Visitors and Pics

This past week we have had many visitors and hope to have many more (hint, hint!).  Seriously, please feel free to come meet Abby Ruth! 

Donna came and snuggled with Abby Ruth!

Of course Aunt Katie had to make a stop... AR starts asking about her if it's been more than 3 days!

Jon and Abby Ruth hanging out

Abby Ruth really liked meeting Allison!

My mom left on Thursday but then returned today with my daddy for a wedding tomorrow.  She was a HUGE help and really allowed me to rest way more than I could have on my own.  Abby Ruth also loved spending time with her Lovey!

And of course, some more pictures to keep you up to date:

More playtime!

1 Week old... I plan to take this pic for the first few weeks and then every month

Wearing the outfit that I came home from the hospital in.

Enjoying a snooze in her bassinet and keeping warm with her blanket from Annette!

I also took this pic like the one with the boppy.  I may or may not contine to take both as she grows, I'll see what I like the best as we go.

Snuggling with her daddy!

The first few days at home have gone really well, or so I think.  She's been sleeping at night, so much so that I actually have to wake her to feed her.  We were supplementing with some formula b/c she hadn't gone to the bathroom all day the day we left the hospital.  Now that her mama has her milk supply, she doesn't need the formula anymore.  We went to the doc Monday morning and everything was looking good!  She'd gained an ounce since we left the hospital on Friday.  We hope she's up to birth weight by next week. 

My mama came in for this week to help us out with AR and house work.  It's been sooo helpful and really helped me to rest more and let my body heal.  William went back to work today and we miss him at home, but appreciate all he does to provide for us.

We have been very blessed and thankful for all of our visitors and all who have brought us food so far and continue to do so.  We have eaten better than we normally do for sure!  Thanks to all who have helped us out.  We are looking forward to many more visitors and hope that you will get to come meet Abby Ruth sometime!!

Here are some new pictures of Miss Abby Ruth for your enjoyment!

She loves sleeping on our chests, esp. after a good feeding! 

Heather and Elizabeth came to meet Abby Ruth... she really liked them and hopes that they will come again soon!

Loving her Aunt Heather!



Looking pretty in her outfit from the Carley's and Rea's!  And the hair bow that her mama made.

First trip to the doctor! 

Some playtime

Just a swingin'

Helping daddy send some emails

 

Wearing one of Aunt Katie's outfits

Snuggling with Lovey and getting some food

Loves her sleep!

Abby Ruth

Abby Ruth has made her grand apparance Wed., April 20th at 4:50 pm weighing 7lb and 6oz and 19 1/2 in. long.

I began having what I now know were contractions at about 3:30 on Tuesday afternoon.  I first thought they were just cramps or Braxton Hicks.  I continued with them throughout the evening and into the night.  At 1:30am I was also bleeding some and it scared me so I woke William and we headed to the hospital.  They ended up sending me back home.  My contractions continued, though never consistent until about 6 or 7 the next morning.  At this point they were consistent at every 4-5 minutes.  William had just showered to head to work when I told him I thought I needed him home with me.  He went to get his computer cord from work and a sausage biscuit for me. :)  We headed back to the hospital a little after 8am.

We arrived and they admitted me this time!!  Once in the labor and delivery room I held off on the epidural for just a little bit... only b/c I was more scared of it than the labor... but then the contractions picked up and it was time!  I don't know his/her name, but the person who invented this drug should have a national holiday in their honor... I do not feel one bit less of a woman having got this med!  It was awesome and made everything soooo much smoother. 

Around about 3pm they started me pushing on and off... there 3 other deliveries happening at the same time as me and apparently mine was going the smoothest.  So therefore, the others came first.  I don't complain b/c I did have it as good as I could have asked for for a first baby.  I pushed only for an hour, on and off, until 4:50 when she entered the "read world".

It was the most amazing thing ever.  How somebody can witness a birth and deny God is beyond my comprehension.  Abby Ruth is nothing short of a miracle and we are so blessed to have a healthy baby here with us.  She does have dark hair, but no sign of curls... yet, we hope they come though!  All 5 fingers and toes on each hand.  No birthmarks or any visable signs of anything to worry about as of now. 

Thank you to each of those who have prayed for us and AR.  One of my favorite things about being pregnant was the support friends and family have shown and knowing that others are praying for you.  Please send the Lord lots of praise for her arrival, a healthy baby, and a smooth delivery.  Please also pray for my body as it continues to heal.

We love our little girl so much.  I will write more later.  If you want to see the two sweetest things in the world, please come visit.  That would include Abby Ruth of course and watching her daddy dote on her!

Updates, Crafts, and a Look into the Future!

I figured it was time for a little update!  The past couple weeks have been fairly busy and mostly due to me trying to get things ready.  I really didn't hit the "nesting" phase until about week 35... always have been a procrastinator though!  Two Sundays ago, I got to tag along with Katie while she had her bridal portraits done and it was so cool.  I can't tell you much about it now as it's a surprise to Clint, and with him being an avid reader of the blog, I don't want to ruin it.  Total sarcasm in that last sentence, though it is a surprise!  This past weekend I got to go to a shower for Heather which was very nice and lots of fun.  With the baby coming, I will be missing out on lots of other showers/parties for her and Benjamin, which makes me sad, but there isn't much I can do to change things! 

I wanted to show the before and after pics of the circle framed art work in Abby Ruth's room.  I felt somewhat bad knowing that somebody's grandmother spent a lot of time and hard work making this and then I just ripped it out and threw it away.  I hope it wasn't your grandmother!  I have to say, it's a much needed improvement though!

I paid $2 for the original art and then about $4 for the letters, scrapbook paper, and paint supplies... so all about $6-7!

Then this past week I have been working on some hairbows b/c I am not paying $4+ for one.  I have a ton of ribbon anyways, so I have been reading online tutorials and making them.  This is what I have so far.  The flowers I actually pulled off stems and glued them to clips... they were on sale for .75 cents each.  I bought a pack of headbands at a consignment sale to clip them to.  Next, I need to make some for her cousin Caroline! 

If you have been thinking "I wonder what Bonnie and William's child is going to look like?"  Well, I have the answer:

Hopefully with a little bit of curl in the hair and minus the "thinker pose"!  :)

Come Tour the Nursery with Us!!

Be prepared for a lot of reading!  Honestly, I'd probably skim if it were me reading somebody else's blog that is this long, but I really did this for my own sake.  I plan to print out these blogs one day and have them as a keepsake for myself and children.


Some of you may remember our old guest room:

 

Well, she's had some major plastic surgery:


As you enter Abby Ruth's room, her door holds these adorable pieces of art made by our sweet friend Meredith.

Our changing station is all ready for her!  This window may just be my favorite part of the room.  The idea came from here.  You will also see her coming home outfit hanging off one of the knobs, washed and awaiting her arrival!

In the corner is the adorable bow holder that Lisa had made for AR.  I have only a few bows, but intentions of making more!  I am doubting she'll have any hair though when she arrives... we shall see!

I finally got to use the lamp shade I bought at IKEA over a year ago!  It wouldn't fit any normal lamp stand, but I like how it looks hanging better!  I made a fabric cover to go over the cord and really like how it turned out too.  The rocking chair used to be in our room and was black (sorry that I stink at before pics!) and then I found the cushion at Old Time Pottery.  We have a basket of books ready to go and I can't wait to read to her!  The diaper cake was made by my friend Ellen at church and it's too cute to take apart yet!



If you look at the before pics from above, you'll see that this bed frame used to be black.  As you are starting to see, William has been quite busy!  The pillows with the crewel stitch work on them were done by my grandmother and I was so excited to use them in the room.  The quilt was made by my great-greatmother and I've used it a lot throughout my life.  It has many places that need to be stitched and I had high hopes of doing that before the baby came, but I'm not really seeing that happen.  If you'd like to volunteer, go ahead!  The white pillow shams were actually my second attempt on adding trim to something and I was somewhat impressed with myself. 

The pictures on the wall belonged to William's grandmother and were used in Sunday school classrooms back in the 50s and 60s.  His mom had held on to them and I was looking into using some pics out of old story books when she showed me these.  And they were perfect!  The frames were $3 at walmart and I painted them blue to match. 

The hanging shelf above the bed belonged to my grandfather and then my mom.  She was kind enough to give it to us and we painted it white as well.  Both of our moms had Beatrice Potter and Bunnykin items for us when we were little and I was able to combine them for this shelf!

The lamp and the little girl figurine on the nightstand were in my room growing up and had originally come from my grandmother.   Above the bed you will see some art work that I did.  I actually do have before and after pics of it and will show that in the next blog.



The two shelves on the wall were found at the Habitat ReStore for $1 each!  They were wood colored, so of course they headed to the shop for a makeover.  I was good at keeping William busy and he was a great sport about it all!  On the top shelf you see our video monitor that was graciously given to us, an old picture that I think are the Humbles characters I found at my grandparents house, and an old hobnail vase also from my grandparents house. In the vase are some dried flowers from one of our showers.  On the bottom shelf are two little wooden figures I found at goodwill for .50 cents each and they went w/ the theme too well not to buy!  Also, there is a cute plate that Aunt Heather decorated for AR with her initials on it and a little bird used as decor at another shower.

The crib we were fortunuate to get for free and yes, it was wood colored when we got it!  The bookshelf that my grandfather built is to the right.  I really am upset that I don't have a before pic of this shelf b/c it was in bad need of TLC and William did a great job on it!  Above the shelf you'll see some art work done by another Ellen from church with a Bible verse on it.

 Another picture of the bookshelf.  On the very top there is another cute craft from Aunt Heahter with Abby Ruth's name on a picture holder... right now it holds cards and shower invites.  Then the vase was given to my mom when I was born and I made napkin flowers to go in it.  On the next shelf is an old block and rattle of William's, some cross stitch work of his moms, and AR's piggy bank (which takes any form of donation!).  Then below that are two book ends that were in my grandmother and great aunt's room when they were children, some more cross stitching from Claire, and an elephant on wheels I found at a thrift store.  Go down another shelf and we have a Clemson bear that my mom bought at a consignment sale, an old car of William's, some blocks from Heather in the basket, and a couple books.  Then lastly, on the bottom, is another basket of books and her photo album. 

This is what is in the crib as of now... though it will all come out for safety once she's in it.  She's received a few stuffed animals, but the big lamb you see was William's when he was little.  The lovely with the puppy head was our gift to AR.  My daddy bought me my "Clownie" (a sock clown) before I was born and though I didn't really get attached until I was older, I wanted AR to have something that she knew we'd taken time to pick out just for her.  William was very helpful in the picking out process.  I also love that you can buy other pieces like plates, cups, a stuffed dog, etc to go along with her.  Her name is Sunny Puppy according to the tag, but that could change!  The beautiful quilt was made by our friend Lisa from church and I just can't wait to have her laying/crawling on it!

I have to say that William did an outstanding job on all the painting and hanging of art work.  It was great how we worked together to get this room the way that I wanted it... he was super nice about everything.  He really let me go in the direction I wanted and did what I asked.  I know that if he didn't like something, he'd tell me and I'd listen.  I'm so grateful that we can do projects like this together and not get into one single arguement... though if you know William, he doesn't argue.  The Lord truly blessed me with him for a husband and I hope and pray Abby Ruth takes her daddy's personality!  The Lord knows I'm not as easy to live with as he is!