Project 366: Week 21

Picture Dump

Wow, what a week! I forgot how the days fly by in a crazy blur with a newborn. I can't believe Maeva is already 2 weeks old...she is such a sweet little baby! Unfortunately it appears she has some reflux problems, so that's been no fun. I'm trying not to worry about it, but when you go from a baby who basically never spit up, to a baby having major spit up that even comes out her nose? Well, it can be a little unsettling for mama, particularly at night time. We're working on figuring out what will help her, so hopefully things will level out soon. I hate to see her uncomfortable. :( On the bright side, she is gaining weight despite all of this! She was 7 lbs 13 oz at birth, 8 lbs 4 oz at 1 week old, and 8 lbs 15 oz today, so I'm very thankful for that.

Other than that, not much is new here. Of course I have tons of pictures to share, so I thought I'd post a few today. I snapped this picture the other day when Patrick got home from work, and I think it's one of my favorite pictures ever. Looking at this picture and realizing it's my sweet little family is just surreal and makes me feel overwhelmingly blessed. And yes, I'm sappy right now. Blame the postpartum hormones. :)

Manny is so so SO obsessed with MB.When he wakes up he immediately starts talking about and looking for the Bebe. He hovers around her seat and is just dying to play with her. It makes me so proud to see how sweet and attentive he is to her. Yes, he can be extreme at times...but it's pretty much him not knowing how to control his excitement.

I do worry about leaving him alone with her in a room because he has been known to try to climb in her seat with, or should I say ON her. But sometimes it's just not realistic for me to always be in the room. The other day I made a quick trip to the bathroom and came out to find Manny playing doctor. It was hilarious. I think he's so excited to have a playmate...I can't wait to see them interact in the months to come!

Manny is always front & center for diaper changes. He drags his stool in front of the changing table, and talks to her - sometimes plays with her hair, which is PRECIOUS - while we're changing her. Then we give him the diaper, and he goes and puts it in the diaper pail. He's all business & gets offended if you take that job from him.

Maeva is changing so much every day, but I do see a lot of resemblances to Manny. I love these pictures of them in their baby burritos. Manny was a little older than she was in this picture, but I still see some similarities.

I think she really looks like him here too. And she ALWAYS wants to have her right hand on her face. It was like that in all of her ultrasounds too!

Here's another video of Manny hanging out with her. This is pretty much how it is all day...he's always just hovering. :)

So there's a little update for the family that's been asking. :) Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend!

Project 366: Week 20

Manny is TWO!

It's hard to believe it, but my sweet little boy turned 2 on Thursday! Since we'd just been home from the hospital a few days, we didn't really have much of anything planned. We didn't want to overdo things and be stressed out, so we will have his birthday party sometime in the weeks to come. Guess I should go ahead and plan that, huh? (Procrastinators unite tomorrow.) Anyway, we still wanted his actual day to be special somehow. And thanks to my AHHH-MAZING mother, we were able to do some fun things. She went to the store the night before his birthday and picked up some balloons so Manny was able to wake up to balloons (which he LOVES) on his birthday. He was pretty intrigued by them. :)

She also picked up some cupcakes for him to take to MDO. She dropped him off that day and took these pictures of him carrying the cupcakes inside. Doesn't he look like such a big boy?! Makes me sad but proud. 

Manny's teacher sent me these pictures of him enjoying his cupcake. She said he devoured it in record time. That's my boy! :)

I love this picture of Manny giving my mom a kiss. He loves his Mimi SO much!! 

My mom and Manny share a birthday, so we wanted to go out and celebrate them. This was our first time out as a family of four and the thought of doing this again makes me laugh. We even had my mom's help so it wasn't a true representation of what it'd be like...but it's safe to say we probably won't be going anywhere for awhile. Ha! We tried to get a picture before we went in the restaurant but Manny was wanting to run off into the parking lot, so Patrick was making him hold his hand. And when Manny doesn't want to cooperate, he goes limp and drops to his knees so you basically have to drag him. Gotta love it. 

They brought dirt pie to mom & Manny, and sang to them too. I love the look on Manny's face here while they were doing their little chant. 

Sweet Maeva Beth slept through the whole thing. I know I'm biased, but I do believe she's breathtaking.

Patrick had his eye on this racetrack deal he wanted to get Manny since he is OB-SESSSSSED with cars. My mom also gave him a little car set and he loved them both and plays with them non-stop.

It was a fun day celebrating two of the most important people in my life! Mom, I am SO thankful that you were here to help make Manny's day special, even though it was your birthday first. :) You are the most selfless & giving person and we are so blessed to have you as our mom & Mimi!!

Project 366: Week 19

Home Sweet Home!

Home Sweet Home! We came home Monday afternoon and are getting settled. It is SO SO nice to be home. I didn't realize how ready I was to leave the hospital until it hit me that I hadn't left my hospital room since I walked in Friday night. Talk about cabin fever. I'd like to say it's nice to be sleeping in my own bed, but unfortunately not a lot of sleep is happening at this point. At least at night anyway. She is bright eyed and bushy tailed when it comes my bedtime it seems. But she is so stinking cute that I don't mind for now. We're working on fixing that though!

Manny continues to be pretty standoffish to me. He looks at me like he's a little confused and hurt, and it just breaks my heart. I know it will get better - it already is - just slowly. He adores Maeva though and always talks about the "bebe". Here is a video where he kept asking to hold her, and he was so sweet with her. This melts my heart! He is so sensitive right now and I know it's hard for him, but he will be fine. Yesterday he got mad when I told him not to hit the wall with his golf club (I'm no fun) and he ran to his bedroom and LOCKED HIMSELF IN. We didn't know he could do that! Fortuntately there is a key over the door so we busted him out, though he was content staying in his room. Poor buddy.

In an attempt to send myself straight to the crazy bin, I scheduled newborn pictures yesterday morning. She did so many cute poses of Maeva and I can't wait to see them! Manny, however, was FAR less interested in posing for any kind of picture. Instead he wanted to run around growling "beee-beee" and march around her, while yelling "MARCH!" He is obsessed with marching - it is so cute! He loves this old Donald Duck cartoon where Donald is in the Army and yells march all the time...so Manny likes to also. It is so so cute. However, it was a little much when he was marching within inches of Maeva's head. She'll be a tough cookie for sure! :)

And in case you missed it in the excitement of Maeva'2012/05/its-party-velata-fondue-fun.html" target="_blank">Velata Fondue party! Go here to read more. It will be open through Wednesday, May 23rd.

Happy Wednesday friends!! :)

Maeva's First Days

Good morning friends! In case you missed it, our precious little Maeva Beth was born on Saturday, May 12th, at 2:11 pm. She weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz, and was 19.5 inches long. Here she is yesterday in her adorable SheShe Made gown.

Manny has been SO sweet to her!! These pictures absolutely melt my heart. The day she was born he kept wanting to love on her and kiss her. Yesterday he didn't pay much attention to her but did give her a few kisses. He's been staying pretty busy checking out the hospital. :)

Here I am with my sweet girl on Mother's Day. I couldn't wait to see Manny either, but he had zero interest in seeing me. He basically has been giving me the silent treatment. It kind of breaks my heart, but I hear this is normal and am hoping it will change when I'm at home.


She totally has Patrick wrapped around her finger already. It's so sweet!


We have been blessed to have lots of family and friends come visit us! I was so fortunate to have my mom here from the time we checked in to the hospital. My sister Rachael came up from Dallas on Saturday, as well as my dad. Ellie brought Maeva a baby doll and she was so cute giving it to her. :)


On Sunday, my two older sisters Jenny and Becky, and their kids Gabi, Zack, and Hayden, came to visit. They brought Maeva the cutest sweet pea doll in a little pea pod. I kind of think they look alike! :)


And last night, my best friend Candice came to visit, as well as my friend Megan. It was so great having so many visitors and made the hospital stay very entertaining. :) I had to include those bottom 2 pictures in that last collage to show just how much Manny wanted to be around me...except not. Ha! He brought me some flowers for Mother's Day and my mom was trying to help him give them to me, but he wasn't on board with that plan...little stinker. We also attempted a family picture, which was a joke. Pretty sure I better get used to that. :)

Thanks so much for all of the kind comments and prayers during this time!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Meet Maeva

Introducing Maeva Beth Martin. 7 lbs, 13 oz., 19.5 inches. Born May 12, 2012 at 2:11 p.m.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

She's On Her Way!

Well it appears Maeva Beth has decided it's time to come! Apparently my water broke this afternoon, though I didn't realize that's what it was at first. Here are Manny and I before we left for the hospital. I miss my sweet boy already but know my BFF is taking great care of him! We are at the hospital now and just waiting for Maeva to make her grand entrance. I will be sure to post as soon as there's any news. Prayers are appreciated!! :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's a Party - Velata Fondue Fun!

Hi friends! It's Friday afternoon, and I'm still pregnant. My sweet girl is taking her time coming, but we now know she will be here by Wednesday at the latest. I will be sure to keep you guys posted of any changes in the meantime!

So what's a pregnant girl to do at a time like this? Turn to food, of course! Ever since my friend Megan told me a few months ago that the Scentsy brand would be expanding to sell fondue warmers too, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I have a serious love for fondue, so the thought of being able to easily whip up a batch at home or for a party had me giddy. We actually were gifted a fondue set for our wedding, but do you know how many times we've used it in the 6 years we've been married? ONCE. And we may or may not have had a small kitchen fire as a result. But that's neither here nor there.

A couple of weeks ago Megan received her Velata (the name of the fondue line) shipment. As soon as I saw a picture of the warmer I got even more excited, if possible, and immediately started hassling her as to when I could try this stuff out. 

Apparently my phone sensed my excitement too, because it decided to send her the same text asking about it like 1,000 times. I didn't realize it had done so until Megan sent me this screen shot and told me to simmer down. I really didn't mean to badger her about it, but I am thankful my phone was able to convey my true feelings on the matter as it clearly was of utmost importance.

Last Saturday Megan and her family came over to hang out for Cinco de Mayo and I told her she could only come if she brought her Velata warmer. Lucky for me, she complied. I would've hated to turn her away at the door, but I don't play when it comes to dessert. 

She brought all sorts of fun stuff to dip in it, and after much thought and deliberation, we decided to go with the Caramel Milk Chocolate. And it was SO SO good. The warmer was as easy to operate as I'd imagined, and you can set the temperature of the chocolate to make it warmer or cooler. I love that all you have to do is plug the warmer in...no need to have a fire extinguisher on hand should things get a little crazy with the flame as this just uses a light bulb.

They also have Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, and White Chocolate. I can't wait to try the other flavors too. I like that they come in these little pouches...so simple. And cleanup was easy too. And in the off chance you don't eat it all, the top of the warmer comes off and can be refrigerated so you can eat it later. 

So anyway, I decided I wanted to host an online party to share the Velata goodness. If you'd like to check it out, just go here then click on "Buy" at the top of the page, and click on "Join Party" by Sarah's Party. If you have any questions, feel free to email Megan at megantree84 at gmail.com. The party will be open through Wednesday, May 23rd.

Happy shopping, and have a great weekend! :)

Perspective

*I came across this post that I wrote last summer, but somehow never published it. I wanted to share it before I completely forgot. And yes, I'm still pregnant. :)

In a weird way, blogging makes life more "real". I read so many blogs that I feel like I know these people, even though I've never actually met many of them. So when I see them experiencing hardships, it truly does effect me.

There are many different struggles I've read about on other's blogs, but nothing is quite like reading about people who have lost a child. Simply uncomprehendable. Unfortunately I've come across many blogs where someone has lost a child. Every single time I read one, it weighs so heavy on my heart.

I'm sure many of you know Cora's story, shared by her mom Jess, and how she lost her battle to cancer at only 11 months old. I think that was the first story I encountered via blogging that really effected me. I was so heartbroken for this family, and cried tears for them many times. And I've shared briefly about my friend Missy before, who lost her sweet daughter Leightyn suddenly to a brain tumor.  Then there's Megan, who's sweet baby boy Cohen was born with heart problems and went to heaven 11 days after being born. I think about all of these stories, and many more, on a regular basis. Sometimes I will lay in bed at night, and talk to Patrick about these people, and how my heart just breaks for them...even though I've never "met" them. It really gives me a new perspective on life's "problems" and the things I complain about.

And now that I have Manny? The stories effect me even more. A few weeks ago, I somehow stumbled upon Lee Anne's blog. I thought she looked familiar, and it turns out we were both at OU at the same time and in the same major. Though I didn't "know" her, I'm certain I remember seeing her in passing. As I started reading her blog, I came across the story of the loss of their precious son Isaiah at only 11 months old. She is such a transparent and inspiring writer, and her words just gripped me. I couldn't stop reading more about what they'd been through, and as I delved deeper into her blog, I saw something that literally shook me to the core. You see, her sweet son Isaiah went to heaven on May 17, 2010. You know what else happened that exact same day? My sweet baby was born. To think that on the same day that Lee Anne was experiencing her darkest hour, I was experiencing one of my brightest....well, it was just overwhelming. I don't get it. I don't understand why these things happen, but the faith in Lee Anne's writings are SO encouraging and insightful that you can't help but be inspired to live life better. It truly does put things in perspective.

I remember when Jess (Cora's mom) blogged about Cora's funeral, and she talked about how they played the song, "Blessed Be Your Name". The Lord truly does give and take away, and these women are prime examples of someone who still chooses to bless HIS name, regardless of the circumstances. Thank you, ladies, for touching my life even in your heartache! I encourage those of you who are reading this to take the time to visit these blogs I've mentioned and show them some encouragement or support, or simply just say hi. It's been almost a year or more since each of their babies have gone to heaven, and I'm sure it's nice to know someone is thinking of you and honoring the memory of your child.

And when life gets crazy and overwhelming, I encourage you to stop and take a moment to count your blessings. There are times it might seem like you have none to count, but I'm certain if you look hard enough you'll find some. Cliche' as it may be, life truly is short. Take each battle as you face it, and try to keep your faith in the process, just as these women have done.

A Letter to My Baby Boy

To my dear sweet miracle baby - Emanuel,

Oh buddy. These last couple of years have been more than I ever could have dreamed. I still remember the moment I found out I was pregnant with you, and the teal workout shorts, gray OU football t-shirt, and OU baseball cap I was wearing. While it seems like a lifetime ago, it also seems like just yesterday.
You have brought your daddy and me SO much joy and entertainment. When I think back on all the hours I spent praying & believing for you, it is such a testament of God's goodness and never understanding His plan, but trusting it anyway. When I look at you, I'm always reminded that God IS with us, through it all.

 

And now, your life is about to change in a big way with the birth of your little sister. It's hard to believe it's already that time. I'll be honest - I'm a little nervous of this upcoming change, but like I said - I know God will be with us through this too. He is building our family in a way I never could have dreamed, and it's amazing to see His plans unfold before our eyes.

I know this will be a huge adjustment for us all, but I have faith you will be a wonderful big brother. You are so loving and caring, and I can't wait to see you interact with "May-ba". You taught me how to be a mommy, and now I know you'll help me learn to be a mommy of two.
I am so proud of you and the silly, adventurous, caring, expressive young boy you're becoming. You will never fully understand the love we have for you, but I hope you always feel it.

Things are about to get exciting, crazy, and who knows what...so I just wanted to write you a little note letting you know how special you are. And just maybe when you read this in 20 years, you'll cry as hard as I am right now as I type this. Then again, maybe not, since you're, you know, a boy and all. That and the fact that you won't be 40 weeks pregnant and hormonal. :) Regardless, I love you sweet boy, and you'll always be my precious miracle baby. I'm excited to begin another adventure with you - the best little sidekick ever!

Love,
Mommy

Project 366: Week 18

DIY Headband or Jewelry Holder Tutorial

As I mentioned the other day, I made a headband holder for Maeva inspired by one I saw on Shanty 2 Chic. I read their tutorial, but after some complications trying to find the supplies they used (read: searching Hobby Lobby & Lowe's for nearly 3 hours and ending up with only 1/2 the supplies I needed, despite 4 workers helping me), I decided to try a different direction. I was talking to Leisha on Twitter and she told me about an alternate version her mom made, so I decided to try some of her suggestions instead, and it was much easier. Thanks for the tips Leisha!

Supplies:

--finial ($2.99 at Michael's)

--9" candlestick ($3.99 at Michael's)

--wood oval (less than $1 at Michael's or Hobby Lobby)

--wooden craft circles (about $2 for a 4 pack at Hobby Lobby or Michael's)

--1" square dowel cut about 12" long (I bought this at Lowe's and they cut it for me for free - I just had them cut it in 3 sections)

--hot glue & glue gun

--spray paint

First things first...how could I forget to mention the fact that you need a handsome assistant? :) Manny is all about helping these days, and was all too eager to climb up to the table to help me when I got the supplies out. I let him play with everything and stack the pieces for awhile before I put it together, and he had a grand ole' time. He's such my little buddy and I love it.

1. To begin, I used pliers and a screwdriver to pry this metal piece out of the candlestick. I possibly could have left it in there, but I don't think the dowel would have sat as flat on it.

2. Cover the base of the candlestick with hot glue and stick on the wooden oval. Press firmly for a few seconds until it sets.

3. Cover the end of your dowel with hot glue and stick a wooden circle on each end, holding until glue is set.

 

4. Put hot glue on the center of your dowel, and press it down on the top of the candlestick. It will not fit exactly, but once the glue is dried it is sturdy and the size difference doesn't bother me in the long run.

 

5. Put hot glue along the outer edges of the finial. Again, it will be a little wider than your dowel but once the glue sets it is secure.

6. And there is your fully assembled product. You can see what I mean about the sizes not matching exactly on the candlestick, finial, and dowel, but it really doesn't bother me. The other version I linked to is more exact, so if this is something that would bother you I would try their tutorial out.

 

7. Finish it off with your favorite color of paint, and you're done!

The place I got this idea from also showed it used as a jewelry/necklace holder, and I think that's a great idea as well. I have leftover circles and dowels because of the quantities they were sold in, so I just might have to pick up another candlestick, finial, and oval base to make one for myself.

Happy crafting! :)