These Are the Moments

Tonight I had the most perfect moment with Dace. Dallin had meetings in Savannah and left around 6. I cleaned up supper then Dace and I shared some chocolate mints on the couch then played for an hour. At 8, I had to get off the floor so I laid down on the couch. He came over and wanted me to recline it then he crawled up with books to cuddle. We read through 3 books, then Dace rolled over to his side and snuggled in beside me. We laid there with no books, no tv, no nothing, just each other spooning for almost 20 minutes. It was the sweetest, most precious moment ever. I had my left arm under his neck and my right over top of him. I moved it down to his leg and he reached down, pulled my fingers back up so that I had my arm around his tummy. He just laid there beside me and baby boy was kicking between us. I can’t even put into words how perfect the moment was. My cup runneth over, I was thinking. I finally had to get up because I had to go to the bathroom so bad but Dace was getting tired and probably would have fallen asleep there if I didn’t have to move. He is not your ordinary toddler. What toddler lays down to cuddle mama without any distractions and for so long? I love him so much and am beyond blessed to be able to call him my son.

Blue-Eyed Boy

I promise these are straight out of the camera shots- I didn't alter them in any way. it is crazy the blue color of his eyes- they look like demin sometimes. I love it!

We call these his Thing One PJs- you know, from Cat in the Hat.

First thing every morning, he needs his cup of OJ.

When the camera is out, he wants to be in front of it and behind it at the same time.

Dace's room tour

We have a couple small things left on the nursery side to do tomorrow and then baby's side will debut here as well. Enjoy.

The headboard project

I don't know where I got this idea but I think it is kind of brilliant and wanted to share it with you because I know there are some crafties out there that might want to put this new trick to use.

I wanted to do a custom headboard for Dace to match his quilt and so this is what I did. I bought this matching pillow sham for $12.99 and completely ripped the seams out of it so that back material could be reused. I totally felt like I was doing a challenge on Project Runway. I loved it!

Then we got this used headboard from a thrift store. $19.

With great advice from Kaelee, we used a one inch foam pad, then a layer of quilt batting then a cover material and stapled it all tightly around the back. $17

Ta-da! Looks pretty sweet, huh? Now if this were the final product, it would be a more lively fabric. But I had this idea to make a slipcover for the headboard so that it can be washed easily, changed for halloween, Christmas, or new bedding etc.

Booya! The final product. I took the backing of the original sham and extended the sides to fit the length of the board. Then I used an old sheet as backing and made it like a pillowcase, fitting extremely tight. It is open on the bottom so I can easily pull it off for the wash without dismantling the whole headboard. Genius, if I do say so myself. ;) If anyone does their own, I would love to see pictures. I think it's a great concept. Marketable, really.....

Summersault

This video demonstrates two things: ONE- Dace is not that great at on-demand requests, even if he just spent the last 5 minutes doing exactly what you want him to do so you can get it on video. And TWO- When the camera comes out, he turns into a ham. But he is proud of his new trick and thinks it's the funniest thing in the world.

The Art of Napping

I always want to take pictures of Dace during naptime but you really can't work with those crib bars. Today, Dace fell asleep on the way home from grocery shopping and I plopped him on the couch instead of lugging him upstairs. He slept there for almost 3 hours. He still sleeps in the 'stink bug' position- this was his favorite way to sleep in the womb.

Oh what a sweet little bubba. Thank heaven for little boys.

Mr. Bedhead.

Bring on the Steak!

Let me start off by stating the obvious- the kid is a champ. I know I have said that before but seriously.

While having Sunday night dinner, I noticed Dace's cheeks were flushed. I had made salmon and thought that perhaps he was having a reaction. I have cooked fish before and he wasn't eating the salmon that night so I thought a reaction was a small chance. He was his normal, happy, bubbly self. Monday morning the same thing. But then it calmed down and I didn't think too much of it.

Well, last night as we were wrestling on the floor, I wanted to see if maybe he was cutting a new tooth. So I pinned him down and got him to open wide. I was shocked when I pushed his lips around to find 3 of the final 4 teeth had cut through! His top incisors and one on the bottom. What the heck?! No wonder his cheeks were rosy. The guy didn't wimper or complain once about his mouth hurting. I think he must be some sort of wonderbaby or something. I count my many blessings that the process is so manageable for him because I have a friend who has been struggling for months with her little guy and his teeth that just won't cut through.

So after I proclaimed my discovery we went over and showed Dallin and both of us sang him praises for being such a big boy. Of course, he beamed ear to ear and clapped for himself. Once that last one cuts through, we'll have to celebrate by throwing a ribeye on the barbie.

A Big Boy and a Proud Mama

Once upon a time there was a baby boy born named Dace.
He grew up too fast and overnight -poof!- he turned into a big boy, all ready for nursery.

He loved getting all dressed up for church and being handsome with his dada.


Dace loved nursery and would bring home his crafts every week. Mama would tearfully but joyfully post them on the fridge. She was a proud mama of her big boy.

Making Popcorn

Just a little, unedited glimpse into the excitement of making popcorn. His song/chant is my favorite part. Please ignore my fat preggo butt.

Final Project of '09

Okay so it took me just less than a week into the new year to complete it but the majority of it was done the week after Christmas.

I got these 2 shelves from Lynne when they moved and I instantly invisioned this project.


I spent $21 on supplies....

and Poof! I turned 2 beige and boring boxes into a cute book shelf and toy chest.
I'm really happy with how it turned out. Even the red trim is hodge podged scrapbook paper. And Dace loves it too! It's the perfect height for him and of course all the Thomas trains are a big hit. Every night before bed, he sprawls out on his tummy in front of it and flips through his books to pick out the 3 for us to read. Not bad for a $21 investment.

Eyes, Ears, Mouth & Nosey

Today, Dace measures in at 34 inches tall, 27 pounds. He's lost a little bit of weight since giving up the cow juice. He is also starting off the year with a momentous rite- learning how to catch a ball. He has been throwing one for several months (man, he's getting an arm!) but today he finally mastered the catching part.