My Angel

Surprise!

Our little angel 

Annalea Fey

arrived May 7th,

at 36 weeks -3 days.

5lb, 1oz

I can't even begin to put into words how incredible it feels to hold

my baby girl in my arm. It was a long hard journey; the last 5 years have been full

 of tremendous emotion as we endured years of infertility, 

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), a difficult pregnancy, and a life threatening delivery. 

At my 36 week routine doctor visit I was sent over to the hospital for

what my doctor presumed was the early stages of preeclampsia. 

I felt fine so I wasn't too worried but I couldn't help but think "oh, poor sybil!"

(My Downton Abbey friends will certainly understand my thought process).

From there everything unravelled rather quickly.

I was diagnoses with HELLP sydrom,

a very scary life threatening complication.

After a difficult (but luckily short) natural delivery,

I was rushed off to the operating room where I lost 

3 liters of blood from a hemorrhage.

It is by the grace of God and the skill of my doctors and nurses

that I am alive today.

My recovery has been miraculous. 

Many woman diagnosed with HELLP are not so lucky. 

Even after having a terrible reaction to a blood transfusion 

days after my delivery,

baby girl and I were allowed to go home after only 6 days. 

After returning home I went in for a second CT scan, 

where another miracle presented itself. 

My first scan had shown tumors on my lungs,

but there was nothing there the second time around!

It will take my body 6 weeks to replenish my blood supplies. 

Each day I get stronger, although there is still much I can not do.

After being so sick during my pregnancy, 

it's sometimes easy to forget just how

fragile my body is right now. 

I'm so grateful to my family and friends,

and especially my mom and husband

for their tremendous love and support during this time. 

*kissing my baby girl just before they took me back to the OR

Annalea is doing great! She is struggling with reflux, and isn't a strong sleeper,

but she is otherwise healthy and striving. 

I feel so tremendously blessed,

The love I feel for my baby girl is without measure. 

She is my JOY!

The Moose Who Loved Easter

These days it's difficult enough just finding the necessary energy

 to clean the house and keep up with the laundry,

but I've been determined not to let my belly bump aches get in the way of 

doing just a bit of spring time decorating.

After all Easter is one of my favorite holidays.

Recently I've become a bit addicted to scrapbooking supplies

in anticipation of starting my baby book(s).

I'm just in love with these Spring/Easter stickers 

I picked up at Target and Hallmark.

I've been working on some major organizing of all my 

scrapbooking supplies, and I think I've come up with a pretty

great way to store all my Project Life sized papers and embellishments.

So please do check back soon for an upcoming post

if you too are looking into working with the smaller dimensions

in contract to the standard 12"x12".

28 Weeks and Counting

To say that pregnancy may have been more of an "adventure"

than I was prepared for would be an understatement.

Im now 28 weeks!

I started to have contractions at 23 weeks, 

so each and every day that we make it further down the road

is truly a blessing. On top of that in just the last few weeks

i've had the tummy flu, a cold (still do), a possible uti,

heartburn that keeps me up all hours of the night,

and have I mentioned that I still have morning sickness?!

My Dr. advises that if we want to have another baby

we should consider going through IVF again within 7 months of

this delivery. To that I say, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

I think it's safe to say that if I decide to go down this road again

I might as well be diagnosed clinically loony.

We are still praying that our foster baby boy

who is now 5 and a half months will be ours one day soon,

but we still are not sure which way the state will go with his case.

As you can imagine after so many months, we are quite bonded,

and the idea of him being taken away is more than I can bare to ponder.

I started out praying for a humble and understanding heart,

now I pray in earnest - "Lord, don't take my baby away from me!".

We are also pursuing an adoption of two siblings, ages 7 and 9.

It's pretty crazy to imagine that in just a few short months

our little family could go from zero to FOUR!

I always wanted 5 kiddos,

so as you can imagine this would be a dream come true.

I've certainly learned over the last few years of fostering

that kiddos don't have to be your own flesh and blood

for you to love and adore them as if they were always yours.

So while I'm ecstatic (although hopelessly miserable) 

that I've gotten the chance to have a little "us"

and the chance to experience pregnancy,

I don't think I'll be sad if this really does turn out 

to be our one and only bun in the oven.

I'm so so so beyond blessed that my husband is so supportive,

without him we wouldn't be able to carry on with 3 foster kiddos,

and I certainly would have gone mad.

Every-time I emerge from the girls room

he smiles and enthusiastically shouts

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!"

Lord love him, sometimes I want to slug him right then and there,

but he's right... thanks to science and lots and lots of prayers

I'm having a baby!

BUT NOT YET!!!

Do you hear me miss Annalea? Not yet!

Digi Goodies from Danielle Thompson - available at Kitschy Digitals.

Love Bug

For as much as I lay about these days

trying to let my body rest and do it's baby growing thing

there is just about as much busyness going on.

I'm lucky that the hobbies I love such as working on my computer

and making headbands are semi easy to keep up on even during my sick periods. 

I only wish taking care of my crew of foster kiddos was so easy.

But for all the uck going on there is equal if not more joy in this home.

Expecting a baby is exciting! But we also have a baby in the house.

This little guy came into our life the very same day we found out we were pregnant

and our hopes and prayers go out each night that he will be able to stay with us

and that we will be able to love and care for him always and forever.

So the next few weeks (hopefully no more)

are BIG for our family! Please keep us in your thoughts.

We so love this little guy so very very much, but we also know to fully that sometimes

even when it feels so right in your heart the Lord has other plans.

 

The last few months I've been working on these three coordinating bug kits.

The top kit includes printable valentines and journal cards. 

The cards are 4x3 and could be used for Project Life pages,

or perhaps to send a little note of encouragement in your kiddos lunch boxes.

I've decided to make my baby book(s) using the Project Life system.

I've never been much for paper and glue but I think my children 

will appreciate having something tangible to touch 

in addition of coarse to my digital scrapbook. 

My Love Bug digi kit is so bright and cheery,

with bumblebees, butterflies, worms, and other fun and lovable creepy crawlies.

Here is a little peak of a few of the goodies printed out.

I think you could find a lot of fun uses for this kit!

I've also done up a watercolor inspired paper pack that incorporates 

all the fun vibrant colors.

Just look how Martha of Mugyboo

incorporated 3 of the watercolor papers into her lovely scrapbooking creation.

Martha and I both use our home printers, 

but I've also heard great things about Office Max.

I would strongly suggest not going to sSaples - there colors are a nightmare :( 

Find all 3 kits in my Shop over at Kitschy Digitals!

20 Weeks

Little Annalea and I at 20 weeks. 

Despite the morning sickness that refuses to let me be,

I've gained 16 pounds and am now feeling her little kicks

which make me giggle and jump in delight each and every time.

She's such an active little pickle,

in all my ultrasounds she has been a busy little things

doing flips and grabbing her toes with her tiny little fingers.

In one of my pictures she's got her foot all the way up to her nose!

I'm so excited to be having a little girl!

At just 13 weeks they predicted she was a girl, 

but my husband persisted on calling her baby Hank. 

But luckily all my little purchases of ruffly socks, and sun hats

didn't have to be packed up and sent off to my sister-n-law.

My husband's sister is having a baby girl in just a few short weeks

-if she makes it that long.

This will be her first child as well, and like me perhaps her one and only.

I'm so thrilled that we are having our kiddos so close together;

I didn't have any cousins the same age and I can't wait 

to see these two little girls grow up being the best of friends

P.S. I'm actually 22 weeks along now, but as with everything else these

days I'm a bit behind on checking things off my to do list. 

I probably should just get use to that...