8 months

Dear Sammy

You turned 8 months old on the 15th and you are even more amazing than ever! You have 3 teeth and one more about to break through. They all came in at the same time a few weeks ago. This has made for some trying nights, but with a little tylenol and orajel you seem to be coping well. You can also army crawl. The very first thing you "crawled" after was a yellow ball. You love balls, remotes, cat tails, stuffed animals, putting things in your mouth, being tickled, being tossed in the air, and watching jeopardy. You are also getting a mind of your own and never want to take naps! You are very "attached" to me, and reach for me when you are upset. You love playing with your daddy, especially when he gets home from work. You love to touch his whiskers and teeth. You are such a fun and happy baby and we couldn't be more in love. Here's to 8 months!

Love Mom

:)

So thankful :) Sammy at 1 week old

We enjoyed a nice long quiet Thanksgiving weekend here in our little apartment. We live far away from our families so we did not have a huge spread of food, but I did make a ham, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole (my favorite). We also had left over ice cream cake from my birthday last Tuesday which is always delicious! To say that I am thankful this year is an understatement. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband and a healthy baby and I just feel so content with my life right now. I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and that your bellies are full and happy. I know I need to get out and do some walking this week to make up for my over-indulging.

If you are still looking for a little holiday gift I am offering a 10% discount in my shop for the next 3 days. All you have to do is enter the code THANKFUL at checkout. Have a great cyber-monday!

Putting it out there

I want to live way up north in the woods.

In a cozy home with a front porch and swing

with a real fireplace

Where my kids can run around outside all day

and explore the land

A place where there is enough land for my husband to ride four-wheelers and snow-mobiles

and hunt

I want my kids to know how to build a tree fort and to skip rocks

I want a real christmas tree every year

I want my kids to know God, to have moral values and character, and to appreciate life

I want a garden in the summer

with veggies and flowers

I want a home where playing games and singing songs is the norm

I want to relearn how to play the piano

I want a creative space where my kids and I can paint and make things all day long

It doesn't have too be big

or fancy

I don't even need to live close to a mall

that's what shopping on the internet is for

I want to live closer to our families

so my kids know their grandparents

I want more kids eventually

I want a big hill to ride sleds down in the winter

I want my husband to find a job that pays enough for us to do this

and a job that makes him happy

I know this may be a lot to want

but I do

and I am putting it out there in hopes that it will come true!

If You Make It

...they will come :)

I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had made two sales last night in my shop. It just reinforces the idea that if you are making things that you believe in, success is just around the corner. I sold my little bird on a cup painting and an owl print. I have about ten ideas in my head for new little paintings, I just lack the time!

Also my baby has learned that he can roll around on the floor to get the things he wants. He is becoming so aware of his surroundings that he will not nap during the day! He thinks it is play time all day long. Seriously, I put him down for a nap in his crib yesterday (he was clearly tired), but he spent an entire hour babbling, yelling, rolling around, and still did not sleep. Also when he sees one of the cats he squeals at them which sends them running! It truly is fun to see his excitement for life. He is all smiles for most the day which makes his momma smile too.

Now I think I will go pour myself a cup of coffee with peppermint mocha creamer and sketch out a painting. It is my birthday today and I am going to make the most of it. I am one year older, one year wiser (maybe), and one year closer to becoming an even cooler person right?

What is it about Owls?

Newly painted and in my shop

Owls are cool. They have been in style for a while now. I like to paint them. I like to see them. Here are some cute owl-y things I've found on the net.

This little orange owl family by Pirdy on etsy. I can picture them sitting on a little shelf along with some cute artwork.

This pretty antique inspired owl ring by beautyspot on etsy.

3. Tis the season to put some owls on your tree. Made by the pinkperch. This shop also has lots of cute mobiles.

I can picture these bookends by graphicspaceswoods in a kids room or home library/office. I also love the books in this photo.

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by!

I found the time

Since becoming a momma I haven't found the time or motivation to get out my art supplies until this week! I am proud to say that I have listed some new small originals in my shop! My hope is that I can try to do one painting a day while Sammy takes his long nap. Of course there are about a million other things I should be doing while he naps like laundry, cleaning toilets, taking a shower, etc. but it really has been fun to paint again. I like using watercolors because they are easy to get out, easy to clean up, and they do not take up too much space on my kitchen table.

I am excited because it is Friday and that means my husband gets to be with us all weekend. During the work week it seems that we don't see much of each other because by the time he gets home and we have dinner we are both tired and always go to bed early. The weather is beautiful here so I am sure we will get out and enjoy a walk on one of the trails. Maybe we will do a little decorating for Christmas, although I would like to wait until Thanksgiving has passed. I feel it deserves it's own celebration without Christmas getting in the way :) I hope you have a super weekend too.

xo,

Me

7 months

You are 7 months old as of yesterday. How can this be? You are such a delightful little boy. Your dad and I ask ourselves out loud to each other every day "How did we get so lucky?" We are so lucky to have a healthy beautiful happy baby boy. You now say da da da da quite frequently and your dad thinks you are talking about him. You are ticklish on your toes, armpits, hips, and chin. You love to play peekaboo and pull hard on cat ears. You roll all around the floor (not crawling yet). You still wake up a lot at night....you know it is ok if you want to sleep the entire night. I really won't mind. You love laser lights, candle light, tastes of ice cream, me, being tossed into the air, meeting people, and drinking from a grown up cup. I marvel at you just as much today as I did the day you were born. We love you so very much little Sammy.

Love Mom

ps..i will post a picture later today!

Making the most of your mornings

How do you spend your mornings?

My little one wakes me up between 6:30 -7 am with squeals and laughter. When he gets up, he is ready to PLAY. Momma on the other hand is not a morning person until she gets her coffee. In fact, my husband won't even attempt a conversation with me until I have a cup of coffee in my hand. It's a bad addiction I suppose, but I love my coffee. I really wish I was more of a morning person because I want to greet my husband and baby with a smile in the morning rather than a grumpy squinty-eyed face. So I have decided to take on a challenge called Maximize Your Mornings over at a blog called Inspired To Action. The focus of the challenge is to make the most of your mornings whether that means devoting time to prayer, exercise, or making lists to plan for your day. For me, this is a great idea because since becoming a mother it has been difficult to find time for myself during the day. It is also a great way for me to set aside time to really acknowledge and thank God for all the wonderful blessings in my life! This will hopefully put me in a good mood so that I can be a fun and happy wife and momma.

My first goal is to wake up 15 minutes earlier than I normally do to devote some time to reading the bible and prayer. By getting up early I hope to gain some kind of focus for the day and to set myself and my family up for success. Of course there is a chance that I will press snooze, but hopefully not. I will keep you posted.

6 months

Sammy

You turned 6 months young on Friday and of course you continue to amaze me. I took this photo of you and it surprised me how much you have changed over this past month. You can now roll both ways. I never thought you would roll from back to belly, but you finally did and it was so fun to watch! You can sit up for a little while unassisted but usually you topple over. Yesterday I didn't catch you on time and you bonked your little head on the floor. I felt so bad! You seemed more shocked than hurt and all I had to do was sing the song "Sammy Baby" which is actually the oldie "Sherry Baby" with your name replacing Sherry and you started to smile SO big. You are not close to crawling yet, but I don't mind. I hear it gets harder once babies get mobile and I have not done any baby-proofing of the apartment yet.

You have changed so much, yet when you sleep you look the same as when you first came home. You have the same peaceful beautiful face. I am obsessed with kissing your chubby thighs, belly, and cheeks. I seriously wish I could bottle up your smell and soft skin so I can always remember it. You are ticklish under your chin, on your back, and on your thighs. You are so very happy and joyful and it makes me think God sends us babies to remind us to laugh more and not take life so seriously. I cannot thank HIM enough for giving me the best gift ever! You!

Love Always,

Mom

We like each other

A lot :)

I went through Sammy's drawers and cleaned out the clothes he has outgrown once again. It makes me sad when I have to make room for the "bigger" clothes. It makes me wonder if I'm being too sentimental or if every mother has these feelings? I guess I will just have to have another baby when Samuel gets too big ;)

I really like being a mom. I feel like I really fit into this role, this new phase of my life. My husband said it's like I was meant to be a mother. That makes me happy. But there are also other parts of my life that I miss and that I need to work into my schedule again. I haven't made much art, and it is hard to get myself out on the running trails some days. This will come with time but for right now I really don't mind spending every waking moment with this little sweetheart. Time really does go by WAY too fast.

A Happy Fall

I live in North Carolina. I am originally from Minnesota where the fall weather shows itself much earlier. Last week it was still in the 90's here and I was miserable. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate warm summer days, but it is the end of September and the Minnesota blood in me is calling for some crisp fall air.

So yesterday was the first day that it was "cool" enough to celebrate the start of fall! It was the perfect day: cold (70 degrees), dreary (always a good fall indicator), and raining (bonus!). So I packed up Sammy and we headed to the mall to find a good fall candle to burn all day. We were in luck because Bath and Body had a 2/20$ candle sale and I purchased a few yummy caramel apple candles.

I also cooked my first pot roast of the season in the crock pot with potatoes and carrots. The husband was pleasantly surprised by the aroma filling the house when he got home. I highly recommend making one. All I do is:

1. Coat the roast in flour

2. Brown it on all sides with some oil in the frying pan

3. Chop 2 potatoes and a bunch of carrots ( I love cooked carrots) into large pieces

4. Add veggies to the bottom of the crock pot

5. Put roast on top

6. Mix lipton onion soup mix with 3/4 cup of water and pour over roast

7. Cook on low for 8 hours.

8. Enjoy Yummy tender roast and delectable veggies.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Because I adore fall and I adore blogs especially blogs that teach you how to make/do something, I decided to make a fall banner to make the home feel even more festive. I got the idea here. It was easy, cheap and I already had all the materials. The tutorial uses newspaper, but I had lots of pretty scrap book pages to use up, so that's what I used. The possibilities are endless. So here is my Happy Fall banner.

Sammy is just hanging out while I made a mess.

Here it is! Bad lighting and all.

Hope you are having Happy Fall Ya'll

Toys

Just thought you might want to see how we entertain ourselves on a daily basis....

Meet "Whirly Bird" My mom aka Grandma Barb named him/her when she came to visit a month ago.

This is Samuel's most FAVorite toy. I say Sammy, here comes.....WHIRLY BIRD! And he shrieks in delight. I don't know when babies actually start to belly laugh. Mine seems to scream or yell when he is happy. Anyways, if you know anyone who is going to have a baby, whirly bird is a gem to have. His actual name by the way (on the tag) is Jacque the Peacock.

Other things my little Sam likes:

This guy "Monster Man"

I sing the song Macho Man but replace those words with Monster Man. He was a gift from my husband's aunt Karlene. Sammy likes to chew on his horns. And he makes a yuck face when the fur gets in his mouth.

This crazy contraption is called a jumperoo. Sammy was very confused the first time I put him in it. But now he is thoroughly amused by it :)

That is all for now. I'm hoping to post more often :)

5 months

Dear Sammy

You are over 5 months old now. My heart still fills up when you smile and talk to me. I am so darn lucky. You grasp things regularly and when I carry you around you reach out at the things you want to touch. You love your daddy. When he comes through the door from work, I say "Daddy's HOME!" and the smile you make fills your entire face. You are showing interest in the food we eat now. Soon enough you will be starting solids and sitting on your own and maybe you will even crawl soon? :) You love the soft books that auntie Katie sent you. She sends us lots of awesome things like shoes and books and jammies. You moved up to size 3 diapers. This is a big deal. You are growing so fast! I love the rolls on your thighs and how your cheeks are filling out so well ;)

Today it is raining and you and I slept in. It hasn't rained here in about a month. It was so nice. Then when you decided it was time to get up we played with your little bumble bee rattle and practiced sitting up. You drool a lot and when I kiss you I get slobber on my face, but I don't care. I love your sweet baby drool. I never knew I would like being a mom so much. I hope I can have more babies just like you someday, but different because there is only one you.

Oh one more thing I need to tell you. This weekend your dad and I ran a 5K race and he won a prize for being the first person to finish with a stroller! You made us 10 bucks this weekend! Awesome huh? We hope you will love to run like us someday. Ok little boy, you are awake from your nap and it's time to PLAY again!

Love Always,

Mom

4 months

As I write this you are asleep little boy. You are four months old now which is quite an amazing feat! You are 1/3 of a year old which is crazy to me because I can still picture your tiny newborn face and I can still remember what it was like to have you all curled up on my chest with your little head tucked under my chin. I remember bringing you home from the hospital and crying out of pure happiness and amazement while watching you sleep. So precious.

You are not so tiny anymore. Being nearly 16 pounds and able to hold up your body weight when I hang onto your hands, I know you are one step closer to being mobile. I love your little personality and your gummy smiles that never end. Even when I am feeling a little grumpy, just hearing you squeal and laugh is enough to get me out of my funk. I am amazed at how you can grasp things and bring them to your mouth. You can even grasp your pacifier and eventually turn it around the right way until it fits into your mouth. You are learning things so fast and part of me wants to slow it down but I know that would be selfish....

So keep learning my little boy, and don't slow down for me. You are amazing and you should keep on going, full speed ahead!

3 months

Photo taken at 2 weeks old

Today is your 3 month birthday!

We woke up around 7 am and had breakfast (you nursed I had oatmeal squares cereal). Then we laid in bed together while I read Goodnight Little One to you. I suppose I need a book titled Good Morning Little One so you don't get confused! Then I held you on my lap while I made ridiculous noises at you in efforts to make you laugh. You gave me one big squeal-like laugh and that was good enough for me :) Next we walked around the house and talked to the cats. You seem to show more of an interest in them lately. We laid down on the bed again to talk and coo. Finally your eyes got heavy and red and it was time for a nap. I held you close to me while your eyes slowly drifted and all I could think to myself was wow how did I get so lucky.....

Love you stinker pants :)

Mom

Baby Wearing

Here is me and my little guy in the sleepy wrap :) He hates being in it when he is facing me, but loves facing out so he can see the world!

Did you know that baby wearing goes waaaay back? I bet even Jesus was worn by his mother. Women around the world wear their babies so that they can keep their babies safe and close to them while they go about their daily tasks. Today I got up, put on my sleepy wrap, put baby in wrap, went to make a pot of coffee, popped in some cinnamon swirl toast, ate toast, took a stroll outside to get the mail, checked my email, cleaned up kitchen, and then decided to take baby out so I could drink my coffee (drinking coffee or any hot beverage while baby is attached would be a terrible idea).

Why I like wearing baby:

1. He can learn about the world at eye-level rather than laying on the floor or being in a bouncer all day.

2. It saves my arms. Sammy loves being held and walked around. This can get tiresome, so wearing him is much more comfortable for us both.

3. It looks cool. I love seeing other moms wear their babies!

4. He loves being close to me and seeing all the action!

5. I can still do household chores and feel like I am not ignoring him.

That's my two cents on baby wearing. Have a great day!

On Motherhood

I know this blog used to be more about art and pretty things, but now that I am a mother I feel it is important for me to share this part of my life too. Before becoming a mom I had these ideals of what kind of mom I would be. I was the type who would say "A baby won't change my schedule or how I do things!" etc..... I always thought a baby would just follow my routine and be just fine! Well I was in for a surprise!

After Samuel was born I found that it wasn't about ME anymore. I would do anything for this precious baby. He still gets up during the night 3 even 4 times but does that bother me, no. He needs me. He needs nourishment and comfort. He gets up at 6 or 7 AM. Does that mean I want to get up at that time? No. But I do because I love to see his smiling face and hear him giggle when he sees mine. I will never stress about whether or not he is sleeping when I want to sleep because he is just following his body's natural rhythm.

I know breast feeding is a controversial subject and to each her own, but I choose to breast feed not because it is the easiest choice (well in some instances it is when you don't have to get up and mix a bottle) but because I know it is specifically made for my baby and is best for him. This means I can only be gone from him for 2 hours tops because that's how often he eats. Once again his needs come before mine. I remember back to the first couple weeks when he would want to eat constantly and I was so overwhelmed and exhausted and at the brink of giving him a bottle. Kyle my husband encouraged me not to give up. Looking back I was just ill informed about breast feeding. I didn't know that little babies ate so often and that one of the reasons he wanted to eat was for comfort and to build up my supply. Babies need to suckle.

This post is not intended to say that you can't have a life or that you shouldn't nurture and take care of yourself as a mother. I am just saying that once you bring a little baby into this world your life will not be exactly the same as it was before. This has been my experience anyway. It will change because the love you feel for this little human is so amazing and you would do anything for them.

Our Trip Home

Samuel and I hopped on a jet plane to visit our family in Minnesota. I had only planned to stay five days because I thought I would miss my husband too much and I figured Sammy would be worn out, but I ended up extending our stay since we were having such a good time and the weather was so beautiful. I think the grandparents were very happy with my decision to stay longer! Sammy is so lucky to have so many people that love and adore him. I felt like a mean mom taking him away from all our family and friends, but his daddy missed him and me and it felt so good to get home.

Being home feels wonderful but it got me thinking that I really need to build some kind of support system where we live now. I want Sammy to grow up with lots of love around him. I want our weekends to be filled with summer barbeques, birthday parties, and campfires. I am sending this wish out into the universe to see what happens.

Two Months

Samuel will be two months old this Thursday. It is amazing how fast little babes grow. I read that a newborn's brain grows five centimeters in the first three months of life! Incredible! I have noticed that Sammy is really starting to focus on my mouth when I talk or sing to him. I think he is trying to understand how it works and he is also becoming more vocal. He is a very spirited baby, letting me know what he likes or dislikes right away. He is also pretty independent. He doesn't like being held too much unless he is sleepy. I love watching him from a distance when he is quietly staring out the window, taking in all the colors and shapes he sees. So precious.

Dear Little One

Thank you for teaching me patience.

Thank you for giving my life more meaning.

Thank you for bringing me and your dad even closer together.

Thank you for being so darn cute that I can hardly take my eyes off of you.

Love

Mom

Samuel

It has been a while but I finally have some time and would like to share my birth story with you. My sweet baby boy was born April 15 at 9:56 AM. He is now nearly five weeks old!

At 41 weeks pregnant it was recommended that I be induced. I was apprehensive to do this as I had been planning for a natural unmedicated birth and I really wanted to experience labor starting on its own. After talking to my doula, my best friend, and my husband I decided I was ready to meet little Samuel. So Wednesday evening at around 7:30 pm my husband and I checked into the hospital. By 9:30 they inserted cervidal a cervical softener to help with dilation. The plan was to start pitocin 12 hours later to start contractions. By 3 am my water broke! By 4 am I was in active labor. The nurse removed the cervidal and my body progressed on its own. I was so happy that I didn't need the pitocin.

When active labor kicked in, it felt as if my contractions were getting stronger and closer together. Thoughts of the epidural ran through my mind as I knew I was on some kind of ride that I couldn't get off. It's amazing how fast those fears and thoughts can creep in. That's why it is so important to have people at your birth to support you. I mean truly support you. People who know your birth wishes before you go into labor, who can remind you that you CAN do it! My husband told me to hold off on the epidural because my doula was on her way. As soon as my doula arrived she got me out of the hospital bed. This was the key to me being able to cope with the contractions. She was an awesome coach! With each contraction I would squat or sit on the birthing ball to bring the baby down. This was doable. I was able to relax and breath and think about how each contraction was bringing me closer to my baby. It is amazing what your body can do if you just surrender to it. I truly believe that all women can have natural births if that is what they wish for. I do think having a doula made the difference. If she had not been there I would have had the epidural.

I was dilating quickly and by 9 amit was time to push! This was the toughest and most amazing part I think. Your cannot not push, if that makes sense? Your whole body is this powerful machine (this is the best way I can describe it) that is working toward pushing this baby out whether your mind agrees to it or not! My mind could not comprehend how a baby was going to come out of me! But I knew that letting go of those doubts and believing in my body as well as those trying to help me was the key to bringing little Samuel into this world.

After about 40 minutes of pushing he arrived. Tears of amazement, joy, and relief came over me as they laid him on my chest. He had a head of curly hair and was perfectly perfect in every way. He weighed 7 lbs 6 oz. and was 21 inches long :)

Life and birth....what a miraculous process. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Here he is at 1 month old. So precious! He looks like his daddy.

I am thinking about starting a new blog. A family blog mixed in with my artwork. I need a good name for it. Any suggestions are welcome!

It's getting warm and that makes me happy

I know for most of the country it is still quite frigid but yesterday it was 70 degrees here in North Carolina and I enjoyed every minute of it. It felt so good to get some sunshine on my face. My husband had a really busy week at work this past week so Sunday was our day to catch up on things. We went for a long walk through a beautiful pine tree forest and discussed all the fun things we wanted to do once the baby arrives. I should have brought my camera to take pictures of the giant pine cones some forest critters and some shiny little rocks I found, but my pregnancy brain has caused me to forget so many things lately.

What I can do is show you some pictures of my forever growing belly! I have to take my 34 week picture this thursday, but here is a progression from 28 weeks to 32 weeks. It is amazing how your body can stretch and change for a growing little baby. I love him to pieces already and I haven't even seen his face. I think I am really going to enjoy motherhood.

28 weeks

30 weeks

32 Weeks

I just want to say thank you to those of you who have checked in to read my blog. I know the postings are few and far between! Have a wonderful week :)

Baby Shower

Whew!

It's a new year and I am feeling excited for things to come (mainly for the wee baby). My dearest friend Katie recently threw me a baby shower while I was home in Minnesota over the holidays and I cannot thank her enough for all the love and thoughtfulness that was put into the event. Everything was gorgeous from the old mismatched teacups we used, to the cake, to the handmade quilt she made for my gift. The quilt is SOO beautiful that I would love to center the whole baby's room around it. I have lots of ideas swirling in my head from how to make a bumper for the crib to artwork on the walls. Here is a picture of us and the quilt. It is made out of old fashioned vintage children themed fabrics. It was her very first quilt too, so I feel very special!

A few more pics to give you an idea of how cute it was!

I was also meaning to share the finished picture of the farm painting I made for my husband's grandparents for Christmas. They are the sweetest people you could ever meet and they actually teared up when I gave it to them. Making art for people is truly worth it when you get a reaction like that!

I hope you have had a great start to the new year. I think 2010 will be an exciting year for my family and I look forward to sharing bits and pieces of my life with you along the way:)