Amelia Marie Faubus

Prayers were answered, and Miss Amelia Marie Faubus was born early Tuesday morning, May 22 at 1:23am. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 13 oz, and is 20.5 inches long. She has a bit of fuzzy blonde hair and a little round face.

I started having contractions after lunch on Monday. Even though we were very anxious, it was nice to have a day home to get some projects done and prepare for her. I cleaned the house, did the laundry, caught up in my office, hung some pictures on the wall, etc...maybe that's what put me into labor?!

Billy was excited to be able to start...and finish...a project in the backyard. I peeked outside periodically to tell him the progress, and then went back in the house. I think staying busy helped keep his mind off the coming attraction. And now the new grill "patio" is ready to be used.

We ate some dinner, knowing that it could be awhile before I was able to eat again, and after careful consideration as to where to watch the season finale of Heroes, we headed up to the hospital in Ames at about 7:00pm.

I used hypnobirthing again (did it with Jack) and it went well. I spent 95% of the labor listening to calming music in self-hypnosis. I think Billy felt a bit useless, but he did as I asked and just hung out waiting for the real action. I had a pretty intense contraction at 1:18 and it broke my water, the doctor came in and set up the bed, I pushed 2 times, and out she came at 1:23! So I can't complain of 5 minutes of uncomfort.

She has been a very good baby so far. Nursing is going well, minus the fact that sometimes she wants to sleep thru feedings. I'm sure that won't be the case in a few days. She doesn't fuss or cry much, and seems to enjoy just hanging out. Hopefully that continues when her brother and sister return and start taking up some of my time and attention.

Speaking of those two, they have been in Gowrie with Grandpa & Grandma Shepherd. Ellie will get to meet her sister tomorrow (Thursday) but Jack won't until probably Saturday. And Ellie will be off right away again with my sister to go camping for the weekend. We are blessed to have lots of family close to help out.

Keep the blog on your speed dial, as I'll try to post new pictures and any new adventures. New babies change so fast, and I'll want to keep it all documented! God has blessed me with another healthy child, and Billy the awesome experience of being a father. We are so thankful and honored to be given the privilege.

Still Waiting....

Well, it's May 21st...one day before the "official" due date, and no baby yet. Ellie & Jack are pretty much gone for the next week (setting up camp with Tony & other family members) and Billy is on vacation all week. So we are definitely feeling the need to have this baby.

Billy has started working on a project in the backyard to pass the time, and I going to tackle the painting of our bathroom. You can only walk so much! We are very anxious and each evening before going to bed wonder if this will be the night we get woke up to go up to the hospital. Be praying that it's soon... otherwise Billy will be back to work, and the kids will be back home... and our "downtime" will be done before she arrives instead of after! :)

Video

I've heard that most people were not able to upload the video. So I deleted the first link, and let's try another! Try to load above, but if it doesn't work, try going directly to youtube.com by clicking the linked title above, "Video." Sorry, I was trying to eliminate the extra step for you!

Planting Green Beans

This is my first attempt and putting a video on the blog! If it doesn't work, than here are a few stills that I captured too. I'm sure this will just make my dad's day (who is a proud gardener) ... my kids planting our first row of green beans in the garden.

For those of you unfamiliar with my childhood, green beans were always my nemesis in the summer. I didn't like the hot weather, the bending over, the bugs and other scary things in the garden, or anything that had to do with gardening those darn green beans. So slyly, I convinced everyone else in my family that I was incapable of picking them, and instead sat inside and waited for them to bring me a 5-gallon bucket full to break while in the air-conditioning watching tv. It was still awful, but not helping was not an option.

Now, here I am passing the curse along to my children. Luckily, it's only 1 row of beans (not 5-8) and I think we'll all be able to handle the work. Will canning beans be in my future when we get a bigger garden?? If so, again, I'll be passing the buck to Billy & my kids for the outdoorsy stuff. I'll be inside...where there aren't risk of daddy-long-legs.

Bed Head

Jack recently got his hair cut again. I took both of the kids up to the Salon Professional Academy in Ames (hair school) where Gretchen, our long time sitter, is going to school. She did a great job...even amongst wiggly heads! Jack's hair is very cute... combed. But for some reason, sleeping is not a good thing for it. He wakes up in the morning and at naps with quite the bed head. Yesterday, I think because he had some sunscreen residue in it, it was worth the price of admission to see it. I'll let you sneak a peek for free here on the blog!

The Countdown is on...

Publish
Well, just a few days left of the pregnancy! I'm "officially" due sometime between May 18 and the 22nd. But really, anytime could be baby time. We are all getting very anxious around here...including mama...who is getting pretty uncomfortable. I have my last PChef show on Saturday, and we have plans on Sunday for Mother's Day with family. But starting Monday the 14th, I'll be ready to go. Billy's birthday is on the 19th, and he's hoping he'll share a birthday with his first born. My sister's birthday is on the 20th. Plus numerous other close family and friends have birthdays between the 17th and 22nd. So I think we might be able to make someone happy!

Ellie is old enough to understand that a new sister is coming...and is very excited! Although, I think she thinks she'll be able to play Barbies and babies with this little one right away. That might be a big disappointment, when instead she'll be spending the summer fetching diapers and corralling her little brother for me. Here is a picture of Ellie hugging my belly... if that wasn't obvious.

I'm hoping the hospital has wireless Internet, because I'm taking my computer and planning to email/blog the new baby pics. We are excited to see what this Faubus baby is going to look like!

Pictures

Just a couple of cute pictures that I wanted to post of the kids. Bath time, which is INSANE! They are getting too big and ornery to bathe together anymore. And them working on a wrecker truck together.

Karaoke must start early

Like any really fun, cool person... my kids love to sing and dance. The Easter bunny brought Ellie a pop star get up and she and Jack like to get dressed up and sing with the radio. Here is a particular funny evening when they both had "microphones" and were singing it up in their jammies after bathtime. Jack is sporting some fairy wings. Hilarious!

I wish I had the picture of me when I was about 8 years old, singing on a table in my living room with a similar wig on. You'd probably see a very close resemblance of Ellie & I. I'm sure my mom remembers that picture.

An evening in the park

After dinner, when the weather is nice, we try to get outside with the kids for about an hour or so before bedtime. We did this last summer/fall, and are so happy to start the routine again. Sometimes we just take a walk, or play in the backyard. If we have enough time, we try to get to the park. This particular night last week, the kids got a special treat and we went over to Slater (5 miles away) and went to the big wood castle park at the elementary school. We all had a blast! Unfortunately, I'm not as mobile these days to run and crawl after the kids, but we still managed to get dirty and wear the kids out before bed.

Couple's Baby Shower

Some friends of ours recently had a Couple's Baby Shower for Billy & I. As a first time parent, I didn't want Billy to miss out on the festivities, even though I've had my share of showering. We asked guests to bring diapers, wipes, or frozen meals... as most of the other catagories are covered. Everyone was very generous. Thank you again to those that attended!

Here are a couple pictures: Billy was pumped that one couple brought wine w/ their meal for us. And then the other is the fabulous "diaper cake" that Sarah Burnett made. I hated taking it all apart! It was done so well.

Let's play ball!

Jack, all boy, thru & thru... has become quite the little ball player. He's had an amazing arm since he could throw. And then a few weeks ago when we got the T-ball set out, we found out he's quite the little hitter too.

At a garage sale this past weekend, I was able to purchase regular sized baseballs, softballs, and basketballs at a quarter a piece! What a steal! He's pretty attached to the basketballs. We have a shorter kid-sized hoop in the garage that he can get those big sized basketballs into and every time he proclaims triumphantly, "I did it, Mama! I did it, Billy!"

Warmer Weather!

The other day when I picked Ellie up from school, I told her that she didn't need to put her coat on, and that it was nice out. She asked if the weather was going to stay warm, and are we done with the cold? I said, "Yep! I'm pretty sure." She exclaimed, "YES! Now we can wear dresses!"

I've been telling her for a couple weeks now that it's just a bit too chilly to wear dresses, and she's been anxiously waiting to wear them and flip flops. How exciting!

Can you say....trim!?!

The west side of our yard got a much needed haircut a couple weeks ago! A row of VERY overgrown honeysuckle bushes were trimmed down to a more manageable height! We were tempted to trim them all the way back, but we do like the bit of privacy and border they create between backyards.

Here is a picture of Billy in the midst of it! We burned it all the other day in the garden and we are anxious to get the ashes tilled into the dirt this next week....I guess that can make really great garden soil. I'll believe it when my tomatoes and potatoes are bursting forth!

Some Easter Fun

We had a blessed Easter this past weekend! My sister and her family were able to come and stay a couple days with us. Ellie was thrilled to have her best friend, Lilah, here to share in all the festivities. Friday and Saturday we had a successful garage sale...and are happy to be able to get both cars in the garage now after eliminating some things.

On Saturday, we took the kids to a carnival and egg hunt here in town. We are very lucky to have a community that does things like that and makes it a great opportunity to meet new people. The kids had a blast! Nicki and I were tired. But we still managed to get the eggs dyed before supper.

Easter morning, after finding eggs and baskets that the Easter Bunny brought, we all went to church at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines with Lutheran Church of Hope. Lots of great things about spending Easter morning with over 12,000 other worshippers...but also kinda hectic too! We enjoyed the service, but we hope our little satellite of Hope, Northbranch, will have it's own service next year in Ankeny.

We hope your family had a blessed Easter weekend! Jesus has Risen! Alleluia!

Jack Turns 2!

Little man, Jack, turned 2 on March 31st! We had a party for him here on that day...with people coming in and out on Friday and Saturday. A busy weekend for many people. But we were blessed to have so many stop by and say hi to the birthday boy. Of course, he was given lots of great boy gifts, like trucks, "guys," and outdoor fun things. I'm anxious for the weather to get nice again so we can be outside more to ride bikes and play T-ball. Which Jack is already showing up his sister in. He seems to be a natural at the throwing and hitting of balls.

We had to wake him up from his nap to do the cake and presents thing...he was so shy and cute when we sang happy birthday. And then he couldn't get up the nerve to blow out candles...so Ellie and Lilah helped. He didn't have any problems busting into presents though!

Ellie's Outfit

Ellie decided to dress herself today. She is sporting a hot pink velvet dress (that seems to be a bit too short), a brown corduroy jacket, off-white tights, and her rain boots. The boots are really the only thing logical, since it is raining out today. Had to share...Billy & I got quite a laugh out of it.

How the kids pass time...

Because we've been inside so much...here is a look at what the kids tend to do these days...

1) Our morning begins with breakfast. If time allows, they get to enjoy it on the couch watching Clifford the Big Red Dog.
2) Jack has taken a particular liking to tools! Especially since Papa has been here every weekend working on the basement. He is quite the little helper and LOVES to play with anything that involves his tools and wood. His hat is a must!
3) Poor kid...when Ellie gets him away from the tools...she tends to play Barbies with him, or here put jewelry on him. At least she picked blue for him.
4) Ellie is just content being silly...as usual.

Jack's First Big Haircut

I recently took Jack to a salon here in town to get his first big haircut. Suzanne trimmed it a bit before the wedding back in December, but I wasn't ready for a "big boy" haircut yet. With his 2nd birthday coming at the end of March, and since I'll be getting his pictures taken, I decided it was time! It was getting quite long...and very unruly...so this is a much better look! I've posted a before and after look for you.

How to Beat Cabin Fever

With the weather nasty cold, blowing, snow, ice, etc....a few weeks ago, after a great idea from a friend (thanks, Hollie!), I decided to purchase a trampoline for the kids. As pictured, a mini-exercise one that fits quite nicely in the house. It's been in the living room the past month, but was recently moved to the basement (as we've made progress on the remodeling project).

They've also learned to take turns, while using a timer, which is a nice bonus.

Ellie Skiing

Towards the beginning of February, Tony took Ellie skiing to a little ski hill west of Boone. The weather was fantastic, but that made for a very busy day there. I sent them with the hopes of her getting into the free ski training, but all the classes were full. Tony, not being an experienced skier, tried to work with her himself. He said that didn't work out real well. They were back sooner than I had anticipated, b/c she got tired of falling down. Go figure! She also said that holding on to the rope to get up the hill hurt her hand. So she didn't have fun.

Hopefully we can try again next month...or maybe wait until next year again. We both agree that starting the kids young is best. But if she's non-compliant, what's a parent to do?

Cereal named after Jack

This past weekend, I remembered a really funny story from nearly 2 years ago. I wanted to make sure it got logged on the blog before I forgot! Hence, the archived photo of a baby Jack.

Ellie was on a Apple Jacks cereal kick for awhile...I remember this when we were still in Ames. One day, while picking out her cereal, she asked what this particular cereal was called, and I said, Apple Jacks. She said, "Like Bubba!" Yes...the name of the cereal had the same name as her brother.

The next morning, when I asked her what she wanted for breakfast, she very matter-of-factly answered, "Apple Bubba's." I thought I was going to die laughing. So since that day, Apple Jacks cereal, is now called Apple Bubbas.

And the baby is.....

Today we had our first ultrasound, and we were able to clearly see that it is a GIRL! The top photo she's giving you all a "hello" wave. She was very busy in there this morning, and we were able to see her open her mouth, stretch, do a lot of hand and foot motions. She even tried to roll over at one point.

She is measuring right-on (my past 2 babies measured small)...and the due date looks to be about right too. Maybe even a little sooner...like May 18th.

So now we get to start thinking about names, looking thru Ellie's old clothes...and many friends have offered their little girls clothes to borrow and sell too. But I know the Grandma's are anxious to buy! Aren't we all...I've had a Gap coupon burning a whole in my pocket since Christmas!

I'm very excited to tell Ellie when I get her from the sitter this afternoon. She is wanting a sister...and I think she thought I was bringing a baby home today. I don't think the communication of finding out what it is today translated to a 4 yr old & that we still have to wait another couple months for the baby to come home. :)

Welcome!

Many of you are visiting our blogsite for the first time! You received our link in the mail with our Holiday card. We are so happy you have found us! Add us to your Favorites list, so when you remember, you can hop online and check what's new!

The latest news is that we will be having our first ultrasound on Wednesday, Jan 24th. If all goes well, we will be finding out the sex of the baby. Our appointment was supposed to be this past Friday, but it was rescheduled. A person's patience is only so strong....lots of anticipation in the house! Ellie is convinced it's a little sister. I think Billy is pulling for a boy. I honestly don't have a preference either way...but I do want to know. Of course, we all just want 10 toes and 10 fingers and everything okay.

I'll plan to scan a picture in and put all the info on the blog sometime Wednesday or Thursday.

New Blog Site Address

Because I have a new name...and because we'll have a new baby that doesn't carry the Shepherd name...I've changed the blog address. Something that will encompass the whole clan of us! I guess I should have thought of that sooner! Please start bookmarking this new site, as the old one no longer exists!

Wedding Pictures

Here are a few good ones from the big day, which was Friday, Dec 22nd. As you can see Jack was a handful during pictures. The small ones came from another person's camera, and I can't get them bigger. Sorry!

Happy New Year!

Wow! What a whirl wind of a couple of weeks. Take a wedding, a Christmas, and a Honeymoon...what do you have? Me - not sure if I'm coming or going! And in what dress, what town, and if all my bags are packed correctly!

2006 ended splendidly, and completely unexpectedly from how the year started. A single-mom, trying to sell our house than to...moving to Huxley in the Spring...than meeting someone that turned out to be more than I expected at a small-town bar.... and now being wed, planning a new life together, and expecting a baby! So it goes without saying, pray for changes, and God will answer. Sometimes right away...sometimes you have to wait. But answers, He does!

The kids are doing well. Ellie is enjoying preschool 2 days a week. Learning letters and numbers...and all that stuff. She's never interested when at home, but her teacher promises that she's keeping up there. Jack is starting to talk quite a bit. Somethings we understand, others we don't. "Billy" and "Ellie" sound a lot of like. And surprisingly, "thank you" has entered already, which is nice to hear. He's still a skinny squirt...causing quite the "pants" challenge. So we've resulted in wearing mostly bib-overalls.

I'm now 20 weeks pregnant, and due mid-May. We'll have our first ultrasound on the 19th, and are hoping to find out the sex of the baby. A boy would be fabulous, since we are all set in the clothes category there. But really we don't care. This being Billy's first little munchkin, I'm trying to keep him in the loop and be all excited too...but being it my third, it's just another walk in the park for me and I go all "routine" on him.

Pampered Chef continues to be my work. I also clean a few houses for extra cash. Both will be slowing down this year, with baby, and some other interests that I want to spend more time on. Billy works in Story City, and will continue his daily commute from Huxley to the American Packaging Plant. He enjoys the 30 minutes each way of alone time for prayer, reflection, and music. Lord knows, I'd like some of that!

We are looking to remodel our home this winter/spring to make room for baby. My dad and Billy plan to do most all the work. No final plans yet...but better use of space is the goal! We really love Huxley and our neighbors...so God willing, we will be making our forever home here in the Ballard School District.

We hope that 2006 provided blessings, health, and surprises to all of you too! If you are ever in our neck of the woods feel free to swing by. We are smack in the middle of Ames and Ankeny just off Hwy 69. Happy New Year!