Meeting Baby Gillian

After two months of waiting and the first stop in town, I finally got to meet Baby Gillian! And, I have to declare, she's pretty. dang. cute. (Erin and Mark, you sure do make cute babies!)

And, I was finally able to give her the gift I made... 

"I Am a Child of God" framed art that I made! 

(I started looking for something like this on Etsy, but they were crazy expensive and didn't come in the colors I wanted, so I got crafty and made my own. Next time I'd like to try a thicker font, but in person, this one is just the right amount of purple. )

We of course headed for some delicious food as is tradition in that town and this time tried at Vapiano. (I'd been wanting to since 2009!) Yummy.  

"You have a baby, in a bar." (: 

Over the course of the next few days we were able to see Erin and Mark a few times, but let's be honest, I was definitely interested in snuggling this little girl. Such an angel! 

Sunday, Erin and Mark let me crash at their place all day and I was able to do tummy time with her, hold her, snuggle her. It was the best. 

Snuggling with a sleeping Gilly. 

Couldn't resist. So tiny. So perfect! 

Can't wait to make it back there next month! She will have grown two more months! 

Seriously Er, you need a blog, cause I'm having withdrawals. (:

Introducing Gillian Adele!

She's here! She's finally here!

Over that past 36 hours I have been dying to be in DC.

But, last night I went to sleep full of excitement knowing that this baby was on her way. But I continued waiting, wondering, praying, hoping...

Then this morning I saw this on my night stand...

Finally! 

So, without further adieu, we are so excited and thrilled to congratulate our good friends Erin and Mark (!) and to introduce:

Gillian Adele - 7 lbs 4 oz, 20.5 inches - Born 1:35 am

We love her already! (And we are definitely itching to get back to Washington to hold her ASAP.)

Due January 2013

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been dying to make this public.

But alas, as it was not my good news to share, so I had to wait.

Until now!

Remember these beautiful people?

And their beautiful wedding last November? 

They are expecting! 

Baby is due in January 2013. 

And we simply can. not. wait. 

Of course a trip back East must be in order. 

(And of course they think that Ryan for a boy or McKenzie/Adrielle for a girl would be perfect...)

Erin told me a few months ago by spilling that "What to Expect When You're Expecting" was on her nightstand. 

(I screamed in delight and picked up the phone to call her.)

Congratulations you two! We are so excited for you!

Delightful Dinner

I feel like I have been slacking on posting... I have a few to come (the job offer and the Rex Lee Run for example), but for now, I wanted to post about the dinner get-together we had with some friends of ours.

Last week, Ryan and I invited Rachelle and Trey over with their little boy, Conner. It was so fun. We had yummy southwestern chicken with rice and salad. It took a lot longer to cook and try and pick up the apartment than it would have previously (I say previously, because 'normally' came to mind, but 'normally' no longer exists), and I have almost come to terms with the fact that my life can be summed up in one word: unpredictable.

The evening was great! We had fun chatting with Trey and Rachelle-although Adi didn't want to have anything to do with it (it ended up being a rough night as well). The highlight was making ice cream... although note to self: make sure that the mechanism is spinning before adding ingredients. Now I have to eBay the plastic part of the ice cream maker... whoops!

I wanted to take more pictures, but here is the only snapshot I took.

Love them. Simply gorgeous.

Captions, Anyone?

We often wonder what goes though this little girl's head.

What could she be thinking in this picture?

Anyone have a good caption?

Adrielle's Newborn Photos!

Two weeks ago, my friend Chrissy took Adi's newborn pictures. Adi was not fond of the cold, being undressed, or being positioned and wearing her headbands. Despite the difficulty of a crying newborn, Chrissy captured some beautiful pictures...

But, before we show you her fantastic work, we wanted to tell you about her! If you've never heard of Chrissy from {Chrissy Marie Design} or her spin off photography business, {Captured}, click below to check out her blog and website:

Chrissy Marie Design

Now, without further adieu, Adrielle's beautiful pictures taken when she was two weeks old (February 26, 2010)!

Poor little thing had had her foot pricked earlier that day!

I love this picture! She is so darling even when she's crying!

One of my absolute favorites!

Love these little slippers! Ryan's aunt Stephanie made them by hand with silk and pearls!

I'm Only Slightly Obsessed...

...with my baby! :)

Today she really discovered the mobile in her swing. Love it. :)

Someone's Been Sleeping in My Bed!

Our own little Goldilocks story...

"This one is too hard!"

"This one is too soft!"

"This one is just right!"

Our little girl loves sleeping in the big bed.

A Real Live Baby!

Last night, Ryan and I picked up our mail at my parent's house and opened something addressed to Baby Adrielle...

It was her Social Security Card!

She's a real, live baby!

Yay! :)

Adi Squared :)

For those of you who don't know the story of Baby Adi's name...

This past summer, Ryan and I were spending some time with one of my best friends, Adriel, when she said in jest, "You should name your baby Adriel." We didn't say anything at the time, but both Ryan and I made note of it, and decided that if our baby were a girl, we would name her Adriel. It just fit.

Well, over the pursuing months, we changed the spelling to Adrielle and added Renee as her middle name (my other best friend's middle name).

Serendipitously, Adriel was in town over the long President's Day Weekend, and she came to the hospital to meet Baby Adi! Then, she visited us at home. :)

February 14, 2010 - Adriel meeting Baby Adrielle

February 16, 2010 - Adrielle at home with her friend Adriel :)

The Irony :)

I love how last Thursday night (February 11th) around 11:50pm as I was finishing my paper for my Strategic Leadership class, I had one lone contraction. Just one. I'd been having them during the week, and thought it was nothing.

After the paper, I wrote "Oi! Contractions while writing Dr. Hart's paper... glad that is finished, although I have lost all ability to concentrate... now we'll see if baby will let me go visiting teaching and to the lunch tomorrow..." as my Facebook status at 12:05am and additionally this blog post at 12:07am.

What really happened? That one lone contraction from 11:50pm that I thought was nothing was Labor!? and ironically we ended up heading to the hospital just hours after I wrote those posts because contractions had started up, continued to come, and gradually grown closer together. :)

Now, a week later (has it already been a week?) I love looking back on those two midnight posts... they make me smile.

First Pediatrician's Visit

Because I got an infection during labor, Baby Adi had a pediatrician's visit on Wednesday. She was a champ! They didn't really poke or prod her this time (we're waiting until her 2-week-visit) for that stuff, but they did take her measurements...

At 5 days old, Adrielle was:

8.8 lbs - 84th Percentile

20.5 inches long - 78th Percentile (she lost some height because her conehead went down)

14.4 inches in head circumference - 79th Percentile

Good job Adi for being a healthy and happy baby!

I Couldn't Have Ever Imagined...

I couldn't have ever imagined...

how absolutely perfect you would be.

Welcome Baby Adi!

I'll let Kenz give the birth story, but here's a picture of our little angel! Well, it actually turns out that she's not so little (9 lbs 1 oz, and almost 22 inches!). We are in love with our baby girl!

Adrielle Renée
February 12, 2010 - 7:34pm
9lbs 1 oz
22 inches (I'll get the official stats later)

Welcome to our little family, Baby Girl!

Sleepless Night #1

Last night as we finished and submitted our papers for Management Strategy, I went to my Facebook status and publicly declared that Baby Adi could come anytime she wanted.

That was around 11:50 - 12:00 p.m. While I was updating, baby decided she wanted to come. So, we stuck around at home for a few hours to make sure it was for real...it was. We got everything in the car, and left around 3:30 a.m. for the hospital. By the time we got here, Kenz was dilated 3.5 cm and 90% effaced. She was a trooper and endured 6 hours of labor before she opted for an epidural.

Here we are after 8 hours of labor and ZERO sleep. Sleepless night #1. It looks like Adi is doing a good job of preparing us for first-time parenthood.

Project Car Seat Canopy

Again, I have to compliment my mom--she's an amazing seamstress (as is my amazing mother-in-law, Jennifer). They have both been so helpful in getting ready for our little arrival!

A few weeks ago, Jennifer helped me pick out this pretty fabric...

And last week, my mom helped me sew (well, mostly I watched in awe) Adi's car seat canopy...

She even managed to make a button hole when we realized the final product left no room for ducky...

Thanks Mom and Jennifer! Baby Adi is going to be one lucky (and spoiled) little girl!

"Baby Bump" - 39 Weeks!

So... tomorrow is the big due date, and no baby! Oh well, I'm not complaining. My To-Do list is 1,000 items long and Ryan and I both have big projects and aspirations this week in school. So we're hoping little Adi will hold off until Friday when I'm induced!

Anyway, for some fun updates here is the "Baby Bump" at 39 weeks! (And yes, I feel like a whale!)

The Countdown

So, I got a call from my doctor this morning and if I haven't had Adi by next Tuesday, then Friday night I will be induced! Yay for babies! I can't wait to meet this little girl! So, that means by next Saturday we will FINALLY have our little girl!

Diaper Bag Dilemma

So, considering that I was not willing to fork out anywhere near $350 for this beautiful diaper bag...

Petunia Pickle Bottom - Pink and Brown Cake Carry All

I was still on the prowl until about three weeks ago, when I found...

Kalencom - Coated Midi Single Buckle in Medallion Passion

I had previously seen Kalencom bags, but I didn't like the laminated look where the plastic fabric and the actual fabric were sewn together rather than fused together. Then I found the coated bag (which was fused together), but it didn't come with the bottle bag and was smaller than the $70 laminated bag. However, it was only $50, so definitely better than $350.

I ordered one and was so excited when the box finally arrived! Until, I opened the box and there was this small cereal-box sized bag! It was way too small, and although I LOVE the pattern of the fabric, I wasn't willing to settle for the laminated look on the bigger one.

So, Tuesday I was back to square one. After my Doctor's appointment--that was disappointing with no progress--I took a nap and woke up to the thought that I should probably find a diaper bag before I need one when baby arrives.

So I started a google search of diaper bags. Shopping results came up and I found this pretty thing...

Bella Tunno Navy and Pink Diaper Bag through Gap Maternity

Only problem: when I went to purchase it (for $43), it disappeared. Why you ask? SOLD OUT. Of course it was. Just my luck.

So after about an hour, finding a picture of another Bella Tunno with more pink that I liked, but couldn't find for sale anywhere, and getting slightly depressed--I know, it's just a bag--I went to pink up Ryan from school. I lamented about my search, and when we got home I showed him the picture of the one I wanted but couldn't find for sale anywhere...

Bella Tunno Pink and Green Diaper Bag also through Gap Maternity

I can't remember why, but after showing him the picture, he walked out to the kitchen and I continued to point and click on random sites. I ended up on the Gap site, and oh my goodness there is was for me to purchase for only $36! I literally couldn't believe my eyes, and hesitantly asked Ryan to bring me my purse. In a matter of 30 seconds I had clicked "add to cart", entered my card information, and clicked "purchase." AGH! I got it!

But, when I went back to check, it was GONE! I frantically called the customer service, and guess what!?! I got the-last-one!!!

Am I satisfied? I think so! (I have yet to see the bag in person, although the reviews said it was big--that's good.) Did I satisfice? (satisfy and suffice) I think not. Am I excited to get this beauty in the mail? Absolutely!

So, a couple months later, and $310 cheaper, I finally have a diaper bag! Yay! I know it's just a bag, but I feel a little more confident now, and I can't wait to put things in the bag for Baby Adi! Yay!

Motivation

Week one of training for the MCM (the cool way to say Marine Corps Marathon, I guess). I have to admit that it's day two and I'm tired and a little sore - that's what I get for taking a 3-month hiatus. However, today during the day I had a lot more energy than I usually do. This will be the first real week of training, since last week I was a bum and ran only a little, and sporadically at that.

To keep myself motivated, I decided to use a little something that used to get me excited to run when I ran cross country in high school. It was a simple Excel file that kept track of the miles I ran. I would always run a little more to go over what was prescribed in a week. I thought it was so cool back then, and right now I'm excited about this little beauty I created...

Ta da! Isn't it great?!! Don't hate or be jealous - I can make one for you, too.

I can't believe how much of a nerd I am, getting excited about a simple spreadsheet that shows me how far I am running in a given week. You should see how excited I get in my spreadsheets on steroids class... it's cool stuff.

Now if I could only create something so cool to keep me motivated this semester. It's been tough to get into this last semester and I don't know why. Maybe the excitement of graduation, tirelessly searching for jobs, getting into the groove of a new semester where I don't have at least 20 credit hours, or waiting for our baby girl? Take your pick, it's probably at least one of those. Any suggestions on how to regain motivation...or find a job?