Love + Friendship = Marriage

What a rough few days over here at the Stone house. 2 nights ago I woke up (around 1am) and was sick until about 8am. I called my doctor (OBGYN) at 3:30am and told her what was going on with me. She told me to try ginger ale, chicken broth, crackers, and so on. So, my wonderful husband went out to find me those items. The doctor also said that if I can't keep anything down, then I need to admit myself into Labor and Delivery.

Grant came home and I started to sip a little on the chicken broth, and ginger ale. I was more comfortable on the couch, so Grant sat right next to me and bought a movie for us to watch together. I managed to close my eyes for an hour. I then woke up and got sick! Being sick is horrible, but when your 7 months pregnant... it's even worse!

I decided to call back the doctor. The doctor said to go to the hospital. I left Jake at home with Grant and I drove in. I got there and went right up into my room. Monitors went on the baby immediately, and he was doing just fine. He is so strong in fact that he was kicking the monitor right off him. The nurse had to come in several times to adjust it. She thought it was from me moving... not my little guy. Then they drew my blood, and put my IV in. I was so dehydrated they could barely find a vein. As they were putting my IV in I threw up again. Only I almost threw up on the nurse. Another nurse ran in and brought a bed pan for me. There went my Gatorade. :/

After the IV was in and they gave me medicine to stop throwing up, things got better. The lights went off and I was able to lay there and relax. After a few hours I was able to leave.

The culprit. A virus. From what? Could be from traveling... ONCE AGAIN! Remember when Jake had a virus in Oklahoma, and had to go to the hospital? Well, apparently we all have sensitive stomachs! :)

Last night my sweet husband got sick. I feel so bad. Poor guy. After all his care and love for me. My husband is amazing. Holding back my hair, rubbing my back, holding me, going to the store in the middle of the night, sleeping on the couch next to me because it's the only place this pregnant lady feels comfortable. He's awesome. I'm one lucky girl! Not only is he a hard working  man, he's a family man. He is my best friend. Always making sure Jake, baby #2, and I are happy.

Well here's to a healthy New Year! At least we are getting these illnesses done before our new little guy arrives. My camera arrived yesterday, so I will upload those pics and blog tonight!

17 weeks.

Not a whole lot has changed over here. Still REALLY into cheese sauce with jalapenos. I love Mexican food! I love cookies. Homemade cookies from Sweet Jill's to be exact. They have a really good pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting... I ate that on Thursday and have been craving another slice since! I recently started liking an old childhood favorite cereal as well... cinnamon Life! SO GOOD! And lastly, my favorite drink is cranberry juice! SO SO SO YUMMY!

I haven't gained any weight yet. I'm so busy running after Jake and going on walks with Brady, that I haven't gained anything yet. I am starting to get a belly though. I didn't really start gaining weight with Jake until about half way into my pregnancy. For the most part I eat and exercise and live a pretty healthy lifestyle. I remember that towards the end is when I gained most of my weight.

This past week I had a few nights of heartburn. Tums are now officially next to my night stand. DARN IT! I'm also not sleeping great. I get up around 2ish and think about everything... and nothing. Last night I slept great though!

 Last night we headed out for a much needed date night. Grant took me to dinner at LA Live and then we went to the Keith Urban concert. I danced the entire time! I only sat during one of his slow songs and drank water. This was my 6th time seeing Keith. He's so awesome!!! Anyhow, Grant and I had so much fun talking, dancing, and being together. I'm a lucky little lady. Love my boys!

 Here are a few pictures from the concert. We had great seats! Baby #2 was moving quite a bit. He's already a country fan as well! ;)

Photography Class - Day 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20

I was out of town over the weekend, so I didn't get chance to post my photography lessons. But, I promised myself I wouldn't give up. Here are last weeks assignments.

Day 14

Wedding band/Jewelry

Last week I used my wedding band/ring for a lesson, so I decided that this week I would use my "something blue" from my wedding. My mom gave me this beautiful ring. My mom always has the best jewelry and great taste. This is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry she has given me!

I absolutely love this ring. It has so much sentimental value to me as well. Coming from my mom for my wedding day. I decided to use this for my photo.

I took a few pictures of the ring. I put the ring on 3 different surfaces and tried to blur the background. The setting was on Auto with Macro setting on. 

Day 15

Kiss

Last night Grant and I went to a going away party at Javier's to say good bye to some friends. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get that kiss shot. Of course this shot is PG people...It's on my blog! ;)

I used Auto, and the flash was on. We were at a red light so we had to take this quick!

Day 16

Together (Self-portrait)

For this assignment we were supposed to use auto. Just turn the camera around and take the photo of your love one. I decided to use 2 photos. Keep the car theme rolling, and then a picture of my family at sunset (no makeup on the shot... don't judge). 

I love the photo on the bottom the most. Taken at sunset down the street from our home. I love to take walks at the end of the night. It's the family time that I look forward to the most. 

Day 17

Staying in

Grant and I used to go to dinner quite often. I love to cook, but Grant and I also like to dine out. This gets a little tricky when your little one starts the bedtime process around 6:30pm. I guess that's why we go to "linner" more often. Linner is late lunch, and an early dinner combined. Usually when our friends come into town or we go out of town on vacation we like to dine out. However, this time we went out of town things were a little different. Not only does Jake have a bath time... so does Taylor. We all decided instead of going out to eat we would order sushi and bring it back home, so we could do this:

They have the same bath time, so we put them in the bath together! I put Jake in Taylor's bath chair so he wouldn't slip. Taylor is 1 month older than Jake. 

I used Auto setting and flash. This was at night, inside, absolutely no natural light.

Day 18

Going out

Over the weekend Grant and I went to Northern California to visit Grant's best friend and his wife. Since we had Jakey poo we don't go out as much as we used to. Scott and Erin have a beautiful little girl named Taylor (picture in Day 17), so we decided to take the entire families wine tasting!

Grant and I had so much fun. We went to 3 wineries in the Lodi region. I have never been there before so, I was excited to try something different. Yummy Zins for sure!

This picture was supposed to be taken on Auto. It was also supposed to be taken by another person. So, don't judge this photo. It's all about my significant other and I. :)

Day 19

When they're gone

I'm pretty sure this photo is going to get me in trouble. Last weekend we bought Brady a new dog bed and placed it on my side of the bed for Brady to use. Well, after Grant leaves, the dog jumps back in bed with me. It's terrible, I know. How can you resist this face? My cuddly little puppy dog. If you look in the background you will see something else... ha ha.

For this photo I used F2.8, 1/320, ISO 800. I had lots of natural light coming through 2 windows in my bedroom.

Day 20

When they're home

Even when Grant is home, he's working. When grant walks in the door he grabs our bundle of love and holds on to him. No matter what is going on he grabs Jake. Jake's face lights up waiting for him. Even if Grant has a phone call to make or is in the middle of something, he has our son in his lap.

I took this photo on Auto because I took it around sunset and I didn't have enough natural light in the house. Flash was on. 

Enjoy! 

Photography Class - Day 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13

Day 8:

Gifts from the heart

There have been so many gifts my husband has given me. Gifts ranging from pricey to the little gifts he gives me that don't cost anything... like quality time. I thought about so many things and then I looked down and saw my wedding ring. A BIG gift from his heart. In 2008 I got a gift of commitment, love, and faithfulness. This gift held a promise of a marriage and a life together forever. This gift was the beginning of our life together. The band my husband gave me was his great aunts as well. How cool is that? 

Notice the blurred background? YAY for me!

This is actually on Auto... Macro... Natural light... but, flash was on.

Day 9:

Passions and hobbies

Early last year father in law called me and asked if I could be his wedding photographer. At first I was thrilled that he thought I was capable of such ability... and then I realized... I have to do a great job! What the heck did I know about this? I did a little reading and shooting here and there... and... Here are a few photos I took from my Canon G11. 

I'm not a professional nor do I claim to be. But, I would say photography is a passion/hobby to me. I love it! I would love to learn and expand more on this passion... perhaps when Jake is a little older I can go back and take classes at my Alma Mater?

Day 10:

Where they are comfortable

While I was cleaning up around the house I looked over to where my boys were laying and saw them snoozing together. This is my husbands favorite spot on the couch, and Jake's favorite spot to lay on his daddy. I thought this picture was great! My boys. :)

2.8, 1/500, ISO 3200

Day 11: 

Dreams

I'm clearly learning how to adjust my camera properly. Even though I don't have the SLR, I think I'm doing a pretty good job with my trusty G11. 

My dream is to become my own photographer. Don't get me wrong... this momma LOVES to get pictures taken (and anyone that knows me... knows that!). However, I think I'm totally capable of taking pictures of my son and family. I guess my dream is to get an upgraded camera and learn how to use all functions on it.

The picture below is a picture of my G11 in the box. The box isn't in great condition... I aggressively open my Christmas gifts. ;)

2.8 1/125, ISO 800

Day 12:

Eyes

There isn't much to say about this picture... When you look into the eyes of a child there is innocence and peace. He is my everything. I thank God everyday for Jake. He is my angel. I adore him to pieces. I can't go on enough about him. 

2.8, 1/500, ISO 800

Day 13:

Routines

Everyone morning Grant takes Brady out for a walk. He walks the dog before he goes to work. I walk the dog in the afternoon, and then Grant walks the dog again before bed. Usually on Saturday or Sunday  my husband and I take a walk to our local shops and have lunch. It was a beautiful weekend! Sun was shinning and it wasn't very hot out. Just perfect out.

Auto...don't judge ;)

So, I have decided since I'm so darn busy to do a weeks worth of pictures in one blog! I CAN DO THIS!

One year ago today...

We found out that we were expecting our first little one. The excitement was overwhelming. We found out on a Sunday evening (January 17, 2010). Texted the picture of the pregnancy test to my doctor (a good family friend of ours of course) and made an appointment to see her. We went to the movies that night and saw It's complicated. We giggled the rest of the night together! That Tuesday we went to the doctors to confirm. We didn't tell anyone the night we found out. It was our secret for a few days. That was VERY hard! We wanted to call everyone at the moment "pregnant" popped up. But, we wanted to confirm everything first! When we found out I was 6 weeks and 5 days along. Our due date was September 9, 2010. Once we left the doctor we called everyone. We wanted to do something clever for everyone... but, we couldn't wait! I will never forget that feeling. The feeling of a little being growing inside your body. It is truly amazing. I remember after I found out... taking a moment to breath and thank God for the little blessing he gave us. I remember praying and thanking God for the opportunity to become a mother. The most overwhelming feeling of pure joy. It was one of the happiest moments in my life... until he arrived! Nothing better than the day I became a mother.

 

And now...
September 1, 2010 at 7:57pm arrived Jake Bowman Stone.
Our little 7 lb, 1 oz and 19.5 inch boozy.

He has quickly grown! Considering he's now in the 90% percentile in weight, and 95% percentile in length!

Have a good week everyone!
Cheers,
Brooke

Decorating traditions

Does it seem like this year has flown by? I swear this year feels like so much has gone on and it just zoomed by. Fall/winter are my favorite times of year! So much fun is scheduled around this time. My son's birthday, my birthday, dad's birthday, Thanksgiving, CHRISTMAS, and New Years! Growing up Christmas was such a huge deal with my family. My mom would start getting ready for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. It seemed like every room in our house was decorated except our bedrooms. I am like my mother. I can't help it. I LOVE TO DECORATE! The only reason I only have downstairs decorated this year is because I'm so busy with my newborn... or else... The whole house would have garland and lights!

I have always followed suit with what my traditions are... In fact, last year I was going about my business buying and organizing Christmas decorations that Grant stopped me and asked if we could do some of his traditions. I felt terrible. Did I make Christmas all about my family and my traditions? At that moment I realized that Grant and I will have our OWN traditions. 

What are our traditions now? We go together to get our tree, and then Grant puts the lights on the tree. Funny story about that is we were buying the lights and Grant walked up to the cart with colored lights... the look on my face must have said it all. He turned around and said he'd be back. He came back with the all clear lights. I think colored lights are great... it's just my OCD spin on having everything match. Then I really go to work. My families tradition... or my moms way is to decorate like its a model home. I follow her path until next year. Grant is ok with my tree looking uniform and perfect, as long as we put up ornaments that are sentimental to us. Sentimental? WE decided that every year we will pick an ornament that we like and we will continue to put them on the tree for as long as we celebrate this wonderful Holiday. Once our kids are old enough to choose which one they want they can pick one every year too. 

Stockings. WE decided that the stockings we buy will be the stockings we will use forever as well. This was a tradition both of us had. Grant had a stocking that was red with his initials (GBS), and I had a kitty cat stocking. So, I bought ours from Pottery Barn. Since Pottery Barn offers the same stockings just about every year this will be good if we add an addition to our family! ;) 

The rest of the house... Grant doesn't care what I do... Just as long as I keep our new traditions. And continue to create more along the way. Compromise. This makes us both happy! Who doesn't like new traditions that can be passed on?

Here are a few pictures of our house:

Cheers,

Brooke

Babblings

As a mother I feel like no one can do my job like me. I know what sounds my baby is making and for what reasons, I know the schedule he is on, and so on... Well, I would like to talk about last night.

Last night Jake was very fussy. I was pretty tired and trying to rock him to calm him down and put him to sleep. Being tired I was sitting in bed doing the rocking. Grant got out of bed and asked for Jake. At first I told Grant to go to bed (since he was getting up at 4:30am to get to a case), but he said insisted. The next thing I knew Jake went from crying to sound asleep. I was pretty amazed. Usually I'm the one that can console our little angel. This time it was Grant. Grant told me to get some rest and laid with Jake and then put him to bed. I woke up this morning to feed and change him around 3:45am. Grant woke up to check on us and we were both happy that Jake had been asleep as long as he had. 

Daddies touch? I think so. I'm the type of mom that picks up my little one and takes care of it without relying on anyone since I'm always with him during the day. Grant knowing that I don't like to ask for help will just jump in and take his little monkey! Grant is a great father. He loves Jake and I so much. What a good feeling to have someone love you that much. Even though he had to get up he saw how tired I was and helped. Jake passed out the moment Grant took him and started rocking him. Grants shushing, talking, and rocking did the trick. I had the biggest smile and had lots of love in my heart! 

Its funny when you become a mom all that matters is your little ones happiness. If Jake isn't feeling well or just simply wants to play I don't leave the house. Even if I want to work out, shop, get nails done, etc. I'd rather spend that time with Jake. Once Grant gets home from work I know Jake is in great hands and then I'm more likely to leave. My favorite is when we all go together though! And when we all go to eat Grant makes sure I'm eating and will hold Jake if he wakes and is fussy. On Sunday we went to our favorite cafe for breakfast and when I was walking to the restroom the owner pulled me aside to say, "how does it feel to be adored"? I stopped for a second and had to think about what she was talking about... then I sat back down and Grant put his arm around me and kissed me. I immediately knew what she was talking about... She had mentioned to me the last time I was there that it's refreshing to see a young couple in love. I kissed my gorgeous husband back and said a little prayer thanking God for my life. :)

Anyhow, I don't mean to go on and on about my husband... but, with some dads that don't help or participate I feel blessed to have a husband that can't wait to hold his son... and can't wait to make sure his wife is happy. Thank you Grant for all you do for us.

Mini Grant

Jake loves his daddy.

~ BROOKE ~

Month of Thanks... week 1

I usually blog about why I'm thankful on a weekly basis... It's usually coupled with baby postings. I wanted to do something a little different this month mainly because we are approaching the Thanksgiving holiday. I want to blog once a week (day will be based on when I have time with a newborn in tow) to say thank you to those special people or things in my life.

Week 1.

I would like to express my thankfulness for my hubby. My husband has been very supportive of me and my needs throughout my pregnancy and postpartum journey. No matter how busy or tired he is he makes sure I get time out with the girls or that he takes Jake so I can sleep extra hours here and there. In September my husband threw me a surprise 30th birthday party, sent me out shopping, and helped with the baby while I recovered from my c-section. This continued into October with shopping sprees with my best friend, lunches, dinners, and an occasional happy hour with my sorority sisters. November just arrived and I already have a spa day/wine tasting set up, walks with my loves (hubs and baby on Saturday mornings), and sleep days already lined up!

I'm blogging to say thank you to my wonderful husband Grant. Thank you for all you do without me asking. I'm so very grateful to have you come home when you are tired from your busy work/travel schedule and do things that I need help with. I love being a SAHM (stay at home mom) and I especially love being Jake's mom and YOUR wife. You make me happy and I'm so thankful for you. I look forward to celebrating the holiday season with you and our family we are creating together.

I appreciate all you do and it doesn't go unnoticed.

Love your wife,
Brooke

First night out!

Last night Grant and I got a babysitter for Jake. It was our first night out! We had Brian and Natasha's wedding at the Greek Orthodox Church. Our baby sitter is Katy's (my best friend) cousin Michelle. She is a professional nanny. She is great! Not only does she know more about newborns then me, she is kind and trustworthy! I was actually comfortable with her baby sitting. Even though I worried about Jake I knew he was in good hands.

We planned on having Michelle here from 4:30pm - 8:30pm (I think this was a good start!). Before we left for the night things didn't go exactly as planned... I went shopping in the afternoon to pick up a few items and to look for a dress for the wedding (let's be honestly ladies... I'm not a size 2 right now... and it seems like I always wore VERY form fitting clothes). When I went to show Grant I looked at the size and noticed I grabbed the wrong size!!! I started freaking out! So... Grant quickly said, "Honey, were did you get it, what size, and I will take it back." This was all during the OU/Texas game as well (OU is one of Grant's favorite college teams). I went upstairs to take a shower, put the baby in the bassinet and jumped into the shower. This was the worst shower I have EVER taken in my whole life! As soon as I got in and got wet I heard the baby start to cry... Knowing he was just fed, and changed, I thought... he can cry a little... I'll be out soon. NOPE! His simple cry turned into screaming! So, I jumped out of the shower! I had wet hair and non shaven legs. Great, right? So, I picked up the baby, laid down with him and waited for Grant to get home. 4pm: I still had wet hair, needed to shave, and no make up on.... Did I mention we were leaving at 4:30pm? Yea, you can't make this up! So, finally the little guy fell asleep and I jumped back in the shower and hustled. 4:30pm: baby sitter arrived, and I was not ready... still hustling and trying to give the baby sitter that knows more than me directions on my precious baby! 4:50pm: I'm finally ready... Reception started at 4:30pm and we were on way! Baby was left in good hands, awesome hubby taking me out, and a momma in need of a glass of wine! 

(In the car on way to the wedding)

Grant and I had a great time hanging out with friends. Natasha looked beautiful! Brian looked so happy! I absolutely LOVE weddings! I had 2 glasses of wine (OK... really like a full glass), and even danced with Grant. Lots of Michael Buble. One of our favorite singers.

 (At the wedding)

THIS IS WHAT I COME HOME TO....

My baby love.

Hope you all had a great weekend!
Love and cheers,
Brooke

April 18, 2010

OUR FIRST ANNIVERSARY! 

Today is a special day. Grant and I have been officially married one year! I can't believe how fast time has flown by! I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful caring husband and always thinks of me and our relationship first. I thank God everyday for the love and opportunities that have presented themselves to us as individuals and as a couple. Thank you to our family that made our wonderful Boise weekend special, and our family and friends that made the travels to see us walk down the aisle together to make our commitment to each other in front of God. 

Here are some pictures from our wedding last year. 

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! Also, today is Grant's Mom's birthday as well! Vicki, we wish you a very happy birthday... we miss you very much! 

Love,

Brooke

Date night.

Just because. :)

Here's a few pictures from my new camera for fun!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Love and Cheers,
Brooke