Birthday Painting

I turned 31 in December. Way back when... 

 It was a Sunday birthday which is always kind of a downer. Sunday is the hardest day of the week but Steve still managed to make it special. He got me lots of my favorite foods, like carrot cake breakfast and I was able to take a nap too. Later that week we went out to lunch and then saw the Hobbit once we got to Arizona. All of my weekends in December were full of craft shows too so that didn't make matters easier either.

One of the best surprises was a girl's night out organized by the wonderful Chelsea. We went and painted amazing works of art at Uptown Painting, a studio where they paint the picture and you follow along as a group. I have always wanted to go to one of these places. Its not Steve's scene in the least but was more fun with the girls! Plus if you went as couples you would have two of the same painting.

I had so much fun and am grateful for awesome friends!

Snow Day

We had one day of snow this past week. It started snowing in the afternoon and snowed through the evening. In Georgia this is a huge deal as we are not equipped to handle any snow let alone two inches. And while we had no real effects from the storm in Athens, there were lots of people stranded on icy roads in the area. We had one cancelled school day and no preschool all week for Henry. The snowy evening had us outside making snowmen-hence all the poorly lit pictures.
This was Henry's first snow and it dazzled him. We built two snowmen and he actually helped roll the snowballs and find the arms and eyes. One is Henry and one is baby sister. One is also a cyclops snowman. We played outside while Steve made us dinner, quite the trade off for me. Henry did not want to come in so we walked around in it for a bit letting it snow on our faces and trying to catch it on our tongues. Luckily with hot pizza on table I was able to lure him inside as we really don't have much in the way of snow gear and it was freezing.
The next day Henry was laid up with a small cold/cough so we stayed inside watching movies and snuggling on the couch. Over the next few days we watched our snowmen melt away or as Henry said "Our snowballs are turning into water."

AZ Recap and the end of January

I have a few more things to say about January but as its over I thought I would do a general wrap up from our trip and the first month of 2014.

One of the best things about being in Arizona, besides seeing family of course, and the beautiful balmy weather was the closeness of everything. I seriously went consumer crazy taking advantage of the close proximity of common luxuries like IKEA. I dragged Steve's mom there to get new sheets for Henry's bed and fell in love with their new children's bowls and plates. If you haven't updated your old ones yet, these are fabulous. The plates have a lip and the bowls are round and bigger. We also found fun place mats to help protect our kitchen table from Henry's destructive fork habits.

It sounds sad to think fondly of shopping on our vacation but its the truth. The closest good shopping to Athens is about 45 minutes away and even then they are lacking in serious variety. We actually went there today and I sadly realized that there was only one maternity store in the whole mall. None of the chain stores even had their maternity sections. No one has babies here, I guess.

And it must be said that we dined at In N Out three times in two weeks which is disgusting but heaven at the same time. Henry said it was his new favorite place to eat.

Some other highlights from Arizona were Henry learning to buckle himself in his car seat all by himself and his mastering drinking with a lidless cup. Independence here we come! We also had one amazingly easy flight out to Arizona. Preparation is key and Henry did great. On the way home, we had some turbulent air and couldn't get up a lot. Henry unfortunately had to go to the bathroom as we were descending in Atlanta and sadly peed in his seat. His was really bummed about it and kept asking "did you bring more clothes, Mommy?" I was armed with a complete change and he was quickly switched into dry clothes before anyone could notice. We wiped up everything like pros and discreetly alerted the crew and they changed out the seat belts in his seat. I didn't even know they could do that! Word of advice, bring extra clothes in a plastic bag when traveling with a potty trained four year old.

And now that we are back in Georgia, we are still struggling for routine. Adjusting into this semester has been a challenge for all of us. Henry didn't want to go back to preschool for a few weeks. Luckily he is over this now. But then we had three snow days this week and no preschool. How I need those nine hours of solitude for my sanity.

Seminary is cold and dark and the students seem disinterested. Plus we've had cancellations for weather too which sounds like a good thing "Sleeping in!" but then I just get all out of sync sleeping-wise.

I realize this is a lot of complaining, even for me, but its the truth and it must be faced.
 January was a bust. I did a lot but none of it was the stuff I wanted or needed to do. Its so interesting to me how I can be completely focused on my business with a plan and then I do nothing for two weeks and abandon all of my goals and aspirations. They got waylaid by baby stuff. Babies are so consuming even before they arrive. Such a time suck.

Well today is a new day, a new month and I have a new resolve. February is going to rock! or at least be better than January was. Hooray for a new month!

Phoenix Zoo

During our Arizona trip we all went to the Phoenix Zoo. Steve's sisters and their families came too to Henry's delight as he loved being with his cousins so much. The older ones were so helpful and kind to him, watching out for him, lifting him to see the animals better and including him in the fun. As much fun as he appears to be having, he pooped out fairly quickly--the place is huge for such a small person--and I think he had about three meltdowns. Maybe next time we'll bring the stroller... Luckily I brought snacks to curb the grumpiness and he got to make a souvenir flattened penny which rallied his spirits. The great thing about the zoo is that everyone had a great time. From the three year old to the sixteen year old and all the adults. And with perfect 70 degree weather, who could complain?

Actually this was my first outing where I physically felt like I was barely able to cope from all the walking. Pregnant belly of death. Maybe next time we'll bring a stroller for me... just kidding, I would rock a motorized cart. Bring on the Rascal!

Children's Museum of Phoenix

While in Arizona, Nana took us and Henry's other little cousins to the Children's Museum of Phoenix. Housed in a huge old school, the museum was a delight to the imagination. One of the things that caught my fancy was their use of everyday household objects given new life in creative ways. Something as simple as empty detergent jugs were recreated into oceanic art, skateboard wheels were repurposed into mini cars and pool noodles into a moving jungle. Henry generally had a good time but we experienced his first separation induced meltdowns. If he happened to run somewhere where we were not, he would stop and start crying. I think he cried about 5 times. Wants to be with us but won't stay near us. Geesh.
My favorite parts were the hanging pool noodle forest you could run through, the complete grocery store with mini carts and checkout lines and the gigantic two story climbing tower. In the end we were wiped out both physically and emotionally and found solace at In N Out for lunch.

bexcaliber: hearts and arrows

Despite what you might think from my instagram feed, I am actually still working on pillow designs and not just baby girl clothing. This week I am putting up new Love Print Pillow Covers in springy colors and some Valentine's Day designs as well. I have a Heart Ferris Wheel that I have had on my mind for years but was never able to make happen and I have a cupid's arrow design in three colorways. While my initial intention was Valentine's Day, I think the ferris wheel would be so cute in a child's room and has lots of colors to pull from as accents. The same goes for the arrow print especially the white background one.

All can be found in the shop!

oh baby baby: sexy red dress

24 weeks! Six Months down, Four to go

I changed dresses for this week since this is what I was wearing and it shows my belly more than the green one. I did take one in that dress though so I can have the gradual growth comparison. This red dress was a major thrift store find. Its not maternity but it is thicker ponte knit in a simple body con silhouette. It actually had a mock turtleneck which I cut off and came down mid calf, totally 80's. I shortened it too and now have a crew neck knit dress which makes me feel oh so sexy. All for $6. I dressed it down for everyday wear with a cardigan and boots but will be rocking this with mega heels on a hot date with Steve. Once I get done blogging about the holidays I plan a big maternity clothing post.

Here are some things that have been going on around here in the past weeks, babywise:

• My food cravings have hit a new low with Eggo waffles. 
• I suddenly realized that having a girl will mean I actually have to learn how to do hair. Basic braiding is all I've got. Youtube here I come.
• We found the last piece of furniture we needed to make Henry's room work for two kids. I was looking for a replacement dresser for Henry as he was still using his tiny baby one and his big boy clothes just don't fit. So I was stalking craigslist but people around here must have too high an opinion of their crappy old furniture because I was having trouble finding any dresser let alone a clean lined wood one for less that $200. Well on Saturday Steve suggested we walk down to this antique store which is less than a block away just to kill time and get out of the house. We totally lucked out and found the perfect sized piece for only $35. Its real wood, with dovetailed drawers and even has okay paint and super cute drawer pulls. Eventually I will repaint it but for now, its perfect. We borrowed a dolly from the shop and Steve wheeled it home. Henry was more than delighted to put all his 4 year old clothes in his new dresser and then to fill his old one with baby clothes. 
• The baby loves to move around a lot. I like good solid movements. None of that creepy fluttering nonsense. 
• We started our centering classes through the midwifery this week. What does that mean? Well up until now I have been going in for a monthly check up. Now we will meet with other couples who are due in May every other week through the rest of my pregnancy. We go through routine check up stuff like peeing in the cup, getting weight and blood pressure. We also meet with the midwife and she does a quick exam. I love this because Steve can really get involved. He helps measure my uterus (fundal height) and even gets to use the ultrasound thingy to find the baby's heartbeat. We then discuss aspects of pregnancy and birth as a group. Its fun to share with other moms, we're one of two couples who already have a kid and we even have dinner and dessert together. We're trading babysitting with another couple who are also at the midwifery due in April. I am so grateful for my decision to go with the midwives. They share the same ideas and attitudes about pregnancy and birth that I have and it is so nice to know I have a true advocate and well rounded support system. 
• Another funny crying moment. Henry has been watching Up lately. Well one day Steve and I were sitting at the table eating lunch and Henry had just started Up. The whole sad music through their life scene totally left me in tears. And guess what? I couldn't even see it. I was just imagining it in my mind. Steve probably thought I had completely lost it. To be fair, I originally saw that movie when I was pregnant with Henry and was balling in the theater both at the beginning and end. Pixar really blindsides you with emotion there. Sneaky, sneaky...
• And I have been plugging away on baby clothing--and having an absolute blast! My excel sheet is filled out with what we're missing and what we have. My fabric stash is slowly depleting and I still have stacks of projects that I want to do. But I'll save that for another post in and of itself. 

We're still plugging away and doing great here!