Meet Eli.

Eli Jacob

February 21, 2012

7 pounds 15 ounces

20.5 inches long

Proud big sister and big brother.  Pictures courtesy of Scot, my backup photographer. 

Poor Nate didn't know what to think of everything.  He went quietly from grandparent to grandparent, asking to be held. Promises of a hot dog perked him up, though.   

Brooke was just the opposite.  She was totally in love with Eli and couldn't get enough.  She brought a book to "read" to him and sang him Happy Birthday.   

The grandparents were pretty proud, too.

I might get in trouble for posting the next pic, but I love it.  The expressions on the grandparents' faces are great.  :-)

You know as soon as I was up and around I took some pictures of that new baby.    

  We are so in love.  And so, so thankful for baby Eli.

Macro Fun

Hmmm...what to do while passing the days waiting for baby? 

Most women clean and nest and all that good stuff but I AM SERIOUSLY TIRED.  So how about a little experimenting with macro photography instead?  I am in love with macro.  You know what I'm talking about, right?  Pictures of teeny tiny bugs or the itsy bitsy bits inside flowers?  Basically, a picture that magnifies the subject.  That's macro.  

There's a macro lens I would love to have.  But it's very expensive.  When I mentioned it to Scot he just laughed and mumbled something about diapers and college.  He can be so unreasonable sometimes. :-)  So instead I plunked down ten bucks on some extension tubes--tubes you can use with your existing lenses that allow close-up focusing. 

Here's my first attempt.

Strawberry.

Maybe some little baby finger and eyelash pictures in my future?  :-)

Stream of Consciousness

I don't really have a topic in mind here, I just wanted to check in and post a few pictures before they get lost in the abyss that is my computer. 

Still here.  Still pregnant and planning to remain so until the 21st.  That means in just SEVEN DAYS I'll be having my little guy!  We're excited, nervous and anxious, but mostly excited.  I want to hold him. Because I love him.  And because if I'm holding him that means I don't have to be pregnant anymore.  (But mostly because I love him, for the record.)

I'll spare you the belly pic.  No, I'll spare ME the belly pic.  I'm big.  Sometimes I'll catch the kids just staring at my belly with a concerned look, like they just realized their mom has ballooned up to twice the normal size.  Big.

On to something else.  You know how your kids disappear to play and later you find them sweetly reading together in their room?  I didn't either until a few days ago. 

I got about five pictures before the moment was done.

Yes, we're trying to transition Brooke and Nate into the same room.  The first couple of nights were rough because Nate didn't like being in a new room.  The nights after that were rough because Nate decided it was the coolest thing ever to be in a new room.  Brooke and Nate stayed up talking and laughing and we found plastic food from Brooke's little kitchen in their beds after they'd fallen asleep.  A few night of this and they were both exhausted. 

So, Nathan is back in his old room and we've decided to live in denial that this baby is going to need Nathan's crib soon.  We have a little setup in our room, though.  Complete with impossibly tiny little diapers.

And now we're just waiting... :-)  

Waiting for You

I'm about 35 weeks now. 

The little flutters of early pregnancy have given way to rolls, flips, hiccups and sharp kicks.  You move almost constantly, shifting and shaking my belly nonstop.  Your little heel makes a tiny protrusion on my left side.  Your bottom up sits high. In just one more month I'll be kissing your heel and patting your bottom.  

I can't wait.

This is the most exciting time in pregnancy, I think.  There's discomfort, yes.  Exhaustion, heartburn and sleeplessness. Stabbing round ligament pain that takes my breath away in the middle of the night.  But now there's anticipation.  Knowing that you'll be here soon eases everything.  We're getting close. 

Honestly? I worry about handling everything.  I know I have a challenging year ahead of me.  But I also know that God doesn't want my worries.  I often find myself praying for peace, wisdom, and an ever-present appreciation of the blessings I've been given.

And I thank God for giving me you.

I don't know quite what the next year will be like.  But I do know that once you're here I won't be able to imagine life without you.  I will be over-the-moon, head-over-heels in love. In a sea of unknowns, of this I'm sure. 

After all, it's happened twice before.

I love you so much already.  See you soon.

Love, me

No Boys Allowed

With a baby belly that's not getting any smaller, I know the clock is ticking on a few things.  Sleeping through the night...leaving the house in under 30 minutes...and one on one time with my big girl. 

So, this weekend Brooke and I sent the boys out to do something manly like get the oil changed and we had us a little girl time.

First stop: nail salon.

I wasn't sure how this would go.  But as soon as girlfriend saw the wall lined with bottle after bottle of colorful nail polish, she was hooked.  She picked the brightest, most glittery bottle of red nail polish you've ever seen in your whole life and sat like she'd done it a million times. She asked the nail lady if she would please make her nails "beautiful and glittery and shiny."  And for $3 she did.  We'll be doing this again, for sure.

The first of many mommy-daughter manies, I do believe.

Next, off to the cupcake shop.

I'm such a kind, giving mother to take my little girl to get a cupcake, aren't I?  Don't you know enormously pregnant lady wanted a cupcake, too. 

If you're diabetic or have high cholesterol you're gonna want to look away for this next part...

Behold. 

Toasted coconut.  White cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese filling.  Heck yeah.

A great morning out, but the best part was the company.  I love that girl.  :-)

Favorite Pics From 2011

Happy 2012!

So far we've had an eventful one around my house.  Scot and I celebrated our 11th anniversary this week.  Dixie, our 17-year-old cat, went on to a better place.  The reality of another baby in 6 weeks is slowly setting in and we're (I'm!!) panicking at the thought of getting rooms ready since we've done absolutely nothing to prepare for our new little man! There are so many things I want to do before he gets here, including transitioning Nathan out of the crib, since that will be the baby's bed.  And by the way, thanks to everyone who voted for names!  We're still in debates but getting a little closer, I think.  If we land on one for sure, I'll let you know.  

In the midst of the chaos I'm trying to make good on my New Year's resolution to get a little more organized.  Organization.  Ugh.  So not my thing, but I'm working on it. I got going on organizing the mass amount of junk on my computer, which basically means deleting pictures. 

Of course, looking at pictures is way too fun.  The kids have changed so much and there are so many sweet moments to relive.  So, while "getting organized" I got distracted and decided to do a blog including some of my favorite pictures from this year.  Because that's way more fun than organizing.  Most things are. 

I'll wait to get organized when the kids move out.  Unless something more fun comes up.  Here are the pics.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2011... 

God bless you and yours this Christmas!