Well, we are officially one week out from our due date. I'm sitting here breathing through contractions as I type this up, wondering when little Cecilia will make her debut in this world.

There is a special bond between a mother and her daughter. I can't imagine what my life would be like without Amelia. She really is the most amazing little lady ever. I think it is incredibly important to spend as much time as possible making memories with our little ones. Even simple things can have a huge impact on our children and give them something to remember for the rest of their lives.

Get dressed up and go out to dinner. Let your little lady wear some blush and lipstick, put on some fancy clothes and take her out for a night on the town. Pick a restaurant she will love and save room for dessert.

Visit a local library. Our library has toddler story time and preschool story time, each two days a week. After story time, let your little girl pick out some books to take home and read with you later.

Play at the park. Put down your phone, get up off the bench and swing next to her. Go down the slide, run around playing tag, kick a ball together or play on the teeter totter. She will enjoy the park much more if you are playing with her.

Go to a movie. Let her pick out everything. Movie and snacks.

Walk to a local coffee shop and grab some hot cocoa, a steamer or an Italian soda. Have a seat at a table by the window and talk to your daughter. Conversations with little ones are the best.

Craft. If you don't have craft supplies at your house already go to a JoAnn's, Michael's or your nearest craft store and pick up a few things. Glitter, beads, paper, paint... whatever you fancy. Just have fun creating something wonderful with your girl.

Take a trip to the nearest children's museum. You might even be able to get free passes from your local library.

Visit the zoo. It might be fun, depending on the age, to take a sketch pad and have your little one draw each animal you see. 

Mani/Pedi dates are always fun. If you don't want to spend the money to have them done somewhere you can do them at home and have just as much fun.

Have a game night. Get in your pajamas and grab all of the games you have.

Close yourself in her bedroom and play... play babies, barbies, legos, ponies, house and whatever else she likes to play.

Teach her about paying it forward. If she's old enough, volunteer together. If she's still too young, give packages to and do things for people in need.

Have a tea party. and dress up.

Dance party. We love to crank up some music and dance like crazy. You could even add to the fun of it and give makeovers before. Let her put make up on you and pick out your outfit.

Cook. Bake. Either one, include her in preparing dinner or a yummy treat. Wear aprons, let her put in the ingredients and even lick the spoon.

Go to a show. There are often kid friendly options available for plays and musicals. Portland has great options for children's theater performances. You can find local ones in your area with a quick google search.

Paint your own pottery and ceramic places have popped up all over around here. Let her pick out something special to paint for her bedroom or to display in your home. This is such a fun thing to do!! They even make great gifts!

Movie Night. Amelia and I often have Friday night movie night while Mark is at work. We usually pick out a new movie that we haven't seen, grab some snacks and snuggle down in bed to watch it together.

Picnic. Pack up some of your favorite foods and head to a nearby park or waterfront. Take a blanket, a basket and sit outside having lunch and enjoying each other's company.

Hike. It doesn't have to be an all day thing, but exploring new places can be such a fun adventure.

Play a sport together. Whether it's kicking around a soccer ball, shooting some hoops, playing some tennis or another sport that your little one loves, there will surely be a lot of laughs and fun memories made.

Road Trip. It can even be a day trip. Pack up the car and head out for the day. If you have a beach nearby, mountains close or a cool town not too far away, go explore a new place.

Let her plan the date and go with it!

A lot of these ideas can really be used for dates with your daughter or son, but since I'm a girl mom I thought I'd share some of our favorite things to do. What are some of your favorite things to do with your littles?

Happy Friday All!!!
This week had some pretty great moments. Here is a quick recap.

Amelia got a sewing machine over a year ago and we just now pulled it out of the box. She's been dying to learn how to sew. Her first project was a baby blanket and it turned out great. I think she's a natural.

My sister Erica and I spent the day together on Monday. She works so much that we don't get to do that very often. We headed out to a children's store on Mississippi Ave in Portland, then we went to Ruby Jewel for ice cream! Yummy!!! She had a doctor's appointment mid day and then we ended our hangout session with a trip to Ikea and happy hour. It was such a fun day!!!

We bought this dresser off of Craigslist a few months back. I knew I wanted something that I could use as a changing table and this was just right. We only paid $50 for it. Mark sanded it for me last weekend and I was certain I had picked out the perfect paint color for it. We plan on painting the dresser and one accent wall in the nursery the same color. So I went and picked up the paint, super excited to get going on this project, and when I started the first coat I knew it was all wrong. I hoped it would dry darker, but it didn't. My awesome husband, knowing that I was super sad about this, told me to go pick something else out. I tried three new colors and ended up with one I am absolutely in love with. I can't wait to reveal the finished dresser. I just put the second coat on and it's awesome!

I had my 38 week ultrasound and check up on Thursday. We've now had every ultrasound tech at the clinic tell us that baby girl has a head of hair. They've even shown us a few whispy curls on the ultrasounds. This week I'm definitely feeling like they might be right, and I blame Mark and his head of thick hair. Holy heartburn. I didn't have any with Amelia, but this is constant now. Even just drinking water. Ugh, I feel so sorry for people who have to deal with this on a regular basis. Everything looked good though at the check-up. We're just anxiously awaiting her arrival.

We spent one evening setting up baby gear. The bassinet, bouncer and stroller. Since the remodel has us sleeping in the nursery, we are just keeping everything in a corner of the living room, but it still feels nice to have some of that stuff put together. Amelia was excited to try it all out with her animals.
I'm looking forward to a weekend hanging out with Amelia at home. I need some girl time with her. I've commissioned her to create some watercolor art for the nursery and I can't wait to see what she comes up with. She's going to start on them tomorrow, then we are going to find some old frames and paint them to match the nursery accent wall. I just love the art she creates. We also have a lot of decor to make for Amelia's room and some organizing to do in there. It's taking a while, but this house is starting to come together. I think our new couch and love seat will be here this next week!!! Mark is going to begin some projects in our bedroom. That's the last room in the house to be remodeled. We have a few things here and there in every other room (like painting trim), but our room is completely unlivable. Hopefully I'm able to help him out some. I'm anxious to get this place finished!

Enjoy the weekend!

It's been a while since I've bragged on my Amelia girl here on the blog. Let me just start off by saying this girl amazes me. Every single day I find myself more in awe of her. She has the kindest sweetest heart and I'm so lucky to be here mama.

I really haven't been around here much. Life has just gotten so crazy and I feel like my head is constantly spinning in different directions. Sitting down to write a blog post just hasn't happened. I've definitely had plenty come up that I could write about, but the time just hasn't been there... so I'll try to catch you all up on the latest happenings at the Todd residence.

Amelia in her new, super pink bedroom