Latest Sewing Projects

Well, I decided I wanted to make Gabriel some bibs. I had a pattern but it was too small so I ended up having to trace one of Gabriel's bigger bibs, then add on space for the seam allowance. So, it's maybe not perfect, but I'm pleased with the result. I just need to add a snap which means a trip to Hobby Lobby this weekend.
This was the first bib, and there was no way it was going to fit our growing boy. My cousin Jackie had a baby today. Maybe I'll send it to her. :)
Below is my big project, and only the second thing I've ever sewn. Second ever! I'm quite proud of this wall organizer. It's like one of those paper organizers that you nail to the wall, only waaaay cuter. I still need to put the grommets in the top but once it's done it will go to it's new home with a dear friend. She doesn't know it's coming yet, but maybe she'll recognize the colors of the stripe fabric. :)

A close encounter of the dog kind...

Grace is getting braver and warming up to little Gabriel. He couldn't be more thrilled.
Paws are very interesting, didn't you know?

Here he is frustrated because between the first video and this one he rolled around the quilt. But, when he got back to Grace he was further away. He often forgets that he knows how to move closer, or sometimes in his attempts to crawl closer he moves sideways or backwards. Here he is expressing his frustration. See...he's not always smiley. lol

Happy Birthday to...Me! :)

I love his face in this one. It's like...feed me some cake!!! lol (He can't have cake yet, but he certainly enjoyed the festivities. He even opened one of my presents.) 28 years old. Where does the time go?
Speaking of where does the time go...Gabriel is beginning to crawl. He's not very efficient, but he has gone leaps and bounds beyond using his head to help him move. He now tucks his legs all of the way under him and pushes forward. He makes really great progress. Once he gets those arms moving at the right time (right now they're on a slight delay. lol) there will be no stopping him. Needless to say Brian and I are beginning the baby proofing process now.

He's got skillz...

We're on the move. He is soooo close to crawling. He's now pulling his knees up under him and he can really make some progress. Now able to move a few feet before tiring out. He's also not so afraid of getting off of those hands now. He's reaching up for things. Here he crawled to the edge of his playmat and pulled up on the books. He got up to the green book and then stopped. Time to start baby proofing I think.
He's also working on sitting up. He can do it for about 30 sec. at a time. The Boppy is always nice to have for cushioning after the fall.
We got him a play table. The legs are away until he can stand. He's really enjoying it. Practicing for Grandma & Grandpa's house in New Jersey.

Recent things...

Gabriel was hanging out with his Daddy while I cleaned the dishes. Brian was playing music on the computer and turned on the visual effects. Gabriel was captivated. And apparently it was beige shirt day at our house.
Recently Gabriel has discovered that his toys come out of a magic bucket. Mommy just keeps pulling things out. It's like the Mary Poppins bag. Here he has taken out every toy, and yet he continues to dig for more.
Cherlyn and Greg got me my first sewing machine as an early birthday gift. So excited!!! I'm looking forward to having Cherlyn teach me all about sewing and quilting. I decided to venture out and do a few projects on my own first. This is my first (and only thus far) creation...a Tag blanket for Gabriel. :) For my first project I'm quite pleased.
I got my hair colored and highlighted (and cut) yesterday. I went a couple of shades darker and the highlights are fairly close to my natural color. The hair stylist got dye on my BRAND NEW SHIRT!!! Apparently she forgot to have me put on a coloring smock under the regular smock. Long story shirt...they reimbursed me for my shirt. Time to go shopping!!! ;)

Cloth Diapering Update

So, I was taking a trip down the ol' blog memory lane and realized I never updated you on the cloth diapering. I DID IT! (Once.)

I know, I know. I should have tried it more than once. When he was born we had some major diarrhea issues we were dealing with if you'll recall. Turned out to be a milk allergy. So, I couldn't use the cloth diapers b/c he always had some sort of cream on his bottom.

Once we got that resolved I decided to give it a go. So, I got all excited, put it on, and within about 30 min. we had a POOPY DIAPER! Seriously, not how I wanted it to go with the very first diaper. I freaked. Yes, I did. I dunked and swirled and vowed I'd never use them again.

Well, I had to put one on for his 3 month photos, and came to realize...they don't fit him very well anyway. They were way to big in the crotch and made his little legs stick out to the sides. I hate putting in the inserts and they're either too tight on his waist or too loose. There's no in between for him. So, rather than spend a fortune trying to find the right fit and the right diaper we now are using Target Up & Up disposables. $12 for a box of 96 diapers. Yeah, I'm pretty pleased with that. I am sad about the mess I'm leaving in the environment, and there is no justifying it. But, Gabriel is comfortable...so I guess that's all I need.

Random Gabriel Fun

So, last night Brian put Gabriel's stacking rings on his exersaucer and he kept dumping all of the rings into his seat. Too funny! I did it again this morning and these are the results. He's wearing the blue one. The green one is chilling out within reach.
And the rest of them are down in the seat...including the pole you use to stack them on. LOL!!!

Gabriel has a cold...which left him quite the grumpy mood yesterday. Poor little guy!!! Mommy needed some down time, so Daddy took him out to water the plants in the Moby!!! I love it! Too cute.
I think he's outgrown the swing. He now likes to hang himself off of the side to try to get to my bulletin board. Mostly it just stops the swinging motion, makes the motor strain, and makes him look adorable. He also likes to try to catch the fishies above his head...he's almost got it. Like I said...time to put the swing away until the next baby comes along.

First Time at the Beach









Gabriel took his first trip to the beach on Friday evening with his girlfriend, Kennedy. The kids were kind enough to let us parents (and Kennedy's sibling, Jackson) to tag along. Thanks, kiddos. It was a great time...topped off by gems such as forgetting plates, napkins, utensils, and tongs to cook the hot dogs with, and Tara getting pooped on by a seagull. Good times! :) It really was fun though, the weather was great, and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

Another Too Funny Post

Part 1:

ohhh i am sooo mad at MIL's sheer forwardness!

Today while babysitting DD for one hour she went through my baby's clothes and cut the buttons off any she deemed 'unsafe' for DD to wear!

MIL did not leave the top buttons in any sweather, shirt, dress etc...

i was speechless and told her she should have asked for mypermission before damaging my daughters clothes but she shrugged saying she was keeping her grand-daughters safety in mind and buttons pose a choking hazzard.

i feel undermined :( i cannot wait for DH to come home so i can vent vent vent!

ladies you may say i will laugh at this in time.... but right now i am mad! Times are hard and i cannot afford to replace these garments!

Part 2:

heres the update ladies! overnight I became more angry when DH tried to convince me that MIL is a concerned grandmother with the best of intentions. Like hell she is! I drove to MIL’s earlier to confront her. I told her self-righteous face that she had no right interfering with DD’s clothes. I take the safety of our daughter seriously and if I thought anything posed a threat to her safety I would remove it without hesitation. She told me I was over-reacting…and asked would I prefer her to turn a blind eye to safety issues? – I said YES when it is in MY home. I said I need the bathroom. My heart was pounding when I went into her bedroom with a scissors (I came prepared) and cut the buttons off 2 coats and a shirt. There was a beautiful cashmere coat hanging on the door but I didn’t have the guts to attack that lol… I waked back to MIL who was in the kitchen making us TEA!!! Wtf!! There were 2 cups on the table and a plate for cookies… I said ‘would you like buttons with that?’ and threw the buttons on the plate/floor and slammed the door behind me. Im just home and shaking like a leaf. I feel liberated! But I can sense that there is trouble ahead after but I’ll deal with that when it comes! Ladies did I do the right thing?


Moby Wrap



So the Baby Bjorn was great when Gabriel was little, but I'm finding that as his thighs become more filled out that it is rubbing and leaving red marks on them. :( Also it tends to cut into my shoulders. I've tried adjusting it but it's just not working for me. So, enter the Moby Wrap. Actually I didn't buy one. I tried making my own. It will definitely take some practice, but I like it. Gabriel seems more comfortable and it feels a lot better on my back. I'm still working on getting him sitting just right on my tummy, and this is definitely not something I can do right after I feed him. Spit up central. lol

Gabriel's Baptism

On Sunday we celebrated Gabriel's Baptism. It was such a special day, and one I've been looking forward to for a while. I was such a proud Mommy as Gabriel celebrated his very first sacrament, and Brian and I are thrilled that so many family and friends were there with us.
Can you feel the excitement and anticipation?
Jeremy and Kari have to be the best Godparents a little boy could ask for! We are so glad they accepted when we asked, and we look forward to having them help us in Gabriel's faith journey.
Some of Brian's work friends joined us. Thanks for coming Travis and Lindsay! Good job on the cinematography Travis!
Thanks to Steve for taking the pictures!!! It was wonderful not having to worry about that myself.

Here we are all taking turns doing the sign of the cross on Gabriel's forehead.
Gabriel was super attentive of what the Deacon was saying. He took it very seriously. (Side note...that blanket is the one my mom used with myself and my brother when we were baptised.)


I like how Gabriel is looking at Kari like, "Godmother, how long is this going to take?"
Here is the big moment...getting baptized! It never hurts to have mommy make some goofy faces at you to make things seem a little more "normal."
Yeah...he never likes the end of a bath. He cried the rest of the ceremony.

He was so tired. He just wanted to suck his thumb and take a nap. Here we the mommy's are being blessed. (There was one other child being Baptized at the same ceremony.)
Daddy was blessed too.
Welcome to the Catholic Church little man!!!
Yay, Gabriel!!! :) (He's asleep in his car seat.)


Off to paaartay!!!

Paaartay!!!

After Gabriel's Baptism Ceremony we all headed back to our house for a celebration. Brian and a bunch of the other guys grilled hotdogs and hamburgers for everyone, and there were snack galore in the house. I also made beautiful cross cookies with a blue glaze. Yum!

Laepples came to celebrate with us. Their kiddos are so well behaved, and we really enjoyed meeting their lovely friend Edna. :)

I had some great help getting the snacks set up and cutting up the toppings for the burgers! Thanks ladies!
Gabriel's girlfriend came by to help him celebrate.
Gabriel was showing off his skills for his Godparents.
I hate opening presents in front of people. The things I do for my son. ;) Bea was a HUGE help. She took over the opening of presents and would have me close my eyes so it would be a surprise for me. Thanks, Bea!

Gabriel was otherwise occupied during present opening, but apparently he heard my voice and was focused on watching his presents as he ate.
Opening a special present from Mommy and Daddy.
And of course...we don't want anyone to forget that Jesus LOVES Travis. :)

Smiles and Slobber


Well, it's freakin' hot out and I need to go to the grocery store. But, I refuse to subject Gabriel to the 100+ degree heat even for a few minutes. Or to have to sit in a car that has been sitting in a hot parking lot. Maybe we'll get something out for dinner tonight. lol We've been doing quiet things at home this week trying to get ready for Gabriel's Baptism this weekend. So, I spend a lot of time playing with Gabriel and cleaning. Tomorrow I'm taking a break and Gabriel and I are headed up to his Grandma's house to visit and mommy is getting a much needed (and deserved) massage!!! Woohoo!!!!

I'm so looking forward to Gabriel's Baptism on Sunday! I wish everyone we knew could join us for this momentous occasion. :)

As far as Gabriel happenings...he has given up on the scooting for now. I think he finds it frustrating. He also is crazy about rolling back to front. He does it in his sleep (which is not always great b/c sometimes it wakes him up) and does it a lot on his play quilt and play gym. Unfortunately, he pretends like he can't roll from front to back and makes you "rescue" him. lol But, if you lay him down on his tummy...he rolls front to back in seconds so he can be on his back. Silly boy! :) Currently he loves chewing on everything he can get in his mouth, playing with toys that sing or make noises and flash, and trying to sit unassisted. He's getting better at it!