Abby’s 9th month update!

• Weight = 17lbs 11oz (29%)
• Length = 28 1/4" (75%)
• Wears 9-12 month clothing (depending on if it’s long sleeve and pants)
• In size 3 diapers
• Goes to bed around 9 and up around 6:30-7.
• Down to about 2 naps a day. 2-3 hours in the afternoon and one when she gets home from daycare.
• Down to only a couple bottles a day!
• Enjoying more solid foods. She actually likes the meat and pasta ones!
• LOVES pickles and sucking on green peppers
• Had her first ‘suck’ on a lemon. No reaction at all! She went in for more!
• Likes her sippy cup and drinking out of mom’s ice water before bed.
• Still smiling ALL THE TIME!
• Loves rolling a ball back and forth with you - to her it’s hilarious. She belly laughs the entire time.
• She’s a little shy when scared.
• Babbles all the time. We have no idea what she is saying so we just nod along and answer with “Really?!” a lot.
• She is very ticklish, especially under her chin!
• Started crawling (when we aren’t looking). I’ve caught her a few times and when I congratulate her she falls to her belly and acts like she can’t move. Silly Abby - mommy knows your little trick.
• Everything still heads straight for her mouth.
• Pulls herself up to stand and cruises along the furniture. We caught her (on the video monitor) one morning standing in her crib. Joe and I ran in to get her and lowered the mattress right away. She was planning her escape…
• Still gives hugs and kisses
• She waves all the time!
• Loves to sit and relax with daddy and watch sports on TV. I can’t get her to sit that still with me!
• Hums and dances when she hears music.
• Still loving bath time and her pool.
• Had her first cold and flu...
• Went to her first baseball game!  (I'll share those pictures in a different post)

Enjoy a few pics from last month-

Happy folding!

How to fold a fitted sheet 

Be honest.  If you open your linen closet, is this what you see?  A fitted sheet that is basically rolled in a ball because you "gave up" after 5 minutes of trying to fold the darn thing?

Let me show you how I fold a fitted sheet!

1. Take your fitted sheet and turn it inside out

2. Slip your hands into the two side corners (length wise).  Use your fingers to create the “points” where the seams are.

3. (While your hands are still inside the corners) put your fingers together and turn the right corner OVER the left hand corner.  One corner should now be tucked into the other corner and the right side of the fabric should be facing out.

 4.  Repeat on the other end.  Be careful not to unfold what you did in step 3!  You should now only have two corners.

5.  Repeat again with the two remaining corners.  Your sheet should now have one corner with all four corners tuck inside each other. 

6.  Place your sheet on the floor and create a rectangle like the picture below.

* Note - these next steps you can alter to fold the way it works best for you and your closet space.  Follow along to see how I finish folding this queen size sheet.

7.  Fold the top third of the rectangle down and the bottom third up creating a tri-fold.

8.  Tri-fold length wise again.

9.  Ta-Da!  I nicely folded fitted sheet.

*TIP...you can fold your sheet and one of your pillow cases so they are close to the finished size of your fitted sheet.  Then place them in the bottom of the other pillow case and fold over the remaining fabric at the top.  This keeps your sheet sets all together in one place until you are ready!

Let me know if you have any questions!  This was my first tutorial -- I’m not a great writer so I’ve never attempted to explain anything using my words.  I’m much better at just showing someone!  (That doesn’t work as well in the blog world…)

Here is the before and after!

Now go and fold your fitted sheets!



Hobby anyone?

Thought I would share a few pictures of what Joe and I like to do in our spare time - which we have less and less of these days!

Joe’s hobby = Woodworking

The finished project - a child sized picnic table!

He made the cutest toy boxes for Abby too…once I figure out where I stored those pictures I will share them!  Can I just say I am SO lucky to have such a handy husband!!!

Lastly, my hobby = Crocheting (I’m a “Grandma” at heart)

Amigurumi...

Hats...

Baby cocoons (great for those who struggle with the whole swaddling thing, and of course those cute newborn baby pictures!)...

Plus many, I mean probably 50 different blankets!

What's your hobby?



Ok...a few things;

a) WE LOVE our hobbies so if you are interested in anything, please let us know.  We would be happy to make something for you!

b) Please ignore the messy garage

c) Also ignore my terrible pictures...I need to find a better way to take pictures of my projects besides on the living room carpet

Waiting on the city...

Surveying done…stakes are in place…waiting on the permit to start digging!

See that little stake with the little pink top?  That's where the back of our house will be.  Can't you just picture how great our backyard is going to be!  You can see where the neighbor's lot line is in the back to give you an idea...

I CAN'T WAIT!

Tik Tok, Tic Tok, Tik Tok…..

Its official!

We're moving!

After many, many nights of planning, drawing, looking, drawing again...and again, it's OFFICIAL!  In a few months this will be our "home sweet home"!


I'm in LOVE!  It's ALL I've ever wanted!  A perfect size house for now and set up to be our perfect size house when we need to expand.  A LARGE lot that backs up to woods for the kid(s) to run and play in!  THREE car attached garage, FOUR bedrooms, same floor laundry, unfinished basement for a future bar, living room, bedroom and bathroom and an OPEN floor plan on the main level.

If you can't tell...I'm excited!  We love our current living arrangement -- in my eyes, our townhouse is lovely, but it's only two bedrooms.  If you've done the math, that means we are full.  Yes, YES, kids can share - both Joe and I did for a while when we were little but I don't want that to be our only option.  People need space to get away.  I don't think that's just me right?!?  And yes, we do have a yard, but it's not OUR yard, it's not OUR grass or OUR trees to do what WE want to with.

So, the next few months are going to be busy!  Joe and I have signed up to do a lot of the labor work ourselves. (With the help of dear, dear friends and family - muah!)  With an almost 9 month old, we will have our hands full.  I promise to try my best to keep up with the blog and to show you some of the home building process as we move forward with this journey!

Granddaughters

Grandpa B with Molly, Abby and Caylee

A Poem For Granddaughters

A granddaughter is like a special book
For a person of some age
Like reading a beautiful story
Each time we turn the page

There's mystery and excitement
As the story begins to unfold
Sometimes laughter, sometimes tears
Then joy, as the story is told

You bring back special memories ...
Times I lovingly recall
All the happy times we had
When your father/mother was very small

But above all this, there is a peace
And a deep contentment within
Knowing that a part of me
Will go on without an end

I just want to let you know
How much you mean to me
I know that I am truly blessed
With a special family

Iowa

A few weekends ago Joe, Abby and I drove down to Iowa to visit his Grandma Bjelland. Tom, Jenny and Molly were there so it was great to have a little family time and to get the girls together. It’s SO much fun to watch them grow up so close in age! Even with how young the girls are you can already see the differences in their personalities.

We were only there for a day but here are some pictures to share!

Here are a few more of the girls with Addy!

And of course we couldn't leave without getting a picture of the girls with Grandma Bjelland!  Hopefully soon we can get one with all the great-grandchildren.

(rock out Addy!)

After a long day of playing hard and chewing on almost every toy in sight, it was time to go...



me. a to z.

A. age :: twenty.eight.

B. bed size :: queen.

C. chore you hate :: cleaning the bathroom - that’s why my dear husband does it.

D. dogs :: none.  love them.  hate the hair.

E. essential start to your day :: a kiss good-bye from my hubby and baby

F. favorite color :: green and gold.  ha, really it’s a sea greenish/blue

G. gold or silver :: silver.

H. height :: five.feet.four.inches

I. instruments you play :: none :(  i’ve tried, it’s not music.

J. job title :: mama, wife, packaging engineer

K. kids :: abby!

L. live :: (suburbia) minnesota

M. maiden name :: evenson

N. nicknames :: nikki, nik

O. overnight hospital stays :: abby :), pancreatitis :(

P. pet peeve :: people always on their cell phones.  re-learn to enjoy your surroundings and people who are sitting right next to you!  Seriously, everywhere you look people are on their cell phones - it’s so sad.  also, people who push “organic” and “non-plastic” on me.  If you’re smart you will research it; BOTH sides of it, and realize that neither is best.  SO, don’t push one or the other on me.  (it’s not fun to have conversations with ignorant people…)

Q. quote ::"If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it"

R. righty or lefty :: righty

S. siblings :: two sisters; chelsey and brooke

T. time you wake up :: 7ish

U. university attended :: university of wisconsin; stout

V. vegetables you dislike: brussel sprouts -- really any kind of sprout is nasty.  i’m not especially fond of peas either, but i’ll eat them

W. what makes you run late :: our kitchen clock, somehow it always falls ten minutes behind.  i’m serious.

X. x-rays you’ve had :: teeth (dentist).  i’ve had CAT scans, an MRI and ultrasounds too - not sure if those are really ‘x-rays’

Y. yummy food :: pizza, chicken & rice, pasta, chocolate lava cake

Z. zoo animal favorite :: penquins, elephants, giraffes and zebras

Abby’s 8th month update!

• Weight = 18 lbs
• Length = 28 inches
• Wears 6-9 month clothing
• In size 3 diapers
• Goes to bed around 9-10 and up around 6:30-7.
• Still takes 3 naps a day; a small one in the morning, 2-3 hours in the afternoon and one when she gets home from daycare.
• Eats about 6-7 ounces every 4-5 hours
• Eating about ¼ cup of rice cereal for lunch and supper as well as some veggies. We’ve now added in homemade applesauce and some bananas. She definitely likes her veggies more!
• LOVES pickles and sucking on green peppers
• Holds her own bottle
• Likes her sippy cup.
• Her TWO bottom teeth finally came in!
• Is rolling like a crazy lady! (Baby gates are up!)
• Still smiling ALL THE TIME!
• It takes her a few minutes to warm up to people now. Strangers seem to scare her a little.
• Will cry when scared.
• Babbles all the time. We have no idea what she is saying so we just nod along and answer with “Really?!” a lot.
• Belly laughing all the time. Mom and Dad are still funny!
• She is very ticklish - everywhere!
• Sits and plays with toys all by herself. She’s becoming very independent.
• Still waiting for her to crawl. She’s close but doesn’t seem to want to ‘try’ any harder! Someday she will just do it and realize she could have been doing it for awhile!
• No longer use the changing pad on the dresser - it has been moved to the floor due to the fact that changing her diaper has become a little bit of a struggle. She doesn’t like to lie still for very long!
• Everything still heads straight for her mouth!
• Pulls herself up to stand.
• She is a cuddle-bug when she’s tired - I LOVE the hugs!
• Giving lots kisses!!! They are wet and more like a lick on the check, but I’m not complaining. I love them anyways!
• Loves to sit and relax with her dad in the chair or on the couch -- she’s so calm with him!
• Still hums along with Mommy when rocking.
• Still loves her bath time and ‘swimming’ in her pool. She’s our little fish.
• Is moving all over her crib. Most morning she will wake up and talk to herself until you go in to get her. Then she welcomes you with a HUGE smile!
• Doesn’t have much interest in her pacifier anymore unless she is really, really tired. Mainly she just chews on it. Hopefully she won’t even want it soon.

Unfortunately;
She has a terrible looking rash on her checks. We aren’t exactly sure what it is but we are assuming that it’s from teething, ALWAYS having something in her mouth and maybe a little eczema. It doesn’t seem to bother her but I’m hoping it clears up soon…

And of course...the pictures!