Birthday Monster!

Dear Monster,

   You turned ONE! How insane is that? You have beat every single odd that has been placed against you and you SO deserved to be surrounded by your loved ones and smash your face with cake! You did SO well throughout the day. You didn't mind being held and loved on by a ton of different people and you smiled for all of the important pictures. Such an angel! Congrats on the big birthday, Son. You made it an entire year with nothing but successes. You're father and I are so proud of you and we can't wait for many many more birthdays!
~~~

Hello Readers! I'm gonna say, right off the bat, thank you for your patience with me over the last few weeks. Between Liam's surgery (my next blog), his first birthday, and his one year wellness check, things have been a little intense around here. Liam has now figured out that if he makes a painful sounding cry his father or I will race right into him. We're having to break that habit (as he is clearly no longer painful from his surgery and he starts laughing and smiling the minute we see him) and it's looking like it is going to be a long and winding road. At his wellness check it was determined that I have a 17lb 28in long monster that is happy and healthy! Such amazing news! We couldn't imagine a better first birthday present. We are currently in the process of transitioning to whole milk. We were told this should take around 3 weeks. We can hardly believe that in 3 weeks we will never again have to buy formula! We were also told to start giving him fatty foods (i.e. pasta w/ alfredo sauce, sweet potatoes with butter, full fat cottage cheese) while we start weening him off of a liquid diet and onto regular food. I can't wait!

Now that the lovely update is done, I get to move onto my real reason for this blog: Liam's 1st Birthday! Oh my goodness! I did NOT realize how much work went into a birthday party. I was overwhelmed from the evening before the party through the morning after it. It was fun and utter chaos from the moment I decided on the theme! I immediately went online and did so much research I thought my eyes would start bleeding! I chose a Rock theme and I was suddenly and completely overwhelmed by great ideas for food, decorations, goodie bags, and games! In the end, I shut it all out and went with what I thought would be fun, funny, and yummy!

Let's start with: FOOD! I started by sitting down and listing out all of the bands I could think of that could be made to sound like food or actually had names of food in them. This was a LOT harder than I thought it would be. My final menu included: Meat(loaf) Balls, Kettle PopKorn, Sea Salt PopKorn, R.E.M.'s Orange Crush Jell-O, Drum Styx, Bread Zeppelin (this was where we kept the buns for the burgers and hotdogs), Pink Floyd Lemonade, and 5 Finger Death Punch (the punch with alcohol in it).

Pouring the orange Jell-O the night before

Melting the chocolate for the Drum Styx

Laying out the Drum Styx to cool over night

The tags for the different foods

While the food was incredibly fun to create and put together, the decorations were probably my favorite!

I used unneeded or old discs

I put tape on the front and taped them to the walls. Cheap and easy!

Pretty much everything I used I purchased at the Dollar Tree, including this set for Liam's high chair

I found these cute plastic boxes, everything inside of them (fun glasses, "sleeve tattoos", and silly little instruments), and the wrapping for them at the Dollar Tree!

My husband brought out some of his old albums and we propped them up all over the house. I also listed each guests name on a yellow or orange star and had them sign them when they arrived (walk of fame). The stars were all over the house and worked as a tour of the house while people looked for their star to sign! You can also see how the CDs that I taped up looked in this shot!

The game we decided on was Mad Libs. We handed people cards with lists of the words we wanted as they arrived then we inserted those words into well known rock lyrics. It was tons of fun. These are the trophies we gave to the winners! (Also purchased at the Dollar Tree)

I used a red and black color scheme for the party to go with the theme. Everything on this table was purchased for under $5 at, you guessed it, the Dollar Tree!

Balloons and streamers were Dollar Tree purchases as well! You can also see more of the stars and CDs in this one.

I made a trip to the Goodwill near my house and found 10 of these old albums for around $5. I used this one as a door hanger. I also scrubbed others with dish soap and used them as serving plates for some of the food. So much fun!

In the end, I kept it simple and small. I tried to make it fun for the adults that would be there, even if it was cheezy fun. :P Number one lesson I learned: There is never a party small enough for a stressed out Mom. Even with under 20 people I still felt like a chicken with my head cut off! There just wasn't enough of me to go around. My husband was amazing and held it all together during times that I was unavailable and Liam entertained the crowd for the rest of it. All in all, it was a rockin' first birthday and I learned SO many lessons for future birthdays! Liam has so very very many people who adore him and he got SO many wonderful presents. He has NOT stopped playing with them (literally, my son is completely ignoring me these days)!

So, I'll wrap this one of up with a couple of my absolute favorite pictures from the Monster's 1st Rockin' Birthday! Thanks for swinging by and we'll have a surgery update in the coming weeks!

Payday Friday #7

Dear Monster,

   You are a Teething Terror right now!! AH! Fussy fussy fussy fussy fussy! Everything needs a fuss. Everything. You're currently working on your top two teeth and they must be a couple of doozies. Normally, when you fuss, I cuddle you up and you eventually calm down. Not this time. You don't want people to touch you but you don't want to be left alone. No toy makes you happy and nothing holds your concentration for any substantial amount of time. Currently, days with you consist of desperately trying to find something to make you happy and trying to make you comfortable. I wish I could make the pain and discomfort go away. I really do. Man, I can't wait until these days are over. I bet you can't either.
~~~

Hello again readers! As I'm sure you read above, Liam is teething right now. Holy guacamole is he miserable! I think there is definitely a reason that women don't remember birthing pain and that all human beings don't remember being babies. Between growing pains, teething, head bonks, and building up those crawling calluses, I can't even imagine what Liam is struggling with right now.

In our desperation to help him, we have tried freezing bottle nipples and binkies, massaging gums, teething tablets, Tylenol, frozen wash cloths... everything but "Rum on the Gums" (though we've been tempted occasionally *wink wink*). In my search for further ways to help my son, I stumbled upon this underground "Amber Teething Necklace" movement. Of course I immediately dove into research and started asking around. Almost everyone that I talked to loved theirs or were planning on buying one soon. (PS How had I not heard about this until NOW??) A couple of the reviews that I found stated that they hadn't noticed any serious changes but there were no negative reviews so I figured, why not? So, I found a dependable distributor on Amazon Mom and ordered one for Liam. I was told it would be here no sooner than August 7th so I've just been trying to maintain a happy, comfortable baby.

WELL GUESS WHAT CAME TODAY????

It came in a little silk package for future storage!

That's right! Liam's Amber Teething Necklace came today!!! SURPRISE!! So, I am using the necklace as a "At Times of Desperation: Payday Friday" as that's what this purchase was for me. I am just so desperate for Liam to be comfortable and happy again that I am willing to try anything! Keep in mind that, at this time, I do NOT know if this is going to work for Liam. It has been on him for about 5 hours as of now.

Whether it works specifically for Liam or not, it has helped thousands upon thousands of Moms and kiddos around the world and throughout history. So, welcome to Payday Friday:

Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces

The theory behind these necklaces boils down to two basic theories. Both theories begin with the necklace being worn against the skin and they both end with a happier baby! Theory number one is that when the skin brings the amber up to body temperature the amber begins to release miniscule amounts of healing oils which are then absorbed by the skin and eventually absorbed into the bloodstream. These healing oils permeate throughout the body and make baby more comfortable all over. The second theory is based on scientific studies which show that amber is electromagnetically alive and that it produces scientifically significant amounts of purely natural energy. This energy is used by the body to help boost the immune system which helps baby all over as well!

One thing is for sure, the best of the best teething necklaces are made of Baltic Amber. This is because Baltic Amber is known to contain the highest levels of Succinic Acid which is scientifically proven to reduce inflammation, stimulate the thyroid glands (this helps with drooling), accelerate the immune system's natural ability to heal wounds, and reduce inflammation in the ears, throat, stomach, and respiratory system. At this moment there is no medication known to man that can do all of these things without drastic side effects and amber has no known side effects (unless you have an allergy of course!).

There are obvious risks with any child wearing a necklace. The necklace is only meant to be worn while supervised so as to eliminate chocking hazards. Some children may have an allergy to Amber so for the first 2 days that the necklace is worn, you need to watch your child's skin very closely. Every company that makes the necklaces advises that the necklace be rinsed frequently with clean, non-chlorine water. They then ask that you dry the amber immediately (bead by bead) and only place the necklace back around your child's neck once it is completely dry. The necklace can be worn around the neck (it should be worn against the skin so under clothing is best if it's around the neck), around an ankle or around a wrist. From my personal experience with the necklace, around the neck is easiest when it comes to Liam forgetting that it's on his body. Around the wrist or ankle, he is constantly pulling at it and it is frequently getting caught on things. Liam's necklace has been on for around 5 hours and he has completely and utterly forgotten about it.

I look forward to seeing if this necklace is a help or a hindrance to our teething cause and I will keep you updated when a final decision is made! Meanwhile, here are some super adorable pictures of Liam wearing his new Amber Teething Necklace!

Before I put it under his shirt

Peeking out from under the onesie!

So what do you all think? How to you feel about natural remedies vs medication? What have your personal experiences taught you? Any personal experiences with Amber or the teething necklaces in particular?

Thanks for swinging by! I've got another great one in the works so stay tuned!

Caption Contest: Results!/Weekend with Bug

Dear Monster,

   You had such a fun weekend with your Grandma! She is one of your absolute favorite people. You laugh, play, and hardly ever fuss with her. You're a huge fan of her curly red hair and you love crawling all over her (just like you do with Daddy)! I can't wait for you to start spending a couple weeks of the summer up at her house just playing and enjoying her house. You guys have such an amazing future ahead of you!
~~~

It's results time ladies and gentlemen! Sean and I had such a hard time picking just one caption for each picture! We have brilliant friends and family members! Thank you guys for participating and I am already planning my upcoming contests so you guys will have many more opportunities to win!!

Our winners are: 

Photo 1: Alyssa 

Photo 2: Gabe

Photo 3: Gabe

Thank you all so much for participating! I will be contacting the winners within the next 24hrs regarding your prizes!

 While I was awaiting everyone's captions I was able to kick back and relax! It was so nice! No extra work obligations and Liam was kind to his father and I by keeping his fussy moments to a minimum. We also had a visit from Liam's Grandma Fouse (my Mom)! I love visits from my Mom! She lives a ways away from our home so she usually comes by once or twice a month. We are able to chat about work, work on crafty things and be creative, and bargain hunting is usually part of her visit. Liam is always happy to see his Grandma so it's nice to let Grandma and Grandson bond while Sean and I work around the house or run some errands without worrying about feeding schedules, heat exhaustion, binky locations, etc. For this visit, Grandma brought up a turtle sandbox with a cover that we converted into a kiddy pool. So, this last weekend, Liam had his first pool experience! He was a little iffy about it. He's use to being in his duck bath with warm water so being in a bigger area full of luke warm water threw him for a loop. He started playing eventually but he started getting chilly so we had to cut it short. I think next time will be much better!

While my Mom was out this weekend, we went bargain hunting for a padded storage ottoman as we recently had to nix our wooden coffee table. We were unsuccessful on that front but we did find some decorations for Liam's first birthday party and a '57 Chevy toy car that Liam LOVES riding in! It's missing a headlight but it was only $10 and it works 100% fine otherwise. HUZZAH for Goodwill finds! Sean and I were just talking about getting a car for Liam to ride around in and were shocked when we went to a couple of stores and the cheapest ones were sitting around $150! Whew! Not on our budget! So, even though we didn't achieve our initial goal, we were successful in the end!

Liam also had his "9 month" WCC this last weekend. He is a happy healthy little boy, according to his pediatrician. He is no longer being measured on the Premature Weight Chart which is an amazing step for our little monster. They moved him up to the "Low Birth Weight" Chart (the last chart before we move to the normal percentile chart) and he is sitting in the 20th percentile on that one! He is growing and developing so so fast! As you know, Liam is currently in Physical Therapy to ensure that he catches up with his true age eventually. During his most recent appointment we were ecstatic to find out that Liam is incredibly close to being discharged from Physical Therapy! Once he starts walking he is out! How insane is that? We're so stinking proud of our little kiddo. He is just plowing through his developmental stages! I can't wait to see what's next for him!

I will be documenting Liam's upcoming surgery and posting about it once he is completely recovered. That surgery will be his last remaining step on his road to catching up! His procedure is scheduled for August 14th. It's gonna be a doosey. He'll be under anesthesia for an hour and a half and his recovery will be over one week. I'll do a pre, during, and post blog for those stage of our lives as they happen.

Until then, here are some catch up pictures from last weekend!

 That's it for me today folks! Again, thank you to all of the participants in the contest and CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!

How was your weekend? Any great deals on any purchases? Any fun visitors?

Caption Contest

Dear Monster,

   You are so much fun to take pictures of. I'm pretty sure I've said this before but it's just so true! You're a little ham in front of the camera. You make your Dad and I laugh everyday and I can't wait to show you all of your baby pictures once you're older!
~~~

Hello hello readers! The last couple of weeks have been full of me planning Liam's first birthday, working, family visits, doctor appointments, and a few brief moments of peaceful family time. In that time, Liam has been doing some big time developmental jumping! He's now pulling to stand on anything that has a ledge and today he was creeping along the edge of the couch while holding onto the cushions! This is all very exciting but now that he can pull to stand it is all he wants to do! Even if he is exhausted and cries the entire time he is standing! This new stage is particularly fun when it's time to take a nap or go to bed and all he will do is stand. *sigh* Needless to say, the bed in his crib was recently dropped to it's lowest level and we've had a couple of Cry It Out nights. Along with pulling to stand, he's crawling like a champ, he's getting into every single little thing that we don't want him to, and he's teething again! We've had to move or just plain remove some of the objects in our living room due to head bonks and curious hands, and he is definitely figuring out what "No!" means when it comes to the furniture and objects that are left. Since we're getting to what Sean and I call the "actual" parenting stage, which can start to wear on parents, we try to make an extra effort to remember that with all of the difficult changes and developments come fun new things too! Things like Stage 3 foods, newer and bigger toys, and the rush we get each time we see a gleam of his budding personality are what get us through teething, general grumpiness, and sick days. He is, more often than not, an amazing little kiddo though.

As you can imagine, we have been going a little bit crazy with pictures. We already have something like 800 pictures just from 2012! But it is this gluttony of pictures that brings me to today's contest blog! The prize will be pretty simple, as it is my first contest blog, but a win is a win!

Here's The Deal:

I am going to post 3 pictures on this blog that I have just not been able to come up with captions for. Go ahead and leave a comment on this blog with your recommendations for the captions.

For each picture that Sean and I chose your caption you will receive a $5 gift card to the location of your choice (provided the location you chose actually has gift cards). You could win as much as $15 or as little as nothing so make sure you're offering your very best captions!

You will have ONE WEEK to leave your captions. Next Tuesday Sean and I will decide the winners for each picture and send out the gift cards.

Make sure to include the gift card location you would like in your comment!

Please note: I will contact you directly for mailing information! Please only post your email address as your contact information! No addresses or phone numbers should be posted publicly!!

Ready???

GO!

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

If I knew then...

Dear Monster,

   Someday, I am going to look at you and have a sudden and heart breaking realization that you are an adult and you don't need me to give hugs every day, kiss boo-bos, cut meat, or explain how the world works. I hope that I am strong enough to truly understand this moment. I hope I am strong enough to tell you that you are an amazing human being, kiss your cheek, and send you on your way. One thing I can GUARANTEE is that, even if I am strong enough to do those things in front of you, I am going to cry like a baby the minute your back is turned. I love you, Son.
~~~

Hello again readers! Sorry for the laps in the blogs but, man, it has been a rough couple of weeks. I had a couple of weeks that sent me into overtime at work, a presentation due for my Leadership Development Team at work, we helped celebrate Mr. Jonah (from In the Land of Lou)'s first birthday (though we had to leave early which just about killed us), I visited my Mom while she was evacuated from her home due to fires, and I just HAD to enjoy some mommy/wife time. ;) Life has definitely been pretty intense lately but, believe it or not, I wouldn't wish it any other way.

Developments for our little Monster have been coming rapidly lately. He's mobile now! He is crawling like it is his JOB! We have chosen to not "baby proof" our home. After discussing it with several parents, we think it will be easier to teach Liam that it is not okay to touch certain things and why. Putting locks and blocks up is PERFECTLY okay but we began to wonder what would happen if we went to a friend's home and they had no reason to baby proof their home. How would we protect Liam then? We think it best to help Liam just avoid the situations in general, on his own. It has been difficult and we have a long road ahead of us, but we think it is the best option for our family. On top of crawling, Liam has started babbling in a way that sounds like a drunk mumbling a sentence. We're pretty sure that his first word will be "DaDa". He loves his Daddy so stinking much! He is eating stage 3 foods now. (For those of you that don't have to know why stage 1 and stage 3 are so different: stage 3 foods are more chunky. ;) He is pulling to stand, which is insane. Watching him go from laying down to standing just completely fascinates me! We still have only 2 teeth but we're pretty sure our top two teeth will be coming in soon. Want a few photo updates? Of course you do!

Digging paper out of Liam's mouth

He loves his papa

Making a mess of Daddy's movies

Rare and wonderful cuddle time

Standing with his drum

Pig face in the pack and play ;)

Getting kisses from the puppy

So, now that our update is all done, it's time to get serious. The reason for my blog tonight hails back to a few weeks ago when I had some guest bloggers on discussing adulthood and some of the things that they wish they have known back in the day. I've had several requests regarding my version of the guest blogs so I figured I should probably deliver on my side of the bargain. ;)

I'll start with the moment I KNEW I was an adult. I guess the answer to this is that I still don't, technically, feel like I am an adult. I have bought and sold a home, bought and sold several cars, gotten married, moved to the "big city", chosen my career, given birth to a child, and made any number of "adult" decisions but... I just don't quite feel like I'm there yet. I still have my immature moments, I still need others to hold me up at times, I still panic when I think my closest friends are upset with me, I laugh at fart jokes, I play video games, and I am totally okay with explaining away "lazy days". I have been through some of the most difficult things life would dare to throw at someone and came out okay in the end. I have found my own answers to many of life's "big questions" and I am comfortable with who I am have become and who I will be in the future. However, as I look around, I realize that I have so many wonderful and strong examples of adult women around me that I don't feel like I am quite there yet. I think I have more to learn and I know that I have a lot of growing to do. I'm okay with saying that I am maturing but I am, in no way, a full blown adult... yet. I don't know what my mile markers are or will be for actually BECOMING an adult, but I think I'll know when it happens. And, believe me, you'll be the first to know.


When it comes to my 10 "If I Knew Then What I Know Now" statements...whew...these were rough. How do you pick only 10?? I would go back and tell my younger self so very many things. I can't even count them. Bah! So, for better or worse, here is my list:

1. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have asked my aunt to reschedule her surgery.

2. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have gone to Bel-Rae, gotten my CVT, and just been done with it.

3. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have had my uterus tested further before attempting to have a child. (Not that I wouldn't have still tried but it might have gone differently for everyone)

4. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I wouldn't have fought my Mom so much about moving to Colorado. I made her life miserable for SO long. I miss my friends and life in Washington, but things are pretty amazing now.

5. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would never ever ever ever ever talk to a certain someone about relationships PERIOD. Everyone else's life is not my business. I have this horrible drive to help people and hold their hand through rough moments but I need to just stop.

6. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have started watching Parks and Recreation sooner. (This is a lame one but I really do love this show and I judged it too soon!)

7. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I might have thought a third time before moving to Denver. We were so overwhelmed by so very many things and moving seemed like the best choice. I don't know that I would have changed anything, and I'm not saying that we didn't thoroughly think every possible thing through, but I would have sat down for maybe another hour or so to think about it......just in case.

8. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have just TALKED to my husband. So many of our marital troubles could have been completely avoided if I had just talked to Sean. How ridiculous is that?

9. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have rented a vehicle to go to freaking Indiana in the middle of the freaking summer. *sigh* So damn hot!

10. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I don't know that I would change a damn thing. My life is pretty amazing right now and I don't know if it would have turned out this way if I hadn't gone through each and every single moment of it. I just don't know....

So, there is my list. I'd love to hear your lists and, while you're at it, when did you know you were an adult?? What momentous milestones have defined your life? Tell me all about it! I can't wait to hear from you!

Payday Friday #6

Dear Monster,

   Unfortunately, there will be quite a few times in your life when you stop and realize that you truly did not appreciate a specific moment, person, or object like you should have. The best thing you can do is take the extra time to sit quietly and reminisce on the moment, call the person and let them know you appreciate them and make an effort to spend more time with them, or use that object more often (go buy it if you don't own it already so you CAN use it more often!!). You can't go back and change things but you can change now and tomorrow. So, be aware of how lucky you are and appreciate those who surround you with love. Always.
~~~

Hello hello readers! It's Payday Friday again! I am so so so excited about this product. I wish I had done my research and discovered this product earlier on in my child rearing experience so I am going to attempt to preach the word of this product as loud as I can!

Welcome to the Payday Friday crew:

Dr. Brown's Formula Mixing Pitcher

I, literally, cannot say enough about this product. It mixes 32oz of formula at a time (that's 4 of Liam's bottles) and, if you use it properly, it does it without clumping or adding extra air to the formula to help prevent unneeded bubbles in baby's tummy. You can take it completely apart for thorough cleaning and all parts are dishwasher safe. There is an adjustable locking ring to ensure that the mixing blades never go above the water level which is the key to keeping the air in the formula to a minimum. The no-drip spout is thin so it is easy to pour the formula into any size bottle opening. And of course there is a no-slip grip for secure handling.  (A note if you're planning on purchasing this pitcher: I could not find this in any stores. I eventually bought it from Amazon.com.)

I got this pitcher in the mail and I could NOT wait to make tons and tons and tons of formula. I was a little surprised at how small it was when I opened the box but I guess my reference for how much 32oz of liquid actually is was way off! It fits perfectly into our refrigerator amongst the bottles and containers of baby food though so all is well. Some of the reviews for the pitcher state that the design feels flimsy at times and I will agree there. All of the pieces lock securely into each other but the actual handle on the top that you mix the formula with pivots so that you can maintain your grip however you are most comfortable. This is a wonderful feature but it leads to the entire mixing mechanism feeling a little loosey-goosey. It isn't, of course, but the swivel action makes it feel that way at times. I've already used it several times and the most important thing is that it makes perfect formula EVERY time. For me, being able to mix 32oz of perfectly clump and bubble free formula in under one minute is like a freaking gift from heaven! I wonder if you could mix other things in this pitcher? Tang mayhap? Hm...

Moving on. This amazing pitcher is my recommendation for your Payday Friday purchase. I love this thing and I hope you will as well! So, if you're not racing out to purchase this pitcher for yourself or a friend, what are you buying??? Any amazing plans for that well earned money? Any advice for me on my next big purchase? I'd love to hear from you guy!

Happy Friday Everyone!

My First DIY

Dear Monster,

   I can't wait to work on crafty stuff with you! Fun projects for Dad, homework sent home from school, or fun things just because they're fun! I can't wait! I've never been a crafty person, but for some reason, thinking about doing crafts with you makes me giddy!
~~~

Hello readers! I hope everyone's Saturday is going well. Saturdays are not all that thrilling for me as I have to work on Sunday but my husband usually gets home early and I get to spend the whole day with my monster so, they generally rank about an 8.

Although most Saturdays are an 8, today was AT LEAST an 11!! Why you ask? Because, today, I got to give my husband a gift. Let me preface by saying that Sean is the WORST person to try to give a gift to. He is always humble and ever so kind so no matter how hard you work, how much money you spend, or how much thought you put into it you will still get a "Aw...thanks. That's awesome." Then maybe a hug. Maybe. In 7 1/2 years I have only been able to make my husband cry TWICE because of something I have given him. 1) On his 29th birthday I bought him a "Yard of Beer" glass and a 6-pack of his favorite beer, I prepaid for his Uncharted 2 game, I bought him the Slave 1 from Star Wars in Lego form, and I gave him an incredibly romantic card....I think he cried for the Legos. 2) When I had him come home for lunch so that I could present him with 2 positive pregnancy tests.

THOSE ARE IT! So, it is like this intense DRIVE that I have now to try to get my husband passed his simple reactions to gifts. I've tried big and expensive, I've tried little and handmade, I've tried sentimental, funny, weird, and fun. I've tried it all. So, now it's just the luck of the draw. It all depends on what mood my husband is in. Due to this discovery, I try to make each and every gift intense and awesome...just in case.

Which brings me to today's blog! It's my first DIY blog so bear with me. :) I got the idea from a poem on Pinterest that I repined from a friend of mine. I was in tears by the second line (I'm convinced I am still working through some sort of pregnancy awfulness because I am, most definitely, NOT a crier) so I decided I had to do something with it. It helps that I had a very small budget to work with. Whenever I'm strapped for cash, I head to the crafts department and whip out some creativity. My basic idea for this was the print the poem out on some pretty paper and put Liam's little footprints next to it, then frame the whole thing. Simple. So, here we go...

The basics for that you will need for this project are as follows:

1. Card-stock Paper (I went ahead and grabbed 4 pieces of my chosen color because, let's face it, I'm gonna mess up)

2. A frame (I quickly discovered that frames are ridiculously expensive and that a normal 8 x 10 wouldn't work unless I trimmed the paper. So, I went with a "floating picture" design and bought an 11 x 14 frame. Your local Thrift Store would be a great resource for an awesome/unique frame!)

3. Finger paint (The incredibly helpful and patient lady at the JoAnn Fabric store informed me that normal fabric paint was NOT a good idea and that I should head over to the "Kid's Crafts" section for finger paint. Duh, Courtney! Did I not notice the GIANT sign for "Kid's Crafts" when I came in??)

4. A onesie that you're not so fond of (This is optional. The lady at the store said it would be a good idea just in case but I decided to keep Liam in his diaper. That way I don't have to clean a baby AND a onesie!)

5. Stickers (Also optional. I happened to find a sticker that went very well with my project so I purchased it. You, most definitely, don't have to.)

6. A bowl of luke warm water with an old wash cloth (You'll want to rinse off each foot as you finish with it.)

7. A paint brush (I found it easier to apply the paint directly than dipping his foot in and making a GIANT mess!)

8. A mat you're not so fond of (I used one of our old changing mats.)

9. You may also need one of these:

Alright, got your supplies?? Ready to go??

Step 1: Put your quote or poem or whatever you're going to use to your card-stock paper. This step is actually were I went through most of my paper. This was mainly because I was attempting to use a font that prints quite a bit lighter than every other font in existence. Once I finally got my font and placement figured out it went very well! Please note: It is a good idea to inform your printer that you are using card-stock paper before you attempt to print your project. Not saying that it won't work if you don't, but it might make it easier on your printer. :) Also, practice on some regular paper a couple of time.

Step 2: Once you've got your paper arranged, lay it on a firm surface. Most of my house is carpet so I placed it on an old album that we had laying around. 

Step 3: Paint your kiddo's feet/hands/whatever:

I squeezed my paint out on some baby wipes

Red tootie! If your kiddo is like mine, hold the foot very still. Ticklish feet cause bigger messes! ;)

Step 4: I rolled Liam's foot from heal to toe while having him sit in my lap. It went very well for his left one, but the right was more difficult. Turns out that while his body was hanging over the rest of the paper he tried to grab and kick at it and causes all sorts of paper movement. We were golden until I went to pull his right foot from the paper and he kicked the paper with his left foot. *sigh* This whole process is easier with a second person.  

Step 5: Let the paint dry.

Like watching paint dry. ;)

Step 6: Once the paint is dry, it's time to place it in your frame. 

Always so helpful

I flipped over the stock photo to create a white background for my paper

 And the final results??? TADA!!!!

Yay! I love it! I'm a perfectionist so the right foot print bothers me every time I look at it. lol I've convinced myself that I'm okay with it because it's unique and adorable but *sigh* I fear it will always bother me just a little.

Oh well, I think I did fairly well for this being my first real crafty project with my son. I can't wait for our next one!!! I hope you enjoyed my first DIY blog. It was hard to miss out on some of the photos because it was only me so I will endeavor to have Sean with me for our next one.  

This project was really important to me. The poem touched my little heart so much and Sean adored it as well. He loved the gift but I'm pretty sure he loved it more because it came with two Butterfingers ;)

Let me know what you guys think. Any advice for my next DIY blog? Any requests for projects I should give a try and blog about? It's always more fun when you have no idea what you're doing! Ha ha ha.

Happy Father's Day to all of you amazing fathers out there. I am blessed with an amazing team member, husband, and friend. I wish I could thank him in some small way everyday! (Hmm...that may have to be a part of my next crafty project) Thanks for stopping by everyone! What crafty things have you done lately? Are you a crafty person?