last week in photos

the start of a baby sweater.

lake<
a lot of lake pictures last week, sorry about that. I loved these little baby ducks though.

walking.

hospital food.

I think that’s about as far as I made it on the sweater.

the one thing the hospital had was good ice cream and desserts.

breakfast.

last belly picture – pretty big, right?

Kelly sent me this picture. It was something like 105 degrees one day and he set up the sprinkler to let them run through it. The big two loved it. Ada didn’t go in and said “that sprinkler trying to get me!”.

he also sent me a picture of the sunset one night.

my view.

this was an enjoyable distraction.

lunch one day was popcorn and granola with yogurt. nothing sounded good.

super Ada came to have lunch with me.

such a pretty lake.

he took three pictures during labor, they were all from the same minute because they all look like this. not that I’m complaining, I don’t want any pictures!

and then she was here! I have quite the labor and delivery experience to process, not sure if I will share or not yet, but she is here!

the next morning. it took them 5 tries to get an IV in me.

first bath, she wasn’t super excited.

that’s better.

meeting sister!

4 kids, 4 sisters!

super blurry I know but I had to include it to remember this – Ada kept holding her feet and saying “hers toes are so cute!”.

36 weeks = some pumping. she’s nursing really well but they wanted me to pump a bit too.

36 weeks looks like this too.

husband brought me chocolate croissants.

feeling so blessed I get to do this again.

and donuts.

very serious about her job.

girls watching daddy and sister in the nursery.

my turn inside.

it’s kind of like this. all of the time.

the sweetest.

monday: best of last week

:: start at the very beginning ::

:: from Danielle’s instagram I found this talk titled “because she is a mother” and I’m not Mormon but it’s fantastic still ::

:: I love this living with kids tour ::

:: the best moment of my day ::

:: ordinary days are everywhere ::

:: that’s how the light gets in. via. ::

she’s here!

Luisa Claire was born Friday May 17th at 10:41 pm. I was induced. It was my longest labor. But we made it to the other side. So far she is looking great – she didn’t need oxygen and she is eating well. We will see if she can continue it or not.

more soon.

ten

When I met Kelly in 1999 (our first year of college) we went to visit his brother over Christmas break. They were celebrating ten years of marriage and I thought to myself how old they must be to be married that long. Nice, huh?

Today we celebrate ten years of marriage. A decade.

It has gone by so quickly. I assume the next ten will go even more quickly.

I am lucky to have met this wonderful man.

He puts up with my house requests.

He doesn’t care that I don’t always ever get the socks folded anymore. He doesn’t care that I have bits of hormonal break downs. He doesn’t care that sometimes I’m not rational.

He is the fun parent. They squeal and scream when he gets home from work. He gives and gives of himself and then gives some more.

He gets the kids up in the morning when I’m too tired to do it myself. He makes me coffee every day. He puts a kid on his back and dances while the others (not very quietly) await their turn. He makes Della think that she is picking out his clothes every morning. He drives Cora to school and it’s the highlight of his day to see her turn around and wave to him after she gets out of the car (two times).

He brings out my better side too. He makes us all laugh. He is funny and silly and goofy. Yet he works harder than anyone I know. He loves his career. He loves his family. He is the best man I could have ever asked for.

Happy ten year anniversary Kelly Jay! Here’s to many, many more.

last week in photos

getting groceries with Ada on Monday.

the sweetest.

the sun was out!

Tuesday – not what I was expecting!

I look thoroughly unimpressed, right?

once we realized I was staying my sister brought me a bunch of magazines!

lemon pound cake and coffee for breakfast every day.

my girls.

geese at the lake at the hospital.

flowers from my mom and dad.

my view.

lake view.

comfort.

reading. such a good book.

this girl.

running around the lake.

the view out the window.

snuggles. I miss them so much.

me and my girl.

chocolate for breakfast. because I can.

real breakfast.

monitor. twice a day, every day.

lunch with my girls on mother’s day.

three girls in my bed on mother’s day.

lilac bush!

chocolate cake.

monday: best of last week

:: chicken tostada salad ::

:: this article (and the ones she links to) is fantastic and thought provoking ::

:: I love this outdoor dining space. unfortunately our outdoor space isn’t going to get any love this summer as we have way too much going on inside the house ::

:: greek potatoes ::

:: I’ve always thought that this blogger has adorable hair ::

:: the God of big changes ::

:: diy concrete letter. i love this project ::

:: “We can either choose to be grumpy, in a bad mood, or we can choose to be our real, happy selves. Our moods & actions are our own responsibility. I cannot blame other or outside circumstances for my behavior, or my reaction to them.” here ::

:: an open letter to anyone who eats ::

seven quick takes

linking up with Jennifer.

:: 1 ::

The post with the picture of my calendar? Ironic since I was in the hospital on Wednesday (and still am). I came on Tuesday with some bleeding that I now think was pre-labor bleeding. And my bag of waters started leaking. We are currently in wait and see mode. Trying to keep the baby in a bit longer but acknowledging that the longer my water is broken the more the risk of infection goes up. I’m 35 weeks along so we are looking at a nicu stay.

:: 2 ::

They put the mommas who are in “wait and see mode” on the post-partum side of the hospital instead of labor and delivery (thus freeing up the l&d rooms, makes total sense). It means I get to listen to crying babies all day though. And sometimes I get awful jealous of those moms who get to have a normal birth and take their baby home. It’s amazing how much we take this for granted.

:: 3 ::

I’m really excited to watch this ask the trainer video but I don’t get internet connection in my room at the hospital. I can take my computer to the waiting room and plug it into the desktop but I only do it for a bit at a time since my battery is worthless (and it’s a public computer).

:: 4 ::

No, we are not ready for this baby to come early. Is anyone? We have a million projects still on our list. Ada is still sleeping in the crib. She still doesn’t have a name. But I guess none of that matters anymore.

:: 5 ::

It’s amazing how much your priorities shift when faced with a situation like this. Swimming lessons? canceled. Golf league? sorry babe, not going for at least the next few weeks. Life and what is important sure changes.

:: 6 ::

I miss my kids like crazy. I know, duh, right? I mean, seriously miss their physical presence. It’s amazing how much we think we need/want a break and then feel lost without them. I realize I should be trying to enjoy the solitude. I have moments of being grateful for quiet time to read and be with myself but mostly I just want to go home.

:: 7 ::

Do these things ever happen with good timing? I don’t think so. But on top of everything we have going on with the end of school and end of lessons and normal busy life stuff, we also have a stomach bug going through our house. Thus exposing my wonderful mother and sister to the bug. So far Della has been the only one to stay healthy. Please pray for health for my family.