yeay for jenni & lee!

it was a perfectly gorgeous day. thank you for letting us be a part of it.

{2 months }

esme turned 2 months old last week and i have spent a lot of time reflecting on the changes in our lives in these last 2 months. being a mother has been one of the most rewarding experiences i have ever had. it has also been the hardest. i have a whole new love and respect for mothers.

in the past 2 months esme has gained over 4 pounds and weighs in at a whopping 12 pounds 12 ounces. she started cooing and "talks" to us constantly. she smiles more and more each day and has just recently begun to giggle (although it's rare, and takes lots of work on our part).


in the past 2 months brandon finished a killer semester of 18 credits while still working, (really, it almost killed him) and i must brag a bit for him... he received all A's and one itzy-bitzy C. nice.

b-don celebrated his academic accomplishment (and his one week break between semesters) by putting in an amazing path from our walkway to the road in front of our house. did i mention it's amazing? because it is.

we were able to spend the night with our friends, Jeff and Kendra, at their cabin and do a little 4-wheeling. it was so nice to get away and spend time outside.


in the past two months i have been to more weddings and bridal showers than i have in my 29 years combined (cupid must be working overtime). one wedding in particular was my best friend brook's. we are so excited for her and kevan.


in the past 2 months my maternity leave came to an end and i am now back to work. I have adjusted to being a working mom much better than i thought i would. esme has loved her babysitters: grandma, millie, and kelsey. actually, she probably has no idea that i leave her with babysitters for 8+ hours a day but i tell myself she loves it to make myself feel a bit less guilty. i am lucky to have so many people willing to watch her. it has made going back to work so much easier.

in the past 2 months our lives have changed completely. we are sleep deprived. our house has never been so messy. my hair is in a perma-pony. laundry has become an ongoing battle... here a little, there a little. my bathtub hasn't been cleaned in 2 months... gross and kind of embarrassing, but true. through it all though, we have never felt so happy, lucky, and blessed.

i have been meaning to post about esme's birth for the past 2 weeks and just haven't seemed to get around to it. so here it is... i will try to keep to the reader's digest version.

a month ago i was positive i was going to have baby esme well before her due date. i was so sure! i had been dialated to a 4 and 90% effaced for several weeks, but no baby. i was scheduled to be induced on wednesday, march 16, a week after my due date. i was hoping and praying i wouldn't reach that point. i really did not want to be induced. there was just something about letting my body go into labor that i wanted to experience. by tuesday, i had given up hope of going into labor and accepted the fact that i would be induced early wednesday morning. but, long story short i had one last visit to the doctor where he stripped my membranes for the 3rd time but this time he meant business. the pain was intense but well worth it. within the hour i was in labor.

when my contractions started they were 3-4 minutes apart. within 30 minutes they were 2 1/2 minutes apart. we raced to the hospital and were taken to the delivery room. soon came the epidural... thank goodness. i'm not ashamed or embarrassed to admit it. bring on the drugs! the epidural was fantastic. i even questioned whether or not i was really in labor. i told brandon that maybe i was just a really big baby and it was false labor.

6 hours later, at 12:49 a.m. we welcomed our baby girl. i couldn't have asked for a better and easier labor. everything went perfect. since then the days have blurred together into sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and feeding after feeding, after feeding. having esme in our home has been quite an adjustment. a new baby is harder than i ever expected but i am a firm believer that hard things are often the most rewarding. our little girl has captured both of our hearts.

welcome to the world

esme kate

march 16, 2011

8 lbs 4 oz

march 9th

officially due today. when a doctor tells you that you could VERY likely have your baby early, don't listen to him. he lies. being dilated to a 3 and then 4 during the final weeks of your pregnancy means nothing. nothing. all it does is tease you.

turns out it's a good thing she hasn't yet arrived. i can't breathe, my throat hurts, and my ear are plugged. i can't believe i'm saying this, but... "stay in a little longer baby. just a little longer."

little bastardos

the snow has melted... for now. and this is what we found underneath. the culprit, voles. they must die.

{countdown }

i can't believe i am finally to the point where i can start counting down the weeks and even days until baby girl arrives. 6 weeks. that's it. i remember when it was 30 weeks. that was a depressing thought. there are days i can't wait to have her here and other days i feel like there is so much to do and i'm just fine with her staying in a long as possible.

i decided i should post at least one belly picture. so here it is... the belly.

{nursery }

this is my new favorite room in the house. it's not finished... and that stresses me out... but i figure as long as we have a crib we're set, right? brandon worked hard painting and putting beadboard up. i love walking in and reminding myself that there really is a baby and she really is coming... soon. (apparently her soccer kicks aren't reminder enough.)