Greta's Big Debut

Grammy & Papa arrived from MN the evening of February 27th. Little did we know then, it was just in time for Greta's birth, and such a blessing. Her due date wasn't until March 10th, days after they were to fly home, so my concern had been that they would come and go before she was born and miss out on meeting their new granddaughter right away. We hoped that Grammy and Papa would be here when Greta arrived for many reasons - they would also stay with Gordon and Grayson while Gary and I were at the hospital.

At 6:15 the morning of February 28th, I woke up twenty minutes before my alarm with a stronger contraction than I'd been having. This is good, I thought, but knew it might just be the beginning of what could take a day or two to turn into actual labor (so I thought). So I got up and got ready to watch baby Cash. James dropped him off a little after 7:00 a.m. By then I'd had another contraction or two, but they were still pretty far apart and not overwhelmingly strong. About an hour later, things started to pick up. I asked my Mom if she would give Cash his bottle and rock him to sleep while I went upstairs to get ready - just in case.... Only a few minutes into a shower, I realized it was time to call Gary.

So about 20 minutes later, Gary and Maggie arrived. (Just as he had the day Gordon was born, Gary had ridden his bike to work - so he caught a ride home with Maggie from work, as she came to pick up baby Cash).
My mom snapped this picture of me right before we left for the hospital. I'm smiling, so it was clearly in between contractions, which by this time, had gotten noticeably stronger and closer together. Though I still wondered if I was going to be one of those women who got sent home for "jumping the gun."

Not so...at all! We checked into triage around 10:30 a.m. and baby Greta Brielle was born not much later - at 12:56 p.m. Long story short, this was the fastest, most intense labor I'd experienced, and for how quickly it went - I'm so grateful! (It really hurt this time!) But oh, was every minute worth it! Every discomfort and worry throughout my pregnancy also, very much worth it all! We now have a beautiful, healthy baby girl!
Welcome to the world, sweet little Greta!

Up until this day, Gary and I hadn't fully decided on Greta's middle name. We had a list, and there were three names we both liked, but my favorite by far was Brielle. Gary was still undecided on which name he most preferred; I love the name Brielle, in memory of baby Gabriel. It means "Of God" in French, which I believe is so perfect for Greta, our precious gift from God. Right after Greta was born, Gary was emailing the news to friends and family on his cell phone, and he asked me how to spell Brielle. He'd made his decision too, and so...
Greta Brielle she is!

Absolute joy, relief, euphoria...describe some of the many emotions of that very blessed day. But pure LOVE and GRATITUDE were what I felt most. We are so thankful to God for this beautiful baby girl ~ we absolutely adore her!

Greta Brielle ~ our new beloved baby.

More photos to follow...there are so many!!

She's Here!

Greta Brielle arrived swiftly on February 28th, 2011 at 12:56 p.m. (10 days before her due date).

She weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces -- 21 inches long.

Absolutely Beautiful!!

(I'm typing this with one hand...and it's taken me two weeks to do so).
Life has changed ~ for the better! We are all so smitten with our baby girl!
Many have asked how the boys are adjusting; they are over the moon & absolutely adore her!

These gorgeous photos are courtesy of our family friend, Kate Morris.

We are so blessed!

Another thank you to Kate Morris for these precious photos ~ I love them!

Welcome to our family, baby Greta!!

You are an answer to our prayers & we love you so very much!!

Grayson's New Bear

Both boys were given some special experiences for Christmas gifts this year. Gordon will be taking ski lessons in March, and Grayson was promised a special trip to Build-a-Bear to make his very own teddy bear (something he's been so excited to do!) Today was the day! Here he is, choosing his new friend.

This one!

Getting instructions on how to fill his bear with fluff

Pressing the fluff gas pedal to fill his bear

Picking out his bear's heart

Promising to love his bear forever.... (So sweet!)

Rubbing the heart on his shoulders, to promise lots of hugs

Getting ready to place the heart in his bear

Giving his bear a "bath" and air fluff

Gordon helps out.

Brushing his new bear

Filling out the birth certificate with Daddy & Gordon

Grayson LOVES his new bear!

Gordon was very supportive and happy for Grayson & his new bear!

Daddy & the boys

Mommy & the boys

Grayson didn't want any clothes or accessories for his bear. He loves him just the way he is.

Pointing to his bear while we pay for his new friend.

All packed up in his little box, Grayson totes his new bear home....

As I post, Grayson is snuggled in bed with his new bear. He's been playing with him, giving him piggy back rides and hugging him tightly all evening. So precious!

Welcoming a New Decade - the 40s!

Our plans for my 40th birthday celebration got scaled down quite a bit...from hosting a party (a short-lived idea we had months ago, before realizing I'd be nine months pregnant on my birthday)...to going out for a nice steak dinner - just Gary and me...to finally, Gary picking up Quizno's sandwiches for us to eat at home. Topping off the day with Gordon, Grayson, and I hitting the hay right after dinner, fighting off a cold/flu bug.

Both boys and I came down with monstrous cold/flu symptoms late last week - fever, chest congestion, coughs, runny noses, sneezing, achy bodies, and tiredness. (I'm surprised my intense coughing hasn't induced labor thus far!)

This was essentially how we spent last Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - camped out in the living room together, sleeping, eating chicken soup, drinking lots of water, and watching movies or playing quiet games. Even today, we're not 100%. It all came on so suddenly with no warning - out of nowhere we were SICK! Luckily, Gary has managed to sidestep this round of illness, so far. I pray he stays well, for we'll be heading to the hospital to deliver baby Greta soon, in the next couple weeks.... I'm also hoping that she decides to make her appearance after I fully recover from this horrendous cold.

Being pregnant and more sick than I've been in years has been exhausting, but I certainly can't say my birthday was all bad - not at all!

Gary surprised me on Friday morning with a beautiful card, and inside - a sweet poem he'd written. And it turns out, the gorgeous scene on the front of the card is a replica of the limited edition artwork that Gary purchased for me! It's by Ward Hooper, one of our favorite local artists. Gary secured #6 out of the only 10 canvas pieces that the artist sells for each of his designs. After those limited edition canvases, he makes only 100 prints of each piece of work.

This Wednesday while the boys are at school, I'll meet Gary at Ward Hooper's gallery downtown to decide how I want the canvas laid out - with or without the text, whether or not it will include the border, etc.... I'm very excited! Then in a week, it will be ready to pick up, just as I like it. I've been wanting to find a nice piece of original art to help launch some decorating ideas for our home. This will lead to choosing new paint colors and decor for our living room...very exciting!

If you'd like to see more of Ward Hooper's work, here's his website:
http://www.wardhooper.com/

What makes this particular design extra special is that the Sawtooth Mountains are very dear to Gary and me. Together, we've enjoyed kayaking the Salmon River, snorkeling & swimming in Redfish Lake, hiking and camping in this spectacular, scenic part of Idaho. We've taken many trips there, including part of our honeymoon and the fun-filled weekend away for the two of us last July, when we stayed in a tepee and hiked 9.5 miles to a beautiful alpine lake (as shared in my July 2010 blog posts). Gordon's very first camping trip was at Redfish Lake. Even our wedding bands feature the silhouette of the Sawtooth Mountain Range, as designed by Gary. Needless to say, we love the Sawtooth Mountains! I was astounded by Gary's gift. Yet again, he came up with an incredibly creative and heartfelt birthday present! I was completely surprised and love it ~ I am such a lucky lady!
(Thank you so much, Gary ~ I love & adore you!)

My birthday was also sweetened by my sister Melissa stopping by on her way to work with a pan of fresh brownies and a lovely collage frame for me. Perfect timing on the frame - I just ordered 100 prints, many from our August vacation to the Oregon Coast, some of which I'll display in this frame.

Delicious birthday brownies!

Dave & Myra brought over some fresh birthday flowers - gorgeous!

Joey also stopped by Friday evening, with a birthday card and coffee gift card.

Plus, the Valentine flowers are still lovely and aromatic on the mantle, now displayed in a vase that Gary made in a college pottery class.

So ~ in spite of being sick and nine months pregnant, my birthday was a wonderful day! I'm excited to be embarking on a new decade - looking forward to what "the 40s" have in store. Welcoming our new baby soon tops the list for extraordinary, upcoming events, for sure!
I'm feeling very blessed, so happy with my life and loved ones!