Live. Love. Oliver.

Blogging elsewhere

2013-02-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

we've moved!

http://dearbirdies.blogspot.com

Please go to our new page and follow us there!
Thanks for stopping by!

Nursery Reveal!

2013-01-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

I can proudly say that Julianne's nursery is very, very close to being finished! So close in fact, that I'm ready to share it with you! I know you've been dying to see it! :)

I am so happy with how pink, lacy, and girly it has turned out! Honestly, when we moved into our home I was about 16 weeks pregnant and was NOT planning on having a nursery for her. Then I changed my mind into having a shared nursery/playroom. Then I changed my mind again and decided I really wanted to do another nursery! And a girly one at that! Darn pinterest with all its too cute to pass up ideas for DIY, fun, and beautiful projects!

So as usual Kurt gave me the freedom to go somewhat wild in making our third bedroom a special place for our daughter. Honestly though, when I say wild I do not mean budget wise. More about that after the big reveal though!

Without further ado. I'd like to take you on a tour of Julianne's nursery!

Do you believe me when I say---The entire thing cost.....

drumroll please..........

a whopping.....

$102.

Can.You.Believe.It?! I'm rather proud of that. Granted we already had all the furniture but still. There's so much more to a nursery than the furniture! The details are where it's really at! I made just about everything you see there with the exception of the hairbow holder and the wreath. The hairbow holder was an awesome gift from the ladies who threw my baby shower; and the wreath was made by another friend along with the ABC sign! If there is interest I can create another post with the tutorials I used to accomplish the projects you see!

Honestly, it feels SO.GOOD to have a nursery that is done, ready, and waiting! I needed that so much in my last pregnancy and I never got it. This time though, I made it and it feels good!

Little Miss Julianne, thank you for cooking longer than your brother did. Lets stay pregnant another few weeks my love. I'm having fun preparing for your arrival and my to-do list is getting shorter!

Much Love!

HypnoBirthing

2012-12-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

So practicing relaxation is an important part of the way Kurt and I are preparing for Julianne's arrival. It's a great way for me to let go, reduce stress, and to focus inward. It gives us time as a couple to focus on our birth and helps me to feel supported and loved by Kurt's interest in practicing with me.

Before this week we've practiced in several different ways usually with me in a side lying position and Kurt talking me through relaxation and massaging my belly, back, feet, etc. We've used guided relaxation tracks that our Bradley teacher sent us from Dartmouth College. They were a good introduction to practicing with a cd guiding you to relax. BUT, now we've upgraded to HypnoBirthing and I will NOT go back.

Oh. My. Goodness! It's great! I ordered this book from amazon when I ordered Oliver's christmas presents. It comes with a cd in the back (which honestly is why I ordered the book at all). I skimmed the first few pages of the book and got bored and skipped to listening to the cd. I may go back and give the book another try but there are two tracks of guided relaxation on the cd. I've actually only listened to the first track because I like it so much. And I bet the second is just as good. They are both about 20 minutes long. I've only practiced with it 3 nights and I have achieved a deeper level of relaxation than I ever have before.

I am really excited to keep listening and working to achieve a deeper relaxation faster and more efficiently for birth. I wanted to share with you too, because if you are pregnant, this is a MUST HAVE! It is totally worth it! And I can't wait to see how it impacts my birth experience!

Ramblings from the nesting lady

2012-11-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

Oooh my. Life is flying by. I'm 12 (ish) weeks away from becoming a mother of two! I have SO much that still needs done. And we have the holidays which makes time fly even more! Last week I decided we needed to stay home instead of traveling to DE for Thanksgiving this year. I had a really hard time making the decision but once it was made I felt really good about it. It just felt like too much. So we are staying home and celebrating in our OWN home for the first time! We have ordered Crackle Barrel to go so we can still eat here, BUT I don't have to cook. Does it get any better than that?

My nesting this time has come and gone in different and odd spurts. One week in September I obsessed over decorating for fall. Another week I obsessed over making a list of things that needed done and a calendar to show when they would get done. Two weeks ago I purchased the fabric for Julianne's nursery and had her quilt made within 3 days of buying the fabric. Last week I obsessed over decorating for Christmas! Two nights ago I was worried about what kind of curtains she'd have in her bedroom. I had planned on making them from either a shower curtain or a table cloth but hadn't found anything I loved. I got on amazon and was pleasantly surprised to find ivory ruffle curtain panels that would add a soft, girly, chic element to her room!

My running to do list for the nursery includes-

make pillow for glider with leftover fabric from quilt
finish her flag banner (I found lace at JoAnns I want to use instead of ribbon)
revamp Oliver's crib skirt with lace for some antique frill
buy curtain rod to hang new ruffle curtains!
possibly make a custom breathable bumper
make a minky blanket that "goes" with her quilt to drape on glider?
buy baskets for changing table
other wall hanging

pom poms?
Love sign w/ scrap fabric

Wall flower - (no idea why my font just changed!?)
I'd like to display her name or maybe just initials somehow- not sure how yet?
scrap fabrics and papers in white frames?

As you can see I still have quite a list to do in the nursery. I'd really like to get a few of those checked off this week while we have some down time for the holiday! :) It is very important to me this time to have her nursery prepared for her. Since Oliver came one week after moving I never got to prepare for him with a nursery that was ready and waiting just for him. I need that this time.

In other news. I saw Dr. Brabson today. I lurve him. We had a nice chat and I got a nice shot of Rhogam in my butt. I really appreciate how he's laid back and just chats with me. I even asked him opinion on a nettles tea I've heard good things about. He wasn't familiar with it but took the time to ask me what my research told me as far as benefits go. He even agreed to deliver me in the water if I want and Oliver is welcome at the birth if we decide we want him there! Dr. B is a gem! Julianne's heart rate was 146 and my belly measured right on for 28 weeks. I also only gained 1 pound this month which was great but I still feel fat. Jeans are just not comfortable. The constant pulling up is driving me crazy. I'm leaning towards wearing dresses and yoga pants. Don't worry, I won't wear them together!

I think that's enough random thoughts for one night. I'm ready for bed. Oh yea, I'm sleeping in our king bed alone! Kurt is helping Oliver make the adjustment to his own room by sleeping with him. Don't worry, Oliver has a queen bed. But mama is enjoying the room to sprawl! :)

Night!!

Happy Fall

2012-09-18T18:16:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago I went into psyco mom mode and went crazy on my fall decor. I think it was a form of nesting and I needed t o get my new shelves decorated. Kurt worked hard and made my wish of open shelving in my dining room come true. We picked out our supplies at Lowe's and Kurt stained, poly, and assembled our new shelves. Once they were hung I wasn't quite in love yet. I loved the shelves but it was hard to tell how much without decorating them. SO, the next week I set out on pinterest to decorate them for fall affordably.

Here's what I came up with. I'm happy with them! And really they cost almost nothing! Most of the supplies came from Dollar Tree!

The Boob Man helping daddy

They are hung!

Decorated!

I'm sure you've all seen the hurricane vases from Dollar Tree. This is the third year I've used them but I decorated them differently this year, thanks to pinterest. I filled one with popcorn kernels and the other with moss left over from the moss wreath I made. The moss and the wreath came from DT. The pumpkins pictured are from DT as well. The framed pictures were printed from pinterest. The last picture shows the wreath I made with another printable and our pumpkin rug I scored at Ollie's last fall.

I'm dying to decorate our front porch but I'm not sure we have the money right now. I'd love some mums and pumpkins!

Have you decorated yet?

My Burlap Wreath

2012-09-01T07:18:00.002-07:00

HELLO SEPTEMBER! :)

I have really enjoyed making different wreaths over the past year. I found my most current one a while ago on pinterest. The pin linked to an Etsy page where this very cute burlap wreath that would cost you $58 + shipping! I would never pay that for a wreath but I knew I could replicate it so I put it on my fall to do list. Here was my inspiration wreath.

My wreath cost:

1 yard burlap- $3.99/yard-- You wouldn't need a yard to make it but I wanted the extra burlap for another fall craft I'm planning. I also used a 40% off coupon at JoAnns.

1 18 inch grapevine wreath- $4.99--I was shocked at how cheap these are. I used a coupon on this as well.

Buttons- I already had these. Start cutting the buttons off old clothes your donating, etc. Buttons are expensive to buy.

Hot glue gun and glue

Needle and thread

Other fabric scraps- I used Muslin fabric, I like to keep this around to back different sewing projects so I had that as well.

So really my wreath cost almost nothing. I have made lots fabric flowers since my addiction to those started at Hadelyn's baby shower where we all made headbands. Really it is easier to make flowers with cottons and knits so I was able to kinda use the same idea to fudge these burlap flowers. So if you are going to try it and haven't made flowers before look up a tutorial. I didn't take pictures throughout the process so really this isnt a tutorial. Just a how to.

My method is twisting the fabric or burlap however tightly you like, then using hot glue glue as you wrap the burlap to make it into the flower shape. They will not look perfect which is part of the look with burlap anyway. You can cover glue dots with buttons. Just make as many or as few as you'd like. Add buttons, leaves, other flowers, whatever you like. I decided to add the wooden letter to personalize it. It would also be very cute with your house number on it, but I couldn't find numbers that were small enough.

So once you make your flowers just set them up where you like them and begin gluing them to your wreath. I added my wooden letter, then decided I'd like buttons on my letter as well. I cut a thick piece of burlap to use at the top of my wreath, you could also use ribbon, twine, or other fabric scraps.

I hope that helps if you were curious how I did it! Here are some better pictures of my finished product.

Prego Update

2012-07-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm planning to post weekly belly pictures with updates to the blog. This will keep me blogging and will allow family and friends to see my belly grow, from afar. We had a doctor's appointment today and we got to hear our babies heart beat with the doppler. It was right around 160 beats/minute. I also made it through the past four weeks without gaining weight which doesn't happen often for me in pregnancy! You'll see my list of cravings in just a second. :) We enjoyed some Chipotle for dinner after our appointment.

Without further ado, here I am poking out at 12 weeks.

Cha Cha Cha Changes!!

2012-07-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well there are a lot of changes going on in the Lane household. I'm sure you all know we're headed to becoming a family of four. We also have another exciting announcement. We're buying our first home! We are scheduled to close at the end of August and are so excited about getting settled in our new home well before our new little blessing joins us!

We have actually been looking for a house for several months and have even been under contract and walked after a horrible home inspection. This house has been a blessing and came at just the right time. Kurt knew from the pictures this was our house but I wasn't quite as on board. I knew I liked a lot about it but I wasn't as sure as he was. As soon as we walked through the door we felt at home. There is an inviting front porch, a foyer that is welcoming, and everything we really needed inside. The carpet in the living room is green but we'll replace that later. The kitchen is full of cabinets with two pantries and two lazy suzans. Off the dining room there is a screened in porch that walks out to a wrap around deck. The yard was made for children to play in. There are trees and smalls hills. We are so excited about moving and making it into our own.

We plan to paint the shutters black and paint the front door red. And in the years to come I'd LOVE a red metal roof to top it off! Here are a few pics!

a little announcement...

2012-07-16T17:11:00.001-07:00

THE BEST Iced Coffee EVER, I Promise!

2012-05-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

My iced coffee has made me somewhat famous among my little group of friends. I'm not sure I can take all the credit, as I have merged a couple recipes to make it my own. I'll go ahead and share it here so you can enjoy it as well!

I got the idea from pioneer woman's iced coffee recipe but hers looked like too much work for me so I simplified it.

You will need:
Coffee
1 can sweetened condensed milk (local friends- cheaper at our walmart than our Kroger)
Half and Half

Brew some dark roast coffee- I suggest dark roast because I want it to be a strong coffee. I like to use French Roast. Depending on what I have on hand I use my Cuisinart Grind and Brew and either brew ground coffee or whole bean. If making a pitcher of iced coffee I make a whole pot (12 cups) and fill the grinder or filter to the top with coffee. Once brewed I add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and a couple cups of half and half. Refrigerate. Serve over ice with a straw and I promise you'll go back for more! To avoid watered down coffee as your ice melts- freeze some of your left over coffee in your ice cube trays. (thanks pinterest)

Per Pioneer Woman's advice I do love to slurp it up from a mason jar with a straw! It's just so summery, you can't go wrong. Unless of course you drink it all day every day, because then you may gain a few. :)

Mother-Son Date Knight @ Chick-Fil-a

2012-04-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

Last night Oliver and I went on our first official date. We met some ladies from our small group there with their sons. We were greeted at the door and seated, given a flower, and served from our table. It was so sweet. Since it was a date I let Oliver have his very own kid's meal. That was a first for him and he ate like a king! He had 2 chicken strips, a couple waffle fries, an apple juice box, and ice cream! I think he ate as much as I did! We really enjoyed it.

While there I saw two things that melted my heart and made me excited for what is to come. One mother was there with her teenage son. It was so sweet that he still went with her on the date night! There was another mom with a younger son, probably 5 years old. They were matching in lavender. When the bill came the little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some cash to pay the bill. It was the sweetest thing ever! I really love the baby/toddler stage that Oliver is in but also can look forward to older years when we still get to do this kind of thing.

Being that it was our first date we had to get some pictures before we left home; so we snapped a few right before getting in the car. I told Oliver this was the only time he's allowed to kiss on a first date!

Oliver turned out to be a perfect gentleman and I'm sure he'll only get better as one day he will be able to open doors for me and get himself in the car! :)

It did my heart good.

xoxo,

April: A Birthday, A Move, and a Tummy Bug.

2012-04-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

A Birthday:

Let's go back to the first week of the month. My birth week. Prior to becoming an old married lady, I used to get a "birth month". I'm not sure exactly what started the tradition, but my parents celebrated me the whole month of April. Usually that meant I got to chose where we were going to eat dinner, pick the movie, etc. during the month of April. Now that I'm ~~more mature,~~ older, I no longer expect a month but I am blessed with a week. I started the week with shopping with the money my Mother-in-law always sends me for my birthday. Libby, Oliver, and I went to Platos Closet and to another store called Marti and Liz Shoes. I stretched my $50 and got at least $250 worth of items. I would gladly give you shopping lessons if you'd like. Although, someone should teach me how to coupon so I could make the same savings on our grocery bill. Anyway, I got a brand new "Intuitions" dress in royal blue, with the tags on it, marked $129, for $20!! I also got a Lapis dress. Have you seen these? They can be worn as a dress or a skirt. They retail about $70 and I paid $12. I also got a pair of BCBG sandals at Marti and Liz. I had never been there but it's a really cool store with tons of shoes and all of them are really good brands.

We continued our week the following day by heading to the nail salon where we had our nails done. This was my present from Kurt. He kept Oliver and Libby and I headed out for some pampering. We really enjoyed it. The next day I wore my new Intuitions dress and went on a date with Kurt. Libby and Sean kept Oliver and we saw The Hunger Games and had a late dinner at Cafe 4. Luckily Kurt was off on my actual birthday for Good Friday. We spent the day as a family and enjoyed dinner at The Brewery and walking around downtown a bit. Kurt also made me a cake all by himself. It was delicious with homemade cream cheese icing and strawberries on top and in between the layers. Yum!!

Easter:

This was the first time we've celebrated Easter Sunday with Oliver. Last year he was tiny and we were in VA with family. Since we were home this year we decided to start our own tradition of celebration. We went to church and came home to a yummy lunch. We had ham, mashed potatoes, pineapple casserole, green bean casserole, and knot rolls. It was all delicious! We also had a little Easter egg hunt and Oliver got his first easter basket! We had a good time but had to accommodate his nap time by letting him sleep after our outside pictures. He was not in the greatest of moods after having such a big lunch, he knew it was time for a nap. So he slept a couple hours and we proceeded with his egg hunt and Easter basket then. He did find all the eggs with some coaching from us. He also enjoyed opening his Easter basket. It was fun.

I love this picture with his little excited hand grabbing his basket.

We decided we could go all out this year for his Easter basket but I predict as we have more and more children the Easter bunny may not be able to be as generous. This year he got baby gap socks, Ikea plates, a Klean Kaneteen with toddler attachment, new Hana Anderson swimming trunks and swim shirt, Boogie wipes, and a Shutterfly book of his Spring so far.

A Move:

Libby and Sean moved next door to us this month! It was totally unexpected but our neighbors talked with us about renting out their house. We jokingly said Libby and Sean could move in and less than a week later, we have new neighbors! I am so excited to have them next door and know we'll look back on this time as such a neat chapter in our lives. Libby and I both get to stay home. We have our babies next door to each other, I'm not sure how long it will last but I will soak it up for however long it does!

A Tummy Bug:

We discovered that Oliver had his fourth tooth coming through on Sunday the 15th. He was very tired after church and went to bed without lunch. He slept for a long time, 3.5 hours. When he woke up he had a fever and soon after he lost his dinner. We called the nurse on call and she suggested making an appointment first thing in the morning to have him seen. So Monday, we went in to the Dr and were told he had an ear infection. He is allergic to penicillin so she put him on another medication. We were glad to know it was something we could treat, that he was not contagious, and that he would be feeling better soon. Well, we weren't so lucky. The medicine turned out to greatly upset his stomach. Without sharing too many mommy details, he was sick from both ends. My mommy instinct told me the medicine was causing a problem so I called his Dr again Wednesday morning and they fit him in that afternoon. I was not happy to be going back to the Dr but I knew the med was not right and knew his body couldn't handle the reaction he was having for 10 days. SO we trudged back out to the Dr and Daddy met us there. Seeing another Dr in the office, he said that Oliver did NOT in fact have an ear infection and to stop the medication. He also wanted us to wait in the office for Oliver to eat a popsicle to see if he could keep it down. If not, we were headed to Children's Hospital for IV fluids. He turned out to eat the popsicle and kept it down so we were able to go on our way. We stopped the medication he didn't need in the first place and thought that was going to be the end of it. Well it turns out it wasn't. He continued to get sick from both ends the rest of that evening and the following day. We were close to taking him to Children's for fluids several times. As the medicine left his system he seemed to get better. Come Thursday he was doing quite a bit better. Libby and I headed to Duck Duck Goose when Kurt got home that day. I was exhausted and did not feel like shopping but really needed to get the rest of Oliver's summer wardrobe. By the time I got home that evening I was miserable. It turns out I had a fever and Oliver really did have a stomach bug. By Friday, Kurt was sick as well. We spent the rest of the weekend through Monday recuperating and trying to get well. It was quite a marathon of a sickness and was the first time we've been sick like that. Libby and Sean both turned out getting it as well.

So there you have it. That pretty well covers our month. It's been a pretty crazy month. Including two surgeries. One for Kurt's Aunt Amy and one for his Dad. Both are recovering and have a long road ahead of them but are doing well. Libby is 37 weeks and has already had a few labor scares. We're at the edge of our seats waiting for baby Hadelyn to make her appearance any day.

Oh, I almost forgot. I finally ordered the accent chairs I wanted. I don't see them on overstock anymore so I think they sold out, but they are on my For the Home pinboard found here, http://pinterest.com/mamalane/for-the-home/ And I found a handmade wool rug at HomeGoods for $99 marked down from $300! So my living room is coming together! I just need some covers for these red stripped pillows are we'll be good to go!

That may have been more than you ever wanted to know about our month. Sorry for that! It's all the posts I should have done weeks ago, in one long one! Love ya all!

The End!

A guest appearance from my husband.

2012-04-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hello All. Marissa here. We've had a pretty crazy month I'll fill you in on in more posts than you may like soon. However right now, my dear husband and I were sitting here, recovering from a stomach bug that has taken over our lives for 8 days now, and talking about birth. The discussion was brought up from an article that popped up in my Facebook feed. I read the article aloud and we began discussing some different things. This prompted my husband to type out his thoughts. After reading what he typed I decided I'd like to blog it and I'd like for you to read it. I'd also like for you to show your husbands. Birth is something we've become passionate about and I think it's so cool that Kurt is just as supportive of it as I am. Here are his thoughts. With some editing from me.

He begins with two thoughts:

1. A child is never one or the other of the parents "thing" - It takes 2 to make a baby, HAVE a baby, raise a baby (for the best results)

2. Sending a woman into today's medical system alone is condemning her to what the medical system wants for her. This may seem like a good idea, but not if what the mom wants differs from what the nurses and doctors want (ie. Natural Birth with minimal intervention).

The medical system has a low view of pregnant women. They see them as irrational, "sick", and time-consuming patients. Rather than serving them as their care "professionals," they manipulate them to bring the mothers into their timeline, philosophy, and business model. It's not fair to expect a woman to be able to focus on working through a labor AND fight off the nurses trying to push them into the medical system's idea of a birth.

The first idea is one that I'd have to admit most couples now understand. We hear stories about men that used to wait in the waiting room while their wives gave birth to their children, for the most part that is no longer the case. However, if the husband is present but not involved is he really there? When a woman is in the heat of labor she will need the support of the person closest to her. If he's been uninvolved and is uneducated about what is happening, how much support will he really be for her? He needs to be there as her advocate in a system that has another agenda.

Ask yourself these questions:
1. Why does the nurse care if the mother has a natural birth or gets an epidural? (Is she thinking of the mother's needs/wants, or trying to mollify the laboring woman and keep her in the bed?)

2. Why is the C-Section rate on an upward trend in the U.S.?

a. Do we have more issue-prone women? --No
b. Or is it inherent in our system? ---Yes

Now he continues on with some examples from our story.

Unfortunately, the hospital format is a business and this does influence some of the policy. The nurses run the show and we found this out first hand. We dealt with nurses the entire time we were in the Labor and Delivery. We saw the Doctor twice, through out the labor. He checked in for a few minutes and then it was back to doing what the nurses said. It's not they they know nothing, but they are a constant presence and they know what they want to happen. They want "progress" and they want it in a timely manner. If you don't have that..then they start in with their spiel. For us, that was that we had broken water, but no contractions. So they want contractions. That means drugs, and yes, there were contractions. But after hours of contractions that were not doing any real good, as far as opening the doorway for the baby, we called the doctor and he let us turn the medicine OFF! That was unexpected and honestly, would not have happened if we didn't have the doctor that we did. He understood what we wanted and what we were up against. The nurses seemed pretty pissed. So we slept for whatever, a couple hours, might has well have been minutes but with no fake contractions. This was early morning..1-3 am, something like that. Marissa started natural contractions at some point before I woke up and that was the real turning point.

Now, you would think that, since the nurses wanted progress, and progress meant contractions because contractions means opening up the doorway, we were on a good track. Nope, they came in and were like "Ok, time to turn back on the pitocin." So I had to say, well, no, we don't want to do that. And I swear they looked at us like we were absolutely stupid. I had to say, no, we want to consult with the doctor again. It's not like the doctor was involved here. We had to have them call him at home the night before to get to change our medicine (actually get them to turn it off). Now we have to ask THEM to let US talk to OUR doctor. And that seemed to piss them off again. Why is it that we are PROBLEM patients because we are informed and know what we want? Because they can't push us through the mill and get us out of there. They were not in control. But, neither were WE! We knew that once the process started (and I mean the natural process that morning, the "real" contractions as I call them) it was just a matter of hanging on for the ride. Sure enough, we got to proceed with out the medicine but were told if there wasn't "progress" we would have to turn it back on…Ok seriously? Is that like, what, a threat? There were many nurses who I would have gladly fired on the spot (for us personally, not their job, haha) but we said we understood and it didn't matter because we weren't turning the medicine back out without a court order anyway. And it didn't matter because, as it turned out, we didn't need it.

You see there is this giant digital clock in the room (or at least there was at our hospital) and that was not a mistake. They used that to keep their control. I know they need to know timing and stuff, but that damn clock was always right there, glowing red, for those hours that we weren't making sufficient "progress." It felt like we were "losing." Like this was some kind of battle?
The thing is, it was, at many times a battle. And truthfully, it wasn't just myself and Marissa. I had Marissa's older sister (a birthing method teacher and 2x natural birth mom) and Marissa's mom (natural birth for all 4 of her children). We had to take the hard route many times to get the birth that we wanted. If Marissa had been by herself through all of that time, it would not have been the same. She needed support, and even with the support that she did have, it was touch and go as to whether we were going to "lose" and have more intervention.
I totally understand wanting to birth at home. I would be happy to never step foot into the Labor and Delivery ward again. To let your in on how lucky we were to have gotten our OB (a last minute change we had decided RIGHT before Oliver came 4 WEEKS early) Dr. Brabson has gone on to form a Midwifery Center practice in the hospital we delivered at. Obviously, he gets that mothers can have babies, that it is not convenient or fast, that intervention after intervention isn't necessary, but that if anything happens, a good OB Is great to have on your team.

So there you have it. Straight from the mouth of a man, a father, a husband. I think it's pretty cool that he's so interested in these things. I would love to do training to teach natural childbirth and I know he'd be there by my side teaching with me. Sure it may seem that birth is a woman's thing but it's not. Men are stepping up to the plate. In the midst of birth; the pain, the joy who better to be at your side? Who better to experience the best moment of your life with? The elation, the joy, conquering what you knew you wanted. Why would you want anyone other than your husband there to look to for help, reassurance, coaching with love and knowledge in the process. He is truly irreplaceable and no one else can take his place and give quite the same result.

Purple and Yellow Baby Shower!!

2012-03-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

We got to celebrate with another party this past weekend! Kurt says I'm a pretty good party planner and I'm pretty much enjoying our pattern of a party every other month! :) Of course this time I had help from my older sister and bestie, Jenny! The shower was for my little sister, Libby, the beautiful mama to be! She's being blessed with a baby girl, hence the purple and yellow theme! I'm all for pretty parties, but I'm not very cutesy. We kept it pretty and simple and it turned out great.

Hadelyn Mae Looney is due May 14th! I'm so incredibly happy to have Libby and Sean local and love that they have become our best friends. (Libby and I already were besties, but now Sean and Kurt get to be too!) Libby is going to make a wonderful mother! She has been reading and preparing and is doing a great job and is glowing, of course! Sean is such a hard worker and loves Libby so much it shows every time he looks at her. They are such a precious couple.

Ok, okay. Back to the shower.
Here are the pictures to make you feel like you were there.
And of course recipes are linked! Enjoy!

WELCOME!

FOOD TABLE

One of Libby's favorite snacks.

Chocolate pudding with sliced strawberries and cool whip.

Veggie Pizza

We topped it with carrots, red pepper, broccoli, and celery.

PASTA SALAD (LITERALLY)

One of my favorite summer salads!

Libby's friend from college, Kayla made a fabulous apple dip!

It's a recipe of her future in laws and we ate it all up! :)

Guest book- Oh Baby The Places You Will Go

And Favors!

Easy Peasy favors from a kit at JoAnn's.

My favorite part of the shower!

We used old clothes, buttons, felt, hot glue, and fabric glue!

Everyone made a headband, or two! Great idea, Jenny!!!

Some of the finished headbands! Sean made the hot pink one

with the hearts. Love it!

We also made a birthing necklace for Libby to wear in labor.

It has become a tradition in our family. Each guest chooses a glass bead to add to the necklace.

Libby will wear it in early labor and feel all our love and support.

Each guest gave their wish for Libby as the added their bead. Here's a shot of my mom

adding her bead with tears of love.

The other hostess looking fab with her best accessory, Eden!

Libby is the cake maker in the family and I couldn't ask her to do her own cake,

and really I figured it's better to just order one than to try to make one and ruin it!

So this was our solution. A simple white cake from Kroger that I topped with fresh flowers.

Simple and pretty. And it tasted pretty darn good!

Time for cake!

Libby and I!

And by far my favorite shot of the day!!!!

I think things turned out pretty well and Libby was able to be blessed as a mother to be. She did not get a bridal shower so I am glad we were able to treat her to a nice baby shower. She means so much to us and I really can't wait to meet my new niece, Hadelyn Mae! I love you dear girl, and your mommy!

Stroller Envy.

2012-03-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong. We have a very nice stroller, but there is one I'm drooling over! We bought a Maclaren when I was prego. I knew I wanted one because they are very sturdy, fold up tiny, and maneuver so nicely. I found a great deal on our Maclaren and was able to get an even better one than I first wanted. We found this designer edition Albert Thurston Ryder with all the accessories and leather handlebars at more than 50% off. Our accessories include the winter seat, a "boot", rain cover, and a fuzzy Maclaren blanket. It has been great and I don't need another stroller but that stroller envy is creeping its way in.

I discovered the Britax B Ready stroller this week as I was helping Libby with her baby registries. Some of my online mom friends have this and love it! And Wowza! Have you seen this thing?! It is the only stroller you will ever need. It starts out with the "toddler" seat which is recommended for a baby 6 months and older because it does not recline completely. The toddler seat can be replaced by a variety of seats for a newborn. The bassinet or a carseat. The Britax Chaperone infant seat and the Britax B Safe carseat both will snap onto the stroller as well. They also make a universal adapter that will allow any carseat to snap in.

The toddler seat and whichever newborn seat you choose can be turned forward or backward! Now, here's why it's the only stroller you'll ever need! It becomes a double when your family grows!! And it's a stacked double instead of a side by side. It looks similar to a Phil and Teds but the newborn attachments remind me of an UPPAbaby. So it's the best of both worlds! There are a variety of ways to snap the seats in and you're good to go up to 55 pounds. So don't you think I'll need this stroller when I have my next babe? Yea, I do too.

Of course, for now my Maclaren is more than adequate! :)

Homemade Crockpot Chili

2012-03-06T12:30:00.002-08:00

My husband says I make the best chili he's ever had. I don't know I'm going to go that far but I will say it's pretty good. We like to make it a lot through the fall and winter. It's just the perfect meal for cold weather. Here's how I make it.

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground sausage
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 large onion- chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 clove garlic- minced
1 bay leaf
Sour cream- garnish
Cheddar cheese-garnish

Directions
1. Brown your meat. I mix both the ground turkey and ground sausage and brown in large skillet together. Throw in some crushed black pepper.

2. While your meat browns open your cans of tomatoes. Empty cans into crockpot, juice and all. Open and rinse your beans under cold water, then add to crock pot.

3. Dice your onion. I like to follow how Pioneer Woman says to chop an onion. It's really easy! Now add into crock pot.

4. Measure and add your seasoning. I sometimes add jalapeño or crushed red pepper. Sometimes paprika. Add whatever you like according to the level of spice your family enjoys.

5. Add your browned meat to the crockpot and stir. Cover and cook on warm for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

6. Serve with your favorite chili side and garnish. We enjoy sour cream and cheese and a good crusty bread on the side. It's best followed by a slice of pumpkin pie in the fall, but we're not always so lucky.

ENJOY!

First Conversation.

2012-03-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Oliver and I had our first conversation yesterday. The first one where we actually talked back and forth. Here's how it happened.

We were eating breakfast around 10am, as usual. ;) I said "Did you sleep well last night baby doll?" He replied by shaking his head yes. I went on, "I'm glad you slept well, that means mommy did too!" "Did you have any dreams, Oliver" To which he shook his head yes again. I replied, "Oh really? What did you dream about?" He very seriously said, "Bah." --"Bah" is what he says for a variety of things he loves including his nursies, his bottle, sometimes me, and anything else he's interested in. I said, "Oh wow, honey! That's so neat! I had a dream that I was at Sephora with some friends from high school and we were all getting makeovers there!" He literally laughed out loud in response!

It was so cute and so sweet. I can't believe he's big enough to have a conversation with me!

Wean Me Gently

2012-02-25T21:27:00.001-08:00

I found this poem tonight when looking on Best for Babes Facebook page. Are you friends with them? They post wonderful articles about breastfeeding and birth every day. Anyway, as I was looking through their wall photos I found a link to this poem.

Wean Me Gently

I know I look so big to you,
Maybe I seem too big for the needs I have.

But no matter how big we get,

We still have needs that are important to us.

I know that our relationship is growing and changing,

But I still need you. I need your warmth and closeness.

Especially at the end of the day,

When we snuggle up in bed.

Please don't get too busy for us to nurse.

I know you think I can be patient,

Or find something to take the place of nursing;

A book, a glass of something,

but nothing can take your place when I need you.

Sometimes just cuddling with you,

Having you near is enough.

I guess I am growing and becoming independent,

But please be there.

This bond we have is so strong and so important to me,

Please don't break it abruptly.

Wean me gently,

Because I am your mother,

And my heart is tender.

By Cathy Cardall

What a beautiful poem that describes so much of a nursing relationship. I'm so glad I found it tonight. People as me when I'm going to wean Oliver. I tell them when he's good and ready. And as his mother who loves our time cuddling, I hope it's not any time soon. Wean me gently.

Do you shop at Once Upon a Child?

2012-02-24T09:29:00.001-08:00

I love hitting our local consignment sales to do the majority of Oliver's clothing shopping. We sometimes have to fill in the gaps with stops at Once Upon a Child. Oliver's crazy mom did not think about him needing a larger size to finish the winter. And consequently he had outgrown all his clothing in length. So yesterday after his Dr. appointment we went on a small shopping spree. --I was not planning on going if we got news he had something contagious but his Dr. diagnosed him with Roseola which is a viral infection that causes a few days of fever followed by a rash. I'm glad we went in because they wanted to do a strep test just to rule it out and thankfully it was negative. His ears also looked good which is another blessing--

Back to our shopping spree. I was really enjoying my time out of the house. My car has been out of commission for quite a while now and it is so hard to be stuck at home all week long. Kurt came home early so I could take Oliver to his appointment and it worked out for both of us. Kurt got some time alone at home to blare his music and watch whatever he wanted, and I got some time out in the real world, which I really needed. I discovered that Oliver is in his hardest size to find, yet. I had to search through all the 12 month section as well as the 18 month section because 12-18 month clothes were found in both! Oliver was content in his stroller with awesome toy that attaches to anything (stroller, carseat, highchair, bouncy seat, etc) that Kurt's mom got for him. We were good to go! Here's what I found- all for $57, I think that's pretty good.

T shirts- 2 new with tags (bought short sleeved so they're good for spring)

3 pairs of pants, I love the skinny leg jeans on the Right

Old Navy, Chaps, and Zutano rompers. Love the funky colors of Zutano clothing!

Pull over hoodie

Funky Baby Gap set. I love the linen pants! couldn't pass it up!

So we got 6 stamps on our Once Upon a Child card and headed out to the car. Loaded up our goods and turned right back around and walked down the side walk to Platos Closet. Do you ever shop there? I really don't. I think I've been there once before yesterday. They had so many clothes and I was on a time crunch so I checked out the dresses and the tank tops. Here's what I got. Mommy deserves a treat too, right? :) Especially since she's lost another 5 pounds! 10 pounds from pre- pregnancy weight!

The shirt is Gap and the dress was new with tags and is perfect for nursing! Can't go wrong there! Thanks for reading!

New furniture!

2012-02-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

Have you seen my old couch? The one that was Kurt's great- grandmother's couch? The one that's sturdy but ugly as sin. The one with the surefit slipcover that I adjust all day long. Guess what? It's no longer an eye sore in my living room! It's morphed into our bedroom to deal with later but now my living room is neatly decorated with a chocolate brown sofa and matching love seat and a leather ottoman! The ottoman is doubled as our coffee table. Something I've wanted for a long time! It's perfect for children. There are no sharp corners, no glass to bang on (like our old one), and it doubles for seating if need be. I'm in love.

Guess where this furniture came from? I'm almost embarrassed to tell you... We shopped our main local stores without much avail and then decided to try Value City Furniture. We were surprisingly impressed with their selection and their prices. We made our selection after a few hours of my indecisiveness, but I am pleased. It was just delivered today and the delivery men were fabulous! They moved our old couch (which was pushed in the middle of the room along the edge of the kitchen) into our bedroom for us. They had to get crafty to get it through the door but they did great without hurting a thing! AND get this, Oliver was napping in our bedroom and they didn't even wake him! Needless to say I was totally impressed!

So do you want to see our new furniture? Will an iPhone pic do? No?! Ok I'll get a better one.

Alright, while the pictures are uploading let me tell you the room is not yet complete. I've had my eye on an accent chair but I'm waiting to actually purchase it for a few reasons. Here's the one I'm eyeing. Do I need one or two? If I buy it now I have to get a new rug and cover the red stripped pillows that came with the couches. So you understand that will wait a bit. For now, I'm very happy. Thanks Kurt!! <3

A beauty outing.

2012-02-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

Libby and I had a fabulous day on Saturday. We had an appointment with the best hair dresser ever, David at Max Hair and Nails. I was getting highlights and Libby needed a trim. We enjoyed Starbucks while we were pampered and I even painted my nails while my dye sat. Is that tacky? They do nails there but they were really busy so I did my own! With my own polish of course. Have you ever tried Essie nail polish? OhMeeeGeee it's the BEST polish I've ever used. I bought 5 colors last week and have tried two of them and love them both!

After our salon session I was itching to get to Sephora just to continue our beauty day and to see what I could blow some money on since I saved money by painting my own nails! ;) So we made our way to the mall, which I hardly ever go to anymore. At Sephora we had a grand old time trying on makeup. Don't you love that you can test everything out before you buy? It's wonderful! I have had my eye on Nars Orgasm blush for a couple years and have never dropped the bucks on it. Well you know what, how often do you buy blush? Not that often. So I did what any girl would do when she's on a beauty outing and bought what I wanted.

I got Nars Orgasm blush.
Boxum Blackest Black Mascara
Tarina Tarintino Eye Dream Highligh Duo

I left one happy camper. Since then I'm VERY happy with the makeup choices I made. The mascara is the best mascara I've ever tried. It goes on so nicely and I don't have very long eyelashes, as in, my eyelashes are short. And I really love it. My only complaint is that the eye shadow in freaking hard to open, isn't that weird? I chipped a pretty red nail trying to open it so that made me unhappy.

Thanks for reading!

Have you met the Boob Man?

2012-02-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

"Sh*t Crunchy Mamas Say"

2012-01-31T16:27:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine posted this to her Facebook and I got a kick out of it. I have to admit to either saying or thinking probably 90% of the things she says. It's good to laugh at yourself though, right? So here's to laughing at ourselves.

Oliver's Movie!

2012-01-23T15:59:00.000-08:00

Kurt made a movie that we played at Oliver's birthday party. He documented Oliver's first year wonderfully and I can't stop watching the video. I love seeing Oliver's milestones and how he's grown and changed this year. I love my baby boy!

Oliver's Birthday Party!

2012-01-22T16:11:00.000-08:00

Well we did it. We pulled it off. Oliver's sock monkey party was last night and we had a great time. I loved having our friends here to celebrate with us. I feel so blessed to have such great friends here in Knoxville. Kurt's parents were able to come for the party and we were so glad to have them here as well. Here are some pictures of the party for the family that could not make it here. I got a lot of my ideas from pinterest, which I'm so grateful for! *Recipes at bottom*

Thanks Aunt Libby for making our cake!

Drink table- green sweet tea, IBC root beer, coke, water

Coffee with sock monkey stirring sticks!

Smash cake- which Oliver wasn't very interested in

Food Table!!

Favors!

Make your own sock monkey puppet!

Party Hats

Oliver's "guest book"

Monkey Butt!

And Oliver's friend Jack playing the guitar!

Recipes

Pulled Pork

Spinach and Artichoke dip-

Taco Dip

Banana Pudding-- This is a dear friend's recipe and it's the best banana pudding I've ever had!

INGREDIENTS-

1 large box VANILLA pudding

Cool whip

Milk

Bananas

Vanilla wafers

Make pudding using 1/2 cup LESS than directed on box. For big box use 2.5 cup cold milk instead of 3. Chill according to box directions. Mix spoonful of cool whip with pudding. Layer pudding, banana slices, wafers, cool whip until gone. I topped my banana pudding cups with crushed vanilla wafers. The cups I used in the pictures came from dollar tree and were disposable.

ENJOY!