~114~ 10 months and Crawling!

Happy New Year!

Our family had a wonderful Christmas and I hope all of you did too!

Celebrating Ethan’s 1st Christmas was so magically and I’m so glad that I have my new camera to hold onto some of those special moments forever. 

We spent Christmas Eve at our house and Christmas Day at Jake’s parents’ house before we left for Minneapolis. We then spent a long weekend in MN with my family and friends.  Ethan even got to meet his new friend Ryan who was born just a little over a month after Ethan. (Their original due dates were only 6 days apart!)

When we got back, we had Ethan’s 9 month appointment - which was a bit delayed since he was almost 10months old by the time we got it scheduled. His doctor confirmed that he’s perfect, just like we know he is. 

Weight: 16.2lbs (6%)

Length: 26.5in (5%)

Teeth: 
2! His first tooth sprouted the week before Christmas. We almost didn’t even notice it at first because it didn’t seem to bother him at all! The second one popped up shortly after.

What Ethan’s Eating:
There really isn’t much he isn’t eating. Of course no honey until after 1, and I’ve also been leery of introducing strawberries and grapes, and will probably wait another month or so. He is eating solids at daycare everyday - typically a mixture of fruits and veggies. At home he typically eats dinner with us 5 out of 7 nights. 

Milestones: 

Ethan started crawling on Thursday, December 10. We initially called it the “Airplane” crawl since he paused between each scoot and kicked his feet while spreading his arms out to his sides and flapping them up and down. It may look silly, but let me tell you-he gets where he wants to go pretty quickly!  By Christmas, he was full-on crawling and get where and what he wants a lot faster than you’d think!

Today, he also started pulling himself up for the first time. We had a feeling it would be soon since he had started hanging on to our ottoman from his knees and trying to pull up, but not quite having the guts to go for it. Well, while I was taking his 10 month pictures in his crib he went for it! Needless to say as soon as we were done, we lowered the mattress.

Activities: 

1. Christmas!

Like I said, we celebrated Christmas eve and day here in IA with Jake’s family. It was lovely and a great way to celebrate Ethan’s 1st Christmas! After spending Christmas morning at Jake’s parents’ house, we drove up to MN and spent the extended weekend there with my family. Lots of quality time together, good food, and relaxation!

Ethan of course was beyond spoiled and our house is now bursting with new toys.  His new favorites are the Sit and Stand Walker, an elephant he can ride, and a Little People Zoo.

2. New Year’s Eve.  
It’s crazy to me that it’s now a different year than when Ethan was born. We had a great New Year’s Eve at a friend’s house with all of the kids. Ethan didn’t quite make it until midnight, but had a blast staying up later than usual.  He also gave us quite the gift by sleeping in until 11:30am the next day! (He certainly takes after mom in that department).

~92~ Christmas Recap & 24 weeks

Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas as we did.  Of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without a little crafting and baking involved.  Per usual, I made frosted sugar cookies to bring to school and to our Christmas celebrations.  Each year, I feel like I refine my technique and make better and better looking cookies.  Here's what the last 2 years looked like

and now, this year's

In addition to cookies, I also made a gift box of blank, any occasion cards, which were specifically requested.  I decided to create 5 different designs and make 4 of each.  I also wanted to make sure I had a variety of styles and color designs. 

Finally, I wanted to include a box to house all of the cards and envelopes together.  I have made card boxes before, but they were stand up boxes, and for this project, I wanted a more traditionally looking box.  I contemplated finding and buying one, but then ultimately decided to try making one.  I had some sturdy black card stock left over from my cousin's wedding invitations, so I used that for the base and then covered it with some pretty paper that I had received from my secret santa at school.  The final touch was adding adhesive velcro so that the box could be held shut and easily opened. 

I also just got done making some thank you cards for our family and friends who spoiled us this year. 

Our Christmas celebrations officially started on the Tuesday before when we drove up to Minneapolis to celebrate with my side of the family.  As usual, on Christmas Eve, I made Swedish meatballs - a much anticipated staple in our evening feast.  Unfortunately, much of my family was battle illness, and my nephew was unable to join us.  Thankfully, with the technology of Skype, we were still able to "see" and wish each other a Merry Christmas.  

The best part of that night was a surprise Jake had been keeping from me.  Traditionally, we spend Christmas Eve with my side in Minneapolis, and then hurry home early Christmas Day to be with Jake's side of the family.  However, this year, Jake arranged for us to stay at my parents for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so that I could see my aunt, uncle, and cousin who were coming Christmas afternoon, and live in Baltimore.  

I've always been particularly close to them, and what made this year even more special was the announcement that my cousin is expecting a baby in June!  I was incredibly touched by Jake's gift to me!  It was so special getting to see and share in the excitement with my cousin, especially since we realized it would most likely be over a year until we'd get to see each other again-due to busy schedules and both of us having newborns.  

The day after Christmas brought another fun-filled day with family as we traveled back to Iowa to be with Jake's side of the family.  We ate lots of delicious food, opened presents, and played a couple of games. 

I don't know what Jake or I did this year, that got us on the nice list, but we were beyond spoiled this year-by our families, and each other!  

Here are some of the highlights: 

A new bathmat for our master bathroom from my grandma.  We finished it off by getting a plush grey rug and a new scale.

Lots of crafting gear, including a crafter's encyclopedia, chalkboard craft paper, "The First Few Years" cricut cartridge, and a new embossing folder for my cuttlebug.  Side note: the Anna Griffin embossing folders are awesome! 

 Most of her designs are A7 (5x7) sized, which have been hard for me to find.  In addition, they tend to have more modern designs and include not only an A7 folder, but a border as well. 

Even with our limited amount of time, and time tight schedule, I always make time to see my BFF, Lauren.  She was able to come over for about an hour on Christmas Eve, when we caught up on our lives, and chatted about the Serial podcast, and exchanged gifts.  One of the items she gave me is this beautiful trivet that she got from the Korean Heritage House in St. Paul, MN, which is run by our dance instructor from Korean Culture Camp days.  I absolutely love it!

From my parents, I got a new computer bag that I desperately wanted.  The one I currently had was worn and starting to fall apart.  It was also very "college-student-esque" in style and I wanted something that looked more grown up and professional.  

It's a beautiful black quilted bag with lots of pockets, including one specifically for my laptop.  One of the first things I did when we got home was transfer everything from the old bag to my new one.  

Aside from my unexpected surprise, my favorite gifts were necklaces.  One was from Santa and features a beautiful pearl sitting underneath an iridescent bead.  The other is from Jake and features the Korean Hangul lettering for mom, or "Umma".  For many years, I had a similar necklace that I bought at KCC and said, "peace", which I sadly lost during one of our trips to Vegas.  the best part of the necklace is the adjustable chain that Jake bought from our favorite jeweler.  The chain easily adjusts to a longer or shorter chain and has a cute, tiny heart on the end.

Of course, Jake and I weren't the only ones who were spoiled this Christmas.  Baby H got quite a lot as well.  My aunt and uncle gave him an Iowa State knit blanket and hat, which goes perfectly the ISU onesies Jake got from his secret santa at work.  Baby H also got a bunch of books from my brother and sister-in-law which were some of my nephew's favorites.  Jake's uncle, got him a Walking Dead onesie, and lastly, Santa got him some adorable knit booties. 

Christmas Eve also marked my 24th week of pregnancy.  This week is significant, as it is the first milestone of viability.  This means that if I were to go into labor early, and Baby H were born, his chance of survival would be more than 50%.  While this provides a sense of relief and comfort, we certainly hope that he keeps baking for at least 13 more weeks. 

My brother, SIL, and nephew hadn't seen me in over 7 weeks, so my bump was one of the first things they noticed.  Even compared to 4 weeks ago at Thanksgiving, there was a noticeable difference for my parents and grandma. 

Monday we have our last appointment of the calendar year.  Our 1st appointment in January will include my glucose challenge test (hopefully I'll pass with flying colors!), and then our appointments will be scheduled every 2 weeks, as I'll move into the 3rd trimester!

~66~ Gifts for a Baker

If all you had to get to know me were the gifts I received for Christmas, it'd be safe to say that you'd be able to determine that I like to bake.  Here's what I got: 

1. 4 Cookie Sheets

2. A new cake knife/spatula

3. Angled spatula

4. New revolving spice rack that measures out a 1/4 tsp at a time.

4. Christmas cookie cutters
 I've already put to good use the cookie sheets, cookie cutters, and spice rack making sugar cookies for our New Year's Eve party.

And best of all: 

A Wilton cake decorating class at JoAnns.  I have always wanted to take one, but have never taken the initiative.  Jake got it for me and has even agreed to take the course with me :)  I can't wait!

~65~ First Christmas in our Home

One of the many things I love about owning a home is decorating for Christmas.  While I was able to decorate in the apartment, the options were much more limited.  The best part about this year's Christmas decor was getting a live Christmas tree, something I haven't had in at least 6 years.  We picked ours up the weekend after Thanksgiving from Costco after a tip from a friend.  It is a beautiful 7' Fraiser Fir.  I'm still figuring out how to decorate/light a tree since the last 5 years we've had a pre lit one, so this year was somewhat of a learning year.  I'm thinking next year we're going to stick to all white lights and a general color scheme of red/white/silver.

In addition to the tree upstairs, we added some Christmas items to our console table and side coffee table. 

In addition to our tree, we also bought a gorgeous pre lit garland for our downstairs mantle. Our mantle is probably my favorite part look.  In my planter I change out the flowers seasonally and currently have red and white poinsettias.  I also have the sled that I painted last year, a silver reindeer from Kohls and a "Noel" sled that I picked up on the way home from a Vikings game. 

Perhaps the best part of being in our new house at Christmas is getting to host Christmas dinner.  Traditionally, we have spent Christmas Eve in Minneapolis with my side of the family and Christmas day with Jake's side of the family.  However, this year, due to work schedules, we celebrated with my family in Minneapolis the weekend before Christmas.  So, this year, on Christmas Eve it was going to be just Jake and I celebrating together-starting new traditions.  That is, until my Mother-In-Law called Christmas Eve morning to ask our invitation (that they had declined a couple days prior) to come eat dinner at our house was still open.  I of course said, "yes!".  Not only were they coming, but so were Jake's brother, his girlfriend, Jake's grandma, and uncle.  I had never made Christmas dinner before, let alone cooked a full meal for 8 people, but I was up for the challenge.  

I quickly jumped into action and began getting things ready.  It has always been tradition to eat Swedish meatballs, Swedish sausage, mashed potatoes/gravy, spinach soufflé, and rice pudding on Christmas eve, and I so that was the menu.  Thanks to many, many phone calls to my mom asking how exactly everything is done, the food was ready, and turned out perfectly (if I do say so myself).   While I do hope to spend many Christmas Eve's in Minneapolis as tradition usually dictates, it was so much fun having Jake's family over and sharing more of how I grew up celebrating Christmas, and I'm looking forward to doing it again in future years. 

How do you celebrate Christmas? What's your favorite decoration?

Until next time, 

~47~ C is for...

Cookie, Cards, and Christmas!!

In my world, it just wouldn't be Christmas without cookies or cards.  This past Sunday, I went a little bake happy and made a TON of cookies!  As mentioned in last years cookie post, making cookies each holiday season is a matter of tradition.  This year is no exception.  My "go-tos" are frosted sugar cookies, white chocolate cherry shortbread, and spritz cookies.  They are easy to make and oh so delicious! I generally make cookies to bring to Christmas, share at school, and give to friends.  This year, we had 2 snow days right before winter break started, so I didn't get to take any cookies to work, AND I forgot the plate of cookies I was supposed to bring to my family's Christmas celebration.  However, Jake's family enjoyed them!

Last year, Jake and I did not send out homemade Christmas cards as I have become accustomed to, since we decided to use our wedding photos instead.  With a little Pinspiration, I am back to my hand made cards.  I think they turned out pretty darn cute!

What other "C" things do you associate with Christmas?

~46~ Christmas Crafts

This weekend, I spent most of the time working on Christmas crafts.  The first two projects were inspirations taken from Pinterest.  I've had them on my list of "to dos" but haven't had the time to work on them until now.

I've had my wedding bouquet drying on my music stand since I brought it home almost a year and a half ago.  It was a beautiful arrangement and I'm so sad that it preserve in the way that I'd hoped.  Someday, I plan to recreate it in silks so that I can display it in a vase in my home.  In the meantime, I haven't had the heart to just throw my bouquet away.  

This project seemed like the perfect way to preserve those special petals.  I had a couple clear ornament balls left over from years past, so I filled that with a combination of the blue and white petals.  Then I used blue acrylic paint to paint on the same monogram used on our wedding day.  I finished it off with a silver ribbon and tada!  A beautiful new ornament for our tree that will forever be a keepsake from that amazing day. 

The second project was a sign similar to the baby stats wall hanging that I posted about a while back. I was inspired by a "ho, ho, ho" sign I had pinned on Pinterest.  All of them were painted using acrylic paint.  The circles, stars, and letters were stenciled on with cutouts using my Cricut machine.  The circle is from George and Basic Shapes, the star is from Winter Frolic, and the letters are from All Mixed Up. The background colors were painted first, then the shapes, and finally the letters.  I hung the 3 signs using grosgrain ribbon I got on Black Friday at JoAnns. 

The final project was a decorative sled.  I picked up a blank one at Michaels a few weeks ago while looking for a wooden tray to paint for a Christmas present.  The words were cut and stenciled on using the All Mixed Up cartridge.  The snowmen are from the Winter Frolic.  I feel that the base of the sled is missing something.  I think that I will add some snow under the snowmen and some snow flakes above them.  What do you think?

What Christmas crafts are you currently working on or inspired by?

I'm off to go bake some sugar cookies, until next time-