Willow Bean Creation

I've always wanted to make a quilt, and maintain that one day I WILL. However, until that day comes I know I can count on Madison at Willow Bean Creations to help me out with those special gifts. I ordered this 40x50" quilt for Jackson's birthday- isn't it PRECIOUS?

photo rights to Madison at willowbeancreations.blogspot.com

Madison is having a 'Lazy Sunday' giveaway here for one of her precious custom petal knot dress (wouldn't Baby Girl looks great in one?).

Head on over to get entered. You have until midnight tonight!

S*it.

Jackson has been picking up words like crazy. Crazy, crazy. Socks and Shoes (which sound an awful lot alike), Bubbles (buh-ba), Light (ite), Outside (side), Help (hep), Water (wa), Car, All Done (Ah-Duh). . .ok maybe not words, but sylables at least :).

His latest? 'Sit'. . .I mean it sounds like sit, and I say THAT all the time to the dogs, but that little voice in your head wonders. . . what if it's not. . .is there a silent 'H' in there somewhere?

Please, oh please, let it be sit.

Travelling with a toddler part II

Sorry, the last post was for my 365 picture blog. I knew I posted it but couldn’t find it over there, guess I hit the wrong button. Hope you enjoyed them.
***
We made our trip all the way back to Germany earlier this week and it was ROUGH. I had hoped this 9 hour flight would be better than the last because a) it was shorter and b) it would be night time. I figured my sweet boy would sleep SOME, right? He did sleep some, but the only way he would sleep was ON me, and when you are nearing 6 months pregnant that’s not a comfortable arrangement. Jackson slept a few hours, I slept a few hours less than him, but we made it safe and sound on the other side.

What I SHOULD have done? Brought his carseat. We had bought him a ticked seat on the plane anyway and I’m sure many of you are thinking, “WHAT, didn’t you do that in the first place?” But no, I didn’t. I dind’t think I could manage the mammoth Britax by myself. Carrying it along with the two carryons, stroller, toddler who can’t quite follow direction yet, and a layover, I just didn’t think I could do it. On the first flight (a little over an hour) it really didn’t matter. He happily watched a DVD and spent the rest of the time stealing snacks from the teenage girls seated behind us. But for the overnight flight I think he would have felt comfortable sleeping in a familiar place (other than on me!). It totally would have been worth the enormous hassle. Live and learn.

**I’m also not sure if the carseat would have helped on our flight a month ago from Germany to the US- maybe, but I doubt it. I would not have made him sit in it for the almost 10 hour flight, so that space was better used for playing, snacking, and resting after countless laps through the cabin.

Bedtime right now is 9pm (unheard of in this house) but due to daylight savings time it’s REALLY nice- I find myself productive much longer into the day and evening walks are a great way to wind down. Thankfully, wake up time is 9-10 too! SO happy to be home!

87-90

If you can't tell by these pictures we're still struggling with jet lag :)

87- Last day at the park.

88- Filler picture from week before. This was travel day and I don't think I got my camera out once! It was ROUGH.

89- We've been tired, but are happy to be home. . .even if you can't tell from this picture!

90- I had high hopes giving him a cracker would keep him awake on the 20 minute drive home from the commissary today. I was not so lucky.

Girl.

Ok, don't get TOO excited yet. There have been no ultrasound peeks, so my 'girl' guess is just that. A guess. A hunch. Mother's intuition.

With Jackson I instantly knew he was a boy. I remember the moment when we found out for sure at 16 weeks. The doctor froze an image of the 'bits and pieces' on the screen and my eyes welled up with tears. I looked over to my husbands confused face and smiled. He turned his head and asked the doctor, "So exactly what are we looking at here?" I met the doctors eyes and nodded that I understood what we were looking at, and he generously outlined for Andy, "Here is one leg, and the other, and another" (our German doctor is quite the comic). That moment will be forever engrained in my brain, the moment we found out about our little boy to be.

This time we won't have that moment, but I'm hoping we'll have something just as special. We look at the ultrasounds and ohh and ahh but the "What is it?" part is all guessing. I knew after Jackson I wanted our second to be a surprise. I'm anxiously awaiting that moment 3-4 months from now when we get to find out in the delivery room with 100% certainty what our baby is!

Why do I think I'm having a girl? Last time I knew I was having a boy instantly. This time it took me a while to come to a decision on what I think we are having- here is my 'evidence'.

1. Belly- I know the second baby shows faster, MUCH faster, but the SHAPE of my belly seems SO different this time. I've heard the whole basketball vs watermelon analogy and Jackson fell into ther first category while this pregnancy doesn't have that ball-ness the last one did. It much more resembles a (very) large watermelon.

Above, in order 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 weeks :)

2. Weight gain- my mom always told me she gained earlier in her pregnancies with me and my sister. With Jackson I had only gained 5-7 lbs by 20 weeks with Jackson and REALLY packed it on at the end (I gained just shy of 30lbs total). This time that halfway number was nearly doubled. Now, this may have something to do with our trip back to the states and the prevalence and convenience of FOOD, but I think it has to do with my growing babe, and not the Burger King chocolate shakes which reside less than 2 minutes from our doorstep.

3. THIS. I can. not. stop. thinking (buying). P.I.N.K.

(Don't worry honey, I promise everything was on clearance.)

4. Movement. Somehow I almost forgot this one. . .That is, until I got not-so-gently wacked, er, prodded in the bladder just now. Jackson wasn’t a huge mover. I felt him move consistently but it seemed like I would have to wait for kicks with little breaks in between. This baby? No waiting. You want to see her move- just wait about a second. She is all over the place. I love it, but I wonder what it will feel like in a few months, yikes.

I don't want anyone to think I have my 'heart set' on a girl. I would be THRILLED to be a mommy to two little boys- there is no doubt in my mind that whatever this baby is it will be the PERFECT addition to our family.

20 week ultrasound.

**For the record both my husband and mother think I'm having a boy :)

You know you are pregnant when. . .

you call Burger King to find out if the shake machine is fixed yet. . .and are heartbroken to find out it is still broken and they will likely have to buy a new one...

Review: Zaza Gallery Canvas Photo Print

A while back I contacted Zaza Gallery about doing a product review for one of their wrapped canvases. I’ve always dreamed of a big beautiful family photo canvas on our living room wall, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.


This wasn’t a company I was familiar with so I checked out their site to find they offer countless options for wrapped photo canvases at REALLY reasonable prices. Their 8 X 10 canvases start at only $25. I couldn’t find anywhere else offering this great of deal so I was excited to get my canvas and see the product quality, hoping it would hold up to my expectations.

I had them ship the canvas to my mom’s house (I worried too much about damage having it shipped all the way to Germany). Whenever I talked to my mom or sister I would ask for an update of packages I was waiting on and was excited to hear my picture arrived early- less than a week and a half after I ordered it! I was so excited to finally get ‘home’ last week and see pile of boxes in my room waiting. I saw the box addressed from Zaza Gallery and it was the first I tore into.

First of all the packaging was perfect (no need to worry there). The canvas was very safe and secure wrapped in bubble wrap to prevent any damage during shipping.

I pulled it out and took it in. I had a VERY hard time picking which picture I wanted and would think would look best on a canvas. I decided on this one and couldn’t be happier with the picture choice or quality.

The canvas is stretched BEAUTIFULLY. This was really important to me because having paintings stretched in the past I haven’t always been happy with the results. I assume stretching a canvas is something that must be done by hand and is an ‘art’ because I’ve realized it’s not something everyone can do well. Hugh and his team at Zaza do a beautiful job- all the corners are folded PERFECTLY and there are no bumps, waves, or misalignments on the picture. I feel confident the quality of this product will hold up over time and will be on our wall for years and years to come.

The only drawback? The sides. I honestly don’t have a ton of experience (ok, hardly any) with canvas prints, and the mirror wrap on the sides struck me as a bit odd (especially because it mirrored parts of our body). I didn’t select which option I wanted (when you order you can choose from gallery wrap or mirror wrap both of which they have pictures of on the site) but I trust that they do this a LOT and chose what they thought would work best with my picture. My mom actually prefers the mirror wrap and if I decide it is a deal breaker I could always choose to have it framed as well. For now, I LOVE that you don’t have to have a frame for it- it looks beautiful hung exactly as it arrives (though you may need to add a hanger or wire to the back).

I am excited to move back to the states (hopefully in about 6 months) when I can get this up on OUR wall. For now my mom and sister will surely enjoy it. Also planned for when we get back, I am DYING to do a photo wall. I am thinking at least a couple of 8x10 gallery wraps will be perfect additions and look forward to ordering from Zaza Gallery.

Overall it was really easy to work with Zaza Gallery and they have a truly beautiful product at amazing prices. If you have any other questions I’d be happy to answer them, or you can find Zaza Gallery here with a list of their pricing and options. (You can also click for the link on the upper left hand side of my page!)