Averly Kathryn

Many attempts at family pic...this is the best we got :)

A picture of Emilynn a couple of days old.  There are similarities and differences.  LOVE!

Averly Kathryn finally arrived at 4:12 am on February 28th.  It was a crazy last couple of hours.  After having prodromal labor for 7 days that began about 3:30am every morning and stalled out, on Wednesday, I woke up to a little more intensity and hope that things would progress.  We went to the midwives that afternoon around 3pm only to have them send me home at 5cm, fully effaced, and tell me to have a glass of wine, take a bath and not go to work.  I did not go to work for the first night.  I planned to relax, but about 5:00pm, on our way to dinner at LaMadeleine's, contractions got super intense and took my breath away.  I made it through dinner, but we headed to straight to the hospital from there.  Once I got there, they weren't convinced they were going to keep me.  At 8:30pm they gave me an hour and told me that if I didn't progress and have consistent contractions, they would send me home again...Are you kidding me!?!  Thanks to my doula, Rachel and my hubby, we walked and an hour later, and MANY intense contractions and prayers later, I was a 7cm.  Yay!  I labored til about midnight and decided to get in the water.  I labored in the water for 2 hours at a 9cm with no water breakage.  The midwife finally checked me around 2 am and the checking broke my water.  However, my sweet pea would not come out.  I pushed and pushed for 2 hours believing that there was NO BABY in my body...  I was extremely tired because I had been up since 3:30am (24 hours) Wedensday morning.  I pushed on my hands and knees most of the time and then the midwife decided I needed to get on my back.  Once I got on my back, I pushed for 30 minutes and was able to push our new precious baby GIRL out.  She came out on the side of her head and body and had the cord wrapped around her several times.  To God be the glory, that NEVER compromised her heartbeat or breathing throughout the labor and delivery!!!  She had a huge bruise on her head and was 2 lbs heavier than Emilynn.  So positioning and size were probably the largest factors of pushing so long.  It was a HARD delivery, but also beautiful.  We are so glad to have her!!!

My LOVEBUG

Emilynn's birthday is the day after Averly's and we celebrated the day we came home from the hospital.  It was a long night and a little foggy for me, but totally worth it.  My mom and dad made it possible...Obaa made a ladybug cake and cooked dinner for us to come home to.  It was special to celebrate Emi again.  Then I took her outside and got some shots in her ladybug dress.  So big!

 

First family of four pic

Seriously?  Gonna have my hands full clearly

A 2 year old Ladybug

We celebrated Emilynn's birthday a month early this year in anticipation of Baby P #2 coming.  We had the party at the church which was awesome!  And we kept it simple...a little food, a little craft, and a bounce house compliments of Bruces!  Thank you to the Bruces for the highlight of the party.  Such a fun time with sweet friends and family.  

 

Bounce house fun

Lady bug crackers

Emi LOVES this thing

Loves to slide this way these days

Ladybugs on a log

Ladybug apples

Cupcakes!

Amelia the Lovebug

More cupcakes!

Lily the Lovebug

Mommy and Emi

Blew out her candle all by herself!

Family

This was my favorite part...I loved watching all of Emi's "fends" help her open gifts...brings tears to my eyes, the beautiful community that we live in

Valentine's Day

 

 

Ross and I celebrated Valentine's together this year on Tuesday.  We had a great dinner at Terra's and then a great dessert at Sweet Sammy's.  Yummy.  Emilynn and I celebrated on Valentine's together by making cookies and going to the museum.  Ross loves sugar cookies, so it has been a tradition for me the last several years to make them fresh on Valentine's Day.  Emilynn enjoyed them thoroughly this year!  :)  This was mine and Emilynn's day of fun before the baby came and I really thought it would be very close to the arrival date.  I had no idea that I would have been waiting 2 1/2 more weeks. 

A Hello Kitty card and Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That video :)

Decorating cookies

My silly girl :)

Icing is the best

I guess I'll take a bite :)

Christmas 2012

A long overdue post about our Christmas.  We started off spending the Friday morning before Christmas doing our own Christmas before we left for Flagstaff on Saturday morning.  Then after a wonderful time in Flagstaff, we had another Christmas with my family on Friday after Christmas.  It was a full and fun Christmas! 

 

 

Our Christmas morning with Emilynn's new kitchen waiting on her.

Stockings :) My favorite part of Christmas

Cinnamon rolls have been a tradition since Ross and I married...This was my second year to make Sally Clarkson's recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls

Emi loved stockings this year

We went sledding the first day in Flagstaff and Emilynn LOVED it

Emi and Mommy

Emi and Daddy

Alaina, Emi and Adria

We went to a light show in Sedona - Amazing and this was one of the displays

Christmas Eve Service

Beautiful girl all ready for Christmas

Matching pajamas that I made.  It ws a fun experience and Ross was a great sport.  We all are still wearing our pants!

Family in the snow!

Fun sledding...went 3 times

COUSINS

Reba spent Christmas at my parents with us and got Emi her first doll stroller :)

And Obaa and Ojii got Em a new tricycle!  She loves it!!!

Waiting

So I'm 40.5 weeks pregnant...

I started laboring last Thursday and I have labored every morning for the last 6 days...

I am laboring this morning...

I think that today could be the day...but even to write that scares me a little.  I haven't called my parents because in a very non-faith way, I feel as if I'm going to jinx the whole thing...I did wake Ross up and let him know, but again, scared of the outcome of letting anyone know that today is different...

Really, jinx the whole thing? As if God did not have a perfect plan for this little one.... As if He didn't know the exact time, place, and numbers of hairs on his/her head... Seriously, I fully DON'T believe in jinxing anything, yet for the last week, I've believed in the practice of it. 

I even admitted to two God-fearing women last night (in a humorous way) that I had accepted all faiths of all people to put a good word in/prayer in/whatever in to their higher power to get this baby out. 

Clearly and sadly I've lost trust in this whole process and the incredible Father that created it.

Psalm 139

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
² You know ^[a]when I sit down and ^[b]when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
³ You ^[c]scrutinize my ^[d]path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
^{4 [e]}Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
⁵ You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in ^[f]Sheol, behold, You are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
¹⁰ Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will ^[g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
¹² Even the darkness is not dark ^[h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

¹³ For You formed my ^[i]inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will give thanks to You, for ^[j]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My ^[k]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
¹⁶ Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

¹⁷ How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

¹⁹ O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
²⁰ For they speak ^[l]against You wickedly,
And Your enemies ^[m]take Your name in vain.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
²² I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
²⁴ And see if there be any ^[n]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. 

 

Where can I go from your Spirit, Lord?  Where can I flee from your presence?  You LOVE me.  You LOVE this baby.  You have authored a perfect story and a chapter for this moment in time.  I am CRAZY to think that this is not in your hands fully, to your full knowledge, for Your glory...

 

Though in the last few days, I have abandoned that trust, belief and faith...fallen to doubt, anxiety, frustration, unbelief.  I actually looked in the mirror the other night at work and thought, "I am going to be pregnant forever...How does this belly look on me?"

 

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.

 

There haven't been a lot of waiting games in the last several years that have taught me deep lessons in the Lord and faith.  It was about time.  I used to wait for the answer to that application for some club/ministry in college, wait to see what the next semester was going to bring, wait to see how a relationship would work out, wait for my husband and then wait for him to propose and so on and so on... 

 

This waiting has reminded me of the Lord's sovereignty... I am so thankful for the men and women...the saints...I walk with who have reminded me every day to wait well.., to not artificially start something because I am tired, frustrated, and ready to meet this little one.  They have consistently and gently reminded me to be present in this...to trust how the Lord made my body and that He will not abandon me... They have believed when I had no belief.  So, so thankful for community...this is what it is for.  When I weak, they are strong.  When I have fallen, they pick me up...

 

So this morning, I wait.  Asking the Lord that today would be the day...that I wouldn't stall out and that things would progress.  Believing that He is authoring today and He LOVES me!