Adventure: Parenthood

Daley Jane - 13 Days           Clara Noelle - 27 Days

You'll have to excuse the awkward picture of these beautiful babes, thankfully there will be plenty more play dates to get some better poses.  Daley and Clara are exactly 2 weeks apart.  Clara's mom, Jessie, has been one of my dear friends for the past 6 years.  We have spent the last 6 years laughing together, and thankfully that isn't going to change.  We are going through this adventure called parenthood together, and I couldn't be more grateful to have Jessie as a fellow 'new momma' as we text each other silly questions about our daughters, breast feeding, diaper rash and sleepless nights.  Little do Daley and Clara know, but they are going to be good friends.  They can either chose to be good friends or Jessie and I are fully prepared to force them to be good friends.  Take your pick girls!

Jessie has a blog dedicated to her new adventure as a mom, you have to check it out at http://horneymomtellsall.blogspot.com/... yes, you read that right.  horney. mom. tells. all.  While you wipe that judgmental look off your face, you can start laughing because her last name is Horney. Who am I kidding, sure it is her last name, but that blog title would be totally appropriate even if her last name was Smith! :-)

Daley Jane

Miss Daley Jane has stolen our hearts and widened our smiles!

Today, September 16th, was my due date with Daley...instead she is 11 days old!

I am hoping to write about her birth story and the days that followed sometime this week.  Forgive me if I don't get around to it though, I have to sit and stare at my beautiful girl!  

getting closer

30 weeks

33 weeks

I am officially all belly.  You know you are in your third trimester when...

...men you don't know start to ask when you are due

...your ankle bones appear smaller (or is it that my ankles appear bigger)

...baby body parts poke and prod throughout the day

...rolling over becomes an Olympic sport

...sleeping is simply a way to pass the time between bathroom visits

...you day dream about your little ones personality and hair color

...you and your husband look at each other with wide eyes when you realize you will be 'mom and dad' soon

Can't wait to meet Little Miss Crow!  

Simply Splendid Strawberry Lemonade

There are no pictures for this post, because when I was creating this strawberry lemonade I had no idea what I was onto!  It is wonderful!  I poor myself a glass with one hand and pat myself on the back with the other.  Hey, when you are 7.5 month pregnant and longing to meet your little girl it is the simple things in life that keep me distracted.  So, I enjoy each glass with a smile...one hand on the glass and one hand on my belly...are you noticing a theme?

Simply Splendid Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:
2/3 cup lemon juice (I used the store bought kind, but juice from a fresh lemon would work great)
1 cup sugar
1 cup hot water (I just used hot tap water, no boiling for this girl)
10 strawberries
Ice and cold water to end up with 2 quarts of strawberry lemonade

1. Pour 1 cup hot water into your pitcher, add 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved
2. Add 2/3 cup lemon juice
3. In a small bowl crush up 10 strawberries, then poor strawberry juice and 'pulp' into the pitcher
4. Add a little ice and enough cold water to end up with 2 quarts of strawberry lemonade

I had Tyler help me taste test and the recipe above is our desired sweetness, etc.  You can fool around with it and find what works for you!  YUM!

In the past couple of days I have typed up a cleaning schedule (found here), which I think I am going to love...I also typed up emergency numbers for friends and family that will watch my little love (one for the kitchen and one for the diaper bag)...I typed up the inventory in my pantry and made a to-do list of things we want to get done around the house before Little Miss Crow arrives.  I guess you could say I am nesting!

feel the love

On June 9th, I gathered with some dear friends to celebrate my little girl.  

Tyler and I are blessed to have the love and support of so many people! Thankful for all of you!

26 weeks - dressed up for the shower

emily, kt, me and little miss

kt and molly - threw me an amazing shower

yes, the italian sodas were that good, finger lickin' good

these ladies better be prepared to be my real live guides to surviving and laughing through parenthood

it was cold, apparently i hunch when I am cold...my cute momma

the ladies that came to love of me and my girl

babies on board

petra is amazing, she hosted and blessed my little girl with this beautiful quilt!

medium changes

                                                                         21 weeks

                                                                            24 weeks

26 weeks

i have grown a bit since week 19 and i feel little miss crow move everyday.  we watch her kick and wiggle at night and she makes us laugh when she gets extra zealous in her movements.  thankful for every move she makes because it reminds me she is growing big and strong and preparing to meet her momma and poppa.  i am looking forward to seeing what color her hair is, seeing tyler hold her for the first time, watching her personality develop, and greeting her each morning with a smile.

Ooh baby baby

Tyler and I set out to buy a blue onesie and a pink onesie the night before our 21 week ultrasound.  We had fun picking them out and reality sat in that we were going to get to know our baby even more in the next 24 hours! 

We had a great ultrasound with Dr. Hughes, and found out that our baby is healthy as can be.  What a blessing!  

Then we gave the ultrasound pictures to my friend, Katie, who wrapped them up as a present with the respective onesie that coordinates with the gender.  We really had no idea! 

We are thrilled to know that we are having a baby girl.  Thankful and blessed!

Small Changes

are you serious?

ex.cite.ed.

4.5 weeks

11 weeks

13 weeks

    

15 weeks

17 weeks

19 weeks

My belly is growing and the changes are starting to become noticeable. Sleeping is interrupted with changing from side to side after I wake up sore.  The heart beat is strong at each appointment and I love hearing it! Check back around May 9th for the gender reveal!

The Bump?

The bump...
...looks like I ate too much for lunch
...is there one day and gone the next
...will soon be here to stay for a while
...will soon have a mind of its own
...will show me a new love for elastic
...is home to the baby I love most

15 weeks and thankful!

At 12 weeks I am...

...not feeling queasy!
...on week 2 of my 6 weeks of travel for work (don't worry, I get to go home every weekend)
...trying to recover from a day procedure (not baby related) without pain medicine other than tylenol, and not much of that either (call me crazy but the thought of my baby having a steady stream of pain meds just doesn't sound ideal)
...looking bloated to the point that people probably think "I thought she was a runner?"
...going home to visit my mom who wants to buy me maternity clothes...excited much?!
...so excited that my sweet and strong husband is building us a closet in hopes of getting organized before baby's arrival
...thinking about names and then deciding it will be easier when we know the gender...probably not
...loving chocolate milk
...head over heels in love with this baby
...loving every prayer that Tyler sends up for our baby
...and to end with the silliest thing of all, I saw baby shampoo and wanted to buy a bottle and sleep with it...really?

At 12 weeks I am thankful, excited, and blessed!