Baby Prep

For the most part we are ready for this little bundle of joy to arrive.  We should be since this is day 2 past my due date.  The baby room has been converted from (ugly) guest room to cute baby room.

AFTER

BEFORE (oh yes the walls were sponge painted)

Notice the super cute retro mobile.  Donna saved it all these years from when Andrew was a baby!

I couldn't find changing pad covers that I liked so I made my own.  I also made soaker pads to put on top to minimize the mess associated with diaper changes.  Also I wanted to add some color to the room.

I made big mats too for diaper free time in lots of fun colorful fabrics.

We started the whole room with a bright green crib and built around that.  

Chloe likes the crib a lot and is always trying (usually successfully) to climb in.

 Aside from sewing and painting I have also been knitting up a storm.  I am going to try some wool diaper covers this go around.  We will see how they work.  The idea is that they are naturally anti-bacterial and repel water, but are soft on tender skin.  I am cautiously optimistic, but only enough to make one.  I will knit more if it seems to work.

We put it on Chloe's Elmo to check the fit over a cloth diaper.  Not bad.  If it doesn't work out for the baby, Chloe can always keep it for her stuffed animals.  

 Of course I made another sweater.  I found this yarn down in Oregon this summer and didn't know what I wanted to knit with it but soon decided that whatever I made would have to have stripes.

 It is a little big for a newborn....probably more of a 6 month size, but it is hanging in her closet ready to go whenever she will fit into it.  I just love it.

 The bright red buttons really make it fun.  We call it the Brobee sweater because it is the exact colors of Chloe's favorite yo gabba gabba character.

 I made this sweater a while ago, and probably blogged about it, but I am just so excited to use it!  This one should be her size and it is getting a little chillier than earlier in the summer so I will definitely get some wear time out of this one.

 Hopefully soon we will have a post will newborn baby photos, but if not well wish me luck not going totally crazy!!!  The anticipation is killing me!

Another trip to the zoo

These days I am trying to be as active as possible to encourage this baby to come out and meet us.  We go to the zoo a lot.  It is fun for Chloe but it is also great exercise for me with all of the hills and gravel trails.  Friday nights are concerts at the zoo, and we try to go as often as possible.  It is mostly parents with their kids.  Everyone brings picnic blankets, food and kids.  The kids run around together and dance, getting out all of their energy before bedtime!

Chloe LOVES LOVES LOVES dancing so she gets all of our energy out before bedtime too!  Andrew and I switch off, as her favorite thing to do is spin in circles.....whew it makes me dizzy!

This Friday she especially liked picking grass and throwing it at me.  She would laugh hysterically and run off to collect more grass to do it again.  She got me sitting down.

 She also got me standing up!  

 It was a great night, and probably the most fun we have had at the zoo yet!  I think we are averaging once or twice a week these days, and I have proposed every day going forward!  We finally saw the polar bear awake, which was probably even more exciting for me than Chloe!  Those things are HUGE!!!  much like me these days :)

Tiffany and Todd's wedding

We had a wonderful time at the wedding, and no one had a better time than Chloe.  I thought I would share some more of the moments with you. 

Back row seats at the ceremony....just in case we had to get a noisy toddler out quickly... Which we didn't have to do since Chloe was entertained by animal crackers, a glasses case, play dough and Donna's necklace.  It was not easy work keeping her quiet though.  She just wanted to run and play in their amazing yard.  Thank goodness for grandparents!

Chloe met a little friend and they were inseparable the entire rest of the wedding.

They shared a chair for the toast and speeches, and they were laughing so hard we had to take them to go play so they didn't distract people.  We were proactive-- We didn't get any dirty looks but figured when the father of the bride wants to make a speech we had better do our part to make sure everyone could hear him!

I may add photos to this post later, but don't have permission from the little girl's parents to post her pics yet. (although I wonder if they will call...my business card may have freaked them out- my job isn't exactly typical.  Andrew said we should have given them his card instead....oh well)  There are a ton of awesome pics of the two of them, so here's hoping.  I also want to set up a play date, since they got along so well!

On the topic is business cards, I have heard the new trend is making playdate cards.... So they would have Chloe's contact info on them and our number/ email without the work stuff.  Trendy Moms are apparently doing this---  I am a trendy Mom, so I think I will give it a try too!  Way less intimidating than  business cards.  

appreciating family

We are just so happy to have our family. 

We haven't posted in a while because we haven't known what to say.  Over the weekend our friends Corey, Hetty and their two little girls died in an airplane collision.  It was such shocking and devastating news, none of us know quite what to do, or even how to really process that it happened.  Luckily we have a sweet and wonderful little girl that keeps us smiling even when we are sad.  Soon we will have two sweet little girls, although when the newest addition will be here is anyone's guess- I have proven I have no mother's intuition about these things.  We took this picture at another friend's wedding Saturday night before we heard the news.  I figured I had better post it before it is outdated :)  We have more pictures but I will save them for another post.

We hope you all give your family extra hugs and kisses tonight and appreciate the ones you love.

Nap time

Usually naptime is a pretty routine thing.  Lately it has been a little different.  It used to be fun- we would read a few stories and Chloe would get into bed and we would sing a bedtime song.  Next everyone (lamby, elmo and chloe) get tucked in kissed and then I close the door.  That was nice, but now all of the sudden Chloe does NOT want a nap- even though these days she needs one more than ever.

 The other day Chloe didn't want to go down.  I let her know that it was time to rest and Mommy was going to close the door.  She screamed for a few minutes then I heard her start playing........  She was talking and laughing and playing for 30 minutes, then an hour, then two hours....Man she really wasn't tired so I decided that she at least had fulfilled some recharge time requirement (more like I had some recharge time!) and went in to get her.  This is what I saw when I opened the door.  Um crazy!!!!  Her room is always always always clean, even when I go in after naps.  Holy cow there were books and clothes everywhere,  she was naked from the waist down, her potty was on top of her little table, her blanket was stuffed into a garbage can on top of her bookshelf, extra blankets were strewn about the room, her drawers were open and the only saving grace is that she was super happy with herself.  Also I didn't leave any crayons or markers in her room.

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this.  It was kind of what I expected to happen every time after we switched her to a big girl bed and can go about her room freely.  One room trashing in a few months isn't too bad!  It did take a lot of clean up effort though!

fun in the sun

 After work last night we packed up and had a picnic dinner at Lake Hood!  Chloe loves to watch the float planes take off, and talks about it all the time so we try to make it out there as much as we can!  It was gorgeous yesterday- 75 and sunny, so we were off!  

There are lots of other things to do at the lake too!  Like swinging!  They also have a porto-potty there that for some reason Chloe ALWAYS wants to use.  Ugh it is so gross, but she takes off running toward it when she sees it like it is an ice cream truck or something!  No pics of that as we have to chase her down before she tries to go in by herself.  Good thing I remembered the anti-bacterial wipes!

 Splashing in the lake.

 Building a sand castle with an adorable little boy.  He was probably 6 or 7, and Chloe just loved him.

 And of course watching the planes take off and land!

After our fun in the sun (and sand and water) we let Chloe have part of a chocolate chip cookie on the car ride home.  This was the outcome.  She is telling us she wants a brownie in this picture.  Sorry- I think that is enough chocolate for one night!

 Part of the fun of getting dirty is bath time to clean up!  Chloe is showing me her "helmet".  This little girl is hilarious!  Her imagination is really developing, and she is just entering the pretend play stage.  so cute!

Every stage is more and more fun.  Although I do have to point out that Chloe is entering the terrible twos.......oh yes even this adorable little girl has her days!  I wouldn't say that part of this stage is "more and more fun", but for the most part we are having a blast!

Lost and Found

All of this baby prep does have some advantages!  I get to find all sort of lost treasures in the rooms I am cleaning out!  I am on to the office now, as the baby room is nearly complete.  This has been by far the worst room to re-organize and de-clutter.  I found this photo from the first time we went to the museum here in Anchorage this January.  We went to the Andy Warhol exhibit and this photobooth was part of the installation.  Beleive it or not, this is one of our few family photos!   

It makes me excited for all of the fun family photos of 4 we have in our future.  As always- we must start taking more pictures!