I'm baaaaaack...sort of...

Apparently I haven't blogged in nearly a year.  Oops.  I think I meant to once or twice, but life and time got away from me.  Here's a little recap of events over the past months:

• September - We went to our annual Family Retreat with church at the beautiful HEB Foundation Camp near Leakey (pronounced "Lakey" for those of you not from these parts).  It would've been so much more awesome if my child had been willing and able to sleep.  But since she didn't sleep, I didn't sleep.  And that made for cranky drive home and few days to follow.  (Sorry again, Marky!)
• October - Mark and I took our first trip without Marin.  (As if I'd travel with her again after that retreat experience!)  David and Debbie came to keep Marin while Mark and I made a quick trip to...the Bahamas!  I'd never been before, and it was fun for Mark to go back.  We visited Nassau and stayed on Paradise Island.  I would love to go back not during storm season.  We got a great price on our trip, but the weather made it impossible to enjoy the water.  Not that I would've enjoyed much of it as I have this fear of drowning and an inability to swim.  But I would've like to walk in and get my feet wet.  Ya know?  Also, Mark celebrated his 41st birthday this month!
• November - We found out we were pregnant again!  Amazing how quickly that happened.  I felt pregnant (read: nauseous) a week before I could even take an at-home test.  That happened with the baby we lost, too.  It's incredible how such a teeny-tiny start of life can make such an impact.  I was too sick to travel to OKC for our usual Thanksgiving time with my side of the family, which was a big bummer.  My parents were able to come down and see us for a few days after spending Turkey Day with my brother and sis-in-law, but Marin really missed getting to see Uncle JR and Aunt Ashley.  We ended up making a day trip to have TG lunch with the Bennett clan at Chuck and Marilyn's farm.  We were so glad we could do that and spend those precious moments with Marilyn before her battle with cancer ended.
• December - I turned 33!  Marilyn went to see Jesus, which is awesome for her, but made more than a few of us sad.  If not for the knowledge she was putting on her dancing shoes to kick up her heels on streets of gold...  We got to see David and Debbie, Grandma Jane, and Randy and Arwen and kids over the last couple weeks of the year, and that was such a treat.
• January - I'm sure something happened.  What?  Couldn't tell you.
• February - Ditto.
• March - Mark and I celebrated 4 years of marriage!  It's funny to think it's only been 4 years as I have a hard time remembering life without him.  We found out at the end of the month that baby-on-the-way is a BOY!
• April - Marin turned 2.  How is that even possible?!  Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital yesterday?!  We also had a great Easter complete with a traditional Blankinship bunny cake, whipped up by Aunt Becky and Miss Kirby.  So fun.  We also began preparing for Graham Allen by picking out nursery bedding and such.
• May - Becky and Shannon threw a sweet shower for Graham and me.  Thank you!
• June - Nursery, nursery, nursery...baby prep, baby prep, baby prep.
• And here it is...July!  We are due July 16th but if Graham doesn't come on his own this week, we will be inducing next Mon/Tues (9th/10th). So...stay tuned for pictures and posts of our little man!

confessions

In no particular order, here are some things I feel compelled to share with you today:

1. I didn't take a shower yesterday.  The day got away from me as I had other things to work on during Marin's naps, so I planned to take one last night.  And I didn't.  I felt like a rebel in a way.  But mostly, I just felt gross.

2. I'm on a serious ice cream kick.  We're talking ice cream sandwich in the first half of the day and a bowl of ice cream (potentially with Hershey's syrup on it) at night.  Almost every day.  This probably needs to stop.  Except all I can think about right now is that last ice cream sandwich in the freezer that I've yet to consume.  I might need therapy.

3. I had a plan for weaning Marin from her pacis.  At 12 months, she'd stop getting it during the day unless we went somewhere, and she could always have it for sleeping.  At 15 months, she'd stop getting it when we went somewhere, so she'd just be down to sleeping.  At 18 months, we'd stop altogether.  So when she was 12 months, I stuck to the plan.  But at 15 months, not so much.  She actually started getting it during the daytime a lot, too.  FAIL!  So as of today, we're back on the "no pacis during the day" thing.  I was met with resistance this morning (read: weeping and gnashing of 12 tiny teeth) but I stuck to my guns.  Because I'm a good mom?  No way.  Because I'm stubborn?  Absolutely.  If Marin's still sucking a paci when she's 15 years old, don't judge me. 

4. I didn't necessarily want to devote a whole post to this.  But people keep asking and so I thought I'd let you know that I'm doing well.  God has been so, so good to us these past few weeks and has provided countless wonderful people to minister to us, support us, encourage us, feed us...  Thank you! 

and then there were 3

I think everyone has heard by now that we lost our baby on Sunday morning, July 24th.  I was 12 weeks and 1 day pregnant.  The events of that day will forever be burned into my mind and images no parent should ever have to see continue to haunt my days and nights.

I know it will take time to heal.  And while I want to always love and cherish this baby, I also pray that the time passes quickly.  It is painful to endure in these early stages of packing up maternity clothes, putting away baby names books, and attempting to stop the mental flood of plans and visions for the future with this baby.

But in all things, we know that God walks with us and carries us through the good times as well as the bad.  And we know He sees a picture far greater than we can imagine.  He holds the whole world -- the very one He created -- is His hands.  And we know He has a plan and purpose for us.  So we pray and wait to see what beautiful thing He will raise up from these ashes as we seek to glorify Him in this storm.

We appreciate so very much all of the love, encouragement, and support we've received from family and friends.  We feel your prayers at work.  

all about the previa

For anyone who might not have heard, I'm pregnant!

When Mark and I were making our family plan years ago, we decided we wanted to be married for two years before having a baby "on the ground" and that we wanted two kids and that we'd like them to be about two years apart.  Our sweet Marin was born less than a month after our second anniversary.  And we decided that we'd just stick with the same routine in trying to conceive again -- start in May and get what we get. 

Amazingly and surprisingly, we became pregnant immediately!  A few weeks in, I began spotting and called my OB's office.  The triage nurse worked in me to see the OB that same day.  It was a tough appointment, not being able to see anything conclusive on the ultrasound.  This wasn't necessarily bad as it was still early, but this didn't alleviate any fears.  I gave some blood and went back a few days later for another round of blood work so they could compare my hormone levels.  The news came back a few days later that my levels had not doubled as expected.  While they'd increased some, the nurse still prepared me for the likelihood of losing the baby.  We went in to see the OB again.  And God surprised us again -- this time, with a very alive baby with a strong heartbeat.  What a rollercoaster of emotion!

But spotting continued intermittently and then the real bleeding came.  We had another appointment on July 1st and another ultrasound.  We were so grateful to see our wee little bean hanging out in there, showing off his or her beautiful heartbeat.  And we learned that I have placenta previa. 

For those not interested in scouring the all-knowing internet, placenta previa is a condition that occurs in about 1 in 200 pregnancies.  Rather than the placenta attaching higher up the uterine wall, the placenta is low-lying to the point that it covers all or part of the cervix.  Most cases of placenta previa clear up naturally during pregnancy.  For those women who still have previa when full-term, a c-section delivery is performed.

For now, the OB says to reduce my activity -- particularly lifting -- and increase my fluids in an effort to reduce or minimize bleeding episodes.  Mark has been a wonderful husband and daddy, taking on extra duties that I normally do or share.  And it is a blessing to have so many wonderful folks offer to help us however we might need.  When we learn more what is it we do need, we're sure to take you up on your kindness.

Baby #2 is due February 4th!

a non-crafty person's crafts

I really don't have a history of craftiness.  I mean, I've had good intentions of it and wonderful dreams of it, but I can't recall ever making things.  Even my scrapbooking foray was short-lived and not exactly top notch.

But being a SAHM now, I wanted something fun to do during Marin's nap times.  Hence, these easy crafting ventures began.

When my in-laws came for Christmas, Debbie and I pulled out my miniature pink plastic sewing machine and made a pillow case style top, size 3.  I thought I took a picture of it but apparently I didn't.  Trust me, it was cute.  So after getting a "real" sewing machine, I decided to wing it and make a smaller dress.  Don't mind the horrible stitching.  I'm still learning. 

I completely stole this idea from Jaime.  I had some fabric left over from the embroidery hoops project I did for wall art in Marin's nursery, so bought a little chenile and made these burpies. 

Up next, a travel-size wipes case that I covered with batting and fabric and a little trim.  I added a line of the pink elastic-y trim across the back so you can stash a diaper if you want.  Can you tell I l.o.v.e. this green and white fabric?  I used it to make a headband holder, too (not pictured).

At our MOPS midmonth in December, we learned how to make these flowers.  Super easy and cute!  You can put them on any kind of backing you want, really -- a pin, a bobby pin, a hair clip, whatever.

My crafting really started with bows.  This was the first one that didn't necessarily look like I made it, which was a good thing.  There are so many different ways to tie bows.  I really like the look of this one.

I made this wipes case as a gift for a friend.

And also these burpies.

And also these bows.  The small pink one can be added to other ones to make little double-decker bows, too.  I really need to make some of these for Marin!

So baking probably doesn't count as crafting.  But this pound cake recipe came courtesy of my friend Myra  and it is regularly requested by my husband now.  In fact, I might have to make one tonight.  Mmmmm....

Marin turned 1 recently and I decided to make her a birthday banner.  It's what's hanging up in the window here.  Not exactly a great shot, but it will have to do for now.  I used that food color spray stuff to do the pink and green on the cupcake icing, FYI.  It was messy to use, but came out cuter than I expected.

That's all for now.  I have more baby gifts to make and bows to make and sewing to improve.  What projects have you surprised yourself with lately?

P.S. -- So you don't think I'm a bad mom for neglecting to post pics of my kid, check out my FB page for the first batch of her 1-year-old shots.  Soooo cute, even if I do say so myself!

uh...

Sorry about the delay in posting.  It makes me sad to be so behind.  You know, for the 3 seconds a week I might remember I have a blog.  Current excuses for not posting: just got back from Florida, Marin has her first ear infection, and I'm lazy.  (My honesty is admirable, no?)  Since Marin just woke from her nap, we'll add that to the list of excuses, too. 

Stay tuned.  I'll get some pictures up soon!

Pictures Galore, Part 2!

True to my word, here are some more pictures of my cutie kid.  At the beginning of December, Miss Marin decided that she was tired of just rolling here, there, and yon.  She wanted to get on the go in a whole new way: crawling!  Unfortunately, she only went backward at first.

Oops...stuck under the coffee table.

This is her first time to sit in the D.A.R. with the Christmas tree, lit in all its glory.  She was mesmerized!

I turned 32 in December.  Mark took me out to eat at the fancy restaurant at the top of the the tower downtown and got me some nonstick cookie sheets and this symbolic door.  I'm posting this to remind my husband that he still owes me the real thing.  Hint, hint.

Marin got me a pedicure, which was very thoughtful.  Oh, and I got a cookie cake from that place at the mall.  I not-so-secretly LOVE that cookie place at the mall.  I don't go into the mall much for a number of reasons, among which is my lack of self-control when passing said cookie place. 

Jaime, you know how you were talked into trimming up Jemma's "ducktail" (see, I'm not calling it a mullet!) -- well, Becky mocked me and my child incessantly till I relented and trimmed that wack-a-doo part that was like 2" longer than the rest of her hair.  Cindy Lou Hoo has left the building!

Florida Blankinships, Marin's giving you the big eyes!

This is Marin and Aunt Becky.  Gentlemen, Becky is single!  (And like Uncle Blake, doesn't read my blog.  I think.  Otherwise, she might kill me posting this personals ad for her.)

We had an early Christmas with Aunt Becky before she went home.  Marin loved opening her present, especially the parts where she got to pull on the ribbon and paper.

The giggling cow was pretty cool, too.  She really likes to pull the red "hairs" on its head.



Up next, real Christmas.  And Marin's 9-month info.  Stay tuned!

Pictures Galore, Part 1!

Oh my goodness.  Did y'all know I hadn't posted any pictures of my child since OCTOBER?!  May I present to you my sincerest apologies. 

Evidence: Marin cries!  She was unhappy with Dad taking a burp break here.  (late October)

Cutie Patootie! 

Cutie Patootie again! 

This was Marin's "costume" for Trunk of Treats.   

And here she is at ToT with her Daddy and Grandma Jane, who came to town to celebrate Mark's 40th b-day.  I should probably have dedicated a post to that momentous occasion.  My bad.



Halloween

We had a visit in mid-November from David, Debbie, and Blake.  Blake was running the Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon.  Or was it full?  I don't remember.  Anyway, it was a great weekend.

Marin loves her Uncle Blake and spent a sweet forever just laughing and making faces at him.  Ladies, he is single!  (And he doesn't read my blog, or else he might kill me for posting a personals ad for him.)

My parents came to visit the week before Thanksgiving.

Since Marin got to have her first rice cereal with Pa David and Gran Debbie, she got to have her first sippy cup with Grandpa and Grandma.  She is still trying to master it, by the way.  But it's always good fun to fill it up with water at dinner time.

Sportin' her A&M wear.

We all (my parents included) went to OKC to visit JR and Ashley for Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately, we never hauled out the camera.  I'll have to see if JR or Ashley got any good shots they can share.



And this brings us to the end of November...

I'll try to make good on my promise of an obnoxious quantity of pictures in a reasonable timeframe, so please check back later this week!  (Or next week.  Or next month.  I'm just sayin'.)

yeah, my kid crawls

Marin's gone from one move (what is the "step" equivalent in crawling, anyway???) to two or three, then four...and now...look out world!  I counted ten this afternoon.  TEN! 

I'm also in a smidge of denial but she -- I'm hoping accidentally -- pulled up to a full standing position in the nursery tonight at church.  What?! 

Guess I really need to follow through with that babyproofing plan, huh....

In other news, I wore sweat pants to church tonight.  I feel liberated and ashamed all at the same time. 

And on a completely different topic, I had a random comment from a random person (who is probably very nice, but I don't know her and the words "stranger danger" keep playing in my mind) pretty quickly after I made my blog public again and it kind of weirded me out...so...back to private for a few weeks longer, I think.  Sorry!

Peace out.

so...

Mark came home for a later-than-usual lunch today and noticed I was still in my comfy plaid pj bottoms, slippers, and a sweatshirt.  Realizing there was no shower, make-up, or fixed hair on the horizon for me, he asked if I wanted to go get steaks tonight for dinner.  That man is clever! 

Additionally, I'm making my blog public again.  Why?  Because of several reasons including a drop in readership (despite the number of folks who signed up, there has been a staggering drop in comments left, and that is depressing), but mostly because it's a total hassle for me.  And I don't really need any further deterrents to my blogging, do I?  No, no I don't.

Some quick things of note:
- Marin turned 9 months old this week!  We go for her well baby visit on Monday so I'll have some official stats to share then.  Did you notice how close she's getting to the giant "1" on the ticker?  What's up with that?
- I've been uploading pics to the computer from the camera.  That means a picture update is on its merry little way!
- I don't really have anything else, but I called this "some quick things" and I felt "some" indicated at least 3.  There you go.