One Week Old

It is so hard to believe that it has already been one week! 

These are the pictures that they took in the hospital.  I got the cd today and wanted to share a few of them.  I am going to take some myself and wanted to do that today but I am still finding it hard to bend like I want to. 

He is a good baby.  Beautiful if I do say so myself!  :)  I know I am biased. 

Introducing

Colton Porter

 

Isn't he gorgeous!! 

Final belly shot.  Taken about an hour or so before he was born

 

Our first glimpse.  He came out peeing and when they held him about the curtain for me to see him a bunch of goop fell on my face.  :)  what an initiation

 

Proud Daddy!  Can you see his HUGE smile behind that mask? 

 

 

 

Proud big sister.  She is absolutely smitten with him.

 

 

 

Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers.  We are doing great!  I'll post more about his birth and the c-section soon.

Happy Father's Day

To my Dad

{yes that is me!}

 

Who loves his children

 

and Grandchildren with all of his heart.

 

 

To my husband

 

 

Who I am so lucky to have.  Who is the most wonderful dad that I could have ever imagined for our children.

 

Who never ceases to amaze me by what he will do for our daughter.  Who has her completely spoiled rotten...who loves every minute of her being a Daddy's Girl.

Nursery - Finishing Touches

 My husband has suddenly realized that the baby will be here in just a few days.  So he has been panicking about cleaning the house.  He is a clean freak anyways so our house is not dirty but last night he was in deep clean mode. He even shampooed the carpets.  :)  I am definitely not complaining and did my best to help out.  I finally ordered Colton's mattress on Monday and it arrived Thursday.  Yay for fast shipping!  So that meant I was able to but the bedding in his bed...FINALLY!!

I love it.  It looks just as good as I imagined it. 

I also got the changing table pad.  We had one in Lauren's room but we still use it.  It is so much easier to have her at my level than me try to get on the floor and change her so I didn't want to take it out of her room.  We did however move the rocking chair from her room to Colton's. 

 

I can't believe it is getting so close!  I am so excited to meet my little man. 

 

38 weeks

WOW!! 38 weeks already. In some aspects it seems like I have been pregnant forever but in others it seems like yesterday when we found out. I cannot believe that I am going to have this baby in 6 days. Yep, that means that he is still breech. Butt down to be exact with his feet up by his head. Little stinker just won't budge so I will be having a c-section next Wednesday June 23rd.  I went to the doctor yesterday for a checkup and everything else still looks good. 

We are in the process of finishing up odds n ends. I ordered the cutest "big sister" "little brother" t-shirts for Lauren and Colton. I can't wait to take pictures of them wearing the shirts. :)

I am feeling quite emotional lately, just ask my husband.  I have been biting his head off left and right.  I just feel overwhelmed and still feel like there is so much to do.  I have a million things to do and most of those things he can't really help me out with.  I am still in the process of editing those wedding pictures and I wanted to be almost complete by the time the baby was born because I know for the first few weeks I won't be able to or want to even work on them.  But I don't have to work this weekend so I plan to try and work on them as much as I can.  I have 4 days of work left!  Yes that's right I am working right up until the day I deliver.  I want to take off as much time as possible so that is just the smartest thing to do.  Plus I would go nuts at home anyways.  :)  I am already having trouble sleeping. 

There are a few details left that we need to finish in Colton's room.  I just ordered his mattress on Monday.  :)  I couldn't find the one that we wanted in a store anywhere and I have been procratinating like crazy.  Even though I really wanted to get his crib all dolled up so I could take picutres of it.  So also on the agenda for this weekend is getting all of that stuff finished and probably packing my hospital bag.  MAN!  NEXT WEEK!!  So hard to believe. 

I think I am ready though.  I am hot all the time, feeling larger by the day, my feet are GIGANTIC, I can't sleep at night because I am hot, can't get comfortable and my legs go to sleep.  I can't concentrate when I am at work because I keep thinking of all the things I have at home to do yet I have to be at work.  And I have been trying to prepare myself mentally for having a c-section.  Yep I think that about sums it all up!

The Window

One of my favorite parts about photography is the editing process.  You can take a picture and pretty much transform it any way that you want to.  This is the same shot edited three different ways. 

 

 

 

 

 

I can't decide which is my favorite.  It is a toss up between the first one and the last one.  I know the last one is a little dark but that is what intrigues me so much about it.  I also love the way that her floor length veil shimmers in each of them!

Jen and Corey - Wedding Bells

I am slowly but surely working through the massive amount of pictures that I took at my friend's wedding last week.  I alone took over 2200 pictures and her sister in law was working as a second shooter and she took over 1000 so least to say I have my work cut out for me!  I wish I could sit and edit all day.  That would  be a great job and it would go a whole lot faster.  BUT since that isn't my reality I have set a goal to work on them a bit each night or every couple of nights so that I can get them back to her as quick as possible.  I wanted to share a few of my favorites of what I have edited so far. 

The beautiful bride getting ready.

 

 

Her fun shoes.  She wore these hot pink heels for the ceremony.

 

 

and these adorable flip flops for the reception.

 

 

 

 

and a shot just for fun.  We were headed down the elevator to go take some pictures around town and they were standing there drinking a Coke Zero.  {I absolutely love my 50mm lens by the way!  the blurry background is all complement to that.}

 

As I get more of the pictures edited I will post more.  It will take me a while I am sure and this way it won't be picture overload in one post.  :)

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

Chicken Parmesan Bundles



Ingredients
4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of the water
1-1/4 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
6 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 egg
½ cup bread crumbs
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
Angel Hair Pasta Noodles

Directions
Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella and 3 Tbsp. Parmesan until well blended; spread onto chicken breasts. Starting at one short end of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired.

Beat egg in shallow dish. Mix remaining Parmesan and cracker crumbs in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 45 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve with Angel Hair Pasta topped with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella.

Mama, I Milked a Cow!!

On Wednesday Lauren's daycare went on a field trip to a local milk company called Shatto Milk.  I wanted to go with them so badly but I had an all day training class at work so I "made" Brian go with her.  I wanted to make sure we got pictures of her first up close experience with Dairy Cows.  :)  I called them on my lunch break and all she could say was "I milked a cow" she was so excited.  When I got home I had to get it on video because the way she said it just cracked me up!!




In the car on the way there.  She was so excited to get to go see cows.  She wanted to wear her cowboy boots and her horsey shirt.  :)

 

 

 

{I have to say that Brian took my camera and I had it set on aperture priority mode and he didn't know to switch it so some of the photos are a bit washed out.  Overall I thought he did a good job.}

MILKING A COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Waiting to pet a baby cow.

 

 

 

In front of the milk truck that MOOS when it honks! 

 

Lauren and some of her friends.

 

 

 

External Version

Well we went this morning for my doctor to attempt the external version and she was unsuccessful.  :(  So unless he decides within the next two weeks that he is going to turn on his own I will be having a c-section on June 23. 

I was really hoping that she would get him turned.  I have even been to the chiropractor twice this week and had accupuncture done but no deal.  He is just way too comfy in there folded in half like he is.

The version was not a pleasant experience but it didn't last too long...thanks goodness.  My doctor was really nice and was as easy on me as she possibly could be in that situation.  He would move a bit when she would push on him but as soon as she took her hand off my belly he would roll right back in the same spot that he has been in. 

Thanks for all the prayers and I am so thankful that he tolerated the procedure! 

Baby Shower

Sunday Mollie threw me a wonderful baby shower for Colton.  I had so much fun!  We had cake and punch and played several games. 

 

One game was where the guests had to cut a piece of string and guess how big my belly is. 

 

This is my Aunt Karen's guess {she USED to be my favorite Aunt until I saw how big she thought I was :) just kidding}

 

Then we did a baby bottle chugging contest.  Everyone said that it was harder than it looked.  Mollie only put a couple of ounces of water in the bottle and it took them several minutes to finish it.  It was quite hilarious!!

 

I got a ton of gifts.  I am so blessed by my friends and family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My mom is pretty hand with the knitting and crochet needles and for every new baby that she knows she will make them a baby blanket.  Her is Lauren with Colton's.  The doll that she is holding is her "baby brother" When we found out we were having a boy my mom bought it for her so she would get used to saying that.

 

Close up of his blanket.  My mom is truly talented.  I love her crocheted blankets.  I have a couple that are my size!!

 

 

I saw these hats online in some newborn pictures and showed them to my mom.  She freehanded several of them, even one for Lauren's doll.  He is wearing it in the picture above!  I can't wait to take Colton's picture in them!

 

Soon I will be headed into the hospital to have my doctor try the external version to see if we can get Colton to turn head down.  I went to the chiropractor on Tuesday and had her try some different things, even acupuncture to see if we could get him to turn on his own but no such luck!  So next we are trying the version.  I will try to update as soon as I can.