It's Still Stella's World

Last Friday I was mentally drafting a blog post.  An ode to all the rude people who've been asking me if I'm pregnant.  Hello people.  I had taken a pregnancy test in late September and it was negative.  It's the holiday season.  The turkey, stuffing and cookies add up.  I bought Lindsay Brin's Post Natal boot camp, signed myself up for our family's Biggest Loser and vowed to get on top of the problem.

Then I felt a flutter.  A flutter that surely was gas.  Surely.  Except my mind starting running wild.  Could those nosy people be right?  How could I be pregnant?  Remember this friend?  This kind of thing happens all the time.  And so, for peace of mind, I took the test. 

Positive.  If this one was right, how far along could I be?  A July baby perhaps.  However, pregnancy tests aren't %100.  But ultrasounds are.

Today we found out this little lady is going to be a big sister.  And somehow I missed the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.  Yes, that's right friends.  I didn't know...For. 20. Weeks.  Everyone gets tired, right?  My pelvis could be shifting back INTO place.  On and on the things you tell yourself when your subconscious isn't ready for #2.  Our #2 is coming in April. 

This year our Christmas miracle is a healthy baby.  Without prenatals, extra water or rest, or super tight blood sugar control the little Skittle looks good.  Naturally, we feel very blessed and are praying for continued good news.

Pregnancy #1--19 Weeks

 Pregnancy #2--20 weeks

We're overwhelmed.  And excited.  And oh yeah, it's a boy.  

We are currently accepting suggestions for a new blog title.

Crafty

I try.  Sometimes I really want to be.  But crafty falls into the category of "Things I Am Not." 
Here were some recent project ideas...

 Make an imitation of this lovely Pottery Barn advent calendar.  Then I looked closer.  Each pocket is perfectly detailed--a ballerina, a scarfed cat.  The original is over 5 feet tall.  If I spent every spare moment on it, I could probably finish it by March.  Who was I kidding? 

Wrap a foam wreath in yarn.  Check.  Make a handful of gorgeous felt flowers.  It surely would take a few tries and a tutorial from my mother, but I figured I could manage.  I was going to place my flowers off to the side a little and leave the branch out.  As I searched around NYC for high quality felt, felted wool actually, I started calculating my materials cost.  And then, as I added in my time and travels, I realized it would make more sense to fork over the $40 to her and have this wreath arrive on my doorstep, hassle free. 

This year we don't have a wreath or a huge evergreen tree advent calendar, but I did string up some white Christmas lights, decorate our little (faux) tree, and have holiday play lists going round the clock.  It feels festive.  And now I'm off to see if I can transform what turned out to be cheap tissue paper into red and white Martha Stewart pompoms.  Wish me luck. 

Get These

Really.  The following baby products make motherhood much easier.  When we have another baby, these will all be on hand.  Until then, I just try to push them on every pregnant woman I know.  (Candice, Have a pen handy?)

Kicky Pants bamboo stretch blankets.  The stretch makes a swaddling so easy, they're very soft and the prints are lovely. 

 I watched a wise mother using one of these Munchkin formula dispensers in church one Sunday.  You can make a bottle in 30 seconds with one hand (plus a knee or stroller). 

I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, and it's harder than one might think to find a solid-colored, not over-embelished shirt for babies.  And then I found Andee Lew baby bodysuits.  Perfection.

Our bathtub is deep and it seems even deeper when you're hanging over the side for 20 minutes.  This has saved our knees and backs, and as promised "makes bath time more fun for everyone."

too busy to blog...

but she did!

In the 8 months of Stella's life, I've missed a lot of opportunities. One that I particularly regret was not having professional newborn pictures taken of Stella. Perhaps my MIL knew how much I'd one day regret this (that one day came quick). On one of our October trips, she arranged for the exceptional Haley Miller to take Stella's 6th month pictures. Stella already seems so much older than she was in these pictures. Haley was fast (you only have so much time with babies), has terrific energy and adorable props. If you're looking for a photographer, I'll add mine to a long list of recommendations. (She also shot my sister in law's wedding and those pictures are just as fantastic).