Christmas Home Tour

I really wanted to get this post up before Christmas, but it just didn't happen this year! However, I tend to leave my decorations up at least until after New Years, so it still counts, right?

This year, we kept our Christmas decorations really simple. And oddly enough, I think it's been my favorite year yet! 

One of my favorite "decorations" was this tray that is on our coffee table. I picked up the sparkly pinecones last year at an after-Christmas sale, and the milk-glass is from a thrift store. The mercury glass votives were my one "extravagant" purchase this year (they were $1.50 each at Target!). 

This year, we used both silver and gold ornaments on our tree. I love how it turned out! I have done silver only and gold only in the past, but together they are even more marvelous. 

Our tree this year was fake, but I loved not having to untangle lights (pre-lit!) and vacuum up pine needles all through the holidays. 

Here's the tree in natural light (don't we all look better in natural light?). Ain't she purdy? 

My green glass trees are sitting atop the record player, with some festive berries snuggled underneath. 

Our dining room table was kept simple with some fresh pine boughs, a big candle and some pinecones. 

I love this handmade "Noel" sign that we inherited from Josh's parents. It adds just the right amount of kitschy-ness I think! 

 

And here it is, the one and only project that I undertook this year for Christmas decor. It's a bottle brush tree in a Ball jar! Tutorial to come... (just kidding). 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did, even with a cranky, teething baby. Evie's first Christmas will definitely be remembered for years to come! Happy New Year! 

Christmas is Still Happening Here!

It's sometimes hard to believe that Christmas preparations still happen, even when there is no blog post to prove it, so I've pulled together a few photos from my phone for posterity.

We did go out to the Christmas tree farm with my parents to cut down their tree, see? Evie even came with us, all snuggled up on her daddy's chest in the baby bjorn.

We attempted a family portrait. 

We attempted another family portrait. 

We managed to pull the tree on a sled to our car, and it only fell off 5 times! 

Then Josh and I went home and set up our fake, pre-lit tree (which I find myself loving even more since we had an 11-foot-tall real tree last year!)

You may have noticed in the background one of our recent projects- we covered up the railing in the living room with some board-and-batten. It started out as a child-proofing project, but of course we had to make it pretty! I will probably do a before-and-after post at some point, but here's another angle of it. I love it!

I even managed to do some decorating besides the tree. I love this musical tray that I made last year, and it fit perfectly with some new tealight holders from Target, and sparkly pinecones.

I must have sparkly pinecones in my Christmas decor. 

I'm even getting festive myself and wearing a red hat + red lipstick most days. It's amazing how a quick swipe of apple-red lipstick can make even a new mom feel pulled together. 

This year, Christmas is so different and wonderful. Evie is still too little to truly understand the wonderfulness of Christmas, but I'm enjoying nonetheless watching her experience it for the first time. From her wide-eyed gazes at the Christmas tree to her unhappy response to a santa hat, it's truly a joy to behold. 

Rest

I have to be honest with you- rest isn't something that is really happening in our corner of the world these days. Between late night feedings and scrambling around to get things done during those few-and-far-between daytime naps, we are constantly going. It's amazing how busy life can get even when you are trying to cut back. Especially with a baby. I'm lucky if I can shower and do the dishes, let alone workout, clean the house, do lesson plans, and have a social life.

But this morning, Evie went back to bed after waking up at 6:30 for her morning feeding. Oh, the joy that filled my heart. I slept for a bit longer, then got up and made myself a cup of coffee (seriously, the nectar of the gods) and read my Bible for a while. I peeked in on her a while later and she was still blissfully asleep (see photo above). So I actually have a rare moment to blog... what? Blog? What is that???

Somehow, even in the midst of this chaos, God is teaching me about rest. He's teaching me about letting go of things that get in the way of rest- my need for a spotlessly clean house, the flawed notion that dinner should be on the table by the time my husband gets home, my desire to be fit and thin and bikini-ready again, this pervasive and ugly feeling that our life should somehow look perfect on the outside. In reality, I think the rest He is calling me to is more mental than physical. I still have to get up at 3:30 am when my baby girl needs food, but I can let go of the fact that I didn't finish everything I wanted to do yesterday. I may have to perform what should be simple and mundane tasks with one hand while bouncing a baby on my hip, but I can accept the fact that my house is going to be a little on the messy side for a while. Rest.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stare at my baby and wonder at the fact that she's still asleep right now...

Evangeline's Birth Story

I'm finally getting around to writing this... It's been over 3 weeks since our baby girl Evangeline was born but it's taken me that long to find the words to her birth story. For the first few days, I couldn't even talk about it without bursting into tears! Something about all the crazy hormones that are rushing through your body....

So here goes: It started with what felt like the longest week of my life! We hit the "due date" which of course is just an estimate. Even though I knew that, I still felt very disappointed when that day came and went with no sign of labor whatsoever. Each day after that felt like an eternity- a large, waddling, swelled-foot eternity. We did our best to just keep busy and enjoy our last baby-free days (oh man, thinking back those days were AMAZING!). We went to a Fall party at a friend's farm, we went on several long walks, we had dinner with our parents, and even went on a day trip to Stillwater to go antiquing. Besides a few contractions one evening, I had no signs of labor whatsoever.

Then, exactly a week after she was due, I woke up at 2:30 one morning in the middle of a really strong contraction. I bolted up in bed, partly due to the pain and partly from sheer joy. I went in the bathroom and gripped the counter as another contraction hit me. Oh wow, I thought, that's rather painful. I knew it was the real deal, but I waited a few more contractions before I woke up Josh. Finally, I had the confidence to go in and shake him awake. "Honey," I said, "I just had three 'Oh S$#%" contractions!" (pardon my French...). He shot straight up and went into hospital-mode. By 4 am, we were in the Labor and Delivery room and I was having contractions 3-4 minutes apart. It's funny that before I was concerned that my body didn't know how to go into labor, boy was I wrong! Once labor started there was no messing around, it was "go" time! The nurse who checked me in asked me if I wanted an epidural right away and that shocked me, I had imagined it would be hours before I could get one. I decided to wait for a while to make sure that it wouldn't slow down the labor. My parents arrived shortly after we got to the hospital. My mom was going to be in the room for the delivery and my dad was going to wait in the waiting room for the good news.

By 6 am, my contractions were literally on top of each other. I decided to stop being a martyr and get that epidural. It took the nurse 15 minutes (and probably 15 pokes with that darn needle) to get an IV in my arm, and I still have the bruise to prove it! Once the anesthesiologist gave me the epidural, the pain from my contractions literally melted away. I had the perfect epidural! I went from crying in pain with every contraction to not feeling them at all. However, I could still feel my legs and move them! I actually felt better being in labor than I had felt during the last week of my pregnancy. I know that there are many people with strong feelings about natural labor, but I'm here to say that medical intervention can be a wonderful thing! It allowed me to rest and actually enjoy part of the labor experience. I told my mom at one point that I felt like I was cheating! Don't worry, that feeling did not last...

Some people worry that epidurals can slow down the labor process, but that was not the case for me. In fact, I think it made my body dilate faster because I was more relaxed. By 9:50 am, I was feeling the urge to push (yup, I still felt that even with the epidural!). Our amazing labor nurse, Stephanie, told me that I could start pushing. My doctor was outside the room working on paperwork, and I remember wondering why she wasn't coming in... apparently the doctors really like to wait until the last minute. Well, I had no idea how much work was ahead of me. After pushing for an hour, I started to get a little concerned. I felt like I was not making any progress at all and I was starting to get really exhausted. Dr. P would come in occasionally and every time she left again my heart would sink. After two hours, I was even more exhausted and I started feeling like my body was going to explode. The pressure was so intense that it was becoming incredibly painful. I didn't feel like I was cheating anymore. Finally, Dr. P came in to stay and a couple of other nurses and a resident came in as well. By that point, I was in so much pain and feeling so much pressure that I really didn't care who was there I just wanted that baby out. I kept begging the doctor to get the baby out. I was so tired and felt like my body was shutting down. She just told me to keep pushing and that she knew I could do it. Josh was by my side the entire time, and he encouraged me through every single push! I don't know what I would have done without him there.

By the third hour of pushing, I was really freaking out. I literally had panic attacks in between each contraction and felt like I was going to die. At one point, I was sobbing and begging Dr. P to do something, and the resident (Dr. Elizabeth) actually started crying too! On a side note- I wanted to hug her, she was a huge sweetheart and so encouraging. She held my leg for a good hour and kept encouraging me with every push. I'm so glad that she was there for the delivery! Finally, after over 3 hours of pushing Dr. P said that the baby was past the pelvic bone and if I wanted an episiotomy that might speed things up. I think that was the most emphatic "YES" I have ever spoken in my life! Once again, medical intervention was my best friend; she made a very small incision and it was all I needed to get the baby out. I pushed 3 more times and Evangeline was born! I was sobbing from relief when they placed her in my arms, and looked at Josh and just said "It's finally over!" Evie was crying so loudly, but it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. She was all purple and her poor little nose was smushed from being in the birth canal so long, but she was absolutely exquisite. I remember being worried before giving birth that somehow my baby would get mixed up with someone else's and we would bring the wrong baby home (don't you love those irrational fears?), but once I saw her I knew that that was impossible because she was definitely my baby.

One of the most amazing moments of my life was seeing Josh hold our daughter for the first time. He instantly became the best father I have ever seen (but I'm a little biased, I know). He cut the cord and took her in his arms and everything just felt right. I don't remember him ever being awkward or uncomfortable with her; from changing diapers to holding her and soothing her he seemed to know exactly what to do at any given moment.

The weeks since her birth have been the most difficult, wonderful, emotional, beautiful, and incredible times of my life. I think I have shed enough tears to flood the Mississippi, tears of frustration and tears of joy, and even tears for no particular reason at all. It has definitely been difficult, but it's also been wonderful. I still can't believe sometimes that I'm a Mother, what a crazy thought! Somehow watching Josh become a father has made my love for him grow in leaps and bounds, and every time I see my sweet little girl my heart just overflows with love. I would have pushed for 10 hours for her, and even now I would do it all over again for her because she's my daughter and I'm her Mama. Now, I just have to remind myself of that when I'm up at 2:00 in the morning...

Ok, that was a lot of words! Now, for a lot of photos: 

 (Just arrived at the hospital, in between contractions)

 (Mom and Dad)

Evie is born! 

Grandma Ruthie

Auntie Elsie (my sister)

Uncle Kyle (Elsie's hubby)

Josh's parents

Meeting Uncle Iain

 One day old! 

My cousin Liesel just sent me a package with a sweet baby gift (and some lipgloss and eyeshadow for me, how wonderful is that?) and she also put a beautiful verse in there for encouragement. It's Psalm 62:5-8 "For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people, pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." So many times the blessings we receive can be overshadowed by what we see as hardship. Even though giving birth and becoming a parent are extremely difficult things, they are also miraculous and full of blessings. We prayed for a baby for years, and now she is finally here!

Precious New Arrival

It is my great joy to announce that our baby girl has finally arrived! Evangeline (Evie) Grace was born this past week. She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and is 21 inches long. Since our house has been a bit chaotic lately, I only have a few cell phone pictures but at least you can see our little angel!

Here she is, at about 1 hour old.

I had been scheduled to go in for an induction on Thursday, but thankfully I went into labor naturally on Wednesday morning. It was about 11 hours from the first contraction until the time she was born! I think I will probably write up a birth story at some point (once I can think about it without bawling...). 

Here she is snugged into her carseat, getting ready for the journey home. She slept the whole way there! 

Our first family photo is on the camera, and I don't have a way to access it right now but I will be sure to update with more pictures soon!  

The first couple days home were really rough. Breastfeeding was a huge challenge at first, and it still continues to be a difficult learning process. It was so hard to see her struggle to get enough to eat. Thankfully, we turned a corner in the past day or so and it has been a lot better. There really is no way to completely mentally prepare for a first child! I had no idea how difficult (and traumatic) the birth experience could be, not to mention the rollercoaster of emotions that follow. Thankfully Josh has been the most amazing husband and father- he is tireless in caring for Evie and I and has so much patience. Watching him become a father just makes me fall even deeper in love. I'm just in awe of our beautiful baby and what a joy it is to have the privilege of taking care of such a sweet little person.

Mini Maternity Photo Shoot

Thanks to my sister's boyfriend, David, Josh and I were able to squeeze in a little maternity-photo shoot this weekend. It was actually completely unplanned, but when Josh and I realized on Sunday morning at church that we were wearing matching black and white outfits, the camera was in the car, and David (an awesome photographer) was there it just seemed to be the perfect thing to do!

It was the perfect weather- beautiful sun shining and yet not too hot (really important at this stage in pregnancy!). We took these at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. Hope you enjoy!