I Have Someone I'd Like You To Meet....

Margaret Anne
Born Thursday, February 2, 2012
2:27 pm
Weight: 6 lbs. 12 oz.

Greta and I came home yesterday late afternoon and we are all settling in here. We are doing well and couldn't be happier (or more surprised!!) with our healthy little baby girl. I'll post more details and hopefully better photos another day.

Just had to stop in to update in case you were all wondering and waiting.

Thank you for your prayers and keep 'em coming!

While Waiting III

Again, chronicling another weekend of waiting on baby. In case you missed the first installments, here are Week I and Week II.


If it's winter time and you are waiting on baby, you will take advantage of a sunny, warmer day and build a snow fort.

If little girls only take a short morning nap, you'll decide to do a trial photography session to see how well she handles it. And then you'll find that the feather boa is cute, but since she is very ticklish she only tolerates it for about two seconds before whipping it off.

If the troops get restless, you'll find that a walk in the crisp winter air takes their mind off their crabbiness and gets in some quick exercise for mama too.

If all else fails, you'll find that a new addiction to a little thing called Pinterest can waste away oodles of time. And, get you inspired to take your nesting to a whole new level in the craftiness department.

If you get hungry for something sweet, maybe baby will decided to arrive when he/she smells some yummy cupcakes fresh out of the oven.

Frost them with some homemade cocoa buttercream frosting and at least you'll be satisfied, despite baby not arriving all weekend long. Again.

In the end, we keep plenty busy because baby is worth the wait. Some of us get a little tired though and decide that we might as well take a snooze in the mean time.

Sorry to bore you with the details of our waiting period, but I figure I might as well post something because I don't want my readers to get antsy.

How was your weekend? How's every little thing in your corner of the neighborhood?

When He Wants A Baby Brother

Have you ever seen this book? I ran across it last year, just weeks before Gianna was born. Perched upon a shelf, on display at the library. It caught my eye and thought it may be a good read for my boy who was determined that baby would definitely be a boy.

We read the book a couple of times and I fell in love with it. The little boy is so sure that his mom is having a baby boy and he keeps mentioning it throughout the book. Baby will not be a girl, he's sure of it. He keeps being reminded that baby could be a sister and that no matter what, when he sees his sibling he'll know that it's exactly what he wanted all along.

The last couple of pages:



'I bend down and kiss my little baby sister's head, and I feel all soppy and silly.'



'And Mom was right. I did get the kind I wanted all along-even if I didn't know it.'

This book really helped last time around getting Jonah to the point of understanding that baby could be a sister. Our family would be blessed no matter what the gender of baby and our prayer was that baby would arrive safe and healthy.

The book jumped out at me again recently at the library.

Sure, we all think baby IS in fact a boy this time around, but we could all be very surprised come baby day. And for a boy who REALLY wants a brother THIS time around, we probably need to read the book another couple of times as a little reminder.

While Waiting II

Another week of waiting on baby brings another post of the things we do while waiting. Sorry, but knowing my history you are probably guaranteed at least another one of these posts next week too.

Over the last week I've kept busy:

putting my feet up
earning more Swag Bucks
keeping the kids on task at school
maintaining the household
cooking and freezing baby food for Gianna
preparing freezer pleaser meals for after baby arrives
etc, etc....

Over the weekend we attended a family event sponsored by our parish and the local KC's. Unfortunately, after enjoying weeks of glorious and warm winter weather things turned nasty this past week. Saturday afternoon brought gusty wind, blowing snow and frigid weather to be out in.

We did get in on some of the fun with a horse-drawn wagon ride, which was pretty enjoyable.

Turkey bowling, anyone?

Of course, there was also plenty of food to enjoy and apple cider to keep us warm. To end the afternoon, there was even Mass (indoors). A small gathering of hearty Minnesotans, but it was a welcome diversion for those of us waiting on baby time.

This little girl is taking advantage of the waiting and squeezing in all the daddy time she can get.



Happy Monday!

*Colleen, this is written IRTime. Yup, I'm still here. *wink*

Wordless Wednesday: Pinks, Blues And Neutrals Too!

*As of Monday's doctor appointment I am 4cm dilated, 60% effaced and baby is at 0 Station. I better get back to my nesting...

While Waiting

I have about 3 1/2 weeks until my due date. Mostly likely I will have four more weeks until actual baby day, going by my record so far. Suddenly though the weeks are counting down and perhaps it's nesting or maybe it's just the settling in of reality, but I'm realizing time is limited. I've got a list prepared of all that needs to be done (wash baby clothes, make lists for kids, prepare freezer meals, prepare freezer baby food for Gianna, rearrange nursery items to accommodate supplies for both littles, etc.) Not all time consuming things, but THINGS none the less. Again, I'm sure I've still got plenty of time.

In the midst of that are little things that we promised the kids we'd do before baby arrives. One of them was that we'd take an hour drive to stock up our pantry at Aldi's and Sam's Club, along with hitting up a new Cherry Berry yogurt bar.(Thanks, Jamie for the heads up!!)

We delivered on that promise over the weekend. End result: a stocked pantry and some very pleased yogurt-filled bellies.

Have you been to Cherry Berry? There are an assortment of flavors to choose from, then you load on the toppings (not too much though, because you are paying per ounce) and enjoy!

We each made our own and then taste tested between the four of us. White chocolate and chocoholic for mama; cookie monster for Lily; cheesecake and chocoholic for Jonah; vanilla bean for daddy. Top them off with fruits, candies, brownie pieces and Bobas to your liking and we were set.





YUM!



We stopped by my favorite craft store while running errands and I bought several things for a couple projects before baby arrives. You know, because I have so much time on my hands. Although exhausted when we came home, I put this together last night as my 2012 reminder.




Now I'll just wait and see how things are looking after my doctor appointment this afternoon. And then, continue to wait.

Hope your Monday is off to a great start!

Waiting On A Child

It's the week before Christmas and while I'm thinking about that infant child, the King, I've got my mind on another baby too.

Our baby.

Yesterday I had the chance to catch another glimpse at Baby Gem. At my regular OB check up last week I was measuring a few weeks smaller than what I should've been, so my doctor ordered an ultrasound.

This morning I heard back from my doctor and he said Baby Gem is roughly 4 lbs. 12 oz. and ultrasound and growth were both normal. While waiting on little one it's always comforting to see their growth and changes. How can we not fall in love all over again when we get to watch him/her move and wiggle, swallow and move their hand up by their face? Precious. The tech even pointed out some hair too. So cute. It also confirmed that I again am currently carrying a 'low rider' and this baby is low in my pelvis and in position for delivery. This would explain the pressure I've been feeling over the last two weeks.

These new shots of baby will hopefully inspire us and move us in a direction of decision to get baby names narrowed down. We talked about it over the weekend, but then when we tried the names out on the kids they were less than enthused with them. Not that we decide on baby name solely based on the kids' likes or dislikes, but let's say that we're currently 'in negotiations.' It will come, I'm sure. Until then, don't ask us the names because we won't be sharing any more during the remainder of the pregnancy. We'll fall in love with the names on our own and then fall in love all over again when we put it with the face of our lovely little one.

Waiting and watching, are tough to do. We know arrivals, big and small, come all in good time. As we wait, we prepare and make ready...our bodies, our minds, our hearts. These last days of Advent our precious days, even though they are filled to overflowing with things to do, school to wrap up, piano recital and daily duties that call. Hopefully we can still capture in our home the wonder and awe of waiting, preparing and making ready.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

Let's Celebrate Today!

There are a few milestones I thought I'd celebrate today, instead of waiting until tomorrow. I rarely post on the weekend and I know that most of you rarely read then either, so let's make the most of Friday! It's practically the weekend, right?

First, tomorrow is my Fourth Blogiversary!



I've nestled myself in this little corner of the blogosphere for four years already. Amazing! Thank you to so many of you loyal friends and readers who have journeyed along with me. It's been so much fun getting to know you!

Perhaps you stop by once in a while or are here on a regular basis, either way I'm grateful that you swing on by. If you are new here, Welcome! I look forward to 'meeting' you. Become a Follower and I'll be sure to say HI over at your place! I always enjoy meeting new readers!

My desire is that With A Hopeful Heart is a place for you to be encouraged, realize that we moms are all human, perhaps give you a chuckle once in a while and sometimes just a good 'fluff' post to read.

All of these are just brief glimpses into the open door at my house and my hopeful heart. I'm glad you're here for me to share them. I will be praying a prayer today for all of you who have so richly encouraged and blessed my life through this blog.


Second, we're celebrating Gianna tomorrow too!



She's 10 months old already and keeping this mama quite busy. Never a dull moment, never without eyes full of wonder and awe, always amazing and blessing our lives. Happy 10 months G!

Lastly, I celebrated this one yesterday but figured I'd throw it in here too: 32 Weeks!! And for those of you who ask about this sort of thing and look for those belly shots...here you go:




Thank you for celebrating with me today! Have a glass of wine if you are able or perhaps a steaming cup of coffee along with me...CHEERS!

Have a wonderful weekend as we light the last Advent candle!

Baby Love

For Colleen and anyone else who enjoys baby bump photos.

Baby Gem and I today, at 26 weeks:

Now, before you all leave comments on how small the bump is or that you can't see it, etc. (because I know you all too well), keep in mind that Lily took the photo and it's not zoomed. Also, the light pink shirt is forgiving. I did do my best to show the belly, but I could only turn in so many different angles and have m little photographer take so many shots. I'll do my best to wear something tighter and unforgiving next time.

This was one of my first baby belly shots this time around. I just keep forgetting! I suddenly realized last week that I haven't been nearly as vigilant with the photos with this pregnancy. Trust me, we are growing bigger and thriving as the weeks keep flying by. Eager for the end, but also firmly grasping each day and moment as Gianna keeps sailing through her first year.

Speaking of my little eight month old, I had my photographer snap this photo with my out-of-womb baby:

Baby love, all around.

Just When I Thought I Had It All Figured Out...

God chuckled and said, "SURPRISE!!"

Baby says, "Hello Readers!"

'Baby Gem' this week at 13 weeks and due to arrive February 9, 2012.


I guess God has a sense of humor after all. And I'm so glad He's got everything under control and taken care of.*

*I can say this now after getting over the initial shock that lasted several weeks.lol.

**The name 'Baby Gem' came from a text I received from a friend when I shared the news. She reminded me that God had this wonderful gem in mind for me all along and everything was going to be just fine.