"to do" list before you have a baby.

1. learn how to get ready for the day in 30 min. or less (you never know how long they will or won't nap... to be safe, plan on 30-- then even with a 20 min. nap, hopefully your baby will be OK to chill in bed for a few) *this includes shower & shaving, hair, makeup & clothes.  Good luck.... And don't skip the shave... you still have a hubby :)


2. train your hair to be able to go at least every other day for a shower (more would be best) -- helpful tips: dry shampoo - works great & smells wonderful!


3. ...and find a way to wear it dirty that still makes you feel pretty (I suggest up in some way)

{ this is my go-to-no-shower-up-do }

3. have exercise equipment at home - no space? no problem... I recommend this.

4. finish all projects you would like to do (even 9 months pregnant you will have an easier time getting it complete)

5. either get used to drinking cold coffee OR buy a great thermos that keeps your coffee warm :)  ...Or the other option is to microwave over & over & over.... *I suggest buying some type of one-cup coffee pot -saves time not having to clean & fill a big pot

6. finish all books you've started to read (...you'll be busy reading baby books & blogs)
*Here's my favorite book & my favorite blog.

7. save some money to buy a few post-pregnancy clothes (tops & bottoms) - my tip: go to walmart, I found super cute skinny jeans for $7!!  You'll probably only need them for a few weeks, but you don't feel like wearing your maternity clothes & you won't fit in your old stuff. Sorry. But bonus is you get to experience the joy of jeans becoming to big on you if you have a transition pair or two!  *tops- it is probably worth it to splurge more than $7 :) ...because your chest will be large for a long time!  (at least as long as your breast feed)
(one more thing... wait to buy your nursing bra till your milk comes in-- until then you can always wear a sports bra-- and buy one that is both comfy & pretty)

8. make sure you have all your baby essentials & do all your returns & exchanges

9.  finish all your thank you cards from your baby shower(s)

10. have someone help you give your home a good hard clean!  ...When you're sitting around all day (...and night) feeding your newborn, you don't want to be starring at the cobwebs you couldn't bend over & reach up to get while you were pregnant :)

11. if you like to watch TV, get some type of DVR... or get used to missing half the show

12. the most important one... prepare yourself to be blessed beyond your imagination with the most precious gift that you get the opportunity to take care of!  It's worth all the sacrifice, tears, dirty hair & new jeans :)

our birth story.

Westin's due date was August 31, 2010. I pretty much tried everything to get him to come...well, not everything... but he wasn't ready. So Tuesday, September 7 I was induced. We went into the hospital at noon. I was still only 2 cm dilated. Pitocin started by 1pm. Well, here we go...

1-5pm, pretty much nothing happened. The contractions weren't bad-- Scott & I watched TV & played Phase 10 dice. 5pm rolled around, 3 cm dilated (boo!) and the doctor came in & broke my water. BAM! Now the contractions started! So, 4 hours to dilate 1 cm... this may take a long while... so, my plan was to hold off on an epidural as long as possible-- not because I didn't want it, I did, but since it slows the progress down, I didn't want it yet in hopes that I could dilate more before we slowed me down slower than I already was going.

2 hours of painful labor later it's now 7pm... the pain is bad. Real bad. So I opted for medication to ease the pain & relax me. What did it do? It relaxed me so much that the minute I had between contractions I about passed out, but then the contraction would start & it was just as painful as ever. I was so out of it! So at 7:15 (just 15 min. with the pain meds), I couldn't take it anymore & begged for the epidural! By 7:45pm I was finally relieved of the pain! FEW! The bummer is now we are all sure that we won't be delivering anytime soon....

The nurse checked me a little bit later-- wait, what? I'm 7cm dilated?! Ok, this is going faster than we all thought... so she called the doctor. At 9pm the doctor checked me again, 10cm! I was told at 9:30pm we would do a practice push to see how things go. They thought that I'll probably push for about 2 hours once we start. 9:30 rolls around, I start pushing.... OK, no more practice push, it's go time!

20 minutes later, our beautiful baby boy arrives! Westin Alan Ebsen was born September 7, 2010 at 9:49pm. We couldn't be happier.

> Westin's birth was photographed by Leah Robbins Photography.

> View the slideshow of his birth here.

{ here are a few samples of Leah's photographs from our birth }

the story of one sweet name.

I for sure had my doubts about what to name our son. It really stressed me out that he would have this name for the rest of his life, and that the decision was up to me & my husband. Talk about pressure. And I don't like pressure. But obviously, we did decide. And to be honest, even though we told you we were going to wait until we saw him... I knew.

I just knew, even if I didn't want to admit it. I knew his name. And then one morning (8/17/10), I was spending time with Jesus and I was taken to this passage: Isaiah 43.

Here are just a few of the verses that stood out to me: (1-5) But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. (emphasis mine)

It is impossible that our little guy is finally here without the Lord being a part of every piece of the puzzle- there are just too many things that can go wrong in this whole process. God is his creator, the One who formed him in my womb. And this (Isaiah 43) is our prayer for him; that our God, Jesus Christ, would be Westin's only Saviour- that he wouldn't look to anything or anyone else. That one day Westin will choose to respond to the loving call from his Creator.

Westin means "from the west". We pray that God will gather Westin in His arms as He longs to do with all His children, as Isaiah 43 talks about.

Westin's middle name, Alan, is named after my dad, Greg Alan House, who passed away from cancer in 1997. Alan means "rock", and that's exactly what my dad was. He was one who's faith could not be shaken because his foundation was on the Rock, Jesus.

{ Welcome Westin Alan Ebsen. You are precious in my eyes, and I love you }

Westin Alan Ebsen.

September 7, 2010

9:49pm - 8 lbs 2 oz - 21 1/2 in

arrival update.

our baby is doing well! We got a BPP yesterday and he passed :) But... he's not trying to get out any time soon... so the plan for now is to be induced @ noon Tuesday September 7. So we'll see if he decides to come on his own before that! (I REALLY HOPE SO!!!!! I don't want to be induced)

I was still only 1 cm dilated & now 60% effaced. The doc did say that my appointment yesterday could start my labor, which I was really crampy afterwards. So Scott & I did a walk through the mall! (I wasn't about to go walking in the heat & humidity. Mall, much better choice!) ...we'll see what happens!

*don't forget to take the poll (top left column) to guess when Baby Ebsen is going to come meet us!

{ 39 weeks }

well, he could be here any day now! We are so excited!!! We had another doctor's appointment today & everything is looking good. But it's not looking like he's coming today... or tomorrow... but I guess that's OK since we still have a week left anyways till the due date! We're both ready now though. I am more & more tired. And we are both more & more ready to be parents & meet this little guy.

Here are my belly photo updates. My up & coming photographer, Scott, helped me out on this one. I must say, he's becoming a very fast learner & I am pleased :)

our family:

Getting the pictures of the "three" of us was hilarious... normally I do quite a decent job running back & forth from the camera timer to get exactly what I want. But with our baby on board, that wasn't happening last night-- so Scott ran back & forth for us! It was hot, buggy... and he had to deal with the approval of a pregnant photographer (which meant taking a lot of pictures over & over... lot's of running). We we're both exhausted by the end. But at least we got a few good ones! (And the evening convinced him that a camera remote would be a wise purchase for us, I'm so excited!)

{ 36 weeks }

my belly is getting nice & round & LARGE. It's hard to get to my feet... my belly button is pretty much non existent... my wedding band fits better on my pinky finger... his favorite thing to do is to stick his butt out in front & then kick me in the side which isn't usually very pleasant... but I can't wait to meet him!!! So far there are no signs of him coming early. We're all doing well, just continuing to get everything ready for his arrival! 25 days!!!!!

our crib is here.

we got our crib!!! (thanks mom!) And my sweet husband put it together for us. I love it. It fits perfectly in the little nook.

Now for the bedding... and the decorations... and the bookshelf... and the...

{ 33 weeks } Maine

we went up to Maine last week for vacation. It was so wonderful just to sit by the lake & relax, we needed it. And just in time too, because in just 1 week, I'm not allowed to fly anymore :)

view of the lake from our boat ride.

me & my hubs on the dock at sunset.

Scott's sister & brother-in-law & us.

Scott & I with his parents at Jordan Pond House- mmm, popovers.

us taking a break from a walk around Jordan Pond.

one night we went to dinner at Jordan's -- I had fried haddock & soft serve ice cream, it was sooo good!

now we are back home, trying to get everything in order & ready for the little man to come. We'll see what really gets done :)

{ 32 weeks }

here's our little man at 32 weeks. We think he's pretty good looking! It was hard to get good pics today because he was moving around like crazy & he kept putting his hand over his face... hmm, I know someone else who always is rubbing his face (SCOTT!)

he's about 4.7 lbs which is in the 48% and he has a big head :) Hopefully he'll even out eventually! But, we still haven't confirmed his name, and still aren't really sure who he looks like! What do you think? See any resemblances yet?

the beginning of the end.

well, I think it's time... that I start packing... apparently it's a good idea to have my hospital bag packed by 8 months. So here we are. But I'm not really sure what to pack... Any suggestions?

{ 30 weeks }

last week we were in Tuscany at the Fattoria for our summer project debrief, it was beautiful. But I am glad to be home :)

enjoy your day.

{ 28 weeks }

our little guy is kicking more & more! And, I'm in the 3rd trimester!! CRAZY!!! I really noticed the transition this time-- I literally got really hungry all the sudden and more tired again.

It's already been rather humorous that I usually begin walking with our group with people at the front of the line... but slowly I end up at the very end... and beyond! But the nice part about that is that I get to talk to almost everyone that way-- I just start a new convo with the new person I'm walking with, then transition to the next one down the line!! haha.

This photo shoot was taken by my sweet husband in Cinque Terra this past weekend...

...more photos from Cinque Terra to come!

Roma { 26 weeks }

sorry I have been leaving you in the dark... internet is easier than last year to get in Rome, but still not as easy as the states! So I don't have an official belly photo for you, but you can pretty much see it in this photo with me & my hubs at the Colusseum with Constantine's Arch in the background :)

Saturday we went to the Hopper exhibit down in the city center. It was really fun to see the beautiful art with a big group of new Italian friends!

{ photo found here }

this was one of my favs- I love the colors!

after Hopper we went & got gelato together. My new favorite gelato combo is chocolate & coconut, mmmm! Although I have to admit, I've had way more crepes with nutella & rice krispies than gelato. It's SOOO GOOD!!! I joke about making my crepe disciples, many of the girls have now made the nutella & rice krispie combo their fav too :)

hope you are enjoying your summer! Oh, and Happy Memorial Day!

love from Roma. Ciao!

{ 24 weeks }

it's been a rainy week here in Oxford. But we're packing (well, at the moment I'm taking a little break to write to you...) & getting ready to go to Rome!

My belly is getting bigger! I definently get comments now from strangers wanting to tell me all their stories & advice! Apparently since I'm due in August, "it's going to be a hot one"... :) I could've told all those nice strangers that, but I'll let them think that I never thought of that, or heard that before!

hopefully all my stretchy maternity clothes last me throughout this next month in Rome!

Ciao my lovelies!

I love having a boy already.

alright, anyone who says little boys clothes aren't cute... check this out! ...

Izod 5 pack- there's a little blue hat too!

ok, I don't think it can get any cuter than this!! Red windbreaker, t-shirt & pin striped pants! I'm so excited for our boy to wear this I can hardly stand it!

5 pack of Polo onesies :)

...all from TJMaxx. I'm in love with my little man, and he's going to look soooo cute!!!!!!!!