After midnight.

This is another shot of the outdoors after midnight, so technically it is a photo for today :)
This was shot out of my bathroom window through one of the small areas where there wasn't any moisture built up on the window. You see, we don't have a fan for the shower, so ALL the moisture just sticks to everything in there for a really long time, even with the door wide open.
Anyway, this is 8 of 365:



Em

let it snow, let it snow......

LET IT SNOW!

Today we have been enjoying the sheer beauty of the midwest winter in the fury of a true snowstorm.
So far we have at least 10 inches of snow, and right now it's beginning to blow, so chances are there will be a big drift against our back door in the morning. Goody.
It is weather like this that makes me REALLY glad that we have a Jeep. I got to drive around on the nearly deserted streets of my town today, very slowly, of course, even though I have 4 wheel drive. I traversed through snowdrifts into ghosts of county parks, looking for the perfect places to take pictures at, since the snow was sticking perfectly to every tree branch. I found several pristine locations, and got some great shots, all without leaving the vehicle. And the little J man slept snugly and happily from his now forward-facing carseat. (note: I gotta get a picture of that to share with you, too.)
I had way too many to choose from, but here is my decision for the entry for today. Number 7 of 365.

Patterns

Patterns have always fascinated me. I love to mix and match patterns that seemingly should not even be thought to go together, like paisley prints and leopard. And yet, there it is, right on my very own couch.
But what I believe is even more incredible than my own sense of style (if you want to call it that) is the sense of style God puts right out there in nature. Like the run of a river and its tributaries (as seen from an airplane- and incredible thing to behold), the stripes and intersections of different kinds of rocks, the texture of a field of grain with a backdrop of heavy, rolling clouds. Just beautiful. Can you see it in your mind?
These things are all quite grand, but sometimes i forget to look at the little things. Like the shimmer of droplets of water on the grass leaves, and the minuscule paths of bugs going through an old log.
Or, in the case of today, the simplicity of frost on a window. From a distance, it seemed fogged, but once the sun began peeking through the clouds, there was a shimmer about it, and upon closer inspection was such perfection that a machine could never duplicate.
So, without further ado, number 3 of 365 in my challenge 365.

a couple firsts

first number one:
we got snow last night! not that that is necessarily a "first", seeing as it is Wisconsin, and it is December, but it was the first snow of the season. I was really happy it snowed when it did, too, cuz it gave new life to our otherwise pretty drab landscape. And because I had a photoshoot this morning. Outside. In 20 degree weather. With a windchill. (not sure exactly how cold it was, but I know it was chilly, since I couldn't use my pointer finger to take the pictures near the end, and had to use my ring finger, which was a little less numb)

first number two:
I had a photo shoot with a married couple, who just wanted nice pictures of just the two of them. It was kind of like an engagement session, I suppose, but a little more relaxed. There really is a big difference in photographing young love, and those who have spent a third of their lifetime together. More comfortable, more at ease, and even more in love.

Here are some of my faves of Mike and Melissa:





Em

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's House

We had a great time this weekend up at Grandma and Grandpa's house- it was awesome to hang out with them again! There are a lot of pictures in this entry, so I'll let them tell most of the story. Here are the highlights:
Josiah snuggled a lot with Grandma.
Josiah snuggled a lot with his cousins.
Grandpa went sledding with Dustin and Ethan- and even went down the hill by himself a couple times- he said it's the most fun he's had in a LONG time!
The kids all got sticky fingers from the rice krispies' treats.

Birth Story

Wednesday, Dec 17th:
Katie Konop came over with Ruthie so we could go for a walk around Mayfair Mall- I wanted to "get things moving" you might say- I hadn't had any changes at my appointment the week before, and I was determined to have something change for my appointment I had scheduled after my walk.
Well, I actually had NO changes from the previous week- I was even the exact same weight. The doc and I thought that he would make it to the due date, at least, and that she wouldn't let me go a week past my due date. Oh, well.
Thursday, Dec 18th:
3:00 am- I suddenly woke up cuz I felt like I had to use the restroom. To spare the icky details, lets just say it was icky. I knew something was happening. I went back to bed, cuz they say to try to get as much rest as possible- who knows when I will actually go into labor.
3:30 am- I felt something wet "down there", so I ran to the bathroom. Nope, I didn't have to pee. hmmmmmmm......this is not right- all through the pregnancy I never had issues holding it in if I had to. SO I call Jonathan, who is at work, to let him know that I thought my water had broken. He didn't answer his phone.
4:30- Jon calls back- He asked if I was feeling any contractions. Nothing. I felt relatively normal. We got done talking, and a few minutes later he called back saying the nurses he works with said to GET IN RIGHT AWAY!!
4:45- I called my Doc, and she said that she would notify the hospital that I was on my way in. Oh, and she sounded utterly exhausted!
5:00- I work on finishing packing for the hospital- I thought I would have more time for this part, but no.
5:30 Jonathan gets home- helps me finish packing. Calls Nick and Diana to let Nick know that he just missed me at the hospital- he works on the skybridge to the L&D of the hospital- but his shift ends at 5.
6:00am- we arrive at the hospital- Jon insists that we go through the ER entrance, cuz a bunch of his work friends want to meet me.
6:30am- I am officially admitted to the hospital.
THEN there's a long wait- I WAS having regular contractions every 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 minutes, I just wasn't feeling them. They gave me pitocin to make them stronger. It worked. However, I couldn't get past 2-3 cm dilation, so finally at
10:30 pm, a Dr. came in to let me know what an epidural is, and said that it was available for me, then asked if I had any questions. "When can I get one?!" was my response.
11:00pm they started the epidural procedure- this takes a while. They got it done, but for some reason it wasn't working. They hit the wrong spot in my spine. They had to redo it. Ouch.
FRIDAY, Dec. 19th
Finally the effects kicked in around midnight. The rest is a bit of a blur- I have no idea what time what happened, but I went quickly from 2-3 cm to 5 cm.
3:00 am the nurse said I was at 8 cm. YAY!! she said she would be back in an hour to check on me.
(by the way, they wanted the baby out by 6, because the water broke, there was an increased risk of infection)
3:50 am- I call the nurse "how can I help you?" she asked "you need to check me NOW" I said. She came in, and sure enough, my little guy was starting to crown. So she called the doctor- and a bunch of other people. Suddenly it was a party in my delivery room!
4:10- the doctor (who is not my doctor, unfortunately she wasn't able to be there:( bummer) finally shows up.
4:20 am- Josiah is born after just 5 pushes. Apparently I was really good at pushing, even through the epidural and no mirror.
8 lbs, 1.6 oz 22 inches long. The cord was wrapped around his neck, and he breathed in some fluid, so he had to be suctioned out and given oxygen, but other than that his color was good, and he was making noise- he has the cutest little cry (for now:)

By the way, Jonathan was FANTASTIC through the whole thing- he played with my hair, did pressure point on my back, read to me, put the Simpsons in the DVD for me, watched the baby come out- and told me what was coming out and when- cut the cord, and took the most BEAUTIFUL pictures of our son's first moments. I love that guy!!

38 weeks, and nursery pics

Here is what our nursery look like so far- I have a couple of pictures to put up yet that my sister, Mandy, gave to me of animals that they've seen at various zoos around the US. I kinda went for the jungle/safari/wild animal theme. I LOVE sitting in the rocking chair and just hanging out in here!





I am feeling it more and more each day how difficult pregnancy can be on a body. It's all I can do to try to get out and keep walking, but I have managed to keep it up about every other day I walk for 2 miles- lately I've been going to Mayfair mall because of all the snow here in Milwaukee :)
I also would like to thank my very good friends that live here in Milwaukee who came out to my house on Saturday to do a DEEP cleaning- my house looks BEAUTIFUL- it was a wonderful gift, so again, THANKS A TON!!
Here I am at 38 weeks, 2 days:

Wintry Walk

I went for a walk today while I was waiting for Jonathan to wake up- and brought my "new" S5 with me to play around with it a bit.