Baby Mama

Think it's been long enough?! :: Free-holiday-tag-download

2010-12-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Life has been pretty crazy and I cannot seem to keep up with more than one blog at a time. But here I am trying again! And by more than one blog, I mean 3! I have not yet set up a roll out date of my newest blog baby - but it will be exciting and thoughtful. This BabyMama space is just for me - with no pressure and no deadlines and very few watching. More are welcome, but it is nice to have a space that I can relax and not worry about anything else. I will post about some of the things I am making as Christmas gifts, well after they've been received :)

In the meantime we are all enjoying the craziness that life has brought us and that craziness entails living in a house without a kitchen (NO KITCHEN!) for a month! But we think the results will be worth the wait - I just hope it doesn't bring around any weight!

DIY Print-at-home gift tag by Three Umbrellas

Happy Holidays to all of you and enjoy the image of the Christmas tag I made that will be a free download on my other blog! :)

Ooh, shiny new bike for 1?

2010-10-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

Madsen Cycles and Nie are both hosting contests for giveaways of a Madsen Cargo Bike. I'm hoping to attend the bike rally that Nie is hosting and hoping beyond hope I can chance into one of these bikes!

Sweet! Potato Salad

2010-09-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with vegetables that I get from a local food co-op. It's like Iron Chef every week when we get our basket of fruit and veggies.

I made this sweet potato salad the other night with sugar snap peas, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, celery, green onion, green pepper, fresh basil, fresh thyme, and a dressing of red pepper flakes, OOMayo, brown mustard, olive oil (to loosen it up) salt, pepper, and lime juice. It was AMAZING and so fresh tasting! And by the end I was sooo full. I'm definately less of a meat eater when I have an abundance of vegetables in my fridge.

Paging Incoherent Mommy of 2!

2010-09-15T14:16:00.001-07:00

I have decided that life as a mother of 2 boys makes me feel like superwoman. Superwoman with a mind that is turning mush. I feel like I have survived the running of the bulls every day when I hit the pillow and even though I am tired I feel triumphant!

After 6 weeks of recovery from a c-section and 4 months of adjustment to the tasks, demands and needs of two little ones I feel like I have gotten a handle on the situation (not the Jersey Shore guy, I've never even seen that and don't think I will - I watch E! not MTV). I can make meals while holding a baby(not by a hot stove mind you) and managing a toddler who wants me to play all the time, help the toddler change his "underwear" (pullups) and get him dressed which is a job of olympic proportions and wake up way to early when my brain won't work and still be a decently kind human being and get this... I don't freak out if I have to get up in the middle of the night and take care of a needful boy. The first time around in this parenHood I did not do so well in the nighttime hours. I struggled to wake up and would pick a fight with Husband about who was getting up. Now I just cherish the snuggle time and if I'm struggling I seethe quietly and try to let Husband sleep so he can get up way to early to go to work.

Life in these parts can get pretty crazy, but I like to think that I have it under control ... or that I am in control ;)

Baby Mama back in Action

2010-09-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Hoping to go to Bloggy Bootcamp! http://bit.ly/bWj7Cv

It would be an amazing opportunity and its right in my area! Bonus for being able to breastfeed and attend a conference!

The joy of motherhood

2010-02-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

This is what pregnancy looks like at 26 weeks holding an almost 2 year old. We're progressing nicely with no complications so far. This post at CJane did say it aptly for how I feel most days while pregnant.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T22:02:00.000-08:00

We are looking forward to all of the fun, exciting and challenging things to come in 2010. Every year I am amazed at what we have accomplished and how much we have experienced!

This year our family:
-Celebrated Little's 1st birthday!
-Completed another year of Post Graduate Work
-Applied for numerous jobs
-Went on a trip to California for work
-Went on a whimsical/spur of the moment trip to Yellowstone
-Moved for the 4th time during our marriage
-Served as librarians for our ward
-Served as teachers at church
-Taught 2 University courses
-Recieved a national award for research with a nice little $ perk included
-Started taking pictures as a hobby
-Took photography more seriously and photographed weddings and portraits
-Switched from Nikon to Canon
-Experienced another miscarriage (#3)
-Had a family reunion
-Found out we were expecting child #2 and that said child is a boy :)
-Rejoined the gym for another year
-Found out I can and did jog 5 miles in an hour at 23 weeks pregnant! :)
-Knitted and crocheted many things including barbie clothes, scarves, booties...
-Started an Etsy Shop
-Took Illustrator classes and started teaching myself Flash CS4
-Survived the "morning" sickness of pregnancy
-Watched Little become a little boy and develop an amazing vocabulary (including "Satin" as Santa ;)
-Heard and cherished the words "Wuvooo" from our Little
-Finished the Book of Mormon

Just a few of the things we have experienced this past year and in one day we can start our list again!

Happy New Year!

Now we know!

2009-12-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

We had our gender ultrasound and found out that our house will be blessed with another little boy. They seem to be what we do well. Little is growing and making me laugh every day as his vocabulary explodes and he bosses us around. It will be interesting to see how he interacts with another little dude!

It will be nice expense-wise. We have boy stuff and now I can just replace things that were too soiled by Little to be recoverable and get some additional blankets and extras that Little still uses so that our new one will have his own. We also will be looking into getting a crib/changing station for our room so that while the baby is small and in our room we have somewhere to change him that won't disturb Little in the middle of the night (oy!).

I am enjoying this pregnancy now that I am over the sickness part for real. It literally took until about 18 weeks for me to get back to a good energy level and now I am back jogging at the gym and feeling good. I was intent on taking a picture every week during my pregnancy this time around, but there is so little development from week to week in the belly area that it is fruitless and we are taking them every 3 or 4 weeks until something really starts popping out there. Plus pregnancy hormones lead me to feel fat, not pregnant so pictures are not my favorite :).

Little just told me he is wearing his "u-e-u-e-u" shirt. BYU. Adorable I tell you!

Wait for it...Wait for it...

2009-11-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

We are coming up on the most exciting day of this pregnancy, except the whole having the baby thing. Tomorrow we get to go and be over stressed by a mid-pregnancy ultrasound where they look for all the things that may possibly be wrong with your child in-utero and then at the the end they just happen to tell you the gender of the baby if they can find the correct parts among crossed legs and smushed face and lots of amniotic fluid. It is exciting and very stressful at the same time, I dare say that most pregnant women feel the stress of worrying whether their baby will be perfectly healthy or have some abnormality that they will deal with as a family or as parents. We pray that everything is right, and that is all we can do - and wait in excited and yet for me slightly panicked anticipation for the moment when we know that all is well with our growing baby.

Little is talking more and more every day! He now exclaims "Fix it!" or "I want more..." and his vocabulary is skyrocketing. Yes some of is very hard to understand, like last night when we were going through his bedtime routine and singing "I am a child of God" and afterwards he started saying something in a sing-song voice. It took Husband and I about 3 full minutes of laughing and trying to figure out what it was to realize he was singing "I am a child of God"! It was just in a very garbled 21 month old way. :)

It is awesome(and somewhat daunting) to think that in 20 more weeks we'll be parents times 2 and have another little person (boy or girl) to play with and chase around and learn from. I've been working on baby projects for different genders so that I'm prepared in some way for either one and have baby gifts for others in any case.

We will know more tomorrow, maybe....

Cinnamon and Sugar

2009-11-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

Last night, spur of the moment, I decided to raid my mothers pantry and make lovely cinnamon sugar breakfast muffins. They are from the pioneer woman blog and she calls them french breakfast puffs. I decided to take the light way out of all the butter and only butter the tops and then dip them in cinnamon and sugar. They are divine and pioneer woman doesn't lie, they freeze and reheat in the microwave beautifully! Sorry no picture, it was late - I guess I'll just have to make them again! :)

We are enjoying the turn in the weather and I am finally starting not to feel like a faker when I put on a maternity sweater :). As long as it is pretty fitted - there just isn't much showing yet and I know that later I'll be grateful for that. I have felt this baby jamming since thirteen weeks every now and then and now at 16 weeks I'm finally consistently feeling movement during each day and it makes it all more exciting and real.

Any guesses on what the gender will be? We won't know for a while, but we sure are excited to find out!

Well, was that a long enough break...

2009-10-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

I couldn't bring myself to post until the world had heard the secret I was keeping. I felt like somehow I was lying by acting like I wasn't feeling like I would rather die than stand up due to nausea. But the secret is out and No. 2 is in the slow cooker. Little and I are on house arrest due to swine flu risk and can't even go around most family members, young ones especially, because symptoms are dormant for 3 days while you are contagious and no one would know they are picking up a horrendous virus. It is especially risky for Pregnant Women and children under 2 so alas, Little and I can't go anywhere except to visit Nana and Papa and everyone has to use hand sanitizer!

Still nausea is constant and exhaustion is overwhelming, but we take it a little at a time and so far we've gotten through. I am knitting again and working on the cutest pair of leg warmers you've ever seen! And if you have the chance to go to Heindselman's yarn store in Provo, run as fast and as far as you can because you will walk away with more beautiful yarn that you "just had to have" than you thought possible.

Fallin'

2009-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

I walked outside into the crisp, cold air and decided that Utah has finally found Fall. I was ecstatic and went inside to find a long sleeve shirt! I love when it gets cold and we can wrap up in blankets on the couch (one of Little's favorite activities right now) and watch movies and nap. Little yells "Baimpet!" when he wants a blanket to cover up with and then he lounges like he owns the place all over our loveseat. He likes company and snuggling with us as we relax in the evening. These activities are usually full of Little's elbows all over in Husband and my sides and stomach as he moves to get perfectly comfortable. I love those little elbows and the kisses that we get intermittenly as he moves around.

VOTE VOTE VOTE

2009-09-08T14:51:00.001-07:00

Go vote for Adam Moore here:

www.yourheartout.com

He has the chance to win an awesome scholarship to a Film Photography workshop. Forward this to all your friends and ask them to vote too! Thank you for your help and support!

Schooled

2009-09-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

School is now in full swing and the days are a little calmer. We no longer hear 5 year olds running from our upstairs neighbors ALL day long, just before 9 a.m. and after 2:30 p.m. The husband is busy and when I say busy I mean he has so much work to do that if he did it all while Little and I were awake we would never see him. So we have late nights of preparing for classes and trying not to get overwhelmed by everything we have to accomplish. I am back to the house and trying to maintain it. It got WAY out of hand while we were so busy with family and fun. My sink is no longer piled high with dishes and my laundry is no longer littering my hallway. Things are getting into their proper places and it feels like a fresh start for the new year of school.

Little just exclaimed "orange circle!" mimicking one of his toys. That boy just astounds me at how many words he tries to say.

Family Fondness

2009-08-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

We just had a family reunion and having not experienced those very often (the kind where you all convene in one location for days on end) I was kind of weary of what it would be like. Tension runs high when you are living with people that aren't normally in your every minute vicinity. But it turned out wonderfully. I was sick quite a bit of the time with a pesky monthly hormone imbalance that causes terrible nausea and makes everyone think that I'll have an important announcement forthcoming, alas I never do. We got some minimal (and I mean MINIMAL) shopping done at the outlets, and ate Cafe Rio (I prefer Costa Vida personally) and had family programs where I cried my eyes out over people I'd never met. It was a nice opportunity to meet officially a lot of Husband's family that I met only at our wedding (almost 5 yrs ago) and was obviously occupied with other things and therefor didn't remember. Pretty awesome people.

We settled back into our own home and routine with a couple added guests, including a playmate for Little and a hang out friend for me. We all had a blast and now our guests are leaving and it feels that much more empty in our new digs. We'll sink back into a groove here soon with Husband teaching and schooling everyday and Little and I filling our time with learning and exercising and all sorts of activities like baking squash and eating the whole thing (by myself).

Squash anyone?

Chocolate makes the world a little rounder...

2009-08-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

Photo {Via Me}

After I made a round of Tiramisu Truffles {by Sweet Paul} I added the photos to the arsenal of food shots I am compiling for a portfolio. These were the yummiest possibly most intoxicating truffles mediated by a mild crunch of ladyfingers in the middle. I had to give them away - so I didn't get rounder.

Little loved them and kept trying to perfect his verbalizing of the word "chocolate" which sounds like "choch-yat". Adorable, but I can't give in when he wants to eat a whole pan of "choch-yat" so he experienced some dissapointment and ate a fruit stick instead, which he refers to as "nacks" (he likes fruit snacks, so we're finding healthy, organic options).

Maybe next time I do a food styling session I'll make a vegetable dish...

WOWSERS

2009-07-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

The summer has been crazy and I can't believe it's flown by so fast! Our move is *almost* over, I wish the rest of the stuff would just take care of itself. Husband is so busy and dedicated to what he does. I love when he takes a day off just because. We could spend everyday together, all day and love every minute of it. We go through rushes and lulls in our relationship where everything will feel just so and then we feel such a love and excitement at spending time together - the mundane is exciting and full of romance. Sometimes this feeling hits me sooner than husband and he is shocked at how much I love him. It is never surprising, really. That's why we chose eachother.

We are constantly overwhelmed by how much we love Little. We knew we would love him, but we didn't know we would be so completely taken with him. He amazes us and we think he is brilliant*(just like every good parent should). He just exclaimed this week while pointing at himself "ME!" and joy and sadness all came at once. I can't believe he is growing so fast and it is somewhat sad to me, I want another little one to come along so that we can enjoy this process all over again without too much time in between. But that is not what is in the plan I guess. Every month we struggle with the dissapointment that another little one is not on the way. We know it will happen at just the right time. So we still hope.

For now we are all in love with eachother and all the fun things, mundane things, and silly things we do together. Our evening walks are back and I love the family bonding they bring. We walk to the grocery store and buy treats for my boys and a Diet Coke for me and walk home enjoying each others company and sometimes the sprinklers that surprise us!

I will miss summer. I love the warmth and fun outside and lazy days that I get to spend playing with Little or working on my goals.

Etsy Store is LIVE

2009-07-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

I opened my etsy store today. Meaning I finally got up enough courage to finally post my items. :) Well it's an ITEM currently, but I'm working on a few more listings. Stay tuned!

www.undercovermothers.etsy.com

Check it out!

Moving and Losing... my mind!

2009-07-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

We moved this last week and we are still in process of finishing up the declutter at the old place. It's a nightmare to have to drive 35 minutes just to clean up junk I don't think I need. But we are thoroughly enjoying our new living space. There are boxes dotting the hall way and our storage closets are full of still unpacked boxes. But we love the space and the fact that we are now closer to school and family. I took Little on a walk yesterday (2.3 miles) and it was a good little workout. It will be nicer to do that when its cooler outside but we made it to our destination and then quickly drank some water to cool off.

Little is enjoying our new backyard area and frequently likes to go out and play on the toys. Its a great outlet for him during the day. We just started taking him to nursery at church and he loves it! He really enjoys dancing and "jamming" during singing time, and cries when they put the toys away. He's so funny!

We lost the wheel to our crib so we are off to buy another one, crib that is. We've been borrowing the one we have and we know that the wheel is packed somewhere - so we figure we'll find the wheel as we unpack, but we have the opportunity to buy a crib and matching changing table courtesy of credit card points! Awesome. The Husband was hoping for a flat screen TV but can you really justify that when we watch less than 4 hours of TV a week? I think not, curse pragmatism.

The to do list to recover from moving is insane - so for the next week we'll be visiting Home Depot quite frequently. Maybe I'll see you there?

Wow, my attention span is crazy!

2009-07-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, I started my new blog and haven't been around much. Life is crazy among moving and family time and just plain living. Little is adorable and is losing that "little" look and turning into a strapping young boy one day at a time. He now thinks he can speak english which is hilarious! He walks around jabbering and acting like a crazy who thinks we understand every single thing he says. He does clearly say over 25 words and we love every little thing he is learning. Especially when the new words accidentally sound like curse words :).

All is well in our world and we are taking everything one day at a time.

:)

I found something

2009-06-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

...that I look to do. Work on my new blog www.foundforyouandme.blogspot.com . Check it out! It's a collection of things I like and find inspiring.

A Quarter Century

2009-06-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today I turned a quarter century old....

Did I ever think I would struggle with some of the same feelings of getting old and being behind that I've heard others talk about - no. But alas I do struggle with all those same feelings and for some reason birthday #25 is kind of lame.

Reality Check

2009-06-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

After last weeks fertility drama and finding out that there are just lots of hormones raging in my system that are causing most of my anxious feelings I have moved into a new phase of existence. I am trying to want only what god wants for me. The Husband and I have rebudgeted for the next year and found a new living space. We move in two weeks! We are now closer to all the places we need to be. And the blessings just keep pouring in, the Husband has found more opportunities to work in the fall making life much less stressful.

I just finished another Illustrator class from Alma and it was wonderful! It further convinced me that I want to really pursue my graphic design interests and I am working on a few projects to try and get my name out there. I love it, I just have to pace myself and not try and do everything at once... I'm just working consistently at trying to achieve the things I want. I'm attending a Kirtsy Hands On workshop tonight and looking forward to networking with some great women.

My name is not Myrtle

2009-06-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Fertility is a sore subject around my house these days. I guess not really sore as much as a seriously depressing and tumultuous subject that has deeply ingrained itself in my day to day. When I go out I see pregnant people everywhere. And I have made a victory in my life - I am no longer angry at all the pregnant people - just insanely jealous and sad that it is not meant for me at this time. I love seeing all the babies and holding their sweet, tiny bodies. Sometimes it even seems as though it would be nice to take a baby home after a miraculously short gestation, without doing 9 months of work beforehand.

For me it seems as though I must put in double duty, I must go through a serious 18 month to 2 year process of finding the problem spots in my fertility and addressing them one by one. I admit I only have one point of reference for this and now the continued struggle to get pregnant and have a child. We're 7 months in and it does not seem as though it is looking up. We know (the Husband and I) that it will happen when it is meant to. But in my life I find it hard to be patient and wait for blessings to be bestowed. I want them signed, sealed, delivered - Yesterday.

Today I have an appointment to find out the next step in the process. I'll be interested to find out what I'll be in for. It could be more waiting, it could be tests, or medications, or who knows what. We'll see what happens and in the meantime I will remain, as I have heard doctors say in the past, cautiously optomistic. I will also refrain from referring to myself as Fertile Myrtle.

All Dressed Up

2009-06-01T21:38:00.001-07:00

**UPDATE**

If you would like to enter to win a dress from Shabby Apple, visit this link:

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am in love with these dresses! They are by Shabby Apple.

(Spotted via {No Sex in the City} and {CJane})

I am a vintage clothing lover at heart and these dresses just feed the need.

If anyone has the desire to purchase one of these for me ;) I won't complain at all!

The silhouettes are so flattering and beautiful. I just can't get enough!

.....One of each please?

click on the pictures above to go to retailer.

Fly, Blackbird, Fly

2009-05-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

I want this.... Just thought I'd let the world know!

The Blackbird, fly is a twin-lens reflex camera: one lens is used to expose the film, while the other is used like a viewfinder. It’s a famous style of camera whose history stretches back to the 1920s. The Blackbird, fly uses 35mm film.(Details taken from here where you can also purchase said camera)

Via {Oh Happy Day}

Sleep is over rated

2009-05-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

That is what Little thought on our trip south this weekend. On Sunday night we put him to bed in the hotel and he seemed to go to bed without any problem. We didn't know at that point that he would wake up at 3:30 a.m. and think it was play time. He started talking in his crib at the end of our bed and we thought maybe if we just ignored him he would fall back asleep. Boy were we wrong! He played peacefully in his crib until about 4:15 and then he popped his head above the top of the crib smiling and we couldn't control our laughter and then he REALLY thought it was play time! Soon he had grabbed the remote and played with it just enough to accidentally turn on a hockey game that was on t.v.!

He played in our bed until about 5:00 then Sister 5(A) and I took him downstairs and got him "Cheese", this is what he calls food. We played in the lobby of the hotel until 6:30 and then returned to our room to wake up Husband and Boyfriend of Sister 5 with the racket of Little as we tried unsuccessfully to get him back to sleep. He finally fell asleep at 7:30 as Husband was getting up to shower. It made for a very tired Little and very tired parents as we went about our Memorial Day activities. It probably didn't help that we named ourselves the sick room as we were all coughing and sniffing all night long and disturbing Little.

When we got him back into his own space he was back to his own old routine of sleeping 11 hours a night and two naps a day. Thank heavens for a routine and familiar places.

Memories of Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-27T09:40:00.001-07:00

Small basket arrangment by Me. Picture by Me.

Memorial Day was a blast! We had fun putting together the flower arrangments and we are streamlining the process quite well, it didn't take near as long as it has in the past and we had lots of family to talk to and exciting marriage announcements from cousins, lots of little ones running around and I got to have a great talk with my cousin who like me, struggles with infertility. It was great to talk with her and get her perspective on the whole process of childbirth or wanting a child.

We came home worn out and ready to be back in our own space. But we enjoyed all the family and a little of the good food :). And I cried during Taps (you know, the bugle song - hormones! and memories!)

The very beatiful arrangment for my grandparents grave, created by Sister 2 (M).

Picture by Husband.

Wreath for the Fallen Soldier. Picture by Husband.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Large arrangment by Sister, small basket arrangment in background by Me.

Every Memorial Day, my family heads south in a rather sizeable flock to show our respect and love for those that have gone before. We visit cemeteries spanning southern Utah and deliver flower arrangements that we congregate to make the evening before. These are not your run of the mill "mums in a basket" type of arrangments, they are well put together and artfully designed and executed by various talented family members. The culmination of the flowers is the arrangment for my grandparents grave site. My sister makes this arrangment and it is OUTSTANDING every year! I have so many childhood memories of this tradition, most having to do with rain on Memorial Day which seems to happen every year. We frantically run around staking down the arrangments so they don't blow over and it is hysterical EVERY year. We all gather after the cemetery train and have a family reunion/lunch together and then we disperse to our respective towns and homes. I look forward to this every year and miss it when I don't live near enough to attend. This year Little will be big enough to traipse through the grass and witness and experience some of the magic of being with so much family.

I'll post pictures (probably courtesy of The Husband) of the events when we get back. Have fun and remember those that have served our country and given their lives for our freedom and show those you love just how much you love them!

Overrun!

2009-05-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

This week has been a crazy one! I daringly took the adventure of adding 4 children to my quiver for 6 days.... boy, when their parents said we were in trouble they weren't a kidding! The husband and I have been up to our eyeballs in "he hit me, bit me, took mine, don't touch me, I'm sick, I'm not tired and I've read all the books in my room, can't I just lay in your bed" along with lots of poop, wiz, and all around loveliness! We now know what it would be like to have twins, we have had our 14.5 month old boy and a 13 month old girl duking it out for who gets more attention and it has actually worked out really well, since the girl only likes Husband. I get the stink-eye from her if I get near her so I have left her to husband to be taken care of while I wrangle the rest of the rowdy crowd.

These experiences while proving to be excellent birth control also help us to understand that if we ever have 5 children (that is now in debate), we will be able to handle it and survive past middle age. It is busy to be sure, but we know we could do it and experiences such as these help us to work as a team. We have seen the last few days what it is like to be woken up at 1 am with a sick child who needs us. I was proud of myself last night that I didn't scream out of fright when the 8 year old was found standing next to my bed when I stirred mid-REM cycle. I might have scared him when I shot up in bed like something had bitten me, but then Husband helped me by medicating him and getting him back in his bed.

We are exhausted thats for sure, but we will be richer in funds and experience when this is all over. And it has been a good experience to find out that my nephews can rely on me when they need something and I can help them.

We'll be back to regular programming on Monday night, and then we will take a deep breath and finally be able to walk around our own house in whatever state of undress we like. Nothing to scandalous of course!

Meanwhile, a lot (read:ALL) of my projects are on hold. I can't wait to show you what I've been working on!

Walkin' around

2009-05-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Little is WALKING - it's bittersweet! I love watching his cute little body waddle around. But I miss the little Little. Soon enough he will be a walking fully TALKING Little, he already has about 15 words. A little more than one word for every month of his life (14). He's growing like crazy and becoming a big Little.

He has now started cuddling with a little teddy bear snuggly from his Grandma. It helps him sleep and he burrows his face in it to relax in his crib. Sooooooooo cute! And after we give him his snuggly, we hear not a peep as he drifts off to dream land!

Captured

2009-04-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Picture by Husband

The husband and I have been captured by the desire to photograph and portray all that we see in our own creative way. For a while now we have been taking unreasonable amounts of photos of Little. And at some point I do think you can have too many photos of your offspring, just ask my 100 gb hard drive that is now full!

We shot our first engagement session this past weekend and have had a few other sessions of couples that agreed to pose for us. The couple this past weekend was delightful to spend time with and didn't give us the stink eye if we got in their face with our lenses. It's an interesting experience to have two photographers working with the same subject, but Husband and I have been enjoying having a common creative goal. We were soooooooooo giddy at how the images turned out! They ended up exceeding our expectations and I enjoyed seeing the results of our hard work together. It's almost like a baby! We won't be having another one of those for quite a while so in the meantime we will just make other creative projects together. ;)

This common interest in photography has been great for our relationship, giving us even more to talk about and more things to spend our time together doing. I always feel cliche when I think about how much I love the Husband, in fact it is probably truly corny! I have started to really believe that after 4 years the man who married us was right, he told us..."In the coming years you will be amazed, if you think you love eachother now just wait 50 years, your love will continue to grow and you will be amazed at how much you love each other."(something like that).

Maybe later I'll post a link to our photo website.

Paper Addicts Anonymous

2009-04-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've decided I need a group that helps paper addicts overcome their addiction. I have loved paper ever since I can remember. When I was in gradeschool I would buy journal after journal faster than I could fill them, just because they had pretty paper. Now let's be honest, who needs that much paper? Definately not me, but I crave it, live for getting another piece of beatiful textured or patterned paper. And to add to this addiciton I have been looking into hand bookbinding for a few years now and have finally decided to try and teach myself with books from the library on the subject. Am I kidding myself! All I need right now is to add more and more journals or books to my already mountainous collection of pretty paper I cannot give up! The Husband might threaten pyromania if I do that, but nonetheless he is supportive because I have a need to learn and teach myself new things, no I do not stick with one for very long- after I learn and finish a good practice run I move on to new things. I do revisit old things like how I make baby booties just because I know how, but I love learning and cannot seem to get enough of new skills. This desire to learn makes me a master of none but I attempt a lot!

So right now I am reading the books I amassed at the library on bookbinding (ahem, every book they had on the shelf...I'm sure someone hates me right now!), and figuring out the most economical way to go about the process of teaching myself how to make beautiful books, maybe I'll post a result and then I'll probably move on to something new!

The Husband and I are having a great time exploring the world of photography, we have so much fun going on adventures together to find cool new places to photograph. Now we just need more people, I'm sure that when we finally have a portfolio put together no one will see it as professional to have picture after picture of our family and our Little one after another. But for now, Little is the best darn model ever! The Husband is taking a class in may on photography and I'm on the waitlist for a class on tabletop photography and crossing my fingers that I get in!

I'm off to spend time with some paper and feed my addiction!

These little piggies

2009-03-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

are intermittently supporting a freestanding little man as I sit here and watch him test his balance and gently remove the the few chubby fingertips from the ledge that is supporting him. He tests and then decides for the safer route of minimal support and then tests again. Two nights ago he stood for about 5 seconds two different times while distracted by my other half. We tried to get him to do it again, but this little man has his own agenda and that does not normally involve standing or walking.

He is realizing he has a freedom in standing and he has learned the words "up!" to gain access to my arms and the world from a different point of view and only today "diap!" for diaper when his little bum was rash ridden and he wanted a new diaper. He's smart I tell you, but I'll also tell you I'm his mother. He got two more teeth on Saturday, now totalling eight. It has made his grin that much harder to resist. He is growing faster than I would like. The freedom from constant holding might seem like a luxury, but when I see him exploring his independence and refusing my hand or care in an effort to find his own way I yearn for a cuddly newborn that needs touching and holding and cooing. Alas, that is not in the life plan right now, hopefully sooner rather than later but I rely on greater things than my own wishes or desires to guide my life.

I frequently kvetch to my parents about my infertility woes, and indeed they do a good job of calming me and helping me to see through my jealousy and sadness. They help me to see that with 7 children of their own, my time will come. So I realize after brief sadness when I find out about a loved ones pregnancy that I am truly excited for them and cannot wait to see their joy and offer help when they may need it. When you experience infertility these announcements of the stork seem so frequent and so vivid in your memory, but in truth they are interspersed between happiness, sadness, grieving and the mundane happenings of years passing.

My life is great because of the little piggies pictured above, and I frequently kiss them and tickle them and bring laughter to my home making my life seem that much brighter!

A Basket of Biscuits

2009-03-20T15:38:00.001-07:00

I got it into my head today that I wanted to make biscuits. When ascribing to a weight watchers lifestyle they do not seem to be the most intelligent choice in food. But I was looking up a recipe for low point Chicken Fricassee, my mom recommended it to utilize the diced tomatoes that I have. When I looked it up online I found that it went well with biscuits and I was improvising anyway because I could not find a recipe that utilized tomatoes, only onions and peppers. So I made the following recipes:

Low Point Chicken Fricassee: 7 servings for 4.5 to 5 pts per servings

Chicken Breasts (boneless skinless) 16 oz. (16 pts)

Fiber One All Bran Cereal (1 cup processed to fine texture) (7 pts)

1/2 C egg beaters (2 pts)

3 Cans Diced Tomatoes (4 pts)

Seasoned Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

2 cloves garlic

Salt

1 tsp olive oil (1 pt)

Coat chicken in egg beaters and then bran cereal mixed with spices.

Place Ooil in skillet and saute garlic til golden brown. Add coated chicken pieces and let grill for 6 minutes on each side. Move Chicken to separate pan that is oven safe and bake at 350 for 15 minutes (or until cooked through). Add diced tomatoes to pan with garlic and add more of same spices to tomatoes. Let tomatoes cook down to a stew like consistency.

Low Point Biscuits: Makes 16 to 17 biscuits at almost 2 pts each

1 C Whole Wheat Flour

1 C White Flour

3 T Shortening

3/4 C FF Milk

1.5 t baking powder

.5 t baking soda

Bake at 500 for 9 minutes, cool on wire rack.

They were great! We ate it for 3 days, so obviously I need to learn to cook smaller portions!

This is the kind of day

2009-03-20T13:33:00.001-07:00

that I wanted to have today. It didn't start out full of joy and relaxation, but after I had a teeny littlle pity party I kicked myself into gear and made it a better day. I chose not to go full throttle and clean like normal, instead I took it slow and threw in a couple loads of laundry and played with Little on the floor. He fell asleep in my arms again, but today I put him in his crib and had a quiet laundry folding and lunch time. When he woke up I fed him lunch, which included little hot dog type things from gerber, cheese and diced tomatoes from our food storage. This kid loves tomatoes! Then we (I) decided to go on a walk and it was beatiful outside. I can only imagine with how hot it was today what it will be like in July, maybe miserable.

Now it is time to have nap round two for Little while I whip up dinner for the Husband and try and use more diced tomatoes - I gotta prove that going to do family canning is worth the investment! :)

I hope you had a wonderful day today!

Reading, Reading all the day...

2009-03-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

I have been trying for a while now to no avail to get Little to sit still long enough to read him a little book. I couldn't figure out if it was just the boy genetics or that he wasn't old enough, but he would only wiggle and whine until I let him out of my grasp to crawl, grab and mawl anything within reach.

Just after he turned one year old I accomplished the aforementioned task, for a mere 2 minutes while I sang the wheels on the bus from a book, but I accomplished it. Since then he has begun to let me rock him before bed and read to him whether it be from the scriptures or from my favorite story book of all time; BEST STORYBOOK EVER, 1968 by Richard Scarry.

This night time ritual has become a cherished time and Little sleeps better than ever!

Crafty Barbie

2009-03-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

This past week I recieved a catalog in the mail for the 50th birthday of Barbie. I wondered to myself why I would recieve such a thing, but it proved to be inspiration for a project I've been wanting to try but had not yet felt pushed to. I broke out the crochet cotton and found some ideas for crocheted barbie clothes on the internet and adapted my own. I made a little red sun hat for barbie's day at the beach. I want to work on an entire outfit, hopefully a little sundress and little shoes. Now whose barbie do I borrow without looking like a wierd doll obsessed adult, so that I can try the clothes on Miss Barbie herself?

Have you heard of the band The Script? They were on the today show recently and pretty awesome! Go UK!

Pictures of Barbie clothes to follow....

New Low Point Cake - Diet Soda is Involved

2009-03-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about making a cake with low sugar cake mix and diet soda? Well, I hadn't until my sister-in-law showed me. She made one and it was quite delicious. So for Little's birthday what did I do? I made a low point cake for everyone to enjoy.

1 pillsbury reduced sugar devils food cake mix
1 12 oz. Diet Caffiene Free Coke (I didn't want to give the 1 year old a buzz)

Mix together and place in pan sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake until knife comes out clean from center.

I then let it cool completely and topped it with Cool Whip Free mixed with Cheesecake Sugar Free Pudding and Pistachio Sugar Free Pudding. Then decorated it.

Total this cake ended up being almost 4 points per piece. It varies depending on how much Cool Whip and Pudding you use and the cake mix you choose.

It was wonderful and fudgy and delicious and the coke gave it a nice deep flavor.

Quilt to my lou

2009-03-10T12:52:00.001-07:00

Picture Courtesy of Me

This is what my quilt top looks like so far. I am working on the border right now and I hope to have a picture of the entire finished top ready to be assembled with backing by the end of next week. It is turning out so cute!I love the pinwheels, and I just checked out like 8 books on quilting to get ideas to justify my fabric expenditures last week.

Seagulls Overhead

2009-03-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Picture Courtesy of Me

It's not very often that you see a huge flock of seagulls flying over your house. It induces the anxiety that you might just get pooped on if you go outside. So after running to the car I took this picture of the ones that were taking a rest on the roof.

Shattered

2009-03-07T09:02:00.001-08:00

I have not blogged in the past about my struggle with fertility. But I had one. I was in the evil conception/miscarriage/pregnancy loss/surgery/hormone therapy cycle for a good(see: bad or stress-filled) two years. I found out I was pregnant for the first time in early December of 2005. I was filled with excitement and could not wait to see the little one in my belly develop and grow and make me grow wide/bloated as he or she grew and eventualized out of my womb.

Of course I had anxiety of growing wider since I had been so successful at Weight Watchers, but all of that was overshadowed by the excitement of growing a little human. I finally felt what it was like to be pregnant, and although I felt REALLY pregnant I was loving it! I found out a short time later that my doctor in Texas was what he called "cautiously pessimistic" about the outcome of my pregnancy and would not give me anymore clarity than that and repeated ultrasounds to see how slow my babies heartbeat was. I could not stand the ambiguity any longer and I saw my regular OB in Utah when I went to visit. He confirmed that I would miscarry and that my baby had died at 8 weeks gestation. I valued the honesty and even though it hurt, it allowed me to plan and endure the wrestle with my emotions that was to come - after all I WAS pregnant, and I wasn't passing the tissue so maybe they were wrong! Maybe I was still going to have this beautiful baby that I had envisioned in my head. On February 21st, 2006 I miscarried and it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. It was like labor without the result of a beautiful baby in your arms at the end, I guess it wasn't like it - it was it! I was told I had to wait 3 months to get pregnant again, even considering my Uterine Septum that was discovered during the first pregnancy. My Doctor in Utah advised against this and believed I should have surgery to correct the problem, but since I was not living in Utah and would not be under his care we followed the direction of our Doctor in Texas and tried to get pregnant again 3 months later.

I got pregnant that summer and again felt sick and very pregnant. I changed doctors because I was not comfortable with the treatment we received with the previous pregnancy. All seemed to be going well, I was growing a little baby inside me. I began to bleed at around 7 weeks and I was put on bed rest and what they call "pelvic rest" meaning Husband and I now had a purely platonic existence. Joy of joys, let me tell you! But I was ready to do whatever I had to do to protect our growing baby. The bleeding did not stop and I was sure at 12 weeks I had miscarried when I had what seemed like period bleeding, but when I went to the doctor there was our little baby on the ultrasound screen weathering the storm that was happening in my body. It seemed that there was a pocket of blood behind the placenta and that is what was causing the bleeding. It could potentially cause miscarriage because it is an abruption making it so the placenta does not function properly because it is not attached all the way.

Fear and panic overtook my existence. I had already experienced a miscarriage and I did not want to do it again. I remember calling my mom and sobbing hysterically into the phone, "Why me?! Why do I have to go through this again!" But I was reassured by my doctor that the baby was fine and we were sent to a fetal specialist to have ultrasounds every week. At 14 weeks we found out that we were having a little boy, it was abundantly clear! He was moving around and kicking and comfortably swimming in my belly. We left the doctors office with orders that we could discontinue seeing the specialist and just go with our normal doctor. The baby looked good and we happily went on our way with a video of our little one.

At my next appointment I was 16 weeks and was giddily anticipating hearing my babies heartbeat again. I lay on the exam table as my doctor gelled my stomach and placed the monitor to hear the heartbeat. She laughed a little nervously and asked if he might be hiding. But her expression was stern and there was no reassurance in it. She calmly told me that we should do an ultrasound to see if we could find out if he was turned so we couldn't hear his heartbeat. And so we both quickly went to the Ultrasound room and I sat there panicked and overwhelmed to the point that I wanted to throw up. As she sat down and placed the ultrasound wand to my stomach her face fell and she announced, "It's what I thought, your baby died." She then proceeded to show me how his tiny fragile body had no life and was collapsed at the bottom of my uterus. And I held it together until I had to speak. Husband had gone to school that day because it was supposed to be a run of the mill appointment. Now I had to call him and tell him we no longer had a baby. I dialed him on my cell phone and when he picked up I broke into a thousand pieces and could not form coherent sentences amongst my hiccuped sobs. It was a Friday morning and I was going to have to wait until Monday to be put into labor and deliver our baby, it would be September 11, 2006.

My mother flew in and stayed with us and cared for me when I returned home from the hospital. Husband was very understanding and helpful and we started going to therapy together to deal with my postpartum depression and anger. And I scheduled surgery to remove my uterine septum that Christmas while I was in Utah.

I successfully had surgery and waited three months after to try and get pregnant. I found out I was pregnant again on July 17, 2007 and I was ecstatic and panic stricken, after all, what if it happened again. I had now suffered a miscarriage and a pregnancy loss during which I could have chosen to name and bury my baby and it had torn me apart. I moved to Utah weeks later and was under the care of my regular and trusted OB. And despite bleeding for weeks and many scares I gave birth in March of 2008 to a beautiful baby boy who stole my heart!

I know this a long look into what I have experienced, but I hope that as it has helped me to know that others have experienced this, I can help others by sharing my experience. As I look forward to having more children, it still scares the pants off me! That "What if?" is always hanging around and the memories of what I have experienced come back anew when I begin to think of pregnancy and all the joy and sorrow it can bring.

Stayed

2009-03-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

Picture Courtesy of Me

Today marked a very important moment for me. I have in the past made it known that I am not the "stay-at-home" kind. I am to obsessive and social, and I love to go and do fun things. I found it hard to calm the urge to go, go, go when Little was born and therefor I spent the first 9 months of his life traveling everyday to the nearby city where my parents and siblings live and wandering from house to house visiting and inhabiting their homes. I enjoyed this time with my sisters and parents and found that I was building relationships with them that had dwindled since I'd been married and moved away for two years and it was a nice feeling to have that closeness.

As Little grew bigger it became harder to relax in those moments and carting him around at a near 20 lbs. in a carseat became a drag (literally). Little was more active, invasive, and downright curious about everything and it was becoming easier to have him at home in the evening with his own toys and his comfortable surroundings and the two people who love him most. I decided that I would try a little experiment and see how I liked being a "stay-at-home" gal. Especially after I talked to one of the husbands good friends, who is my inherited good friend and it seemed as though we had so much in common and she still liked to stay home and care for her little girl. So I thought, "Heck, why not me?!" and I gave it a whirl. I started to stay home 2 days a week.

The first day was wonderful, Little and I slept in and I got up and cleaned the house and the Husband was shocked at the beauty of his home when he returned that evening. It was a nice feeling. The second night was a late night at school for the Husband, and by the time he returned I was all tuckered out and Little'd out for that matter. I wondered if this was the path for me, maybe noone would ever understand the solitude and quiet that I did not desire and the adult interaction that I craved. The funny thing was, when I went "into town" the next time, it held less appeal. I could feel the irritation rising that I was not at my own house with my own Little, and all the things that make him happy and comfortable.

I am now making the choice to stay at home 3 days a week and if I can make that more frequent I am happy to. I still travel in to see my family 2 days a week at least and I have my gym membership and weight watchers. So I am there frequently, but not yearning and craving it like I used to.

So today I made the choice that when Little fell asleep on my chest, at 12 months old, a rarety in any case, to put aside my tasks that I had set out for myself and let my son sleep on me for nearly 2 hours. It was BLISS! I miss those moments when I got to hold him as he slept deeply and sweetly for hours and needed me and cuddled. He is turning into a little rough and tumble boy and I stole a moment (a long moment) to be with my little one and savor the sweetness of infancy that will never return as he grows older.

When he woke up I took him to the park and we sat on a swing together and showed him how it worked and then I took him down the slide and played with him on the playground. I appreciate every stage he goes through, and savor every moment. And now I can say "I so AM the "stay-at-home" kind of girl."

You Quilt My Heart

2009-02-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

I am attempting to make a quilt top as a "small" project. For some reason I always tackle things head on with a not so easy project when starting a new hobby. I tried to make a patchwork quilt when I was in highschool but in the end my mom took the work I had done and turned it into a beautiful wedding present for me and to this day it is one of my most favorite things ever! She even put pico's on the edge and they remind me of my favorite baby blanket of yore and therefore bring comfort and fond memories.

So I decided to make a quilt from fabric that I already had on hand and sorted through my stash. I ended up wanting to add a hot pink that I didn't have and so I spent 5$ on remnant fabric at Joann's and then cut out 4" squares of all the fabrics with my rotary cutter and mat.

I decided to make a pinwheel quilt and began a'sewin my squares and cutting them in half diagonally and then ironing the seams on the back and then sewing them together (4 squares to one pinwheel) and ironing 2 more times. So far I have all my pinwheels sewn together and ironed and cut back down to a regulation size - 6 inches. None of this would be doable without my olfa cutter and mat - it is a godsend that I recieved on my most recent birthday because my mom and my sisters know just how much I love to craft and sew and how much I was coveting one of these!

I am making progress on this lovely quilt o'mine and hope to show you results after I get some help from my mom laying out a good pattern of the different pinwheels. Let me tell you, this quilt is my outlet for all the crazy girliness inside of me that is stored away because I have a son that cannot wear pink with black and white polkadots, so I have thus channeled every inch of girl I possess in the adornment department and put together what I consider to be my most favorite self-made possible blanket EVER!(possible blanket because after finishing the quilt top, I still have to get backing and batting and then actually quilt it and add that forever-loved pico edge, before it is an actual blanket).

AAAAAAArgh!

2009-02-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you know what it feels like to have everything concrete in your life, things you've been planning and working on ripped from your grasp. Well, my laptop crashed and everything, including my valentine week posts were there with pictures and everything ready to be put on the blog and my motherboard died. So now I am in search of the perfect solution, which does not include fixing said motherboard because I got the computer for free and it has already crashed twice and sucked too much money down the drain. So the search begins and frustration ensues! Ce La Vie! Hopefully we'll get our hard drive memory retrieved in the next little while and I can put up all the things I was working on.

Meanwhile, we are having fun at my house playing with our camera and deciding just how photography obsessed we should let ourselves be. What is happening at your house this week?

Valentines Babysitting Week - Day 1

2009-02-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

I inherited 3 children last night. So for the week I will be a mother of four insanely rambunctious children that love to squeal, laugh and entertain eachother. I am trying to do a fun activity everyday and today was Valentines Goody Bag Day.

The parent belonging to the children I inherited, provided the goods for the bags and we put them all together. The girls enjoyed doing something unique for Valentines Day to give to their friends. Tomorrow we will be finishing their boxes to take to school and my Cricut will be put to good use.

ummmm My heart just exploded!

2009-02-07T01:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, so not for any real reason. But just imagine this - I walked into the brightly lit warehouse, the smell of newly opened boxes and lots of cardboard wafting toward me. My feet padded across the glimmering cement floor and I found myself with my hand caressing a box, what was in that box? My Valentines present to myself and the Husband - a not so insanely priced but pricey camera with all the bells and whistles. Now I will spend my time figuring out how to use said item while trying to achieve some sort of balance in my life. :)

Our new addition

2009-02-07T01:08:00.000-08:00

I know what your thinking, it's the inevitable announcement - drumroll please...........

Picture Courtesy of Me

No of course I didn't just give birth and no I'm not pregnant...I got a new lamp! Why all the hype? Because I love it and I am excited about the transformation that I am trying to make in my home. I want it to be a home that is beautiful and comfortable and uniquely mine. While a lamp from Ikea may not speak "originality", the way I choose to configure and piece together my own home does, at least for me. I am the proud new owner of the Knappa hanging lamp ($24.99) and the corner of my living room looks so much more pleasant for it!

This is what I found

2009-02-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

When I walked into Little's room after his nap. I heard his calls, which he issues with great force. These are not cries or whines but truly a call like "aaaaaaah!". I know he's calling me and so I venture into his room. Normally I would find him laying on his tummy with his head lifted, smiling brightly and panting with excitement. But today I found this - yes, he has learned how to climb the gates that retain him. And so we enter a new and exciting realm of living with a toddler!

I took the cutest picture the other day, but for the life of me I cannot decide whether it is appropriate to post pictures of Little's cute and absolutely adorable bum on my blog? What say the general public?

How is it?

2009-02-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

That my camera is broken? Really it's not my camera its the stupid card that stores the pictures that go in my camera. I tried to download them and three times now it has frozen my computer and I've had to just shut it down. I am frustrated by this for multiple reasons - one being that there are some stinkin' cute pictures on my camera that I wanted to post here and I cannot get them off my camera - second being that I really want a new camera and so this just adds to the list of reasons I should get said VERY EXPENSIVE new camera. I think maybe there is a virus on the memory card or something, so I'm trying to figure that out. I should have some interesting things coming up as I will be inheriting 3 extra kids for a week very soon. Should be interesting to say the least.

The whole weight thing is going ok, I've been the same for the last 6 weeks and just bounce around in a 1 lb. range. So thats ok I guess - but I think the GIANT piece of chocolate cake I had over a two day period is going to do bad things this week. Life has been crazy and I'm really getting into knitting again. I just unraveled an entire bootie today because it had a minor mistake, but I want them to look perfect. And I'm trying to finish a hat and start a baby sweater, so it should be a busy craft time over the next little while.

I will continue to try and keep it updated here. :) See you soon!

Stroller GiveAway at I Never Grew Up

2009-01-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

I Never Grew Up is having a giveaway for a wonderfully splendid IndieTwin Stroller (pictured below). When considering the thought of having two children in the future (not near future, mind you.) this stroller calms some of the nerves that arise when thinking of going walking in the mall or anywhere really.

Check out the giveaway if you have some of those nerves that need to be calmed when taking multiple children out of the house at once. I fell in love with this upon seeing it, and hearing how wonderfully it works and accomadates various needs - plus I'm all about anything functional and fabulously pretty or chic!

Projects

2009-01-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

I have been working on several projects lately, some long term and large and some within the foreseeable future. I tend to take on lots of things to fill my "spare" time, not that there is much of that with Little literally trying to RUN around. But I have found several things that I enjoy and look forward to working with on a continual basis. As I have mentioned Knitting is one of those things and I have found a new love for cross-stitch. My mother-in-law does a beautiful job making stockings among other things and I thought I would try my hand at it and have found it to be something I enjoy attempting.

I finished a knitted ruffled scarf yesterday. It is dark brown and pink and it turned out really well! Now I want to make a hat that matches, just for the future happenstance that I may in my lifetime give birth to a little girl (we're thinking we're more of the boy making variety since my last miscarriage was a boy and then we had Little).

A "project" that had been in the works for a while was finally leaving Little with a sitter long enough to go to the Temple and enjoy a session without panic overtaking both Husband and I and giving up and turning around before we even reached the parking lot. It has now been accomplished and we are hoping to make it more of a regular occurance.

On the actual craft Project front, I have finally started using my Cricut that I got for Christmas and Little is going to have a birthday with the most fun signs and invitations - Hopefully I will be able to post his invites after they have been sent out so I don't ruin the fun for any recipient.

I have also started back into knitting my grandmothers famous baby booties - they don't come off and are so snugly cute. I made Little 3 pairs and that is what he wore for the longest time. Now that I am a more experienced knitter I am hoping to make some with more complex color schemes (i.e. stripes, different colored soles) and just stockpile them 'til we bring forth another Little or until I have reason to give some away as gifts.

I'm trying to get back into blogging more regularly, so as I try to dedicate my time to all the things I find very important in my life I will be attempting to be here more regularly with well-crafted posts.

Remembering 2008

2009-01-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about all the changes that happened in 2008 for me and Husband and Little. And while they may not seem momentous, they have changed our lives, for better or worse.

In {2008}

Husband and I moved into our apartment 30 minutes away from school and most family. (only downstairs from some family).

Husband and I made plenty of trips to the emergency room with false labor and those darn tricky braxton hicks contractions, among other pregnancy related lovlies like a shortening cervix, bleeding, very little fetal movement (lazy Little!) and a really bad case of heartburn that I thought was labor...

Husband and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary by going and getting an amnio and realizing that we would deliver our Little three years to the very day after we were married.

Husband and I welcomed Little into our lives with open arms.

I recovered from a c-section delivery and battled with my pregnancy pounds (lost 22 lbs of water weight in 2 weeks).

I rejoined Weight Watchers and took my family with me!

I started and FINISHED two classes at school and got good grades!

Husband started his 2nd year of Ph.D. education.

Husband submitted his first article for publication in a peer reviewed journal.

Husband started and stopped(due to school demands) an outside Therapy gig.

Little ate and slept and pooped and cried. Then he smiled, cooed, laughed, ate solids, got 4 teeth and began crawling and enjoying all the many adventures around him.

Little said his first word "Peh Pah" our little dogs name.... so much for Mama or Dadda.

I reached Lifetime status at WW and continued losing....

We made several life changing decisions, with the help of the divine...

Husband and I started reading scriptures to Little every night (sometimes only three or four verses, but we did it).

Husband and I eliminated violent and innapropriate media from our home to set an example for our children.

We suffered with those around us who suffered and grieved for their struggles and losses.

I watched my father struggle with a year long health battle requiring over 200 days in the hospital...and I watched him beat the D#%^ thing and I am grateful for his life!

I watched my mother change careers and succeed tremendously and flourish in her new environment.

I realized how very important life is to me, not just my own but all those I care for and love.

2008 was a year in the trenches for my entire family and we made it through on the other side stronger, with more intense and concrete testimonies of the gospel and conviction that cannot be removed from us.

I guess if I was looking for a year of positive changes made, I definately got what I was looking for and I am eternally grateful for all the blessings I have recieved! They have not come to us without trials to prove our determination and faith but we have recieved blessings and we are thankful for the entirety of our experiences.

Welcome to 2009...what are you going to bring us this year?

Resolute!

2009-01-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

As the new year approaches every year I wonder why we use it as such a momentous celebration? Is there really any difference in one day that makes it so amazing because a number changed in the year. It causes me confusion for the first 6 months of the year when writing checks and filling out paperwork and for that reason alone it is slightly disconcerting. But when I really think about it I find that it is a marker in time, an opportunity to start anew with a resolute determination to fulfill your dreams and set new goals.

I hope that my 2009 will be filled with the following:

Love

Happiness

Family Fun

New experiences and opportunities to learn

A growing family

Weight Maintenance

Fulfilling relationships and growing friendships

and a great resolution found here....

to be more {becoming}

in speech in thought in deed in love

Via www.mormoninmanhattan.blogspot.com

Be Resolute - What do you hope for in the coming year?

Holiday Cheer

2008-12-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

In the rush that is Christmas preparations I took some time to bake. Yes many would not call this a break, but I do, especially when my life has been hectic and busy while knitting for gifts, making mistakes on knitted gifts, reknitting gifts, making ornaments, making deliveries and keeping the house clean for guests of all kinds. Add in to this equation some nice driveway shoveling and salting and basically freezing to the bone and you've got about the stress level I've been experiencing lately.

A bright spot in my last few weeks was when I stepped on the scale at my weekly WW meeting and I had lost 2 lbs! That was nice and completely due to the 5 points per day that I dropped because of how much solid food Little is eating, therefor decreasing my nursing calorie expenditure. I am only 3 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight and that is just the best feeling.

I am now getting ready for the final rush to wrap all the gifts that I have purchased and finish all the lofty projects I have started. And I just got the best present of all - My sister who lives upstairs just got a snowblower! No more shoveling for me! It has been a good workout, but my back muscles will thank me later.

And after this holiday rush I will take the time to put together a yearly greeting and send it out, whether it be via email or the snail variety. I say yearly greeting because I hesitate to say holiday because it may not be around the holidays that it arrives. But I look forward to making this card and adding some nice photos to my collection of family pictures.

12 Days of Christmas Baby Mama Style

2008-12-17T18:30:00.000-08:00

The Husband and I decided to {splurge} and provide the 12 days of christmas for a family in our area. The prospect of doorbell ditching someone (the same someone) for 12 days in a row did not seem so daunting, that was until we realized there were young boys in the house that sprint faster than we do {especially in the SNOW}.

So far the goods delivered to our 12 Days house have been pretty easily pulled together but as the number escalates so does the difficulty of finding a coordinating {insert anything here}. And we have run into the problem of me wanting to make double of everthing so I can have one for myself. The process of deciding who we were going to bestow our deliveries upon was quite a trial, we love to give and we couldn't decide until {the night before} who it was going to be. We finally decided and made our first terrifyingly exciting jaunt into the cold night air.

I wrapped Little up tight and we waited in the car while the Husband {ran} through the snow after depositing the gift on the stoop and doorbell ditching. We didn't expect to feel like such teenagers with the rush that we felt after committing such a {crime}. And we almost got caught! We should have ordered up floor plans for the intended house or something because those kids made it to the door faster than Husband could reach the end of their walkway. Luckily Husband had on his nifty disguise of {a grey hoodie and his winter hat} to keep them from knowing who it really was.

The gifts for these 12 days have been very fun to come up with. We decided that for our first day we would give a {special ornament} featuring a swaddled baby Jesus. The second day was a 2 liter of Pomegranate 7up (delicious and fresh tasting). The third day we delivered 3 special ornaments featuring a clay polymer ornament I made, a cross-stitched pillow ornament I made, and a gold bell.

On the fourth day we delivered {Chocolate covered candy canes}. On day number five we delivered my childhood favorite Chocolate Waffle Cookies now affectionately deemed {Wookies} by the Husband. On Day number 6 we delivered a box of Swiss Miss with a cute little elf/gnome made by my sister-in-law. Our house guests (the Husbands cousin and adorable wife and little boy) were so kind as to help us in our deliveries and it made it all the more fun for day six and seven.

On day number seven we delivered 7 pairs of knit gloves, the ones I used to wear as a child and accidentally leave in the {snow}. On day number 8 we left my favorite fruit (competeing with pomegranates), mini {clementine oranges}. On Day number nine we delivered 9 glass ornaments perfect for embellishing a tree just right. And seeing as today is day number 10 I will have to fill you in later on what we are leaving tonight.

Our chosen family left us a note that brought me to tears. It was simple and humble and grateful and brought to my heart the true {spirit of Christ} and giving. I hope that we can do this every year to show our children how wonderful it is to give to others. We have a very awesome day 12 planned so you will have to {come back} and check it out.

I will post the waffle cookie recipe later if someone leaves a comment that they want it. I also have a stuffed pasta shell recipe that is low point and will be appearing here later. It was {DELISH}!

Weight Watchin' and it feeels so good!

2008-12-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

I will never forget the first day I walked into Weight Watchers and discovered all the ways I could make myself a healthier, happier person. And even through all the ups and downs (literally) I have stuck with it and for the first time I reached my lifetime weight! That momentous day was back in October and I have since maintained and even lowered my wieght a little more by following the flex plan that has worked so well for me all these years. Whisperings in our weekly meetings have been that there were changes on the horizon and today when I stepped to the scale (I still weigh every week so I can stay right on top of that!) My cute leader handed me new materials for the Weight Watchers Momentum Program 2009. So it felt kind of funny being back at square one refiguring my points (which they have changed for nursing mothers in a very positive and helpful way) and learning how to incorporate some techniques from core plan (which I had been so hesitant to try) into my flex life, which I guess is now my life full of momentum!

I'm excited for the changes and improvements and I always love conquering a challenge. When I talk to people at meetings and they look at my 5'6" frame at my happy lifetime weight they tend to immediately judge me and decide I must not have had that much to lose. I can attest to the fact that getting healthy after weighing 265 lbs. is a struggle! It took me 2.5 years to get down to within 10 lbs. of my lifetime weight and within my healthy BMI range. After 2 miscarriages and a successful pregnancy and birth in which I managed my food intake pretty darn well I have finally battled a great number of my food demons and they only rarely rear their ugly heads! We'll see where this new program takes me over the next few months and all the while I'll be trying to discover all the new little details of how I can become even more healthy.

If you are interested in joining me and lots of my family that I have recruited into the WW way of life click here and learn how you can journey to a healthier place in your life!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway at Design Mom

2008-12-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

One of my oh-so-favorite blogs is hosting a 12 days of Christmas giveaway. She has the most splendid giveaways(and posts) EVER! Click the link below to check out Design Mom's giveaway coming up this weekend!

The graphic above will take you to her site when you click on it!

Just click away and find out why all the rest of us are so addicted to Design Mom's blog!

Knitty Gritty

2008-12-08T00:51:00.001-08:00

This is what I started with... a skein (ball) of yarn and a circular needle. What I ended up with is something that I find pretty darn stinkin' cute! (see below)

I made Little a hat with earflaps and it was my first time switching yarns in the middle of a project. I grew to love knitting while I was pregnant when I made Little some really tiny booties for his newborn days. I am finding new things to make and improve my skills and really makes me feel neat! (isn't that what it's all about? feeling neat and cool?)

So here is the finished hat after it was pressed so it was totally finished! I impress myself sometimes...sshhhhhh! Don't tell anyone!

Are there any projects you want to try that might make you feel neat and cool?

Turkey Day Recap

2008-12-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

I remember in the not so distant past, telling you about my history making skills with spicy stuffing on Thanksgiving. This year my beautiful and talented mother stole the honors when she was lovingly spicing the stuffing and accidentally launched the entire bottle of pepper into the bowl! We then proceeded to sift the stuffing to get all the pepper out of it and only leave what remained stuck to the bread. It was an experience full of roaring laughter and lots of sneezes!

We hosted our Turkey Day event at a hotel that over half of our family has worked for in the past. We rented a conference room adjoining a suite and had a grand time playing games and being overly boisterous and excited on the whole. I love my loud, crazy, fun family!

After we helped clean up, it was on to some later-evening festivities at the Husbands family home. Every year that we are present they have thier own version of a Turkey Bowl. Since the Husband and family are not the most athletically inclined their Turkey Bowl involves setting up different plays on this electric football game that the Husband and I purchased for my Father-in-Law as a Christmas gift a few years ago. It is HILARIOUS to watch them get so excited!

After some pumpkin pie and not too many of my flex points (15 is not bad for such a gluttonous holiday) we headed home and got some rest before protesting Black Friday by not shopping AT ALL! Instead we spent the time with family decorating for the holidays and enjoying each others company.

Penguin Suit

2008-12-05T13:57:00.000-08:00

Building Blocks

2008-12-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

I decided I wanted to provide Little with his own set of building and learning blocks with a lot of love from mom thrown into the mix. I got wood posts and cut the blocks myself (I got a higher grade wood, not the kind from the craft store that chips) with the help of my sister and her saw.

I used my mad mod podge skills and put these together with scrapbook paper. Right now Little has a set of 12 blocks and he isn't allowed to touch them yet. I have not gotten over the "mod podge in a babies mouth is not a good thing" worry, and I kind of like how nice and crisp they look.

If you are interested in any kind of custom block set for your children I am happy to provide the goods and will discuss price if you message me on my blog. I'm thinking of putting these in my etsy shop that isn't yet up and running...what think y'all?

Turning the Table

2008-12-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

This is my current table setting. I try and keep the table set to avoid the inevitable piles o' junk that start to form if it is left empty. I found the green and red placemats at TJMaxx and the cool bird/turkey(?) napkin rings/holders shown below at Pier 1 for 88 cents! The tag said they were $3 each so I picked up 8. When I got to the register and they were only 88 cents I had to go back and pillage the selection to get all 16 that I wanted, to which the Husband replied, "are we ever going to have that many people over for dinner?" My thought process was this...We might host a holiday party, you know since we are such social creatures... or I might have that many children (hahaha) but since that hilarious possibility is so far from right now, I just thought I'd get them so I have some neat birds to hold my napkins.

True Talent

2008-12-02T23:02:00.001-08:00

This is what Little does when you give him a baseball. Ok, maybe not everytime. But he was showing me his skills the other day tossing this to me after I would gently roll it into his lap. Then after throwing the ball something else happens - he turns into a baseball eating fiend! Hopefully this is not a habit that carries into adulthood.

One Laptop Per Child

2008-11-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

Want one of these? One Laptop per Child is pretty darn cool - I'm going to get involved with this cause. How wonderful to be able to help others! If you want to know more check this out.

Dancing is amazing!

2008-11-25T21:07:00.000-08:00

I love the results of this season! I could not stop watching every week, and I could't agree more with the top three. I didn't used to be a BB fan(mostly due to fake body parts and a perfect post baby body) but through the season I've come to like her quite a bit and appreciate her talent and hard work.

Bravo!

High style for Baby Mama

2008-11-23T15:37:00.001-08:00

I love this outfit! The red shoes are just the perfect statement, not over the top "look at me". I wish I owned the funnel neck coat from UO and the cable knit tights are a close resemblence of the pair I wore to church today. I love this combination. Now if only I had every piece in my closet!

My latest design endeavor

2008-11-21T12:12:00.001-08:00

This is my latest "job". I was hired freelance and, with the help of the Husband's editorial prowess, pumped this baby out in one evening... It was harder than you think. That knife and spoon were a labor of love made from mere lines that I crafted myself in my lovely Adobe Illustrator program, and all without my tablet and pen tool! I impress myself sometimes ;)

I am completing some knitting projects right now that I will post soon... they are awesomely adorable!

Baby Mama...Inspired

Baked Banana Oatmeal

2008-11-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

Recipe Courtesy of www.katheats.com

I found this recipe on KathEats.com a new blog I found that has awesome whole foods recipes that are so fun and easy to make. I made this today and it turned out great! I'm going to reheat the left overs tomorrow for breakfast. Try and Enjoy!

1) Bananas
Slice 2 bananas. You can add these however you like - in with the wet ingredients or arranged in a pattern on the top (and/or bottom!) of the dish. (You’ll need an additional mashed banana for the wet ingredients below)

2) Combine the dry ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3) Combine the wet ingredients:
1 egg, beat
1 mashed banana
1.5 cups skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
4) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix well.

5) Line an 8″ pan (square or round) with parchment paper (for easy removal and cutting!).

6) Layer some banana slices on the bottom. Pour batter into pan. Top with remaining banana slices.

OR just use cooking spray - or a pie dish (which is harder to get out in one piece but saves having to use parchment)

7) Pop into a 375* oven for about 26 minutes.

After 26 minutes, increase heat to broil, sprinkle oatmeal with 1 heaping tbsp brown sugar and broil for 3-4 minutes.

Teva for me, Teva for you?

2008-11-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

I found these via A Little Sussy. I think they are just grand! Not over the top in adornment but cute and super functional, they look like they would stay put on Little's feet!

Tag you're it!

2008-11-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged! Kayla, the most lovely cousin-in-law you could ask for, tagged me. I'm supposed to answer, in one word, the following questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket
2. Where is your significant other? School
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? Nana
5. Your father? Papa
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? unremembered
8. Your dream/goal? Love
9. The room you're in? Big
10. Your hobby? Scrapping
11. Your fear? loneliness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Career
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? concentrated
15. Something on your wish list? Maintenance
16. Where you grew up? Utah
17. The last thing you did? Cook
18. What are you wearing? Momiform
19. Your TV? Muted
20. Your pet? Pepper
21. Your computer? Used
22. Your mood? Charged
23. Missing someone? Friends
24. Your car? Pilot
25. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
26. Favorite store? H&M
27. Your summer? Short
28. Love someone? Enormously
29. Your favorite color? Brown
30. When is the last time you laughed? Morning
31. Last time you cried? recently

And I'm tagging: Alexandra, Shelli, Laurel and Britt

Creating - Digitally

2008-11-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

I helped the husband last night. He is a musician among other things and has been starting a blog to review various music related gear and products. He had a vision in his head of what he wanted his blog to look like and I helped him bring that to life! It made me feel pretty darn awesome when we were finished and it looked oh soooooooo good! Maybe I give myself too much credit, but both of us absolutely love the finished product! If you are a cash-strapped musician or know one, check it out. (Click picture below to access blog)

As I travel the road of education I learn that I love to create! I want to design and create lots of things and this along with digital scrapbooking is a start! (Yeah, a start after designing and scrapping for over 4 years!)

Our Little Family is CRAZY!

2008-11-10T00:32:00.000-08:00

Inspiring Thanksgiving

2008-11-09T23:54:00.000-08:00

I decided to put together an idea board of inspiration for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Yes, there are lots of food items, but isn't that what Turkey Day is about? All of these things make me feel like autumn and the beginning of the holiday season. What do you think? Also, to all those who were sad when Victoria Magazine ended a few years ago - They're back! See the links below.

Credits: Votives: Pottery Barn, Cinnamon Decor: Hostess w/the mostess , Poached Pear: Victoria Magazine, Pear Gallette: Victoria Magazine, Eggnog Cheesecake: Victoria Magazine, Pumpkin Centerpiece: TheKnot.com, Fritatta: DominoMag, Fruit Centerpiece: TheKnot.com, Bark Rim Salad Bowls: Pottery Barn, Burlap Favor Bags: TheKnot.com, Buffet Setting: TheKnot.com.

Rockabye Baby, sleep tight

2008-11-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

This is the newest item I'd like to aquire for Little. Last year my Sister-in-Law gave Little (he was still in utero) the Rockabye Baby Led Zeppelin Album. The Husband and I fell asleep to this many a time, even before Little was born. Now Little loves music and sings along whenever the opportunity presents itself. Today in church and most days in the car he will sing along to the music playing. I love this concept and I look forward to expanding Little's musical repertoire with the likes of the Beatles, Smashing Pumpkins, and possible Nirvana (we'll have to see).

Little finally started sleeping unswaddled. While the Husband was away for work we started the somewhat torturous process of getting him to sleep without being wrapped like an 8 month old burrito. We have endured some night terror type waking but we are making progress and last night he slept 8 hours unswaddled in his crib!

What are other good baby toys or gifts? I'm starting Christmas shopping for Little and I have no idea what a 10 month old (that's what he'll be) would enjoy. Right now he enjoys anything crinkly that can fit even the slightest bit in his mouth. I don't think the toy guitar we were looking at would work well drenched in baby drool.

Rockabye
-Baby Mama

Halloween Exhibit 1.A

2008-11-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Scrapblog of Halloween so far...

2008-10-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

*Updated 11/1/08

Pucker up Butter Cup...

2008-10-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have been yearning (yes, yearning) to try canning something and my sister has been doing so and making me completely jealous of her perfect jams and nectars that she has produced. So I tried my hand at making Pumpkin Butter with a recipe I found online. It turned out well, but the spices need adjustment. I have come to the realization that I do not like ginger very much. I had true gingerale the other day and did not like it one bit and that helped me to realize that it was an overpowering taste in my pumpkin butter. I am going to toy with it this week while the husband is gone for work. I am making it from fresh pumpkins, mother hen style, baking, peeling, seasoning, pureeing and eating!

Oh my goodness...

2008-10-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Little has started putting his hand on his head like this whenever he is exasperated. It is quite funny to see such an adult expression from such a little boy. Don't we all feel this way sometimes?

Steve and Barry's in SLC is OPEN!

2008-10-25T13:21:00.001-07:00

There have been rumors that Steve and Barry's (i.e. my favorite store EVER!) was closed after the had some bankruptcy issues. I was deeply saddened by this news and feared that I would no longer be able to buy my favorite and inexpensive jeans. I love the Bitten and Dear lines that are sold there and would be pretty much depressed and maudlin if I could not get my shopping groove on there. Who doesn't like buying 10 or more items for under 75$. So last night me and the husband made the treck to Steve and Barry's to confirm it's fate, and.... It is OPEN! WAHOOO! And they are having an AMAZING sale! They are in fact closing 100 stores nationwide, but those of us in Utah will still be able to get our shop on and right now there are select T-Shirts and other items for under 5$.

Last night I scored a pair of slouchy black boots and they were exactly what I've been searching for - and for only $12.98, WOW! For the man in your house you can find select Polos for 5$.

I wanted to spread the word that this store is still open, it would be a tradgedy for any of you to miss out!

Go and get Bitten and buy what is Dear to you. And spread the word to fellow Utahns that the store is still in fact open! Check out SteveandBarrys.com for more information and a location near you. Happy Shopping!

Baby Mama

Live for Today

2008-10-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

"I begin by mentioning one of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth, and that is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.”

Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, such as the unexpected passing of a loved one, an unforeseen illness, the loss of a possession we treasure. But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly.

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

This is one of my favorite talks from general conference. I find that I am always trying to live for times in the future. Before I had Little it was "when I'm pregnant I will..." then it was "when I'm off bedrest I will..." and I find alot now that it is "when Little is bigger or we have our next baby I will..." This was a very important lesson for me and I relearn it everytime I look at my precious Little and my husband! I want to revel in all the small things in my life so that when I look back I will remember them. I want to remember how Little got his first two teeth the same day, how he throws his head to one side when he wants my attention, how he looks like me when I hold him and like my husband when he is holding him. My favorite memory of him right now is how everytime he sees my laptop he launches himself at it and when we sit him up to it he acts like he is typing as he pounds on the keys. He watches in wonder as the screen changes and knows that he has done it.

I hope to enjoy the journey, I just have to remind myself every once in a while.

Goodness

2008-10-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

Fall in my family always bestows upon us many blessings in the way of memories. For years we have had the tradition of different meal items on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I have become the master chef when it comes to our family specialty Abelskievers. Not that I know how to make the batter, but I'm sure I could figure that part out, I am just obsessive enough to be really good at keeping them from burning as they cook and getting them to be the perfect golden brown and completely cooked in the middle. My family has not been a filling in the middle type family, instead we have an assortment of Jams and Syrups and powdered sugar that go atop these decadent and delightful breakfast treats. When I moved away to Texas I got the parting gift of my own Abelskiever pan so that in times of loneliness and those holidays when we could not travel home, because inevitably there would be some, I could bring a little bit of comfort by knowing that I was cooking and enjoying the same things as my family. I love that I get to pass on the tradition to my family and seeing as Little is already eating pancakes (please don't judge ;) ) he gets to enjoy them for the first time in just over a month.

Photo Courtesy of Williams & Sonoma (Awesome Recipe Here)

It always brings back a flood of memories when we cook our traditional holiday food. We make mom's pumpkin pie, banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, apple pie, berry pie (can you tell we like pie?) and Abelskievers along with mom's famous rolls which my husband likes made as "gobblers" with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce on them. Holidays would not be the same without the smells that accompany our preparations and it has been a joy as our family has grown to see what new things have been added to the family arsenal. We now enjoy things like carrot casserole, chicken and rice, yams with marshmallows (grandma's specialty), cranberry slush, corn bread stuffing, pecan pie and more.

My favorite memory of the holiday cooking season was years ago. My older sister Mindy and I were put in charge of making mom's stuffing. This would have been a fine idea had we not been the people in the house who happen to both have an intense love of spicy things. Not just lots of spices but spicy HOT spicy, where your eyes are watering, nose is running, mouth is burning off spicy. We took to our task of making the stuffing and had all 3 pans set and ready to be spiced. I flavored them and asked Mindy to test, she felt they needed a little more spice, so she added more. She asked me to test and I too felt they needed just a tad more spice so I added more and so it went until we were satisfied with the taste of our first attempt at mom's stuffing. We covered our dishes and baked them in preparation for Thanksgiving. Dad was the Official Tast Tester, and as the OTT he breezed past the open oven and lovingly dipped his gleaming silver OTT spoon in to test the goods that we had produced. He thought they tasted great and breezed on past to take care of one of the kids. About 45 seconds later he bolted back in the room and leapt toward the glass cupboard. His face was flushed and he was motioning desperately for a drink of water. A few moments later when he had finally put out the fire blazing in his digestive tract, he said "that sure does sneak up on you!" In the end we had to make yet another pan of stuffing and Mom was in charge of spicing it so it was safe for public consumption, and now every year when we are asked to help neither one of us are allowed near the pepper!

As we near the holiday season I hope we can all recall the memories that are attached to our favorite smells and tastes. They abound at my house now as a Lifetime Weight Watchers member I will strive this holiday season not to eat my memories or my feelings! :) I've succeeded at this many years in the past and I intend to keep it that way, I'll just the flood of memories immerse my soul in the feeling of goodness!

Baby Mama

2008-10-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

I 100% borrowed this photo idea from Lizzy and thought I would give it a try. Little is now 7 months old and he just got his two first teeth yesterday. Fun nursing times are ahead, we've already had a few today! Little is very interested in his gospel study, he stole his dad's scriptures and was just reading away...yes that was before he started trying to tear the pages from the book.

Dear Gym, I love you.

2008-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

I joined a gym this past week. Yes I admit it. After producing offspring and joining the group of people who no longer pride themselves on showing off as much of their body in public as possible (I was never a huge fan) I rejoined a gym.

I missed my workouts and group classes and promptly upon returning to the gym fell right back in love! Let me just tell you that an hour long pilates class will literally kick your butt! I cannot walk today - but as my sister said: "It hurts so good!"

The best (haha) experience so far at the gym was when I locked my belongings in the locker room for class. Exciting right? No, the exciting part came when, after class was over, I entered the locker room to find my lock missing and a very girlishly cute note written and taped to the front. It read something like this:

Dear Locker User:

My clone and I were to impatient to wait for the belongings we so forgetfully left behind so we forced gym management to cut the lock on your locker after informing them that we are more important than a person's right to privacy. After retrieving our belongings from your locker we proceeded to leave a note on the door advertising to the entire gym that you were the moron who did not hear us paging you(you know you ARE supposed to hear over that speaker system that is blaring music in the group room to keep you from passing out as you torque your body in wierd ways at amazing intervals) and therefore we left your locker open and let everyone know about it. Hope all your money is still here when you get back!

Insincerely,

Self Absorbed Girls

So really the gym manager made things right and gave me a new lock to take home. But the dismay that I felt when I found my things left open to the public - OVERWHELMING. I'll get over it, and I still love the gym. Maybe from now on I'll check to make sure the top shelf is free of hair barrettes before I lock it next time.

Now I've got to work on the guilt I feel when I leave Little for an hour to attend the gym.

Baby Mama....Worked Out!

Shot!

2008-10-02T23:54:00.000-07:00

Little and I got shot! By a camera! We took a beautiful hike up South Fork (Provo Canyon) and my sister took our pictures, and I in turn took some of her - my handiwork was not up to her standard, alas I'm not a photographer. But I must say that the photos she took of me and Little are wonderful!

Cleaning House

2008-09-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have been cleaning my house and got the itch to rearrange furniture. My house frequently gets away from me in the cleaning department. So Husband and I cleaned this weekend and I rearranged some furniture, this was some of my inspiration:

Courtesy of DominoMag Website

I rearranged my living room to be a little more livable for me instead of so formulaic. Just add a TV stand against the wall opposite the banquette and you've got more of what my house looks like. We'll see how it agrees with our lifestyle....

To Swaddle or Not to Swaddle?

2008-09-21T21:35:00.001-07:00

We have been running into a problem here with Little. He sleeps like a champ when he is swaddled (think: baby that looks like a burrito with a head), but he is now over 6 months old and we are still swaddling him which he artfully removes himself from by thrashing his body back and forth until his arms are free! We tried last night for over 30 minutes to get him to fall asleep in his crib without being swaddled and it was a fiasco, so we swaddled him better and then he went to sleep.

I'm afraid we're going to end up trying to swaddle him 'til he's 2 or 3 years old!

What do you think, to swaddle or not to swaddle?

Obsessed... maybe a Little

2008-09-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was taking some pictures of Little and this one just made me and the Husband laugh. Everytime we look at it a giggle or chuckle escapes our lips! Little is just the most adorable boy ever. When I start to take pictures of him I cannot stop myself. Alas, we now have over 2500 pictures on our computer of Little and no one else! I don't think there is a picture of me on there since he was 2 months old. I should probably remedy that so he remembers I raised him! ;)

With Halloween coming up I am hoping to throw myself a party. Funny how after you get married and move away there are not that many people to invite to a party, so it is for me! I'm thinking color themes of autumn and a fun donut bar(what is better than an orchestrated mess making), my nieces and nephews will hopefully attend and partake in the festivities that were

pretty much non-existent last year! What was I supposed to dress up as.. a pregnant lady? This year I'm thinking Wonderwoman, what do you think?

BabyMama Out!

I thought the world was broken!

2008-09-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

But I was sooooooooo wrong! It's just different than I thought. I have spent the last few weeks keeping track of a Utah original that was in a plane crash in Arizona with her husband. I have never been in tears so many times, so frequently and not just because I am sad for their situation but because I am happy that people are supporting them. I cannot imagine going through such a terrible ordeal and not being able to hold Little or kiss him all over and tell him how much I cherish him. Of course when he is older he will push me away and say things like "Mom don't kiss me! That's gross!!!" but for now I am absorbing all the joy a 6 month old can bestow upon a family.

I pray for Nie everyday that her family will heal, that her and her husband who she loves so much will heal and that their faith will get them through. When I read about them and their love for eachother, their family and their beliefs (my beliefs) I am touched so deeply I cannot push back the tears. I have read that through her blog Nie has made people want to be better parents and that she spreads hope and love. I never knew her before, but I hope that in me somewhere is something that resembles her goodness, happiness and love for everyone! In her absence (the reason I found her blog) I have been shown how a person can live and be truly happy.

To keep up to date on Stephanie and Christian's progress read here.

Back to School for Baby Mama

2008-08-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

I am amazed at the panic and stress that is taking up residence in my heart. For some reason back to school time does that to me EVERY TIME! As an adult you would think I was way past that, both emotionally and the fact that I should have been done with my degree by now and not having to return to school. But noooooo, I am now returning to school finish my Associates by the time the husband finishes his Ph.D. and we head off for yet another destination. This is my goal because I need to be able to transfer my Associates degree to another school so that I don't have to take even more ridiculous general education credits before I can specialize.

Alas, I will once again be a student and grace the halls of this institution.

I have braved the bookstore lines and spent unmetionable amounts of money on books that are "special edition" so that I can not buy them anywhere else. I have gotten my university ID card so that I can be admitted to the testing center, I am prepared and now all thats left to do is feel prepared as I step into a whirlwind of madness that I had hoped never to have to witness let alone be a part of ever again. But I do enjoy the challenge!

Wish me luck as I embark on the journey of studenthood as a mother!

Smiles, (maybe grimaces)

Baby Mama

Hungry for Hungry Girl?

2008-08-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:

I have yet to get my hands on this cookbook, it is not at my local walmart and my wallet cannot handle anything but walmart... so the quest is still in progress...more later!There is a website I came across today that I have absolutely fallen in love with. It is Hungry-Girl.com a website with food tips and tricks and lots of low point recommendations.

I am headed off to the store to buy her cookbook today and will sit down and write a review of it as soon as I have tried it out. Lisa - The Hungry Girl - is a fun-loving food loving woman who is just trying to keep off that excess flab that accumulates when you enjoy food as much as most of us do.

I would love to work with someone like her, doing what she does. I subscribed to her emails and can't wait to read her witty and fun writings.

I'll update this with a review of the cookbook soon!

Smiles...

Baby Mama

Peter, Peter, Low Point Pumpkin Bread Eater

2008-08-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

My family will attest to the fact that our mothers Pumpkin Bread is undoubtedly the best out there! The problem with it is that it has two cups of oil in it... this equals TO MANY POINTS. So in an effort to improve (or change) the recipe to be Weight Watchers friendly I experimented with the oh so loved food - Tofu. Now many people crinkle their nose at this food, or their stomachs churn when they think of it, but I found that what people don't know can't hurt them.

I still have some experimentation to do to get the right texture and lower points by replacing the flour with something... I'm thinking oatmeal as flour.

The points value for this is 2 if you cut 10 pieces out of each loaf. If you cut 12 pieces it is a points value of 1.5.

Pumpkin Bread by Baby Mama

1 large can solid pack pumpkin

3 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour

1 C. White Flour

1 1/2 tsp. soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

4 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 1/2 C. Splenda

1 C. Sugar

3 eggs

1/2 C. egg substitute

18 oz. Tofu (soft)

1 pkg. Chocolate Chips (10 or 12 oz.)

Beat sugar, eggs, tofu and pumpkin together. Add dry ingredients, fold in chips. Spoon batter into 5 medium sprayed loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Freezes well if wrapped in plastic wrap and put into a zipped plastic baggie.

Cheers! Baby Mama :)

New York, New York

2008-07-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I went to New York on the spur of the moment. I packed up Little and left Husband home to work and play on his own and had a "Girls + Dad" weekend in the Big Apple. It was fun and yet I still have not wrapped my head around all the activities that we jammed into a two day whirlwind trip! We took a tour of Central Park, had dinner at Serendipity III, took the circle line out to Ellis Island and viewed the Statue of Liberty. We also went to Sephora and H&M (where we had the worst shopping experience ever!) and purchased much needed ;) makeup and clothing.

I fell in love with Whole Foods while I was there and wish they would bring one nearer to the Utah Valley. But then again, I wish they had a Sephora and H&M too!

Little was an angel! He was bounced around the city in a sling I made and acted heavenly (and got me quite a few seats on the crowded Subway...polite New York men) and was purely exhausted and heatstroked, as we all were by Friday night. It was 95 degrees in the city and in the Subway you could easily add 10 degrees...ICK!

I did decide, in the end, that maybe I am not cut out to be a jetsetter... I need some calm in my life. So in an effort to establish calm (haha) I started some new projects :). I will post pictures and details on Tie-dying t-shirts for Little and other various endeavors soon.

A trip to New York

2008-07-14T13:24:00.001-07:00

I am presented this week with the option to live the life of a jetsetter. I could drop my SAHM status for a few days and jet to New York on a whim and spend 3 days touring the city and having exciting metropolitan experiences. That's what I could do... what WILL I do? I don't know yet.

The thought of spontaneously hopping a plane to NYC brings so much joy and excitement to me I can hardly contain it all. But then reality hits - I have a husband and baby to think about. I can take Little with me but the husband is a little harder to tote around. He has plans already, and he is the planning type. I wouldn't want to spoil his time for the weekend, but think of the memories that could be had by jetting to a fun destination on the spur of the moment. The flights with a 4 month old might not be that fun, and yes I do enjoy shopping in NYC probably more than anything else - but we could enjoy meandering the streets (albeit quickly, because of course that is how New Yorkers do it), going to the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, and introducing Little to a world outside of the Midwest. And maybe just toss in a few small stops at the likes of Bloomingdales and H&M. We are in talks this evening of whether I should go alone, with Husband or not at all. We shall what the final verdict on my temporary jetsetting lifestyle will be. I even have the perfect sling I created that would make said lifestyle with a baby even easier, and it happens to be tres chic!

In other news, the unfinished apron is still sitting by my sewing machine because I jumped feet first into making a baby sling. Little has been under the weather the last few days and we had an infamous "blowout" in the car seat - thanks to Little's Nana we had a carseat cover blanket that is easily washable.

Oh! The drama of motherhood! Nothing compares to it.

Low Point Cake

2008-07-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have rejoined Weight Watchers and after my first time signing up it is no less exciting. The first time around I lost a whopping 120 lbs. and this is just recon after pregnancy to lose the 15 lbs I cannot get rid of. In the process of finding low point foods to eat that are appealing to the whole family I found that I can make a Duncan Hines Devils Food cake with applesauce replacing all oil and egg beaters replacing two of the eggs and using one regular egg and the recommended amount of water and I can have 1/12 of the cake for 4 points! I know it probably seems funny to get excited about the point value of cake, but when you are a treataholic like me - a 4 point cake is worth the excitement. I plan to make some this week and use Cool Whip Free to top it off.

The apron pictures are still forthcoming... July 4th slowed us down a bit.

-Baby Mama

An apron in the making

2008-06-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my sister participated in an apron swap and it inspired me to hop on the perverbial bandwagon and make an apron for myself. I brought home all the materials, after a laborious trip to the fabric store where I had to go through a process of elimination with all the fabrics I absolutely LOVED. This is what I ended up with:

I made an apron for my other sister's birthday and mine is still under construction - the results are FABULOUS! I will unveil it later this week.

The Disney Store Hit a Home Run

2008-06-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

In every baby outfit there seems to be something left to be desired. It could be that the arms are always too long. The neck is too wide and slides down your child’s shoulders or the feet at the bottom of sleepers never seem to stay on your wee-one's feet. Having a small 3 month old I notice these things whenever I put an outfit on Little. When I go to get him from his crib in the morning his sleep sacks seem to have sneeked down his shoulders. In my experience a 3 month old boy is not trying to be alluring in any way making the whole shoulder baring thing more of a concern about keeping him warm than keeping him modest.

Well during pregnancy, during a shopping trip to the mall, I could not resist buying a sleeper at the Disney store. It was little and cute and I did think ahead and buy it for when he was 3-6 months (Nesting, I tell you!). Well just last night at 3.5 months old we broke out the Disney Sleeper complete with Mickey and Pluto and a cute dog bone pattern. Well these days my glee is derived from simple things. When we (Hubby and I) proceeded to dress Little in his new sleeper I found that the feet of his sleeper had elastic around the back of the ankle - GENIUS!

I had been complaining just a few days ago about Little always looking like he had broken legs when we put him in sleepers, but now with the wonderfully fitted, snug footed sleeper from the Disney store we would not have to endure any more broken-leg-looking pajamas.

I told you I derive glee from very simple things!

-Baby Mama

Introducing Baby Mama

2008-06-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

I am a Baby Mama. More accurately, I am a stay at home mom. I have one child, his name is “Little”. We spend our days eating, sleeping and crying… well he does. I spend my days caring for Little and finding crafty things to entertain myself and new skills to learn. I have recently taken up bread making and I am trying to improve my sewing skills. I love fashion and I am a designer at heart, now my life’s calling is to figure out how to express myself and find an outlet for my creativity.

My goal is to share with you my journey through motherhood, the new things I find that help make that journey more enjoyable and splendor filled, and fun exciting things I learn that help me express myself and develop my talents.