Out-of-Town Guests

Mason has been such an incredible Big Brother. He absolutely LOVES his little sister {he says, "MY Baby"} and he gets excited when he's able to hold Dakota Kate or console her when she cries. I think he's taken to his new role really well and we're so proud of him and how he's adjusted.

It's been 3 weeks with Gigi though and sadly she has to return to Oklahoma to prepare for a relocation in just a few weeks! We're relishing every moment with her in town.

We went to dinner before Gigi left to introduce her to Flip Burger Boutique. This was also our first dinner-outting with the littlest. Here's Mace with Uncle Batman; he was pretty stoked to be surrounded by family...can you tell?

And Dakota Kate even did well since she slept during most of the meal.

This weekend we have several family members in town to meet Baby Dakota Kate. Aunt Mary and Cousin Sophie came in town first. Sophie was so sweet with the baby-we're trying to convince them that we need another cousin!

Sophie just loves her Uncle Scott. Scott gets tickled whenever he sees her too; Sophie softens him up so DK will definitely have Daddy wrapped around her little finger.

Then Grandadder and Aunt BeeBee arrived to meet DK. She looks so little in her Grandadder's arms!

I'm not sure how Aunt BeeBee escaped our pictures, but here's one of Daddy holding Dakota Kate. {sorry BeeBee}

She's 11 days old and oh so sweet!

It was sad to say "Bye" after such a short visit from everyone, but it was quite a treat to have family come in town to meet Dakota Kate and spend time celebrating her arrival.

The Intimidating 1st Outting

Good Morning to my TWO kiddos! While Gigi was still in town, I wanted to attempt our very first outting so I'd have support in-case of a meltdown.

We had a nice lunch and dessert at Edgar's. Mason gobbled up his colorful M&M cookie.

Dakota Kate just chilled.

Then we went furniture shopping and found a cute basket-woven garden stool for the nursery. Our stroller is AWESOME though and I'm so thankful we have it. It keeps Mason strapped down, makes for an easy travel system, and I can quickly disassemble/reassemble for trips. This in addition to easy maneuverability makes it my dream stroller indeed!

And while Gigi went to the craft store, I even attempted a car feeding and diaper changed squinched between the 2 car seats. Epic FAIL!

Thank goodness we were heading straight home anyway. I thought that Mason would be entertained by Barney on DVD, but he wanted to pet his sister while she nursed...which made her frustrated...which made her pull off several times...which made me leak everywhere...which made her more upset. And then there was the diaper change. Let me just advise anyone with little one's in diapers to keep an entire container of wipes in their car. Mine often comes in handy and was particularly a lifesaver this afternoon {or really a pant saver, baby clothes saver, and new car seat saver too!}.

Oh and might I add that what normally would have taken 20 minutes to get ready to leave the house with just Mason took about 1.5 hours with both kids in tow...or it seemed like it!

Meeting Maw

At 1-week old, we got this little pink poodle all dressed up and drove about 40 minutes to introduce her to Maw {Scott's grandmother}.

Maw was tickled pink to meet and hold Baby Dakota Kate. It was such a sweet time and thankfully Dakota didn't fuss until it was time for her feeding. It's a blessing to have Maw in our lives-she's such a sweet and dear great-grandmother!

Dakota's Growing Wardrobe

Here they are...

Black & White Itty Bitty Dress...

{If you recognize the fabrics, it's probably because it's from HERE}

An Altered Itty Bitty Dresss:

{I made this a larger size 3-6 mos and adjusted the pattern to have shoulder snaps rather than ties. Oh & this was leftover fabric/trim from burp cloths that Gigi sewed for Mason 2 yrs ago}

Twirly Skirt Onesie:

{I love that I can re-use Mason's old onesies by simply embellishing or adding a skirt}

Absolutely Adorable Girly Dress:

{It's a pillowcase dress! Only with 3 rows of fantastically feminine ruffles-all zigzagged. Yes it took a while, but was sooo worth it!}

Tres Chic Dress:

{This is another pillowcase dress but I added a ruffled ribbon flower. Tres chic...non?}

What's been so fun is being able to use remnants, Mason's old onesies, and trim I've had on-hand. I feel much more confident sewing and experimenting with different ideas.

Sewing Binge

I mentioned yesterday I've been quiet because the sewing machine was calling out to me all last week. Here are my completed projects over 6 days...not too shabby!

Embellished Onesies:

{Panda Onesie, Ruffled Bib Collar Onesie, Ninja Baby Onesie-that one's for Daddy since he's into anime and geek stuff, I added the black ruffle butt for extra cuteness}

Newborn Cuddle Sack:

{this thing is so tiny, it's possible she may not be able to use it but I bought the onesie super cheap/secondhand and figured that if I messed anything up that it wouldn't be a loss anyway...I think it turned out adorably}

Pillowcase Dress & Scrunch Flower Headband:

{Betty generously shared this pattern twist-the pillowcase dress with a sweet ruffle bottom trim}

Itty Bitty Dress & Ruffled Headband

{this was from the Made By Rae tutorial I've seen floating around the blogosphere}

Mini Dress:

{this was also a pattern graciously shared by Betty-thank you so much again! it probably took me the longest to construct, but it was definitely worth it and the finishing details make it a nice quality too}

Onesie Dress:

{this one is similar to the cuddle sack found on 2 Giggle Boxes, only I kept the bottom part attached so it still snaps underneath. the size is 6-12 months, but I figured DK would be cruising by the late Fall/Winter so I kept the skirt long and added a cute pleated collar to coordinate. it looks a little French, non?}

Sewing for for Baby DK

Last night Scott was sweet to corral the Booger so I could make Baby Dakota a dress. I've been procrastinating on sewing because it's a daunting task and I've been fairly intimidated to sew clothes. So I used fabric from an old throw pillow that had already been deconstructed and the lining is a bed sheet that was also already cut up. {remember the pillows from HERE?} So no love-loss on a fabric purchase and I think the unique fabric actually gives the dress some character.

Note to self: Use a pattern next time! I have no idea what size this is and if it will even fit correctly.

BUT I am happy to say that it's fully lined {I think I could easily make an A-line jumper dress like this reversible...with some additional planning} and I had to sneak in a matching hair clip too. I put it on the dress lapel for the 1st photo.

This is the back part with the covered-button and piping loop closure...
And this is the matching hair clip up close...

If I had to guess, I'd say it's a 6-9 month dress but the neck and arm holes are large enough to accomodate for a 12-month tunic top.

To Lay Her Head...And to Fit Her Feet

Daddy put together Dakota's crib on Wednesday... Of course with a little help from Dakota's big brother too...

And while we still have to find some more furniture for her nursery, at least we have a good collection of shoes to fill her dresser!

Spring's Around the Corner

...and so is Baby Dakota Kate's due date! My little May flower will be here in no time so we better get prepared ASAP. Here are some fun felt flowers I made last night {tutorial HERE}

Also, Scott found a great deal on a beautiful crib this morning and I told him to order it pronto. It should arrive Wednesday...YAY!

This is our 1st piece of furniture for Dakota Kate's nursery...sheesh, we need to get on it!

Pretty Feet

I am loving all the girl clothes! It's so much easier to find decently-priced, adorable accoutrements for girls in comparison with boys clothes...how refreshing!

I wanted to share a BARGAIN I found this morning; I was browsing Totsy {a private sale Online}, and found Baby Bella Maya shoes with many on sale for only $2 each!

You must have an invite and be registered to purchase {registering is Free!}, so if you're not already a Totsy Member, click {HERE} for your invite. I picked up 5 of the below shoes for $21 {including shipping & handling}. Now the caveat is- they may take anywhere from 3-5 weeks to arrive {seems a little inefficient, but Dakota Kate's not due until May so we should be in the clear}.

Happy Shopping!

Neurotic Mommy

Well after my concern a couple of weeks ago regarding the Baby's gender {HERE}, I'm happy to report that Baby Dakota is indeed still a GIRL. Yes, I'll admit it was a neurotic worry. Scott thinks I'm nuts for even questioning the first technician...but wouldn't you if it took an hour to determine the gender AND she "guessed" wrong the first time? Plus, 2 nights ago I had a vivid nightmare that the Baby was born Baby Dakota James, which is what her name would have been if she'd really been a boy {middle name in honor of Mom's father}.This morning I was able to see her sweet little face again and she's BIG! I went to a local technical school {so the ultrasound was free} and didn't purchase any images, but I had confirmation that she's a girl and that she's growing and that's all I needed anyway.

• She's currently positioned Right Occipito Anterior
• Her face has fully formed {more fat has filled in since our last scan 6 wks ago} and she's BEAUTIFUL! She opened her eyes at one point...and I don't know if you can really tell, but they appeared to be large and rounded just like her big brother's. She has chubby cheeks and a sweet little button nose. We also had her puckering her lips at us like she was blowing us a kiss. What a flirt!
• She was very mobile...again. But towards the end, my belly was very cold and she huddled up very tightly into her fetal position. Poor baby girl!
• Her umbillical was twisted {not around her though!} and the teaching instructor advised this is a good sign of healthy movement.
• Everything was very "textbook" with her skeletal structure looking great, her organs working, and she spanned from just under my ribs all the way down to the to top of my pubic bone. She was tall!

And what a delight to get this today in the mail...in honor of my sweet GIRL!

Mason Has a Little Baby...

SISTER!

We haven't decided on a full name, but Scott and I liked "Dakota" before we even tried to conceive.

She was quite an obstinate booger and it took us nearly an hour to get her to move into position. In fact, the ultrasound technician went back and forth, but clearly couldn't find the "nub".
Finally those 3-lines that define the girl were clear. She's definitely a little girl. Maybe a little modest, maybe a little stubborn, but definitely all GIRL!
She kept moving her little lips too...
And she would occassionally strike a dramatic pose...
The child was definitely active the entire hour...

I love this excited face!

Side profile in 2D:

Her first silhouette...

Oh and thank you Scott! Today they just happened to have 40% off http://www.remembernguyen.com/ {I'd missed the Black Friday special because we didn't know the gender for certain...thank goodness I didn't go by the 14 wk ultrasound!} Miss Dakota, you can thank Daddy for your first sweet little dresses.

Dakota: means "Friend" in the Dakota language. This is the name of a Native American people of the northern Mississippi valley.

Not So Sure About This

Yeah, the little guy just isn't so sure about this outfit...

He first thought the bowtie was a little too restricting...
And then he felt the jacket inhibited full range of arm motion...

Normally, I'd probably like to keep this cuteness a secret until the event, but I fear he likely will strip down the aisle anyway.

Oh sweet Ringbearer!