As soon as our lives get a little more back to normal I hope to be able to do more photography. I had to turn down a lot of people over the past couple months and would love to dive back in to capture these fun moments!
Nov 10, 2011
Pics of People
It's been quite a long time since I posted some photography pictures. Here are a few semi-recent lovely families...
As soon as our lives get a little more back to normal I hope to be able to do more photography. I had to turn down a lot of people over the past couple months and would love to dive back in to capture these fun moments!
As soon as our lives get a little more back to normal I hope to be able to do more photography. I had to turn down a lot of people over the past couple months and would love to dive back in to capture these fun moments!
Nov 11, 2010
Surprise baby present!
Many have asked us whether or not we know the gender of baby #4. And the answer is YES! We have never found out before with any of the kids but decided that we would with this one. There are a couple reasons we wanted to know - one is so we can put the kids' rooms together as we renovate the house knowing if it will be 3 girls in one room with Elliott by himself in another or 2 girls in one and 2 boys in the other.
We also wanted to see what it was like to know versus not knowing and I have (not-so-secretly) hoped for a boy so I wanted to know and be excited for whatever it is when it's born instead of disappointed for a little bit if it's not a boy.
So how did we find out? A friend of mine found out in a fun way with her last baby and I decided to copy her. :) After an ultrasound we had the gender put in an envelope. A week or two later I took the envelope to Baby Gap and chose an adorable little outfit for a boy and a girl. I gave the envelope, clothes, wrapping paper, and money to a girl that worked at the store and asked her to look in the envelope and wrap up the right outfit as a surprise to me.
She was excited and said she had so much fun helping us with our surprise!
Michael and I sat down together one night and got to open our first little gift to Baby Cuatro. It was a very fun way to find out and now we have the perfect coming home outfit for the baby.
We opened the gift on June 25th - but I actually forgot to take a picture of it then so I snapped a quick one to show you - although the bag has now seen better days. :)
We're not sharing what we're having until the big day when the little one arrives. But I didn't realize how much people were going to try to guess and trip me up. Our other kids don't even know what we're having because we've never referred to the baby as 'he' or 'she' at all. It's funny when people think I've 'slipped up' and let them know what it is. Sorry - but I don't know how it's possible that we would have accidentally let anyone know because we haven't even thought about it ourselves. (although I think Michael has tried to slip in some confusion for people by saying something gender specific just to be funny or steer someone in a particular direction)
This week has been a little different though because we chose a name! That is a BIG step for us since none of our kids have been named right away. I'm especially excited about the middle name and can't wait to share it with you soon.
If you have a guess on what we're having...or when the 'tiny baby' will arrive and size details, name, etc. - feel free to leave a comment. It's always fun to see who has the closest guess. (by the way...my due date is November 19th - so that really narrows down the day options - someone will get it right on!)
And by the way - here's a post I did last year right before I had Isa that talks about my pregnancies. I didn't update it after Isa was born (she was the hardest labor of any of them) but it gives you a little peek.
It won't be long now and we can't wait to announce the birth of the newest little Caven soon!
We also wanted to see what it was like to know versus not knowing and I have (not-so-secretly) hoped for a boy so I wanted to know and be excited for whatever it is when it's born instead of disappointed for a little bit if it's not a boy.
So how did we find out? A friend of mine found out in a fun way with her last baby and I decided to copy her. :) After an ultrasound we had the gender put in an envelope. A week or two later I took the envelope to Baby Gap and chose an adorable little outfit for a boy and a girl. I gave the envelope, clothes, wrapping paper, and money to a girl that worked at the store and asked her to look in the envelope and wrap up the right outfit as a surprise to me.
She was excited and said she had so much fun helping us with our surprise!
Michael and I sat down together one night and got to open our first little gift to Baby Cuatro. It was a very fun way to find out and now we have the perfect coming home outfit for the baby.
We're not sharing what we're having until the big day when the little one arrives. But I didn't realize how much people were going to try to guess and trip me up. Our other kids don't even know what we're having because we've never referred to the baby as 'he' or 'she' at all. It's funny when people think I've 'slipped up' and let them know what it is. Sorry - but I don't know how it's possible that we would have accidentally let anyone know because we haven't even thought about it ourselves. (although I think Michael has tried to slip in some confusion for people by saying something gender specific just to be funny or steer someone in a particular direction)
This week has been a little different though because we chose a name! That is a BIG step for us since none of our kids have been named right away. I'm especially excited about the middle name and can't wait to share it with you soon.
If you have a guess on what we're having...or when the 'tiny baby' will arrive and size details, name, etc. - feel free to leave a comment. It's always fun to see who has the closest guess. (by the way...my due date is November 19th - so that really narrows down the day options - someone will get it right on!)
And by the way - here's a post I did last year right before I had Isa that talks about my pregnancies. I didn't update it after Isa was born (she was the hardest labor of any of them) but it gives you a little peek.
It won't be long now and we can't wait to announce the birth of the newest little Caven soon!
Mar 30, 2010
Just a few of the ways to say those 3 little words...
Number 1 
Number 2
Number 3
Number 4
Number 5
Number 6
No...I'm not talking about the three little words of 'I love you'...I'm talking about another 3 words.
I'm sure you have figured it out (by picture 3 perhaps???) but indulge me because this is the LAST time I get to announce this...
I am pregnant!
It wasn't a shock...but definitely was a surprise to learn that baby #4 is on the way! A little crazy? Yes. But we're very excited and overall I've been feeling pretty good. (you know...as good as possible considering the extreme tiredness of pregnancy and running around after 3 other kids!)
Isa will only be about 13 months old when this one is born - so right now one of my big prayers is that she'll be walking before then! :)
Here's a bit of irony that my friends Kim and Joni will appreciate. They brought me meals one day when Isa was about a week old and said they had been talking about who would be the next one at work to be pregnant. They decided it would be ME - and they thought I'd be pregnant by Valentine's Day. I laughed at the craziness of that thought...but I'm not laughing anymore! :) Maybe their prophetic.
Let me explain the pictures:
Number 1 - This was how I told Michael we were expecting our first baby...Elliott. I told him just before Valentine's Day and had gotten these cute little boxes that were full of cookies. I think I gave him a card with it or something as his 'early Valentine's gift' and told him.
Number 2 - A bun in the oven.
Number 3 - Here is little Isa in the 'Big Sister' shirt that Emerald wore on my very first post of this blog announcing baby #3 was on the way. (Doesn't it look funny for a 6 month old to have this little shirt on?)
Number 4 - Preg-o sauce. Picture this with a meal of 'baby veggies.'
Number 5 - This is the cute magnetic mini-accordian album I made that we used to tell our parents about baby #4.
Number 6 - I wanted to tell Michael about this baby with the little album - but it didn't come in time. I waited a week (that's a long time to keep this big of a secret let me tell ya). So I decided to quick do some Photoshop magic and create this scoreboard. It took him a minute to figure it out but he loved it.
Why am I telling in so many different ways? Because folks...this is the Farewell Tour! It's sad to think of this as the last time I get to be pregnant - but come to think of it - not very sad to be the last time to go through the early queasies...or labor. :)
And - now I'm in need of good ideas on how to find out what I'm having in a fun way. (not just in the ultrasound room or by opening an envelope) I WILL be finding out what this one is (crossing my fingers for a boy!) but Michael will NOT be finding out. We'll see how that goes.
Can't wait to meet little Baby Cuatro! :)
Number 2
Number 3
Number 4
Number 5
Number 6
No...I'm not talking about the three little words of 'I love you'...I'm talking about another 3 words.
I'm sure you have figured it out (by picture 3 perhaps???) but indulge me because this is the LAST time I get to announce this...
I am pregnant!
It wasn't a shock...but definitely was a surprise to learn that baby #4 is on the way! A little crazy? Yes. But we're very excited and overall I've been feeling pretty good. (you know...as good as possible considering the extreme tiredness of pregnancy and running around after 3 other kids!)
Isa will only be about 13 months old when this one is born - so right now one of my big prayers is that she'll be walking before then! :)
Here's a bit of irony that my friends Kim and Joni will appreciate. They brought me meals one day when Isa was about a week old and said they had been talking about who would be the next one at work to be pregnant. They decided it would be ME - and they thought I'd be pregnant by Valentine's Day. I laughed at the craziness of that thought...but I'm not laughing anymore! :) Maybe their prophetic.
Let me explain the pictures:
Number 1 - This was how I told Michael we were expecting our first baby...Elliott. I told him just before Valentine's Day and had gotten these cute little boxes that were full of cookies. I think I gave him a card with it or something as his 'early Valentine's gift' and told him.
Number 2 - A bun in the oven.
Number 3 - Here is little Isa in the 'Big Sister' shirt that Emerald wore on my very first post of this blog announcing baby #3 was on the way. (Doesn't it look funny for a 6 month old to have this little shirt on?)
Number 4 - Preg-o sauce. Picture this with a meal of 'baby veggies.'
Number 5 - This is the cute magnetic mini-accordian album I made that we used to tell our parents about baby #4.
Number 6 - I wanted to tell Michael about this baby with the little album - but it didn't come in time. I waited a week (that's a long time to keep this big of a secret let me tell ya). So I decided to quick do some Photoshop magic and create this scoreboard. It took him a minute to figure it out but he loved it.
Why am I telling in so many different ways? Because folks...this is the Farewell Tour! It's sad to think of this as the last time I get to be pregnant - but come to think of it - not very sad to be the last time to go through the early queasies...or labor. :)
And - now I'm in need of good ideas on how to find out what I'm having in a fun way. (not just in the ultrasound room or by opening an envelope) I WILL be finding out what this one is (crossing my fingers for a boy!) but Michael will NOT be finding out. We'll see how that goes.
Can't wait to meet little Baby Cuatro! :)
Aug 18, 2009
Pregnancy
A little update on this baby so far...and some random thoughts about the differences in my 3 pregnancies. This is a long post...sorry.
Pregnancy in general - Overall, I like being pregnant. There are a few exceptions - like labor and morning sickness - but even considering the icky parts, I still don't mind it. It's sad to think - what if this is the last time I'm pregnant? Maybe it is, maybe it's not. But one thing I know for sure is that all 3 of these have been completely different experiences!
Baby #3 - At almost 35 weeks, I've been feeling like I'm at the very end - and that ANY MINUTE I'll have this baby. I can't exactly say what it is that makes me feel that way - it's just a combination of things. I'm definitely in the 'every move is almost painful' stage which is made worse because I'm also in the 'getting 2, maybe 3, full hours of sleep a night' stage.
At 32 weeks I was already 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced and have had contractions on and off since then. I've also been measuring 2 weeks ahead for a while now which could mean nothing, or it could mean the baby is big. (Another note - I actually wouldn't mind if the baby was 9ish pounds because I think it makes feeding and sleeping through the night a lot easier.)
I've been trying to get things ready for the baby and keep down the rising panic I feel every time I think about going into labor at a strange time. It completely freaks me out to think that I won't be able to get anyone to watch the other kids in time for Michael to go with me to the hospital!
I never posted an ultrasound picture of baby #3 - so here is one from our 20 week ultrasound.
A comparison of pregnancies so far:
Morning Sickness:
Elliott - None
Emerald - Some
#3 - A TON - but mostly was extreme tiredness
Weight gain and swelling:
All 3 - I started at the exact same weight and so far have had the exact same weight gain
Swelling - by far the worst with Elliott, some with Emerald, not much this time
Timing and labor:
Elliott - born the day after his due date - 8 hours of labor in the hospital - 2 hours of pushing
Emerald - born exactly one week before her due date - 2 weeks of steady contractions (5 minutes apart) - 45 minutes of labor in the hospital with 1 or 2 pushes
#3 - ???? stay tuned...
Most difficult part of pregnancy:
Elliott - PUPPPs rash and swelling - if you don't know what PUPPPs is...be thankful!! It is awful - like having the worst sunburn you can imagine all over and then being stung by hundreds of bees on top of it! Below is a (very icky) picture of what it was like. It actually got worse right after he was born and then disappeared within 8 weeks or so. It is rare - but can happen with pregnant women when they're carrying a boy. I got a tiny bit right before Emerald was born, but nothing like it was with Elliott.
Emerald - the end. 2 weeks of labor was no fun - and it was awful one night to have to go to the hospital by myself because I couldn't get anyone to come watch the kids quickly enough. Thankfully, I was sent home and had her a couple days later, so Michael didn't miss anything.
#3 - so far the most difficult part of this pregnancy was the beginning. There were days I was so weak I couldn't lift up a glass of water to take a drink - yikes!
Drugs in labor?
Elliott - yes - I got an epidural but it was turned off before I began 2 hours of pushing - so what was the point?
Emerald - yes - I got an epidural - but again, what was the point? It didn't work because the labor was so fast and it was a horrifying experience. My back was a pin cushion with 5 or 6 different holes in it because the anesthesiologist spaced off to answer his phone and told us stories about the last speeding ticket he got in his fancy car. Awful!
#3 - Not sure yet. I'm not planning on using anything this time (because of what happened with Emerald) but I'm a little nervous...so we'll see.
Most fun outing during pregnancy:
Elliott - trip to Switzerland for Michael and I - and buying a new house a few weeks before he was born (although we were sad to leave the beautiful nursey Michael made)
Emerald - trip out East (DC, Baltimore, Philly) and a family reunion in Atlanta
#3 - I've been pretty stuck in the 'daily' parts of raising kids and we cancelled our big vacation to work on the basement instead. =( But I did get to go see some friends in Ohio.
Names:
Elliott - Michael came up with this one. I didn't like it - but it's grown on me.
Emerald - This is my grandma's name. I've always liked the name but it took us 2 full days in the hospital to decide for sure...we were a bit nervous that it would be perceived as a really odd name.
#3 - no clue! We still have no idea what we're going to name this one! Yikes!
Pictures:
Elliott:
We won fantastic tickets to Michael Buble and got to hang out with him a little bit before the show. He and Michael share a love for hockey and we had SO much fun with him! Best.show.ever.
Swelling. I couldn't wear any shoes other than flip flops (almost 3 sizes bigger than my normal size) by the end.
PUPPPs - this is a little bit of it almost 2 months before he was born. It got MUCH worse and also covered my arms!
ummmm...what can I say about this? As my belly grew, so did his beard.
Switzerland
The nursery Michael built in our old house. It's hard to tell, but he did individual wood pieces on the walls and then built a shelf at the top with lighting hiding everywhere and a train that went around the room when you flipped a switch. It was perfect and Elliott would have loved it!
Elliott - 9 pounds 10 ounces - just a few hours old
Emerald:
I don't have nearly as many pictures of being pregnant with Emerald. But here are a few.
The White House
Last family picture of the 3 of us.
Emerald - 8 pounds 7 ounces - less than an hour old
Baby #3
I've posted lots of pictures recently. Based on the ultrasound pics, we think he or she looks very similar to the other 2. I've felt all along like it will probably be a girl (although I'd love a boy this time)...we'll see in a few weeks.
Pregnancy in general - Overall, I like being pregnant. There are a few exceptions - like labor and morning sickness - but even considering the icky parts, I still don't mind it. It's sad to think - what if this is the last time I'm pregnant? Maybe it is, maybe it's not. But one thing I know for sure is that all 3 of these have been completely different experiences!
Baby #3 - At almost 35 weeks, I've been feeling like I'm at the very end - and that ANY MINUTE I'll have this baby. I can't exactly say what it is that makes me feel that way - it's just a combination of things. I'm definitely in the 'every move is almost painful' stage which is made worse because I'm also in the 'getting 2, maybe 3, full hours of sleep a night' stage.
At 32 weeks I was already 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced and have had contractions on and off since then. I've also been measuring 2 weeks ahead for a while now which could mean nothing, or it could mean the baby is big. (Another note - I actually wouldn't mind if the baby was 9ish pounds because I think it makes feeding and sleeping through the night a lot easier.)
I've been trying to get things ready for the baby and keep down the rising panic I feel every time I think about going into labor at a strange time. It completely freaks me out to think that I won't be able to get anyone to watch the other kids in time for Michael to go with me to the hospital!
I never posted an ultrasound picture of baby #3 - so here is one from our 20 week ultrasound.
A comparison of pregnancies so far:
Morning Sickness:
Elliott - None
Emerald - Some
#3 - A TON - but mostly was extreme tiredness
Weight gain and swelling:
All 3 - I started at the exact same weight and so far have had the exact same weight gain
Swelling - by far the worst with Elliott, some with Emerald, not much this time
Timing and labor:
Elliott - born the day after his due date - 8 hours of labor in the hospital - 2 hours of pushing
Emerald - born exactly one week before her due date - 2 weeks of steady contractions (5 minutes apart) - 45 minutes of labor in the hospital with 1 or 2 pushes
#3 - ???? stay tuned...
Most difficult part of pregnancy:
Elliott - PUPPPs rash and swelling - if you don't know what PUPPPs is...be thankful!! It is awful - like having the worst sunburn you can imagine all over and then being stung by hundreds of bees on top of it! Below is a (very icky) picture of what it was like. It actually got worse right after he was born and then disappeared within 8 weeks or so. It is rare - but can happen with pregnant women when they're carrying a boy. I got a tiny bit right before Emerald was born, but nothing like it was with Elliott.
Emerald - the end. 2 weeks of labor was no fun - and it was awful one night to have to go to the hospital by myself because I couldn't get anyone to come watch the kids quickly enough. Thankfully, I was sent home and had her a couple days later, so Michael didn't miss anything.
#3 - so far the most difficult part of this pregnancy was the beginning. There were days I was so weak I couldn't lift up a glass of water to take a drink - yikes!
Drugs in labor?
Elliott - yes - I got an epidural but it was turned off before I began 2 hours of pushing - so what was the point?
Emerald - yes - I got an epidural - but again, what was the point? It didn't work because the labor was so fast and it was a horrifying experience. My back was a pin cushion with 5 or 6 different holes in it because the anesthesiologist spaced off to answer his phone and told us stories about the last speeding ticket he got in his fancy car. Awful!
#3 - Not sure yet. I'm not planning on using anything this time (because of what happened with Emerald) but I'm a little nervous...so we'll see.
Most fun outing during pregnancy:
Elliott - trip to Switzerland for Michael and I - and buying a new house a few weeks before he was born (although we were sad to leave the beautiful nursey Michael made)
Emerald - trip out East (DC, Baltimore, Philly) and a family reunion in Atlanta
#3 - I've been pretty stuck in the 'daily' parts of raising kids and we cancelled our big vacation to work on the basement instead. =( But I did get to go see some friends in Ohio.
Names:
Elliott - Michael came up with this one. I didn't like it - but it's grown on me.
Emerald - This is my grandma's name. I've always liked the name but it took us 2 full days in the hospital to decide for sure...we were a bit nervous that it would be perceived as a really odd name.
#3 - no clue! We still have no idea what we're going to name this one! Yikes!
Pictures:
Elliott:
We won fantastic tickets to Michael Buble and got to hang out with him a little bit before the show. He and Michael share a love for hockey and we had SO much fun with him! Best.show.ever.
Swelling. I couldn't wear any shoes other than flip flops (almost 3 sizes bigger than my normal size) by the end.
PUPPPs - this is a little bit of it almost 2 months before he was born. It got MUCH worse and also covered my arms!
ummmm...what can I say about this? As my belly grew, so did his beard.
Switzerland
The nursery Michael built in our old house. It's hard to tell, but he did individual wood pieces on the walls and then built a shelf at the top with lighting hiding everywhere and a train that went around the room when you flipped a switch. It was perfect and Elliott would have loved it!
Elliott - 9 pounds 10 ounces - just a few hours old
Emerald:
I don't have nearly as many pictures of being pregnant with Emerald. But here are a few.
The White House
Last family picture of the 3 of us.
Emerald - 8 pounds 7 ounces - less than an hour old
Baby #3
I've posted lots of pictures recently. Based on the ultrasound pics, we think he or she looks very similar to the other 2. I've felt all along like it will probably be a girl (although I'd love a boy this time)...we'll see in a few weeks.
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