Monday, December 26, 2011

Merry & Bright

Christmas 2011 was a bittersweet day for me as it's probably the last I'll have with my mama see we've stopped all chemo because her body stopped responding to it so she's staying as comfortable as possible and letting the cancer take it's course. It's hard to watch but I know it's what is best. It was also however the best day because it was my first time to experience Christmas as a mama, my sweet baby girl enjoyed her day immensely even if she was more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than the actual gifts :).

Hope your Christmas Holiday was MERRY & BRIGHT!


checking out the tree Christmas morning.

ready for Christmas Eve Service with mom and dad.


probably the last picture I'll ever have of Carys with my mom bittersweet moment.

playing with Christmas lights. (mommy note:this is a staged photo I don't let my child just play with electrical lights).

with Grandma A on Christmas Day.

she tried eating all her presents 

with daddy at Grandpa's church for Christmas morning service

and our joy filled mantel with 3 stockings such a blessing to take this photograph and being a family of 3 this Christmas!


I am immensely blessed and had a beautiful day gifts were given and I got some lovely things but my favorite gift was the treasured moments of being mommy for the first time at Christmas :)

May 2012 bring many blessings to all!

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Friday, December 9, 2011

The (job) Situation

before we begin no my title is not a Jersey Shore reference! it is the story of how in four months I landed the single greatest job on earth (err at least for me) and then lost it.


So back in September I was told about an opening at a fantastic well known established specialty bakery   here in Oklahoma City for a position as a Sugar Artist-AKA Cake decorator (you know that thing I do on the side occasionally). I applied for but never dreamed I would actually get the job but to my surprise and utter joy I was offered the job on the spot. Me Mrs. A I was now a professional sugar artist working with some of the top people in the business! It was in a word AMAZING I wanted to get up and go to work everyday except I had Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays off it was a nice balance of playtime with my sweet girl and playtime at work! Life was grand I felt blessed beyond measure and like I'd finally found my home. 

Fast forward to the first day of December we had an employee meeting to discuss Christmas procedures and during that meeting we were told that the buyer who had signed the contract for purchasing the bakery had backed out and now there are no other options but to close and we would be doing so on Christmas Eve. So basically I am unemployed on Christmas Eve and I am losing the most amazing job I have ever had.

At first I was shocked, then I was angry not with the owner but with God I wanted to know why He allowed me to experience such a gift of having a job that I love doing what I love just to take it away. But then I remembered something our Pastor had said the Sunday before we were talking about Thanksgiving of course and how easy it is to be thankful during the blessings but how much more of a witness are we making to others when we are thankful in our greatest disappointments, our biggest heartaches, and our broken dreams. I felt like my dream of one day owning my own bakery had been taken from me stomped on and thrown in the garbage but somehow I had to be thankful. 

It was not easy not even a little bit the hardest thing I ever had to do was pray thanking God for breaking my dream, it would have been so much easier to blame Him and become angry and cynical. Then I realized that wouldn't do much for His Glory and that wouldn't do much for my spirit. I now realizing God didn't break my dream He is simply molding me into what He wants me to be. Although I am thankful it is a difficult pill to swallow I struggle everyday with feelings of why but I understand God has a much bigger plan and just like He's done before someday I will look back and it will all be clear. So for now I have to trust that He sees the bigger picture and He has a plan for me and I just have to listen and follow. 

We have chosen as a family to focus on Christmas and all of it's wonderful goodness and making it the most special Christmas we can since it's our baby girl's first, then after that we'll figure out what is going to happen from here. So I am taking Christmas one day at a time cherishing the time I have left at the bakery and praying about my next steps in life. 

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" 
1 Thessalonians 5:18


Later Alligators.....

Mrs. A

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Terrible

Ok well I am officially the most terrible blogger in the entire world! I thought briefly of deleting my blog all together. I thought about starting completely over and then I decided that this is my blog and well I tried to be something I am not with the last posts what I thought would be a good project to help me out with my PPD turned into a nightmare in which I felt guilty for not posting so much that I avoided my blog. So big lesson learned I am just not that type of blogger. I am a journal blogger and I am OK with that. So this is me coming back to the blogging world after a several month hiatus over the period of that time my sweet baby has turned into a crawling machine and started pulling up and cruising she is quickly becoming less and less a baby and more and more a big girl!

pic taken at 8 months old during our family photo session

In the course of the last few months I've started a great job at a wonderful bakery basically living my dream decorating cakes. Sadly I've learned recently I am going to lose this wonderful job because the bakery is closing on Christmas Eve. It's a very long story and there's a lot to be said that I just don't have the words for right now. I am sad but also at peace there will be other bakeries in my future. More on this story soon I promise.

So although I'm a TERRIBLE with a capital T blogger I am not ready to give up my little piece of the internet to capture my thoughts no matter how random or sporadic. I'm a momma I have a very active 9 month old blogging time is late at night or not at all and sometimes I choose the extra sleep, but I miss my little journal when I don't write. I often feel like I have a lot to say and nowhere to say it. Sorry for the randomness that is my posting but I never claimed to blog for anyone but myself. Although I'd love to be a blogger who could do a 30 day or year long series, I am just not. I am just me a 26 year old mama wanting to express my own thoughts and actions. I am not going to make grand promises about blogging but it seems to come in spurts so you may see me again in a few days. Then again life may take over again. 

I hope this Christmas Season finds everyone well and happy I know there are babies set to make their arrival soon from a few of my fave blogger buddies and I wish you well with your new bundles of joy. 
I am looking forward to catching up on all the blog stories I have missed.

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A




Monday, July 4, 2011

The Big D.....

There is a big secret out there that new mommas just don't talk about they ignore it until they just can't anymore and then well it blows up into a big mess and your left with one adorable baby and one tired worn out and sobbing mama.

Yes my friends I am talking about post partum depression or PPD for short. When I was pregnant with Carys and we took the baby classes our hospital offered there was always a short little blurb the last 10 minutes of class about PPD but I always just dismissed it thinking no way it couldn't happen to me. Well my friends it did and I am still here, my baby is still the love of my life, I'm still me and I'm ok with admitting I went through and am still dealing with PPD.

My PPD manifested itself in severe anxiety I would be terrified of leaving the house afraid that my baby would be hurt somehow. At the point when I knew something was wrong I found myself afraid to carry my baby upstairs to her crib for a nap for fear of dropping her. So that evening I sat down I talked to my dear Mr. A and I told him all about the troubles I'd been having. He suggested I talk to my doctor so that's what I did even though I was fearful she'd just want to put me on medication, and at first she did but she also suggested I make it my goal to get out of the house with Carys at least twice a week. I am on medication and will be until Carys is six months old and I am ok with that.

I also decided to begin praying fervently for God to take this fear and this anxiety from me, and I had a daily entry in my prayer journal reminding me to be thankful for small victories. This all happened in late May and it took me most of June to work through the hardest parts but I am doing much better and even got out to the grocery store with Carys last week. We have been to the Farmers Market and even to Lowes recently also.

In my prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord for helping me through this difficult trial I have had Him nudge my heart to share this story with other mommas, soon to be mommas, and the general public. Dealing with PPD doesn't make me a freak it makes me like 75% of all mommas out there I'm just choosing to talk about it instead of feel ashamed. So if you're a momma dealing with PPD and you haven't shared with anyone please know you are not alone, and if you are a soon to be momma please know that if it happens to you it doesn't make you crazy or a bad mother it makes you human, and if you're not yet a momma or not even sure you'll ever be one or if you're a male go hug the new mommas in your life I assure they can use it!

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Monday, June 13, 2011

Nursery Reveal....better late than never!

Here was our starting point: tan walls and bare room

When we had everyone over for Christmas we had our family write prayers to Carys on the wall before we painted.

Mr. A writing his prayer:

me writing my book uh I mean prayer :)


Carys' sign on her door, I bought the C from Hobby Lobby and painted it and added the chipboard letters for her name and the ribbon hanger:

View when you look in the door:



Her crib and wall quotes her bedding is blossoms by Migi


quotes above her crib are from the song "The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets and the cross is from my bestie :) the quote on the right says "be strong in the Lord and never give up hope" and the one on the left says "you're gonna do great things I already know" I heard the song a lot when I was pregnant and I would envision myself singing the words to her and I actually do sing the song to her now.

close up of the cherry blossom tree decal 

her bow holder that's already full 


This armoire was in her daddy's nursery and we repainted it and added new hardware for hers:


All the art work in her nursery was painted by a very dear friend these are on one side of her window


For her curtains I wanted something that would go with her bedding but I couldn't find anything so I took apart the crib bumper since it's a no no to use them and I sewed the fabric onto the curtain panels and presto custom drapes to match her crib set.


lanterns above her changing table these things are very helpful when changing her cause she just stares at them :)



More custom artwork above the changing table.




changing table



cute little owl on one side of the window:


close up of the art work above the armoire and one of her cutie newborn shots the silver dish is holding pacifiers.


my glider that was a gift from my wonderful in laws :)


view in her closet we added the curtain for a closet door to soften her space thank you Young House Love for the idea :)



her closet is the biggest one in the house so we painted it petal pink and added tons of storage including the glimpse of that little towel bar for her cute little hooded bath towels :)



So there you have it our baby girl's nursery finally complete and just in time she started sleeping in there a week ago. I hope you enjoyed my nursery tour I am really proud of this space it was my labor of love from painting the trim glossy white, to the bright green walls and soft pink closet and all the little details. Now on to the next room my craft space!

Later Alligators....

Mrs. A





Monday, June 6, 2011

stay at home mommyhood

So I've now been at home with my baby for a few weeks. Life as I know it has definitely changed my boss is no longer an adult but a sweet 3.5 month old. No she's not really my boss but sometimes I feel like since we feed on demand around here. My first fews days at home were completely surreal and I wasn't sure what to do with myself, but by the end of the week I was starting to get the hang of it. I learned that I'm probably not going to be tackling a whole lot of big projects for a while but I can do small things  while Carys naps, I've also learned that I need a mom's group or some form of adult communication during the day at least twice a week. I've learned that netflix is my BFF for something to watch while nursing, and I've learned that I'm not super mom. My house isn't spotless, dinner isn't always on the table when Mr. A gets home, and some days I don't get out of my PJ's until way too late in the day. I've also learned that this is all ok. I'm only human and learning my new role is taking some time but it's a great learning experience and I'm really enjoying spending my days with Carys.

I'm a worrier by nature and I tend to beat myself up if things don't go exactly as planned. I did it when my birth plan went down the drain after learning I had to be induced because my amniotic fluid level was at a dangerous low. I also did it when breastfeeding didn't go as smoothly as I would've liked at first. So I'm sure you can guess that I did it when my first few days home I didn't get my house clean, heck I didn't even get the laundry caught up. I am constantly having to remind myself that I'm only human and I can't do it all.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Sisterhood

There's a sisterhood that exists between women of all ages young and old, blonde, brunette, redhead, silver haired, short tall, small, large, it does not matter your marital status, your age, your last name, what college you attended, or if you like a certain color.

You only get initiated once but once your in you're in for life, there are lots of trials in this sisterhood, and lots of amazing moments. There are times we won't always agree with our sisters, and times we'll lean on them for support, there are tears, laughter, frustrations, and joys greater than you can imagine.

This sisterhood this amazing bond that exists is even celebrated on a special day just for us.


My initation happened on 02/25/2011. The day I first got to hold the title of MOMMY.



My first day as a mommy with my mom by my side.


Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing women out there who are mothers, mothers to be, or even those who desire to be mothers. I am honored to join the mommy sisterhood.


Later Alligators.....

Mrs. A

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

big Grins

I'm not the only grinning these days I finally caught my sweet girl's killer smile on film :)


That smile makes me just melt and I love that I was around to capture it :)

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Easter 2011 and more blessings!

Hello friends I have been busy grinning my face off the last few days it's been a fabulous week after finding out our wonderful news about sweet baby Carys on Monday!!

Our Easter was a beautiful blessed day. We spent it with family and treasured up the memories of Carys' first Easter in our hearts forever! Let me just say when I called the doctor on Friday to see if we'd gotten Carys' test results and we hadn't I was upset thinking I'd spend my beautiful daughter's first Easter worrying over her instead of enjoying her. I got on my knees with God Friday night and asked him to block all thoughts of test results from my head until after Easter and you know what friends He did just that. I didn't for one second think about test results until I woke up Monday morning.

We started our Easter with 10:30 church service where our sweet girl got lots of love from all the church members. From there we headed back to our house for a delicious rib dinner complete with parmesan green beans, potato salad, fruit salad, and for dessert hummingbird cake made by yours truly the first cake I've made since before Carys was born.

Mr. A and I made Easter baskets for all the neices and nephews and of course made one for our sweet girl. The neices and nephews thoroughly enjoyed them I do believe.

Little Carys looked so sweet in her Easter dress and I cannot wait for Easter's to come for her.

Family Picture Easter 2011


Little Carys and her Easter basket with a few books, a bib, a lamb that played Jesus Loves Me and her first Bible.

Sweet girl in her Easter Best

Ok mom I'm about done taking pictures!

Ok NOW I'm really done! No More pictures please!!

her little lamb was almost as big as she is.

Carys and her cousin JT who is one month older to the day than she is :)


Oh and remember that perma grin that won't go away well it could also have something to do with the fact that tomorrow is my last day of full time employment!! I get to stay home with my girl although I'll be working part time teaching more cake decorating classes but no more 8-5 days! Yay! This momma's heart is rejoicing! We'll probably re-visit me working when Carys gets a little older but at least for a while I'll get to be with her. I am beyond thrilled and I thank God daily for this opportunity. Our God is AWESOME and he works in mysterious ways!! 


Later Alligators....

Mrs. A



PS for your enjoyment:
Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Ingredients


3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups chopped bananas

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup chopped pecans



Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not beat.) Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans, and bananas.

Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake; sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans on top. Store in refrigerator.

Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, Southern Living

JANUARY 1999

Monday, April 25, 2011

Blessings!!

We had a beautiful first Easter as a family of three but more on that in another post later this evening. This one will be short and sweet. We got Carys' CT scan results back and her bump is not harmful to her in anyway, does not require any treatment and will possibly eventually go away on it's own. We are most assuredly BLESSED!! Thanks to everyone who prayed for our little girl I speak for all three of us when I say we are so grateful!!


Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Friday, April 15, 2011

the post in which I whine about going back to work & other things

PSA: This post is nothing more than a gripe and whine session written by a teary eyed new mom who had to return to work this week if you don't want to read a lot of whining feel free to visit me another day.

Well it's Friday and that means a heck of a lot more to me this week than it has in a long time. You see I started back to work this week and it's been pretty much the week from Hades. There are numerous things about being back at work that I am not enjoying but the number one thing is having to leave my sweet baby at daycare for 8 hours a day. Talk about sucky! I knew that leaving Carys would be hard heck I cried leaving her with her daddy to go to Target for an hour, but I seriously felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest and stomped on.

I have literally bawled my eyes out all the way to work every single day uh so forget about wearing make up there's just no point, and then to make matters worse my well meaning co-workers will ask how she is doing and I will squeak out "she's fine" and look away before the tears start again. I have a picture on my desk of her but am thinking of removing it since looking at it always makes me tear up. To make things even more complicated I am pumping at work to keep my milk supply up and for Carys to have bottled breastmilk at daycare, the only way I can get my milk to let down is to look at pictures of my sweet baby and I even have a few videos so then I spend my entire pump time silently crying over missing my baby only to have to pull myself together to go back to my desk.

Pumping sucks plain and simple there is nothing that feels good about being strapped to a machine three times a day and that's not even mentioning my co-workers are not being very supportive about me needing to pump, I'm getting a lot of questions over how long I will need to keep up this schedule, and why am I  bothering breastfeeding and comments such as; I should just give my baby formula (There is nothing wrong with formula and until we got Carys' issues worked out she was getting formula and she still gets the occassional formula bottle at daycare if I can't pump enough to keep up with her I just have a desire to breastfeed), or even I should just give my baby cereal as early as possible to cut down on the need for breastmilk. I just smile and say uh huh while in my head thinking please don't tell me how to raise my baby. Working mothers have a tough road and if you get to stay at home I envy you, I want to be you but please don't judge me for having to work I am judged enough at work.

My heart is aching and I just want to be with my baby. Me thinks Mr. A and I have a big talk coming over how much my income is really needed or how we could at least get by on me just working part time.

Sorry this post is a big downer :( but it's how I am feeling and I never claimed to blog for any other reason than to express my feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Monday, April 4, 2011

A Test of Faith

Hello my sweet friends thank you all so much for your comments on my last two posts. Nursing is improving and I think we're finally sort of settling into a little routine. But I am facing the biggest challenge my faith has ever battled and I am calling out for prayers.

For you to really understand my battle let me back up to about a week ago. On Tuesday afternoon Carys and I were doing our usual afternoon routine of time on her play gym after her nap. It came time for a diaper change and I've been trying to get Carys to smile for me so I was blowing raspberries on her tummy and tickling her while I changed her. That's when I noticed something wasn't right I felt a lump. So I undressed her laid her back down on the changing mat and looked at her only to see a protruding lump on the left side of her chest near her rib cage. I freaked out then calmed myself down and called the pediatrician and explained what I had found and we went in to see her the next morning. Over the course of the evening my mind ran several scenarios but I was so sure that it was just something silly and the doctor would laugh at me for being the "paranoid new mommy", but that wasn't the case.

Upon examination of my sweet girl the doctor said words that made my stomach drop. "I don't know what it is, and I think we need to do an ultrasound"  so I waited for the nurse to call and we had the ultrasound at the hospital on Thursday. Having to hold down my baby girl while she cried and tried to scoot closer to me so the tech could get a good shot of her lump was ridiculously painful but I was hopeful that we would have answers afterwards. The next day which was Friday I broke down and  called the pediatricians office desperately hoping I wouldn't have to wait until Monday for answers only to be told I'd have to do just that. So I resigned myself to wait and this past weekend was very long and agonizing as my mind went to some dark places. I took solace in a great church service and amazing friends who have offered up so many prayers for my precious baby. Last night I started to get anxious knowing I'd hear something today and Carys must've felt it because we had a lot of difficulties nursing and she could only be consoled if her daddy was holding her.

I didn't have to wait long for the call from the pediatrician's office as it came in right around 9 AM shortly after I put Carys down for her morning nap. My hand shook as I answered the call hoping to hear the good news that it was simply something that would go away on it's own or that was easily manageable, but again my hopes were dashed. Instead I was told that the ultrasound was inconclusive and we would need to do a CT Scan to know what it was, I said OK and then the nurse said something that made humongous tears well up in my eyes, as I was thinking this isn't so bad the voice on the other end of the line so nonchalantly said "this will be done at Children's Hospital and she will have to be sedated for it". My precious baby girl that I would absolutely lay down my life for has to be sedated as tiny as she is.

I hung up the phone called Mr. A and immediately burst into tears I texted my girlfriends and asked for prayers and then tried to calm myself down before Carys woke up. The rest of the morning was a haze as I waited for the call to know when the scan would be scheduled. I got the call at 12:15 the scan will not be until April 19th.

That is two weeks from tomorrow. Two weeks of not knowing what this lump is, two weeks of my mind wandering to very very dark places, two weeks of praying and pleading with God to let this be just a nuisance we deal with and not something worse, two weeks of agonizing wait, two weeks for the fear over the appointment to continue to well up inside me, two weeks of horrible nightmares,  and two weeks of having my faith completely challenged more so than it has ever been in my entire life.

There is one comforting thing through all of this Carys doesn't seem to be affected in the least. The lump doesn't bother her, she is eating fine, she doesn't mind it being touched and prodded, she is sleeping fine, and she is having regular bowel movements and she is gaining weight. Right now that is my only peace.

Until Next Time....


Mrs. A

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

maternity pic sneak pic

Due to the lovely weather we had in Oklahoma Mr. A and I ended up taking maternity photos just one week before little Carys made her arrival. We are just now getting them back it's a strange sensation to look at these now that Carys is actually here. I wasn't great at taking weekly bump pictures during pregnancy so I am so glad we have these pics to remember my first pregnancy.







Later Alligators...

Mrs. A

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The hardest job I'll ever love....

Hi Friends,

My apologies for my absence from the blogging world lately. I've been loving on a sweet girl and learning to be a mommy which is simultaneously the hardest and greatest thing I've ever experienced.

Tomorrow is my sweet Carys' one month birthday and I can't hardly believe it's already been 4 weeks since she arrived. In some ways it still feels like yesterday.
I could write a post about how wonderful life has been since she arrived but I pride myself on going deeper and showcasing the real me so I hope you won't mind but I'm going to keep it real.

Don't get me wrong my baby girl is the absolute apple of my eye and brings joy to every moment of my day, but being a mommy is hard plain and simple. Carys has had some issues gaining weight since we brought her home from the hospital. For starters she was jaundice and had to be under the billirubin lights at home for 2 days which absolutely broke my heart all I wanted to do as a new momma was cuddle my baby and I couldn't I had to leave her under the lights unless she was nursing.

Unfortunately lowering her billirubin levels wasn't the end of our struggles; at our two week check up she hadn't gained any weight from what she weighed the day we checked out of the hospital. So we nursed even more often and when we went back for a weight check it looked like we were moving in the right direction. Then came the acid reflux and the constant spitting up and crying and the next weight check two days later she'd lost again, we continued this trend for two weeks until finally yesterday at her weight check she had continued gaining and is now over her birth weight. I think I did a happy dance in the pediatrician's office!

But that victory didn't come without some defeat, we had to start supplementing her feedings with formula to get her weight up, talk about breaking this breastfeeding momma's heart, I felt like a complete failure that my milk wasn't enough to sustain and support growth in my daughter. I spent many a nights crying after a nursing session when my sweet girl would spit up half of what she'd taken from me and then down a bottle of special formula that's made for babies with acid reflux like a champ. I'm happy to say she still nurses more than she takes formula but I absolutely had my heart set on exclusively breastfeeding and it kills me a little bit everytime she takes the formula because of acid reflux and after extensive diet limitations to try to figure out if my diet was what was causing the reflux we can't find any one thing that seems to be the problem.

In the end I've made the decision to continue breastfeeding and yes even pumping when I go back to work until at least the 3 month mark and hopefully she will grow out of the relux issues and we can go on to breastfeed to that one year mark like I had planned and if not then I will take solace in the fact that she got my milk for at least the first three months of her life. I know ultimately it's what was best for her but it was still a hard pill to swallow. If any of you mommy's out there have any advice on breastfeeding or any ideas as to why she spits up my milk but not the formula I'm open to any and all ideas or insight you may have.

Sleep has been a whole other issue, for the first week I don't think either myself or Mr. A slept more than 30 minutes at a time. It's gotten steadily better and now that we know a little more about what she prefers we get 3 hour stretches. I never knew I'd wake up doing the happy dance if I got 3 hours of sleep in a row before, but now it's an awesome night if I got to sleep for at least 3 hours in a row at least once. This is where my sweet husband became a rock star on Friday nights he stays up with her and feeds her pumped milk and lets me sleep as much as I can and I love him for doing that for me. Carys and I do our best to let him sleep during the week since we can nap during the day but he has to go to work.

I have cried more than I ever have in my entire life in the last four weeks. I've cried because of sheer exhaustion, frustration, joy, pain (post partum recovery is no cake walk) and so much more but it has all been worth it.

I never knew how big my heart would swell when she came into the world I would day dream about what it would be like to have her here when she was in my belly but, I can honestly say my dreams never did it justice it truly is like my entire heart is laying in the bouncy seat next to me and it truly is the hardest job I'll ever love.

I heard a song today on the radio and the chorus spoke to me so much. The title of the song is "This Is The Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli and the chorus ends with "in the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed" I am one blessed lady with an amazing husband and equally amazing daughter and even if things aren't exactly how I'd pictured at the moment I am big time blessed and I thank God everyday for the life he has chosen me for.

and because I can't write a post without adding a few pics of my precious Carys for your enjoyment.

Our first family pic.


First tub bath which she hated....

she's not quite sure what to think of her activity mat.


wide eyed girl.

This picture melts my heart she already loves her daddy so much.


and just because I love it here's the sneak peak that our photograpers sent us from her newborn portrait session that was done when she was a week old I cannot wait to get these back!!



Well that's about all the time I'm going to get cause the girl is starting to fuss, but hopefully this is the beginning of a better trend with my blogging I do truly miss it when I don't blog regularly and there are so many moments I don't want to forget, and no I haven't forgotten her birth story will get told eventually.

Later Alligators....

Mrs. A

Monday, February 28, 2011

February Surprise

After a stressful few days of dealing with bed rest  due to low amniotic fluid levels the decision was made and we met our beautiful baby girl Friday morning at 7:41 AM after inducing labor Thursday mid morning. Carys Kaylenn weighed in at 6 pounds 7 ounces and was 19 inches long. Since then our days have been filled with learning to breast feed, coping with recovery, and falling head over heals for the tiny little creature that has made us a family. We made it home yesterday so more to come as Mr. A and I figure out our new roles as mommy and daddy.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

snowed in=major productivity

So like pretty much the entire state of Oklahoma we've been snowed in for a few days. We put our time to good use...



Mr. A is my hero for putting together all the furniture.


Finished changing table.

I love this pic of all three of my loves Mr. A working hard while Missy and Finnegan try to help.

finished crib with her bedding quilt

Little Miss's very pink closet yes it is the largest one in the house.... no my unborn daughter is not already spoiled..........ok maybe just a little.


The cold weather seems to have hardcore triggered my nesting urge too as I have cleaned out several closets and I don't think our upstairs bathroom has ever been as sparkly clean and spotless as it is right now. We got all the laundry done and I even started washing some of Little Miss's things which was very surreal . Mr. A and I both had a moment where we realized that unless we get more snow the next time we're both home during the day like we have been will probably be when she is born which is...................NEXT MONTH! Umm excuse me where did the last 8 months go? there is no possible way I should be 41 days away from Carys' due date! So I had a minor freak out and then proceeded to clean like a mad woman to make myself feel  better. I'm getting to the point that I'm ready for her but not quite yet baby girl just stay put a little while longer please and thank you! Your Mommy.

Later Alligators...

Mrs. A