Well, hello!

I had a long list of to-dos for the latter half of this week and the weekend:

• Get car seat checked . . . check
• Haircut . . . check
• Breastfeeding class . . . check
• Manicure . . . nope
• TX driver’s license . . . nope
• Crib . . . nope
• Clean out some closets . . . nope
• Finish 5 blog posts I started . . . nope
• Pack hospital bag . . . nope
• Returns on a few baby items . . . nope
• Make meals to freeze for post-baby . . . nope
• Finish up thank you notes . . . nope
• Lots and lots more to-dos . . . nope

Notice anything not on the list? Have baby! We never saw this one coming! Ha!

On Wednesday evening, I went to a breastfeeding class from 7:00-9:00pm at the hospital where we planned to have Emme. Unfortunately, Jeremy got stuck at work and was not able to attend the class. You can just imagine how bummed he was about that! Ha!

I got home a little after 9:00 and Jeremy still was not home. To be perfectly honest, I was a little annoyed. Annoyed that he missed the class and that he wasn’t home yet. He finally rolled in around 10:30. I also wasn’t feeling my best. In fact, my back was really hurting. Probably the uncomfortable chairs at the class.

The back ache continued and seemed to hurt pretty bad, then stop, then start again, then stop. I started thinking about it and around 11:30- I told Jeremy- honey, this might be it! We were both in shock and totally not prepared. I wasn’t really sure since it was all in my back.  And most of all, I knew we just were not ready.  We didn't even have our bags packed.  It was just by the grace of God that we even had the car seat properly installed.  Good thing He is in charge!

We went to bed around midnight and by “we,” I mean Jeremy. I took a shower and tried not to worry about that really long to do list. Finally, around 2:00am, I told Jeremy we should probably go to the hospital, since contractions were about 4 minutes apart.

At the hospital, they monitored me for 1 hour and said contractions were regular, but not quite intense enough. Just what every pregnant girl wants to hear!

We trekked it back home and again Jeremy went to bed and I was yet again unable to sleep. I had contractions on and off all night and the next morning. We though it might be time to head back to the hospital around 3:00 on Thursday afternoon. Again, they monitored me for an hour and then, they let me walk around for an hour, which really helped things progress. Around 5:30, they decided to admit me and get us a room.  I requested pain meds- stat!

It was a long night and 2 hours of pushing, but Emmeline Clare arrived at 6:10am. We were so overwhelmed and in awe of this little miracle. She was perfect in every way!

She’s here!

A little sooner than expected, but more precious than we could have imagined!

Emmeline Clare Walker

April 8, 2011

6:10am

5 pounds 11 ounces

16 ¾ inches

Babymoonin'

babymoon- n. time spent by parents without their baby; (hence) a vacation or holiday taken by a pregnant woman and her partner



I'm not sure if it could count as a vacation or holiday, but Jeremy and I did take some time away to enjoy the just the 2 of us (+ Ivy and Win).  We didn't really make it too far out of our backyard- the downtown Fort Worth Sheraton.  We really enjoy this hotel and it was fun to spend the night away and focus on relaxing and being together.
 
We had spa treatments scheduled for the afternoon and it was fabulous!!!  I loved every second of it.  And we finished off our night with an 8:45pm reservation at Eddie V's.  An 8:45pm reservation!  I don't see too many more of those in our near future.  The food was so amazing- some of the best shrimp I've ever had. 
 
We tried to imagine how different our life will be as soon as we have a little baby girl to take into account.  Not matter how hard we try- I think we will still be in for a shock once she gets here!
 
We considered leaving Ivy and Win at home, but we thought they probably deserved a babymoon, too.  They LOVE staying in hotels.  They just prance right through the lobby and hop on the elevator.  While they are SO good at traveling, I don't know how many hotel stays are in their near future.  Traveling with a newborn and 2 little white dogs seems daunting to say the least.  At any rate, Ivy and Win are in for some BIG changes! 
 

 
Our babymoon was the perfect weekend and I'm so glad we have this memory of just the 4 of us!

Breakfast Snack

Since Jeremy's work was so generous in giving us a baby shower, I decided to make them a Friday breakfast snack to show our appreciation.  I made Monkey Bread and sausage balls.  This Monkey Bread is not to be confused with the homemade Monkey Bread rolls that are very popular in the Moore Family.  I'm not sure how they each got their names, but they are not really similar at all (besides being of the bread category). 

This recipe is SO easy and it's perfect for weekend guests or to bring to a breakfast event.  It transports very easily and you can make it the day before you serve it.  It really is best served warm, but that's not always an option.

Monkey Bread

3 (12 ounce) packages
refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9 or 10 inch bundt pan.


Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan.

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. No need to cut- the bread just pulls apart.

Cookies Galore

I was a little perplexed about what to give my friends as hostess gifts. They are all really crafty and cute, so I knew it needed to be something special. I thought it would be best to just go with something I know- cookies.

I made them little gift bags with three kinds of cookies, a cute spring dish towel and some stationary with their initial. Nothing too fancy, but hopefully, they know how much we appreciated all their hard work. I thought I would share the cookie recipes.

First up, I made my traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe. You can find more on those here.

Next, I decided to make Granny B’s Famous Sugar Cookies. These are Jeremy’s absolute favorites. I previously posted the recipe for PaPa’s sugar cookies, but these are a little bit different. They are very soft and a little bit chewy. Don’t let them get brown at all (not even the edges).

Granny B’s Sugar Cookies

½ cup butter or margarine

½ cup shortening (like Crisco)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda
Additional sugar

In mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually, add to the creamed butter mixture. Shape into balls. Roll in the extra sugar. Use a glass to slightly flatten the balls. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

If you like soft sugar cookies that are not too sweet- you’ll love these!

Last, I made chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. They were good- just not my favorite. I think I’m just more of a traditionalist when it comes to cookies. Chocolate chip will always be #1 for me, followed closely by sugar.

You can find the recipe I used here.  You really can't go wrong with any of these easy recipes- all delicious!  

Happy cookie baking!

Showered with Blessings

We have been so blessed by such wonderful friends and family.  I can't think of another time in life that the support and love from family and friends is so important.  We are so excited about the arrival of ECW and it's so nice to know that those that matter most to us are excited too!

Four fabulous showers were held in honor of Miss Emmeline Clare!  Diapers, blankets, pacifiers, onesies, bath toys, and everything else cute a little girl would need (or maybe just want!). 

My work friends had a little shower for us before we moved from OKC.  I didn't get too many pictures, but Karla and Rachel were the organizers and did a fantastic job!

Rachel, Karla, and me

Next up, we had an amazing shower in Jeremy's hometown.  No detail was overlooked and we got so many wonderful things for Emme Clare!  Jeremy's friends and family are truly some of the sweetest and most generous people that we know.

Katie and me- she came all the way from Birmingham to help celebrate!

 

There was a mountain of gifts!

Aunt-to-be- Alison was the master mind behind all the beautiful decorations (and the cake!!!!)

Jeremy's office also had a shower for us and it was incredible.  For a group of people that have only known us for a few short months, I was so overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness.  We had such a good time.

All my best girls had a wonderful shower for us in Dallas.  They thought of everything!  The party even coordinated with Emmeline's nursery colors.  I had such a good time catching up with my friends and family.

The fabulous hostesses- Sarah, Amy, Michelle and Melissa

The grandmothers- Granny B, Gram, and Mae Mae

You can also check out Am's blog for more baby shower details!

And I think we're all set!  Just a few more things to get before she comes!

Oh wait!  Except for the matter of the crib!  It's a little bit delayed, but at my last call, they are hoping it will be here some time in mid-April.   Crossing our fingers that it's before her arrival.

All of the gifts and sweet things for ECW have been amazing!  We feel so loved and blessed!  No doubt- we have the very best family and friends and Emme is one lucky little baby girl!

Waiting for Emmeline

So after a brief (ok, ONE YEAR) blogging hiatus, we are back in business!  So much has happened and so much has changed.  I could write a 10 page long post about all of the past year's events, but I'll just get down to the important part and sum it up for you in 4 easy words : BABY ON THE WAY!

We are super excited and a little bit nervous.  Miss Emmeline Clare is expected to be here one month from today!  Yikes!  I can't believe how fast time has gone flown by over these past few months.  We also moved to a new state, bought a house, Jeremy got a new job and I quit my job. 

In an effort to keep all of our family and friends updated on our bundle of joy, I'm vowing to do my best to keep this blog up and running.  I'm not exactly sure what that's going to look like (maybe less home cooked meals, more pics of a baby, fewer pics of Ivy and Win), but I won't wait a year before my next post.

I couldn't resist adding EC's latest photos.  I'm going to be honest- this first pic doesn't mean much to me.  Did you see that Friends episode where Rachel was crying in the ultrasound room, because she couldn't see the images?  I felt exactly the same way.  But what mom wants to admit that she can't even see her baby on the screen?!?!

I'm including this next one, just because I can definitely tell that this is her foot.  Have you ever seen a prettier, cuter foot?!?!  I didn't think so! 

Keeping checking back here for updates (and maybe a few recipes) as we wait for Emmeline!