1 month.

Reyna is 1 month today! 

Its gone by fast and slow. 30 days seems like a lot and she has grown so much but she is still so little. Everyday I remind myself that she will never be this little again :(

 

For a point of reference, Mickey will help us out.

My first Mother's Day.

My first Mother's Day was perfect. Having Reyna in my arms all day was just what I wanted.
I dressed her up in a cute dress, we took pictures together, watched Frozen and took nice naps together.

As I start my motherhood journey, I can't help but think about how great moms are. Especially my mom. With our new arrival, both my moms pitched in to help around the house. I probably would not have asked for it so I am so glad for the offer to help. They did everything from washing windows to washing clothes to making every dessert I could want and freezing my favorite enchiladas.

My mom loves me and I have never doubted it. i hope that Reyna knows my love for her and that it makes her feel secure in life. Secure enough to make the right decisions even when they are unpopular. Secure enough to believe in herself, the way I was able to.  I hope I can have the confidence my mom seemed to have in raising me. She always knew what to say and how to say it. when to laugh and when to be serious. Most of all, I am thankful that I still have my mom to be a friend. Our daily phone calls will never be enough!

Love you mom!

What's in a name.

Reyna Roxane Shanks

I decided on two names pretty early on.
We asked Reyna which she wanted and she chose Reyna.

Reyna is my mother's maiden name. It pays homage to my mother but also her mother (Grandma Reyna), a mother of 12!

Roxane is the name of Neil's mom. We wanted to give a shout out to the ladies who gave us life!

In case you are wondering, the other name was Violet. I have always liked that name so if we ever have another girl, that's what I'm going with. So consider it taken!

Birth Day.

I won't bore (or gross you out) with details but here are a few things I want to remember about Reyna's birthday.

- My water (kinda) broke at 8:05am
- My water really broke in the elevator at the hospital
- Contractions did not start on their own
- We wanted to avoid Pitocin so we walked around the ward for one hour - we got nothing.
- Neil had all the snacks he could ever want
- The medicine ball worked the best for labor pains
- Hospital visitors included: My Mom, dad, Marquie, Coach Rod, Little Joe, Kendall, and Tiffani
- I went till 8 cm dialated and then asked for the Epidural
- He tried to put in the Epidural 3 times
- It worked wonderfully! It definately helped me enjoy the experience
- No one told me if it was a boy or girl for like two minutes!
- We asked Reyna which of two names she preferred and she had a strong dislike for the second choice
- One of my favorite moments was singing "Happy Birthday" to Reyna.

Reyna Roxane Shanks.

 

Hospital Bag.

It is getting close! We have less than 3 weeks till baby is due.
I have packed our bags. I wanted to let you know what is in there. Mostly, so you can tell me what I am missing. I know I may not use everything and we are only there for 24 hours AFTER delivery.

- slippers
- robe
- chapstick
- nursing bras
- hair ties
- going home outfit for baby (one boy and one girl)
- 2 receiving blankets
- camera and phone chargers
- camera
- 3 outfits for me
- extra underwear
- 2 outfits for dad
- a notebook/pen
- travel sized toiletries
- toothbrushes/toothpaste
- feminine napkins
- tylenol (for dad)
- brush

- extras that are in the car: a blanket, pillow, and towel (mostly for dad)
- For distraction: puzzle book, Crochet needle and yarn, ipod
- snacks


I think that's about it. Let me know if you have any other suggestions. There is still plenty of room for more and better safe than sorry, right?

Also, comments do not show up automatically. I have to read and then approve them to show so don't worry about decency...I'll read it all :)

Nursery tour.

Since the room is mostly done, I thought I would give a little tour. 

We went with a travel theme but didn't want to go too overboard so just a little adventure here and there.

 

Here is the changing table/dresser. I made the cover for the changing pad and the banner.

That white trash can on the right is called the Diaper Genie and was recommended by a new mom.

Had to add the lamp for midnight changes.

I found the base at a thrift store for $2.00. I already had the shade. And Neil spray painted the base.

 Here is a close up of that lamp. We added direction arrows so some of our favorite places :)

  This is the large wall you see when you walk in.

The details.

 The window seat is not exactly what I wanted but its functional.

I used a twin mattress topper for the cushion. That is the fabric that will cover it but I have not sewn it shut yet, hence the wrinkles.

 

 I made the curtains and the art. 

The US map is a chalkboard.

Still need to hang the mobile up but I wanted to get a picture of the rug.

 A suitcase for storage.

 There is one last wall where the closet is that is not done yet. 

Just some decorations so we are in no rush. I'm dealing with a little bit of a cold so maybe that will get done next weekend. Regardless, Baby has a place to sleep and nurse so we are as prepared as we can be.

Nursery Sneak Peak.

The nursery is coming together and I am finally putting on the finishing touches.
I needed a few small pieces for the wall. Knowing we wanted a travel theme, it was pretty difficult to find prints in the right colors and/or size. Plus, I liked the idea of using small items from our travels as well as being intentional about which places are meaningful to us.

I pulled a few small pieces together, looked for empty frames in storage, and used fabric from nursery projects. I spray painted the frames to match the room.

I found the OHIO flag for like $0.40! They had a few different states but I knew I wouldn't use all of them and OHIO is where my Iowa Dad is from. The fabric is from the quilt I made.

When shopping at Hobby Lobby, I spotted these small wooden US cut outs. They are about 3 inches wide. I thought they were so cute and at $0.25 each, I picked up a couple, not knowing what to do with them. When I found out it fit perfectly in this already matted frame, I painted it with left over paint from another project.

This small peach frame was $1 at Michaels and I bought it just because the color was perfect. I put in a coin from Belize, one from Mexico, and one from Thailand.

The GPS locator picture is and idea I saw on a pillow on Etsy. I used leftover fabric and a sharpie  for the words.

The big one below is a cut out of Belize where we did mission work and fell in love <3 p="">

I just used scrapbook paper and leftover fabric.

I made this banner for over the crib using wood letters on cardboard. 

 Hope you enjoy the sneak peak. Hopefully the full tour will come soon. Just waiting on a couple more pieces to get done.

DIY nursery mobile.

So I have seen a lot of mobiles for sale and they usually run at least $50 dollars. And of course the one I loved was on Etsy for $75!

I figured I could make one so I googled around for directions and used bits and pieces of a few tutorials. The materials I ended up using were:

1 embroidery hoop ($1.50)

4 scrapbook papers ($0.25 ea.)

fishing wire (already had it)

First, cut out the balloon shape 24 times. I used my silhouette machine but you could do it with scissors. Then fold each one in half.

Glue or tape the halves together. I used double sided tape but glue would work too.

 

 

After taping 6 pieces together it should look like this:

 

I made 6 balloons. For the basket, I did the same thing but with black circles.

I strung some fishing wire through. This is where I could have saved some grey hairs. If you put the wire in before you close the last part of each balloon, it would work best.

Put the string through the embroidery hoop and alter the height of each one until you find what you like!

The end. It took me about 2 hours but saved me about $50, so you decide.

March Madness - Baylor style.

Its no secret that we love sports and we love our Bears. But when they were chosen to play in San Antonio, how could we not go? We drove down on Thursday night for the 11:00 Friday game. My parents got to go with us and watch both games in session 1. 

 We played in the AT&T Center - home of the Spurs.

 We played well and made sooo many free throws. 

We won which meant we had another game on Sunday. Of course we got tickets asap.

 The student section - very high up..

 We played Creigton and really held control the whole game. 

We got to watch the best player in the country, McDermot, and his dad/coach.

 Another win set us up to play in Aneheim on Thursday night. 

This time we will be watching from to couch :)

 Baby Bear at another special game.

 We tend to think this was the last Horrah until Baby comes since we are only 5 weeks away - gotta stay close to home!

I should also mention that the girl's team is also in the Sweet 16! Good luck to all the Bears out there!

34 weeks.

Baby is the size of a pineapple.

Baby weighs 5 pounds.

44 days to go!

1. Listening - to birthing stories/options.
2. Eating - burgers :) 
 3. Wearing - Very few options. flats.
4. Feeling - anxious to meet baby. loved.
5. Drinking - lots of water. FUZE raspberry tea (caffeine free)
6. Seeing - the nursery come together. My parents often.   
7. Craving - burgers. avocado.
8. Needing - patience. to relax.
9. Thinking - about baby names.

10. Enjoying -Neil's over-protection. baby showers. 

This month has gone by beautifully. I feel well. I have had more energy and been very productive. A LOT has been done in the nursery. (I'll post soon). I guess nesting is in full swing. Lots of sewing, cleaning, decorating, and daydreaming going on! We enjoyed two great baby showers this month. They set us up with the largest baby library I have ever known to exist. We are set to bring baby home, so thanks everyone! Our little lucky charm has helped the Bears into the NCAA tournament so we are going to the game in San Antonio this weekend!

Oh the Places You'll Go Shower.

This weekend, my sister and mom hosted a shower for my SA family and friends. They went through so much trouble and it showed.

Guest signed "oh the Places You'll Go" book.

 

 A picture collage with extra activities

 

And a photo booth

Lots of food!

 Best wrapped gift! Handmade but filled with UT onsies.....

Of course, it wouldn't be the same without games.

 There were TONS but this is the DAD-LYMPICS.

 Put on the bibs.

 Chug the baby food....Joel like it, Neil handled it, Mark gagged.

 Put the baby in car seat.

 cross the finish line....WINNER!

It was so much fun and it was so nice to see everyone. We got a VERY good start to the baby library, tons of diapers, and so many other helpful gifts!