Baby A :: Newborn Photography

Baby A was 4 days old when I photographed her. 4 days old is a great age because babies are at their sleepiest in the first few days after birth - sometimes up to 14 days old even. If you have a newborn or are expecting and would like to have me photograph your little bundle of joy, within the first 2 weeks is ideal if at all possible. Please contact me for more information.

Milestones

Quentin’s been hitting some milestones this week. While he doesn’t have any teeth yet, he has started (not all the time) told hold his own bottle. We are waiting on the okay from his pediatrician to start solids (because he was premature). We see his doc in a little bit, so it's not too bad.

And, he can sit! Not for great lengths of time, but he can sit! Now we just need to work on balance. He's getting so big before my very own eyes. This saddens me because he's my last baby. Yet, I'm so happy for him & all his milestones.

This last photo is for you Nadine.
He's sporting your Pebble that you made him!
Thank you - he loves it!

Today's Link Love:
- Love this teacher gift idea.
- Love this t-shirt.
- Love this Simplest, Most Time-Consuming, Impressive Dessert EVER.
- This image.
- This post on Bokeh.
- These bandaids made me laugh.
- This little kid is freakin' adorable.
- Yip, yip, yip, yip!
- Love how this green door jumps out! (And hello purple roof!)
- Wish I could get a few of these printed out!
- Love this eye spy tutorial. I think I need to make one.
- Today, Quentin is now 24 weeks old, Sean is 228 weeks old & Mack is 35 months old (one month exactly until his 3rd birthday).

Baby O :: Newborn Photography

Baby O was another little angel I was blessed to photograph. By the end of the photo shoot she was well aware of the camera and was following it around. She was so sweet though.

Rain, Rain, Go Away…

Quentin has taken to his dalmatian blanket. I don't even know the real name for these things, but Sean has his Nunu and Mack has his bunny. (Aka a blanket with a head in the middle of it) Q's been sleeping (cuddling, see left photo) his. I got a new sling while I was pregnant with Quentin, and I'm finally using it. It's different than the other slings I'm used to - it'll take some getting used to, but I like it. And Quentin loves it too.

Quentin's mastered flipping himself from stomach to back and back to stomach. He is a stomach sleeper (due to his Laryngomalacia) and in the morning he has been flipping himself to his back to play in his crib until I come in and get him. He's been doing it all and today I finally caught him flipping from stomach to back... (not on video though).

Quentin brought his older brothers some chocolate last week and they really enjoyed eating it.

We spent the weekend hanging out, while fighting some colds and upset stomachs. The upset stomachs seem to have recovered, and we're still battling some colds. Hopefully the runny noses will stop soon. We've also been hiding out from the rain... They're calling for more rain too, sigh.

Today's Link Love:
- Love this necklace.
- Love this crochet necklace tutorial.
- Mack turned 151 weeks old on Thursday, May 12th, 2011. I can't believe he'll be 3 years old in a month & a day. Since it's the 16th today, my "big" birthday is in exactly 4 weeks, and I'm starting to really freak out now.
- Love this room!
- This table is awesome!
- I wonder if this workout actually works?
- Love this mail organizer idea.
- Love the way these books are displayed.
- Chalkboards are great!
- I keep looking at Baby D's photos. I can't help but want a baby girl.

Baby D :: Newborn Photography

Baby D was a pleasure to photograph.
She was so sweet, she made me want another baby.
(Good thing my tubes are tied!)

::

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It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I started a test knit last week, but have ripped it out... oh, I don't know... 8 times? I am giving it one more shot before I give up. Something just doesn't want to work out for me, I'm not sure what it is. I've emailed with the designer, and I'm trying one last time. It's a new pattern she's designing, and I'm doing the 12 month test knit, hoping for it to fit Quentin in the late fall (hence why it's a brown color). I also wanted to do it in superwash, because you know, babies spit up. We'll see what happens with this test knit over the next few days.

The last few days have been beautiful (Hello 18-22°C!)
This week we had some fun in the park with some friends.
Definitely taking advantage of the beautiful weather.
The beautiful weather has been bringing out some nice colors & flowers too.

On Tuesday, Sean turned 227 weeks old & Quentin is now 23 weeks old.

I had to fire my cleaning lady. Every week she was doing stuff to annoy us even more and she also started to surface clean. I would go into a room and lift something to find that she cleaned around it, and not behind/under... when she used to when she first started with us. Anyhow, the last straw was this past week when she THREW OUT all the started vegetable plants that I planted with the kids. I am in the middle of searching for a new lady to come to our house, so we'll see what happens. With three kids and a lot of stuff going on, it's nice to have someone help around the house. We're not loaded with money (or I'd have a nanny!) but a cleaning lady for a few hours each week is something that has been worked into our monthly budget and I find it very helpful and nice. It allows me to spend more time with my kids, rather than scrubbing the toilets (which I hate!) I am still in shock that she threw out about 80 started vegetable plants (that I had recently just re-planted into bigger planter pots!) I was livid for a few days... Looks like I'll be buying already started plants once they are ready to go into the ground in just a few weeks.

Today’s Link Love:

- I want one of these 2 in 1 washer/dryer machines! Oh my! I didn’t even know they existed! No more forgetting about transferring over the laundry from the washer to dryer… if only I win the lottery! (I guess that means I should start playing? LOL)
- I love this teething necklace tutorial. I think it's exactly what Quentin needs right now.
- Love this colorful clock.
- This fruit boat is really cute. What a great idea for the kids.
- Love this tutorial to make glitter shoes.
- I want my hair to look like this (love the hairband too).
- Love this kid's tshirt.
- Love this picture.
- Love these crafted fruit.
- Damn you diet.
- Free Pampers Points: VMF776C7HMEXT4.

What's been going on by you? Enjoying the beautiful weather?

Happy Mother’s Day

Quentin’s come a long way since being born in this bathtub. This was his first home bath here. Look how much he’s filled out in about 5 months! He’s practically outgrown this tub too. In a few weeks once he can sit well on his own, I will transfer him into the next tub we have (that I’ve used for all the kids). I also have something else that I received as a gift, that I will try out. I have to pull it out of storage and see what it is even. I know it’s for sitting babies though.

This week we had some friends over and enjoyed some music. We had a lot of fun. We’ve been taking music with the same music guy since January, and it’s amazing how fast the time passes when you’re having fun.

This week we also spent time collecting bugs, and digging to China. I used to dig to China as a kid, it’s fun to do it as an adult too!

The boys made me some stuff in school for mother's day. Mack made me a magnet with his picture in it, which is now on my fridge, and Sean made me a tea cup that had a muffin in it. The tea pot card had a bag of tea in it. They're so cute my boys! Sean actually last night came to me and told me "I wrote my name in a Spongebob card for you, but I can't tell you until tomorrow". Oy. Can't tell him anything! And can't do things in advance with him. I told Jamie later last night what Sean told me and we had a good chuckle about it.

Quentin isn't feeling 100% today, but he's still all smiles. I think he might be cutting his first tooth. He's been leaving me a lot of lovely presents in his diaper today, on Mother's Day of all days. I think it is very likely he's cutting a tooth. (He's been cranky on top of it - but always with smiles). Sean showed me that he could still fit in the BébéPod chair. (I was actually shocked that he could still fit into it).

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there whom read my blog! Hope you had a nice day, spoiled by your loved ones.

Today’s Link Love:
- This image. And this one too.
- Love these tin can yarn holders.
- Love these faucets as hooks!
- Need to find time to make hanging book shelves for the boys. Very cute.
- Wow, this is a really organized fabric stash!
- Love this ruffled bookmark tutorial.
- I still love this diaper/wipes case tutorial.
- Love this twine/string storage organizer idea.
- Love love love love love love this purple dress.
- This made me laugh out loud! And this too!
- Why didn’t I ever think of this? Smart idea! (And I just chucked out 300 bread tabs!)
- Love this wish jar (and the photo).
- Love these camera soaps!
- ♥♥♥♥♥♥
- Wishes she could have this as her 30th birthday cake.
- Loving hearts today!
- Keep meaning to use up our crayon bits to do this.
- Now I feel better about my office being a mess!
- 2 more 5 point Pampers gifts to grow codes: LoveFromPattie5, YIYY9Y6DPDPD6DT
- I started a growth blog for each of my boys for their weekly self-portrait photos, instead of posting a million photos in my posts, since I'm not blogging daily anymore. You can view Sean's here, Mack's here and Quentin's here. It's just easier to keep track of it that way too. (Quentin's is fully up to date, Sean & Mack's will be fully there shortly, I am manually transferring everything over, so please be patient).
- I enjoyed a few movies this week. I saw Limitless (with Bradley Cooper), Going the Distance (with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long) and Due Date (with Robert Downey Jr). While they were entertaining, I wouldn't say any of the 3 were fantastic, nor would I watch any of them again. But it was entertaining while they were on.
- Jamie and I are back into the swing of things of watching Dexter. We've had Season 5 sitting on our PVR for months now, and did a marathon. Gosh that show is good. We have no idea where time goes, so catching up has been put on the back burner, but now that seasons are winding down for the summer, we're making time.

Crochet & Original Art

I've been doing a bit of crochet lately. I enjoy keeping some mini skeins in my purse or diaper bag (yes, I have yarn in my diaper bag) and I like to work on squares when I have a few minutes here & there. I'm still working on my on going projects, Babette v1, Babette v2 and Babette v3. My faves are these really tiny 2 round squares. They're so cute.

I also made these cute earrings (in my absolute fave shade of green) for a friend for part of her birthday present. I wish I had enough leftovers in this color to make myself a pair too. The color is just stunning. I hope my friend (who hasn't gotten them yet) likes them.

My boys. Oh my lovely boys. They had an art vernissage on Friday at daycare. Of course, I had to miss it because of the problems we were having with our hot water tank. However, they each made a painting over the last number of weeks (it's a long process apparently). Let me tell you, when my mom brought the boys home from daycare on Friday, my mouth dropped. I was shocked. Look at these! Sean picked to do a Castle, as another painting inspired him, and Mack, Mr. Obsessed with the Habs (like his brother), wanted to do a Habs painting. They're fantastic. (The school does a vernissage each spring to raise money for the daycare, so the parents come & buy the artwork). My 2 new acquired original pieces of artwork are waiting to get hung up on the wall, the kids decided where they wanted them to be hung. What lovely art to add to our collection. My kids rock.

Playing Catch up

It's been crazy busy around here.
Quentin turned 21 weeks old on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 &
Mack turned 149 weeks old on Thursday, April 28th, 2011

This week was also 225 weeks old for Sean on Tuesday (April 26th) &
also 52 months old for Sean on Thursday (April 28th)

Quentin also turned 5 months old on Saturday April 30th, 2011.
The picture on the right is Quentin all dressed up for Easter.
(We celebrated Easter with Jamie's step-family).

I'm now down 28 lbs since January 1st. I feel good, I'm fitting in my pre-maternity clothes better, and I'm so darn proud of myself. I still have a few pounds to go, but I've been very disciplined with myself, and so proud. Quentin used the Jumperoo for the first time this past week. He absolutely loved it, and I caught it on video, which you can view here. Lots of firsts lately!

I had to share this photo (above). Quentin was getting hungry, so I left him on his play mat in my bedroom to run to the kitchen to make him a bottle. When I got back, he had fallen asleep. It was too cute.

More firsts last week were using the lifejacket and sitting in the flotation seat (dolphin shaped) at swimming. He's so cute in the pool. He actually loves the water and doesn't freak out or flip out when dunked under the water. That's my boy!

This weekend we went to a birthday party for my cousin's son's 2nd birthday. There were some special guests at the party (some disgusting reptiles and such). Sean was super brave and wore a snake around his neck. Mack was super excited for his bunny to meet (a black) bunny. His face was priceless.

We've had a good week (despite the water heater tank dying). It's been a lot of brotherly love around our home. I'm so glad my boys get along great. I love seeing them together.

Today’s Link Love:

- This pie looks delicious even un-cooked.
- I love this photograph.
- I might have to knit me up some of these leg warmers.
- Too bad I won’t ever be pregnant again, this maternity shirt is way too cute.
- Love this Alphabet print (I printed out the purple one for my home office).
- Can’t wait to have fresh veggies from my garden to make Ratatouille.
- The pencil vase is a cute DIY teacher gift.
- Love this DIY Herb Soap Tutorial.
- Dooce did it again, she is just hysterical.
- Dying to wear flip flops again. Bring on the warm weather.
- Love love love love this tattoo.
- Doesn't this space look warm, inviting & cozy?

Some crafty things coming up in another blog post. Stay tuned!

Caught on Video

Quentin rolled over for the first time on Sunday, May 1st, 2011. ( 5 months 1 day old). We were all there to cheer him on! I am so glad I caught it on video. (Ok, ok, I've been following him around with a video camera for the last 2-3 weeks trying to capture it on video).

ps- Yes, that's my eldest son in the background using a computer mouse. He's addicted to this website.

Woah, What a Week

What a week. And I don't know where time goes. Seriously. I meant to sit down a few times this week to blog, and stuff kept coming up, that sidetracked me from blogging. I seriously have no idea where time goes. Somehow, it disappears.

This week was a very expensive week. First, I took in our Electrolux vacuum cleaner to get checked out. I was hoping that whatever it was that it would be covered under the warranty from the work (and the 195$ I spent) on it in January 2011, but the motor was finished (and it was the original motor from the vintage vacuum. They were impressed it even lasted this long. They also told me that even though my motor was tuned-up and working beautifully in January, it could go at any time. So, we ordered a new motor, and it'll cost us 200$. Seeing as though Electroluxes are a couple of thousand dollars, we were willing to buy the new motor. Which could last us another 30-40 years. (Electrolux & Filter Queen vacuums are top of the line). Sigh.

Then, Thursday Jamie noticed in his morning shower that the hot water was fading. He didn't tell me this though until I questioned him late afternoon when he got home from work, as to why when I washed up today I had no warm water, and when I went to go wash Quentin's bottles, there was no hot water either. And when I went to run the water again in the kitchen, nothing. Not hot water. Only ice cold. He then goes down the basement to our "furnace/storage" room and there's a huge puddle (I wouldn't call it a flood exactly, but there was a lot of water) on the floor. So I call Gaz Met, which was the sticker on our tank. They tell us to be home on Friday between 7 am and 7 pm. Lovely time window, eh? So Friday, I had my mom babysit Quentin in the morning (the boys were in daycare) so I could run 2 errands, and then came back and waited at home. Finally they showed up around 2:30pm. Our hot water tank was busted. And of course, we owned the tank and wasn't renting it from them, so we had no service contract with them. Great! So, we hired Gaz Met's plumber and ordered a larger tank (a 50 gallon instead of a 40 gallon) as with 3 kids, the laundry, the baths, showers, dishwasher loads are insane. Getting a larger tank was a smart decision! Our old 40 gallon tank was from 1977. It lasted 34 years. Let's hope our new tank lasts just as long. (Obviously it depends on actual usage). And this time, we have a service contract with Gaz Met.

Because of waiting around for Gaz Met and phone calls back and all that stuff, I missed out on going to the vernissage at Sean and Mack's daycare. My mother went instead for me. (It's nice to have her on call for these things if I need). Wait til you see the paintings the boys did. They were both on going projects which took a few weeks, and I can't wait to go into the daycare this week and see the pictures on the wall on how those painting were made. They always take pictures of the process, so you can see that your child actually made it themselves. (Lots of layers are involved, so that no paint leaks on the other layer, etc... it's quite interesting actually. I remember from last year. Anyhow, those photos are coming too. I was quite impressed. And fathers were extremely impressed with Mackenzie's painting. They all wanted it. My mom teased that she should have auctioned it off.

It was so nice to have hot water again, when we got home yesterday from a birthday party we had. Jamie had to stay home for the workers but the rest of us got out of the house. And of course, while we were at the birthday party, Quentin had his first diaper blow out (took 5 months!) and of course the change of clothing (a sleeper) I had in my diaper bag no longer fit him. Luckily the birthday party was at my cousins' house, so I was able to do laundry while we were there. Hopefully we didn't overstay our welcome.

Anyhow, a recap of the fun stuff from this past week is coming in the next post. With lots of nice photos and a huge long link love.