Nora Ruth

Well, for all of those that guessed Baby M #2 would be a girl, give yourself a huge pat on the back.

Miss Nora Ruth was born on October 25 at 2:33 pm, weighing in at 10lbs 10 oz and 22 in long.

Her delivery was a little rough, but more on that later. Here is a picture of us in recovery - the first time I got to see or hold her. Instantly in love.

This past week and a half has been wonderful. I cannot remember what it was like to not have 2 happy, healthy and perfect little girls.

Boy or Girl

There are just a couple more weeks left until we meet this little bebe and it is time to start making some predictions.

When will he/she arrive? (My due date is 10/30)
How big will he/she be?
And lastly .... will it be a HE or a SHE?

Place your guesses! There are a variety of old wives tales when it comes to predicting the sex... I have done a couple of them, plus there are some myths that some people think can predict the sex.

One Chinese gender chart that I looked at said boy and another one said girl.

* If you carry low, it's a boy; high, it's a girl. - I think I am high
* If you carry in front, it's a boy; if you're wide at the middle, it's a girl. - I think it is in the front
* Hang your wedding ring from a strand of the father's hair over your belly. If the ring circles, it's girl; if it swings back and forth, it's a boy. - Goes in circles
* Is Baby's heart beat faster than 140 beats per minute (bpm)? It's a girl. Less than 130 bpm? It's a boy. - ranges from 145 - 170
* If morning sickness lingers all day, it's a girl. - I have not had any morning sickness at all

So... what will it be? Boy or Girl?

27 Weeks

Seeing as I am in the final stretch of this pregnancy, I should probably do a little update.

Right now, I am 27 weeks. I can never remember my exact number of weeks/days, so I use this handly little app on my phone to help me out. If you are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, get this app.

We are keeping the gender a surprise. We did this with Miss A, and thought it was fun.... so we are doing it again. According to BabyCenter, #2 is a girl, yet according to TheBump, #2 is a boy. In my opinion, that hardest part about not finding out the gender is picking out 2 good names. And regarding names, we have a short list of girl names and we are still discussing a boy name.

Overall, I am feeling good. There are the standard pregnancy symptoms that I am experiencing, but nothing too major. Some symptoms are hitting me a little earlier this time, versus with Miss A, but that is normal. By the end of the day, I am physically beat. I have always been very physical mom - meaning, I am on the ground playing with Miss A, tossing her into the air, playing with her in the sprinklers at the pool, throwing her around the pool, etc. I have not really slowed down on any of those things that I do with her, so as long as I am physically able to give her an airplane ride through the air or let her ride on my shoulders, I am going to do it. This just means that I collapse on the couch or bed at the end of the day.

As far as the summer heat, well I know it is August and I live in Dallas... so it is going to be H O T. I am not shocked by this weather nor am I surprised that we are breaking heat records all the time. Actually, I am surprised that I am not hating the heat that much. Miss A and I are outside for a couple of hours everyday, and as long as we are at the pool I am ok. If I am going to be this big, I might as well have a good tan.

I have always heard that you show earlier and can get larger with each of your pregnancies. I can vouch for that. I think I was in maternity jeans 5 minutes after getting a positive pregnancy test. Here is a picture I took a couple of days ago.

A Mother's Prayer for Her Child

Nada. That is what I have for you right now. So, instead of posting something stupid, I am going to post Tina Fey's prayer for her daughter. Even if you dont have children you will find this amusing.

"A Mother's Prayer for Her Child" by Tina Fey

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half and stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, for childhood is short – a Tiger Flower Blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long, and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers and the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a bitch in front of Hollister, give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, for I will not have that shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.”
-Tina Fey

Chewbeads

Do you ever look at something and think to yourself "Why did I not think of that?!?!" That is exactly what I did when I first read about Chewbeads.

Chewbeads are 100% non toxic, silicone beads that are made to be put inside little mouths.... plus, they are pretty cute for the momma to wear.

I did not know about these chic necklaces when Miss A was teething, but when #2 starts to teeth, she/he will be able to chew in style.

There are 2 different styles of necklaces, plus they offer bracelets and they all come in dozens of colors.

Today the daily deal website 8moms.com has a $30 chewbeads gift certificate for only $15. You can get 2 necklaces for the price of 1!

Go here for the deal - http://www.8moms.com/referral/AfTtsc

Now comes the hard part - deciding the colors!

Should I do a trio of blues?

OR turquoise, orange and pink?

OR white, black and yellow?

Ah..... decisions, decisions.

* I am not being compensated by chewbeads for this post. But, I would gladly accept some necklaces.

Guess what?

Miss A is going to be a BIG SISTER!

Happy Birthday Miss A!

Today is Miss A's 2nd birthday.

She has grown up into such a wonderful little girl in just 2 short years.

My little 9lb3oz (2 weeks early) bundle of joy....

... is now such a big girl!

All morning long I had a lump in my throat, thinking about her getting older. But then I realized that each and every stage is as good as the last. So, there is no point in being sad about her growing up. I am looking forward to everything to come, but not forgetting to be in the moment and cherish every single minute with this sweet girl.

Happy, happy birthday to YOU Miss A!

Your Baby CANNOT Read...

... Is a load of BS

Have you seen these commercials on TV? Chances are if you have a little one if your house, you have seen the commercial a zillion times on one of the toddler channels.

Basically, it claims that through flash cards and DVD's, babies can learn to read. I had always thought it was a load of BS, but this morning The Today Show aired a little expose about the whole system. They spoke with a variety of experts at some of the leading universities and hospitals and came to the conslusion that it is a false claim.

Link to The Today Show article and video clip

Their experts said that the best way for a baby to learn is through their parents or caregivers - read to them, talk to them, sing with them, play with them -- basic interaction. Not rocket science, just common sense.

So, if you are thinking about purchasing that expensive reading system - DON'T! Save yourself the pennies and make a trip to the park instead.

Pray for Cohen

One of my dear blogging friends just had the sweetest little baby boy - Michael Cohen Marshall.

He is adorable, handsome and a fighter. He was born with multiple heart defects and is currently facing a long, hard battle. Please take a minute to read his story and if you are so inclined, add this sweet family to your prayer list.

My heart just aches for them. I feel so helpless in situations like this - moms should be able to snuggle and cuddle with their new baby... not have to sit in hospital waiting rooms waiting for updates on his open heart surgery.

Just like Maria

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

Actually, this is not so much a favorite things post, but rather a post about baby clothes. It all ties back to the most wonderful movie in the world. I promise.

I have mentioned before about how I am blessed to have access to 2 wonderfully talented ladies that can perform magic with a sewing machine - my mother and my grandmother. My mom has made all the the window treatments in our house and my grandmother has said that she wants to make some clothes for Miss A! How lucky is Miss A?

I think there is nothing cuter than a baby in traditional baby clothes. (My thoughts on baby clothes is another post...I have some pretty strong opinions..... NO character clothes, NO words on clothes, etc...) So, we headed out to Hobby Lobby and JoAnn and I found the most adorable pattern.

It includes 6 patterns for toddler bubbles and dresses. Love it. Next came the hard part - picking out the fabric. That picky taste that I have mentioned before - well, there is nothing like an entire fabric store to make me go crazy. I was able to pick out fabric for 3 outfits, plus some of the fabric was on killer sale.

That pink and green stripe fabric - on clearance for $4/yard. And, it is the kind that comes on those loooong bolts, so it was practically a steal. I loved this fabric so much that I went back yesterday and purchased some more of this stripe to hold onto for when Miss A gets a big girl room - it will be perfect for curtains.

Miss A will now have a dress that is made from curtain fabric. I know that Maria did it in reverse, but it still made me think of when Maria made the children new clothes, using the curtains in her room as the fabric.

And this is how I decorate - I find something that I love and I get it. I may not use it right away, but I am always on the lookout for a great deal.

Input Needed

I am in the process of refinishing a rocking chair for Miss A. But, not just any rocking chair. It was mine when I was her age, and now I am passing it along to her!


When it was mine, it was white with little hand painted flowers and I think my name might have been painted on it. It has now been sanded down and all ready to to be painted for Miss A.

It will most likely be kept in our living room, so I want to keep it fun without too 'kiddish.' You all know 'kiddish' is NOT my thing.

I am thinking I will paint it glossy white and add a turquoise monogram decal on the seat. Or her name. Have no decided.

But, this is where I need your help. I have never used these decals before. They can be used on top of a glossy paint - right? And, if you have ordered one before, let me know your source. I found some on Etsy, but if you have someone you liked, let me know.

**New pictures on Baby M**

Arboretum with friends

This week I was able to meet up with one of my friends that was in town visiting her parents. Blue Eyed Bride and I took Hudson and Miss A on a fun picnic at the Dallas Arboretum. We picked up some sandwiches at Central Market, slathered the babies in SPF 50 and we were off.

We had such a great time! The weather was perfect - we had a blast spending time together, plus the kiddos were adorable together. On the way over, A and H were in the backseat in their car seats and Miss A kept talking to Hudson - she would look over at him and yell "hey!" At one point we were all taking some pictures together and she kept putting her hand on his shoulder.

I think we each took a zillion pictures of these 2 - trying to capture the 'just right shot' is pretty difficult when you have 2 moving targets.

I hate that she lives so far away. We always have such a fun time when we are together - we can talk about anything and everything from dealing with dogs & babies to Dancing with the Stars. At least they come to Dallas throughout the year!

**Want to see some pictures of the babies faces??? Head over to Baby M. ***

Pink and Green Easter

The Easter bunny visited our house over the weekend and left basket full of pink and green goodies for Miss A!

What exactly does the Easter bunny bring for 1 year old little girls?

Sidewalk chalk, bubbles, clothes, books, a sippy cup and plate and hair clips!

And, our little Jake is quickly becoming big Jake. Here he is at 8 weeks old.

Jake and Steve may not be best friends, but they are learning to tolerate each other.

One Little Candle and a Cupcake...

We celebrated Miss A's 1st birthday over the weekend and we all had a wonderful time! I feel like I have been planning this party for months - so to see everything come together was a great feeling.

The day was perfect in every possible way -- great weather, a fun party to celebrate our little one and we were surrounded by our closest friends and family. What more could you ask for?

The inspiration for the party was based on 2 things - bright colors and a tablet of Martha Stewart scrapbook paper I had. The colors were fun and vibrant - perfect for a spring party. The invitations were designed by Rice Designs and I loved them! I emailed her pictures of the paper and she was able to incorporate that into the invitation. She did such a great job - it was playful and fun without being too 'babyish.' As you will see in the rest of the pictures, I was able to use the cupcake with the #1 candle in lots of other ways.

My mom/personal seamstress made this jumper and bib for Miss A. I love it! She wore the dress to church yesterday and I think she needs to wear it to all of her spring birthday parties. The coordinating bib was so Miss A would not be topless in her birthday cake video/pictures. I want her to be able to look at these pictures when she is 16 and not get annoyed with me.

Cupcakes galore! I made batch after batch of vanilla cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese icing. I loved how they turned out. I made little toppers for all of the cupcakes using the polka dot Martha Stewart paper and the cupcake with #1 candle from her invitation. Each cupcake was then topped with little round sprinkles. The small cake on the silver pedestal was her personal smash cake. And boy did she smash it!

For the beverages I made adult pink lemonade and regular lemonade. This picture was taken at the end of the party, but each pitcher had strawberry lemonade ice cubes. I made ice using lemonade with sliced strawberries in each cube. The adult lemonade was spiked with strawberry vodka. We also had bright colored swirly straws for the kids (or adults.)

We also had bottled water, a variety of juice boxes for the kids and birthday beer.

The rest of the food included: animal crackers, gold fish, string cheese, mini muffins, chicken salad, and cucumber yogurt dip. I wanted everything to be kid friendly, plus some good food for the adults -- plus, I did not want to mess with cutlery so everything had to be finger foods. I also did not want anything that required me to cook during the party. What fun is a party when you are constantly in the kitchen making sure the food is not burning?

For the decor, we had lots of birthday banners. The Happy Birthday A banner (against the navy wall) was made using the tablet of Martha Stewart paper and the cupcake from the invitation. I also made a banner with pictures of Miss A from the past year. It was fun to look at the monthly pictures and see how much she has changed. I think these pictures will be fun to keep in her baby book. I also made the bright, hanging pom poms. These were fun and easy to make.... they are actually still hanging up. They are so fun to look at, I hate to throw them away.

I blew up her invitation to 8*10 and had all of the party guests sign it. I think this will also be a fun addition to her baby book.

As much as I love fresh flowers, I also love bringing the outside inside. My parents have a great ornamental pear tree in their backyard, so I used some of those branches for arrangements.

All of the flower pots on the front porch had pink and white flowers in them.... and I threw in some bright orange marigolds in the backyard. I also put some of the cupcake toppers in the flower pots. We had bubbles and sidewalk chalk in the backyard for the kids to play with.

And that was Miss A's first birthday party!

Want to know what she got for her birthday? Or want to see her after eating that smash cake? Head over to Baby M for more pictures... ones that include people!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl!

This has been such a wonderful year... words cannot even express how fantastic she is.

It is hard to believe that just one year ago I was holding her in my arms for the first time.