Ring to the Sling

So recently I've met a new group of women - the majority of them who are big on 'wearing' their babies:) We had just a simple buckle carrier and I never really thought much of it, we didn't use it too much and I never really felt like it looked very comfy for her even if she did sleep well in it being so close to us.

Well, after meeting these women I was intrigued by all the options, and not too surprised to hear that a lot of the common carriers are in fact bad for the hips of babes - some even recalled.  And since 'wearing' the baby at a young age can encourage a good milk supply, I would be inclined to use it with baby #2 someday when we try to overcome this dumb PCOS thing;)

What I was stunned by was that the cost of some of the name brands were $50 or more depending on the type of carrier.  Well, I found someone who made their own 'moby' online and sold it for 10 bucks...my sister is testing it out with her newbie right now and I think my girl is probably a bit big for that now anyways...but I do like the looks of ring slings for their ease of use on the go.

So then...next trip to the 2nd hand store, I found a nice strong piece of material for 6 bucks, picked up a couple of harness rings at the hardware store for 4 dollars(can also be bought online at slingrings.com) and got to work.  Since my sewing machine is on the fritz I pulled out the iron and some hemming tap, folded the material down the middle and cut it to about 2.5 meters. I'm about 5'6 and that gives me lots of extra material to work with.   And here we go:

We tested it out today at the Farmer's market and loved it!! :)
To all you Canadians, enjoy preparing for Thanksgiving next weekend! I look forward to some great family times!

Please check out where I'm linking up today!

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Minus the Gluten...

In an effort to give my body a break and feed it healthy foods I have been looking into eating more gluten free foods when I can...I'm not strict with it but am introducing some foods into my diet. So, my first gluten free loaf of bread was created yesterday!

I used some pre-mixed gluten free flour from Kinnikinnick and followed their directions for a sweet bread loaf and then added some quinoa and cinnamon to the mix as well.  Turned the breadmaker on and a couple of hours later...delicious!!

Even the hubby ate it with no complaints:) Maybe I'll try it with some raisins or dark chocolate chips next time! Mmmm!

Carlee was pretty jealous of the bread but found a remote to gnaw on instead:

Five and a half months and getting more fun by the day:)  and with two hours naps having become a regular occurrence, Mom is having a great time too;)

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Summer Break and a Kitchen Update!

Hey there followers,
Is there anyone left?? I am having SO much fun being home with my little girl and keeping up to date here has fallen aside unfortunately! The LO is now five months old! She rolls, she sits, she 'talks', she is too cute!

 Boef (dutch for 'little rascal') just hanging out in her camp chair.

Sitting up all by herself!

and a touched up photo of Boef.....so cute!












And to her mom's excitement, last week she learned that sleeping for longer than 40 minutes at a time during the day is A-OK! She now sleeps for about 2 hours at naptime and I get to do some cleaning and such around the house for the first time! SO EXCITED!

And speaking of getting things done around the house, five months after doing the kitchen reno seen here, the knobs arrived and were installed! And at a HUGE deal as well.  We hit up a place in Maine while I was home in NB for a bit that sells their knobs for a dollar a piece!  Compared to the 4-5 dollar price tag here, I was pretty proud of my good find!  The selection wasn't amazing but good enough for me:)

And just to remind you, here's the before:

Perhaps a little more in this century now:) We are so pleased with the transformation!

Well, here we are having a massive heat advisory for tomorrow!! Gotta go find a pool to lounge in!

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A little Nursery Reveal

So, yes, I'm still here and alive:)  My dear baby ran into trouble gaining weight since I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which can effect your milk supply - therefore the girl has to take breastmilk and formula to get enough each feeding...Thankfully I have the best baby and she could care less what is going in her mouth, long as its food!  But they had me doing all kinds of crazy pumping and herbs and drugs to try to fix the problem...but that's a story for another day!

TODAYYY, I am finally going to show you the final pictures of her little nursery.  You have seen tidbits of the theme but here's it all put together.  Sorry I don't have a magical camera or much skill but you get the gist:)

Take a look:

And there you have it....my sweet little girl's room...and now she is awake and crying so off I go but I'll leave you with a picture of how she is looking these days:)

All gussied up for her baptism day:

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Nursery Visions

I'm not sure how you all were able to put together a vision of how you wanted your first nursery together....how to capture the feel you wanted to create, but mine fully relies on the piece of material I showed you last day.  Not too girly, not too baby-ish, something fun, but not so bright that the baby would be overwhelmed by her room! Too much thought maybe? Haha, well, I saw this material and that was it....my inspiration was complete!

Here is a sample picture from the website:

Its the perfect mix of colors that can work for a boy or girl, so as long as I still like it....I can mix it up when we have a boy(Lord willing) with the darker greens and blues while for this one I can pull out the pinks and lighter green and yellow to be softer and girly!  You gettin' my vibe??

Here are a few more inspiring pics for the baby room...course we'll see how far we take the painting the walls and such, but I can't wait to see it all come together in the house....and SO excited that we can really put effort into it since we'll hopefully be in the new place for a few babies:)  And since Mom is returning to help out with some house projects in January before baby arrives, there should be a few transformations coming then!  To make up for my slacker months recently;)

Here we go...

You all getting my drift here??? What did you use to bring your nursery together? A specific piece or focal point, color, shapes.....so much to use!!

Promise to take pics and share on the rest of the nursery projects thus far and hopefully some christmas projects too!!

Have a great day everyone!


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Sneak Peak...

Visions of our little girl's room are coming together slowly and we picked out very fun material in the states on our annual holiday shopping trip that my mom and I take.  And since she is much more talented than I, I gave her a bunch of jobs and she got right to work putting pieces together for the bedroom! Here is a sneak peak of the feel of the room.

Take a look at her newest piece for the bedroom, the polka dot material being our inspiration!

A little coat rack for her room.








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I have a little belly....

oh, and I swear I don't look this tired in person all the time! Only in the pictures I share for the world to see apparently. I blame the photographer.  But there is definitely a little baby growing in there. For some reason I am still carrying really high, I've dumbfounded the midwife...but all other measurements are perfect so we aren't worrying about it.  And it means I'm still wearing my regular jeans...couldn't be happier:)

That's all for now...

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Car Seat and Stroller? Check!

Yup, in the last two weeks we got another couple big things on our checklist done!

First, a friend told us that the city mini was on for a great deal of 110 dollars at a liquidation place in TO...they were wrong. BUT in fact the Baby Jogger City Micro WAS there for 100 dollars. So after some quick research to see the difference between the two, we decided it would work and we went for it...soooo

TADA!!!!

The wheels are a bit smaller and the recline is not as full as the city mini but overall we are happy with our choice. And the colors to choose from our just fun:)

Since we are due in February we figure we won't be going out with the baby in the stroller in the first few months anyways, so all the features should work great.

Here are the features:

• Patented Quick-Fold Technology - allows you to fold your stroller in one simple step
• Swivel front wheel for precise maneuverability can lock into place for long distance strolling
• 8" rear and 6" front quick-release EVA wheels with sealed ball bearings
• Patented universal accessory mounting bracket – accessorize your stroller with ease
• One-step adjustable reclining seat
• 2 Position sun canopy with clear view window
• Rounded handlebar for pushing comfort
• Front wheel suspension provides a smooth comfortable ride
• Seat back storage compartment
• Under seat storage basket
• Adjustable five-point safety harness
• Rear parking brake
• Fold strap to keep stroller folded for transportation or storage
• 50 lb. weight capacity on stroller

And secondly...because my in-laws are AWESOME...they bought us our first carseat!  So in the mail in the next few days we should receive the Britax Marathon for our little one.

The car seat boasts these: 

• Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether® features a staged-release tether webbing to slow the forward movement, reducing the crash forces reaching the child, and a two-point attachment to minimize forward rotation while anchoring the top of the child seat
• Premium Lower LATCH Connectors for a quick and simple installation featuring a push button for easy release
• Built-in Lock-Offs ensure a snug lap and shoulder belt installation with minimal effort
• Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS™) provides resistance to forward movement in the event of a crash
• Rear and Forward Facing Recline for child comfort and positioning
• Convenient Harness Holders keep harness straps out of the way when placing your child in the car seat
• Small Contoured Base ensures a tight installation in all types of vehicles
• Energy-Absorbing Foam Liner (EPS) absorbs and distributes crash forces
• High Density Comfort Foam provides an extra layer of padding to gently cushion your child
• Front Harness Adjuster provides effortless front adjustment when loosening the harness system
• Plush, Premium Cover Set with matching belly pad provides extra comfort
• Energy-Absorbing Base deforms in the event of a crash to absorb impact forces
• Certified for Aircraft Travel

So now if we don't ever get that crib up and assembled...baby can just sleep in the car seat;)  

A successful couple of weeks for us! 

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ULTRASOUND # 2

Baby DQ is growing beautifully and we got our second picture of the little one at 19.5 weeks along! Labeled it for ya too, for those who think its just looks like a bunch of blobs;)

At this view DQ gave a few kicks for us to watch to see how it is moving around in there!  So amazing just hanging out in there and looks like DQ has mastered the art of thumb sucking perhaps already:)

Hard to believe we are about halfway but there it is...Daddy is very excited and we are having fun showing everyone and sharing the gender with those who wish to know!

It has been a very fun week:) Hope you all have a great weekend!

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Rolling Around In Style

Well, someday soon I will be one of those ladies pushing around a stroller so I got to thinking about what kind of stroller do I want.  Should I just walk into Walmart and pick one that looks pretty or research to the point where no one other than that one that is overpriced and unattainable will do leaving me with a budget one that I will always glare at since its not as pretty as the other one...ugh...all that for a stroller??

Well, I caved and entered the world of researching strollers, and is it ever overwhelming and ridiculous.  But after two days straight of pouring over three or four wheels, all terrain or travel system, and which ones has suspension or parents trays...I narrowed it down to these three favorites, which I'm still not sure where exactly our budget lies but here we are, Christmas and birthday present??

Let's see,

#1 pick is....
Baby Jogger City Mini




 By far this one seems to be the best for getting around on many surfaces, a really easy fold up system, very light, amazing canapy and rather stylish eh?

Retailing around 230 US I would love pushing this beauty around.









#2 option 
Joovy Kooper

 Still light, folds up pretty compact, comes with more features than the city mini so less extra costs but does not have as sturdy of wheels so maybe a bit bumpier.  And at 152 and free shipping, just find an American to host this baby til I can pick it up and that's a decent price!















 #3 stroller of my dreams!
Peg Perego Si Light Weight Stroller

 I feel a little meh about this one...well rated and decent features but definitely not oooohhhh-ing me at all I guess.  But more likely to be found on a yard sale in Canada which is definitely a factor!











 Well, here's the current choices, got a few months to decide;) But what do you all think? Anyone got experience in this area, thoughts on these options, or others to consider? Would love to hear your opinions!


****Update****
Runner-up in the competition has appeared! A cheaper version that still seems to get good reviews. Let's take a look at the Instep Safari(aka Schwinn).

 You can see all the info and reviews for it here:
http://www.joggingstroller.com/InSTEP-Safari-Swivel-Single.pro

Well, I'll be off stroller shopping tonight to try them all out.  Anyone had an Instep before?






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