A Sewing Challenge for 2017

So here's the thing, I haven't been able to sew very much or blog lately. It being the start of a new year and all I wanted to make some goals but not just goals to workout, eat better... etc I wanted to do something fun! So me and my wonderful sister-in-law came up with a sewing challenge: 4 dresses, 4 tops, 4 bottoms. You only need to finish one item a month they can be as challenging or simple as you want. 

I decided to help me stay on track with my goal I want to find my inspirations for my 12 items and put them somewhere I will see them and be reminded. Over the next few days I'm sharing some of these on instagram and also showing some of the projects that I have started on.

Now without further ado:

My 4 dresses: 

My 4 bottoms:

And last but not least my 4 tops:

If you feel like joining in we even have our own hashtag ;)  #notyomamassewingchallenge

Green Smoothie

Happy Monday! This weekend we celebrated my birthday, and ate a ton of sugary treats, they were super delicious but this morning both Layton and I were feeling a bit sluggish. One of my goals this week is to drink more green smoothies and eat less cookies.
We absolutely love our morning green smoothies! My mom started making green smoothies about 4 years ago. I made them occasionally through college, and after Layton and I got married we bought a Vitamix and I've been making them fairly consistently since then.

I've learned that no two smoothies are alike, even if i use the same ingredients they always turn out a little different each time.

My recipe is roughly as follows:

3-5 leaves of kale
1-3 leaves of chard
1 apple (sliced)
2-4 bananas
2-4 cups pineapple juice
1or 2 big handfuls of spinach
any other fruit I have on hand, or 1/2 a lemon.

You can use any kind of juice you prefer I just happen to really like pineapple. It's a really rough approximation I'm not big on measuring anything out, I mostly toss it all in the blender and go for it.

We make about 1 weeks worth at a time, then I pour the smoothie into individual glasses, cover them and keep them in the fridge for easy access.

Even Big E likes her green smoothies!

30 weeks

Its so strange to be at 30 weeks already! Skipping the first 27 did help the time go by faster. This weekend I started to notice that my shirts are getting shorter and my pants tighter, tying my shoes is becoming more difficult, and I'm more tired. On the plus side Emma loves to use my tummy as a little seat that she perches on when I carry her around.

These are the only photos I have of me being pregnant with Emma I believe these were taken around week 22 or 23? I don't remember. Here are some of me from this week!

A big thank you to Layton for snapping a picture of me real quick!

Q&A

Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. It means a lot to us.

Here's a little Q&A with some of the most common things we've been asked lately:


Q: How are you feeling about all of this?

A: We are all a little overwhelmed still, but at least we have two months to get prepared. It's not going to be easy by any means but we have a lot of support, love and prayers from family and friends and even though this was not our plan we are so excited to be welcoming another little girl into our family.

Q: What do you need?

A: We have been so blessed all along the way, and received many necessities for free. We have everything we need for now, just keep us in your prayers :)

Q: How did you not know?

A: Excellent question! I don't know. Looking back there were so many signs but I think that it would have been so overwhelming and stressful for us to know this whole time. It's been a blessing to just be able to be together as a family of three, without the worry and stress of another one on the way. Because we didn't know we just kept living life normally.

Q: Isn't March 1st before the 40 week mark?

A: Yes. March 1st will be around 36 1/2 weeks for me. Due to the type of c-section they did last time, and because I was only 25 weeks along, there is a much much higher rate of uterine ruptures. The doctor told us that our new little one may still spend some time in the NICU, perhaps a week or two but nothing like we had with Emma.

Q: How does Emma feel about being a big sister?

A: She is so excited :) ha ha honestly we're working on starting her on solid foods, helping her sit up on her own, and giving her all the love and snuggles she can handle! Having two infants in the house will be a handful, but we couldn't be more excited.

Happy New Year!

2016 started off with a bang in the Bird household. Homemade skillet pizza and sparkling cider and a nine o'clock bed time :)

In reality all the excitement came much earlier in the day. Originally we had planned to stay in WA through the New Year, but I had been experiencing a lot of difficulties with my c-section scar. Before we left for WA I visited a women's health specialist physical therapist to see if she could help. She helped me with my lower back pain, and recommended doing scar massage as well as visiting with the surgeon who preformed with c-section. Her guess was that I had developed adhesions, and possibly uterine tumors (non-cancerous). So we set up an appointment with the Dr. for new years eve and left on our trip to WA.

So on New Years Eve morning we headed out to the doctor's office, where he took a look at the scar and said I had a Keloid, which almost always is accompanied by adhesions. After examining my abdomen he said that he was going to schedule an ultrasound because it definitely didn't feel right. We were able to schedule an ultrasound for that afternoon at 2, and before we left the office we got a blood and urine test. After doing the lab work the tech came out and said "well, your test is very positive!" 

Layton responded "Positive?" 

"Yes, very positive, you are pregnant!"

*stunned silence*

And the surprises don't end there...

The Dr. told us he thought we were about 16 weeks along based on my size etc. When we arrived for our ultrasound at two the tech asked us how far along we were, we told her his guess, she took some measurements, and then started to laugh. "You're more like 27 weeks, would you like to know the gender?" We said yes and she told us that we are expecting another little girl :) I think this might forever be our most memorable new years eve ever!

Since then we've had another appointment for the glucose test, and we are once again scheduled for a c-section, this time in March 1.  This last week has been a whirlwind of preparations, projects, and prayers. We are so grateful that Layton has had the week off school to help set up the nursery, clean, organize and de-junk the house.

Wishing you a Happy new year, full of surprises and miracles!

At home in Idaho/ Emma Update/ Christmas

We are settling into our home here in Idaho very well. It's so nice to know that we will get to stay here for 3 years. After having Emma we moved around quite a bit, and it's nice to have a sense of permanence.

We spent Christmas in WA with Layton's family and it was so wonderful, festive and magical. It was relaxing to be with family, see friends, and spend so much time with Layton. It's been fantastic having such a long break for the holidays. Both Emma and I will miss him so much this next week when he has to go back.

Now for a quick Emma update!

 

Emma is doing well, for being born at 25 weeks she is growing and developing so fast! Her Favorite things to do lately are stand up with the help of mom and dad, suck and chew on everything she can grab, and be held and walked around. Her least favorites are tummy time, being alone, and taking naps. She does great at sleeping through the night, but naps are difficult and the fact that she's just getting over a stomach bug hasn't helped.

Bringing Emma Home

On August 4th we headed down to the hospital to visit Emma. Upon arriving our nurse asked how long we it had been since she entered the hospital, and we told her that it had been about three months. After consulting with a few other staff members, we were informed that in rounds that morning she was going to suggest that we should take Emma home, on oxygen, the next day.

At rounds our nurse was so amazing, she convinced the doctors, nurses, and other specialists that we could do a great job taking care of her at home, as long as she was still on oxygen. The doctor agreed and they asked us right then and there if we wanted to stay that night in the hospital. When taking home a preemie from the NICU they suggest that you spend twenty-four hours in one of their transition rooms before taking your little one home, to build your confidence, allow you to ask questions, and to make sure that you understand how to work their oxygen.

Earlier that morning Layton and I had both figured it would be a few days or even a week before they would allow us to take her home; this was the best news ever! We decided to do the twenty-four hours the next day so that we could bring our things with us. The next day was so exciting, we got the house cleaned and ready, set up her bed and washed all of her blankets. Finally, we packed our bags and headed out to the hospital, for the last time ever.

The next twenty-four hours were probably the most difficult of my life. Having hospital staff coming in to check on us, two separate oxygen monitors, each of which beeped incessantly, and getting up to feed her every three hours, we didn't sleep at all.

Somehow we made it, and were able to walk out the front doors the next morning, with little Emma. It was so unreal. I kept thinking  that they would run out of the hospital and take her back. They didn't of course, (although it still felt like a kidnapping) and arriving at our own home with our new baby was so wonderful. It has been an adjustment, but we are loving having her with us.

We are so happy to finally be together, all three of us, in one place. What a strange experience it was, being new parents but not having a baby at home to take care of and snuggle and love. Emma is a very wonderful and easy baby, it is so fun to be able to hold her whenever we want.

Thank you to everyone who has kept us in your prayers, sent gifts, and love. We are so grateful for all of  the support, we couldn't have done it without you!