as i sit here with happy tears streaming down my face, i had to share this beautiful video that i came across of a water birth.

i don't know exactly what is in store for me in the next couple of weeks. i know it won't be easy, i know it won't be painless, but i know that every second will be worth it after waiting so long to finally meet our daughter.

super delicious lactation cookies

in addition to my hostess gift from the previous post, the hostess had a baby 3 weeks ago, so i whipped together some lactation cookies.

lactation cookies are bomb. NO, they don't make you lactate, so your husband can sample without fear of leaking. NO, they don't contain breast milk. they contain flax seed (omega-3 fatty acids), brewer's yeast (b vitamins) & oats (fiber)...all great in promoting milk production + increasing energy. (not to mention, they are the perfect excuse to eat cookies.)

the batch was so big i split it three ways--my new mom gift friend, the hostess of the party, and i froze the dough of the last third for ME!

i just threw them into a little box, wrapped them up with some baker's twine & attached the recipe incase the mamas want more.

oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies:

ingredients

2T flax seed meal

4T water

1c butter, softened

1.5c firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla

2c flour

3T brewer's yeast

1tsp baking soda

3c rolled oats (not quick oats!)

1c chocolate chips

directions

1. preheat oven to 350°F. 

2. in a small bowl, combine the flax seed + water. let stand for 5 minutes.

3. in a large bowl, beat butter + brown sugar.

4. add eggs, beat. add vanilla, beat.

5. in a separate bowl, sift together flour (OH EM GEE I JUST NOTICED MY TYPO ON THE GIFT. my ocd self just cause me to lose my marbles about this. i'm so embarassed.), brewer's yeast, baking soda + salt.

6. add dry ingredients to butter mixture.

7. stir in oats + chocolate chips.

8. scoop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheet.

9. (OH MY WORD. SERIOUSLY. i was clearly in a rush typing up this recipe card...i skipped 9.) bake 14 minutes. cool.

summer hostess gift

okay, i'm admitting it publicly: i am addicted to crafting.

i would like to blame this on my inability to properly "nest," since we are holding off on putting together baby girl's nursery until our big move to the midwest.

last week, we got invited to a 4th of july party at a friend's house. she said she was set on food + bev, but we couldn't go empty handed.

i am a huge fan of the lost art of hostess gifting. so, this was the perfect opportunity to feed my crafting addiction, while rewriting my generation's standard on bringing a gift to the gracious host.

of course this gift was 'pinspired,' but i added my own little flare to it.

to me, nothing is more summery than sipping a glass of lemonade outside by candlelight. so i combined the two, a summer-inspired gift, all wrapped up in a usable lantern. (that i found on sale at target!)

supplies:

lantern

bottle of sparkling water

cute straws

citrus reamer

lemon

snacks (i put in a little bag of sunflower seeds + a little bag of cinnamon almonds)

bottle of delicious lemon simple syrup (recipe to follow)

(+ of course, i created some custom patriotic labels for these littles, because i'm over the top like that + i love the USA.)

lemon simple syrup recipe:

ingredients

1c granulated sugar

2/3c water

1/3c lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

directions

combine in small sauce pan, bring to boil. reduce to simmer, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. remove from heat + cool. keep in fridge for up to one month.

new mom (+ dad) hospital gifts

i don't know about you, but around these parts there are new babies everywhere!

let's face it, as soon as baby is born all of the attention goes from your cute little pregnant self to your new bundle of joy. that's why i wanted to create a mom-specific gift, to remind her that she is still a big deal.

with the influx of newborns & new mamas, i wanted to come up with a gift idea that was personalized and crafty...hence, the "prescription" wine. (i should note that this is 100% novelty & in no way represents a real prescription. also, i am no doctor, so the only info i have about alcohol while breastfeeding is from scholarly articles and research.)

maybe it's my 34 weeks of pregnancy-induced sobriety that inspired this, or the countless stories i've heard from my own mom about her first glass of vino after giving birth to me.

either way, this is how it turned out:

supplies:

4-pack of mini wine bottles 

set of personalized label stickers (designed by moi)

upspring baby milkscreen breastmilk alcohol test strips (these are so great! & you can find them at target.)

gift bag

i didn't want to leave out poor dad, either. after all of the hand squeezes and 'you did this to me's, he deserves a little somethin' somethin', too, right?

new dad + cigars go hand-in-hand. so, with the hub's help buying a cigar, i whipped together this little gem. a cigar & a cigar cutter, tied together with a curly bow & personalized with a boy-inspired mustache label.

needless to say, mom & dad loved the gifts. hope you can shower your new parent friends with gifts!