The In-Between

Ahhhh yes, the relief of heading into trimester #2.  Am I right, ladies??  Less exhausted, less nausea, more energy and more feeling like you!  FALSE.  I am more tired the last week than I have been throughout this pregnancy so far AND I'm faced with the daily nightmare of deciding what to wear.  Guys, I hate being a working mommy and getting up early and getting dressed on a regular day.  But now, I absolutely dread it.

Before I go further with this, let me give a quick caveat: I am thrilled to be expecting baby boy #2 and can't wait to squeeze and love on him.  However, I am not a fan of being pregnant.  I wasn't the first go-round and that hasn't changed.  I commend the women that enjoy it, but I'm certain that I've never felt worse than I do during the first half of my pregnancies.  I'm sure there is judgment from some women, but I have to be real and say what I feel, or I won't be me.  Also, I'm not a fit person in normal time, so that certainly doesn't help during the time when you're "allowed to gain weight."  Hey, guess what...when your doctor says that, she means like 25 lbs, Kate...not 50!  See bachelorette #3 down below (next to teeny and tiny), who I lovingly refer to as Clydesdale Kate.  PS, who ever made maternity clothes with stripes??

So, back to my closet, which by the way looks like a small bomb exploded in it, since I'm too tired to do laundry until the weekends and have to try on roughly 27 outfits a day, before I ultimately put on one of the first that I tried.  The most fantastic part of this "in-between" stage is that it comes sooner with your second pregnancy.  YAY  So, when I thought I was developing a bump with sweet Colin and I was pushing 5 months, I looked like this, :

I should have been grateful.  Cause guess what folks?  That's way too close to how I look today.  Day two of my second trimester.  3 MONTHS in.

Rude, indeed!  So, I try to squeeze every last moment I can in my "regular" clothes, using whatever means necessary, but rubber bands only hold for so long and when you have to pee every 20 minutes, it's hardly convenient.  The beauty part of this whole situation, is when you finally admit you should bust out those garbage bags of maternity clothes and examine whether any of them will work for you currently, you find that they don't fit either.  Seriously?  If you need me, I'll be in my granny panties and too small bra, on the floor of my closet, sobbing.  Even better than that, while you prep for baby and how much money you won't have for all of the necessities, you try to figure out how you can possibly go out and pick up some better fitting maternity jeans.  You know, ones that aren't dubbed "mom jeans," ones that have a built-in belly that you can neatly tuck up under your bra (cause let's be real, those under-belly things are a joke), and ones that actually come in long/tall so that you don't look like you're going digging for clams.  Leaving you with the following for your "perfect" outfit:

This does not count as business casual, FYI.  So, instead I have been the Muffin Top Gal, daily at work and miserable as a result.  You think taking off your bra at night is relieving?  Changing into jammies has become releasing the Kraken for this girl!  And all the while, my sweet husband has told me how "hot" I look.  Thank you, sweetie for whatever you are seeing that is attractive and thank you, God for giving him the eyes that can see it.

And, if the constant paranoia of what is hanging over my pants is not enough, you can add those adorably pregnant girls that remain tiny until delivery and magically pop back into their pre-baby bump jeans the day they come home from the hospital.  (Tried that one after Col was born and I'm sure that factored into my chest pains following.)  You know them.  There are tons of them on social media these days, rubbing it in.  Alllll baby.

Ok, you are not real.  You can't be.  Look at the picture on the right.  I mean, these women are the same amount of weeks into their pregnancies.  Same.  The reason this is infuriating to me is mostly because I'm SO the one on the right, or will be shortly.  I'm one of those girls that carried her baby everywhere, including my already bulbous nose.  I don't intend to be huge this time, but my body is not made for teeny.  It just isn't in me (as evidenced from the picture above).  Amen to you for being able to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but Mama likes to eat.

For those of you that are in my boat, there are ways to combat it.  I have been reading up on tons of them, in order to keep myself in the right mindset.  I found this great little list on dealing with the "fat stage" from fellow blogger, Beth at Nothing but Neutral that has helped me turn a corner.  She is stylish and witty, and her tips are helping to center me back on what's important here, my sweet boy!  So, taking Beth's advice, I am pulling out all of my loose shirts, heeled shoes, and started eating more healthily.  Salads galore over here, though like her, I have to indulge my sweet tooth every now and then.

I'm not going to extremes, but I am trying to be more conscious of what I'm putting into my body.  Colin is even benefiting some with several trips a week to local parks in the afternoons to keep this and his growing body moving.  I definitely won't be one of the women who develops Pregorexia.  No, seriously, it's a thing.  Some women make extreme efforts "to control pregnancy weight gain through extreme dieting and exercise."  There is no danger for me here, as I basically loathe exercise and very much enjoy food.  However, I do see how this stage could push one to it.  

That said, I am going to remind myself that I am more conscious of the changes than anyone and that perhaps I need to cut myself a little slack.  I am doing this all for the baby boy that I can't wait to meet in just 6 more months.  I am lucky to be blessed with this opportunity and need to keep that foremost in my mind.  But, I warn you, don't let me catch you staring anywhere near my mid-section these days.  I may be able to fool myself, but you don't mess with a prego lady.  Point out the weight gain, and

   No lie.  Bon Qui Qui knows.  

And as a distraction from the current horror of my body changing and closet status, I am redesigning our guest bathroom for our boys this weekend--so stay tuned!  Can't wait to share it with you!

       xo

Spring Things - Yarn Pom Pom Bunnies

My mind has been on all Spring things lately. Seeing daffodils blooming, hearing birds settling back into our neighborhood and finally feeling warm weather have all been such happy changes! The official start of Spring is just around the corner and I keep seeing these little yarn pom pom animals popping up on my Pinterest feed so I thought it would be a cute and easy craft to do with the kids. As darling as the baby chicks and lambs are, I decided we would start with the bunnies.

 
My favorite part of starting a project is gathering my materials- especially when I realize I need some supplies and get to take a trip to Michaels! These sweet little bunnies require only a few things:

-Yarn (I picked up a fairly thick and super soft acrylic)
-Felt (one in a coordinating color to your yarn and the other a light pink- these will be the bunny's ears)
-Mini pom poms for the tails
-Hot glue gun/sticks
-Scissors
-Glass beads (black and pink for the eyes and nose)

There are probably a half dozen or more ways to make yarn pom poms. Some use cardboard discs, some use toilet paper rolls, some use forks, some use actual pom pom makers (they're real things!) I chose to just use my hand. Because I'm lazy. And I like things to be simple. Because I'm lazy.

• To start, decide how big you want your pom pom to be. They will vary in size a bit depending on how many fingers you wrap your yarn around. I started with three for the body of my first little guy. 

• Wrap the yarn around (I didn't count or measure- just eyeballed) until you have a good amount to get "fluffed" later, then cut. 

• Cut another strand of yarn about 10 inches or so to wrap around the center of the yarn. I started on my palm and ran the yarn strand down from my fingertips, then through my first and second fingers. I needed a little help so I used a candy stick that was randomly in my crafty stash to push the yarn strand through.

• Once it's through, tie a tight knot, then loosen the yarn off your hand. 

• Flip it over and tie another tight knot on the other side. 

• Take your scissors and start cutting through all of the loops in your yarn circle until you reach the other side. 

• You'll have a shaggy little yarn pom on your hands at this point.

• Grab the scissors again and give it a trim to make a neat little pom pom.

• Once you have the first one, you can make another in a different size so you have both a body and a head. With your hot glue, assemble the two pom poms together. Cut some ears from your felt and glue those on the smaller pom. Glue the glass beads for the eyes and nose. Grab one of the mini store-bought pom poms and glue it on the larger pom for the tail. 

That's it! You have a fluffy pom pom bunny! 

You can make these just about any size and any color using any type of yarn you prefer. The thicker the yarn and the more you wrap around, the fluffier your pom pom will be. I have seen some with googly eyes rather than the glass beads, some with whiskers, some even wearing clothes. You really can do whatever you like with these. In hindsight, I wish I had used the original felt color I had picked out for the ears and I may go back and add some whiskers. And maybe trim their chubby cheeks. Hopefully mine will start to look better as I make more (my husband said "What are those? Snowmen? Cool.") But I think they're fun and pretty cute. I can't wait to see what the kids do with theirs!

I made a few of these scraggly little guys today so I thought I would add them to our Spring mantel, which I kept pretty low key this year. Over the years, my Aunt DeeDee has given me beautiful Longaberger baskets for my collection. I love how pretty these baskets are but they're also really functional! She has given me three St. Patrick's Day baskets which I usually display above our kitchen cabinets along with some others. This time of year I like to show them off on our mantel to add some St. Patrick's Day fun and break up the Easter-y feel. I tucked a bunny into one of these little baskets. He likes it up there. He's close to the jelly beans.

I added another guy into the top of my Longaberger Easter basket which, incidentally, is the same basket I used every Easter growing up. Lots of 80's and 90's gear has nestled into this bad boy over the years (I'm especially referring to you, New Kids on the Block book. Jordan Knight always.) and "The Easter Bunny" still puts fun treats into it for me to this day. I sat one more bunny next to a sweet Spring printable I found here which I printed and framed.

They all look pretty cozy hanging out among the other Springy things on our mantel. As an insanely sentimental person who is "nostalgic to a fault" I love to display things that are not only aesthetically beautiful, but which also mean a lot to me. Obviously the baskets are special to me because they remind me of my Aunt DeeDee, my parents and many Easters growing up. That little yellow bird cage on the far right was part of the decor my family added when they surprised us and made over a room in our house for Leah's nursery. The white bunny next to it was given to Connor by his Gigi when he was upset about having to go back home after a fun day playing with family we don't get to see very often. The small pink tulip votive holder and candle were a gift from sweet Kate for Mother's Day a few years ago. The glass bead garland was something I bought at a store in Lenox Mall near our old house in Atlanta when Nora was our only baby and it had been lost through the years until recently. Finding it just brought back memories of being a new mom and my oldest being a tiny little miss. 

I'm looking forward to making more memories with my sweet kiddos this weekend when we work on this little bunny project together. I think we'll make a bunch so we can gift them to our cousins on Easter Sunday.

I hope your weekend is filled with sunny skies, good company and happy memory making! 

xoxo 

No. 2, the Elderly Gestation

So I'm finally sharing the news with our readers!  It's been rather difficult to find things to write about while carrying such a secret, but worth it in order to be sure we were good thus far.  FYI, this being my second pregnancy, the telltale sign was for sure severe tenderness of the breasts.  When in doubt, test.  And test again.  Good thing I did!  

Of course, we are over the moon that Colin will have a little playmate before his third birthday and are anxious to start preparations for Baby Hill #2.  Having said that, I have gone into this pregnancy with quite a bit of apprehension as well.  As I'm fairly certain it's common to have fears with any pregnancy, I found myself initially consumed with one in particular and needing to step back and find comfort in the joy that this new baby is actually going to bring.  

So, try that one on for size...  Not even over the hill or close to it, and considered geriatric.  When the woman at my doctor's office used the technical term for my next pregnancy at my last appointment, I about choke-slammed her.  Seriously?  I'm 36 and I feel like they're going to hand me a cane and a bag full of Depends, Ben Gay and arthritis medicine on the way out of my first appointment.  Bad enough that my biological clock is barely ticking anymore, but the outside world considers me of advanced maternal age?  Nice.  

But, ok, I get it, you shouldn't worry about what other people think.  So let's say I don't.  The fact remains that a woman over 35 goes into pregnancy with more cards stacked against her.  Now, while that doesn't bother me for myself, what about that poor tiny, developing baby??  Let's consider the biggies in the risk department for us geriatrics: greater risk of miscarriage, higher risk of multiples and birth defects, pre-term labor, greater risk of c-section or still birth, etc.  

Holy shit.  I mean, as a mother, we worry about the day-to-day goings on during our normal pregnancies, enough to download at least one of the hundreds of apps with the daily development and sizes according to fruits we've never heard of.  (What in the hell is a kumquat??)  But, now I'm thinking of the steps I can take to help avoid the what-ifs of being older.  

We always knew we wanted Colin to have a sibling, so this pregnancy was definitely not a shock.  That said, when I stopped taking my birth control, I tried to be proactive as my friendly OB recommended and started a prenatal.  When I was pregnant with Colin, I opted for the generic brand from Target and stuck with those until I was through nursing him.  Pretty basic, not much thought.  This go-round I wanted to do a bit more and provide every little extra I could for my little one.  A good friend introduced me to a fabulous, all natural brand of vitamins called Rainbow Light.  Now she has been known to take up to 20 odd supplements a day.  I am so not that dedicated, but for this baby, I knew I wanted to look at what I could do to nurture the development as much as possible.  They have this incredible prenatal specifically made for "Moms age 35+."  They started out winning points for not calling me old.  

the magic

But the key for me was the emphasis on brain and nervous system development.  Since advanced maternal age can affect those directly, I was convinced to spend the little bit of extra money and go with these prenatals.  They are all natural, of course, but also contain ginger to help ease the tummy and B vitamins for energy.  The only drawback I've been able to find is that you need to take three a day.  This has been a hard habit to develop, but so worth it, especially if it really helps protect my teeny tiny.  

Now, we all come into pregnancy expecting a boatload of testing, including the all too few ultrasounds that give us peeks at baby.  The bloodwork, the measuring, the weighing, the finger pricking, pelvic exams, ad nauseam.  All of these tests are routine and all are in an effort to ensure baby's health.  However, the older mommy gets, the more tests are added to the list.  And, for the most part, the more invasive they become, ie: CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) and Amniocentesis.  Both of these are done with needles inserted into the uterus to screen for different types of chromosomal anomalies.  The thought of a needle being inserted anywhere near my fragile developing child makes my blood run cold.  I know the people that administer these tests are experts, but there are no guarantees.  

Imagine my elation at my eight week appointment when I found out that waiting to get pregnant at this advanced age actually benefits not only me, but my sweet baby!  First, the advances for prenatal testing...One inclusive test that covers chromosomal anomalies, several other diseases, as well as detecting baby's gender as early as 10 weeks.

Harmony Prenatal Test

Ladies, with a simple blood test, you can discover more accurate and completely non-invasive results for your baby's health based on their DNA.  I didn't believe it was possible, but having taken mine not even a week ago, and doing tons of research, I am on board!  Not only will we be prepared should baby have any problems in development, but also, OCD mommy can prep that nursery starting at 12 weeks!  Testing shows that "The harmony test is 99% accurate for gender prediction while an ultrasound is 95% accurate for gender prediction." (according to TrimesterTalk.com)  And this is real life now, people.

My second worry-reliever during this nine month journey has been a little pill that was prescribed to me only a week ago.  Y'all, Declegis, it's a tiny miracle.  When I was pregnant with Colin, I had pretty bad "morning" sickness most days, all day.  Now, I wasn't Princess Kate throwing up, losing weight sick, but enough to make me sufficiently miserable, daily.  So, naturally with this second pregnancy, I expected much of the same and indeed it has been.  My poor husband must think I'm just saying I don't feel good by habit anymore.  So last week, I'm filling out the paperwork as usual and they ask about my pregnancy symptoms.  Um, exhausted, feel like vomiting whenever I'm awake...I thought those went without saying.  Turns out, not so much.  Then they handed me some samples.

Simply amazing.  The dosage again, takes some getting used to (at least two hours after eating and once first thing in the morning), and for the narcoleptic that I currently am, some alarm setting, but I haven't felt so good in weeks!  I've actually been able to function through rocking Colin before bed, which last week nearly made me puke.  Amazing!

So, being elderly aside, nausea abated, and baby's health in check, I am down to the typical new mommy again worries; Will I love this child as much as my first? Am I capable of that type of love twice? Do I have this mommy thing down, since I've done it once?  And, since my first child has been a dream baby, will my next one be awful (cause if one more person tells me this one, I may have to do them bodily harm)?

But I have to tell you, the bigger picture makes these seem easy to deal with.  I know I will love this baby just as much as I love Colin, because I didn't know this type of love until I held him on my chest.  I know I don't know everything about being a mommy, since I'm still learning everyday.  And every child is unique and wonderful.  And, God will give me the baby I'm meant to have, regardless of personality because we were meant for each other.  

Funny, right after I had Colin (days post partum), I saw a doctor that's a family friend for chest pains.  They were merely stress related, which made me feel foolish, but I think we tend to underestimate ourselves.  Our bodies endure quite a lot for our babies.  At that time I was astounded at the fact that women would voluntarily do this numerous times.  Dr. Alan told me that mothers have temporary amnesia when it comes to delivering their children.  Everything that we think is painful and difficult fades and the joy and love that being the mommy to that child brings, overwhelms all else.

I've decided to let my mommy amnesia kick in early this time.  I'm going to enjoy this geriatric pregnancy for all that it is, as it will be the last time I will do it.  I'm going to allow the joy that this child will bring to our lives keep the worries at bay.  Hell, maybe I'll even let them hold my cane once in a while!

Harmony results to come! XO

RESULTS UPDATE!

Just wanted to share that Baby Hill #2 is perfectly healthy according to the Harmony test and is....

ANOTHER BOY!  We are thrilled and have started the lengthy process of picking out the little mister's name.  :)

Diaper Cake Decadence

Ohh how I love hearing there's a new baby on the way!  I'll never forget when my sister found out she was pregnant with her first (the first of our generation).  Such excitement!  At the time, I had never heard of diaper cakes, though her shower was exquisite and pink perfection.  Second baby showers are not too common, as the first one supplies mommy and daddy with much of the needed gear that babies require.  However, when you are decked in pink and a baby boy is due, a Sprinkle is the sure answer for pulling some of the necessary blues into the equation.  A Sprinkle is a lighter version of a baby shower; much less elaborate and meant to supply only the essentials for a second baby.

Annie's Sprinkle did afford me my first opportunity to try my hand at diaper cakes.  The process I used then was fairly tedious, as I used an older technique that requires rolling, for every diaper.  I have to say, the result was adorable and a great addition to the nautical decor in the theme, but the process left me with three problems to solve.  1. Rolling an entire package of diapers takes forever  2. Holding said diapers in rolls takes a ton of rubber bands (and frankly, they smell awful)  3. When mommy goes to use the diapers, they have to be unbanded and unrolled individually (which any mommy with a poopy infant knows is SO not efficient).  

So, while I knew it wasn't the ideal way to go about things, I had one more go before changing the process.  When my sister Denise was having her first baby, we threw her an elephant themed shower, complete with matching treats and of course, a diaper cake.  Again, cute and matchy, but not perfect.

And so, recruited to co-host a shower for a dear friend years later, I took to Pinterest to discover a new process that was easier, wouldn't produce ruined diapers, and still looked precious.  A new method discovered, I found that I could make them with more ease, fill them with more treats and produce some lovely cakes.  This method makes a smoother edge and does not damage the diaper!  Here are a couple more examples, followed up with my supply list and method for the ideal diaper cake for a new mommy.

Polished Diaper Cake DIY

supplies:
1-2 12-14" cardboard cake board
2-3 sizes cake pans (depending on amount of layers)
twine
1/2 yard desired fabric (ironed)
assorted coordinating ribbons (multiple widths)
75-90 size 1 & 2 diapers (preferrably white, no prints)
glue gun
glue gun sticks
coordinating paper shred
assorted baby goodies to hide inside or decorate with (pacis, bibs, toiletries, etc.)
coordinating decorations/topper
roll of cellophane wrap

Let me begin with saying that making a diaper cake can be as inexpensive or expensive as you'd like.  I tend to get carried away with a theme, as you know if you've read our blog before.  But, I will say, the most expensive one I've made did not exceed $65 for all supplies.  So, that is left to your discretion and is mostly dependent on what you stuff inside and decorate with.

So, you'll start with your cake board, the base to your cake.  Take the fabric and stretch it flat onto the cake board.  Start hot gluing the fabric to the bottom of the cardboard and continue smoothing and gluing around the base.  Now, this can look icky on the bottom.  In truth, this won't show, but if you're a spaz, like I am, you can cover a second cake board and glue them together to hide the bunching and glue.

Now that you have your base, you'll start filling the cake pans with diapers.  I find the best way to do this is to grab a handful, seat part showing at the outside and fan them inside the circle until they meet on the other side.  Tuck in the end of the last one and be sure to leave some space in the center to hide goodies for mommy and baby (I usually work around a toilet paper roll and then remove once I'm ready to stuff).  Use your twine to secure the diapers and pull tightly to create a firm layer for your cake.  Depending on the amount of layers, repeat this process for each.

Once the layers are complete, you can move on to the stuffing and decorating part.  The tough part about these cakes is that you really don't want to secure the layers to the base with glue, since the intention is for the diapers to be usable.  So, again make sure that once you stuff, each layer is pulled tightly.  Take your assorted ribbons and wrap around the layers at your discretion, securing with tiny dots of hot glue around limited spots around the outside.  I usually add some embellishment to each layer, whether it be a character or something personalized.

Then you're ready to assemble your layers!  With the bottom layer placed on the cake board, sprinkle with paper shred to cover the hidden goodies and add a little "frosting."  Continue layering up from here until you have reached the top layer.  This is another opportunity for a great personalized topper and something a little bigger for impact.

Generally, I'm pleased with the results from here, but I have to put in an extra step that I usually wouldn't, purely for transportation reasons.  I'm not a big fan of how diaper cakes look wrapped in cellophane, but given that you cannot glue them completely together, the cellophane will allow for easy transport to your shower and can be quickly removed if need be.

See?  Easy!  And, as I'm getting ready to start the task of potty training my little guy, I'm anxious to be rid of the diapers.  Not sure who might need a diaper cake with size 4's in it, but I'm SURE there's someone, somewhere...right??  But, seriously, who can resist a gorgeous cake?  Especially when it smells like a teeny tiny baby?!  Happy "Baking!"

Tinkerbell Party

It's Friday! We're finishing out our week off of school with plenty of sun and warmer temperatures than we've been having lately, thankfully! The icky grey skies and chilly weather has had me constantly dreaming of warm breezes and the smell of spring flowers. I thought today would be the perfect time to flashback to a sweet birthday party we had when our littlest miss turned two. She was completely obsessed with all things Tinkerbell so I knew we would be having a Pixie Hollow party.

I chose lavender and sage green for the main color scheme and stuck with simple fairy accents rather than anything overly cartoon-y. My sister Kate let me borrow her Cricut (...again...it's on my list...) and her Tinkerbell cartridge. I used it to cut the lettering on the banner, the fairies on the tent cards for the buffet and also for the fairy details on the invitation. I set the beverages on the sideboard and hung the banner above. I also printed and framed a little quote, "Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, dreams are forever."

I collected some branches from our backyard and hot glued lavender silk flowers randomly on each one. I Cruicut-ed a few paper butterflies and hung those from a few branches along with some colored glass crystals. I put the branches in a green vase and added it to the buffet table.

We typically plan our parties for late in the afternoon so we can coordinate naps and avoid our kids having complete meltdowns in the middle of everything. Also, despite all of my crazy lady lists and planning, I always need every extra second of the day I can squeeze in. That all being said, for these late afternoon parties, we typically don't need to have a huge amount of food. For this one, we had Fairy Fruit Wands (grapes and strawberries on bamboo skewers with a star-shaped piece of honeydew melon at the top), Sugared Butterflies (iced butterfly sugar cookies), Twisted Twigs (pretzel sticks), Rosetta's Garden Veggies, Fawn's Acorn Treats (Mini Nutter Butter cookies with Hershey's Kisses), Pixie Hollow Hummus, Pixie Pops (large marshmallows dipped in white chocolate with purple sprinkles), and Fairy Berry Cupcakes. For beverages, we had Tinker Tonic (sprite and lime sherbet), Silvermist's Dew Drops (bottled waters) and Iridessa's Icy Lemonade.

I recruited my dad to handle this cake. My amazing dad, who happens to be the smartest man alive and can build and fix anything, has made countless cakes for myself and my sisters while we were growing up. Minnie Mouse, Jasmine, Nala, Pongo from 101 Dalmations, Anjelica from Rugrats, Shrek- the list goes on. I'm sure he figured he was off the hook once we grew up, but every once in a while we ask him to take on yet another. He cuts and pieces the cake into whatever shape of the character and then ices them, freehand. It's ridiculous. He will tell you he hates doing it and he will criticize every bit of it once he's finished, but it's always incredible. We just have to bribe him with Starbucks to do it.  

  

 

I ended up finding this template for the little Tink favor boxes. I found a lime green cardstock and cut and assembled them. Then I embellished each with vellum wings, a thin satin ribbon belt and paper flower. I added pixie stick wands with a small paper star on the end. Inside, I tucked some small candy treats, bubbles and a tiny jar of pixie dust. A couple years ago, Michaels carried a Recollections Vintage Romance line and I was lucky enough to find this six piece set of glitter in tiny corked jars, which were just perfect for pixie dust!

We have a little coat/storage closet off our front foyer so I decided to transform it into a little dress up room for the kids. I hung a tulle canopy inside along with some fairy costumes on the rack, added a few Tinkerbell accents along with a Pixie Hollow sign on the door. I placed a small table inside with a vase full of fairy wands for the guests to take home. I made the wands using wooden dowels wrapped in satin ribbon with light green and lavender tulle attached at the top. 

 

Our little miss absolutely loved her Tinkerbell party. We kept some of the decorations out until her actual birthday a few days later and I made a little coordinating Tink bunting to top her cake. She still remembers this little party and asked to have it again this year, nearly two years later! It was so much fun to put together and extra fun to look back on today!

Happy weekend, everyone! And remember, if things get tough all you need is "faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust!" (Probably coffee too.)

xoxo,

Proud Mommy's Guide to Toddler Bed Transition

Guys, this transition truly had me terrified.  My little guy turned two in December and I knew there were two big steps steadily approaching; big boy bed and...potty training.  To be perfectly honest, I got ambitious some time ago and purchased a potty for him, as well as pull ups, matching stickers and some fancy character undies.  Yeah, that task has since been tabled, as the interest Colin has in that is mostly none.  I'm fine with that, since he's still fairly young right now.  But I definitely felt like he was needing to move on from the crib.

I'll preface this decision with several facts about this guy.  One, he has slept well and through the night since he was around four months old.  I know, the kid is a unicorn and believe me, we are extremely grateful.  On top of that, he has always slept in his bed, much to his mommy's dismay.  I love cuddling this boy and he will, to a point.  But when it comes to sleeping, he wants his own space and uses it all!  I still try to nap with him and he'll lay there for a bit, but always insists on "Cah-in's bed."  Two, he has never slept well in a pack and play.  I'm not sure what the aversion is, given how well he sleeps in his crib, but he just will not do it.  

Needless to say, these issues have had me so nervous to make any type of change regarding his sleeping habits.  But, I also know he won't be two forever and the change needed to happen sooner, rather than later.  And so, I started researching easy transitions, top recommendations and steps that help make this transition easier.  As we all know, each child is different, but I wanted to share my experience and hope that maybe it will help some of you!

My sweet boy was fairly unimpressed when I started talking about changing his crib into a Big Boy Bed.  But at this age, I think they need to see or feel it to really appreciate something.  He, of course agreed that changing his bed would be cool and the interest was created, but not to any excited degree.  I knew I would need something more to get him invested.

And so, on a quiet Thursday morning at the office, I found myself on Amazon searching for incentive to play it up.  My boy is currently obsessed with Star Wars.  I know, you're wondering "who isn't?" with all of the attention that franchise is getting currently.  But this love grew from a cartoon on the Disney channel, Star Wars Rebels.  I'm talking light sabers, Jedi's in training and a droid that resembles a wheeled garbage can (NOT R2D2).  Anyway, I figured Ezra and Chopper might really get him into the idea and ordered him a blanket, sheets, a plush Chopper and matching jammies right then (Side Bar - why don't they make cute character sheets in crib mattress size??  Most cribs convert these days and even toddler beds have the smaller mattresses as well.  So WHY are they impossible to find?  Ok, rant complete.)  Then I went home and planted that seed in his brain.  "Buddy, you are gonna have a Chopper bed!  Won't that be SO fun?!"

The following weekend, I set out to convert his crib.  I brought all of the tools I thought I'd need and Col followed me up there.  When he saw that I was working on his bed, he insisted on helping and asked if I could bring up his tools (a children's set he received for his birthday).  As you can imagine, I was thrilled that he wanted to be a part of the process and he absolutely loved it.  He was so proud!  While you're in there, please make sure you child proof, so that when your child does get out of bed to play (because they will), they will be safe (furniture stabilizers, child-proof doorknobs, outlet covers, etc.)

Once the big boy bed was complete, I placed the blanket (the only piece of the set that we had received by then) on and decided to go all in and start during his nap that day.  I have read that it's better to start at nap time, as it doesn't disrupt your sleep as well as theirs.  And initially he seemed to think the idea was great too...

Now, I knew I should go into this being supportive of such a big change for my little guy.  So, we went through the normal routine before naps/bed with stories, rocking and snuggling.  And then I told him that he was going to sleep in his big boy bed.  Yeah...he sure did hop right back out of there, because he could.  My last few steps tend to intertwine here.  I have to admit, this was extremely frustrating.  I had to remind myself how new this was to him and how children tend to test limits in order to learn them.  That said, I think I must have put him back in his bed 47 times that afternoon.  I laid on the floor below his bed and then finally told him that I was going to leave.  Turns out I should have done that MUCH sooner.  Initially, he stayed in there and I legitimately thought he was asleep.  Don't fall for that one on day one.  (Please forgive the picture of my monitor and it's deceptive picture!)

Roughly two minutes later, he was up and out of view, but I decided that since his room is child-proofed, this would have to be ok until he laid back down.  I'm not entirely sure how long it lasted but he played quietly and ended up like this:

While this was roughly an almost two hour process, he did end up sleeping for another two.  So we did get there.  Like I said, consistent and patient.  And remind yourself of those, a lot!  I certainly needed to.

As for the night time routine, there was still lots of delaying, but it has significantly improved through the week.  I can say that he has successfully slept in there for naps and over night since with only a small hiccup (which happened to be my fault).  Against his will, he woke up the first few nights because he was half on the bed and feet on the floor.  You see, Mommy is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and set the safety bar on the wrong end of the bed, thus allowing him to roll his way on out accidentally.  Brilliant, Kate.

Once the rest of the set came in and mommy put two and two together and flipped the mattress and bedding, problem averted!  This is my proud toddler in his big boy bed that he helped "build."  Now fingers crossed that potty training will be equally smooth for all of us!

xoxo

                

Chalkboard-Inspired First Birthday Party

It's happening. Our youngest will be turning two next week and I am having a bit of a hard time accepting that. My baby boy...no longer a baby. Waaaahhhhh! So I thought I would take a trip down memory lane today, back to his first birthday nearly a year ago.

We kept it fairly small and simple, inviting just family and a couple close friends. I didn't want any kind of theme this time. Instead, I picked a color scheme and went with that. I found an adorable invitation from Tiny Prints which turned out to be the inspiration behind the chalkboard and blue. Once those were ordered, I started my lists and went out to pick up supplies!


One of the first things I started working on was the tassel garland. I love how these look and how they can be hung just about anywhere to add some fun color to the party. I used black, silver, light blue and royal blue tissue paper for this one. Once that was finished, I decided to use a 1.5" circle punch on my remaining tissue paper and make some confetti to sprinkle on the sideboard. It. Was. A. Pain. The tissue is too thin to punch easily, even when stacked, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend this. It took forever and kept getting stuck in the punch. But I really like how it added a little color so it was all worth it! 

 
I printed out a little chalkboard-inspired sign with fun details about our sweet one year old, put it in a  matted frame and hung it above the garland. They have a ton of these little signs on etsy that can be personalized for around $15 but as usual I didn't think of it in time! So I designed my own and printed it on dark grey cardstock. Not nearly as elaborate as the ones on etsy, but I thought it was really cute and a fun way to add something personal about our sweet boy.

As I mentioned, I found the chalkboard cupcake invitation on Tiny Prints' website. I thought it was simple but cute and it quickly inspired the theme of the party. I absolutely love Tiny Prints. I have been ordering from them for the past eight years. Birth announcements, baptism invitations, shower invitations, birthday invitations, Christmas cards, thank you notes, even Valentines! They have great personalized photo gifts too. The quality is always amazing and their printing and shipping time is super fast. They also have optional personalized RSVP sites when you order invitations! I just love them.

I usually set the paper products and beverages on the sideboard so they're easily accessible throughout the party. I found some chalkboard stickers and thought it would be cute to add them to plain white cups so guests could personalize them by writing their name on them with chalk. I also picked up some striped paper straws in black and blue. I made some pinwheels from double sided scrapbook paper in colors to match our theme and added them to the beverage station along with the tissue confetti. I painted a wooden craft letter "M" with chalkboard paint and centered it on the sideboard.

Since we had a good mix of adults and kids, I tried to have foods that would appeal to all ages. I set out some spinach dip with pita chips, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit and homemade cheese straws. For the sweets, I made cupcakes, rice krispy treats, sugar cookies (iced in a "chalkboard black" color) and a simple white cake with a small round chalkboard icing circle in the center with a "1" in white icing. I found mini chalkboards on clothespins which I used for the food labels.

I made a banner from scrapbook paper in dark grey and light blue and added the wooden letters to spell "one." I hung this across the front of the buffet table, added a few more paper pinwheels and several Project Life cards with sweet sayings. I also made a blue tissue paper pom pom, which I planned to hang...it just never made it up there. The kids had fun tossing it around though!

When it was time for cake, our birthday boy got down to business. I made a large cupcake instead of having an entire cake for his smash cake. He wasted no time digging into it and ended up with it EVERYWHERE. In his hair, his ears and between his eyelashes. It was cringe-worthy. But he loved it.

He had a great time running all over the place and playing with his cousins. It was a fun first birthday party!

Looking ahead a little to next week, I am going to have to start bracing myself now. My babiest baby will be two, which really is the end of the baby years. That is a bit heavy and a little bittersweet. We will be having a simple and small celebration, but I can assure you wine will most certainly be on that party menu for this mama!

If you need me, I'll be crying into my cup of coffee.

xoxo