dead grass

today we had a fair amount of free time, and since it finally stopped raining, i wanted to take gabe downtown to do his portrait outside. as you have probably noticed, i love pictures in the grass, but when we reached our chosen destination today, most of the grass was dead.  at first, i was disappointed, but after a few pictures, i was in love. 

 :: day 30 ::

marcel

yesterday brianna, quell and quell's baby (marcel) came by.  marcel has really grown since the last time he was here, and is now chattering and smiling all the time. gabe found marcel to be highly interesting, and immediately started showing him how to use all of the toys in the room. what a cute pair of buddies they are!

:: day 29 ::

thanks dad.

look at those eyes.  stunning.  thanks steve for contributing such excellent eye color genes.

:: day 28 ::

running out of time

so i told myself that i would have everything ready to open the etsy shop at the end of the month, which i now realize is this weekend.  i am not ready.  but i just might be able to pull it off if i try really hard. problem is, my mom will be here this weekend, and we are working on garden stuff, so i will be pretty busy.  guess we will see what happens. 

this week, there was not as much by way of pharmacy deals (that we needed), but we did really well at publix.  we spent $31.95 and saved $27.67.  also, my running list, "free stuff 2009", is really growing.  here is what all we got this week.

:: day 27 ::

back

this weekend was crazy.  gabe was sick all weekend (but is finally starting to feel better, although now he seems to be quite bothered by the four top teeth that are all coming in at the same time).  steve's parents came over and stayed with gabe on friday, but on saturday he and steve had the whole day to hang out by themselves.  they went to the fort and picked up a load of concrete for me.  steve took a bunch of pictures, so here are a couple of them.

the conference was so refreshing.  it was such a great time of reflection and encouragement, and it was such a blessing to spend time with allison and dana.  sometimes i think that i forget just how isolating being a young mother is, and it was so nice to spend time with other moms.  i cant say that i didnt tear up a few (okay more than a few) times when i thought about gabe at home all sick, but it was great to know that he was in such good hands while i was away.

here are the portraits from this weekend and today.  

:: day 23 ::

(courtesy of steve)

:: day 24 ::

(courtesy of steve)

:: day 25 ::

:: day 26 ::

sad day

yesterday, gabe was feeling so much better.  he played normally and was really acting like himself for the first time since he started feeling sick on monday night.  then, this morning, after finishing half of his bottle, he puked all over me.  thus began a really sad day.  he slept most of the day away, and whined when he was awake, and was super cuddly.  and just as he looked like he was finally feeling better, he puked on me again.  dang.  

and the saddest part is, i am leaving town early in the morning tomorrow.  it will be the first time i am awart from him for more than a few hours, and i was already feeling sad about it.  now i feel really sad, and although i will still have a great time with allison and dana, i feel a little mom-guilt for leaving my baby feeling so sick (plus, this is the FIRST time he has ever been sick).  luckily, steve's parents are staying with him tomorrow, so i know he is in great hands.  

:: day 22 ::

when he should be napping

today, i put gabe down for a nap and realized after a few minutes that not only was he playing, but he was playing with mordy.  mordy was in the backyard, and gabe was pulling his blinds to the side to watch him.  mordy barked, gabe giggled.  it was a roaring time.  i snuck a few pictures before going in to "scold"/ play with him.  i couldn't resist making one of them his portrait today.

:: day 21 ::

after i went in, he started jumping on the bed... awesome!

hope

gabe is feeling a little better today, although he is still running a low fever.  it amazes me that even at his most whiny, he is still such a pleasant baby.  i was even able to run a few errands today.  we went to walgreens and cvs and here is what we came out with:

i spent $14.07 and saved $19.22.  there was not much free this week (only the excedrine), but the things that i got are things that we buy a lot of and which usually cost us a lot of money, so the fact that i still came out saving over 50% from what i used to pay makes me happy.  we did well at publix, too.  i cant say enough about how much the blog helps us in saving huge amounts of money!  she is the best!

and i suppose that it would be difficult to get away with not mentioning the inaguration today.  i know that there are strong opinions on both sides as to whether or not obama will turn out to be the president of change that he speaks of.  certainly it cannot be denied that with his election has come a great deal of hope for many people.  as a woman living in a neighborhood full of kids for whom there seems to be little hope, i pray that this will be a turning point in their lives.  a moment that they look back on and remember as the one in which they realize that their lives can be more than they had previously imagined possible.  for them, i hope that obama lives up to his promises and becomes a great president.  and maybe then, i can use his example to show the kids i know that perhaps God has a plan for their lives that is bigger than the neighborhood that they grew up in.  

:: day 20 ::

sick

gabe is a little under the weather.  this is new for me;  he has never been sick before.  in a way, it is sweet.  he is so cuddly and cute when he is feeling bad.  but hopefully he will be feeling better tomorrow.  

:: day 19 ::

coming along

today, we made yet another trip to load up cement. it is taking time, but it is really coming along. i am excited to share all of the work that we have been doing soon.

:: day 17 ::

step by step

well, its official.  gabe is a big kid!  he took his first unassisted steps today.  can't believe that he is so grown up!  got them on video, so enjoy!

also today, i finished knitting an arm warmer.  it is in my favorite shade of green, and i love it!  in order to pull it off, i had to learn to knit in the round with four double point needles.  it was very intimidating, but not very difficult in the end.  unfortunately, the thumb is unravelling for some reason, so i think that i will redo it tonight and add ribbing and leave out the thumb section (just a hole instead).  we will see how it goes, and hopefully i will finish them in time to use in north carolina next weekend.  

:: day 16::

:: day 14 ::

:: day 13 ::

one of gabe's favorite things to do is spin on the office chair.  whenever he gets particularly fussy, we give him a spin, and it cheers him right up.  

tonight, gabe played for a long time in the bathtub.  i decided that in order to conserve (and since those shampoos are so concentrated anyways) i would start bathing gabe with a mini loofa and i watered his shampoo down.  now i use half of the shampoo but still get a great lather.  he got such a kick out of the loofa, too.  

:: day 13 ::

gabe's quilt

i have finished my second quilt, but in many ways it feels like my first.  this time i actually did it the right way.  all my pieces were measured and placed.  i put actual binding on it and did it the right way.  i knew when i got the fabric for this quilt that i would likely have trouble parting with the finished product.  it so perfectly reflects my taste, and just as i predicted, i believe i will be giving this one to gabe.  it is just too perfect to part with.   i am, however, going to do another for the etsy shop that i am really excited about thanks to some ikea fabric from liz!  

:: day 12 ::

gabe likes to play in the bathroom...

it is by far his favorite room i the house.  if ever the door is open (though it rarely is these days because we have learned), he crawls as fast as he can to get in there.  everything about it is fun to him... the toilet paper, the drawers that he can open by himself, the scale, and especially the bathtub where he knows a lot of fun happens!  

he is also really into closing me out of whatever room he is in.  he knows how the door works, and he loves to play with it.  

today, i ran out of sunlight before i remembered to take gabe's portrait.  so, much to my disappointment, i had to use my flash and take one last minute (i truly hate using the flash!).  so, i took a picture of gabe while he was closing me out of the bathroom, because i thought that i should get one of him doing something he loved.

:: day 11::

also, today, i went ahead and made my walgreens run, and this is what i ended up with.  i only bought things that were free or that we needed.  i spent $9.32 and saved $58.01.  we also did all of our grocery shopping for this week at publix for under $50.  i cant take the credit for most of this, though, because it is a friend of a friend from whose blog i get most of my information.  i don't know how she does it, but i like her system a lot and i think that if i continue to follow it, we will easily cut our monthly grocery bill by 20%.  and, it is actually pretty fun to see how much we can save each week!

exploring

this morning the weather was gorgeous again, and since steve didn't have to work, we took my car to the shop (and it turned out that the brakes were NOT dead like i had feared!). then we drove to the waterfront.  steve and gabe went tree climbing and we all trekked our way through the mud and grass to the water.  it was so much fun and i couldn't help but think forward to the days when a curious little gabe would be running through that grass trying to catch the crabs before they scurried into their holes.  we also went to the carousel while we were waiting for the mechanic to finish looking the brakes over.  gabe was not sure about the carousel, but he rode it anyways to please us.  

:: day 10 ::

ultimate mountain climber

today, i put gabe in a shirt with a mountain goat and the words "ultimate mountain climber" on the front.  then, he proceeded to live up to the pressure of such a cool shirt.  he loves to use his piano as a means of getting closer to the  window.  usually, i snatch him right up, but i couldn't resist giving him a little room today so that i could record his mad climbing skills.  

of course, this is not the first time that he has displayed his skills and i have shirked my role as protective mother in order to fill my role as obsessive picture taker.  there was the time he scaled the baby gate, the time he tried to get on the couch and the time he stood on the guitar as well.  and although the instances of climbing used to be few and far between, they are becoming more and more frequent.  and because of this, i thought that his shirt today was extremely appropriate.

:: day 9 ::

joan's sweater

yesterday's picture...

the weather today was insanely gorgeous.  i couldn't resist taking gabe to cross park to play in the grass.  it is one of my favorite places to go and enjoy a beautiful day.  there is a really old cemetery, a lake, lots of great picnic spots, squirrels that eat from your hand, a field to blow bubbles and fly kites in, and plenty of shady trees to rest under.  plus, it is on the intracoastal, so it always has a perfect breeze.  we have been there many, many times.  while we were there, i put him in a sweater made by joan, a sweet woman that goes to our church.  i wish that i had one in my size, it looks so cozy.

:: day 8 ::

runner-up:  i just couldn't resist posting this one too.  he is just so cuddly!

laughing

wanted to share a video of gabe that i took this afternoon.  i have watched it over and over, and every time, my heart swells.  he really is just the happiest guy.  even with four (yes four) teeth coming in, he is still fun and giggly all day.  

also, i now take about a million pictures a day of gabe to try to get one shot that i really love, but i usually have a hard time choosing.  so, check out our flickr account to see the pictures that came in a close second.

a setback

last night, i finished my most recent sewing project and was really psyched to share it today. but i put it in the wash last night and when i got it out this morning, this is what i found:

not exactly what i was going for.  last night, it was a quilted picnic blanket with a waterproof fabric on bottom.  luckily, it looks like the quilt top can be salvaged, as it represents the most work.  i will still make a picnic blanket (to go with the matching tote!), but it looks as if this one will be backed with a regular, non-waterproof fabric.  

i have done a little research and figured out that vinyl or PUL is what would be a better choice for the backing, so if i attempt another (say, maybe for the etsy shop) that is definitely what i will use.  however, both fabrics seem to be very hard to come by (not really in any fabric store that i know of) so it will have to wait until i figure out where to buy some.

now, it looks as if i will get a great deal of practice with my seam ripper as i attempt to save the (if i may say) very beautiful quilt top that is attached to this huge mess!

:: day 6::

eight dollars and twenty-six cents

there is an entire cyber world dedicated just to saving money at walgreens and cvs.  while i have always admired the individuals who can go to cvs and buy a cart full of stuff for $3, i have also always been a little skeptical.  i mean, do they really use all that stuff?

well, yesterday, with the first sunday of the year coupon overflow that was in the paper, i decided to give it a try.  but, i only allowed myself to buy things that we use regularly, and only if i could get them on significant sale.  

here is what i ended up with:

all of the hair products were free.  i spent $8.26 and saved $48.42.  and it did not take that much work in the end.  as i get better, i think that it will be easier as well.

now i believe.  

:: day 5 ::