Utopia Captured

I am so overwhelmed by the decorating decisions that are coming with this little girl!  There weren’t many ‘boy’ options when I was decorating Kaiden’s nursery-so the choice of his bedding/theme was easy.  We did ‘Ahoy Matey’ complete with a hand painted treasure map, pirate ships and a giant map mural (although since we are in an apartment and not allowed to paint I had to use the peel and stick.)

For baby girl, I started out with absolutely no ideas.  Then I spent an afternoon walking around Joann and Babies R Us alone looking for inspiration.  Thanks to my hubby for hanging out with Kaiden that day!  I now have 5 different ideas.  Four actual bedding sets, and one piece of fabric that I would have to magically turn into something.  As of right now, she won’t have her own room right at first.  So the bedding is the most important to me right now.

Option #1- Pink, orange, and blue peacock print.  Obviously these colors aren’t traditionally used in nurseries…so I’m not sure I’ll be able to find much in way of matching/coordinating.  I’d end up sewing a lot of it myself, which I could do- but I’m not sure I want to.  At absolute minimum, I’ll be making her a dress and some accessories from this absolutely fabulous fabric.

Option #2 is not really a theme… but the bedding is called ‘Taffy.’  I love the bright colors, the texture and patterns are a lot of fun.   Some of the butterfly wings are made of sheer fabrics that she could pull on and play with making it a “dual purpose” tummy time mat.  I think it would be fairly easy to match accessories and textiles to make things for her.

Option #3 is a ‘sprintime in Paris’ theme.   The bedding that I found to go along with that is “Madison” by CoCaLo, brand new at Babies R Us.  I love the navy blue and pink combo, and love that there is so much texture on the blanket and bumpers.  I’m not happy with the expensive price point that this bedding is set at ($199), or the fact that this set does not come with the bumpers, you have to pay an extra $70 for them.

Option #4 is a butterfly theme with colors a little less traditional.  I love the purple and aqua together, slightly different than the super girly pink yet sweet and still very girly. (Not to mention purple has always been one of my favorite colors)  I am sure I can find or make a TON of butterfly accessories for the rest of the room.  Both my mom and bff love butterflies, and they have become a special reminder of two of my favorite people.

Option #5 is also a purple and aqua combination of daisies.  You can’t really tell from this picture, but all of the flowers are made up of “scrunched up” fabric (which you all know how I feel about fabric!)  I love the texture, and like the ‘Taffy’ bedding this one would be a fun tummy time mat for her.  This set, like the Paris one, does not come with the bumpers, so that would be an added expense.

I know I don’t have to decide quite yet, but I would like to make a choice soon.  Just having a choice made and a theme picked out would make me feel a little more settled and prepared.  I welcome any opinions, and will keep you updated on which one I end up picking!

Is LOVE!  And there was plenty of love last weekend.  March 10th-12th  we were in fabulous Las Vegas for my BFF’s wedding.   I had the extreme honor of being part of the special day as her Matron of Honor (that must be why they call it that, huh??)  It was a hectic few months before the big day, but all of her hard work paid off, everything was absolutely perfect!

We had a fantastic time driving out to Vegas together in our ‘Bride’ and ‘MOH’ shirts.  A few errands and other detours caused a normally 4-5 hour drive to take us 9 hours.  It didn’t feel like it was nearly that long, we talked, snacked, shopped and had some truly unforgettable conversations.

The festivities took place at the Bellagio.  The night before the wedding Michelle and I were upgraded to a glamorous penthouse.  It was spectacular.  No kidding, there were THREE bathrooms!   I felt so pampered.  I didn’t do a very good job of taking photos during the weekend… but their photographer got quite a few good ones during and directly after the ceremony.

Someone told me a few years ago that instead of watching the bride walk down the aisle you should watch the groom as the bride walks towards him.  For the first time I followed this advice, and it was so sweet.  Of course I had to sneak a few peeks at Michelle and her proud papa too.   I was crying before she was all the way up the (fairly short) aisle.

The ceremony was beautiful, and you could really feel the love between Jason and Michelle.  In the video and on the live stream of the event, you can tell that I’m trying to figure out how to wipe my tears and hold 2 bouquets at the same time… but luckily on the still shot I look fairly normal.

When the ceremony was over, there were lots of hugs and photos.  The great thing about a smaller wedding is that the bride and groom were able to take photos with every one of the guests!  Here is my favorite (of course, I may be a little biased)

After the family/friend photos were done in the chapel, the photographer took us around the resort for an extra hour of photography.  She was very professional and had a lot of good ideas.  There were a number of poses that I thought looked so awkward at the time- but the shots came out beautifully!  They have hundreds of photos, so I won’t be able to share them all here, but below are a few of my favorites.

Aren’t they a beautiful couple?? I had such a hard time choosing my favorite photos.  Thank goodness they bought the CD!  The photographer (who happened to also be named Ruth, by the way) also captured a few fun black and whites of Michelle and me (yay for bff photos!!)

Last but not least, a really special photo of mama and baby girl. I can’t wait to show it to her and tell her that she was part of Auntie Michelle’s big day too!

The reception was in a 36th floor fountain view penthouse.  There was pizza, cake, cake pops,  lots of laughter and an awesome view.  We were able to see all the lights of the strip and a fountain show every 15 minutes.  Kaiden was fascinated by the view and had a blast watching out the window.

I could go on and on about how beautiful everything was, how much fun we had, or how special it was that we were able to be part of her wedding day… but this post is long enough.  Lots and love to the Bride and Groom!  Love you guys!!

First of all, I am SO SORRY it has been so long since I last blogged.  At this point, my blog followers are also my Facebook friends, so hopefully I’ve not left anyone waiting and wondering about the gender of our baby.  Just in case you didn’t catch it on Facebook, here is our big announcement:

We have not yet chosen a name for this little girl, but as soon as we do, I am looking forward to monogramming everything from blankets to onesies.  Kaiden seems to be understanding more and more about this baby, he’ll kiss and tickle my belly and very rarely asks to be carried anymore.  It absolutely warms my heart to look down and see my little boy loving the baby.  I have yet to capture a photo of it, but I’m sure once I do it will be one that I treasure forever.

I absolutely can not wait to find out the gender of this little one!!  Our anatomy scan (the BIG ultrasound) is scheduled for February 10th, the day before my husband’s birthday.

To keep myself occupied until then,  I’ve tried quite a few ‘gender tests’ to try and figure it out on my own.  Everything from the old wives tales to the more “out there” tests.  Check out the results for yourself below:

The Chinese Gender Calendar found at www.thelaboroflove.com predicts GIRL.

The ‘wedding ring gender test’ also said GIRL.  This is the test where you put your wedding ring on a strand of your hair and hold it over your belly.  If the ring moves in circle baby is a girl, if it moves back and forth baby is a boy (according to www.babygenderprediction.com.)

The cabbage test (a friend told me about this one-not sure where she read about it.) What you do is boil a chopped purple cabbage then remove 2 T of the water.  You then add 2T of your urine (gross I know.)  If the water turns cranberry colored its a boy, if it stays purple or turns blue its a girl.  This test said I’m having a BOY.  Don’t worry, I didn’t take any photos for you.

According to the old wives tales:

• Baby’s heartbeat has been 140+ each time…GIRL
• My feet are freezing…BOY
• My hands are very dry…BOY
• I had severe morning sickness…GIRL
• I’ve been having headaches…BOY
• I’ve been craving sweets…GIRL

So as you can see,  I’m no closer to knowing the gender of this baby than I was before.  With Kaiden, early on in the pregnancy I had a dream that he was a boy, and I just “knew” the entire time.  This time I don’t really have a feeling either way! What’s your guess?

I lost my cell phone at the mall this past Sunday.  I know exactly where I left it, but when I went back for it just minutes later, it was gone.  Of course I checked every store, restaurant, customer service desk, security office,trash bin, planter, parking lot and EcoAtm (the machine that lets you sell phones for cash) but still it is nowhere to be found.  I continue to look on Craigslist and Ebay, hoping it will turn up somewhere.

Its not the phone I’m sad about, it wasn’t a new or expensive phone.  It had over a year’s worth of photos and videos of my son on it.  Photos of him and his Great Grandmother, Christmas photos, first night in his big bed, first birthday. Etc Etc Etc.  Some of them I had sent to friends and family, so they are able to send those back to me, but the majority I had not yet backed up. Needless to say the past week has been emotional for me. (And no, these preggo hormones are NOT helping!)

I’m tying to make myself feel better by saying that a generation ago, cameras weren’t available on a constant basis, so compared to many people, I still have a ton of photos… and at least I have the memories in my mind to cherish…  and at least it was only a years worth, and not 5 years worth…  Most of the time those thoughts work.

Lessons learned:

1.  Back up your photos often!
2. Don’t wait to blog! Had I written a blog post about our Christmas activities right after they happened, I would have included the photos for you to enjoy.
3. Send more photos to my family and friends!

I know it sounds silly, but I feel like I have gone through the 5 stages of grief this week, and I have finally arrived at acceptance.  Yes it SUCKS, but I’m going to get a new phone, get as many photos back as I can from family and friends, appreciate that I can have a few, and move on.  (And keep my fingers crossed that it turns up someday)

Every January 1st I “resolve” to lose weight.  This year I am busily growing a human from scratch… so that whole weight loss resolution would be nothing but an exercise in futility for me.  Instead, I’ve thought about it and decided on 3 goals in place of my usual.

#1- Make my home happier by organizing it and keeping the clutter at bay.  I wouldn’t say the house is “dirty” by any means…but it is certainly “messy.”  I joined FlyLady (check out her website here. I haven’t started using it, so I can’t give any sort of review on it yet.) and plan to use that to help me become the tidy mom I’ve always wanted to be.

#2-  Take care of myself physically and emotionally.  If you are a mom you know that the majority of the time you put yourself last.  This year I’m going to be sure to eat healthy food that will nourish me and my growing baby. I will also exercise somehow 3 times a week.  For my emotional health, I’m going to attend the Mom’s Bible Study at our church and deepen the relationships with the all of the moms I know.  I will continue to plan and attend “girls days” with my friends.

#3- You know the old saying, “a penny saved is a penny earned”, well this year I need to find ways to save us money on groceries and other expenses.  If I’m going to continue being a stay-at-home- mom (from now on referred to as SAHM) I need to get creative.  I’m going to clip coupons, cook from scratch more often, attempt to make my own cleaning products, and implement any other money saving ideas my friends and readers can offer me.

Let’s keep each other accountable.  Feel free to post your 2012 goals in the comment section and we’ll support each other!

As we bid farewell to yet another year I am both excited to begin another and sad to leave this one behind.  2011 was full of love, laughter, and a lot of challenges for our little family.

In a nutshell…

Kaiden and I joined a cool mom’s club and an awesome Bible Study group.  The emotional benefits to me are astronomical, and Kaiden enjoys his little friends very much.

We found out about Kaiden’s hearing/speech issues and started the journey of getting him the help he needs.  While he still has a long way to go, I am able to see small improvements almost daily.  I am all about celebrating the little things- I’ve got to, otherwise  it all seems too overwhelming and I start down the ‘why us? road.’  He goes to speech therapy 2-3 times a week depending on the week, and takes a daily allergy pill to keep the fluid out of his ears.

My grandpa was diagnosed with cancer and underwent a surgery to remove the affected portion of the colon.  After a complication he spent some time in critical condition in the ICU.  Through what I can only describe as a miracle from Above we celebrated Christmas with him this past weekend.  He and my Nana both are such a big part of our family and our lives.

Jason and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in May.  The fact that I am blessed enough to be spending every single day with my best friend just blows me away.  He works so hard to provide us the life that we have, a life where I am able to stay home and raise our son.  I am so thankful to have married such a kind, loving, generous, hard working, family oriented man.

We found out we are expecting our 2nd baby! You can read more about that here.

So as you can see, in this last full year of my 20s, we have a lot to be thankful for.  Even the hard times produced life lessons and silver linings. 

What were the highlights of your year?  What about 2011 will you remember most?

That’s right!  Kaiden is going to be a big brother!  Here are the answers to the questions you may be asking:

When are you due? Baby Saenger #2 is due July 5th, making me 12 weeks into this pregnancy.

Do you know what it is? UM yes… a baby!! All kidding aside, we don’t know the gender yet but absolutely plan to find out.  We will likely be getting the big ultrasound late January-early February.

How are you feeling?  The “morning” sickness  (I put that in ” ” because for the first few weeks, it was in the middle of the night sickness, not morning sickness) is getting better, as is the fatigue.  First trimester is almost over…so hopefully the worst is behind me!

Is everything going ok this time?  So far so good! We have seen the little peanut by ultrasound, and everything looks great! I haven’t had to be on any artificial hormones this time around, and that makes me SO happy!

You had a c-section last time, are you going that route again? Nope!  I am planning a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) this time.  I have no judgement towards the mamas who choose to do a repeat C-section, but I don’t feel that is the best choice for me.  I plan to document my journey on this blog (along with all the normal stuff) and hope that you will join me for the ride of my life!

What does Kaiden think? I don’t think he understands a whole lot about it yet.  He likes looking at the ultrasound picture, and when asked “Where’s the baby?” he will come lift up my shirt.  I am looking forward to continuing sharing the pregnancy with him and giving him that big brother experience.  He is SO good with other kids, so I have no doubt he will be an awesome big brother.

We are so excited to add this little blessing into our family.  Merry Christmas to us!

 

Giggles N’ Hugs is a really cute children’s restaurant and play place in Century City.  We ventured out there last week to meet some friends for an afternoon of fun.  Kaiden and his buddy, Asher (who are just less than a year apart) enjoyed a bouncy house, a slide, various ride on toys, plastic play balls, and most of all… this airplane teeter totter.

The decor was adorable, a castle, a pirate ship, murals, and a mermaid walking around.  The cost was fairly reasonable at $9 per child for the play place (adults are free,) but if you purchased an entree above $10 you got $4 off.  The menu was impressive, including things such as gluten free pasta, ‘hidden veggie’ sauces, and numerous other healthy options.   Kaiden and I enjoyed a Chicken Pesto Penne dish and a side of fresh fruit.

The best part was hanging out with good friends.  That is my favorite part of this season for sure!  I’m looking forward to a whole month full of fun activities and playdates.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you all had a fantastic day filled with friends, family, and the yummiest of yummy foods.

I am thankful for so much this year, that when trying to make a list of everything, I become overwhelmed.  I am one lucky girl!!

My wonderful husband let me sleep in this morning and then we took Kaiden to the park after breakfast.  It started raining and we dragged a very disappointed little boy away from the swings.  We went over to our good friends’ house for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner this evening.  Thanks Amy and Matt for having everyone over! YUMMMMM!

We’re now looking through the Black Friday ads and plotting our course for one of my favorite days of the year   I’d love to hear all the great deals you scored!!

I’ll be posting later this weekend with pics of our super fun weekend.