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Little V

We switched Virgil into his youth bed last week...  He loves it.  But the first 2 nights he kept falling out of it.  It's not very far from the ground, but some how he managed to give himself a black eye one night :(  So sad!   

I've been especially enjoying him lately...  He's still a stinker.  He still exhausts me.  But he's just so cute and I'm so thankful for all the "boy" he adds to our home. 

Here are a few of his antics lately....  hope they make you smile like they make me smile :)

Jeremy captured this one on his phone the other day... We were both getting ready in our bedroom, and I noticed that I hadn't heard V in a while....  Yup.  into mischief.  


 


These last two are from right now...  I was editing the black/white pics and he came to "sleep" on my desk beside me :)  He pulled all of his favorite items out of his bed, and curled up!  (yes, my 2 year old still likes his pacifier...)

Blessings to you all!




Projects to Do Before Baby Comes....

Well, it's down to 6 weeks till baby comes... 
Up until now I haven't allowed myself to do much preparation for baby's arrival.  I've tried to keep busy with my regular routine...  I suppose this is mainly a psychological tactic, in a desperate attempt to stay sane!  But all to say, March is coming... and I told myself that in those last 4 weeks I could indulge my desire to (somewhat) drop the world and focus on baby plans. 

So with baby #5 what is there really to do in preparation?... especially for girl #4?!
Compared to baby #1, there's very little purchasing that needs to take place (that's a good thing!).  I have plenty of little girl outfits, blankets, accessories, etc. 

But... I NEED to prepare!  I see it kinda like getting ready for Christmas.... the preparation, the planning, even the conversations about the upcoming event help to build excitement and give the event its appropriate significance.  Adding another little person to our family is a huge deal!  I want to celebrate as I anticipate... and this is doubly meaningful with other little ones who are also trying to grasp what's about to happen.  ... plus, let's be honest, it kills time.  :)

So enough rambling...  What's on the list to do before baby #5 arrives?

(In no particular order:)

* Biz bumper pads and other stained items....  Yeah, I've got a beautiful custom made bumper pad that I'd love to use for the 3rd time, but after pulling it out of the garage it's very yellowed :(  ...along with a handful of other clothes items that have yellowed milk stains.  I hate that... but Biz works really well.  I will soak everything in the bath tub for a couple hours... then wash the clothing items again with baby-safe detergent.

bumper pads to be Bizzed... and vintage sheets


* Wash other baby items... in Dreft... just because I LOVE the smell of Dreft :)  I'll do this about 2 weeks before baby comes so that the clothes still smell nice.  This is probably my favorite thing to do before baby comes!

* Set up crib and decorate a bit.  We are adding this little lady to the girls' room.  Yes, you are counting correctly.. I am putting 4 girls in one small room :)  It will actually work quite well, I believe.  Oddly enough there seems to be more room for her in there than in V's room.  Plus, then I can indulge in all the baby girly-ness that I want when decorating!

* Set up youth bed in V's room...  this is going to happen as soon as our silly, odd sized mattress arrives in the mail!  I've been waiting for about a month :(   But I'm a little anxious to make the transition from crib to bed for him.  I want him to be all settle before baby arrives.  I'm super excited about the bed though... we found a vintage early 1960s youth-sized bed at a garage sale for $20!  It's so cute; it has sweet little decals of ducks, dogs, cats, etc. on it. 

* Crib sheets for baby and youth-bed sheets for V...  these are being made by my mum-in-law.  I'm using vintage flat sheets for the material.  They are going to rock :) 

* Sew burp rags out of vintage chenille, vintage sheet scraps, and flannel... After being well used by the other three girls, my old burp rags could stand to be replaced (yuck).

Material, vintage and new, to be used for burp rags...and possibly baby blanket


* Have mum-in-law sew blanket for baby out of vintage chenille and either vintage sheet or purchased fabric... I can't decide.  I have a large piece of beautiful pink chenille that I've always intended to make something out of for the girls... so now the time!!  Mom doesn't know about this project yet :)  ... so if you're reading this mom, now you know!

possible new fabric to go with vintage pink chenille for baby blanket... LOVE This!


* Design birth announcement ...  It has to be unique and it has to have a vintage flair!


I like the vintage feel of these... 


* Freezer meals...

* Line up school plans and activities (maybe some more "fun" stuff) for the last weeks before baby and after baby... things that the Moms can help carry out.

* Order new nightie/ p.j.s for hospital stay.  I did this last time with V and it was so nice!  I felt so much "prettier" (if that's possible right after having a baby) in cute stuff instead of a hospital gown.

* Plan for Jeremy's and Elsie's birthdays... Jeremy's is the 2nd of April and Elsie's is the 4th.  Baby is scheduled to arrive by c-section on the 3rd.  NUTS... yes.  But fun!   So I need to buy and wrap gifts ahead of time...  and plan for a cake to be made for my Elsie, since I will be in the hospital.  

What am I forgetting?

I know I need to do some practical things... pack for hospital, clean house, laundry, etc...  But am I missing anything major?  Probably.  I don't think I have any brains left.

Well, hopefully little by little I'll show you things as I get them done!  ...that's the fun part!

Till then...

Blessings,


A Sweet Feature, A V Day printable, and Virgil is 2!

Today,  a sweet bloggy friend of mine... I've told you about her before.... is featuring me on her blog!  I did some vintage Betsy McCall style dress graphics for her and she turned them into adorable garlands that she sells in her Etsy store... you must go take a look!  If you comment on her blog, you are entered to win a free garland.  super fun. 

RAISING UP RUBIES...
 
Thanks for the sweet words, Jaime :)



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I also have a Valentine's Day Printable for you!
As always I'm late on the holiday thing...  You might just have to save it for next year :)
It came as a result of me suddenly realizing it might be nice to do a few Valentines with the girls... so to the computer I ran and made this happy little Paisley Butterfly to color.
We added a little bit of glitter to make them just a bit more special... :)

Even if you already have Valentines to give away, these butterflies would make a happy coloring activity for Heart Day... lots of tiny details to enjoy coloring! My 4, 6, and 8 year olds all had a blast with them!



DOWNLOAD FULL PAGE/4 PAISLEY BUTTERFLIES HERE

*As always...File and finished product are not for resale or profit of any kind.  Please contact me if  you have any questions about usage.







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One last thing... My little baby boy, is turning 2 today.  I thought I just had him... wasn't I pregnant with him like yesterday?  So weird.  But today, I'm thankful for my one and apparently only, little boy :)
Happy Birthday, Virgil!
(and yes, he doesn't have pants on...again... in this photo from this morning.)





Blessings,


The Hunt for the Perfect Baby Book

So Baby Girl #5 five is scheduled to arrive in 56 days....  I don't know if you other mammas are like me, but I have a "To do before Baby comes" list that I keep referring to and adding to.  I was looking through old note books/journals of mine the other day and found some of these list from the other kiddos.  They are all are so similar and just make me smile :)  It never gets old... anticipating and preparing for baby!  I love it. 

One of the items that is always on the list is finding a baby book... (and for me, it's also on the list to finish the last child's baby book before the current baby arrives!  How awful is that!?  And don't tell, but I'm actually having to finish Sadie's and Virgil's before this baby arrives... you'll notice in the pictures that Virgil's isn't even started yet!)


I don't know how other mammas are about selecting their baby books, but I'm kinda picky.  I remember going through Barnes and Nobles book shelf, when I was expecting Alice, pulling out every baby journal or record book desperately searching for the perfect one.  I usually walked away kinda bummed and frustrated.

After something like this occurred several times, my mom offered an idea.  She had come across a vintage baby book at an antique store and offered it to me.  I was kinda skeptical at first... I didn't know if I wanted a "used" baby book.  But when I realized it was in perfect condition, no writing in it, and FULL OF GORGEOUS PICTURES from the 1960s, I was sold.

For my next little girl, Elsie, I found an Eloise Wilkin's baby book.  You know the illustrator of all those chubby legged, dimple-cheeked little babies and kids often in Golden Books?  Well, she's one of my favorite illustrators... so that was a done deal.  That and the fact that the cover was turquoise...perfect!

For my third baby girl, Sadie, I had bought two other baby books and returned them, before my mom came to the rescue once again with another vintage baby book.  It was very similar to Alice's and I loved it.

When it came to baby number 4, who was a boy, I knew exactly which baby book to get.  You see, I'd been searching the web and book stores for 6+ years now!  In my searches, I had come across a sweet little vintage inspired baby book that was precious!  ...it was filled with simple, adorable graphics and vintage styled fonts... but it was yellow, green, brown, and a bit of turquoise.  Just not girly enough for those three other dolls of mine :)  But it was perfect for my boy!!

Well, now I'm in need of one more baby book!  fun :)  So the hunt is on...  hopefully I can find one as sweet as the first four!  

So if you're a mama expecting a baby and you're kinda picky...  I've got three suggestions for you:
1. Hello Baby! A Keepsake Journal for Baby's First Year
2. The Eloise Wilkin Baby Journal by Golden Books
3. or GO VINTAGE!  ... either hit your local antique mall or go online to Ebay or Etsy.  You can find them pretty reasonably priced: $12-$20

Happy hunting and blessings to you!



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