impromptu photo shoot {part one}

today after feeding maggie, we decided to take some newborn pictures… she was completely milk drunk and it seemed like the perfect time of any! we scrambled to grab as many photo props as possible and just started shooting. and i just had to get that mermaid tail on her! (except i found that it was a tad short…she’s going to have long legs like mommy! but we made it work!)

i haven’t really gone through each picture to edit them and crop and recolor and resize… but i just couldn’t wait to share the first round of pictures we took of this sweet little girl that we are so madly in love with!

so here’s a sneak peek at Maggie’s newborn photos (first drafts)… i plan to make a baby book on shutterfly and take some more pictures tomorrow at my parents’ house when we go to visit.

this one is extra special to me…these are the tulips that i used on my grandmother’s memorial table

ok, so that’s it for now! more to come after the next photo shoot! (maybe this next one will be a little more organized…LOL!)

at long last love has arrived…

our sweet little angel is finally here! she came into this world on saturday, may 25 at 9:06am.

our birth story:

my last day of work was supposed to be friday, 5/24…but last minute that morning after my doctor’s appointment, i decided to take it easy (doctor’s orders) since my blood pressure was slightly elevated and i was having mini contractions since Wednesday. my supervisor was understanding and told me to relax. and i just had a feeling the night before that maggie would be making her appearance very soon! {especially with the ominous full moon drawing near!}

so that friday, nick and i ran errands… we walked up the street twice… and we enjoyed a late lunch at rick’s diner (we were the youngest couple in the restaurant–they must have had a senior special going on that day!). i made sure to enjoy a spicy buffalo chicken salad and sweet tea, followed by a lemon strawberry shortcake that was to die for! i justified my big dessert to nick because i assumed it would be my last meal for a while if maggie decided to come tonight. and i’m so happy i did…..because it was!

contractions really picked up around 5:30 (which would have been about the time i’d be driving home from work, had i gone)… we started timing them, but they slowed down a bit. so nick and i went to harris teeter and rented a redbox. then my water broke around 9:30pm. it wasn’t a dramatic burst of gushing water like in the movies… just a pop and a swish. i had to call my doctor and make sure it really broke. she suggested that i labor at home for a little bit until my contractions were closer together. so i drew a warm bath…which didn’t last long because my contractions increased in intensity quick and were closer and closer together. so i told nick to help me out of the tub and get the car ready because i wasn’t waiting any longer. and boy, those contractions were no joke!

nick jumped into high gear and collected our hospital bags and got the car ready… and we were off! then i realized i had left my birth plan sitting on the counter. so we went back for it… nick got on the phone and requested some assistance with the traffic lights on the way to the hospital. we were escorted through the super long traffic lights by one of his colleagues, complete with blue lights! as soon as we pulled up, i hopped out leaving nick to fend for himself and walked right in to check in. the nurse sent for a wheelchair and a lady arrived very quickly with my chariot!

and we were off… but the lady was walking so slow! i even said, ‘ya know what, i think i’m fine to walk’ a couple times during the long trip to labor and delivery. i even got up out of the wheelchair before she put the brakes on! then we headed into triage…

but first i had to get a gown on. nick tried to help but we both were struggling with the snaps! i had three contractions in the bathroom getting that damn gown on! and finally once i was all put together, i got the last triage room that night. the full moon had apparently kick-started quite a few women into labor that night!

at one point, i think nick was a little beside himself watching me go through so much pain. now i can’t really remember what the pain felt like, but at that moment, i think i wanted to cry and punch someone and hug someone all at the same time! luckily i married a good man… he helped me through the pain and kept me focused. his celtic cross tattoo on his forearm ended up being one of my main focal points, as i gripped his hand. that epidural couldn’t come fast enough! by the time we got to triage around 11pm i was already 5cm dilated. since L&D was a full house that night, it took a little time for me to get a room…and they couldn’t get me my epidural until i was in a room. and then of course i was on the ‘waiting list’ at that point.

it was 1:15am when the anesthesiologist came in for my epidural. and she talked so fast–i loved that about her! i had to sign a form to get the epidural and my mom told me that i scribbled my name and threw the pen at the anesthesiologist. LOL! nothing personal! i went through three contractions while getting the epidural, but once it was in–sweet bliss! i totally wanna point and laugh at my previous self for saying i wanted to have maggie au natural!

my contractions slowed down a bit after that, but by 6:00am i was 10cm and ready to labor down. except my nurse was a little worn out and gave me no direction whatsoever. at one point, i think she said ‘let nature run its course.’ for someone who has never done this before, that statement was a bit ambiguous… so for three hours i was repositioning and trying to feel that crazy urge to push that my nurse was telling me i should be feeling. nick even had to take over counting because she lost count during a contraction! i started pushing on some contractions but they were so far apart at that point, it seemed like i was just sitting there waiting for the next contraction to come along… she was not helpful at all, so nick asked if i wanted my mom to come in. i initially only wanted to have nick in the room, but at that point i needed another able bodied person to help because my nurse wasn’t much use. so i had my mom come in and she helped support my other leg and count contractions. and basically took the nurses spot beside me. i was so glad she came in!

meanwhile, my nurse was having a hard time keeping the heart rate monitor on my stomach to track the baby’s heartbeat. at one point, she called another nurse in to help and that nurse kinda pissed me off. she found a heartbeat at 89bpm–it was my heartbeat!–and she freaked out thinking it was the baby’s heartbeat. she slapped an oxygen mask on me, flipped me on my side and told me to start pushing… what?! nick did so well to keep me calm throughout that little ordeal. but my doctor came in and found the baby’s heartbeat-which was not 89bpm-and told the nurse to leave because everything was fine. so the oxygen mask came off and i was left to labor down and start pushing when i felt the urge.

at 8:00am shift change, a new nurse, sylvia, came in to relieve my sad and tired nurse and i was so thankful for her! she jumped into action, started pitocin. and then she realized that my pitiful nurse forgot to empty my bladder after the epidural kicked in…and that’s why i couldn’t really feel the urge to push! once that little issue was relieved, it was game on from there. my contractions started picking up again around 8:30ish and everything from that point went smoothly! i got into the perfect rhythm for pushing after finding a comfortable position. and little miss maggie rose joined our family at 9:06am. she weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. it was the most amazing thing in the world when they put her on my chest…time just stood still. nick even cut the cord.

and i have to say that i am so happy that my mom was in the room for maggie’s birth. it feels good to know that she was there when maggie came into this world. (although i’m not sure what her vantage point was the whole time, but i think she was happy to be there too! …i saw her crying when maggie was born, and i’m pretty sure they were happy tears!) and she even took pictures for us, which we wouldn’t have had if she wasn’t there.

all in all it was a wonderful birthing experience, and i couldn’t have asked for a better team than my nurse, sylvia, and my doctor, dr. angel nieves.

{strange weather}

the weather has always affected me… cold fronts, heat waves, storms, full moons… my body seems to know when strange weather is on the horizon. and i do love a good thunder and lightning storm!

when we lived in our house on the mountain, we had the most amazing view from our deck… the landscape stretched for miles and miles. we could see to the mountains of tennessee on the clearest of days. on fourth of july, we witnessed several firework shows over different areas in asheville–without ever leaving the comfort of our home. my parents took into account the sunrise and sunset when building that house. while living there it was an every day occurrence for us to witness an amazing sunrise and sunset… my dad took so many pictures of that view– it never got old. driving home in the evening, if you timed it just right at just the right spot, you could see the sun reflecting off every window on the house… and it was the most amazing sight. the entire house was a bright orange beacon of light on the side of the mountain…

we had some amazing memories in that house with family and friends… but what i really enjoyed were the thunder and lightning storms. it was so awesome to watch a storm roll in and see the lightning stretch across asheville at different times. and boy was it a sight when the lightning stretched across the sky from east to west…it was breath-taking!

we (angela, dad and i) used to always get a good laugh when mom would tell me not to got outside and to be careful when there was a thunder and lightning storm…as if i had a metal plate in my head. although i had two brain surgeries between ages 11 and 17, i didn’t have any devices implanted during either of them–at least not to my recollection. LOL!

i’ve had a dull headache for the past week, which i contributed to my pregnancy and lack of sleep. then this weekend, we’ve had some crazy rain storms. on and off, with hot days and cool nights. my headache has been full force today and it seems to come and go with the rain… my mom reminded me tonight that strange weather and changes in barometric pressure can have quite an effect on people, especially me.

with a full moon rising in just 5 sleeps, and storms rolling toward the coast, this strange weather could very well be having an effect on me. i just hope that the full effects of the weather and lunar pull will hold off at least until i get through this last week of work!! {not to mention, i’m sure i’m not the only one to be affected by weather–and i don’t want to go into labor while the hospital is hoppin’ with preggos and screaming babies}.

but 2013 has already amounted to quite a year of unexpected twists and turns in our lives so far…why would we get a break this time?! guess we better be prepared for anything this week, and just hope we can ride out the storm just a little bit longer!!!

{much awaited} nursery pictures!!!

 

so yes, i have been bogarting the nursery pictures… i just have not had any time to get them loaded! but maggie rose will be here before we know it!!

…and i better get my butt in gear!!

some of you have followed my baby crafts along the way… and are dying to see the finished product of maggie’s rag rug!  well let me tell you this…………so am i!  can you believe that a perfectionist craft-crazed ME hasn’t finished that damn rag rug?!  {feel free to gasp….i just did!} the rug has taken me FOREVER…and it’s about 98% done… there are a couple gaps here and there that i can fill in later on.  but for now, it’s good enough.  so without any further adieu, here we go!

so it all started with the bedding!! {i picked it out before we knew if we knew the gender…i didn’t want anything too specific and felt like i could go either way with it}

and i knew i didn’t want pink walls for a girl…so i had already decided on turquoise for the walls with an accent wall depending on the gender…

then we found out we were having a girl!!  {so pink and purple accents had to be next!}  i really wanted purple and white chevrons on the wall behind the crib, but decided to play it safe with wide stripes… i just knew that chevrons would make me lose my mind if they weren’t perfect!  {well, the stripes were an epic fail!!}  how i measured them so wrong is beyond me…so i said, “dammit, i’m doing chevrons!!”

i had painted all of the turquoise walls in one day, and my dad graciously came over and painted the purple wall for me…. i was pooped!! {thanks daddy!}  then i stenciled the chevrons, taped them off, and painted them the next day!

and voila!  {the chevrons were meant to be!} i loved that wall so much i just stood and stared at it every time i passed the room!!

now it was time to accessorize! {woot woot!}  my mom found the crib and dresser at babies r us and knew as soon as she saw it that i would love it.  the name was “montana driftwood.”  {i love anything distressed….she knows me so well!}  my parents bought the crib and dresser for us and it was perfect!

they even got us the chair and ottoman too! {nick and i had to drive 3 hours to charlotte to pick it up so we wouldn’t have to pay $150 shipping…!!}  i made the pillow with heat bond tape….because we all know what a disaster traci is with a sewing machine!!

we stopped at ikea while we were there and found the perfect curtains, wall lamp, and shelf for the closet too!

the curtains were $10 per pair of panels!! what what!  i got a pair for the window and pair for the closet! {heck yeah}  and yes, that is the infamous rag rug!!  a couple gaps to fill in, but not too shabby!! {jake likes to photo bomb all my pictures!}

and my favorite part of the room is the tree wall!!  it came together so nicely!  {btw, i just stapled it to the wall, so we’ll have to fill in tiny holes before moving…haha!}  i was all gung-ho about creating a tree for this room…but decided to poach the branches from downstairs for this project:

and here is the finished product of my recycled branches!

{btw, the book i used i got from the dollar store and the title was “restless.”  how ironic that it ended up in the baby room…because i will no doubt be restless once she gets here!!}

my auntie pat surprised me with this painted antique frame at the baby shower!!  it was perfect for the space! love it!

nick had to be the muscle behind this baby room too!  he hung both curtain rods (and we didn’t even fight over it!!) and everything else that required any heavy lifting… not to mention, he moved all the furniture a gazillion times until i found the perfect placement for each piece!

my aunt also painted and distressed this side table, which was an old record stand!!  i had only sent her pictures of the baby room as i was putting it together and she knew exactly what i needed! {my mom made that adorable little diaper owl…who has met his ultimate demise already because we need the diapers!}

such a little cutie… i hated pulling him apart!

let me tell you something about this shelf!!  we went to ikea specifically for the closet shelf one day because it was on sale… we walked through the entire store and finally got to the bottom floor warehouse to pick up the shelf 2 hours later… we checked the aisle/bin where the shelf was supposed to be…. and it was out of stock!!  i wanted to cry…seriously, i came really close to throwing a tantrum on that warehouse floor!

i chased down a salesperson and asked him to look up the shelf, and he said there was ONE shelf left in the store that has not been bought. {here’s the catch} he said if it wasn’t on the aisle/bin then that meant someone has it on their cart but hasn’t bought it yet…

my heart just sank… nick knew i’d had a long day and told me to just sit down for a little bit while he walked around looking for the shelf.  i knew it was hopeless at that point, so i found a seat in the “AS IS” section… clearance always lifts my spirits, so i just rested for a bit… then i saw it!!  an even better shelf for 60% off in the “AS IS” section!  so we snatched that puppy up and took her home!

it worked even better in the closet than the first one would have!!  {that’s the doty luck, i tell ya!}

and of course there are some other little details that i’ve added along the way… it really turned out nicely.  i’ve been painting everyone else’s nursery for years now, it was so much fun to work on my OWN!! 

i love this nursery and i can’t wait to see my little maggie rose in there! 

{funny story about this little guy}  when we were putting the crib together (we= nick and dad) i stood back and supervised… but i was just so excited to see the bedding with the crib i ripped into the package!  and i thought i was cutting a twisty tie, but instead i cut the string that held this little owl on the mobile…  ooops!  nick got out a lighter and fused it back together for me! LOL!

was this crib sheet made for maggie rose’s nursery or what?! so sweet!!

so there you have it!!  …nurseries are more for the parents than the baby.  she won’t remember this room, but we will remember all the memories we had putting it together!!

hope you enjoyed!!

{irons in the fire}

as you are aware, keeping up a blog has become difficult for me during this pregnancy… writing is the simple part, but uploading pictures and formatting it just perfectly is the part that takes up time! {and i’m not one to do anything half-ass….i don’t like to make anything public until it’s just perfect and ready!}  i plan to sit down very soon and finally post pictures of the finished nursery and pictures of the baby shower from march.  i promise! 

but before i get to that, i think there is something more pressing that i need to address.  we are putting our house on the market…very soon! (as in about 1-2 weeks after maggie arrives…eeek!) 

our neighbors have always known us to be weekend warriors and to always have another house project…but lately we’ve been going double-time!  and working on projects that don’t necessarily seem to be priority to most first-time parents…  we started mentioning it to people casually in march/april so as to ease the blow of leaving our cul-de-sac family…but now we are getting serious.  signs will be posted within the month (heads up!).

it’s very bittersweet to leave this house, because we built it from ground up…it’s our first home!  there are so many custom touches that we put into this home that will be very hard to walk away from–and all the great memories too! halloween parties, the luau, the brick patio, all my murals, nick’s firepit at the bottom of the yard (complete with deer antlers…lol!) and so much more…but it’s time to move on! 

there are a lot of unknowns this summer, and we are just “winging it” at this point.  (of course my definition of “winging it” still consists of lots of research, rotating to-do lists, organized schedules and diagrams–LOL!)  but there’s no real way to ”plan” a move with a newborn baby! {if there is, do tell!}  there are a lot of things in life that you just can’t plan for…that’s just the nature of the beast! 

we are not sure if we will be moving right around the corner or farther away at this point–we have several irons in the fire right now and are weighing each option very heavily.  we should know more in the next couple of months, and please know that we will keep everyone posted on our plans!  apologies if this seems vague and insincere…i just wanted to send out a bulk message to start the ball rolling and so no one is caught by surprise!  

we appreciate all the support of those who are helping make this transition much easier for us, and who have helped so much along the way!  and we truly appreciate those who understand our lack of availability in the past couple of months!  we are so very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family whom we truly love and feel so blessed to have in our lives–near and far!

–stay tuned for nursery and baby shower pics!!

{queens and angel wings}

to be a queen, you must serve as a strong matriarch of your home, your family, and your domain… a queen is the lifeblood of her family, the glue that adheres decades on decades of family tradition and history.  there is only one queen to every kingdom, home and family…and when that queen gracefully retires, another strong woman will take on her roles and responsibilities of sharing knowledge and wisdom to those who follow her…yet always remember the strength and grace that came before her.

many think of the queen of england first and foremost when the term “queen” is mentioned (as they should).  but what also comes to mind for me is “grandma.”  she was the strong matriarch in our family… she came over from Cheltenham, England with my grandfather, robert bruce miller…a strapping soldier with a lion’s heart.  she was marian may birt when she met him and then became marian birt miller–also to be known as “mum” to four children.  {linda virginia, ann marie, victoria francis, and robert bruce jr.}

she graced the lives of so many in her time… she always had stories to tell and wisdom to impart, and she bridged the gaps between family members near and far–even across the pond.  her family was her legacy and she made it her charge to carry on the importance of family to all of her children and grandchildren alike—as any good matriarch would do.  and boy was she proud of her children and granchildren–she was even listing names of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the nurses in the hospital!

i have only fond memories of my grandmother, and in a way, she sparked my intrigue in our family heritage… her stories of the gypsy queen in our blood line, along with traces of blue blood from henry the VIII were catalyst to this blog… it has been long known that you cannot choose your family members, but you can choose which family values and stories to embrace and pass on to your children.  i grew up hearing about the queen mum and seeing her face throughout my grandmother’s home, nibbling on chocolates from England and hearing of her travels back home, being reminded to always mind my P’s & Q (parents and queen), listening to her talk about our gypsy clairvoyance and wanderlust, and learning about our family heritage. 

she could talk for hours about our heritage and bloodline!!  we all still laugh thinking about how much she loved to talk.  even days before she passed–and between breaths–she and i spoke on the phone about maggie rose.  she told me the hair color and eye color of several relatives as we guessed what this sweet little baby may look like…

this year, she passed just days after her 79th birthday in april… and i have found peace in her passing knowing that she is no longer suffering here on earth, yet rejoicing with her maker.

i found comfort in creating her memorial table for her service, sifting through her pictures and learning even more about her life and our family in doing so.

i find comfort in recalling so many wonderful memories of her and in knowing that those memories and family values will be carried on to my children, and theirs alike. 

and i find comfort in believing that when she entered those pearly gates, my grandfather was waiting for her on the corner with fresh flowers–just as he had every friday when she picked him up from work.  

i find comfort in my dream meetings with my grandmother and seeing her glowing and healthy again…  

we must love our family and friends for who they are and what they give us, without expectation of reciprocity or selfish validation.  we must hold dear to us those whom have blessed our existence, whether near or far–whether for a short time or for ages.  and know that “goodbye” does not exist–only “so long until the next time we meet.”  lives do not just end, yet they begin again in different places and different times throughout eternity…

so on this day, the fourteenth day of may, i give honor and memory to our very own queen who has earned her angel wings–now and forevermore–marian may birt.  {with love and patience until our next meeting–whether in my dreams or in heaven–i hope you will always know that my cup runneth over.}

{the luckiest st. patty’s day}

i’m really struggling to keep up with my blog posts… time seems to slip away so fast…yet drags on!  i’m 36 weeks pregnant and i’m ready for this baby to get here!  i really enjoy being pregnant, but man, i can’t wait to reclaim my body and actually hold this special little girl in my arms (instead of in my belly!)

but first things first… let’s get caught up on some recent events!

my niece, carsyn, turned ONE this year.  she has grown so fast!  i remember the day i first held her in my arms… she was so tiny!! looking back, we have been so lucky to spend so much time with her in her first year… and get some great shots of her growing up!!

    

and her birthday party was a real hit!  even though the joneses were sick the whole week before…and there was question about whether her birthday party was even going to happen… (boo!)  luckily, they recovered quickly and it went off without a hitch! and carsyn seemed to really enjoy her st. patty’s day birthday party.

i took so many pictures at her party and even made a shutterfly hardbound book for my sister!  here are a few of my favorites!

there were so many more pictures but i just couldn’t post them all!  it was a fun st. patrick’s day for little miss carsyn elizabeth and all who attended!