Not All Together

We are in the throes of new baby round here.

Not much sleep, attempting to figure out nursing craziness, dealing with a sick and contagious toddler, trying to assist a baby with blocked tear ducts, doctor visits, hormonal night sweats and the occasional emotional breakdown…side by side with loving on a sweet little thing we can’t imagine life without. It is good. Messy and real, but very good.

Owen has adjusted like a champ. Honestly, I could not have asked for a smoother transition (minus the contagious sickness part) from only child to older brother. He just wants to love on Knox. “Look at his tiny feet!” and “Look at his little hands!”, we hear 50 times per day. He wants to watch him, to kiss him, to help with diaper changes, to cheer him with singing (which totally works!), and to ask “What Knox doing?” all day. Soooo sweet. Not a hint of jealousy. Just love. I can’t tell you the joy it brings my heart.

Thank you to the friends and family who have shared in our joy, prayed for us, brought us delicious meals, and loved us well during this transition. We are so appreciative.

Who doesn’t love a fauxhawk with a cute striped, mittened onesie?
Oh, and the adorable baby doesn’t hurt either. :)

Sweet big brother doesn’t feel well. Please join us in prayer for Owen who has had a fever all day.

8lbs 4oz and 21 inches long. Thanks for your prayers!

The numbers:
38.5 weeks pregnant
C-section scheduled for 8/18 at 10:30 am
40 pounds even gained(!)

Very few things fit. Cannot see feet at all…which is okay given how swollen they are. Varicose veins all over my right leg. Lots of “Is it twins?” questions from strangers. This is hard to answer graciously.

A little more prepared this time around, knowing what life with a newborn after a C-section is like. A little and a lot more nervous due to this knowledge.

As ready as I can be…

Please join us in prayer for the before, during, and after this little boy’s birth.
I cannot wait to snuggle him.

*This post is dedicated to Joan and Cheri. Never a dull moment!! :)

When Ande was recently out of town for work for several days, Owen and I met a couple of friends for dinner. The restaurant was fairly new to me, so I brought a little container of peas and corn for Owen, just in case his kid’s meal was served without veggies or with raw veggies he couldn’t eat (like carrots…choking hazard!)

At some point in the middle of dinner, my friend tells me she thinks Owen just said he put a pea up his nose. No way, I say…thinking my kid would never do that. But the little boy sitting next to me with a scrunched-up nose, waving his hands, and making an uncomfortable “Ahhhhhh!!!” sound made me take a look. Yep. A pea about halfway up his nose.

“Blow hard,” I instruct. He does. Then apparently he inhales hard. Now the pea is much farther up, and I can barely see it. Other attempts to blow are unsuccessful.

My other friend calls her son-in-law, a pediatrician. He gives excellent advice: occlude the other nostril, then blow hard into his mouth. If there is no air escaping around the pea, it should come out. (Take note of this tip, other moms or moms-to-be! I’m sure this info will come in handy again.) We go to the bathroom and try this…four times. Owen laughs each time and immediately says “Do it again, Mommy!”, thinking we are playing some sort of game. It is not a game to me. Although at this point, the pea has moved so far up that it is no longer uncomfortable to Owen, which is good news.

Back to the table to report unsuccessful attempts. It is about 6:00 pm. The nice pediatrician on the phone tells me I need to head to an urgent care center to have it removed. As chance would have it, there was a pediatric urgent care right next to the restaurant. We start to walk there, then I decide to call my pediatrician’s office to see if they could possibly be open so late. (At this point I am thinking I would rather pay an office visit copay than an emergency care copay…remember, he is no longer uncomfortable.) The office was still open! While on hold with the nurse, we sit in the car and blow and blow that nose. Out shoots a pea! It has been about 20 minutes since we first discovered he had put something up his nose. I lay Owen down on the backseat and use a keychain flashlight to see if there are any more peas up there. Lo and behold, a second pea magically appears in his mouth. He is surprised. I am surprised. How many are up there??? I wonder.

We end up at the pediatrician’s office at 7:00 in the evening, just to check things out. Turns out, it was just two peas.

I think it was a lesson learned: on the way home, Owen told me very seriously, “Peas go in da mouth, Mommy”.

I love that Owen loves to read. Love it. It was something I prayed for while pregnant with him, and God totally answered the many prayers. I could see us snuggled up on the couch reading stories from his babyhood until middle school…or whatever point it becomes super uncool to read with your mom.

He is now reading to himself since he knows all the words to most of our books. I love to find a big mess of books on the floor, Owen in the center, happily retelling the story as best he can. Currently, Daddy on the Moon by Cressida Cowell is his favorite. I picked it up last year in Ireland, thinking it looked like a book that was perfect for little boys. It is perfect for mine.

Two other favorites: the Bible stories of Jonah and of Jesus calming the storm, which he retells with great accuracy and intensity, including sound effects. Those stories in our Jesus Storybook Bible look quite loved, evidenced by wrinkled, worn-in pages.

(Check out that Tijuana Flats tattoo peeking out from his sleeve…Ande got a matching one, so that the two of them had something they referred to as “Arm Power!” Proof that tough tattooed kids can be readers, too!)

This week was an abnormally amazing couponing week for me at Publix. All the stuff pictured (plus more that didn’t make it in the picture) ranged from FREE(!) to $1.50. Several items were even money makers, including the two giant boxes of cereal, the Crest toothpaste, the Windex wipes, and the Cottonelle toilet paper. I also majorly stocked up on Cascadian Farms Organic granola bars (a family favorite), buying 10 boxes total. Usually these run $4/box, but I paid nothing to $1.00 per box with my coupons. Another score was 6 whole pork tenderloins for a total of $13.27….that’s 6 meals worth of meat for my family for $2.22/meal. We have a Foodsaver, so I can easily freeze them without the risk of freezer burn.
Again, these are the items and products my family uses, not wasted money on stuff we don’t like. And lots of organic!

I spent $144.64 and saved $133.51. This is a good bit more than I usually spend per week on groceries, but it was a big stock-up week…thinking ahead to having the baby soon.

I heart saving money and eating well!

Before: Remember this serene guest room? Totally gone.

After: Now it’s a fun blue room with lots to do and lots of space to play.
The bunks, complete with trundle space underneath. I love how the bedding turned out with those adorable fish sheets. We put the top bunk rails on the bottom bunk for now to keep our kiddo from falling out as he learned how to sleep in a bed.

The side table, reused from the guest room. I scored this solid wood piece a couple years ago at a garage sale for $5. It’s perfect for this IKEA lamp (love!) and Owen’s collection of Bibles.

The chest of drawers that came unexpectedly with the used beds and some playful water-themed accessories.

I found the buoy at Marshall’s for $5.99 and painted it to be a bit more colorful. I had planned to make one, but couldn’t pass it up at that price. The oar came from my dad, who had inherited it years ago. We guess it is likely from the 1940s, and I loved the rivet details and the aged, weathered look.

Family beach pictures and painted art work by me. I just found some images I liked on PBK and Etsy and painted them the sizes I needed to fit inside my white RIBBA frames from IKEA. They were so fun to create!

Up close:

More mom-made art work. I’d said before that I LOVED the inspiration piece from Sugarboo Designs, but could not afford the price tag. I am very pleased at how my version turned out.

And in this room, organization was PLANNED. After searching for just the right closet organizer, I opted for this IKEA bookshelf. It made a lot of sense to me: kid clothes are so short, the bottom of the closet could handle such a big piece. AND it meant toys would be hidden in the closet. Close the closet doors, room is “clean”…clean enough, at least!

The green canvas totes were clearanced at Pottery Barn Kids for $6 a piece. Then these wire baskets were a steal at Big Lots for $3 each (unfortunately, they only had two).

More organization: drawer dividers, again from IKEA, for Owen to sort his clothes. He puts away his own laundry and ENJOYS it! :) (Yep, that’s my baby belly casting shadows on my pics again!)

Also, no longer being a “rookie mom”, I now know how quickly kids outgrow clothes. These storage bins on top of the closet are ready for me to fill…then sort and store for baby brother when they are full.

And what big boy bedroom would be complete without furry friends? These moved from the crib (yes, he slept with ALL of them!) to the end of the bed to keep him company.

Owen really does love his room. But let’s be real: these pictures definitely depict the cleaned-up version. The bed is rarely made…blame the fact I am very pregnant and that it seems a bit ridiculous when he’s just going to nap in it later! Also, toys usually look more “organized” like this because life is always happening in this house:

I sure love this little builder!!

I am thrilled with the end result. The space seems open and spacious and fun, and it didn’t break the bank!

This is me two weeks ago at 35 weeks. I will be 37 weeks tomorrow. This shirt no longer fits…and honestly, it barely fit that day. :)

My friends from church and work hosted sweet, sweet showers for me to welcome our little one.

On Friday:
(Most of) the ladies from my therapy team. I truly work with some of most generous people I know.

The cakes (ps: that’s my belly making the shadow…yikes!)

What a blessing to really enjoy what you do and who you work with!

I came home with lots and lots of necessities…yay!

Then Saturday, a shower given by these sweet friends

We ate delicious food, including this amazing cake made by Anna

I also opened lots of generous gifts that are soooo appreciated

Thanks, ladies!! I am so thankful for you!