I have been a freelance graphic designer since college, and I really miss diving into a design project and coming up with something I worked hard to reach. It felt so good to get back in the seat after a long baby break to create something personal. I teamed up with HP to try their Sprout HP technology. I wasn’t quite expecting to discover all of the options it holds! I was more than impressed. Here’s a re-cap….
Some of my favorite features:
Touchscreen – I thought it was brilliant that you could use the all in one desktop as a touchscreen. You can swipe images from the desktop to the touchscreen pad and vice versa. It is a very intuitive and interactive. It also has a bluetooth mouse you can use as well.
A 3D scanner touchpad – The touchpad that you place in front of the computer can scan objects and documents, and instantly store them on the screen for you to re-size and manipulate. A breakthrough technology that allows you to capture any physical object and reimagine it digitally.Way too much fun!
Draw tool – you can hand write text right onto the touchpad. You can add it to your work or even color and shade in certain programs. Fascinating!
3D turntable – I was always trying to find affordable or free graphics as a designer to use in my projects. This turntable allows you to scan objects which re-creates 3D digital shapes to use however you like. (Rotate, shrink, stretch, combine, etc.)
All-in-one PC – This whole device works like a desktop computer which includes a bluetooth keyboard or touchscreen keyboard option. Internet explorer, educational kids programs (that Gabe and I may or may not have spent two hours playing the other night…), organizational tools, etc.
Favorite programs – Illustrator and Sketchbook
So after getting to know the Sprout, I decided on my first project. I had been really wanting to come up with a more personal Birth Announcement for Rocco so I decided to scan some things that were significant to me to include. Loved being able to create it all quickly and hands on. Once I had all the items scanned, it only took about 15 minutes to assemble. We are looking forward to mailing this to some family members and friends who live afar.
You can check out more ideas in the gallery. There are many of them!
This post is in partnership with Sprout, and all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!
Meet Rocco Samuel.Already proving he has got his own rhythm on life, he arrived 8 days early, on a hot summer night, July 26th. I now have three sons, and a wildflower. Wait, what?! It’s all quite surreal, and just like the birth stories I have tried to share before, there are no adequate words to be found to describe what meeting your child for the first time is really like. Here is just a summary of one of the best days of my life…
Before it all started…
All three of my children before Rocco were born on their due dates, so I wasn’t expecting much different this time around. It wasn’t until I arrived to Friday night after a long hot week here in Atlanta, I started to think this babe might be a different story. I was a few days short of 39 weeks, and I was beginning to have very strong braxton hicks contractions anytime I attempted beyond a snails pace level of activity. Legs occasionally going numb also might have been a clue? I started to frantically organize my house as would be the bazaar and accurate thing to do when you sense a baby about to arrive. (Someone should really figure out how to bottle that mysterious nesting energy that gives you all kinds of motivation to complete avoidable tasks.) I wrote out directions for my sister who would be caring for our little ones, packed the last details of my hospital bag, went to the store and stocked up on food, tied up some last minute projects, and began to pray for strength to overcome some of the anxiety I was battling. To be honest, barely making it to the hospital and having a fast natural birth with Max made it hard to feel calm about everything. I had an appointment scheduled with my midwife for Monday that we had planned a month prior to see if we could catch pre-labor signs before my due date. I knew that would be my reassurance of timing and when to prepare. However, as I am always quick to forget, God had other plans, and they were much better than my own. My gut instinct was I wouldn’t quite make it to Monday. I really wanted my midwife to deliver this baby since she delivered my first son as well. I was driving 45 minutes just to see her throughout the pregnancy, but we knew though that with my history of fast labors I had to be open minded with no real birth plan but to make it to the hospital on time.
Here he comes…
After a long brunch with family on Sunday and a calm afternoon, I began to think this baby was just fooling me all along, and I would just have to put up with braxton hicks contractions another week. We were all packing up to head out the door to a friend’s going away party when I had my first contraction. I immediately downloaded the full term app and started timing. (Because surely I wouldn’t be able to time them on my own as I had done for the last three!) I half second guessed myself. Was it really a contraction? You think you would know the 4th time around. After just a few they were getting a little stronger. Gabe looked at me and knew it was time. He went into mission mode and started loading the car in between phone calls. Behind teary eyes I took each of my children and held them and kissed them one more time before a new chapter would begin. My contractions were already 5 min. apart and I begin to panic that I wouldn’t make it up to my midwife. When I called her we both agreed it was best to head straight to the nearest hospital….
Fast forward to the delivery room ten minutes later, I made sure the nurses and doctors knew my body doesn’t know how to pace itself very well, and they very well could be catching a baby with a baseball glove momentarily. Luckily this time around, there was more of a steady pace of progression that actually gave us enough time to get me gowned and tubed up before things got really painful. Ladies who have given birth…. it’s that 5-6 cm mark that really does it right?? I needed Gabe’s hand on one side, and my rosary in the other. I felt God near. I knew He was in that room, as with the birth of every new life that He creates. I felt the world pause as I was about to take part in one of the greatest gifts given to a woman…the ability to be a vessel of new life.
The birth…
I held my breath as the doctor asked me to stop pushing. I had only pushed once and the baby was flying out. The cord was wrapped around his neck, and he needed to cut it quick. I was given the go ahead to give my last push. He was out in a flash, and they stole him away to the other side of the room.With my heart racing and begging God to hear that first cry, I waited in anticipation. There was a minor complication they were looking into, and so my heart felt like it was inside of my throat. It wasn’t until I heard that first little wail that my entire body breathed again. I looked at Gabe through teary eyes in a moment of complete gratitude. We had a son, and he had a healthy pair of lungs!
Gabe got to gaze at him first as they made sure he was okay. We kept shouting at each other across the room…He has dark hair! Does he have the signature family birthmark? He has a whole new look! When they finally brought him over to me, a dam of tears broke inside, and I wept uncontrollably as I got to feel my baby’s skin for the first time against mine. He was the smallest of all of my babies so far, and his tiny body felt immediately like he was always meant to be. Psalm 139 came rushing into my mind…
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know. …Your eyes saw me unformed; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
I am thankful for this indescribable joy just as much as I am thankful for the pains and aches that paved the way for this reality. It has been a blissful few days of complete exhaustion, and baby snuggling, and lots of feeding and diaper changing and a little noisy chaos in between. Gabe is taking care of our other three little ones as we adjust to life with four. I can’t even describe how much Gabriel and Veronica love their little brother already. They won’t leave his side. Max is somewhat clueless, although we have high hopes for their future bond;) Gabe chose the name Rocco after a catholic saint who spent his life in the service of the poor and sick. We always like to choose names that are role models for our children to turn to as they grow:)
Thank you to each of you who have shared your congratulations, and love. We are so grateful for you!
A little video Gabe and my sister took when the little ones met Rocco for the first time:) Song by Coldplay.
*We didn’t know the gender of the baby so we had two names picked out. Swell Forever so kindly sent the keepsake blanket a few weeks before he was born. You should check out their company and support of adoption and loss!
Rocco’s little bonnet is from Flora and Henri, and striped blanket I found from Little Unicorn.
I usually chuckle when I get an email asking how I manage and balance everything so well. I make sure to assure them, I don’t know what those words mean most of the time.
Now I may have editorial content for the blog lined up a month ahead of time, as well as perfectly prioritized to-do list. I am an expert at planning a trip itinerary in advance. I can plan a party down to the detail. I can even have all of the families work, school, or just for fun events entered as alarms in my phone two or three times to ensure we don’t forget.
However, unless organization is required, I tend to fly by the seat of my pants.
Most of the time, I couldn’t tell you what we are having for dinner the next day, more or less what we are having that night.
We don’t make weekend plans till Friday at 4pm.
In fact, we have our friends sign a flexibility disclosure that we may not be able to secure hang out plans till the day or hour before. (wink)
And don’t even bother asking me where each child will go to school and when. We don’t know these complex things till forms are due, and decisions MUST be made.
However, there are some things that require advance notice and a little more thought out organization than hour by hour…
For instance, a birth plan. Or lack thereof…
Did you have a birth plan for your first child? What about the second or third?
I realize that you are either a planner or you are…………….not.
Now after reading the before mentioned, can you guess which category I fall under?
If you guessed that I never have a birth plan, you are just about right. He knew!
My theory tends to be that if you make a plan for the birth of a child, that child likes to spite you, and prove you they have more of a personality than predictability. I decided to go into my first two births with an open mind, and let these babies come when they were ready, in the way they wanted to. This was probably a good thing considering the way each birth happened.
Even though all three of mine came on their due dates, they came in very different ways. My labor with Gabriel started off in a crazy way, but ended up in a paced and peaceful delivery post epidural. Veronica came quicker than expected and without the ability to choose medication. If I had any sort of plan in place, it never would have happened because of the nature of both deliveries. However, I decided maybe I would try out some sort of a birth plan for my third pregnancy and hope this would give me a little bit more control over the result this time. Ha! Max the moose surely laughed. My planned water birth never happened.
You can imagine why a making any sort of plan for the birth of my fourth is probably unnecessary. However, I do have a goal. GET TO THE HOSPITAL ON TIME. With how fast Max came, I am afraid I might have to pitch a tent in the hospital parking lot the week before my due date to ensure Gabe isn’t delivering the baby on the side of the road. Which apparantly, Gabe is perfectly fine with (can I have some of that ease of mind please?).
So there you have it my friends. No birth plan, but to call my midwife with the first contraction, and get myself to the hospital in a timely manner. I may just opt for that epidural too if I was so lucky as to have the option this time;)
Speaking of birth stories, I LOVE to read them. Especially right before giving birth myself which makes no sense whatsoever. I am a glutton for self – antagonization I guess, as I am also busting through seasons of Call the Midwife.Leave me some links if you have some good ones!
*Dress (non-maternity) by Free People c/o Shopbop, a fun similar one here.
Maximilian Francis
This little boy has surprised us in more ways than one in his first few days of life. Its a crazy thing to finally have in your hands the little person you were growing for nine months – to finally see who this little being is.
As you may remember, I had a non-birth planto try a water birth, but kept an open mind that things could change easily when the time came. Its a good thing, because Max decided to come in his own way…much faster than I bargained for.
Before the birth:
Gabriel and Veronica were both born on their due date so I had a gut feeling this little one would carry on the family tradition. His due date was on our 5th anniversary, June 28th. Gabe and I went out to dinner and one of our favorite spots in Atlanta where we went the night we got engaged. It was so cool for us to be able to have some time together before our family grew again. I was having strong braxton hicks throughout dinner but had been having those off and on for a few weeks so I didn’t give too much importance to them. After we got back late and went to bed I couldn’t sleep. I was in and out with that instinct that the baby was coming. I finally dozed off and woke up with a very strong contraction around 1:30 AM. I knew right away this was it. I timed the first few and they were only 4 minutes apart. I thought it was really strange, but I knew if it went anything like Veronica’s birth, that I had better respond quick.
There was no laboring at home or waiting it out. I did the rounds…
I woke up Gabe, he jumped out of bed, and quickly got into game mode. I went into the guest room where my sister Jana was staying to tell her it was time. (She has been our lifesaver these past few days taking care of Gabriel and Veronica for us. ) Having a sister to share all of this with is pretty awesome. And she told me she had never gotten to witness someone going into labor before…check that off your bucket list sista! And lastly, went in to kiss my sweet little ones one last time with tears in my eyes. I knew when I got back everything would be different. Good, but different. Its a last goodbye to a cherished phase of life with just those two.
The labor:
The contactions were intense to begin with so I told Gabe red lights were fully permissable considering we had a twenty minute drive to the hospital. He had no problem getting into speedy race car driver mode as we flew down the highway. I called the midwife almost immediately after contractions had started and was told she was already at the hospital with another birth (thank the Lord). I was trying my best to focus through the crazy pain, and had a growing sense that the baby wanted to waste no time in making his or her debut. Half way there between sharp turns and attempts at deep breathing, my water broke. I knew the water birth was not happening at that point and I started to simply pray for strength to get me through whatever was about to come. Gabe zoomed into handicapped parking right smack in front of the ER entrance. As I stepped out of the car the door seemed miles away. I wanted to just crawl at that point and from my experience with Veronica, the baby was pretty close to arriving. Don’t worry, I made it through those doors and Gabe pushed me in the wheelchair back to labor and delivery. I was so thankful for my calm and patient midwife who greeted us as we flew through those doors. I barely had time to get a gown on before I felt the baby transition. For those of you who have been through natural labor, you know this is one of the peaks of pain. Tears were flowing down my face and I wanted to hold up the white flag of surrender. What kept me going? I knew I was minutes away from meeting the little one I had been waiting so long for…
The Delivery: They barely got the IV in and I knew it was time to push. All I will say is that what followed was the most difficult and painful experience of my life. I felt the rush of prayers of all of my family and friends, I heard my husband’s steady words of support as he cheered me on through the last stretch, and I gave everything I had to give because I knew it was all that remained between me and my baby. Four pushes later at 3:05 am, I heard that sound you ache for as a mother to know they are alive and well….the sweet newborn cry. Gabe turned to tell me it was a boy and I almost passed out from the overwhelming mix of pain, relief, emotion, joy, and triumph. I barely had the energy to wrap my arms around my baby and I couldn’t get any words to form. I just knew that this was it….this was all worth it. I loved him so deeply already….that strange beautiful mystery of love at first sight. The phenomenon of willingly giving up your body to be broken for another being so that they can have life. Sound familiar? I certainly have a whole new level of gratitude to God for his own sacrifice for me…
The extras: I knew from the moment I saw this baby boy’s black head of hair and big frame that Maximilian was going to suit him well. My last appointment, the midwife told me not to expect more than an 8 lb. baby. I had my doubts from the way I felt those last few days, and sure enough ….a whopping 9 lbs. 9 oz. 21 inches long chunker. Gabe is very proud, and I am hoping this means my dream of a chubby baby may come true. And this might very well be the first child that resembles my spanish roots! We will see. Its a Catholic tradition to name your children after role models or saints that they can look up to as they grow. The story of St. Maximilian and St. Francis of Assisi have always been a favorite of Gabe and I’s and we know they will be great guardians of little Max:)
Who will you be Maximilian? Your dad and I talk about how we can’t wait to see who you become. You have a really selfless dad who will show you how to be a man of truth and fight for all that is good in this world. You have a brother and sister who think you are the bees knees and can’t stop squealing over you. I have a feeling you will get plenty of love around here. And me, well, lets just say I am a puddle of sap for you and I can’t put you down. You are snuggled up next to my leg as I write your story. We are ready to begin life with you!
____
P.S. Stay tuned as I share with you some of my very favorite mothers and their stories this week on IHOD as I take some time to rest and soak up time with my little ones. Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers these past months. I am so grateful for each of you!
I am about to have my third child. I have never attended a birth class or made a birth plan.
I just knew I would roll with it when the time came because we have a beautiful thing called natural instinct that kicks in. It has served me well up until this point, even though both of my birth experiences were so different than I had thought they would be. I knew if I had made a birth plan, it would be have made it more difficult for me to accept all the crazy turns of events that happened. Instead, I was able to just put my fighter mode on and go.
Well, after unexpectedly going natural last time with Veronica, it is what I hope to accomplish this time. That being said, I actually have a tentative plan for this baby…(gasp!)….a water birth. It is supposed to take the edge off the pain, allow more comfort, and ease the delivery. Gabe and I went to a two hour class last night. It was the first time since this pregnancy we actually got to sit down and think about the fact we were about to bring a new life into the world in a few short weeks. We both wondered how this was happening already. The class was an interesting experience to say the least. Probably more info than I would prefer to know, but important none the less. When it comes down to it, I know I am in good hands with who will be delivering our baby (our midwives are fantastic), and that Gabe will be there. That is really all I am concerned with. I know God already has a birth plan for us…He has proven He is most present in those moments.
So what do you think friends? Do you think Gabriel and Veronica will be getting a brother or a sister? I have my hunch but wil let you guess;)
“Sugar and Spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of. Snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails, that’s what little boys are made of.”
Although I may beg to differ on that everything nice bit now that I have a wild girl of my own…
Everyone should have a piñata at their party at some point in their life, even if its for Cinco de Mayo! I mean, I could go for one on my next birthday without a problem. Since Gabriel and Veronica had their zoo animal birthday party together, I needed to stuff it full of things that they both would love (as well as the party goers) and that was preferrably sugar free. That is when I consulted the world of twitter….where all questions can be sent into the void in hopes of a returning wise answer. This time, there were some grand ones. So thanks friends for the fun ideas!
What we stuffed in Mr. Lion… Boys:
Lizards, dinos, frog figures
Car Stickers
Mini baseballs for the pool
Squids for the pool
Bouncy balloons
Girls:
Bouncy Balloons
Bracelets
Bubbles
Toy Whistles
Additional ideas:
Mini Play-do packs
Mini crayon packs
Most of these were found at Target and the Dollar Tree. Lion piñata was purchased here.
Easy enough right? This was a big hit with the kids and it was fun for the adults to watch their little attempts to slay the poor lion..
Veronica’s favorite part of her party were the animal balloons…she didn’t want to put the pig down. Originally spotted these on pinterest from a UK company but found another version on Amazon. Unfortunately, the Animal Shaped Beach Balls I ordered to fill the yard with didn’t come in on time. We survived…;)
Happy Wednesday!
P.S. Winner of the Waiting on Martha Giveaway announced here!
Since this was a party with lots of little ones and double the amount of adults, I focused on having a relaxed and open setting with good food, drinks, and activities on hand:) I wrapped both the food table and kids table with kraft paper (you can buy it by the roll). The kids could use their space to color and it also makes for an easy clean up! Since it was a party for Gabriel AND Veronica, I used Navy, Lime, and Bright Pink as the color theme. I had such a hard time finding these colors in stores (especially navy) so I was thrilled when these shops came through for me! ….
Plates, Napkins, Cutlery, Balloons, Striped Straws via PlatesandNapkins.com(the only place I could find these colors!)
We were blessed to celebrate with many good friends, and hopefully captured some memories for our children:) I will post three party DIY’s tomorrow so stay tuned!
P.S. The winner of the GCOCH giveaway was #3….Danielle! Please contact me for info! Thanks to everyone who entered! Look forward to seeing you on the site:)
Unfortunately, the 
I ordered to fill the yard with didn’t come in on time. We survived…;)
