The Norwood Nest

A Personal Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:24:00 +0000

Mother's Day is coming soon, y'all! As a new mom, I thought I'd post a mother's day gift guide. These are all things I'd love to receive myself! The gift ideas in this list are all personalized. Sure, you can give a candle or a card, but what about something that's personalized for your very own mom and no one else? Maybe it's the southern girl in me, but I love a good monogram. There's just something special about receiving a gift with your name on it. It gives the gift a little more meaning because the gifter spent time personalizing it just for you.

Since these gifts are personalized, you'll want to order ASAP to get them in time. If you can't get them in time for Mother's Day, you could always save these ideas for mom's birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or just a random Tuesday!

{pin me!}

1. Initial Necklace :: E Ria Designs on Etsy

I think these little necklaces are so sweet. I think moms would love to wear their children's names close to their heart. I love this delicate gold version. You can choose to add as many or as few letters as you want. This would be great for kids or grandkids!

2. Treat.com Personalized Card :: Treat

Treat.com is a new brand from an old favorite, Shutterfly. Treat allows you to create and send personalized greeting cards for any occasion like birthdays and Mother's Day. If you're going to send a card, why not make it personalized? Treat will print your card with your mom's picture, your personalized message, and mom's name for as low as $1.99. They even send the card for you! Your mom will feel special when she gets a personalized card and everyone else gets a generic one from the card store! Such a cute idea!

3. Photo Canvas: Canvas On Demand

What mom wouldn't want a huge picture of their little munchkin hanging in their home? I know I'm going to get one (or ten) of these as soon as we move into our new home. The gallery wrapped canvases are sleek and professional looking, and you can get them online for reasonable prices. Search around online for coupons and deals. I see them all the time!

4. Personalized Notebook :: May Books

I have a May Book myself, and I have gifted a few more. They have a TON of designs to choose from and many different monogram styles. They offer everything from a basic notebook to a baby book to a meal planner. All of their designs are chic and modern with trendy colors. Mom's to-do list just got a lot more fun!

5. Personalized Melamine Tray :: Little Details NC on Etsy

How perfect are these trays for a summer pool party? I can just see the tropical drinks, burgers, and watermelon slices now. Plus... they are unbreakable, so they are perfect for outdoor use. I'm pretty sure I need more than one.

6. Instagram Magnets :: Stickygram

Even if your mom has never heard of Instagram, wouldn't she LOVE a pack of magnets with pictures of her kids and grandkids? I think this is a precious idea and so fun. Each pack comes with nine little square magnets. You email them your instagrams, and they print the magnets!

7. Disposable Monogrammed Coasters :: Neiman Marcus

I love these and think they are so classy. They are perfect for a cocktail party or just drinks with friends. Plus, it's probably one of the most affordable things you can buy at Neiman Marcus! I love the acrylic holder, too!

8. Personalized Photobook :: Shutterfly

I am in love with Shutterfly photo books. They are super fun and easy to make, plus they are completely customized and surprisingly affordable. If you're not the creative type, Shutterfly will create a photo book for you for free! Just upload your pictures, and they will be added to a photobook layout instantly. The possibilities are endless, and they make awesome gifts. You can make one book of baby pictures and send it to both grandmothers with one click!

9. Wooden Monogram :: Trendy Trimmings on Etsy

Where would this wooden monogram NOT look good? Mom will love this for her front door, a party decoration, over the bed, in the nursery, in the kitchen... anywhere!

10. Monogrammed Wine Glasses :: The Monogram Merchant

I am obsessed with stemless wine glasses. They are so much easier and more casual then stemmed wine glasses. With summer coming up, they are a less fussy way to serve wine. And, as we all know by now, a little monogramming never hurt anything.

Happy gifting!

On the Road Again...

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:56:00 +0000

The Nomadic Norwoods are on the move again!

This time, we're loadin' up the ole tractor and moving to Bettendorf, Iowa!

To help prepare you for our move, I'm going to answer some frequently asked questions.

Q: What does Bettendorf, Iowa look like?

A: This.

Q: What do the people in Bettendorf, Iowa look like?

A: Here's a sneak peek of what our family will look like in a few years.

Q: Where the heck is Bettendorf, Iowa?

A: Here's a visual aid. Bettendorf is part of the "Quad Cities".

Q: Haven't you moved like one million times?

A: Yes. Here are the stats.

Years of Marriage: 8

Academic Degrees: 5

Cities Lived In: 4

Homes Lived In: 6

Companies Worked For: 7

Job Titles: 10

Q: Are y'all ever going to settle down and just live in one place?

A: Probably not.

Q: What is Brent going to do in Iowa?

A: This.

{just kidding. Brent is going to be a Project Manager for John Deere managing the development of a new product!}

Q: What is Katie going to do in Iowa?

A: I'm transitioning out of my current role with YES Prep. I'm going to take care of Ava and work from home part time for YES Prep doing project work, communication, and logistics.

Q: Where are you going to live in Bettendorf?

A: When Ava was 10 weeks old, Brent flew to Iowa and looked at 12 houses in one day. I had to stay home with Ava because, well, do YOU want to take a 10 week old on a cross-country house-hunting trip? Didn't think so. Brent picked out a house for us and bought it. I haven't actually seen it. That's how we roll. I hear it's lovely. :-) Yeah, that's snow.

Q: When are you moving?

A: Thursday.

{Yep, Thursday. You can pray for us! I'm choosing not to think about the 1.5 million details that have to fall into place to move us, Ava, Blazer, all our stuff, two cars, and a partridge in a pear tree across the country. Denial is the best policy.}

Q: What are you excited about and not excited about when you think about moving to Iowa?

Not Excited About:

Moving a newborn across the country

Living 4 days in an empty house in Iowa while we wait for our things to be delivered

Missing all the amazing restaurants and fun places in Durham

Missing our friends and neighbors in Durham

Digging out of snowdrifts daily

Excited About:

Fresh corn all the time

Awesome, new, bigger house

Decorating a new house

Small town living - no traffic and no stress

Finding a new church and getting involved

Making new friends

Going to Chicago to buy anything (see.. I could have made that a negative, but I'm thinking positive)

Exploring the surrounding areas

So that's it, folks! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments section. Here's to a new adventure in America's heartland!

Three Months

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:26:00 +0000

We made it to three months!! Our house is full of baby joy. Ava is all smiles these days. She is so stinking cute that even her crying sessions don't bother me any more because she makes up for it with sweet smiles and coos. Sometimes we just can't stop kissing her and squeezing her. We love her so much! Happy three months, little Ava Grace!

Milestones:

Ava has grown so much! I think she has grown mentally even more than physically. The inconsolable crying sessions have dropped off dramatically, and her awake time is much more alert, happy, and content. Our schedule is really taking hold, and it has benefited everyone. Ava seems to do really well with daily rhythms of eating, sleeping, and playing at roughly the same times.

Ava's facial expressions are much more controlled and developed now. She can be entertained for 30 minutes or more just making silly faces with us. No toys needed! She mimics our expressions and smiles constantly. The other day, I heard her first laugh! I was pretending to eat her toes, and then I put her toes up to her mouth so she could pretend to eat them, too, and she just loved it. She let out the cutest little giggle! She no longer flails around uncontrollably, and she is able to kick at things with some degree of accuracy! Ava is much more aware of Brent and me, and she definitely knows us. It's a great feeling to walk in the room when she's crying after a nap because she sees us, stops crying, and smiles really big.

We're still working on discovering hands. She can use her hands really well - she grips and grabs. However, I don't think she KNOWS that she is gripping or grabbing. For example, I can get her to grasp a rattle, but then she hits herself in the head with it since she doesn't know it's there! She is able to put lots of pressure on her feet and "stand" with us just holding her hands! She always wants to be upright, facing out, preferably standing! She even puts one foot in front of the other as if "walking"! (She's advanced) ;-) Ava is babbling up a storm and loves to mimic the noises we make. Sometimes we can really get her going in a long "conversation"!

Eating:

Ava is finally on a somewhat regular, predictable schedule! She is eating every three hours, usually at 7:30, 10:00, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00, and then usually once during the night, around 4 am. She does pretty great with the feeding schedule except on fussy days when she wakes up from naps super early and wants to eat before the 3 hour marker. I usually feed her early then and try to get her back on track later. Although we haven't weighed her in a month, we are loving her chunky monkey legs and wrist rolls! I love when she is finished eating and she smacks her lips. I call that "compliments to the chef"!

Sleeping - Nights:

I kept reading that babies will sleep through the night when they are ready. I really wanted to believe it, but I just wasn't going to believe it until I saw it! Lots of people have given me lots of advice on how to get babies to sleep through the night, but the methods all involved whole lotta work and misery. We decided to just keep working on reinforcing a flexible schedule with her, and it worked! Slowly but surely, she started sleeping more at night. On April 11th, she slept through the night for the first time - 10:30 pm - 6:45 am! It was pure awesomeness. She still sometimes wakes once or twice at night, but usually she sleeps straight until at least 4 am, sometimes 5 or 6, which this mama is loving! We have a pretty consistent bedtime routine going. At 7:00, we feed her, give her a bath, rock, and sing about 5 songs. No books at bedtime yet. We try to do a book or two during the day if she will look at them. We put her down when she's almost but not quite asleep, usually around 8:00. She sleeps nights in her crib like a champ!

Sleeping - Naps:

Naps are not as consistent as night time. She used to scream for at least 15 minutes before each nap, but thankfully, she is now used to the routine and cries lightly for a few minutes before naps, if at all. We swaddle her and rock her almost to sleep. I sing a few songs, and she sleeps in her swing. I know we need to wean her off the swing for naps with the eventual goal of having her sleep in the crib for naps, but right now we are doing what works. When we move, we'll tackle the weaning we need to do. She is still taking 4 naps a day, usually at 9:00, 11:30, 2:30, and 5:30. We usually have two good naps (around an hour) and two short naps (20-45 minutes). I used to get frustrated by the short naps, but now I just accept it and roll with it, and everyone's a lot happier. Plus, she's doing great at night, so I'll take it!!

Playtime:

Ava is just now starting to be interested in toys, but she's still much more satisfied with our faces, silly noises, and songs. She holds rattles and likes toys that make noises. She loves when we sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Pat-a-Cake, This Little Piggy, and Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. She also loves "airplane" and will enjoy it until our biceps wear out. Ava loves the playmat and spends at least 20 minutes there each morning, laughing at the animals hanging down, kicking them, and gripping them with her hands. It's really cute to watch. She is sitting in the Bumpo for a few minutes a day as we try to get her to discover her hands more and play with toys.

Thank the Lord for the Baby Bjorn - we LOVE it and use it multiple times daily. Ava loves facing OUT in the Bjorn so she can see the world. I spend my days thinking of places I can take her to simulate her that won't cost me (too much) money! So far we've been to the mall, grocery store, park, arboretum, children's museum, Target, business school, library, and anywhere else I can think of! When we go places, she is WIDE awake, looking all around, and doesn't make a peep. She loves it. As you might imagine, we get lots of attention from people who just think she's so cute they can hardly stand it. (I tend to agree.) When we get back in the car, she usually goes to sleep immediately since she is so worn out from all the simulation. I just have to be careful not to simulate her TOO much with too many out-and-about errands. My sister was in town last weekend, and I think we crossed the line. Baby girl let us know, don't you worry.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from month 3:

{evening fussy time walk}

{Grocery store buddy}

{Daddy's birthday}

{Sunday morning smiles}

{mama makes me play dress up every day}

{milk drunk}

{puppy love}

{A visit from Aunt Julia}

{sugar and spice and everything nice}

{headband fashion show}

{my little bookworm}

{It's hard being Ava, guys. Time for a nap.}

Springtime Family Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:05:00 +0000

Spring has arrived in North Carolina! It's beautiful here, and all the trees are in bloom. On Friday night, Ava and I went to an event at the Fuqua School of Business on the Duke campus (where Brent has spent the last two years), and I saw a family taking pictures out front with the trees. Of course I knew that I needed to have some family pics there, too! On Sunday, we loaded up the SUV with the whole family including Blazer. Our friend Elvis met us on campus and took some amazing pictures of all of us! (By the way, these were all taken with an iPhone! At the risk of sounding like I'm ninety-five... Isn't technology amazing?!) We caught the blossoms right before they all fell off. Since we're about to move (more on that soon), these pictures will be a nice keepsake from our time here in Durham at Duke. It's been the best two years of my life so far, hands down.

Thank you, Elvis!!

Mama Musings: Information Overload

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:52:00 +0000

Before I had Ava, I heard that new moms got overwhelmed. This made sense to me since babies are a lot of work and they can be overwhelming with their constant needs, explosive poops, and endless crying. I totally anticipated feeling overwhelmed with all of my new responsibilities. What I didn't anticipate was being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information out there about raising a baby. I have officially diagnosed myself with information overload. It's great that we live in the "information age", and we can access information about anything anywhere with a few swipes on a smart phone. Brent and I often comment on how cool it is that we can ask questions of the internet and get instant answers. However, I'm starting to think that instant access to unlimited information is actually less than cool. Instead of satisfying me with answers, it leaves me anxious and second guessing myself, always thinking there is a better way to do it, if only I could just find it...

I've been gathering, cataloging, and saving baby information like nobody's business, but I'm really starting to regret it. Right now, I want to dig a deep, deep hole to the center of the Earth and fling every baby book ever written down the hole to be burned and never seen again. At the very least, I want to fling them across the room. I think I am addicted to baby books, baby websites, and baby blogs.

Here's what goes through my mind about 8 times a day when Ava does something that is distressing to me:

"Wait, didn't I read about that on Troublesome Tots? And does that coordinate with what I read in Babywise? I don't know... because my friend's baby does _____. And that's not what they recommend in Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child. Let me see real quick if there is a chart for this on chroniclesofababywisemom.com. No, it's not there, so maybe I'll Google it. Brent, what do you think?"

Do you see the crazy? It's crazy!

The hard thing to admit is that I think my obsession over baby information is selfish to the core. I'm not as worried about messing her up as messing ME up. Ava is loved and safe every day, she eats and sleeps plenty, and she is stimulated with smiles, songs, and outings. She is going to be just fine. I know that. Honestly, I'm worried that I'm going to suck as a mom. I'm worried that if I do something wrong, it might make MY life harder in the future. For example - if I let her nap in the swing for 3 months, she will be fine. But I might have to pay the price later when she moves to the crib with a cranky child, a messed up schedule, and more crying. I keep thinking that I'm going to make a mistake that I can't undo.

I know the solution. Everyone always says, "Take the books with a grain of salt. Every child is different. Do what's best for your child. You'll just know what is best for your child. Do what your gut tells you." Um, that's great except most of the time, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO! Duh - that's why I'm consulting the books!

Since I clearly can't burn all my books or stay away from the internet forever, I need a new plan. I can't live my life constantly comparing Ava's every feeding, nap, night sleep, crying bout, wake time, milestone, and mood to "the norm". I can't live with the torture of wondering if there is a better way to do it......if ONLY I could just find the right page in the right book.

I think the root of the problem is a heart problem. Why am I so worried about messing up? Why am I so obsessed with comparison and norms? Here are three big picture things I want to do and remember to attack this problem. Then, for good measure... one practical step, too.

I am the right mother for Ava, and she is the right child for me. I will trust that God has already given me all the skills I need to parent Ava right now, and he will add to my skill set and knowledge as I need it and as she grows. I will believe that the Lord chose me to be Ava's mom for a specific purpose, and I have the qualities she needs. Similarly, she has the qualities I need to be refined and sanctified. Maybe she's more difficult in certain areas so that I can learn patience, selflessness, and dependence.
God is the source of all wisdom and knowledge, not the Internet. Instead of turning to the Internet to solve problems, I should put away my iPhone and start by asking God to give me the wisdom, discernment, and guidance to deal with whatever it is we're facing.
The gospel is for me, too. I need to daily preach the gospel to myself and remind myself that there is really no need to be perfect or even to try since it is impossible. Grace is there for the taking. I will mess up horribly, make bad decisions, and do things as a mom in ways that are less than optimal. And that's OK. There's grace for all of it.
I need a limit on "baby reading". I'm going to say that I can consult baby books, blogs, or websites once per day. If something crops up later that day, I need to either let it go or wait until tomorrow (when it probably won't even matter anyway).

Mamas... how do you deal with information overload?

Two Months

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:48:00 +0000

Two months is a great place to be! We feel like we've made it through the hardest part of newborn life, and we're looking forward to more smiles, laughs, and fun times as Ava continues to grow. It's a joy to see Ava develop each day. With each new development, she becomes a happier baby and more fun to play with! We're starting to see her little personality!

Stats:

Weight - 10 lbs. 2.5 oz. (21st percentile)

Height - 22.5 in. (51st percentile)

Head - 38.5 in. (56th percentile)

Milestones:

Ava continues to smile all the time. Praise the Lord! When she wakes me up at 2 am and I am annoyed, I go in to get her and she is grinning at me. Pretty hard to be annoyed at this smiling face!! She can focus on faces, track sounds, and use her feet to kick things. I think she is starting to recognize Brent and me, and she knows when a person is new to her. She is also sitting and "standing" with assistance and can sometimes put herself to sleep without crying. She is taking all naps in the swing and sleeping at night in her crib. She's eating every 3 hours during the day and usually waking up twice during the night. Ava is wearing mostly 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.

Strengths:

Ava just discovered her feet. She used to lay on the play mat and just stare at the animals, but now she kicks them and delights in the sounds they make. We're still working on discovering our hands. Ava is fabulous at tracking sounds with her eyes now. She looks towards sounds from toys and voices and follows them when they move. She loves to "stand", and I swear we are barely holding on to her. Little girl has great balance and strong legs! She's ready to walk on out of here. Similarly, her head control is also really good, and her neck is strong. She can sit in the Bumpo seat or in the baby carrier and hold her head up almost completely on her own. She is improving at happy awake time, which her parents are very thankful for. She loves to look at funny faces and make funny faces, and she can coo and make sounds now as well.

Struggles:

Ava still struggles with the evening time. She is typically fussy from around 5 - 8, but she is getting better! She still loves baths, but still hates getting out and getting dried off. This week, Ava got her two month vaccinations. I didn't cry when she got them, but I did cry when we got home and she was just screaming in pain for hours. Poor baby. She had a REALLY bad day of screaming, but it wasn't frustrating because I knew what was wrong. We gave her baby Tylenol, and that seemed to help. We thought we were in for our roughest night yet, but little girl surprised us and gave us her BEST night yet! She slept from 10:30 - 3!! Whoo hoo!! We're still working on independent play time. I'd like her to be able to play on her play mat or blanket or bouncy seat for 15 minutes by herself, once or twice a day. Right now we're at about 5 minutes before she gets upset. She's still a little sleepy at feedings, and I have to work to keep her awake. (Wish she would be that sleepy at 2 am!!!)

Loves:

My mother discovered that Ava LOVES to play on her changing pad. There is something about being up high and close to mom/dad/Winnie that she loves. She also loves to be free of diapers and clothes for a few minutes, and she kicks like crazy. I sometimes keep a hand on her because I feel like she's going to kick herself right off the dresser. She likes to MOVE! She is happy and content on the changing pad for 20 minutes just making faces and kicking. Ava also loves music. We typically have two dance parties a day. We like 80s in the morning and 60s in the evening. If you've never made a baby dance, you should try it. It's hilarious. She also loves One Direction songs (oh wait, maybe that's me). Ava is very alert and curious and likes to be aware of what's going on at all times. She likes to face outward on my lap or in the baby carrier so she can see. She also still loves white noise and loud places like restaurants and church (during worship). She loves riding in the stroller for walks, and it puts her right to sleep, so we try to take a walk every day for her late afternoon nap. We like to think she loves Blazer, though right now she probably just tolerates him :-)

Here are some of my favorite pics from this month!

{I love the Bumpo!! I hate the Bumpo!!}

{happy morning baby}

{Saturday afternoon rest}

{sweet smiles}

{blowing a kiss}

{fussy time and tummy time}

{all my children}

{changing table fun & napping with Daddy}

{a sunny afternoon}

We love you, precious Ava Grace!

A Visit from Winnie & Papa C

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:31:00 +0000

Last week we had the good fortune of having my family come visit for six days! It was glorious. My mom was anxious to see Ava again, and my dad was meeting her for the first time. Aunt Julia also came in from Virginia to log a little Ava time. It was my mom's Spring Break, so it worked out perfectly. My parents' grandparent names are Winnie and Papa C. (They've had them picked out for a while!)

Aunt Julia came early for a little playtime and to help me with the grocery shopping and cleaning before my parents arrived. We appreciated it so much! Ava was ready to greet Julia in her "I heart Auntie" outfit and leg warmers!

Aunt Julia was jealous of how many headbands Ava has!

When my parents arrived, Papa C got to meet Ava for the first time, and Winnie saw how much Ava has grown since she saw her last!

We went for a three mile hike on the Wa-Duke trail one afternoon. It was cool enough to necessitate a sock monkey hat.

After church on Sunday, we went out to lunch at Happy China with our Chinese friend, Elvis, who goes to church with us each week.

On Monday, Julia had to go back to work, but Brent and I took mom and dad to Chapel Hill for an afternoon of shopping on Franklin Street and lunch at one of our favorite places, Mediterranean Deli. Ava slept like a champ the whole time!

While my parents were in town, we also had a visit from Brent's friend Olivia. Ava loved her! My mom also took it upon herself to organize my linen closet. This qualifies her for "best mom ever", if you ask me.

When my mom wasn't organizing linen closets or cleaning, Ava got tons of quality time with her Winnie. How cute are these pictures? We're trying our best to start Ava out as a reader early. It's just a small detail that she never even looks at the book we're holding...

My parents were nice enough to watch Ava while we went out on a real date!! We went to a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Revolution. It was perfect! We ate a ton of good food, but here is a pic of the Tuna tartare appetizer that was as delicious as it was beautiful. Yay for not being pregnant and being able to eat sushi again!

We spent an afternoon at the Nasher Museum of Art on the Duke campus. We ate lunch at the Nasher Cafe and saw a few exhibits, our favorite of which was a photography exhibit. Ava tagged along in her stroller. We were careful to time each outing so that it coincided with her nap time. We are still in that magical time when she can sleep in her car seat or stroller. In fact, she sleeps BETTER in the stroller than anywhere else, so one outing a day is a must.

On the last day of their visit, we played dress up. We put Ava in the rosebud dress I wore home from the hospital as a newborn! We intended to have Ava wear it home too, but with all the drama we went through at the hospital, that just wasn't gonna happen. Better late than never! She looked adorable, so we had a photo shoot to document the occasion.

Three generations of lovely ladies

Thanks, Winnie & Papa C, for an awesome visit! We love you!!

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:55:00 +0000

{Look! A post that's not about my baby!}

Since I no longer have an excuse to eat donuts and pastries for breakfast (sigh), I'm returning to my healthy eating ways. Lately, I've been obsessed with this easy, quick, healthy, and SUPER delicious quinoa breakfast bowl. I saw the idea on Pinterest, and I knew I would love it.

This breakfast can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. You'll get tons of protein from the quinoa and yogurt, antioxidants from the berries, and heart-healthy fats from the almonds and seeds. Sweetened with a touch of honey, this is a chewy, crunchy, creamy, sweet, and tart breakfast. I cook up a big batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week, and it keeps really well in the fridge for 4-5 days, making prep time super fast in the mornings. The other great thing about it is that it's endlessly adaptable. Personally, I think this is the best way, but you could sub in any other yogurt, nuts, seeds, and fruit that you like. Here's how I make mine:

Red quinoa

(you could use regular quinoa too, but I like red for breakfast)

Yogurt

(your favorite kind will work, but I love Chobani fat free vanilla)

Berries

(I prefer blackberries, but I've also made it with strawberries!)

Almonds

(or your favorite nut)

Sunflower Seeds

(unsalted!)

Honey

(or maple syrup or agave nectar)

Put it all together in a bowl. Stir it up. Enjoy.

Ava's Newborn Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:01:00 +0000

My wonderful sister and brother in law gave us the greatest Christmas gift ever! They gave us a professional newborn photo session with a photographer here in Raleigh. It was a super special gift that we will treasure forever! I mentioned in a previous post that Ava was not too happy for our first photo session. She was supposed to sleep so the photographer could put her into all sorts of cute positions, but little miss decided to stay awake and scream pretty much the whole time. Melissa (the photographer) was super nice and patient and offered to try again if we could bring Ava back another day. We brought her four days later, and thankfully Ava cooperated and slept like a champ. In the end, I'm really glad we got some cute ones of her sleeping and awake. We just love how the pictures turned out, and I can't wait to figure out how to display some of them in our home. If you live in North Carolina, I can't recommend Melissa Devoe Photography highly enough! She is AWESOME! Love our precious little girl!!

{our little family of three}

One Month

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:42:00 +0000

Stats:
Weight - 8 lbs. 13.5 oz (39th percentile)
Head - 14 in (88th percentile)
Height - 21.25 in (55th percentile)

Strengths: Ava is so strong and can hold up her head for quite a long time when placed on her tummy. Similarly, she is very curious and loves to look around at the world whenever she can. Ava is also starting to follow objects and sounds with her eyes. The other day, I walked in a circle around her play mat, talking to her the entire time, and she followed me with her eyes and her head the whole way! She's also beginning to make some sounds (besides screaming) and smile every once in a while! Yay!! We've begun giving her a breast milk bottle every few days, and I was so worried it was going to be a battle. However, she took it like a champ and sucks down a bottle in no time whenever Brent gives her one.

Struggles: Ava is sleeping pretty well at night, but she can't seem to get past the 4 hour mark. She consistently sleeps for 2.5, 3, or 4 hours at night. Some things I've read say they should be able to do 5 or 6 hours by now. I'm hoping this will just happen naturally! The evening time is still our biggest struggle. Ava's fussy time is typically from around 7 pm - 10 pm, which is hard since it's the end of the day, and it's nearly impossible for us to make and/or eat dinner when trying to calm her. She gets into what we call a "death spiral" where she works herself into a frenzy and sleep is just not gonna happen. We try our hardest to intercept death spirals before they happen!

Loves: Ava loves the car seat and falls asleep within a few minutes of driving anywhere. This is really nice for Mama who can have lunch with friends pretty easily. I just pop the car seat out of the car, bring it in the restaurant, and keep the cover on while we eat and chat. She loves the white noise of a restaurant and usually stays asleep the entire time! Ava also loves bath time - she sits quietly and looks around while she enjoys the feel of the warm water. She doesn't like getting out, though... just like her Mama! Finally, finally... Ava likes the swing! We were so bummed that she hated it at first. But, we kept working on it, and now it's one of the only ways we can get her to calm down and sleep during the day. We even put her in there awake, and she puts herself to sleep! Ava also loves her Vitamin D supplement drops. It's so funny... she smiles and licks her lips every time I give them to her! We call it her "candy", and it's her once daily treat. If she's really crying and she hasn't had them yet that day, we can give her "candy", and it quiets her immediately. Ava loves her play mat! Every morning, she spends at least 15 minutes happily kicking and looking at the animals hanging down. She spends some happy tummy time on her play mat, too. Finally, Ava is a lover of white noise! If she's screaming, a loud white noise will almost always stop her immediately. We have a "white noise" app on our phones, and lets just say we have to charge our phones 2-3 times per day to keep up with baby girl's white noise habit.

Dislikes: Ava screams and cries for every diaper change. We try our hardest to make it cuddly and fun, but she is not a fan. It is a surefire way to wake her up, though! Ava is not super cuddly yet. I am really looking forward to the day when she will respond better to cuddling, hugging, rocking, and kissing, but she does not yet. Brent says we have to resort to "party tricks" like white noise, swaddling, and jiggling to get her to sleep. I hope someday that rocking and cuddling will do the trick, but for now, it often makes her angry and she stiffens up and resists us. We'll keep cuddling, though!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures taken lately!

{headband modeling}

{buddies.}

{pacifier skills}

{Blazer hearts Ava}

{mama & me}

{smiles!}

Ava, we love you so much and love seeing you grow and change every day!

Month One Must Haves

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Ava is one month old today! I wish I could say it's gone by quickly... but, it kind of seems like forever :-) We have a house full of baby stuff, most of which she doesn't fit into, use, or need (yet!). However, there are some items that have been instrumental slash required for survival this first month. Here are our month one must-haves: baby stuff (and mama stuff) we love!

1 :: Fisher Price "My Little Snugabunny" Bouncer

Ava spends at least a few hours in this bouncer each day. Thank you, Maggie, for lending it to us! We use it for naps and for getting Ava to sleep. It's also a good place to set her down quickly if you need to use the bathroom or grab something. The only thing we haaaate is that it doesn't bounce itself! A bouncer that doesn't bounce on it's own?! Is this some kind of joke?! One time I looked over while I was feeding Ava, and Brent was bouncing the bouncer with his foot out of habit. She wasn't even in there!!

2 :: Summer "Swaddle Me" Wrap

We are definitely pro-swaddle. Ava loooves her arms and legs. Which is great and cute most of the day EXCEPT when we want her to sleep. She absolutely can not sleep unless swaddled. She is a little wiggle worm, and she will flail and struggle and hit herself in the face until swaddled. I think the Miracle Blanket is awesome, but it's for an older / bigger child. The Swaddle Me is very small and snug for a newborn, and it's got foolproof Velcro closures - good for 3 am when I can barely tell you my own name, much less fasten a complicated swaddle.

3 :: Baby Connect App

There are tons of apps and gizmos out there for baby care, but I think this one is the best. You can track ANYTHING on here - feedings, naps, diapers, doctor visits, vaccinations, milestones, moods, activity time... the list goes on. We use it religiously to track feedings. At the beginning we also used it to track sleep and diapers. I also love tracking doctors visits because I can record questions for the doctor right in the app as I think of them! The best part is that the app can sync with other devices. So, anytime I enter a feeding, it shows up on Brent's phone too. I have never, ever, once remembered when I fed her last, so having the app tell me how long it's been is truly necessary. Best $4.99 you'll spend.

4 :: Moby Wrap

I love babywearing. We have a near 100% track record of putting Ava to sleep in baby carriers. She loves them. Plus, I can write emails, blog, do laundry, load the dishwasher, pick up the house, and even sit down and watch TV, all while "holding" her. Pretty awesome. It's also great for trips to the grocery store or Target when I don't want lug around the bulky car seat. Many people told me the Moby was too complicated and they didn't use it for that reason. I find it to be pretty easy. I watched a You Tube video and now I can put it on in under a minute. It's comfy, snug and secure, and kind of stylish. I put the Moby on myself at home before going out. When I arrive, I get Ava right out of the car seat and straight into the Moby - saves time, and I can sometimes do it without waking her up!

5 :: Happiest Baby on the Block DVD

I read the "Happiest Baby on the Block" book, and it was helpful. However, we borrowed the DVD from a friend so we could SEE the soothing strategies in action. We are now experts at the 5 Ss: Swaddling, Swinging, Side/Stomach, Shushing, and Sucking. We're not too proud to admit that we've watched the DVD multiple times, sometimes while she is screaming our our ear.

6 :: DVR

Let's just say I've watched (more than) my share of The Bachelor, The Biggest Loser, House Hunters, Love It Or List It, 19 Kids and Counting, Top Chef, 24, Chopped, and Downton Abbey. Don't judge. Nursing takes up about 50% of my day, so I have to have some entertainment. Plus, let's be honest... sometimes The Bachelor is just what the doctor ordered.

7 :: Sleep Sheep

Each time we put Ava down to sleep, we turn on the sleep sheep to "ocean waves". I'm not sure who likes it more - her or us. The waves are SO relaxing. They truly help me sleep. Brent claims that after Ava doesn't need it anymore he's going to keep it for himself! If nothing else, I'm hoping that she starts to associate that sound with sleep to help her sleep longer and go to sleep more quickly.

8 :: "Well Versed" App

Yes, I sometimes turn to Downton Abbey on a bad day, but that's a temporary fix. To really make it through these months, I need the Lord. I have an even greater desire to memorize scripture and have the word of God overtake me and fill my mind. I found this awesome free app called "Well Versed". You can add any verse from the Bible (automatic... you don't have to type it), and it creates flashcards for you! It even has a "hint mode" to help you memorize. I can study the flashcards with one hand while feeding or rocking. It's awesome!

1:: Boppy Nursing Pillow

The Boppy is a must-have for a breastfeeding mom. I have this with me where ever I am in the house. It's perfect for propping up Ava while breastfeeding and holding her secure so my arms don't go numb. It's super versatile and can be used in a ton of breastfeeding positions. I love it!!! The cover is easy to take on and off and wash, too, which is great.

2 :: Car Seat Canopy

When I shopped at Motherhood Maternity while pregnant, I got a coupon for a free car seat canopy, so I went ahead and got one, not knowing just how indispensable it would be. This thing is GREAT for many reasons. First, we use it on all walks since it shields her from the chilly North Carolina temperatures. We've been able to walk in cold weather knowing she is toasty under there. Secondly, it's PERFECT for going out to restaurants, church, etc. It keeps her asleep and (added bonus) it makes it much less likely that strangers will try to touch her or ask to hold her! We use this daily.

3 :: Gerber Pre-fold Cloth Diapers

These are not glamorous, but they are so necessary. Right now if you look at our house, we have one on both couches, one on the glider, one on our bed, one on the kitchen counter, and one randomly on the floor. One of us is always yelling "Get me a diaper!" from across the house. We don't use them as diapers, mind you, but we use them as burp cloths and general "clean up whatever mess the baby makes" cloths. They get the job done and can be washed a million times. I'd recommend getting at least a dozen.

4 :: Girly Headbands

On a bad day, I'm not gonna lie that a cute headband on Ava's head lifts my spirits. I know she has barely any hair. I know her head is too small for most headbands. I know some people think they look ridiculous. I know they are totally frivolous. And I DON'T CARE! I love baby headbands and I'm not afraid to admit it. She already has at least 15. I'm in the process of making a DIY headband holder / organizer that I'll post when finished. I bought these headbands pictured from a "Very Jane" deal, and I love them!!

5 :: Coffee

DUH.

6 :: Seven Baby Sling

As I already said, I love babywearing. The Seven Sling (also free when you buy something from Motherhood Maternity) is another great option that is quicker and more "casual" than the Moby. While the Moby is great for more serious trips out to the store, this sling is perfect for around the house. Both Brent and I use this one at least once a day (we have a black and white one that is sufficiently manly). She loves it, and even if she's crying when she goes in, after a few laps around the house, she's out. Then, I have at least an hour of hands free time while she naps on me. I love that we're bonding and close, but I can still do things!

7 :: Carter's Long Sleeve White Bodysuits

Brent calls these bodysiuts Ava's "uniform". Of course I had visions of dressing my baby to the nines each day in frilly, pink, ridiculously cute things. And never fear - that day will come... but it's not today. Here's the deal: when you never leave the house and don't see anyone all day, there is no need to dress up. Also, little girl spits up, drools, and poops on anything I put on her. These white onesies are cheap and come in big packs so we dirty one and just put another on. Plus, they have MITTENS which are key for Ava whose favorite activity is scratching up her face while flailing her arms. Plus, the white onesie is easily accessorized with pants, booties, hats, and, of course... headbands.

I hope this list helps anyone who is expecting a baby now or in the future. If you're already a mom, what did you use the first few months? What great products am I missing out on?

A Day in the Life

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:15:00 +0000

The other night, my mom asked me on the phone: What is a day like? Tell me from beginning to end.

As we are still adjusting to our new life, the thing that's been MOST helpful to me is other moms talking to me honestly about these newborn days. It has been such a comfort to me to know that the good and the bad and all of the crazy emotions I feel are normal! I'll share a typical day in the life of an almost four-week-old here so you can see the good and bad and everything in between! This is a typical day, though every day is different. These pics weren't all taken on the same day, but you get the idea :-)

Let's begin our day at 12 am, shall we? Because that's when the day begins (at least on my Baby Connect app where I track all feedings).

12:00 am: Sleeping. Everyone. (Praise God)

2:00 am: Ava wakes with her "DEFCON 5" cry. This is the cry that means - "I need food - NOW!" I stumble out of bed, pick her up, carry her to the nursery, and change her diaper while half asleep. She's still screaming, but luckily I've developed nerves of steel. I take her back to our bed and nurse her for 30-45 minutes. I nurse sitting up so I don't fall asleep, and I troll Facebook (no new posts at 2 am... come on people!) and Pinterest (I see recent pins from two people who just had babies... imagine seeing y'all here!) I drink an entire Gatorade during this feeding to quench my undying thirst.

2:40 am: Put Ava back in the pack-and-play, turn on the sleep sheep, and tiptoe back into bed, holding my breath. Listen for about 5 minutes to see if she sleeps or screams. She sleeps. I'm out.

4:00 am: Wake up freaking out that I forgot to put Ava back in her pack and play. I think she's lost in our bed, and I wake Brent up asking, "Where is Ava?!" Brent says, "She's in her bed, Katie. Go to sleep." Yep, fully rational over here.

5:00 am: DEFCON 5 scream. Jump out of bed. Grab baby. Change diaper. Feed. Still no new Facebook posts. Don't you working people get up early, and can't you please post something for my entertainment? K thanks.

5:40 am: Put Ava down, tiptoe to bed, snuggle under covers. DEFCON cry. Give her a second. Give her a minute. OK, a few minutes. Still screaming. Say pitifully, "Honey, can you please help me?" Brent stumbles out of bed, takes Ava into the living room, and sleeps on the couch with her in the bouncer, which he has to bounce every 10 minutes while I sleep in the bedroom. Love him.

7:50 am: Wake up. I have 10 minutes before little miss has to eat. Dash around the house to make coffee, open windows, empty dishwasher, put in a load of laundry, make the bed, put in contacts. Wake up Ava and feed her. Even though I'm exhausted and the coffee hasn't kicked in yet, I enjoy her a lot in the mornings. She's usually pretty darn sweet. I admire her and read all of my devotionals on my iPhone while feeding.

8:30 am: Ava is awake, full, and happy! This is her happy awake time, and she loves to explore the world. Her eyes are wide open and she's not crying! She's awake for an hour, so we do a little swing time, lay on the floor and read books, and make faces on the couch.

Sometimes we praise Jesus.

9:30 am: Ava starts fussing and yawning. Time to sleep. We rock, listen to lullabies, and sing. She resists valiantly and screams loudly and flails around as if we are torturing her.

Then I remember she isn't swaddled, and she won't sleep if she's not swaddled. So we swaddle. Then we repeat all of the above for 45 minutes until little miss finally gives in and goes to sleep.

While Ava naps, I eat breakfast (finally), shower, put on makeup, and "get dressed" in workout clothes or leggings and a sweater, all while watching the monitor.

11:00 am: Time to eat again! Ava's still asleep, so I wake her up and change her diaper. She's not happy - until she figures out she's about to eat. Feed Ava for about 30 minutes while watching HGTV.

12:00 pm: Put Ava in the bouncer to keep her happy for 20 minutes or so while I make and eat a sandwich, chips, and apple at record speed. Oh, and drink a giant glass of water - the thirst!!

12:20 pm: The clock is ticking before the next feeding, and I REALLY want to go to Target! Bundle up Ava in mittens and hat and put her in the carseat. Rush out to the car with diaper bag and Moby wrap already on me. Drive to Target. Ava sleeps when we're moving and cries when we stop at every red light. No lie. Little girl wants me to be a criminal and run red lights, I tell ya.

12:30 pm: Arrive at Target and try to slip Ava into the Moby wrap without waking her. Success! Spend one blissful hour walking around Target with Ava fast asleep in the Moby. Everyone thinks she is so cute. I think to myself that this is a really fun part about being a mom. This cute baby? Yeah, she's mine. Except one lady said, "Oh, isn't it just a miracle! Even when they are screaming and crying, they are so sweet and cute and precious and a MIRACLE." I kind of looked at her like 'lady you have lost your mind' and I said, "Yeah, you're free to come over to my house any time!"

2:00 pm: It's feeding time, and Ava lets me know. Throw the Target bags on the counter and take off my shirt as fast as possible to stop the screaming. Feed Ava.

2:30 pm: Ava's full and dry, but she's grumpy. Try rocking. Try bouncer. Try swing. Try music. Try all the "happiest baby on the block" techniques. She's not having it. Try wearing her in the sling. She loves it, clearly!!

j/k she totally hates it. Mom of the year! However, I'm determined for her to like it, so I keep her in there and bounce around the house for 20 minutes or so. And suddenly... she stops crying. She catnaps happily in the sling for the next 20 minutes as I tidy up the house.

3:45 pm: Daddy gets home from class, and we pop Ava into the stroller for a walk around the neighborhood. She screams the first block or so, but then succumbs to the movement and the vibration and sleeps the rest of the walk. Brent and I see this as a "date" time when we can just be together and talk. It feels soooooo good to get out of the house, breathe fresh air, and exercise.

4:45: Time to eat again! This time, Ava is very fussy for no apparent reason and screams while I try to feed her. No matter how many times I try, she resists and stiffens up and pushes away like I am trying to hurt her. She refuses to eat and continues to scream. It's the end of the day, and I'm frustrated. I start crying because I feel like I can't feed my child and she hates me and she will starve and she will not gain enough weight and I am not making good milk and I'm a terrible mother and..........

Blazer hates when I cry and hates when Ava cries. It stresses him out. He comes over and tries to snuggle on my lap (even though Ava's there) to make me feel better and licks Ava with a big sloppy kiss on the face, and this all makes me laugh even though I'm sobbing. Finally, I get Ava to eat a tiny bit, but it was not a good feeding.

5:15 pm: Bath time. One time, we gave Ava a bath at bedtime because we thought that's what you were supposed to do?? Rookie mistake. Ava hated the bath with all her might and screamed at DEFCON 5 level until about midnight. Now, we bathe her at 5 so that if she freaks out, she has many hours to calm down before bed. Of course, now, she loves baths. Go figure.

6:00 pm: Ava's wide awake and decides to cry for one full hour. The bath happiness only lasted so long. It's time to fix dinner, so daddy gets bouncer duty. He bounces her for a full hour to get her to go to sleep.

7:00 pm: Ava's finally asleep in the bouncer and dinner is ready. We eat and watch TV and savor the quiet. And we have a glass of wine. Definitely a glass of wine.

7:45 pm: Time for Ava to eat again! This time she feeds a little better, and she is tired afterwords. We change her, put on her pjs, and swaddle her. After the evening chores are done, we all pile into bed for some family cuddle time and watch TV together. How sweet is Blazer in this pic? He loves little Ava - it's really sweet.

10:30 pm: Wake Ava to feed her one last time before we go to sleep. Hopefully, she ends up in a milk coma, or, as Brent likes to say, "Drunk as a skunk". This is the face you want to see at bedtime. What we don't want to see is eyes so wide open they look as if they are held up by toothpicks!

11:00 pm: Go to sleep until the next day begins.....

Nursery Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:01:00 +0000

I planned to post pictures of Ava's nursery before she was born, but the time got away from me! Now the nursery is complete, and we are enjoying Ava in it. It is the nursery of my dreams! Here is the space that little miss Ava can call her own!

Glider :: Rockabye from Target

Plush Owl :: Pier 1 Imports

Yellow Chevron Pillow :: Handmade by my mom

Ottoman :: Custom from Zeldabelle on Etsy

Rug :: Moroccan Trellis in bubblegum from RugStudio

Book Ledges :: Amazon.com

Side Table :: HomeGoods

Lamp :: HomeGoods (with DIY felt flowers)

Owl Figurine :: HomeGoods

Books :: Saved from my childhood

Dresser :: Ava collection from Basset Baby at Buy Buy Baby (not lying... that's the name of the furniture!! It was a sign.)

Chevron Changing Pad Cover :: Carousel Designs

Lamp :: Target

Cross :: Repurposed from our kitchen

Art :: Handpainted by me

Crib :: Ava collection from Bassett Baby at Buy Buy Baby

Yellow & Gray Chevron Bedding :: Carousel Designs

Monogram :: Custom from A Southern Nest on Etsy

Chevron Fabric Banner :: Handmade by my mom

Paris Canvas Baskets :: HomeGoods

Pink & Gray Hamper :: HomeGoods

Hanging Organizer :: Target

Ava's First Two Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:07:00 +0000

Today our little Ava is two weeks old! We are falling more in love with our little girl every day! She is just as precious and sweet as can be.

After Ava's birth (read about it here), we were transferred to our hospital room where we would stay for the next 2 days. In an effort to keep it real, I'll tell you the truth about our first two weeks with Ava. This is a long post, but I wanted to record it for my memory, and there are lots of pics throughout!

Days 1 & 2: Hospital

After the joy of Ava's birth, I have to say that the next two days spent in the hospital were probably some of the worst days of my life. (Don't worry... it got better... keep reading!) The hospital was just not a place where Brent, Ava, or I could thrive. Without going into all the details, I'll just say that it was an unbelievably stressful situation. Because of my long labor, I was in a lot of pain, and neither of us had slept in over 24 hours. Now, we had a newborn in our room and pretty much no clue what to do with her! The hospital keeps babies in the room with mom 24/7, which I think is a VERY good policy, but I don't think they supported us quite enough in caring for her those first days.

We thought we would get to sleep once we were in our own room, but no - that was not in the cards. I am not lying that hospital staff came in our room every ten minutes, around the clock. This is not an exaggeration. Ava & I got our vital signs every 2 hours around the clock. People came to do blood tests on Ava at 3am (for real). They brought us our birth certificate information at 1am (I am not lying). Food service came in 7+ times a day. At one point, we had the following people in the room all at once: the nurse, my OBGYN, the obgyn nurse, the housekeeper, and the lactation consultant. They were all trying to tell me things and ask me questions at the same time. I broke down in tears in front of all of them. Lovely. Also, did I mention our room was like a closet? You couldn't even walk without tripping over something. Needless to say, we didn't sleep in that room. By night 2, I had not slept for 72 hours.

Unfortunately for us, night 2 was no better. Ava was inconsolable all night and would not eat or sleep. We called the nurse twice in desperation to help us - we just couldn't figure out what was wrong. The nurse would eventually get her to sleep and leave the room, and then Ava would wake up and scream again five minutes later. The next morning, haggard and desperate, we asked to see the lactation consultant. God bless lactation consultants. This one was FANTASTIC. When she arrived, she witnessed one of Ava's meltdowns and realized what we had been dealing with. She spent most of the day with us trying to figure out what was the matter. Long story short, Ava basically wasn't getting any nourishment. She was hungry and overtired and frantic as a result. We tried a few things, and finally settled on a system that allowed Ava to breastfeed but also be supplemented with formula for a week or so until we could get breastfeeding more established. For the first time in days, Ava ate and was full and slept. God bless America.

I had visions of going home from the hospital in a cute outfit with my hair all done and my makeup on. Ava would be cute too. We'd smile and take pictures. Um, not so much. I hadn't showered or slept, and neither had Brent. We just left Ava in what she had on and packed up. We were a sight for sore eyes leaving that hospital! Thankfully my wonderful mom was there to collect us and help us function for the next week.

Days 3 - 7: Home with Mom

Getting home from the hospital was when things finally started to look up. My blessed mother had dinner ready for us. We took a shower and were finally clean. The familiarity of home was awesome. We had tools that we could use to calm Ava that we didn't have in the hospital (swing, bouncy seat, Moby wrap, etc). Still, we were functioning on no sleep, and all of us were still in major recovery mode from delivery. We headed to bed and put Ava down in her pack and play in our room. Long story short, we did not sleep from 9 pm - 4 am. Between eating and crying, Ava was a handful. She did not want to sleep flat in her pack and play. At 4 am, we were at our wits end. I had a major crying breakdown. I went down the hall and knocked on my mom's door, screaming Ava in hand. She jumped out of bed and took her and watched her until 7 so I could get at least a few hours of sleep. This routine went on for 2-3 days, and my mom took her each night around 4 am. Then, my mom finally discovered that she loved sleeping in the bouncy seat. Success! That night, we put her to bed in the bouncy seat, and she slept for three hours straight. I fed her, and she slept for three more hours straight. I fed her again, and she slept for three more hours straight. OMG!!!! I could have danced. I know the bouncy seat is NOT a long term solution, but at the moment, I don't care!!!

That first week is kind of a blur, but every day got better than the last. My mom made sure we ate and picked up the mess that we created daily. I got more sleep each night, and I started feeling like a new person. When my mom left on day 7, I had a meltdown. But I knew we were on track to good things and that we could do it on our own.

Days 8 - 14: Home Alone and More Visitors

After my mom left, we began to figure out how to be a family of 3 on our own. Even though Ava doesn't have a routine yet, we usually have some happy play time in the morning, somewhat regular feedings, and we try to have an outing a day - a walk, trip to the doctor, etc. It felt good to be home with just the three of us (and Blazer). I've tried to use feeding time to pray and do my Bible study. One prayer that has really gotten me through these two weeks is "help me get through this hour/day". I pray that one a lot! We know that with each passing day, things will get better, and we will find more and more of our "new normal". On Saturday, Brent's parents arrived, and they are staying with us until Wednesday. They are spoiling us with plenty of meals and love - such a blessing! They are always willing to quiet a crying Ava, and they have watched her while Brent and I took a walk yesterday and today. So awesome!!

Here are some other things I want to remember about Ava's first weeks:

Mama Highs:

Mornings: The old saying that "everything looks better in the morning" is SO, SO true. On some of the hard nights, I just can't wait for morning. I know my spirits will be lifted and nothing will be quite as bad as it seems. Even if we've had little sleep, there is something refreshing about turing on all the lights, opening the blinds wide to let in the sun, and having a BIG cup of hot coffee. Brent has also been really good about letting me shower and get ready each morning, which makes a big difference in my general outlook on life!
My mom helping us: My mother is a saint. Part of me thought that we wouldn't need any help when we got home with Ava, but I could not have been more wrong. We truly would not have survived (and I mean that literally) without my mom. My mom got here while we were still in the hospital. Before we even got home, she had gotten everything ready for us, cooked meals, bought flowers, gone to the store, put balloons on the front porch, and set the table with placemats and silverware for dinner. She functioned as our brain when our brains were not working (which was most of the week). She was SUCH a blessing!
Family Time: Every night around 8 pm, we snuggle in bed to feed Ava, cuddle, and watch TV until her last feeding around 10 when we go to bed. These hours are so sweet and precious. Even Blazer joins us, and we get to just spend time together as a family. I know we've been a family all this time, but now it's like, wow, we have a FAMILY.
Ava's Nighttime Sleep: While the first three nights home were chaos, by about the 4th night, I think Ava was starting to get the difference between night and day. She is usually pretty good about sleeping at night. We have to wake her up for the nighttime feedings, and she usually goes back to sleep after feeding with minimal soothing. I'm still tired because I'm waking every 3 hours to feed her, and each feeing takes about 45 minutes. However, I'm so grateful that she lets me sleep a hour or two between feedings. If I was up the whole night, every night, I don't know how I'd make it. Some nights are better than others, but overall, she's making mama happy at night. She doesn't sleep hardly at all during the day, but I'll take it if she sleeps at night!!

Mama Lows:

Late Afternoons: At the end of a long day, things can begin to look a little bleak. My least favorite part of the day is from about 4:00 - 6:00. It's getting dark, I'm exhausted from the day, I'm kind of dreading the night, and Ava is usually screaming at the top of her lungs. Just keepin' it real. These are the times when the tears usually flow. God bless my sweet friend, Mary Elizabeth, who has been known to call me at 5:00 just because it's getting dark and she knows I'm probably sad!
Newborn Photos: We took Ava for her newborn photo shoot where they take all those adorable pictures of your sleeping baby. The only thing is, the baby needs to be SLEEPING. This is not an issue with most newborns, but Ava was not having it. She cried and refused to sleep for 3.5 hours while the sweet photographer (bless her heart) tried valiantly to calm and soothe her, to no avail. I was so stressed the whole time - I REALLY wanted those pictures! We decided it was just not going to work that day, but the photographer was so kind to let us come back later in the week and try again. This time, we tried the afternoon, and I tried to keep her up in the morning so she would be tired. I also prayed all the way over there that she would sleep. What a blessing that God cares about the little details of life, too! She slept like a CHAMP. Whew. We will have cute pictures after all.

Ava Likes:

Swaddling: She loves swaddling, especially with the Summer "swaddle me" blankets - we found they work the best and are most snug on a tiny newborn.
Bouncy seat: We absolutely can not live without the Fisher Price "little snugabunny" bouncer seat. She loves it. It's pretty much the only place she will sleep. This is where she naps and sleeps at night by our bed. We know we'll have to break her of it eventually, but for now... survival. And if chica likes to sleep in the bouncy seat, bouncy seat it is.
Morning play time: Little girl is VERY alert for a newborn. In fact, our photographer said she has never, ever in her career seen a newborn stay awake for as long as Ava stayed awake. Awesome. However, this makes for some fun daytime play time. She is most alert and happy in the morning from about 9 - 12. She loves to lay on a blanket on the floor and move her arms and legs like crazy, looking all around.
Car rides: She screams like crazy when we put her in the car seat, but as soon as the car starts moving, she is out like a light and sleeps until we get where ever we are going.

Ava Dislikes:

Pacifiers: I've tried to get her to take one, but she's not having it yet. Maybe later.
Swing: She's not a huge fan. She will go in it if she's asleep, but it doesn't really calm her very much.
Laying flat on her back: We might be in for trouble since she eventually needs to lay on her back in the crib to sleep. She hates being flat though. She prefers to sleep inclined in the infant seat for now.

We love you so much, sweet little girl! We can't wait for all that's to come!

Ava's Birth Story

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:30:00 +0000

Ava Grace Norwood is here! Ava was born at 7:11 pm on Sunday, January 20, 2013. She weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. She is now one week old and as precious as can be. She takes up approximately 100% of our time, but I did want to find some time to record her birth story here on the blog!

My due date of Wednesday, January 16 came and went. On Friday, January 18, I had a few signs that labor was imminent. I was excited and totally freaked out at the same time. We knew it wouldn't be immediate, but Brent and I went into nesting overdrive. When I got out of the shower, I found Brent cleaning the floors and packing his bag. I did a few last minute things and tidied up the house. Friday night we stayed at home and had homemade pizza for dinner. I didn't feel any contractions Friday overnight, but I was expecting them at any time! I woke up on Saturday and immediately felt something had changed. I felt some definite contractions and pain way down low in my belly. I had read that "real" labor would be up high and in my back, so I thought that that maybe this was not the real thing. Still... it was hurting, and it was pretty regular - about every 10-15 minutes. I had a haircut appointment at 11:15, and I was determined to keep it. I made Brent come with me since I didn't want to drive with contractions. Bless my stylist's heart. She looked a little worried when I told her I was having contractions. I was pretty excited that I was probably going to the hospital with a fresh haircut and style!

On the way home from the salon, we stopped and got one of my favorite lunches from Saladelia Cafe. We also called the doctor on call at the hospital (since it was the weekend). She agreed that I was in early labor and told us to come to the hospital when contractions were five minutes apart lasting one minute each for the span of an hour. At this point, we also called our parents. We tracked contractions for the whole afternoon with my iPhone app and watched HGTV. Things did seem to be progressing, and by around 4 pm, I was in definite pain. Brent took Blazer to stay with some friends, and for some reason, that made me so sad! I cried because I felt like it was the end of our old life as a married couple with just a puppy. I had a "last supper" of plain pasta before we packed up and headed out to the hospital! Thankfully, I wasn't overly emotional about leaving home - I just was ready to get this thing going!

Once at the hospital, we had to wait in the emergency room with a ton of sick people (super annoying!) Brent wouldn't let me sit down for fear of germs, so we stood to the side until the L&D nurse came down to get us. We filled out paperwork and I got my gown on. We arrived right at a shift change, so we had a bunch of different nurses and attendants for the first 15 minutes. Here's my last pregnant pic. Notice the hair, please. Thank you.

We finally got settled in around 7:30 pm, and the doctor came to check me. She said, "You're going to be disappointed." I was only 1 cm dilated. Boo. She then stripped my membranes to speed it along, which was, um, less than pleasant. She asked me to walk around for an hour or so to see if we could get things going. Brent and I walked laps around the L&D wing, stopping every time I had a contraction. Two hours later, she checked me again - 1.5 cm. Lovely. At this point I knew: we were going to be here a long, long while. Thankfully, I fully expected Ava to come late. I also fully expected to have a long labor. I also didn't really have any strict "birth plan" or preconceived notion of what my birth 'had' to be like. I just decided to be patient and go with the flow, which I think served us well. I found it easiest to trust the expertise and advice of the doctors and nurses. Although I ended up doing things and getting meds I didn't think I would, it was definitely for the best. At this point, they officially "admitted" me and did all of my lab and blood work. I labored in the room for several hours. The contractions were pretty intense for just being 1.5 cm dilated. The only thing that made them better for me was standing up and leaning over the bed with my head down.

At 12:30 am, I was given IV pain medication and something to relax me. I didn't think either worked very well. At 2:30 am, they suggested I get in the jetted tub to relax. I stayed in there about an hour, and it did seem to help a bit. After I got out, they gave me more pain & relaxation meds plus an Ambien. I tried to sleep, but I woke up with every contraction, so it was a very fitful and disoriented sleep. At 9 am on Sunday, the doctor checked me again, and I was at 2 cm. 2 cm after all of that??? I tried hard not to be frustrated. I had a GREAT doctor who was very sweet and understanding. She really wanted to move things along while keeping me comfortable. Even though I was not yet at 4 cm, she suggested I get the epidural since I was in a lot of pain and I was exhausted from laboring for almost 24 hours with no progress. I got the epidural at 10:30 am, and it wasn't too bad except that they had to do it twice because the first time they hit a nerve that sent bursts of pain down my legs. After the epidural, things were great. I felt awesome and was able to sleep on and off all day. I think it worked to relax me and speed things along because they checked me an hour later, and I was at 4 cm. At this point, the doctor broke my water, which was painless since I had the epidural. She discovered that Ava had passed some meconium in the womb, which meant that she would need some special care once delivered.

For the rest of the day, I lay in bed waiting for my body to do its job. In the afternoon, they began giving me pitocin to speed things up. The nurse helped me switch sides every 30 minutes. {Side note: Brent was so awesome this whole time. He barely slept either, and he was always ready to give me juice, water, and encouragement. I also had the BEST nurses. The one who was with me most was so kind and sweet. She really helped me get through it!} Fast forward to 6 pm on Sunday. I was FINALLY 8 cm! They predicted she would arrive within 2 hours. At this point, I started to get a little freaked out. Also around this time, my mom arrived from Texas and was brought to the hospital by a friend. My heart rate was setting off all kinds of alarms in the room because it was so high. We had my mom leave the room so I could breathe and calm down. At 6:00, my sweet doctor had to go home (she had been on for 36 hours, so I don't blame her!) I had a new doctor from another practice I had never met before, but it was OK. He was just there for the delivery. At around 6:30, I was finally at 10 cm, so they had me start to push. They expected me to push for hours, but by 35 minutes, the doctor was called in and the neonatal specialists were poised in the adjoining room to tend to Ava once she was born. Here I am in the last stages - ready for a baby!

Although the pushing wasn't painful, I could definitely feel the contractions and the pressure. Ava made her entrance into the world at 7:11 pm, and it was wonderful, but also a bit stressful! As he delivered her, the doctor saw that the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck TWICE and completely knotted in another location. I did not know what was going on, but Brent saw the whole thing, and although the doctor was very calm, he definitely had a sense of worried urgency. Before she was completely out, he had to cut the cord while it was still around her neck. The Lord was truly merciful to us to give us this safe delivery. It was actually a pretty scary situation that no one could have predicted. The doctor was so skilled and calm, and we are grateful for that.

Once she was born, she was whisked off to the specialists. She was not breathing (because of the meconium), but this was expected. They worked on her for a few tense minutes, and I finally heard her cry for the first time. The whole thing was a very surreal experience. Because of the issues with Ava, she could not be brought to me right away, but the doctor worked on me and Brent got to go see her and take pictures. Look at all those hands of wonderful people there ready to help her!

About 20 minutes later, they let her lie with me for about 3 minutes. I got to see her and hug her and kiss her.

Then they took her to the nursery for some monitoring for about 30 minutes. Brent went with her, so it was kind of lonely for a while! Finally, she came back, and we got some family alone time for around an hour. I got to nurse her for the first time, and we could admire her tiny little features.

After a dinner of pizza brought by my mom (I hadn't eaten in about 30 hours), we were taken to what would be our room for the next two days. More to come later on Ava's first days! Here she is with my mom (her Winnie) that first night. These were days I will never forget, and I thank the Lord that my labor and delivery, though long, were smooth and safe. The Lord is good!

40 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:32:00 +0000

Well hello 40 weeks! Today we are at 40 weeks and 3 days, and still no baby! Ava seems nice and cozy in there, and at the moment, I don't feel like birth is imminent, though maybe she will surprise me. I have thought from the very beginning that she was going to be late. I just have not heard many stories at ALL of first babies being early or on time. My mindset has been that she would be born after her due date. This has been good, probably, because I really don't feel that impatient at all! Here are my thoughts at 40 weeks:

Blessings:

I feel very blessed to be feeling as good as I do. For the most part, I have plenty of energy to keep working as usual, keep up with household tasks, and attend the few events we have going on in the evenings. We also walk about an hour a day.... that's Brent's attempt at getting her to come out and meet us. Our life has definitely slowed as we wait for Ava. There are not many things on the to-do list each day, and that is pretty nice!

I am definitely enjoying some sweet time with my husband. Between Christmas and his five week break from school, we've had many, many chill days at home, which we both love!! We walk every day, go out to dinner a few times a week, and one day this week we took an impromptu trip out to try a new donut place for breakfast and walk the mall. I know... gettin' crazy! Brent has been amazingly sweet and helpful. The other night he went to the grocery at 7 pm to get ingredients for dinner even though I had all day to do it and just didn't. He also ties my shoes every day when we walk because I can't anymore! If we go out and it's really cold, he warms up the car for me and parks right next to the walkway so I won't slip on ice or leaves!

The Lord has really protected my mind and heart in these last few weeks. I am not great at change, although I am getting better. This is kind of a BIG change. If I dwell on it too much or think about too many unknowns, I cry and become very anxious. For the most part, I've been able to focus on the present and not think too much about the unknowns of labor and delivery and having a newborn. I know God will give me the grace and strength to deal with whatever comes. He has blessed me with patience and peace for now. I'm still reading and learning what I can, but I am never going to be fully mentally prepared, so Brent and I are ready to just do this thing and jump in. No more thinking!

Small Annoyances:

I think God is preparing me for sleepless nights, because I dread going to bed. I have always been one to look forward to going to sleep, and I usually sleep very well. Not anymore! I wake 5-6 times to go to the bathroom, and I usually have about 2 hours of insomnia each night... sometimes at the beginning, sometimes right in the middle. My carpal tunnel hands are horrible. I've been pretty patient and have done well controlling my mind with the pain, but last night I just lost it. I truly wanted to cut my hands off. I may or may not have hit the bed and the wall with my useless hands out of frustration. {Low point.} Finally, it's just impossible to get comfortable. My legs are restless and my belly is huge. I know - sleep won't be good for a long time. I will deal.

Although I know people mean well, it stresses me out when people say things like, "Enjoy it now", "Get out while you can", "Sleep while you can", "Your life is about to change forever", "Hope you're having fun hanging out with Brent now", etc. Isn't having a baby supposed to be a good thing? I mean, people do it multiple times so there must be something awesome about it! I know people are just trying to prepare me for the reality of a newborn, but I feel like there is intense pressure to "enjoy it now" before she comes. Hopefully I will enjoy it now AND later. :-) Brent is so sweet... every day he says how excited he is for Ava and how he can't wait to meet her and just have her here. He gives me confidence!

Daily Life at 40 Weeks:

I'm not very hungry at all. Usually I'm starving in the morning, but after I eat a bowl of cereal with fruit, I'm typically so full that I can't even think about eating lunch until about 2 pm. Even then, nothing sounds good, so I've been eating peanut butter and apples or small reheated leftovers.

Everyone asks me if I am nesting. Yes, I think I am... but that's kind of what I do ALL the time! I've always been OCD about my house, randomly organizing cabinets and closets, decorating, and cooking. So, I can't really tell if my nesting is just what I usually do or is a result of pregnancy. Last week I did scrub the sink, wipe all cabinets, clean out the pantry, dust, clean the microwave, buy flowers for vases, and make sure every last baby thing was put together. Today I'm going to clean the bathrooms, I think.

My next post may be with pictures of a real baby.... or maybe not! You'll have to check back to see!

Nursery Art Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:16:00 +0000

I had four art projects I wanted to complete for Ava's nursery. They have all been fun ways to be creative and keep myself busy and distracted in the evenings. It's been quite frustrating to work with my numb and painful carpal tunnel hands, but I was able to do the projects a little at a time, and I'm so glad they are done! I absolutely love how they all turned out, and it was fun to add personal, one-of-a-kind touches to the nursery. For project 1, I made some felt flowers for a lamp which I showed you here.

Project 2: Animal Canvases

Next, I painted some canvases for above the changing table. Ever since I painted these canvases for Maggie and Campbell last year, I knew I wanted to make some for my own child. I am SO happy with how they turned out! I decided to paint an owl since she has a few owls throughout the nursery and a dog since Blazer is going to be her best friend (fingers crossed) and she's going to grow up to be a dog lover, obviously.

Here they are hanging over the changing table!

Project 3: Hospital Door Wreath

For my next project, I was coveting several ribbon wreaths I saw online like this one. However, priced at $40 to $60, I knew I could make one myself for way less. I purchased about 10 spools of fun ribbon 75% off at Michael's. The only other materials I needed were a styrofoam wreath form, pinking shears, a wooden plaque, and paint. With the pinking shears, I cut equal lengths of ribbon from all of the spools. Then, I randomly tied them on the wreath making sure they were right next to each other. There wasn't really a pattern. When all the ribbon was tied on, I trimmed up the ends and arranged them how I wanted. About half of the ribbon was wired and half was not, which I think gave it a good look. Finally, I painted the wooden plaque with her name and attached it with ribbon and pins. I intend to hang this on our hospital room door after she is born. Then, it can hang on the door to her room and be used for parties, etc. for years to come. I love it!! You could do this for any occasion with any color scheme. It took me forever with my freaking carpal tunnel, but for those of you with hands that actually function, it should be a cinch.

Project 4: Framed Painted Verse

Lastly, I found this adorable wooden frame at Michael's for only $7. I knew I had to have it. It was unfinished, so I spray painted it a glossy white. Then I bought a thin canvas and painted the gray stripes and pink cross. Finally, I bought sparkly white stickers (from the scrapbook section) to spell out the verse. Put the frame & canvas together, and you've got cute wall art! This is hanging in one corner of the room, and I just love how it turned out.

...Full nursery tour coming soon! We're at week 39 as of today and totally ready for Ava to get here!!

Maternity Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:12:00 +0000

I was blessed years 11 ago to meet Kate Robertson (now Gavos) as a Pi Phi at Texas A&M. (Has it been that long, y'all?!) She and I have kept up through the years via our blogs, and I've had the joy of seeing her little girl, Caroline, grow up in pictures. Kate is an EXTREMELY talented photographer, and she recently started her own business. When I was thinking about maternity photos, I knew just who I wanted to ask. Kate has been beyond kind and generous to us, and she is serving the Lord with her talents. These are truly the maternity photos of my Pinterest dreams! THANK YOU, Kate! She managed to get all these great pics on a day with 40 mph winds! If you've within walking, driving, or flying distance to Dallas, I highly recommend Kate as a photographer! Check her out on Facebook here or on her website!!

Hope you like the pics as much as I do. P.S. Doesn't Ava have the cutest dad ever? Just sayin'!

She Has a Name!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:03:00 +0000

After 36 weeks of deliberation, we are ready to announce the name of our baby girl! We love it!! We wanted a name that is classic but not tired, chic but not trendy, short, easy to spell, no nicknames, and sounds good with Norwood. We've always wanted Grace to be the middle name because it will remind us (and her) of the grace given to her by Jesus. We will just call her Ava, but I love the sound of Ava Grace, so we may also call her that sometimes :-) Although she's still Baby N, she now has a name. Phew! I feel better, don't you?! Name picked. Monogram ordered. We're ready for you, Ava!

Felt Flower Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:35:00 +0000

If you've been on Pinterest for any length of time, you have no doubt pinned at least one felt flower tutorial to your "DIY" board. Am I right? Last weekend, I decided to ACTUALLY make something from my Pinterest DIY board (I know... impressive). I have been wanting to spice up a lamp for the nursery, so it was the perfect time to try my hand at felt flowers. All of the tutorials I found instructed me to use a hot glue gun to put the flowers together. FAIL. I don't know if my felt sucks or my glue gun sucks or both, but the hot glue method did NOT work for me. I burned my fingers and the flowers still wouldn't stay together. I scrapped the glue method all together and went old school with a needle and thread. Don't worry: I am NOT a seamstress. I'm still using the mini sewing kit my mom gave me when I graduated from high school. If you can thread a needle and make a lopsided stitch or two, you can do this. Promise.

You'll need:

Felt (I used cheap craft felt from Michael's)

Scissors

Needle & Thread

Felt Bloom Tutorial

Cut out a bunch of flower-ish shapes from your felt. I say flower-ish because mine were lopsided and uneven and you know what.... they turned out perfectly! They just have to sort of, kind of resemble flowers. I am lazy, so I folded my felt and cut three at a time. Pile 'em up. You'll need about 6 flat flowers to make one bloom. You might also want to cut a few small circles from the scraps. More about how to use those later.

Take a flower. Fold it in half once. Then fold it in half again. Hold it at the bottom like so.

Place your folded flower on a flat flower. Put it in one corner, knowing you're going to put four folded flowers on the flat flower. Hold the folded flower with one hand and stitch it to the flat flower with two or three stitches at the tip near the center. Your stitches don't have to be pretty or straight. Believe me, mine weren't. Repeat with 3 more folded flowers, sewing them on to the flat flower. Then, stitch all four folded pieces together with one stitch connecting each folded flower to the next in a little circle (a total of 4 stitches). Believe me, this is not difficult.

Now you need to fill in the middle. You can either use circles folded in half twice or smaller flowers folded in half twice. Repeat the folding and stitching procedures, stitching the smaller flowers in the center. Ta da!!

Now, take a break and cuddle with your curious puppy.

{Whatcha makin' mama? Something for Blazer, perhaps?}

Felt Rosette Tutorial

First, you're going to need to cut some strips of felt. Mine were about 2 inches wide. Use whatever color your heart desires. I used a taupe that kind of looked like burlap when finished, which I enjoyed.

Fold your long strip in half, hot-dog style. You're going to stitch down the open (non-folded) side. Start at the top and just stitch on down to the bottom. Your stitches need not be even, straight, or lovely looking AT ALL. They need only be there. As you stitch, pull the thread taut each time. This will begin to slowly gather the felt so that it puckers and begins to spiral. It's magical! When you get to the bottom of your strip, pull the thread tight one last time, tie off your stitches, and cut the thread.

As you see above, the felt will have already formed itself into a lovely spiral shape. Now you just need 3-4 stitches to hold it in that shape. You made a rosette! Lovely!

Next, get something good on the DVR. Repeat all these steps. And repeat again.

Congratulations! Now you have a whole mess of THESE beauties!

Now's the really fun part. Get out your glue gun and go to town! What needs a rosette in your house? A lamp? A pillow? A picture frame? A headband? All of the above? Go for it. I used mine on a lamp for Baby N's room.

Before:

After:

35 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:48:00 +0000

I can't believe I'm already at 35 weeks!! That is crazy!! I am definitely feeling like things are getting real. Yesterday, we had the car seat installed and inspected. Driving around with an empty car seat is kind of surreal!! At multiple times throughout the day, I find myself praying. Awaiting this baby is definitely causing me to rely on God! I am growing daily. I just looked at pictures from the beginning of my pregnancy, and I can't fathom being that skinny. Sigh. Sometimes at the end of the day, Brent claims that my belly is bigger and harder than it was in the morning! Yep, true.

Fun Stuff:

I feel her moving ALL the time. I'm supposed to do kick counts for my doctor each day. I'm supposed to feel at least 4 kicks in an hour. Every time I lie down to do my counts, I get 4 within five or ten minutes!
I like being pregnant. There is really nothing I have to complain about at all!
I am loving the nursery so much. Sometimes I just go in there and sit in the glider and look around. Sometimes Brent stands there and looks at it while brushing his teeth. Blazer seems to think we made the whole room just for him, and the rug is his new favorite play spot. Ooops... sorry, buddy.
I'm trying to walk 45 minutes a day every other day, sometimes every day. This does not sound like a lot (and it's not), but it feels like an accomplishment for me. I'm feeling good on my walks, but I can not go longer than 45 minutes without having to rush back to the bathroom (bummer), and if I walk longer, I will pay the price with sore pelvic bones for the next 24 hours.

Symptoms:

It just plain hurts to get off the couch and turn over in bed. I make some sort of groaning noise every time like an old lady. It's necessary.
I'm having a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions - at least 5-10 a day. They are very noticeable.
I'm pretty sure I have pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome. I wake up multiple times each night due to the fact that my entire right arm from bicep to fingertips is completely numb. Plus, my wrists and hands are sore all day.
I'm feeling some fatigue and shortness of breath. Sometimes just sitting in a chair is too much and I feel the urge to lay down on my side. I feel the return of first trimester fatigue and spend some quality time each day lying down reading or playing with my phone. But truly, these things are not a big deal, and I continue to be grateful for an easy pregnancy!

Cravings:

My newest craving is biscuits. It's so random, but I could eat a biscuit (or two or three) every day. I don't discriminate - biscuits out, biscuits from Whole Foods... I even made homemade buttermilk biscuits the other Saturday, and they were SO GOOD. (And pretty easy, too!)
I'm still loving sweets, so my Christmas cookie tin gets a few visits each day.
I'm also still on the Italian food kick I've had since early pregnancy. If it has red sauce and cheese, I'm in.
Finally, I am drinking a ton of water and Gatorade. I am so thirsty all the time. When I wake up in the morning, I have to drink Gatorade. Then I'm always drinking something all day. I am definitely eating less because I'm drinking more and my stomach fills up faster - so thirsty!!

Getting Ready:

The nursery is coming together nicely and only needs final touches. I will post the finished product semi-soon, but the last piece we ordered won't be in for about 4 weeks, so you'll have to be patient.
We are oh-so-close to deciding on a name. For reals. I thought I would have a name when I was like 2 weeks pregnant. I had no idea it would be so hard to commit!
We took two classes at the hospital - "Baby Care" and "Prepared Childbirth". Both were good but not amazingly informative. I feel like we learned a few things, though, and are more prepared in general.
Life has been crazy, so we are both looking forward to slowing down over the Christmas break. We plan to get some final things off our registry, finish a few baby books, clean the house, pack the hospital bag, possibly make some freezer meals, go to our favorite restaurants, and hang out waiting for little miss! We are staying in Durham for the duration of the holidays since I can't really travel at this point.
I have a lot of emotions about having a baby. Some days I'm totally freaked out and cry and feel very anxious. Some days I am really excited and think about what fun it will be to have an actual baby that is mine! When I see my friends' babies, that's what gets me excited!

Durham Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:51:00 +0000

God is good, loving, kind, and a provider of abundant life. I know this to be true because of how sweetly He has taken care of me here in Durham. For you to understand how much this shower meant to me, I have to start with a story. Back in Houston, we lived in the suburbs. We loved our house, but it was a good 30 minutes from anything. We had a few friends in our neighborhood, but not many. We were 30 minutes away from our church, so we weren't very involved. We both worked insane hours, so we didn't get out much. We were not living in community. Then, we moved to Durham. On the way to Durham, I had plenty of time to think. (20 hours in the car alone staring at the back of a yellow Penske truck gives one a lot of think time!) Partially to keep myself awake, I began praying out loud while driving. I prayed for God to go ahead of us to Durham and to prepare the way for us. I prayed that we would get plugged in very quickly, find friends, and become a part of a community that we could contribute to and rely on. Even though I was totally freaked out about moving to a new place where we did not know ONE person, I felt a sense of excitement that we had a chance to start over and learn how to live in community.

Last Sunday as I was getting ready for my Durham baby shower, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I realized (yet again) how faithful God had been and how he has answered EVERY prayer I prayed on the way to Durham... even more than I could have imagined. The friendships I have built here are some of the strongest I've ever had, and we've only been here a year and a half. Not only do I have very close friends like Lindsay, Kristi, and Maggie who hosted the shower for me (pictured above), but I also have great friends at church (my whole small group came to the shower) and a fabulous group of friends who are also wives or fiances of business school students. The women I have met here are AMAZING. They have reminded me how wonderful friendship is, and they have been used by the Lord to teach me how He intends for all believers to live. All in all, there were about 20 people at the shower, all of whom I met a year and a half ago or less. The Lord is amazing!! The fact that these girls were willing to host a shower for me and buy gifts for our baby completely humbles me.

Adorable invitation

Precious details of the shower

The hostesses hard at work and the beautiful food table

Sweet ladies from my small group: Lori, Joana, and Mary Elizabeth

Top: Lauren, Amanda, Jennifer, and her new little guy!

Bottom: Me with Laura and Bobbi

Sweet banner made by Kristi and all of the generous gifts I received

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who made me feel so special and loved!!

Mama Date

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:29:00 +0000

While we were in Dallas over Thanksgiving, I got to spend a whole day with my mom on a little date, which was wonderful! My dad, sister, and brother-in-law went out to Lake Texoma for the day, and Brent went to Plano to see a high school friend. That left mom & I to go to an amazing lunch at Campisi's (LOVE that place) and then out to see the Chihuly exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum. Bless her heart... she had already seen it five times (they have a membership), but she was willing to go one more time with me. The weather was beautiful (although a tad warm for my taste), and the arboretum was beautiful with all of the fall decorations and the Chihuly glass. It was truly breathtaking how amazing these art pieces were. They were way more impressive than I thought they would be, and there were way more of them then I thought there would be. They were everywhere! Next time we visit the Arboretum, we'll have a cute baby girl in tow!

(Mom insisted I get a picture in front of this door because this is where I took my bridal portraits 8 years ago! I'm a little bigger these days...)

Love you, mom! Thanks for the date!

Maternity Must-Haves

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:15:00 +0000

I can't believe that in less than two months, this baby girl will be out of my belly and in my arms! I have been so blessed in this pregnancy that I can't thank God enough. It has been smooth, sweet, and (for the most part), comfortable. As I near the end, I thought I'd share a few key things that have made my pregnancy easier and more enjoyable. I'm one of the last of my friends to have a baby and most of my readers are expert mamas, so thanks to the moms who have gone before me and given me advice on all of these "must haves"!

::Target Body Pillow::

Everyone says a pregnancy pillow is a must, but I was horrified to discover that pregnancy pillows cost between $55 and $75. Wha?? I went to Target and found this extra long body pillow for $9.99. It is AWESOME. It's from the college and dorm room line, but I'm not picky. Around here we lovingly call it "The Great Wall". It does the trick - I sleep like a baby on my side.

::Target BeMaternity Seamless Maternity Tanks::

These camisoles are worth their weight in gold, yet they cost only $16.99. I have a white one and a black one, and I wear them EVERY.SINGLE.DAY, no exceptions. If one is dirty, I will literally do the laundry right then so I can wear it. It's that important. These tanks are super lightweight, completely seamless, very long, and tight enough to hold everything in but soft enough to be luxuriously comfy.

::GAP Supersoft Maternity Leggings::

My daily uniform includes these GAP leggings + the seamless camisole + a long sweater or tunic of some sort + flats. It's a winner every time. I love these leggings from GAP because they sit below the belly (very comfortable) and are longer instead of cropped. They are nice and opaque and have survived many, many washings. Love them!!

::Club Soda::

I have not missed alcohol, but sometimes, I am a bit jealous of Brent's wine or margarita. Club soda has been my mocktail of choice. A few times a week, I have a "drink" with some sort of fruit juice (my faves are cranberry, cherry, grapefruit, and pomegranate), a splash of lime juice, and club soda. I'm not gonna lie - it doesn't taste like a margarita, but at least it gives me something fun to sip while others are enjoying a drink at home or out in a restaurant. Plus, this club soda is calorie and sodium free, so it's better than a regular soda!

::Online Shopping::

I have always loved online shopping, but as a pregnant lady, it's beyond awesome. I designed my entire nursery and registry online, and I can order things in my pjs at my kitchen table without driving around all day. We ordered just about everything for the nursery online. It's pretty fun when giant gliders, ginormous rugs, and everything in between just show up on our front doorstep each day. All we have to do is bring them inside! (Don't mind if I do!!) I'm also doing most of my Christmas shopping online. You can call me lazy, but I'm calling me pregnant.

::Babywise::

I decided early in my pregnancy that I didn't really want to or need to read about pregnancy. I mean - there's a baby in there. It's going to grow. There's not a whole lot I can control about it. It's going to come out. And then... I'm going to have a real, live baby. And what will I do at that point, pray tell? Explain to her everything I learned about being pregnant? I think not. I decided instead to read some actual baby books. Babywise has been great and has helped me feel a lot more prepared. I like to have a plan. Even if it doesn't work out perfectly (it won't), I feel good about the plan.

::Old Navy Maternity Skinny Jeans::

I am in love with these jeans. They are so stretchy and comfortable, yet form-fitting. They are skinny enough to fit into boots for fall but not too tight. They have a full panel, but I like to fold it down to make them more low-rise. I wear these pretty much every day, so I've gotten my $34 worth.

::Burts Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter::

Maggie gave me this lotion for my birthday, and I use it religiously every night. It smells great and is not greasy. Who knows if it prevents stretch marks or not, but I don't have any yet! Plus, there is really no downside to lotion, right, so why not?

::Happiest Baby on the Block::

This was my other pick for a pre-baby read, recommended by many moms and my obgyn. I have heard great things about these techniques, and I think they sound awesome! I'm ready to try them!

::Tums::

My friend suggested I stock up on Tums, so I purchased a value pack, and good thing I did! These things work wonders, and I'm thankful that just one or two will fix my issues!

What were (or are) your pregnancy must-haves?

Dallas Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Katie Norwood) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:29:00 +0000

Last week, Brent and I did the full "Texas Tour" seeing all of our immediate and extended family members in Houston and Dallas. It was quite a whirlwind, but it was good to see everyone since this is our last trip before Baby N arrives! While we were in Dallas, my mom and sister threw me the most adorable shower for family and a few close friends. They worked so hard on the details, and it was PERFECT! Here I am in all my glory at 32 weeks.

The invitation was adorable. My mom made it to match my nursery colors.

My mom put up the cutest decorations! Pink overload, of course!

It was wonderful to spend some time with my family. Here's my sweet mom and Grammy. I also got to hang out with my cousin, Melissa, who is expecting a boy in February!! As kids, she and I dreamed of doing everything together as adults. Two years ago in Houston, we lived on the same street, and now we are expecting our first children within one month of each other! Crazy, right?

Grammy, Mom, Aunt Robyn, and Aunt Susan

Our good family friend, Marianne, came to the shower. She has lived two doors down from us for almost 28 years! Julia and I used to play with her kids when we were little. I also got to see my sweet friend Marisa from junior high and high school! She came with her precious daughter, Lucy.

The food was delicious. I was so impressed with my mom for making this three layer lemon coconut cake with homemade icing!! Isn't it beautiful? The table set-up was so pretty, too.

Me with my mama and sweet Grammy serving fruit salad

Aunt Robyn was the punch master.

All of the presents were sweet and thoughtful. One of my faves was this one. My mom found the dress that both my sister and I came home from the hospital in! It's a hand embroidered rosebud dress, and it's so precious! It will be pretty cool for my daughter to come home from the hospital in the same dress that I did!

Baby N has so many loving aunts, grandmothers, great grandmothers, and great aunts. She will be one spoiled little girl! Thanks, mom and Julia for the shower! Love you!