and the gender is.....

drum roll.....envelope please....

yes folks, James is going to have a baby brother!  we are very excited to be having another healthy boy, even though we might find it a bit funny.  you see, Brian's living grandfather [Papa, for whom James is named] currently has SEVEN great-grandsons.  this will make his EIGHTH!  and no, i repeat, NO great-granddaughters.  what are the odds of that happening?  Brian says less than 1%.

i'm not sure i would call it relief, but we did have our boy name picked out even before this little man was conceived.  we have been quite back and forth about girl names, and were still in the process of making a decision when we found out.  as soon as we found out it's a boy in there, we told James about his special baby brother's name, and he immediately repeated it back to us!  saying his brother's name before his own.  [the name is going to be a surprise until his earthly debut]

we had a fun family photo session with my old friend, Brooke, yesterday afternoon at Comstock Riverside Park.  she is a lovely person and very talented photographer, owner of Brooke Collier Photography. she captures such beautiful moments, like this precious one of James reaching out for me while Brian pushed him on a swing.

[20 months old]

in other news, autumn is officially here!  and we are gearing up for a busy season filled with Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating at the John Ball Zoo, intimate Thanksgiving dinners and lots of family time.  not to mention the Christmas holidays, getting ready for James's second birthday party and preparing for the arrival of little Honey Pie boy.  i'm excited for the next 5 months!

little...[and it's back]

yes yes, it's been over a year since the last time i updated our little family blog, but i'm just going to dive right in here.  

@ 17 weeks, 5 days pregnant with Honey Pie

our little family is growing!  i have been thinking to myself lately, should i start blogging again?  what is the real point to it, for myself?  i rarely have time to sit down at the computer, and when i do, i am usually working.  but you know, Facebook and Instagram are not the only documentation i want to have of our little, growing life.  i want to remember all of the tiny, minute details.  And even though i've invested in a gorgeous journal for myself to write down all of my pregnancy memories (this second time around), and also have a toddler journal to record James moments, i rarely pick them up.  maybe this is a place where i can find some motivation to record our little life.

James [20 months old] with daddy on our balcony, eating a homemade fruit snack

so here is a little hello, to say we are back, in a little way. 

spring is here!

happy easter from the Robinsons! 

since this is James' first Easter, and he is only 2.5 months old, we did not do any "traditional" holiday celebrating.  but we did want to get dressed up and take a family photo!  we even went out to lunch together.  a quick burger and we were out.  wishing that we could have spent the day with our family down in the Detroit area, but a 6-hour drive roundtrip is a bit difficult with James at this age.

maybe next year we can give James a basket of some sort (maybe handmade items?  no candy), hunt for some real eggs at the farm now that my dad is raising chickens again (they do come in all different colors) and dye eggs with natural dyes, like this! i wish the pokeberries were in season in the spring, i bet they would make such a lovely fuchsia colored (non-edible) dye*.

James' attire: Ralph Lauren polo romper in kelly green, a lovely gift from my boss, Maria, in NYC.


*pokeberries are extremely poisonous, but make a very beautiful dye for fabric.  pretty good tutorial at the Oko Box blog.  my dad and i did this several years ago at the farm while i was still in college.

hearts

happy valentine's day

with lots of hugs and kisses

from the Robinsons!  

James Lawrence Robinson

born January 18, 2012 at 11:17 pm

6 pounds 11 ounces

18 inches long

love.

washing and repairing an old toy

i can't remember exactly when i received my favorite stuffed bear, but i think i was under the age of 5.  he had many names over the years (i could never settle on just one), but when i was in 5th grade, i finally settled on Joey.  he is not named after any particular person.

being a girl, i don't know why my favorite stuffed bear was a "boy", but it certainly fits now that i'm having a precious boy of my own.  he will inherit my favorite bear and i'm hoping he loves Joey as much as i do.  the bow around his neck did used to be baby blue, maybe that's why i saw him as a boy.

i am not ashamed to admit that this bear has travelled with me all over the world, to Turkey, to Detroit when i went to college, to NYC when i graduated, and now back to Michigan where i first received him.  very fitting, i think.

after many nights of being cuddled in bed, afternoons being flipped around at gymnastic tournaments, and just general loving and adoring, Joey's neck seam started to rip a little here and there.  Until it was a giant, gaping hole!

so i took some quilting thread and sewed him right up!  and then placed him gently in the washing machine with a little detergent.  he's in for a wild ride!!  delicate cycle, of course.

good as new!!  cuddling with rabbit in my nursing corner.

the most wonderful time of the year

with my pandora station on "all i want for Christmas" yesterday, we hung ornaments on our tiny little tree and lit up the apartment with twinkle lights. there is something so warm and special about a house at night, all lit up by Christmas lights, the sweet smell of sugar cookies cooling in the kitchen.

i love all of the ornaments that we have collected over the 3+ years that we've been together. the shimmery Empire State Building, the fabric thistle we got in Scotland, our first ornaments that i bought on a whim the first Christmas we lived together (two tiny Converse All-Star high tops). i've always loved trees with collections of ornaments that tell a story. so fun to think about what baby's first Christmas will be like, he will be almost a year old!

for the rest of the apartment, i decided to have a glitzy silver and gold theme! partly inspired by West Elm and all of the lovelies they're selling this year for the holidays.

over the mantel: twinkle lights covered in tiny paper lanterns (actually from our wedding!) adorn the top, surrounded by cinnamon-scented pine cones (thanks, Michael's) and glass vessels with gold and silver painted berries (thanks again, Michael's).

close-up at night of the mantel, with the tree in the background.

in the dining area, on my grandparents' buffet, i placed our very first tiny white tree, which i bought with our first ornaments. no lights, just silver and gold ornaments adorn this tree.

there are a few other arrangements around the apartment, mostly glass vessels filled with silver and gold ornaments.

in the midst of decorating yesterday, we also baked some seriously yummy sugar cookies! we have quite the collection of cookie cutters (mostly thanks to Williams-Sonoma), so we had fun using them yesterday.

we baked Texas cookies, in honor of Brian's family and heritage. and then we finally got to test out the ultimate Star Wars cutters i bought months and months ago in anticipation of our future children loving the trilogies as much as we do. you can see Brian using Darth Vader, and Yoda is ready to be baked!

hand-made dough and frosting, with pearl candy beads and M&M's where Fort Worth should be.

what i love about these cutters is that they have a little stamper for the details. next time we might add food coloring to the dough and then do some fine detail work with the frosting. will be so fun to do with our kids!!

happy Christmas, Hannukah and any other holidays you might be celebrating this season!

preparing for our baby boy

these last few weeks have kept us so busy with organizing, research, and lots of reading. preparations for our baby boy that will enter the world in less than 2 months! we have also started taking a Lamaze birth preparation class, which i will expound on in another blog post.

i still can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and i know that Christmas and New Year's will be here before we know it. 2011 coming to an end, 2012 bringing with it new life and hope.

one of the preparations i have had the most fun with (and thank you to my sweet, understanding husband for letting me take charge of it) is picking out our baby boy's coming home outfit. since we have no idea how big he will be and what size clothing he will fit into, we are bringing a couple of options for onesies and little footie jammies. but my favorite part is the fleece bunting we will wrap him in, being a January baby in Michigan.

we actually registered for the bunting, but it was given to us by my friends Rachel and Bill back in NYC. such a lovely surprise to get in the mail! on the left is the pile of onesies and jammies, all match the bunting. on the right is the hat that i knit for baby boy, from Stitch 'n Bitch (the umbilical cord hat pattern).

it's just a very lovely coincidence that the navy blue and heather gray yarn that i picked out months ago for him matches the bunting perfectly! and i have to give Brian credit for suggesting to make the little umbilical cord knot on the top gray to match the stripe. best idea ever! i love knitting baby hats, they knit up so quickly.

now for some updated belly shots:

my pregnancy today: 33 weeks, 1 day. notable this week: baby boy can be felt and seen squirming, kicking, pounding and hiccuping almost all day long. it feels like he doesn't sleep much, though he probably does. i do have some discomforts, but mostly i just find it more and more difficult to move around in general. you can see in the background our new dresser for baby boy's giant mountain of clothes that Brian put together earlier this week!

my fingers are so swollen, i had to stop wearing my wedding band, which i don't think i will ever get used to.

off to the doctor!

recipe: spicy chicken noodle soup

i have so much to acquaint you with! but i really just want to share this recipe with you, because it is the perfect meal to have on a cold, autumn or wintry day. i actually modified this from a recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, which you can find online, here. also handy if you don't have any homemade chicken stock in the fridge or freezer.

spicy chicken noodle soup

ingredients:

-6 cups homemade chicken stock (seriously, this is the BEST. you can use store-bought too, but i prefer the homemade, so much extra flavor)

-2 medium carrots, chopped

-1 medium sweet onion (or half of a large one), chopped

-2 celery stalks, chopped

-1 bay leaf

-2-3 dried chili peppers

-1 1/2 cups dried noodles (i just use whatever i have in my pantry. today i'm using whole wheat elbow macaroni)

-2 cups grilled chicken, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (we like to keep grilled chicken in the fridge for easy meals, but if you've followed the recipe you can just use that chicken, or any cooked chicken)

-1 tbsp or so olive oil

-sea salt and ground pepper

pre-heat large Dutch oven or pot on medium heat on stovetop. add olive oil, chopped onions, carrots, celery and salt and pepper to taste. cook these down for a bit, about 7-10 minutes, until the onions are a bit translucent.

add the chicken stock, bay leaf and chili peppers. bring to a boil on medium-high heat. remove bay leaf and chili peppers (this always adds the perfect amount of spiciness for me, but if you want to leave them in longer for more kick, awesome!) stir in noodles and lower heat back down to medium. simmer, covered, for about 8 minutes or until noodles are tender but still firm. stir in chicken and heat through.

serve immediately, topped with home-made croutons and roasted cauliflower on the side for a scrumptiously spicy meal!!

i may just have to share my home-made chicken stock recipe with you, as it is so delicious and super easy. so look for that soon.

*this recipe comes Brian and baby approved.

is it horrible that i want iHOP for dinner?

what is going on with this weather?! i'm sure everyone has been talking about it, feels like the middle of summer here in Michigan. watching the leaves changing in 80 degree weather is throwing me off a bit. hence the summery outfit.

autumn outfit #2:

what i'm wearing today:

tunic: dearpony.etsy.com

cardigan: H&M

jeans: Motherhood Maternity

shoes: Aldo

bring on the cold weather, i say!!

another checkup with the doctor today, all is looking well and baby is happy! i got my flu shot, which was relatively painless, except for a growing bruise on my arm now. but completely worth it, i'm sure! we had a huge list of questions for her today, we just love sitting and chatting with her. she's so knowledgeable and loves sharing with us.

music of the day: April March

my pregnancy today: 25 weeks, 6 days.

maternity fashion

i must admit, before moving to New York City, i was NOT a fashionista by any means. but i learned a lot about fashion by living there, probably more than i ever thought i would. i not at all embarrassingly admit that i have at least 20 pairs of heels that i refuse to sell or give away, even though i know that i may not wear them as often as i did while living in NYC. being a designer in Manhattan demanded a certain level of style that i definitely adhered to, with no complaints.

now i am a house-wife and stay-at-home-mom, i look forward to any time i get to go out and get dressed up. and by dressing up, i still mean that i'm throwing on my newly-found maternity jeans (that i am so in love with and wearing right now). with my changing body, i am constantly rotating my wardrobe, trying to see what of my favorite pieces i can still wear. now that autumn is here (my favorite time of year for fashion), i am so excited!

autumn outfit #1:

the only actual maternity article here are the jeans. every other piece i had before i got pregnant.

what i'm wearing today:

Jeans: Motherhood Maternity

Mustard long-sleeve crewneck: J. Crew

Sweater tunic: Filene's Basement

Turquoise Cowboy boots: vintage from Chicago

Handbag: Marc by Marc Jacobs (picked up at a consignment shop in Brooklyn)

i actually admitted today to Brian that only having 10 pairs of shoes that i can wear during this pregnancy gives me a slight panic, making me think that i need to buy a couple pairs. WRONG! it's all about variety! for my entire adult (and even teenage) life, i have prided myself on never wearing an outfit twice. although i probably have at some point, it is still fun to think about all the combinations!! this includes shoes and accessories, of course.

what are some of your maternity fashion secrets?

my pregnancy today: 23 weeks, 1 day.