1.2 centimeters...and shock.

Not sure where to begin. Ok, I guess I'll begin with this:

After having 4 ultrasounds last year, each one revealing crazy, dysfunctional ovaries and a lonely, empty uterus, today I saw this.
Complete with a little flickering heartbeat.

Perhaps some of you are aware of the struggle the past 15 months have been as we tried to start a family, and then were told by a fertility specialist that our only hope of conceiving was by doing in-vitro fertilization. Well, two days before our appointment to start all of that ordeal, we found out we were pregnant.  That was three weeks ago...and today our baby measures 1.2cm, and I am still in shock.

Words fail me...I can only echo the joyfulness, gratitude and praise reflected in the the words David the Psalmist:

"I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall be continually in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the Lord,
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
O taste and see that the Lord is good,
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"

All praise be to God for this little blessing. 

Our upstairs bathroom...before and after

Sorry about the lack of text in this post - or perhaps my readers are happy.
Just wanted to share with you the before and after pics of our upstairs bathroom re-do.
I picked the paint color from a bunch of mis-tints at the store, and then found that painting that I LOVE that matched the color, and then later found the vase that also matched the colors! I love it when things in life work out that way.

Do you have that place?

If someone were to ask you what your favorite restaurant is...your favorite place to grab a bite for lunch, commune with friends over brunch, or relax and enjoy a delicious hot beverage while you people-watch the yuppies strolling down the street...where would it be?

Well I don't even have to hesitate anymore to answer that. When I am meeting friends in the city, and someone queries where to meet, my reflex, knee-jerk reaction is to blurt out, "Why Julius Meinl of course!" And nine out of ten times, said friends don't even bother to put up an argument, or suggest something else, because really, IS there anywhere else that even compares? A resounding NO I say!

Why would one choose to hang out at such a generic, dime-a-dozen place as a Starbucks or Caribou when one could frequent the most beautiful, unique coffee-house in Chicago - an Austrian-based company with exquisite teas and coffees, delicious Austrian-style foods, lovely ambiance (did I mention they have live classical musicians performing on the weekends?), cozy lighting, walls lined with large windows,

and adorable little Viennese boys perched on various points of the walls?

Oh, did I mention that each table has fresh flowers, all the time, every day, (I'm sold)

and there is an entire WALL of various wonderful teas and coffees (doesn't the guy on the bottom right look like Wilson from House, MD?)

and large silver vats of exquisitely roasted high-end Viennese coffee beans

and an entire case of gorgeous, pastries, each more luscious than the next, pastries that make you forget that you are starving and you came here for lunch...really, you just want to order three pastries and wash them down with a steamy, smooth cup of coffee.

And oh, the coffee! and the tea! Did you know that each hot beverage that is ordered is served on a lovely little silver platter with a paper doile, a little gingersnap cookie, a glass of water (no ice, in the European style), cute little teaspoon (yes even the teaspoons here are cute) and an adorable little tube of sugar?

 Check out the orange mocha latte I ordered:

C'mon folks, does it get more fun than this? I mean really. This is probably the closest I will ever get to Europe.

And when I am there, sipping my hot beverage, chatting with friends and enjoying the ambiance, sometimes I think that just might be ok with me.

Here's to meeting with friends at Julius Meinl - a little bit of Vienna, Austria right here in our own home-town.

The stork has finally arrived!!

My new baby has finally come!!

Introducing the newest member of our family:

Baby Canon Rebel t2i (still trying to decide on a name for the little one)

The stork also dropped off a bonus addition, the Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 zoom lens (not pictured in photos because I couldn't resist using it for these photos)

I can't wait for all the memories we'll create!

 

Thank you 2010 tax return!!

A night out on the town!

Last week was a sisters night - we went downtown and saw the best musical/story every created - Les Miserables. 
I know I'm getting older and more sentimental (i.e. too much like my mom) because I cried through the whole thing. 
It was such a lovely night, the Cadillac Palace theater is extremely gorgeous and ornate. One of my favorite things about Chicago is all the beautiful old theaters. Cameras were not allowed inside, but I snuck a few anyways (couldn't resist!)

Today

I am absolutely convinced that if you start your day like this...as in, a cup of good tea with a pretty saucer and some meditation and scripture reading...it's going to be a better day.

Tea of choice: Rooibos Rose Garden from Teavana

Scripture of choice: Isaiah 30:15,18

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength...the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore, He will rise up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are those who wait for Him!"

Crafting and gifting...

My sister-in-law will be delivering our brand new little niece to us in approximately TWO WEEKS!!
Last week she had a baby shower, and I wanted to give her something special and home-made. So I got my trusty Singer out, yet again (I have always had this strange habit of naming inanimate objects...I am feeling compelled to do the same for my Singer. Please, leave a comment with a name suggestion and I will consider it!)

I gathered my supplies (got some cute trim, a hot glue gun, diaper cloths, and cute, soft flannel fabric)

And labored in love (no pun intended :) for every evening that week, cutting, measuring, pinning, trimming, ironing, hemming, folding, and sewing...

For a finished product that looked like this:

Then I packaged it nicely with some of the cutest little shoes (not that she doesn't already have enough shoes in this size to last an eternity), some of my favorite childrens' books, some little pink socks and mini hangers and wrapped it all up:

I'll admit, I was quite proud of it - definitely the most time and creative energy I've put into a baby gift - so this little miss what's-her-name better appreciate it!...it might be hard though, since it turns out, FOUR other people made her home-made burp cloths!! Ha! Oh well...if this child has reflux, she is well-prepared!