a Summer outfit for Alyssa . . .

So I got in the sewing room quite a few times this week - yay! And made a new Summer outfit for Alyssa. Once again, I was a pattern tester for the Handmade Dress and this is the new Miss Olivia Paige pattern for the top and the Miss Claire pattern for the skirt. The red sunflower fabric had been sitting in my stash for probably ten years and the yellow fabric was from a box of fabric that was donated to me by a thoughtful aunt. I think this outfit is so stinkin' cute and my little girl was more than happy to wear it until bedtime (which is a big thing around here, because she usually changes back into her pajamas every time we turn around, or walks around in her underpants).

I'm linking this to Sew and Tell Friday. Go there to find some sewing inspiration!

a Justin story . . .

So our little guy was being a bit fussy this morning after his nap, so I put him in the highchair and fed him lunch, gave him some baby fruit puffs, and nursed him. After that, he looked up at me with a great big grin and was content again. But through his cute little baby-blowing raspberries and grins I noticed something white in his mouth. I immediately thought thrush, and took a better look. It was a big circle of white on the roof of his mouth. It turns out it was a round shiny smiley-face sticker that he must've found from one of the girls ~ it was stuck in there upside down. I have no idea how long it was stuck, (the girls were playing with stickers yesterday!) and had to scrape it off with a plastic spoon to get it out.

an Alyssa update . . .

So it's been a busy week. A baby shower, Bible study, lunch at one of my sis's, a day of shopping, and a birthday party. I did get in my sewing room a few times, but I have a lot of projects started that need finishing right now. So here's a little update on Alyssa for our extended family . . .

Our almost-three year old has hit some big milestones this month. She can sit through church now (with the help of a few candies and reminders to whisper), and she is potty-trained!! Her last accident was a week ago (and that more had to do with a toy looking like a potty and showing off for a friend that was visiting). I often get comments on how full of character this little girl is, she is just such a fun age right now.

Miss Mary dress (again) . . .

So this is my second time with this pattern from the Handmade Dress and I was a little more creative this time ~ mostly due to the fact that I only had one yard of the Andalucia fabric and made a couple dumb mistakes with my cutting (I shouldn't cut late at night). I love the way it turned out, my favorite part is the ruffle along the neckline and most importantly, she loves it!
I'm linking this to Sew and Tell Friday. Go there to find some sewing inspiration!

Justin's eczema issues . . .

Justin's been struggling with food allergies and eczema outbreaks for several months now. We've figured out that cow's milk protein is a big trigger because his worst breakouts were after supplementing with formula, and the little stinker refuses soy so far, which means that I need to make sure I have a pumped supply in the freezer for the babysitter now. He also reacted to every baby cereal I tried. Some baby cereals contain skim milk powder, some are manufactured on shared equipment, and it's also possible that he has other food allergy triggers. I came accross a company called Healthy Times and ordered some of their cereal online and after three days he's had no new eczema outbreak! He's also tried their Teddy Puffs but they are quite hard; the solution is that I put them in a baby safe feeder and he loved that! So now I'm going to venture into fruits, veggies, and meats and hopefully our little guy will start going to bed with a fuller tummy and less wake-ups for midnight and 3am snacks. And if anyone's seen Justin over the past month or two, you'll notice the huge improvement on the above picture - his skin is looking so great right now! He gets terribly dried out and is always scratching, even between his eczema outbreaks. I'm always trimming his nails and lathering him up in creams. I've found that CJ's Butter has been working really well for us. It goes on greasy but gets soaked up in no time. And after a few days of lathering him up 3-4 times a day, his skin is finally looking soft and clear.

Elayna's Birthday Party

Here's some pictures from Elayna's birthday party last week Saturday. She did a combined party with another girl in her class. The girls met at our local gymnastics club and spent a couple hours trying out all the gymnastics equipment. We did cupcakes and presents there and then headed to our place for dinner and a little bit of time in the backyard. The girls all had a great time!

Happy Birthday Elayna!

Our firstborn turned 7 yesterday! She was SPOILED by my Mom who took her out for lunch and a shopping trip. She came home with new clothes, purse, jewlery, and more. And she still has some birthday money left from her grandparents and great-grandparents. Brad and I gave her a game, her first Bible, and a Bible bag that will also fit a psalm book. We're hosting a family get-together tonight for three birthdays in my family this week, and she has her friends party tomorrow. By the end of this weekend, I think I'll be doing a toys and clothes clean-up because she'll only want to play with her new stuff!