So This is Love...

I am a Mommy! My sweet baby boy surprised us with an early arrival on Friday, March 27th! We named him Jackson Garrett Atwell and I promise you...he's perfect. He is literally everything I dreamed of and more. He was 6 lbs even at birth, measuring 20 1/4 inches long. Long and lean, just like his Momma. He favors Scott definitely, sharing his forehead, his eyes, his cheeks, his mouth and even his weird pinky toe. But he has my nose, the same nose that my mom has and the same nose that my Grandpa jack had - the man Jackson was named after. He also clearly has my attitude! He doesn't like to be messed with, and he'll let you know about it right away.

We made it home Sunday night and enjoyed our first couple of days together as a new family...God I'm blessed. Then Tuesday we were re-admitted to the hospital after discovering that Jackson's billi-reuben level (for Jaundice) had gone up to a dangerous level. So now, here I sit, in the NICU watching my son sleep under bright florescent lights. The lights are known to "bake" the billi levels right out of the skin. I know God's hand is on us. I've felt him with me since my labor started. I know that he will bring us through this and send my baby home with me in just a few short days. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

I am so overjoyed that I can't even see straight. I've never been so happy in all of my life. I've never felt so FULL of life! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. What did I do to deserve such a beautiful boy? I must have done something right.

"Must be doin' somethin' right
I just heard ya sigh
Lean into my kiss
And close those deep blue need you eyes
Don't know what I did
To earn a love like this
But baby I must be doin' somethin' right"

- Billy Currington "Must be Doin' Somethin' Right"



If you're interested in hearing the whole story, let me know. I'm currently writing about the entire experience, and I'd be glad to e-mail it to you. It's a little intense to just post in a blog, so I won't be posting it here.

Have You Ever?

I found this fun little survey on facebook, (these things are always circulating,) and thought I'd participate. All of the things that I've done are in bold. I wish that I could say that I've done more of these things...hopefully I'll be able to add more to the list in the near future!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world Both!
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight Aww...Jamaica :)
46. Been transported in an ambulance just once!
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing LOVE it! (aren't you surprised?)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling snorkeling in Mexico...I HATE it.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies I was a daisy, a brownie and a junior! ;)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy Brownie Honey!
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square NYC is one of the greatest places in the whole world.
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job - twice!
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Done a kegstand
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car - My Nissan Murano was brand new when I bought it! 1st time ever though!
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - fish for the 1st time last year in Ft. Lauderdale with Scott after a deep sea fishing charter!
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Gone Streaking
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby I get to bold this because I'm working really hard on it!
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Met someone famous - I met Juan Pablo Montoya the Colombian race car driver when I was a grid girl for F-1 back in 2004
98. Owned an exotic animal
99. Been stung by a bee

Little Photo Shoot

This is what I look like these days! I'm currently 35 weeks and 3 days along. Can't wait to meet our little man!

I Need a Baby Book

I am wanting to buy a baby memory or keepsake book for Jackson before he gets here but don't want to just buy it at Target or Hallmark if I don't have to. I'd love to have a custom made one that is trendy and cute and won't look like a store bought book. I found a few different choices on Etsy.com but am not sure which one I like the best. They are pretty pricey. The least expensive one is about $40 and the most is $70. They price difference is because the more expensive one is personalized on pretty much every page, whereas the $40 one is only personalized on the cover. Let me know what your vote would be for the best album cover and hopefully it will help me decide!

A Nursery Fit for a Prince

Finally, the nursery is finished! We were waiting on a few things to happen before we could take pictures and close the door on the project. We needed curtains for the window in the room, but the Pottery Barn Kids in Indianapolis was sold out of the panels, as was the catalog. So I searched far and wide and finally located a pair in Rhode Island. They came in on Wednesday this week. Also, I needed a bed skirt because without one, you could see into the drawer underneath the crib mattress. This also came in on Wednesday. Lastly, we needed to hang the two different wall hangings that we had. The first being a beautiful painting that my friend Brandee had hand painted for the baby while she was in Paris, France this January. It is beautifully done and goes wonderfully in the nursery above the changing table/dresser combo. We also registered for hanging wall letters (not very original, I know) that I ended up mounting above the crib. They also look great and give the room a finished appearance. I absolutely love this nursery. Jackson is one lucky little guy. Everything turned out beautifully! Enjoy the photo's below!

Another Glance at Baby's Progress!

I love these tickers!

A Song for My Son

From a very, very young age I can remember my parents singing particular songs to me. My mom had her staples and my dad had his as well. My mom always sang the Mexican birthday song "Las Mananitas," also "Feed the Birds" and "Stay Awake," both from Mary Poppins as well as a song that she made up (my personal favorite,) that she dubbed "Everyone Loves Lindsay". My dad sang me "Bilbo Baggins" from the Lord of the Rings story, "Inch Worm," from Sesame Street and "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music. I'll never for as long as I live forget every.single.solitary word of each of those songs. Music has always meant so much to me, and I want it to mean something to my son also. Everytime I hear the song "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan, rather than thinking of it in a romantic sense, I think of how I ALREADY feel about my little boy. I realize that when Bob wrote the song, he probably intended it to be a love song...and it is, I just feel that it better suits the love of a mother and her son. I know that Jackson will be 23 years old and remember the lyrics of this song because his mother lulled him to sleep with it every night.



To Make You Feel My Love
By Bob Dylan

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

In The Home Stretch!!!

St. Patty's Day In Indy

So I'm not usually a big St. Patrick's day fanatic. In fact, I don't think I've ever actually done the green beer or kegs and eggs thing since I've been of drinking age. However, Indy seems to be a pretty big mecca for this celebration, (which is sort of strange in my opinion). There are always tons of events going on for those who are St. Patty's enthusiasts. My husband plans on partaking in the festivities tomorrow night, so I found myself looking up what all was going on for his sake and thought I'd share with anyone who might also be interested.

First and foremost, there is a St. Patrick's Day Parade downtown which is put on annually by Cathedral High School. It seems to take place on Pennsylvania St. You can also participate in the parade's tent "after-party" on Vermont St. It is open to the public and will feature food and a beer garden as well as live music from an Irish band called Highland Reign. The tent party is being put on by Indiana Live Casino and will run from 10 am - 3 pm.

You can also (while you're downtown) witness the "Greening of the Canal". You need to go to the corner of Ohio and West St. just east of the fire station. If you are down there early (about 6:30 am) you can catch Chick-fil-a serving a free breakfast as well as coffee. Mayor Greg Ballard will have the honor this year of pouring the green dye into our beloved canal. This is definitely a St. Patty's event that shouldn't be missed!

If you want to remain downtown for green beer and parties, I would recommend visiting The Rathskeller. Oddly enough, the Rathskeller happens to be a German bar, not an Irish Pub. However, they are having quite the bash this year for March 17th. They are having live music all day, and no entry charge to get in for the party. They are also serving a full irish cuisine if you'd like to stay for lunch and or dinner. They'll be dishing out corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, red potatoes, soda biscuits and shamrock cookies! They will also be having drink specials on (of course) green beer!

Many of us (my friends and family anyway) live on the Northside of town and would rather not venture downtown on a weekday. If this is the case, check out The Claddagh Irish Pub on 96th St. The party starts promptly at 5 pm and tickets are $25 pre-sale or $30 at the door. 'Seven Mary Three' is the name of the band for the evening.

My husband's choice for the evening will be Moe's Irish Pub which is a brand new restaurant in Noblesville just seconds from our home. They are giving away 100 free t-shirts to the first guests in the door. They will obviously be serving green beer and will have live music by two different bands one of which happens to be a personal favorite of mine 'The Flying Toasters'! This is a perfect place for a low-key tent party feel, if that is what you are looking for. And best of all, Scott will be there, so you know it'll be a good time! :)

Let me tell you about Etsy.com!

I can't believe that I haven't talked about this website before. Just be warned...if one-of-a-kind "boutique-type" things constantly catch your eye, you may at risk for becoming totally obsessed with this website. Basically, it's Ebay for home-made items. I am not at all a fan of home-made things usually - I hate it when things look cheap or poorly made, and usually would just assume head to a department store for these types of needs. However, I promise you that you will be more than surprised at the types of things you'll find on this site.

One of my favorite designers who advertises and sells on Etsy is The Pat A Cake Baby store. She makes fabulous items for baby's...lots of great things for those looking to buy for a baby shower. I'm not the only pregnant girl around here...in fact I have several friends who have either just recently delivered or are expecting within the next 6 months or less. I am going absolutely crazy over these items!

Check out some of my favorites!

Burp Cloths $14.00

A "Lovey" Blankie (Small cuddling blanket about 15"x15") $20.00

Baby Blanket $35.00

Diaper Diddie (Holds 2-3 diapers and a wipes case) $24.00

All of these items I've listed (plus tons more) come in various colors and prints. Pat A Cake Baby also has a fabric line, so any of these fabrics can be made available for purchase for about $7.99 a yard. How fun would it be to design a hand bag, a chair cover, a child's dress or some rockin' curtains?! I'm thinking about purchasing some fabric to make a shower curtain from the print that you see on the "Lovey Blankie".

Shipping on Etsy is very reasonable also. Each of these items ship for about $4-6. If you spend $75 you get free shipping and if you spend $100 you get free shipping plus a free gift which is a burp cloth set for baby.

Go ahead and check this place out! www.etsy.com. Or for Pat A Cake Baby directly go to http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5576155.

Need Some Spring Stationary?

I am in LOVE with Erin Condren's vibrant and fun stationary and other paper goodies! She makes every type of paper product you could imagine needing. The best part is that nearly EVERYTHING can be personalized. Check out her website if you ever have a need for business cards, calendars, day planners, gift labels, canvas prints, birth announcements thank-you cards, party invitations, address labels and much much more. I've personally ordered from this company several times and have been totally ecstatic with my purchases each and every time.

Below are a few samples from Erin's new spring line. She also has a great selection of St.Patrick's Day and Easter themed items as well. You might notice that her prices are a little on the steep side. Here is a coupon code for $20 off...yep, 20 BUCKS! Take note that this is a one time offer. Enter: TINYORANGES into the promo code box and redeem your discount.

Visit Erin's incredible designs at www.erincondren.com. Enjoy!