Madeleine Nicole: Birth Story and Baby Pictures by Leann

My list of "to-dos" is perpetually growing and it seems like I will never catch up. 

Maddie's Birthday

It was a Wednesday around 6 AM, when I was awakened by some slight contractions that didn't feel like just your usual Braxton hicks, like Bella, my thought was that she would possibly come that day.  Mike and I had the conversation of whether he should go to work or stay; we decided that he should stay.  Luckily, my mommy's day out was scheduled for that same day, so we coordinated it with Jenn  and our friend Patricia, who would pick them up and stay the night with them...this of course was still preliminary because we weren't certain that that day was the day...

Mike and I enjoyed a great day out, we went shopping, had lunch, went to the church; but I could feel the contractions get closer and more intense the whole time.  So around 4 PM we decide to go to the hospital because they were about 5 minutes apart.  Surprisingly, I handled the pain much better this time around.  I think it was my breathing! LOL, really though, it did help...

We checked into the hospital. The pain was getting worse and I was wondering when I would get my epidural. By that time, the nurse said that I was dilated to about a 6 and my pain intensity was through the roof...breath, breath, breath, I kept telling myself...and it was working...finally, I got my epidural. I prayed that as I was sitting there ever so still that another contraction wouldn't come so the doctor could insert the medicine. For me, that is a very scary part of the delivery...  Thankfully every time, my prayers were answered because I was able to sit still till he finished.  Because I was so far along in my labor, the doctor had to really "juice" me. He dosed me pretty high so that I could feel the affects quickly.  Like anyone who gets an epidural I was a new creature after...labor progressed and at 5:43 PM Maddie made her miraculous way into the world. 

The doctor placed her bluish body on mine and I waited ever so intently for her first cry and for her color to turn...she finally did and she started to look more pink, but it seemed like she really took a while...I also noticed that she wasn't as "feisty" as my other babies.  The Baby Nurse Advocate check her with her stethoscope while she lay there on my chest...she then swiped her away and said she wanted to check her vitals....this of course scared me to death. 

Mike and I watch as the NICU nurse was called in because Maddie's heart beat was below 100, her color wasn't where it should be either and her oxygen levels were low.  For the next 13 minutes Mike and I watched them work on  her, giving her oxygen supplements and suctioning her lungs...it was the worst feeling ever...each time they would take off her oxygen mask her heart would go back to below 100....finally(with answered to prayer) they got her to breath normal and her heart finally maintained a healthy level.

I can't tell you what it was like those first moments of Maddie's life. It was like we were hanging by a thread for 13 minutes not knowing what would happen...but there she was, placed back in my arms, just as perfect as she could be.  At that moment both Mike and I were reminded of how fragile and precious life really is. 

Like I said earlier, Maddie is just perfect.  And I am so blessed to have such a healthy beautiful baby girl.  She has already brought so much joy to our family.

Leann was able to take some really great newborn pictures for us.  I just mailed out the baby announcements!! And only 2 months late. Here are the rest. Such a little beauty!!

 

 

 

This picture I think is hilarious!!

 

And this one too!! The girls had a blast with "Uncle Hector"!

 

And She Will Be Called...

 

So we finally decided on a name for this little wonder growing inside me.  I was also able to finish the personalized wall art for her. I of course came across this idea while pinning.  Here are some pictures of the project.



 

 

First, you can see that all I did was find vintage wall paper patterns online and made heart cut outs from them.  I used a thick linen grade paper, which made the patterns come out really great and detailed. 

Some close-ups of the patterns I chose.

 

I found this frame at the thrift store, it was perfect. 

 

I glued the hearts down on a white background I just painted.  Then I sprayed it with some top coat to seal it.

 

Here is the heart I designated for our baby 3's name.  As you can tell this project sat undone for some time because Michael and I were not wholly sold on a name.

 

Missing final heart.

 

Hanging in the nursery, finished with name, I tediously cut out the name using an exacto knife and tiny scissors from Word, the font was like 95, of course in the style of french script. A fairly easy project and not expensive, this will add the perfect touch to her nursery...

And she will be called.....

 

Madeleine Nicole Ruiz, we are anticipating your arrival!

 

 

A Morning Out-Deals Deals Deals!!!

Went thrifting today!!  I had a great time with my thrift store buddy!! Got some great deals and of course saved my husband a lot of money. ;)  If you ask him, he'd say he can't afford to have me save him money anymore!! LOL.  Anyway, there was a big smile on Lizzie's face when we pulled this out of the back of the truck.  This kitchen set goes for $150 bucks at Walmart,  I got this one for $15. With a little dish soap and warm water it's like new. Bella just woke up from her nap and has been playing with it too!!

 

Here, I've thrown together some outfit ideas with pieces that have come from just the thrift store (unless otherwise noted) that I found today or over time. I listed the total cost of the look of everything shown.

 Here I have a JCrew cardigan and plain straight black knee length skirt. I paired this with a black belt and embellished black Maryjane's,  I love it. (Thanks Jenn!) The look- $18

 

Here's a close up of the design on the sweater and the lapel.

An American Eagle distressed denim jacket with maxi dress. The look- $14

 

A capped lace decorative sleeve tank with a pale mint scarf with silver thread embellishment and  gray denim skirt. The look- $9

 

The picture doesn't do this jacket justice, the whole outfit needs to be ironed too.  It's a vertical stripe navy jacket with khaki lace detail and a ruffled undershirt pared with a maternity khaki skirt,  I also own a navy blue straight skirt that this would look great with. I got the coral necklace from Maurice's...excluding the necklace, the look- $15

 

Finally, a darling seersucker blue vertical stripe dress with red stars for the upcoming Baby.  I couldn't help it:)The look- $1

Cup of Joy- A Little Twist

In my adventure whilst pinning I came across a recipe for a detox drink that consisted of 1 lemon, half a cucumber and some mint leaves...I have a bag of lemons that I desperately want to use before they go bad so I thought cool idea.  I love to try new, unique, natural things.  So this motivated me to make a little twisted version of the above recipe.  Because I am a fan of warm beverages I thought why not boil mint tea instead and add not just 1 but 2 lemons to the hot water.  Oh how my taste buds sang.  I of course added some sugar to the tea cup, not to the pitcher so I could still use the drink for detox purposes, I just have the option if I want to sweeten it.  When the "tea" concoction cools a bit, I'll add the cucumber and let it sit over night, to saturate all the vitamins and yummy good stuff. So simple, so natural, so refreshing! 

My cup of joy for the day!!

A Letter, a Little Late, For My Lovely

 

 

I finally got around to making Bella's personalized letter, a project that I should have had done almost 2 years ago.  Like her baby pictures, it was just one of those things that got pushed down the the to-do list.  My next project is to get her pictures in an album....  Well here it is, proudly I hang this in her and Lizzie's room.  With each child, I am trying to do some personalized name art/wall hanging.  I have completed baby #3's but am waiting on my hubby to confirm our name.  He keeps vetoing ideas I put before him!!

I Shall Eat My Coffee Today!

....Yes, oh yes, I will!

Today is an especially sleepy day.  The fog has rolled in, it's damp, rainy and gray outside, I believe this extra bit of coffee will do me good, because my body wants to curl up and snooze....or read or something other than the tasks I have before me....

My very lovely friend, Jenn, knows that I am a kind of coffee connoisseur of sorts (well if you put it politely, plainly spoken, really I'm a fiend for the stuff!!) Anyway, I've been running around all day trying to get my laundry done, organize the nursery, work for Preacher and of course everything in between.  Both of the kiddos are down (yay for duel naps!)I think it's time for a little break...

Today I am enjoying a warmed up mug of coffee leftover from this morning (I know it's not the best, I think if you can drink coffee like this, you really are a fiend).  To add to my cup I am also enjoying a delightful, decadent, daring, dark, dose of edible coffee!! As pictured below.  This was part of my birthday presents and I'm finally cracking it open.  I ate just one and it's taking every bit of will power to refrain from eating the whole box!! Thank you to my sweet friend who loves coffee just as much as me!!

My Little Artist

What did I find on the wall of my bathroom the other day? Crayons!!  Bella decided that the wall was a much better medium than her coloring book, apparently she snuck out of the office where the girls colors are and went into my bathroom and colored blue crayon all over the wall.  I thought no problem, it'll come right off with some Windex....well I tried that and it didn't even smudge it...so I googled "how to clean crayon off walls" an came across this site, which gives you several cleaning solutions to try.  One of the suggestions, which seemed the easiest and less messy was just a plain baby wipe.  I thought wow that will be neat if it worked, and guess what? It did, just a little elbow grease and the crayon came right off....

Bella is my kinesthetic learner; she likes action and feeling, she'll put markers in her mouth, on her legs and any where but the paper.  She was coloring the other day and I heard  this strange sort of spitting noise.  I went to check it and there's Bella with a book, spitting on it and using the spit to moisten her marker so that it would write...interesting right?  With food, it's even worse.  Lizzie at age 19 months was very particular about getting messy, she was like a little bird eating, very carefully trying to not get food on her hands and around her mouth, Bella is just the opposite, she'll stick her finger in any mushy sauce and side.  She'll then rub her hair with it....oh the joys of motherhood!! I wouldn't have it any other way!!

site credit/reference
http://tipnut.com/21-crayon-busters-how-to-remove-crayon-from-walls/