38 weeks!

wow, i can't believe i am 38 weeks into this pregnancy. i really do feel done...but i am trying really hard to not have the baby...because i am sick (i know i have only mentioned this a million times!) i am feeling better, so i guess i would be ok with her coming in a few days... let's say wednesday or thursday. ha ha! if it was p, she would be born on thursday, so it could happen.

we went and got registered at the hospital and took a little tour last week. it made this whole business seem so much more real. i started getting a little nervous, but i really can't wait to meet this little girl.

38 weeks!

AND here i am 38 weeks pregnant with miss penelope. just over 3 years ago.

easter fun!

this year for easter we went to our ward's easter egg hunt/bbq/youth fundraiser car wash on saturday. it was fun. we hadn't been out for a while (on account of being sick,) so it was good to get out, socialize and get some fresh air.

 

i made the super simple yellow skirt she is wearing. i think i will make a few more in different colors...a girl can't have too many play skirts.

the above 3 images taken by ashlee miller...thank you!

the easter bunny came to our house! yay!

we went to sacrament meeting on sunday and then i took penelope home for her and me to get some rest. it was a really wonderful meeting. in the evening we ate lamb and then watched The Testiments...such a great movie. it was a lovely easter, the only thing that would have made it better would be less of the cough/runny nose stuff. i DO think we are on the mend though...

this is the easter dress i made p. i know it should be pastel/springy colors, but i let her pick the fabric and i think she looks great.

what i've been up to...

so, the sickness has hit our house... it feels like it is coming to an end, but for the last week we've been a bit under the weather. bryan went back to work today and is feeling much better. p and i are still working on kicking it, but i think it will pass soon.

anyway, i have been quite wiped out and haven't had motivation to do all the things on my to do list. i am almost done with penelope's easter dress...maybe i will tackle that today. here are a few things that i have done in the last week or so.

i decorated these kitchen towels with scraps from baby's quilt

AND here is the bear that i made for penelope to give as a gift to her new sister. it is quite large and took a while to do, but i love making stuffed toys...so fun!

i am trying to get a little gift for the baby to give penelope in return... hopefully this will inspire sisterly love in miss p.

easter eggcitement

we dyed easter eggs yesterday. it was a lot of fun. bryan made some cool striped ones and penelope was just super into mixing colors...

 

mmm...bread

i have been trying my hand at being an artisan bread maker for the past few months. this is our, hands down, favorite yet. the lean bread recipe from peter reinhart's artisan breads everyday.  it has a crispy crust and super soft insides. my mouth is watering just thinking about it...

i am actually going to go get a batch started for sunday right this minute.

these breads take a few days to make, but all in all it's no more time intensive than one day breads and i think they taste so much better. i actually like spreading the work out over a few days... the mess and the work load is in smaller portions.

36 week update

here i am on sunday at 36 weeks!

things have been pretty uncomfortable lately. i've had quite a few braxton hicks contractions and basically there's not enough room in the tummy for baby sparks....sorry little one. baby s. gets the hiccups a few times a day (i don't think p ever had the hiccups, but i don't have a great memory.) i am very excited to meet this little girl. also, naming this baby is becoming a little messy. we have a few very good options, but we are open for name suggestions... if you have one, comment! we would love to have a little advice in this department

yesterday i went to see dr. b. & things are moving along well. she said that she thinks she'll see me next week, but not the week after that... meaning i would have a baby before that! yikes. i have to admit that it freaked me out to hear it like that. i have a number of things that i would like to do around the house to prepare and i just don't feel mentally ready for baby s to arrive in less than 2 weeks. it also REALLY made me hope that they don't pick bryan in jury selection today. if he is picked the trial he is on will be a long one (at least 3 weeks) and if baby comes when dr. b predicts, then i won't have a husband to help...  i am not taking it all too seriously, because baby having is a fairly unpredictable business.

a little celebrating

i can't believe that penelope is 3! this year we didn't really have a party. i was planning on doing one, but things got a little crazy with our sudden trip to utah and life in general. we did have a lot of fun on saturday and maybe we'll do a proper party next year.

i made her crepes for her birthday breakfast and she got to open a few presents. we played with her new toys and had a great morning.

justin (my big bro.) and anna came down to help us celebrate. thanks guys! it was supposed to rain saturday afternoon, but it didn't! we were able to have cake and some snacks in the park and let the kids play. we overate and penelope opened gifts and we watched tangled. it was a lot of fun.

 the sweets!

trying out her new scooter from grandma and grandpa w.

here are the things i made for miss p's big day:

 i usually make her a dress, but i did a skirt this year.

 baby doll with quilt, diapers and wipes

little dolly trio. she really likes the tiny dolls i made her a couple of years ago, so i made her a few more. i think i may add some hair accessories...

a little trade

i think eve makes the cutest things. i was so excited to do another little swap with her. check out her shop here.

here are my newly acquired goodies:

a dolly for baby sparks to be a sister doll to one i got from eve for p a couple of years ago.
and a diaper roll (it has a spot for diapers & wipes and doubles as a changing pad...neat) that i am so excited to stick in my new vintage diaper bag.

 above 2 photos by eve

and here is one of the things i made for her. a lovely little bow necklace. this will for sure be hitting the shop. i want to make one for me too :)! i know i've been promising a shop update for a while...i promise i will make it happen soon.

i hope you all have a good weekend! we are planning to really celebrate penelope's birthday and i am sooo excited.

xoxo, e

p is 3!

penelope, i can't believe that my little gal is 3. you have been such a wonderful girl from day 1. your dad and i love you so much. there isn't a day that goes by that i don't feel unbelievably blessed to me your mother. you are so bright, sweet and caring. thanks for the laughs and kisses.

loves, mom

day 1

 

1 mo

  

6 mo

1 year

18 mo

2 years

3 years

goodbye grandpa

last week + this weekend were a little crazy in the sparks house. we had a lot happen and i neglected the blog. my apologies.

my grandpa passed away last tuesday. it was a little sudden, but he hadn't been in full health for sometime, so i think it was a good thing. he was a great man and really inspired me artistically. he taught art education at my BYU, where i studied studio arts. he was always willing to help me with projects, donate supplies and give feedback. i will miss him, but i know he is in a better place.

i really wanted to go out for the funeral, so we made the trip to utah this weekend. it was great to see family and the funeral was nice. the drive was long, being 35 weeks pregnant did not make matters better in that department. penelope, however, was a gem. and i really appreciate bryan's willingness to go after all his traveling.

this week holds some fun adventures...top on the list is p turning 3! i have a lot of blogging aspirations for the next few weeks, i am hoping that i am able to get them accomplished, including at least one tutorial and a couple more baby sparks updates (we're getting so close to meeting this little girl, i can't believe it.)

thanks for being such great readers.
xoxo, e