Preparing for my girl

I know I have mentioned this before in a post, but nesting for me comes in a form of crafting. I love to get things all ready for little Piper Jane to come into our family. We are so excited to meet her!! I am nowhere near ready, and I only have about seven weeks left!! Things I still need to get/finish for her- 

•  Moses basket stand and the material to make something like this..

• Papasan swing
• bouncy chair
• dresser (I'm thinking something like this from sweet pickins)..

• An Ergo carrier and infant insert.
• Diapers!
• Photo shoot props
• Her quilt needs pieced
• More clips made
• A diaper bag
• I need to make more bibs & burp cloths 

The list goes on and on. I did get sidetracked from baby stuff and made these envelope pillow covers.

Then I received a shipment of cheesecloth in the mail and busted out my RIT dyes, cut them up and dyed each one for newborn pictures. I went with a soft pink, a peach, and a dusty rose color. They turned out pretty close to how I had envisioned.

I can't wait to snuggle my little baby girl!!!!!!

Lime Ridge

We decided to take our weeny dog Ginger up to Lime ridge for a walk. Poor thing is over weight, and could use the exercise. We invited my mom and sister to bring their weenies also. I took my camera just in case there was a good moment. Chloe wasn't having it though. She kept saying "No picture no!".

We tried playing with her to get her in a better mood, but as you can see on her face she just wasn't into it.

She just wanted to cuddle her daddy. He always makes her feel better.

After a few "Mommy go homes" She warmed up and we were able to take a few decent shots..




                          

She loves her "baby diaper" and is always willing to give my tummy plenty of kisses.

I don't have many pictures of myself this pregnancy, because I am usually behind the camera, and also  I don't usually like pictures of myself when I am pregnant because it doesn't translate well in a picture. I usually just look big and not pregnant. but Adam took over while I coaxed the girl to participate.

Our silly little girly girl who loves dirt, mud, puddles, rocks, sand, and bugs.

She found a friend her size to hug. She is a great hugger after all.

Dinosaur hill

Last weekend we took Chloe to "dinosaur hill" to take a few pictures. She was such a good girl for us. She is addicted to bubblegum and will do anything for it. So we bribed her with bubblegum and that helped.

Our little girl has so much personality. It's so fun to be able to capture her different expressions. I just want to soak her in while she is an only child. Chloe demands requires a lot of attention, and I worry how I will be able to divide my time between a toddler and a new born. She can be a little aggressive and jealous when other people occupy my time, so lets just hope that she doesn't kill her little sister. Her little sister will have to be very tough.

Chloe has been doing so well for a long time. Then about two weeks ago she started to go through another phase of pushing and pulling hair. I take her to the gym daycare just about everyday, and lately I only get a ten minute workout before they come get me to take her home because she has drawn blood in one way or another.

Chloe has a lot of attitude in her personality, and we are trying to teach her to be kind, and polite, but bossy things just come out of her mouth like "Go away mommy" and "Don't want to" All of the time. And still she can be very very sweet. Dealing out kisses and hugs all of the time. 

Chloe insisted on wearing all four of her My little Pony bracelets. She is really into Care Bears right now and asks to watch it all day long.

 This was my third time in manual mode. They turned out better than they had before, but I'm still working on perfecting my metering. I need to figure this all out soon so I can take pictures of my sweet little newborn also. Chloe is getting so big. She is now potty trained! Yay! I can't believe she will be three in three months!

We love love love our little girl and though it can be very tough raising children. I still feel so so grateful and filled with love and joy for them. I am so lucky that I can bring these spirits into the world and serve and love them every day. She teaches me patience and  makes me want to be a better person.

Playing in the rain

Back in January Adam and I went to visit some friends in Southern California.
 While we were there it rained. I was out shopping and Adam had Chloe for the morning.
 They picked oranges in the back yard and played in the rain.

Chloe loves puddles.. and we have had a hard time keeping her clean and dry any time it rains.

Adam let her get wet and have fun and took some cute pictures of her.

Sharing her orange with Daddy.

Projects

I swear this is the year of the boy. Just about everyone I know that is pregnant is having a boy. It was the same when I had Chloe. It's been so fun making baby boy things for my friends.

I have found some great inspiration off Pinterest. 

All boy bike minky baby blanket,

Chevron Car seat canopy.

Diaper bags

Little man bow tie onesies.

"Surfer dude" car seat canopy. 

Oh and I finally made a second car seat canopy for little Miss. I love it!

Now on to more baby bows!!

27 weeks

For my own record

How far along? 27 weeks...Next week= 3rd trimester!!

How big is baby? According to thebump.com -- baby girl is the size of a week 27: Rutabaga
Average size: 13.6-14.8 inches, 1.5-2.2 lb.

Weight gain? yep.. not telling.. Nursing will help me take it off.

Maternity clothes?  Yes. I can wear both my normal and maternity.

Stretchmarks? No.

Sleep? As of right now not too bad. Although I fight leg cramps often and miss sleeping on my stomach.

Best moment this week?  The moments when I feel grateful for what we have. Miss Chloe, a new baby on the way. A loving dedicated husband who loves his girl and takes great care of us, Adam's wonderful job. My husband is so helpful to us girls, my mother, sister, and grandmother.

Movement? Certain times of the day. After seven at night and when I'm resting. She is getting stronger this week than ever. She has been laying sideways for the past few days, and when she stretches out I feel her feet in my left side. Hiccups started around 24 weeks and have persisted. She gets them often and just like her older sister was she is not a fan. Her hiccups are a little more subtle than Chloe's were. Everything movement wise seems a little less jarring with this one.

Food cravings? I have liked dairy this pregnancy. No aversions this time. My first tri I wasn't too into sugar, but now I only wish I weren't.

Gender? Little miss. I couldn't be more elated!

Labor signs?  Lots of Braxton Hicks...lots.. Nothing real yet.

Belly button in or out? Totally out. No linea negra yet but my belly button skin seems darker.

What I miss? Nothing, but I'm sure I'll feel different in two months!

What I am looking forward to?  Excited. Ready to get everything cleaned/prepped. I look forward to getting a bigger home, and decorating this baby's room. Nursing her. Seeing what she looks like!

Water intake?  I could always do better. I never drink enough. I hate spending so much time looking for a bathroom.

Weekly Wisdom? You have so much to be thankful for.

What happened this week? We made an offer on a home and didn't get it. I bought way too much furniture. We completely reorganized the girls room. I had to take the glucose test... I really don't like that. Organized baby clothes. Still potty training Chloe.. She is doing SO well!!! I even forgot to bring an extra change of clothes for her when we went shopping for a few hours yesterday.. She stayed dry! She is starting to know when she needs to poop and has begun to tell me first. So we rush her to the potty to try.

I seriously love being pregnant. I feel so productive making a human! lol. I think I'm a pretty easy going pregnant lady. I feel happy. I can't wait to meet her!

We think we have narrowed down her name to three options.. Piper, Daisy, or Lucy. I may wait until I see her to really decide what she looks like. We have always loved Jane as a middle name, but still are pulling from my original old list and haven't made any solid decisions.  Wanna see my belly at 27 weeks last time?

My sweet grandma 

Chloe and Grandma

While Adam and I went on our trip, Miss Chloe had a blast with Grandma for a week. She went to "Pixie Land" with Aunt Sarah and Grandma. She went to the Jungle, play places, parks, had lots of treats that I don't give her I'm sure.. When we came back her new phrase was "Mommy need the bubblegum" to say the least she was spoiled rotten. She loves her grandma and her "Saya" 

I feel so blessed to have them here living near us now, it makes a huge difference in Chloe's life to have the extra love. When Chloe was a small baby I remember wondering how I was going to give her enough love with it being just Adam and I with no other family around. I am so thrilled that new baby girl will have the extra love from them from day one. 

I can only imagine that whoever took this picture must have asked her to say "Cheese" lol

I am so lucky that I could leave and have the assurance that she was in the best hands possible.

She was safe and loved and I could relax and enjoy our getaway.

Training Week

Potty training week went pretty well. I felt a little constricted at times, but the girl is doing great! 

Day one- Not one accident!!! (this was a fluke)

Day two- 5-6 accidents (of both kinds)

Day three- 3 accidents (#1)

Day four- 2 accidents (both)

Day five- 1 accident(#2)

Day six- 1 accident(#2)

Day seven- 2 accidents (both)

Really she's been pretty amazing overall. No pee pee accidents for a couple of days in a row there. 

We got a "potty chart" for Chloe to put stickers on. When she fills the row she gets a special reward.

She loves to put the stickers up on the chart and loves the attention she gets

for being a good girl. I set a timer that goes off every 20 minutes so i remember how long it's been.

There has been only one problem so far. She is now getting tired of going to the potty and

will get on and say "all done" before even trying,and jump off. I can't get her to get back on at that point. 

I can't force her to potty, and fighting her to get back on and try won't work.

Moms have you had this problem? What do I do?

Potty training week

This week is the week. Chloe is ready, and so are we. She has been so good about going on the big potty, but we have yet to get rid of her diapers, and really move on to panties. I am going to do this though. I have heard that you should put them in panties set them on the potty every 20 minutes and not go anywhere for a few days while training.. So we are going to try. We have been using candy rewards, and loads of cheers to help her with the experience. If anyone has some great advice from their own experience please feel free to let me know!

Yes she is in a Halloween glow in the dark PJ shirt.. I hate just about anything with faces, words etc, but she LOVES these pajamas and I can't break her of them. She asks for them every night. So I allow to wear them and she thinks they are the best.

Long Beach Hair show 2013

Last weekend I drove down to LA to so to the hair show. I have been doing hair now for 9 years and have never been to one! That's crazy.

So I called up my friend Darby and asked if she wanted to go with.

We had a great time. There was so much to see that we didn't get through the entire thing.

We are thinking of making it an annual thing.

There was so much hair candy there. Darby got some makeup, yummy sugar scrubs, and mineral makeup. I got ear piercing stuff, earrings,makeup, Gel nail supplies, and a bunch of samples.

They did cuts and styling education, but we never had the time to sit and watch an entire presentation. There was too much to see.

I couldn't believe that this guy could do this cut. He could shave just about anything into someones head. Pretty impressive Eh? Now don't start calling me up asking for me to do this. I have Zero talent in buzz designs.