Baby Creatures

I fell in love with Sharon Montrose's photography a few months ago when I stumbled across this photograph:


Then I watched this video that was linked on Stacy Claire Boyd's blog and I have an even greater love for Sharon's work. There is something about an artist truly loving what they do that makes their work even more fabulous.



We haven't made a final decision on the art that's going in the nursery (we will after our trip to ikea next weekend) but I can't stop looking at Sharon's photographs, wouldn't a baby porcupine and a baby giraffe look adorable framed in the babe's room?

Babushkuptastic

These cups are ADORABLE. I want them. Add Babushkups (even the name is cute) by Fred and Friends to the ever growing list of things I love and want and need (but don't really need at all).

For the Make-up Fiend in your World

I love finding tutorials for pretty bits that I know will make a perfect gift for a specific someone.

image from Chickpea Sewing Studio

This awesome cosmetic brush case was created by Juliette over at Chickpea Sewing Studio. The best part of all? She created a tutorial for Sewing Republic and you can find it and make use of it for free right HERE.

This is being added to my Christmas creation list for a certain make-up addict in my world.

Too Many Blogs

Ages ago I combined Jabbering Jaime with Gingham Skies because two blogs was too many... now I've got our baby blog, Just a Smidge, on the go and Gingham Skies too and I just don't think it's going to be feasible to keep both going once the wee man arrives. What to do, what to do. I think I'm going to combine the two blogs... I won't delete Just a Smidge but I'll likely stop posting there once the little nut makes an appearance (just 8 weeks to go). I'm going to import all of the posts from there over to here so if you're following both blogs you'll be seeing repeat posts for the next little while. Once the baby arrives I'll focus on posting here at Gingham Skies only and will be sure to label my baby posts accordingly so that if certain someones just want to keep up on my baby ramblings they can click on the OUR BABY link found in the header and TA DA baby only material.

I've found that I've stopped blogging about my personal life here at Gingham Skies because I post pregnancy updates at Just a Smidge and don't want to waste my time typing everything a second time. Of course there has been more than pregnancy going on in my world but it's the most important thing and really the one thing I think about 99.9 percent of the day so it can be tough to come up with other things to talk about. Yes it is true, I have become one of those annoying parents who can talk about little other than their baby and this scares me because I haven't even seen the little squirt yet. How annoying will I be after he arrives?! Parents will likely reply: you can't talk too much about your child! While my non-parent friends are groaning thinking: it's going to get worse? Yep, I am pretty sure it is. Sorry guys!

Fab Pick of Last Week

I usually feature Indie/Etsy finds here but I am so in love with Bath & Body Works Coconut Vanille Tapuru body butter that I had to share! I've been a Body Shop cocoa butter girl up until a week ago when I ran out and replaced my supply with this freaking amazing cream by Bath & Body Works. Not only does it smell good enough to eat, it leaves my skin feeling silky smooth and a teeny tiny bit shimmery too. I apply it all over my expanding belly and the rest of my body in the morning and I still feel soft and smooth in the evening when I crawl into bed. I can't say enough about this fabulous cream: try it out and let me know what you think!

30 weeks!!

The countdown is on now!! 10 weeks until the estimate date of arrival: YIPPEEEE!!!

It's official: I can't see my feet. Or maybe it has been official for awhile but I've just finally noticed.

I've had this belly ramp effect happening since the beginning and thought it would round out as time went on... apparently I thought wrong. It's kind of like I have an extra bump. I also thought I would gain a booty during pregnancy and that has yet to happen. I'm not complaining, just commenting!


We started our prenatal class this week and watched our first birth video - thankfully it wasn't as horrible as I imagined it would be and Mike said the same thing. Some people seem really surprised when I say I haven't seen a birthing video and I say WHY THE HELL WOULD I WANT TO WATCH A BIRTHING VIDEO JUST FOR KICKS?! Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

There are just two other couples in our class; both are total hippies and seem very sweet. Awkward moment: my lack of ability to hide my true feelings shone through when one of the girls decided to share with us how her friend who lives in the States BBQed part of her placenta "like a steak", made a smoothie out of a chunk of it and then buried the rest under a tree. What the hell?! Needless to say my mouth dropped open, I said something along the lines of "OH MY GOD" (I think it was out loud but it might have been a scream in my head) and then stared at her in utter horror. The second couple kept glancing at each other and smiling and I'm not sure whether they were trying not to laugh at my look of disgust or the story. The girl telling the story then assured us that she was NOT planning on BBQing her placenta. I managed to shut my mouth and stared at the instructor until I regained my composure - I was afraid to look at Mike for fear of bursting into uncontrollable giggles which would have been a) RUDE and b) very immature which of course I am not. hehe. When the baby arrives one of my rules is no dropping in without calling first so if you break the rule and show up without calling I'm liable to insist you stay for lunch... and guess what, I'll be BBQing something special.

I've been spending loads of time researching cloth diapers and I'm excited to have made a decision on how we're going to start this crazy adventure. There are SO many cloth diaper options available and it's all a little overwhelming; we really want to give this a go and I know things are going to be INSANE for the first couple months so we're going to use disposable for the first week or two and then we'll go with Bear Bottoms (a cloth diaper service in our area) for a month (thanks to a gift from my Mom & Dad - THANKS MOM AND DAD). While we're using the diaper service (they use fitted cloth diapers) we'll try out a few other styles/brands and figure out what is going to work best for us.

My hope is that Indian Prefolds from Green Mountain Diapers will work for us but of course we won't know until we try. Indian Prefolds are similar to the old skool cloth diapers but they are quilted to absorb more liquid and come in different sizes so you don't end up with a lot bulk. I've read loads of good reviews about these prefolds so fingers crossed!! I'll place an order for these in a couple weeks.

I spent hours this weekend researching diaper covers and have placed an order for three through Homestead Children's etsy shop; we'll need covers while using the diaper service so even if the prefolds don't work out for us and if we decide to go with All In Ones these covers will be put to good use and then we can sell them. I also found an AWESOME tutorial for cloth diaper covers with gussets that I'm going to try to work with in the not so distant future. If I can make my own covers that would be fabulous!

This post might have some of you yawning: sorry!! I could go on and on and on about cloth diapers because I've been reading about them FOREVER but I'll stop now because I have a baby ramming me in the ribs making it VERY difficult to type and it's time for bed anyways. Good night, everyone!

The nesting instinct is creeping in and when I'm not curled up in a ball on the couch I'm trying to get some things in order for our little guy. This weekend I finally made use of one of the bib patterns I've had bookmarked FOREVER. Chickpea Studio's pattern is perfect for tiny people and it's free so if you're looking for a pattern check it out.

Here are the bibs I whipped up for our guy, they were a SUPER easy and SUPER quick project.
The girlie bib is part of a shower gift.

The other little bit I made for Smidge is this change pad thanks to Homemade by Jill's easy to follow tutorial. I made some changes which I explain in more detail over at Gingham Skies if you're interested.

I'm looking forward to creating a few other things this weekend. Sewing for baby is the best kind of sewing.

Flicks Worth Watching

You might remember that I had a slightly humongous crush on Jim Sturgess after watching Across the Universe? The crush is alive and well so it was a treat to find that Jim was the star of Fifty Dead Men Walking. This is a stellar movie about an IRA informant that had both Mike and I glued to the screen.


Away We Go was recommended to me when I was on the hunt for a chick flick last month. The person who suggested it thought it would be especially fabulous for me to watch because I'm pregnant and so is one of the main characters (played by Maya Rudolph from Saturday Night Live). They were right, I LOVED this film and so did my friend Jessy. No this isn't a pregnant-viewers only film, guys would like too. It's a love story but it's also a quirky comedy.


Drew Barrymore directed the awesome movie Whip It starring Ellen Page (Juno). Drew Barrymore and Juliette Lewis are also in the film so of course it's fabulous! I'm going to the a local Roller Derby game this weekend thanks to this movie; if I was 14 years younger I think I'd be trying out for the derby after watching this. A feel good chick flick BUT not as predictable as you might think. Definitely check this one out!

Baby Bits from Fab Tutorials

I've been meaning to make some bibs for the baby and FINALLY got around to it on Saturday. I used Chickpea Sewing Studio's free pattern because I liked the size and shape. I would definitely recommend making bibs to beginner sewers, they're a super quick and easy project. These bibs are small so they'll be perfect starter bibs for our wee one.

I made a couple flannel front bibs with some sweet boy prints (backed with upcycled cotton from some of daddy's old plaid shirts so technically these are reversible).


And I made a few others with sweet cotton prints and backed them with a super soft furry fabric that will feel good against bare skin in the warmer months. The one on the right is not not for our little man, it's part of a shower gift. I made one of the bike print bibs for our man and one for his buddy Reid.

This is an easy project and a great way to use up some medium sized fabric scraps.

Tonight I finally got around to sewing one of Homemade by Jill's change pads which was featured during Made's Celebrate the Boy month. This was a fabulous tutorial and I have no doubt I'll make more of these change pads for shower gifts.

I made a few minor changes, some of which I'll stick with for future pads and some that I won't . I used 1/4 inch bias tape because that was what I had on hand and it was a bit tricky to deal with, next time I'll use the 1/2 inch tape that was recommended. If you're not sure how to work with bias tape Jill provides easy to follow directions in this tutorial.

I didn't use the suggested laminated cotton for the inside of the pad (part where baby lays), instead I used a soft vinyl which I will definitely use again. I like working with this vinyl and the texture isn't as grainy as laminate (I think it will feel better against baby's bare skin).

The tutorial suggested fusible fleece for some padding between the cotton exterior and the vinyl (laminate) layer but I improvised here and used what I had on hand (not sure what it's called but it's fairly plush and it worked well).

Excuse the crappy pictures, I wanted to post these tonight and the lighting was blech.


For creating the closure I didn't have proper belting so I used a couple pieces of white vinyl, I think I'll use belting in the future since it will hide the stitching around the velcro a little better but the vinyl worked okay.

I'm hoping to make a few more bibs this weekend and a few baby sleeper gowns too so hopefully I'll have some more goodies to share with you soon!

Gimme Gimme Gimme!!!

Ohhhhh I want, I want, I want, I WANT!! Thanks to decor8 for introducing me to a freaking fabulous UK shop called Cox & Cox.

I want all of the below, especially these:


Did you know I have a thing for office supplies. Sticky notes, paper clips, tape, pencil sharpeners: OH MY! This Mr. P Tape Dispenser is awesome and I want him.


And one other little bit from the site that I fell for: cookie cutters! Take note of the little cut out on the bottom of the butterfly: the perfect size to perch on the lip of a mug.


Pop over to Cox & Cox and check out all of the fab goods! Loads of great gift ideas.

A Bump Update!

What's new with me and the Bump? Hmmm...

Well my ridiculous chocolate peanut butter cravings (they were OUT OF CONTROL) have been curbed thanks to an absolutely fabulous package that arrived on our doorstep last Thursday.

Jenny & Mike sent enough chocolate peanut butter to last the average person a couple weeks (a few items were missing by the time I snapped this photo - couldn't resist) but I am not the average person and the stash lasted until tonight which means it lasted SIX days which I think is rather impressive length of time for a pregnant chocolate peanut butter monster. NO I did NOT eat all of it by myself, I shared with Mike and the baby ate more than the two of us put together. Greedy, greedy baby! Thanks again Jenny & Mike!! xox

Of course this package doesn't really help with the 'being healthy while pregnant' goal I'm trying to focus on during these final few months but neither did the french fries I ate today. You may remember me talking about my french fry cravings during the first 4 months, I've been REALLY good for the last couple months and only have them once a week now... I was going to try to skip them this week and then some very inconsiderate office manager brought McDonald's fries into the room next to the space where I was teaching this morning. R.U.D.E. Obviously I couldn't sit there smelling Mickey D's fries and not stop at the golden arches on my way to the next school. Obviously.

So how are my Body During Baby goals going this week? Let's see...
* prenatal yoga - I really didn't like yoga when I tried it a few years ago but I signed up for pre-natal yoga when my doctor suggested that it might help with all the pelvis discomfort I was experiencing. I am SO glad I listened to her. The class I'm taking is through Blue Skies Yoga in Kitchener. The studio is BEAUTIFUL, the teacher is AMAZING and the yoga is FABULOUS. I love being in a class surrounded my beautiful bellies attached to glowing mamas. I have every intention of continuing with this once the baby is here and we have settled into some sort of routine. There are mommy & baby classes offered at this same studio, as well as baby massage and more. I thought I would dread my Thursday night classes but instead I find myself counting down the days until my next class.
* drink more water - I have made a conscious effort to drink more water but I know I can do better
* fruits and veggies - check! More fresh fruit in the house this week.
* swim once a week - coming soon
* walk for 20 minutes - an hour walk last night and another hour tonight
* rest & relax - thoroughly enjoying my bath and have my feet propped up as I type

I'm feeling good this week, last week was a rough one being back at work after a week off. I was moving s-l-o-w. Sleeping isn't as great as it was; I tossed and turned most of last night but I suppose it's my body's way of preparing itself for NEVER SLEEPING AGAIN as so many people like to remind me.

We had our first appointment with our OB yesterday. After a two hour wait we found out that Smidge is right on target size wise, I'm measuring at 28" which is exactly where I should be at 28 weeks. I start to going to my OB every two weeks now which is CRAZY!! I'm in the homestretch with only 11 weeks and 4 days to go until my due date. Eeek!

We also found out at the appointment that I am RH negative, in other words my blood type is O negative. What does this mean and why should I care? Well only about 10% of the population has RH negative blood and Mike isn't one of them, if he was then the baby would also be a negative blood type which would be fabulous but he's not so our baby will most likely be RH positive like his daddy and positive and negative blood don't like each other. Holy run-on-sentence. If something happens that my blood mixes with Smidge's potentially positive blood my body will think the positive blood is an invader and will attack it. The doctor told us this isn't really a concern for Smidge since it's not likely our blood will mix but I need to get a shot that will mask his blood (trick my body into thinking his blood is positive if they do mix) just in case they do - during the third trimester there is a risk of slight risk of placental tearing so it's better to be safe than sorry (HELL YEAH). If left untreated (if I don't get the shot) this RH negative thing is likely to be an issue in the future when I get pregnant again because during Smidge's birth his bits of his blood will definitely mix with mine. In a future pregnancy if something causes the baby's blood to mix with mine (say a minor tear in a blood vessel) my body will remember that the positive blood is foreign and will attack it, in turn attacking the baby. In other words I have a higher risk of miscarriage. The OB said that left untreated each subsequent pregnancy would be at greater risk since the memory becomes stronger each time. THANKFULLY there is a solution to this potential problem: a shot of RhoGAM now and then another after Smidge arrives. These shots will keep Smidge safe and my future babe(s) safe too!

That was terribly long winded and hopefully it makes sense to you. I went to the hospital today for a blood test to confirm my blood type and will find out tomorrow if I definitely need the RhoGAM but it's not likely the first test was wrong so I'm sure I'll be poked again in the next couple days. I should add that I'm not worried about anything, I'm just happy this has been caught and is being dealt with.

And that my friends is my weekly update. Hope I didn't bore you!!

Fab Pick of Forever Ago

We spent a ridiculous amount of time searching for the perfect decal for our nursery and finally decided on Bubba & Doodle's cube tree. Jennifer, the owner of Bubba & Doodle, was super patient and quickly replied to my 8 billion questions about colours and application. On the weekend we took a couple hours to put the decal up in the nursery and WOW! We truly couldn't be any happier with the way it looks: our baby is going to spend many hours gazing at that tree and so are we. I highly recommend Bubba and Doodle to anyone looking for quality decals.

Pillow Factory Alphabet Down Filled Pillow GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

I think this pillow would look perfect in the nursery! Fingers crossed.

Pillow Factory Alphabet Down Filled Pillow GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Body DURING Baby Challenge

One of the new-to-me blogs I've found semi-recently is Mama Notes. I was originally drawn to the blog thanks to some fabulous giveaways but there's so much more to it than freebies! Samantha is the creator of this fabulous find and not only does she write great blurbs about her personal experiences, she also shares guest posts and poses questions relating to parenting advice and product reviews to her readers. Mama Notes is a great resource for soon-to-be, new and experienced parents.

Last year Samantha created a challenge for moms who were looking for motivation and support to get in shape following the birth of their babes; it was called the Body After Baby challenge. Samantha recently found out that she is pregnant with her second child and due in October, lucky for us because her pregnancy means a new challenge for pregnant mamas: the Body During Baby Challenge!! If you're pregnant you might want to join the challenge, pop over here to find out more and let Samantha know you're joining.

I'm due June 18th so I only have three months to go but considering I've just started *insert Olivia Newton John in leg warmers here* getting physical after a six month puddle-on-the-couch stage I've decided to join the challenge!

So here is my intro post for all the lovely mamas who are taking part in the challenge. My name is Jaime and my amazing husband's name is Mike. I'm a 32 year old teacher who lives 45 minutes south of Toronto, Ontario. I'm 27 weeks preggers with baby number one. We're having a boy YAY and we're super crazy excited about it! I'm feeling fabulous and have been most of my pregnancy, of course there have been aches and pains but I guess that just comes with the territory.

My goals for the last few months of this pregnancy are:
* continue going to prenatal yoga classes right up until the end (I started my classes two weeks ago but I'll talk more about this on Monday when I post my weekly update)
* like Samantha I need to drink more water - I've been pretty good about staying hydrated but could definitely do better
* eat more fruits and veggies and less chocolate peanut butter (Gawd, I can't believe the amount of chocolate peanut butter I've consumed in the last few months - the baby made me do it)
* swim once a week
* walk for 20 minutes on days I'm not swimming or taking part in yoga
* rest & relax when I need/want to - I'm a person who tends to GO GO GO and I have been VERY good about slowing down but need to keep at it. This week I've been on holidays thanks to March Break and I've treated myself to soaks in the tub with a good book in hand almost daily - I want to keep this up!

I think that's all for now. I have quite a few goals but they are all totally achievable!

Thanks to Samantha for creating this challenge and HELLO to all of the moms-to-be taking part, I'm looking forward to reading your updates!


Mama Notes: For Pregnant Mamas: Body DURING Baby

Daddy's First Baby Buys

Dear Smidge,

Your Daddy discovered the wonderful world of online baby shopping last night. I'm afraid. VERY afraid. Your daddy has a slight sneaker addiction (we really should be part owners of Nike) and he was hunting online for shoes for you last night. I think we might have to buy a bigger house so that you and daddy can have your own room just to house sneakers. Fifteen years from now when you want a ridiculously expensive pair of sneakers and Dad is saying NO you can print off this post and stick it under your dad's nose to remind him that he told Mom his son would have the SICKEST shoes ever. Granted he didn't say ALWAYS but he did say EVER.

Daddy did find some sweet duds for you last night in the shop Lowleepop and we can't wait to see you sportin' your new gear this summer!

The only difference is that the green onesie in the set Daddy ordered will have headphones like the white onesie instead of the stereo.

The second thing on your daddy's shopping list is this freaking awesome baby beanie!

We're waiting to hear whether they ship to Canada but assuming I Heart Baby does then you'll have one of these super sweet skull beanies for when you first join us on the outside and another to wear in the fall. ADORABLE!

Oh little man, you are going to be one stylish little dude and Daddy is going to spend a small fortune to make sure of it.

Love you baby boy,
Mommy & Daddy too xoxo

Yet another fabulous Grosgrain Giveaway!

We have a wedding at the end of May that I will have to buy a new dress for. Poor me! hehe
I can't wait to find a cute dress to show off the bump. This sweet little number might be the perfect fit, then again maybe I'm dreaming - we'll see how big the belly is by then. Either way I hope I win this Grosgrain giveaway! Click on this link to enter for your chance to win: Shabby Apple Shakespeare Garden Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

Win a Baby Bungalow at Grosgrain

2 Speckled Frogs sells these little Baby Bungalow's which act as a little tent to keep your wee one hidden from the cat, the sun, the dirty digits of strangers who feel the need to touch your baby...

Grosgrain is offering one lucky reader the opportunity to win a Baby Bungalow of their own, enter by visiting this link: Baby Bungalow GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Another Awesome Grosgrain Giveaway!

I absolutely adore this style of apron and I'm really hoping I win Grosgrain's Flirty Aprons GUEST GIVEAWAY so that I can own the apron shown below.

Stop by Grosgrain to enter for your chance to win a Flirty Apron of your choice.

Welcome to the Third Trimester!

It's a big week! We've hit the third trimester: 26 weeks, Baby!!





I can't believe our little man will be making his way to the outer world in appx 3 months! Time flies!

Upcycling

It was a super productive day: the closet in the nursery is painted and I upcycled an ugly ass bookshelf for the Ninja (which looks surprisingly decent in the before photo but trust me when I say it was beat up pre-upcycle).

This is the ugly ass stage:


And this is the funktified made over shelf:


It took me about an hour to complete this project. I removed the beat up backing and covered it with paper and then applied fabric to the shelves using Mod Podge. I could easily become addicted to covering things with fabulous fabric thanks to this project. I'll post more pics once we get things set up in the nursery.

A week of do what I want time!

It's March break so I have one glorious week off to do whatever I want! Mike took the week off too so that he can help me do whatever I want. hehe Just kidding. He did take the week off and yes we do plan to get some things done around the house but really I want him to reeeeeelax and enjoy the peace and quiet because in three more months everything is going to change... there will be a new boss in the house calling the shots. Eeek!

There are a few things I hope to work on this week and YES I know my list is ridiculous and I'm ridiculous if I think I'll actually get all of these done and YES I know I should take advantage of this week to rest my pregnant self. I am not saying I HAVE to get these things done but I'll definitely be piddling away at some if not most of them. So there.

Ugh, prepare our taxes
Finish painting the closet in the nursery
Paint the basement... maybe. I mean definitely. Definitely maybe.
Sleep
Pick fabric for the baby's bedding
Sort out the nursery book shelf issue
Clean this disaster of a house (this could take all week)
Start organizing the garage - again
Finish my kidlets' IEPs
Start planning and organizing my sewing room
Paint the sewing room - Ha! Okay if I paint the basement I definitely will not be painting the sewing room but one can dream.
Plan for third term
Spend some quality time with Mike (while painting - hehe)

Hmmmm guess I better start prioritizing. Off to clean the kitchen, have a nap and then paint the closet. Maybe.

Skin Volcano

Our little man is kicking up a storm these days. He rarely kicks on demand for me but as soon as Mike asks him to he usually does and last night it just took Mike laying his hand on my tummy for the kicks to start. Mike would remove his hand and I would put mine on my belly and the kicks would stop, I'd move my hand and Mike would take over and then keeeeee-yaw the kicks would start again.

Mike's super cute and while rubbing my belly he gives Smidge soccer tips to help him with his kicks; "Come on kiddo: inside kick, outside kick!" We figure our child is going to be a a superstar in whatever he decides to do so if soccer is one of his hobbies he'll definitely have a head start on all of the other kids whose parents weren't on the ball enough to coach them while they were in the womb!! Now, if he decides to sing then I might hesitate to take credit for his 'in the womb' vocal lessons. We are fairly certain our child will be walking around singing things like "Rub in the belllllllly buuuuuuuutterrrrrrrrrr" to the tune of whatever tickles his fancy on that particular day since Mike and I sing made up lyrics to various tunes on a regular basis. You might say we are vocally challenged.

Anyways back to the kicking. The baby kicks so hard my belly jumps and I've tried to record it but the end result is always the same: 3 minutes of what appears to be a one eyed Jabba the Hutt rising and falling. Trust me when I say it's not a pretty sight, and this is coming from a woman who can't stop gazing at her belly. Eventually I'm sure my belly will look like a pretty version of the ground rising in the movie Tremors and then I will definitely record it but until then I'm holding off on the video attempts since watching it freaks me out.

Speaking of freaking people out, I learned this evening that when I push on my belly in a certain way I can flip my belly button inside out! From the look of horror on Mike's face when it first happened it is quite obvious that he doesn't think my new trick is as cool as I do. Basically I can now turn my belly button into a skin volcano. A SKIN VOLCANO PEOPLE, how cool is that? Another great reason to get pregnant: create a person AND turn your belly button into a skin volcano.

Smidge's Big Buddy

I forgot to post the fabulous news over here at Just a Smidge! Last Wednesday March 3rd Jessy and Colin welcomed their little man into the world!! Isn't he adorable?!

Reid was born at 7:58 am (or was it 7:59?) a day before the planned C section. Mommy and baby are both happy and healthy and of course is Daddy is too. Actually Daddy is being super cute and "happy" doesn't quite describe the feelings that are oozing out of him.

The second time I held Reid I sat on a rocking chair with him passed out on my chest Smidge proceeded to karate kick his new buddy not once but twice. I'm imagining they were meant to be high fives rather than drop kicks, or else, down the road 'referee' might be another title Jess and I.

Mega huge congrats to Jessy & Colin for making such a beautiful baby boy. Mike and I are thrilled to have Reid on the outside to cuddle and kiss and gaze at in wonder. Miracles really do exist and babies are proof!

The Kitchen Crew

As promised: a shot of the Princesses in their matching aprons.

Neve's little ruffled jean skirt poking out the bottom of her apron (she's the second girl from the right) gave me an idea for the next apron I make; I think I'll shorten it a bit and add a ruffle to the bottom.

Thanks to my bro for snapping this pic and getting permission from the girls' parents for me to use this shot.

Welcome to the World!

Two of our best friends brought their son into the world on Wednesday March 3rd: congratulations Jessy & Colin!! Welcome to the world baby Reid!


Mommy, Reid and Daddy are all doing well. The plan was for Reid to arrive via a planned C section on Thursday but he showed everyone who the new boss is and came on Wednesday instead. Jess is recovering well from the C-section and the trio is now snuggled up at home.


As you can see Reid is perfectly perfect, he has the sweetest little nose and a head full of hair! Here's Uncle Mike falling madly in love with our new buddy.

Although Mike hogged Reid when we visited on Thursday I managed to snag him for an extra long cuddle on Friday. Holding this wee man in my arms makes me want the next three months to fly by even faster. It was super cute, while I was holding Reid, Smidge gave a few really good kicks (I'm sure he was trying to introduce himself).

I couldn't be any happier for Colin & Jessy, they have made one beautiful little boy!!

We couldn't

Pink & Green

An order that was supposed to be delivered to a friend today but baby brain got the best of me - again - and I forgot to bring it with me to our lunch date. Looks like it will be going out in the post tomorrow.

A Tanya ZipIt


And some personalized bean bags for Princess Olivia.

I hope you like the finished products, Lisa!

32 and Counting...

I turned the big 3-2 on February 20th... it was a relatively quiet but lovely day filled with paint and maternity clothes shopping, a movie while curled up in our new ginormous bed, Indian food (mmmm) and awesome music played ridiculously loud by my husband in a tiny club littered with extremely amusing people.

I don't feel 32 but then again I really don't know what it's supposed to feel like. I guess I believe the saying 'You're only as old as you feel' and if I was held down and forced to pick an age that would be impossible so let's say I feel twenty-something. I'm still figuring out out who I am and now that mommy is zooming to the top of the 'categories I fall in' list I have even more figuring out to do... I don't think that's a bad thing though, my hope is that my entire life will be full of self-exploration and discovery.
I was just looking over my list of 32 Things and although I didn't get to all of my goals I'm still stoked that I managed to accomplish some big ones (making a baby, completing a tri-athlon, running a 5km race, and teaching on my lonesome to name a few). I'm going to create a list of 33 New Things so you may see some of the goals that I didn't reach pop up on the next list!

Here's the final results of my goal wish list, I've added some comments in italics.

32 New Things to Do Before I'm 32

1. replace the most hideous light fixture on earth that I complain about every time I look a picture taken in our kitchen *a definite for my 33 list because I hate the light as much today as I did yesterday and the day before that and the day before... you see where I'm going with this.
2. learn to embroider *didn't get around to it but I will
3. Yoga *considering signing up for a class since my doctor suggested it today when I went in for a pre-natal visit
4. complete a triathlon *still feel fabulous about accomplishing this one
5. send a secret to Post Secret *realized I don't have any terribly juicy secrets that I want to share with the world (even secretly)
6. 30 km bike trek *early pregnancy and crazy long bike rides didn't mix well for me - picture me at the side of the road with my head between my knees while rocking back and forth as my sister-in-law asked "Do you think maybe you're pregnant?"
7. keep a diary for a solid two weeks
8. go hiking *one day
9. send one package a month to a faraway friend *don't think I managed to get one a month off but pretty close
10. try Geocaching *putting this on hold until my little man is here and ready to explore with me!
11. learn the names and uses of 10 local herbs/wildflowers *never did make it to out on one of Tina's nature hikes and knowing me I would have forgotten the names within a week anyways but I'll work on this one over time
12. make curtains they're simple but they're up!
13. paint the basement *planned for March break
14. sew something I can wear *definitely on the next list
15. paint the hallway
16. yum. make chocolate lava cakes from scratch.17. play Dance Dance Revolution *I can't believe I didn't do this! One day...
18. go see a band I've never seen in concert
19. recreate mom's amazing creamy cauliflower dish
20. swim 50 laps (no 20 one day and 30 the next does not count)
21. drive a scooter/vespa
22. make a baby (fingers crossed) *Woooooooo hooooooooooo!23. go snow tubing *Ummm pregnancy and flying down a snow covered hill on a rubber tube don't mix
24. begin and complete Teaching of the Blind Part 1
25. make a curried dish from scratch *why make it when you can buy such yummy pre-made sauces?
26. put up outside Christmas lights on the house *using the preggers card here again, oh and Mike's broken foot
27. take a pole dancing class *meh
28. make a track with Mike *definite for the next list
29. go roller skating *figured roller skating for the first time in 20 years might not be such a good idea with a baby in my belly
30. teach a class all on my lonesome
31. volunteer
32. run a 5km race

How is your list coming along?

Mmmmm Chocolate Peanut Butter Pork

Big Pink Flying Pig found in Sighfoo's etsy shop

Yum Yum Yum! I've always been a lover of food but since Smidge began growing in my belly my love has grown tenfold. I've managed to keep my eating under control but I thoroughly enjoy every bite of every single thing I eat. People keep asking me what it is I can't stand the taste of now that I'm pregnant and maybe this is weird, but I can't think of anything.

I. Love. Food.

I especially love chocolate peanut butter but Mike says that's nothing new. He says that to give me a hard time but where is he right now? He's off to the store to get his son some Reese peanut butter cups and I will do the baby a favour and eat the cups when they get here so that his craving will be quenched. I'm such a nice mommy and my husband is the best man in the entire world. Seriously. But did I mention I love chocolate with peanut butter?

What does chocolate peanut butter have to do with pork tenderloin? Not a whole hell of a lot but I made a tenderloin last night that tickled the taste buds so I figured I would share the recipe with you.

This Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin recipe was found at All Recipes.

What You Need
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil (I used 1 tbsp olive oil instead)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloin

What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, mix the honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and balsamic vinegar.
3. Place the pork tenderloins in a roasting pan, and roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. Remove pork from oven, and baste with the honey sauce. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue roasting pork 45 minutes, basting occasionally with the honey sauce, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
5. Eat!

Not chocolate peanut butter but super yummy!!