Madeleine gifts

Madeleine is one lucky girl!! She has people who adore her who also like to make her presents! 🙂

B and D showing M her new snuggly!

Her first gift was from B, who was  testing out her new sewing machine and made Madeleine a very adorable little snuggly!!

Madeleine took to it immediately and thinks it’s very fun! She started pulling on the little ribbon tabs right when it was given to her.  She loves it!

This now is a must have for us in the car. I think it may be her new comfort item, as I often see her looking at it in deep concentration while I’m driving. 🙂  It’s very cute. Thanks B!!

Here are more photos from our lunch where Madeleine was playing:

I ❤ B and D! They're so fun!

And this one is hilarious because she's making such a funny face. LOL!

What is this?? This looks like it could be fun...

Her second gift of the day arrived in the mail from our friend Kelly! Yes, it arrived on the same day! It’s as if it was a planned present day, even though it wasn’t. LOL

Don't I look cuuutteee?

Kelly crocheted an adorable little hat for Madeleine. (shown to the right)

It’s a tad bit big for her right now, which is perfect. It’ll give her some room to grow. But she  looks so dang cute in it!! 😀

Thanks girls!! We feel very loved. 🙂

Push Present!

Shortly before I was due, Alex and I were at the mall and I saw the jewelry store there and asked if we could just go in and look. I love looking at jewelry.  I mainly wanted to see what kind of pieces they had with Madeleine’s birth stone because I wanted to eventually get something to symbolize her. 🙂

The lady who owns the shop realized what I was looking for and showed us a pendant in the shape of a little baby shoe with pink sapphires on it. She told us that once the baby was born to bring it back and have her name and birth date engraved. How special!!! I told Alex he could pick whichever piece he wanted for me, as I was looking at several. And this is the one he picked:

And this week I finally got to the store to get it engraved!

Awww that hubby of mine. 😀 He did such a good job!

Madeleine’s First Thanksgiving

Mommy even bought me a new, festive sweater for the holiday!

Madeleine had a very busy first Thanksgiving. We spent the day and evening down in Olympia visiting with Alex’s side of the family.

First, we stopped by his mom and Tim’s place to say hello before they headed up to Seattle to spend the evening with Tim’s children. Baby M got to spend some time being held by both Tim and Karli, although she was a bit of a fuss monster for some reason and was awake and eating and fussy nearly the entire 2-1/2 hours we were visiting.

Then we were off to Steve and Joan’s. Again, we continued with the awake baby and  she fed off and on nearly the entire time we were there and was fussing quite a bit as well.  I’m not sure why she wouldn’t sleep yesterday. If it was just too much stimulation and she couldn’t handle it? But she’s normally such a great sleeper. In fact, she has slept nearly all day today to make up for it. LOL!

Joan and Steve put together a fantastic dinner – which was just as delicious cold as it was hot, I’m sure, thanks to Madeleine’s lack of desire to do anything but eat. Hey, she knows what the spirit of Thanksgiving is! EAT EAT EAT!!!

And now, here are some photos!!

Oooooooh Hi!

Taking a break from checking ourselves out in the mirror

It's my gramma!

Our little family 🙂

Hi Auntie Lyssa!

My uncle Trevor made me smile

With my daddy, after the Turkey. I woke up again 5 minutes later. 😛

They just can't get enough of me. I'm soooo cute.

Hi grandma Joan!

I even got some tummy time 😀

Play time!

Awww!

Baby clothes…Overload!

I have slowly been washing/organizing all of the baby clothes and blankets that we have purchased and been given as gifts. And MY GOODNESS! This little girl has more clothes than I do. And I’m referring to them in terms of mass, not number of articles. LOL! Now, consider that she is SO much smaller, and that’s pretty impressive.

I have only washed through the 6 month mark and I’ve already washed 5 full loads of clothes and blankets. I’d guess that she has somewhere near 20-25 blankets, including 10-15 receiving blankets. She’s going to be one warm baby!

The 6-12 month clothes are all stored in one large rubbermaid bin and then the 12+ month clothes are in a 2nd rubbermaid bin.  We sure won’t have to buy clothes for a while. 😀

I’m slowly but surely getting Madeleine’s room all organized. Her window valance is up. I just need to find some curtains/window coverings now. I’ll use the khaki ones we had in there for now, temporarily. Then I just need to get the bed disassembled so I can move the pack’n’play into place and get her name letters up. We’ll be all ready at that point for the glider to arrive! And I’m on the hunt for a little bookshelf for her so I can put her book collection out. 🙂

Of course, all of this is happening very slowly, as I can only do about 1/2 an hour at a time before my back starts to feel like it’s going to snap in half.  I am being very careful to not over-do it given my most recent health scare. And luckily for me, my body is very good about telling me when it’s done.

Don’t worry. I’ll post pictures when it’s all done. 🙂

Mystery Present

 

Isn’t it cute? 🙂 I’d registered for it for Madeleine’s crib. It matches her bedding set.

And the other day, it arrived on my door! How fun! So I rifled through the box looking to find the packing sleep to see who had sent it. Huh. No packing slip. ? That’s weird.

So, mystery gift-giver, I have no idea who you are. I’d love to know, though! So I can give you a proper thank you. 😀

Mom’s visit

Last Friday evening my mom flew in for a long weekend here in Seattle. We knew there were a few things we wanted to accomplish and I’m happy to say – we did!!

Saturday we both slept in a little bit after we’d been up late after a long, exhausting week. Then after breakfast, it was off to the nail salon for a little pampering pre-baby shower. 🙂  I haven’t been in for a pedicure in…years? I don’t even remember the last time I had one. But my little tootsies were so very happy afterwards. Little did I realize at the time, it was good preparation for the shopping marathon that my feet weren’t anticipating at the time.

Saturday afternoon was the baby shower. You can read about that here. After the shower, we headed home to retrieve Alex. My mom still hadn’t seen much of Alex since his work schedule is so whacky, so we went out for a late dinner before passing out for the night. And when I say passing out…I mean passing out. It was a fun, but very exhausting day.

Sunday was the beginning of the shopping extravaganza! I had purchased very little at this point for the baby. Sure, I had the dresser, some clothes and had finished the registry, but I had purchased very little as far as other baby necessities were concerned. My plan was to wait until after the shower to see what all I still needed and go from there. So, we did!

We started with a little bit of fall shopping for dressing the baby pre-birth. That’s code for maternity clothes shopping. I have been very frugal with maternity shopping because you only wear them for such a short period of time – it seems like such a waste. But I have very, very few sweaters which are fall weather appropriate and feel like I’ve been wearing the same 6 tops for the last several months. So it was fun to get some new things!

Then we were off to go furniture hunting.  We were on a mission to find a rocker or glider that would be nice and comfy for Madeleine’s nursery. It took a little bit of hunting, but eventually we ended up at Go To Your Room in Bellevue. Let me tell you, this store was awesome!! The customer service was amazing and not something you find many places these days. From the moment we walked in the door, we were well taken care of. That speaks volumes to me, as a consumer. If you live in the Seattle area, I highly recommend visiting this store for furniture and decor for your child’s room.

And the best part?

We found a glider that is perfect! We didn’t purchase the ottoman; instead we went with a nursing stool for the sake of a small space and not wanting to overwhelm it. We loved this glider because it’s a bit wider and taller than the others, so it will fit Alex well also. 🙂

I don’t know what it is about sitting in gliders, but dang! They sure make people emotional. I got all teary in the first one I sat in, just imagining our little girl being here and rocking her in it. 😀 I’m betting you can guess what happened when my mom sat in one after I did. hehe!

We were able to choose from 120 fabric options and 20+ wood finishes.We ended up with a plushy green fabric that coordinates very well with the green in the bedding set that I’ve chosen. Can’t remember what the bedding set looks like? Check it out in this post. Then we went with a creamy-white wood finish to match the dresser I already purchased. 🙂 I figured this would also work well for our next baby since the green is gender neutral.

At this store we also found the wooden letters to spell out Madeleine’s name, as well as an adorable lamp for her room in a very fun raspberry color. Again, the color ties into the bedding pattern that I’ve selected.

After our spree at Go To Your Room, we were in need of nourishment and had a nice lunch at Whole Foods before we headed off to another very cute children’s store in Bellevue. Merry Go Round has a lot of fun products, including quite a number of organic and earth friendly products.

My main goal at this store was to find some wall decals since we’d decided against painting the nursery. I saw the idea on an HGTV show and thought it was perfect! And lucky for me, they exactly what I was looking for here! I purchased the WallCandy Dottilicious Nursery Stickers. I won’t be using the blue or brown stuckers, but the rest of the colors match the bedding perfectly. 😀

I also found a great gender-neutral diaper bag in bright green and grey. At least *I* thought it was gender-neutral. Evidently my husband didn’t. LOL!! He said it’s too girly, but I think he’s just being silly about it.  Mom found a very fun “first year” calendar for Madeleine to keep track of all of her firsts. That will be a great keepsake for her to look back on when she’s older.

Once we were done with our shopping at Merry Go Round, it was time to head home and get Alex to head out to dinner with our family friend’s, the Parkers. We had a lovely dinner on their deck before heading home to get some much needed rest in anticipation of even more shopping.

Monday after breakfast we headed out yet again. This time we started out at Target and bought some baby things like diaper wipes, receiving blankets, a cozy plush blanket with silky edges (a favorite of mine as a child!). Things like that. We also found a bottle starter kit designed specifically for breastfeeding moms, so we picked that up as well.

Then it was on to Babies R Us to finish off my registry with the things they had in-store that we could fit in my car. After I had to send my mom back, I got online and purchased the remainder of the necessities online to be shipped to me. So now the only major remaining baby thing that I need is the crib mattress, which I am still researching. There are a few little things…but those won’t be a big deal to snatch up real quick.

By the time we were done at Babies R Us, I was starving again, so we ate at PF Changs for lunch and went shoe shopping after that. 🙂 My feet are sooooo swollen (see upcoming post about that…) that I can’t really fit into most of my other shoes anymore. Aerosoles was having a pretty nice sale, so I found two new pairs of shoes that are comfy and accomodate my huge sausage feet.

Here’s all the loot! Well, not even all of it. There are some things missing…like the clothes for me, shoes for me, some blankets, diapers, the glider, diaper pail, etc.

Then it was time to head home again. Mom worked on de-jungling my garden that’d gotten out of control with weeds over the last couple of months. I just can’t bend like that for long these days. I’m getting too huge. LOL! It’s so nice to see it so nice back there now. 🙂 Once we got cleaned up, we went to get some food, tried to put together the dresser (with little success! lol! The directions are terrible and very confusing) and then spent a little time with Alex after he got home from work before going to bed.

Tuesday morning, it was time to take mom to the airport. 😦 3 days goes way too fast. But we sure had a great time!! Thanks for coming out to visit, mom. 😀

Baby Shower!!

So last week was special for a couple of reasons. The first was that Friday was my 26th birthday (wow! Really? It feels like yesterday that I turned 21). For my birthday, my mom flew into town which leads me to the second reason last week was special. With my mom being in town, it was perfect timing for my baby shower! Of course I wanted my mom there, so this was the obvious weekend to have it. 🙂

Sadly, nobody from Alex’s family could be there, but it was still a great time! Thank you to everyone who did come to celebrate our baby. 🙂 The shower was held at Maggianos in downtown Bellevue and was hosted by my friend, Rose.

Now, on to the photos! Thanks go out to D for photo credit (and for burning them all onto a CD for me). You rock!

 

 

Balloons are fun!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers from my mom for a little bit of table decor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delicious appetizers. Mmmm!

 

 

 

And here are all the guests!

The host!! Rose and me 🙂

 

 

Once everyone had arrived, it was time to start opening presents. And boy, did Madeleine get spoiled!

 

 

Madeleine received tons of books, which we are very excited to start reading to her! Her daddy and I both love to read and are definitely going to pass this on to her as well.

 

 

 

 

 

I know, I know. I was feeling silly posing for pictures over and over. hehe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the outfits! My goodness! So adorable. 🙂 She is going to be such a well dressed little girl. Here is just a sprinkling of the outfits…there were a lot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look how cute!! A Bath Cake made by Jo!  She posted about it on her blog here.  Such a good idea, and it was so fun to see what another mom felt was a ‘must have’ for a new mom. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, look how cute! A little birdie mobile for Madeleine’s room. D  really got creative with it and it turned out great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This little bunny was also from D. It’s been kid-tested by Kristin’s daughter. I wasn’t sure we’d get it back from her! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was my mom’s reaction to the bunny! She couldn’t stop laughing. hehehe

 

 

 

 

 

Check this out! A little drawer smell-good pouch! And, it’s in B’s signature scent, lavender. Yumm!

 

 

 

B also made this super cute mobile (which coordinates quite nicely with the bubble theme of Madeleine’s room!). The little bubbles are filled with smell-good lavender as well. 🙂 I think B may be concerned about my house smelling like baby poop. What do you think? LOL!

 

 

 

Aren’t these handy? It’s a little hard to tell from the photo, but they’re swaddle/sleep sacks. The purpose is to be able to keep your baby warm and swaddled while sleeping without having the concern of a blanket that may get un-tucked and loose in the crib.

 

 

 

 

What an adorable little bath robe! I’m sure she’ll love it. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And how sweet is this! The Parkers (long-time family friends) gave my mom her first ‘grandma’ gift.  She is just pleased as punch to have her own special book to read to Madeleine. 😀

 

 

 

I’m sure the folks surrounding us at the restaurant weren’t super appreciative of all the squealing that occurred while presents were opened. But that was definitely part of the fun. 🙂

Thanks again, everyone, for a great afternoon!

The registry is done-ish!

I’ve registered at Babies-R-Us for little Madeleine. You can find my registry by searcing for a registry and typing in my name and location. For those of you who know me, this should be simple enough. 🙂

I spent quite some time trying to figure out what to do about the stroller/carseat combo. It really comes down to lifestyle and I was getting different advice from everyone, it seems. So I went with my gut. I know we’ll probably end up wanting a less-bulky stroller for quick trips, but I also know that I will want to use the full-size stroller for certain outings so that both baby and mommy are comfortable.

If you are interested in purchasing diapers (I have been asked by a couple of people to post here which brands I will be using), we will be using a combination of cloth diapers and gDiapers. The gDiapers will be used strictly for when we’re away from home. Either out for a day-time excursion or a weekend trip to the grandparents’ house so we don’t have to lug around dirty diapers in the diaper bag. Ew! It helps that they come recommended from a couple of other parents I know. 🙂

The cloth diapers I like are Smartipants. I’ve already bought my first 6. 🙂 I am open to trying other brands, but what I like about these is that from all the reviews I’ve read, the quality is fantastic. They also are one size fits all, so I can use them until she begins potty training. And they’re also not as expensive as other, more well-established brands.

I will also be buying pre-folds, so I will need some diaper covers as well. Thirsties come very highly recommended, but I’m open to other brands. Cloth diapering is really just a trial by fire experiment, after all.

Now, between the registry and the diaper suggestions, that should give ya’ll plenty of ideas if you’re looking for what I need. I’m doing my best to not get carried away with buying for baby Madeleine. I plan on going through all the clothes we have to date to determine how much of what sizes we still need. That’s my next task. 🙂

6 weeks, 4 days & baby’s first gift

Today was another day back at work for me. Last night I had a really hard time falling asleep. Every positon I tried to get into was uncomfortable because it put pressure on my poor boobs.  So needless to say, I was pretty tired today.

I had my first almost-overwhelming waves of nausea today at work. I almost went running to the bathroom, but took a few deep breaths, a couple sips of water and a bite or two of some saltines. That helped.

After work Alex and I went out to dinner with my parents. 🙂 Mexican food! Yummers! For the first time in quite a few days, my tummy actually feels full.  Dad is being so silly. Teasing me about how much I was eating. Psshhh. I’m sure my meal tonight just made up for the lack of hunger/food I’ve had in the last few days. Still a slight bit of nausea, but not as bad as it was. Guess I should make myself eat to the gills more often. LOL!! Mom had all sorts of helpful tips, too.  Ahhh my parents are cute.

After dinner we went out to the cars and they gave us gifts. Below is baby’s first gift!! 🙂 It’s so soft and cuddly. Baby will love it.  And the book “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” which will be a very informative read, I’m sure. And then a couple of beautiful dishes, handblown glass, from Hawaii! They will look beautiful in our new home. 😀 And a bunch of gardening books and a knit hat and scarf that my great-grandmother made for me when I was a baby. Now if only baby will just get here, already!! I’m so impatient. hehe

Baby’s first present

Baby says “Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!!” He/She is already so spoiled and hasn’t even graced the world with his/her presence yet. tee hee.