These Days...

Okay, my kid is getting HUGE. She's 5 months. FIVE MONTHS. Didn't I just barely hold her all wrapped up tight like a baby burrito in the hospital bed? Welp, guess not! Because that was a whole 5 months ago.

Here's a little taste of what Sadie's up to these days:

Sadie's 1st pumpkin!

She's VERY good a square lip these days

Sadie and her cat sister, Louise are always up to no good

there's a little bit of sleep these days. LITTLE.

And, there's LOTS of smiles and coos and giggles and hugs and kisses.

What else is Sadie up to these days...

Teething. No big deal...

A Mother is Born

Sadie Elizabeth Brigan
7/8/2011

5 pounds 15 ounces

19 inches

12:19pm

Oh, how I wish I could tell you everything! Every little detail of the entire experience. The pain, THE PAIN, the anticipation, the worry, the craziness, the magic of it all! It's definitely some sort of magic, the whole childbirth thing, right?

That Thursday made me 40 weeks+3 days pregnant. I was determined to get the baby out ASAP. After trying everything safe we could think of, (even walking for hours on the biggest elephant feet you ever did see) we thought to ourselves, "selves, why not go for a ride down the bumpiest road we can find?!, not only will it be relaxing and fun, but it just might make the baby fall out.) We found a road, and boy was it bumpy. After driving down the bumpy road several times and emptying our water bottles out on a lost snapping turtle, we turned back home. Jesse, myself, and the baby. Still inside. 

Poor fella...

We went home, and I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon bouncing. I bounced, and bounced, and with each bounce I imagined a baby finally deciding to pack up and move on out. Until, at 9:00 pm, it wasn't in my imagination anymore. 

We were tired, and after telling Jesse a million times, "ew, my belly hurts" and thinking I was probably sick and oh great that's just what I need right now...we hopped into bed. Suddenly, my belly was hurting more, and then a little bit more, and then well, maybe I'm not getting sick? Maybe I'm about to have a BABY!? Family was called, and to the hospital we went. 

When we got there, I was the toughest. Contracts smactions! If this is labor, I just didn't see what the big deal was! But, at 12:00am, I thought I was dying and the labor process officially began. With Jesse and my Sister at my side, we made it through the next 12 hours like champions.

A tired Daddy. Little did he know, this would be his last moment of relaxation for the next 18 years! 

I couldn't ask for a better Sissy. I'm definitely going to regret posting this picture on here, but it's the only one of us during the labor process. Let's just pretend it's stunning, and we don't look like haggard old biddies. 

I'll spare you all of the messy details. Not many people are interested in hearing about the process of a human coming out of another human. Let me tell you though, my only regret, not having an epideral. Who knew childbirth was painful!? I did it though! And, after 12 hours of being the closest to death that seemed possible, I got to hold a miracle. MY miracle. The most perfect miracle to ever be. 

It was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced, and I'm so lucky to have been able to experience it with my best friend in this world. Jesse was amazing support, and seeing him look at his daughter after 9 looooong moths of anticipation was the icing on the cake. 

Is this not adorable!?

When miss Sadie B was put in my arms that afternoon there was nothing else around us. She was finally here, and healthy, and beautiful. After the long 9 month journey we had spent together, our tired eyes met up for the first time. Her tiny little baby fingers wrapped tightly around mine, I knew not only was she born, but I was born. I became a Mother, and the most rewarding part of my life had begun. 

     

A Day in Bed With Harry

On this humid cloudy Wednesday, I decided to spend the entire day in bed. I have good reasoning, see this will most likely be my very last Wednesday I can dedicate to such laziness before Sadie arrives. That's a very good reason, is it not? If you disagree, I will slap you with the fact that I am 4 days away from being 40 weeks pregnant. Now, if anything's a good reason, that's it.
So far, here's what I've accomplished:

-I am midway through the first Harry Potter movie.
-I sent so many reply emails on Etsy that my "conversation" ability has been temporarily disabled.
-I failed to hear/answer my phone all morning and sent my Mother into a frenzy of worry.
-I walked into the kitchen a few times.

Hmmm, what to do for the rest of the day? I'm sure it will look something like: eat lunch, return to bed, finish Harry Potter #1, wait for Jesse to come home and participate in all of my lazy glory that will include but not be limited to:
Harry Potter 2-6

"WWMD?"

When you're 38 weeks pregnant, there's lots of things you think about. You wonder if the nursery really is as ready as you think, and if 3 different baby lotions next to the changing table will really be enough. You say to yourself, "Even though I vacuumed a couple of hours ago, surely there's too much cat hair on the carpet now, and I absolutely must vacuum again." You tell your Fiance that the strange noise the living room ceiling fan has been making has gotten loads stranger and how can we live with such a safety hazard? How did we ever become so sloppy about safety? How on earth did we let the ceiling fan noise get to this point!? Then he offers to rub your feet, and you calm down because you recently discovered foot rubs can potentially induce labor and that would be SO AWESOME right about now.

You basically ask yourself a lot of un-necessary things and everyone around you starts thinking you've finally and completely lost your mind. How does one cope with such craziness? I've found I have to step back and ask myself, "What would Martha do?"

Martha Stewart has been the housewives guide for pretty much EVER. The homemaker's guru. The domestic idol. I honestly and happily can tell you, I am a serious Martha fan. I think she's the bee's knees. Here's an example of how simply asking yourself, "WWMD?" can get you through the toughest of times. 

::You wake up to find your fiance has left towels scattered throughout the dinning room next to the massive pile of torn up paper towels that your cat placed neatly around the entire kitchen that you intensely cleaned yesterday. Your back is starting to ache, and the bed still looks oh so comfy. Okay, now stop and take a deep breath. "WWMD?"

Martha would probably make the bed first. How can you possibly leave the room with the bedding a mess? What kind of animal are you? After making the bed, and assuring yourself the bedroom looks tops you would remind yourself that your Fiance is a boy, and boys are messy. Duh! You knew that when you decided not to be a lesbian. So, you fold the towels neatly and place them back in their proper towel home. Then you tackle the poor paper towel mess and remind yourself that your cat is flippin awesome, and it's only a roll of paper towels. No biggy, right? Right. Then, you continue to clean your house as throughly as you did the day before. Showing no mercy to dirt, dirty counters, or un-sanitized door knobs. Thank you Martha, you really helped me pull through. 

Other things you do when you're 38 weeks pregnant look something like this:

You invite your sister over to walk ridiculous amounts with you and pretend that it's actually fun. 

You drink iced coffee and pretend that even though it's decaf, it's energizing you to keep going. 

You take crappy pictures of your huge uncomfortable belly next to someone half your size.

Then you eat a gigantic ice cream sundae because somehow it makes you feel good about yourself. Besides, you just waddled up town for 2 hours and if anyone deserves it, it's you! 

Happy 38 weeks of growing inside of me Sadie B! You're welcome to come out and meet the world ANY DAY NOW. 

Love, 

Your heifer of a Mama

I am Violet Beauregarde

This is the only way I can describe how I'm currently feeling physically. Do you think her ankles are as swollen as mine?

I am officially a full term pregnant Mama! That means, baby Sadie could arrive at any given moment. The anticipation and un-expectancy of it all is driving. me. crazy! Every little tinge of pain, or slight contraction has me sitting up all frantic like chanting them on, "go contractions, never stop!" But then the pain starts to subside, and little baby Sadie settles back into hotel del uterus. Ohhh, the calm before the storm. I wish I could just wake up, take a shower, put on my favorite maternity frock, have a good breakfast and a strong cup of decaf, and go into labor. Exactly in that order, and preferably on Sunday. You should be able to plan and agree on a labor date with your fetus. Wouldn't that just be wonderful?

Jesse and I packed our diaper bags together last night. Is it weird that cooking dinner, and packing our diaper bags felt like the best date ever!? We really got into preparing for baby yesterday. It was so stinkin' cute to watch Jesse stuff his bag full of itty bitty diapers, and the blanket he picked out all by himself! Can he please get the best Dad ever award already? Honestly.

So, the nursery is ready, our bags are packed, the car seats in the car, and now we wait. We wait, and wait, and wait some more until having to wait just one more second feels completely excruciating.

Until then, I'm off to drink hot sauce, walk for miles, drink raspberry leaf tea, and bounce up and down on our couch until baby decides she can't take it any longer and wants to escape.

Crafts, cats, and contractions

     Hooray!! My first craft show was a success! This past Saturday was the Queen City Spring Craft Bazaar in Burlington, VT. It was a beautiful day for it. I mean, if I could have picked any weather I would have liked for that particular day, it would have been pretty darn close. Who doesn't love mid 70's weather and sunshine, am I right? The near perfect weather did have a slight ugly side. The sunshine made people want to be outside, not inside. Stop feeling bad for me though, because I actually did really well! The small amount of craft happy people willing to drop some dolla's faired me well, especially the young ones. Ah, the sweetness of taking children's money. Just kidding.

     Other eventful things from last week:

Shaving Jesse's head. Isn't he just adorable!?

Reaching 36 weeks! Although I feel like the half-ton woman, it's SO exciting! The Braxton hicks contractions have gotten pretty intense, but I think I'm taking them like a champ. All in preparation for the real deal! 

Things that are seeming particularly adorable at the moment:

Louise in a box! 

Awww!

Chewbacca baby is winning

Here's a video of my cat eating watermelon:

     

Sadie B's day of celebration!

   Saturday the 21st,

     The morning started something like this:

Me: "GOOD MORNING JESSEEEEEE, TODAY IS THE BABY SHOWER!"

Jesse: "Yup!"

Me: "Do you think we should get there a little early, or a little late? Did you notice it's raining? I really hope the weather clears up. Do you know what the weather's suppose to be like? Are you EXCITED!?"

Jesse: "How long have you been awake?"

     Honestly, I had been up for quite some time. Even more honestly, I had been up most of the night. Excitement overcame me, and my bladder was smaller than ever. Who was going to be there? What dress should I wear? Do we have anything chocolatey that I can go eat? So many questions kept running through my tired little head, sleep was the last thing I could concentrate on. By the time morning rolled around, I was feasting off of adrenaline and the orange juice I had been chugging. Jesse had to wake up. 

     By 8:00am, I was clean, dressed, and ready to go. I spent the next 4 hours mildly hyperventilating and wiggling my toes at speeds I thought were impossible. By the time noon rolled around we decided to run to the store and pick up my nausea medicine (I obviously was going to be in need of it), and take a quick ride around town to check out the flooding (or, if you're me, try to sneak a peak of the soon to be festivities!) After waiting far too long to pick up a prescription, and demolishing a baby turtle trying to cross the road, it was time!!!!!

     It was beautiful, beauty that could only be compared to rainbows and men doing dishes. It was everything I pictured it being and more. Family was arriving, cupcakes were being eaten, and my eyes were glued to the mountainous pile of pretty wrapped things. The day flew by, almost a complete blur. After the long wait for the event to arrive, it was over before I knew it. 

  

Sadie's grandparents are already pro's at spoiling her

My sister, the cupcake warrior

Singing Sadie's lullaby

One happy Dad to be! Love you more than free ice cream my sweet prince

(Notice the beer in his hand)

Opening presents. One buzzed Dad, and a confused lookin' Mama

Thanks to everyone who made it a day we'll never forget! We LOVE you!!

<3

Dear me, don't forget this...

  
     This week has been insanely busy! It's finally Friday though, and tomorrow is our BABY SHOWER!!!! I thought Christmas was the most exciting thing, but once you start receiving baby things...entirely different story. I no longer care about new shoes, cute dresses, and my warcraft account. Now there's nothing I enjoy more than opening little baby outfits, bottles, breast pads, and diapers. DIAPERS! They've already become the bane of my existence. Where do you store them all?! We already need a closet solely for diapers and wipes.
     It's been getting even harder to sleep at night. I'm lucky if I get an hour in before I start waking up. It's not just to pee every 15 minutes, but to break up the monotony of laying in bed all night not being able to sleep. I've developed a pretty good routine though, I really have. It involves eating chocolate, checking my email, and seeing if my neighbors lights are on and I can catch them naked.
     I'm not complaining one bit though. I still think it's magical that I'm storing a baby inside of me. I feel like I've taken so much of this pregnancy for granted, and at some points, I've forgotten to stop and just enjoy it. It's our very first baby, the start of our little family, and now that we've almost made it to the end, I think a congratulations is in order. Congrats Jesse! We successfully created a human with our genitals!

Queen City Craft Bazaar!

"Love Like Laughter" is going to be at the Queen City Craft Bazaar this year! Be sure to stop by and say hello!

http://www.queencitycraft.com/

Shop Sale!

33 weeks!!

I forgot to mention, Sunday I hit 33 weeks! SO excited. Gettin' down to the nitty gritty!

Happy Monday!

     Hey all! Hope everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day weekend! I definitely did. Although Sadie isn't here yet, Jesse and I decided since I've been carrying her around with me for the past 7 and a half months, I'm totally considered a Mother. Saturday we had our Momma's (and Papa's!) over for brunch. I made yummy little frittata's and heart shaped pancakes. It was an overall good time filled with good conversation and edible food. (There as going to be a cobbler also, but I decided it didn't look "servable" and tossed the disaster in the trash). Here's some pics:

     

     Sunday was equally as awesome, maybe even a little bit more awesome. Jesse made me an incredible breakfast followed by an incredible lunch and then an incredible dinner! It was...you guessed it, INCREDIBLE! He even watched three episodes of "Pregnant in Heels" with me. It was a really nice, super relaxed weekend. How was your Mother's Day!?

Toilet babies...

     Now that we're getting down to the final countdown of this pregnancy, I've been thinking a lot about toilet babies. I'm 32 weeks now, and I'm starting to get worried she'll pop out before she's done cooking, and we won't be able to bring her home right away. That would be HORRIBLE. How would I be able to leave my baby at the hospital and go back home!? I think I would just move in until she was good to go. Anyway, the whole toilet baby thing isn't really a concern of mine, just something I've been trying to understand. If you've never seen "I didn't know I was pregnant" on TLC, here's a little snippet.



     My favorite is obviously the women who looked into the toilet and "found her little girl." When you're in labor, you feel an incredible urge to push, but I didn't think it was going to feel like taking a crap.

     Sadie's been wiggling like a mad man lately. Last night Jesse said when he felt her kick, it was the strongest yet! I'm still betting she'll be a super hero.

Ugh, rain?

     Ugh, it's a rainy Tuesday and I can't seem to get myself motivated to do much of anything. At first I thought maybe I wished the snow away too soon, but I starting to really enjoy all of the rain we've been getting. Sure, it puts a damper (haha) on things like walks, and sunshine but it makes it nice and cozy to be home which is where I'll be most of the week. I have SO much work to catch up on. "Love Like Laughter" has taken a total nose dive, and I've finally had some good ideas roll around for new product. Here's one of the necklaces I made today:

     My leg is so much better! I can walk around most of the day without limping, and it doesn't take me 10 minutes to get up the stairs. I'm so lucky to have gotten better so quickly. Physical therapy has been a blessing, and I'm sure I wouldn't be feeling as good without it. 

     Here are some things that are inspiring me this week:

Love this print

I'm sure I'll be making this at some point this week!

These bacon chocolate chip cookies look soooo yummy!

These cute sea otters holding hands <3

     What's inspiring you this week?

I was made for sunny days...

  
      It's SO SO SO nice out today! 82 degrees and SUNNY! The perfect day to stroll around town cold tea and my ipod. Unfortunately for me, I can barely walk around the house. Monday I woke up and couldn't walk. Scariest. Thing. Ever. I thought I was crippled. I made it to the bathroom, and then crawled up the stairs to get my phone and call Jesse. We went to the ER, and they said it was a pinched sciatic nerve. Then they said the only cure is to have the baby, wrote me a prescription for vicodin, and sent me away. REALLY!? I know the ER is a busy place, and they've always got lots of people to see, but REALLY? They barely told us anything, and when I asked why they would prescribe me vicodin when I'm 31 weeks pregnant they just said, "it's safe" and to call my doctor and tell her I would be on it for a few days. Wow, thanks for not even calling my obgyn and making sure it IS safe. They didn't even ask if I had a high-risk pregnancy! Obviously I didn't take the meds, and left limping in pain. I should also mention that before I was seen by a doctor I hobbled painfully around the ER while at least 5 different nurses and staff walked by obviously noticing my condition and not asking if I needed a wheel-chair or anything for that matter. If I didn't have such a great obgyn that worked for Porter Hospital, I would most definitely transfer to Fletcher Allen.
     Phew, I'm done ranting now. Sorry for submitting you to that.
     So, I've spent the last few days hanging out around the house. Not being able to go outside for walks and fresh air has been more difficult than I thought it would be. Don't even mention not being able to clean the house from top to bottom like I usually do. Jesse's been incredible though, (as he always is) and has been such a huge help. Being told you're sexy while you limp around moaning in pain only happens when you're truly in love. Forgive me for being a total sap. Jesse's Momma got me in for some physical therapy where she works, and I couldn't be more thankful. After just one session I was walking better. I'm now a physical therapy junkie and wish I could go everyday. I'm progressively getting better, and with all the rain that's on it's way I'm sure resting around the house will get easier.

If only I could be resting and repairing here with endless books and tea:

     The good think about being laid up, is I've had nothing better to do but work on Etsy stuff. I have to say, I'd been neglecting it for a while and working on my shop again has been really refreshing. Here are some things I made today:

     So, the rest of the week is looking pretty...empty and for now, I'm okay with that. Feel free to send me awesome tutorials, lists of some good books to read, and other things to keep me busy!