margo: one month

I feel like I said this when I was pregnant, but now it's even more true: time is flying by!! Our sweet little Margo is one month old and she's growing like a cute little weed! She had her one month well check today and she weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds and 4 ounces (28th percentile) and is 20 inches long (20th percentile).

So far she has been a great sleeper, eater and a very proficient pooper! Alex and I joke that we have never discussed poop more in our lives than we have this month. Margo's current favorite hobbies are snuggling, sleeping and eating. She tolerates tummy time, Moose and getting her diaper changed. Her favorite book is Dr. Seuss's ABC book and her favorite song is the Macarena (she hasn't said it's her favorite, but she doesn't complain when I sing it...).

tummy time and reading her ABC's book with daddy

meeting Moose

Our sweet girl has gotten to meet most of her local cousins, aunts and uncles. She gets to visit her daddy and grandma Sue at work a couple times a week and has inherited the love of Target from me. She has also gotten to visit several of our favorite eateries and coffee shops, as well as her first trip to Ikea- she wasn't too impressed (give it time).

visiting daddy at work

I can't imagine going back to life before Margo, she is the perfect addition to our little family. I am so excited to see her grow and feel so blessed and lucky to get to be her mama.

happy 4th birthday moose

With all of our excitement lately we almost forgot Moose's birthday, but don't worry he was not to be forgotten! Margo and I sang happy birthday to him, he got to go on an extra long walk and I gave him a few extra treats.

Even as he gets older, he is still our energetic, playful pup. He loves to go for long walks, chase and bark at squirrels, play with both of the Max's in his life and snuggle on the couch.  He doesn't really mind/notice Margo and has been great with all of the changes she has brought to our lives. We love this little pup and can't imagine life without him. 

Happy Birthday Moose Man Magoo!!

If you want to check out how he's grown check out his first, second and third birthday's. 

margo's nursery

I have been meaning to take pictures and write this post for several weeks, but sweet little Margo decided to make her debut a bit earlier than expected, so I've been playing catch up a lot lately. But, better late than never!

I had  mentally pictured the nursery for so long, it was exciting to have everything come together in real life. I collected things for the room for quite a while,  so piecing them together was a lot of fun. When we found out her gender, the design plan didn't change too much, we just added pink and gold to the design.  But, you're not here to read about the room, so on to the pictures!

We got her crib from Ikea because: 1)we love Ikea and 2)I wanted something that was low profile, had clean lines and was white. We found her super fluffy rug at Homegoods, I found the "No More Monkey's" at Hobby Lobby and all of the parrots in the room are from my grandparent's house. Growing up, the parrots were in the room we stayed in when we would go visit, so they're a special reminder to me. 

The dresser was also from my grandparent's house and was in the same room as the parrots. I found the vintage maps at a flea market and the one on top is of San Fransisco and is super detailed and neat, the bottom one is just the US. I had seen banners like the "YAY" on Etsy and was telling Becky about them and she said she could make a better one and she did! 

The chalkboard was something that Alex and I made and used for our wedding and it has migrated around our house for the last five years, but now it seems to have found it's final destination. Becky used the same fabric from the YAY banner to make a pillow for the glider she graciously passed on to us. The woven basket in the corner is from Plowsharing Crafts in Edwardsville, which is a fair trade shop that curates in the best artisanal pieces. 

I saw these hanging baskets at Ikea and knew I had to find a use for them in the nursery. Since we are cloth diapering, we have lots of diaper inserts and need a place to keep them so they're ready at hand and this is perfect! On the second tier I have some of our swaddles and burp clothes at the ready and on the top are some toys. 

Becky made this box for our baby shower and I love that it's filled with so many books from so many people we love! I can't wait to read them all to Margo. 

If I had written this post earlier, I wouldn't be able to include a sweet picture of her sleeping, so that's a perk of my procrastination :)

bumpdate: Margo's birth story

I had every intention of writing a 36 week bumpdate but then Margo decided that she was ready to be more than just a bump. She arrived unexpectedly on Saturday, February 27th at 2:10pm, a smidge over 3 weeks early.

Before we went to bed on Friday night, I listed all the tasks I wanted to accomplish on Saturday and Alex was game for everything except laundry. We were going to make a quick trip to Ikea, install the carseat, go for a walk, catch up on laundry and enjoy a beautiful Saturday. However, Margo had other plans...at around 5am I woke up with some contractions, but fell back asleep. At 5:30 I woke up and the contractions were a little stronger so I started timing them. Three contractions in, my water broke and I hopped out of bed and told Alex that "it was time to go." I have never seen him move so quickly in my life. He was dressed and collecting our things to go to the hospital at lighting speed. I texted our midwife to let her know that we were on the way to the hospital and then made our bed, much to Alex's chagrin.

Once we got to the hospital (around 6: 15am) and were admitted, they tested to verify that my water had truly broken and checked to see how far along I was...one whole centimeter. That wasn't the most encouraging news, but they got me all set up in a birthing suite and left me to labor. I bounced on the birthing ball, we walked the halls and my contractions continued to get stronger and stronger, mainly in my back.

My midwife arrived at the hospital at noon to check my progress and I was at 4cm! That was the number we had to get to before I could get in the birthing tub, hallelujah! The (world's best) nurses started getting everything set up to bring the tub in the room and fill it, which took about half an hour. In that time I went from a 4 to a 7 and was progressing very quickly.  Sliding into the tub was the biggest pain relief I could imagine. I continued to labor in the tub for maybe an hour before being fully dilated and ready to push. It took about 20 minutes of pushing, but then she was here!!  She was 5lbs 15 oz and 18.5 inches long, perfectly pink and screaming, we immediately fell in love. Alex was so encouraging and supportive the entire time, he was amazing.

Our birth plan (I didn't write it down...if that makes it less crunchy) was to have a natural, unmedicated water birth. Having a birth plan sounds pretty OCD and honestly- unrealistic to me, but everything that we had talked about and hoped for went according to our "plan", which I know is very rare.  It was truly an answered prayer and we are so thankful. It has been such an emotional (in a good way) and wonderful few days and I cannot begin to articulate how blessed we feel and how thankful we are. God is so, so good.

Psalm 139: 13-14
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul know it very well.

Margo's first picture

We are so fortunate to have such a loving family. I'm so glad they all got to come and meet Margo. 

(I forgot to get a picture of her meeting Annie and Libby...) 

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Hanging out with Daddy waiting to be discharged

Finally heading home after 48 hours! 

bumpdate: 35.5 weeks

We are officially in count down mode around here and half weeks are a real thing...at least in my opinion.  As of today I have 4 weeks and 3 days until my due date, but I keep reminding myself that she has no calendar in utero so it's pretty useless to get my hopes up.

We have everything ready to go for her to arrive any time...except we need to install the carseat and I need to figure out what to pack in a hospital bag for all of us. But, those are things that can and will get done regardless of when I plan to do them. Her room is done and all that is missing is a baby. I plan to take pictures of it this weekend so I can share them next week!

I still feel pretty good and have only noticed a bit of swelling in my ankles (which I now affectionately refer to as my cankles) within the last week or so.  Sleep hasn't been too hard to come by, with the exception of tingling arms which can be attributed to carpal tunnel syndrome. Who knew that was a thing?! But, as soon as I googled it, the internet (and later my midwife) confirmed that it's normal in pregnancy and should go away after delivery. I am still swimming and using the elliptical and that helps a lot with circulation and feeling better overall.

I have started going to see the midwife for weekly appointments and she (Margo...not the midwife) is still growing right on track and her heart beat is strong and steady. Her kicks and jabs keep getting stronger and stronger (her lunchtime performance is in the video below).  In the mean time, all we can do is patiently wait for her arrival...and enjoy all the uninterrupted Netflix and dinners out that we can.

bumpdate: baby shower

Last weekend we headed to Salem for our baby shower! It was such a fun and exciting weekend. It was so great to be together in a room of women who have loved me, walked beside me and supported me for as long as I can remember. I hope that Margo will be just as fortunate as I have been with amazing, godly women to encourage and love her (did you catch that name slip?!).  It is such an exciting time to prepare for her arrival and the gifts we received are such a blessing. I cannot begin to express how thankful we are.

My sister- Becky and cousin- Libby, with the help of Jody Smalley (the florist extraordinaire from our wedding) put together the most beautiful baby shower. They put so much thought and effort into every detail and it was absolute perfection, but I'll let the pictures do the talking...

bumpdate: 31 weeks

We are inching closer to the finish line and I cannot wait to meet this little girl! I don't have a lot of new excitement to report this week, I am just gestating right along.

We have been working on getting our house ready to go so we don't have a lot of unfinished projects when she arrives. Her bedroom is 90% complete and I should be able to post some pictures in a few weeks. We have also gotten some new furniture for our living room, rearranged the basement to create a little bedroom space for when we have out of town guests and I am still an organizing machine- don't get in my way:)

I have switched from running to swimming and it feels soooo good on my joints, the weightlessness is fabulous! I am still sleeping pretty well (I hope I don't jinx it!). Also, I've started to notice a difference in how much I can eat at one time, but that doesn't stop me from trying to eat like normal...

Our birthing class is going well, last week we got to see her heartbeat on the monitor and listen to it. The last appointment with our midwife went great and now I will start going every two weeks. She is currently head down and growing right on track. She is a very active little babe, every time our midwife tries to listen to her heartbeat, she kicks her!

Only 8 weeks and 3 days to go, but who's counting?

happy monday

Happy Monday and MLK Jr. Day! I hope you had a great weekend. We didn't accomplish much, but we did manage to squeeze in a little shopping, napping and laundry. We did hang new curtains and I had to hem all six of them, so that's a bit of productivity.

This is a practical life tip that the Today Show gave this morning about folding fitted sheets. I've been doing this for years, but it seems to mystify most.

Alex and I saw this book in Anthropologie this weekend and now it's on my wish list, I don't know if I'll refer to it often, but it is so neat!

This weekend I stumbled across an article about a woman in Seattle who is rumored to have inspired the Pixar film Up! I wanted to share it with you because it's just so sweet, click here and enjoy!

I hope you have a great start to your week!

bumpdate: 29 weeks

This week has been a big week for us and the babe! We have gotten a lot checked off our to do list and are getting as ready as we can for her arrival.

We started our week with a trip to "Babies R Us" to test out all the items on our registry. We did our registry online, but we wanted to see and touch everything in person, so it was a good excuse to check out the big box store. We walked up and down the aisles pushing buttons, rocking in the rockers, testing the swings and playing with the toys. We spent most of our time in the stroller/car seat aisle. I wanted us both to push the stroller and fiddle with the car seat to make sure we were both happy using them. I chose the same brand (Chicco) that my sister has so I've seen it in action and used it a few times, but Alex is a novice.

He pushed the stroller up and down the aisle, tested the breaks, checked out the cup holder and made sure it was sturdy enough for his little girl. He tried several times to knock it over and it stood up to his tests, so the stroller is a go! The car seat was also given the Alex test and passed. My favorite part of shopping with him was when he called the car seat base a "docking station."

On Tuesday we met with a pediatrician, because according to all the what to expect websites that's what you're supposed to do with your first kid. We got a few recommendations and the same name kept coming up, so we chose to schedule an appointment. We asked him all of the questions we could think of and that we had googled. He was patient, kind, has all the right credentials and answered everything in the ways we were looking for. We feel like he will be a good fit for us and our little one to come!

On the way to the appointment I asked Alex if he had any specific questions he wanted to ask and he had one. Alex's question was, "If the Sorting Hat was going to sort you into your house at Hogwarts, which house would you be placed in?" Unfortunately he chickened out and didn't ask it, but that may become an interview question when we hire our next employee...

Yesterday we had our first birthing class at the hospital and it went well. There are four other couples in the class and all of our due dates are within a few weeks of each other. We went over the basic's of anatomy, the stages of labor, etc. We also practiced breathing and my birthing coach, aka Alex, had to practice massaging my back, I didn't complain.

The instructor also encouraged us to be reading and talking to the baby so she'll learn our voices. She said that rhymes are always a good place to start. On our drive home from the hospital I was trying to remember my Mother Goose nursery rhymes, but Alex had a different idea of rhyming. He sang, in it's entirety, the theme song from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, beatboxing and all. This little girl is going to be cultured...

Next week I'll post a bump picture, until then just picture normal me with a beach ball in my shirt. It's basically the same concept :)

december in pictures

We had a very busy and good December. To me December means spending time with family, board games, watching Christmas movies, baking, wrapping and celebrating. I spent more time doing those things than taking pictures, so it's a bit light on pictures but we had a great month!

 This year we went to the Way of Lights with our high school students

Christmas cookie baking at its finest

Merry Christmas from Moose

Sisterly bonding and lounging

Blair family dinner at Rare

Instagram's way to end the year was to compile your "best nine" photographs, here are mine.

 

Happy New Year!

2015: our year in review

This year was a great and busy year for us. I'm sure I say and think that every year, but this year it's especially true. We started the year with several celebrations of birthday's and milestones, we hired our first employee at the office, we went on some very exciting adventures and crossed 9 States off our list, we said a hard goodbye to my Grandpa, I ran my fourth half marathon, Alex (finally) got glasses and can see, Alex's parents moved just a block away from us, we got to celebrate the weddings and engagements of dear friends, we got a new roof and Alex's dad refreshed and repainted the front of our house, we pushed ourselves outside of our comfort zones, we grew our business and last but certainly not least we found out that we're expecting a sweet baby girl! Phew, that's a lot!!

I say we, but I know full well that God has provided every opportunity, experience and event for us and for our good. Not that this year has been all sunshine and roses, there have certainly been challenges, disappointments, struggles and arguments. It's easy to list the good for the public eye and sweep the bad under the rug, but we live a real life and I don't want to perpetuate a lie that we have it all together. We rest in God's goodness and He is who we find our hope and identity in, so when we do have hardships we turn to Him and when we have triumphs we turn to Him.

I don't think we have any New Year's Resolutions this year, but 2016 looks like it will bring many firsts for our little family and a lot of excitement and new challenges. I cannot wait until the arrival of this little girl and to see how God will use her.

Here are just a few of our photographed highlights:

celebrating Amanda's birthday

completion of my 4th half marathon

Alex soaking in the Pacific

hiking in Oregon

checking out Beale Street

spending time with all of my siblings in the same place

bowling with some of my favorite tiny humans

waiting for the fireworks on 4th of July

we found out we're having a baby!!!

Riedle family vacation in Florida

some brotherly love at the Bishop wedding

exploring the Grand Canyon

watching the Cardinals play in the NLDS

last but not least, this little pup posing with our Christmas tree

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and that you have a wonderful New Year!

bumpdate: 28 weeks

Hello third trimester!! We only have a little ways to go before we get to finally meet this sweet little babe and I cannot wait. The last few weeks have flown by with the holidays and festive busyness. I hope the next few months go as quickly.

I had my 28 week appointment with my midwife today and both the babe and I are doing well. I passed my glucose test and thankfully I don't have to worry about gestational diabetes (hallelujah!). Other than that, she is growing right on track and her heartbeat sounds as strong as ever. I am so thankful that this pregnancy has been so smooth this far.

We have decided to deliver at Gateway Memorial for a lot of reasons, one being that they have a birthing tub and other area hospitals don't offer/allow water births. We still need to schedule our birthing classes but we do have an appointment to meet with a pediatrician next week.

I am still full of energy and feel great. Although I'm much slower, I've been able to continue running and "athletically walking" -that's how I convince Alex to join me on the trails, running sounds less enticing to him and my fast walking speed is his normal speed...it's a win-win. Moose is just happy to be outside when it isn't raining.

There is a rumor that you lose your second trimester energy somewhere in the third trimester and I'm not looking forward to that...we still have to finish her room and I have a to do list as long as my arm to complete before she arrives. Here's hoping I can get it all done!

life lately: holiday edition

It seems like as soon as the holiday season is upon us, life explodes with busyness. From Thanksgiving on we haven't had a spare weekend, let alone minute that wasn't accounted for. But, don't let the busyness come across as burden, it is all very welcomed and very much enjoyed.

We have gotten to go to the Fox to see Cirque du Soleil Holidaze, hang out with our high school students, celebrate an early Christmas with friends and of course shop, bake and decorate. I am proud to say that I have completed all of our shopping, including Moose's gift- he knew I got him something because when I sat the bag down he wouldn't leave it alone, so now his new antler is in my closet...I really hope I don't forget about it.

This weekend will kick off our first family Christmas celebration at Alex's grandparents. Then we'll celebrate Christmas Eve with our church family and Alex's immediate family and then we'll head to my parents to spend time with my side of the family. All in all it seems busy when it's written down, but I wouldn't want to celebrate any other way.

Alex and I have been doing an advent devotional every night and it has really helped us to focus on what is important about this season and why we're celebrating in the first place. We are following along with the She Reads Truth (or He Reads Truth if you're a fella) advent and I highly recommend it. It's so easy to get caught up in finding the right gift or baking the perfect sugar cookie, but Christ's birth is so much more important and needs to be the central focus.

bumpdate: 25 weeks

This week, according to the "Bump" app, this babe is the size of head of cauliflower! I walked through the grocery store yesterday and those suckers are big! It seems like every week that goes by I'm surprised that she's getting so big and she/we still have a long way to go.

I still feel great and full of energy, but Alex has to remind me that I'm pregnant a lot so I'll stop climbing around to reach things in the kitchen. When we were decorating our Christmas tree he had to take my stool away so I wouldn't precariously balance on it to reach the top- this year he had a much more active role in tree decorating.

We have started on her room and are at a bit of a standstill due to lack of time. This time of year is always busy, but I feel like life is moving at warp speed. Once we get her room finished, I promise there will be pictures.

She has started to get more power behind her kicks and for our evening entertainment we watch my stomach bounce up and down, it's pretty entertaining. At our last appointment, she was measuring right on track and continues to have a nice strong heart beat. I know that everyone says it, but all I want is a healthy baby and so far she's doing great. I have scheduled appointments for us to tour both of our local hospitals and once we decide on one, we'll start taking the recommended classes.

I have also scheduled my glucose test and our appointments with the midwife through February. Then I'll start going for weekly checks. It seems like it will be here before we know it, but I am so excited to meet this little girl!

happy thanksgiving

This year we have so much to be thankful for. God has richly blessed us and we are so grateful for everything He has provided. We are looking forward to spending time with family and friends and of course eating as much homemade goodness as possible. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the Earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.