NikJDesigns on Etsy

For my first giveaway, I have teamed up with Nicole from NikJDesigns to give one custom fabric bucket to two lucky readers! 

I found this super cute Etsy shop a while back on my friend Morgan's blog, where she uses her large bucket to hold towels in her bathroom (so smart!). I loved Morgan's bucket, so I decided to work with Nicole to design a few for Emmett's nursery. She is so sweet and so fun to work with. We use our buckets to hold diapers, wipes, onesies, toiletries.. you name it! I love our buckets so much, I even used them for Easter baskets this year! 

To enter, follow this blog (click the "Join this site" button on the right side of this page), visit  the NikJDesigns Etsy shop, and leave a comment below telling me which fabric you will choose if you win! You can enter once a day! I will choose a winner on Friday using your comment number (1st to comment is #1, 2nd is #2, etc) using this random number generator.

For a chance to win a second basket (!!!), like Nicole's Facebook page, and share my post about the giveaway on your timeline as many times as you want!

GOOD LUCK!

And the winner is:

Lauren Eggers!

Lauren, shoot me an email (annakate25 @ gmail.com)for instructions on how to collect your basket!

Emmett's Birth Story (Finally!)

I've wanted to write this story since it happened, but finding the words to describe that day has been so difficult. I read this beautiful birth story today, so I'm feeling inspired. I will do my best to remember the details. I can't believe it has been 9 months!

My water broke at 12:30 am on the night of July 1st. 30 minutes into July.

Emmett was supposed to be born in June. All through my pregnancy, in my head at least, it was supposed to be June. June 26th was his due date, and I never thought even for a moment that he'd be born in July.

I worked all the way up until my due date. My last day in the office was June 20th, but I worked from home until the 26th. My mom came to stay with us on the 21st in case I went into labor early. I wanted my whole family here, to be there when my boy was born, but it was impossible to know when he would come, so just my mom came at first. She planned to stay for at least 2 weeks to help us with cooking and cleaning, and anything else we needed. We spent time finishing all of the projects we wanted to complete before the baby arrived- putting finishing touches on the nursery, buying baby clothes, cleaning every inch of the house, and walking. My mom kept telling me all I needed to do was walk, and the baby would come. I remember that week so fondly- it was peaceful, exciting, and so much fun.

I woke up on my due date feeling excited, and expecting something to happen. I wasn't able to sleep very well at this point, so I would get up early every morning and go for a walk around the neighborhood. It was in the middle of the summer in Arizona, so if I wanted to walk outside, I had to do it before 7 am! But that day I stayed in bed a little bit later. Ray was able to begin his (6-week paid) paternity leave a week early, so we slept in and planned to relax. He got up around 8:30 and got in the shower, and I was still in bed when I felt a little pop and a huge gush. There was fluid everywhere, so I assumed my water had broken. I remember being so happy and so excited- he was coming right on time! What a good boy! I went to the bathroom to tell Ray, got cleaned up, and went to tell my mom. I was still working from home, so I sent an email to my boss and let everyone know that it was happening, so I wouldn't be working any more. I even sent emails to all of my accounts to let them know that my maternity leave was beginning. I didn't want to rush to the hospital, so I took my time showering, getting my things together, and getting dressed. I was having irregular contractions every 5-8 minutes, but they weren't bothering me too much. I remember thinking that it was all too good to be true- I couldn't have timed it better myself! No middle of the night wake up, no rushing to the hospital, no crazy hair and tired eyes for photos..

Arriving at the hospital on my due date. Look at that huge belly!

Still feeling optimistic. But my hair's looking pretty good, right?

We got to the hospital around noon. My contractions hadn't changed much by then, and I hadn't seen any more fluid, but I never doubted that I was in labor. They hooked me up to a monitor and did an exam, but weren't able to find any amniotic fluid, so they sent me to have an ultrasound to check the amount of fluid in my amniotic sac. I was sure that the ultrasound would show that my water had broken, and I would be admitted, but instead they sent me home. The nurse told me she wasn't sure what had happened, but it didn't look like my water had broken, so I should keep an eye on it and come back if I saw any more fluid.

I was heartbroken! I remember feeling so down, and so embarrassed. I told my sisters and my friends that I was in labor, but apparently instead I'd just peed myself! Ugh. I had to let my boss know that it was a false alarm, but decided not to go back to work. I couldn't face all of the people I'd emailed, so I decided to begin my maternity leave.

Anyway, after a few days of waiting and nothing happening, my dad decided to come along as well. He arrived on Thursday, the 28th, two days after my due date. We talked about asking my doctor to induce me so my parents would be able to be here for the birth, but I wanted to go into labor on my own if possible. We finally decided that if I didn't go into labor by Sunday, we would schedule an induction for Monday, July 2nd.

I was having contractions every 8 minutes or so all the time, and they would speed up to about every 2-3 minutes, lasting about a minute, when I would walk. So, on Saturday the 30th I woke up at 6 a.m. and went for a fast walk around the neighborhood. My contractions sped up and I was feeling really optimistic. I was sure he was coming today. We spent the day at the mall, walking and walking and walking and walking. My dad took this wonderful photo of me, eating a cupcake at the mall:

I made it extra large, for your viewing pleasure..

By the time we headed home, my contractions had completely stopped, and I. was. a. mess. I was upset, frustrated, and felt like this baby was staying in there for good. I knew, just knew, that he was coming in June, and I couldn't believe the month was over and still no baby.
I posted this picture on Instagram before I went to bed that night, because the whole world needed to know how miserable I was (as if that would help..):

I was so upset I exaggerated by a week. So dramatic!

So we went to bed thinking we'd never have the baby, feeling doomed to induce. And then, low and behold, at 12:30 am on July 1st, I sat straight up in bed (okay, more like I rolled and flopped and rolled some more until I was kinda half sitting up in bed) and felt fluid in my underwear. I went to the bathroom, and sure enough there was water, and it wasn't stopping this time. I did a little happy dance by myself in the bathroom because I knew that this was really actually finally it, and I was going to meet my baby boy!

I went back into the room and gently woke Ray, and we celebrated together for a few minutes before I went to tell my parents. They were so excited, but we decided it was best if they stay home and try to get some sleep, since we knew it was going to be a long night.

Ray and I got dressed and got our things together and called our doctor, and he told us to go ahead and go to the hospital. I was having contractions again, about every 5 minutes, but they were still irregular and weren't very strong. On the way to the hospital we talked about how excited we were, how calm we felt, and I remember thinking it was such a beautiful night to have a baby. I was so happy.

Here we are leaving the for the hospital the second time.

We checked in and they sent us directly to a room this time. They checked me (I was at 2 cm) and hooked me up to a monitor, but my contractions were still slow and weak, so we decided that I should get up and walk around for as long as I could.  I walked for about 45 minutes every hour, and then spent 15 minutes at a time hooked up to the monitor. I did that from about 2 until around 5. My contractions hadn't sped up very much, so they called the doctor and he decided to start Pitocin to get things moving.

I labored on the Pitocin from 5 until about 8:30 before having the epidural. I wanted to experience labor for as long as I could, but I decided early on that I wanted to have an epidural. Once the Pitocin kicked in my contractions were off the charts, and were coming so fast it that all I could do was breathe for a few seconds between them and then grab the bed rail and hold on for dear life. My parents arrived around 7:30 or so, and I'm sure it was hard for them to see me like that. My dad decided to go wait in the lobby for a while to pray, but my mom stuck around. She was so good.

The contractions were hard, but I think I was able to deal with them because in the back of my mind I knew that I could have the epidural whenever I wanted, and then I would have relief within 30 minutes, so I stuck it out. By 8:30 everyone was saying there was no need to be in pain, so I might as well start the epidural. The pain was getting pretty bad, so I agreed and we called the Anesthesiologist.

I was really nervous about this part- I'd heard horror stories about rogue needles and even one about a husband being sprayed in the face with numbing liquid- but it was calm and easy and the doctor who did the epidural was confident and kind. Everyone assured me that he was the best, and that made me feel better. So, the epidural went off without a hitch, and from then on, the day was pure BLISS.

My dad came in a short time later and said he thought the baby had already been born, since the room was so calm! It was such a change from the last time he'd been there. I was able to rest and relax, and even napped for a few minutes! My parents watched the Euro Cup Final game between Spain and Italy on tv, while Ray and I chatted or read or just spent time together. The nurses kept coming in to check my monitor, and I could see my contractions still going off the charts, but I couldn't feel a thing! I kept saying "This is too easy! My body is doing all this work, but I'm so relaxed!" I felt like I should be tired and cranky and in pain, I should be working really hard! I felt a little bit like I was cheating actually. The morning and early afternoon were so easy and calm.

My dad working on a blog post in the delivery room.

Our wonderful doctor was at home that day on call, so he was keeping an eye on my monitor and the baby's from his iPad. It must have been around 1 o'clock or so when I started to notice the nurses spending more time in the room, and seemed to be watching the monitors closely. They told me the baby's heartbeat had dropped suddenly, so they helped me to change positions in the bed and kept watching the monitors. When my doctor walked in the room I knew that something was wrong, but he stayed calm and smiled and put me at ease. He told me that he came as quickly as he could when he saw the baby's heart rate drop, but that he wasn't worried anymore. When I changed positions the baby's heart rate came back up, so everything was fine. The doctor very calmly told me that if his heart rate dropped again, we would need to "do something else", meaning an immediate c-section. He was smart not to say those words so that I wouldn't be scared. He checked my cervix, and I was at about 8 cm, so he decided to stay at the hospital to keep an eye on me and the baby. He thought it would still be a few hours, but then around 2 o'clock he came back in and checked me one more time and I was fully dilated!

My doctor told me we would wait about an hour to give the baby some time to come down further into the birth canal, so he and the nurses left the room. We went back to hanging out (Ray & I), and cheering loudly for Spain (my parents). By then my epidural had begun to wear off, so I was feeling some pressure.  The pressure began to build so we called the nurse and let her know, and the doctor came back in with my nurse and a nurse from the nursery and told me it was time to push. I went into a state of denial as the nurses got everything ready and the doctor pulled out the stirrups and sat at the edge of my bed. My dad was still in the room (the soccer game had just ended- Spain won!), so my doctor asked if I wanted him to go. My dad seemed surprised by that- he wanted to stay, so I told the doctor that I didn't mind if he stayed. My dad turned his chair away from me and worked on his computer, and I was glad he was in the room. I knew he would pray, and I knew he would make everything okay.

Getting ready to push/trying to keep it together!

Everyone was ready and excited but I was scared and losing my courage. I couldn't believe it was actually happening! I felt like everything was in slow-motion and I tried to convince myself that it was time, whether I felt ready or not. My mom went to my left side and grabbed my leg, and my nurse went to my right. Ray stood to the left of me near my head. It was happening.

My doctor sat on the edge of my bed and told me it was time, and the nurse told me a contraction was beginning. I felt it, and I felt the urge to push, so I pushed! It was incredible and exhausting and so hard and so overwhelming! Everyone said all the right things to encourage me, and I felt like I was in a dream. The pushing was hard and a few times I felt like I couldn't go on, but the nurse was so awesome and my mom was so excited and such an awesome coach, and my sweet wonderful doctor told me I was doing so good. I was worried that when the time came I wouldn't know how to push, but in the end it was the most natural thing in the world. I pushed for about 30 minutes, and by then I was so so so tired. My doctor kept saying just one more push! Just one more! And every time I believed him. He told me he could see the baby's head and that there was hair, and Ray and I looked at each other in disbelief. We were both bald babies, so we were sure he'd be bald too. My mom asked if it was red and I said "NO! Don't be red!" and then I remembered that my doctor has bright red hair and felt like a jerk for a couple of seconds before another contraction came.With each push his head came out a little further, until he was so so close.

I looked over at my dad between contractions and he was facing the window holding two cell phones up in the air and I think he was crying. He told me Geema (my grandmother) and my sister Shea had both called so he was letting them listen in. I loved that.

I got a burst of energy knowing he was almost out and gave the last push all I had, and then there he was! Right away he doctor laid him on my belly while the nurses checked on him and cleaned him up. He was facing away from me and I remember I was DYING to see his little face, but I was just so happy to see him at all. I looked at his little legs and bum and back and the back of his tiny little head and just drank him in. It was magic.

Our first photo together. 

I couldn't take it anymore and the doctor handed him to me and I just melted. He was so beautiful. He cried and cried and then I spoke to him and the moment he heard my voice he became quiet and looked right at my face. The room melted away and it was just he and I for a few moments while I kissed him and told him about all the love I had in my heart for him, and we just looked at eachother. I was overcome.

My parents asked for his name, and I told Ray he could finally tell them. "Emmett Arthur" he said, and everyone cheered. My mom was so happy and my dad said it was a good strong name, and I just kept looking at my son. My perfect, sweet, tiny, beautiful son. He was so calm and soft and I couldn't stop kissing his little cheeks! I held him for a long time and then he seemed like he wanted to nurse, so I put him to my breast and he latched on like a champ. Such a good boy.

It was the most perfect day. I kept thinking all day that it was all so easy, so wonderful. Everything went beautifully. My doctor and nurses said and did exactly the right things all day, and seemed to know exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. Later that day I said it felt like my nurse was an angel, holding me in her hand and keeping me safe and calm. It was such a dream, from start to finish, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Sweet new boy, taking it all in.

His Ree is his biggest fan!

First photo with daddy!

So silly. 

We sure do love you Emmett boy!

P.S. My dad wrote his (much more beautiful) version of this story on his blog, here.
And here is my first post about baby Emmett!

Things I Desparately Want: Emmett Edition

I'm working on my blog ya'll. Bear with me. (Do we like the new name? Be honest. I think it needs work, but it's getting there.)

I've had my eye on a few things for little Emmett that I plan to buy one day, when I have extra money. (Is there such a thing??) So, I thought I'd share them here as a way to keep track. (Pinterest is blocked at work. Isn't that tragic?) Also you might want to buy these things, which would be great for you and your babe, and great for me so that I can live vicariously through your awesomeness.

First and foremost, I'm dying for these sweet little moccasins from Freshly Picked! I've been oggling these adorable little shoes for months, but my uber practical husband won't let me buy them until Emmett actually needs to wear shoes. I keep telling him the boy neeeeeds them, but he just won't give in. I'm right though. Picture his little legs sticking out of his little shorts and these little darlings on his feet. I. die.

We decorated Emmett's nursery (here) while I was pregnant, and we LOVE it. It's colorful and sweet, and it makes us all really happy to spend time in there. It was perfect when Emmett was little tiny, but I'm starting to feel like it needs a little updating. Since my post on the nursery, I added lots of sweet art to the walls from this shop on Etsy. We've moved the furniture around a little bit (to make room for activities), and I would love to fill the new open wall space with these adorable animal faces from The Animal Print Shop. The little faces above are some of my favorites, but there are so many to choose from!

Can anyone tell me how I can get this image to center?? I've tried everything!

I would love to give Emmett one of these funny little "Pretend" animal tails from this Etsy shop. They are so funny! I can imagine Emmett walking around the house with one tied to his little bum acting like a wolf or a lion or even a little fish. I love toys that foster his little imagination, so these are at the top of my list. So cute!

 

Doesn't this teepee (from this Etsy shop) look like so much fun?! Little boys love forts, and I love the idea of Emmett having his own secret space, just for him. This would be so great for a big back yard (which we don't have), or even for a little boy's playroom, which we also don't have in our current house. So for now, we will just have to keep dreaming, and make forts the old fashioned way- with blankets and pillows!

Emmett has a birthday coming up in a few months, and I'm already starting to think about his party. I'm not sure what the theme will be yet, but I do know that I want to shower him with all the love and affection I possible can. I want him to know that he is special, and that this one day is all about him. And I can't think of a better way to make someone feel special then to give them a crown to wear! Isn't this one sweet? It comes in tons of colors, but I especially love the gold. If it goes over well, we might even make it a part of our family's birthday traditions!

I guess that's all for now, but don't worry, I'll be back with more!

My 10 Must-Haves For A Newborn

Before Emmett was born, I scoured the internet for lists of products that people actually used with their brand new babies. There are a million things out there that people tell you to buy, but I wanted to know what we would actually need.

I got a lot of good input from friends, and found a few good lists on the mom blogs (here , here and here). Because I found these lists so helpful, I wanted to (FINALLY) post a list of my own. So, here are all of the baby products that I have used and loved (in no particular order):

1. Madela Breast Pump: I had to go back to work pretty quickly after Emmett was born, so this double-pump has been our most important and necessary baby buy. I hated pumping at first. Like, really hated. But I was determined to continue nursing after going back to work so I stuck with it, and it definitely got easier. Of course I still don't love it (does anyone LOVE pumping??), but this pump is super easy to use and comes with all kinds of helpful accessories.

2. Boppy Infant Lounger: This thing is a lifesaver when your baby is brand new. It's basically a take-anywhere bed, and Emmett LOVED his. It's contoured and sized to fit newborns, so baby feels snuggled and comfortable. We used it in every room in our house. We even took it with us on a vacation when Emmett was three weeks old to use as his bed instead of bringing a huge pack & play or bassinet. Did I say lifesaver?

3. White Noise Machine: We took this cute little guy with us everywhere we went when Emmett was little tiny. He was able to sleep in loud restaurants as well as quiet rooms, as long as we turned on some white noise. Now that he's a bit older (and sleeps lighter!) we have retired the sheep for an app on our Kindle Fire (there are lots to choose from) since it has so many options and a much louder volume. Every night (and at nap times) we turn on his white noise as part of our bedtime routine, and it really helps him to settle down and get ready for bed. It's also great for diffusing noise when we have friends over in the evenings!

4. Baby ESP app: This app was such a huge help to me in the first couple weeks after having Emmett. It's available for Android phones, but we used it on our Kindle Fire. This app is a tool for keeping track of baby's feedings, diapers, naps, and everything else you could think of that you might need to remember. This was so important for me since as a new mom, your brain is hardly functioning in the first place, and then there's that pesky sleep deprivation...

5. Swaddle Blankets: We heard about these swaddlers from aden + anais from all of our friends with little ones. They are the perfect swaddle blanket- light, soft, big, and so so cute. They come in all kinds of patterns and colors, each one cuter than the last. I really can't say enough good things about these blankets. They are a must have. Tons of our friends swear by the Miracle Blanket, but we never got around to trying it. Next time!

6. Nipple cream: People tried to warn me that breastfeeding hurts when you're first starting out. I remember this clearly, but I didn't really understand until I started nursing. It hurts. It hurts a lot at first. Imagine the worst chaffing you've ever experienced times a hundred, and then add 1,000 tiny needles sticking into your nipples. It's that bad. So this nipple cream was a huge huge help for me. It helped relieve just a little bit of the pain between feedings, and is totally safe for baby.

7. Bathtub: We started out with the Puj Tub, which came highly recommended, but it just didn't work for us because it didn't fit in any of our sinks. Bummer. So we struggled and struggled with bathing Emmett in our sinks, or I would get in the bath with him each night. Finally my mother-in-law bought us this tub, which is simple and inexpensive and we absolutely love it.

8. Soothies Pacifiers: I was a little nervous to give Emmett a pacifier, because I didn't want to create an attachment that I would eventually have to wean him off of, but I'm so glad I did. A friend bought him a Wubbanub, which is so adorable and Emmett still loves his monkey so much. The last couple weeks it has become his favorite "toy" to play with.

9. Wipes Warmer: We LOVE our wipes warmer. Emmett has always been super sensitive to cold temps (definitely an Arizona baby!), so cold baby wipes would immediately start him shivering and sneezing when he was little tiny. So sad! We've used this wipes warmer since he was a couple of days old, and I can't imagine life without it. Besides warming Emmett's baby wipes, it also has a night-light that I find super helpful for middle-of-the-night diaper changes. It's bright enough that I don't have to turn on the overhead light in his room and wake him up any more than I have to. 

10. Bottle Cleaning Brush: This is probably an obvious one, but we went without it for months, so now that we have one I can't believe I ever lived without it. Since I work outside of the home 40 hours a week, Emmett takes most of his meals during the week from a bottle. So, I spend a LOT of time cleaning bottles. This is a must-have!

I hope this is helpful! If you have any must-have's that I didn't mention, please let me know in the comment box below. I'm always on the look-out for products to make our chaotic life a little easier!

Nursery!

It's been a busy few weeks- I was in Georgia with my family for a couple weeks, then flew home and went right to work the next day. I've been having a lot of pain in my ribs for a few weeks now (apparently just my muscle tearing away from my ribs.. nothing to worry about!), and it's become pretty constant since I came back to AZ. I think after a long day of flying and then going right to sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, I put my body through an awful lot and it hasn't really recovered. I don't expect this pain to go away until this baby is born, so I'm just working on getting used to it.

While I was gone Ray and his mom did some work in our bedroom. When Ray moved in, the previous owner left him a really special gift- floor to ceiling mirror tiles in the master bedroom! It was pretty creepy, so Ray finally took those down, retextured the wall, and painted the whole room a really soothing, cool grey. He also took off our enormous, ugly closet doors and painted the ceiling, and installed a ceiling fan. Right on time too, as this mama has been swelling up like a balloon any time the temperature goes above 75 degrees. It was so nice to come home to a brand-new, fresh and clean bedroom.

We've also been doing a lot of work on the nursery. I wish I'd taken before photos, but suffice it to say it was a tiny little room filled with junk and not cute in the least. We've painted the walls a neutral grey, put a fresh coat of white paint on the ceiling, trim, and closet, took down closet doors. I thought for a while about painting one of the walls with bold grey and white stripes, but then realized that I had just bought a shower curtain for the guest bath that would make perfect curtains for the nursery. So, I bought another panel (or, another shower curtain, rather). We spent some time trying to figure out the best way to hang them, and in the end resigned ourselves to buying a simple silver shower rod with small silver rings. It isn't ideal, but we like it fine for now.

The next thing we bought was the crib and changing table (Thanks Mom and Dad!!). I searched for some time for a little rug to bring some color into the room. I'd been eyeing the one we bought for a few weeks, and then one day I found it on super sale at One King's Lane. I was a little nervous about buying a fairly expensive item on a daily deals site, but after reading my friend Morgan's blog about purchasing her new rug, I decided to go for it! (Thanks Morgan!) I really love the rug, even though it feels like it doesn't totally fit in with the rest of the room.

View of the window from the doorway.

I'm still searching for the perfect crib sheets, but we found these at Ikea
the other night and decided they'll do for now.

All baby's crib friends. Just missing a giraffe!

Changing table from Ikea. When he get's bigger the changing table
comes off, leaving shelves

Bagel's favorite part of the nursery!

Closet view. We still have some work to do to organize
the closet better and add some storage.

Little shelves to display books.

One more little shelf.

A shower gift!

These little fabric buckets are one of my favorite things in the nursery. I had them custom
made from a shop on etsy that I found, again, on Morgan's blog.

My three favorite things in the nursery- my cloth diaper collection, the sweetest elephant king print from  the trafalgarssquare shop on etsy (found on sale at zulily.com!), and the cutest little hamper anyone's ever seen!

Baby's first shoes!

There's still work to be done- I have lots of things to hang on the walls, and a glider chair that needs recovering- but it's coming together rather nicely and we are really pleased! I'm hoping to have it completed in the next couple weeks, in case this little man decides to come along early!

This is the state of our kitchen at the moment. Hopefully next time I post the major/minor remodel that's in the works will be finished, and I'll have all the before and after photos to show you!

I owe you an 8 months (32 weeks) photo, but everything that belongs in our kitchen is spread all over the house, so I can't quite get to the spot where we always take my belly shots. Instead, here's an awful little pic of me and my big belly to tide you over: