crdesign's Profile

I've been photographing all my son's art and cataloging it on my computer. I plan to make photo books of all his art by year. Then you only feel like you have to save the very most special pieces.

Love the nursery! Love all the photography too. Great job and what a cute family you make :)

Loved seeing the belly progression, you looked absolutely amazing! Currently 18 weeks with b/g twins too. It was nice to see what I can expect in the so distant future and ordering my maternity support belt asap, LOL!

Congrats on your beautiful family!!

i won't ever go into subway, i send my poor husband if needed. that smell is the worst and makes your hair smell too. yuck.

Darn IT! I thought I invented this in my head this summer but had no idea how to get the funding, etc.

My very favorite is the yummy yummy yummy Ultimate Mac & Cheese recipe from Sunset Mag. It's shallots, white wine, creamy bechamel, gruyère & gouda. It's definitely grown up mac & cheese!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001571515

First of all, congratulations on your new additions!!!!

For baby-proofing, it is tempting to spend a ton of cash on every safety gadget. Just browse your local baby supply store and the options are overwhelming and endless. You can't put a price on your children's safety, so these things can be hard to pass up.

Before spending money on things you aren't sure if you'll need, try take a look at your house through a child's eyes before they come home. Maybe even invite a friend and their toddler over for a visit and watch closely how fast the child will try to discover all the most dangerous places in your house. Take the time to remove anything breakable/poisonous/off-limits from a child's reach. The bathroom and kitchen cupboards are especially tempting. Organize and try to hide extension cords, consider getting those cheap plastic outlet covers for open outlets. Think about your house... top-heavy dressers/bookcases, pointy and sharp corners, steep stairs, wobbly chairs, low drawers filled with choking hazards, heavy computers/equipment within reach. These things are all easy to fix, without having to spend a fortune on baby proofing supplies. It is natural for little ones to explore and climb, and although teaching limits is extremely important, with a big transition it may be helpful to child-proof before the homecoming. The transition for everyone could be more frustrating if you have to repeat "no, don't touch that" over and over on the first week home. I also think it shows respect for the children, like "welcome home, it is safe here".

The best gift that was given to me as a new mother, was from a dear family member who organized meals for us.

This involved sending an email sign up sheet out to close friends & family before the baby arrived. The meals were delivered twice a week, during a preset time. This was so very nice because we didn't have a constant stream of visitors. We knew who to expect and when as well as what the menu for the evening would be. Everyone who was special to us felt included and were happy to help by bringing a meal and getting to meet the baby during their pre-set appointment. For people who were out of town (or lacking culinary skills), there was an option of sending a take-out gift card.

She also politely reminded everyone to deliver the meals in disposable containers (no clean-up) and not to stay too long because we were all overtired.

We got 2 meals a week for the first 6 weeks. After we'd put the baby down for the evening my husband would heat up the food and we would sit down to enjoy each other's company! It was absolute heaven!

Making homemade baby & toddler food:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com

http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com

my 11 month baby would try to eat the rocks!

one of the masters of newborn photography is carrie sandoval. we were lucky enough to have her photograph our baby boy at 11 days old. i highly recommend this experience!

http://www.capturedbycarrie.com