All Smiles

Why is she so happy?

Well, for one, she's been wearing big girl panties for over a week now with no accidents.

I, for one, am so proud of her...and happy that I get a break from diapers before the new baby comes!

For more Wordless Wednesday, check out 5 Minutes For Mom.

All Smiles

Kick, Baby, Kick

Sunday night and all day Monday I was having painful cramps. I called my midwife, who came to my house directly from being at a birth all day to check and make sure things were okay.

As she was using the doppler, I felt it: three good kicks. The baby's heartbeat is fine, and the cramps have stopped, and I'm so relieved now that I feel the baby move!

At 20 weeks, I am halfway there. And I'm finally starting to relax.

Kick, Baby, Kick

Disney On Ice Show!

Recently I had posted about Disney On Ice and the great discounts available through Mom Central.

Thanks to Mom Central, The Knight and I were able to take the girls to see the show in Boston on Saturday night. The girls were so excited, they were up at 4AM talking about the show! We all had such a blast!!

Watching the show from daddy's lap

Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, etc.

Smiles galore!

Don't forget, you too can take advantage of the great discounts available. Just enter the code MOM for four tickets for $44 for Monday-Friday matinee shows and $4 off Friday night and all weekend shows.

Don't live in the Boston area? Check out my previous post to see when Disney on Ice is coming to your area!

It was such a great family show, I highly recommend it!

Disney On Ice Show!

Christmas...

How was everyone's Holiday?

The girls were so excited Christmas morning, The Mermaid was shaking. The Knight and I decided this year to lower our budget and instead of buying as many toys as possible, buying only a few, carefully chosen, high-quality toys. What a great decision. At first I was worried that the girls might be upset at only having a few toys, but I didn't need to fear; after opening her few toys, The Mermaid looked around and said, "Santa brought us a TON of toys!!"

The rest of the day was spent with family, exchanging thoughtful gifts and laughter...

My Sil and I with our pregnant bellies!

The Guppy

The Mermaid

Family

The happy look on their faces was the best gift for me...

The Mermaid was right....it was the best Christmas ever!

Christmas...

Letter To My Baby

Dear Baby,

I can't tell you how grateful I am that your heart is so strong.

I can't tell you how grateful I am that you are still with us, growing inside me, getting bigger every day.

And now that you know how happy and grateful I am that you are here, maybe, just maybe, you could start giving me a kick or two? Just so I can be reassured that you are still here without the use of a doppler? Strong kicks, nothing big.

At least think on it, okay?

Love,

Mommy

Letter To My Baby

Last Day of Nice Weather...and Then The Snow Hit.

Because it just isn't a party unless everyone is swinging.

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Last Day of Nice Weather...and Then The Snow Hit.

Snow Day

This weekend we got hit with a bunch of snow. The girls wanted to help The Knight shovel the driveway, so I bundled them up and out they went!

Did anyone else get any snow pictures over the weekend?

Snow Day

Megan's Hope

To lose a child is something that no parent should ever have to face.

And then to lose a child to something preventable, right around the holidays.....I have no words.

Today marks the five year anniversary of the death of sweet Megan, a 3 year old who was killed when her dresser fell on top of her.

The Knight and I have anchored most of our furniture, but this morning when I went to double check I found that not ALL our furniture is anchored....and we will be fixing that this weekend.

Please take time out of this busy holiday season to double check and make sure ALL your furniture is anchored....even if you think it cannot tip over, anchor it anyway. As Megan's mother writes, "Instead of putting a few holes in our walls and furniture, we forever have one in our hearts that will never heal. Walls can be fixed, broken hearts cannot."

For more information, visit Megan's Hope and learn how to baby-proof your furniture.

Megan's Hope

Handmade Christmas: The Guppy's Sweater

Another project that I was working on towards our handmade Christmas was a sweater for The Guppy. I finally finished it this week.

You can find more details on my ravelry page.

If you are a knitter, I'd love to hear what you've been working on!

Handmade Christmas: The Guppy's Sweater

The First Year That The Big Man Didn't Scare Them

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes For Mom.

The First Year That The Big Man Didn't Scare Them

Santa's On Her Side

On Sunday, The Mermaid got frustrated with me because I was "bossing her around."

So she turned to me and said, "Oh yeah, Mommy? Well, I'm going to ask Santa to bring me a shrinking machine, and he's going to bring me one! Then I can shrink you down to tiny sized and you won't be able to boss me around anymore!"

I just laughed. But when she sat down to make her list to Santa, I realized that she was dead serious. Number one on the list: a shrinking machine:

She also apparently wants a mountain and a merry-go-round. This girl dreams big.

This, by the way, is her second list to Santa. Number two on her first list was China, and she didn't mean pretty dishes.

Santa's On Her Side

Is This Year Over Yet?

Our house has been hit with a big stomach bug.

It hit The Knight and The Mermaid first. Just when they started feeling better, it hit me, and I got so ill I landed in the hospital for a day, getting IV's and having the baby monitored. Thankfully, we're fine now, although The Mermaid is still sick. The Guppy is the only one who has escaped this bug.

When we're not getting sick, we're trying to prepare for the holidays. I'm making a lot of gifts this year, and my fingers ache from frantically knitting as fast as I can.

I've also made some homemade peppermint sugar scrub, an idea I got from Melissa over at Chasing Cheerios:

Next time I will add a little bit more sugar....

So, in general, I've been healing, listening to Christmas music, and enjoying the little life inside of me.

Is This Year Over Yet?

The Best Christmas Ever!

Saturday afternoon The Knight pulled out our Christmas decorations and we got to work. Usually we leave these things for the last minute, so this is a record for us.

We had two perfect little helpers....

I was surprised at how helpful they were, and oh the excitement that shone in their eyes!

Afterwards, while we sat and enjoyed the peaceful lights of the tree, I crept around it with my camera and took pictures of my favorite parts:

An angel, to remember those who are not with us today...

A reminder of how many days I have left to prepare!

The garland that The Mermaid finger knit just for our tree....

A pretty flower...

A snowman that isn't afraid of the sun....

And family, with enough space for one more.

Afterwards, The Mermaid whispered to me softly Mommy, this is going to be the best Christmas ever!

I hugged my pregnant belly tight, couldn't agree more.

What are some of your treasured holiday decorations and/or ornaments? I'd love to see pictures!

The Best Christmas Ever!

Google Brought You Here, Why?

If you are the person who was searching for Breastfeeding Games for Girls (9 times!), I'm sorry, I don't know of any.

If you were the person looking for breastfeeding videos, YouTube has a great selection.

If you were the person wondering if Nestle is an evil corporation, go and check out Baby Milk Action. And then join the boycott.

If you were the one looking for information about postpartum periods, I feel for you. I really do.

If you were the one looking about how to care for a breastfeeding mother, here's a quick list: lots of rest, water and healthy foods, and support, support, support!

If you came here looking for information about a living room with green accents, sorry I couldn't help you. But it sounds great!

If you were the one who came here after typing in "I am the breastfeeding mother of a two year old", good for you!! Bravo!! I hope you are enjoying the benefits of extended breastfeeding.

And finally, if you were the one who came here looking for Prince Charming....let me know if you find him, okay?

Google Brought You Here, Why?

Hand Print Christmas Trees

My patience as a mom has been wearing a little thin lately. So, I figured some good quality craft time was in order, and yesterday the girls made hand print Christmas trees:

They traced their hands on green construction paper, cut them out, and created a tree out of them to decorate. The Mermaid loves any chance to use scissors, and the Guppy loves to use glue!

We hung their creations up in the window next to the hand print Rudolph that they made last week.

possible upcoming crafts:

Beaded Christmas tree ornaments

Salt dough Christmas tree ornaments

Easy to make Christmas tree ornament

What crafts have you been doing lately with your children?

Hand Print Christmas Trees

Sharing Inspiration

Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving?

I love the holidays because I love spending time with family and enjoying great food...

Other than that, I've been spending my time getting the house back together. It' now about 90% clean, yay!

------------------------

Yesterday I had an appointment with my midwife, and the baby's heartbeat was so strong and beautiful. I'm starting to finally relax and can't wait until I can feel the baby move!

------------------------

I've also been busy searching for ideas for Christmas gifts. I am really feeling the urge to go handmade this year, but with the limited amount of time I have left, I'm going to focus on handmade gifts for the girls. My biggest inspiration for my projects have come from Melissa over at Chasing Cheerios. Her creativity and her ideas to incorporate crafts into schooling her children is truly amazing...and her projects leave me drooling on the keyboard. So far, I am thinking that I will try to complete the following projects for the girls:

Flower Button Board

On The Go Dollhouse

Playsilks (I've already ordered the silks and now I'm just waiting for them to come in so I can dye them).

Tell Me A Story Blocks

I'm looking for other ideas, too. If you are making handmade Christmas gifts this year, for young or old, I would LOVE to hear your ideas!

Sharing Inspiration