im healing.

(photo from Dogwood Festival last weekend- w/ Lisa, Janie, & Bee)

I had my pesky gallbladder removed this past weekend.

Its been worse than recovering from my c-section.  Maybe its because I had low expectations. HMPF.

Or maybe its because all of the pain wasn't from bringing a human in to the world.  Where was the adrenaline rush this time?! All I'm doing now is walking around like ET with 4 new scars on my belly.

I love my baby.

I just really do.  I have missed not being able to hold her as much the past couple of days.  I am so thankful to my husband and my mother for taking on two babies this weekend.

I am looking forward to getting back to normal.

the pile

I haven't been feeling too well this week.  I have to have surgery to have my gallbladder removed next week and I'm pretty nervous about it.  I've had about 8 gallbladder attacks and it is pain much worse than my c-section, the 12 hours of contractions I experienced afterwards, or anything else.

This week while I was sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery, feeling pretty yuck, Mr. Murphy came to my aide and began working on a pile of laundry the size of our couch.  I walked past him to express my gratitude and he grabbed my hands, swung me around, and danced with me in our bedroom to a song playing on Pandora.  I wish I remembered the song.

I couldn't stop laughing.  I looked in to the nursery and saw our little lady kicking and playing and knew that life was just as should be.

A squirmy baby

A dancing husband and wife

A pile full of laundry

  

lately on t&s designs vol. 2

Here are some of my recent designs.

If you are interested in a header, some buttons, or a complete makeover go here and consider your blog my little Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality.

(Saychelle, Kirsten, Birds of a Feather Creative, Larissa, Lauren)

3 months young

I don't understand why time is speeding up.

Yet another month goes flying by.

Sorry for the key change there at the end...

month 2

month 1

parkers baby shower

Mr. Parker is coming to join us in just a month!  Remember when this happened?? 

That feels about 10 minutes ago.

But now he is coming to this world and I can't wait to be his auntie!

Thanks to Ashlyn for a few extra pictures!  (more pictures here...I found the foot ruiner...do I get a cookie for real??)

After everyone left we stayed outside until it got dark, and then we stayed outside some more and made a fire.  I don't think my feet went inside until 11:30pm.

I can't wait to meet that tiny baby!

This weekend

So looking forward to my sisters baby shower this weekend! EJ is getting a little cousin SO soon!

tree gazing

This Saturday we had a family day outside.

John thoroughly washed and detailed our cars while Evie and I laid on a blanket and tree gazed. 

We listened to his ultimate Pandora mix and he kept bringing me long lost treasures that had been held captive by our vehicles.  He recovered an earring I had been looking for and a brand new tube of mascara. 

I must say it is just as good or better than star gazing.

I loved watching the shadows dance across EJ's face and see her respond to many new noises.  The horses were galloping in the pasture and the wind was rustling through the trees above our heads.

It was a great Easter weekend full of a surprise birthday party, Finnish baked goodness, finding out my sweet S-I-L is pregnant!!, Easter baskets hunts by my clever mother, and a little photo shoot with my beautiful and very pregnant sister.  

I can't WAIT to have another baby around. Looking at her son's newborn onesies at her apartment made me nostalgic for those tiny days that pass so quickly.

tricks

I both love and hate this trick.  Mostly love.


But it does make me nervous.



Have a great Saturday!

float on baby

Our little darling took a swim for the first time yesterday.  

I mean, it's not like she wasn't swimming in my womb for 9.5 months but this was different.  

So different in fact that it put her right to sleep.  

Yep, she took a nap, in the water for a good 15 minutes.  

And then we went inside and gave her a bath in the kitchen sink. And then when we came home we took a shower together because she peed on the changing table/her whole back.  

There was a lot of water in our lives yesterday.

Fun times at Holbrook Adult Living Community...thanks Nanny!

10 moments

1. Watching the rain fall down together.  I love seeing her take in the new world around her.

2.  Baby jammies, sleeping early in the morning, and holding Daddy's hand.

3.  The invitation I designed for my sisters baby shower, EJ is getting a cousin in 6 weeks!!!

4. Silly smiles.  I love how they are making their appearance more often with every passing day.

5.  Cherry blossoms blooming in our yard.

6.  Nothing in the world beats a moment like this.

7.  I jumped on that band wagon and I don't regret it.  Maybe I do like reading after all.  Nursing has afforded me a little extra time to pick up a new hobby.

8.  No, no...that was no curling iron.  My baby gave me a hickey.  A straight up purple and blue collar bone hickey. 

9.  Blue eyes, you are all that I need.

10.  Daddy and Evaleigh's new trick...it gives me a heart attack but I love it.  She is already our little performer.

Cloth Diaper Review

After trying about 6 different kind of cloth diapers  I'd like to offer up my opinions of them all.  

I ended up really just loving the prefolds with Thirsties covers.  Thirsties is a great American made product.  The most unique thing it offers are the gussets in the side which give extra protection against leaks.  

The Thirsties fitted was great for absorbency and held the poop well but I felt like it carried more odor.

The Fuzzibunz was AMAZING and I'd love to purchase some someday but they are a bit on the pricey side for me.  The material is hands down the softest thing and I would even like it on my bum.

I didn't like the Flip with the insert at all, it didn't really hold the poop in like the other covers and the material felt a little rough.

The newborn Kissaluv was just so small I ended up using it like a fitted diaper with a cover because it didn't absorb the poop as well as a prefold.  Even though I liked the feel of the material as much as the Fuzzibunz. Plus my baby was gaining weight really fast so she wouldn't get use out of it very long.

The Kissaluv aio was cool but I wasn't crazy about the material and it fit Evaleigh's bottom a little funny.

I didn't like Thisties pockets because I feel like that system would be way more laundry than just covers and prefolds. Not to mention more expensive. Although it is nice to throw a pocket in every once in a while when I don't feel like doing the 'work' of a prefold.

All in all covers, pre-folds and snappis are for us!  They are very affordable at the initial cost.  

No diaper rash and we haven't purchased a single diaper in a month and a half!

P.S. Thanks to Spearmint Baby for the sweet nursery feature!

lately on t&s design vol. 1

I have been a pretty busy lady lately.  Tunes & Spoons Design really took off and I have been lucky to design some blogs for some pretty great ladies.  Here are a few of the recent designs with more in line waiting to come!  

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http://sugarpumkin.blogspot.com/ 

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steveandjessmarcum.blogspot.com

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http://adam-n-brittany.blogspot.com/ 

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http://polkastripesanddotsdecor.blogspot.com/ 

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(Prices will be going up in April due to high demand!  To lock in our current rates go here and purchase before April 1!)

wakey wakey eggs & bakey

Here is my wake-up call to you.  

Let's all try and be a little happier and a little more positive each and every day.

-Find a baby and give it a kiss.  (you can come kiss mine if you need to!)

-Stop worrying so much about how you look, I am here to tell you that you, YES YOU, are beautiful!

-Don't compare yourself to anyone else, there is something so wonderful about self confidence.  Learn to really like yourself.

-Take joy in the little successes. Like yesterday I may not have gotten to any of the laundry or printed off my long overdue thank you notes but dangit....I got a shower.

-Try to find the best in everyone, because its there I promise.

-Pray, a real long sincere prayer, everyday.

Be happy...it is a choice.

i just want to bust it out

Yesterday I had the beautiful opportunity to join in with the Hotlanta Vocal Posse and sing parts from the Auratorio Americana by Stan Satlin.  It was at a Benefit concert to raise money to buy a piano for the Salvation Army School for the Blind in Jamaica.  It was pretty great, to say the least.  I love singing and I have missed it dearly.  I haven't had a voice lesson since Evaleigh has been born and I am so ready to get back.  

Lately I have just had to urge to belt out high opera notes at the top of my lungs!  I want to sing Je Veux Vivre or Glitter and be Gay and pour out my soul in my voice!  I want to sing high notes and feel the rush that only that vocal release and expression can give!  Its been bottled up for a little too long and yesterday shook me up and I am ready to let it out.

The beautiful part of it all was having my little family out there in the audience.  Evaleigh has been listening to this music since she basically existed.  I ran across this today in her journal.  The first time I ever felt her kick was while we were in the recording studio singing the very music we sang yesterday.

I loved looking out in the audience while we were rehearsing and seeing my sweet John bouncing Evaleigh in the baby Bjorn.  

It gave me tingles.

My father also came to the performance.  This morning I received this text message from him,

"I enjoyed being with you all yesterday. Thank you for singing again. That is what you are suppose to do along with being EJ's mom. I am glad you take her with you when you sing. She needs that from you always. I like it when she smiles at me. That gets her all the chili dogs and ice cream she wants."

I was made to sing. I love taking my little girl along with me and having her ears fed with beautiful inspiring song. She responds so much to music. I got my wish, she loves it just like me.

I just want to bust it out.

Right now.

But my baby is taking a nap so I will have to wait a little longer.

working mom

I started back to work last week and it is really the most bittersweet feeling.  I love my job so much but it is really hard to be away from my sweet Evaleigh.  Luckily I am only working two days a week...really, I can do that.  

My consolation is that I am leaving her with either her father or her grandmommee.

When I get to come home to this little face and she lights up when she sees me, I swear I've died and gone straight to heaven.