She's a Little Turkey!

Or maybe it's just her shirt.  Can I tell you how much I love the blog world?  Since I am admittedly not crafty, just an excellent copier, I love the abundance of craft blogs where I can steal ideas.  I came across this cute t shirt idea earlier this month.  Since John's work luncheon was this past week, I finally had the fire in me to tackle it.  (I may have a tiny obsession/preoccupation with making sure Cora looks super cute any time we go somewhere out of the ordinary.  I could delve into the psychology of that, but, frankly, I'm okay with this obsessive streak.  Penny is okay with it, too, now that she is no longer the target of said obsession.  Luckily for her, she has only worn clothes once since Cora has been born!  But, I digress. . .)  Here's the little turkey in all her glory!

(Her model pose.)

We may have turned a little corner photography wise.  She was actually willing to sit down for pictures.  Unfortunately, large marge the baby barge (me) was having difficulty squatting down into position to snap the picture before little missy got distracted by a car or a leaf or a rock or some other fascinating thing.  But, it's a start!

You really can't see the turkey shirt, but I love this picture.  I wanna pinch those chubby cheeks!!

And, finally, back to the shirt - it was super easy to make.  I used a few scraps from my scrap box, some steam a seam and brown thread to embroider the feathers and body.  The only thing that I did differently was that I cut out the feathers and body with my pinking shears.  I'm hoping that the edges will fray a little for a bit of a shabby chic effect.  Cora only has a few more days to wear this shirt, but look for it in a couple of years on baby Carys!

A Little Bit More About Carys

On Tuesday Carys had her 32 week appointment.  It was really exciting for me because we got to have another ultrasound.  I'm the totally annoying non-trusting mom who doesn't believe the gender verdict until the kid is squawking away in my arms.  Honest to goodness, I have personally known someone who thought they were having a girl right up until the sweet baby boy's birth.  So, I was really relieved to have the tech assure me that the little teddy graham is in fact Carys and not Jackson.  The other news is that Carys appears to be in the words of my doctor much "juicier" than little missy was.  Through their best estimate, Carys weighs about 4 and 1/2 pounds right now.  Cora was 5 and 1/4 pounds at birth.  Babycenter estimates that a 32 weeker weighs about 3 3/4 pounds.  I have 8 weeks to go.  (There's a lot of math in there somewhere.)  I'm sure I could somehow estimate Carys' birthweight, but frankly, the thought of that frightens me.  I was told to rest assured that she would not be a ginormous baby, but to be on the safe side, if I have not delivered at 39 weeks, we will have another ultrasound.  And, of course, I will ask to check the gender then, too!

Because Procrastination May Be My Real Middle Name

Every year, I plan on getting my Christmas cards out early.  Those of you who are lucky ; ) enough to be on my list, know that it never happens that way.  I'm in the midst of deceiving myself again this year.  So, I thought I'd browse what my friends at Shutterfly have to offer.  I've used them most often to make prints of the little missy.  (I may be a little photo obsessed!!)  So, this year, I thought I'd be proactive and get my Christmas cards there, too.  It's too bad they don't offer addressing and stamping services!!  Of course, that would just make me procrastinate even more!  Vicious cycle!  (Edited to add:  Holy moly!  They do offer addressing and stamping services!!  Awesome!)

Because I love things with initials, this one may be my fave:

The little girl really reminds me of tiny-might - look at that sassy face!

My Christmas color scheme is blue and silver, so this card matches that well.

I love the dark blue and the snowflakes.

But, I do also really love this one!  What would Christmas be without Christ?

(Our picture would have several(!) fewer kids in it!)  I would personalize it by adding a Bible verse.

What do you think?  This is just a very small sampling of the cards they have to offer, so feel free to head on over and browse for yourself.  Because, the great news is. . .wait for it. . .wait for it. . .

Bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly!  Sweet deal, huh?!  For all the details, go here.  And, hurry my fellow procrastinators!!  Christmas is only 38 days away!

A Bunch of Non-Sequiters Thrown Together For No Real Reason

• I was pondering some of the myths they tell first time moms early this morning as I got out of bed for the 3rd (possibly 4th) time to go to the restroom.  (Thank you, Carys, for demonstrating your superior gross motor skills on my bladder!)  When they tell you that getting up in the middle of the night while pregnant prepares you for waking with your wee babe, just know that they are lying!  
• I made some really delicious gingerbread pancakes the other day.  Even Cora ended her pancake embargo to eat some.  For the recipe, go here.
• Thanks to Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go, I think Cora may now know more Spanish than I do.  I also think she has a little crush on Twist from Fresh Beat Band.
• Add to the list of things I never thought I'd say: Cora, don't put cereal in Noah's Ark!
• John taught Cora to climb the 6 foot ladder (with adult supervision, natch).  Now, she will climb to the highest safe step, stand fully erect and clap for herself (while her mother hyperventilates in panic)!
• I'm happy to report that Penny has adjusted to getting kicked out of our bed.  She now sleeps happily on the chair beside my nightstand.  
• Tomorrow night, John's and my alma maters (Texas A&M and Baylor) meet on the gridiron.  We are ranked 25th and 26th respectively.  I have a feeling no matter what the outcome, it is going to be an uncomfortable night!!
• Tuesday is Carys' next doctor appointment.  I get to have another ultrasound to see how big tiny missy is getting.  I'm pretty excited about getting to see her again.  (I'm going to have them check the gender one more time just to be sure!!)
• The plan is for Cora to move into her new room THIS weekend.  Pictures and a full report soon to come!

Cora's Kidisms Volume 2

She speaks!  She speaks volumes. . .she speaks to mommy. . .she speaks to daddy. . .she speaks to her toys. . .she speaks to herself. . .sometimes, she even speaks to strangers!

• We are so enjoying the little conversations we are able to have with her now.  I can't believe she is old enough for verbal give and take!  Her favorite phrase of late is "You found me!" which she likes to scream at the top of her lungs.  She says this when I go to get her up from bed or when she's playing peek-a-boo.  She says it to Penny when puppy girl searches her out around the house.  She even says it when she finds me somewhere in the house.  
• The other day she was playing in the kitchen.  To be precise, she was running back and forth in front of the oven and watching her reflection.  (We're so proud! ; )  She stopped and yelled, "On your mark! Get set! Go! AMEN!"  I have no idea!
• And finally, the one that of course had to happen in public:  I took Cora with my to my latest doctor's appointment.  When I started to lie back on the table so that we could listen to Carys' heartbeat, Cora chirped "Momma, you gonna get your diaper changed?"  I'm so proud!

Halloween 'Playdate'

My friend Susy is a fantastic hostess.  She decided to invite some of Eliana's friends over on Friday for a Halloween 'playdate.'  (But, this was the most amazing playdate I'd ever been to. . .she had everything planned out and prepared for a fun little party.)

By coincidence, all the playmates are girls.  So, it was a fun little experiment to see how they would all react to each other and play with each other.  I am happy to report that the girls all played nice throughout the playdate. . . at least with each other.  The individual meltdowns began right around nap time!  But, up until that point, the girls were great.

Here's Ava dressed as a marshmallow Peep putting stickers on her pumpkin.

Miss Susy did a fantastic job carving up the big pumpkin.

Cora (as Blue from Blue's Clues), Ava, Grace (in her sweet little chicken costume) and Eliana (as Alice in Wonderland) of course enjoyed jumping off of the step as the moms did the art projects!  

Ella (as Minnie Mouse) gets her face painted.  Notice how still she is sitting?  Notice that there are no pictures of Cora getting her face painted?!  Maybe Carys will be a sit still kind of girl!

Cora got to eat about 8 of these 'muffins.'  They are actually funfetti cupcakes, but she preferred to call the muffins.  It was salve for my guilty conscience to call them muffins.  It made them sound much more nutritious!  Then, it would be okay that she ate cupcakes, cookies and candy for lunch!

And, of course, the obligatory meltdown picture.  She actually looks quite calm, but that is just because it took mommy a while to snap the picture.  Rest assured, she was in full, throw myself on the floor, kick and scream mode!

Thanks, Miss Susy for a great playdate!

What You Get When. . .

You want to take a picture of 1 grandma, 5 moms and 5 girls 2 and under.

Happy Halloween!

From our little punkin!

The Pumpkin Patch

(Also titled 'Mommy Fail #21567')

After last year I was determined to get Cora to an actual pumpkin patch this Halloween season.  This morning, I found myself up against an impossible time clock with too many things to do before this weekend and not enough time to get them all done well.  Methinks this is sometimes the story of my life!  But, I work best under stress and deadlines. . .hah! Needless to say, we did not make it to one of the several lovely pumpkin patches in our area.  We did, however, have time to go to the cute little church pumpkin sale that we went to last year.  Last night I laid out her outfit, planned out our morning, and prepared for a calm, cool photo op at the local charity pumpkin sale.

FAIL!


It all looked so promising. . .

We drove up and the patch was open.  There were lots of kids and lots of photos being taken.  Suh-weet!

I got Cora out of the car and started to walk over to the patch when all of a sudden, an authoritative looking man comes running up to us waving us off frantically.  This apparently was a special event for a local school.  The patch was not open to the public until noon (or as we like to call it nap time!)  As I walked Cora back to the car, she kept turning around and asking me "What about the punkins?"  When I put her in the car, she cried.  Uuugghhhh!  Breaks momma's heart!  We put in an emergency text to John who dutifully tried to locate another patch close by, but it was for naught. So, I decided to throw caution to the wind, finish running our errands and come back when it opened at nap time.

Honestly, it was not a terrible experience.  But, it was clear that Cora was pretty much over having her picture taken.  (That last statement would imply that there are occasions where she is actually up for getting her picture taken!  She has proven time and again that she is more of an action shot kind of girl!)

Loved this smirky smile.  She looks like she's supremely uncomfortable!

The funny thing about this picture is that she kept saying "And, smile!"  But, I could not for the life of me figure out how to get her to look at the camera. . .or smile!  Did I mention she has a mind of her own?!

She was pretty obsessed with the big pumpkins.

Here she is with some of her favorites.  She kept saying over and over "Punkin is so heavy!"

And of course, because she was such a trooper, we bought her a baby pumpkin in addition to our family pumpkin.  She was so excited to pick one out for herself AND to be able to carry it all by herself.  Little miss independent!  

Cora and her personal pumpkin.

All in all, I suppose it was not a total fail.  We'll try again next year!

Daddy's Little Helper

The other evening John decided to wash his car.  Cora thought she should help.

So of course, the next day, it rained!  Guess she'll have to wash the car again!

And, Finally, Something About Carys

I realized that short of telling you that Cora will be a big sister and letting you know that Carys is, in fact, a girl, I haven't mentioned anything about the wee babe.  I'm 28 weeks along as of last week.  So, we have only 3 months to go.  It feels like it has gone by very quickly (probably because my days are filled by chasing a busy 2 year old)!  When I was pregnant with Cora, I used to call her my little soccer player because it seems like she was always kicking at something.  With Carys, I'm fairly certain that she is my little kick-boxer.  I have seen my belly undulate in ways that I didn't know were possible!  It probably has to do with the fact that tiny baby girl loves carbs.  With Cora, I used to crave meats.  But, Carys is an all carb, all the time kind of girl.  At least once a week, I've made pancakes or waffles.  I've made so many batches that Cora has become totally sick of them.  This is on top of the other sweets that I've been making or buying like pumpkin bread, chocolate lava cake, and brownies.  (One of my pregnancy symptoms, clearly, is lack of self-control!)  So far, the only discomforts I am having are normal for this stage of the pregnancy.  Praise be to God for that!  So, everything is going very well up to this point.  I'll have more to report soon. . .someone will be moving into her new room this week!

October 15th

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  Please take a moment to pray for those who have experienced the loss of a child.

Sweet Jesus, we remember
Benjamin
Emma
Gage
Taylor
Audrey
Cora Paige
Kayleigh
And, all of the other precious little ones who are with you now.
Thank you, God for each of these precious lives.  We look forward to the day that we are all reunited in heaven.
Amen

Cora in Wonderland

The other day, Susy and I took the girls to the magical place known as Inflatable Wonderland.  Talk about an amazing business plan!  What do you need?  Big vinyl pillows and air!  Voila!  You have a fabulous playground that you can charge the big bucks for kids to go and jump on.  Let me tell you - it's totally worth the admission charge!

As usual, the girls spent the majority of the time playing with the toys that are most similar to the ones they have at home. . .

Eli dancing by the play kitchen.

Cora, of course, loved the slide.

This lion took a bit of abuse from my little jumper.

Finally, we got the girls to try out the inflatables.  Much inflatable hilarity ensued.

And, of course, I had to throw in a couple of pictures of my little girl looking so big!  Totally worth it!