Blame it on the Hormones

Lately I have been thinking a lot about when Milo was a baby. Being pregnant, I'm wondering how I will handle a newborn and still give Milo all the love and attention that I love to give to her..... So I've been thinking back on the times when Milo was a wee little babe and sleep was hard to come by and she loved being held all the time...... 

....and then I come out of my deep thought and look over to Milo laying on her belly in the floor coloring.... or playing with teddy..... or taking my dirty dishes to kitchen... and it hits me.... where is my baby?! 

Instead of me cradling her, she likes to hook arms... or asks me to snuggle :) 

She paints/colors her body.... it's toddler body art. I'm sure she's not the pioneer. 

She is phenomenal..... clever, quick, adventurous, and mostly fearless. 

When I wake up in the morning and roll over to see her next to me.... I can't not be happy..... I've questioned co-sleeping and extended breastfeeding, but every time she snuggles up next to me in the middle of the night or when I have to tickle her to wake her up.... I know that I made the right decision for us. She wont be little forever... and I won't always be her favorite person in the world. 

Teddy is already gaining on me..... She insists we take him with us sometimes. 

She's now fully weaned and happily enjoys snuggles instead of mommy milk...... when she stops running, twirling, jumping, hopping, or skipping long enough to catch her breath and give me a quick kiss and fill my love cup for the day.... 

Maybe I'm just hormonal.... but it just feels like this time is slipping away.... and (like most moms before me) I feel a bit sad wondering what my role is going to be in her life as she gets older.... so I'm going to try to soak up all those snuggles.... knowing one day they wont be as plentiful..... and hope that they are replaced with new experiences that are just as wonderful. 

On a lighter note..... We find out the gender of this little baby tomorrow.... TOMORROW! Even though I didn't really want to find out originally, I'm very excited to know. Milo says it's a girl....so does JR. I'm not really sure what I think, but I had major teenage acne when I was pregnant with Milo.... Those old wives say girls steal your beauty.... This time around....no acne in sight.... but I have lost all talent and motivation for cooking..... So there's still hope for a boy after all. 

In Bath and an Announcement

Well Hello there. Let's get this started.... In case you haven't heard. Milo is going to be a big sister! 

Yay! She really has no idea what's going on, but she was excited to take a picture. I tried telling her there's a baby in my belly and she just looks at me like I've lost my mind. Anyways.... we went to Bath....like the Roman Baths in England. It's only a couple hours away so we took a day trip. We didn't see too much. Just hit the highlights. 

Above is Bath Abbey. I'm sorry I can't get past how they call everything Bath ______. I just keep thinking about a bath. 

Anyways. It was beautiful. They call it the Lantern of the West because of all the windows and how bright it is. Many cathedrals are dim and dark which adds to the mystique. This one was bright and airy.

Then we went over to the actual Baths. It was really interesting. Milo met a buddy on the tour and I almost couldn't pry her away. 

It was so cold the day we visited I was wishing that we booked the actual spa section. Then we stopped by Pulteney Bridge. 

It's a neat little bridge with shops on both sides as you walk across it. We had crepes at a restaurant there. 

I wish I could tell you more about what we did and the historical facts, but We just had a great time soaking in the pretty scenery, strolling around, trying to keep warm. These pictures look warm, but it was freezing. It's been strangely cold here since we returned from the States. 

Milo the Traffic Director. 

We figure we will go back again sometime, but had fun on our mini day trip. My posts seem to be few and far between and then when I do write them I keep it short and simple with loads of pictures. Mainly because I've been living life and enjoying my family. Milo is a little gem. She is just exploding personality and learning new things everyday. Today she brought her bear (a valentines day gift from my parents) to the dinner table and proceeded to feed it. Well she tried. When I try to put her to sleep and she is fighting it, Milo thinks it's funny to lick my face....she identifies loads of colors and learns new words all the time. After her dinner tonight, without me saying anything, Milo took her plate to the trash can and raked it off with her fork then brought it over to the dishwasher where I was cleaning up and put it in. I didn't even know she could do that.... She amazes me. 

Harry Potter Warner Brother's Studio Tour Review

We recently went to the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London (technically in Leavesden). And Ok, Maybe I am a dork, but I was super excited.....and it exceeded my expectations.  Ticket Prices are around £29 for an adult which is a little steep; however, if you are a Harry Potter fan this is a must-see.  The tour opened to the public in March 2012, but filming of the movies took place for over 10 years starting in 2000.....anyways, onto the tour. 

I was so excited. They had some Giant Chess pieces outside and as soon as you walk into the lobby they are playing the theme music from the movies. I apologize for the blurry pictures inside the tour--the lighting is not conducive to photographing without a tripod.... and no flash allowed. 

The Tour began in the Great Hall where they had all of the tables set up for a Christmas feast. Old Costumes were also set up around the room of the different houses (slytheryn, griffendor, etc....)

The tour was self-guided and had tons of actual props and room set-ups which where like totally awesome ;)  There were videos and placards with fun facts and information on the different pieces. There were 2 different buildings to go through and an outdoor area. Since it's self guided, you could be done as fast or slow as you wanted. The guide told us the record times were 20 minutes for the fastest and 8 hours for the slowest. JR and I ended up spending around 2 hours there, but we were also with a group that was a bit faster than us....so we went more quickly so we wouldn't make them wait.

The Mirror of Erised

Then we went to the outdoor area which has snacks, butterbeer, and a variety of large props (such as the Knight Bus, Harry Potter's house where he grew up and also where he was born) 

Of course, we had to get butterbeer. JR didn't care for it too much but Milo and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Butterbeer doesn't actually have alcohol for those of you that think I would give my daughter actual beer. 

Then we were off to the second building. There they had lots of special effects stuff like the animatronics....they also had the actual Diagon Alley Set.

That's the Weasley Twins toy Shop in the background there

There are a great deal of model sets that were done in the planning process. The set below is The actual Building of Hogwarts that was used for filming all the far away shots. 

Then there is an amazing gift shop which has tons of really cool stuff that you can spend your money on. JR and I didn't really need a wand so we settled for a coffee mug. 

It was a great tour, We will definitely be going again. I think there are so many little details and things that you can see. So even if you go a few times, you would see something new each time. My only complaint... I know. Geeeeez..... is that the floor was hard.... like stained concrete so after the first 30 minutes, my feet were hurting. So wear comfy shoes. 

And this has nothing to do with Harry Potter, but We recently went to Paris and got this absolutely adorable picture. Classic Milo. 

Waldorf Doll DIY

Recently I came across a waldorf doll online that was ADORABLE.  I had seen them before but Milo really just got into dolls. So I decided I would get it for her birthday. I went to the website to buy it and it was over $100...for a doll....for my 2 year old..... which seemed crazy at the time. So, I decided I would try making one..... then I realized why they are so expensive.... but here it is, my first attempt at doll making.....

The only supplies I had to purchase were the yarn for the hair and a doll needle. All the other things I had. The clothes are made from fabric scraps or old articles of clothing. The skin fabric was a white heavy knit material that I tea stained to be skin toned. 

And of course she needed multiple outfits. I didn't really use any pattern I just did a circle skirt and made up a top to go on it. The top one buttons in the back. The second one is a halter tie; the third, button up; and the last has elastic straps. 

Milo loves the doll. She could barely leave it alone long enough for me to take the pictures. 

I didn't use one specific pattern or tutorial, but I looked through these tutorials and made it up as I went: 

Flickr tutorial

Echoes of a dream

Living Crafts  (best pictures)

Crunchy Catholic Momma

The Silver Penny (nose)

waldorf doll

And for the hair I made up my own method after looking at the following tutorials: 

Crafty Sheep

Flickr

and I sort of based the hairstyle off of this picture

My doll may not be perfect, but I thoroughly enjoyed making it.... and knowing this is a family heirloom in the making. I definitely plan to make more and improve with time. I am always trying to make new things and take on big projects... don't be afraid to step out on a limb. Most things aren't as hard as they seem. Mine isn't nearly as nice as other ones I've seen out there, but Milo loves it and that makes me happy. 

Now I just have to make her some bloomers or a diaper... :) always some new project