3 Weeks today & some special gifts!

Wow, sorry . . . been aways for a while.  You know how it is, gotta take care of business!  The BOSS needs me FULL-TIME!  :)  My pay is LUV!

This is way long over due and I wanted to share some special gifts given from some very, very special friends. 

This first one is from Amy Young of A Thousand Sheets of Paper.  She sent Asa a box and we just luv all the goodness and the delicious fruit snacks!  Here is HOLDEN, the Pacific Northwest Bigfoot, laying along side Asa.  Looks like they're buddies . . . see the onesie he's wearing?  Amy made that too.  So clever!

Here's Holden and the card that Amy sent.  I luv all the details in the card and it matches Asa's onesie!  ;)  Click {HERE} to see a better photo on Amy's blog. 

'1LuvnBaby' was ironed on the bottom by Asa's bottom.  So cute!  Mahalo nui loa Amy!  Luv the personalized name!

This card was sent by my dear friend Kris, of K-Lusive Kreations.  Kris, too, welcomed a baby boy in August and I was fortunate to visit her and Keenan at the hospital.  I don't know how she manages everything and still be able to find time to craft.  Any tips Kris? 

I just luv the burp cloths and tanks Kris sent.  Thanks so much girl!  :)

And finally, my dear blogging "mother", Shirley, of Stampin For The Fun Of It, sent this precious gift.  All I have to say is . . . Wowza!  The details are phenomenal!  Click {HERE}.  Shirley took some close up pics of her Tissue Box cover!  Check it out!  ;)  Thank you so much Shirl . . . this gift is definitely a keepsake for Asa!

Ok, I know this is a long post . . . Thanks for sticking it out with me.  Who knows when I'll pop back in to post again.  Today Asa makes 3 weeks.  He is so luv'd by all, mostly us . . . his 1LuvnMama, 1LuvnDad, and his Big Brother and Big Sister!  Our Aunty had given the 3 kids these outfits and thought we should take some pics of the kids wearing them.  Can you tell how the older siblings are getting along with their new baby brother?  They adore him!  :)   We are definitely looking forward to celebrating this Christmas season with a new addition to our family.  We are also looking forward to seeing cousin Dean and his family.  They will be arriving in the islands in the next couple of weeks to spend time with family and friends.  If you didn't read my post about how we chose Asa's middle name, Dean, then click {HERE}.  I'll be sure to post some pics of the 2 "Dean's" together!  Ta-ta peeps!

Baby Favors and the "NAME" . . .

Me again . . . Just wanted to share some favors I made for those that came to visit Baby Asa in the hospital.  I used the Sizzix Pillow Box die.  Out of a 12 x 12 DP, I could get 4 boxes!  :)

The pillow box was the perfect size for the chocolate covered cookie.

Here's the end product . . . I added a band around the box and a little label introducing Baby's name. I blurred out the name because I added our last name to it.

I'm going to ramble here a bit.  If you don't want to read this, I won't feel hurt.  Just thought I'd explain how we chose Asa's name. 

ASA:  (ay-sah) . . . Azariah was the original Hebrew name of Abednego, who along with Shadrach and Meshach, was thrown into a burning furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar (see the book of Daniel 3 in the Bible).  The 3 men never wavered in their faith.  They emerged unscathed from the furnace.   

My husband and I wanted a shorter version of Azariah, but didn't like naming our son Aza (a-zah), thus changing the "z" to an "s".  Asa is also a Biblical name meaning "healer or physician".  We like them both.

Now, on to the middle name, DEAN.  My eldest son and daughter both have Hawaiian middle names.  My son took my husband's middle name and my daughter has my sister-in-laws middle name.  Click {HERE} to see my post about her.   Well, it just seems that in our case, when there is a new life, there is death.  I realize the whole cycle of life happening, but there is so much joy and yet so much tragedy.  I really wanted to carry on having a Hawaiian middle name for Asa, however, it was not the case here. 

Asa is named after my husband's cousin, Dean.  Dean (age: 46) is the first cousin out of 19 on my hubby's side of the family (hubby is #3).  They've always been close and share similar passions.  We also have a side business together renting out our condo on the Big Island.  In August, we found out that Dean has been diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).  If you google CJD, you can find out more about this rare disease.  Here is a short version . . .

~ This is a disease that is a rare, degenerative, invariably fatal brain disorder. It affects about one person in every one million people per year worldwide; in the United States there are about 200 cases per year. CJD usually appears in later life and runs a rapid course. Typically, onset of symptoms occurs about age 65, and about 90 percent of individuals die within 1 year.

Dean's wife, Kathi, has been there right at his side making sure Dean gets the best care and making sure Dean continues to live life the way he's always lived life . . . enjoying family, friends, and all the things he loved doing when he was well.

Here is an article from the Oregonian on one of Dean Harvey's "many things to do" list.  Click {HERE}.

We are very honored and thrilled to have Asa carry Dean's name.  Dean is an amazing, giving, humble, and selfless person and we will have lots of stories to share with Asa about him. 

Thank you so much for sticking through this long post.  Have yourselves a Happy Thanksgiving!  Enjoy the time with your family and friends!  Also, stay safe if you're one of those that mob the malls for those great deals!  :) 

Sharing My Most Precious Creation This Year!

Well, he's finally here!  I know, I know . . . it's been a week ago today that my little "BOSS" made his way into this world!  Meet . . .

~ ASA ~

Middle name:  Dean

**THIS IS THE STORY OF THE DELIVERY**

Skip if you like, but just thought I'd share my experience.

He was born on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 weighing in at 6 lbs. 2.2 oz. and measured 19 inches.  He was the smallest compared to my other 2 kids.  Oh boy, his arrival was quite eventful.  I've been waiting weeks for him to show up, but he kept still, right in my tummy, so content and happy.  That Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment in the morning to see if I progressed in my dilation (I was at 2 cm for nearly 2 weeks).  I was nearly 3 cm.  Well, the doctor managed to stretch out the membranes to help speed up the process.  By 3pm, I started feeling some pain with the contractions.  I couldn't tell whether the pain was from the stretching of the membranes or the real thing, LABOR.  So . . . I waited.  By 5p-5:30p, the pain did not subside and the contractions were 7 minutes apart.  By 7p, it got to 5 minutes apart.  I called the hospital to let them know we were on our way.  We left the house just before 8p and headed to the hospital; on the ride there, my contractions were now 4 minutes apart.  My husband decided to drop me off at the front entrance so that I could be wheeled or walked up to L&D and he would park our van.  I walked up to the front entrance and it was CLOSED!  WHAT?  The hospital closes the front entrance at 8pm so now I had to walk myself around the building by the ER to get inside the hospital.  I reach the elevator and now I'm feeling it, PAIN!!!  I arrive at the L&D and told the nurse my name and that the baby is coming.  When the nurse checked me, she said, "I feel a little lip on the cervix.  You'll be pushing in a bit."  I said to her, "Can I get the epidural?"  The nurse chuckled, "Sorry, it's too late.  You can do this!"  OMG!!!  I turned to my husband and with fear in my voice, I said, "I'm so scared!  We never took the Lamaze class so I don't know how to breathe!"  I believe I got situated in the L&D room around 8:20p.  By 9p, I was ready to push.  Asa was born at 9:06p with just 4 pushes.  I've never, ever experienced anything like it.  With my other 2 kids, I had the epidural so pain was not an issue.  This time around, I've felt pain like I've never felt before.  Hats off to the women who want to do it all natural!  Well, we are just thrilled that Asa is finally here and is healthy and thriving! 

How has my son and daughter adjusted to having a new sibling?  My son was happy and at first, my daughter was overwhelmed and ignored him upon her first meeting.  When my husband and I got home from the hospital, she was able to spend some alone time with Asa by herself.  That really helped so that she could bond on her own terms.  Later that day, my son came home from school and was able to get in his alone time with the baby.  Now, they can't keep their hands off of him and is always smothering Asa.  So far, so good!  Asa is a good eater and he is a great sleeper too!  Here are some pictures.

Sorry for the partial nudity.  My kids luv to run around the house in comfort . . . only in their underwear.  :)

I apologize for the long post, but I've been silent too long and had to release!  Anyways, I have lots to share with you . . . I received some really sweet gifts from some very sweet blogging friends.  I'll be sharing those soon.   Thanks for stoppin' in!  :)