Sewing up a storm. Well... a small one. Just some fleece soaker wind gusts, really.

We ordered the diapers for the baby at a great price online at LittleLions Clearance section. They came, I washed them, they fluffed and they are LOVELY. Plus, an added point, the premium sized prefolds (which we got for her to use later on) will fit Duncan! So he will be back in cloth (horray!) for his nighttime diapers and knowing Duncan this will also help to push him into panties at night. He still gets upset when we put diapers on him and now refuses to wear panties with pajamas like it's against the rules, LOL. But in the meantime while we're working with him, he'll be contributing less to landfills, wearing something that's much better for him, and looking cute - all at once! :) He is only 2-1/2 so we are giving him plenty of space to decide when he's ready to do the big boy thing all through the night. He does fantastic during the day, and it requires nothing of me aside from helping him on when he tells me he needs to go. (Disadvantage of learning early... the whole height issue!)

Anyway, I finished two soakers in a Medium size, SURE that they would fit my boy. I quickly discovered that I had forgotten about the DIAPER. I'm so used to sizing everything to him for panties that I completely forgot about the added bulk of the prefold. Needless to say... the baby will now have some teal//multicolored diaper covers for when she hits size Medium, lol.

Sorry for the awful photo, but I was being quick and well... okay - LAZY. :-P

These were awfully girly anyway... that's what you get with handmedown fleece, lol.

So I realized - as I was diapering him up into his LAST disposable diaper tonight - that since the Mediums hadn't worked but were on time, I was officially behind schedule. So tonight, I whipped this one up:

Definitely more boyish, a nice plush army green compared to sea foam teal, LOL. I also did a double layer doubler to slip into his prefold for extra absorbency. I'm happy with how the second one came out. Scared to death as I have NO time to make another tomorrow and if this doesn't fit, I'll cry, LOL. But I keep reminding myself that the DIAPER will have to fit inside too. It's weird going from diaper to panties and then back again. Granted, he's never been in panties over night, just through naps, but PJs stretch more than clothes so it's harder to notice. Plus disposables are trimmer.

We'll see... hopefully I'll get some photos and an update tomorrow before Preschool and the COSTUME PARADE. (Yes, in our house, those words are only said together and only if you can yell them at the top of your lungs as if you're the mambo king and ready to roll. It has to be COSTUME PARADE. Otherwise, it's just not right. Thank you, Olivia.)

More tomorrow. :)

24 weeks.

Here I am at 24 weeks.

Desperately need to be scrapping so no time for a monologue tonight.

Tomorrow perhaps? :)

Another Monday - but with fluffy mail!

Monday we arrived home from Preschool to check our mail and find 2 packages! The kids could hardly believe their eyes when not only did I pull two packages in through the driver side window but one that was the size of a moving box! Theirs was from Bonnie in Milwaukie, OR, and mine was from Becky (a fellow poster @ DiaperSwappers) in PA.

We got home, carried all of our things inside and of course the kids began bouncing off the walls begging me to open the package. So I opened it and here's what we found. :)






Plus some Halloween pencils and pens. And yes, the Ken doll was immediately stripped naked as all Barbies end up. But he was a Barbie Mariposa Prince doll before that. (Thanks Bonnie!)

My package from Becky was filled with goodies - especially the two WOOL diaper covers.
And yeah, LOL, they're the exact color of my Oyster-colored couch, haha. We'll have a coordinating baby! :)

Cam's pick is on the left, mine is on the right. Detail is below. :)

I was excited to get these dresses as well because believe it or not, I don't have too many little dresses. :) Of course they'll be hidden by a sweater and a billion blankets in the frigid cold of a Utah February but cute nonetheless!

Thanks again, Becky!

And the Creative Carver award goes to:

Cameron!

By far, Cameron won the award this year in our family for most creative pumpkin carving. Liv, I would have to say, would be our runner up with her look-alike rabid bunny pumpkin...

We carved on Sunday and our pumpkins are not enjoying the alternating heat and cold. Next year I think we'll probably wait until the week before to buy (we bought the weekend before last) so that they only have to last that last week. Last year we didn't have as many problems, but we also didn't get direct sunlight too badly on the back porch of our old apartment, where they stayed throughout their brief visit. :)

Here we are carving our 'punkins'.

Ghosts say "mooooooooo!"

Duncan has a new fascination with drawing ghosts on his drawing board. They range from little ghost, baby ghost, mommy ghost, daddy ghost, as well as all of the above but with the tack-on of "paw bob"... also known as two front buck teeth to look like Sponge Bob...

Oliva caught the fever as well and they've both been going nuts with drawing ghosts, talking about ghosts (especially our ghost light from Walmart), and Duncan recently discovered how to make sounds like a ghost... "mooooooooo! mmmooooo!!"

Needless to say, this Halloween has proved to be a very interesting one. :)

FINALLY! 23 weeks and 2 days!

I'm beat.

Here it is:
Aww. Da belly. ;)

Pumpkin Picking!

We headed over to Macey's last Saturday for our grocery shopping telling the kids to get ready for a surprise and they were SO excited when they finally realized what it was!

PUMPKINS!

They were in heaven! We went through and picked out our pumpkins, which really proved to be a little difficult since they were either huge, normal or large, most of which were the latter. Regardless we found 4 appropriate sized ones and they now have a new home on our cold, cold front porch. :)

Here are some photos from the event!

Here's Duncan and his pumpkin. Yes, he looks a little like a light and dark blue pumpkin himself. He's a little obsessed with jackets and hats right now, nice little phase he's going through. :) And the black trash-bag-looking things on the right hand side are actually "scary" walls for the walk through "Haunted... uhh WALK THROUGH". Yeeah.

Liv and her pumpkin. :)

We may have been shivering but we were still smiling! :D

By FAR one of my favorite photos of the two of us. :)
My husband is so handsome in this, I can hardly STAND it.
I'm one lucky momma.

The next two photos are actually from the day before, Friday, when we walked over to Ream's Market to pick up our produce and any sales and etc. that we normally get. I hadn't noticed that Macey's had a setup like they did so I was worried about not getting any photos. So we made the kids sit there on the hay for fake out photos, haha! :) But hey, they turned out cute and now we have more Halloween photos!

This is us not caring where we're looking for the photo...

Daddy gives the camera to Mommy for her to try, she says "cheese!" and we turn to smile at DAD, yes, the one WITHOUT the camera.

D31-32: "Me watch Suda Cuke show."

So, just like your sister's, this is going to be a little bit of a walk down memory lane. I'm still a dodo head for the ones that are date, re-dated, and now finally refiled in some sort of organization, but I find out the more and more I search for your photos, how many of them are in print and not in digital. I guess that's what you get for being around during the no-digital-camera-and-no-money-to-develop-photos time. Fun stuff. But I do have quite a few cute ones that are on here. :)

03.31.06
almost 2 months old

When you first started smiling, you were a pro. That's my pink daisy Boppy in the background (don't be too humiliated that we used that to breastfeed, after all - it's not like you WORE it.) and of course, as most of your smiley photos were at this beginning stage, this was right after you'd finished eating. Note the bubbles of happiness in the right corner of your mouth, you were a bubble blowing maniac, lol.

Going through these photos, it's funny to see the similarities and differences between you and your sister and makes me wonder about the new one on the way. How will she be different? How will she be the same?

Your interests have changed over time of course, evolving from only booby, to booby and sister, and then forget-the-booby I want to play with that CAR! I don't know that you'll EVER lose interest in cars... ever. And with Daddy around... yikes, I can only see it getting worse. ;)

(Have I mentioned that before you could say half of your current vocabulary Daddy had you reciting "Chevy" and "Truck"... the list goes on...)

Easter 2006 - 04.16.06
(Sister's come a ways in the art of baby holding...)

You two were so cute together I could hardly stand it. Most of the time it involved Olivia trying to put things like shiny pink slippers with big white goofy tassels on you. But on the occasion that she wasn't holding you horizontally or trying to shove pink things in your face, you loved her. And she certainly loved you with every ounce of her incredibly ting being.

06.19.06

I don't know that I'll ever move past my view of you as such a little baby. You were so sweet and this is by far one of my favorite outfits on you. You've been my baby for so long it's hard to realize you're not only walking and talking but OPINIONATED. And STUBBORN.

11.08.2007
How dare I suggest those bow ties are for Sunday, not with Dinosaur sleep suits...

You STILL wear bow ties with everything.

Only now I can bribe you with panties, and you figure it's not worth it and take the panties.

You still refuse to believe that we're having a baby girl. This past couple of months, we've been getting you excited, telling you how much fun bath time will be, how you can help mommy with baby, how you can show her cars and dinosaurs and teach her how to punch people when they try to take your food awa-- okay, maybe not that one...

But regardless of what we tell you it still won't sink in on the gender. Yesterday you and sister came to my 23 week Midwife appointment with me and Daddy. Paula, my Midwife, asked Olivia if she was having a baby girl or a baby boy. And Liv answered "A baby sister!" We all smiled and I told her to ask you.

"Duncan," she asked. "Are you having a baby brother or a baby sister?"

"Me have baby bruu-der."

EVERY TIME.

I guess only the big event will finally change your mind. :)

Our days lately are filled with "Where... is... mine CROCODIIILE!" and "Me watch Suda Cuke show (Minnesota Cuke, Veggie Tales movie)," and I'm constantly shown how big and independent you like to be. You love going to Liv's Preschool and watching her through the window. You beg to stay and be apart of the fun but you're still too little, almost there. We're definitely going to be putting you through Preschool though, that's for sure!

One of your favorite outings is the library and you LOVE getting Leslie Patricelli books. One of our favorites is "Yummy, Yucky!" and it's quite entertaining to here you read "Burger" thinking it's Booger, and say yucky. While it's actual "opposite", on the next page, for yucky IS Booger. A confusing page for little boys who can't get either word right. ;)

But you definitely love the baby... whether or not he thinks Burgers and Boogers are yucky or yummy. :)

Regardless of it all... you still smile just like you used to.

10.07.08

Give or take a few teeth and, given the fact that since you dress yourself on more days than not, we'll have to add some backward tee shirts and/or jeans.

But you'll still always be my baby boy. :)

06.2006

I can just hear the protests now... :)

O51-52: Okay. Yeah. I need to get on it.

My sweet girl, one day you'll grow up and smack me in the shoulder and beg the question: "ONCE A MONTH MOM! You couldn't handle once a MONTH?"

I'll get better.

I hope.

Taken 11.25.04

This little face. I've been seeing a lot of this little face lately because I've been hurriedly transferring the photos documenting your ENTIRE life onto my "I" drive (my external hard drive) so that you and your brother will have photos if for some reason our computer is wiped out. So over and over I've cursed myself for dating things like "060604" Well, to me, I see that's the day you were born. Except that, sitting right next to it is: "060605" Your first birthday. Suddenly 12 months is gone and I'm lost. I didn't discover the wonders of "2004_0606" until sometime later. That way, I can go month by month, small description by description and actually FIND what I'm looking for.

Then of course, we have the ones where I felt the need to label the folder of photos with the date they were DEVELOPED. Why, you ask, are we opening Christmas presents on January 13th? BECAUSE MOMMY IS A DO-DO HEAD.

I got the mess sorted out, and SO FAR, I've got from your Aunt Brinsley's soccer game on November 1st, 2003 to Christmas 2005 (you were 1-1/2 then) at Papa's house. Not too shabby. But organized none the less.

Wonderful example of the new found organization. Taken 12.25.05

I'm continuing to work on this day by day. Duncan's semi involved as I'm pregnant in these Christmas photos and beginning to show. (Don't worry D, I've got plenty of embarrassing photos coming for you.)

You quickly grew from that teeny tiny girl in embroidered, semi cotton, wannabe-linen shirts to where you are now. For some reason, much like my photo organization, your little face remained little until you suddenly grew up and hit Preschool. Yet... you still manage to look the same in so many ways.

Taken 09.03.08

Okay more teeth, more hair, bigger bows... all that good "grown up" stuff.

Down to business.

This month, and last month, I've been mentally preparing for baby. It's been an interesting task but it has definitely come to a HUGE visual point as we have the crib up again. Soon we'll be to IKEA for bedding, curtains, wall decor, etc. I'm excited, and I know that you are as well, to get all this fun stuff for your room.

During preparation we pulled out some baby clothes and you immediately saw all of the outfits you wore for the first few weeks of life. Oh wait. Only ONE fit. :) You put them on Baby Chou Chou and took her to Preschool for show and tell. I realize now I should have sent you with this photo as well, if only for the amusement on Miss Denise and Miss Debby.

Taken 06.13.04

Yes. You were VERY tiny.

Preschool has definitely opened you up though. You're excited every day to go, you always participate, complete all of your artwork, sing the songs, sit on the rug, etc. You're a good girl and you listen (minus the times where you feel like continuing to color and most likely just to poke at your teachers), we're very proud of you.

Every night when your Daddy gets home, the two of you go over what you learned that day. I'm so glad he wants to be involved and enjoys helping you remember all of your material. He's been incredibly busy with work and school and all that he does for us and it means a lot to me (and to you, I'm sure) that he takes the time to do this with you.

You had your first field trip last week on Monday, we went to the Sandy Fire Station and after a few bumps of shyness you had a fantastic time.

Taken 10.06.08

You still own a suffocating amount of dresses, but have grown mature enough - most likely from experience - to know that here in Utah, it's not as much fun to PRETEND it's warm outside. When momma says it's 34 degrees, she's NOT KIDDING and you put pants on without a fuss. It, of course, helps when they involve flowers, princesses, or other pink accessories. Along with your new staple: the pink Nikes from Mimi in Oregon.

It's hard to find new things other than the basics to write about each month. You get older as time moves on but you definitely haven't changed that much... you're still the same sweet little girl, plus a few hormones here and there, as you always were.

And one days you'll read this and be horribly embarrassed by the fact that I publicly leaked the fact that you snorted right after your first cry when you were born and I knew, without a doubt, that you were our Olivia. :)

And you wouldn't be, if I managed not to hear about this.

So, please, don't let me down. ;)