3 little Miracles

3 little Miracles

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Sweet Victoria's Baby Shower

My friend Heather had her second beautiful little girl in June, she had asked us to hold off on her shower until after Victoria was born because she had her first daughter premature and she wanted to be sure things were going to be fine.  So in late June we held a baby shower to honor the newest arrival to our church family.  Heather is such a beautiful spirit and one of the kindest people I know, she has always been so tender to everyone around her.

Heather's baby shower was hosted at the home of our Pastor and his wife Tatiana (Pastor was away on a mission trip).  So Heather's friends and church family had a wonderful time over yummy treats, chit chat, games, and watching Heather and Cadance open gifts for Victoria.
Heather with her daughters Victoria and Cadance, along with the baby shower hostess Tatiana
Brand new beautiful Victoria
Cadance was given a set of fairy slippers and tutu, which she used to perform for us while her mom opened gifts for her sister Victoria.

Tatiana read a wonderful piece on motherhood, it was a lovely way to end the shower.

*Note:  This post is back dated to match event date

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Missing from Computer land for a Unknown time

I am borrowing my nieces computer to let you know I will be away from computer land for a bit.  My one and only remaning computer met with a 3 yr old/mommy accident and is no longer operational.  Hopefully we can get it fixed, if not we will be searching for a sweet deal on a new laptop.

So hopefully the computer break will be a blessing and the increased time with my boys will be used wiselly. 

God Bless you all and hopefully I will be seeing you soon :-)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Cute purchases from the weekend for Baby Girl

So you know I am in full swing of ordering things and picking things up for our baby girl, Rachel, due in October.  The other day it was my goal to go through a stack of magazines about a foot and a half high, so that I could send them off to the recycling bin and get them out of the office.  In the process, I found an advertisement for a children's shoppe online called Bella Due, so of course I checked it out.  These were my first purchase, I am sure I will be back for other purchases later ;-)
I loved these burp clothes because they of course reminded me of my time living in England, the hot pink with the European fabric is so cute, it will really look great with Rachel's name monogrammed on it.

Then I found this really cute pillowcase dress on ebay, and the designer also makes matching neck ties.  So I picked this cute dress up with Rachel's initial on it, and matching ties for my 2 little Boys so we can do some group photo's with them after Rachel arrives.



Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my baby girl purchases from the weekend.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Sick little J

Our little man is not doing well AGAIN.  As you know he had ear tube surgery at the beginning of the week on Monday.  Yesterday he fell asleep at the table, which is TOTALLY not him so I KNEW something was up . . . . . and it was.
His temp was 102.6.  J's temperature was helped some by some ibuprofen and a nap but he continued to get temps like this the rest of the evening.  THEN at 2:24 in the morning he came screaming out of his room into ours and he was boiling to the touch, I checked his temp and it was 104.1.  I was dressed in moments and ready to head for the ER, but my MoG convinced me to slow down and see if we could help him get his temp down.  So we put him in a cool bath right away to help bring down his temp and gave him another dose of ibuprofen, which he promptly threw up.  With the aid of the cold bath, cold compresses against his body, and stripping him down to a diaper only, and the ceiling fan on full blast, his temp came down and he settled back down to sleep.  However, when he woke up this morning at 7ish his temp was back to 103.6.  So I arranged for D to hang with mom and dad, packed up J for a trip to the emergency room, and I took my niece Hilary with me just in case they needed to take x-rays for some reason (being preggo I can't go in the x-ray room).  We were taken in very quickly and they determined that J has Step Throat.
That's right after almost a year of monthly ear infections and finally having ear tube surgery . . . . the same week of the surgery J gets Strep Throat.  So J has been resting in my bed most of this afternoon, but he moved out to the living room to play when daddy got home from work and I went down for a nap.  However, when I woke up from my nap I found him like this on the living room sofa.
So of course I checked his temp and found after two doses of amoxicillin plus 3 rounds of ibuprofen throughout the day, J's temp at 6:34 this evening was back to 104.8 . . . . . so into a cold bath he went.

Please pray that these extremely high temps will stop as more of the amoxicillin get into his system and that this is just a fluke and not the beginning of constant strep throat for little J.

Custom Clothing Dividers from the Potato Patch

I am so excited that Robynne at the Potato Patch (another of my favorite Etsy shops) is going to make me a custom set of clothing dividers for my little girls closet.  As some of you know, back in April I had a giveaway on my G&R blog for a set of these fun and functional clothing dividers for a babies closet.  At the same time as the giveaway I also ordered a second set for my own little baby on the way to begin sorting through the clothes I already had.

I LOVE the 5-pc set I bought for Rachel's closet, it has been great being able to see clearly what sizes I have PLENTY of already, and where I still need to add more clothes.  However, a little bump in the road I have run into is that Robynn's standard 5-pc set for babies clothing dividers starts with 0-3, and yet I am finding that Newborn is much shorter in length then 0-3.  In addition, some of my friends with little girls, are generously already offering me clothes that go beyond 24 months, so it would be nice to start sorting through those as well.


So I contacted Robynn at the Potato Patch and asked if she would be willing to make me a custom set with the sizing Newborn, 24 months, 2T, 3T, & 4T and she said YES.  At first I asked for another of the same set we already have only with my custom sizes, but Robynn recommended that I order the size 2-6 Funny Farm Animals only with my sizing needs printed on them.  WHAT a GREAT idea!!!  Now the funny farm will grow from just having a Cow Horse, Pig, Sheep, and Chick, to also having a Chicken, Goat, Duck, Mouse, and Bunny, HA.

These clothing dividers are so cute, Robynn has so many designs to meet your decor, and they will be functional well after you little one grows out of their clothing because you can continue to use them to sort clothes for re-sale or storage.  Just purchase a clear rubber trunk, use packing tape to attach a ziplock bag to the inside end of the trunk (ziplock side up).  This way you can insert the clothing divider ring into the zip lock bag and when you stack your containers you will be able to clearly see the clothing sorted inside.

These dividers also make FANTASTIC baby shower gifts, so head on over to the Potato Patch and check our Robynn's selection of clothing dividers and other products.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Show Us you Life - China Patterns

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is having Show Us Your Life - China Pattern this Friday.  I do not have my own formal china pattern, because ONE I don't have any place to keep it, and TWO my mother has a beautiful set of china and we almost always gather at mom and dad's for big family gatherings and holiday's.  One day mom's china will be passed down (hopefully no time soon) to either my sister or I, and so I will be happy that her china stays within the family.  This past year I started doing an inventory of my mother's china so that I could start replacing pieces that have gotten broken in our many moves over the years or accessory pieces that my parents never got.

I love my mothers china, it is so classic, her pattern is from Noritake and is called Bluebell, manufactured between 1954 and 1971.  My parents picked up this beautiful china while they were stationed in Japan in the mid 60's.  At the time my father was working for a freight carrier airlines that based itself near the military base, and due to that my parents were able to shop at the PX and that is where they bought 12 5-piece place settings and accessory serving pieces for $60.00.  One 5-piece place setting would cost around $45 to replace today.  The Noritake Bluebell pattern has a beautiful simple floral design in pale blue with gray leaves, along with a pale blue band and  platinum band around the edge.

This is my favorite piece of the whole collection, I think my mother only has 6 or 8 of these plates, and one got broke in a move.  This is a snack plate and tea cup like you would use for a ladies tea, or special gathering.





Noritake Bluebell

#145 at Kelly's Korner

Too cute to resist

I just bought my little her first little hair accessories and I just had to share this cute shop with you.  
And here are the two adorable items I am STARTING with ;-)

and then this cute little hat

AND I finally ordered Rachel's custom car seat cover from Little Sheep Boutique also at Etsy, can't wait to put that on our Graco Snugride car seat.

Blog Hop Friday

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Melissa at Home Grown Families and Nicole at Mama to 3 Blessings, have decided to team up and host a Friday Blog Hop every Friday!  They invite you to join them every Friday to make more blog friends and to get more blog followers as well as the opportunity to follow other great blogs out there!

AND

Smart and Trendy Moms

Social Parade Followers Friday Blog-Hop is a weekly link-up hosted by Smart and Trendy Moms . 

AND


The fifth edition of Blog Hop Friday, hosted by My New Life As MomChubby Cheeks ThinksTake A Mom's Word For ItBree Bee's, This Adventure Our Life and Belly Charms!

Hop on over and make some new blog friends!

Pregnancy Journal - Week 20

How am I feeling and how are things progressing with the pregnancy:  


We are at the half way mark, actually MORE then half way because they will take little Rachel out when I am around 38 1/2 or 39 weeks by scheduled c-section.  I am feeling great and only gained 2 pounds this past month.  I had a check up on Friday and the doctor was very pleased with my low weight gain, blood pressure, and normal blood sugars.  The doctor still wants to monitor me every two weeks because I still have a pocket of blood between the placenta and uterus.  I haven't actually had any bleeding in over a month, but the doctor says there is still a high chance that I will experience bleeding again during the pregnancy.  So, even though I asked the doctor to let me return to the gym, he said NO, why jump off a 3 story building at this point in the pregnancy now that we have things going well.  My doctor really has a great sense of humor and communicates himself in interesting ways, but he is just not wanting me to push my luck.  So I guess other then watching my diet, I won't be able to try to keep my weight down or off with my gym routine.  Only pregnancy symptoms I am having are some nausea still in the morning, stuffed up nose ALL the time, and swelling of my feet on days when I am on them for a while, but if that is all I have and I don't have bleeding, I can handle those symptoms.

How our baby is growing:

Our baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against her torso and hard to measure,measurements are taken from the top of her head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.)

She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and we'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

How my life's changing:

We've hit the halfway mark in our pregnancy. The top of my uterus is about level with my belly button, and I've gained around 8 pounds. I should expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. 


If you started your pregnancy underweight, you may need to gain a bit more; if you were overweight, perhaps a bit less. Make sure you're getting enough iron, a mineral that's used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen). During pregnancy, your body needs more iron to keep up with your expanding blood volume, as well as for your growing baby and the placenta. Red meat is one of the best sources of iron for pregnant women. Poultry (especially the dark meat) and shellfish also contain iron. Some common non-meat sources of iron include legumes, soy-based products, spinach, prune juice, raisins, and iron-fortified cereals.

If you haven't already signed up for a childbirth education class, you may want to look into one, especially if you're a first-timer. A structured class will help prepare you and your partner for the rigors of labor and delivery. Most hospitals and birth centers offer classes, either as weekly meetings or as a single intensive, one-day session. Many communities have independent instructors as well. Ask your friends, family members, or caregiver for recommendations, we took one with our first pregnancy and don't plan to take one again because we know our birth plan includes ANOTHER c-section.


Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Dinner out and a Cranky Man


Last night we went out to eat at Panera Bread with out family to celebrate my niece Calli's graduation from high school and receiving some academic awards and scholarships.  We arrived very early in the dinner hour so we could beat the crowds and get a large table together.  Of course my 2 little Boys were with us, and in their excitement of being out with the family, they may have been a smidge loud, but nothing totally out of range, and at the end of the meal D wanted to visit the other end of the table and talk to his Uncle Calvin so we let him.


About 15 minutes into us being there, this couple arrived and sat in a booth adjacent to our large table, but I could see on the mans face that he wasn't happy, I just figured he wasn't having a good day and I kinda ignored him.  We made it through most of our dinner and the boys had finished their meals so Davey was up and socializing with his uncle and cousin.  Then I saw the man get up to go get his meal at the counter and on his way back to the table, my mother was standing, chatting, and taking pictures. The man stood behind her giving her an evil look and never said a thing, I said "Mom that man would like to get by", and she moved saying "oh pardon me, I am sorry."  About 5 minutes after the man sat down my oldest niece stands up and says we all need to leave NOW.  I have no idea what happened but started putting pieces together when after she left and we were still hanging out my sister and other two nieces phones started going nuts with text.
(you can see in this picture, the cranky man is not yet seated near us.  
they were at the booth on the left behind my mother)
J sharing his cookie with his Aunt Bubbie (my sister April)
D sharing his chips with his cousin Hilary

Apparently, my oldest niece Cassandra overheard the man say "They are lucky I am in a good mood, or I would start throwing things" and I think she may have heard something else that she didn't share, because she was really ticked.  I text'd her back and told her I appreciated her being angry on our behalf, but we weren't going to cut our family celebration short because he made the CHOICE to sit near our large group.  We were literally so early that there MAY have been 1-2 other families or couples there, so when he came in he and his wife could have sat anywhere he didn't have to sit near our large group that was already fully into dinner, chatting among ourselves, and the boys being boys.

ON our way out I apologized to another booth near us saying, "sorry if we were too loud".  The lady said to me, "no problem I thought your children were very well behaved for their age."  Which means she too had heard what the man said and didn't think we deserved he negative attitude. My sister stopped by Cranky Man's table and said, "I hope you have a nice evening".  The man is lucky my MoG and I didn't hear what he had to say about our children, we wouldn't have used cuss words or thrown things like the man, but we would have had some words to say to him.  As it is, we had a lovely evening with our family with the exception of the Cranky Man.  I don't know, maybe the poor man had a really bad day and was looking forward to a quiet dinner out with his wife, and I am sorry if he had a bad day.  But I just don't think it is every appropriate for anyone to make rude comments about another group at a restaurant loud enough for that group to hear, or to make rude comments about someone else's kids.
Calli's Graduation Dinner
I am thrilled for my niece Calli and her graduation tomorrow night.  She is turning a corner of life, where she will face adult decisions in life, and I completely believe she is ready for it, even though I still think of her as a young girl.  It has been a busy month and a half of graduations, first my niece Hilary from college, then my sister April graduated and got her RN, then Davey graduated preschool, and now our dear Calli graduating high school.  What a joy it is to celebrate life's moments with my family and no Cranky Man is going to steal it from us ;-).

Wordless Wednesday - Grill Master has an Apprentice