in case she wants to do a jane fonda work out video...

baby girl is set!

heehee! aren't these hilarious??! i'm not sure i fully captured the 80s goodness - it's late & so there's no possiblity of good lighting for pics, but i had to share these! i was just playing around - not thinking my playing would amount to much, but i ended up really liking the "fonda" vibe :)

one problem: the headband is a little small & if she has the head of her father & brother, i better snap a pic of her in it on day one because that's the LAST day it will fit!

speaking of, have i ever told you that hudson loves to say to say "i have a large head!!!"??!
it's pretty funny.
he usually declares it anytime clothes are being pulled on or off his head (mostly because we're always laughing @ the sounds of perpetual seams ripping as we struggle to get things around that massive noggin!).
seriously - his head is off the percentile charts.
...which always helps me feel better about the whole csection thing :)

anyway, 8 days to go...

***nursery update: pretty much finished! since we have time, we decided to go ahead & paint the walls (pink, of course!), so i'll take pics after that. i hope i like the pink - i realized pinks are hard! we're going with "chalk pink I". i can't decide if it's too chalky, or if i just think that because of the name.

perfect 2 yr old cookies

i was planning on making some heart shaped valentine's sugar cookies (complete with frosting!) with hudson for a little gift for his teachers, when i remembered that i'm 8.5 months pregnant & that is just a little too much :)
that's when i came across this recipe, modified it a bit & voila! i think i may have found the perfect cookie to make with your 2 year old (well, 2.5 yr old anyway). it has only a few ingredients, so it's quick, quick, quick to whip up & the rest of the steps are super "preschool helper" friendly!

peanut butter kiss cookies

1 c. smooth peanut butter
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar (+ for rolling)
2 eggs
pinch of salt

1. dump all ingredients into a bowl & mix well (hudson was thrilled to use THREE different sugars!). *now this is where i'm not sure how the houston humidity effects baking, so if the dough is too dry to roll into balls, add a tsp @ a time of water & if it's too wet, add a little more sugar (really, can you have too much??! haha!)
2. roll the dough into small (1 in. diameter) balls & let your little one roll the balls in a small bowl of sugar & place them on an UNGREASED cookie sheet. h LOVED this part :)
3. bake @ 350 for 13-15 mins. you don't want them gooey, but you don't want them overbaked (just getting golden brown on the bottoms is best).
4. while they're baking, having your kiddo unwrap the hershey's kisses - h's favorite part!! you can even count them as you go!
5. as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, help your little guy put a kiss in the center of each cookie (hudson had the tendency to smoosh the cookie to smitherines, so beware!!).
6. while you're waiting for the cookies to cool completely (takes several hours for the chocolate to completely cool, fyi), get out your camera & take pictures of your kiddo enjoying the treat...

first he sipped the milk...


then he licked some sugar off...


deciding that was good & saying "mmmmmm!!!"


going for the chocolate (man after his mommy's heart!)...


he liked it!!!

***i'm not saying these cookies are the most perfect piece of peanut butter goodness you've ever put in your mouth (you can definitely find a more "gourmet" recipe), but i AM saying they're pretty darn good & worth making with your little one!

ps: several of you have asked about h's big boy room - it's coming along, actually as i type (mama had to have a "put your feet up" break)!! we had some issues with the curtain rod (the tab curtains wouldn't pull well on the thicker wooden rod), but we've finally found a solution & tonight is going to be his FIRST night in the big boy room!!! exciting!! we just decided to put the mattresses on the floor for now as his bed is finally finished (hoorayyyy!!!), but cannot be stained with these cold temperatures.) i'll take pics & share them soon - i hope it's sunnier tomorrow...

hello 31!

apparently 31 comes with some surprises.
i ran to the mall this evening (kidless! woohoo! well, sort of kidless, i guess!) to get the rest of my birthday present. i had requested some new makeup, thinking i could get a few fun eye shadows & some lip gloss, so i'll have something to throw on when i'm feeling a little rough after a "newborn night"! so as the girl starts doing my powder, i look in the mirror & see WRINKLES! LOTS of WRINKLES - right @ the corners of my eyes!!! where did those come from????! omg, & there's a major line right in the middle of my forehead. seriously, what??!
after i took a few deep breaths, i asked for a different powder & we finally found one that @ least didn't accentuate the wrinkles. i guess it was lighter or something - maybe it was for more "mature women"!! :(. what in the world??
so i guess 31 + this pregnancy has totally made my skin dry, well & it's also winter... do i need to use vaseline or something?? d - doesn't your mom use preparation h??!!! (ooops! am i revealing her secrets on the internet??!). i've been banking on having my mom's skin (not many wrinkles @ 50+), but it looks like i was wrong. it's a rough world out there...

the good news is, i did get some fun new eye shadows - even a light purple! woohoo! i've gotta wear something fun to take away from the wrinkles :) haha!!

i also...

made this fun little outfit for baby girl...

i've fallen in love with chenille - that's the fuzzy, white fabric i used here. it's so fun & soft. i want to make a bib to match this, but i'm trying to make myself work on finishing her bedding rather than start another project! i've learned something about myself - i LOVE to be able to start & finish a project in, preferabley ONE sitting, but at least in a day. it's so hard to tackle something (like her dust ruffle!) that i know will take a few days to finish! i guess it's the whole instant gratification thing.

i'm thinking about putting this design in the shop - maybe after i get back on my feet (though if you're interested, let me know - i can probably get you one). it's simple & fun & easier to do than most of my other designs. easier = less time = less expensive, so that's nice!!

so, 20 days until d-day. i can't believe it. i'm feeling

H U G E & T I R E D & H U N G R Y!

not surprising, but very true.

clint & i are going back & forth on baby girl's name. we thought we had it for sure, but about 2 wks ago we started feeling uncertain, & now we just can't decide between 2 names. part of me would love to wait until she's actually here to decide, but folks, if i'm as out of it this time as i was last time - it'll be awhile before i would trust myself with something like naming a child!!!! we're hoping the right name just makes itself clear :) i'll keep you posted...

hope you're enjoying this wednesday.

i...

made a hoodie towel for hudson last week.

he liked it (though couldn't be bothered to actually look @ the camera for a photograph. elmo needed to be watched & popcorn eaten)...
i need a picture of him in it after the bath - too cute!!
here's the bath mitt to match...

i love bath mitts, by the way - much easier, i think.

and one for baby girl...

i was experimenting with a cute way to try & display them if i wanted to sell them. for baby girl, i made wash cloths - that was before i figured out how to do the mitts.

fun stuff :)

i love the idea of these for gifts. what else can you give that can be used from birth all the way to 3-4 yrs old?! thrifty!

ps: went to the dr today - everything looking good! yaaaaay! hello 36 wks!

i...

love the way hudson's room color turned out!!

(paint job & armoire by clint)

now to hang up the curtains tonight...

i...

feel that in your last month of pregnancy you should be able to eat as much chocolate as you want without any consequences.

is that too much to ask?