A Thing of the Past

You see this?

We are happy to say that Pull-Ups are a thing of the past! Yes! Seriously! No, I can’t believe it, either. We are so proud of Benjamin for sleeping in big boy underwear and keeping them dry at night, and he is proud of himself. It only took forever… if you remember, he was day-time potty trained, for the most part, back in April ‘11, but night time and naptime were a different story. Naptime came first, and now we can say that bedtime has been dry for over a week now.

Can’t say how relieving this is! But most of all, I’m just really excited for Benjamin because he is so proud of himself for keeping his underwear dry.

A little brag about a big milestone! Aw yeah, Benjamin!!

He’s Home, and We’re SO Thankful

I just wanted to thank everyone who was praying for sweet Benjamin while he was in the hospital, and praying for us as we dealt with this sudden trial! Benjamin was released yesterday afternoon and we are so glad to have him back home. The official diagnosis seems to be acute bronchitis that triggered bronchial spasms. It was very scary to learn the ‘signs’ that we should have noticed that would have told us that he needed to see a doctor right away {gut-breathing, nostrils flaring, chest caving}, and for them to tell Carl that this is serious.

There are tons of other mothers who have had children in the hospital before, maybe even a lot more, maybe it’s the norm… I don’t see how they do it, honestly. Maybe it’s my pregnancy hormones that have also amplified the feeling of terror when Carl told me they wanted to keep him over night the first night… and then when the doctor came in and listened to Ben’s breathing, shook his head, and told us that he needed to stay longer… but that was really difficult. Nobody likes to see their little boy {or girl} in that big hospital bed, sweaty and lethargic and wheezing.

My goal now? To not dwell on the “what could have happened”s – that does me nothing, except makes me start crying again. Instead, we are making sure we follow the doctor’s orders. Benjamin will be seeing the doctor for a follow-up this week sometime. Hopefully then we will see what sort of things we can do to help prevent this happening again, and maybe pinpoint why this happens so much. I am pretty sure this is like the fourth time Benjamin has had bronchitis this year, but obviously this is most severe.

And I’m not going to think about the hospital bill right now. Can’t wait for that piece of mail…

To everyone who stopped by the hospital to visit Benjamin while he was cooped up – thank you so much. I know that it meant a lot to him, even if he wasn’t too chatty and maybe a little crabby as well {hey, I would be, too!}. Thank you to those who dropped food off for Benjamin when the hospital continued to put eggs or egg-based foods on Benjamin’s plate {hello, egg allergy!!}, and those who dropped off coffee or Mountain Dew for Carl who was a super dad for staying with Benjamin! And to my sweet friend Pam who brought me food and water when I was at home worrying and trying to rest and not go crazy.

Also to my friend Andrew who let me know that it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to walk up to the hospital in the middle of the {freezing} night to be with Benjamin when I found out he was being hospitalized. {Because that is exactly what a 5-months-pregnant mama needs to do... walking alone in the dead of night, sobbing, freezing, etc... yeah, I wasn't thinking rationally.}

To those who gave Benjamin treats or made cards or in general asked about his well-being and texted me frequently to not only see how Ben was,  but to make sure I was resting and to make sure I didn’t need anything…

Seriously you guys. I feel so blessed by our church family here & in other places. You’re all so amazing. We felt the love this weekend. Thank you, so much.

And I wanted to say a few words about my amazing husband. This weekend would have been 100000x worse than it was, had I not had Carl there to take the burden off of my shoulders. The hospital room was NOT comfortable, at all. The food was frustrating. The sleep was very, very limited. And Carl had to see Benjamin get his blood drawn twice, get one shot, and receive an IV. I was only there for one blood draw and THAT was awful for me... I can't imagine being there through all of it. Seriously, my husband is super dad or something. He's so loving and caring and I know if he had to do it all over again for Benjamin, he would, because he always puts us before himself. I am so incredibly blessed to have him, and so is Benjamin and this little baby I'm carrying.

(Benjamin is glad to be home to sleep in his own bed!!)

About 40 minutes until Benjamin’s next breathing treatment. We’ve got this.

Please continue to pray for us as we figure out where to go from here!!

23 Weeks / “Official” Date / First ER Visit

Well, I’ve missed the past two weeks so I figured now would be a good time to update you on how everything is progressing. I’m sorry – I don’t have a belly photo to post. Most of you know we’ve been terribly busy lately. Forgive me! Hopefully next week we’ll have one.

How Far Along: 23 Weeks
Size of Baby: At 23 weeks, the baby is measuring about the size of a mango!

Total Weight Gain: –6!! That means I gained 5 lbs!
Sleep: Eh… Let’s not talk about sleep right now, hm?
Symptoms: Seriously I did not think I would be this sore so soon!! Ouch!!!
Cravings: Meh. Potato stuff as usual.
Gender: Girl!
Movement: She never stops!
Maternity Clothes: I same as before! Leggings and dresses are my bff’s, but I have also still been wearing some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Actually they are loose. Awesome… I occasionally wear maternity pants but there’s no real need right now.
Best Moments This Week: We had a doctor’s appointment and everything looked good.
What I’m Looking Forward To: Next week means viability!
Milestones: None?

Well, unless you count that we have unofficially {meaning next time we are in the office we will get everything officially set up} picked a date for our c-section! March 22nd is the day, so mark your calendar! Unless something else happens, Lord willing nothing will!, that is Baby C’s birthday.

And I’m feeling pretty okay about it. I’ve had a lot of emotional stress leading up to this point but I think putting a date on it will really help me cope with everything I’m feeling.

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In other news, I know a lot of my FB friends already know this. Last night Benjamin was taken to the ER for the first time. He was struggling to take a breath here at home and although we had an appointment set up for him the next morning, we decided it wasn’t worth risking the night so Carl took him in. He went in around 9pm I think. Anyway, around midnight, they admitted him to stay overnight and Carl was permitted to run home and get a few things. I came with him this time to be with Benjamin.

The diagnosis isn’t completely certain at this point just because we don’t know what’s really caused it. Right now, they are saying he had bronchial spasms {a bi-product of bronchitis, which some of you know isn’t an uncommon thing for Benjamin}. Asthma keeps coming up in conversation. Once they get him under control {nebulizer, IV}, they will talk to us about how we can prevent this. He could have breathing treatments daily.

It’s really frightening  because it came up out of nowhere. It has really made me aware of the fact that we need to be extra careful with Benjamin when it comes to his allergies and the reactions they could cause.

I’m at home now, because I only got 45 minutes of sleep last night and started to feel extremely ill – probably exhaustion and a bit of dehydration – so a friend took me home. It’s really difficult being away from my baby. I won’t be going back up to the hospital because right now, I need to take care of myself so I can take care of the baby. Carl is with Benjamin and won’t leave him.

Please keep us all in your prayers. It’s so stressful and emotional and my sweet boy is exhausted and wants to come home.

To our friends who have stopped by to visit him or who have offered to help – I am so thankful for you. You will never know just how much. We are so blessed!

Thanks for praying, everyone. Hopefully we’ll have a good update for you soon.

Thanksgiving Throwback

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I hope you all had a lovely day filled with family and love and blessings! We had a very quiet day with just the three of us, but it was a really nice Thanksgiving, filled with my two favorite boys and my little tiny girl who is still “baking”. Our meal wasn’t huge, but it didn’t need to be and I enjoyed cooking all of it for my little family. I missed my family today, but even so, it was nice spending time with my boys.

Here’s a little Thanksgiving Throwback from Benjamin’s first Thanksgiving… another Thanksgiving where we weren’t able to travel to see family, but spent it with friends instead. Can’t believe how much time has passed since then! Wow!

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all! And in case you were wondering: no. We do not go out at crazy hours for Black Friday. Hello, pillow! {But for those of you who do, be safe and don’t get into any altercations over flat screens! ha!}

A Letter To Baby Mine

Dear Precious Girl,

I wanted to tell you briefly that you have the best daddy in the world. I think that your big brother Benjamin would totally agree with me when I say that. Your daddy already loves you so much. I know this because he takes care of me so well while you’re hanging out in my tum. I can’t even count the amount of times he’s run to the store for us, or has indulged us in our cravings.

But that isn’t all that makes him an amazing daddy. Your daddy is a very wonderful person because he cares for other people. He cares about them in ways that a lot of other people may not. He’s generous and kind to people and gives up a lot of his time to help them when he can.

He is a wonderful daddy because he has committed to lead our family in a godly way, to make sure that we all are on the right spiritual path, that we know what God expects of us and that we know how to love God, ourselves, and others. You don’t know it, but every night we all crowd up on Benjamin’s  bed and read a Bible story together and say a prayer. I’m sure you hear it… and I can’t wait till you can sit there with us and listen while Daddy and sometimes Benjamin reads to us.

I know that you’re going to love your daddy to pieces when you get here, and that you’ll have him wrapped around your little finger instantly. I just wanted to let you know ahead of time that you’ve got the best daddy ever, so prepare to be swept away!

Love,
Mommy

Nursery Plans…

Decorating is something that I find somewhat of a daunting task when it comes to building up a whole room. When I began to think about how we were going to do this baby’s room, the first thing I decided right off the bat was that I didn’t want a “theme”. Certainly it would have been “easier” to go and buy a crib set and then all the other things that came in the collection, but that gets pricey. I wanted to build it around colors that I liked and add in things from there.

Of course, pinterest was the first place I started looking. Even that gets overwhelming at best. Another thing I knew was that I wanted to do most of it by hand, as much as possible, without breaking the bank. Of course, spending money on fabric for window treatments and a crib skirt seemed much, but when you think that most crib sets cost close to or more than $100… or just crib skirts alone that are not cheap-looking cost around $20-$35, and drapes can be like $20 per panel… doing it by hand and spending $40 on fabric isn’t as bad as all that.

{I’m reassuring myself, here…}

So initially, I went into Hobby Lobby looking for aqua, orange, and coral. But would you know that the designers couldn’t read my mind in advance? Thanks guys. ;) Well, the one print I had found on the internet that I liked was there, and once I had that, we began to build the rest of the scheme around it.

Here’s what we ended up with:

The aqua-colored pattern was the one that I had gone in looking specifically for. Not a whole lot of the floral pattern is shown, but if you look hard enough, you can see the orange in there – it was important to bring in that orange. I didn’t want an overwhelming amount of pink – most who know me know that I’m not incredibly girly, so pink really isn’t what I wanted the main color to be.

The curtains will be made out of the floral pattern with a block of the aqua scroll pattern at the bottom. I will also {hopefully} have a pennant valance with the three patterns across the top.

Here’s the vision… laugh away, I am terribad at drawing!

Uh… hopefully it turns out a lot nicer than my drawing.

The “oriental” pattern {I think that’s what it was called} will be the main fabric for the crib skirt.

Anyway, that’s the plan as we know it… I know it’s terribly interesting. :) I will show you more as we get more done on the room!

20 Weeks: Half-Way There!!

20 Weeks already!? I’m blown away! This pregnancy has, so far, simultaneously flown by and crawled by… depending on how I’d been feeling. Please ignore how terrible I look in the picture, ha! Hello, Sunday nap!

How Far Along: 20 Weeks
Size of Baby: Beginning at 20 weeks, the baby is measured from head to toe, instead of from head to rump. At 20 weeks, the baby is the length of a banana.

Total Weight Gain: Eh, pretty sure we’re still at –10.
Sleep: Getting better!
Symptoms: Hypotension, still a bit of nausea, moody, stretching pains.
Cravings: Zaxby’s. Always Zaxby’s. And potatoes… like baked potatoes…
Gender: Girl!
Movement: Feeling more and more!
Maternity Clothes: I same as before! Leggings and dresses are my bff’s, but I have also still been wearing some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Actually they are loose. Awesome… I occasionally wear maternity pants but there’s no real need right now.
Best Moments This Week: Georgia won SEC East! Carl and Benjamin put the crib together… aaaaand…. I am pretty sure there was something else, but I’m drawing a blank.
What I’m Looking Forward To: Young adult study tomorrow night – woohoo tacos!
Milestones: Halfway through! SO awesome!

A Letter To Baby Mine

Dear Sweet Baby,

Tomorrow we will be halfway through this pregnancy. I feel like the past twenty weeks have simultaneously flown by and crawled by, depending on what we were going through at the time. It is kind of funny to think that whatever I happened to be going through, you have gone right along with me even if you had no idea what was going on either. You, in your safe, warm little place, confined and secure and being formed just the way God has decided to make you.

I have begun to wonder what you’ll look like when you get here… I wonder if you’ll have blonde hair like your big brother {how I love saying that!}, or maybe if you’ll have  brown hair like your daddy. I wonder if you’ll have blue eyes like your big brother and your daddy, or if you’ll have skinny little green eyes like me. I think you’ll be smaller than your big brother was, but maybe a little chunkier at birth and I just can’t wait to see your sweet baby rolls if you do have them.

You probably will never know just how much mommy and daddy prayed for you before we knew that you were here and growing. We waited so long to be able to say that Benjamin was going to be a big brother, for many different reasons. I waited so long to be so sick those first few months, but I know that no matter how sick I have felt, how tired I am, how sore I am becoming… you are worth so much more.

Your big brother prays for you every night before bed to let God know that he is thankful for you, and he asks about you a lot. He can’t wait to meet you – like the rest of us – and asks every day if today is the day. We are all very anxious to hold and kiss you and to have you here in our arms, but we don’t want that day to come too soon, so for now we love that you are nestled safe inside to peacefully grow.

Keep growing, sweet baby C! We cannot wait to meet you!

Love,
Mommy

19 Weeks Pregnant

Can I complain a little? I mean, am I allowed to without people thinking I’m being petty? I know that I am very blessed to have this little life growing in me, and I am ever thankful to God for her! But this child will not move up. I have never felt so uncomfortable! Mamas to girls – did your girls ever just sit so low the entire time?? I carried Benjamin high, but this lil miss is just hanging out super low. Sitting is uncomfortable, I waddle when I walk, and I visit the bathroom every 30 minutes.

There. There’s my complaint. :) Thanks for indulging me, friends. Now, back to your normally scheduled week update…

Wow, Kristen, you’re really showing! You must be finally getting that bump and gaining that weight! Right?? Wrong. Well, halfway. That bump is encouraged by my maternity pants, which I don’t actually need to wear right now but I was trying a pair on and decided it was too much work to change out of them before evening services. So there we have it. But there is a bump there… unfortunately to the people who like to pat bellies and talk to the lil baby in there, the bump isn’t a baby hanging out there. As I already said, she is much too low. That’s a result of all of my organs being shoved upward and my muscles no longer able to suck it all in.

So, tummy patters, you will literally just be patting tummy when you go for this bump. Sorry!

How Far Along: 19 Weeks
Size of Baby: A 19 week baby is about the size of a large heirloom tomato.

Total Weight Gain: –10. I know I should be gaining more… so I’m a little concerned about this. This means that I have only gained back 1lb that I lost during those three months of being sick constantly. Tips on gaining weight, mamas? 
Sleep: Getting better, and thanks to my sweet husband, I am able to nap better during the day because he got me some of those Eclipse window treatments that blocks out the afternoon sun when it is coming in full blast during my nap time!
Symptoms: Hypotension, still a bit of nausea, but that is mostly when I am silly and have a sweet, I’m still moody, but that’s about it.
Cravings: Zaxby’s. Always Zaxby’s. And potatoes… like baked potatoes…
Gender: Girl!
Movement: Feeling a good bit.
Maternity Clothes: I same as before! Leggings and dresses are my bff’s, but I have also still been wearing some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Actually they are loose. Awesome… I occasionally wear maternity pants but there’s no real need right now.
Best Moments This Week: My birthday was Friday and my parents came down for the weekend. It was awesome!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Hmm, I can’t think of anything going on this week... Except for the fact that when this week is over, we’ll be halfway through with the pregnancy! Woohoo!
Milestones: Almost halfway through!

18 Weeks Update

This week has definitely been a wild, busy, LONG, and emotional week. I can’t believe only a week has passed since last Saturday because it feels like a decade. It’s been really rough. I’m actually really relieved to be sitting on my bed right now and not have to worry about going to any more events this week, because today is the last day of the week! It’s been a flurry of emotions… From crying until feeling physically ill, to anxiety of getting the house ready for the gender reveal party, to the excitement of finding out our baby is a GIRL, and everything else that went on… I’m drained.

Even more so tonight because, in case you didn’t know, I have pretty bad cat allergies and tonight we went to a Halloween party… I forgot to take medicine beforehand and the one pill I took {which would normally be fine for me…} didn’t do much but take away my focus. I’m pretty sure my cat allergies are continuing to get worse. We’ve been home for nearly an hour and my breathing still feels funny. Blah. If I never saw another cat again it’d be too soon! Ha!

Anyway…

 

How Far Along: 18 nWeeks
Size of Baby: An 18 week baby is about the length of a bell pepper.

Total Weight Gain: Eh, I dunno. I think I’ve gained one pound back.
Sleep: Lacking.
Symptoms: Hypotension, nausea {though I think this is mostly because I’m super stressed out}, moody
Cravings: Nothing real specific this week, besides Zaxby’s.
Gender: Girl!
Movement: Yes, and also found out that I have an anterior placenta, so I’m wondering if I’d feel more movement had it not been so.
Maternity Clothes: I same as before! Leggings and dresses are my bff’s, but I have also still been wearing some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Actually they are loose. Awesome..
Best Moments This Week: Finding out the gender. It was so much fun to find out with everyone.
What I’m Looking Forward To: My birthday is next week and my parents are coming down for it! I AM SO EXCITED! Because of my dad’s job, they aren’t able to come during the week and stay very long so I always look forward to their visits and cherish every moment.
Milestones: Doctor’s appt, everything looked great. Baby’s heart rate was 147. Found out she is a girl! Watched the u/s video a million times. Uhhh. That’s all I can think of…

And just because he is adorable… Benjamin did this pose because obviously it’s how you stand for the camera!

It’s A…!!

So last night {Thursday night} after our doctor appointment, we had a super special gender reveal party! It was a lot of fun and I had some great friends who helped and who came to have fun with us and I am so glad we did it! It made it so special to be able to share the news with our close friends and to find out at the same time! It was extra special because we streamed it live via ustream and also skyped with my parents! Super fun! Everyone got to see it first-hand!

 

Although the old wives tales all pointed to “boy”, pretty much everyone thought the baby would be a girl! That’s not the official tally, but not too many more were added to the boy column! Just for your info, I had put a tally on the boy. Carl and Benjamin both voted girl. Figures!

 

We had lots of great food and lots of fun… but when it came for the moment we were all waiting for, everything was just intense! We had decided to make confetti poppers to pull all at the same time, instead of doing the cake thing {sweets make me sick!}, and …

Can you see it??

Do you see how surprised I am?? Pink confetti flew EVERYWHERE!

It was seriously so much fun and I was so, so surprised – even though I had thought I saw a hint during the Ultrasound {and no, I wasn’t trying to cheat!!} – to learn that we are expecting a little baby GIRL!!!

I went through the rest of the night just in a sort of daze… I can’t really explain why! I wasn’t disappointed, or sad, or anything like that! I guess that I have just been a mommy to a boy for so long {almost 4 years!} that I never really thought of myself as ever being a mommy to a girl! So finding out that it will all change in a few short months was just… mind-blowing! I can’t imagine all the differences! Seriously! So if you commented on my facebook last night with congratulations and I didn’t gush and gush about it, please don’t think I’m ungrateful! It has just taken me some time to digest, is all! {And I really, really can’t wait to buy those purple diaper covers I’ve been eyeing! ha!}

We are all super, super excited about our  baby girl. Benjamin is thrilled to be having a sister and we think he will make a fantastic big brother to his baby sister. Of course, Carl is going to have his daddy’s girl and I can already see that she will have him wrapped around her finger! But that’s okay because I was – and still am! – a daddy’s girl, too.

Today, I am officially 18 weeks. I’ll try to find time tomorrow to give the “official” week update. I was going to do that instead of this one… but hey, this is bigger news, right?

Thank you all for your warm and sweet congratulations!!

30 Years

I feel I am one of the most fortunate people out there. I know that’s a pretty lofty thing to say, but that’s how I feel when I think of the type of people I have had for these 23 – almost 24 – years of my life as parents. My parents are not by any means perfect people, but to me they are the best I could have ever asked for – and I didn’t even have to! God gave them to me, and my brother, and we continue to reap the benefits of being raised by such godly people as we go from day to day in our own lives.

I want to be like them. I want to be kind and understanding like they are. I want to be firm in my beliefs, I want to devote my time to God. I don’t know how many times I have called my mom and asked what she was up to and she’d reply, “Just reading my Bible.” Or how many times I have gone back to Georgia to find God’s word open on the bedside, or on the desk, or on the table, having recently been read. My dad fills notebooks with his studies, and his dedication to knowing God’s word shows in his life, as well as in my mother’s.

I want to be like them because I was always surrounded by God’s word when I grew up, and I want to surround my children with God’s word as they grow as well. I love that they have the example that my parents have set.

As of today, my parents have been married 30 years. That’s 30 years of ups and downs, of joys and tears. I have learned through their example what a godly marriage looks like, that no matter what comes our way, when God is first in our life, we can make it through. They have always displayed care, love, and deep respect for each other in every season of their life together, even when hardships came, always putting the other above themselves.

I wish that everyone had parents like mine, but I sure am thankful to God that He gave them to me.
To my dad, who always knows what to say to me and when to say it… who can bring a smile through my tears with a well-timed text message… who has always taught me that love should be my driving force in everything that I do {I will never forget this!}…

To my mom, who has become one of my very best friends… who has shown me how to be a godly wife and a godly mother by her example throughout my life… who always has time to talk when I need it, and the right words to say when they’re needed {how you understand me through hysterical tears, I will never know, but I appreciate you!}…

I love you both. I am so thankful for you and I could never tell you enough how much you mean to me, how much you mean to Carl, and how much you mean to Benjamin.

I pray for MANY more years to be able to say “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!” to such godly parents!

You guys are the best!
Happy Anniversary!

17 Week Update

I know I skipped last week… I’m really sorry, y’all! By the time I got around to remembering to take a picture, I felt so awful that I just didn’t feel like it. There was one specific day where I was very afraid that morning sickness had come back with a vengeance, but as it happens, it was just a fluke… thankful for this!

How Far Along: 17Weeks
Size of Baby: A 17 week baby is the size of a turnip… which reminds me of Charlie from Lost.

Total Weight Gain: –11. I thought I had gained one back, but it was a fluke.
Sleep: Getting better! SO thankful!
Symptoms: Sick one day, moody, tired, achy, and unfortunately my hypotension is back.
Cravings: Spaghetti O’s, Vanilla milkshake, Batter Up fries, and I’ve been thinking about mac N cheese…
Gender: We find out in a week!
Movement: Yes! More and more! Feeling some really strong kicks!
Maternity Clothes: I same as before! Leggings and dresses are my bff’s, but I have also still been wearing some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Actually they are loose. Awesome..
Best Moments This Week: Feeling the kicks has been pretty awesome.
What I’m Looking Forward To: One week until we find out the sex of the baby!
Milestones: “Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — his/her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now, and s/he's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. S/he can move her joints, and his/her sweat glands are starting to develop.”

Let Go, & Let God.

Sometimes you just need a reminder.

Much love to all my friends! <3

Instacute.

It seems like the easiest way I have been able to chronicle what has been going on with us has been through mediums like Instagram… it’s just easy to take a quick snapshot and upload it. So here’s what’s been going on lately:

That’s all, folks!

15 Week Update

As of Friday, we are 15 weeks along! Things are really starting to move fast now that we’ve gotten past the feeling sick day in, day out phase of this pregnancy! My baby bump seems to be a phantom bump that shows up some days but hides others. Maybe I’ll get a more permanent bump once I start gaining more. I have finally started getting more excited about this baby – not to seem ungrateful but I was struggling to feel excited for a while just because of how terrible I’d been feeling. We have names picked out, I have nursery colors picked out, we have budget stuff mostly worked out, and we are less than 3 weeks away from the anatomy scan!

How Far Along: 15Weeks
Size of Baby: A 15 week baby is the size of an apple… which is one of the foods that make me wanna gag.

Total Weight Gain: –10
Sleep: Getting a little better, but still lacking!
Symptoms: Tired. Stretching pains. Belly.
Cravings: Mint chocolate chip, lemonade, and chow mein.
Gender: No idear.
Movement: Yes! Finally I am feeling this LO moving! There were a few little flutters but what I’m mostly feeling is full body movement, which is sooo strange. I almost forgot how strange it felt!
Maternity Clothes: I same as before! Leggings and dresses are my bff’s, but I have also still been wearing some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Not bad.
Best Moments This Week: Finally deciding on how to do the nursery, and our doctor’s appt was last Thursday – everything looked great, and our anatomy scan will be Oct 25th.
What I’m Looking Forward To: I am making Chili for our Young Adult study tonight and I’m excited. Anatomy scan in 3 weeks, which I’m actually really nervous about!!
Milestones: Movement!

Frugally Preparing for Baby

So obviously something that is likely to come up on every new mother or father’s mind is how they are going to be able to afford all the new stuff for the baby. Unfortunately for us, most of our baby things from when Benjamin was a little tiny thing are long gone, due to the fact that we had to move pretty much everything into storage at one point and a lot of it just couldn’t fit. So, no crib, no baby clothes (who’s to say we’re having another boy anyway?), none of that little tiny baby stuff. Unless I’m forgetting that we have some stored somewhere, anyway. I know we have a few things here and there, but there’s obviously quite a bit that we’re going to have to get for this new baby.

Right now, we have 25 weeks (and a few days) to have what we need before the baby gets here. Of course, there are a few things that I’m still unsure of as to when we will need it… such as the crib. The baby will be staying in our room for a while after it’s born, for different reasons, the main one being it will be easier for me during recovery. So, there’s a possibility that the crib can be one of the last purchases, really…

There are a few things that I know I would spend the money on if I couldn’t find the stuff at a yardsale or consignment sale, or something like that, the stroller I mentioned the other day being one of those, and I guess that’s because I have my heart set on it! – and as a side note, there have been very few things I have actually had my heart set on recently for this baby, I guess because I have had a lot of other things to think about besides baby stuff the past month… and then before that I was too sick to think of anything. So this one thing that I do have my heart set on – because I would love to go on family walks with Benjamin and the baby and Carl and Zoe – I think I’m going to allow myself to splurge on if need be.

But I will be trying to save money in other ways. Here are the few that I have thought of so far, so if you have any suggestions to add, please do so in the comments!

• Feeding: I plan on breastfeeding as long as everything goes well, and for as long as I can. Benjamin nursed until he was 12 months. Of course, that wasn’t exclusive, but I do think it saved money anyway. And I know that not having to spend money on formula is really going to help.
• Diapering: I still have all of Benjamin’s cloth diapers and I intend to use them for this baby as well. I really need to fix some of the leg gussets – by the way, if I have any sewing friends in the area who want to help me do that, I would be forever grateful! I really am not the best at sewing – but other than that, they are just perfect still. I would like to buy some small sizes just so we don’t have to wait a few months to start using the diapers, but in the scheme of things, that will also be saving money, and lots of it!
• Travel: We have a carseat already, but depending on the condition of the cover we may have to buy a new one – cover that is. Not completely sure yet though!
• Sleeping: We have Benjamin’s pack-n-play still so that will do fine for as long as the baby is sleeping in our room. As for like crib bedding and stuff, once we have a crib, I’m going to skip all that because not only is it unnecessary to have in the baby’s bed, but it’s not particularly safe either {and I mean like the bumper and the cute little quilt and all that}. There’s no real need for all of that so I don’t really want to spend the money on it.
• Clothing & Toys: We look for deals for these and this is also what everyone loves to buy for the baby so I think we’ll probably be set on all this. Besides, the baby is going to have plenty of entertainment with Benjamin around, I assure you.

For the bigger things that we inevitably will need to buy, we’re going to do our best to space out the purchases so we’re not spending a ton all at once and wracking up a huge bill. We’re trying to cut out the nonsense stuff that we don’t have to buy, and instead focus on the things that we will need. Like a dresser. That’s one thing that we need to get.

I feel pretty good about the ways we plan on saving, actually. It helps a lot to put it all down in front of me instead of just having it going around in my head. Like I said, if you have anything to add, please do!

A day of ups and downs {but mostly ups}

I was so excited today when Carl found the double stroller I have been eyeballing for a while on Craigslist. Seriously, I was super thrilled, and Carl went ahead and sent the guy a message to ask about the stroller. Well, the guy said at first that it wasn’t available anymore… but then came back and said that if we really wanted it, it would be available after the weekend. Well, THEN I was really pumped… Carl and the guy fixed a day and a place and time to pick it up and pay, and then he was confirming the amount and said “$450”.

Wait, what?

Sorry, and no offense to anyone reading who has paid or is willing to pay that much for a stroller, but there is no way I would ever pay that much on one item for a baby. Ever. Not only do we not have that much extra money laying around for a double stroller, but I’m not going to pay that much, period. That’s ridiculous.

Turns out we weren’t talking about the same stroller. The one we had been thinking of had been sold already. Good thing we got that cleared up before we drove an hour to Tuscaloosa for a super expensive stroller that we would never, in our right minds, buy.

In case you’re wondering, this is the stroller I am eyeballing, and if anyone {reasonably close} happens to know of someone selling {reasonably cheap} one of these… or if you find one at a yard sale and it’s in good condition… seriously, tell me.

Anyway, so that’s the down part of the day.

We had more ups than downs today though. I had been feeling really down lately because I feel like I haven’t been doing as well as I could as a mommy and a wife {seriously… my house is a wreck and I just want to sleep all day}. I was thinking I could do something special with Ben today but the weather was gloomy & rainy. So instead, we played a video game together, which was actually pretty fun, and did other things like play-do and all that. Benjamin said I’m a cool mommy.

Last night we also decided on baby names, but we’re keeping those hush-hush until the baby is born. But it’s a huge relief to not have that on our plate anymore.

And then another huge UP is that we spent some time tonight with some really good friends at dinner! We had a good time.

All in all, even though we didn’t get that stroller on the cheap, today was a really good day. Only a couple more days till our next doctor appointment, and then we’ll schedule our anatomy scan, which will probably be in four weeks… which just so happens to fall on my birthday weekend… which is also the next time I am going to see my parents because my dad wanted to come down for my birthday! I’m so excited!

Short Pregnancy Update

How Far Along: 14 Weeks
Size of Baby: A 14 week baby is the size of a lemon!

Total Weight Gain: Uh… I don’t know. Ha!
Sleep: I am SO tired. I wake up all night long so it’s almost like not sleeping at all.
Symptoms: Tired. Moody. Stretching pains. Belly.
Cravings: Um, hmm… I don’t really know that I’ve had real cravings. Scalloped potatoes I reckon.
Gender: No idear.
Movement: Can’t feel it yet.
Maternity Clothes: Dresses and leggings = bffs.
Best Moments This Week: We had a fun time at Benjamin’s friend’s birthday party! Baby-wise, nothing really, ha
What I’m Looking Forward To: Uh, we have a baby appointment Thursday.
Milestones: None that I know of?

Fun in the September Sun

what he did:

what I did:

it lasted 30 minutes. 45 tops.
because pregnant ladies get real roasty toasty super fast.
and it was so hot. my kindle & phone were lava hot by the end of it.

it was fun while it lasted.

Love.

1 Corinthians 16:14:

{via pinterest}

 

Growing up, my brother and I were blessed with two godly, caring parents who taught us to the best of their abilities about what it meant to be a follower of Christ and how important it was to put God first in our lives. There is one thing that has always stuck with me that my dad said over and over, at home and in classes that he has taught. It’s something that will stay with me forever and it’s something that I pray I will be able to impress on Benjamin as he grows up the same way my dad impressed on me…

In everything that you do, if love isn’t your motivation,
then you’re doing it wrong.

Did you know that the word “love” appears in 184 verses, a total of 213 times in all, in the New Testament alone? I’m sure we all can agree that it isn’t an accident, and it definitely isn’t an accident that Jesus Christ himself implored us to be loving toward each other {your enemies, your neighbors, yourself, the Lord your God… that’s pretty much everyone, don’t you think!?}.

My mom and I were talking a couple days ago about how it’s sometimes hard to understand and be patient with people when you’re taking the gospel to them. It’s hard, isn’t it? Especially now when a lot of people just don’t care, don’t want to care, etc. It’s hard to be loving when doors are constantly being shut in your face. It’s hard to be patient with people who just don’t want to see it or hear about it. Isn’t it so hard to “love your neighbor as yourself” when you feel like they just don’t care?

I have seen people out there who have said some really ugly things about others in public places, like on Facebook, and while they probably won’t be seen by the subject of the ugly statements, everyone else on the friends’ list can… and sometimes it isn’t surprising why there are so many people who want nothing to do with Christianity, because Christians can’t seem to emulate the love that Christ tried so hard to instill in us.

My husband told me recently about Christian - a preacher - who had a status up on Facebook, making a joke about wishing he could kill some Muslims. Shocking, right? But probably not as uncommon as you think. A lot of Christians feel like they don’t have to be loving when it comes to things like Politics. Nobody really bats an eye when a Christian posts slanderous, ugly things about the candidate that they don’t like, do they? All I see is a bunch of ‘likes’. But Jesus told us to love our enemies {Matthew 5:44}, not to post hateful, ugly things about them {some which aren’t even true in the least}.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
{1Cor 13:4-7}

Take a look at that, and then take a look at your Facebook feed after some sort of political rally has happened and see how much actually falls into those categories, and which ones fall under the opposite.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t have your viewpoints or even share them, but when it comes down to it, nobody is exempt from acting in a loving manner, even when it’s election year. Or when you’re trying to get through to someone about the gospel. Or when that three year old is blasting the car horn in the middle of the night {sorry, neighbors!}. Or when you see someone else’s kid screaming in Wal-Mart. Or when someone cuts you off while driving, or doesn’t use their blinker {ow, my toes}. Or when someone says something that offends you. Or when it’s time to correct a brother or sister in Christ.

Kristen is patient and kind; Kristen does not envy or boast; she is not arrogant or rude. She does not insist on her own way; she is not irritable or resentful; she does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Kristen bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Think about it…

13 Week Update

First, a picture of Benjamin, because he is adorable. He had already gotten all of us up, and daddy had already left for work, but Benjamin just turned his music on and climbed back into bed to play with his toys and sing along. So sweet. Had to capture the moment.

I am sorry I haven’t updated in a while… you know, between updates. September has been a busy month for us and I’ve been pretty tired. So, a few days late, here is my 13 week update!

 

by the way, this is what I looked like at 13 weeks with Benjamin:

hmm, somewhat bigger. I popped a little earlier I think with Benjamin. Anyway…

How Far Along: 13 Weeks
Size of Baby: A 13 week baby is the size of a medium shrimp… uh, ew. That’s nasty.

Total Weight Gain: Um… –10 now. I was at –11 but I weighed today and had gained 1lb! So that’s something!
Sleep: Ha. Ha ha ha. Ha.
Symptoms: Tired. Moody. Stretching pains. Belly.
Cravings: French fries.
Gender: No idear.
Movement: Can’t feel it yet.
Maternity Clothes: I got some Maternity Leggings from Old Navy and I’m in love. Dresses and leggings are foreseen in my future. And boots once the weather gets out of the 80’s for good. Oh how I LOVE fall! – Seriously though, I had a lovely friend suggest to me that I should do a post on maternity style, and once I get a style going, I just might! I was totally non-stylish last time. Ha.
Best Moments This Week: My husband folding the mountain of laundry and telling me to relax instead of helping. He’s my favorite.
What I’m Looking Forward To: Going to bed in like 5 minutes. Young adult study tomorrow!
Milestones: Second Trimester! Aw yeah!

And because Benjamin is so sweet…

kisses for the baby…

and a hug for the baby. This is before I realized he had put his pants on backward.

12 Weeks… and some change :)

I meant to write this post yesterday but I was so tired… I’m sure you can understand that sometimes a nap has to take priority, ha! We had such a busy week with our gospel meeting and hanging out with the Cains – it was so much fun! But it definitely took a lot out of me so I think my body is catching up on all it missed out. That’s okay with me, my bed is super comfy and I have an amazing husband who understands and is willing to pick up the slack for me! As you can tell by the picture below, I had a long nap yesterday…

 

How Far Along: 12 Weeks
Size of Baby: I’m not too sure about this… 12 weeks is the size of a lime, but that’s what the baby was last week at our appt. Oh well! We’ll just say, “Growing!”
Total Weight Gain: – 9, still. No gain, no loss.
Sleep: I need it.
Symptoms: Super tired, as I’ve said before… I’ve been sick a couple times this week, but it sure beats being sick all day long. I’ve been moody and irritable.
Cravings: Taco Bell.
Gender: No idear.
Movement: Can’t feel it yet.
Maternity Clothes: I wear some just because the soft top is nicer than buttons pressing when I sit. But as of yet, I don’t need any. But they are so comfy.
Best Moments This Week: Non-baby related, our Gospel meeting and hanging out with the Cains. Baby related… I bought the first baby items this week. 2 onesies and a Pat the Bunny book.
What I’m Looking Forward To: Um, bedtime.
Milestones: This will be my last week in my first trimester.

Big Boy Benjamin

So I’ve been posting a lot about Baby #2, but not so much about my #1 Big Boy. I thought that this needs to be rectified, so I’ll let you all in on what Mr. Benjamin has been up to lately.

He has been as goofy and fun as ever! Benjamin has such a big personality and a funny imagination. I just love to hear what he will think of next. He likes to pretend that he’s a baby a lot now, I think just because he is just so fascinated with the thought of a new baby coming to live with us soon. He crawls around and talks in a high-pitched baby voice. He cracks me up.

Benjamin has been learning a lot of memory verses and has been making us very proud! Our Gospel Meeting started yesterday and we all had handouts to answer questions on, and Benjamin had his own. Well, he wanted to fill them out like everyone else, so he asked me what the words were and one answer was “Jesus” so I told him to write Jesus in the blank, and he did. He was so proud of himself. I’m really proud of his spelling and how well he is doing with writing. He can write out “Benjamin” and does so on pretty much every coloring sheet he brings from Bible Class.

He likes to help daddy “drive” home from worship {we live 30 seconds from the church building pretty much}, and likes to do big boy things around the house to help. He’s been really good with the potty for a while now, except at nap and bedtime {as you can see in the picture, he wears pullups at nap and bedtime} – by the way, if anyone has any tips on how to train during sleep time, please pass them on!!

Recently he has been into School House Rock and pretty much anything that has music. He has two new favorite songs, Apache {you know… jump on it, jump on it, jump on it} and Honeybee by Steampowered Giraffe or something like that.

He loves his best friend, Gabe, and likes to go visiting friends. He’s a crazy, climbing, wiggle worm and he keeps us busy!

I think we have pretty much decided we’re going to start homeschooling {officially} next year, and I think he’s really going to enjoy it because he loves to learn and he’s so smart already. He loves going to the library and checking out books.

As to what he’s currently interested in playing with, it’s basically Super Heroes and cars right now. He and his daddy go out and do street racing with Lightning McQueen and Mater sometimes in the evenings and he really likes that. He’s also into building toys like Lincoln Logs, and puzzles.

I can’t believe how much he has grown lately… it’s kind of  bittersweet to watch your kids grow up, isn’t it?