Visit with Uncle Dan & Aunt Kayla

A few weekends ago now we were invited over to Dan & Kayla's new house in Palatine. Technically this was Eleanor's second time at their house, but the first time was on moving day!

Kayla made us a delicious dinner & we watched a movie together. Very relaxing! Eleanor was a champ and slept almost the entire time we were there! Here are a few pictures from our visit:

Visit to Milwaukee

Today we took Eleanor on her first trip across state lines! Although to be fair, we only live about 25 min from the Wisconsin border. My great Aunt & Uncle (on my Dad's side) were thrilled to meet their great GREAT niece!

Here are some pictures from our visit!

Blogger App

Okay people- I have had a revelation! Apparently there is an app for the iPhone that let's you update your blog from your phone! Perfect! Maybe this will help me be more consistent...or at least post more cute baby pictures!

Posts coming up:
Ellie's birth story
Letters to Eleanor- Month 1

To Eleanor: Month One

Welcome to the world Eleanor!

Dear Eleanor,

How is it possible that you have been here for an entire month already? While the day you were born did not go exactly like I had imagined, having you as a part of our family has been even more incredible than I ever thought possible. I was so eager to meet you, and yet so completely exhausted by the time I was finally able to!

Your first picture with Daddy

Definitely not my best photo, but it was our first together

We had so many people that already love you come visit us as the hospital. It was so fun being able to show you off to everyone, and we all agree that you are perfect in every way! We had wonderful nurses who took such great care of us all. We were in the hospital Thursday (the day you were born) through Monday morning. You went to the nursery every night except for the last one. Sorry baby girl, but Mama needed some sleep! 

Getting your hair washed- you love it!

Two of our favorite nurses- Jo Jo & Kathy!

Proud Papa

Right from the beginning, you've been a good eater. Breastfeeding has been going really well, and I am extremely happy about that. I love having those quiet moments with you, even if I do feel like a dairy cow most some days. You are a pokey little eater and fall asleep most of the time. I am constantly tickling you and blowing on your face trying to keep you awake! But seeing your little eyes looking up at me, and hearing your little grunts while you eat is just so precious. I don't think that makes sense to anyone else, but I absolutely watching your little fingers curl up around me and slowly relax as you fall asleep.

You screamed through your first bath at home, but you absolutely love having your hair washed! While we were still in the hospital, I asked one of my favorite nurses (Kathy) to wash your hair before your photo shoot. She warned me that babies either absolutely LOVE having their hair washed, or they completely flip out. I was eager to see which you would be- and you loved it! It's the funniest thing to watch you immediately relax once I start massaging your head. Lucky for you, we do a lot of hair washing! It gets pretty greasy with all the touching it receives. Oh, that hair! I couldn't have been more surprised to see you come out with so much dark hair. It's usually in a little baby fauxhawk, which is hilarious. You look so sweet with all your little headbands, although you're so tiny, hardly any of them fit yet!

Still pretty exhausted, but loving our snuggles!

Going home from the hospital!

Speaking of being tiny- you are such a peanut! Weighing in at 6lbs 9oz when you were born, you definitely surprised us all! I knew you would be on the smaller side based on our ultrasounds, but I never expected you to be under 7lbs. We didn't even have clothes small enough to fit you. Aunt Lo & Aunt Ashley had to go out and buy you newborn sized outfits to take you home in. You may be small, but you already move like crazy. You have a strong startle reflex, so you love being swaddled. When your arms are unwrapped, they are usually waving all over the place. You didn't lose much weight after birth, and you're gaining weight just fine. Your doctor did ask me to make sure to feed you every 3 hours though, which has made it hard to get much done!

 

 

Sweet little Ellie, I love you with my whole heart and I have since the moment I heard your sweet little screams in the operating room. People had told me that this kind of "Mama love" would be the most intense kind of love, and I though I understood exactly what they meant. But my goodness- now I realize how much I didn't fully understand. Until now. I could sit and look at you for hours, and my heart is just so full. I am so thankful that you are finally here! You made me a mom, and I just couldn't be happier to be yours.

Love,
Mommy

2012 Highlights

Apparently being 8+months pregnant and updating a blog are too much for me to handle. Oops! Sorry, faithful readers. I plan to spend a good chunk of time over my "Christmas break" to update our poor little neglected blog. That's assuming Baby Girl doesn't decide to come early- then all bets are off!

Rich & I had a fantastic date night last night- all thanks to my darling husband. It was his idea to go to dinner & a movie, and I happily agreed! We saw "This is 40"- funny yet completely inappropriate. You pretty much know what you're getting with those actors, so we weren't expecting Oscar worthy performances. Afterwards, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Rich & I really enjoyed it- Rich even said it was the "best orange chicken he's had since going to China". I guess that's saying something!

Since 2012 is drawing to a close, we talked about our favorite moments from this year. I thought we'd share them here- so, in no particular order...

Top 10 Blessings from 2012

1. Getting pregnant- This is obviously a huge one for us. We really felt like the timing was right for us to start our family, but we fully put it in God's hands. We weren't sure how long it would take us to pregnant, or what pregnancy would be like on my body. But we have been so blessed this year and have seen God's faithfulness again and again through this pregnancy. We cannot wait to meet this little lady!

2. Ali & Hakim- In April, we become a Safe Family and had two little boys placed with us for approximately 3 months. They were 9 & 10 year old brothers from Chicago, and they were quite the adventure for us! All of the memories we made with the boys are ones we still cherish. We talk about them quite a bit, even though they went back home in July! It was incredible to see the way our friends & family stepped up to support us and love on these two little boys. Definitely a HUGE part of our year.

3. Rich's acceptance into Graduate School- We felt strongly that this past summer was when the Lord wanted Rich to begin his graduate work. Rich did a lot of research on different programs, and decided on a 3-summer program at the University of Illinois. It is a very well respected program, so we again had to trust that the Lord would grant him favor and place him wherever He wanted Rich. And we were thrilled to receive his acceptance letter! Rich completed his first of three summers, and while it was quite an adjustment being apart for so long, we know that it is well worth it.

4. Rich's opportunity with ISYM- Even while we felt like the timing was right for Rich to begin graduate school, we weren't exactly sure how we would swing the whole "paying for Grad school" part. We talked about student loans, or possibly going the 5 year option to make it more affordable. But Rich found out about an opportunity through the Illinois Summer Youth Music Camp (ISYM) that would provide him with a full tuition waiver! Rich applied right away, and was hired on as the youngest counselor they have ever had! Rich was essentially a camp counselor for kids coming to U of I for music camp. He made a lot of wonderful friends and had a great time- plus, he had his school PAID FOR! Such an answer to prayer and yet another demonstration of God's provision in our lives.

 

5. Celebrating 2 years of marriage- In October, we celebrated 2 years of marriage. It was a rather unromantic celebration, as our anniversary falls during the peak of Rich's busy marching band season! But we have learned so much about each other in these last two years, and are more in love than ever! We cannot wait to expand our family together and see what the Lord has in store in the years to come. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man!

6. Becoming apprentices for our small group- We continue to attend Harvest Bible Chapel in Crystal Lake and are loving it! It's a much smaller campus than the Elgin campus we first attended, and we have made some wonderful friends through our small group. A few months ago, we felt like the Lord was urging us to pursue a position of leadership. We spent a while praying about it, and decided to accept the opportunity to become the "apprentice couple" to our small group leaders, Jason & Kathy. The hope will be to eventually grow our group to the point where it is large enough to split. At that point, Rich & I would lead one group, and Jason & Kathy would continue with the other group. It's been awesome so far, and we're excited to see what the Lord will do through our group in the next year!

 

7. Stiles Family Vacation to Hawaii- In August, shortly after Rich got home from Grad school for the summer, we were able to take a week long vacation with the Stiles family (Mom, Dad, Dan & Kayla) to Kauai, Hawaii! Rich and I were thrilled to be back to the place we had honeymooned, and it was fun to spend time as a family. We rented a gorgeous home on a golf course, complete with a huge chef's kitchen, media room and private pool! We definitely lived the sweet life for a week, and had a blast relaxing and spending time together.

8. Celebrating 1 year in our house- Also in August, we celebrated 1 year of living in Woodstock. We love our little house, and have had a blast doing little projects to improve it. While we would love to be a little bit closer to our family, we could definitely be comfortable in this house for many years to come! We have found some of our favorite restaurants in the area, and have enjoyed getting to know our neighbors. There are still days that we don't feel old enough/mature enough to own a house, but we are so thankful for the blessing that home ownership has been!

 

9. Having jobs that we love- Rich began his 3rd year at Richmond-Burton Community High School, and I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with the Pioneer Center for Human Services. While there are certainly long and stressful days for both of us, we are so thankful to have full-time jobs in our area of study. We are making an impact on others each and every day, and are confident that the Lord is at work through our employment. 

 

10. Meeting with a financial planner & setting goals for our future- After finding out we were pregnant, Rich & I thought it would be wise to meet with a professional financial planner to map out a plan for our future. It was something we had never done, so we were a little nervous. However, the man that we met with is a WONDERFUL, Christian man and we got along right away. We have set some pretty high goals for ourselves, but feel so encouraged by the plan we've made. We are so thankful that for such a young couple, the Lord has really blessed us financially. We are excited to continue to work towards our goals in 2013!

What about you??? Any highlights from 2012? New years resolutions for 2013? I love lists, so this is definitely a fun thing for me. We are so excited for the New Year, with the obvious highlight of becoming PARENTS! We are open to whatever it is the Lord has in store, and are willingly along for the ride!

29 weeks!

I guess I am doing updates every 2 weeks now...what is my deal??? Sorry, faithful readers!

 
How far along: 29 weeks & 4 days
Total weight gain: 12 lbs! If I can hang on through the holidays, I will stay within my weight gain goal!

Maternity clothes: Oooh yeah. Loving every minute of them!

Stretch Marks: It's happened. I got one. I have been obsessed with putting lotion/baby oil on twice a day, but alas, I have my first tiger stripe.

Sleep: Sleeping soundly! Praise Jesus, I love my sleep.

Best moment this week:  Technically I need to recap the last two weeks- we've had a lot of fun things going on lately! We had our first baby shower, hosted by my wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law! We've had several classes at the hospital, including a tour. And we've started organizing stuff in the baby's room.

Miss anything: Walking normally. I've got the pregnant waddles BAD! Definitely not cute.

Movement: She is definitely running out of room in there, so her kicks/punches are less dramatic. But I do feel her dragging along my ribs and stomach- if that makes sense. It's a very weird feeling! And last night going to bed, Rich could feel the baby moving while we were snuggling. It's amazing!

Food cravings: Cheesey Panini sandwiches. Definitely don't know where that one has been coming from!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! Feeling good!

Gender: Girl

Symptoms: Still feeling really good. My energy is still there, which I am using as much as possible. Although I have noticed that I get some lower back pains if I am bending over a lot. But that can be fixed by just resting for a few minutes.

Belly Button In or Out:Still in, but it's almost gone!

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! A little overwhelmed by how soon January will be here. I feel like there is still a lot to figure out and organize before she ges here.

Looking forward to: Our next baby shower is next weekend, which will be a coed shower with all the "Spehr" family. My great aunts & uncles will be there, along with my grandparents! It's going to be a great time.

Maternity Pictures

Rich & I were so blessed by my youngest sister, Lauren, when she offered to take some maternity pictures for us. We had originally planned to have professional pictures taken with a photographer, however, we had to *unexpectedly* replace all 4 tires on our SUV recently. Both tires & pictures would not fit in the budget. Unfortunately, tires won. Boo.

Lauren knew how bummed I was, so she did her research via Pinterest for cute maternity poses. The weather was perfect and we chose to go explore St. James Farm in Warrenville. I had never been there, but the photographer we were going to use had posted a lot of gorgeous photos shot at that location. Lauren had tons of props for us & was ready to go! I was super awkward at first (go figure), but Lauren was a trooper. She also had 2 of her sweet friends along with her- thanks girls for all your help! Here are some of my favorites...

And now some outtakes...just for fun...