hold me to the sky

This one, this little man has been giving me fits lately. My will has been tested time and time again. He has my stubborn streak and he can fit for hours. We are still feeling around for a discipline that is a good fit for him and us. In the meantime we are just trying to stay sane!

This morning he climbed in my lab while we were playing on the floor. He just wanted to be there being loved by his mom. These days and moments are fleeting, both the good and the bad.

This week in bible study we talked about times in our lives when a scripture verse just came to us and this was one of these moments. As I looked on the precious little boy these words came to mind.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
James 1:17

My son is not perfect, but he is definately a gift from God! God, please help me remember that in the midst of the trials of parenting him.

just right

My friend M over at the every day suggested I record Ella Bella's measurements for posterity. She is so fluffy and delicious and I just love who she is today. I love how she wiggles in absolute delight when you hold her and how she she just melts at the sight of her brother or baby doll.

47 cm around her tummy,
30 cm around EACH of her gorgeous, chunky thighs
46 cm head circumference
29 inches long
I don't know how much she weighs, I am guessing 22-24lbs.

She is just right.

*For comparison, my upperarm is 25cm around (less than her thighs), and my thigh is 47cm around (same as her tummy).

snow day

Winter has finally arrived with a light dusting of snow. I prefer the 70 degree days of sunshine (sorry J!) and I hope they return soon.

skunk

It was cold and I didn't have a snowsuit for Ella Bella. At least that is the story I am sticking too. Of course, the photos of Moo (below) were taken in May, so then it was purely for my amusement...

playmates

I have been waiting for this day for months, a time where my 2 kids would play together nicely for a minute or 2. Moo must have had an extraordinary amount of toddler patience as they played for a good hour. She slobbered on the toys and knocked things over, he chatted quietly and showed her how it all worked. Awww... it won't be long before they are fighting over toys and I am the referee...

*Also, check out the belly on Ella Bella. And the thighs. Hehe. I have officially given up on pants for her, they just will not go past her dimply knees.

crafting from the stash: sweater skirt

This didn't work as planned. I was trying to make a skirt for Ella Bella. I used the directions here. The directions are very well written, but I severely underestimated the stretchiness of the sweater. I sewed it according to the directions first, but it was way to big in the waist. I took it in 6 inches and it's still too big... for BOTH my kids. So maybe third time is a charm?

It was really easy though, maybe 10 minutes to sew together... ummm... each time. I will try it again, just take into account the stretchiness of the fabric.

8 months

Ella Bella Chunka Monka celebrated the big eight months yesterday. Ok, to be honest, I completely forgot about it being a month-day. My friend, M, reminded me. She is one of many of my friends who had a baby on the 8th of the month in 2008. Anyways...

Current raves:
- loves her brother. Even though he gave her that bruise under her eye today. Sigh.
- Is in the "my parents rock my world" phase and wiggles and smiles and laughs when she catches a glimpse of us.
- Loves to eat. Anything. Everything.*
-She has completely done away with me and slurps her 7oz bottle dry in about 6 minutes. She weighs about 20 lbs, so proportionately... it would be like me drinking 49 ounces of milk in 6 minutes. Gross!
- Loves to go to bed (I KNOW!!!) She smiles and wiggles when we lay her down and then just sleeps. A lot. From 8pm to 8am, plus 2 2 plus hour naps during the day.
- Babbles constantly. A ba ba ba, Ah Da da da, and eeeeeeeeeeeeeee. It's mama when she is sad.
-Has no interest in crawling or any other gross motor skill. She is fine with just sitting.
- Has SIX teeth. FOUR of which she cut in the past week!

Current "no thank yous"
- Blueberries. She eats them but does a full body spasm in disdain.
- Her brother hitting her with toys.
- Ok, thats it. She is really happy and easy going.

I am so thankful for this little girl. What an amazing blessing form a year ago when we didn't know if she would make it to being born without lots of medical intervention. God has blessed us abundantly with her.

crafting from the stash: loopy ribbon ball

This is a fun, easy, and fast craft. It took me longer to stuff the ball than to cut the pieces and sew it together. I will definitely be whipping up a few more for baby gifts!

Here is a link to a tutorial that got me started:How to Sew a Ball

I enlarged the pattern using photoshop until it was about 6 inches in height. I pinned 3 inch ribbons in place and then followed the directions as given. I opted for using fabric glue to attach the circles to the end of the ball, I can always go back and stitch over it later. Total time, about 45 minutes. Happy Crafting!