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.