my blog

what’s in a bag.

ETA: Hi Ladies! Sorry about not answering the comments, as I've been on a bit of a blog break. The grey colored back is from Skip*Hop and the black polka dot bag is from one of those home purse parties, and I cannot for the life of me think of the name and Google has failed me. Thanks for the sweet comments! 

After my experience with Grey (water breaking, very un-expectedly and hastily packing a hospital bag at 4 in the morning) I learned my lesson, be prepared, pack ahead and take some pictures too!

So, want to know what’s in my bag?

Well, I’m going to tell you…

First of all, I pack VERY, VERY light when I have my babies. I have two bags, 1 for baby and 1 for me. They are both average size and filled with only essentials.

First up, the little mans bag.

All those yummy little baby things tucked away neatly into little pockets… I am getting SO excited to meet this little guy!

Lets take a closer look shall we.

The hospital will provide diapers and wipes, baby shampoo etc. But I have my own things that I prefer to use. (don’t worry, of course I’ll load up on the free diapers when we leave)

The little knit cap was the same one both Hunter and Grey wore, so it’s really special to me. The hospital will give this little guy his own hat too, but I love the idea of my boys all wearing the same one.

The hand sanitizer is for quick wash ups after the millions of diaper changes a newborn baby goes through, and of course a quick spritz of their hands when the kids come to visit their new brother.

2 different kinds of soothers. I think we went through about 5 different brands before we found one Grey would take.

The blanket on the bottom (blue with boats) is another receiving blanket that I’m bringing.

It was so hard to choose only 4 outfits to bring, especially since we have no idea how big he’s going to be. (gestational diabetes baby's are usually bigger) But finally after some careful consideration, these are the four I picked.

I am so excited about my baby wipes/washcloths that I made. I hate using cold wet wipes on my new baby. (they usually hate it too… LOL)  I would buy a package of face cloths and just use those for the first 4-6 weeks or so; wet with warm water and wash. But this time around I figured why not make my own. They are double thickness and the exact same size as a wipe, so they fit in a wipes container perfectly. I sewed a simple border all the way around the edges. I know they’re going to fray once they get washed a couple times, but who cares, they wipe up poop for goodness sakes. Anyways, I got to pick adorable fleece fabric prints and they worked out costing the same as the store bought face cloths.

My must haves for a new baby. Nail clippers, comb, Vaseline and a nasal aspirator. (Which actually is an ear aspirator, but the nasal ones suck, no pun intended… this is the BEST baby item you could EVER invest in. I honestly believe it saved Lily’s life… but that’s a whole ‘nuther story)

The Vaseline is perfect to just cover the baby’s bum with after diaper changes, then when they have those nasty meconuim, black tar poops, it just wipes right off, so easy and simple. I love it!

The nasal aspirator is perfect for getting those tiny little boogers out of their tiny little nostrils. Stuffy noses are a thing of the past. Plus sometimes they just don’t suction all that gook and stuff out good enough after delivery (which was Lily’s case, who stopped breathing at 6 days old, luckily we had this aspirator, and we sucked mucous out of her like crazy, thank goodness we had it)

Comb and nail clippers… self explanatory.

Last but not least diapers and undershirts. I packed a handful of newborn diapers, since the hospital uses size 1’s and again, not knowing how big he’s going to be, sometimes the size 1’s are HUGE. So it’s nice to have a couple of smaller diapers on hand. I’m not much of an undershirt Momma, but it could be quite cold here (well, as cold as Sarnia gets in September… haha) so I packed a couple just in case the room is chilly or for coming home.

So that’s baby’s bag. Other than throwing in a plastic bag to bring home the dirty, soiled clothes that’s it. Does it seem like too much to you, or are you going crazy thinking I didn’t pack nearly enough?

Think you can stand another bag tour?

This time it’s mine.

Before I un-pack this and show the world my stuff… might I remind you, there’s gonna be girly stuff in there. I will say bra, there will be maxi pads and guess what, I have no shame in showing you these things. Should I?

So, warned.

Alright, lets start with, quite frankly the best part of my bag tour.

Flip flops for the shower and for walking the halls, or even just chillin’ in my room. Easy to slip on and off. The socks were a gift from my Mom, they are infused with lotion and all sorts of yummy smelling stuff.

The chocolate!!! The Mars bar came all the way from England and is patiently waiting to be consumed by yours truly the second the cord is cut. (that literally is when the diabetes will disappear) Snacks for Daddy if he gets hungry. Also I forgot to take a picture, but I have a zip lock baggie of coins for the vending machine for Darren in case he gets hungry or thirsty.

Okay, no need to explain this stuff, but the reason for the sports bra is for when I get into the birthing tub, so I can at least keep some of my dignity.

My going home outfit is a really, really comfy pair of stretch pants (just in case I end up with a c-section, I don’t want anything pressing against my incision) and a long flowy top. Comfort is key, right.

My after delivery outfit is some fresh new lemon pj’s and a really big white shirt that will make breastfeeding easy.

I’m a germ phobic, so the wipes will help to make sure things are clean and sanitary. (bed rails, phone etc.)

Gum is a MUST during labor and delivery. For you, your hubby and even the nurses. (right Nic!)

Our list of phone number of family and friends who will be looking after our children. So we can call once the little guy gets here.

Pretty basic stuff. Love the travel sized bottles. They take up so much less room and can be easily discarded after. I forgot my toothbrush last time, so I bought a new one this time, while I continue to use my current one. ☺

Last but not least, I have a list that is sitting on my fridge of the few last minute things to grab. They are things I use everyday, so I can’t let them just sit in a bag waiting.

I will keep adding to the list as I remember things.. such as my camera. goof.

And that’s it. Everything you wanted to know about me and more. Whatever right. I’m not the first woman to give birth, and definitely won’t be the last.

I have one other bag packed too, but I’ll spare you those pictures. It has the hospital outfits for the children (they have adorable matching shirts…) Okay, one picture…

Hunter and Grey’s

And Ava and Lily’s

Can’t WAIT to see them wearing these and take pictures of our new family together.

4 more days until BABY!!!

car seat blanket tutorial.

Awhile back when I was sharing pictures of the new baby’s clothes, I had mentioned that I had a cute tutorial to share with you, that was so easy your cat could do it. Well, I finally got around to getting it done and blogged. Hope you enjoy!

Now, you could do this 2 ways if you wanted. You could pick your own fabric and sew a simple hem around all 4 edges, or you could use a ready made receiving blanket, or even a thicker lined baby blanket like I chose.

You will also need a coordinating piece of fabric, or ribbon for this project. Luckily for me, when I bought the blanket, it was rolled up and tied with the brown/white band pictured above. Perfect!

Take your blanket and fold it in half.

Mine is all creased and wrinkly, which I’m assuming, is because it was rolled up tight when I bought it. But whatever, I’m trying not to let it bother me…

And then fold it in half again. We’re looking for the middle point people.

Pin out about 3 inches from the center of your blanket, on both sides. (Just ignore my clearly not even pins… LOL!)

Okay. Next step. Take your ribbon, or coordinating fabric and cut two even strips about 6 inches long. If your making your own strip using fabric, you will want to sew it into a tube so that you don’t get raggy edges that fray. Don’t worry about finishing the top and bottom, it won’t notice.

For mine, I just clipped the snaps off the bottom and was ready to go.

Using Velcro or snaps if your heart desires, sew your Velcro to the bottom of your fabric strip.

The second piece of Velcro should go on the opposite side of your fabric strip at the bottom. Be very careful.

It should be able to roll around itself like a bracelet and close up.

Simple so far, right? Well, we’re almost done.

Next up, take your strips of fabric and line the top up with your pin marks on your blanket.

Stitch your strip to your blanket, following the Velcro as your guide.

See only the Velcro part is stitched to my blanket.

The best part about mine, is that you can hardly tell from the back where I stitched it on, because the fabric is so plush.

Line up your second strip evenly and do the same thing. (It totally doesn’t look even in this picture, but I swear it was… LOL!)

And that’s it.

Grab your car seat and try it out.

Push the sun hood back and thread the blanket under the handle.

Loop your straps around the handle and there you have it!

An awesome car seat blanket that won’t shift or fly off on a windy day (I’ve had that happen more times than I can count)

Plus this helps keep people away from touching baby or trying to peek while they’re sleeping.

It keeps it cozy and warm in the winter, but still very accessible to lift and make sure baby is okay. From both the front and back.

A couple of things to remember… every car seat handle is different, so before you sew on the straps just make sure they are going to work with your style of handle. I picked a thicker blanket, since my little guy will be in it most of winter. A thinner cotton would work better for a summer baby. Also make sure your blanket/fabric isn't too big, you don’t want it dragging on the ground or getting all caught up in the base of your car seat when you click it into your vehicle.

So, that’s it. Told ya it was easy. Total time for this project, took me about 20 mins start to finish. Now if your cat does happen to make this, I wanna see some pictures. ;)

Totally off topic… I added a search feature to my blog, after a dear sweet friend of mine couldn’t find a particular post. Since it drives me nuts when I can’t find something I’m looking for, I thought I’d help ya out! ♥

baby stuff.

I figured since I am going to be having a baby soon that I should at the very least give you an update about me and him, who we hope will be making his grand appearance in the next 4-5 weeks.

So, first up blog MIA: reason.

I see 4 different doctors weekly. Plus I have weekly non-stress tests at the hospital, so make that 5 different appointments every week. Why, you might ask. Well it’s not because of my placenta which we thought could be a major concern a few weeks ago. Alas it has moved enough to clear me for a normal delivery.

No, the reason I’m spending more time in a doctors waiting room than in my own house is because I have Gestational Diabetes.

Really not that serious in the grand scheme of things, but something that has to be monitored closely, hence 4 doctors.

So my days are now spent counting carbs, testing my blood, eating food that makes me gag, jabbing needles into my stomach and crying. Not always in that order. ;)

Here’s what I refer to as my bucket of torture.

My day starts off with waking up and testing my blood, what a GREAT way to get the day started. The bonus, the glucometer they gave me is purple. Soooooo cute. (gag)

I prick my fingers (which are starting to bruise and hurt) And test my blood sugars using these.

What a sweet little box of test strips. Guess what they don’t tell you… each strip costs almost a $1 a piece. And, and wait for it… I have to test my blood 8 times a day!!! If you’re real good at math, you’ll know that a dollar a day + 8 times a day + 30 days in a month =$230. That doesn’t even include the cost of lancets (the pricker needle) And there’s more….

Pen needles to buy…

 

For my fancy new consolation prize pen they awarded me with.

Oh, no wait, that isn’t a pen. Just a fancy insulin injector, disguised as a writing utensil.

So I screw a needle on to the top of the pen, hold my breath, jab it in my stomach and squinch my eyes shut and dose myself with insulin.

I know I’m complaining a lot, but let me tell ya. I am a needle phobic! I hate giving blood, I hate getting pricked, I hate IV’s, I hate it all. So to have to inject myself is like the ultimate insult. Plus everything is a one time use. So new lancet, new test strip, new needle tip every single time. It’s starting to add up really, really quickly.

Now, you’d think this is the hardest part of my day. (Well really it’s all I do all day long. Test, eat, test, eat, test, eat.) My dietician has me on a strict diet, which is fine, but I can’t seem to find anywhere on my papers the time where I can eat some chocolate cake. Weird. She must of left it off by accident right? Cause telling a pregnant lady she can’t eat chocolate. Pffttt, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Alright, alright it’s not all doom and gloom, just 95% of it is. The other 5% is spent thinking about how wonderful it’s going to be to snuggle a new little baby, to see what he looks like and have a brand new family member join us, oh, and shopping for a new baby is fun too!!

It’s fun actually, like a challenge finding cute boys clothes, since they are so rare to find. But if you like baseballs, footballs and basketballs you’re golden.

I think I may have done too good a job. We have a very spoiled little boy about to join our family. But he will be stylish that’s for sure.

Before I dive into this, be warned the next however many pictures are going to be filled with pictures of baby clothes, diaper bags and all other sorts of other nonsense for babies. Not your thing? Well then, you can stop reading here and have a nice day. ♥

Lets start off with me. (Cause really, that’s what this is all about)

So I saved my food stamps for a really long time and spoiled myself with a fancy new diaper bag.

I love, love, love everything about this bag! It has tons of pockets, lots of space (since I’ll be packing for 2 little guys) and it is so stylish and funky. Plus it looks more like a purse than a diaper bag which doubles as awesome. It even has clips built into the bag so you can hang it from your stroller bar. It’s a Skip Hop, Studio diaper tote if you’re curious to know more.

And I was just kidding about the food stamp thing. I tried to use them, but they wouldn’t take them at Buy Buy Baby. Weird. ;)

Alright, onto the good stuff. So I’m pretty sure this is what we will be bringing this little guy home from the hospital in.

But just in case he’s too big (sometimes a side effect of GD) we have a back up outfit.

Wanna hear a secret? I picked this outfit up for I think, oh $2.75. A lonely little gem sitting on a clearance rack waiting to come home with me.

Some other favorites of mine…

His first Halloween outfit.

back

His costume will be a secret until Halloween, but trust me it is to DIE for cute.

Then there’s this sweet little outfit my mom brought back from England.

And who can resist an adorable alligator outfit…

When it comes with matching alligator socks…

I bought this one, the day I found out we were having a boy. I think it’s my favorite thing in his closet. It is the softest thing I have ever felt.

And anything to do with pirates is an instant ♥ for me.

A little Church outfit- front

and back

These sweet little vesties.

 

And because who can resist matching brother/brother outfits? I know I can’t!  

(hmmm… I’m thinking green and brown are trends this fall, since that seems to be the bulk of my stuff.)

A sweet little sweat suit. (I truly believe they have cuter boy clothes for fall season)

Really, I could go on all day showing you this little guys clothes, but I’m sure you’re dreadfully bored by now. Just a couple more things and then I’m done I promise…

A new WubbaNub soother for him. (We bought one for Grey, but the soother was really hard and he hated it, but this one has a really soft nipple, and is adorably cute.

Some of the bigger things…

A new Boppy pillow, some receiving blankets (I had so many from Grey, didn’t really need to buy lots) and some newborn diapers.

And his new car seat. We would have used Grey’s old one, but we bought it in the States and found out later that you can’t use an American car seat in Canada. But that’s okay, this time we got a safety seat which goes up to 35 pounds, so he’ll be in it longer, and hopefully by that time Grey will have graduated to our built in car seat (that we have in our van) and this little bug can use Grey’s.

I have a super simple car seat tutorial thing coming up soon. It’s so easy your cat could do it. ;)

The colored buckets up top hold random baby stuff, burp clothes, scratch mittens etc. The laundry tubs have all of Grey’s old clothes divided into 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12+ months. So each time baby grows I can put the next size up into his drawers.

It’s been fun sharing this with you. (and keeping a record for my eventual scrapbook for this little guy) All we need now is a baby.

But not too soon. ;)

it's a.

Alright, I have a confession. Believe it or not, I've been thinking about this for almost a year. It's something I kept from you, and I really, really feel bad about it.

So, now that you're really curious, and some of you probably don't even care about something I lied about well over a year ago, I still need to clear the air.

When I told you we didn't know if Grey was a boy or a girl, well we did. I found out that the 20 week ultrasound and didn't tell anyone. (okay, my mom knew, and my sisters) But in my defense, they love to shop and sent me awesome care packages full of blue goodies.

And there you have it. I knew, he wasn't a surprise and I feel guilty about it to this day. Hence my reasons for spilling the beans about this baby's sex. One thing however I will not tell until the day he/she is born is the name.

Okay, another confession to make. So when I said we didn't have a name picked out and I needed your help, welp I lied about that too. (I am a TERRIBLE person) We totally have a name picked out, I just wanted to hear your ideas of names and believe it or not... the name we chose actually ended up in my comments section!!!

So cool!!

Alright, I'll stop stalling, somewhere on this list of names is our future baby's name

Charlie

Max

Caleb

Corben

Finn

Evan

Vincent

Finley

Winston

Jonas

Trueman

Carson

Daxson

Rushton

Eric

Derek

Brady

Tanin

Benjamin

Hayden

Ryan

Broden

Penn

Tyce

(Guess what it is yet...)

Yup!! Another bouncing baby BOY!!!

We are very excited for Grey to have a little playmate, of course Hunter is thrilled that the boys pulled out into the lead, and Ava cried when she found out it wasn't a little sister.

So anyways, there ya go. Sorry to keep you hanging so long, my parents are coming to visit this Saturday for 10 days, and I've been super busy cleaning, preparing and planning a very special birthday for Hunter.

my baby love.

Yes! I’m having a baby!! (only one though, T) ☺

Now, I know you’re dying to ask all sorts of personal questions, but can’t work up the courage to do it… ☺

So I’ll sum it up for you.

Yes, we planned it

Yes, we know what causes it

Yes, we have cable TV

No, it wasn’t an accident

Yes, we know that will be 5 under 8

and finally Yes, I am happy about it and so is Darren. (well, at least that’s what he tells me…LOL)

Phew, glad we got that out of the way, now onto better news. I’ve kinda been keeping this a secret for awhile. Not really too sure why I didn’t spill sooner. But here’s what I look like…

(sorry, I was having a bad face day)

and… I’m due next month.

No, I’m just kidding, but I am just over 21 weeks pregnant, and this little Halloween pumpkin is due on October 1st.

We even know the sex of the baby!

Aren’t you dying to know?!!

Well I will tell you, soon, but first I want to play a little game with everyone. I want you to leave a comment, and tell me if you were going to have one more baby, what would you call them? One girl and one boy name… we’re still looking, but I don’t want to give up the gender quite yet.

Thanks again for all your patience with me the last 5 months, it must be nice to know why I’ve been a slacker hey.

Also, in regards the Most Creative Mom Contest, I really don’t know what happened. They pulled it, just after I posted my hair band tutorial and said they were going to make some adjustments. It went back up on Facebook about a week later and then was up for one day and pulled again. Never heard anymore about it. But THANK YOU so much for your support, I didn’t win (at least I don’t think I did) But in my heart, I know I’m the most coolest oops, I mean most creative Mom ever. ♥

3 really good excuses.

So, I've left the blogger world hanging again, but I do actually have some really good excuses this time. (as opposed to all the other times... haha)

First thing, I joined this company...

Yup, I'm a Stampin' Up! independent consultant. I've been working around the clock trying to get samples made, kits clubs organized etc. etc. etc. It's keeping me VERY busy, and I love it. I plan to have a website up and running in the next couple weeks (hopefully...) Where you can check out my ideas, kits and so much more. Don't forget... you don't have to live in Sarnia to order Stampin' Up! products from me. ;)

Enough with that, the other really good excuse is my new found hobby... quilting. It sounds so funny, but I seriously cannot get enough of this. I have 2 quilts ready to go to the quilter (or be machine sewn by myself if I can work up the courage to do so) and 2 quilt tops almost finished. It is SO addictive. The pretty fabrics, coming up with the patterns, cutting, sewing and everything else that goes with it. I don't have any pictures of my quilts (cause they're not done yet) But I have some pretty pictures of some quilts I'm dying to make...

 

And about a billion others I want to make... the one thing I have found is that there really isn't that many quilt tutorials for beginners. I've muddled my way through figuring out the basics on my own, so maybe in the future some tutorials will be shared on my blog...

It's not really surprising that I'm completely obsessed with quilting, since I always get really, really addicted to new things when I'm this...

 I figured it was time to tell.

Have a great day!