MASON & TREYDEN's 

2nd BIRTHDAY PARTY 

we just threw my twin boys a Sesame Street party.

Come party with us!  

the boys had a BLAST. It was great to have our family and friends come help celebrate the boys 2nd birthday with us. We appreciate all the love, help and support you guys have given us within the last couple years.

DECORATIONS: 
  

 

 

 

FAVORS: 

 

 

 DESSERT TABLE: 

  
  

cupcakes. **missing elmo noses**

  

FOOD:

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT:  

 

 Elmo and Cookie monster came to party too 

 

  close up of our cake. Kondeitor Meister in Braintree, MA

 My little family being photo bombed by Jenn Niggo

 My family with my God-daughter Blake. My hat is blocking my son Mason. What a fail.

 Thank you for visiting, hope you enjoyed your stay :D

 If anyone in the Boston area is ever looking to rent Elmo/Cookie Monster costumes. Email me at elliedovan310@gmail.com

My baby's poor skin!!!!!

I swear Treyden has one of the worse cases of eczema I have ever seen. We have tried everything from aloe to some organic stuff I found in the baby aisle and even prescription strength Hydrocortisone but it just keeps reappearing.

I've seen his pediatrician multiples times regarding this and even asked to see a dermatologist and/or allergist thinking it might be a food allergy that could be causing it. This has been an on-going thing for Trey and I, so I figured I'd share some of my experience with eczema treatments.
 


Cortisone 1%:  It's over the counter and you probably have some in your first aid kit. When Treyden was a few months old a friend recommended this to me.  It worked like a charm, I would lather it on his skin and the ugly red patch would be gone within the hour. Little did I know (even tho I probably should have-considering I've completed 4 years of pharmacy school) that cortisone thins your skin out and can also change the color of your skin. If you must, apply a thin layer over the affected area once or twice a day considering how bad the eczema is for 3-5 days. I would try to avoid the face because it does thin your skin and can also make your skin darker/lighter.

Hydrolatum: This is also over the counter but you have to special order it at the pharmacy. This stuff is thick. If you're not into the greasy ointment-y feeling on your skin from lotions, this is not for you (I LOVE that feeling) The hydrolatum is about $7 for a huge tub, and it lasts a long time as well. I love how my sons skin feels after the hydrolatum is absorbed in their skin, so this is really good for moisture. As for treating/reducing the eczema not so much. It hydrated Trey's eczema prone spots so he didn't scratch it as much but it did not go away from just applying the hydrolatum.

Aloe: the actual aloe plant. My brothers friend recommended this to me. I know aloe is good for sunburns and all but I never thought about applying it to help eczema. I guess it cools the skin down so it doesn't feel as itchy. Anyways, his friend swore by it. My mom has an aloe tree at home so I just broke off a leaf and applied straight to Trey's cleaned skin. It didn't do anything. Maybe I didn't use it long enough but it seemed like such a hassle to carry around an aloe plant in my purse esp when it pusses everywhere and starts to turn yellow. No go for me but doesn't hurt to try.

Aquaphor: Like the hydrolatum, this has super greasy feeling as well. It can be found over the counter in the lotion aisle. There's also a baby Aquaphor that you can find in the baby aisle. I love the little tubes that they come in so I always have some on hand. Aquaphor can be used for numerous things- my father was diagnosed with lung cancer 4 years ago and they used the Aquaphor for the radiation burns that he would get. It really does do wonders with healing. I actually use it for diaper rashes and works a lot better than Desitin or any other zinc oxide cream/ointments. As for eczema, it never got rid of the redness but it did hydrate Treyden's skin for the time time being. I would choose Hydrolatum over Aquaphor for moisture and softness- and Aquaphor over Hydrolatum for convenience.

999 ointment: My mom found this in the Chinese herbal store. I'm pretty sure its a steroid but I don't read Chinese so I wouldn't be able to tell you. It comes in a red and white tube and is fairly cheap. I believe around $3-$4 a tube. It worked for a little bit but I'm kind of iffy to recommend it since I have no idea what's in it. I has a menthol smell to it so I can just imagine that it might sting a little when applied to the eczema prone areas.

Cerave: This is what I'm currently using on Treyden's skin. It comes in a 12 oz jar and was recommended by doctors at the Children's Hospital in Boston. It's on the pricey side- $22 per jar. I'm already on my second jar and it's only been about a month. I only apply it to the problem spots now but I can put it on as much and as often as I would like without having to worry about future side effects. Also its a cream so it doesn't leave the greasy/sticky feeling on my son's skin. I had his eczema completely gone within 3-4 days of using the Cerave around the clock.

I guess that's about it. Besides from the other Babyganics lotion for eczema I bought at Walgreens, all the other lotions were pretty much that.. lotion. Let me know if you have any other questions or if you have other brands you would recommend. I'd love to hear from you!

"WHEEL" you be my Valentines? tutorial DIY

HOW CUTE ARE THESE?!

  

I bought a 5 pack of Hot Wheels at Walmart for $4.95 +tax and had everything else on hand. 

Items needed:

-toy cars
-"filler" candy (optional)- I used M&Ms and Hershey Kisses
-stapler
-cardstock
-glue/ adhesive
-paper cutter --> scissors & ruler if you don't have one
-markers
-clear cookie/candy mold bags (I used 6inch x 3.75inch bags)

PREP your supplies 

1) Make your labels. If your computer savy and can print labels I would go for it. As for me,  I am computer illiterate so I had to hand make/write all of mines out.  You'll need at least 2 different card stock (one for the "base" and one to write the actual written tag on) Additional cardstock can be used for layering and decorating. 

**BASE**
The base piece of paper will be folded and is used to cover/conseal the opening of your cellophane bag. Cut base paper into a 4 inch x 3.75 inch rectangles and fold in half so that it will be 2 inch x 3.75 inch.

--If you used a different size bag, you'll need to cut one side the same size as the width of the cellophane bag. In my case I cut mines to 3.75 inches. The other side of  your base will depend on how big you want your tag to be- remember this will be folded in half for a front side and a back side. So if you want a tag that's 3 inch x 3.75 inch, you would cut 6 inch x 3.75 inch.

**WRITTEN TAG**
 There is no right or wrong way in doing this.  I cut 1.75 inch x 3.5 inch white card stock because I wanted to keep mines simple and layered it over some striped card stock. You can use stickers, glitter, die cuts, ribbons puffy paint, even computer graphics to personalize your tag. I just used plain ole permanent markers.

ASSEMBLING your goody bags

Fill your goody bag. Put one car, a handful of Valentine M&Ms and 2 Hershey Kisses. If you don't want to give chocolates you can always leave just the toy car and proceed to the next step. Other options: shredded colored paper, gummy snacks, lollipops, raisins.. etc etc-- any small item would do, I would try not to do anything too big as you want the focal point to be the toy car. 

 

Fold the cellophane bag down to close and put the base over bag.  

Staple it down to hold. You can use one staple in the middle or one on each side. Try not to do it too low or to high, we'll hide the staple with the "written tag"

You'll want to "flat side" of the staple on the back of your bag, just because it looks prettier- So you might have to flip your bag around before you staple it. Look at my fancy staples!  :D 

 LASTLY: EMBELLISH!! I just glued the tag to cover the staples. HOW CUTE ARE THESE?!

Some word play that would go with your tag:

"WHEEL" you be my Valentines?
I "wheelie" like you.
I'm "wheelie" glad to know you
I'm "wheelie" glad we're friends
You make my heart RACE.

(If you can think of any others I would "wheelie" love to hear them!!-I had to!!)

THANKSGIVING OUTFITS 2011

Mason & Treyden next to a 20lb turkey

I know, I know it's not throwback Thursday but I had to work yesterday so deal ;D

Last Thanksgiving my 11 yr old cousin made these adorable outfits for my baby boys.  Talk about cute pictures!!

Head piece: colored construction paper, scissors, stapler, brown lunch bag (cut leaves and stapled it onto a brown strip that fit their head)
Vest: Brown lunch bag (cut arm hole, bottom and straight down front or back side for the opening, we cut little "ruffles" or ripples along the edge for some flare but you cant see it)

Price: We had everything on hand so we didn't have to buy anything.

my little family <3

**You can use glue gun if you like, if you use a stapler- remember to leave the stapled side out so it doesn't poke/hurt my baby's head.

Mason and Treyden with their grandparents <3 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                               

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!!!