{He's trying to bust out!!! ;) }

Happy New Year's Eve everyone. I cannot believe how quickly 2011 flew by!! I am very much looking forward to 2012 and hope that everybody has a fun, safe, and happy New Year celebration tonight. We are going to head out to a friends house for dinner pretty soon, but I managed to get a little down time this afternoon to sit and enjoy the beautiful, peaceful day. As I was sitting there, my little guy starting moving around like ca-razy, and I was able to catch his "awesome moves" on video.

Check this out......it's not very long, so if you watch it till the end, you'll see that that is where he really moves like crazy!!

(**The camera is up by my chin, looking down at my almost-34-week belly)



He is trying to bust out to celebrate the New Year with us, I think. He moves around ALL-DAY-LONG!! It is a pretty wonderful feeling (aside from the keeping me up at night - lol). I really hope the next 6 (+/-) weeks goes by quickly so that we can meet him already!!!

That's all. I just wanted to share that with you! Again, have a VERY happy New Year everyone! xoxoxo

-L

{Nursery Reveal}

NURSERY REVEAL!!!!!

So, I had wanted my favorite photographer friend to capture Oliver's nursery for me, but the day that she was here (the day of my baby shower), she mentioned that because there isn't much natural light streaming in throughout the day, it wasn't ideal for the impromptu photo session. Sooo.....I thought I would take it upon myself to snap a few photos of it anyway, before it really gets cluttered up with the stuff that the baby really needs (LOL).

Here she is in all of her (instagram-lightened-up-photo) glory.....


**Note: It's a circle tour - starts at the entryway and circles around to the right and back to the door.






















(Sorry for the photo overload. I just wanted to make sure to show it all!!)

NOTES:

**I am still trying to find the perfect spot for some of my favorite items, specifically the owl from one of my besties that I shared in my previous baby-stuff post. The crate from her that I love made it in as a toy chest beside the crib. I am just looking for the perfect place for the owl :)

**No, I did not make dog portraits of our two fur-babies. LOL! The dog portraits above the crib were a total fluke. As you know, I am an avid 'Marshall's' shopper. Well, one day while perusing, I stumbled upon those two dog prints stretched on canvases. It just so happened that the only two that they had were the exact kind of dogs that we have - a Yorkie and a Black Lab. So, alas, they had to be ours. $16.99 each well spent!! Now Oliver's sisters will be watching over him while he sleeps, and the orange in the prints compliments the closet doors and the gallery wall prints. :)

**I decided against hanging the handmade hot air balloon mobile. At the end of the day, it wasn't needed, and I wasn't thrilled with the way that it looked. Not bad. Not great. So, I left it out.

**The instagram setting that I chose to use ('RISE') really lightened everything up a lot, but you all know that the true colors are school-bus yellow (as I have been calling it), gray, black, and crisp white :). I am not a photographer by any means, so this is the best I could do ;)

I hope you like it as much as I do!!! Now bring on the B-A-B-Y!

xo -lisa

{It was awesome & a small tribute!!}

Ahhhh.....the holiday season is coming to a close. One final hoorah - New Years Eve (which come on people, I'm 8.5 months pregnant. The hoorah will be pretty mild this year) - and then it's onto to 2012. Needless to say I am SOOOO excited for what the New Year will bring and I anticipate myself being the HAPPIEST girl around!! :)!!! All of that being said, this 2011 holiday season went off without a hitch. It was festive, it was yummy, and it was actually . . . relaxing. After celebrating Hanukkah with my husbands family, it was on to Christmas with mine. I did all of my wrapping on Christmas eve day (listening to holiday tunes, of course), and spent a ton of time eating and chatting with the people that I love most! I didn't have my camera out for much of the weekend, but trust me when I say that it was a very happy time.

Just for the record, here I am at 32.5 weeks along.....

(this picture makes me look much smaller than I am/feel (I guess black is slimming). I feel pretty uncomfortable in my jeans now...I am ready for him to come out (lol)!!!

And now, back to my holiday spiel. Even though as I grow older, the holidays (for me) are less about presents and more about family, I did want to share one gift that I gave this year that I put some thought into.

Back-story - I don't talk about him too much on here, but my husband is a wonderfully sweet and funny guy. He has a huge heart and is SOOO excited about the upcoming arrival of our little boy in February! As he relates to this post, he has not traditionally been a Christmas celebrator. He grew up Jewish, and his family is amazingly festive and fun during the holidays...it's just a different kind of festive than having the tree, stockings, and jolly-big-fat-guy that a lot of us identify with. I am in love with his mom's enthusiasm when it comes to the holidays. She makes it clear that it's not about getting, it's about being good people in the world and loving wholeheartedly. She truly is an amazing lady. In regards to "our little family" and how things will go in the future, I have been planting the seed that while I am not really a religious person, I am a VERY festive and traditional person, and I have such fond memories of celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah (my dad is Jewish too) as a child. I really want our kids to have similar traditions to the ones that I have always cherished; the best of both worlds, we would always say. Soooo.....this year, I did get my husband a "Christmas" gift (well....a holiday gift that I put under Ali's tree and gave to him on Christmas morning).....


Ok, so I don't have a picture of the actual gift (ha!), but that was the card attached to it. I got my husband a super cool backpack filled with all of the "baby essentials" that he will need when he and Oliver venture out into the world together!! You know....a changing pad, diapers, wipes, diaper creme, powder, burp cloth, dirty diaper disposal bags, toy (you get the idea). Now I know that Ollie will be attached to me mostly in the beginning (being that I plan to be his food source), but if and when his daddy is ready to take him on a solo adventure (and give mommy some much needed alone time that I am sure she will be craving), he will be all set!!

I wanted to make sure that my husband knows how much I appreciate him and how much he will be needed during this special time. He is a very hands-on guy, and I feel SUPER lucky about that! So, I hope the gift showed him that I am looking forward to being "Mom and Dad" with him and that I can't wait to see him with his very own mini-me!

Now we get to wait in anticipation to see who he will look like most. Here is an adorable picture of my husband (the little Jewish boy) dressed up like Santa back in the day..... (ha!)

Look at that double chin and those hazel eyes - SO cute!! Oddly enough, I can't put my finger on any of my baby pictures at the moment, but once I do, I will post some. It will be fun to compare and contrast!

And finally, just for fun, here are some pictures of my husband and me from 2010 (some of our engagement photos)....



...and soon....baby will make 3! :) YAY!

xo Happy Tuesday!

-lisa

{Christmas Eve Eve}

The holidays are finally here people!!!! Tonight I will celebrate Channukkah with my in-laws (matzo ball soup and potato latkes = YUM!!) and tomorrow will start the beginning of "Tamale Mania" (also known as Christmas Eve & Christmas Day) with my side of the family. Go here to see the ins-and-outs of making this delectable dish.

This is such a happy time, especially this year!! I am finally 32 weeks (8 months) along with baby Oliver!! The gap is closing in, and I am getting SUPER excited. I can't believe that he will be here -- and a whopping 10 months old -- next year at this time :)!! That puts a giant smile on my face!!

Some of our holiday joy this year.....

Our holiday card.....

(SORRY!!! I didn't get my act together to send a card to some of you far-away-friends (you know who you are!!) - SO sorry!! I'll do better next year (when the picture has a cute smiley baby face on it :) !)

The card holder in action....

(ok, so I never actually got around to hanging it up this year....I suck - lol)

& last but not least, some tamale's waiting to be eaten (by me :) )...

YUM!!!

Happy holidays to you and yours!!! I hope you all stay warm and cozy!! :) xo

-L

{Binky Bag AWESOMENESS!!!}

Hi :)
So, I received one more hand made AMAZING gift for my baby shower that I didn't mention in my previous post.......a custom made "Binky Bag" from "Happy Baby Designs". Rebecca is the owner of this FABULOUS etsy shop and she is too sweet for words!! She made Oliver his very own "Binky Bag" that matches his nursery perfectly.

See.....

Isn't it ADORABLE!!?!! And not only that, it is going to be SO helpful once my little guy arrives. If I am anything like my sister (well, we are identical twins, so I am sure I will be) I am going to rely on the pacifier quite a bit (and if you are anti them, that's ok too, but I certainly am not). She has told me stories of searching around her crying baby in the dark, late at night trying to find the lost pacifier with no luck. This bag is the cure-all!!! All you have to do is be sure to keep the bag stocked (it can hold up to 3 pacifiers comfortably), and you will always have one at your fingertips.

Again, see......

There they are, just waiting to soothe my little guy :). Her shop has a ton of other beautifully made items (blankets, aprons, wash cloths, etc.), but rumor has it, Rebecca has big plans for the "Binky Bag" in the new year. She is so talented! I cannot wait to see where it ends up!!

Here is one last picture, just for fun.....


It is PERFECT!! Thank you so much Rebecca for your thoughtful gift! :) I will definitely share your info with my friends that are expecting or who are looking for a baby shower gift in the future.

Happy Saturday!

-lisa

{Generous friends & baby goods}

I am still waiting on more pictures of my AMAZING baby shower to be sent over, but in the meantime, although it is the season of GIVING, not receiving, I thought I would share some of the AWESOME treasures that I received as gifts at my baby shower. Obviously I don't have my baby in my arms yet, so my L-O-V-E for these items is yet to be 100% determined (depending on how he likes everything), but I am SO excited to try them all out and am stunned by the love and generosity that my friends have shown us.

To start (and this doesn't really go along with my statement above because I don't have to have my little guy to know that I already LOVE these items), my sweet and talented friend Cassie made me two amazingly adorable gifts....

First being this ADORABLE crate....
...and second being this very wise-looking Owl....
She shipped them all the way from Maryland, and they got here just in time for the shower. SO awesome!!! She is too sweet for words and I cannot wait to incorporate these items that were made with love into Oliver's nursery. :) Thank you Cassie!!!!

For these other items, they were on my gift registry because they either got great reviews or I just plain liked them (all images/products are from Babies R'Us).....

1) The Fisher Price Papsan Cradle Swing - My Little Lamb

(that baby looks so cozy!!)

2) Tommee Tippee bottles & accessories (several friends use these and LOVE them, so I thought I would give them a shot)
3.) The BOON Frog Pod Bath Toy Scoop and Storage...

4) The Summer Brand Video Monitor
5) The "Boppy" Flying Circus Play Gym...
6). The Skip-Hop Wise Owl Stroller Toy...

7) The Combi Pod Bouncer-Bee bouncy seat....

(This thing is adorable, and you can also hook up your ipod to the back for some tunes! I can't wait to put him in it!)

8. And the ever infamous "Gymnic Rody Hopping Horse in Orange" with the rocking horse attachable base...

(He is Sooooo cute and he looks great in the nursery already ;) )

I received a ton of other really nice gifts, but those are some of the cutest ones that I wanted to share.

I also got quite a bit of cute clothes, shoes, socks, etc., but I will wait until he is here and wearing the goods to show you all of that. Although, possibly my favorite item (in this category) are the baby TOMS that my sister bought...

The Tiny TOMS - Black Flying Machines:
They are sooo stinking cute!!!! I know tiny babies don't really need to wear shoes, but still.....could-not-resist!! :)

I am such a lucky girl and Oliver is a VERY lucky (and stylin') little boy!! I am 31 weeks now, and we are counting down the days until we get to meet him!!

Happy Thursday! xo

-L