Introducing...

Update!

In case you haven't heard...

Clara Lucille came into the world last night at 7:03pm!  We are doing great and are enjoying getting to know our baby girl.  She's absolutely beautiful and we are just amazed at the miracle of life.  As I write this post (7:01pm), I realize she was born just about exactly 24 hours ago!

And an update for our friends...if you are interested in visiting us, please text or email me to plan a time (we would love to see you)!  We plan to be in the hospital until tomorrow around lunchtime and then will be home tomorrow evening.  So the best times to visit would be tomorrow morning or tomorrow evening (or most days/evenings within the next week).  

Plenty of pictures of our little doll and more details coming soon!

Still Waiting...

I've been trying to keep friends and family updated on Facebook about our "baby status," but I just realized if you aren't on Facebook, you might be wondering if our baby is here yet!  And as you can probably tell by the title of this post, we're still waiting!

I would consider that I technically have three different "due dates."  The original date was December 25th, according to the standard calculators.  However, the midwives that I go to for my prenatal care add a few extra days, so according to them, my "due date" is was December 27th.  And the most recent ultrasound we had in November predicted December 26th.  So that's the date I've been going with.  And today is December 28th so she's missed all three of those dates.

Here are a few of those ultrasound pictures of the little munchkin...see any resemblance?  ;)

The third picture here and what is circled is our re-confirmed proof that we're indeed having a girl.  For much of this pregnancy I just felt "boy" for some reason.  Obviously my intuition was wrong!  We're happy to have two girls in a row and think Callie will just love having a sister so close in age.  But I needed a little second confirmation just to shake the "boy" feeling.  :)

In a few ways this pregnancy has been easier, but it's also been much more difficult than my first.  It's been easier in the sense that I haven't had much of the annoying symptoms that I did with Callie such as heartburn, leg cramping, rib/sternum pain, low back pain, and all of those strange symptoms (which is nice to not have to deal with so much).  However, it's been more difficult than my first pregnancy overall because I have been so. darn. tired.  In fact, I don't think I've ever been this consistently tired for this amount of time ever in my life!  Although she's a great sleeper, Callie went through so many periods of waking up in the wee early hours of the morning (5-6am) for much of this pregnancy, or I went through periods of insomnia, and of course I haven't taken quite as many naps as I did when I was pregnant with Callie. I've also been busier with other things I've enjoyed doing like house projects, this, and taking care of a toddler all day of course.

I did have a funny craving this pregnancy however.  For this.



Seriously, a glass of ice cubes have never been so appetizing in my life!  At Thanksgiving I mentioned this to my mom and she said she had the exact same craving when she was pregnant!  So I Googled it to see if others have had that craving as well, and found out that craving ice during pregnancy is actually a symptom of pica, which is caused from anemia or low iron levels (but don't worry, I didn't crave anything super weird like laundry detergent, coffee grounds, or dirt!).  My hemoglobin levels were checked at my next prenatal appointment and Google was right, I had low iron levels which cause my craving for chewing ice {and I realized that my yummy gummy prenatal vitamins don't have iron at all which is a bummer but also is what explains it}.

Oh, and side effects of low iron are feeling tired, shortness of breath, and unusual food cravings and I had all three of those.  So that might explain part of my tiredness this pregnancy (I did start to feel better once I started taking iron supplements too).

Well, that  may be a little more information than you may have wanted if you were just wondering whether or not the baby has been born yet.  :)  I'll try my best to update the blog/facebook if there are any signs of anything exciting!  Hopefully soon...thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!

xox
Nealy

A Child is Born {not ours but a much more important one...}!

"For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
   there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
   and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
   with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
   will accomplish this."


Isaiah 9:6-7
Written way before Jesus' birth :)

Christmas

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas...

...celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save us all.

Merry Christmas!

39 Weeks...

Yes, here I am...

...39 weeks...

...and counting...

...and waiting...

...and I don't think this picture does the size of my belly justice (I was in a hurry before I had to leave for MOPS of Friday, figuring out the self-timer mode on our point-and-shoot and I don't think I really look quite that happy to be pregnant either).  :)  Most of the time, that is.  

Yes the bags are packed, all three four of ours.  Kiley has been on alert-mode and is sleeping with her cell phone (thanks sis!) so she can help-out with Callie.  And I found a home from the hospital outfit just for her, complete with a little knit hat from here.  We'll be celebrating Christmas this year one of two places...at home or the hospital.  

Was I this uncomfortable when I was at this point with Callie?  

We finally decided on a name last week if you can believe it!  I don't know why we had such a hard time with the decision, but we wanted to find something that we both agreed on and that just felt "right."  I went out and bought wall letters of her name last week too so I guess that means it's official.  :)  Our choice will be announced soon (hopefully soon, that is)! 

We would really appreciate your prayers at this point too.  For the delivery, the timing, health of the baby.  And for the big sister (aka our goofy girl)!

Christmas Shopping...

I decided this year I would not be running waddling around the mall a few days before Christmas for last-minute Christmas shopping.

Of course, we have a baby due December 26th so if I did wait until the last minute, it might not have gotten done.  

So I've been getting gifts here and there for the last few months, and it feels great to have everything ready and wrapped.  I don't think I've ever been done shopping this early before...but it sure is nice to be ready!  

Here a few random gift ideas if you're scrambling at the last minute, like I usually am...

Must Have Moxie's Bling Earrings (by Silverado)...I actually have these earrings and love them.  They're great because they go with anything, are small enough to wear with other jewelry, and are sterling silver/great quality.  They're more interesting than diamond studs and look great on just about anyone.  I love, love, these earrings!  If you want a pair for a Christmas gift, or just a pair for yourself, click here and you can get 20% off!  And while you're visiting, check out the beautiful beads and bracelets...

Restoration Hardware's Luxury Plush Throw...I was telling me sister in law a few weeks ago how much I love these blankets... they are the softest and warmest blankets you will ever use, ever.  And what do you know?  Out of nowhere she bought me one!  And I love it...I use it every single day at sometime or another.  They would make an awesome Christmas gift too...you really can't go wrong.

Norwex's Antibac Cloth...aka, the miracle rag.  Have you heard of Norwex?  If you haven't, you're missing out! Norwex is a company that makes "green and chemical-free" cleaning products, and they sell these naturally anti-microbial clothes (think no cleaner, no bleach, no chemicals, no soap!).  I started using these clothes to wash my face at night, and they are amazing!  Just the rag itself cleans and takes off all of my make-up, naturally!  They are super soft and super absorbant, and I would definitely recommend them as a gift to someone who 1. likes to clean or 2. likes facial products.  You can buy these products from two friends of mine here or here... you won't be disappointed (and check out the mops while you're at it)!



If you have a munchkin on your list and want to get something super cute, check out these handmade yarn Blabla dolls.  Funny story...Kyle and I were browsing at a baby boutique in Minneapolis a few months ago and I was telling him that Target should do a version of a Blabla doll (he has recently become a buyer in the toy department).  Well, the sales associate overheard me and wasn't too fond of that idea (since Target has lately started selling many boutique items, which I think is awesome, but he evidently does not).  Callie does not have a Blabla doll, but I'm sure she would sure love one.  ;)




Okay, there are a few random gift ideas for you.  Now get shopping!  ;)

The Sink

Snow Bunny

Here's our little snow bunny, all ready to go on her first sledding adventure!  Daddy really can't wait to take her skiing, but we thought we would start with a little sledding first. :)

We got her all bundled up!

Our back yard just happens to have a perfect hill for sledding (but now so perfect for mowing).  It's a little steep, but because the snow was so deep the sled didn't go too fast.  Here's her first reaction to the snow...she wanted mom to pick her up.

But then she learned fast to block her face from getting snow in it.

We're considering her little snow outfit as an early Christmas present {coat, snowpants, hat-of all places, boots-but found at a thrift store for $23 less!}.

It was a gorgeous day, a little cold, but perfect for sledding!

And here's one last picture before she went down all by herself (I had already brought the camera inside)!  

And then of course we went inside for some hot chocolate.  It was a successful day!

A New Look...

If you're looking for consistency, you've come to the wrong place.  :)

Yes, I'm the girl that rearranged her room when about once a month when I was little.  I love change... and I've finally gotten around to doing a little blog redesign {I'm sure it won't be the same for long}.  Here's what it looks like for those of you on Google Reader...

Be back soon with Callie's first sledding pictures!

Six Websites...

There are a few websites that I frequently use that have made my life much easier.  I thought I would share them with you!

1.  Google Reader.  Do you spend too much time reading and checking blogs?  Then this site is for you. If you aren't familiar with Google Reader, you just add subscriptions of blogs that you would like to read, and then you check it like you would check your email, all on one page.  Of course, you don't always get to see everyone's beautiful blog designs because you don't go to their blog to read the latest post, but it does cut down on time.  

2.  Retail Me Not.  I love this website!  When shopping online {which I've been doing more of recently}, make sure to check this site for coupon codes that may give you a discount off your purchase or free shipping.  Unfortunately, many stores are now not allowing people to share their coupon codes, but for the ones that do, this is fabulous!

3.  Mint.  This is the easiest way we have found to help keep track of a budget {or as my husband says in my terms, "spending plan"}.  ;)  It automatically categorizes everything, which saves tons of time. I love this site and would definitely recommend it if you're looking for an easy way to keep track and set a budget.

4.  Food Tidings.  A friend told me about this website, and it is such a great invention!  Our small groups and friends have often brought meals to each other after someone has a baby or goes through a major life event, and this makes coordinating so much easier!  Once you use it, you'll never go back to emailing everyone, replying to all, and getting confused.  It's super simple.  

5.  Tastespotting. This is no secret, but I love finding recipes on this website because you can see what the final product will look like before choosing a recipe.  And an added bonus, most {if not all} of the recipes are from blogs, which have always turned out fabulous for me {I figure people wouldn't put recipes on their blogs if they don't really like them}.  

6.  Google Docs.  I've used this site a lot for the times when I've needed to make online forms or coordinate group responses.  Super easy, great for business, and a simple way to collect information!

Now it's your turn...what websites do you love that make your life easier?  Please share!  I would love to hear!

Family

Now that it's "Christmas season," it feels like Thanksgiving was ages ago!  It's great to have a holiday where you can just relax, hang out with family, eat lots of good food, and reflect on what you're thankful for.  :)   We did lots of the first three and a little of the last.  

One thing we realized we are both very thankful for is that we have not just one, but two great families.  We don't dread going to see our family around the holidays, but we really look forward to it. 

We're also thankful that Callie has two sets of wonderful grandparents.  She just loves her grandmas (and grandpas). It was great for her to be able to spend some time with them (and for me to be able to get a little extra sleep...thank you grandmas for getting up so early!).  We're thankful that we have such great influences for our kids in all of the grandparents, aunts, and uncles involved.  And we know that Callie is truly loved by so many people.  We are very thankful for that.  

My mother-in-law is so great at putting together beautiful tablescapes for classic family dinners (pictured above).  And I love how she plans mini history lessons so we can learn more about what we're celebrating.  It's such a great family for our children to be a part of; we can sit around the table and talk for hours.  

And I love their tradition of fondue!  Usually this is a Christmas Eve tradition, but this year we did some chocolate fondue for our turkey-day dessert...so fun!

We had a great time with my side of the family too after Thanksgiving.  It's always a crowd, which is crazy and fun at the same time.  This year we decided to do a big Czech dinner (our heritage), so we made some crazy dishes like stuffed cabbage rolls, meat and dumplings, sour kraut, and kolache for dessert. 

And we played a great game of family bingo...complete with prizes.  I realized there is absolutely no strategy involved in the game of bingo.  :)  But it is a great game for a big group!

So yes, this Thanksgiving had lots of food and family, just as we hope the next ones will be too.  :)