Levi's room used to be filled with football equipment but with a few trips to IKEA (my favorite!!) and crib from some friends it is the perfect little bedroom for a baby boy!
Cozy in his bed!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Levi's Room
Levi's room used to be filled with football equipment but with a few trips to IKEA (my favorite!!) and crib from some friends it is the perfect little bedroom for a baby boy!
Cozy in his bed!
Binki Love
Levi loves his "binki" as we like to call it in our family. So much so he wants to make sure it stays in at all times!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Levi's story
Well, I just looked at my last blog post, dated about three months ago, to those of you who even check our blog anymore or get those update things, my sincerest apologies. Seeing that we now have our precious Levi and have added a grandbaby to our families I am realizing the importance of blogging more often since our little guy is changing so much everyday. I thought I would first catch everyone up to speed on the day he was born.
On October 17th I went in to see my doctor and discovered it would be my last as a preggo lady. We had discussed me being induced earlier in my pregnancy, especially because my parents were flying in from America, but more and more it seemed like a distant possibility. We were getting ready to leave when all the sudden she asked "So Anna when would you like to be induced, Monday or Tuesday?". Most of you who know me know I am pretty indecisive however this took me a total of 2 seconds to decide I wanted to be induced on Monday. Levi was already getting pretty big, I was uncomfortable, and my Mom scheduled to fly in on Sunday. So we scheduled me to come in at 9 on Monday morning. Tim and I left the hospital a little in disbelief and excitement knowing we would have a baby in just a few short days.
Sunday came and my Mom flew in, and man was she a trooper!! I am usually falling over I am so tired after an international flight but she was great, and she was wide awake on Monday morning at 9 ready to go to the hospital. When we got to the hospital they did a few routine procedures and around 11 am put me on an IV with pitocin in order to put me into labor. I prepared myself to be ready for a long day as I had heard of some friends who had been induced were in labor a really long time. However, when my doctor came in (who I love!!!) she gave us a surprise saying that she thought Levi would be here by the end of the day around 7 or 8. I was so excited, and relieved!! The pitocin was doing a good job or at least it seemed so to me but the nurses were coming in every 30 mins or so asking if I had any pain, to which I pleasantly answered, "no not at all". In response they would, with a smile, go to my IV and pump up the dosage. I kept thinking I would feel more contractions but I really didn't feel that many.
Around 3 my doctor came in to check in on me and at that point "accidently" broke my water. I guess it was ready to break, and I definitely started feeling contractions then. Luckily my epidural came soon after, and the pain subsided. Around 6:30 I really started feeling the urge to push, as they also started to bring in all the equipment. (Which by the way, is a little scary, it was my first delivery but does anyone else think those trays of sharp objects are a little creepy??) At one point during this time I told Tim to go get the doctor because I felt like he was coming right away. As soon as he walked out she was walking in and soon after I started pushing. With my mom and my husband by my side Levi was born at 7:02 after 30 mins of pushing. He is absolutely gorgeous and continues to look like Tim and I in different ways.
Having a baby in another country was definitely an experience working through the language was a challenge at times. It is an experience we will never forget. The hospital we go to is beautiful and everyone we worked with was wonderful. I am so grateful to everyone who came to visit us and help us as we got through this first month, we couldn't have done it without you! I can also tell that we had a lot of prayer for us during this time and for that we are so grateful. This is a long story cut very short but I hope to keep you updated as much as I can on our little man in the coming future.
Here are some pictures from that special day!!
On October 17th I went in to see my doctor and discovered it would be my last as a preggo lady. We had discussed me being induced earlier in my pregnancy, especially because my parents were flying in from America, but more and more it seemed like a distant possibility. We were getting ready to leave when all the sudden she asked "So Anna when would you like to be induced, Monday or Tuesday?". Most of you who know me know I am pretty indecisive however this took me a total of 2 seconds to decide I wanted to be induced on Monday. Levi was already getting pretty big, I was uncomfortable, and my Mom scheduled to fly in on Sunday. So we scheduled me to come in at 9 on Monday morning. Tim and I left the hospital a little in disbelief and excitement knowing we would have a baby in just a few short days.
Sunday came and my Mom flew in, and man was she a trooper!! I am usually falling over I am so tired after an international flight but she was great, and she was wide awake on Monday morning at 9 ready to go to the hospital. When we got to the hospital they did a few routine procedures and around 11 am put me on an IV with pitocin in order to put me into labor. I prepared myself to be ready for a long day as I had heard of some friends who had been induced were in labor a really long time. However, when my doctor came in (who I love!!!) she gave us a surprise saying that she thought Levi would be here by the end of the day around 7 or 8. I was so excited, and relieved!! The pitocin was doing a good job or at least it seemed so to me but the nurses were coming in every 30 mins or so asking if I had any pain, to which I pleasantly answered, "no not at all". In response they would, with a smile, go to my IV and pump up the dosage. I kept thinking I would feel more contractions but I really didn't feel that many.
Around 3 my doctor came in to check in on me and at that point "accidently" broke my water. I guess it was ready to break, and I definitely started feeling contractions then. Luckily my epidural came soon after, and the pain subsided. Around 6:30 I really started feeling the urge to push, as they also started to bring in all the equipment. (Which by the way, is a little scary, it was my first delivery but does anyone else think those trays of sharp objects are a little creepy??) At one point during this time I told Tim to go get the doctor because I felt like he was coming right away. As soon as he walked out she was walking in and soon after I started pushing. With my mom and my husband by my side Levi was born at 7:02 after 30 mins of pushing. He is absolutely gorgeous and continues to look like Tim and I in different ways.
Having a baby in another country was definitely an experience working through the language was a challenge at times. It is an experience we will never forget. The hospital we go to is beautiful and everyone we worked with was wonderful. I am so grateful to everyone who came to visit us and help us as we got through this first month, we couldn't have done it without you! I can also tell that we had a lot of prayer for us during this time and for that we are so grateful. This is a long story cut very short but I hope to keep you updated as much as I can on our little man in the coming future.
Here are some pictures from that special day!!
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Papa in Istanbul!
A few months ago we were driving down one of the popular streets in our area when I spotted a "Coming Soon" sign and at the bottom I saw a very familiar emblem which read "Papa John's Pizza". Needless to say I was very excited since it is the pizza I grew up on. Since then every time we drove by I would eagerly look to see if it was open, and this Sunday Tim and I saw that the sign had been lifted, and it was open!! It is actually a sit-down-and-eat restaurant, which I don't think there are any in America. Anyways, as we were eating one of the managers heard us speaking English and asked us if we had ever had Papa John's. Of course I explained that Papa John's started in Louisville, my home-town. I all of the suddenI felt like some kind of expert on the subject. His eyes lit up and he told us that he had just recently visited Louisville, Kentucky to visit the Papa John's headquarters. Being that it had just opened he wanted our American opinion right away. Let's just say it was good pizza, but, not enough sauce. I guess that is an American thing, but there is barely ever any tomato sauce on the pizza here. But other than that, it was great, and it was very exciting to see such a familiar place from home.
Can you see the Papa??? He is smiling pretty in the bottom left corner.
Can you see the Papa??? He is smiling pretty in the bottom left corner.
Turkish Wedding
Wow! I just saw that my last blog was July 15th, pretty sad. I know when the baby comes I am probably going to overload yall with pictures, so lets just say that I'm pacing myself. That's my excuse for now at least. This month has been somewhat uneventful except for this past weekend.
Since we got to Istanbul one of Tim's football players and his family has really "adopted" us and taken us in when we definitely needed a surrogate family so far from home. They even helped me celebrate my birthday and made me a beautiful cake. This past weekend one of the uncles and his wife decided to celebrate their wedding in Istanbul since they had originally been married in her home country. It was such a privilege to get a little taste of a Turkish wedding. When we arrived at the house all the women were looking fabulous, looking like they all had had a day at the salon.
We hung out for awhile as they were putting on the finishing touches. Tim was actually shooting the breeze a little with one of the men in the family, in Turkish, I was so proud! Finally the groom arrived, and a very anticipatory moment occurred and the the bride was "revealed"!!! It was so cute! Tim's football player explained that it symbolized that he was coming to take her from her home to their new home together. As we left the bride and groom got in a decorated car with a beautiful flower bouquet adorning the hood and the rest of us caravanned behind. Driving through the traffic of Istanbul we got lots of honks and cheers for the wedding, a really neat tradition I think.
We drove to a beautiful restaurant on the sea and were served a full course, delicious meal. Since the couple had already been married awhile they didn't actually do a ceremony, however, there was a wedding party below us, so we got to witness a real ceremony. Honestly there wasn't much to it, short and sweet. The bride and groom are introduced with some fancy music, they walk in and are seated at a large table with two witness and a man from the government. The man then proceeds to read the marriage vows, and they sign the document along with the witnesses and then they are married. A large party proceeds the ceremony, but there definitely wasn't much to the ceremony, compared to some of our long American weddings.
The other bride and groom getting married (a little dark)
After we ate, the dancing began as the party below us had two live bands. One was an traditional Anatolian Rock Band, lets just say not my favorite. But we had a blast watching everyone kick up their heels and have a wonderful time. This family has been such a blessing to us and they continue to help make Istanbul feel more like a home.
Tim and I, and the bump (large and in-charge)
Our view for the evening
The family
Since we got to Istanbul one of Tim's football players and his family has really "adopted" us and taken us in when we definitely needed a surrogate family so far from home. They even helped me celebrate my birthday and made me a beautiful cake. This past weekend one of the uncles and his wife decided to celebrate their wedding in Istanbul since they had originally been married in her home country. It was such a privilege to get a little taste of a Turkish wedding. When we arrived at the house all the women were looking fabulous, looking like they all had had a day at the salon.
We hung out for awhile as they were putting on the finishing touches. Tim was actually shooting the breeze a little with one of the men in the family, in Turkish, I was so proud! Finally the groom arrived, and a very anticipatory moment occurred and the the bride was "revealed"!!! It was so cute! Tim's football player explained that it symbolized that he was coming to take her from her home to their new home together. As we left the bride and groom got in a decorated car with a beautiful flower bouquet adorning the hood and the rest of us caravanned behind. Driving through the traffic of Istanbul we got lots of honks and cheers for the wedding, a really neat tradition I think.
We drove to a beautiful restaurant on the sea and were served a full course, delicious meal. Since the couple had already been married awhile they didn't actually do a ceremony, however, there was a wedding party below us, so we got to witness a real ceremony. Honestly there wasn't much to it, short and sweet. The bride and groom are introduced with some fancy music, they walk in and are seated at a large table with two witness and a man from the government. The man then proceeds to read the marriage vows, and they sign the document along with the witnesses and then they are married. A large party proceeds the ceremony, but there definitely wasn't much to the ceremony, compared to some of our long American weddings.
The other bride and groom getting married (a little dark)
After we ate, the dancing began as the party below us had two live bands. One was an traditional Anatolian Rock Band, lets just say not my favorite. But we had a blast watching everyone kick up their heels and have a wonderful time. This family has been such a blessing to us and they continue to help make Istanbul feel more like a home.
Tim and I, and the bump (large and in-charge)
Our view for the evening
The family
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Isn't she a BEAUTY?!!
That's right folks! We now are official owners of a quality Arçelik air conditioner or klima as they are called here in Turkey. It is such a treat to sleep in the cold once again and be able to use a sheet. We decided to put it in the bedroom and I must admit I have been finding alot of excuses to hang out in here and turn the air conditioner on : ) We know its not a necessity but it for sure has made things a little easier. We'll I'm off to go fire her up for the evening at a cool 21 degrees Celsius and try not to convince myself to turn it down to 18 ; )
2 years ago today....
Tim and I were getting ready for our wedding. It was such an exciting day and we were so blessed to have been able to share it with so many special friends and family. The Lord has blessed me with an amazing husband who just happens to be my best friend. These past two years have flown by, with so many exciting events in between. I'm looking forward to many more anniversaries and I am so grateful I have such a wonderful partner to share in this journey.
To celebrate we went to a really fancy restaurant here we like to call TGIFriday's. Yep, we went there again, a place that we always say we would never go if we were in the States, but their food sure does taste good right now. And, here it is definitely anniversary date prices.
Here we are before going to dinner (sorry so close our self timer works best on a bookshelf right in front of a table)
We also have had the opportunity to use a car, which is such a treat! I haven't had to ride the bus in awhile and Tim is getting really good at driving a manual.
My driver for the evening
Happy Campers in an air conditioned car!
Happy Anniversary Babe! I love you!
To celebrate we went to a really fancy restaurant here we like to call TGIFriday's. Yep, we went there again, a place that we always say we would never go if we were in the States, but their food sure does taste good right now. And, here it is definitely anniversary date prices.
Here we are before going to dinner (sorry so close our self timer works best on a bookshelf right in front of a table)
We also have had the opportunity to use a car, which is such a treat! I haven't had to ride the bus in awhile and Tim is getting really good at driving a manual.
My driver for the evening
Happy Campers in an air conditioned car!
Happy Anniversary Babe! I love you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)