baby profiles

As I prepare for Emery Anne to make her way into the world... I am keeping myself occupied by wondering what her little personality might be like and how God is forming her features. I was comparing her ultrasound photo with Bentley's and noticing (at least in ultrasound form), the difference in their profiles... I thought I would share :)

Emery Anne


Bentley Brooke


Note: I had to flip Bentley's photo to match Emery's the way her profile faced - in case you are wondering why the words are mirrored.

preparing for baby

As a surprise to Drew's mom, Kelly, we presented her on Christmas with a little frame and the following note inside...

Dear Nana,

I have been trying for some time now to tell my parents that I have not been completely on board with the choosing of my name. They kicked around some very pretty names but I just don’t think they fit me as a person. I mean, I have been trying to let everyone know out there just who I am! With the recent hospital ordeal, I finally got through to my mommy and daddy what I think my name should be.

I have always really liked Emery - it means “industrious leader.” However, my middle name has just not been sitting right with me so while I was in the hospital with my mommy and daddy we had a lot of time just the three of us. I guess they finally figured out that I want my middle name to be Anne just like you! Anne means “favored grace” which I will need a lot of if I’m going to be an industrious leader!

So if you don’t mind, I’d like to have your middle name too.

Thank you very much,

Emery Anne Webster

"I sticky, Mommy"

I had no idea when diaper-clad Bentley announced, "I sticky, Mommy" near the window sill that she had poop on her hands (and partially on her leg). Bentley with her fingers outstretched and my super-pregnant self rushed to the bathroom. I have officially had my first ever poop-on-hands moment as a parent.

the santa photo experience...

... went beautifully!

Bentley's Nana (Drew's mom, Kelly), took Bentley and I to go see Santa at the Mall (super close to us so my "modified bed rest" self could make it.) I wasn't sure how it would go considering Bentley's spider-cling-to-Drew reaction last year. (Last year our friend's friend's grandpa came to our house for a couple of the neighbor kids and I took the photos - see photo below)


So this year, we went and saw the Mall Santa whom Bentley had waved to just weeks before when out on an outing with me. She has been fascinated with Santa this year. Whenever she sees a Santa as we drive by she says "Ho, Ho, Ho" and follows it up with several renditions of "Up on the Housetop." Especially on her way to Grammy's house (my mom). And when asked this morning what she would say to Santa when she saw him, she said, "Ho, Ho, Ho" and would start singing again.



Yet, I still wasn't sure how it would go.

While in line, she said, "I take off his hat." So I told her that Santa likes his hat and wants to keep it on. She also kept saying, "I sit on his lap?" And I would answer, yes, and explain the whole "Santa" thing again to prep her.

It was finally our turn. The little brother ahead of us cried and squirmed. Bentley walked up to Santa. Nana helped her on his lap. She just eyed him for awhile. No tears yet. I told the photographer guy NOT to tell her to smile, because she ends up with her squinty face, instead I told him to tell her to laugh. But then his assistant told her to say "Cheese" and voila, here is the photo. I bet you can just hear the word "Cheese" coming out of her mouth when you look at this photo. But no tears. Amen! And while it is a "Cheese" kind-of smile, it is still very much Bentley.


Her first real Santa photo; line, candy canes, jingle bells in your face and all. The beginning of history captured. Thank you Nana!

fascinated with baby Jesus

My grandmother bought me this humble nativity set when I was in high school; I even took it to college with me. While Mary and Joseph are beautifully crafted, there was no matching baby Jesus. My Nana sent me a temporary baby jesus who has actually been "temporary" for about 15 years. I don't think I would even want a replacement now, despite his hard plastic body, black-dot eyes and bright red mouth.


Over the years I had tried to make toothpick mangers, but they did not last the packing up year after year. When we got out the Nativity two weekends ago, my aunt helped Bentley fashion a manger out of torn pieces of raffia. Bentley's fascination with baby Jesus began. We had read her stories from her Jesus Storybook Bible and when we would arrive at the New Testament story of His birth, she enjoyed (and still enjoys) pointing out the drawings of baby Jesus. But now to have a "tangible" baby Jesus! She is excited!

While her other animals receive numerous timeouts and even spankings on occasion, Jesus has rightly avoided the timeout chair. Instead he enjoys Bentley hugs, kisses and rides around the house in my great grandmothers miniature antique iron-cast pail. When she carries him around she announces that baby Jesus is sleeping and speaks softly to him. I love that despite his somewhat creepy appearance, for Bentley, just knowing she is holding baby Jesus is enough for her to not be taken aback by his hard plastic look and beady black eyes.


p.s. It has been interesting trying to explain Mary and Joseph's presence to Bentley. She understands Mary is his mother of course, but trying to explain that actually God is his daddy and that Joseph, well, Joseph is, let's see, Mary's husband and helps her raise Jesus, is a bit of a daunting concept for a 2-year-old to grasp. As Drew puts it, "How do you explain the Immaculate Conception to a 2-year-old?"

you know you have a 2-year-old when...

... even Poinsettia bear and Rosie are getting timeouts.

bedtime anecdote

Drew and I heard "Mommy!" coming from Bentley's room. Drew went in there and Bentley said, "I take it off." She was in bed, covers up to her chin with her PJs AND diaper on the floor at the end of her bed.

o Christmas tree

Christmas Tree Adventure 2010... enjoy Bentley's change of expression at the chainsaw.

Coming Home...

I was going through Bentley's baby clothes to wash for welcoming her baby sister, Emery, when I came across Bentley's "coming home" outfit and paused. It was stained... a lovely shade of yellow around the collar. I couldn't resist smelling it. While I had planned for Bentley to wear this when she came home from the hospital for the first time, she spit up so much in the hospital that this outfit was soiled before we made the drive. Even still, I had chosen this particular outfit for her to wear home with the matching hat (which she did wear home).


I decided to use her outfit as part of her Christmas gift. I am saving the hat to put with her baby book, but thought I would transform the layette into a little pillow for her.


I made Bentley's profile from a photo I took of her shadow against a wall this fall during our family trip to Omak to celebrate Drew's Grandpa's birthday.

I knew I had to include the little birdie somehow as I have a feeling this will be Bentley's favorite part of the pillow.

The front is actually warm organic batting that you would normally use inside a blanket. I just loved the soft texture.

The back is a rosette-type synthetic, but super soft material... I just adore this fabric, I had to go back and buy some for Bentley's pillow after using it on the blocks I made for Emery.

rosy-cheeks and pink snowpants

After Bentley greeted us with her signature shaking of the door handle and declaration of "Good morning! Mommy get up." We both oohed and ahhed at the snow outside. It was a must-get-out-of-the-house (with friends) day.

blue eyes and black hair

At dinner the other night, I asked Bentley what color eyes she thought baby sister would have. Very definitively she said, "blue." Then I asked her what color hair she thought baby sister would have (expecting to hear either pink or green), and after she thought about it for a moment, she said, "black".

mommy-daughter day downtown

After being gone this weekend at the ocean with a bunch of dear girlfriends, and bentley being babysat by friends so I could get some work done earlier this week. I planned a much-needed mommy-daughter outing this morning. I told her when I picked her up from preschool that we were going on an adventure together!

Our adventure included riding the "train" (aka Link Lightrail downtown), sharing a "blue flower" cupcake (that Bentley picked out) and people watching at Hello Cupcake, walking over the bridge of "colors" (Chihuly glass installation at the Glass Museum), and watching the moored boats as we sat hip to hip in the crisp air.

...and she has a name

Baby Girl #2, as we have so lovingly called her the last couple months, finally has a name. While spending time at the ocean this weekend in fellowship with women over wine, chai tea, and creating, I lovingly crafted a little something to begin her nursery.






Our naming process has mostly been me stringing together first and middle names that I have liked, or thought were beautiful and feminine, whether my own brain child or from lists sent by family members of names they liked or ones that run in the family. While I would present these ideas to Drew, none really stood out to him.

For awhile this drove me nuts as I am quite the planner and wanted to prepare for this babe as well as being able to bond with her more knowing her name (We knew Bentley's name the moment we found out we were having a girl, so I wasn't used to waiting on a name!). Until finally, Drew came home one day after work with a name to contribute. The first and only name suggestion from him. I immediately liked it as well and I think part of that being that I would be able to tell her someday that her father named her. It took a few more weeks to decide on the middle name between us, but we are pretty happy as we ponder the full meaning and how God might use her as she is welcomed into the world.

emery

Emery means Industrious Leader. This trait seems positive in many ways, and yet I know that I grew up struggling (and still struggle) to not find my worth in accomplishments. So while I hope that she will be an industrious leader, Drew and I both pray, like we pray for Bentley, that she will know where her worth truly comes from.

jane

Thus, her middle name, Jane, was born. I have always loved the name Jane, but it seems the last few years of baby girls, this name has become much more popular. However, we liked it as a middle name. It not only sounded feminine and beautiful, but the meaning, "God's Grace" also paired nicely with "Industrious Leader". We would hope that she not only leads with grace, but knows that grace is hers through Christ, even when she doesn't heed the Holy Spirit in this way.

Miss Emery Jane Webster, we can't wait to meet you aside from kicks and hiccups, and look forward to seeing if you might be a brunette, a red head or another blondie. We love you already and are preparing your sister for your arrival. She is currently calling you "Em mer me".

almost Picasso

Drew surprised me with a date night Wednesday where he whisked me up to the SAM for the Picasso exhibit! Due to trying to get our kiddo out the door and to her auntie's... we would have be slighted about 20 minutes of the exhibit. Instead, they allowed us to switch our time slot to another day. His blue period's Man with Guitar will just have to wait for me. We ended up at a small coffee roaster in Pike Place (by my brother's recommendation) where we enjoyed frothy vanilla chai teas and read the seattle low-income homeless Real Change paper. (Which, by the way, don't be so quick to shoe away these guys or gals that are trying to sell this publication. Read about their mission here).



Later that night, I was surprised when our dear friends, Todd and Sondra, met us for a delightful Italian dinner complete with a bottle of wine (for our husbands) and a couple of cherry cokes for us two pregnant gals. We also couldn't resist browsing the entire Land of Nod store as we both anticipate our new little ones.

and this is how I roll.

While preparing for a halloween evening with neighbors and friends, my kitchen reminded me (and my husband) that it takes a lot of dishes and flour and sticky-ness to create alice in wonderland "eat me" cookies, bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, chex mix and butterscotch, chocolate, peanut butter cereal bars.

bentley's beauty salon

alice... in wonderland.

We snapped a family portrait on the way to Bentley's Preschool Fall Festival

Drew as the Mad Hatter, Bentley as Alice and me as Tweedle Dee (Oh if only my arms were long enough to show you my belly! More photos to come, don't worry)

introducing miss alice...

Here is the fashion run down:

- Blue dress courtesy of our neighbor girls who went as Alice in Wonderland when they were little girls
- White apron sewn by me from a window valance thanks to Bargain World
- Headband fashioned together from pieces I found at JoAnn's fabric store
- Cable-knit tights from Christmas last year thanks to Grammy
- Mary Jane shoes (not pictured) from a spontaneous purchase for Bentley's 2-year birthday.

... Drew's and my costumes to come.

costume making madness

See if you can figure out our family costume theme this year.

Hide & Go Seek with mommy and daddy

us

just the two of us before the three of us become four of us.