DIY

Lately I've been obsessed with DIY clothes on Pinterest. You see, I'm too lazy to sew with a pattern, so these are simple ideas that don't take very long. Here's a few of my latest projects.

I'm considering turning myself in to child protective services. Lainey rolled off the couch today. I was ten feet away when it happened, and even though she seems fine now, I'm convinced I've caused permanent brain damage, or at least internal bleeding. After a few minutes of consoling she was smiling again, but I think I needed consoling more to get over the guilt. Poor thing. Face plant right into the carpet. At least we don't have tile.

Hello! February was a busy month, and I'm just now getting around to reporting about it. I spent a week in California, compliments of my mom, sister, and husband. When I originally saw the flight confirmation I thought somebody had stolen my credit card. But it turns out that as an early birthday present, my family flew me to Phoenix for my cousin Rachel's wedding, and then I drove back with the fam to Temecula for a few days. Vacations are different with a baby. I felt like I was just feeding her all the time. At least I had company. My sister Justyn brought her kids to AZ, and she had a 3-week-old. Corrie was actually a huge help too. She was so good with the babies that I could leave her with Alaina on the couch while I took a shower/ got ready, etc. There was only one minor mishap:

(Baby starts screaming) "Corrie, what happened!?!?!"

Corrie: "Nothing. I don't know."

Me: "I promise I won't get mad, but I need to know what happened."

Corrie (as tears well up): "It was an accident..."

Apparently she bonked the baby's head on the table. But after what happened today, I think Alaina is safer with Aunt Corrie.

I had a great time in Temecula too. We spent time sewing, working out, eating (of course), and seeing old friends. One of the highlights was taking Corrie to a kiddie carnival. We got enough tickets for 5 rides, only to find out that she was too tall for most of them. It nearly broke my heart to watch my little sister cry after being turned away from the merry-go-round. But we found a few that she could ride, and I loved watching her have fun. I had a great time, but was excited to get back to my hubby by the end of the week. He greeted me with a list of reasons why he missed me, #1 being that he had lived off of tortillas and cheese for the past 7 days, and looked forward to the return of a balanced diet.

Since I've been back I've been on a sewing kick. I made a simple skirt and some pjs. The pjs were going to be a gift for someone, but they turned out too small. Here's the skirt:

 

And, as always, I spend lots of time obsessing over my adorable child.

Move over Martha Stewart

Caleb yet again broke the Christmas gift budget by getting me a sewing machine. Don't get me wrong; I am extremely grateful, but it made my homemade bean bag hand-warmers look pathetic in comparison. In the meantime I have tried to put it to good use. I made a few killer burp cloths and these beauties:

I couldn't wait until Valentine's Day to give them to Caleb. He made me promise not to tell any of his male friends that he is sleeping on a pink pillow with hearts on it. Since i doubt any men read this blog, I think I'm safe.

Also, Lainey didn't have a Sunday dress, so I made her one with some leftover fabric. It was a LOT harder than I thought. A pattern might have been helpful. Still, I'm proud of it in a kindergarten-popsicle-stick-project kind of way.

Did you know?

I recycle.

I am terrified of helium tanks and other pressurized containers. I have an irrational fear that they will explode.

I love HGTV.

My favorite thing to do is try new restaurants.

Someday I wanna be the PTA president.

I am a habitual blood donor.

Sometimes I still cry when I get a haircut. Hence why it is so long.

Lately I have decided to be more politically active. (see  https://mittromney.com/node/246386 )
It started when I realized that Newt Gingrich might actually become the president someday. I decided I had to do everything I could to prevent that. I believe that the president should represent America's values, and that what you do when nobody is looking is who you really are.

I also don't get upset if people disagree with my political views, but I can't stand it when people call my opinions "closed-minded." For one, I consider myself an educated individual, and second, having an opinion does not make you a bigot.

I adore my husband, and love to brag about him--despite how much he hates it.

I have this aversion to video games. It is partly because I think they are responsible for the degradation of society, and partly because I am bad at them.

I still follow BYU football religiously.

I have postpartum elevation. That happens when you never realized how happy you could be until you have a child.

Baby Blessing

Sunday was baby blessing day for Lainey. It's hard to describe the feelings of the day; words just don't seem to do justice. I will say that it was one of the most meaningful days of my life as I pondered both the blessings that I've received lately, and the heavy responsibility it is to be a mother.

 Alaina's great-grandparents were able to make it down from Chicago for the blessing. I adore them.

 Mom and daughter

 Caleb's mom was visiting from California for the week to see her first grandchild. She made Lainey's dress. I don't know if you can tell by the pictures how intricate and beautiful it is.

 With daddy

. This is the first time Great-Grandpa Miskin held her. He'd been trying all day, but said, "It is IMPOSSIBLE to get between that baby and the grandmas." 

Baby and Christmas and Holiday Cheer

She's only been here 2.5 weeks and already we're spoiling her. Christmas was rather low-key for us because we couldn't travel to California to be with family, but that doesn't mean Alaina didn't get plenty from Santa. 

Here she is with most of her presents: Some new bottles, some headbands, an adorable hat, and a boppy. 

She also got a mobi wrap, which I LOVE. 

Not to mention all the new friends she has now:

These are our adorable neighbor friends, Gelise and Byron. They LOVE babies, so we've seen them a lot lately.

And here she is with her cousin Ella. 

And how could we forget the special visit from Gma Snell?

But the best present, in my opinion, was the nursery. My mom and I had a blast decorating while she was here. I'd sleep in there myself if I could fit in the crib. 

 I still haven't decided what to put in the other frames. Any suggestions?

 My favorite part of the project was repainting this free changing table we got. I had lots of fun with the swirly designs.

We may have gotten carried away, but they say you can't spoil a child til she's at least 6 months old. :) 

She's Here!

Alaina Beth Miskin joined our family on Monday, Dec. 12 at 10:14am. We are so excited to have her safely here with us! Here are some photos from the day. Please forgive my appearance. Childbirth is rough.

 At my last appointment the doc said she would probably be between 7.5 and 8 pounds. Liar.

 She is HUGE. The nurses were joking that I gave birth to a toddler.

 You know, we never really think about how traumatic the birth experience must be for the baby. I think I'd have a swollen face too if I just made a trip down the birth canal.

 We're thinking she'll be a linebacker. Look at those shoulders!

 Best husband award goes to Caleb. I could not have had Alaina naturally without his help. Poor guy was up with me all night and never left my side. He even has a few bruises and scratches to prove it!

 She finally decided to open her eyes!

 I've changed my perspective a little on natural childbirth. Before I was really into it because I am all about having control over my body, promoting a speedy recovery, and letting the body do what it knows how to do. But after having Alaina, I have changed my views a little. Why? Well, because first of all, when I was writhing in pain from contractions, there was no control no matter how hard I tried to focus. An epidural may take away some control of your body, but at least you can smile through it. Second, a natural birth does not guarantee a speedy recovery. Case and point: me. I lost a lot more blood than I should have, which led to me losing consciousness three separate times after birth. I ended up needing a huge bolus of fluids and two blood transfusions. I was so weak that I could hardly pick up my baby. If I were born 100 years ago, I probably would have died. So much for a speedy recovery, and three cheers for modern medicine!

 I'm not saying I'm against natural childbirth now or anything. I still ardently admire any woman who chooses to do it; I'm just simply much more open to other options now. I also can't help but think how much better I'd look in pictures too... but that's a rather vain reason.

I know I'm partial, but I just think she is the most beautiful baby in the world. I love her so much, and am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing us with a happy, healthy baby girl. Christmas came early for the Miskins!

Ticking time bomb

I haven't taken many pregnancy photos, mostly because I'm in denial about my current size. But some people have asked for some, so I had Caleb snap a few during the Thanksgiving weekend. Perhaps I made a mistake. The first thing my sister said when she saw them was "are you sure you aren't having twins?" Nice. That's what every woman wants to hear. I know I have an excuse for being large right now, but there are very few ways to see  comments like "Oh my gosh, you're HUGE!"  or "You just look miserable" as a compliment. 

Last month at a Relief Society meeting an older lady came up to me and said, "You're not big enough to be due in December!" I wanted to kiss her. It's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, even if her comment warrants a visit to the optometrist.

Nonetheless, here is me at 38.5 weeks.

I'm considering the vegetarian lifestyle

Snells aren't gun people. Miskins are. Before I married Caleb phrases like "opening day," "10-pointer," and "deer stand" had about as much meaning to me as Caleb speaking Portuguese when he doesn't want me to know what he's saying. Incomprehensible mumbo jumbo, if you will. Well, my friends, November 12th marked a special--nay, sacred--day in the Miskin household: the first day of firearm hunting season.

The rituals began the day before, as Caleb left class early (an anomaly in itself) to go sight in his gun before sundown. He spent the following few hours strategizing with his uncle and cousin about which deer stand provided optimal visualization for dropping "the big kahuna." This was done with the help of a map of the woods, complete with color coded game trails and exit routes. It was precious.

After all the plans were made, we all watched a Louis L'Amour movie (Sacketts) about three trigger-happy brothers trying to survive the wild western frontier. OK, the movie wasn't too bad. I keep meaning to read me some Louis L'Amour. But nonetheless, this activity points out the family fascination with guns. These men are cowboys to the core.

At 4:30am the men awoke and showered with "Scent-A-Way" soap so the deer couldn't detect their presence.

5:30 am: they made their way out into the woods, with guns and camo body suits in tow.

7:22am: the first shot was heard

approx 10am: Caleb kills a large 9-point buck

12pm-12am the following morning: the family prepares meat for consumption. This process involves gutting, skinning, de-boning, washing, wrapping, and freezing the meat. It was quite a process. Now I am much more grateful that I can go to the grocery store and just buy my meat--not that I'll need to for a while. We probably have 100 pounds of venison to get us through the year.

I have a few photos from the day. Beware if you have a weak stomach:

Kinda gross, right?

She's got a bun in the oven...

2011 Halloween costumes for the Miskins.

An Update

I decided that I am more vain than I thought I was. I discovered this when I awoke a few mornings ago to find stretch marks all over my belly. Sorry if that's a little tmi. It's life. I find myself looking down and doubting that I will ever shrink back to my pre-pregnancy size. My fingers have become sausages because I'm retaining water. My ankles have achieved kankle status. And then there's the extra 25 pounds I'm carrying around. I try to remind myself where all that weight is going to, like my blood circulation, the baby, placenta, etc... but when you feel like a whale, it's hard to keep that in mind. We also had to get new drivers licenses last week. That is just what I needed: a close-up photo of my fat pregnant face on the license that doesn't expire until March 7th of 2018. Then they ask you a few identifying questions:

"Hair color?"

"Brown."

"Eye color?"

"Ditto."

"Height?"

"5'5''

"Weight?"

"Uhh..."

Well I definitely lied. I did not want to see THAT number on there for the next 6.5 years. Sidenote: I only have one craving... ICE. You would think that would help keep the weight off. Nope.

So yep, I feel huge. But life is pretty good these days. I bought a house. That was fun. We love it, but we have struggled finding furniture to put in it. For now we have camping chairs in the living room...

Also, Caleb was awarded the Centennial Fellowship from the Chemical Engineering Dept. at Purdue. This one basically means the college gives him an extra $3,000 every year, which is GREATLY appreciated. I'm so proud of him. We got to go to this fancy cocktail party and dinner and meet a bunch of the Purdue big wigs.

Here are some photos of our lovely new home:

And here are some belly pics that my mom has been begging me for...