Halloween for the Littles

Halloween isn't about haunted houses, scary masks, and trickery for your little babies. It's about big orange pumpkins, dressing in something adorable, and maybe going around door-to-door on Halloween night. If this is your baby's first Halloween, there are so many fun activities you can do that are interactive and fun for them. No candy or choking hazards involved! Engage their senses by getting a little messy and a little imaginative.

Bust out the finger paints (washable, of course). Make some art. Your little one may not know what they're making, but the feeling of paint on their hands and feet will be fun and excite them. Make some ghosts, candy corn, and little Frankensteins. This would be a fun gift to give Grandma and Grandpa, especially if they live far away.

Instructions can be found at Lift With My Littles.

You could even put their footprints on a canvas to hang on the wall to decorate! From Momstown.ca

Pumpkins are fun for every age, and it's the one object that tells us we're nearing Halloween. First, head to the nearest pumpkin patch (or grocery store...I'm not judging) and pick out your favorite pumpkins. That's a fun Halloween activity on it's own that everyone can participate in. If you're lucky, the farm you go to will give you a hay ride around their farm.


Once you bring your pumpkins home, it's time to get creative! Carving pumpkins can be a little dangerous for a baby to dive into, so why not use the same paint as you used for their little footprints to paint pumpkins. You'll have to help steady their hand, and it may be a project that only lasts two minutes, but the point is for them to have a little messy fun! If you have older children, you can include sequins, buttons, stickers, or other crafting materials to put in the paint. If you want to take it even further, you could cut out shapes (like a black cat or witch's hat) to put on their pumpkin!  After everyone is done, you'll have a few "masterpieces" for your mantle or stoop.

More instructions and inspiration at The Imagination Tree.

Another fun, pumpkin inspired project, that's fun for all ages is using a felt pumpkin to decorate as a jack-o-lantern. You can make all sorts of silly faces with this one. The options are endless. Young babies will like the texture of playing with felt and giggling at the faces either you or an older sibling make out of them. The older children will have fun by making lots of jack-o-lantern faces! You could even have a pumpkin "carving" contest this way without the mess or risk of losing a finger!

You can be creative with all of the face pieces with this one! From Two Big Two Little

Another activity that's really easy to do, and still involves the whole family, is to carve pumpkins with your older children (or your significant other). Then, put all the pumpkin goop into a big Ziploc bag for your baby to play with. Little babies love feeling different textures. It's how they learn! So why not let them feel that ooey gooey center of a pumpkin...mess free! (If you can't tell, I'm all about less mess right now since having a one year old involves cleaning up all the time!) Tape it to a window, like Jenae, from I Can't Teach My Child did for her little girl. After your little one is done playing with the pumpkin bag, you could even separate the seeds and toast them.

I Can't Teach My Child

There's so much to do with our little babies. Enjoy watching them experience everything for the first time this Halloween!

Costume Round-Up for Your Little Princess

This year will be Hallen's first Halloween. We don't do many decorations, because it's not really our thing. However, I do LOVE to see little people coming to my door dressed in something that their imagination created. It makes my heart happy! So, I'm just guessing that everyone else's heart also does the happy dance when miniature heroes and princesses ring your doorbell and ask for candy (in the trick-or-treat fashion, of course).

I've been looking at so many things that she could be for Halloween. I want it to be something creative, because I know one day that she'll get to choose, and I probably won't like it as much as something I would choose. But for now, her fashion choice is my fashion choice (she told me she likes my style, so no worries)! While she's young and has no opinion on what to wear, I don't have to dress her in the most popular princess costume or the latest and greatest cartoon character. I can dress her in an adorable, one of a kind (maybe matching her father and I) costume. In the midst of looking for creative ideas, all I know is that I want her (I need her) to wear a big tutu as part of her outfit! And the bigger the better. I am originally from the south, so I need the dramatic effect. She'll only be able to get away wearing a gigantic tutu for so long!

If this is your first Halloween with your scrumptious little peanut, I know you want all the adoring looks for her! So, all of you moms out there who are wondering what to dress your cute mini me in that is creative and adds a little drama (good drama), here are my top picks.

Black Cat

A black kitten is always a great classic, but a tutu on your little kitty is such a sweet new take!

Giraffe

 Little ones around one year old love animals and learning new animal noises, so why not dress them as their favorite animal...and add a tutu! I can imagine that Hallen would love dressing as a giant Sophie or a cute puppy!

A superhero

It's so adorable seeing mini Spiderman and mini Batman arriving at my door with their padded costumes making these teeny little boys look like they had a couple protein shakes before they came. What would be cuter than a tutu-wearing accomplice?  It'd be a sight for sore eyes! Pick whatever superhero you loved as a child...and add a tutu!

Candy corn

Candy corn should be the national symbol for Halloween, in my humble opinion. That's the first thing that always pops into my mind! It's everywhere. If it's one of your Halloween addictions, this is definitely the costume for your little princess. It'll be the sweetest thing your neighbors will see all night (no pun intended)!

Cabbage Patch Doll hair from Yumbaby

You're right...there isn't a tutu on either of these sweet dolls pictured above, but what a great costume! A Cabbage Patch Doll is brilliant when you have a little girl. You don't have to spend too much money to make them look like too different since your princess already comes with her own soft cheeks and big eyes! 

Unicorn (Romper from Belle Threads)

And last but not least, a unicorn. Such a magical little costume. Imagination is key here. Some bright colors, some tulle, and something reminiscent of a horn on her head.

Our Stories...

God is good. I could say just those three words and this post would be wrapped up, but I really want you to know why He is so incredibly good. As you know, Kevin and I have dealt with infertility issues. It's a heart wrenching experience to go through and wouldn't wish it on anyone else. Here's the "funny" thing, though...other people do deal with this. Close friends deal with this. And I've been blessed to know people who have had children through years of going through miscarriages, infertility treatments, unexplained infertility, and so much more. They have miracle stories that are even more powerful than mine.

When Kevin and I were experiencing our lowest points through this journey, other women's stories helped me more than anything. I loved to read their stories of how their little nugget of gold finally did come! God was waiting, so His glory would be shown even more so than if that child came right away. (I'm not saying that if you do get pregnant right away that it's not just as much of a miracle. There are just different ways for God to show His glory and different scripts to write for His kingdom to grow).

Photos by Fatima

I want to introduce my friend, Leah at "Journey With Gabe." I would tell you all of her story, but she's already done a great job of that on her own blog. Please, please read her latest post on her little boy. Her miracle. Her little gold nugget. I cried (which doesn't take much) tears of pain and joy while reading it and just want to scoop her little boy up in my arms and hug him.

Zeke's Heart

It's another story that shows who our true Redeemer is and who we need to trust and keep trusting every second of every day. This story should give hope to those struggling with infertility and to mothers holding their children in their arms to celebrate life! Celebrate through the truly tough and trying times, whether that be looking at yet another negative pregnancy test or a bad medical report from your little one's pediatrician. 

I hope you enjoyed her story as much as I did.

#Twinsies for Father's Day

A couple days late in the game, yes, but I figured you could at least stick this in your pocket (or bookmarks tab) for next year or use it for a cute birthday idea.

I looked through lots of Etsy stores for matching father daughter bowties and bows. There wasn't anything that I could find! There were of course matching bowties for dads and sons, which are adorable, but not what I wanted. So, I started out on a DIY adventure...

I looked high and low for a tutorial on headbands and bowties for a daddy daughter matching day, but again there weren't any, so the next best thing was just to look at two tutorials separately. Come to find out, you make them the exact same way ( at last for the easier no sew option).

Bowtie on the left and headband on the right.

I could show you step by step on what I did to make both the headband and bowtie, but there are already so many great tutorials:

Here and Here

I attached elastic to both the bowtie and the headband, but I think a clip on the bowtie would actually be better. There is a smaller elastic on the bowtie, because it was going to be hidden under a collar and a fancier one for Hallen's headband.

Bowtie

Headband

They haven't officially worn their twinning accessories out yet, but they were kind enough to model how adorable they both looked for Kevin's first Father's Day.

I also bought them daddy daughter Pura Vida bracelets.  They have the most adorable baby bracelets! I ended up buying the new gray anchor bracelet for Kevin and "wish you were here" bracelet for Hallen. They don't match, but it's the thought :) )and Pura Vida bracelets provide jobs for people in Costa Rica). I wanted everything to be cutesy for his first Father's Day.

So, I hope this is a little inspiration for next year if you do have a little girl. She can still match her daddy. If you have boys as well, go ahead and make an extra bowtie!

The outtakes of a dad and his smallest main squeeze doing what they love most.

Four Months Young & Loving Life

Just finished up with our four month shots, and Hallen was a trooper. She's still sleeping them off three hours later. I think I'll just let her sleep as long as possible, because our two month shots were no walk in the park. And yes, I said "our." I never truly knew the meaning of "it hurts me more than you," until those two month shots.  She cried, I cried. She screamed, I held my scream in so I wouldn't frighten her. She needed to be cuddled all day long, so that's what we did. I'm hoping this time around she won't hurt quite so much. {ie: I hope she's not in so much pain, so I don't bawl all day long.} I've got the Tylenol ready for her, though...and the vino for moi!

 


I feel like these four months have flown by! Every day there is something new I watch her do, and we celebrate it all. There are definitely more good days than bad (I actually think her two month shots were the only bad day we've had), but I know those tough days are going to come. Having your heart outside of your body is some emotionally tough stuff, though! Just imagining heart break she'll go through one day or perhaps a broken arm just makes me want to take the blow for her to keep her in an innocent bubble. In my logical mind I know she needs to endure these tough things, though, so she can have her own faith and her own story. She needs to understand what true compassion is, what true love and hurt is, and most importantly what it mean to have a relationship with our Father. This is truly intimidating as a parent! One day, I need to sit down and just write thank you cards to all the moms and grandmothers and fathers and grandfathers who have raised children. Love has never been more apparent (hmm...parent is even in the word apparent...interesting).

I'm now 11.5 lbs and 23.5 inches long! A tiny and happy little peanut!

Hallen has truly always been a pretty chill baby. Since she came out of the womb she's wanted to sleep and stare at someone more than anything else. She's content. She's a lover of the present moment (something I'm learning from her how to do myself). Since about eight weeks she was sleeping through the night, and now at four months she sleeps 12-13 hours at night. The worst thing this beautiful babe does is drool buckets...and I mean buckets! I've joked about strapping one to her chin so we don't have to use ugly bibs or change her outfit when her whole shirt looks like she fell in the tub! We have created a little jingle using her name and whenever we sing it her eyes light up. She knows it's playtime or lovey time.

Hallen Amélie. Hallen Amélie. Hallen Amélie is a  {insert word}  baby! 

I know it'll only last so long, but it really is an amazing feeling to be the coolest person in her life right now. I mean...I figure this is the top of the "cool chain" for me, right? I was never cool in middle school or high school. But now that I have a baby, everything I do, makes her laugh and wiggle with glee! Pretty soon it'll be embarrassing and I'll be back at the bottom of the "cool chain", but seeing her tiny body squirm in excitement to see me or hear my voice brings tears of joy to my eyes (and I secretly give myself a high five for being the cool mom).

At four months, she also loves to interact with other people. She's never had a problem with anyone in the past, but now she can "chit chat" with them and giggle at them. She takes in all the different features of everyone who holds her. She especially loves watching your eyes and lips. As a mom, I adore watching her watch you. So, if you're holding her and see me staring at you, I'm not being creepy. I promise! I hope she stays open to being held and loved on by others.

 

Happy four months to this little peanut of a miracle. I guess you could even say that she's our
"mustard seed of faith" the Lord gave us to not give up hope; to keep the faith. She's a constant reminder of His everlasting, never failing, forever merciful, perfect love. My prayer is that this little girl has that type of faith one day.

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20

Learning Curve

Being a mother has been so much more than I thought it was going to be. I knew I always wanted to be a mother...to many children. I knew it would fulfill some part of my being. I knew it was a calling for me. I didn't know that I'd learn so much about myself during the process of motherhood (it is a process. Believe me. It doesn't just happen over night)!

For one, I love writing on this blog and yet I haven't written anything in two months!! I have several drafts going about different projects we (well...my handy husband) have done around the house, cloth diaper comparisons, what's happening in life now that Hallen isn't a newborn, etc. I really need to find a rhythm for my life again. Hallen definitely has one with her sleep, play time, and when she eats, but I don't really have a set routine on what to do when she's asleep. I have yet to outline a schedule for my time. This seriously needs to happen. Dust bunnies accumulate faster than snow in Minnesota, dishes pile up higher than Dolly Parton's hair, and my ideas are left to sit in limbo just hoping my fingers will type one day. I do actually achieve things during my day, but I'm still left wondering why I don't do the things I really want to do.

Second, being a mother has showed me how much selfishness I still have inside of me! Getting married and seeing what a "gem" I was was no easy feat. It took time, communication, letting go of expectations I didn't even know I had, and sacrifice. It also took a lot of wine and coffee, but we eventually figured each other out (ish...enough to love each other and still keep sane). Having a baby was just another dose of having a mirror shoved to my nose to take a closer look inside at what was really going on and what selfish desires were still manifesting. It's a great wake up call actually! It's a totally different kind of love than what you have for your partner, so naturally it should bring these emotions back up in a different way. I had been told this would happen. I just wasn't sure how it would resurface. Just when I thought I was living less selfishly than my single days, throw a baby in there and I could see I was still living for myself, just in a different way.

Looking into eyes that Kevin & I created opened my eyes to things I needed to let go of and move down the ladder.What truly matters in life is shown to me every day just a little more.

Third, I'm one of those moms. You know...those moms that take 30+ pictures of their kids a day (modern day, social media type of moms) and want the whole world to see, because I don't think the world should have to live a day without a dose of Hallen Amélie. I mean...she's the cutest baby alive and no other baby does what she can, right? I digress. I definitely wear the mom lenses in life these days. I'm okay with that, though. I've come to peace with talking like a baby in public, poop being my subject of choice, singing about obscene, off the wall topics, rocking the mom bun daily, and dressing my little girl better than me. (She needed Ugg booties. Her wittle toesies were fuuuhhhhweezing!!) And one day, I know I'll do what I said I never would...wear matching outfits...probably at Disney World while wearing a fashionable fanny pack. 

You mean to tell me other babies can look this cute on a yellow rug?? No. No. Don't believe it!

Seriously? More pictures?

Becoming a mother has been the most rewarding position I've ever been given. I hope to never take it for granted, live moment by moment not wishing for the next milestone, and to relish in all the ironic and embarrassing parts of motherhood!

Two Years of Praying Looks Like This

I should have written this by now. I really have had the time, but I've been on maternity leave, right?

8 weeks ago today was one of the biggest miracles I've witnessed in my entire life. The gift and miracle of life. It's always seemed like such a cliche saying - "the miracle of life." Now, I truly understand that not so corny saying.

Our Hallen Amélie is such a miracle. I won't rehash my other posts, but she was prayed for by many people over the past couple of years and here she is. It was November 17 at 11:12 pm that she came into our lives. Two and a half weeks early. Perfect timing (according to any woman in their third trimester. 40 weeks seems like an eternity away that last month). 

So, here's the birth story. One of the most painful but blissful and intimate experiences I've ever been part of and feel blessed to have a great birthing story. It started early Sunday morning with pre-labor contractions. Kevin and I packed the hospital bags around 3:30am just in case we needed to leave. The contractions never amounted to anything much, so we fell back asleep. Contractions continued throughout Sunday, but didn't feel much more painful than a Braxton Hicks. Went to bed Sunday night and woke up Monday morning to nothing. I was a little let down thinking I would still be having contractions and having the baby early! So, I went to work and taught my Monday morning Barre class, worked out, and then went grocery shopping. Then, all of a sudden, they started back up! And a little more painful this time around.

I still didn't know if this was labor or not being that this was my first baby and not quite knowing what contractions felt like. I called my mom and was texting my sister-in-law. Both were convinced I was in labor and needed to call the midwife. So, I quickly called Kevin and told him we needed to go to the hospital. He came home about an hour later and we rushed up to St. Joseph's. Sadly, I was only dilated to 3 cm when I arrived in triage, but she was at a +2 station. Although not very dilated, I was in labor! The nurses told us we could stay and wait it out or we could leave and go walk around somewhere. We chose to leave and go shopping! Not really...but we did go to the Towson Mall for two hours to walk around. Every few minutes I'd have to stop where ever we were and sway back and forth. I'm sure people were thinking I needed to head to the hospital soon! 

After two hours of "shopping" we headed back to triage. I was only 4-5 cm dilated. Thinking it'd take all night and part of the morning, I was kind of depressed and a little mad that my body wasn't speeding things up! 

We stayed in triage for about two hours, because we wanted a room with the birthing tub in it. It was a tough two hours. Once I got to the room, my midwife checked my progress and I was still only 5 cm. I almost broke down and started crying. These contractions hurt! How could they not be making me dilate more? So, to the halls we went. Walking and walking...well, trying to walk. I eventually needed to sit, but right before that happened I got sick and apologized to my mother-in-law for almost throwing up on her and the nurses for throwing up on the floor.  I couldn't walk anymore. I had to lay down. For thirty minutes Kevin helped me relax by putting counter pressure on my back and helping me focus on who we were going to be holding soon. During these contractions, I totally understood why epidurals were created! It was unbearable pain! But, I also remembered the natural birth we wanted. About this time, I stated pushing. After two pushes I figured I should tell someone what I was doing It just came so naturally at first, I didn't think twice about voicing it. The midwife came in and checked, although all the nurses said I probably shouldn't since I was at 5 cm two hours earlier. Sure enough, though, I was 10 cm! The midwife broke my water and my urge to push was so overwhelming I let out my one and only loud wail.

Kevin, being the super sweet, endearing, loving husband that he is kept asking if I wanted to get into the tub. He was prepped and ready in his swim trunks! All I could do was obnoxiosly grunt, "Noooo...I just want it out!!" I kind of felt bad for him...standing there with his sweet, wide eyed face, shirtless, in swim trunks in the midst of all these nurses. Ten minutes of pushing and our Hallen entered the world. Kevin caught her, cut the cord, and we both fell in love harder than ever before. Our miracle was here. As Kevin said, " this is what two years of praying looks like."  And that couldn't be more true. 

6lbs 11oz, 18 3/4in long

I guess he put his shirt back on at one point...

On the way home