Christmas Season

We've been having a very merry Christmas Season! Here is a little picture update...

Even if you don't "do" Santa... its a lot of fun to dress your baby up!


Evie got to meet her Uncle Joey... Hubby's "little" brother who has been stationed in Iraq the last year. They hit it off :)

Evie hiding among the presents underneath a friend's tree.

We went with some friends to see the lights on the Riverwalk and the Alamo. It was beautiful, and Evie was very patient while I read all the signs. I just can't be there without being moved by the valiant sacrifices those men made.

SO pretty!

Uh oh. Someone rolled out the cutout cookie dough just a little too thick. :)


I know what this nativity scene needs... a baby.


We had a chance to participate in a live nativity scene. It was so much fun playing Mary and Baby Jesus.

Gigi and Grandpa's oh so cute Christmas Card Picture.

I hope you are all having a very blessed Christmas season, and enjoying the preparation! The big day is almost here! May we all remember truly what this day is really about.

It's been a while!

But I'm back :) Here's to being better about blogging in the new year...

But for now, here are some pictures of Miss Evangeline's baby dedication! For the first time, I tried my hand at cake decorating! I really enjoyed it, and I read up a lot on how to make the perfect cake. I jokingly have been calling my research and new meal planning techniques "wife college" :-D




Our little family!

This one ended up being our Christmas card picture.

With family.

Grandpa loves Evie!

With Hubby's parents at my parent's house.


Great-great Aunt, Uncle, Great Grandma, and Grandpa :)

Hubby has been working very hard on our home- he de-popcorned the ceilings and painted all the walls such a pretty light gray color. As soon as he finishes installing new lighting in the kitchen and we get some things hung up on the walls again, I'll be posting pictures of that! May you all have a very blessed day as we prepare for Christmas!

Evie's Room

I've finally finished Evie's room! It's taken me quite a while, but excepting a rug, I have it just right now I think :)

We hung a butterfly mobile above her changing table. She is much more amenable now to having her diaper changed. We got the changing table off craigslist for $20. Hubby just spray painted a few touch ups, and its good as new! The baskets were shower gifts. In the corner is the "diaper champ". Same price as the diaper genie, but you don't have to buy the little bags. Any old trashbag will do.


I absolutely love this quote. I saw it on a *very expensive* frame, so we had a friend calligraphy it and then I framed it. I think it turned out so lovely! She is so talented.


We bought her a dresser from an Aunt of mine who was moving. Quite a steal at $25! The painting and framed scripture were gifts, and the lamp I've had for quite a while. You can see her little laundry cube on the floor... this child generates a lot of dirty clothes :)


And of course, her really cute crib that she doesn't sleep in :) It was mine when I was a baby, so we were very blessed to have my parents give it to us!


The toy bin I've had for a while. I used to store my fabric stash in it!


Here is Evie's ...and any guests... bathroom. :)

I painted the sign, and we got the shower curtain at Target.com.


I got the pretty frame at Hobby Lobby, half price, and they marked it down even more since it was scratched :)


This is an old frame I had... revamped with wedding pictures.


So the moral of the story is... decorating on a budget takes a while longer and some creativity... but is very do-able! :)

Blessedly busy!

I find myself blessedly busy these days! My little one keeps me very occupied, and I am so very happy about that. But I thought I would do a quick blog post while my darling naps, and write down some of the things that I love about being a mother, and don't want to forget about my sweetie when she was just 7 weeks old.
She loves, loves, loves to snuggle with mommy. Whether that's napping together in the big bed, or being held while she naps in my lap- she's definitely a snuggler!
She always ends up tucked right next to me when we sleep together. It's so precious to wake up with that little body tucked right into yours. How wonderful!
She makes the sweetest little cooing noises now. She loves to sit on my knees and smile and coo back and forth.
She loves to have the Bible read to her in the morning.
She really enjoys being swaddled and riding in the moby. Sometimes its the only way she sleeps!
It is so wonderful to see her with her daddy, and watch him being such an amazing father and provider.
I am so thankful, and this is an answered prayer, that she is a powerful little nurser! I call her my little eating machine. When we went in to the pediatrician for the 2 week check up, she had already gained a pound. Amazing! The Lord really provides, and it is so beautiful to see how the Lord changes your body to provide food for your little one.
She definitely does not like it when I eat spicy foods. I learned that one quickly...
She does not like her car seat. I call it her "angry seat" :)
Her favorite thing in the world is to be outside and she loves to take a walk before her bath at night. I was surprised that she likes to be outside so much, since its over 100 degrees here almost every day!
She absolutely adores my parents :) They have been so amazing and I just love seeing them love little Evie. I never realized how much I needed my mother until I had a baby!

Here is a picture of us on the porch together- I love matching my little girl :)

Evangeline's Birth Story

As I sat here with this sleeping bundle of beauty in my arms, I realized I definitely needed to write down her birth story before I start to forget all the details. The last two weeks have been quite a blur for me- I think I entered some sort of baby focused time warp! I have never been so thankful for my wonderful husband, who has taken such good care of me while I recovered and took care of baby. When he returned to work, my momma took over helping me out :) It has been such a blessing to have her here each day- she can comfort a crying baby like you wouldn't believe! So here is the tale of our sweet baby girl, given to us by God...
Since we were overdue, I had to have a sonogram and a fetal non stress test twice a week. The first one was on a Monday, and the sonogram said she was 8 lbs 8 oz. This made me panic a little bit, and they checked me for the first time this day. I'd been having so many Braxton Hicks contractions, I really thought I'd have some signs of... something! Needless to say, it was a miserable experience being checked, and then my midwife told me my cervix wasn't even softened yet. I bawled like a baby. We'll just blame that on the hormones :)
Thursday I went in again for the next round of sonogram and fetal stress testing. This time hubby could stay the whole time with me, and I was *so* much more calm. The midwife laughed and told me she thought I'd go into labor on Sunday, but no one threatened to check me again! No tears this visit. They went ahead and scheduled us for an induction on the day we'd be two weeks overdue. We prayed and prayed she'd come on her own.
Friday we decided to have family over for a little pre baby get together. I cleaned like a crazy person (hubby thought it was funny and even took a video of me scrubbing the floors in the kitchen...) and had a wonderful time with family that evening. The Lord really sustained me through the waiting, and I felt more and more peace that there really was a "time to be born". :)
Saturday morning (July 4th) I woke up with contractions before 6 am. I was SO happy and elated that I practically danced! I waited to wake hubby though because I wanted to be certain. I woke him up at 6 and asked him how he felt about holiday babies! I had contractions on and off, mostly 10 minutes apart all day. Hubby and I watched movies, played games, and kept my family updated on the phone, since my momma was going to be there for the birth. The contractions really weren't so bad at all until around 5-ish. Then they got serious, and I needed to not talk, and I needed to sway, or walk, or hang out on the floor (not sure why I spent so much of labor on the floor...) I used the birthing ball a bit, but really not much. At 6:30 or so, I called the midwife to let her know I was headed to the hospital. Not asking if I should... I was TELLING. By this point something in me just knew it was "go time". It was a bit unpleasant of a drive. Laboring in the car= not fun. We got to the hospital around 7, after text-ing a couple of friends and asking them to pray for me! :) They admitted us right off, and I remember sitting on the floor three times on the way into the Labor and Delivery area. I also remember those admitting nurses asking me what my due date was, and through gritted teeth I said "9 days ago" :-D
They asked hubby to wait in the waiting area while they admitted me (ridiculous in my opinion, but I guess they assume you keep secrets from your husband and don't want him there for the "question" part of admitting, sigh!) I ended up on the floor again. I think I scared the nurse, because she called for help... but really I just liked being on the floor. Turns out the bed is the *last* place I wanted to be during labor! They blew three veins trying to get in a saline lock IV (to be used "just in case") I still have the bruises :-p And it turns out I was 5 cm dilated. I cried when my midwife got there, I was so happy to see her. I absolutely love that woman. She was amazing, and so comforting and supporting. I was definitely a quiet labor-er... I didn't want to talk, I didn't want anyone talking to me, and as things got harder, I didn't want anyone looking at me :) I really only snapped once... or twice maybe ;) and told someone to "Go away!" Lol. Hubby said the nurse or someone would ask me a question, and I wouldn't answer. I remember thinking it wasn't really like pain that I was experiencing- it was something beyond pain, that wasn't on the same scale. I know that sounds strange, and labor is "painful"... but it's not the same as regular pain. It's really quite different. I ended up laboring on the potty (strange, but the only place I was "comfortable") and had to be lured back to the bed multiple times with my midwife threatening me to not push on the potty, because she was NOT delivering the baby there. Tee hee. Well, I was eventually lured to the bed long enough to have the baby- wow! I have to put myself in the camp where the pushing part is "better" than the labor part. Burning, yes... but a lot better than just waiting and biding your time through contractions... I think. Hubby helped, Momma helped, the midwife helped, the lovely L&D nurse helped- and (hubby tells me 30 minutes later- but it definitely didn't seem that long) they placed a wonderful, beautiful, amazing gift from God on my chest. Natural childbirth may be ridiculously difficult, but the feelings afterward? Elation. I've never felt like that before. Like floating on Love.
The whole birth experience taught me so much. I had to rely on the Lord- truly. I don't know how anyone would do it otherwise. And I learned SO much. Thanks be to God for so many answered prayers- innumerable prayers. Prayers for a child, prayers for a healthy pregnancy, prayers for a natural birth... I could go on and on. Thanks be to God. Truly. At 2:41 in the morning on July 5th, we happily went from two to three in our family :)

Baby Pictures

A few quick pictures of baby, daddy, grandma and me :) Now back to taking care of Evie!

Praise be to God!

We are so very blessed to welcome Evangeline Isabella Miles into the world... 8 lbs, 4 oz, and 19.5 inches long!


Moments after the big moment :)


Daddy loves her so much!


We are so thankful and so happy to be holding this blessing in our arms. So many prayers have been answered! More updates to come, for now Mommy must take a nap, after being awake for 36 hours straight :) Those wonderful endorphins that come with a natural labor really provide so much energy!

waiting for baby...

Still :)

The midwives are estimating possibly this Saturday or Sunday, but no signs of anything yet. To keep myself busy, I've been able to finish some baby projects!

The dress (Simplicity 4709) is finished, and so are matching mary janes (made from this pattern) and a burp cloth.







And some more soft and pretty burp cloths :)

Grocery Bag Keeper

I've gone a little crazy with the crafting today, I know! Two blog posts about crafting in a day is definitely a record for me :) Ever since I saw this great tutorial on Shannon's blog, I knew I needed one! I was using only reusable grocery bags for a while, but we need the disposable ones for when hubby cleans the kitty box. I think they will also come in handy for bringing home dirty cloth diapers from when we're out and about. I used the leftover fabric from the wall hanging I used to cover the fuse box in the apartment (you can see it in the second picture down), and added some ric rac for a fun touch. It was a great tutorial and I highly recommend it! Thanks Shannon!

Keeping busy while waiting for baby

While we wait patiently for the little miss' arrival, I've had a few projects going!

I finished the sheers for the kitchen window, and even did a little "mock up" of how I want the window seat to look. I used every red placemat, napkins, and even some dishtowels since I didn't have any red fabric to drape over the cushion. This is definitely a "rough" version :)



Is this the cutest thing you've ever seen? Hubby practiced the moby wrap newborn carry with a little bear. I love this man so much!



I made a nursing cover with some pretty pink and white fabric, following this tutorial. (The description is slightly... crass, but I'm thankful for the good tutorial)



This took me a really, really long time! Poor hubby had to put up with all my painting supplies being out for a while :) We received a cookie jar as a gift for our wedding, and it didn't match our kitchen. Since I never used it, I tried my hand at painting (again!) I really like how it turned out, and now it matches our kitchen exactly! It's becoming a counter top staple!



Last, but not least, Simplicity 4709 in the works for the wee one :) I used the leftover fabric from this skirt I altered. I can't wait to wear it and dress baby girl in the dress!



Also, I would like to ask for everyone's prayers that the delivery be quick and easy for mommy and baby. We are due Thursday, and I would love for baby to come very soon and on her own. My midwives won't induce till 10 to 14 days overdue, but I'd really like to avoid the "post date" testing that would start Monday. I would really appreciate prayers that she not be jaundiced (a few factors make her more at risk for this) and that we might be able to have a healthy birth without intervention of any kind, and that she would be a good nurser! Thankyou so much for your prayers. Most importantly, may God be glorified in the process and by this little life He has created!!

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." --Isaiah 26:3

Swagbucks

I can't believe I did it, but I did. I never sign up for things like this- I'm usually too wary of "too good to be true" things. But Heather kept raving about how much free stuff she got, so I *had* to. And it's been great free fun. I already have 10 swagbucks, just from searching a few times and signing up. It's 45 swagbucks for a $5 amazon gift card... and I've only been signed up for a few days! So in my humble opinion, you should definitely sign up... I'll admit that I do get credit for when you do :) I heart amazon.com... and I'm sure y'all do to. Who wouldn't enjoy a wee little gift card every once in a while just for switching their search engine?




If you want to read more about it, here's the link to Heather's explanation. Hers is a lot more funny and explains it a lot better, I'm sure!

Now off to make that rising dough into bagels...

Getting Ready for Baby

As I get bigger and bigger...



We are getting everything ready for baby! Less than a month to go, Lord willing.
She now has a crib to sleep in for when she is a bit older... (this was my crib when I was a baby!)


And a co-sleeper that converts to a bassinet to sleep in mommy and daddy's bedroom for now.


Look at those pretty pink walls that daddy painted!


Decorations for her room- this one painted by mommy...


This one from a dear friend :)


Lots of toys to keep baby entertained.


A baby bouncer to keep baby busy while mommy cooks dinner...


And lots of burp cloths, some made by mommy, some made by friends, some store bought :)


Pretty, feminine clothes to wear...


Baby blankets for snuggling!


Needless to say, I'm getting really excited! The Lord has really provided for us and baby during this pregnancy and while getting ready for her arrival- we are so thankful.