I Love it!!! Turning Two Edition

My Baby is turning 2 in a few short weeks! I can not believe it...I have been puzzling over what to get him and how big a deal to make this 2 birthday of his. I think his birthday (Sept 2) is a pretty great one because its a great excuse to throw an end of summer party! and i will generally take any excuse i can...Below are a few things i found for inspiration while hunting around for him!

I fell in love with this Apple Papple print from One Fine Day. 

(Its one half of a favorite Swedish nursery rhyme)

You can't have too many "B"s is what i always say...not really...but really...if you came to my house you would know...I think of Bobby when i see This Sweet B

He isnt a fan right now...but just wait Bobby Barnes! You will be dapper yet!

These Natives were made for Bobby - I dare him to destroy them!

I would dress Bobby in Overalls every day if I could! These vintage striped pair are adorable!!!

We already have 2...now we need a third...they are by far the favorites in the backyard! Plasma Car

I love their clothes - this Shirt would make a fun birthday shirt! From Copenhagen Styles

 Oh my goodness...Bobby goes through shoes like no ones business...and sadly i have no size 6 shoes to pass down to him, so he will definitely be needing some birthday Boots! From Livie and Luca

These Penny Skateboards are so rad! And I know he is turning 2 and has no business on a skateboard, but its already happening people...you either go with it or listen to Bobby scream for hours while his other brothers ride around...plus that kid is already doing ollies...so i think he will be alright!

I love their Tee Pees from House of Habit. I could probably make one...but i am certain it wouldnt be this cool! i can just see the boys playing in it and it makes me smile!

My Lil' Gnome

a while back i went on this fleece hat sewing spree...i had one left and just remembered today...so i stuck it on my little gnome! i love it! garsh...is he the most delectable little gnome you ever did see? this little coat was a little early Christmas present that i could not resist - on sale from the nutmeg tree (on vacation now...sorry!) - other things happening in this picture i would like to point out...he is only wearing one shoe...which has since been found luckily - we are on the 4th pair of shoes for this kid- i dont know what his deal is...

also...those rings on the ground are golf instructional thingees...a birthday present for bryson...i am also hearing rumors about a certain someone installing a putting green in our backyard...hmmm...

in other news...i haven't done a zoodies update for a while now...cause i have been so busy with orders - thank you! i went on a zoodies making spree as well and updated the shop - all zoodies in stock should ship out in time for Christmas! 

Hope you are enjoying the Advent Season!

Bobby's 1 Year Outfit

The Quick Change Trousers by Anna Marie Horner from her book Handmade Beginnings. I loved making this pant - i made two pairs from my fabric (originally posted here) and the shirt is an American Apparel onesie i decorated the night before in like 10 minutes...its how i roll. 

i just bought the book Sewing for Boys and i couldn't be more excited. its always challenging to find cool things to make for boys that aren't dowdy...once i get my mits on it and take a couple projects for a spin i'll let you know what i think!

isn't my birthday boy the cutest one year old? i'm a little partial i suppose, but he kills me every day with his little toothy grin!

Apply Party Thyme

oh man...such a fun party! this little booger has gone and growned up and turned one! he is so on his way out the door already - he pushes off of me when i hold him...the nerve...can someone please tell him how the youngest child is supposed to act? how they are supposed to be babies for as long as possible? that they should be the cuddliest? that they should maybe like their mamas a bit? i kid...i know he loves me - he even gives me these great open mouth toothy kisses...but he is already so independent. already so capable and strong and ACTIVE!

so...this party...this little apple party. i made his whole outfit...you can't really tell from this picture and apparently no one took pictures of him before he got apple crisp all over himself (i didnt bake him a cake...it seemed like a little much at the time so he got apples all over his face instead of frosting...kinda anti-climactic). i think i need to take a picture of him in the whole ensemble for his one year old picture...he looked so cute! his little apple crown...that he takes off the second you put it on his head...adorable!

let me just talk about the food for a minute...holy stuff...the food was awesome! my husband bbq-ed a pork butt (which is actually the shoulder...dont know why we call it the butt) for 14 hours in the big green egg with apple wood. he used a maple rub that was amazing and it was by far the best bbq pork so far! awe-some...it made me fall in love with him all over again...my mom made an apple-thyme cole slaw and we had sliders on king's hawaiian sweet rolls - they were delicious-ness. friends and family also brought amazing stuff - apple chips and apple bread and apple bacon cheese appetizers and fruit kabobs and gumbo and spinach salad. all of it was so good. we ate the pork all weekend in various ways (my mom is like houdini with leftovers) and finally finished the last of it yesterday.

we had caramel apples for the kids - i made waaaay too much caramel, so my mom laid it all out on a cookie sheets, salted and chocolated it and we wrapped up little balls of it in parchment paper and made our own caramel candies - yummers! now i need to give them all away so i dont eat a pound of caramel!

i think bobby enjoyed himself and i hope he looks back on pictures and realizes how loved he is and how blessed we are to be his parents - sweet sweet boy!

Bobby at 1 Month

bryan and i left the bigger boys with my brother and sister-in-law this weekend and headed to ojai for a wedding of a college friend. we took bobby with us and it was so much fun to have bobby alone for a little bit. he smiled at me for the first time friday and he seems to be starting to grow into a little human.

we weighed him today and he is 7lbs 9oz...almost 2 pounds heavier than when he was born! he doesn't fit the premie clothes and is almost too big for newborn...and newborn diapers...he is also crying a lot less, which i hope to mean that all his indigestion issues are getting better too.

but poor baby is all kinds of jacked up right now...he's got acne on his face, cradle cap on his head, thrush in his mouth, he is getting over a little cold (had his first fever already...thank you Bodie Booger Man!) so he sounds like a little piggie...just before he got sick i was thinking we were turning a corner as far as the no-sleep thing was going, but that is back on...baby is awake! a lot!

i can not believe it has only been a month. it feels like forever ago that he was born. we are so thankful for our baby bobby...for all of our boys...we are looking forward to seeing what kind of personality this little guy is going to bring to the *already crazy* mix. my only concern is that i am so sleep-deprived-zombie-mom right now that i will not remember any of this...

Bobby at 2 Weeks

Wow...2 weeks...i think because i haven't slept for 2 weeks it more feels like 2 months...this is our Bobby at 2 weeks.

We had a check up today with Sue and he now weighs 6 1/2 lbs - which means he has almost gained a pound in 2 weeks! which is so nice, since this boy needs to bulk up if he stands a chance against his brothers...bodie does not understand the idea of "gentle" or "nice" or "do not throw that golf ball at your brother's head" - such is a house of boys...as bryson keeps reminding me..."mom - now we have FOUR boys!" i also overheard bryson tell his daddy that this is a boy party in this house. so true...

Anyway - our sweet Bobby B. is a fat baby in a skinny baby body and nurses ALL the time...like ALL the time...like every hour on the hour...i am so going to lose this baby weight in no time...pretty stoked on that...sure i will be a walking no-sleep-zombie-mom, but i'll fit into my jeans!

he is so alert and so expressive already. i dont believe i have ever seen a newborn so alert. he seems to have a lot going on behind those big eyes of his.

also because of his teeny size, this baby is somewhat of a rock star. I can not go anywhere without a million comments...almost as annoying as when i was pregnant, but not since i agree with their comments on his cuteness...its true...but the comments about 3 boys are sorta annoying...and the recent ones i keep getting, "are they all yours?" like i have a pre-school with me or something...anyway - i am still hormonal...obviously...






to try to give you an idea of size, here he is with our dumb (but very loved) cat BBQ...

by the way, did you know BBQ has his own theme song? it goes, "BBQ, BBQ, there is no other cat as dumb as you" and there is a song...its delightful. we love you BBQ...

anyway - as you can see BBQ has quite a few pounds on Bobby, but not for long!!!

bobby's first bath

hmmm...do i like this? not sure...

he did though...he loved the water...now that his cord fell off we felt better about bathing the little guy.

and i love that R2-D2 made an appearance...of course.

bryson took this picture. he is all about the baby. he only asks about a zillion times a day if he can hold the baby or kiss the baby or smother the baby with attention.

this little guy is gunna have some big brothers that love him lots.

at one week bobby weighed 6lbs - not very surprising since he nurses like every hour...i dont mind...i want the little guy to put some meat on his little bones!

we are doing good...daily candy was awesome and people love the zoodies...i am sewing like crazy...already completed 20 orders and have lots more to go, but feeling blessed and still enjoying making them! thank you to everyone for the kind words and encouragement by the way - keeps me going!!!

first adjustment

bobby and i both were adjusted today by Dr. Judd. i am such a big believer in chiropractic wellness after this pregnancy. wow! what a difference. i had been super vigilant about getting adjusted every other week and then every week toward the end. my hopes were to keep my back healthy during pregnancy and to avoid back labor like i had with both bryson and bodie. thankfully both of my goals were met thanks to Dr. Judd and Dr. Cicon at Sue's office.

when i was pregnant with bryson i threw my back out at around 6 months pregnant and having 2 kids - one of which i still carried quite a bit...and at 30 lbs...not fun on the back!

after bobby's birth my back definitely felt out of sorts and i am feeling like a new woman after today's adjustment! and we got a pic of little bobby getting his first adjustment too! he did great!

and here is a shot of an 8 month pregnant Dr. Cicon adjusting a 9 month pregnant me...our bellies all over the place! love it...

Bobby's Birth Story

i think this labor and birth is such a sweet culmination and end to my pregnancies. we have made the decision that this will be our final babe during my pregnancy, so i knew that it was to be savored. i think my short life as mother has also taken such different twists and turns and this was a sort of acceptance of who i am and where i am as a mother. in a strange way i was also born out of this birth. there is nothing like labor that can truly dig into your sub-consciousness and force you to deal with some things. physical pain can be so powerful psychologically speaking.

so onto the labor...

so here i am...3 days past my due date. getting a little nervous because my midwife was leaving for vacation in 4 days and also being a little discouraged since i had not gone past my due date before...but still feeling really good so i couldnt complain...but i manage to...nonetheless...

my mom had just arrived on tue night. the next day we decide to take the kids to the El Dorado Nature Walk to walk around. i had a couple contractions while we were there...more serious ones than i had before, but i didnt want to start getting my hopes up. We got home and they weren't stopping, so i started timing them and they happened pretty consistently 20 minutes apart for a couple hours. I told my midwife and she suggested going on a walk, so Bryan and I started walking, when i remembered that Farmer's Market was happening not too far from our house. my mom drove the boys and met us there and we walked around and had dinner on a blanket next to the ocean and farmers market. it was such a lovely night and my contractions started getting a little closer, but i was enjoying them still because it hopefully meant we would be meeting our baby soon.

we went home and got the boys ready for bed. my contractions at this point were closer - about 10 minutes apart at around 8:00pm. I lost my plug shortly after and then the contractions really started coming...and one on top of the other...intense...i called Sue at 9:00 because i started wanting to get in the tub...which i did as soon as she arrived. Everyone else arrived shortly after that - Sue's assistants Lindsay and Tiffany and my sister, sister-in-law, niece and rashelle (my mom was here already). we all sat in the office and talked and laughed...and then got quiet during a contraction...then would start up again...poor bryan was severely outnumbered, but he did awesome...when i started transition and things got intense the mood changed but the atmosphere was so lovely. so positive. so encouraging and filled with love.

there will be forever scents and smells and songs that will remind me of this birth - leonard cohen and tuber rose candles and laughter and hands grabbing mine and the sound of me humming through contractions. bryan's strong support by me the entire time. the background of his birth.

as i was in labor i really had to dig inward to find strength to allow the contractions to come and do their work. i realized that while pregnant with bryson all i wanted was to not feel pain. i thought only of myself and did no research at all because i didn't want to feel guilty about getting an epidural. after his birth and lots of reflection, among other experiences, i decided i wanted a different experience with Bodie. still...i was scared...still...i didnt want to feel that pain. i fought against the contractions. i tightened up and tensed and tried to fight my body. when it was time to push i wanted someone to do it for me...i wanted someone to just take the pain away. 

i realized during this labor that i needed to allow it all to happen...and that it would be over more quickly...i dug down deep to find that strength. really deep...and something amazing happened. i listened to my body. i felt my body open up. i actually felt myself dilating and the baby moving down. it was so absolutely incredible. there are not words for me to adequately describe how magical our bodies are. feeling him move down made me realize i was that much closer to meeting my baby and gave me a renewed sense of energy. i could feel more pressure at this point, but still didnt feel ready to push.

with both of the other boys i had a bit of anterior lip left on my cervix before i was at 10. i pushed prematurely with both and it caused the last part to be drawn out and much more painful. i told sue this and so she checked me and i was at 9 but no lip. this was the last psychological barrier for me. then, the baby's heart rate started dropping. it got worse with each contraction. the atmosphere changed and i could tell that they were concerned. sue checked me and i was at 10 and told me i needed to push the baby out with the next contraction or else we were getting out of the tub. there was no way i was getting out of that tub, but i didnt feel the urge to push yet. i was scared, but this was so beyond me at this point. i knew what i had to do for my baby and that went beyond my fear of pain...beyond me at all. i told my sister the next day it felt like someone telling me, "okay - go ahead and cut your arm off now" and having to prep for that mentally. but somehow i dug again...found that strength to push him and his head came out with the next contraction. they told me to wait until the next contraction to deliver his body, but i was concerned about his heart rate at this point, so i pushed again and out he came into my arms. 

the joy - that he was breathing - that he was okay - that i was able to do it somehow - was overwhelming - that is what you see on my face. but holy cow! how tiny is this baby! i was so shocked. i did not expect such a tiny tiny thing. he looked like half a bodie...and practically was at 5 lbs 11 oz (Bodie was 9lbs 8oz - Bryson was 7lbs 13oz). it didnt make sense to me, but he looked so good and healthy and perfect.

this is bobby nursing for the first time. he has been so alert and nursing amazingly. he did not lose any weight either when they weighed him the next day, which was so comforting since he needs all the ounces he can get! 

we are feeling so blessed and so in love with this tiny peanut of a baby. the boys are in love too and we are so grateful for all the help we have been given. i feel like i have grown a lot through this pregnancy and labor and am so thankful for this experience. i will take these memories with me throughout my life and cherish them, for they have formed me into the woman i am, the mother i am - the powerful trans formative power of birth.

The Barnes Boys

here are some pics of the brothers meeting Bobby for the first time. actually bryson met bobby when we were still in the water, but got a little scared i think with all the commotion and chose to go back to bed. but he is in love and has asked to hold the baby approximately 524 times. bodie just wants to LOVE all over the baby and mommy and mor mor are trying to protect poor little bobby from all the LOVE...

also -  i just heard that our dear friends joel and jena had their second baby - a boy- Ezra Gray born today - 9 lbs 5 oz...and we are so excited that Bobbie has a little pseudo twin to play with! jena was due three days before me and we both went late and have been texting each other every day - it was so nice to go through this with such a dear friend...and so nice to hear he finally decided to come! love you guys~

Introducing Bobby Rhys Barnes

born this early morning (1:38 a.m.) at home in the water. 5 lbs 11 oz and 19.5 inches long. our tiny little peanut is nursing well and super alert. we are so in love with this little guy! i can't wait to share the birth story with you - it was amazing and God is so good!