colemans in love.

{what we're reading}

2012-02-10T14:48:00.000-05:00

some of my favourite books growing up were my moms. & isaac will soon get to read them now, too.
i love that.
'fortunately' by remy charlip is one of my very very favourites. it is well loved. the cover went missing a long time ago & my name adorns multiple pages in red crayon.
i may buy another one on amazon. just so we have one that doesn't fall apart.
the same goes for 'never tease a weasle'

the pictures in older books hardly ever compare to new ones. they are so intricate & bright.

a few other favourites are:

'harveys hideout' by russell hoban
'the mole family's christmas' by russell hoban
all the winnie the pooh books by a.a. milne
'the little prince' by antoine de saint-exupery
'the rumpoles & the barleys' by karen hunt
'you are special' by max lucado

& then i'm curious about a few as well.
'wildwood', in particular. by colin meloy of the decemberists….

what are some of your favourite children's books?
we are still working on expanding our collection so we want suggestions!

{valentines treats}

2012-02-08T08:57:00.002-05:00

i'm thinking thru valentine's day this year…
& am a bit at a loss for the first time.

we are celebrating five valentine's together. all of which have been pretty big times for us.
our first 'date' was a last minute starbucks time. of two people with colds & wanting tea. & agreeing to meet up & have tea together. i wasn't looking my very finest. so i knew the boy was a keeper.
second valentine's was 'i love you'
third was our first married.
our fourth was when i told daniel he was going to be a daddy.
& this year we will celebrate with isaac.

each year we go to the same starbucks. & wear the outfits we met in on our cold induced first date - more or less.& this year we will do the same again.

no. 2, 3 & 4.

we have a fondue date at home planned.
but i'm at a loss in the crafting/gifting department still…

my beloved pinterest has given me a few ideas:

Source: colemansinlove.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

valentine's garlands i made last year.
maybe i can whip up a few more…

Source: google.com via Amy on Pinterest

a quick & easy valentine's display that kind of makes me want to paint all of our chairs red...

Source: thesweetestoccasion.com via Christa on Pinterest

valentine's printables.

Source: theitaliandishblog.com via Mindy on Pinterest

something quick & easy that i can make morning of - strawberry cheesecake pairfaits. for the cheesecake lover that doesn't have a spring pan.

& single doesn't mean you can't celebrate vday with your friends, i think.
it's a fun time to still make fun cards & write your friends & family little notes hello. & eat cheesecake & fondue. whaaaaat. yes. i said it. its only one day a year.

Source: chezlarsson.com via Kaleoma on Pinterest

super easy. sew pretty ribbons on a notecard.

make little portrait cards with lined paper & cardboard.
{i used to be in the habit of making little portrait cards for friends. maybe i'll start it up again this year?}

any fun ideas for valentines day?
leave a comment & any links below & i'll try to do another post with YOUR ideas!

{we have a date! & a winner!}

2012-02-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

we have a date for sweet baby's surgery.
february 20th. early in the morning.
i am not looking forward to taking isaac back to the hospital. but this will be good :)
& we feel mostly at peace about it. its just the first time back since we took him home. we'll probably be there for a few days, but i'll give an update afterwards & let you all know how things went!

i was putting together our blurb book for the year & came across photos from his last surgery. he looks so teeny & pitiful. i'm grateful for every ounce of baby fat he's gained. this time around should be much better…

Also, we have a WINNER from last weeks giveaway:

KRISTIE!!! congrats. you're the lucky lady!

send Uzi an email at holylandstreasures@gmail.com

{on being a dragon mom...}

2012-01-30T18:07:00.000-05:00

there was an article in the new york times a little while back - you can read it here. its beautifully written. & i cry every time i read it.

our situation with isaac is a little different, obviously, than this mom, but a lot of the thoughts she has are ones that i think, too.

we are both mommies to sweet boys that have genetic disorders.
& while her sweet son's life is quite certainly not projected past three years - our timeline is much fuzzier.
we could have three years. we could have 13. we could possibly have more - especially as they're making great progress with the research being doing for Fanconi.

but at the root of it we don't know. & that makes every moment special & sweet.

there is tons of hurt & sadness in not knowing.
but great comfort that God knows.

when i was little - really little - think 3 or 4, we always had little tapes playing that we would sing along with. i feel like i remember those almost more than any i hear now. i still find myself humming them sometimes.
& i sing them all to isaac now, for him to remember someday.

this one in particular i must have learned in sunday school & i hear the line over & over in my head when i'm talking to doctors & planning surgeries, or even when we think about how long we will have isaac with us:

He's got the little bitty babies in his hands. He's got the little bitty babies in his hands.

He's got the little bitty babies in his hands. He's got the whole world in his hands.

maybe that's silly - but there's truth in the little tunes I used to sing.

not everything that happens will be things that make me glad. to be human is to feel all kinds of emotions. but I can know that God is holding our sweet boy in his hands. & He isn't going to let anything happen to Isaac that isn't supposed to & that is a comfort.

I know thats a big statement. one that brings with it a lot of questions.

but for now i think its enough to say that we know that as parents, we will do everything we can for Isaac, but at the end of the day, its not really up to us at all.

part of this being a dragon mom as daniel now calls me {from the aforementioned article} is pretty cruddy. i have to be an advocate for my son in a world of PhD's - a 23 that looks 16 year old mommy.

where my son's disease is so rare that most of his doctors haven't heard of it...

i don't like that.

i don't like being stubborn & asking questions.

i don't like to cry in front of strangers in offices & in the parking garage.

i do like to please people. i am a people pleaser.

i like to cause as little trouble as possible.

to blend in.

isaac makes me speak up when i don't want to.

to forget to be self conscious & timid.

he makes me an asker & a learner.

he makes our family different. & perfect.

everything the world told me for 22 years was that this wasn't the life i wanted.

that it would make things difficult & uncomfortable. all of those things scared me, but come to find out, all of those things i was told weren't totally true.

no one tells you that to truly enjoy laughing you have to cry. a lot. that hard things can make or break a marriage, but if you are committed to making it, you realise you love your spouse more than you thought you ever could. that hot tea & days at home are nicer. that kisses from daniel, smiles from isaac & time with family would be more special.

i am becoming a better person for being a mom of a disabled little boy.

i am four months into being a dragon mom, & this baby is more perfect for me right now than a 'perfect' baby could ever be.

i was so scared of what have a special needs child would mean - & now all i can see are the blessings.

so maybe i don't like having to be a dragon mom in a lot of ways. but maybe, just maybe, being a dragon mom was best for me. maybe i'll be able to tell isaac someday how Jesus knew what He was doing when He made me his mommy. that i wasn't just the right mom for him, but he was the perfect boy for me.

i feel like i couldn't ever totally say what it's like - to be a dragon mom. but in a small way, this is how.

{holyland's treasures giveaway + a cute sleeping baby}

2012-01-26T15:15:00.017-05:00

maybe this is a funny thing to say that i've had my eye out for these past two years, but here it is:

the perfect nose ring.

true story. you can laugh now. or just think i'm ridiculous.

i am of the belief that facial jewelry should subtly enhance. i want people to see me before they see sparkles on my face.

so not too shiny. large. or neon. that's not so much to ask, right?
the keiosks in the mall weren't giving me much help. my diamonds always fell out {is it just me?! maybe i'm just buying cheap stuff...}

so, all i have to say is, i have found them!

this little etsy shop - holyland's treasures has beautiful ones.

etsy has become my go-to for a lot more things like this. for a lot of reasons:
-you're getting something that someone took the time to craft themselves. awesome.
-you're supporting small individuals & businesses. double awesome.
-& the quality of the items are better than anything i would buy at the store. at least that has been my experience so far.

all of that to say i have been super happy with them!
i got a gold & silver hoop & heart stud. & they have really pretty ear cuff's that i love as well!

so maybe this will help someone out that has been looking for just the right ear/nose/whatever ring.
& you can save yourself a trip to the mall, too :)

{first day i've dressed him in a real outfit. aka not a sleeper. thanks nicole ;) }

& for an extra special something, Holylands Treasures is giving away one small gold hoop
{like the one i'm wearing above & can be worn as an earcuff, too. not just for noses} to a lucky someone!

To Enter:
-just leave a comment! you have one week to enter & i'll pick a random winner next week!

{isaac talks}

2012-01-24T12:43:00.001-05:00

a minute and a half of our baby talk.

& isaac's, too.

he has made a ton of progress with all of the physical therapy we're doing with him.

we got him onto his tummy for the first time last night.

maybe not such a big deal to most people, but to us, its huge. its been really hard for him to feel comfortable on it with his ostomy. so we are proud.

he's also taken up cooing. all the time.

it's adorable. not quite as much when we want to sleep. but it's too cute to be very upset ever :)

still no update on a surgery time, by the way! we're coordinating with a few different surgeons that all have to be there, so its taking longer to get a date on the calendar than we thought. we'll keep you all posted...

{colby june}

2012-01-20T15:17:00.003-05:00

in honor of the new year - & just for fun, too, there are a few changes to my blog!

one is a new header {isaac was a little jealous his picture wasn't in it}
& i am also partnering up with a few small businesses that are sponsoring my blog, too. i'm super excited about this. they are all shops that i love & they have products that i LOVE.

so every so often there will be little giveaways or promos going on from them, too :)
i so admire anyone that is brave enough to pursue the craft they love & are skilled in & pursue it as their career. wow.

which leads me to colby june.
does anyone remember when i posted this picture a while back & was trying to figure out how to get ahold of these rings? well, thanks to a friend, i figured it out & they led me to colby's etsy! she makes this stuff. fabulous rings, bracelets, necklaces etc...

colby sent me a few of her rings & i can say firsthand that they are fabulous, delicate & pretty.
i'm actually using the silver band she sent over as my wedding band, now.

i had a super difficult time finding one that looked right with the ring daniel got me - they were all too wide & this is exactly what i had been looking for all this time!

guys, you have about a month until valentine's day…& a little longer to mothers day. or if you are like me, you can get a major head start on christmas ;)

AND…
colby is offering a discount on all the items in her shop from now until the end of february.
i gave you all the wrong code a few days ago, so so sorry. i didn't make it caps. but all is fixed now!
just type in COLEMANSINLOVE15 on your checkout page where it says 'apply shop coupon code'

you can click on the button on the right hand side of the page to get to colby's etsy shop.

{family//more after}

2012-01-18T18:41:00.000-05:00

we are blessed to have some amazing photographer friends! liz took some photos of us three at home just before christmas & we love them! i love having all of these photos to document isaac. he changes so much each week…it's been almost a month since then & i can't believe how much he's grown!!!

thank you so much for blessing us with these photos, liz!

all of you admirer's can check out her work, here.

{fab.com}

2012-01-16T11:39:00.002-05:00

iwon't always recommend 'deal of the day' websites…but this one is a keeper.
i have been in love with fab.com.
it has so many beautiful unique home items, & what really did me in, today, was looking at the beautiful kitchen appliances they have on sale right now - including a gold blender, kettle & coffee maker {!!!}
i am a big fan of gold things, if you haven't noticed by now…

i wish these had been around when we first got married, so i thought they were worth sharing!

some of their sale items are still quite pricey. you just have to pick & choose, but its such a great site!

you can view a lot of past items in their fab feed.

right now, you can only become a member by invite, only. but you can use the link here to sign up!

i hope you all enjoy it as much as i do! even if it's just window shopping most of the time :)

{play time}

2012-01-11T20:02:00.001-05:00

raptor baby couldn't quite decide if he wanted to play or cry :)

{baby boy update}

2012-01-09T17:17:00.003-05:00

its been awhile since i've given an update on isaac - so this is kind of long.
its hard to condense things with him, so sorry!

he's still doing really well at home. i'm amazed at how well things have gone these past {almost} two months…

we've had a few little freakouts. i may have called the pediatricians cell kind of late one night when daniel wasn't home.
whoops.
but its just really tricky with him - to know if crying hysterically, or vomiting or whatever else means his shunt isn't working or his colostomy is hurting him or if he's just being a baby. so far, he's just being a baby, & i'm just being a super concerned mom :P

on average, we still have 2 or so doctors to see each week, but things have majorly slowed down. & one of those two is at our home every monday.

in all right now, he has about 12 doctors that are following him 'closely' with quarterly or monthly or whatever else visits just because all of the little uniquenesses about him - they are all totally different & it takes a slew of different doctors to cover them all.

we should be able to cut that list {hopefully} almost in half within the next year or so once a lot of his surgeries are done. or at least into just yearly visits...

the only bit of new info is that we went to see the surgeon that is doing his colostomy. it's a three part deal. they did the first part the day after he was born & last week he told us that isaac is looking well & has grown enough to go ahead & do part two in the next few weeks, which is excellent news for all of us - daniel, isaac & i. {part two is a little hole for his bum, by the way}

we actually feel really really good about this procedure. i'm not looking forward to another surgery, of course. & its still definitely a major surgery, but i'm excited to be on the other side of this one & to be that much closer to being done with ostomy bags!

if all goes well, we could be looking at it ALL being done sometime in may.
so if you think of us in the next few weeks, please be praying that his next surgery goes smoothly!
we'll keep you all posted :)

{family//after}

2012-01-05T22:39:00.039-05:00

more beautiful photos from our dear friend michael.
he came to visit us right after isaac came home & took a few photos of us all.
we tried to repay him with hot cocoa. but i dont feel like it was a totally even trade…

{happy three months, raptor baby}

2012-01-04T21:59:00.001-05:00

isaac makes lots of squeaks that sound like baby dinosaur noises when he's getting hungry.
just one of the things we love about him so much.

he is three months yesterday.

he has made the last three months an adventure.
we're praying for many many more…he makes our family feel so much fuller.
we love you little raptor baby!

{caramel apple cider}

2011-12-30T19:45:00.000-05:00

each winter time - & maybe even summer time, we treat ourselves to starbucks caramel apple cider.

then i watched them make it one day & realised that we could totally do it at home!

we've been making them for the last month & a half on an almost nightly basis. {& we are again tonight while we watch white christmas. surprise surprise}

i decided to make our syrups rather than buying them. the recipes make quite a bit & they really don't take long. but you could get the cinnamon dolce at starbucks this time of year, as well i believe.

you will need: {per 12oz. cup}

1.5 tablespoons of this caramel sauce

2 tablespoons of cinnamon dolce syrup

apple juice or cider

{honestly, though. i eyeball all of these things & taste & add & taste. that doesn't help for a recipe, though, but i think these amounts are just about what we use for our cider. maybe just a pinch more…}

optional: {for a more christmas-y cider}

cinnamon sticks

lemon slices {one per cup}

a pinch of nutmeg

{happy winter}

2011-12-28T14:56:00.000-05:00

our christmas card in digital form. a few days late.

we hope you all are having the most happy of holiday seasons.
i can hardly believe 2012 is days away, now.

this blog has been such a blessing for our family. the encouragement from you all has been incredible. i feel like i know a lot of you in a funny sort of way. even just from seeing the same names commenting every so often - so thank you all!

{lavender hot cocoa}

2011-12-19T16:42:00.000-05:00

one of my favourite things about winter time is all of the hot drinks we've been making.
& even daniel liked this lavender hot cocoa.

i know. i was a bit surprised, too.
all it does is add a bit of a warmer taste that you can feel down in your belly. its quite nice.
& to make it extra fun, we used dark chocolate instead of a cocoa mix - but you can really do either.

it only take a few extra minutes, & is worth a try at least once this winter!

you will need:
2 cups of milk
3 ounces of dark chocolate
1/4 tsp of dried lavender buds
1 tsp of vanilla

heat milk + lavender over medium heat until milk is beginning to steam. then set aside for 5-10 minutes & let the lavender seep into the milk a bit. then strain the lavender.
i opted to skip this step to make things go quicker, but you really don't want a lot of lavender buds in your cocoa. really. the texture is a bit weird. you could even pour your milk into a french press & strain if you don't have cheesecloth, which is probably what i'll do next time around...
now put your milk back on the stove & add chocolate & vanilla. stir until combined & top with a dollop of whipped cream & go watch yourself something festive. like white christmas.

{a fun song by us + heartbreaker photos of baby isaac}

2011-12-15T19:12:00.002-05:00

no updates on our little man in awhile because we really haven't had any new news. & no news is very good news for us.

a normal day for me & isaac lately has been christmas movies & snuggles all morning & then i'll let him nap some in the afternoon & tackle bills or cleaning followed by dinner & more family time. other days are full of doctor visits< which at least get us out of the house. we've been little hermits over here & probably will be until flu season is over. hopefully by then isaac will be big & strong & ready to meet the world!

he is smiling more. & once or twice we have caught it on camera. he melts my heart every time.

also, big news…

we are going to have TWO redheaded colemans! isaac has a little mullet that is coming in auburn. i couldn't be more proud :)

in unrelated news - daniel threw together a little slideshow of some pictures of us over the past two years. it was actually really fun for me to watch. it makes me remember all of the fun things we did - just us two before our wonderful, but life changing little boy.

daniel may or may not have something to do with the song ;)

{diy tree skirt}

2011-12-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

this kind of post may seem familiar. its how a lot of them used to be before little man stole the show ;)
in between naps & feedings & doctors these past few weeks i've squeezed in little bits of time to work on a few projects.

we've been in need of a little tree skirt redo.
& theres been a lot of tutorials for no-sew ones floating around, so i did the same thing - folded over pleats to make lots of ruffles, only i ended up sewing mine after all. it just felt more secure. hot glue doesn't love sticking for me that well. & i actually think it ended up saving me a good bit of time - so if you HAVE a sewing machine - i like how it turned out quite well :)

you will need:

4-5 yards of fabric

a rotary cutter & board

a sewing machine & thread

an existing tree skirt

-wash & dry fabric & cut into strips. i did 4 inch strips & it took me about 5 hours to make this. i think if you did 5 inch strips, it would speed things up a bit, though…

-fold over fabric & pin onto your tree skirt so you are making ruffles - you'll want to start on the outside & work your way to the middle, so your last row will be the smallest. after you finish each row, sew & repeat - covering 1/2 to 1 inch of the previous row each time.

& a few christmas movies later, you're done!

its a bit late in the season to be making tree skirts, so sorry for my tardiness. let me know if you try it!

{family//before}

2011-11-30T18:24:00.002-05:00

just two days before isaac came, we were out taking pictures with our wonderful friend & buying gogurt.

things change awfully fast.

we haven't had any pictures of us since our wedding, so this was kind of a family shoot to celebrate two years & also to get some pictures of me pregnant still - although you can't totally tell in a lot of them.

its already funny to see myself with a belly. & at that time i couldn't imagine ever being able to lay on my stomach again...

{all photos copyright of blue kite photo - check out his work! michael is incredible}

{& the winner is…}

2011-11-29T10:44:00.002-05:00

CONGRATS KATIE!!!
head on over to knox's blog {if you haven't already} & pick out your toms!!!
{& by the way…i want a picture once you get them!}

i've kind of kept quiet this past week, if you all haven't noticed. when knox & kendra first mentioned doing this giveaway i was first of all, totally amazed by knox. daniel & i haven't even met him & he has spent so much time & his own money into this giveaway & he would probably try to downplay that & say it really isn't that big of a deal - but it really is, so THANK YOU. & thank you kendra for helping out this past week, too & for the crazy amount of people that tweeted about this & got the whole #babyisaac thing going. it was insane to watch all of that happening!

we are totally humbled - because i don't know if we would have given like you all have in the past. every person that donated to us is amazing whether it was $5 or $500 - just taking the time & sacrificing funds {that i know are in short supply for so many people} to do that for us means so much & HELPS so much.

isaac is the most beautiful & costly gift we've ever received - in a lot of ways. but right at the outset it helps incredibly much to know we don't have to worry about bills so much & can just take care of & love on him.

i'm pretty sure i could type for forever & it wouldn't be enough to thank you all. just know that we are beyond grateful for each & every one of you. & isaac is grateful, too.

much much love,
the colemans.

{win a pair of TOMs & more}

2011-11-22T09:36:00.001-05:00

Source: momentumshop.ca via Mindy on Pinterest

Hello readers and friends of Mindy!

My name is Kendra Sands. I have had the pleasure of being friends with Mindy and Daniel since before they were "the Colemans in love". They are very very dear to me. I asked permission to hijack the blog today to share with you an awesome opportunity to help them out!

After reading a lot of your comments, I know that you all love Mindy, Daniel and Isaac very much...that you have carried them in prayers, and that you ache for a way to serve them.

Mindy doesn't talk much about it, but you can probably guess that the hospital expenses in caring for sweet Isaac are quite intense.

You might not have noticed, but there is a button to the right that you can click on to donate to help them out. If you have given already, THANK YOU.

An awesome blogging friend of mine, Knox McCoy, began following the Coleman's story a few months back. He has a baby girl about the same age as Isaac, so their story hit close to home. Knox came up with a brilliant idea to help them raise money for Isaac's medical bills, and also allow you to win a pair of TOMs!

So please go to Knox's blog to find out more: knoxmccoy.com.

Also, please help by spreading the word about this giveaway. Tweet it, blog it, facebook it, tattoo it on your neck, whatever you can do to help!

PS- And while I am here, maybe you all can settle a mini-debate Daniel and I had. I like to think of Isaac having a deeper, tough guy voice. That is how i make him talk when I'm around him. Daniel gives him a higher pitched, kinda squeaky voice. Like a cartoon puppy. Which do you feel would be more accurate?

{a map of prayers}

2011-11-21T21:47:00.002-05:00

isaac's map is in place.
over 200 pins & a lot of googling cities later.

it really gives me chills just thinking of all of the beautiful people from all over the world it represents.

all we can really say is thank you.
its not really enough, but we truly mean it.

i wish we could hug each of you that have lifted up our little family in prayer, & know all of your names & say how much it means to us in person. but we hope you all feel at least a little bit of our gratitude & know you are represented in a small, but special way through this.

{home again}

2011-11-19T20:48:00.000-05:00

as of friday afternoon, our sweet little boy came home - after seven weeks.

he was a bit overwhelmed, at all of the newness & color & the quietness of our home compared to the NPCN, but he's a quick adjuster, & i'm pretty sure he is going to like it here :)

we are so loving our time with him all snuggled up at home. & its good to just be in our home again. its been a really long time since we've been here too, except to sleep. we're starting to feel a bit more like ourselves again...

thank you for all of the prayers that have carried us through the past seven weeks, & really the last 10 months. & for all of the prayers that will continue as isaac's little journey progresses. things happened so much differently than we even thought we had prepared ourselves for, but we were reminded again tonite that even though isaac & us have a lot ahead of us that may be really hard & painful, we are just cherishing today & the fact that his body is functioning well & feel so blessed to be his parents…almost a year of craziness with our first little boy still hasn't left us totally hopeless. maybe a little worn. & maybe a little cried out. but we will experience so much in life that now that we never would with another baby. god picked us out the perfect piece that was missing in our family of two.

leaving the hospital friday was actually a lot more emotional than i thought it would be. as thrilled as we were for isaac to be coming home, his little room was starting to feel more like home than our actual home & we have gotten so used to seeing his nurses & love so many of them, it was really sad thinking that we wont see them often from now on…

but being home is even better than i could have imagined.

we're just joining in on the sleepless parent syndrome. i'm pretty sure we even dreamt about being exhausted last night when i acutally did get a bit of sleep, but we will take the sleepless nights {mostly} gladly.

home to us almost seems free of fanconi anemia & all of the fears of what isaac's future may look like {for now} & he is just a normal, beautiful baby that just wants to be fed ALL the time. so one chapter ends & another begins.

& all i can think about right now…is how hard it is going to be when daniel goes to work & i have to grocery shop & make doctors appointments between his feeding times & all of the 'normal' mommy things that i've missed out on for the last while. & thats a nice thing to try to figure out for a change :)

{a weekend to catch up}

2011-11-14T23:17:00.000-05:00

we spent the first part of our weekend bustling about the house trying to get things in a bit of order because…

isaac could possibly possibly be coming home this week {!!!}

daniel spent a lot of saturday burrowed down in our crawlspace insulating our kitchen & breakfast nook {the floor was icy cold last winter}

we've also been working towards getting my car fixed. we had a bit of a breakdown a few days ago in the parking deck of the hospital actually. smoke everywhere. {i did have a bit of a stress-fest for a few hours over it. i have to confess. but after i thought about it - it was kind of silly. theres so many other things that should be upsetting right now, so what is a bit of car trouble, really. so many other great things happened this past week, too, that i shouldn't really focus on the little bit of bad}

it really was the first time i think i've been at home for more than just sleeping in probably two weeks. & it was actually really nice to just putter around & organise things & mess around in the kitchen a bit.

so a lot is going on. we cannot WAIT to bring our little button home. i'm trying not to get my hopes up too terribly much, but it can hardly be helped.

isaac is doing so wonderfully. he's eating great & he's so much more alert now. & we had a big pow-wow with quite a few of our doctors that was really helpful & i also met a FA mom & her son friday afternoon that was SO encouraging.

thank you all, too, for the sweet birthday wishes. i was so spoiled this past week by my husband & sweet friends & a snuggly little baby. it couldn't have been a better week, i think :)

{happy birthday to me}

2011-11-08T21:48:00.000-05:00

the sweetness that awaited me this morning at the hospital :)
my favorite baby boy with a present him & dad have been planning.
& a birthday banner from one of our sweet night nurses.
& chic fil a. also from a nurse.
they are really starting to feel like friends to us. i suppose thats what happens when you've been at the hospital for so long.

it really truly was, i think, my best birthday yet.
23 may not be the easiest of years, but i know already that it will be wonderful with my two boys by my side.

{fanconi anemia}

2011-11-01T18:43:00.001-04:00

thats what our brave little son has.
its complicated.
its super uncommon, so there isn't an overabundance of research or awareness.
& thats why we are talking about it, now.

because our son has it & even the fact that the doctors were able to identify it this early is really a miracle in itself. our geneticist had seen a case of it over 10 years ago & saw similarities with isaac.
a lot of doctors don't even know what it is, or have never seen it before.
but he asked that isaac be tested for it & it all came back positive.

i know most of you aren't doctors, & i'm not either. i've just been living in a hospital for the last month. but if you only know two sentences about FA, this is what it is:

fanconi anemia is a rare blood disorder. it often doesn't show itself, or begin to affect its patients until school age - but everything is arbitrary. it could be much sooner, or possibly a bit later. the result is bone marrow failure {the inability to produce blood cells}. The only thing that can be done for this is a bone marrow transfusion. & also because of the problem with blood cells, FA kids are at a much much higher risk of developing leukemia or other cancers, too. FA also can come with its list of anomalies, such as kidney troubles, slow or stunted growth, missing thumbs, an imperforate anus - all things isaac has.

it absolutely broke my heart to hear this about our boy.
i was angry & hurt. daniel wasn't there with me. it was all i could do to make it to my car before i curled up & cried. i had thought the worst was {possibly} over & this news just took my breath away.
its still hard & i would still possibly cry talking to you about it - but since the initial news, our hearts have changed.

it breaks my heart for our little boy - & honestly, it hurt too, because it broke the dream i had of this perfect little family - perfect as in not having to do with doctors & hospitals & transfusions & cancer...thats not apart of anyones plan when they start thinking about a family. & it definitely wasn't apart of mine.

but then i started thinking more about it & daniel talked me thru a lot & we prayed.
& so maybe isaac won't be 'guaranteed' the long & simple life i wanted for him. but then, no one really is. & in the meantime we can't consume ourselves with what could happen next year, or in five years, or ten because daniel & i aren't guaranteed that time, either.

we are definitely going to fight this with everything we have. we're going to study our brains out & email doctors & other families & we're going to pray every day that God heals our boy. but we are also going to just enjoy him each day for as long as we're all together. however long that is, knowing that he is the perfect boy for us & we're the perfect parents for him. & that the situation hurts - but we won't let it steal our joy in isaac or our joy in life.

this is kind of heavy.
& honestly, this is way worse than anything we had even expected. we had debated as to whether we wanted to share this with people on a really wide scale. but FA doesn't limit isaac or us. it doesn't change the wonderful plans God has for this boy & we definitely still are in need of prayer & we want people to know how they can pray for isaac.

this is going to be a long journey for the three of us & there are about a thousand questions we have, but we'll make it through & we'll keep laughing & loving each other & our son & our Lord.

much love to all of our friends - to the ones we've met & also the one's we haven't.

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, & yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? & which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?….Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day"

Matthew 10:26-27;34

{cheers to a beautiful, fallish friday}

2011-10-28T16:01:00.001-04:00

my mommas heart is glad again.
i'm well enough to see my little boy again.
we listened to coldplay together all morning & had a wonderful time.

did i say thank you already to everyone that took the time to leave us comments for isaac's project? we were SO overwhelmed by how many of you posted & have encouraged us. we have our map {it is a world map too! a few of you had asked…} & pins are bought {we opted for a pretty made one instead of cork cut outs this time} & our list is just about complete. can't wait to share with you all what it looks like when its done.

i'm just about positive its going to make me cry…

Source: printable.tipjunkie.com via A Spoonful on Pinterest

p.s. working on another isaac update. i know it was awful to allude to news & not post about it. its just taking some time to get it all sorted out in our minds before we share.

{family update}

2011-10-26T21:23:00.003-04:00

today has been hard on my mommy heart.
on my way home from the hospital yesterday i started feeling really dizzy & toasty. then a sweet friend brought us dinner last night & diagnosed me {100% correctly} with mastitis {she also totally papered me & got me set up on the couch & cleaned our house. SUCH a blessing} its actually not as scary as it sounds & i'm on antibiotics now, so hopefully with some more rest I'll be good to go tomorrow.

it was incredibly hard being away from my little man all day today. i don't think i could go another whole day without him…

luckily grandmoms have been able to fill in for me in the meantime, & daniel is with him tonite.

we also got {hopefully} the very last bit of news about isaac - some tests came back late last week.
it seems like its just been one thing after another with our brave little boy & every time we finally can wrap our minds around one thing we are surprised with something new & thats definitely discouraging. as much as we are trying to trust God with this -we have our moments of weakness & we've shed a good bit of tears. but as difficult as things can seem right now, isaac has made our family richer. god picked the perfect little boy for us.

we have lots to think about now - but they're mostly future things. i'm not quite ready for that post yet, though. {sorry! not trying to leave you all hanging} but for now our little man is doing well & we're still working on his eating to get him home. maybe just maybe by my birthday ;)

"You can be in no circumstances in which the Lord can not help you, in which he will not help you, if you look simply to him, rest on him, and wait for him. For every condition in which you may be placed, there is a promise; by that promise the Lord stands pledged to appear for you and help you; he is ever ready to deliverer you; only he will have you believe his word, exercise confidence in him, plead the promise at his throne, and wait for its fulfillment. Wait, then, on the Lord at all times. Times will change, creatures will vary, but the Lord remains always the same. In youth and health, in manhood and prosperity, in old age and its infirmities, we should wait on the Lord. He will adapt his mercies to us, make all his goodness pass before us, and cause all things to work together for our good. He will never leave us, change his views of us, or withhold his tender mercies from us. He is faithful to his word, true to his character, and full of love to his people.

Whatever change there may be in creatures, there is no change in him. Health may give way to sickness, plenty to poverty, strength to weakness, and life to death, but he is the same. With him there is no variableness, neither shadow of a turn. Therefore, "wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord."

{happy birthday, husband}

2011-10-23T21:50:00.001-04:00

daniel turned 24 yesterday.

we celebrated by getting away early in the morning to watch the sun rise over the lake + family waffle breakfast time + afternoon snuggles with isaac & an early bedtime.

we are going to be a bundle of birthdays & holidays between the three of us.

hope to be taking him home in the next week or two :)

{happy 17 days}

2011-10-20T18:43:00.000-04:00

little man is getting so big & so much more aware of whats going on, it seems.

one bit of very good news is that monday morning when i came in, they surprised us {or me. daniel is back at work during the daytimes now} by saying that they were moving isaac to progressive care. thats just one step away from home, so we couldn't have been more excited.

a perk of being in this nursery, too {isaac i'm sure, couldn't care less, but mom & dad are liking it} is that it's in the new part of the hospital & he has his own little room now & even a window that looks outside so he can start soaking up a few sun rays.

right now they're just monitoring his shunt & also trying to get him to gain a bit of weight & start bottle feeding. he can take about 2 bottles a day & the rest is going thru the little tube you see in his nose - he's making a lot of progress, though! someone came by to check him out today & agreed with daniel & i that he is doing super duper :)

they're still trying to get a few things worked out still, but overall he's really doing great & we couldn't be more proud of him.

if there could be only one thing we would ask continued prayer for, it would be that his shunt would continue to drain the fluid out of his brain like its supposed to & will heal & repair itself. he had an ultrasound done on it to check & see what kind of progress was being made while i was there today, but we still don't have any kind of results back yet. we'll keep you all posted :)

much love,

the colemans

{mindy, daniel & isaac}

{12 blessed days}

2011-10-15T22:28:00.000-04:00

i miss this funny little face tonite.
he is the most expressive little baby i've ever seen. he makes us laugh so much already.
i can't wait to hold him without a plastic yellow gown on all the time.

we are getting closer to him coming home for a little bit.
we'll be making some back & forth trips for awhile to be sure, but those will just be for a week or so at a time. the neurosurgeon came by again today to check on how things were going with his little head.
his shunt is draining just a bit quickly, so we have to hold him horizontally for the next few days, but they are pleased with how he is doing. so if they are pleased, we are perfectly happy.

he'll be moving over to progressive care just as soon as he can start bottle feeding + keep a bit more food down. they're mostly feeding him thru the tube in his nose right now, but we try to use a bottle with him 2x a day. it just tuckers him out to try to eat, it seems like. we can't get him to stay awake for anything.

progressive care means almost home for us, so we are thrilled & also a bit nervous at the thought of finally caring for him at home without a monitor hooked up to make sure he's breathing all the time.

but God has sustained our little boy thru so much so far & we trust he will do the same when we finally get him here with us.

his nurses are all telling us he is going to be positively rotten with all of the hugs & snuggles & kisses he's getting from us & grandparents & friends. but i think thats a good thing :)

p.s. we were totally BLOWN AWAY by all of the people that responded to our last post!!!!!
we're definitely doing some kind of world map & will post a photo when its all done. we can't wait to share it with him, thank you all so much for helping us out & thank you for all of the prayers for our little man.

{we need your help for a special project}

2011-10-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

isaac's surgery seemed to go really well this morning! {& we went in really early this morning to get some holding time with him beforehand}

it was a 2 hour procedure. but they kept us updated all the while. we got to walk him up to the OR & met all of the surgeons. they were all so sweet to us & we got to kiss on him before he left.

the anesthesia he was under today was a lot less than last week, so he started waking up around 3 this afternoon. he's looking a little roughed up. they shaved another little section on his head, so i think we may just grow a little mullet this winter & wear lots of cozy hats. & he has glue & tape all over him, but he still looks pretty handsome for just coming out of surgery, i think :)

our hearts are much more peaceful now & our boy is just a little bit closer to coming home for awhile.

& on an unrelated note:

we are working on a special project for isaac. we have been so incredibly touched by all of the prayers from people for him - our friends & family & from people we don't know in other states & overseas…

we thought it would be really special to make a map in his room with pins from all of the places people have prayed for him from so we can not only tell him as he grows up but show him, too, how God has protected him & how people have cared for our family.

so thats where we need you all to help us out. we've gone back thru a lot of previous posts - even from way back when we first found out about isaac & its been so great to re-read those comments & start tracking places, but we don't have locations for a lot of them, too. so if you have prayed for our little boy, please leave a comment letting us know & also where you're from so we can get pinning!

it's going to be our night-time project & hopefully we'll have it all done for when he gets home :)

Source: designsponge.com via Mindy on Pinterest

{more big things in store for mr. isaac}

2011-10-12T20:17:00.001-04:00

hi friends,

just wanted to give you all a quick update on our little man :)

today we got to spend a nice long morning with him snuggling & then with the afternoon came sweet friend visitors & also a feeding time & colostomy bag that needed to be changed & the neurosurgeon all at the same time. {i'm so sorry charlotte & anne!} so with the neurosurgeon brought news that isaac was having his next surgery tomorrow morning. a shunt. {a little tube that is going to drain the fluid in his brain}

we knew this day would come - but we had been thinking it wouldn't be for another month or so, so it took us off guard quite a bit & any surgery is scary, & isaac still looks so tiny, we were just feeling really anxious about this happening. we talked & prayed a lot for isaac & feel quite a bit better now about this happening. it really needs to happen whether we feel good about it or not, though.

putting in a shunt is a fairly common & 'safe' procedure, but anything happening around his little brain is just scary for us. the success rate for them is only about 70%. so it could potentially become infected or have to be rewired at some point in the next year, & that wouldn't be the end of the world, but we're still praying against those things - isaac will have surgeries enough without another one to add to the list.
& just with the suddenness {at least to us} of this procedure, we're also praying that if this surgery tomorrow isn't supposed to happen just yet, that the doctors schedule won't allow time to do it after all. he's scheduled for 8:30 in the morning, but depending on how some other things go earlier in the morning that his doctor has scheduled - it could potentially be postponed.

but with this surgery isaac is also one step closer to coming home with us. & that will be a wonderful day we can't wait for.

{meeting isaac for the very first time}

{happy one week birthday, little man}

2011-10-10T22:58:00.000-04:00

wow. what an incredible week for us.
its been so much harder than we even could have imagined - being in the hospital & all of the tests & the news from doctors - both good & bad.

but also so much sweeter when we get to snuggle with our little man.
i didn't think it was possible to love him so much as we do. it hurts our hearts to be away from him, but the past two nights back home have been good for us, too. we're getting some much needed sleep finally & catching up on laundry & little life things.

we had a quieter weekend with him, followed by a busy monday today with lots of visits from doctors.
they did an ultrasound on his brain this morning to see how the fluid is going down and/or moving/collecting & we don't have an official report back yet. the left side of his brain was about 4x bigger than his right, but it's looking like thats starting to shift & the two sides are more proportional from the looks of things -- off the record. still, we were really glad to hear the news.

sunday was a weepy day for us when little man had his eyes examined & they think he has optic nerve hypoplasia, which just means that the nerves in his eyes don't look like they're quite developed. that could mean lots & lots of things that we wont know for awhile. on the vision scale it could range from almost normal to legally blind, but we've researched it some & feel better about things.

we also really feel like he can see us. he looks straight at us & seems to know who we are.

it doesn't seem fair for him all the time to have all of this going on, but we don't know the big picture. we don't know what plans God has for him, but we do know he is here for a purpose & he is something really special.

we are praying nonstop for our little man. for healing. for peace. that he would know that his parents love him & that Jesus loves him most of all.

thank you all SO much for praying for isaac. its been so encouraging at the end of a really hard day to see so many other people have been praying for him, too. it makes our hearts glad.

{day four with our little man}

2011-10-06T23:59:00.000-04:00

Isaac had his very best day yet, today. We are so thrilled.

The morning started off a bit rough - we weren't able to see him until early afternoon because of some business in the nursery, but he was doing well all the while & we made up for it in the afternoon.

You can see in his little picture his shaved head & the VAD there on top where they're draining some of the fluid. We watched them do that today. I thought I wouldn't be able to watch, but it was actually really interesting. Everything has been so far. I'm surprised at all of the things I've been able to stomach. Maybe I could have been a nurse after all...

Then we got to help his nurse clean up some of the glue on his head & face & everything from the respirator & band-aids & things.

The little splints on his arms look a lot worse than they are. They're just stretching the muscles in his hands. It was actually really cool. We watched the occupational therapist make them for him so they fit his little hands perfectly. They are SO adorable on him. They look like little wings when he raises his arms. He's not a big fan of them yet. There was actually a tiny bit of velcro on one of them that wasn't covered & he got them stuck together when he was wiggling around. He's already making us laugh lots - very fitting of his name :)

He's off of all breathing tubes & monitors. He just has an IV in his leg for antibiotics, & a more permanent IV in his other leg for everything else. & he's pooping. I never thought that would be such a big deal or make us so happy. But that is really good news, because it means his surgery was successful & his tummy is working well, so the doctor gave him the a-ok to start feeding him this afternoon. He guzzled it down SO fast & seems to be digesting everything really well so far.

We got a bit of an idea of what will need to happen before he comes home, too. It could be Thanksgiving time, possibly. But mostly because theres another surgery that will need to happen with his intestines that will happen in 6 to 8 weeks & depending on how well he eats & how his tummy heals, we may be able to bring him home for a bit in between time. But that also will depend on if the fluid in his brain keeps on accumulating or if it just drains and is okay, which is what we are praying for. So we will try to be patient & we really do want him healthy & strong before he comes home, so we'll just have to get used to this type of 'normal' for at least a little while.

Thank you thank you for continued prayers for us & our little boy! We can't wait for you all to meet him & we can't wait for him to meet all of the people who have been praying for him all this time!

{day three + sweet man's little face}

2011-10-06T02:03:00.001-04:00

Just a quick picture of our sweet boy after surgery - actually its a still from a video we we were taking of him.

He's a bit taped & wired up & they shaved off some of his pretty hair - but he is beautiful still.
Sorry we haven't really been keeping everyone in the loop. We've been totally without techie tools the past few days. No fancy phones or cameras or laptops until super recently. I don't think we totally totally thought thru the fact that we wouldn't be home for quite awhile. So thank you dad for letting us steal your laptop :)

Okay, so here is whats going on with our little son.

All in all, we are really encouraged today. Its nice to have yesterday behind us & to be over a little hurdle. It seems as though everything that they've found with Isaac - both things that we were expecting & things we weren't, are so far on the better side of what they could be. The one major thing we still don't know much about - & probably won't really realistically for awhile is how the fluid in his brain is going to affect him as he gets older - we'll just have to be patient while he heals & grows.

So {somewhat} quickly & simply, so far this is what is going on:

-the hydrocephalus {fluid in brain} is slowly being drained now. One of the surgeries yesterday - the latter one, was putting a VAD just under the skin on top of his head. {from what we can understand} its about the size of a large coat buton & they are going to manually drain the fluid from there for now. That was kind of different from what we originally had talked about. Originally they were going to insert a shunt, which is a tube that connects from his head down to his stomach & his body would absorb the fluid that way. The reason this didn't happen was because...

-Isaac was actually born with an imperforate anus, which just means that his little bottom hole isn't there. So that was kinda shocking, but actually made sense with some of the ultrasounds that we had seen problems with his bowels in. That was surgery number one, & it went really well, but because all of his tummy area is kind of tender right now so they're not wanting to route any tubes down there just yet - hence the VAD. So back to the bowel stuff - right now they have just re-routed everything temporarily to a little sack on the outside of his tummy, but in the next few months they'll do another surgery & then another or two over time & can get everything all fixed up for him & working. It apparently isn't a super uncommon thing...& surgery went really well it seems like. We're still waiting to make sure everything healed up & is working as it should - but it sounds like it all went really well!There could have been a lot more complications with his kidneys, bowels & intestines, but all of those are looking okay :)

a few other more minor things that we'll just have to watch are:

-his missing radius bones {one of the two bones in the lower arm, that connect from the elbow to wrist} he is actually missing both of his thumbs too. it's actually really really cute looking having his hands curled up. & we kind of didn't notice the thumbs until a nurse told us. we talked with an orthopedic surgeon & the only action we're taking right now is getting him little stretchers for his arms/hands & in a year or two they can do a surgery that takes one of his fingers & makes it an opposable thumb, so he really should be able to do just about everything with them that anyone else would.

-his kidneys are fused together. & both on the left side. super bizarre, but they're functioning just fine! so we'll have to have them checked out every once in awhile just to make sure things are working right, but they're great so far.

he has a touch of jaundice, so we've been saying he's in his tanning bed all day today. they have a little pair of goggles for him, too.

& he's got scoliosis in his upper spine...like his daddy :)

he's been pretty sedated for a lot of the day today still - recoving from his big day yesterday.
but even so it was our best day with him yet, even though we didn't get to hold him. he is so strong & so many people have been holding him up in prayer, its no wonder he's been such a little trooper - & he's getting some good books read to him in the meantime :)

i know everything is crazy/technical but we know that hardly anyone really knows what's going on yet. so that is basically it!

we're still believing that God gave us this little man to take care of & love & He can still perfectly heal his little body. but no matter what, he is perfect to us.

Love,
the Colemans

{baby isaac is here!}

2011-10-04T22:56:00.000-04:00

just a super quick little post to let you all know that our sweet little boy is HERE!
born october 3rd at 12:30 in the morning.
he beat his induction date by a few days. he just wanted to be here a bit sooner :)

we could not be more in love with him. he is perfect to us in every way. we both cry every time we see him just thinking that he's ours & he's the little kicker that we have been praying for that was in my tummy for the past nine months.

he has the sweetest little face i've ever seen. & he's been such a little warrior with all of the poking, x-rays, iv's & the surgeries he had today. he was still under anesthesia from them when we went in to visit this evening, but all of his vitals are good. one hurdle is jumped, so tomorrow will be sweet to know that we can just be with him more.

thank you all SO much for praying for us & for the sweet emails & everything.
i know this isn't much of an update. we're just still super overwhelmed with everything going on.
i think we had prepared for this as much as possible, but its still just so emotional on top of all of the mommy hormones that are going crazy & the lack of sleep. so just know we are so blown away by everyones kindness - i wish we could hug & thank each one of you personally & hopefully we will with a lot of you, but until then know that we are grateful!

love,
the colemans

{maybe my last post for awhile}

2011-10-02T04:39:00.000-04:00

tonite i think is just going to be a sleepless night.
i've fought quite a few of them lately, but this one is a little too achey to fall back asleep, i'm pretty sure.

so after a doctors appt. on friday, my induced-by date is still the same, but apparently there's a pretty good chance i could go into labor on my own early. like, any time.

dudes, you don't have to read this stuff. i will try not to be graphic.
but as of friday morning, i was over 3cm dilated + my cervix was at about 85%, & i've had more contractions since, but always somewhat inconsistently, so this little guy could just decide he wants to be here before then pretty easily, i think.

so just in case i'm mia for awhile, i'll have a few guest posts here & there. & i've also dug up a few favorite past post to keep you company:

our favorite pita chips

easy christmas gifts

a great makeup brush cleaner

the best cheese fondue

a different kind of facial cleanser/makeup remover

{1 week to b-day}

2011-09-29T13:08:00.000-04:00

i haven't talked about a lot of 'normal' baby things on here, i suppose.
but isaac is a pretty exceptional little baby, so i guess that makes sense :)

since we've had an actually meet-baby-date, things have been coming together really well over here. everything is finally coming together. i think we just needed an ultimatum to really get things in gear.

-we had a baby shower for ii at daniel's work. totally their idea. & it was the sweetest thing ever. i wasn't expecting for all of daniel's co-workers to be so above & beyond sweet to us & our little guy. it was a cash shower too, which worked out perfectly - we had a few things left to get him. umm…actually a few pretty big things, so it ended up being awesome. cloth diapers, crib & pack 'n play are now bought :)

-speaking of cloth diapers. yes. we are. you probably aren't terribly surprised if you've read any of my other crazy ventures with these types of things. after talking to different friends, we {but really, mostly i. who's REALLY going to be changing most of these diapers here, anyways :P} decided to not buy all of one type of diapers. i'm getting a little over half pocket-diaper style & the rest are prefolds. everyone likes different ones for different reasons, & i wasn't really sure which ones i would end up liking the most. so half & half it is. we have 2 grovias, 2 fuzzibunz, 1 flip {all prefold} & 6 bumgenius {pocket diapers}. i think thats all…11 total for now. but i can easily buy more once i decide which i really like or if we just need more. i talked to a lot of people & researched a lot & i really don't think it will be much more effort than disposable ones. a little more, obviously, but an extra load of laundry here & there isn't a big deal. plus i've just never been a big fan of how disposable diapers smell. & we crunched some numbers & these will end up being a loooot cheaper. & they're just pretty looking. i mean colored diapers? yes please. we bought the majority of them via cottonbabies. they offer free shipping all the time, too, which is AMAZING.

-crib is bought. from ikea. we had the hardest time finding a crib after a ton of them were recalled in june. but we have one now. it feels like a real baby room :)

-our office & closet is finally organised {as much as it will ever be} thanks to a slew of fancy boxes & some file tossing.

-kitchen is cleaned from top to bottom. literally. the walls & everything. & is the proud holding place for our new juicer, too, which i am totally in love with.

-we are having a doula with us when they induce me next week. i guess thats a piece of news that we hadn't mentioned until now. i am so thrilled about it. i'll write up a post later on how/why we decided to go this route, because i think its a great option that people don't talk about a lot :)

i'm actually incredibly excited about next week. i mean, don't get me wrong, i'm not fooling myself into thinking its going to be a cake walk at ALL. it's going to huuuuuurt! but this is a little more purposeful than just being in massive amounts of pain for pains sake. so when i think about being in labor in seven days, when i'm all nice & cozy in front of my computer now - it really is exciting to me just knowing that our little boy will really nearly be here. i can make it through any day so long as i have daniel & know that we finally get to meet isaac on the other end of things. he's kept us in suspense for so long. it'll be - maybe not nice, but good - to have some answers to all of our questions soon.

{some tunes we are liking}

2011-09-26T09:37:00.000-04:00

i don't usually post about music.
i had just realised this about a week or so ago. i'm not really sure why.
we are definitely music lovers in this house.

so i thought i would post a few tunes we have been playing here lately.
coldplays album Mylo Xyloto comes out oct. 24th.
i've liked a lot of their songs in the past - especially off of their older albums.
daniel is even a bigger fan, i think i'm just not automatically sold on it just because its coldplay. not that he is either though, really.

but everything new from them that i have heard so far i am really liking.
this is probably still my favourite. the chorus is beautiful.

major minus & moving to mars are worth a listen too, i think :)

{pallet shelves + 35 weeks}

2011-09-24T12:37:00.001-04:00

Source: None via Mindy on Pinterest

daniel had seen this photo i had pinned on pinterest awhile back & surprised me by making isaac little bookshelves out out of the leftover wood we had from our laundry room.

we sanded down the edges a bit to try to keep some of the splinters at bay.

we'll just have to teach him to be careful with them when he gets a little older…

his room is starting to feel finished! {still minus the crib} we kind of just like to sit in there sometimes on the floor & think about him. it feels really peaceful already.

also, i'm 35 weeks yesterday. all of my clothes are finally not fitting. {please don't be mad at me, moms! its just because he's been so tiny all this time!} i caved & bought maternity jeans about a week ago at a consignment sale. i seriously think that i would have died trying to squeeze into any of my old jeans for another day. they're heavenly. i think i could do the whole elastic waistband thing for forever…

hope you all have a wonderful saturday!

today two of our friends are getting married this afternoon. they were some of the first people i met after moving here. i can hardly wait :)

{little boy's birthday}

2011-09-23T10:34:00.000-04:00

is going to be {most likely} the 6th of October!!!
just 16 days before daniel's & 33 before mine.

we are going to be a bundle of birthdays all in a row, & i can't wait to finally kiss all over his sweet little face. this has felt like the longest pregnancy - not that i have any others to compare it to ;)

so in the meantime we will just try to stay busy so the time goes by.
i've said it before, but its been awhile, so THANK YOU so much to everyone who has been praying for us & our little kickers. as the date gets closer, its easy to become anxious & wonder what life is going to be like starting in two more weeks, but that is still mingled with peace - at least in one of us. luckily we haven't had any two-person meltdowns yet…

& we definitely appreciate your continued prayers for our families & isaac as he continues to grow the next few weeks & while he's in the NICN undergoing blood tests & a surgery on his little head. thats a lot for a little guy! but we are just so excited to be his parents, it kind of trumps everything else right now.

we will continue to keep you all at least somewhat-posted. the hospital times may be a little tricky. but we'll see…

hope you all are enjoying this first day of FALL!!!

{tis the season}

2011-09-21T17:26:00.001-04:00

if starbucks can have pumpkin spice latte's already. then i can start making them at home, too.

here is the recipe from last fall.

i might add a bit of cinnamon to mine this year, too. just for fun.

{pumpkin spice latte} + {this pretty music to match}

{the very best + easy baguettes}

2011-09-20T10:48:00.001-04:00

okay, here is the first of several recipes to share in the next few days.
we have been devouring these yummy baguettes all summer long, like in our french onion soup.
they freeze awesomely, too. we just let them thaw & pop them in the oven until they're crispy on top.

you will need:

3 cups flour (i use half bread flour half kamut or whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
3/4 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of yeast
1 1/2 cups cool water

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

another 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt

optional: whole garlic cloves, whole olives, halved cherry tomatoes etc…for topping :)

no. 1
This recipe starts the night before/early morning - stir together the flour, sea salt, sugar and yeast. Add the water and mix until you have a wet, sticky dough. {this dough is stickier from start to finish, so don't worry if it doesn't turn out like normal bread dough - its not supposed to!} Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is bubbly and the dough is more than doubled in size, 10 to 18 hours. or 24. i've let it go that long. its no big deal :)

no. 2
When the first rise is complete, dust a work surface with flour & scrape the dough out of the bowl. Fold dough over a few times & form a ball. Brush the surface of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the coarse salt.

no. 3
Grab a large bowl & coat with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl & cover with a towel. Place in a warm spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until almost doubled. You should be able to poke it with your finger, & it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

no. 4
Pre-heat the oven to 500F, with a rack in the center & oil a 13″ x 18″ x 1″ baking sheet.

no. 5
Cut the dough into quarters. Gently stretch each piece evenly into a long, thin, baguette shape approximately the length of the pan - remember i said the dough was sticky? It still will be a little bit. It helped me to wet my hands first, before doing this. It should be pretty easy to stretch out, too. Place each baguette on the pan, & bury garlic cloves, olives or cherry tomatoes deep into the loaves or they will pop out, or just rest on top. I know… Then brush olive oil on each loaf, followed by a sprinkle of sea salt.

no. 6
Bake For 15 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. & reheat until crispy on top again if you plan on freezing them, or even just eating them later in the day.

these baguettes really are super quick to make, even though the instructions seem kind of long. its basically 10 minutes hands on time + several rising times.

makes 4 baguettes

{books full of memories}

2011-09-19T14:40:00.001-04:00

this past christmas time i had started making these books for daniel. i finally just got them printed last month. it took me awhile.

but they are fabulous alternatives to scrapbooking. which i love, but can never seem to finish.

they're also a lot thinner, which will be nice as the years go by, i think.

we got ours printed in 8 x10 books, with a hardcover image wrap. its a tiny bit more expensive that way, but we also wont have to wrestle with dust jackets.

this past time around we got all of our wedding day pictures & 2010 in books. up next is 2011 + all of our pictures from dating days.

we got them made through www.blurb.com & between now & the end of the month you can get 20% off your order using the code QUALITY if you're interested. they have deals like that going fairly often though if you sign up for their emails.

we could not be more thrilled with how ours have turned out!

{a few last projects for us}

2011-09-17T10:39:00.001-04:00

if isaac doesn't get here too terribly early, i have a few more projects i would like to get done over here. we never really know, though. our timeline is totally wacky right now. the 37 weeks could end up being 38 weeks. or 39, because of his {good} growth spurt. but the contractions i'm starting to have could also mean not quite 37 weeks. & a number of things in between.

so maybe this is our last weekend without coleman number three. but maybe we'll have four more weekends like this, too.

this week has been all about interviewing pediatricians, finally putting together some kind of birthing plan, phone numbers, packing lists. & today is all about wintertime laundry & packing a hospital bag.

it seems much too early for that, but i guess better too early than be running around the house trying to pull things together later.

so in the meantime, there are a few more things we'd like to do around the house if we can.

one of my fun projects is to make fun looking dish rags.
all of ours are about as nice looking as our old pot holders. too many wiped up spills, i guess. & i'm ready to just toss them all & move onto something fresh & clean.
maybe just not pink.

Source: None via Mindy on Pinterest

a few others things to do {hopefully} will be:

-tidy up isaacs room//hang bookshelves, etc...
-insulate under our kitchen {we had our first taste of fall weather & our feets are already freeing. i had forgotten what it was like…}
-maybe find ii a crib. just maybe.
-finish organising our office {the most never-ending project EVER}
-& freeze up a bunch of meals to make things a bit easier on ourselves for awhile. its going to be a crazy couple of months, i think. but i can't wait…

so, did this taste of fall visit anyone else around here, or was that just in the carolinas? we are loving it so much. as long as it doesn't get TOO cold…

{miracle stainless steel pan cleaner}

2011-09-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

maybe this is silly to blog about.
but i have been at war with our stainless steel pans for the past two years.

blame it on the fact that i had NO idea how to cook with them when we first got married + we had a few meals go horribly wrong early on.

so two years later i know how to cook with my pans & love them to death, but all of the burning i did in those first few months have just never ever wanted to come off.

so this morning i decided to take one last crack at it.
although i wasn't really wanting to scrub pans for hours - i wanted something {hopefully} easier, & i'm pleased to announce that i found it!

& okay, it may be embarrassing, to post a picture of this. but you might as well know.

i seriously thought that nothing in the world was ever going to clean these pans up. this stuff was STUCK on there.
& for something to come even close is a miracle.

it took me two quick rounds of dish soap + baking soda to get to this, & i'm pretty positive a third time would clean up the rest, but i didn't try that today...

you will need:

-a squirt of dish soap

-1 tablespoon of baking soda

-water enough to cover the problem areas of your pan

set on your stovetop over medium until it begins to bubble & watch out, or yours might overflow like mine did. as soon as it gets frothy, you can dump the mix into your sink & scrub off grime with a sponge or toothbrush.

i tried this with the bottoms of some of my smaller pans too {as you can see from above} & it worked great, too!

hope this helps someone else. i've never seen stainless steels pans as embarrassingly messed up as mine, so hopefully most of you won't even need this!

{a few fun things in greenville, sc}

2011-09-13T15:29:00.001-04:00

we took isaac to the zoo for the first time over labor day weekend in greenville, sc.

& of course the picture i post is of us with the chickens :P

the rest of the weekend was pretty much spent stuffing ourselves full of food from yummy little places.

we went to a cupcake bar called chocolate moose that was delicious - even though neither of us ended up getting cupcakes. we got yummy salted caramel banana pudding parfaits instead :)

daniel finally finally experienced his first bubble tea, too!!! at a little tea bar outside of our hotel caled O-Cha. seriously, this has been a moment long in the making for us. my favorite bubble tea shop in town closed back when we first got married & he's just never had a chance to try it since. i think it was a success. we ordered a blended passionfruit + green tea with bubbles. because its not bubble tea without the bubbles...

so a restful weekend together before the craziness of baby was just what we needed.

a baby update, too for you all:

things are ramping up over here a lot. partly meaning that we could meet isaac really soon, but mostly just that i feel like a celebrity with all of these doctors wanting to see me all the time. that part is starting to get old, if i'm being honest.

theres only so many appointments a week you can go to without starting to get discouraged and tired from all of the belly poking, measuring, shots, monitors, calling insurance companies, interviewing pediatricians, calling doctors to see if we really need to see this many doctors…etc.

especially for someone who would have prided herself on the total of three doctors visits my life had seen before this. theres some kind of a balance to it, i think, surely.

what it really comes down to though is that we just want our baby here - no matter how things are going to be. the testing & speculation is just tiring after awhile.

we're hanging in there pretty well, though. some days are better than others.

but even on days that just feel really cruddy & i feel like i might just like to curl up in bed all week & skip all the doctors appointments, this is a really good season for daniel & i.

& we would both say that this is the most loving thing God could have done for our family. & i don't think our hearts could love a little baby any more than we already do.

some good news is that i'm not being induced next week! that is all kind of up in the air again because he's decided to start growing {more} on track with what he should be. which means no steroid shots & no early isaac for now. super good news for us & him. we're just praying he continues to grow healthy & strong :)

{happy two years}

2011-09-05T09:32:00.003-04:00

photos via the fabulous lydia jane

two wedded years today with my love.

& a better man for me could not have been picked.

or for our little boy.

& there is no one else i would rather share life with - in all of its wonderful & sad times.

so here is to the second of hopefully many many years together.

{home projects + holidays}

2011-09-02T11:31:00.011-04:00

this past week was the start of a few projects & the finishing of a few others.

our bathroom now officially has a curtain.

because not having one is really awkward sometimes.

our kitchen is {becoming} a little more decorated. but there is still room for more photos on the walls.

last night was fix the washer night.

& lots of other little things.

picture no. 1 "C" inspired by this

roman shade tutorial here & way easier than i thought {still going to add little pom pom balls to the bottom, though :)}

what did you all do for labor day?

we took a little weekend trip to greenville. mostly to celebrate our anniversary - & our last getaway before isaac is here.

{frozen yogurt}

2011-09-01T13:58:00.001-04:00

oh my word you guys…i was not expecting that much amazing feedback from the laundry room!

quite a few of you asked how it was done - & i feel like i am completely the wrong person to tell you that, because i was out of town when daniel did it for me. but maybe i can get him on here for a before/after kind of thing. it's made out of pallet wood - that much i do know.

& from what he's told me, it really wasn't as difficult as it was time consuming {but so majorly worth it}

in the meantime, here is a super easy recipe for summer that we have been in love with -- just make sure its a little bit on the sweeter side, because it seems as though it turns out a bit tarter when its all frozen.

topped with simple syrup, peaches + basil is one of our favourite ways :)

{i also should have clarified that we use plain yogurt for this. i suppose you could use other kinds too, we just haven't tried it…}

{laundry room redo}

2011-08-30T09:19:00.001-04:00

why i unashamedly love our laundry room more than any other in our house.

one more project done.

daniel should give the men a tutorial on this one ;)

this was his weekend project when i went to the beach early without him.

{myregistry.com}

2011-08-29T10:17:00.001-04:00

hope you all had a safe & cozy weekend!
especially those of you on the east coast. irene only gave us a bit of a breeze on saturday, but we're far enough inland that she didn't really reach us.

so i'm not sure how many of you ladies would find this helpful, but for our baby registry, we used an awesome online site & i think it would be SO perfect for a bridal registry, too. just wanted to share, because i so wish i had known about it when i was registering for all of our wedding things!

its called myregistry.com.
there are several sites that all basically do this, & some of them may be even easier to use, but this one seemed pretty simple to me.

basically it lets you compile all the little things you would want for your home & put them all on the same registry. so simple but genius, i think. once you register, it asks you to add a little button onto your favorites bar {just like pinterest does, for those of you on there, it should be even easier}

ladies, this means that you can now register for those gorgeous anthropologie potholders, or fun little etsy things instead of your whole registry being bed bath & beyond or babies r us or whatever else.
i just think it gives so many more options. & for far away family & things, its great, too, because it gives you the option of mailing the item directly to them.

once you register, your page will look something like this below:

and for people searching for your registry, you would just go to the site, type in the persons name you're looking for & view their list from there.

i have loved having it for our baby registry, {although i still used babies r us for a few things too, but it was nice to mix it up a little} so i thought i would share the love!

{29 & 30 weeks plus baby update}

2011-08-26T16:31:00.000-04:00

{no real 30 week picture & i'm 31 weeks today. whoops}

so the short of the story is...that we are meeting isaac sometime between september 17th & october 8th. give or take a few days on both ends.

which, hello, is NOT so far away at ALL!!!

he's still a tiny little bean.

just a bit over 2 pounds at my checkup on tuesday, so we are praying that he continues to grow & his lungs develop well between now & then, & ultimately still that he will be born healthy & his brain will be functioning perfectly!

one thing daniel & i were talking about the other day, is how grateful i am that this is our first baby. i don't know any different, so i don't have a lot of expectations of what 'normal' should be. the normal number of doctors appointments & ultrasounds, or how i 'normally' would feel or even just have expectations of what i want my labor to be like & how soon i get to hold isaac & feed him etc…

so many things that i think would typically be a big deal to me if maybe we'd already been through this, or even just if this was a typical pregnancy aren't at all to us, when we really think of the big picture. & in a lot of ways i think that is a blessing. i definitely have opinions & thoughts as we're talking with doctors & specialists, but ultimately, we just want isaac to come home as soon as he can. & there are a lot of things that i would like that maybe won't be able to happen, but thats okay.

maybe i'll have to pump while we're in the hospital & isaac won't want to breastfeed once we bring him home. maybe i won't get to see him right away. maybe inducing me early won't work & they'll have to do a c-setion. maybe LOTS of things could happen that we wouldn't choose or expect. but a lot of things already have & we talk through them & pray about them. & we still can't wait to meet our little baby boy. none of the little decisions really matter that much in comparison. not really.

all of the natural momma stuff that i would love to do just maybe won't be whats the very best for isaac right away, & that is going to have to be okay because every babies story is different. & just being able to hold a moving, breathing little boy will be such a miracle to us.

we can't wait to meet you little kicker.

please grow nice & big for mom & dad. or all of these carbs the doctor ordered will be in vain :P

{in love all over again}

2011-08-25T15:30:00.000-04:00

i wanted to title this post 'film friday' because i am still thinking that every day this week is friday.
But, it doesn't matter, because this is one more item off my 23 before 23!!!

~~number 19: take 5 rolls of film~~

psh. i took one. only one so far. but at least i did that! & i am totally in love with them already, so i think we'll probably go through a few more before isaac is even here. the film was massively expired, so i didn't know how it would turn out, so i just had the roll made into a disc at walgreens today.

i've missed the graininess & tone of film so much.

& i love remembering all of the old dates these are from. & also how hot my husband looks :)

{chevron dresser before & after}

2011-08-24T17:44:00.000-04:00

please don't scold me for painting over wood.

it really wasn't even wood. it ended up being laminate after all.

i always forget to take before pictures, so see that dresser on the right? buried under cute baby blankets?

it was actually our kitchen island for the past few months, but we ended up not feeling quite right about it. the idea of painting it made me so nervous, but since we have now, i can't believe we ever thought the wood color looked okay {for this particular piece}. Oh, & here is his messy room, too. we're working on that part. You may note that he doesn't have a crib either. We're working on that, too...

so after priming, a few coats of paint, a chevron template, more painting & an antropologie run for pretty knobs…

TA-DA!!!

his too-big clothes are already packed away in the bottom drawer.

& that is just one more project off of my list.

oh isaac, we can't wait to meet you :)

IT COULD BE JUST THREE & A HALF WEEKS, FOLKS!!!

will post details of that tomorrow, though.

hope you all are having a wonderful week so far! it just doesn't feel like wednesday to me. i have friday fever already…

{shrimp & grits}

2011-08-23T09:35:00.000-04:00

i know! more food. i can't help it. my life seems to revolve around eating anymore. so bear with me ;)

since our topsail trip with daniels family this past may, i've been majorly craving the shrimp & grits we had on our family dinner out - so rich & delicious :)

i found a food network recipe & made a few changes to make it more like what we had & it was pretty dern close.

for the grits:

3 cups chicken stock/1 cup water

1/2 cup of whole milk or whipping cream

1 cup of yellow stone ground grits

salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of butter

1/4 cup of parmesan

for the shrimp:

2 tablespoons of butter

1 small onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 bell pepper, chopped

1/2 pound of smoked sausage, sliced

1 1/2 pounds of shrimp, peeled & deveined

1/4 cup of dry white wine

1/3 cup of sun-dried tomatoes

no.1 in a large saucepan, bring chicken stock, water & milk to a low simmer & wisk in your grits.

no.2 stir often until thickened {your grits should have a definite substance to them, but not be super thick. if they are, add more stock.} & add salt & pepper, butter & parmesan. turn off heat & cover until ready to serve.

no.3 with a large pan over medium heat, add butter & saute onion, garlic & bell pepper until tender.

no.4 add sausage. once it has cooked all the way through, add shrimp & saute for another 2 or so minutes.

no.5 add wine & sun-dried tomatoes. season with salt & pepper & serve over grits.

{p.s. the wine belongs to husband. i really have been a good girl the past 7 months…}

{once a week pizza}

2011-08-22T10:16:00.003-04:00

-pesto

-smoked mozzarella

-garden tomatoes

-half pepperoni {for daniel}

simple & good.

& really the best pizza i think we've ever had.

thanks for all your thoughts on the rainbow hair below, too, this past weekend!

i thought i had almost talked myself out of it until you all came along encouraging me :P

{tie-dyed tips}

2011-08-19T09:50:00.001-04:00

Source: thebeautydepartment.com via Mindy on Pinterest

i'm sure a lot of people have seen this floating around online.

daniel & i have briefly discussed {& i have permission!!!} to color my tips like this based on two things:
-after isaac is born
-& also contingent on the fact that if it ends up looking horrific, i can snip it off.

i've never ever colored my hair before.
i like my hair not colored. but when i saw this…tips?! that doesn't seem to risky. except for the whole pink part. me & pink have just never really gotten along so great...

so maybe. but maybe i'll chicken out, too.

thoughts? would you color your tips like rainbow bright, or is it just me?

{a few blog changes}

2011-08-18T09:24:00.000-04:00

you may have noticed some slight tweakings taking place on my blog the past few days.

i'm still working on things - especially the mess of links up at the top that are supposed to take you to recipes & things. i don't know what the deal is with those, but maybe i'll be able to figure it out.

so the little colorful flags will link you straight away to blog lovin' {which i LOVE. i've posted about it, before. but i will go ahead & tell you -- i adore that it is much cleaner & streamlined & easier to filter thru than google reader, but my one complaint is that you can't link things to your pinterest from it. it took me awhile to figure that one out.} twitter & pinterest instead of all the different sized buttons & links before.

then below all those little links you'll find an ad for shabby apple. if you've seen my twitter lately, they contacted me about being an affiliate for their dresses & putting that lovely little button on the side there. i actually wasn't sure if i would or not, but i figured, what the heck. & i like a lot of their dresses & things. so if you click on that little link & end up buying something I can earn a commission off of it {you can't say i didn't tell you now at least. so i'm not being sneaky about it :P} 5% isn't enough to quite quit my dayjob, but its kind of fun. so if you're in the market for pretty bridesmaid dresses or whatever else -- i would recommend taking a gander :) some of their swimsuits are really beautiful, too.

then below that i finally decided to un-hide my subscriber button.

& we'll just see what becomes of this little blog of mine. especially once isaac gets here.

our nest is starting to feel really empty without him. i can hardly wait...

{french onion soup}

2011-08-17T09:06:00.000-04:00

most delicious soup i've had in a really long time, folks. it takes just a little more hands on time to brown the onions, but otherwise, its super easy & GOOD!!! although i've been craving french onion soup for weeks now, so it was probably especially good to me.

you should still give it a makin', though, i think :)

french onion soup

original recipe from the curvy carrot

{recipe says it serves 6. maybe its just because i can eat about double right now + this was super amazing but i would say it serves 4}

3 pounds or 3 large/4 small onions, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons of coconut oil/butter
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 pinch of sugar
3 cups of chicken or beef stock + 2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder/flour
1 sprig of thyme {or a bit of italian seasoning, if you aren't in the habit of keeping fresh thyme around, like me}
1/4 cup of dry white wine
1 crusty baguette {i have a killer recipe coming your way for these, too}
1/2 cup of gruyere or another fancy cheese of your liking

1. melt coconut oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
2. add onions, salt & sugar. cover & cook for 10 minutes. then reduce heat & cook until lightly browned. this takes 20-30 minutes. but you can just go back every 5 minutes or so & give it a stir.
3. begin adding water - just a tablespoon at a time. don't add your 5 cups right now. just stir in enough to loosen up the dark brown stuff on the bottom of your pan. continue to cook until onions are even more browned.
4. add arrowroot or flour & stir for 2 minutes
5. add stock, water & thyme & bring to a boil.
6. lower heat, add wine & any additional spices to taste & simmer for 20 minutes.
7. this final step is for about 15 minutes before you're ready to eat: slice up a baguette into 3/4 inch-ish slices & cover a cookie sheet. bake until crispy, or dry.
8. then you'll want to scoop your soup into heatproof (thing corningwear style) bowls, set on a baking sheet & top with baguette slices + cheese. heat in your broiler at 450 until cheese is melty & bubbly & EAT!!!

{a few projects done with lots more to do}

2011-08-15T14:28:00.000-04:00

this past weekend i had some time to work on a few projects while daniel was out & about.

i'm actually thrilled with how my first one turned out.

especially since i've neglected my sewing machine for the past few years.

they're still not perfect - at all. but it was my very first time using bias tape {its always been super intimidating to me} & i think considering, they turned out pretty well.

i won't even try to post a tutorial for it, because there is already an awesome one here.

its a pretty easy sewing project - maybe not for an absolute beginner, but if you've done any sewing at all, i think you could do this :) they took me about an hour each from start to finish this first time.

& the best part about this was that i was able to throw away two hideous & hole-y pot holders for two much much nicer ones.

i've also made one of these pot holders, too, recently. & i'm just not super dexterous, so i like the idea of having my hand in a mitt. it feels safer. but they were even easier & really fun, too.

Source: mygirlthursday.com via Mindy on Pinterest

also hoping to make stockings inspired by these {but a little more manly. there will be two boys in my house & i don't think they'll be wanting fuzzy leopard stockings}

Source: blog.freepeople.com via Mindy on Pinterest

still dying to make these

Source: orangejuice-etc.com via Mindy on Pinterest

& possibly this

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

{28 weeks + 8 weeks to go}

2011-08-12T14:33:00.000-04:00

everything we do lately seems to be preparing for little isaac.

whether it really has very much to do with him or not.

i've gotten quite a few projects finished, & quite a few more to do -- things that i know probably wont happen once he's born.

like our blurb books.

or sorting thru old childhood boxes & turning them into little pint sized books, too.

or cleaning out the office.

or making a ridiculous amount of freezer meals.

right now its looking like we won't have any more than 8 weeks before we meet our little man.

yes. eight!!!

& no. that doesn't line up with my due date, if you were just doing the math.

but from all of our talks with different doctors, we'll have to deliver him early. for various reasons. the swelling in his brain & also he's on the tiny side. a good bit. when we first were talking about delivering early because of that, it seemed kind of odd to me, but it makes sense now.

isaac is going to stick around in momma's belly for as long as possible, but he'll still probably be early.

so two months before baby.

which has kind of put me into christmas mode way early, too.

i don't want to be thinking about presents any time between october & december -- & honestly, we probably won't have time to! so thats just something else on my list between now & then.

present buying. decoration sorting. stocking making {today :)}

hopefully i won't be tired of it before thanksgiving :)

because i might have to turn on a few christmas jams while i do these things you know…

{a good idea gone kind of wrong}

2011-08-11T10:15:00.002-04:00

this is isaacs baby blanket gone horribly wrong.
but for some reason i keep on adding to it.

& just in case you were wondering -- i DID follow a pattern, so HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!
that 5x7 blanket that i thought i was turning into a 3 1/2ish x 5 1/2 ended up being over 7 1/2 feet long.
this is three balls of yard later, & now that i've spent hours & hours on this little guy, i'm unsure again what i want to do with it, after all.

you are probably looking at the worlds largest baby blanket in the works + mommy blanket + daddy + extended family. i'm pretty sure we could all fit.

lesson maybe should be:
don't start a blanket from the back seat of a car?

date nite.

2011-08-10T13:01:00.000-04:00

lately we've both been playing piano a lot more in the evenings.

i had really forgotten how much i loved it.

unfortunately, i'm strictly a music reader. but daniel is trying to break me of my habit.

the piano isn't really ours, either.

our dear friends that lived with us this summer have left it for a bit longer until they're settled in their new home.

it'll be sad to see it leave. i suppose we'll just have to get our own one of these days :)

{goodbye numbers 6 &13!}

2011-08-05T10:27:00.000-04:00

still working on my 23 before 23 list.

i'm still really glad i made it. i love crossing things off lists. ask daniel.
but i feel like a lot has changed already since i made it, too.
baby i kind of changed a few of my goals a little {like the 5k. yeah right!!!}

but i'm still getting a decent number of them crossed off.
well…8. but in my defense, there are quite a few of them that i have 'basically' finished, but haven't marked off yet.

i still have 3 months, so we'll see how many more of these i can knock off. up next i think is a christmas tree skirt...

my two most recent victories, though, are numbers 6 & 13 -- shoot another wedding this year {& the way i'm feeling lately, i'm glad to have just done the one! all of my limbs are starting to turn to jello…} & print off our blurb books. i'll post about them when they come in the mail! i am SO excited about seeing them :)

is anyone else out there making progress with their new years resolutions or lists?

{27 weeks}

2011-08-04T11:56:00.000-04:00

bad picture. im sorry. we realised at about 11:30, the night of our shower that we should probably have pictures of us from it. {but i'll post more about that, later}

little isaac is finally noticeable, although i think he's still mostly hiding way back in my belly somewhere.

i haven't given you all a baby update with him in a long while now, but really thats just because we don't know anything new with him. my last ultrasound was over 5 weeks ago, & at that point, we didn't learn anything new, either.

we go in again this next tuesday.

i'm excited to see him - & also a little nervous.

but mostly, we still just want to meet him & know how to love him.

this is just a season of patience right now. & while waiting is an easy thing to do, on the one hand, because our lives still feel pretty 'normal' waiting, its also hard to not know what life is going to look like for our little man & us. just doing things - anything, in a lot of ways seems like it would be easier than the waiting, but theres nothing we can do right now. so patience for us it is.

i'm officially in my last trimester now. so we're getting there. just a few more months & a new season begins.

{make your own: deodorant}

2011-08-03T15:29:00.000-04:00

oh gracious. i have lots of things to say but for today i'm just going to post this deodorant 'recipe'

{bleck. calling it a recipe sounds a little icky, but you know what i mean}

its super simple.

you will need:

1/4 cup of arrowroot powder

1/4 cup of baking soda

1/4 cup of coconut oil

10 or so drops of essential oil {i use tea tree & it smells really nice}

this past time around i actually blended it all together in my food processor & it mixed a LOT better. in the past i've just used a spoon, & that does work fine, but the arrowroot + baking soda tends to leave a few tiny clumps, so i like it this way much better.

this actually works REALLY well for me, too. just in case you were wondering. its one of those natural products that i don't think i could use if it didn't. so i suppose it depends on each person a little bit, but i've found it works better than store bought deodorant for me.

just a few notes:

-it took me ages to find arrowroot powder. maybe its just my grocery stores, but any health food store would have it, & amazon does as well in massive quantities. but you can also use it in a lot of baking…

-coconut oil beginds to solidify below 76ish degrees, so when last winter came around, it made my deodorant a little more difficult to scoop out of the jar. i just moved it to a bathroom that wasn't so freezing in our house. & maybe you wont have that problem at all. our house gets super chilly in the winter months.

now back to my nutella + pretzels :)

{some old, but favourite things}

2011-07-27T17:03:00.000-04:00

going thru a season of morning sickness & now still being pregnant, i've been thinking more of what i'm going to do once isaac is here & how things are going to change & how much less time i'm going to have {at least for awhile} to putter around the house & make a lot of the things i am now.

its kind of been a nice season of figuring out what i'm really still wanting to make & what i'm okay buying, so i thought i'd make a list. maybe it will be helpful for people, maybe not. but they're just a few things that i have found are super quick & do-able for a upcoming baby season. & they're things i really feel good about making…

as far as cleaning/beauty products

i still love making:
deodorant {only for me. i buy daniel's at TJ's}
face scrub {will post soon}
face wash
all purpose cleaner
hand soap
toilet cleaner {just plain old borax}

its easier to buy:
laundry detergent {ecos on amazon}
dishwasher detergent {although a friend posted a recipe that i think i may have to test out. i just never liked mine quite enough to keep making it…}
toothpaste
face moisturizer

hopefully i'll be posting a few more homemade things soon! if i can just get around to taking pictures…

{25 & 26 weeks}

2011-07-26T17:07:00.000-04:00

kind of behind with baby pictures. but thats okay. because not a whole lot has changed.
you can finally see him a little bit. but probably only in this weeks picture :)

{back home again}

2011-07-25T16:28:00.000-04:00

sneak peek of one of the little beach projects i was working on.

we had a wonderful week away.

daniel & i made it through our two day separation. barely. it was good for both of us, though. & he got an awesome project done for me while i was away!

i'll leave you in suspense for a bit longer, though.

now we're just settling back into our home.

big week for us.

our friends & house guests are moving out this weekend & we're having our shower/party for little isaac the same day.

can't wait to meet that little squirmer more & more.

will post some {maybe} fun things later this week!

{waiting on old friends}

2011-07-14T22:48:00.001-04:00

waiting on old, dear friends to arrive in town late tonite. i wont see them 'til morning, but i can hardly wait :)

our families have all kept in touch since we moved from phoenix five years ago. & this weekend we are all going on a beach trip. their family & mine.

i have some super duper old pictures of us all somewhere, but i wasn't quite patient enough to find them today.

& for tomorrow, daniel just bought tickets for us all to see the last harry potter together.

eeeeeeeeeeekkkkkk!!!!!!!!

friday hurry quickly, please.

{hello, barn}

2011-07-12T07:47:00.000-04:00

daniel escorted me down to my sunday evening shoot this past weekend. we snapped a few pictures just afterwards before we left. we haven't had much time together this past week. so every minute is glorious.

this coming weekend will be our first one apart since we've been married. in almost two years. im not looking forward to it already, but i think, being together again will make it worth it.

{newest kitchen friends}

2011-07-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

here are a few new must-have friends in my kitchen.

& i also have to say…amazon has become my very best shopping friend. it is AMAZING.
i am so spoiled with amazon prime now. i can order something wednesday afternoon & it will be at my door by friday. they are cheaper & i never leave my house.

cod liver oil
it doesn't taste fishy. daniel even admitted it. although he's still not a huge fan of the oil going down his throat. but you can take it with a glass of oj or tea or whatever & never ever know. i've been taking a spoonful in the morning & evening & i honestly feel better when i do. Twinlab is a good brand of cod liver oil, too. there are definitely ones that are even LESS processed. but we can't be spending $30 per bottle per month on cod liver oil right now. So this is definitely a start. & if theres really only one suppliment I'm going to take - this is it. Its soooo good for you.

stevia
we just got this on friday. i've researched stevia a lot over the past few years & knew i wanted NOW's brand because tons of people had raved about how it didn't have a bitter aftertaste (& it doesn't! praise the Lord)
we also decided to go with the alcohol-based over powder or glycerin because the powder is typically the most bitter & is also hard to mix into your foods. & the glycerin was supposedly messier. & i like clean bottles. we went for the 8oz. bottle. & it is going to last us for YEARS i think. $16 for 8oz. may seem a little high, but when you think that i only put two drops of stevia into my tea this morning & there are thousands of drops in 8oz. it is totally worth it. it does taste a little different from sugar, not bad. just a different kind of sweetness. so maybe if you're on the fence you could always go with the 2oz. bottle just to try it?

& our blessing fridge. this is actually a few months old, now. i dont think i ever mentioned it. daniel won it at work awhile ago which is incredible. & especially for two people who never win anything at all, really. {only a buzz lightyear toy for me.} its been a lifesaver with house guests & also because our previous fridge was leaking TONS.

what did you all do over the weekend?

today i'm celebrating a super busy last week & weekend by doing nothing all day.

5 photo sessions in 7 days. now just a heck of a lot of editing before we leave for the beach with my family saturday!

{23 weeks}

2011-07-07T15:44:00.001-04:00

i really feel like theres tons i could blog about. but today will be just this.
23 week belly. or. not belly.
& to celebrate my almost 6 months i have packed my week full of madness.
3 photo sessions + 1 wedding + just back from vacation unpacking & cleaning + birthday celebrating etc.

its great. but we'll see just how much longer i'm able to keep up such a quick pace. i think next week might be a great nothing week :)

hope you all had a wonderful 4th! what did you do to celebrate?

{topsail beach number one}

2011-07-05T14:53:00.000-04:00

We are actually going to the same beach twice this summer. Once with daniels family & once with mine.

Our coleman family trip was at the end of may, & it kind of got overshadowed by baby news on here. i'm finally just getting around to looking at all of the pictures from it, so i thought i'd post a few :)

As always, we stopped in on Wilmington first & ate at our favorite, Riverboat Landing.

One really fun surprise was that our beachhouse had kyacks! i'd never been in one before, but we went out paddling in them almost every evening & had coffee & beach walks every morning.

see you again in a few weeks, beach :)

{22 weeks}

2011-06-28T18:48:00.001-04:00

back from our second set of doctors {& last} for the week.

yesterday we received good news about baby c's little heart. everything seems to be functioning well & that was a big concern from our doctor originally.

then back into the specialist today for another ultrasound & the good news is that they didn't find anything else wrong. things are the same with his little radius bones missing & the swelling in his brain. it was a little disappointing to see that he wasn't better. but we still haven't lost faith that God can work a miracle in his little body if He chooses to.

& either way, we will love him dearly. we talked a bit more about some testing & things we can do after he's born. & some things that they would be able to do for the swelling. so that was all good. our hearts are still mostly peaceful. there is a possibility they would have to do an emergency c-section, it sounds like, if the swelling were to continue, but right now everything seems fine. they will just continue to keep an eye on him & we will pray.

thank you for all of your prayers, again. we really can't thank anyone enough.

our little boy is going to be named isaac, by the way. for anyone that didn't know yet.

it seems so perfectly fitting for him. it means laughter. & we still want to laugh lots with him as he grows up. we also really loved the story of abraham & isaac in genesis 22. it seems really fitting for our little guy :)

we'll continue to keep you all posted if we find out more!

love,

the colemans

{23 before 23 update}

2011-06-27T12:03:00.002-04:00

two more items off my list, no. 4 & 5 with a few more on the way.

i'm still no expert bread maker. but i have successfully made sandwich bread & for me, that is enough. its always been crumbly before & you can slice this loaf super thin without it falling apart in the toaster.

& my tomato plants are all growing. i have five this year. i think i mentioned that? not quite what i originally had planned for a garden. but these are baby steps :)

{rainy, beautiful thursday}

2011-06-23T09:14:00.001-04:00

today is my one day at home this week with no work & no doctors.
its a beautiful feeling. things haven't been quite so busy for me in a really long time, & i enjoy a lot of the busy-ness, buy i'm so glad to finally sit down for half a day & enjoy my yogurt & tea in peace & not driving down a busy freeway.

I was thinking yesterday…I used to post about healthy eating on here ALL the time. & I haven't for awhile.
Partially because first trimester sickies left us with fast food a lot of the time & I wasn't cooking hardly at all for 8 weeks. But I'm finally cooking again & since I have, we've been eating tons & tons better. I definitely still love how I feel the very most when we're eating healthy foods. This is kind of a big season switcher for us right now, but I'm still super passionate about eating good things. I think maybe being sick followed by being so busy has changed the way I do things a little bit. I'm realizing that I'm just not going to have time to make everything from scratch, & theres nothing wrong with that. I just need to pick & choose what is really worth it for me to make.

This morning I am giving bread another shot.
One of our house guests, Michelle, is a fantastic bread maker. & she used the recipe I am going to use today. She also used my mixer & pans & oven. So surely…its got to turn out okay for me, right?

I have lots & lots of things to say, but for now I guess its just this. & a picture of the best chicken tikka masala I've made so far. It was really mild with a tiny kick after each bite, so you could add jalepenos or something to it to make it spicier. But it was an improvement for me, big time.

here is the recipe. their picture is 100x nicer. this was all i took before i couldn't stand not eating it anymore. the only difference is that i had bought a whole chicken that was in the crock pot all day, so i ended up just making the actual tikka masala in a pan & not the crock pot this time.

& thank you once again for everyones sweet comments & for praying for us. I feel like I should say that at the end of every blog post - we're so very grateful :)

{21 weeks}

2011-06-18T16:03:00.000-04:00

21 weeks with little baby boy. he's a squirmy little guy.

i love feeling him move around - it kind of feels like he's trying to talk with me a little.

can't wait to meet the precious little boy :)

you probably wouldn't notice, but our bushes in the background are beautifully trimmed thanks to lots of friends that came over this morning & helped us get our yard back in order a bit. we are SO grateful.

now off to a beautiful saturday wedding!

{a thousand thank yous}

2011-06-17T12:07:00.001-04:00

wow guys...we have been so overwhelmed with the care & prayers you all have showered on us this past week.
thank you so much for everyone who left encouraging comments & has prayed for our family or emailed us. if i never got back with you, too, i am still super grateful.

the more things have settled in for us - at least the little we know so far, we are so excited about this little boy - if he's perfectly healthy or not. i can't wait to hold him & take care of him. we are already so much more in love with him than we were a few weeks ago. i feel as though our hearts could just burst we are so excited about meeting him. i think we have a name for him, too. it seems to fit him well. but i'll give it a few more days before we decide for sure & i start posting it everywhere.

we have another doctors appointment today, too. i'm just a little nervous about it. i can see that doctor days could possibly be the most trying for us - or at least make me the most fearful, but it'll be good to go & talk to them now that we can think a little better. & i don't think we'll learn anything new this time, either, so theres really nothing to be nervous about.

in completely unrelated news, though. daniel made me a raised bed for my tomato plants. i have five of them this year. thats kind of what my big garden plans turned into this year. five tomatoes. but its still more than last year :)

i am excited for them to start growing. especially the heirloom ones. they're a little further behind than our store bought guys...

hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

it is a month of weddings for us! i think we have one each weekend for the next several weeks in a row!

{our sweet little blessing baby}

2011-06-10T14:57:00.004-04:00

This little post has been quite a few days coming, so far - & its reaaaally long. I'm sorry for that.

A lot of our friends have been asking since monday what the word is on our little baby after our ultrasound that afternoon - monday to friday is a long time to wait to say anything, but we kind of needed the week to process everything a little more.

So basically, we had our ultrasound monday & i thought we'd find out the sex within a few minutes & be done & go off and celebrate. the end, kind of thing.

But they found some things in our little babys brain from the ultrasound that we weren't expecting - i don't think any expecting mom really plans on hearing that her baby will be any different from any other healthy baby. & i wasn't either. so monday we left knowing that our little babys brain didn't seem to be growing quite like it should & there was a lot of fluid in the left side that was making it swell that could be a sign of some kind of syndrome. so by the time we left on monday we had an appointment scheduled with another doctor on tuesday to do a more in depth ultrasound at the hospital the next day.

The next afternoon, we sat through another very long ultrasound appointment. the swelling was still visible, & the doctor also found some problems with a few of the babys organs - primarily its bowels, & it looked like it was possibly missing both of its radius bones {one of the two bones in your lower arms}, & my umbilical cord also appeared to be a single artery cord - two is typical, or normal.

Oh! but we did finally found out the sex that day, too. A little boy. Hopefully he'll look like his daddy :)

So obviously, saying its been a crazy few days for us is a major understatement.
I've never quite felt 22, but i feel about twice my age, now.
it's been a big growing up week - the most bitterly sad times i think either daniel or i have ever experienced, but also strangely peaceful, too.

The first question from our doctor was if we even wanted to proceed with the pregnancy - & with the little bit of control we have right now, we're choosing life, absolutely for our little baby boy.

Right now, our next step is to decide if we want to get any testing done, either thru blood work or an amnio - neither will give us any absolute answers, or even really half answers, but we could possibly know to prepare a bit more for when our baby comes.

So, that is where we are now - we won't have any more answers for the next several weeks at least, & most likely until our little guy is born.

In the meantime - I think we're really doing about as well as possible. Our hearts are sad for our little boy, & its easy to let ourselves become bitter or angry or scared about what this could mean for our family, but those haven't been our all-consuming thoughts. Finding out your child has an illness or deformity or a chromosomal problem just doesn't seem fair, but we serve a God that is bigger than any ultrasound screening or any problems that our little boy could have. So even in the midst of something like this, Daniel & I have felt such a massive peace over our lives that I can't even explain. Even in the moments that feel the hardest & I think that maybe my heart could break & my eyes can't cry anymore - they're tears for our baby, but also a strange gladness that the Lord would care enough about us to grow us this way & trust us with this little baby - because it's really His baby, & not ours, after all.

To a lot of people that must sound absolutely crazy, I know it does. A lot of what I've said might even sound kind of gibberishy. There is a verse, though, that I think really explains what we're feeling in Psalm 27:12

"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord…"

& we really do believe that, even though we've found ourselves in moments where its easy to despair.

I can see a little better already how really awful things like this can somehow turn out for our good. They work good in us & expands our hearts - they hurt a lot more, but they are also more compassionate.

It makes us pray so much more than we ever have before. Our marriage & our faith is stronger & we love our little baby so much more than we did before our ultrasound Monday...

We've been talking a lot the past few days, too, about how we should pray for our boy, because we do believe that God has formed our little son & he can heal his body. So we're praying for healing - either a miraculous healing or through medical ways, but even if God chooses that our best isn't to heal our little man - we know we trust & follow a God that is kind & loves us so so much.

Daniel had emailed me this morning a verse that I think sums how we want to pray for healing in Daniel 3:17-18. If you're not familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, this verse is right before they were being thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship the King's idols:

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Their prayer was for deliverance, but even if God chose not to answer their prayers the way they wanted, they were willing to submit to what He had for them.

So for a while we will wait. & see how the Lord works out the rest of our family story while we try to just live a day at a time & take each doctors appointment & each glad & sad thing as they come.

Sorry again for the massive length of this - its been the hardest post for me to try to write in not too long terms all that we've been thinking the past few days - but we wanted our family & friends to know our hearts - {& what we want our hearts to be} as we're walking through the next few months. We're so grateful for all the care we've received already & all of your prayers, so thank you!

{guest post from rylie: my corner of the universe}

2011-06-07T11:15:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I have a lovely guest blogger, Rylie filling in for me today with some gorgeous looks for summer. Hope you enjoy :) & be sure to show her some love in the comments below!

-----------------------

Hey guys! This is Rylie from My Corner in the Universe. I am so excited to be filling in for Mindy today.

Summer is here. And with summer comes all of the cute summer clothes. Here is a list of my four favorite styles for this summer!

First up, neutrals and nudes.

Soft and elegant, can make an easy transition from day to night.

It also looks great with sun kissed cheeks.

Stripes:

Graphically bold, yet simple, crisp, and clean.

Floral:

Nothing says summer like a great floral.

Timeless, with a touch of flirty and romantic... It's perfect for any summer day.

Messy bun/braid:

And last but not least, your crowning glory, the mane attraction -- that's right, your hair.

The messy bun/braid is so feminine, easy, and just plain cute.

*click on any picture for its source*

There you have it.

Thank you guys for hanging in there with me. And thanks again, Mindy, for letting me guest post!

Have a great day!

-Rylie.

{18 weeks}

2011-06-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

we're back from the beach! i got a little teary as we drove away this morning. blame it on the massive amount of hormones that are going on right now…

i loved early morning beach walks so much.

still feeling really well as far as baby c is concerned. i can feel it/him/her pressing against my belly a LOT more the past few days {i dont think i can call them little kicks. just movement} & thats been a tiny bit uncomfortable - but i'll take that for the next 4 months, gladly.

we find out for sure what our little guy is on monday! can't wait :)

{17 weeks}

2011-05-30T21:05:00.000-04:00

promise to goodness this is the week i'll catch up & not be posting my bump pictures late.
this was taken in wilmington a few days ago on our way to the beach.
we are having a splendid time so far. its nice to have time with family & extra days with daniel.

& because of that - & the super slow connection i have here - i am cutting this post short.

happy memorial day to you :)

{things i love: friday}

2011-05-27T16:36:00.001-04:00

okay. here is a baby edition of things i love friday. in honor of finding out {maybe} what baby c is.
but i wont share just yet. we will find out for absolutely sure on the 6th of june when we come back from the beach!

so here are a few cute things for baby boy or girl that i love:

Source: etsy.com via Mindy on Pinterest

these super cute onesies. i think they'd be pretty easy to make, too :)

Source: joannagoddard.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

mommy essentials from joanna. i can't find the backpack on etsy anymore, though. kind of a bummer…

this pattern for a nursing cover that elisa used. i'm not totally sure how many of our baby things i'll actually end up making. but i think i can at least do this :)

Source: purlbee.com via Mindy on Pinterest

simple & pretty blanket for baby c's room. i love this one.

Source: None via Mindy on Pinterest

or i might go with something like this instead…

if i had planned better i could have started it on the way to the beach tomorrow. blast. maybe next beach trip...

Source: herseaoflove.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

this nursery is really sweet to me. i think i may want to put a trundle in ours if it will fit! in leu of a comfy chair, maybe…

Source: prudentbaby.com via Mindy on Pinterest

well, maybe i lie about not making many of our baby things. because i want to make these, too! at least for gifts. now to just find some pretty fabric.

Source: ohdeedoh.com via Mindy on Pinterest

& umm…hello! most amazing little girls room EVER!!!

this little dandy for hd videos of first giggles & crawling & everything in between.

for until i get my mark ii at least, right daniel ;)

hope you all have an EXCELLENT weekend! we're getting our first taste of summer at the beach this coming week, so i may be a bit m.i.a. this week. but no more than i have been the last few weeks, really. sorry about that…

okay - i have some packing to finish. will update again soon :)

{Guesting Posting It}

2011-05-25T09:38:00.000-04:00

today i am guest blogging over at the lovely elisa farrows blog.

you can check it out here !

{16 weeks}

2011-05-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

im still behind. here is my 16 week picture. still not much of a belly - but thats okay because…

IM FINALLY STARTING TO FEEL GREAT AGAIN!

i love being able to do more each day. this past wednesday it just kind of hit me overnight & i was waking up earlier & able to go out & run errands, do my photo sessions & do more around the house without totally wearing myself out. its great! hopefully it lasts for another few months!

& all i want to wear anymore are dresses. they are infinitely more comfortable than any pair of shorts or jeans & have. they are all pressing on my belly & its getting uncomfortable to sit up, so dresses it is! for months & months :)

our friends are also moved in with us now, too, as of saturday & mostly settled into our guest bedroom. one of my friends also had her bridal shower, i had a senior session & we went to a nascar race - all on saturday.

nascar is basically the only thing that really puts charlotte on the map - racing & banking. so i needed to go. we parked two miles away {i am not even kidding. not even. it was crazy!} & walked & walked & then walked some more because our seats were all across the stadium & we popped in our earplugs & we watched the race & then we walked & walked back to our car at midnight & decided that it was good for us to go the once…but we dont ever need to go to a nascar race again. we were kind of odd ducklings there. the race was actually kind of exciting, but the whole nascar atmosphere really isn't our cup of tea, i think.

then sunday was daniel's mom's birthday. we are going to the beach at the end of the week with his family & one of his sisters & her family was already in town. & my parents & brother came to celebrate, too. so we had lots of fun & yummy food & played games.

but now i am pooped out from all of the weekend festivities.

did you all do anything fun this weekend?

{things i love: friday}

2011-05-20T10:25:00.000-04:00

this may be a good tradition to keep up for fridays.
sorry for my crazy lack of posting. i'm actually feeling kind of blogged out, lately. not because i'm super bored of this blog or don't have anything else to say - but i'm actually blogging for a company now, too! which i love. but some days i just don't feel like posting twice. & so i just….don't. & still not having my camera means even less motivation. but that will change here soon!

anyways, here are a few things i've been loving the past few weeks:

Source: smallplacestyle.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

this kitchen island!!! we actually just bought a dresser we're going to do something similar with for our kitchen. but the idea was from this picture. i can't wait to see how it turns out! i'll post a picture when its done :)

Source: youmustcreate.tumblr.com via Mindy on Pinterest

these rings. i can't for the life of me figure out who makes them! if anyone knows please please let me know! i just love them…

Source: polyvore.com via Mindy on Pinterest

everything about this outfit. the top would cover my small belly pop for awhile longer i think, too…

Source: witandwhistle.com via Mindy on Pinterest

chalkboard paint on my ball jars. i still have tons of them in cabinets & in our fridge - & this would actually be super helpful to remember whats in all of them!

Source: indie-handmade.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

this garden. i so wish i could see the rest of it! it looks like something out of an old novel. i just love looking at it…

hope you all have WONDERFUL weekends! ours is actually going it be super busy! lots of fun things - but the amount of activity is actually making me a little nervous - silly, i know. but in just the last few days i've had a lot more energy! i'm able to wake up earlier & do more without taking naps or breaks in the afternoon so this will be a good test :)

{spring cleaning}

2011-05-17T16:11:00.000-04:00

i'm trying to wrap up spring cleaning this week.
its taken me much longer than normal, it seems. just because i don't have massive amounts of energy to clean & sort all day. & our home is bigger now. but things are shaping up around here. & the goodwill piles are growing.
just in time for our moving buddies to arrive on saturday :)

we're having friends stay with us for awhile while they're in between homes right now. i don't think i'd mentioned that?
they'll be moving to south carolina sometime this summer. so having live-in guests was just extra motivation to get things done this week!

one area that gets kind of tricky for us to keep cleaned is our entry room. we end up collecting piles of magazines. daniel gets a lot of them from work & is always bringing them home for me to look thru, but that also means we can easily get STACKS of magazines lying around. i finally started taking to ripping out the pages of things i really loved & throwing out the rest of the magazine, but then i had stacks of papers which is even less pretty.

so a few days ago i scanned all of the pages into our computer & uploaded them to pinterest. SO amazing. it took a bit of time to go thru them & scan, but totally worth it. & i may actually remember about some of those pages now, which i never did before…

we've also been doing a lot of home projects. my camera is still mia - being fixed & hopefully to be returned soon! so i'll post some pictures when it comes back :)

{catching up on photos}

2011-05-14T13:18:00.000-04:00

well, now that i am 16 weeks, here is week 15. & then i'll be all caught up :)

i am also already having trouble bending over. or rather getting back up again once i bend.

& i feel little flutters in my tummy sometimes that make ME flutter, too.

i'm not going to lie - so far i don't think i'm one of those women that just LOVE being pregnant…but little c will be worth it. & i'm certainly starting to feel better. & i like the fluttering. so maybe we're going into a not too bad stretch now.

hope you enjoy your saturdays! if you haven't noticed, i'm not much of a sunday poster - so i'll be back with something on monday!

{15 weeks}

2011-05-11T18:04:00.000-04:00

i'm not keeping you all updated on little baby c very well so far, i know.

part of me just doesn't want this blog to become a total baby blog - & part of me also just doesn't know what to talk about either, i think.

i also feel super weird about posting belly pictures.

don't get me totally wrong. i love looking at other peoples. but when its me…it just seems so weird.

that & at 15 weeks i still just have a little food pooch. so its not really much to take pictures of.

but last week i remembered to take one really quick. or daniel did before we went on our date nite.

i'll do better this next week!

in the meantime - i'm not even feeling super pregnant right now because most of the nausea is gone + being tiny bellied still. i am realizing that maybe i'm not eating quite enough some days, because come early morning i'll wake up & be SUPER hungry & i think that makes little dude not very happy - so, basically, i end up seeing all of the food that had been left in my tummy again before i can get breakfast going some mornings. so i'm trying to eat even more.
i have a check up tomorrow & then next time is my ultrasound & we'll finally know what kind of a little buddy we'll be meeting this october!!! i can't wait - & can at the same. i need just a few more months to start wrapping my head around being a momma.

in the meantime - i'm starting to make a little list of things i'm going to need for little c.

i don't know ANYTHING - or very super little about baby things.

so if you see something awesome or if there is one thing {or several} that you mommas just feel like you couldn't live without - pretty please leave a comment & a link or let me know!

I need to start looking into these things. & I'll take all the help i can get.

{what i read: april}

2011-05-09T17:11:00.002-04:00

okay. so after all of my novel reading last month i totally ran out of books!
so for the month of april i finished a grand total of ZERO.
i've started a few, but i probably shouldn't even talk about them should i? that would just be cheating…

hopefully next month i'll have some interesting things to say.
in the mean time - i'm making a list of all of your great book suggestions!

here are a few, for anyone else that's wanting something new to read, too:

-the great gatsby; f. scott fitzgerald
-mara, daughter of the nile; eloise jarvis mcgraw
-wings of the dawn; sigmund brouwer
-the black arrow; robert louis stevenson
-room with a view; e.m. forster
-the count of monte cristo; alexandre dumas
-the outlander series; diana gabaldon
-water for elephants; sara gruen

also:
HAPPY BELATEED MOTHERS DAY
to both of my mothers :)

daniel & i are super blessed to both have amazing parents & they LIKE EACH OTHER, too!!!

they really are our best friends. we love being with them all & i wouldn't have it any other way.

{my mom & i would both say though, that for us this was not ALWAYS the case, as we talked about last night, but i'm glad we understand each other better, now & have lots of fun}

we got to celebrate a bit with both of them yesterday. lunch with daniels parents & dinner with mine.

i can't imagine not having them in town. its great having them so close!

hope you all made your mothers feel like queens :)

i kind of celebrated mothers day, too. i got a super cute pair of baby uggs from my mom.

i am totally in love with them! even if we have a boy - i think he's just going to have to wear them, still.

{projects to do for may}

2011-05-05T12:05:00.000-04:00

i'm starting to realise that i'm gathering up lots of pretty looking projects on pinterest. & at first i was doing some of them - but i'm not anymore. so i've gone thru today & picked a few that i think we can realistically do this month.

some home projects:

Source: picasaweb.google.com via Mindy on Pinterest

a coffee table for our living room {this is actually a daniel project. technically.}

Source: twighome.com via Mindy on Pinterest

& i changed my mind about the picture frame. i still love the idea, but i think this will work better & the picture frame is going to become a mirror.

& these recipes:

Source: 101cookbooks.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Source: sproutedkitchen.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Source: designspongeonline.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Source: leitesculinaria.com via Mindy on Pinterest

definitely not over ambitious this month. but if i can do just these few things, i will be very glad indeed :)