Cecily's Birth Story

Last week I was resigning myself to weeks of prodromal labor (it had already been three weeks of it). I was exhausted, I was uncomfortable, I had a lot of heartburn and morning sickness that last week, and I was ready to be finished. But here she is and the last ten months cease to exist in my mind as I just revel in the joy of having this sweet baby in my arms. 

ONE WEEK OLD:

A week after my due date I had an early morning OB appointment. My doctor said I was 3.5 centimeters, but still 50% effaced. I was encouraged at the little bit of progress, but kept my expectations low, and then she swiped my membranes. Ugh. That night was my son's opening night for Mary Poppins and I didn't want to be bleeding and having even more false labor the night of his show!

Sure enough, all day long the contractions came and I was getting pretty worn out. I tried to walk through them and I tried to remember they were just braxton hicks, but they were so rhythmic and so close together, that it was hard to not let myself think I was in early labor. Not to mention, all the bleeding I was doing!

Nevertheless, that night I got all dolled up and went to my son's show. The show was spectacular. I am ridiculously proud of how well he did. Never missed a line, a dance step, or a note. But halfway through the show the contractions were really coming and I was getting nervous that my water would gush when I stood up, or worse, the contractions would become unbearable.

Somehow through intermission my mom and Chris helped me walk up the aisle to the back. My Mom was convinced I was in early labor and wasn't so sure I should stay for the rest of the show, but I was convinced it was yet another night like all the ones before it, so I suffered through the last Act. During intermission I felt like I made quite the scene. This huge overdue pregnant lady huffing and puffing through contractions made everyone think I should be in the hospital. But how could I tell them it was just braxton hicks and this is just how I am at the end? And yet how could I miss my son's show, too? So there I was slightly humiliated, but glad to be able to see my son perform.

After the show I figured we should just go to the hospital. After all, I had been sloughing the mucus plug all day, my contractions had been regular all day, and I was already 3.5 centimeters, which is the most I've ever been before labor. So off we went.

Contractions came every 2 to 3 minutes on the drive to the hospital. They didn't get worse, but they didn't get irregular either. They were very early labor contractions. Not quite painful, but the cramping in between was getting painful.

At the hospital, as soon as I stood up, I realized I could walk without too much pain and I realized that the contractions weren't as bad when I was standing. By the time they got me in to triage to be checked it was apparent that this was yet another night of my prodromal labor that I'd been having the past three weeks. I told them I came in because this time my membranes had been ruptured and I had bloody show - plus I was told I was already 3.5 cm. But alas, the nurse said I was only 2cm (how can I get smaller??) and that my contractions had become irregular. She assumed I'd be sent home.

How humiliating!

But my Dr. came in and explained that since I was 8 days late already and a VBAC, they wanted to keep me and see if labor wouldn't just progress on its own. If it didn't progress on its own, he wanted to break my water.

By 1:30 or 2AM I had fallen asleep. Contractions had stopped. This is what I had been doing for the past three weeks. I should have known. My Mom and sister were with me and I was so embarrassed to have to tell them that even with my fourth baby I can't tell the difference between early labor and prodromal labor.

At 4:20AM the doctor came in and broke the bag of waters. Ugh. That was NOT comfortable. Nothing happened for at least two hours. I was so embarrassed and so tired. My entourage had to be so tired as well sitting around in the hospital room the entire night for nothing!!

By 7AM I had a new nurse who got me on the exercise ball and true early labor began. I was back to 3 cm in no time and I was really energized to get things going. By 10AM, though, I started to panic. I started to remember how fast my last labor started and how I couldn't get on top of the contractions. I was scared. I asked for an epidural before the pains got bad even though I didn't need it. My nurse strongly opposed it, saying it was way too early and it would probably stop my labor. I didn't care, I was so tired already and I just wanted to skip my entire labor. So funny that I thought that was even possible!

Against the recommendations of both my doctors and nurses, I got an epidural. It was so nice getting it before transition labor (I've only ever had it after I got to 8cm with the last two). I easily stayed still for the anesthesiologist. They took their time since there was no rush, and I was sure this would be my best epidural yet. My nurse turned me over to my right side and I looked forward to when the numbing would begin.

Alas...as I laid there on my right side and immediately felt numbness in my legs, I noticed there was no numbing in my pelvic area or pubic area and I started to feel everything in my back. And that's when I realized that the epidural was dripping out of my left side and concentrating in my right leg. I thought it was kinda cool to only experience half a labor (only the left side), so I didn't complain and just breathed through the "half" contractions I was feeling. I felt on top of the pain and in control. It was a great time of laboring and in less than an hour I was already at 5cm! Obviously the epidural wasn't slowing anything down!

But closer to noon I started feeling more and more. I still didn't panic, I was sure I could just get more epidural right before pushing or during transition, but I did notice that I was starting to feel everything in my right side above my right leg. I turned over to my other side and I started to feel the epidural drip out of my right side as well. My right leg still remained numb, but oh my back, my abdomen, and everything else - the parts that I wanted numb were not!

An hour after the epidural they put a catheter in and made me lay flat on my back. She put it in during a contraction. A big one. I felt her put the catheter in and I felt the contraction. I felt like I was suffocating dealing with the contraction and catheter laying flat on my back. I started to hyperventilate trying desperately to catch a breath and then I felt sharp pains right in the lower side of my uterus. And then I promptly passed out for just a second. I sort of saw people fanning me and telling me to wake up, but I just couldn't breathe! They asked me where the pain was and when I told them they worried my uterus was rupturing and in came two doctors and a midwife. They quickly ascertained it wasn't a uterus rupture and just gave me oxygen.

Oh sweet sweet oxygen. I could breathe! But just as I was able to breathe they checked me at a 7 and I knew transition labor had begun. Oh the pain. I started crying knowing Ceci was coming soon. I hummed my way through contractions and kept quoting Psalm 23 in my head to try to stay calm as my body was shaking so uncontrollably and I felt like I no longer had any epidural at all.

I begged for more epidural, but they only gave it to me right as I started pushing, and I never felt the difference.

For the first time I felt every bit (or so I thought) of the pushing. I felt her body move down my back and into my pelvis. I felt her head crowning with pushes. I liked pushing because finally I could fight the contraction and not give into it. I was allowed to grunt and push with all my might. But I could feel when she got stuck. Her shoulders were so big! The nurse tried pushing on my pubic bone to open up my pelvic area. Oh that hurt. But the Dr. told her to hit it as hard as she possibly could. I saw her step up onto the bed so she could basically jump her fist into my pubic bone and I yelled indignantly. I don't want to remember that pain.

By 3:34 PM, 9 days after my due date, on Friday, July 10th, little Cecily arrived. I say little, but as you saw from my last post, she was a nice size. Blonde hair and blue eyes so far. And we are in love. I didn't tear and although the first four days I found myself quite sore, I am now feeling about back to normal already.

Cecily goes in for her first check up today.

So grateful for a safe and smooth delivery. So grateful that both my Mom and sister could be with me for the labor - and thrilled that I got to experience the pushing for the first time with only a touch of epidural left.

And that's my story.

Final Update: 40 Weeks

This day has finally arrived! I made it. I got my exams done. I started my second semester of my third year of law school. I finished the art projects for the props my son needed for his Mary Poppins play. The nursery is ready, all the baby clothes are washed, my Mom arrived last night, and my bags are packed. Trying to tell myself that I could have weeks yet to go, but with how much false labor I've had in the past two weeks, I'd like to think I'll have her by July 8th. 

40 WEEKS:

MORNING SICKNESS: With all this false labor, it seems to have stirred up my stomach and I feel pretty nauseated just about every day now. Nothing to complain about, but something to note.

CRAVINGS: None.

BABY'S MOVEMENT: All the time and her every movement causes more Braxton Hicks. 

HEARTBURN: Every night. I find Tums can help, but then it makes the nausea worse. I prefer heartburn usually, so I just tough it out.

PAINS AND ACHES: Two weeks ago the contractions were four minutes apart and lasted for a good three hours. I've had several nights of that since, but each day they get stronger and deeper and lower. Each day walking or moving gets harder and harder. How did I forget this part of pregnancy? Oh you ladies out there who run miles and miles up until they birth their baby, I am in AWE of you.

EXERCISE: Just getting up off the couch has felt like exercise to me these past two weeks. It is so painful sometimes! However, I've been trying to do certain pregnancy stretches to get the baby in the right position for labor. I get out for a very slow walk a few times a week, but oh do I pay for it later!

WEIGHT GAIN: I caught a stomach bug right in time for my two days of final exams. That brought on more contractions, but less of an appetite, so I lost a few pounds. I'll probably gain those pounds back this week, but in the meantime, I'm at the same weight as I was when I delivered my last two. 

FATIGUE/SLEEP: I can't catch enough sleep these days. I don't sleep well at night, so naps are a necessity and I take them whenever I can. 

MOOD: I've had a couple of mood swings, but I feel more in control than I did during my second trimester. I feel like I'm finally mentally prepared to have this baby even though I'm still scared as anything about labor. I plan to get an epidural, but even with an epidural labor is still one of my top fears. 

There are so many parallels and things that God teaches me through pregnancy and labor, and even with these amazing teaching moments and wonderful times of experiencing God's mercy and grace, I still fear the unknown of what this next labor might be like. I think one of the blessings of having prodromal labor for weeks is that I have been in so much pain and am so exhausted already that I'm finally ready to face my fear and just get this over with so I can have a normal day!

I know everything is in God's hands and this is going to be a great experience - but in the meantime, I am pretty nervous about what the next couple of weeks holds for me. Praying for strength, determination, and patience. 

My next post will have news of the baby. Thanks for following along on this little journey of Cecily's and mine. These 40 weeks may have passed by quickly for you, but it has been a long road for us and we are pretty excited to say that we've finally made it!

36 Week Update

I have only three and a half weeks till my due date, but so much to do yet. I just finished my last writing assignment for my Legal Writing class (woohoo!), and now I have two and a half weeks to review for my finals exams in my other two classes (Criminal Procedure and Evidence). CJ still has play practice three nights a week for three hours each, plus all day Saturdays. In addition, he has two afternoon karate classes, and baseball games. We've been working hard on memorizing all of his lines, songs, and dances. On top of that, I have three art projects I'm doing for the Mary Poppins play that CJ is in (carving the parrot head for Mary Poppins umbrella handle, getting a shadow box painting done, and painting 10 vases!). This baby better stay put so I can get everything done! Thankfully my track record shows that I still  have about 5 weeks left, so we're good.

36 WEEKS:

MORNING SICKNESS: Just about none left. I get waves here and there, especially after eating dessert (so it's my fault), but it's subtle.

CRAVINGS: None. Nothing really tastes good anyway. I don't know why I eat so much.

BABY'S MOVEMENT: Consistent and very uncomfortable.

HEARTBURN: Here and there. When I do get it, it is pretty severe, but it is gone by the next morning, so I can handle that.

PAINS AND ACHES: This is the worst part. Lots of Braxton Hicks, lots of lower back pain and plenty pelvis pain. The Braxton Hicks aren't always painful, but they take my breath away and I have a hard time dealing with them when they're rhythmic for longer than a couple of hours.

EXERCISE: I've been doing a lot better with walking. I get about 2.5 miles in at least three times a week. It's not as much as I like, but it's something. I find that it helps calm my nerves and also helps with the lower back pain.

WEIGHT GAIN: I'm right on track with the last two pregnancies as far as weight gain. Swelling is the same as my last pregnancy which has been pretty normal. I do not have "cankles"and my shoes still fit - I'm just puffy all over and I finally took my wedding rings off a couple of weeks ago.

FATIGUE/SLEEP: I've had a cold since the end of April that over Memorial Day weekend turned into a nasty sinus infection. I had migraine type headaches for four days that made one side of my face down my neck and the back of my head feel like it was being hammered with nails. I started amoxicillin right away and the headache turned into a regular sinus headache and now I'm just congested even though I'm done with the antibiotics. The antibiotics have made my stomach a lot more sensitive than normal, too. Trying to pump myself with probiotics now, but I'm still sleeping restlessly from the congestion (not to mention the discomfort of my size).

MOOD: My emotions are definitely better! I haven't been depressed, and my tears are only sentimental or happy tears. Nevertheless, I'm very irritable with the heat (we still haven't put in our window units) and irritable with the stress of all I need to get done.

Thanks for following along! I look forward to blogging about regular life here soon. I always have plenty I want to say, as my husband would fondly attest to.

Nesting for Baby #4

As soon as I found out I was having a girl my first thought was how cute it would be if my three girls all wore matching dresses - yes, I know - very shallow. I went shopping shortly after my ultrasound to find said matching dresses, only to find that if I wanted the same dress in size 0-3 month through 4t, I would have to order them online special.

I'm not a fan of sewing (I have no patience for it), but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Out came my Mom's old pleater so I could make little smocked bishop dresses for all three of my girls and their little cousin who lives near us. I used this pattern.

(Here is a close-up of my very uneven haphazard stitches (I should have used a pattern for the smocking instead of eyeballing it!).

One dress done...three to go!

In addition to sewing dresses, I've also been trying to get the girls' rooms ready. I moved Capri into Cassi's room and had to do some rearranging. Cassi has a new gallery wall over her bed and some baskets for her bedtime books. As soon as I get Capri's pallet bookshelves done for over her bed, I'll post a picture of that...because they're going to look so so good!

And today I had some time to do some finger painting in Cecily's room. She needs to have a few additional touches in her room that are just for her. She'll be wearing hand-me-downs for most of her life, so the least I could do was paint her a few hearts.

Seven more weeks till my due date, so it's time to start crossing stuff off my "before baby" list!

32 Week Update

I can't believe it has been four weeks already! Baby Cecily is growing so fast it seems and I'm starting to see the end in sight and thinking that it's too soon - I'm not sure I'm ready for this!

32 WEEKS:

MORNING SICKNESS:
Almost nonexistent. I thought it was getting worse for a little bit there, but the last three weeks or more I've only gotten slightly queasy in the evenings. Wow. Never thought I'd have a pregnancy like this!

CRAVINGS:
None. Although my comfort food is a large bowl of Cheerios with unsweetened almond milk.

BABY'S MOVEMENT:
She seems to have plenty of room because she continues to kick and flip.

HEARTBURN:
Rarely!

PAINS AND ACHES:
Ummm...I feel guilty complaining since I have it so easy everywhere else, but man, the cramping! Ugh! Every night I get leg cramps and I spend most of my afternoons feeling like I'm on my period again with lower back cramping. No worries, though - this is normal for me. I've been doing a lot of stretches to try to get the kinks out, but I'm sure I'm not doing enough because they don't seem to be helping. The Braxton Hicks have been long, intense, and making me realize that I am not yet mentally prepared for labor. I'm such a wimp about labor pains and I really hate even these Braxton Hicks. Yesterday I had them without breaks for three hours. They were not painful, but extremely uncomfortable and made it difficult to walk.

EXERCISE: 

This is embarrassing. The good news is that the few walks I do get in, I'll get a good three miles out of. The bad news is that I have had a really hard time finding the time to squeeze exercise in and am definitely reaping the consequences. 

WEIGHT GAIN:

Let's just say I'm gaining at the same rate as I've gained with the past two pregnancies. Nothing to brag about, but at least it's not any worse. 

FATIGUE/SLEEP:

The third trimester is really kicking me in the butt in this category. I'm barely getting 5 or 6 hours in a night and rarely a nap. The lack of sleep is taking it's toll and I'm exhausted and sick with yet another virus again. Argh. 

MOOD:

During the past four weeks I can only say that this past week and a half my mood has been back to normal. Fought a lot of low days that I'm sure were hormonal since there was nothing going wrong in my life - just stress. Grateful that I got through that and hopeful that I won't succumb to those low moments any time soon!

24 Week Update

I'm now in the midst of week 24 of this pregnancy. I still count the days as if this was my first baby. Each week is a hill to climb and I'm so proud when I finish climbing it.

24 WEEKS:

MORNING SICKNESS:
Things are still going so well although I do still get morning sickness. I get it every evening, but not usually before then. Thankfully it isn't too much more than a queasy feeling or that feeling you get right before a tummy ache. There are days that are worse than others, but I still have yet to be half as sick as I was in previous pregnancies. So grateful!

CRAVINGS:
I'm craving plain unsweetened chocolate right now. I give into those cravings all the time using a drop or two of maple syrup or stevia to sweeten. As I write this, however, I'm currently eating cacao nibs mixed with unsweetened peanut butter and about a tablespoon of unsweetened cacao powder with more than a drop of honey to sweeten (about a teaspoon). Maybe I'm getting my sweet tooth back?

BABY'S MOVEMENT:
Cecily is kicking like a pro these days - usually at night while I sleep, of course. Sleep isn't as sweet as it used to be--but considering I am not dry heaving at night like is my usual, I can handle the kicking a lot better this time around.

HEARTBURN:
Heartburn definitely happens in the evenings if I've eaten a high fat meal, and of course, my dark chocolate concoctions don't ever help with that. I'm convinced the heartburn is worth it, though - that bittersweet richness always hits the spot!

PAINS AND ACHES:
Braxton hicks happen only a few times a week, which is a lot less than normal for me, I'm hoping this is a good sign that maybe I won't get as many throughout my third trimester too? But part of me just thinks I'm not getting as many because I'm not as active.

EXERCISE:
This pregnancy has been the least mobile for me. I ran up until week 8, but due to a lot of passing out spells and colder weather, I switched to walking right around week 9 - getting in a few miles here and there when I could. Then severe weather and numerous flu bugs hit and I gave up even that. I feel completely out of shape. You should hear me huffing and puffing when I walk up the stairs holding Capri! While I've kept up with a few yoga stretches and some squats and arm weight workouts, I really haven't been very consistent or disciplined. The day of writing this I got two good 2 mile walks in and didn't get winded, so maybe there's hope for me now that the weather is nicer.

WEIGHT GAIN:
I'm at the same weight at this stage as I was with Capri's pregnancy, which is not necessarily good, since I gained too much weight with Capri, too, but at least I'm no worse than the last one.

FATIGUE/SLEEP:
While I do get pretty tired and never felt a surge of energy that I'm always told you're supposed to feel in your second trimester, I can't say that I'm any more fatigued than I was with other pregnancies, and am glad that for the most part I can keep up with at least the amount of energy needed to get through the day. As for sleep - I'm more uncomfortable due to my size and the baby's kicking, so I sleep a little restlessly, but at least I get sleep at night!

EMOTIONS:
Recently my hormones have been causing some intense mood swings. I find myself very low just about every few days. On those low days I just crave alone time and tend to wallow in a lot of self pity feeling like a failure in every aspect of my life. It's oh so dramatic and oh so embarrassing (which is perhaps why I want alone time when I go through this).  These low points are probably the hardest part about this stage of my pregnancy. I don't remember battling this kind of depression as much in previous pregnancies, but maybe Chris would remind me otherwise. Or maybe I've just struggled because of our dark days of Winter. Thankfully I never wallow long and on my normal days I feel pretty disgusted over my low days and am confused why I ever sunk that low.

So there's the update. Something I can look back on for future pregnancies or can read to Cecily one day to remind her of what I went through to bring her into the world.

Half Way

All of my deep thoughts these days are about what I'm studying in school. I doubt you all want to hear my opinion of the Fourth Amendment's exclusionary rule or about which exceptions to hearsay make sense to me or don't make sense to me. I also doubt you all want to hear about why I get frustrated that so many people seem put off that I'm pursuing a law degree. They seem to think that all lawyers are crooks, forgetting that if we don't have good lawyers we'll end up losing our rights and the judicial system might just turn into a tyrannical rule without lawyers holding them accountable. But I digress.

On top of losing my mind to all things law related, I've struggled this week with some discontentment regarding our abnormal weather that I was sure would be limited to last year's winter alone. I've tried to embrace it for the most part, but for some reason something snapped last weekend and I really have felt a little suffocated. I remember feeling this same way during August and September in southern Texas when I was a kid, but for opposite reasons. I couldn't go outside because the humidity and heat would just suffocate me. Now I can't go outside because the wind chill and cold literally makes my face crack. So indoors I stay, cuddled up under blankets with piles of law books next to me to read and then way too many notecards and outlines to memorize. 

I know I need to focus on the positives so I don't let myself get down, so if you saw my journal this past week you would see a lot of "so grateful for the sunshine on the snow." I'm trying so hard to convince myself that I can handle two more months of this! ha ha! 

Speaking of contentment, my family has not complained yet about my study habits, which is a blessing. And my studying has not inhibited cooking or homeschooling, so really, what could they complain about? Little Cecily Renee is happily enjoying her time in the womb. My morning sickness is still very bearable and is almost nonexistent for the first half of the day. I have not had much of my normal heartburn, back pain, headaches, swelling, insomnia, early braxton hicks, cramping, or fatigue that I have had with earlier pregnancies, so I am so grateful for this. Cecily is already gaining brownie points with me and I'm hopeful that the last half of my pregnancy will continue to be positive.

If you're thinking I look a little rounder all around, you're right. And if you think I don't look like I've put on weight - photos are deceiving. These are the only four shots of the 15 or so that I took that were the most flattering angle. I'm up to about 15 pounds gained already. This is normal for me. My appetite is ravenous when I'm pregnant, and I workout very little due to not feeling so great and the exercise exacerbating that. I do try to keep up with my yoga stretches, my squats, and my 5 lb dumbbells arm workouts. If the weather ever gets above 30 degrees, I'll probably start walking again. Hopefully that will slow down the weight gain, although I've never had success with that in the past. Thankfully, my vanity this time around is not as strong as it has been in the past. I'm 33, I have almost 4 babies, and I have a lot of other things on my mind. I do plan to lose the weight after the baby is born, and I'm currently making some dietary changes to help things out right now - but I no longer have the same pressure I had before to maintain a certain "image". I'm ok to look like a "Mom" right now. I'm accomplishing a lot right now and feeling great considering. I've never had this healthy a pregnancy before and I'm so happy to be focusing on something other than my looks at this time in my life right now. So this is NOT a fashion post. I dress comfortable, casual, and just try to stay current. These photos are something I like to do to document my pregnancy.

So here we are - about half way through till we meet little Ceci and enjoying the ride so far. I may be grumping about the weather, and over analyzing my law studies, but I'm ever so grateful to have a supportive family, a happy home life, and my easiest pregnancy yet. Praise the Lord for His goodness and for the opportunities and goals He has given me. I need to focus on that more than I focus on the sunshine on the snow. It is a happy time of life right now even in -3 degree weather.

Around These Parts...

This is what I ended up getting for my hubby for Valentine's Day. He is always asking me for "man" versions of my bath and body products, so he loved the barely there man scents in these products. 

Last night we went to see some friends for dinner, and I brought this red velvet oreo truffle chocolate cake. There was plenty leftover that we've been picking on today in honor of this chocolatey red holiday.

This week we had two ultrasounds confirming that we're having a girl! Cecily Renee! I will have a Cassi, Capri, and now a Ceci! We can't wait!

And since we're having a girl and there will be yet another sister for Cassi, here is a song written, sung, played, and recorded by my sis, Jo, about sisters:

Maternity Outfit for Baby #4

While I don't have the time or inclination to go back to style blogging, I do want to try to get in maternity outfit photos throughout this pregnancy just to journal my progress, watch my body grow in photos, keep me finding creative ways to dress the bump, and be able to compare to my previous pregnancy photos. 

So here I am at 15 weeks. I wore this today for church. Wednesday is my 16 week appointment. I feel like the weeks are going by pretty fast already. It will be the second week of February soon and I'll be finding out the baby's gender!

Dress - Ann Taylor - hand-me-down (thanks Lalia!)

Scarf - c/o www.morethanalive.com

Boots - Jessica Simpson - c/o eBay

Sweater - Gap Maternity - Goodwill for $4

Besides the huge appetite I wish I didn't have (hello 6 extra pounds...and counting!), I am really having an amazing pregnancy. My morning sickness continues to be almost completely nonexistent in the mornings and doesn't creep in until around noon. During the afternoon the sickness is very manageable and sometimes I can get relief by just taking ginger root capsules. By the evening I am definitely nauseated, but still not finding myself outright sick. If I go to bed by 10PM I can usually sleep through the worst of the nausea and by 5AM it's gone. I feel so very lucky to have it so easy this time around!

Outside of craving carbs for my first and third pregnancies, the only odd thing I've craved was refried beans in my second pregnancy. I craved it so badly that I ate it cold with a spoon right out of the can! This pregnancy I'm fitting right into the stereotype of pregnant women having weird cravings. In my early weeks of pregnancy I really just wanted beans and salad - nothing too crazy. But by week 11 I was craving mustard, hot dogs, olives, pickles, horse radish, salami, and summer sausage - which I ate all together. Since then I've just been craving steak, hamburgers (which I have yet to indulge in), refried beans, cheese, spicy foods (medium salsa has been cutting it so far), and lately I'd really love a huge slice of lasagna!  

So any guesses? Girl or boy?

I thought I'd get a few new headshots to show off my chopped hair. My decision to chop had nothing to do with trying to look better. Let's face it, I think I look best with long hair and that's why I've always kept it long. But I'm turning a new leaf and trying to focus less on how I look. It's just hair and it grows back. For now having less hair means I don't have to wear ponytails that give me headaches, it takes half the time to curl, and I no longer have to get annoyed with pulling hair out of coats or out of baby's hands. It was the right time for this. I thought I'd look forward to growing it out right away, but I'm actually just enjoying the ease and the way it looks and not even thinking about growing it out yet.

Vintage Refashion

My fabulous sister-in-law is just as addicted to thrift shopping and vintage finds as I am. I've been striking out with the vintage finds lately, but she came to my rescue by gifting me with this beauty.

All I did was cut off the peplum waist (the chiffon is so thin you don't even notice that I cut it), tacked the sleeves under to make the dress sleeveless, and then hemmed the dress to knee-length.

The hem job came out so bad I had to do it twice, and it still looks horrible (you can't tell in the pictures). I don't have a "rolled hem" foot, which is really what was needed for this, but I'm pretty sure even if I had that particular sewing foot, I still would have done a bad job. I just don't have the patience for meticulous sewing - especially when it comes to fussy fabrics like chiffon!

I ended up following this tutorial for the chiffon hem.

I plan to wear this dress to our Christmas Eve church service with black tights and a little black sweater. But unfortunately, some of my kids have been down with a virus this entire past week, and then my baby and hubby came down with something hard core Friday night. I've kept a good attitude until yesterday. I had high hopes for doing some really fun things as dictated by the advent calendar we made. I wanted to make this season really special for the kids. Our plans to ice skate, sled, go out and see the lights, and all sorts of other things were not possible. Cassi and I still have not caught this bug, so we could be sick yet another week (please no!) and then I won't get to wear this dress. Boo.

In the meantime, I need to work on my attitude of gratefulness. Here are my list of pros for the week to get my mindset back on track:

1. We've had time to relax and take a true vacation since we were confined to the couch;
2. We've avoided all sugars, which is always good for our bodies, and if we weren't sick, we would probably be eating too many sweets right now;
3. We've saved money by staying home and not being able to eat as much has kept us from having to get more groceries;
4. I've gotten a lot of extra snuggles in;
5. We've gotten to watch several Christmas movies; and
6. I've not had to cook much.

Ah. Now I feel better. Here's to a better week with more time with my family to get excited for the Birthday of Jesus!

Take #4

Chris and I are thrilled to announce that we're expecting a baby on July 1st! We had our first ultrasound last week and couldn't be more thrilled! 

Gender and name to be announced within the next couple of months!

I haven't been sick hardly at all. If I do get sick, it's mostly in the evenings. Pretty excited to be having such an easy pregnancy so far.

And these were the best of our attempts at trying to get a good announcement photo...