Saturday, February 7, 2015

DIY :: whimsical mobile

About a month ago I made my friend a mobile for her baby shower. It was her second baby girl and she didn't need/want much so I decided to go the creative diy route for her gift. Well it turned out much better than I planned and now I have made several since, including one for my baby girl (yep that's how much I loved it).

This is a very easy project, but I figured I would give a quick guide to anyone wanting to make one. The best part is that you can make it while sitting on the couch and watching tv....my kind of late night project for sure.

Please note that this could get pricey if you are not careful on what ribbons you buy. Make sure you check the yardage on the back of the spool since some don't come with much and therefore may only give you 2 strands. I always buy my items on sale or I plan ahead and buy larger spools online.

Materials:
embroidery hoop ($2.99 at Joannes)
fabric/lace/ribbon/string (price will vary)
scissors





You can get super creative with what you use to tie around your hoop. I like getting lace fabric on sale and then cutting my own strands. I use these fabric lace strands the most and then fill in with the other ribbons.

Steps:
1. Cut your pieces into 30" strands (I normally start by cutting 4 strands of each different type of ribbon, and 8 strands of my base fabric lace pieces.
2. Tie them onto your hoop. (Fold the strand in half and loop it over your hoop while pulling itself through.
3. Repeat steps one and two until you are happy with the fullness.
4. And lastly, Hang it up. Take twine/fishing line (some kind of string) and tie 4 strands to your hoop. Then have them meet in the middle to the desired height you want it hanging. Tie them all together and secure to your ceiling.

That is it! Here are a few pics of the one I made for my babe.





Sunday, February 1, 2015

month // 2

Two months baby girl.  Your dad and I were just staring at you last night and thinking how quickly this has gone for us. It seems like you are enjoying life on the outside and your latest is showing us your beautiful smile. Your siblings think it is the greatest thing when they get you to smile. They try tickling you, singing to you and making funny faces. Please don't ever stop showing the world your precious smile. A smile truly is contagious as you have shown us.

Bedtime has gotten easier for all of us. Thank goodness :) You started taking naps in your crib at 6 weeks and just a week ago began sleeping in your crib at night. Just like your siblings, you seem to sleep really well in it. We swaddle you, let you suck on the pacifier a little and sing jesus loves you. We lay you down awake and you normally fall asleep peacefully. Unless of course we waited to long to put you down and you are overly tired. Then we rock you to sleep. You want to be asleep by 6:30 so we follow your cue. Your sister then goes to bed at 7:00 and your brother at 8:00.

You still look more like your daddy. It must be your light skin and blue eyes (for now anyway).

INTRODUCTIONS:
Play mat/activity gym: 
We introduced you to your play mat this past month and you seem to have a love hate relationship with it. Somedays you will lay and kick happily others you cry at first sight.

Bottle:
At 6 weeks you had your first bottle (brand: first born). I pumped and went on a little date with your brother while daddy fed it to you. You took it like a champ. Since then you have had a few more. Sometimes I pump a bottle before we go out on certain adventures with your siblings. Like last week we went to get air (a jump place). It makes it a little easier on mommy when I have all 3 of you.

You had your 2 month check up and you are developing and growing perfectly.

weight: 10 pounds 9 ounces
length:

Thank you for making all of us so happy. Braeden really loves when you pick him up from school and everly loves that you "share" your pacifier with her. Lately she wants to sleep with it during naps while she sucks her thumb. She must think its cool since you like it :) We are all excited to see what this next month has in store for you and what new tricks you show us. I also think we will begin to enjoy more adventures out, as mommy has heeled and feels a lot more comfortable being outnumbered :)

Love you baby girl.
-mama xx









Saturday, January 31, 2015

DIY :: kids leg warmers

I love leg warmers. And when I wanted plain ones (just grey or black. simple. casual. comfy.) for my newborn baby I couldn't find them. I knew they would be easy to sew out of fabric if I found the right kind, but I wanted to make it even easier for myself...because I have a newborn baby of course. Off to target I went and picked up some ladies knee high socks. A whole $2.50 per pair. For my one month old baby I cut the foot off and then cut up the back of the "tube" and in about 20 seconds sewed a skinnier/tinier pair for my babe.

BUT- if you don't have a newborn it gets even easier. Just cut off the foot. Done. Yep that's it. And how cute are these heart ones with valentine's day right around the corner. I just bought them on Friday too so you should still be able to snag some :) For $10 bucks you've got yourself 4 pairs. What are you waiting for....go make some!






They are perfect for dance too :)

These are the ones I cut open and sewed up the back to make them tiny...

Monday, January 12, 2015

first month favorites

We recently just hit the one month mark of sweet Kenzie joining our family. I have been asked by multiple mamas what some of my favorite products are. So I decided that each month I will do a quick round up of my frequently used and approved items. Here is month one -- in no specific order...



1. Solly baby wrap
Love this wrap, especially for a newborn. Having multiple kids wearing my baby is a must. Don't let the fabric scare you, it is super easy to use and your babe will feel so comfortable being right next to your heart.

2. Boppy
Ever since having my first baby, the boppy has been an essential part to all my at home feedings. It makes feedings easy and comfortable for myself and baby. I have a few covers too so that they are easy to switch out in case of spit ups :)

3. Fiber one bars
Sometimes I just get really hungry. Looking after the kids and making sure the three of them are fed and happy sometimes makes me forget about myself. Having bars around makes it super easy to grab and go or to just quickly eat at home.

4. Cradle n swing - my little snugabunny by Fisher Price
Sometimes you just need to put the baby down. This swing is great for Kenzie to chill in while the other kiddos play in front of her or around the house. She can have happy awake time in here and then normally takes a morning snooze in it too while I make breakfast. Bonus- this one plugs into the wall so you don't need to worry about batteries!

5. Ollie swaddle
I have always swaddled my little ones and never found it easy nor long lasting when I just use a regular blanket. This swaddle special blanket is very easy to use and keeps my baby sleeping for long durations at night-- which means I get more sleep too!

6. Rock and play deluxe sleeper by Fisher Price
I am so happy I stumbled upon this item online and very thankful we didn't waste anytime getting it (like I sometimes do with products). At night after Kenzie's last feeding I swaddle her (in the ollie) rock her a bit and then lay her in this cozy contraption. The vibration mode on it makes the transition from baby in my arms to this sleeper quite easy. Also huge plus, it's very easy to fold up and take with you for an overnight.

7. My baby homedics sound spa machine
Constant noise has always been key to our kiddos sleeping so well. This sound machine has the perfect noise options (heart beat, rain, twinkle twinkle little star, etc.) and you can just plug it in and have it run all night for white noise. During the day when Kenzie naps we put it on "rain" and at night she sleeps to the  "heartbeat." It also has the option of a nightlight to project on the ceiling. My two older kids still sleep with theirs every night. This also helps with noise during middle of the night awakenings/feedings since the rooms in our house are close together.

8. Humble hilo {diaper} bag
This is not a traditional diaper bag, but it makes a perfect one! From the first time I saw it, I knew it was a must have item for baby #3. I have the size large bag and it is big enough to carry my many baby/kid items. Plus super bonus is that it is gorgeous and I feel like a stylish mama every time I carry it. Oh and the compliments from strangers don't stop coming :)

9. Pampers swaddlers
Hands down the best diapers for a newborn. So soft and gentle on their skin. I won't use any other brand on my newborn baby's bottom...

10. Burp Cloth 
Yep one of our items and I think the image explains it all. I can never have too many burp cloths as spit ups are a multiple daily occurrence around here. And I love this one since its not your traditional one...oh and it's super soft and hard to miss!






Thursday, January 1, 2015

month // 1



One month of you sweet Kenzie. We have been blessed this past month to have you join our family. I don't even know where to start. Yep, tears as I write this {and I'm not a crier}. I am in love with you and in love with the way your brother and sister look at you, care for you and constantly want to hold and kiss you. They already are over-protective of you and at the first sign of a cry everly runs to you and says "it's okay, it's okay, ah kenzie it's okay." Then she places her head on you and puts her arms around you to try and pick you up... That's when mom {me} runs over and interjects a little ;)

Your eyes are a very dark blue and your hair dark brown. You've got your mama's nose and daddy's chin. You love being held and are soothed to sleep the best when sucking, however rocking works too (just takes longer). You still won't take a pacifier and sometimes shove your little hand in your mouth. You enjoy your swing for small spurts and most often enjoy relaxing and stretching out on your changing table.

Somehow you created your own routine very early on and mommy and daddy followed your cue. It goes a little something like this:

- bedtime: between 8:30 and 9:30 for 4-6 hours {except last night you did 7!}
- you wake up 1-2 more times to feed
- wake up time is 6:30-7:00 am {just depends when braeden comes in and wakes you up}
- I then feed you and let you chill on the changing table
- you then go in the swing for a 45 minute snooze while I (or your daddy) make your siblings breakfast
- the rest of the day you eat poop and sleep {on repeat} with a little bit of crying mixed in :)

You are still wearing newborn clothes and diapers, but not for much longer.

first outings:

Dr's for your first check up
target
mall
opa and grandma's
starbucks
rb inn for a girls lunch

I could keep writing but you just woke up....love you sweet girl and happy one month!
xx mommy

celebrating new year's eve :: your daddy brought us home these fun accessories. love him.

Friday, December 19, 2014

gender neutral nursery

I realized I never posted pics of the nursery. Since we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl we kept everything pretty gender neutral. I'll be honest though, I thought for sure we were having a boy-- so it may have swayed a little more that way. And of course to our surprise we had a girl! Next week I'll post what the nursery now looks like. Just added a few little girly touches :)










Thursday, December 4, 2014

Boys are outnumbered :: welcome to the world Kenzie

Our Quinn clan now consists of three girls and 2 boys! On Monday morning we welcomed a beautiful baby girl into this world, Kenzie Rae Quinn. She was born at 10:00 am weighing 7 lbs 8 ozs and measuring 19.5" in length. As I type this she is peacefully asleep in daddy's arms on the couch. I still feel like this is all a dream. I feel incredibly blessed that our baby was healthy and that we were able to come home yesterday where Kenzie can begin bonding with her brother and sister-- who just adore her.

We were team green (as we were with the other two kids) and wanted to wait to find out if we were to welcome a baby boy or girl into this world. My husband and I both thought that we would have another boy. So when a precious baby girl was born we were incredibly surprised. I can't describe how happy I am, how this feels so right and how much Everly and Braeden are already loving on their baby sister. I did not imagine this to all go so well. And never did I imagine that I would be doing a blog post already. But everyone is asleep and I can't help but get some typing in and begin documenting our Quinn adventures as a family of five.

Here are a few pics ... all taken from our iphones---

daddy did great. first pic with his new baby girl. mama was getting closed up.

hello world. meet Kenzie rae quinn.

 skin to skin. the best.


my first walk.

me and my everbug. and her dolly of course.


family of five. My heart is full. words could never come close to describe my happiness.


daddy checking on kenzie

 another visit from sissy. it was raining, so perfect for a pajama day.

And that's a wrap. goodbye hospital. We are now proud parents of three babes :)

we're home! proud brother and unsure sister :)

home is where my family is.