Getting Ready for Baby + My mom is Amazing!

With (hopefuly) less than a month to go - I am almost finished with everything I wanted to have done before this new baby gets here!

Things have been so busy and this pregnancy has been a lot harder than my first! LOTS and LOTS of decreased energy - although that may have something to do with chasing around a very active two year old all day long.

Here is my most recent BABY BUMP pic - at 34.5 weeks:

This post is mostly to show you the AMAZING things my mom has made for our Little Ox #2. I like to rave about how amazing my mom is because she - well she's just that - AMAZING!

She is so selfless and so loving toward other people - it amazes me. AND on top of all that she is so talented. When I was pregnant with my first son - she went all out and sewed him over 40 adorable spit up rags, his own crib set, sheets, and a quilt. Since then, my husband and I convinced her to open her own Etsy shop - which is something she has wanted to do for a while. And she did!

CLICK HERE to visit her shop.

Well, since I got pregnant with #2, she wanted to do the same kind of thing for this baby. I LOVE it all SO much I just had to share it with the world. We are doing #2's nursery in nautical theme - full of whales, anchors, and lighthouses galore! Here is just a start of what she has done for us so far:

Boppy Cover:

Car Seat Canopy:

with WARM minky underside

A Spit up Rag/ Receiving Blanket Set:

AND the one that blows me away the most-

A Car Seat Cover with matching hood:

She did the last one with NO pattern and the hood is absolutely perfect. 

She is also making #2 his own crib set as well that will include - a crib skirt, a quilt, two sets of sheets, and a diaper stacker.

Everyone should really check out her website and share it with your friends!

www.etsy.com/shop/mimasnurseryshoppe 

A Late Christmas Present is to be Expected.

I am not sure if you have ever experienced this, but the joy, excitement, and rush of love you get when you see the "Second Line" - is so amazing!

The Oxford Fam is expecting another little one coming early January!!

Our little family is beyond excited for this new adventure in our life. It still seems so unreal, but we are praying that this little miracle of life will continue to grow and bless us with its presence at the beginning of next year.

I will officially be 6 weeks along this week and I am excited to share with you my journey through my second pregnancy. I will be committing to one post a week that is focused on my pregnancy, our excitement, and how we are preparing for this new life to join our family.

Although Josiah is still young and doesn't really understand what having a sibling means - we know he is excited too ;-) 

I love seeing him and hearing him point to my belly and say "baby". It is one of the sweetest things ever.

See, doesn't he look like a proud big brother?!

In the Blink of an eye

My baby boy is 15 months and 3 days old today. It is hard to believe sometimes that I have a TODDLER. I remember when he could hardly hold his head up, the first time he said da-da, and the rush of joy and love I felt when HE wanted to kiss ME for the first time.

I found this old picture that was taken a year ago. J was barely 3 months old.

and here he is yesterday at 15 months old:

That same amazing smile that lights up his (and everyone else's) face. That same soft face and beautiful brown hair.

The same blue-gray eyes, just like his mommies. The same silly attitude and olive skin like his daddies. 

I love seeing the little boy that he is growing up to be (even if it is a little naughty every now and then!) ;) I wouldn't trade him for the world and I am SO blessed to be able to stay home with him and enjoy every second taking in his AWESOME-ness.

Just needed to get that out. I am a little emotional right now. Why do they have to grow up so quickly?! 

Barnyard-Themed First Birthday!

Josiah's birthday was in January but since it happened before the website launch, I thought I would make a post about the party! It was very much "Pinterest inspired" and it turned out exactly how I pictured it. He enjoyed himself and LOVED all of the decorations!

I will start with the food since I LOVED the clever names for all of the food.
It was an afternoon party, so we mostly had appetizers and cake.
Here is some of the food:

Included is:

"Farm Fresh Eggs"

Deviled Eggs

"Barnyard Chicken Sandwiches"

"Chicken Feed"

Chex Mix

"Pigs in a Blanket"

"Hay Stacks"

Rice Crispy Treats

"Garden Veggies"

Along with that. Here are a few more shots of the table, as well as the decorations. We even had a friend of our bring in hay bales for the gift table (which also allowed Josiah to feel like a "big boy" sitting on them while opening his gifts.

And more decorations...

Last but not least, THE CAKE.

We bought a small and large cake for the guest but I also made J his own "healthy cake" - and he didn't even know the difference ;)

Found it here: 

http://whisperedinspirations.com/2011/05/30/babys-first-organic-birthday-cake-recipe/

Pure joy.

For party favors, we wanted to keep it simple. We stuck with the rustic/farm theme and tied up brown paper sacks with burlap ribbon and gave everyone homemade caramel corn and chocolate chip cookies.

What were your little one's first birthday themes?

First Year Pictures

I just wanted to take a little time to give a shout out to our Photographer for J's first year pictures!

We did this the day of his birthday and birthday party and it was quite hectic but they turned out amazing. 

It was so much fun being able to celebrate his first year of life in so many ways that day.

Plus if you ever need a photographer in Portland - I suggest visiting Climbing Vine Photography page to check her out.

Here are some of our favorites: