Amelia Joy Ross

One of the first photos of my daughter, moments after being born

Our baby girl arrived on May 22 at 7:13 in the evening. 7 pounds, 0.5 ounces. 20.25 inches long. Her name is Amelia Joy and she is completely perfect.

She has a head full of thick brown hair, the cutest button nose, and deep blue eyes that are just beginning to focus on her world. Christopher and I are completely smitten with her curled little toes, her squeals and sighs, her chubby thighs... everything.

It's pretty incredible to think that today she turns two weeks old. Goodness. She's already changed so much! We're growing to know each other more and more every day, and it is one of the most rewarding things (albeit challenging) I've ever been a part of. Even now as she sleeps on my chest, my heart has grown larger than I thought possible.

Posting on GH may be a little sporadic as I get used to motherhood (specifically, the lack of sleep) but I'll do my best to share little updates as I can in between baby snuggles.

Ten Days

Instagram taken by Sharon after our weekend trip to the Goshen Farmer's Market

Ten more days until baby girl is due to arrive. Ten. more. days.

It just doesn't seem possible that in less than two weeks, Christopher and I will be parents. I just can't even. I've washed teeny tiny onesies and the smallest socks in the world. Christopher has assembled the bassinet (and disassembled it to discourage kitty naps for the time being.) The carseat base has been installed in the back of our car, ready to go. Diapers, baby shampoo, blankets galore: check, check, check. We've essentially been preparing for this for the past nine months, but I still don't feel ready. The only thing I haven't done yet is pack the hospital bag... I'm half afraid that if I cross that last thing off my list, baby girl will know and I'll go into labor immediately.

Even though I've had it pretty easy with my pregnancy overall, I'm definitely feeling huge pregnant these days. Swollen feet, achey hips, a distinct waddle. Pregnancy is not a glamorous thing, don't let anyone fool you. Also, the dream hair and glowy skin they always tell you about? It's a lie, too, at least for this mama. Baby girl has stolen my beauty like the old wives' tale said she would... but it's totally worth it.

All that said, I'm besides myself with excitement. I can't wait to meet our little girl! (duh.)
TEN MORE DAYS!

36 Weeks

Only four more weeks until my due date. One month. Technically, I've been drafting this post for a while and today is the very last day of my 36 week stretch, so we really only have three more weeks before baby girl comes (give or take a few days, of course.) EEEP!

Looking back over the past nine months, I realize that I haven't written all that much about my pregnancy here on Gathered Heart... in fact, the last bump photo I shared was three months ago! That's completely unintentional. Between trips to the hospital for appointments and birthing classes, weeknights and Saturdays spent house hunting, and the general fatigue that comes with creating a little life, it seems that all my creative energy has been zapped. My free time is spent on the couch, watching New Girl and eating Half Baked with Christopher, and that's the way I like it.

Sometimes, especially after a quick visit to Pinterest or Facebook, I feel guilty for not doing more (you know, between the morning sickness, backaches, acne, swollen feet and all the other joys of pregnancy.) Then I realize, baby girl isn't going to care whether or not I have taken weekly bump photos, or that her nursery is still in the planning phase. Really, when she gets here, all she's going to care about is sleeping, eating, and having a dry bum.

And then, after a little while, she's going to care about the bedtime story we read together at night. The way her daddy tosses her high in the air and catches her without fail. She's going to care about big pushes on the swing set, bug hunts, tea parties, trips to the zoo. That's the stuff I can't wait to document, the things I look forward to most. Being a family.

Three more weeks, baby girl! Get here safely!

A Foxy Woodland Nursery

It's taken me nearly eight months, but I've finally pulled together an inspiration board for baby girl's nursery! My nesting instinct has kicked in big time over the past two weeks and it has been kind of difficult to handle considering Chris and I are still living out of boxes. I find myself folding and refolding onesies for no apparent reason and shuffling around the house looking for things to clean. It's a pretty strange feeling.

So I've turned that energy towards scouting out items for a fox and woodland inspired nursery for our little girl. Something bright and cheerful. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. Well of course I want this fox blanket from Dwell Studio! It's a bit of a splurge at $58, but I love the bright color.  2. Ferm living fox pillow. Adorbs.  3. Part of me wants to make a mobile for above baby's crib, but if we buy one, I think this sparrow mobile is a top contender.  4. This little mushroom is a nightlight... need I say more?  5. I know from my nieces that you can never have enough storage. Might as well store everything in an adorable (and massive!) fox bin from 3 sprouts.  6. There are a lot of cutesy nursery lamps on the market, but I'm leaning towards something a little more sophisticated, like this shade and base combo from Target.  7-9. Finding good crib bedding was the most annoying part of nursery shopping... case and point: the most common fox-themed bedding I found features a ridiculous amount of googly eyes. We're going to mix and match things on our own instead: gray stripes, gold dots, and pink foxes!  10. I'm going to share a separate post on nursery artwork next week because there is just so much out there, but I had to include this sweet Rifle print in today's post. The colors are perfect!  11. There are a million adorable fox toys out there, and we will probably end up owning 20 by the time baby girl turns one. This little mustard fella from Etsy shop Sleepy King has held my heart from the beginning.  12. Crib shopping was also pretty tricky. Christopher wanted something classic, I wanted something a little more modern. We finally agreed on this one from Babies R Us, and I love the clean lines and classic curves. Ooh lala. 

Foxes are just so dang cute, am I right! They seem to be gaining popularity lately (I even heard one blog deem them the new owl of nurseries) but we just can't resist.

I can't wait to actually have a nursery to decorate. I'll be honest, it's hard not to get bummed out about our living situation. As grateful as I am that my in-laws are letting us crash at their house, I really miss having a place of our own. We're still looking at houses on a weekly basis, but it seems like we have pretty much exhausted our current resources. My fingers are crossed in hopes that the best houses are waiting for warmer weather to hit the market. Until then, this little nursery will remain a virtual one.

Chloe Kids Spring 2013

Tomorrow is the first day of spring, but Michigan doesn't seem to know it. Today has been filled with snow flurries and temps in the twenties -- the forecast for the rest of the week. I am so ready for sunny days, the smell of fresh cut grass and blooming flowers, but it doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon. Sigh.

That said, adorable chubby babies in white frilly dresses instantly lift my mood. How wonderful are these photos from the Chloe Kids spring look book? These pictures remind me of my childhood: sweet and natural, filled with daisy chains and just a touch of fairy magic. Exactly how I hope to raise my own daughter.

And can I have that last dress in grown up size, please?

Photos for Chloe Kids, via Design Mom.

Rockabye Baby

One of the nursery items that has me stumped is the rocking chair. It's on every must-have-before-baby list and, honestly, I don't quite get it. I understand that the rocking motion is soothing to baby, but wouldn't nursing your baby in a loveseat or club chair work just as well, and possibly be more comfortable? Or maybe that's the whole point of a rocking chair... to be slightly uncomfortable so you don't fall asleep while feeding your baby in the middle of the night. If that's the case I totally get it.

Christopher and I have been on the hunt for a good nursery chair, but everything we find is so blaaa. And they're expensive... as necessary as they seem to be, I can't bring myself to spend $800 on a chair that I don't love. Fortunately, after a little digging online, I was able to find several modern, affordable (ish) rockers, with clean lines. They exist! Here are my top contenders for the nursery right now:

Eames molded plastic rocker: I've wanted this rocker to grace my house for years. Look at that mid-century beauty! When I showed it to Chris, he said it looked like the most uncomfortable thing in the world. And as much as I appreciate the work of good old Charles and Ray, I don't think I can bring myself to spend $500 on a piece of molded plastic with questionable comfort. That said, Overstock.com has a pretty tempting knock-off on sale for $100...

Joya Rocker:  This rocker is at the top of my wish list for a nursery chair. Those walnut legs are fantastic and it looks deep enough to melt into, even during a 3am feeding. Bonus points for being an heirloom-worthy chair with substance that would look great anywhere in the house, not just the nursery.

Luca Glider: Honestly, I haven't found very many gliders that I like... compared to the curvy, exposed legs of rocking chairs, gliders seem so heavy and boxy. But the clean lines of the Luca Glider have me sold, and I love that you can customize the fabric and piping colors online. Charcoal and yellow would be a fun combo for any nursery, and is gender neutral enough to last a few babies.

Poang Rocking Chair: Have you ever sat in one of these things?! Super comfy. I'm honestly not a huge fan of the original Poang design, but I think the rounded feet of the rocker really compliment the overall shape of the rocking chair version. Of course, Chris and I love all things IKEA, so we would have no problem picking one up, especially with the $170 price tag. I only wish it came in a color that fit our nursery palette... maybe there's an easy way to recover the original cushion?

Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker: I think I like this one so much because it's like a smaller, cheaper version of the Joya rocker. I don't know if the shorter back would be uncomfortable for myself or Christopher since we're both pretty tall, but I bet it would be great for a shorter parent, or perhaps in a nursery where space was an issue.

Solutions Glider and Ottoman: Ah yes, the homely yet practical sister of the group. This is the only chair Chris and I have been able to try out in-store at our local Babies R Us, and it honestly looks much better in person. It's the only one we would even consider from Babies R Us, actually. The traditional, exposed glider base is a bit of an eyesore, but I guess I've seen worse. And you can't beat the price: $230 for the chair and ottoman.


Mamas out there, do you have a rocker or glider in your nursery? Is it worth the expense? Have any of you tried out one of these chairs before? I'd love to get a little feedback!

Give Up

A Tattered Line of String - the newest single from the Postal Service 

Today, I think I got a small taste of what it's like to be a parent.

Let me explain. Chris and I are HUGE fans of the Postal Service, who recently announced a ten year anniversary release of Give Up, plus new tracks and a reunion tour. I don't know about you, but Give Up probably accounts for 30% of the soundtrack to my high school existence, and I still love it just as much today as I did then.

So when I saw this afternoon that they were touring in Detroit, I flipped out. I called Chris to share the news, all while logging in to the presale ticket website, hoping the tickets didn't sell out in the two short hours they had been available. We were doing it - we were actually going to see the Postal Service, one of the bands topping our dream-concert list.

Then it dawned on me: the show was June 10, not even a month after our little girl is supposed to arrive. In three short months, our life will change in a big way. Concerts, road trips, even Friday nights at the movies... there's a lot of stuff we won't be able to do on a whim anymore. And I'm okay with it. Even though we have to give up all those things, we gain so much more. A tiny human being, our little girl, the start of our family.

I can't wait to sing her Postal Service lullabies.

Nursery Inspiration

Lately, all my extra effort and free time have been focused on house shopping (!!!), hence my lack of blogging. Chris and I met with a loan officer last week and have been officially pre-approved for a home loan. We've looked at countless house listings online and on Friday we're going to visit a few in person. It's about time! You may remember that back in September, the rental home we had been living in for the first two years of our marriage sold, leaving us homeless. We've been staying with Chris' parents since then to save money for a house, and with our little miss on the way (due in three months, give or take a few days!) we're ready to find a home of our own.

I haven't allowed myself to think too much about decorating a nursery since we don't exactly have a room to decorate just yet, but now that we're looking into houses, I've been thinking more and more about that tiny little space. I'm still not sure what we're going to end up doing (although it will probably involve a fox/woodland motif of some sort) so I've gathered up some lovey photos from blogland to fuel my inspiration.

I'm kind of super-obsessed with the Meadow Nursery collection from Dwell studio. It's the sweetest woodland-themed print in pink, light blue and navy that isn't fussy or too girly. That said, I refuse to pay more for a bedding set than for the crib it will go on, so I'll have to find baby's bedding elsewhere.

How cheery and sweet is this blue and yellow nursery designed by Kim of Senn & Sons? I love all the details, especially the yellow chandelier and Hygge & West focal wall.

I think this nursery from A Lovely Lark is one of my favorites. Those curtains provide the perfect splash of color without overpowering the entire room.

Although I think our nursery will be a little more playful, this sophisticated neutral room is lovely. Via Style at Home.

I read somewhere that a dark nursery is soothing for baby because it creates a surrounding similar to the womb. This constellation-themed room has a beautiful dark feature wall that doesn't feel too heavy, and the citron accents are wonderful.

Now that I know we're having a girl, it has been really difficult to stay away from pink things, and I don't even like pink. I do love baby Alice's sweet pink nursery, though.

I think decorating a nursery for a girl will be more of a challenge than I originally thought. My room as a little girl was over the top: frills everywhere, pink everything. I had an extensive unicorn collection and a wallpaper boarder to match (that's right. UNICORNS.) Although that isn't exactly my style now, there's a tiny piece of me that wants to go overboard on the girlyness with our little one. I think the key is to find the right combination of items that inspire creativity and can grow with her, with just a touch of girlyness. Challenge accepted.

Oh Baby!

As some of you may already know, Christopher and I had our official mid-pregnancy ultrasound last Friday morning. This sweet baby of ours is a healthy, kicking little girl!

I honestly thought we were having a boy (although deep down I did have my suspicions.) Christopher and I both grew up in happy homes with big brothers and were hoping our family dynamic would be the same, but it looks like things will be a little different for us! More than anything, we're happy this little one has all her fingers and toes, a perfect beating heart, tiny little bones. I was on edge for a good chunk of the ultrasound with that irrational motherly "what if..." fear, so I was so thrilled when our tech told us everything looked good. Then we went out and bought an insane amount of pink.

After 23 weeks, I think I'm finally beginning to feel pregnant. My belly is becoming rounder and I've been feeling little flutters for about a month now. Last Wednesday, I felt baby girl's first official kick. It was so strong that I jumped out of shock! And then of course, I cried. I'm so emotional these days anything makes me cry... sappy commercials, a text from Chris, the Story Corps segment on NPR. Oh baby, indeed.

Our Family Tree

Our Christmas tree holds some of my most prized possessions: ornaments. Over the years, Christopher and I have picked out a special ornament for every year we've been married. We bought our first ornament while on our honeymoon at Disney World, and our second on a trip to Bronners Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, MI (it's a family portrait with our kitty, Ulia, of course.)

These ornaments aren't expensive or fancy by any means, but they each hold a special memory, a moment shared between the two of us. They make me smile every time I look at them, nestled in our tree, surrounded by glowing lights and glittery bulbs.

This year, we added a very special ornament to our tree, and I have a very special announcement to go along with it. Our family tree is growing -- we're having a baby!! We are over the moon with happiness over this little one and so thrilled to be starting this new adventure together. Little Baby Ross, due May 2013.

So, from our growing family to yours, Merry Christmas. I hope you spend it surrounded by love and happiness. See you in 2013!

Tiny Thoughts about Tiny Things

Today, I feel like I reached a major milestone as a woman. I bought a colorful toddler's activity center, as well as a sweet little blue chenille puppy. The first ever baby items to grace my own home permanently.

Now before any of you freak out -- no, I'm not pregnant! The toys are for my niece Adalynn, who just turned one last Monday. We babysat for her tonight, and now that she is transitioning from baby to toddler, Chris and I thought it would be fun to have a few toys at our house for her to play with when she's visiting. We're actually kind of obsessed with the entire B. Toys line at Target (especially the Meowsic keyboard) and when we saw the solid wood activity center a few weeks ago, we knew we had to have it.

I've heard stories of women who secretly hoard baby booties and onesies... stuffed in boxes and tucked away in the back of closets for their someday-children. I am definitely not that kind of woman. Babies kind of gross me out, to be honest. Sure, they're sweet and innocent and the future of our nation... I totally get that. But the diaper blow-outs and pureed pea projectile vomiting? No thank you. Not too long ago, I was helping change Addie's diaper and I had to drop her and run away because I was gagging so much that I had tears in my eyes. How something so tiny could smell so awful will always be a mystery to me.

The thing is... it was today, browsing the security blankets, lullaby music boxes and sweet little stuffed animals, that I felt a peculiar twinge. I could do this. I could be a mom.

Okay, so I'm not really ready for a baby... but is anyone ever really ready to have a baby? To bring a little life into this world and care for it, nurture it, teach it everything they know? Probably not. Christopher has been wanting to start our family for a while now, but I've always resisted the idea until lately. I think I've just hit that point in life where, if I were to get pregnant, I would be happy. Blissfully so, even. 

I'd be lying to you if I didn't say this feeling is scary and a little weird. There are still about a million and three things I'd like to accomplish before having a kid... things like knocking out our debt (like that's going to happen anytime soon, though, thank you private schooling), owning a house, furthering my career, traveling the world a little more and enjoying my youth just a little bit longer, you know?

And there's the whole poop/snot/barf aversion I have... got to get over that for sure.

Little Darlings

I am totally loving this new series of prints, Little Darlings, from Sharon Montrose and I thought I'd share. Because it's Monday. And who doesn't love baby animals?

On Presents and Apples...

What's that now? Why yes, that is a stack of awesome birthday presents... including a Canon Rebel DSLR!! Chris and I picked it up after my birthday breakfast dinner on Thursday. Mr. Ross also surprised me with little treats hidden around our house... a box of Zebra Cakes here, a copy of Bridesmaids there. He's so cute. Natalie and Duane gave me a copy of Wildwood, a children's novel written by the Decemberists lead singer Colin Meloy and beautifully illustrated by Carson Ellis. Grace Bonny's Design*Sponge at Home, was a little gift to myself. And it is glorious.  

On Saturday, we took a drive over to Corey Lake Orchards for some apple picking and to test out the camera. This was my first orchard trip and I couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. Almost every apple was in season, and we were able to sample the varieties straight off the trees before adding them to our bushel. My personal favorite was the sweet, crisp, and slightly tart Cortland variety. We purchased a half-bushel of mixed varieties for $8 and ended up with 23 pounds of apples. Yikes. Feel free to pass along any apple recipes you may have... apple crisp is the only thing I've mastered so far.

My little niece Adalynn and her parents also joined us (this was actually her second trip to the orchard) and as you can see, she has fully perfected the baby smirk. I can't believe how fast she's grown... she's almost six months old! Her sweet, friendly personality is definitely starting to shine and I love how much she's chunked out.

I'm excited to start experimenting with my camera... I need to brush up on my Intro to Photography notes before attempting any manual settings just yet, but I definitely look forward to using something a little more advanced than Instragram on iPhone (as much as I love it.) Needless to say, I had a wonderful birthday.

Oh Deer!

Please excuse the extreme zoom phone blur 

We currently have a mama deer and little speckled fawn living in the grassy knoll right outside our office at work. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

Baby Girl Stanton

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.... I was working on one Monday afternoon while waiting in Bronson Hospital, but it was interrupted by the birth of a beautiful baby girl.

Meet Baby Girl Stanton (her parents still haven't decided on a name just yet) Adalynn Eislee Marie Stanton. 19 inches long, 5.132 pounds. She was a breech baby so they had to do a c-section at the last minute, but she is healthy and keeping her parents awake through the night.

I've never actually been around a newborn -- she's so sweet and tiny! She has her mama's lips and nose and her daddy's eyes and brow bone. I haven't seen her fingers or toes yet because of her sleeper, but her little ears are adorable. Oh, babies. She really is so beautiful and I'm so excited to be a part of this little girl's life!

Buttercup the Giant Spring Bunny

Although the hubs and I don't plan on having kids anytime soon, I've got babies on the brain. My sister-in-law, Natalie, is about to burst. She's due next week but the doctors are saying she'll most likely have her little baby girl this Thursday (!!!).

I can hardly believe I'll be an aunt in a few days... I'm so excited for all things teeny and pink, as well as adorable toys like this sweet little bunny I spotted at Skeepy King's shop earlier today:

Sooooo cute! It would be perfect for a springtime baby. And now to think of a way I could somehow justify buying Liam the Sleepy Fox for myself....