Tuesday, December 21, 2010

van winkle visit

Last week Jonathan's parents and sister came to visit us and meet their first granddaughter/niece. We had a lot of fun catching up and playing a family favorite, chicken foot! We even went out to dinner (a first with Evie) and she slept the entire time-in her car-seat (which she hates being in) so I was thankful. It was a very good couple of days and we are so thankful they made the trip. 
 Evie and Grandma all bundled up. 
 Grandpa tickling Evie. . . she is trying to decide what she thinks about that.
Aunt Alisha and Evie.

4 more sleeps until Christmas!

Monday, December 20, 2010

update

all word posts should happen in color. makes the no picture part more better- i'll do this from now on.

I can't believe it's December 20th. The past  couple of weeks have flown by. My dear friends Sam and Andy stayed at our house while they were here for her brother's wedding, Jonathan's parents and little sister visited, my Dad and Julie visited and I had a stay at the hospital and surgery today. Lots going on and 5 days until Christmas. I feel like yesterday was the first day of December. 

If you don't know about the surgery. . . I will write about that first so their are no worries. I had surgery at noon today and was home at 4:30- seriously awesome. I feel fine (might be because I am a bit high right now from all the meds, but really I think I would feel okayish without them). So here's what happened. Remember how during my pregnancy I had 'heartburn' from hell-seriously.  Well it turns out that 'heartburn' that responds to no medicines, lasts for 10+ hours, makes you vomit every 10 minutes, and makes you think maybe you can't handle having another baby isn't so much heartburn at all. It's gallstones. And you need surgery. Yup- I'm not crazy (I thought I was, like how could this hurt so much). So. . . on Wednesday this week I had 'heartburn' that was so awful I couldn't breath so I decided to pay my doctor a visit in the middle of heartburn. He had never seen me when I was having a gallbladder attack so when I said I had heartburn he took my word for it. Me sobbing and vomiting into his trash can caused him to ask some extra questions and then tell me I needed surgery. So we scheduled an ultrasound to double check the next day. In the meantime I went home (after a shot to make me stop vomiting) and was okay for about 3 hours. Then I got sick, very sick, again. After calling my doctor I ended up being admitted to the hospital that night. Turns out I was passing a stone into my Pancreas which gave me Pancreatitis. YESSSSS. Not so much. I spend a few days at the hospital. . . came home for a day . . . and had surgery today. I hadn't eaten solid food since for 6 days until dinner tonight. Food has never been so good. So that's the story. 

I don't usually post things in detail like that, but I have a lot of people to call and tell that story to and it just seems a lot easier to tell the story all at once. Sorry if you didn't want to read that. I promise I left out all the not fun to hear details (except the vomit b/c that was kind of an important part of the story). 

I will do some posts with pictures about all the visits this week. They are much more fun kind of posts!

Love you all and thank you to those who were praying for me today and this past week. God is good.


Disclaimer: if any of this doesn't make sense, i am on drugs as i write (as previously mentioned). i have no excuse for other posts not making sense, that's all me.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

whatever

Evie had newborn pictures taken a few weeks ago (they are adorable. . . I will post some favorites soon). For a sneak peak head over to whatever today (evie is the baby with all the hair). 

Sunday, December 5, 2010

baby bear

This is by far our favorite picture of Evie thus far. . . so funny. She is yawning. . .but with the bear ears she looks like a roaring bear.

 I gave Jonathan this onesie when we found out we were pregnant. . . it looked so small then. 
 And a couple of pictures with her eyes wide open. She spends a lot more time looking around now.
Jonathan is re-designing my blog (fun!) so I am looking forward to sharing my new blogs space and hopefully being a much more consistent blogger in 2011.

Monday, November 29, 2010

thankful 2010

Better late than never (the mommy world has me behind on pretty much everything). . . this year's list. 

In no particular order. . . and a totally incomplete list. . . 

I am thankful for. . . 

our healthy and beautiful baby girl. So much joy.

sunshine on cold days.

a house that has really become our home. 

my Savior.

Jonathan not working outside our home during this season- such a blessing to both be home with our little girl for a while.

supportive friends who 'get' me . . . and love me anyways.
my husband and this season of our marriage. 

family. Both our family of 3 and our extended family. . . we really are blessed with great family.

every moment between 11pm and 7am in which my daughter is sleeping.

God's constant provision for our needs. 

Evie's smiles.

all of the pregnancy scares that stayed just scares. . . that although I spent 9 months of this year enduring a less than great pregnancy. . . the end result is so worth it.

kind neighbors.


Saturday, November 13, 2010

one week old and a little bit random

Check out the cute onsie Miss Allison F. made for me.
On my first walk with my Nana. Now that I feel up to taking her on a walk it's too stinkin' cold outside.
 A not in the hospital family picture. Jonathan cracks me up in this picture. . . hand on his hip looking all GQ.
And here is an example of how the fashion police would usually take issue with Evie's outfits. Right now it's all about what fits and the ballet socks stay on so for now they go with everything.
Last night Evie blessed her parents with 5 hours straight of sleep. After a few very rough nights. . . it was AMAZING.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Genevieve

Genevieve Tigh Van Winkle was born November 6 at 5:12 pm. She weighed 8lbs 5 ozs and was 20.5 inches long. We are so blessed and happy and excited to have her home. More pictures to come . . . I haven't been spending much time on the computer :)

Believe it or not, this is still the only picture we have of the three of us. We will get on the ball of taking more soon!
 My first time holding her. So in love with this baby girl. 
And for all the inquiring eyes who have heard about the incredible amount of hair our daughter has. . . . here you go. Lots and lots of dark hair like her daddy. 
Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. . . we thank God for such a beautiful little girl. 

Thursday, November 4, 2010

comic relief

Right now, it feels like when you are watching a movie, and just when you get to the end, just when you are about to find out who the bad guy is or the couple is about to kiss or whatever. . . the DVD skips and you don't get to see the end. It's annoying. It makes me grouchy. I thought I would be a gracious at the end of my pregnancy and not one of those women who complains about not going into labor. I was delusional. Just ask my husband. My body has done everything it needs to do and all signs point to labor any moment. . . problem is it's been that way for over a week. Watching Brian Regan makes me laugh and not be so grouchy. So I thought I would share. Especially love the phone company. . . it's how I feel- "can you flip it right now?"

Friday, October 29, 2010

first quilt

This is my first quilt. It's for Genevieve and was a lot of fun to make, the crazy mix of patterns and colors is very me. . .  hopefully it is stimulating instead of overwhelming for my daughter. It is very far from perfect, lots of mistakes-- but I don't really care, it's my first try and I did it by myself and that's what counts, right? Anywhoo. . . I have started on my next quilt, much larger for our bed. It's kind of scary to make a bigger quilt. I made this one in a few days start to finish so it was very gratifying and I didn't get bored of the project. Hopefully I don't get bored during my next one! 






Monday, October 18, 2010

doily runner

This project was about a year in the making. Mostly because I refused to spend more than a dollar on a doily and it took me a long time to find enough that I liked cheaply enough. I first saw this idea here (I love her whole kitchen) and copied her idea for a table runner. Somewhere on Ashley's site there is a tutorial on making this. . . I didn't follow it but sort of made it up as I went, but it's there if you want it. 

Saturday, October 16, 2010

what i've been up to

Okay people. . . I am a bad blogger. I have been waiting to blog because I am working on a blog makeover, but in the meantime lots of things have happened so I figure I will just suck it up and start sharing. I knew you would approve.

So, in case you don't know I am now on leave from work. For several different reasons working on my feet was too much for my pregnancy this late in the game so I have been home for almost a month now and will be until after I have the baby. I have been keeping busy (on the days not taken over by heartburn) by sewing, crafting, cooking, washing baby clothes, ect. I have to take it easy (I am not on bed rest or anything, I am just supposed to limit my activity) so sewing especially has become a big past time. Lots to share in the coming weeks of my projects.

In the picture you can see the cute pillow I made for the rocking chair in Evie's room (selfishly so my back doesn't hurt when I rock baby girl) and on the floor you might notice my boppy-- I don't like the covers at the store so I decided to make those too.


I have been cooking things I can freeze. This is chicken noodle soup day. Our freezer is literally about to explode though and I am going to have to back off of this endeavor because I have no more space to keep anything else.  I seriously considered throwing out ice cream the other day (gasp) in order to make room for some of this soup. 


And for the folks with out facebook- here is a picture of my belly this week.  Getting pretty huge. Genevieve is officially out of room in there, her feet have taken up residence in my ribcage, getting myself up from a laying position has become a feat worthy of the olympics, and people at the post office politely tell me "it must be any day now as big as you are". Really though, we have spent this week praising God for the health of our baby girl after we got some test results back and are very ready to welcome her into the world. 

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

evie's room part 2

Here is a sneak peak at the latest project in Evie's room. I hung lanterns above her crib in fun colors instead of a mobile. I also got her window's dressed with simple roller shades I embellished with ribbons and hung white sheers. 

Here is the view from her crib. I think it will be fun for her to look at.
Jonathan moved this pink vintage light fixture that came with the house- but was in the guest room- into Evie's room. It is perfect for her.
And since it's been a while since the dogs have said hello on here. . . Here is Audrey in the car sinking into a huge dog bed in the back seat. 

Monday, September 20, 2010

jello

Tonight I had my first strange late-ish night craving. At about 9pm I was craving Jello. I haven't had it in years but it sounded sooo good. So I made some and followed the quick set directions so it would be ready in a half hour. For good measure I waited until about 10:30 to pull it out and sat on the sofa next to Jonathan to eat my Jello. And then Jonathan's first "sympathy craving" set in. He got all excited... yelled JELLO... ran to the fridge to get whipped cream and proceeded to eat about 2/3 of the Jello. That's right folks-we ate it all, what is probably like 8 servings or something. Let me tell ya. . . if you haven't had Jello in a while- do it. There's a reason you liked it as a kid. It's good stuff.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

new sono pics

This pic is by far the best we have seen of Evie's face during her sonograms. She usually has her hands up at her face, and did again today. . . but moved them so we got to take a peek. There is video too of her blinking that I will post once I figure out how to do that.
In this picture you can see her little bit of hair where the arrow is pointing. 
Evie was 5 lbs 8 oz's today. . . already a big girl considering she has 8 more weeks to put the pounds on -yikes! She is healthy and looks great. 

Friday, September 3, 2010

Evie's room- post 1

For about the past month we have been working on Genevieve's room. It is very much in progress. . . but some of the fun projects are complete so I thought I would share a bit at a time. My mom came a little over a month ago and painted the room a light aqua color (thanks mom!). I then painted a few animals on the walls to kick up the fun. I say I painted. . . but really I used some sketches put onto an overhead projector and more traced these animals. 
The turtle is over by her crib. I think Mr. Turtle is a cutie.
Penguin over looks her dresser/changing table. 
Giraffe greets you when you come into her room. The wall color is all weird in this picture. I took quite a few and couldn't get the giraffe to show up in the pic without blowing the wall color out weird. . so use some imagination. Mr. Giraffe is my favorite. Evie has a rocking giraffe (like a rocking horse) and a few giraffe toys already. . . I hope she likes them because it's kind of becoming a trend. 

I will post more pics as more is done. There are other complete projects. . . but they are hidden behind ladders and cribs in the middle of the room and other project-in-project messes.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

my friend elly

My friend Elly is having a baby too. It is nice to be in the exact same stage of life as a friend. . . someone to call and ask 'do you feel like this too' and know she won't think I'm crazy. We have great friends who have thrown us 2 different dual baby showers. . . which has been a lot of fun. This picture is from July. . . so not so accurate of my baby belly (I am on the right). As we near our due dates I am looking forward to the next stage. . . calling each other with 'mom' questions. 

Monday, August 23, 2010

3rd trimester

This picture is a couple of weeks old. . . but I think we took it when I entered my 3rd trimester. Either way. . . I think I am bigger now. She is super active and kicks and squirms all the time. She likes it when Jonathan talks to her (or not even to her, but just when she hears his voice) and goes crazy moving around. Lots has been done in the nursery. . . I will post pictures soon of the work in progress. Just need to take them :)

For me, I think pregnancy is an exercise in remembering I am not in control. From pregnancy complications to Jonathan's job situation. . . I have been reminded again and again that trusting Jesus with our lives means just that (duh huh?). I forget that I wasn't promised an easy life, but a life that is full. The reality is that even when I feel like sciatic nerve pain is the worst thing ever. . . my life is pretty great. I think I struggle with looking beyond what is right in front of me. Today I worked standing on my feet for 9 hours with pain shooting down my legs. . and I know I have to do that 4 more times this week. . . and it just seems so overwhelming. If I could focus on the big picture. . . I would remember that in 2 1/2 months we will have a daughter. . . and when I think about her I feel joy not pain. My prayer tonight is that I would trust God fully and live in a spirit of thankfulness that He is entrusting to Jonathan and I the job of loving a raising this little girl. 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Give and Get is Here!

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from August 26-29 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy and we'll donate 5% of what you spend to a non-profit."

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

on missing China

While in NY we spent some time in China town. NY has the largest C town in the US. . .but it's still not the same. It was almost bittersweet being there. . . made both of our heart's ache. I wish we had stopped to buy some leeche. . .it looks good now that it's not in front of me to eat!

Friday, July 16, 2010

wreath fun

I made this wreath a few weeks ago. It's hanging on the door in the living room that heads into the guest room right now. I like wreaths a lot. I like this one. . . fun for every day. I made it using this tutorial. 


Wednesday, July 14, 2010

new york part 2


Times Square was the end of a very long day while we were in the city. We had gone on this trip with a list of things we wanted to see and/or do and we did about 2/3 of them on this day. It was a long day.  We went to China town in the morning then Washington Square park for Jonathan to play Chess, Union Station, Rockafeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, did some shopping, checked out the Lego store (which is awesome) and 3 different Banana Republics (when they were right there I just had to go inside and look at their floor sets and visuals. . couldn't help myself), saw West Side Story, and then hung out at Times Square. Add in all the walking and train time in between. . . and I was tired. It was fun though and good to get a lot of the touristy things Jonathan likes to do (and me not so much) all done at once. 
The next day we went on the Staten Island Ferry. If you are ever visiting the city I would recommend this. First, it's free. Second. . . you get up close to the Statue of Liberty and see all of the iconic skylines all at once. And it's Free. I figure you have all seen pics of the Statue of Liberty before. . . so here is one of us on the ferry. 
My sister came in the afternoon on the last day we were in the city and it was her birthday no less. We had fun going to see the Museum of Modern Art with her. We also took her to see the Manolo Blahnik store (being the huge Sex in the City fan she is, it was on her must do list), a comedy show (something on Jonathan's list) and then back to Times Square before we headed up state for my Gramma's b-day party with family. 
Just one of hundreds of pictures Jonathan took at the Museum.
The rest of the days were a bit slower. .  with just a couple of activities (like go to a museum or Central Park) but were very fun and good for us to get to spend time together before this little one arrives. 

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

baby girl

Her face didn't really come out in the scan of the ultrasound pic above. 

I am not going to put the 'it's a girl' photo up . . . but it was pretty clear that it's a girl. We are excited and can't wait for her to get here. She is kicking like crazy and starting to keep me up at night with her moving around. She was actually kicking in the picture of her foot. Very active little girl. . .:) She weighs about 1.5 lbs right now and is healthy and developing normally. 

I have also started to gain back some of the weight I had lost during the first 4 months and am not getting sick near as often as I had been. Praise God. . . feels great to keep food down!

Monday, July 5, 2010

baby kicks update

Okay. . I will be posting more fun pictures from our trip in NY. We are home now. 

But the exciting news tonight is that Jonathan felt the baby kicking for the first time. It's super early for him to be able to feel it. . but the baby was kicking so hard. Yeah. . .I've been so excited to share this with him. 

And speaking of exciting news. . . our ultrasounds is on Wednesday so we will soon know if this kicking baby is a boy or girl!

Hope you had a great holiday weekend. 

Sunday, June 27, 2010

New York part 1. . .Brooklyn

This is my mom's Nana's house in Brooklyn. Nana was my Gramp's mom and this is the home he grew up in. It was fun to go and see it. . . although I don't think the neighborhood is the same as back then. The houses are cute with gardens on this block though. . . the pic below are of some neighbor's homes.
Yesterday evening we went to see the Brooklyn bridge and the view from the Promenade. 

Friday, June 18, 2010

19 weeks

Okay. . . after a lot of demand from some friends. . here are some belly pics. Almost half way done!