New Year's Resolution

I'm feeling inspired.

I forgot how much I loooooved being crafty.

I use my creativity pretty regularly creating lesson plans but when you do it at your full-time, put-food-on-the-table-job, it just isn't the same.

As I worked on my crafts the weekend, even through the millions of hot glue gun burns and the frustrating crafting pot holes (burlap is a pain to sew) I loved every second of it.

Especially the feeling when I took a step back from my freshly painted bricks to admire my beautiful book page wreath (that only took 1 hour labor and $7).

Why haven't been crafting since I love it so? (Oh, that's right! I had a baby and bought a house!).

So here is my new year's resolution a month early.

I am going to open an etsy shop.

I will spend 2011 researching like crazy, gathering ideas and feedback, getting my crafting space organized and developing an inventory (of whatever I am going to sell) and MAYBE even creating a separate blog to go with it!

Ambitious much?

Isn't that what resolutions are all about?

Part of the pack.

Our K-9 son has been something of the jealous older brother type to say the least.

As soon as Cooper arrived, Fletch started chewing on everything (especially things found in the nursery), peeing in the house, back to his old general puppy ways... "acting out" is what we call it.

We figured eventually things would settle and eventually Fletch and Coop would become best buddies. In the meantime, we had to expose them to each other without over exposing them...

Every evening before Coop's last bottle, he gets his last turn on his playmat and usually can stay occupied for an hour some nights! This is usually when we try to give Fletch lots of attention.

Tonight, Fletch went and found his giant tennis bone that he loves so dearly. Instead of bringing it to one of us, he dropped it right next to Coop and sat down, patiently waiting for Coop to throw it and play with him.

I guess it is official. Cooper is a part of the pack! :)

Momma called the doctor...

And the doctor said... Sounds like an ear infection, bring him on in.
So back to the doctor for Cooper's 5th sick visit (no one is counting!) in his short 3 month life (I can't believe he is almost 3 months!)
The doctor concluded that he might be teething but he probably is still feeling pretty crummy from the respiratory infection he had which was just 2 weeks ago.
He did however say that baby tylenol would be appropriate for helping with his cold symptoms in addition to teething symptoms, so whatever is going on should be helped.
Here's hoping this isn't a prelude to a lifetime of sicknesses! Or he might just need to live in a bubble like his accident-prone mom and K-9 brother!

So soon?!

Could my sweet baby Cooper be teething already?

It would explain so much...

After our agonizing stint in the hospital... Cooper stopped sleeping through the night (which he had been doing since he was about 7 weeks old).


At first, we thought it was leftover from his respiratory infection. He was still pretty congested and in the hospital he was getting up at really random times during the night.


But then his middle of the night feeding would be at 2:30am on the dot every, single night. We began to think that he was going through a growth spurt. But then during the day he wouldn't finish his bottles. Everything seemed to be a little awry.


Then all of a sudden, out of no where he started drooling like crazy. We are talking puddles and puddles of drool. Shortly after, lots of hand in the mouth, chewing on his paci, clothes, my finger, basically whatever he could get his mouth on. Then tonight the irritability... waking up from a deep sleep screaming only to stop as quickly as it started and passing back out.


Then it hit me. My baby is teething.


Which of course would make sense. This is the baby that could hold his head up on his birth day and was pushing all of his weight on his little chicken legs when he was 5 days old. It would only make sense for him to start teething before even hitting the 3 month mark.


Then I started thinking about his sweet gummy smile... and I imagined his smile with little baby teeth and of course started crying.


Are we already here? Is my sweet baby really almost 3 months? Really?


So, next to a laid back personality, we are going to have to add a little asterisk that reads "except when teething."


Oh boy, I was not expecting this so soon.

from the rice cache.

Found this while going through my photos on my phone. I think Coop was 4 or 5 days old. Look at that squished up face!

can't sleep,,,

Cooper is in his crib asleep. I am in my bed awake. 


Its is our first night home, Coop is breathing easier but apparently I'm still a little uneasy.
I have a confession to make. We swore up and down we wouldn't let Coop sleep in the bed with us. We haven't but...


One of us has slept on the couch with him almost every night. Might as well sleep with us right?


We tried over a weekend to force the bassinet but then he was said to have the tracheomalacia and the doctor explained he wouldn't be comfortable sleeping flat on his back so we went back to taking turns on the couch.

Night one in the hospital all I wanted was for him to be comfortable so our nurse Jessi kind of looked the other way when I held him all night.

Night two, our second night nurse Shannon got creative. She cranked the mattress up at a 45 degree angle and created a U shape out of blankets which she covered with more blankets to create a little nest. Coop's bottom rested on the U so he wouldn't slide down. Coop's trachea didn't have to fight gravity, he had better drainage and mommy didn't have to hold him all night. He didn't even sleep with his paci!

Night three, I was confident and didn't need any assistance getting coop situated in his nest and when Jessi came on shift in the middle of the night, she was not only surprised to see we were still there but that Coop was in his crib! (Shannon was very proud!)

I thanked Shannon for taking care of us but more importantly helping me figure this crib thing out.
So here I am awake in my bed while my sweet baby Coop is asleep in his big boy crib. Rick fixed it so it is at a 45 degree angle and we, too, made a U shape to keep him from sliding down. He has only slept in the crib for 4 hours at a time but as long as we are consistent he will get it. I think this crib thing will aid in maintaining a bedtime routine as well as his ability to self soothe and go to sleep on his own.

Just one more thing to add to our list of positives.

Finding the positives...

So anyone how knows me, knows how hard I try to find something positive in every person and every situation. 


So there I was, sitting in a hospital room, feeling like I could lose it at any point. My son could barely breathe and I hadn't slept in days, trying to remember everything happens for a reason...


What could possibly be the point of all of this?


Here is what I discovered...


I am strong. I am strong for Cooper. I am strong for Rick. When I am not strong, Cooper and Rick are both strong for me.


I have the most amazing support system. From my biological and in-law family to my church family to my friends I call my family to acquaintances that I only speak to via facebook and people who I hope to become closer with. We have more people who care about us and our well being than I will EVER be able to count.


Did I mention how brave my little man is? How tough he is? I learned that he really is a little man... not a little baby.


But I think the most significant thing is what I learned about my marriage. You don't know the depth of a person's love until you have to go through hell together. And we came out alive and more in love than ever.


Just in time for Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. So much.

We are home!

Cooper was discharged this afternoon!

He still gets noisy when he is upset or excited but that is going to happen no matter what due to the tracheomalacia. He is definitely himself again. They say it could take him 7-10 days to get over the infection completely but the worst is behind us.


We head back to the doctor on Thursday for a follow-up to be sure he is doing better.
We are going to have to be stricter about hand washing and being around sick people. Here is my advance apology if I deny your request to hold him. Respiratory infections are going to be worse on him than the average baby so its important to limit the germs as best as we can.

We are so thankful for all the thoughts, prayers and love. Thanks for being there for all of us.

Dear Cooper James

You are so brave.
I am so very proud of the sweet baby you are right now and the wonderful man you will grow to be. I already see so much positive personality in your sweet little self even at 11 weeks old.
You are proving to not only be a good sport but also a tough one. I have a feeling you are going to keep your daddy and I grounded with your positive attitude. Through this whole sickness, even at your worst, you have continued to laugh and giggle and remind us of how important the little things are. Your smile makes me melt.
I promise you, when you make a sad choice and we aren't very happy with you, I'm going to let it go. I'm going to let you have ice cream for dinner because of the brave boy that you are.
I love you through and through.
Love, Mommy

No news is not necessarily good.

We are still here. It is getting harder, I have to admit. Cooper's throat is so dry and sore, he barely has a voice left to cry. The little bit of sound he makes breaks my heart.
I feel like I'm running a marathon with no finish line. I've been holding it together but am starting to get really tired.
As soon as I start to melt down all I can think is about how we are lucky we live close. We are lucky he doesn't have a chronic illness. We are lucky we can afford care, that we have care offered to us. Then I feel guilty for being so upset when there are so many more babies worse off than Cooper.
I guess nothing makes watching your baby sick no matter how common or severe it is.
I guess all mothers (and daddies) go through these feelings just hopefully not so early in their baby's life.
I guess every mother wishes they could breathe in the bad stuff so their baby doesn't have to.
I guess deep down I know Cooper is going to be fine, there is a finish line and he will breathe easy again (and so will I).
That still doesn't make any of it easier.

My sweet baby is a trooper!

The pediatrician has decided to keep Cooper here another night. His breathing is still labored at times and he is extremely congested.
They have done a deep suction that sucks the mucous all the down to his lungs and a couple of suctions of his nose and throat that seem to have helped.
Because of all the mucous they now think it is bronchialitus instead of croup. But still believe he has tracheomalacia.
They will continue to monitor him throughout the night but are hopeful we will be able to leave in the morning.
He is being such a good sport through all of this. I sure do wish I could let him have a scoop of ice cream for dinner! :)

Cooper's first ER visit.

Yep that is right. We went to the ER yesterday.

Let me start from the beginning...
About 3 weeks ago, we started noticing some wheezing. Mostly, just when Coop was upset or excited. As the days went by we started noticing it more and more.
Two weeks ago, we went to the doctor. They checked Coop out and concluded it was probably a condition called Tracheomalacia aka floppy trachea.
There are ridges throughout your trachea that keep it in a cylinder shape (similar to a corrugated tube that you might use in your yard). With this condition, the cartilage hasn't finished forming so between 2 of the ridges it is floppy causing an occasionally obstruction in the airway is the person inhales.
This means laying down, eating, etc. Are more difficult because the trachea has to fight gravity.

So back to the story...
A week ago Cooper has his 2 month check-up. They said everything looked great and the wheezing sounded okay but most importantly wasn't interfering in anything.
So Thursday night Cooper started sounding really congested. Over the night it got way worse. We took him to the pediatrician and the nurse practitioner we saw said it sounded like croup. He got 2 nebeulizer treatments and seemed to be sounding better. We fed him before we packed up to leave (with our very own at-home neb).
Then, he started sounding worse and worse and as we made an appointment to come back for a follow-up a doctor pulled us aside to re-exam him. She concluded that because his chest was retracting for him to inhale and it seemed like he was using his own body to breathe it would be best if we went to the ER.

We headed to St. Mary's where they did a bunch more tests, 2 chest x-rays, 2 more neb treatments with a stronger medicine and an oral steroid. He didn't sound as good as they would like so they had us spend the night for more observations.
He started eating normally over night and seems to be sleeping a little better. At times he even breathes quietly. (At his worst, he sounded like a grown man snoring.)
They have concluded that he does in fact have tracheomalacia. They are still unsure if this particular episode is actual croup or a tracheomalacia flair-up caused by a respiratory infection.

What does this mean in the future? It means every little cold he catches is going to hit him harder, or at least sound like it.
It is my understanding 99% of children grow out of this and they go on to being healthy children. In very rare, severe cases they will refer children to see an ear, nose and throat specialist to officially diagnose and treat the condition.
We were being discharged today but Coop has since starting using his body to breathe again. They are keeping him today, possibly tonight just to be sure he is ready to go home.
Thanks for the love, prayers and support. We are so blessed to have an amazing support system.

Happy Monday!

My sweet handsome boy! :)

My baby skeleton!

So, Cooper's costume wasn't half as creative as mine I know. I chose practicality this year (the cheeseburger costume from old navy was in the running). With him being so small I figured we could save the uncomfortable costumes for the next 10+ years.

But he was rockin' some pretty awesome skull and crossbone sneakers AND socks!

I belong on 'I love the 80s!'

Yep, that's me. This here rubik's cube costume won't best overall costume. Prize = $50 which paid Rick and I's tab at Mulligan's! Happy Halloween!

the postcard project.

Cooper's first postcard is in the mail!


We travel a lot. I grew up taking trips with my family, many of which I don't remember or can remember bits and pieces when my parents tell me stories...


In an effort to help Cooper remember (and us too) we have decided to start what we are calling, the postcard project.


Every trip that we take with Cooper, we will mail him a postcard describing the highlights of that trip.


Postcard #1: A souvenir postcard from Toomer's Drugs. This drugstore is considered an Auburn landmark and is famous for its fresh squeezed lemonade. I loved the lemonade (Rick did not).


We aren't exactly sure what we will do with these postcards. For now we will collect them in a photo box but eventually they will end up in a photo album or a creative artsy-craftsy project that I will invent. We shall see... we already have more trips planned (which means more postcards!) to Key West and Chicago.


Cooper was born to travel! He did so well on our flight back. This time he had just eaten an hour ago so he didn't get fed nor did he suck on his pacifier. He laughed and giggled while Grandad talked to him. He did awesome on take off, landing and everything in between. If he could eat ice cream, I would've gotten him the biggest scoop!

baby's first tailgate

Cooper had a lot of firsts this weekend.


First airplane ride. First dip in a swimming pool. First dip in a whirlpool (don't worry it wasn't set very hot and we only let him put his toes in). First postcard (more about this later). First tailgate. First football game. First loss. :(


I am still pretty bummed LSU lost. But if I had to pick, an awesome plane ride or LSU winning, I think I would've gone with an awesome plane ride. Coop did so good! I fed him on the way up and he slept the rest of the flight.


I am learning more and more about Cooper's personality. He is definitely a laid back, sort of go with the flow kinda guy.


When Grandad and Coop got in the pool yesterday you could see his brow furrow like he wasn't too sure about it but still soaked it all in. I think the temperature threw him for a loop, which is why we let him put his toes in the whirlpool. He definitely liked that more. I am sooo thankful he is not one of those babies that screams at the first sign of something new! It seems that so long as he is eased into new situations, he takes to them.


I count my blessings everyday. I know we hit the jackpot with this little man.

a stomach bug hits hard.

This has been quite the week.

Monday evening I started feeling really funny in my belly. I didn't think anything of it considering I had a C-section 6 weeks prior and just went back to work. I figured, becoming active again was working out the kinks in my belly from the surgery...

Long story, short I ended up in and out of the bathroom throughout the night and all the next 2 days!!! Some stomach bug. I went to the doctor on Tuesday morning and was so dehydrated, I had to get a bag of iv fluids. Thursday, I felt well enough to go back to school but by the end of the day my belly was all weird again. Friday, I felt even better in the morning but by the afternoon pretty run down.

We had tickets to VCU's Black and Gold Ball and reservations at the Hard Shell for dinner Friday night. I was so bummed I was feeling so crappy because I had been looking forward to this for a few weeks now, even though it meant leaving Cooper for the first time. Rick rented a tux and I bought a new dress. Mom and I were even getting our hair done!

Somehow, my body must have known because as soon as we sat down at the Hardshell, I started feeling a little better. 

We ended up having a blast. Spending almost the entire night learning/playing craps. Can't wait to go to Vegas to try out my new dice rolling skills!

It was the perfect night out!

Where do I even begin?

My life has changed more than I could ever have imagined and now I really do have all the good excuses for why I haven't been keeping up with this blog. Ironically, at the time when I need to be giving it even more attention to report all the amazing changes that are happening...


Like how Cooper smiled for the first time. Not the gassy kind of smile but the face and eyes light up kind of smile. And how instantly, I cried. I can't even explain the joy that was in my heart when he looked up with that toothless grin and giggled. (I hear this is the "mom bug" that is unavoidable. I  still swore I wasn't going to be that weepy/sappy mother.)

Or how Delaney's face lit up when she met him for the first time. She was so gentle with him like she knew how fragile he was and all she could talk about was how cute he is. And when she was ready to stop sharing her Grandad and Goose and Mommy with Cooper she would say "Cooper wants you Auntie."

These little moments we have been witnessing seem so insignificant in the moment but yet are so special. I just hope with the help of this blog, I will be able to remember them all.


So here is my pledge, I vow to blog at least once a week. I am going to schedule 30 minutes to dedicate to this blog Sunday evenings to make it a priority. Not just for you, but for Cooper and for his mother who never thought she would catch the mom bug.

random photo

Sweet little man in his froggy jammies!

our newest addition!

Meet...

Cooper James Rice

born Monday, August 30, 2010 at 8:13am

8 lbs 11 oz, 21 inches


a few photos for those non-facebookers...

cooper's birth story...finally!

So last time we were celebrating our 2 year anniversary! Gosh, so much has happened in the last 3 weeks its hard to know where to begin... and I must apologize this is a LONG post...

So our due date was fast approaching and Cooper showed no signs of being ready to join us. I was going to the doctor once a week, each time leaving school expecting not to return! And as you have probably guessed, getting more miserable/hot/swollen by each passing day. I was READY to have this baby!

Yeah, yeah, I know everyone kept telling us, get sleep while you can, enjoy it while you can.. blah blah blah I was not enjoying being the size of a whale. I could barely get out of bed all 4 million times I had to get up to pee. I really just didn't want to be pregnant anymore.

Then our due date came and went. Coop was still showing no signs of being ready. Each appointment turned me to absolute mush... instant crying the minute we got in the car to once again leave St. Mary's empty handed. It was seriously starting to feel like I would be pregnant for the rest of my life.

My go-to joke was that this was some sick joke. I wasn't actually pregnant, I just gained a bunch of weight. There actually wasn't a baby in there...

Are you starting to see how desperate I was?

Friday, August 27th my doctor scheduled yet another ultrasound to check on the baby. She said the previous Monday that we would make some decisions based on the ultrasound findings. These were the options she mentioned on Monday... a) hope that my body and baby were ready and I would go into labor on my own b) induce labor (multiple different ways were options) but with my closed cervix and the baby not engaged in my pelvic cavity at all would 50% likely result in a c-section after hours of trying to force labor OR c) elect to have a c-section.

So basically the whole week I cried. I had stopped working so needless to say had a lot of time on my hands which was mostly spent crying. I prayed more than I have ever prayed. I called my sister and sought her advice. And then cried some more...

I tried to let go. Every time I let go, God usually shows me the right answer. But as much as I tried, I couldn't let go. I had spent the better part of the last 10 months focused on not having a C-section. I wanted a natural childbirth more than anything else (well besides a healthy baby). But I was starting to feel like there was a C-section in my future...

Then I realized my goals were unrealistic. Just like my doctor said from the very beginning of this pregnancy, the way the baby comes will be up to the baby. He will guide us on his birthday, not the other way around. It was time to focus on things I could control and let go of the rest.

If I couldn't be guaranteed to hold him, I at least wanted to remember him being born. After talking with many women, including my doctor, it seemed that inducing labor with my circumstances wouldn't be successful and if I had to have a C-section after days of labor, I wouldn't remember it.

After a long week, we decided if nothing had changed at our appointment on Friday, we would elect to  have a C-section, end the waiting game and meet our little man. And sure enough, there had been zero change. At 5pm on Friday afternoon, my doctor was able to schedule a C-section for Monday morning (August 30). She said hopefully I would go into labor on my own over the weekend but if not, we would check one last time Monday morning to make sure inducing labor wasn't a better option but otherwise to plan on a C-section.

Monday morning rolls around and we are beyond excited. It took many long days of praying and crying to come to the conclusion that a C-section was the best option. We were both VERY excited our long wait was coming to an end. Little did we know how important this decision would be....

We were told to be at the hospital at 6am but in our excitement arrived a little early. The first nurse we had was very quick to voice her opinion on our elective C-section. Multiple different times she made comments about how weird it was that my doctor agreed to perform surgery when induction wasn't even attempted. I responded as politely as you can at 5:45am when someone is telling you that you are making a mistake. It took all of my energy not to tell her how unprofessional she was being. Last time I checked this was my body and the decision was between my doctor, my husband and me and had absolutely nothing to do with her. Thankfully, Rick kept reminding me that we came to this decision carefully and not to listen to her. 

Thank God for shift change because the next nurse we had was the polar opposite. She asked the same questions but instead of telling us we were making a mistake, she totally got it. She never questioned our decision. She was goofy and sweet and kept us laughing all the way through Cooper's birth. 

They checked me one last time to discover there was no change. Cooper was coming via C-section. I couldn't believe it was finally here. I was scared, nervous, excited, ya know about everything you can feel all at once.

Fast forward through the incision.... Rick was sitting next to me. He was white as a ghost in his scrubs but telling me how excited he was. I hear them tell us it's a boy and then my doctor says, Rick you are going to want to get a picture of this... and holds up the umbilical cord that is tied in a knot, a loose knot but a real knot. As Rick pulls out the camera the doctor precedes to tell us that these knots cause still births. The nurses are now explaining to me had we tried induction, the knot would've tightened cutting off all of Cooper's blood and oxygen, resulting in what they referred to as a "fire alarm" c-section, meaning we would've raced to the OR to have an emergency C-section and I would've been put to sleep. I wouldn't have my husband or my memory. 

I still have yet to hear my baby cry. I hear still birth and no baby cry and start asking Rick over and over if he is okay. Of course he was okay. Healthy as a horse, but with a little fluid in his lungs. I immediately start crying. Not because I just had a baby but because I am beyond happy to have been led down this path.

I am so happy we decided to have a c-section. Who knows what could've happened to our sweet baby boy if we had chosen option a or b.

After we got to visit with Cooper for a few minutes, they whisked him off to the nursery to make sure his lungs would get the fluid out. I just lay there in shock while they close me up, absolute shock that my baby has had a knot in his umbilical cord for the better part of this pregnancy. There is no doubt based on his size (and mine!) that he was getting nourishment throughout the pregnancy. 

I am so thankful that I was able to let go and give it to God. Because he is my little miracle. He was meant to come via C-section and he was meant to be ours! :)

Ps. Pictures to be posted soon! Will not be sharing the actually surgery pictures because they are a bit vulgar, so if you would like to see the umbilical cord, I can email it. :)

worst timing ever!

Yea, that's right... Worst timing for our computer to crash!

I promise to update on the whirlwind of emotions leading up to Cooper's birthday and our very difficult decisions surrounding his birth and of course his birth story.

But until then, since I'm blogging from my blackberry, I will leave you with a quick update.

Cooper James Rice was born Monday, August 30 at 8:13am weighing a whopping 8lbs 11oz and measuring 21 inches long!

We are all doing wonderfully, even Fletch who is adjusting very well to our added pack member.

Stay tuned for the long stories and the millions of pictures! But give me a week or so while we wait for our new computer!

happy anniversary!

Yep, that is right. We celebrated our 2 year anniversary today! By celebrate I mean we both went to work and Rick had church band practice tonight...

But he did leave some beautiful flowers in the kitchen that smell wonderful.

And we rainchecked to go out to the Hardshell and celebrate with some seafood and wine in a month or so, when we are both ready to leave Cooper for a couple hours.

Right now all our energy is focused on Cooper and wouldn't it be terrible if my water broke during oysters and clams?! I mean that would be heartbreaking.

Here are some of my favorite shots from our special day just 2 years ago. 

cooper's nursery.

Don't remember if I mentioned this before but Cooper's furniture had turned into quite the debacle. When it came the first time, it was all damaged like maybe the guy who moved it on the forklift out of the warehouse dropped it? It all had to be sent back but when we tried to reorder it one of the pieces was discontinued, so we had to find a different website to order it from most of which said they couldn't garentee arrival until October! We eventually did find one place that could ship it in a few days but with Cooper's due date approaching quickly, I knew I wouldn't relax until it was done.
Enter my wonderful husband...

As I mentioned we had a doctor's appointment last Tuesday. When I called Rick to tell him I was leaving work and would be to our house shortly to scoop him up for our appointment he asked me to come inside. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time and didn't think much of it.


So after our loooong appointment I got to see what he had been working on. He had gotten the last of Cooper's furniture that morning from fedex and not only assembled it but also put everything away that has been stacked crammed in Cooper's crib.

He did such an awesome job. Most everything was exactly put where I would've put it.

So now, we are still waiting but at least ready. We just need our sweet little baby to complete our perfect nursery! (Oh, and some wall art- which is going to wait until we get out maternity pictures and newborn pictures from our wonderful friend Jessica).

Can't wait for Cooper to come!!

impatience.

The countdown says 11 days.

I really hope we don't have to wait that long. Funny how 11 days seems soooo long when we are going on week 39.

Realistically, we could have to wait 17 more days.

If Cooper decides to skip his due date, my doctor said they wouldn't let him stay more than a week after his due date, so he will definitely be here by August 30th.

Have a mentioned how impatient I am?

false alarm...

So I started having contractions about 1pm... well I think they started earlier but I was at work so it is very hard to keep track.

I left work at 12:45pm for my 1:30pm ultrasound to determine Cooper's size. On the way there my contractions really started to intensify, happening about every 4.5 minutes and lasting about 45 seconds. We did the ultrasound to determine Cooper weighs 7-7.5 pounds.

I had a follow-up and week 38 appointment with my nurse practitioner at 2:00pm and by then my contractions were about the same but seemed a lot more painful. They checked my cervix and there was no change, but due to my contractions they hooked up a monitor to see what was really going on.

After about an hour and a half, they gave me the choice to be admitted to the hospital where they would continue to monitor the contractions (and not let me eat anything!) or go home and wait it out.

We chose to go home and wait it out. We finished getting Cooper's nursery ready and every other hour, Rick would time my contractions.

By about 9pm, my contractions were about 2 minutes apart, lasting over a minute and it was very difficult to do anything during a contraction because of the pain. We monitored them for over an hour and decided this really might be it. I took a shower and ate a little something while Rick packed some last minute things and we called the doctor.

The doctor of course said to come in. So, Rick and I left our house thinking we would be returning with our brand new baby son.

We got settled in the hospital, started to get really nervous and very excited but after about 2 hours of monitoring, my contractions had gone from 2 minutes apart to 7, still no change in my cervix.

The doctor ordered an ambien to knock me out so I could get some sleep and they continued to monitor my contractions throughout the night. They said if I was truly in labor not even the ambien would keep me asleep but I slept through the night (first good nights sleep, I have had maybe the whole pregnancy.)

I woke up groggy and what I remember it to feel like, drunk. This groggy feeling turned into saddness when I realized this was a false alarm.

We got home from the hospital at about 10am and I went to be until 2pm. I am still having contractions but they aren't nearly as intense or regular as last night. So we are back to the waiting game.

I guess this just leaves us a little bit more time to get our home in order. Meanwhile, I will be drinking raspberry leaf tea (said to cause labor) because I am definitely ready to meet my little man.

making a house our home.

Slowly but surely our house is coming along. We have painted all 3 bedrooms, the bathroom, hallway and living room. Next up is to paint the den, including the ugly country brick. I know, I know painting brick is a very controversal topic, one in which I cannot be swayed. There is a time and place for everything. This is just not the time or place for maroon brick. Especially since we plan on using the den as our family room which means I will be looking at it EVERYDAY.

This week Rick is going to drywall the doorway from the kitchen to the nursery. Once that is completed we will be ready to paint the kitchen oyster bisque aka a light yellow!

We are waiting on the rest of our furniture in all 3 bedrooms to get those rooms a little bit organized and still seeking the perfect couch for our living room.

Considering we have only been here a week, we have done A LOT. No thanks to me, though. My swelling has been so bad, I have been trying to stay off my feet as much as possible AND I have a sinus infection that showed up a couple of days ago. So let me rephrase that, Rick and his mom have gotten a LOT done in the week we have been here, both in our house and in our apartment (our keys were due yesterday).

Our long-term to-do list... oh boy is this list long!

• Reface our cabinets. We plan to keep them white to go with our cottage style, but they need new doors and some painting on the interior as well.
• Install stainless steel appliances, including a refrigerator. I really want a fridge that has 2 doors with the freezer as a drawer on the bottom.
• Remove the ugly vintage light in the den. (Check out the pictures). Must be done by an electrician or else it would already be done.
• Landscaping, landscaping and more landscaping. There are some dead bushes that have seen their last day and just need to go. Not to mention our backyard is not completely level. Plus those ugly holly bushes I have been complaining about since our first showing. We do however have a beautiful crepe myrtle in the front yard that blocks the bathroom window, which I LOVE!
• Purchase patio furniture. I would love to have a dining table on the patio so we can eat outside on these nice cool evenings. Especially since Rick plans on grilling every meal possible.
• Rip up that bathroom. Oh boy does it need some love. The tiles are the orginial tiles when the house was built in 1955. They are pink and white and soooo outdated. Everytime I walk in the bathroom I cringe. But hey, just ammunition to keep me excited about DIYing! (Even the ugly bathroom can't shake my optimisim!)
• Add a deck, fire pit, horseshoe pit, etc. -- This is obviously my ambitious husband. But hey, he entertains my ideas like getting rid of doorways, so I will happily entertain his ideas, most of which he can do himself since he is so handy, so doing them cheaply makes it even more feesible.

I am sure this list will lengthen as time goes on. This home definitely needs lots of updating. New coats of paint have done wonders so I am VERY optimistic it can be done and quite honestly we really wanted a house that needed our love!

Slowly but surely we will make this house our home.

Can't wait to make some more headway so I can share some updated pictures. But until then, due to our stolen borrowed internet, you will have to check facebook for pictures of our house since it takes forever to load them on this internet.

In the meantime, I will leave you with my latest belly shot- WOWSERS!! I know, I am about to pop! 37 weeks down, 3 weeks or less to go!!

just a quick update...

...since I have about 5,000 things I should be doing right now...

33 days until Baby Coop's expected arrival.... and 0 days until we close on our house!

Yep, that is correct. We closed on our house today. We officially own a house own about a square foot of a house and owe the bank a LOT of money. But hey, we are happy about the hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt we incurred today so we want you to be happy, too! (We promise this is a good thing!)

Here is our new address:

The Rice Family
3004 Dunwick Rd.
Richmond, VA 23230

Which will go to our very own mailbox. Something that I have never had, nor ever thought I would have!

Looks like I got the house before the baby after all!

We are SO blessed.

quick update...

45 days until Baby Cooper arrivees!!!!!

Here is a photo my cousin took at the beach last week: All 31 Sheltons (missing my brother Bryan, cousin Lizz and Uncle Brad) Maybe next year we will have EVERYONE with the newest addition, Cooper! :)

a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

I could give you the million and one reasons why I have been slacking on the blogging or I could just catch you up. I think I'll go with the ladder.

On the home front...

We finished negotiations for the repairs from the inspection. It ended up not being a big deal since there weren't many repairs to be made anyway. The sellers offered to split the cost of replacing the back door but that would require an entire rewrite of our contract so we decided just to eat that and we will now get full say on what door is chosen (since we are the ones that are going to have to live with it). This doesn't have to be done immediately but should be done before winter comes.

The appraisal came back as more than what we agreed to pay, which means the bank is still willing to give us the loan.

Now we are just waiting for closing day. I have gone house crazy and drawn up a floor plan (since I am a visual thinker) and started deciding where we are going to place the little bit of furniture we have and plan out a shopping list for items that we will have to purchase immediately and items that can be put on the wait list.

I am itching to go to Lowe's and start scouring paint colors but am trying to hold off until the weekend. I have already started to compile a folders upon folders of living rooms/bedrooms/kitchens that I like from different magazine websites as well as searching for textiles and accents that match the airy/beachy house we are hoping to create. I have even started searching craigslist.com in hopes of finding those bargains to save us some pennies since we are about to start purchasing boatloads of diapers!

To say I have gone a little house crazy is an understatement. But I guess its good I am enthusiastic (at least that's what I tell my husband!) Plus, it is distracting me from the ginormous growth on my abdomen...

Speaking of big bellies...

On the baby front we are doing quite well although incredibly uncomfortable.

My belly is so big but poor Coop is too, so his space is definitely limited. His feet spend more than half of the day wedged under my ribs which makes every position but laying completely straight (which is highly discouraged due to the baby's weight on my organs) extremely uncomfortable. Even slightly bending to the side is uncomfortable because it just seems there isn't enough space for all his bones and mine! I spend a large portion of my day massaging my belly, trying to encourage some position changes.

We have 7 weeks left! Eeeeek!! I really can't believe he is almost here!!

Aside from house and baby news...

We are wrapping up an amazing (and long!) vacation. We went to Norfolk last weekend for the Boogaloo Music and Cajun Food Festival. It was basically New Orleans set up on the Norfolk waterfront. We had a great time eating everything from alligator to beignets!

Then we headed to the Outer Banks for the annual Shelton Family Beach Week. We had 31 Sheltons present this year (although some of us go by a different last name). I really can't even begin to summarize what an amazing time we had.

But I must thank my absolutely wonderful aunts for throwing Rick and I a very wonderful baby shower. Baby Coop is on his way to having a nursery! We are so very blessed to have so many people that love and support us.

I wish I took more pictures, but here are some of my favorites of the moments I did capture.

I go back to the doctor tomorrow for yet another check-up. I will keep you posted on how that goes!

pushin' up our sleeves, gettin' a little dirty!

Our ambitious but do-able homeowner to-do list:

1. Landscape everywhere!
I plan to pull those ugly holly bushes out of the front yard on closing day. Well, I plan to make Rick do it, being that bending down is quite the challenge these days. I would like to plant some hydrangeas throughout the front and back yard. I really want lots of color, especially for the spring and summer so we can just clip a few buds here and there and have fresh flowers inside all the time.

There is already a lot of ivy around the backyard which is mostly pretty (especially covering up the chain link fence) but in some spots a little out of control. It needs to be tamed a bit. I also reeeally would like a hammock somewhere so we might have to look into our tree placement or might just have to purchase one that doesn't hang on trees! We also plan to eventually rip down the chain link fence and put up a 6ft wood privacy fence, but this will effect the neighbors' fences so we aren't planning on doing this immediately.

2. Plant an edible garden.
I have been wanting to go organic with my produce especially since I am allergic to a lot of the pesticides used on fresh fruits and veggies. Growing my own organically will save the money in the grocery store and I just think its cool, especially when raising a family! I am thinking we will start with zucchini, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Obviously, I have lots of reading to do so I can actually do it right and it doesn't turn into a mess. I would absolutely LOVE to have my own peach tree, but I hear they attract bugs more than the average citrus tree, so it would require lots of attention (and chemicals) that I am probably not ready to give anytime in the near (or far) future. It is not ruled out, just put on a back burner until more research can be done.

3. Start a compost bin.
This is going to take some convincing of my husband! He isn't quite on the green train as much as I would like. But I have read edible gardens are a lot more fruitful when using compost, plus the more organic the better! Plus it isn't like there aren't a ton of easy ways to start compost bins without taking up too much space! I have even seen some DIY bins that are made from plastic bins from target which we could get in any color for wherever we are going to tuck it away.

4. Renovate, renovate, renovate!
There are a few things we plan to do immediately. For example, there are 2 doors in the nursery (which I assume used to be a formal dining room) One leads into the kitchen and takes some vital wall space and the door swings into the nursery and takes a lot of the floor space. We plan to remove the door and plaster it up, creating better space in both rooms. Obviously with the baby almost here this is going to have to be done immediately. Maybe we will even turn the door into a vintage style headboard like Whitney did with shutters over at Yada Yada...

As for other renovations, they may take some time since we only have 4 weeks before Bebo arrives. But the bathroom needs a new shower and new floor tiles, the kitchen needs some additionally lighting and could definitely use some new cabinets, maybe a few glass ones to display our colorful dishes. And all the walls need a spruce up of paint that match the airy, beachy style we love.

I am so excited about picking out fabrics, pillows and curtains. I have even found a cool start that recycles old furniture into new items. The last time I went, there were some reupholstered vintage chairs that were to die for! I plan to continue my etsy searching but to also add thrift stores and yard sales into my renovate quest, because you can find gems at those places! Plus between Rick's handy man abilities and my artistic talent, we could renovate our whole house way cheaper!

I am obsessed with DIY blogs and magazines that give me more ideas than my poor preggo brain can hold. My dear husband is probably getting extremely tired of all my ideas! And don't worry, I know how completely unrealistic it is that any of this stuff is going to be completed anytime soon since we are going to have a brand new addition. I guess my nesting instincts are really kicking in now that I have an actual canvas to visualize.

I think we will start with the nursery and renovate one room at a time, the bathroom probably being last seeing as how it is hard to go without one. We do plan to eventually remove the attached shed on the back and add a master bath off the master bedroom with a spa tub, extend the nursery to be a larger bedroom and create more of a mudroom area off the den, which could potentially be a laundry room as well.

Rick also plans on building  a shed for his music playing and a deck for cookouts but we shall see. I love our huge backyard, not trying to lose all of our space. Plus, we need to save some space for a swing set down the road.

I cannot wait to get started. We are soooo excited about pushin' up our sleeves, gettin' a little dirty and making this house, a home. :)