Family of Four

Here are some stolen moments of Madee and her Dad on Eden Eve.

It makes me so happy to capture moments like this. They are so sweet together.

We had a little Family of 3 BBQ and hung out and snuggled for the evening.


I love sunny times on our deck.


6:15 in the morning and we were on our way to the hospital.


Charlie was one excited Papa- to-be again...I call him "Coach" because he is such a good one.
And now he really has a whole team.

Here I am amid the contractions and most likely during my epidural. We started the Pitocin at around 8, and by noon things were really rolling. My doctor got called into surgery, and we weren't even sure he would get back in time - this girl was on her way!

5 contraction, 20 or so pushes, and a little vacuum assistance and she was out. I still can't believe how fast it went and how peaceful it was. I didn't even scream out once. I know with Madee I scared every woman in the ward with my cries out.

How serene a beginning for this sweet face.


Eden Charlotte Van Derven. June 1, 2009. 9 lbs 3.4 oz. 22 inches long. Her head was 15 inches, and our nurse Mary said it was the biggest she had ever measured. She even measured it again and again to be sure she was getting it right.


Coach's new draft pick.


Madee knew exactly who that baby was. She was excited to meet her, and was very sweet with her new sister.


She loves all babies, but she seems to be really into this one.


The doctor says she's a keeper - that she's too big to throw back anyway.

She is an absolute angel. Her sweetness and little baby raccoon noises are sure to suck you in.


Her Dad is smitten. We all are.


Our first family of four ride home from the hospital. Things are going really well so far. I have been taking it easier than ever. Madee has held her sister and wants to be wherever she is. We are so lucky to have Aunt Leslie here to care for us...I don't know how things would be without her, but I don't have to worry about that right now.

I am enjoying the royal treatment and getting as much rest and healing time as I can. I seriously couldn't be happier or more well cared for. I am a lucky lucky mom.


And we are a super lucky little family!

Bobbadadeh?

Madee has been so funny lately. Part of it is the oxytocin hormones making me delight in her every giggle. Part of it is she is just so cute.


She loves bubbles. Sometimes we have to keep them out of sight. Because seriously, she wants to do it first thing in the morning and then all day long.


She loves to read and to be read to. Especially by her Daddy, because he employs variations and accents for her listening pleasure.

Lately she says "All done", "Hi Zeus", "Hey there", and "bobbadadeh?" which seems to mean "How you say?"

Goofy girl. All day today she just laughs at everything. Like she is getting all sorts of inside jokes that until today have eluded her. Cutest thing.ever.


"Where's Mommy?"


Charlie has been doing lots of improvements to the yards lately. Here is our new lilac tree and the grass seed has started sprouting. He is so proud, he could literally sit there all day and watch his grass grow.

I am growing some wildflowers and pumpkins out front. They have sprouted quite nicely, and I am sure you will see some pics as soon as they look like something.

Meanwhile, here are Madee's Ranunculus. They sure are pretty.


Madee likes her spinner...


So we are at 37 weeks and had a visit with the doctor today.

Nothing new to report. He did the ultrasound, not the tech, so all the info I got was she is doing quite well in there.


He was pretty chatty today. He said that with how well she was growing in there and how great my blood pressure was holding up (it was 115/76 today) he wouldn't have a problem letting me go to 41 weeks.


I told him he better watch what he says because with talk like that I wouldn't have any problem killing him.


Anyway everything is cool and as much as I think ever other 10 minutes that I am going into labor I still have time to kill.


In the mean time, this weekend is going to be a killer garage sale spectacular, and the Farmer's Market probably starts next Tuesday so at least I have other things to look forward to!

Happy Wednesday!

So I am officially on Maternity leave...and although it is nice to know I have this time to rest, I enjoy what I do so much that I will miss my sessions for the next couple of months. Here are some adorable pics of my last session - little Macy who is already 6 months old.

I cannot believe how fast they grow up. It blows my mind.



Madee makes her own costumes. She found this belt and made it a crossing guard sash.

And then she gave me a ticket.


And here she is playing with her favorite new toy which she got for Mother's Day.

She LOVES water, so this is right up her alley.


Goofy girl eats her yogurt all by herself...messy!




So I went for my weekly with the doctor on Tuesday. My blood pressure was awesome, the ultrasound was normal and everything tested A-Ok with the non stress test. Since I am 36 1/2 weeks he went ahead and checked the baby.

I am dilated 1 cm, 50 % effaced and the head is down. If you don't know what that means feel free to Google it but I don't plan on elaborating any more than that even if I speak to you privately.

What I will tell you is that I could remain that way for 2 weeks or more. Or we could go into labor tomorrow. I am seeing a OB/GYN, not a fortune teller, so he can't predict any more than that.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT start calling the house to ask if the baby is here.

Even Charlie knows how to use this blogger machine so we swear, we will keep everybody updated if and when anything happens, and we will also post pictures ASAP.


That being said, we are very excited to know she could come any day. The doc wants her to stay in a week or 2, but we think that would just be cruel, especially when everybody is so excited to see/smell/kiss her.

We just want her to come when she is good and ready for the outside world. We have learned what a huge transition that is for a little person.

This is the cradle by our bed that she will be sleeping in...


All of her clothes are clean, folded, and waiting for her here in her dresser/ changing station.

Keep checking the site for updates!

Meanwhile, my rad Auntie Leslie is in town for the rest of the week, so everyone can rest easy knowing I am well taken care of!

Happy Mother's Day!

And guess who is 16 months old!

Today was a great day. I really enjoy being a mom and here are 2 of the biggest reasons why...

Here's a picture of Madee in my belly.

We picked up a yummy lunch and headed for the beach. Madee loves this beach because she can run around just about anywhere without me trying to rope her in.


Aerial view of Eden. 36 weeks.


Side view. Part of me is actually going to miss this belly. She just has a good shape.


Before I was a mama, I used to dream about it and picture it and know exactly what I would do if...

Things I have found out as an actual mama is this:

1. It is much harder than it looks
2. The first 4 years ages you like a presidency
3. I was wrong when I thought I would know exactly what I would do if...
4. I never knew how much I could love my kids.
5. I never knew how much I could love my husband.
6. I never knew how often I could experience awe, gratitude, overwhelming love, and amazement.

I can't believe how grown up Madee is in her mere 16 months. She is so independent and way too smart and funny and sweet. I remember when she was in my belly and I had given her so much personality in my mind and my heart before I had even made eye contact.

So far I have been so on target. It feels like I have known her for so long, in fact it is hard to remember what life was like before her.


She made my Mother's Day card herself - okay maybe a little of help from Dad. I love to watch her concentrate on a project. Surprisingly, she is using her right hand here, and she has always seemed to prefer her left.


Here ya go, Mom. Love you.

And a little blast from last Mother's Day.

She was just trying cereal for the first time. To think now she is walking, running, jumping, climbing, talking, screeching, snuggling, kissing. It all goes so fast and I am so glad to not miss any of it.


I cannot believe how much she has changed in a year. Wow. How much we have all changed in a year. Charlie and I were still such brand new parents and she was still so precious and clean and containable.

We are so excited to have our second little girl to add to the mix. C'mon little chubby cheeks...we are waiting!


I feel so lucky to have this family - these little ladies to show the world - this wonderful man to share my life and my children with. I am the luckiest mom in the world!

Busy Busy Mama Bee

May is, so far, the busiest month this year. Everyday since the 1st has been a non-stop circus around here, and Madee is the head clown.

This is the face of opposition. Seriously, she shakes her head "no" to any question, and we have learned that sometimes, if given a long enough chance to think about it, she actually thinks "yes" is a good idea.

I am not sure what she is saying "no" to here...


She doesn't say "no" to snuggles.


I have been super busy with shoots lately...trying to squeeze a bunch in before maternity leave. I declared that it would begin this Saturday, but I have already booked one for next week, I figure when I am just too big to get up off of the ground I will call it quits.

When Auntie Lisa walks in the door, Madee starts to blow me goodbye kisses. Precious.

Here is a a list of cute things she did the other day...

1. Held a mirror to her face and screamed at herself repeatedly
2. Rode her fat kitty around the house strapped to her little bus
3. Ran to the dog's water bowl and giggled when she knew you Daddy found her.
4. Drank my bedside glass of water without spilling. Much.
5 Fed her baby a bottle.
6. Fed me imaginary food from a spoon.
7. Heard the phone ring and curled her little hand to her ear and said"Gamma?"

If the TV is on mute, she can't stand it and can't turn away from, except maybe to find the remote and fix it. Even if she isn't paying attention to the TV when it was blaring. Unmute it, and she will go back to playing and ignoring it.

She has begun "pretend play" and spends serious time each day pretending to blow bubbles with any stick/cup combo. She loves bubbles. She also likes to feed everybody pretend food or empty bottles.

She has a new interest in her little cabbage patch kid premie, and she totes him around for a while every day. She knows he is "baby" and it was her idea to feed him a bottle. She is also trying to feed her fat kitty and Zeus. Zeus will eat anything. Even pretend food.

This week marks 35 weeks, and I have almost finished readying everything for Eden. I have learned that it is very difficult to nest in the same house as a toddler. I have been getting better at letting things be messy, but not much better at not letting it drive me crazy.

At our ultrasound Eden measured 38 weeks. He said her head was "huge". He didn't say anything about get her out earlier, just that she will be a bigun. She was 3112 grams, and no one had a measurement converter, but my rough estimate with a calculator tells me that is about 7 lbs, so really she is just a normal size.

We are excited! We go to bed as early as possible to try and get sleep while we can...pretty soon every day will be a circus for a whole new reason, and with a brand new ringleader!

Oh yeah...check out my most recent photo shoot here. Adorable sisters. It made me excited to have little sisters in our own house!