She's HERE!

Our sweet, sweet baby girl was born on June 15th -- 10 days early!  Smart girl.. she knew her mommy was getting uncomfortable and impatient.  I was so ready to meet her.  She is perfect in every sense of the word.  She is so beautiful, it's almost ridiculous.  We love her more than anything else in this world and I just love to look at her, watch her sleep, shower her with kisses on her perfect little cheeks and lips, and snuggle her all day long.  I can't believe she's 2 weeks old already.  The labor, the birth, the hospital stay... it couldn't have gone any better.  We had such an amazing experience... a wonderful Doctor, and super nice and helpful nurses.  It's such a miracle.. to think that this precious baby girl was growing inside me for 9 months!  So amazing. 



There's nothing sweeter than a daddy and his daughter.  :)

I love everything about her. Her little lips, all the faces she makes, her big blue eyes, her sweet little cry. She's our little princess. :) Once we saw her, we knew that the name Clara Ruth was a perfect fit for her. We loved the name Clara -- so simple, classy, and beautiful. And Ruth after my Grandma, who I miss very very much! I think she would have been happy to hear that.

I have been soaking in every moment the past 2 weeks.. we've had some good family time during my husband's paternity leave. Lots of lounging around in our sweats, loving on our little one. But today he goes back to work. :(

 Photographed & made by Krista Jacobs Photography.

Nesting Day II

We've decided that we're leaving for Seoul on Sunday afternoon because my husband has work duty tonight, so today I finished the rest of my 'nesting list' while my hubby finished up his 'honey-do' list! 

• Scrub out garbage can
  
• Sweep & mop all floors
• Vacuum living rooms, bedrooms, couches, all crevices in kitchen, etc
• Dust off all ceiling fans (hubby)
• Dust everything else 
• Check & wash filter in air purifier (hubby)
• Clean, vacuum, & wash car (hubby)
• Clean off & sweep porch (hubby)
• Clean off desk & sort through important papers
• Wash our bedding
• Laundry
• Pack diaper bag & my hospital bag
• Pick up any clutter around house
• Go thru & redo family household binder
• Print off birth plan

And I must say, after all this cleaning.. the Mr. Clean magic eraser is my best friend!  That thing will seriously clean anything.  Packing baby girl's diaper bag was fun -- we picked out a few outfits, probably too many, but I like to have choices!  Her 'coming home' outfit is important, ya know!  ;)

 38+ weeks.

It's crazy to think that this is out last night at home as 'just us'... when I come back home in a couple of weeks (praying for less!), we will have a precious baby girl with us!  This 9 months has gone by SO fast.  I'm already a little bit sad just thinking about not having her in my belly anymore..

Nesting Day ;)

The past couple of days, I've kicked it into high gear... or as high of a gear I can get to waddling around at 38 weeks.  There has been some intense nesting going on.  As of right now, I'm heading up to Seoul on Saturday to hang out until baby girl comes.  I was thinking about waiting until Sunday night, but we'll see.  So I've only got a couple of days to get everything that I want to get done -- which is more than likely going to be impossible.  But hey, I can try.

Today I've been working my tush off to get things clean... I've gotten a lot done, but there's a lot I still want to get done..

• Organize & clean all kitchen cabinets
• Scrub out fridge & freezer
• Clean oven, microwave, toaster, coffee pot
• Take out all recycling & trash (hubby)
• Scrub out garbage can
  
• Sweep & mop all floors
• Vacuum living rooms, bedrooms, couches, all crevices in kitchen, etc
• Clean out/Organize linen closet
• Dust off ceiling fans (hubby)
• Dust everything else
• Check & wash filter in air purifier (hubby)
• Clean, vacuum, & wash car (hubby)
• Clean off & sweep porch (hubby)
• Shred extra papers & empty out shredder
• Wash our bedding
• Laundry
• Scrub toilet & shower/tub
• Clean out/organize cabinets & drawers in bathroom
• Pack diaper bag & my hospital bag
• Dust/organize shelves & cabinets in laundry room
• Clean & organize entryway closet
• Pick up any clutter around house
• Go thru & redo family household binder
• Print off birth plan
• Talk to guy at the passport office

The things that didn't get done will get done tomorrow.  And last but not least...

• Give myself a manicure
• Have a bowl of ice cream
• Take a nap

Hey, I deserved that.. right?  I did A LOT today!  Her nursery is finished & cleaned, so at least I don't have to worry about that.  ;)  I'm sure a lot of things weren't super necessary to get done before she gets here, but if it makes me feel better then that's all that matters.. ha ha!

It's almost 10pm now... and I'm wide awake (of course -- I haven't been able to sleep much the past week or so).  Time to work on my crocheting (I'm making a sunhat for baby girl now) and watch some Conan!  :)

A Weekend in Seoul!

It was a fabulous weekend!  I had another baby shower on Saturday, thanks to the wonderful ladies of the Enlisted Spouses Club.  I had a great time and received some super adorable gifts -- can't ever get tired of precious baby girl things!  Also, how fun is this cake?!

Right after that, hubby and I headed up to Seoul to spend the weekend together... to celebrate our 2 year anniversary which was on June 1st:)  We went on a river cruise on the Han River, enjoyed dinner together, and stayed the night.  On Sunday we went out for breakfast and enjoyed the extremely beautiful weather by going to Namsan Park and the Seoul Tower, walking around Namdaemun Market, and the Coex Mall.  That is a lot in one day for this pregnant lady.. I must say.  We had a great time, but my feet weren't so happy by the time we got home.  ;)  So he gave me a foot massage and told me I deserve to go get a pedicure today - I must agree!

Han River Cruise

 Seoul Tower

All the locks are so neat.  They had tons upon tons of them.  People from all over the world have put locks on this chain fence, writing on them, signifying everlasting love I guess you could say.  Very neat.. of course we had to hang one too.  :)

View from the Seoul Tower.. a little hazy, but you get the idea.. it's a pretty big city.  ;)  Over 10 million people!

We had such a wonderful time together... our last little trip together before we are a family of three.  I just cannot contain my excitement about this little baby girl that's about to enter our lives -- I get giddy just thinking about it!

Now.. this mama is off to go get a pedicure (probably the last one I'll get before baby gets here) !!

Cheesecake Just Makes Life Better

Lately, I hate cooking.  I just don't have any desire to be in the kitchen unless I'm baking something.  And I haven't even been baking as much lately.  I've been so tired, and my feet hurt and swell if I'm on them for more than 15 minutes at a time it seems.  I'm so glad I have such an understanding and helpful husband.  He's been helping a lot with the cooking lately.  But this week was our anniversary and I wanted to make something yummy (not that I need an excuse to bake -- life is short, so I say bake when you want!), so I made Sopapilla Cheesecake bars a few days ago.  I love cheesecake and I love sopapillas, so I figured there's no way I could go wrong here.  It will probably be a while before I get to be in the kitchen again, since I'll be up in Seoul for at least 2 weeks starting next week.. so I had to make one last (maybe) thing before the trip.  My mom made this recipe a while ago and said it was good, so I figured I had to try it out too!

Sopapilla Cheesecake
recipe from Food.com

• 2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese
• 2 (8oz) packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
• 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

Grease a 9x13 pan.  Unroll one package of crescent rolls and line the bottom of the pan.  Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until well blended and spread over the crescent rolls.  Then, unroll the second package of crescent rolls and place on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter and pour over the top, then sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Let it cool.  You can serve it slightly warm, but I prefer it chilled!  Then drizzle a little honey on top and you are good to go!  Or you can serve it with fresh strawberry sauce.. or even.. chocolate..

I really enjoyed this recipe.  It was easy to make, and it was satisfying!  When I made it, I did cut the recipe in half and used an 8x8 pan instead -- because that is plenty for just my husband and I.  Anything more would have been too much for just the two of us. 

Tomorrow I have my baby shower (a second one.. lucky me!) and then my husband and I are going to head out of town for the weekend to 'get away' and celebrate our anniversary.  Can't wait!

Keeping Busy!

Next week I should be heading up to Seoul to stay until our little one gets here (so SOON!).  I had my mom send me a bunch of yarn (and a book for when my hands need a rest from crocheting) to keep me busy while hubby is working.. since I know I'll be antsy.  So -- thanks Momma!!

All the yarn is so pretty and vibrant.. and soft!  I have big plans for all this yarn!  I can't wait to show what I'm making with it.  Of course, most of it is going to be for baby girl.  ;)

The past few days I've been a tad miserable - my whole body hurts, ankles swelling, I can't sleep at night for the life of me, so by the time early afternoon rolls around I'm DEAD TIRED.  There has been lots of napping going on in the past few days... much needed, though.  So thankful that I have a wonderful husband that helps me out around the house, and rubs my feet.. hehe.

I Love Being In Love

Happy anniversary to the most amazing, thoughtful, handsome, sweet, loving, sincere, honest, talented, hard-working, perfect-for-me husband I could have ever dreamed of.  Two years... every year getting better.. and there are many, many more to come.

When we were just dating:)

Engaged! May 2009

 Married (only 2 years ago and we look so young/different LOL)! June 1, 2009

Our wedding photo shoot before Coleman left for Korea.. because I never thought I'd be able to actually plan a 'wedding' at this point!  March 2010.

But I was wrong!  Our Vow Renewal Ceremony!  September 2010

 Expecting a baby girl!  2011.

I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful life to lead.

We spent our day at a meeting, and grocery shopping.. but at least my husband got off work early tonight so we could spend some time together.  :)  We are going on a little 'weekend getaway' this weekend, though -- so excited for that!!!

Hang my locket around your neck,

   wear my ring on your finger.

Love is invincible facing danger and death.

   Passion laughs at the terrors of hell.

The fire of love stops at nothing—

   it sweeps everything before it.

Flood waters can't drown love,

   torrents of rain can't put it out.

Love can't be bought, love can't be sold—

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 
The Message