EvY at HomE

So… I have this stuffed Stitch doll. I wasn't really planning on handing it down to my children, it was a purchase I'd made for myself years ago but as this pregnancy has progressed, I've been using him as a stunt baby/stand-in for testing out baby products and such and it's kind of become this funny series. Here's Stitch testing a cloth diaper: Checking if the wonderland diaper looks good with the white crib sheet: Testing the Puj tub: Testing the Ergo Carrier: The breastfeeding pillow and glider: The infant insert for the Ergo: And the new changing pad cover:   I guess once Alice is born Stitch will be hers but, he'll kind of always be mine. I do owe you all a final nursery tour before she's born. I'm waiting for the ottoman and rug to feel mostly complete but I think when she's born I'll see what re-arranging needs to happen and what art suits her personality and what I can add to the room.

Well I'm a ticking time bomb of baby over here and could go at any moment! On Thursday we had our birthing class in which I realized I am full of knowledge in labor and delivery and can learn no more, now it's time to just do it. Which is just the feeling I was going for when approaching labor. Jodie Foster tells a story during the filming of "Taxi Driver" where Robert De Niro had her learn her lines so well and went over their scenes backwards and forwards that she was bored and they could improvise easily. I know it's sort of a weird analogy but that was sort of my goal with childbirth, the more I knew the better. It was a nice class though, the instructor gave the dads in the class a lot of attention and taught them massage techniques for mom and it was special watching the couples going through it together, a nice reminder that it takes two people to bring a baby into the world and how much of a help they are going to be to mom during labor and with baby ...

Us lucky brats, Matt and myself got two baby showers for this little girl and this one was just as lovely and fun as the first. Like the first one, it was suited to our personalities, with mostly mingle time and no games. This one had a pool so there was a big activity you could partake in and it was definitely warm enough for pool time. The theme was a sprinkle and the deserts were all kind of cute sprinkly things. We had it at my in-law's pool area where we've had many a pool party and this is now our second baby shower. We've had Liz's, Angie's 1st Birthday, Savannah's 1st Birthday, and now our shower. My mother in-law had a cute idea to have everyone sign a book. The winning book was " If You Give a Cat a Cupcake " which is apropos since we have/love cats, had cupcakes at our wedding and cupcakes have sprinkles. Here's us. What a handsome man I married. Our wonderful in-laws, the hosts. I'm such a lucky lady for having them ne...

Not to be completely overshadowed by the backyard, the front yard is looking very nice lately thanks to the blooming of this here awesome pink tree. I steal clippings from it for the house and its right outside my office window so I get to enjoy it while sitting on the couch. It changes a lot season by season, I love it. Right on the floor next to it I'd love to plant some hydrangeas or other bushy flowers. Over here is our paltry attempt at starting an herb garden. It'll get bigger in time. And to the left, the orange tree is dropping some fruits and the rosemary bush is growing and growing. I guess a little trimming is in order. The garden planting is taking a backseat to other projects but soon I hope to get serious about it.

On Sunday we had our family come up to our house to watch Team USA play since my uncle Rey was in town from Reno, NV; my aunt Carmen was in town from Mexicali, MX; and my sister was in town from Phoenix, AZ. We roll deep. There was about 30 people total in our house and tiny living room. I felt bad but our family is used to tight quarters. When we're at my nana's house, the living room is teeny tiny and somehow nobody ever complains and there's always plenty of food. And there's oddly never a big line for the bathroom. I think in a big family you learn to go quickly. Watching a sporting event with a big group is like 10,000 times more fun than watching it alone on your iPad. The two US goals were a big whopping celebration. When it was over and it was getting a little cooler outside, we all headed to the backyard and then aided by the bucket of summer supplies which included some water balloons, the kids had a great time wetting their fathers and grandmothers a...