Hello, everyone!
Well... it's almost Christmas. And my Christmas cards are still in a box and not sent (they arrived on Tuesday), there are still a few gifts to buy and wrap, and generally, I wish there were a few more weeks before we dove head-long into the Christmas and New Year's week.
However, when I start to think on all of the things I do not have done yet, I remember that this holiday isn't really about gifts and food and cards anyway... it's about Christ! In the end, the rest of it doesn't really matter... just that one thing.
I think about baby Jesus a lot these days, what with having Julia in our lives. She is so small, so precious... totally dependent on Adam and me for food, shelter, and warmth (even if she does rule the roost...!). Four weeks ago she was still on the 'inside'... not quite real to me, even though I could feel her move around. And now she is here, and I cannot imagine my life without her. She is everything I dreamed and hoped she could be; I thank God every day for her. How must Mary have felt to know she was giving birth and gave birth to the one people would call Savior?
I don't tend to get too 'preachy' on my blog... but I had to share these thoughts. After all... 'tis the season. And, I know so many of us could use a reminder (myself included) that this holiday we call Christmas is not meant to be a time to be stressed out, overspent, and running ragged. It is a time of celebration of the one called Jesus, a sweet baby who became the Savior of the world. What could be more important than that....?
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Hugs!
Erin
ps. I hope to have new pictures of Julia up soon. We have been spending a lot of time getting to know each other... but I often forget to take pictures of her! :)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Mommy & Buscha play Baby Photographers!
Okay...
Who wants to take a baby to have professional pictures taken when you have no idea if they are going to be awake and happy versus asleep and crying?
After a few days of waiting for a good 'awake and happy' time that also coincided with Julia getting a fresh bath, her grandma (Buscha Draeger) and I played 'photographer' and snapped some pictures of Julia... and we love how they turned out! We hope you like them too!
Erin
Who wants to take a baby to have professional pictures taken when you have no idea if they are going to be awake and happy versus asleep and crying?
After a few days of waiting for a good 'awake and happy' time that also coincided with Julia getting a fresh bath, her grandma (Buscha Draeger) and I played 'photographer' and snapped some pictures of Julia... and we love how they turned out! We hope you like them too!
Erin
December 11th...
Okay... WHERE has December gone?
It feels as though only yesterday I was putting up the tree and going to the hospital, and today Julia is 17 days old! WOW!
We are having a 'wintery' sort of day today... it is Adam's last day home before going back to work, and the weather has been less than stellar. We were planning to drive to Cedar Rapids today for my holiday party for work (Donatech), but the weather kept us home and watching tree branches / limbs fall instead (here's a view off of our deck looking over at the neighbors... all I can say is that having our trees 'cleaned out' and 'topped' two years ago was definitely worth it!).
Sunday Adam's parents left and headed back to Wisconsin... but not before we had a few more pictures...
We had a wonderful time with them here and were sad to see them go. :( Julia was definitely loved on while they were here, though! :) No doubt about that!
Today Julia had a bath and did a wonderful job of letting me clean her up and wash her hair without her crying. However, as soon as I laid her down to put a diaper back on her and dress her, she pooped and peed everywhere. I couldn't help but laugh. :) Nothing like having to give a baby a second bath because of THAT mess! She seemed pretty happy, though. I think she was laughing too. :) Good thing we keep a 'miniature' changing pad on top of the regular one... makes for an easy clean up.
To think that a week ago that would have made me cry... I'm finally getting into the swing of things with this 'mothering' business.
Lesson 1: Laugh, even when you think you should cry. (Ha, that has certainly be helpful and probably the best thing I can remember to do when things aren't going so well. :) It certainly makes me feel better, at any rate!)
Otherwise... now just to finish the shopping, write the Christmas letter that goes with our Christmas picture, pack up my maternity clothes and find things in my non-maternity clothes to wear to church and the like (ha, ha, the maternity shirt is NOT cutting it anymore!!!)... and you know, figure out how to do 'regular life' stuff with a baby. :) Should be a fun time!
Hugs to you all!
Erin
It feels as though only yesterday I was putting up the tree and going to the hospital, and today Julia is 17 days old! WOW!
We are having a 'wintery' sort of day today... it is Adam's last day home before going back to work, and the weather has been less than stellar. We were planning to drive to Cedar Rapids today for my holiday party for work (Donatech), but the weather kept us home and watching tree branches / limbs fall instead (here's a view off of our deck looking over at the neighbors... all I can say is that having our trees 'cleaned out' and 'topped' two years ago was definitely worth it!).
Sunday Adam's parents left and headed back to Wisconsin... but not before we had a few more pictures...
We had a wonderful time with them here and were sad to see them go. :( Julia was definitely loved on while they were here, though! :) No doubt about that!
Today Julia had a bath and did a wonderful job of letting me clean her up and wash her hair without her crying. However, as soon as I laid her down to put a diaper back on her and dress her, she pooped and peed everywhere. I couldn't help but laugh. :) Nothing like having to give a baby a second bath because of THAT mess! She seemed pretty happy, though. I think she was laughing too. :) Good thing we keep a 'miniature' changing pad on top of the regular one... makes for an easy clean up.
To think that a week ago that would have made me cry... I'm finally getting into the swing of things with this 'mothering' business.
Lesson 1: Laugh, even when you think you should cry. (Ha, that has certainly be helpful and probably the best thing I can remember to do when things aren't going so well. :) It certainly makes me feel better, at any rate!)
Otherwise... now just to finish the shopping, write the Christmas letter that goes with our Christmas picture, pack up my maternity clothes and find things in my non-maternity clothes to wear to church and the like (ha, ha, the maternity shirt is NOT cutting it anymore!!!)... and you know, figure out how to do 'regular life' stuff with a baby. :) Should be a fun time!
Hugs to you all!
Erin
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Buscha and Grandpa visit!
Hello!
Buscha and Grandpa Draeger have arrived and are LOVING their new grandbaby! :) And... Jules loves the cuddles and love they are so willing to proffer up!
Buscha (BTW... Buscha is the Polish word for Grandma) and Grandpa arrive and see Jules for the first time.
Three generations... Adam looks on as Grandpa Ron and Julia have a little chat.
Buscha and Grandpa play with Julia on her changing table.
Julia sports the new hat that Auntie Claire made for her (THANK YOU, Auntie Claire! The hat is SOOOOOO cute!).
Mommy's friend Racheal visits. (Rach is expecting in March and we're SOOOO excited for her baby too!)
Mommy and Alecia's GEMS class surprises Erin with a visit during caroling Wednesday night. (I was crying like a baby when I saw that they were all outside of our door... it was AWESOME!)
Daddy plays with Julia before bedtime.
Last night we took a family picture for our Christmas card... that might go out later than normal, but we'll be working on it in the next week.
Buscha and Grandpa will be here until Sunday... we're so excited that they are here visiting! I will probably update with more pictures throughout the weekend.
We hope you enjoy the blog and the pictures! We're looking forward to more visitors (but are enjoying a nice day at home in the snow today), so feel free to stop by (we'd appreciate a call first). Take care and lots of hugs to you!
Erin
Buscha and Grandpa Draeger have arrived and are LOVING their new grandbaby! :) And... Jules loves the cuddles and love they are so willing to proffer up!
Buscha (BTW... Buscha is the Polish word for Grandma) and Grandpa arrive and see Jules for the first time.
Three generations... Adam looks on as Grandpa Ron and Julia have a little chat.
Buscha and Grandpa play with Julia on her changing table.
Julia sports the new hat that Auntie Claire made for her (THANK YOU, Auntie Claire! The hat is SOOOOOO cute!).
Mommy's friend Racheal visits. (Rach is expecting in March and we're SOOOO excited for her baby too!)
Mommy and Alecia's GEMS class surprises Erin with a visit during caroling Wednesday night. (I was crying like a baby when I saw that they were all outside of our door... it was AWESOME!)
Daddy plays with Julia before bedtime.
Last night we took a family picture for our Christmas card... that might go out later than normal, but we'll be working on it in the next week.
Buscha and Grandpa will be here until Sunday... we're so excited that they are here visiting! I will probably update with more pictures throughout the weekend.
We hope you enjoy the blog and the pictures! We're looking forward to more visitors (but are enjoying a nice day at home in the snow today), so feel free to stop by (we'd appreciate a call first). Take care and lots of hugs to you!
Erin
Auntie Lissy and Great-Grandpa John come to visit!
On Tuesday my sister and grandpa came to visit and stayed until Wednesday afternoon. Auntie is in love with her new niece and it was fun to see Julia and her Great-Grandpa John together. (Note: Julia is named after Grandpa John's mom, my Great-Grandma.)
Here are a few pictures from their visit:
Have a great Thursday (afternoon)!
Erin
Here are a few pictures from their visit:
Have a great Thursday (afternoon)!
Erin
Update...
Hi, all!
It's been a few days or so since I've updated, but we have great visitors now (helpful in-laws) who love to hold Julia all day, so I have time to do 'normal' life stuff like laundry and ironing and updating the blog. (Oh, yeah. And sleep. My husband is a SAINT and got up with Jules at 8 AM this morning and I slept till 11 AM. Ha, think all you want that I just sleep all the time... we were up till 1 AM and then up from 4 AM to 7 AM. I am SOOOO thankful Adam has FMLA and has off of work until next Wednesday when he goes back.)
Have I mentioned that I love my daughter to pieces and that I DO love being a mom? God certainly knows what he's doing when a baby is born... I was infused with such a great amount of love and patience... more than I ever knew could possibly exist... and even though I am sleep-deprived, forget to eat, and basically forget to take care of myself in general (although, ha, I HAVE to take a shower every day... that is a NECESSITY!)... I have all of the time in the world to make sure my daughter is healthy and happy... she's SUCH a blessing!
We had our well-baby checkup yesterday with Jules' doctor, and she has gained a 1/2 lb since we came home!!! :) How wonderful! That means she is eating and gaining well! She was 7 lbs 3.5 oz when she was born, 7 lbs 4 oz when she came home from Blank, and yesterday she checked in at 7 lbs 12 oz. WOOHOO! I was so happy! She's such a content baby... she doesn't cry or fuss much unless she's seriously hungry (or thinks she is) or when she needs a good cuddle. But otherwise, she's just happy sleeping or being a wake... it's just good stuff, this baby business!
At the well-baby checkup, I asked my nurse to weigh me... and WOOHOO! I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight! NO JOKING! How cool / fun is that? :) Of course, like I said, I have to be reminded to eat meals (even though I'm starving all of the time, it seems), and I'm sure the lack of sleep is not helping either! But, ha, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And back in my pre-preggo jeans. They bother the C-section incision a little bit, but at least they are not falling off every time I move (i.e., the maternity jeans). So I'm finally giving up the maternity jeans. But, ha, not my gray pants. I love those pants too much. I will wear those for a while yet, regardless of the big wide band at the top. ;)
Well... just wanted to say "HI!" to you all! I have a few more posts to put up! Hugs to you all and thanks for the emails and comments... one of these days I'll 'get back to you'! I promise!!! :)
Erin
It's been a few days or so since I've updated, but we have great visitors now (helpful in-laws) who love to hold Julia all day, so I have time to do 'normal' life stuff like laundry and ironing and updating the blog. (Oh, yeah. And sleep. My husband is a SAINT and got up with Jules at 8 AM this morning and I slept till 11 AM. Ha, think all you want that I just sleep all the time... we were up till 1 AM and then up from 4 AM to 7 AM. I am SOOOO thankful Adam has FMLA and has off of work until next Wednesday when he goes back.)
Have I mentioned that I love my daughter to pieces and that I DO love being a mom? God certainly knows what he's doing when a baby is born... I was infused with such a great amount of love and patience... more than I ever knew could possibly exist... and even though I am sleep-deprived, forget to eat, and basically forget to take care of myself in general (although, ha, I HAVE to take a shower every day... that is a NECESSITY!)... I have all of the time in the world to make sure my daughter is healthy and happy... she's SUCH a blessing!
We had our well-baby checkup yesterday with Jules' doctor, and she has gained a 1/2 lb since we came home!!! :) How wonderful! That means she is eating and gaining well! She was 7 lbs 3.5 oz when she was born, 7 lbs 4 oz when she came home from Blank, and yesterday she checked in at 7 lbs 12 oz. WOOHOO! I was so happy! She's such a content baby... she doesn't cry or fuss much unless she's seriously hungry (or thinks she is) or when she needs a good cuddle. But otherwise, she's just happy sleeping or being a wake... it's just good stuff, this baby business!
At the well-baby checkup, I asked my nurse to weigh me... and WOOHOO! I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight! NO JOKING! How cool / fun is that? :) Of course, like I said, I have to be reminded to eat meals (even though I'm starving all of the time, it seems), and I'm sure the lack of sleep is not helping either! But, ha, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And back in my pre-preggo jeans. They bother the C-section incision a little bit, but at least they are not falling off every time I move (i.e., the maternity jeans). So I'm finally giving up the maternity jeans. But, ha, not my gray pants. I love those pants too much. I will wear those for a while yet, regardless of the big wide band at the top. ;)
Well... just wanted to say "HI!" to you all! I have a few more posts to put up! Hugs to you all and thanks for the emails and comments... one of these days I'll 'get back to you'! I promise!!! :)
Erin
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Shave and a haircut... oh, wait...
... haircut and a SHAVE.
Before with Julia...and AFTER... Saturday afternoon. :)
No joking... Adam shaved his head yesterday (well, I helped... I buzzed it with the clippers and he shaved it with a razor).
Before with Julia...and AFTER... Saturday afternoon. :)
No joking... Adam shaved his head yesterday (well, I helped... I buzzed it with the clippers and he shaved it with a razor).
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Home again! :)
Hello, all!
We are finally home! Well... we have been home since 6 PM last night, but... well, for those of you that have kids, just remember your first few days at home with your very first child, and you'll completely understand that our world has gone topsy-turvy and all of the time in the hospital in Des Moines could not prepare us for being home with a newborn! :)
However... we've made it through the day, and after Julia eats next, both mommy and Julia are going to bed... here's hoping we can make it to church tomorrow! Yet another new experience... figuring out how to get all three of us cleaned up, dressed, and fed, and THEN make it to church on time. Should be fun!
Here are a few pictures from last night...
Woohoo! I'm finally going home!
Proud and happy parents! (This was in front of our hospital room at Blank)
Mommy & Julia in Julia's bedroom for the first time. (Although, for now, she sleeps in a bassinet in our room.)
Daddy & Julia by the Christmas tree (Julia was completely entranced by the lights... it was so neat to see!)
We hope you all are doing well! "Stay tuned" for more pictures and updates. :) We are all happy to be home finally, and with time, we'll fall into a new routine. Thankfully Adam will be home through the 11th, and we have more family coming to visit this next week as well.
HUGS!
Erin
We are finally home! Well... we have been home since 6 PM last night, but... well, for those of you that have kids, just remember your first few days at home with your very first child, and you'll completely understand that our world has gone topsy-turvy and all of the time in the hospital in Des Moines could not prepare us for being home with a newborn! :)
However... we've made it through the day, and after Julia eats next, both mommy and Julia are going to bed... here's hoping we can make it to church tomorrow! Yet another new experience... figuring out how to get all three of us cleaned up, dressed, and fed, and THEN make it to church on time. Should be fun!
Here are a few pictures from last night...
Woohoo! I'm finally going home!
Proud and happy parents! (This was in front of our hospital room at Blank)
Mommy & Julia in Julia's bedroom for the first time. (Although, for now, she sleeps in a bassinet in our room.)
Daddy & Julia by the Christmas tree (Julia was completely entranced by the lights... it was so neat to see!)
We hope you all are doing well! "Stay tuned" for more pictures and updates. :) We are all happy to be home finally, and with time, we'll fall into a new routine. Thankfully Adam will be home through the 11th, and we have more family coming to visit this next week as well.
HUGS!
Erin
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