Mustache - Hoping for Delayed Excitement

Mustaches. So cute, in a 70's kind of way.

I intended this mustache for Clayton, but he refuses to wear it. I chase him around the house giving him "mustache kisses" while I'm wearing it and he hates it. So I am hoping in a few months he will have new found excitement for it.

Until then....Cora is my mustache model. She loves to wear it (or eat it)!

• Materials:

1. Black Felt Square - $0.29
2. Embroidery Needle - borrowed from my mom
3. Black Embroidery thread - borrowed from my mom
4. Black oval elastic - $a few dollars (I can't find my receipt)

• Total Cost: $4.00
• Craft Source: I found this idea at 5 Orange Potatoes.
• She said her 7 year old finished this in 30 minutes. This took me embarrassingly way more time than 30 minutes, but it was the first time I had picked up a needle and thread in over 10 years.

Easy Nature Sign

Our simplest project, cheapest, and we get the most compliments on it.

• Materials:

1. Miscelleaneous nature items: pine cones, acorns, leaves, corn husks, etc.
2. Sticks that easily break
3. Elmer's glue
4. Scrap piece of cardboard.
5. String.

• Total Cost: FREE - Or about $2.00 for me since I had to buy the Elmer's glue ($0.75) and the string (dollar store)

• It was fun to break this project up over a week, spending several days gathering nature items on hikes.
• Then it started to get cold and we had to bundle up to go in search of some sticks and get going on our project.

• Clayton with the dog running in the background. Baby Cora is in my Gypsy Mama wrap under my coat!

• No, Clayton, those sticks are too big!

• I copy cat'd this idea from the Family Fun website.
• Ideas for doing this project: Camping trips, fall, spring but with flowers instead, tree house, club house, play house, play kitchen sign.

Super Dad's Birthday

Matt really is a super dad in so many ways. Super diaper changing, funny, handsome, playing with kids super dad. His day job? A police officer, which makes him extra SUPER.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUPER DAD!

• My first attempt at being crafty/make it yourself housewife.
• A rare occasion of me baking something. (soon to be more often)
• I copy cat'd the idea from Kara's Party Ideas but I dumbed it down. Her idea was so cute, but I didn't have the time or the supplies to do some of her stuff. So I got the free Super Dad printable from Delightful Designs.
• Being that we are in a rental house with most of our stuff in storage (including our broken printer), I emailed it to Staples and didn't even cut the prints out. Just taped them on the wall with some balloons!

• These are delicious Praline Brookies from the pilsbury website. Easy to make with brownie box mix and pre-made cookie dough. (Because my cupcake pans are also in storage!)
• I used bamboo forks (similar to toothpicks) for the mini super dads on the brookies.
• How do you like my bath towel tablecloth?

• October 17th - the actual birth day!
• As the super wife that I am, I stayed home alone for a weekend in September with a 3 week old baby and 2 year old toddler, while he went to see the Hawk's play and party it up all weekend with his friend from St. Louis.
• Super newborn baby and 2 year old = exhaustion.

At the Hospital

Wonderful Dr. Nancy Angenend.

Very tired Daddy.

Shelly came in to help hold Cora while mom was recovering and dad took a nap.

We restricted visitors so we could rest. Grandpa & Grandma Martin came by.

Welcome Cordella Lynn Martin

Born on September 5th around 3:30am at 8lbs 4oz and 19 inches long. Named Cora and then we changed her name on the 2nd day to Cordella after my great great grandmother "Cordelia."

In this picture, feeling great meeting my little girl. Was still surprised that it really was a girl!

They didn't weigh her until much later that day...weighed in at 8lbs 4oz.

Nora the nanny - not Nora the Explorer

This is Nora, Clayton's sitter during the day. I'm definitely jealous that she gets to spend about 40 hours a week with him, but I am glad that he is in good hands. He has fun with her and she says he is a very happy baby. Every day at lunch she tells me what they are up to and when I pick him up she tells me exactly what he ate, how many diapers, and all the activities they did for the day. He also gets to hang out with his buddy James. James is 4 weeks younger than Clayton and they like hanging out together.

Thankgoodness for Nora or I don't know how I would be back at work. Matt calls her Nora the Explorer but I found out this week she is not a fan of that nickname so he will have to come up with something else.

Clayton Rolls Over!

We hired a nanny for nanny share named Nora. I'm excited to have that complete, but not too excited to have to leave him with someone. We did a trial run with Nora last Monday December 15. Nora watched him for 3 hours while I met the super siete group of girls out at Barcelona for dinner. When I arrived home Clayton was cooing and playing with her. Nora said everything went perfectly and she gave me the run down of all their activities. She said she wanted him to play with this toy below but he "kept rolling over." I said, "What? He's never rolled over before!"

So of course, I am with him ALWAYS and the only 3 hours I was away, he rolls over! I guess that is one thing I will have to get used to when we have nanny Nora. I tried all week to get him to do it again and I never saw him do it. UNTIL, Sunday at my mom's house. We are back for Christmas and while playing with this toy below, he rolled over for me, Matt, and my mom. So we all witnessed his first roll over on December 21 at 10 weeks old. Way to go Clayton!

My Doula

Here's my doula during the birth. Julie Guttman

Daddy time

I love this picture of Clayton while spending time with his dad.

The Doc

Here's a picture of Clayton with Dr. Forseter who delivered him. We forgot to take their photo together on his birthday. Dr. Forseter did a great job. He was there for the entire 2.5 hours of pushing (most doctors only show up to catch the baby). We had an awesome birth with no drugs and not even an IV which Dr. Forseter was suportive of.

Dr. Forseter just had his first baby boy this month as well. Congrats Dr. Forseter!