So…life with a baby.  Since that is pretty much all-consuming at the moment, most of this week’s random thoughts are about baby Sloane.

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Sloane is pretty easy and hasn’t given us a hard time.  She sleeps three – four hours at a time at night, and isn’t too fussy as long as she has her necessities.  Lucky us!

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She’s 12 days old today.  I would swear I just gave birth to her yesterday.  For such a slow, slow pregnancy, time sure is flying now that she is here.

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I’ve perfected a few ways to have her snuggled into my office chair next to me and still be able to work.  In fact, that is where she is now.

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Recovering from a c-section is no joke.  I’m continually surprised by days that I feel better that end in pain and discomfort.  I’m still not allowed to drive, and I accidentally picked up my 24-pound nephew this weekend and was reminded of my weight lifting limit very quickly.

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Speaking of limits – I really miss the gym.  Just that daily cardio and endorphin rush – I’d love to have that again right now.  The hormone crashes after pregnancy aren’t much fun emotionally, and it seems like a good workout would do wonders.  Alas, I’m not allowed.  I’m also worried I’m going to loose a lot of muscle tone and shape, which I’ve worked so hard for, as I wait out the rest of my minimum 6 week hiatus.  I guess since I’m allowed to lift Sloane, it’s time to start doing some baby bicep curls.

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In other post-pregnancy news, my wedding ring fits again, and I can’t even describe how good that feels!

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The first wedding of the year is just three weeks away.  I’ve been thrilled with all of the snow we’ve gotten – but sad that the rain last night made a mess of it.  Plenty of time left to get a beautiful winter wonderland brewing for Robyn & Paul!

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It’s kind of poetic to me that winter waited to make an appearance until Sloane arrived.  I haven’t decided what it means, but I can’t ignore the coincidence either.

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Lest you think I’ve been sitting around staring at my child (okay, so a good portion of every day is spent this way), I have also been back at work.  There isn’t much of a maternity leave for those who own their own business.  I’ve been chatting with and meeting with new clients and the 2012 and 2013 calendars are filling up.  So, don’t hesitate or think you need to give me more time to recover.

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Have a great week!

Sloane Isabella
Wednesday, January 11th
12:08 am
8 lbs 3 oz.
21 inches

Last Wednesday a little bundle of squeaky-toy cries, gummy smiles and the sweetest little expressions exploded into our lives.  She came in her own way, on her own time, and flipped our lives sideways in the meantime.

We’ve been learning all of her quirks and facets – how she can hold up her head already and look around, the little fringe of hair over her collar, her one-eyed peek when she isn’t sure she wants to be awake yet, the dimple in her chin, and her way of gesturing and “talking”, just like her Daddy:

We’ve had a busy five days since her birth, with lots of visitors.  She even got to meet one of her Great-Grandmas already.

In this new sideways world I often pinch myself as I realize scenes like this are now normal:

For those who are wondering, Ringo is adjusting very well.  He is certainly feeling a bit neglected, but he really seems to love Sloane, and is very attentive to her.

Hubby and I are truly struggling to find the words to describe how life has changed for us.  No matter how prepared we tried to be, you can’t really understand how it will feel, what will change, what you will accept and what you will struggle with; until it happens.  And even then, we are still at a loss for words.

We were fortunate enough to have our good friend (and our own wedding photographer) Heather Cook Elliott there to document Sloane’s birth story.  We will have a blog post coming soon with her images and more of the story.   Until then, back to babyland….

After 10 days of voting, we have winners!

It was a close race, and the top spots changed hands quite a few times.

So….without further adieu……

Second place, and a 16×24 canvas gallery wrap goes to:

Julie & Tucker!

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Drumroll please…..

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and the winners of the “Best of 2011″ title, and a 24×36 canvas gallery wrap are:

Julie & Dusty!

Congratulations everyone!  It was a blast to watch the votes roll in, and watch the leaders change.  I hope participating was as much fun for all of you!

Now to see what 2012 holds….

We’ll start with the obvious.  Still pregnant, no baby yet.  I really think she might be holding out for her Grandpa’s birthday, as he requested – in which case we won’t see her until next week.   I definitely got more uncomfortable over the weekend – every movement seemed like a chore.  In truth I’m not sure if that is really happening, or if I just finally gave into some of the pregnancy symptoms, or started reading more into things.  We are starting to get a little impatient around here – so we are focusing on projects around the house and such to keep distracted.

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The “Best of 2012″ contest is going strong.  Just one week left to vote for your favorites.  You can vote once a day (per IP address).   Julie & Dusty are holding the lead currently, with Emily & Dave and Ashley & Tom right on their heels.  But there is lots of time for anyone to jump into the #1 spot, so get out there and ask for votes!  Emails, facebooking, tweeting, classic bribery, begging – it’s all fair game in the pursuit of victory.

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For those that don’t live here – you’ve probably been picturing us in sub-zero temperatures and buried in snow.  Normally, we would be.  Somehow though, it’s been downright warm – barely dipping below freezing in the morning, and there hasn’t been a milimeter of snow to enjoy.  From one stand-point, this is great – as I haven’t had to deal with being uber-preggo and icy sidewalks or jackets that no longer zip up.  From another – you have to wonder if this means we are going to get hit with a monster storm, or a terribly cold spring like last year.

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Hubby’s been off of work the last several days for baby girl’s arrival, and for the most part this is wonderful.  One big downfall though is having this occur during NFL football playoffs.  I swear we watched, listened to, discussed and stressed over more football than usual this weekend, and the Packers weren’t even playing!  He’s already warned baby girl that she should not come during the playoff game this coming Sunday.

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Ringo has been extra snuggly and clingy lately.  We are attributing this to him finally catching on that his little world is about to change.  I do still think he feels the nursery is a room we are making for him though.  Oh, how I hope this transition goes well for him!  If anyone has any tips for introducing a baby to a dog, we are all ears.

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That is our world right now – thoughts and preparations for baby girl and a few other small things.  So, not much else to blab about this Monday.  So, I’m off to make album edits, talk to new clients and keep things running around here, as we wait….

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Have a great week!