Emma "drama like her momma" Maren

I know, you don't have to tell me. "Hi, my name's Alyssa, and I'm a chronic blog neglecter." Blame it on the fact that having a baby has left me permanently brain damaged... or perhaps the fact that I choose to go to the bathroom in the 5 minutes I have to myself nowadays than update my blog. Whatever the reason, I'm sorry eh deal with it! My little peanut is growing up so fast it's ridiculous. Can't believe that it was 6 weeks ago that we were meeting her for the first time... and apologizing in advance that we were the crazies she was stuck with. So much has gone on so i'll try my best to condense it (I make no promises).


Well- she's like her momma, sassy as they come and darn-right stubborn ;) This kid could stay awake all day if I let her... and believe you me I don't! Momma needs a breather every now and then. She basically tells the neighborhood that she hates bath time and I often wonder if the water is indeed killing her... nah I know she's all drama. She has "toesies" like her daddy (poor thing) and will pick up her blanket with them in her carseat! Not gonna lie, kind of weird. And there's a reason I call her my peanut because she's still wearing newborn clothes! Lord knows where she got that from... definitely not her momma! We're loving our time with her and everyday is a new adventure discovering sweet things about her. 


Love this one.. we caught her smiling. Cutest little dimple!

(I apologize for the picture quality- they're off my cellphone)

1 month old!

Tummy time- look at that little bum bum!

See... traumatized. "mommy, why would you ever give me a bath so I can smell good and clean?"

We finally closed escrow on our home and the renovating has begun! Emma was such a big girl and came with us to sign the final loan documents and pick up the keys to our new house. I can't wait to finally set up her crib and move out of (eh-hem) mom and dad's. Dan and my dad and brother have been working so hard to get the house finished so we can move in as soon as possible. So proud of them and so appreciative!

So in love with my little emmers!

-AG

Extended Snuggle Time

Well this is by far the most i've ever updated my blog... twice in one day?! I must be approaching mommy-hood or something because that's all I'm going to do once she's here right? Praise the Lord that I'm writing this post from the comfort of my bed right now and not those terrible hospital beds that make my booty fall asleep! Dan and I went in to the hospital tonight to check all my levels again (blood pressure, swelling, and protein) and although they went down, they were still a little high. They're concerned that I'm becoming preeclamptic so they've decided to induce on monday- apparently Friday nights get wild and crazy on the labor and delivery floor and they didn't have enough staff to induce me tonight. AND I AM OKAY WITH THAT :) I'll go in on Sunday for prepidil (softens the cervix) and then we'll get called in to be induce early Monday morning... but I'm secretly praying the prepidil does a super job and I go into labor myself ;)

Until then, they've put me on "strict" bed rest... but what does that really mean to this family huh? At least Dan and I get some wonderful, extended snuggle time before there's a little one sharing our thoughts, patience, and space. Thank you for the prayers and we'll continue to update as we prepare the arrival of a sweet little girl!

-AG

Iced Decaf Skinny Vanilla Updates on Emma

Let me just start by painting you a picture of the little piece of heaven I find myself in right now. It's most beautiful part of the morning where it streams through the curtains and hits my coffee on the table- don't worry, it's decaf- and the beautiful green Starbucks logo smiles at me. Dang, it's so good! Colbie Caillet is playing through the laptop and I feel my precious little girl moving in my belly as if she's dancing to the music with me this morning. We serve such a beautiful God that gives us these precious moments when we need them most. Because the truth is, as wonderful as this morning is, I know Dan and I have a long and hard road ahead of us. I guess that's the incredible thing about a relationship with the Lord though; if our lives were hunky dory... I think i'd be a little worried. The trial that I feel right now is such another sweet reminder that our Maker is hard at work in us.

One sec, just taking a sip of my delicious "iced grande decaf skinny vanilla latte with 1 splenda" it's okay- you can be jealous. I won't judge.

I definitely didn't update my blog at all about my pregnancy but don't worry (because I know you were) it was incredibly smooth.. until about four weeks ago. I started to notice at work that my vision was a little blurry, apparently momma needed to update her prescription. Long story short, at the same time that my blurry vision came about I had a spike in my blood pressure and increased swelling (even after drinking 80oz of water a day!). My Dr. was worried that I was becoming preeclamptic, soo we took a bunch of blood and bodda-bing-bodda-boom, I was fine. A couple weeks passed and I began to show baby steps of progress, (aka I was dilated to 1cm) woo! I know- pathetic. So then I really got on it and started walking EVERYWHERE. I was so excited to get to my appointment to see if I'd begun to efface or dilated a little more- yeah, total let down. Nothing changed... nothing! What?! You mean to tell me that I moved this booty all week long for nothing?! My cervix was still so high that she couldn't even strip my membranes haha total fail. We were about to end the appointment when she glanced at my blood pressure and said she wanted me to go into the hospital to be monitored because it was so high again. Wonderful, not only have I not progressed but now I have to tell my husband that he has to come meet me in triage and sit with me for three hours for them to tell me i'm fine. Bummer.

After we got settled into the room I began to notice that every time my blood pressure cuff would go off it would beep and flash a sign saying "admit patient" haha goodness Alyssa, control your blood pressure why don't ya! It finally settled down and we then just had to wait on the results for my blood and (ahem) pee-pee. As we sat there listening to our little bean we found out that she has an irregular heart beat. Apparently very common and often times it corrects itself within a couple days after birth- but nonetheless kind of cute (only because they said it's harmless) that she already has a little something unique to her. The results came back showing elevated signs of protein in my urine which is concern for preeclampsia. So I'll have to go back in tonight for a second monitoring and if the levels haven't gone down then they'll probably induce me :(

So pray, pray, pray! Pray that either my levels all go back to normal or that she decides to come on her own today! Dan and I are excited but nervous that this may be our last day to spend together as a 2 person family. I can't wait to kiss those sweet cheeks on my little Emma Maren, just praying it's all in God's timing and not the doctors. Sorry this was so long, but then again, maybe no one made it this far.. so you wouldn't know the difference. Well i'm off to enjoy the rest of my starbucks (holla!) and maybe indulge myself in a little HGTV... guilty!

-AG

Little Beans and Big News

Well I know it's been quite some time since I last posted but I promise I have a good excuse! This reason has made me a little crankier, a bit fatter, and believe me, a lot more emotional. WE'RE EXPECTING! At first I didn't believe it, I couldn't believe this little stick telling me my life was going to change FOR-EV-VER. Dan and I had just gotten back from celebrating our First Anniversary in California and I wasn't feeling myself. For example, I was sitting in one of my lectures and all of a sudden my stomach started growling ferociously. Now i'm not just talking about a little rumble, it was so embarrassingly audible that the person sitting TWO seats away looked at me.. okay kill me now. So that was suspicion #1. The Second was the fact that I had spotted a week early. I kept praying for something else to happen but nope.. nothing ever came and it's really unusual for me to do that. Lastly, it seemed that whatever I ate gave me THE WORST heart burn, ever. So I put these three things together and had a little chit chat with God. "I thought you were going with MY timeline, didn't we decide this was better?" "I swear, If I get home and I find out i'm pregnant, you and me, we're going to have a little word of prayer!" Okay so maybe it didn't go over quite like that but nonetheless, I left school and immediately got a pregnancy test.

The moment of truth. I was soo convinced I was wasn't pregnant that I took it by myself... I don't suggest this. After waiting those crazy-long 3 minutes I ran in, with my heart pounding, to read the results. In my furry I knocked it on the ground. BHAAAAA! What does it say!! (II) Two lines. Oh boy. I just started giggling, then i'd walk out of the room, walk back in and giggle, and repeat about three more times. I was in complete shock.

And life has been crazy ever since. We're expecting our little bean to arrive late June and every time I see it's beautiful little hands and feet wiggle in my belly my heart can't wait to hold it one day. Dan and I are also in the process of trying to purchase a home and we're just waiting to hear back from the bank... got to love short sales ;) Once the the bustle of Christmas settles down i'll head back into the studio to finish up harmonies and then it's off to Nashville for the final mix down. We're so close! Hopefully I can get some pictures up soon too... once I pass the not-pregnant-just-awkwardly-fat stage :)

-AG

The House that Built Me

My dear friend Jamie bought me this incredible candle. It's a wood-wick candle and as I type I can hear the crackle of the wood as the flame burns through it. It's such a peaceful sound, it reminds me of the joy that comes when you find yourself surrounded by God's creation. The kind of creation that kisses your cheeks with a breeze and stirs tall billowing trees that can't help but grant forgiveness. Do you know what i'm talking about... being up North gives me such a renewal in my heart and recharges my long exhausted batteries. I miss it right now, but thank you Jamie for the sweet reminder of what God's beauty feels like.

My sweet grandpa chicken died this past month, and to be quite honest, i'm not sure I really feel it yet. The absence of his sweet smile meeting my eyes when I find myself in the similar surroundings I described earlier. I'm not ready to go back up North and see his lonely rocking chair missing him. I'm not ready to feel one less body in a room full of family, i'm not ready to feel two less eyes smile upon me, and I know i'm not ready to go back to the room he last told me he loved me. i miss him. But my God is great, and He knows that those gentle eyes that have seen the world will meet mine again someday soon, someplace better than here.

Death is such a weird thing... it's so hard for me to wrap my head around it. It's the most unnatural-natural thing ever.. and, I don't like it. I wonder if that's why i've been wanting a baby so badly lately. I want new life. I want to hold something tender in my arms and love it like my grandpa loved his family. Lord, can I please have a baby! Because I know the only way this girl's getting pregnant is if it's your plan, and your doing.. so i'm crossing my fingers. You just let me know ;)

I've been loving this new song lately, it's by Miranda Lambert, it's called "the house that built me".. and i'm on the 9th repeat as a type. So embarrassing to divulge such information but i'm just that type of person who doesn't just like something... i LOVE it. Almost like Coffee.. gosh another thing God, if I get pregnant, can you make coffee okay for my baby? Great, thanks. (We have a this cool relationship.. don't worry, we're on a first name basis, he's got my back) Anyway, sorry this was so somber, this song inspires a different side of me. Something deeper and more important. It makes me think of my house, and how it built me, every wall in that house has memories of me growing up and learning how to live, and love. It gave me the courage when I needed it and kept all my secrets. It gave life to my dreams and heard parts of my heart that I can share with no one else. I love that house, the house that built me.

It's official.. I'm A Starbucks Snob

You know that moment you find yourself between the Barista and the cash register.. the one where you have to open your mouth and decide the drink that will determine your mood for the entire day..? Well I was there. ehhhh, not quite... i was 28th in line from that spot at 8:07 this morning (Prime time for starbar, in case any of you coffee haters didn't know). Here we go. Black Tea Lemonade, or Non-Fat Vanilla Latte? Black Tea Lemonade or Non-Fat Vanilla Latte!! I found myself in a horrible spot of uncertainty and indecisiveness... 24, 23, 22.. I was getting closer and my palms began to sweat.. 13, 12, 11.. my heart was pounding.. Black Tea Lemonade or NON-FAT VANILLA LATTE! Hi welcome to starbucks what can I start for you today? Guh.. "excuse me?" Okay.. totally mortified.. I tried again. Igh... "i'm sorry what was that?" BLACK TEA LEMONADE! It was almost as if I threw up on the poor girl. Control yourself Alyssa..

"I have an iced venti black tea lemonade at the bar for Alyssa..." Okay, that's right, a little celebration started to occur in my belly. I took a sip from that gorgeous, green straw that symbolized the very essence of my addiction... and yes, IT WAS FABU! A little more tea than usual but I like it! And hey.. less lemonade, less calories. (whoop whoop) Counting Crow's "Accidentally in Love" just became the theme song to my morning. With a little bounce in my step, I journeyed on.

-I passed a beautiful tattoo and decided I wanted to get one

-Passed a sign for 24 hour prayer and decided maybe God doesn't want me to get one right now

-saw eight cute sun dresses that I swore would look killer on me

-watched a Vietnamese women slap a guy in the face to get his attention

-saw a girl that works at starbucks pass me in her regular street clothes.. she's adorable

-I want a baby boy

-Nearly fell down the stairs in my new sandals

-Saw Lauren Walters, a friend from elementary school.. still hasn't grown an inch

-decided that slapping to get attention was a cultural thing in Vietnam

-wondered if my BTL had less calories than a vanilla latte

-decided to test my theory of culture slapping next time I went to the nail salon

-went to the bathroom and heard people talk about it being a breeding ground for the swine flu

-washed my hand two extra times just in case

-decided not to test my theory of attention grabbing slapping Vietnamese women

-walked into class and saw my beautiful seat open and waiting for me

-nearly tripped again walking up the stairs

-Face is red

A glorious morning :) I even found out that my Black Tea Lemonade has 40 less calories and 105 less grams of sodium than a non-fat vanilla latte. New theme song.. "Hey Soul Sister" by Train, love that song, and loving the day God has given to me today!

-AG

The Good Old Days

Ok i'm sorry to all those Lady Gaga lovers out there but really? I woke up this morning, sent my wonderful husband off to work, and got ready for my good friend Pilar to come over! So naturally I started brewing a yummy pot of extra bold Italian roast by none other than Starbucks of course. Mmm the way it tickles my early morning toes that step lightly on the carpet as if they too are just waking up. I go to the television and decide to put on some light morning music, only to be blasted by Lady Gag me! Ok that's mean, but really, I was thinking a little more along the lines of Jason Mraz's "Lucky".. you know what i'm sayin!?

Gosh lately i've been reminiscing about the days before Dan and I got married. Don't get me wrong, i'd much rather fall asleep in his arms over reliving those early times any day! However.. take a look at these! This was our first road trip.. oh it was glorious :)

Anyway, breakfast was so yummy. Waffles and eggs and hash browns.. umm right.. way to go Alyssa, I know you're trying to lose some weight but you pretty much just blew your week! Awesome. I think i'll do some yoga today, yeah, that's it. That will help me feel skinnier when really it's ONLY helping me "feel" better about my caloric breakfast. But shh don't tell Alyssa.. song of choice, "Maybe" by Ingrid Michaelson. Oh yes please. Happy Friday!

-AG