Tommy's First Christmas

It's one o'clock in the morning and I've wrapped, cleaned, baked, and ribboned every thing in sight. And finally, there's peace. Collin and Tommy are sleeping in the other room and I just take it all in. My baby's first Christmas.

I remember when the anticipation of Christmas used to kill me. I couldn't wait and it couldn't take any longer to get here. I know Tommy will feel that soon. But even he could tell something special was going on when he woke up Christmas morning.

He even ripped open his first present!

My dad, mom, grandma, and little sister trickled in.

Collin and I put out all the Christmas goodies. Five kinds of cookies...

See's Candy...

Not pictured is our delicious zucchini and sausage quiche and the mimosas. And a family tradition...

The CHEESEBALL.

My dad shoveling it in.

Then we do our ceremonious present opening. One after the other:

Grandma got Tommy a pair of Robeez, with fire trucks, which are so cute, by the way.

And Grandpa came, as always, with the age-inappropriate gift. Last year (while pregnant) my unborn (and unknown sex baby) got a baseball bat. This year...

Tommy loved everything. He loved having his family there, banging on his new toys, the Christmas music, and piles of wrapping paper.

And I loved watching him take it all in.

Stress and all, I can't wait until next year.

Tuesday: Yep, I made that!

Tommy is getting this guy for Christmas. I found the pattern here and used this yarn. I've seen him looking at it. He wants it. Poor kid, even if he doesn't want it, he's getting it.

But nope, not until Christmas. I was going to knit him a blanket, but I think he'll like this more. Especially because the blanket has about three months left of work to do.

 I finished this guy in about two and a half nights (interruptions included).

 And we call him Gym. I think he'll like his new giraffe.

I think...He doesn't seem too sure about the giraffe he's already got.

Sure beats working on this for another eight months. Seriously, it's been eight months and I'm only about half done.

Charlie Banana Review

There are a few websites I check daily. Zulily is one of them. To my delight, I found Charlie Banana diapers on there a few weeks ago. The vibrant colors and super sweet prints were irresistable. I pressed the "go" button on three of them, entered my (memorized) credit card number, and waited patiently for that UPS guy that never says more than "Last name?"

These are the newest addition to my "stash" (I hate it when people call it that). We've got the sleek black one, the cute construction one, and the fun green one. On Zulily, the retail price was $14.99 plus $10 shipping. When I received them, I was surprised by how much they reminded me of Fuzzibunz...our least favorite diaper. Wah-wah.

But it's been a few weeks and I've grown to like them. Here's why:
They are well-made. The materials, stitching, and inserts are quality stuff. Micro-fleece interior with a lift-up insert pocket.

One of my favorite parts...the elastic is hidden inside the pocket and doesn't escape it's hideaway with every wash like Fuzzibunz.

Notice again (like Fuzzibunz) there are no snap-downs. This has a trim and clean look.

I must add that I'm not a fan of the three snap closure (same as Fuzzibunz once again...are these made by the same people?) My husband doesn't dig it either. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you have it on properly and I just don't see why they don't just use the first two snaps as the third seems extraneous. They did add a unique feature to their snap system. For the lil' ones, you can snap over onto the other tab to get it nice and tight.

 Each diaper came with two thick inserts (notice the different lengths). Both are very absorbent, high quality, and stain-resistant. 

Here's what I think: 

I like Charlie Banana. They launder nicely, look super cute, and are well-made. But I'm good with the three I have. I'm not going to run out and buy more.

Here's what he thinks:

I'd rather be naked.

UPDATE 4/6/2011:  I get a lot of traffic on this blog from people googling Charlie Banana diapers. I feel that it is my duty to let you googlers know that I got rid of all three of these diapers and my Fuzzibunz. We just didn't dig them anymore.

Tuesday: Yep, I made that!

 

I love this little guy. Obviously. But, lately, he's been up until midnight. And this is a serious problem. His wakeful hours cut into my leisure hours. I won't stand for it.

In spite of my bright-eyed boy, I recently finished this:

 When I was pregnant, I taught myself to knit entirely by watching YouTube videos, namely hers. Knitting soon became an obsession and then, even that wasn't enough. I started crocheting just a couple of months ago. This is my first project. And I am so proud! Here's what I like about crochet: it works up more quickly, it's easier to fix mistakes, and I think the motion is more natural (at least for me).

Knitting has it's place. I prefer the look of a knitted piece and there is more variety when it comes to patterns. But I'm not going to choose. I like knowing how to do both. Very diplomatic.

 There are so many cute patterns out there. Found this one here. Used this yarn. And it turned out beautiful. Can't wait to wrap it up and give it to a new girl baby.

It looks a lot like Christmas.

Christmas is awesome. There is nothing better than fresh baked Christmas cookies, cheese logs, hot chocolate, and other things besides food. While it's taken us four weeks, everything is finally up and ready to go. Welcome to our home...Why, come on in!

Here are all of our decorations. First up,  check out "KAALT" the white treescape from IKEA. $12.99 and worth every penny.

 

The holy family, a lightbox, and a bowl filled with pine cones I found on a walk. 

 

Our pretty Christmas tree. After years of watching my mom do it, I think I finally recreated the magic. Still in search of a tree-topper though.

No mantle, so this mirror will have to do.

 Our house feels so warm and perfect for our little baby's first Christmas. 

Tuesday: Yep, I made that!

I love to craft. Every week, I want to show off something I've made.

Knitting is my "thang." However, my dear friend Emily is teaching me to sew. I've been meaning to learn for a long time. In fact, I embroidered this piece of flannel when I was about four months pregnant.

 I just took two pieces of flannel (one embroidered, the other plain), faced them toward each other, and sewed seams with a little left to turn inside out.

 We then just hand stitched the little area that was still open. And voila! The perfect floor blanket for a lil' guy. Not too bad for a first project, if I might say so!

$anta Clau$

In the interest of saving ourselves from having to stand in a long line with a screaming/hungry/bored baby, we took Tommy to sit on Santa's lap today. Yes, it's only November 23. It was perfect and he was adorable. He tolerated Santa much more than he does his own grandpa. And our one 5x7 only cost $21.75.

We then walked the gilded glamour that is South Coast Plaza, decked out for the holidays. Crazy how these stores can simultaneously sicken and seduce you. We did make our contribution. See if you can spot our purchase.

Happy holidays! Nothing better than a hot chai tea latte and a smiling baby.

Let's Make Some Meatloaf for Grandpa, Kids!

 I don't cook often, but man, when I do....

I make a mess. You thought I was going to say something about what a great cook I am. No way...but I am getting better. Last night, we made some old-fashioned meatloaf for my dad. He's a ground beef kind of guy, if you know what I mean. If it's got ground beef in it, he gets all giddy. Here's a secret about our meatloaf: use 2/3 ground beef and 1/3 breakfast sausage crumbled up. More flavor = delicious.

Check out my super fancy crockpot.

I have another secret. Make your mashed potatoes ahead of time and keep them warm in here. You can put that one in your back pocket.

What's that baby doing while you're cooking up a storm you ask (and taking pictures of stupid stuff)?

Oh, just chillin'.

Cloth Diaper Shout Out

I eat meat.
I drink Diet Coke.
I use paper towels.
I take super long showers.
I use baby wipes.
I don't buy secondhand.
I don't eat leftovers.
I don't have a compost pile.
And I never remember my reusable grocery bags.

But I DO use cloth diapers. And I love them.
I love how each time I use one, I save a tree (true fact).

I love that my next baby can wear them.

I love that I haven't bought disposable diapers for four months (these jean diapers were a gift).

I love how colorful they are.

I love that plastic isn't chafing that boy's booty all day (only some parts of every few days).

And come on could they be any cuter?

Go cloth!