Orangepoppy

Introducing...

Jolene Joan-Claire Gough

"Josie" as we like to call her.

Born October 15,2010 6lbs 9ounces 18inches

I already told you about how we decided on her first name HERE

Jolene/Josie which means Jehovah will increase or Jesus will add

but her middle names are

Joan, which means God is gracious and is in honor of her Grandma, Paula Joan. and

Claire, which means radiant light and is of course in honor of, my bff Claire.

We had already been planning to deliver this little bundle at 37.5 weeks to avoid any serious complications with my, ahem, condition and we were thrilled to bits that meant her birthday would be October 20th or 10/20/2010..such a cool day! So when contractions started ramping up on the 14th I sort of just figured I could work through it and make it to the scheduled delivery but was having a hard time resting since all I wanted to do was nest and prepare the house.

We had a family day planned for friday the 15th and I had worked hard to organize a little craft for the boys to make for Josie, to bring to the hospital. We were going to go to a movie and the pumpkin patch and then finish off the day at the boys open house at their school. However when I got up friday morning knew something felt different so I told Chris that we needed to postpone the family day until saturday so that I could do a few more things on my to do list, just in case.

we did end up going to the open house briefly that evening but by then I think in my heart I knew I needed to call the hospital and get checked. contractions were one on top of the other, not too long or painful but just too much laboring for me with my uterus being so risky. Luckily Chris's folks were out our way and we had planned to do pizza with them for dinner. Paula could see it in my face and basically made me call the hospital (thanks Paula!) and when I talked to the on call doctor he told me not to eat anything or do anything but get down there so they could take a look.

to be continued...

in the mean time here are a ton of photos from Josie's first days in the hospital and all the family and friends that visited. thanks everyone for all the prayers and well wishes we are recovering nicely at home and are so blessed by the family of five we have been given!

Simon and Levi meeting their little sister for the first time, they both decided to wave it was so cute.

a personal favorite, daddy holding Josie while big brothers wrestle in the background

Grandpa Gough and Simon

Levi was especially timid that first morning. I think I should have warned the boys more about how I would be in the hospital. they were prepare for the baby but not thrilled that I was stuck in the hospital bed. Simon told me when they picked me up to go home that he "never wanted me to go back to the hospital again"..

wrestle fest with cousins Evan and Miles

Grandma Gough adoring her second granddaughter. Josie makes grand baby number seven for the Gough side - our lucky number!

cousin Miles

Nana meeting her first granddaughter on the Andrew's side!

Auntie Kristen and her beautiful smile. I hope Kristen teaches Josie how to let her joy radiate from the inside out the way that she does so beautifully!

with Uncle Kyle

our family of five..aka me after not sleeping for almost two days straight

making a game of the linen closet

Papa meeting his first Granddaughter

Auntie Jenny with baby Josie. Auntie Jenny brought the most darling outfit and handmade doll for her. I can't wait for Josie to get to spend time with her Auntie, shopping and crafting and doing what Jenny does best!

with Uncle Jeff, pink looks good on you Jeffie! I also must mention that we named Josie, Jolene Joan-Claire with intention that her initials be JJG just like her uncle Jeffrey James aka "JJ" as a kid. Maybe Josie will inherit that nickname too!

I love this picture of Claire soooo much! It shows such pure emotion. Her name means radiant light and this picture reminds me of the reason we wanted to name our little girl for you Claire. You have always been a radiant beam of light in my life, supporting, loving and walking by my side since the moment we met in speech class and I wrote you that note and your wrote back...awesome!

my three kids, man I am lucky!

Katie and Kim, two of my closest Mommy friends. Kim is about to deliver her number three any day too!

Auntie Rachel and her first niece. I am sure that Josie will have a blast over at Auntie Rachel's hanging out with her cousin Amelia, only seven months older!

Uncle Bryan

Great Aunt Rhoda

Great Grandma Velma. Josie makes ten great grandchildren for this amazing woman!

four generations

shenanigans with great uncles Dave and Scott and of course Grandpa Gough

quite possibly the cutest thing ever..Julia and Jon you know you want one :)

the boys were SO excited about the special surprise that they made with Daddy. They each picked out balloon bouquets with princess and dora balloons and daddy bought me a gorgeous bouquet of pink roses. They made a big sign and streamers to welcome us home!

our perfect, gracious, radiant gift from God. Welcome to the world miss Josie Joan, we love you so!

I will be back with the rest of the birth story soon!! xo

update

 
I just added a few pairs of the feather earrings to my shop and plan to stay open just this week with hopes to list a few other things too..I will close again on Friday the 15th since next week we will be welcoming our little girl into our arms! xo

Ten on Ten :: 10.10.10

check out all the wonderful ten on ten's from this month over on the ten on ten blog and consider joining in next month too!

Wip

a little something I am cooking up for an tiny etsy update in the next few days. Faux leather and suede feather earrings, now if only I had these to go with!

maternity shoot

This past summer I ran into Barbie Hull at a family wedding. Barbie did some fun photos for us a few years ago for our christmas card and was doing photography for the wedding, I had done the jewelry and we got to talking about art and photography and well one thing led to another and a few weeks ago we met for a maternity shoot over at discovery park.

Being my third pregnancy I have yet to ever do any sort of photo shoot while pregnant. One because I don't feel particularly photogenic, two I am not particularly tiny while pregnant and three well they are expensive. Barbie and I decided to do an artist trade so I am working on a necklace for the big benefit she has coming up for her amazing work with Get Hitched Give Hope this October - check it out is awesome!

Yesterday she sent me over 350 images to look through from the drizzly afternoon we spent together and I was totally blown away by her amazing eye. I had seen THIS photoshoot and was inspired to buy some giant balloons to do a similar idea - first of all getting the balloons to the park was a feight in itself but within 20 minutes the green one had popped and then towards the end the pink one blew away. But Barbie was a trooper and I think she realized my vision in a way I couldn't have! I am thrilled with the results and thought I would pick a few screen shots to share. Feel free to check out the rest HERE. I am warning you there are a LOT if you decide to. Thanks Barbie for sharing your amazing talent with us we feel so blessed!

Back to School :: 2010

This past week Simon and Levi started preschool at a special new spot. The Bethany Bears was started at our chuch over 25 years ago and has since moved to a different location. We toured it last spring when my mom in law did some great research on preschools in the area and fell in love but were only able to get on the waiting list for this fall. We got the word about a week before class started that there were two special spots that came available and that our boys would be able to go this year!

Simon and Levi have been so excited about this place ever since the tour and would frequently ask us throughout the summer if they were going to go to the "Berenstein Bears" school and when we told them they were starting soon it was kind of all they could talk about.

Their first official day was last tuesday so on monday night Chris and I decided to host our very first annual Back to School Feast - I have been a long time admirer of Nie Nie and love how she established this family tradition years ago with her kids. I told Chris all about it and we agreed that this was something we wanted to adopt as a tradition for our little family. I made all the arrangements and the boys LOVED being the center of attention for the evening. We had special suprise guests arrive, some of the grandparents, just in time for the big feast! The boys each got to sit at the heads of the table and we enjoyed a fun dinner together while talking about the coming year.

For the menu we had: pot roast with carrots and onions, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, homemade applesauce, yummy salad with pears and warm rolls. Sparkling cider for the kids and wine for adults.

the boys were also gifted their very first backpacks (Mario and Luigi of course) and new winter jackets from Grandma and Grandpa! Levi was particularly adorable trying his new gear on and admiring himself in the mirror. Bummed I didn't get a good photo of it but he is sooo proud to be joining his brother at school!

this year Simon is in the "Scamper Squirels" class and Levi's is called "Buttons Bunny" so after dinner Nana brought sugar cookie dough and the boys got to cut out squirrel and bunny shaped cookies and decorate them for dessert!

Chris and I also picked a Bible verse to start off the year. Somthing our little family is working on memorizing and incorporating into our day to day lives. We picked Genisis 1:1 "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"

At dinner Chris prayed that this would be the beginning of a life long road of loving Gods creation, loving to learn about all the things He set before us to discover. That our family would develop a tradition of loving to learn and encourage one another towards that goal - it was a really special night!

I am excited for the year ahead and feel very deeply blessed by what is in store for our family!

you can check out Nie Nie's Back to School Feasts from 2008, 2009 and 2010 - so inspiring!

whatchadoin?

there were literally moments when I thought I would not survive these two, the grueling exhaustion of having them so close together. Now I find myself unable to even picture doing it any other way. I love watching them grow up as such close friends and see that God has much better foresight than I do, oh how I love these two!

I am currently in process of switching to a new version of iphoto and having trouble uploading new photos but will be back soon with some fun posts. We have had an eventful week and I must share! xo

Ten on Ten :: September 2010

if you haven't yet join in and link up next month HERE!!

a shower for my Josie

aka: the best baby shower ever! a few weeks ago Claire, Jenny, Kristen and Rachel generously hosted one of the most wonderful parties to celebrate the fast arrival of our little girl! Honestly when they even first asked me about doing a shower I was so overwhelmed, when you are on baby number three you certainly are not expecting these special events like you do with your first.  But since we are having a girl my heart skipped a beat a little knowing that this shower would be so girly and fun..a first for me for sure!

From the moment I walked into Jenny's adorable home I felt so blessed. Every last detail was perfect, just perfect. Vintage linens transformed into decorations, handmade goodies, thoughtful favors, my favorite candy, gorgeous flowers and a salad lunch. AND the most amazing cake I have ever seen handmade by my bff!

I was even handed my very favorite iced soy mocha in an adorable jar with my name on it for sipping and taking in all the fun. Here are just a couple of pictures from the special afternoon.

this cake was to die for, the best chocolate cake ever. I think Claire is even willing to make one in a few weeks for Levi's third birthday and I can't wait to sink my teeth into another piece!

gorgeous buntings made from vintage linens, one of my favorite things were all lining the ceiling. Many hands helped with this project!

the salads were so yummy and I loved all the details and decorations on the buffet table including those sweet cards spelling out my little girls name - too cute!

even the beverages were pink!

another amazing use of vintage linens, this time with handmade napkins and Jenny's very crush worthy collection of vintage melamine. Something she started just for the event..I am so jealous of all the amazing ones she found!

me, Kim who shares the same due date as I do and is also on her third baby and Shauna due any day now with baby girl number two!

the thoughtful picture frame favors and a request that the girls would think to pray for Josie and I and for a safe delivery of our little girl. A very sweet gesture that I loved!

all the amazing hostesses posing for a little photo shoot (thanks Jane!) Claire, Jenny, Kirsten and Rachel I can not thank you girls enough for loving me and my family and blessing us with such kindness. You guys are the best! I love you all so much and am so thankful to share life you you!

I didn't even get any photos of the amazing gifts. Tons of handmade, vintage and even two tutus for Josie. And some awesome tips including one from the Mother's of little girls who were there who informed me that I would need some hangers for all the dresses. Who knew? Ha ha I literally had to go out and buy four packs of baby hangers and am going to need more. I am a Mom of boys and owned literally two baby hangers until now. So much fun entering this world with a little girl. I am still soaking in all the amazing moments!

You can see other photos of the shower HERE and HERE!  And the incredible quilt Aunt Jenny made for Josie HERE! xo

the gough family vacation :: canada style

as we close out the month of August I am realizing just how badly I have been neglecting my poor blog. trust me it is all well worth it for me since instead I have basically been in high nesting mode, scouring and organizing my house in preparation for baby number three. I am only 30 weeks at this point but I think anyone who has ever had a premature baby would understand that there is always that little tiny voice in the back of your head reminding you that you just never know when the little might actually decide to arrive...

I did want to highlight a few things though before Summer officially comes to a close, the first being our wonderful annual family vacation. This year there were sixteen of us and we headed up to the great country of Canada to escape daily life and spend a week enjoying family, food, and all kinds of fun! I am not super excited about my photos this year but thought I would at least post a few to remember the trip by. You can see other amazing photos HERE and HERE if you would like.

a very very special thank you to my Father and Mother in Law who every single year continue to bless all of us with this amazing getaway to spend with each other. It is always one of the big highlights of the year for us..and even this evening as we were awarding our boys their stars on their "star charts" (something we are implementing to help keep them in bed through the night and into the early morning) they were trying to guess what the big surprise will be when they get all the spaces filled up. Simon literally squealed "is it going to be vacation?" the kids will not forget the memories they are making on these trips together, they are always so special! We love you guys!