Back to Blogging!!!!

I decided my New Year's resolution was to start blogging again. So, I am beginning early. This way, if I quit again before the New Year then I technically haven't broken my resolution!! :)I really do enjoy blogging, and what a great memory I am making for Claire to look back on one day. She will have cyber proof that her mother is totally awesome... or a complete idiot! :) Anyway, today I am making my first holiday goodies to give away- Chex party mix. This stuff is SO EASY to make! I hope that it turns out good, because I am going to start giving it to my neighbors tomorrow! I got the yummy recipe at the Chex website. I would link to it, but I am rusty at blogging and will have to freshen up on my skills. I can't remember how to link!!! However, I did remember that Chex cereal is B1G1 this week (ending today) at Publix! WOHOO!! Plus I had 2 $1/2 coupons that allowed me to get 6 boxes of cereal for $9.(They are usually $3.50 per box!!) I love a good grocery deal, as most of you probably already know. Well, the Chex Mix is out of the oven and it looks good enough to eat! Success!! I hope that you all are excited that I am back to join the blogging world, I know I am!!! Stay tuned because I am going to start posting recipes, deal alerts on great sales, and general information that will just make you smarter overall... :)

Claire is 4 months?!

It is SO HARD to believe that our baby is 4 months! She did so good today when she got her shots and her check up. She is progressing wonderfully and is just as sweet as ever. She was in the 50-60% in both weight and height today. YAH for plump breast-fed babies!! She is a little behind on her head control, but that's okay because she was 4 weeks early! The MD said that I needed to stop my 3am feeding because Claire is capable of sleeping through the night now that she is over 12 lbs. She also said that we have a short window of opportunity to break this habit before Claire becomes programmed to expect the feed. This is sad to me because 3am is the sweetest time! She nurses so softly and seems so content. I am not sure when I will enforce this plan, but it won't be tonight- my baby just got her shots! The MD also recommended that we begin allowing Claire to put herself to sleep or "self soothe". This news comes at a very BAD time because just this week Claire has become a nap-fighting ninja. That kid can keep herself awake during nap time even in her miracle blanket. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the miracle blanket, it is a legal straight-jacket for babies- a MUST have!) It's not really a straight jacket...its just a great swaddle blanket and Claire still likes to be swaddled. The doctor also mentioned starting rice cereal when I felt comfortable with Claire's ability to take it. Maybe I am crazy, but all of these things just seem like too much too soon. I want my baby to nurse when she wants (even if it is 3am), and I want to rock her to sleep if she wants me to (even if it means I'll be doing it until she is 12), and I want her to nurse exclusively for a little longer... I know she has to grow up but I never knew how fast time could fly until really wanted it to freeze for a while. I am just going to have to keep enjoying each day with my baby! I am so thankful to God for our blessing!

Meet Claire!

Claire is a DREAM baby. She goes to bed around 8pm, wakes up to nurse around 3am and then sleeps again until 8am. She has cried twice in her life and her smiles just light up the room. I know that a baby this good is not the norm, so I am enjoying every minute. She still sleeps beside our bed in her bassinet. This is for my comfort, not hers. I love waking up and being able to see her in the night. She is beautiful always, but especially when she sleeps. She has slept all night long in her crib, but I just miss her too much to leave her there. She turns 4 months old January 3rd and I can't believe it! She is trying to sit up on her on now and is working on her head control. The head control is coming along, but she HATES tummy time, so I have to get creative when I try to help her use her neck muscles. She loves to shake her rattle and bring everything she touches to that sweet little mouth. She is so aware of everything around her now that I can hardly nurse her. She will eat a little, then look around a little, then eat some more, then look at me and smile. Nursing has become an Olympic sport! My favorite nursing session is the 3am feeding while she is still partly asleep and fully concentrated on eating- it reminds me of how she nursed when she was tiny and didn't realize there was a whole new world around her. Josh is just as in love with her as I am. At times, he will wake up with us at 3am and talk to her while she nurses. He loves to talk to her and hold her. She really loves her daddy too!! Her personality is very laid back. She is content and goes with the flow. She doesn't cry if she is hungry or sleepy, she will just call out "UGG" and we know what she needs. One of her favorite past times is filling up her pants in the car seat. Last week she set a new record- in route to the mall she managed to shoot poo up to her shoulders! That earned her a full out wardrobe change in the Dillard's bathroom. I wish that I would have taken her picture! So now, my days are mainly spent cooking, cleaning, and loving on our baby. I am so thankful for what we have and am still amazed daily by God's provision! My Picasa website stays updated with new pictures and the link is still active on this blog. I am going to put some of my favorite pics. on here too! Love you all and hope you enjoy all of our pictures and blogs!

It's been a while!!

So, A LOT has happened since I last posted anything on here. Hopefully I can begin to post things more faithfully. Just so you know- Claire did come October 3, 2008 at 2:58 pm. She weighed in at 5 lbs 3 ounces. She was 17 inches long and 100% AMAZING! I have never been so blown away by something as amazing as motherhood. I believe that this is as good as it gets. I love every second that I am with Claire and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. My family is the most important thing to me. It's funny- everyone says, "I have no idea what I did before my children got here." I actually remember very well- I used to waste time, money, and energy on things that were ridiculously unimportant. I am thankful that my eyes have been opened to the things in life that matter- loving Jesus,loving family, and loving all other people. I still have my job at Vanderbilt and I am working 1 day each month. I know that sounds crazy, but it keeps all of my license current and it leaves the door to Vanderbilt open for the future. Also, I have been blessed with the most amazing group of friends and new mothers imaginable. The moms get together about twice a month for lunch and spend the afternoon watching our little ones play while we gab. My awesome friends check on us regularly and share in every new thing that Claire learns.

CLAIRE IS COMING TOMORROW!!!!

It's rather weird to know the day that your child will be born, but I am glad I have had time to pack and mentally prepare. Today when I had the ultrasound the MD informed us that Claire's fluid is still low. She then told us that we could either have her today, or go back home to return on Monday for another ultrasound. She explained that we could be running a risk to wait until Monday if the fluid continued to decrease. I just told the doctor that I wanted what was best for Claire and that I did not want to make the decision about having her today vs. waiting until Monday. That's what I pay her for- right? :) She decided to go ahead and check my cervix and found that I was 2cm dilated. She then proceeded to "strip my membranes" (medical speak for attempting to rip your insides out..ha). After the stripping of the membranes she sent us home stating that if I did not go into labor naturally that we should be at the hospital at 6:30 am tomorrow (10-3-08) for medical induction. So far I am having contractions, but they are no different than the contractions I have been having since 26 weeks. I am seriously praying that my body will kick into gear and start laboring naturally. I do not want that mean old pitocin that starts the medical induction!!! Just pray that things will progress and that God will get me through this! I am really excited to see Claire on the outside, but we are getting along together just fine with her on the inside!

36 Week Check Up News!!!

I went to the MD today for my 36 week check up. My cervix is still closed, but I am 80% effaced (thinned out). That really doesn't mean a whole lot, but that's the state of my cervix. Then, I let the Doctor know that the baby has not been as active the past couple of days. We got an ultrasound to check her movement and fluid level. (The fluid around her had decreased at the last ultrasound on 9-19-08, so it was worth checking out today.) The ultrasound today showed that the fluid was lower than it was on 9-19 and the MD informed me that I was to rest, drink plenty of fluid, and come back this Thursday for a follow up ultrasound. She also said that I should not eat anything before the ultrasound because if the fluid is lower I need to be prepared to go to the hospital to have my baby. WHAT!? Yes I just said possibly have my baby on Thursday!! I was really surprised, but that is the news that I received. It is so crazy to imagine that I might be holding my baby within the next 48-72 hours. I really do not have a feeling either way as to what will happen on Thursday. However, I am confident that this situation is in God's hands and feel total peace about it. Only HE knows when the moment of her birth will be. Until Thursday I plan on eating lots of good food, watching movies, and relaxing on the couch. . Anyway, I will try to update this blog on Thursday and keep everyone posted. If I happen to be in labor on Thursday, I will update everyone whenever I can. Probably sometime within the next 18yrs...

Claire's Nursery

Claire's precious nursery is finished and I could not be more pleased. After blood, sweat, tears, and about 6 sets of baby bedding the finished product looks amazing. When the original pink bedding that I ordered from Restoration Hardware arrived I was sorely disappointed. With our Khaki colored walls, the pink bedding looked so boring. Nauseated by the thought of having to paint the nursery pink, I set out on a journey to find new baby bedding that would make my khaki walls sparkle. Who was I kidding? I mean really- khaki is plain and adorable baby bedding is hard to find. Nonetheless, I continued my hormone induced search and returned with about 5 new sets of bedding. What I brought home didn't look any better- it actually looked worse. So, what was I to do? Well, Josh loved the pink bedding and thought I should stick with that. Really? Well I hated it! Then my Mom and Fabi came down. You guessed it- they like the pink bedding also and even thought I should paint the walls pink. Were they crazy? I thought so! I told them we would talk to Josh when He got in from work. When Josh got home we had a "family meeting" regarding the nursery decorations. It involved me crying in the rocking chair while Josh tried to convince me that this decision would, in fact, not stop the world from turning. The funny thing is, I genuinely didn't believe him. Momentarily my world HAD stopped turning. Why was I being so crazy? It is a wonder that I have any family or friends that will even speak to me when I am being such an idiot. I was so mean to everyone! (sorry guys) Finally we (I) decided (agreed) to go with the pink bedding and pink walls. I mean, at this point my life was over anyway so what would pink walls hurt? What a big old baby I was! To make this long story a little shorter- we proceeded to Home Depot and after 2 tries of pink paint colors we settled on Cupid's Arrow. My mom (who is clearly made of steel, iron, and energy) painted the whole nursery with 2 coats in 1 day. She and Josh both painted the bathroom. When the painting was finished, I still didn't like the color. What an ungrateful little brat! If I had been my own mother, I would have killed me, or at least smacked me! That was the thanks she got. After she left, I was on a mission to find anything dark brown to go on my walls and break up all of the pink that was EVERYWHERE. I found some very beautiful things and when Mom was back in town she, Fabi, Josh, & I put everything on the walls. (can you believe she came back after the way I acted?!) Finally, the nursery looked amazing and I absolutely loved it. Still do. Josh's mom Marsha also came down one day and helped me get started with the stencils that are painted on the wall. Who knew that people still stenciled? I had a crazy idea to try it and I love it. Josh also helped get the memory verse on the wall s. It took a village, but it is perfect! If you would like to see the pictures of the process and the finished product, be my guest. Just click here!

More Baby Showers!!!!

Josh and I have been blessed with 3 baby showers since I last posted on this blog! We had a shower at Josh's work, Danielle & James Lane's house, and then my work shower at Katie & Marcus Myers' house. Wow! We have been so blessed. Each shower was amazing. We could not have asked for better friends and co-workers. God has continued to supply all of our needs as we get ready for baby Claire and is reminding us daily that He is our provision. So comforting! We have all that we need to support our little baby girl now. I feel so relieved that we are finally prepared. Josh felt prepared 9 months ago, but I feel prepared now. Thank you to everyone who helped with and attended our showers! We love you all!!!

Picture Predicament

I knew that I wanted to post all of my digital photos on the internet to share with friends and family, so I set down on the computer to find the perfect website. This has proven to be a daunting task and one that made me a little insane for a brief couple of days. At first I was wowed with shuterfly's website and all of its bells and whistles. The classy way they display your photos is awesome. I even started an account with them and worked on it for a few days. I just found that it took a long time to complete any one task on their site. Then, I came across the Picasa site which allowed me to upload and edit about 24 albums within a matter of hours. Heavenly! However, I continued to click my way back to the beauty of my original shutterfly site. With help from Josh, I found the strength to delete the pretty website and commit to the practical Picasa one. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but you can still view all of the photos and even order them from the web and choose where to have them printed. I hope that everyone finds the Picasa site easy to navigate and fun to look at. If you want to view the site, you can look to the right hand side of this blog and Click where it says CLICK HERE. When I was feeling sad about deleting the pretty photo sight Josh taught me, "You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette." Thanks Yoda! :) Just like a man to offer a useless proverb in a woman's time of need. Ha! Made perfect sense to him... I am only teasing Josh- you are very supportive! I thought it was funny and was just glad to have resolved my picture predicament. Enjoy!