if she wasn't a little Violet..

violet was always the number one choice, but here is the list of names that I love:
(top considerations were chloe, hazel, alice, cydney, holly and if she was a boy, river was number one)

viera

starling

seraphine

corbin

isobel

cordelia

coralie

carlyn

bunny

river

olea

corianne
cydney

cienna

clementine

cicely

ceri

charlotte

cosima

ceraphina

anice

samara

violet

scarlet

isla

isidore

lilou

lucia

marina

anais

indie

scarlet

savannah

lyra
daphne

petra

fallon

annabel

posy

story

annalise

meadow

story

lavendar

anisa

analeigh
lucy

mercedes

poppy

coral

robin

piper

sloan

scout

verona

suri

cali

paz
maeve

sophie

sailor

alice

hazel

river
finn

luca

jude

levi

hudson

lachlan

alistair

liev

canan

cohen

cruz

beckett

:)

generations of sweet dreams..

... waiting for a sweet baby girl.

one.week.left.

ahh! only one week left until our due date! I cannot wait to hold this little girl.
Next appointment is december 30th, so hopefully I'll have an update of what's going on in there, if there is any progress.
I hope she comes sooooon.

Violet's nursery

Just a few more finishing touches, and little Violet's nursery is finished! I love the final look of the room, and it turned out pretty close to my original ideas.
I was hoping for a space for a little girl to feel like a little girl, a place she can grow into and hopefully let her imagination run wild. I wanted a vintage feel but with some fresh pops of colour to keep it lively. I also loved the idea of incorporating a woodland vibe, so there are little forest friends and flowers throughout the room.


click here to see the rest of the photos! :)

now I just need little miss Violet to arrive!



DIY projects:
- branch with cherry blossoms made of felt, and a pearl bead
- "V" made of white cordoruy and pink cotton, stuffed
- refinished the furniture:
- dressers painted first aqua to match the wall then white washed over, then new hardware
- green table spray painted (on top of a paper stencil I cut and glued on) then sanded to look aged
- 'cinderella' paper bunting & mini bunting, cut scrapbook paper and sewn onto ribbon, white paper birds cut out and added after hanging
- paper globes from a tutorial found here by Heather Bailey
- tissue paper pom poms (search martha stewart for an easy tutorial)
- painted picture frames and mirror

Second hand, family collectibles, or vintage finds:
- crib
- all art prints
- V letter block
- yellow bunny
- metal kitty hook, dragonflies and thermometer key
- books
- porcelain figurines

pretty & new:
- restoration hardware:
- curtains & valance, cherry blossom pillow, crib bumper
- all hardware from anthropologie
- from target, shabby chic collection:
- crib sheet, baby quilt & rug
- owl stuffed animal
- Ikea:
- futon, bookcase, white cherry blossom lamp, pink bins, fox stuffed animals
- keepsake box from burlington coat factory
- eyelet lanterns, walmart martha stewart collection
- chandelier from Canadian Tire

oh yah.. updates!

So I clearly have not been updating the blog, but I think about updating it mostly every week... that counts for something right?

anyways, this pregnancy has been a whirlwind of ups and downs! It feels like it has flown by, where as with Colt I felt like I was pregnant for 2 years.. and now he is 2 years old! ahh, time is going too fast these days.

I am now 37 weeks pregnant, officially full term and I can't wait to meet little baby girl Violet Cheryl Jean Carruthers!

so, the downs of this pregnancy:
a low laying placenta, lots of cramping, a choroid plexus cyst on her brain, measuring 3 weeks behind for quite some time, some bleeding, and possibly laying transverse.

after lots of follow ups and ultrasounds, every single one of these problems, turned out to be resolved or not an issue! :) just waiting on an ultrasound next week to check her position, though I'm fairly certain she has moved again to be back in a head down position. so, all is well in the uterus!

other than the typical tiredness, raging heartburn (yay for zantac!), sciatic pain and my-belly-is-huge uncomfortableness, I'm feeling great!

the nursery is basically finished, just a few final decor things to take care of. Her clothes are all washed and sorted by size and filling the closet up nicely! When did I become such a girly girl? never would I have thought I'd want so much pink and ruffles! I love it. Having a daughter is going to be lovely.

Colt is excited I think for "baby sister by-let" to come. I think he understands, but I'm sure he may react differently once she is actually here. Oh and also, he thinks baby sister is a "good boy". This little Colt is hilarious.

also, I have a baby pool going, if you care to make some guesses about Violet's arrival date, weight, height, etc.

we did a 3D ultrasound for little miss Violet as well! It was so nice to see her in there. she had both feet in her face or on her forehead or even her little toes in her mouth! the tech said she has a big head, long fingers and feet. These were all the same things we were told about Colt, so if she's going to follow his footsteps, I'm all for having 2 of the cutest kids ever. (though the big head + labour = not fun)


pictures of the baby belly and nursery will be up soon! (no really, they will!)

xo

sweetness

It's a GIRL!!! sooo excited, and so surprised. :)
Had to go out and buy a few girly girl things. I'm in love already.


She (have to get used to that, I've been saying "he" for 20 weeks) was moving all around during the ultrasound. The tech said she had to chase her all over the place, and I could feel her kicking like crazy. After she was done all her measuring and looking at all of the baby's vital organs, heart, brain, etc. she called Rob into the room. This technician was wonderful, she really showed us so much and just let us watch her stretching her legs and arms and rolling around for quite some time. I really appreciated it! After a few minutes Rob said, "so, it's a boy? I think it's a boy" and she took a look over. I also said I thought it was a boy, and she goes "well, it's a girl!" :) I teared up. haha, so happy!

half way there!!

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant! half way there!!!

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

Our ultrasound is today at 2:30, and baby co-operating, we will know if we are having a little boy or girl. I can't wait!!!

the wait

yay! the ultrasound is booked for the 17th of August! will it be a boy or a girl? let me know what you think! :)


according to the chinese gender prediction test: girl

according to various old wives tales: girl
based on some of these old wives tales
- Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the south indicates that you will be having a girl.
- Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
- The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
- You had morning sickness early in pregnancy, so you are expecting a girl.
- Your chest development has been quite dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a girl.
- Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, it will be a girl.
- You are craving sweets, which means that it is a girl.
- You have been craving meats or cheeses, so it is a boy.
- Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl

according to this interesting (apparently scientific) study: boy

my lovely friend mita also did a gender prediction test with a crystal pendant, if it's a girl it swings in a circle, a boy if it swings side to side. the result: boy

I have a strong feeling it's a boy, as does Rob, but mostly everyone else is feeling it is a girl. We are so excited either way! I would love for Colt to have a brother but the thought of having a little girl warms my heart. I can't wait to find out!

ultrasound vent

I have been waiting patiently, well mostly impatiently lol, to hear back from the maternity center as to when my next ultrasound will be booked. The tech who did my first ultrasound two weeks ago told me they would have the results at the center within a week. I called a week ago and they said they hadn't come in yet, but they will call to schedule for me when they can. Annnd so I waited another week and finally called in yesterday (being a friday). They said they never received the last ultrasound results from the technician! Now I have to wait for them to track it down before I can book my next one. They book about 4 weeks in advance though... ugh. This is the anatomy scan ultrasound done right around 20 weeks, and the one where they can tell you gender. I cannot wait!!

17 weeks

my baby bump at 16.5 weeks. :) getting big.

I love the 2nd trimester! I definitely feel better with no morning sickness and a bit more energy. It's nice to feel pregnant as well, without being overly uncomfortable! I still have a crazy sense of smell that causes me to be sick at times, but other than that I'm feeling great.

I am still waiting to hear the date of "the big ultrasound". It's usually done at 20 weeks, so it should be in the next 3-4 weeks. I cannot wait to know what we are having!

We've been making name lists and thinking about nursery ideas (okay by we I really mean me lol). Luckily we love the same names and are pretty sure we are settled for either boy or girl.. except, we'd be ending a family tradition of naming all children with the letter 'C'. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this, but we really really love some other names. Either way, I love thinking about names, so if you have any suggestions that go with Colt and are a little bit more unique, please share! :)

As far as the nursery goes, we have a room that currently has chocolate brown walls. I'd like to try to save us from painting (by us I mean Rob) and use the brown and maybe just do one wall another colour. If it is a little girl, I know exactly the style of room I would love to do. If it's a boy, I can't think of anything other than making it just like Colt's but a bit different colour scheme. Other thoughts for a boys room were a surfing, pirate, robot, or dinosaur theme. So many possibilities!

here is my inspiration board for a nursery for a little girl:


looking to go for a sort of vintage, shabby chic, woodland feel but with some fresh pops of colour.
I love searching the net for decorating ideas!

also, last thursday (july 26th) I thought I felt the first tiny little baby kicks but wasn't quite sure. I've been feeling it randomly over the last few days and am soooo excited to be feeling these first little jabs. I'm going to enjoy it while I can because I remember all too well Colt's karate skills. :)

positive polly

the morning of may 2nd:

yay!! after eleventy billion negatives over the last year, it felt so unreal to finally see that second line appear. I am used to angling and tilting the test in different lights just looking and hoping for that line, that when it was right there in front of me, I couldn't believe it! So I took another test. And then went to the doctors to take another test. Apparently I don't believe I'm pregnant until I take basically the exact same test in an office and have a doctor tell me the results. I did this with Colt too haha. So by my calculations I believe I am 4 weeks pregnant! I guessed my due date to be January 11th (which is still my prediction).

I had always heard you start showing much sooner with your second, and it's definitely been true for me.
first picture: this pregnancy, 8.5 weeks
second picture: pregnant with Colt, 16 weeks.


I've been having lots of extreme tiredness, morning sickness, heightened sense of smell (which then causes me to be sick) and food aversions. I apparently no longer like shrimp, and I am even more in love with chocolate and pickles. I've been craving prime rib, but I'm going to hold true to my vegetarian choice. Or at least try so hard to not give in to pregnancy cravings!

I finally had my first appointment with the maternity center, the same practice that saw me through my pregnancy and birth of little Colt, on July 5th. It was so nice to hear the little baby's heartbeat! It was beating at 142bpm. I love that hummingbird sound. At the appointment the nurse practitioner thought that I was "either closer to 16 weeks than 12...or it's twins" haha how exciting that would be!

July 17th was my first ultrasound! annnd definitely not twins! and only a few days further along than I had thought. My official due date is January 4th 2011!!



Colt will be about 2 years and 3 months older. He has already been giving my belly kisses, so sweet. Now I just cannot wait to find out if it's going to be a little sister or brother!
I have a feeling it's going to be a little boy. xoxo

pause > play

haha, so I'm going to resume writing as if there is not a HUGE gap between the posts. I'll go back and catch up for the missing months because I've been keeping offline records of little baby Colt growing up. :) well actually, he's not really little baby Colt anymore, but more accurately little boy Colt.
updates to follow.

Colt Bonham

:) !!!

summer love

woooooah. so I've seriously neglected this blog! I keep meaning to write a post, but I seem to get distracted. ok, so where to begin... baby Colt has been a busy little dude.

june 6:
Colt and I went on a trip to Victoria, B.C.!! we were there for 10 days... we flew with his uncle Chad and auntie Ann and while there he met his Grandpa Craig, Great Auntie Brigitte, Great Uncle Curtis, and Great Auntie Corinne. It was so nice going out everyday in the sun on long walks and hikes, checking out the ocean, the parks, baby billy goats and duckies, butchart gardens, good meals, swimming and spending time with family. (pictures to follow soon, promise.) also, grandpa taught him how to 'cluck'. he loooves making the sound over and over. he also learned to drink from a straw. :)


june 11:
we were (mostly) all out for dinner, and I was explaining to my family about teaching Colt sign language... about 10 mins later he was all fussy and I was trying to feed him bits of food off my plate when he clear as day looked at me and signed "milk" !!!! I was like 'wow! he just did the sign for milk!' and everyone looks over and he did it again. I went and nursed him and ahh it was such a great moment. I'm so proud of him. didn't see it again for a couple of days and again after that for another few, but he has since been quite consistent with it. It's sooo nice for him to be able to communicate that to us.
june 15:
the day before we were leaving (and before 3 plane rides! ha) Colt began teething. he sprouted his top 4 front teeth all at once within a week! he now has 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. holy hot cranky drooly mess. fun times on the planes... overall he did pretty good though, considering. (thanks Chad!)


june 19:
my mom taught him his first word. was it mama? dada? nope. it's "uh-oh". it's also a fun game.. throw a toy on the floor and say "uh-oh" pick it up, throw it, repeat. TOO cute. (and annoying picking up the toy over and over but so worth it)

june 29:
his 9 month appointment was short and sweet. he is still at 21lbs, and is 31" tall. we were referred to a pediatrician to make sure his head is doing ok since it's a bit on the big side. we were given the clear! yay! (the worry was hydrocephalus).

july 3:
he gave his first kisses, but it was a one night deal. he gave them to grandma then daddy then me. it melted my heart. he will not do it again though.. I think he knows how bad I want him to give me kisses so he holds out. lol

july 4:
he learned to wave hi!!! love love love it. he is really good at waving when he hears someone say hi to him, strangers at the store, when we answer the phone.. most times he hears it he waves. adorable. I'd been trying to teach this for awhile with no luck, but one day we were shopping at Ikea and he was upset so we stopped in the mirror department. he was quite fascinated with his handsome little self so I started waving and saying 'hi colt' and he started waving back. it was like it just clicked for him and he's done it ever since. he can't pass a mirror or his reflection without waving no matter if he just woke up or if he is completely crabby and crying. awwww. (see end of video below)

july 11:
he has also been very frustrated about sitting and not being able to get anywhere, until now... he can crawl!!! yup, we now have a mobile baby getting into everything. he's quite happy with himself.

he also has a new favourite toy to go with his new mobility.. a ball! he can throw it and chase it everywhere. which, brings us to the next exciting news. he can say "ball"! it doesn't sound exactly like ball, but he is getting close. if you ask him where it is he searches for it and gets it.

july 15:
today at the park we were going for a walk and my mom and I were talking and Colt was babbling excessively, and she stops and says what is he going on about?! we listened and he was saying ball ball ball ball ball... sure enough there are kids practicing soccer everywhere! aww it was sooo cute. smart little boy.

when we got home I picked up one of robs hats and he was interested so I said, 'daddy's hat' and he said "hat". it sounded more like "aught" but he tried a few times. he is really trying hard to learn everything, it is truly amazing to watch. he also tried "book" tonight.. he repeated it a few times but mostly it sounds like "ook". we'll be working on both of those lots.

also when he sees the fan he gets mesmerized so we have been saying 'round and round' and circling our arms.. he started repeating the action and if we randomly say 'round and round' he looks up for a fan and starts to move his arm around.

whew, what else?

he's enjoying the summer days and going for lots of walks. he likes swimming in the pool in our yard and trying out his little boat. he loves watching the kitties and 'petting' (grabbing) at them. I think he tried to imitate a meow today. he looooves aurora and playing with her. he loves cartoons (yes he watches them sometimes). he bumped his head on the desk and got his first real bruise. he pulled up on the ottoman for the first time, he's very wobbly but loves to stand and gets really excited. he is famous for a 'little scrunched up nose face' these days and showing his teeth and doing really loud sniffs. I caught him on video snoring away in his buggy today.

told you he was a busy little guy.

hmm, the food department... Colt has basically been on a 'milk only, I hate food' phase the past month, which has been exhausting and slightly confusing. he finally this past week is back into solids. he loooves cottage cheese! finger foods are a big hit too.. anything with some texture. he's too much of a big boy for silly baby purees apparently. as well Colt is a pescetarian like his mommy and daddy, and is doing very well so far without meat. he is still getting most nutrients from his milk though, so as he begins weaning and living off of food we may end up giving him meat. we will be seeing a dietician soon to make the best choices for him and our chosen diet.

in other 'green' type news, he is soon to be outgrowing the majority of his cloth diapers, so we will soon be searching for new ones. I'm so happy we are cloth diapering. so many doubted this choice, and I'm proud to say we are still doing it. baby Colt is starting off his life right for this planet. :)

he is growing up so fast I could write an update everyday.. if I had time to sit down from chasing him. lol.
oh one last thing. he is cuter than ever.
:)

beach babe

little baby Colt is pretty well travelled for his age! we got back not long ago from beautiful West Palm Beach Florida, a two week vacation! It was so nice. Colt had a blast and many firsts. It took us a 3 day drive each way and he did very well. By the 3rd day on the way back home, he was pretty fed up but managed to not lose all control.. just got very very whiny. he did so great though overall, I'm very proud of him.

On the trip down things were going smooth, we left in the night to make it easier with Colt's sleep schedule (if you can call his crazy irregular nights a schedule, ha!). At about 3 am we ran over a rock or something and ended up with a flat tired, which Rob changed fairly quickly while I tended to Colt. BUT we left the lights on and drained the battery (ugh) and had to call AAA after all to come boost us. Over an hour at the side of the highway (120km hr speed limit!) in the middle of the night with dying four way flashers and a baby.. scary and not fun. the rest of the drive went great though!

Colt went for his first swim at the hotel the second night and looooved it! I was so happy to see he liked being in the pool. he really took to showers on this trip too. while we were in Florida he went swimming almost everyday either at the pool or the ocean. plus all the baths to rinse him off, he was in the water like 2-6 times a day!

His beach gear was pretty cute.. he hated putting the sunscreen, hat and sunglasses on and was very vocal about hating it, but once it was all on he was actually good about keeping them on. His biggest problem with being in the pool was splashing himself in the face so the glasses helped him out with that. he really enjoyed the beach too.. so much to see! the waves were a tiny bit scary but he got over them quick and loved bobbing around in the water.

(lots more pictures on facebook here)

it was my first mothers day while we were on vacation too! it was SUCH a gorgeous day. I woke up to colt & rob bringing me flowers and a card and breakfast in bed! Then we spent the day hanging out at the beach and collecting sea shells and swimming. best day ever.

while in florida he learned to clap! something we had been working on for awhile and he just started doing it while he was happy the one day. he's been clapping everyday since, usually when he is really happy! soooo cute! he often does it when you just say 'clap clap clap' now. he knows 'drum drum drum' means to pat on a surface too. i love it! he has little toy bongos as well as a real bongo drum that he gets a huge kick out of.

video of baby Colt clapping, this was one of his first few times, he claps much better now. :)

his gobabygo drum


since we have been home he has been sleeping a bit better, trying a few new foods and overall being a better eater. he likes eating 'puffs' now too and just moved onto 'mum mums'. he also started "baa" sounds in favour of "ma ma mom mom" sounds. he started waving bye bye this week and if we say "bye-bye" he says "ba-ba-ba-ba" and waves. tooo cute! he also was weighed this past week and weighs 21lbs!! little pork chop, he's growing sooo fast.

and a video of the mum mums & drums. :)

(ps. aurora got the cookie. lol)

also, this morning Colt had his first emergency room visit.. So Colt is usually very regular with his poopy diapers, 2 a day.. by evening yesterday he had none which we thought was strange but not a big deal.

He went to bed at 9:30pm and wasn't wet after his last diaper change being 7:30pm. At 1:00am still no wet diaper, which has almost never happened that he would be dry at a night wake up.. We decided we would wait for his next wake up and see before we worry. 5:00am next wake up and no wet diaper so we called the telehealth nurse and she had us try blowing on him and compressing his bladder a tiny bit. If that didn't work we should bring him to the ER... I guess after 8 hours it's a worry and warrants a trip to the hospital.

so we get to the ER by 6:00am and Colt is happy as can be, like super happy, to be on a little morning adventure. We go through the triage check up and he is laughing and smiling through the temperature taking, heartrate and blood pressure check.

As soon as we go to the waiting room.. he pees. The triage nurse said since he is in such great spirits and seems fine, we might as well go home. Fun times in the early morning hours... sigh.

(too much info alert: as of now we just fed him some prunes and are still waiting on the poopy diaper... oh the joys of parenthood!)(edited to add: he pooped. a "man" poop in robs words.. eew! poor baby)

mmm mm good

today was baby food making day! colt's freezer cubes needed some replenishing, as well as finally adding a couple other items such as sweet potato and acorn squash. I also threw a couple of avocado in there, but I'm pretty sure he still hates them. he had a sample of the sweet potatoes while they were still nice and warm and he loooves them! Also I ground up some rolled oats into a powder to make him some oatmeal cereal. He likes having cereals mixed up with the cubes of pureed fruits and veggies.

sweet potatoe, acorn squash, avocado, apple, banana, & pear

the aftermath of baby food making

Also, tomorrow is a sad day. I am leaving Colt for the whole weekend!! We had our first overnight apart 2 weeks ago, but this is going to be a full weekend away from my little babe. So sad. He does not do very well with a bottle, he much prefers mommy so it's going to be rough on him. He will be with daddy on friday then grandma on saturday and sunday so he is in good hands. I have a feeling no one is going to be getting sleep. Also, I have a clogged milk duct right now that is so painful and causing flu like symptoms. I hope it goes away really quickly because it is going to be pretty rough on me as it is trying to keep my milk supply stable this weekend without Colt.

and, speaking of going away.. Colt is fast becoming a little jetsetter! Next week we have decided to drive down to West Palm Beach Florida for a nice family vacation. I cannot wait!! I'm worried about the 3 day drive for Colt in the car as well as protecting him from the sun once we are there, but it is all going to be so worth it. THEN we are only home for a couple of weeks and we are off to Victoria BC! Coast to coast. Fun adventurous times for the little boy.

And in closing... Colt's favourite thing these days.. smashing things. He loves loud noises and banging, drumming, smashing, dropping toys.. anything to make noise. Every time he gets something in his hand he has to test out how it sounds being banged. Loud, but cute!

colt's trip to the zoo!

little Colt had his first trip to the zoo this week! We went with his 'aunties' Laura (for her birthday), Vanessa & Christine, and 'uncle' Erik. soooo much fun!

The weather was pretty nice and Colt visited pretty much every animal in the zoo. He was a very good boy despite such a long day trip. He liked looking at all the people and having his aunties play with him as much as he liked looking at the animals.

He got a little zoo sun hat but even still he got a little sunburn on his one cheek. I felt like a pretty bad mommy... clouds are deceiving! It was basically gone the next day though, lots of cream later. He also brought some of his animal toys to the zoo to show off to the real animals, like his Sophie the giraffe and the monkey Uncle Chad bought him. I think he liked watching the wall of fish the best as far as the animals go though. Good times!

In other news, I have been very busy helping Candace get ready for her wedding, so I have not been doing too many updates. That and Colt is very demanding of attention these days!! If he is awake, he wants to be paid attention to and carried around. He is a pushy little guy that knows what he wants. haha. He squirms around in our arms a lot to get to the direction and places he needs to go. Busy little guy, busy mommy.

He also has a new stroller! It's a nice lightweight one, good for his trips through the house. Also.. my good little sleeper is gone. He is waking a few times through the night now and last night it was almost every single hour. sigh. I think he is going through another growth spurt, at least I'm hoping that is why he is waking so often and soon he will return to longer sleeps. He is doing good with his food too.. carrots, bananas, peach, pear, apple, as well as oatmeal cereal. I have some sweet potatoes and an acorn squash to make up with the next big baby food making day. Also, I think I may attempt the avocado again, for a good laugh if anything!

The last few days his new obsession is sticking his tongue out and making sounds... the result is a lot of spitting. It's SO cute. Well, everything he does is cute but this little act in particular is pretty fun to watch. I don't know how it's possible but I just fall in love with this little boy more and more every day!!