One Week Pearl

From Post Cards 2012

You blink and miss a minute. Already sweet Margaret Ann was born just over one week ago. "Margaret," a family name of Suffolk, England in the 1500's means, "pearl," or "daughter of light." Maggie is just that. I wish I could always hear sweet little Elsie lean over Maggie's cot and chat away as though they've been forever the best of friends. 

From Post Cards 2012

Lots can happen in a week. We have been showered with tender love by all our dear family and friends with flowers, handmade knitted sweaters, homemade meals, gifts, sweets, and lovely {best-in-the-world carrot cake}. 

From Post Cards 2012

My lovely mother-in-law returned to Utah on Sunday--as noted by the sea of toys, laundry, books, and who-knows-what on our floor. :) But hey, Spencer and Elsie {for the most part} play really well together, and occasionally stop playing {or coloring on walls--we won't mention my exploding fire-hydrant-of- emotions when Spencer "decorated" our front door with permanent marker--thanks to "surgical spirit" or rubbing alcohol for working magic} to leave sweet little kisses on Maggie's forehead.

From Post Cards 2012

We try to capture what we feel and see with a camera, but I am going to miss her tiny fingers, toes, bundled-up little body, and button nose for Eskimo kisses. Better hold this little Pearl in the palm of my hand as much as I can before it's too late!

Maggie Our Sweet Miracle

From Maggie Sweet Margaret {Maggie} anxiously entered our world at 2:35 am on November 10, 2012. We made it safely to the hospital...with 30 minutes to spare!  We were sure to preface her entry with a Crowell family evening of eating pizza, popping popcorn, and watching a movie {Elsie's choice} Barbie’s, The Princess and Pauper. I decided to time contractions as they seemed more frequent and I’d had a couple of strong ones--7 min. apart. I was so nervous about going into intense labor at home, that I really, really did not want to repeat Spencer’s birth. I prayed so strong that day to know when I should go {I'm obviously not pro with my own judgement}.  I had the thought to call the hospital. After describing my situation and previous labors, the midwife said to continue timing/monitoring contractions, and then phone again in an hour. Contractions really hadn't changed after the movie, so we all said goodnight {I'm almost sure my sweet mother-in-law was biting her nails wondering why we weren't already on our way}. :)  Corey and I prayed, and went to bed. I set my alarm again to check on things in an hour. Nothing was really different--it was hard to tell since I was so tired---and could sleep through anything!!. So I set it for yet another hour. Twenty minutes before my alarm went off, I felt a pop/thump from inside--not like the explosion I felt with Spencer, nor was it as light as it was with Elsie, but I knew straight away it was my water. I didn't panic {too afraid to panic}, but the extreme urgency to leave at that minute made me throw my arm at Corey--bless him. Within minutes we were on the road. I pulled out my phone to check the time and let the hospital know we were on our way, but all I could see were my trembling hands. I took several deep breaths to calm myself down. I could only pull myself together when I thought of the blessing Corey had given me just after dinner. For whatever reason, I only had one really strong--toe-curling contraction during the drive {maybe that’s because Corey made it to the hospital in 10 minutes verses the average 20-25 minute drive}. I think I was so anxious, my body was suspended in trauma, and couldn’t contract normally until I was a bit more relaxed. At the major round-about in Martlesham to head into Ipswich on Woodbridge Road, we stopped at a red light. With two police cars in view I told Corey to run the lights, but  we decided it would take more time to pull over and explain the situation, than to wait for less than a minute. Once that light turned green, Corey  floored it {cutting off a middle-of-the-night taxi just before a small round about}. I don’t think he could have been more relieved to see us pull into the hospital parking. With a spring in my foot, I approached the midwife on the Deben Floor {delivery floor} who smiled; but, I'm certain behind that smile was saying, “Is this lady seriously in labor? Who just waltzes into the hospital to have a baby?!" She walked me back to the delivery room, and took my notes and details. We arrived at the hospital at 2am. Heart monitors were in place. At 2:20 am--at which point my contractions were more than toe-gripping--she realized I was already at a 9 {first time she’d checked} and obligatory asked if I wanted pain relief--even though we all knew there would be no time for anything at that point to make a difference. So she looked at me and said, “Right, the next time you feel a contraction, go ahead and push!” So within 3 pushes, Maggie was here. She was real. She was beautiful. She was pure. Happy and content aren’t adequate words to describe the peaceful feeling, but they will have to suffice.    Families are such a divine design and there is nothing more reverent and sacred than the birth of a new little one--especially having that tiny soul in your home. Spencer and Elsie are in love with her. We are all in love with her. Maggie is our sweet miracle.

From Maggie

A Bit of a British Summer

From Post Cards 2012

With our summer prefaced by the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (hope to document before Elsie turns 20), we were in the spirit of celebrating everything British--including the Olympics! Spencer loved cheering and waving to the parade of police, Olympic vans, and most importantly the torch which ran ran right down our main street in Melton.

From Post Cards 2012

Elsie and Spence sported their Olympic Wenlock shirts, while Elsie was sure to wear her Olympic medal, and make noise with the shaker she made at pre-school. All the excitement and preparation really wore her out! We were lucky to have Kyle visiting who was so good with the kids--and pushing the stroller for a pregnant sister.

From Post Cards 2012

Then came the Olympics and my hat goes off to Corey for finding good deals for multiple events! Our Olympic retreat wouldn't have been possible without lots of sweet friends looking after the kids while we "nipped" away to London for a few days. First event: Fencing. We wanted tradition and originality--and fencing won. The prestige sport reminded me of Europe and I've always thought it was cool looking, so Corey nailed those tickets. Fencing is a lot more articulate than I realized, and there are various types/forms. Seeing the medal ceremonies for both the Women's Sabre and Men's Eppe was something we'll always remember.

From Post Cards 2012

Olympic Park: Favorite. Stadium: Awesome. Atmosphere: Buzzing. The Olympic Park was one of my favorite experiences from the Olympics. Just to walk by the Aquatic Center, Olympic Stadium, and other venues with cheering volunteers in their bright pink and purple uniforms got my heart pumping with enthusiasm to see participants compete and do their best.

From Post Cards 2012

Second Event: Basketball. Our Spanish friends came to stay with us, and Corey locked in tickets for not only a Spain basketball game, but also the US! It was a perfect event for our group. We sported Spain jerseys (given to us by our friends) during the Spain game then whipped out our red, white, and blue (attempting to look like the American flag). We couldn't believe we were really watching the Dream Team. They were a show and amazing at every play. I felt so bad for the Nigerians, I couldn't help but cheer for them, too. Will never forget seeing so many key players from the US playing all together.

From Post Cards 2012

Third Event: Table Tennis. The table on the court impressing me the most was (not the Americans who actually didn't have the best game), was Natalia Partyka from Poland. It was amazing and humbling to see the coordination of the one-armed athlete in her zone. She was so accurate. Love watching people who really motivate me and make me want to be better.

From Post Cards 2012

Our final and fourth event was as classic as they come:  Archery at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. The arena was pristine and as posh as they come. To see someone shoot an arrow about 76 yards from the target--spot on--was just jaw-dropping. Loved this sport and loved seeing the final men's medal ceremony. Most of all, we couldn't help but feel the enthusiasm and patriotism of our friends here in the UK. Union Jack bunting zig-zagging from shop to shop above narrow streets in small villages, Olympic paraphernalia in all the shop windows, and people unified in sport made our summer the best British summer so far! Here's to the London 2012 Olympics!

All is Safely Gathered In....

From Post Cards 2012

Well, for eight months now, we've been preparing for the arrival of another little baby in the Crowell family. I've definitely been gathering and deep cleaning for the last few weeks, so something is about to happen soon. I haven't been the only one. The other day Elsie {and baby} made sure the table was all set and ready for each member of the family.

From Post Cards 2012

Thank goodness at least Elsie has everything under control for the next two weeks, because these tight hugs around baby are getting a bit too tight for comfort!

Discovering Orford

From Post Cards 2012

Meet Jim and Meghan....one of the most amazing couples of all time. We had a blast showing them Suffolk's coast and popped into Orford. While we knew this castle was here, we never really took advantage of it---shame! Orford castle is one of the best preserved "keep" castles (tower within a castle) built between 1165 and 1173 by Henry II. In its time, the castle had a ditch/moat, palisade and bridge, and surrounding walls.

From Post Cards 2012

Elsie guided Jim and Meg through the castle's many chambers--some of them almost secret (if a visiting duchess came, she had to cross a raised beam to her chamber where the beam was then lowered until the next morning), sunlit chapel, kitchen with a huge chimney, bakery (at the top with tiles original to the area), and yes, sophisticated toilets called "garderobes" (or bathrooms).  The view of Orford Ness from the castle is beautiful. It was nice to eat our pastries from local Pump Street Bakery (way overdue for a post) and enjoy the sea breeze. Thanks Jim and Meg for the day trip to visit the Crowells!

a Friend...

From Post Cards 2012

. . . came to visit. A year ago in the blogging world seems so long ago, and since there are several cards I've been meaning to post, I've gone bit nostalgic. Reed came from London with Brooke and Chris to our neck of the woods to try proper fish'n'chips in Aldeburgh, and explore our lovely Woodbridge. This little boy is such a charmer and Elsie loved being around his smiles!

From Post Cards 2012

It was fun to share the sailing pond (one of our Woodbridge loves) on the quay with Reed. He and Elsie on their tippy-toes peeked up over the ledge to watch the wind blow their little boats from one side of the pond to the other. Too darling. Thanks for the visit, friends!

Caps for Sale

From Post Cards 2012

We found some caps for sale at Alexander's in Woodbridge for Corey's grandpa (who amazingly stayed at the Bull's Hotel in Woodbridge years ago--small world), and our cheeky little monkey thought he'd try one one for himself.  While he didn't run off selling a stack of hats on his head for fifty cents a cap (thank you, Reading Rainbow), he helped his dad find the perfect fit.

From Post Cards 2012