tummy time

i'm almost 2 weeks old and mommy has me trying out tummy time. its no big deal. i'd rather be cuddled and naked in the sun though.....

check out my cloth diaper! mom and dad are old fashioned cloth diaper fans and i think they are pretty soft and better engineered than those new fangled paper diapers.... he he

first time outdoors

its so beautiful out that we took the kids outdoors.... theodore was snuggled close to mommy

potty time

got pee pee?? look what our big sister knows how to do!

bug shirt

hey, i'm up! let's play and check things out! mom dressed me in a bug shirt today. she says that bugs are cool, and so does big sister.

lil man

our theodore is alert and loves to look up and out to the world

just like daddy

here is my big man and my lil man all snuggly!

more of today

here are more photos from today. we had fun playing meredith's fishing game for the first time! thanx nana and papa for a fun way to introduce fishing!

family photo

here is a new family photo.... i should have put my overalls on like the rest of the family.

knows to nurse

some more photos of our little artist and these ones of theodore show his awesome head control and knowledge about nursing already! just adorable!

the nap

a cute little nap!
our little theodore is one week old today!

holding

babywearing

here i am snuggling theodore in one of our favorite woven baby wraps. theodore loves to nurse and sleep while snuggled close like this...... and it comes in handy as well as feeling amazing for me too! yummm! look out for more babywearing to come! meredith still loves to be worn too and i look forward to giving her 'rides' soon tooooo

i'm growing

today was theodore's first visit to the doctors and he got an A+

theodore's healthy appetite for momma's milk is helping him to gain weight, get taller, and ward off jaundice! we are still going to keep up his daily sunshine baths to keep his jaundice on the low side and snuggle and love him as much as we can while he is still a 'little man!'

happy mother's day!

ahhhh mother's day is here and i have two beautiful children to love and watch grow. just a few short days ago i thought i might stillllll be pregnant today. i loved being pregnant and was feeling pretty good physically but mentally i was wondering about all of the 'what ifs' that were making him wait for his time. and so today i thank him for coming and i praise God for having a healthy family.

day two

today was a big day for theodore! he got to meet grandpa and uncle mike and miss shannon! he also got to give meredith a special big sister present of dress up accessories!

meredith was excited about putting balloons up at the mailbox and celebrating with family. she seems to 'share' her baby just fine and it is cute to hear her say his name so delicately. yesterday she was still saying some of our 'practice' names for theodore....... and today it seems that theodore is defintely the perfect name for him in her mind tooooo.

one day old

lots of snuggling and holding our little son! today we officially named him theodore michael and brought him home.

proud big sister

here are more bithday pictures! nana and grandma brought proud big sister meredith up to the hospital to meet theodore just a few hours after he was born. from the moment she heard that today her baby brother was born, she was excited! today is a day for celebrating, and she clapped and was overjoyed with "yay's!" and wanting to hold him and kiss him...........love love love

we enjoyed our 'recovery' room in the special alternative birth center within the hospital. an added bonus was a healing herbal bath(that is why the water is a different color) for theodore and i in the big whirlpool tub in the room. he wasn't such a big fan of the water.... until he got to nurse in the water :)

happy birthday!

we are proud to welcome the birth of our son theodore michael!!
he is a handsome 8lbs 5 oz and 20.5 inches long

we waited patiently for 41 weeks and 5 days for his official entrance into this world. he has melted our hearts already.

the birth was beautiful and spiritual. we are all healthy and doing well. we were able to labor naturally without medications and felt supported by our midwife, nurse, and especially our doula. we really can't say enough positive things about having the kind of support that we had :)

here are photos that our doula toni took just minutes after the birth.... i hope to get a few minutes here and there to post more photos sooon!!!

special birth items

just wanted to share some special items that will bring me comfort during the upcoming birth. here is the beautiful neclace made out of the beads given to me during my mother's blessingway. each wonderful bead in the neclace was given by a special woman and mother (or future mother) with a specific blessing and well wish for theodore's birth. the orange fabric and signs are all ready for being used as decoration in the labor room at the hospital. i have our suitcases packed with all of the other goodies..... that i have packed and unpacked now at least a half dozen times!....

it is exciting to have planned to decorate the labor room and myself with special calming and empowering items. i also plan to have special calming music, dim lights, special clothes to wear instead of the typical hospital gown, and my own birth ball. i'm looking forward to enjoying (yes, enjoying!) some of the special techiniques that my doula has up her sleeve too..... like massage, fragrant scents/aromas, cranio sacral therapy, and positioning support....

okay baby!

just hanging in there

i was only pregnant for 38 weeks with meredith when my water broke and we got to meet her. and so it is no wonder that i'm an anxious momma at 39weeks and 4 days tonight. i can't wait to update the blog with snuggly newborn pictures!

mother's blessingway

today my friends threw me a mother's blessingway to celebrate this pregnancy and the birth. it was a wonderful way to bring family and friends together (on short notice too!) and have a wonderful afternoon filled with positivity and motherhood.

some of the special highlights from today:
sage smudging (sage was burned to purify the space)
sharing of blessings, prayers, and beads (for a neclace to be worn at birth)
a momma foot bath and massage
a red cord binding around our wrists to wear until the baby is born
and making birth art with clay

thank you everyone who was able to be there in person or in spirit! it was a wonderful time! and i'm so glad that the baby didn't come too soon and have me cancel the party....... awesome!

playground

we took the grandmas to the playground today for a special treat. these glimpses of sun and warm spring weather are heaven sent. even the baby in my belly enjoyed the warm sun... and the break from being indoors snuggling with baby clothes and itty bitty socks and the smallest and softest cloth diapers......

happy easter

wow the easter bunny came to our house and meredith got to eat candy! jelly beans and a tasty chocolate easter bunny were favorites, as well as fun with family today. i missed quite a few fun photo opportunities because i was busy being a pregnant momma and napping (blush) or eating (blush)

decorating eggs

we finally get to decorate easter eggs! this is a treasured activity from my childhood and meredith seems to join right in! she kept wanting to make the eggs 'kiss' and crack them...... she is going to have so much fun tomorrow

the little wrap

meredith and i have been wearing our baby dolls in our wraps lately to practice for when our baby is born. isn't she just the cutest little momma in her own sized wrap? baby doll maria was so content and loved.

cousins

we had some fun with cousins jake and katie today.... the kids are almost too fast to capture on camera

dress up

papa's little angel just had to get dressed up today toooo. God Bless You Papa! we miss you so much already!

(this cute outfit helped us all get a few smiles and grins today)

a thank you

today my brother's friends are throwing a benefit to honor my dad and to help my mom. my heart is overjoyed at their efforts and their support. i have felt the love of friends and family over the last few days that i cannot put into words..... the wonderful hugs, encouragement, love and support. i will be forever grateful, and i thank God for bringing us together during this time of sorrow. you are all in our prayers. thank you!

a eulogy by me

Good Afternoon
I know that I’m going to cry up here
I’m pregnant
and I believe that my dad was Superman
and the best Papa in the world!
I miss my dad so much already

But I want you to know that my Dad is still with us, right now in this room
He would not want us to be sad for him. He is in heaven.
He would not want us to hurt.
He would not want us to feel pain.

I believe that he wants us to know that he is okay now, and that everything is going to be okay tooo.
God and Jesus have healed him and now it is time to celebrate life and being together.

We want everyone here today, physically or in spirit, to know that you are part of our family. My Dad loved you and we love you.

Perhaps you shared a beer with my Dad almost a week ago, or laughed together even 10 years ago.
I’m sure my Dad would want you to know that you were important to him.

Our memories of being together with my Dad can bring us comfort and inspiration.

My Dad was here in our lives
To love us
To help us
To encourage us
To guide us
To show us that ‘we could do it’
To laugh with us and enjoy life
To celebrate anything and everything
To bring us strength

I want you to remember how he was present in your life.
I want these memories to inspire you to:
Show a young child how to fish
Learn how to cook your favorite food… and share it
Step up and pitch in
Do the right thing now, instead of later
Find a way to make life easier for someone else
Enjoy being outdoors or find more time for your own hobbies
Spoil your family and friends
Say, “I love you” more often or even start saying it…..


There is nothing in this world that my Dad couldn’t do.
He just had to work hard to accomplish it.
Actually, he seemed to work even harder if he could do something for someone else

When my Dad started his courageous battle with cancer, he tackled it in the same way.
It took
Not 1
Not 2
But 3 cancers
And multiple rounds of chemotherapy with each cancer
When not the first chemotherapy
Or the second
Or the third try or type of chemo worked exactly right.

And my Dad still did not loose the fight.
He was still ready to continue working and fighting hard for my Mom and us.
And God was ready to heal him in his loving arms.

My Dad is in heaven now.
He will not soon be forgotten and will continue to be missed.
But he has given us something wonderful.
He has showed us how to be courageous and unselfish and loving right to the end.

Please don’t be sad today.
Please be inspired instead.
Please celebrate life and family.
We have all been blessed just to know my Dad.

Thank you and AMEN!

my dad is in heaven

our hearts are breaking because we miss my dad. he is in heaven now. here are a few of the wonderful pictures that we have to savour.