It's Baby Time...maybe

The bags are packed and sitting by the door....just in case.

Hubby informed me that he'll pack right before we leave. This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. At least I know Gray and I will have what we need. 

 

I'll be MIA for a while, but when I come back, there will be a new little man in the house!

Freezer Paper Onesies

Have ya'll tried freezer paper stenciling yet? I've heard about it for months, and seen some seriously adorable things created with it. I have finally caught up and done some myself!

 

The instructions for using the freezer paper as stencils are even on the box of paper...

 

I created my stencils with my Silhouette cutting machine, but you could use an exacto knife too. Just cut out your stencil....iron it onto your fabric...and PAINT!

 

It peels right off when you're done leaving clean lines.

Here are a couple I did last week. I have a few more in baby boy's closet already. Sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures! I've been very slack with my camera lately.

 

The South Carolina one is definitely my favorite. I see a lot more stenciling in my future!

Newborn Photoshoot

Since my cousin had her baby, I can't get enough of that sweet baby girl's face! It seems like yesterday, and forever ago since Gray was a newborn, so being around a tiny baby again has been wonderful.

I asked if she would let me try my hand at taking some newborn pictures of her. I wanted to practice photographing a newborn, editing the photos, and getting the shots I wanted. I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities for practice soon, but having the energy might be another story!

Baby girl was soooo good during our session. Once she had a full belly and was in a milk coma, it was easy to get some nice sleepy shots! She woke up in the middle, and I could get a few with her pretty eyes open.

I used one of my favorite new actions from The Coffee Shop Blog to edit her baby skin. I used the original Baby Powder Room to remove a little redness and get her skin beautifully smooth, without looking too plastic.

Is there anything cuter than baby feet? I didn't think so either.

Her mommy and daddy don't love headbands, so most of them are without. I snuck a few in there though, because after having Gray, my life is consumed with bows and beadbands.

This is my favorite picture. A perfectly sleeping baby.

And of course...it IS my family. So there is Tigers gear already. 

Sticking out that little baby tongue. So cute.

Melts my heart. 

Gray loves her little cousin. We're working on her being more gentl, but can you blame her for wanting to have her hands all over that sweet little girl? Poor baby boy is in for it when he gets here. 

There's those eyes!! 

A BIG thanks again to my cousin for letting me "experiment" with her baby girl. I love how the pictures turned out. I can't wait to get some pictures of both tiny babies together. I wonder if they'll both cooperate at the same time....

A Baby Boy Shower

One of my best friends is having her first baby, a little boy, due just a few weeks after my little man is due! Of course we had to throw her a shower to get some adorable boy things. She is obsessed with monograms, so we wanted to have a personalization shower to get some fun things with her baby's name on them.

Lots of blues for this shower!

And plenty of diaper cakes to go around! (you can never have too many diapers)

Find my diaper cake tutorial HERE

I love the onesie clothesline...

Here's me and the bestie...just three weeks apart! Our boys are going to be great playmates...and I have a feeling that Gray will be their boss!

Opening lots of wonderful gifts.

I wanted baby boy to have a quilt made with love. I used the Reunion line by Sweetwater for most of the fabrics, as well as a few fabrics from my stash. It's such a fun collection of prints that say "Boy" without being baby-ish.

I had one square embroidered with his name before putting the quilt together.

There was also a diaper station, to write fun messages on some diapers. There were definitely some that made me laugh!

It was a fun shower and I was so happy I could help with it. The other two hostesses were wonderful, and we had a great time planning this special time for our girlfriend. Now, we wait for HER little man to get here too!

A Nautical Nursery

The nursery is done!! Baby boy will have somewhere to sleep (once he's a year old, that is) Gray slept in our room until she was 10 months old, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

I wanted a theme for his nursery without it being to "baby-ish". Something he could grow into. A nautical theme it was!!

The wall art was made with the help of my Silhouette. I cut the shapes out of white cardstock, and placed a navy striped paper behind the cutouts. The frames are spray painted white frames from the dollar store. Total cost of nursery art....$4. Oh yes. 

This ship is particularly special to Hubby. It's one of the only possessions he has from his childhood home. It was handmade by his grandfather out of.....matchsticks!!! Crafting isn't just for the ladies! It took some repair work on my part to get it back in show-order, but it was worth the work to have it in the room. I know Hubby loves to see it in there.

I made some chevron pillows for my rocker, and for the crib, because every room needs a little chevron!

The decal is from an Etsy shop. It was pretty easy to apply, but it's had a little trouble sticking to our textured walls. Lots of rubbing have helped it stick, and I think it looks great now! Best part...it's removable and there's no holes in the wall.

Here's another chevron pillow, and a little striped pillow that I enjoyed creating. I liked looking at nautical flags for this nursery, and decided that some alternating stripes was just what I needed. I used some extra backing fabric from baby boy's quilt. 

Speaking of flags, a pennant banner was just what the crib needed. I probably should have ironed the triangles before taking pictures, but it's okay. Don't worry...it will come down before he actually sleeps there. I know it's a choking hazard.

The quilt was one of my favorites I've made so far. I used Sarah Janes "Out to Sea" line, cut into 4" squares and patchwork pieced together. There are lots of sweet little map prints, pirates, and nautical themes. It's such a cute line and I loved working with it!

A red striped backing was just what this quilt needed to finish it off. Hubby picked out the gingham binding, and it's a perfect fit. The quilt is crib sized, and will be a great playmat too. 

The best part...only my baby boy will have exactly this quilt. It's fun to know you have one-of-a-kind pieces in your home!

Now that the nursery is done, the clothes are washed and folded, and my hospital bag is packed...it's time to wait. He needs to cook at least another week, then he can come whenever he sees fit! I'm so ready to meet this little man!

34 Weeks

At 34 weeks, we decided it was time to squeeze in one last belly photo shoot because you never know when babies will decide to make their appearance! I've told little man to keep cooking a few more weeks, but we all know how kids listen.

 

Of course, we had to get a couple of family shots and some of just goldilocks too! Isn't this one gorgeous?

His name was almost too long for this shot. Either that, or I don't have a long enough belly.

I was glad we had enough blocks to spell it out!

This is hands-down my favorite picture. I love that her little face is squished right into my belly. She's going to be the BEST big sister.

This picture is a close second on my favorites. She always tells me

"I have a baby in my belly too!"...so I told her to show me!

Our family of three will be growing by two feet soon!

Now that's a BIG round belly. Little man is running out of room in there.

I'm a little sad that this is the last time I'll be pregnant and feel those little miracle kicks, jabs, rolls and hiccups. I am thrilled though to know that our little family will be complete with our little girl and boy.

 

The nursery is done (pics to come soon) and we're waiting....hopefully just a few more weeks and we'll get to hold that sweet little boy.

Welcome to the World Abigail

My cousin's sweet baby girl was born last Saturday after a loooooong day of labor. I know it was a long, tiring day, but the end result completely erases all of the crazy moments from your mind.

 

Here is Abigail Juliann at 1 day old. Such a sweet little face, and so alert!

 

Eyes wide open ready to see the world...

One thing I learned about Hubby early on...he LOVES babies. Abigail perked right up when he held her.

 

Here's the proud Mommy (Aprile) and Daddy (George)

And a big yawn from baby girl.

Such a beautiful little family...

Here she is with her great-granny. Or Gi-Gi as Grayson calls her now.

 

 I finally got my turn to hold her, but she was getting hungry, so it was short-lived before she went back to her mommy.

 

It's just a few short weeks until we get to hold our own little bundle of joy. 6 more weeks according to the doctor....we'll see what baby boy has in mind for his birthday though.