poppyseed

Our lives changed forever one year ago today, when I found out that we were going to have a baby! Upon seeing that positive pregnancy test, I was overwhelmed with a whole spectrum of emotion- joy, fear, excitement, disbelief, and probably most of all, shock! It seemed I had been waiting for that day for so long, and there it finally was! I was so stunned that any creative approach to tell Michael was impossible, so I told him over the phone just moments before his church meetings were about to start. (Poor Michael! He got the biggest news of his life and had to sit there and keep it to himself!)

It amazes me that the most incredible person I’d ever meet was just the size of a poppyseed one year ago. She has grown into such a sweet, fun little girl and amazes me with her new development and skills every day.

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(She’s even started taking naps in her crib this past week!)_MG_8018 _MG_8019A year ago, I was overwhelmed with the prospect of being a new mother. Now, I am overcome with an indescribable love for this little girl. I am so grateful she came to be in our family!

insta-jam #6

It’s been waaay too long since we had an insta-jam post (seriously, the last one was for August)! I think that instead of doing monthly ones, I’m going to switch to numbering. Then I can write them whenever my little heart desires (and I won’t have a ridiculously large number of photos all at once…)

Hmmm, where to begin? How about with the birth of the sweetest little girl ever?

1: Kaya on the morning she was born! So very brand new.

2: She was actually born with a slight fever, but after that, her temperature dropped and she had to wear two hats and two blankets to get warm.

3 & 4: Chubby cheeks!

1: Showing off those big blue eyes, even at the hospital.

2: Kaya loves sleeping with her hands up by her face.

3: Check out those serious eyebrows!

4: So sleepy… eating is hard work!

1: Early morning cuddles with daddy!

2: She makes this face every time we burp her! I love it.

3: Her first Halloween card (from Auntie Joyce)!

These are two of the approximately one million hilarious faces she makes.

Smiles are so priceless. Right before I took this, I told her to say “hi daddy!” and she smiled so big.

1: I love getting drawings from my Primary kids (if you looked at my refrigerator, you’d instantly know this)! This one has a baby bird saying, “mom mom mom”, and then the mama bird is saying “kid kid kid”. So thoughtful, and I think it’s extra cool since we call Kaya “Baby Bird”, which then leads to Michael calling me “Mama Bird”.

2: Halloween socks I got from Target for $1 apiece! I am crazy about holiday socks, but all my old ones were getting holes in them, so I’m glad I saw these!

3: Jeffrey tried out some of the hair bows I made for Kaya…

4: There’s been a whole lot of football-watching going on around here. I’m never too interested in it, but I do get disappointed when the Hokies lose.

1: Our neighbors brought us dinner after Kaya was born, including this HUGE tray of cookies- M&M ones, gingerbread, and even chocolate-covered candy corn. Mmm. I think they lasted about a day. Oops.

2: I tried out a new crockpot recipe: Cuban Street Tacos. Michael really loved them, but they were a bit too citrusy (is that a word?) for me.

3: My homemade buttermilk biscuits. Now I just need to master homemade mac ‘n cheese, and I can open my own Cracker Barrel!

Kaya and I went to visit Michael at work for lunch one day (please take note of the spit-up on my sleeve)! It was fun to show everyone the baby and see Michael’s new cubicle. He always loves to see us.

This past Saturday, we had a date night at Cookout! So unhealthy but so delicious. Michael was sad that I didn’t take a picture of our milkshakes- he had mint Oreo and I tried something new called caramel fudge, but it was not quite as fudgy as the name lets on.

(Okay, this one technically isn’t an instagram photo, only because there was no way for me to crop it into a square and keep both our faces in there. I like it, so I’m including it here anyway!) I love snuggling with my baby, waiting for Michael to come home. This was after church on Sunday. I took this picture and e-mailed it to him while he was gone, titling it “your girls miss you”.

the birth story

If you don’t want to read all the details of labor, then this story isn’t for you. I didn’t write anything weird or gory, but I know that some people just don’t care for this type of thing. I still wanted to write it, though, because it is important to me, and I hope that it might also be encouraging and uplifting for other women who are unsure of the birth experience.

September 17th was the day before my due date, and my last scheduled doctor appointment. The nurse asked if I’d be interested in her sweeping my membranes to help start my labor, and of course I said yes!

I’d been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions every night for the week prior, and each time they seemed to be getting stronger and lasting for a longer stretch of time. Each night I’d hoped that they’d turn into the “real deal”, but hadn’t had any such luck. The nurse told me that if the sweep worked, I’d most likely go into labor within 24-48 hours. She said that real contractions don’t stop when you drink water or take a bath, but Braxton Hicks will.

I was 2 cm dilated when I left the doctor’s office, and since I knew I was likely to go into labor soon, I went home and took a short nap and relaxed. I did start having some cramps and tightness in my stomach, but I was still well enough to go to the grocery store with Michael that evening. Once we got home, though, the tightness was getting more frequent, so I took a bubble bath to see if it’d stop… and it didn’t!

By 10:30 pm, there was no doubt that real contractions had started! They stayed about 4 minutes apart all night long, and they were intense enough that I couldn’t really sleep through them. I think I managed to doze off for maybe an hour or two, but otherwise, Michael and I were up all night, taking walks and trying to watch some Netflix to distract ourselves and pass time.

The contractions started getting more and more intense, and by about 11 am I was ready to go to the hospital. We arrived around 11:30 and they monitored me for a while to see if I was  really in labor. I was dilated to 3 cm and having contractions anywhere from 3.5 to 4 minutes apart. Since I was progressing, they admitted me. I was so nervous and excited all at the same time! This was it- I was finally going to have a baby!

The contractions became stronger and stronger, but they still weren’t really coming at consistent time intervals. Around 3 pm, I was 4 cm dilated, and our nurse suggested that the doctor break my water to help move things along. After my water was broken, contractions picked up in intensity and time- they were 2-3 minutes apart and about a minute long, which lasted for approximately two to three hours.

Around 8 pm, I really started to lose control of my body. I had been in natural labor for nearly 22 hours at this point, just breathing through the contractions and not taking any sort of pain relief. Because I hadn’t had much to drink or eaten for a long time, I felt both dehydrated and a drop in my blood sugar. The nurse gave me an IV to help out, but my body was exhausted. I was breaking down mentally and physically. I couldn’t focus enough to get through the contractions and was starting to consider some kind of painkiller.

Michael knew how important a natural birth was to me, so he urged me to have my cervix checked before I made any decisions that I might regret later. He thought that if I was dilated a lot further and nearing the end, maybe I could push through the last bit of pain and do it all naturally. I reluctantly agreed. One of the women working that night was a nurse training to be a midwife, and when she checked me, she shook her head- I was STILL at only 4 cm. It was 5.5 hours after my water had been broken, and we had seen no progress. My heart dropped, and Michael said he felt my dream of a natural birth die.

Twenty-two hours of labor had already exhausted me, and the nurse-midwife told me that she thought my body was just too tired to progress and that I needed to rest. I cried and confessed to her that I didn’t want to be a “wimp”, and give up having a natural birth. Nothing seemed to be going the way I’d hoped it would. It was hard, but I honestly believe that if I had tried to continue on in my fatigued state, my body would not have been able to deliver my baby.

The nurse-midwife, nurse-training-to-be-midwife, and our nurse all wholeheartedly assured me that I was not a wimp… I was strong for having endured labor for as long as I had. The nurse also told me that they wanted to start me on Pitocin, especially since my water had already been broken for awhile at this point.

I decided then to get the epidural.

I had always said that I never ever wanted an epidural. I didn’t want to feel paralyzed, and I wanted to be able to feel pushing my baby out. Thankfully for me, the epidural wasn’t exactly as I thought it would be- I could still wiggle my toes and move my legs, and when it came time to push, I could feel everything I needed to to get the job done.

As much as I had wanted a natural birth, I honestly feel that I made the right decision for both myself and my baby. Modern medicine is a real blessing, and we shouldn’t be afraid to use the technology we have if we truly need it. Labor doesn’t always go the way you plan for- and that’s okay. All that really matters is that there’s a healthy mom and baby at the end of it all.

The anesthesiologist administered the epidural around 8:30 pm, and they started me on Pitocin at about 9:20 pm. I could still feel my stomach getting tight, but there was no more pain! It actually felt a lot like all those Braxton Hicks I’d had!

I was finally able to rest for a bit. Luckily, Michael was able to sleep a little, too. The nurse came in and checked me around 1 am… and I was at 9 cm! She was also very surprised at how low the baby’s head was! She didn’t check me again until 3 am- I was about a 9.5, and Kaya was sitting even lower now. She said that we could start pushing, so she went to get the nurse-midwife!

I was so excited, and my stomach was getting VERY tight now. I was so ready to push and finally meet my baby girl! The nurse-midwife was with another patient, so I had to wait until about 3:30 am to actually get started.

I was so grateful to have the women that were working there that night. They were so supportive and definitely helped give me a positive experience. All three of them and Michael were surrounding me and cheering me on the entire time.

After about an hour, at 4:26 am, our daughter was born! It was truly the most amazing experience of my entire life. She definitely had a great set of lungs right from the start! They cleaned her off and put her on my chest.

I definitely cried!

Our first photo as a family of three!

Our princess is definitely more than worth every pain and discomfort I endured. We love her so much!

meet kaya

She’s here!

Kaya Rose
September 19, 2012
4:26 am
7lbs 10.5 ounces
21 inches long

We love our little princess so very much. I still can’t believe how beautiful she is (or how much hair she has)!  I also love her big blue eyes. So far, she’s been a great sleeper and a champ at nursing.

I never knew I could love someone this much. I am so grateful that I get to be a mommy to such a perfect angel.

She makes so many funny faces, too- she’ll even pucker her lips up like she wants a kiss! It’s so fun to see her make some of the same expressions that we do.

Every day Michael gets wrapped around her finger a tiny bit more, and I love watching it happen.

We are so blessed.

the boppy

Some people say they couldn’t live without one, and other people say it’s completely useless. And then there are people who want one, but don’t want to spend about $50 for a simple pillow (*ahem*… me…)

So, I made my own! It cost me almost nothing to make the pillow itself (my mom-in-law had given me some sturdy corduroy fabric when I first started sewing, and for some reason, I already had two bags of poly-fil stuffing in my sewing stash… doesn’t everybody)?

If I don’t like it or use it that much once baby gets here, I don’t have to feel guilty, since it was practically free and fun to make, anyway. I made two covers for it, both flannel on one side and fleece on the other, so it’s super soft!

I did end up buying a waterproof cover made for a “real” boppy, and it fits perfectly, so my pillow is true-to-size!

I used this pattern here, so now you can make your own, too!

blackberry weekend

We had such a wonderful and BUSY weekend! It was only busy because it was filled with fun things though, and that’s the best kind of busy if you ask me. We had a dinner date out to a new-to-me Chinese buffet place (SO DELICIOUS!) and we even did our couponing at Target and ended up “saving” more than we spent- 60%!

On Saturday, we went to our friends’ birthday party for their little boy who just turned one! I won’t tell you how many pieces of cake Michael had… (hint: it starts with a “th” and ends in a “ree”)!

We also went blackberry picking! I really needed some berries to make jam, and we ended up getting just enough.

We wouldn’t have had even close to enough berries if Michael hadn’t been willing to be a wild man and climb into a lot of the taller brush.

And yes, it was as hot as these photos make it look, so once we were done, we went home and jumped straight in the swimming pool! Our little princess is always so wiggly after I get out of the pool (maybe because I drink a whole lot of ice water), but this time she even got hiccups while we were swimming. It felt so funny underwater!

I made my jam later that night, and it turned out soooo good. I think blackberry jam just might be my very favorite.

family baby shower

On Saturday, Michael’s family had a double baby shower for cousin Nicole and me! Nicole had her little boy in March, but she lives soooo far away (Vermont!) that she didn’t get to have a family shower before.

Michael and Nicole have always been close cousins. Look how cute they are!

Michael even got a little practice holding her baby!

My mom brought these pretty balloons and flowers to decorate.

So many of my favorite people were there, including Lelia, my mom, and Auntie Joyce! I love this picture because it really captures everyone’s true personality.

We played a fun “mad lib” game, which told stories about Nicole and I going into labor. In my stories I ended up going to the gym while having contractions. Somehow that sounds almost realistic!

Munchkin made out like a bandit and got a lot of clothes, books, pacifiers, blankets and hats. She doesn’t need any more clothes until she is about 6 months old!

The best part of everything was just spending time with my family. Lelia missed her “Daddy Dinosaur” (her nickname for Michael). I’ve missed seeing them together.

Of course we had to do a “dinosaur family” shot.

And then we had to include Jeffrey… Haha!

Thanks so much to everyone who came!

insta-jam for may!

Here are my Instagram photos from the month of May! Of course, we have to start off with a round of food photos… If they make you drool, at least try not to get any on your keyboard.

1: Finally found rainbow Twizzlers at Walmart… my favorite thing!

2: Chinese buffet with Michael and his mom. My other favorite thing! We even tried a new restaurant!

3. Ice cream sundaes at home with my mom. Another favorite! We discovered that Kroger makes a pretty-darn-good “triple brownie” flavor. Good for us economical folks who can’t splurge on Edy’s all the time!

4. Dairy Queen blizzards on our anniversary date. Do I even need to repeat myself?

1. Michael finally got his Xbox. He’d been asking for it for so long and it was great to see how happy he was when he finally brought it home!

2. Browsing in JCPenney, we came across “many much moosen!” pillow pets. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to get acquainted with some Brian Regan.

3 & 4: Michael found this 500-piece puzzle at the dollar store, and it’s actually really nice! It also makes for a fun date or activity to do together.

1: New beads for my wire-wrapping projects!

2: An owl pendant I ordered along with the beads… but it turns out that he’s HUGE and I have no idea what I can use him for. I still really like him though!

3. On Mother’s Day, my primary kids gave me their coloring pages from class. So sweet.

4. A “seahorse jumping out of the water” drawing by another little boy in my class. I love its stripes and spikes!

1: Maggie, after her haircut and bath! She loves being clean and having short hair, especially now with summer!

2: This is how Juni eats lately. She stands up on her hind legs, sticks her head in the hay trough, and just nibbles away. Crazy pig!

3. Clothes from my mom for baby 🙂

4. Clothes I got on clearance (AND with a coupon!) online for munchkin. I can’t wait to dress her up!

weekend deals

I did something this weekend that I wouldn’t usually do. Actually, I had never done this thing before, and even if I had, I probably wouldn’t have gone around talking about it.

I went shopping this past weekend. At a thrift store! What?!

And I realized just how awesome it can be! With my belly finally starting to grow, I have started to think about how on Earth I plan to cover it up in the next few months. And you know what? I don’t want to spend a ton of money on maternity clothes that I am hardly going to wear.

So I bought someone else’s things that look new, and only spent about $28 instead of what would cost about $150 (and that’s a conservative estimate)!

I couldn’t go shopping without getting something for baby girl… so she got some $1 apiece pants! I LOVE these because they aren’t just PINK like so many other baby pants out there… and there are no ruffles on the butt!

creative productivity

I’ve been pretty excited about crafting lately. We reorganized the den (where my work space is), and I LOVE being in there now, so it makes it easier to just go make something! The only thing missing is a comfy desk chair (hopefully Michael is reading this…haha!)

Finding out that our munchkin is a baby girl has motivated me even more. There are so many fun things I want to make for her!

My two main focuses right now are sewing and wire jewelry. Here’s the first wire bracelet I made out of brass (for practice) and some glass beads my aunt gave me.

And of course I had to make something for munchkin. So I cut up Michael’s old jeans and made a little skirt and matching booties! (tutorials here and here)

The next creation took no skill at all, actually, but I wanted to share it anyway because I thought it was pretty cool! I found a word-cloud generator here and used it to make a little wall art for munchkin’s room. Of course, it’s in the shape of a horse… just wait until you see the rest of the room!

Apparently, baby girl has been getting creative too- she somehow went out, bought a card, and mailed it to me for Mother’s Day. It’s pretty interesting that her handwriting looks identical to my mom’s and that she already knows to shop at Hallmark!