baby

Friday, November 26, 2010

3 Shutterfly Example Cards

This post is primarily for Katherine's benefit since I can't figure out another way to share this and have it actually work. Anyway. These are three sample cards from Shutterfly that I made for my parents, if they were to order cards this year with Oliver on them. Shutterfly was running a special the other week (which my mom took advantage of) where they were giving 5 free cards so you could see how they turn out. Mom was buying some calendars I made, anyway, so I did these cards for her. Long story, I ended up only being able to send her 5 of the same card instead of 5 different examples, but here were my top 3 from the ones I made up. The first is a card design she chose (minus the pics, etc, that was my choice), but the other two I picked out and are totally ME, but not my mom's style whatsoever. Anyway. here you go, Kat. (Hi, everybody else).

The one (five of these) I had printed and sent to my mom:
Count Your Blessings Christmas 5x7 folded card
Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.
View the entire collection of cards.



Second One, which is probably my fave:
Mod Ornaments Holiday Card
Christmas cards and holiday thank you cards by Shutterfly.
View the entire collection of cards.



Third, which is my next fave of the ones I made up:
Vintage Glee Christmas Card
Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.
View the entire collection of cards.

2010 Photo Book Gifts are DONE!

I guess this will be a yearly tradition for gifts for my parents, Andrew's parents, both of his grandmas and for my brother. We did it last year, and it was a major hit. The quality of Shutterfly's books is truly spectacular. Combined, this project represents hundreds or actually, who am I kidding, more than a thousand photos combed through from the last year, then edited down as possibilities for the books, 160 photo pages, plus 5 covers, 5 back covers, font size/color/type/placement, wording, background & photo framing decisions. Most of which was done while wrangling a VERY BUSY little boy or in the middle of the night when my body is half sleeping, anyway. Because that's the time I have to work with. Its a HUGE undertaking, but its hugely rewarding. I've tweaked until the cows came home like a crazy lady (you know, like that lady from those scary, I think its Target(?), Christmas/Black Friday commercials or whatever it is?, yeah, think that) but I am making myself STEP AWAY FROM THE BOOKS and not tweak ANY MORE details unless someone finds a glaring error.
Enjoy.

My Parents' Book

Click here to view this photo book larger




Andrew's Parents' Book

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Bubby's Book

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Oliver's Great-Grandma Maggio

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Oliver's Great-Grandma Maggio

Click here to view this photo book larger

Monday, November 22, 2010

countyourblessingscard

since I'm on a shutterfly kick, here are the sample cards i ordered for MY parents. shutterfly was offering 5 free cards through today, and since my mom had ordered some other things from them (which I designed and made), I did up these cards for her as well. Another reason Shutterfly is awesome, I'm getting a $25 certificate for embedding the card in this post!

Count Your Blessings Christmas 5x7 folded card
Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.
View the entire collection of cards.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Shutterfly Cards

Everyone, you should check out Shutterfly . Its the site we use for our picture books we gave to a few family members last year, and they're offering a special for 50 free cards if you go here: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/ Back to the photo books, they are INCREDIBLE quality (seriously) and it was such a huge hit, we're going back for round two this year for those same family members.

This was Bubby's book last year


Mom and Dad's book last year

MIL and FIL's book last year

When I finish this year's books, I'll try to remember to post them, too.

We don't send out cards, but my MIL and FIL do, and this year, the plan is to put Oliver on the cards. We're brainstorming ideas for a picture, and it includes snow, so we're hoping it snows soon to get the picture. It also involves a vintage sled a friend was just going to throw out and him in the cute Christmas pjs from Hanna Andersson Debra bought him- these. Hope it comes to fruition. If it doesn't snow soon, we'll have to come up with plan B. Not sure what card Debra will pick, but these are my 3 fave designs:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/modern-ornaments-christmas-4x8-photo-card-4x8-photo?sortType=1&storeNode=93480

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/snowflakes-and-wishes-christmas-5x7-photo-card-5x7-photo?sortType=1&storeNode=93480

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/vintage-snowflakes-holiday-5x7-photo-card-5x7-photo?sortType=1&storeNode=93480

Thanks to Kat for cluing me in on this promotion!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

18 + months

Oliver is saying probably 20 ish words, now. Some hes been saying for a long time. Some are new-ish. I'll try to compile a list. I'll probably forget some.

Dada
Mama
bath
Clock
Bruce
Brush
woof-woof (does this count as a word, or is it a sound effect?)
banana
shoes
socks (doesn't say very much)
all done
nighty night
bye bye
baby (he sings this one, as in "baby, baby, baby signing time")
ball
hat
book (this is probably the newest one)
no (and no no no)
push (second newest word)

he says "broom broom" for a car sound.

there are several other "words" he says where we can't really tell what hes saying. he says something for things like food, drink, and milk, and maybe "that," but none of them sound like any real words. He calls milk "goosh," but sometimes he also seems to make a similar sound for "food/eat," "drink," and "that" (like when he points to something he wants.

if he has a poop diaper i'll say, "ooh, stinky" and scrunch my face up, and he'll do it too, making the same sound i make with my voice.

he understands a LOT of what we say to him, even if he can't say anything back or say the words, himself. He will run to the stairs if we say we're going upstairs or downstairs. He will bring things to us if we say "bring it to mommy," etc. he knows what we're talking about when we talk about going to the toybox or toys. He likes to give kisses and will hug and kiss a stuffed monkey from GG if we tell him to. He knows what sleepy milk is. He loves rubber gloves and pot holders and things like reusable grocery bags or anything he can tote around.

He signs several things, too. like:
mom
dad
ball
bath
baby
signing
time
milk
all done
dog
hat


he kind of signs eat and drink...he points to his mouth, etc
there are probably other signs hes signed once or twice, but not regularly. I'm also forgetting things he signs or says.

around 17 months or so, he got REALLY into reading books. This is such a fun stage! We are reading lots of books to him now. His faves are rhyming books. He bops his head to the meter. Its hilarious. He will even go get a book and sit on the floor or crawl up in a chair or in bed and "read" out loud or silently to himself.

Today, he pointed to the clock in "Goodnight Moon" and said, "gock."

last night, i dropped something and sucked in my breath loudly. Oliver did it at the same time, too. That was the first time I'd heard him do anything like that. It was like "OH NO!"

He dances to nearly all music. He likes to put on his dad's and grandpa's hats. He can walk up and down the stairs by himself, while holding onto the spindles. He likes to push a broom around the house. He still wants to stick ANYTHING he can get his hands on in his mouth. We have to watch him like a hawk . He is very fast and will get into anything in a split second. He likes to sit in his bathtub and hang out and play with toys or read a book. He likes to push around laundry baskets...and climb in them. Thats not a new thing, though. He likes to push buttons on telephones and remote controls. There are a lot of asian beetles (orange ladybugs) and flys here. He likes to poke them with his finger. He tries to plug attachments into the cpu. We really have to watch that one. He turns the switch off and on on his aquarium light toy. Sorry, don't know how to explain what this is. He wants to click the mouse. One of his favorite hobbies is putting all the newspapers and magazines in the house on the floor.

He knows where a mouth, nose, ears, eyes and feet and a head are. We're working on hands. For a long time, he "signs/says" toothbrush or "brush your teeth" by sticking his finger up to his mouth, moving it back and forth and saying, "ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh."

Thats about all I have time for tonight.

Friday, October 22, 2010

My Lifes Yours, Love

I think about blogging all the time, but then I don't know really what to say.

We moved to Illinois, in with Andrew's parents. That has been going well. Andrew is still looking for a call to the pastorate in the PCA or possibly OPC. That is the long-term thing hes still looking for. In the meantime, since we've been here, hes been harvesting with his dad on the farm for work, and doing other farm work. Thats about to wrap up. On the agenda is to find any type of job in the Quad City Area to bring in some income in the interim of the pastor thing surfacing. Nothing has turned up yet on that front, either, but he'll have more time to commit to it once farm work is done for the season. Keep us in your prayers with that whole job/eventually moving out of his parents' house, etc situation.

I saw another doctor about my fatigue situation. (As in, just to give you the quick story, I need a ridiculous amount of sleep per day, and my rear end is dragging, 24/7. Simple tasks exhaust me. I get physically ill and crash and burn if I overexert (for me). I've been this way maybe my whole life, but at least since middle school or so.) It was nice, because she was the first doctor to probably take me very seriously and hear me. She actually mentioned the words 'chronic fatigue syndrome' which made me deliriously happy, because usually I'm the one thinking it or saying it, and when I do, the crazy bells in my head go off or people give me strange looks, or both. I even told her that. But. Anyway. She did more blood work and checked for several vitamin, etc deficiencies and also for a couple of viruses, but everything came back clear. The next thing to do is to have a sleep study. Which I knew she would say, because I've been told it before - last summer, actually. But I can't do that, because Oliver night nurses. And I can't take him with me. And leaving him home with Andrew all night to scream and not sleep and ME not sleep from being so worried about it doesn't = a good sleep study. But our health insurance runs out in November. So...I will not be having a sleep study. I was told if the results of that came back normal, I'd be referred to a specialist that deals with stuff like chronic fatigue syndrome. Anyway. So ...no sleep study for me, and no specialist to check into CFS, etc. So away I trudge, some more, being fatigued all the time with no explanation for it. I'm kind of depressed (not clinically) about it. But I hate not feeling normal and not having at least an explanation, if not a fix, for it. My inside desire for more activity and energy does not at all match my physical ability. Its really a horrible feeling. Not to mention already never feeling great because I'm so tired all the time. At the end of the day, like now, when Oliver is finally asleep, I have to stay up for an hour or two in order to wind down, because that is the only free time (not actually free, just not maintaining a toddler) I have to myself all day, and I need that, too, in order to function.

I know most people don't feel this way. And I know not every child is as high need as Oliver. But its still hard for me to wrap my mind around my friends having babies so close together lately. Or being asked when we're having another one. I feel like I just gave birth, still. Oliver is 17 1/2 months old. I haven't caught up on sleep or energy even a little bit, people! Ok. Maybe a LITTLE BIT. But not anything significant. :) No two people or situations are ever the same. Its not fair or accurate to compare, is it?

Thanks to Kat for hearing me say most of what I just typed, on the phone the other night. :)

PS - Being a mom is the best job in the world. Have I mentioned that?


"Hush now.... don't explain...there ain't nothin' to gain..." ~ A la Damien Rice/Herbie Hancock, (because that's what I'm listening to). HT for the blog entry title, too.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Of Words and Poo

Tuesday, I think, I showed Oliver his socks and asked if he could say it. Out came, "DOCKS." But he only said it once. That is his way. If you try to get him to repeat words, he usually won't. So over that day and the next, I would prompt him to say it again, and he would, but just once each time. Its so cute. So now he has "docks" to go with his "chooose."

Today, I showed him his nose and Mama's nose. Repeatedly in one sitting. He was quite focused. Then tonight, I asked him where Mama's nose was, with no gesturing, etc. He pointed right on my nose. Such a smart boy. Which brings me to another question I have been pondering lately. Do parents ever think their kid is NOT smart? LOL.

Oliver isn't seeming to try to say too many words, other than his own babble, which he does all the time. I'm sure it means something to him. But hes not a big mimicker yet. But, he clearly recognizes MANY words. That is the cute part.

For instance, tonight (and I've thought hes done it for a while, but it was confirmed), when I told him we needed to get his toothbrush (with no gestures from me to indicate what I was talking about), he stuck his finger in his mouth, wiggled it around and went, "AHHHHH." Oh man, ....I love it.

Another example. Oliver is very good at shaking his head yes or no. He did "no" for a long time before getting the "yes" shake down pat. Andrew likes to say one or the other and wait for Oliver to shake his head. He always gets it correct. But I theorized at the dinner table that Oliver might be shaking his head correctly only in response to the specific over-emphasized unique intonation Andrew uses for one or the other. So Andrew said "Yes" with the intonation he normally uses for "Nooo" and Oliver still got it right! Hooray! Oh, only a proud parent could appreciate such a tale. Hehe.

Am I the only parent who can't tell if their kid has diarrhea or just non-firm poops? I mean, his poo, when he was exclusively breast fed and under 6 months was runny. I knew that was normal. Then after that, it was quite firm for a few months. Now, it is back and forth. I never know if this is an indication of a) a food allergy (since he eats most stuff now, including dairy and a variety of other things that could potentially bother someone's system b) him still reviving large amounts of breast milk c) a normal variance of poo based on whatever hes eaten - in a non-food-allergy sort of way.

Hmm.

Off to bed I go.