I'm finally back!

Whew! It's been nearly 4 months since my last post here. What have I been up to?

This:

Our baby girl was born on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 7:04 p.m. I was induced at 5 a.m. that morning and after 12 hours of labor without pain medication finally asked for the epidural. Two hours later I was holding her in our arms.

Life has radically been altered since I've become a mother and I have to say that it's absolutely wonderful. Next week is the official end of my maternity leave (although for the past month I've been working from home part-time and in the office twice a week) and it made me think that it's time to pick back up with this blog. Although, I think the focus will inherently change to most things baby-related, since that is the focus of our lives right now. We're approaching our second anniversary of being Californians in Tulsa...and although I cannot say that I feel like a bonafide Okie, I am raising one now.

I am sure she'll have a different outlook on life...being raised here versus my being raised in San Francisco and J's upbringing in San Diego. I look forward to her not having to grow up too fast. It's refreshing to see here that kids can still be kids for a while and not little adults. But I am also determined that she be open-minded and accepting of all walks of life even if it's not the path she's chosen...a bit of a challenge in a conservative, "red" state, I'd say. Thankfully we're finding an inclusive community of free-thinkers via All Souls Church. Now that our little one is just past the three month mark, we're committed to getting out and connecting with other like-minded folks. We've been here nearly two years and it's time we start setting our roots. The seed has definitely been planted. And her name is Libby Jo.

Bumpdate!

Whoa! The last time I posted bump pics was 27 weeks! Here's an update!

At our 36 week appointment the baby is head down and measuring 6 lbs and 3 oz. We've also had our estimated due date moved from 02.02.10 to 01.30.10. Only 3 days but psychologically it now means we'll be having a baby THIS month! 22 days and counting!

A letter to my unborn daughter

Dear Elizabeth,

Today is the first day of 2010 which means that Daddy and I will be meeting you very soon. We are so excited and cannot wait to hold you in our arms and study your face. Will you have Daddy's nose? Only time will tell is for sure.

It was just a year ago that we were asking ourselves, "are we ready to become parents?" And here we are, just weeks away from meeting you, our first child. Thank you so much for choosing us to be your parents.

We promise to always love you unconditionally, just as you are, no matter what. We will always do our best to be the best we can be so that you may thrive and flourish to become the best that you can be. We won't always be perfect or right, but I promise you that we'll always do the very best that we can do in that moment and when we know better, we'll do better. Always.

You are being named after your Grandma Debra and your Granny Judie...two of the strongest and giving women we know. They both have overcome many obstacles and much adversity in their lives and we hope you'll learn from their wisdom and life's experiences. Elizabeth is Grandma Debra's middle name and Joan is Granny Judie's middle name. We're calling you Libby for short, but if or when you decide you'd prefer a different nickname or none at all (like Daddy) we'll respect your choice, one-hundred percent.

You are our first baby, our first child. We will learn to be good parents from you. And we will teach you everything we know about being a good person - loving freely, respecting diversity and appreciating all that this life has to offer you.

I'll be a little sad when your birthday finally comes - just for a fleeting moment though - because I will no longer have you all just to myself. Your little flips and kicks and wiggles. But I'll be so happy to have you here to hold and to share your fingers and toes with Daddy and everyone else who already loves you so much.

Please never doubt how much you were wanted or how much you are already so loved. From the moment we knew about you, we were overwhelmed with love for you. Even before that, we wanted you with fierce passion and we were so happy that it didn't take you long to find us. I am pretty sure that you're the best birthday present Daddy has ever received. And you're a treasure to me. You are the only person in this world who knows what my heartbeat sounds like from the inside. It's amazing to know that I am giving you life. Thank you for this privilege, I will treasure it always.

We love you sweet little girl and cannot wait until you arrive. Stay safe until you're ready and when you are...Daddy and I will be waiting with open arms.

Love,
Mommy

Snow Pugs!

The pugs are not quite sure what to think about all of the snow that the blizzard dropped on us.

Regina surveying the snowy backyard through our window.


Regina cannot believe all the snow in the backyard!


Luigi and Regina investigate what has happened to their backyard.


Snow pugs!


Regina warms up after playing in the snowy backyard.


Luigi warms up after playing in the snowy backyard.


Luigi likes his winter sweater. So cozy!


Regina and Luigi figure two bodies = warmth!


Regina suns herself in our window. Look at all that snow in the background!


Luigi suns himself too.

Luigi and Regina find a patch of sun.

Luigi and Regina snuggle together in the sun.

Luigi and Regina cope with the snow by sunning themselves as they snuggle together.


The pugs use Bella the cat for added warmth...it's not so bad snuggling up to a cat!

Nursery Progress

Since we were snowed in for Christmas we decided it would be the perfect time to finish getting our nursery together.

Remember the inspiration board?

Here's how it's all come together:

View of the nursery from the doorway


Simply Shabby Chic (from Target) Pillow and Banners...to decorate the crib.
When the baby sleeps in there we'll take the pillow out though.


Still need to add more decorative accessories to this shelf.
The dress in the middle and two to the right of it were mine when I was a baby.
The other two were awesome consignment sale finds!


Lamp that was in my room when I was a toddler.
I made a new lampshade for it to coordinate with the colors in the nursery.
The lamp was a vintage shop find by my mom when I was just 2 years old,
so it's got to be at least 45-50 years old by now.


These are shelves from IKEA that we've had for at least 10 years!
The baskets had red and yellow striped liners so I made new ones to match the lamp shade.
The Care Bears are new except for the dark blue one which was mine when I was a child...vintage! You can tell he's different because he has real hair and the others don't.


Swivel/Rocker/Recliner we scored for $50 on Craigslist.
The day bed is 25 years old and real enameled
iron with brass finials, also found on Craigslist.
We still need to get a proper quilt for it
(found one I like from Target's Simply Shabby Chic line)
and add the pop up trundle and a dust ruffle.


Bigger view of the room. Not pictured...J's "study" corner which is to the right of the daybed.


Our cloth diaper stash! 36 unbleached Indian cotton prefolds. The other box has the covers and wipes, etc. We also scored a second-hand wipes warmer for $6...I figured it's worth a shot!


Our multi-functional crib with lots of storage.
Still awaiting the arrival of the properly sized changing pad for the top of the drawers.
Best of all it will convert to a single youth bed with a nightstand
when the baby is ready to transition out of the crib.


Wall letters that I made with supplies from the local craft store.
I decoupaged scrapbook paper onto the balsa wood letters and
then attached them to twine with mini clothes-line clips
(hot glued in the back for extra security).
I still plan to add some bird decals to the clothesline.


All of Joseph's work has paid off! We have a gorgeous, sturdy crib for Libby!
He put it together all by himself, by hand!


Me and my bump at 35 weeks pregnant!

I still need to add some wall decals and artwork to the walls, dress the day bed with pillows and linens, etc. But all in all, it's ready for our little girl!

Christmas 2009 - Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Well our plans for Christmas this year were drastically changed by old man winter. He dumped 6 inches of snow on us on Christmas Eve. The next morning the roads were closed and there was no way we were going to be able to make the 2 hour drive southeast to spend the holiday with J's mom, step dad and brother. We were especially disappointed because this would have been the first time we could visit them at Christmastime without his mom being in the hospital. The last two Christmases she was in the hospital fighting pneumonia and gravely ill. But with all of the adjustments to her health care this year she's been feeling good and was ready to host us.

Here are some pictures I took from throughout the day on Christmas Eve:

Our backyard at mid-afternoon

A little later that day....

Christmas morning!!!

Our driveway...the snow was so thick that J couldn't get the car up into the driveway!

J scraping the driveway so we can get in and out and also get our car parked in it!

Since we had planned on Christmas dinner at the in-laws we had nothing really planned or prepared in the house. J managed to put together a lovely meal for us (we were thinking it might end up being frozen pizza, but he defrosted some steaks and make a proper Christmas meal for us). We snuggled up with the furbabies and rented some movies on pay-per-view. This being our last Christmas as just a duo at the end of the day is was perfect...just the two of us.

Nursery Inspiration

Well the nesting mode has kicked in full force. This weekend it continued with finishing up some DIY craft projects (will post pics soon) and getting some more furniture. We scored an awesome antique iron and brass day bed with pop up trundle on Craigslist for a steal. I am so excited! It will go in the nursery and provide a place for mommy or daddy to sleep with baby, if/when the need arises down the road and she's no longer in her Arm's Reach Co-sleeper in our room. We also can use it to free up our room for guests who come to visit (since we no longer have a guest room with my mom living with us).

We've put the nursery together on a budget with lots of consignment finds, Craigslist purchases, and repurposing/refurbishing items we already have. I have created this mood board to get a better idea of how it's all coming together:

The first two colors at the top (white and toasted almond) are the trim and wall colors of the room. We don't plan to paint since we're renting and the space is shared with J's study (or the place he spends nearly 8 hours a day studying as a full-time nursing student) and we like it the way it is.

We have ice blue curtains up already, which led to my decision to incorporate the blue into our little girl's nursery. The pink chair is a swivel/rocker/recliner that we got for $50 and is a dusty rose color. And the apple green we are pulling in to balance the pink and blue we have going on in the room. I am calling this sort a of Shabby Chic meets Woodland Animal themed nursery. The cube shelving we already had, so we're repurposing it for storage (using lined storage baskets that I made new liners for that coordinate with the lampshade that I also DIY'd) and will add a changing pad to the top along with storage bins that have our cloth diapers and supplies in them.

The bird mobile is almost done...I have sewn and stuffed all of the little birdies and just need to figure out how to balance the branches I've attached them to so that they look like a mobile. The pillow with the dingle-ball trim I found at Target as part of their Simply Shabby line. And the wall decals are made of fabric and sold on Etsy. I really think that those decals will transform the space into one that is truly for a little child. We're still awaiting the arrival of our crib, but as soon as all of this is in place I will post pictures of the actual room....hopefully by the New Year.