a baby girl update.

This week wasn't one you can really plan for. Anticipation of Valentine's and a low key night at home we what we hoped for in terms of celebrating that holiday and the daily routines of our week were expected to roll along. On Monday night (while Seth was out) I started having some strong and consistent contractions that continued into the evening. Thinking I had overdone it, I woke up on Tuesday morning, with more of the same. After a few calls to the midwives office and finally getting an answer, they sent me to L&D to make sure everything was ok and to try and get the contractions under control. Drinking water and staying off my feet didn't seem to be enough.

Becca was seriously the hero of Tuesday. Picking me up, taking care of A and Behr that morning (I feel like I made her an overnight mother of two), and waiting in the waiting room for the results. The good news is everything is good with baby sister, there are no signs of infection,  and it seems my body just doesn't like the end of the third trimester.

Two bags of fluids, one shot of terbeutaline, and 8 hours later we were finally home. And it felt so good. Just to be in my own bed, to not have to stay in a hospital, and to have our family together. Albeit, our life has been significantly modified. I was optimistic when they got the contractions to stop I would be free as a bird to go on my way, but I've spent the last week on total bed rest and will be into the next few weeks.

It's been a change to our somewhat "busy" life. I feel like someone literally just hit the brakes, but I'm sitting in the car wanting it to move. Quiet, simple, and slow are not words I would use to describe our life, but for the good of this little one, I'll take it. A has been so well cared for and we have received help from many sides. She has spent many mornings with Becca, "Dre Dre", Behr and "Titi." And I am so glad she has come to love their house as a home away from home and Mommy. Seth's Aunt Cindy and cousins came Friday and she saved the day changing the sheets on my bed, getting us caught up on laundry, running errands and watching A. We have been very blessed.

Seth and A have been my heroes. Doing laundry, changing diapers, dishes, trash, vacuuming, feeding, and the list could go on. I don't know what I would do without him. A has had to adjust to a lot in a short amount of time and all things considered, she has been a gem. She survived hospital day with no nap, being shuffled from house to house, and has embraced this time with amazing grace for a 2 year old. She keeps telling me "doctor make Mommy alllllll better." She has been a very bright spot in this time.

Target trip with Titi. She has been asking me to ride in the infant seat every time she sees it, but I kept telling her it was for baby sister. She knew that this trip was special and how can a Titi say no to that?

Waiting room fun with her favorite little buddy, Behr. These two are really the sweetest together and they are both def my favorites. Things like this cheer me up so much. 

Finally getting to come visit Mommy with Daddy. She was very interested in all the wires and wanted to drink all my juice.  

Waiting for Dre Dre in the morning. On this particular morning it was very important to her that she have her backpack loaded with everything a little 2 year old could possibly want.

Here we are at 33w 4 d and we wait, knowing the God who made this sweet girl knows her birthdate and planned it before he laid the foundations of the earth. Truly, we can't wait to meet her and we pray she wants to hang out for a little while longer before she makes her appearance.

Many thanks to all who have prayed for us, texted, emailed, called, brought us meals, and cared for our girl. We cannot thank you enough.

baby behr.

There are so many things in life that start with a dream, hope, lots of prayers, and in many cases, waiting. Waiting for something so very good, but trusting in God's perfect time. The birth of this boy represents all of that. This baby was a baby that we had prayed, hoped, and waited for, for a long time. Waiting, even in the midst of heartache, sadness, and grief makes the joy of his arrival that much sweeter. 

Becca and I have done just about everything together for our almost past 15 years of friendship, high school yearbook, college, graduation, boys, maids of honor, marriage, and then we both knew we wanted to be Mommies together. On November 19th, 2009, we welcomed this wonderful girl Audrey into our lives and just like with so many things Becca was there. And for the past two years, she has been one of my biggest supports, encouragements, and friendship in motherhood. There are so many moments that I don't know what I would have done without her help. Audrey has been loved like her own girl in so many ways. 

And on that day, December 6th, it was her turn, and I was so grateful to be a part of that moment and huge joy in her life. I will never forget those 12 hours, from her text at 5:30pm saying her water broke at Giant, to midnight texts from Dre with her contraction tracker log, leaving for the hospital at 1:30am, and Behr finally being born at 7:45am. She was a champ, a rockstar, my hero (And Becca is one of the only people I would stay up all night for).

This boy is such a wonderful gift to so many. You are loved little Behr. So so much. More than you could ever know. 

hey baby.

On July 28th, I got this. One test, thats all it took and I was pretty convinced. 

Then on September 7th at my midwife appointment, we are hearing the heartbeat and Seth couldn't contain his joy and decided it was a good time to announce it to the world, via twitter.

To our delight and to our friend Brian's (probable) disappointment, there was just one little baby bean. 

And Audrey is more than overjoyed to be a big sister and we are too to welcome another little baby into our family sometime on or around March 30th. 

More on this baby later, because lets just say it has rocked my world and there are far too many people to thank for helping me get through the first trimester. 

baby favorites.

ever since audrey was born I have been wanting to compile my baby favorites, and as friends have new babies, I am constantly giving out a list of my must have baby items. its a diverse list, but I narrowed it down to the items that I have used the most during audrey's first year.

if you know someone who is having a baby and need to give a gift, any of these would be a huge blessing no doubt.

aden+anais swaddle blankets. I am pretty much convinced that I couldn't have survived the first 3-4 months without these. several moms recommended them to me and I am so glad I went out to buy them before audrey was born. they are the best size for swaddling, lightweight, comfy, and you can use them to cover the babies in their carriers, etc.

swaddle designs sleep sack. the first one we got was a gift from my baby shower and we loved it so much we bought it in a bigger size. I love how soft and thick they are and do a great job keeping baby warm when they outgrow the swaddle age.

ugg baby boots. truth be told I don't think it makes any sense to spend big bucks on baby, but if you have a gift card these are well worth it, especially for the cold winter months we have here. we couldnt get audrey to keep her socks on to save our lives and shoes were the same story, these were the best solution and we def dont regret spending the money.

maclaren umbrella stroller. if you talk to any mom who has one they love them. and I couldn't have survived audrey's first trip out west without it. I was able to hold a 4 month old and fold a stroller with one hand. truly a godsend. and makes for good quick errands to the store when you dont want to pull something heavy out of the trunk.

carters white onesies. I prefer the carters onesies over the gerber brand...solely on the basis that they are pretty true to size. the gerber brand runs very small.

old navy socks. before audrey was really into pulling off her socks, these were the only socks that actually fit and would stay on her little baby feet. baby gap also makes them too.

munchkin spoons. I pulled these out for the first time a few weeks ago to give audrey some food and I don't know why I waited so long. the long handle made feeding her so much easier.

bumkins bibs. I tried several other brands and these were the only ones that did the job for a. you can throw them in the wash, they dry quickly, the fold up easily to throw in your purse, and they have good coverage.

bottles. I nursed audrey for the first 14 months, but seth and I left her with a sitter at least once a week for date night and these bottles were the best. my neighbor, who had a baby a few weeks before me, passed one along to me, and after trying so many other bottles this was the only kind a would take. changed our lives. if you are planning on nursing and also bottle feeding, this is a great option. once she got the hang of it, I was able to phase these out and started using these glass bottles that I got at my baby shower. 

bundle me. if you have a winter baby this is a must have. we couldn't have survived without it. and this past christmas we got the toddler bundle me for our stroller. (right now the price is the cheapest I've ever seen it, $26.99 on amazon)

baby mum-mum. for months 7-12, these were a favorite snack for a. and are great for throwing in your purse on the go or your diaper bag. they have def been a godsend when out with a fussy baby.

jj cole diapers and wipes pod. this has been a lifesaver. you have diapers and wipes in the same place, with a changing pad. great for errands on the go or when you stop carrying a diaper bag and want to just carry your purse.

dust buster. random. I know. but trust me had I known how much I would have used it now, I would have put one on my baby registry. once the kids start eating and you dont want to have to break out the vacuum after ever meal, this has saved the day time after time.

petit appetit cookbook. this was a gift from one of my sweetest friends and was such a blessing for this inexperienced new mom who wanted to make my own baby food.

american apparel baby beanie hat. these are the best. and also make a great gift. the first one we got was a gift to us, and with so many colors to choose from, its been fun to pick out more for little a to wear. and really they look adorable on little babes (figure below).

Snuggles and a Story

Seth has been the primary blogger on here the past few days. Now that I have somewhat adjusted to mommyhood or at least felt a lot better, I have to say being a mommy has been one of my favorite jobs in life so far (next to being Seth's wife). Caring for little Audrey has stretched me to the limit, but it has been an incredible opportunity to trust in the Lord in moments when I have no idea what to do or how to care for her best. She has been an added measure of joy to mine and Seth's lives. I honestly can't remember what life would be like without her.

Our little meeper is a sleeper. Since birth, we have had to wake her up to feed her at night. If we let her she could sleep 6+ hours. On the downside of that, we can't let her do that in these first few weeks until she gets back up to her birth weight. How's that for a goal? And hopefully by then maybe she will easily transition back to her sleep ways. I am probably an optimistic first time mommy.

This past week has been provided lots of opportunities for reflection and its hard to believe we have already had a week with her. It feels like just yesterday I held her for the first time. In considering her birth, it was probably one of the most amazing experiences.

Seth and I optimistically planned for a natural birth and by the amazing grace of God everything happened according to our birth plan. We walked away from the experience feeling so so blessed and very grateful for God's grace to get through it all. Looking back I honestly can't say "this is when I went into labor" but it seemed liked something that happened progressively over the span of a few days with the real deal kicking in on Thursday morning. I woke up after a night of mostly disrupted sleep and called the midwives and they confirmed that I was actually in labor. It felt like a pretty normal day. Seth headed off to work and Becca came over to hang out with me just in case anything happened while he was gone. I labored through contractions that were coming about 5 minutes apart all morning and then when Seth got home around 1pm my labor stalled out and I wondered if she was going to come at all. I called the midwives back around 4pm when it seemed like nothing was progressing and she encouraged me to take advantage of the break and take a nap. About 30 minutes later the stall was over and contractions were coming one on top of the other about 1-2 minutes apart. I decided to get some relief and take a bath and Seth got our stuff together in case it was time to go to the hospital. Around 5pm, me not being in the mood to talk, Seth called the midwives and she said she would meet us at the hospital in 30 minutes. Contractions continued, we arrived, and after filling out some papers were able to get a bed in triage in L&D (which was God's mercy with there being 15 deliveries that night) and found out I was 5cm, 90% effaced and 0 station. After waiting about an hour or so, we finally got a room. 3 hours later I had only progressed to 6 cm and I was really discouraged after many hard contractions, and as we were talking options about breaking my water, all of sudden my water broke on its own. From that point on, I pretty much begged for the epidural, but it was definetly too late and I was so so close. I progressed from 6cm to 8-9cm and really wanted to push so the midwife let me and I went right to 10. 45 minutes after my water broke, including 10 minutes of pushing, our sweet baby girl made her entrance into the world. It was so surreal and now thinking in a rational state of mind, it was totally worth it. Some people called me crazy for going natural, and when I was in the midst of transition I thought I was too. It was the hardest work I have ever done, but God helped Seth and I make it through.

Seth was amazing. I had back labor pretty much the whole time and had I not been fighting that, it honestly wouldn't have been that bad. With each contraction he put counter pressure on my back and without his help I wouldn't have been able to do it. He encouraged me and reminded me of truth. He gave me ice chips and kisses. I love him so much more for it. We did it together (and I had some pretty amazing friends help out too). And, I would totally do it all over again to hold her for the first time.

First Bath

check and check.

bags are packed.

carseat is "installed."

already done one mall walk.

house is clean (thanks to an amazing group of CG ladies who surprised me while I was gone for a weekend).

baby clothes are washed.

maternity pictures are done.

now we just need a baby.

and we can't wait to meet her.

My Promotion

Here is why I love my job, but why I am so excited about my new job just a few weeks away. A recent snippet of an email from my boss.

J-

Before you depart for the promotion-

Can you edit the letter and send it out.

Coming home and caring for this baby girl is just that, a promotion. On the cusp of such a major life change, I am excited and at times anxious, but rarely do I think of it that way. So grateful for incredible bosses who remind me of truth even in my final days on the job. Entering a world of changing diapers, losing sleep, and caring 24/7 for a new little one can seem like an overwhelming task that even the most administrative person is hardly equipped to handle, but God's grace will be there to help in every moment. That is what builds my faith to leave the desk and the laptop and embrace my new companions: diapers, wipes, and feedings.

And not only that, I go forward with this promise from 2 Corinthians 12:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Do I love sleep more than anything? Yes (just ask Seth). But I know God's Word is true and I can't wait to experience the strength of Christ in the midst of my weakness in all new ways.

Progress

Baby girl has a room! This is what the nursery looked like before (above) and now:
It is still a work in progress but it has come a long way thanks to Seth's hard work. He amazes me. We are waiting on the crib and this week finally found a rocking chair/glider (thanks to all the Mom's for advice!). I'm really happy we patiently searched because it was worth all the effort.
And here she is, all almost 4 pounds of her at 31 weeks.

Why I'm Grateful Little Meeps is a Girl

So I can buy her cute outfits like this from Baby Gap on sale.

Almost 27

Current Craving: Chick Fil A Lemonade, Capn Crunch with Crunch Berries (I know, so wholesome) and pretty much any kind of fruit.

She weighs almost 2 pounds and is 14 inches long.

We are starting to move furniture around upstairs to make way for the nursery. Decorating has been so much and here is my inspiration for the nursery:
I'm not too much of a traditional pink for girls kind of person, except when it comes to clothes, so we are branching out and painting her room blue and white.

A few months back Seth made a deal with me that if he got to buy a Playstation3 that I could get to pick out any diaper bag I wanted up to the cost of what he paid for the gaming system. Fully intending to cash in on the deal, with the help of my friend Jess Sid, I finally settled on a brown and turquoise polka dot kate spade. It is perfect.

Pregnancy Milestone

I just bought and wore my first pair of maternity jeans today. At 26 weeks (with hopefully 14 weeks go to go), now I finally feel like I am having a baby?

23 Weeks

Here are me and little meeper girl at almost 23 weeks. Special thanks to my favorite Kristen and making these side shots so much easier (not taking a picture of yourself really makes it feel less awkward).

Baby girl is getting so big and some recent developments include being able to see her little kicks now on the outside.

Everyone keeps asking about names, I hate to disappoint, but I have a feeling she won't have an official name until she goes home from the hospital. I really want to see her first before we decide. Picking a name is such a big deal, that seeing her sweet face would just make the decision so much easier.

Grapefruits

Every time I finish off a grapefruit and squeeze out the remaining juice its always gives me such a feeling of satisfaction and the taste of it reminds me of trips to Florida and visits with my Grandma Kay. They had trees in the backyard to pick from and yesterday at the store I finally found grapefruits big enough to match the size of the ones we used to have.

As I sat here today eating it, it made me think of my Grandma, of the special memories spent with her, talking about jazz, education, stories, and life. These were some of my most cherished memories. And today I miss her, its been two years since she has been gone and I wish I could pick up the phone after thinking of her and say hi and tell her she is going to be the great grandma to a sweet baby girl. But oh how sweet that makes heaven. That Lord willing, someday she will know this sweet baby who we eagerly await the arrival of and that she can hear the wonderful stories Grandma told me and maybe even share a grapefruit together.

That would be sweet.

According to Anonymous

"You don't look really look pregnant. You just look like you have been eating too many cookies."

Wasn't really sure if I should understand that to be that she was telling me that I am so small but I look like I have a little pudge or what?

Pregnancy brings out all the good material I guess.

It's a girl!

And I'm not sure you could find two more excited parents. We were so happy when we found out and it has only increased our excitement to meet her. Still deciding on names, but in the meantime, she has already been accumulating a closet full of super cute clothes for her to wear.

In other baby developments, people are finally starting to tell me that I'm showing. Now I really feel like I'm having a baby? But all that to say, I am grateful to still be comfortably wearing my own pants and haven't quite crossed over to the maternity world yet. I figure I will make up for lost time with my size in trimester 3.

Also, she is moving around a ton and last week Seth got to feel her kick for the first time. I think that made his whole week, aside from finding out it was a girl. All in all, feeling pretty good, and already can't wait for November to be here.

"little little meeper"

5 Weeks, before sickness really set in.

12 weeks, finally starting to feel better. Not quite showing.

16 weeks on the beach at Cape May. Showing a tiny bit at this point.

Almost 20 weeks. Still wearing my pants and finally showing a little bump, but not big enough to have that "I am pregnant and that is why I have this gut" kind of look. (I have to say these pictures are terrible looking. Is there really an attractive way to do this?)

We are counting down the days until boy or girl and in the meantime Little Meeper is kicking up a storm. I'm convinced their acrobatic skills start in the womb. It's really the sweetest thing and its just that little reminder that they are in there growing more and more by the day. New life is such a gift from God.

Boy or Girl?

We find out July 6th and we can't wait.

Here's the bad part...I'm off that day for the July 4th holiday and our appointment is at 10:30am, leaving the rest of the day to shop? How can I resist? Especially if its a girl.

Any guesses from our blog reading friends?

And just to leave friends and family from afar in suspense(I still don't have a picture to post right now)...I am kind of starting to show. Still wearing my normal pants, but it seems like Little Meeper can't stay in hiding forever.

sweet baby

We are excited to be welcoming our first little baby into the world in November! And just because our lives are already full enough, our due date is the week of Thanksgiving. For the sake of celebrating this child's birthday I'm praying they come way early or way late so their birthday isn't wrapped up into Thanksgiving festivities. How not fun is that?

Either way, we are thrilled to be welcoming this new little baby into our family, affectionately named "Little Meeper" (Seth picked it out, you can ask him why) for now until we find out if it's a boy or a girl. I'm about 15 weeks along and we are hoping we won't have to wait too much longer to find out. I think I'm too much of a planner to not find out what it's going to be, Seth agrees.

Thankfully most of the sickness has passed and I'm back to making meals, cleaning the house, and getting back into my "normal" routine.

And, I have a feeling this baby is going to have a lot of friends. It seems like everyone I know who is having a baby their due dates are between Thanksgiving and Christmas and some friends even share my due date, not to mention friends who just entered the world!