babyland

Reporting from babyland...these things typically happen to me while I am here:

1. I get pulled into some various TV/book obsession during the night feedings...

 HENRY (baby #1): Veronica Mars series

 RUTHIE (#2): Freaks & Geeks, My So Called Life, Twilight books

 MAX (#3): Hunger Games books & MAD MEN. And so obsessed with HG, I took Max to see his first movie at 1 month. Not a peep!!

2. I get the itch to do home improvement projects, too much time in the house & watching Nate Berkus!!! I'm spray painting chairs & I made mom break out the sewing machine to try to teach me. Can I remember how to thread this thing on my own??? See below a chair before & after.

 BEFORE (this little chair I got for $15 when I lived in Chattanooga about 10 years ago)

AFTER (sanded & spray painted it and covered the seat with fabric using spray adhesive & staple gun)

3. I am reminded of God's goodness:
-I have a love/hate relationship with nursing (thrush!!!) & I am soooo close to b-feeding in public. Beyonce did it! I would lose my nerve, I'll just keep hiding out in my car in various parking lots. I can see God's purpose in all of it. It makes me stop and rest for 20 minutes each time. I smile when I realize things like this-God looking out for tired mamas.
-When I'm not reading Hunger Games, there is nothing like this still time with God & little Max in the middle of the night. 
-All the things I was so anxious about post-baby, God has taken care of...my freelance work has been manageable, life with 3 is nutty at times but not all the time, the sleep thing is not that bad.
-I love seeing Henry & Ruthie & their tenderness towards this little one-it is a side I don't see often. They know he's fragile & don't seem too stressed by the crying.
-I am reminded of my need for God as a mom, I surely need Him-because there are days when I really stink at it. I just pray they know Jesus despite of me & my yuck.

zinnias!!!

 My "helpers". Ruthie is wearing her h-ween costume from 2 years ago. I'm sure she was burning up.

So if Martha Stewart & were to sit next to each other on a plane, I would be able to tell her that I plant zinnias each year and this would probably be all we have in common. The most-martha thing I do & you can too! This is what we do:

-Get seeds from Home Depot, dollar tree, Kroger, Lowe's (i've found them at all these places!)
-Find a sunny spot. They like sun!
-So we just till up (is this the word)? a space
-Add a couple of bags of top soil
-sprinkle lots of seeds on the dirt, roll the dirt over the seeds a little & water
-I prob buy more than I need to
-They aren't the tidiest of growing flowers, they grow tall. This does not stop me from planting them in the front yard.
-Sometimes I water if it has been dry.
-Keep cutting them once they bloom & more will come.
-Easy Peasy.
-Plant now. One year I planted them too late, and they were puny.

largen life: canton time

Gotta say that it is retreat going to my parents' house in canton. In the middle of pastures, cows, horses, dogs. And mama takes care of us. kiddos love it. these are some shots from a saturday out there.

 max!!!

 henry & ruthie with gladys & claude. dad said he would live longer if mom would let him get these dogs. 

mama-the grill master.

grilled salmon. you didn't think i cooked this.

 

what my dad was doing while mom was grilling. love how secure he is with his masculinity to not feel he has to grill. must be a good book if he's reading & standing.

 

this bunny has been hanging like this awhile, no ears/mom won't ditch him. sad little easter bunny.

max is here!

He's here & a week old today! Maxwell "Max" Robert Largen. Born Thursday, March 1.

In the below picture was the first time I could let myself relax and truly welcome him. That cry is the best sound ever-to have him here safe and sound.

 

 Chillin' in the hospital room on check-out day. Ruthie may have liked the crunchy hospital ice more than Max.

It was good sweet seeing Henry & Ruthie when they came to meet Max-they came on the last day so we could all leave together. So glad I recorded that precious first encounter of baby Max. It was so fleeting-they moved on to hospital ice & the huge remote control connected to the hospital bed.

Ruthie keeps saying-He is ours, no one is going to take him away from us. (We've watched Tangled too many times-you know the baby Repunzel is stolen from her birth parents).

-----------------------BELOW SHOTS TAKEN BY LISA SIDDALL----------------------

 

We had a great session with Lisa Siddall, I just discovered her work a few weeks ago. She is great with the newborns & very patient & reasonable (I got the CD digital package). She's in Ridgeland.

maggie & max

So my sister Polly had her baby girl in Dallas-Anne Margaret "Maggie", Feb. 21 & Max came a week later. My mom is sweating it, wanting to be in 2 places at once. We are blessed, blessed, blessed.

These are paintings I did for her & below is one I did for Max, it is nothing fabulous. I was in early labor while I was working on it.

Funny baby stories that I want to remember:
BABY SWAP
-After Max came, I texted out a little picture of "max" and the stats, etc-to at least 10 or so people
-But later that day, I realized I really sent out a picture of "maggie" with my text
-I truly didn't realize that was not my baby & it was such a better picture of "max"-I corrected myself to a few friends, but left it as is with most
-In my defense, they offer you very good drugs while you are in the hospital. And a baby pic is a baby pic essentially.

BELLY LAUGHS
-Funniest show on air to me
-So I went in to the hospital Wed night with contractions. Unfortunately they were about 5-10 min apart & not very productive
-So I was watching Happy Endings & trying not to laugh during my contractions-I was cussing the TV for making me laugh and adding to the pain

CVS
-Went to CVS the other day-first post-baby outing. So not 1 but 2 people asked me if I was expecting. Okay, I'm not that vain, but geez-once was enough. It is a perfectly round 5mth baby bump for sure. Henry keeps asking me what's in my tummy. Promise, it is not another baby.
-Also saw another new mama in the parking lot and she was one of the innocent ones who asked when the baby was due, well told her I just had the baby actually-last week. What did you have? she asked. I replied, A baby girl. What did I just tell her? I completely spazzed and corrected myself. I told her I was crazy and got myself in the car really fast.

taking a baby break

So I am due to have a baby any day now & I'm going to take a little break from orders. I will resume in a couple months-in May? You understand-right? I love my little projects, but for sanity sake, I should take a time-out.

birthday luv!

I get so sad after my kids' birthday parties, in a mopey litlte sugar coma. We had so much fun & I'm so glad I could fully enjoy it before this baby boy steals the show. Ruthie ate it up, loved seeing her sweet friends from her class-she's a social little thing. I'm glad only family was around to see her open presents-she was like a tasmanian devil & then it was time for a nap.

 ruthie & her honey.

 Henry said he would wear his pink shirt if da-da would wear his.

 ruthie's little timeline.

 my friend sherry (your party pixie) let me borrow lots of her cute orange/pink fabric.

 Got this awesome stamp set like this and it came in handy.

 Got this idea here.

 Ruthie loves strawberry cake (and I do too). I used Paula Deen's recipe. If I can do it, you can. I don't bake much.

 Okay, so I got a Silhouette CAMEO™ for Christmas and did these little heart cut-outs for the mailbox favors (Target dollar bin) & cupcake holders. I could really go berserk with this thing, it overwhelms.