Mommy's First Purchases

I lied. I said I wasn't going to buy anything for Smidge until we find out whether Smidge is a boy or a girl and then I went into Tadpole (an awesome children's boutique uptown) and just HAD to buy a couple little bits for my Smidgie.

Sophie is the one baby toy that I have found myself setting back on the shelf time and time again for the past 4 years. I knew we wanted babies and knew that we would have a son or daughter one day no matter what it took but I also knew that buying baby goodies years before the babe is born is a dangerous path for a bargain hunter like myself.

I have now given myself permission to buy: uh oh.

Sophie is now tucked away safe and sound for baby Smidge. Isn't she sweet?


And this freaking adorable baby kimono in blue is waiting for Smidge to model it. Super cute huh? Mike's first question was "Is this for a girl or a boy?", when I told him "either" he just raised his eyebrows. hehe


I love baby stuff.

Dreams of Boys and Girls

Smidge's Grandad has had two dreams in the last two months about a little girl. The latest one (Christmas night) involved him and Mike walking along a path with a little one. They came to a stream and started crossing but then realized the little girl couldn't make it across. Mike dove under the water and stretched across so that his hands touched one side of the shore and his toes the other: the little girl then walked across Mike's body and landed safely on the other side of the creek. Strange but lovely!

My mom had a dream recently where she was frantically looking for baby boy clothes in a store.

Last night I had a dream in which the doctor completed an ultrasound to tell us what we were having but then couldn't figure it out! Argh! Looks like we'll have to wait and see!

The ring on a chain has changed its mind AGAIN now saying we're having a girl rather than a boy - silly thing can't make up it's mind OR it's very clever and has decided that guessing boy once and then girl means it will be right either way.

Let us know what you think Smidge is by answering the poll found on the sidebar to the right of the screen.

Merry Christmas Smidge!

Smidge was spoiled this Christmas and the little peanut isn't even on the outside yet! Mike and I are trying to restrain ourselves by waiting until we find out whether Smidge is a boy or girl before we start buying baby things but our family and friends have started shopping already. A beautiful "Sneak Peek" frame for Smidge's first photo (the ultra sounds looks perfect in it), tiny furry crocs, an adorable teddy bear with a rattle inside, a beautiful pale green baby bootie ornament, the softest tiny teddy bear blankie, teething toys and more! I can already tell that this poor child will not be loved at all. Ha! Thanks to all the gift givers for the lovely bits, Smidge is going to LOVE them!

It just about melted my heart when our niece handed me a Christmas gift bag and said "This is for baby Smidge." Something tells me our little one's nickname is going to stick.

I gave Smige all the chocolate he/she could handle for Christmas, wasn't that generous of me? Mike gave Smige lots of belly cuddles with hints that mommy feeling flutters would be a fabulous gift in return... it didn't happen on Christmas day but it did yesterday and again today!! Flutters in my belly: hooray!

Sew Tweet

I am in looooove with these little birdies and have every intention of making a bunch for Smidge's room, I think I'll make a mobile with them.


I found this awesome tutorial here at a new for me shop/blog Spool.

For Better and Worse

photo credit: max 0

I thought a lot of advice was thrown at us while we were in wedding planning mode, wedding planning has nothing on becoming new parents. I know everyone means well and this post is not meant to be directed at anyone in particular, I'm sure anyone who is a parent or pregnant (whether you've given the advice or not post-birth) has had these "words of wisdom" tossed at you during the long wait to meet your babe face to face.

I think the most ridiculous (but well meant) piece of advice we continuously receive (I swear it's on a daily basis) revolves around sleep. Having a baby means getting up a million times in the night and feeling like a zombie 99% of the day?! Well if I had known that...

photo credit: team dalog

Some of the lines we have heard a million times in the last few weeks and are sure to hear a trillion more before June arrives:

"Sleep now because once the baby's here..."
"Hope you're getting lots of rest."
"My baby never slept."
"I haven't slept in 8 years."
"We were like the walking dead once our baby was born."
"Oh you won't be getting much sleep once you hit the third trimester so get in what you can now."
And the one I've heard so many times now I find myself biting my tongue in order to not finish the sentence for the well-meaning person: "Enjoy your sleep while you can."

photo credit: max's pics

I am beginning to think it might be a good idea for Mike and I to make t-shirts that say "We are getting lots of sleep but thanks for your concern." Think this might ward off the dreaded sleep advice? I doubt it, we would just hear something along the lines of: "HA! You think you're getting lots of sleep but you have no idea what it's going to be like when the baby arrives."

The best words I have heard have come from my two moms, not direct quotes but the general thoughts: 'Listen to what people have to say, take what you want and let the rest slip in one ear and out the other', 'Your instincts will guide you, do what feels right' and 'You'll be fine!'

I do appreciate the advice so keep passing it along but don't take it personally if you mention getting sleep and I roll my eyes.

Bigger...

Self-explanatory!


I've popped again! We're now taking photos bi-weekly instead of weekly so the next pictures you'll see I'll be four months along. Woo hoo!

Smidge Made Me!

Dear Smidge,

Daddy thinks my loss of self control today was your way of telling me that you love chocolate as much as your mommy and daddy do... I think that I like when he blames my piggy moments on you.

I bought a lovely box of chocolates to give to my colleague as a Christmas/thank you gift and the box was sitting in a bag on the back seat of my car this morning. I came out of my second school around 11am and remembered the box was there. Without hesitation I snatched the bag off the seat, pulled out the box, attempted to tear off the plastic (failed), turned off the car, used my keys to gouge the plastic cover, ripped off the plastic, tore off the lid, and inhaled three delicious chocolate caramel pecans yummies in approximately ten seconds. It was after the third one slid down into my tummy that a tiny guilty voice whispered in my ear. I shushed the voice and tucked the chocolates back into the bag.

Yum!

I'm thrilled that you love chocolate as much as Daddy and I do and I've heard your message loud and clear. That being said, Little Nut please don't encourage me to rip into anymore Christmas gifts this year.

♥ Mommy xox

Sweet Designs

So we've flip flopped back to the idea of using the middle room as the nursery. This means we'll have a little less room to play with but that's okay, the baby is just a teeny tiny person!

We found a zillion and one decals that we like... lots of fab choices on Etsy and elsewhere. Here are a few we have added to our pile of possibilities! Keep in mind the colours may not be our first choice, it's the designs we like.

I just looooove the first two by Bubba and Doodle



And these designs by Wall Decors are awesome


Both of us think this design is stellar!


How cute is he?
I can totally picture this over a crib


And this one by Byrdiekids is super cute and comes in a bunch of colours


And two other very cool designs by Boodalee


Oh so many options! Hunting for goodies to decorate the babe's room is soooooo fun.

Cat in the Hat

wall decal from Pottery Barn Kids

Dr. Seuss is one of my all time fav authors and was definitely my number one when I was wee. I clearly remember flipping through the little library of Dr. Seuss books that my parents had put together for John and I, those books were definitely well loved. The collection is one I want for our son or daughter; I have a few Dr. Seuss books of my own and will continue to build the collection for our kids as time goes on.

Mike and I both love this Cat in the Hat wall decal and it's quite likely we'll incorporate it into our nursery design if we can make it fit, I don't want a Dr. Seuss themed nursery by any means but a little touch would be fab. Then again it would work well in a playroom too so if we don't work it into the nursery maybe we'll keep it in mind for the future play digs.

Thumpity Thump Thump

photo credit: aussiegall

Tuesday was a spectacular day! We went to my doctor's office for my monthly check-up and we heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time. What an incredible experience! Once again the tears slid down my cheeks, the sound was like tasting a little slice of heaven.

Mike was super sweet, he had the biggest grin on his face. Dr. Baxter explained that the baby's heart is beating super quick, between 120 and 160 bpm at this point in time. As soon as the doctor left Mike said: "Our baby's heart beat is somewhere between house and jungle." Always the musician. Now he's hunting for a used doppler on kijiji so that we can listen to Smidge's heartbeat whenever we want and so that he can record it to use in his music - a true beat to add to the beat.

In less than a week we've seen the teeny tiny baby on the ultrasound and heard the heartbeat, now I'm looking forward to feeling the little monkey wiggling around inside my tummy! I love being preggers, so many fabulous things to experience and always more to look forward to.

Thanks Blogger!

Comments have been returned to their rightful home. Thanks to the folks at blogger for listening to our whining and fixing the issue!

You Are PERFECT!

We saw arms and legs , a tiny nose, mouth, brain and heartbeat! What an absolutely amazing experience! At first glance we definitely think Smidge has Mike's nose, very cute. The heartbeat was what threw me over the edge and caused the tears to really start flowing, Mike was all choked up at that point too.


Seeing Smidge in my belly certainly makes the whole experience feel more real. THERE IS A BABY IN MY TUMMY!!! Yippppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

A Letter to Smidge

Dear Smidge,

Mommy and Daddy are counting the hours until we see you on the screen at our ultrasound appointment tomorrow! The appointment is at 3pm and Daddy keeps joking that maybe we will be surprised and see not one Smidge but two. Oh boy.

Daddy has been warned that Mommy will quite likely pass out cold if his prediction is correct, not that I wouldn't be thrilled to have two little bundles of joy to take care of at once, it might just take a little bit to wrap my head around that sort of fabulous news.

Very excited and a little nervous to see your wiggling body and beating heart tomorrow!

Are you one or are you two?! We will soon find out and no matter what the outcome we love you and are counting the days until we can cover your sweet cheeks in kisses.

Lots of love,
Mommy & Daddy too

Comment Snatcher

Blogger is being a bit weird. You might notice that you are unable to post a comment OR that you cannot view the comments that are said to exist. I have no clue what's happening or why it's happening but apparently I'm not alone, there are loads of bloggers experiencing the same issues and blogger is trying to sort things out. Hopefully the existing comments which are currently invisible will return once the glitch is sorted out. I certainly hope so anyways.

Please don't let this stop you from commenting! Some of you aren't having any trouble at all and I am able to read the comments because they are emailed to my account.

Stylish Baby Pads

There's not a whole lot I can do to prepare for Smidge right now but planning the nursery is one thing that I can start on! Of course we don't know whether there's a boy or a girl in my tummy so I'm going to start gathering pics of both girlie and boyish nurseries that make me go awww!

I'm really hoping to keep the baby room fairly minimal, I don't want shelves crammed full of stuff and walls overwhelmed with artwork. I know that down the road when Smidge gets big we won't be able to avoid the toy explosions but while the babe is tiny I'm going to try to keep their room clutter free. Feel free to laugh, I know I have the Dougherty clutter gene but REALLY I want to try to improve and a baby's room is the perfect place to start!

I adore Etsy and there are tonnes of amazing artists showcasing their good there so I think it's likely we'll purchase a few pieces of art there for Smidge; I can't wait to stumble across the perfect pieces for our babe. And then of course there are so many fabulous wall decals available in fun kiddie designs - oh the choices!

I've been admiring emboridery hoop fabric swatch art for ages now and had thought before that a little person's room would be the perfect place to hang them! Check out little Norah's room below, what a fabulous way to prettify a wall and so easy to do - the best part is this is a simple DIY art project that you can change whenever you find a new fabric you adore. For fabric junkies like me it's a great excuse to buy new designs.

Baby P's room is another fabulous nursery I spotted while perusing ohdeedoh.

I've known for years that I would want white and light coloured or natural wood for my baby furniture; good choice considering my fab sis Joanne passed along her boy's light wood crib and change table! We also have an Ikea dresser in our room that is white with natural wood edging that should go perfectly.

I'm thinking the boxy bookshelf seen above (not sure where this one is from but they have the same style at Ikea) will quite likely be an addition to our nursery. A large bookcase is an absolute must since everyone who knows me well knows how much I love books and kid's books are at the top of my list of favourite things. Oh yes that's one thing I started shopping for years ago: books books and more books! Please note: books don't count as clutter. hehe

Welcome!!

photo credit: fofurasfelinas

Hi there! Just wanted to say hello to all of you who have stopped by to check out our little blog.

This weekend was fun! It was Mike's birthday weekend and we made the most of it by sharing our news with a bunch of friends and family members. There are still a few phone calls to be made before we blurt our happiness all over the web (aka Facebook and public blogland) and I appreciate everyone keeping the goods more or less on the down-low until then.

People's reactions to baby news is the best! Telling our parents was obviously our favourite sharing moment but there were a pile of others that I wish I could have video taped or at least snagged sound bytes from: Joanne freaking out, Cara's scream followed by Rosie's crying after Cara read the note I held up to my camera when her Skype volume wasn't working, Grandma's "Woopee!", Tanya's confused face followed by the odd yelp and look of pure shocked bliss, Granny Kerr's giggles, Aunt Nancy's screech... and so many more.

If just the thought of a new baby can spread so much glee I can't wait to see what happens when Smidge pops out to meet all of the people who are already in love with the little nut.

11 Weeks Pregnant!

Jessy and I didn't make it to the pool to swim last weekend so she hasn't seen me in two weeks. When I slipped off my clothes and stood chatting with her in my swimsuit she turned to look at me and her mouth dropped open: "Oh my God! You didn't look like that when I saw you last!"
I have definitely popped, I swear my boobs grew an additional size this week and my tummy is definitely bigger than it was last week.

When you compare these pics to last weeks I think you can tell there's a bit of a bigger bulge but the fact that my boobs have grown make it a little difficult to tell that the tummy has grown. Mike sweetly pointed out that my belly is bigger than my boobs now.

I love being pregnant!

10 Weeks Pregnant!

Mike decided weekly shots would be better than monthly and who am I to argue with a man who wants pictures of his wife and baby?! :)

Here I am with my tiny belly that has begun to protrude.

Funny how when you're pregnant you want to stand in such a way that shows off every bump while normally the goal is to hide those bulges.

Crazy!

Loving Every Moment

I am 11 weeks pregnant now! Tonight is the night we are more or less "going public", we are telling our close friends who don't know yet while mom and dad share the news with the Dougherty clan at the annual siblings Christmas party. They are going to call me before they tell the family so that I can tell Grandma that she is not just expecting one GreatGrandbaby in the new year (my cousin Kris and Shannon's little nut) but two! This will make 13 great-grandbabies for her assuming I'm counting right. Tomorrow we will make some more calls and in another week we'll really spread the news. We go for our first ultra-sound on Friday which we are super excited about! I can't wait to see Smidge!

I'm feeling really really good. Still experiencing a little nausea but just in the morning, I'm a little less tired than I was before and my appetite has increased big time. I'm definitely showing now but still haven't had a significant weight gain, maybe a pound or two but I'm still in my regular 5 pound zone - albeit the higher end of that zone.

I don't remember ever feeling this healthy, then again Jessy had a good point last night when we were comparing feelings of pregnancy fabulousness: no drinking, eating well and lots of sleep might have a little something to do with the healthy feelings we are experiencing. Ha!

I felt Jessy's baby boy kick last night, such a cool feeling! I can't wait to feel Smidge moving around in my tummy.

Mike has starting taking weekly photos of me and Smidge so I think I'll begin posting them here rather than emailing them to my girls. Every Saturday a couple shots will be posted and if you click on the link to the Belly Chronicles you'll see all of the photos in a row making it easier to compare.

I'm off to go shopping for a new shirt to wear out tonight, one in which I can proudly display my tiny protruding tummy. xoxo

mushi*mushi by Barbara Berrada

mushi*mushi has adorable*adorable designs:


Find these and many more sweet bits here.

"Hooter Hiders" Extraordinaire

Cara Nina used a Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover while breastfeeding little Rosie and it was the prettiest, coolest baby hideaway I've ever seen. Rather than simply tossing a baby blanket over the munchkin and awkwardly trying to hide your breasts you can toss on the "hooter hider" and still make eye contact with your peanut while feeding. The fact that you'll look stylish in the process is just an additional reason why these covers are worth buying.

These are my three favourite designs (in no particular order) and I will definitely be purchasing one before Smidge arrives! Not badly priced either: $35 US with free delivery. Considering it can be a daily use item (depending on how comfortable you are breastfeeding in front of others) I don't think that's too bad at all!

Marmot

Yoko

Papillon

These magnetic bibs are uber cool too - hmmm this is something I could probably make.


And I can't resist posting this picture... I'm sure the reason why will be obvious.

Could this baby be any cuter?!

Just a Smidge

I can't believe it happened so quickly but it did! I'M PREGNANT!! Mike and I are super excited and truly couldn't be any happier. Only three months have gone by since we officially started trying, lucky us!!

We're calling our little appleseed Smidge right now because saying "it" just sounds wrong, he/she sounds like we are having a hermaphrodite (not that that would be a horrible terrible thing), and because the baby is so tiny right now that it's "just a Smidge".

Smidge is due on June 18th 2010 so this blog will remain secret until mid-December at the earliest - then again maybe it won't go public at all. I'm more excited than nervous at this point in time, little thoughts of 'what if something goes wrong' enter my mind every now and then but I'm tring to keep the thoughts at bay so that I don't stress unnecessarily. So far so good so why worry?!

Dreaming of a Nut

Well the time has come.... Mike and I have decided that the years of selfish self-indulgence should come to an end. We're super excited to have come to the decision that now is the time to start trying to make a baby. The goal post came out in the spring and we played it semi-safe for a few more months but now it's official: baby making trials have begun.

We are convinced that it won't take us long to get pregnant, and I hope that our positive thinking helps make our dream a reality. I refuse to read baby books or baby-making info sites because I know they'll just scare me: I don't need a million sites telling me what I should or shouldn't be doing, instead I'll rely on my doctor as well as my super duper fabulous friend Jessy who is 2 months into her pregnancy to share the important bits with me.

We want a baby so bad we can taste it but posting a million and one baby bits over at Gingham Skies when we're not even pregnant makes me feel as if I'm a) jumping the gun and b) jinxing us. So here I am creating a semi-secret blog that I'll release to the world, maybe, once I'm pregnant and past the three month point.

On this particular day, at this particular time this blog is a way for me to keep track of the billion sweet baby goodies I find online and a place for me to air my baby craving thoughts - Mike is thrilled at the idea of being a dad but I think he's likely getting a little tired of me talking about possible baby this and possible baby that.

I have lots of new babies in my world thanks to friends and family and there are more on the way so I can justify looking at baby paraphernalia even though I'm not preggo! At least I don't think I've got a nut in the oven...