Cuteness

Peeked outside to check on the kids, and saw my sweet little Scamper-cat chillin' on the swing set platform with them.

Our cats are 100% members of the family! This made me SMILE!

MATERNITY LEAVE

The day has finally come... I sort of didn't really believe it would.

As of now, I am officially on maternity leave from ALL of my various jobs.

(Aside from those never-ending ones, like Mother, Laundress and Housekeeper, of course.)

I am taking a bit of a chance I guess, since the baby SHOULD be born next Friday... there is always the chance that she will come before and there is even the chance that something goes wonky and they aren't able to do the amnio and/or the amnio results are "lungs not ready" in which case I will have to wait another week for induction... but I'm not EVEN going to think that way because it would just be too awful.

I'm hoping that 2 hours spent doing engagement photos for my friend Mary and her fiance Aaron will knock the baby loose LOL. I'm already 3cm dilated, surely it can't take too awfully much to turn that corner and go into labor.... knowing me, it won't work, but one can dream.

At any rate, I expected today to be full of rejoicing and elation, but I feel curiously apathetic. Yes, it's nice that I know I don't have to do "real" work for a couple of months, but I'm still in a state of limbo so there's not that feeling of relief and release I was expecting.

Mostly I am feeling tired, cranky, and large. The baby is getting bigger so her stronger movements actually hurt... I have BH contractions at least every 10 minutes, and sometimes every 1 or 2. I am almost always crampy and every so often I have a TRUE contraction. I know these because they hurt in my back, down low in front, even in my thighs, and they truly make me grit my teeth and take a white-knuckle grip on whatever I can reach. I only get 2 or 3 a day but when they come I sure know it. Last night I had one that honestly made me whimper. Ian was alarmed LOL.

I have these great dreams of spending the next few days getting the house all immaculate and organized... unless I get a serious nesting impulse and amphetamine-like energy burst, I know this is probably not going to happen. Getting up to pee makes me breathless at this point. Luckily, the place isn't in too much of a shambles, but I wasn't able to accomplish quite as much as I'd hoped to in preparation. Hopefully I will have a little extra money during my maternity leave to get some updates done to the porch, master bedroom/bath, and the yard. If not, well I guess we'll all survive just like we have been doing the past 5 years!!

Tiny Elena Avahlea

On Monday 3.23.10 at 1:34am, my BFF's little daughter was born... 9 weeks preemie.

2lb 15oz and 15" long

For such a tiny thing she's doing really well, but she will be in the NICU for a while learning to breathe really well, suck and swallow, and all that good stuff.

Can't wait til she's big enough to hug!!!

I got to visit her and take some pics the day she was born... it will be fun to compare these once she's home and I take tons more. ;)

Tee Shirts!

I searched high and low for cute big/little brother/sister shirts.

I found a lot of cute ones, but was unwilling to throw down $60+ for 3 shirts.

SO! I made my own. :)

Can't wait to have our littlest princess in her "baby sis" version... I'll be sending the bigs to Granny's so they can be worn to the hospital when the kids come to meet her!

TGIF!!!!

Today will be a great day.

Today, I no longer have to stress about jury duty... I did my "laudable civil service" yesterday and now they can leave me alone for 2 years. Not that I'd mind serving on a jury, but pregnant and nursing women should get excused just like the people who claim to be a student but "forgot their ID". At least I made $12 for my day spent in a back-breaking chair!

Today, I have a doctor's appointment. They are getting to a more fun stage now, I'm assuming my cervix will be checked again (I'm going to request it) and it would be great to hear even a little progress has been made. I'm ready when baby is! I don't dread the scale anymore either, at this point I've gained a net total of 9 pounds, and so for me to even top out at 15 within the next 2 weeks would be tough to do (not that I'm trying)... how cool will it be to weigh LESS than before I was pregnant just by giving birth!!!

Today, I have completed 36 weeks of pregnancy... 252 days!!! That's 9 months, as far as I'm concerned! If Emalie is born from now on, we are good to go! I am so praying she will come on her own before I have to endure the amnio, but with my track record, it's iffy. I do have lots of contractions and cramps and (sorry) bits of mucous plug being lost here and there... again, ready to see what my appointment today reveals.

Today, I managed to get up on time to get Ian and his skeleton project driven to school well in advance of the bell. And this project is THA BOMB... I think he'll get a 100 for sure! Of course now I will be ready to pass out at 8pm, but it's all good.

Today, it is FRIDAY and that means I get to spend the weekend (one with NO prior engagements or obligations for once) relaxing and nesting as the urges hit.

Today, the sun is shining and the birds are singing and flowers and trees are beginning to bloom, and thinking of my growing little baby soon to join the fresh, springtime world makes me think of this Bible passage, one of my top 10 all-time favorites:

1 O Lord, you have searched me

and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O Lord.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 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,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

Ian with his skeleton project:

Sweet baby pillow I made for Carrie's Elena...

Baby Shower #2

My 2nd baby shower thrown by my mom today was wonderful... yummy food, good friends, and more presents... hehe.

Unfortunately I'm sick now, struggling with a scratchy throat for 2 days and praying it didn't get worse, but I now have a fever and am afraid I'm in for a true cold. :( PLEASE let it be over fast. I'm tired enough without being sick!

Pre-party shots of the pretties by mom... such cute favors and candy and stuff!





Thanks lovely SIL Missy for doing the official shower pics again!





Me and my friend, No-Whip Cinnamon Dolce Latté:


Mom and I... not even going to preach on the 14 chins I have grown, ugh!












Lovely tulips Mom got, and a sweet arrangement that Jenny brought me:


I have a feeling I look this dazed and confused a lot lately:


Fun Aunt Sadie!


Big belly sistas in tha house:


This face is so weird...




"Yea pretty sure this would fit her NOW..." face:

Baby Shower #1 :)

Baby shower #1 was a rousing success -- beautiful decorations, family and friends, and of course PRESENTS! hehehe

It was awesome to see people I haven't seen in 5+ years!!

I was soooo happy we got our travel system, now we have a way to get Emalie home from the hospital lol!

We also got money (woot!); a gift basket with diapers, wipes, changing pad and carrying bag; adorable navy and yellow onesies; a pack of diapers (yea!); bassinet pad and sheet; hot pink camo booties; teething ring, fruit feeder and rattle; nursery organizer and receiving blankets; and 3 big old bags of sugar free chocolate candy (just for me)!!!!!

Here are the album pages I made that will go into our 2010 family album....

Anatomy of a photo shoot with the kids...

Family Pictures

We haven't done family pictures (besides holiday snapshots) since Sophie was about 2... so when Sadie offered to do some for us I was like LET'S DO IT!!

Even though our family will be changing in about a month, it is cool to have these pics that capture us in the state of anticipation, impending change, limbo....

Click to enlarge if you like......

I sort of consider this an outtake -- I don't like how I posed us, but I look decent and Sophie cracks me up so it's a keeper




Jeff does it hurt your face when you smile? That's how it appears!

Family Album -- finally!

I have finally realized I'm never going to be a scrapbooker. I really would like to be, but it's just not in me.

The "real" scrapbooks that people make with layers of fabric and paper and ribbons etc make me sooo jealous!! I just can't stand to keep that stuff stocked, and I never get pictures printed, and the thought of tackling something like that makes me cringe.

The digital scrapbooking thing is cool too, but I am not patient about making pages with all those layers -- maybe because I do that kind of thing for a living for my graphics/web clients LOL.

SO I decided that I will make simple collage pages for 2009 and then have them all put into a hard cover press printed 5x5 album. (My brain twin Shellie pioneered this idea too, but I changed it up a tiny bit hehe...)

Here are a few of the ones I got done last night... quick and easy just how I like it!!!

In no particular order, because I'm too lazy to sort them for this blog post...

summer 09


summer 09


Ian's 8th birthday


Holden Beach May 09


Holden Beach May 09


Halloween 09


Fall Farm Day 09


Easter 09


Christmas 09


Butterfly Farm summer 09