de colores

We have been practicing colors with Jillian, but thus far she has only seen the need to learn one color- pink.  And why would you need to know any other color when you will only wear pink pajamas, have pink bows in your hair, use a pink toothbrush, eat out of a pink bowl, etc.?  I would probably be more frustrated with her stubbornness except I share her affinity for pink.  Nevertheless, I do believe it is important to learn the other colors as well.

Enter the Sisters Share it All Pinterest Challenge.  Janssen, Merrick, and Landen each picked 6 pins to do over the next 6 weeks and invited anyone else to join in.  I am a slacker, and instead of picking 6 pins in advance I think I'll just pick on a weekly basis.

So this week my project was a Colors Book.  I've had this pinned forever, and realized it would be super easy because I already had all the supplies (free-my favorite price!)  I just went through my fabric scraps and sorted out a few fabrics for each color.  Apparently I don't like orange very much because I only had 2 orange scraps and thus not enough for an orange page (oh well.)  But I did have enough scraps to make a red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink page.  I cut the scraps with pinking shears and then sewed them on to pieces of felt I had leftover from the quiet books.  As you can see, I was going for ease over aesthetics.  As I sewed, most of the scraps went askew and my book is far from perfect.  But, it does the job and was very satisfying to finish so quickly.  I also cut letters out of my 6 different colors to make a cover page then attached it all together with rings.  

Jilly mostly prefers to stay on the pink page and rub the soft pink fleece scrap.  But I'm optimistic we'll have a color breakthrough soon.

thoughts on baby 2

Today starts my third trimester, which is just about the happiest news I can think of.  So far I've been a huge fan of pregnancy #2.  For the past couple months I've felt great and often even forget that I am pregnant (and then I see my reflection.)  And, while I still have many, many fears I also feel much calmer this time around.  It is comforting to know that I've already survived 40 weeks of pregnancy, labor/delivery, and having a newborn.  I know this will be a different baby with her own challenges, but we've steered through these waters before and we'll figure it out again.  It makes me so happy that we'll have our spunky little Jilly around to make us laugh and remind us that it does get easier (and simultaneously harder.)  She is going to be the best big sister, and I can only imagine how much joy another little girl will add to the mix.  Because I'm more comfortable with the whole idea of having a baby it now seems even more magical and thrilling that we get to witness a new life.  Most of all, I can't believe how lucky we are to get our own new little baby in just a few short months.

my fresh new baby Jilly

friday five

1.  This week I finished reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.  It was fantastic.  I seriously could talk about this book for hours (just ask Bryan.)  My favorite chapter talked about a study where children were monitored from when they were babies and there were certain behaviors the babies demonstrated that could show at a very early age whether they would be an extrovert or introvert.  As I was reading about the extroverted babies I realized I was reading a description of my child.

2.  I also finished The One and Only Ivan this week.  Everyone should read it because it's short and very sweet.  But, you should especially read it if you (unlike me) are an animal person.

3. We've been having waffles for breakfast most mornings this week (obviously frozen and not homemade.)  Nothing makes me happier first thing in the morning than Jilly asking for her "faffel."

4.  A stroll through the Target Dollar Spot (during which items seemed to hurl themselves into my cart) and lots of pinteresting has me so, so excited for Spring.  It definitely doesn't hurt that this Spring will bring us our own new little chicky as well.

5.  Last night Bryan and Jilly were playing in the other room and I heard a little voice say, "Mommy come look!"  And this is what I found:

quarantine

2013 will go down as the Winter of Illness for our family.  Shortly after returning from Virginia Jilly got a cold.  It turned into a nasty double ear infection which left us with a miserable little girl.  Bryan and I both caught the cold from Jillian.  Then, before even finishing her antibiotics Jilly came down with the stomach flu.  And that was just as fun as you can imagine.  A few days later Bryan had his turn with the stomach flu.  We were all healthy and happy for a week then Jilly and I got colds again.  In addition to her cold Jilly got a crazy yucky rash all over her face (that has lasted for days) and another ear infection.  Today we got her an antibiotic that will hopefully clear up the rash and help her ear feel better.  And now Bryan now is sick with a cold.

I realize that life could be much, much worse.  We obviously haven't had any life-threatening illnesses.  And, I would much prefer that we get all the germs out of the way now before baby sis comes.  Also, can we talk about the amazing miracle that I never got the stomach flu despite being literally surrounded by it?  I know many people who have had it worse than us this winter.  However, this has been A LOT of sickness in one month for our generally healthy little family.  And we are so, so tired of being cooped up at home!  So, please Spring come as quickly as you can, and bring lots of healthy vibes for our family.

this picture is from cold #1 and makes me so sad because she looks so miserable

last day

Friday was my last day watching Freddy.  I had told his mom that I would keep watching him til the end of April, but once she started looking she quickly found a daycare that she liked and needed to get him in before the spot was taken.

I have very mixed feelings about losing Freddy.  I know that it will be much better for our family to just be us when the baby comes.  And, I'll be glad to have more freedom on Mondays and Fridays, and not feel like I should be up and dressed those days by 7:30am.

 

But, it has been a great blessing for us.  Jilly and Freddy adore each other.  They get so excited to see each other in the morning, and after naps they would always immediately ask for the other.  Having Freddy was like having a built in play date 2 days a week, which was awesome for my social butterfly daughter.  They would talk to each other in their limited two-year-old vocabulary and make each other laugh so hard.  They also worked out a great system for sharing- they learned that if they wanted what the other had all they had to do was find an even better toy to tempt what they originally wanted out of the other's hands.  They would make huge messes, and there was definitely fighting, but for the most part they really enjoyed being together.

 It was also good for me.  I gained confidence I'll need for having two kids of my own.  It definitely took longer than usual, but I could get both kids ready with diapers, snacks, socks, shoes, and jackets and into the car.  We went to the park, the bookstore, the library, and many stores together.  Granted, 2 two-year-olds is very different than a two-year-old and a newborn, but I at least know that I can be responsible for two children and keep them alive and happy and stay sane myself.  It also felt great to contribute a little bit to our family finances.  We'll miss you Freddy!!

five:: Valentine's Edition

1. In celebration this month I made two different kinds of cookies (and didn't get pictures of either.)  I first made peanut butter cookies with chocolate hearts in the middle.  They were fine, but not amazing (I struggle with making moist peanut butter cookies.)  Bryan's mom always made sugar cookies for Valentine's so I've tried to keep the tradition going despite never being very excited about all the work involved.  But, let me tell you, I finally nailed the sugar cookies this year.  They were so good that I'm contemplating making St. Patrick's Day sugar cookies.

2. Jilly and I went to visit Lisa and Blake earlier this week.  It was so fun to just chat and relax and let the kids play together.  And, Lisa made me pink waffles with strawberries and caramel syrup- yummmm.

 3. On Valentine's Day Jilly and I were battling colds so we mostly laid low.  We did go to the library for a little bit, ran to the grocery store, and heart-attacked Bry's car at work on the way home.  But for the most part we watched Sleeping Beauty, napped, and played at home.

4. For Valentine's Dinner Bryan had the brilliant idea to get crab.  Yum and yum.  It made me laugh to see my dinner next to Jilly's dinner.  I tried to get her to taste some crab but she would have nothing to do with it when there were chicken nuggets around.

5.  I realize all the pictures I have from this week are food.  Major fail.  Jillian had three different Valentine's outfits this year so she was decked out in hearts and pink all week long.  I was a little limited by my maternity wardrobe but managed to wear red and pink all week.  And even Bryan got into the spirit of things wearing his pink tie to church on Sunday, his red t-shirt at night when he'd come home from work, and a red dress shirt to work on Thursday.  We're slowly chipping away at him.

a valentine's dress

When we were in Virginia I saw this dress on sale at Crazy 8's.  I pulled it on over Jilly's clothes to see if it fit and the only way I could peel it off her was to promise to buy it.  My mom got her the matching bow, tights (they have little hearts on the sides), and necklace (that sadly broke.)  When we got home she asked to wear this dress every single day.  Sometimes I would let her put it on for a little while but I really wanted to save it for Valentine's.  Eventually I hid it in the back of her closet but it only took her a couple days to find it.  Then I got sneakier and hid it in my closet, but again, she found it only a few days later.  On Sunday when I got this dress out for her to wear to church she was over the moon.  Love my little Valentine girl.

a valentine's craft

My biggest fear is that one day Jillian will tell me that she is sick of doing Valentine's crafts and activities.  And my heart will break.  But, for now she seems to enjoy them as much as I do so life is good.  We made these stained glass hearts while sitting on my bed and still wearing our pajamas- a sure sign that this craft is a winner.

Prep work- The day before I cut out lots of little squares from red and pink tissue paper.  If Jilly was just a little older she could have probably done this herself.  I also cut out a few heart outlines.

I stuck a heart outline to a piece of contact paper and left the sticky side up.  Jilly then filled up the inside of the heart with little squares.

 At this point she was done and I filled in the rest.

 Then stuck another piece of contact paper on top to seal it in and cut it out.

We ended up making lots of these and sending them off to family members.  Jilly could only handle doing a couple at a time, so I just put the supplies away and pulled them out the next day to make more.

The fun thing about this craft is that it could be adapted to fit any holiday- a four leaf clover, an easter egg, a pumpkin, a christmas tree, the possibilities are endless!

snow

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: it doesn't get much better than living in a place where the winter average temps are 50-60 degrees yet you can drive an hour east and find yourself in a winter wonderland.  On Saturday we headed out for our annual family snow day, and it could not have been a more perfect day.  It was bright and sunny so we didn't even have to wear our big coats, we had the place to ourselves most of the time, and after playing for a while we sat on our sleds and ate a picnic lunch before heading home.

munching on snow

 sledding was a huge hit, Jillian would shout "again again!" every time when we reached the bottom 

See us in 2012 and 2011

friday five

1. This morning I was going bonkers.  Jilly was whiny whiny whiny and Freddy had a one-track mind- all he wanted to do was eat and he kept begging me for a snack every 15 seconds.  So we headed to Chick-fil-A.  A 12 piece nuggets, diet Dr. Pepper, and hour of playtime later we were all much happier.  Once again, I cannot express how much I love that place.

2. To add to our happiness, we came home to a package sitting on our doorstep.  I couldn't help but peek, and Jilly will be so, so excited on VDay when she gets to open Sleeping Beauty from her Gigi and Papa.

3.  I had a doctor appointment this week and my doctor said he wanted me to come again in 3 weeks then start coming every other week.  I was like, "seriously, already?"  This pregnancy has blessedly flown by (probably won't be saying that in 3 months though!)

4.  After my appointment my wonderful friend let me do some Jilly-free shopping.  I have been looking for some big girl bedding for Jilly and had not been thrilled with what I was finding.  And then at Home Goods, there it was; totally meant to be!  I got her the quilt, sham, and sheets (no, not the Peace&Love pillow.)

  
5.  I let Jilly water color this week and she learned the plight of a lefty- smears all down your left arm. Sorry little girl, should have been a righty like your mom and dad. :)

                  

Quilts for Kids

Almost a year ago I read this post on the Quilts for Kids program.  It's an effort to provide bright, hand-made quilts for children in hospitals.   I thought this would be a great way to get going on my first quilt.  Because the fabric is free (apparently it's not free anymore, you have to pay $6) I wouldn't feel the pressure of having made a big financial commitment.  Also, I was pretty sure (and right) that my first quilt would be no family heirloom.  Not that I didn't care about making a quality blanket to donate, I just thought that not having it around for me to daily analyze all of the flaws was a good idea.   And lastly, I thought it would be a fun service to give.

So I registered late in the summer for my quilt kit.  Unfortunately my kit arrived a few weeks later right when I was in the throes of my first trimester.  It sat in the bag waiting for me to have the energy to actually do something with it.  And then the holidays happened and it sat some more.  One of my goals of 2013 was to finish this quilt by the end of January.

I didn't quite finish in January, but February 6th is close right?  Once I got going it was a fun and not too difficult project.  All of the fabric strips and detailed instructions are provided.  After sewing the quilt top together, I bought some batting (the only thing not provided) and quilted it with my machine then bound it.  And now it's ready to send off in the morning.

our weekend: good and bad

Friday Night:
good- Costco pizza
bad- we got there a little late and most of the sample stations were already put away

Saturday:
good- Free Museum Day so we decided to meet our friends at the Children's Museum
bad- instead of opening at 9 like we thought the museum opened at 10
good- there were activities to do outside while we waited in line and we had a blast when we did get inside the museum
bad- Jilly leaned against the wall she was painting and had purple bangs the rest of the day
good- I actually thought her purple hair was really cute

good- we drove to Bryan's parents' and they offered to watch Jilly while we went out to eat
bad- we came home to find that Jilly had just thrown up
extra bad- Jilly continued to throw up all night long

Sunday:
good- Jilly and I stayed home and took a nap while everyone else went to church (I feel just a little guilty about calling this good, but the nap was sorely needed.)
good- Beyonce concert, exciting Super Bowl
bad- 49ers losing (but let's be honest, I'm not that huge of a fan to have cared very much)
good- lots of yummy food
bad- we missed Downton Abbey while driving home (thank goodness for the internet to watch today)

good- so far no one else has gotten Jilly's sickness (fingers crossed!)

five on friday

Five things silly Jilly has done this week:

1. Jillian has started calling Bryan "Bryan."  She thinks it's so funny, and so does he.  The other thing that's funny is she has no clue what my name is.

2.  She discovered scissors this week.  I bought her a little pair of preschool safety scissors and gave her a pile of scrap paper then let her snip away and she was happy as can be.

3.  I love watching Jillian get excited for baby sis.  This week she was laying on my stomach and the baby kicked her.  She sat up and and said "Woah!" then she pulled up my shirt to see what was under there.  Another day she sang "head, shoulders, knees, and toes... and baby!" and pointed to my belly then laughed at her funny joke.

4. We've moved on from Anastasia to Beauty and the Beast.  We watch at least part of it every day.  Jilly's also loving Sleeping Beauty (we don't have the movie, but we read the book many times a day.) Aurora, or as Jilly calls her "Au-yaya" is the current favorite princess.

5. We were at the grocery store and I asked Jilly to give me a kiss.  She smiled then kissed the bananas sitting in our cart.  Stinker!!