Blogging for mama while she's away - Hello Little Deer

Hello everyone! I'm coley and blog at Hello little deer! we are currently blogging for beautiful mama miranda while she is away with her beautiful new little one (gorgeous older one)!

today i'm sharing a little DIY project i've made a few times! These are fabric rose magnets that anyone can make, all you need is:



1. Candle
2. %100 polyester fabric ( i have a pink organza here)
3. Scissors
4. Beads or rhinestones ( your pick )
5. Thread
6. matches or something to light the candle with
7. needle
8. small magents
9. white glue or glue gun

First you cut a few squares, all of different sizes. You can cut as many as you want to and make it big or small! make sure to round the corners off:



once you have your squares cut out, hold them over the candle to burn (ruffle) the edges. repeat this process for all of your squares and arrange them withing each other as you'd like:



now you'll need to thread your needle to sew them in place. I like to use beads for the center but i've also used rhinestones!



glue your magnet on the back and VOILA! I have them in a variety of colours on my fridge, they're chic & pretty & easy to boot!



Thanks for reading, feel free to stop by hello little deer for more! well wishes to our beautiful friend and her new family member! we love you.

He's Here!!!

Lucas Hunter Raymond
9.9 lbs
55.5 cm long
Built like a football player

I'm sore but everything went very well.
He's doing well, started breastfeeding right away.

Love him to bits!

Good morning! Its Baby Day!

This little one is away on a sleepover and we're on our way to the hospital right now.

Please pray that everything goes smoothly.

We'll update you when he arrives.

The Hospital Survival Kit for my husband

Its the day before "the big day". I'm a big crazy mess. Hardly slept last night. Woke up every couple hours from the same scary hospital dream, and then tried to get it out of my brain by watching a show on the iphone. That didn't work. I just ended up more frustrated and more tired. 5:50 am rolled around, and I was up before my 6am alarm. Grumpily, I had a shower, and as its been raining, I attempted to put on socks and shoes. Lets just say that shoes are not my style right now, and with that, I put on flip flops and braved the rain.

I was early to my appointment, so I did a little crocheting, chatted with the nurse. They asked me a million questions about my medical history, and then we did the fun part. Got hooked up to the heart rate monitors and listened to babys heart rate. I got to click the button every time he moved, and boy did he move. He impressed the nurse who was there asking me questions. Funny boy. Blood was taken, and then I was set free until tomorrow.

When I got home, I figured I'd pack up my version of a Hospital Survival Kit. Its for Tony, but hes required to share some of the treats I packed. 

This is what I packed:

Wired Magazine - geek type magazine for Tony (I like it too)
2 Dairy Milk chocolate bars for my chocoholic husband
Starbucks Frappachino Drinks cause if I couldnt sleep last night, I wont be able to sleep tonight
Starbucks Via iced something or other
Fibre 1 bars (for me)
Fruit and Veggie bars
Twizzlers

With all the coffee, he should be set for staying up with me at night...maybe.

Last childless date (for a long time)

So today Tony and I went on our last childless date. Sadie is out at my parents place, and after sleeping in (until 8:30 am!!!) We got ready and headed out to the Kids Market on Granville Island. Go figure, we're without any kids, and we head off to the kids market to buy some toys for the little ones. I have wanted to buy Sadie some blocks for a while, and not just the stupid foam ones that I've seen. We wandered around, and saw some of the best toys EVER! No, we did not buy darth vader...  :(

Tony and I tested out some toys, and saw some awesome ones that we used to play with. We could have spent so much there. I know we over spent on some, but its so hard not to.

Playing with all the toys was awesome. We had a blast! Afterwards, we had fish and chips for lunch at the public market. Took some pictures of all the pretty fruits and veggies, it was really busy, so we didn't buy much in there. Tony wants to go back though sometime. He hasnt explored Granville Island like I have, and his opinion of it is now totally different. On our way home, we had slurpees, mine was pepsi, and it was the perfect way to combat the heat.

We came home with a set of wooden blocks like the ones I used to play with, a Chewbacca stuffie (to go with the storm trooper we have already), a learning toy that Tony picked out, and an ugly doll for the little boy.

It was a wonderful date. Tomorrow is my hospital appointment for bloodwork/paperwork and baby monitoring, and then Tuesday is THE DAY! AHHHHHHH!

How was your weekend? Anything new happen?

Dear Sadie

You are growing up so fast little girl! 14 months old, and almost a big sister.

You walk everywhere, and when you get excited and run, you look a little like a drunken sailor. Its adorable.When we go outside, you are still hesitant about walking on the grass, but you love touching flowers, and eating rocks and sand.

You love to mimmick noises, but you still refuse to mimmick words. You say Dada, Guy guy guy and mama. Once you said Cat Cat Kitty! You will try and tweet at the bird. You now point at the things you want instead of screeching at me for things.

I love watching you read books. I'll find you quietly reading in a corner with a pile of books. I've even found you after a nap quietly reading the small books in your bed.

You are still working on being gentle. I'm sure it will take time, but hopefully your brother wont get loved too hard by you. You show love by putting your head against your daddy's or my head, and then you rub it against our heads.Your kisses are still a little vampiric, you tend to use your teeth to gnaw a little on our faces.

Sadie girl, you've been testing my patience. If you're told not to touch something, you will touch it with your head instead of your trouble making hands. You love to try and climb things, couches, chairs, and collapsed strollers. It results in many bruises and tears. You've survived the falls, and bumps though, and I'm sure there will be so many more.

You can find belly buttons, noses, and eyes, but will you do it on command? Not on your life. Only when you feel like it. You do the running over song, and try itsy bitsy spider.

The other day on our way home from the store, you waved at everyone on the way out. You waved just like the queen would. It was adorable.

I love you Sadie-pie, soon to be big sister

New Toy - Fail

Months ago, I found this little fisher price popper toy at the thrift store for a dollar. It was probably there for a dollar because some parent didn't want to be tortured by its noise anymore.
I didn't mind the noise, so I bought it for when she started walking. I figured she'd love it.

Boy, was I wrong. Apparently a new toy after a nap is no fun, no fun at all. She loved it when I pushed it on the floor, but when I let her try, she would pick up the entire thing and run with it, and then when it didnt pop, she would get very frustrated and bawl. I showed her how its done, but each time I tried to get her to push the handle, she would pick it up by the base, and run towards me crying, and then drop it near me. I would push it, she would smile.

We've even left it a couple days just lying around, and she will bring it to me, but never push it herself. Sigh. I guess this one will take some time getting used to.

whats in my purse?

Lots of things. Surprisingly, a lot of snack type items. Probably left over from going to a movie and not eating them. You'd think that with all the little snack things in my purse that Sadie wouldn't gnaw on her book corners.

That baby spoon has come in so handy actually. I've bought her yogurt or apple sauce from the supermarket for an "on the road" snack, and forgotten that I need a spoon. So happy to have a backup one in there.

Corn nuts? Yes, its a pregnant lady's one time craving. The All-Bran bar happily counteracts the corn nuts in my opinion :)

[baby update] 38 weeks + a game!

38 weeks pregnant

Today was my very last doctors appointment before the big day. I'm relieved that we are at the end, but at the same time, I'm so nervous about the last part. I'll be nervous up until he's out safely. Even though I've been through this all before.

I dont remember if I had any crazy dreams when I was pregnant with Sadie, but I sure had a doozy last night. This was my dream:

It was the morning of my c-section, and I was getting ready. I went to hop into the tub, and realized it was full of spaghetti sauce. That didn't stop me from getting in, and getting covered in red meat sauce. In my dream, I thought "hopefully the doctors dont mind the smell of garlic". I rinsed off, and headed out the door with Tony.
Tony had persuaded me to take the bus with him to the hospital, and when we got to the stop, he said "oh, butter girl isnt here". He then went on to explain that he could tell if the bus had already left because "butter girl" was not at the stop when we got there. (have no idea what she looked like, or why she was butter girl)  Then we ended up walking to the hospital. We got there, and I told Tony that I bought myself a treat for going through all this, and whipped out the beautiful heart of the ocean necklace from titanic. I told him that I put it on my credit card, and he said "ok, thats cool". Then I put on a lead vest (the ones you put on for an x-ray at the dentist) and then thats when I woke up.

Haven't had a dream like that in a long time.

So my doctors appointment went well. Everything is good to go. Unless this guy decides to arrive in the next 6 days, we are gonna be having a baby on August 23rd in the morning. I haven't had any crazy contractions, just a couple at night last night, but nothing to set the timer for.

So now, lets play a game:

Since we all know its a boy, and the date he's supposed to arrive, the only thing left to guess is how big this boy is gonna be.

haven't been up to much lately...

Haven't been up to much lately. Staying home and entertaining Sadie is what I do all day long, but when I feel up for it we go to the park. Parks are the best entertainment for this little girl. I got to sit on the grass in the shade and watch her run around picking up rocks and leaves. Since it was so nice out, there were many other kids there. She was thrilled to stand and watch them, occasionally shrieking at them.

We also met a little boy today who is her age. Sadie wanted to hug him. It turned into a tackle.It resulted in a scraped elbow and tears from her, even though she fell mostly on top of him. The little boy got up like it was nothing. To him, it probably was nothing as he has a 3 year old sister who tackles him on a regular basis. It was cute none the less.

Who even needs swings when you have dirt galore to explore in? We never got near them. She did give me handfuls of dirt to hold. I got almost as dirty as she did.

We killed an hour at the park, which was awesome. Waved goodbye to all the kids, and tearfully made our way home. Once I plunked her into the tub, I saw her scraped up elbow. We fixed her up, and after lunch, headed for bed. I'm sure I'll get a 2.5 - 3 hour nap from her today.

Park is on my wishlist for when we move. We need a park close by  where I can let her run wild.

progress

Its coming alone, but I have about 2/3 left to go.

smoothies!

(Sadie is modeling a peach pear banana yogurt smoothie)

Sadie and I still have issues regarding food. I want her to eat it, and she wants to eat little bits of it and then throw the rest on the floor. Our other food issues are that her favorite foods always change. She will love strawberries for a week, and then won't touch them for a month. I try and vary it up with different fruits and veggies (don't get me started on eating meats), but she will stick with a favorite for a week or 2, and then hate it for a month.

(These are just some of the freezer baggies of fruit I have for her)

The one thing she hasn't given up on yet are smoothies. So when her favorite fruit of the week is pears for example, or if I try a new fruit that she "hates" I chop it up, or puree it, and freeze it. To get more dairy into this kid, I've also taken to freezing the full fat greek yogurt (as seen in the first baggie) to mix in with her smoothie. My freezer door is full of leftover fruit in baggies that she has rejected.

My favorite fruit combo is peach, banana, strawberry with yogurt. Sadie doesn't care about the combo, which is so nice. I love tossing in leftover fruit in the magic bullet for her. Magic bullet is the best for smoothies by the way, but not for anything else. Mine has lasted me 4 years.

I'll probably try blending some spinach into a smoothie for Sadie. I've been a little hesitant to do it, but its a super good veggie, and she doesn't care for leafy things. I wonder how she'll deal with a green drink...

What are your favorite combos for smoothies? 

Have you tried veggies or spinach in a smoothie? How does it taste? 

Things I'm looking forward to:

-sleeping on my tummy
-seeing my feet
-being able to paint my own toenails
-eating more fish
-eating hotdogs
-consuming alcohol (a fancy drink would be nice)
-exercising
-shopping for clothes that fit
-looking sexy again 
-wearing baby in the moby wrap
-tiny fingers and toes

(unpainted toes)

Ultrasound

Had my early morning ultrasound today. I had a very nice ultrasound tech check everything out. She showed me baby's smushed up face, and we both had to laugh at how wiggly he was. She showed me his little bum up in my ribs, and he was showing us his testicles. That made me laugh.

Everything is looking good, so I doubt there will be an emergency c-section, unless I go into labor before the 23rd.

[baby update] 37 weeks and 5 days

Doctors appointment: It went really well. Baby is doing well, he measures right on target, and moves all over the place. I'm surprised he hasnt slowed down with the wiggling given that hes running out of room. I mentioned my contractions, and she checked my cervix. Its now dialated 2-3 cm instead of 1-2 cm, so those contractions did something. She told me that if my contractions got to 5 min apart, just come in, and they'll get him outta there as an emergency c-section. I kinda figured that.

The food truck was the highlight of my doctors appointment. I think it was this year that the city of Vancouver allowed more food trucks and less hotdog vendors. Pretty sure that all we had for the longest time were hotdog carts. Who needs a hotdog when you can have mexican food?

This sucker was conveniently placed infront of my bus stop. Annnnd since it was taking FOREVER for my bus to get there, I got in line for a taco. There were burritos, beef, chicken, and I think a vegan one, but I was after one thing...the FISH TACO!  I've been meaning to have one for a while now, and this one did not disappoint. It had deep fried cod, slaw, chipotle mayo and fresh salsa, and it was delightful. I regret not having another one, but my bus finally arrived.

Other than the awesome taco and healthy baby, there isnt too much new with me.

Sleeping isnt fun anymore. My hips haven't been that bad this pregnancy, but in the last week or 2, I've noticed that they are getting super sore. I'm thankful that Tony isnt a light sleeper, because the way I move around in bed, you'd think you were in bed beside a whale.

Oh, and I'm feeling more whale like. This morning I rolled over, and the whole ordeal of it all made Tony snicker at me. I didn't mind only because I'm sure I would have done the same thing if I were in his shoes.

Ultrasound is tomorrow morning, and we'll see how it goes.

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Previous baby updates:

[baby update] week 37

[baby update] week 36 and 5 days

[baby update] week 35 - phone call and a headache

[baby update] week 35

[baby update] week 33

[baby update] week 31

[baby update] week 29

[baby update] week 27

[baby update] week 26

[baby update] week 25

[baby update] week 24

[baby update] week 22

[baby update] week 22 + Surgery

[baby update] week 21

Dear little boy

I got a phone call today about doing bloodwork and paper work for your upcoming birth. Thats happening the day before your birthday. I just realized today that in exactly 2 weeks, you will be out! I also realized that I will not be getting any sleep those last few nights. I'll be too excited to see you, well also maybe a little nervous.

I cant wait to see you. I'll get to count all your fingers and toes. I'll get to see what you look like. I still picture you as being a bald little guy. I pictured the same for your sister, and look what happened. Maybe I'm just crazy and you'll have a wack of hair like her.

I've bought you cute little sleepers, and onesies. I even got you an ugly doll. Your sister may have claimed that as her own though.

So my spunky little boy, we shall meet very soon. You hang tight, and try not to push your bum up in my ribs, ok?

37 week photo

There's my beachball...ahem, I mean baby.

I've got an ultrasound booked for this thursday at the hospital here in Vancouver. They'll be checking amniotic fluid levels to see if they're still measuring a little lower than normal  Praying that everything is ok.

What do you do in a power out?

You'll see in a sec...

So last week, in the wee hours of the morning, I awoke to an explosion like sound that sounded like it came from my alley way. I sat up quietly to not disturb Sadie (the lightest sleeper ever) and realized that the fan was off, and my iphone stopped charging. That's when my sleepy head realized that the explosion was the cause of my power outtage. So at 6 am, I laid there waiting for the power to come back on, and after 5 minutes I figured it would happen soon.

Wrong. It didnt come back on for 8 hours.

Turns out, the weather was nice out that day. Like a regular summer day, not the coolish weather we had been experiencing. We were trapped in our apartment with no fans and no way of knowing when the power would come back. So when Tony woke up, we figured we'd be smart adults and do the most logical thing...Eat the ice cream for breakfast. Naturally.

Our landlord found out that the power should come back on in a couple hours. Being in need of coffee, we took Sadie out for a walk. We ended up having a sushi date first. It was lunch. I was hungry. Can't deprive a pregnant lady of sushi. 

 I never order edamame, but I changed it all up. yum soy beans.

 Sadie loved the edamame, and surprisingly, she also loved my gyoza filling. So I ended up eating the wrappers with soy sauce, and she ate the pork veggie fillings. When we take Sadie to restraunts, she does this thing to the waitresses. She plays coy and cute, and then the waitresses come and touch her hair, and talk to her, and then they cant stop coming by - bonus for us. But when they go home at night, I swear they'll end up pregnant. Tony thinks that I got pregnant from seeing the most adorable baby ever at a restraunt one time. He thinks an egg dropped right then.

I should call this "The Sadie Effect", although I have yet to see pregnant waitresses waddling around.

See? Hungry pregnant lady. Just writing this post makes me want more sushi. We took a stroll after sushi for an iced coffee and on our way back home, I checked my phone to see when the power was supposed to come back on. Instead of finding that out, we saw that BC Hydro was fixing the outtage near our place. Turns out, they had to replace an entire power pole right behind our apartment building. No wonder the explosion was so loud and scary.

We got home, and our power was on (it only affected our street and the next one) , and the remainder of the ice cream was only a little melty, everything else was ok. I was so relieved as we had just done a huge grocery shopping trip the day before. 

[baby update] 37 weeks

Ok, so this is a baby update a few days early only because I normally now do them after every doctors appointment. So last night, I was sleeping, and woke up not feeling well. Like cramping pain, and such. I figured it would go away, or if it was anything, it would be a rougue contraction. Well, those "rougue" contractions started happening more often. After a couple hours, I timed them, cause what the hell. I was debating going to the hospital, but then I realized that with Sadie, I had these too, and they went away after a few hours. Well, it was a little disappointing, they went away. I probably should have gone in, but in my tired brain, I figured that it would be more hassle to get up, get someone over to babysit, and then go in to the hospital.

So the contractions disappeared like I figured. It took a few hours though, so I'm tired. Sadie woke up only once last night and then she slept until 8 - so nice of her. If they come back though, I'm gonna head to the hospital because I shouldnt let things progress too far.

So little boy, are you going to be early now? I have a feeling you will be.

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Previous baby updates:

[baby update] week 36 and 5 days
[baby update] week 35 - phone call and a headache
[baby update] week 35
[baby update] week 33
[baby update] week 31
[baby update] week 29
[baby update] week 27
[baby update] week 26
[baby update] week 25
[baby update] week 24
[baby update] week 22
[baby update] week 22 + Surgery
[baby update] week 21

next time, I'll move the plate further away from the edge...

Now I know why some of my muffins have little bites out of them.

breakfast with Sadie

I love our conversations at the table

[baby update] 36 weeks and 5 days

Today was the big appointment to take out my cerclage. I was a big ball of nerves all the way there.When I'm nervous, I pick at the hangnails or skin on the sides of my thumbs (gross I know). They've been bad all week, but today I made my left thumb bleed today without realizing it.  Thoughts of tugging out a stitch thats embedded in my cervix were not pleasant thoughts, not at all. I tend to let my imagination run wild with things like this.

We got in the little exam room where the nurse told me that the resident would be in to see me first. She was really nice, checked on me and baby - we're both fine. Then my doctor came in to do the procedure. *shudder* All I could think about was that I was in the exam room closest to the waiting room. If I yelled, I might alarm those poor other women, who might think their doctor was killing someone. 

My doctor explained that if it got too painful, I was to let her know. She didnt want to torture me. Very sweet of her.Tony held my hand, and she got the stitch removed and the resident got a show. I didn't yell, and it wasnt as bad as I figured. Uncomfortable as hell, and creepy to listen to her cut the stitch (which is as wide as a curling ribbon) but hey, its better than having an extra hospital visit and a needle in the spine to deal with. I'm a little sore, but nothing crazy. I expect that to go away tomorrow. Cervix is dialated 1 cm, but thats ok, cause its thick and the same length as measured in the ultrasound.

Oh, the ultrasound reports got to her today. Yay! I mentioned the lower fluid levels, and because of that, am getting an appointment booked with the hospital to get another one done before the next appointment.

So, for the next few weeks, I've made it a rule that I'm not going to carry Sadie to her naps, and I'm gonna avoid doing a lot of cooking. Score for having ice-cream in the freezer.

Things I'm thankful for:

Baby tv on youtube - keeps Sadie entertained with short clips of animals and things while I relax.
Frozen burritos - go microwave food
The big box fan - its getting hotter out, and I would melt in this greenhouse of an apartment without it
Parks and Recreation - new show that's like the office. Just got the first 3 seasons, and I'm on season 2
Project Runway - So excited!
For my family - who prays for me throughout all these crazy procedures and appointments.  
My mother in law - she watches my Sadie so that I dont have to lug her to my appointments.
My husband - who calms me down from being super stressed, and who takes care of us after working all day


Still am nervous about the c-section, but there's nothing I can do about it, so I'm gonna try and stop worrying as much. Its nice to have some new (to me) tv shows to watch to keep my over active imagination from freaking me out.

I'll try and take a picture of what my belly looks like tomorrow. To me, it looks like I'm trying to smuggle a beachball under my clothes.

-----------------
Previous baby updates:

[baby update] week 35 - phone call and a headache
[baby update] week 35
[baby update] week 33
[baby update] week 31
[baby update] week 29
[baby update] week 27
[baby update] week 26
[baby update] week 25
[baby update] week 24
[baby update] week 22
[baby update] week 22 + Surgery
[baby update] week 21

a walk down memory lane

There I am, still pretty bald. Celebrating my 1st birthday with my cousins. Chocolate cake is by far the best one for first birthdays in my opinion.

Sadie wore that dress at 7 months around December.  Its such a pretty little yellow dress. It was pretty small on her at 7 months, but the styles are different. Too bad I didnt have her cute mary jane tights then to go with that dress at the time.

These posts remind me that I have to find her some more pretty vintage dresses, as shes so cute in them.

Embracing the frizz

I am trying to give my hair a break from all the product that I throw in it. I always put in hair mousse to keep the curls under control. I've also been washing it too much. This photo was taken after 2 days of no shampoo and no product.I didnt mind the frizz that much, except when it got hot out. Maybe I'll go out in public with it....
hmmmm.....maybe not. I'm not that self confident yet.

Maybe a haircut first, then go out? Maybe...