back in the game

I have been on a bit of a party planning hiatus

...against my will...
After this big bash
I did need a bit of a break but after a week or so
I was ready to get back in the game!
Thankfully, an event that I had stuck a pin in
and {quite honestly} forgotten to pursue
came back to life once some details were worked out.

My little {baby} brother...is getting married.
I never thought I'd see the day.
This boy is definitely a catch, but wasn't so keen on being married...
quite yet.
But this past March, he took the plunge,
wrote a POEM!!,
got down on one knee,
and asked his girlfriend of NINE YEARS
(that's as long as Jeff & I have been together!!)
to marry him.
Sigh.
My little guy is growing up. Tear. ;)
Seriously guys, I used to feed him baby food,
monitor him during baths,
and force him to play house & dress up.
We had the kind of relationship where we DESPISED
one another until I left for college, literally.
The classic story of the little brother annoying the big sister incessantly.
Once I was out of the house, things started to change between us,
and we actually started to like each other.
Now, I can't tell you how much this kid means to me.
And how fiercely protective I am of him.{photo by: The Rye Studio}
Now, the girl he's marrying is freaking adorable
and she fits right in with our crazy clan.
I've been calling her my sister-in-law
for probably the last 5 years even though it wasn't official. ;)

SOOO,
all that being said,
I, along with my 2 other sisters-in-law and my sweet sister Cass,
have the honor of throwing the bride-to-be a bridal shower.
And I'm having so much. Stinking. Fun. :)

We decided on a "love story" theme
and the word of the day is "romance".
The color scheme is Chartreuse {deliciousness}, cream & chocolate.
I found out AFTER the invites were sent that her favorite color is green.
Score!! :)

Here are the invitations,
just cause I can't contain myself any longer. :)

I found this incredible font called "Western Princess"
on a free font site my mom shared with me
and I can't get enough of it.

My sisters-in law officially hate me at this point
cause the 4 of us spent over 2 hours putting these things together,
and that's with me prepping AND we didn't even finish!!

The paper fans are made out of music paper and are actually easy to make...
when you're not using old brittle paper.
The brown flowers were cut out with some kind of template my mom had
and then just layered.
And yes, I hand rolled 35 mini rosettes for these bad boys.
And no, I don't regret it. ;)

I figured out how to print addresses on envelopes with my printer.
I DIE, as Rachel Zoe would say.
Never again shall I hand address {with my scraggly handwriting} envelopes.

Oh yeah...
and we wax sealed the envelopes...
I'm telling you, my sisters-in-law now hate me. ;)

We wax sealed my wedding invitations but used
layers of embossing powder.
This time I went legit and used real wax.
It was actually really fun & easy!
I highly recommend it. ;)

We did have a major party foul though.
A week or so after mailing the invitations
I found out the recipients were charged a 20 cent postage fee!
Ugh, there is nothing tackier.
Hopefully we can redeem ourselves with a beautiful shower. :)
Stay tuned...

you don't always need drugs.

I know I don't typically write about bodily functions on this blog

(this is my quiet, pretty place away from the things I deal with in reality ;)
but I just really felt the need to share a
homeopathic success we've had for little Jettisizzle.

Around the time he started eating solid foods
he started having cycles of really bad diaper rash,
which is pretty uncommon for a cloth diapered baby.
But his dirty diapers were so acidic and frequent
that it was easy to see why he would get
such bad rashes - and we're talking open sores people.

A couple of months ago it was so bad and I was completely at wits end
I was SURE he had some digestive problem or allergy
and I was convinced if I took him to a medical doctor
he would be diagnosed and then we could treat the problem.

Let me just back up for a second and tell you exactly how bad it was...

Jett has been known as a little pig since he started eating food.
Always hungry, always stealing food,
and always shoveling it in his face so quickly
there was no way he was chewing...and his diapers proved it.
Every. Single. Diaper. Was poopy.
And not only that, his food had not even been digested.
And as I mentioned before, most of them would be highly acidic.
So with acidic poop constantly on his soft baby skin
he would get a HORRENDOUS diaper rash,
resulting in open sores that could not be treated
with plain old diaper rash cream.
Oh. And the SCREAMS this boy would exude during diaper changes
were heart wrenching.

So here is how we finally fixed this poor baby's problem
- with the help of my father, a holistic chiropractor and
my mother-in-law, a nurse extraordinaire specializing in pediatric nursing.
Can you say "blessed". Yeah, we are. :)

Now we didn't figure all of this out at once.
Everything has been trial and error
but we finally found the combination that worked.

The first thing we did was put Jett on a "diet".
I know what you're thinking, "a one year old on a DIET?"
Don't call SRS - that's just what we jokingly call it.
We really just started monitoring his intake.
When a baby is hungry I always thought you just feed him.
That must mean he's growing right?
Well, now we know, baby boy was hungry all the time
because his food was going straight through him.
But we thought, monitor his food and maybe he won't poop so much.
His stomach is only roughly the size of my fist
so I started figuring out how much to give him
and when that was gone, he was done. No more.

To heal his horrible diaper rash we would give him oatmeal baths.
Aveeno sells little packets of finely ground oatmeal
and all you do is dump it in the bathtub. No mess.
We would wash him really well, drain the tub,
fill it again until just his bum was covered and add the oatmeal.
I have been amazed at the healing value of this stuff.
Then we would try to give him some time to "dry out" before diapering him.
And the last time his rash was so bad,
I had disposable diapers left over from camping so I broke down
and used those so we could use Desitin to get him healed up.
The only unnatural treatment we have used.

There seemed to be a problem with his digestion
so I started putting a probiotic in his milk every morning.
Most have heard of probiotics by now
but my family has been taking them before they were "mainstream". :)
Seriously, we're always the weirdos doing stuff before everyone else is.
Like, when we were the weird kids cause we weren't vaccinated.
And my brother & sister were the weird kids at school
cause they brought their water & lunches
in glass containers instead of plastic.
And we were the weirdos taking probiotics
"WHAT? You're PUTTING bacteria in your body??" :)
I digress, if you haven't heard of them,
probiotics are just healthy bacteria that you already have in your "gut".
We always take them to boost our immune system
when we feel a virus coming on.
You would be amazed at how much of your body's health
is linked to the gut.
Now, I almost took this morning bottle of milk out of Jett's diet as well.
I have been wary of it for some time but just haven't made the transition.
I give him organic whole milk but would much rather give him raw.
My parents only drink raw milk
and I believe it to contain much more nutritionally value
than the pasteurized, processed, hormone infused junk
they sell us at the grocery story, organic or not.
But that's another topic for another day.
If you can't wait, look up The Untold Story of Milk.

The final step in the long and grueling process
was the one thing I NEVER thought would work.
This was the last thing my dad told me to do.
I was near tears. I was threatening a doctor's visit.
Jeff had had enough and was forcing me to make an appointment.
The one thing that convinced me to listen to my dad
and try his suggestion was he kept saying
"look at the boy, he's not unhealthy, he's putting on weight, he's growing. Try this first."

Apparently, we have a valve, a sphincter
(I know how much you all love that word ;) )
in our digestive system that can be underdeveloped in babies.
Jaymin actually had an underdeveloped valve in his esophagus
that caused him to spit up everything I fed him while nursing.
Most people automatically assume babies have acid reflux
but that is not usually the case.
Usually the valve at the top of their esophagus is just underdeveloped.
Anyway, so my dad recommended rubbing this valve...CLOSED.
As in, manually shutting it.
I have always heeded my dad's health advice
because he has 6 extremely healthy children,
we were never sick, he studies health for a CAREER
and for the most part everything he told us to do, worked.
BUT. I have babies now.
And when those babies are in pain,
my faith and common sense go out the window.
I want results NOW, as I clutch him by the collar and
spit comes flying out of my mouth.
Just kidding. I didn't really do that but I wanted to.
Needless to say, I was skeptical, and my husband, even more so.
But the holistic girl inside of me worked her way to the surface and said,
"your father has never led you astray. Never. And I mean that in a lot of different ways. Try this FIRST. If it doesn't work, make a doctor's appointment. But really commit to it."
So I did. And guess what? My son is healed.
I'm not even kidding.

So this is what I do.
After diaper changes, I place my thumb, firmly but not too hard,
on his right hip and rub up to his left shoulder
a couple of inches and repeat.
I do it about 50 times (just cause it gives me a number to count to).
That's what my dad told me to do
and he believed it would encourage that valve to shut
and stay shut rather than just let all his food constantly run through him.
The days Jeff and I are not so good about doing it,
the next day Jett will have more than one poopy diaper.
When we are good about it, he will have ONE.
Which is amazing to us, as we were used to about 7.
I honestly couldn't believe this worked so well
and virtually fixed Jett's problem.
By doing this, my dad thinks
eventually this valve will develop the way it needs to in a few months
and Jett won't have any other issues with it.
I feel bad for doubting my dad
and not trusting him 6 months ago like I should have.

So let's recap.

To fix the PROBLEM:
- We monitor his intake
- We rub his intestinal valve
(no idea what the actual medical term for this is)
shut about 4 times a day
- We give him one probiotic a day

To fix the SYMPTOM:
- We give 1 to 2 oatmeal baths a day
- If forced, we use a medicated diaper rash cream (even though I hate to)

I am happy to report that Jett no longer hoards food.
I mean, he still loves it and will try to steal it if you have something good. :)
But when I give him a plate of food when he finishes it he says "down".
He's done and ready to get down from his high chair.
And sometimes he doesn't even finish what I give him.
And I don't force him to eat it.
Like I said, he generally has one poopy diaper a day.
And hasn't had diaper rash since we started massaging his tummy.
Yet again, I am amazed at the human body and how just a few simple steps
can have such a drastic effect - no medication necessary.

And look how happy he is. :)

zion's headphones

Recently I had the honor

of making a gift set for a very special little boy
and his new family, the Parsons.
Heard of them?
They're only AMAZING photographers
with HUGE hearts
and took sweet little Zion in as part of their family.

My friend Allyson wanted to give them something unique
and liked the skateboard set but wanted a different onesie.
How about headphones?
Perfect. :)
This was a lot of fun to make
and I've been wanting to do a headphones onesie for awhile now.
Now I'm thinking Jett might need one of his own. ;)

You can read more about the Parsons' incredible journey here.
I strongly recommend it!

I am a horrible camera embracer.

I haven't "embraced the camera"

in a year, literally.
I'll be straight up.
I don't like being photographed.
And I especially don't like being the one TAKING the photo.
Of myself.
Yuck.
Maybe someday when this little beauty is mine
I'll be able to do better "arm shots".
Until then,
I shall rely on my ever-so-talented photog friends
for beauts like this...{Seriously, all my friends are amazing photographers!}
This one is courtesy of miss Lizz.
Me 'n Jay, chillin' at home. :)

P.S.
If you were a sneaky little devil
and saw my earlier post today keep your lips sealed!
That post will be REposted early next week! :)

due date

Today was Jemma's due date.

Weird.
It would have been a good day to have a baby. :)
Dark & rainy.
Not missing out on anything.
And it's Monday.
Both my boys were born on Mondays.
I haven't had a lot of weird realizations except for today
and when I went to an old friend's wedding a couple of weeks ago.
Earlier this year we were talking about her big day
and I told her I was going to be HUGE at her wedding. :)
So when I went and wore this dress instead of a tent,
that was a little strange.{thanks for the dress Al}
And I still couldn't enjoy a glass of wine,
because I was pregnant...again...with a different baby.
Seriously, life is weird.
March seems like an eternity ago.
Sometimes it feels like it never happened at all.
And then I remember her tiny, still form after delivery.
I will never, ever forget that moment in my life.
But this child inside of me now brings me so much joy.
As do these precious boys.
And I know how blessed I am to not struggle with fertility.
I probably used to take it for granted,
especially having 3 out of 4 pregnancies be "surprises",
but now I know what a gift it is.
I can't tell you how much I long to feel this baby kick.
And to hear its first cry.
And to look into its face, and know, yet again,
just how sovereign my God really is.

P.S.
I changed Jettisizzle's photo in my last post.
It's a much cuter one provided by my sweet friend Lizz.
It captures him much more accurately. :)

I may have a broken nose...

Wow.

Two posts in one week!
I'm on a roll! :)

And I've even done a lil' craftin',
what'd'ya know?

My girlfriend told me about a friend of hers that has recently had a baby and she needed a gift for her. She told me that this friend's husband is OBSESSED with the weather
(which sounded an awful lot like this person as well as my own hubby...)
so we thought a weather set would be "adorbs". :)

I hope you agree.It's not in my shop yet cause I'm feeling just plain lazy.

I mean, come on, I've blogged twice this week AND completed a gift set.
I don't want to throw off my nap schedule too much now do I?

On another note...

I am having a harder and harder time disciplining this little nymph.
Every time I look at him I laugh.
He makes the funniest faces I've ever seen and his teeth crack me up.

This might actually help though...That and he threw Jaymin's Captain America shield at the bridge of my nose
while I was trying to get him to smile for a photo.
That ended the photo shoot real quick.

I guess its time to share...

...why I'm such a horrible blogger.

What you're looking at there...
is baby #4.

And what you're reading here...
is a rare blog post from a very tired mama.

Naptime is usually my blog time.
But recently, naptime has been my naptime.
And it has been quite awesome.

Sometimes when I feel guilty for napping every day, I remind myself that this body of mine has been sustaining another life for almost 2 1/2 years now with only a 2 month break. Confused? Let's walk down memory lane shall we?

March 2009 - Jettisizzle is conceived
- prego -
December 2009 - Jett is born
- nursing -
November 2010 - Jett is weaned
November 2010 - oh wait, let's conceive another baby that same week, great idea! :)
- prego -
March 2011 - lose Jemma girl
April 2011 - break
May 2011 - break
June 2011 - prego

Sweetness. I'm a life sustaining machine. Ha. Hardly. It's taken its toll on me for sure. Just call me Exhausted McGrumpy Pants like my husband does. And by the time this little love arrives, and its sucked the life out of me (aka. nursing) it will have been 3 1/2 years or more of sustaining life. Maybe I should make it a profession. Ha. That was a joke.

This pregnancy has not been all pickles and ice cream either.
About 6 weeks in, we thought we might be losing this little bugger as well. I had JUST gone to the midwife for my first appointment and 2 days later started cramping and bleeding. I lost it and called my husband crying, SURE that I was miscarrying. I bled with Jett early on too (no cramping though) but you could say emotions are running just a TEENSY bit higher this time around. I had a sono and baby was a little too young for a heartbeat but we could see a mass of blood next to it. All we could do was wait for a week, take it easy, no heavy lifting, etc. and then see if baby's heart was beating. Thank the Lord Jesus it was. That's the above photo. You can see baby and the big dark mass to the right is blood. They said baby was fine and all we could do was wait. And that's what we've done. Well, that, and pray, and think lots of positive thoughts. I've had another sono since (baby's heartbeat couldn't be picked up with the doppler) and I was astonished at this babe's activity. Bouncing around my uterus like a bouncehouse, wiggling its arms and legs, arching it's back and playing with the umbilical cord. So stinkin' cute.
And, most importantly, a strong heartbeat.
BUT, I started losing the blood mass.
At some point my body had to break it down or reabsorb it.
Awesome.
I got the fun one.
So now I get to be pregnant AND have the heaviest period of my life.
Sweetness.

It's a really weird experience.
TMI? Probably.
But you should know by now I am not shy when it comes to details. :)

I completely believe the human body is God's ultimate masterpiece
and one of the things God created our bodies to do is REMEMBER.
Which is AH-mazing during childbirth
when your body does everything its supposed to do without your help at all.
Not so glorious though, when you're pregnant
for the second, no third, no FOURTH (that's weird to say) time
and your baby is the size of a kumquat and you can longer fit in your jeans.
It's like your uterus/belly muscles are saying,
"Oh, wait, what? Oh. Ok. We're doing this again? Ok! Heeeeere we go!"
Glorious.

Sweet Jemma Marie still hangs around my neck {in a good way}
while I contemplate new names for a baby that will most likely be another BOY. Lol.
Oh God, you jokester you. ;)

I'm 12 weeks now
and supposedly your energy returns in the 2nd trimester
so hopefully I'll be visiting this neck of the woods more often
but I can make no promises.
But really, I'm going to try.
For real.

{Have I mentioned God is good?
God is SO good...}