Titus' Birth Story

A few of you have asked, and I'm sure others are also interested in hearing about how Titus's delivery went and how we are all settling in.  I'm still behind on sleep so some of this might not flow that well, but I will do my best. ;-)

Our night actually started out pretty rough with Emilia.  We all went to bed at a decent hour, but she was really struggling to stay asleep.  Kept crying out, getting up, etc.  Jason thinks she may have "known" something was about to change, but whatever the case, she had us all tired already! 

Around midnight, I started having contractions.  They were already about 5 minutes apart and lasting for over 1 minute each.  After 1 hour I called the hospital to see when I should come in.  They said after a 2nd hour of the same, I could come in the be checked out.  I waited another hour before waking Jason.  I spent that time finishing with last minute packing, between contractions.  They felt just like I had read they would- bad cramps/diarrhea-ish.  {Yes, this is my 2nd child.  Why don't I know what contractions feel like?  I was induced and had an epidural with Emilia.  I didn't feel a thing.}   They were strong, but not too bad yet.  Squatting and rocking from side to side helped the best.

When I went in to wake Jason, I told him, "It's time to get up".  He had this grumpy look on his face as he checked his clock.  It wasn't until I said, "I'm having contractions", that he realized I didn't mean he needed to get up for work at 2 a.m. ;-)  He went next door to wake our neighbor, Amber.  She is Emilia's favorite friend here, so we knew if she would be OK waking up to anyone besides us the next day, Amber would be the best choice.  Once we had Amber settled and J packed the car, we set off for the hospital.

My packing list looked much different this time around...my doctor here recommended bring my own pillows (if I wanted to have one at all), a fan (bc the Labor/Delivery and Recovery departments do not currently have aircon), sanitary supplies, diapers, wipes, etc.  I also had no extra items for entertainment (magazines, books, etc.) because my doctor was pretty clear that we would be discharged after 6-8 hours as long as everything looked OK.

Jason's favorite part of this story happened next...  We were driving to the hopsital and Jason was speeding.  The speed limit on island is 35, and most people usually go around 40.  Jason was up to 51 by the time we passed the cop car.  Jason, thinking out loud, said something about getting pulled over on the way to the hospital and what he'd say to the cop.  WELL, he got his opportunity!  We got pulled over shortly after and my husband's cunning words got us out of the ticket.  He said something like "Can we do this at the hospital?  My wife is in labor!"  The cop was really understanding and just told us to use our hazards and watch our speed.  As we drove off, Jason realized he probably could have been a little nicer about the whole thing.  But he was still stoked to have that as part of the day's events. ;-)

We made it to the hospital's Labor & Delivery department just soon enough to hear a woman screaming her head off.  {Talk about welcoming for an anxious person...}  I was set up in my room quickly and was hooked up to the monitors right away.  I asked the nurse about being able to walk around, etc.  She said they had to monitor me first so they knew whether it was time to call the doctor.  After 2 hours of contracting at home- walking, rocking, squatting- this laying in bed stuff was no fun.  They were definitely more uncomfortable and it was harder to breath through them.  I was already effaced 90%, 4-5 cm and had a "bulging bag", so they called my doctor.  I'm pretty sure the nurses intended to keep me locked to my bed the whole time.  But I knew from earlier conversations with my doctor that he would let me do pretty much whatever I wanted.  So, at his direction, they unhooked my monitors and brought in a birthing ball.  That ball was WONDERFUL!  Labor progressed pretty quickly.  The pain intensified and Jason's poor hand/fingers felt my increase in pain with each contraction.  ;-)  He was a really great coach.  I was a little nervous about how focused he would be and luckily he proved me WAY wrong!  He could tell when I needed him to help me remember to breath, and other times when I just needed him to be quiet while I worked through the contraction.

Around 5 (I think), my doctor came to check me again.  I was at 7cm and he suggested breaking my water to speed things up.  This made me pretty nervous because I wasn't sure exactly how much quicker things would progress (pain wise).  But, we decided to go for it since I was already strapped back down anyway.  I'm glad I did since Titus was here only 54 minutes after that!  (O:

Everyone was super helpful when I was pushing.  They had these arm bars for me to pull on.  That really helped focus my energy while pushing.  Jason was SUPER helpful too, propping up my back each time.  I kept pulling my head back, which isn't what they wanted me to do.  My nurse was really encouraging and my doctor was great.  All in all, I pushed for right around 30 minutes.  I don't really remember that part being painful...mostly just Really tiring.  I was so tired by then that I didn't feel any pain.  It just took everything in me to hold my breath and push because I just wanted to rest.  I am SOO thankful that I only had to push for a short time, I don't want to think about those poor girls who push for hours!

The doctor says I tore again this time- about 1.5 inches.  Even with that, my recovery has been much easier and quicker than last time. I was surprised by how quickly I was up and around, especially with leaving the hospital only 8 hours after giving birth.  I was pretty worried about that part, since we spent 3 days in the hospital after Emilia was born.  But, the recovery room was super tiny and also had no aircon...so we were all ready to go home ASAP!  I am still a little sore, but mostly I feel pretty good.

We have a good support system in our little teacher apartment community and I'm so thankful for that!  Our next door neighbor, Amber has helped so much with Emilia.  She takes her to the playground, lets her come over and play, and even dropped her off at church for me today.  Another neighbor, Michelle, also helps entertain Emilia and loves to cuddle Titus when we need a break.  We also have several other neighbors and friends who stop by to visit.  I never would have guessed I would be OK with so many people in my house, but it is really nice to have people over.  (O:

About Little Man:

Titus Mark Warren was born at 5:54 a.m. on Tuesday, October 23, 2012!  :)  He weighed 6lbs 9.5oz and was 21 in long.  {We had to convert from cm and grams, as listed on his little bed tag; that was different!}  He has a full head of dark hair {just like his sister did}.

He is one very relaxed little guy!  I have to wake him up to eat most of the time and even then, he rarely cries.  He has much more of Jason's personality in that regard!  I will be glad if he continues to be calm and laid back as he grows.

Last thoughts about labor and delivery with no medications and no aircon:
*I am so glad we brought our own box fan!  {I think that's why I looked pretty decent in my first photos with baby!}
*While it was hard, it was not as bad as I had anticipated.  I am glad I did it and can mark it off my "bucket list".
*I probably will not choose to do it that way again, if I can help it.

Visiting Sugar Dock

We don't post a lot about visiting the beach on Facebook, mostly because some people may think all we do is hang out in the ocean.  This could not be farther from the truth.  In actuality, we have been maybe 5 times since moving here, and at least 2 of those were trips that just Emilia and I took so she could search for shells.  We are too busy with daily life to visit the beach all that often; so when we do, it's a rare and wonderful treat.

Yesterday was one of those treats.  Jason came home from work and asked Emilia if she'd like to go swimming.  You would have thought we had offered her the world she was so excited.  From the moment J asked her, she didn't stop singing and dancing with joy.  Even though I'm in the middle of coming down with the nasty first-weeks-of-school-cold that all the teachers had, I decided to go along.  Nothing beats the joy on Emilia's face when she splashes around in the ocean.

We are also grateful for any family time we can squeeze in.  Jason is still getting into the swing of things with teaching 4th grade, as well as all the extra hours outside of "school hours".  Most days he is completely wiped out by the time he comes home.  So it was nice to get out together, even just for an hour.

There is a section of the beach very near our house called Sugar Dock.  It's not the prettiest beach of the island, but it works for quick visits like yesterday's.

Here is my 33 week preggo belly shot, as also posted on Facebook:

Here are a few other quick shots that I didn't post on FB.  I feel I can trust those who visit my personal blog to know that this is a rare occurrence and you know we are about so much more than "chilling on the beach".

 

 

 

Just a matter of weeks

The closer we get to our Saipan launch date, the more I begin to count big milestones by number of weeks.  This helps make these events more tangible, and also makes them a little scary!  This is my life, in a matter of weeks:

3 Weeks left at my current job

4 Weeks left until we go on full mission support

4 Weeks until we *hopefully* find out Saipan Baby's gender  (Make your guesses now!)  ;0)

(Less than) 5 Weeks until we (Emilia included) leave for a month-long Cultural Training course in North Carolina

8 Weeks until our Commissioning Service at Skyline Church

9 Weeks until the General Baptist Missions & Ministry Summit in Springfield, MO

10 Weeks until we say Goodbye to everyone and everything we have ever known, board a plane (or three...) and say Hello to a whole new life God has planned for us!

24 Weeks to Saipan Baby's due date

Whew!  Does that list make anyone besides me tired and a little anxious??  More tired than anxious.  I Know God has this all under control, and I trust Him with everything. 

It just doesn't seem possible that we are THIS CLOSE to leaving.  Wasn't it just September when we were announcing the initial decision?  How did so much time sneak by us?  Crunch time is here and I feel under-prepared.  It looks like it might be time to start making lists again...oh rats! ;-)

A First for Emilia {Embrace the Camera}

Jason has been talking about it for a while now. 

It is the only thing he really wanted Emilia to experience before our move to Saipan in July.

As any St. Louis sports fan may guess, he wanted to take her to her first Cardinals game at Busch Stadium.

We were blessed with a set of last-minute, free tickets to last Friday's game.  The seats were good- Really Good.  The nachos were tasty as always.  The Cards played a great game.

All of this pales in comparison to the joy of watching Emilia soak up the stadium, the fans, and everything else wonderful about baseball!  I loved watching Jason explain every move of the players to her in the first couple innings and then having her retell the information to us later in the game.  She clapped when everyone clapped, cheered loudly  ("Go Cards GO!" ..over and over and over...luckily those around us found it cute enough to not be annoying!) and loved every second.

Jason and I both grew up in the STL area and we love being part of Cardinals Nation.  It was important to J to share this tradition with our daughter and it was a wonderful experience for all of us.  Now, any time Emilia sees baseball on TV, she stops whatever she is doing and watches, exclaiming "Look Momma, BASEBALL!  Go Cards!"

Oh, did I mention- we got to see Fred Bird!  Emilia loved getting kisses and hugs from him and we even scored a cute family photo! (O:

Pink Cards attire for Emilia, of course. ;-)

Linking up here: 

Some of The Things...

I have started compiling a silly little list in my head of all the things I will and will not miss once we move to Saipan.  Most of these are of no real consequence, but more general thoughts as I go throughout the day.

I Might Miss:
*Girl Scout Cookies, especially Thin Mints
*Grocery and Electric prices I can predict and account for in our budget
*Availability of fabric and craft stores
*A/C 24/7  (We *know* I will miss this one..)
*On-Call/Free Babysitters (aka Grandmas) ;-)
*Radio music
*Snow days
*My Lifesong Photography clients

I Will Not Miss:
*Having to blow dry & staighten my hair, ever.  Updos and ponytails, here I come!
*Worrying about what to wear. (No one cares about how one dresses on the island, so I've been told)
*Working out of the home (!!)
*Traveling every weekend and not having anything be "normal"
*Long drives to the store, work, church, restaurants, etc.  (On an island 4milesx12miles, I imagine most trips are relatively quick)

Other Things I am Excited About:
*Utilizing market vendors for fresh produce, etc.
*Making new friends in a new place
*Being home with my kiddo(s) every day!
*Continuing to pursue my passion of photography
*Having time to hopefully join/start new ministries as need on the island.  (My heart feels drawn to a young mother's ministry, if there is a need for one.)

As I said, this list really doesn't serve a purpose to anyone, but I wanted to type it out anyway.  Maybe it will help keep me balanced. 

Yes, there are many things I will miss about life in the States (more than I've listed, of course).  But, the things I am excited about and the things I will Not miss are important too.  If I ever need to be reminded of the exciting things about moving, I can to a quick look at this list and remember.

Girl Scout cookies or not, I am ready for Saipan and hope Saipan is ready for us!  (O:

Our News (O:

It has actually been almost two weeks since we announced our newest "Big News" to friends and family (which means almost all of you already know about it).  So this post isn't exactly earth-shattering, but I wanted to record this exciting time to look back on at some point in the future.

Stats:
14 weeks tomorrow
Lemon-sized baby ;-)
No morning sickness (yay!)
Minimal heartburn after meals
Very. T.I.R.E.D.
Craving Chinese, BBQ, fried fish and apple juice
Still Zumba-ing, but modifying certain moves
Still in non-maternity clothes
Starting weight maintaining so far
Memory worse than normal..haha.

Emilia is pretty excited about it.  We don't think she completely understands, but she does like to talk about the baby.  Some days we ask and she wants a baby sister, but more recently she has been saying she wants a baby brother.  I told her they could dress up as the Princess and the Frog for Halloween if it's a brother. She liked that idea. ;-)

Were we trying?  Yes and No.  We have been "trying" for almost 2 years, unsuccessfully.  Last October, I started going through testing to see if something was blocked or what was going on.  We had zero trouble getting pregnant with Emilia, so everyone seemd baffled by the trouble this time around.  The tricky part about this testing was that my insurance from my previous employer was going to expire on 12/31/11 and we were not yet sure what we were doing for insurance in the new year.  So, I was pleading with every doctor to get all my tests done before the end of 2011.  The last test I needed would have had to been scheduled for the week between Christmas and New Years...but they couldn't squeeze me in since they were short doctors and overbooked.  I felt helpless.  I got angry and gave up.  I decided I was done trying, I was done testing, I was just done.

I absolutely believe in God's perfect timing and my heart was healed over the next few months.  I came to terms with the fact that we may not have any more biological children, or it might be a long, long time before we do.  Life was picking up as Saipan stuff started taking up more and more time (in a good way!), so I stopped thinking about it altogether.  Until about mid-March, when I realized I hadn't had a montly visitor since at least January, maybe Decemeber...hmmm...  I waited a several days before telling Jason, because I didn't want to jinx anything.  But that home test changed so quickly, I knew I was pregnant!

We were both thrilled and I started set up appointments right away.  Since I wasn't sure how far along I was, my doctor scheduled me for an ultrasound the same week as my first appointment.  Things get a little hairy since we move to Saipan in July and I am not due until October 24th.  My doctor wants to make sure we have precise, clear records to send to Saipan and determining the exact due date was a big one to clear up.  It was super exciting to find out that I was already 12 weeks along!  We don't like to share pregnancy news before 12 weeks, so there is less chance of having to share bad news if something goes wrong.  Luckily we didn't have to wait ANY time!

The weekend before my appointment, we had taken Emilia to a park to snap the photos used for our announcement.  This was Jason's idea and it turned out really cute.  Everyone seemed to like it and we loved including Emilia in sharing the news.  We also let her be the one to tell both sets of grandparents.  One set by exclaiming "I'm going to be a big sister" (which she pronounced Stister)  ;-)  The other Grandma with a "Big Sister" shirt.  All the grandparents are excited and sad. 

This is just another reminder for them that we are moving far, far away and they won't get to see their newest grandbaby for several months after he/she is born, or possibly 2 years if the cannot come visit.  I have days of struggle with this too.  They were such a strong support system after Emilia was born- helping with laundry, preparing meals, holding E so I could sleep/shower/etc.  I know we will not be alone on Saipan, but it is a little scary to think about not having our mommas close by.  This is just another way God is teaching us to trust HIM.  He knows exactly what He is doing and I have faith that everything will be OK.  (It also helps to remember that I would SO NOT want to have a newborn during our 26 hours of travel to Saipan.  Ugh, can you imagine!?)

Now I have a whole new layer to my packing lists, shipping lists, purchasing lists...oh the lists!  Thankfully we have quite a bit of Emilia's old baby stuff still.  But, we sold all our bigger items, so it's back to car seat and stroller shopping.  I am running into some trouble with this because none of the major stores ship to Saipan.  So we will have to purchase while in the States and ship it to Saiapn ourselves.  I am looking for a good deal on a double jogging stroller, and hope to find one second-hand to save some money.  The bigger items are all I can really spend time looking at for the moment, at least until we find out baby's gender--hopefully the beginning of June!  (O:

We have also decided to "Go Green" and cloth diaper this time around.  Honestly, it has much less to do with the environment (shame on me) and more to do with money.  Jason learned on his visit last year that on Saipan, they take one large box of diapers, the kind with 2 plastic sealed sections of diapers inside, open in and sell each of the plastic sections for the price of the one box.  So, say Pampers are $25 per box, they are selling each plastic section for $25!  Yikes!  That will *really* cut into our small budget... I have pretty much made my decision about which clother diapering systems to go with, now to pull our money together and start stocking up.

I think that about covers everything, for now.  I am going to try and post weekly updated throughout the pregnancy.  I always love reading other bloggers weekly preggo updates about cravings, thoughts, etc. and think it will be fun to look back on one day.  Back to one of many product review sites to continue my searches.  (O:

{Embrace} and {Small Style :: Birthday Girl!}

Good morning!

I am so so excited about today's post!  This has been a big work in progress for me and I am thrilled with how it turned out.  More importantly, Emilia loved it!

We celebrated Emilia's THIRD birthday this past weekend with a "Tinkerbell Party", at E's request.  The only catch was that she wanted to be Rosetta, Tinkerbell's fairy friend, because she wears pink.  My MIL found an awesome deal on a peachy colored fabric which matched our Rosetta doll's outfit perfectly, so I set out to create something fantastic. 

Emilia loves tutus and all things twirly, so I really felt the stress of perfection...haha.  Honestly, I just kind of made up the skirt as I went along...I looked at a couple tutorials for petal skirts and tutus, but ultimately, just kept playing with it until I liked it.  It didn't pass the "Twirl Test", but E still loved it!

I also took a plain white tank and added a small fabric rosette embellishment.  I didn't want anything too over-the-top and I think it turned out great!



She was also very particular about which character each family member was to dress up as...and here is our little family!  I was Tinkerbell and Jason was Terrence- Tink's boy fairy friend.  Such a good dad to get in on the fairy fun! (O:


I am excited to post all about her party details soon.  Please stop back by! (O:

As seen on Emilia:
Rosetta Skirt - Handmade by me
Rosetta Tank - Target's Circo brand plain tank, I added the embellishment
Leggings - Walmart
Wings - Amazon.com

I am linking up with two wonderfully awesome blogs today; please go check them out!:

A Birthday Balloon Surprise

My daughter, Emilia turned 3 this past Saturday.  I still cannot believe she's 3 already- time is definitely flying!  When I started formulating birthday and party ideas, I came across a really fun surprise idea on Pinterest.  E is definitely a little balloon lover, so I knew she would love this surprise!

I stayed up late Friday night blowing up balloons and filled 3 trash bags.  I set my alarm to wake up at 6:30 to make sure I got them in her room before she woke up.  If you're my friend on facebook, you probably saw my post saying "One of the few acceptable reasons to set an alarm clock for Saturday morning :: covering the birthday girl's bedroom floor with balloons as a surprise for when she wakes up!"  And it was totally worth it!  When she first woke up, she just laid in bed calling for me...I could tell she hadn't realized the balloons yet, so I grabbed our camera and went in her room like nothing was different.  I closed the door behind me so the balloons couldn't escape and just started asking her how she slept, etc.  It took her a couple minutes, but when she finally looked down, she was SO excited!

She ran into the hallway to tell Daddy, Grammy and Grampy about the balloons!  We pushed all the balloons into the hallway and let the fun continue.

 

It was the perfect way to start this great day! 

Another post to come soon about all her party festivities...there will be pirates, fairies, friends and fun!  Plus I will finally be able to show off the Rosetta tutu skirt and coordinating tank I made for my little birthday girl.  (O:

Yummy Produce

My MIL is part of a bi-weekly produce co-op thing (how's that for specific...) and we are starting to really get into trying out new fruits/veggies.  The organization has several drop locations set up around our area, one of which is at her church.  You can either go early enough to help sort the foods, or just come between 7:00-8:00 to pick up your bag.  She usually takes Emilia with her and E has a blast.  She loves helping Grammy pick up our "produce".  (Am I the only one who thinks it is adorable for a 3 year old to call it produce??) 

The part we weren't completely sure about at first was the randomness and uncertainty of what we would receive.  For the most part, it has been good stuff that we know we like and will use before it goes bad.  This week had a couple odd items, including something we had never tried before.  Enter, the mango.

Jason has been trying to inform me about what fruits, veggies, and foods in general are available on Saipan.  It turns out, mangoes are Super abundant on Saipan, which means we need to learn to love them!  Any food items we can purchase locally, as opposed to foods shipped from the mainland to the grocery store, will *hopefully save us some money. 

We all braved our first mango experience and the results were surprising...it was very tasty!  It reminded us of the consistency of a peach, but a little more tangy.  I let Jason cut into that bad boy and the seed is stinkin' huge!  He cut it into 4 sections, removing the seed, and we just cut or spooned the fruit out of the tough skin.  Jason, Treasa and I liked it quite a bit.  Emilia took one tinsy bite and said she didn't like it.  This is pretty typical of my picky-eater.  Her first response, more times than not, is not to like something.  We will try it again another day and see if the response is the same.

It was fun to test something out together, including Jason's mom in a little bit of pre-Saipan experimenting.  I am also glad to know I like them enough to eat them semi-regularly once on Saipan.  I'm MOST excited about lots of watermelon (yum!!) on island, but am glad to have other options as well. 

Even though this may seem totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things, for the moment, my heart was at ease.  There are many, Many things I am still anxious about concerning our move to Saipan and I feel relieved to mark this thought/worry (no matter how small) off my mental list.  It also made me feel a little more connected to Saipan, in some weird way.  Each time I make a new connection with a person on Saipan, try something we will eat regularly while on Saipan, check the weather and humidity, I feel closer to my little island.  Am I looking forward to the 84 degree day that feels like 92 due to humidity?  Not exactly.  But God is preparing my heart, little by little, for the biggest life change we have encountered thus far.

Rely {Fully} on God

The last few weeks have been a little rough in the Warren household.  I really feel like Satan has been attacking me with a few things and I haven't been doing very well with it.  It wasn't until one day last week while praying on my way to work that God told me exactly what to do.  {TRUST ME}.

As you may know, our main focus at present is raising support before leaving for Saipan in July.  This involves seeking out Support Team Partners who will commit to donating as little as $10/month for the 2 years we will be gone.  This money is what makes our mission work on Saipan possible.  In addition to that, we also have one lump sum amount to raise to pay for travel to Saipan, shipping of goods, etc.  A lot of numbers that are always on my mind.  In the course of only a couple days the week before last (it may have been last week actually...?), we had a couple sets of bad news in this area.  They really rocked my heart and I was honestly struggling with each sad response.

I do not want to go into great detail about this, because in the grand scheme of things it isn't overly important.  But, I will say that we have been heart broken to realize some relationships aren't as strong as we believed them to be.  Relationships that span over one or more decades.  It hurts.  It hurts hearing "no" from people of power within churches and not even being offered prayer or encouragement in its place.  It hurts to find out a church's promised commitment has to be revoked due to grumblings of a few.  It hurts being told "we can't help" from people we have known for years and considered close friends.  While maybe I shouldn't take it to this extreme, it feels like we are being told that we are not worth a sacrifice on their part- like the work God is calling us to do on Saipan isn't worth their $0.34 a day.

Yes, I do understand that there truly are circumstances out there in which some of our loved ones will not be able to support us financially.  The economy is rough and people have other obligations.  I am not saying any of this as a judgement against anyone.  The point I am trying to make is that even when a person (or group) says they cannot support us monetarily, it has rarely been followed up with an offering of prayer and encouragement.  We are in desperate need of the prayers and encouragement of those around us.  Prayer will be the fuel for everything we do Here and on Saipan.  I understand if one cannot afford to sponsor us, but please keep us close in your prayers and share words of encouragement.

As I said, Satan has really been pushing these sad thoughts on my mind recently and it has worn me down.  I started feeling defeated.  I started talking to God about each specific situation and how it felt.  Once I poured out my heart, I felt a sense of calm.  That is when I heard Him- not audibly, but definitely from Him- saying {TRUST ME}.  It was time to stop relying on my own efforts or the efforts of my husband, our missions director or other people.  It is time to rely FULLY on God and to know that His timing is excellent and perfect.  Yes, I am scared at the loss of shares we encountered last week and find myself wishing to reach our goal {soon}.  But, these are not things within my control.  God has the plan.  I just need to keep working towards the goal and HE will make sure we get there.

I want to add- This journey has had way more joys than sorrows, for sure.  God has used a number of people to bless us beyond our expectations.  More than once, a Share Card has come in or a conversation has been had and we are blown away by the generousity of our friends and family.  God's blessings are not coming from the places we had deemed most likely or the places/people we were "counting on".  His blessings are being poured out by His servants- those willing to sacrifice for the mission on Saipan. 

These people do not even know how much they have touched our lives, and they may never fully know.  But it was the reminder I needed to refocus my energy and emotions.  I only need to rely {fully} on God and His timing.  July is coming and through God's provisions, we WILL be ready.

The Un-Planned Events

Sorry I have been MIA for a while on here...things are picking up with traveling to churches to raise support for our mission on Saipan and usually my brain is too fried to do anything else productive.  I hope to gather my thoughts into a somewhat coherent manner very soon to catch you up on the highs (and lows) of the past few weeks.  But for today, I'm keeping it light.  So I cannot mess it up too badly.

Emilia's birthday party is only two short weeks away- what??!  How can my little girl already be 3?  It just does not seem possible.  This itsy bitsy baby is no more.

She is growing up so fast and I have new things I love about her every day.  She is smart, funny, loving and kind.  She is always up for a good time and loves making new friends.

 

We have not done a large birthday party ever year, and did not intend to do so.  But, with our move coming up in July, we thought a party would be a great way to get all our friends and family together.  We are going to *try* and keep it simple, but that goes directly against everything I believe about parties and planning (haha).  Emilia has requested a Tinkerbell party, but wants to dress as Tink's friend Rosetta so she can wear pink- as is true "Emilia Fashion", if it's not pink, it doesn't exsist.  It wasn't until last week that I realized I am WAaay behind on planning and prep for this party...I am so ashamed!  Usually by this point I would have everything purchased, organized and ready (except for the fresh produce, etc.).  I started to beat myself up about it, but then had to remind myself that we have a LOT going on right now.  I still have time, I just need to get moving!  I hope to do a party post after the event, with the highlights, my favorite *Pinned ideas, and all our fabulous party-going friends and family.  (O:

Next, for the rant portion of this post...haha.  As the title of this post states, this is about The Un-Planned EventS, plural.  So I couldn't just stop with one.  This is going to be a completely random and unnecessary rant about a gathering we are attending tonight.  It serves no purpose other than allowing me to get it off my chest.  And while I may seem sincerely upset about it (which I AM!), I am also mostly talking in jest. 

So, we are currently part of a small group Bible Study at our church and it meets on Tuesday nights.  Last Tuesday we missed because I was sick, so we didn't find out until the prayer list was emailed out that this week's meeting was going to skip the lesson and have a Bonfire/Potluck party.  Sounds fun, right?  Yes, it will be.  That's not the part I'm twitching over.  The email went on to explain that each couple/family was to bring either a main dish, side dish or dessert.  BUT, it said we aren't going to "sign up" or communicate who is brining what...so "if everyone brings corn, we will eat a lot of corn", to quote the email...ahhh!!  What??  No list or even a heads up about what we think we might bring?? 

I have been in a state of panic and probably have an ulcer now because of the stress.  If you know me in real life, you are probably laughing hysterically at my perdicament (as is my husband, every time I try to talk about it..)  I like order, I like lists and I like plans.  I like to have a good time, and I promise I am not a stick in the mud.  But the secretary in me is screaming!  I have litereally gone through a dozen different ideas of what to bring- trying to find the perfect way to optimize a snack with some nutritional value that will also keep hunger at bay...does such a snack exist?

I forgot to stop at the store last night after Zumba.  So I am now forced to scramble on my luch hour to the grocery store in hopes of finding the perfect dish to bring.  I may end up forgoing nutritional value and sustainability and go with Bacon Cheddar Ranch Dip or a premade/precut cheesecake.  This is what happens when a male plans the party- I lose my mind and give up.  He brought this upon himself and will now suffer my wrath this evening over such poor planning!  (Not a *real* wrath, I do love this guy and his family.  But I intend to tell him about the ulcer, for sure.)

So, now that you have an extra little glimpse into my crazy ways...I hope you have a splendid day!  (But, really!  Am I the only one who would be so bothered by this??  There must be someone else out there twitching with me...???)  ;-)

Small Style :: Emilia's Stylings

Our little girl gets more and more independent every day and we are so proud of her.  Her most recent venture in independence has been dressing herself, "All by Myself".  That works out fine for bedtime, because no one cares if your pj's don't match...well, personally I twitch a little when her pj's don't match, but I'm working on that.  ;-)  A few days this week, she has gotten herself dressed before coming down in the morning.  As you will see, she has a love for girlie things and bright colors.  It reminds me of how my sister used to dress when we were younger- mixing of patterns, colors, textures was all OK if she *liked* it.  ;-)  Forgive my poor photo quality, but my husband snapped these with his iPhone and had to be quick before Emilia darted off to play. (O:

Emilia's Styling #1:

Emilia is wearing a white long sleeve shirt (Target), layered under a Cardinals shirt (yard sale find), paired with overalls (Target clearance for $4.80!), black tutu (Carter's sale- reused from Halloween costume and 2nd birthday outfit), pink and white striped socks (Old Navy) and the famous Rosetta shoes (Target clearance).

Emilia's Styling #2: 

Emilia is wearing a colorful striped short sleeve shirt (Old Navy clearance), under a Gap tank top (yard sale) and paired with polka dot leggings (Gap clearance).  *I mentioned to Jason that I need to rearrange the drawers in her room because this whole outfit was from our "nice clothes" drawer that only I dress her from when I am with her...but Jason noted that most of the fun, bright colors are in that drawer!  Maybe I need to spread out the love...(O:

I hope you get a little laugh from her outrageous stylings, as we did.  But remember, she is oh-so-proud of herself for doing it all by herself.  So we tell her she did a great job and we love the colors.  I think I will continue choosing outfits and letting her decide which to wear when we actually leave our house, but for playing at home, these are perfect. (O:

I am linking up to Mama Loves Papa's Small Styles again!

Oh!  And guess what!  I actually won one of her giveaways from last week!!  Woo hoo!  I do not have the best of luck with winning things, so I am super stoked about this.  Look at the beautiful pashmina and silk scarf I won!  This will be a great addition to my growing scarf collection, yay! (O:

Manic Monday

I have a friend (who blogs here) but who also had an old blog on which she usually posted a "Manic Monday" post.  This post always seemed so fitting because no matter what the state of one's weekend was, by Monday it all seems to have been a blur.  This past weekend was no exception for me.

After working 6-4 Tuesday thru Friday last week to make up for Monday's sick day, I was totally pooped.  But, Jason asked to take Emilia and I out on a little family date and even agreed to stop at a fabric store for a few supplies I needed (wow!).  We went to the mall food court for dinner because we love Chick-fil-A.  It was a wonderful evening spent together laughing at E's newest quirks and funny statements, holding hands, chicken and fabric.

I had high hopes of sleeping in LATE on Saturday, but Emilia had other plans for me.  She was in our bed by 7...but after waking at 4a.m. each day last week, that was still technically sleeping in.  ;-)  We bounced downstairs, arms full of all the supplies we needed to start working on her "Rosetta dress"- which is actually a tutu style skirt.  I really had no idea how I was going to put this thing together, but I knew I wanted it to look similar to the skirt Rosetta wears in the Tinkerbell movies.  So far, I *love* how it is turning out!  Unfortunately, my borrowed sewing maching started acting up with only 2 layers of petals remaining to sew...bummer.  But, I at least had it somewhat constructed and one layer of petals attached so Emilia could test it out after naptime.  Success- she loves it!  She says it is a beautiful Rosetta dress, so I think that is a win.  I want to wait until it is finished (as well as a coordinating shirt) before I post photos, but be excited.  Her fairy party is going to be SO fun!! (O:

Saturday afternoon we headed for Cape Girardeau for two church visits on Sunday.  We were very fortunate to have a Warren relative (don't ask my what relation..) open her home to us so we didn't have to pay for a stay in a hotel.  She was actually out of town for the weekend, but still let us stay.  It was weird but great.  Weird to be in a home we had never been to and felt odd searching for the right rooms to sleep in as well as tracking down the linen closet (luckily, it was IN the bathroom). ;-)  But nice to have a quiet place to ourselves for the night as well as an all-family naptime between the morning and evening services on Sunday.  Not to mention the amazing Barbie dream house she had in the play area of her basement (for her grandkids).  This wasn't a cheap-o plastic house, someone constructed it out of wood, complete with working Elevator!  Emilia (and I) were in awe!

Sunday was a whirlwind of a day, but we definitely feel blessed to have had the opporunity for these visits.  The morning church, Connection Point Church in Jackson, MO, was so welcoming and friendly.  We added 17 new committed shares, 7 additional prayer partners, as well as a substantial amount in donations to the general fund (which covers our plane tickets, shipping, etc.)  We were taken to lunch at a local BBQ place (yum!) and had just enough time for a quick nap before heading to the evening church in Scott City.   1st General Baptist Church was holding their Association's local meeting that night and had a youth-oriented service after dinner.  It was so refreshing to see all the young people of these churches coming together and putting on skits and other dramas for God's glory.  I love seeing passion in our youth!  Jason was given 20 minutes to speak and he did a great job.  We had a number of people come back and take Share Cards to look and pray over at home.  We left Scott City around 8:20p.m. and after one dinner stop (me) and one potty stop (Emilia), we made it home close to 11.

I am dragging this morning, but feeling incredibly blessed.  I am often asked if I am scared about moving so far away.  But honestly, I just feel honored and very very blessed to have been called to Saipan.  God is teaching me to trust His will and follow where He leads.  I cannot imagine being scared of these wonderful things God has planned for us.

On the road again

After attending our home church for the past three weeks, we are headed back out on the road this weekend.  Our director at General Baptist International Missions (GBIM), Sam has the next 5 Sundays scheduled all over IL and MO, and is working on the following weeks already.  Most weeks we are presenting at one church in the AM and another in the PM.  It is excited to see things line up and come together.

This weekend we are headed down around the Cape Girardeau area, about 2-2.5 hours from home.  Luckily, we have a relative that lives in Cape and she is hosting us overnight on Saturday and between visits on Sunday.  It will great to have a familiar face while away, and I'm super excited that we will have a decent place for Emilia to (hopefully) nap after morning church on Sunday.

The church we are visiting on Sunday morning has two services, which is a new first for us.  Jason has been given only 5-6 minutes to speak at each service.  This will be somewhat of a challenge- to show the passion we have, the need of the people on Saipan and move people to support- but luckily Jason is ready for it.  The leadership training he was at recently spent a lot of time teaching how to compact stories and presentations for the most impact.  J already knows exactly what he is going to say and knows he won't go over his alloted time.  That afternoon, at 3:00, I think, we are attending the Southern Missouri Local Association Meeting.  I think 3-6 is the business part of the meeting, which we will sit in on.  Then at 6:30 a worship service begins and Jason has been given 15-20 minutes to speak.  The awesome part about this meeting is that it will have members of all the local GB churches.  So we can reach that many more people all at one place and time.  Each visit will also include a Love Offering, from which we are raising the money we need in order to travel to Saipan, ship items over, etc.  So far, everyone has been very generous in their support and I look forward to adding more members to our Support Team.

One other thing I am excited about regarding this trip is eating at LAMBERTS!!  (O:  I had never been to this restaurant before meeting Jason's family and now I'm hooked.  Anytime I think we are close enough to stop, I beg.  Haha.  Yummy home-style cooking (we don't count calories on Lamberts visits...), rolls being thrown and a drink in one of those Huge 32oz travel mugs.  Even though mine will not hold Sweet Tea as it has in the past, I love the big jugs.  Ice water 32oz at a time will be lovely...right? ;-)

The part that makes me a little tired is thinking about the drive home after our Sunday evening church visit...and waking up for work on Monday morning.  I am very blessed to have a job that allows me to work any hours I want as long as I hit 40 by the end of the week.  I usually work 7-4, which means leaving my house by 6:20 and waking up by 5:30.  Hopefully I can sleep on the drive home.

I know God's plan is perfect and that He will continue to bless these visits as He has so far.  I am slowly letting go of my worry and sinful doubt.  I like to see the big picture, and I am learning to be content with the parts God shows me as we go.  We will get to Saipan, this I know.  I trust Him and I do not need to see all the dots line up right now.  God is in control and I am just happy to be doing His will!

Have a wonderful day! (O:

Embrace The Camera: March 1, 2012

Another awesome challenge I have recently come across and I am super excited about!  Emily, of The Anderson Crew, has extended the challenge to bloggers/photographers/mommas/etc. to not only take photos but to actually Jump IN them.  Thus, Embrace the Camera!  I think the part I love about this the most is that by forcing myself to get out from behind my camera, I will ensure that Emilia has many, many photos of us to look back on.  I have very few photos with my mom and want to do what I can to make sure Emilia has plenty- she may even say Too MAny. (O:

My husband, Jason took this one for me on Sunday before church.  He just got back home from a two-week leadership seminar in Abu Dhabi two days prior and brought me this gorgeous scarf!  Maybe it is just me, but I think I look super tired here...maybe I was tired.  But, tired eyes aside, I will embrace the camera and post our shots! (O:

Head on over here to check out all the others who are embracing their cameras and join in the fun!

Have a great day!

Photo Challenges

I have recently started following a number of new blogs- mostly ones that inspire me to photograph life.  I may not participate every week in the challenges, but I want to try and push myself to join in as often as I can.  I also love that most of the new blogs and associated challenges I have chosen revolve around family- more specifically, around children.  I am excited to hopefully iron out extra time with Emilia each week to capture the fun little things we do together.

This past Sunday, Emilia and I had a few hours all to ourselves.  We spent part of our time twirling in a tutu (E twirled, I watched), then added a superhero cape and played outside.  After naptime, we headed to the park for even more fun and more new, wonderful photos of my sweet baby girl.  One of my favorite photos of the day is the one below.  Emilia's independence grows daily and she insists on doing everything by herself.  The shoes she is putting on are at least one size too big, but she loves them and wears them as often as she can.

Show off your Shot Challenge by Then, She Snapped:

Same photo, but in Black and White for Paper Mama's challenge:

(*I could not get the button for Paper Mama's challenge to work, but you can see the challenge here.)

Here are a few of my other favorites from our fun day.  Enjoy! (O:

(It is very hard to get a superhero princess to stand still with a decent background!)

Have a great day! (O:

The Pirate Ruffle Tank :: Tutorial

It is no secret that I *love* ruffles and upcycling shirts...today's post plays right into these loves. 

This past weekend, Emilia and I spent All Day at my Momma's house- yay!  My sister, mom and I spread out all different crafty projects across Momma's dining room table and even E helped on a project or two. ;-)  My main objective of the day was to sew two t-shirt skirts (which I plan to post about once I finish taking photos!), but they are a super quick and easy project so I ended up with extra time on my hands.  Luckily, my crafty bags were stuffed with other projects waiting to be completed (including a bag of 8-10 tees/tanks just calling out to be ruffled!). 

I found some really cool white shiny fabric (how's that for a technical term) and used some extra scraps from one of my skirts for the ruffles.  I grabbed out a plain grey tank I found on clearance at Target- it is their C9 brand with moisture wicking technology.  I am in love with this line- the clothes are comfy and cute and don't hold sweat like regular tees (TMI?  Maybe..)  Anyway, I have this plan to refashion a handful of these tanks to use on Saipan.  That way I am cool and comfy, but don't always look like I'm going for a run.  So this is what I came up with:

Supplies:

1 tank/tee
Scrap fabric or another tank/tee for the ruffles
Rotary cutter and board
Scissors
Pins
Sewing machine with coordinating thread

I had it in my mind that I wanted to do a layered ruffle along the neckline of my tank, so I started cutting out strips of each fabric.  I cut the grey fabric in 2in strips and the white fabric in 3.5in strips because it was going to be folded over.  I don't have an exact length of fabric needed in each color because this was kind of an "experiment as I go" type of piece, and it will also depend on how ruffled you want your strips.  You can always start out ruffling some fabric and then ruffle more as you need it.

To gather the fabric, I lengthened my stitch as far as I could (I think a 5 on my mom's machine) and loosened the tension a tad.  It is best to practice on a piece you won't be using to make sure your settings will work as you want them to.

For the white fabric, I folded it in half long-ways and stitched along the raw edges.  This fabric was fraying a LOT so I knew I couldn't leave the raw edges exposed on my shirt.  The grey strips were just sewn down the middle.  *Do not back stitch at either end or you won't be able to gather*  Once you finish stitching a strip, gently pull on one of the threads (I think the bottom works easier), shifting the fabric as needed until you create the desired amount of ruffly goodness.

Starting with my white fabric, I pinned it along the top edge of my tank neckline, like so:

(Notice the raw edges are pointing down from the neckline)

(If you do not have long piece of ruffle, as was the case for me, make sure to tuck the ends together when starting a new strip.  This makes it look continuous.)

*Change your machine setting back to normal before sewing your rows on the shirt.*

Sew the first row of ruffles to the tank, along the seam made from gathering, back stitching at the beginning and end.  Be careful not to sew through both layers (this will be important as we continue to add rows).

I really started to notice how badly this fabric was fraying after pinning and sewing this first row.  So I decided to pin the next row of white before adding the middle layer of grey.  That way my grey layer would hopefully keep most of those frayed edges contained.  This white row has the raw edges facing up and overlapping the first white row a little bit.  Pin into place and sew.

Now pin the grey strip between these two white rows.  Sew into place.  (The grey fabric will curl more once it has been washed.)

This is what we have so far!  Originally, this is what I was picturing in my mind...but wasn't in love with it once I put it on.  My mom and sister said they thought it was cute...but who were they trying to kid??  Something looks off, don't you agree? 

Hey, let's add more ruffles!  Following the same steps as before, I ruffled more strips and started adding the next couple rows to the tank.  You can play around with the shape, number of rows, etc. until you come up with something you like.

Tuck the ends of these next rows under the previous layers for a more finished look.

(Make sure your next layer is centered...unless you are going for an off-center look!) ;-)

 I opted for two rows of white as the bottom instead of just one.  I wanted a little extra fluff.

Keep pinning and sewing rows of ruffle until you have a shape/style you like.

And Done.

I still think it has a pirate-y feel to it, but I am OK with that.  We all need a little pirate in our lives, right? ;-)  Have fun working up your own ruffly creation.  I would love to see what you create! (O:

Have a great day! (O: