Merry Christmas {2011}

Our 2011 Christmas card. Merry Christmas to you!

Christmas card from Silly Me Design on Etsy

What I Wore Wednesday

Wow, it's been a long time since I have posted one of these. Such a slacker!

I am linking up with The Pleated Poppy

My attempt at getting a cute pic with Malone. Oh well! Next time.

Family Pics!!

Thanks to Julie at Photo Jewels Photography for our awesome family pics! I know it wasn't easy with my, *ahem*, spirited child. I was actually shocked that we got the pics we did. She was way more interested in running and playing in the dirt than posing for pictures. She likes to keep things interesting. I think I sweated more in this photo shoot than I did on the day I gave birth to her. Oh well, this is life with a 20 month old right? Hope everyone likes the pics, Julie does amazing work!

Malone's Birth Story

**I totally understand that not everyone wishes to know about my birth story

but this is a post I have intended to write about since I started the blog and I am just now getting around to it.

So indulge me while I rant about painful labor and how adorable my child is. :)**

March 15th, 2010

It was the start of spring break. My husbands family was coming in town so it was the perfect time to have a baby! My original due date was on the 17th and I had just about had it with being pregnant. My family and I decided to take a shopping trip to North Park. While there, I started to have contractions. Pretty minor stuff but thought maybe I should go in just to make sure. Once at the hospital, it was determined that I was having pretty regular contractions while strong but not strong enough. They decided to keep me overnight and monitor me.

First contraction of many

The next morning, my contractions had pretty much stalled out. Since I was already admitted, we decided to go ahead and induce labor. They started pitocin and we waited and waited and waited. After a few hours of being on pitocin and several guesses of when the baby would be here...

That piece of paper had everyone's guess on weight and when she would arrive

there was still nothing. Normally, women are screaming in pain when the level of pit is between 8-10. I made it all the way up to the 20s and not even a cramp. I decided that the baby girl was just not ready. I didn't want to force her to come out only to end up with a c-section so we packed it up and headed home. Exhausted. The next day the ladies and I took a trip to Ikea so I could try and walk the baby out. Try as I might, still no baby.

March 18th, 2010

I thought my water may have broken. I was steadily leaking water but never had a big gush so we decided to head to the doctor to make sure. My doctor was out of town for spring break so we saw one of the other doctor's in her practice. They tested my water and it was not amniotic fluid, just regular ol' prego stuff. I felt so defeated. I just wanted that baby here. I was past my due date and I was done. The doctor could tell I had about had it. With a projected 8 pound baby the doctor thought it was ok to go ahead and induce.

I arrived back at the hospital at 5 pm to have my cervadil administered and settled in for a hopefully restful night. Wrong. With two ambien in me, I was still wide awake. Contractions started at midnight and by 2:30 am I was in some serious pain. I hadn't eaten since around 4PM the day before and no sleep since the night before. Needless to say I was not a happy camper. But, hey this is labor right? Nobody said it was gonna be easy.

March 19th, 2010 D-Day!!

They wheeled me down to labor and delivery around 6:30 am. By then, I was in panic mode. The contractions were so strong and right on top of each other. I told my nurse (who is a client of mine and friend) and the Hubs that if I wasn't at least a 7 I was going to literally freak out. When the doc came in at 7, I was only a 2!?! What the H - e double hockey sticks!!!! I couldn't believe it. I wanted to cry and scream. But, I really tried to hold it together. I think the doc knew I was about to lose it. So he ordered up an epidural that had my name all over it. Within the hour, I was feeling good, doc broke my water and the pitocin had begun. Smooth sailing right? Again, wrong.

All smiles since I was pain free!!

The Hubs and I

My Mom and sister

At about 1:00 pm, everything hit me like a ton of bricks. It felt like a bus was about to drive out of my rear end! Sorry about the graphic expression but it is the closest thing I can compare it to. I told my nurses that I was in a LOT of pain. The crna came back in and continued for the next several hours to up my dosage. It didn't work. I was in labor and I could feel it. That was not part of the plan. I am not one of those momma's who wanted to go au natural. While I think those momma's are awesome and am totally jealous of their gutsiness (is that even a word?) I am not trying to be hero, I'm just trying to have a baby in the most pleasant way possible.

This my friends, is not pleasant.

I remember closing my eyes, praying the pain would just go away!

My doctor's shift was ending between 5 and 6. He informed me that his wife was ill with the flu and asked if the other doctor in the practice could take over. He checked me one last time and informed that I was a 9! Yes!!! The home stretch. I thought, I can do this I am almost there. He asked the nurses to take me off pitocin and let me go the rest of the way on my own. I could see that this puzzled my nurses but they did what they were asked to do.

Around 6 my new doctor showed up. He checked me. Confused, he asked "Did the other Dr. tell you that you were a 9?" "Yes" I replied. "Well, I regret to tell you but you are only a 7," he said. WHAT!?!?! O M G! I didn't know what to do. I was in a whole lotta pain and I thought he was about to tell me we were ready to push only to tell me that I was not anywhere near ready. And, because the other doctor took me off of pitocin, I stalled out. Which meant even longer before my little one was to arrive. He ordered me back on pitocin and within the hour I was trucking back along.

8:30 Time to push

I was complete. Thank God!! I asked for the mirror because a friend/co-worker of mine said it helped her to push harder. While it was one of the scariest sites I have ever seen, it really did help. Especially since I had another 2 1/2 hours of pushing ahead of me. Pushing is hard, like real hard. With over 24 hours of no food and no sleep. I honestly can't believe I did it. In between pushes I would literally yell out to God to help me. I am not an out loud pray - er. I can't even pray in front of my husband because it gives me anxiety. So for me to cry out to God in front of a group of people is really out of my comfort zone. But as I like to say, "I was callin' on some Jesus!" I knew that He was the only way I was going to make it through. The pain was intense and I was so tired. But, as promised He was there. I also couldn't have done it without my Hubs. He is a coach in his everyday life and he did not disappoint in the delivery room either. He was yelling for me to keep pushing like I was one of his receivers running down the field with the other team hot on my heels. He was and is awesome!

Completely wiped out

Let's get this baby out!!

I think I just about cut the circulation off to his hand

The doctor told me, "we are going to have a baby in one of the next few pushes!!" To that I yelled, "Jesus let it be the next push!!!" It wasn't. It was a few after that but who's counting? I felt what all the nurses call the ring of fire. It was awful but so worth it because what happened next at 10:25 pm was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. My baby. She was bright eyed from the moment he lifted her up. She had a healthy set of lungs on her and she. was. beautiful!!!

Our first look at Pretty Baby Lo (as Daddy calls her)

Kisses from Momma

Inspecting her

I was getting stitched up and could feel every stitch..ouch!

What a face! Life is so hard!

Bright eyed!

She was perfect. She weighed in at 7 pounds 15 oz and 21 1/2" long. She had brown hair, three dimples and looked just like her Daddy.

It was all worth it. It took me a while to say I wanted another baby but now looking back, I can't wait to deliver again. It is the single most amazing thing that I will ever do. I just can't believe that God made our bodies to birth such wonderful little beings.

We love you Malone!!!

**all birth photos were taken by a sweet friend and nurse Lauren Britton

**Post was done for mainly myself to document my baby's birth. I hope you don't have any negative comments about my birthing experience but if you do, please keep them to yourself. Thank you!!!

Etsy Lovin' : Lottie Da Baby

It's been a long time since I featured one of my favorite Etsy stores. Yes, I am addicted to blogging, pinning and Etsy"ing". I know, I need help! But, I just love Etsy. I have found some of the most unique pieces from such talented people. It's like having a seamstress, graphic designer, crafter, and jewelry designer all in your back pocket. Love it! So, when it came time for this year's family pics I had the perfect dress in mind from Lottie Da Baby.

I ordered the dress about 2 weeks in advance with a note to the seller stating that I would need the dress by a certain time and if that couldn't be accomplished (since everything is lovingly made by hand) than I would need to cancel the order. Amy from Lottie Da assured me that I would receive the dress in time. Fastforward to three days before picture time...still no dress. So I cantacted Lottie Da Baby and to their suprise the dress had shipped and should have already been in my possesion days ago. Oh no!?!? Amy was very apologetic and I could tell she was truly sincere when she offered me a refund. I told her I would keep her posted and if I didn't receive the dress before our family pictures than I would like to get a refund. Picture day came and went and sadly, no dress. Amy refunded my money within minutes of receiving my email requesting a refund. I told her not to worry about it, that these things happen and do you know what she did next....she offered to send me the dress for FREE !!!! She said she just didn't feel right about me not recieivng the dress and knew how much I loved it. Can you believe it?? I almost cried when I read her email. You just don't get customer service like that anymore. Needless to say, this company has made me a customer for life!!

Malone in her Lottie Da Baby dress at the Arboretum. She loved the "punt kins" they were so "heaby"!

Here are a few other favorites from this adorable shop:

They also have custom baby bedding as well that is to die for! I wish I would have stumbled upon them when searching for Lo's baby bedding!

So hurry over to Lottie Da Baby and buy your sweet baby girl some of the most uniquely adorable and well made dresses you have ever seen! You will be so glad you did!

What I Wore Wednesday #33

Whole outfit: Old Navy

Cardi: Target, Shirt: Forever21, Shorts: Old Navy, Shoes: Dillards

I am linking up with The Pleated Poppy and No Model Lady

Updates on Malone's Crib

Malone's room, much like the rest of my house, is always in need of some improvements. I was at our local thrift store, Helping Hands and I picked up this adorable chair. It is the perfect color and size for my little one and at only $60 I thought it was a steal!

The chair fits perfectly into this little reading nook. She can easily access her books and it is perfect for the two of us to snuggle into.

She recently has started to run to her room and close the door. I let her stay in there for a few minutes and this is how I always find her. So sweet! She loves her books!!

The chair does need some love though. On the front of the arm, the previous owner hot glued arm covers to it. When I took the arm covers off, the glue didn't come with it. Also, the arms are very worn. I think it would be great to recover just the arms in a funky fabric to match the rest of the room. But, for now I am just gonna live with it.

This corner used to look like this.

I was never really happy with it but now it looks like this...

I got the letters at Hobby Lobby and spray painted them red. I love how it turned out and will definitely be using them in her future big girl room.

Now all I need is a new rug and I will be finished. Just in time to turn it into a big girl room. Ha! It never ends!

My Kitchen - Updated

So here is an updated look of my kitchen.

You can see how the kitchen looked before here. I hope you like it!

My collection of globes is expanding and I can't wait to get some smaller ones to fill in the spaces. I am obsessing over this one. I still need to find something to fill in above the pantry door and I have a few things in mind.

The view into the living room.

View across from the sink. Cabinets need hardware

and the lamp in the corner is screaming for an update.

How awesome are those Anthropologie-esque dish towels!!

They were a steal at Tuesday Morning for around $8 each.

Rug is from TJMaxx. The scheme of the rug mimics

the rug in the living room and I Love It!

Brass elephant dresses up the sink. Great $1 find at Goodwill.

View into breakfast area. Chairs still need to be painted and seats need to be re-covered. I would also love to change out the chandelier to something a little more funky.

Table top is covered in chalkboard cloth (more on that later).

The bowl was handmade by my Cousin's husband. Isn't it gorgeous?!?!

I like to keep our washable crayons in it for easy access for Malone.

I'm loving the way it is coming together! Stay tuned for more about my kitchen table redo.

I am linking up with:

DIY Showoff