaving the house, I reach into my back pocket only to discover that my hand slid in there at an angle. OMG, my pants were on backwards! The sad part is I would have left the house this way. 

When I was pregnant with Harrison, I wore two different shoes to a doctor's appointment. That appointment just happened to be the 3 hours glucose testing day, so I had to sit there for 3 plus hours with my new fashion statement. 

Nit-Pickin'

I really admire how food stylists have the patience and control over every single piece of food in a concept. This is one job, I definitely could not do, I'm better on the side lines.

Website Wednesday - Kelley Ryden

My friend Kerrie introduced me to this blog a couple of years ago. Click HERE to see the joys of newborns. I'm getting several ideas. I like that she really shows off the baby and the backgrounds aren't too busy. Enjoy!

Heart Pounding

I've been looking forward to this day for about two weeks. Harrison's first valentine's day party at school. After searching high and low, we found some cute Snoopy cards for the other kids. We decided to get his teachers gifts as well. I thought lotion would be perfect but H preferred maps. Yes, maps. I asked him, why maps and he said so they wouldn't get lost when driving. We compromised and they received both. Warning to all future girlfriends - don't expect flowers or candy for v-day, you'll know he loves you when you get windshield wiper fluid or a tire gauge. 

We decorated the gift bags with homemade stamps (see picture above). Just take a piece of cardboard, rolling it into the desired shaped, add a rubber band, then dip it in paint. Ready to go!

This morning he was pretty quiet but you never know what kind of mood you're going to get. I dropped him off at school and continued my work day. At 9:34, I received THE CALL, ya know the one you never want to get. As soon as I looked at caller id, I knew it couldn't be good news. "Em Amanda, this is Harrison's school and he just got sick." Grabbing the car keys, "I'll be right there." 

Yes, our little man has a small case of the stomach bug. When I arrived, they had changed his clothes and he was sans shoes. I felt really bad b/c he was sick AND didn't get to attend the party. As I carried him into the house, round two began. As I mentioned over and over, I'm still new to motherhood and my reaction time isn't the best yet. After both of us were covered in oatmeal from breakfast, I was able to take action. Okay, the bathroom is probably the best place for him until I get this cleaned up. Somehow, I managed to change our clothing, clean the floor and nurture the little one. Luckily, we never saw round three.

I sent Ryan to pick up his shoes (somehow they managed to get lost in the situation) and valentines. He discovered that H got sick during chapel and all over his teacher. Apparently, she had to leave to change clothes! I felt worse after hearing this but I guess it's just one of those things. Live and learn.

V-Day Love

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope your day is filled with love and happiness.

Shed Update

We left Ryan alone for a couple of hours today and he was able to make a huge dent in our shed project.

Looking excellent so far. I can't wait to put my decorative touch on it :)

19 Weeks

Harrison decided to take this month's photograph. He brings out some of the best smiles in me.

I'm 19 weeks along and I'm feeling it. Good news, I'm about half way through this pregnancy and we're even closer to seeing our new baby. Unfortunately, this week has brought a charlie horse, braxton hicks contractions, and exhaustion. Oh, my nesting instinct is starting to kick in. You should see my To Do list!

Spud Love

We're growing spud love in honor of Valentine's Day.

Winter Wonderland

Snow, snow and more snow. We're going on Day 2 of pajamas and suffering from colds. It's beautiful outside but I'm ready for spring.

Website Wednesday - The Brick Artist

JR this one is for you. Click HERE to meet Nathan Sawaya. He is a New York-based artist who creates awe-inspiring works of art out of Legos! Sawaya has more than 1.5 million colored bricks in his studio. Can you imagine? Check out the gallery of images. Enjoy!

Panic Food

It's panic time, the BIG snow storm is coming into our state tomorrow! We're preparing by making chocolate chip cookies. Harrison can't resist sampling a few chips.

On a different subject, every night before bed, H insists on a story. It's really pushing our creative levels into overdrive. Tonight was Ryan's turn. He was holding H in the cradle position when an airplane entered the story. Ryan started "flying" H around the room. Most kids would be pretty excited about this but H said "Dada, lay me down so I can concentrate on the story!"

Nice Nails

And yet another H photograph. Something about this one really caught my eye. Look closely at someone's fingernails. He always keeps them the perfect length and clean. Me? I'm another story.

Super Bowl Picks

It's Super Bowl Sunday! Ryan and I are both rooting for the Packers while Mr. H said he's going for the Steelers. The boys made an eclair cake and we all win with that :)

Brilliantly Chilly

Being pregnant, it's extremely hard to read magazines, watch tv, or search the internet without finding something that looks SOOO good to me. I'm not a big chocolate person (prefer salty to sweet) but OMG look at this Baked Alaska with chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream!

No More Cold

The weather has been really cruddy lately. Spring, oh Spring, where are you?

We've been talking about the baby lately. Did I mention Harrison said he has a baby in his belly too? I told him I was not changing that baby's diapers too. 

Here's a recent conversation:

Me: Where is the baby going to sleep? (I never know what kind of answer I'll get)

H: I don't know.

Me: Maybe we need to get a crib.

H: And a mattress too. (always thinking)

Me: Good idea!

H: Oh, the baby will need a dresser, work space and an office. (apparently he's putting the baby to work right away!)

Give Me Fifty

Not sure what's going on here. I wasn't involved in the scene or photography. Your guess is as good as mine.

Website Wednesday - Groundhog Day

In honor of today, I chose this website to learn about the history of Groundhog Day. Click HERE to find out more from the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. Good news, according to Phil only six more weeks of winter!

Model Pose

Normally I always prefer a documentary style photography (especially for kids) than the posed portraits with the standard background. I feel like you get more of the child's personalty when it's not so staged. HOWEVER, I think this is too cute for words. I just love his smile and posture in the photo. Oh, my sweetie pie.