Introducing: Addison "Sonnie" Elaine!!

Miss Addison "Sonnie" Elaine has arrived!!

Born June 22, 2011 at 9:04pm

7lbs 1oz, 19 inches long

Perfect in EVERY way!

Mommy & Daddy had the natural birth they were hoping for despite the induction. Mommy will be blogging all about this amazing experience in another post. More pictures to come later!  For now though, snuggles & feedings & kisses & diapers & the happiest tears are taking precedence. ;) 

Where I want to be

This room. This is where I find myself wanting to be.

It's the newly converted room for all of our little ones. It's the entire length of the upstairs so not only does all of their bedding fit but there is also a nice area in the middle for them to play with and easily store their toys. It's where all of the shower goodies have gone and all of the baby stuff is going.

I find myself wanting to be there all the time. Putting away her things. Organizing them. Double-checking the diaper bag for the 10th time to make sure everything really is in there and to look at the little-itty-bitty diapers that we'll start out with.

I love sitting in the rocker and thinking about holding her. My frame of reference right now is my 21-month-old stepdaughter...it's hard to imagine one that will just fit onto my shoulder. I can't wait to rock them both, one in each arm.

That room to me is so peaceful. A place where I can sense God so closely, knowing that it really was his voice that I was hearing all those times I felt this was in his plan for me. There were some dark days there for a while but things are looking brighter than ever now. God held my hand in the darkness and I'm enjoying the light that he's led me to. Something about this room encompasses that.

I'm down to just 3.5 weeks until my due date and in some ways it feels like an eternity. I think because I've run out of things to countdown to. There was the wedding, the honeymoon, the 3D ultrasound, the shower...and now, it's just counting down to her arrival which could be anywhere from later today to the end of June if I went over. And all that's left to do in the meantime is to get mine & Eric's bag packed for the hospital.

So while I wait, I'll retreat to the upstairs. I'll sing to her. I'll talk to her. I'll practice my breathing & relaxation techniques. I'll dream of the day that is very close when it will all be real, that she will be here in my arms and I will know the joy of holding a child that I've already held in my womb. ♥

♥ Happy Baby Shower Day!! ♥

I'm so excited!! It's Baby Shower Day with our family! :) A shower with the girls and then a cookout with everyone. I can't wait! And one step closer to Lil Miss' arrival! Wahoo!

3D Ultrasound Pics!!

So we had our 3D ultrasound today and it was SO much fun!! I was already looking forward to it but enjoyed it even more than I anticipated. I just had to hop on here to post pics.

All curled up in a ball :) This didn't surprise me at all because that's about how it feels that she's laying most of the time. I'm hoping it means she'll be a little cuddle bug.



The chubby cheeks picture - so cute!!



With her little hand up by her face. There was a LOT of effort that went into all of these pictures to get any without her hands completely in front of her face!



This one is my favorite - I love that little pointer finger. And I love this one b/c it seems like you can really tell what she looks like. Such a clear picture. Mommy thinks she is just the most beautiful baby she's ever seen. ♥

Between the baby stuff that's starting to come in, the hospital tour we had on Sunday and these pictures, I'm suddenly very impatient for June to get here!! ♥ I'm smitten...absolutely smitten. ♥ 

Honeymoon!!

We have been blessed with a week in Hilton Head, SC. It has been FABULOUS!! So relaxing and nice to get away from the Ohio weather for a bit. Here are some favorite pictures of the week. :)



This is the light hitting the water while we were on a boating trip to see dolphins.



One of the dolphins we spotted. We saw quite a few on this trip. We also saw some while walking along the beach one day but didn't get any pictures of those.

  

The main entrance to our condo. Look at how GREEN it is!!




We found this beach after we drove by the small airport that was behind where we were staying. There was a park that felt like Hocking Hills where you parked and then there was this very quiet beach behind it. It was interesting to smell the combo of the woods and the ocean all mixed together.

  

More of the beach at the park.




Underneath a pier - I had a very similar shot this time last year when I headed to NC with my cousins/besties.

 

My feet belong in the sand. :)

 

View from the lighthouse tour we took. At 26 weeks pregnant and no elevator, I was pretty glad that the lighthouse was as short as it was!



And just to show what 26 weeks pregnant looks like for me, here it is! I felt like I got huge this week!

 

♥ Me & my sweetie on the beach ♥

 

♥ Us on the boating trip ♥



Grateful

Grateful.

That's the word that won't get out of my mind. I can't help but feel grateful and it's for a million different reasons...

♥ a sinkful of dirty dishes gone because my boyfriend just did them for me (even after doing 6 hours of maintenance on my car) ♥ a progress report that's full of C's & B's rather than C's & D's ♥ a baby that I got to see flipping back & forth on an ultrasound just days ago ♥ getting ready for our own Christmas Eve/Day with all of the kids together ♥ a God that loves us so much that he was willing to put his own son on earth here with us ♥ Christmas presents bought solely on cash for the second year in a row ♥ getting to wrap all of those presents as "prettily" as I possibly can ♥ getting to give those presents at Christmas gatherings with family this weekend (come on...get here already!!) ♥ knowing I'm with the love of my life - my soulmate ♥ a passion to continue to learn more about God as he continues to open my eyes to his possibilities ♥ a son that is finally starting to understand respect ♥ it finally being the season that I can listen to Christmas music non-stop and no one can tell me it's too early! ♥ same goes for Christmas movies ♥ a reason to celebrate this season beyond the presents, music, and movies ♥  a renewed understanding of God - one that shows his immense grace towards us ♥ a burden for those who feel hurt by "Christians" and don't want anything to do with God as a result ♥ experiencing pregnancy - I truly love every moment ♥ learning how to slow down enough to really enjoy life ♥ finding joy in every day ♥ learning to treat each day as a gift ♥

♥Meg

A Miracle

It's been 8 years since I started a journey towards having a child. "Unexplained Infertility" was the diagnosis that I received. No answers. No way to explain why it wasn't happening or guarantee that it couldn't happen. A permanent limbo of sorts that created more heartache than I understood. I learned a lot in that time: how taboo the topic of infertility is, some hard-learned lessons about control & God's timing, what NOT to say to people in tough situations. In finding the emotional & spiritual health I have in the last few years, I was just starting to make peace with my body and to let go of what hold it still had on me...

And then, with all of the other new beginnings I've had recently, this little miracle has been the biggest surprise of them all! My amazing fiance and I are pregnant - due June 12th!

I couldn't be more grateful that God has blessed us with this baby! I'm enjoying every second of the pregnancy and have been so thankful for good health for us both so far. To think I was already overwhelmed with the joy I was experiencing in my life - to add this little bundle makes it that much richer!

Today, I choose HAPPY

I'm a little emotional today...okay, a lot emotional today. Case in point: I watched a mini-documentary about this guy who had to put his dog to sleep b/c of cancer and nearly lost it...full-on sobbing, cascades of tissues, a big ole weepy mess. The kicker is, I have that want-to-cry feeling so badly that it actually felt good. I had a hard time getting to sleep and woke up super early. I'm tired. I'm emotional. Though I've ignored the calendar, I'm probably hormonal too. Whatever. The point is how I feel, regardless of how it came about, is like hiding away all day and crying.

But...I have a choice.

Yes, I feel this way and there's not much I can do to change my feelings. But I can choose to make my thoughts go beyond my immediate emotions. I can choose to find good in the day beyond the emotional mess inside of me. I can choose to keep this separate from my goals to be healthy. I can choose to not let this carry over to the others around me. I can choose happiness.

So I will. Today, I choose HAPPY.