Ombre Glitter Easter Eggs

Seriously...prepare for some ombre/glitter overload in this post. Every time I open my fridge, it looks like an ombre glitter monster took ova. But it makes me smile!





These babies were easy peasy. And just what I had in mind for baby girl's first Easter. Cause you know, she cares about what they look like and all...



She told me so.

I just bought a cheap ol' regular Paas dying kit with the cups and only used the blue, green, and yellow tablets.  We'd dip small portions of the egg in at a time and leave them in for varying time periods. To adjust the hues of blues and greens, we added in drops here and there of food coloring to the cups. Dip away, dip as you please!

Eat some Easter candy in between.
 


For the gold, well that's top secret.



No, just kidding!

When the eggs dried (and the husband left the table), I put a few strips of double sided tape on half the eggs. I then rolled them in extra fine gold glitter. Super secretive, huh?





Admire them when finished (check!), make sure baby likes them (check!), and wait for Mr. Easter Bunny (waiting...)





Happy egg decorating to you and yours!

Baby's First Easter {Gift Guide & Chalkboards!}

Hoppity hop hop, hoppity hop..Easter's on it's way!



{Somebunny is prettty excited about Easter comin'!}



Yes, there is certainly more to Easter than just the Easter Bunny, eggs, baskets, candy, and gifts. It is a day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and indeed we will. Which is why we are teaching Baby E to say her prayers early ;)



But while there are no stories in the bible about cotton-tailed bunnies or marshmallow chickies, it doesn't mean that I am not all about joining in on a little fun. I have always used any excuse to celebrate, indulge, and have a little festive fun since back in the days of my younger egg huntin' years. So there's no stopping me now, especially with a little one to join in on the festivities!

Here comes Peter Cottontail. But what is he going to bring?!

Here's a little gift guide for your little lady's first Easter. Baby E already had some of these items, and a few are going in her basket. Plus a few I just thought were too cute :)

 
{Easter basket and Felt 'E' letter from Target}

1. Guess How Much I Love You - One of the cutest children's books there is!

2. Cherokee Onesie - {Target} -  Love this coral colored onesie with bright balloons -- great for Spring!

3. Cherokee Mint Jeggings - Speaks for themselves :)

4. Bunny Cuddler - We've been setting this next to Baby E for a while now to cuddle with -- most of the time she just chews the ears, but we believe she will one day love to cuddle back with this soft lil bunny we named Ella ;)

5. Crochet Wooden Eggs - Cute little toy or teether great for Easter!

6. Reese's Eggs Baby! - Let's be honest -- putting these in little ones' Easter baskets is a great idea just so parents can eat 'em up!

7. The Night Before Easter - I snagged this little book up for $1.50 in the clearance section, and later realized it is the cutest book that is only 1 part of many "Night Before" children's stories.  They have them for just about every holiday or event/occasion you can think of. I seriously want these for every holiday ;) I try to read this to her every other day and point out all the little fun Easter activities.

8. Infantino Chewy Teether - I looove all the Infantino Go Gaga toys. All the little animals are adorable. Better to buy when on sale, though :)

9.  Crochet Shoes - Just adorable.

10.  Spring Dress - Baby Spring style at it's finest!

11. Plush Bunny - {Target} - I love the color and texture of this lil basket stuffer.

12. Floral Bow-Tie Crochet Hat - Oh my cuteness! Me wants!


~~~~


She may have no idea that the Easter Bunny is on his way, but she'll have pictures to look back on! And her grandparents will even be in town to celebrate.

Of course, our lil bunny has us falling more and more in love with her playful little self.







She's got both of us wrapped around her little finger. And by the look on her face, I'd say it's pretty clear to her ;)



Time to dye those eggs tomorrow and really be ready for somebunny to visit us soon!

Hoppy Easter and Holy Week to you!!

~~~~

And a very special Happy Birthday to my cousin, Carolyn (on 3/24)..you oldie you ;)

{Project 52} week 12 :: emotive

My Project 52 Challenge by Paint The Moon

Week 12 Theme: Emotive.
So I had to do a little research to figure out just what 'emotive' meant. Can't say I'm still 100% sure, but what I got out of it more or less is that emotive pertains to activating the emotions, something designed to arouse emotions, or something that draws emotion from us. At first I was confusing it with 'emotional,' but now I can see where this is somewhat different. Look at that, learning a new word thanks to a photo project. :)

My photo: {The Swinging Kathleens!} The heart keepsake holds a special part of Aunt Kathy -- and it draws much emotion from all of us. In this photo especially, as I had told Aunt Kathy last Mother's Day that I would be naming our baby's middle name after her since she had been so strong, brave, compassionate, and did so much for me growing up (including taking me in at 12 years old). I had no idea that she would no longer be with us by the time our baby girl was born. I set our little piece of Auntie in the swing with our 18 week old daughter while she was sleeping, and within 30 seconds, Baby E gracefully placed her hand over it. Melted my heart! Auntie always told me as a little girl that her and I were going to the moon!




Top Contendors:

Pretty amazing, huh?

1 year since finding out I was pregnant {A subchorionic hemorrhage/hematoma success story}

{If you've been an avid reader, you might know that sometimes, I just feel the need to preface a blog post with some sort of warning. So, here's another one!}

I decided to write this post after being one of those googlers that got myself into trouble. Googling 'subchorionic bleed/hemorrahage/hematoma' did not come up with many success stories. Instead, it led me to the scary ones, because typically, people only write about them when something bad happens. I noticed more and more people on forums looking for subchorionic bleed success stories. Since much of my traffic comes from googling keywords, hopefully you've found this and it may help ease your mind a little! And if you did find this through Google..do yourself a favor and just stop googling and start resting and enjoying your pregnancy! Oh, and also, there may be stuff in here that some may not be comfortable reading, so, stop here if that's you ;)

March 19, 2012. One year ago from today! What a life-changing day for us, and an amazing journey it has been so far.

I truly had NO idea I was pregnant. Not even an ounce of a thought. I had been bleeding for 2 1/2 weeks. Thought it was a long period, which can be normal for me at times, unfortunately. And because of that being a normal thing for me, I had been told I may have a difficult time conceiving or carrying a pregnancy. The only reason I bought the pregnancy test is because I had extremely sore breasts and knew if I went to the doctor they were going to give me a test anyway, as per normal routine.

Damn Kroger. They lock up their pregnancy tests. Leave it to good old Publix! {Yes, I'm a walking ad for Publix}. I went home after buying my very first pregnancy test and BAM, in less than the 3 minute waiting period, and a quick thought of 'umm, why I am even doing this? It's like a 90% chance I'm not pregnant," I stared at those 8 letters that were seemingly staring right back at me..."Pregnant"



I had to do one of those cartoon-like jaw dropping, adjust your eyes and rub your eyes because they-feel-like-they're-popping-out-of-your-head kind of stares. You know, right?

My heart started pounding. An overwhelming emotion of excitement and feelings of *$!][#$@!! (no words to describe this!) poured over me. What?! What?! Whaaat?! Ahh, must lay down! (with test in hand). Whew.

Nope, I didn't believe it. I looked up the test to find there had been recalls due to false positives. 'Oh, crap, that's what this is, huh?' I thought.

Several tests later, and you know, that little thing of letting my husband know (gotta leave sooome details to ourselves!), I was calling the doctor.



"Bleeding for 2 1/2 weeks? I'm sorry, ma'am, but we have to list this as a 'Threatened Miscarriage.'"

Ugh. I was at work. But somehow, I stayed cool, calm, and collected.

Several crazy appointments later, I was sent to the hospital for a diagnostic ultrasound, as all of us were completely unsure of what was going on based on blood levels.

The phone call to head to the hospital made us rush, as the appointment was very soon and left us no time to think. My husband and I quickly got ready and before heading out of our room, we embraced for a quick, silent-yet-powerful hug. We both knew what was going on in each other's minds. And we knew our results were a 50/50 chance of what we were to find out. We knew there was one big thing to be thankful for -- and that was the fact that I was, indeed, able to get pregnant. Thank the good lord for that!

He left the room, and I took one look in the mirror before heading out, looked down at my belly, gave it a rub, and thought something along the lines of 'well, there is or was a little baby in there and whatever happens -- at this moment -- I'm thrilled for you and I love you little baby!'



There I was. Laying on the table, getting ready for the cool gel on the probe to hit my belly. I couldn't believe I was in that position. You see it on TV all the time. But there I was, silently praying for everything to turn out okay.

"Well, it is a viable pregnancy at least, not ectopic or anything because it's in the uterus, see?" As the tech pointed to a tiny sac. "Why don't you empty your bladder and we'll do an internal ultrasound to get a better look and see what's going on."

I knew we weren't in the clear yet. In fact, I was still bleeding on and off. As I went in the bathroom, J and the tech were having conversations in the room next door, and I just took a deep breath and a moment to myself, said a little prayer with the highest hopes that in the next few moments, I would get good news. Great news, at that. I think I begged my sister Krissy in heaven to please just let everything go well!

"Oh, look, I can see a little heartbeat there!" I felt my husband's hand slip into mine and I felt excitement, relief, disbelief, and pure happiness as we watched our teeny tiny baby's heartbeat flicker quickly on the screen.

My prayers had been answered. I was told I was almost 7 weeks and given one beautiful, glorious, absolutely amazing and life-changing ultrasound image. My husband and I walked out of the hospital proud. And again embraced each other for a long hug in the parking lot, with the photo of our little one snug in hand. Whew! Wow, I'm pregnant! The thought of that was exhilarating.



I was told at the doctor's that I had a subchorionic bleed (also called subchorionic hemorrhage or subchorionic hematoma). "A sub-what...?" As I looked at my husband, a second year medical student at the time.

According to whattoexpect.com-- Subchorionic hemorrhage: Also called subchorionic hematoma, subchorionic bleeding is the accumulation of blood within the folds of the chorion (the outer fetal membrane, next to the placenta) or within the layers of the placenta itself.

According to emedicine-- Subchorionic hemorrhage (subchorionic hematoma) is the most common sonographic abnormality in the presence of a live embryo. Sonographic visualization of a subchorionic hematoma is important in a symptomatic woman because pregnant women with a demonstrable hematoma have a prognosis worse than women without a hematoma (see example images below). However, small, asymptomatic subchorionic hematomas do not worsen the patient's prognosis.

I also had to take Prometrium (progesterone) for the first trimester since my progesterone levels were very low. So, we worried, worried, and worried a little more. And in between the worrying was hope and excitement and lots of BED REST.

So I laid around...



Went to work but sat around there, came home and laid around some more. I read Kelle Hampton's 'Bloom' on the tablet my father-in-law gave me while having to lay around all the time. {Thank you, by the way! Although, J has taken over that baby these days}



And since we didn't tell anyone right away, I found myself uttering the words to my pal, as I loved  being able to say it. "Hey Grizz, I'm pregnant!" *wags tail*

Once we finally told family and a few friends, they knew we were hesitant and worrisome still. I heard the best quote of my pregnancy, I think. It really helped!

Something to remember, that's for sure. I was thankful to hear that. That really helped, in addition to getting a fetal heart monitor. If you have something, anything to worry about, I highly suggest the Sonoline B Fetal Doppler. Well worth the $55 to ease my mind at any point.

My hubby was just as excited. I even got the cutest, sweetest goodies Mother's Day morning.

Catch the theme? Munchkins, Runts, Junior mints, Bottle Pop, Sour Patch Kids, Goobers :)

And the one benefit out of all the craziness? Many ultrasounds and visits to see our girl. Our beautiful, thumb-sucking, hand waving, tiny little girl.







I took my friend's advice and just decided to be thrilled. Announce it. Be excited for it. The subchorionic bleed was just something I didn't want to talk about because talking about it made me worry more. So I just basked in the fact that I was pregnant and put my mindset into baby mode!

And then came the announcement.


Followed by the weekly pregnancy updates.

Let me tell you, as excited as I was, throughout my entire pregnancy, and even the day of delivery, I didn't stop worrying once. It wasn't until I held my baby girl in my arms that I believed everything would be okay with the pregnancy.

So for all you subchorionic bleeders out there who may have found this post, just go by the statistics that most do heal themselves, mine was healed in the second trimester, and statistics don't lie! And to my surprise, my baby girl decided to stay in beyond 40 weeks! I did continue to spot on and off throughout my pregnancy, but doctor's said it was normal and that many women just have unexplained bleeding during pregnancy but still go on to have healthy pregnancies and babies. Get lots of rest, no lifting, no nothing. Call the doctor when you really are worrying. And hope for the best for your sweet little baby. This was one success story that can hopefully ease your mind a tiny bit at least. I know how hard that can be. Feel free to contact me if you want!

My sweet girl is now 4 months old and is our greatest blessing. I'm constantly reminded just how much of a little miracle she is when she smiles at me every day. I don't take one day of having her for granted. I am thankful, happy, and incredibly grateful to have been blessed with this sweet, sweet baby girl. She truly is amazing.

It has been one year since I found out she was a part of our lives, and there's no looking back now. Her smiles, her cries, her giggles, and coos -- they are all music to my ears and constant reminders that life is full of love.






We truly are blessed.

~~~~

Oh yeah, and a few weeks before finding out, I opened a fortune cookie, to which my husband busted out in response with "Oh I bet you're going to be pregnant!" PF Changs, you were right!