Gender Reveal

It's a BOY!

Our sweet Little J will have a baby brother in January!  We can't wait to see what great pals our boys become and look forward to watching them play together and grow together.  

Even though we were hopeful for a baby girl, we know that any baby we get to bring home is going to be special and unique and loved so much.  And, no matter what, a baby is a blessing. 

Our busy little household will be nicely balanced with 3 boys and 3 girls (Jared informs me that the dogs count... so if we buy a boy dog, the next baby will be a girl by his logic. Haha).  I will just keep crossing my fingers at this point that we eventually have a girl without ending up having quite as many boys as the Weasleys...

Easy Scrap Bibs

This week has been rough on my little family, but I promised to limit my complaining, so I'll keep it simple:  Sometimes the bad things in life arrive strung neatly together like little, horrible pearls with barely any space between them. 

We have been desperately looking forward to this monumental week in my pregnancy (it's ultrasound week, people!!!) This is the week that we will receive confirmation of our baby's health - and almost as importantly, we will discover whether Baby Number Two is a boy or a girl!  The anticipation has been almost unbearable.  I told Jared on Saturday, "we just have to make it through the next few days... then the ultrasound appointment will be here!"  Those simple words cursed us...

I won't go into detail about the week's misfortunes (and trust me, there are some details you really don't want to hear about).  But the saddest, most upsetting event of the week was the demise of my fancy, expensive DSLR camera lens at the hands of my sweet, seemingly innocent 14-month-old baby.  It truly was a freak accident, but the grief I felt at this loss sent me into a tailspin of pregnancy emotion that I wallowed in for far too long.  I had to remind myself that, "it's an inanimate object," and, "it can be replaced," but sometimes those words just don't have what it takes to make you feel better (especially when the cost of replacement is roughly $200 that doesn't exist in your budget). 

After I recovered somewhat from the shock, I pulled the last few pictures off of my memory card and realized that I had documented a fun project last week!  Replacing the broken and worn out has been a running theme in our house lately, and I've honestly been doing all I can do to ease the impact it has had on our budget.  So when I decided that all of Little J's yellowing bibs were too gross to use any more, I dug into my scrap fabric and came up with a little something.

Although a little girly, these fabrics coordinate nicely

I sewed my strips of scrap fabric together, making sure that the overall surface area would be big enough to serve as the face of my bib.

I used one of Little J's bibs that fit nicely as a template (tracing around it on paper).  I had to make the neck hole slightly bigger, since my scrap fabric doesn't have any stretch to it.

I cut some coordinating fabric to serve as the back of my bib, pinning it "pretty sides together" with my sewn strips.  I then pinned my pattern to the fabric (I could have just traced around the pattern, which would have been easier, actually).

 
And sewed along the edge of the pattern, leaving a hole for turning right-side-out.

Once finished sewing, I cut around my stitching.  I also snipped carefully around the curves to allow for a smoother look once turned.

 

Then turn!

 

I like to close up my "turning hole" by sewing a border around the entire bib - this way my closing seam is disguised.  This also keeps the bib nice and flat (no bubbling or weird poofing).

 

Here's a back view :

And here is my adorable model:

I cropped out the enormous booger that was in his nose. You're welcome!

Second Time Around Makes Me a... Pro?

I want to believe that, because I've already been through the pregnancy, labor, childbirth, newborn experience, I'm a professional.  That I learned all the lessons I will ever need to learn and made all the mistakes I will ever have the misfortune to make.  But I know deep down that I am horribly, terribly wrong.

I've already been shown that I'm not a Pro when it comes to pregnancy - this time around has been entirely different than the first time.  Everything I expected to happen, hasn't happened!  And everything I figured wouldn't happen, has.  I'm a list person, so here's how my mind makes the comparison:

Baby J Pregnancy:

• Got pregnant right away with no problem
• Had moderate morning sickness
• Had nasty, mean mood swings in the first trimester, which diminished after about 14 weeks
• Had no real food cravings
• Knew in my heart that Baby would be healthy and that everything would go smoothly 
• Gained a reasonable amount of weight 

Baby #2 Pregnancy:

• Struggled to get pregnant, thought something was wrong, saw doctor, then SURPRISE!
• Had almost nonexistent morning sickness, but extreme fatigue
• Have had the saddest, sobbiest mood swings that are only worsening as pregnancy progresses
• Have had the ugliest skin and hair of my life
• Have had no cravings because I've had no appetite?!?!
• Have gained practically no weight at all
• Have this deep, sinking feeling of doom that something horrible is going to happen to me or the baby or somebody important in our lives

So this pregnancy has really thrown me for a loop.  People keep telling me, "it's probably because you're having a girl!"  But realistically... there could be any number of reasons for all the distinct differences between my pregnancies.  I'm pregnant during the summer, for one.  And I have a 1-year-old I'm chasing around while still carrying most of the baby weight that I gained while pregnant with him...

Right now I'm just so thankful that my pregnancy is progressing healthily and normally.  But the fact that there has been so much of the unexpected this time makes me think that the surprises might continue indefinitely.  Just to be safe, I will plan ahead as though I know what's to come.  Meaning: I will firstly try to correct all the mistakes I made the first time!

While pregnant with Little J, I did a really good job of staying relaxed, calm, and happy.  Really, the only mistake I made leading up to his delivery was not getting enough exercise.  I haven't been a very good girl this time either, but I do have my little toddler to chase around, which keeps me from being a total couch potato at least.

Where I went the most wrong with my first pregnancy was during our hospital stay - from the time we checked in until the time we checked out.  I consider myself to be flexible and resilient most of the time, but I was pretty unfair to myself to think that I could make it through labor, delivery and recovery by simply relying on whatever amenities the hospital would provide.  During my (27 hour) labor, I listened to the in-house hospital music loop instead of the iPod resting comfortably in my suitcase.  What?! Why?  Who knows, really...  But this was one of so many mistakes that made the hospital experience less than enjoyable for me.  Here are my suggestions to Future-Sarah for the next hospital stay:

1. BRING YOUR OWN PILLOW!
   - I cannot stress this enough.  You will really need a piece of home once you are alone in the recovery room. 
2. Listen to your own music during labor.  Nothing is more soothing than James Taylor.
3. Take a shower as soon as you can.  Seriously.  But just in case you resist, pay Jared ahead of time to use whatever force necessary to get you in the shower.
4. Bring some of your own jammies and socks from home.  And a robe.  And some big, post-birth undies.  Hospital clothes are NOT comfy.  Also, put a bra on as soon as you are allowed.
5. Order tons of food at mealtimes.  Your food is included in the hospital costs, so why not eat as much as required to fuel your milk-producing body?
6. Force Jared to eat and sleep as much as he needs to.  A zombie husband is not very happy or helpful.
7. Be assertive with the nursing staff.  They will give you contradicting advice about breastfeeding.  And there will be a time when you need to just push the stupid call button and ask for assistance.  Don't be such a weenie!
8. Write things down.  Your feeling, your thoughts, observations about Baby, and most importantly: information you might not remember after the baby-haze wears off.  Don't assume you or Jared will recall many of the details, because you won't.  
9. Get out of the recovery room.  The hallways aren't much of an improvement, but at least your claustrophobia will remain in check for a little longer than if you sit in bed for 3 days. 
10. Snuggle with Baby when you want to, and leave him in the bassinet when you don't want to.  It's OK to feel like you need a break.

I know from our previous experience that once we arrived home with Baby, everything seemed less scary.  Being in my own bed and having all my normal comforts surrounding me made a huge difference in my mood, my confidence, and ultimately my success with breastfeeding.  I suppose that's my final piece of advice, Future-Sarah.  Remember that in the end, you get to bring that sweet baby home with you.

And if you need a refresher course in how to pack your hospital bag, check out my packing suggestions here!

Ruffled Apron

Since the moment I saw that little pink line on our home pregnancy test, I've been crossing my fingers that this baby will be a girl.  I love being a mommy to a boy - Little J is so much fun and, honestly, I know boys (having two younger brothers).  But I am aching to have a child who I can dress in ruffles.  A child who will have dolls that I can dress in ruffles.

Don't get me wrong... I will be thrilled to have a second boy, if that's the case.  I feel so blessed that Little J will have a sibling!  But man, if that sibling comes home from the hospital wearing floral print, I'll be in heaven.

Our "big" ultrasound is coming up in about two weeks, but until then Baby #2's gender will remain a mystery.  So, to keep my girlie hopes in check, I've been making ruffled garments for the little ladies who are already in my life. 

These babies are super simple (but somewhat tedious) to make and only require a little bit of coordinating fabric.  I've made about 6 this year, but still haven't made one for myself for some reason... For the tutorial, click here!

The great thing about these aprons is that they do not require a pattern and can be made in any shape and size. I've even made a couple that include pockets!  These two are 6-year-old-sized.

When I get around to making my own apron, it will be something like this:

"Up" Birthday Party

Little J doesn't watch a lot of TV yet, but Jared and I went ahead and assigned him a "favorite movie."  We like to think we know him pretty well, so our choice was easy:  Up!

This movie captured our hearts (and makes me sob uncontrollably - Jared too!) and was an obvious pick for our Babe's first birthday party theme.

I wanted to keep things simple (and inexpensive) so I focused on the balloon motif as my decorating inspiration.  We bought roughly 100 balloons, and foregoing the expensive helium tank rental, blew them up ourselves.  Because they weren't the "floaty" kind of balloons without the helium, I fond some balloon sticks to keep them upright. This was a fun process for everyone (except our sensitive puppies) and got us really geared up for the big party!

 

I knew that the balloons wouldn't be quite enough to represent our movie theme, so we got to work recreating the beloved "Karl & Ellie" mailbox.  My full mailbox project can be found here.  With the addition of some travel-themed decorative elements, I had my cupcake display table!

These are my favorite cupcakes (Jared teases me for advertising these "made from scratch" yummies).  The full recipe can be found here.  They are delicious.  I'm not kidding.

This little "personal" cake was meant for Little J to consume/smash/smear/throw during his party, but I lost track of time... and my Peanut's little cake ended up getting eaten by Jared.  But that's fine - he earned it after all the help and support he gave me during the party-prep process.

This final project was my pride and joy.  My full tutorial (competing with the amazing Martha Stewart) can be found here.  I can't emphasize my self-pride enough on this one.  This was a tricky project for me.

This party was a blast.  I look forward to planning birthday parties for my little ones every year!

The birthday boy and his sweet Nana

Mini Cupcake Balloons

This project was extremely time-consuming and frustrating - not at all how I expected after seeing the original idea from Martha Stewart.

I bought my water balloons and wooden skewers and started getting really excited about how cute these little babies would turn out.  But no matter how I tied the balloons around the sticks, they looked like this:

 

I tried so many alternative options (and wasted a lot of time and materials) but I was determined to make it work! 

Finally, I discovered a solution:

Step 1: Blow up water balloons and tie off. 

Step 2: Then trim the bulky, rolled-up part at the opening.

Step 3: Tie a piece of string above the knot.  The string must be longer than the coffee stirrer (which I used in place of skewers).

Step 4: Thread string through coffee stirrer and pull until knot becomes tightly wedged inside the straw.

Step 5: Trim off any excess string that sticks out of the straw.  The knot of the balloon is so snug inside the coffee stirrer that I promise the balloons won't detach easily.

 

My full "Up" Birthday Party post can be found here! Check it out!

Buckley Mailbox

This project was inspired by the "Karl & Ellie" mailbox from our favorite Pixar movie, Up!  This was a fun adventure for my little family, since it involved paint coming in contact with Little J's skin.

I found a really inexpensive (but sadly, plastic) white mailbox on Amazon.  I was really bummed by just how plastic-y it looked in person, so I played with some spray paint and came up with a solution.  I used a combination of a pearlescent white paint and a very shiny clear coat spray.

Before my spray paint treatment

protecting the little red flag from spray paint

Once the paint was dry, we got to work choosing our handprint colors.  I tried to keep our color scheme as similar to the movie mailbox as possible.  I mixed our colors myself, using acrylic (water-based) paint.  I absolutely do not recommend using oil-based paint for this kind of project, because it cannot be easily washed off of skin with water (it will usually require paint thinner).  Since my little baby was involved in the paint process, it was especially important to have easy cleanup :)

After our handprints and fancy writing dried, I sprayed the whole thing one more time with my clear coat spray.  This will protect our paint job from getting rubbed off or chipped.

The final product:

My full "Up" Birthday Party can be found here!  Check it out!