Easter Egg Hunt

 Our ward threw an Easter Egg Hunt the weekend before Easter at the church building. Henry was so excited to get eggs and eat lots of candy. My inactivity resulted in him using an old popcorn bucket for his basket, sad.
The hunt was in a large field with the younger kids getting to go first and then the older ones coming in after a few minutes. It was pretty chaotic but Henry and I spied that no one was heading to the right side of the field so he had a whole section practically to himself.

 Victory! Sadly all the good chocolate candy melted in the heat but Henry didn't seem to mind. After the hunt we had a hot dog potluck and enjoyed the warming weather with friends. After lunch we had planned on heading to the UGA spring football game but it was too hot and I was feeling beat so we headed home instead.

 I love these pictures of Henry and Maya--his best friend and future wife, according to him. Checking out her loot.

So cute!

oh baby baby: the last week

My lovely hostesses: Ali, Lindsey, Chelsea and Me

A retake picture from the first shower of the season, Ali's. We're just waiting on Chelsea's baby. 

So I am not pregnant anymore but I had prepared this post about what ended up being the last week before Viv was born. I thought I would share it anyway for posterity's sake.

• My wonderful friends threw me a sweet brunch baby shower. They had all my favorite foods including donuts, carrot cake, fruit, mini german pancakes and a delicious breakfast casserole. (Oh and black licorice :) The morning was simple, just eating and chatting and no games. It was really nice to get out of the house although I pretty much just went from one couch to another one but at least I was surrounded by friends. They all got together and got me a group gift, the breast pump I wanted. The last thing I needed before the baby came. And my swollen breasts have already been extremely grateful to have it. Thanks again Chelsea, Lindsey and Ali. All pictures in post are from the party and courtesy of Chelsea. 
• Right now we are in definite survival mode. Henry is reveling in afternoons of tv watching while I nap on the couch. Seriously it is so hard to lay down on the couch without falling asleep. He is also really good at changing the netflix show once I do fall asleep. I am the one to blame for his current obsession with Pokemon, a show he found while I was asleep. You let your guard down and you pay for it by having to pretend to be Pikachu...
• Henry tends to be a pretty good helper though. He can mostly follow directions when asked to clean up his toys or bring me my blood pressure cuff. 
• So far I just have high blood pressure and haven't had any of the other signs of preeclampsia. YEAH! That being said we're on the lookout for the following symptoms: headache, excessive swelling in hands, feet and face, sharp pain around the kidneys or upper right abdomen and side, decrease in fetal movements, blood pressure numbers that refuse to go down even after long periods of rest, and vision blurriness or seeing spots and double vision. 
• Other than my doctor's appointments and getting Henry to preschool, I have no other commitments. I have arranged to have someone else lead the music at church and I only have one more seminary lesson to teach. 
• An interesting side note, now that I have all these appointments that require monitors or ultrasounds on my exposed belly, it is important to remember to wear separates on Mondays and Thursdays. Nothing more awkward that having to pull your dress up over your belly and drape yourself with a paper skirt to have an ultrasound. I'm just saying, its something to keep in mind. Unfortunately, I am running out of separates that are comfy. I have debated bringing a pair of yoga pants to slip into once at the office but have yet to have the nerve. I guess they all know me well enough now where I shouldn't think twice about it. Maybe next week...
• Also something that has helped my tight neck and shoulder muscles is the miracle of the hot towel. Laying down and limiting movements can really tighten your muscles especially if you're trying to work around a huge belly for comfort. My neck and shoulders are so tight that I often have headaches from the tension. Enter the miracle soother: the hot towel. Usually reserved for barber shop shaves and first class air travel, the hot towel is steaming heaven. To make one, soak a towel--I used a hand towel--in cold water and wring out 80-90% of the liquid. Place in the microwave for 60-90 seconds. Don't microwave a dry towel as that is a huge fire hazard. Remove towel, roll or fold into desired shape and apply to aching muscles. Be careful, it will be steaming. I would wrap one around my forehead ending at the nape of my neck and it was delightful. Reheat towel as often as needed or until you're tired of getting up to reheat. Perfect for us ladies who no longer comfortably fit in their tubs. 
• I've had a lot of thoughts while preparing my birth plan. Of course there is no way to know what is going to happen during labor and delivery so it is best to be prepared. I realize the importance of making the best and safest decisions for me and the baby when it comes to my blood pressure. But part of me is still clinging to being able to deliver naturally. You might ask why I wouldn't be able to do both. Pain tends to raise your blood pressure and if you already have high blood pressure, it can skyrocket. If it gets too high there is risk of seizures or strokes. Last time we opted for the epidural to bring my blood pressure down. I felt good about it at the time but have since been looking into other options to help manage pain and control my blood pressure. I did research into IV meds and natural coping techniques. A lot of this can be avoided if you aren't induced because the body will naturally go into labor instead of using pitocin which is a beast. It was really hard to manage the contractions on pitocin last time. With all this prep work, part of me feels it would be easier to just get an epidural but I don't want to short change myself the opportunity I have always wanted. All this is very personal and each woman needs to decide for herself what is best for her but for me I felt I could have had a better experience without the interventions. 

oh baby baby: Vivian Marcela Clark

 So I have another pregnancy post all ready to go but since I'm not really pregnant anymore I thought I would skip it and share some pictures of our early Easter morning arrival.

Just after midnight my water broke and less than three hours later, Vivian Marcela Clark was born. I'll go into more details later but for now we're all home, healthy and happy to have our baby girl here.

And these are just a sneak peek from our previously arranged hospital session with Chelsea, so glad she was willing to come on Easter! Can't wait to see the rest.

oh baby baby: crib bedding

 Finally got around to setting up the crib and taking pictures of the bedding I made. I don't have tutorials on each thing I made but I am going to link to inspirations, techniques and stores I resourced.

Making a crib sheet was SUPER easy and actually quite affordable. I found this tutorial from danamadeit and lucked out being able to order more of this sweet cherry print online. I already have white sheets from Henry but wanted something fun and since I fell in love with this soft cherry fabric while making the quilt, I just had to have it. 

Plus I couldn't find a lot of crib sheet options in red that weren't thick chevron stripes or really bold. Nothing struck my fancy. 

 For the bumper I just covered Henry's old bumper but I found this tutorial useful for how to do the ties. I felt like last time the ribbons I used were just barely able to hold the bumper up. For the outer panels, I just used a red fabric from my quilt and for the inner panels, I made extra squares to match the quilt. I kind of just patched the whole things together, no really great sewing skills required just a little fudging here and there. I also don't plan on having this in the crib for months as I know they are a safety concern but eventually it will be helpful to keep little legs and arms inside.

The crib skirt I bought at Target last time and love that I chose something neutral because I can use it again.

 Here is the finished quilt! I used the same pattern as Henry's that I purchased off etsy through Kelly McCaleb's shop. Her shop is closed but I bet if you messaged her you could get the pattern too. I love how this turned out.

 A medley of red and white patterns. This time I kept it simple by just folding over the backing to make the binding instead of using bias tape. So much easier.

The back is not one solid piece of fabric but all the scraps from the front. I love that it is chunky pieces and that you can see the white stitching contrasting on the red. Its like two quilts in one.

oh baby baby: rest and relax

35 weeks

So we're still resting and relaxing here. Man, it is stressful to sit around. So here are some things that have helped me wait it out from the couch. 

• I had to freeze my gym membership. No more working out since like week 32. :( I am still trying to stretch at home though to stay limber and keep my body from getting too tight with all this lounging around. As sad as it makes me, I actually have way less contractions when I am not working out. Definite plus. But I did count on those 4 hours of Henry free time every week. Definite con. 
• I shower every day and I am finding lots of comfort from the hot water. It feels great against my back and belly. I envision lots of tub time during labor. Not for birth though...Anyway while I shower every day, I am finding it helps me rest if I wear pjs all day. Usually I don't like to just wear lounge clothes at home but mentally it is a lot easier to sit around if I am wearing yoga pants or knit dresses or my robe. I still try and do my hair and makeup though--I have to cling to some personal standards. 
• Sitting in one position for too long can be uncomfortable. Lately, I have had trouble sitting for more than an hour. I get this serious pressure under my ribs from the baby. Moving around and shifting chairs, couches and positions really helps. Lying on my left side is the most comfortable and I usually fall asleep. Like during conference weekend I took five naps. But napping on the couch is not always the best rest with a four year old companion constantly climbing on you. I still manage to sleep though. 
• Resting is most stressful for me when I see things that need to be done. Dinner needing to be prepped, toys tidied, the fridge emptying when I shouldn't go shopping and dust piling up. I am proud of my small mental successes in this area. Just letting Henry's random toys and papers sit there while I sit there is HUGE for me. Luckily Steve is a great help and Henry is getting better at following directions when it comes to cleaning up after himself. 
• One thing I need to work on is my attitude. Its easy to become a grump when so much is out of your control and you feel like a burden. I am constantly wishing I could be nicer to Henry even though we try and make this whole resting thing work. I do find myself losing my patience easier and then quickly trying to make amends. 
• And while resting can be a drag, with a positive attitude I am finding it can be managed. Henry and I play games and I try and come up with things that are both fun for him and easy for me. He does a lot of coloring these days but I still get the occasional, "Resting is boring" and "You're no fun when you rest." But going to the park is a great option where I can sit around and he can run and play with friends. During conference weekend, Steve drove us to campus and we sat on a bench talking while Henry ran around throwing things in fountains and pretending to be Darth Vadar with a stick. We also spent over 4 hours at the beach yesterday and I only had to get us there and then get up once to take him to the bathroom. I totally count that as resting, no I would say that is relaxing. 
• And since I am not on strict bed rest I try and do 10-15 minute intervals of activity around the house just to stay on top of things. Its amazing what you can do in a short stretch of time, wiping down counters, putting away a load of laundry, gathering supplies for the next sitting marathon, pulling out snacks. I hope I don't get to the point where I am supposed to be on strict bed rest but I do realize that when I am resting my blood pressure is amazingly low like 110/70 and when I am not resting it can get to my danger zone 140/90. Understanding this keeps the significance and importance of resting fresh in my mind. 
• Having a more determined positive attitude this time around has really helped especially with things that scared me last time. Don't get me wrong, I still get down and depressed and worried but this time I am much better at asking questions, questioning measures being taken and being prepared for the worst. I know now that if I have to run labs, most likely I will be sent up to the hospital to await results while resting. I can come prepared with a laptop, book and snacks. I know which machines I can have removed while being monitored and am not afraid to request things to make myself more comfortable. 
• So if things continue on the trend I will be induced at 39 weeks but could have her as early as 37 if preeclampsia shows up. We're 2-3 weeks away! Which is frightening--the idea of having a newborn again--and encouraging--I can make it, just a little more resting to go. And I know this might be a silly way to think of it but I keep thinking, I only have to do laundry like 2-3 more times and she'll be here. For some reason, this makes everything more real :)

oh baby baby: be cool baby art

 So her little sliver of Henry's room is really coming along. Mostly we have just been throwing things into her crib for storage but I finally got some things cleaned out and some piles resolved and some laundry done. Last night I finished this wall hanging--in your face, bed rest!--and I love how it turned out.

Also note that curtain. That is actually a door. It leads to the bathroom but since we never use it or allow Henry to use it, we placed the crib in front of it. It looked weird, just a door chilling behind the crib so I rigged up this basic curtain to give the illusion of a window and to soften the wall.

Inspired by this art by Jimmy Marble, I pinned this picture to my baby board. I was originally just going to paint something similar but when faced with hours of resting, I rethought my plan. Steve thinks it looks like a 4th grader made it but I was intrigued by the simplicity of the cut outs. I also like the wording. Its perfect above a crib. Just relax baby, stop crying. Or I really want my daughter to be cool and awesome. Either way works.

 So instead of painting it or doing cut outs, I embroidered the design. By hand. Holy Cow this took forever but luckily time is what I have these days.

 I looked through my fabric stash and settled on this vintage swiss dot fabric. Four skeins of red embroidery floss, some free handed basic letters and brushing up on hand stitching completed the job. I don't really know anything about embroidery and only learned a few basic stitches but I had fun playing with texture and techniques.

 I stretched the fabric over an old canvas I had lying around. So this literally only cost me $1 for the thread. I guess it pays to be burdened by a huge stash of art supplies.

I particularly love how the B's turned out.

Next up, bedding...

oh baby baby: maternity shots

 One of my favorite things I did last time I was pregnant was have maternity shots taken. Its such a unique time to capture this huge moment in your life. Your body is so different but its such a miracle. I never really did anything with my other maternity shots and I don't really plan on printing out huge versions of these, they are just important to have. You know for posterity. 

Anyway, I approached our go to family photographer Chelsea about doing a mini session. She was so nice to agree! And to plan on coming to the hospital too! One thing I regret from last time was not having someone come to the hospital post-delivery to capture Henry when he was just hours old. You live and you learn. 

 To say I am thrilled with how these shots came out would be an understatement. I have so enjoyed being pregnant, even with all this end craziness, it has been such a fun experience and I think these shots truly celebrate this growth in our family. 

To see the whole mini session, go here. I can't wait to see the rest of them. 

By the way, this is my favorite dress and one of the most comfortable things I own these days. It is from H&M and it is non-maternity. 

After the shoot, we went to breakfast at Ike and Jane's. While we were waiting in line, a nice lady came up to me, told me I was cute, asked where I got my dress as her daughter is also pregnant and told me I look great. Her enthusiasm and genuine compliment made my day. So lesson learned. If you see a pregnant lady, don't try and touch her belly and ask when she is due. Simply tell her she looks fabulous and walk away. Or leave her alone. 

baby crafting: recovered swing and boppy

 When we had Henry we bought a used swing for a couple of dollars off of craigslist. It was ugly but I wasn't interested in spending a lot in case Henry didn't like it. I also needed something small and compact as our old apartment was tiny.

 This time around I thought I would spruce it up a bit. I forgot to take a before picture and couldn't find one when Henry was a baby. So I lucked out at Walmart and got all the fabric for $3. As usual with Walmart customer service, I was left standing at the cutting counter for 30 minutes. I think the lady felt bad for me because she gave me the fabric at clearance pricing even after I pointed out her mistake.

I love how it turned out and with fresh batteries, we're all set. I did not make a tutorial as it was relatively simple yet there are so many steps I wouldn't have felt like I could/would do a good job.

 Big Mickey likes it too.

 Next up was to recover the boppy. If you are going to buy one baby thing, I would highly recommend a boppy. I bought the basic pillow form from Joann Fabrics and it came with a pattern for making a cover. Last time I used a combination of green minky fabric and vintage plaid. Well the plaid ended up ripping after the first time I washed it and I never made a new cover.

 This time we're brightening things up with floral and aqua. Luckily I had saved my boppy cover pattern but it would be pretty easy to draft a pattern from an existing pillow.

 Love the combination of the super soft minky and the punchy floral.

 Still loving this pillow

years later.

oh baby baby: unresolved piles and issues

34 weeks! 

Black and white because no makeup,

we headed to the beach shortly after this and I didn't feel like bothering with it.

But I did put on earrings!

• My belly button is almost flush with my stomach. 
• My congestion/mucus is pretty much gone although I still have sporadic coughing. But the other day while driving to the doctor I started coughing and coughed a huge snotty loogy into my hand. I didn't cough it up and then chose to spit it out, it was one continual, unstoppable motion. It filled my palm. Luckily, we were pulling up to a red light so I was able to wipe it on a napkin. Gross. 
• Last time I dealt with all this high blood pressure stuff I didn't really talk about it and I didn't really blog about it and it was really hard. This time I am going to try and be more open about everything. There is something so empowering about facing things head on instead of trying to hide them or be in denial. I also find immense power is gathering and expressing my thoughts in words. It gives me the control I need when things are so out of my control. So be ready to read about it. :)
• One frustrating thing about having to rest is that I have adopted an invalid mentality. I feel totally fine and actually quite full of energy but I'm not supposed to do much. So I see myself as sick in a way but I'm actually bursting to get out. Its strange. Maybe thinking I'm sick makes it easier to baby myself. But then I am always pleasantly surprised when I can make dinner and fold laundry. Its a weird dichotomy. 
• I feel like we just have lots of unresolved piles of things around the house and it is driving me crazy. I plan on working on them bit by bit to get things cleaned up. Simple stacks like Henry's old clothes that need to go into storage, new clothes that need to be washed and put away, fabric I had pulled out for projects but now cannot do. Piles and piles of Henry's artwork and drawings that need to be sorted. Mounting masses. 
• On the other hand I am still crossing things off my list. New batteries for the baby swing, cleaning all the old bottles and pump supplies. Cleaning and sorting old baby toys and board books. I also cleaned out the freezer including making two huge batches of turkey stock from old bones I had saved and I have readied my freezer meal list. The plan is to make double all my recipes for the next few weeks and stock up big time. My freezer hasn't been this empty in months and I have to say it excites me--all that room, ready to be filled. 
• I have continued to go to biweekly monitoring appointments. Mondays I have ultrasounds where they measure her BBP. Its mainly biophysical and we have to see a list of things like movement, practice breathing, etc. So far she has scored 8/8 each time and performs relatively quickly. Thursday is Non Stress Tests (NST) where they hook me up to a monitor and we listen to her heart for 20 minutes. These are nice because I can recline in a semi-comfortable chair and almost always fall asleep. Or read. I am getting lots of reading in with all these waiting room visits. They also check my blood pressure which has been low (yeah!) and I have protein urine tests which have come back negative (yeah again!). 
• I am anxiously watching my feet and hands for swelling. I can still wear my wedding ring and it only feels snug if its been warm or at the very end of the day. This is around the time I started swelling last time and I HATED it. I can feel great about my body as long as I still see my ankles and the bones in my feet. 
• One thing that frustrated me about having these high blood pressure possible preeclampsia issues again was I really wanted to go into labor on my own and have as few interventions as possible this time. Since last time I was induced and things didn't go the way I had planned, I was crossing my fingers for a different experience. Well, I am so glad I have chosen to go to the midwives. Not only are they willing to go as intervention free as medically safe, they believe it to still be an option for me. This is a huge comfort as I apparently have unresolved issues from being in the hospital last time. Last week I had to get labs run so they sent me over to the hospital for quicker results. Well I was stuck in a bed, strapped on monitors and hooked up to so many machines and I had these terrible memories. It was so uncomfortable and I was stuck there for hours. Anything I can do to avoid that again, I will do it. 
• According to my ultrasound this week, she already has a head full of hair! I kind of expected it since Henry had a lot of hair. Brown or blonde? Only time will tell. 

eaten: Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage

Do you ever have a night where everything just comes together perfectly at dinner time? Those instances are few and far between for me with a last minute scramble to set the table, wrangle my four year old and make sure everything is done at the same time.

Well the stars aligned when I made this dish and maybe that contributes to how delicious I thought it was? Anyway, I managed to get the pasta and sauce ready at the same minute and all my sides too including rolls and asparagus and it was all delicious. Coming from a girl who recently served under cooked totinos pizzas for dinner to her boys, I was beyond thrilled. Henry even ate it!

This dish is both creamy and flavorful. I am always hesitant with cream sauces because if they sit too long or cook too high they can separate and become greasy but this one was easy to make. I also had never used stewed tomatoes before and these italian ones added great flavor.

I halved the recipe using the second half of the sausage roll I used to make biscuits and gravy. So why not have a sausage-y week? Just kidding, I froze the sausage and then thawed it to make this but wouldn't that be heavenly, sausage every night of the week?

Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 oz) bow tie pasta
• 1 lb. mild bulk italian sausage
• 1-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 - 2 cans (14.5 oz each) Italian stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 cup Shredded parmesan cheese
• OPTIONAL:
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped onion

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a separate pan, cook the sausage, garlic, onion, and pepper flakes over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, cream, salt, basil and 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
4. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 6-8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; toss with sausage mixture.
5. Garnish with parmesan cheese. Yield: 5 servings

Recipe and Picture from Lilluna