Not All Together

The most important good news of the day:
I am off of my pregnancy restrictions!!!
My doctor’s appointment went well, and we were able to hear the heartbeat beating perfectly. The restrictions were necessary for two weeks after the symptoms stopped. My two weeks were up yesterday. The doctor says I am fine to pick up Owen, exercise, etc. but to use common sense.
Owen and I celebrated by taking a trip to Target alone, something we haven’t been able to do for 4 weeks or so.

Many thanks for all the prayers on our behalf. Though my optimism wavered a good bit throughout the restrictions period, I was always encouraged to know we were being prayed for. Specifically recalling recent answered prayer for some of our good friends was helpful, too: it reminded me that when God’s people pray, He answers. I really believe God used your prayers to sustain the life of this baby.

Other good news items of the day:
- Owen alert me to the fact that he needed to “go” while I was driving to a Target in a nearby town: 15-20 minutes away still when he told me. I asked him to hold it, saying we would go when we got to Target, in Target’s potty. For the rest of the drive there, he repeated over and over “go peepee. go peepee at Target. Mommy help. peepee at Target.” The urgency was growing.
I expected the worst when we got there, only to find…a dry diaper and a little boy who truly had waited. Very, very encouraging.
Not that we aren’t without accidents (poop in the toy basket, anyone?), but he is doing great as we try and navigate the adventures in potty training.

- I have a helper to trudge through the tasks of daily living with me. Check out Ande’s post from yesterday for a video of my helper in action.

Finally, what happens on Fridays when I go to work:
I am often asked where Owen goes when I am at work. We have a fantastic schedule where Ande watches Owen on Fridays, since that is Ande’s day off. They do boy stuff, get dirty, fix things. Ande often takes Owen disc-golfing, which Owen LOVES. Here are a couple pictures from Friday’s adventure disc-golfing with some of Ande’s students. When asked “what did you do today?”, Owen answered “Disc golf. I throw.” Then he threw an imaginary disc. Good shot, too.

It has been quiet around notalltogether. Partly because there is a baby in my belly, causing the expected “morning” sickness in the afternoons and late, late into the night. And partly because I have been dealing with some pregnancy complications that have me wavering between peace and fear.

My doctor informed me about two weeks ago that I have a blood clot between my uterus and the gestational sac, which could potentially terminate the pregnancy. Strict orders of no picking up heavy things (Owen), no exercise, and even no pushing heavy things (again, Owen) in the stroller until the issue resolves.

What does this mean for a mostly stay-at-home mommy? Well, it means I can’t put Owen into or get him out of his crib. No lifting him into his highchair. No bathing my child. No putting him in his carseat…thus no going anywhere, just the two of us. I need another adult with me to help us live our lives. Is it worth it? Yes. Is it hard? Ummm, yes. My mother-in-law came and helped us this week (hallelujah!!). And at work today, I had lots of help pushing my patients around the facility (as adults in wheelchairs are heavier than my 30-pound kiddo).

I am praying and hopeful that my body has turned a corner in the fight against the blood clot, but it is still a wait-and-see situation. We would love your prayers (and your continued prayers for those who have been praying with us already).

On a related note, we do not have a nickname for this baby yet. Owen was Sweet Baby J from the beginning, but I am coming up short this time around. Suggestions welcome!

Ande’s on bath duty for now. Here’s the proof that with a jet-powered tub (at my parents’), a little bit of bubbles goes a long way.

Wagon time with Grandma. Ride to the mailbox, then kick back and read the mail

I am thrilled to say we are pregnant again and due in August. This week we saw the beautiful sight of a jellybean on a screen with a tiny, fast-beating heart. My own heart couldn’t contain itself, and tears of joy spilled down my face.

God has been answering my prayer for joy for this pregnancy after the loss of the last one. I hated (and even felt a little guilty) that my first reaction to the digital read-out of “pregnant” was “YAY!…oh NO!!”, but fear just took over. I literally had to hit my knees in prayer before I left the bathroom. I am so grateful to say He has been replacing my fear with excitement. I really am excited!!

As for our little 20-month old smartie, he can answer a new question:
“What’s in mommy’s belly?” we ask.
“A baby,” he replies.
Seriously, the fact that we told him ONCE that mommy has a baby in her belly and he knew it immediately reminds me that we definitely have to watch what we say in front of him. The good, the bad, and the ugly, he retains…and can verbalize.

As is tradition, I am sharing my “just saw the positive test” picture.

My plan for Owen to give the test to Ande was a fail: Owen, hungry for breakfast, would not cooperate. I ended up tossing the test to Ande with a quick “we’re pregnant” kiss before heading to the kitchen to feed our hungry, gripey toddler.
Sweet nonetheless.

A few weeks back, we unfortunately learned that Owen was now tall enough to reach things on the kitchen counter.

What did he grab?
Tobasco sauce.

What did he do next?
He touched his face and eyes.

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!!!! My poor baby.

Since then, Owen is the first to tell us about the dangers of Tabasco. Ande uses it nearly everyday, so nearly everyday when Owen sees the bottle we hear some version of this from our little boy:

“No, no, no…Hot. Hot. Boo boo. Eye.”

I don’t think he’ll make that mistake again…ever.
And we won’t make the mistake again of leaving such things on the counter.

Lesson learned all the way around.

Just a few shots of my attempts to transform our home into one of Christmas merriment. I liked transforming things before becoming a mommy, but having Owen has taken holidays up a level, as we’re making memories and traditions here.

our dining area

around the house

Our nativity set, in “clings-to-windows” form, at just the right height for little eyes

Ande put up icicle lights outside for Owen, and he LOVES it, often saying “pretty!” about the lights, followed by “daddy….DADDY!” because we talk about how his daddy put them up for him. The nativity brings lots of smiles and the naming of animals in a cute toddler voice.

Notice there was no tree. This is the FIRST year in our married life that we have not gotten a tree. We usually are at the tree lot as soon as we return from Thanksgiving, getting the biggest tree we can get for our budget. I LOVE a big, real tree. This year, for a couple reasons, no big, real tree. No tree at all. I said I was okay with it, but I was kinda bummed. UNTIL an anniversary surprise from my husband showed up: a LED pre-lit tabletop artificial tree in a beautiful urn. Perfect!!! I was so excited, decorating it quickly with red ribbon left over from our wedding seven years ago to the day. Picture to come…

Yay!!! We have a wooden kitchen for Owen for Christmas! This adorable little blue one, BRAND NEW in the box!

Megan found it for me today at her TJ Maxx for $59.99. Perfect!

Thanks, Megan!! Good work!

Honestly, this is an answer to prayer. God has heard me mention wooden kitchens for quite some time, knowing our limited budget and being prepared to wait until after Christmas to find it…and expecting to get it used. Though it could seem petty in the grand scheme of things, I know God is showing me how He loves to delight in His children by providing this kitchen for us. Interestingly, I read this today before I got Megan’s call. From the mouth of Jesus:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” Matthew 7:7-11

Feeling very loved today…

I have been on the lookout for a nice used, gender-neutral wooden kitchen set for Christmas for Owen. (My child loves to pretend cook…Maybe he’ll grow up to be an awesome real cook like his daddy!) Because this will likely be in our living area, I want it to look attractive and generally match our home decor, too.

Try Number One:

I found this Pottery Barn Kids set (fridge and stove only) on Craigslist over Thanksgiving (the pink parts had been painted blue already…score!) for $50. Perfectly in budget. The owner was super-nice, but texted me that her kids freaked out when she moved it to the garage for us to pick it up: “I can’t sell it…I am sorry!” Bummer.

Try Number Two:

I then found this adorable little blue one from Play Wonder, also on Craiglist, for $50. I was supposed to meet the woman tomorrow to see it. After several normal back-and-forth emails with her, I got a (weird) email saying it was now damaged and she couldn’t sell it.

So now I am back to square one…again. IKEA has a cute one, but it is out of budget. I do really like that it has movable legs that grow with your child, though.
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Any ideas? Or does anyone have the perfect wooden kitchen just collecting dust that you want to get rid of??

I am a little slow on the blogging compared to Megan and Alina, but yesterday was a cousin playdate complete with matching shirts (courtesy of grandma) and a front porch photo shoot.

I admit, it WAS easier than last year’s shot as now all members of our little party could sit upright.

Lots of fun. Wishing we all lived closer to make it happen more often.

Interestingly, lots of childhood photo shoots with me, my brothers, and our cousins took place on the brick steps on the porch right next door where my Grandma lives. Very cool to be doing this with our kids.

From our kitchen window, we have watched something grow along the back fence of our yard. We’ve been watching it since our return from Ireland this summer. What are we growing? Well, we don’t know. Squash? Watermelon? Whatever it is, it is THRIVING! Ande followed the vine behind our back trees and found it goes for about 100 feet. It’s massive! Whatever it is, Owen loved it!

And, just as exciting for him, he found a nearby stick for some little boy fun.

Wiping off the dirt

Time to go inside for dinner.

I love how our yard always has surprises for us to discover.