Finally, Clothes for Mom!

Most of the time when I go shopping it's to buy clothes for my little man.  Not this time!  Thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap, I was able to go on a shopping spree with my favorite girl friends yesterday!

I invited three of my favorite mom friends to my Old Navy Cardi Party, knowing that most of their spending money goes to their kids clothes as well.  We met up for pre-shopping cocktails to catch up and discuss what styles we were hoping to find in the store.  I mentioned how my phone did not support Old Navy's new Snap Appy ap, so my friend Brynn downloaded it onto her iPhone so we could play around with it while in the store.  I was also able to share with them my favorite outfits under one of my Pinterest style boards.

After our drinks were finished it was time to hit the store!  We had a blast just grabbing handfuls of clothes and taking them to try on.  Once in the fitting rooms we challenged each other to put together some creative outfits.

I had three looks that I wanted to try out:  the weekend fun look, the game day look, and the professional look.  Each look consisted of a cardigan, scarf, camisole and either skirt or skinny pant.

Weekend Fun:

Game Day Look:

Professional Look:

I decided to go with the professional look so I have something to wear when I meet with clients.  The red cardigan was cozy and warm (something that I'll need as we head into fall in Washington).  The brown corduroy pencil skirt fit nicely on my body shape, however it may not be a pick for some body shapes (I wish Old Navy offered another option for skirt this fall that was not a pencil one).  The red wedge shoes and the wrap scarf completed the outfit nicely.  I am definitely going back soon to grab the skinny jeans and blue polka dot camisole to complete the weekend look as well!  While I'm there I may have to splurge for the game day option as well, as I can't seem to get those yellow flats out of my mind!

Thank you Old Navy and Crowdtap for a fantastic day out with my favorite girls!

Santa Baby!

All right, I know it's been awhile since I've updated, and I apologize. But boy has life been busy with a newborn and photo shoots! I thought I wasn't going to go back to work until after the holidays, but of course I found it really hard to turn down my favorite clients, so I ended up booking 5 photo sessions in one week! I have three more this weekend, plus editing, so it's going to be another busy few weeks! And that's not even mentioning the holidays!
Speaking of holidays, I took Courtland to see Santa at a local nursery last weekend. We made an appointment with an awesome photographer and were able to get some great shots with Santa! Here are a few of my favorites:


Hmmm, I'm pretty sure I've made the nice list this year. Well, that is until I pull your beard off in a second!
I'm pretty sure Santa's bringing me a convertible for Christmas! Wouldn't you be smiling too?

Three Weeks and 1 Day Ago...

Wow, I really can't believe my little man is over 3 weeks old! He's growing so much already and it makes me sad that he's not my tiny little newborn any more! Anyhow, I figured I better post the birth story while he's napping (otherwise it might never get done!)
Over three weeks ago I had my 39 week appointment with my doctor and had her strip my membranes to see if that would kick start labor. I was really thinking that it wasn't working because I didn't really have any contractions or cramps. My parents came up to visit that weekend, and on Saturday my mom and I went to the mall to "Walk him out." Came back home and went to sleep.
Sunday morning around 2 am, Nya crawled under the bed covers and cuddled against the back of my legs. I remember thinking "I really hope my water doesn't break on my cat." A few hours later I woke up, kind of feeling like I had to go to the bathroom. As soon as I sat up my water broke! I woke up Keenan, then my parents and called labor and delivery, who told me to take my time but to come in. Thinking I had many, many hours ahead of me, I took time to put on my makeup, sent Keenan to go get himself a cup of coffee, ate some toast, packed my bag, etc. By the time we finally got to the hospital it was around 7 am.
The first nurse who checked me told me I was already at 10 cm! I was shocked because I really had felt no pain, and worried that I may have missed the chance for my epidural! Another nurse checked me as well, and told me I was actually at 3 cm. They then hooked me up to pitocin, and the contractions really started getting bad then! After a few hours, I was sweating and making myself nauseous by breathing so hard through contractions. The nurse checked me and I was at 5 cm. I then asked for my epidural and within a few minutes the Good Doctor came in! He noticed the needle went a little to the left as he put it in, and sure enough, my left side got real numb but the right side still had feeling. I wasn't complaining because it was still only half the pain, and this I could deal with, but the nurse noticed I tensed up with every contraction still so another doctor came in to fix the epi and gave me another dose. Needless to say, I was really, really numb!
Around 11, the nurse checked me again and I was at 10 cm already! She told me I could do some practice pushes to see if I was even able to push since I was so numb. I must have done a good job, because everything was set up and by 11:30 I was pushing! Baby started to get fatigued after an hour, so I was given some oxygen and the on call doctor came in and explained that she would have to use a vacuum to help the baby out. The vacuum, two cuts and a tear later, and my baby boy was out! Even with his cone shaped head he was still the most precious thing I had ever seen!
And now it's three weeks later and he is already growing into those giant hands he had at birth. His cone head is beginning to fade, and he is starting to hold his head up and really look at mommy and daddy. He's becoming my big boy.

I'm So In Love!

Okay, this is probably a week over due, and most of you know our news by now, but we have ourselves a healthy baby boy!!! Courtland was born on October 25th at 12:50 pm, weighing in at 7lbs, 14oz and measuring 20 3/4 inches. He looks exactly like Daddy, and is absolutely gorgeous!
I promise to write a birth story later, but I thought there may be some people who are anxious to see some new photos! Here are a few that I took the other day. It's much more difficult to take photos of your own child than a client, let me tell you! His "newborn" photos are going to take days to do!

Daddy believes Court is the Ducks good luck charm! Considering they destroyed USC recently, I can't deny it!




I know it's just gas, but this photo just cracks me up!

1 week, 1 day

Weekly Survey

So I was totally hoping that last week's survey was going to be my last, but it's looking like I'm in this pregnancy thing for the long haul!

How far along: 39 weeks
Maternity Clothes: I've moved on to my husband's wardrobe at this point. His sweaters can still cover up the whole bump.
Stretch Marks: My nurse likes to call them "Nature's Tattoos"...I think God is turning me into a zebra.
Sleep: I'm usually napping by 4 and in bed by 11. Still getting up at least 3 times a night to relieve myself.
Best Moment this Week: Dinner date with the hubs on Saturday. We shared a pizookie (those things are heaven!), and even went to BRU to buy this little man some toys to entice him to come out. Hasn't worked yet though.
Movement: Okay, remember last week when I posted about the movements reminding me of the movie Alien? A few days later The Punisher was moving at my appointment, and the doctor said it reminded her of the movie also!
Food Cravings: Sweets. Need I say more?
Gender: Definite boy!!!
Labor Signs: Nada, except for those same old braxton hicks.
Belly Button: I'll let you know when I happen to have one again.
What I Miss: Going shopping at the mall without having to sit and rest every 15 minutes.
What I'm Looking Forward to this Week: Well, I would say having a baby, but I think he's going to stay in there until he gets an eviction notice (in other words, the doctor decides to induce me)
Weekly Wisdom: I've got nothing at the moment.

Just Last Year...

Yeah, I don't think we'll be rocking that Halloween costume this year! And Grandma, don't worry, I don't normally dress this skanky or chug beer, this was totally for a Halloween party and photo op =)

Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done!

Okay baby, we're at 38 weeks today, and it's totally okay with Daddy and I if you come out now. In fact, since you're predicted to be a little on the big side (to which I can totally agree with do to how much space you take up in my uterus already!), it would be absolutely splendid if you decided to join us within the next few days.
Yes, I'm 38 weeks pregnant today and still playing the waiting game. At least I have some pretty cute baby clothes to show for it! Here's all the loot from my most recent Gap and Gymboree purchases:
The tinier stuff (0-3):
The "holiday" looks (3-6 months) - So after I purchased the red and gray striped sweater, I realized that I totally have a red and gray striped sweater myself. I swear I am not purposely trying to coordinate with my son!:
The older sizes:
Last Sunday I went to a baby swap and sell at my friend Ashley's house and scored big time!!! I was able to get all of these treasures for less than $50 (I counted, it's over 40 items!). I do believe it's the first time that my husband has been proud of my shopping! I picked up a bumbo for $5, and my favorite piece of clothing is the Kenneth Cole brown cord jacket and matching brown and white pinstripe button down shirt - Totally something Keenan would wear!:
Now for some recent bump pictures:

Check out that face, doesn't it just scream "I'm so done"?
How far along: 38 weeks
Maternity Clothes: There's an end to the maternity wardrobe in sight...I think...
Stretch Marks: My nurse likes to call them "Nature's Tattoos"...I think God is turning me into a zebra.
Sleep: All that I want to do these days. My mom always told me on long car trips "If you sleep, it goes by quicker" Do you think the same applies to the last few weeks of labor?
Best Moment this Week: My shower on Saturday! It was wonderful to hang out and relax with my girl friends for a few hours! And the food was wonderful as well! And Sunday's swap and sale was pretty fun too!
Movement: Yup! He's getting so big in there that it really does remind everyone of the movie Alien! Last night it even creeped Keenan out to watch the movement! But even though it was creepy, it was like a carwreck and you could not not look. I found him giving me the side eye.
Food Cravings: Sweets. Need I say more?
Gender: Definite boy!!!
Labor Signs: Few bh still. Grandpa B predicted today to be D-day, but it's not looking so likely.
Belly Button: I'll let you know when I happen to have one again.
What I Miss: Being able to work, having things to do that don't leave me exhausted.
What I'm Looking Forward to this Week: Tonight's dinner at Olive Garden with Ashley and Laura, Thursday's doctor appointment. Oh, and having a baby please!
Weekly Wisdom: Strangers: Please keep all pregnancy related comments to yourself (unless you are going to say "You are rocking that pregnancy" or something equally positive) I am this close to my due date, I am hormonal and tired of waiting, and I really, really don't want to hear how you think I will be in labor any day now.