happy halloween.

my neighbor let me borrow some halloween attire this year so vera could get dressed up...our little ballerina.

she has magic poop skills. she managed to poop up and out the sides of her diaper this afternoon onto this lovely, borrowed onesie.

marlow loves her.

our little pumpkin.

for the grandparents.

sleepy girl.

made my day.

look what i got in the mail yesterday! what a pretty package. this was a complete surprise from a dear friend from my days at purdue. she's also owner of kiss 'n tell. i'm guessing she made these. it wouldn't surprise me. she's very crafty. i almost cried when i opened them and saw how beautiful they are.

the most adorable bibs ever. my girl will be eating in style! (take note of the precious owl card, too. she must have picked up on the owl sheets on vera's bed.)

AND an absolutely gorgeous quilt. i wish you could see it in person. seriously. beautiful. tummy time will be so fun now with such a pretty blanket to lay on.

thank you, karissa!! you're the best. i miss you.

on becoming a momma.

i truly did not expect it to be this hard. on top of the baby blues, the lack of sleep, and feeling like i never hold a happy baby, i think i've pinpointed that it's the identity change that is the most difficult. it's already funny to think that just a few weeks ago i hopped in my car alone and drove to fredericksburg for an afternoon of doing what i wanted when i wanted and how i wanted. vera is not even 2 weeks old yet and i'm coping with the fact that life really is going to look a lot different. i thought i could hop right back into life as i knew it and do the things i used to, with her as my little tagalong. not so much. and to be honest, i'm waiting for that moment when the joy of motherhood settles in. i'm not there yet.

it has been amazing to watch my husband become a father. he was so helpful and loving during our time in the hospital. i could really sense his concern for me through labor and it was one of my all time highlights in life to see him fall in love with his little girl. he loved her instantly and for some reason i expected otherwise. i thought it would take him awhile to get used to handling a fragile, squirmy body or to figure out the diaper changing process. he has been amazing. it has most certainly increased my love for him. he's truly wonderful.

chris's parents welcomed us home from the hospital and were super helpful to stay at our house and watch marlow while we were gone. then my parents and brother flew into town and stayed for five days. it was really a treat having them here, although i know they did not get the best of me since i've been so tired. we ventured out a few times and did some fun things in austin; ate at the oasis, walked around at mount bonnell, took marlow to red bud, ate at rudy's, and played our new favorite board game. we already miss them and wish they lived closer!

before and after.

vera corrine.

welcome to the world, little lovely. we're glad you are finally here.
born october 15, 2009 at 6:04pm
8 lb. 5 oz., 21 in.

42 weeks.

i had about 24 hours worth of contractions yesterday and lost my mucus plug (sorry if that's TMI!), so i was hoping i'd be in full out labor on my own by today, but they have subsided all together. so the plan is to go to the hospital tonight after dinner, be the lucky recipient of cervidil, and wait to see if my body progresses into labor on its own. if not, then tomorrow morning i'll get the priviledge of being a lucky recipient of pitocin. and thus the journey will begin. definitely not looking forward to labor, but this week has been pretty rough on my body and at 42 weeks today, i am ready to get this baby out. your prayers are appreciated!

i'm doing some last minute cleaning for our guests (chris's parents this weekend, my family next tuesday through saturday), cleaning out the fridge, defrosting those sweet tasties i made awhile back for my (hopefully) wonderful, helpful, in-a-really-fantastic-mood nurse, and packing my bag for the stay.

i'm feeling all sentimental today and trying give some extra love and affection to marlow. it will be sad to drop him off at our friends' house tonight, but he'll be in good hands, and i just never like to be away from him. i keep telling him that he was my first baby and that i'll always love him, no matter how things change between us. :)

nathaniel lee.

some of our favorite friends, joe & emily, had their baby sunday evening! emily was 3 weeks behind me, so you can imagine that i am a little jealous they have their baby already. :) we are so happy for them and thankful for their healthy, beautiful baby boy.

andrea got dunked!

today we drove out to guadalupe river state park to celebrate the baptism of our friend, andrea. she came to know christ in april and has been a part of our community group at church since then. it has been really cool to watch her faith and love for jesus grow. it was a fun day with friends and even marlow had a good time.

41 weeks.

i have a friend from church who wanted to practice doing maternity shots to build her photography repertoire. my friend, emily, and i were models for her yesterday afternoon.

(www.mollymoody.com)

kindred spirits.

when i was little, i used to love watching the "anne of green gables" series. that's the first time i remember learning what the phrase "kindred spirit" meant. the definition of the idiom according to usingenglish.com is this: a kindred spirit is someone who feels and thinks the way you do. i would definitely use that phrase to describe two of my friends, lindsay and janelle.

indsay and i met in december of 2007, i believe. but the little of amount of time says nothing of the depth of friendship we share. she and her husband recently moved to memphis and since, there's been a void in my life for sure. she's such a great friend and we've had some of the best conversations, though they haven't always been easy. she has been a soundboard for me when life has been hard and we have truly tried to spur each other on toward holiness.

janelle and i met exactly a year ago. it's crazy to me that two of whom i would consider to be my closest friends here are girls i really haven't known all that long. but i guess that's the way God works sometimes. janelle and i are in the same small group together. our husbands are friends and i've gotten to see her encounter all the ups and downs of life as a new mom. if i can be half as good a mom as she is, i'd consider myself doing a decent job. i love this girl! her heart is pure and she is real with you. i don't feel like i have to be anyone else but myself and that's comforting to have a friend like that.

yesterday evening we met up at one of our favorite local coffee shops. it was a surprise to me that lindsay was in town and i think they were trying to keep it a secret as long as possible, hoping that i'd have the baby by now and she could come meet the lil chica. over some tasty iced mochas, we chatted and caught up on life. it's moments like these when i walk away and realize how much God has blessed my life here with great friends. i am certainly thankful.

i just had to share.

look how stinkin cute my niece is! i can't wait to see her again.
(hope it's okay to steal a photo off your facebook, amanda!)

thursday.

this morning i took marlow to the dog park. it was so nice outside and he was inside too long yesterday. i love spending time with my puppy.

other things i did today included:
- laying out at the pool
- 20 minute nap
- hanging out with a friend; chatted and watched a movie together
- ate dinner with my hubby at one of our favorite indian restaurants
- watched 4 more episodes of 'the office'

good night!