Dear Lil Sis,

I feel you kicking inside me, as I sit down to write to you. I envision you all snuggled up inside me, with a head full of hair like your sister, ready to come out tomorrow morning. And I sit here and daydream of you finally being in my arms and becoming a part of our family. How lucky we are to have you join us in the adventures of life… where we love each other dearly and know that God hand-picked each of us to be together.
Shall I tell you a little about your new family? You have an amazing daddy, whose heart is pure gold and is the kind of man I can only hope you and your sister will also find one day. I’ve been in love with him since I met him in college, and my love grows for him more each and every day. You have a Big Sister who is anxiously waiting to meet you. She is full of life and laughter and will teach you every naughty thing she knows. And she will love you with her whole heart, because that’s the kind of person she is. My dream is that you and her will be the best of friends and have the kind of sister relationship that I always wished I had. You have an over-sized dog named Big Beagle, who gets in trash cans, eats underwear and has an ear-piercing howl that’ll make you cringe… and then she will look at you with her big chocolate brown eyes and all your anger instantly melts away. She and Miss Priss are pretty tight, but I’m guessing that by the time you’re able to crawl, pull hair and drop food off your highchair; they’ll happily welcome you into their "Ornery Club". And you have a mommy, who’s impulsive, creative and eager to please. I am honored to have the amazing job as your mother, to teach you all I know and bring you up as the wonderful young woman I’m positive you’ll be! You have grandparents that will spoil you, uncles, aunts and cousins that will adore you, and a Red-Headed Godmother that will teach you all sorts of nonsense.
You are being welcomed into this world by a family full of love, loyalty and compassion. They will be here to cheer you on in this game of life… a life that I hope you’ll live to the fullest. I hope that you will open your heart to everyone you meet. I pray that you’ll eagerly welcome God into your life and know how much he loves you. I dream that you’ll be strong-willed, yet know how to apologize; to dream big dreams, yet be content with the small things in life; to strive to be unique and original, yet value the differences in other people.
Without even meeting you yet, I am already in love with you and everything you’ll bring into our lives. You are my sweet baby girl and I can hardly wait to have you here.
Always,
Mommy

Sister Gifts

In just 48 hours, my two sweet little girls are going to be meeting each other!! In anticipation of this momentous event, I have created gifts for each of them that they can give to one another.
For Miss Priss, I filled her gift bag with Big Sister books, a Big Sister Necklace, a new baby doll and a baby blanket that coincidentally matches the one that I made for Lil Sis! My hope is that as she sees Mommy with Lil Sis, she can be a little mommy herself with her own doll and baby blanket!

For Lil Sis, Miss Priss and I got creative and made a bib just for her! We had such fun getting out the fabric markers and decorating something especially for Lil Sis. As mommy drew hearts and a sunshine, Miss Priss insisted that Lil Sis would like "lots of dots", and that's what she got... lots of green polka dots!

As we are in the hospital this weekend, I have planned out a couple more fun things for Miss Priss to do as a new Big Sister. She and her grandparents get to decorate "Sister Pumpkins" and make Birthday Cupcakes for Lil Sis... pink, of course!

Just Call Me Martha

One of the quirks I picked up with this pregnancy was sewing. That's right, sewing. I pulled out my sewing machine from the back of the closet, dusted it off, re-read the instruction manual... and went Sew-Crazy.
I started with a baby blanket for Lil Sis, then moved on to matching tops for my girls, and just this past weekend, a skirt for Miss Priss. And it turned out so good, I actually let her wear it... in public!

And although I'm not about to make my sewing debut into the world as anything more than a hobby, I have truly enjoyed the sense of achievement and satisfaction it has given me. I guess it's a little like my designing, to sit down with a blank screen (or shirt!) and create something all on my own.

I wonder where the Domestic Gods will lead me to next? Perhaps they'll take me into the kitchen and I'll finally learn how to cook... H.O.T.Y. can only hope, can't he?

Pumpkin Patch

With the beautiful weather this past weekend, we decided to take Miss Priss to the Pumpkin Patch and enjoy one last outing with her as our "only-child." The local Pumpkin Patch was the perfect place for us to have fun, relax, and again watch the world through a child's eyes.
We ran around and around in Hay Mazes:

We fed baby goats:

We made friends with a donkey:

We rode a horse named Gingerbread:

We climbed on tractors and pretended to be farmers:

We tried out every swing at the farm:

(Even momma tried them out!)

And we made lots of new special memories with our sweet little girl. Our lives have revolved around Miss Priss since the day she was born and we've enjoyed every minute of it. She's fiesty and funny and full of life... she is going to make one amazing Big Sister!

Pregnancy is Not for Wimps

As I am in the last week of my pregnancy (can I get a “Hell Yeah!”), I wanted to put together a list of some of the highlights (and lowlights) of my last nine months:

• The first trimester sucked. Really, it did. Between nausea, exhaustion and crazy mood-swings, those first three months were no cup of tea for me or anyone else in my household.
• I have practically lived on cereal. H.O.T.Y. has been wonderful and has stocked our pantry with every wild cereal request I have – from Raisin Bran to Cinnamon Toast Crunch… from Frosted Flakes to Cheerios. And you can usually find me eating at least two to three bowls a day.
• Sleep… or lack of… has been a consistent the entire time. For me, that stinks because I value my sleep about as high as I value my bubble baths. My prayer is that Lil Sis will be as good of a sleeper as her sister was and that in just a few months I will be able to get in a full night of my oh-so-precious sleep.
• The child in my tummy isn’t so much a kicker as a pusher/shover. With Miss Priss, I would have sweet little kicks around the clock. With Lil Sis, I have these weird bulges sticking out, due to her pushing an arm, elbow or foot just as far as it will go. And then she leaves it there for about as long as I can stand it!
• I’ve had several food aversions with this pregnancy that I hadn’t had with my first. Main foods that have been banned from a ten-mile radius are BBQ sauce, baked potatoes, Chinese food, and tuna.
• I didn’t do a nursery for Lil Sis. There I said it, that confession is officially off my chest. And as those of you that really know me sit there in shock, let me explain a little of why I’ve already been neglecting my second-born. We have a four bedroom house. That means that I had to either give up my workroom/playroom or the guestroom. The decision was easy enough (sorry guests!), but with the Holidays coming immediately after Lil Sis’s birth, I knew that I’d be crazy to loose my guestroom bed that quickly. So, Lil Sis has a cute little area set up in my bedroom with a bassinet, glider and changing table and will get to shack it up with me until the first of next year. Then, I’m sure, my decorating with-drawl will go into over drive and I will finally get to create a beautiful nursery for my sweet new baby girl!
• My ankles have not swollen. I repeat, my ankles have not swollen. Last pregnancy, I spent the last four weeks with glorified cankles and could only fit into flipflops. Yet here I am at 38 (and a half!) weeks pregnant, I can still see my ankle bones and can proudly still fit into a pair of high heels. Oh… and all my rings still fit too!!
• Although I’ve gained ten pounds less than I did from my first pregnancy, I seriously feel ten times bigger. And I’m most certainly ready to get back to my normal size ASAP.

We have decided that with my c-section Friday, I will be having my tubes tied as well. This was a major decision for us, but one that I’m feeling really good about. God has blessed us with so much, and I look forward to giving my all to my two sweet little girls. And trust me, knowing that this is my last pregnancy ever…. well it makes me smile really really really big.

ONE MORE WEEK

...to place your KJane Holiday Order for the Early Bird Special!

Just want to remind everyone that I am only accepting orders through next Friday, October 1st for Custom Designed Photo Cards!! Orders that are placed and a deposit paid by next Friday will receive a FREE set of matching address labels.

All orders placed AFTER October 1st, will need to select one of the pre-designed templates from my website. Clients that choose a pre-designed template for their 2010 Holiday Photo Card will receive a 10% discount.

If you have any questions about my Holiday Orders, please feel free to contact me!

Our Birth Story

No.... Lil Sis is not here yet!! But as her upcoming arrival consumes my mind in every waking thought, I wanted to sit down and write about Miss Priss's own arrival into our lives. To remember how wonderful it was to bring her into the world and how I can only hope Lil Sis's birth will go as smoothly.
And without further ado.... here is the Birth Story of Miss Priss:

To me, it was the perfect birth. Our parents arrived the night before the planned c-section, and in excitement and joy we celebrated a wonderful dinner while the skies opened up in a torrential downpour. Even the weather couldn’t bring down our spirits; we were to have a baby the next day, our first child, their first grandchild. It was a night full of anticipation for what was about to come.
I remember sitting in the lobby that next morning, dressed in a pretty pink dress and staring down at my swollen ankles. When they called my name, I sang out “Yes! I’m here to have a baby!” And as I answered question after question, signed paper after paper, that goofy grin was plastered permanently on my face. After what felt like a lifetime, yet was only a few minutes, I was finally whisked away to the prep-room. As I dressed in that oh-so-fashionable gown, I could hear babies crying and mommies whispering quietly behind the curtains in the room all around me. I kept thinking, “That will be me soon, that will be me soon!”
Without question, the most uncomfortable part of the entire c-section was getting my IV… which took three different attempts by three different nurses. Finally, they had it in and we were told that our doctor was on her way to see us. Dr. C waltzed in minutes later, fully garbed in her operating scrubs and asked if I was ready. Oh boy, was I ready! Just before they wheeled me out of the prep room, I gave H.O.T.Y.’s hand a tight squeeze and said “This is it.” That scared/terrified/ohmygoodnesswhatarewedoing look that he gave me will be ingrained in my head for eternity.
Being in the operating room by myself was overwhelming for me, especially since I knew the next step was to get my Spinal Block. It had been what I’d most been dreading. Yet, God must have known when to send in his angels, because the most beautiful nurse with eyes as deep as the bluest ocean waltzed in and said “I’m just here to hold your hand.” And as she held both my hands and I stared down into those magical blue eyes, that Spinal Block felt like no more than a pinch.
After that, things seemed to start whirling around me, they were asking about my feet, I was asking about H.O.T.Y., they were putting up the curtain above my chest, I was struggling with the feeling of my entire body going numb. As H.O.T.Y. was escorted in the room, fully dressed in his own operating scrubs, I apparently was yelling “Not yet, not until he’s here!” But with just the touch of his hand in mine, I was instantly soothed and ready to begin.
I remember a lot of tugging and pulling… which is probably better that I remember only that much. H.O.T.Y. said it was a lot worse to watch, seeing my little body pushed and shoved around like that…. yet it felt like only seconds went by before I heard Dr. C say “Here she is! Wow, look at all that hair!!” And over the top of the curtain popped a little purple face with a head full of black hair…. her eyes were squeezed shut, she was screaming at the top of her lungs and a drop of goo fell from her face and landed right on my nose! I had never been more in love than I was at that moment.
They whisked her away to get all her stats and H.O.T.Y. stood there frozen not knowing where to be. I could tell that he didn’t want to leave my side, yet was eager to follow the nurses and see for himself this brand new little miracle. I quickly sent him off telling him to “Go, go, go!! Don’t let them drop her!”
After they’d weighed and measured, sucked and clipped, they wrapped her all up and handed her over to H.O.T.Y. I will never forget that moment, seeing him become a daddy right before my eyes. Love seemed to pour out of him and I knew right then that Miss Priss was the luckiest little girl in the world. As he brought her over to me, he held her up to my face so I could snuggle with this sweet little angel. I breathed in deeply and thanked God for my beautiful baby girl. My tears flowed like the night before’s downpour, with happiness, with appreciation, with an attachment to her that I’d never imagined could exist.

10 NEW Fun Facts about Miss Priss

1. She is a CHATTERBOX. She will happily talk your ear off about anything and everything – just the other day she told her babysitter that when Lil Sis comes in a couple weeks, Papa will come too and he’s bringing Christmas. (Dad – she’s expecting snow too, so you’d better come prepared!)
2. FRIENDS are very important to her. She will list all her friends off and will change daily on who is her “Best Friend”. Every once in awhile I hit the jackpot and get to be the “Best Friend”…. it never lasts long, but I love to hear it all the same!
3. She loves to BAKE with me in the kitchen. She wants me to explain what each ingredient is, and insists that she gets to put them all in the mixing bowl. And of course, it’s not acceptable for anyone but her to lick the bowl and/or spoon afterwards!
4. She is obsessed with SUCKERS. She asks for them at least ten times a day, and demands she gets to pick out what “color” she’s getting each time. (and to my defense, I only allow one sucker a day)
5. MOVIES are still her favorite past-time. Lately her favorites have been “Toy Story” (1, 2 and 3), “Lady and the Tramp”, and “Halloween Barney”.
6. She can seriously hold a GRUDGE. Case in point: a little boy in playgroup pulled her shirt over a year ago and she still talks about it. So watch out if you cross her, she will NOT forget it!
7. Her favorite FOODS as of late are chicken nuggets, applesauce, sprinkle donuts and mandarin oranges.
8. Every sport to her is BASKETBALL. Whether she’s sitting with daddy watching golf on TV, looking at his OU football helmet in his office or at a Redhawks baseball game, she insists that it’s called “Basketball”.
9. She is becoming quite the little ARTIST. Almost daily we get out paints, markers, crayons or play dough and she will sit there contently designing all kinds of artwork. She has quite the imagination, so I never know what will be created!
10. She is SO ready for Lil Sis to be here! She talks about her constantly and asks when Lil Sis will come to her house! She is ready to become a BIG SISTER!

Nap Time

Napping with Miss Priss has become Top Priority in my house for the past few weeks. With so much going on in my head, in my house, and in my life…. I have found throwing my to-do list to the wind and snuggling in with my girl every afternoon is an absolute lifeline necessity. I keep telling myself that even with a new baby, the dynamic will NOT change between me and Miss Priss. I keep telling myself that she will not feel differently toward me, act differently toward me… and {gasp} not become someone else’s “girl”. Because she’s mine, all mine, and my type-A has created a strong hold of frantic panic thinking that Lil Sis is somehow going to change that. And hence, I have indulged her every request to bake cupcakes for breakfast, take bubble baths twice a day and sleep in “Momma’s Bed” whenever her heart desires. My obsession to make every moment count grows daily as Lil Sis could truly come anytime.
To be fair, I am full of joy and excitement for Lil Sis to join us in our adventures of life. I know I will love her with my whole heart the instant I see her and am confident that she is the best gift that I could ever give Miss Priss. Having a sister is sure to make her whole world better, but it doesn’t make it any easier for me to let go of that “MissPriss&Me” mentality.
So today as I leave the dishes in the sink, a load of un-folded laundry piled up on the chair and my giant to-do list scribbled on my desk…. I will get in bed with my sweet girl, holding her close and knowing that she’ll always be “my girl”.

Run Miss Priss Run

Anyone who knows her, knows that an outing with Miss Priss is sure to be a full fledged event. Even a run in the park takes no exception. So when H.O.T.Y. suggested some exercise and Miss Priss insisted on taking her pink stroller and bear.... this momma knew to bring the camera along too.
At first, the bear got to enjoy a nice little stroll... but as they picked up speed, Miss Priss ditched the stroller and poor H.O.T.Y. got to carry it for awhile. As she ran along, she sang as loud as possible "Follow the Yellow Brick Road".

Miss Priss then continued to find each and every little thing of interest along the walking trail... like water puddles, distance markers, and even the occasional piece of trash.

After about a half of a mile, Miss Priss decided that the bear had had enough exercise and needed back in the stroller. Little did that bear know that he was in for a wild ride!

Finally, she handed both the bear and the stroller over to H.O.T.Y. and took off in a full-fledged run. And I mean full-fledged. Her hands were in fists, her arms pumped back and forth, she was super serious about that run. She was 100% in her element.

As we neared the end of our walk/run, Miss Priss had certainly had a work out. Her clothes were dirty, her hair wind-blown, and she had that look of content that only someone who really enjoyed their run can have.

Who knows.... maybe she'll grow up to be an Olympic Athlete?

BuildABear Adventure

Ahh... the wonderful world of BuildABear. As some of you might remember, we purchased a BEAGLE in Feburary 2009 for Miss Priss to take to the local BuildABear and stuff into a life-long friend. Because of the insane-ness of V-Day, we chickened out and thus, it has been sitting in her closet, un-stuffed and un-loved for the past 19 months.

So with my growing obsession to make EVERY MOMENT COUNT in the last few weeks left of her as our only child, I insisted that we JUST HAD to take Miss Priss to stuff her dog. As the picture below shows.... she would've happily left the dog in the closet for a few more months.

Luckily, the stuffing guy was fabulous and he got her to at least agree to participate in the creation of her new dog. We picked out hearts, made wishes upon them, and stuck all three little hearts inside the dog. Then she hesitantly stepped on the "stuffing pump" and watched in awe as the beagle began to grow.

Once the dog was stitched all up, Miss Priss seemed to get a little more comfortable with the idea of this being her new BFF. We gave it a bath...

picked out a few new accessories....

and were sure to try out ALL OF THEM, so we knew which one the beagle liked best.

Finally, we made it to the end. It was time to name our dog and create the Birth Certificate. Who would've thought this would be the most challenging part? We went through a list of names and Miss Priss would reject each one.... Doggie (No!) Cupcake (No!) Louie (No!) Big Beagle (No!)

And what did Miss Priss finally decide on????

I guess Miss Priss is as anxious as we are to finally meet Lil Sis!

Daddy's Pedicure

As the only male in the house, H.O.T.Y. gets doused daily with girly things. From playing dress up to tea parties, from non-stop princess talk to tutus and tiaras.... he has become an expert in all things girly. So it was no wonder that I found Miss Priss one day painting his toenails pink....

And for those of you who don't personally know H.O.T.Y., he has an extreme phobia of feet. It took me three years of convincing just to get him in a pair of flip flops. So the fact that he let Miss Priss COVER his toes in sparkly pink nail polish.... it just goes to show what an awesome daddy he is!

Momma's Belly

The beauty of a pregnant belly is truly in the eye of the beholder.... and lately Miss Priss has fallen in love with mine. Her eyes are perfectly level with my belly button and she will often peer inside, trying to get a look at this mysterious Lil Sis we talk about so much.

Sometimes she'll walk by me and stop just long enough to give my belly a sweet little kiss. She'll look up at me with those bright blue eyes and say "I love you Mommy soooo much!" And right then and there I melt, because hearing those words is what makes motherhood the best job in the world.

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Lil Sis and the departure of this enormous belly.... but for these last few weeks I'm content to sit back and let Miss Priss love on Momma's Belly.

Back to School

Yesterday was the start of another adventure in our house.... preschool. As Miss Priss eagerly got dressed and proudly put on her new backpack, my stomach was twisted in knots knowing it was yet another step I had to accept in her growing up. As we pulled into the parking lot, she practically jumped out of the car and ran into the building... and as I held tightly to her hand as we walked into her classroom, she pulled away from me and said "Mommy, let me go". She happily ran across the room and immediately engaged herself with the new toys, new friends and new beginnings.... while I fought back the tears knowing my last summer of just the two of us was officially over.

Needless to say, that two-and-a-half hours flew right by me and before I knew it, I was sitting in the car pool lane ready to pick her up. Seeing that big smile as she approached my car was just the reassurance I needed to know she'd had a great first day. Determined to still spend lots of quality time with her, I started a tradition of doing a daily After School Activity. Our first activity was "Rainbow Cookies" and we happily spent an hour in the kitchen making dough, coloring dough and creating all kinds of fun shapes and creatures.

I know this is just one of the many times I'll have to sit back and watch my baby girl grow up before my eyes. And whether they be tiny steps or giant leaps, I know not one of them will be easy on me. If only I could make time stand still a little longer...

A Shriner Weekend

For Labor Day Weekend, we were treated with a visit from The Julian Family. As I've mentioned before, this family is very special to us and we've had lots of fun with them over the past 10 years! Daddy Julian is a member of the KC Shriner's Club and was in town for their Regional Convention. So, H.O.T.Y., Miss Priss and I dove right in and had ourselves a full fledged "Shriner Weekend"!
On Friday, we went out to the State Fairgrounds to watch Daddy Julian and several of our other friends compete in their little cars. It was a blast watching them and we were so proud when their team won First Place!

That night, we all went to Toby Keith's Bar & Grill in Bricktown. Miss Priss just adores their girls and we all had a great time together.

Sweet Baby K was a doll all weekend long..... until that night when her Mommy and Daddy went to an Awards Banquet and she came home with me. After half an hour of screaming and crying, I was really re-thinking my decision to have another baby! Luckily, we all survived her "Pissy Time" and she decided to be sweet to me the rest of weekend.

On Saturday morning, we headed out to see Daddy Julian preform in the big Shriner's Parade. This was Miss Priss's favorite part of the weekend, as she sat mesmerized watching everyone drive by. She sat there like a perfect angel and waved and smiled at each passing group and has been talking non-stop about parades ever since!

If parades are what bring the sweetness out of my girl, you can guarantee I'll be taking her to them every weekend from now on!!!

We had such a wonderful weekend with The Julian Family... they are such good friends and the house seemed so quiet after they'd left. We're already looking forward to seeing them again soon!

These Boots Are Made For Splashing

This morning as Miss Priss sat and ate her sprinkle donut, she asked me if she could go outside and play in the "sparkles" (sprinkler). So what did we do? We put on her Rain Coat and brand new Rain Boots and out we went!!
At first she was a little cautious of the sprinklers, staying far enough back to stay dry, yet close enough to inspect them. With a little urging from her momma, she gradually made her way closer and closer....

It didn't take too long for her to find a big puddle of mud and away she went! She giggled, she stomped, she splashed to her own sheer delight. She was happily content with that one mud puddle and her brand new boots.

Watching her this morning, finding small joys in the simpler things of life... it showed me yet again how magical it is to be this little girl's mommy and how lucky I am to have her. She teaches me every day to find something to smile about and that life is all about finding mud puddles to splash in!