Friday, December 6, 2013

Caitlin's Wedding Weekend

Last Weekend my baby sister got married!!! She got engaged in August and was going to elope but then decided to have a mini destination wedding with her family and closest friends. When she first told me this, I was a little shocked. I always pictured her having a huge wedding with all of the parties and all of the stress!:) But, in the end the wedding was absolutely perfect. She got married in a park that we grew up spending every weekend walking around exploring and having picnics. It was freezing but totally worth it because the scenery was beautiful! The ceremony was performed by her Father In Law and it was so personal and touching. After the wedding we had dinner at a little place called the Hard Shell. It ended up being the best wedding food I have ever had! Caitlin seriously looked absolutely beautiful!!!!!!! Her dress was to die for and exactly what I would pick if I could do my wedding over!! Her and Lance also looked so happy and in love! I was really glad to be apart of her big day but I am a little sad that its over!








How cute does my angel look? She pretty much wouldn't smile the entire weekend because she only napped for about 20 minutes each day. That paci poo was her best friend but she sure looked cute!

We decided that because we would be in Virginia for the wedding we would go a day earlier and fly in to D.C. Jared had never been so we spent Thanksgiving Day exploring the city. We didn't get to see and do much because we had a rental car fiasco but we did hit most of the highlights. 









Besides a few minor mishaps we had a pretty good trip! Emerson did ok on the plane. I wont say that traveling with a baby is one of my favorite things to do, but she didn't embarrass us too bad on the flights! Just kidding! Once she settled in she slept for most of the ride there and back! :)

 I still can't believe that the little one is a married woman! I'm ready for her to be home so I can hear all about Cabo and look at all of the wedding pictures!!!!! Congrats Caitlin and Lance!!!!!! Love Ya'll!!






Thursday, December 5, 2013

Mix & Match Mama Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway!

I am participating in the Mix and Match Mama Nordstrom gift card give away! Who wouldn't want a shopping spree at Nordstrom? ESPECIALLY around the holidays! I know everyone in my family loves Nordstrom!!! Go enter HERE!

Monday, October 21, 2013

My One Year Old Hurts My Feelings


So I have a one year old and she hurts my feelings. It feels good to say it out loud. I never in my wildest dreams thought that one day MY child might hurt my feelings. Especially my little angel that has only graced this earth with her presence for a year and a week. I mean don't get me wrong I know for a fact that I have hurt my moms feelings before. In fact, I'm sure I hurt my moms feelings when I was only a year old, but it doesn't make it any easier.

There are so many things that people don't tell you when you are A. thinking of starting a family or
B. pregnant. There needs to be a pamphlet given to each prospective/newly pregnant mommy-to-be outlining the crap beautiful things that you and your body will be going through for the next 9 months and then the 18 years after that. I know I am not the first person that has said that very line before, but yet I am sitting here wondering why I wasn't told that everything isn't always flowers and roses when it comes to pregnancy and child rearing.

It all started about two weeks before Emerson made her debut. I was looking at my very round belly in the mirror when I noticed a dark purple line starting to make its way up from the side of my belly button towards my ribs. Jared assured me it was just a vein showing through my very see through pale skin and that as soon as she was here I wouldn't even be able to see it any more. Being a first time mom who had never been pregnant before, I believed him. Here I am a year later and I am still waiting for that one (and several others) vein to disappear.


So moving on to the hospital, literally only an hour of becoming a mommy, I was handed a squeeze bottle to use when I went to the restroom for the first time. I was thinking it was just an easy way to "clean up" after a long labor and delivery. No instructions came from the nurse other than "go to the restroom and use this as you pee." Everything was fine and dandy that first time. A little bit later, I was moved over to my post partum room and headed straight for the rest room without my squeeze bottle. HUGE MISTAKE!! I think all hell broke loose in the 5 minutes between me innocently going into the restroom and the nurse running in there with a warm shower head and solarcaine medicated spray. It would have been nice if the nurse had just said "here is this squeeze bottle. It will be your best friend for the next week. Don't enter the restroom without it." But...she didn't!

Lets not even get started on what your body looks like post baby. I think the post "10 Unrecognizable Post Baby Parts on Scary Mommy says it all:

My Dry-Shriveled Carrots. AKA, my breasts. After three years of breastfeeding, I got so talented that I could swing one behind my head and pass it around the minivan for anyone that needed a snack. I just asked that it be passed back before anyone got out of the car. (I do have some standards.) Now that my breastfeeding days are over, my breasts have been replaced by dried out, shriveled up baby carrots.

I think that if someone had sent me in the direction of Scary Mommy a year ago, I would probably be a lot better off! She says how it is and isn't afraid! :)

Once you get through the lovely 9 months of pregnancy, you go from being YOU one day to being a MOM the next. That doesn't sound that difficult but it's actually a hard thing to wrap your sleep deprived brain around.

I was listening to Kelly Rasberry on the radio the other morning, and she started to get emotional because she just doesn't know what to do with her seven year old's bad behavior. As I was listening I started to become a little emotional too. I connected with her. She isn't alone.  I realized that becoming a mommy has made me so insecure. I am constantly worrying about whether or not Emerson is ok, if I am doing a good job at this mommy thing, and even if she loves me.

Being a mom is a tough job. It's hard when your baby reaches for the babysitter when you go to pick her up instead of reaching for you. It's hard not to worry about that bump on your baby's head that definitely, no way, could NOT have been there yesterday. It's hard not to be embarrassed when you take your child to the doctor for said bump and he tells you "that's just her head." It's hard when google tells you that your child probably has cancer or some other equally horrifying problem. It's hard when your one year old slaps you across the face and you get YOUR feelings hurt. There is no easy way to put it. Being a mom is HARD. It's not for the birds. BUT! It's worth every second of it! It is hands down the best feeling in the world.

I think the number one thing you can do for a Mommy-to-be or a Mommy whether that Mommy is your friend, wife, sister co-worker, or even your own mommy is to tell her that she is doing a Good Job. Sometimes she just needs to hear it.

The second thing you can do for her is to tell her all the crap no one told her before she decided to become a mommy! :)

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Monogrammed Burp Cloths

When I got pregnant with Emerson, my mom immediately started making me baby items. One of my favorite things was the burp cloths she made. I have had several friends having babies, so I had my mom show me how to make them! They are very simple to make and they are super cute! They make great personalized shower gifts for any new mommy! 


Supplies:
- Plain White Cloth Diapers (I used the Gerber brand from Walmart)

- Fabric of your choice

-Sewing machine or if you are really brave a needle and thread:)

I don't have pictures of each step but it is very simple.

1. Lay fabric and cloth diaper out. Cut the fabric about an inch wider than the burp cloth.
2. Turn fabric so that it is "inside out" you will want the printed side to be laying on top of the cloth when you pin.
3. Pin fabric to the diaper.
4. Sew a straight line around the fabric and diaper only leaving about a 2 inch opening to flip the diaper and fabric inside out. This is just like you would do if you were making a pillow. When you flip it inside out the seam will be on the inside of the cloth so that you don't see any extra material or mistakes!:)
5. Once you have turned it inside out, sew another straight line around the entire cloth as a top stitch. Doing this will close the 2 inch opening you had before.
6. Sew two straight lines down the middle two seams of the cloth diaper!
7. Iron and Monogram them if you like! (I had someone else do the monogram)

Every Momma that I have given these to have loved them. When my mom made me mine they were almost too pretty to use. But I did use them, and 10 months later they still come in handy!



 I have mentioned before that I like the more "granny" style of things for babies, but having made several of these sets of burp cloths I think it is more fun to go crazy with the fabrics and monogram thread. Hobby Lobby has great fabric choices right now so if you decide to make these, have fun with it!

Every Momma that I have given these to have loved them. When my mom made me mine they were almost too pretty to use. But I did use them, and 10 months later they still come in handy!

I linked this project up with Leslie's "Create It Thursday!"
Lots of good ideas going on over there!

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Baby Reese's Pink and Navy Baby Shower

A few weekends ago, I along with some other friends threw our BFF Jackie a baby shower! Reese will be here by the end of September and her mommy is decorating her new digs in navy and pink! The shower was cute, fun, and laid back! I like baby showers where you get to sip mimosas while the mommy to be is opening presents instead of playing weird games like "guess the poop ingredients in the diaper!" But that's just my personal preference!! To each their own!:)

Here are some pics of Jackie and Reese's big day!




 We made home made sugar scrub for favors. I wish I had an closer picture but it was so cute! It was also super simple to make! The tag said "Sugar and Spice and all things nice. That's what little girls are made of!"

 Some goodies for the new mommy to take home and use in little Reese's room!



 This is the cutest little thing! The art teacher at my school made this little lady. She will also be gracing the door of Jackie's hospital room when Reese makes her debut!


Overall, everything came together and turned out pretty cute! I cant wait to meet little Reese and see her use all of her little prezzies she got at her shower!!! 

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Sweet Emerson Pictures

I have to give it to photographers. Especially photographers who take pictures of babies! Emerson is nine months old and crazy as can be! She is in to everything and really hard to get a picture of. I was sweating by the end of our "session" and she was crying. I am sure this wont be the first time we do something like this and I sweat while she cries! :) Needless to say, I didn't get very many good ones, but I did get a few! 



 "Hold on Mom, I need to get this."
How is little possible/normal for a nine month old to know how to use an iphone?


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Emerson's Pad

I recently took some pictures of Emerson's nursery. I am kicking myself for not taking them earlier when her crib was raised and when her bumpers were in it.  I love her room. It is so girly and delicate!! I cant believe that soon she will need a big girl room. She's growing so fast, I feel like she will be 18 next week! Here are some pics of her little girly oasis! :)