Birthday Recap

Hello friends! It's Little P here! I wanted to thank you all for your great birthday wishes! I was so flattered by your kind words and feel so special!
I also wanted to thank all my blog friends who sent along photos for my cool new baby photo book. Mom posted a video above that shows me opening it. At first I was puzzled by it and then was excited about the wrapping paper. But fear not, what you don't see is that I ended up playing with the book during the entire time my parents ate lunch. (We went and visited Daddy at work and then went out to lunch at TGI Fridays). Thank you so much for the great photos; it's so fun to look at my friends around the world! I even found comfort in it after I had my 12-month shots yesterday. I love it!
And, below are photos of me opening my birthday gifts...many are for when I'm a little bigger but some I love now. Let me show you...

Here are my gifts before opening them:


These are for me?


Teach My Baby learning kit...I guess Mom wants some one-on-one time with me each day for something she calls learning. I don't blame her, I think I'm fun.


Daddy picked out a few outfits for me from Mini Boden. I like the fun colors.


It will be fun to draw on the driveway this summer. Scribbling is great!


I think my favorite toy is this "hammer" toy by Plan Toys. It has 3 colored balls that you hit through the holes and they roll down the bottom and out the side. I love this and play with it constantly now! I like trying new ways to hammer the balls in the holes.


Daddy showed me how my new Seal push toy works. It's by Plan Toys too. I like making the arms flap!


I love Olivia! She's such a funny pig.


I have some cool new sand toys for my sand table in the yard. There's even a watering can I can use in the water table! I'm going to have a fun summer in our yard!


I like playing with this wheel. Mama says you pour sand in the top and it makes the wheel spin around. I'll believe it when I see it. Mama sounds a little nuts.


I wanted to show you my new table and chairs from Ikea! They are called the "Kritter" table and chairs. I can't wait until I'm big enough to sit in the chairs myself and do crafts and have tea parties here! For now, it's fun to stand at and play with toys on it.


Look at my cutting food! I like grabbing it and carrying it around. When I'm older, I can use the wooden "knife" and cut the pieces apart. The wooden pieces make a nice sound when you clack them together.


My awesome Uncle/Godfather Phil called me to give me good birthday wishes. Isn't that nice?


Mama and Daddy enjoyed some champagne. They have been parents for one year! That's the same age as me! Weird!


Thank you for sharing my birthday with me! I wonder what great things THIS year will bring? Mama says there's a family party for me on Saturday, but I don't know what that means. I guess I'll find out! Let the adventures begin!

Tweet

1 Year, Happy Birthday to P

Dear Little P,

Here we are! We made it! One year. One whole year. One year ago; the best day of my life, you were born. This past year has been a swirling whoosh of newness. I've learned to get used to having no clue what I'm doing. I just follow my heart I guess and so far so good! You are my treasure...my sun, my moon, my stars, my heart. It is the biggest joy of my life to watch you grow and change and become who you were meant to be. It goes so fast it is hard to keep up. But I'm so lucky you look to me for love, for assurance, for confidence and support during each day. And Daddy feels the same way. He misses you so much during the day and races home every night to give you dinner, play time, snuggle time, bath and bed. Every moment with you is precious and special. I don't know what this next year will bring. But here is what I wish for you, today, on your birthday: Love, Friendship, Happiness, Peace, Confidence, Fun, and more love. Hold my hand and we will jump into the next year together; I won't let you fall. Happy Birthday my love. It may be your special day, but YOU are MY biggest gift.
Many hugs and kisses and love always and forever,
Mama

Tweet

sweet

I recorded this just a few weeks ago during Paige's nap. You can hear the loud white noise machine in the background...sounds like a jet! But she sleeps through everything, so it's great. Seeing her clutching her little soft doll made my heart melt.

Tweet

Tired

Hi friends!
I'm sorry I've been away from this space! Time has gotten away from me. Also, Paige has finally shown an interest in grabbing on tops of tables and surfaces so we've been having to be more vigilant and child proof more things. She also has started opening drawers and cabinets, so I've been needing to secure many of those things too. She never cared and then one day she just decided to explore the world she couldn't see. Look Mom! This cleaner looks cool! "Comet"...hmm...it seems so powdery! And look! Maren's dog biscuits! This tastes a little funny...not like my normal graham cracker treats....Anyway, I'm much busier than before. :)
I hope you have a great weekend! Saturday is our photo shoot of Paige in her nursery as our contest winning...we're excited. Bummed that it will be pouring rain outside and there won't be a bright sunny light in the room, but that's life. I'll keep you posted if I'm allowed to show any of the photos.
I'll leave you with these photos of Paige. That skirt kills me.

Tweet

cooking

Not much cooking going on by me; but I HAVE made some baby food here and there. And I make a mean package of Creamy Garlic Shells. Even if all I do is boil water and milk. In this picture I'm wearing my Mom's funky old apron...it's reversible! It's great while cleaning and tending to housework if I'm going to be getting a little bit wet or messy which is most of the time now that Paige is around. :)

Tweet

Bleep!

A little while ago, Chris and I were watching my new obsession "Holmes on Homes" on HGTV. I think that's the network it's on? Anyway, if you haven't seen it, it's basically this Canadian guy named Mike Holmes who is a contractor/builder who wears these overalls over a white tank top. He's all muscular and tan (he reminds me of Paul Bunyan without the ox) as he swoops in and saves people from contractor nightmares. For example, a couple spent $25,000 on a new bathroom remodel and then the shower was leaking and the ceiling was molding, paint was peeling...come to find out that everything was installed improperly leading to water leaking into their walls, floors, to the rooms below, etc. So, Holmes comes in and fixes it all for them and saves the day. There are all kinds of episodes of different nightmares and he makes everyone so happy. I love it. One episode, he said, "we can clean all the crap out of there and start over" (or something like that) but they blanked out the word "crap." I looked at Chris and said "Hey! They just bleeped the word crap! That's weird? Since when can't you say that word??" He casually looked over at me and said "It's a swear." And I was shocked. "No it isn't!" I cried! He told me: "Well, in MY house growing up it was considered a bad word. Not the kind where your mouth got washed out with soap, but enough to make my Mom say "Hey! Watch your mouth!" I sat and thought about this for a minute, shocked. And then I said "I've ALWAYS said crap! It's my go-to word!? I had no idea it was seen as bad?" My brain raced to think about the 7 million times I've said that very word in front of his mother. (but I've said many worse words tossed casually around so I guess it's a wash) He then says "I KNOW." I guess he'd noticed my 7 million mentions of the word around his Mom too. So I then countered with, "Well, in OUR house we could say crap. We weren't supposed to say the F-word or the SH-word and damn and friggin' were the ones that would warrant a "Watch your language" from Mom. But crap was always ok." I guess crap was on the "friggin'" and "damn" list in his house. So, I called my father. "Dad, Chris says that 'crap' is a pseudo-swear. You couldn't say it in his house without a firm talking to. What's the deal?" He was surprised himself and thought for a minute. Then he said "Well, I always say, Can you say it in school?" I replied yes, I'd said it in school a lot and never got punished. "There you go," he said. "You may not learn a lot of crap but you can say it!" (or something to that effect).
Still, I've decided I need to curb my horrid language, especially now that Little P is here and she's a listenin'. The word "Shazbot" has been flying around quite a bit. Is that one ok? If Mork from "Mork and Mindy" could say it, it MUST be ok?

And just because, here is a cute photo of Paige from the day before Easter when we were at my sister-in-law's house for Easter dinner. She's holding a plastic corn. Don't worry, she didn't eat it. Have a great day!

Tweet

Happy Easter!

Hi friends!
Happy belated Easter; I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Ours was fabulous. Here are some photos for you...starting with how Maren just couldn't keep her nose out of the Easter basket!

Tweet

A friendly request

Hi friends!
I have a favor to ask of you, my dear readers who have children, if you are willing to, could you send me a favorite digital photo (in high resolution) of your little one as a baby or toddler? Preferably looking at the camera or smiling? You see, I am going to print out the pictures and have them laminated and wirebound into a little book for Paige's birthday. She LOVES looking at babies and she has such delight in seeing other little smiling faces. I thought it would make for a fun gift and I know she would like it. You can email the photo to meandweefamily@gmail.com if you'd like to be part of Paige's little book. I promise not to sell the book or show it around to a bunch of people. It's for private use. I also plan to make a book with a picture of each family member smiling, with their name below the photo. That way she can learn who everyone is and can provide comfort if she's feeling insecure. Thanks so much for your help with my little birthday project!

Tweet

Drawing for Babies

I am in LOVE with this post by SouleMama. As someone who formally studied art, I'm really looking forward to the time when Paige shows an interest in coloring, drawing, and art in general. She still has a hard time using her hands to pick up small items so now isn't the time to introduce it. But, that particular post really inspired me on how to get things rolling when the time is right...it will be such a great opportunity for fun, confidence and pride-building, and for making choices (not to mention the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination).
I had to share it with you and I hope you enjoy it!

Tweet

Custom Silhouettes

Hi friends!
I've spent some time and re-listed lots of items that haven't been seen in my shop for a while. I did custom silhouettes for customers back in 2006 and then stopped because it didn't fit in with my career goals at the time. Now, I'm back to offering custom silhouette portraits of your or your loved ones' children. The details are in my shop.
Here is a silhouette portrait of Paige I did when she was 7 months old (using a photo I took of her profile). It's funny how different her profile is now 4 months later. I'd add more hair in the back in little flips and a bow on top. :) I can do any color of frame around it...this one is Robin's Egg Blue. They go for $35 which covers the illustration time and the cost/time for the portrait printing. Additional prints or materials like calling cards would cost less since the illustration has already been done. Feel free to email me if you are interested in one! Or check out my shop here.

Tweet

11 Months

Dear Little P.,

This past Saturday we were at your cousin's second birthday party. I remember last year being pregnant at that party! It seemed surreal to me that you were there able to hit the balloons that were around the room and crawl around playing with all the great toys. Someone asked how old you were and I said "10 months" and that's when it hit me. You'd be 11 months the very next day. That's right, yesterday you turned 11 months and I know it's the last little milestone date before you turn 1. It makes me tear up every time I think about it. I just want to bottle up these moments and savor them for always. The song "Time in a Bottle" is perfect right about now. Take a listen here and listen to those lyrics. *sigh* I WOULD save every day like a treasure and again spend them with you.
I really savor the times I get to put you to bed at night when you nuzzle into my neck and shoulder as you get sleepy. Or the times I get up to feed you before you are officially up for the day...you are sleepy and it's dark. After you finish your bottle you spin around and lay your head on my shoulder while I hold and rock you in our little yellow chair. I can always feel your right hand clinging to my shirt while I listen to your slow even breaths. I try to sit like that as long as possible before laying you back in your cozy bed for your last little bits of rest. I try to take mental pictures of each moment and greedily shove them into pockets in my mind.
This past month has been so much fun. Your personality is so fun to discover. You are silly when you do "peek a boo" on your changing pad after your bath. You hide under the towel and then surprise us. You always laugh like the joke is new; after doing it over and over and over. You also love music and shriek and yelp while it's on. You bounce around on your butt too; if you aren't busy clapping or tapping your lap to the music's beat. I think Uncle Jason the music teacher must be excited about that. I'm sure he'll be trying to get you in a punk band or some sort of choir soon enough. :)
You've grown in your top 4 front teeth along with your bottom 2 front ones. Your toothy grin is so sweet, even if I was a little sad at first as I missed your gummy smile. I think your smile is so great. And finally, you've been standing up like a champ. You are venturing a cruising step here and there while you hold on but I think you still have to get the hang of your balance for a while before you start working your way around the room. It's fun to watch you strive to use the muscles God gave you. I'm here to help you in any way I can; to help you do your best and to achieve all the wonderful things you want to. I know you can do it and I'll always be here to cheer you on and love you all the way. I love you forever and ever.
Love always,
Mama

Tweet

Paige's Pages: Book 5

No, it's not Thanksgiving. I try to tell this to Paige, but she just can't let go of this book. She never tires of the fun cartoons of the turkeys in this fun countdown from 5 turkeys to 1. Each page has a shiny "feather" attached that seems to give a lot of enjoyment too. A great book!
I hope you've enjoyed this week of Paige's Pages!

Tweet

Positive Thought

This is the quote that got me through the hard times when we had all of our miscarriages, fertility issues and wishing so much for a baby of our own. I spent a lot of time in a dark place. A sad place. A place filled with fear and doubt. I started to believe that nothing was going to work out for me. The pit I was in felt deeper and wider with each day. It was hellish. Then, I discovered the power of positive thinking. Not as a magic pill, but as a way to make myself feel better while waiting for the great things to come my way. They say that sending out positive thoughts and energy will bring positive things back to you tenfold. I'd tried everything else, so I figured this was worth a shot. It took a lot of practice, but I forced myself to try and turn every negative thought into a positive one. Over time, I began to find myself thinking in positive ways from the start. I felt so much better! Life felt full of possibility! And having this quote to stare at every day really helped. In our darkest hours we cannot see it, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes in our favor. We have to have faith that our dreams are coming to fruition and they are simmering there. That the stars are aligning just right to bring us our dreams. We have to believe that there is a host of wonderful treasures just waiting for us around the corner. Assume it is so and let the powers that be do their work. It takes time to create your miracle. This quote continues to help me and I wanted to share it with everyone else. So, I designed this piece of art so that it could be hung up proudly. It's 8 x 10, but I could also make it in 5 x 7 if you'd like. Would you like a print of your own? You can get one here.

Tweet

Paige's Pages: Book 4

Hello!
Today's book is called "Goodnight Maine."



I'm sure most of you have seen series of these "goodnight" books all over the place featuring different states and locales. This version was gifted to Paige around the time of her birth. I grew up in Maine, so it is a fun way to introduce her to all the wonderful things that makes my home state special. I personally have seen these books around and thought they looked kind of cheesy. But, I must say, the brightly colored illustrations really have her interested through the whole book. She's always happy to have it read to her. And I feel a little bit closer to home which is a nice little perk for me. :)

Tweet

Paige's Pages: Book 3

Hey there!
Today's book is "How Big?" by the Fisher Price brand.



It's very simple in that it just has an animal baby on one page and the next page is a flap (reads "how big is baby?) that lifts to reveal a baby and the words "Soooo big." The illustrations are colorful and vibrant, which Paige loves. She also loves lifting the flaps on her own and seeing the baby beneath. She likes seeing other babies in pictures...which leads me to the idea of going on flickr to print out a few pictures of random babies and then have them laminated and bound to our own little "babies" book. Just a thought! I also thought it would be fun to print pictures of each family member with their names and have that laminated and bound too...
Anyhoo, she loves this book and it's slowly deteriorating with wear and tear. The mark of a winner!

Tweet

Paige's Pages: Book 2

Hi there!
Today's book is called "Little Green" by Keith Baker.

Paige has loved looking at it and hearing the tale since she was 9 weeks old and in her little bouncy chair. She continues to squeal with delight at it (she seems to have a crush on the guy in the book since she always smiles and shrieks when she sees him). The guy watches a little green hummingbird out his window and observes as it flies around in different directions so he can paint it's path. It's cute.



I think the appeal is the very colorful and vibrant illustrations that cover the pages. One neat thing for when she is older is that there's a little caterpillar hidden on each page for the kiddo to try and find (Where's Waldo style).



It's another winner!

Tweet

Paige's Pages: Book One

Hi friends!
I thought I could spend this week showcasing some of Paige's very favorite books. (note these are for the under 1 set) Not MY favorites...hers. I have lots of the classic board books and I figured there were certain ones that she was sure to love which turned out she could sort of care less about. Then, I have others I'd never heard of and she took an immediate shine to a lot of those.
I won't bother showcasing one of her top ones..."The Very Hungry Caterpillar" which most people know and love and is the exception to her classic book "distaste." And I will have to show you her "Pat the Bunny" book when this week is over. She liked it so much it is destroyed.

On to Paige's lesser-known loves:
Today's first pick goes to "Tails" by Matthew Van Fleet.



It's full of textures and colorful illustrations...but it also has special flaps and pull-tabs that create motion. It's a full interactive experience and Paige loves opening the flaps and pulling the tabs herself. She never tires of looking at this book; but I always bear in mind that she can't be left alone with this book or she will rip apart all the special features. She only enjoys this book while sitting in my lap. Not only a fun read, but a fun book to EXPERIENCE. Paige highly recommends it!

Tweet

Contest

We won the nursery contest! Thanks so much for all of your votes and your time! I've never won anything before...it feels great! I'm so excited that Little P will have a photoshoot that will commemorate her first year of life and in her own happy room.
Thanks again for your votes.
Many hugs!
And, just because, here is a photo of Paige in her most relaxed mode. Must be nice!

Tweet

Sewing

Hi friends!
I finished my recent sewing lessons and made a little skirt. I learned a lot and decided to make something on my own to build my confidence. I made 2 zippered pillow cases to cover the bland and boring pillows on our couch. I'm thrilled with out they turned out and they were very easy (albeit a little time consuming). I used this tutorial which made it so simple and easy. Once I did one, I was able to do the other from memory 2 weeks later. Easy, right? It's been nice finding another creative outlet and my next project will be a tote bag. More ambitious! No word yet on the nursery contest results, but I will keep you posted!

BEFORE:


AFTER:

Tweet

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hello!
I've had a few emails and requests as of late to show the rug we chose for the nursery last year. I did a post about it here back when it happened, but here is the photo again. It's a shag rug from Crate and Barrel and we've been happy with it! It doesn't slide around...we got the pad to go under it.


And, here's some new photos of Little P in honor of St. Patrick's Day. I spent a lot of last weekend working on our family tree and there's several lines (particularly the ones for my maiden name of Cassidy and our current last name of Carty) that trace back to Ireland for both Chris and myself. And lots of other places too!

See? She's clapping! And pulling herself up! She must really like this holiday.

Tweet