Book Themed Baby Shower!

We had such a great time putting together a Children's Book Themed baby shower for my sister-in-law. Pinterest was such a help during the planning process!! I pinned tons of ideas on my Baby Shower board. But a few posts in particular played a big part in deciding what we did. ;-) 

This post inspired our invitations which were made using this free downloadable library card template.

And what is a party without awesome food? Taking notes from posts like this one, this one and this one, each item on our menu corresponded with a children's book.

 We printed cupcake toppers and mounted them on skewers and cardstock. These printables are similar to what we use.

 And of course... there were games. We loved the Baby Shower Price is Right!

The best part was having all of us all together and being able to bless the mom-to-be! Congrats to Jenny and Kyle!

Baby Gift

My friend just threw her sister a baby shower and wanted to make her something special for the baby so we made these awesome appliqued burp cloths.  We love how they turned out and so did the mom-to-be!

Girls Vacation!

I was blessed to spend the last week on the road with three of my favorite ladies!  My best friend, my mom and one of my aunts and I hit the road from our home in the Hoosier state and made our way to Florida for my cousin's wedding.  We spent a couple of days on the beach and then headed up to Georgia for a few days with my sister who just a baby last month.  What a good time with great ladies!  Here are a few of the highlights from our trip.

The first of many gas station stops... though may aunt's car got 40 mpg!  ;-)  whoohoo!

Our first day on the beach!  No, I'm not that short... there was an incline!  seriously.

We had used FlavortownUSA to find Diner, Drive-in and Dives in the areas we'd be traveling.  The closest one we found was the Alpine Steakhouse.  We tried alligator... it was cool to be able to say that we had it but we found it to be a bit chewy (my aunt said its been that way the other times she's tried it too), so we probably won't become big alligator junkies in the future. 

We did get the TurDucKen sandwich, which was like a thanksgiving dinner all wrapped up in a nice little bun.  Good stuff!

A few of us from my mom's side of the family all dressed up for the beach wedding.

It was a beautiful small ceremony on the beach with close friends and family.  What a blessing to be able to share their special day.

My uncle has always had a way with words and he brought a lot of us to tears with his toast. 

 

We got a little crafty while we stayed at my sister's house in Georgia.  She wanted to change the color scheme in her living room.  We made a trip to Goodwill and got the picture above.  Ugh!  But it was only $11 so we snatched it up.

We ModPodged old book paged onto it and let them dry.  Then we placed vinyl letters (though we had to stick them to the carpet once or twice to help them become slightly less sticky to avoid destroying the modpodged pages) to spell out their family name.  

My mom painted over the whole thing.  She used a wash technique so that you can still see the book pages a bit in places and you get a lot of texture throughout the piece.  My sis loves it and it brings a whole new color to the room!

My friend got a tattoo of "love & prayers" in her late grandma's handwriting.  Precious. 

We took a day to tour a couple of plantations north of Atlanta.  They were beautiful!

This one was the childhood home of Theodore Roosevelt's mother.

We tried to find another Diner, Drive-in and Dive place but it was only open for dinner and we were hungry girls. 

Thankfully a local turned us to Fat Matt's Rib Shack which was awesome!  The food was delicious (and between the four of us we tried a bit of nearly everything).  I even bought a bottle of their BBQ sauce to bring home for my hubs.  Can't wait to use it!

One day we spent the afternoon at the State Botanical Gardens with my cousin and her daughter.  It was a perfect day to spend wandering around the beautiful grounds!

I had a wonderful week with these ladies.  It was such a great break from reality.  What a blessing to have them in my life!  Love you guys! 

Surrogacy Story

  I have been following a blog for awhile now that is chronicling the pregnancy/surrogacy of one family.  They are making a documentary of the whole journey.  It has moved me and I want to share it with you as well. 

A few years ago James and Natalie gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  But there were complications with the birth and Natalie ended up needing an emergency hysterectomy.  It was a crushing blow because they had planned on having more children.  James' sister Tiffany's heart went out to them and she graciously offered to be a surrogate so they could have another child!  What a blessing!  Tiffany is currently 25wks pregnant with James' and Natalie's twin boys.  

Here is some info from a recent post by Tiffany:

As most of you may know, we have been filming our entire journey.  My husband has a beautiful eye for film and has been working very hard at capturing what we can.   Unfortunately we have been renting and borrowing equipment, and not having it ready at hand, we are missing great shots to be filming.  We need equipment, we need to pay our crew, pay for sound, music fees, storage and back up etc.  It costs a lot to make a film! 

Here is where we need your support!   By financially backing our film, you are helping this project to be made.  You are making it possible for us to continue to tell our story! 

We have launched a campaign at KickStarter, which is an amazing platform for creative projects to go to and seek their funding.  

Please head over to our campaign, we have lots of awesome rewards if you back us, including the digital download of the movie and even some adorable baby onesies!      

If we do not meet our goal by the end of the deadline, we get NONE of the pledged money.  SO it is really important that you back any amount you can and share with your friends and family! 

Thank you for all of your support!  Here is the link to our campaign:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/531690258/a-belly-for-me-a-baby-for-you

 

 

 

Adjusting...

We have been so incredibly blessed through our friends and family since Christine's birth. Two friends in particular were on hand basically 24/7 the last couple of weeks to help around the house and with the boys and their help has been invaluable! While my recovery is going very well it is still a recovery and I am infinitely thankful for their loving acts of service for me and my growing family. And of course our church family and friends are wonderful about bringing meals to help us ease the transition after a new baby. What a blessing!

Nate continues to dote on Christine constantly. He showers her with kisses and frequently reminds us how beautiful she is. He is already playing the role of her protector. I think Gramma Deb had a talk with him about his role as "big brother" to a sister and he is taking it very seriously. I do think having extra "mothers" around has taken its toll on Nate and it has shown a bit in his behavior. I think he'll mellow out a bit as we gradually get back to "normal".

Joe has been a combination of fun and frustrating lately. He has been very vocal in a constructive and communicative way and also in a whiny and complaining way. He has been signing well (most of the time) even using signs unprompted which is great. Joe has been doing well at school but I think the school schedule is catching up to him and he's been tired alot. He had pink eye and a cold back to back so its taken its toll and its been reflected in his mood. Sometimes there is literally nothing we can do to make him feel better and we just have to do our best to meet his basic needs and hope that is enough until he gets rested and gets back to his normal happy self.

Christine is such a good baby. She eats and sleeps well. She is almost too good. ;-) I keep waiting for her to become colicky or something, but for now I am just thankful that she is so sweet. We're enjoying having more awake time with her in the last few days. She makes so many faces already, we could just watch her for hours, everything she does is totally precious. And of course after having two boys I am really enjoying having all the pink!

I am still a little intimidated to be on my own with all three kiddos... but I know it will just take some getting used to and then we will all find our new "normal" and it will all become no big deal eventually. But until then I think I might have a few freak outs and melt downs. ;-) But God knows what I can handle better than I do and I trust that He will provide me with the strength and patience to handle whatever comes up in the coming months.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NAS - No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man ; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

A Very Special Cinco De Mayo!!

And then there were THREE!! FINALLY!! We are happy to announce the arrival of our new baby! Part of me wondered if I was ever going to give birth or if I was going to be pregnant forever! ;-) We are thankful and excited to welcome our third child into our family.
Last night (Tues) around 8pm I started having contractions every 8-10 minutes apart. I was afraid to get too excited in case it wasn't really "it". The girls and I took a walk around the neighborhood around 11pm as things continued to progress the contractions had gotten 5-6min apart and a little more intense. I spent time on the labor ball and we contacted our birth support team to give them a heads up. Isaac and I took a walk at 1am and I was a little teary imagining 10+ hours left in the labor (given that Nate's labor was 26hrs and Joe's was 19hrs). The contractions were getting stronger still when we got back to the house and we called my doula and my mom to come over.
Around 2am-ish I migrated upstairs and got in the labor tub. Isaac joined me and was a wonderful support during the difficult contractions that followed. My mom and Julie (the doula) were both great at helping to provide counter pressure the ease the back labor I was experiencing. My sister and two friends who were there were all awesome as helping with whatever we needed, drinks, supplies, taking pix, etc. We were expecting the labor to take awhile but when it became clear that things were moving quicker than we anticipated we called the midwife to come over (just before 3am). I continued to labor in the tub and began to feel the urge to push but tried as best I could to breathe through the contractions rather than push too soon. I felt the water break a little after 3am and things moved quickly after that. I was able to feel the baby move down much more clearly than I did with Joe (pushing was a slow process with him - inch by inch for about 2hrs). It was really only a few contractions/pushes that moved this baby down the canal and out into the water. The midwife walked up the stairs just in time to "catch" the baby as she floated up to meet us. I was in such a state of relief and everyone was checking the baby to see if they were doing well it was a moment or two before I noticed the sex. I gushed "its a girl!!".
Our beautiful Christine Anne joined us via a gentle water birth at 3:34am on Wednesday, May 5th!! She was 8lbs 6oz and 21 3/4in long. She has alot of black hair and is quite possibly the most perfect looking baby I have ever seen! Not that I'm bias or anything! ;-) The boys slept through everything. Nate woke up around 6am as things were settling down and was very excited to meet his new sister. He said "She's just what we wanted"! He is a doting big brother to her already, constantly saying "Isn't she beautiful?". Its clear that he is completely taken with her. Joe is intrigued by her as well, though not so clearly as Nate. I'm sure she'll have all the men and boys in our family wrapped around her finger in no time.

Side note: With Nate I was in labor all day on Thurs and had him around 3:50am on Friday morning. With Joe I was in labor most of Wed and had him around 3:40am on Thurs. With Christine I was in labor Tues evening and had her just after 3:30am Wed morning. All three of my kiddos have been born in the 3 o'clock hour of the morning! How weird is that? ;-)

Is it time yet?!?

There seems to be something of a baby boom going on. Over the last little while I have been watching a few friends post about their baby's delivery on facebook. I've had about a hundred comments from people reminding me that my due date has come and gone... again. Nate was a couple weeks early but Joe was almost two weeks late - awhile back I predicted that this baby would arrive closer to his/her due date than either of the big brothers but we're getting close here! I really hope this baby does not take much longer to make his/her arrival!!
We are about as ready as we can be. All the birth supplies are in order, we have the labor tub set up in our room, we even have a few meals in the freezer... what else is there? For a long time I just wanted to be done being pregnant. But now more than anything I am anxious to meet this little person who has been growing inside of me all these months. I know that there is a reason that he/she has not decided to make their appearance just yet. And even though I've been asked about a dozen times if we have an induction date yet we have had a healthy pregnancy and have no reason to be concerned that this baby is taking their time in coming. While I'm ready and would be happy to have today be the day, we want to welcome this baby into the world as naturally as possible and that includes waiting on the right timing instead of imposing our own time line on this pregnancy and labor.
Sure, I have had days when part of me wishes we could skip this whole labor/birth part and just have the baby appear. But then my wonderful husband reminds me that I've worked and prepared myself for this and have done it before and will do it again and it will all be worth it. And he is right. Birth is seriously hard work to say the least but it has such a huge reward! I can still remember the relief and sense of accomplishment and awe and overwhelming love when Joe was slipped up into my arms. What a blessing to be able to bring my baby into the world in our own home, in a natural and loving environment surrounded only by people who love and support us. I can hardly wait to give this baby the same welcome into this world and our lives.
Here are a couple of bible verses on patience to help me wait on His timing!

Isaiah 40:31 - But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Romans 5:3-5 - More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 8:24-25 - We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Romans 12:12 - Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Hebrews 6:12 - We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Third Trimester Thoughts...

We had our home visit with our midwife and doula. We have all our supplies set aside. The baby has "dropped" and I think we're about as ready as we are going to be. I keep telling friends and family that I'm ready to be done being pregnant but I'm not sure I'm ready for the baby to be here! But ready or not, at 38weeks we are now mere couple weeks (maybe even days ;-) away from the arrival of this baby. It really is an amazing thing, being pregnant. I mean, think about it... I have a living being growing inside of me right now. How awesome is that?!? ;-) While I may not be 100% confident about the appearance of my body any time much less right now, I am however in awe of my body's ability to nourish and grow this little person inside of me. What a huge blessing and responsibility God has given me. And I'm so anxious to meet this new little person! I can't wait to hold him or her in my arms and hug and cuddle them!

We are a bit unconventional in our birth plans. For those of you who don't know - we are home-birth people. We had planned on having Nate naturally in the hospital but that did not go as hoped and ended in what we believe was an unnecessary cesarean. I had a hard time with it physically and emotionally. So when we got pregnant with Joe we found a Certified Nurse Midwife in our area who attends homebirths. We had a much healthier experience staying home for Joe's birth. We were so happy with our homebirth last time that we naturally are planning another this time. *Below is a picture from Joe's homebirth in '07

Choosing to have a homebirth is not a decision that we made lightly nor do we recommend it for everyone. But after all of our reading and research it is what we believe to be the healthiest option for us. Hospitals tend to treat pregnancy and birth like a disease to be treated and use many interventions that are unnecessary and sometimes harmful to mom and baby. The cesarean rate in hospitals is rising. Up well over 30% in the US even though cesareans are often more risky for both mother and baby than a vaginal delivery. Doctors are often taught what to do in extreme circumstances - not how to help a woman give birth to her own child. Midwives however are specifically trained to do just that: help with normal healthy deliveries in a natural way. Anyway... while I can easily get on my soapbox for several posts... I will reign myself in and just say I wish more women would consider their options when it comes to childbirth instead of blindly going along with whatever their OB says and not researching and deciding for themselves what is best for themselves, their child and their families.

Something I find helpful especially toward the end of the pregnancy and even during the labor to use positive affirmations to keep my mind from being distracted by the negatives and the "what ifs". Here are some that I thought I'd share.

Pregnancy and Birthing Affirmations

My belly is full of light and love.

I am a strong and capable woman.

My cervix is firm and strong to hold my baby safe.

I am strong and calm and beautiful.

Birth is a wonderful, safe experience.

My body knows exactly what to do.

I am surrounded by loving, nurturing support.

I fearlessly surrender to the power of my body.

My body knows how to birth my baby.

I put all fear aside as I prepare for the birth of my baby.

Untapped sources of strength are available to me.

I am focused on a smooth, easy birth.

I trust my body to know what it is to do.

I welcome my coming labor as the perfect one for me and my baby.

My mind is relaxed, my body is relaxed.

My muscles work in complete harmony to make birthing easier.

My cervix opens outward and allows my baby to ease down.

I choose a gentle and natural birth.

My body knows exactly what to do.

Each surge of my body brings my baby closer to me.

I put all fear aside and welcome by baby with happiness and joy.

I deserve and receive all the love and support I need.

Also here are a few encouraging scriptures that I found to meditate on:

Psalm 34:19 -A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.

Psalm 16:11 - You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Lamentations 3:25 - The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.

Ephesians 3:20-21 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

SIDE NOTE!! I also wanted to announce the winners of my blog party giveaways. First is the random drawing for the Mommy Makeover kit including a book, workout dvd and a protein bar and that goes to Amanda at One Day at a Time. The other was a scrapbooking grab bag for the best party story and that goes to Jen at Creative and Curious Kids for sharing about the awesome fairy party she put together for her daughter! Loved it!