Newborn Photo Preview

Charlie is probably going to hate having his picture taken when he's older. Either that or I have a future model on my hands :)

I haven't had a ton of time to edit, but he actually took a nap today, so here's a sneak peek at some of my favorites so far:

More to come!

First Christmas

Yesterday was Charlies first Christmas - he also hit 2 weeks old. It's hard to believe it's been 2 weeks already!

I think for a first Christmas, Charlie made out pretty well! 

He slept through pretty much everything at both Christmas events we went to, but he still managed to bring home lots of new goodies. He got a play mat, oodles of toys, a custom made "quillow" with a tow truck on it, clothes, a Twilight Turtle night light, a Build-A-Bear and clothes. He even got a few "My First Christmas" Ornaments!

Our first Family Christmas photo :) :

I think I took this picture on Christmas Eve, it's too cute. He looks like he's giving himself a little hug...

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!!

Pacified

Let me just start off by saying that I feel a little used.

I had this idea in my mind that pacifiers were these big, bad, horrible things. I didn't really want to give one to my child.

Well guess what? I caved.

And you know what? I think it was a great decision.

I've been exclusively breastfeeding Charlie, so one of my main concerns was the so-called "nipple confusion". Now I'm starting to question weather or not that really happens, or if it just occasionally happens?

Well, all in the same day, Charlie was breastfed, took a bottle from Daddy for the first time AND got a pacifier. And you know what? Everything is perfectly fine! He takes all three without any issues *knock on wood*

I had a feeling from the time we were in the hospital that he was "using me", so to speak. He would go on these marathon nursing sessions that would stretch into hours. Seems as though he was using me as a human pacifier. Let me tell you, during those early days, that's extremely frustrating.

Now, since the pacifier intro, the time of his nursing sessions has been much shorter - and for that I am VERY grateful!

I know it will probably be a habit we need to break him of somewhere down the line, but I think a pacifier will be easier to take away than a thumb. Time will tell!

Being A Parent

Being a parent is, so far, is an entirely different experience from anything I expected. Not that I really knew what to expect anyway. You go into this with a general idea, but then your child arrives, and everything you expected goes out the window.

Babies don't come with an instruction manual (although we did get a "Parenting Handbook" from the Doctors office.. haha), it's definitely a learn as you go thing.

Today is my first time home alone for a full day with Charlie. While he's napping, I find myself looking in his direction every 2 seconds to make sure he's still breathing, just to make sure he's still there. The pull I feel towards this tiny human being is overwhelming. He definitely holds a big portion of my heart already, and I think it will only continue to grow.

I actually had to Google "Things to do with a newborn when they're awake" - seriously, I did. Why? Because I really wasn't sure! I don't want to deprive him of the stimulation to thrive and I don't want him to be bored with me. As it turns out, all the things suggested were things I'm already doing - talking, singing, reading, tummy time.. etc.. So I guess I'm doing something right so far. The only thing I haven't done is take him for walks, but only because it's December in Wisconsin - not the best newborn outdoor conditions!

Never did I imagine that spending all my waking time with my baby would feel so rewarding, but it really does. He's only been here for 1 week and 2 days, but he's definitely made an impact on me and nothing will ever be the same again. It amazes me how much one tiny little human can change everything. 

This first week has had it's ups and downs, but the ups far outweigh everything else. The ups make everything else worth it.

I'm very grateful that I'm getting to experience being a Mom. I'm grateful for my loving and supportive husband. I'm grateful for my family. I'm grateful for my beautiful son. 

*****

I know I mentioned in my previous post that I would be sharing Charlie's birth story, and I will. I'm just working on making a "blog-friendly" version of it. Sometime this week I'll post that for you.

Meet Charlie!

Charles James made his super fast entry into the world on December 11th, 2011 at 1:38pm.

He was 6lbs 12oz 20inches long - a cute little peanut :)

My water broke at 11:10am, we made it to the hospital at 12:20pm and he was born at 1:38pm after 28 minutes of pushing - good thing we didn't need to drive any further!!

I will post my whole birth story later on. Motherhood has been a huge emotional adjustment for me but things are getting better everyday.

So many ideas

So little time!

I really wish I would have ventured into the world of Pinterest earlier.

There are just SO MANY IDEAS. It's almost overwhelming. I've always been a fairly crafty person, and with the amount of spare time I had before, these things gave me something to do. So go figure I would find this website when I'm pregnant and my free time is about to become non-exsitant. Oh well.

I just wanted to share a few great projects that I want to try sometime in the next 18 years or so ;)

Since Christmas is coming up, I'll start with the holiday ideas!

Snowmen Ornaments (Simply Cute Creations)

Are these not adorable? And not to mention super easy.

Supplies: clear glass ornaments, fake snow, sharpie paint markers, baby socks (for the hats) and ribbon to make the hanger

***** 

Play Felt Tree & Ornaments (Johnny in a Dress)

I'm hoping to make this for next year, since baby will be big enough to play with it by then!

Supplies: Various colors of felt (about 1 yard for the tree) and hot glue if you want any of the pieces to be permanent.

It's that easy! Felt sticks to felt, so that's all you really need!

***** 

Whimsical Wire Trees

Inexpensive and easy!

Supplies: Any thick wire, copper or just the plain steel stuff, foam cones

***** 

Jingle Shadow Box (Blue Eyed Blessings)

Completely customizable, you could probably do different themes for different seasons.

Supplies: Shadow box frame (any size - 8x8 is used in the tutorial), jingle bells, scrapbook paper and ribbon

The words could be done many different ways. The tutorial uses vinyl, but this could be done with stamps, stencils or could even be handwritten.

***** 

And now for a few non-holiday ideas...

Frosted Vases (Mark Montano Blog)

Supplies: Jars in different sizes, Yarn, Masking tape, White Krylon spray paint, Fabric cut on the bias 1 1/2" wide by 10" per jar, Tea lights

These call for white spray paint, but I'm sure they could easily be done in other colors as well. Easy to match to any decor. You can even buy different size glass vases for $1 each at Dollar Tree!

***** 

Puzzle Pillows

There is no real tutorial that I could find, but seriously, how fun would this be?

A pattern would be beyond easy to DIY for this. Once I finally get around to making it, I'll be sure to share! I think this would be a lot of fun for a little kid to play with, not to mention me :)

***** 

Scrap Fabric Hoodie

Again, there's no tutorial. If you have sewing knowledge, you should be able to make this!

Super cute and completely custom! All you need is a plain, cheap hoodie, scrap fabric and some sewing skills. I really want to make one of these, so when I do, I'll post a step-by-step for sure. No guarantee on when that will happen, but hopefully sooner rather than later.

*****

Styrofoam Wall Art (styrofoamcrafts.com)

Cute, inexpensive, easy and easily customized!

Supplies: Styrofoam sheets, scrapbook paper or fabric, ruler, paintbrush, craft glue, picture hangers

I really want to make something like this for our house, but I have no idea where I'd put it! Maybe I'll make a cute kid one for the nursery or something. I need more empty walls!

*****

I think I'll stop here for now. I could probably do four full posts just on owl themed things alone.. haha. I love owls, they're just so stinkin' cute! I'll stop and save those ideas for another day.

Once I get around to finally making some of these things, I will be sure to share!

Be sure to share your finished products and tips if you decide to make any of these, I want to see how others do with these. I hope you guys like the ideas as much as I do.

Happy crafting!

Pic Prep

I can't wait to take newborn photos of our little guy!

I may have developed a bit of a baby hat obsession... there's just so many cute things out there. I hope these fit him!

All three of these are from the wonderfully crafty people on Etsy.

From left to right:

Striped Pom Hat in dark blue/baby blue from BabiesBugsandBees

Basic Beanie in soft green from BabiesBugsandBees

Owl Hat in brown/blue/green from Jojo's Bootique

I love all three of them and so far am very pleased with the quality. I spent a little more on the owl hat than I would've liked, but it's so darn cute that I think it's worth it!

I have a talented friend, Kelly, who has recently taken up crocheting. I asked her if she would be interested in making me a couple of diaper covers. Here is what she came up with:

Not bad for a beginner, huh? They turned out GREAT!! She doesn't have an Etsy shop yet, but I'm sure she will soon. And when she does, I'll be sure to let you all know!

I have a ton of photo ideas that I'm itching to try out, so hopefully he's a cooperative baby.. *fingers crossed* I'm planning to do his newborn photo shoot by the time he's 7 days old, so as soon as those photos are ready and birth announcements have been mailed, I'll be sure to share my favorite photos here. Stay tuned!

39 Weeks!

How far along: 39 Weeks 2 Days

Total weight gain: +21lbs

How big is baby?: About 6lbs right now, estimated.

Maternity clothes?: Yep. Although some shirts are too short. Depends on how baby is positioned.

Stretch marks?: Yep. They make me sad. Comes with the territory though I guess.

Symptoms?: Persistent back ache, sciatic nerve pain.

Sleep?: What's sleep? I think I slept 10 hours over the course of 3 days last weekend. Fun times.

Best moment this week?: Making progress! Final project for class was turned in.

Worst moment this week?: Well, I fell on my ass last Wednesday. That sucked. I ended up calling my OB and we went in to be monitored just in case. Everything turned out fine, but it was still scary.

Movement?: He's still active, but slowing down some because he's running out of space.

Food cravings?: Nothing really sounds good right now.

Labor signs?: I'm at 3cm and almost 100% effaced. I'm pretty much through early labor already, so let's get this show on the road!

Belly button in or out?: Flat.

What I miss: Sleep. Beer. Did I mention sleep?

What I'm nervous about: That I'll never sleep again. Ever. I'm bound to have a nervous breakdown if this lack of sleep continues.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our son!! I'm ready for him any day now!

Milestone: 39 weeks is a pretty big milestone! I can't believe that this is almost over, time really went by fast.