Our World.

This little dark-haired, cuddly bundle--with a tried-and-true pair of strong lungs--has turned our world completely upside down, and we are loving it! We can't eat, sleep, or plan anything in our daily activities without first thinking, "Would Clarke like that?" or "Will Clarke behave through it?" or even sometimes, "Will Clarke sleep through it?" Like when we wanted to watch The Avengers and went to the over-packed theater armed with bottles, blankets, extra clothes, and everything else we could think of in case he woke up. I had him in the Baby Bjorn and kept glancing down every time there was a loud noise (which was pretty much every 30 seconds), expecting to see his little eyes open, but, nothing! It was the most distracted I've ever been during a movie at the theater, but at least I didn't have to duck out as I had expected.

Clarke is usually pretty good with noise. It's when his surroundings are too quiet that he gets restless and wakes up easily. His favorite noise in our home is the bathroom fan--it quiets him down almost immediately! I'm going to be in trouble if we ever move. After watching The Avengers at the movie theater in Downtown Disney, we took a walk down Main Street at Disneyland. There were crowds and crowds of people and the fireworks were going off, and still Clarke didn't wake up! It was astounding to me. But I'm sure it won't last so I'm enjoying it while I can.

Franco finished his first year of medical school last week, hooray! I'm incredibly proud of him and it's possible I let him play games on his iPod for hours on end as a reward for his non-stop studying the past year. The first year they say is the hardest, but it's as if he was always meant to be a medical student because he loves it and did so well. We celebrated with a trip to Disneyland with a few of Franco's classmates, and Clarke went on his first ride! He was awake all through It's a Small World, his little head turning from one side to another, taking in all the colors and songs. 

I can't get enough of watching my little one experience things for the first time. It's my favorite thing about being a mother, I think. Every day I see the world through his new eyes and it's like I'm seeing it for the first time. It's pretty amazing! I'm so, so grateful.

Life Is Beautiful.

I have about 4.2 seconds before little Clarke wakes up for yet another feeding, so I'll make this short. He's two and a half weeks old, this miracle of ours, and already I can't imagine life without him. 

Every morning after another long night as the sun comes up, (sometimes we're already awake and we listen to the birds chirping happily outside our window as the light grows and filters through) I look into baby's eyes and whisper, "Good morning, love. It's going to be a beautiful day today." We might not do anything special or even venture outside more than the walk it takes to pick up the day's mail, but it does always end up being another beautiful day because Clarke is now forever a part of our lives. His sweet spirit makes everything good. I'm loving these moments we've had alone together and I'm not really looking forward to getting back into "everyday life." I can afford to be selfish for a little while longer...right?

Little Announcement.

One Pregnancy Post A Week: Almost.

I think I've taken a total of a maybe a dozen bona-fide "baby bump" photos since last September (usually taken by yours truly). I never felt the need to record the progress of my, to put it bluntly, 9-month+ journey of constant weight-gain. Maybe I'll regret it later...I'm guessing I won't. But once in a while, I'd be bored or would be wearing a cute outfit and I'd had a camera handy, so I'd take a picture. That's how these two pictures came to be. 

{Click below to read more.}

One Pregnancy Post A Week: Boy Things.

In less than a month, we will have a mini Franco in our home! (Still no name.) 

Here are some things on my wishlist that I'd love for our little one.

left-to-right: muslin wrap || wooden toys || whale bath spout

muslin swaddling blankets (I've heard these are the best) ||  t-shirts from zara || check cap

well-designed children's books || gray & colorful patterned bedding/deco || baby bow ties

hooded jacket || twill skinny trousers

One Pregnancy Post A Week: 34 Week Belly.

This is my pregnancy post that I forgot last week! I took a walk last Thursday to the corner store by our apartment, in these heels, and this belly, going uphill about a third of the way, for about forty-five minutes. I was a little sore the next day...probably not the best idea. At least I got my exercise done! That has to count for something?...

Walking is my preferred exercise of choice. It's easy to do and enjoyable. I plug in my headphones to my mp3 player and play some upbeat music (Lenka is on constant repeat right now) and before I know it, a half hour has gone by and I've walked around my neighborhood. I bet I look funny with my watermelon belly, walking around--or waddling, rather--trying to look like it's totally normal. And when I wear my striped shirt, I probably look like a giant bumblebee, too. (Franco never misses an opportunity to bzzz around me when I do...ha, ha.)

So that's my 34th week so far. I've got less weeks than the total months I've been pregnant, so that's a good sign! We're getting the "nursery corner" ready this week and searching for a carseat. Exciting! =)

One Pregnancy Post A Week: A Name.

We still haven't decided on what to name our baby boy over here. It's not that my husband and I don't agree on a name, because we do, actually. We have a first name and a middle name chosen; we just decided to keep it between ourselves right now. It has more to do with the question, "is it the right name?"

I believe that giving a name to a child born into this world is a sacred and special event in his or her life, as well as in both the parent's lives. It is a "name [the child will] be known by throughout his or her lifetime, distinguishing him or her from anyone else."* No pressure...So our response to the constant inquiry, "Do you have a name picked out?" is and will continue to be, "No, we're waiting to meet him first."

For now, his nickname is Boyo, and once we get to see and hold this little miracle in our arms, we will give him a name.

We are, however, entertaining any suggestions for names, such as the list above that my sister, brother, and cousin made up early this year. Coincidentally, Niches is my nickname, given to me by my older-by-3-months-cousin, Eddie. When he grew old enough to speak, he could not pronounce my full name, which is correctly pronounced, "Ahn-Eh-Leez-Eh", so he shortened it to "Eez-Eh" which became "Neech-Ehs" and it caught on. I was too young and powerless to stop it. Sigh. ;)

*quote from this talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard.
previous pregnancy posts here.

One Pregnancy Post A Week: Le Belly Fotos.

 

 

I told myself I wouldn't take or post pictures of my weekly pregnancy progress--the self-shot photos of me standing in front of a door/closet/window/wall would not be flattering...so I was happy and grateful when Nichole, a fellow WUCO wife and friend, offered to take some pictures of my little 6 month belly at the Santa Monica Pier. These are some of my favorites, though Nichole posted a few more on her blog. As it was an impromptu shoot, I'm glad I at least wore something that matched!

p.s. the sunset was as beautiful as it looks. And this was during the middle of January...I just love southern California.

Previous Pregnancy Posts

One Pregnancy Post A Week: Nesting

Nesting: n. the tendency to arrange one's immediate surroundings, such as a work station, to create a place where one feels secure, comfortable, or in control

A few weeks ago I went into full "nesting" mode. I had always heard about nesting during pregnancy, but it's definitely a new feeling when you're actually going through it. It was satisfying for me to organize, clean, declutter, store, and of course, buy some new things!

I wrote a lengthy description of my nesting experience so far.

{Click below to read more.}

G-r-a-y Or G-r-e-y

Seriously considering this lovely color grey for our future {waaaay in the future, not now or anytime soon} boy or girl's nursery. It's a room I would want to sleep in, too, you know? And it can go either way, feminine or masculine. Seen here but originally from here.

Rest Your Head Close To My Heart, Never To Part, Baby Of Mine.

I had the joy of helping out with my good friend Susie's baby shower last weekend. I had the job of coming up with decorations while the other two wonderful hostesses, Jana and Emily, did the hard parts! I took inspiration from here and kind of went with it the best I could. Susie is very stylish and chic {as you can tell from the pictures} so I wanted to have a somewhat elegant flair using the bold colors magenta and black, while keeping a girly, playful quality since she's having a baby girl in March.

One of the coolest parts was the idea that Emily found for the menu: omelettes in a bag. They were delish and so simple! {side note: I'm going to show Franco how to make them because it would be an easy recipe for scout campouts throughout the year.} Definitely going to try those again.

It was fun, we enjoyed good company, and it went off without a hitch! I love when that happens.

The decorations were pretty simple:

-tissue paper poms and paper pinwheels

-damask wrapping paper and ribbon from Michael's

-crepe paper

-pink silk flowers from the dollar store and a couple branches from a tree in Emily's front yard

The pink and black banner said "It's a girl!" and it was made from the damask wrapping paper and pink fabric I already had. I found the circle letter designs somewhere and glued them on the triangles. Easy peasy.

I scored on these frame decals from the dollar bin at Michael's. I already had chalkboard paper from the dollar store, so I cut it to fit the frame and stuck it on the wall.

Don't tell Susie, but the three wooden plaques I made her cost me a whopping $4.50 at the clearance section at Target. I painted them pink and Mod Podged a design I made and printed out. I hope baby Sofia will like them!

Thanks for joining us, ladies!

My Buddy, My Pal, My Friendest Friend In The Whole Wide World...

...is having a baby.

But she lives so far across the universe in Utah, so I can't see her and her constantly growing belly. Thank goodness for holidays that bring us together, even if it's only for a couple of hours.

I heart you, Erin!

Baby Headbands

Made some not-too-big, not-so-traditional headbands for my friend's baby girl. I made a similar red flower on a headband for me, too. So easy. Still going strong with my handmade gift pledge!

Friends. Family. Weddings. Babies. Movies. Weekend.

Saturday was a long, but fantastical, day.

On our way to Oxnard for training for girl's camp

we got a flat tire.

Woo hoo.

YCL YW's camp training 9 am to 1 pm:

Why do we women insist on decorating everything like its a wedding reception??

It was pretty, but man, it took a lot of time!

4 pm: Sherry & Andy's wedding reception.

Vintage, classic, elegant, just like Sherry.

Look at her dress!

She looked like she had just stepped out of a good Jane Austen movie...

{More pics when Brenda gets them up.
They're GORGEOUS. Go-r-geous.}

Speaking of Brenda,

she was visiting from Oregon for the weekend to shoot the wedding;

I was so glad to see her!

She was my wedding photographer and she's just a little amazing.

My Mami & Papi were there, too, enjoying the delicious food.

Then I babysat these two beauties:

There is nothing cuter than twin girls.
{Right, Debbie? =}

Got home from that and found New Moon waiting for me by the TV.

Watched it with my own personal wolf pack,

Franco, Pepe, and Mosiah.

Long...but great day.

Celebrating Itzmeliani's First Birthday & Brandon's Homecoming

I'm around lots and lots of babies all the time, can you tell?
Itz's first birthday party last Saturday was no exception. A few fun pictures from the party.

At the last minute we had to move the party indoors because it was going to rain, so the decorations were limited, but who doesn't love tons of balloons?

And Yenelli, Itz's mom, made the yummy, yummy teddy bear cake.

Itz with her friends. I just want to pinch those cheeks!

My favorite part: homemade truffles. I ate waaaay too many of these.

And of course, Noah was there.

He thinks he's too old for 1st bday parties {he's 2},

so he hung out with Franco and played the Wii.

I snuck out for a little while to welcome Brandon who came home from his mission last week.

I was on Noah duty so here he is trying to touch the fire in the firepit at Brandon's house.

I didn't get a pic of Brandon while at his homecoming, but here he is showing the young women how to make a rose out of icing. He impressed all of us.

I'm trying to keep up with the whole handmade presents thing,

so I made this name plaque for the birthday girl.

As you can see, I upcycled this "espresso" plaque, which I bought at a thrift store for 95 cents.

Add a little paint, stickers, and mod podge, and you get a personalized plaque to hang on your wall!

That was our weekend, basically.