Month: October 2011

Homemade Mummy Onesie

If you are also finding yourself with a bump turning into a baby this month, you may have noticed there is few and far between for newborn Halloween costumes. So you’ve got to get creative! I have a couple different idea’s in mind for Sawyers first Halloween. I’m actually writing this back before he has made his appearance. I was smart enough to plan ahead! Plus at this point I still have some time to do creative things!

I found this idea on pinterest. Surprise surprise. The original poster used gauze instead. But I made this last minute one afternoon and simply used an extra onesie I cut up. However you may find gauze to be a bit stiffer and therefore easier to work with. Mine was slipping and stretching all over the place!

Since I was using strips I had to pin them down a lot and stretch them in anticipation. The original used one long strip, and laced it back and forth and cut it after sewing. With gauze she was able to distress the fabric as well. But its your personal preference what you would like to use, I am just sharing options! But with both your going to want to pin first and then use a sewing machine to sew it. Not a fun task! Its hard to get the onesie into the sewing machine and through it. But its do-able, and that’s all that matters. Be patient. Then cut your ends off. You don’t need to be precise, as the uneven look plays to your mummy idea!

And your final step, add a pair of large googly eyes! Try and layer them underneath your strips a little bit for effect. I made this in about 30 minutes. So if you know a little one in need of a simple homemade costume, now you have a perfect idea! I know I am loving my little mummy today!

Decorate Your Door

If you aren’t carving pumpkins it can sometimes be hard for trick or treater’s to tell whether your a candy house or not. But this is a fun idea that can decorate the outside of your house in the most simple of ways. I just happen to have a green door too so this is right up my alley! Use paper plates and back craft paper to make the eyes, mouth, bolts and scar. Use a large piece of fabric to make the hair. You can add some spiders too but the face makes a big impact all on its own.

Don’t have a green door? Get creative! A red door could become a cartoon devils face. White can become a ghost. Other colors can become fun cartoon monsters! Its all up to you!

Sawyer James

Our little boy made his arrival one week ago on thursday October 13 2011! I thought the 9 months went by fast, this week was a blink! Be warned this is going to be a long post and very picture heavy!

We were told a week prior that we would be having a scheduled Csection due to his size and amount of fluid. Its very odd to know the exact date and time. There were pro’s and con’s, we were able to leave the house looking perfect for bringing a baby home to, and yet the anxiety of a countdown made it awfully hard to sleep.

So last Thursday at 3:30 Brandon and I packed out bags in the car and took a very casual drive over to the hospital. We did comment on how different it would have been to be in a crazy rush going into labor randomly. We got to wait our check in 2 hours in a regular delivery room. If I wasn’t already nervous the 4 different doctors telling me the extreme risks over and over again sure didn’t help! My poor mom made an appearance early, she was a ball of excitement and nerves. We all counted down the last minutes, making jokes with our awesome nurse. Brandon changed into some scrubs, and all too soon they came to get us!

They wheeled us down the hall. They made Brandon wait behind while they prepped me. I later found out he used this valuable time to make a blair witch style video on our baby video. Its so him. I had an awesome team, and my nurse held my hand as I got my spinal block. I was  so terrified of it. Needles have never been my friend. I got the numbing needle first and even that wasn’t too bad and it made it so I barely felt the spinal block. It just felt warm and a little weird. Then they strapped me down on a skinny little table, arms out wide. The spinal block started in my toes and pretty fast an intense pins and needles feeling swept up all the way to my fingers. They draped me and got all the machines going. I had some leg massagers put on to help circulation, and they did one test to make sure I couldn’t feel anything. I sure passed. The nurse brought Brandon in and he was able to sit at my head and hold my hand. I got really tired, so that I thought I was going to miss the birth because I was fighting to stay awake. Brandon did a great job of distracting me from what was going on with silly little questions. Before I knew they had even cut into me, the doctor was telling Brandon to get the camera ready since they had the baby and were pulling him out! I know some women feel pressure and pulling but the spinal block was different from an epidural and I didn’t feel a single thing! All of a sudden I heard the cry for life. It was beautiful and strong. Brandon followed Sawyer to the station to clean up and weigh and tag him. He came in weighing 8 pounds 2 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long. Because of the high amount of fluid (the doctor said it was like Niagara falls when they opened me up!) Sawyer swallowed a good amount in his first breath. They decided to take him straight to a transitional nursery to be monitored for the next 4 hours. Brandon was able to go with him, I saw him and gave him a quick kiss and off the two of them went. Another 10 minutes and I was closed up. It was only 35 minutes total for the surgery. They had two emergency Csections pop up the minute I was closed so they got me out pretty fast. Back to the delivery room, where my mom and sister were waiting. Brandon came in right away too, but Sawyer spent 4 hours in the transitional nursery and because of my surgery I wasnt able to see him there. But Brandon took my mom and sister to meet her first grandson and nephew. It killed me to wait that long. I felt like I hadn’t given birth yet. It was a very odd sensation. The nurses were great at making sure I was doing ok after the surgery. The spinal block stayed in my system and I was completely numb from the chest down for the next couple hours. A nurse asked if I could move my feet and though I thought I was, there was no movement at all. Then she lifted my leg to a 90 degree angle and I couldn’t feel it and though I knew it was my leg, it made my mind feel like it was a false leg she was waving around. It was so hard to digest that feeling. I was still tired but didn’t sleep.

Then finally after waiting 4 hours Brandon went to the nursery to request Sawyer in our room. They wheeled him into the room in a clear bassinet and I could see him right there but was still so numb I couldn’t get him. But when Brandon placed him in my arms I thought he was the most perfect baby I had ever seen. This beautiful round face with tiny little features that were somehow a perfect mix of Brandon and I. We had made this little baby. He was ours and our life was forever going to be changed. There was lots of love and pictures and begging to hold him after being passed through the 4 of us.

My mom and sister left around 10, though there was no limited visiting hours in the delivery room wing. Around 1 am they moved us to our postpartum room. I met my night nurse and immediately loved her. Our first night was easy. We fell into a gentle routine. Sawyer was very calm, Brandon helped out, and I cuddled until 4 am when I sent him to the nursery for just an hour to catch some sleep.

The next morning we had both, my parents and sister, and Brandon’s parents visit/meet Sawyer for the first time. He was such a sweet and good baby. I was still feeling fantastic with morphine in my system. We tried to breastfeed right away but because of the Scheduled Csection my body was in sort of a shock and my milk had no come in. So we supplemented with formula for a couple days. Which was nice because Brandon and other family were able to feed the little guy, a special bonding moment for everyone.

The good stuff eventually wore off and I was switched to percocet. Which besides making me overly drowsy, didn’t have any bad side effects. Just made it able to have visitors! And then the hubby gave me the best present. I fell asleep and because he was up working, let me sleep the entire night through! Talk about amazing new daddy! Even after going to sleep himself he still got up every time Sawyer cried. He is a pro swaddler and is trying to be a very hands on daddy. We even left Sawyer alone at home with him to run some errands tonight and came home to one sweet happy sleeping baby.

We were discharged within 48 hours of arriving. It seemed so short! I know most people cant wait to get out of the hospital but I had such amazing nurses and was feeling great that I would have stayed the whole week without complaining. But it was nice to get home. We got to watch his birth video. It was crazy to imagine him inside one minute and outside the next.

Its been a great first week. Lots of visitors, 2 or more extra people in the house. My sister, my dad, and my best friend from Texas rotating through, and now just my mom. Who leaves Wednesday and that just feels too soon! It will be hard to not have Grandma down the street. But it will be nice to have some alone family time too. Sawyer is such a good sweet baby. Only crying when he needs something. And I just think he’s too cute! I don’t think my camera battery has ever died faster, or the SD card filled so quickly. I’m going to need to figure out a digital storage system fast!

Thanks to everyone who made this pregnancy, delivery and recovery easier for me. My friends and family, my nurses at CMFM monitoring, my nurses at Summerlin hospital, and especially my husband. Without whom I would never have had such a beautiful perfect baby. Its so amazing to have such a strong support system, and know how loved this little boy is already!

Ghost Poop

If you are sending snack to school for kids and cant think of something thats easy peasy and wont keep you up all night preparing, look no further! Ghost poop, how silly and simple. But what kid wouldn’t giggle at it.

Download the free template from Cant stop making things for your label. Fill a plastic bag with mini marshmallows and staple your printed label over top. I know I will be making these one day for our little guy!

Name Skeletons

Ok and back to the kids Halloween. We’ve all done the craft at some point in our lives where you fold a paper in half, write your name, and cut out a cursive  mirror image. A teacher took this a step further adding little skulls, arms and legs. And each kid ends up with a very personal name skeleton. Just glue each piece down on a piece of black craft paper. How fun! Great project to do with your kids!

Glam pumpkins

So we’ve had a couple back to back posts about kids inspired Halloween idea’s. But there is lots of idea’s for an adult Halloween too. I just love the idea of keeping Halloween classy. And this is the pumpkin if thats your Halloween theme this year!

A glamorous blinged out pumpkin! Find a symmetrical white pumpkin, sometimes this is harder than it sounds! (You can paint an artificial pumpkin to use again each year too) Add crystals with super glue down the seams and in between to form a bling spider web. Spray paint a spider silver and glue that to your webbed pumpkin. I just adore this pumpkin! So girly!

Two Spooky Smoothies

Yesterday we discussed some fun food options for Halloween, but you can spook your drinks up too! There are endless Halloween inspired drinks out there but these two are my favorite and kid friendly.

For some spooky ghosts in your glass melt some chocolate in your microwave. At 30 second intervals, stirring until melted. Use a paint brush to paint faces on the inside of the glasses. Let set a few minutes, then add your favorite vanilla milkshake. Top with whip cream to make ghostly tips.

Same idea here with the painted on chocolate faces. But this is vanilla pudding tinted green with food coloring. Add some crushed oreo cookies for hair.

Its the little things that make kids light up with delight, so try these simple desserts today!

Mummy Dogs and Other Fun Food

Here is another day for the kids. As we get closer to Halloween they get more and more excited for the night of candy! But you can make regular food fun too! Imagine your kids faces lighting up when they see the cleverly disguised food on their dinner plates tonight!

Mummy Dogs

I swear I have been waiting to have kids to make these! I think they may be a tad young for my hubby. But either way how can you resist the cutest that is mummy dogs! Grab some hot dogs cooked and some pilsbury cresent rolls. Cut the rolls into strips and wrap around the hot dogs. Cook according to directions. Add some mustard eyes and see your kids gobble them up!

Pancake Ghosts

This is a sweet morning surprise. Use a regular pancake batter and pour in the shape of a ghost. Add a couple chocolate chip eyes and mouth and you have a friendly ghost for breakfast!

Spooky Lunch Fun

Pizza using different cheeses to create a layer candy corn look. White yogurt with raisins eyes for ghosts, Bananas with chocolate chip faces can be ghosts too! Oranges with a drawn on Jack O Lantern face. Your possibilities with fun kid lunches are endless if you use your imagination right! A cheese string halved and pulled apart at the bottom, with food color faces. And of course gummy worms and other Halloween candies make a sweet dessert too! Your kids will be the envy of the lunch room when they open those plain paper bags to reveal this fun!

So there you have it Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all spooked!

Footprint Ghosts and Handprint Pumpkins

If you have little ones they are going to love today’s post. (Beware its a messy one!) A chance to paint…with their feet! I think what I love the most about this is you could make it a yearly tradition and watch the little ghosts grow! What a great reminder of how little the once were. Use some thick white paint. You want it to show up with one print. It would be hard to line them up for a second coat. Paint your child foot and roll onto black craft paper. Making sure the toes are on the bottom, add a mouth with some black marker and some googly eyes and you have your own personal ghost!

You can do a similar craft with their hands as well. Paint your round orange pumpkin, and add the stem, then paint your kids hands green and let them make the leaves with them. Lots of fun for kids! After all its Halloween its supposed to be all about the kids!

Mini Fang Pumpkins

This spin on pumpkins is easy and you can pump out a whole bunch for your mantle or mini gifts! Grab some mini pumpkins and some dollar store plastic fangs. And lets get started.

There is only 2 steps on this one! Cut into the side of the pumpkin with a carving saw. Remove excess flesh, and stuff those fangs inside. Add some scary red sewing pins for eyes. And there you go!

I know they are supposed to be scary but I still find them cute! And maybe you will have a couple pairs of fangs left over for the kids to play with! Or yourself!