Krannert

Today, we met Holly, Keira (KiKi according to Owen), and Caden for a great time! We had lunch together at Krannert's little cafe and then went to see Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem. They're a group of 4 who play the fiddle, bass, guitars, and a drum set made up of boxes, an old suitcase, and some tin cans.  They played lots of fun songs that the kids could dance and do motions to.  We were in the small theater with only about 50 people in attendance, so Owen roamed all over throughout the experience.  But he enjoyed doing some motions to the songs and definitely clapped along! He also loved to name the color of lights as they changed throughout the show.  Such a fun experience.  Thanks for the invite Holly!

Here's our little theater goers.  The pics I took inside the theater were way too dark:

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

There really aren't that many adorable Valentine craft projects to make for boys to wear, but I had to do something. Especially since we aren't making valentines for friends quite yet. I had bought Owen this red onesie for a Christmas shirt that never got made, so I just found a cute graphic of a robot and cut it out of fuzzy, adhesive vinyl for his V-day shirt. Definitely the cutest valentine ever!

latest craftiness

I've had a couple fun bow orders in the last 2 weeks! The first was a little set for a baby girl shower. J gave me complete freedom in making whatever bows I wanted. Hope the new little baby (ok, more so her mom) loves them!

The next one was SO fun and will definitely be going up in the Etsy shop at some point after Ellie gets here. V wanted a bow for every month of the year! I actually made her a few extra as well such as Illini pom poms for the fall and a few little bows to complete the set. But I think we got all the major holidays covered. :)

Last Monday, we had a sprinkle for a gal in our small group who is expecting her second boy, Nolan.  Even though it was a mostly a diapers and wipes shower, I thought the little guy needed one outfit in his wardrobe made especially for him:

30 weeks!

Ellison: is as big as a cabbage.  She's about 3 pounds and is almost 16 inches!

Me: I'm definitely feeling pregnant!  I've had to put away the medium maternity shirts and a few pairs of jeans that I really liked.  Still don't feel quite as big as I did with Owen and my weight gain hasn't been as much as with him, so I cannot complain.  But I'm slowing down.  I definitely take advantage of Owen's afternoon naps a few days a week.  Starting to feel my stomach stretching and breathing's getting a little more difficult.  But overall, not terrible.

Last appointment:  Owen had a blast with Aubrey, Gabe, and Mataya while I got blood work done and met with Ray.  My blood work came back fabulous.  No gestational diabetes for me.  Thanks for the prayers on that!  I really enjoy Ray, despite him being so quiet when you talk to him.  We got so caught up in conversation that I didn't even ask what her heartbeat was when he listened.  But everything was good.  He's letting me go for one more 4 week period before we switch to the every 2 week appointments.  We're still working on figuring out if I'll even be allowed to deliver on the 4th floor because of the heart stuff.  No one really knows the answer to that as of yet.

Sleep: Still only sleeping with one extra pillow but that's probably going to need to change soon .  I remember in pre-pregnancy when I wanted to roll over all I did was roll over and go back to sleep.  Now it goes a little like this.  I want to roll over.  Then I think, do I really want to roll over?  I move the pillows, and slowly pull my belly over to the other side, trying to ignore pains that shoot through me in multiple areas.  And then inevitably I fart. (Oh sorry, was that TMI).  Seriously, William just laughs.

Food cravings: not too many specific cravings.  Well, do sweets count?  Definitely loving powdered donuts and Milk Duds.  I promise I eat lettuce sometimes. :)

What I'm working on: This past weekend, my mom came for Friday and Saturday.  It was so wonderful having her here!  She played with Owen while I got lots of stuff done.  She also gave me a little sewing lesson on a friend's daughter's jeans.  Now I feel like I can hem some of Owen's stuff without having to ship it off to her. She also helped me finalize (I think) what I'm doing paint wise in her room.  Everything else I'm still clueless about.  Whew, talk about getting down to the wire here.  This week's project is cleaning everything out of the craft room and condensing it into a much smaller space in the guest room.  Hoping the blank room gets me inspired to get moving!

Craft wise, I've had a few more orders this week for bows, but did have time to finish up these little booties for her that match an adorable outfit my mom got her.  Going to try and get a couple hats finished up for her this weekend.  I think I have 2 more projects for other people, one ordered and one shower gift and then I'm shutting down the Etsy site and focusing on making adorable things for MY girl. :)  That's still so much fun to say.

I did her first load of laundry this week.  I have been so blessed by Summer who has 4 little girls and has shared her beautiful loot of clothes.  I had fun dumping out all the bags and tallying up what I have and what I need to get still.  It's amazing how quickly you forget how LITTLE 0-3 month clothing is.  I may have choked up a little while praying over her clothes.  And that little teddy bear was my first teddy bear.  It's pretty limp with not much stuffing, but can't wait to put it in her room.

And lastly, a picture.  William and I have been bad about taking official ones, so here's a bathroom shot.  This is from the morning, I definitely look bigger by the time dinner rolls around. :)

bathroom redo

I'm slowly slowly working my way through my downstairs projects. I saved up enough to do something with our one downstairs half bath. My goal was to make it prettier for about $150 or less. Here's a picture from the day we closed on the house.  It's your builder basic bathroom.  

This project started about 4 months ago, when I was at Lowes and came across a mirror that was half off because of this little dent.  So easy to repair with furniture markers, which we already own.  Even though I didn't love the curved mirror, I hadn't planned on replacing it.  But for half off, it went in my cart and sat in the basement until I had more inspiration for the bathroom.

Next step was finding pictures to base the color scheme around.  I found 3 prints at Gordman's and had them color match one of them for my focal wall.  I've also been scouring places like TJ Maxx for some sort of storage solution since there we have a pedistool sink, meaning no storage.  What I found was not at all what I was looking for (a book rack), but I think it will work for right now.  We have quite a bit of tan paint left over from one of our houses, so the next step was painting the 3 walls and then the bathroom sat for a little bit while we figured out to get the mirror down since it was good and glued on. 

I looked at tons of websites to get an idea of how to get rid of the mirror.  We ended up having to buy a little wire saw from Amazon.  We taped the mirror in case it broke, and he pulled the saw back and forth behind the mirror until it cut through the glue.  It took a good chunk out of the wall!  But a little spackle and a day to dry did the trick.  It didn't look perfect, but since a new mirror was going to hang over it, it didn't really matter.

Then, I started painting the one orange wall.  Foil does a nice job helping get behind the toilet without getting tons of paint on the back of the toilet.  My goal was to use NO tape while painting this room.  My cutting in is getting pretty good, if I don't say so myself.  But getting into tight spaces to make very straight lines was definitely a little tough with this belly!

And here's the final product.  The new mirror with tan and orange wall.  New towels.

Still deciding if I need to put something over the toilet.

I really like these prints!  I color matched the middle orange flower for the wall color.

Hold reading material for our guests, extra towel, and I need to work on the top rack.

So here is my final breakdown:

mirror - $32
orange paint - sample $4, quart $14
toilet paper holder - $7
book holder - $25
pictures - $45
2 new hand towels - $7
trash can - $25 (seriously, I can't believe I spent that, but we have pricey taste)
tan paint - free because we owned it
furniture markers - free because we owned it

---

total - $159

$9 over what I wanted to spend but I got a new mirror!  That's huge!  Did I mention that I did everything myself (ok, except the mirror).  Pretty proud of that.  Ok, onto the next project.

my first sewing projects!

Have I introduced you to my sewing machine yet?  I'm still working on a name for it.  Betsy?  Fred?  It needs a name.  Because I'm in love with it.  I've made my way through my instruction booklet.  I've practiced threading my needle, making bobbins, undoing some jams, and sewing basic stitches.  So I thought I was ready for my first project. Enter Pinterest.  I saw these adorable knit baby hats (the picture will link you to the tutorial) and thought, how perfect for my first project.  Veteran sewers who are reading this are already laughing at me.  Others don't understand.  I didn't either.

It took me all of about 5 minutes to realize that knit fabric is REALLY hard to work with.  Like jam your machine multiple times hard.  I tried different presser foots, looked at many tutorials online, and even tried using a double needle.  And then, after talking with my master seamstress of a mom, I packed that knit fabric up and stashed it in a closet for way later in my sewing career.

Enter cotton fabrics and my next attempts worked way better!  I had received a couple nursing covers for Owen and loved them and used them very hard.  I wanted to make one that was a little wider then my first one to make sure no one got a side boob shot.  And I wanted a heavier fabric than cotton to make sure it laid down nice.  I found this amazing tutorial that walked me through it step by step.  I picked out a home decorators fabric that has NO pink in it.  Aren't you proud of me?  I'm coming to the realization that my budget is not going to allow for a new diaper bag.  So, I wanted a fabric that had some green it.  I love the results.  My new nursing cover.  Sewn by me:

the boning was a little tricky to sew, but it makes the top pop out so I can look down at Ellie

I also thought it would be nice to have their diapers separated in the diaper bag and that way I can pull out Owen's little bag when he goes to the 2's class and I keep the main bag with Ellie and me.  So I made her little diaper pouch using the rest of the above fabric and then made Owen's a little more boyish.  I used this tutorial from A Lemon Squeezy Home.

I think I'm liking this whole sewing thing,.  Sorry mom that it took me 30 years. :)

snow day

Last week (or was it 2 weeks ago?) when we got a lot of snow, we didn't make it outside because William wasn't feeling great. So yesterday, when we woke up to a light dusting, we bundled up and headed out for Owen's first real experience in the snow. Don't laugh. Yes, we pulled him in the sled with that little of snow. And yes, it took longer to get bundled up than we actually stayed outside. He's a firstborn, ok? :)

almost ready to head out

in the sled with dad

tasting snow for the first time

eating the snow turned out to be his favorite activity of the morning

Tag Along Gym

I was very excited to get to take Owen to Tag Along Gym this past Thursday. Anne had invited us before but we couldn't make it. For local moms who want the info, it's held at the Savoy Rec Center on Thursday mornings from 9-11:30 and costs $3 ($4 for non residents).

We met Anne/Alex/Ben and 2 other moms and I was impressed with all the stuff they had out for the kids! It was a great way to hang out with some other moms and let Owen run off some steam since it was pouring all day long!  I was also excited to run into my neighbor who I've been trying to get to know better.  Some of the things they had were: slides, a table for snacks, big boxes to sit and color in, a tent with beanbags, lots of tunnels, balls, big blocks, tons of cars for pushing/riding, a little bounce house, and even a low balance beam. Even though it's not free like FCC, we will definitely be going again!

bad pic, but you can see Alex and Charlie having fun in the bounce house

favorite of the day: the slide!

just a shot of some of the other stuff they had out

I only got him to go in there by pointing out the cow on the rug

visit from Sara

How did I not post these? A few weekends ago, Sara and Liana came up for a visit! I love friends where you can not leave the house all day, but still have a blast. It was just so fun watching our babies play together. Our babies. Sometimes, I still find it hard to believe I can write that! Here's a few pictures from the day:

Look how big I'm getting!  I'm almost 1!!

don't take my pear

bath time with friends is so much fun!

he's already in love.  and we approve. :)

27 weeks

Last Friday, I was 27 weeks!  That means I'm starting the THIRD TRIMESTER.  Holy cow.  No wonder I'm starting to feel pretty pregnant. :)  Ellie is about the size of head of cauliflower, weighing in at about 2 pounds and 14.5 inches long.  I'm feeling her kick and squirm as I type this. 

Miss Ellison:  She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and maybe even sucking her fingers.  While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now.  That is amazing to me.
Me: starting to slow down a bit.  Feeling more tired and often have to take a little snooze during Owen's nap in the afternoon.  Better actually get started on Owen and E's rooms before I lose all energy.  Weight gain is fairly consistent with what I gained with Owen and the belly button is really starting to stretch out! But overall, still feeling pretty good.
Sleep: had William pull out the huge preggo pillow this week from the basement.  But it's a little big and I decided I wasn't quite ready for that loss of real estate on the bed.  As with Owen, sleeping with a pillow between my legs (as many pregnant ladies do) just makes my hips hurt worse, so currently just sleeping with a pillow under the belly for extra support.
Food cravings: nothing really standing out these past couple weeks.  I have been eating clementines like crazy, but that's about it.
What I've been working on: well, the list is long.  But unfortunately, most of it is not baby stuff. One of my good friends who I taught with in Indiana is having her baby shower this week, so had to do some crafty stuff for her.  My downstairs bathroom is almost done with new paint and a few accessories.  We just have to take the mirror down and replace it (long story and more on that in another post).  And working on organizing my recipes.  On the list this week is nailing down a design concept for her room, ordering Owen's new furniture, knitting Ellie something, finishing the bathroom, and finishing Owen's baby book (hangs head in shame).
Praying for: this Thursday I have my 28 week appointment which means the fabulous orange drink and bloodwork to test for gestational diabetes.  I didn't have it with Owen, but with my sis having diabetes I'm at a higher risk.  Just praying everything comes back normal.  I'd really hate to give up the few more months of freedom to eat McDonald's fries as much as I want. :)
And a picture before church this morning: