Project 366: Week 12

Moments with Manny

It is safe to say that my sweet, perfect, little angel has officially entered the terrible two's a few months early - this one's advanced! I laugh when I think back to the times I thought he had a strong will....oh boy if I only knew what was to come. This little guy is a lot of fun, and is daily giving me lessons on humility and patience. It seems life lately is one big string of moments where I'm left flustered, embarrassed, and sweaty...not to mention short of breath, thanks to my nearly 35 week baby bump. I wanted to document a few stories that, at the time, were far from funny, but now I can look back and laugh (or at least smile...the laughter will come eventually, right?)   
--I wanted to run in to Target real quick to get a scarf that Sarah tweeted about. It was coral and fabulous and I knew I needed it. (Plus I'm a scarf hoarder, and I've declared navy and coral my signature corals for spring. Clearly it was a must-have.) Knowing that was all we were going in for, and the fact that we'd just been grocery shopping for an hour in a different Target (that didn't have the scarf of course) I decided it'd be easiest to just carry Manny in since it'd be a quick trip in and out. Strike 1. (Apparently my naive side still flairs up from time to time.) So I carry him in, we walk straight to the scarfs - they're at the front of the store; how hard can this be? Strike 2. I spot the scarf - only one remaining at the very back of the row. So I set Manny down, and hold his hand while I pull the other scarfs off the rack. I secure the scarf, and realize I now have an armful of scarves to load back on the rack. So, I tell Manny to stand right there as I'm going to have to let go of his hand. Strike 3. I quickly put the scarves back on the rack - 10 seconds TOPS - and look down to see Manny aka Houdini has vanished into thin air. I turn around, and there is no sign of him whatsoever. I start calling his name, and try not to panic as I start searching the aisles around us. It was right by the checkout, so pretty open air but I couldn't see him anywhere! I see another lady, and she helps me look for him too. It couldn't have been more than 30 seconds to a minute total that he was missing, but it felt.like.eternity. Of course in my head, I was playing out all the worst case scenarios, when suddenly I hear some jabbering and follow the sounds. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from, and finally realized he was in the jewelry case area....he had crawled under the counter and was hiding in a corner. As soon as he saw me, he yelled "Boo!" then growled, and started laughing. Really? I'm not sure if the scarf was worth the years that this little incident took off my life, but I do love it. And I also learned a valuable lesson on how fast this kid can move while being quiet when he wants to.
--On the way to my parent's house for my baby shower last week, I suddenly realized there was no way I was going to make it to their house before using the restroom. So I quickly pulled into a gas station, and tried to put Manny's shoes on him as fast as I could so we could get inside. Unfortunately Manny was not on board with this plan. He did NOT want to put shoes on. Period. He kicked and flailed and screamed like I was murdering him as we wrestled around for nearly 10 minutes. I'd get one shoe on, only for him to tear it off while I was working on the other one. At one point, I seriously thought I was just going to have to pee my pants. We weren't making progress, and well, a pregnant girl can only hold it for so long. Luckily we had a breakthrough shortly thereafter, and I miraculously got both shoes on him and we waddled inside. No sooner had I sat down on the toilet, he decided to start rolling around on the bathroom floor and sticking his head under other stalls yelling "hiiiiii!" I was horrified, but what do you do at that point? I told him to stand up, and he eventually did, at which point a few crackers fell out of his shirt on to the floor. No worries though - never one to waste, Manny quickly picked them up and ate them. The good news? Looks as if he didn't contract any life-threatening diseases from his Tour de Bathroom Floor. Still. I shudder at the thought.  
--In other news, Manny can now open the door (it's a pop-lock) in the Target family restroom. I'll let your imagination take it from there. Let's just say by the time I was able to get my pants up and chase him down, he was browsing the Dollar Spot. Can't say I blame him.

Last week after one particularly draining day where I felt like a failure as a mom, I read the email devotional I get and it was the perfect pick me up. It was titled "I Don't Want to Raise a Good Child", and is a great read. You can check out the Encouragement for Today devotional here.
And yes, I used this post to show off some pictures I took of my little guy this morning while playing with his new water table. I knew we needed one with summer coming, and when I saw the Little Tikes Spiralin' Seas Waterpark on sale at Toys R Us for $29.99, I was sold. We haven't even put water in it yet and he adores it!
I absolutely love raising this little guy, and know that the hard moments are part of the parenting territory. He is hilarious and strong-willed, and I wouldn't have it any other way. We build character in each other as we face each day with a fit and a smile. :) I love you little bubbers guy!

Swimsuits, Target Coupons, and other Monday Randomness

--As I mentioned last week, we've had a lot going on lately! We've been on the go for the past couple of weeks, and/or had visitors come to see us. It's been so much fun and I've enjoyed spending time with some friends and family. This week should be a bit slower for us, so I hope to be posting on a more regular basis as I have lots of random posts I need to finish. Anyway, my friend Ashley came to visit this last weekend and it was SO much fun to have some girl time! As an added bonus, she brought Manny and Maeva some adorable SheShe Made goodies that I can't wait to put them in. One of my favorite things are these matching Anavini Pirate Ship Swim Trunks and Mermaid Ruffle Swimsuit! I've been looking for something along these lines, but not many brands make a 3 month swimsuit. I was so excited she still had one in a tiny size...they will be so precious this summer!

--I still need to blog about my baby shower. However, I haven't been able to load all of the pictures on my computer due to storage issues. Apparently I'm at capacity, so I'm going to try to move some stuff to an external drive tonight and hope that gives me enough space so I can get some things done on my computer. I always get so nervous to delete things, even if I have them backed up elsewhere. BUT it definitely is time to do so, as it seems the dreaded rainbow wheel is a permanent fixture on my screen these days. Wish me luck!  

--One of the most common questions I get asked is what program I use to design. As I mentioned in this post about Design Questions, I design in Photoshop. I also shared about the classes Jessica Sprague offers, and how they would be a great starting point for anyone looking to learn how to digital scrapbook or design stuff. Well good news - she has a few of her classes on Groupon today for about half price! You can go here to see more info and pricing. If you haven'2011/12/design-questions.html">this post.  

--My friend Amy shared these Target coupons with me, and there are some really good offers so I thought I'd post them here for anyone else who hasn't seen them. To receive them, text "Easter" to 827438, and it will send you a link to some coupon codes that you can just show on your phone. Some of the coupons are for 50% off the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn or Little People line, 50% off Disney Princess toy, 15% off iTunes cards, and a few others. I plan to stock up on birthday gifts as we have a lot of birthday parties coming up. The coupons expire 3/31/12, and it looks like you can take advantage of them through their website too.

--Speaking of Target, Ashley and I were in there the other night and she saw these water pitchers in their seasonal stuff. They are very similar to the fruit infusion pitcher I posted about awhile back, but only $7.99. Great deal! I'm still loving all my flavored water combos.

Well I think that's it for today. We are trying to catch up from the past few weeks on the go, and just enjoying this amazing weather. Happy Monday friends! :)

Nursery Update

I've had some questions about how the nursery is coming along, so I thought I'd share a little update on where things stand. To say it's at a standstill wouldn't be completely accurate, but it's safe to say it's definitely on the back burner for now. Here's the deal: when I had high blood pressure a few weeks ago and had to "rest" for the week, I ended up just shoving a lot of stuff back in the closet. We had a few different people coming to stay with us, and I needed our guest room to be available. Since I wasn't supposed to be up working too much, this was the best option at the time. Now I'm kind of regretting the way I just threw everything in there, but oh well...I'll get to it eventually. :)

My goal at this point is to have her closet and dresser set up by the time she's born. Anything above and beyond that will be a bonus, but I'm really okay with not having her room ready. I'm still planning and buying things; just not in any particular rush to get it all put together. So that's that!

I got this criband plan to have it painted hot pink. A lady from my hometown is going to make the bedding for me, and I finally decided on fabric! I knew I really wanted a floral print that had navy, yellow, and pink in it, but couldn't ever find anything along those lines. So I decided to have my own fabric printed from Spoonflower, and used the floral print I designed when I shared her name. The plan is to have the bumper in the floral print, so it won't take a ton of fabric to do it. I bought a light pink crib sheet at Target, and for the crib skirt we'll use this yellow chevron from fabric.com.

I also bought this dresser at a local flea market for a steal! We will use it as a changing table. This is a picture of a picture of it so it's hard to tell, but it's actually an antique white color with a brown wax finish. I love it and think it will fit perfectly in her room.

--I have seen these amazing monogram signs all over Pinterest, but they can be quite pricey, some as high as $300 & up! Luckily my friend Amy saw one I had pinned and told me about a friend of hers who sells them for a really good price. I ended up ordering the 18 inch monogram, and it was $48, which was a great deal compared to so many others I've seen. She was wonderful to work with and super fast too. Here is the link to her Etsy shop if you're interested: Picket Fence Creations I think this will probably go over the crib, and I may or may not add a frame around it...we'll see. :)

I am actually enjoying putting everything together because I'm not stressed about it, and am just doing what I can when I can.  Let's hope this feeling lasts. :)

I still need to upload all the pictures from my shower this weekend - it was a great time and I can't wait to share all about it!

Project 366: Week 11

Friday Fragments

--Thanks for all of the sweet sweet comments on my 32 week pictures! Y'all really know how to make a girl feel good. :) I will say though that it was extremely flattering light or something...because I definitely look much bigger than those pictures seemed to depict. But I'll take what I can get at this point. :) Also, thanks for the encouraging words and prayers about my blood pressure. When we checked it this week, it had gone down so I am thrilled! Now to keep it down and we'll be good to go. 

--My sweet blog friend Lauren sent Maeva her first Matilda Jane! I have long been a fan of Matilda Jane since I saw my friend April's daughter wearing an adorable dress from their line years ago. And now I can't believe the day is here that I get to dress my daughter in some Matilda Jane of her very own! If you'd like to order some Matilda Jane cuteness, you can contact Lauren for more info.

--I got a few questions about the chalkboard frame I used in my pictures the other day. It is an 8x10 unfinished frame that I purchased from Cut It Out for only $12.99. The price is great and they have lots of fun shapes and sizes! Shipping is a bit high but that's understandable since it's somewhat large and bulky. I ordered two frames and I think the shipping was around $13? They don't come with glass, so I went to Dollar Tree and bought an 8x10 frame and used the glass insert for this frame. I painted the frame with regular paint, and the glass with chalkboard paint. It's a fun little piece and I'm thinking I need to order a few more for Maeva's nursery. 

--The other night I went to a fund-raising event that we were invited to through Patrick's work. Notice I said I went to it. Unfortunately not too long before it was time to go, Patrick had a patient come in laboring so he wasn't able to attend with me. I considered not going, but am so glad I did. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet a sweet blog friend, Raegan. I always love to connect with other bloggers "in real life" so it was such a fun surprise when she came and said hi to me! We were so busy chatting that I failed to get a picture of us together. In fact, the only picture I have from the whole night is of me and my little buddy before I left the house. And yes, the fedora is still a favorite of his. :)

--I've mentioned my blog book before, and it is past time for me to get another one printed. I'd like to do so before Maeva is born...because who knows what will happen at that point. :) Anyway, I got an email from Blurb the other day (who I used to print my last book) that had a 25% off code so I was going to order another book. BUT when I read the fine print, it was 25% off a minimum order of $150. Umm...to get the book to cost $150, it would need to be like 500 pages. Not exactly going to work for me. SO I say all that to say this: if you've come across any (better) Blurb deals, or see any kind of Groupon, etc. for them, I'd love to hear about it!

I have a baby shower tomorrow, and I'm SO excited to spend some time with family and friends! Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

Project 366: Week 10

Maeva Beth {32 weeks}

Hi friends! We're still here; just have a lot going on right now. Patrick took a few 32 weeks pictures for me the other day, so I wanted to post those and a little Maeva update while I was thinking of it.

Maeva Beth is doing great and growing like crazy. We had an ultrasound a few weeks ago but the little stinker kept her face covered the whole time, so we have no pictures unfortunately. She is measuring on track and looks great, so we are thankful for that. I asked the tech to scan her feet as I wanted to see if MB has my infamous big toe. Well miss thing had her feet so far up in my ribs that we couldn't see her toes....so I guess we'll just have to wait and see when she's born. :)

At my doctor's appointment last week, my blood pressure was a little higher than he'd like to see at this point, especially given my history with Manny's pregnancy and my blood pressure problems. So I was to rest as much as I could last week, and see if that helped any. We did have to go ahead and drop out of gymnastics, which I was super bummed about, but Manny will never know the difference so it will be fine. Anyway, we will check today and see if we had any success bringing my BP down.
It comes as no surprise that Manny was less than thrilled about posing for pictures. He kept wanting me to go play ball with him.

And running off as fast as he could.

But we still managed to get some good pictures, and I love the crazy pictures anyway....fun memories and very accurate depiction of our life right now. :) Let's not talk about the ridiculous fly-aways and frizziness that is my hair though...yikes.

Happy Monday friends!

St. Patrick's Day Treat for Teachers {Free Printable}

Being a former teacher, I know how simple little gifts of appreciation can brighten your day. That being the case, I try to do things for Manny's MDO teachers for most holidays. My sister showed me this idea here and I thought it'd be the perfect St. Patrick's Day gift for a teacher. Since these next 2 weeks are absolutely crazy for us, I actually planned ahead and put them together last night. (That, and the fact that I wanted to eat the leftover candy.) Here's the scoop if you want to make these too.

What you need:
--Rainbow Twizzlers (you can find them at Walgreen's, Wal-Mart, and sometimes Target)
--Gold individually wrapped Rolos
--ziplock bags (I used quart size)
--container/box to put everything in (I got my little baskets from the Dollar Spot at Target.)
--basket filler (optional)

1. Pick out a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple twizzler, and place them in a ziplock bag. Then I just wrapped the excess of the bag around the back side of the package. Also? I didn't notice til I saw these pictures - but I have my rainbow backwards. It's killing my OCD to not retake the pictures, but I'm not giving in. I will rearrange this before giving it to his teachers though. :)
2. Fill the basket with some shred paper, unless you want to fill the whole basket with candy. These baskets actually hold a LOT of candy, so I filled them about halfway with shred paper before adding the Rolo's.

3. Print out the tag, punch the corner, and tie it on with a ribbon. If your basket doesn't have a handle, just prop it in the basket by the Twizzlers. I made 2 different versions of the tag - one for a teacher, and then a generic one in case you wanted to give it to a friend, coworker, child, etc. You can download the My Teacher is a Treasure tags here or the You are a Treasure tags here.

Happy Tuesday! :)

Project 366: Week 9

Worry.

I wanted to share something my sister sent me the other day. It's an excerpt from Attitude is Everything by Vicki Hitzges and it is definitely something I needed to hear.

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I used to worry. A lot. The more I fretted, the more proficient I became at it. Anxiety begets anxiety. I even worried that I worried too much! Ulcers might develop. My health could fail. My finances could deplete to pay the hospital bills.

To read the rest of the excerpt, click here (you'll have to scroll down a little bit, but it's just under the Attitude is Everything book picture.) It has a lot of good food for thought, and if you struggle with worrying at all I recommend taking the time to read it.

She ends with this quote by Charles Spurgeon that I absolutely love: "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength."

Happy Thursday friends!

Maeva's Closet

Okay. I'm here to confess it's starting to get a little out of control. I never should have bragged that I hadn't bought much for Maeva. Because ever since? Irrestible baby girl things have been popping up in my face everywhere I turn. Combine my new found love for shopping for baby girl things with the great things I've been given, and it's definitely time to set up Maeva's Closet. And unfortunately, this is what it looks like right now. It's basically my craft closet, combined with some other random things. So now the fun part is finding a home for all of this so I can get her closet set up! Wish me luck.

Along those lines, I have to share some fun stuff I've picked up for MB lately. I always love to know where people buy stuff, so I try to share too in case you're wondering. And yes, I did buy all of this (much to Patrick's delight) so I'm just sharing because I'm excited about my purchases. :)

--Have you seen the spring collection at Old Navy? I pretty much want it all. I managed to narrow it down to these few things though. SO sweet!! 

 

-- I ordered these adorable headbands from Flourishing Creations. All of her stuff is beautiful and she is so great to work with. This reminds me of a question - how do you store headbands? I know I've seen lots of cute bow holder ideas, but those seem to be more for clip-on bows. If you have suggestions for a good way to store headbands, I'd love to hear it.

--I also ordered this dress from the Ellie & Ollie shop. Couldn't you die of cuteness?! She is always adding new things. In fact, when I went to grab her store link just now, I saw the Paisley Onesie dress and it's taking every bit of willpower I have to not purchase it. Must.stay.strong.

--I've been on the look out for some cute newborn hats, and decided to try out NextDirect. I'd heard good things about them, but never ordered before. Both of these were only $7.99, with free 2 day FedEx shipping. Some of their deals are better than others, but definitely some cute stuff, and you can't go wrong with free shipping!

Manny is doing much better today thankfully, but I still kept him home from MDO. We are actually headed to an ultrasound now - hoping to get some sweet shots of MB's face! :)