Flowers, Toxic Dogs, and Baby Stuff

 25 weeks, 4 days. And yes, I am doing 'air heels' in this photo, because I usually always wear platforms or heels of some sort, so when I'm in a photo and I don't have my shoes on I just automatically make myself three inches taller.


Another busy and successful weekend...Minus the fact that Tater rolled in poison not once, but twice...but I'll get to that later.

I got to plant some more flowers this weekend, which was much more fun than completely cleaning out and sweeping the garage (which I also undertook). I have an obsession with potting flowers in pots. I don't know what it is... but they are easy to throw together, look adorable, and don't need a lot of maintenance. I planted some violas for two reasons...1.) They were insanely cheap, to be precise, all those flowers cost $2.64.  2.) They can withstand a light frost (yes I'm still paranoid about frost, and will be until May safely arrives).

My vegetable plants got to have a nice vacation outside this weekend. And I bought a raspberry bush which I am very excited about. They come back every year and can kind of get out of control. When I saw them at Home Depot, I squealed with delight and to my total surprise Bjorn told me to throw one in the cart. I would have thrown one in either way, but it's nice to be supported in my overall craziness.

What's happening in this photo below? What could Bjorn be doing? Is that poison (a.k.a. Roundup) that he's spraying on unwanted grass growing in the rocks and wood chips? Why yes, that is vegetation killer. Anyone who owns a dog knows that dogs sometimes like to roll around in gross things (like dead animals), because they like the scent of it. I've caught Vesper rolling around on a dead mouse before, and Tater will even roll on bones (that I cook and give him) and treats. Well why not roll around in poison? Yes I caught Tater ROLLING AROUND IN POISON. What is wrong with this dog? It doesn't even smell good, and isn't a smell most dogs would be enticed with...thank goodness Vesper will have nothing to do with it. So I immediately yelled at him and he came cowering in the house and went right down for a bath (thanks husband!). Then I started to panic a bit because I had been trying to sniff Tater to really make sure I was smelling poison (and Bjorn confirmed it with his own nose), well then in turn poison touched my mouth and nose. Normally I would just shrug it off and wash my face, but instead I freaked out a bit because I'm pregnant. So I washed my faced and then let myself worry until the next morning.

Then the next afternoon when I let the dogs out I was keeping an eye on Tater, because I didn't want a repeat of the above mentioned episode. Well...I walked away for about 30 seconds to grab something in the kitchen, and where do I find Tater upon my return? ROLLING AROUND IN POISON. Seriously? Yup, he's covered in now dead grass and poison. Down he goes again for a bath (thanks again husband!). Besides that he also pooped in Bjorn's parents house and our house this weekend. Then on Saturday he was being super needy and clingy to me, and if I left him in the house when I briefly went outside to take photos of flowers and what not, he would go ballistic in the house crying and barking. I'll look at this positively and say that it's just preparing me for parenting a human child. Good thing he's so darn cute and lovable. Bjorn was pretty mad at him too but each time he gave him a bath I could hear him talking sweetly and calmly to Tater.

Our front door got its second make over this weekend. I figured if Tatiana gets a sweet sign with her name then our house should too. It was so easy and quick to throw together. My only concern is that the sun will majorly fade the fabric...and then I guess I'll just have to make another!

This Friday Uber Baby in St.Louis Park opened. Everything there is super cute, and most of it is locally made. It's also kind of expensive (and by kind of, I mean onesies that cost $30+ that I could make myself for a few bucks), think hairbows that go on Etsy.com for $2.50, for $10+. Anyway they had some cute wooden cars and trains, and darn it why can't girls play with cars? Yeah...that's right! I can already envision my baby stuffing the wheel of the car directly into her mouth and drooling all over it.

I finished a valance for Tatiana's room. I guess I was going for an asymmetrical look, but I really don't like it at all. I'm gonna make another. But this proved that I can indeed make a valance. Does anyone want this valance? It's about 53" long and contains 4 Amy Butler fabrics and 2 Michael Miller fabrics.

My daughter still has a little over 14 weeks of baking to do in my oven, and she already has her first tricycle. Yes, Nana is already completely spoiling her!

And now this photo, just because it's cute.

And now I leave you with my insane dogs...just in case you were wondering, Tater is in between his first and second bath in these photos.

Pretty little things for pretty little girls.

First off before I post some eye candy...one week from now is April the 14th...which means...

1.) It's my birthday!! Not sure what's so exciting about that, because it just means I'm getting older...and in my family birthdays were never made a big deal of. But I'm hoping my hubby (HINT HINT HUSBAND) will have something nice in store for me.

2.) We have our Centering Pregnancy monthly class. Which is always a lot of fun and there are 4 other couples besides us who are all also due in July. It's fun to see everyone's progress!

3.) We hit the double digits! This means...we only have 99 days left until Tatiana's due date!

Okay now...pretty little things for pretty little girls...

On Easter Bjorn's aunt presented this to me. I was so surprised and happy. It's T's first piece of real jewelry, and it's customized! One benefit of finding out the gender and sharing your baby name! She bought the sterling silver bracelet in Mexico on her vacation and had it engraved up here in Minnesota. I LOVE it.

Next....a silly little cupcake magnet. Bjorn's mom has been calling Tatiana 'cupcake' from day 1. So when I saw this magnet I knew I had to get one for her and I. I can't wait to put her first out of the womb baby photo in it.




Now....GASP....I sewed up something for a baby other than Tatiana! However her name does rhyme with Tatiana, and she is due to arrive in the world a couple weeks after Tatiana.

P.S. I've decided that no one, especially fathers, should comment on a pregnant woman's weight gain and the possibility of weight loss after birth. In the future....Commenting in any sort of way on this may result in a hormonal outburst or childish act of slapping. Thanks.

Weekend Projects

We had a busy weekend. First of all we finally got the new storm door I've wanted for about a year now! We already had a storm door (was there when we moved in) but it was older, and a bit damaged on the inside. Plus we never switched the glass out for the screen in the summer because we have two dogs and didn't want the screen ruined. Our new door is mostly glass, unlike our previous one, anddddddd....the best part is, you never have to switch out the glass and screen...why? Because the top part of the glass slides down and a screen magically rolls down. We never have to switch anything out, worry about the dogs ruining the screen, and I can finally let fresh air in through the front door. It took Bjorn and our neighbor about 5 hours to install it! And from what others have told me this is not completely unusual... we saved $97 by not having it professionally installed, but it sure made for a crabby husband!

By the way, our neighbors are AMAZING. They are always so helpful, I love our neighborhood! When we were at Home Depot Bjorn realized neither of us had measured the width of the door (they're usually always 32" or 36")...newer homes have a standard 36" but since our home is from 1973 there was a possibility it could have been 32". One quick call to one of our neighbors and he measured the door and said he'd help install it. Can't beat that!

I have a red front door fetish...I love them....well honestly I love colorful front doors in general, but red ones really speak to me. When we bought our house the door was white (and the house numbers were nailed onto the door, UM, HIDEOUS) and there were no shutters, it was so BLAND. Now it pops. :)

My first outdoor flower pot of the year...these flowers are supposed to like a cooler temperature, so hopefully they make it.


So besides some outdoor home improvement adventures and baking for Easter I also got some sewing done. I am on a sewing kick again, I will go until I burn out, give it a break, then start all up again. Now that I'm getting more uncomfortable in my pregnancy though my stamina isn't as good and I get pretty sore and tired when sewing.

Here's what I accomplished this weekend...

   First up I finished the blanket that matches Tatiana's wall art I made. There are 11 different fabrics in this blanket, and 9 of them are from the Amy Butler line called 'Love.' It's so colorful and crazy, I've been referring to it as the acid trip blanket.

I hand embroidered our daughter's name on the blanket and plan on writing a special message to her in the remaining space (once I find my fabric marker...).

"Where's Tatiana?" ...I've been asking the dogs this for quite a few weeks now, and asking them about their "little sister Tatiana." I've been saying it so much that now when I ask Vesper "Where's Tatiana!?!?" she cocks her head to the side and gets excited, even though she has no idea what I'm talking about. I thought it was cute that she just so happened to lay down with her paw right next to her little sisters name.

Next up, a taggy blanket. These are little blankets that are supposed to be a tactile and interesting thing for baby to hold onto and play with. You can buy a pattern to make one, but they are pretty simple to make without one since it's just a square...or in my case a rectangle, which is what the fabric I had left over from my blanket allowed. Bjorn's mom has made a lot of these for babies in the family, and specifically Bjorn's nephew who is now 3 1/2 still LOVES his, it's a comfort item when it's bed time. These taggy blankets are known as a "minky" in the family, because on one side we always use minky fabric (which is a super soft velvety fabric). My favorite part is picking out all the cute ribbons to use.

Girly ribbons! Hearts, Eiffel towers, owls, lots of cupcakes (of course!), "Bon Jour", "le bebe." Lots of French themed ribbons in honor of her middle name.

Minky fabric side

Flannel fabric side

      So soft and cuddly.

And last up...the fabric I picked out for Tatiana's crib skirt and a matching crib sheet. Bjorn's mom is going to sew these up and I can't wait to see the finished product. I think this fabric will go great with the cupcake art work that will hang on the wall above the crib.

Last note...baby update: Wow while writing this she has been kicking really high up, at least 3 inches above my belly button and way to my right side. It scared me at first because she's never kicked that far over and high up. *Basking in pregnancy glory* :)   ...oh and this will be a fun game for me to play. Bjorn's cousins wife is also pregnant (yay!), she is 7 weeks behind me. Her baby shower is planned for 5 days before my due date...so I will either be, a.)huge and uncomfortable, b.)giving birth, c.)have a baby with me . Can't wait to see which it will be! With my luck though I'll be one of those women who goes 2 weeks over her due date...but only time will tell!

Easter Sunday 2010

 24 weeks, 3 days

We had a busy weekend!...before I go to bed I wanted to reflect on what a great time we had with family this year on Easter Sunday.  Great conversation and great food to celebrate a wonderful holiday...plus the weather was amazing! Felt more like May then April.

I'll start with the cute stuff... a.k.a. babies and kids!

Next...the tasty stuff....this is the coconut cake I made before it had its outer layer of whipped cream and coconut.

I was a little disappointed in the taste...not my style I guess. The recipe called for amaretto liquor and I thought it was overwhelming...I don't like any taste of alcohol in my desserts.

Jello I made...I love having an opportunity to use my trifle dish!


 Other yummy things made by others...

20 pound ham from the local farmer's market.

Happy Good Friday!

I have today off from work...it's pretty awesome. I slept till 9:30 and then got up and made a real breakfast...eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and toast. There's laundry in the wash machine and the dogs are lounging with me as I blog and watch HGTV (I love you, House Hunters). Later today I'm going fabric shopping with my mother in law to pick out some fabric for a skirt for Tatiana's crib.

So...remember that greenhouse seed kit? Yeah...well...Hi, my name is Christina and I have a vegetable garden in my kitchen! Okay these plants are growing WAY too fast, how is this possible? I had to replant some of them in pots, and now our patio door in the kitchen is surrounded by plants. The funny part to me is...Bjorn didn't even say anything. I don't know if he didn't notice, or just kind of glanced at it and thought, 'well this doesn't surprise me...' I'll wait and see if the plants make it...I hope they do. If not I'll be planting more seeds in my actual outdoor garden and buying some plants from a real greenhouse...all after we get our first and last frost, so hurry up frost, stop toying with my brain! On top of this, my hyacinth on the dining room table is now in full bloom and dang that thing smells STRONG. It doesn't smell bad, but I don't enjoy the smell of it. I'm pretty sure the dining area is wondering why I'm using it as a garden and not a cozy place to have romantic dinners (because those happen so often...hah).

Now on to cute things....

Tatiana's hair bow board is filling up FAST. All thanks to Etsy, and it's endless amount of handmade creations.

Here's the newest assortment I received from Etsy seller Glamorous Boutique . I LOVE the star, it's so adorable. The dinosaur might be my second favorite. With a purchase from this seller you receive a free hair clip too! The one she sent me is the adoooorable black flower, love it.

Vesper and Tater would like to give you a sneak peak of a blanket I'm working on for my little girl, T. It matches the artwork that has her name on it. I had a lot of left over fabric, so I thought I might as well use it up!

And now I will leave you with a photo of Tater looking absolutely ferocious while him and Vesper were wrestling.

Weekly Check In......24 weeks down, 16 to go!

Maternity Clothes: Yes...and dang they are expensive! If you don't want to buy $200+ maternity jeans, don't even bother going to A Pea in the Pod. I went to the one at the Galleria on Saturday, and immediately the sales girl was all over me, asking my size and grabbing jeans. I asked her how much the jeans she grabbed were, "$220" ...WOW, really? I asked if I could try some that were a bit more affordable, so she grabs some other ones, again I ask how much they are "$110"...SERIOUSLY? Then I asked if they had anything under $100, so we head to the very back of the store where they have some between $60 - $80. She was still all over me asking what sizes I wanted, and finally I told her I just wanted to look on my own. I'm uncomfortable enough with my new size without having someone follow me around constantly asking what size I want in every pair of jeans. I then proceeded to try on about 5 pairs. It was hot in there, plus I'm pregnant so my body temp is increased anyway, and needless to say I left the store sweaty and disgusted. Any of the jeans that looked anywhere near decent were about 5 to 6 inches too long. I can't justify spending $80 unless I really like the fit. So yesterday I went back to Motherhood Maternity (not my favorite store, I don't find too many things in there cute, and anything short sleeved is pretty much cap sleeved, which does
not look good on me) and got some jeans that actually fit right for $29.98.

Stretch Marks: Still praying it doesn't happen. Everything looks good for now...but a lot can happen in the 16 weeks left.

Sleep: Atleast 2, sometimes 3 potty breaks in the middle of the night. My whole body is achy and sore so I haven't been sleeping as well. It's now fairly warm outside too so I either sweat at night or we open a window to let cool air in, but then are constantly woken up by the dogs barking at every little noise they hear outside.

Movement: Yes, yes, and yes! A couple nights this week the kicks/punches were so intense they actually kind of scared me, but I loved it at the same time. I also felt her from the outside for the first time, which is a totally different and weird feeling.

Food Cravings/Aversions: Fruit pie...this craving needs to GO AWAY.

Gender: Pink.Pink.Pink.

Belly Button In or Out: In...and so is the belly ring.

What I Miss: Same things as last week...a nice glass of dry red wine, fitting into normal clothes and feeling cute. And a new one this week, not feeling super achy and sore all the time. Oh and being able to take ibuprofen when my back feels like it's about to go out.

What I am Looking Forward To: Easter weekend. And having tomorrow (Friday) off from work, wooohooo!

Best Moment This Week: So far...making more artwork for Tatiana's room.