hello from newborn land

okay already, i'll post! i'll come out of "newborn land" & give you guys what you really want - a few pictures :)
besides, mimi went home on thursday & if i don't start feeding her regular pictures, i'll get hate mail for sure.
so here are a few (read: a ton! i have to make up for not posting!)...

the "happy birthday" sign i made for the hospital door (one of my million crafty projects right before her birth, remember??!)

hudson & daddy @ the hospital


mommy & holls


leaving the hospital


hudson gets interested in his little sister!


...then decides to read a story to her on the couch!


...then steals her paci...


meanwhile, holland sleeps...


and sleeps...


and...


yeah, i...


think you...


get the...


picture!


she even slept through her first hair accessory fashion show...




she has gotten a little out of that first week newborn sleepiness, but she's still quite the sleeper.
a baby after her mommy's own heart. i bet she'll love cadbury eggs & tom's shoes, too :)

friday was my first day alone with the 2 of them. i didn't cry. that's about all i can say! i ALMOST cried about 10 times, though. especially when hudson colored in red crayon all over the tile floor. that was before he ate red jello & got IT all over the floor, too, but after he ate his daily breakfast of chex & got that all over the floor as well. did i mention i had a c-section? did i mention that bending over HURTS?
did i mention that i pink puffy heart love prescription motrin?

because i do.

hudson might just be acting out a teeeeeny bit (!), but it's really hard to be too mad (well, after the initial fury that rises when you realize you're going to have to get on your hands & knees for a 3rd time!). his whole world has been rocked. how do you make sure he still feels just as loved while also holding him responsible for his actions? it's a delicate balance, for sure. and it helps to have daddy home this weekend.

here are a few things i'll remember about this time in our family's life...

-the way our couch has turned into newborn central, filled with pillows, boppy, burp cloths, bibs, wipes... and usually me feeding holland
-the usual hormone craziness making me BURNING UP HOT @ one point & suddenly freezing the next!
-holland's lovey cheeks - the only chubby(ish) part about her
-hudson banging the crap out of the drums, in rhythm of course, right next to holland & clint & i looking @ each other like "she better get used to it" (in fact drums & guitar are just about ALL he wants to play with these days). his songs of choice are "hark the harold", "veggie tales", & "happy birthday" & he's so darling singing them :)
-our constant surmising about the color of holland's hair (dark brown? light brown? red?)
-FOOD. we have so much food! our friends have overwhelmed us with so many yummy meals. our freezer overfloweth & our bellies are full :)
-sesame street. it's now become a favorite family activity to watch it together. have you seen "american i"??
-the olympics. i will forever link holland's birth with the vancouver olympics. it's been great feeding & burping entertainment. (i heart joanne!)
-motrin. did i mention i love it? this c-section recovery has been much more intense than last time & i'm still needing my motrin (especially when on my own!).
-the fact that holland seems to be the absolute opposite newborn than hudson was. i love my son with every ounce of my being, but he was a... um, shall we say "challenging" baby??! :) holland's laid back-ness has definitely helped the transition from 1 to 2.
-hudson being suddenly interested in putting a diaper on his beloved monkey & carting him around a considerable amount more - too cute :) did i ever tell you his monkey's name is "monkey-loves-you"?

okay, well there's more, but i'm about to crash (it's not even 10!). i'll try to work on posting more & giving you pictures. we had her newborn pics taken last week so as soon as i get those (ahem, steph), i'll have some good pics for you.

good night & happy saturday night to all!

welcome

Welcome miss holland amelia harp!
6lbs 15 oz, 20 inches
So far she's pretty laid back. She hardly cries much @ all, sweet thing!

too

and after her jane fonda workout, she might want to do some pirouettes, you know.
and how is that possible with out a pink tutu?

i love how this turned out, though i had a hard time getting a good picture - it has just too gloomy here for a good shot, i guess. anyway, i think you'll see it again soon in baby girl's newborn pics. i'm already dreaming them up now...

so everything that HAS to be done, is done. but i just keep thinking of ooooone more thing to do. i think it's my anxiousness :)

...so that's when this tutu was born.

& i made a fun little "happy birthday" sign for the hospital.
then i decided to make a little "please knock" sign for our front door.
and a couple of scrapbook pages for people to sign when they come to visit.
then a last canvas for her room...
and i have an idea for another tiny one.
but first i need to whip up a last minute blanket idea i had (already have the fabric, so i HAVE to do it!).


is this crazy?? :)

Change is coming...

Here we are - some of our last days, just the 2 of us. We're doing our usual - running errands (complete with starbucks run).
Oh, how things are going to change!! :)
Ps: how funny does h look?!! His inner fashion expert usually tells him that if an item of clothing has a hood, it must be worn! :)

Ps: I love "pink chalk I"! Need to hang everything back up & we're DONE!

big boy room

sitting here on the couch eating ice cream.
just because i can.
isn't that bad?!! haha! i think i just know HOW MUCH life is going to change in just a few days & i really want to just enjoy these last few days of peace!! it's so weird when you know life is going to drastically change very soon - i go from feeling ready & excited, to anxious & wondering what ELSE i need to do to prepare!! i know there's really nothing else to do to be ready - your never really ready for a newborn :)

anyway, finally getting to post some pics of hudson's big boy room! it's totally not done - i just stopped working of the quilt because i didn't think i could finish & wanted to work on totally finishing the nursery instead. so that's yet to come. i also am working on some canvases for him - paint/fabric/mod podge. i finished one with a guitar & want to do a drum one next. (oh, & the bed is stained - yaaaaaaay!!! - & now is awaiting the final coat & the weather's not really cooperating - oh well! ps: it totally looks amazing - c did a phenomenal job!)

checking out the new car sheets...

it's L O V E!

a little reading corner...


daddy even put in a new fan!!

just playing around...

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...