Monday Monday

Hi friends!
I hope you had a great weekend! We got lots done and we went to Paige's favorite place...the Rainforest Cafe. It's a theme restaurant made to look like you're in the rainforest. The animals come to life and every 30 minutes there is a fake thunderstorm and the animals go crazy. There's giant fish tanks everywhere and all kinds of things to look at. You're encouraged to run around and look at things, so it's the perfect place to bring little ones and not worry about craziness.
As you know, Paige started preschool for the year and she's been doing a great job. She's gaining a lot of new skills already! In the morning, she has her special needs class where there are 2 kids per teacher with 4 teachers in there. She's learning all about how to initiate a conversation, say hi and bye without prompting, and how to share and play with other kids. She's doing great! She's finally saying things like "hi Mommy" on her own. When my Mom was visiting Paige said "Bye Nana!" all on her own as she was leaving for the bus...without me having to say "Say Bye to Nana!". She's really using all her new skills in real life situations, so it's working out great! After her first class, she has a rest period and lunch, and then she goes to the integrated classroom for the afternoon where she is mixed with typical kids. She gets to practice all the skills she learned in the morning there. She LOVES it. Then, she's home around 3:45 after she gets off the bus. She goes Monday through Thursday. She's pretty tired when she gets home, so I let her decide what to do with her time and let her have her space to decompress. So far so good! It's a lot for a three year old, but I also know it's working for her. I try to always remember that even if it's not something I WANT to do, I have to do what is best for her and her future. I'm reminded of our good choice every time she talks about sharing or I see her out in public saying hi to older kids on her own and then running to us to say "Look Mommy! I'm making a new friend!"
To celebrate, we let her choose the restaurant we went to. Rainforest Cafe it is! (She calls it "Jungle Supper.") She enjoyed her hamburger and the fries even more! Good times that go far too quickly.

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8 Months

Dear Little N.,
A few days ago you turned 8 months old!
I'm proud of you and all you've worked hard for this month...crawling (the belly/Army crawl), playing with your toys, and sprouting 2 little bottom teeth! Teething is proving to be much harder for you than it was your sister. You really feel the pain so you are suffering. I feel so bad! But, you're a trooper and are doing your best. Your sister doesn't feel pain the same way a typical person does, so she had an advantage!
You are still adorably chubby...a snuggly warm teddy bear! It's hard to put you down after I get to hold you. But I know you love exploring. We baby-proofed the family room so you can have your run of the place without worry. Now to teach your sister about putting her toys away after she plays with them EVERY TIME. You sure do like to bite on everything in sight!
Now that your sister is at school almost full time, I take you everywhere I go. You're my little sidekick. And you're a real pleasure to be with! I can be out all day long and you are so quiet and happy. You just like to "socialize" as strangers fawn all over you. I'm so lucky you are so easy to be with, so thanks for that! You continue to be a champion sleeper and napper and all around cutie pie; always in a good mood. I hope you stay this way!
Noah, you are such a sweet treasure. I love you to the moon and beyond; I wish I could bottle up this time with you and save it for always. Being with you is such a great joy, my precious.
I hope being with me is even half as wonderful for you. :)
I love you forever and always little one,
Mama

P.S. Here's a little video of you laughing and playing with your Daddy.  I'll never tire of your laugh.

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Toys!

I have been eying these French toys from Janod forever. This might be the year to jump at them!
Look at this cool rocket!

or how 'bout this plane?

and I really love this bakery. They have something there similar as a vegetable stand too!

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New Work

Howdy! Not too long ago, I put up some new work in the shop.

First up, are my multi-media fine art prints. I'm so excited and nervous to show these. This is my first real time showing my "fine-arty side." It's a vulnerable feeling, but exhilarating too. These were originally created in watercolor and pencil on high end Winsor & Newton watercolor paper in a 5 x 7 size. I created prints of them in an 8 x 10 size and a 5x7 size...heirloom quality with fade-proof inks...for sale here.
 

 



 


 


Many of you know that I'm originally from Maine and I miss it very much (though I'm not far away). I'm very much inspired by nature's moody colors there and by the beautiful shapes and tones of the landscape. The majestic beauty of Maine's animals is not to be missed, so I like to highlight their shapes in silhouette. There is a wealth of beautiful subject matter to be found along Maine's rocky coasts and inland in her forests and mountains. It's hard to decide what to paint!
You will see that my style is very sparse, using very limited compositions and simple color washes. There's a lot of wet-on-wet use of the paint. (where I soak the paper with water for 20 minutes and then drop the color onto it). I combine this with the contrast of thick pencil lines which gives the work a folk art vibe that I love. These are great clustered together in a group for a family room, nursery, den, or office. More are definitely coming!

And, here are my latest letterpress additions to the shop. These designs surely must look familiar, but I've reinvented them as long tea-length notecards (4 x 9 inches). This allows for more room for writing and they make a unique impression. Folded notecards are fine, but I wanted to try something different and more memorable. I created one new design...the sand dollar...in a flat notecard format. Beachy and fun if you like that sort of thing! :)
You can find all the letterpress stationery here.












I hope you enjoyed the little peek at my latest work! Hugs to all!

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Someone's bottom teeth are coming in and it isn't me!

Someone's bottom teeth are coming in and it isn't me!, a photo by mlcassid on Flickr.

I can feel them with my finger...
Why do you have to grow?

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Preschool 2012-2013

My little one, I wish you nothing but the best this school year. I'm already so proud of you. Today was your first day for this year and you already have a note from school saying you shared AND took turns. Ha! :) I'm sad because you're gone all day now (the school changed your status to have you there from morning to afternoon...so the bus picks you up at 8am and drops you off at 3:30 pm). I missed you during the day; but I kept plenty busy with your brother and with all the things I needed to do for my work and around the house. You're growing too darn fast. I love you little birdie; you are flying now! Love you always and forever, Mama

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New Work

Hi friends!
Phew. I'm ready to pass out. I just finished a whole boatload of new work for the shop! There's lots of stationery and I've introduced custom silhouettes to the mix!









My silhouettes are unique because I've added a painted floral background that makes it look sort of rustic and hipster. I can do pets, kids and babies, adults (brides and grooms?), families, or other animals. I have a choice of 4 different backgrounds to choose from and 5 different "name banners" that can go on the bottom of the silo. Custom silhouettes make for a special gift since they are personalized and made just for you. You can check out the selection at the Me & Wee etsy shop. There, you'll find lots of choices for animals ready-made. I hope you'll keep the silhouettes in mind as we head toward the holidays...or they're great for birthdays and anniversaries, baby showers, bridal showers and all that jazz.








The monogram custom stationery:
This is a luxurious set of customized stationery featuring a hand-painted watercolor floral wreath and monogram. Set of 8. These are professionally printed using fade-proof inks on ultra-thick, soft cotton Crane's Lettra paper. These notecards are flat and tea-length...they make a unique impression on the recipient! You simply choose your letter and I do the rest. I'm selling them in sets of 8. You can find these at the Me & Wee Etsy shop too...










Finally, I've converted some of my previous illustrations into stationery options. This whimsical stationery is great for kids and adults alike. Great for thank-you notes or for a letter in the lunchox. Find them here!

 

 


So, that's what I've been working on and where I've been...I hope you like them!

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7 months

Dearest Little N.,

Hi little Nut! Time is still flying by and you are now 7 perfect months old. No worries, you are still adorably squishy and warm and huggable and squeezable and all things nice.
I've been having such a wonderful time holding you and making you laugh. You're a smiler and a laugher and that makes things extra fun during the day; I can't get enough!
Let's see...not a ton of things are new in terms of updates on your growth. You are still rolling all around (you get around quite nicely now!) and you still don't have teeth (although you are drooling constantly and are forever gnawing on your fingers so they're on their way!).




You are continuing to babble and make lots of fun noises and squeals. You are also proving how strong you are by constantly grabbing at things and yanking chunks of my hair out at the root. Good times!



Your sister wasn't much of a grabber compared to you. Boy, we have to watch out around you! Poor Maren the Wonder Dog...her ears will never be the same I'm sure. I think it's proving that you are going to be quite the curious bird and plan on getting into lots of things. I'd better get ready! I need a nap just thinking about it.



What's that face for? You must be saying: "Nap? Sleep? Naw, I have plans. BIG plans and they don't involve sleep."
You outgrew your swaddle last week, so you've been learning to fall asleep with your arms free and the ability to roll around your crib. You've had a hard time with the transition, but I think we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's taken about a week so far, but I think you're finally in a place where you can get comfortable (on your side) and zonk out. Your naps were almost non-existent this past week and I was getting worried. But, now you seem to be getting back to normal. I can silence my "Serenity Now!!!" screams. At least when it comes to your napping issues anyway. Ha!

Noah, being your Mama has been such a deep joy. I'm so lucky you're mine. You are sweet, snuggly, happy and agreeable. You're so easy going and calm; I can take you anywhere and you just happily sit in your carseat as you watch the action. It's so refreshing! You'll be happy to know everyone stops to look at you and comment on how cute you are and you always give this coy little smile and hide your face. Don't deny it, you love it. And you should. You won't be a baby forever, but you'll ALWAYS be my little fella.
I love you more than the universe my little boo-bear. Not a minute goes by where I don't marvel at the miracle that is you. I love every second I'm with you and am so honored by the gift of your smiles and coos. I'm a better person with each one. I'm so proud of the wonderful little man you are and please know that you're special no matter what. I love you always and forever.
Love,
Mama

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Giving up the swaddle!

Yowza!
We've been squeezing Noah into his Miracle Blanket up until yesterday. Yep, he was squished and jammed into that thing without an inch of fabric to spare. In fact, it was totally stretched to the limit. Well, now, he gets out of it pretty much instantly and I just can't cram him in there anymore. But he slept so well in it!
Soooooo, we sadly moved him into a sleep sack. It's been an epic nightmare thus far...he just doesn't know what to do with himself and his arms flail all around. He rolls over and gets stuck. His paci falls out. Blah blah blahhh.
I figured "hey! I'll just swaddle him in one of those fancy swaddle blankets we got! They are bigger!" I did a good tight swaddle but the stretchy material allowed his little arms to come right out of there. Darn it! He just rolls around the bed and cries as he tries to figure out what to do. sigh. Looks like it's going to be a long few days.
I've decided to just rip this band aid off and continue on with the sleep sack and ween off the paci. He has to learn how to soothe himself and fall asleep on his own. But that doesn't mean it will be easy! There will be tears and screaming and rolling around, and then I'll need to deal with Noah! ha!
Wish us luck. I'm gonna need it.

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The Mom Phrase

The other day we were in the car and Paige kept whining about this or that. Waaa waaa waaaaaahh! It was a car trip of decent length and I'd about had it with the fussing and steam was coming out of my ears. She began losing her nut over which damned My Little Pony show was playing in the DVD player (aren't they all the same and equally terrible?) and I snapped out the classic line: "You get what you get and you don't get upset!" Only it came out all crazy and maniacal. And with the thickest New England/Maine accent (that only comes out of me when I'm pissed or talking to old friends) it sounded more like "Ya get whatya GET and yadon't GET UPSET!"
I sat there stunned that I just shouted the most cliche line in the most cliche moment of all time. (P.S...that line never works...the kid ALWAYS gets even more upset. ALWAYS.) Who the hell had I become??!!! The shame only lasted a second and gave way to a kind of proud feeling.

Awwww yeah. I need to make a list of classic Mom lines and see if I can incorporate them all into ONE DAY.  See? This is the dumb crap I think about when I'm alone after the kids go to bed.

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