Where You'll Find Me.

Hello. It has been awhile since my last post. I am keeping busy with family and work. I find it easier to socialize via email, Facebook, and Twitter.

It has been a fun 6+ years at lifestuffing. I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I've enjoyed writing.

If you want to stay in touch send me a message or an @ reply on Twitter. I check both of those daily and will write back!

Oh and one last thing...

Have a healthy and happy New Year!

Lindsay

The Joys of Motherhood

I haven't been a mother long, but it has been such a joy so far! Here is a simple list of some of my favorite things about being a mommy:

• Watching my daughter smile. Is there really any greater joy?
  
• Watching her laugh. This usually accompanies a smiley face as well.
• She doesn't just smile with her mouth, but with her eyes too! They have such a sparkle. What a personality this girl has!
• Seeing how strong she is getting. She can really lift her head, stretch her legs, and grab things with her hands. This of course includes grabbing mommy's headphones. There is something about headphones, children, and cats. They are irresistible!
• Taking her for walks in her stroller. One of our favorite activities.
  
• Swinging with her in the hammock. She really does seem to like the outdoors (just like mommy).
• Seeing her with daddy. It is especially cute when she falls asleep on his chest.
• Listening to her coo. She is quite chatty at times (also like mommy).
• And much much more...

P.S. My blog posts might be more than once a month, or less. Motherhood keeps you busy!

We're Parents!

Well a lot has happened since my last post in early June. We are officially parents now! Our baby girl made an early appearance. She is the most beautiful and wonderful thing in this world. I am definitely a proud mommy! Can you tell? I will never forget the joy I felt when I saw her for the first time. And the excitement I felt when we were driving home from the hospital. It was the happiest day of my life. I have never felt so alive. Nobody told me that being a parent was so cool!

signed,

Proud Mommy

Baby Shower!

As you can see I didn't post at the end of last month as I had promised. May turned out to be a pretty busy month! My Baby Shower was a huge success thanks to the party planners: my mom, mom-in-law and friend. We got several nice items for our little girl. I'm going to make a list of some essentials in case you are planning or attending a baby shower.

A Few Important Shower Items

• A variety of finger foods (fruit and veggie trays are nice)
• A baby themed cake
• Fun games for the guests
  
• Balloons, streamers, and a diaper cake make good decorations!

A Few Important Baby Items

• A baby monitor (preferably one with a breathing sensor)
• Carseat
• Stroller (This will be used almost daily in my household!)
  
• High Chair
• Swing
• Onesies
  
• Diapers (I've been told that you can never have enough of these!)

*I found the adorable cookies (pictured above) at Walmart and couldn't pass them up!
**A special thanks to my family and friends for all of their help with my baby shower!

Pregnancy Progress

Our family is doing great! I am continuing to eat healthy, exercise, and prepare the house for our baby girl. Things are starting to fall into place. We've finished our childbirth classes. This month is keeping us busy with Doctor's visits and an upcoming baby shower.

Our little girl is moving around more. It is amazing to see my belly bounce! My husband seems to enjoy putting his hand on my tummy and feeling our baby wiggle around inside.

I'll post more information later in May!

Happy Birthday Blog!

Five years ago I made my first blog post. To say that some of my early writings were succinct is a bit of an understatement. It is kind of funny, because I am usually a verbose person. Maybe I was onto something? I was posting tweets before there was a Twitter! For example one of my early writings was well under 100 words. That isn't much in comparison to the 140 character limit on Twitter! The content in my blog has certainly changed and improved over the years. I have struggled to find a writing style, changed the appearance and name of my blog more than once. Nowadays I am spending the majority of my time writing about what is going on in my life, which is a lot at this point! See the post We're Having a Girl! Stay tuned for similar entries and other items of interest.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment to say hi and don't forget to link to your blog!


Note: This cake was not purchased to celebrate the birthday of this blog! I picked it up for my husband on his birthday.

Mommy Is Nesting!

Nursery Construction is Underway

My husband has told me that I am going through a nesting phase. I cleared out our little girl's room long before her crib, changing table, and dresser arrived. I've painted the nursery, hung her clothes in the closet and placed her adorable little newborn socks in the top dresser drawer. With the furniture and wall decorations now in place, it is starting to look more and more like a room each day! I can't wait to show it off to the guests at my baby shower!

Note: For all of you concerned moms and grandmothers this baby blanket it just a decorative addition that I placed on the crib. I will use this on the floor when our little girl starts rolling around!

Pregnancy Update: Our little girl is doing great! Hearing her heartbeat at the Doctor is so comforting and reassuring. We have more frequent checkups now and have started taking a series of baby education classes at the hospital. Parent preparation is in full swing around our house!

Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

RepRap Parts Making Money

We've been using our MakerBot to print lots of nifty 3D parts. It's great for manufacturing pulleys, jewelry boxes, model space shuttles, legos, iPhone docks, alphabet blocks, and also RepRap parts. The RepRap Machine (aka Mendel) is similar to the MakerBot. Two main difference are that it has a larger surface area for building and it is self replicating. The majority of plastic pieces that make up the 3D printer can be made on a MakerBot. The original intent was to make our very own Mendel. However, we have put that project on hold for a little while. Once we realized that there was a demand for parts we decided to sell ours.

Note: Since this is our first time selling we wanted to limit the sale to the U.S. We will consider selling to other countries in the near future.

Side Note:

If you are a MakerBot owner and want to print a model space shuttle, alphabet blocks, or any of the other aforementioned parts check out Thingiverse. You can even upload your own designs!

Baby Update!

We had another successful trip to see the Doctor today. Our baby girl is healthy and moving around in my belly! I never get tired of hearing her little heartbeat. I can't wait to hold her in my arms. My dad once told me that having me was the best thing he ever did in his life. I have no doubt that I will feel the same way about my little girl. Knowing that I am going to be a mommy already is my proudest moment!


We are looking forward to:

-Feeling even more baby kicks
-Big teddy bear hugs and kisses on those soft baby cheeks
-Dressing her up in cute little outfits
-Watching her sleep, laugh, smile, and play
-Reading her stories
-Cuddling with her
-Playing outside and going for walks


We're going to have so much fun when you arrive! Mommy and Daddy love you baby girl!

We're Having a Girl!

Recently we went to the Doctor's office to have another ultrasound. We were amazed at how much the baby had grown. You could see the face, eyes, nose, spine, heart, fingers, and cute little baby toes! We both marveled in the amazement of seeing our child moving on the ultrasound monitor. The next thing to appear on the screen were the words "I'm a Girl!" How exciting! I immediately felt the urge to go out and buy a present for my daughter. My husband found the cutest little summer hat for her. Daddy has good taste!

We are so grateful that our girl is healthy and growing more each day. We are truly blessed. I know I can speak for both of us when I say that we are very proud to be her parents!

We love you so much little baby girl!

Mommy and Daddy