Not All Together

Well, I have lots of pictures to share but can’t share them as they are stuck on our camera for now. None of them will upload; we have to make more room on our computer first. Sigh. TWO showers, an interesting story about peas (I promise!), my little reader, another grocery couponing victory, the world’s largest pregnant belly, and pictures of a big boy bedroom to come…as long as baby cooperates.

Speaking of baby, three and a half things have been crossed off the list:
1. The Shutterfly book is on its way. I maxed out at 100 pages of a 12×12 book with some severe editing. (Maybe that fact alone tells you something about why no more pictures will currently load on our computer!) Buying that book “earned” me a free photobook, per an email from the good folks at Shutterfly today, so score! We’ll put it to good use, I think, since we have an important arrival soon that we would like to document… :)

2. Owen’s big boy room is complete. Complete! Last details finished today. Can’t wait to share.

3. I have called about reupholstering our sleeper sofa and was actually able to find someone reasonable, but it is still outside our budget for now. Disappointing, but at least I could cross it off the list. Sorry, grandmas: top bunk it is!

4. The office cleaning has begun. Oh.my.word. If that doesn’t send me into labor, nothing will. Receipts for random things from 2006? Heck yes, we held on to them. As well as every other single piece of paper that we’ve come across since then, apparently. The baby is getting all squiggly as I type that, really. Such a job…for me and our shredder! Thank goodness the office has an awesome air conditioner I can crank down.

So hopefully more to share soon with visuals…again, if baby cooperates. Ande and I laughed tonight at how I physically look like I shouldn’t be able to walk at this point; it seems I should just fall forward since there is so much weight in my belly. :)

I will leave you with two previously loaded pictures of recent Johnson excitement:

First, Owen has discovered the joy of feeding the neighbors’ horses. He can’t get enough and begs to stop the car to feed them when we see them at the fence. Too cute.

AND the first figs produced by my fig tree, given to me three years ago as a gift from my father-in-law. They were delicious! Reminded me of the ones we used to get from my neighbors’ tree growing up. Hope mine grows as big as theirs did…it was big enough to climb and play in as kids!

That’s all for now…

Today is the anniversary of our miscarriage last year. There has been a lot of healing, but it still feels so raw at times, and to be very honest I miss the life we didn’t get to know. It remains a strong reminder that this is not how God intended things to be. I am still waiting for all that is sad to come untrue.

Ande and I spent the day on a date, which was lovely and needed and wonderful. Our food took forever to arrive at the table, and it was nice to just catch up and relate. It has been a hard year for us in a lot of ways, and a result of that has been a good deal of living side-by-side without much connecting. Not that there hasn’t been beauty and joy, too…but relationally we would both say it has felt more like survival than thriving. All married folks reading that can relate on some level, I’m sure.

We’ve been immensely enjoying the new Andrew Peterson album Counting Stars, and immediately both of us connected with the song Dancing in the Minefields. Oh, Andrew Peterson, we soooo get it.

Ande, I’ll dance in minefields and kick down doors with you always.
“It was harder than we dreamed, but I believe that’s what the promise is for.”

Watch and enjoy the Johnson theme song…

Dear Baby Boy #2,
I have completed many things on my to-do-before-you-come list. However, there are a few items that are still hanging over my head.

1. Finish your brother’s birth-two years Shutterfly album. After much work this week, I am only at Owen:10 months. I cannot bear the thought that a new baby will come before I have documented his special moments. I am sure this is just Mommy Guilt, but still…Plus, if I cannot complete this, I will be even MORE behind since I will be working on your book, too. You are in luck, though: your Daddy takes amazing photos. Even if Mommy procrastinates in organizing them.

2. Complete Owen’s big-boy room. We are getting there on this one, with homemade art finished tonight. There are a few details left, though, and I am working diligently to ensure that this is complete.

3. At least look into the price of repairing/ reupholstering our sleeper sofa to see if it could possibly be done on our budget. With the guest room gone, we have no place for out-of-towners to sleep. I remember vividly how crucial it was to have live-in family help after Owen’s birth, and I expect I will need the same with you. It would be nice if there was a place to offer besides “top bunk” of Owen’s room.

4. Clean and organize the office. This one is a “we’ll see” on my list, only to be tackled if the other items are crossed off. I am thankful our office is separate from our home…if it doesn’t get done, I can at least ignore it easily.

I promise to continue to work hard towards crossing off these to-dos. However, I also promise to welcome you with a burstingly happy heart should you thwart these plans. I can’t wait to meet you.

love,
Mommy

Just got back from the eye specialist, where I had gone because my eye was worse this morning: I could hardly see! Found out it isn’t pink eye!!! I can stop taking the goooopy ointment. It is swollen, irritated eyelids which is causing the redness and itchiness. And it isn’t contagious! Hooray!!! She gave me new meds (steroid drops) and eyelid scrub and said I should be better very soon. Hooray, again!!!

All the way there, Owen talked about “Mommy’s sick eyes” or “Mommy’s broken eyes” and even “Mommy’s shiny eyes” (courtesy of the ointment). Hopefully, my eyes won’t be the topic of conversation too long. Thank you for the prayers.

We saw O’Toodles on ultrasound today to check out the amniotic fluid levels since my fluid with Owen was so low and resulted in an almost-immediate induction. Fluid looked good for now, but the ultrasound confirmed my suspicion: this is a big ol’ baby! So far he’s estimated at 6.6 lbs, with 5 weeks to go until C-section. That would put him at 9 lbs if we make it that far. Holy moly! I keep saying it feels like he is trying to hatch out of me like an egg, and 10-11 PM is prime time for the O’Toodles Show around here…my belly just goes crazy with arms and bottom and legs trying to break my belly open. It is actually quite painful, but it is fun to watch and see the body parts pushing against my skin.

True to past history, baby was uncooperative for the ultrasound and kept his hands covering his face. The tech did tell us he has “just a little bit” of hair, though. Can’t wait to meet him!

I would also like to ask for prayer for my eyes. Owen got pink-eye several weeks back and shared the love with me. I thought it was gone, but it came back a second time. I finished my second round of antibiotics last week (10 days!), but woke up today with the tell-tale goo and pinkness. Yeah, so that’s number three. No itching this time so far, but soooooo discouraging to be unable to beat this thing. Started a new antibiotic tonight that is an ointment (read shiny and messy) with hopes it will stay put better than drops. But it is applied 4x/day for 10 days….again. Throwing all my make-up away again (sigh). If you see me running errands around town, you’ll know why I am without make-up and all shiny-eyed. It ain’t pretty. But maybe now people won’t comment on my size…and if they do I can at least say I am growing a huge baby inside me!

I wanted to share a fun place we discovered during our staycation last month for local friends. We took our little boat down the Wekiva River, a place Ande and I had kayaked together years ago. This time though we launched at the other end of the river at a really nice camp ground called Wekiva Falls Resort. The cost to launch was $5. As we drove to the boat launch we saw an awesome swimming hole made from the spring complete with a floating dock full of slides. The water was cold and clear since it was spring water, and it was super refreshing after our boat trip. There were picnic tables and lounge chairs all around, which made it a really nice place for families. Now we know it exists, and we will definitely be back.

Our family

After a hot day on the boat followed by a good bit of swimming, here was Owen only two seconds after we climbed into the truck to go home…

So there you have it, local friends. Just doing my part to help you entertain your family cheaply!

Well, he’s done it. He has transitioned to his new room and new bed.
He’s officially a big boy.

First night:

Soooo excited!

Now a little unsure

“Maybe I should read the Bible for a bit…”

There were some tears (both his and mine) the first night, but he never got out of bed. In fact, so far he appears unaware that he CAN get out of bed on his own. He stays in when we tell him to go, and in the mornings he calls out for us to come get him. Nobody tell him, okay?? It’s pretty nice not to wonder what he’s doing in there, and it’s definitely nice not to have to put him back to bed 100 times!

Yesterday before nap time…

A boat for a boy and his elephant, complete with lots of food for the journey

Soon it became a horse named Ranger.

Tired anyone?

After naps, while I folded laundry…

The boat is back, and the hanger is a fishing pole

What are you fishing for, Owen? The answer: “Manatees”

Too cute to report to the Department of Game and Fish

I called my dad a few weeks back and asked (maybe begged) him to come help us with some house projects that I don’t have the skills, time, or physical ability to tackle. I am definitely in the nesting stage of pregnancy and was feeling extra stressed to get some things done before this baby arrives. He graciously agreed and spent a few days working and hanging out with us.

Bunk beds and closet organizers were assembled, additional smoke detectors were mounted, and dishwasher issues/electrical outlets/and a closet door that never closed properly were fixed. Large pieces of furniture became mounted to walls, in order to keep my two year-old climber safe from danger. The original list grew and grew, still everything managed to get completed. Sweet bliss. And Dad managed to get it all done with two spectators watching…ahem, helping…him work; Owen and I really enjoyed the time. I learned a lot about my Dad, too. It was news to me that he had delivered “maybe 5 or 6 ” babies while with the fire department(!), and that he had the top bunk as a kid…NOT the desired bed considering there was no AC in his house.

In the evenings, Ande and Owen introduced Dad to the glory that is our blackberry patch, had family swim time, and ate good food including my cobbler and Ande’s amazing fish and shrimp.

And Owen got the privilege of sing-a-longs at the piano with his B. Let me just say that my kiddo loves to play the piano, climbing up the piano stool multiple times a day, bringing all his books one by one to “play”, reading them as though they were music and singing along to the song in his head. What a treat to sit with someone who actually reads music (Ande and I have no piano skills) and play and sing together. It was sweet to watch.

Thanks, Dad, for all the help. We really enjoyed your time with us, and we love you very much!!

It has been a week of many things at our house:

:Sickness- Owen with double ear, double eye infections, and me with pink eye followed by a diagnosis yesterday of bronchitis (I ONLY get this when pregnant!). The antibiotics are flowing freely here at the K Ranch…

:No husband- Ande left for General Assembly in Nashville on Monday, and he returned late last night. Him being gone somehow increases our chances for sickness by 100 fold…

:Sister-in-law visits- Both Megan and Alina braved the germs of our home and came to visit, giving me some help and sanity, and giving Owen a chance to play (mostly) happily with his cousins…

Given the above, I thought I would share some blogs I really love with you. These are not friend or family blogs, but ones I have found by referral or accident and just heart.

Fly Through Our Window The beautiful photography, the subject matter of family and faith, and easy writing style. Check out her “about” page. Gotta love the reminder that it is a blog and not a real-life account.

Molly Piper Love her honesty and resources for grief. Molly lost her daughter Felicity at birth. She gives open glimpses of pain mixed with hope that can only come from our Savior. Check out her sidebar of “How to Help Your Grieving Friend” (so practical!) and her well-written “…You’re Not a Stalker” piece. Love that she is a speech-language pathologist like me. Molly also has two boys and is currently pregnant (due soon) with twins.

Under the Table and Dreaming
Only discovered this YESTERDAY while searching for wooden buoys online. Found her link for making them yourself, patterned after Pottery Barn. Oh my goodness, I heart this blog already. So creative and beautiful, and I am trying not to covet her amazing craft room…or her craftiness. Just start clicking, trust me.

Design Mom I like that Gabrielle updates OFTEN and links to lots of creative, interesting things. She is a mom of six, and often includes submitted birth stories, DIY projects, and always has pretty things to see.

Happy weekend. We will be taking it VERY easy, which means not hosting the big 4th of July party that we have loved in the past. Maybe next year.