After all this rain we've been having, we had some beautiful evenings. News Alert: First two teeth for Josh! Just came in this weekend.

Joshua's first tooth has arrived! It's still just a sliver of the edge poking through but definitely here. Here is Joshua in some of his favorite Hooligans outfits.

The first one is Josh hangin out in the sink in our bathroom. He won't be fitting in there too much longer. Then Josh lounging around in his lion outfit. Finally Josh eating like his hungry lion shirt. His favorite food is avacados. He'll even go nuts over peas if you mix it with avacados!

So here is Josh looking forward to his bath... don't you love his stance!?! He is watching the water running into the bathtub, very curious about the process. He also learned to clap his hands last week, but only performs when he wants to. Of course, not when his parents act like crazy people trying to get him to as that is just too funny to watch instead!

Josh loves checkin' out himself in the mirror. He thinks he's a handsome dude! (Dressed in Bug Zoo clothes.) To get the girls from calling him "Joshy", I think we should change his nickname to "Josh Josh" like in the movie Incedibles the baby's name was Jack Jack... or is Mike too sensitive to the feminine way the girls call him Joshy? What do you think?

Here's another shot of Josh playing with his truck he got for Christmas from Grandma.

So three months have wizzed by since I have closed Kaboodle Kids. I met with the accountant this past week to go over the final year's results so once we file, it will be the last.

Time has flown by so I thought maybe I should use this blog to post family events. Here is the latest of our new bundle of joy at 6 months. He is just like his dad in that he loves to play with nobs!

So I've been thinking a lot and have made a decision to close Kaboodle Kids. With three kids, one of them being a newborn, it makes sense to concentrate on my family at this time. It has been a hard decision but I think is the right one.

I have now found how to make sales on the web! My lastest newsletter generated more sales in one day than ever before! Let's see how the week turns out!

So here is Josh on the way to New York, ready to work the crowd! He did very well at the show. Quite a few people didn't realize he was real so when he actually moved while sleeping, it startled some. After three days with him on the road, I was ready to be home as much as he was. I was surprised how low the participation was at the ENK Show. The economy is really showing in the retail arena, quite disheartening.

Busy Busy Busy... getting ready for the ENK Children's Club show in New York coming up next week October 5-7. I am bringing a live model, Joshua, at 9 weeks old.

So I was talking logistics with bringing a baby and all to my husband the other day and he said rather abruptly that I couldn't bring Joshua with me and walked off, ending the conversation. I smirked but didn't say a word. Within ten minutes, he comes out again and says, you have to take him! Not sure all the thoughts that popped into his head but the thought of waking up 3 to 4 times a night was not what he had in mind. I think it will be fun.

Not sure if Conway knows much about babies but will soon learn as I am very good at passing my baby off to get small relief sometimes (just so you know, I don't give him to strangers). It will definitely be different having a little one while doing the show. I could only do it since I have others at the show with me. At the Vegas Show I did see a couple of the vendors bring their little ones so I figured he could come too.
I thought it might be nice to get a sneak preview of a few of the items from each of the collections coming in Spring/Summer 2009. The girls have three collections: the Polka Mix, Magical Bloom and African Inspiration; while the Boys - the African Bug Safari.

So the first dress you see at the top is the Swing Dress from the Magical Bloom Collection, then the Polka Dot Dress, and the African Skirt and Top. There are a wide variety of shorts, pants, tops, dresses and skirts in each of the three collections. For boys you see the shorts and shirts sets, then the Golfer T's and the Dungarees and Tshirt. There are also board shorts, pants and other shirts as well to complete the collection.

Dashin Fashion Global Children's Clothing Magazine & Guide featured us this week! What an awesome surprise! Check out the boy pic in the Stripe Golfer Shirt. She did a great writeup for us too.

The new Bug Zoo Fall/Winter lines are in! We just finished our photo shoot yesterday and the girls did a great job: Lauren looking quite mature I think in the Corduroy Skirt and Brown Mesh Top while Emily showing off in the mix and match Swing Top/Leggings, Aline Dress/Leggings, and Gypsy Skirt and Flowers Top.

I just have to add some pics of Joshua looking so adorable that he was added to the picture taking process too yesterday. Here he is winking at the girls that they did a great job! (otherwise known as the "one eye" as he has been doing this since birth!) He is a very happy boy and loves being on his tummy!

I received my copy of the HUDSON'S Childrenswear Review magazine today! We have coverage on the cover of the back section of CAMP USA Fashions which starts on page 57 (click on August 2008 pages to see sections of the magazine). The Camp USA Fashions cover shows a boy and girl blowing bubbles. The cute girl is wearing our Denim & Muslin Tank Top and Denim Shorts. She also shows up on page 72 dragging a back pack and losing all her items out of it. Because it's considered a cover page, the Kaboodle Kids info shows up under the table of contents on page 8, and we do show up with our phone number on page 71 too with all the other companies listed. I am so excited to have the Bug Zoo clothes line chosen in their magazine. Wahoo!

So this sums up the past two weeks... we've slept a lot together. My hubby took this pic the other night. Isn't he precious? and don't I look exhausted? He's already gained another full pound in two weeks. Now he's 7 lbs 15 oz. people say he has boyish features, what do you think?

Both the girls absolutely adore him! They always want to hold him, which gives me time to do a few things. Here's each one being the big sister, Lauren burping Josh and Emily posing with him.

Well, today is the day! I'm in the hospital this morning being induced (and using their free wifi!). Contractions just started, very mild, no swearing at hubby yet. I'll post when baby Josh is here!

So it's 3 am and I've been up for 2 hours as I can't sleep. At least I get a lot of work done during these strange hours I am up in the middle of the night. So this week, I went down a water slide, not to worry it was a very relaxed type one that just zigzagged around, no big deal. Then the following day I took my 4 year old out on a zetski ride on "no ripple" (glass) type waters and didn't even go over any bumpy waves. Still no baby delivery. This little guy wants to stay until my due date, which is now 1 week away. I already lost the family bet. My 4 year old is the next contender to potentially win when baby Josh will come. My latest advice from a friend was to go on a motorcycle ride, delivery will definitely happen then (or so her mom delivered the following day!) Not so sure it sounds like a good idea, people did strange things back in the day. Any ideas?

Hudson's Childrenswear Review Magazine called to say they were putting one of the Bug Zoo outfits into their magazine. That is awesome! Based on our discussion, I believe it will be the outfit my daughter is wearing in the pic, although she won't be in the magazine. They use their own models. We'll see how it looks when their August issue comes out. Hope we get some great leads out of this as well.

And I was worried he'd come last week when my husband was traveling! I even got into a small fender bender yesterday and still only dialated 1 centimeter when I went to the doctor today. Funny how things work out!

Dejavu! Could it happen a second time around? At 36 weeks pregnant, I said goodbye to my husband this morning for his last set of business trips before the baby comes... or will he come early like my last child?

You see, about 4 years ago, I was also 36 weeks pregnant and my husband went on his last business trip to New Orleans. We were temporarily living at my in-laws down the street as the house was under major remodel at the time. At about 10:30 p.m. I jumped off the couch, telling my mother-in-law that either I just accidently peed on her couch or my water just broke. Luckily it was the later and it was only trickling out actually. I remember standing in the shower dripping there while on the phone with my husband telling him it was time and he said the airport was closed. He and his business traveler, also a very good friend, decided to rent a car and start driving to Atlanta to hopefully pick up the earliest flight the next morning. So off I went to the hospital with my mother-in-law and a girlfriend met us there. I decided on the epideral to hopefully hold her off until her daddy arrived the next morning.

The next morning comes and we hopefully have a good chance that my darling husband can make it. My girlfriend had to go home to her family. A little later, the wife of my husband's traveling partner shows up to see how things are progressing. It's about 10 am and I just get off the phone with my husband. He said driving took longer than he was told but he's boarding a plane right now and would turn off his cell and call when the plane landed. No sooner had I hung up the phone when the nurse came to check on me. The prognosis was I was 10 centimeters and the catheter was holding the baby inside, calling the doctor quick!!!! No problem, I had my mother-in-law and a girlfriend there to help. I couldn't possibly leave a message for my husband now that he was on the plane. I didn't want to give his hopes up after all he had been through.

Within the hour, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. My husband calls just before noon when he got off the plane. I told him his baby girl was waiting for him. He was ecstatic thinking it meant that the baby was inside me waiting for him, but I had to tell him the truth and he was devastated! He showed up at the hospital with flowers... what else could he do? We took lots of pictures with him and his baby girl. He looked the part of an expected father up all night! To this day, both girls do not know that daddy wasn't there for the birth of his second child... now that she's the middle child, the last thing we want is for siblings to say something nasty about this fact (as we all know siblings do!).

The only difference here today is that my husband picked destinations where every airport he's at this week is a 24 hour airport that he can get a flight immediately back! Pray he makes it home to his wife before her water breaks!

This is my most inspirational story for Mamanista. Kaboodle Kids has given the Leopard Rust Boys T Shirt as a shower gift and also as a prize.

Busy, busy, busy! Our home is a mess with everything from one room in piles all around the house. We finally finished painting the room and putting up closet shelves last night. Today it's time to put everything back and work on the little details, ordering blinds and one small piece of furniture. We're in the home stretch!

On the business front, I am sending samples to Hudson's magazine for their camping photo shoot for their August magazine. I am excited and hopeful that some items will be chosen. Also, we are now featured in Uptown Liz, where they market for companies that give back to charity in any way. It's pretty cool. As a shopper, they outline the site well. You can shop by charity or cause you love or by product you might be looking for. Under each product, it lists the charity and how much the company gives to it. We have a few items listed in the boys, girls, infants and toddler sections and also listed under the charity heading "World Hunger". I heard her story on Daryn Kagan last week and asked to be added.

Hopefully delivering early, like the others... but realizing as I am talking to other moms of 3 and 4 kids that the last one seems to stay in until the very end. I will be a very unhappy and BIG person if that happens!

By the end of this week, I'll be 34 weeks pregnant and definitely ready to deliver... only after the flooring is installed this Friday and I paint the walls and get everything back in order. I say two weeks and then Joshua can come out. That would make it 36 weeks, just like the last one. So here is a pic taken this past Father's Day weekend and see how my kids use my baby bump as a pillow. Poor guy is already being pushed around and he's not even out yet! ;-)

I have this idea that the others came early so this one will to. Wouldn't it be terrible if he came on or after my due date (Aug 1)? I am not so worried about that part as how big he will be. I am used to popping out small 6 pounders, not the big guys!

Here are some of the cute sonogram pics. Those 4 dimensional ones make him look like an alien so I won't put those up, although once you get used to them they do look pretty cool. I like this one of him waving. He sure is a mover and a shaker in there. My husband doesn't understand how I can sleep at night with that much movement! As he gets bigger it's harder to really see all of him, but my last sonogram, it looked like he was munching on his toes! All I could think of was how scrunched he was in there and did he really want to nibble on them or was he forced to? Here's the E.T. phone home pic: