These Are A Few Of My Favourite...Blogs

I have been so busy browsing old favorite blogs and finding new favorites ones, that I have neglected my own! I am completely absorbed in the season of fall and everything that comes with it - baking, crafting, outings, etc.

Care to know where I lose myself when little O is sleeping. Here are some of my daily must visits:

http://www.monpetitamourblog.com/
http://www.daffodildesign.com/
http://diaryofacraftaholic.blogspot.com/
http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/
http://www.joyshope.com/
http://blonde-designs.squarespace.com/
http://eoberrys.blogspot.com

Design- A- Crayon

Over the past couple of days, I have seen glimpses into what little "O" will be like as a toddler..and although some of this glimpses make me very, very nervous...I am also very excited! I look forward to the day (well, not too forward quite yet!) in which I can have conversations with my little man and we can engage in activities together that last longer than fifteen minutes!

As a child, one of my FAVORITE (and I will admit, still is!) activities was coloring. There is something about a pack of new crayons that seems to create a magnetic force around all children - big and small!.


Gone are the days where crayons come in one standard package and style...today, you can just about find them in any size, color, shape and form!
I absolutely LOVE the shop designcrayon on Etsy. You can find just about any type of design or character in the form of a crayon (not that you need any more incentive to sit down and color, right?).
All of these crayons are just perfect for little hands to grasp and to take off on paper along side their imaginations!

My favorite? the cosmo space alien crayons pictured above!

A Warm Tush

Summer can do some crazy things to you...including limit your time to blog! Now that we have officially entered the month of September, activities and visits are coming to and end and a normal routine is returning. Oh, how I love thee September.......

We are already feeling the cool, crisp air of fall return and I have been busy shopping (I know, such a chore!) for my little man's fall wardrobe. With this, has come the temptation of many, many Etsy items. One of my favorite items of the season that I have my eye on are wool diaper covers. Perfect, practical and adorable to keep your babe's bottom warm throughout the upcoming months. I am particularly considering buying the one posted in the picture above (bonus: matching leggings!) from this fabulous shop

I hope the hubs agrees....after all, it's all in the sake of a warm tush, right?

Wee Gallery Art Cards For Baby

I picked up these fabulous art cards from wee gallery for baby O this week from a little store in my hometown. I had read many things before baby O was born about the contrast between black and white images for babies and their relation to catering to their visual strength. Wee Gallery has many different collections that Mom's and Dad's can choose from, but I of course, could not resist the "Woodland Collection" to go right along with Baby O's nursery theme. Wee Gallery describes this collection as "a boxed set includes a deer, a fox, a hedgehog, a mouse, a raccoon and a woodpecker. Printed on sturdy board, these cards will stand up to baby's explorations. Each 5x7" card is beautifully finished with matte lamination and child-friendly rounded corners."

There are many different ways that you can get use out of these cards. Line them up in your babies crib to provide some play time while strengthening their neck muscles, create a DIY mobile to hang above the crib, or use them as flashcards for your toddler to learn the difference between their animals.

The cards were a hit with Baby O as you can see below! Grandpa also had a great time playing with them!

Baby Boy Chic

Now that summer has officially arrived, wedding season follows! We have a wedding to attend next week, and while little O is napping, I couldn't stop myself from jumping on Etsy to see if I could find any cute and appropriate wedding attire for our handsome little man to wear!

I stumbled upon rocknrags' shop, and simply LOVE this adorable little vest/tie/onesie combination! Gone are the days (and time) of layering for this mamma - so I love how you can simply slip it on your little man and still get a stylish, boy chic effect! Simply pair it with a pair of cargo's or khaki's and you are set!

It is too bad I did not find this before, however, I think this is a must purchase for future events!

His First Father's Day

My Husband and Baby O's Daddy celebrated his first Father's Day yesterday. The sun decided to come out and cooperate with us. Although the day was fairly relaxed - we spent the morning picking out his gift (a set of golf clubs from Baby O!)and then lunch spent at his favorite downtown "best kept secret" restaurant stuffing ourselves with a Canadian Classic,followed by a beautiful walk to a nearby park, an afternoon spent outside in the back yard in which a a BBQ supper followed, ending the day with a nice cold lime beer (by my husband of course, not me!)

I commend all the Daddy's out there - for they do not receive the recognition that is always deserved. I also took a moment yesterday to reflect on all the single father's out there. If you are interested in adding another blog to your follow list, you MUST add this one: matt, liz and madeline
His incredible story of loss, survival and celebration truly amazes and inspires me every day to become a better parent. He is an amazing father to his beautiful daughter, Madeline and has provided her with opportunities of a life time at such a young age...

To all your Daddy's out there, THANK YOU!

Rainy Day DIY: Table With Wood

Well it has been raining here for the past couple of days - leading to cabin fever for both me and the little man. When you can't get out and enjoy the nice fresh air, why not tackle a DIY project?!
I am a HUGE fan of DIY and get all "giddy" inside when I spot projects that catch my eye.I stumbled upon this particular project from the style files. This DIY "table with wood" is a very simple task that even the most "no crafty, non DIY" people can handle!

I would modify the table into a storage ottoman, and instead of covering the top with wood, a little faux sheep skin cover would look fantastic! It would go perfect in baby O's woodland themed nursery and could be used as both storage for all those toys and books as well as an extra chair for mommy or daddy while we play with our little man!

The EASY Routine Via "The Baby Whisperer"

If you were like me as a first time mom, bringing your little one home from the security and comfort of the hospital and their staff can be quite overwhelming. I spent the first couple of weeks in pajama's, hair uncombed and I hate to admit that even on some days, I did not even get a chance to brush my teeth! After a week of days like these, I knew that I had to get things under control and turned to many of my new mommy friends out there for advice. One of my friends recommended the book "The Baby Whisperer" by Tracey Hogg. I put my library card quickly to use and it was in my hands in no time!

Hogg outlines a routine within her book that she recommends all new mom's start as soon as their little one arrives home. The EASY routine. We started little "O" on this routine when he was 12 days old. Please read below for a brief summary:

It is as follows:
E - Eat
A - Awake
S - Sleep
Y - You

She outlines that the EASY routine can be done on a 2.5 hour or 3 hour cycle, depending on your preference and your babies needs. The sequence of events must be done in that order. First, you feed your baby - breast or bottle. This feeding should take around 30-45 minutes.
After you are done feeding, you have some awake time with your little one. This time could be spent on a play mat, in a swing, or simply just talking to your baby.
(Caution: Do not make the mistake that we made with little "O" in the beginning - we were spending way too much awake time and he simply became overstimulated. Start out slow - five minutes is still five minutes of awake time. Our little guy simply loved to look around the house and we soon learned that we did not have to provide any intervention). The goal is to work your way up to 20-25 minutes of this time.
After you have your play time with your little one, it is time for them to go down for a nap. (The biggest mistake that new parents make, and admittedly so did I, was to feed your baby to sleep and then have awake time. You want to caution on using the breast or bottle as a sleep aide, as when it comes time for them to wean themselves from either, your days will become quite long and frustrating!)
Within a 3 hour cycle, she recommends 1.5-2 hours of sleep time. (Be aware that you should never let your baby sleep more than 3 hours at a time during the day so that they are able to distinguish day from night - and it is perfectly ok to wake a sleeping baby!)
Once your baby is down for a peaceful nap, that leaves "you" time - whether you spend it napping (which I highly recommend in the first 4 weeks!), cleaning the house or painting your toe nails, it is completely up to you!
Once your baby wakes, start the process all over again!

A routine gives both baby and parents predictability in their day - something that we could all use when learning the art of "parenthood"
Little "O" is now 8 weeks and he has adjusted well to EASY- in fact, he slept a whole 8 hours last night!

I hope this gives all you new parents out there a brief overview - and I hope your days become a little more predictable!

Etsy: Handmade Owl Baby Doll Dress

I stumbled upon this adorable dress from Mimisdressshop this morning while getting in my daily etsy fix. It's a good thing I don't have a girl, as I am positive my credit card would be maxed with all the cute handmade dresses she has!

For all you mamma's out there who have sweet little girls....couldn't you just imagine your little one running through the grass, barefoot, with this little number on?