Elise's 1st Birthday Celebration

I can't believe that it has been 2 months since we celebrated Elise's 1st birthday! I just realized that I never shared any pictures or details with you, so here goes....

You may remember that we had scheduled Elise's party to be in a park that we got word just days before the party was going to be closed due to the government shutdown, panicked does not even begin to cover it! Fortunately at the 11th hour, they were given another week to remain open and we were safe. Family and friends gathered on a warm, sunny day and celebrated with Barbecued chicken, baked beans, slaw, rolls and fruit salad...and of course, cake!

Our party theme was butterflies in colors of hot pink, purple, lime green, and aqua (same colors as her room!). I purchased a party kit from Tania's Design Studio and it made things so easy. Just printed, cut, and assembled invitations, a party banner, high chair bunting, favor tags, and other signs.

I put together a pink snack mix, full of toddler favorites, as favors and decorated clothespins and added pipe cleaner antennae to turn the snack bags into butterflies.

One of my favorites had to be the amazing butterfly cupcake cake that a dear friend made for Elise. It was absolutely stunning!

My next favorite was the chalkboard inspired art that I created as a way to review all of her "firsts."

Of course, my true favorite was seeing her have so much fun and feel the love on her special day!

P.S. Please don't tell the Rev that I am already planning for her 2nd birthday...

Bright Starts 3-in-1 Baby to Big Kid Rocker Giveaway

I was recently given the opportunity to review the Bright Starts 3-in-1 Baby to Big Kid Rocker. What is the Brights Starts 3-in-1 Baby to Big Rocker? So glad you asked!

Here is a description from Bright Starts:
The Bright Starts™ 3-in-1 Baby to Big Kid Rocker™ is the perfect seat to grow with baby! The seat rocks back and forth and features soothing vibrations with full body recline to help soothe baby. The removable toy bar allows easy access to baby and includes 2 interactive toys for entertaining. As your little one grows from baby to big kid, the seat can be used as a rocker or stationary seat – the rear kickstand can be locked into place to stabilize the seat and is conveniently located out of baby’s way. The seat also features an easy to clean seat pad with a fun, zoo animal print that is sure to make your little one smile!

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at first since Elise has already passed the age to use the baby seat function....but I underestimated her and the product. I sat her down in the chair and she started rocking it herself! It's a perfect size for her and will be for the next good while. She loves to sit in it and look at her books. And I love that she can rock in it or I can adjust the kickstand and she can sit in it stationary. We don't yet have any other kid sized furniture, so this is a great piece. I'm kind of kicking myself for not noticing this product sooner. If your house is like ours and space is at a premium, this would save you the expense and storage of a bouncing baby seat and a toddler chair, since it is all of those in one. The colorful and engaging toy bar and vibrating/reclining functions would be perfect for your little baby and the I-can-do-it-myself rocking function is great for fostering independence as they get a little older. Super happy that we have this now (and so is she!)!

*I received a Bright Starts 3-in-1 Baby to Big Kid Rocker in exchange for a review of the product. All opinions are 100% mine.*

Want one for yourself? Bright Starts has graciously offered to give one to one of my lucky readers! Enter using the Rafflecopter Widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Discovery Bottles

Elise has plenty of toys - soft blocks, chewing toys, noisy toys, tea sets, picnic sets - and yet she still loves everyday objects. She can play with an empty water bottle, a box, a straw or a spoon for a long while. I decided to use some empty bottles and everyday items of different textures and colors to create some discovery bottles for her to explore.

I used small Aqua Pod bottles and a few things that I found at the dollar store - beads, curling ribbon, gel beads, glitter, pasta and rice, and rubber balls. I filled the bottles up, added water to some to magnify the contents, and sealed them with hot glue.

The verdict? She loves them! And as a bonus, they are really helping her with her crawling (she started last weekend!), as the bottles roll and she crawls right after them.

P.S. These aren't just for babies, you could also use this tutorial to create an I Spy bottle, perfect for travelling and entertaining kiddos of all ages!

The Day I Coughed Out A Baby (Elise's Birth Story)

Dear Elise,

You are almost 7 months old and we are about to celebrate my first Mother'sDay, so this seems like a good time to tell you the story of your birth.

Though you weren't due until October 13th, we had said all along that we hoped you would come on the 11th, so that your birthday would be 10/11/12--your Mom is very alphabetically, numerically minded. On the 10th, which was a Wednesday, I wasn't feeling well, so I stayed home from church that evening. I went to bed early, but your Dad, who is an eternal night owl, did not, he would wish later that he had...

A little after 2:00am, I woke up and needed to go to the restroom. Your Dad popped up and asked if everything was OK, pretty much like he had every time I got up at night for that last little bit. I said yes, just needed to go to the bathroom...a few seconds over the bathroom threshold and that changed, I was pretty sure that I felt my water break. I woke your Dad up and he started packing the car while I got a shower and did my makeup (needed to at least look good!).

Your Dad drove us to the hospital with the flashers on, not like I was that far along in the labor process, but it made him feel important! After waiting for the slowest receptionist ever, we were checked into a room. And the waiting began, with some pretty nasty contractions thrown in for good measure. The nurse (this particular nurse was the only bad apple in the bunch) couldn't determine how dilated I was so we had to wait for the doctor to come. In the meantime, we finally gave your Mimi the go ahead to come on since she had an hour and a half drive and takes longer to get ready than anyone I know. Dr. Polidoro came in about 9:00am and said that I was dilated to 5cm--I won't lie, I cried because I thought that I remembered them saying that at 5, I wouldn't be able to get an epidural and I needed it BAD.

3 tries later, the anesthesiologist got it right and the epidural started working and we started the waiting game again. By 2:00pm, I wasn't any further along, so they started me on Pitocin to try to get me to dilate. Dr. Polidoro let me know that she had to leave by 5 to take her sons somewhere and suddenly I was frantic, wanting you to hurry up, so that she would be the one to deliver you.

The ward was full that day and Dr. Polidoro got behind, so she came in at 5:30 just before she was going to leave to check me in a last ditch effort to see if we could start to deliver. I was at a 10! Everything after that is a blur. About 5:40, they started to prep me and the room, while Dr. Polidoro texted her sons to say she was going to be late. I know she really needed to go, but after we had told her and the nurses that they were going to get to introduce your Dad to his first blood relative, she wasn't going to miss it!

Your Dad turned into the paparazzi and started waving the camera to get pictures of the whole process. By this time, I was starving since they hadn't let me eat and I was having some reflux that was making me cough. Between contractions, just as the doctor was trying to finish the episiotomy, I coughed, and there you were. I literally coughed you out! Just 20 minutes after I started pushing, at 6:08pm on 10/11/12, you were here! Dad cut the cord and put on your first diaper and after all of those months, we finally got to hold you. We haven't put you down much since...we love you so.

Mommy (and Daddy!)

Is It Weird...

that I actually think making baby food is fun? I have been having so much fun steaming, pureeing, and freezing portions of food for Elise, and so far we haven't come across anything that she doesn't like!

I was worried that it would be time consuming, even though I had read a million articles that said it would not (research was key to getting the process streamlined!). And they were right, my actual time was about an hour and a half (not including cooking/freezing time, but I don't count that since I don't have to monitor that part and can be off doing other things). I use 2 silicone baby food trays and regular old ice cube trays to either make 1oz. or 2oz. portions. I simply transfer a few cubes from the freezer to a bowl in the fridge each night and they thaw perfectly for the next day.

I feel great knowing exactly what she is eating and I can't wait to try mixing flavors once she has tried everything and we've assured that there are no allergies.

Of course, the Rev, who has often been called the Thrifty Nickel (after a free newspaper in our last town), and who, I am fairly certain, squeaks when he walks, loves what it means for our wallets. I was able to make 156 2oz. servings of fruits and veggies (they'll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months) for a total of $21, which averages about 13 cents per serving! Not bad for a little work on a Sunday afternoon!

More Burp Cloths & Wipes Cases

In addition to her car seat cover, Elise needed some burp cloths and a wipe case to coordinate with her diaper bag. And I couldn't resist some cute boy versions of the same for her possible future boyfriend, if she decides to be a cougar, Impulsive's sweet baby boy, Drew--which I could show you if I had taken a picture before I mailed them...but they were cute--turquoise and brown, with cute little dinosaurs...use your imagination...

Wipes Case pattern available here.

DIY Car Seat Cover

I'm sure it comes as a surprise to no one that Elise received a few handmade Christmas gifts. While it was her 1st Christmas, she is obviously not at an age where she understands or appreciates gifts--she was pretty underwhelmed with the whole thing and slept while we opened all of her gifts for her!

We got her a few fun things, and of course, some clothes (I love dressing her!), and then there were a few things that she needed. A car seat cover was on that list. It gets cold, windy, and snowy here in the winter and I need to keep my girl protected! It took just 2 yards of flannel fabric and 1 yard of ribbon and less than 30 minutes to sew this. I know that I could have purchased one, but not for the $6 it cost to make this one and certainly not in a print that would coordinate so well with her car seat.

Covered up and protected...

And flipped back to reveal her cuteness!

Nursery DIY: Who Needs IKEA?

There are these cute IKEA spice rack bookshelves all over Pinterest and I thought they would be perfect for the nursery...problem was all of the cool Moms saw them, too and beat me to IKEA, buying out the shelves, with no restock date in sight. What was a girl to do?

Back to the internet drawing board...Another online find was the idea of making bookshelves out of gutters. With $25 worth of vinyl gutter, end caps, and brackets, the Rev was able to install these shelves in no time. I actually like them better than the IKEA shelf idea and since our church family had everyone at our shower present us with a book for Elise, they offer more storage, so that all of her books can be on display.

Who needs IKEA?

Nursery DIY: Scrabble Art

We are huge Scrabblers (you wouldn't get away with using that word in a game at our house), so I decided to combine our love of Scrabble and one of my favorite children's songs into some artwork for the nursery. I had seen a similar idea on Etsy, but they wanted $35 for just the prints and I knew that I could create my own version for much less.

I just spelled out the song lyrics on fabric that is being used in the room, photographed it, printed it on photo paper that I already had and framed it in my $4 IKEA frames. My original idea was to paint the frames, but they weren't real wood and wouldn't hold the paint, so I ended up just painting the mats instead.

Total cost for this DIY project was $16 (for the frames).

Nursery DIY: Ribbons in the Sky

Another nursery DIY...are you sick of them yet?

Making my own bedding did limit my mobile choices, since those usually come in a coordinating set. I decided to go with something colorful and breezy--no real theme, just something that would be bright and move enough to catch her attention. It's just an old stripped down lamp shade, wrapped with fabric scraps, and strung with some fun felt balls, and lots and lots of ribbon (is it cheap that I bought the ribbon at full price because I was in the city and had access to Hobby Lobby and then had my Mom return it and get it for half off the next week when it was on sale?). I love how light and flowy (is that a word?) it is...hopefully she will love it, too.

Nursery DIY: Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

I knew that I wanted something custom for the baby's bedding, but spending the more than $300 (and some wanted WAY more) that most want online for such was not going to happen, so sewing it myself was the way to go. I'm hoping that Baby Herface will have plenty of sweet dreams in her crib.

I used my 3 fabrics (the Cocoa Berry collection by Michael Miller) to create a crib skirt, bumper pads (yes, I know they are controversial), a ruffled blanket ( I conquered ruffles and minky for that one!), a matching taggy blanket, and a little owl named Lola ( on a side note, it is really sad that every time I look at the owl, all I hear is Barry Manilow proclaiming, "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl..."---thank you Mom for raising us with Barry, Neil Diamond, and Air Supply...no really...). 

I'm really happy with how it all turned out and I'll be back later to show you what is hanging above it.

P.S. I'll go ahead and apologize on Mom's behalf that you'll be humming Copacabana for the rest of the day...

Nursery DIY: A Rescue, A Pillow, & A Pouf

Continuing with the nursery show and tell...

The rocking chair was a rescue. Someone was just going to leave it behind in a house that was being sold and the Rev's Mom (she's a realtor) rescued it and held on to it for us for 6 years. It just needed a good cleaning, some new snazzy upholstery and a little hot pink trim.

Of course, once it was finished, I knew it needed a little softness for those long nights rocking, so I used Ashley's tutorial to make the pillow with side ties.

And then, what good is a rocking chair without somewhere to prop up your feet? This pouf (tutorial here) is by far my favorite DIY in this room. It is so much fun to look at and I can already see little Baby Herface dragging it around the house and using it as her cozy sitting space.

Nursery DIY: Baby Hoop-la!

The baby’s nursery is full of DIY projects. Many of them are still in progress, so I’ll be sharing them with you bit by bit.

We decided not to paint the walls, which are a neutral khaki (is anybody that knows me really surprised that the walls are khaki? I still say the world would be easier if we all just wore khaki and black uniforms…)…partly because they are textured and kind of a pain in the backside to paint and partly because I knew that my fabrics were really colorful and would be showcased better with a neutral canvas. There is plenty of blank wall space to be filled, so using embroidery hoops (which are big on Pinterest and in blogland right now) filled with my fabrics was a great way to get a lot of impact for little dollar. I purchased a grouping of hoops in all different shapes and sizes from someone on eBay who had used them as wedding décor. I filled them with my 3 fabrics and some doilies that belonged to MeeMaw for some girliness. They fill up the corner wall behind the rocking chair quite nicely. If you look closely, you’ll see that one is a clock—that was another simple DIY that just needed a few buttons and some clockworks.

Total cost for this wall of art was just under $20.

DIY Nursery Closet Organization

Life right now is crazy...new school year that has not started smoothly, ton of projects in progress, and a bajillion baby things to accomplish in the next 8 or so weeks...organizing things always seems to make me feel better and provides a little order amongst the chaos.

I found the free printables for these closet dividers here. Just print (I used cardstock), cut, and hang. Now the little one has a closet with her clean, cute clothes, all sorted out by size. Even her Daddy will be able to get her dressed using this system. A little order goes a long way!

Baby Registry 101

We are in the process of completing our Baby Registries (if you live in our area, be warned, man with a scanner on the loose!). It is fun, but daunting, even with a suggestion list to decide what to put on the registry. Not to mention, I hate asking people to spend money, so I over-analyze every item, trying to make sure that we will use it and that the cost is justified. And like most of us, storage space is at a premium, so I REALLY have to need it to justify finding space for it!

So, I’m turning to all of my Mommy blog buddies out there. Any must-have-can’t-live-without-it items that I should be on the lookout for? What would you not want to try to make it without? What do you wish you had skipped?

Help a sister out!

Sugar & Spice Baby Shower Centerpiece

We had a baby shower at church this past week for one of our moms-to-be. She's having her second little girl. This centerpiece that I whipped was dual purpose, pretty to look at and soon, pretty to wear!