Life in Pajamas.

And the winner is....

2012-02-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

Entry # 311- Gemma Park!! Please email me at info@bohemianbabycouture.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Self photo challenge

2012-02-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

This was a tough challenge for me to do. I don't like taking pictures of myself, I'm not comfortable in front of the camera. There is maybe ONE picture a year, that I approve to be shown to people. In that ONE picture, I usually prefer the one's that I'm wearing sunglasses in.

Well, I will just have to get over it!

Obsessing over…

My new camera! I'm soaking in as much information as I can so I can get the most out of my camera.

Working on…

So much sewing to do. I love what I do, to some it seems like a lot of work, but I like to keep myself busy. I also love seeing happy customers.

Thinking about…

What to do tonight, I think we will go for a walk.

Anticipating…

Our tax refund. It should be here any day. My power steering pump broke and we have to wait for our tax money to get it fixed. That and we are paying off a lot of debt. So I'm happy about that.

Listening to…

Parker singing jibberish, while looking at himself in the mirror.

Eating…

I just finished eating a bowl of cheez-its. YUMMY!

Wishing…

That I could not feel so bad about giving myself ME time. "Me time" is one of my New Year's resolutions and I know to keep going the way that I do, I have to spend time on myself. Even typing this sounds selfish. I need help changing the way I think about that.

Cloth Diaper Giveaway!

2012-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Valentines Day Giveaway Hop! I'm still working on my business blog so I'm hosting my giveaway on my family blog.

Winner receives:

1. A Combo (AI2/pocket) cloth diaper from Bohemian Baby Couture.

2. A matching shirt personalized with YOUR childs name and initial(style will be similar to the one pictured.)

3. One dozen assorted cloth wipes.

International entries are accepted in this giveaway! :)

There are a lot more blogs participating in the Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop. Click on the above link for more information.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tutorial Tuesday: Watercolor

2012-01-31T22:00:00.001-08:00

I'm joining in for another week of Tutorial Tuesday.

Parker is 17 months old

2012-01-30T20:51:00.001-08:00

I did miss posting Parker's 16 month post. It's not that I didn't have much to post about Parker, but our new year has started off very busy. I kept putting the post off and putting it off until it was the 20th and I figured I would just wait and post it all in his 17 month post.

Stats:
weight: 20 lbs
height: 30.5"
clothing size: 18-24 months
shoe size: 5

Parker had a good growth spurt this past month. Not sure his height, but when I measure him, really quickly, it's around 30.5" According to the Wii fit, Parker lost a pound or so. We have been weighing him on the Wii fit since he was born, so we find it pretty accurate. He is such a busy little guy that I'm not surprised that he is really thinning out.

He is starting to look like a little boy, instead of a baby. I love these recent pictures of him.

Parker has picked up a lot of signs the past couple of months. He can now sign around 15 words. He's not perfect with all of them, like he uses his finger instead of thumb when signing mommy or daddy. He doesn't sign "more" perfectly, but the point is that he is able to communicate to us when he needs something.

Signs Parker knows:
Mommy
Daddy
all done/finished
wash
brush teeth
brush hair
eat
more
please
thank you
thirsty
hungry
milk
dog
dirty
change

We are teaching him:
cracker
stop
cat
ball
play
toy
share
pain/hurt
book
help

The outdoor season has arrived in the Valley of the Sun. It has been a beautiful 75 degrees for a couple of weeks now. It allows for more outdoor time including taking Parker to the Zoo and riding around in his Pirate ship.

The weather was so beautiful we didn't even realize that we had been at the zoo for over 6 hours.

We had a fun run in with the peacock.

Happy 17 months baby boy. We love you so much! Thank you for visiting.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Nessa & Dakota

2012-01-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

I posted earlier this month that I bought a "new-to-me" camera. I had the chance to take some pictures at my daughter's riding lessons this past Saturday. She was riding a new horse named Dakota. What a sweetheart that horse is! I don't get a lot of opportunities to feature my daughter on my blog, she is pretty stubborn about taking pictures. She even has to approve photos of herself before I post them(I understand that, I'm the same way.) She is so photogenic that I don't think she can take a bad picture.

Edit Me Challenge

2012-01-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

This is my first time doing an "Edit Me" photo challenge. I have little confidence (and experience) in my editing abilities. I usually just have fun with it. I was really bored and unable to sleep so I decided to play around with this challenge and edit this photo.
Photoshop is only on my hubby's computer and I was even too lazy to switch over to his computer so all my edits are done using completely free programs.

SOOC- Ashley Sisk (Rambling and Photos)

My edit-

I started with some basic edits in viewNX2(contrast,brightness, highlights, shadows etc.) Next, I ran the "portrait filter" using noiseware community edition. I then used Picnik, not much in this program. I believe I only played around with the airbrush feature. Last, I used Gimp2. I basically added a peach tint overlay that is available for free download from Shadowhouse Creations

Tutorial Tuesday: Making a lightbox

2012-01-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

I was so excited when I saw Ashley from Ramblings and Photos and Branson of My Reflection of Something doing a new "Tutorial Tuesday" challenge.

I have been debating buying a photography lightbox to take pictures of the cloth diapers I'm making, but they are much too costly for me to purchase right now. The problem is that I have about 20 minutes every day that I can take photos because it's the only time the lighting is good in one of the bedrooms of our condo. That is not easy as it happens to be my Parker's room....and the door doesn't lock. So I'm always struggling with keeping him away while I taking the photos. When I saw that the first tutorial would be a lightbox, I jumped on the chance.

Here is the tutorial I followed. This took a total of 30 minutes...maybe. The longest was cutting out the holes. I will be re doing this using a larger box, but we had this box already lying around the house. I also used medium weight embroidery paper for the coverings over the holes since I didn't have any tracing paper at the time. You can't even tell in the final pictures that the white cardboard is too short, oops!

Love that lamp? Thrifted for $5!

I will definitely need to bring out the tripod for the next shoot. I will also be getting some help from my mom on the editing, at this point I was too tired to get to that point of this tutorial.

I'm so happy with the first try on this! I love how professional it makes my product photos look.

Here are so more photos from this product shoot I did. Thank you for visiting!

What a difference 5 minutes makes

2012-01-17T13:14:00.001-08:00

Check out the other cute entries for The Paper Mama's "white" photo challenge.

And five minutes later.....

My two boys-I heart faces

2012-01-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

I have to say I still know very little about my camera, but I already love it! We decided to go to the zoo this past Saturday to take some pictures. It was an absolutely perfect day, a little on the cloudy side, but beautiful none the less. It is days like this, that remind me how blessed I am.

I bought a new camera!

2012-01-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited for the newest member of our family. I don't have a picture of her yet, but I have taken some pictures using her. The camera is a Nikon D80. It's nothing overly fancy, but I'm a novice and don't want to shell out a lot of money right now. I bought her used, actually I only paid $1.24 for the body and $75 for the lens (thanks to my dad and his amazing skills at wheeling and dealing.) Smoking deal for the condition the camera is in and barely used. I'm still waiting for the lens I purchased to arrive in the mail, but I was able to take some pictures using one of my moms lenses.

I can't wait to start learning all about using this camera! I didn't get a chance to edit any of these photos, I was too excited to start sharing.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Top 11 of 11

2012-01-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Memories, Dreams and Reflections-2011

2012-01-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Memories, Dreams and Reflections 2011. I'm linking up with Ramblings and Photos and hundreds of other bloggers witha look back on 2011. I loved participating in this last year. It's fun to look through all my photo files and see pictures I completely forgot I had even taken.

Here was my MDR from 2010

1. Me

My kids and I when we took our trip to San Diego this past summer.

2. I Love You

I love my husband so much. He is truly an amazing person and I'm very lucky to have him in my life.

3. Still Laughing

This is my all time favorite video from 2011. This was taken just before Easter.

4. Winter Wonderland

I find so few pictures that I like of myself, but here is one just before the kids and my brother went to see santa.

5. Birthday

Parker was terrified when we started singing "Happy Birthday" to him during his party. To this day when we are singing this song at other birthday, he will bury his head in my shoulder. Not sure why he is so afraid of hearing the birthday song.

6. Friends

Love this photo! It is so cute, how they interact at this age.

7. I Was Inspired

I had been dabbling in making Parker's diapers since before he was born, but since I was so new to cloth diapering in general, it was really hard to know if I was making them correctly. Finally, I came up with this pattern. This is the diaper that inspired me to start selling them. Now, I have a somewhat successful home business selling custom cloth diapers, matching shirts and custom outfits.

8. Spring Fever

We are taking pictures and feeding the ducks with my parents at the park on Easter.

9.Travel or Vacation

We took a day trip in March to the San Xavier del Bac mission in Tucson. There are so many photo opportunities here. Lots of gorgeous architecture. It feels like this trip was such a long time ago.

10. Summer Days

Nothing like the beach to cool down on a hot summer day. This was Parker's first time at the beach.

11. A Day In My Life

Working, working away. This is what I do during the day while Parker is napping, or in the middle of the night. I'm starting a large co-op this month and I'm nervous and excited all at once.

12. All Smiles

Nothing brightens up my day more than a smile.

13. Autumn Harvest

14. Family or Home

Taken in October at our friends' wedding rehearsal. Had I not gone through all my photos for this blog post, I would have not remembered we had taken a recent family photo. Not the best quality, but it's still us.

15. Celebrate

Two of our very close friends were married this past October. This picture was taken at their rehearsal dinner.

16. Let's Do It Again

I know it seems a little bit odd, but we had so much fun time participating in the zombie walk this year. Definitely would love to do this again next year.

17. I Miss You

I think it is pretty awesome to say that I love my in laws. They are amazing people. Unfortunately, they live in Idaho so we don't get to see them much. This is a picture of my mother in law with my hubby and Parker. Nolan didn't say it out loud, but I know that he really missed seeing his family for the holidays.

18. Beautiful

My daughter is an amazingly beautiful person, inside and out. I hope she always knows that and never loses who she is.

19. Dress Up

Parker wearing his bunny set this past Easter. Probably the only time I will get away with having him wear this.

20. Macro

My daughter holding a snail, which I find a rare picture as my daughter is not very fond of slimy creatures.

21. Holidays

Happy New Year!

22. One Of My Favorites

I had way too many favorites to choose from, this photo is probably my most recent favorite though.

23. Don't Ever Change

I love the relationship my kids have with each other. Even with the huge age difference they love each other so much. I hope this never changes and that they always realize how important sibling relationships are. I hope they always respect each other and look out for each other.

24. Just Because...So There

Love my Picasso

25. Hopes and Dreams

Sitting back and seeing where 2012 will take us!

In 2011 my resolutions were,

I had planned to take the kids outdoors more, do more activities together. I definitely feel that I achieved that part of it. I had also planned to take more pictures of myself and be less self-conscious. I don't think I fully achieved that one, but it is a work in progress. I have learned A LOT about photography this year and hope to continue to do so this next year.

My "resolutions" for 2012

Most of my resolutions are family based this year and I'm really looking forward to 2012.

1.We decided that we want to take a family vacation camping trip. We have talked about going camping every year and it never happens.

2. We have decided to try to have another baby either the end of this year or Spring 2013!!

3. We are almost out of debt(minus our student loans.) This year we plan to use our income tax refund to pay off any remaining credit card debt. We don't have a lot of credit card debt but, when you live pay check to pay check the little debt you do have feels like a mountain each month when deciding what bills to pay.

4. Finally, 2011 was a rough year financially. We don't want to have another year like that. We are planning to put together a budget and stick to it. It's not that we spend frivolously, but when you have little to start with, every purchase you make has to be carefully thought out.

As far as some more personal resolutions

1. Being more health conscious
2. Taking time for myself
3. Spending more one-on-one time with Nolan. I honestly can't remember the last time we had a "date night" without kiddos.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

LOVE this hat!

2011-12-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

If you are addicted to hats as much as I am, you have to check out Snuggle Bunny Boutique!

Ignore the booger nose, I tried to get it all clean. We are all fighting off a horrible cold. Hopefully, we all feel better for Christmas.

Do you ever just know when you take a particular photo that it's going to be great? That is how I felt with this one.

I hope everyone has Merry Christmas!

15 months old: Holiday photos

2011-12-15T23:10:00.000-08:00

With the holidays just around the corner, I've been crazy busy with sewing. I've had his monthly update post half written for a couple weeks now.

At 15 months old,

Stats:

weight: 21 lbs
height: 30"
head circumference: 18.5"
clothing size: 12-18 months
shoe size: 4 or 5 depending on brand

new words/phrases:

"dapa" (Grandpa)
"reddy moo" (pretty moon)
"ahhh choo" (mimicks you any time you sneeze)
"what's that"
"Goo mormin" Good morning
"night night"

signs:

please
all done
daddy
bath
teeth
milk

Signs we are teaching him:

tiger
mommy
more
thank you
cat

-Now has 9 teeth 6 up top(4 in front and 2 molars in back) and 3 on bottom(2 in front and 1 molar in back)
-Dances any time he hears a hint of music.
-Will feed himself using a spoon and can drink out of a normal cup without spilling.
-Sleeps from about 9pm to 9am...WOOT!
-Loves the Christmas tree. Every morning when we turn the Christmas tree lights on, Parker says, "Oh wow!"

I have to honestly say that I LOVE this stage Parker is in. He is so inquisitive and unbelievably cute!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day Seven

2011-12-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Day 7: My Favorite Dessert

These are called the Monster cookies, and they are delicious. Friends of ours were kind enough to surprise us with these. They are my absolute favorite!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: fluffy bum

2011-12-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

A diaper made with daddy's old t-shirt.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-12-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

1. Portrait

Believe it or not, I found a great place to take pictures with good lighting. The folding counter in our condo's community laundry building...LOL! Great thing about this spot is that it is so interesting for Parker, he will sit and take a few pictures for me. Our condo is on the bottom floor, and while they are wonderful in the summer, we have huge shade trees that pretty much cover our windows. Sometimes Parker's room catches some good light, but it's usually at a real inopportune time.

2. Nostalgic

My daughter's first Christmas ornament, I bought this just after she was born.

3. Time

You can't pause TIME, but you can take a picture.

4. Full of Light

Big Christmas tree at Desert Ridge, it was so tall I couldn't get the whole tree in the picture.

5. Motion

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day Six

2011-12-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Someone You Love

Of course my daughter and hubby are also on top of the "people I love" list. I just get a lot more opportunities to photograph Parker, since we are together all day.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day Five

2011-11-30T15:54:00.001-08:00

Day 5: My handwriting

I have gone through so many of these notepads since I started my business last March. I write orders, address and the things I need to order. I would be lost without this.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day Four

2011-11-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

Day 4: The sky

I was bored as we drove to my parents house for Thanksgiving so I started taking pictures.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day Three

2011-11-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

Ahh! I missed a few days, I was trying so hard to not miss any days this challenge.

Day 3: Creativity

I consider myself a pretty creative person. I've always loved making clothes for my kids. This is a picture of a recent outfit I made for my son.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day Two

2011-11-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

Day 2: Where we sleep

We are currently co-sleeping with Parker. We originally had Parker sleeping in the bassinet that came with the pack n' play, but he outgrew that and we had to find other options for him. Our bed is a queen bed, but Parker rolls all over in his sleep and I was never getting any sleep. So we took off one side of the crib, which is what you do when it's used as the day bed. We put the mattress back up to it's highest setting and it went perfectly flush against our mattress.

We recently purchased the changing table at a consignment shop. We paid a whole .25 cents after the trade we received from selling all the clothes that didn't fit Parker anymore. We were using his dresser as the changing table. We'd just put the pad on top and change him, but as Parker got bigger it didn't work as well. The pad moved around too much on the dresser.

Oh, and yes we need more pictures on the far wall...I never realized how bare it looked until I took this picture.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Documenting the Details

2011-11-22T11:53:00.000-08:00

Day 1-My workspace

My sewing has taken up a portion of the kitchen/dining area. My workspace started in our bedroom, after Parker was born we made a few changes and put the sewing area in his room. That didn't work out too well, so it we moved it out to the main room. We don't use the table for eating since you can only sit on one side of the table as there is no room to pull out the other chairs.

The table, shown in the background, is the best part of my workspace. It is very heavy and sturdy. The table I was using for sewing on originally, was wobbly and that does not work with sewing/embroidering. When I would serge, the table would bounce all over the place and cause the threads to "jump" off their designated paths. Unfortunately, this table only fits in this spot in our condo.

I have a love/hate relationship with this table. When we bought the table they had already put it together. That was great because I wasn't looking forward to assembling it. We were loading up the chairs when the seat of one of the chairs came loose and smashed my foot. It was very very painful, a trip to the ER to make sure nothing in my foot was broken and a few weeks later I lost my toenail. My husband noticed that when they had put the chair together they skipped putting in some of the screws to expedite the process.

Holiday photos, enjoying fall weather

2011-11-14T12:07:00.001-08:00

Why is it that the best photo shoots are ones that you don't plan?

We decided to go to Fountain Hills for the Veteran's Day Celebration as well as the craft fair. I love this place. I remember visiting here when I was younger, having a picnic and flying kites on a warm, windy day.

Parker is not so keen to being held for pictures. I remember reading of a pose to use with uncooperative little ones. I love the red and how great the photos came out.

I also love candid shots, these are some of my favorites.

When I was younger, these were the best hills to rolls down...minus the duck poop.

I had to also share some photos that my mom took at the same time...I love her camera!

Rockin' the stache!

2011-11-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

First of all, Happy Veteran's Day to everyone! It's amazing how there are so many men/women in our country that volunteer to defend our freedoms. I'm also thankful to the families of these service men/women, I couldn't imagine being without my hubby for more than a night and there are so many families that will go up to a year without seeing their spouse.

I'm not sure why mustache shirts and mustache parties are the thing to have and do, but I love it! When you add mustaches to all things baby/toddler, it makes it even better. Had I thought about it before I made Parker's first birthday plans, I really think I would have changed his theme....next birthday maybe.

I have been wanting to make Parker a 'stache diaper for a few months now, but I've been seriously so busy that it's hard to work it in. I finally decided this morning that I would make Parker this long awaited diaper.

I recently designed a pattern for a nice fitting bib, and I decided to make him a bib to match the diaper instead of a shirt. I'm liking this matching bib/diaper idea. This bib will get a lot more use since he won't out grow it as fast as he does his matching shirts.

I love the comment Parker received, "Little man, your mustache fell off." It was cute.

Parker watching the fountain during the Veteran's Day celebration at Fountain Hills Park.

Parker loved seeing his little dog wear the bib.

Remembering when....

2011-11-08T16:35:00.001-08:00

I can't believe Parker still fits in this onesie!

Then

Parker in January 2011, almost 5 months old-17.5 lbs and 25.5"

Now

14 months old-20 lbs and 29.5" long

I'm surprised looking back at his weight nearly 10 months ago and he's only gained 2.5lbs!

Zombie Walk 2011

2011-11-05T02:27:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe I haven't posted yet about the zombie walk we did this year. This was my first time participating in a Zombie walk. I had the best time and haven't had this much fun during Halloween in years! If all I do for Halloween every year is dress up...or dress up my kids and hubby as zombies I'd be happy. I loved walking around screaming about my zombie baby trying to eat me(it was funnier in person as I was wearing Parker in a carrier on my back.) Parker was getting a kick out of daddy grunting, "brains," as we hobbled through downtown Phoenix.

I don't know what it is, but Halloween just isn't what it used to be. Going door to door for candy feels so...blah. I know that I'm getting older, but I figured that having kids would somehow rejuvenate the holiday for me.

We actually started off our event with daddy accidentally locking Parker in the car. My poor husband was so upset and stressed out. He eventually dialed 911 and let them know he locked his 14 month old in the car. Within a few minutes the police arrived and opened the car for us.

Picture with the officer that help to unlock our car.

The girls

Parker chillin' in the carrier. Having a carrier was a life saver, there were so many people that I don't think a stroller would have worked very well.

The Ghostbusters lead the zombie walk around downtown Phoenix.

Gorgeous historical house built in the late 1900's was the starting point of the walk.

All the different organizations here to "protect" citizens from the zombies.

Parker stretching his legs by dancing to Michael Jackson.

This group of zombies was hilarious. They would "overtake" an unsuspecting onlooker.

Hopefully, next year Parker will still not be afraid of the zombie walk. I'd love to make this a fun tradition.

14 months old!

2011-11-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

We've survived another month! I will tell you Parker has learned a new skill that keeps me at my wits end....screaming. Nothing could have ever prepared me for the level of shrill this little guy's voice can reach. If someone is casting a movie that needs a toddler who can scream, this is your guy.

I'm not sure why, or what started Parker screaming. My daughter never screamed like this, she was such a quiet child. My only recourse is to ignore Parker while he is screaming as I absolutely don't want this behavior to continue.

14 month stats

weight: down a couple pounds to 20lbs...probably due to all the walking he does now.
height: no change since last month.
clothing: no change since last month.

Instead of people telling me how big Parker is, now everyone thinks Parker is a 9 month old. He is a pretty small guy. All that major growing he did as a baby has come to a halt.

Parker this month:

-extremely stubborn.
-learned screaming, unfortunately.
-will eat off the table with no hands, must get this from watching the kitties eat.
-loves to share his snacks and is insistent that he feed the snacks to you.

Parker is still nursing though he is slowly weaning himself, he only eats about 3 times during the day and a couple times throughout the night. I was a little worried last month about how I was going to wean him because he seemed to still want to nurse more than eat solids. This month he has made some great progress with weaning all on his own.

-loves to eat yogurt, cereal and his veggie puffs and that's about it. Occasionally he will eat peas, meats and toast.

Though Parker has his off times, he is so loving. He will sit and cuddle with me during the day. He always wants me to read him books. Parker gives the best hugs and kisses. When you walk through the door and he hasn't seen you for awhile, he runs to you smiling. It just melts your heart when he does this.

-has the cutest laugh.
-loves, loves, loves to be outdoors. He would stay outdoors all day long if I let him.
-loves to show you his tongue.

There are so many times I just sit and watch Parker play and I so wish I could know what he was thinking. He gets so intense when he is playing with his toys.

Parker is so enthralled by the world around him, he points to everything in amazement. I think this has a lot to do with why he likes to be outdoors so much. There is a lot more interesting things to look at outside.

Happy 14 months little man! I love you so much.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Cooler weather?

2011-10-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's has been so hot here! I realize that I do live in AZ and we should expect hotter temperatures, but reaching 100 degrees in October is ridiculous.

I'm sure hoping today's cooler weather is here to stay. Parker loves to be outside, he is starting to get extremely stir crazy when I don't let him run around outside. Another advantage to having a home with a little one...a backyard.

What he wore:

shirt: Now & Zen
diaper: Bohemian Baby Couture Diapers
legs: upcycled using this tutorial
accessories: rock and stick ;)

It's the great pumpkin...patch

2011-10-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

One thing that I HAD to do with Parker this year was take him to a pumpkin patch to pick out his first pumpkin. Although last year was his "official" first Halloween, he was only 2 months old and didn't really get to experience the fun of Halloween. At the last minute I even made Parker a diaper and shirt for the occasion.

I was excited when I found that we had a farm with a pumpkin patch just a few minutes away. We arrived at the pumpkin patch just before the sun went down, it made for such beautiful photos. I love the desert at sunset.

We enjoyed a fun hay ride to the pumpkin patch. I was excited to score the front row seats so I could get some good pictures of our view.

Parker was getting some advice from the locals on which pumpkin to choose. "If I stick my tongue out and raise my right foot in the air, the right pumpkin will come to me."

This pumpkin was TOO big.

This pumpkin is TOO long.

This pumpkin was TOO wrinkly.

This pumpkin was JUST right!

Time to see how the pumpkin measures up...it's perfect.

Parker's first pumpkin all decorated.

Parker is 13 months old!

2011-10-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize that we are mid-October and Parker turned 13 months on the 1st. I can't believe how fast this month is going, being busy sure makes time go by fast.

This month I had the hardest time getting Parker to take pictures. I have to find ways to keep his attention. Parker knows what I'm doing when he sees the camera and he either takes off in the other direction or tries to grab the camera out of my hand.

Stats:

Height: 29"
Weight: 21 lbs
Clothing size: 12-18 months

What's new!

-Another tooth broke the gum early this month. Parker now has a total of 6 teeth. 4 on top and 2 on the bottom.

-He is pretty much sleeping through the night. Our pediatrician thinks that his lack of sleeping through the night had to do with him not eating much in the way of solids.

-Parker is eating more solids, but he still is barely eating anything compared to other babies his age. We found out that he is borderline anemic, so we are trying to get him to eat more iron rich foods.

New words this month!

yaya or ayaya (vanessa)
oww
uh oh
a long "oh" or "ooo" (in reference to something that is interesting)

-Parker is a pretty independent little guy, but at the end of the day he still loves to sit and cuddle with mommy.

-Parker has this new found love for dancing. Any time a song comes on he starts to dance and shake his head.

I love this series of pictures Parker took with his Grandpa.

They are so funny together, Parker sure loves his Grandpa.

Since I have not been able to take a lot of pictures because of how mobile Parker is, I have instead taken a lot of videos of Parker.

Quarterly Top 5: Summer 2011

2011-10-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

I saw quite a few fellow bloggers doing this and I had to join in on the fun.

My top 5

#1- This picture was taken just before Parker's 1st birthday in August. We were visiting the venue for my friends' wedding to get an idea of the layout and where some of the best photo opportunities would be. I absolutely LOVED this photo and hope to get a similar picture during the actual wedding.

#2-This one was taken mid-August. Parker was so happy and it's rare that I catch Parker smiling for the camera.

#3-Love this picture and love this outfit. The outfit is 30s vintage inspired and I love how he looks. If I could only get him to keep on the pageboy hat that went with this set.

#4-Parker's messy hair a couple days before his first haircut at the end of July. I can't believe how much he has changed in just the past two months. I really didn't notice it until I went back to these photos. I also find it amazing that his hair is exactly the same again only two months later.

#5- Birthday cupcake smash round 2. Parker was so overwhelmed at his birthday party, we decided to try the "cake smash" the next day in a less overwhelming fashion. He had a blast this time around.

Football season begins

2011-09-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've turned into this monthly blogger. I really didn't want to get this way with blogging. I've been so busy, and a few things that I love doing have taken a back seat, including blogging. One reason is that I'm not sure where to go with my blog. I feel like I had a lot to share during my pregnancy experience. Then with the monthly milestones and rolling, cooing, smiling and walking etc. It was easy to find things to blog about. Parker is still changing, but the changes are much more subtle.

So, I feel a little conflicted as to what I want to blog about. I've been wanting to enter more photo contests but, lately, my photography has been,~~crappy~~ lacking. I don't know what it is, I take pictures and I don't see the "wow" factor in anything. I find myself deleting all my pictures. It might have a little to do with Parker not sitting still for two seconds, or having very little patience with me when he sees the camera.

I did however manage to capture a few cute photos of Parker watching Vanessa cheer this past week. Mainly, so Parker's godparents could see him debut his Bears onesie. I find it amazing just how many Bears fans live in Arizona. We received so many "Oh yeah's" and "Go Bears" when he was wearing this. Of course my necklace was much more interesting than shouting girls or the guys playing football.

It was so cute how he kept taking the necklace and squishing his face to make me laugh. Parker loves hearing people laughing. I always thought Parker didn't like to be the center of attention, but I was wrong. He loves to be the center of MY attention.

I decided to enter the photo above into the little contest. Although the contest is about the best summer face of 2011, it's still 100 degrees here and that is considered summer in any other state.

I heart faces is always having great photo contests. If you have a passion for photography and blogging, you should visit their site.

Isn't it amazing that no more than 2 months ago, Parker's hair was completely buzzed? His crazy hair has returned, at least it has grown back in even and I have promised daddy not to cut it until he starts looking like a girl.

We have a 1 year old-Parker's Birthday Party!

2011-09-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, August 31st 2010 at 4:54pm, Parker Dean entered the world.
His birth story can be found here.

I read through Parker's birth story the other day and I found myself reading through a lot of my pregnancy posts. I'm so glad that I wrote a blog about my pregnancy. I love re-reading some of my experiences during my pregnancy. Some of the things I had already forgotten about. Especially my 34 week post where I was debating packing my hospital bag. Since Parker arrived just a week later I look back and thought, "Man I really should have packed it."

I had so many things that I had planned for Parker's arrival including the hospital gown I made and never got to wear because I couldn't remember where I put it. Of course, I'm trying to remember everything and then relay all the items I needed over the phone, mid labor, to my father.

Parker at 12 months:

-weighs 20 lbs
-28.5" tall
-now has 5 teeth (3 on top and 2 on bottom)
-loves music, especially movies that have music. His favorite so far is Tangled.
-loves watching any shows with bigs cats. (Lions, tigers, leopards...!) His favorite series so far is Big Cat Diaries.
-does this goofy dancing, he stands holding on to a table or chair and just shakes his booty. It is so cute and funny.

-still nurses, almost exclusively. Getting this little guy to eat regular food is really tough. He eats like a bird, only a few bites here and there. I think weaning Parker is going to be rough.
-when he does eat, he loves bananas, cheerios, burgers, toast, scrambled eggs and pb&j's. He is also developing a love for regular milk.
-Parker raises his hand at random/interesting things, I think this is his way of pointing.

-Parker says:

mama
dad
oh wow ( love when he says this)
no
meows and makes the "t" sound over and over to say 'kitty' when he sees the cats
nah nah (night night)
rara (grandma)

-Parker has taken up to 10 consecutive steps multiple times, but he still prefers to crawl or cruise on the furniture.
-Can stand unassisted with no problems.
-loves to wrestle his stuffed animals. Don't know where that comes from.
-loves to climb everything

-Parker throws these funny mini fits. When he gets upset he drops to the ground and rolls onto his back. I think that he is trying to fake falling and being hurt so I will pick him up.
-Absolutely LOVES books! I know I've said this before, but he will sit so quiet for nearly an hour when he is reading his books.
-His favorite toys are any cars and his tiger

-loves to be in his ergo(carrier), and this is where he goes when I need to get stuff done around the house.
-favorite place to nap is on the couch.
-Parker is extremely ticklish. I love it!

We celebrated Parker's 1st birthday on Sunday, August 28th. It was so much fun, and we are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends celebrate his birthday with us. I had made Parker this whole outfit for the party and he refused to wear it. I think he was a little overwhelmed with all the people, which made for a very emotional 1 year old.

Some things we learned about Parker during his party:

-doesn't like to be the center of attention
-doesn't like to wear capes
-doesn't like to wear hats(and I have a huge obsession with hats, so he is going to have to get over this)

Parker wasn't very happy with everyone singing and staring at him. The lit candle on the cupcake didn't even amuse him.

When in doubt give Parker the wrapper...who knew?!?

At the last minute, I decided I wanted to have a photo booth so Parker could look back and see who was at his birthday. If I was a bit more organized, we might have been able to get everyone. I'm a little bummed as we didn't have time for everyone. I wish we would have had a bigger area to take pictures and that it wasn't so darn hot! Here are a few of the ones we did get, I love this idea.

We used the tutorial on this blog to make the props, although I realize now that we used foam board instead of foam core. I bet that would have made a huge different in the difficulty of cutting out the designs.

A random cute video of Parker reading his new favorite book from his Aunty Sharon.

Thank you to everyone that came to Parker's birthday and making it such a special day. Happy 1 year Parker.

I love you my lil' prince!

Parker's 1st year photo book

2011-08-18T12:16:00.001-07:00

I finally had a chance to put Parker's photo book together.

P.S. for family members that might be interested in having a copy, until Aug 23rd they are only $8.99 a piece.

It's down to days...

2011-08-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Only days. DAYS! Really?!? I can no longer count down the number of months before Parker turns one. I was thinking about when I was pregnant with Parker, how I wanted time to speed up because I couldn't wait to meet my lil' prince. Instead, time seemed to stand still. Now, I would give anything for that feeling. For the time to just stand still, I would even take a pause.

I know that this post opened up a little sad, but I AM excited for what is next.

Look at this guy! How could I not be excited for what experiences are ahead for us.

And what do we have here? Yes, Parker cut three top teeth all at once last week. He is now the proud owner of five teeth.

11 months old! Parker's 1st haircut

2011-08-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

1 month to go to his birthday, that is crazy to say! I knew this year would go fast considering how fast the past 11 years has gone with my daughter, but I was secretly hoping that I would figure out something to slow down time.

11 month stats

Weight: 20 lbs
Height: 28.5 inches
Clothing sizes: Wears 12/18 month shirts and 12 month pants

Although it was a tough milestone for daddy and I, Parker had his first haircut. His hair was growing in all crooked. He had bald stripes on the sides(you can see one of the stripes in his "before" pictures), bald spots on the back. Any time we would go out to do something, his poor head would be sopping wet with sweat. So, we decided it was time. I'm going to miss his funky hair.

Before

During

After

-Parker has two teeth, his second tooth broke through a couple weeks ago.
-His record for walking is 3 steps unassisted.
-He cruises all over and is figuring out how to maneuver his walker so he can follow the cats around the condo.

-Loves giving kisses. He now kisses everything that has two eyes and a mouth, goofy lil' man.

-Says:
mama
dada
rara(grandma)
meows
rawr (tiger)
grunts/growls when he wants food

-screams as his sister when she is eating in front of him. Will proceed to scream at her until she gives him something to eat

-he loves to rip things in half, paper, fabric even toys.

-loves to read, his favorite book is his "Baby Can Read" book. He loves the tongue picture and always tries to pull out my tongue when he sees it.

-loves the elevator game(I basically slowly raise him above my head and then bring him down really fast) He always wants me to do this. It has definitely given my arms a fantastic workout!

-his second favorite game is the "I'm going to drop you" game. Don't worry I DON'T drop him, but I pretend that I'm going to and he cracks up. When I try to stop he leans back so I will do it again.

-is extremely ticklish, it's so bad I have a hard time changing his diaper because his thighs are so ticklish.

-I'm sure I mentioned this before, but Parker is a HUGE snuggler! This is proving to be somewhat of an issue getting him to sleep in his crib.

-Hates his pacifier, but sometimes he won't sleep without it.

-He does this weird sound when he wants me to hold him. If I tried to mimick the sound, it tickles my throat way too much.

Happy 11 months baby boy, I love you so much!!

Parker takes his first steps

2011-07-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Parker took his first steps this past Friday. His record so far is three steps! Nolan saw Parker walking on video, but hasn't seen him walk in person. While we were waiting for Vanessa at her horse lessons, daddy was trying to get Parker to walk on his own. I happened to catch this picture of them walking hand in hand. This is now one of my favorite photos of them together.

Rockin' the baby

2011-07-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

You will probably see a lot of posts from here on out talking about Parker's first birthday. While I'm on a budget, I still want to go all out. I've been making a lot of his decorations and one of his decorations will be photo collages of Parker for each month. I plan on hanging them "clothesline style" but, still haven't quite worked out the details on it.

I also wanted to join in on the "Rockin' the Baby" linky that other bloggers are doing this week. Oh, how this gave me baby fever. It is so amazing how much Parker has changed and how fast it happened. I remember each of these pictures like I took them yesterday. Anyhow, enjoy! :)

Parker's Birth

Parker's first month

Parker's second month

Parker's third month

Parker's fourth month

Parker's fifth month

Parker's sixth month

Parker's seventh month

Parker's eighth month

Parker's ninth month

Parker's tenth month

Happy 10 month birthday, lil man

2011-07-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Phew, what a busy month! I'm so late getting this update posted. I ruined the little "10 month" sticker we use on his onesie for his monthly picture update, so I had to do without one this month.

10 month stats:

weight: 19 lbs 10 oz
height: 28.5 inches
clothing: 12-18 month tops and 12 months pants/shorts.

The biggest news this month is that Parker's first tooth arrived just 3 days before he turned 10 months! It's barely above the gum line and after a week or so I was finally able to get a picture. You can even see in the picture a little blister where his 2nd tooth is close to coming.

Parker...

-is finally starting to eat more food. He loves to eat, Cheerios with milk, sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs, daddy's banana/strawberry smoothie, chicken, and Gerber snack puffs.
-loves the vacuum cleaner. From the moment the vacuum turns on he is attaching himself to it.

-loves swimming in the pool. Actually, he loves water of any kind.
-loved the fireworks on the 4th of July.
-loves to talk to daddy on the speakerphone on daddy's lunch break.
-will no longer sit still or quiet in the movie theater.

Parker is very close to walking on his own. I'm still in no hurry for this, but it won't be much longer.

We are teaching Parker sign language. He hasn't done them back to us yet, but he is responding to certain signs.

mommy: he looks or crawls to me.
daddy: he looks or crawls to daddy.
cat: he looks or crawls to the cat.
drink: he will pick up his sippy cup.
eat: he will open his mouth for a bite of food.

We are also teaching him, all done, more, please, thank you, tiger, fan, light, spider, sun, ball and car.

I've completed another part of his birthday party, the invites!

I love this little guy so much! I love how stubborn he is. I love how determined he is. I love when he snuggles me and kisses me. I love everything about him. Everyday he is in my life is such an amazing blessing.

Happy 10 months my little prince.

Two months to go and a birthday sneak peek

2011-07-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Parker is 10 months! Crazy right?!? Just two more months until his first birthday. Boy am I excited. Will I go overboard? Absolutely! I will have a 10 month update post in the next day or so. In between orders I have started to work on Parker's outfit for his first birthday.

I have never posted anything from my wedding on my blog, but I made a lot of the decorations, invitations and I also made the wedding capes.

I really wanted Parker to wear a cape for his birthday party since his theme is "Royalty." A few size adjustments and here is his cape. He's not a huge fan right now, but I think as he gets older he will still be able to have fun with it. So, here is a sneak peek of the cape.

Parker: "This is just embarrassing, mom!"

The main side of the cape

The reverse side of the cape

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: The mobile must go

2011-06-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

Fluffy Butt Friday: What's on the butt!

2011-06-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Brand: Sunbaby
Style: pocket diaper
Cost: $4.00
Where to buy?: Ebay

I'm also one of those moms whose shirt must always match the diaper.

Picasso in the making?

2011-06-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Probably not, but we decided to have some fun with fingerpaints anyhow. At first, Parker was a little hesitant to touch the paint. Then, he sat for the longest time feeling the paint within his fingers. He also loved the way the paint felt between his toes.

I have always been the type of parent to not care if my child gets a little messy as long as they are having fun and staying safe. My husband, however, has a hard time when it comes to activities where the kids make a mess. He won't even feed Parker baby food because it makes too much of a mess for him, it's kind of funny. Oh, well more fun for me I say!

A little dialogue from a conversation we recently had during dinner. I was feeding Parker at the time of course.

Hubby: "So when will Parker learn to feed himself."

Me:(I proceed to let Parker take the spoon and put it in his mouth himself.)

Hubby: "I mean, when will he do it without being so messy."

Me: (I laugh and let out a sigh) He's a baby, probably not for awhile.

The paint in the mouth really freaked daddy out, lol!

The next two pictures remind me of the scene in "Finding Nemo" where the dad asks Nemo to not touch the boat. Daddy was telling Parker not to touch the wall, and wouldn't you know...he touches the wall.

You can just see that stubbornness in his eyes!

While the painting may never sell for a million dollars, it is priceless to me.

I can't wait to be big

2011-06-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

I can sure wait for Parker to get bigger, but sometimes this little guy gets so frustrated at things he is not able do yet. This past week Parker, Nessa and I stayed at my parents house. We were heading out of town for an extended weekend holiday and I was needing some help finishing up some of my orders. So, Vanessa helped keep Parker busy and my mom helped with some of my sewing. My parents' house is full of antiques, collectibles and toys. Some were toys from when I was little. Parker found this little radio flyer tricycle. It is not the original, but a reproduction of the radio flyer tricycle I had when I was younger. This tricycle was so amusing to him and it made for some cute photos.

Parker spent a good 30-40 minutes crawling around the tricycle just checking it out. He would sit and spin the pedals, move the wheels and did everything he could to try to climb up on it.

We eventually showed him what the tricycle was really for. I think if he could have, he would have stayed on this for hours.

The truck in the next picture is a toy I played with when I was little.

9 months old and starting to plan his birthday

2011-06-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Another month has passed. I was grateful for this month, it seemed to go by a little slower and we did a lot of fun things.

9 month stats:

weight: 19 lbs 7 oz
height: 28 inches
clothing: 12-18 month tops and 12 months pants/shorts.

...9 months and not a tooth in sight. I'm not sure if a doctor can really predict when a tooth will erupt, but she was saying she didn't see/feel anything that would make her believe they would be arriving anytime soon.

...we are having to push solids onto Parker, his pediatrician feels we need to get him started. She was surprised that he wasn't eating much in the way of solids. We have found that he does like to eat scrambled eggs, but doesn't eat very much of it. I'm going to look into some softer finger type foods and skip trying to get Parker to eat puree's

Just a couple pictures into the shoot and he's trying to escape! Here I was thinking that putting him on the rocking chair would keep him still longer.

Parker is so mobile right now! Last month he was just barely moving around the furniture. He can really boogie around everything now.

...loves to walk around everything and anything he can hold onto.
...loves when you hold his hands and walk him around.

...is very inquisitive.
...loves wearing as little clothing as possible.

...loves his feet, and does not like when I make him wear shoes.
...loves his big sister so much and loves when she will take him to play in her room.

...loves to give big hugs.
...loves to give kisses.
...will cuddle with me all day if it was possible.

...has some of the cutest smiles. The picture below was taken a few weeks ago, but I love how he scrunches up his face when he does this smile. Parker does a similar face when he is upset except that he scrunches his nose and lips.

...when he gets mad, he will try to pull apart whatever is in his hand.
...when he gets mad, he growls and grunts at you.
...when he gets mad, he will scream at you.

...when Parker is tired he pulls his hair.
...when Parker is tired he blows on my shoulder and makes "puffer" sounds(like if you blow on their belly.)
...when Parker is tired he wants no one except mommy.
...when Parker is tired he plays with my eyes, nose, and lips until he falls asleep.

This past month, I have been thinking about what we are going to do for Parker's 1st birthday. Most would think that we would be doing Spiderman, but we decided to hold that theme off for one of his older birthdays. Instead, the theme is Royalty. The day I found out he was a boy, I started calling him "my little Prince" and it has stuck. So, I thought this theme was fitting.

I'm going to make his diaper, a matching "1" applique shirt and a reversible cape to match out of these print fabrics:

I'm also going to make some banners, and a few other things using this same fabric. I'm hoping to have another blogger design his crown to match the colors.

I liked how this blog did the invitations, so I think I will be making something similar.

Royalty Sweet Prince 1st Birthday

We aren't doing cake, but instead cupcakes. Somehow, the cupcakes with fit together to form a castle. We have 3 months to go and I have a feeling it is going to go by fast.

Happy 9 months, my little Prince!

Borrowing a moment in time

2011-05-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Parker,

All I ask is that you don't grow up too fast.

Love,

Mom

Fluffy Butt Friday: What's on the butt!

2011-05-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

Brand: Thirsties cover and a Bumkins prefold
Style: prefold and cover
Cost: $12.75 for the cover and $2.00 for the prefold
Where to buy?: Zoolikins

Thrifty Thursday: 99 Cents Only

2011-05-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Do you have a "99 Cents Only" store in your area? If you have one and have never been there, I recommend you stop in and browse for a bit. I don't shop here nearly enough! This store is my go to place when I need gift bags, gift wrap or batteries for Parker's toys. Nothing is over 99 cents throughout the whole store.

Lately, I have been seeing some great things! The most recent visit we purchased a few bibs. They aren't those cheap plastic feeling bibs, but high quality ones.

Some other purchases I have made in the past couple of months:

-Babylegs!!
-Snappies
-Sunscreen lotion(not some cheap off brand either, I was about to purchase this exact item at my local Fry's store for $8)
-Body Wash(large size)
-Books
-School supplies
-Cleaning supplies

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Gorgeous weather

2011-05-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the beautiful weather before the temperatures get too hot.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-05-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have missed participating in Scavenger Hunt Sunday! I'm happy that I had some extra time to join in this week.

1. Give Me Flowers

This is what is left of the rose I received on Mother's Day. It's pretty much dead, but I keep it around because my kitty loves to eat flower petals when they become crunchy. I was having fun playing around with this window that is in our bathroom, and with the lighting that was coming through.

2. Visual Contrast

I usually don't take photos during this time of the day in Parker's room, normally the shadows are very distracting. Parker was being so funny when he saw his shadow, I couldn't resist taking some photos.

3. Friendship

I actually took this photo around Easter, but it was so cute and this photo came to mind immediately when I saw the prompt. I also used the picture in my new blog banner. It is amazing how much these two love each other.

4. Before and After

I was asked to sew up some newborn diapers this past week. I had no idea what I could use for this prompt, so I used a couple of the photos I took of this newborn order I completed.

5. Dark

Finally, something he'll eat!

2011-05-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm a big planner, I like to know what is happening, how it is going to happen and when...and I really don't like surprises. So you could imagine how meticulous everything was planned out when I was pregnant with Parker. Plans of the nursery and birthing plans. Plans for his diapering, sleeping, his immunizations and plans of making my own baby food. I should have known Parker had plans of his own all along. He decided to arrive early, which caused me to throw all my birthing plans out the window and I also never finished everything in his nursery. He won't have anything to do with his crib, no matter what we do, and lastly he wants nothing to do with eating solid foods.

The other day we were at the grocery store and I saw a small package of Gerber graduates in the "impulse buy" section of the store, also know as the checkout aisle. I figured it couldn't hurt to try just one more thing.

I think he might like this...what do you think?

It may not be a lot but it is big progress for him to eat something without gagging all the time or throwing it up.

Don't forget to vote...although I think we are way behind the competition. Oh, well it's fun anyways ;)

Things that make you go hmmm...

2011-05-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I had ever seen a baby seat in a bathroom stall. It just struck me as a little funny and I couldn't resist taking some pictures(don't worry I wasn't going to the bathroom.) I went into the stall in search of a diaper changing area, and wouldn't you know, there was none...I had to change Parker on the floor. I never understand when an establishment doesn't provide an area to change a baby, even just a small space on the counter next to the sink would suffice.

So blessed

2011-05-09T13:43:00.001-07:00

My daughter was born on December 8th, 1999. She weighed 7lbs 15oz and was the most beautiful baby girl. She was born with bright blue eyes, a full head of dark brown hair and rosy cheeks and lips. Her birth was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. That day, I became a mother...

On August 31st, 2010 I became a mother for the second time. Parker was the most handsome, beautiful baby boy. He weighed 7 lbs 1 oz. He had big gorgeous dark brown eyes and lots of dark brown hair. I never thought that I would be blessed with another baby.

I'm so thankful to be the mother of two beautiful and wonderful children.

Fluffy Butt Friday: What's on the butt!

2011-05-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

Brand: Bohemian Baby Couture
Style: One size pocket diaper
Features: Custom applique' letter on bum
Cost: $16.00
Where to buy?: bohemianbabycouture

Thrifty Thursday: $avers

2011-05-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

It's days like today that make me love thrift stores. When I was growing up I was a little embarrassed to shop at them, but they were nothing like thrift stores are now. Now there is a possibility of finding designer gowns, purses and shoes. A few weeks ago, I saw a lady purchase a brand new coach purse, tags and all, for $40.00.

Other than the below picture of Parker in his new outfit, we found 1 other pair of shorts, 2 more shirts and another pair of Pedipeds one size larger. I spent just over $10 for all of it.

Shirt(Circo-brand new): $.99
Shorts(Baby Gap): $1.99
Shoes(Pediped-brand new): $1.99

Parker had to show just how happy he is with his new stuff

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Washy Washy

2011-05-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

35 weeks in, 35 weeks out

2011-05-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Today Parker is 35 weeks old. 35 weeks is the number of weeks I carried Parker in the womb.

The first time I found out I was pregnant and the first time I met my baby boy

Positive pregnancy test: 1/17/10
Parker's birthday:8/31/10

Parker's first ultrasound at 6 weeks and pictures of Parker at 6 weeks old

6 week ultrasound: 2/9/10
6 weeks old: 10/12/10

Parker's 12 week ultrasound and where we were told that he was most likely a boy! Photos of Parker at 12 weeks old.

12 week ultrasound: 3/24/10
12 weeks old: 11/23/10

Parker's 18 week gender ultrasound, my 18 week belly photo and Parker at 18 weeks old.

18 week ultrasound: 5/1/10
18 weeks old: 1/4/11

Parker's 22 week fetal echocardiogram ultrasound. Parker had extra ultrasounds because during his 12 week ultrasound they noticed he had an increase in fluid around his nuchal fold and he had hydrophrenosis. Sometimes this combination could be related to a potential heart malformation, but Parker's heart looked perfect!

22 week ultrasound: 5/28/10
22 weeks old: 2/1/11

Parker's 28 week ultrasound and the last ultrasound I had and Parker's 28 week photos.

28 week ultrasound: 7/5/10
28 weeks old: 3/15/11

I'm 8 months...so now what?!?

2011-04-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Taking pictures is getting tough! We have finally gotten to the point where Parker won't stay still for very long.

At 8 months...

weight: 18 lbs 11 oz
height: 28 inches
clothing size: 12 months

...is starting to lose some of the baby rolls, he had a pretty good growth spurt, lengthwise, this month

...still NO teeth, though I will give him a toothbrush each morning so he can ~~practice brushing~~ hit it against the wall and play with it.

...Parker army crawls like crazy, everywhere! He tries to follow the kitties around.

...we had to lower his crib mattress because he is now pulling himself up in his crib.

...can stand a few seconds on his own.

...will scoot slowly around the coffee table.

...can drink out of a straw! May not be that big of a deal, but I thought it was pretty cool.

...bangs toys together, he LOVES the noise he makes when he does this.

...says, "dada" and "mama" and definitely knows what he is saying.

...we recently realized(the past couple days)that Parker loves anything with wheels.

...Parker is still not eating much in the way of solids. We have tried just about every flavor of everything, even what we are eating and still nothing. If he does eat solids it's usually bananas or mixed berries and maybe 3 or 4 tiny bites at each sitting. We have tried giving him thicker things and even solids like a cracker, but this boy has some MAJOR gag reflex.

...babbles like crazy.

...his hair is really starting to get thick and long!

...started pulling at his hair when he's upset.

...loves when I show him pictures of other babies in some of the blogs I read. He will start talking to the monitor when he sees the pictures.

...has the best disposition, even when he is really sick he will find a way to smile and be happy.

...loves to cuddle.

...likes to play his little piano.

...sings to himself all the time when he is playing in his room.

...loves the swimming pool.

...does not like sunglasses, or his swimming boat floaty thingy.

...loves to blow raspberries in the water.

I have a linky button!

2011-04-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Easter Weekend

2011-04-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

“The love of a family is life's greatest blessing”

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011

2011-04-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Parker and I participated in the 1st annual cloth diaper change this past Saturday! Locations across the world also joined in on this event to not only bring awareness to cloth diapers, but also an attempt to go for a world record. We had a great time and met some wonderful people. It was nice to actually meet, in real life, other mama's that cloth diaper.

Location: Whole Foods-Chandler, Arizona
Date: April 23rd, 2011

I also made Parker's Horton shirt and Dr. Seuss diaper, AND a similar set is available for purchase on my ETSY page(link on the left of my page.)

We also won some new fluff for our diaper stash! YAY, free fluff is awesome :)

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: All that money spent on toys

2011-04-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much money we spend on cool toys for our little ones. We think that the louder, the flashier and the toy that sings the most number of songs would be the one's they are the most interested in. Boy were we wrong! We should realize that our little one's mimic us from early on. They want to be like us and to do the same things we do. So it makes sense that they want to play with the remote, cell phone, camera or play with the computer keyboard. They see us using these things all the time. In my case, it's fabric. When I need to get some things done, I don't reach for the toys I spent a lot of money on. I know that the easiest way to keep Parker entertained is letting him play with my scrap fabric box.

Say yes to the dress!

2011-04-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Two of my very good friends (and Parker's godparents) are getting married! I was very ecstatic when they asked me to be their maid of honor. This past weekend, the bride to be and I went dress shopping. We did find THE dress, there was a wow factor, and there were tears, but I won't be posting any pictures of her dress till after the wedding in case of ~~any spies~~ her fiance' reading my blog.

I had so much fun, she is going to make an absolutely gorgeous bride and I'm so excited for their wedding. Here are some of the photos I can post.

Waiting for the first dresses to arrive

Pointing to her dressing room.

I thought it was funny that there were no mirrors inside of the dressing rooms. Apparently, too many of the brides saw a dress and didn't like how it looked and would never leave the dressing room. So, they removed all the mirrors so the brides MUST come out of the dressing room to see the dress.

Another moment Parker won't be too happy about when he's older

Laundry Day

2011-04-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

Edit: I almost forgot to add that my business sponsors The Paper Mama and she is hosting a giveaway for one of my items. Visit her blog for more details!

Parker decided to help me with laundry. I now have to actually schedule my laundry days. Our washer/dryer decided to quit working a few weeks ago and there are no plans in the works to have it fixed anytime soon. It was a crappy set up in the first place, but it was still better than having to drag all the laundry to the public facility.

The upside? Bigger load capacities!

The downside? I have to be really careful with how hot the water in the wash gets and how hot the dry cycle gets when I'm washing the cloth diapers. I have known friends to lose hundreds of dollars worth of diapers because the wash or dry cycle melted the waterproof fabric in the diapers.

Parker helping me stuff and fold all the diapers.

Mommy?!? This is the one I wanted to wear...

Somehow he always gets his way, I can't resist those eyes.

Crazy Busy Week

2011-04-15T23:58:00.000-07:00

It has been a bit of a rough and rather frustrating week. It all started last Friday morning I managed to break both of our computer monitors. Everyone says it was just random, regardless it was frustrating. I ended up having to move my hubby's computer to the living room and hook it up to our flat screen TV. I was too afraid my computer was what caused the monitors to die. Unfortunately, EVERYTHING I need to function in my business was on MY computer. I spent hours downloading embroidery software and transferring embroidery files. I was really lucky that I had recently backed up all my embroidery designs to an external hard drive. It was still a long and tedious process.

Then, Parker became sick...really sick. He had been having a runny nose and was sneezing a lot a few days prior, but I chalked it up to teething. He didn't even have much of a fever. He started coughing, scary coughing and weird breathing. I decided to take him to urgent care, they looked at him for a couple minutes and determined that he had strep and started him on antibiotics. The Dr said the cough maybe from the junk running down his throat irritating him. These are the times I wish Parker's pediatrician was available, I trust his ped 100%.

The coughing became worse the next morning so we took Parker to the ER. I should have just took him there the day before. They confirmed strep, but found through a chest x-ray that he had pneumonia too. They doubled his original antibiotic dose and we went back home for steam showers and rest. Good thing is that he is feeling much better now.

The worst part of all of this was my mother in law was in town to visit Parker and he spent most of the time sleeping or at the ER. I felt so bad she didn't get to spend more time with him.

Waiting to see the doctor in the ER.

Getting ready for his x-ray's.

The x-rays were quite traumatic on the little guy, he passed back out after them.

Don't forget the "Team M: Auction for the American SIDS Institute" has begun! We have 3 items listed. To bid "like" their facebook page, click on photos. They have 2 folders of pictures for auction. The items I donated are in the "Auction #1" folder. ALL proceeds go to the American SIDS Institute.

Team M auction: SPRING FOR SIDS

2011-04-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

My company, Bohemian Baby Couture, is proudly supporting "Team M" by donating a few custom boy outfits for their auction. All proceeds are being donated to American SIDS Institute

Please join us and many other business for this wonderful auction. Auction will be held on April 14th!

Here is the link for more information:

Team M auction

We donated 3 custom boys sets that look like this:

Winner will be able to choose a size: Newborn-24 months, and a BOY print from any of my in-stock fabrics.

Turned 7 months old....check!

2011-04-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Another month has gone by, and this one went faster than all the rest. I felt like I had just finished writing his 6 month post and now he is 7 months old! I thought it would be cute to do a video montage of Parker the day he turned 7 months.

Stats:
Clothing: 6-12 months
Weight: 17lbs 14oz (his weight gain has come to a crawl the past 2 months)
Height: 26.5"

He is trying to eat solids, he barely finishes a 1/4 of a jar of anything. His favorite and really only thing he will eat more than 5 spoonfuls of is mixed berries(blueberries, bananas, and blackberries.)

He is so close to fully crawling. Parker can stay on his knees for a long time and rock back and forth. He can even move his knees forward, but he forgets to move his arms and ends up plummeting forward.

No Teeth?!? Where are they! Vanessa had a lot of teeth by 7 months, her first came in at 4 months. I was looking online about "disappearing teeth" and I guess there are a number of different explanations for it. I know for sure that we felt and saw something break the gum a few months ago, but who knows exactly what it was. Oh, well I still love is gummy smile :)

Fluffy Butt Friday: What's on the butt!

2011-04-01T16:23:00.001-07:00

Brand: Sunnybaby
Style: One size pocket diaper
Cost: $4.00
Where to buy?: Ebay

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Bath time

2011-03-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

Touch Up Tuesday

2011-03-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

I had some free time since Parker was taking a very long nap today, so I thought I would touch up one of the photo's I took yesterday. I think I might be getting a little better at photo editing. Not quite perfect as I still have problem with brightening the eyes, so I must be missing some step. I've started to learn how to use masks, I like the different looks you can give a picture using them.

This is my first time linking to Paper Heart Camera.

Original:

Edited:

I used one of the newly posted masks from Shadowhouse Creations

So close to crawling!

2011-03-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

Parker has been working hard this week to get this crawling thing down. He starts by doing these funny push-ups, finally gets his knees underneath him. Rocks back and forth on his knees, and even moves one knee forward then...PLOP! Down to the ground he goes to start the cycle over again. At least he has Sophie the giraffe ~~cheering~~ squeaking him on.

Butt in the air...check!

Straighten arms...check!

Oops went a little to high...

Bring my knees underneath...check!

Move one knee forward..check!

You know Sophie...crawling is overrated!

Especially when I can just roll to where I need to go.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Sand play

2011-03-23T22:04:00.001-07:00

I had my vlog all finished and when I went to upload it I notice a bunch of tiny finger prints all over the video feed. I look at my camera, sure enough somehow Parker had gotten a hold of it and there were finger prints on the lens. I don't know how or when he could have done that, but the video is no good. I will do another taping tomorrow and post it then.

Loving my toes!

2011-03-21T00:09:00.000-07:00

Parker has been accustomed to taking naps on the couch. Lately, he has been rolling off the couch in his sleep, so to save his poor noggin' he now must nap in his crib. Unfortunately, he doesn't ever sleep in his crib, usually he is playing with his piano or talking to his mobile.

Today on his monitor, I heard Parker making this odd smacking sound followed by him grunting. It sounded like he had found something somehow and was eating it. Here is what I found him eating ...

Happy St. Patricks Day!!

2011-03-17T18:11:00.001-07:00

Although Parker is not feeling 100% he was still a good sport and allowed me to take some photos for St. Patrick's Day. I bought all the St. Patrick's Day props in these photo's for $3.00 from Target, I love shopping at Target!

This little man has such big feet!

Vloggin Vednesday: Q&A

2011-03-16T12:54:00.001-07:00

Here is my vlog. Parker and I are sick again so sorry for all the sniffling :/

He can talk!

2011-03-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

So, it may have been completely random, but this has to be one of the cutest videos of Parker. I was talking to him and asked a question and he actually responded!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday- Daytrip to Tucson

2011-03-14T22:04:00.001-07:00

I'm so behind on posting on my blog, but one thing I love to do every week no matter what is Scavenger Hunt Sunday...yeah yeah I know it's Monday...again, and the 3rd week in a row I'm late to post this.

I didn't have anytime to edit these too much, but I would never post if I did that. So these are raw photos :)

1. Vanishing Point

We spent this past Saturday in Tucson and decided to go visit the San Xavier Mission. It is such a beautiful place to take photographs. Here Parker is sitting in one of the pews.

2. Square Crop

3. Under

During our Tucson day trip we hiked part of Picacho Peak, nearby was an Ostrich farm with the monster truck. Here is Parker sitting in the hub of one of the monster truck wheels. I actually woke up Parker so he would take pictures. I know, never wake a sleeping baby...except to take a photo you may never have a chance to take again!( I added a second picture so you could get an idea of the size of the truck compared to Parker, can you find him?)

4. "Welcome to the Jungle"

Parker trying on his new bunny hat and diaper cover we received in the mail today. We will be using this for his Easter pictures. I'm so addicted to these hats!

5. Calm

I love this photo, it looks like Parker is praying.

Vloggin' Vednesdays & Wordless{ish} Wednesday (68/365)

2011-03-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

Here is my vlog of Parker's room. I was so tired by the time I was able to record this so if I'm rambling a bit, sorry. Oh, and I totally messed up the name of the Etsy shop I received the owl, it is called Bellamina.

I was also too late to link up my Wordless{ish} Wednesday post, I was trying so hard to get my Wednesday posts done earlier today...bah ;)

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

A blustery day (67/365)

2011-03-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

Hum dum dum ditty dum
Hum dum dum

Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily

So it's rather safe to say
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly

It looks like a rather blustery day, today
It sounds that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly

Looks like a rather blustery day today

From: Winnie The Pooh and the Blustery Day
Written by: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Performed by: Sterling Holloway [Pooh]

Poor little Parker was working so hard to keep the wind from knocking him over. He was mesmerized by the trees and grass moving in the wind. Vanessa was just being her crazy self doing her best to entertain Parker and make him laugh. He sure loves his big sister.

I took this video this past weekend. Parker was being so silly blowing raspberries, singing and laughing.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday (63-66/365)

2011-03-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

One thing I don't like about busy weekends is...they go by way too fast. My Aunt and Uncle were visiting us from California. We hadn't seen them in quite awhile, so it was wonderful to see them. Unfortunately, I didn't get to post all weekend and I know I'm already behind.

Here are my interpretations this week.

1. Diptych

I had no idea what this was, so I had to "Google" the meaning. I hope I got it right. This is Picasso playing with one of his favorite toys.

2. Book

I didn't have a chance to take a new photo for this prompt. I took this one a few weeks ago.

3. Fill in the blank

When I think about how my camera is in the bag I left at home, I just have to kick myself when a beautiful photo opportunity comes along!

I borrowed my dads camera, but it's just not the same.

4. A Taste of Italy

I've got nothing for this one, but I thought this photo was funny. I went to some garage sales this weekend and we saw these medieval gauntlets and I HAD to take a picture with my daughter wearing them. They were actually quite heavy.

5. Reminder

I have a lot of sewing to do. These are all the fabrics for the different things I have to sew this week.

I can read with my eyes shut! (62/365)

2011-03-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

1 in 10 children are at risk for undiagnosed eye/vision problems!
Only 13% of mother's with children under 2 have taken their child to a vision well visit.
Premature babies have a higher risk of having vision problems, especially those born before 31 weeks or weighing less than 2.75lbs at birth.
Vision disorders are the fourth most common disability in the United States and the most prevalent handicapping condition during childhood.

Today Parker went to the optometrist for his first eye exam. The exam was completely free since it is funded through the InfantSEE program. You aren't even required to have health insurance. It was a very non-invasive exam that took a total of 10 minutes. She tested to see how well Parker followed a small object, how his pupils responded to light and looked for signs of amblyopia (lazy eye) or strabismus(misalignment of eyes.) Since Parker was born at 35 weeks his risk for having vision problems is a little higher so, it was even more important for us to have this exam performed. Parker actually had a lot of fun(we have a wonderful optometrist) and his eyes look normal and healthy!

Looking good...

Whose ready for their exam? Me!

Our wonderful optometrist.

For more information on InfantSEE or where to find a participating doctor in your area, you can visit the InfantSEE website.

My Lil' man is 6 months old!! (60,61/365)

2011-03-02T11:21:00.002-08:00

He actually turned 6 months Monday, but I have been busy with orders and it's been keeping me from posting or even taking pictures. Note: this is not a bad thing at all, I'm very happy to be making things.

I do have a confession...we took Parker to JcPenny's to take his 6 months photos, eek! I'm not a professional by any means, but I know I have the capability of taking some decent photos and I went anyways. I wonder about myself sometimes, lol.

**I went ahead and took a bunch of photos today because Parker was being so adorable. I will post the JcPenny one's at another time.**

I'm amazed that 6 months has passed by since his birth. Time is going so fast!

Parker at 6 months...

...weighs 17 lbs 9 oz.
...is 26" long.
...wears 6-12 month clothing.

...is sitting!
...scoots all around the room, backwards.
...is getting up on all fours.

...is still refusing to eat solids foods.
...still toothless, but he has been a major drool monster the past week.

...LOVES when I sing to him, especially "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
...will respond when called; Parker, Bubba, baby boy and lil' man.

...naps 3 or 4 times throughout the day(40-45 minutes at a time.)
...still wakes up a couple times at night to eat.
...sleeps cuddled up next to me every night.

The Spiderman in this picture was the first toy he ever held in the hospital. It's also featured in his newborn photo shoot.

Parker has shown a new side of his personality, he get's very mad when you try to take a toy away. It's a little funny, but I have to be careful not to laugh or he might think it is okay to do this.

Nolan swears he says, "mama." He only says it when Nolan is holding him and it's getting close to his bedtime. He will start to cry and chant "mamamamama" until I hold him.

We took a picture of Parker wearing these sunglasses when he was 2 weeks old. I'm surprise I still even have them since I'm notorious for losing sunglasses.

...is starting to blow raspberries. It's so cute, he sucks in his lower lip when he does this.
...loves watching, "Price is Right" with me every morning. Our days don't go the same if we don't watch it.

...is such an all around happy baby!

The last 6 months have been so amazing, we are so blessed...Happy 6 months my lil' Prince!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday (58,59/365)

2011-02-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was one of the busiest weekends I have had since Parker was born. I had so much fun with our good friends, celebrating birthday's and making new friendships. By Sunday evening however, I was exhausted. The evenings are when I usually have the time to work on my blog, but I couldn't muster up the energy to edit the photos I was using.

Although a little late, here are my interpretations for this week's SHS items.

1. Capture the Sky

We had a great rain storm come through on Saturday evening and it made the Sunday morning sky so beautiful. I was waiting with the kids in the car while my hubby was in the store. I looked out the window and realized that this would make a stunning photo.

2. Everyday
I'm so blessed to be able to wake up everyday and see his gorgeous smile. I'm so thankful that I'm able to stay home with Parker. I don't want to miss a minute of him growing up.

3. Furry

Here is Picasso laying in one of his favorite spots. He will spend the afternoon laying on our shoes, licking the bottoms of them.

4. Life

I had taken a completely different picture for this item on Sunday. This morning, I was sitting with Parker and he kept grabbing my hand and holding it. I was thinking how I created this little life, this little amazing person. Isn't life beautiful?

5. Blurred

I took this photo earlier in the week when I was playing around with different settings on my camera. I almost deleted it but in the end I decided not too and I'm glad I kept it. I think it's a interesting, slightly creepy interpretation of "blurred."

New hats and... he's trying to crawl! (56, 57/365)

2011-02-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

I just had to share a few pictures of Parker's new hats(we are actually using these for his 6 month photos, so you will see them again soon.) I'm friends with some very talented and crafty momma's. Parker also surprised me by pushing up onto his hands and knees!! Now today, he's scooting backwards using his new found skill. I love this age and how much they change each day.

A cute Dino hat made to match the Boise State Broncos

Here I was excited that he was sitting without falling over every couple of seconds and he surprises me with another trick. This is another hat that was made for Parker.

Vlog: Storing cloth diapers

2011-02-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

I was trying to take pictures of my cloth diaper storage, but I couldn't capture it how I wanted and decided to vlog instead.

Here was my cost(storage items only):

Green stacking basket(Target): $5.00
Hanging shoe storage(Target): $6.99
Black trash can(Target): $9.99
Wet bag(inside of trash can): $5.00
Drawer oraganizer(99 cents only): .99

Total storage cost: $27.97

I forgot to mention in the video, the top drawer of the dresser/changing table has an organizer that contains the diaper creams, vaseline, powders and hand sanitizer.

Bath time fun-SOOC & Edit (54, 55/365) UPDATED

2011-02-24T22:37:00.000-08:00

I haven't done photos in the bath since Parker was little...remember the post with Picasso drinking from his tub? That was the last time I took bath photos. You can see the picture here, it's the third photo in the post. Parker was about a month and a half in that photo. Honestly, we don't use this tub very often. We have this chair that Parker uses in the bathtub and he takes showers with me.

SOOC:

I don't have a fancy digital SLR camera I actually use a Fujifilm Finepix S1000x. It's just a basic point and click digital camera. It does have a manual options so I can adjust shutter speeds and aperture settings, also something I'm learning from my mom. Unfortunately, my hubby won't pay for a higher end camera. So I have work with what I have.

Edit:

I still have a lot to learn about editing, especially when it comes to layer masks. What took the most time was trying to lighten his eyes. Parker has very dark brown eyes in person, I was hoping to lighten then up just a bit in photos and it didn't really do what I wanted. When I adjusted the colors it darkened his eyes even more and I couldn't figure out how to re-lighten just his eyes. I think I started working on this too late in the evening and I was getting tired and a little frustrated.

Edit 2:

I toned down the contrast and color saturation. I like this one much better :)

If you have any suggestions leave me a comment, I'd love to have some feedback!

More bath times photos:

Holding you a little tighter...(52, 53/365)

2011-02-22T22:17:00.000-08:00

Today has been a tough day for me. I found out a little baby Parker's age passed away today and just after I finished crying over that, there was news of another baby girl passing so suddenly. I'm sitting here with Parker asleep in my arms, and I don't want to put him down. I couldn't even imagine my life without my babies...

Mothers Touch Your Children
Author: Kathie Davis

Mothers, touch your children,
Fathers, hug them tight.
Let them know you love them,
Morning, noon, and night.

Put your arms around them,
Hold them near to you.
Feel the beating of their hearts,
The life that you made new.

Roll around the floor with them,
Tease and laugh and play.
Listen to what they'll tell you,
They have so much to say.

Take time to get to know them,
See the colors in their eyes.
Appreciate that person,
That deep inside them lies.

Let them run their fingers through
Your hair and down your face.
Fill their hearts with words of praise,
Make home their favorite place.

Cuddle with them on the couch,
And watch a T.V. show.
Sing to them or share a book,
And help their world to grow.

Take a walk into the park,
Hold each others hand.
Stroll along the beach,
Build castles in the sand.

Mothers, touch your children,
Fathers, hug them tight.
Show them what a gift they are,
To love them feels so right.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday (50,51/365)

2011-02-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

I can almost title this weeks scavenger hunt, "Hubby's favorite things."

1. Chocolate

My hubby's favorite midnight snack!

2. Numbers

My hubby's favorite type of books to read, Manga.

3. Canned Food

The mermaid on this can is a little creepy looking to me, just had to share...

4. Music

Hubby's favorite lil' man.

5. Stack

A little bit of this...a little bit of that! (49/365)

2011-02-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

I started researching cloth diapers when I was still pregnant. I knew right away that it was something I wanted to do. I was so excited to put the cute print diapers on Parker and show off his fluffy butt. I thought I knew everything there was to know about cloth and thought that I would have an easy time with it. I mean come on, how hard can it be?

Well, it wasn't as easy as I imagined, there were things I didn't really think about before Parker was born, such as;

How tired I was with a newborn, utterly exhausted, I had little desire to clean let alone wash diapers.
I couldn't get them to fit correctly, when he was little, they always leaked.
Some of the diapers I bought were way too big to fit a newborn.
I didn't have enough diapers in the beginning to get through a full day of changes.
I couldn't figure out how to wash them correctly.
My hubby loved the idea of cloth diapers, but was afraid to use them.

There was a point in time that I wanted to throw in the towel and quit cloth, I felt completely overwhelmed, frustrated and didn't think it was really all that worth it. I decided to take a small step back and only cloth diaper part of the time. When I felt overwhelmed, or needed a break from diaper laundry I would turn to disposables. I believe that had I not done this, I would not be cloth diapering at all today. The funny thing was that I felt somewhat embarrassed to call myself a cloth diapering mama because I did rely on disposables part of the time.

In the meantime I slowly bought diapers on sale here and there. I bought different styles/brands of cloth diapers until I found what style/brand worked best for us. I tried many different detergents and was able to get a wash routine down. Now, Parker is just over 5 months and I'm proud to say that I cloth diaper exclusively and have been for a month and a half.

AND, our little stash is now big enough to get through 2 or even 3 days without having to do diaper laundry...YAY!

I know that some other cloth diapering mamas will have you believe that cloth diapering is all or nothing and if you turn to disposables on a stressful, overwhelming day you are a bad mother. I wrote this post because I know that I'm not the only mama who has felt overwhelmed about cloth diapers at some point and if turning to disposables some of the time keeps you from losing your sanity, then go for it!

Boys are made of....(48/365)

2011-02-17T21:30:00.000-08:00

What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That's what little boys are made of !" -Mother Goose

Shamless self promotions! I have been on a sewing boom the last few weeks and I'm starting to increase my designs on Etsy. In case you are wondering I make a lot of semi-custom, custom, and personalized outfits for babies, toddlers, and kids. I also can make matching oufits for moms and dads.

Here are a couple of my newest additions:

I'm also making custom personalized sport sets for NFL, NCAA football, and MLB.

A link to my etsy is on the left hand side of my blog.

My facebook fan page also has a lot of my past designs.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Secret Cupid (46,47/365)

2011-02-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

Book is: Baby Love by Sandra Magsamen

Happy Valentines Day! (45/365)

2011-02-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

What is it that makes babies so happy to be nekkid? We decided to take some photo's for Valentines Day using Daddy's tie.

This is my first time entering into this weekly photo challenge, hosted by I Heart Faces. When I was looking at different blogs, it seemed that everyone entered this one. Photo challenges are actually becoming quite addicting!

And here are the rest of the photos I took for Valentines Day!

It's so cute when he looks up at the camera like this.

He was really loving his feet throughout all these pictures. Usually, he rolls over the minute I set him down, not today.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday-Railroad Park (44/365)

2011-02-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

Date: 2/13/2011
Temperature: 77 degrees
Location: McCormick Railroad Park-Scottsdale, Arizona

I have been going to this railroad park for as long as I can remember. It is such a neat place to visit if you live in Arizona and have never been. Best of all, it's free! Well, mostly free. You do have a pay a couple dollars to ride the trains or the carousel(though I found out today that on Sunday's, some of the attractions are free since the train clubs runs them instead of the city.)

It was an absolutely perfect day to introduce Parker to trains, and it was nice to be out and about after spending the whole week holed up in the house with everyone sick. Also, what a great place to take pictures for this weeks scavenger hunt

1. Shadows

Parker, digging his toes in the cool sand. Baby toes! It doesn't get much cuter than this.

2. Patterns/Repetition

This sitting area was in the new model train building. I loved the lighting, the colors, the painting in the background.

3. Bright White

Okay so it's not bright white, but it's the desert. There's always a fresh layer of dust and dirt on anything outdoors.

4. Strong

As you can see this train ran along the ceiling. Parker was enthralled by this train and he was not letting daddy put him down anytime soon. It was funny how Parker would arch his back to get a better view.

5. Warmth

And here are the rest of the pictures!

Parker Dean, 5 days old (43/365)

2011-02-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

I just received some of my photos of Parker when he was 5 days old! I'm so excited to see them. During his early days I was exhausted and adjusting to a newborn, I didn't take any photos of Parker myself this early on. My cousin does beautiful work. Seeing these photos for the first time, after 5 months has gone by, is pretty amazing. I have to admit, at first, I was a little bummed out about not seeing them earlier, but I honestly think this was so much better.

I'm amazed at how much hair he had. Parker had hair everywhere! His arms, back, forehead, butt and legs. He even had adorable side burns that extended to his jaw line and a mustache! His Dr. told us it was because of how early he was born, and he may not have been quite as hairy at term.

At 5 months, Parker no longer has hair on his back, butt, forehead, legs or arms. His side burns are no longer, and he has actually lost quite a bit of hair on his head. I'd say he's lost a good two-thirds compared to the thickness at birth.

Some distinguishing features Parker had at birth;

I already mentioned all his hair.

Parker was born with a stork bite right in the middle of his forehead. It extends from his hairline to his eyebrows. You can sometimes see it in his photos even now. Especially, when he is on his tummy, is hot or cold, or has been crying.

Parker also was born with stork bites on his nose and just above his lips, but those are no longer visible.

Parker was born with the big hands and long fingers! His hands are still huge compared to the rest of him. My daughter has the same beautiful long fingers.

Parker was born with rolls all over. Even though he was super skinny at birth, he still had rolls.

What I remember about the photo session;

Parker would not sleep! For being 5 days old he was already inquisitive about what was going on.

Parker pooped a lot, and made a mess on a few of the photo props.

Parker took a lot of food breaks.

I remember being mesmerized with how beautiful Parker was and how I was already holding him in my arms and that I was a mother of a newborn again, after 10 years.

I remember seeing my husband holding him, he was so afraid of breaking him. He was unbelievably happy.

This is my Lil' Prince today!

I is a shy kitty..... (42/365)

2011-02-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

Be my friend....(41/365)

2011-02-10T15:29:00.000-08:00

"A friend is, as it were, a second self." -Marcus T. Cicero

"Walk beside me and be my friend." -unknown

A friend loves at all times..-Proverbs 17:17

Wordless{ish} Wednesday (40/365)

2011-02-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

Photo textures from Shadowhouse Creations