Giveaway

Check out the giveaway that From The Little Pink House is doing for Moody Sisters Organic Skincare. At least check out Moody Sisters at the etsy shop.

PICTURES!

Well, it took me a little longer to do this post than I planned, but it's finally here. :) So, pictures... Here is Andy sporting his cute little outfit from Aunt Lori! My sister says the colors look really good on him. :)

This picture was from about a week and a half ago when I gave Andrew his first bath with the [baby] bathtub in the big tub instead of in the kitchen sink (our kitchen sink is too shallow). He looked so cute!

A week or two ago, Andy and I went and visited Scott's parents while he was at work.

Here is the first picture I've gotten of him smiling! I had to post both pictures, so you can see the progression of what he was thinking. He's just so adorable!!!!!

And just for the record, we have since gotten some BOY hats (instead of the green that makes people ask "is it a boy or a girl?") but they weren't done drying at the time of these pictures.

We were delighted last weekend to get a visit from my Dad's cousins and their daughter Amy!

Amy and Andrew:

This past Thursday, we picked up Author J.R. Parker as he will be staying with us for another 2 weeks! We're really enjoying his visit (even though he's really here to promote his book Kestrel's Midnight Song) and frequently this is what I see:

On Friday we had a get together at our house and realized that we didn't have any pictures of Mom A. with Andrew, so of course, we had to get the camera out! :) I loved how Andrew wouldn't look at the camera because he was looking Grandma!

And one more of Andrew and I! The first couple weeks I only have 2 pictures of the two of us, so I've been trying to make sure I periodically take one.

Andrew is growing and growing. I'm having to get out the few 3-6mo outfits we have (and we picked up a couple at Walmart last night, as his 0-3mo outfits that have feet are too short for him. He is so incredibly adorable!!!! We just love "playing" with him!

I am finally starting to figure out how to balance everything, Wife, Mother, and Homemaker. Jacob's visit is definitely "helping" me stay consistent (God's timing is so perfect). Of course, this post has been sitting on my computer screen for about 8 hours now. :)

Well, Andy is ready for bed and so am I, so I guess that's all for now.

1 Month

Note: I wrote this almost a week ago, and was waiting to post it until I uploaded pictures from my camera. But I have yet to do so, and I don't want to wait any longer until I post this. So, here's the post, and I'll have to do a picture post, once I upload all the pictures I have! :) I've been trying to catch him when he's smiling...

One month. An entire month has gone by since I gave birth to my precious baby boy. I can hardly believe that it has been that long and yet already it seems like such a long time ago since I was pregnant. Andrew now weighs approximately 10 1/2 pounds and is over 23 inches long. He is spending more time each day gazing around, taking in everything he sees and tries copying his Daddy when Daddy tries helping him practice his words. I am slowly getting used to life with a newborn, although I am constantly refocusing on the Lord as it is so easy to start focusing on how hard it is to get things done because Andrew isn't old enough yet for us to have any sort of routine. My dad preached on Sunday night and his sermon was about Faith, the choices we face, and the decisions we must constantly make. It was another reminder to me of how important it is for me to keep my focus WHOLLY on God! I must daily, sometimes minutely make the decision not to be bothered by the clothes I've been trying to get folded and put away for a week or the dishes that sometimes pile up for 5 days before any get washed, or the fact that my room has never been in such a disarray since we've been living here. Having a little one who needs me constantly is so very different. Good, great, but different.

• I have learned the blessing and value of a shower, no matter how short it has to be.


• I have become very good at typing with one hand.


• I have come to take full advantage of any few minutes I can type with two hands. :)


• I have learned how to balance a plate or bowl on a pillow or with two fingers so I can eat while I'm nursing.


• I have discovered that after such a labor and delivery as I had with Andrew, I have to still take things very slowly. I would love to be exercising full blast, but my body is not yet there. I've taken 3 walks over the last week and they were slow, short walks. The longest one was just barely over half a mile. (I know that sounds pitiful, I think it is too, but my body thinks it's quite the workout!)


• I have learned (yes, learned) that I love cloth diapers. At least, I love the cloth diapers I have. The first two times I tried them on him, I wasn't too impressed (he leaked both times) but then I learned how to put them on correctly, and boom, I love cloth diapers!!!! :) I'm only using them when we're at home, and not at night time yet, but so far I've had more leaks with disposable diapers than I have with the cloth diapers.


• I also have learned that homemade cloth wipes (cut from an old receiving blanket and clothes that that were ripped) work a whole lot better than disposable wipes. Now I just need to get over to my Mom's so I can sew the edges before the unravel from being in the wash.


• I didn't know just how much I would love holding my baby! I keep reminding myself that we need to start doing "tummy time" even if it's just for a few minutes. I know he'll love it because he loves being on his tummy and I'm looking forward to watching him as he grows and becomes interested in his toys.


• I have learned that it is useless for me to get attatched to any outfit I put on him as I never know when I'll have to change it.
  
  

Andrew

Andrew is 3 weeks old and growing and changing daily. I'm too tired to do a real post as Andy hasn't slept more than 90 minutes straight in 30 hours, so you know what that means for me. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the last 3 weeks.

My Mom is such a natural! :)

I love this picture! My dad started bouncing Andrew on his knee while singing John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt and Andrew sat straight up. It was so cute! He's holding his head up much more frequently now and he never stops gazing all around him, taking in as much as he can!

Seven Sisters' Visit

This week we were so very happy to host our favorite family!!!!!!! You may remember the dear, new friends we gained back in December last year who quickly became like family! Well, they are on a trip along the east coast and of course, they had to come visit us!!!! :)

(Susannah and I)

We had so much fun! They arrived at my house just before 5pm on Monday. Andrew started getting passed around right away and he didn't mind it at all. At 7 we headed over to my parents house (where most of them would be staying) and had fun eating pizza, and my family got to get to know the family that I had been talking and talking about for the past 10 months! Trisch and my Mom knew each other, but the kids all got to get to know each other! :)

(Trisch and I)

Jessica and Leah came back to my house Monday night, although we didn't stay up extra late as it is very different having a baby. I didn't realize just how different it is, having a Little One that needs me constantly! But it is worth it! Of course, I had lots of eager arms willing to hold Andrew whenever they could, and it was so much fun watching everyone holding him.

I tried to capture the sweetness of Trisch holding Andrew. It's not easy capturing such things on camera, but I tried. :)

Me and dear Jessica! The first thing I thought when they had left was "we didn't get enough time!" But then, I don't know if we could ever get enough time!

My family came back from vacation the same day our company came and so they hadn't seen Andrew in a week which meant that Andrew had to spend time with everyone. :)

Here is Cassia and Andrew

Bekah greatly enjoyed holding Andrew as well, and Susannah was ALWAYS on the lookout for when she could hold him next! :)

Now we are back to no company (although only for 3 weeks as we will soon be hosting J.R. Parker) and I am trying to catch up on laundry (I have 3 loads of laundry to fold from this past week and just put another load in the washer) and cleaning (have only washed dishes once since Monday, and even though we weren't home much this week, dishes still piled up, not to mention the kitchen floor desperately needs to be washed) without pushing myself too much. I also had to go through a bunch of baby boy clothes as a sweet friend gave me a TON of clothes for Andrew which was awesome seeing as we had 2 outfits and 5 onesies that fit him and only a few outfits and onesies in larger sizes. Now we are set for the next year! :)

Tomorrow I am hoping to go for a short walk with Andrew, weather permitting (it has rained the past week except for Wednesday) and then we have a baby shower to go to for my Aunt. I have 2 new little cousins who will be 2 months younger than my son, which seems funny, but I'm sure that the 3 of them will have lots of fun together as they get older.

I am ready to start exercising in earnest now, but I still have to take things slow and easy for a few more weeks, so whenever I can, I am going to try and take short walks until my Midwife gives me the green light to really start exercising. It's not that I want to be obsessed with my weight, I just want my body to be in good condition. I know that if I stay consistent with taking care of myself now, then it will be much more beneficial in the long run.

On a completely different note, Swords of the Six is now available for pre-order on Amazon for only $10.19 This is being re-released through AMG Publishers and has some new material in it. If you go on over to Scott's Blog http://www.flamingpen.blogspot.com/ you can check out the different rewards/prizes for pre-ordering Swords of the Six!

Have a great weekend!

2 Weeks

Today marks 2 weeks since our Son's birth and he has certainly changed our lives! Scott remarked on that fact this morning and he mentioned how one of those changes is that we're less lazy. And it's true, we don't have time for laziness, we have to take advantage of any extra moments we get. I am finally starting to do more. I'm still being careful about lifting anything that weighs more than Andrew and I still have to be extra careful when going up or down stairs, but it is nice to be able to move around more and do more! This morning I made us breakfast with Andrew in the sling. I am already discovering just how much I love my sling, it's awesome!

I am so in love with my little family! God is so good! When I was in labor, God met me out in our driveway. I had been just trying to endure labor, and I was trying to do it on my own. But when it got to the point of things really needing to get moving, all I could do was turn to God, and He met me and carried me further than I knew I could go. God is good!

Here is Scott and Andrew earlier this week (I must admit, I've never taken my camera out so frequently in 2 weeks as I have, these last 2 weeks).

Let's see, what are some of our achievements over the last 2 weeks? Well, I tried a cloth diaper yesterday. Of course, not long after was when Andrew decided to "mess" and seeing as I haven't quite gotten the hang of just how to properly put the cloth diapers on yet, let's just say, it was pretty disgusting as not only did I have to clean off the diaper in the toilet, but his blanket as well. Needless to say, I decided to do a load of wash right then! I am not giving up on Cloth diapers yet, but I am going to be a little more careful about how I put them on. Also, Andrew is finally wearing clothes. As you can see in the pictures in this post, he has only been wearing receiving blankets since he's been born. Mostly due to the fact that he got a rash 2 days after he was born, and the more air (less coverage) he got, the better it got. His rash is not completely gone yet, but it is so much better now.

Here he is, trying out his swing! He seemed to be entranced by the fact that as he moved, the back leg stayed. :)

Saturday, after breakfast, Andrew and I went out on the deck to get some fresh air.

Until today I had not been anywhere in 2 1/2 weeks since I was sick before I went into labor and then I wasn't allowed to leave the house for 2 weeks. So, today, in honor of Andrew being 2 weeks old, we took a ride to my parents' house and watched a couple episodes of Chopped (a cooking show that we enjoy). Oh, how I love fall! Driving along, with the windows open, was so refreshing!

Andrew's first car ride. He did very well. :)

I am working on straightening my house and getting things back in order seeing as I've been sort of "out of commition" for the past 2 weeks. So now I'm taking every few moments I get to do something. Tomorrow, some very special friends (from the Seven Sisters blog) are coming and I am so excited about their visit!!!!! You may remember when we visited them on our book tour, we had so much fun, and hopefully they'll have as much fun visiting us. :)

Well, *someone* is trying to get my attention, I think he wants to eat (again!). This little boy eats more than I thought possible. I mean, I knew he'd eat this frequently, but I just didn't fully understand what that meant. :)

Our Little One's Story (and some pictures)

I enjoyed getting everyone's comments with their guesses. Everyone who didn't already know the weight were pretty off. Keep reading for the details...

On Friday September 10th I was having strong contractions throughout the day and by 3pm they seemed to be getting closer together. Scott had gone to work and I called my Mom and asked her to come at 3:30 as the contractions were becoming 7-10 minutes apart. I kept myself distracted by doing laundry, straightening the house, cleaning the kitchen, making Taco Salad, and then cleaning the kitchen again. All that in an hour. I called Scott at 5 and told him this was it and I needed him. By then the contractions were 5 minutes apart. Mom and I started to fill the birthing pool as I was planning a water birth. We let the midwives know what was happening and by 7:30/8:00, they were here. By that time I was finding some relaxation (but no relief) in the pool. To make a really long story/post, just long, I spent about 7 hours laboring in the pool. I did get out for a while and walk around, but then I was back in the water.

However, the water, although it felt nice, didn't seem to be helping move things along so I got out and didn't ever end up back in it. Saturday morning came in went and right about the 24 hour mark my Dad and siblings brought us over some dinner. My sister came over to me and asked me how I was doing and at that moment I said "I don't know why I ever wanted to have a baby!" Now, I can't even fathom how I could have said that (and that was not the first time I had voiced something similar) but that's the stage I was at. The contractions were still raging strong, but they didn't seem to be doing anything and it seemed like they were just going to go on forever.

Again, to keep this semi-long (instead of really long)... Around 9:30ish, my midwife told me she had a prescription for me that I was not going to like. She wanted me to put my shoes on and go stomp up and down our driveway for 30-45 minutes. Now up to this point any "walking" (if you could call it that) I did was very small steps as I was in so much pain and so uncomfortable. I asked her "can't I stomp around inside?" She told me that if we didn't really get things moving we were going to have to seriously consider going to the hospital. That thought scared me so much (I'm not afraid of doctors or hospitals, I just didn't want to have my baby in a hospital), that I immediately became a changed, determined woman. No more trying to make it through each contraction so I could rest for a few minutes, I was going to work as hard as I could to get this baby moving. So Mom, Scott and I went outside (after a prayer) and started STOMPING. Not only were we stomping, but we were praying and praising God and with every contraction, as I hung on my Mom, I prayed "Lord, move this baby dddoooowwwnnnnn." After a good 30-40 minutes of that we came back inside and I tried to rest between a couple contractions as I was way past tired and exhausted. During which time I was praying and asking God to just fill me with His strength to birth this baby. After about 20 minutes the midwives turned all the lights back on and said, "come on, you don't want to stop now." (The contractions were finally changing and things were moving.)

God gave me the strength I needed and the endurance to keep going and to make every contraction count. I don't remember when I started pushing other than that it felt like I was pushing for hours (although I wasn't really, at least not for more than 2), but at 4:46am (making it 37 hours of labor) on Sunday September 12th, my Little One was born. Throughout the entire pregnancy I kept thinking the baby was a girl, but trying not to focus on that in case it was a boy. Even Friday, the day I went into labor, I was convinced the baby was a girl, but when the baby was born and I saw that it was a boy I said "it's a boy! Oh, I love him, I love him!!!" Scott was thrilled to peices as he desperately (I hadn't realized just how desperately) wanted a first-born son.

Now remember, we still didn't have any boy names picked out. There were names I liked, names he liked, but not a single name we both liked! After he was born and I was sitting on the couch with him, Scott said, "you can name him" he was just so thrilled it was a boy. My first thought was "what?" and then I knew, "Andrew?" I asked. He said "yes!" I asked him "are you sure?" and he said, "yes, I like Andrew. How about Stephen for the middle name?" (After my Dad) and I said, "Perfect! Andrew Stephen, our little Andrew!!!" Just as I had hoped and prayed, God gave us the perfect name when he was born!

So Andrew Stephen was born on September 12th, and he weighed (are you ready???) 9 pounds and 10 ounces! He was also 21 3/8 inches long! He is the darlingest little boy and I love him to peices!!! I am so thankful for him and so thankful that God would choose to entrust him to our care. I know that he is just a gift for a time as faster than I know I'd like, he will grow into a man and have to go his own way (hopefully, prayerfully) following after God's Will. So I am trying to make the most of every moment I have with him now (hence why it has taken me a week to do this post) especially as I know he is constantly growing and every day brings little changes that I don't want to miss! Here is a picture of our little Andrew (or Andy, as Scott nicknamed him) in one of his favorite sleeping positions (doesn't it look like he's thinking, or something?).

And here is the first nice picture of Andrew and I!

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures so far. This was when Andrew was only a few hours old. Look at that happy, happy look on Scott's face!!! He is such a proud Daddy!

My Mom finished making me a sling (by Elizabeth Lee Designs) this week and so today I tried it out for the first time (I didn't go anywhere, I just tried it out). I love it and I love the brown material with little hearts all over it!!!

My Mom was invaluable to us over the past week and a half! She came on Friday and stayed all the way until Wednesday morning only going home once for 3 hours on Monday. She was so helpful with everything and we are so grateful to her! I am not allowed to leave the house for 2 weeks and must continue to take things slow and easy (which is harder than I thought!).

I must say, it is nice not being so pregnant anymore! I can now lay on my back for more than 2 minutes, and it doesn't hurt at all anymore! :) YAY!!!!! I have already lost 28 pounds and am beginning to wonder what non-maternity clothes I will be able to fit into soon. In the meantime however, my maternity clothes are nice and comfy and I think look nicer on me now than they did before! :)

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I will stop here for now and give all my readers a break! :)

NOTE: I started out this post typing one-handed while Andrew was nursing, and now this is where he is, sleeping peacefully on my lap! He is just so adorable!!!! :)