Great Minds

My mom is an amazing crafter! I owe my love of, and ability for, crafting to her. An added bonus of moving back home is craft time with her. She makes holiday ornaments for friends and family each year and this year I got to be on the creative end instead of just a recipient of a beautiful little treasure.

 
It's a funny story how we decided on the ornament to make this year...
I saw a cute ornament on pinterest (of course) of a snowflake burnt onto a wood cutting. I thought, "hey! this would be fun to do with mom!" The next time I went to visit she had three logs on the floor and she said to me "hey K! I've got an idea for ornaments we can make!"...Turns out great (crafting) minds really do think alike.

We decided to make a day of it and craft our little ornaments while she had time off. The project got off to a bumpy start. I woke to a text from mom saying she couldn't find her wood burner, but she was ordering a new one. Ok, well we can cut and sketch them today and finish them later. Before I made it to her house, I got another text "I found it!" Cool! We're back on track, I thought. When I finally made it to her house, baby in tow, more bad news...This is hardwood and the saw we have isn't the right kind so we have a limited amount of ornaments.

It turned out to be enough and the rest of the day went off without a hitch. The ornaments are darling and I loved spending a day crafting with my mom. I hope for many more days like this in our future.

Month Three

It is  simply amazing to watch this little man grow. Every day is a new adventure! I am in awe of the life that we have created and how perfect he is.

November brought us:

Normalcy - to some extent. The little guy and I have settled into a routine that works for both of us. Some days are better than others, but for the most part we've got it down. This stability helps him almost as much as it helps me. With at least some normalcy back in my life I am able to feel like a human most days.   

Snuggles - Part of this routine includes our mid-morning nap. After he eats his second breakfast of the day, him and I are usually able to catch some ZZZs on the couch. I love snuggle time with this bundle. It warms my soul.

A New Rattle - These little hands are loosening their tightly gripped fists and grabbing onto anything that comes within reach. We decided the step in the direction of motor control warranted a new toy...the ever popular rattle! This one lets him wind his fingers through the ends for easy grabbing and shaking.

The Library - The last time I went to the library was in Grad School. After moving back to my hometown and becoming a stay-at-home mom (at least temporarily), I decided it was time to head to the local library and get myself a card. We made it a family trip, hopefully the first of many. When the boy gets a little older we can take him for story time and to pick out new books to read. The Mister and I love reading and love buying books, we always have. I am hoping the library will be a good way for us to try out new books (especially for the little one) before we buy them.

Thanksgiving - This was the first year in a decade that neither myself nor the Mister had to work. My entire little family got to spend four whole days together for the holiday! I have always loved gathering at my Grandmother's for the feast and this year was the first in many that we have been able to attend, so my heart was happy. I got to work and crafted my little guy an adorable vest. Obviously I forgot to take any good pictures of it, so this one from my phone will have to suffice. But trust me, he was a dapper little baby!

On the plus side, I managed to snag this picture of me with my little man and my dad. Pictures of my dad are almost as hard to get as pictures of my husband!

To top it all off, the following conversation took place between my grandmother and cousin before we all ate dinner...  

G "We're going to be a little cramped" 

J "That just means our family is growing" 

G "Well the rest of you girls better take your pills!" 

My grandma has never been one mince her words!

and finally...

Teeth?!? - I thought we had a few more months before his little chompers started coming in...but it seems I might have been mistaken. He is exhibiting some tell-tale signs of teething. Hopefully we will know soon if that is whats really going on

 

Happy Halloween

As I am sure I have mentioned a number of times, we love Halloween in this house! I decorate the inside, the Mister decorates the outside, and we both decorate ourselves. This year we got to add a baby to the mix! And let me tell you...dressing up a little one is amazing! I loved every minute of planning and crafting. 

The Mister and I like to think of the perfect costumes throughout the year, modifying and changing our ideas right up until craft time. This year we cheated a little and reused our pirate costumes. But can you blame us? Having a two month old doesn't allow for a lot of time at the sewing machine

On Halloween, we all answered the door together. Because aside from dressing my own family, I love seeing all the little ghouls and goblins that venture out. Living in this small town, we don't get nearly as many as we did in the city, but they are adorable just the same. I love listening to moms as they explain the steps to newbie trick-or-treaters and hearing the little ones mumble our "trick-or-treat" as they hold out their little pumpkin buckets.

However you spent your Halloween, I hope you had as much fun as we did! Now it's time for this family to eat too much candy as we start planning next year's costumes and decorations =)

 

Is that not the cutest little tail feather you've ever seen?

Month Two

This big guy weighed in at 12 pounds 11 ounces, and 22.5 inches at his nine week check up, double what he weighed when we brought him home. That makes for one happy momma!

October brought us:

• Smiles - We got to see the first of many little baby smiles. And we learned that our handsome guy has his Daddy's little smirk.

• Friends and Family - We got a visit from Grandma Deb, lots of video chats with Nan and Aunt O, and one whole evening spent with Gramma Lisa while Mommy went to dinner with friends for some much needed adult time. And baby's new smiling skill was shared with all of his grandmas, much to their delight. We also visited Mommy's cousin and friend and their kiddos. This community is the main reason we moved back home this summer. I can't imagine this little man growing up without these great people in his life! 

• Fingers - Little man has started to figure out how to get his fingers to his mouth for some soothing sucking. It's not 100 percent, and his thumb is still evading him, but when his fist finds his mouth he seems like one satisfied baby. All the drool and sucking noises just add to the cuteness.

• HAIR! - He was born with a little bit of hair, most of which fell out in the first couple of weeks. While it's difficult to make out in pictures, this month we noticed the growth of new hair. Fine, fuzzy, lovely little hair. It seems to be filling in by the day. I am enjoying petting this soft little baby fuzz while it lasts

and last, but certainly not least...

• Halloween - Mommy and Daddy's favorite holiday! I couldn't wait to start planning and crafting a costume for this little guy. The mister and I talked about it long before the baby was even born. We were able to reuse our costumes from years past and add a new, baby twist! You can expect a post on that in the next few days.

Baby's First Craft Project

Mommy is a crafter, Grandma is a crafter...baby is going to be a crafter. At least he will for as long as Mommy gets to choose the activities. It seemed fitting that the little man's first craft project would be a card for his Grandma.

I love all the hand and footprint crafts that exist for remembering tiny little fingers and toes. I thought for sure me and my little one could create one easy as pie... I forgot to consider that he keeps his hands in tight little fists until he falls asleep. "No problem, I'll just wait until he is napping", I said foolishly.

Baby asleep, paint ready, I placed his hand into the paint and he instantly curled it back up into a tight, paint covered, ball. Lets consider this just one more challenge in creating a wonderful house warming card for my mom. I managed to coax his hand back open and slap it onto the card before anything other than my hands, his hands, and his little shirt sleeves received a fresh coat of paint. I consider that a win. 

Next time we'll try using his little foot...

Month One

One month old and handsome as can be. This little guy just keeps getting pudgier and more adorable with every passing day. The two of us have started leaving the house on little adventures, mostly small ones to grandma's house or the grocery store. These little adventures are his introduction to this great big world and mine to life as a mom.

This week we had to retire some of the little clothes that he outgrew. I almost cried. It is such a battle between wanting him to stay my tiny little bundle, and excitement at watching him grow and learn and change. So I try to be present for each little moment, each tiny wonder. I try to appreciate every minute that I get to spend with this little guy.

Now that he has gotten a little bit bigger we are moving on to cloth diapers. They are so much less waste and they are softer on baby's bottom. But let's face it, the cuteness factor is what really sells them! =)

A is for Apple Picking

Yesterday was the first day of fall and my first in the beautiful foliage of Northern New York in ten years. This time around I have a wonderful husband and beautiful baby boy to enjoy it with.

The little man will be a month old in two days. He and I have been more or less cooped up for the last four weeks. Apple picking was our first family adventure. We grabbed grandma and went to a little orchard nearby. This was also our first use of the Moby...it was a little confusing at first, but worked out well for our wandering. The mister and my mom were able to get some good pictures in the lovely fall sunshine as well as a couple pecks of apples to turn into delicious baked goods. The weather was amazing, it was warm and sunny, with exceptional blue skies. It was a wonderful day spent with my perfect little family. 

Sean Padraig

August 26, 2014, our little man's due date. No one thought that he would actually be born *on* his due date. The Mister and I were betting on about a week late. First pregnancies usually run long, boys tend to come late, the Mister was late...surely our little man was going to take his time. So, imagine my surprise  on Monday night when my water broke...well little man, you sure did get your daddy's sense of timing.

My labor was not uneventful, it did not go exactly as planned, but I brought our son into the world happy and healthy, and that is what is important.

The contractions started around 9:00 pm on Monday. The mister and I met my mom at the hospital around  3:00 am. I labored thorough the night and was seen by the doctor at around 8:00 am. By 10:00 am having been in labor for 12 hours the doctor wanted to start me on pitocin. I didn't want to, but for fear of infection we decided to do what we needed to in order to progress with the labor. Needless to say my body didn't want the pitocin either and I had a bad reaction to it. The nurses took me off of the pitocin within a few minutes of starting it. I was then informed that the doctor wanted to do an internal monitor. This might have been the most terrifying moment of the entire labor. When I asked how this was done the nurse stated "with screws". What? You want to put screws into my baby's head?!? Absolutely not. The Mister called his mom (a retired OB/GYN, lucky us) and she encouraged us to proceed with the monitor as it was not as serious as they made it sound and would give a better idea of what was needed for me and the baby. Fortunately, before any of this could take place our little man decided he was ready to make his entrance. My contractions started feeling more like pushes and soon the delivery room was filled with nurses. I don't have a good concept of time for any of the labor, but the delivery felt like it went very quickly. So after 15 hours of labor, with no pain medications, I saw my little man, Sean Padraig, enter the world at 12:38 pm on 8/26/14.

People told me that I would hate my husband, that I would say terrible things while in labor. None of this was true for me. I was so thankful for my husband (and my mother) who helped me through the entire process. I never hated either of them, only loved them more for supporting me. My love for my husband grew more than I knew it could during labor and after. Seeing him with our son was one of the happiest moments of my life. Every time he holds our son the love I thought was to bursting grows a little more.

What no one told me was how much I would miss my husband. We spent two days together in a little hospital room after the baby was born and I felt like I never got to see him. I spent my time feeding the baby and drifting in and out of sleep, while he sat in the chair on the other side of the room. When we got home he had to go back to work so I only got to see him in the evenings and on his days off. After a couple days I broke down in his arms and told him how much I missed him. 

Things are beginning to settle into a routine and yesterday I was able to snuggle with my husband while watching movies as the baby slept. It was the little things that I missed during the early days. Each day I am learning how to live this new life as wife and mother. It is an exceptional challenge and I love every moment.

Our little man will be two weeks old tomorrow. It is still hard to believe he is ours. Having a baby to love and nurture is more overwhelming than I had ever imagined, and more amazing. This little person depends on us for everything, doesn't speak our language, and has no concept of time. He is our world. I love watching him. I love being his mom. I am so excited about this grand adventure that the three of us are making together!

My Little Bumblebee

My apologies for the extended absence from regular blogging. I have been working on a different type of craft project =) Next month the mister and I will welcome out first born into the world. We have been busily attempting to ready ourselves for this wonderful addition. And this has left little time for projects or blogging on my part.

This past weekend my lovely mother hosted a baby shower for me and the theme was bumblebees. I was told I had to be very "hands-off" and couldn't help with the decorating, or the gifts, or anything for that matter. With all the cute ideas out there for bumblebees I had to get my hands dirty somehow. I decided a cute bib necklace would do the trick.

The shower was perfect. Thank you to all those who could attend, and to those who were there in spirit as well. Our new little bundle of joy has very generous friends and family and will be welcomed into the world with lots of love.

The Man of My Dreams

At the end of January I married the man of my dreams. We had a very simple ceremony at City Hall.

The mister and I have been a couple for nearly ten years, and friends for even longer. This wedding was more a confirmation of the vows we have been living all along. We wanted to keep it simple because that is how we live. No big show, no fancy party, just close friends and family members to celebrate the love that we share.

For us, our love and our life is what constitutes a marriage and we have had that for ten years. I am proud to now call Ryan my husband, he has been that in my heart all along.