Santa Baby

Margaux's first snow

Our little snow bunny!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

where did the time go?

Long time since my last post uh. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas have become a complete blur! I was so worried about getting a card out to my sister quickly, I forgot to sign it and sent her a completely blank card, no return address, with the picture of my child featured below. wonder how many family members got the same thing? I send my family the actual printed pictures at Christmas and order cards for my friends. I managed to get presents for most of the family, except for my niece and nephews in Texas. I’m going to have to get their Christmas to them late. And Matt, poor guy, is going to have to get his gifts after Christmas too. I have a pretty good idea what I’m going to get him, and hopefully we can just plan a trip to the mall after the holidays.

Margaux is doing great! She is getting bigger and bigger. I'm cutting back on the breastfeeding and she is starting to take at least one big formula bottle a day.Most days, I'm so over the nursing. Other days, I feel guilty or bad about wanting to quit. I’m also trying to change her sleeping pattern a bit. She is a wonderful sleeper. Her schedule was from 6pm to 5am, early but do able. However… she has decided to tweak it to 6 pm to 4:30am. I can not hang with that. Especially since she has been sleeping in our room because of how cold the house has been getting at night. For the past few nights I have been keeping her up until 7:30 and we are working on making wake up time at 6am. My mother envisions our bedroom looking like a refugee camp. Margaux on one side of the bed, biscuit (the dog) on the other, us (and maybe a cat… or two) in the bed and a electric space heater. Ahh, the memories.

In farm news: our sheepy girls are back and bred. We will be expecting lambs in the next few months. I am so pumped! Hannah Montana and Sally Pearl came home on Saturday. It appears that Sally is going to be the first to lamb. We also acquired a new ewe too. It was quite funny to see all the animals reunite. The goats (Snickers and Peppermint) put on a show jumping, head butting, and walking around on their hind legs. The new ewe stomped her feet at all her new friends. She had happy feet. I think we have decided to name her Lammy Gaga!

Any way… I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday!

Our Christmas card this year

M's First Thanksgiving

Well, one of the 3 Thanksgiving pictures I took actually turned out cute. This is Margaux and her Grandmamma Molly!
Also... I have been needing to get a video of Margaux to my niece in Texas. I'm posting it on here. If you happen to watch it, I apologize for the southern draw and the baby talk. Its a combination that I now think is worse than nails on a chalk board. I was trying to elicit smiles. unfortunately the baby talky high pitch seems to work. Please ignore my babbling and my one handed recording skills.

Happy Thanksgiving from Shelby Silvey on Vimeo.

the big 4 months

Margaux had her 4 month appointment and shots last week and Matt came along to the doctor with us. She does really well with her shots and she seems to be thriving. She is in the top 78 percentile on most all of her stats (height, weight, etc.). Right now she is about to hit the length limit on her 6 month clothes.

We started baby food and she is a big fan. There was hands waiving and feet kicking when she was given bananas. I guess you can say she went bananas for bananas. Hee Hee Hee! She has had oatmeal, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas and today we are going to try either pears or peas. She doesn’t seem to be picky like her daddy. (*update- peas did not go over well at all*)

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. However, I need to do a much better job of taking pictures. I managed to snap maybe two pictures of Margaux on her first Thanksgiving. I’m vowing to do better.

Margaux loves music

Matt and I sing to Margaux all the time. Matt is more creative than I am with his singing. The other day I could hear them hollering back and forth. Margaux was making her pirate "Arrrr" noise. So Matt began singing a song about a pirate named "Margaux the terrible". But that didn't fit her, so it evolved into "Margaux the terribly cute". One of the funniest lines I overheard was "she'll mesmerize you with her baby face, then she'll punch you in the naughty place."

Baptism

Well, Margaux was baptized last weekend. It was such a great service to have her baptism in. It was youth Sunday and most of the service was carried out by the youth group. Margaux was so good. I had been very nervous she was going to cry or get fussy, however she was an angel. She slept through the whole service including her baptism. Mommy on the other hand cried several times.

All the little children came and gathered around the front for the baptism. Little precious 4 and 5 year olds. The congregation was charged with helping raise Margaux as a Christian, and then the little ones were asked to help. The preacher asked them to promise to play with her, pick her up when she falls down, and tell her about Jesus. Yep… I started crying. I had also been under the impression that Margaux was going to get a little trickle of water on her head. So I was really surprised when there was a good handful of water used. My mother in law said my face was priceless. Water ran down Margaux’s face and she wiggled, but stayed asleep. I noticed water in her little ears when we returned to our seats. Matt commented we wouldn’t have to bathe her for a few days now. And also that apparently it takes a lot of water to keep the devil away :) The youth also chose to play the George Strait song “I saw God today” in the service. Yep… more crying. Margaux didn’t wake up until the very end (that is why she is awake for the pictures). It was so wonderful to have everyone pray for my little one, and send her blessings.

Purple is my favorite color!

Well the purple crayon looked adorable. We had so much going on that weekend I’m still recovering. Friday I had a dinner with some friends. It was really cold Friday, but we braved the chilly air to have some s'mores by the fire pit.

Saturday was “Fright on Franklin”. The office set up a booth and handed out candy. We were told to be prepared with 1,500 pieces of candy. The crowd was so much bigger than expected. We did a tally at the end of the night and estimated we gave away 3,500 pieces of candy. Margaux was in the costume contest for the 0-3 category. We were number 47 of 56 kiddos. Margaux was out cold by the time we got in front of the judges. We didn’t win, but we did enjoy seeing a lot of creative costumes. She did really well for being kept out so late. She melted down right as we were leaving. Mommy also learned that next time I make a costume I will be more conscience of the car seat buckles and diaper changes. Never again will the whole outfit have to be removed to accomplish these tasks.

Sunday we went to the Grandparents houses and showed off her cuteness in her costume. It was a busy busy weekend.

Margaux also had a new milestone. She rolled over on 10-29-10. Ever since that first time, she has been bound and determined to roll over when ever she can. She’ll try while getting a diaper change. She’ll do it on her little play mat. Then she’ll either scream because she is stuck on her side, her arm got stuck under her, or she is tired of being on her belly. Holy Moly! Rolly Poly!

My little pumpkin!

So here are a few pictures of Margaux in a pumpkin patch near my parents house.

Also I have a few projects that I've finished.
First this is Margaux's candy bucket/can. Yes I essentially bedazzled a paint can.


Next I made Margaux some baby leg warmers out of women's knee high socks. I love them! I decided to try this and I'm so glad it worked out. otherwise I was going to order them from etsy. They keep her legs warm and it is still easy to get to the diaper. I have the black pair to do and I'm looking for something in pink.

I can't wait to post picture of her in her first Halloween costume made by mom!

So far so good at week 12

Well, I made it! I made my goal of at least breastfeeding till 12 weeks. I've set my next one for Thanksgiving. We'll see how that goes. Margaux has already outgrown the little outfit from the previous post. She's just such a long little booger. She's growing and growing. And I know I'm partial because I'm her mom, but she is so dang cute.

Last weekend was Homecoming at Matt and I's alma mater, but due to a home improvement undertaking we only made it to one thing. A breakfast for the agriculture department (Matt will be teaching one class for the university again this spring). They had a little hayride and we took Margaux. Someone brought out an umbrella to help shade her with, so Matt sat next to me and moved around the trailer accordingly to block the sun as we changed directions. I got very tickled and said I felt like "Miss Scarlet" at the picnic.

The home improvement project was a concrete walkway to our front door. I'm so excited to have less grass clippings in the house and no more muddy dress shoes. I'm also excited for everyone's sake that its over. My Dad and Matt worked so hard. My Dad was looking forward to going back to work so he could get some rest. I helped, and I'm sore, but I didn't work near as much as they had too. But I tried my hand at the trowel, and the float, and whatever else I thought I could be helpful at. We still need to do our landscaping around the front of the house, but the walkway alone is a fantastic improvement.

Margaux thinks she's talking now. Here's a little video of her cuteness!

chat with Magoo from Shelby Silvey on Vimeo.

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Little Boo!

Her Grandmother bought her this outfit and because she is growing so fast, I'm pretty sure it will not make it till October 31st. So we broke it out a little early. Once I put it on she was so dang cute I had to take pictures! Of course Mommy is making her Halloween costume. She is going to be a purple crayon. I made the majority of the outfit in about an hour and half last Saturday night. I'll post another picture when its all finished. Its not perfect, but she's only going to be in it for about an hour to take pictures. How perfect does it have to be for a 3 month old really.

The latest and greatest from the other half

Shelby has been really busy, and hasn't been able to update the blog like she used to.  I, however, am really busy but always on the laptop.  Here is what's new: Margaux has grown!  She gained 4 pounds and 3 inches in length, and her lung power has increased 10 fold.  She is smiling and reacting to us, which makes daddy really happy!  Dr. says she has a small head, which she gets from me (I have a pea head), but could grow into an enormous tater like her mother has.  Shelby is back at work most days, and probably would like to have more maternity time off.  Life is hectic and wonderful both, and this semester is flying by.  Got the email that they are sending me the diploma for my master degree.  Woo Hoo.  Still the second smartest in the house, but a very close second.   More updates soon.

Moving on

So Margaux is getting bigger and bigger. I just started packing away all her newborn clothes. I was also surprised to find she can wear quite a few of her 3 month clothes. She doesn't fill them out but they definitely fit her in the length. She has a really long torso like her Mom and Dad. She is also sleeping through the night. She started at 6 weeks old. She doesn't do it every single night of the week, but she'll do it about 4-5 nights. The other nights she will only get up once. I've heard we are really fortunate in that she is sleeping so well. I have nothing to compare it to, but I do feel she sleeps pretty well. I've also started moving her to her crib some nights. She has started smiling back at you (on purpose) here lately and she will coo. I love it! It is a precious little sound.

Matt and I celebrated our 5^th wedding anniversary over the weekend. This is going to be such a great year for us. We have the baby, Matt is teaching and receiving his Masters (that he finished in July, 3 days before the baby was born), and I'm still starting up my law practice. We had lunch out, shopped for Baby some things, ran by target, and let Daddy look around REI.

Things are going really well. I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off. And time seems to fly by, but I'm starting to get the hang of things. Breastfeeding/Pumping while being at work is tough. And none of my clothes fit. I talked to a friend over the weekend that is also breastfeeding and she is just now back to her pre-pregnancy weight. Her baby is 7 months old. I think that whole "it will help you lose weight" may be true for some folks, but not me. I believe it is more a of a carrot to dangle in front of you to get you to try it. I know it is best for baby M, but it is definitely something you have to work at. In the mean time, I have no idea what I'm going to wear to court if it takes me that long. I have a post-partum workout video that is a killer, I'm going to try to fit it in for at least a few minutes a few times a week. And when this weather cools off, I see a lot of walks in our future.

Anyhow I'll leave you with some Margaux pics.

Here is one of those smiles

Daddy and M

And here is my little brag that she looks like me.

Here is Margaux.

And here is Me!

You be the judge! but come on! she at least looks just like me when she is sleeping!

I quick pic

Margaux is growing like a weed... a mean flower. She is 1 month old now and we are getting the hang of things. The breastfeeding is going pretty well. It is definitely hard, but we are sticking with it at least to 12 weeks. Then I'll re-evaluate. My mother says if I can make it till then, I'll be going good. I'm not so sure. Margaux wakes up two times a night, once at about 12 and then again about 3 or 4. She fights sleep sometimes. She'll doze off and then catch herself falling asleep and let out a wail. This could be why her fussiest time of day is 7-9 p.m., but in the mornings she is a happy little monkey. She is such a little blessing

I have to go back to work for two days next week. I have some court cases that I have to attend to. I also have some the next week too. This is WAY TOO EARLY to be working. My baby is only going to be 5 weeks old. This totally bums me. But I'm going to be rushing home just as soon as I can.

Oh well... the boss will be calling for my attention very soon.
Here's a picture of the gorgeous girl.

The Labor Story

Well Margaux arrived 2 days late, but it worked out the way it was meant to.

Her due date came and went on that Saturday. I was uncomfortable but Matt and I got out and ran errands to keep me moving around. But on Sunday night I started having contractions that I noticed (and knew what they were) around 9:30, but honestly they didn't hurt so I could have been having them all day for all I knew. Then around 10:00 they started to hurt a little. They were about 3-5 minutes apart, and I would tap my foot through them. Other signs of labor showed up and I told Matt that it was happening. I was very excited to have the process start on its own. At my last doctor's appointment the Wednesday before I had not made any more progress in about two weeks. I was still between 1 and 2 cm dilated and 60 % effaced. I had been that way for 2 weeks with no change. We decided to give her the weekend and scheduled an induction for that coming Wednesday the 21^st.

About 11:00 pm Sunday night I told Matt, due to how close they were, we should probably make the 45 minute drive to the hospital to have things checked out. I'd never had a baby before and I had no idea how "intense" contractions were supposed to be. But I did know that close together might be something we should not ignore. We got there and they watched me for a few hours and at 2 o'clock Monday morning told me I was in early labor, but that it could last anywhere from 6-12 hours and that since my water had not broken I could go home if I wanted to and try to get some rest. I opted for home and they sent me with an ambien (apparently safe for baby, but I was skeptical and only took half) to help me sleep and relax while having contractions. It worked and I slept for 3 and half hours before the contractions woke me up. I monitored them, labored at home, called the family, and at 11:00 Monday morning told Matt we were going back to the hospital. They were still 3-5 minutes apart and hurt quite a bit more.

We got to the hospital about 12 noon and things really kicked into gear then. I was 100 % effaced and dilated to 3. At 12:30 the doctor came in checked me and broke my water to get things going. He said we would have a baby by dinner time. He started me on pitocin to regulate the contractions. Man did the contractions hurt after that. At 1:30 I got my epidural. At 2:00 they checked me again and I had dilated to 5 cm. One of the nurses noticed that I was grimacing and asked if I still felt any pain. I told her I could feel something sharp in my bottom. They thought that I probably needed more epidural because I was so tall (my feet were hanging off the bed). But before they upped the meds they checked to see if I had progressed any, this was at 2:45. The nurse looked and said I was ready. Seriously I went from 5cm to 10cm in 45 minutes. I pushed for about 20 minutes and we had a baby. I could not believe how fast it all happened. We arrived at the hospital around noon, just a husband and wife. About three hours later we were a family, with baby Margaux joining us at 3:10 pm on Monday the 19th.

Matt was the only family member in the delivery room with me. He was so good and completely exhilarated by the whole experience. He watched the whole thing and was so amazed. He saw her red hair before she was even out. As soon as her head was out, he started crying and telling me how beautiful she was. He was one proud Daddy. I didn't cry till I heard her cry.

A few hours later I had a bleeding problem that took a lot out of me and required extra meds and the epidural and IV to be left in till the next morning. They also kept me in labor and delivery longer. They weren't sure if it was a clot, a failure to clot, or a piece of the placenta still in my uterus causing the problems, but I bled out quite a bit. My blood pressure dropped, I got really sleepy, and I began to shiver and shake uncontrollably. Anyhow they took care of me and everything got under control with no other problems.

It's hard to believe this all happened 3 weeks ago. It feels like just yesterday, I was rubbing my belly.

Margaux is here!

Margaux has arrived. She showed up 2 days late, weighing 7 lbs and 11 oz. She was 20 1/2 inches long. She is tiny, cute as a button, and has her Mommy's red hair. More to come, when I'm not working with 2 hour increments of time.

Happy Due Date

Well I'm 40 weeks! There's really not much more to say. She'll be here soon, by Thursday for sure if she doesn't come before Wed.

Well... I'm still pregnant!

Baby is still in there. She's apparently like her mother, she likes a plan. In her mind she's in there saying, "look... I know you want me to come out and meet you, but the plan was for me to show up on July 17th. Therefore, you all need to just GET WITH THE PROGRAM! I'm sticking with the plan people! Don't ask me to deviate if I don't have to."
This is so me. I'm a big fan of a plan, a schedule if you will. I like time lines and break downs. I'm not overly anal about organization or anything. But I little order gives me a lot of comfort. This wondering when is nerve racking, but that is how labor works I suppose. There are a few days that would not exactly be good for her to decide to come this week. So I'm sure those are the days it will happen. That's usually how it happens to me. It's like the universe's way to drive me... Mrs. Planner, crazy. It's trying to get me to loosen up by force.
There was some discussion about inducing last weekend. Yes, it would have been fabulous for the planner in me, but I was very torn about it, and decided against. There were tears and guilt/angst as to whether or not to do it. There wasn't a reason besides convenience for inducing. And I know that everyone has their own opinion as to whether or not to induce, but a part of me wants to try to experience this the way it should be naturally (with drugs given at the hospital of course). You feel labor pains and contractions, your water breaks, etc. As a woman and a mother I want to give myself a shot at having that experience. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. If I start going over my due date, if I have some sort of reason (blood pressure, enormous baby, what ever medical necessity), then I wouldn't be so unwilling.
Therefore... I'll be in court working tomorrow and possibly Friday and we will all just be wanting for Margaux.

38 Weeks

38 weeks

Closer view of the big-o-belly

Hope everyone had a good safe Fourth of July. Matt and I had a pretty laid back day. We had lunch with my family on the 3^rd and watched the fireworks downtown that night with a fellow lawyer and his great kids. The fourth we spent time with Matt's family. Baby's still in the belly. I have to pee all the time and I've definitely got some aches and pains, but not too much longer now. She's still moving around quite a bit. I'm dying to see what she looks like. Will she look like me or Matt or someone completely unexpected? I've been sleeping really hard lately. Of course I wake up to make a bathroom trip or two, but I usually zonk back out. The bad part about it is the pain in my feet when they hit the ground. They aren't really swollen, just a little, but they definitely hurt. As well as my knee, my hips, my back and the sharp pains in my side and elsewhere occasionally (see what I mean about aches and pains). Hopefully when we go to the doctor this week, it will look like I'm getting closer. There are a few days that aren't exactly the best for Margaux to show up, so that will probably be when I go into labor. Hopefully we will have more exciting news here soon.

***Also, my friend Beth took some maternity photos and they are posted on her blog: bird's eye photography

9 months/36 weeks

36 weeks

Well, it was so hard to imagine I'd be at this point 32 weeks ago on November 4^th when I saw two little lines appear on the pregnancy test to say I was positive. Especially since the one I took on October 31^st prior to going out to dinner read Negative. And Matt and I went to a concert on November 2^nd and I was for sure I was going to start my cycle soon because I was feeling crampy and chappy. And despite the fact that on that same day (Nov. 2^nd), the other female attorney at the office had stopped me and said, "your pregnant! I just have a feeling. I woke up this morning and the thought just hit me that you were pregnant." (I now refer to her as the womb whisperer). Anyhow… I was super pumped to see the first little pink line show up on November 4^th. Matt was a little more skeptical. But 2 more positives (each darker than the next) and few days later, he was convinced, happy and hopeful. Matt and I were elated that we had such quick success. It was really hard to believe. I'm still amazed at how blessed we were so quickly. I was hoping to start counting my days to see when I would be most likely to ovulate, but it happened so quick I never had to start.

We told our family on Thanksgiving when I was 7 weeks along. I made cards for them. On the front it said, "We are Thankful for…" and on the inside it said, "the wonderful Grandparents our baby is going to have." And I placed a picture of the window from the positive pregnancy test in there. Matt's parents were excited, and my mother did one of her little squeals she does. In December we heard that wonderful little choo-choo sound of the baby's heart. We found out in February it was girl (and not the boy that I had guessed it was). And ever since it's been pinks, dresses, and Matt laying his head on the belly and talking to baby Margaux.

There's been ultrasounds and glucose tests, and now we are finally getting in the last weeks and awaiting her arrival. Her room is ready, we have supplies, and our arms are aching to hold our first little one.

Week 35

I don't usually blog on the happenings of the odd numbered weeks, but, Lord have Mercy, I am reaching that point that everyone has been telling me to "just wait" for. Please don't take this for complaining, because I have been so lucky, and have had and I'm still having a good pregnancy. No swollen feet (yet) I've had no blood pressure problems. I haven't ever felt the baby in my ribs or anything like that (yet). I'm pretty tired in the evenings and don't feel like doing much. Matt has been sleeping on the couch some nights to let me be comfortable and get rest. I really appreciate it. He said when he comes into bed I'm all sprawled out in the middle and Margaux (belly) is on his side:)

Speaking of the belly, sucker has gotten BIG! People over in court keep asking me, "when I'm going to stop working?" and "when is that baby going to get here?". And speaking of work, my court schedule has slowed down considerably and I'm trying to prep everything for when I leave. I've been trying to warn clients that I may need to have someone else cover their case, so hopefully they won't be too surprised if they don't see their attorney.

I slipped and fell in our tiny shower this week. It's so small I didn't think it was possible. But let me assure you it is. I fell hard on my bottom trying to shave my legs. As soon as I figured out what had happened, I grabbed my belly and Margaux was kicking away. I think I scared the poop out of her too. She kicked at me all day that day. But at least I knew she was fine. I'm definitely still sore from it. Especially the leg that ended up above my head. I'm telling you our little stand up shower is really small.

This weekend I plan on doing some prep for baby arrival. Straighten the house up, start packing our hospital bag, and buy a few more necessities after a small family shower on Saturday. I had a baby shower with my friends last week that was absolutely wonderful. Everyone was so thoughtful and I was thankful for all the goodies that Margaux, Matt, and I received. It definitely warmed my heart at all the wonderful people Margaux is going to be around. Such loving folks.

Since it isn't a biweekly picture week, I'll post some pictures of the animals. Their days of being the babies are numbered.

I walked into the living room and happened to see this. Someone thought she was super sneeky!

The Sheep girls got a haircut when the weather started getting so hot, so early. Here is all their wool. They behaved pretty well for their first shearing in a year. And we found out that Hannah Montana is still a fan of the halter and liked being back on it. I think I see her being pranced out for children to pet in the near future.

Here the girls are checking out each others new hair do's.

Snickers has decided to set higher goals for herself and reach for the leaves of the walnut trees and not settle for the easy grazing on the ground.

Apparently she has inspired Peppermint to reach for greater things also.

Week 34 and a little under 6 more!

Coming right along at 34 weeks

So here we are at week 34. The Doctor visit last week went just fine. They estimate that she weighs around 5 lbs 1 oz and will start putting on her baby fat. Let's hope not too much. She has gotten into the right position. Her head is down (I can feel it mostly above my left hip and the bottom left side of my belly) and her feet and bottom are up. We could see on the ultrasound that she is practicing her breathing really well. Her whole chest was contracting with her little practice breaths. She is definitely getting pretty cramped up in there. We couldn't see much hair. I think she is only going to have little wispy peach fuzz. I've been having dreams that she looks like her daddy. Dark brown hair and blue eyes (Matt's eyes are actually green, but ehhh… a light color, close enough). I can't wait to see if she has red hair or dark hair. I'm still feeling good for the most part. I get a little worn out every now and then. Last week I was real tired in the evenings, and on the weekends I seem to do a lot more and wear out much earlier.

For some reason this weekend it hit me that "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING!!" Yes, I know everything will be fine. But I'm such a planner and I can't plan for any of the things that are about to happen. It's going to be exciting, and tiring, and overwhelming. But it is also going to be wonderful, and beautiful, and loving.

Woo! Week 32

Really there isn't anything exciting about week 32 except that we are getting closer and closer to baby's predicted arrival. Our last doctor's appointment went well, and now I start going more and more frequently up until the due date. I still feel pretty well considering there is a child growing in my stomach. Occasional aches, but not too bad. My belly (well… Me in general) is seriously getting large and Margaux's moving is very noticeable. She really wiggles at night, and if she kicks the whole belly jumps and shakes. It's the craziest feeling ever (men really do miss out). She is trying to get in the right position. She has finally maneuvered herself to lay from side to side. Head on left side, bottom on the right. We go soon to see how big she is and estimate her weight.

Me and Margaux at the office at 32 weeks!

32 weeks *excuse the lack of make-up, it was my work around the house Sunday.

Last weekend we celebrated baby Sophia's 1^st birthday with lots of friends. We had an excellent time and got to spend time with lots of beautiful children and good friends. We tested our new video camera too. Sunday was a stay at home day. We purchased entirely too many strawberries from the local strawberry patch, so I spent a lot of time making jam. We shouldn't need any strawberry jam for at least a year.

Matt is working really hard to try and knock out his thesis in the next few weeks before the baby gets here.

Margaux's room is basically finished so I'll have to post some pictures in a blog here soon.Next weekend is a long weekend. So far we only have plans on one day.

The girls night project

* disclaimer* I did not come up with this idea on my own. I borrowed and modified from some websites.

I hosted girls night this month. I don't usually have people over to my house. It's small, it's laid out funny, it's pretty far away from most of my other friends homes, and I've been in law school for the past few years of my life, so housekeeping took a backseat.

Anyhow, I had the idea to make a craft and here are the bright wreaths we made. This is mine, but everyone made their own, and it was really neat to see how each one was different. I should have taken pictures of everyone's finished products.

Step One: I cut burlap into 2 inch strips that were wrapped around a wreath form and secured with hot glue. It took about 3 strips to completely cover a 10 inch foam wreath (which I purchased from the Dollar Tree for $1 a piece! Score!).


Step two: I got all the odd sized fabric straps I had and cut them into various sized circles. They don't have to be perfect in shape or size. Some were 2 inches in diameter, some were 1 inch, some were 1/2 inch, it didn't matter you needed an assortment.

Step three: I arranged the scrap circles on top of each other and pierced through them with a straight pin. This will secure it to your fully covered plain burlap wreath. The pin should not stick through, unless you get too close to the bottom of the wreath. I used pinking shears to add a little variety as well as folded up some of the circles into triangles to change it up a bit. Try not to over think it too much, just play with the scraps. Some girls twisted their circles and they looked really cute. Another friend of mine (who happens to be an art teacher) crinkled and bunched all of hers up and left none of the circles flat. It was super cute too! Tie a ribbon around it to hang it by and presto, your done.
One of the girls mentioned she was inspired to make a Fourth of July wreath for her house now. I totally like this idea (seeing that I have about 5 left over prepared plain ones). I'm now on the look out for some bigger wreaths that could be hung on the front door.

Under 10 weeks!

30 weeks

Margaux and I are getting bigger and bigger every week now. She really wiggles in there now, and sometimes the way it feels makes me a little sick to my stomach for a second. The aches have started to pop up occasionally. Sometimes in my back, sometimes in my feet or knees, but they go away. I've also noticed a bit of puffiness in my feet on certain days, but not all day everyday. Usually if its hot, or humid and I'm out walking around a lot.

There is all kinds of good news lately.

First- I passed the 3 hour glucose tolerance test!!! No gestational diabetes for me and Magoo (one of her nicknames that Matt and I have been using alot). I was VERY relieved. Before I got pregnant I was not a fan of needles due to a bad experience, but the pregnancy has definitely cured me of that. I'm seriously fine with having my blood drawn now.

Second- She is going to have a lot of friends! Some of her friends are already here, and some will be joining her in a few months. Quite a few friends are also expecting. Congratulations to all my friends and their families. May we all have healthy babies!

Bad news- Hans the fat cat has learned not only how to get in the crib, but discovered the awesomeness of the bouncy seat. I opened her room up for a few minutes last night and walked in to find him in her crib, in her bouncy seat that I had tried to hide from him in there. He was laid up under the dangle-y things just looking at me with a face of complete comfort.

Channeling my domestic skills

So a friend of mine, commented that she was sure I had made a lot of cute things for Margaux. GULP! Well… I really hadn't done a whole lot, I made her a quilt, and some burp cloths, but that was about it. So I got to work on some of the things I knew I wanted to do.

Here is her first pillow case dress. Coordinating bloomers to come.

And here is a little decorating project.

My mother-in-law bought these adorable letters, but they just looked so small on the wall. So I had the idea to frame them and make them more substantial.

I had three 12 in x 12 in ¼ inch oak boards cut, and sanded down the rough edges. Then I applied Mod Podge to the board with a cheap-O brush and placed a piece of pretty scrapbook paper on the board. I used a plastic putty knife to press out any wrinkles or bubbles.

I trimmed any over hang from the scrapbook paper. Then I had my wonderful husband cut twelve, 12 inch pieces of trim with mitered edges to make a frame around the outside. Then I glued down the pieces of trim with Tightbond glue (held in place by clothes pins).

Lastly I used the Tightbond to glue down the cute wooden letters. And attached hangers to the back.

Wah-La! Mommy is done and tickled pink with the finished product. One project down, many more to go (Including a girls night craft project).

Enough with the rain already!

So Tennessee has been hit pretty hard with serious rainfall for two days. We live on top of a really big hill, so we haven't had any problems, but the creek and bridge at the bottom of the hill apparently took quite a beating.

It looks like an earthquake hit, the way the huge pieces of asphalt just cracked right up and moved.