Little Baby Abigail

Hi,

I actually started typing an email the other day....but then I was distracted by the nurses and all the vital things they do to you in the hospital and haven't been on since. (So here is the short & condensed version.....I think.)

We went to the doctor's on Thursday night...my bp was 182/102. So after some discussion he decided we were going in right then and there.

We officially checked into the hospital at 7:30 and the doctor started the pitocin. I sent Sheldon home around 2 am when my mom showed up and he came back around 10 am or so. I still hadn’t dialated anymore….I was still 1 cm (the same as my 35 week appointment.)

At 12:30 we broke my water, and at 3 PM they gave me the epideral as my bp was still high. By 8:00 PM I was only up to 3 cm dialated and the doctor gave us a choice….try for another couple of hours or do a c-section. At that point as I was having some problems with the epideral….I decided I just wanted to see her and not wait any longer.

So by 8:40 I was in the operating room….and Abigail was born at 9:27 PM weighing 5 lbs 14 oz. She is 18.9” long….red hair and blue eyed.

We have been pretty busy as she doesn’t quite having the sucking reflex down yet….so we have been breastfeeding and pumping. She has lost ½ and we are trying to keep her from losing anymore. Tomorrow morning is her first doctor’s appointment….so we hope that everything goes well there.

Besides, the eating issues (she is now up to 1 ½ oz per feeding session) she has been the perfect baby….very cuddly, only cries if she needs something….Sheldon and I are terribly blessed to have her in our lives and appreciate all of your prayers.

Blacksmithing Update

Hi,

Sheldon has been bugging me about putting up his blacksmithing photos. Though he won't tell me what to say. So I will make up something.

When Sheldon and I went to the renaissance festival in May I discovered that he wanted to learn how to blacksmith. We knew that he wouldn't be able to do it on his own at our house as there are lots of tools that are involved. Though I am not sure if we knew it at the time or not....his boss at the EPA does blacksmithing. And he invited Sheldon and a postdoc student Carl to come up and try it. Well they have been several times and I am not sure about Carl but Sheldon loves it. His first creation was a BBQ fork. Which he teases me because I call its shape organic. Next he made a throwing knife which turned out very cool. Then he was going to work on some tongs but I asked him to make something for me. And he ended up making me a heart. He isn't quite satisfied with it as he wasn't able to make it as pointy on the ends as he would like....but I love it.So when we move and get settled into our new life when Sheldon graduates....I have a feeling an anvil and a forge will soon be on the way.

TFL

Jennie

Jumping on the unmounting of rubber stamps bandwagon...

Hi,

Yesterday morning while I was supposedd to be sleeping I was thinking about organizing my craftroom instead.....I am needing to downsize for several reasons. First for the baby. Second to turn my room into a guest room. Third....I need it to feel organized and uncluttered for when we start to sell.

Originally, I was going to store half my stamps in storage...but then I wouldn't be able to use them. So I remember that I was planning on unmounting them all. So I reread a couple of tutorials and started. I am about half way done...I don't have a lot of stamps but as you will be able to see from the pictures doing this still saves a lot of space. Especially because in my comparison picture noone stacks their stamps the way I had them.
So once I purchase some more CD holders I will finish. Next week our friend Jim is going to help Sheldon move a few big pieces of furniture to storage and I need to be done with my organization.
So far this is a total of 46 stamps.

Jennie

Check out your name......

What Jennie Means

You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you. You never give up, and you will succeed... even if it takes you a hundred tries. You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What about Sheldon & The Baby

What Sheldon Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What Abigail Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic “Type A” personality. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Another Paint Chip Card

Hi,

I would really love to win Angela's contest...however, I am hoping she gets lots of entries as her prize is fantastic and I want her contest to go well.

I made this card with a bunch of paint chips....the duckies are paint chips, the background is one big one, and the thank you is one.

I made this for my inlaws...they have been so generous with giving us baby gifts and wanted to let them know how much I appreciate it. I am late on owing them a card. I will probably send them 2 cards.

TFL

PS....I almost feel human today and have tons of energy except for a brief period where I felt my blood pressure drop....I was very light headed for about 20 minutes...but I guess that is better than too high.

Baby Pineapple Update

Hi,

The babycenter website says she weighs as much as a pineapple....around 4 pounds. My guestimate from the last US is that she weighs about 4 1/2 pounds. The doctor yesterday figured she might be closer to 5 pounds. LOL As the US can be off up to 1/2pound either way.

So the good news....if we had to deliver early there shouldn't be any problems....Even better news....we shouldn't have to deliver early at this moment. My blood pressure is still fine....I don't have any signs of preeclampsia.

Next week, I get to have my last US from the specialist....Sheldon will go with me to that appointment. Then next week and the next 2 weeks I get to go and get the non-stress-test. Just to make sure she is not being bothered by my blood pressure. I guess they will hook me up to a monitor and monitor her HeartRate for about 20 minutes or so. Just normal for someone in my condition.

Overall, doctor is happy with our results and how things are going. He is still thinking 38 weeks instead of 40. LOL So I guess I better be prepared to be early.

TFL

Paint Chip Card

Hi,

My friend Angela set up a World Card Making Day Contest of her own. Create a Paint Chip Card. I was trying to come up with something unique and use my new Bind It All.

So my whole card is made out of paint chips....3 prima flowers, and an Oh Baby! Stamp.

I thought it could be used at a baby shower as a minature guest book or where the mother to be could write in who gave her what.

TFL

Jennie

PS....Angela if you are looking at this...I am hoping to try a couple of other ideas. I am not sure how original they are...but I think they will be cute.

PS2....Don't forget to check out Angela's Blog and enter...you have untill tomorrow night....so not too long. But she has a fantastic prize on there...a bunch of different nestabilities.

Baby Shower

My mom wanted to host a baby shower for me. With all of our friends and family living so far away we decided to do an online shower. Sheldon & I hadn't planned on registering anywhere but my mom said we had to. LOL I am 35 and my mom still tells me what to do.

So a few weeks ago, Sheldon and I registered at Target. It turned out more fun than I thought. And yesterday and today we received our first gifts. It is pretty exciting to come home and find something waiting for you. Thank you. :)

Luckily for me....my sister has already sent me my thank you cards. So I will be able to send those out as gifts come in. I really do wish that I was able to be with everyone during this time as seeing people I care about is more important than all the gifts.

Clear Card Design

After taking the class at Archivers I thought I would try to make my own clear cards. I am not sure if I like this one or not. I was trying to do a vintage challenge with a modern twist. I don't have any white Staz-on so I used brown Brillance instead. Not sure if it will dry all the way.

The picture is of my eldest aunt as a baby. I originally was going to put inside....let's eat. But instead I used my I want my fairy Godmother Stamp.

I went to Office Max a couple of days ago....I wanted to find some transparencies....I was looking for .7. Well they don't have as much of a variety anymore....and boy were the boxes expensive. So the guy directed me back to the printing shop and I talked with Katie who was working. She showed me the clear plastic that they use for the report covers. I figured it couldn't hurt to try it. She charged me only .09 each.....I think the acetate at Archivers was 4 sheets for 3.99. YIKES.

Hopefully, I can still get a good deal next time I go...as it seemed that the covers were the perfect thickness and I only asked for 10 of them.

Archivers Visit

Yesterday was a fun but never the less long and busy day. I meet with a group of woman from the PCMB (Lynnie, Danette, Sherry) and we had lunch, hung out at Archivers and then took a cardmaking class.It was a lot of fun and I was exhausted when I came home last night. We meet at 12:30 and the class wasn't over until 6:30. My feet were swollen and I guess I looked miserable. But overall I felt great...just didn'thave a lot of sleep from the night before.

Here is a picture of Lynnie after we were teasing her about oopsing up one of her cards. The instructor didn't explain that once that glue is on there...it is on there. We figured it out quickly.Next, is a picture of me and Sherry as we settled down for the class. Here is a picture of one of the cards that we made. It seems that the trend is towards brown instead of black ink of everything and it was a softer look.
Finally, here is my pregnant belly. I told Sheldon that I didn't realize I was this big. He said...yes you are. No wonder I waddle everywhere.

Creating

Hi,

Here are a couple of new cards that I have made.

This first card is part of a card kit that I made as a prize for my weekly contest on PCMB. I made 1 completed card and included enough items for 4 additional cards. Christmas is still a few months away. But it is always good to be thinking of it.
This card I made for the challenge that Kokopelli hosted. The goal was to include purple (her favorite color), our favorite color, our initial, and a charm. I made my own just a note charm using shrink plastic.
This card I made just because. I was bored and it was around midnight. I took a punch of different orange scraps and came up with this. The next morning I decided to make a charm with the stamp.
This card is made for this week's challenge hosted by Weedsgalore. Our goal was to use pink, white, green...I used more of a blue/green...but I hope she doesn't mmind. Our other items to use were ribbon and dimensional flowers.

28 Week Ultrasound

Hi,

Our 28 week ultrasound was last Tuesday...and yesterday..I went for my normal checkup. Right now we are both doing good. She is on target for being a 7 1/2 pound baby...she is right in the 53% of growth. So that is perfect. I told her she has to stay in untill 38 week or longer. Just not over 40 weeks. We will see if she is listening to her mommy or ignoring her from the beginning.

Here is the update I sent out when I emailed the photos.

Hi,

We had our latest ultrasound done today....Hopefully tonight I will get the pictures up. She is doing good...right around 2 1/2 pounds (I originally typed 8 1/2 pounds).....which is right on for 28 weeks.

The ultrasound technician was also able to do a 3d of her face...she was moving a bit so it was hard to get a good one. However, from the pics she has her daddy's lips (even his frown), checks, and a squashed up nose.

Her heartbeat changed quite a beat....she had been in the 150's the last time....this time she was in all different areas...111, 122, 140's. Not sure....the ultrasound tech said she was resting so it would be a bit lower. I guess if it is consistently under 115 they worry. However, the doctor didn't see anything wrong or even mention it. He said everything looked good. She was getting good blood flow and seemed very happy.

She is still laying in breech position....though she did turn so that we could see her face which was good...I had told her she was getting her picture taken...but I guess I forgot to tell her to keep her hands down. I think the doctor is hoping that she'll turn around the next time...but I have had 4 ultrasounds...and she has been in breech everytime. So that isn't good.....I don't really want to have a c-section if I can help it.

Thanks everyone for keeping us in your prayers and thoughts....only 85 days left. WOW. Now it is starting to hit home that I am having a baby.