My Sewing Room

 This is not the best picture but here is my new sewing room setup since I got my embroidery machine a few weeks ago. I'm loving the new machine and the new layout of my sewing corner in the office.

I have plans to mount a big peg board on the wall above my computer to hold all my big spools of thread as I start to accumulate them. Also, it will be a place to hang my stabilizers and hoops. Chase is going to be making the peg board for me soon, I hope! Hint, Hint!!

 Because of all my sewing over the past 2 or so years, I already have quite the collection of scrap fabrics started. Since I took these pictures, I've gotten a lot more fabric scraps from Chase's Aunt Della, who is also a sewer/embroider/appliquer. 

Here is a close up of my scraps. The girly basket is two layers.

I have appliqued a few shirts and burp clothes so far and I'm doing pretty good. I'm not perfect yet but I'm learning something new each time I do something new.

 I put this cute airplane on a little t-shirt for my friend Lauren's new baby boy a week or so ago. It turned out really cute and I didn't mess up on it so that was good. haha Hopefully he'll be big enough to wear it this summer. Lauren, I want to see a picture of E wearing the shirt whenever he does get to wear it. :o)

I also made Savannah this cute burp cloth last week. I haven't washed it yet but hopefully it stays together and looking good after it is washed. I'm going to be making a good many burp cloths for SC because most of the ones we used with Brantley got stained pretty bad so I threw this away. Same with bibs. I've thrown so many of them away because they were gross looking. I plan to try my hand at making bibs as well before SC in born.

I've done a few other shirts but haven't taken pictures of any of them. Oh well! That's all for now. I'm loving my new toy and I'm enjoying learning more about it every time I get to use it.

My Big Fat Belly - 27 Weeks

How I'm feeling at 27 weeks: Pregnant! ha! This is the last week of my 2nd trimester. Wow! I can't believe we only have about 12ish weeks left before we meet sweet Savannah! (As of today we only have 87 days left until my due date.)

My Big Fat Belly - 26 Weeks

How I'm feeling at 26 weeks:  I came down with another cold over the weekend and I'm feeling pretty rough now. Stopped up nose and a stubborn cough. I'm hoping it will only last a few more days and I'll be feeling much better by the end of the week. Other than that I'm just feeling really big! I've had to start borrowing Chase's t-shirt because most of mine are too short and small to wear anymore. Ahh! I have around 16 more weeks and I'm already huge! At my last appointment, my doctor measured my uterus but didn't say exactly whether I was measuring on track or not. We were talking about other stuff and I forgot to ask. I'm just assuming that no word on it means that, I was measuring okay. We did talk about my weight gain and I feel like it's a few pounds over what I should have gained but my doctor is totally comfortable with it since I'm a pretty small girl. She said my body probably needs the few extra pounds. Lastly, my left hip has been getting out of whack pretty bad these last few weeks. I had to go to the chiropractor at 24 weeks because it was hurting so bad and I'm planning to go back again tomorrow. I really need to go to the chiro every week from here on out so that I can keep this pain at bay and not let it get as bad as it did during my pregnancy with Brantley. Overall, I'm doing okay but I guess I do have those few complaints.

Movements: Baby girl is getting so much stronger and bigger. I can feel her kicking and flipping everyday and it feels like all the time. I'm thinking that we may be having another hyper active baby girl. I'm also thinking she might be bigger than Brantley was because she's growing faster than BR was at this point, or at least that's what I feel like. We'll see what she's measuring at our 4D ultrasound in a few weeks.

Baby's Size at 26 weeks:

Baby's now the size of a head of lettuce!
Baby's soaking up your antibodies, getting her immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and she'll soon be practicing the blink...perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes. 

Belly Pic of the week: Even though I didn't post for 25 weeks, I included last weeks picture this week.

Nursery Update: I ordered Brantley and Savannah's vinyl wall decals for their rooms and they were delivered Saturday. I have them laying out to flatten so that we can hang them one afternoon this week. They will go over each girls beds.

What I'm looking forward to: I'm calling tomorrow to make our appointment for our 4D ultrasound of Savannah. I'm hoping to make the appointment for the week after next. I'll be between 28 and 29 weeks then so it should be perfect. I really I'm interested to see what Savannah looks like. Will she look just like BR or totally different? I guess we will find out in a few weeks.

Doctor's Appointment: I go back to the doctor for my 28 week appointment on March 7th. After this appointment I will start going back every 2 weeks. Eeek! I can't believe we are getting this close. 

Kids Exchange Consignment Sale

Pelham, AL
A franchise of Kids Exchange International. North Carolina's Largest Event to buy and sell children's items and maternity is coming to Pelham, AL this March.
Buy & Sell gently used Kids Items: clothing, toys, baby equpiment, furniture, books, car seats, infant accessories, high chairs, swings and much more. (Infant-Teen)
Open to the Public! Anyone can buy & sell!
---------------------------------------------------------
March 5th-11th
(Receiving will be March 5th and 6th. Worker and Sellers shop on March 7th. Public sale is March 8th-11th.)
3031 Pelham Parkway, Pelham, AL 35124
---------------------------------------------------------
*Become a seller and shop early*
*Earn 2/3 of your asking price!*
*Participate in the Work Exchange Program and shop FIRST!*
---------------------------------------------------------
I am working as a Community Recruiter for Kids Exchange Birmingham to help get the word out about this great opportunity. I know there are LOTS of other consignment sales that will be going on in the next few months but I really encourage you to take part in this consignment sale. I don't have much but I do have some things that I'll be putting in this sale. I'll have more for the sale in the Fall. I'm participating in the Work Exchange program so that I can shop first before even the sellers shop. I'm very excited to be involved with this sale and look forward to seeing it all come together.
If you decide to sign up as a seller or worker, please enter my name, Allison Williamson, as your Community Recruiter in the "How Did You Hear About Us" box. Thank you! If you don't decide to sell or work this time, at least come shop March 8-11th and see what Kids Exchange is all about. We all love a great deal and this is yet another opportunity to find one!
---------------------------------------------------------
For more information on becoming a Seller with Kids Exchange Birmingham, click HERE.
For more information about the Work Exchange program, click HERE.
If you have a small business there are Business Booth opportuinites with Kids Exchange as well. Click HERE to view and print the Exhibitors Kit.
I hope to see you all there!

Bedroom Updates

Yesterday afternoon we finally got Brantley's BIG girl bed set up and ready for her to sleep in. When she saw it, she smiled really big and said, "Ooo, I lub it!" Then she climbed on up there and started jumping and dancing on her new bed.

Her cute dress-up outfit is a birthday gift from her sweet cousins. She has worn it a lot since we got home on Saturday.

Yesterday morning I put together this cute bookshelf that I bought from Target to store her books and a few toys. I love the way it turned out and it's a great place for us to sit some of the cute picture frames she has accumulated over the past 2 years.

Last night putting Brantley to bed in her new big girl bed hasn't all that bad. We followed our normal routine of reading a few books before bed and then laying down saying goodnight. The laying down part didn't happen before I left the room because she was a little scared but I knew she was totally fine in there. She only cried for about 5 minutes and then went on to sleep. 

Before Chase and I went to bed and peeked in at her and she was sound asleep on her pillow cuddling her blanket. For some reason she will not get under the covers in her bed. She wouldn't get under then in the toddler bed either. Silly girl!

This morning, after school time, I managed to hang the memory/pin board above her desk, hang the photo of she and Grandma Donna, place the other things on the shelf, assemble the shoe cubby that is in her closet, transfer all her clothes from her old closet to this new one, and transfer all the other things from the top of her old closet to this new one. Mommy was busy and Brantley helped me some. I took a bunch of breaks in order to keep Brantley busy and happy. She was a trooper and loves seeing her new bedroom come together almost as much as I do I think.

I haven't started looking yet but I'm hoping to find a pretty white mirror to hang over this dresser to finish off this wall. My mom went to an antique shop in Vestavia yesterday and told me that they have a few white mirrors I should go look at. Hopefully one of those will work.

I have this really cool idea for what I want to put above Brantley's bed but I'm not sure how much it would cost or if it would actually turn out looking cute or not. I'm wanting something to take up a good bit of the open wall above her bed and I'd like for it to include her name.
My plan is to frame a long piece of bead board (with the lines running vertical) and then mounting the letters of her name from her old nursery to that instead of mounting them to the wall like we did at the other house.
Or we may just buy a big vinyl decal.

This little smarty pants loves to play with my iPad, although, she insists that it's hers all the time. She will play games on it for at least 30 minutes if we let her and sometimes it's a lifesaver. Today, while she was playing, she clicked on a Memory game that is made for adults and began to flip the cards. I really didn't think she was going to be able to do it but to my surprise she started getting the cards right and matching them up just right. I stood there and watched her for a while in amazement at how smart she really is. She looked at the and said, "Mommy, I do it! I smart!" That she is.

This is a closer look at the shelf above her desk.

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     

Now onto Savannah's nursery.

I haven't really done much in here because I've mainly been focused on getting Brantley's new room finished. Mostly we've just piled things in there from the guest room that doesn't have another place yet. I did a little work in there last night and this morning.

 Last night I converted the toddler bed back into a crib and raised the mattress all by myself while Chase and Brantley played downstairs. You can see her bed skirt, sheet and the back of her quilt in this picture. I'll eventually post better pictures of her bedding as we do more work in there.

This morning I hung up Savannah's diaper stacker (that I'll probably never use for it's intended purpose). I will probably just let it hang there or come up with something else to put in there but it came with the bedding so I'm going to use it somehow.

I also hung up this cute Wish Upon a Star board that I found at Hobby Lobby the other day. The 3 wall hangings match Savannah's bedding and I think they look pretty cute above her changing table/dresser. (The other things on the dresser are not there permanently, they are in the process of being moved around.

Anyways, that is all the updates I have on the girls bedrooms right now. Brantley finally went down for her first nap in the new room so now I'm off the take a shower. Ta Ta for now!

My Big Fat Belly - 24 Weeks

How I'm Feeling at 24 Weeks: Pretty good but I do have some complaints to report. I've started having pretty bad lower back pain that worsens towards the end of the day. I think I need to go see my chiropractor soon and try to stay off my feet more. BR and I have been busy these past 2 weeks and it's starting to catch up with me. Also, I've had a few more bouts with heartburn but nothing Tums hasn't fixed. I've still been sleeping great for the most part. Getting up early with Chase during the week has helped me get to sleep and stay asleep better at night because I'm more worn out at a decent hour whereas before I was staying up way too late and not sleeping as well. One other thing I have to mention is that the skin on my belly has been itching like crazy this past week or so. I finally bought some new cream and a therapy oil for stretch marks and using them has seemed to help a great deal. Hopefully my stretch marks won't get too much worse but it's likely that they will.

Movements: Savannah is definitely getting stronger because now I can sit down on the couch and watch her move around sometimes. Chase has felt her move and flip around a lot in my belly. She moves a bunch when I lay down in the bed at night so that is when Chase feels her the most. Brantley hasn't felt her move yet.

Baby's Size at 24 Weeks:

Her see-through skin is gradually becoming more opaque.
And it's got a new pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.

She is beginning to look more and more like a baby.

Belly Pic of the Week:

Nursery Update: We have made a few changes to the rooming arrangements for the girls. Brantley will now be moving to the guest room instead of that room being Savannah's nursery because the daybed we bought for Brantley won't fit in her current room with the bookshelf mounted under the window, and I'm not taking that down. So Savannah's nursery will be in Brantley's current room. The nice thing about this is we don't have to swap furniture anymore or take the crib apart. Yay!
Savannah's bedding came in the mail this past week and it looks great. I have to call the company Monday because one of the 2 valances is longer than the other and it's faded, like it's been used before or washed too many times. I don't think either of those things happened but I want to see if they'll send me another one that will match the other one. They will be hanging side by side across the double window in that room so they need to match.
We took down the full bed in the guest room and set up Brantley's daybed frame this afternoon just to get started but the rain stalled our progress. Brantley seemed pretty excited about her new room but I'm not sure she's on board 100% yet. My hope is that once her new "big girl" room is all put together she will love it and prefer it over her old room/soon-to-be nursery. My mom and I went to Target yesterday and racked up on lots of cute stuff for Brantley's big girl room and her new bigger closet. My hope is that we can make some more headway in that room tomorrow after church but we'll just have to wait and see how the day goes.

What I'm Looking Forward to: Getting Brantley in her new room and the nursery started will be a huge relief to me. Also, I bought a LivingSocial deal on Thursday for a 4D ultrasound from 4D.Mommies in Mt. Brook and I'm anxious to use it. I think we're going to wait a month or so to go do it so that Savannah will be a little bigger and her face more filled out. I can't wait to see her sweet little face and see if she looks like BR or not.

Doctor's Appointment: I go to the doctor for my 24 week check up and Glucose testing on Wednesday morning. I really hope I pass this first time because I really don't want to have to go back for the 3-4 hour test like I did when I was pregnant with Brantley. That would be totally inconvenient for me. I'm going to ask Dr. S when she would recommend us having our 4D ultrasound done. I can't really remember and haven't looked it up yet.

Anyways, that's pretty much all for this week. I'm sure I could think of more to write but I'm really tired and I need to get in the bed. Goodnight!

Brantley's New Tricycle

We have a very proud tricycle owner on our hands.

Chase and I gave BR this adorable Schwinn tricycle for her birthday this year and so far she loves it. Now if only her legs were about 2-3 inches longer she would be able to pedal and turn the handle bars without her feet coming off the pedals. She loves her bike and for now, until she grows taller, Chase and I are going to have to help. I really wish it had come with a parents handle so we didn't have to bend over but it didn't so we'll just have to make do.

Brantley's 2nd Birthday Bash

This afternoon we had Brantley's 2nd Birthday party at Parties on the Move in Bessemer, AL. It was the perfect place for a birthday party and we will for sure be going back for Open Play very soon because Brantley had a blast. So many of Brantley's friends and family came out to help us celebrate her turning 2! The kids played and got totally worn out. Because of the time of the party most of the kiddos had to push their naps back which was tricky but thankfully, most everyone made it to the end with a smile. Brantley was perfect and had a wonderful time!!

The ladies at Parties on the Move had one of the rooms decorated so cute and just right for BR's party. After the kids played for an hour and we opened her gifts we all came in the party room for pizza and cake.

I don't have very many pictures of the kids playing because they are really hard to catch when they are running and jumping around in these things. I took a few videos that I'm going to share instead.

Mommy and Daddy with the Birthday Girl!!

These two are sideways but I wanted to share it anyways.Now onto opening presents. Brantley is really good at getting presents open for a two-year-old. 

Then it was time for pizza and cake. We all sang happy birthday to BR but unfortunately I didn't get that on video because I was having Casey take pictures for us instead. 

Brantley knows exactly what to do with lit candles as well. Chase helped a little with the second candle but she blew out the first one all by herself.

Our sweet girl had a wonderful time playing and celebrating her birthday with all her friends. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and we missed those who were unable to come. Brantley received lots of great gifts that she will enjoy playing with and wearing very much. Thanks again!

Happy Birthday, Brantley Rae!! You are 2-years-old!!!

Norah's Birthday Bash

Last Saturday on Brantley's birthday we went to Parties on the Move to help Norah celebrate her birthday. Norah and Brantley were born on the same day. They are exactly 12 hours and 15 minutes apart. haha Norah was born first in the wee hours of the morning. Anyways, we headed out to the party and let me tell you, the kiddos had a great time. Watch the video below for proof.

After playing for a long time, Norah opened her presents and then we had pizza cake and ice cream. All of which Brantley enjoyed very much. We will be repeating this song and dance tomorrow but with Brantley as the birthday girl instead. I really can't wait!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Norah!!

BR at 2 years-old!!

It's really hard to believe that my tiny baby that I delivered 2 years ago is actually 2! Has it really been 2 years?! Brantley is such a sweet little girl and we are loving every moment (well almost every moment) of being her parents. We have started to experience some of the behaviors associated with the "terrible twos", but Chase and I are working hard to handle this time the best we can and to teach her to behave. We just started reading Making the "Terrible" Twos Terrific by John Rosemond this morning in hopes of gaining a better understanding for what is going on in that sweet little brain of hers that makes her throw tantrums and tell us "no" so much. From the part that we read this morning, I'm pretty sure that this book is going to be great and Rosemond knows what he's talking about.

So onto Brantley's stats and more on what she's doing at age 2!

We went to her doctor check up this morning. Brantley weighs 22 lbs (10th percentile). She's 32.75" tall (25th percentile). Her head is 19.25" around. She is still wearing size 3 diapers. Wearing between a size 5 and 6 shoes. Size 18 months and some 2T clothes. Pants are still and probably always will be a struggle for me to buy because of how skinny she is. I'm looking forward to the weather warming back up so I can buy her 12 month shorts and they will probably fit perfectly and I won't have to worry about them being too short like I do with the pants. She no longer has a pacifier and has finally forgotten about it and doesn't ask for it at all anymore. Naps are still a little hard without the pacy but usually she goes on to sleep after talking and looking at books in her bed for 5-30 minutes, just depending on the day. Bedtime is much easier! She is typically really tired and ready to be in bed by the time we say she needs to go to bed. She's still a very good sleeper and for that I am truly thankful.

Brantley has A LOT to say and is talking all the time these days. Some of her phrases are totally cute and I wish I could record them all and post them to the blog but I'm not sure I can do it. She can sing her ABC's, Twinkle-Twinkle, Jesus Loves Me and The Wheels on the Bus. I've noticed lately that when we're listening to music in her room and having one of our dance parties, she was occasionally sing along with the guy on the ipod and it's not common songs that everyone knows. My mom gave us a CD back when she was still a baby that is full of really fun Christian based kid songs and BR loves the music. So my point is that after listening to that CD for almost 2 years she is starting to learn the words to the songs and sing along. Pretty cute! Oh and she'll tell us, "I smart mommy!" and my response is always, "yes, you are smart!"

Brantley is very much into Tinkerbelle these days and still likes Elmo but doesn't love to just sit and watch Sesame Street all that much. She more likes it as background noise while she's playing with something else. She likes Calliou and Barney as well but we don't watch them as much because of the time of day they are on TV. She will request to watch Tinkerbelle or Gnomeo and Juliet a least once a day. Yesterday, she watched Jungle Book for the first time, since this week in preschool we are learning about the jungle. I think she liked it although she really only paid attention during the singing parts. She talked about the animals and know understands the difference between and lion and a tiger. For some reason she has been calling the both a lion for a while now.

I really wish I had some pictures to share but as of right now we haven't taken any 2 year old pictures. Tomorrow is her birthday party so I'm hoping to get some really cute pictures of her there and maybe before the party while she is in her cute outfit I made for her. I do have some videos of her riding her new tricycle yesterday for the first time but they are still on the camera. I'll have to upload those pictures and videos, along with all the pictures from tomorrow and then do a big picture post.

Brantley Rae is a delight to be around and I don't know what Chase and I would do without her. She brings so much joy to everyone around her! The more she learns and grows, the more and more we fall in love with her even deeper. She is a special little girl and I'm so glad God gave her to us to love and care for. :o)

Here is a video of Chase and I and our parents singing Happy Birthday to Brantley at dinner last Saturday night on her actual birthday. She is so stinkin' cute!!

My Big Fat Belly - 23 Weeks