Our New Arrival

My absence can be easily explained by the arrival of this beautiful little boy:

Baby Harrison made his arrival at 5:45am on February 21, 2012 after a fast and intense labour that lasted 6 1/2 hours.

I'll post more once I get a handle on this whole motherhood thing.

But so far, I am so in love with this little boy.

Menu Plan Monday - Week 175

39 1/2 Weeks and counting people! 

I now officially feel pregnant!  I'm so ready to meet this baby.  Hopefully he'll make his arrival soon!

But, until he does, this is what we'll be eating this week:

Monday: Fettuccine Alfredo

Tuesday: Shake & Bake Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, & Veggies

Wednesday:  Hot Dogs (because I really like hot dogs)

Thursday: Veggie & Pesto Pasta

As always, I'll be linking up with OrgJunkie.

Junk Drawer Be Junky No More!

I was feeling a little ambitious last week, and decided to tackle our junk drawer.  Or, it decided to tackle me, as I couldn't get it to shut.

Here's what I started with:

This was my first shot, but 'something' got in the picture too...

Silly belly, always getting in the way!

I started by emptying the drawer out completely and spread it out all over the counter.

I don't know how half this junk got in there, but I guess that happens when the drawer ends up being the place where you just dump things that have no other place to go.

There ended up being so much garbage in there, and stuff that really did have somewhere else to go.  Like the office, or the garage.

Once sorting through everything, and washing out all my organizers, I was left with this:

This picture makes me so happy.  Everything in it's place, and you can see everything.  There is also a little spot for the Hubbys wallet - perfect!

I'm proud to say that over a week later, it still looks just like this.

It will stay this way.

It will.

The Nursery's Final Touch!

It's finally here! Yay!

I'm so excited that the mobile I ordered off Etsy finally arrived.

I ordered this mobile from a shop called 'lovelyfriend'.

The shop was FANTASTIC to deal with and I was able to customize the colours to coordinate with the nursery.

This shop has so many options, and what sealed the deal for me was that the owls were on an angle so that the baby could actually see what is hanging above him.

I looked at a TON of mobiles on Etsy, and this was the only shop that I saw that angled the animals for the baby's viewing pleasure.  

And really, that's who the mobile is for right?

So, instead of staring at the underside of the animals, this is what my little guy will see while getting his diaper changed:

I think that it's pretty awesome.  It  looks great from every angle!

The only thing this nursery is missing now, is the baby!

Menu Plan Monday - Week 174

Oh man, not working is throwing off my planning!  It took me til noon to realize it was Monday!  That doesn't make for effective planning, or a good dinner on Monday night!

Oh well.

So, I've finally hit that point in my pregnancy (38 1/2 Weeks) where I am ready to not be pregnant anymore.  I am so ready for this little guy to make an appearance, and I don't want to be sore, achy and a pee-machine anymore!

We had my parents over for dinner last night, and my mom kept telling me that I should get a video of me walking right now.  It must be pretty entertaining to watch me maneuver around the house with sore hips and a huge belly.

It also helps me feel ready for Baby Boy to arrive since I finished the cooking that I wanted to do.  I wanted to be sure to freeze some meals for the Hubby and I for after the arrival.  I also hit up Costco and M&M Meatshops, so our freezer is full!

Well, here is our menu this week:

Monday: Kraft Dinner (thats what late menu planning got me)

Tuesday: Teriyaki Beef Stirfry

Wednesday: Spaghetti Bolognese (going to make a double batch of the sauce and freeze the rest)

Thursday: BBQ'd Hot Dogs (because thats what this momma wants!)

As always, I'll be linking up with OrgJunkie (albeit a wee bit late!)

Strawberry Shortcake Quilt

It's baby overload over here!

In the midst of making everything for my little guy, I managed to find the time to make an adorable baby girl quilt for one of the Hubby's cousins.

I used a fabric bundle that I bought off Fabricworm a while ago and was super excited to find out that I was getting to make a baby girl quilt!

After seeing the quilt top put together, the Hubby said that it reminded him of Strawberry Shortcake.  I just think it looks super cute!

I really like the chevron pattern, and I am in LOVE with the colors.

This is little baby Praise enjoying her new quilt - she's pretty thrilled, I can tell.

So cute!

Can't wait to take pictures of my little guy on the quilt I made for him!

Menu Plan Monday - Week 173

My first week of maternity leave has come and gone - it went by so fast!  I have a feeling that's the way it's going to be from here on out.

The week started off with a three day get away to our favourite getaway, and ended the week crossing a few things off my to do list.

This coming week is looking like a busy one too - but in a really good way!  I've got a Spa Day coming up, lunch with friends, and a few other appointments for good measure.

I'm also going to try and do some cooking that I will freeze so we won't starve after the baby comes!  Hopefully I'll be able to get a few things crossed off my 'To Make' list this week!

Here's what we're eating this week:

Monday: Chicken Dijon, mashed potatoes & veggies ( I know, this has been on my menu for the last three weeks - I swear we are going to eat it this week!)

Tuesday: Broccoli & Sundried Tomato pasta

Wednesday: Waffles (who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?!)

Thursday: Dinner on the Go

As always, I'm linking up with OrgJunkie

Hospital Bag Packed? Check!

I've hit the 37 Week mark!  Ack!  The end is near!  I'm getting super excited. Sooner than later, I will get to meet my son.  Insanity.  I almost can't even wrap my mind around it.

What I was able to wrap my mind around this week (now that I'm done working!!!) was packing my hospital bag.

I perused the internets incessantly over the last few months at a ton of hospital bag checklists.  Some of them were insanely comprehensive and included the kitchen sink.  That was a little intense for me, so I took all the things that I thought I would need and compiled my own list.

Here is what went in my bag:

Top Left going clockwise: Going home outfit for mom, hairbrush & elastic band, toiletry bag, toothbrush for dad, toothbrush for mom, shampoo & conditioner, deodorant, toothbrush, chap stick, headband, bobby pins, gum, earphones, video camera & charger, flip flops, makeup bag.

Top left going clockwise: babies going home outfit, receiving blanket, baby hat, two sleepers for baby, nightgown for mom (so I don't have to wear the hospital gowns), nursing bra, sports bra, underwear, iPhone, camera & charger, iPhone charger, iPad, socks.

Items not pictured: spare t-shirt for dad, swim trunks for dad.

Not all things pictured can stay waiting in the bag for labour to arrive, so... I made a list of 'Last Minute Items For Hospital Bag':

I stuck one of the lists to the fridge:

And one to the hospital bag in our closet:

Here are the items in more of a 'Checklist' format:

• receiving blanket
• baby's going home outfit
• two sleepers
• flip flops
• socks
• sports bra
• underwear
• nursing bra
• going home outfit for mom
• night gown
• spare t-shirt for dad
• swim trunks for dad
• gum
• head band
• deodorant
• chapstick
• shampoo
• conditioner
• toothpaste
• hair elastic
• hairbrush
• camera & charger
• video camera & charger
• iPhone charger
• iPad
• makeup bag

BAM! There it is.

Feels good to get that done!