Actually, that's not true - I'll come back to the hat in a minute...The night before I went into labor with Will, we were invited to dinner at Craig's sister's house. Steve had grilled and we were eating outside. Suddenly, Kelly spotted an owl sitting high up in one of the pine trees at the front of her property. Kind of an unusual thing to see around here, especially before dark. After getting the binoculars, I'm pretty sure Kelly called it a Great Horned Owl. It was eerily fascinating to see. And about 7 or 8 hours later, my labor began...
Then when Will was a baby, my mom showed me this adorable book and I loved it! I read it frequently to Will. The baby owl's name is Bill and he's always saying "I want my mommy!"
Okay, so then nothing else really owl-related until I was pregnant with Sophie and Christmas shopping with friends at Somerset Mall in Michigan. They have an Anthropologie store there (so awesome!) and I found the cutest little knit hat (above). At the time, I didn't know she was a girl and hoped that the hat wasn't too gender-specific because I had to have it. It's just now starting to fit her and I love it!More time passes... and then this year for Christmas (2009) I found this cutest, little book that you can poke your finger in the back to use the owl puppet with every page. This author has several other books - I got a couple for Mya & Stella for Christmas and she has a new one with a butterfly that I'd like to get for Sophie's birthday.
And then suddenly, I'm scouring the internet for all things nature/owl-related. I think owls used to be sort of popular in the 60's/70's because it appears things are starting to come around again and have an earthy, nature-y sort of feel. And I'm addicted...
And then suddenly, I'm scouring the internet for all things nature/owl-related. I think owls used to be sort of popular in the 60's/70's because it appears things are starting to come around again and have an earthy, nature-y sort of feel. And I'm addicted...I found the cutest, little, knit owl doll by Blabla for Sophie's first Christmas stocking and she sleeps with it every night now. The owl's name is Prudence (I didn't name her, but isn't that cute?)
Gap and Old Navy even have some cute owl clothing items.
Jammies for the future.
Okay, so now I'm taking my fascination with owls to the next level and planning Sophie's first birthday party with an owl theme. (I know I'm thinking ahead, but when have you ever known me NOT to plan something well in advance?) I've found some super cute owl invitations (Look whoooo's turning 1!), some personalized cupcake toppers, a couple blogs that have posted some owl-themed-party ideas, some plans for simple food and nature-y table decorations, etc. All this, and it's not even going to be a big blowout party! We've learned the lesson after Will's first birthday that over-the-top is not always best for baby... or parents. We invited too many people and tried to plan too much food... and we were exhausted. My ideas this time around are simple and inexpensive (though thoughtful!) and my guest list is small. The day is about Sophie - not me - and I know she will be much happier with a low key soiree. I am excited that there will be some little girls at the party now that our family is growing with new cousins... because then I can plan some little party favor bags. (Something I didn't get to do with Will because he was kind of the only kid around at the time.) I'm thinking of a little bird-feeder-treat that can be hung in a tree, maybe some stickers, and here's a sneak peak at the mini owl favors I found (handmade) on Etsy.com:
Aren't they adorable? They're only about 2"x2" so they're perfect for a tiny favor. And that Etsy website is awesome! So many talented and crafty people out there!
Gap and Old Navy even have some cute owl clothing items.
Jammies for the future.
Okay, so now I'm taking my fascination with owls to the next level and planning Sophie's first birthday party with an owl theme. (I know I'm thinking ahead, but when have you ever known me NOT to plan something well in advance?) I've found some super cute owl invitations (Look whoooo's turning 1!), some personalized cupcake toppers, a couple blogs that have posted some owl-themed-party ideas, some plans for simple food and nature-y table decorations, etc. All this, and it's not even going to be a big blowout party! We've learned the lesson after Will's first birthday that over-the-top is not always best for baby... or parents. We invited too many people and tried to plan too much food... and we were exhausted. My ideas this time around are simple and inexpensive (though thoughtful!) and my guest list is small. The day is about Sophie - not me - and I know she will be much happier with a low key soiree. I am excited that there will be some little girls at the party now that our family is growing with new cousins... because then I can plan some little party favor bags. (Something I didn't get to do with Will because he was kind of the only kid around at the time.) I'm thinking of a little bird-feeder-treat that can be hung in a tree, maybe some stickers, and here's a sneak peak at the mini owl favors I found (handmade) on Etsy.com:
Aren't they adorable? They're only about 2"x2" so they're perfect for a tiny favor. And that Etsy website is awesome! So many talented and crafty people out there!Anyway, my owl obsession doesn't stop there... I'm also looking ahead to Sophie's big girl bedroom. I SOOOOOO do not want to rush her there (please stay a baby forever, Sophie!) but Will was in his big bed a few months before his second birthday and he did well with the transition at that time. So it's just on the brain and I'm so excited about what I've found! Pottery Barn - my favorite place for kids bedding - has THE CUTEST nature/owl bedroom set for little girls... and I've already ordered it (gasp!). Greens and blues with pink accents, the sweetest little owl dolls (Penny & Joy), monogrammed pillowcase, etc.
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/room/rom/romgir/romgirwod/ Haven't ordered the butterfly mirrors or lamp that they show - can't justify the price - but I'm going to hunt around for something similar. My mom is going to buy Penny & Joy for Sophie's birthday gift and Casey got the little, decorative pillow with the pink owl and an "S" monogram for a gift too. Yay! Some of the items have already arrived, though I'm still waiting for the quilt and quilted pillowcases, which are on backorder... and then everything will sit in boxes for the next year - LOL. But hey, it probably would have been gone if I waited till next year and it's too perfect to lose!
You probably think I'm crazy huh? Well then I probably shouldn't tell you I ordered my nursery bedding from PB a WHOLE YEAR before we even started trying to get pregnant! :) I'm like that bride who buys her dress before she meets the guy. LOL But at least this time, I HAVE the child... I'm just having fun with her being a daughter and getting to decorate a girly room! And in the case of the nursery bedding... it was gender neutral, ADORABLE shamois lambie theme, I used it for both kids, and I still love it! And it was on sale at the time (which is why I bought it), so it wasn't a bad decision in the end.
So anyway, if you see any super cute owl things around, send me an e-mail. I'd love more ideas!
Ooh! And wait till you see the owl Valentines I made for Sophie to give to the kids at the sitters! (I finished making Valentines last weekend 'cause I know this weekend is going to be busy.)
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