It's About Time

I can't believe I FINALLY did it!! I sewed a piece of clothing for myself and not only does it fit: it looks cute! I have one final thing to do before sharing the details with you. I intend to finish up tomorrow and will have Mike snap some pics of my creation on Saturday so I can post. I can't believe I didn't take the plunge sooner: this little project has given me the itch to make more and the itch is going to be scratched with today's free pattern over at Grosgrain. The knot shorts by Elsie Marley are adorable!! My only issue is the length... I think the knot might look odd on a long pair of shorts but I don't want to go Daisy Duke short either. What to do, what to do...

Oh My!! Free Patterns!!

Mmm Grosgrain. I wish I could create patterns and sew clothing like Kathleen; she is one talented woman! I used to visit her blog often to gaze at her beautiful creations but I've been neglecting my regular reads for months and months and... you get the picture.

Thankfully Jennifer from All Things Belle (a new regular read of mine that I'm actually reading regularly) mentioned Grograin in a recent post which reminded me to slip over for a peek and WOW have I been missing out. There is so much yummy eye candy I need to gobble up! I'm loving the new regular features Kathleen has come up with and can't wait to see what fabulous bits she has in store.

The best part of popping over to Grosgrain now is that it's Free Pattern Month which means tutorial central!! One of the patterns from Day 1 shared by The Sew Convert is for a super funky blouse that looks totally doable!! It's time for me to FINALLY make a piece of clothing for myself. I need to find the right material for this project but have a feeling it will take me a ridiculous length of time to pick it out. Hmmm... tomorrow the Rockstar is going to his Granny's to be spoiled for the day. The fabric store is between the stable where I'm volunteering in the morning and my house; I might have to make a pit stop on my way home. I'll let you know how it goes.

Looking for some inspiration? Hop on over to Grosgrain and you'll find lots!

10 Months Young

Only two months until your birthday!! I know I say it every month (really I think it at least ten times a day) but I can't believe how quickly time has gone since you arrived on the scene. Our days are filled with toys, giggles, books, walks, cuddles, snacks, swimming, music, kisses and did I mention cuddles?

A big moment this month was when you said DaDa for the first time. Daddy and Mommy were both in the room when you said it and now it's part of your daily chatter. You have a few other new weird and wonderful noises (you've discovered talking with your mouth closed which produces some pretty funny sounds) and really seem to enjoy practicing different volumes. You definitely prefer the high pitched squealing over anything else; we had to leave the gelato shop last week due to your screeches of delight. When you see a kitty cat now (real or in a book) you often make a soft squealing sound as if you are trying to meow. You love EC so much and if she would just stay still long enough you would certainly eat her tail and pull her hair, thankfully she moves fast.

You have discovered that breathing quickly through your nose only makes a cool sound - much to our amusement - you make the cutest scrunched up face when you do this. Ahhh yes and there is the head shake. Daddy taught you to shake your head back and forth while playing peek-a-boo with the curtains a couple days ago. You have put two and two together and seem to understand that besides being a fun thing to do it also means no.

Whining when you want something or don't want something or are tired or are hungry is happening on a daily basis now. Sometimes you bellow MummmmmmMummmmMummmm while whining and other times it's just a steady whimpering. Oh how I love you and all of the things you do but the whine is a noise I could easily do without. I know you are communicating your needs/wants and when I'm not listening to the mewing I can think about this logically and be happy you've figured this out but when it's happening it's a little like nails on a chalkboard. I'm learning to tune out the sound while trying to figure out what it is you want, I figure I better learn to ignore it now because I'll be hearing this tone (hopefully not daily) for at least the next 20 years.

A great deal of the whining happens because you are having to sit/lay down when you want to be walking. Walking, walking, walking, walking: if you could walk every waking moment you would be the happiest baby on earth!! It's great and exhausting but more great than exhausting. Unfortunately I still have to make your lunch and change your bum and those things we can't do while walking, hence the whining. You haven't started cruising yet but will stand holding onto the couch for long periods of time; the only reason you collapse is because you have yet to figure out that letting go or pushing back means landing in a heap on the floor. You'll figure it out soon enough and then we are in big trouble. You don't like being told no and had your first temper tantrum a couple weeks ago: foot stomping and all. Crazy monkey.

Your top front teeth have popped through! Now you have a grand total of four teeth and I'm pretty sure the fifth is about to join the others. You handled the arrival of these new visitors like a champion and look extra cute when you smile big enough for us to see the new little bumps.

The weather is finally acting more like spring than winter so we have been going out for long walks when we can. What a change from last summer/fall when we could only make it around the block (if that) before you would start to cry and want out of the stroller. Now we are out for an hour at a time and you are thrilled! You love watching the geese in the pond and checking out all the doggies we see walking with their owners. You met Uncle Garry's husky Cody last weekend and that was the closest you have been to a big dog: you weren't entirely sure about him but gave tiny half smiles and put one finger out showing us you were seriously considering touching him.

Swings!! Wow do you love the swings! We took you to Waterloo Park a couple weeks ago for the first time this year and had so much fun. You absolutely loved playing on the swings and looking at all of the animals. You wanted to touch the llama and mini-horses so badly; we are definitely going to be taking you to a petting zoo this spring/summer. We have found a bucket swing a 15 minute walk away at the Pirate park and have been there a few times now. We are buying you a swing set for the yard and I have a feeling you'll be reaching for the swing often.

Bubbles are another new found love. You haven't quite figured them out but you like watching them float by and sometimes you're quick enough to pop one. Once the weather cooperates again (we have had lots of rain) you can play in your jolly jumper on the deck and pop some more bubbles.
What will your eleventh month have in store for us?? Will you start to move around independently: crawling or walking maybe? Will you have new words? Try eating some new foods? More teeth?? No doubt you'll surprise us over and over again as you seem to do each and every day.

You are becoming your own little man Baby Boy and Mommy and Daddy are super lucky to have front row seats for the show!! xoxo

Dedicated to the Nasty Taxman

This week's Iron Craft challenge was titled "The Taxman". When I say those words I picture a scary man with big gnashing teeth snatching at my wallet so I thought it was appropriate to finally make this ridiculously cute scary monster pillow that eats teeth in exchange for money. A super big thanks to Ellen from The Long Thread for sharing the tutorial during Celebrate the Boy.


The Rockstar is teething again (hence the drooling in the photo below). The poor nut had both top teeth make their entrance in a three day time span. Ouch. This monster is dedicated to his mean but cute new teeth.


Side note from the Tooth Fairy to the Rockstar: This particular monster will spit out Canadian funds in the future, all the photographer had on hand for this snapshot was an American bill from the travel stash.

Fab Pick of A Few Weeks Ago

My super awesome fantabulous girl Tanya gave me this funky bracelet for my birthday. Not only does it look cool, it's designed to be baby friendly. Roundhouse has created these fab Oh Plah! bracelets from "medical grade thermoplastic- non-toxic, bacteria resistant, and free of lead, latex, PVC, BPA and phthalates." In other words your babe can gnaw on this piece of jewelery and you don't have to wonder whether they really should be or not.

Lovin' Our 'My Monkey Moo' Winnings

You may remember me mentioning my streak of good luck a couple weeks ago. Well we received a package in the mail last week with the goods from the second giveaway I won and WOW! Lusso Baby (check out their blog for awesome daily giveaways) sent us a gorgeous stroller set from My Monkey Moo. I thought the set looked fantastic online but I've got to say I was really impressed when I opened the box and saw the quality of the pieces.
I finally got around to rounding up some photos of the Rockstar and his new goods. Here he is modeling the awesome stroller pad we received. I love the fact that there's now a cozy layer between him and the stroller. I was a bit worried that his lap belt clip thingos wouldn't fit through the holes in the pad (the clips are heavy duty on the Baby Jogger) but they fit just fine. My other concern was around folding the Jogger with the pad on (the fold strap is under the pad) but all I have to do is reach under and grab the strap, it doesn't get in the way at all.

The matching stroller blanket is awesome! It's large enough to wrap around the Rockstar but small enough to tuck in the basket under him when it isn't being used. I love the minky backing - super cozy! This blanket is basically a larger version of the baby blanket I made for my little man so of course I love it.

And finally the matching Monkey Bucket. Funny that I made a fabric bucket just a few weeks before winning this one. I didn't have handles on my original bucket but will on the next one I make. The Monkey Bucket is a good size and the perfect place to stash the million little balls, cubes and rattles we have scattered around the house.


A super huge thank you to the giveaway host Lusso Baby (a baby bits store located in North Vancouver) and to Christine in particular who went out of her way to switch the pattern of the set to suit my little man - the original winning set was in pink and brown which was a super cute but not ideal for my Rockstar and his green stroller.

Of course thank you to My Monkey Moo as well!! We LOVE the set and have used it daily since receiving it. Yippeeeeeeeeeee!

Iron Craft Challenge 15: Peeps!

The end result may not be pretty but they were certainly tasty. Notice that sentence was written in the past tense? They didn't last long,

For this week's Iron Craft Challenge we were asked to use Peeps (either bunnies or chicks). I went the edible route rather than the crafty route.

These not-so-pretty-in-pink bunnies were stuffed with a fantastic peanut butter filling (recipe can be found at 17 and Baking but I'll be posting the recipe in a few days because the original peanut butter pretzel bites are to DIE for) and then dipped in chocolate. The two that were dipped entirely in chocolate didn't live very long, I couldn't help myself plus they looked like big chocolate blobs and not Peepish at all.

Believe it or not this challenge forced me (twist my rubber arm) to try Peeps for the first time. I wasn't a huge fan until I sliced one open and filled it with peanut butter goodness. Yum!

Happy Day!

I am one lucky girl. Not only am I blessed with an amazing husband and a perfect son but I have the best dad a girl could possibly hope for. I'm not just saying that because it's his birthday either, he truly is an awesome man. My dad would give you the shirt off his back without hesitation. He smiles easily and laughs often. Did I mention he's a total softie? He is definitely a man who isn't afraid to show his emotions and that is just one of the million reasons why I love my dad so much.

Today the Rockstar and I helped Dad/Papa celebrate his birthday with lunch and a walk to the park. The Baby Extraordinaire and I had an awesome afternoon and I think the birthday boy did too.

Thanks for spending your special day with us, Dad! We love you!! xox