The Adventures of Laura

Ten Months!

2010-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

You are ten months old Miss Charla!!

May I just start this off by saying I don't know how that happened? How are you only 2 short months away from being a year old?!

Here's what you've been up to this month...

You are wearing 6-9 month clothes with a few 9-12 month (if they are on the small size) thrown in here and there.

You are standing on you own!!! You started doing this on Christmas Day. At first it was only occasionally but you have been practicing and practicing and at this point you can do without any trouble at all. You get your feet up under your legs and squat and then push up to standing. I just love it and we're so proud of you!

You climbed the stairs for the first time this month and you would do it all the time if we let you. We always follow you up to ensure that you don't take any tumbles. Grandma brought us another baby gate when she visited this month so that we can leave you alone for a minute here and there without finding you halfway up the stairs. When the gate isn't in place, you high tail it towards the stairs and breathe quickly, which is one way you express excitement.

You've been taking two naps a day for the better part of this month and it seems to be working out okay. However, you've been sleeping very lightly and it's usually futile to try and put you down in your bed once you are asleep. Even if you're napping in your car seat, you still wake really easily.

This hasn't been the greatest month in the sleep department. I'm thinking it either has to do with all the standing you're doing (and that its somehow related to your standing/walking development milestone) or that you are teething, and maybe even a combination of those two. No teeth are popping through yet but I'm guessing that the next to appear will be on the top.

One of the cutest things you've started doing this month is saying "Oh ee oh ee oh." You still say Mama but it's usually when you're upset. When you got your second H1N1 vaccination this month, Daddy held you for the shot. You started to cry and then started saying Mama. I don't know if it means you want your mama or not but it breaks my heart every time!

You snuggle with me sometimes and you reach for Dad or me when someone else is holding you. You are attached to your Mommy and Daddy and I can't think of anyone better to be attached to! :)

Happy 10 months old sweet girl!

Nine Months!!

2009-12-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

Charla, you are NINE months old!!

Here's what's new with you this month:

You weight 14 pounds and are 26 1/2 inches long.

You wear a size 2 diaper but we've started putting you in a size 3 at night. I didn't think the size 3 would fit you but they do!

You wear 3-6, 6-9, and 6-12 month clothes depending on the brand. The 3-6 months are starting to get a little small and you're finally filling out the 6-12 month clothes better.

You are so mobile! You are fast when you crawl and you are constantly pulling up to standing. You seem to move from one standing location to another - from the chairs in the kitchen to the coffee table to the fireplace hearth. If you can use it to stand up, you do!

You have recently discovered the cabinets in the kitchen and you love to explore what is in them. This last week you entertained yourself this way while I put together our dinner. One evening you played in the basket of kitchen utensils for a half an hour!! Maybe you'll grow up to be a great cook...

You're eating better these days. This last month we added pumpkin, yogurt, and green beans to your diet. You really love the yogurt!! You also love your puffs and you're starting to feed them to yourself instead of always waiting for me or Dad to feed you one.

You said your first word and it is Mama!! Usually it comes out as ma ma ma but I'm counting it! I try and get you to say it all the time because I love hearing it so, so much.

You seem to be requiring less sleep. You go to bed between 10:00 and 11:00pm and get up between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning. You still take 2-3 naps a day and most days it's three. Your last nap is in the evening (somewhere between 6 and 7 pm) but if we try and get you to skip it, you just wake up 30 minutes after we've put you to bed thinking THAT was your nap. So we've given in and just enjoy some quiet time together as a family since you usually take this nap in the living room.

You had your first illness this month and it was a stomach bug - yuck!! I had it first so I wasn't too surprised a few days later when I discovered you'd been sick in the night. It didn't last much more than 24 hours, thankfully!

You love story time and I hope this is the beginning of a life-long love of books! When we sit down to read (especially before your nap because you can anticipate what's coming) you breathe faster and make a little high pitched happy noise while I get the book. Once I put it in front of you, you turn and look at me with the sweetest smile. I just love that look and I love that you are liking books. You'll often look at one on your own when you're playing on the floor in the living room.

I can't believe you have been with us as long as I was pregnant with you! In some ways it seems longer than that and in other ways it seems much shorter. You continue to amaze, delight, and keep us on our toes!

Can't wait to see what this next month brings baby girl!

Catching up...

2009-12-29T09:42:00.001-08:00

Christmas Tour of Homes

2009-12-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

It's been FOREVER since I blogged, but I just had to take part in the Christmas Tour of Homes again this year. I majorly simplified our Christmas decorations for 2009 because a) our 9 month old is keeping me BUSY and I don't have a ton of time to decorate and b) I don't want to spend the season stressed out and frazzled because I've spent all day every day keeping the little one away from the decorations. I've pretty much limited the decorating to our mantel and the piano.

We just put up our little 3-foot tree and hung only non-breakable ornaments on it.

This piece is new this year and is already a favorite. I love the magic of Santa Claus but want to be sure Charla knows what Christmas is really about.

Charla's stocking - I can't believe I found a Classic Pooh stocking for her (Tar-jay)!! It's perfect since her nursery theme is Classic Pooh.

Another awesome Classic Pooh item - this one will be treasured for years!

This Advent calendar is so sweet. We've really enjoyed this opening each day's window and reading a piece of the Christmas story to Charla.

New this year and one of my favorite decorations - a basket of Christmas books to read to Charla.

Ornaments in a glass hurricane on our kitchen table

And by far, this is my very favorite and most special Christmas decoration this year...

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

DipTacular!

2009-09-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

To honor the beginning of the college football season (and heck - the NFL preseason is already underway), BooMama is hosting a DipTacular recipe exchange. I love football and I love dip, so I'm taking part! I wish these were original recipes from my kitchen, but alas, I cannot take credit. They are delish though!!

Corn Dip
from Mish Mash

- 2 cans Mexicorn, drained
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Serve with tortilla chips.

Reuben Spread
from Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook

- 1/2 pound sliced deli corned beef, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup sauerkraut, drained and chopped
- 1 tsp. cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. caraway seeds
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
- 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Stir together first 7 ingredients and 1 cup Swiss cheese; spoon into a lightly greased 2 or 3 quart slow cooker. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Cover and cook on LOW 2 to 3 hours. Serve with rye Melba rounds or pretzel rods (I like to use the Keebler Townhouse Flipsides crackers - one side cracker, the other side pretzel). Makes 3 1/2 cups.

ENJOY and Happy Football watching!!!

And...this has nothing to do with dip or football, but I thought I'd post some pictures of the little one since I haven't for a while. She's working on sitting up...

Definitely Daddy's girl...

Happy Friday of Labor Day weekend!

Fall is in the Air

2009-08-25T21:12:00.001-07:00

I've got mums in my planters...

Our CSU flag is flying...

Last weekend we took a day trip to the mountains and look what we saw...

I've been shopping for fall clothes for Charla and have discovered the plethora of baby clothes on ebay. I've always liked ebay but I am loving it even more now! Look at all these sweet fall/winter clothes for my sweet baby girl...

The days have been sunny and warm and the nights are cooling off nicely. Fall is DEFINITELY in the air and I couldn't be happier!!

Five Months!

2009-08-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Charla Grace, you are five months old today!!!

Here's what you're doing at five months...

You weigh 11 pounds, 14 ounces. I'm hoping that by the next weigh-in you'll be over 12!

You're wearing mostly 3-6 months clothes, although some of your 0-3 clothes still fit. You outgrow things in length because you are so little around.

You had a few sleeping "issues" this month. You started getting up more frequently in the night, but the past week or so has been much better. You're still taking 30 minute naps about three times a day, although on Monday you slept for 2 hours - that was a wonderful surprise - and this morning you took an hour nap!

You've got rolling over figured out and you roll every which way whenever you feel like it. It's fun to put you on the floor on a big blanket and see how you roll (ha!) and where you end up.

You started noticing Jasmine this month and you love to watch her. If you're on your blanket and she lays down nearby, you lay there and stare and stare at her. You reach to touch her but we always make sure our hand is guiding yours when you pet her. This insures that you just pet and don't grab. This morning you were "talking" to her too - it was so cute.

Speaking of talking and sounds, you have learned how to scream and you do it so much. You did it occasionally at first and starting this past weekend you do it much, more more. I think you sound like a cross between a monkey and a bird. You scream when you're awake, as you're going to sleep, and when you're just playing around. Thankfully your screams are happy sounds - even if they are loud. We wonder what the neighbors think!

Last month you discovered your feet and this month you have found that they make a great thing to suck on. I knew you would!

You took your first overnight trip - it was to Grandma and Grandpa's house. You didn't sleep in the car as much as we were hoping, but once I rode in the backseat with you, you became a much happier traveler. Your really liked seeing Grandma and Grandpa's two dogs and two kitties.

You don't like it when you can't see Daddy or me. If you don't see us you get your pouty lip and then the tears and cries follow. I feel badly for whoever is holding you, but it's kind of sweet that you are attached to us.

You love to touch people's faces. If we're wearing glasses, that's even better.

Your grip is strong! You are learning a new word - OW! - when you grab my hair and pull.

Your favorite song right now is "My God is So Big." You smile, laugh, and squeal with delight when I sing it to you.

You do this funny thing where you open your mouth and put it on our face. We're not sure what it means, but we like to think you're giving us kisses. :)

We started giving you a little bit of rice cereal a few days ago. You seemed interested in it the first night, but since then you take a few bites and then get frustrated, so we're probably going to stop and try again in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we'll have better luck with it then.

You are a blessing to us and we are so thankful for you, Charla!

Yummy!

2009-08-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

We've started giving Charla a little rice cereal each day. It's so funny to watch her "learn" how to eat. It's amazing how many things we know how to do that we take for granted.

We're not sure if she likes the cereal, although she hasn't given us any faces of disgust. She does really like the spoon - she's always trying to grab it as we bring it to her mouth. That's the start of half of it ending up on the tray/bib - ha! Another milestone for the baby book! :)

This weekend we went to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Denver. We were in Denver for the morning anyway and I though Charla might like to see the fish and animals. I didn't realize the fish tank wasn't illuminated so I'm not sure if she actually noticed the fish. She did enjoy a nice little tour around the store though!

I bought Charla a bow band and bow last week to try the whole bow thing. My thought is that if she and I both like it, I'll get some more. I may even try my hand at making a few. She won't be wearing a bow every day or anything, but for a special occasion or holiday I think they're cute. And I know I'm biased, but I think she looks so incredibly darling!

Heavy Heart

2009-08-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

My heart is heavy this morning for this sweet family. The Rowe's two-day old daughter, Reese Catherine, went to be with Jesus last night. Please keep Katie, Jason, and Zach in your prayers as they grieve and heal.

Over the river and through the woods...

2009-08-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Charla's first weekend away from home. We went to my parents' house Saturday morning and stayed until Sunday afternoon. After we arrived we went out for lunch at the Garden of the God's Trading Post. We're thinking that Charla might be about ready to start solid food because she is really starting to notice our food and drink at meal times.

These photos are four generations and have been taken for at least 80 years. My grandma has a photo with her a baby, a mom, a grandma, and now a great-grandma. What a blessing that we're able to continue the tradition!

It's so fun to watch my parents be grandparents and to watch my grandparents be great-grandparents. Charla is so adored and loved!

Charla and her Great-Grandma

Charla and her Great-Grandparents

We spent the rest of Saturday hanging out at my parents' house. They just added a sun room on the back of their house and we loved spending time out there. Charla is working on sitting up - she does fairly well when she's propped.

She LOVES her feet!

After church on Sunday I took a little nap and my parents enjoyed some grandparent time with Charla. You can see that she finally got to wear her Easter dress - ha!

We came back Sunday evening and Charla slept the first half of the drive home. We stopped for dinner once she was awake and I finished up the trip in the back seat with her. Our first trip as a family was a success!

Excitement!

2009-08-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

I love Disney: Disney theme parks, Disney songs, Disney movies, Disney characters. I was 10 or 11 when they released The Little Mermaid and I fell so in love with the film. When it was released on video (Does that make me sound old? I still have the VHS in our family room) I watched it every day for months. I loved its successors Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King just as much. As time passed though, I was less and less impressed with the Disney animated movies. They were enjoyable but I wasn't counting down to their theatrical release and very few of them made it into my home video library.

A couple of days ago I received an email from Walt Disney Pictures announcing their newest animated movie, The Princess and the Frog. I went to the movie's website and hot dog!!! It looks like the Disney movies that I loved years ago!!

I guess at some point Disney stopped using hand animation for their films. I am not knowledgeable about animation so while I didn't know what the difference was, I did notice a difference and apparently wasn't as impressed by the new stuff. But The Princess and the Frog marks a return to hand drawn animation and I couldn't be happier!

Look at these images from the film. Aren't they gorgeous, magical, and everything wonderful that a Disney movie should be?

You can watch the trailer and several other videos about the movie on its website. The story is set in New Orleans and looks so delightful! It opens December 11 and I'm already looking forward to seeing it!

The Scratch Heard Round The World

2009-08-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it??? A post two days in a row!!!

My brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first child (a baby boy!) in a couple of months and we are all very excited to have another baby in the family. I'm even more glad that it won't be me going through the experience of having a first baby again! ;) Every day is such a learning experience - I am grateful each night when I go to bed that I have one more day of "mom skills" under my belt.

My sister-in-law's baby shower is next week, although I actually sent her shower gifts with my parents when they visited them in June. My craft time is more limited these days, but I did want to make her a few things.

For my baby shower she made me a beautiful diaper cake. I wanted to do something similar for her and found the idea for a diaper wreath online. Not only is it less involved, but it's smaller too and easier to pack/ship.

She's decorating the baby's nursery in a safari theme with the dominant colors being khaki and white. You know I loved having an excuse to shop for some fabric to match! She's getting this set of burp cloths for the shower...

...and the baby's getting this snugglie blanket as part of his baby gift.

One of my cousins and his wife are expecting their first baby this fall and my best friend from college is expecting a baby girl this November. I love making baby gifts and my friends and family keep giving me excuses to do so!

Here's a picture of Charla from this morning. She's sporting a scratch under her left eye which we have dubbed "The Scratch Heard Round the World." Last night just before bedtime routine, A was bouncing her on his knee. She had her thumb in her mouth and the rest of her fingers on her face and somehow ended up scratching herself. The screaming and crying that followed was like nothing we've ever heard before!! I kept looking her over to try and figure out what was wrong, but this little mark didn't appear for a good 10 minutes. Thankfully she was much calmer by that point. We are sure grateful that all the crying and tears weren't because of something more serious!

She's kind of giving me puppy-dog eyes in the photo, but she really is just fine and a happy baby today!

Four Months Old!

2009-08-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

It's too hot to sleep, so I'm finally making time to write Charla's four month post. Sorry for the blogging hiatus - I really would like to be better at blogging but it seems like life is so full and there just isn't time. One of these days I'm hoping to get back into posting more regularly though!

Charla is four months old!!!

Here's what you are up to at four months old, baby girl...

You weight 11 pounds, 1 ounce and are 23 1/2 inches long.

You're great at sleeping!! We put you to bed at 9pm and you usually sleep 9-10 hours. Then you get up and eat and go back to sleep until about 9:30am. You love sleeping in!

Your great nighttime sleep doesn't make for very long naps though. You take 3-4 naps a day but they are almost always 30 minutes long. We have tried so many things to get you to nap longer, but no matter what you are awake and ready to get up after a half hour. I'm finding that I do better with that fact when I don't try and fight it but just go with it (new theme for my life!).

You have mastered rolling from your back to your tummy. Sometimes you get stuck there (we call it "beached") - it's as if you forgot how to roll from your tummy to your back once you figured out the other half. You're working on getting the whole rotation though and we have no doubt you'll get it figured out before too long.

You've started sleeping on your tummy (like your mom). I almost had a heart attack the first night I walked in your room to check on you and found you on your tummy, face down in the mattress. I quickly touched you to make sure you were okay and rolled you over, only to have you roll right back onto your tummy. Your doctor assured us that you're strong enough to roll over/lift your head if you need a breath. It's so nice to let you choose your sleeping position and you look so sweet curled up on your tummy.

Your accuracy has really improved when you reach for your toys (or my hair - ha!). You love touching the pages in the book when we read to you.

You love going places! We run an errand or stop at a store every day since you enjoy being out and seeing new things. You are always very good - your big eyes just take everything in!

You love when Daddy plays airplane with you and you squeal with delight. This month you've discovered how to make high pitched squeaks and squeals - they make us laugh!

We can hardly believe that 4 months have passed already! We love and treasure you so much, Charla Grace!

Red, White, and Blue

2009-07-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful holiday weekend. A ran the Firecracker 5K in City Park on Saturday morning and Charla and I enjoyed cheering him on. My parents arrived for the weekend around lunchtime. You can bet Charla spent the weekend being held and loved on!! We stayed around home all day and grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner. That night we drove to a hill a couple of miles away from City Park and watched the fireworks from there. We woke Charla up for the outing so she was in her jammies. We're not sure if she actually saw the fireworks but she liked looking in their general direction!

Yesterday we stopped for donuts on our way to church. After church Charla took a nap so we went out for a`late lunch once she got up. My parents left for home late in the afternoon and we just hung out at home, enjoying the rest of the weekend.

We are so proud to live in the USA and are grateful to all the soldiers who have fought to make it such a great country!

Three Months Old

2009-06-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

Charla is three months old!!

Charla, here's what you are up to at three months...

You weigh 9 pounds, 11 ounces - our growing girl!

You sleep through the night (an 8 hour stretch). Sometimes you are "screamy" in the early morning - anywhere between 4:00 and 5:30am. Other nights you sleep straight until 6:30 or 7:00am. No matter when you wake up, you always want to take another little nap after you've had your breakfast.

We think you are getting close to rolling over. You kick your legs into the air and then roll onto your left side, which is as far as you get right now.

You grab onto things so well! You can reach out for the rings on your activity gym and I found you holding the rings on your Spidey toy the other day. You love that Spidey guy!

You smile at anyone who smiles at you. Daddy and I get the biggest and best smiles, but you sure know how to charm others with your smiles too. Everyone says you smile with your eyes.

Your hair is getting a little longer and lots of people comment that it looks a little red. Except of course for the bald spot you've rubbed on the back of your head. :)

You are such a good baby! Your grandparents think you are so wonderful and well behaved when we go out with you - and you are!

You are still very, very active. Your arms are moving and your legs are kicking almost anytime you are awake.

You love when we read books. We have a bedtime story every night and I've recently begun reading to you more throughout the day. You like to look at the pictures in the books and listen to Mommy and Daddy read the story.

We're not sure how we feel about this, but you LOVE TV. If the TV is on you are captivated by it. We have to hang a blanket on your activity gym or point your bouncy seat away from it so that you look at other things! Even at church you love to watch the big screens.

We can't wait to see what this next month brings! We love you little girl!

Coming soon to a blog near you...

2009-06-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

She'll be writing her own blog before we know it!

Two month recap

2009-06-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

First trip to a restaurant - Red Robin

Four generations

First Mother's Day
Me and my girl

Ready for summer!

After her 2 month checkup and shots
8 lbs, 9 oz
22 inches

Hanging out during tummy time

What happens when Daddy dresses the baby

We have been busy the last couple of months!! As expected, there have been lots of firsts for Charla and for us as a family. Charla is such a sweet baby and a total joy 95% percent of the time (let's be honest - we all have our moments). In the first few weeks of her life I thought I'd never be able to leave the house and do "normal" things again. Instead I've developed a new normal and have found that I'm still able to do many of the things I did before I was a mom, they just may look a little different. We try to get out most days of the week and Charla is a great little shopping companion. She enjoys looking around the grocery store, Target, and Walmart and usually ends up falling asleep while we're shopping - which is great since it affords me a little more time to browse if I feel like it. In the past couple of weeks we've taken several day trips away from home and she has done amazingly well.

We are excited that summer is here and are looking forward to lots of evening walks, picnics and barbecues, and hopefully our first weekend away as a family. Happy Summer everyone!!

Easter photos

2009-04-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. Saturday afternoon was pretty nice here so we took Charla on her first walk. Is is silly to take three pictures just to commemorate the event?

She had three Easter outfits so I had to get a photo of her in each one (there are only two below - the third is her Easter dress from yesterday's post). Grandma bought her this "Baby's 1st Easter" outfit before she was born. I love it paired up with her green ruffled pants. Her face cracks me up in this one...I think she's excited about her Easter goodies!

I found this little Easter ensemble at Target a couple of weeks ago and thought it'd be too cute on her. Our little Easter bunny...

Here's the back...

And her true thoughts about the outfit and our photo shoot...

Easter dress

2009-04-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!

Here is Charla with her Easter basket and lamb. She's really looking forward to enjoying that candy. The Easter bunny knew to bring Mommy and Daddy's favorites instead... :)

The dress I bought for Charla before she was born is a 3-6 month size - to say that she swims in it is a severe understatement. So she's wearing this Classic Pooh dress that I bought off of ebay as her Easter dress instead. She'll just have to grow a bit and wear her other dress this summer.

We are off to church this morning and then will have Easter dinner with A's family tonight. We got up earlier than usual to be ready and on time for church so an afternoon nap is definitely in order.

Easter Blessings to you...

"He is not here; he has risen!" Luke 24:6

Baby Days

2009-04-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

We are doing good - still adjusting to life as a family of three! Charla is gaining weight right on schedule and was up to 6 pounds, 7 ounces this past Tuesday. She sleeps pretty well at night - we get up every three hours or so. Every now and again she pulls a four hour shift and we are thrilled when that happens. Hopefully those will be occurring more and more often before much longer. :)

We are enjoying getting to know her and discovering a little bit more about her personality each day. She is a lot of work but keeps us laughing and smiling every day!

Here are some photos from the last two weeks:

Sleeping on Grandma

One week

2009-03-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Charla was one week old yesterday!

She is so little that even her newborn size clothes are big and we don't have many of those - most everything we have is 0-3 months. She swims in them! A couple of nights ago we took this photo to show how much extra room she has in her sleep gowns.

My posts may be mostly photos for a while - composing text is time consuming and probably wouldn't be coherent anyway!

2009-03-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

It's a GIRL!

Announcing...

Charlotte Grace

Born March 20, 2009
3:39 pm
5 pounds, 13 ounces
19 1/2 inches long

We are in the process of getting used to our new role as parents and that means that blogging is on hold for a while. I will be back as soon as I can!

Gettin' Crafty

2009-03-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found some time and energy to do something creative. First off, I made a few cards. Remember when I used to do that? I haven't had a lot of time for cardmaking since last summer, but I am able to squeeze in a card here and there. My aunt is in the hospital recovering from surgery, so I made her a card to brighten her spirits. It's the same layout as this card but more feminine.

In the afternoon I decided to sew a large receiving blanket for the baby. We took a class on newborn care a couple of weeks ago and the class strongly encouraged swaddling for your baby in the first couple of months if they get fussy. The class also mentioned how quickly newborns outgrow receiving blankets, so we'll need something larger. I got some flannel and had the store cut it as long as it is wide so that I ended up with a square. Then I just hemmed up the edges with a zig-zag stitch and we're all ready for a snug, cozy baby!

This is technically the boy fabric that I selected, but I think it could work for a girl too. To me it's more "cute" than "boy." I wouldn't wrap a boy up in a pink blanket, but girls can wear a little blue sometimes can't they?

Finally, I wanted to mention a creative blog that I've recently discovered called Little Birdie Secrets. The blog features sewing, quilting, and other fun projects. Check it out here if you're interested.

I'm off to my doctor's appointment to see and hear Baby!

39 weeks

2009-03-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

At 39 weeks, our little one is about 20 inches long and weighs approximately 7 pounds - roughly as much as a mini-watermelon. That explains why my belly looks like I swallowed a watermelon!

While my mom was here, we put some decor on the nursery walls. I found this Classic Pooh wall hanging panel at the fabric store, but she made it for us since it was hard for me to schedule time at the sewing machine while being on partial bed rest. She brought it to us on Sunday so Monday we hung it on the wall over the changing table. For such a simple looking project it was a little more work that we anticipated! However, I'm glad she persevered and I hope the baby will love this project that Grandma made for its nursery.

This adorable blanket came with our crib bedding set, and upon taking it out of the packaging the other night, I remembered that using a big blanket like this in a newborn's crib isn't recommended. Darn! It's too cute to keep folded up in the closet and just hanging it over the side of the crib we'd lose half the picture. So up on the wall it went - behind the crib so it is still near the rest of the bedding that it coordinates with. I'm so happy with how it looks that I may leave it here indefinitely!

My doctors appointment for this week is tomorrow afternoon. I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions, although no more than one or two a day and I'm not even sure that I'm having them every day. They don't hurt so I don't think that I'm always aware they're happening. I'm eager to see what they have to say at the appointment tomorrow - it is the standard ultrasound, non-stress test, and exam. We're praying that everything is still good with the baby and that we'll get to meet him/her before too much longer!

Scripture Memory for 2009 - verse 6

2009-03-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

Once again I am late getting this posted. My mom has been visiting since Sunday and we've been busy getting the freezer stocked with meals for after the baby is born and getting the house cleaned from top to bottom so I can just relax and wait to go into labor.

So here is my verse for the next two weeks:

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.
2 Peter 2:9 HCSB

I'm a week out from finishing Beth Moore's study on Esther and this is a verse from her lecture a couple of weeks ago. She makes the point that it is tough being a woman who feels responsible for the "how" but that we don't have to be responsible for the "how" because the Lord knows how. I really needed that when she taught on it because there are a lot of things going on right now that I don't know how they're going to come together. This verse is an excellent reminder to me of whose hands all those things are really in and that I don't need to worry about figuring out how everything will work.

I'm hoping to post some new nursery pictures tomorrow since my mom and I did a little work in there these past couple of days.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!

Quick Post

2009-03-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

All was well at my appointment today! Blood pressure was high-normal, but that last word is key - not too far off from NORMAL! Pray for the doctors as they decide if I should be allowed to go into labor on my own and possibly go past 40 weeks or if I should be induced right around 40 weeks (provided I haven't already gone into labor by that point).
Our camcorder arrived today, so we are one step closer to being ready for Baby. It's a belated Christmas gift - A has spent the last few months researching the best one to buy. He doesn't take these kind of purchases lightly. :)
I had a haircut and fresh highlights yesterday so I'm all ready to meet our baby and today I had a pedicure so my feet will be cute for labor and delivery. I doubt the baby cares about my feet, but my painted toes make me feel so much prettier!
A and I have ZERO PLANS for this weekend which is awesome! I don't feel like doing much more than just hanging out around home anyway and I'm trying to relish every last moment that it's just the two of us (three of us if you count the kitty, which I do).
My mom is coming Sunday afternoon for a couple of days to do some last cleaning and cooking for us. My bedrest has risen to a whole new level in combination with my lethargy. It's hard to get anything done, even in the time I don't have to be lying down so I'm very grateful for her help!
Hope everyone has a blessed and fabulous weekend!

38 weeks = tired

2009-03-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

(photo by Anne Geddes)

Today we are two weeks out from my due date. I cannot believe how close we are getting!

I don't know if it is the time change or being so pregnant (or maybe both) but the tiredness seems to have hit me big time this week. I got an email from a good friend wondering how I am doing and at the end of her email she wrote "GET YOUR SLEEP NOW – I MEAN IT!!!!" She's a mom of two little ones so I'm sure she knows what she's talking about. It made me laugh because this is the one thing I can and will do. I can't get through the day without a nap and some days it feels like I could easily take a couple.

Our little one has been moving around like crazy today. Wonder if that means anything... I never complain about feeling movement because it's the most reassuring thing in the world to me. A dancing baby is a happy baby! :)

My doctor's visit this week is on Friday, so if I don't post tomorrow, please keep me and baby in your prayers on Friday morning. It's the same deal as usual - ultrasound, non-stress test, and regular checkup on how the pregnancy is progressing (including my blood pressure of course). My prayer at this point is that baby is happy and doing fine and that my health will be good enough that they'll let me go into labor on my own.

Other than that I don't have much to report. I'm just taking it easy, trying to catch up on books and magazines, and rest as much as possible!

Post-weekend wrap-up

2009-03-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

I realize it's Tuesday which might be a little late to be giving a post-weekend wrap-up, but it was kind of a busy weekend and completely wore me out! I spent most of yesterday resting, taking it easy on the couch, and doing as little as possible. Pregnancy can really tire a girl out!

Saturday was our third baby shower. The guests were mostly friends and family from A's side of the family. Upon arrival at the shower, there was a table set up with three games on it - guessing the number of newborn diapers in a gallon-sized jar, identifying various baby foods without the labels on them, and identifying various white powders from around the house (like baby powder, cornstarch, powdered sugar, etc) without smelling or touching them. Quite a challenge!

We got lots more wonderful gifts and it was fun to get those all unpacked. I did baby laundry that evening, plus got the crib mattress pad and some other soft items for the nursery all laundered and ready to go.

Sunday morning we went to church and then made a stop on the way home to stock up on some more things we'll need after the baby is born. Between a busy Saturday and the time change, I was exhausted and spent a couple hours off my feet before we met up with A's family for lunch. In the afternoon we picked up our crib and mattress and then came home and got that all set up. I love it and am so, so happy with the crib we selected!!! We also got the valance hung above the window. The room isn't finished yet, but it's looking more and more like a nursery!

Finally, one member of our household is very excited to have an extra hour of afternoon sunshine thanks to daylight savings time. Hope it's feeling like spring at your house too!

Sealed with a Kiss

2009-03-06T14:40:00.001-08:00

Here's my attempt at posting the pic of the baby kissing me from my ultrasound yesterday. This is a profile of the baby, although you can't really see the whole profile very clearly - the top of its head is on the right and moving to the left across the image is the nose, lips, and then chin. I've tried to label the nose and lips, but I'm not sure if I just made things more confusing. The nose is right below the word "nose" and the lips are below and a little to the right of the word "lips." You can see two bumps and those are them!

The baby's lips are very puckered and look almost as big as its nose. Its nose might be smooshed into the placenta a little bit - I'm not really sure. Anyway, hopefully you can kind of get an idea from this photo. Sorry for my complete lack of photo editing skills!

Happy weekend to all!

Doctor's Update and an Award

2009-03-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

I am back from my doctor's visit and for the most part everything is fine. The baby is doing well which is always my biggest concern. My blood pressure was high today but since I'm getting close to delivery, baby is doing well, and my tests are all coming back normal, I don't think they are worrying too much about it. Heck, to be honest with you, I'm not that worried about it. I'd prefer that it was lower, but if it has to be high another 3-4 weeks or so, that's okay too. Just as long as the baby is doing well, which he/she is. Praise the Lord for that!!

We got the cutest picture from ultrasound today. I'm going to have to see if I can get on here tomorrow. It is the baby with his/her face in the placenta and it looks like it's kissing it - lips puckered and everything. I just talked to A on the phone and told him I can't wait for him to get home this evening so he can see our sweet baby kissing me. Maybe it will be a cuddly, lovey baby! :)

On another note, Kristin at Blue Skies From Now On (isn't that the cutest blog title?) gave me an award a couple of weeks ago and I've been meaning to post about it, but keep forgetting. This is a common theme in my life these days; I think it's called pregnancy brain. She and her hubby just moved into a new home and are in the process of getting unpacked and all settled in. I can't wait until she posts some pics of their new place. Thanks for the award, Kristin - I'm so honored!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday evening!

Stockpiling

2009-03-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant which is apparently considered full term. If I go into labor now, they won't try to stop me! That's pretty crazy to think about, although I don't really think I'll be going into labor anytime soon. Getting to this point has been a big prayer of mine since week 28 when my blood pressure started being elevated. I am so thankful to have gotten to this milestone!!

My weekly appointment is tomorrow afternoon and I know for sure I'll be having an ultrasound and a non-stress test for the baby. Please pray that these are both normal and that my blood pressure would be as well. It would be great if I could have smooth sailing from here on out, whenever that "out" may be. :)

This morning I made a trip to Walmart to get stocked up on a few things. I don't know if stockpiling counts as nesting, but I seem to be in major stockpiling mode these days. The last thing I want to have to worry about in those first few weeks with a newborn is whether or not we've run out of paper towels, kleenex, or other things that we use on a daily basis. I've also gotten stocked up on some food items and then the baby's necessities like diapers and wipes. Hopefully I've planned accordingly and we won't be making too many emergency trips to the store.

Part of our stockpile - please don't think I'm nuts!!!

I'll update on the doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon/early evening. As always, thanks for your prayers!

A is for Adorable

2009-03-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

Look what the Fed Ex man brought to our door this afternoon...

ADORABLE!!!!!

They are size 0-3 months and will work for a boy or a girl this spring when we still have some cool days and evenings. I'm thinking they'll be perfect over a onesie to make the outfit look a little more complete!

That's all - I just had to share with you. Thanks for indulging me!

Scripture Memory for 2009 - verse 5

2009-03-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe it is MARCH already (can anyone think of anything big that might be happening in March...wink, wink) - and the end of the second day of March already too! I'm a little late getting my scripture posted, but here it is just the same. Last time I committed to memorizing Malachi 3:16 from the NIV:

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.

I am loving this verse but am having a hard time getting it committed to memory for some reason, so I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks really getting it hidden in my heart and my mind and won't move onto a new verse yet. I don't know if that's against "the rules" or not, but I'm just keeping it real. I want to get this one down before starting another because this is seriously a life and attitude changing verse for me.

Blessings on your week!

Packing

2009-02-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

I have been packing for the hospital just in case the baby decides it's ready to be born sooner than we're expecting. The hospital packing list includes "Baby Clothes - weather appropriate for trip home." There is probably a 35 degree temperature range that it could be on any given day in March in Colorado, so I'm trying to plan accordingly.

If the weather is nice and we have a boy, he'll be sporting this:

If the weather is nice and we have a girl, she'll come home in this:

If the weather is cool or cold, we'll layer this over either outfit above:

And here is the back - I think when you're a baby is really the only time it is appropriate to wear a duck on your backside, but it is oh-so cute for that age!

I've also got two blankets packed, heavy and lighter weight, that we can cover the car seat with. Hopefully we've got it covered with these items. And yes, I've packed a few diapers too - I hear those are essential!

Nursery pieces

2009-02-26T15:32:00.001-08:00

I don't have completed nursery photos to show because we don't have a completed nursery yet. However, the pieces have been arriving one by one and I'm just too excited to keep from posting them. Here are the two latest additions...

The changing table

I think I've mentioned before that this is the changing table my parents used with me and my brother, except it was white and didn't have the rail around the top edge at that time. I love it because it has sentimental value and also because it has doors! We didn't want to spend the kind of money that it apparently costs to purchase a changing table with doors or drawers - seems like all you can get for a reasonable price is wide open shelves. I like to keep things organized but I'm also thinking there will be days when that just doesn't happen and having doors to close over the mess will be much appreciated. My dad put a new top on it and added the rail and my mom painted it for us. This color coordinates with the color of pooh bear in our crib bedding, so hopefully thing will look cohesive once they are all in the room together.

The rocking chair

This chair also came from my parents house and the chair pads were sewed by my mom. I found the fabric and then gave everything to her to sew the pads. I am so pleased with how it turned out and I'm looking forward to rocking our baby in it! Right now it is sitting in our living room because there's no room for it in the nursery so I get to see it and enjoy it all day long.

This isn't related to the nursery, but I just had to post a picture of how Jasmine spends probably 80% of my bedrest time. I'm usually on our living room couch with a quilt and she curls up at my feet. Isn't this too cute?

I just love how she puts her paw over her face! Such a sweetie...

9 months!

2009-02-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

Holy moly - I am 9 months pregnant today (aka 36 weeks)!! Things are really starting to fly by and I am getting more and more excited/nervous to have this baby. According to babycenter.com, the baby weighs almost 6 pounds and is 18 1/2 inches long!

I had my 36 week check up today and thankfully things are fine, although my blood pressure was up a little bit today. Go figure...apparently I'm trying to keep them on their toes with this up-down-up-down blood pressure thing. Since it was elevated they did a non-stress test on baby who did just great on the test. They are going to check some blood work on me and next week I'll have an ultrasound along with my regular appointment/NST to double check that my fluid level is still good. Please pray that the results of the blood tests are normal and that my blood pressure goes back down.

Monday night my wonderful friend Dottie threw the most lovely baby shower for me!! The guests were friends from my book group and my Bible study, along with both of the grandmothers (my mom was in town visiting for a couple of days and A's mom lives here). We were spoiled and showered with so many great gifts! Here are some pics from the evening:

My 36 weeks photo

The food and beverage table - everything was so delicious!

AMAZING cake - Italian cream with apricot rum filling and cream cheese icing!

Opening gifts

Hooray for a diaper genie!

Lots of cute and useful gifts that we are looking forward to using very much!

Success!!

2009-02-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

I made a quick trip to Walmart this past weekend and look what I found in the baby department!!!

Now if we have a boy, he is ready for Easter. And he'll be mighty cute, too!

We ordered this over the weekend:

The crib will be here in a week to 10 days. Although for the first few weeks the baby will sleep in this, which we already have (it's hard to tell but it's Classic Pooh):

We just might be ready for this baby by the time it's born - here's hoping!!!

Might as well face it...

2009-02-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

...I'm addicted to chocolate! It's a good time of year for it though:

This must be a pregnancy thing because I have never craved chocolate this much! Can't wait for my weigh in at the doctor's next week... :)

Boot Camp and Blankets

2009-02-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

This morning A had a class at our doctor's office called "Boot Camp for New Dads." It lasted three hours and was all about current dads giving new dads advice about babies. I wish I could have been there to hear the "inside scoop" from a dad's point of view!

While he was gone, I took care of some things around home - namely baby laundry. I have a baby shower on Monday and I still hadn't washed the things we received at our first shower, so I thought I'd better get going on that. I don't think I have ever had so much fun doing laundry!!

I love that everything is so little and soft and in such sweet, pastel colors!

Jasmine helped out as best she could. I like to pretend that this means she's excited for the baby, but it's more likely just something new that she wanted to check out.

Call my crazy, but this just makes me HAPPY!

I also took some photos of the baby blankets I finished up yesterday. Seriously, these are nothing special but they were quick which is what I needed. I just took two pieces of coordinating flannel and sewed them right sides together, then turned them inside out and zig-zag stitched around the edge. The finished blanket is about 35x42 inches. I made two girl blankets and two boy blankets.

I hope these will be a useful size and that they'll hold up well. Guess I'll find out when our baby makes its debut and I take one to use one with him/her!

Big Friday night plans

2009-02-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all - Happy weekend! It has been a sunny but windy Friday and some cooler weather is moving in for our Saturday. I was glad for the sunshine today but not the wind. I do not like wind, which is unfortunate since springtime in northern Colorado can be pretty gusty.

I ended up going out for a little bit today to take care of some very important business...

...renting High School Musical 3!!!! I loved the first two and I wanted to go see this one in theaters when it came out in October, but life just seemed to keep happening and we never made the time for it. Now that it's out on video and we can rent it for a whopping one dollar, I had to get it. I consider myself lucky that A doesn't mind watching these kinds of things with me. :) So that's what our big Friday night plans are - two soon-to-be parents getting in touch with our eighteen-year-old senior year selves. I'm not sure if that makes us cool or pathetic...

While I was out I stopped by the mall to see if there were any cute new things that I couldn't survive without for these last few weeks of being pregnant - ha! I ended up with a pair of khaki pants and this cute black and white polka dot top. I am such a sucker for polka dots!!

This afternoon I finished up some really simple baby blankets that I'll be adding to my baby gift stash. I'm too lazy to photograph them right now so I'll post about them separately later this weekend. Enjoy your Friday night!

Another good report!

2009-02-18T12:44:00.001-08:00

My check-up at the doctor's this morning went very well - fluid level, blood pressure, and non-stress test were all normal! Because my fluid level has been consistently normal for the past 3 weeks, I don't have to have that checked next week. They may check it every other week but that depends on what my blood pressure does. Thank you to everyone who is praying - I'm so grateful for normal doctors visits!!

To celebrate, I decided to do a little shopping after the appointment to see if I could find some cute Easter outfits. The plan is to purchase a little boy outfit and an Easter dress for a girl so that we're prepared either way. I'm afraid if we wait until he/she is born everything will already be sold out.

I didn't find a boy outfit that I liked today so I'm still on that hunt for that, but I did find this cute dress for a baby girl...

My mom has a white bonnet with purple smocking that my grandma made for her when she was a baby. That bonnet has been offered to us if we have a girl, so I wanted to get a dress that had some purple in it to coordinate with the bonnet. I think a white bonnet will look pretty darn cute with this dress and those little white, lacy shoes!

Baby Preparations: Crafty Style

2009-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

We are having a windy afternoon here today - must be something moving in! Jasmine and I are on the couch having a cozy afternoon, plus I'm trying to be extra good about my bed rest today since my 35 week check-up is tomorrow. It's just me and Jasmine this afternoon because A was feeling better this morning and went to work. I'm SO GLAD that he's doing better and thanks to everyone who prayed for him!

Before I was put on partial bed rest, I had a bazillion craft and sewing projects planned for the baby. Blankets, burp clothes, nursery decor...you name it. And then my hours at the sewing machine got cut back severely. I've accepted that I won't be able to have everything I wanted done before the baby is born, but I've also resolved to be very wise about the free hours I do have in a day. Since my mom was here last week and got lots of meals cooked and frozen for us, I don't need to focus as much time on dinner preparations and as a result, I've gotten a little more crafty the last few days...

I have GOBS of cute baby fabrics and have been trying to make a dent in that stash. Not all of my projects will be for our baby, but I'm getting stocked up on baby gifts as well. Once our baby is born and we find out its gender, I'll probably go "shopping" from my gift stash and select some gender-specific items for our little one. In the meantime it is fun to pour lots of love into each project, wondering if it will be for our baby or another family's bundle of joy.

This first project IS for our baby since it's gender neutral and Classic Pooh. I found this cute Tigger flannel at JoAnn fabrics and couldn't pass it up. I turned it into a snugglie blanket and two matching burp cloths:

I love this next fabric which I used to embellish some cloth diapers to make them into cute burp cloths. If we have a girl she is SO getting these!

Sunday afternoon I made a fleece tie blanket that I bought before I knew I was pregnant (this one is for our baby too since it's gender neutral). It's a kit from the craft store and it was on clearance for $6 or something, so even though it isn't Classic Pooh, I couldn't pass it up.

This last project is for me, but it does have to do with the baby. On the hospital packing list, it is suggested that you bring no-slip socks. I know what kind of no-slip socks the hospital gives you and they are U-G-L-Y. Last fall I saw an idea and tutorial on "homemade by jill" for this very thing! She had a baby boy in October and made these for her hospital stay. Since they're so easy and cute, I decided to do the same. They're just puffy fabric paint on the bottom of whatever socks you like!

I guess most of the stuff I've made recently is for our baby, but I promise I have other projects in the works that are not. I'm still working on some flannel blankets that won't all be for our kiddo and I may make a set of flannel burp clothes too - can you tell I love soft, cuddly flannel for baby items? I'll post those once they're finished.

I'll update tomorrow after the doctors appointment!

Scripture Memory for 2009 - verse 4

2009-02-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that we're on the 4th verse of this scripture memory challenge already! God has done so much in my heart and for my pregnant self through the verse from the first of this month. I love it so much:

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.
Psalm 30:2 NIV

At my 34 week check up, my fluid level, blood pressure, and baby's movement were all normal once again. I cannot tell you what a relief this is to me. If things are normal again this week, they're going to consider reducing the frequency of the tests. I'm happy to have the testing if I need it, but to not need it would be wonderful too!

For my 4th verse, I'm going to tag along with Beth and memorize Malachi 3:16. I love her explanation and outlook on the verse from her blog.

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.
Malachi 3:16 NIV

I want to give the Lord lots of good things to listen to and hear and less of the criticism and mean thoughts that He hates. How 'bout you?

Side note: Hubby is still sick and stayed home from work today. If you think of it, would you take a moment to lift him up in prayer for healing and a quick recovery from this crazy cold? Many thanks!!

Valentine's Day Recap

2009-02-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday! It's been a cold and snowy weekend here - perfect for staying warm and cozy inside with my Valentine!

A and I have both been sick which definitely dictated what kind of Valentine's we planned. The bug we've had is a nasty one that doesn't seem to want to let go!! I've had it for a week and a half, although I'm finally starting to feel like I'm on the mend. A came down with it on Thursday so he's still in the thick of it - poor guy. It's affected both of our voices so we sound lovely!

Our Valentine's gift to each other was to purchase the carseat/infant carrier for the baby. For us this was more romantic that buying chocolate, jewelry, or other "stuff" that we just don't need right now. We did venture out in the afternoon to make that purchase and picked up a couple of other things for the baby while we were out.

This is the carseat/infant carrier that we chose.

And here is the bathtub that we bought for the baby. We've had this on our registry for a few weeks but it's on clearance now so we figured we'd go ahead and purchase it ourselves. It was on major markdown, plus we had a coupon for an additional 15% off so we got it for a steal - LOVE when that happens!!

With my bed rest and our colds, we opted to rent a movie and just stay in for the evening. My mom was here early last week and cooked up a storm for us so that the freezer would be well stocked with food for us to eat (this is a MAJOR weight off my shoulders and was so, so helpful in lieu of my bed rest) so we just pulled from that "stash" for our dinner. We watched Madagascar 2 and thought it was cute!

This morning we are taking it easy until it's time for church. I'm taking advantage of the quiet morning and getting 2 of my bed rest hours knocked out and A is still asleep. I hope he wakes up feeling more like himself - it's so hard to watch the people you love be sick. I wish I could just take it away, but I can't. Hopefully in the next few days he'll be feeling much better.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

34 weeks

2009-02-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

I am 34 weeks pregnant today. That means that in 6 short weeks I will be 40 weeks. So far my doctor is advising that I don't go past 40 weeks because of my blood pressure issues, so this could potentially mean that in the next 6 weeks I'll be having a baby! Hopefully that will be closer to 6 weeks from now rather than sooner, but the reality is starting to really set in. It is exciting and scary all at the same time!!

According to BabyCenter, our baby weighs about 4 3/4 pounds - around the size of a cantaloupe. The baby is approximately 18 inches long. WOW!

Our first baby shower was this past weekend. Thirteen ladies showered me with gifts galore and lots of love - we are so touched by the outpouring of blessings from this special group of friends. I haven't gotten pictures of the actual shower yet, but here is the food table and the sweet diaper cake that my sister-in-law made for us.

I LOVE the diaper cake so much - especially the pooh bear she found for us!! I've been organizing the gifts a little at a time and getting them put away in the baby's closet which is filling up fast. I also need to start getting things washed so they're all ready for our baby whenever it decides to make its debut!

My fluid check and non-stress test for the baby are tomorrow morning, so if you think of it, I'd appreciate your prayers. THANKS!

Praise the Lord!!!

2009-02-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.
Psalm 30:2 NIV

We have lots of people praying for us right now and God is definitely answering!! I am so glad to report that at the doctor's appointment this morning...

My fluid level has risen to NORMAL!
My blood pressure reading was NORMAL!
The non-stress test on the baby was NORMAL!
The blood work they ran on Monday was NORMAL!

I think I may have floated out of the doctor's office. I am so in awe of how quickly God answered these prayers - praise the Lord!

I need to keep doing what I'm doing to hopefully keep things where they are at so no change in the best rest/soaking situation. I am happy to keep those things up though since they are definitely making a difference. My blood pressure readings at home are still a little elevated and could come down a bit more, but I'm just so thankful that it hasn't gone up!

I can't say THANK YOU enough to all the people who are praying for us and we appreciate your continued prayers so that things stay where they are at.

Blessings and Love,

The Rest of the Story

2009-02-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

Thank you SO MUCH for your comments on my last post concerning me and the baby. I am so appreciative of other's prayers and I can't express how much that means to me. So you don't think the worst, here are the basics of what's going on...

At my 24 week doctors appointment my blood pressure was slightly elevated. At the end of the appointment they had me lay down on my left side for a few minutes, took it again and got a normal reading. At 28 weeks the same thing happened. They had me come in the following week for a blood pressure check - more of the same. At that point we talked about what risks my high blood pressure meant for the baby and what could be done to help minimize those risks. I was put on partial bed rest (which for me means 2 hours on my left side 3 times a day) and some lab work was ordered, all of which thankfully came back normal. At 32 weeks they would begin doing a weekly ultrasound to check on my fluid level and a weekly non-stress test to make sure the baby is doing okay and isn't in distress.

My 32 week appointment was last Thursday and I'm very glad to report that the baby "passed" that non-stress test beautifully! We might have a little performer on our hands because I don't think I've ever felt the baby move so much in such a short length of time. It's almost as if the baby knew he/she was being watched (or in this case monitored) and really hammed it up. :)

Unfortunately at the appointment my blood pressure had risen a bit more and my ultrasound showed my fluid level to be a little low. In addition to my 6 hours on my left side, I'm also supposed to really increase my water intake and spend 30-40 minutes submerged in water twice a day. That helps push the fluid from my skin into my body, hopefully increasing the fluid around baby (I hope this isn't too gross for anyone!) They also had me buy a blood pressure monitor for at home and I'm taking my BP 2-3 times a day. So far it hasn't gone any higher and has even come down slightly - praise the Lord!

I have seven weeks left in this pregnancy and I really pray that the baby can stay in me until around 39 weeks. We've already discussed with the doctor that I will probably not be allowed to go past 40 weeks. My 33 week appointment is tomorrow and I covet your prayers for the following:

- That my blood pressure will not be any higher. I'm happy if it levels out but would love for it to come down closer to the normal range.
- That my fluid level would have increased to a 10, or at least not be any less than it was last week.
- That the baby would truly be doing just fine and once again do well on the non-stress test.

Also, just an FYI - my doctors are not considering this preeclampsia, which is really a huge praise in and of itself. That would bring more risk to me and probably to the baby as well. It's been explained to me that preeclampsia is a triad of symptoms, one of which is high blood pressure. Since I don't have the other two (and am praying they don't decide to show up!), they've diagnosed my condition as Pregnancy Induced Hypertention (PIH).

I'll have to do a separate post about bed rest which has been an interesting situation to adapt to - even if it's only partial bed rest!

Again, THANK YOU for your prayers and concern. I will update tomorrow after I get back from the appointment. Blessings on your Wednesday!

Scripture Memory for 2009 - verse 3

2009-02-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

Over the last two weeks I have committed this verse to memory:

Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

Proverbs 3:25-26 NIV

I will most likely post more about this at a later date, but in the last 4 weeks I've been having a few complications with my pregnancy. Thankfully they are nothing incredibly major, but enough to freak out this first-time mom if I let them get the best of me. The verse I've chosen to commit to memory for the next two weeks is:

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.
Psalm 30:2 NIV

It's a short one but it is a verse that I need right now. I am praying for God's healing hand over my health and trusting Him to take care of me and our baby and know that hiding this verse in my heart is a huge help!

Blessings,

Another spring-like day!

2009-01-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

It is another beautiful day here - I'm getting so spoiled! We're in the 60s again but tonight the weather is supposed to realize that it's January and turn cold. I have loved it while it's lasted though!

I figured that I'd better get a Valentine's bow on my flower pot wreath which hangs on our back porch. If we get snow I won't be able to get to the wreath as easily and we're not too far off from February anyway. I stopped by Michaels earlier this week intending to buy some polka dot ribbon in pretty Valentine's colors but then found these two ribbons on clearance. One of the ribbons is a pretty rose print and the other is pink toile. I love toile and pink toile is even better!

My first baby shower is in two and a half weeks and I'm very excited for it! I've been working on thank you notes so that they will be all ready to write and mail out soon after the shower. They're a simple design but I am pleased with how they're turning out.

(card design inspired by prairiepaperandink)

Classic Pooh is Moving In

2009-01-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

Our collection of Classic Pooh items is growing! We found a bunch of things on clearance at Target and since they were what we knew we wanted for the nursery, we snatched them up.

Crib bedding (but our crib will be a different style and a honey wood color)

Dust ruffle

Sweet, round rug for in front of the crib (I think)

This blanket was only $5 - I couldn't pass it up!

We also picked out a paint color for our changing table. My mom and dad are giving us the changing table they used for my brother and me, but are sprucing it up a bit first which includes a fresh coat of paint. We've decided on a pretty, light yellow that will coordinate nicely with the colors of the room. I found some gorgeous yellow jacquard fabric to make a new pad for the rocking chair. Its got the faces of the classic pooh characters woven into the fabric - subtle but oh-so-stinking cute.

I need to get sewing on the valance I'm making for the window. Surprise, surprise - it's Classic Pooh!

Slowly, but surely it's coming together. I hope it looks as good in real life as it does in my mind!

Closet Clean-Up

2009-01-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

It is sunny and 65 degrees here today which I am loving! I've got the back patio door open to let in the warm air and I feel like I should break out the flip-flops! It definitely doesn't feel like January but I will gladly take it.

This past weekend we worked on the nursery. The nursery is going to be in the 2nd bedroom upstairs which is right next to ours. Currently that room is our office so it's hardly vacant. It has a huge closet that runs the entire length of one wall and since we had no one else to need the space, A and I have done our best to fill it up. :) This weekend we tackled the closet to clear out half of it for the baby. I'm happy to report that we did go through everything in the closet and sorted most of it into trash, donate, and keep piles. We did clear out half of the closet and I was able to start putting some baby things in there. It's not much yet, but it's coming along and it feels good to have some clutter-free space!

We're going to get some closet organizers to hang in there as well to help make the space more functional.

We had baby class last night and toured the hospital where our baby will be born. It was great to be able to see the rooms and the environment, which are very nice, but it was a little scary and overwhelming too. I am just so afraid that something will go wrong with labor, delivery, or the baby. Our hospital has a very good NICU and Denver is only an hour away, so I feel confident that our baby will be in capable hands if it needs any special medical attention, but it's one of those things that is hard to think about. So I try not to. This is also a great place for me to recite scripture, especially this week's verse, and tell Satan to stop feeding me fear.

Tonight we're staying in and will probably tune into American Idol. The new judge kind of cracks me up with her no-nonsense attitude. I'm also not hating the auditions as much as I have the past couple of years. I didn't see the point in indulging people who are obviously just trying to be as bad or wacky as they can so they have have 15 seconds of fame on national TV. I read somewhere that the producers were going to cut back on airing those types of auditions this year and so far that seems to be somewhat true. We'll see what tonight brings though - who knows?!

Prayers for Kelly, Scott, and Harper

2009-01-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

I stalked Kelly's blog all day yesterday awaiting the birth of her first baby, Harper and was devastated when I heard of the baby's complications following her birth. Things are looking better this morning but please lift this sweet family up in your prayers.

Kelly's dad is also posting updates at his blog.

Scripture Memory for 2009 - verse 2

2009-01-15T23:48:00.000-08:00

In the last two weeks I've memorized Romans 4:20-21 from the English Standard Version, which says:

No distrust made him waver regarding the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.

Now it's onto verse number two. In the past few days I've been prayerfully seeking what verse God would lead me to memorize next. Nothing was really calling out to me until yesterday when I was flipping through Proverbs.

Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

Proverbs 3:25-26 NIV

These verses really struck me because I have dealt with several major losses in the past year or so, both directly and indirectly. Fear is something I've struggled with as a result. Beth encouraged us to memorize a verse that we need, and this is it for me right now. So that's what I'll be memorizing until February 1st - if you're joining in this scripture memory challenge I'm praying for you and think you're just awesome!

Laying Low

2009-01-12T08:52:00.001-08:00

Wow - a WEEK since I last posted? We've been taking it easy around here and I guess I didn't feel like I had much to blog about.

We woke up to snow on the ground this morning - only about an inch but it's still pretty and definitely makes it feel like January. A and I were just commenting on our way to church yesterday that this winter hasn't been that cold or snowy. Hope that doesn't mean we're in for a wet, snowy spring. Actually - I don't mind if we have lots of snow, just so long as we can get to the hospital whenever the baby decides to be born!

My little snowman flag that makes me smile on snowy January days.

Last Thursday I started Beth Moore's new study, Esther: It's Tough Being A Woman. Can I tell you how excited I am to be part of a regular Bible study again? I'm not sure what my schedule will be like after the baby comes, but for now I want to use these last weeks of "freedom" to immerse myself in God's Word and some good, solid teaching. I love opening up the workbook each day and facing a fresh page of Bible study.

I've also been reading Kate Jacob's new book, Knit Two. I got it for Christmas from my sweet friend, Dottie. Our book group draws names and then you buy a book that you think that person would like. Dottie knows me really well and definitely picked a perfect book. I am loving it!! It makes me want to knit but I don't know anyone else who needs a scarf! :) I suppose I could try something new - maybe a little knitted cap for the baby. Hmmmm...there's an idea...

We have our second childbirthing class this evening. Our first one was last Monday and I'm totally not kidding about this, but it was so much fun! Our instructor is awesome and really "gets it" that we don't just want to sit around in a lecture about labor and delivery. We had ice breakers that were actually fun, played Jeopardy, and did a lot of laughing along with our learning. And from this week on, we have SNACK! We each signed up for a week to bring snack - ours is in two weeks. How cool is it that a group of eleven late 20s, early 30s couples is going to have snack time in the middle of our class each week?! I'm looking forward to tonight's class - we have to take pillows so I guess we're going to start practicing for actual labor. Scary!

I'll leave you with these flowers from our table. I got these last week at the grocery store for free - yippee! The store sent me a coupon for a free bouquet and I'm not really one to pass up something free, and definitely not free flowers. They bring some sunshine and cheer to our little kitchen and make me smile when I see them.

Hope you are warm and happy on this Monday!

Monday, Monday

2009-01-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

It was hard to say good-bye as A went back to work this morning. The end of Christmas vacation always comes too quickly. What can I say - I love having my man home! I do enjoy having the bills paid too though, so I can't complain too much. :)

This weekend we started our baby registry, did some organizing/purging in the office-soon-to-be-nursery, and enjoyed some quality time relaxing with a movie. It was a great way to wrap up our Christmas season.

I made a few Christmas gifts myself this year, which isn't really out of the ordinary for me. Now that it is after Christmas and the gifts have been given, I can preserve their memory on the blog.

1. Keyhole scarf for my aunt

2. Assortment of cards for my mom

My mom has been asking for a selection of handmade cards almost since I started making cards as a hobby. When I make cards, I always make them in an even number, even if I only need one card, so a lot of times I have extras. This collection is 30 of my extras - for birthdays, thank you, encouragement, baby, and wedding. A lot of them are blank on the inside so she can make the card appropriate for whatever she needs.

I had three boxes left from our Christmas cards this year that I recovered with scrapbook paper to package the cards. Each box contains ten cards and envelopes.

3. Scarf for my sister-in-law

My sis-in-law just moved into a new home and has been working hard getting everything sorted, organized, and put away. I wanted to give her of a "cozy night in" sort of gift so I bought her a good book, a box of yummy dark hot chocolate, and knit this scarf for her. I hope she enjoys curling up with all of them on a chilly January evening and taking a break.

I got back in my card studio (if you can call it that) last week as my grandpa had an accident with his table saw and messed up his left hand pretty badly. He's had two surgeries to repair as much as possible and is now in the wait-and-see-how-things-heal phase. All I had were get well soon cards and I didn't think that sentiment fit the situation just right, so I made this card to send him. I hope it cheered him up a little bit!

Happy Monday to all!

Scripture Memory for 2009

2009-01-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

I have never been good at memorizing scripture, but in 2008 God got a hold of my heart and started impressing on me the importance and power of doing it. It started in January when Beth Moore asked us to memorize Psalm 121 through the 7 weeks of her study, Stepping Up. Once I'd finished with that, I took a few months off but in the summer was really convicted to pray over and memorize scripture that God led me to regarding our desire for a family. I thought that was powerful before I was pregnant, but many of the verses I chose had to do with trusting God and believing Him which started to really get relevant as I struggled with fear about having another miscarriage.

For 2009, Beth is leading a scripture memory challenge and I am committing to taking part. On the 1st and 15th of every month I'll be posting the scripture that I'm memorizing. Here's the first:

No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Romans 4:20-21 ESV (English Standard Version)

Christmas and New Years Eve 2008

2008-12-31T17:57:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas in Colorado Springs with my family this year. We arrived at their house around lunchtime on Christmas Eve. My brother and his wife were already there so we had lunch together and enjoyed some time around the table just catching up. We went to the Christmas Eve service at my Mom and Dad's church that evening and then returned to their house for our traditional Christmas Eve. We always watch a Christmas movie and enjoy party trays for dinner - meats, cheeses, crackers, shrimp cocktail, veggies, and of course Christmas cookies. It's nice because we just nibble throughout the evening and is a lot easier on my mom than having to prepare a big dinner. This year's movie selection was "A Christmas Story" and we followed that up with "The Polar Express."

Christmas morning we all slept in a little bit and then started opening presents. My mom made a wonderful breakfast casserole and we took a break mid-way through the gifts to have some food and re-energize. A and I kept our gifts to each other small this year since we have lots of big purchases coming up in the next few weeks. He did give me this though which I have been wanting for so long and am thrilled that it is finally appropriate.

After the gifts were opened my mom, sister-in-law, and I started getting Christmas dinner ready. My grandparents came over early afternoon and spent the rest of the day with us. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, enjoyed more catching up around the table and then exchanged gifts with my Grandma and Grandpa. We broke out all the food again for dinner and just ate and hung out some more. I love days like that - just hanging out together, talking, laughing, and eating.

We spent several more days in Colorado Springs and had a very nice, relaxing vacation. We took Jasmine with us which means I don't worry about if she's doing okay at home, so it ends up being more relaxing for me. Fortunately she's an adaptable kitty and doesn't mind going to visit her "grandparents" every now and again.

Once we returned home I seemed to kick into full baby-prep mode. We wanted to wait until after Christmas to start intensely getting things ready and now that time is HERE! We got the Christmas decorations down and the house put back in order. I sort of felt like I should put up the Easter decorations because I probably won't have much energy or time to change up the decor between now and then, but that's probably taking things a bit far, don't you think? ;) I'm hoping to get a registry started at Target in the next few days and we are trying to sort out the furniture for the nursery and figure out what we want to get ordered. I am 28 weeks today so baby is due in 12 weeks - let's hope baby stays put until at least 37 weeks because at this point there is no way we are ready!

We are kicking back at home for New Year's Eve this year. We've got three movies rented (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Eagle Eye, and Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) and a coffee table full of appetizers to get us through the night. Honestly, this is my ideal New Year's Eve - spending time together in full relaxation mode. Tomorrow we go to A's parents house for Christmas with his side of the family.

No matter what you and your loved ones are up to this evening, I wish you a few special moments to reflect on the Lord's blessings and lessons from 2008 and anticipate the year to come! Happy 2009!

Christmas Wedding

2008-12-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

Happy week after Christmas! I am back - at least in bloggy world. We are still on Christmas vacation until after New Years, but I'm finally getting around to blogging again. My blogging break was partially planned and partially taken out of necessity because I got so busy before Christmas. As much as I tried to simplify things this year, which I was pretty successful with, some things were out of my control and kept the calendar and the days filled with activities. The two biggest things were my sister-in-law buying a house and moving into it on Dec 13-14 (in Colorado Springs so we made a trip there to help out as much as we could) and my brother-in-law's wedding on December 20. And I thought December was busy on its own!

I love Christmas weddings because the colors and seasonal decor are so elegant and rich.

The groomsmen awaiting the arrival of the bride. The ring bearer was so cute! The second groomsman from the left isn't too bad looking either - wink, wink.

Almost married!

The new Mr. and Mrs.

The bride with her bridesmaids and flower girl - that's my other sister-in-law on the right.

The bride and groom with his parents (my in-laws).

Pretty Christmas centerpieces on the reception tables.

The wedding cake

The bride and groom with the groom's cake.

Here's a picture of A and me in the church foyer. This would have been a good photo for our Christmas cards if it hadn't been taken so late in the season!

I'll be back later with an update on our Christmas. I'm also quite behind on reading other's blogs so I'm hoping to catch up on that this week. Hope everyone is having a restful week!

Christmas Card Carousel

2008-12-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

Faith is hosting a Christmas Card Carousel over at her blog today. If you haven't already, head over and check out all the great cards.

Christmas cards are one of my favorite parts of this time of year - so glad you stopped by to view ours!

We actually sent four different Christmas cards this year, so this is one of the cards you might find in your mailbox:

We have sent photos with our Christmas card every year since we've been married, except this year - go figure! We haven't taken a Christmas photo yet and I didn't feel like delaying our cards waiting for the photo shoot. Since this is the first year I've had a blog, I decided to design a little Christmas photo card on Scrapblog using our Christmas card photos from 2006 and 2007.

From our home to yours, a very Merry Christmas and God's richest blessings in 2009!!

2008 Christmas Tour of Homes

2008-12-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

BooMama is hosting her Christmas Tour of Homes again this year and I'm happy to be joining in the fun. Let's get started!

The entrance and front door to our house. My mom made these sweet carolers for us last year and I just love them!

Our foyer - I've shown this tray and hurricanes before (here and here). I tried to keep the Christmas decorating somewhat simple this year since I am pregnant with our first child and don't have the energy to completely change things around, which is why I've just added seasonal accents to the hurricanes.

To your right is our powder bath - feel free to stop in if you need to.

As you come into the house you'll see our fireplace straight ahead and to the left.

The stockings from left to right are our kitty Jasmine's, mine, and A's. We don't have a stocking for the baby yet because we're waiting until he/she is born to find out the gender and we'll probably buy a stocking that is somewhat gender specific once we meet this little person.

This small Christmas village is on our end table. These pieces belonged to my Nana and Grandpa and last year they were given to me since my grandparents have passed away. It was very special to put them out this year.

Our coffee table:

The piano and front door in the background:

This nativity scene was given to me by my parents when I was a teenager. It has three wisemen and more animals, but we didn't put everything out since we're going for a simpler look this year. I kind of like the quiet peacefulness of just Mary, Joseph, Jesus and a shepherd.

Our Christmas tree, which we like to decorate with sentimental ornaments from our childhoods and the four years we've been married:

Just beyond the tree is our kitchen table and hutch:

We display our Christmas cards on this card holder that I found at Goodwill last year for about $2. It is from Target and still had the tag on it - I love finds like that!

Thanks for taking the time to visit our home and my blog! I pray that this Christmas season is especially meaningful and that you have many special moments with our Savior during this busy time of year.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 NIV

Blessings and Love,

Christmas Questionnaire

2008-12-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

I saw this Christmas Tag on Kristen's and Faith's blogs last week. It was such fun to read about their Christmases, so I thought I'd join in too!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift bags are so wonderfully easy, but wrapped packages are much more fun to open. This year I'm trying to only use gift bags for really odd-shaped gifts.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? If we're in town, we put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving. If we're out of town we do it the next weekend.

4. When do you take the tree down? Ideally on New Years Day but sometimes it's in the few days following

5. Do you like eggnog? For about three sips but after that it's just too rich

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Either the Cabbage Patch doll named Tonya that I received from my Nana and Grandpa or the pair of pierced earrings that my parents gave me indicating I could get my ears pierced.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My father-in-law

8. Easiest person to buy for? My mom

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, my parents gave me one as a Christmas gift when I was a teenager and it's the one we still use today.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail only, please!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmmmm, I'm not sure.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Sometime in the summer I start keeping my eyes open for possible gift ideas...but I really get focused on it in November.

14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I can't remember - apparently it didn't make a big impression on me if I did.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas cookies!

16. Lights on the tree? We alternate between white and colored lights each year - I like them both so I get the best of both worlds. This year they're white.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Do You Hear What I Hear?, Carol of the Bells, O Holy Night, Candlelight Carol

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? When I was little we always stayed home, but now that we live 2 1/2 hours away from my parents, we travel that short distance on the years we spend Christmas with them. The years we're with A's family we stay in town because they're here too.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes I can, but only thanks to the opening of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I'm with Faith that it's people wishing you "Happy Holidays." I always respond with "Merry Christmas" - that's the holiday I'm celebrating!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I like our tree with lots of sentimental ornaments from years past and special memories.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A camcorder to record lots of baby moments come March!

And this isn't part of the tag but I thought it was kind of fun...

You Are a Creative Gift Giver

Your gifts are one of a kind, special, and well chosen.

Whether you've made it yourself or searched all over town...

There's really no one who has more of a personal touch than you.

What Kind of Gift Giver Are You?

Baby Announcements, Twisted Peppermint, and Orange Chicken

2008-12-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

This morning I saw the cutest card on a blog that has totally inspired me to start thinking about baby announcements. The card is by Debbie Olson at Thinking Inking - you can see her post about it here. I love the sentiment on the front of the card: Our Family has expanded by two feet! I'd never heard that before today and I think it's just about the most precious thing ever. I had to order the stamp and it comes in a set so it's versatile for lots of different baby cards. The centers and borders aren't attached and can be mixed and matched however you please.

My only dilemma is how to handle the gender thing. I'm thinking of using generic baby colors on the front of the card so I can get all that work done in advance, but then using an "It's a boy" or "It's a girl" stamp inside to announce the gender, which I can stamp pretty quickly after baby arrives.

I ran all over town today and did a bunch of Christmas shopping. I'm happy to report that as a result, we have the shopping for all but two family members taken care of! Hip hip hooray!

While I was out I got some of this at Bath & Body Works:

This stuff is heaven in a tube to me right now. I enjoy wearing fragrant lotions, but my pregnant nose does not. Thankfully I'm past the point of those scents making me nauseous, but the right combination can still trigger a pretty powerful headache. I've been searching for fragrances that are light and clean enough that they won't affect me adversely. Enter Twisted Peppermint - it's perfect! And oh-so holiday which is even better!

I also got to splurge on one of my favorite fast-food treats today - orange chicken from Panda Express! One of my former coworkers affectionately refers to it as orange flavored breading balls since there really doesn't seem to be a large amount of chicken in each piece. I don't care though because it is YUM-MY!

I also finished our Christmas cards today so that is one thing completely crossed off my list. Only about a hundred more things to go!

(orange chicken photo by cjanebuy)

Christmas preparations

2008-12-09T13:10:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I made the dreaded trip to the post office to mail our Christmas packages. I went mid-afternoon and surprisingly it wasn't too bad - hallelujah! For the past 4 or 5 years we've sent Christmas goodie boxes to the aunts and uncles - things like holiday coffee/tea/cocoa/cider, Christmas guest soaps, a kitchen towel, yummy scented candles, and/or some sort of sweet treat. I send them out early in December so that they have most of the Christmas season to enjoy the festive scents/flavors and so that the post office can't charge me an arm and leg to get the boxes there before Christmas.

My aunt in Chicago gets a little something extra each year and this year I decided to make her a scarf for the cold, midwest winter. It's a key-hole scarf so that you can pull one end through the other and it won't slip off your neck when it's windy.

Today I've spent the day at home working on my massive Christmas to-do list. We got a couple of inches of snow last night and while the sun is out now and the roads are probably perfectly fine, it's still a great day to stay at home.

This morning I spent a couple of hours working on our Christmas cards while listening to Christmas music.

The view out our kitchen window was white and Christmasy and so pretty. Jasmine found a great spot for hiding out and keeping an eye on the squirrels outside. She tucked herself under the Christmas tree and behind a gift - have I mentioned how cute I think this kitty is?

This afternoon I baked a batch of brownies which I am planning to indulge in later with a scoop of peppermint ice cream on top. Along with tall glass of milk - it's the perfect afternoon snack! :)

Hope your Tuesday has been a good one...

Last Day of Work

2008-12-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

Friday was my last day of work in the office. The department had a combination holiday/farewell/welcome party - farewell for me and welcome for the new employee. The party was catered and was a delicious Mexican feast - tacos, enchiladas, and the best cookies I've had in ages (not Mexican but SO good).

My coworkers surprised me with a few baby gifts, too. The office manager bought us this mobile for the nursery:

We're doing the nursery in the "Classic Pooh" theme so this mobile is just perfect. I've loved Classic Pooh for many years and it's ideal since it's gender-neutral!

The department totally spoiled us with a very generous gift card to Target and the department head threw in a Visa gift card on top of that. What unexpected blessings! I am so grateful to have worked with such wonderful people and am sad to say good-bye to seeing them on a regular basis.

Thursday I had a farewell lunch with another coworker, JoAnn, and she surprised me with this sweet baby gift:

I have heard other moms rave about how great these bibs are so I'm thrilled to have a couple of my own. The little frog has a loofah on his belly and besides that he's just adorable!

Today I have a few last emails to get through and then I'll set up my auto-response telling folks to redirect their messages to the new employee. After that I'll just be checking in with her a couple of times a week over email.

This week feels longer already - although I know I'll be filling it up with lots of things that have been put off over the past few months. It's good to be back home!

Fah-bulous!

2008-12-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Dawn wrote a post in honor of an award she'd been given and then passed it along to moi! Isn't she a sweetie?! This is my first blog award and I'm so honored!

The rules of accepting this reward are that you have to list 5 favorite addictions and pass the award along to 5 of your favorite blogs (which I am going to conveniently overlook because there is no way I could select only five blogs - I have too many faves!). So here we go!

Addiction #1: Magazines - I've written about this one before, but it really is one of my biggies. I love magazines and subscribe to more than I can ever read in a month. Just having them around makes me happy for some reason.

Addiction #2: Milk - This one seems to be pregnancy related. I've always liked milk, but since I've been pregnant I cannot seem to get enough of it. At least it's one of the healthier things I crave so I don't feel bad about it. Mmmm, just writing about it makes me want to go get a glass....

Addiction #3: Buying Fabric - I've kind of gotten a handle on this since this past spring when I was at the fabric store buying fabric faster than I could dream of completing a project. I still have a huge stack of it on top of the chest freezer in our basement that I have to move every time I need something from the freezer. I splurged and let myself buy some more last week though and it fed some kind of need deep within my soul. I think it's coordinating the fabrics that does it - I just love walking up and down the rows of bolts seeing what looks best together and trying to find the perfect combination. Ahhh, the thrill of the hunt!

Addiction #4: Shoes/Purses - I hope it's okay to group these two together because I don't think I could rank one above the other. Now that I'm pretty much wearing flats exclusively, I've decided that I need an entire shoe wardrobe of flats. A bit excessive - probably! :) These are my latest acquisitions...

I can't seem to have enough purses either. I'm currently looking to add a purple one to my collection. I'm thinking of this one...

Addiction #5: Musicals - This one sounds kind of hokey but I double checked with A to see if he would classify this as an addiction of mine and he immediately agreed wholeheartedly. So apparently I really am a musical freak. I loved performing in them in high school and wish I could still be a part of a show from time to time. In fact, there's a part of me that wishes life really was like a musical. How fun would it be to break out in song and choreographed dance moves with a bunch of strangers from time to time? I think we'd all be a lot happier! For the time being I will have to settle for attending a show whenever possible and owning all the soundtracks that I can get my hands on.

Thanks again for the honor of this award, Dawn - it's been a blast playing along!

December 5, 2007

2008-12-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm in the midst of a healthy pregnancy and am so blessed and thankful for that, I still feel that today I need to reflect on what happened a year ago that changed my life so dramatically. Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer wrote a post that sums up my thoughts pretty well...you can go read it here.

Glory Baby by Watermark
Glory baby you slipped away as fast as we could say baby…baby..
You were growing, what happened dear?
You disappeared on us baby…baby..
Heaven will hold you before we do
Heaven will keep you safe until we’re home with you…
Until we’re home with you…

Miss you everyday
Miss you in every way
But we know there’s a
day when we will hold you
We will hold you
You’ll kiss our tears away
When we’re home to stay
Can’t wait for the day when we will see you
We will see you
But baby let sweet Jesus hold you
‘till mom and dad can hold you…
You’ll just have heaven before we do
You’ll just have heaven before we do

Sweet little babies, it’s hard to
understand it ‘cause we’re hurting
We are hurting
But there is healing
And we know we’re stronger people through the growing
And in knowing-
That all things work together for our good
And God works His purposes just like He said He would…
Just like He said He would…

BRIDGE:
I can’t imagine heaven’s lullabies
and what they must sound like
But I will rest in knowing, heaven is your home
And it’s all you’ll ever know…all you’ll ever know…

Miss you and love you sweet baby...

S N O W

2008-12-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

Finally, we've gotten our first snowfall of the season.

It is so beautiful and really makes it feel like Christmas!

The ideal schedule for a day like this
Stay home
Bake cookies and yummy candies in preparation for Christmas
Listen to Christmas music all day
Snuggle up under a blanket with a good book
Take a cozy nap with the kitty

My schedule for today
Get to work early in hopes of finding a decent parking spot
Keep from falling on the ice as I make my way to and from the office
Farewell lunch with a coworker
Train new employee
Try to beat evening rush hour traffic when coming home
Final Financial Peace University class at church tonight

A girl can dream, can't she?

You got to move it, move it

2008-12-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I posted about our Thanksgiving weekend, but I left out one minor detail. I mentioned that on Thursday the baby had a little dance party and it was awesome. But what I left out is that for the next 5 days I barely felt any movement at all. I'd feel it every now and again but it didn't seem like nearly as much as I'd felt before. I sort of started to wonder if I was just imagining the little bit of movement I was feeling because it felt so sparse! Monday night I decided to really try and get some movement so I had a bowl of raspberry sherbet and then intentionally sat really still and spent some time on my left side - nothing. Tuesday morning I tried some caffeine, but unfortunately I had some errands to take care of that I couldn't really put off, so I didn't get to spend time resting to see if the caffeine prompted any movement. About 2 hours later I returned home and did have some time to lay down, but even then I barely felt a thing.

By the time I left to get lunch and head to work I was a wreck. Some days I just don't feel emotionally stable enough to become a mother! I called my mom in tears and we talked about things for a little bit and then she told me that I needed to call the doctor as they were the best people to reassure me. So I did and when I connected with the nurse she explained that fetal movement is very sporadic before 28 weeks which is why they tell you not to track it. However, she did offer to let me come in and hear the heartbeat if I thought it'd help. That afternoon I did feel a little more kicking but I still went in to hear the heart and of course everything was fine. Baby's heartbeat was strong and in the 150s and the midwife found it right away which always makes me feel better.

The funniest part about this, which I knew would happen, is what baby started doing not 15 minutes after I'd left the doctor's office. Yep, you guessed it - moving, moving, moving. I felt lots of flutters and kicks as I prepared dinner, wrote my blog post, and all throughout dinner and for the rest of the evening. Oh well - such is life I guess. And at least we know baby has a sense of humor!

(photo compliments of http://www.madagascar-themovie.com/)

Back to life, back to reality...

2008-12-02T07:39:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has taken me until Tuesday night to write a recap of our Thanksgiving weekend! Our weekend was so good, but its always hard to kiss A goodbye for another work week after we've had a few days of relaxed, holiday schedule. It does make me very excited for Christmas when he's off for 12 days though!

Thanksgiving morning I made a batch of pumpkin dinner rolls to take to my in-laws house for dinner. I'm pleased to report that the rolls worked and were very, very yummy! Oh, I should also mention that A brought the TV from our office down to the kitchen for me so that I could watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while I worked on the rolls. He knows that watching the parade is a tradition for me and it was so sweet of him to put in some extra effort to ensure I could enjoy it this year as well. We went to my in-laws at 11:30 and I worked in the kitchen with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law and peeled and diced potatoes for the mashed potatoes. Dinner all came together about 12:30 and it was delicious!! One of the weirdest things about pregnancy is that food either tastes REALLY good or REALLY gross to me. I'm so thankful that Thanksgiving fell into the first category - otherwise I would have been one hungry (and disappointed) girl!

We took some family pictures for their Christmas letter and then pretty much just hung out the rest of the day, which was awesome. Baby had a party in my tummy which was so fun to feel! I don't think I've felt it move that much so far and it was just too cool. I couldn't help but laugh - partially because it felt kind of like tickling and partially because I was just so happy to feel it moving so much. During the afternoon we also pulled out my husband's baby book and saw pictures of him as a newborn and read all about the first days of his life. I loved it so much!

Friday we SLEPT IN - no Black Friday sales for us. Actually, that's not totally true as A and I did head out at 11:00 to hit up one store each but we were back home and having lunch by 1:00pm so this was not a big shopping excursion or anything. We started on Christmas decorations on Friday and rented "The Incredible Hulk" that evening.

Saturday I made another batch of pumpkin rolls to take to a gathering of some of A's extended family. We arrived at that gathering just in time for lunch and then spent the afternoon hanging out with the family and playing games. I do a lot of sitting at these things because my feet get so incredibly achy throughout the day - and I'm still usually worn out by the end of the event! We picked up sandwiches for dinner on our way home and ate while watching "White Christmas" on Lifetime followed by another Christmas movie on Hallmark Channel. Have I mentioned how much I love Christmas movies? :)

Sunday we went to church and then attended our last family get-together for the weekend for Sunday lunch. We just went to Jason's Deli, but by that point I sort of wondered why I was still eating because I was just so stuffed from all the food throughout the weekend! Seems like most of what we did was sit around and eat! Sunday afternoon we finally burned off some of that food by finishing up our Christmas decorations. I'm going to wait until BooMama's tour of homes to show our Christmas decor, so I won't be posting any pics right now.

I didn't put everything up this year since I tire out more easily and the idea of completely overhauling our house was too overwhelming for me - but what we did put up is festive and looks pretty so I'm happy with it.

Yesterday I spent the day getting caught up from the crazy weekend and did a little resting in there too - the weekend wore me out! Today I did more stuff around home and then this afternoon I went to work to start training the new staff member! I only worked with her for a few hours but hopefully it's helping her to get acquainted with the job. I'll go in again on Thursday afternoon and then we'll see where she's at. Pray that I am a good teacher and that she catches on quickly!

So Much to be Thankful For

2008-11-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

We have been on a roller coaster ride since this time last year, but through it all God has proved faithful and GOOD. I love Matthew 7:11 which reminds us what a loving and giving Father we have:

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

During this year I have been higher than I ever thought possible and lower than I knew a person could go. We announced our first pregnancy to our extended family at Thanksgiving last year, only to find out two weeks later that we'd suffered a miscarriage. In the new year we hoped month after month while God told us to wait on a family. We have been blessed with a new car, a promotion for A in a stable job during this very uncertain time in our economy, and an unexpected job for me. We have learned valuable lessons about our marriage and our finances through two classes at church this year. I am so thankful for my husband, our miscarriage, waiting on God, our home, our sweet kitty, our families, our church, our friends, our jobs (yes, even mine), and our second pregnancy which is progressing well. I am thankful for bloggers who take the time to let me peek into their lives and experience their joys and sorrows along with them, and I am thankful for everyone who takes a moment out of their day to see what's going on in my life. I wish each of you so much joy and a full, grateful heart this Thanksgiving!

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 1 Chronicles 16:8

Ultrasound Update

2008-11-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to hop online and let you know that the ultrasound went well this morning. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Baby didn't cooperate quite like I hoped, but I suppose I should start getting used to the idea that I can't make it do what I want. Baby is tucked back pretty far so when I lay down on the ultrasound table it's at the "bottom of the pool" as the ultrasound tech likes to say which makes it a little harder to see. It's also facing my back so we got to see lots of images of the spine but not so many of its face today. Anyway, we tried a few different things and I think she was pleased with the heart images she was able to get by the end of it and said that the heart looks healthy. The doctors office was pretty slow so she also took a look at the baby overall and reaffirmed that everything is looking good. Thank the Lord!

Here's a profile shot from this morning...

That's a pretty big cranium this kid is sporting! :) Ultrasound pictures are so weird, but since I can't look inside and see what's going on, I'll take whatever imaging technology is available!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16

Cranberry Fruit Conserve, Pumpkin Dinner Rolls & A Prayer Request

2008-11-25T17:27:00.000-08:00

Apparently this is now Laura's recipe blog since that's what I seem to be posting right now. With Thanksgiving on Thursday, I guess food is big on my mind these days (not to mention that I seem to be eternally hungry thanks to a growing baby!). Today I made Cranberry Fruit Conserve. I don't really know what a conserve is in the food sense, but I use this recipe as cranberry sauce. I'd never made cranberry sauce until I hosted Thanksgiving dinner two years ago, was on the hunt for recipes and saw this on Barefoot Contessa. It looked simple enough and tasty so I decided to give it a try and I loved it! It's definitely tart but has sweetness in the background that makes it so good. Now I make it every year whether I'm hosting Thanksgiving or not.

Cranberry Fruit Conserve

Ingredients
* 1 (12-ounce) bag of fresh cranberries, rinsed in cold water
* 1 3/4 cups sugar
* 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
* 1 orange, zest grated and juiced
* 1 lemon, zest grated and juiced
* 3/4 cup raisins, optional (I omit these)
* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional (I omit these, too)

Directions
Cook the cranberries, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the skins pop open. Add the apple, zests, and juices and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add the raisins and nuts, if desired. Let cool, and serve chilled. (photo compliments of foodnetwork.com)

My mother-in-law is hosting Thanksgiving this year and I am taking rolls and an apple pie. I already have the apple pie ready to bake off which I'll do tomorrow and I'm going to try a new recipe for the rolls. I seem to really be in the mood for pumpkin and I found a recipe that incorporates pumpkin into homemade rolls...

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 cup warm milk
¼ cup butter, softened or melted
2 cup mashed cooked pumpkin (or one can of pumpkin.)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup wheat germ (can omit and use flour instead)
10-12 cup all-purpose flour (could also use a mixture of whole-wheat and white flours)
7 teaspoons dry yeast

In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, water, milk, butter, pumpkin, and salt. Mix well. Add wheat germ, 7-8 cups of the flour, and yeast. Mix, and then continue adding flour and kneading until dough is elastic and not sticky.

Place dough in greased bowl; grease top of dough, cover with a towel, and set in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch dough down and divide into thirds. Divide each third into 16 pieces and shape into balls.

Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. (Note: These rolls usually look somewhat dry when first coming out of the oven. Wait about 15 minutes and they will look and taste beautiful.)

Yield: 4 dozen rolls
(photo and recipe courtesy of moneysavingmom.com)

I'm going to halve the recipe, since we're not having a large crowd for Thanksgiving and I've heard that these rolls are best when fresh.

And finally, I am having an ultrasound tomorrow morning to look at our baby's heart. The doctors don't think there is anything wrong with it but because of the baby's position during our last ultrasound they couldn't get as detailed of a look at it as they'd like (we did get to see the 4 chambers and see the heart beating so we know that much is fine). So it'll be a short ultrasound but I'd appreciate your prayers for it. Please pray that the heart is strong and healthy and that baby cooperates for the ultrasound...thanks so much!

Addicted

2008-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Confession time. I am addicted to pumpkin-chocolate-chip bars. I would love to blame it on the pregnancy, but this year is no different than any other. Every fall when I bake up a batch they disappear entirely too quickly. I baked some over the weekend - one of these bars and a tall glass of ice-cold milk and I'm in heaven. Surely the pumpkin has some antioxidants or vitamins or something in it that the baby needs for development!

Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Bars
Makes 24

Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
* 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 1 large egg
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
* 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

In addition to keeping the cake from sticking to the pan, lining the pan with foil makes it easy to lift it out after baking. If you can't find pumpkin-pie spice, substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each allspice and cloves (all ground).

YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(recipe and photo from marthastewart.com)

Christmas Carols

2008-11-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

It has been cold and wintery here all day today, which has really started to put me in the mood for Christmas. I played Christmas music at work all afternoon and just loved hearing the familiar melodies and choruses again. There is something about Christmas music that just makes you feel good!

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Candlelight Carol" by John Rutter. I was first introduced to this song during my sophomore year of high school when my woman's choir performed it for the holiday concert. Since then I tracked down a CD of songs by John Rutter and it's one of the most special Christmas albums I own. In college I started a tradition of turning off all the lights except the Christmas tree, having a glass of sparkling cider and a couple of chocolate-covered cherries, and basking in the glow of the tree while listening to this song. It's one of my favorite traditions even though it doesn't involve A or anyone else. The music and words of the song lull me into a time of worship and reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas. I hope you enjoy it too!

Work update

2008-11-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah!!! A new employee has been hired as my replacement! Her first day will be December 1st and you better believe I am counting down.

I was supposed to be finished working at the end of October, but since they didn't have a replacement I agreed to stay on two afternoons a week. So I'm currently working Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, which has really freed up my schedule to get more things done around home. I can do probably 75% of the job from home so on the days I don't go into the office, I check email and work from home for an hour or two. The best part about the arrangement (besides getting to work in my pjs and slippers if I want to) is my office-mate...

Isn't she precious? Jasmine just loves to curl up on our desk chairs once the weather turns colder - the soft fabric must warm her right up!

Once new employee starts working I will train her a couple of days that first week of December. I am taking the whole week of Thanksgiving off work so at this point I officially have 4 days of work left - PRAISE THE LORD!

Thanks for praying for me and sticking with me through this whole unexpected work escapade!

The Story of our Miracle

2008-11-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

Being a mom is something I've always wanted. A year and a half ago I resigned from my full-time job. We had been married for almost 3 years and the timing to start a family felt right. Five months later we were thrilled when I got a positive home pregnancy test. Immediately I was thrown into excitement overload. I "knew" the first trimester was a risky time so we waited until 10 weeks along before announcing the pregnancy to others. I thought that if something bad was going to happen, it would have already occurred.

Two weeks later we learned the devastating news that I had suffered a missed miscarriage. Our baby had died at 6-7 weeks along and my body hadn't gotten the message. We figure there was really only a week or so that we knew I was pregnant and the baby was still alive. I have never felt so deceived and wronged in all my life. It was as if my own body had lied to me and that made the baby's death even more difficult to process.

So we grieved and cried and hoped and prayed that God would bless us with another little life. Each month passed and not only were we not pregnant, my body seemed to have gone completely nuts following the miscarriage and nothing was normal anymore. After discussing my symptoms with my doctor she ordered weekly blood tests and an ultrasound to determine whether or not I was ovulating regularly. Praise the Lord the tests determined that everything was fine with my body and my hormones. The diagnosis was patience - ugh (not a strength of mine).

By June I was basically a wreck. My first pregnancy would have been full-term on June 18th which opened those wounds again. I was constantly anxious about getting pregnant, would lay awake at night worrying, and my blood pressure was on the rise. One night at about 3:00am, God finally got through to me that perhaps I should just give the whole situation over to Him (novel idea isn't it?). I took a TV and Internet fast and instead focused my time and attention on hearing God speak. I claimed verses about children, family, faith, and God's goodness and prayed them daily - sometimes more often if it was an especially trying day. I sought out teaching on the miracles of God, prayer, and waiting.

On July 20th I took a pregnancy test that was positive. In that one moment I was elated and terrified at the same time - thrilled to be pregnant again and scared to death that I'd have another miscarriage. This time I knew what that pain felt like. My doctor did blood tests very early on to check my hormone levels (which were great), we had an ultrasound at 8 weeks to check on the baby (saw the heartbeat - so cool!), and we heard the heartbeat via doppler at 11, 13, 15, and 17 weeks. At 20 weeks we had our ultrasound assessment and that is when it finally set in for me that things really are okay. The baby is not just alive, but growing and developing the way it should be! Praise the Lord!

Our baby is due at the end of March and I am currently 21 weeks along. I feel the baby move every day and it's such a sweet gift of reassurance each time. I know that there is no guarantee, but I am hopeful for this pregnancy and this baby. One of my favorite things to do is pray Jeremiah 29:11-13 over the baby - "For I know the plans I have for this baby," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper it and not to harm it, plans to give it hope and a future. Then this baby will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to it. This baby will seek me and find me when it seeks me with all its heart."

I have friends who struggle with infertility much more than I did and I've met many bloggers in various stages of hoping for a family. I now pray for those women with a heart that I never would have known if it weren't for my experience. It is my prayer that my miscarriage made me a more sensitive and compassionate woman. Even though that baby was only placed in our lives for a few short weeks, it had a very big purpose and I will be forever grateful to it and to my great big God who saw fit to bless and teach me through that child's life.

God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)

An explanation...

2008-11-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry my blog posts have been lacking so much lately. I've been a little busy:

Snacking...

Reading...

Shopping...

and spending a lot of time praying!

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.
1 Samuel 1:27

Chicago: Days 6 & 7

2008-11-02T19:57:00.000-08:00

The second "half" of our trip began on Thursday, October 9 when we moved from our hotel in Oakbrook Terrace, IL to the hotel in Carol Stream, IL where we'd finish out our week. This was the hotel for my cousin's wedding - all the family and bridal party were staying there and the reception was held there Friday night. We got checked in and started meeting up with family around lunchtime. That evening was the rehearsal, followed by the rehearsal dinner. Dinner was delicious and it was so much fun to visit with everyone.

My cousins Trisha and Krista - sisters of the groom

My Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Pat

Me and my Dad

Friday we spent the day at the hotel, had an early lunch and then got ready for the wedding. The wedding colors were chocolate brown and ivory and everything had a fall theme. Every detail of the decor was beautiful and the reception hall was even prettier!

The head tables at the reception hall

Over 25 tables of 10 - a BIG reception. The favors were candy apples. YUM!

Jessica made all these centerpieces and my mom, grandma, and aunt were each asked to take one home. Are you catching the fall theme? So pretty!

The cake was banana flavored and was served with ice cream which was a nice treat. I love the Willow Tree figurine as a cake topper too.

The new Mr & Mrs, Jacob and Jessica

The wedding was a beautiful celebration of fall, but my favorite part by far was getting to see and visit with my family.

A Halloween Wish...

2008-10-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween - but in a cute way, not the scary way. I've got a bowl full of candy to hand out at work today and my Old Navy jack-o-lantern t-shirt on. The weather is gorgeous today so it'll be perfect for all the sweet little trick-or-treaters. Our traditional Halloween dinner is lasagna and we'll be watching Van Helsing - that's about as spooky as I get!

Wishing you a Spooktacular and Happy Halloween!

Chicago: Days 4 & 5

2008-10-30T23:48:00.000-07:00

The theme of Tuesday and Wednesday (October 7 & 8) was SHOPPING!! Tuesday we had a majorly lazy morning and didn't leave the hotel until lunchtime. I was hoping to find a Forever 21 store so that I could pick up a pair of these super cute shoes that I saw on Kelly's blog.

Aren't they adorable?! I love ballet flats and I love purple so they are a must have in my opinion. Unfortunately the Forever 21 we went to didn't have them, but they did have these...

They only had one pair and they were my size and only $8.50 - how could I resist?! (And I ordered the purple shoes from forever21.com so I have those too!)

It ended up pouring on Tuesday afternoon so it was a good day to spend at the mall. We had dinner at Red Lobster that night (YUM!) and then spent the rest of the evening at my aunt and uncle's house. I took a couple of pictures of my aunt's house all dressed up for fall - she does such a good job with decor!

Wednesday we started the day in Wheaton at my aunt's favorite home decor store, JB Winterberry. It's one of those stores that closes for several days each season to completely redecorate for the upcoming season. The whole stores was decked out for fall and Halloween - talk about an inspiration station! I bought this cute metal pumpkin and have it sitting on our hearth. Since it's metal I could also put it outside in the garden if I wanted to. I love it!

After Wheaton we drove to Glenview which is where my grandparents lived. We stopped at the church where their ashes are buried and also drove by their old house.

Wednesday night was our last with my aunt and uncle so we had a yummy Italian dinner at their house.

Thursday morning we moved to the wedding hotel in Carol Stream and met up with the other side of my family for the rehearsal and wedding - but that's the next post!

Chicago: Day 3

2008-10-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Monday, October 6 was beautiful and ideal for a trip into downtown Chicago. My aunt and uncle picked us up from our hotel and we were on our way. Upon our arrival we drove up and down Lake Shore Drive to get an overview of the city and see the skyline and Lake Michigan. This was my second time in Chicago and it didn't disappoint!

Donald Trump's new building being built along Milwaukee Avenue.

We enjoyed a cafe lunch in Millennium Park and had fun taking pictures of The Crown Fountain and "Cloud Gate".

Our view at lunch!

After lunch we toured the Art Institute of Chicago. I went to the Art Institute about 10 years ago and was thrilled to see some of my favorites again this time.

"The Croquet Game" by Winslow Homer

"The Child's Bath" by Mary Cassatt

"Cliff Walk at Pourville" by Claude Monet

Ballet Dancer by Edgar Degas

On our way out of town we stopped at a cute Italian grocery store and picked up this wonderful fresh, homemade pumpkin ravioli and primavera sauce to have for dinner back at my aunt and uncle's house. Delicious!

Chicago: Days 1 & 2

2008-10-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 4, A drove me to DIA where I met up with my mom and dad for our trip to Chicago. We weren't sure how much airport traffic there would be on a Saturday so we planned plenty of time. Of course when you have plenty of time everything zips by without any delays. There was no line to check our bags, barely any line at security and we were at our gate almost a full 2 hours before the plane was due to depart. They ended up boarding our plane early and we were on our way before we knew it! The flight was smooth and I got to watch HGTV the whole way there.

Upon landing in Chicago we got our bags (which thankfully all arrived - I'm always quite the prayer warrior while waiting to see if all the luggage made it okay) and then picked up our rental car. We started heading toward our hotel in Oakbrook Terrace. On the way my dad called my aunt and uncle and we all decided to meet up for dinner first. We went to a restaurant called Portillo's which has really good Chicago-style hot dogs and lots of other yummy sandwiches.

After filling our bellies we went to my aunt and uncles house (in Glen Ellyn) for dessert - my aunt had made my Nana's make-from-scratch brownie recipe and boy oh boy were they GOOD! We made plans for Sunday and then Mom, Dad, and I said goodnight to go get settled into our hotel. It felt great to have my head finally hit the pillow that night!

Sunday, October 5 we slept in a bit (this is a theme for the trip so just know that about each morning) and then met up with my aunt and uncle at their house. We loaded into their car and drove over to Wheaton to go to Cantigny. We drove though lots of cute neighborhoods and Wheaton's very quaint and picturesque downtown on the way there. Cantigny was the home of Robert M. McCormick who was an editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune for 44 years. When he died his home and 500-acre property was turned into a public park with beautiful gardens and two amazing museums. It was cloudy and rained off and on while we were there so I didn't get a good picture of the mansion (which is now a museum), but here is one that I found on the web. The mansion has 35 rooms - all of which are gorgeous!

Robert McCormick was also a Colonel in World War I so there is a Military Museum on the property too. My mom and aunt and I were kind of tired by that point in the afternoon so we went back to the Visitors Center to get some refreshments while my dad and my uncle went to the war museum. The museum has life-size dioramas of some scenes from WWI, WWII, and Vietnam which I would have liked to have seen, but I'll just have to do that next time I guess. A would LOVE that museum so we'll definitely have to go back there sometime.

We left Cantigny about 2:30pm and searched out some lunch. We ended up at a shopping center right near a movie theater and had lunch at a restuarant called Max and Erma's. After lunch we went to the movie "Flash of Genius" which was good, but a little slow at times. After the movie it was back to my aunt and uncle's house for dessert. We skipped dinner since we'd had such a late lunch, but of course we couldn't skip dessert! We hung out, talked, laughed and had a good evening together before heading back to our hotel to retire for the night.

Next Chicago post: Day 3 - the city!

Home Sweet Home

2008-10-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello! I am home safe and sound from Chicago and am embarrassed to say that I have been for over a week. Somehow this last week just took off on me and never slowed down for me to catch up. I feel like I'm still running behind!

I do want to post some recaps of my trip and will be doing that in the days to come. For now I just have time to pop in and wish you all a wonderful Monday!

Leavin' on a jet plane

2008-10-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

My bags are packed, the house is clean, the kitchen is stocked and a week's worth of meals have been prepared. My three bazillion errands are done and I've picked up everything from foundation to new shoes to snacks for the flight. I think I am officially ready for the trip!

I won't be blogging from Chicago but I am going to try and be very intentional about taking photos so that I have lots to post after I get back. I'll miss reading blogs while I'm away but I'm already looking forward to getting caught up with everyone after I get back.

"See" you in a week!!

Bridal shower invitation

2008-10-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

In November, I am helping to throw a bridal shower for my brother-in-law's fiancee (which would make her my soon-to-be-sister-in-law, I guess - how's that for a lengthy title?). The shower is being held at my in-law's church, which is also where the happy couple currently attends, so most of the guests will be invited through an announcement in the church bulletin. However, there are a few friends and family members being invited who don't attend the same church and we needed a few invitations to mail to them. The wedding colors are red, white, and black which was the inspiration for the invitations, plus a wedding theme of course. I kept the design simple since I didn't have a lot of time to put into them. Here's what I came up with...

(you can click on the photo for a larger view)

The cake and flowers are from PaperTrey Ink. I love the simplicity of the images and yet to me they look so classy and elegant. Once I got going on all the invitations (I made 10) they really only took me about an hour to make - perfect!

I bought red envelopes to mail them in so the whole thing will look coordinated. Being coordinated is pretty much my life's theme, I think!

We're doing more shower planning after I get back from my trip. This is the first shower I've ever thrown and planning it has been so much fun - I'm always up for a party!

Welcome October

2008-10-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have finally gotten some fall decorating done around here. I'll post more photos after my trip, but here are a few of the fall touches I've put up. First up, I made a new bow for my flower pot wreath. I love the polka dots!

(The colors of the bow didn't show up too well in this photo, but the ribbons are orange and a sheer brown.)

Here's the fall decor in our entryway...

There's cinnamon scented potpourri around the base of the hurricanes and it smells SO good. I love walking through our front door now - nothing like cinnamon and fall decor to say "welcome home."

Like shoes?

2008-09-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and designer Stuart Weitzman is raising awareness and proceeds to support early ovarian cancer detection. This year marks the eighth year that the company has hosted a celebrity shoe auction. Shoes designed by Ashlee Simpson, Jessica Simpson, Christie Brinkley, Gwen Stefani, and others are up for bid here.

Of course I'm not interested in bidding, but the shoes are very creative and fun to look at! Here's one of my favorites...

Happy shoe "shopping"!

Baking Extravaganza

2008-09-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

For the past 4 years my friend Sarah and I have gotten together on a Saturday in the fall to bake. We each select a recipe for the upcoming fall/Christmas season, bring the ingredients, and also make an apple pie to freeze and bake when we need it. This Saturday was our baking day this year. We made two kinds of truffles (Sarah's recipe)...

Swirled pumpkin bread (my recipe) - and yes, I did cut a slice off to enjoy with my breakfast Sunday morning...

and apple pie, ready to freeze and bake later this fall...

Tomorrow I am taking treats to the college Christian organization where A and I met. Sunday I baked these cookies called "Peanut Butter Spotlights." They are a peanut butter cookie batter with Reese's pieces throughout. YUM! I hope the students enjoy them.

So now we have a loaf of pumpkin bread that we're enjoying, another loaf in the freezer, a frozen apple pie to bake and enjoy later, several dozen truffles in the freezer (which will be perfect for Christmas parties), and cookies for the poor, starving college students. With all this baking, I almost feel like a decent homemaker again! ;)

My kind of town

2008-09-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

In less than a week I'll be on a plane bound for Chicago. My dad lived in Chicago from age 11 on. My grandparents lived there until they died and my aunt and uncle still do. I have lots of wonderful memories of trips to Chicago in the fall to see my dad's side of the family.

Next week I'll be traveling with my mom and dad to spend 5 days at my aunt and uncle's house. On Thursday we'll move to a hotel for my cousin's wedding. This is one of my cousins on my mom's side of the family so I'll get to see most of my family over the course of the week. Talk about a family reunion!

A will be staying here to hold down the fort and take care of Jasmine. Traveling with my mom and dad without Hubby will almost be like being a kid again!

I'm determined to be ready for this trip without scrambling at the last minute. Too many last minute details equals stress and I'm not interested in that. I've been planning what to pack and have started putting stuff in the suitcase this weekend. Of course I also have to get ready to be away from home by getting food ready for A and taking care of stuff around here. And errands - why does it seem like the list of errands always doubles before a trip?!

So that's what I'll be doing this week - I'll keep you posted!

Patio Table: Before and After

2008-09-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

This summer we decided to do a little refurbishing project on our patio table and shortly after we decided to do it, BooMama announced her Before and After event. I feel a little silly playing along because this isn't a whole room makeover or anything, but I figured I'd post the photos anyway.

This is our patio table before:

After washing, sanding, re-washing, and painting each piece and then recovering the cushions, here is the new look:

The whole project was completed for under $20 plus some time and elbow grease on our part. It's fun to look out the back and see this labor of love though - I am very, very pleased with how it turned out!

Job update and a prayer request

2008-09-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

When I resumed working at the end of July, I indicated that I'd be filling in for my former employer for 5-8 weeks. I'm not sure if anyone else is doing the math, but 8 weeks would have put my last day at last Friday. And yet here I sit at my desk with a pile of work around me and no sign of a replacement.

My purpose for writing this post is two-fold. The first reason is to explain my continued absence from the blog world. And the second is to ask for your prayers.

I have committed to continuing to work through October. However, October begins next week and after that there are 4 weeks until I'm finished. That's 4 weeks to interview, hire someone, wait for that person to start (i.e. 2 weeks notice at their current job), and then train them. I hope this doesn't sound cruel, but I feel that I really need to stick with my deadline. When I signed on for this I never imagined that I'd be bringing in Halloween treats for my co-workers - I thought I'd be long gone before jack-o-lanterns ever started making an appearance. I'm used to the idea at this point, but I'm done playing the if-you-don't-hire-someone-I'll-just-stick-around-forever game. To complicate things a bit further, my employer has yet to even advertise the position. I had a verbal commitment that the job would be posted on Sept 4 which was 3 weeks ago - obviously that didn't happen.

I don't know their reasons for not posting the job opening, and maybe they are very good reasons, but it's a little hard not to feel taken advantage of at this point. While I am very flattered that they apparently like me so much that they don't want me to leave, I'm am unhappy that their end of the bargain has not been upheld. I am a people pleaser and I have a very hard time with confrontation and doing anything that I feel will upset another person, so imagine my joy about having to put my foot down about this. Ugh...

My prayer request is that God would bring someone quickly for this job. When the job finally does get advertised (and that is a prayer request of its own!), please pray that the interviewing and hiring process would be swift. I ask your prayers for the person that God already has for this job - that their mind will be sharp and prepared for all the training they will receive. And finally, please pray for me because some days it is very hard to come to work with a positive attitude and give my best effort. God has done a lot of work in me through this temporary assignment and I'm confident it's been a part of His plan all along. I am so thankful and blessed for that, but I am also ready to move on to the other plans He has for me.

Whew! That was kind of heavy, wasn't it? I'll try to bring something a bit lighter and more fun next time I post, but I wanted to share what's been on my heart and going on in my life right now. I love that prayer can be such a connection in the blogging community - thanks in advance for yours!

Blessings,

Just a dab will have to do...

2008-09-16T21:07:00.001-07:00

I have had very little time to craft, make cards, sew, or cook/bake lately - basically all my hobbies have been put on the back burner for the time being. I'm pretty okay with that since I know it's temporary, but the past couple of days I've especially missed being creative. This evening I sat down and made a birthday card for my sister-in-law. Her birthday is in October but I am taking her gift to her this weekend so I needed to get her card made.

The image is Lattebella from Stamping Bella. My sis-in-law loves coffee and Starbucks so this bella girl is perfect for her!

A couple of weeks ago I needed some thank you notes so I made these. The card design is quick and simple, which is what my schedule needed! The image is from Stampin' Up and the paper is from the DCWV fall 2007 paper stack.

I'm looking forward to having time for my hobbies again, but in the meantime these stamping interludes will just have to make do!

Weekend in Review

2008-09-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had two projects on my "must-do" list.

1) Freeze peaches

2) Steam clean our carpets

My mother-in-law knows a guy who goes to the western Colorado slope every late summer/early autumn to buy peaches. They're sold in 25 pound boxes and I buy a half a box every year to use for pies and cobblers during the winter. They arrived this last week but I didn't have a chance to freeze them until this weekend. We ate some of them fresh during the week but this morning after church I peeled, sliced, and froze the rest of them. We now have 14 cups of peaches in the freezer for some yummy baking in the coming months!

Last weekend we visited my mom and dad in Colorado Springs. I'll see Mom again next weekend when we meet up in Denver for the Women of Faith conference. It's not often that I get to see her every couple of weeks, so I took advantage of the schedule and borrowed their carpet cleaner. It's kind of large so I don't really like to store it any longer than necessary and this way I can give it to her next weekend when I see her. Our carpet is just over two years old so it's still in really good condition and doesn't really require a full, professional cleaning yet. We borrow Mom and Dad's steam cleaner once a year or so and spot clean any areas that are looking a little shabby. Last year I took care of this by myself, but yesterday A got involved and he really got into it! I had three small areas in mind to clean, but by the time he was finished he'd cleaned probably 60% of the living room, our entire office, the area at the top of our stairs and the adjacent hallway, and the main area of our family room. Go hubby, GO - I am one grateful wife!

This afternoon we made a trip to the mall to get A fitted for a tux. A's brother is getting married in December and he is a groomsman. I love seeing him all dressed up in a tux!

While we were at the mall I got two new pairs of pants (jeans and a pair of cords) and a new pair of shoes - hooray for me! I feel like I did when I was little and we'd go back to school shopping. I'm really into ballet flats lately, so here's the cute brown pair I found today.

I love them and they are sooooo comfortable!

This evening I made cheesy potatoes and ham for dinner and it's smelling like they have finished baking, so I'm going to sign off. Hope you've had a relaxing and wonderful weekend!

Quirks

2008-09-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness Faith tagged me with this "quirky" meme because I have been seriously lacking for blogging inspiration. It's not that my life has been boring, just not necessarily blog worthy. Anyway, I was thrilled when Faith let me know I'd been tagged because this gives me a perfect excuse to blog!

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag six fellow bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the six blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Here's the quirky scoop on me...

1) I hate having water on my face or in my eyes. I have been this way ever since I can remember and even have memories of being in the bathtub as a kid and having to tip my head way, way back so my mom could rinse the shampoo out of my hair without getting any down my face. To this day I have to shower with a washcloth and I'm constantly wiping the water off my face and especially out of my eyes. My husband loves to just stick his whole head under the spray to rinse off - I will NEVER do this.

2) My books have to be kept in pristine condition. No matter how many times I've read them, I don't like the cover wrinkled, the pages bent, or (heaven forbid!) the spine creased. Basically my goal after having read a book is to have it still looking like I just brought it home from the book store.

3) I can't have the covers over my head when I'm asleep (or at least falling asleep. If I do I feel like I'm being smothered and suffocated. Again, hubby thinks this is nuts and loves to burrow all the way down into the blankets, but not me. I will pull them way up over my head, but I have to make a little air tunnel between my face and the outside world lest I use up all the oxygen under those covers.

4) I organize my grocery list according to the store layout. I find that it saves me time and helps keep cold items from warming up while I wander to and fro along every aisle in the rest of the store. It takes a little more time when I'm making my plan, but since I make one big shopping trip a month, I'm already making a huge list anyway and organizing doesn't really take that much longer. Plus it really satisfies my control freak personality.

5) I am a neat freak everywhere in my life except on my desk at home. Even I can't figure out or justify this one. I thought for about .4 seconds about posting a picture just so you can see what a mess my desk is, but it's just too embarrassing for an organizational freak like me. I do prefer it clean and will straighten it up from time to time, but when the slightest bit of stress or craziness comes into my life, it is back to looking like a paper bomb went off. I'm so ashamed.

6) I love, love, love magazines. I buy them just because they make me happy. When I worked full-time I bought one or two nearly every time I went to the grocery store, but now I try and subscribe to the ones I really love, which is still around 10 or so. It's harder to keep up with them right now and I have a lovely pile of around 20 or so next to our couch that I'm still needing to flip though. Oh well - they'll keep! :) Still, there is nothing like coming home after work and relaxing and escaping into a magazine for a few minutes!

Now for the tagging part which makes me a little nervous. I honestly don't know too many people who read my blog, but I'll give it a whirl. I tag Kristin, Gretchen, Dawn, and Mer. I know that's not six, so if you want to play along, please join in!

It's Fall!!!

2008-09-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't had time to put up any fall decor around home, I did a little fall decorating around my blog! Hope you like it and that it makes you feel like curling up under a cozy quilt with a mug of hot apple cider - YUM!

Faith tagged me on her blog so I'll be back soon with my post - till then!