The One with an Update and Comparisons

Divert thine eyes or skip below to the pictures if you don't want to read labor updates.
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I went to my last doctor appointment yesterday morning. 3-4cm and 50% effaced. She stripped my membranes. Ouch. I had my "bloody show" in the afternoon. I had contractions all day yesterday - nothing painful or very consistent. I woke up in the middle of the night cuz I thought it might be happening. False alarm. No contractions today. 

So. 

Here we are. 

No baby. 

I'm going NUTS. 

I'm sure if I went to the hospital and they broke my water and gave me pitocin I'd have a baby in my arms in a matter of hours. I guess we'll just have to wait until Sunday to do that. And that's only if there's a room available. Heaven help me, it feels like I'm going to be pregnant F.O.R.E.V.E.R.

My mom is a half hour away so that's something to look forward to and keep me distracted.

Chris was super husband/dad and took Fox to Jump 'n Jammin this morning. Meanwhile I assembled the baby swing, play mat, and bouncer. As soon as Fox walked in the door what do you think he did? Climbed right up into the swing. I cannot believe how big he's gotten in less than two years! Jane is going to feel like a feather!

And then he found the newly reassembled mat so of course I had to compare those as well. 

Apparently the only thing Fox ever wears is stripes.

Whelp. I hope next time I blog it'll be saying we're having a baby!

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The One with the Wendy's Commercial

On June 24th 2012 I blogged a few Instagram pictures, one of which was the filming of a Wendy's commercial at one of the houses in the neighborhood behind our apartment that is ALWAYS getting filmed at:

To quote myself, "There was a fake yard sale set up all over the front lawn. I'm not sure what a yard sale has to do with fast food... only time will tell!"
Well, time told during The Bachelorette finale - best season ever, by the way. I heart Jef and Emily. But I digress, here is the commercial:

Here are pics I took of the filming scene on June 13th 2012:
Trucks, trucks, and more trucks. It's pretty amazing how many trucks and equipment and people are needed for a 32 second commercial.

Behind the scenes.

Getting closer...

Zoomed in, you can totally see the red-haired girl with the blue shirt and the actor in the barcalounger:

Screenshot from the commercial: (They make it look much better than my phone did.)

Filming took place on June 13th and just over a month later it's a commercial! That was a pretty quick turnaround. And it's really fun to see on the big screen :) Perhaps I'll be a bit more inclined to try the Baconator next time I'm at Wendy's.

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The One with Jump 'n Jammin

Last week at Toys"R"Us Fox's new friend's dad asked if we'd ever been to Jump 'n Jammin. No sir - what and where is it? It's a family entertainment center at Santa Anita Mall with multi-levels of mazes, ladders, slides, and a central foam-ball shooting arena. Basically, every little boy's dream come true. So what the heck, I decided to take Fox. It opens and 10am and you can bet your bottom dollar we were there when the doors opened! I forked over $5 for Fox (a parent is free with the paid admission of a child) and let him loose! There's a designated play place for kids under 2, but Fox wasn't fooled by the mini toys and cheap tricks :) Into the maze he went! Kids under 3 have to be accompanied by an adult through the tubes, so me and my 9 month pregnant self followed him into the matrix. 

The best (worst?) part was when I was up on the third level and some old man pointed to me and yelled extremely loud, "YOU'RE CRAZY! YOU'RE CRAZY!" Umm, thanks? What was I supposed to say to that? I just laughed and said, "Yup." 

So in this central area there are lots of bags that you fill up with foam balls and then bring up to the 2nd and 3rd levels and shoot from the guns. My belly got hit once, it was pretty funny. The balls don't hurt at all, thank goodness.

There's also a big bounce house which Fox found extremely entertaining. 

"I can't wait until I'm a little bigger so I can do all the things the big kids are doing!"

I'm so surprised I didn't go into labor maneuvering through all the tunnels and spaces made for children. Chris will have to be the one to take Fox next time cuz I'm going to have a me a wee little one in just a few days and can't carry her through the matrix :) Eeeee!

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The One with 39 Weeks and Counting

Still here. Still pregnant. 39 weeks and 3 days. I'm due on Friday and if she's not born by the 29th I'll be induced - that's next Sunday people! 7 days! Or less than! Can I get an amen?! I'm sooooo excited to meet Jane and see her sweet face and dress her in cute clothes. I hope she has lots of hair. So here I am, about ready to pop!

 During my last few days of "freedom" I chose to scrapbook! I've got my priorities straight :)

JANE'S SHOWER

Journaling says: My girlfriends threw me the most perfect and pretty shower for Baby Jane. All the little details came together so beautifully. The food was delicious and I loved seeing everyone. Plus Jane got hooked up :)

How to: Cut strips of patterned paper and trim or punch one edge of each strip with decorative scissors or a border punch. Spray each paper strip with water, crinkle, and let them dry. Stagger the paper strips across a cardstock block then place it below photos on a floral paper layout background. Make a title, write journaling on the edges, and embellish with stickers and a tag.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, epoxy brad, button, stickers (borders, dimensional embellishment, flowers, tab, words), chipboard flower, sequin strand, tag, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Decorative scissors: Provo Craft; Punches: EK Success (scallop border), Fiskars (decorative corner), Martha Stewart Crafts (doily border, lace border)

Now I'ma play with my son and give him lots of attention until the Bachelorette finale - go Jef!!

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The One with Passing the Time

T minus <10 days 'til D-Day! 

These last few days have been the longest.days.of.my.life. I am literally constantly thinking about giving birth and how everything is going to work out and praying that it's as smooth as Fox's. In the meantime, to pass the time, here's what we've been up to:

Cooling off with a Jamba Juice. I ALWAYS get Caribbean Passion. Fox took one sip and was done. Fine with me - more for me!

Fox has perfected the art of drinking from sprinklers. There were about 10 going and he crawled to each and every one and licked from them like a dog. Boys will be boys!

Apparently when it's your birthday in the neighborhood behind our apartment you get pink flamingo-ed. Fox was fascinated once again by this phenomenon. 

Mother dearest - please hurry up and get here cuz I need your help. I no longer have energy or willingness to cook. Oh, who am I kidding, I NEVER have the desire to cook. Hence PB&J for dinner:

We went to Toys"R"Us today cuz it's much too hot to meander around outside and we came home with alphabet fridge magnets. We're one of "those" families now!

When I was growing up, trips to Toys"R"Us were the ULTIMATE outing. I wonder if it'll be the same with Fox and Jane? Of all the many many aisles filled with bright colored toys, Fox found the coolest one with powerwheels. I remember my brother and I begging and pleading my dad for one of these every time we went to Toys"R"Us and never got one............ Maybe he'll spoil his grandson :) Fox had a blast hopping from car to car and trying them all on for size. 

Looks like we'll be making more trips to Toys"R"Us in the future because he was happily entertained for nearly two hours!

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The One with Elle's Studio Halloween and American Crafts Honeycomb Layouts

Two scrappy posts in a row! Miracles do exist :)
I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Elle's Studio newest Halloween line, Spooky Tales, and this layout is currently in their very first ever CHA booth which you can kinda see in this pic (middle board, bottom right):

I'm jealous of everyone who is at CHA in Chicago right now. But anyway, here's my layout!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Journaling says: Halloween is my favorite holiday and I'm soo excited to have a child to live vicariously through! Halloween 2011 Fox was a super cute Clark Kent.

How to: Drop India ink and two colors of orange mist across a cream chevron paper layout base. Attach two fabric brads to opposite sides of the page and wrap orange baker's twine around them to create a string banner. Tie black baker's twine bows around the brads. Adhere tags, pennants, sentiment, labels, journaling spots, and pictures across the baker's twine and embellish with buttons and a wooden number. Add a Thickers title above the banner. Embellish the layout with jewels, pearls, brads, and buttons as shown then write journaling with a black pen on the bottom left side.

Tip: Place dimensional adhesive at the ends of the tags so they're lifted up off the page and create dimension.

Supplies: Patterned paper: Studio Calico; Tags, pennants, labels, journaling spots, sentiment die cuts: Elle's Studio; Fabric brads: American Crafts, Basic Grey; Buttons: Crate Paper (plastic), My Mind's Eye (chipboard); Baker's twine: The Twinery; Jewels, pearls: K & Company; Wooden number: Craft supply; Letter stickers: American Crafts (chipboard, foam, puffy), Tim and Beck (mini alphabet); Spray mist: Studio Calico (dark orange), Tattered Angels (light orange); India ink: Artworks; Pen, adhesive: American Crafts

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I had a layout on the American Crafts blog yesterday featuring the ever-popular honeycomb pattern!

SAY CHEESE

Journaling says: I know that I'm 100% totally biased, but really, how did I end up with the cutest boy in the entire world?! Every face he makes melts my heart.

How to: Drop white spray mist across a dark gray cardstock background. Punch lots of hexagons from patterned paper and a few slightly smaller hexagons from some of the same papers. Piece the hexagons onto the layout (using pop dots under the smaller hexagons) then add a photo on top. Embellish with fabric brads and star stickers. Make a title on the bottom right corner and embellish around it with stickers and stamp the date. Draw journaling lines on the top right corner and write on them using a black pen.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, fabric brads, ribbon, stickers (letters, labels, sentiments, stars), chipboard frame, date stamp, ink, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Hexagon punches: Creative Memories

Not sure how many more scrappy posts I'll have coming up in the next few weeks... but I'll try because I love it so!

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The One with July 2012 American Crafts Layouts

I got my layouts done a little early this month, cuz, you know, there's like a big event happening any day now... :)

PREPARING FOR BABY JANE

Journaling says: There ain't no journaling. The pictures are worth a thousand words. Or perhaps the sentiment sticker is the journaling: Let the fun begin!

How to: It would take a novel for me to explain how I made this layout. I actually ended up redoing the entire thing (hence why the "Jane" is cut out) because my spray misting ruined the original layout. One neat thing is that the butterfly confetti is leftover from the butterfly chandelier that I made for her room - so there's like a piece of her room on the layout! And I swiped the vintage crocheted doilies from my sister's craft room when I was there in April. Hope that's okay Allie :) I'll tell Jane they're from her Aunt Allie.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, stickers (banner, letters, sentiments, words), adhesive: American Crafts; Pearls, jewels: Mark Richards, Pebbles Heart doily: Dollar supply; Crocheted doilies: Vintage; Floss: DMC; Butterfly punch: Martha Stewart Crafts; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Die cut machine (Cameo), software (Silhouette): QuicKutz; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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SPARKLE & SHINE

Journaling says: I got this sparkly sweater in Washington knowing that I wouldn't be able to wear it for a few months because of summer heat and it not fitting cuz I'm pregnant. But on the night of my baby shower for Jane I knew I was going to be in the spotlight so I might as well dress the part! It was fun looking like a disco ball for a night - baby bump and all!

How to: Stitch "rays" in an assortment of colors of thread coming from the top and bottom of a yellow polka dot paper layout base. Add lines of jewels and pearls between the stitched lines. Drop pink, gold, silver, and aqua spray most over the rays. Create a layered title embellishment and adhere it between two photos in the middle. Cut a tag in half, write journaling on both pieces, and tuck them under the photos along with a bit of pink ribbon trim. That's the gist of it!

Supplies: Patterned paper, stickers (ampersand, borders, date label, flower, journaling spot, letters, word), ribbon trim, tag, date stamp, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Flower buttons: Pebbles; Pearls, jewels: Mark Richards, Pebbles; Jewel chain: Pink Paislee; Doilies: Martha Stewart Crafts; Ink: StazOn; Spray mist: Studio Calico (aqua, pink), Tattered Angels (gold, silver); Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

Can I just say how much I love using pink, jewels, sparkles, and bling on girly girl pages? Hurry up baby Jane, I need some actual pictures of you to scrapbook!

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The One with 182 Pounds

I probably wouldn't post these picture because they're so embarrassing, but I need to look back on them for future pregnancies:

Preggo with Fox: 7 weeks and 39 weeks
I started at 120 pounds and weighed 176 at the end. I gained 56 pounds.

Preggo with Jane: 6 weeks and 38 weeks
I started at 130 pounds and currently weigh 182. I've gained 52 pounds, but really 62 since I want to be back at 120.

Why oh why do I gain so much weight when I'm pregnant? I've honestly tried eating better this time. I've only made one batch of brownies instead of dozens and I've been chasing a toddler around the entire time. Hopefully I'll be able to lose the weight pretty fast like I was able to with Fox - but it wasn't easy! I was on Weight Watchers and exercised regularly. 

Here's to hoping breastfeeding is my best friend and that Lean Cuisine meals fill me up!

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The One with Fox Saying, "No no no"

11 seconds of funny.

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The One with the 2012-2013 American Crafts Design Team!

I'm so excited to be on the American Crafts Design Team for another year as the Blog Hostess/Design Team Manager. Best. Job. Ever.

Allison Waken - from Phoeniz, AZ

Amy Heller - from Newtown, CT

Andrea Budjack - Orlando, FL

Angie Gutshall - from James Creek, PA

Becky Williams - from Wolfforth, TX

Carina Lindholm - from Koping, Sweden

Corrie Jones - from Dallas, GA

Erin Stewart - from El Paso, TX

Heather Leopard - from Cypress, TX

Jenny Chesnick - from Brooklyn, MD

Jill Cornell - from Windsor Heights, IA

Kimberly Neddo - from Bigfork, MT

Leah Farquharson - from Lauderhill, FL

Leslie Ashe - from Fort Worth, TX

Lilith Eeckels - from Bertogne, Belguim

Melissa Mann - from Pensacola, FL

Michiko Kato - from Osaka, Japan

Monika Glod - from Krakow, Poland

***Paige Evans - from South Pasadena, CA***

Patricia Roebuck - from Mandeville, LA

Sophie Crespy - from Saint Jean De Maurienne, France

Super duper excited to work with all of these lovely and talented ladies for the next year!

Back to scrapping I go - gotta get some my assignments done before Jane arrives in no more than 16 days!!!

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The One with a Layout in Signature Series: Elizabeth Kartchner

I have a layout in the "Elizabeth & Friends" section of the brand new Signature Series: Elizabeth Kartchner book!

In case you don't know who Elizabeth Kartchner is, most definitely check out her amazing, inspiring, colorful blog. I love her style of scrapbooking and her personal clothing style - she's totally gorgeous inside and out. Her Dear Lizzy lines with American Crafts are always amazing and I find myself using her product over and over again! Speaking of which, I used her Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line to make the page which I'm referring to:

I LOVE MY BOY

Journaling says: I didn't think it was possible to love something so much, but being your mother has taught me more than I can explain. You are my light and my life - I'd do anything for you and I'll always love you no matter what! You are my favorite thing!

How to: Die cut a chevron background from cardstock, set it over a cream patterned paper background, spray over it with mist, then remove the mask. Cut pieces of super strong tape into little bits and set them in three chevrons across the top of the layout. Punch heart and star confetti from patterned paper and sprinkle it onto the tape. Stitch around the layout and between the stripes using gray thread then write journaling on the top line of stitching. Make a title, add photos, and embellish with pearls and a wooden button as shown.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, wooden button, chipboard word, stickers (letters, sentiment), pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Pearls: Mark Richards; Punches (hearts, stars): Martha Stewart Crafts; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine (Cameo), chevron background die (Silhouette): QuicKutz

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The One with Fox's Big Boy Hair Cut

Fox got his very first hair cut on March 18th 2012. A couple months later it had grown out again, but his hairstylist had moved, so Chris took a pair of scissors to Fox's locks... let's just say he had bangs for a few weeks... This time we needed professional help and this morning was the big event!

BEFORE - out of control but still oh-so-cute!

AFTER - so grown up and dapper and handsome!

Thanks Tara - now we need to give him a stick to ward off all the ladies that will be coming after him cuz you made him look so foxy :)

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