It's a...

BOY!!!



Rylan Ora... (Ora is a family name)
9 lbs.
20.5 inches

He's beautiful, but having some breathing troubles (which are apparently, common following C-sections). He's in the nursery for a mandatory "observation" and we're trying to be patient for him to come back. Without freaking out.

Kenzie is so, so proud. We all are.

(for those waiting on an email with this info, we apologize...but for some reason we are unable to send it out!)

Scrapbook Hell

...is where I've been.

Somehow my "nester" decided that I must catch up Kenzie's lifebook before the new babe comes. I've mentioned before that her baby album was stalled - and she was still about one week old in it!! I started her blog at her one year birthday, so my aim was to bring the scrapbook up to that date.

I'm very relieved to say that with the distraction/help of a book on tape from the library I have accomplished my goal. I wish, desperately that I felt it was a more artfully excellent outcome - but, scrapbooking just isn't my favorite medium. I can't even bring myself to scan or photo any of the pages I made... it's page after page of memories captured in "ok" fashion. No masterpieces involved --- well, except for the memories.

So, we've got two days left as a family of three. I've got new hair, pretty toes, a highly organized home, and child #1's baby album completed. I'm finalizing the official weight gain at the last midwife appointment today -&- picking up new sheets for the bassinet... and then I'll officially be ready.

I think.
maybe?

Countdown

I just came to make this post and noticed that somehow I inadvertently forgot to publish my last one. Someone get this baby out of me NOW. It's clearly draining every last brain cell I've got. I've lost my wallet TWICE in the past week. Both times I've discovered the loss at the post office, so my friendly postal workers have to think I'm completely nuts. I even r.s.v.p.'d two days after the deadline for Kenzie's classmate's birthday party.

Speaking of.... it's fascinating to me that our little gift was found extremely impressive. Apparently, no one had ever thought to wrap a gift like this. Seriously??
They are either totally non-creative's...or really good liars.


I photographed this for a triptych set, but the cropping action ruined all my shots. :(

We've got 12 days left in the final countdown! Eeek!! 12 days until we become a family of four. And yet, even though it's simple math and clearly a topic much on my mind -- every time someone asks I have to re-do the Math in my head...
February 27th minus the 15th = 12 days!!! Aye. Aye. aye.
I don't remember being this "dumb" with Kenzie.

I'm pretty uncomfortable. My left ankle has started swelling. (Huh???)
Kenzie has just moved back into her orange & hardwood heaven . So, the nursery is now free from her furniture and ready for decorating. I really want to hang the pictures in the nursery but I need find a dresser and commit to furniture placement before doing so. And, I'm tired of looking for a dresser that's adorable, yet fitting of either sex. I'm thinking I'll (maybe) wait? The nesting never stops though and I have many projects to complete, of course. I've made a fair amount of baby gear in the past few weeks (nursing covers, burpies, bibs) but I figure those pictures might be best shared when a babe is here to model them. :) I also can't wait for the babe to model THIS from Beki!!

I also just had a good giggle at the first photos that have popped up of the traveling tail. It seems little Bridget gave it some twirling action at House #1. Cute stuff!

Happy weekending...

Daily doodles

Here's something new I've been trying with the Kenzie girl. Recently, exhaustion had postponed our daily art attempts, which just wasn't okay with me or the girl.

In effort to create a regular nurturing artsy environment in which her mind can play....

At breakfast, she calls out a theme: the first thing that comes to her sweet little mind.
..each of us interprets it on note cards making our own little art pieces.
We're keeping a diary of the diptychs.

I'll aim to blog them occasionally, but find that I'm more apt to make the art time happen, if I cut myself some bloggy slack. If life gets in the way - so be it.

And, well... in all honesty, our diptychs haven't been totally aesthetically pleasing just yet. :)

7 weird things

I'm bored now that I've taken a hiatus from making tails and tutus at such a frenetic pace. To entertain myself, I've taken the liberty of sharing 7 weird things about me. I enjoy reading these about other people, and it gives me something blog-able..when I've got nothing else to share. :)

Here goes..
1) I was born during a tornado. In a linen closet.

2) In my teens, I was the last person three people talked to - who a short while later, committed suicide. All were separate incidents. One of them intended to take me with him, but I escaped on foot to where his car couldn't drive. He left a note stating his intentions.
And yes, all that drama has a wee bit to do with why I have a Master's in Counseling today.

3) I used to be a contract worker for Missouri Division of Family Services (DFS). While doing intensive in-home counseling with at-risk families: I had the bad timing to be in middle of a session and.. present for a drug bust. I worked with a family who purposefully overfed their kid, one who taught fire safety by burning their child, another who purposefully lead poisoned their kids, another who "hoarded" trash & whose walls were literally pulsing with cockroaches. (to name a few of my most heinous cases). I worked in rough 'hoods a lot & also heard gun shots frequently. I resigned from this job to move to California, but on my very last case & on Thanksgiving Day: I got a page from a mentally challenged youth who said his dad was beating him. Upon reaching the home to stabilize the crisis at 10:30 p.m. (yes, that was my job. FUN, eh??) the child was injured & so fearful that I grabbed him at the door and removed him promptly from the premises. (um...that wasn't part of my job). Turns out, according to the police, his dad was waiting in his bedroom for my entrance into the apartment. With a shotgun.

(okay, enough with the dramatic life threatening oddities, eh? Fortunately, that's all I got.)

4) The photo kinda shows what happened to me while pregnant (so far). The fact that my body can do this strikes me as supremely weird. But, I'm so thankful.
Overview at 12 weeks as compared to 36 weeks.

5) I can't remember the last time I took any type of medicine & I have an extremely high pain tolerance. I really wanted to try natural childbirth with Kenzie.. I'm SO not claiming that I could take the pain, but find it ironic that I won't ever find out if I could. Now watch...this time I'll actually need some pain meds during the C-section recovery. :)

6.)Beating dead horses is my expertise. I will research the cr*p out stuff, and in the end go with my gut feeling. Currently making me crazy: Bisphenol A .

7. I hate to wear shoes … so unless it’s absolutely necessary, I don’t. When I have to wear them, I go for flip-flops. I wear clogs mostly in the winter time, but it's been weeks since I've worn a pair of socks. I retrieved my paper this morning (after the snow had melted)... barefoot.

What's up?

wow. let's do a quick recap on all that's transpired around here:

**Major tutu and tail orders in & out!! I'm calling a halt to that nonsense at my etsy shop. I'll keep shipping (because Mr. Postman comes to my front door most times!) But, I can't keep up with the pleas for tails. So, for now, I'm flattered by the tail craze - but making myself nuts. I call it quits until after the babe is here and we settle down. Thank you very much.

**Major case of the flu, promptly required two days spent in bed. I'm still "talking like a crocodile," according to my daughter. Thankfully, it happened over the weekend and my husband was home to make life easier on me. The flu doesn't really mix well with being 36 weeks pregnant, eh?

**A bunch of binge spending on cute birdie stuff for the baby room, here , here, here..., & here! The bird theme kind of came out of nowhere, was encouraged by Alicia's painting, and... Sheesh, I think that's enough bird stuff for now??

**Something is damaged on my "nester." As result, now, NEITHER of my kids have bedrooms. We'd finished the floors and painting in the nursery - only to move on and start hardwooding Kenzie's room. She's in a spare room, and all her room furniture is in piles in the nursery. Aye. aye. aye. And, I can't get into the nursery to hang up all this cute bird stuff I've been buying. Hopefully the shambles will be alleviated before the kidlet arrives. As if...the baby will actually be sleeping in the nursery upon it's arrival. I'm just being silly, really. Picking some names may be a better place to expend my energies??

**22 days left until I have this babe!! My C-section date has been ahem, elusive. I got rescheduled a few times and am now getting screwed out of getting to deliver two weeks early. Ah well..I surmise the extra baking time will be great for the wee one. But, I'm ready to be the singular inhabitant of my body. ASAP.

**Can I just say yesterday was wonderful? 70 degree weather in the middle of February? It was a momentary cure of my SAD and we spent the day wandering around walking trails & taking pictures. Loved it. But, I'm not such a big fan of paybacks. The rain and chill today is a little much. I'll spend some time reliving yesterday through pictures.