Halloween Pinterest

So tomorrow night we will be taking Emmalee to her grandma's house to go trick or treating and we will probably take her to a couple important peoples houses in Plymouth as well. She's too young to actually go trick or treating but she's getting dressed up and I know some people who want to snuggle her...

But in an effort to regain some of the Halloween love, here's my favorite Halloween pins! Enjoy!

Halloween Weekened, past and present.

So up until this year, I have spent the last few (almost remembered) Halloweens, and the weekends preceding, dressed up/at a bar/at a friends house drinking/roaming the streets of Bridgewater. Even last year I was decked out as a red power ranger, drinking Shirley temples at 8 weeks pregnant.

Am I a bit cynical this year because I wont be partaking in any of the festivities? Maybe a bit but on a scale of slut costume to amazing new daughter, I choose the baby. It is my own fault I guess, I could get a baby sitter and go to a bar. I could drop Emma off at my mom's and go to downtown Plymouth but why?

It's no secret that when you're the only one in your group of friends with a baby (oh and a husband who works opposite shifts and no local babysitter), things change. Why would I go out of my way so I can attempt to pretend I'm still pre-baby weight in an uncomfortable costume spending money on drinks while being surrounded by people who talk about each other but then pretend to be friends with each other so they have someone to get drinks with while they're dressed in ridiculous costumes? ::did you follow that?:: It just doesn't make sense to me.

Do I usually love Halloween? Yes. Do I feel like I've outgrown that stage of Halloween? Yes. What stage is that? Oh let's take a trip down memory lane...

...Ahhh the age of drinking from a red cup...

But seriously, that's what my Halloween weekend used to look like and this year, I'm watching Hocus Posuc curled up on the couch with the 4 month old, drinking apple cider and breaking into the Halloween candy. So here's some more pictures of past Halloween's that are a little more slowed down to this years speed...

..our first Halloween together...

And honestly, I'm excited that this is what my Halloween is going to get back to. In the next few years I'll be walking alongside my husband and daughter as we ring door bells and yell Trick or Treat and the Friday night before Halloween will probably be spent in an elementary school gymnasium listening to far too many kids screaming at each other so that Emmalee can hang out with her friends. As of now, Halloween is no longer about us, it's about her, and I love it. 

It's 9:15 on the Saturday night before Halloween. My dishes are washed, my laundry is folded, Emma is asleep and I am going to take a nice hot shower and crawl into my warm bed. Have fun wearing your lingerie/costume in this storm and I'll cross my fingers you end up with treats and not tricks. 

I Did It Myself!

Ok... so maybe Dave wanted to help, but mostly by myself!

A couple days ago, I blogged about making some cheap DIY art, courtesy of my Pinterest-inspiration! Welp, here you go...

Inspiration:

Our Version:

The Inspiration:

Our Version:

The Inspiration:

Our Version:

They're not amazing but I'm not an artist so who cares! The place looks better, more lived in, and I am thrilled with the final outcomes!

It's official...

I am one of those moms. And the worst part is, I'm such a hypocrite about it.

It seriously used to drive me crazy when I would see people whose Facebook became overrun by their kids:
Seriously, you're kid is cute but I don't really want to see them in every outfit they own nor do I want to see the first time they use the big boy potty (and yes, someone posted it in all its glory one day); I don't care about every single bowel movement you have during your pregnancy. If your status is a running dialogue of everything you did in the past two hours with your baby, I don't really care, but I do it too!!


Ok, so I'm not nearly as bad as those examples, and yes they do happen... please visit one of the greatest blogs ever for some more examples, but I have become one of those moms. I don't put up pictures of Emmalee's diapers or me breastfeeding her, but we have tubby pictures, while demurely covered in a Babies R Us washcloth. I don't do a running commentary but if we're friends on Facebook, you know that she's hit some major developmental milestones already.


I think my daughter is so stinkin cute that I just feel the need to share with the world. Not to be like, my kid is cuter than yours but because I hope she can make you smile as much as she makes me smile and honestly, based on the outpouring of comments and "likes" I have to think the world agrees. But I need to know, are my postings "cute" and "adorable" and "the bright spot of your day", or have I become a Facebook mommy-jacker? (And if you don't get the reference... click that link above!)

And...

We've reverted back to the old name of "Keeping Up With the Giffords". It makes me giggle everytime I hear it, thinking fondly of my friend's original tagline when I told her: "The Kardashian's have nothing on us!" and I feel like it really just captures what I write about more than anything else.  While I will continue to review products and have giveaways, I'm just happier with the original name. :)

String bean & DIY

So we had Emmalee's official 4 month check up today, the girl is a champ when it comes to her vaccines... She took the liquid rotovirus no problem, actually trying to hold it herself. It wasn't until the shot went into her leg that she looked at me with the pouty bottom lip and then the second shot was the wail but as soon as I scooped her up, she stopped. I guess I'm a good comfort for her!

She is now 14 lbs and 6 oz which is exactly 6 lbs up from when she was born. This puts her the 50th percentile for her weight. Dr says she's growing and developing just fine, just means she'll be a bit of a peanut!

She is also 26 inches long now, putting her in the 90th percentile for height! Tall and skinny... my little string bean!

He was impressed with her motor skills, commenting on how long she supports weight on her legs and the fact that she can pull her knees under her. He is still slightly concerned about the shape of her head but is impressed with the improvement it's made so we are supposed to just keep using the noggin nest (when not asleep) and propping her onto her left side when she is sleeping. We need to keep her on her belly as much as possible to reduce the stress on the back of her head on the right hand side. If it does not continue to correct itself we will have to discuss options like a helmet but he doesn't think we will need it because of the improvement she's already made. :)

Also, today marks the day I start to actually decorate our place. I have been waiting for a day off to go buy all the supplies I want. I am a closet art geek and there is no way I can afford the art I want but I'm gong to attempt to make some. Yep, my DIY skills are coming out. Here's some of my inspiration pieces:

We'll see how they come out!

Guest Post: Emmalee!

Welcome to Emmalee's first post!

Ok, maybe not really...

...ok so she can't type, or even speak yet, but it's her toy so I figure'd I would let her have a moment!

We were contacted by Lamaze to test out their new Tummy Time Air Mat and we obviously jumped at the chance! The mat itself if extremely soft and comfortable and the bright designs kept Emmalee's attention. When we did tummy time before she would cry after about 5 minutes or, more recently, just roll over so she didn't have to do it anymore. We were going on almost 20 minutes when I finally picked her up. I loved the mesh (read:breathable) support structure that kept her elevated. I think that may be what made the difference.  The great thing is that it's repositional so you can move it to either end. My favorite part of the whole mat is the stand up sun mirror! Emmalee is so enthralled with the baby in the mirror, it's nice to have something safe, and soft!, that I can put in the floor with her, rather than holding her up to the wall! Guess what her favorite part of it is....

If you can't tell... she LOVES that little crinkly piece of corn. :) She gets pretty upset because its on 1/2 inch piece of fabric so she can't get it all the way up to her mouth. Other than the piece of corn, its perfect! We keep it set up and she spends a good amount of each day on it; if you have a small child I highly recommend it!! (Disclaimer:: Although we were given this tummy time mat in exchange for our review, all opinions are our own!)

As much as she loves the crinkly piece of corn, we are lucky enough that we have a crinkly elephant from Bright Starts so she has been playing with that the past few days and because it's not attached to anything, she can put it right in her mouth, which is where everything is going these days. Her bottom gums on the left side is looking whitish and she's super drooly so she may have started the teething process! Hopefully we still have a few months before they try and pop out!

And I need help!

These are her favorite little shoes. They stay on longer than any pair of socks we have buuuuut even though they fit now, I cant imagine her fitting into these newborn shoes much longer.  Shes got little feet! They were given as a gift and I don't know where they were bought or where I can find more! The back has an elastic band so they're stretchy.. I don't even know what to call them in order to Google them! If you have any idea or know where I can find them, let me know! I need to keep those little piggies warm in the next few months!

Button, button, whose got the button?

So I was asked today if someone could put my button on their sidebar and immediately I thought...

"Ummmmmmmmmmm, I don't have a button. Boo."

So I guess I need to make one.
Any thoughts? Suggestions?
Where/how did you make yours?

I'd love some help! Thanks!

4 months!

Happy 4 months little girl!

You laugh, giggle and screech in excitement.

You can roll from back to front... and front to back. You're already pulling your knees under you, you can sit up if I support you, and you can support your weight on your legs for a bit when you stand.

You are just starting to find your feet... and your tongue. You are always sticking it out.

Bailey seems to be your best friend, other than that other baby in the mirror-- you love her! Other best friends include Mr. Octopus and Mr. Duck, from the bathtub, your giraffe friend and your Doodlebug!

You tell the best stories. Your eyes light up and have the best punch lines. Mommy and Daddy always end up laughing at your tales!

You still prefer mommy and daddy's bed over your own crib. And mommy keeps falling asleep while feeding you so this could keep going for a while.

You are getting so big and you are so alert and aware of the world around you. I love watching you discover new things.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Details

{The Paper Mama is doing her weekly Photo Challenge and I haven't participated yet but I took this picture of the bug with her baby pumpkin and after seeing that this week's theme is "Little Details" I thought it would be perfect to submit!}

And on to Wordless Wednesday....

{I love watching her brain grow and develop as she discovers new things!}